"He's gonna be in so much trouble when the boss finds out! I knew he was a traitor at heart! I knew it! I'll make him regret everything he's ever-" "Jamie just shut up."

"Don't call me that."

"Jamie-"

"I will murder you!"

"Shut-"

"JACKSON!"

"Up."

"OH MY GOD." Jamie yelled. "I love you, too." Jackie retorted.

    They had just found out about the escapes... and the traitor. He had left behind a red and black jacket, but that's really it. Funny, how he forgets his jacket and not a flashlight or something. You'd think a jacket would be something to remember, especially if you wanted to stay warm at night. Why would they need something like a flashlight, anyways?

   "How did he escape, anyways? I thought you were watching him, Jackie." Jackie picked up his pace, not wanting to answer the question, but he answered for the sake of his own patience. "I went to check on the other test subject, but he was gone as well." Jamie stopped in his tracks. "What?!" Jackie just kept walking. "Ehuh, yep. He escaped. I don't know where to, but he escaped." Jamie made an agitated sound before catching up to Jackie.

   "We need more guards in here." He said. "You don't say? There's really only the two of us watching them, now." Jackie agreed. They turned down a dimmer hallway, as if the place wasn't dark enough. Their footsteps echoed softly in the small space, the hallway being so small. There was a bright light at the end of the hallway, which shone right in front of a fancy looking brown door. They were so caught in the moment that they forgot to knock.

   Jackie flung the door open, causing a man in a chair to jump. He had black, messy hair, and forest green eyes. His skin was pale. He wore a tux, and looked really important, but the two men didn't seem to care. "Sir," Jackie started. Jamie elbowed him. "Ow."

   Jamie cleared his throat. "The test subjects have escaped. Even 1290. Aron, the new guy, is also missing. He took everything he had with him, except his jacket." Jamie held up the article of clothing.

   The boss sighed. "This is terrible news..." He pushed back his hair and sighed, trying to stay calm. "I'll let the higher authorities know. This might upset him, you know that?" Jackie grunted. "He'll get over it." The boss shook his head, fear now visible in his gaze. "No... He won't... not until they're found... And if they aren't..." He looked up at the two, his eyes wide. "Guess who gets it?"

"You?" Jamie asked.

"All three of us!" Jamie flinched. The man closed his eyes, and leaned back in his chair. "And who knows what he'll do..."

   The man sighed. "I'll send out two search parties. Jackson, you lead one. I'll have Hero lead the other one." Jamie looked confused. "Okay, but, what do I do?" The man put on an obviously fake smile. "You... you just... follow Jackie. Alright?" Jamie looked upset. "I'm older than him-" "That doesn't make you more mature." "But-" "Please, just follow my orders. I already have a headache."

Jackie looked at Jamie and smiled. "Ha. Ha. Ha."

"You call this maturity!?" Jamie yelled. "More than you." Jackie retorted. "Fudge you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

   "How are we supposed to find them? There's no trace of how they escaped!" Jamie exclaimed, walking up and down the hallway outside the empty cell. They searched the damn thing once, twice, maybe three times! And not a trace of the little brats. "Well, I say we look outside. If they'd escape, wouldn't they want to leave the place?" Jackie asked casually. "How did I not think of that?" "Because you suck." Jamie snorted. "Thanks."

  Jackie started walking away, down the hallway. Jamie looked up from searching the cell once more. "Where are you going?" Jackie continued walking. "Outside." Jamie hurried after him, knowing he was not going to stop and wait for him. "Boss says that the other members are waiting for us out there, anyway."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ANOTHER TIME SKIP BECASUE I'M REALLY LAZY! :D The finished book is gonna be, like, 700 pages anyways! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~

   "The sun is setting." Mitch pointed out. Lachlan glanced through the thick greenery, or at least he tried, to see he was right. The sun was no longer visible above the dense trees, and the sky was all shades of orange, to purple, to even pink. "He's right," Rob agreed. "Someone should keep watch while the others sleep." Vik nodded in agreement, also looking at the sunset through the vines. "I'll do it." Mitch offered. "But Mitch, you really should rest," Lachlan started. Mitch shook his head. "No, I don't, I need to keep you all safe."

   "But you've been through so much-" "No. I'm watching out for you guys." Mitch paused for a second. "But, if makes you feel any better, I'll gladly take shifts with someone." Lachlan sighed. "Alright. I guess I'll go after you."

   Mitch stood up. "I'm starting my shift now. You guys should rest, I can tell you've been through a lot." Lachlan didn't object as he pushed aside the vines and walked into the open. He could trust Mitch. He knew it. He wouldn't hurt him. He felt safe, but Lachlan knew it was only temporary. Not everything lasts forever... and neither does the waking world....

He was falling....

Falling....

....

Falling?

   He felt the sensation, but not the air rushing past him. What was going on? He was surrounded by darkness. He was falling in the dark. It felt too real to be a dream, but to fake to be reality. Or at least that's what it felt like. But he couldn't really tell. All he knew was the fall, past and present aside.

... But if you're falling, that means gravity is pulling on you.

   Gravity. The pull of an object on another object. But there was nothing around him, or so he thought. He was still braced for impact. Suddenly he stopped falling. Instead, he was lying on the ground. There was no impact. Lachlan stood up, wondering where he was. Was this death? Well, he certainly didn't remember dying. Maybe you didn't remember...

