"Gano!! Gano! Gano!!" Tess called the green haired man's name has he was lost in a daze "So many  people..." he whispered aloud to himself "Dude" Brook waved his hand in front of his face to get his attention "Are you okay?" Doulgas taking off his glasses, placed them firmly on Gano's face and observed as his expression remain unchanged "That settles it...someway, somehow, we caused the inter-dimensional traveler to break. A new dysfunctional low has been reached." Suddenly Gano's eyes sprung wide open as he rushed in line to get an ice cream cone as Tess could only look on in disgust pinching her nose "Tell me how our cover doesn't get blown?" she groaned "I'm going to class." 

 Brook threw up his shoulders in defeat "Guess that means I have to babysit."  "Hey Gano! Give me those back!" Douglas snatched his bifocals off the green-haired man's visage  "Those were on my face ?" he scratched his head in confusion "Don't get in trouble or wander from here without letting us know man. I could only imagine the trouble we'd be in if you got discovered.....Are you even listening to me?" 

Gano had stopped listening and began to order several scoops of ice cream he clearly couldn't afford from Mickey Robinson's "...I'm this guy's guest so put it on his account" Gano gestured to Douglas before walking off "Hey!!" Douglas held up his hand in vain "I got it covered." he sighed as the girl at the register looked back and forth "I know. I know. I know." Douglas cut her off before she could say a thing "He's....in a band." "Jeez. Dude's like a child."  Brook muttered under his breath, before heading in the direction Gano wandered off to "Yo!! Slow down!" he leaned in for a peck as Tess leaned in as well "Things I do for you and your friends right?" Tess rolled her eyes and shot Douglas a glare as they criss-crossed paths on the way to class.

"Now today we'll be reading some of the earlier works by Marquis De' Sade" the english professor announced as Tess took her seat next to her best friend at the front of the class "What'd I do now?" she mouthed in response to the side-eye she received "Been blowing up your phone" her friend mouth back moving her thumbs in a texting motion "Tess, Aressa, anything you'd like to share with the class...." the professor cleared his throat "...you won't be warned again." 

his eyes narrowed as Tess' chocolate brown cheeks covered up the red flushing her face "I'm sorry" she muttered suddenly finding her desk very interesting to look 'This is all stupid Gano's fault" she leaned her head against her hand as she tried her best to hone her focus, but despite her best efforts her mind drifted off to the previous weekend's events 'Where the hell were we?' the image flashed to the meridian that looked like a beach 'Gano and I? Alone? But..it wasn't like that....' Tess' train of thought was interrupted from  the sharp right elbow of her best friend giving her a nudge "Here!" she announced out the blue thinking they were taking attendance "That's good to know, but we know you're Tess,  that has little to do on what your thought are on the material." the professor remarked "Oh yeah..." Tess stammered as she wracked her brain for he information, but nothing was coming to 'Damn you Gano!'

"Yo!" Brook had finally caught up to Gano and grabbed him by the shoulder "I'm skipping practice for of this!! The least you could do is not move around like you tryna get caught!" Gano held up a finger to silence him as he continued to mow down his ice cream "Really fam?" Brook was dumbfounded "You got my girl and Douglas wrapped in everything; are our lives a big joke to you?" he continued to lecture as Gano stroll took them to the outside of them campus "Question answered." Brook muttered under his breath "What the hell's wrong with you now!?" 

Brook had nearly bumped into Gano, who had froze in his tracks and looked straight up into the sky  "What are you looking at?" Brook titled his head upward and his eyes nearly jumped out their socket from shock "Okay. I see why you stopped." In the sky a  flock of birds were passing the campus by, but not just any flock "Yo Brook" Gano quickly shoved the rest of the cone into his mouth "In your world do hawks and eagles get along?" Brook shook himself out of shock and grabbed the other man by the shirt "Obviously not! Please tell me you know what the hell's going on!?" Gano frowned in response as Brook rocked him back and forth as he spoke 

"Suspicious things like that aren't supposed to occur in this world. Someone's definitely behind this, and if they're causing trouble here more than likely I'm the the target. " Brook's shoulder's visibly relaxed even though he was still on the edge "You do care huh?" Gano shot Brook a perplexed look "C'mon, we gotta hurry" Brook tugged on the sleeve of Gano's green jacket  "I know where their classes are at. We'll peak in and if it's nothing, we can all catch up later." 

It was a lot weighing on Douglas' mind as he sat in the back of the class "So everyone open up your book and observe the text on page three..." the instructor's voice echoed throughout the room, but Douglas wasn't really paying attention  'I wished for things to change, and I definitely wanted something to happen...but not like this.' Gano's earlier replayed in his mind and it was about to  drive him insane 'Mom, Dad, Aunt Rain' the respective images of his loved ones flashed in his mind's eye  'Well, at least I'm not going through it alone..that guy is pretty amazing' 

Douglas thought on all the times he'd witness Gano stop bullets with what could only be his , but he also thought back to seeing him toss and turn last night ' Then again, seems he's got problems of his own.' Douglas squirmed in his seat as he felt an uncomfortable sensation he knew too well  'Oh man. I knew I drank way too much Himilaya Sun! Good thing I sit in the back.' Getting up from his seat, he slipped outside and power walked down the hall to the bathroom 'Strange...usually the place's not this empty.' Standing infront of the urinal, he unzipped his pants, before he jumped-nearly leaking on his leg-upon hearing someone clear their throat "Not you!" Douglas face palmed "Again!?"

  Mayuri Hosoka in the flesh herself stood there right next to the door one leg crossed over the other with her arms folded "Watch where you fling that stuff around glasses; to make such a faux pa in front of lady is so unbecoming."  Flushed from embarrassment, Douglas nearly doubled over in shame,  taking note of the  droplets on the floor, but quickly shifted  his focus on the matter at hand "That's right.." he gasped in realization "I don't have anything to be scared of, you're powers don't work on me!!"  he pointed in triumph, Mayuri could only facepalm in response.  

"Letting anyone in college these days..." she started as she dug into the designer purse she was carrying and pulled out a gun "On one hand, you're absolutely correct, my power won't work on you, on the other hand being able to nullify my ability does you no good without the green-haired idiot around. I can just shoot you. Life's not a comic book kid." gun pointed square at his chest, finger on the trigger, Douglas' body started to tremble, and his legs turned into jelly, he squeezed his eyes shut knowing it was nothing he could but wait for the end 'Gano...please help..' "Open your eyes. The time will come when I may have  to kill you, but that time isn't here and now." Too petrified to speak, Douglas could offer no resistance when she pulled and pushed him towards the sink to wash her hands "Hurry up." her face twisted in disgust she couldn't believe what she was about to say next "I...I need your help."

