Lainey's brown eyes fluttered opened. She wasn't welcomed by a blinding light, it was pretty dark actually, probably after the evening. She wasn't greeted by buzzing sound of concerned people either, there were quiet chatterings in the building, nothing more than usual.

Lainey grunted loudly, the source of the pain she suddenly felt was coming from the back of her head, "I feel like I've been hit with a ton of bricks,"

However, she didn't really expect a reply, "That's kind of what happened,"

Lainey squinted her eyes, trying to focus her slightly blurred vision. She was laying on a bed and by her side was standing Caitlin. The blonde woman sent her a warm smile, "You hit your head pretty hard,"

"Yeah, no kidding," Lainey tried to sit up but she immediately groaned in pain, feeling as if the room started to spin a little.

"No, you need to rest," Caitlin pushed Lainey back to the bed, looking at her with a concerned motherly look. It was that kind of look Lainey hadn't seen in a long time. "You were unconscious for a few hours. You had us worried,"

"What happened? Is Clarice okay?" Lainey asked, suddenly remembering the events that led to the fact she was laying in that bed. She resisted the urge to get up again, knowing that Caitlin was right and she should rest.

"Yeah, she's fine now," Caitlin said and handed Lainey a bag of ice wrapped in a piece of cloth. Lainey gladly took it, gently putting it on the swelling side of the back of her head. "She woke up about an hour ago. You can go talk to her later if you want,"

Lainey nodded, feeling relieved to hear that. Caitlin spoke up again, "John doesn't seem happy with what happened. He told me to call him once you're awake."

Lainey groaned again, this time not from pain but by the fact that she would have to face John. She just couldn't tell him why she rushed back into the headquarters, he wouldn't understand. Caitlin saw the brunette's reaction and immediately added, "I'll tell him you need to get some rest first,"

