Step 10: Take A Break

"Is this really a step in your master plan?" Kai asked.

Jack nodded. "Final details need to be finished. As well as many other things. But nothing major. I mean we need to get across country for this remember? We need a way to get there. So until all of that is done... Step 10: Take A Break."

"Well, I get that but does it have to be a designated step?"

"What do you have against relaxing?" Derek interjected. "I've been working my ass off for the past years of hell. I say 'Take A Break' is a wonderful step."

Kai rolled her eyes. "You two are idiots. But fine, Let's do something 'breaky' then. Let's hit the movies."

"There's nothing out," Jack frowned.

"I'm not watching a chick flick," Derek said.

"Okay, what should we do?" Kai asked.

"Give me my friend back."

Eyes turn to Elias who glared at Kai with arms crossed in the doorway.

Kai sighed. "What do you want?"

"You stole Jack from me!" He accused.

Jack blinked unsure of what to say. Sure, without a doubt he had used Elias but, it never crossed his mind how Elias would feel about it. He certainly didn't expect the older boy to throw a fit. Weren't there other people in the world who needed to be annoyed? Honestly why had Elias fixated on him?

"Jack!"

Jack blinked and focused his attention back on the two siblings.

"How could you betray me for my sister?" Elias demanded.

She snuck into your car which I stole. Jack thought before he gave Elias an actual answer. "She's cool and doesn't awkwardly and annoyingly flirt with me."

Kai smirked at her brother.

Elias looked between the two his mouth open wide. "Wait... Are you two... together?"

Kai hit her brother in response.

Jack looked as if someone had insulted him. "No! Why is that that you immediately think?"

Elias didn't look convinced as his eyes flickered between Jack and Kai. He opened his mouth again but Kai had already shoved him into the hall and closed the door. Her eyes found Jack and both blushed slightly.

At this point Derek burst out laughing. "I'm loving this step already!"

~~~~

After much bickering the movie idea was thrown out and a different "breaky" idea had been chosen by Kai.

"Come on. You two will love this place!" Kai declared dragging the two boys up the mall's escalator inside their destination. Inside bright colorful lights lot up games everywhere you turned.

"Welcome... To Dave and Busters. The awesomest arcade ever."

"This seems kinda of stupid," Jack pointed out. Each game zaps away my money and I get tickets which I can trade for candy? Can't I just buy candy?"

"Don't be a party pooper!"

~~30 Minutes Later~~

"Jack?" Jack barely registered Kai's voice. "Jack?"

"Not now!" Jack told her. "I've figured out the key to this game! It's only taken me like twenty tries but now I think I got it! I'm gonna get the jackpot!"

"Not before I do!" Derek yelled.

Jack swiped his card before Derek did and watched the lights go round. After waiting he hit the button and then gave a cry of defeat when he missed the jackpot light.

"My turn!" Derek smiled swiping his card. He too failed.

Kai groaned. "Are you to serious? You're wasting all your time on this? Cyclone, of all games? This is a game designed to make you lose."

(A/N This impossible game^)

"Shut up!" Both boys yelled back.

Jack swiped his card to find it he didn't have enough credit left. He cursed and looked to Derek. "Let me use your card and whatever I win we split."

Derek paused before tossing Jack his card.

Jack swiped it and watched the light go round. Derek came and stood next to him and both put their hands on the button.

"You guys are too serious," Kai sighed. "Honestly you two need to give-" Kai was cut off by the sound of cheering as both boys smiled at tickets pouring out of the machine. "How- how- did..."

~~~~

"I can't believe you spent all of those tickets on a T-shirt and candy."

"And a monkey!" Derek remind her hugging his prize. "It's okay Coco. She's just upset she only got a paddle ball."

"Coco?" Kai asked.

"Yes. Her name is Coco. Do you have a problem with that?"

"You're insane."

"No I'm not!"

Kai turned to Jack for help. "Jack don't you see that he is clearly insane?"

Jack only shrugged and opened another Ring Pop.

"And you're gonna get a cavity," Kai groaned.

"I can live with that," Jack responded.

"You both are children."

"So what shall the four of us do now?" Derek asked.

"Four?"

