Picture: Yet another Karma by KarmaMoonshadow

Who We Are

"Can you shut this kid up before I murder him?" Noise growled as Echo continued to scream. 

"Put me down and let me go! I promise I'll never come back!" he wailed. "I DON'T WANT TO JOIN YOUR STUPID RAIDERS!"

"Hey, it'll be fine," Puppet said, awkwardly patting him on his head. "You'll like the Raiders. You'll like Nitro Fun. You remind me of him."

Echo never stopped struggling, but he started to tire out and his efforts became weak and pointless. They traveled through the streets until dark, and then they reached a large, open roof building that was probably a sports field or some sort of enormous amphitheater. He looked up at the massive structure and swallowed nervously. "You guys live in there?"

"You'd better believe it," Puppet said cheerfully.

Rogue went up to a little window and tapped the glass. He leaned in close and whispered some sort of a password. After a moment, the door opened and he lead them inside. The field was covered in tents and pavilions, with lots of folding tables and camping chairs. There were people everywhere, and everyone seemed to have their place. 

Almost immediately, someone came up to them, and everyone quickly got out of the way, as if he held some sort of authority. Echo quickly analyzed him, noticing that he was wearing a black coat and a purple t-shirt underneath, and that the t-shirt had some sort of dripping swirl printed on it. He had jet black hair and triangle glasses, and his exhausted eyes were neither friendly nor cold. "This him?" he said softly.

"Yes. This is Echo," Rogue answered.

"Perfect. Thank you, Noise, Puppet. Release him and go tell the others to stay ... normal. No screwing around."

Stay normal? Echo thought, his heart racing in fear. What the heck is going on here?

"My name is Tristam," the new one said. "I'm the leader, and I believe you can help me." He smiled kindly, but Echo didn't trust him at all.

"I'm not helping you," he snapped. "You're going to let me go and I'm going to get out of here and you'll never see me again."

Tristam's eyes flashed with anger, but it was quickly concealed. "Perhaps you need a little more persuasion."

Echo felt his face pale. Alyssa had told him about this before. Torture. "You're going to torture me?"

The Raider snorted. "No. We're not that kind of pack. Come walk with me. Rogue, you're dismissed." 

The other nodded and left without protest. Echo watched him go, almost wishing he'd come back so that he didn't have to walk alone with this stranger.

"This is the Raiders," Tristam said, motioning to the camp. "We stockpile food, water, weapons, clothes, medical supplies, and anything else we may need. We try to live as comfortably as possible, making the best of our situation."

"You're called the Raiders? Why?"

Tristam smiled a little. "Because we raid, of course. We've raided this city to nothing, and we know all of its secrets. There's a pipe somewhere, a pipe that still carries running water. I'd tell you," he added, catching Echo's hungry glance, "but then our secret would be out. You'd have to join us first." Echo huffed, but stayed quiet. "We also raid the other pack, the Alphas. I heard you got in a fight with two of them today, yeah?"

"Yeah," the smaller boy mumbled, rubbing his face. Somewhere along the journey, his nose had stopped bleeding, but he hadn't been able to clean it up. He could already feel the massive bruise on the side of his face. 

"Incoming!" someone shouted, and Echo looked up to see another boy, about seventeen or eighteen, seem to fall from the sky. He grabbed onto a clothes line, then a pole, and seemed to monkey-bar his way down to the ground. He slipped when he was about fifteen feet from the dirt, and fell down to the ground. Just before he hit, Echo swore he saw him slow his fall and even hover for a second, before he tucked and rolled back to his feet. "Hey, is this Echo?" he said.

"You were floating," he blurted. 

"Of course I wa ... " The other boy caught Tristam's glare and corrected himself. " ...sn't. Humans don't fly. Float. That's crazy. Yeah."

Tristam sighed loudly and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Anyway, I'm WRLD," the guy said, holding out his hand. Echo was tired of shaking Raiders' hands, like they were going to be working together for a while. "W-R-L-D. That's how you spell it. Oh, watch out."

Echo started to turn, but something shocked the small of his back, like some sort of electric jolt, and made him jump and shriek. He hadn't felt or seen electricity in a long time. 

"Hello, WRLD. Thanks for ruining my surprise," yet another kid grumbled. This one was wearing a white shirt, but it was stained in black smoke and oil. He had bandages covering his arms and face. "I'm Nitro Fun. Call me Nitro. I work the fun stuff and rig traps and ... " He let his voice trail off, catching another glare from Tristam. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Anyway ... I'm the youngest here. Fifteen. Well, Grant's my age, but I don't like him."