"Psssst. Tess, check it out." Class had ended, and Tess' best friend Anessa was trying to show her something on her phone "Girl, this better not be another video of someone dancing dog dancing with a gold chain." Tess rolled her eyes taking her phone "Girl, just look" Anessa doing the same "Not like you was paying any attention in class" she held up the screen as the video played "Really? We're going there?" Tess grabbed the phone and brought it closer to her face and her brow furrowed in concern  "What the hell..is this?" Tess looked on in disbelief, in the video a flock of many different birds could be seen flying over their campus. "Ah!" An image quickly flashed in her mind, and Tess hunched over, grabbing her head in pain"Tess! You Okay?" Anessa placed her hand on her friend's back and bent down eye level to check on her.  A feeling of foreboding came over Tess, and the lightbulb in her mind flickered as her intuition kicked in  " Douglas!" She shot up "I gotta find Douglas!" "Tess. Slow down." Anessa steadied her by the shoulder  "You won't be good to no one, if you don't settle down. After those headaches, you know you need a minute or two to settle down." 

"Don't have time." Tess  shook her head, clearly in no mood to deliberate the  matter, looking back and forth between Tess and her phone, Anessa decided to let things go "Ok." Anessa relented, Tess gave her a curious look 'That seemed too easy.'  Hoping to catch Douglas coming out of class to put her mind at easy, Tess was disappointed after they waited several minutes to no avail "That's strange." 

Anessa observed as students started to exit into the hall "He's normally the first one out..." While Tess couldn't recall the image, she could remember the feeling from moments ago when she blanked, and for reasons she couldn't quite put her finger, a chill went down her spine "Yo!" Tess spun around as Gano and Brook sprinted towards them 'Don't tell me..' she thought to herself as a pit in her stomach formed "Brook, green-hair what's up?" she greeted, but it was plain as day on their faces they didn't come to deliver good news."Tess, have you seen Douglas, I think another Psys' onto us and he might be a target. He hasn't answered any of our messages." Tess' mouth failed to form words, all should do was cover her mouth with her hands in response "Damn" Gano cursed their luck "We gotta find him...now."

"Memories fade from days long passed away, Wonder why I even kept this old flip-phone." Mayuri muttered to herself as they  zigged zagged through traffic "I can't believe you actually came to me asking for help. It's like a lion begging a favor off a zebra." Douglas pondered aloud in the passenger seat. 

 Mayuri's dark brown hair blowing in the end, Douglas figured they were getting closer as she let the top up on the red sports car they had 'borrowed.'  "Tess and Gano are gonna be worried sick; are you sure it was a good idea to go without them?" Mayuri cast a quick glance aside, before changing lanes, and closing the phone "I thought wearing glasses was a sign of intelligence. You know whey wouldn't have come willingly. Did you?" her voice took on a tone of disappointment, and Douglas could feel a faint  sadness emanating from the woman sitting next to him, it seemed since his strange power from that night had awakened that he could feel a person's mental energy at times, and though he couldn't quite place it, something told him that at the moment she needed help and hand no intention of doing any harm.

"Mayuri, even if it's this one time and one time only" he touched her shoulder in reassurance, and received a glare in return "We got your back." he finished  offering a shy smile of sorts. Mayuri's  mind played tricks on her, and for a split second she could swear she was staring into the warm gaze of somebody else. "Woo hoo." She tried to add as much sarcasm as she could, doing everything in her power to push down the mix of emotions swirling in her chest "Imma tell you this one time four eyes" She took her hands off the steering wheel and pulled out a cigarette, giving it a quick light  "The penalty for touching me...is death." she gave Douglas' hand a smack 

"Ow!" Douglas winched "Point taken." A silence settled over them the next minute or two before Yuri spoke up "So you really trust him huh?" Douglas looked perplex "Gano I mean." she clarified. "Of course." Douglas answered without much hesitation "Probably a thousand reasons I should not but.." Douglas placed a hand over his heart, closing his eyes "I guess I just do." "Must be nice." Mayuri let out a puff of smoke forming the letter 'o' "I guess....do you have anyone you can trust like that?" Mayuri went silent, and taking her non-answer as an answer, Douglas decided to let it go.

Pulling up to the apartment complex and parking, Douglas followed her lead as the two headed up the steps, fiddling with her hair, Mayuri pulled out a lock pin and immediately got to work "Really?" Douglas folded his arms, shooting her a look "A hair pin?"  "Expecting something a bit more like the movies." she replied with something between a cackled and a laugh, and moments later the two were in. 

Closing the door behind them, Mayuri began to sweep the apartment for clues and hints that would give her some insight into what her childhood friend had planned "Space Avengers...you guys watch that two" Douglas remarked, Mayuri pinched her nose in frustration in an exercise of patience "Dougie dear...please" her voice so sickeningly sweet, he nearly doubled over in disgust "Alright. Alright. I'm focused. Just don't do....that." It's possible he was hearing things but he could've swore he heard her snicker.

"Crap. Crap. Random bullshit I happened upon last night." Mayuri  searched and shifted through Derrick's things without much luck "Ah! Here we go!!"  her eyes twinkled in excitement from finally stumbling upon his lap top "What..the hell is that?" Douglas and her shared a look as they both heard a loud thud and something large thrashing against the bedroom door, fear suddenly seized and gripped both their hearts as the apartment echoed with a loud roar "Oh shi-" before the words could fully escape Douglas' mouth, the door was knocked down revealing Zeke, letting out a deafening "OOOORRRRRRRRR" Douglas couldn't tell if his heart stop or ears popped as the great beast beelined towards him. 

"Hold on there!"  pulling out her gun Mayuri fired a shot, hitting right on the mark "AARRRRR" Zeke yelped, raising up on his hind legs, and through his head back "Douglas catch!!" Mayuri threw the lap top his way, and to his surprise, his reflexes must've kicked in cause he caught it  

"This guy's nothing more than an overgrown alley cat !!" she taunted, making sure to lock eyes with him, she closed her eyes and silently prayed, from Zeke's point of view the image of the human in front of had been replaced, now staring him face to face was the image of a lion even bigger than him "Doulas" Mayuri made sure to keep her face low, and make minimal movement as she spoke "When he leaps forward....take the laptop and go." Douglas eyes were stinging and his chest felt tight "I...I can't..." he was sweating bullets and his throat felt tight "Douglas please" Mayuri pleaded with him "I'm counting on you." Her mode of intimidation had bought her time, but it was only a matter before Zeke's instincts kicked in, and they had chosen fight.

