Date: Sat, 19 Sep 2009 11:02:49 -0700 (PDT)
From: Silvenfox <silvenfox@yahoo.com>
Subject: Reflecting Equation - 3

The following is a complete work of fiction.

Any resemblance between the characters and any real life person is
completely coincidental.  Please do not copy or distribute the story
without the author's permission.

Disclaimer:

The following story may contain erotic situations. If it is illegal for you
to read this please leave now. Also expect blood, gore, incredibly funny
scenes and super-powered teenagers with a destiny to save the world. If
you're not a fan of any of these plus strong cursing and violence then this
is not your type of story.



Chapter 3


The deep dark that went on and on was gone. The blackness my world had
turned into was no longer. Green country stretching into the far distance
spilled out before me.

Twinkling stars, brighter and more vibrant than anything I had ever seen
filled the night sky with shining jewels of silver light. An ocean of
glittering blue water existed next to a sprawling city that shined gold
like the sun, and tugged at my heart and soul like nothing before in my
life. The architecture was like nothing on Earth. It was like something out
of a fantasy.

I had never been here before but something tugged at my insides. There was
something about the city, this land, this place that was familiar. Yet it
was completely foreign and alien than anything on Earth. It was more awful,
more divine. I knew this was where I belonged.

This wasn't the Dreamlands. Not Atlantis either. This was... It felt like,
home.

It was eye-opening in the sense that I had never known I was missing this
place until I stood here, now.

"Hello, Emrys."

I turned around and there was Celeste. The Voice of They Above All was just
as unearthly beautiful as I had last seen her all those months ago. Blonde
hair fell down her back in soft waves, and her sky blue eyes were soft with
warm affection. Her gown of blue silk matched the pretty gossamer butterfly
wings on her back.

I swallowed. "Why are you calling me that?"

She smiled and gestured to my form. "That's who you are."

It took only a brief look to realize I was clothed in the cream and white
garments of my past incarnation. I touched a hand to the adamant encrusted
circlet on my brow.

"You can stay here," said Celeste. "Nothing from the Mortal World has a
place here. Pain. Death. Loneliness. Fear. None of that exists in this
place. All of your wants and wishes can come true here, if you let it."

I shook my head. "I don't understand. I was stabbed... Am I dead?"

"Right now your loved ones are trying to bring you back to life. Only the
tie you have with Adam is keeping your soul from completely parting the
Mortal World."

I took a breath of the cleanest and sweetest air. "Where is this? Is this
Heaven?"

"A portion of it. This is the Celestial Realm. The home of the gods. Like
you."

I wasn't a god. I was just me. "I don't understand."

"You have the choice of Ascension before you. You can stay here forever and
embrace your heritage, leaving behind all you were. Here is where you were
always meant to be. It's your home. It was the home of your father as well,
long ago."

I stared at her for a long time, trying to come to terms with what she was
telling me. "My father, Oriens... was a god?"

"Was, yes. He took his people and built a benevolent and bountiful empire
that stretched across a great deal of your system of space."

How did I not know this? Divinity flowed in my veins? I closed my eyes as a
memory tugged at my consciousness. This was what Oriens meant as we
prepared to resurrect Kevin all those months ago... My full heritage.
Pieces in my mind came together, clicked and shifted, and I remembered.

Turning toward the city, the shining golden city of the gods, I frowned,
troubled. How could I stay here when people were counting on me?

"What about my friends?" I asked. "My family?"

Celeste looked upward at the impossibly bright stars and said, "After
winter is summer and after summer is winter. Things will pass as it always
has, with or without you."

I gazed out at the rolling green land with its valleys and peaks rising
in the distance. The city glowed brilliantly on the horizon shining its
radiance to all under the stars. It was so beautiful that I had to force
myself to look away. I closed my eyes, listening. The stars whispered in my
ears, a string of words full of love and peace that called to me.

I wanted to lay down my burdens and rest. So why did I...

I shook my head. "No. I can't."

Celeste's blue eyes bored into me. "Are you sure? You won't get this chance
again, Emrys. Your father had the same choice, once. He turned away from
his divinity and like him, know this, if you leave there's no coming back.
You will not be allowed to return and you will leave behind your mantle of
godhood. You will know pain, misery and death, and all the suffering that
comes to life in the mortal world."

