June 24th

0122 EST

Bristol's heartbeat, combined with the beats of her friends, pounded throughout the cortex with an unnerving rhythm, chilling her to the bone. There was silence all around as everyone looked around in shock. This was their safe zone, their territory, their home court, and yet, somehow that had been invaded. Secrets lurked around every corner like ghosts that escaped your grasp the second you got too close.

The only thing powerful enough to disrupt the tension growing from the Union was Liv, who shot awake all of a sudden. She looked around wildly with bloodshot caramel eyes. Her breathing was irregular and the way she regarded her predicament and location was as if she didn't know she was in headquarters at all.

"Liv?" Tristan asked, concern booming in his voice. "Liv, are you alright?"

Liv looked at Tristan sharply, and her eyes glazed over, the way they normally were. The mist that had been cleared with her awakening had reformed. "Tris...Tristan. Where am I?" She looked around slowly.

Tristan knit his eyebrows. "Liv, you're in the cortex. How'd you get here?"

Liv caught glimpse of the snowflake emblem on his chest and instantly noticed the other people standing around. "Why are you guys dressed in your supersuits?" As soon as the words escaped her mouth, she pressed her hands to her temples, like she was getting a headache. "All I know is I was in my bed one minute and now I'm here."

Bristol took a step forward apprehensively, as if she were approaching a cornered animal. For all she knew, that was the closest comparison she could make to Liv. The girl was a walking mystery that looked spooked 99% of the time. "Liv," she paused. "What do you remember?"

The blonde girl took a ragged breath, hugging her knees to her chest. Her shoulder-length hair was matted, and she was still in her pajamas, although they were stained with ash. "I don't know," she pressed. "I was in my bed one minute and then I wake up here. Did I sleep walk?"

Bristol opened her mouth to say something again, when Liv's vision landed on the ash surrounding her. Her eyes widened and the blood rushed out of her face. "No," she gasped, scooting backwards away from the ash. "No, she told me she would leave me alone. I don't know anything! She said she would leave me alone!"

"Her heartbeat is erratic and she is beginning to hyperventilate. If we do not intervene, she can go into a shock-induced panic attack and lose consciousness." Avi reported, urgency in her voice.

Instantly, Liv looked up at them, but the vacant look in her eyes returned. "Leave me alone!" She yelled, on the brink of tears. "Don't come any closer!"

Tristan reached a hand forward but Liv flinched, watching him as if he were a dangerous animal. "Don't touch me!"

Tristan's sapphire eyes filled with heartbreak and confusion all at once. "Liv, what's wrong?" He asked.

Liv began to shake, rocking back and forth. She sat in the center of the ash explosion, gazing off into space as tears filled her eyes. "She said she would leave me alone! I didn't mean to anger her! I didn't mean to! I'm not like her, I swear!" She wailed.

Bristol looked to CJ beside her and Avi on her opposite side and the three of them started forwards. They needed to calm her down, to get her to see reason, but it was a failed attempt.

Liv saw them coming and spread her hands out to either side of her. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" She screamed, and the air around her palms began to shimmer, like a heat wave was coming on.

"Get down!" Tristan bellowed over the roar of the flames rushing out of Liv's palms. The fire formed a ring around her and forged outwards.

Bristol hit the deck, as well as CJ and Avi. Something told Bristol that if Liv somehow was seeing them as enemies, they wouldn't be able to stay in one place for long. They would have to fight if it got to that point, and judging from how shell-shocked the entire Union was at that point, she didn't think it would be a very fair fight.

The roar of the flames disappeared and Bristol took a knee. Liv seemed to calm down, but she was still in shock. Any sudden movements would spook her, but the girl needed to calm down before she knocked herself out again.

Slowly, Bristol stood. Along the right wall, behind the pillars, were small fountain-like faucets, spilling into a basin along the bottom of the wall. If Liv attacked her, Bristol would be able to use her strongest asset if absolutely necessary.

