Midnight stared at the various methods of transportation before her. The warehouse was full of them, each from a different movie or show. So much for it all being fictional.

She recognized a few of them from movies and shows she'd seen before. Optimus Prime, KITT, and the Tardis, among others. She had always believe it was just fiction. That the shows were just things meant to take your mind off of the harshness of reality. Clearly that wasn't true. At least, not anymore. The Fire Lord and Unseliee King had been her first clue, but she hadn't quite believed it. Now she wasn't sure what to believe.

I guess I should choose one, then. All of the other mentors were already heading to various vehicles, so she entered the dimly lit warehouse behind them. Her gaze flicked to KITT. She had always wanted a car like that. Why not take advantage of the opportunity? With a grin, she headed over and opened the door, sliding in to the front seat.

"Hello Trisha," KITT said.

Midnight frowned. Maybe choosing a highly intelligent AI car wasn't the best idea. She didn't realize it could identify her. "How do you know that name?" she demanded.

"I took your fingerprint, so no one else would be able to get into the car," KITT explained. "You are Trisha Davids, are you not?"

"Please... don't call me that. It's Midnight now. And we're going to..." she paused. She'd forgotten to check the file that the Fire Lord gave her. She opened it now and skimmed it quickly. "The Jungle."

"You should buckle. The road is going to get rough."

***

Of all the places she could have been sent, she had been sent to a jungle. Midnight slapped a branch out of the way and trudged through the trees, sweat dripping down her face. Ask her to find someone in the middle of a city and she could have done it easily. But a jungle? She'd lived her whole life without even seeing a forest more than once or twice, much less going into one. How was she supposed to find the boy she was supposed to mentor in this?

The whole situation frustrated her. She'd spent years on the run from various people, all alone. But as soon as she found someone to care about, someone to love, they were used to manipulate her.

She heard the wailing as she was passing the dark alleyway. The cries of a terrified child. It could be some sort of trap. Midnight glanced into the alley, curious. If it was a trap, she was confident she could get out anyway. Most of the local gang members weren't very skilled. The only real risk was numbers.

The cries intensified, and Midnight cringed. If anyone else had heard it, they might have just left. She should have. It wasn't her problem. But she walked into the alley anyway.

It wasn't some sort of trap. Instead, a young girl stood on the middle of the alleyway, sobbing. Midnight watched, unsure of how to deal with the situation. The girl looked spotted Midnight, and threw her tiny arms around Midnight's legs. The gesture awakened some sort of motherly instinct in Midnight, and she knelt, wrapping her arms around the girl. "Hey, don't cry," she whispered. "You'll be alright. What's your name?"

The girl sniffled, and looked up at her with bright green eyes. "Lily."

Midnight remembered the look on Lily's face when they tore her away. Her terrified scream. "Mommy!" Midnight's fists clenched. She would get Lily back, and the second she got the chance, they would leave. She didn't care what happened to the tributes she was supposed to mentor. They could live or die- that was on them.

Something moved on her right, and she turned to see a deer darting off in the distance. Her eyes narrowed. It wasn't just the deer- someone or something else was there. She could sense them. A hunter, searching for their prey. She'd felt this malicious intent all the time in the city- mostly when she herself was being hunted.

Her eyes narrowed, and she pulled out her switchblade. "Who's there?" she called.

A young man stepped out from the behind several bushes, a couple hundred yards away. He held a bow drawn pack, and pointed it at her. "Who are you?" he asked. "Why did you chase away my prey?"

She glanced back at where the deer had been. Had she just scared away this man's dinner? "Will you go hungry because of me?" He didn't look like he lacked nutrition. Still, she knew what it was like to go hungry, and she would feel awful if he went hungry because of her.

"They aren't food," he spat. "They're enemies."

Midnight resisted the urge to laugh. "That's ridiculous. They're all terrified of you. What could they possibly have done to become your enemies?"

The hunter's eyes narrowed. "You're like the boy, aren't you?"

"What boy?"

"He betrayed the village and sided with the wild beasts." He grinned. "But Mowgli got what he had coming."

Did they kill him just for trying to defend the animals in the jungle? And I thought the city had problems.

"Look, I'm not here to cause problems. I'm searching for a boy... probably a foreigner here."

An arrow whizzed past her, slicing a thin line across her cheek. She wiped the blood away and looked up, her eyes narrowing.

The hunter held up his bow, already reloaded. "What do you want with him?"