Lainey smiled gratefully, but she knew she would have to confront John sooner or later.

~~~

Lainey knew she probably should have stayed in bed. The pain in the back of her head started to fade slightly and her vision was much clearer. She did get rest like Caitlin advised, but she had gotten so much rest that she became restless. She just couldn't stay in the bed and do nothing any longer.

She started wandering around the headquarters aimlessly, stopping briefly from time to time to check that no one else had been harmed. Some of the furniture were broken and some were scattered on the floor. But other than that, everything seemed fine.

"This is the jankiest board ever." She heard a familiar voice say as she entered a room. Lauren and Andy were sitting around a table, probably trying to find something to do. Lainey let out a small chuckle at Andy's comment, immediately drawing the attention of the two siblings.

"I told you she's gonna make it," Andy smiled and looked at his sister, "You owe me five bucks," he added, pointing to the pile of money that was placed on the table.

"Ouch, you were betting on my life? And with money that has mold on it?" Lainey joked, walking closer to the two.

"Okay, that's not..." Lauren started to say, picking up the money and examining it. She quickly put it back, "It's mold."

"It's mold." Both Andy and Lainey repeated, laughing.

"Are you okay though?" Lauren asked, looking slightly worried.

"Just a mild concussion, I've been through worse." Lainey simply answered," So, what are you guys doing?"

"Just trying to not get bored to death," Andy said, gesturing towards the board, "Do you want to join us?"

Lainey was never good at board games. Truthfully, she had never liked to play them, so she had no idea why she decided to join the two, "Sure."

"So, uh, I guess since the tens are all stuck together, I figure we use the ones as tens and then the little paper nubs will be the ones," Andy suggested and Lainey nodded.

"Sounds like a good idea."

"Doesn't matter to me. I'm gonna win it all anyway," Lauren said with a smug smirk on her face.

"Sure. Remember last time?" Andy raised an eyebrow at his sister.

"Oh, when I let you win? It's not your birthday anymore," Lauren retorted

"Just pick your piece," Andy rolled his eyes.

"I'll be nickel," Lauren picked up the coin.

"I'm going to choose the house." Lainey picked up a black piece that resembled a small house.

"I think I'm gonna be the shoe." Andy chose, picking up his piece.

"No. You can't be the shoe." Lauren dropped her piece, trying to grab the shoe from Andy's hand, "Be the bottle cap."

"What do you mean? I just called the shoe." Andy argued, not letting go of the shoe.

"I don't care. Put it back." Lauren insisted.

"What's your problem, psycho?"

"Dad's always the shoe." Lauren cut him off, finally explaining herself, "Okay?"

Andy's face fell, understanding his sister. He put down the small shoe, "Yeah.

"Okay, so, you said you're gonna win it all, right?" Lainey looked at Lauren, trying to ease the tense atmosphere, "Well, you'd better prove it."

After a while of playing, Lainey had no doubt that she was losing. She didn't know what she was doing, she didn't even know what game they were playing. She didn't really care, though. She enjoyed Andy's and Lauren company. It was almost as if she could just pretend they were normal teenagers playing some stupid game.

Lorna had always taught Lainey to accept that she was a mutant, and it took a while but eventually, Lainey accepted who she was. But in that moment, she felt like 14-years-old-Lainey again. She felt like she was that girl from before her life completely changed.

However, the moment was interrupted when Caitlin found Lainey and immediately dragged the brunette girl back to her bed, insisting that she needed more rest.

Lainey was slightly surprised when she saw Clarice sitting next to her bed, looking tired and regretful. Lainey hadn't gotten the chance to talk with the green-eyed woman, and she was more than glad that Caitlin and Marcos had managed to get to her on time and help her.

Lainey noticed that on Clarice's lap was comfortably laying a dog, and Clarice was slowly brushing her hand through the dog's fur.

"Wow, she actually likes you," Lainey commented as she sat on her bed, smiling slightly at the two.

Clarice furrowed her eyebrows, "Thanks?"

"I didn't mean it like that." Lainey quickly corrected, "Zingo is pretty particular about the people she likes."

"Zingo? So that's her name..." Clarice replied, looking at Zingo curiously.

"Yep. She definitely likes you. It took me about three months before she finally stopped barking at me every time I entered a room," Lainey cracked a smile, but then her expression turned serious, "By the way, are you okay?"

"I should be asking you the same question," Clarice replied, her green eyes flashing with deep regret, "I almost got you killed."

Lainey let out a shaky sigh. She could tell how much guilty Clarice felt for everything that had happened, but Lainey knew it wasn't her fault. Clarice only tried to help them, she got them out of the warehouse and things got out of control.

"I think you're overreacting a bit. It's just a mild concussion, I'm a little tougher than you think." Lainey smiled at the woman next to her, "Besides, it was my decision to get back inside, not yours."

"Lainey," Clarice started again, "Why did you come back?"

Lainey knew that sooner or later someone would ask that question, but she wasn't ready to answer it yet. She turned away from Clarice, laying on the bed and covering herself almost entirely with the blanket.

"I just had to,"

~~~

Lainey woke up with a start, her eyes snapped open. She struggled to recognize what was around her as she breathed hard, her body shaking uncontrollably. Her eyes tried to get used to the darkness but it seemed nearly impossible. She could still see the flames, she could still smell the smoke and feel the heat threatening to burn her skin.

Only when she heard whispers she realized it was only a dream—she was safe now.

The brunette girl almost leaped out of her bed as more whispers were heard again. Her mind was still spazzing, but her instincts kicked in and she started to follow the voices. As she got closer to the source of the whispers, she finally managed to hear them clearly.

"We need to leave now before anybody wakes up,"

As Lainey followed quietly, she realized that the voices came from the entrance of the building. She walked around the corner just as the entrance door was slowly closed, signaling that someone had just managed to sneak out.

Almost forgetting her nightmare, Lainey opened the door only to see three figures walking towards the woods. It was early in the morning, still very dark outside, but a light from a nearby lamppost shone bright enough so she could see their faces.

"Caitlin?" Lainey called, confused.

Caitlin, Andy and Lauren turned around, startled by Lainey's sudden appearance. Lainey took a step forward, looking sharply at Caitlin who seemed like a deer caught in the headlights.