"RAARR!!" Zeke pounced, and with cat-like reflex and quickness of her own, Mayuri slide under the blur of yellow-gold fur,  Giving Douglas a nod of reassurance, making sure not to catch the apex predator's attention,  he slowly backpedaled towards the door. "Oh shit!" Douglas stumble, barely catching himself, but it only took a little bit of noise for Mayuri's influence over an animal's mind to waver, and soon the king of jungle's senses were back in his control "Mayuri! 

I'm so sorry." Douglas apologized "Will you just shut up and get the hell out of here!" Mayuri aimed a shot not at, but right above Zeke's head, in hopes to scare and not provoke "Stop all that sneaking around and run you dumbass!" she instructed and 180ing quick as he could, Douglas made a mad dash and sprint for the door 'Great, I doubt he's gonna fall for the same trick twice; I'm going to have to find another way to get out of this one.' Not even giving the two a chance to lock eyes again, Zeke's jaw fully opened, thrusting forward with its hind legs, Mayuri closed her eyes resigned to defeat-she had run out of options. 'I guess this is it.' They say when you're knocking on death's door, it reveals what's your heart embraces and holds closest, and right now the only thing held in the gaze of her mind's eye was- "Mewwwwwwwww" the lion let out a yelp caught between a moan and a whine "The hell" the lion was flailing, struggling, tossing, and turning against some invisible force that had it suspended mid-air "Looks like I've arrived right on time." a familiar sight greeted her standing in the door way 

"Everyone's says I look like I'm dressed for the circus, but no one ever gives me credit for being talented enough to be in one.I'd make on hell of a lion tamer." Gano smirked, giving a flip of the hair "People say you look like you're dressed for the circus cause you belong there." Mayuri quickly leapt to her feet, and walked over his way "What took you so long?" Gano shook his head in disbelief "Is that how you ask for help? You're lucky we made it in time at all. This little plan of yours' half-baked." 

"We shouldn't be helping her at all!!" Tess peaked over his shoulder huffing in annoyance "Have you forgotten what she's done!?" "Anessa already let me know what's up Tess. Babe, you gotta try to calm down." Brook pulled his girlfriend to him, and further from the scene "You know she's going to wonder why we ditched and left her behind." he teased "I'll come up with something." Tess responded looking away "This  high school lover's quarrel is sooooooooo entertaining, but we have more pressing matters at hand." Tess' vein in her temple made an appearance, and her blood began to boil "You !! I cant believe you-" Brook tugged on Tess' shoulder "Let's go back to the car. 

You got this handled......right Gano?" "Right." Gano gave him a thumbs up for reassurance, holding his other hand out forward to keep Zeke in place "So what exactly are you going to do with him?" Mayuri was curious and somewhat impressed "That's only for me to know, and you to find out, animal control is already on the way courtesy of Douglas...I think." he gave her a sheepish grin that nearly flushed her face "Mayuri" he caught her attention, before she headed down the stairs, her back remained turned "Douglas said you protected him in there, I don't appreciate you manipulating the situation, but I kinda feel you're not the bad person we've seen." Giving no indication she took his words to heart, she walked off "Never too late to prove you wrong." 

 Gano stepped forward and closed the door behind them, making sure there were no witnesses as he relinquished control of Zeke, allowing the big cat to land on its paws. Sprinting forward Zeke lunged at Gano, hoping to land a fatal blow with one of his claws, channeling his focus, Gano slowed the large feline's  movement down enough to step back and dodge "My turn." Lunging forward ,  a tap of his index and middle finger to the lion's forehead. Zeke's eyes fluttered, his body relaxed, and instead of a roar, the great beast let out a yawn, before tipping over on its side and falling into a world full of dreams "And that's-" Gano dusted off his hand "-how you skin a cat. Now it's time to head back to the others. Wait.." his eyes took notice of something before he walked out "What the hell is that?" 

"What the hell is that!? You think that's some kind of excuse!" Tess shrieked in the parking lot "Could you keep it down that way little girl. The adults in the room have things we need to discuss." Mayuri was picking her finger with one of her ears "Discuss!? I'm disgusted at the sight of you!" Tess continued to fume "I swear if you don't stay away from me and my friends-" 

"What?" Mayuri cut her off "What exactly are you going to do?" her eyes narrowed "Tess...please.." A worn and weathered look adorned Douglas' face, so for the mean time Tess relented "Fine." She blinked her eyes in rapid succession "Explain yourself."Seeing she was being the mature one Mayuri decided to let things as well "There's someone I need to track down, if I don't, the whole city's at risk, and due to the nature of his power I need Douglas' and your green- haired friend's help." 

"Hope he's not as messed up as that last freak you introduced us to; what happened to that guy anyway?" Brook rubbing his nose with his finger "Babe. Stop." Tess smacked his hand "What did happen to him anyway. Is he still loose?" "I exterminated him. He had no further use, and he refused to no longer present a danger to others as well as himself." Douglas could fell the vomit rise in his throat, covering his hand over his mouth, it took every fiber in his being for him to keep it down "So you are a killer." Tess' pupils shrunk and her hands balled into fists "How do you live with yourself?" she attempted to stare straight through the older woman standing in front of her "I don't." she could've sworn that was what Mayuri was about to mouth before they heard screams in a distance. 

Crows, doves, eagles, falcons, pigeons would hardly ever cross flight paths in nature, much less be caught flying together, however that's not what had the people running in a frenzy all panicked and scared-it's what they were holding in the clutches of their talons "The bird!" a man pointed out who was walking to the store with a friend "That bird has a grenade "Fuck you talkin' bout Joe." his friend nearly spat out his popcorn at the sight that greeted "THE MOTHERFUCKIN' BIRD'S HOLDING A DAMN GRENADE!!"

 Unfortunately, for the panicked citizens the street over from the apartment it wasn't just one bird with a grenade, fortunately the birds flew overhead and had another target in mind. It was about twenty to thirty of them in total ready to drop off a special deliver, hive mind in works, they flew uniform in unison with one goal. In harmony they all let out their respective cries as they swooped down in criss-cross patterns and let the special packages they were sent to deliver go. 

