VERSION 1 Omega Chapter Two

When Seth reached down to unlock Sasha's cage, Cathy felt a shiver of despair as she looked at the older girl. Her shoulders were slumped in defeat, her posture suggesting nothing but demure resignation. Seth stepped back to allow Sasha to step out, obviously expecting no resistance from her.1

Only then did Cathy see the calculating look in Sasha's eyes, the way she tensed as if prepared for a fight. Only then did she sense the power rush through Sasha's veins, as adreline would an ordinary human if one were to get into a fight. The official noticed nothing, though signs of impatience rolled across his face for a brief second. A low rumble shook the floor, and Seth froze, looking around, not fearfully, but curiously. As he if wondering if any of us could create earthquakes.2

Cathy was thrown backwards as vines erupted from the concrete, a huge slab, including the cage she was sitting on, tilting diagonally with the force of it. Two of the plants lashed at Seth, curling around his torso and binding his arms with unexpected speed. At the came time, vines forced their way under her imprisonment, causing the metal to bend and warp, quickly snapping enough to allow her to crawl through.3

One boy, Kevin, stepped out over the buckled remains of iron bars littering the floor, arm-sized shards of concrete lying here and there as his cell, too, was demolished. Cracks webbed their way across the floor when the vines began picking apart cages one by one. Cathy leaned down to extend a hand to one of the smaller children and she hauled him out. Quickly she counted everyone's head: Sasha, Melanie, Benjamin, Lila, Nala, Connor, Kevin, Marcus, Kexi, Elina, and herself. There were twelve of them.4

Her muscles shrieked in protest as she stumbled towards the group, stretching the cramps that had accumulated over the weeks. Sasha was sprinting over to them, her face serious, deviod of any emotion, not acknowledging the praise the others were murmuring to her.5

Because we hadn't won. Not yet.6

There was still that huge concrete wall blocking us from the outside world.7

That would be a problem.8

"Duck!" Lila shouted as Seth's telekinetic powers forced the framed of a cage at the Failures. It missed by about six inches, Cathy guessed, and forced a hole through the wall.9

Dilemma solved.10

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Ravin watched Xaos closely as his boss observed the scenes through Seth's eyes, noticing the way his eyes tightened at the corners. Not a good sign. Aza twitched slightly, undoubtedly coming to that conclusion herself.12

A sudden growl escaped Xaos's lips, and he said, "What was THAT? You imbecile, you undeserving- you- you-!" He stuttered to a stop, glaring daggers at the wall in front of him, and Ravin supposed that it was lucky it was just a wall and not a person, because when Xaos looked like that in meant almost certain death.13

"Get up here," Xaos said aloud, though Ravin knew he was sending a message to Seth via telepathic communication.14

Minutes later Seth appeared at the doorway, slightly bruised along his arms, his clothes torn at his torso. "What happened to YOU?" Ravin said, enjoying the discomfort on the younger man's face.15

Seth ignored Ravin, looking at only at Xaos, who also seemed to enjoy the official's discomfort, perhaps even more than Ravin. Xaos let the silence draw out, Seth's nerves more frayed by the second, anxiety slipping through his blank face.16

"Seth, Seth. What am I to do with you?" Xaos said, shaking his head.17

"Um." Seth jumped slightly, surprised.18

"That was a rhetorical question!" snapped Xaos. His eyes took on a speculative quality, and he appeared to be gazing through Seth, instead of at him. "Luckly for you, no punishment will be served today." He let out a sigh of mock sadness.19

"What?!" Ravin hissed - he had been quite looking forward to that aspect.20

Xaos turned to Ravin. "We let them go."21

Ravin stiffened in shock. "Don't you see?" Xaos said, as earnestly as was possible for a man with a crime records such as his. "This is the perfect oppurtunity to test them - test how successful our experiments are. If they cannot survive the real world - well, then they are truly Failures."22

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An hour had passed since Sasha and the others had escaped, and they wandered narrow, dark alleys with brick building lining the side. Sasha replayed the events after their escape in her mind: Lila had levitated over the barb wire fence, and they had crossed the barren landscape fairly quickly for their condition. After they had traveled through a sparse forest, they found themselves what appeared to be a small city just as the cun began to set.24

The others were alert, tensed for any possible attack, because it had been lucky that they had gotten this far. That was the real problem: Where were the officials that were supposed to track them down? It was impossible to hope that they had escaped unnoticed, what with the wreck the room had become during the skirmish.25

Once and a while the group would have to cross main roads in order to get to the next alley as they were wandering, looking for food and shelter. Sasha marveled at the way the citizens would carry about their lives. Normal, routine lives. Lives that never touched the horrors that resided only five miles away.26

