Taylor lay on the couch in the apartment just twiddling his thumbs.
They were getting faster and faster as he thought over what was in his head.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he frowned as he tried to work out exactly what the voices around him were telling him. As soon as he could make sense of any of it, his eyes opened and he stood from the couch.
He went to the nearby hat rack and grabbed both a jacket for himself and one for Isaac, before thundering toward the music room where he knew his brother was composing.
Throwing open the door, he threw Isaac his jacket.
"Get ready. We're going to Arizona," he announced, putting his jacket on and grabbing his cell phone from the coffee table on the way back to the door.
Isaac
"Uhh, we are?" Isaac blinked.
"And what makes you say we're going to Arizona?" Tad demanded.
"Tad, learn some tact."
Taylor & Kirk
"Look, you're either coming with me, or you're not. And if you don't, I'm going on my own, no matter how long it takes," he murmured, dialling Steel's number.
"And even I know you," here he pointed at Tad, "can't disrupt my power forever."
He hesitated as he heard the call ring through, before answering Isaac's question.
"It's where Christian is," he said, before leaving the room again as Steel picked up.
"Yes Tayor?"
"I know where he is. I'm going after him."
Kirk hesitated.
"If you're talking about Christian I would highly suggest you abandon the idea of..."
"Cut the crap Steel, I'm going after him. I'm the only one who knows where he is, so if I don't who else will?"
Isaac
"Ahh," Isaac nodded. "Christian."
He started towards the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Tad frowned.
"I'm going to pack some stuff," Isaac said.
"You're not going ahead with this tomfoolery?"
"Tad... get a life."
Tad muttered something about having one until he was forced to babysit.
Taylor & Kirk
"Taylor..."
"Just get me a teleporter. If you don't help it'll only take longer."
"Why don't you tell me where he is and let us go after him?"
"No. I'm going after him for a reason. I scratch his back, he scratches mine, right?"
"Not necessarily..."
"Quit stalling and get me a f***ing teleporter!"
"Ok, ok. They'll be there in a few."
Taylor hung up, then went to wait by the door.
Isaac
Isaac packed a few things in a backpack, and then joined Taylor downstairs. He tried not to roll his eyes at Tad, who was leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his chest and a scrowl on his face.
"So, when do we leave?"
Taylor
The teleporter appeared a moment later.
"Now," Taylor replied.
He gave the teleporter the address they needed to be teleported to, and she indicated for Tad to join them.
Isaac
Isaac and Tad joined Taylor and the teleporter, and a moment later they were in Arizona. Isaac and Tad looked around.
"Yeah, okay, we're here now. Lets go," Tad said.
"Don't be such a party pooper," Isaac said, then turned to the teleporter. "Thanks for the lift."
Taylor
She nodded.
"Just let Steel know when you want out," she said, before disappearing.
Taylor fidgetted with his hands as he looked up at the two storey building they'd come to. The place was huge.
"I need to show you where he is, and you need to get him out," Taylor began, looking across at Isaac.
"The telepaths will sense me the moment I'm in there. But because of your shield you shouldn't have a problem. Let's go."
He began to make his way around the side, using his atom manipulation the cut a hole in the fence so they could climb through.
"We'll have to get in through the air ducts."
Isaac
Isaac and Tad followed Taylor through.
"Uhh, Tay, you do remember, I have no control of my powers at the moment..." Isaac said nervously.
For the first time, this lack of control in such a potentially dangerous place made Isaac feel rather vulnerable. He didn't like that feeling at all. What if something happened?
Taylor
"You don't need your power, just find him and his back. He's still wearing one of Blakesley's collars," Taylor insisted, "he can handle it after that."
He made his way over to the building and began looking for vents.
"And you can tell him we're helping him out on one condition."
Isaac
Isaac nodded slowly.
"Okay, what condition?" he asked, helping Taylor in his search for vents.
Taylor
Taylor spied a vent a few metres away and jogged over to it. He jumped up to pull the cover down before making holes in the wall they could use to climb up.
"That he helps us bring down Blakesley. Come on."
He started climbing up.
Isaac
"Sounds like a good deal to me," Isaac said, following Taylor.
"You ae not going after Blakesley. In fact," Tad said, "you are going to cease and desisit this stupid little mission right now or -"
"Tad? Put a sock in it," Isaac replied.
"Ooof..." Tad fell back, rubbing his jaw.
Isaac chuckled a little, and followed Taylor. Well, there were some advantages to having your emotions in charge of your telekinesis - he wouldn't have actually hit Tad otherwise. And goodness knows, he surely deserved it.
