III

[mysticalnico-deactivated2017051]

Hunting Grounds // Saja & Josh & Lance

[sajawho-blog]

█▐ LANCE

█▐ JOSH

He didn’t want to give up, but he knew he had to, to get the two of them out of there safe. That was his way to protect Saja. Not with force, but with thought and tactic. Josh’d sigh if he wasn’t uncomfortably laying on his chest that prevented him from taking deep breaths. The antidote fell in front of him, and even if had started to feel his fingers and toes again, it’d take several minutes before he was able to crawl forward.

Maybe if Josh told the story to him like it was. Maybe he wasn’t as unreasonable and dumb as he looked and sounded. Maybe he had a tad of compassion in him somewhere. He couldn’t even feel the needle in him as Saja pressed the syringe against his skin, but the second the antidote was injected, he could feel his muscles soften up and become warm again. He could move. A few seconds later, he’d regained all of his gross motor skills. Enough to get up on all fours. He looked at Saja with a look of defeat, telling her that they shouldn’t try anything stupid. He was too strong. He then moved to sit on the ground with an exhausted sigh, turning his attention to the older man.

“My name is Joshua Franklyn. Son of Vernon Franklyn.” he started his explanation. “My father is a politician, who outspokenly isn’t too fond of the conduit population. The three guys on the street recognized me, threatened to beat us up and have their way with Saja, so understandably, we defended ourselves. No one got killed. We let them get off without any major injuries. At least most of them got off without injuries at all. They were even the ones to attack first. I’m sure you know that if you’ve been looking at the city surveillance.” He ended, turning his attention between his friend and the PRIME agent. “My father can’t find out I’m a conduit. It’ll ruin his political career and I’ll be thrown out of my home.”

Lance stared at the girl with a nonplussed expression, his arms crossing in front of his chest he remained silent expecting the youths to speak up and he listened to their words attentively. Apparently, the girl had the most dominant personality of the two of them while the boy served as a buffer of sorts for the firecracker or a woman. It was rather dangerous for a supposed Sequence Host to need another person to help them control themselves all the time.

His eyes pinned the male for a second at the mention of his father, he knew how awful some parents could be about certain things “I don´t totally understand you but I am aware of why you would not want to create more fuss; however, you need to understand that if we have only their versions, we have no reasons to not believe them. If you show aggression to an agent, we are allowed to defend ourselves as well.” He explained with a softer, almost sympathetic tone before his eyes settled on the girl “That Tattoo on your neck, how and where did you get it? Do you have any idea of what it means?”  the questions were innocuous enough but they would let him know how much the young woman knew about the burden she carried.

Saja watched her friend, knowing the terror that might strike in his life if Josh’s father were to find out that his son was the very thing that he hated and continuous spoke against. ❝That’s what the tapes are for. They threatened to... do things to me and if you only knew...❞ She shook her head, feeling her hands tense into fists at the very thought. ❝Maybe, try getting more than one version before coming after people with a gun.❞ Though, she knew it was her fault for striking anyway. She continued to keep her eyes on Josh. After a moment, she reached over and squeezed his hand, hoping he could feel it by that point. Her eyes communicated a silent apology for the mess while hoping that he would stay calm.

❝They were not dressed as agents like you, if that makes any difference...❞ She swallowed as he looked to her and felt her cheeks redden at the mention of her tattoo which immediately caused her to cover her neck more fully with her hair. ❝Everyone has them. They’re very popular at the moment.❞ She looked away from him, knowing she was never one to follow the crowd. Even so, it felt as if her lie was far too fragile to last. ❝I do not remember... Truthfully, it appeared, I did not pay for it or have it put on me.❞ She swallowed, finally pulling her hair back to reveal the tattoo. ❝I got it the same day I got my abilities. Why?❞

[sajawho-blog]

█▐ HUNTER

“Completely and totally insane. That person is one of the most boring things to watch. Plus, I think his voice is just the right pitch to make half the class fall right asleep.”

