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Chapter Two: Shattered, Part Two

Bullets flew behind him, explosions in his ear, massive fireballs rose over the horizon and into the sky. Running forward, holding his gun in his hand, sweat running down his face and his cheeks blushed red. Armor covered his body and a tiny forcefield generator on his boots would be his last resort in a situation like this.

Running forward, his boots pressed their mark into the mud, thunder striking around his body and rain striking down on his skin. Running forward, he kept his gun lowered, the enemy behind him and not in front. Running forward a bullet flew past his ear, the enemy attacking him. Running forward he saw safety, a grove, running forward he pushed the last bit of energy out of himself.

His legs burned, his mind hurt and he didn't know how long it he might have until he would have to give up. Pushing forward, he thrust his feet into the ground, pushing himself as far and as fast as he needed to go, bullets wising past him, enemies yelling and trying to catch him. And yet he made it, when he arrived at the grove, suddenly a wall of vines and leaves extended itself and blocked off the path he once took.

"Oh god I can't believe I made it, but I'd be more than dead meat without you buddy." Taking a second to breath, the militant looked over and in the corner of the grove was a man, dressed seemingly in convincing camouflage kneeling over, his hand extended controlling the plants that kept them safe. Behind them the sound of enemy fire in their ears stopped as the fighters came to the wall.

"No problems, haven't met you before so I'm Jason." Extending his hand out, the wolf grabbed the lizard's hand and they both shook hands, even while the lizard was unable to breath, working over to the corner. Seemingly they were only twenty yards away from the enemy, would they be able to cut through the vine so quickly, that the two of them couldn't escape.

"Listen, brother if they manage to get through that stuff before I'm able to run again, you go ahead of me, no waste sacrificing a good man like you, while my body is screaming in agony." The solider said as he leaned down against the grove walls, they might have five or ten minutes, but the sound of vines being cut down in the distance wasn't foreboding well for them. The wolf walked over and extended his hand, while the lizard looked in confusion.

"Come on, we're all leaving here. We're all going to make it back home and we're going to catch a beer in the VFW after this." Jason said as he extended his hand, this time making sure to show his glowing palm. The lizard leaned over his body, using what strength he had and grabbed ahold of Jason's hand. And then he felt alive, he felt reborn; he felt strength in his body again.

Seemingly green fireflies flew around his body, seemingly transferring what energy Jason had into the militant's body. Jason leaned back and both of them stood up as the solider felt his energy reborn. Seemingly he found his skin a bit more green then the last time. And before he could thank the wolf, suddenly the wolf got a transmission.

"You are go; this is Treehugger. I've got a first class private here and we are currently holding the line against some of the guerrilla fighters." Jason said sounding seriously as he held on to his backpack. The walkie-talkie he held in his hand, was connected to his backpack through a wire on the strap and then into the body of the backpack, which seemed to have a large receiver.

"Ok both of you need to get out of their now, there are incoming airstrikes in your direction, and beware we have information that the fighters might have just got stock of flamethrowers. I repeat now move to your north." A woman said as Jason held down a third button on his walkie-talkie, this time getting the transmission to come out of backpack, as so both of them could hear it.

"We got that, I repeat we got that, we are going to make a full dash out of this blasting area, even with flamethrowers those guerrilla bastards are going to be right in the blast radius." Jason said as he hooked the walkie-talkie back to his vest and nodded at the militant. Running forward, Jason looked behind as he saw the orange glow onto his plants.

Running forward, through the forest both of them checked their compasses; this would not want to be a blast they could be caught in. Running forward, maybe getting a mile or so away they heard the sound of jets flying over their heads and that was the signal. Running as quickly as they could, they started to countdown, how long would it take to reach the ground, maybe sixty seconds, in that sixty seconds they ran across an open field, looking forward a raised dirt structure, and as they reached behind the raised dirt, it happened.

"Is this your first time?" The solider said as he dragged Jason behind the dirt pile, in other ways that might have sounded dirty but in this sense they needed to be all too serious if they wanted to survive.

"Yeah, what the hell are they dropping, we're a mile away!" Jason said as he looked behind them and wondered what was falling as the jets flew over them, seemingly the high speed aircraft, preforming a gee-intensive pull up into the sky.

