FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Pavan left the school with a spring in his step as he always did. Unburdened of his school books, having left them all in his locker, he headed out to the open ground. He walked out onto the football field between breaking into a jog and taking to the skies, his sleek figure soaring easily through the air as his wings beat to carry him aloft. With that, he rounded his course to take him back home, heading for the north-east side of the city.

But little did Pavan know, that day, his flight home had an unexpected spectator. Pavan passed a shimmering shape that went completely unnoticed by the young avian. Had he been paying attention he might have noticed the distortions in the air, but his focus was elsewhere.

"RT-2 to base," the team lead reported, "We have possible contact. It isn't the one we're searching for but we have a positive response from the detector."

"What is the subject's location?"

"Standby," the lead replied before directing the pilot to follow Pavan across the city...

Pavan's neighbourhood rested to the right of the Trans-Country Highway, which cut directly through Unity Falls all the way through and beyond the United States border. It was the most direct road through the city. His house sat on the northern tip of the neighbourhood, in sight of the trailer park across one of the city's main roads that curved around the borough on the outside.

Pavan's house was a regular townhouse, matching the others on the row. It stood two stories tall, with a tan stucco siding and dark shingles on the arched roof. It had a single bay window beside the door, and a wide window on the second floor that led into the master bedroom where his father slept. Of course, Richard wasn't home at that moment.

Pavan retrieved his keys from his pocket, unlocking the front door and stepping inside before closing it behind him. To the left of the door was the living room, with a single large television and a wide couch sitting across. Pavan dropped onto the couch and picked up the remote, switching on the TV and turning it over to the music channel, where one of his favorite bands was playing live.

He was barely on the couch for a moment before he shot up, walked around the couch and walked into the kitchen to get a snack…

"Target lives in a suburban area. Two adjacent properties," the retrieval team leader reported. "He appears to be alone but we cannot be certain of the presence of neighbours."

"Do you see any way to enter the house without being noticed?"

"Negative," he replied. "Even if the neighbouring houses are vacant we might be seen by someone from across the road."

"Copy. Negative on engagement for now, but continue to monitor."

"Understood. Will wait for target of opportunity."

Pavan was, as usual, not long for relaxing in the house. After having his snack and watching the live concert, he shut off the TV and rose to his feet. He needed to burn off some energy, and so headed out the door after locking it behind him. He broke into a jog and took flight, heading for the open sky.

Pavan beamed as he flew higher, falling into a dive and attaining incredible speed before pulling up a safe distance from the ground and curving up and to the side in a wide arc. The speedy dive had taken him out of the city limits, ever unaware he was being followed as he spun and darted around. Not trying to throw off any possible pursuit - Pavan was just having fun.

"So now we're flying, we're free! We're free before the thunderstorm~" Pavan sang as he spun into another dive. "On towards the wilderness our quest carries ooon~"

"I can't tell - is he trying to evade us?" Commander Two asked.

"No sir," the pilot answered. "I think he's just playing out there. He has no idea we're here."

"Not a very cautious one for someone trying to hide is he?" The commander asked rhetorically. "Well, it works better for us. He has to tire out eventually - stay on him until he lands."

"Yes sir."

Pavan carried on with his aerial playtime, his course taking him every which way over the plains north and north-east of the city, even flying over an oncoming train southbound toward the border. Despite knowing it was illegal - and unsafe to do so - Pavan landed on the train and began running along the cars, laughing as they passed under him.

When he finally reached the last car he jumped and somersaulted through the air. He landed on the tracks, his feet evenly spaced between the rails, and he struck a pose with his right arm high in the air.

"Nailed it," he said, before walking off the tracks and sitting down beside them to catch his breath.

In that moment as he started to relax, he noticed something. He let his smile fade, staring up at seemingly open air. He felt a strange distortion in the wind. It was blowing steadily that day, caressing his feathers and the grass around him, bearing a slight chill as it went. The chill announced the coming winter months ahead, telling him that it would soon get colder. But that wasn't what bothered him.

Ahead, about twelve meters off the ground, it was like there was some obstruction the wind couldn't pass through, even though there seemed to be nothing there. He also felt two spots where the wind was being pushed downward. A feeling of dread crept into Pavan then, and he shot to his feet.

“He's onto us!" Commander Two declared when the avian suddenly stood up. He was looking right at them.

“How? We're cloaked!" The pilot replied.

“Launch the restraints, now!"

There was a sound like air being forced through a tube, and Pavan saw something whirling through the air toward him. He dodged to the side, the metallic object flying past him. He didn't wait to see what it was and broke into a run.

From the spot where he had been watching, the air shimmered. He heard a sound like a turbine as whatever was there began to chase him. He picked up speed, soon outpacing whatever monster was hiding in the air. His retreat took him further and further away from Unity Falls, however - he didn't want to lead whatever it was back home. If it was dangerous, he wasn't going to let it find his father.

Besides, out here in the open, he had far more maneuverability. He spread his wings and took to the air again. He summoned a rush of air to carry him upward, using his wings like sails to propel himself. The young avian was off, and beating his wings hard to gain altitude. He could sense the source of the distortion pursuing him as he headed toward the open country, confident he could outpace it.

Indeed the Stealth VTOL was struggling to keep up with the young phoenix. They could not drop their cloak while they still could be seen, and the capacitor's limit would not allow them to run the cloak and the Disruptor at the same time. Commander Two - Kyle, had a decision to make.

“Is he still in range of the Disruptor?" He asked.

“Yes sir," replied the pilot. “But we can't activate it-"

“I'm aware," the commander interrupted. “We're heading out to open country now - we have to risk it. Drop cloak and activate Disruptor. Maximum range."

Pavan happened to glance behind him when the strange craft dropped its stealth field, an entire body of metal seemingly materializing out of thin air. As Pavan gawked at the thing, he nearly dipped out of the air as a sudden wave of nausea fell over him, his wings missing a beat and causing gravity to take hold. Instinctively he stretched out his wings again, falling into a glide, and clutched his stomach.

“What the hell-?" He started to ask, when he heard the turbines of the vehicle powering up. Looking back, he could see it was closer now, and he realized then that the slipstream he had conjured to speed himself up had ceased.

“Hey! What gives?!" He demanded, trying to summon another wind to speed himself up, to no avail. The wind would not heed his call, and the strange vehicle was catching up.

Thinking quickly, Pavan looked around for any cover he might be able to use, but the land he flew over was mostly agricultural - farms, stretching farther than even his eyes could see. There were not even trees nearby he could try to hide within.

Even without his wind powers though, Pavan was fast. He fell into a dive, picking up speed as the ground raced up toward him. Then, he made a U-turn, turning his course back in the opposite direction toward the city. Specifically, the heel of the mountains and the massive forest that spread along it.

The VTOL ceased its forward momentum, the rotors adjusting to turn around as well. The turn was tighter than Pavan's and resulted in the craft swaying as it realigned itself at the pilot's behest, then tilted forward again to resume the pursuit. Pavan had managed to gain some distance though, feeling the nausea that had struck him pass. He could feel the wind answer his calls again, and immediately took advantage of it to summon another slipstream. The directed air current propelled him forward even faster now, and outraced the airship.

Kyle had to bite back a curse that formed in his mouth. He couldn't let the men under his command see him lose his cool.

“He's pulling away Commander Two - we can't keep up," the pilot said, despite how obvious that already was. “What do we do?"

“How's the fuel?" Kyle asked.

“Seventy-five percent - we can maintain flight for some time yet."

