Once Art had recovered himself and the three teenagers were settled in the back, he and Storm sat up front. Storm elected to drive, and the two sat in comfortable silence for several minutes. At least, Art thought it was comfortable, until Storm broke the quiet by blurting out, "We can't go back to Haven."

All eyes in the van turned to her, and she visibly reddened. "But Hal, and Diana," Art managed to get out in his surprise. "We can't just leave them there!"

"They're not in Haven," Storm said, staring out at the water. "Not anymore."

"If they're not in Haven anymore, where are they?" Brick asked, his voice anxious.

Storm glanced at Art before sighing. "It was Doc, Art. He betrayed us for a pardon from United. He kidnapped Hal and Diana. I—I hesitated, Art. I couldn't decide if I wanted to go after him or come back to save Silence and Ivy." Tears slid down her cheeks and she brushed at them angrily. "I nearly killed them both."

Art put his hand on her arm, using his other hand to brush tears from her cheeks. "But you didn't," he said. "You faced a choice that nobody should have faced. You had to pick between protecting your nephew and saving two young teenagers. In your place, I wouldn't have known which either, and I probably would have hesitated longer than you did."

Storm sighed. "It's nice of you to say, but I know you wouldn't have," she answered. "The fact remains that I nearly failed you all, and I'm sorry."

"Doesn't really matter to me," Ivy said with a shrug. "I'm alive, aren't I?" She ran her fingers through her waterlogged curls. "And I punched Guardian, which felt pretty good."

"Guardian's dead," Art retorted shortly, his face reddening.

"Oh, is he?" Ivy said. "Serves him right. Conniving little schemer."

"He was being controlled by Brain," Art shot back at her. "He wasn't in his right mind, and then he got shot."

"Huh." Ivy cocked her head to the side thoughtfully. "Well, I was mostly right, about him being an evil lunatic. He was just a mind-controlled evil lunatic."

Deciding that was not a conversation he was going to win, Art turned his attention back to Storm. "Don't blame yourself," he told her quietly, before raising his voice so those in the back could hear him as well. "What's the plan now, Storm?"

It gave her a moment to martial her thoughts, and she took a deep breath. "The villains have Haven in their grasp, which just leaves United in their way of total domination," she explained. "So you should probably know who they're going to go after."

"That's not a big deal to me," Art said with a shrug. "Maybe we should let Brain deal with Bradley and then step in."

"The instant United is out of the picture, we're all doomed," Storm said. "I have no doubt that the villains have plants in place to take over once Bradley is out of the way. That doesn't exactly leave us much in the way of leeway. If they get their hands on Lauren and take over United, we're dead meat. Us and anyone who opposes them, as well as normals. And do you really want them all dying on us?"

"You mean, we have to protect that arrogant brat?" Art said, slightly disappointed.

Storm stared off into the water. "Yes," she said. "We do."

"Well, that's a bummer," Art answered, and slouched back in his seat. They drove on in silence.

. . . . . . . . . .

"Miss Bradley. Are you even listening to me?" The agitated voice seemed to pound into Lauren's skull.

Lauren looked up at Christopher impatiently. "No, actually, I'm not," she answered. "Because you keep telling me the same thing and I keep answering in the same way. No."

"They are a liability!" Christopher said, slamming his hands against Lauren's oak desk. The thirty-year-old seemed to think he had so much more experience than she did, and it never failed to annoy her. "They need to be ended before they cause anymore destruction."

Lauren stood up from her leather chair and made her way over to the bookcase against the dull tan wall. The furnishings were the only details in the room. There were no pictures, no diplomas, no mark of Lauren anywhere on the walls. And that was just as she liked it. "Normally, I would agree with you," she said, laying sarcasm on her words to show she didn't mean it. "But they're teenagers. Kids. And besides, killing Phoenix, as he calls himself, would be a waste of resources."

"How so?" Christopher said, matching Lauren's heavy sarcasm. "How would the boy's death be a 'waste'? He killed a hundred people on his street!"

Lauren slammed a book back onto the shelf in annoyance. "I am aware!" she snapped back. "Do you think I don't know what he did? The fact remains, if we want to prevent more deaths, he holds the key to that!"

