Freya's POV:

"I can't take it anymore." Courtney whispered to me, her gaze flickering between me and the camera on the wall. "I have to say something."

"And give them more info? No chance." I whisper back and adjust my position on the couch. "What we should do is break the camera and wait until one of them decides to check in on us so we can tackle them."

"They already know our identities. What else do we have to hide from them?" She pointed out until she looked up at the camera. "I'm gonna say something."

"Court, don't—"

"Have you been watching us?"

"—say anything." I mutter.

"In our town, our school, our--our homes?" Courtney continued but as expected, nobody said a word.

"Now can we try my idea?" I ask but Courtney stands up from the couch with a huff. "Court—"

"You picked the wrong people to do this to, you know that? They're going to find you if they haven't already. Starman, the Justice Society of America, all of our friends. They'll be coming for us. For you. Y-you think I'm helpless without my staff. I'm not. " She emphasized before she pointed to me. "You're lucky that my friend here doesn't have her helmet!"

"I don't need the helmet to tear this place apart." I quickly add with a scoff. "So instead of hiding behind a screen like a coward, show yourself!"

The intercom above the camera crackles to life. "No, but that's the point. You can set the staff aside or remove your helmet. Just as Yolanda can put Wildcat's suit away. Rick the hourglass, Beth her goggles. You two are not like Jennie and her brother. You're not like me." The deep voice spoke up, causing my eyes to widen in surprise.

"I don't even know who you are." Courtney countered.

Suddenly, the doorknob twists which causes us to turn, seeing as a man dressed in an all-black coat pushed open the door.

But it wasn't just an ordinary man. Rather than just a normal face--or well, head, it was a skull.

To think seeing a sight like Grundy was the most intimidating.

"You'll have to try harder if you want to scare us." Courtney stated as I stand up from the couch as well to move next to her, watching as he walked closer to the plant nearby me.

"My appearance is not a choice I can make. My mother was subjected to experiments while pregnant with me. Beyond my flesh being transparent," He explained, removing the glove from his right hand to reveal the bones as his fingers. "I was born with a...cyanide touch, these doctors called it."

With a simple touch of his finger, the plant instantly falls to the side with a hiss, and the green color is soon turned to grey.

He slid his glove back on, stepping away from the now-dead plant. "Anything I come into contact with...dies. That included my mother."

"So a handshake is off the table." I mutter to Courtney who slowly nods in agreement.

"Nurse Love rescued me from the people who did this." He explained, ignoring the comment as he turned to face us. "But there was nothing to be done."

"I'm sorry, I really am, but--"

"I am as cursed as Jennie and Todd, unlike you and your friends." He interrupted, taking a step closer to us in which I instinctively moved my arm in front of Courtney to stand behind me with a glare. "We were born this way. Here at Helix, we help those like us learn to live a life of isolation."

"So you lock them up?" I scoff. "Hide them away from the world? What does that teach them?"

"We help our patients survive the only way they can. Alone." He corrected. "When Jennie's ring was infected by the shadows, it connected her to Todd, and his power became unstable. If we cannot suppress Todd's power, he will destroy us all."

Suddenly, the building roughly shakes which causes us to look around in confusion but the man clasped his hands together, unfazed at the commotion.

"Jennie's still too close to Todd." He spoke up once it stopped. "We need to take her far from here."

"Maybe I wasn't born like Jennie or Todd or you, but I know what it's like to lose family, to feel so flawed you must have pushed them away." Courtney argued. "I've carried that curse too. But Jennie and Todd are meant to be together. I saw her powers reacting to his hurting. She's the light he needs, not those lamps. My power, Jennie's, it all reacts to how we feel. That's why I think Todd's connection with Jennie is the only thing that can save him."

I nod in agreement. "Maybe even bring Pat and The Shade back."

"Look, I know what you're doing here, and I understand why, I do. But life isn't about living in isolation. It can't be. Because if we're alone..." Courtney shares a look with me and gives a small smile. "what's the point of anything?"

"Sir, I ran through dozens of tests a-and--" I turn to the door and my heart sinks at the sight of the woman dressed similarly to Nurse Love holding my backpack in her arms. "Freya?"

"Inza?"

"What are you..."  She shook her head before she turned to the man once more. "I ran the tests but the technology we have doesn't work with it. It's almost as if it's refusing to work with anything else except the holder."

The man lets out a sigh before he turns to Courtney and I. "If you're wrong, we all die."