Taking a deep breath, Bristol tried to calm her nerves. She caught glimpse of Tristan on the opposite side of the platform, shaking his head at her and mouthing 'no.'

So of course, Bristol ignored him.

"Bristol, get down! What're you doing?" She heard CJ hiss from behind her.

Bristol ignored him too. Instead, she forged on slowly, keeping a mental grip on the water in the distance. If she kept that focus, it would be easier to manipulate it faster.

Finally, she reached the edge of the platform. "Liv," she said calmly.

The blonde girl's face snapped in her direction, and fear filled her eyes again. "Don't touch me! I don't know anything!" Her hands radiated heat again and Bristol prepared herself.

"Bristol!" Tristan yelled as the ring of fire formed and pushed towards her.

However, Bristol was ready. She shot her hand to the side and a whip of water flicked in the direction of the fire, steam filling the air as the fire disappeared. Bristol smirked a bit; her plan was working.

Liv moved back a bit in shock, like she didn't expect that at all. Slowly, she stood, visibly shaking. She pushed her hands forward, and a flare of fire erupted from them.

Bristol leapt out of the way, behind a pillar, as she sent another wave of water in Liv's direction. With the time it took for the wave to hit Liv, Bristol ran out from behind the pillar and approached her.

"I'm not trying to hurt you!" Bristol called to her. "None of us are!"

Liv shook her head, the tears returning. "I just—you can't tell them you know—they'll find me. They'll find you!" She wailed, and just as she raised a hand forward to send another attack, she crumpled to the ground.

Bristol jumped a bit, taking a step back. The heels of her boots clicking on the platform echoed through the cortex with the sound of Liv hitting the ground. Silence refilled the air, but was broken with three sets of footsteps rushing to join Bristol.

"We need to get her to the infirmary." Tristan said gravely, a hand to her neck as if he were checking for a pulse.

"On it." CJ voiced. He picked up the fallen girl and rushed out of the room. A second later, he returned. "I locked her in there too. Y'know, just to be safe."

Bristol looked at the speedster incredulously. "You locked her in the infirmary?" She repeated.

CJ glared at Bristol. "Did you not just witness that fight between you both? The girl's gone rogue, she needs to be locked up for a while as she recovers."

"Guys!" Tristan snapped. "Can we focus on what's important please?"

Bristol glanced at him. "Do you not care that CJ locked up your sister?"

"Do you not care that our suspicions about her seem to be right? She knows Aetna and most likely the rest of Rune's gang." Tristan retorted.

That shut Bristol up. She took a deep breath, running a hand through her hair in exasperation. "So that's what that was about?" She asked. "All the talk of being found and Aetna leaving her alone?"

Tristan shook his head, looking at the ground. "I'm not sure, but probably. Liv's powers...they've never been that strong. It's almost like—"

"She was being controlled." Avi cut in. "I scanned her mind. That's why her memories are all shrouded. She doesn't have any control over them. Someone is controlling her, adding more energy to her powers. And if someone is controlling her abilities, they most likely are manipulating her actions and conversations as well."

Avi's reasoning sent an unnecessary chill through the air. It was entirely possible that Liv was being controlled, possessed almost. But they couldn't be sure yet.

"Could it be Psyche?" CJ asked. The analyzing look in his hazel eyes returned, the way it always did whenever there was a task that needed to be solved. "He's a telepath, who's to say that he isn't controlling her?"

"And he has an amulet like Aetna's." Tristan added. "He can teleport anywhere with that thing and apparently, so can she."

"But how did Aetna break through the security fog? Was it before or after we fought her?" Bristol asked.

Avi cleared her throat. "My intentions for the following are not to alarm anyone, but listen. Who have we suspected to have some sort of involvement with the amulets? Who set up the security fog? Who is missing from headquarters at this very moment?"

Everyone knew the answer. Of course, Priscilla had been filling their suspicions since they first spotted Psyche a few days ago, but it didn't seem to be like her. She was background checked and hired by the Contingency to oversee the Union's training, not to throw them under the bus to their number one enemy and his buddies.

