TRIGGER WARNING
I SAY A BAD WORD LIKE A GROWN UP PERSON

Emile Pacani had been through some serious poop. Ok that was the bad word, we're all good.

He'd well and truly figured his son was dead.

Who can blame him really?

But in the times he had allowed himself to dream, his reunion with his son had been happy.

Now it seemed Emile had found his son only to lose him again.

He stepped forward.

"My name is Emile pacani. I am here to help you."

He told the boys.

One of them (Virgil, based off the emo aesthetic) laughed with relief.

Please remember that they don't know remy has died.

So this was his fiancées son.

Emile wasn't heartless, and he did care about Virgil, and the others, but they were strangers.
His primary concern was patton.

Logan looked at Virgil
"Do you know this man?"
He asked the emo
"No. But he's Pattons father."

Logan looked relived.

Roman however was not reassured
"I know from personal experience that family doesn't equal loyalty. Why should we trust you?"

Emile's awnser was full of pain
"Because if you don't..."
He looked at his son...
"Patton dies. And so do you."

Logan picked patton up, nodding to the mans father
"Please, get us out of here."
Emile gave a sad smile and nodded.
They headed off into the maze of alleyways.

To Logan (and anybody else really) this was a labyrinth.
But Emile seemed to know exactly how to travel the city without being seen.

The man had a kind face, but his expression was so fierce it was frightening.
He was a man on a mission.

Logan couldn't help but notice however, that they were going in the opposite direction to his fathers base.

That was a question for later. Right that second the only thing that mattered was saving Patton—morality—.
He'd been trying to save him.
Morality might die and it was all his fault.
Sweet, kind, caring, wonderful morality was at risk because of him.
This was his fault.
He'd done this.
"It's all my fault"
He whispered to himself.
Sadly, Emile heard him.
"Huh?"
Logan forced himself to look at Pattons —MORALITY!!! YOU DONT DESERVE TO CALL HIM PATTON, NOT AFTER WHAT YOUVE DONE— form

"I did this. He got hurt trying to save me... it's my fault. If I had just been more aware of my surroundings... he'd be ok."

Emile had nothing to say.

He couldn't argue, he hadn't been there. He didn't know what happened, so he couldn't tell this boy he was in no position to argue with him on it. For all Emile knew, logan could have shot patton by mistake.

He didn't have time to ask about who or how, if they were going to save patton they couldn't delay.

Speaking of delay, carrying the unconscious boy was seriously starting to slow logan down.

Gently, Emile scooped patton out of Logans arms and into his own.

"What has happened happened. If we hurry, we can save him. There will be time for blame later."

Logan felt awful.

He was certain Emile blamed him for this.
He blamed himself.

But the older man was right, so he locked his feelings away and hurried along.

"Thanks."
Roman whipped his head around.
"I beg your pardon?"
Virgil sighed and repeated himself
"Thanks."

Roman was perplexed.
"Why are you thanking me? I thought you hated me?"

Now it was panic!at the everywhere's turn to be confused.

"I dont hate you... I think your an arrogant, self important and self absorbed git, but I dont hate you. if you hadn't helped me... I would be dead. So... thanks."

Roman half scoffed half yelled
Offended princy noises tm

Virgil speed up, not wanting to deal with the awkward aftermath of his apology, but mostly so they could get to the resistance faster and save Patton.

Roman considered the angsty boys words.

He wasn't arrogant, nor self centred...

Was he?

No... he always put others first...

He didn't even know mr dark and stormys name...

'"'If you hadn't been so self centred you would have realised what ISSPT was doing, instead of chasing glory'""

What the hell was that?

He'd heard a voice in his head, like an internal monologue, only they weren't his thoughts... that wasn't his voice...

It was...

It couldn't be...

He'd escaped from him hadn't he?

Roman couldn't be sure of anything anymore.

Perhaps ISSPT hadn't saved him at all...

Perhaps his brother was still tormenting him?

