Picture: Moonlight -- Daybreak by Dreamin-8-bit

Insomnia

Rogue knew something was wrong the moment he heard Echo scream. He grabbed his sword and ran as fast as he could to Tristam's blanket tent. "Noise! We have a problem!" he shouted. 

Noise was there in a split second, racing with him to the danger. They threw open the tent flap and immediately staggered back, the wave of heat surprising them. Rogue could barely see through the purple flames, but he finally saw the glimmer of Tristam's glasses and dove into the flames. He pulled his friend away from Echo, who was laying unconscious on the floor, and Noise carefully picked the boy up before he got hurt again. 

"Tris - wake up, Tristam!" Rogue shouted, shaking the leader of the Raiders. His flame filled eyes just stared back at him, full of fury. He fought back, the fire in his hands growing brighter, and Rogue threw him down onto his back, holding his sword out. "Noise, go get Fij. He can wake him up."

"But Echo - "

"He can wait. Go get Fij!"

Noise took off as Rogue tried to keep Tristam back, but the leader was slowly pushing forward. Tristam's hungry eyes darted back to Echo, laying unconscious behind him, and Rogue moved a little closer, determined to protect the boy they'd dragged into this mess. 

"Tristam, it's me," he said. "Wake up. I'm not the enemy. I'm your friend. Your second in command."

"I will watch you burn," Tristam whispered in his crackling voice. 

Fij came up behind Rogue and gently tapped him. "Ready?" he asked, and Rogue nodded. 

The healer carefully took Tristam's arm as the crazed Raider lunged for them, and a squeeze was all that was needed to wake him up. Tristam jolted again, stumbling as he tried to regain his balance. The fire extinguished quickly, vanishing and leaving only the burns and the slight smell of smoke behind.

"What ...?" Tristam whispered, trying to clear his throat. "What happened?" He glanced around and his expression fell. "I was asleep again, wasn't I?"

Rogue nodded. "We have to help you soon. If we don't get this taken care of ... "

"I'll burn the whole world," the other said. "That's what it wants, anyway. To watch the world burn."

"The fire keeps you alive, and yet that monster inside of you is using it to destroy the world. Perfect," Noise grumbled sarcastically.

Tristam glanced back behind Rogue and noticed Echo crumpled on the ground. At first, Rogue almost thought he wasn't breathing, but then he noticed the sight rise and fall of the  boy's chest and sighed in relief.

"I didn't kill him, did I?" Tristam asked softly.

Fij shook his head. "But you did do this." He gently turned Echo over and tipped his head up, revealing a massive, blistering burn on his neck. "A pretty bad second degree burn. I'll have to keep him for a couple days, just to make sure it's not worse than I thought."

"But he's alive?"

"Yes, he's alive."

"Good." Tristam turned back to Rogue.  "I need you to talk to me until the drowsiness wears off."

"That's not going to happen, Tristam. You know that. You're always exhausted," Rogue said gently.

"Friend to friend. Just a normal conversation. It'll be fine."

"Tristam, it's never fine. It never has been."

"Well, then do something!" Tristam shouted. "Do something to keep me awake so I don't kill the one person who can save me! It knows the kid's my only chance. If I fall asleep again, I'll go straight for him and there'll be NO STOPPING ME!"

"Calm down - "

"Calm down?" Tristam laughed, sounding crazy. "You might as well lock me in a box!"

"That's not a bad idea," Noise mutters. "Maybe you'd get some sleep that way."

"Don't you dare!" the leader snapped. "You lock me in a box and I'll burn your head off."

Echo suddenly snapped up, fully awake. His hand flew to his neck and he yelped in pain as he touched his burn. His frantic eyes flickered to Tristam and he scrambled backward with a gasp of fear. "You - you were ..." He swallowed nervously. "... on fire."

"I have to talk to you, before that happens again," Tristam said.

"No!" Echo cried. "No, I'm getting out of here!"

"Fij, hold him." The Raider snapped his fingers and Fij reluctantly grabbed the smaller boy's wrist, keeping him in place. "Listen, if you don't help me, I'll burn the entire northern hemisphere."

"Please, just let me go!"

"Braken, come here," Tristam ordered, and from across the camp, Braken's head snapped up like a robot. He scampered over and eagerly awaited instruction.

Rogue stepped back nervously. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Braken is ... a loose cannon." He glanced at the small Raider and subconsciously touched the stud in his ear.

"If we don't do something now, I'll never find help! How many other kids have just wandered into the city?" Tristam demanded.

"Tristam, you're not thinking clearly. Let's talk, just like you want," Rogue said, trying to gently talk him out of his decision.

"This is what I want. Braken, go find WRLD. You know what to do. Get it and then come back. Got it?"

Braken nodded and smiled morbidly, and Rogue shivered, hating how Braken could switch from a cheerful kid to a terrifying hunter. A second later, he caught sight of WRLD from across the camp and raced after him, tripping a few times because of his limp. Rogue remembered how he'd gotten it, and glanced at Tristam. The leader's expression was grim. He knew exactly what he was doing. Rogue thought that maybe Tristam even knew that what he was doing was wrong, but he didn't seem to care. He was perfectly comfortable with his decision.

"What's going on?" Echo cried. "I want to go home!"

"You don't have a home, kid," Tristam snapped. "We all lost our homes seven years ago. It's time you grew up. This is your home now, whether you like it or not."