Bristol sighed in exasperation. "How about we leave it alone for one night? We could all use some rest, it's been a long day."

"Ain't that the truth," CJ scoffed.

Bristol folded her arms insecurely. She looked around the cortex with its lights dimmed and the pillars. The bubble of the fountains along the wall added to her rapid heartbeat and screaming conscience was enough to give her a headache.

Who would have thought that their safe haven would turn into hallowed ground so quickly? Headquarters was their home, their training ground. Having all of these shadows and shrouds of suspicions and fears darting into sight and out just made the whole place feel eerie and uncomfortable.

And Bristol hated to admit it to herself, because it made things feel even freakier, but as she and her friends made their way down the corridors, she felt a shiver run up her spine. Stopping in her tracks as everyone peeled off to their individual rooms, she looked around.

No one was in sight, no one was making a sound, but Bristol still felt that some force was watching her and it wasn't friendly.

~~~

Dawn calmed Bristol down. The colors that would fill the sky reminded her of happiness and contentment and unicorns and rainbows. Fear didn't have a place as the sun rose on the horizon and through that, it wouldn't have a place in Bristol. No, not as long as the sun was up.

The Elemental Empress yawned as she woke up and pushed her covers off of her. She was still sore from yesterday's fight, but the thought of it just made different confusions and worries rush to her mind. She had done something virtually impossible at Mauna Loa and the feeling scared her.

Normally, Bristol would feel crippling vertigo and aches from head to toe if she summoned one of the other elements. Using two at a time was practically a death wish. However, against Aetna the day before, she had controlled both earth and fire to reverse the eruption the villainess had set off. She didn't expect it to work.

But it did. And she felt fine.

Bristol sighed, feeling a headache from overthinking come on. Come on, Bristol, focus on sunshine and rainbows and ponies, she thought to herself. Don't stress yourself out, it's too early for that.

So Bristol prepared herself for that morning's training. She took a quick shower, brushed her hair, did all that jazz until she was in a t-shirt and running shorts with her hair dried and cascading down her back. Tying her sneakers into quick bows, she left her room and headed to the cortex.

What Bristol didn't expect was to be the last one to training. Normally she was first, which gave her time to eat and mentally prepare herself for the day. But somehow, her teammates had taken that glory for themselves.

Knitting her eyebrows, Bristol stopped in her tracks slowly as she approached the platform. On top of it stood CJ, Avi, and Tristan, all in athletic wear for their training. Although they all wore matching grim expressions, Bristol got the feeling that no one had done any talking.

"Whoa, who died?" Bristol asked in confusion.

Tristan, who was leaning against the platform's control board, looked up at her. His eyes roamed down her figure before coming back up to her face and Bristol instantly arched an eyebrow. "No one," he shrugged simply.

"Yet," CJ piped up sarcastically. The speedster shot Bristol a weak smile before dashing into the kitchen through a nearby doorway, returning in half a second. In his hands, he held a mug of something hot. "Coffee?" he asked.

Bristol eyed the mug before smiling sympathetically. "I'll pass," she said.

CJ shrugged. "Oh well, more for me," he raised the mug up but it levitated out of his grip. The brown haired boy yelped, making Bristol jump.

She looked over at the platform, finding Avi with her hands on her hips. Her emerald green eyes were their neon color, especially reserved for resonations and things of the mental sort, but her face was blank.

"CJ, you contain enough energy with your abilities. Do not make it worse." Avi said condescendingly. "Besides, we have to train before Priscilla returns."

"If she returns," CJ mumbled.

Bristol shot him a look and he pressed his lips into a line. "Sorry," he muttered.

Sighing, Bristol ran a hand through her hair. "Avi's right. Come on, Speedy, off to training we go." She jogged up and leapt onto the platform.

In an instant, CJ had joined them. At the Union's congregation, Tristan reached over lazily and pressed the control on the dashboard that Avi had set up specifically for their covert conversations. The translucent walls formed around the edges and sealed them in safely.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Bristol asked as Avi sauntered over to the control panel.

"Simulation," Avi called over her shoulder. "All abilities allowed, full transparent moving targets, the works."

"Perfect," Bristol said, cracking her knuckles. As much as training wore her out sometimes, Bristol actually enjoyed full group simulations.