❝Then, maybe it’s time for a white room and a hug jacket because that’s all I got for you.❞ She shrugged a little. ❝But I can’t entirely blame you, my calculus teacher is the same way. I recorded him once to help me sleep at night.❞

[mysticalnico-deactivated2017051]

Hunting Grounds // Saja & Josh & Lance

[sajawho-blog]

█▐ LANCE

█▐ JOSH

His body was immovable. It was nothing like he had ever felt before and all her could do was watch his friend, being forced to turn back into her human form, which practically rendered her weak and defenseless. How he hated how weak he was. He was supposed to _protect_ her, not be a cause of worry, but this guy was just too strong. He clenched his jaw together in fury. The second he’d be able to move again he was definitely going to kick this idiot’s ass.

What did he mean by ‘You’re like me’? She was nothing like the arrogant fool that stood in front of them, and as he got used to not be able to move, he found the ability to move his mouth again. He could speak. At least lowly. He had no power left in him, which just frustrated him even more. “Don’t.” he muttered in anger still. “You can’t do this.” Completely convinced by his own statement. PRIME couldn’t be judge, jury and executor. 

He took a look at both of them. His eyes scouting from side to side, his brain working in high speeds. They were at a disadvantage, they didn’t have much choice in the case. “Fine. We’ll stand down. Just.. stop this.” he decided. He hated seeing his best friend like this. he hated seeing himself like this. He hated giving up, but there was nothing to do now. The big guy had won.

“Just.. stop, please.” a faint voice that sounded almost more like a whisper. His avoided that of the man. He hated that he had lost this fight. He wasn’t a fighter, but when he fought, he always won. 

Lance watched the kids with a carefully guarded expression, his whole demeanour authoritative, the kid still laying at his feet unmoving “You understand how bad it will work for you if you try something funny, right?” He tutted raising a hand, fingers haphazardly playing with the other antidote.

Her declaration made him purse his lips in distaste, a Sequence who had almost no control of her power was a delicate matter and it could end badly for everyone involved, he wondered for a second at how deep her connection with the boy ran if he was able to subdue her. “Oh, can´t I?” he mocked  “I am a PRIME officer who identified and then was forced to defend himself when one of the rogue conduits turned into a big bad wolf. You are not dumb enough to ignore how bad this is, are you? Compliance is your only hope, I am just asking you behave for a couple of seconds without trying anything that will surely land both of you in a world of pain.” As if to make emphasis he let light curl around him in a golden aura  with a lion-like visage, to keep up the charade. He sighed annoyedly at the kid´s begging, that was why children were not fit for fighting, oftentimes they ignored what consequences their actions had.

He carelessly dropped the syringe with the medicine in the ground a couple of feet ahead the boy, motioning for the girl to reach it “We will have a nice little chat and you will explain to me in detail why I should not drag you both to be processed, this is your chance to explain everything. Do not waste my time, please.”

❝He knows, can you stop being a dick and give him the antidote already?❞ She shouted to him, furrowing her brow as he tried to pin the whole situation on them. ❝In all fairness, you had a gun.❞ She practically growled at him, almost feeling as if the animal wasn’t entirely gone from the influence it continued to hold on her mind. Still, she knew he had a point. He could pin this on them in an instant and who was PRIME going to believe? Two teenagers or one of their own agents? Compliance was their only choice… for the time-being.

As the syringe fell, Saja practically crawled over to him, slowly gaining her gross motor movements back one muscle at a time. She fumbled with the syringe for a moment as her eyes communicated a silent apology and a less obvious warning to her best friend. She only hoped that he would understand that she never meant for any of this to happen. He had enough trouble with his father without her giving into every fight they came across. She knew he was worked up as he should be, yet, there was little the pair would be able to do against the obviously more experienced PRIME agent. Quickly, she injected the syringe into his arm before dropping it back beside her.