"Ohgodnoohgodnogohgodno" Doulgas chest heaved heavily up and down on the verge of his second nervous breakdown in the last hour "Miscalculation on my part" Mayuri looked down on the ground in disbelief "I can't believe he'd drop those off while I'm here. Has he...really changed." "Sup' party people. Why the sad faces?" Douglas grabbed Gano shoulders and started shaking him back and forth violently "Dougie, chill my man." Douglas felt a shock go through his hands and stepped away from him "This.." Gano pointed to the grenades about to make grave of them "...is nothing I can't handle." holding both his arms outstretched towards the sky Gano began swaying his arms each and every which way like he was conducting an orchestra "Let's get this a little bit higher in the atmosphere" Suddenly the detonating explosives that seemed not to far away from them, reversed course, like a child's ballon that had been turned loose, the rose higher an higher into the air until they become little more than little dots "Can't let them go off too close to each other..so.." the dots between the dots grew as far as Gano could spread them out 

"Close your eyes everyone. Don't really want you seeing this final trick" Tess, Brook, and Douglas stared in awe at what was going on in front of them, not wanting to miss it, but knowing they were indebted they honored his request "Mayuri" Gano scolded "You too." Mayuri made a sour expression but acquiesced "Thanks." Gano smiled "Doing a good thing for once." Green electricity formed at his finger tips, and a jolt of electric energy was sent towards the sky, if one weren't familiar enough, you could mistake what was going on in the sky for fireworks "Nope" Gano shook his head, closing his eyes, veins showed on his temples, using himself as a beacon he gathered all the shrapnel towards him, "Alright.. almost done...you can open your eyes." His body was starting to break out and sweat, the shrapnel was soon gathered and placed in a pile on the other side of the lot "Shit" Gano's knee hit the ground "Damn near collapsed." 

The birds, having completed their task, formed into another migration pattern and left 'I guess that's that.' Mayuri observed, before giving Gano a glance 'In a fair fight, what the hell are supposed to do going up against that? I see what Akurasa was talking about now.'  "Hey buddy. You okay?" Brook put his hand on the back of his friend "Yeah" Gano's breathing was labored, but he was starting to relax "Thank you! Thank you so much!!" Douglas tackled him to the ground, wrapping him in a hug "I thought I was GONE!" Mayuri could do nothing but shake her head at the pathetic blubbering mess "Men" she scoffed "I think it's cute."

 Tess blinked away the tears threatening to escape "Got lucky that's all, but if there's one that's certain, we can't stay here now." "She's right. Douglas bro, I appreciated the love and all, but we can reconvene later, right now we gotta dip." Douglas got up in a hurry, his face a slight tinge of red "Yes, well....that's correct" he dusted himself off, before giving Gano his hand to help him up "I have a feeling that was just the beginning" Mayuri commented "No telling what he has planned next." "We've got that covered" Tess spoke up "If there are any clues in that lap top Douglas'll find them out." "Well what the hell are waiting for?" Brook pulled out his keys "Let's go"

"Dee! Dee! Dee!!" Jay was snapping his finger in hope of snapping his partner in crime out of the daze he was in "You been staring out the window for the last half-hour man..." Derrick rubbed the matter out his eyes, now awake  "Looks like they bit on the bait, but it's like you said before, nothing's going to go as planned as long as he's in the way." Derrick could offer no more than a sigh in response "I have contingencies set up for him, don't worry, let's just focus on the matter at hand." Jay gave him a quizzical stare before deciding it's best to keep his eyes on the road "Why focus on what you can make suffer, when you can focus on what you can save. 

I remember that old saying of yours." he waved his friend off "Hey D, you sure we're not in over our head." Derrick snickered at his partner in crime "With this new power I have? Are we ever?? Now I'm King of the Beasts. As far as I'm concerned, I can only everything that means something to me in this world in the palm of my hand. " Jay furrowed his brows, but ultimately decided there's nothing he could say  "Jay? Something wrong??" Jay flashed him a toothy grin in response "Ain't shit man. Don't worry about it. Quick light 'fore we turn up?" Jay reached into his  compartment and pulled out a rolled up substance "Nothing like a lil' Sweet Mary." Derrick grinned "Why not?" Reaching into his jacket Jay pulled out a lighter and sparked it. 

"Grrrrrrrrr" a guttural growl rose in the back of the Blue Nose's throat as it circled around "Arf!! Arf!! Arf!" the Terrier returned the favor as the dogs leapt forward baring fangs "Hrrrrrrrrr" the Blue Nose got on it's hindquarters, leaning it's head to the side before thrusting its open jaws forth with reckless abandon, but the Terrier countered, seizing the opportunity to chomp down on the other dog's neck.

 Blood dyed the Blue Nose's  gray coat as he cried out in pain and started to whine; thrashing about back and forth, he found himself unable to escape the snares of his opponent's jaws. Ensnared in a steel cage, bodies pumped full of adrenaline and drugs, man pit beast against beast in a fight to the death-this was "The Basement."  "Hot damn" two figures walked in dressed in black garb and hoodie, everything but their eyes obscured.

  "I guess what Freddie told us was true, this place ain't no joke." Jay's voice was so faint it was barely a hint of a whisper "Nah, It's a joke Jay, just a sick twisted one" Derrick grit his teeth in disgust while they wandered about, looking around, they had snuck in under the guise of scouting a canine for themselves, but in truth they were really there to make sure the whole operation went up in flames "Hey there fellas..." one of the participants hiccuped, he was surly, tall, and well built, and it was quite clear he had to be as he held up a large cage "Ya Dig?" "Nah. We already got one picked out homie. We good." Derrick looked into the Rottweiler's eyes, the combination of the muzzle and over relaxed posture  let him know the dog had been forcibly drowsed "Yo, he's got one hell of a record."

 Derrick nearly bit the inside of his mouth keeping his thoughts to himself , but he knew as disgusted as he was it was important to make eye contact with every one he can "I guess I could take a look." One look is all it takes for is mind to traverse to another place,  whenever this occurred it was a surreal experience of sorts. It was as if he could feel strands of the animal's conscious and all he had to do was latch on with his  "So" the piece of shit grinned "Ready to do a deal?" "Hm. Let me look around first. I think I might double back your way. 

" Derrick answered "Tch" the man spit at the ground, before making a sharp turn showing his back "Last chance buddy. We'll be on our way." Derrick's blood boiled, his temple vein throbbed, and his jaw clenched, it was only the firm grip on his shoulder from a long time friend that allowed him to regain his composure and look pas the moment "Yeah. I know." 

Continuing to walk around and survey the area, the fight  from earlier was still ongoing and  caught their eye. Both the dogs' breathing  had become labored and their legs wobbled. "C'mon C!" someone from the crowd yelled as he raised his fist full of money "Tear his ass apart Rondo!! Last Mutt Standing Wins!! Ya' junkyard trash!" Scratch, bruises, claw marks, and dried out blood covered them both.  

It took everything in Derrick's power to keep from keeling over in disgust.  "First time" one of the patrons teased "Yeah" Jay quickly answered, thanking the heavens they were wearing masks. The dogs gnarled at each other, gaping and snapping at each other's neck,  A sharp pain shot through Derrick's head like lightning splitting a tree, world spinning and  vision blurring, everything faded to black in front of him, until the two wounded animals his heart went out to were all he could see.