A few digital tones later, a setting began to virtualize around them. A creek, rocks, and pixelated enemies of light that they had to defeat.

Avi paced over to join the Union in their line. The enemies seemed to be frozen in time, but they knew that as soon as someone said the word, they would come to life with one goal: destroy the heroes.

"Go!" Avi shouted and the figures of light rushed forward.

Tristan took the initiative by running forward, on top of the creek. His presence froze the creek over and he slid under the legs of a light figure, popping up behind it and freezing it into nonexistence.

"Not cool, Tristan!" Bristol yelled, although the laugh in her voice disrupted her anger. She threw her hands forward as CJ and Avi ran ahead, taking care of the enemies approaching them. The river unfroze at Bristol's control and as a duo of light figures stepped into it, she flexed her hands and the water swirled around them until they disappeared.

CJ became a blur, darting around and around a trio of their enemies until steam replaced them. "So what're we gonna do about you-know-who?" He called.

Avi's eyes glowed neon as her scans ran up and down a figure's form, her skin shimmering with her coding. "You-Know-Who is the term assigned to Voldemort, formerly Tom Marvolo Riddle of the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling. We are not dealing with Voldemort, CJ, we are dealing with Olive."

Bristol laughed. "She told you, Speedy."

The speedster blushed, stopping in his tracks. "Shut up, Avatar." He said with a small smile.

"Focus, please?" Tristan piped up, a miniature blizzard forming around him as he continued to freeze the light figures.

Bristol was about to respond when suddenly the landscape began to change. The rocks beneath their feet turning into water, and despite it being a simulation, they still fell into the churning water.

"What's happening?" CJ asked over the rush of the waves forming.

Bristol looked up in confusion, and saw storm clouds. Suddenly, her heart froze. No. No no no no no. This was not happening.

Avi swam over to the opposite edge of the control panel, now floating above the waves. "It has been hacked with someone's fears. This coding is unrecognizable."

Bristol was surprised she was still treading water. The waves pounded her underneath the water and she surfaced, and her cheeks were wet with saltwater and her tears. "No!" She wailed. "Not this! Anything but this!"

The sound of her pounding heartbeat and the blood rushing through her ears was enough to simulate the feelings she felt that night from last year. That stormy night that led to her being who she was now. That stormy night that became her worst nightmare.

The crashes of thunder became louder and louder and Bristol knew what was coming. She let out a blood curdling scream as she awaited the strike of electricity from the heavens above, crossing her arms over her face to shield her from the birth of her powers.

But it never came. Bristol unfolded her arms from her face and found that she was crouching on the bottom of the platform, perfectly dry. Well, except for her tear-stained cheeks.

She looked up and found Avi hacking away at the controls, and Tristan and CJ in front of her. They watched her with worry and confusion, a look she had become all too familiar with lately. Another look around confirmed that there was no water left in the platform, and the walls had been raised.

"Bristol...what happened?" Tristan asked. His sapphire eyes glinted with concern, the same way they were the night before when Liv had lost it.

Bristol took a shaky breath, standing up. "Nothing, I'm...I'm fine." She said. Just my fear landscape. No biggie.

Avi let out an exasperated groan. "I am going to need a while to debug this control panel. Somehow it was jammed with fear coding, exemplifying the fears of the group or an individual inside of it."

CJ reached forward to put a hand on her shoulder but Bristol flinched. "Please." She said. "Just...just give me some air."

And with that, she fled from the cortex. She dashed down the hallway until she had reached her room, storming inside of it and sitting down on the edge of her bed. With her head in her hands, she glared at the floor.

If everyone had seen that, how she had gotten her powers, what would they think of her? The almighty Elemental Empress, afraid of the event that gave her the abilities she had today. Pathetic.

"It's okay to be afraid of drowning. It's a common fear." A voice said.

Bristol's head snapped up and she looked at her doorway. Leaning against it was CJ, his arms folded across his chest and his hair disheveled as always.

She took a deep breath. "So you saw that?" She asked.

CJ nodded. "Like I said, it's nothing to be ashamed of. A lot of people are afraid of drowning."

Bristol looked at him sympathetically before shaking her head. "What you saw....it wasn't a fear of drowning. It—" her voice caught and she quickly wiped her eyes before continuing. "It's how I got my powers."

At that, CJ's hazel eyes widened. "Really?"