“He's got to tire eventually," said Commander Two. “He's seen us now and we can't let him tell anyone about us. Maintain pursuit - we'll find him again."

~~~~~

“I'm just saying. If you wear a long sleeve shirt or something like that," Tsumé offered, motioning at Volcan's arms with her hand as she spoke. “You could keep people from touching your feathers pretty easily."

“On my arms, yes," Volcan replied, his wings parting slightly behind his back. “What do I do about these?"

“...A big coat?" Tsumé replied. Volcan gave her an incredulous look, and even Tsumé had to roll her eyes. “You're right - I got nothing."

“I've been trying to find ways for years, Tsumé," said Lighris, shaking his head as he took a swig of his beer. “I can ground myself with proper accessories but for Volcan it's a little harder to hide what he is. One little touch and-." He pulled back his hand from the counter, like he had touched something hot. “Ouchie. Especially if you've pissed him off."

Tsumé let out a breath, looking at Volcan with sympathy. “Not easy to be hot stuff, is it?" She asked.

Volcan afforded himself a light chuckle at the pun, taking a sip of his cola as he did. His eyes went wide as he swallowed, clenching his beak to suppress a belch before two jets of steam erupted from his nose. “Damn it!" He cursed, rubbing his nostrils. Tsumé burst out laughing at the sight.

Further down the counter, Obsidian and Rikyuu sat watching the two, waiting for their own orders. They did not have to wait long as Ordagova returned with their drinks in hand, freshly mixed.

“One Mossscow Mule and one Sssex On The Beach," the snake hissed as he placed the two cocktails before the two dragons. “Can I get you anything elssse?" he asked politely, his head turning a little and a smile creeping up his cheek watching Tsumé laugh.

“Yeah, I'll also have a burger, please," Rikyuu requested. “Volcan said you make a really good one."

“I genuinely don't know what burgersss he'sss been having, they are nothing ssspecial." The snake played himself down as he turned to Obsidian, not having to volcally ask her if she wanted anything else herself.

'Just a salad for me,' she told him as she sipped on her drink.

The snake nodded as he turned to walk along the back of the bar to head up stairs before he was stopped by someone calling to him.

“Hey, Orda, do you mind if I turn on the radio?" Lighris asked as the snake started back to his kitchen, pointing to the compact radio on the counter.

“Thisss old thing?" The snake asked turning around to look at the old radio on the back counter, looking more like an ornament with how old it was, blending into the furnishings and the drinks on display, “I've not turned it on in yearsss, don't know if it even ssstill works." He said, cocking his eyebrow a little and crossing his arms, “is the baby dragon boring you?" he chuckles, gesturing to his brother teasingly.

“Har, har, Orda!" Volcan retorted, shaking his head and making Tsumé laugh again. 'I will bite you,' Volcan warned in his thoughts, giving Ordagova a dirty look.

'You love me really, hon,' The snake flirts in his mind. 'You're impossibly cute.'

Lighris smiled before shaking his head at Ordagova. “Nah, just want some tunes since my bro isn't playing at the moment," he replied.

“Ah, ok," Ordagova agreed, “Well you can pop around the back here and sssee if you can get it working, I'm sssure you of all people can."

“I'll take a whack at it, sure," Lighris replied, sliding out of his bar stool and walking around to the radio as Ordagova made his exit, picking it up and looking it over. “Wow. They don't make them like this anymore," he said, switching on the power and adjusting the tuner.

The radio turned on easily, though it opened with some slight static before some music began playing. Lighris adjusted the frequency until it fell on a station he liked. Classic rock & roll played through the speakers, filling the bar with its melody. Lighris took a moment to dust off the radio before setting it back on the counter and returning to his seat, humming along with the song as it played.

“99.9 FM Unity Falls, playing classic rock! Hope you're all keeping warm today because winter's just around the corner. High of twelve today with a chance to drop below freezing as we go into the night-" the host continued with the weather forecast for a moment longer. Nobody was really paying attention to it, already knowing that the weather was getting colder.

What came next however got a surprising reaction. Tsumé had just begun to drink from her glass, when the host came back with another report. “In other news, police are currently on the lookout for a high school student who didn't return home this evening. Student is a young avian with light brown feathers, brown eyes, and two painted red shapes on his forehead and neck. He has a dominantly white face, and goes by Pavan Stevenson."

Tsumé's eyes shot wide open and she spat out her drink, startling everyone. They all turned to look at her as she coughed, her eyes on the radio. “Pavan?!" She demanded between coughs, wiping her beak with a napkin.

“Tsumé, what's wrong?" Obsidian asked, alarmed.

“Pavan… I know him!" She replied. “He and I went to the same school!"

“Okay, take it easy, Tsumé," Volcan tried to reassure her. “Maybe he was just late getting home. After school classes or something."

“No, he doesn't take any, and though he's a bit aloof, he'd never do anything to land in detention," Tsumé replied, standing up and extracting her phone from her pocket. “Something has to be wrong," she stated.

She dialed a number and held it to her ear, stepping back from the counter as she let it ring. It rang only twice before someone picked up.

~~~~~

Pavan nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard his phone start ringing. He put his hand over his pocket, looking around the tree he was hiding behind. One of the figures garbed in black turned his way - they had heard it. He hurriedly dashed from his hiding spot, jumping behind a shrub as he flipped his phone open, whispering into it.

“Hello?" He whispered.

“Pavan! Where are you? I just heard your name on the radio - the cops are-"

“Tsumé! I need to be quiet!" Pavan hissed, crawling over to the next shrub and trying to stay out of sight. “Some weirdos in crazy gear are chasing me - they came outta this flying… helicopter, thing! It appeared outta bloody nowhere!" His British accent, inherited from his father, became more obvious as he spoke.

“What do you mean? Where are you?"

“In the woods, north west of the city," Pavan answered. “Send the cops - send anyone! These guys are carrying a lot of guns!"

