"Since we have a bedridden patient, we'll be using the teleporting device here," Mark says, treading toward the resting pilot's bed. He turns around, seeing the outsider nod as he step inside, his eyes on the lurid streak around the sole bed of room 16.

Jason lifts his head, recollecting the recent notification they all received, "Now that the Xenos gang's been captured, everything will be resolved, if Elizabeth destroys the key?"

Amelia nods, scanning the drab, yet immaculate room. Hopefully. Jason grins, glancing at his resting sister. Mom will be there when you wake up. "The device is ready," Nathan says, glancing at the yellow tile beside the bed, just inside the now thick, grey demarcation.

"She's ready too," Mark says, stepping away from the patient, a portable monitor attached to the headboard, displaying her steady vitals.

Jason steps onto the lumbert tile, the polycarbonate dome emerging. "You will meet Dr. Kiera Fix and her team," Nathan apprises, eyes on the holographic screen before him. The diver nods, turning to the sprinter who clears her throat.

"Remember what you've gone through tonight." He casts a small grin, holding the railing of his sister's bed. "He won't," Mark says, crossing his arms.

"What?" Jason says, stepping forward to decipher the now hushed voices. He crinkles his forehead as the sprinter nods, rubbing her neck. What do they mean? He muses as the glass becomes opaque. He turns to his sister, "Will I not remember anything?"

The diver looks up when the glass reverts to its transparent state. He scans the bleak room, clutching on to the railing. He flits his gaze when a few people, clad in black suits, emerge from the dark end of the room. He squints his eyes, recognizing the checkered red sash wrapped around each officer's right forearm.

They are the medics from the squad. Jason muses as the team stops, the central figure stepping forward. "Hello, I'm Dr. Kiera Fix," the blonde says, showing a golden card to him. "We're here to escort you and your sister to the Emerald House."

Jason looks over her shoulder, at the other team that emerges. "Manager Grevton," he mutters as the stout man approaches with his team of black-clad officers. "We've good to go," he says to the ICJ agent. He turns, glancing at the President's son who watches the team carry the recumbent pilot to the adjacent bed.

"What about the residents of Pearl Manor?" Jason asks. "You don't need to worry about that," Grevton says, stepping forward. "Now, it's time to celebrate your sister's miraculous return and your mother's victory." The diver takes a glimpse of the blonde agent, who casts a restricted grin.

...

"Once a Xenoxian's been branded, they can be summoned and controlled anytime through their eternal trademarks," the honeyed voice states. "And that's one of the few things you know about us, right Elizabeth?"

The owner of Pearl Manor clutches on to the capsule in her pocket as her uncle appears before her, his eyes glowing white. "What do you want?" she asks as he takes a step forward.

Her predecessor darts his gaze to her, "Whom are you speaking to?" They both turn when a glitching hologram emerges between them and their uncle. Anthony gawks when he sees the seated ninety-year-old, her glinting grey suit illuminating her surroundings. "Hello, Dr. Banks," she says, her hoarse voice now reverberating across the gloomy expanse.

She leans back in her chair, directed her gaze to the startled novice, "I've heard of your past achievements. And I must say that staying in this manor has hampered your abilities." The physician glowers, "Who are you?"

The old lady sighs, eyes still fixated on the owner, "I'm Kimberly Park, the head of the infamous Xenos gang." She leans forward, revealing a small gizmo in her right hand, "And I've proved it." She grins when the she sees the owner crinkle her forehead, stepping back when the rogue shapeshifter steps forward.

Anthony grits his teeth when his wristband doesn't respond. How is this happening? "Ms. Banks," Kimberly says, placing her interlaced hands over her raised right knee. "Do you remember us?" The physician lifts his head. What is she doing? He flits his gaze to his daughter who steps forward.

The head grins, "You do know."

I saved Jason? The novice shapeshifter says, watching the visuals of the screen that emanates from the outsider's band. She takes her locket and opens it, glancing at its right image. He's the key. She flits her gaze to the left, clearing her arid throat. I'm the guardian. She slams her eyes shut when a gazillion muffled voices enter her mind.

She is the most talented eximia....

....CATCH HER...

...you can never get away from me...

....Good girl....

....you USELESS BRAT!

Eliza collapses to the floor, clenching her jaws as flashes of fuzzy, grim places zap across her mind. She coughs, a violent itch crawling on every inch of her trembling body. She shakes her head, "This is not true."

 Another muffled voice enters, along with a warm hand over her shoulder. Don't worry...you're safe with us. Eliza stops coughing. You'll be protected and loved here. The relieving voice strengthens in her as she feels herself being lifted.

She removes her hands from her ringing ears when the warmth embraces her. You're not alone. Eliza buries her face in the woolly fabric, letting out a deep breath as she sobs.