Bristol winced a bit. "Yeah, I, uh...it's pathetic, isn't it?" She said, staring at the wall opposite her door. Anything to avoid the pitiful looks she was about to get. And to her surprise, she didn't feel any.

"No, it isn't. It's understandable. Judging from what I saw, something like that can be pretty traumatic." CJ noted. He pushed himself off the doorway and walked towards her, sitting down across from her at her desk chair. "Do you mind telling me about it? I'm just curious."

Bristol's eyes glinted with tears and something apologetic. "Curiosity killed the cat," she said with a laughing tone.

At that, the speedster's lips quirked up into a smile. "Thank God I'm not a cat." He said impishly.

It was enough to make Bristol smile and she slowly felt the ball of fear and worry inside her chest begin to unravel. She ran a hand through her hair, leaning forward on her elbows. She hadn't told anyone this story, and if CJ still saw her with the same grudging respect he always had, then she had good reason to trust him.

"Well, um, it happened last summer. I was a bit frustrated, so I headed to the beach. A storm was moving in but I didn't care, I just wanted to swim. So I did and that's when things took a wrong turn. I got caught in a rip current and the waves carried me out to sea. The storm was getting bad, like the sky was darker than I had ever seen. Finally, just as a big wave was building up, time seemed to stop and that's when the lightning struck me. The wave hit me directly after and I blacked out after that. I woke up a few days later in a hospital and discovered later that day that I had atmoskinesis." Bristol explained, taking a deep breath.

Her brown eyes flicked up to look at CJ, but the boy was staring at her in amazement. She looked at him in confusion. "What?" She asked.

The speedster blinked and cleared his throat, still not shaking the look of awe in his eyes. "D-did you just say you got struck by lightning?"

Bristol made a face. "Yep."

"Do you know what that means?" CJ asked slowly, smiling softly.

Bristol rolled her eyes with a small smile. "What, loser?"

CJ grinned. "Your name is Bristol Allen, and you're the fastest woman alive!" he said, eyes bright with fascination.

Bristol blinked, a stupid smile on her face. She gave him a look and burst into laughter. "CJ, I don't know if you're new here but you're the speedster. Not me." She laughed.

CJ ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "It was worth the reference," he shrugged, smiling impishly at her.

Bristol matched his gaze with a grateful smile. He didn't appear to be fazed at all that she was afraid of that event, and the thought warmed her heart.

Slowly, CJ stood up, holding a hand out to Bristol. "Come on, we should head back to the cortex." He said, smiling.

Bristol's vision flicked from his outstretched hand up to his smiling hazel eyes. Tentatively, she took his hand and CJ pulled her to her feet. "Thanks, Speedy," she said, a soft smirk on her face.

CJ smiled warmly. "Anytime, Avatar."

For a moment, they stood there, smiling at one another. However, Bristol broke the moment with a necessary playful shove and headed towards the door.

What she didn't expect to see at her door was Tristan, a scowl on his face as he leant against the arm propping him up at her doorway. His eyes flicked between Bristol and CJ, before straightening up. "Well, isn't this lovely." He commented, his voice dripping in sarcasm.

Now, Tristan was a very difficult person in Bristol's mind. One minute he would be saving her life and concerned about her health, and the next he would be distant and colder than the ice that he controlled. And right now, he was the latter.

Bristol folded her arms, matching Tristan's freezing gaze. "Lurking in doorways is rude, y'know." She said pointedly.

The tension in the air felt like a storm about to break as Tristan and Bristol stared one another down. Finally, the human Popsicle unfroze, but didn't tear his vision from Bristol. "Avi fixed the platform. It's our turn to spar."

Bristol pursed her lips before looking at CJ. He jumped a bit, like he forgot he was standing in the middle of this sudden feud. "I'll go, don't mind me." He laughed awkwardly before bolting out of the room.

With CJ gone, Tristan seemed to relax a bit. His eyes filled with the same concern that they once had held but Bristol could still see the bitterness behind them. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Bristol scoffed, pushing past him out the door. "What the hell is your problem?" She started down the corridor.

"What's my problem? How about what's yours? You had a traumatic episode and blame me for being worried about you?" Tristan retorted, grabbing her wrist and spinning her back around to face him.

Bristol yelped and glared up at him. They were inches apart but Bristol didn't let that distract her. She pulled herself out of his grip and stepped back. "Yes, yes I am because you obviously have something against both CJ and I and I don't get it."