 Pulling and tugging his heart strings, it's like something had taken root in the very essence of his soul that allowed his to be tethered to theirs  "I can hear..." he reached out his hand to no avail, as they drew further and further away "....I can hear them crying. You can stop...fighting." his voice grew faint and his body grew weak "D!" he heard Jay shout before everything turned to white "D!"

A symphony of boos crescendoed upon the animals as they came to stand still. Limping  towards each other, the crowd leaned forward in anticipation only to be disappointed once again.  With a whine and a whimper  the two leaned on each other, and proceeded to  nuzzle and lick one another's wounds. 

"Billy!! Tyrone! What the hell's wrong with those damn dogs!" the ring leader caught the attention of the owners "People paying money for this shit. You trying to get me killed!?" Lost in all the commotion, Jay had already taken it upon himself to carry Derrick out  into the hall. 

"Dee!" Jay shook his friend, doing his best to get a grip "Dee! Don't do this to me right now fam" his eyes started to water,  unbeknownst to him, in the  confines of his friend's mind something had already started to take shape. "What the.." Derrick felt groggy as he found himself in a void, he could neither taste, nor smell, nor see, the only two senses left available to him were sight and presence of something else he couldn't describe "Where...Am I?" It seemed he could do nothing but float, "What's that?" Something started to form and take shape "It's....me??"

 Confused and still in a daze, staring right back at him in the void face to face was the spitting image of him as a child "This" he scratched as his younger self mimicked him "This one takes the cake. What kind of freaky twisted mental ass shit is this?" Out of nowhere the specter of his younger self pointed at him "You...fail." Derrick blinked back tears, the words hitting him like a brick "I...I know what you mean..but..it wasn't our..your..it wasn't my fault!" The eyes of the younger him soon went blank until all that was left was scleara white "Mom was on drugs!! Dad had left a long time ago!! But the we always had the neighborhood, and the junkyard, and her! We met others lonely and discarded like us!! I said I was going to change the world, but then I grew, but I never gave up on saving-" "-God's precious creatures." 

They spoke in unison "That's..right." Time passed. Could've been minutes, could've been hours, could've been days "So, what happens next?" the child version of him held out his hand outstretched, in it was a bright light that glowed "Giving me...this?" The reflection of his past self only looked at him "Okay." Taking a leap of faith Derrick reached out and soon all was revealed to him through time space. Images flickered back, forth, and all around: he could hear the roar of the mighty T-Rex, feel the icy chill of the Woolly Mammoth, and like nails on chalkboard he came to know the sensation of blood, bone, and sinew being made and unmade anew "So this is Evolution."

 In that instant he could feel out and sense the very essence and cognition of every member known to the kingdom of animals on planet earth "I get it now." his past self appeared in front of him once again "I'll try not to put them in harm's way, but I can't make any promise." The younger version of himself launched himself into his arms and the two embraced "Everything's going to be okay." Bathed in an ethereal light....

"Derrick! Derrick!! You awake?" Jay was holding his head in panic, barely making out words, he started pacing back and forth uttering gibberish to himself  "Is this what you'd be like without me? Imagine if I really had one foot in the grave." 

 "Thank god." Jay let out a sigh of relief  "Dammit man, don't scare me like that again D, I almost called the hospital." Slouched against the wall, Derrick reached out his hand so his friend could help him to his feet "And mess up the plan?" he made sure to squeeze Jay's hand tight to let him know he regained his strength "You gotta get it together man. "he teased  "Look who's talking Mr. 'King of the Beasts' " he quipped  in return "Was I out for awhile?" Derrick inquired, not sure what had gone one while he was unconscious  "Just a few minutes you pansy." Jay answered with a chuckle  "Good, that mean's it's not too late."

 Derrick placed his finger under his nose "Oh shit." Jay's eyes widened in realization "Haven't seen that in a while. That must mean-" "No need for long winded exposition my friend....just watch what happens next." 

"I told you!" one of the participants in the dog fighting ring pushed the person he was betting with in the chest "Shit's a fucking scam! Look at em'l! The worthless mutts fell asleep" "Hey!" the owner of  the rottweiler bent down to give his pup a shake "Bruno!! Bruno! C'mon boy. Wake up!!" "Woah!" "The fuck!" "He fell asleep!" A sudden spell of drowsiness came over all the animals in the building, even the rats in the corner experienced the sudden bout of narcolepsy, scurrying about seconds before falling on their side "Hell's going on" the head of the ring turned his about like an owl perplexed "Fuck is this. 

Were they all drugged?" Sirens blaring in the background, the whole place was sent into a panic "Shit!" "Damn!!" "Fuck!!"  "WHO THE HELL CALLED THE FUCKIN' COPS!?" several curses were heard from the crowd, but caught between a rock and a hard place there wasn't much the occupants could do, and in all likelihood, by the time they figured out it'd be too late. Understanding what had to be done as a group, the men took a longing look at the canines they had bred, groomed, and come to care for, knowing there was no way out and this was their just desserts, they had their hands held up in surrender before the SWAT Team burst through the door. 

"How'd you? How'd you pull that off?!" Jay's head was on a swivel, their contact had snuck out the building, and alerted his squad to raid "Let's just say my power's seemed to..develop." Derrick answered with a wink "Damn" Jay pursed his lips together impressed "So what you're saying is you don't even need eye contact now?" Derrick shrugged shoulders "I guess not. The crazy thing is I can feel 'the tingle'." Jay tilted his head in confusion "You know that sensation I feel when I'm about to make contact with the mind of an animal? It's...different somehow...even though I haven't made eye contact with any, I still feel like I can bend them to my will...all over the city." 

Jay rubbed his face, hit with the sudden implication "You know I've been your confidant and everything since you've had these powers of yours, but from what you've told me...this isn't how it works.

 I'm a bit worried." Taking note of the concern on his friend's expression Derrick pulled the car to a stop on the side of the road "You tripping Jay, what's the worst that could happen?" Jay rubbed the back of his head unsure of how to answer "Jeez, I swear you think too much. Trust me, if everything goes according to plan, nothing'll stop us." 'If you say so' Jay thought to himself "So where to next? The Cafe'??" Derrick nearly let out a snort "You and your coffee. Sure man, whatever, we can catch up on everything, with this new ability of man I can juggle several things at once" Jay gave him a look of disapproval "Jumping the gun a bit aren't? It's not going to take a genius to notice a pattern in the targets, suspicion is one thing, but once they find pro-" 

"Proof? What proof? I have a special connection, a bond with the animals I control, they're not just puppets on string to me Jaylen." "Bro I'm just sayin'-" "You've said enough" Derrick held up his hand to silence him "I'm moving things along schedule, I'm trying to be outta here in two days, I don't have time to waste." "Okay." 