The starsong was stronger now that I knew it was there. It sizzled and
buzzed against my skin, lyrical words sowed through with delight and bliss.

"Yes," I breathed out in a sad, but final breath. "I'm sure. I'm still
needed. People are counting on me."

She smiled gently. "Until we meet again."

Celeste disappeared. The fields of green were gone. The true sky vanished.
The city of gold departed. Warm energy filled my belly and I gasped
snapping my eyes open. I blinked, once then twice. Finally distant voices
became clear to my ears and worried hazel eyes filled my sight.

"It's working!" shouted Adam, laughing a little hysterically, relieved and
excited all at once. "Oh, God. Chad, baby, come back to me."

Kevin appeared next to him, staring earnestly at my stomach. "The wound's
all closed up. Thank God, I think you started healing him just in time...
Chad?"

I nodded weakly, slowly gaining awareness and strength as time passed.
"Hey... What happened?"

Adam let out a burst of frantic laughter, wiping at his wet eyes. "You
nearly died that's what happened!"

I licked my dry lips. "Where am I? Is this the backseat of my car?"

Sure enough it was. I looked around taking in my bloody clothes that
matched the red stains coating Kevin and Adam's hands and shirts. We were
crowded in the backseat of my Blazer, but they didn't seem to care. They
looked scared and worried, watching me like I was going to disappear if I
so much as sneezed.

Kevin gripped my hand so tight it kind of hurt, but I didn't have the heart
to tell him that. Adam's hand settled in my hair and he bent down and
pressed his forehead to mine, breathing in deep and closing his eyes as he
released a shaky breath.

"What happened?" demanded Kevin, sounding completely freaked out. "I felt
this blinding pain and I just knew you were hurt."

"Me too," said Adam, pulling back with a deep frown. "It was like my heart
stopped. We got here at the same time and there you were..." He cut off,
staring down at his bloody hands. "There was so much blood. It was
everywhere."

Kevin intently inspected my unmarred and healed stomach. "We couldn't take
you to the hospital. The blood... your blood... it's not fully Atlantean,
but it's definitely not human. We whammied the people trying to help you
and brought you to the car."

"The wound didn't close for the longest time," whispered Adam, taking over.
"No matter how much energy I pushed into it. I thought you..."

He sounded so lost and broken, almost childlike. "I'm alright now." I
smiled at him reassuringly, taking his hand and squeezing. "I'm here. You
two got here in time. I'm alive." I looked at Kevin and met his eyes. "I
was offered godhood."

His eyes widened, surprised but not shocked. "The Celestial Realm." He
gripped my shoulder hard. "You know what you gave up, don't you?"

I nodded. "She, Celeste... She said that father was a god?"

"It's true," replied Kevin. "He gave up his mantle when he descended to the
mortal world. As his children we get the choice of our heritage,
Ascension... godhood. You won't get the choice again, Chad."

I looked away and said quietly, "I know." I smiled gently at Adam's
perplexed look. "I'll explain later."

"I'm glad you chose us. I... don't know what I would have done..." Kevin's
eyes went suddenly cold. "Who did this to you?"

Adam's brow furrowed and he promised darkly, "I swear to God I'll kill
`em."

"No you're not," said Kevin.

Adam shot him a look. "Why not?"

Kevin's face went dark. "'Cause I'm going to turn their skin inside out
then kill them."

The declaration was met by a firm nod from Adam. "I'm down with that."

I sat up as much as I could with Adam's arms wrapped around my waist. "I
think it will be harder than that." I took a deep breath. "We have a
problem."

Adam and Kevin traded a look. Kevin tilted his head. "It must be a big
problem if they almost knifed you and they're not dust on the asphalt."

I sighed. "The me that we saw on the security tapes taking the iPod, well
it wasn't me. Its clones of all us. We're dealing with fucking clones,
courtesy of the Order of the Dying Star. It's their ace in the hole."

"You're kidding?" demanded Kevin.

Adam shook his head. "Where did they even get our DNA material for the
genetic base?"

"The clones that blew up and splattered us," I explained bitterly. I was
pissed for not realizing how we got played. "It was cloning gel."