Tristan scoffed, his sapphire eyes turning ice. "You're insufferable," he spat. "You don't see how he looks at you? He likes you, it's so obvious!"

Bristol folded her arms, glaring at him venomously. "I doubt he does considering up until that point, we both could barely stand one another. And even if he did, which he doesn't, what's it matter to you, Popsicle Boy?"

Tristan matched her gaze and Bristol felt the temperature in the hallway drop a little. "I was worried about you, or are you too dense to realize that?"

"No, I realize it but if you actually did care about me, you would have been the one to follow instead of CJ. Frankly, I'm glad it was him because you would probably have had another one of your infamous mood swings if it was you!" Bristol yelled.

Tristan set his jaw, exhaling sharply. "I don't know why I try with you! You take my help for granted, maybe I shouldn't care anymore the next time you complain about your lack of ability! You're pathetic!"

Bristol flinched. His tone was too icy but she detected a sort of hurt lacing his voice. However, she wasn't going to let him fire off comments at her when he was the one to blame. She was fueled by anger, and it was going to come back to haunt her later but she couldn't stop what came out of her mouth next.

"I'm pathetic? I'm not the one with a crazy sister! Insanity must run in the family, huh?" The second the words left her mouth, she clapped her hands to her lips. She didn't say that. That was too far and she knew it.

Tristan's tough bravado instantly weakened, shattering away into shards of the ice that defended him. His icy eyes turned back into their sapphire color, but Bristol could see the hurt inside of them and it made her heart break.

"Tristan, I—" She started softly, reaching a hand out to him.

The dark haired boy recoiled from her reach. He sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Don't apologize. I know." He said sadly.

"Know what?" Bristol asked in a small voice.

Tristan pressed his lips together and Bristol could see his eyes beginning to water. She had never seen him cry, not once. "My life's pretty messed up, huh?" He laughed wryly.

Bristol shook her head. "I didn't mean that, Tristan, I was just angry and—"

"Don't worry about it. You're right. My family is just one insane bunch and I'm sorry for showing that gene of mine that I can't seem to shake." Tristan said, his voice cracking.

It occurred to Bristol that she barely knew anything about Tristan and his background. He had been at headquarters longer than she had by a few months, but they never were close enough to share their backstories. They fought together and trained together, and it was by accident that Tristan discovered Bristol's darkest secret. However, Bristol didn't know Tristan's and it wasn't her place to poke, despite her curiosity.

"It's not your fault," Bristol said slowly. "People say things they don't mean, it isn't a matter of insanity. I'm sorry." Her voice caught and she hugged her arms to her chest.

Tristan took a shaky breath. "What's a hero without a crazy life, right?" he scoffed, running a hand through his hair. "Liv's just...crazy would be the best way to describe her situation. I don't know what her problem is and part of me doesn't want to find out. I...I don't trust her."

Bristol looked at him curiously. He was throwing his own sister under the bus, but taking what she knew of Liv and Tristan's life, she tried to put herself in his position.

If she had a sibling who she had grown up with and always argued with due to being complete opposites, and eventually split up to go their own way, how would she react to reuniting? To find out that they could possibly be a proxy of sorts by their enemy's hand?

Things like that can really make you question how much you trust your own blood. Bristol was an only child, so she didn't know what it was like to have a sibling, but if she was in Tristan's case, she probably wouldn't trust that sibling either.

Bristol didn't know what to say. There isn't exactly a guide as to what to say after a near-fallout with a friend. Tristan seemed to be broken for the time being and from her experience, only one thing could repair a break that emotional.

Biting her lip, Bristol walked towards him and hesitantly wrapped her arms around him. She forced away the feeling of awkwardness and counted the beats of her heart as seconds, waiting for him to either hug back or push her away. She really hoped that the latter wouldn't be the case.

However, a few moments later, she felt his arms wrap around her. He held her close to him, leaning down to rest his head on her shoulder despite him having some inches on her. Bristol felt her heart flutter, but forced the feeling away. The only thing that mattered now was to give Tristan solace, and silence and comfort was the only way he would reach that.

After a couple minutes of silence, Tristan broke the peace. With his arms still around her, he took a shaky breath.

"Thank you." He said softly.