Christopher frowned, his brows—close to becoming one with each other and resembling a brown, furry caterpillar—drawing over his dark blue eyes. "Miss Bradley, you're going to need to explain," he said with a touch of impatience.

"Yes, I think I am," she said. "You see, Christopher, Phoenix is Solar's son. We at United have always believed that Solar held the key to fixing the menace of supers, and when he died, we believed that our chances had been reduced to nothing. With Phoenix's arrival and timely capture, we now hold the key to running tests and seeing what makes the most powerful super tick. Once we know that, then we'll be able to undo what makes them tick and turn them to normals."

"That's your key?" Christopher demanded. "Making them normal? We need to eliminate them entirely!"

"And what are they going to do if we don't? What are they going to do if we strip them of their powers?" Lauren retorted. "They'll be like you and me, Christopher. Which means that they'll be normal, and we won't have to worry about them. United will be able to disband. The world will be safe."

Judging from the look of absolute fury on Christopher's face, he disagreed with Lauren. To her surprise, he didn't say anything and stormed out. Once he was gone, Lauren heaved a sigh and sat down in her chair. However tempting it was to slam her head against the desk, she managed to keep herself under control. Honestly, though, could her day get any worse?

A knock on her door indicated that her secretary was outside. Hoping that didn't mean something was wrong, Lauren brushed her raven bangs back and looked up. "What?" she said sharply.

The door opened and her mousy-haired secretary came in. "Miss Bradley, there's a woman here to see you," she said, a tiny bit anxiously. "She says you'll want to see her immediately and urgently."

"Oh, I'm sure," Lauren said, rolling her eyes. "And what's the name she 'urgently' gave you?"

"Mrs. Brendan," the secretary answered.

Lauren froze, looking at her secretary with a hint of uncertainty. "Mrs. Brendan?" she repeated. "Are you sure that's what she said?"

"Yes, ma'am," the secretary said. "She was quite clear on that."

Part of Lauren wanted to turn Mrs. Brendan away, but there was a small part of her that wanted to see the woman. Sighing, she sat up straighter in her seat. "Okay," she said, covering the papers she'd been looking at. "Send her in."

The secretary nodded and swiftly withdrew. Lauren sighed, fixing her hair while she waited. She didn't have to wait for long; Storm Brendan walked through the door and sat down in front of her, looking much the same as she always had. Time hadn't taken much of a toll on the other woman.

For several moments, the two women looked at each other. It was an awkward silence, during which Lauren started tapping her fingers against her file thoughtfully, waiting for Storm to speak. When it became apparent that she wasn't going to, Lauren leaned back. "Mrs. Brendan," she said, faking calm that she certainly wasn't feeling. "What brings you here after so long?"

Storm crossed her legs, fiddling with the button on the arm of her black trench coat. "I think you might have some idea of why I'm here," she said.

Lauren picked up the file and slapped it against her opposing hand. "You're here about Phoenix and Delphi, aren't you?" she replied.

Storm chewed her lip. "Partly ... but also no," she retorted after a moment. "If that makes sense."

"It doesn't, but knowing you, you'll explain." Lauren kept her voice neutral, in spite of the emotions raging inside of her.

Storm was still biting at her lip, which was making Lauren slightly uncomfortable. She had never been this hesitant—back then. "They're coming for you, Lauren."

Lauren made an exasperated noise through her nose. "They? Be a little more vague next time. Who are they?" she asked.

Storm copied the noise unintentionally. "Don't be ridiculous, Lauren," she said impatiently. "You know the only people who would come after you. The supervillains. They have control of Haven, and now they want to eliminate United. That means you, Lauren."

"I think I'm aware of the fact that United relies on me," Lauren retorted. "It comes as no surprise to me. And as for the villains coming after me, why should I believe you? You married one of them."

"Art is not a villain," Storm snapped back. "He turned over a new leaf. He changed for me, Lauren!"

"Nobody ever really changes," Lauren said. "Especially not him. We used to be friends, Storm. I was stupid to let you back in here." She stood up abruptly, rubbing her face with a low groan.

"No, no," Storm said, likewise standing. "You need to believe me. You need to know that I came here because we're friends! Can't you remember the good times we shared?"

Lauren turned her back to Storm, looking out over the city from her window. "No," she said softly. "I can't. You betrayed me by marrying that man. That criminal. We are not friends any longer. I must ask you to leave, before I have you thrown out. And I can guarantee that neither of us will enjoy that."