Pavan heard a stick breaking, and looked over his shoulder. He could see a form moving past the shrubs, heading toward him. Without a second thought, he broke into a run, dashing between trees as he heard someone shouting and multiple footsteps following after him.

~~~~~

“Pavan? Pavan, are you there?" Tsumé asked into the phone, taking it away from her ear. She wore a worried look on her face. “He said someone's chasing him!"

“Who, where?" Volcan asked, halfway out of his seat

“He doesn't know who - he described some kind of… Weird vehicle. A flying one or something that came out of nowhere," she answered.

Volcan shared and equally horrified looks with Obsidian and Lighris, all three of them immediately coming to the same realization

“It's them!" Lighris said, bitterly.

“The same guys who came after us!" Volcan added.

“You can't be ssso sssure about that" Ordagova commented, walking back in with two plates in his hands and placing the relevant meals in front of the two scalies, “there isss alwaysss the possssssibility, but why would they be after him. Isss he a phoenixsss?"

Tsumé looked at him. “I-I don't know. He never said he was… He just looks like an ordinary guy - a falcon! I never thought he might be another phoenix…"

Lighris stood up. “If it's those same guys who came after us, they definitely think he's something," he stated.

“We need to do something then," Rikyuu added, also standing up.

“But the police-" Tsumé started to say, trailing off as she looked at Obsidian.

Obsidian hesitated, briefly in a conflict as she considered the possibilities. Volcan asked the next question instead, putting a hand on Tsumé's shoulder and turning her to face him. “Did Pavan say where he is?"

“In the woods, outside the city at the heel of the mountains," Tsumé answered.

“Then let's go get him," said Volcan. “The cops will never find him out there before it's too late - we can track him much faster."

“Ssstay sssafe everyone. Don't take any risssksss you can't afford. I want to sssee you all back here oncssse you're done" the snake hissed, crossing his arms with a look of concern.

“We'll be careful," Volcan promised as he and his brother started running toward the door.

“Uh, we'll come back for these, okay?" Rikyuu said, gesturing to the meals the snake had just brought them as he and Obsidian followed the two out. “Put 'em in a to-go box for us!" He added before he was out the door and following the brothers.

Tsumé hesitated only briefly, looking back at Ordagova. He didn't even need to read her mind to know what she was thinking. She wanted to help too, but she wasn't sure how she could. But before he could think of anything to say, she started toward the door and followed her friends up the street. They climbed into the vehicles parked at the meters. Tsumé jumped into the back of Obsidian's car behind Rikyuu in the passenger seat, and they drove off with the phoenix brothers following closely in Lighris' pickup truck.

As neither Obsidian or Lighris owned vehicles designed for driving cross-country, the team left their vehicles by the roadside and ventured toward the woods west of Unity Falls. Volcan, Rikyuu and Lighris traveled in the air while Obsidian and Tsumé ran over land.

When the three males were out of earshot, Tsumé looked at Obsidian. She had sensed the dragon's being in conflict since they had left Ordagova's bar, and even the drive to the woods hadn't seemed to give her any peace of mind.

"Hey, you okay?" Tsumé asked. "You seem bothered.

"I'm… Just in a bit of a dilemma," she said. "I'm a cop, you know, so I'm wondering if I shouldn't be calling them in for this."

"I get it," Tsumé assured her. "But according to the brothers there, these guys know we're phoenixes. Even if the cops came here and managed to apprehend them, a lot of uncomfortable questions would be asked."

"I know," said Obsidian. "This secret life can really make my career… complicated."

"Believe me, I know," agreed Tsumé. "All the times I wanted to use my own powers but had to restrain myself to keep the secret. I don't know how my dad does it, hides what he is while his business partners age all around him while he remains young."

"How old is he?"

"Pushing two hundred forty now. Maybe two hundred and fifty - I know he was still in Paris when the French Revolution took place."

Obsidian looked at Tsumé, surprised. "Two hundred and fifty? How old can phoenixes get?"

"Varies by species," she answered. "My own, I don't think any of us have ever died of old age, at least not that I know of, so we live for thousands of years I'd wager."

"As eternal as the mountains," remarked Obsidian. "And I thought dragons were long-lived."

Ahead, they saw the males had come down from the skies and stood at the edge of the forest. They noticed quickly that Volcan was leaning against a tree and seemed out of breath. Obsidian ran ahead slightly, having a longer stride than Tsumé, and approached the phoenix.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Just need a minute," Volcan replied before taking in a longer breath.

"It's this chill in the air," Lighris explained. "He gets weaker as the weather gets cold and we're late into autumn now."

"What about you?" Rikyuu asked, looking at Lighris.

"Weather has no negative effects on me," Lighris assured. "I can get staticky when it's damp, or suffer a short like an exposed power coil if I get drenched, but that's the worst of it."

"Volcan, do you need to wait at the cars?" Obsidian asked.

Volcan shook his head. "No. I can see this through," he said. "Let's just hope we don't get into a major fight."

"Then we better find Pavan and scram," Tsumé added, having caught up and joined them. "Give me a sec."

She stepped ahead of the others and lowered herself onto her knees, pressing the palms of her hands against the ground and staring at it, as if she expected something to happen. The others watched, waiting and wondering what she was doing. Rikyuu opened his mouth and was about to ask something when Tsumé lifted her head.

"About a half kilometer ahead of us," she said. "There are multiple people stomping around. Wild animals are running away from them, and they all seem to be converging on something. I think they almost have Pavan cornered!"

She shot to her feet then, walking ahead and prompting the others to follow. "How did she do that?" Rikyuu asked.

"Earth Phoenixes have some kind of seismic sense," Lighris explained. "While Volcan and I can see in different spectrums they track by feeling vibrations in the ground."

At that, Volcan clenched his eyes briefly and shifted his vision to the infrared spectrum, scanning deep into the woods as they walked. He looked in the direction Tsumé was walking, seeing the girl in bright, hot colours from her own body heat, and then looked past her. He could see small shapes, six of them, following a single shape that was a little smaller, and one giant heat signature hovering above the treeline.

"They have one of those VTOL's lurking above the trees," Volcan warned.

"Dammit, that means they have another of those stupid devices here too," Lighris added. "The one that locks out our powers."

"Is that why Pavan hasn't escaped yet?" Tsumé asked, looking back at them. "He's the fastest kid in school."

"That depends on what kind of phoenix he actually is," Lighris answered.

Briefly, Obsidian wondered what kind of effect the device would have on her or Rikyuu's powers. They had never had the chance to test out any theories regarding them - would it lock out her Psionics? Or Rikyuu's energy Constructs and copy ability? Were they walking themselves into a situation they couldn't escape from?

She had to speak up. "Guys… If that thing can lock out our powers, we'll be helpless," she stated. "Is there a way we can sneak up on them? Or maybe deactivate the device?"

"The device is on the VTOL itself," said Lighris. "To disable it, one of us would have to fly up and… Dang, I don't know - Ayane didn't really cover how we can shut it off except from the cockpit, but the pilot will still be in there."

"They can't run it and the stealth field at the same time, right?" Volcan asked.

"That doesn't really help, bro. They won't need to engage stealth out here - there's no one to see them," Lighris countered. "The time they use their stealth tech will be when they're on the move again."

"Damn, good point…"

Tsumé suddenly put up her hand, motioning for quiet as she ducked behind a shrub, peering ahead. The others moved to take cover behind trees, relying on Tsumé to be their eyes as they made sure they were out of sight - those with wings folding them tight to their bodies so they weren't sticking out from behind the trees.

Ahead, Tsumé could see and feel the six masked men walking around the trees, searching. They were still out of earshot, but they were close enough now that she could make out some features. Although there was not much to see - every one of them wore mask helmets that hid their most distinguishing characteristics - she could tell which ones were humans, but not their ethnicity, nor could she tell what species the more anthropian figures were.