Taylor & Guffery
Taylor shook his head but stayed quiet, considering they were now inside. He began concentrating on the pheremones in the rooms they passed, trying to get some sort of clue as to where Christian was located.
~*~
Meanwhile, Guffery recieved a call on his beeper.
"Security," he mumbled to himself, then looked up at the men he was having a meeting with.
"Won't be long, sorry for the disruption," he nodded with a smile, before getting up to leave the boardroom.
He began to make his way toward the security room before just teleporting there.
"Yes?" his eyebrows rose.
One of the men in charge pointed to some small red dots on a plan of the building's venting system.
"We have company."
Isaac
Tad muttered something about them both being idiots, but followed anyway. Tanya would probably kill him for letting them do this, but he'd be even more dead if he didn't at least try to prevent them from getting hurt.
Isaac tried to keep his breathing quiet. Now they were actually inside, he had become even more nervous. It was one thing for Taylor to say he didn't need his powers - but he certainly would have preferred to have them on hand. His heart was beating so loudly he was sure it was going to give them away.
Taylor & Guffery
Taylor came to a crossroad in the vent and paused for a moment. With a frown, he closed his eyes, tilting his head to the right a little.
~*~
Guffery mused for a moment.
"Send down a telepath and a telekinetic. Find out who or what it is. If it's a who, bring them back."
And he left the room.
~*~
"Tension just arose," Taylor whispered, before crawling forward slightly so he could turn and give directions.
"Down there," he pointed, talking so only Isaac could hear.
"Turn left at the second crossroads. Fourth vent on the right is Christian's room."
He paused to take a deep breath.
"They're going to know I'm here soon. I'd better try and get out. Both you and Christian should be untouchable once you give him his powers back. Are you ok?"
Isaac
"Oh, I'll be fine," Isaac said, nervously. "Like you said, I shouldn't need my powers, right?"
He glanced down the vent.
"Second crossroads, fourth vent. See you later. Good luck."
He started on his way.
Taylor
"You too Ike," Taylor insisted.
He waited to see which way Tad was going before he could head back for the exit.
Isaac
Isaac nodded and contintued crawlling down. He could see the second crossroads not to far ahead.
Tad sighed.
"You heading out, right? Then I guess I'd better stick with Isaac," he said resignly to Taylor.
He started following Isaac.
Taylor
Taylor watched after them for a moment, then quickly and silently began to head back. But he knew no matter how quiet he was, someone was bound to know that he was there.
Isaac
Isaac turned at the crossroads and mentally counted the vents on the way down. One. Two. Three. Four. He attempted to look through the gaps to see if he could see Christian, but the angle appeared wrong. He listened for a moment, trying to figure out if anyone else was in there, but he couldn't hear anything. He took a breath and worked on the vent door.
Tad gestured to Isaac as if to say "let me do it". He didn't know which irritated him most - the fact that he was stuck babysitting a couple of kids who insisted on going on stupid, foolhardy missons - or trying to watch Isaac do things the human way when Tad could just use his atom manipulation to accomplish the same thing in a potion of the time.
The vent was removed, and carefully set aside. Isaac then pushed himself out of the shaft.
Christian & Taylor
Christian jumped to his feet when he realised he suddenly wasn't alone in the room.
"Isaac?" he looked confused, "what the hell are you doing here?"
~*~
Taylor paused in the vent as he felt a headache starting. Recognising it as telepathic, he knew he'd been found.
Isaac
"Taylor got it into his head to rescue you," Isaac replied good naturedly. "On the condition that you help us take Blakesley down. But somehow I doubt that anyone would be adverse to that idea."
He looked Christian up and down.
"Been treated well in here?"
Christian & Taylor
"Oh I'm all for that idea," Christian insisted wholeheartedly.
"But I hope he has some kind of plan in mind because I don't."
He glanced up at the vent, sensing someone else there.
"Where is he?"
~*~
Taylor wasn't sure whether he should keep moving or if he should just stay where he was. He knew he was in an awkward position for anyone to get to him as he was between two room in the vent, but if he moved they'd be able to get him either side.
"We know you're there," came a deep voice suddenly from up ahead.
Taylor's head shot up, and he gulped slightly before instinctively beginning to back away.
Isaac
"He came in with us long enough to figure out where you were. Then he went back outside. He doesn't have a telepathic shield, so, y'know..." Isaac said.
He inspected Christian's collar, then looked up at the ven.
"Tad? Would you mind giving me a hand getting this collar off? We could use his telekinesis."