"What are you doing?"

"Lainey, you have to listen to me." The blonde urgently walked towards Lainey, "I know someone that can help. He can help Reed and maybe even help your friend in jail. He-He has connections and—"

"Is he a mutant like Andy and Lauren?" Lainey quickly cut her off, pointing at Lauren and Andy. Caitlin looked slightly fazed by her question but she shook her head, confirming Lainey's suspicions. "Then he won't help you, people change when it comes to mutants.

"Lainey, please," Lauren pleaded, stepping closer to the brunette, but Lainey coldly interrupted her.

"You need to get back into the headquarters,"

"No, we are going," Andy argued, and Lainey swore she could feel the ground shaking a bit under her feet.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous what you're doing is? The Sentinel Services will be looking everywhere for you. What happens if they catch you?" Lainey asked, focusing her attention back on Caitlin.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take." Caitlin bravely told her, "If you had a chance to help someone you love, one that doesn't involve battles, wouldn't you take it?"

Maybe it was the desperate look on Caitlin's face or maybe her mind was still fuzzy from her nightmare, but Lainey agreed. "Fine. I won't tell anyone,"

Caitlin let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you,"

"I won't tell anyone because I'm coming with you," Lainey added. If she couldn't tell John or the others, and if she couldn't stop the Strucker family from leaving the headquarters, the least she could do was help them and make sure they wouldn't get caught by the authorities or Sentinel Services.

"No, Lainey, you need to rest. You're still recovering," Caitlin immediately objected.

"I've been on the run for almost two years now, you've been fugitives for like, what, two days?" Lainey crossed her arm, staring at the three with a knowing look.

"Besides, if you go that way," Lainey gestured to the way the Struckers had been heading for, "You'll get caught by one of our guards. I know a way out without being seen."

Caitlin was about to say something but Andy had beaten her to it, "Just let her come with us,"

Caitlin's face showed deep conflict as she was trying to decide what to do. But even if Caitlin wouldn't agree, once Lainey's mind was set on something, she was too stubborn to give up. Reluctantly, Caitlin had to agree.

And that was how a few hours later Lainey found herself in the city, trying to avoid main streets and police cruisers as much as possible. Even though they were all wanted and hunted by the Sentinel Service, Lainey couldn't help but think how nostalgic it felt to walk down the streets in the daytime.

She went outside a few times with Marcos and Lorna to pick up some supplies for the headquarters but it felt different now. Everything seemed a bit different ever since the Strucker family showed up.

"So, that man with the connections, where can we even find him?" Lainey asked, walking closer to Caitlin.

"His name is Danny, he is my brother," Caitlin explained, her voice slightly lowered down so no people who passed by could hear their conversion, "He lives in Buckhead,"

"What? We can't just hike the whole way there. It's all the way across town." Lainey frowned, starting to regret her decision to go to the city.

"Mom, we're gonna get noticed on the street. We have to get a cab." Lauren told her mom, fearing they might be spotted by someone.

"To Buckhead? I-I have about enough cash to get us to that tree over there." Caitlin pointed to a nearby tree, explaining their unfortunate situation, "And with our bank accounts frozen—"

"Well, why don't I just unfreeze them?" Andy suggested as he stopped them next to a local bank that was just around the corner.

"Wait, are you seriously suggesting we rob a bank?" Caitlin confusedly asked her son.

"Yeah," Andy answered shortly, like it was obvious.

"We can steal a car instead but it will be hard to cover our tracks. We'll probably have to steal another one and—" Lainey tried to suggest but she was quickly interrupted by the siblings' upset mother.

"I-I'm not hearing this."

"Mom, why should we have to hold back when nobody else does?" Andy asked, seeming slightly angered by their situation.

"Because people could get hurt, and because we don't rob banks or steal cars," Caitlin stated, glancing at Lainey with a disapproving look.

"It was just a suggestion," Lainey mumbled, shrugging her shoulders.

"Andy, if we're ever gonna have a chance at a normal life again—" Lauren started but she didn't get to end the sentence.