"The feeling's mutual!" someone shouted from across the camp.

"Why don't you two go find something to do?" Tristam hissed through gritted teeth. "I'm working here."

"Right," Nitro said, drawing the word out almost sarcastically. 

"Hey, Echo, you look like you got in a fight - you've only been here for ten minutes," WRLD said. "Did you - it was Noise, wasn't it?"

"Actually - " Echo started.

"He ran into some Alphas before we found him," Tristam said. "They almost killed him."

"Well, that's not - "

"Lucky for him, Rogue and his recruiters found him before that happened."

"Wow, that's almost worse than my story," Nitro said jokingly.

"What's your story?" Echo asked.

Nitro and WRLD exchanged a glance. "I'll uh ... tell you later," the younger one said. They ran off after that, to rig some more traps for the Alphas. 

Echo waited for a moment, and then whirled on Tristam. "Okay, what's going on?" he demanded. 

"What do you mean?" He gave him a sideways glance.

"Something weird is going on. Everyone's being so secretive about being 'normal' and backstories and WRLD was floating and Nitro shocked me ... " Echo paused. "What in the heck is going on?"

Tristam stayed staring ahead for a minute. "Come with me," he finally said. They walked through the camp, taking their time, but he didn't speak again until they reached a small room in the back of the field, closed off mostly by blankets and sheets. He held the blanket entrance open and waved Echo inside, waiting until the younger boy entered, but then they both hesitated. The dark room was covered in pillows and a couple camp chairs, with a table in the corner covered in papers. The whole room was covered in scorch marks. "This is where I stay," Tristam said softly.

"Why is it all burnt?" Echo asked.

Tristam sat down on one of the pillows and sighed. "You have to promise to listen to everything I say and keep it a secret, because if you tell anyone, I will personally cut out your tongue and feed it to you, got it?"

Echo swallowed nervously and nodded.

"Okay, I need your help."

"My help? With what?"

"I have a problem," he started. "I don't sleep at night, because if I do, I'm thrown into a world of nightmares - my problem is that they aren't just dreams. I wake up in the morning and I find ... " He gestured to the room. " ... this."

"This happens?"

"Not on its own." Tristam sighed again and held out his palm. "I make it happen." He looked as though he was going to show him something, but before he could, Noisestorm burst through the blankets. 

He paused when he saw them, and then said, "Tristam, we've got a problem. Karma's out of control."

Tristam immediately climbed to his feet and started out of the tent. "Echo, you stay here. It's safer."

"Is Karma an Alpha?" he asked.

"No. Karma's an android. Used to be an AI in a computer."

"AI?"

"Artificial Intelligence. I thought I told you to stay in the tent?"

"I'm curious," Echo said. He was also afraid, but he didn't mention that. His eyes scanned the massive camp and landed on two people - one was covered in metal plates and had grey blue hair, and the other was smaller with chocolate brown hair, wearing a black hoodie and a long, green scarf. Currently, the smaller one was on top of the metal one as they wrestled.

"Nitro Fun, I told you to fix it!" Tristam shouted.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Nitro yelled, sprinting toward them with WRLD hot on his heels.

The metal one - the android - kicked the smaller boy off of him and rolled to its feet, but before it could attack him, Nitro tackled it from behind and grabbed its neck. It jolted and lurched for a second, and then its electric blue eyes faded to black and it crumpled to the ground. Together Nitro and WRLD dragged the android away to a corner of the amphitheater, to what looked like a mechanic's shop.

Echo watched them for a second and then turned back to Tristam. "I thought there hasn't been electricity for years. Did you find some ... batteries or something?"

"Not exactly ... " Tristam thought for a minute. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Are you finally going to tell me what's going on?" Echo demanded.

"I need to talk to Noise for a few minutes. Talk to Braken until then."

"Who's - "

The brown haired boy tapped his shoulder and he spun around in panic. "That's me. I'm Braken." The Raider looked up expectantly at Tristam. "You called my name?"

"Yes. Just keep Echo occupied until I come and get him, okay?"