~~~

The day went by slowly, but thankfully there weren't any other fallouts between the Union. Around dusk, the four heroes were lounging in the cortex having checked on Liv through the cameras. She was still knocked out, but thankfully there were no signs of invasive explosions or visitors from Rune's gang of minions.

The sound of a portal kicking into gear made the heroes shoot up into a battle stance. Bristol, having been sitting near the fountain wall, stood up abruptly as the water behind her formed into a wave waiting to crest. Tristan took a similar stance, flurries forming around his fists as his sapphire eyes turned an electric ice color. Avi's eyes shimmered neon, but CJ looked like a deer in headlights with a handful of chips halfway to his mouth.

Bristol's heart pounded and it didn't stop as a figure formed on the portal's small platform. Heels echoed around the cortex as Priscilla shimmered into existence.

Instantly, their caretaker looked around in surprise. "At ease, guys." She said in confusion.

Bristol glanced at each of her friends, and they slowly released their grips on their powers. The wave she had formed sloshed back into the fountain's basin as she walked into the central part of the cortex.

"Where were you? You've been gone for a day." She asked, keeping a wary eye on Priscilla.

"Did you decide to go on a getaway?" Tristan rolled his eyes sarcastically, folding his arms.

Priscilla watched them with electric eyes, but Bristol could feel that there was something she had seen wherever she had gone. "I was on a mission with the Contingency. They wanted me there with them as they investigated something."

"And what would that investigation be for? We were not notified of anything of the sort." Avi chirped, suspicion in her voice.

Priscilla glanced around nervously. She couldn't dodge their questions, especially as the heroes banded together in a straight line, side by side.

"A prison break." She managed. "They wanted me there to stabilize all means of transportation out of Shadowedge."

Bristol's eyes widened. "Shadowedge? There was a breakout at Shadowedge?"

Priscilla flinched but nodded. "I believe there is no point in my informing you of who broke out." She said, worry in her voice.

Bristol felt her heart stop. This was happening, they were right all along, it was only a matter of time. However, a part of her didn't want her to believe it. She half expected Ashton Kutcher to pop out from behind a pillar and explain that they've been Punk'd but she wasn't that lucky.

Rune had broken out of Shadowedge. And if their suspicions were right and Liv was indeed his proxy, he had all the information he needed about the Union and headquarters to plan an invasion. Sooner or later, they would be under attack.

It was only a matter of time.