But she could see the weapons they carried. They were armed with submachine guns, and she eyed a few knives and holsters at their hips. She swallowed nervously, and then whispered to Obsidian who was closest.

"These guys are armed to the teeth…" she said.

Obsidian put a finger to her lips, suggesting Tsumé stay quiet. Having an idea, she took a moment to concentrate. Then, she spoke telepathically. 'Don't be alarmed - it's Obsidian,' she said, but she did notice the three avians tensing. Rikyuu for his part, did not react - either he was more accustomed to telepathic communication or he simply was not bothered by it, he kept his eyes forward, looking between trees to watch the men.

'I'm linking us telepathically so that we can talk without being heard,' Obsidian explained to reassure her friends. 'We need a plan of action and to know where Pavan is. Volcan, can you see him?'

'Just. Just a second," Volcan answered with brief hesitation, leaning out to look ahead with his infrared again, being careful not to lean out too far lest the armoured men see the glow of his eyes.

He searched the area, counting out the numbers of heat signatures he could see. Six were moving… But there was a seventh, one he could just barely see, hiding behind what he assumed was foliage. They were in a tree, and he could make out some fidgeting as though the figure was uncomfortable or fighting the urge to run.

'I think I see him,' said Volcan. 'He's hiding in a tree about seventy yards ahead. They have him surrounded but they don't seem to know he's there.'

'Is there a way to distract them? Draw them away?' Rikyuu offered.

'Leave that to me,' Tsumé answered.

Before anyone could ask, Tsumé lay flat on the grass and seemed to be swallowed up by the soil below it, the ground opening like a mouth and dragging her down. They were startled at first, having to remember that she was an earth elemental to avoid thinking something bad had happened to her. They felt a light tremor pass below them, and they understood that Tsumé was tunneling through the earth, moving faster than any mole or digger could go.

'Well that's handy,' Lighris remarked off-handedly. He looked impressed.

Seconds later, they heard a sound like wood splintering, followed by a crash. The six armed men jumped, turning their weapons in the direction of the sound. They couldn't hear them speaking to each other, but one of them - apparently the lead, motioned for three of them to investigate. They moved toward the sound, and Tsumé reappeared back where she had been before.

'What did you do?' Volcan asked.

'Uprooted a dead tree,' she replied as she pulled out her phone, hastily typing a message. 'I'm sending Pavan a text-'

'Don't!' Rikyuu exclaimed, his mental voice reverberating in their heads. 'If his phone chimes, they might hear it!'

'Crap, you're right!' She agreed, shutting off her phone. 'How do we get him out of that tree?'

'Let's sneak up on those three still near him,' said Lighris. 'We take them out, get him and then make a break for the cars.'

'Lighris, if they see us they'll gun us down.' Volcan countered.

'And we can't use our powers,' said Obsidian. 'I've been trying to reach out to them telepathically but I can't. Something is blocking me.'

'That energy field again,' said Volcan, his thoughts reflecting his disgust. 'Well that explains why Pavan hasn't fled. What now?'

Even as Volcan asked that question, he, Lighris, Obsidian and Tsumé suddenly lurched. The VTOL had changed position, and in its maneuver the field had moved with it. They were inside it now, all of them feeling the effects. Volcan, Lighris and Tsumé groaned as a wave of nausea passed over them, clutching their torsos and falling to their knees. Lighris let out a gag, and seemed like he would throw up.

Obsidian however, screamed. She grabbed her head, bared her teeth as she tried not to make a sound, but the pain that filled her head was soon too much. She let out a strangled cry, losing her footing and falling onto her back as her telepathic link to the others was forcefully cut off.

The six men turned, aiming their guns toward the interlopers. They rushed over while the four were still down, shouting commands at them. Lighris stubbornly forced himself back onto his feet, glaring at the closest of the masked men and trying to summon lightning into his hand, but his powers would not heed his call. The same man rushed at him and bludgeoned Lighris with the stock of his weapon, knocking him down.

A pink-ish pole of energy struck the man, sending him reeling. The other five turned immediately on Rikyuu, who was acting purely on instinct, throwing up a wall of energy between himself and the men. They fired; the bullets bounced harmlessly off his shield, one even ricocheting back to hit one of the shooters, catching him in the leg. He buckled, and the others stopped firing.

“R-Rikyuu?" Volcan asked, breathlessly.

Rather than answer him though, the blue dragon thrust his palms forward, pushing his shield ahead like a giant plough. He caught four of the shooters with the wall, throwing them back. The other two turned their weapons on him, but he managed to put up another shield before they shot him. From behind, Lighris grabbed one of them, wrestling with them and trying to pull the gun out of their hand, and allowing Rikyuu to focus on the other one.

Volcan pushed himself upright, and moved to check on Tsumé. She only let out a moan as he said her name, but she managed to look at him and give a weak nod. He rushed over to Obsidian then, who was still holding her head but she appeared to be in less pain now.

“Sid! Are you okay?"

“I feel like someone detonated a bomb in my skull," she replied. She opened her eyes, but then shut them again as they found light, covering them with her hands. “Hurts…!" She growled.

Volcan looked back, seeing his brother and Rikyuu still in a struggle with the two men. The other four were still recovering from Rikyuu's attack, and had been thrown a fair distance away before the shield had dissipated. It was his chance, he knew. He looked up at the VTOL, scowling hatefully at it. That device was hurting his friends, and he would not let it continue.

“Wait here!" He told Obsidian without looking at her, jumping into the air and making a beeline toward the VTOL, his wings beating fervently.

The entire VTOL lurched to the side as the phoenix collided with it, not giving the pilot time to maneuver out of the way. He would have been thrown from his seat had he not been strapped in, but now he hastened to get unstrapped. He flicked on the hover mode, allowing the ship to stay aloft without him at the controls, and drew his sidearm as he started to stand.

The ship lurched again, and this time the pilot did fall over, dropping his gun in the process. The sound of metal bending filled the cabin, and he looped up to see a set of orange-skinned fingers, tipped with black talons, forcing their way through the hatch and pushing it open. The pilot scrambled to reach his gun, and had it in his hands when the door opened just enough for the phoenix to enter.

He fired. Volcan cried out in pain, but he didn't stop, grabbing the man's pistol with his other hand and turning it up as he fired again. Volcan squeezed, hard, his fingers crushing the gun like a scrap of paper between them. The pilot let go of his weapon, and started reaching for another, but Volcan's fist caught him across the jaw before he could. He fell back, his helmet banging against the frame of the door and further dazing him.

Volcan left him then, running to the back of the cabin where he knew the device was. He found the panel, and nonchalantly ripped it away, throwing it back at the pilot who was getting up - the metal hit him in the helmet with a resounding thunk of metal hitting plastic, and the pilot fell once again. Volcan turned his attention to the shielded device, drawing back his fist and punching through the glass to drive his fist into it. He took hold of several cables, and pulled…

Sparks exploded from the connections as the cables were torn free. Electricity coursed up Volcan's arm, yet he held on. He kept pulling until his arm came free of the compartment, bringing with it a tangle of electrical cables and a jolt that threw him backward. He hit the wall, and was only half away when he threw himself out the door of the VTOL, diving away from it and falling haphazardly back to the ground. His body was not responding properly, spells of dizziness flitting through his brain as the field fluctuated, and his body tingled from the electrical shocks he had taken.

He lay there in the grass only barely conscious as the field dissipated…