Storm squared her shoulders, a stubborn expression coming over her face. "You won't have me thrown out," she answered. "I know you won't. Because you know, deep down inside, that I'm right. If you throw me out, then you'll get captured or worse—they'll kill you. No matter what you think of me, that's not a fate I want for you. Can't you understand that?"

"Unless, of course, you're simply laying this trap for me," Lauren shot back. "We're enemies, Storm. I aim for the end of all supers, and that includes you, if you hadn't noticed. If that isn't enough reason for you to want to have me captured and removed from power, I don't know what is."

"Oh, for heaven's sakes," Storm said, exasperated. "I'm not trying to kidnap you, you idiot! I'm trying to help you! Can't you move past your sick prejudice and see that? Please!"

Lauren, however, shook her head, her straight raven hair swimming around her. "I'm sorry, Storm," she said stiffly. "But I don't believe you. If you really cared about me, you never would have married Arthur after what he did to me. Now leave, before I call for security."

Storm went to respond, when her phone rang. Both women looked up, surprised, and Storm swiftly dug it out of her pocket and answered it. "What?" she said.

A garbled voice from the other end made Storm's face go white. "When?" she asked urgently. More from the other line, and she added, "Are you sure?"

Lauren watched, raising her eyebrows in a disinterested way. No doubt Storm would claim that villains were right around the corner to cart Lauren off to an uncertain fate. Nothing but a ploy to kidnap her, she was sure of it. The villains would never dare to attack United's headquarters; they were too well defended.

Storm hung up and turned to Lauren. Before she could speak, Lauren interrupted her. "Let me guess," she said. "They're five minutes away and coming to get me."

An irritated look came over Storm's face. "Be rational, Lauren," she said, which meant that Lauren was right. As usual. "I wouldn't kidnap you, you know that."

"Apparently I don't," Lauren answered. She pointed. "There's the door. Don't let it hit you on the way out."

Storm sighed. "I don't want this ...," she told her.

"It makes little difference to me."

Storm shook her head. "You misunderstand me. We're leaving, together, whether you like it or not."

Lauren tensed, her hand shooting towards the "alert" button on her desk. A plant lashed out of the ground and wrapped around her wrist, holding it in place. "I knew it!" she growled, jerking at her wrist.

"You were mistaken," Storm answered calmly. "I really didn't want this. But you forced my hand. I can't let the villains have you, so you're coming with me."

"Unhand my—um—hand, this instant!" Lauren snarled, losing control of her normal air of calm.

"Alright," Storm said, snapping her fingers. Immediately, more plants sprang up around Lauren, pinning her arms to her sides and her legs together, toppling her to the ground. The plant retreated from around her wrist, though.

"This is unbelievable!" Lauren yelled. "Let me go!"

"And a gag," Storm added, as if as an afterthought, and a plant wrapped around Lauren's mouth. Storm came around the desk and knelt beside the wriggling head of United. "You forced my hand, Lauren. I would only have done this to protect you."

Lauren spat curses at Storm that were unfortunately rendered ineffective by the gag. The woman wasn't paying attention anyway. She went to Lauren's desk and pulled a marble bust of some old guy Lauren didn't even care about off it, hurling it at the window. The glass shattered, raining down on the pavement three stories below.

That halted Lauren's cursing, and she turned her wide and admittedly terrified eyes on Storm. The super was unimpressed by her fear. "Really, did you think I'd walk out the front door with you?" she said irritably, grabbing the plants and lifting Lauren off the ground. "I'm surprised at you, my old friend."

The indignity of the whole situation made Lauren splutter through her plant gag. If she could have spoken, her curses would have been enough to make her sound like a truck driver. As it was, they were choked off and she could only settle for furious mutterings.

The mutterings turned into a choked scream as Storm jumped out the window, three stories above the ground.

. . . . . . . . . .

"You have got to be kidding me!" Art yelled out suddenly, startling the three teenagers out of their dozing. He floored the gas and the van shot away from the curb, towards the United building.

"What's happening?" Ivy demanded angrily, rubbing her neck where it had snapped forward at the abrupt acceleration.