"Okay," Braken said cheerfully. "Hullo. My name's Braken. I think I'm fifteen, but I'm not sure. I might be sixteen ... " His voice trailed off as he thought, and Echo noticed that it was higher than most boys'. He also noticed that Braken had a massive, jagged scar down his face, over his right eye. "Or seventeen ... I don't actually know. How old are you? Where did you come from?"

Echo glanced at Tristam, but he'd already walked away. "Fifteen. The next city to the north."

"Not far. That's good." Braken pulled him along as he started walking. "You hungry? I'm starving."

"I guess I am, a little." Echo's stomach growled loudly. He hadn't eaten for nearly two days.

"Okay. Over here. Laura makes the best food."

"What is it?"

"I don't know. But it tastes good. Especially if you haven't eaten for two days."

Echo gave him a suspicious look. "How'd you know that?"

"Guessed," Braken said - lied. It was obvious he wasn't telling the truth.

Echo tried to ignore that as they walked, and noticed that the Raider had a heavy limp. "Are you okay? Did Karma hurt you?"

"What, this? Nah. I'm fine. I think I got it a year ago."

"You think?"

"Funny story." Braken chuckled nervously and adjusted his scarf. "I don't actually remember. I can remember what happened a year and a half ago, but then it suddenly stops. My memory, I mean. A year and a half ago all the way until six months ago. That entire year is gone." He dropped his eyes down to the ground. "I asked everyone what happened, and they told me that it was a normal year, nothing special, and they told me that my limp must've been an accident. I also got this scar, and I know this wasn't an accident." He touched his scarf, but didn't move it to reveal anything. "If anything, they're more secretive when I ask about this. It's frustrating."

Echo noticed Braken's hands clenched into fists and how tense his shoulders had suddenly become. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

"It's fine. There's nothing you can do, anyway. Hey, there's Laura," Braken said, changing the subject and returning to that cheerfulness, only this time, it was obviously fake. "Hey, Laura."

She glanced at him as they came up to the little stand and shivered, putting on a smile. "Hello, Braken. And you must be Echo. Need something to eat? You look starving."

"Yeah, thanks." Echo took the bowl of what looked like some sort of chili or bean stew and glanced at Braken.

"Eat it before I do," he said.

Echo put a spoonful of the chili into his mouth and his eyes widened in surprise. "Wow. That's good."

"Thanks," Laura said sweetly.

She handed Braken a second bowl, but it was notably smaller than Echo's. The other boy didn't seem to care and almost inhaled the food.

Laura waited until Echo had finished, and then said, "Why don't you guys go see what Puppet's doing? He's always getting into trouble." It was almost like she was desperate to get rid of them. 

"Okay. Come on, Echo." Braken pulled him off of his seat and across the camp again. Finally, he let go of his arm and continued walking, talking non-stop.

Echo slowed and let himself fall a little behind. Someone tapped his shoulder again and he turned around to see WRLD there.

"Hey," the Raider said. "I wouldn't talk to him if I were you. Not for long, anyway."

"Why not?" Echo looked after him. "He seems kind of lonely."

"Rightly so. The longer he looks at you, the more he knows about you. All your secrets, your weaknesses. Everything. Unless, of course, you have one of these." WRLD gently touched a little stud earring he was wearing. "I'll go see if Nitro has an extra one. Come on, we'd better get you away from him before he spills everything about you."

"How would he figure that out? It's not like he can read my mind." He caught the nervous look WRLD gave him and dropped his voice lower. "Can he?"

"Hey, WRLD," Braken said, suddenly right behind them. "I have to watch Echo. Tristam told me to."

"Well, then we'd better obey the mighty Tristam, huh?" the other said sarcastically.

Braken's expression darkened, just slightly. "Well, he's the leader, isn't he? And he told me to, so I'd better do it."

"You're like his pet, Braken. He uses you, you know. You follow him around everywhere. You're not that special."

"Better than you. At least he can trust me. Echo can trust me, at least until he gets his sister back," Braken snapped, and then his hand slapped across his mouth and his eyes went wide.

"How do you know about her?" Echo demanded, his voice low and threatening.

"You did it again, didn't you?" WRLD said softly.

"I'm sorry," Braken whispered.

"How do you know about her?" Echo repeated, louder this time. He grabbed the other's shoulders and squeezed him hard. "Tell me, Braken. How do you know about her?"

"I'm sorry, alright?" Braken cried. "I didn't mean to do it, but when you don't have an earring and I just keep talking and talking ... I can't help it!"