Tom holds on to his niece as she cries, rubbing her back, "I've got you." Tears roll down his cheeks as he comforts her, "It's going to be alright."

Eliza lifts her head, her face red and swollen by the sudden outburst. She wipes her tears with the sleeve of her white coat, blinking to see the blurry figure before her. Her shivering comes to a stop when her accustomed gaze falls on her uncle's serene eyes.

"What happened before I was adopted?" she asks, leaning back from him. Tom sniffs, wiping away his fresh tears, "You were...you were an orphan." Eliza snickers, rubbing her forehead.

 "You were born with an ability that nobody could explain, even now." Tom glances at his reflection in the distant mirror. His niece turns around, wide-eyed by the elderly lady seated behind her, her coral eyes brimming with tears as she speaks. "You can see everyone in their natural forms."

The novice shapeshifter flits her gaze back to her uncle. "Now, if anyone else would be here, they would see me as Octavia Fletcher," he says. He leans forward, "Whereas you can see me as Tom Banks." He grins, "You can hear my voice, not the person I have shapeshifted to."

Eliza glances at his extended hands, a pearl embedded on each finger. "You were the second person to be born with this unique ability," the shapeshifter says, resting on the front end of the outsider's bed. His niece looks up, "The first person...was it General H?"

Tom nods, "That's how he could take down most of the Xenoxians in his path." He sags his head, "Until an eximium challenged him." His niece comes closer, holding his hands. "I don't know how you ended up there, but you were part of the Xenos gang as an eximium." He lifts his head, "The Eximia were an elite task force, that were trained to be lethal assassins."

"The Xenos gang would track and capture the most powerful superhumans, especially shapeshifters, at a really young age," Tom says, his voice cracking as flashes of his past come in. "You were one of them."

His niece forces a deep inhalation, the glowing marks that swirl on her forehead beginning to fade. "So, General H chose me to as the guardian," she says, rubbing her ruddy nose with her sleeve. She casts a small grin, "And you guys found me."

Tom shakes his head, "It was the quite opposite." He turns back, glancing at his frozen brother, "You managed to escape from the gang, and found him." Eliza crinkles her forehead, leaning to her right to see her dad, "What?" Her uncle turns back, "You came to Heathrow, and asked him to treat you." He rubs the back of his neck, "And you informed us about one of the gang's secret lairs."

He grins, "We were all in awe of you when you took us to Mansfield Harbour, especially your dad and I." Eliza grins, "Then why don't I remember this part?" She glances at he physician, "I didn't know I was cool." Tom nods, "But the thing was, around the time of the Grey attacks, you fell really sick."

His niece straightens. "Your dad tried everything in his power to help you recover." The shapeshifter rubs his forehead, "If he had told me, I wouldn't have left you." He glances at her, "We could've found a better way."

"The Lipton procedure," Eliza realizes, placing her cold hands over her throbbing head. "I had a debussy curse." She turns to her uncle, "That's why Dad erased my memories." She flits her gaze to her locket, "But why did he keep you as my mom?" Tom glances over his shoulder, at Anthony, "Your dad has his crazy reasons."

Eliza rubs her forehead, letting out a sigh as she glances at her locket, "So, now what do we do?" She glances at her uncle, flashes of the night zapping across her mind. "How do we stop the Xenos gang?"

"What do you want?" Eliza says, regaining her composure. Anthony exhales slowly, scanning his surroundings. Where's everybody? "You know what it is," Kimberly answers. Eliza points to herself, "Me?"

The chairperson leers, "You were once one of our most valuable assets." He angelic smile vanishes, "Now, you need a device to keep you stable." The owner glances at her locket. "Though it's not your fault. You just didn't know that the person you chose over us, would deactivate your powers."

Anthony glances at his brother who begins to shake his head. He's fighting it. He shifts his gaze to his daughter who crosses her arms. "Then what do you want?" she asks.

Kimberly lets out a sigh, "You were smarter than this." She pauses when the owner retrieves the pink capsule from her pocket. She straightens, "Now, we're talking." She glances over her shoulder, at the manipulated agent, "Give it to your uncle."

She turns back, "And you all will be left unharmed." The Banks direct their gaze to the holographic screens that emerge before them, each displaying the dozing, young residents of Pearl Manor. Anthony creases his forehead when his sees his colleagues. They're locked in Room 16. He lets out a frustrated sigh when he sees the three infuriated residents.

Alexa is still asleep. Eliza muses when she sees her mentor dozing in the locked hybrid room. She rubs her face when the screens disappear. "No tricks and games," Kimberly says, unaware of the rogue shapeshifter who tries to get out of her influence.