Nodding thoughtfully, Adam said, "That's all it would take too, one skin
cell or a hair sample to begin DNA replication."

"So that means there's a clone of you and Adam, Ryan, Killian and Nathaniel
running around somewhere?" asked Kevin. He ran a hand through his hair.

I nodded. "And apparently they're done with the whole doing good. All that
we stand for, they're over it. They want to be worshipped and they don't
care who they have to step on or kill to make that happened."

"Fuck," Kevin swore, frowning grimly. "This is bad, like, horrible-oh shit-
bad."

I squirmed a little in Adam's arms to better look Kevin in the eyes. "What
are you talking about? We find them and then it's payback time."

"I don't think it's going to be that easy," muttered Adam, troubled.

Kevin snorted, brown eyes shining with worry. "They're identical to you
all. They even have your celestial bindings. They know how you think, what
your strengths are..." His fingers curled around my wrist as he said,
concerned, "Also they know your weaknesses."

"They're programmed to be evil," said Adam. "If we fight them it's going to
be ugly."

The words started to sink in past my post not-death fog and I swallowed
deeply. Adam was right. He was understating the obvious. It was going to be
more than ugly. Our powers at the hands of people not afraid of a little
bloodshed... well there was going to be blood alright and it wouldn't stop
there.

"Shit," I snapped, clenching my fist.

Kevin noted my reaction and nodded. "Now you see. The President won't give
in to their demands. Imagine DC being obliterated with a Hell Ground Zero
or the Executioner's clone going head to head with the entire US military.
He'd cripple half the armed forces before they'd take him down. If he
wanted to Solaris' clone could melt the polar ice caps and drown this
planet." Kevin turned his stare on Adam. "And if your clone is as close to
the Omega Point as you are, then... no one is safe."

Adam twisted his hands together turning a pensive stare out the window. The
Omega Point was the ultimate destination for Atlantean evolution. It was
believed that a time in our evolution would come when the mind would be
distributed into the fabric of spacetime and everything there ever was to
know would be known. There would be nothing that couldn't be done by an
individual at the point.

Adam as the closest to the Omega Point had snatches, droplets, of the
potential limitless abilities of someone at the Omega Point. Even that
small amount was enough for him to have amazing abilities. At the height of
his powers, Omega's telekinetic blasts were once known to shatter
mountains, and if he ever brought his full telepathic might to kill... he
could bring half the continent to their knees with a thought.

I squeezed Adam's hand and looked up at me, distressed. "We're going to
stop them."

"I don't like the thought of someone with my abilities taking off the kid
gloves," admitted Adam. "It worries me. A lot."

Kevin looked out the window at the black sky. "I'm going to go warn the
others. They need a heads up before they get jumped too. We all have to be
extra careful."

"Thanks, Kev," I said thankfully. "I appreciate it."

Kevin rested a hand on my shoulder. "Rest up, bro. Be careful from now on,
okay?" He shifted his gaze to Adam. "Listen, I'm sorry I flew off the hand
the other day with how I was all over you. But Chad was crying, I don't
respond well to that. So sorry, man."

"I'm aware of your overprotective streak," Adam replied with a half shrug.
"I would never do that to Chad-"

Kevin nodded, letting out a barely heard sigh. "I know that. I do, I really
do. Please, take care of him..." He trailed off as his eyes went oddly
glassy, unfocused. "I've got a bad feeling about these clones."

"Kevin?" I asked, my fingertips lightly touching his forearm.

He blinked rapidly a few times, pulling himself together. "I'm fine." Kevin
shook his head a little, his expression all Gaius. "There's something I
should remember...but I can't..."

"Something about the clones?" I asked, confusion written all over my face.

"I'm not sure," he answered, softly. "I'm sure it'll come back to me."

Adam made a thoughtful hmm noise. "You think it could be leftover knowledge
from being the Trumpet?"

Kevin shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. I know it will come back. I'm
going to go and warn the guys. The quicker they get a heads up the lesser
the chance of something happening to them."

I put aside the strange moment. Thinking on it brought on questions which
only led to more questions. With a smile and a bid to "be careful", Kevin
disappeared in a burst of white light and a flash of elegant, angel-like
feathers.

