July 19th

0847 EST

Avi had her own ideas as to how Bristol and CJ's solo mission would play out. Statistically, they would reign triumphant, as their abilities and skills would keep them alive and aid in their success and survival. However, from a more empathic standpoint, Avi couldn't shake the fear that racked her being.

And when CJ slumped into the cortex with empty eyes and without a partner, Avi felt a wave of horror wash over her.

"CJ? Where is Bristol?" She asked cautiously. She ran a quick scan of the speedster, and he seemed to be in no physical pain, but he radiated despair. He suffered from a broken heart.

The hazel eyed boy shrugged, his eyes empty, dark, and filled with sorrow. "I don't know," he croaked. His voice was hoarse, like he had been screaming, or crying.

Avi took a step forward, as if not to startle the boy who appeared to be at his breaking point. "What do you mean?" She asked softly.

CJ pressed his lips into a thin line and looked up at Avi. His eyes were tinged scarlet.

"I mean, I don't know! Everything was going to plan, we made it into the fortress, but that stupid fork in the road." His voice caught in his throat, making his words sound strangled. "We split up and I heard her scream, but before I could reach her, I blacked out. I woke up somewhere else and she was gone."

Tension filled the air like tendrils sprouting from his bombshell words. Avi watched the speedster, hoping that this was some sort of twisted joke.

"How do you know she is gone?" She questioned.

CJ took a shaky breath and dug something out of the pocket of his supersuit. A glittering golden necklace, with a pendant like a lightning bolt.

"I found this," CJ managed. "It was...is her's. I gave it to her."

Avi pursed her lips. She walked up to CJ and reached for the necklace, but he flinched, drawing it away. "Please," he said. "I don't want to believe that she could be gone, but this might be the only thing I have left of her."

Suddenly, Avi recognized herself in CJ at that moment. She knew what it was like to have someone you loved taken from you in cold blood, left for dead or worse. The feeling was enough to make her wince in pain of the memory and she realized that CJ was going through that pain right now.

"I am sorry," Avi whispered. "We will find her. I promise."

CJ shook his head, looking at the ground. He didn't speak, and footsteps filled the air. Avi's eyes widened. This would not be good.

"Where's Bristol?" Tristan's voice filled the air, calculating and cold.

CJ opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He looked away.

Avi gave the boy a sorrowful look before turning to Tristan. The dark haired boy's jaw was set but his eyes were filled with worry. She recounted CJ's tale, and expected some sort of understanding to fill Tristan's sapphire eyes.

She couldn't be more wrong.

Tristan swept forward, ice in his tracks. He grabbed CJ and shoved him up against the nearest wall.

"Where. Is. Bristol?" He demanded through grit teeth. The temperature seemed to be dropping and where Tristan was gripping CJ, ice was beginning to form.

"Tristan, stop! You are injuring him! He could get frostbite or hypothermia!" Avi shouted. She tried to tear the boys apart but the temperature was near freezing around them.

"I'm going to ask you one more time," Tristan said in a grave voice. "Where is she? Your job was to keep her safe and you failed. This is your fault."

"Tristan!" Avi yelled. The ice began to spread quicker, growing rapidly closer to CJ's chest. Av grabbed Tristan's arm, tugging as hard as she could.

Tristan's grip on CJ loosened as his arm swung back toward Avi. The second his closed fist tapped her body, ice erupted from his knuckles, coating her stomach immediately.

The seething boy snapped his head around to determine what had gotten in his way, but his face crumpled as the anger he had felt so violently faded to shame. He was appalled with what he had unintentionally done. Within seconds, Avi was speeding away from the cortex in Tristan's arms.

Before Avi could so much as gasp from whiplash, Avi and Tristan were in her room. She looked around questioningly. There was a trail of ice leading in through the doorway. Only a few moments ago, they were in their training room. It was as if CJ had been the one to carry them there, but she knew she had been alone with Tristan the entire time.

Ignoring the ice jacket that was slowly melting against her abdomen, she searched his eyes in surprise. "How... how did you do that? Did we slide here?"