"Yes. Coco is coming too. So, what else goes along with this step?"

"I've already started going through the files I stole," Jack informed them. "A lot of its hidden and I'm not a hacker. So it's gonna take a while. And there's not much time I can work on it freely."

"Maybe we can enlist one of CeeCee's guys."

"I rather not. I met her through a guy who works for my family. I rather not have him anywhere in this. I don't need him ruining everything."

"Fair enough. You can still send the file my way and I can help. It can certainly go faster that way," Derek suggested.

Jack nodded and dug a pack of Nerds out of his bag of candy. "So, we have tools, files, and a basic plan. But we still need to figure out how we are supposed to get cross country. We only have the small pieces done. The Institute is large, and expertly manned."

"Judging from how easy a time it was picking up the bastard and stuff, I highly doubt that," Kai said rolling her eyes.

Derek ignored her comment. "The New York Base is bigger better, and the First Base. The others were built afterward. The First Base is probably as big as a college campus. Dorms, training, food shops, clothing shops, classes and more. And honestly the best way to get rid of all of this-"

"Whoa, back up. Food? Clothing? Classes? I thought this was kind of thing where kids are turned into a military or something."

"More or less. But, despite as odd as it sounds, things which are normal can still happen. Blak- Jack here had a girlfriend. They went on dates and did stuff. She was the other Elite with the two of us. Oh, and she tried to kill him too."

"Explain the Elites to me again?"

"Its-"

"Can we not have sensitive conversations in public?" Jack chimed in. "Also, I really don't want to talk about Summer right now." Derek and Kai agreed and continued to the mall's exit. But now the thought of Summer wouldn't leave his head.

~~~~

Blake surveyed himself in the mirror again. What was happening to him? He never cared about his appearance before... Blake took a breath. Summer wasn't the kind of girl to freak over what he was wearing... Right?

He wore his usual Institute issued pants and boots but wore an open red and blue plaid shirt on top of a black shirt with a skull. And miraculously he had actually gone through the trouble of trying to fix his hair. He groaned aloud. Missions were easier than this.

After taking a calming breath he exited his room and walked down the hall to Summer's he knocked on the door which was quickly opened by Summer.

She had ditched the usual uniform in favor of blue jeans and floral shirt. Her auburn hair had been braided and Blake could see there was a small bit of make up on her face.

She smiled before she raised a hand to the top of his head and ruffled his hair a bit. "There. I know people keep telling you to tame it but, it looks better this way."

"Thanks," Blake replied with a small blush. "So... Ready to go?"

~~~~

They had left the dorms and headed outside to the small food shops on the Base.

Neither spoke too nervous to say anything but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. When they came to the shops they quickly decided on ice cream and ordered. A mint chocolate chip for her and a chocolate for him.

"Mhmm," Summer said smiling as she began to eat her ice cream. Blake chuckled. These were the times when the Institute wasn't total hell.

They were in the New York Base. The First Base and largest, therefore the most secure and privileged. No other Base had a few shops for food.

"Was it really that bad with... Tristan?" Summer asked Blake suddenly.

Blake paused surprised by the question. But he couldn't blame her. She had had Luke, he was strict no doubt but certainly not as brutal. And he couldn't blame her curiosity. Rumors spread and soon it gets hard to separate them from the truth.

Blake swallowed his ice cream and nodded. "He gave me this scar."

Summer stared back at him her face unreadable. Finally she spoke. "Did you hear what Karen got caught doing?"

Blake shook his head and Summer launched into her story as if she had never mentioned his former "mentor". For that he was thankful.

~~~

Jack tried to get the memory out of his head. That should not be how he pictured Summer. He should be picturing the Summer which had stabbed him. The one who had tried to kill him for her own personal gain.

"Don't worry dude," Derek said so only Jack could hear. "When we crash the place, and find her? I'll leave her for you."

Jack nodded unsure of how to respond. Derek smiled and walked a couple steps faster to talk to and bother Kai.

Jack watched them and thought of Derek's words. He'd have to see Summer again. Part of him couldn't feel happier at the thought of hurting Summer the way she had done to him. The other part of him only wondered if it would ever be possible to do this day over with only one change, he'd replace Kai with Summer.