Saja grabbed her friend’s hand, making sure that her friend was alright before turning to glare up at the brutish individual that practically hovered over them, taunting them with his light. ❝You took this little light of mine far too literally when you were little, didn’t you?❞ She huffed. ❝We don’t deserve that for defending ourselves. You don’t know what we’ve been through and how it makes our minds react to threatening situations. If I feel like I’m in danger, I am going to defend myself because that is what sane people do.❞

[sajawho-blog]

█▐ KENYA

Kenya just wanted to make sure she could sign up at the gym near by. She didn’t realize she would have to stop and explain herself to some stranger, right outside the gym. He had stopped her and started asking how if she could lift, and if the gym really was the right place for a woman. Through all his words, she sensed envy and lust. Which was a bit confusing. “I would just like to go inside please.”

If there was one thing that Saja despised, it was misogyny. She’d been going along,determined to prevent herself from becoming discovered at any point. Unfortunately, there were some things that could not go unpunished. After a moment of looking at him, incredulously, through the eyes of a cat, she simply jumped on the man, causing him to scream like a child.

[mysticalnico-deactivated2017051]

Hunting Grounds // Saja & Josh & Lance

[sajawho-blog]

█▐ LANCE

█▐ JOSH

Josh’d never fought anyone who could avoid his punch like that. This guy had fast reflexes too, which made it even harder for Josh to cope with the fact that they were at a clear disadvantage. He lost his balance as was hurled backwards, but that didn’t make him fall over. Instead he gracefully regained balance, but that didn’t give him time enough to react to what came next. He heard the shot from the gun. He then reached out and tried to grab the bullet in mid-air with a somewhat success.

He couldn’t feel the effects at first. Perhaps the small blood vessels in his hand kept him from doing so, so when the man turned back to Saja, Josh got ready to attack again. He didn’t even get to see the blinding light that threw his friend off course as he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his arm, and even with his perfect control over his muscles, it’d already gotten into his nervous system, leaving him slowly paralyzing from the neurotoxin. He let out a yelp. He would’ve screamed, but his body was already shutting down. 

He forced himself to stay on his feet, using every muscle in his body to try and keep himself upright. He took a few steps with a raised pair of fists as he definitey wasn’t giving up. No one could just shut down his body like that…. except they could. His legs gave in and he fell down on the ground completely paralyzed, unable to move at all. He’d curse and scream if he could, but not even his mouth would open. He wasn’t sure what was in the bullet or why he couldn’t move, but everything was getting blurry, and he just laid there, almost catatonic.

Lance commended the kid for actually managing to not fall flat on his ass but he also knew that at the distance he had shot the darts, it was not much of a difference. He was doomed to fall prey to it anyways.

The girl was another matter entirely, she went through a series of involuntary morphs, that was something he had not seen before and he was close to paying for letting it shock him.

He was almost taken by surprise by the little animal barreling towards him but the reflexes he had developed through the years kicked in and before he realized he imperceptibly had turned into Light itself to avoid the attack so the little animal went through him without actually harming him. When the thing landed on the floor, the tranquilizer kicking in at full force as the very human form fell in a heap. His doubts were cleared when his battle sharpened eyes caught with something at the base of the girl´s skull where her hair parted. A roman numeral Three marked the skin there and Lance found himself marveling at the fact of finding another one like him, another one who carried something that was as much of a blessing as it was a curse.

“You are like me!” He exclaimed with almost reverence, walking up to the prone figure “I propose you a deal. I will let you move if you agree to have a civilized chat, no attacks and not bad mouthing.” He offered almost nonchalantly but they both knew he was at the vantage point “Be aware that if you disagree, I will hand you both to my higher ups and that won´t be a pleasant experience for either of you.” his hand fiddled with the tools in his belt, looking for the issued antitoxin that came with the darts  and in a quick movement stabbed it on the girl “You will regain most of you motor functions shortly but don´t try anything stupid.” Lance warned; he let the boy laying prone on the ground and walked up to him another antitoxin dangling in his fingers carelessly, almost an offer  “Do we have a deal?” 

As she fell to the ground, she could feel her form returning to that of her normal self, the form in which she was likely the least comfortable. ❝W-wha?❞ She listened to his proposition and only found herself becoming angrier. How could he use so much force to threaten them into a chat. No, she didn’t care what he saw in her that was so much like him, she deserved better than to be gunned down by neurotoxins. Before she had a chance to even attempt moving her lips to respond, she felt a stabbing pain in her arm and let out a quiet whimper of pain.