He ran both of his hands through his dark hair, tugging on the ends. "I don't know," he whispered hoarsely. "It doesn't matter. Nothing. Else. Matters."

Avi reached out to him with a comforting touch, but Tristan shrugged her off coarsely. His entire body shook, ice swiftly expanding up his arms. As he paced the length of the room, he ripped at the collar of shirt like it was suffocating him, and small cries were emerging from his throat as if he had no control over them. The noises were a mix of a yelp and a gasp that came with every desperate breath he dragged in.

As he approached the opposite side of the room, he collapsed against the wall with his hands on his knees to remain upright, choking on the heaving sobs that poured from deep within his chest. His eyes, which had grown almost animal-like in his breakdown, were red and flooded with tears. His face was crimson with the overwhelming waves of emotion that were beating against him. Avi had never seen him this distressed before.

"How?" He growled, "how could he leave her?" Tristan began to pace around Avi's room, leaving patches of ice in his footsteps. The temperature of the room was already below zero degrees, growing colder as Tristan continued to panic.

Avi took a deep breath. This would not be easy. "He did not have a choice," she muttered. "We will find her Tristan, I promise."

"But what if we don't?" He cried, a tear slowly streaming down his face. As the teardrop fell from his cheek, it turned into a snowflake, floating gracefully to the ground. "Avi. What if we're too late? What if she's gone?" He choked out, his entire body crumpling to the ground.

Avi watched helplessly as Tristan pulled himself into a ball against the wall. She felt the anger evaporate off him, transforming into a deep, desperate sadness. His body shook with pained and strangled sobs.

In the entire time Avi had known Tristan, she had never once seen him cry, but once it started, it didn't stop. She could only imagine the dark thoughts running through his head. Seeing him like this made Avi spiteful. To CJ for leaving her there, but also to Bristol for playing with his emotions, even if it was unintentional.

Tristan stopped crying long enough to cry out, "It should have been me." He spoke like each word pained him. "I wouldn't have left her." Tristan tried to take a deep breath, but it caught in his throat. "I would have risked anything to get her back."

Avi bit her lip. "Tristan, Bristol is strong. I am sure that she will manage on her own until we may find her."

She expected Tristan to instantly deny that, to turn into some knight in shining armor set on rescuing his damsel in distress. However, he nodded. The blue eyed boy looked up, determination in his crimson ringed eyes.

"I swear," he managed in a ragged voice. "If Rune so much as lays a finger on her, I will rip him to pieces."

