Athira followed Drale to his den with one hand wrapped in Black.

They took a route no doubt designed to be confusing with the amount of false dead ends it held, but Athira felt nothing but the cool anger washing her mind. Walls couldn't hold her.

The den was a reasonably sized room covered in mattresses and blankets. There was no order to it, no organisation--not that she could see, anyway. The five or so kids in the room with them all seemed to know their place. Some had more than others, but everything seemed relatively clean, even if the quality varied.

Drale sat them down on two mattresses in the corner.

"These two and the blankets on them are yours," he said quietly. "I suggest keeping your noses down. Don't interfere with anything unless someone tries to take something from you. If they do, fight back. If you aren't capable of that, give up on the Felicity thing right now because you don't stand a chance."

Athira eyed him. "And where are you going?"

"If you want this thing done tomorrow, I have places to be."

"Just remember what I said about selling us out."

Drale snorted. "Yea. I know. You think I'm going to waste a chance to out Felicity? I'll be back later. I suggest you get some rest. Food comes down later if you have Colour to afford it, but I suggest you keep it close."

Athira didn't bother replying to that one. Zoe's soft thank you followed Drale out of the room as she curled her knees up to her chest and looked out through her fringe that looked almost white in the dim lighting.

"Something doesn't feel right," muttered Raph, leaning against the wall beside Zoe. "I don't know if we should be here."

Athira stared down one of the kids whispering to his friend, looking at them like he'd just spotted a filled vessel lying on the street. The kid looked away. "You shouldn't. I can get you out and come back later--"

"No, Thira," said Zoe, reaching out to pull Athira beside her. "We're doing this together or not at all."

"I'm starting to think that's a bad idea," said Athira, the image of Miela on screen playing behind her eyes. "Felicity isn't playing around anymore. She will hurt you to get to me."

Immediately, she hated herself for being so careless as Raph's face contracted in almost physical pain. "Mum's in trouble, isn't she? Not like we were, but..."

Athira couldn't lie to him. "Yes, Raph. They've... they've hurt her."

Raph went silent, the only sound Zoe's shaky breath.

Athira just felt numb. She wondered if that memory was gone now, too. There was anger at Raph's tears, at Zoe's fear, but for Miela? She tried to muster something--anything, even that searing anger that blinded her to everything else and came up with nothing.

The monster was silent, but she knew it was waiting. Unlike the previous times, it hadn't fallen back to the pit of fire where it came from. She could feel its claws rending the dirt of her mindscape as it prowled, waiting for its next chance.

"How bad?" said Raph at last. Athira hesitated. He placed a hand on her wrist, his grip urgent. "Thira, I need to know. I don't want to find out another way."

Somehow, Athira made her lips move, her voice speak. "They had her tied up, blindfolded. Showed me on a screen, said that they'd do to her whatever I did to Felicity."

She heard the dread in Raph's words. "And what did you do?"

"I grabbed her by the neck." The guilt of it settled on her. She'd been told. Felicity had warned her, and she'd done it anyway, heedless of the consequences. "I wanted to... I don't know what I wanted to do, but Felicity tapped the screen. Showed me what I'd done. I let go, but--"

"Thira, you didn't do that," said Zoe. "I mean, you did to Felicity, bu--"

"That's not the point," said Athira. "She told me. I did it. I hurt Miela, and I still have no idea where she is." She put her head in her hands. "After all she's done for me, and I did that."

"At least you didn't do any more," said Raph. "You stopped yourself, and I'm guessing Felicity wasn't making that easy. The important thing now is that we come up with some kind of plan, even if it's flimsy. What do we do if Drale doesn't come through?"

They continued the discussion in low voices as more kids entered the room. They threw around ideas about telling the Elites and dismissed them, knowing that Felicity wouldn't hesitate to harm Miela if they were involved. Athira told them about the Underground, her conversation with Felicity, and essentially, they came up with nothing other than 'Zoe stays with Athira to make sure she doesn't kill anyone'.

As two arriving kids got into a fight over a blanket, Athira's frustration reached a boiling point. Felicity had been playing this game longer than Athira had ever had a chance to. She knew their weaknesses, and she'd outplayed them. She'd manipulated everything, and Athira hadn't been able to stop her.

The monster sank its claws a little deeper into the mindscape.

"What about that kid's warning?" said Zoe. "The one before Drale came?"

"Warning?" asked Athira.

"There was a kid that talked to us before Drale pushed him away. He said we should leave, that there's better options."

Raph clicked his tongue. "I think he thought we were runaways, looking to join the Underground."

But Zoe was shaking her head. "Once we said we had Athira with Felicity, he changed. He told us to get out, that he'd get her out later. Then Drale came over and..." She frowned. "Drale bullied the other kid out."

"Could just be the politics around here," said Raph, glancing at the kid who'd lost the blanket fight.

"Or it could be more," said Athira. She allowed herself to exhale. "I don't think it's wise that we trust anyone down here. No one but each other."

"Maybe we should have a code word," said Raph. "Something so if we're being forced to say something or lure the other two somewhere, we'll know."

"How about 'Indigo'?" said Zoe, glancing at Athira's cloak. "I feel like it'd be pretty easy to slip in, and we don't usually say it."

Raph managed a small smile. "Indigo sounds good."

The room quieted down a little while later, half of the mattresses filled with kids Athira was sure slept with one eye open. None of them eager to leave their backs unguarded, Zoe offering to take the first watch.