Pavan felt his powers returning to him the instant the nausea went away. He could feel the wind again - not feel it pass over him, but feel his body and soul joining with it. He stood up from his hiding place in the tree, lifting a hand to summon an updraft. It came at his call, and he let it lift him out of the tree canopy and drop back to the ground.

His first thought was to run, but then he saw what was going on nearby. He saw two blue figures, one an avian and the other a dragon, in a struggle with several of the masked men who had attacked him. A purple dragoness had joined the fight, but her haphazard attack on one of them failed as the masked assailant turned her fist away and kicked her in the gut, causing her to fall to her knees. A green avian with no wings shot to their feet, and-

Tsumé!

She had come all this way to find him? To save him? Pavan felt his heart warming at the idea, though he felt mildly perturbed that he ended up being the damsel that needed rescuing. “Well… Time to make up for it!" He declared before he broke into a run.

“Put on your war paint!" A voice sang before a blurry, brown figure rushed into view and kicked the man who was about to drive the stock of his weapon into Tsumé's face. The masked figure went sprawling, dropping his weapon in the process.

Tsumé looked up, seeing the familiar brown avian joining the fight. She pushed herself up, assessing the situation. Obsidian was grappling with one of the men, still fighting the painful headache that hadn't yet completely abated. Tsumé stomped her foot on the ground, and a chunk of rock shot up between the man's legs, striking him in the groin. He lurched, letting go of Obsidian, and she in turn kicked the masked figure hard in the head. He went down like a falling statue and didn't stir again.

Obsidian looked at Tsumé. “Thanks!" She said.

“No problem!"

A brown blur raced in a circle around the ongoing fight. Each of the masked men, five of them now still grappling with Lighris and Rikyuu, felt a punch into their sides. Not painful, but enough to warn them that there was another in the fight now. All the while, a chipper, slightly English-accented voice, sang away.

“You are a brick tied to me that's draggin' me down! Strike a match and I'll burn you to the ground!" A pause as the brown figure leapt onto the back of one of the men - one who had Rikyuu in a headlock, and applied one of his own, both arms around the man's neck and forcing him to let go of Rikyuu. Pavan immediately jumped off as his opponent reached for him, and kept singing. “We are the jack-o-lanterns in July, setting fire to the sky! Here. He. Comes - it's a rising tide!"

The masked man made a grab for him. Pavan ducked aside, moving faster than the figure could perceive, and landed a kick on the backside that sent him sprawling head-first into a tree. One of the men previously fighting Lighris left his comrade and turned his sub-machine gun on Pavan, but before he could even squeeze the trigger the speedy little avian was off again, running in a circle around him and sweeping his legs out with a well-placed kick, allowing Tsumé to command the earth below the man to restrain his arms. Shackles of stone erupted from the ground and held the man's hands to the grass, pinning him.

Pavan looked at Tsumé, gawking. “Did you-?"

“Talk later!" She exclaimed as she turned her attention on Rikyuu, who was still struggling with one of the masked assailants.

Obsidian had taken one off of him, and now that the headache had abated enough to let her focus, she disarmed the assailant hastily with telekinesis, and then slammed him with a bolt of pure, psychic force that sent him flying backward. He did not go far though before she caught him with her mind again and pulled him back to land a powerful kick directly into his face.

Lighris, despite the obvious disadvantages he suffered - having neither formal training and being shorter in stature than his opponent, was holding his own. He had already disarmed them, both of their gun and their knife when they drew it - he electrified the knife to the point it became too hot to hold, and the two were left with only their bare fists. Lighris shrugged off every punch he received, and gave back just as hard, landing a punishing blow to the man's gut that he felt even through his armour, followed by an uppercut to the chin that sent him into blackness.

Rikyuu's combat style seemed to mirror his opponent's. The two had similar movements and counters to one another for a time, both struggling to overpower the other. Rikyuu managed to pull off his opponent's goggles in their scuffle, revealing hazel brown eyes and human skin of a darker pigment. His opponent changed their tactics, striking Rikyuu in the back of the shin and dropping the dragon onto his knee, but as the opponent rounded his arm back for a punch, Rikyuu's colours changed from dark blue to a red and yellow pattern mirroring Volcan.

The masked man blinked, puzzled, and in that split second of hesitation, a ball of fire formed in Rikyuu's hand. The man released Rikyuu, throwing his arms over his face as Rikyuu unleashed a gout of fire at him, sparing his unprotected eyes from the heat of the flames. Rikyuu closed his hand, snuffing out the flames, and drove his fist into the man's gut, causing him to lurch before bringing his other arm down on the back his head.

Only one remained - the one Pavan had kicked before. He sat up, and started reaching for his pistol when Obsidian spoke up. “Don't even try it," she said. She had a pistol of her own in her hand, taken from one of the assailants, and trained it on the masked figure with a glare.

Silence fell over them then as the fight ended - save for the groans of several of the assailants as they were restrained by Rikyuu and Tsumé. Lighris looked them over, and then glanced around, wearing a concerned expression. “Where's Volcan?"

The others looked, and it was Tsumé who saw him first, lying in the grass some distance away. Immediately, Obsidian and Lighris ran over to check on him, leaving the other three to watch their captives… And giving Pavan time to resume his earlier talk with Tsumé.

“You can move the earth!" He exclaimed.

“And you can zip around like some kooky cartoon character," Tsumé returned, crossing her arms. “So… Wind Phoenix?"

“How did you-?" He started to ask, but bit back the words. He lifted a hand slowly to point at her. “Earth Phoenix."

“Yep."

“You never said anything?"

“Look who's talking, Pavan!"

Lighris sat Volcan upright. The younger phoenix groaned, a hand on his side coming away red with blood. A hand that was blackened with soot - no electrical burns, but plenty of lacerations where he had punched through the glass. Obsidian looked in horror at Volcan's hand, her own covering her mouth as she gasped.

"What did you do?" She asked.

"I didn't actually know how to shut the device off," he said. "I improvised."

"How are you not dead?" She asked, stunned. "You would have been electrocuted!"

"I am part Lightning Hawk," Volcan answered, gesturing to his brother. "I can't use the element but I have some resistance to electricity." He grunted as he lifted his arm as much as he could. Below the elbow it would not heed his commands, having gone completely numb. "Still hurt like hell though," he admitted.

"Of all the things you've done that I question bro, that was by far the dumbest," Lighris chided him. "But at least it worked."

"You've been shot," Obsidian added, seeing the bloodied wound on his side.

"You should see the other guy," the phoenix joked.

Obsidian glared at him, looking like she was tempted to slap him for that remark. But her professional restraint won out and she instead helped him stand, looping his arm around her shoulders, the other around Lighris'. They helped him walk back to the others. Tsumé and Pavan were still exchanging heated words, but Rikyuu remained vigilant, keeping his eyes on the six masked men and maintaining his focus on the energy shackles he had created to restrain them all.

He looked onto the side, seeing Volcan. His eyes darted to Volcan's right hand, wincing at how mangled it looked. "We better get that treated," he said.

"There's a first aid kit in my car," Obsidian offered.

"I'll get it," Lighris offered.

At that Pavan piped up, seeing an opportunity to break away from his conversation with Tsumé "I can get it faster," he offered.

"Hey, don't ignore me!" Tsumé said indignantly.

"You don't know where the car is - I do," said Lighris, spreading his wings as Obsidian passed him her keys. "Take care of my bro."

"Of course," she replied.

Lighris took to the air, beating his wings hard to generate lift and fly. He headed back toward the road, Obsidian watching him as she eased Volcan to sit on a fallen tree, once again taking his hand to look at it and feeling it over with her fingers.

"What are - ow," Volcan said wincing. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure you didn't break any of your fingers," she replied, not taking her eyes off his hand. "I should be surprised there are no electrical burns, but I suppose you don't burn, do you?"