"Hold on for dear life and don't let go. You see the planes are flying up so they don't get caught in the blast radius." The militant said as he pulled one of his straps out of his backpack and tied it to Jason's. Scrambling into side pockets, he found a stake and trusted it into the ground, wrapping their connected straps around it and holding the knot would hold.

"What the hell is a blast...

Suddenly, a blast wave struck across the land, maybe they would have been able to protect them if they were another mile out but here they would have been in open game, only the dirt protecting them. The sky burned orange behind them, seemingly making everything look washed out in comparison. And then air pushed out and pushed in.

Seemingly devilish music would have played then if only appropriate and the ground shook and the wind threw them around, only the steak holding them in as they stood at the mercy of the wind. They shook and tried to hold on and then as the wind stopped they seemingly landed back on the ground. Both of them breathed as they realized it was over.

"That is a blast radius." The militant said as he unknotted them and looked back seeing the damage. Looking back at the jungle, a massive fire ball plunging itself into sky. Twisting around itself the cloud quickly flew up into the troposphere and massive condensation rings formed around the head of the mushroom. Near them the trees seemingly were only pointed away from the blast but as he walked closer to the open field, trees only a hundred yards away were burnt atomic fire killing all it enveloped.

"You might be new here, but that is an atomic bomb." The militant said a she looked, knowing that the fighters who troubled him in the past where now gone and now their ashes mixed in with the rest of the land. Jason looked out at the atomic fire looking out and wondering how it could do such thing, how they could sacrifice trees and nature instead of people and soldiers.

Looking into the mushroom cloud it burned into his eyes, the atomic fire that burned down nature and started nuclear war. Seemingly past them, two jets flew past, checking on them as they flew past and back towards the atomic destruction. Jason looked and the image of the mushroom cloud exploding, atomic fire overtaking the Earth it burned into his eyes and he would remember it always.

Even as Jason set up a superhero organization, as Treehugger, it guided him. That fire would guide him, the fire of an atomic Earth burning into his soul and it burning forward into his future, guiding him and making sure that he acted in the upmost way to nature.

"Come on Jason, we've got to get back before the fallout lands on us." The militant lizard said as he grabbed onto the wolf's hand and pulled him away from the fires of hell, both of them escaping before it could land on them and before it could engulf them as well in nuclear hell. "By the way, my name is Dwight and I have the feeling were going to be good friends."

...

Dustin dressed himself in something more serious than a pair of tan cargo shorts, instead this time he suited himself up in a suit. With a grey card printed on semi-hard paper he held it in his hands and walked forward. Looking at the blue painted house, windows with plants on the inside, he walked forward and knocked on the door. As he walked forward, he thought one thing he didn't know that Ronan lived in Long Island.

And walking away, activating a perception filter as to make sure that he didn't get sense as he walked away. He should have talked to Mr. and Mrs. O'Donovan but he couldn't tell them outright that their child was dead or was gone, they needed hope and what better than a single card, maybe they would believe it or not, but they would have their doubt but they would have their peace.

Schrodinger's apology, so long as they didn't accept the truth they would always be accepting if Ronan came back but if he didn't they might one day accept the truth on the card as the truth and find some inner peace. It was weak of him but he couldn't bring himself to look at the wolf's parents, knowing that one day he might get to return Ronan to them.

He felt agony as he stood facing the front of the door, careful feeling the breeze against his body. Waiting a second he heard footsteps and the door creaking open as the parents approached. This was his moment, he felt his heart beating, maybe he could step in and try to explain but he found his body frozen as he stood invisible.

Dustin and Ronan like most people were inherently flawed and so was their relationship and in the end maybe they tried to hide each other's flaws from each other. They broke apart, he pushed Ronan away and his inherently evil properties were brought back. He stood as no one could see him and looked back towards Ronan's parents.

Opening the door, his mother walked out and looked down at the card. Dustin stood back as he watched her eyes, tears appearing as she scanned along the words, herself mentally telling herself that it wasn't true it couldn't be true and maybe she believed it or not but a large wolf appeared behind her and hugged her as she read the car and seemingly started to cry.