"Normal? Lauren, you got to be kidding me." Andy snapped at his sister, "Normal is gone! Normal doesn't exist anymore. Okay?"

Before Lainey had a chance to do anything, Andy turned around, his back facing the three females. He then raised his hand and the ground started to shake a bit as he unleashed his powers. In a blink of an eye, a few parking meters were torn apart by his destructive power. The change from the machines scattered to the ground just as a car alarm started blaring.

"Andy!" His sister immediately scolded him, glowering.

Lainey quickly looked around, hoping that nobody saw or heard anything. She let out a sigh when she saw that the area was clear and nothing seemed suspicious.

"There, cab fare. The bank is safe." Andy pointed out, "Happy?"

Without much argument, the three teenagers went to pick up the money from the ground as Caitlin went to call a cab. Lainey quietly collected as many coins as she could and stuffed them into her pockets. Andy, who was crouched down next to her, took her silence in a wrong way.

"What, you're not gonna scold me for using my powers or something?" He grumbled, looking at Lainey with narrowed eyes.

"You did hear me when I suggested we should steal a car, right? I mean, how do you think I was planning on doing that?" Lainey retorted, knowing that in some situations the best option was to rely on their abilities. Andy opened his mouth but Caitlin's voice interrupted him as she called them to come to the cab she had managed to catch.

Swiftly, Lainey got up along with the siblings and rushed towards the yellow cab. Before she slipped into the back seat, Lainey turned around to look at Andy, lowering her voice so only he could hear her.