If it's a fight you want, I'll give you one. She was about to attack when a low growl sounded behind him. He screamed as a panther jumped him from behind, pinning him to the ground. His second arrow went flying somewhere high into the air as he released his bow. The panther snarled in the man's ear, and he squirmed. She thought she even heard him whimpering.

Midnight stepped forward, eyeing the panther. Was it protecting her? Her hand tightened around her knife and she moved closer. It didn't react, so she knelt next to the hunter. "Where's the boy?"

He lifted his head a few inches and spat on the ground near her feet. Her eyes narrowed. His life was in danger, and he was still this determined to protect a foreign boy? He must think his chances of getting out alive were high.

Which means he has a trick up his sleeve. Why else would he risk his life? She looked down at his hands, and saw him reaching for a knife. He tried to stab the panther, but she grabbed his arm and stole the knife.

The panther moved off of him, and she pushed her knife up against his throat. "I'm only going to ask you once more. Where is the boy?"

Either it was the panther looming behind her, or the dark look in her eyes, but either way, the hunter completely lost his resolve. "He's in the village jail! Please, don't hurt me! Don't let Tendua kill me. I have kids!"

Tendua must be the panther. "I have a kid to. Her life is riding on you, so get up." Midnight stood, dragging the hunter up with her. "Lead me to the village. And if you try anything, I'll sick Tendua on you."

Despite her threat, she wasn't sure if she could get Tendua to attack the guy. He just stood behind her, growling every so often. It was weird, and honestly a little creepy. The panther followed them, almost like a protector, but his consistent growling made Midnight wonder if she should be trusting him. Still, he hadn't attacked her. Yet.

She couldn't figure out what he wanted from her, though. He was following them, so he must want something. In fact, it almost seemed like he was trying to say something, but whatever it was, she wasn't getting it. It's not like I can translate a bunch of growls and snarls.

The village was small, and situated right across a river. The easiest way in was to cross the bridge. But if she went in that way she'd get caught immediately. The hunter tried to make a break for it the second he was sure Tendua was gone, but Midnight knocked him out before he got more than a few feet. She left him under a bush and headed for the river. If she swam across in the right area, she could approach the village from behind and get a decent view of the whole thing.

When she made it across the river, she climbed a tree and examined the village from above. It was a simple layout- a large ring of houses, a meeting house in the middle, and a small guarded house near the edge of the village. That must be the jail. Probably not the best place to put it, considering how easy it would be to escape from the building if you had a sharp instrument. Still, it worked in her favor, so she couldn't complain. It's their loss, not mine.

Something whacked her in the head, and she cursed. A monkey hung from a branch above her. It ran off as soon as she looked up at it, but as it left, she thought she saw it wave. She rubbed her head and glared at the retreating monkey. Stupid animals.

Reaching down, she picked up the stone the monkey had dropped on her. It looked perfectly ordinary, but wisps of smoke were coming off of it, and it looked like flames were dancing inside of it. She raised a brow. Normal rocks didn't smoke. Might be worth keeping. She slipped it into her pocket and crept closer to the jail.

Two people guarded the only way in or out. Both looked completely serious about their job. I need a distraction, then. She remembered the time she'd been working with a gang member, Scorpion, on some job. He had told her to seduce the guards. Didn't work then, and it definitely won't now. It's a two person job, anyway. Her fingers curled around the stone.

Maybe she could get them to think she was coming from somewhere else and slip inside. All she needed to do was get through the door. If she got that far, she could cut through the bamboo bars in the window and escape into the forest with the boy. Just like old times. Distract, get in, and get out. She chucked the rock.

The fire that resulted engulfed a house in seconds, and caused chaos. She stared, amazed, as the fire engulfed a second, and then a third house. She'd thrown the stone pretty far, but the fire was already getting close to the jail. Crap!

The guards had already run off, shouting for water. She ran inside the jail and grabbed the arm of the only person inside. "Follow me, and stay as quiet as possible," she demanded.

He nodded, and they headed out. As they were leaving, she spotted the flaming rock and scooped it up, slipping it into her pocket.

Tendua reappeared after they crossed the river again, and loped off through the trees. He came back when she didn't follow, and ran off again. When he came back for the third time, he snarled, and pawed at the ground. For a moment, he didn't move. Midnight sighed. "I don't know what you want!" she hissed.

"Follow him," the boy suggested. Tendua nodded, and Midnight stared at the cat. Well... I don't have any other way of finding KITT.

Tendua ran off again, and this time they followed him. Thankfully, he did take them to KITT, and Midnight slid into the front seat, relieved to have completed her mission without much of a problem.

"Alright, KITT. Let's get out of here."