Dustin wondered if that would make them okay in the end, would they be able to recover from this? Would Dustin be able to recover from this and maybe find some sort of peace for himself, in the end it would end, one way or another, it would end and Ronan would either be good and return or be evil and face the punishment and maybe something about that told him he had a chance. He thought back to Ronan's smiling face and wondered how long it had been since he saw it.

And as he sat down in the grass feeling it, the smooth grass passing between his fingers, cars passing by, unknowing of the situation happening. he wondered if he would let Ronan be forgotten. Would he let the wolf he so loved, become a memory in his mind and be passed away. If not, all in all, maybe Ronan would pass away in his mind, getting his natural death in his mind never becoming evil and never betraying the ones he loved.

Would Ronan be forgotten and their efforts in vain or would he die, disrespected among the city and his goodness forgotten for becoming a villain, to be a villain is to erase the past and erasing the good past and casting everything in a new biased light. Would he see Ronan die, would he see Ronan redeemed, would he see Ronan saved or vilified?

Sitting down, he laid on his back and felt the grass, knowing that he was just randomly laying in the yard of a person he didn't know but he ignored that wondering about Ronan and wondering about the future. When would he see Ronan again, he hadn't seen an Neuroseekers since they came back and it had been a whole week in the present time, so how long until Ronan attacked them.

Maybe Ronan didn't know they were back, maybe he didn't capture any footage of them or maybe he just didn't have spies in the right places. But all in all, peace was nice but who knew what would happen and who knew where he would go.

...

Returning to Manhattan through the Queensboro Bridge, Dustin suddenly found his progress stopped as he drove over the bridge. As he stopped his car, he looked ahead and turned the radio off. A sea of red lights and honking seemingly congested the bridge, looking at the timestamp on the radio he saw that it was only one thirty, it was hardly time for rush hour.

People parked their cars as the traffic seemingly stopped moving and Dustin looked around, quickly pulling his car over onto the shoulder, he parked his car and wondered what was happening. Either way he was stuck as the son of a gun behind him took his previous stop, seemingly just desperate for movement over the bridge.

Stepping out onto the shoulder as he closed his car's door and locked it knowing that people would try to steal it. He walked out onto the assault and stepped out onto the steel bridge. Looking forward he wondered why the cars weren't moving and he decided to make sure that people were getting their tolls worth out of the bridge.

"What the hell is going on here?" Dustin yelled over the cars, the honking drowning his voice out. Seemingly everyone ignored him, and thus Dustin took action, walking forward through the shoulder he tried to look ahead and see what was happening. Passing between cars, Dustin looked ahead and tried to see what the root of the traffic was.

Activating his perception filter, discretely he entered his Outsider phase and walked forward. Looking ahead, he saw wooden signs poking out of the sea of cars and getting closer, one layer of cars ending, stopped on the road and then nothing, just empty road. Just looking forward he tried to view the situation and as the honking became louder another sound, over took everything else as well, chanting.

People were chanting, as Dustin arrived at the front of the traffic jam, he found a group of ten people all walking in a circle, blocking both lanes of the road as they seemingly started it. Dustin looked up at the signs and tried to read what they were saying. Now idiots were protesting something, looking below he saw the Hudson River, running, being split between Roosevelt Island.

"Superheroes go home, please just leave us all alone!" The protesters chanted as they blocked the road and held up the sign. Dustin realized what bridge he was on, the Queensboro Bridge, right above Roosevelt Island and right over the base of the League of Superbeasts, superheroes and right now they stood right over it, stopping traffic and surely throwing a wrench into the beast's day as the normally quiet bridge was now engulfed in traffic honks.

Looking below through the metal, he saw the arena of the Superbeasts, presumably they were being annoyed as honking cars and smog clogged their space up. Dustin knew that would be a bit of trouble for them, annoying the group and maybe pushing

"Ok folks, right to protest but you guys are getting in the way of people and when one of them starts to drive you over I can't help you." Dustin said now as Riptide to the protestors. And one of them took notice of him, even better. They all turned towards him and Dustin looked at them as they seemingly let one lane of traffic go and turned their attention to Dustin.

"Outsider go away, you need to work with some protégées!" They said as they turned towards Dustin and started to protest the Outsiders as well. Dustin realized that he was being protested as well. He was getting the people away from the lanes of traffic so that was good anyway.