"Not in the conventional sense, no. I can still suffer chemical burns, but not fire, heat or, apparently electrical burns," Volcan replied.

She did look up at him then. "Did you know for certain that punching into that thing to rip out its circuitry wouldn't kill you?"

"It was hurting all of you. That's all that mattered," he answered. "I had to shut it down."

"So you didn't know for sure?" She asked, her tone sharper.

"Well…" The scowl she gave him then was enough to make him press his beak shut, deciding that giving the honest answer might not be well received.

Fortunately, Pavan seemed to see his dilemma and spoke up. "So. To whom do I have the honor of thanking, for saving my bacon?" He asked. "I know Tsumé already."

"My name's Rikyuu," the blue dragon started.

"I'm Volcan, and the blue one who left was my brother Lighris."

"Obsidian," the dragoness finished, leaving Volcan to look at Pavan. "Are you injured?"

"Nah, those guys never laid a hand on me," he said, giving a dismissive wave. "I was too quick for 'em. No idea why they were after me though."

Volcan started to explain. "Long story short, they-"

Something very heavy hit the ground behind them, making the five jump with a start, turning to face a cloud of dust that had been spurred by whatever had hit the ground. Above, the saw the VTOL, still hovering, but now the belly of the craft was open, revealing a secret compartment in the underside of the craft. Out of which had fallen a hulking form that rose from the dust.

The figure that stood before them could have almost passed as human. Except that it was absolutely, with a body covered in thick corded muscles - the kind one might see on a competitive bodybuilder. Their arms ended not in hands, but in two spiked spheres akin to a medieval Morningstar, half of their face was covered in a metal mask, and their eyes were covered by dark red goggles.

Their legs were entirely mechanized, covered in articulated steel plating. It could have been simple armour, if not for the sound of servos creaking audibly from below armour as the giant stood up. At its full height it was taller than all of them, even Volcan yet even he seemed small by comparison. It raised its head, and the lenses of the goggles lit up.

"What the fuck is that?!" Tsumé practically screamed.

Movement; Rikyuu, distracted by the sight of the giant, had lost track of his captives. He received a kick to the face by a pair of booted feet, sending stars dancing across his vision. He lost his focus and the hard light shackles that bound the six captives disappeared. The one who had attacked Rikyuu, evidently their leader, ordered the men to their feet. Volcan moved to intercept, only for their leader to deliver a punch to his solar plexus that winded the phoenix, who he then grabbed and threw into Obsidian before she could summon her telekinesis.

He retrieved one of their dropped firearms, and Tsumé darted underground while Pavan shot into the air, both of them avoiding the spray of bullets that followed the man retrieving his weapon. All six of the masked men ran toward the giant, or more specifically toward the VTOL coming into a low flight behind it. The giant took a step forward as all six scrambled aboard the VTOL and the craft ascended again.

The giant's steps increased into a run. The ground shook with every step it. Obsidian picked up her stolen gun, firing at the giant. She put five rounds into the human-looking monstrosity, yet it kept coming despite multiple holes appearing in its flesh. She gave up after the fifth shot, turned and tried to get out of the way.

She felt Volcan's powerful arms seize her in a bearhug before the air rushed around her as he jumped out of the way, bringing her with him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rikyuu putting up another shield, the twin spiked fists coming down like a wrecking ball with an audible sound akin to striking a bell with a sledgehammer. The dragon winced, clearly struggling with the effort of holding back the attack.

"This thing hits like a truck!" Rikyuu cried out.

Volcan was back on his feet in a second, leaving Obsidian where he'd set her down and running at the giant. It rounded on him as he approached, swinging one of its massive arms backhanded. Volcan skidded to a stop and leaned his head back to avoid being decapitated by the mace-like hand. But it came around with a second attack, and Volcan put up his hands to catch the weapon, grabbing around the wrist to keep his already hurt fingers away from the spikes.

Feeling had returned to Volcan's arm just in time, allowing him the full use of his strength again. However, he found himself straining to hold back the spiked fist, the giant pushing it closer to his head despite his best efforts to hold it back. He could feel the limb vibrating, and hear the machinery working inside. This thing was not human - not anymore at least. Volcan was fighting the power of a machine, and that was strength even he couldn't match.

He was forced down onto one knee, still trying to hold back the fist. If he tried to twist or break away it would come down on him. His groaning was nearly a scream as he strained against the power. He was pinned, and in moments he'd be crushed...

The giant jerked suddenly, pulling its arm back as three squelched sounds filled the air. Volcan looked up, and in the giant's back he saw three spears buried in the flesh. Pinkish spears of hard light energy, and he saw Rikyuu as the dragon flew at the giant, spinning like a giant drill and powering into its stomach as he became wrapped in the energy. Flesh tore as the giant skidded backward, trying to stay on its feet until Rikyuu broke off his attack.

The belly of the giant was torn open. Volcan had expected a gorey mess to follow, but to his utter disgust the inside of the giant was even less organic than the exterior. Anything resembling human was long gone aside from the musculature, the innards replaced only by a complicated network of machinery, a glowing cylinder - likely the power source - and a metal endoskeleton.

"Who the fuck would make something like that?" Volcan asked, floored by what he saw. There was very little reason to even keep the human skin on such an abomination, he felt.

"Haven't you ever watched movies?" Rikyuu asked, shrugging.

"Those are movies! This shit is real!" Volcan returned as the huge man - the huge cyborg, Volcan corrected himself, started running at them again.

A lightning bolt struck the giant, so quick and in sudden that Volcan and Rikyuu were momentarily blinded by the ensuing flash. The giant stumbled, falling to its knees, spasming and whirring as the electricity caused it to malfunction. Above the two, a shadow fell, and they looked up to see blue feathered wings blocking out the sun above.

"I'm gone for five minutes," Lighris said as he landed between Rikyuu and his brother, "And I come back to find you two dancing with the fucking bargain bin version of the Terminator!"

"Feel free to cut in!" Volcan returned, holding out his hands and conjuring a fireball between his hands.

The giant cyborg stood up again, shaking off the jolt it had received from Lighris. But as it did, its feet vanished into the ground seemingly swallowed by the soil. It turned its head down slowly to look at its feet, then raised it again to fix its gaze on the three males, trying to take a step forward.

Volcan's fireball grew larger, and when he cast it at the cyborg, it expanded to become as large as a car, engulfing the mechanical man utterly. The metal plates across its body became red-hot as the fireball burned around it until it snuffed out, and flecks of molten metal fell from the cyborg's arms. There was a creak of protest from its legs as it tried to move again, but its legs didn't respond.

Lighris cast another lightning bolt at it, sending electricity surging over the cyborg's body. It spasmed, trembled and…

Exploded.

The three were thrown back as a concussion blast washed over them. Volcan felt pain coursing over his back as he landed on his wings, but he was too winded by the shock wave to notice, his ears ringing and chest aching from the blast. He lay there on the grass, his vision swimming as he tried to reorient himself. Above him, he saw Obsidian looking down at him, her expression showing she was on the verge of panic. She was soon joined by Tsumé and Pavan, who ran between him and the others, and then felt something dragging him.

His hands were pulled above his head and he was dragged into the trees, his wings screaming with pain as he was pulled over the ground. Past his feet, he saw the VTOL, and the flashing of its mounted gun firing. He saw a whiff of dirt thrown up mere inches from his foot, and understood. He didn't try to resist whatever was dragging him, and beside him he saw Rikyuu and Lighris being likewise pulled, with Pavan running alongside them, his hand in Obsidian's and towing her along while she levitated, as there was no way she could match his running speed.