"Just tell me why you're all weird and how you were on fire ... " Echo took a deep, shaking breath, and Rogue realized that he was trying to control his frightened emotions. "If you're going to kidnap me, please tell me what's going on. I'm scared of you, Tristam, and ... "

He let his voice trail off as he watched Braken chase after WRLD. Even with his limp, the smaller boy was fast and he quickly caught up. Braken tackled him and they went down hard, WRLD fighting him with everything he had. Rogue was suddenly glad that he'd never felt Braken's ability. It looked like it hurt. WRLD let out a loud gasp of pain as Braken grabbed the back of his neck, squeezing tighter until WRLD went limp for a moment.

"What's going on?" Echo whispered.

"You were right when you asked if we all had powers," Tristam said, keeping his eyes forward. "We're all products of the apocalypse." He quickly glanced at Rogue. "Well, most of us. Me - I control the flames, as you've probably already guessed. Noise has excellent hearing. You'll never whisper a secret without him knowing it. He can also echolocate, which sounds strange, but it's been useful on many occasions."

Braken started back toward them, his limp and his smug expression making him seem a lot creepier. He left WRLD collapsed on the ground, rubbing the back of his neck and grimacing. Nitro ran toward his friend and knelt next to him, helping him stand back up.

"Nitro has electricity, like you noticed earlier," Tristam said. "He's like a walking battery. WRLD can manipulate gravity's influence on himself and the others around him. Fij can bring relief - one touch and the pain will momentarily fade to nothing, emotionally and physically. He's like a drug. Once is enough to get you hooked."

"And ... and Braken?" Echo whispered.

Tristam smiled. "I guess you'll have to see."

By then, Braken had reached them and was waiting expectantly.

"Alright, Echo. Listen up," the leader said, his voice no longer calm and persuasive. "You need help. It's obvious. I need help, too. You're going to help me, and I'll help you. Deal?"

The outsider glanced between Rogue, Tristam, and Braken, his eyes terrified and indecisive. "I ... I can't. I'm sorry," he said.

Tristam's expression hardened. "I guess we'll have to do this the hard way. Braken, do you know what acrophobia is?"

Echo's face went pale. Braken shook his head.

"Let's find out. Take Echo up to that pole up there, on that board, and stay with him for five minutes, and then tell me what you think acrophobia is."

Braken smiled again, wrapped his arms around Echo's waist and chest, and said, "Hold tight." He ran a step and sprang into the air, defying gravity as he leapt high over everyone's heads and hit the bleachers up above them. Echo screamed in pure terror and held tightly to the Raider's wrist, and when they reached the top pole, he didn't let go.

"I'm sorry!" Rogue heard him scream. "Please let me down! I'll help you! I'll do anything you want! Braken, put me down, please!"

He was crying.

Rogue watched for a moment and then turned to Tristam. "You can't do this to him. You already almost killed him."

"I'm not losing the only chance I have, Rogue. I can't live like this anymore," he said grimly. "I'm sorry. I have to do this."

"How come the rest of you seem to be okay with it?" Rogue demanded, staring down Noise and Fij. Fij wouldn't meet his eyes. Noise glared right back at him. "We're torturing an innocent boy who has every right to refuse our offer. Why do you think this is okay?"

"Sometimes, you have to do bad things for a good reason," Fij said softly. "I don't think this is right, but what else can we do? Tristam is right. His condition is only getting worse, and if we don't treat it soon, I'm afraid there won't be much left to worry about."

"I can't believe this." Rogue turned back to Tristam and adjusted his helmet, more because of an angry habit than a need. "He's not going to work his hardest if we force him into it, you know. He won't care, because he doesn't have any loyalty. He's helping only so you don't stick him up there again."

"Here he comes." Tristam kept his eyes on Braken and Echo as they dropped back down to the ground.

Echo pushed away from the Raider, but immediately collapsed, his knees too weak to support him. His breathing was fast and shallow, his face was pale, and his eyes were frantic and unfocused.

"So," Tristam said, "what do you think acrophobia is?"

"Intense fear of heights," Braken said matter-of-factly.

"Good." Tristam held out his hand to help Echo stand up, but the smaller boy just curled up with his arms over his head. "Are you ready to help us now?"

"Give him a second," Rogue snapped. "He's barely breathing."

"Braken, I need to talk to you for a moment," Tristam ordered. The two of them vanished into the blanket tent and Rogue could barely hear them talking. He glanced over and knew that Noise heard everything clearly. His expression didn't change much, but Rogue noticed his eyebrow raise in surprise and a little amusement. Finally, they emerged again. "Listen, Echo," Tristam said. "I know you're looking for someone willing to help you find your sister."

Echo scrambled to his feet and took off across the camp, the terror written plainly on his face.

"Braken, go get him," Tristam ordered. A moment later, he dragged Echo back and held him tightly in place while the leader talked. Rogue forced himself to watch without moving to interfere. "I'm willing to help," Tristam said. "You help me get the cure, I'll help you rescue your sister from those men. Our mission should only take a few days."

"She might not have a few days," Echo cried.

Tristam smiled coldly. "Neither do I." He regarded him carefully. "So is it a yes or a no?"

"Alright, fine! I'll help you! I'll help you ... "

"Good. Braken, you may release him. You're dismissed."

"Tristam - " Rogue reached for his arm as the leader turned to walk away, but Tristam just cut him off by roughly deflecting the concerned gesture. Rogue watched as he entered his tent in solitude, heartbroken that his friend had been reduced to this.

Braken let go of Echo's shoulders and the outsider dropped to his knees again, covering his face with his hands. He mumbled something under his breath and Noise frowned.

"What'd he say?" Rogue asked softly.

"'I've failed you,'" Noise repeated. "'Oh, Alyssa, what am I going to do?'"