"What the heck is going on here?" Echo shouted, releasing Braken's arms. "Nobody will tell me why everyone's being so secretive and yet everyone wants me to stay and act like I belong with you guys. Someone had better tell me what's going on or I'm walking right out of here!"

"It's a good thing Tristam wants you back, then, isn't it?" Noise said softly behind them. He put his hand firmly on the smaller boy's shoulder and lead him away from the other two. Echo glanced back at them, his heart pounding hard in his chest, and then forced himself to walk forward, keeping up with Noise.

They made their way back to the blanket room where Tristam stayed. Echo felt uncomfortable with everyone's eyes on him. Every time they walked past someone, they stared at him for a good ten seconds before turning away. Noise opened the blanket door and gently pushed him inside, closing the flap and staying outside.

"Echo, like I told you already, I need your help," Tristam said. "Please, just take a minute and listen to me."

"No, you listen to me. Tell me what's going on. Braken can read my mind, I'm sure of it. Laura's cautious around him and WRLD told me to stay away. There's no electricity, and yet Karma is an android. Tell me what's going on," Echo demanded. "Do you guys have powers or something?"

"You're a smart kid," Tristam said. "If I tell you what's going on, then will you help me?"

Echo hesitated. "You're blackmailing me."

"No, I'm forcefully persuading you." Tristam smiled smugly. "Blackmail is when I threaten to tell secrets or hurt someone."

"Okay, tell me what you need help with. If I decide to try to help, you'll tell me what's going on, deal?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to leave details out of the story, but I suppose I can work with that." Tristam patted the pillow next to him. "Sit down. I already told you about the nightmares, correct?"

"Yeah," Echo said, sitting cautiously. "You didn't explain the scorch marks."

"I'll have to skip that part. Just know that terrible things happen when I fall asleep." Tristam shifted to sit cross-legged. "There's something that can cure that. Yes, it's some sort of a disease, I'm sure of it. It's in a huge facility about twenty miles from here. We've tried to get in before, and we sent in three people. One person returned, near fatally wounded, and he had Karma Fields' consciousness with him, as well as Braken. Braken was a wreck and it took him weeks to return back to normal, and even then ..."

"So you're asking me to go on a suicide mission?"

"No. There's one way in. It's small and cramped, but you'll make it. You're small enough. That's why we need you." Echo noticed that the Raider swayed a little as he spoke, his eyes unfocused.

"Why not send Nitro?" Echo asked. "He's small."

"He's terribly claustrophobic. Sending him in there would kill him."

"I have acrophobia."

"Pardon?"

Echo rubbed his arm nervously. "Acrophobia. Fear of heights."

"Terribly sorry to hear it. It's not that high up ... don't ... worry." Tristam slowly slumped over and then jerked back up. "Not now ... " he muttered. "Echo, get out ... get out of here. Get ... Noise and Rogue. Hurry."

Echo hesitated a second.

"Hurry ... before I ... fall ... " The Raider jerked upright again, but then the exhaustion was too much for his sleep-deprived body, and he stayed slumped over, his breathing slowly growing faster and pained.

Echo sat there, confused and a little afraid, and then Tristam suddenly snapped up, his eyes wide open. They were glossed over, however, and filled with purple fire. He slowly stood up, his burning eyes never leaving Echo's, and held out his hand. He held something in his palm, and it took Echo a second to realize what it was.

Purple fire. The same fire that was in his eyes. Tristam watched him, his movements fast and jerky, and then a slow smile spread across his face. "Got you," he whispered, his voice sounding distorted, cracked, and full of agony.

Echo scrambled to his feet and started to back up, out of the tent. Tristam watched, and just before he reached the blanket flap, the Raider lunged at him, snarling like a wild animal. Echo screamed and tried to run, but Tristam crashed into him and pinned him on the ground, one hand covering his mouth as he screamed and the other one grasping his neck, still burning with that purple fire, burning his flesh until he was not only screaming, but he was sobbing, too, begging someone to save him.

Tristam stayed on top of him, burning his neck with his fiery hand and slowly choking him. "I will watch you burn," he whispered, that crazy smile still lighting his eyes.

This is what he meant by needing help.

Echo finally managed to kick him off and stumbled to his feet, but before he could do anything, Tristam lunged at him again, the purple fire seeming to envelop the entire tent, filling it tightly until those crazy eyes were the only things he could see.