Courtney nods in which the man walks over to the desk, pressing a button on what seemed to be a small radio. "Nurse Love, please escort Miss Whitmore and Miss Nelson to Jennie's room."

"You're not taking us?" Courtney asked but he shook his head.

"I'm needed elsewhere." He says before walking past Inza. "Make sure they don't cause another disturbance and they are monitored by Nurse Love."

Inza nodded, watching as he walked away until she turned to me. "So...it looks like we have more to explain, huh?" She nervously smiled but I stay quiet.

"Is this an old ISA thing?" Courtney asked but I shook my head. "Then how did you two meet?"

"One late night at a grocery store before a weird explosion or attack happened a couple of days ago." Inza simply explained with a chuckle. "She saved my life."

"There are a few details I learned but..." My eyes land behind Inza and Nurse Love waiting. "I'll explain later. I'll meet you where we found Todd. Go get Jennie."

"If you're sure." Courtney trailed before she followed behind Nurse Love, leaving only Inza and I in the room.

"So...pure coincidence huh?" Inza nervously laughed.

"I don't want the small talk so let's stop with the formalities. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't throw you out the window," I harshly state, and her eyes widen at my tone. "Is everything we talked about a lie?"

"No, of course not!"

"Really? Because with all the messed up stuff I had to deal with, I'm the wrong one to cross. I'd say ask Jordan Mahkent but last time I checked, his ice form shattered into ice cubes." I remark, taking a few steps closer to her in which my amulet thrums against my chest as she nervously takes a couple of steps back. "Did you plan out everything?"

She winces once her back hits the wall. "I may have lied about working at the hospital--"

"Oh my--"

"But Freya, I promise everything else is the truth. Remember the photo I showed you of my family?" She quickly asks and I pause mid-swing. "I had gotten into a terrible accident and Nurse Love was the person who found me and nursed me back to health. My memories aren't all there but I remember glimpses of having a family, this helmet, and a lot more weird stuff. After some pleading with Nurse Love, I struck a deal where they were willing to help me as long as I helped them out with the patients. After years of searching and only finding a photo, I had a lead on my husband by finding out his name where it correlated with Blue Valley and wanted to follow it but...I got a dead end." She rasped.

"What's your husband's name?" I hesitantly ask.

"Kent Nelson." She sadly smiled before she looked to the side. "At this point...I don't think I'll ever find them. Nurse Love thinks it's time to come to terms that they're gone."

My heart sinks. I can't let her live like this. Like Courtney said, what's the point of anything if you're alone?

"I don't think you should give up hope yet." I say before I hold my hand out. "I need to show you something. Can I have the helmet?"

She nodded and I take it from her hands, sliding the helmet over my head which causes my clothes to transform into the suit. Her eyes widen in surprise at the sudden transformation. "Oh wow, okay. Not the weirdest thing I've seen."

"Phantamogriphia Decorum." I whisper, watching as the golden wisps flowed through my fingertips and change our surroundings into the mansion. The place where I found out the truth about my past. "I lost my parents when I was young, but it was under terrible circumstances. While I learned about who I was, it changed everything I thought was the truth."

I wave my hand in front of me, creating the figure of my past self sobbing with her knees pressed against her chest. Seconds later, my father's figure appeared and stood in front of her with a warm smile.

"Kent..." I hear Inza whisper in awe from beside me.

"I'm relieved you finally discovered the truth." He spoke up which causes my past self to look up in shock.

"Y-You're—" She whispered as she quickly scrambled to stand on her feet and he nods with a smile. "How?"

"Nabu gave me one chance at a proper goodbye before the power goes to someone else." He spoke as takes a step closer to her and opened his arms. "But I wanted to see my daughter one last time."

Inza slowly looked over to me with a hand covering her mouth in shock, tears brimming her eyes. "Y-You're...You--"

I remove the helmet from my head which causes the illusion to disappear. "He sacrificed himself to save me. It's a long complicated story and I know you'll blame and hate me for the rest of your life but--"

I imagined different scenarios if I ever got the chance to tell my mom the truth about what happened with my father, most of them being never wanting anything to do with me.

But I never expected her to simply walk up to me and embrace me in a tight hug which causes me to stiffen.

"Ten years. Ten years, I've wished that I could've been there with Kent to see our child grow up. To be there for all of her firsts. Wondering what she would become." Her voice trembled. "But seeing you now...it's like all of my wishes came true because now I'm hugging my beautiful fifteen-year-old little girl who I thought I lost forever. It's all I've ever wanted. I have my daughter back."