Art stopped muttering under his breath and risked a glance back at them. "My lovely, insane wife just jumped out the window with the head of United!" he said as they sped down the street.

Only seconds later, Art jammed on the brakes, once more sending his passengers careening forward in their seats. A vine had taken both Storm and Lauren Bradley safely to the ground, though when Art opened the door, he noticed that Lauren was completely tied up with plants. "Stormy, my dear," Art said tentatively. "Did you kidnap her?"

"Better us than the villains," Storm said, bodily tossing Lauren into the back of the van. The girl must have seriously annoyed Storm, judging from her red face and pursed lips. "Let's go. How far off are they?"

"Two minutes now," Art answered, not sure if he was impressed or scared at what Storm had done. "Guess we'd better get going, or they're going to get her anyways."

Brick was watching Lauren with a mixture of awe and surprise. "She doesn't look too happy," he commented.

"I kidnapped her," Storm replied aloofly. "She's not going to be for a while. But at least she'll be alive and relatively free. Step on it, Arthur."

Art finally woke himself up enough to drive off. Storm relinquished somewhat by removing the practical cocoon of plants from around Lauren, though she kept the girl's wrists and ankles tied together. After being warned that any foul language would result in getting gagged again, Lauren simply sat there sulkily.

Brick stared at her. "You're the leader of United?" he asked curiously.

Lauren glared back. "Yes," she snapped.

"Be nice," Storm warned her, and Art got the impression that she was enjoying herself. Friends with Lauren or not, Storm's patience ran out quickly.

Lauren curled her lip in annoyance but said nothing. Art kept driving, deciding that now would be a very good time to keep his mouth shut. He didn't exactly approve of the idea of kidnapping Lauren, especially since it now made them targets of both United and the villains. "I don't suppose you'd consider releasing Phoenix and Delphi," Art said tentatively.

"You're right about that," Lauren answered coolly. "In fact, you may very well have signed their death warrants. My second-in-command, Christopher, wanted to have them both executed. I was the only thing between him and them. And guess who's in charge now?"

Dead quiet fell over the van. It was broken only by Art's indignant comment to his wife. "Storm!"

"How was I supposed to know?" Storm defended herself. "But we can't exactly take her back now. Look!" She jerked her thumb behind them, at two black cars speeding towards them. "Villains."

"Oh, great," Art said. "They know we've got Bradley. Maybe we should just throw her to them."

"That's just the kind of reasoning I'd expect from a criminal like you," Lauren growled, though her face paled significantly.

Art gripped the steering wheel so hard, his knuckles whitened. "The idea's becoming more and more tempting ..."

"Seriously, can we argue about this later?" Ivy interrupted, the only one of the three teenagers brave enough to talk back to Art. "They've got guns!"

As if to prove her point, bullets ripped through the space between the vehicles and slammed into the forcefield around the van. Still, Brick instinctively covered his head. "Where are we going?" he howled.

"Back to United," Lauren said insistently.

"Not on your life!" Art yelled back, jerking on the wheel and nearly cutting a corner too sharply. "And if you don't stop complaining, I'll have Storm gag you again!"

"You can't keep me prisoner for the rest of my life!" Lauren shouted at him.

"Would you stop yelling at me?" Art yelled. "I'm getting tired of you!"

"I'm getting tired of both of you!" Storm interrupted angrily. "If you don't stop talking, I'm going to gag you both!"

"Umm, guys?" Silence said tentatively.

"You started it by kidnapping the little idiot!" Art shot back.

"You asked me to take the gag off her!"

Art sighed. "I was getting annoyed with her constant muttering and slurring," he said.

"If you don't listen to me, I'm going to hit the mute button on all of you!" Silence yelled. "It's Sampson!"

Quiet fell over the vehicle as Art swung around and watched the big man ... who proceeded to grow even taller. "Oh gee," he said.

And taller. "Oh," Storm said.

And taller. "I'm going to kill you all!" Lauren cried, panicking.

Sampson was over twenty feet tall. Art had kind of been hoping they wouldn't send him after them, but his hopes were in vain. Things couldn't get much worse, he thought desperately as he floored the gas again.

Things got worse when Sampson reached down and picked up the van in his hand. "Surrender Lauren Bradley and you can go free," he rumbled to them.

Lauren passed out.