A delicious aroma wafted through an opening to an adjacent alleyway, sweet and "cinnomany," and Sasha could hear Ben's stomach gurgle pitifully. She turned to face the Failures and said, "Do you guys want to eat?"27

The descision was unanimous. The twelve snuck into the alley, crouching in the shadows, the years of training finally paying off in a positive way. A small stand stood propped up against a mildewed brick wall, and Sasha saw where the scent was coming from: cinnoman buns! Icing dripped tantalizingly over the warm buns, and Sasha licked her lips. She murmured to Cathy, "I'll distract him, you get the tray."28

Cathy nodded and motioned for the others to stay in the shadows. Stepping into the light, Sasha immediately felt a prickle crawl up her back: she was exposed, vulnerable. Anyone could see her.29

"Hey!" she yelled, waving her arms at the vendor. The man looked at her, his mustache bristling. Sasha could see what the man was thinking as clearly as if it were written on his face: 'Teenagers! Children! She's up to no good.'30

He shoved his way out of the cramped stall, shaking his fist. "Go away! Yer not wanted here! Scat! Go! Shoo!" The man spoke with a slight unreconizable accent.31

Sasha turned and sprinted as Cathy swiped the tray, and ran down to where the others were waiting. The man bumbled after Sasha, then noticed Cathy and changed direction. "Thief! THEIF!" he cried. Several other vendors looked up from their work and gave chase.32

"Run!" Sasha yelled, motioning for the others to run down the opposite alleys. It wasn't that they thought they'd be caught - no, their training could handle that. It was the fact that anyone could be spies: the vendors, the policemen, or the civilians.33

They bolted, Cathy putting her arm protectively over the buns as they turned into the alley. "Left!" Sasha shouted, and they turned into the next alley. The pursuers quickly fell back, their speed no match for the Failure's own swiftness and endurance.34

They wound their way through the maze-like roads, the following footsteps fading into silence. They turned into the darkest avenue yet, then stopped, their breath slow and even, their heart rate barely accelerated. They crouched in a small circle and each took a cinnoman bun.35

Sasha widened her eyes as a burst of flavor flowed through her mouth, and she closed her eyes, savoring it. It was undeniably the best meal she'd had in her life. Licking the last of the icing off her fingers, Sasha stood up as the others were finishing.36

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Cathy stood up, discarding the tray in a nearby bin after they had scraped the crumbs off of it, devouring every last particle. She beckoned for the others to stand, so as not to risk breaking the silence which enveloped them in a protective cocoon.38

They picked their way down the alley, the night finally setting and only a sliver of the moon visible in the sky to light their way. A feeling of unease crawled up Cathy's back and she stiffened, and influx of power coursing through her. Someone was there. Someone with power. Who could it be but the officials?39

She caught Sasha's eye and murmured, "Someone's coming."40

Sasha nodded grimly and motioned for the others to sprint, mouthing, "Run!"41

And so they ran, the alley flashing past, and they barely registed their surroundings: stores, grimy windows, doors locked shut against the crimes commited at night. Cathy felt a flash of fear: they were too loud. Their bare feet slapped relentlessly against the cobblestoned pavement, echoing against the walls; their breath filling their ears. The sound of her heart pumping seemed so blaring that Cathy thought it was a wonder that no one else heard.42

All too soon they stopped. "Dead end!" Lila moaned quietly.43

Cathy froze as Kexi dropped to her knees, her hands pressed tightly against her ears. "Kexi!? What is it?" Sasha whispered urgently.44

"That noise!" Cathy listened for a second, but the silence seemed to press against her ears, blanketing all sound.45

With sudden realization, Cathy realized that Kexi could understand all languages. "What are you hearing?" she asked quickly.46

"It's not... saying something," Kexi said through clenched teeth. "It's... really high pitched."47

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Sasha looked up over Kexi's head and saw a flurry of movement in the shadows under the nearby tattered awning. A coal-black figure stepped out towards them, and the Failures stood slowly and stepped backwards, nearly touching the wall.49

As the man got closer, Sasha could see that the man was wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a loose, stained teeshirt. A black corduroy jacket covered his shoulders, the sleeves barely reaching his wrists, though the hem was cut to make it longer. His gait was slow and shuffling, and though he was less than twenty-five feet away from her, Sasha figured it would take another thirty seconds to reach them. As her eyes traveled up to his face she gasped quietly. His eyes were clouded over, gray and unseeing. His mouth opened in a silent screech, and Kexi squeaked beside her. Echolocation, she realized with a jolt.50

Tensing, Sasha prepared to leap to their defense if need be, but the man stopped a short distance away and whispered, "I've been looking for you... It's been so long since I've seen another one of us."