That appeared to be the last of his determination, because as soon as the words left him, he seemed to radiate fear and worry. He buried his head in his hands, shaking softly.

~~~

August 2nd

1152 EST

Avi, Tristan, and CJ were stationed behind a large oak tree, waiting for the right opportunity to complete their mission. In the house they were watching was Chase Seward, one of Rune's previous henchmen.

From what Priscilla had informed them, Rune had taken away Seward's powers when his cover as Rune's proxy was blown.

Avi scanned the decrepit house. The retired villain was walking from the second floor to the third floor, on a staircase to the left of his home.

"What are we waiting for?" CJ asked impatiently. "We've been standing behind this stupid tree doing nothing for ten minutes now!" He looked ready to charge into the house and simply ask their worst enemy's ally to confess his secrets.

"We're waiting for Avi to tell us the game plan," Tristan growled at the speedster. "Priscilla made her the leader for a reason. Listen to her."

Avi looked at the two boys uneasily. "We should wait a few more minutes until Seward is seated with his guard down. Then, Rapid runs up the right staircase, Deep Freeze goes left, and I come from behind. Once we have him trapped, Tristan will freeze him to his seat until he gives us the answers we need about Rune and Bristol."

CJ rolled his eyes. "Sometime today would be nice," he grumbled.

Avi took a deep breath and tried to focus on the task at hand. However, that proved to be difficult with a sudden chill in the air. Her eyes widened and she turned to see Tristan, eyes now icy blue with frost masking his fists.

"What the hell is your problem?" He barked at CJ.

The speedster was reclined against a nearby tree, and the dark haired boy's comment didn't seem to faze him. He merely rolled his eyes and watched Tristan from under his mask.

"What's yours?" CJ retorted. "You've practically been a time bomb overdue to explode."

Tristan set his jaw and Avi leapt up to intervene. She shot Tristan a comforting look but he intercepted it with a freezing one.

"Maybe if you didn't screw up and let Bristol go, we wouldn't be here." Tristan spat.

Whatever calmness CJ had was instantly shattered. Something snapped within his eyes and he suddenly was in front of Tristan, shoving him to the ground.

"Watch it," CJ snarled.

Tristan bounced back onto his feet and blasted a ray of ice towards the speedster, who dodged it easily.

"That the best you've got?" CJ taunted. Electricity seemed to flicker around him.

Tristan's eyes glowed an icy blue and Avi felt the temperature begin to drop. She needed to intervene before things got bad.

Avi cast a quick glance over her shoulder at the house. No sign of movement yet. She took a deep breath and channeled her powers.

Instantly, her senses sharpened as her eyes glowed neon. She threw her hands forward, one towards CJ and the other towards Tristan. A resonation reverberated through the air, shocking the two feuding heroes.

"Boys!" Avi demanded, assertion in her voice. "Stop fighting."

They stepped away from each other indignantly. She straightened her back, hopefully giving the boys the illusion of strength and confidence. She knew this mission would fail miserably if they couldn't work together.

"So, we wait?" CJ asked, contempt laced through his voice.

Avi opened her mouth to answer him, but was cut off by the door slamming shut. The man they were waiting for stepped down the staircase toward the heroes.

"What are we waiting for?" Chase Seward mused. He cackled cruelly, "Wouldn't happen to be me, would it?"

As the man drew closer, Avi quickly turned to the boys. "Remember the plan. CJ right, Tristan left," she whispered urgently.

Before she could blink, CJ was stationed behind a tree to the right of ex-villain. The time Seward took to look for CJ allowed Tristan to take his spot to the right of the villain.

"Now!" Avi yelled.

The speedster dashed in, knocking the man to the ground. Ice grew around his arms and legs, trapping him as he struggled to get up.

"What do you want with me, heroes?" The man bellowed, struggling against his restraints. "I've done my time!"

Avi stepped forward. "You, Chase Seward, were apprehended years ago for aiding Rune in his rise. You were stripped of your abilities, but we have reason to believe you still are informed as to where Rune and his current henchmen are located."

The man's eyes flicked from Avi to Tristan to CJ with something behind the dark irises that Avi couldn't place. "It's true," he sneered. "I helped Rune and my powers are now gone. But I don't know about anything else, I swear."

"I will be the judge of that," Avi muttered. She locked eyes with the man and instantly, his memories surged through her mind. His identity was further confirmed, but there was no trace of a location.

"Wha-what did she just do?" The man looked up helplessly at CJ and Tristan.

"She read your mind." Tristan rolled his eyes.

Avi cleared her throat. She nodded over a ways away from the man. "Do not try to escape," she called to Seward.

"Couldn't if I tried," Seward grunted.

CJ and Tristan joined up with her, both wearing identical visages of determination and fury.

"What's the location?" CJ huffed. Despite his tone, Avi knew he felt some hope. This site not only would lead them to Rune, but also to Bristol.

Avi shook her head, looking at the ground. "He does not know of a specific location." She revealed. "This stake out was a failure."

Tristan didn't seem to be convinced. "We'll see about that." He grumbled and stalked back towards the man.

Avi grabbed his hand before he could get too far. "Do not torture him for information," she said in a serious tone.

Tristan took a deep breath. Before he could speak, Seward piped up once more.

"I don't know exactly where he might be, but he would always set up camp in the same sort of area." He called out.

Avi locked eyes with Tristan, who arched an eyebrow.

"What sort of area?" He asked in a calculating tone.

Suddenly, CJ perked up. "Dark forests with 17th century graveyards located somewhere within them?" He questioned.

Avi knit her eyebrows in confusion. To her surprise, Seward nodded.

"It had to do with some plan of his," Seward continued. "The cemetery would act as some sort of energy? I'm not entirely sure, but he would always get held up before he could carry out the plan. If he's on the loose again, he might attempt it again."

A chill ran down Avi's spine that didn't resemble Tristan's. She imagined that this would feel like opening a coffin and finding yourself inside somehow, having unlocked information that you did not want to obtain.

"When would he try to carry out this plan?" CJ interrogated.

Seward took a shaky breath. "October 31st," he said. "All Hallows Eve."