The Emerald House. The owner realizes. They're still watching us. She takes in a deep breath. Then that means- She trails off when the head guffaws. "You've become so naive," Kimberly says, straightening her sleeves as she leans back. "You think the government will cooperate with you?"

She sighs, shaking her head. "You're just like your father. He too believed that the ICJ would help him." She glances at him, "In spite of what happened to his dear brother." Eliza rubs her forehead. No. She muses, glancing at her unresponsive wristband.

"The President is unconcerned with what happens here," the flickering hologram says. "As long as we don't harm the country, and her family." She grins, "So, nobody will know about Pearl Manor and its residents."

Eliza glances up, stifling her tears when she sees her shaky uncle. There must be a way. "Let's end this once and for all," the hologram says, beginning to fade. "Give the key, and you all will be safe. Living regular lives in this locked facility." She grins when she sees the perturbed owner, "The choice is yours, Ms. Banks."

Anthony curses under his breath when he fails to generate a forcefield. He glances at his influenced brother who slowly approaches, the hologram disappeared, "Let's give the key."

Ping!

He checks his wristband, sighing in relief when he sees it flicker a green light, "They're out of our systems, too. So, let's give-" He pauses when he turns to his right, "Eliza?"

He steps back when a barrier appears before him, "What?" He squints his eyes to see a device planted on the burnished floor, maintaining the artificial forcefield. He widens his eyes when he sees his daughter standing inside the translucent cage, a few steps away from her uncle.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Anthony says, banging on the forcefield. Eliza takes in a deep breath, eyes riveted on her uncle who leers. "I'm going to destroy it," she says, stepping forward. "And you're going to snap out of it." Tom stops, eyes now flickering grey.

"I don't want to stay here, in this manor forever," she says, glancing at the dim atrium through the pellucid forcefield. "WE CAN FIND A WAY," her dad cries, examining the barrier. "JUST GET OUT."

Amelia, Nathan and Mark race into the atrium, goggle-eyed by the cage before them. "I NEED HELP HERE," Anthony barks, squatting to the device. What is she doing there?! The three residents muse as they sprint to the helpless dad. 

"I want to know more about this world," Eliza says, flashing a grin when her uncle's eyes revert to its hazel hue. "And I want you to be a part of my life." She places the pink capsule on the ground, sniffing her nose, "I want to be a great shapeshifter." She glances up at her staggering uncle, "And I want you to mentor me."

Anthony cries when he sees his daughter remove her locket, "Don't do it." Nathan hurriedly taps his wristband, "She won't." A holographic screen emerges before him, displaying the running code of the activated device. Amelia bangs on the barrier, "He won't listen! He's under the influence of the triquetra!"

Mark steps back, "Amelia, let's get the isolation chamber ready." She turns to him. "Once we get Eliza out, we can entrap Tom and put him in the chamber." Anthony nods, "Let's do that." He turns to the technician, rubbing his hands, "How much longer?"

Bang!

They all turn to the cage, wide-eyed at the sight before them. "No!" Anthony says, sprinting toward his daughter who falls to the ground. Amelia zaps to a staggering Tom, pinning him down on the floor. "You need to save her!" The shapeshifter says.

Anthony examines his daughter, freezing when he sees a cerulean dagger impaling her abdomen. "The D-d-dagger of Odontom*," Eliza fumbles, blinking her teary eyes to see her dad. "H-h-he didn't do it," she cries, pointing to her uncle.

"Don't talk," Anthony says, exhaling sharply as he applies pressure to the stab wound. Nathan and Amelia glance at the shapeshifter they hold. "H-he did it," Tom mutters, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Who?" Amelia asks, scanning her surroundings. Nathan taps his wristband, the atrium now illuminated by the lights. They see a puddle of pink before the dying owner, the crushed locket melting into it. "D-dad," Eliza says, focusing her hazy eyes on the physician. "D-dad."

"Its too late," Mark says, squatting down, eyes filled with tears as he watches the owner's feet beginning to disintegrate. "No," Anthony yells, shaking his head as the dagger begins to melt. He turns to his daughter who grins. "I-I am grateful f-f-for the life I've had so far."

"Shut up," her dad says, leaning closer. "You aren't going anywhere." Amelia sobs as she watches the owner's lower body disintegrate into ashes. "WHO DID IT?" Nathan says, shaking a semi-conscious Tom. Mark rushes to them when the shapeshifter collapses to the floor.

"No," Anthony cries, his hands falling to the ground. He glances at his disintegrating daughter, "No." He leans closer when Eliza mutters something. "S-see y-you s-soon, D-d-dad."

The father bellows, his hands banging on the floor as his daughter's scattered ashes disappear. 

* Dagger of Odontom - A lethal weapon; one strike and the affected gets reduced to naught. Invented by Dohara Odontom.