"Hey listen, we do the best work we can and you need to learn to accept that we are mortal men as well, well some of us. But beyond that we are all human and neither the Outsiders nor the Superheroes can be perfect or be completely unbiased in their judgement." Dustin said as one of the protestors stopped walking around and focused on Dustin directly. Dustin might have regretted yelling at the people now.

"You think we need to be protected! You, the Outsiders raising up the likes of Nightshifter and his agenda to lead the Neuroseekers, you can't be right in your heads if you think you should continue!" The protestor said as he tried to seemingly fight against Dustin in a battle of wits. Dustin smiled as he backed up, going through a hole in the protestors and then just clicking his shoulder.

Activating the perception filter, he disappeared and the protestors looked confused as he disappeared and traffic resumed, this time people not stopping as the protestors attempted to block traffic again. Dustin smiled at them and drove in his car, crossing the river and managing to get back into Manhattan. Dustin smiled and knew that he showed the protestors, but maybe he was right, maybe he was endangering people, maybe he endangered more people by revealing his identity, maybe those rules were put into place for a reason. But he knew that he couldn't please everyone and he decided to go back home and try to make his own mental compromise.

...

Dustin felt the shit between his feet, feeling it squish around his feet like mud as he traveled in the confined tunnel. Looking around, no one surely would have wanted to be in the sewers, both stinky and enclosed, so Finn just continued on as he looked around wondering what they should have been looking for. They should have been looking for Neuroseekers in the tunnel, trying to see if he could stop any sign of the group and follow them, find another base but so far the tunnels just seemed empty today.

As they walked forward, their footsteps echoing against the walls as they walked forward, only the layer of mucus like crap on the floor, keeping them at an acceptable level of quiet. As they walked forward they stood still for a second, Dusting holding out his hands as he attempted to stop Colin. He heard something behind them and then he heard it stop, maybe it was something above them, a reaction from the subway, but what he did hear heard sounded unnatural.

"That didn't sound right, we've been down here so many times and I've never heard that before, I just don't know it feels different, like everything has been changed." Dustin said as he started to walk forward, but Colin didn't react like he was scanning around, seemingly seeing something that the shark couldn't with his eyes, as he could.

Colin walked next to him, seemingly the lizard keeping his vision just focused on Dustin making sure he wouldn't get lost in the maze of mud and shit. Walking around was just crazy but he kind of felt lucky he wasn't dead, last night Colin's dad was steaming but then he kind of just forgot, and didn't seem to remember anything about the time they disappeared.

"Listen Colin, make sure that we aren't being followed, if you see something then tell me." Dustin said as he and the lizard walked forward, Colin looked back and nodded at the shark. Dustin smiled and continued walking forward, relishing in their elegance compared to the area in which they were in. Compared to the Neuroseekers, they were outgunned, outmanned, out planned, they needed to be ready for an attack.

It was kind of strange, Dustin wondered what happened, but right now he was focused on looking around. Shining his flashlight in front of him, he looked around and tried to see if he could see anything through the tunnels. The sewers stunk as usual but for the first time it felt normal, it felt normal to go through the tunnel and he didn't object as much to it. This was the first time they were back, this was the first time they were going through the sewer and the first time it kind of felt normal to do something.

Turning a corner, and unsurprising finding more tunnel and more shit as he tried to find something of worth, Dustin groaned a bit. He didn't know what Elias was doing but surely it had to be more interesting than going through the sewer.

"So then, how is everything going with you, anything interesting happening now that we're back?" Dustin asked as he turned the corner again and looked at the green lined sewers. It was quite the dangerous place the sewers, dark and mysterious. The sewers were transportation for at least three of their enemies and for all they knew a werewolf could be right behind them.

"Well you know everything is going well, so I don't know it's just learning to adjust with Elias's new personality, I don't think any of us would have been ready for him just to burst into flames and change but I think he's still similar enough that I can deal with him." Colin said as he looked into Dustin, maybe admitting somethings that he didn't want to but walking forward seemingly the lizard looked like he got something off his chest. Both of them breathed, through their mouths, and continued to walk forward, looking for something to do to talk about.