"You're right, Andy. We're mutants—we shouldn't hold back,"

~~~~

"I forgot how big this place is," Lauren muttered as the four got closer to a house. The house seemed pretty big, painted in light-brown colors and decorated with big white windows.

"What if they're not home?" Andy asked.

"I guess there's only one way to find out," Lainey said as Caitlin rang the doorbell.

"I think he's still counting coins," Lauren commented as they waited. Lainey turned around to where Lauren was looking only to see that the cab was still waiting in the street.

"Yeah, he was not happy about the coins." Andy said.

There was a sound of a lock clicking and the door opened, revealing a tall man with dark hair.

"Caitlin," He breathed out, looking slightly surprised. His eyes paused on Lainey for a moment before he glanced at Andy and Lauren, "Kids."

He took a step forward and embraced Caitlin. The blonde woman quickly returned the gesture and hugged him back, "Danny,"

"Thank, God. You're okay." Danny said.

"I'm sorry we didn't call." Caitlin pulled away from him, "Can we come in?"

"The police were here. Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?" Danny asked and his sister sadly nodded.

"Yes, I do." She sighed, "Please, Danny."

Danny looked at Lainey again, silently observing her. She was a complete stranger to him. She was suddenly afraid that he wouldn't let them in because of her. Instead, he pushed the door wide open and quickly told them to get inside.

He led them all to a table where a teenager who didn't look much older than Lainey was sitting. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Lainey took a seat in front of Andy and next to Lauren.

"We... We have pizza," Danny said, grabbing a pizza box from the counter. He put it on the table. There were four small slices of pizza and each teenage took one slice. As Lainey ate, she noticed that Caitlin and Danni were standing at the other side of the kitchen, quietly talking.

"So, what's your name?" The teenager asked Lainey.

"I'm..." Lainey hesitated, not sure if she could trust him, "I'm Gravity,"

"Is it like a street name or something?" He curiously asked again.

"Uhh, yeah, sort of," She answered. Surprisingly, he didn't seem concerned or suspicious, he actually looked a bit excited.

"That's dope."

"You can trust Danni and Scott," Andy told the brunette girl. He then turned to Scott, "Her real name is Lainey."

"I don't know if this is inappropriate or whatever, but did you guys have to fight off the cops?" Scott continued to question, seeming even more eager to know what the three teenagers had been going through.

"Yeah, that's real inappropriate, son." His father scolded him.

"It wasn't like that. We just ran." Lauren told Scott.

"Tore up some robots, though," Andy added with a somewhat proud look on his face.

"Dope." Scott smiled, "So, have you guys been, like, hiding out on the streets, or?"

"No. There's this group, they help mutants in trouble." Lauren said, "Lainey is from there. She has been helping us."

Scott immediately glanced at Lainey, looking more excited if it was even possible, "Cool. Like the Underground Railroad."

"Scott. Please?" Her father stopped him, looking uncomfortable with his son's questions, "You know what? Why don't you guys go play some video games? Okay? Go on."

The four teens rose up from the table and walked upstairs after Scott.

As Andy and Scott started to play some game and Lauren picked up a tablet, Lainey decided to sit on the windowsill, just to make sure nobody followed them.

So many things had gone wrong in the past two days. Lorna had been captured and taken to god knows where. Marcos trying to help the Strucker family which ended with Reed being captured by the Sentinel Service. Clarice losing control and nearly destroying the headquarters. Everything was just happening too fast.

She was so deep in thought that she barely noticed that her name was being called.

"Lainey? Lainey!" finally snapping out of her thoughts, Lainey turned around to see Lauren looking at her worriedly. The blonde-haired girl spoke up again, "You've been staring at the window for almost an hour. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just... Just making sure that nobody followed us or something." Lainey answered, getting up from where she had been sitting and walking over to the bed Lauren was laying on. Lauren nodded and focused her attention back on the tablet in her hands.

"Great. First game in weeks, and it's a total slaughter. This is gonna kill our ranking." Andy sighed as the game ended, putting his controller on a small table.

"Dude, who cares? I need to see what you can do." Scott got up and grabbed one silver trophy from his trophies shelf, putting it on a table in front of Andy, "Come on, just do something to this. Please?"

"No. I can't just do it out of nowhere." Andy told him.

"Andy. You can't do it at all. Don't encourage him." Lauren refused, lowering the tablet so she could look at Andy and Scott.

"Go back to Insta-stalking Jack." Andy replied and Lauren rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh, my God." Lauren gasped, her eyes looking at the device in her hands in disbelief. curiously, Lainey leaned towards Lauren to see what happened. On the screen was displayed a picture of two teens holding spray cans and behind them was a vandalized house. 'BEWARE OF THE MUTIES' was written all over the house.

"What? What's wrong?" Andy turned around and asked. He got up from the floor and walked over to Lauren but she quickly moved the tablet away from his view so he wouldn't be able to see.

"It's nothing, okay?" Lauren tried to play it off but she wasn't so successful.

"Hey, what is it?!" Andy insisted. Lauren gave in and showed him the picture.

"It's our house." Andy breathed out as a single tear escaped from Lauren's eye. Lainey's brown eyes widened at the news. "That's Lucas. We've been going to school with him since second grade."

"Hey, Andy, they're just stupid kids. It doesn't matter." Lauren told him, trying to calm him down, which apparently didn't work since the items there were on the table started to shake and rattle.

"Andy!" Lainey warned, realizing what was about to happen. However, she was too late. Andy raised his hand towards the table, his powers emerging and splitting Scott's trophy into half.

"No way," Scott muttered in amazement, picking up the trophy.

"Guys?" Caitlin called, probably hearing all the commotion coming from Scott's room. Scott quickly hid the trophy behind his back and Lauren wiped away her tears, trying to act casual.

"Is everybody okay?" Caitlin asked as she entered the room. Once again Lauren tried to play it off and told her mother that Andy and Scott were just goofing around with each other.

"You guys should try to get some sleep, all right?" Caitlin told them. She was about to walk away but Andy stopped her.

"Mom? Is Uncle Danny gonna help?" Andy asked.

"We're working on it," Caitlin said and with that, she left the room. Despite Caitlin's somewhat comforting words, Lainey doubted a few phone calls would be able to do much help.

Listening to Caitlin's advice, Andy, Lauren and Lainey settled down in the guest room that was across Scott's room.

~~~

The fire was so close. It was too close. Lainey felt like she couldn't breathe.

With a chocked gasp, Lainey's body jerked forwards, eyes opening. The images still vividly played in her mind. The fact that she didn't even recognize where she was, didn't help to ease the panic and the terrible feeling that started to spread all over across her body.