She managed to recover the tattoo on the nape of her neck with her hair by rolling over onto her side where she could see her friend. Still, she found it difficult to do so. ❝How about you let him go. He’s the only reason those three assholes left alive.❞ She practically spat the words at the man who loomed over them in a way that took Saja to a darker point in her life. ❝Let him up and we’ll decide, then.❞

Saja wasn’t entirely certain what she would do. The man had already subdued them once and could easily do it again if he wanted. Plus, Saja didn’t know who these higher ups were. Since he was PRIME, she could easily find herself locked away in a laboratory for the rest of her life if she wasn’t careful. She wouldn’t let such a fate fall upon her friend. If that meant swallowing her pride, she might just do that... Maybe.

[sajawho-blog]

█▐ CASSIE

Cassie stopped. Saja’s choice of words were all too familiar to her. It wasn’t long ago that she herself had something similar sounding happen, though she had a general idea what she was going through thanks to her brother. “Like, it just appeared but you don’t remember a whole lot of what happened?” she asked, her voice hushed as she turned to face the teen “Maybe you passed out? Woke up and everything around you was a mess. Sound about right?”

❝Something like that… I mean I remember parts… but not all of it.❞ Saja swallowed, not entirely enjoying the reaction she’d gained from the woman before her. ❝Yeah… how do you know that? Do you know of it happening to anyone else? What does it meant? If you know, please tell me, because it’s been freaking me out.❞

[mysticalnico-deactivated2017051]

Hunting Grounds // Saja & Josh & Lance

[sajawho-blog]

█▐ LANCE

█▐ JOSH

Why was it that whenever he tried to solve things by talking, people would just shoot things at him? He was just about to start yelling that it was self defense and no one had died thanks to him, but there it was, a raised stun gun and a trigger-happy moron who apparently liked shooting at kids. He heard the shot and he moved just a few inches to the side, making sure he wasn’t hit, just accurately. The most important thing was that the two of them got out of there without harm, but surely this jerk wasn’t just going to let them leave. He seemed strong too. Guess there really was no getting out of this without a fight.

He looked over, seeing both the lion constructed by light and his friend who’d shifted into the mirror image of it. He’d seen her shift into a few animals before, but a lion wasn’t one of them. He took the opportunity to step to the side once more, keeping his eyes on the PRIME agent. “You’re making a huge mistake.” he continued, knowing that none of this would turn out good. If he was caught, then his father would surely find out about his conduit status and if they hurt this guy, then all of PRIME would be on their asses. 

He clenched his fists once more, almost tensing up his entire body to the point where it began to hurt. An anger was rising inside him. For gods sake, they were just kids, and people always had it out against them even if they’d never done anything wrong. They were at the wrong place at the wrong time, and now it’d come back to bite them. Literally, with the light lion not just standing idly by. He wasn’t going to stop Saja this time. He knew he didn’t have the strength to hold back a lion anyway. 

A groan of annoyance and anger left his throat as he used his power of enhanced speed to get closer to the man who’d just conjured the light-being. He then tensed up every muscle in his right arm to deliver a punch. He really wanted to punch the crap out of this old geezer. Not only had he threatened them, but he’d also just tried to shoot him. His enhanced dexterity helped him quite a bit though. His punches were most likely stronger than that of an ordinary person, and he was fast enough to get away after it had connected too. Maybe the two of them actually stood a chance.

Lance had met a few changelings in his life and he had come to learn that even though their powers were marvelous they were also delimited to either specific animals or in a couple of exceptional circumstances a complete genus. But this girl was not like that, she had seamlessly transitioned from a canine to a major feline like it was nothing. That fact alone sparked The Seventh Host`s interest and he pondered over the idea of pushing the girl until she showed more of what laid beneath the primal surface.