"And new Elias, do you trust him, is he acting strange or is he acting in new ways you're not excepting and do you still love him? I know what you said last night but were you just covering for yourself?" The shark asked as he seemingly walked through his kingdom, he was the King of sharks and this was his kingdom, an area of complete shit, witch right now seemed kind of right.

"I don't know, he's still acting like his old self and I can tell that he is holding onto to it just for me, but I'm afraid of what he is like when let's his old self go, what happens if he just goes away and then who do I trust then?" Colin asked as he looked at the ground, hiding the sadness that could be seen in his eyes. Dustin smiled, and looked at Colin as they walked forward.

"Well you know there is a problem and now you can fix it, maybe you can see if he'll change or if he'll stay the same but know that you have to be careful, don't try to push him, just try to act like you two were before, hide your feelings and just act like he is the same man." Dustin said as he turned another corner and looked at Colin who seemed to be taking the advice. He smiled at least knowing that Colin was looking out for himself.

"I'm just worried, what if Twilight returns; what if he burns this city to ashes. We don't know where he is and even so how long would we have?" Colin said as Dustin's face turned into a frown.

"Colin, goddammit, you were thinking for yourself and you come back to this, you don't need to micromanage the Kagens, for all we know Twilight missed this time era completely and could be a thousand years in the future, we just don't know, nor do we need to know." Dustin said, his face turning exasperated as he tried to get Colin away from that.

"I know but you saw what he did in the library, we all saw what he did and we all faced, you saw his power, he dwarfed Elias in power and barely had we just escaped with our heads." Colin said being truthful, Dustin knew that they might not have long until Twilight revealed himself and maybe just maybe he was trying to hide the Kagen in his head.

"I know but you know how this goes, we always have won and we've never been defeated we have quite the record. Soon you see, time will tell and you'll see that he be served well, we will always find a way to defeat him will push becomes shove for us." Dustin said seemingly trying to find a way to justify his easy going attitude on this, he didn't know if they would win but he knew that it might just work.

"Yes but I think you would be more interested in hearing this gun when it goes boom." Suddenly behind them, they heard a giggling sound as turning around, Dustin found a gun pointed at his forehead. Adjusting his feet in the slime under him; Dustin tried to put himself in an advantageous position. The shark stood still as he examined the person.

It wasn't a person dressed in Neuroseeker armor, the distinctive red and black armor missing from this person, who was instead normally dressed in normal clothing. That was kind of boring but Dustin decided to humor the petty criminal as he had his gun pointed at his head. The criminal kept his gun grip steady but seemed to be nervous.

"Now then, don't move but I am going to need all of your goods, if you don't agree with that then you'll have to take it up with by friend, Mr. Bullet and his friend death." The criminal said as he tried to intimidate Dustin. Dustin would have laughed; keeping Colin to his side the criminal looked at him and presumably his eyes, and decided that he was useless enough to be ignored. Dustin wondered how long it would be until he acted.

Dustin stood still and just shook his head in defiance, and the criminal looked shocked as the idiot shark in front of him attempted to deny him. The criminal pushed the gun against Dustin's head and nearly started to push him back. Dustin just started to laugh and pushed Colin out of the way as he waited for the criminal to act.

"You must be stupid, if you haven't recognized me yet. Have you heard of the organization we're in, it's call he Outsiders." Dustin said as he smiled and the criminal clicked the gun. Dustin smiled as the bullet failed and as it tried to reload the gun jammed itself. The criminal looked confused as he looked at his gun and saw the barrel.

"Oh look at that you seemed to have got some ice in your gun, shame all these vapors around us you think you'd know that I could freeze it inside the barrel, give me one Colin." Smiling the shark put his hand back and was five fived as the criminal backed up, but Dustin quickly grabbed him and threw his gun to the ground.

"Sorry but you did the crime and now you will do the time, you should have messed with someone else, but it seems that you have fucked up." Dustin said as he smiled and quickly condensing the vapors in the tunnel, he formed a temporary pair of handcuffs and he smiled, this was why the Outsiders were needed in order to protect the city. Dustin smiled, feeling indispensable.

...