"Are you okay?" Only when she realized that Andy Strucker was sitting in front of her, looking confused and worried, she remembered that she was at his uncle's house. Lainey gulped, hating the way that somebody saw her so shaken and vulnerable.

"It's none of your business," she replied coldly, but it was not hard to hear the tremors in her voice

"What is wrong with you?" Andy snapped, narrowing his eyes at her behavior, "Last night you were fine and now you're just cold and distant."

Lainey was about to snap back at him, to tell him he was wrong to accuse her like that when he didn't even know her, but she stopped herself before she could, knowing that Andy was right. She didn't feel like herself.

She closed her eyes, trying to avoid looking at him, but instead images of the nightmare flashed back again and she quickly opened her eyes.

"Just go back to sleep, okay?" She told him, this time softer. She turned away from him, preparing herself for a sleepless night, knowing that her mind wouldn't give her much rest until the morning.

~~~

Voices from outside interrupted Lainey's thoughts. It was early in the morning, people were probably innocently walking around the neighborhood, but the sound that came from outside made it seem like people were right outside the house. Lainey walked towards the window and her tired eyes widened as she saw that a small mob appeared in front of Danny's house, armed with guns.

She heard a click of a door opening and she immediately raised up her hands, ready to attack and defense herself. Much to her relief, it was Caitlin that had opened the door and entered the room.

"Get everyone downstairs now!" Caitlin exclaimed. It didn't long for Lainey to react and soon, Lainey, Andy, Lauren and Scott rushed downstairs. When they all reached the ground floor, Lainey was slightly taken off guard when she saw John and Marcos standing there along with Caitlin and Danny.

"What's going on?" She asked, grabbing the attention of the two mutants.

"We know you're in there," A man called out loudly from outside, preventing Lainey from getting any answer from John or Marcos, "Danny, come on out. We need to talk."

"Who did you tell that you were coming?" Danny asked Caitlin.

"No one." Caitlin immediately denied but Danny didn't seem to believe it.

"Well, obviously one of your friends here did, 'cause—" Danny continued to accuse but his son interrupted him.

"Dad, I think—"

"Scottie, not now. Please." His father cut him off.

"I texted a pic of a trophy Andy tore apart to one friend," Scott confessed nervously.

"What?" Andy exclaimed, looking mad at his cousin. Lainey ran her hand through her hair, feeling worried on how they're going to get out of this situation. 

"Oh, Scott." Danny sighed.

"He swore he wouldn't show anyone. He swore." Scott insisted.

"They're seven deep out front. Anything around back?" Marcos asked.

"Yeah, there's four of 'em, and then more outside the kitchen door. We're surrounded." John answered, "Look, I can get us through a wall, but if they start shooting while we run, there's gonna be a fight."

"Run? Why should we have to run?" Andy asked, sounding confused.

"Didn't you hear them? There's an army out there." Lauren told him.

"Yeah, so what? We can take those guys." Andy insisted.

"Yeah, of course we can take them. But if we do that, people are gonna die." Lainey explained, trying to convince him out of the idea.

"Well, maybe it's time these people learned." Instead, Andy seemed even more upset. He looked at her and Lainey could see there was anger in his brown eyes, maybe even a hint of betrayer at her answer. "You're the one who agreed with me when I said we shouldn't hold back."

Lainey couldn't deny it, she did say it. Holding back meant that none of them, none of the mutants, would be able to defend themselves from the Sentinel Services and fight for what is right. But did she mean it would give them the right to hurt other people that might stand in the way?

Lainey glanced away from Andy and decided to stop questioning her thoughts. It was definitely not the right time or the right place to do that. 

"Andy, you don't mean that," Caitlin said in disbelief.

"Yes, I do." Andy insisted, "Listen to them, Mom. They hate us."

"Just send 'em out and we'll go away." A voice from outside demanded, only proving Andy's words.

"I'll go," Danny decided, "It's Chuck Sanders."

"Chuck? I was on swim team with him. We went to church. I—" Caitlin started, seeming shocked that someone she had known for so many years would act like this against her children.

"I know, I know. I don't think you're quite understanding how people how they feel about all this. You guys should move." Danny said, "Come on, Caitie."

"Morning, Dan." The man's voice was heard as Danny walked outside. Lainey went near the window and carefully peeked out through the curtain.

"Chuck, what the hell you doing? Who are all these people?" Danny asked, trying to act normal about the situation.

"Just a few concerned folks from the community," Chuck answered.

"What do you want?" Danny asked again.

"Come on. You know why we're here," Chuck said, "Caitlin and her kids, they inside?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Danny denied.

"Cut the crap, Dan. Rick saw a photo on his son's phone when they got up for swim practice." Chuck explained. Danny tried to deny the accusations again but Chuck continued, "Your son sent it. Now, we know they're inside, so just send 'em out so we don't have to search the house. Dan, I know they're family, but these kids destroyed half a school. We're just trying to keep everyone safe."