Unsurprisingly the boy was able to make his shot miss, it was expected considering that both these teens had been able to dispatch three older (albeit extremely stupidly looking) conduits by themselves. Lance almost felt a pang of nostalgia when his gaze pinned the youth’s attempt to blitz him, reminding him a little of his attempts to deal with everything by punching it at blazing speeds, but they were fighting so he did not dwell on it and in a seamless move he grabbed the boy`s fist and used his own momentum to fling him forward, shooting his gun at point-blank range. He had been subject to one of these particular brand of paralyzing neurotoxin bullet and he felt a surge of sympathy for the poor kid but his sight was already set in a bigger prey. 

The lion he had created was solid now, all jagged ends and deathly sleekness and he made it glow multicolored before lauching it at the feral lionness, its jaws unhinged in a silent roar. But before the creature collided with the other conduit, he made it explode in a blinding flash of golden light, right over the girl`s eyes and he used the distraction to fire another pair of stunning bullets to the carnivorous mammal. “Are you sure you want to keep this up, laddies? Next attack I won´t be playing around.” He hollered in a monochord voice, eyes glowing threateningly.

Saja felt alarm run through her entire body as her friend moved quickly towards their attacker. Josh was not a fighter. He may have been enhanced, but it was apparent that he did not enjoy the fight. Her own lion form roared in alarm and she could not help but wonder how she could maintain such an unfamiliar form in a sex that did not belong to her. Her large and worried cat eyes widened as her friend was shot at point blank range. Eyeing the darts, she knew it would be over soon.

With her attention on Josh, she’d forgotten about the giant lion of light that solidified before her very eyes. Saja braced herself for impact, but it would never occur as a blinding light erupted, temporarily blinding her sensitive eyes. She stumbled over her unfamiliar feet before letting out a small whine at the feeling of the two darts that pricked her side. She felt the drowsiness begin to spread about her body. Her form unintentionally changed from one form to another. A bear, a wolf, a fox... 

The weakness she experienced made it difficult to control larger forms. Remaining with one familiar to her, she attacked once more. She was small, but her form could still be deadly if aimed correctly. Even as she lunged for her throat, she could feel the small III, burning into the skin beneath her fur. If he expected her to give up, he would be sorely disappointed. She would fight until she could no longer move, lucky that she’d been shot in a larger form. Saja continued to quickly run out of steam as the neurotoxins sank into her bloodstream. 

[sajawho-blog]

█▐ CASSIE

“Yep, been one since I was born” as he spoke her head bobbed along with her words in a confirming nod. Cassie watched the girl, not really thinking too much into the sudden change of body language but taking note of it. Just in case “Roman numerals. So far it’s the only connection between the victims” The girl had a right to know what to look out for, and Cassie wasn’t in the business of keeping secrets from the people who needed to know them the most. It defied the entire purpose of doing what she did in the first place “No clue why, but watch out for it”

❝I haven’t. It just sort of... jumped on me one day.❞ She winced at her own choice of words. It was an oddly bittersweet memory. Terrible, yet sweet with revenge. ❝What if the tattoo just sort of... shows up? Like what if the person never actually got a tattoo?❞ Saja hoped she didn’t sound entirely bonkers, but she knew that she had to find out sooner or later what actually happened to her that night. Something about it seemed so much more intense than anything she’d felt before.

[sajawho-blog]

█▐ KENYA

The night was a lot chillier than Kenya had anticipated. It definitely wasn’t the best idea, to be walking back to her place at this time of night. Working at an Emergency Clinic didn’t give her much option, for being choosy with her shifts. She stood still, stopped in her tracks when she heard a female voice. With raised brows she looked at the woman up ahead of her. “No, I’m definitely not part of anyone’s imagination. You don’t need to use pepper spray on me.” 

Saja swallowed, and brought her hand back out of her bag, to reveal her distinct lack of pepper spray as well as the emptiness of her threat. Still frightened, she spoke. ❝So... you’re not the killer that’s finally come after me? If not, sorry for threatening you. I’m just out looking for Basil... my dog, not the herb.❞ One of the many animals under her care and the only current one that she claimed as her own.

[sajawho-blog]

█▐ HUNTER

“Completely bummed………..they cancelled one of my favorite shows. Now what am I going to be watching during my Math 2B class.”