Raph settled down surprisingly fast and was quietly snoring a few minutes after he laid down, and Athira envied him. She wanted nothing more than to be able to curl up and forget everything, but the thought of her dreams brushing against her mindscape scared her. She didn't know what she'd find, and she wasn't brave enough to meditate.

"Your watch isn't for a while, Thira," whispered Zoe as Athira, having given up on sleep, sat beside her.

"You can sleep if you want," said Athira. "Someone may aswell get use out of the hours."

"Eh, I don't know if I could sleep anyway," said Zoe. "That food Drale said would show up never did. I'm so hungry I'm wondering if the blankets are edible."

As if on cue, Zoe's stomach rumbled.

Athira scanned the room, lingering on each and every kid, ensuring that they weren't watching. "I'll slip out and get you something quick. I forgot about food."

"You aren't hungry?" Zoe placed a hand on her stomach. "It's okay, Thira. I'll live."

"It won't be long," said Athira, checking to see if anyone watched her as she backed herself into the wall and shot through the ground above her head.

She came out on the surface in the corner of a building. She committed it to memory before she lifted herself into the air, looking for the closest shop selling things more edible than a blanket. Everything seemed to be open, and it was a cafe in direct line of sight of her exit point that Athira headed towards.

Some instinct kept her to the shadows, her cloak pulled around her. She felt exposed under the cafe's lights that chased the darkness away and made the inside look painfully cheery. The tables were full with conversation and laughter, and a waitress approached her to make sure she knew as much.

"I don't want a table," said Athira. "I just need food, something to takeaway. I'll triple whatever the usual cost of it is, but I need it fast and I need it now. Sandwiches or something simple is perfect."

The waitress hesitated. "Let me grab my manager."

The manager had a strange look on his face as he came over. Athira figured it was due to the fact that a kid with barely matured Colour was offering to pay triple for some sandwiches, but after a few quick words he walked off, saying he'd get the kitchen right on it.

Athira waited in the corner of the cafe for several minutes, wondering why it was taking so long to butter some bread and put cheese in the middle.

She got her answer when she saw two Elites appear outside the cafe's front door and look towards it, the manager running out to meet them.

Athira covered herself in Black and ran through the walls to the kitchen, slamming into a waiter carrying a tray with someone's food. He cried out in surprise as his tray slipped through her neck, eyes bugging out as she extended her Black to the food he carried and lifted it off. It wasn't sandwiches, she wasn't sure what it was, but it'd do.

Not feeling like explaining to Zoe why she'd returned with food on top-quality cafe plates, Athira transferred it into what looked like takeaway containers, apologised to the waiter and ran through to the other side of the kitchen leaving shards of Black behind her.

The night air slapped her in the face as she dropped her Black outside, clutching her boxes. She could hear the chaos she'd caused inside the kitchen and knew she didn't have long, but she gave herself a moment to breathe, to relax, and immediately regretted it.

"Athira!" Athira looked up. Even though the space between the buildings was dark, she knew who the voice belonged to. Black coated her as Sima called out again: "Athira, wait!"

And Athira waited.

Sima approached, hands extended, eyes searching the space around her. "Where's Zoe and Raph?"

"Somewhere," said Athira.

"Somewhere? Are they safe?"

"Probably not, which is why I really need to get back."

Sima shook her head. "Athira, look at what you're doing. You're putting your family in danger, you're stealing food--"

"I didn't steal anything," said Athira. "Tell them to put the crystals in their Colourformer, it'll pay for anything I did ten times over and you know it."

"That isn't the point!" Sima's gaze matched her own. "The Athira I knew a year ago would have done anything to keep Zoe and Raph safe--and now you've got them somewhere?" Athira didn't reply, but she saw the Elites on the roof above her, the Elites behind Sima. There were at least five. "Athira, you're broken. You aren't right, and you know it. Something is very, very wrong in your mindscape, and in less than a year, I can see the difference. You need help, Elite help, and we can give that to you."

Athira looked down at the boxes in her hands. "If I go with you, they won't let me out again, will they?"

Sima's face softened. "They'll do whatever is best for you. We've dealt with volatile mergers before, we can--"

"That's a no," said Athira. "So it has to wait. There are things more important than my mindscape right now, and you seem more interested in me than saving Miela."

"We're working on it, I promise."

But more than one memory had fallen in her previous fits. Another hollow space inside Athira's thoughts, the ones that had believed in Sima, and the ones that had been dedicated to the minimal amount of self-preservation Athira had left.

They were all gone, and Athira felt nothing.

Black rose up around her, coating her skin once more as she hugged Zoe's food to her chest. She heard Sima's final plea before the sound was stolen by the air rushing through her ears as she plunged into the sky above.

When the world below was insignificant and the wind around her howling, Athira descended atop the building she'd come out of earlier, sinking straight into the ground and down to Zoe's side without a single pair of eyes spotting her.

Zoe's head lifted from the wall as she appeared, the underground room still as silent as she'd left it, save for the snoring. Athira handed the food over.

"You shouldn't have gone, but thank you," Zoe said softly. "Oh, yum. I'm not sure what it is, but at this point, I don't think I care. Did you get a spoon?"

Athira frowned, readjusting her cloak to keep the fabric blocking her runes from Zoe's sight. "Forgot about that."

Zoe shrugged. "Fingers it is. Thanks, Thira."

"No problem."

Athira leaned her head back against the wall, staring at the ceiling, Sima's words playing around and around in her head.

You're broken.

Athira sighed.

She didn't care.

*+*+*+*

A/N - Calm before the storm, if you can call it that. 

It's go time.