~~~

Tension permeated the walls of headquarters, reflecting each of its inhabitants. The team of three trudged into the cortex, exhausted from their mission. At Avi's sides, both boys faced forward stoically, their minds detached from the present.

Their caretaker strolled in, meeting them in the middle. Her face was twisted with anger and her eyes pierced the boys next to Avi.

"What the hell were you two doing?" Priscilla bellowed, emphasis on every word she spat. She crossed her arms aggressively. "You both are so lucky. With all the fighting, if he still had his powers, you would be dead."

Tristan and CJ hung their heads, both refusing to make eye contact with Priscilla. Their instructor focused her hateful gaze on the brown haired boy on Avi's right.

"CJ. When I make someone mission leader, it's because I want them to lead. Do you think your judgment is better than mine?" She asked viciously. When the speedster didn't answer, Priscilla continued, "Isn't the first time you've jeopardized a mission. You need to look beyond your personal agenda."

CJ fidgeted next to Avi, trying to control his racing mind. He mumbled, "I need to get out of here. I need space," before rushing out of the room.

Avi watched the speedster dash out of the cortex, and fought back a scream of frustration. With Bristol gone, there was no order. Tristan and CJ were at war with one another, Rune was on the loose, Priscilla was still radiating suspicion, and Liv and Calum walked among them like embodied secrets. Everything was crumbling apart and Avi didn't know if it could be put be put back together again.

Priscilla threw her hands up in exasperation and glared down the hallway.

"We have an idea of where she is," Tristan interrupted. "It's already been two weeks, we need to leave as soon as possible."

Switching her threatening glare to Tristan, Priscilla spoke once more. "Don't be rash. Without exact coordinates it is too dangerous to send the three of you out."

"We have each other!" Tristan yelled, losing his composure. "Bristol has no one. How could you even say that?" He paused his rant to take deep breaths, fighting off another anxiety attack.

"I waited two weeks for you to think of something to get her out. I'm not waiting for you any longer," he snarled. He turned sharply on his heel and walked quickly out of sight.

Avi looked hopelessly at Priscilla before running after her friend. She caught up with him easily, grabbing his arm to get his attention. "Are you really leaving?"

Tristan turned toward Avi and smiled sadly. "Yeah I am." He took a deep breath, "What other choice do I have?"

"Well then I am coming with you," she said defiantly.

Tristan shot her an incredulous look, as if her statement was crazy. "No you are not. It is too dangerous."

"Having me there would make it less dangerous. Tristan I am not fragile. " she argued.

"Avi," Tristan's voice cracked on her name. "If anything happened to you because of me, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Please. Please just stay."

The pleading look in Tristan's eyes broke her heart. In that moment she forgot about accompanying him and just wanted to make him stop hurting. "Okay."

Tristan's cold touch shocked Avi as he took her hands in his own. "Promise me you won't follow," he begged her.

"I promise," she whispered.

Tristan pulled her into a hug and rested his head on her own. He held her there for minutes and Avi could feel his heart hammering inside his chest. "I'll see you soon. I promise."

He kissed her forehead and slowly pulled away from her. Avi felt like she couldn't move as Tristan walked down the hallway in the opposite direction from her.

A single oil tear fell from Avi's eye as her closest friend left her.

"That's what he does," Liv's voice sounded from behind.