"Do we really have time to waste?"  Douglas' fingers tapped the keys on his laptop rapidly "I don't know" Brooks shot him a look "But did you really have to ride shotty? Not a big fan having you in the front seat; Tess why the hell are you sitting back there anyway?" Gano raised his hand in delight "Ooooo! Ooooo! I can answer that question! It's causeshedoesn't like her!!" he pointed at Mayuri "Taking advantage of my power not working I see" Mayuri responded in a dry tone, not acknowledging the woman on the other side of the back seat "You'll pay for this you know, glasses up there won't always be around."

 Tess took offense to that statement "As long as we're around, I think he has to worry little about threats coming from you." "We don't have time for this you know. Mayuri let's go over the data we found in the lap top again." Douglas instructed  "Heyyyyyyy!!" Brook blew the horn, somebody had tried to brake check him "Watch where you're going!!" he flipped them off "Brook!" Tess yelled at him "Sorry babe."  "Eh. We weren't in any really danger." Gano folded his arms with a hint of smug satisfaction "Anyways" Douglas got the conversation back on track "According to you, Derrick's power allows him to control animals, is that correct?" 

"Right" Mayuri affirmed "I see he's targeted several exotic animal collectors and his next target is the owner of several circuses, but that doesn't really tell us anything, what''s his ultimate goal here." "Eden." Mayuri answered "He wants to created his own version of Eden: a place for endangered species and mistreated animals to seek harmony and freedom-that's how he described it." "Hmm. That's..ambitious. Truth be told, that's probably not a bad goal."

 Mayuri scoffed "In a vacuum I suppose, but you have to remember-he has powers beyond the realm of control, a bleeding heart that prioritizes animals over people is hard to keep quiet."  "You want to keep all of this a secret right? And he's ruining that?" Tess put two and two together "How smart of you." Mayuri mocked "So that's the only solution then? Get rid of him??" Mayuri bit her tongue to keep from responding "You know nothing." is all she had to say.

 "I broke the encryption on his secret file, it was a bit too easy for my liking, but right now that's all we've got to go on." Douglas announced  "What'd you find Dougie" Mayuri teased "Inquiring minds want to know." Douglas sighed and decided to let it go "Heard of a Johnson J'smith?  Out of all potential targets, he's the whose been tracked and researched the most recent on the list." Mayuri left eyebrow raised impressed by his deduction "Mr. J'smith has a bank appointment at 4:30 in downtown square, if there was a time for him to pull something, it might be there?"

 Mayuri nodded in agreement "Your instincts aren't bad, and even if nothing happens, we can keep survey the situation and gather some clues." "Rooby Doo!" Brook yelled out in awkward fashion "My bad. Seemed like the right moment." he turned red and focused his eyes back on the road "You don't think this may be a trap?" Gano suggested "Everything from this point forward is going to be a trap due to the nature of his power-" Mayuri mouth formed a thin line "-whatever comes our way-we have to be ready." Tess gave her a curious glance "We?" Mayuri leaned over to shot her a glare "We...for now." Tess turned to look out the window "Fine then." 

Mr. J'Smith's limousine pulled up to the curb in front of  Burbia Bank downtown"Dalton, Kevin, it's just a quick transaction, I'll be out in a minute. "Sir-" "Please" he held up his hand in protest "I'll be fine." he cut them off, on the other side of the street, a manhole cover was being removed, out popped two raccoons; one held a small timed explosive device meant to blow through a wall-it had a ticking timer ready to set off, the other had a white slithering reptile in its mouth, finally on solid ground, it opened its jaw agape and let it crawl on the ground. "Howdy y'all!" Mr. J' smith greeted the tellers "Hey Mr.J" one of the teller's greeted, it was clear he frequented the bank "No, it's fine. I'll wait in line." People made to clear the way, and perhaps if he knew what lied in wake, he would've taken the public up on that offer. 

"Shit" Douglas rubbed his forehead in frustration "We're cutting it way close to the edge! I've already forgotten the plan!' Brook shook his head "Boy, you gotsta' chill." Mayuri smacked her lips and gave Douglas a look of disappointment, quickly parallel parking one block behind, Brook made sure their car was obscured from view-directly hidden behind another "I'll go in, pick up the target, and bring him back. Whether he's bait is irrelevant or not, it's clear he's plugged into a trafficking network of sorts and has information we need to know." Surprising even herself Tess grabbed Mayuri by the arm before she exited the car "Be careful...we're counting you so....come back alive." 

Mayuri jerked her arm away, unsure if she should take the gesture as kind "Yeah. Whatever." she muttered, Gano having not moved an inch merely gave her a thumbs up, before she took into a brisk walk down the block into the bank. 'Hm.' she stopped in front of the automatic doors 'Nothing suspicious, but I've got a bad feeling.' Back in the car, Tess winced, an identical wave shock shot through her head, nearly sending her into a tizzy "Here I go." Mayuri mentally prepared herself, before stepping in; outside the pair of raccoons had finished attaching the explosive to the wall of the bank, scurrying make over to where they made their appearance, they ducked back into the sewers, making sure to cover their drops, by placing the manhole cover back over. 

'Okay, where is he?" Mayuri walked into the bank, head on a swivel "There!" licking her lips, she could taste the pink gloss "Alright, you got this" Closing her eyes, she paused and took a deep breath  "Yes." she pushed and shoved her way to the front of the line, until she came face to face with the teller "Hellooooooo" she said in a vibrato "I'd like to make a deposit." the teller made a face, likely ready to tell her off "Miss. Excuse me miss. I'm trying to take care of business here." a voice next to her spoke in a gruff tone "Oh my!!" she flailed her arms about, covering her face in shame "I'm so sorry sir!! I didn't see you!" J'smith looked her up and down, undressing her with her eyes "It's fine, I'm kinda used to fans." 

Years of training and focus payed off, as Mayuri resisted the urge to roll her eyes "I'm sure" she made sure to touch his bicep, she was wearing black boots and  jig saw puzzle dress, cleavage was low enough to be seen, but not too low to reveal "My eyes are up here" she flirted and J'smith was too happy to oblige 'Just like that, you're tangled in my web.' Just as the two made eye contact dust, concrete and brick went flying as a deafening explosion rang 

"Oh no." Douglas stared at his computer screen, paranoia and fear clutching his heart, the dog fighting busted from earlier had jus reached the public and was all over this "This. This isn't his only play....this could be a distraction after all. That means-" "-It's a trap"Gano finished his thought for him, before hopping out the car, a moment later smoke was seen in the distance "Gano!!" Tess yelled out to him "Be careful." she be barely got out "Just checking things out. I'll be fine." he flashed a toothy grin "Right." Tess' shoulders seemed to relax "Forgot who I was talking to.