"Yeah, and the $300,000 bounty's got nothing to do with it, right, Chuck?" Danny asked, sneering at the men in front of him, "Come on, the only person in that house is my son, Scott. Who plays Minecraft with your son, Jacob, who's lived down the street from you since he was six years old. Chuck, come on, please ju-just go."

"He's lying, man. Just go in. We didn't come here for nothing." A man next to Chuck interfered.

"Come on. No—" Danny tried to confront them again, but the mob had already made their decision.

"Sorry, Dan." Chuck apologized, trying to get Danny out of the way.

"No, Chuck. Don't! Go home!" Danny exclaimed, trying to fight him off, but he was knocked to the side. Danny grunted loudly, the side of his head bleeding. Only the sight of Danny, a man who only tried to help his family, panting and bleeding on the ground, caused Lainey's blood to boil with anger. Apparently, by the look on his face and his clenched fists, Lainey realized that Andy was not happy, either.

"Come on, let's go. Open this door or we're coming in!" One of the men outside shouted. Andy snapped, unleashing his powers and completely shattering the front door into pieces. The blast wave was so strong it sent Chuck flying backward.

"Leave us alone!" Andy yelled at the mob, "Leave us alone."

When Chuck picked up his gun and aimed it at Andy, all Lainey could see for a moment was flames. Her body reacted before her mine did.

"Hey, back off!" Lainey exclaimed, raising her hand. In a blink of an eye, the man was forcefully slammed into the side of the car that parked a few meters behind him. There was a loud bang sound and the side of the car was bent slightly beneath Chuck. He groaned loudly, his gun fell to the floor. The mob that gathered around looked horrified by what happened and Lainey mirrored their expressions.

She didn't mean to do that.

She was just trying to get rid of the gun. It wasn't her intention to actually hurt someone. It was just like she somehow lost control.

Another man raised his gun, this time it was pointed at Lainey. If it weren't for Marcos and John, Lainey would have never made it on time. John grabbed her and pulled her back, keeping her away from the shooting range, as Marcos raised up his glowing hands, shooting light beams and burning the rifle. The man shouted in pain, dropping the heated gun to the ground.

"Leave it!" Marcos warned, his hands still glowing, proving that he was ready to attack if he had to.

"Stay behind me, get into the car," John instructed, leading them out of the house, "Come on. Come on,"

"Back off! Back off!" Marcos exclaimed, aiming up his hands as the men backed away in fear.

"Go. Go! Come on! Go!" They all made a run towards an SUV that parked on down the street. Lainey, Andy and Lauren, rushed to the back seat while John started the vehicle's engine

"Not good," Lainey muttered as she saw that the men grabbing their guns and getting into their cars, "John, get us out of here!"

John drove away as fast as he could but the men were still chasing them. "Marcos, call Dreamer!" John said once the men started to shoot. Marcos quickly did what he was told.

Lainey lowered her head along with the Strucker kids.

"It's bad. We're heading your way." John told Dreamer through the phone.

"Hold on, Johnny. I thought you were getting the Struckers," Dreamer nervously replied.

"Yeah, we did. Things went sideways. We got the local mutant welcoming group on our heels." John exclaimed.

"How many?" Dreamer asked.

"Eight, maybe ten," John answered, "Either way, we can't afford a fight."

"What do you need?"

"A way out of this doesn't leave any corpses," John said. Just then, the men started shooting again and Lainey gasped at the sound.

"Get back here. I will figure something out." Dreamer told them and hung up.

"Lauren, can't you shield them?" Andy asked as more shots hit the side of the car.

"I can't shield what I can't see, okay?" Lauren exclaimed.

"Lainey," Marcos called from the front seat, "Can you do something about the gun or the bullets?"

"You try to concentrate while people are shooting at you," She retorted, ducking her head as more shots were heard. Truthfully, Lainey was just scared that she would lose control over her powers and would end up flipping over the car. Lainey knew that things could go horribly wrong if she wouldn't be in full control.

"Just stay down." Caitlin insisted, fearing for their lives.

"Where the hell are our people?" Marcos impatiently asked.

"You heard Dreamer. They're working on it." John replied.

"Not fast enough. We're getting way too close to headquarters." Lainey said, knowing that they couldn't get too close or else the entire Mutant Underground's community would be in danger.

"We're gonna have to fight," Marcos added.

"Look! Look, there!" Caitlin grabbed everyone's attention, pointing at a big portal that opened in the middle of the road in front of them.

"Go. Go. Go, go, go, go, go." Marcos exclaimed and John hit the gas pedal, speeding off into the portal.

"Everybody in one piece?" John asked and Lainey let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. They managed to come back safely to the headquarters.

"Kids, you okay?" Caitlin turned back to the teenagers, who muttered in return that they were fine.

"Get everybody inside. I'll be there in a minute." John told Marcos, leaving the car.

"You were right," Caitlin sniffled, "I'm sorry."

"That's all right." Marcos turned back to look at Caitlin, "You did something stupid for someone you love. Can't say I haven't done the same,"