Avi whirled around to find the blonde girl leaning lazily against the kitchen doorframe. She watched the hallway where Tristan had stormed down with sad caramel eyes, but didn't make any attempt to stop him.

"Storm off when he knows he is right?" Avi questioned.

Liv smiled weakly. "The kid's stubborn, you gotta give him that much." She shrugged and pushed herself off the doorway.

Avi looked down the hallway longingly, wishing for Tristan to return. She had faith in him, but she couldn't help but feel tense. CJ had left, Tristan had followed, and Bristol was missing in action for two weeks.

"He'll find her," Liv said softly, as if she had read Avi's thoughts.

Avi glanced at the blonde girl sadly. "How are you not saddened by these events? You, Calum, and I are all the Contingency might have left to defeat Rune."

"Don't say that!" Liv snapped, a sudden nervous fire flickering behind her eyes. She took a deep breath. "Tris is levelheaded and determined. He'll find Bristol, I'm sure of it. They'll come back, and so will CJ and everything will go to plan."

Avi shook her head, looking at the metallic floors. "It is larger than simply unity, Liv. Today, we discovered intel on what Rune may be planning to do."

Liv knit her eyebrows together, folding her arms over her chest. She glanced apprehensively down the hallway, as if she sensed an intruding force, but locked eyes with Avi. "Go on," she nodded.

And so Avi recounted the tale that Seward had told them. Rune had tried multiple times to harness some sort of necromantic energy, but had always failed before his plan was carried out. With Bristol in his clutches and with his new fortress, wherever it may be, he might get a chance to carry out with that plan this October.

Before Liv could speak, footsteps resounded through the cortex. Avi perked up at the thought that it might be Tristan, but it proved to be Calum. The palehaired telepath sauntered into the cortex, eyeing Liv with a smirk on his face before meeting Avi's intense glare and matching it with one of his own.

"What?" He asked innocently.

Liv tensed. "Back off, Calum. This isn't about you."

The boy put his hands up in mock surrender, a smirk stretching across his lips. "I'm not allowed to know?" He purred.

"No," Avi said sharply. "This has to do with actual Union plans, not what we are going to do with our ever so friendly intruder."

Calum narrowed his eyes at Avi and for a split moment, she thought he was going to read her mind. However, the bracelet of energy hung around his wrist as usual. He couldn't use his powers. Everything would be okay.

Liv scoffed, shaking her head and turning back to Avi. "If Tristan meets up with Rune, it won't be pretty."

"He won't find Rune, don't you worry," Calum mused, sauntering over to the kitchen. "And even if he did, there's no way that Tristan would be able to stop what'll unfold."

A pang of suspicion racked Avi's being. She locked eyes with Liv, who seemed to be as confused as she was, and looked over at Calum.

"What's about to unfold?" She asked carefully, narrowing her eyes.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, Avi noticed hesitation in the eyes of the telepath who never missed a beat. He avoided eye contact, but huffed a breath as if the answer was obvious. "What, you expect Tristan to encounter Rune without a fault? Madness would unfold, obviously. Come on, Avi, I thought you were smarter than that."

Avi ran a quick scan of Calum, one that only she could sense. His heartbeat was quickening but other than that, he seemed calm, cool, and collected. He was lying about something, but Avi couldn't pinpoint what.

Liv took a deep breath. "Have a good day, Calum, we'll see you later." She said, bounding towards the hallway.

"We?" Avi questioned.

Liv stopped at the doorway, looking over her shoulder. "Don't you want to find Tristan?" Her caramel eyes glinted with something mischievous.

Yes, Avi thought. She shook her head softly. "I promised I wouldn't follow." She said sternly.

Liv grinned jauntily. "You promised, I didn't. You're just following me. And besides, Avi, we're heroes! Taking risks and breaking protocol is in the job description. Now are you coming or not? I have an idea."

Avi had always been suspicious of the fiery girl. However, as she stood in the hallway with a determined look and an adventurous look in her eyes, Avi found herself agreeing to the plan.

Despite it all, Avi followed Liv down the very hallway that seemed to be the path of procession for broken heroes.