"Whaaaaaaatttttt!? So this isn't even one of they guys we're supposed to protect!" Gano exclaimed "No and yes." Douglas held up a finger as continued on with his explanation oon, another explosion was heard on the opposite side of the bank "He's going to the flood the whole building!!" "I guess I'm on!" Gano dashed onto the scene.  "How could I mess up like that. C'MON!! And to think my parents are genius." Douglas blinked back tears at his own ineptitude, pulling out his phone, he tried to get in contact with Mayuri "Pick up..Pick up. Pick up.." hearing coughing on the other line, he feared the worst.

Everything happened in a instant, immediately after the explosion, Armed gun men in masks rushed into the building, flinging grenades forward smoke soon filled the air, clouding everyone's vision as people rushed and bumped into each other in panic.  Aimed steady, ready to unload and release, their fingers were inches from pulling the trigger before the guns were snatched from their hands "Better of me to come from the back, I like to enter in dramatic fashion with a bit of flair-that's my style." 

Turning around Gano greeted them, arms folded with an angry stare "That must be the guy" Gano heard one of them say "Oh. Already famous around here. Don't really have time to dance with you men, but maybe later I'll let you hold my hand" Before they could even start towards him, A crackle of green electric energy danced up and down his skin "This-is gonna really hurt me." Leaping from his fingertips, an emerald current shot through and shocked the assailants; falling to the floor shaking, Gano made sure amount of voltage was a little more than a tasing "Just settle down for a while guys, the authorities'll be here soon" he quipped  "Mayuri!" Gano shouted into the smoke "Over here! Follow my voice!"

"Oh no. Oh no. Oh God. J'smith felt a tightening in his chest and his throat constrict as  people "This way sir!" Dalton, he could hear and make out the figure of his head of his security pulling him away-or so he thought 'Good. Mayuri covered her mouth as smoke filled and obscured the air 'Smoke bombs, not grenades, so there are some  lines you haven't crossed.' Having put Mr. J'smith under her power's influence, from his vantage a fire had started, and as his security guard he was sticking tight to her to stay safe "Yuri! Yuri!!" she heard Gano's voice and could make out his shape "Gano! This way!" 

Feeling out for their respective magnetic fields Gano closed his eyes to hone in on their signatures, before beckoning them forth with his left hand, he made sure to cause the cameras in the building to short out "Meh. Probably best for everyone. Forgettable day." 

However, sometimes it's not always best for the right not to know the happenings of the left, dividing focus, but losing precision, Gano failed to inspect the persons of the people drawing toward-if he had- maybe he wouldn't have gotten bit. The snake from earlier, coiled and wrapped around Mr. J'smith's ankle jumped at its chance, unable to push while he was trying to pull all Gano could do was yelp in pain, as venom from the white serpent invaded his bloodstream "GANO!" Mayuri entered a fit of rage, pulling out her gun, a quick pull of the trigger was all that was needed to end the reptilian's life, but the damage had already been done. 

"Mayuri! Mayuri!! Thank God. Is everyone okay?" Douglas voice could be heard even without the speaker phone "Yes, but also no," the sounds of police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks grew closer, beads of sweat formed on her brow and goosebumps broke out on her face "Douglas, I let my guard down, Gano got bit by a snake-" Douglas body went numb "-it was....a White Ambrosia I think."  Brook was trying to ear hustle, but he could only make out parts of the conversation being held "What's up. Shit's getting hectic. They coming out?" Tess was trying to keep busy biting her nails, trying all in her power to ignore her worst fears "I don't think-quite Mr. J'smith- we're going to make it." 

Gano was bent down on one knee, his  breathing had become labored "Right now we're going to hide so come back later, I've bought you some time, but....we don't figure something out soon you're friend's not going to make it." Douglas tried to absorb and take everything in, but he felt like his world was spinning and everything around him was melting "I..I ..can't...I don't know...can I speak to him?" he begged "Sorry Douglas, you might have to fly on your own for a bit with this one.

 I'll stay in contact, once we get somewhere safe and secure, hopefully the pass us over and we can reconvene...this...is all my fault." Mayuri make sure to avoid looking at Gano as much as she could while she spoke "Shit! My power's not gonna work at all those people at once" Seeing a stream of electricity shoot towards the console, she turned to see Gano pointing in the direction of the vault "There!?" Mayuri was incredulous "They're going to sweep this place clean! Are you mad!!" Gano remained silent "Guess it's not up for debate" she sighed, pulling Mr. J'Smith along, levitating himself up in the air, Mayuri didn't even have time to take in that he had essentially revealed to her what his power was "Can't believe I gotta bet it all him!" Gano made the motion to her to be silent, shaking his head to let her know she was wrong "He'll come through." she read his lips, slumping against the wall, Mayuri resigned herself to her fate "Can't beat em'. Join em' I suppose. Worst comes to worst-" she took notice of the pair of assault weapons Gano lifted with them "-can't say the green-haired bastard didn't give me a chance." 

"He's trouble!! He's in trouble again." Douglas was on the verge of crying "So what are you going to do?" Brook asked "What...do you mean?" Douglas sniffled, squeezing his eyes shut "Bro, you're really pissing me off." Douglas slammed his face against the lap top "Sorry I can never be what people want to be-" In one smooth motion Brook unbuckled his seat belt and grabbed him by the shirt until they were nearly face to face "Brook!" Tess attempted to grab him by the shoulder "So tired of people pouring their heart to you...reaching out...trying to understand how your mind works...only for you to reneg and bitch up...that guy has brought trouble to our lives, but it's clear he's got troubles of his own...and he's your friend. 

Seem to be forgetting that without him we're fried. I don't respect anyone as a human being who constantly leaves things behind." Seeing talking wasn't making much sense, Brook slugged Douglas in the face "The Fuck Man!" Tess pushed him in the back of the head "That's too damn far!!" Wheels started turning and gears spun in the recesses of Douglas' mind, rubbing his cheek,  instead of a screw loose, Brook had managed to knock one in "That's right.." he started repeating under his breath "That's right...that's right. ..that's right...." he got louder and louder "THAT'S RIGHT!!" Brook were taken aback by his outburst "Awh man. He's gone insane." 

Douglas turned to Brook, getting level with him eye to eye, "Thanks." he poked him in the nose "Start up the car, it's suspicious staying on the scene. We need to go." Tess and Brook looked at each other before looking at him "Go where?" Tess was in a daze "I've found lately, I don't have all the answers, and nobody really does, but I have people I can rely on, people who are strong-" he looked at Brook, then looked at the bank  "Kind" he looked back at Tess "and smart." Hands moving at light speed, Douglas knew the number he wanted to dial by heart, it only took several rings before the person on the other line picked up...