~~~

"Hey," Lainey said as John took a seat next to her. Things seemed calmer back at the headquarters, but her mind still didn't give Lainey much rest.

"Hey. Are you okay?" He asked and Lainey pursed her lips before she answered.

"Depends if you're going to give me one of your famous 'Why-can't-Lainey-stop-acting-like-a-reckless-teenager' speeches," He seemed calmer than she had expected, and it just made her more anxious. "I'm not going to apologize for going with the Struckers if that's what you think,"

He chuckled at her, "No, actually I..." John hesitated a bit, "I came to give you this,"

Lainey's eyes widened and she gasped quietly as she saw that he was holding a picture in his hands. However, it wasn't just any picture. It was way far from it.

It was the reason Lainey risked her life and rushed back into the headquarters even though the building could have collapsed.

"Where did you get that?" Lainey asked, gently taking the picture from him. The look on his face told her he realized and maybe even understood why she had chosen to do something so dangerous.

"I found it outside this morning when I was training with Clarice," John answered, "You probably dropped it when you sneaked out with the Struckers," 

Lainey felt tears threatening to spill from her eyes, "I just—" She chocked out, as one tear managed to escape and stream down her face, "I just can't let them go,"

"You don't have to," John replied, putting his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Lainey's gaze fell down to the picture in her hand, in which four people were standing close to each other, smiling at her.

"Sometimes I feel like I have to," Lainey confessed, glancing up at John.

"I couldn't help my family," Lainey said. Her gaze quickly moved to Andy and Lauren, who were sitting next to their mother, not so far from Lainey and John. "But I can help them," 

________________________________________

Okay, so that literally was the longest chapter I've ever written. I'm deeply sorry for the long wait, I've just been sick for a while and had to deal with writer blocks as well.

Just a few things I need to say: 1. I just want to thank  for the amazing cover she made for me! You're truly gifted ;)

2. If you want me to make you a poster like I made for Lainey, just send me a private message. I'm always happy to help if I can!

3. Your reads, votes and comments mean the world to me! I'm so grateful that so many of you like my story and I love you guys! <3