❝Would it be entirely mad for me to suggest possibly watching the person at the front of the class or do you find them just that boring?❞

[sajawho-blog]

█▐ CASSIE

Cassie nodded her head at her words. A young conduit, not all that surprising but even more reason to not be out and about alone at night “I’m a conduit, too” she smiled, hinting at her that the information was safe with her. She wouldn’t tell a soul “Though, that fact alone is an even better reason for you to not be out by yourself. You aren’t sporting one of those stupid tattoos are you? Because that’s like having a big old target on your back” Subconsciously, Cassie’s hand grazed over the area just under her left breast where her roman numerals throbbed. It wasn’t safe for her either, technically “Could be but I don’t think it adds up to much.”

❝Oh really?❞ Saja grinned, happy to have found camaraderie with someone who seemed to be so kind and understanding. At the mention of tattoos, Saja’s eyes widened and her hand came up to the nape of her neck where her tattoo was barely concealed by her scarf.  ❝I uh... Well... I’m not certain that I know what you mean... Any tattoo?❞ She swallowed, though she knew well of the tattoo craze that swept the city. Hers, however, had not been a choice but an occurrence that made absolutely no sense to her. It appeared the very same day that she’d first morphed. ❝W-why the tattoos? Do you know?❞

[mysticalnico-deactivated2017051]

Hunting Grounds // Saja & Josh & Lance

[sajawho-blog]

█▐ LANCE

█▐ JOSH

A day of constant anxiety wasn’t new to him. He was hiding his identity to his entire family after all, but this was different. A certain paranoia followed him after having been recognized on the street as the son of a conduit hating politician. How he wished he had either never had his conduit gene activated, or how he wish he had an ordinary family and not a part of a family notorious for speaking out against powered people.

It was nice to have someone you could trust though, and if that was anyone, then it was Saja. He knew about her past. At least some of it, and she knew about his secret. His powers. That wasn’t what their friendship was about though. They were just two ordinary teens hanging out when it was the two of them. He wasn’t the son of a politician and she wasn’t the survivor of abuse. They were just kids.

And so they planned to meet. Get away from reality from just a moment. It almost didn’t matter what they did or where they did it as long as they were together. His phone had vibrated, letting him know where to meet and so he did. The way there went smooth, even if he did look over his shoulder a few times too many, perhaps, but better safe than sorry. However, when they were done and on the way home, that caution had left him and he was just enjoying himself like any other teenager would. Sun was setting, however and it was time to head home.

A man appeared as if he had come out of nothing and Joshua almost jumped backwards in surprise. It didn’t take him long to register his body language and the firm grip of what looked like a stun gun. He took half a step forward and clenched his fingers into a fist. “You have no right to detain us. We’re minors and I don’t see no badge anywhere.” An oddly confident voice given the situation. Saja had already shifted. There was no avoiding a fight and Josh hated that. He wasn’t a fighter at all, even with his enhanced physiology. “Just leave this alone. It’s none of your business, grandpa. You saw what happened to the other guys.”

Lance watched with a flicker of interest as the two teens closed ranks, judging by the behavior they were a tight duo and he wondered for a second if it was the strength of their bonds alone what had led them beat the three older conduits. He erased those thoughts as soon as they appeared, that kind of thing would be worth nothing against him. If anything, he was bound to use that bond as a weapon.

The bold statements almost made him smirk in amusement, the whippersnappers surely had some guts “So, you don´t deny having hurt the lads?” He inquired sardonically with a tilt of his head “I come here in PRIME`s stead to catch and deliver two supposed delinquents that match your descriptions. Forgive me for not flashing the credentials all the time.” He taunted with a shrug, eyes sparkling with a threat.

Lance let out a bark of chuckle, mirth dancing across his face at the youth`s reactions, his interest spiking at the girl´s power as his eyes danced on the majestic visage of the stark-white she-wolf that stood there in a predatory manner. If only they knew.