The VTOL flew up. Volcan heard gunshots, and saw a metallic gray form race across the sky. More shots were heard, but he couldn't see where they were coming from. Only then did the dragging stop, and he felt his hands being released. He sat up, rubbing his wrists, and saw just in time what had been pulling him as they left Lighris' wrists.

Tree roots.

"What the…?" Volcan asked aloud.

Tsumé emerged from the soil, the ground opening and lifting her out like an elevator. She dusted herself off, and looked at the three males. "Everyone okay?" She asked.

"I think you might have dragged me over a few roots," Rikyuu remarked, rubbing his back as his face contorted with pain.

"Wasn't really time to map where I was going," Tsumé replied apologetically. "I've also never had to, well.. Tow somebody behind me while I was tunneling. Although the trees were probably more responsible for that."

"I didn't know Earth Phoenixes could control flora," Lighris remarked, shaking dirt from his wings.

"Not all of us can, so my dad said," replied Tsumé. "We have to have a connection to them, a connection built overtime. I guess I have that, since I spent most of my life in the garden, on hikes, etc." She shrugged.

"What the hell happened?" Volcan piped up. "Why did that giant… Thing, blow up?"

"No idea." Tsumé admitted. "It went off with so much power I felt it even underground."

"Went up with a small mushroom cloud too," Obsidian added. "That was a big blast."

"Where's that airship, and those men?" Volcan asked, looking up through the canopy above. He could still hear the sound of an ongoing firefight, but he couldn't see it.

"Ayane chased them off," Obsidian answered. At the questioning looks from her friends, she added, "I called her while you were fighting. I knew this was getting to be too much so I called her for backup."

"Good call," Volcan commented.

"We better get out of here," said Lighris. "Cops will be swarming this place before long - no way nobody heard that explosion."

"What should I do?" Pavan asked.

"You can fly home or you can go with us," said Volcan. "You should be safe from those men now."

"Where are we going to go?" Tsumé asked as the six of them started walking.

"Let's head back to Ordagova's for now. We should be safe in the city - those guys won't follow us there after Ayane runs them off," Lighris suggested.

"How can you be sure?" Obsidian asked.

"I'm not, but there's really nowhere else to go," Lighris admitted. "Plus, we need to get patched up ourselves."

Volcan opened his beak to question what Lighris meant until he saw the jagged piece of metal buried in his brother's thigh when he limped. Volcan's eyes widened with horror, realizing that the metal plate must have been thrown into his brother when the cyborg had exploded. "Lighris…!" He started to say.

"It's not very deep," said Lighris, "But I'm not pulling it out here and we need to get moving."

"You can't drive with that leg," Rikyuu stated, offering his shoulder for Lighris to lean on as they started moving back to the highway.

"Well unless one of you has a license," Lighris remarked, laying his arm around the dragon's shoulders.

"I do," Tsumé spoke up, " I can drive."

"Well there we have it then," Lighris said with finality as they hurried away from the scene…

When Kyle engaged stealth, the sound of bullets ricocheting off the hull was still heard for a while before the strange, humanoid assailant flying after them finally broke off their attack. Kyle breathed a long sigh of relief when the attack had stopped, placing a hand over his heart. He had to take off his mask and helmet to let himself breathe, calming down.

He did another headcount. He had done two already, but the human was on edge. The operation had been a complete disaster - all of his men had escaped, but they had lost most of their equipment, they had lost a Cyber Soldier, and the Retriever - the VTOL - was damaged, peppered with bullet holes, the Disruptor destroyed, and the pilot recovering from a concussion.

It had only been in a brief moment of coherence that the pilot had deployed the Cyborg of his own initiative, and brought down the VTOL low enough for his men to jump aboard. But the continuing uncertainty of his condition was why Kyle was at the controls himself and not the designated pilot. Every Retrieval Team had a backup pilot among its operatives, and it just happened that he - also the commanding officer, was that backup pilot.

Pure. Dumb luck, had saved them and he knew it. But he was not in for a welcome debriefing when he returned to base…

"This is going to be a shitty evening," Kyle said with a shake of his head.

"Fucking hell that hurts!" Lighris growled as Ordagova pressed his hand against the wound on Lighris' leg, staunching the flow of blood.

"Ssstop sssquirming," the snake chided him, keeping pressure on the wound while Rikyuu moved to apply the dressings. "You are lucky that metal did not piercssse you sssomewhere worssse."

"I know, I know," Lighris admitted, grinding his beak as the two treated his leg.

Meanwhile, seated on the counter further down, Obsidian cleaned the gunshot wound on Volcan's side. The bullet had gone through, and had missed anything serious. His hand was also bandaged by Tsumé, with Pavan standing by holding the first aid kit.

"I don't think Ordagova is going to appreciate us turning his business into an impromptu trauma center," Obsidian remarked, looking over her shoulder at the snake, knowing he likely overheard her. Or at least telepathically read her thoughts before she spoke them aloud.

“I meant thisss asss a placssse of sssafety, even if thisss isss what it will mean," he assured her without taking his eyes off his work

“I can mop up the blood," Rikyuu offered, while handing pins to Ordagova to secure the dressing.

“Pleassse," Ordagova agreed, accepting the pins and fastening them over the edge of the wrapping to hold it. “What about that Csssyborg you mentioned you fought? Anything sssalvageable from it?"

“Well, the thing exploded - I don't know how much we could get from it," Lighris answered bluntly as he sat up, rubbing his leg and nodding in thanks to Ordagova. “No idea what happened - I zapped the thing and kaboom; it goes off like a grenade."

“I can answer that," a voice spoke, up from the back hall as a red dragoness stepped into the room.

“Ayane," Volcan said, nodding in greeting to her. “How'd it go with that ship?"

“It cloaked somewhere near the mountains - I lost sight of it," she answered. “But I did manage to salvage the pieces of that cyborg before the cops found the site, and I already know why it exploded. It was powered by a hydrogen fuel cell."

“Like the one in the VTOL you salvaged?" Lighris asked.

“Much smaller, but yes - same design," she confirmed with a nod.

“Geez, it's lucky we didn't blow ourselves up killing that thing," Volcan remarked, shaking his head.

“If it's any consolation you would've had to have been standing much closer for the explosion to cause any lasting harm," Ayane offered.

“But not to escape flying pieces of debris," Volcan pointed out, cocking his head at Lighris as his brother put his trousers back on.

“Fair point," Ayane conceded. “Anyway, other than an inexplicable crater in the middle of the woods, I didn't leave anything that could lead back to one of you."

Volcan sighed. “Well, all things considered," he said as he looked at Pavan. “At least we were able to find Tsumé's friend here."

“Yeah. Thanks for that," Pavan said, nodding. “I thought I was a goner out there."

“How did those guys find you anyway?" Tsumé asked, looking at Pavan.

The Wind Phoenix could give only a helpless shrug. “I have no idea," he answered honestly. “I was just out for a flight and then I sensed something was following me, then they popped outta nowhere and chased me across the countryside."

“Did anyone see you out there?" Obsidian asked.

“Not that I know of, no. Nothing but open farmland out there so, not a lot of people around," he answered honestly.

Volcan nodded. Then, remembering another question in his mind, he turned to Rikyuu. “So… Rik," he said, earning the blue dragon's attention. “Why didn't that… whatever it is, that field generated by the device, affect you like it did the rest of us?"

“Wait, what?" Tsumé asked. “He wasn't affected?"

“No. I saw him use his powers even while the rest of us were down," Volcan replied.

Rikyuu shrugged. “I can't really explain it," he said. “While the four of you went down, I… I didn't feel anything. I could still call on my nanites to-"

“Wait, nanites?" Tsumé asked. “As in, nanobots? Tiny microscopic robots?"

“A little redundant, but yes," replied Rikyuu, holding up his hand and looking at it. “In addition to my enhanced and modified genetics, I'm also filled with nanotech. Ayane was the first one to discover them when she examined me." He looked at the dragoness.

“Years ahead of its time," she agreed. “I've never seen anything like it."