"So then tell me Elias do you love my son?" Dwight asked, being quite fore coming with the two as they ate dinner. Between Dustin nearly choking on his water and then having to use his powers to remove it out and the look on Mrs. Todd's face they could all tell that it was quite the loaded question to be asked at the dinner table.

"Well Sir I am, I am in love with your son. I want to spend my waking days and lasting nights with him and travel to the ends of the Earth with him." Elias said presumably playing the ham up, but surely in his mind Elias knew that most of what he was saying was truthful and that made Dwight smile, the lizard smiling as he heard Elias's speech. Everyone in the room stood silent looking to Dwight to see what he was going to say, only the sounds of the oven fan in the background daring to penetrate the silence.

"Well then, I have no problem with you dating him, just tell us when you're going to disappear like that, Colin was worried sick but if he forgives you then I think I can find it in my heart to forgive you as well." Dwight said and like that a moment of guilt just appeared on Elias's face, the shark working hard to show it off as pure joy.

"Oh thank you sir, I'm sorry that I went away, it's just I've never really had a home of my own and I just had to go and see if I could find one of my own." Elias said trying to do a teary confession as he seemingly admitted his own faults to Dwight and his family. Colin secretly rolled his eyes as he watched his boyfriend play up the drama queen and wondered how much of it he was improvising and how much he had thought up.

"Oh well then, you're always welcome here, I'm sorry for being so arrogant in the beginning, it's just that everyone here always seems to have an motive and I just wanted to protect my son from the world but I think you can do just a good job with him, I trust you, if you can admit love for my son then you are in all honesty a true son of the Todds." Dwight said and that got a smile out of Elias, as he took it all in. He stood up and shook the hand of Dwight and hugged Mrs. Todd as well.

And seemingly everything was perfect for two nights until someone striked, someone taking aim out on a balcony watching the Todds for two days until just the right time when only Dwight was at home and then like a shadow of the night he striked.

...

Ronan stood with his gun pointed at Dwight, the lizard unable to do anything or escape, with a bullet currently lodged in his leg. The moonlight reflected in to the build through three large windows to their left and over to their right a steel wall that had to be thick enough that even Elias couldn't blast through it. Currently the Outsiders found themselves with an ultimatum.

"And why should we do that?" Elias said walking forward, and making himself the center of conversation as he walked towards Elias. Colin looking in fear and relief as the wolf turned his gun away from Dwight and instead towards Elias, at least the Kagen could regenerate a few more times if he got shot. No one talked as Ronan kept the gun pointed towards Elias.

"Good question this might help you." Ronan said as he reached down and grabbed a walkie-talkie on his belt, bring it to his face and clicking down on the button activated the speaker system around the plant. "Now then you fools, we have a few Outsiders up here but one thing is that you will not let the old man escape here alive, only fire on him and make sure you use your new weapons."

"You wouldn't dare to do that." Colin said as he stood behind in the safety of Twilight, looking around, he saw all the Neuroseekers around them react and pull out their guns. There would be no way that his dad could do anything to survive that, one shot and he would be dead on the ground, Colin was useless now, but he did have Elias and he did have hope that the shark might be able to do something.

"Oh I would dare Colin, you shouldn't have told me your identity, then think about everything else you would have been able to done, but now it ends here, your parent will die." Elias said threatening the group as he pointed his gun back at Dwight. Dustin stood still as he looked for other sources of water to use in the battle that would be coming; waving his fingers around he tried to see if he could scout some out.

"Ah and there you are Dustin, keep yourself still, and beware some splash of water on my skin and you might find yourself in a whole new world of pain that you don't want to be in." Ronan said, as Dustin stayed still knowing that he had to be careful with Ronan, he was losing it and thus backed up, his footsteps echoing around the room.

And then suddenly, Elias disappeared, and then he was grabbing Ronan, he just teleported across walk of the room. Appearing in a splash of blue light, suddenly Elias grabbed the gun out of his hand and as Ronan clicked the trigger, firing one shot and presumably alerting everyone in the building. Both of them struggled with the gun as Elias then kicked Ronan away.

And that was when Dustin moved in, grabbing water from his storage, he quickly formed it into a sword shape around his hand, gripping it as he condensed the water into ice structures. The water froze into a sword, and presumably a beating weapon but so long as it kept Ronan distracted then he would be fine. Dustin ran forward, while Elias ran to Dwight.