It felt like all of the weight I'd been carrying for months, all of the pain, the longing of wanting a family, all of the nights wondering whether or not I should give up, it finally fell.

My mom's here. Not in some wretched nightmare, not through an illusion, she's physically here. Comforting me.

I slowly wrap my arms around her, unable to fight the smile forming on my face.

The moment is cut short once our surroundings roughly shake once more which causes us to pull away in fear. "Todd."

"We have to go." I state and she immediately nodded.

"I know a shortcut. Come on."

I follow close behind Inza through dozens of halls until we eventually reached the same blue double doors we first entered from before.

Rather than entering through the same door that led into Todd's examination table, we entered through the other room where Nurse Love, Courtney, and Jennie were trying to maintain their balance since our surroundings violently shook.

Todd's eyes were coated black as veins begin to trail outward, letting out pained distorted groans as he shook in place. In a matter of seconds, swirls of shadows burst out of his chest which caused his body to float from the gurney.

But since his arms and legs were still strapped, it forced the gurney to hover above the ground as well as dozens of shadows flew around the room.

Inza quickly typed something on the keyboard as dozens of tabs filled with data popped open. "We're running out of time." She worriedly turned to us. "If your friend is going to do something, they need to do it now!"

Courtney looked at Jennie, noticing her horrified expression. "You have to go to him."

"What if I hurt him again?" She worriedly asked.

"Do you wanna hurt him?" Jennie shook her head no. "Then you won't."

With a resolute nod, she pushes open the door that led to the examination room and steps inside.

Todd lets out a distorted roar until eventually his human form shifts into the shadow figure once more, dropping the gurney to the floor.

"Please. You need to leave." Todd panted but Jennie shook her head.

"I'm not going anywhere, Todd." She calmly spoke as her eyes brightly glow green and she grabbed onto his arms. Jennie's green energy and Todd's shadow violently swirl together, clouding both of them from our vision.

"We shouldn't have trusted you." Nurse Love muttered.

Suddenly, a bright green light emerged from the shadows which causes us to recoil back and I use my arm to shield my eyes.

As the brightness diminished, I move my arm and thankfully see Jennie and Todd barely pull away from a hug with smiles on their faces.

A short bright light causes Jennie and Todd to turn in surprise, watching as Pat and The Shade dusted themselves off before they look around in relief.

They're okay.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

It had become the morning after packing some of Todd's things and grabbing Jennie's bags from their basement.

As we turned to the next hallway, we found Nurse Love and Inza waiting near the exit.

"Well, I guess you were right." Nurse Love spoke up first with a shrug.

"Where's the... skeleton guy?" Courtney awkwardly asked, unsure of what to call him since he never gave us his name.

"He's checking in with the other patients to make sure they're okay." Inza explained with a warm smile.

"We don't often have nights with this much excitement." Nurse Love sarcastically smiled. "I hope this won't become a regular occurrence."

"I think we've got it under control." Jennie reassured.

Nurse Love nodded. "You both still have a home at Helix."

"What you're doing here isn't right." Courtney stated but Nurse Love furrowed her brows in confusion.

"All of our patients are free to go any time they wish. No one is being held against their will."

"That's actually true, Courtney." Todd added.

"Oh."

"But spying on us with hidden cameras?" I counter and Courtney snapped her fingers to me in agreement.

"Spying on you?"  Nurse Love repeated in disbelief.

"They were behind the cameras?" Pat asked.

"What are you talking about, Freya?" Inza asked.

"The cameras you put up all over Blue Valley." Courtney explained for me. "Inside our homes--"

"We did no such thing."

Courtney crossed her arms over her chest. "Then how do you know so much about us?"

"We do our research, yes. But spying on you with hidden cameras? Don't be ridiculous." Nurse Love scoffed.

"Yes, well. Then we're all done here?" The Shade questioned, pushing himself off of the wall with an eyeroll as he headed to the exit. "Or at least I am."

"I'm gonna go." Todd spoke up, causing Nurse Love's eyes to widen.

"Where?"

He gestured to Jennie with a smile. "With my sister."

"Me too." Inza spoke up, moving to stand behind me as she placed her hands on my shoulders. "It's time that I make up for lost time with my daughter."

"I don't think that's wise, Mr. Rice. But..." Nurse Love sighed and stepped to the side. "best of luck. To the both of you."

Todd and Jennie are the first pair to walk first, leaving the rest of us to follow close behind and exit the building.