If that was the case, he had to leave...he was putting everyone in danger.

He couldn't tell them, they'd try to follow him, or stop him from leaving.

Emile stopped short in a ded end ally.
Virgil put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"You've had a hard day, its ok if you made a mistake, as long as you can fix it"
Emile laughed, it was forced, and startling.
"You sound like your father. So doubtful at times..."
Virgil smiled sadly.
"Do you know where he is?"
Emile nodded
"ISSPT has set up a fake resistance, to trap younger supers like you, Virgil. Remy was sent to infulatate it and steal some files that could save Thousands of innocents. As long as he keeps his cool, he'll be fine. He's a great man, your father.. best spy we have."
I am crying so much poor virgil and Emile like why!!!
Virgil smiled.

Then screamed.

Obnoxiously loudly.

WHERE HAD THEY COME FROM???

Emile adjusted his grip on patton and shook the strangers hand.

"Agent beanie, good to see you."
Beanie smiled.

They turned to logan Virgil and roman.

"Names Joan. My pronouns are They them, please respect that. I am here to get you out of the city and provide a humorous refrance to reality."
Seriously I HAD JUST FIXED THE FORTH WALL!!!!1!

"Right..."
Said Virgil, very confused.

"Mx tayln, why would you disclose this information so quickly...?"
Enquired Logan
Joan shrugged.
"I mean... Emile started the resistance with Remy, so I know you guys can be trusted. Emile wouldn't betray his son, fiancé and future son in law."

Now they were all confused.

Emile face palmed.

"Hadn't told them yet..."

Joan looked mortified.
"Opps"
They wispered.

Emile turned to a very confused Virgil
"Virgil —"
"Who now?"
Asked roman
Virgil hit him
"Me. Let him finish."
"Thank you. Virgil... your father and I are engaged."

Dang.
So his dad was engaged.
Virgil felt... strange.
He didn't feel like he'd heard his dad was marrying someone, he felt like he'd heard that a total stranger was marrying a classmate he'd never seen after graduation and he'd got a message about it on Facebook.
A kind of removed happiness.

The silence was getting hella awkward

"Congrats."
He eventually said.

"ANYWAY"
Joan yelled, returning to the present.
"We need to get you out of here... its this way, so if you'll please follow me"
He lead them into a shady looking apartment complex.
If this was an over the top crime thriller, this building would definitely have at least 8 murders happen in it before the season finale.

They were on the ground floor, and the building had no basement, so anyone else would have mistaken the down arrow for an error, and simply pressed up.

Joan ushered them all inside, and Emile closed the door.
Sure enough the buttons layed out on the wall read
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16.

No one pressed anything, but the lift began to move down.
"Joan pressed down... it has to be operated from the outside.
Oh. Makes sense.
Thought Virgil.
Roman nodded.
Logan looked at patton with concern.

Patton had been concious for the last two minutes.

He was still in mortal danger, and now he could feel everything.
Who was this stranger holding him?
What was with the orange beanie dude?
Where was he?
He didn't have the strength to say anything, nor keep his eyes open, or even move.
Perhaps he wasn't concious...
He was free falling in the grey space between living and dead, awake and asleep.
As he drifted back into unconsciousness he had a terrifying thought:
How unlikely it was he'd wake up... ever.

Roman had an apifany: it was his fault ISSPT found them. How else could they have done it?

The lift opened to reveal a rabbit warren of tunnels.

They ran down them, full sprint.
No one said it, but everyone knew: patton didn't have much longer.

They took a left, then a right, then a right, then straight ahead, then a left.

Roman let himself drop behind ever so slightly. None of them noticed when his footsteps got slightly quieter.

As long as he was with them, he was putting them in even more danger...
He had to
CHOOSE
Follow them anyway

Go the other way, allowing them to be safer.

Hey.
Yeah.
Sorry this took so long.
I had it written out, but it got deleted.
It was better the first time, but there's something really unmotivating about re writing a chapter and knowing it isn't as good, lol.