“I am giving you one last chance to calm down and come with me in peace.“ He warned sternly with a tone usually employed with petulant children. He stared right into the kids eyes, letting his eyes ablaze with golden light. “Have it your way, then.” he aimed his gun and fire at the kid and his powers seized around them, a gargantuan golden lion-like creature appeared between the kid and the she-wolf as a product of his illusion power mixed with his ability to construct objects out of pure light; he really hoped the kids were more bite than bark or, at least, smart enough to give up quickly otherwise it was going to be a painful experience for them.

Saja knew how fights were uncomfortable for Josh. While she’d been fighting all of her life just to keep her head above water and didn’t let the tradition fade when she could finally defend herself properly. Of course, she would not deny what they’d done. The men had threatened them and pressed her buttons as if they knew exactly what she’d been through and as if they wished for her to relive it. They deserved to lay bleeding on the ground without a heartbeat, but Josh had stopped her from taking it as far as she had with one of her mom’s old boyfriends.

She’d yet to master speaking while in an animal form, which could very well have been for the best in that moment. Saja wanted to curse, to yell, to exclaim how wrong this man was about the three that they’d taken down, but instead, she could only growl and step closer as if to threaten the man that already seemed intent on pissing them off. 

With a quick and almost violent shake of her head, she was caught off-guard by his eyes. They were bright and she could not help but look away and to her friend who had been the target of the stun gun. Saja positioned herself to lunge forward, but stopped when they were suddenly surrounded by light. The wolf instinctively moved closer to Josh, but backed away again when a large lion appeared between them.

Something in the back of Saja’s mind, quickly moved to the forefront, telling her that this would not end well for anyone... but especially the two of them. Yet, she could not allow herself to become a victim. She would not. Instead, she reshifted herself until she matched the image between them. Tit for tat. She let out a terrible roar to make it known that she had no intention of backing down from the fight.

[mysticalnico-deactivated2017051]

Hunting Grounds // Saja & Josh & Lance

[sajawho-blog]

█▐ LANCE

@enhancedjosh @sajawho

The files had been simple enough, a couple of pictures of the two kids he was supposed to bring in to the HQ and a couple of possible locations based on the profile the tech corps had gathered. It was such a shame that children nowadays did not learn to live without leaving a trail of images and videos after them, tracking them both had been a matter of gathering information from the assaulted men and a profiling in social networking.

Lance found the girl first, using the years of training he had and his powers he remained unseen, following her without calling attention to himself: he was a predator in his habitat and a simple girl was naught but a mere prey. He felt a pang of something akin to nostalgia while following the female, her life was so common and relatively uncomplicated compared to what he had lived through his teenage years. It was a shame she had to go and put herself on the wrong end of a PRIME hunt.

The male appeared not that long after and Lance let out a deep breath, he had hoped the kid would not show up and he would have had to let the girl go for another day. Following them was not a big feat, considering how self-absorbed they seemed to be.

He got tired after a while, the sun was bound to come down sooner rather than later and the children had, after all, taken down three older and potentially more powerful conduits by themselves so it was better not to underestimate them. Fortunately for him, both his targets abandoned the establishment together. It was time for him to make his move. The kids lounged in an abandoned parking lot and he smirked at how easy they were making his job.

Lance abandoned his hiding, at last, setting himself right in the kids´ rear side, every inch of the deathly agent he was supposed to be. “Good evening kids, I would really appreciate if you did not do something as stupid as try to beat me like you did with those three innocent lads the other night.” He scorned in lieu of a greeting with a carefully detached voice, almost bored and mocking “Why don´t you accompany me to the PRIME HQ for a while? I am sure that you have many things to answer there.” Even though it wasn´t needed one of his stunning guns was held haphazardly in his left  hand, the PRIME uniform contrasting almost sinisterly with the sunset lights and eyes blazing warningly.

He really hoped the kids knew better than try to take a fully trained agent, no matter how powerful they thought they were.

The days were beginning to seem rather long following the attack on Saja and Josh. The words that had spewed from their mouths so carelessly hurt far more than any physical moves the pair had suffered at the hands of their three attackers. For days Saja found it difficult to pull out of the funk induced by her flashbacks. Yet, she continued on. 