Douglas' father was at the lab working intently, when he saw his son's name flash across the screen "Mind if I take this?" he asked his collegue "It's my son." his co-worker shrugged their shoulder, letting him know it wasn't a problem "We're almost done." he pressed a button and answered the call "My main man! How's it going Dougie?!" he could almost hear the face smack on the other end  "Something wrong?" he grew worried and concerned "No. I really glad you picked up Dad, just tired of people calling me that lately." his father jumped for joy on the inside 

"I actually need your help with something" he beamed with pride "Well of course!! What do you need?" Just as quickly his smile turned into a frown when Douglas told him the news "So one of your friends is in that kind of trouble huh? And you're saying they can't go to the hospital......why again?" he leaned forward hoping the conversation would start to make sense "Well" Douglas stammered a bit, racking his brain for the right kind of lie, but decided on the truth "I wish I could tell you Dad, but I can't...going to a medical doctor just isn't an option..I don't think they'll make it in time."  

Closing his eyes, Frank took everything into consideration; the finality in his son's tone let him know this was serious  "Can you finish the rest of the samples for me. Something urgent has come up with my son." he made sure to mute the phone so Douglas wouldn't hear "Thank you....Hello Douglas. You still there?" he could hear his son in the background  panicking a bit "I think I know someone-but I can't guarantee anything-doing things like this off the record is always risky. 

I'm going to call you back in an hour, if I don't, or the situation becomes dire get your  friend to the hospital no matter what....Douglas wait! Before you hang up...." "What? You okay??" Douglas questioned  " Love you son." Douglas heart grew lighter and he smiled despite himself. "Too' dad." Frank couldn't help but break into a fit of laughter,  "awwwhhhhhhhs" were heard all in the background  "Tell Tess and that boy who's a nice football player I said Hi. Call you back in an hour son. Pick up the phone" he hung up and quickly dialed his wife "Hello? Yes, I know dear , but it's urgent, Douglas needs help with something."

"I just activated the tracker, and one of the men on the scene just confirmed that the snake delivered the venom to its target" Derrick bopped his head to the beat of the song playing in the cafe'-it was an old blues song "Bout damn time things start going our way." Jay however wasn't convinced "I wouldn't call checkmate yet" he slammed the money on the table, paying his half of the tab, they were getting ready to leave "Considering I just took down one of the biggest dog fighting rings in the city, you should give me the benefit of the doubt" Derrick slammed down his half, getting up to leave as well "I know Mayuri...no way in hell she resisted taking that laptop with her,  I get all my eggs scooped in one basket and cooked into omelette' at  once..I'm on my way." 

Jay made a face "Those eggs could be smart" he mused aloud "Sometimes you think those are eggs, but then the damn bird pops out early and grows legs." he pointed at Derrick, hoping he'd take  heed to his awkward word of advice "See, this why you don't need to smoke and drink" Derrick delivered a quick smack to the back of his head "An egg doesn't hatch a full grown chicken, it hatches a chick, and they can't do nothin' with they feet...leave the animals to me." Jay could tell Derrick's ego bested his judgement so he let the matter go "So what we waiting for now?" he inquired, curious on their plans "First, we gotta look at the fish we reeled in to make sure it's them, then we go knock that bastard J'Smith off for real, but not before we peel his shell and tear the information out of him now  "How cruel" Jay shivered "You a fool" Derrick got a chuckle out his friend's antics "No worse than how man do nature every...single...day...." his playful expression soon became stone-faced and resolute "I'll make this a paradise never lost again" Jay frowned knowing there were things he could never get his friend to understand 'Don't you realize D'? That paradise was ruined by man.' "I'll go ahead and make the call."  

"Oh shit." flashes of red and blue reflected off the window tint "Not now." Douglas leaned his back and stared at the roof of the car "Stop always assuming shit's gonna go bad" Brook scolded   "Yo officer, what's up?" Brook rolled down the window and greeted the elderly cop "Nun' much. Damn city's tuned topsy turvy upside down " the officer answered "Most normal thing I've seen or heard all day is you missing ya tail light. Might dangerous on the road." Brook gave a sheepish grin, feigning  shame "Sorry sir ,  lately I've been having a rough time, lost my job a week ago, and my girlfriend's been working two jobs to pick up the slack."

Taking off his sunglasses, it was clear the  officer was moved by his plight "Been there. Done that." he stared at Brook with a pensive intense expression "I was young once" he looked off to the side clearly reminiscing "Fuck it. Imma let you off with a warning." It was a small victory in a full of battles, but everyone in the car breathed a little easier at the turn in luck  " Thanks sir, You-

"Brook wasn't exactly sure what to say "That means a lot to us sir" Tess peeked from the back seat "Thank You." Eyes fluttering, the officer rubbed his face to distract himself from Tess' pretty blues "Got you a might fine lady there kid. Take care of her and your younger brother and guard them with your life-nothing more important than family." The word of advice being something he'd actually use and grateful for being left off the hook Brook reached out his hand "I will" the officer reached his out as well, exchanging a firm hand shake, whether they were deceiving each other or not didn't matter, in that moment an understanding was communicated between the two men, immediately afterwards the officer returned to his car, after he sped off a safe distance they got back on the road "What'd I tell you" Brook nudged Douglas with his elbow "Fortune favors the bold."

 Douglas rolled his eyes and pulled his lap top back out "You've been on a good run of being right as of late....you earned that one."  Leaning and looking out the window a blue butterfly landed on the glass "Okay." Brook and Douglas both looked over their shoulders "Babe you good?" "Tess who're you talking too?" they asked in unison  "Not sure" she laughed, and for reasons she couldn't put her finger on, she felt the rise again of hope in her. 

Mayuri was tapping her foot, rocking herself back and forth, sitting indian-style on the floor, people were moving, pacing, plotting, gossiping, theorizing, and moving all about outside, still no one had made any efforts to come inside "My angel of victory might be watching over me after all..no looks out for fools better than God" Mr. J'smith was placed in a trance and had fallen asleep "You really think he's coming through?" Gano held his hand over his mouth, his body shaking from suppressing a cough "I know."

 his voice was barely above a whisper, but Mayuri swear he said it like a shout, his green eyes brimming with confidence 'So bright' Mayuri "I can't die yet anyway...someone still out there for me to meet?" his vision was blurring, but at the same time it was an image crystal clear " Isn't that right?-" Gano didn't seem to be paying attention to her anymore Mayuri' observed 'He's in a world of his own' "-Sayoko." a peace washed over him, the hold his power had on locking the door being the only thing that kept him awake 'Douglas. Hurry Up.'

.