"Your energy is starting to fade, what did he do to you?" Elias asked as he walked behind Dwight's chair and started to untie him, putting energy on the line and searing through it. Pulling the rope away, Dwight tried to stand up but failed, grabbing his chest in pain as he fell back onto the chair.

"No, he put his hand through my chest and touched a lot things, I think I'm bleeding on the inside and losing blood quickly, I need help quick or I won't make it." Dwight said as Elias grabbed his hand and pulled him up, trying to help him through his pain as he stood up, and the tips of his hands turning purple while his chest started to turn redder than it was. Mentally Elias was freaking out, Dwight looked horrible and like he was ready to fall over, but he wouldn't let him, die no not with Colin.

"Come on no solider gets left behind, were going to make it out of here." Elias said as he and Dwight started to walk, Colin running over and helping as well, as he nervously walked forward, looking at his father's dying face. They both knew he looked like he wouldn't last much longer. While Dustin distracted Ronan, they ran to a stairwell and followed it up.

Dustin ran forward with his sword, slashing it at Ronan. The wolf simply smiled and just allowed the ice sword to phase through his body. Ronan jumped back and grabbed the end of the blunt ice sword, simply as he took it out of Dustin's hand and threw it backwards. The shark's ears perked as he heard the sound of glass breaking.

Outside he heard boots stomping, looking over seemingly an army of Neurotroopers, an army of red and black heading out all the way out to the gate and the street. At Ronan's snapping, they all pulled out and pointed up their guns into the air. Running forward, Dustin grabbed the wolf by his collar and pushed him against the wall, the wolf wasn't stupid enough to phase through.

"You did this you can end this and you can stop all of it, tell them to all go away from here, and you will or god dam it I will have to kill you." Dustin said as he held Ronan against the wall. Ronan laughed as he winked and his eye's turned from blue to red, slashing to his left, suddenly Dustin was knocked back. Ronan walked forward, as seemingly he half-entered his werewolf form, growing claws from his hands.

"I can stop this and they will go away, when one person dies. If one person dies, you, Colin, Elias, or even Dwight then they will return to the sewers for now and we will you alone, this is my ultimatum, somebody must die for the city to be at rest or else I will spread chaos over the land." Ronan said as he slashed at Dustin again and whistling, seemingly the night sky was beat and it lit up as a series of blue flashes nearly blinded Dustin's eyes.

Ronan jumped forward and seemingly was about to slam on Dustin, but quickly he phased through him and instead only allowed his claws to not go through, this had the effect of putting them through Dustin. Ronan rotated through, slashing Dustin with his claws as he swung through the floor and jumped back up pulling away.

"Wow, imagine if you applied all that effort to your normal Outsider abilities, then think about all you do?" Dustin said as he stood up and tried to see if he could find water somewhere around him. He couldn't feel anything around him, no water around himself. He looked at Ronan and wondered what he could do.

"Please stop this, you don't need to do this, you can end it all with just your word, please just stop this. Ronan I believe in you, I trust you can do the right thing, just stop this now before anyone has to die." Dustin said begging Ronan as he tried to find peace with the monster before him. Ronan retracted his claws and put out his hand.

"You should join me, these people don't like you, they don't appreciate you like I would appreciate you, I want you right now. Join me and we could rule the city, join me and you can be whoever you want to be an no one would judge you and you would be perfect." Ronan said as he extended out his hand and put it before Dustin. The shark looked at Ronan's hand, his pads so rough and his face so furred, his soul so nice.

Ronan walked forward and put his hand out, maybe ready to touch Ronan's and accept his offer. He looked at the wolf and wondered if this could end it, he heard his heart beating as he walked forward wondering if he fully intended to do that and walked forward, putting his hand forward. This felt right, he could do this, he could convince Elias and Colin to join him and anyone who stood in his way would be knocked back.

Walking forward he intended to grab Ronan's hand and just as he placed it over, the wolf's hand, so close he could feel the furs touching his skin. And then he resisted, holding back, he looked at Ronan and knew this was wrong. He couldn't do that, and then Ronan grabbed his hand and pulled him in.