   He pushed these thoughts aside as things started forming around him. At first he could make out dirt beneath his feet, and then a couple of nearby trees. The place instantly felt familiar, but Lachlan still didn't know where he was. He could see the shapes of people forming near him.

And instantly the memory took over.

   "Slow down there, buddy! You're too fast for me!" A man pretended to be exhausted, and being a little over-dramatic in the process. A little boy, around six, maybe seven, ran around the man, laughing. "Can't catch me!" He chanted, his voice high pitched with youth. The man smiled, ruffling the boy's blonde hair, causing him to stop running. He made a face, and his dad laughed. "I love you, ya little blur." The boy's dad paused for a second. "I'll be right back. Don't get yourself into any trouble, okay?" The boy nodded, a goofy grin on his face. The boy watched his father leave, before heading in to the rare group of trees. Trees weren't too common where he lived. But it was the Outback, so there could really be anything. He ran through the trees, feeling the sensation of the wind in is hair. The feeling he loved.

   Then suddenly, the air whipped his hair a little too fast. And there he was again, falling. But this time the ground did make impact. He fell pretty hard, but yet he was also six, and six year olds tend to be pretty dramatic. This time he wasn't over dramatic, though.

   The small child layed there, stunned. He didn't know what to think, but he did know his ankle hurt a bit too much. He moved himself into a sitting position, which was tricky. He grunted, pushing himself up, the pain in his ankle flaring. He groaned at the sudden pain, and tears threatened to spill over, but he held them back out of pride. No, he wasn't gonna cry. Not over his stupid ankle. He took a deep breath, helping to calm him down, but the pain in his ankle wouldn't stop. He knew if getting into a sitting position was hard, then standing would be even harder. He refused to think about walking.... but how else would he get back? He took another deep breath. He was gonna be okay.

   The dark was threatening, though. What is seen in the shadows is easily misunderstood in the mind of a child.

   "Lachlan?" He heard a voice call. "Lachy, where did you go?" His dad. "I'm here!" he called, his voice cracking. It was hard to speak. It hurt so much. "Lachlan?" The voice called again. "Daddy?" Lachlan called again, this time louder. He heard a rustle in the bushes behind him, and he turned around, tense. He little out little whimpers. The rustling continued, getting closer. Lachlan couldn't tell what it was that had found him, because his vision was blurry with tears... stupid tears...

   He felt himself being lifted up. "You okay?" The voice asked, which he recognized as his fathers. "Uhum." He nodded.

 "Poor thing. You're ankle looks pretty messed up... how did that happen?" Lachlan said nothing, but clung onto his father. "Don't worry, though. Even kangaroos get hurt..."

        The memory began to fade and blur into darkness as reality kicked in once more. Lachlan felt himself being shaken lightly, as if someone were trying to wake him up. He blinked open his eyes, the memory fading. His ankle did hurt, though. "It's your shift, Lachlan." Mitch said quietly, looked down at him. Lachlan groaned, sitting up. "Also, sorry about your ankle, I tripped over it." Lachlan didn't respond. The memory had already faded, anyways. He stood up. Once he was up, he yawned and stretched.

He first watched as Mitch layed down on the cold, stone floor. Lachlan wondered how he would sleep on that, but then he remembered how quickly he fell asleep and didn't question it.

   The night dragged on. He guessed it was about midnight, based on where the moon was in the sky. It might have been one. The stars shone brightly above the large, green trees. It was a half-moon that night, and it shone as bright as ever. It cast long shadows across the ground, but all was peaceful.

    Despite the peace, there was a rustle in the bushes a few meters away from Lachlan. He didn't seem to notice, but as the rustling continued, it became obvious something was there. Lachlan tensed. He had to be ready to do anything. His instincts were telling him fight or flight, but his mind was telling him to protect his friends. He wasn't leaving them and he knew he couldn't handle a fight alone, especially in his drowsy state. The rustling stopped. Lachlan stayed tense. It felt like hours before a head popped out of the bushes. It was a boy.

    Lachlan couldn't make much out about him, but he could tell that he had dark brown hair. It swept to the side, just above his eyes. He had cat ears of the same color as his hair. He couldn't see the rest of him, because the bushes covered everything else. Until he stood up, of course. He wore a bandana with a lava pattern on it, and it had some sort of creeper mouth on it. He had a tie with the same lava pattern, and a suit.

   The other hybrid turned and met Lachlan's gaze, with a look of curiosity, but also fear. Lachlan smiled, as to say, "Hey, you're welcome to stay with us." The hybrid dropped his gaze, and looked at the little cave, then back at Lachlan with a questioning look, like, "Why the hell are you just camping out by a large rock?" Lachlan gestured for him to come forward. The other hybrid's ears flattened, and he turned, then dashed back into the bushes.

    Well, that was strange. He thought. But wait, he was a hybrid. Hybrids aren't just born. They're not natural creatures. They're made in labs and other places. If that was the case, then where the hell did he come from?

_ _ _ _ _

I just realized that if Jackie and Jamie were to fuse together or something they would create Nikkie. I think I need help.

CARRY ON WITH YOUR LIVES.  

#JAMKIE 

NO I WON'T SLEEP

YES I STAYED UP TIL MIDNIGHT WRITING THIS

AHAHAHA HAVE ANOTHER UPDATE. MERRY CHRISTMAS

ALSO MAYBE ANOTHER UPDATE ON CHRISTMAS