Tad sighed and exited the shaft. He ambled over to Christian and had a look for himself. Then he put his finger over what passed for the clasp and got to work.
Christian & Taylor
Christian smiled slightly to himself as he felt the collar release and he regained control of his powers.
"You have no idea how good that feels," he said softly, closing his eyes for a moment.
He rubbed his chin absently.
"Any idea how to get out of here? Or are we guessing the way?"
~*~
Taylor sensed something was about to happen before it did. Suddenly the bottom of the vent gave way and he was sprawled out on his stomach on the floor with the wind knocked out of him.
~*~
Christian clutched at his chest and looked across at Isaac.
"Something just happened to Taylor," he said suddenly.
Isaac
Isaca had been about to say something about going back the way they came when Christian made his announcement.
"What?" he asked urgently. "What happened? How do you know?"
Christian & Taylor
Christian hesitated with a frown.
"I don't know how I know," he shook his head, "just give me a moment I'll see if I can..."
He cut himself off and stood still with his eyes closed, trying to feel something else.
~*~
Taylor looked up to see two large men standing over him.
"Ah... hi?"
The dark skinned man grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him to his feet.
Isaac
Isaac looked anxiously at Christian. Tad sighed. There was always something.
"Uhh, hello? Shouldn't we get going before we get caught too? We can go back the way we came. Maybe find something that way."
Amatures.
Christian &Taylor
"Going back the way you came will just end with you being caught by Marshall Guffery, do you want that?" Christian scorned, glaring at Tad.
He had no idea who this guy was, but he was getting on his nerves already.
"Don't think you know more about what you've gotten yourself into than I do. And if you go back that way you'll be abandoning Taylor. He's moving at the moment I'll have to wait until he stops before I can find out where he is."
~*~
Taylor flinched slightly as the man's grip on his arm tightened as he was led into a room that looked almost like a switchboard. There were monitor screens everywhere, and standing behind the two people at the main desk was a main in his 40s with blonde hair, a moustache, and glasses.
He looked up for a moment in shock, before his face twisted a look of confusion.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"A Taylor Hanson, sir," the black man replied for him," he and two others are here for Christian Thomas."
Taylor cringed as his headache began to worsen.
Isaac
Isaac frowned.
"How do you know, at all?" he asked.
Then he paused and looked closer at Christian.
"Christian? What's happened to your eyes?"
Christian & Taylor
Christian held his head for a moment, before looking up at Isaac again.
"There's no mirrors in here, so how the heck would I know? And I told you I don't know how I know. I just do."
~*~
Taylor waited as Guffery thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Put him in one of the temporary cells and go check on Christian. I'll be down in a moment."
Taylor's eyes darted to the left wall where he spotted a floor plan. Squinting for a moment he quickly tried to digest it before he was pulled from the room.
Isaac
"Well, you know how your eyes are blue? They've got brown in them," Isaac said.
Tad made a loud, irritated sighing noise.
"Uhh, hello? Might wanna consider getting out of here - or at least out of this room - before we get caught?"
Christian & Emily
"Awww... are you afraid?" Christian taunted.
"Scared of the big bad wolf? Come on, he's settled. Let's go find the idiot."
He dusted the cuffs on his wrists, before using his atom manipulation on the lock on the door to open it.
Stepping through, he instantly snapped the necks of the two guards in the corridor, then hesitated.
"Wait," he insisted, "I have to find Emily. Stay here, I'll be back in a second."
And he quickly ran down the corridor to their left, stopping at the fourth door down. He put his hand on the door for a moment and frowned. A moment later it was dusted.
"Emily?"
"Chris?" she looked up startled, "what-"
"Not ime. Come with me," he insisted, holding out his hand to her.
Emily gulped, staring at his hand.
"I said there's no time! Hurry up!" Christian insisted.
Emily took his hand and he led her from the room and back to Isaac and Tad.
"Ok, one more stop then we're out of here. This way," he began to lead them in the opposite direction.
Isaac
Isaac didn't look at Tad, just followed Christian and his friend. He wondered for a moment just what exactly had been going on here.
Tad took up the rear, already imagining the report he was going to write up first opportunity he got.
Christian, Emily & Taylor
"Who are you looking for?" Emily asked nervously as Christian pulled her along by the wrist.
"A guy by the name of Taylor," Christian replied, as if that was all she need to know.
Whenevr Christian saw someone he killed them on sight. Emily didn't even flinch as the passed a few bodies.
"Ok, here we are," Christian murmured to himself as he came to the end of a corridor lined with barred cells.
"TAYLOR?" he called.