Paranoid, Saja felt as though she was being followed at all hours of the day and eventually the feeling became so normal that she stopped looking around every minute. The day had been terribly normal feeling, a sensation that was foreign to Saja despite how average it would have seemed to most. Coming home to her small apartment across the street from the animal shelter where she worked during her time away from school. 

Once inside her apartment, she looked about, noting how empty it felt. Taking everything in, she simply smiled. She was free in her crappy apartment. She could lock the door without worry that she would be found in the middle of night and taken advantage at home. She was thankful for what she’d accomplished in getting out of her mother’s home.

After paying note to her moment of joy, she took to social media. She reported where she would be going and even tagged her best friend, making it terribly easy for anyone to find her that wished to do so. Unfortunately, she had not expected what was to come later that day. The following afternoon was like any other. They threw caution to the wind and they laughed something Saja had not done enough in her life time. Finally, they found themselves walking home when a voice sounded behind them.

Saja quickly turned to face the voice, eyes wide with confusion as she failed to recognize the figure that she viewed as threatening. ❝We’re not kids.. Who are you?❞ She swallowed at the recognition of the incident mentioned by the man. ❝Those men were far from innocent. I don’t know how you know about that if you’re their friend or whatever, but they were far from innocent.❞ Her hands clenched by her sides. ❝We’re not going anywhere with you.❞ And with that, she shifted, ignoring the gun in the man’s hand.

[sajawho-blog]

█▐ CASSIE

Cassie laughed at the girls theories. While they were decent enough, right now her and half the city were just focusing on how to find whoever was doing this. “So you talk to animals?” she asked, somewhat sceptical but she also knew better than to underestimate anyone these days, “I think it’s human. I don’t think an animal would target specific groups of people”

❝I...❞ Saja paused, uncertain as to the safety of talking to her company. ❝Yes... but only conduit animals, the others are a bit more difficult... I can also do something else, but it’s a bit different.❞ She rubbed the back of her neck. ❝You are probably right, but I have met certain animals that seem to have personal vendetta’s against specific groups of people. Which people are they targeting?❞

[sajawho-blog]

█▐ DONOVAN

“I wouldn’t but what if I was some crazed lunatic out on the rowel. Pepper pray wont help the situation.” He smiled and held up the root veggies. “All I know how to do is saute these. As for the shadows, if I stay in them I usually don’t have to talk to people. As for leading no where there a fire escape that leads up to my apartment.”

❝I suppose it is good that I did not use it then... Also, I don’t really have any.❞ She turned around to see the fire escape. ❝Oh... Sorry for assuming. I’m just a little jumpy as I like to have alone time at night, but when I realize that I’m not alone, it gets a little freaky. I’m sure you understand.❞ Or maybe not. He looked strong enough to have never been a victim in his life. However, she would not make another assumption.

[sajawho-blog]

█▐ CASSIE

“I think,” Cassie paused, letting out a quiet laugh at the girl “That if there was someone who looked like that walking around the streets of Chicago he- or she probably would have been caught by this point. It’s hard to miss someone with two heads and an extra arm”

❝Oh... I guess that is a really good point.❞ Saja rubbed the back of her neck for a moment. ❝You know, Maybe, he could shed those things? Like a lizard or something. Have you ever considered that the conduit might be an animal because, I mean, a lot of animals aren’t huge people fans. Trust me.❞

[sajawho-blog]

█▐  ELIZA

There was an almost docile look to the dark haired girl when she looked up to the girl from her phone. She couldn’t say that she wouldn’t have done the exact same thing. So Eliza slipped her phone back into her jacket pocket, pulled out one of her earbuds and raised an eyebrow.

“And what use would you have for that? I’m not gonna hurt you.”She shrugged it off.

Saja let out a quick sigh of relief. ❝Oh good, because I don’t have pepper spray, just one of those small pepper packets you can get at a fast food restaurant, but I don’t think it would have the same effect.❞ Her shoulders dropped slightly. ❝Sorry. I’ve been hearing people talking about the killer more and more and I’m a little jumpy.❞