“Are those nanites what give him his copy powers?" Lighris asked, accepting a bottle of beer brought to him by Ordagova.

“Yes. From what I've gathered, the nanites, upon command, read the genetic code of anything he touches and replicate that code as best as possible with the host's - Rikyuu's - DNA," she explained. “Because the nanites don't have all of the resources to work with, the 'copy' isn't exact, so if he was to copy Volcan," she gestured to the Fire Phoenix, “the nanites will try to rewrite Rikyuu's DNA to match that of a Phoenix to the best of it's ability, gifting him fire powers similar to Volcan's but to a weaker extent because he lacks…" She rolled her eyes. “Well, whatever is in Volcan's body that amplifies this fire power."

“...I barely understood most of that," said Pavan, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “Quick of body, not quick of brain."

“Point is," Ayane clarified. “Rikyuu's power is only an imitation, not the real thing. The electromagnetic field generated by those devices is tuned to block out the element within Volcan or other phoenixes like you guys." She looked at Obsidian. “And it's apparently tuned to disrupt psionic power too."

“Gave me the mother of all headaches," Obsidian added, putting her fingers to her temples. “I still feel it, slightly. It was like my head was being filled up with hot, burning air."

“It csssertainly ssseems sssafer here in the csssity," Ordagova put in, bringing Obsidian a drink - a refill of the Moscow Mule she'd had before. “They ssseem intent on ssstaying anonymousss."

“That didn't stop them with Natalie…" Volcan remarked.

“Except that night you only saw two of them," Lighris reminded. “Clandestine operation, maybe. Perhaps they'd been stalking that girl for a while until they could gauge what she was."

“Maybe," Volcan agreed.

“Wait… Is it possible they might go after my family?" Tsumé asked, fearfully.

“I don't think so, Tsumé," Obsidian assured her. “Your father is too well-connected - if Ordagova's right, and they depend on anonymity to operate, they can't risk going after your family. It'd draw far too much attention."

Tsumé grimaced, but nodded her agreement.

“Whoever they are, whatever they want," Ordagova commented as he polished a glass, his face a mask of scorn as he spoke. “It ssseemsss no one isss sssafe whilssst they are about. We need to ssstop them before they manage to caussse any permanent damage."

“Us?" Lighris asked.

“How would we even do that?" Volcan added. “We don't even know how to find them."

“And it's kind of out of our league," Lighris stated. “These guys have evaded the cops, the military - bet you even some intelligence agencies are chasing their tails looking for them." He shook his head. “I hate to say it, but we'd be in over our heads."

“There isss a csssertain icsssy acquaintance," Ordagova commented, looking at Tsumé.

Tsumé tensed, especially when all eyes in the room turned to her. “W-Wait, are you-?" She sputtered. “Are you crazy? You want to ask him for help?"

“I can't say I'm in favour either," Obsidian agreed. “Whoever that… Ice Phoenix, is… He's killed at least ten people in this pursuit of his vendetta or whatever it is he's after."

“Well, they were all criminals," Volcan pointed out, earning a leer from the dragoness. “I'm just saying, isn't the world kinda better off without them?"

“We have a justice system for that, Volcan!" Obsidian protested. “I can't just overlook someone with a vendetta killing people! I'm a cop!"

“But you're also a possible target," Lighris stated pointedly.

“What do you mean?" Obsidian asked, her voice calmer though she was still scowling.

“Today, these guys risked going after Pavan," Lighris stated. “School kid, living in a suburb. Someone would be missing him even if they succeeded. They killed that hooker, and they went after Volcan, under the assumption nobody would notice they're missing because they're both homeless." He looked at Volcan. “No offense bro."

“Facts are facts," Volcan conceded.

“If they were willing to risk going after Pavan while it was still broad daylight, it's only a matter of time before they grow bolder," Rikyuu added, seeing the logic in Lighris' words. “He's right, 'Sid. Whatever they want these phoenixes for, they'll keep coming."

“And while I'm not intent on taking down the whole organization, if that's what it takes to make them back off," Lighris shrugged. “What the hell."

Obsidian and Tsumé shared a disgruntled look. Neither one looked fond of the idea of seeking out the Ice Phoenix - not after what they knew he had done. Tsumé especially, having actually witnessed him kill three people in, for lack of a better term, cold blood. He had even intended to do the same to Tsumé when he had caught her spying, and she had only escaped thanks to her earth powers, revealing what she was to the ice phoenix in the process, but better that than being run through on a sword…

Still, as far as they could tell, this Ice Phoenix was actively hunting the same people who were already hunting them. He might be the only one who could tell them anything… Obsidian looked at Ordagova, not speaking to him telepathically, but he could read her expression without having to read her mind. He only gave her a nod in reply.

Obsidian sighed. “Alright… If we're going to do this - crazy as it seems," she said. “Where do we find him?"

“Oh that's easy," Pavan piped up, in a tone that suggested the answer was obvious. “He's an Ice Phoenix. So, where's the coldest place in town?"

Everyone shared a look, not finding the answer as obvious as clearly Pavan did - except of course for Ordagova who already saw the idea in Pavan's mind. “Not my firssst guesssss, but it isss a ssstart," he commented.

“What, where?" Volcan asked.

“The Megaplex uptown!" Pavan chimed. “Yanno, the big one with the ice hockey rinks?"

“Isn't that a little public though?" Tsumé asked.

“It's not hockey season yet," Pavan replied. “There won't be very many people there until the season begins. He'd practically have the whole place to himself, and it's so big he could easily hide there."

“Like Ordagova said, it's a start," Ayane offered her opinion. “It's the only indoor rink in the city, right?"

“Right - all the other ones are outdoor and won't be available until we get deeper into winter," Volcan agreed, rubbing his chin in thought. “Pavan might be on to something. It's worth a try."

"How many of us will be going, then?" Tsumé asked.

"Well, you're the only one who has actually seen the guy," Rikyuu commented. "Would you be willing?"

"I…" Tsumé said hesitantly.

"It wasn't really a pleasant experience for her," Volcan spoke up in her defense, remembering well that night she had stumbled into Ordagova's bar on the verge of panic.

Tsumé spoke up after Volcan, nodding in thanks to him for coming to her defense. "But he's right," she said. "I know what he looks like. He'll probably remember me too, though I worry he might try to finish what he started when he tried to attack me."

"We'll be with you," promised Obsidian. "I have words for this guy, so I'm going too."

"Count me in," agreed Rikyuu.

"Me too," said Volcan.

Lighris looked at him. "You sure, bro? The inside of that rink is not going to agree with you."

"Hopefully I won't be in there long enough to matter," said Volcan. "We'll find the guy, talk to him, and get out."

The others nodded in agreement, except for Pavan. "So… What should I do?" He asked.

"Well, you're safe now," Volcan replied with a shrug. "We could take you home on our way to the Megaplex, if you want."

"I'm not sure I should," said Pavan.

"Why not?"

Pavan hesitated to answer, but eventually decided to speak up - these were people of the same kind as himself. If he couldn't trust them, who could he trust? "I don't want them to find my dad," he said. "He is of course another Wind Phoenix, but way more powerful than me."

"Who is your dad?"

"Richard Stevenson. He's a meteorologist - works at the weather station up in the mountains," Pavan answered. "He spends a lot of time there, but he'd be home now. I should call him, but if those guys are hanging around I don't want them using me to get at him."

They nodded their agreement. Ordagova stepped over, reaching out to rest a hand on Pavan's shoulder. "You are more than welcome to ssstay here in the meantime," he offered. "But, you may want to call your father. He isss csssertainly worried about you."

Pavan nodded. "Right. Yeah, I should," he agreed.

"I'll hang around for a bit too, just in case," Lighris offered. "Can't really drive right now anyway with this leg. If his dad comes by, I'll fill in the blanks for him. "

"Alright," said Obsidian, not finishing her drink since it seemed she'd need to be sober. "We'll take my car, then. Let's go find our fugitive."

"Remember, Obsidian, we need his help," Volcan cautioned.

Obsidian sighed. "Doesn't mean I have to like it," she stated plainly as she led the way out the door.