"CHRIS?" came the reply, and Christian let Emily go and took off running.
Isaac
Isaac would have followed Christian, but stopped as he figured he wouldn't be able to do anything to help, and in any case, they had to come back they way they came anyway.
"So..." he said in the strange slience that followed. "I don't believe we've actually met. I'm Isaac. And the sour-faced one is Tad."
"Hey!"
Emily, Christian & Taylor
Emily smiled shyly, and nodded her head.
"Em," she replied by way of greeting, before turning her eyes back to Christian.
Christian grinned when he came face to face with Taylor, who was leaning agsint the bars of the cell he shared with an older alien.
"Man, you need to stop getting yourself in these situations," Christian shook his head.
"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Taylor scorned, "did Ike tell you what I want?"
"Yeah he did," Christian replied, taking out a couple of bars so Taylor could step through, then returning them to normal again.
"And I am well beyond in. You don't need to ask twice."
"Great. I know the way out of here, so let's go."
"Don't need to tell me that twice, either," Christian shook his head as they began back to the others.
"Ok, main doors are..." Taylor hesitated, "third corridor on the right, first left, second right, second left and to the end."
"How the hell do you know that?" Christian looked surprised.
"Saw a floor plan."
Isaac
"Ahh, floor plans. Useful things," Isaac nodded.
He turned and started walking.
"Third corridor on the right..."
Cautiously he turned into the corridor.
Taylor, Christian & Emily
"You're right Ike, first left then second right..." Taylor followed giving directions as Christian continued to kill anyone in sight.
"Who are these people?" Emily asked, clinging to Christian for dear life.
"I'll explain later. I don't know who the guy with the attitude problem is, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."
Isaac
Isaac followed Taylor directions, carefully looking out for... guards of whoever ran this place (he would have to remember to ask what they rescued Christian - and Emily - from).
He paused after peering down one walkway, turned to look at the others and gestured. He wished he had his powers back - taking out a couple of guards wouldn't have been an issue then.
Christian, Taylor & Guffery
When the came to the main doors, there was no one in sight.
Christian hesitated.
"Something isn't right about this..." he said decidedly, before none other than Guffery stepped out from behind the main counter area.
"Leaving so soon?" he raised an eyebrow.
Christian immediately pulled Emily behind him.
Isaac
Tad frowned. He was sure he recongised that guy from somewhere... hmm.
"Well, y'know," Isaac said tentatively. "We'd stay, but it's not exactly what I'd call 5 star accomadation here. Everything's off-white, the beds look lumpy, there's no windows... You haven't even got a phone installed to ring up room service. I mean, seriously, you're a disgrace to the hospitality industry. I've stayed in tents more comfortable than this."
Tad stared at Isaac, as if to say "idiot". Isaac shrugged slightly, and noticed Taylor tensing up out of the corner of his eye. There was something about the look on his face...
Christian, Guffery, Emily & Taylor
Christian's eyes widened at Isaac having the nerve to stand up to someone even he didn't.
Guffery frowned, digesting that Isaac had a shield. Instead, he brushed the surface of Taylor's mind to see if he could find out who he was.
"You don't know who I am, do you Isaac?" he smiled slightly as Taylor cringed in pain.
He grabbed onto his head for a moment, and Christian noticed. Glaring suddenly, he threw Guffery back against the wall with his now untouchable telekinesis.
Taylor soon recovered, and he looked up at Isaac and Christian.
"Get out of here, quick," he insisted, "I'm going to... I think I can distract them. But I don't wanna hurt you in the process, so you have to get out."
"Are you sure?" Christian frowned.
Isaac
Isaac gave Taylor a thoughtful glance, then turned to the others.
"Christian... yes," Isaac said.
Whilst it went against his grain to leave Taylor like this, he knew it would be better for all of them if they wanted to keep their sanity. For those who still had sanity.
He turned to run. Tad went too, having a vague idea of what was going to happen - based on past experience with Taylor.
Guffery, Christian, Emily & Taylor
Taylor turned back to where Guffery was slowly picking himself up from the ground and rubbing his head. He jumped when he felt someone grab his arm.
"I really think I should stay with you," Christian insisted, having told Emily to follow Isaac and Tad.
"This will hurt you too," Taylor insisted, "please, just go!"
Christian glanced over at Guffery again, before again knocking his head back against the wall to daze him a amoment further. As a couple of guards entered the room, he quickly killed them. Then he hesitated.
"Chris, GO!" Taylor exclaimed.
"Ok, ok," Christian nodded, "good luck man."
He put his hand on his shoulder, then quickly ran after the others.