"Come on, smile." Ronan said as he pulled Dustin in and enclosed him. Releasing a burst of pheromones from his body, Dustin backed up and started to smile. In his mind, he heard the sound of a clock ticking, his mind accepting Ronan's suggestion, his face shifting and the muscles in his face pulling up as he smiled for Ronan.

...

Arriving at the top of the building, Elias and Colin started to stumble as they carried Dwight to the top of the building his eyes starting to droop and his breathing slowing down. Colin stopped; feeling his heart as he suddenly looked down and saw the ocean of people, a massive rainbow of people looking up at him.

"Stop now Outsiders, they will leave if one of you dies." Ronan said as he walked up the stairs, Dustin standing behind him. Looking back Elias looked confused as he viewed the pair walking up the stairs. Dwight barely stood on his own, his muscles creaking as he tried to stand up and face the Neuroseeker on his own.

"Dustin, come on you aren't going to be controlled by him? You are so much better than him and you don't even know it." Elias said as he walked forward, and hoped he could free Dustin from Ronan's control. Looking at the wolf, who smiled, Elias had no qualms about killing he wolf he barely knew. Walking forward, Ronan growled as Elias intended to free him.

"Don't you touch him, he is mine." Ronan said extending his arm over Dustin, keeping him still. Elias still stepped forward and Ronan looked at him, hoping to keep him still. Yet Elias had that look on his face that knew he wasn't afraid in this case. Elias just stepped forward. "Now then, if you want to be free, one of you have to die and I think you know who that is at this point."

"No you wouldn't, we can still save him, don't kill him please?" Colin said as he looked down at his dad, barely standing up and barely able to continue his breathing. He looked down to his father who seemingly was unable to talk, but he was able to move and he started to crawl towards the edge of the building.

"I don't have to kill him, they do; but think of this as his heroes death, the price that New York will pay in order to stay in piece, he doesn't have much time left anyway, not even a trained surgeon can help him with how much blood he's lost, so I'm sorry but my blood must be satisfied somehow." Ronan said smiling as he watched Dwight climb onto the ledge; Colin grabbed his father and tried to hold him back.

"Please stop this, we can fight but don't take this kid's parent from him, he still needs to learn so much to do and so much to learn from him." Elias said not trying to anyone in danger, looking back as Colin looked at his father. He imagined if all of his incarnations had their mentor, in how many universes would he be changed?

"Don't look so sad this is what you get for defying me, while Dustin might return to normal soon, he will have felt power and he will return to me, and he will understand what happens because this will have always had to end in death." Ronan replied to Elias, looking at Dustin and knowing their time was short.

"Please father, you don't have to do this, you don't need a hero's death because you're a hero in my heart and I can't lose you." Colin said as he knelled and tried to hold back his father, but as his father managed to throw himself onto the edge, Colin knew he couldn't help him, this was his end.

"You have all you need." And in one last event, Colin's father seemingly fell off the side of the building. The Neuroseekers raising their gun at him, as his body was knocked around and then they fired. In a millisecond a thousand beams of plasma shot into the sky and Colin turned his head, not wanting to see the rest. Ronan smiled, happy at what he did and seemingly he disappeared in a flash of light, his body teleporting away.

Colin collapsed, falling to the ground as he turned back his head and even through his closed eyes, could see his father's aura extinguished. Seemingly satisfied, the Neuroseekers turned around and all of them headed for the street. Colin looked in disbelief as he saw the Neuroseekers disappear into the sewers, how many did they have and was this the right sacrifice for peace?

Elias ran to Dustin as separated from Ronan, he fell over and grabbing his body he then carefully laid him down and went over to Colin. Putting his hand on his back, he could feel the anger and sadness that Colin was absorbing and conducting. He knew this was a sensitive time for the lizard.

"Don't worry, he didn't feel any pain, he probably died midair, but he did die a hero, you won't feel better soon but for what he did, he saved the city." Elias said as he looked down and saw his burnt body splattered against the surface. And hearing that Dustin stood up realizing what that meant.

"A death will happen in fall." Dustin said realizing that all in all Octavius's prophecy was happening, and looking over they all stood reverently looking down at Dwight's body wondering if this would the end he truly wanted, a hero's death.