Taylor closed his eyes, waiting until he could no longer hear their footsteps.
Isaac
Isaac really, really didn't like this running and leaving Taylor alone thing... especially as they had no way of knowing if it would work or not, or when Taylor would be done.
Plus he also didn't know how far he should go.
Christian, Guffery & Taylor
When Taylor thought they'd gone afr enough away - or enough so they could get into a safe radius by the time he did anything, he looked up for where Guffery was. He was already making his way over, and Taylor could feel a headache coming on.
He twitched suddenly, before crying otu as he felt something rip at his mind. Falling to his knees he heard the footsteps of more guards making their way over, before he managed to take a deep breath and just yell. Again, in sonics. But at a decibel level that presented a lot more danger that he'd ever done before.
Keeping his eyes closed for the duration of barely 30 seconds, when he finally stopped he was slightly afraid to open his eyes. He'd heard nothing his yell was that loud on its own.
When he opened his eyes, he saw glass around his feet. Looking up he saw that all the glass windows had blown out, and there were a couple of bodies on the floor with blood spilling from their ears.
Guffery was nowhere to be seen.
Warily, Taylor backed off, then turn and ran after the others, pulling his phone out on the way.
Isaac
Isaac stopped after awhile, and waited for the rest to catch up. Tad tapped his fingers impatiently.
"I hope he doesn't take too long..." Isaac said, chewing his lip, and looking anxiously back at the building.
Taylor, Christian & Emily
Christian had had to cringe and cover his ears when Taylor let loose.
He stopped when it was over and waited for Taylor to make an appearance.
When he finally saw him running from the building, he began to start walking again. Taylor soon caught up.
"Where's everyone else?" Taylor frowned, panting slightly.
"Around the corner and a mile away I'm guessing," Christian shrugged.
Taylor took a deep breath and looked back at the building. He gulped slightly as he thought of the dead bodies laying in there. He hadn't meant to be so... destructive.
They soon finally caught up to the others, and Taylor called Kirk to organise for the teleporter.
Isaac
Isaac plonked down on the ground when Taylor made his appearence. He was actually starting to shake, probably out of relief that it was all over. He held his hand, watched it rattle for a moment, made something resembling an effort to make it stop, and couldn't. Then he just laughed.
Tad glanced briefly at Isaac. He's lost it.
"This teleporter had better hurry up," he muttered to himself.
Taylor, Christian & Emily
Not a moment after Taylor hung up, the teleporter appeared.
"Steel wants to know what's going on," she insisted, folding her arms.
"I'll contact him," Christian insisted, diverting his eyes from Isaac, "for now, let's just get the hell out of here."
"Back to where you came from?" she raised her eyebrows.
"Depends where you need to go," Taylor said, looking at Christian.
Christian hesitated.
"I'll go back with you for a bit," he nodded, "but not for long. I can find my own way out."
"Back to where we came from then," Taylor shrugged.
Isaac
Isaac stood up and joined the others, and a few minutes later they were back in Tulsa.
"Thanks," Isaac said to the teleporter.
Tad, arms folded across his chest as always, looked over the others.
Christian, Taylor & Emily
The teleporter shrugged, then disappeared.
Taylor took a deep breath, before taking off his jacket and hanging it up by the door where he'd gotten it from.
"So you're Taylor, right?" Emily pointed at him nervously, "you look like almost..."
"We're not related," Christian insisted, taking the hand she was pointing with into his own.
"It's a long story. Look, I'd better take you to Steel or Jackson or someone, so they can look after you..."
"I don't want to leave you," Emily suddenly looked horrified at the thought, "Chris I just found you again, I can't lose you again."
"Trust me," Christian insisted wholeheartedly, "you won't. And these people will make sure of that."
He glanced up at Taylor again, then looked toward Isaac.
"Thanks," he nodded, before beginning to pull Emily toward the door.
Isaac
"Uhh, well, see yas later I'm sure," Isaac said. "It was nice meeting you Em."
"Yes, because you had such a fulfilling conversation," Tad said dryly.
"Shh, don't spoil the moment."
Taylor & Christian
"See you around," Christian nodded to Taylor, before disappearing.
Taylor didn't say a word, only hesitated before making his way to the kitchen.
Isaac
"Well," Isaac said, plonking down on the couch. "That was interesting. I wonder when the next expedition shall be?"
"And I suppose I'm not going to receive an explanation of what has just occured?" Tad asked.
"Isn't it obvious?"
"Hardly."
But Isaac didn't appear to hear this last comment, and Tad stalked off.