Adam disentangled himself from his octopus hold on my body. "Come on up
front so I can drive you home."

"I can drive myself, Adam." I said petulantly, failing and resisting from
pouting.

He gave me a look. "Please. I'm not letting you out of my sight. I figure
I'd spend the night at your house. My relatives are gone for the week to
Vermont, and it'll be easy to sneak me into your room."

"I'm guessing I don't get a say," I muttered, wondering if the whole being
stabbed thing was going to magnify Adam and Kevin's overprotective streaks.
I was going to go ahead and check the yes box. "That whole stabbing was a
lucky shot, Adam. I'm not some weak little girl."

He shrugged with one shoulder. "If he did it once he can do it again. I'm
not leaving you alone. Plus, you have to explain to me what you and Kevin
were talking about. Ascension, godhood? What did you see on the other
side?"

Green fields flashed across my mind and starsong trilled the faintest notes
at the edge of hearing. I closed my eyes and dug my fingernails into my
palms, hard. The pain flooded my body, reminding me where I was and that
here was where I needed to be. I wouldn't ever forget that place but it
wasn't for me, not anymore and not ever again.

"Chad?"

I shook my head, rubbing my heart as an ache pounded in my chest. "I'm
fine... I'll tell you when we get to my house." I handed over my keys.
"Just drive, please."

Adam gave me a scrutinizing look but I wasn't up to talking right now. The
memory was still too fresh and everything was starting to pile up. The
clones, the stabbing and my death – geez, when it rained it poured. We
climbed into the front seat and Adam drove the Blazer to my house, the
music a quiet hum in the otherwise silent car ride.

*


I imagine sneaking a guy upstairs undetected was hard, at least it seemed
so on TV, but when you had preternatural abilities it was relatively
simple. I went in first and did the usual greeting with my Mom, sneered at
Morgan and then Adam literally flew up to my bedroom window.

Adam was sitting on the desk chair when I entered the bedroom. He took one
look at me and crossed the room, wrapping me up in a tight hug. I closed my
eyes breathing in the cologne at the crook of his neck.

"Go take a shower, baby," said Adam, softly. He pulled at the hem of my
blood soaked shirt. "I'll get rid of this."

I could only nod, grimacing as I pulled the bloody shirt over my head. Adam
dug through the dresser and handed off some clothes to me. He plopped down
on the bed and made himself at home as I walked across the hall to the
bathroom.

The shower was exactly what I needed. I felt more coherent and less like
I'd been gangbaged behind White Castle between sliders. After getting
dressed, I stepped to the mirror and examined my face.

My face was too pale and my eyes were bloodshot from sleeping, dying – I
don't know, in my contacts. I pulled the dried up lenses from my eyes and
tossed them in the trash beside the sink. I dug around in the drawer in the
counter for my old glasses and put them on. The glasses were black and
those geek chic square frames that were so widely popular nowadays.

Once I got back to the room, firmly locking the door behind me, Adam was
sitting up on my bed levitating the remote control and a baseball in an
elliptical orbit. The objects fell as he turned, gracing me with a soft
smile that was too cute on his pillow lined face.

Adam held out his arms, tenderness lacing his voice as he said, "C'mere."

I practically jumped into his arms, snuggling down close into his warmth. A
little sigh left my mouth as his arms wrapped around my middle holding me
tight to his chest.

"How do you feel?" Adam asked, his breath a warm puff on the tip of my ear.

"Better," I answered, honestly. "Thanks for...uh, you know, staying with me.
I don't want to be alone."

A small kiss was pressed against the top of my head. "Anytime, sweetheart.
I would never leave you after what you went through," he said gently.

I nodded and moved out his arms, turning to fully face him. I crossed my
legs and took his right hand in mine. I played with the ring around his
index finger. It was a simple silver band that belonged to his father and
he never took it off.

"What do you remember about Atlantis' beginning? I don't mean about us or
the Fall, but before? Do you remember the founding?"

Adam shook his head and said slowly, "It sounds familiar... like something
I heard a long time ago and forgot."

"It's not surprising," I conceded, running a hand through my hair with a
sigh. "I didn't remember either until I..." I tripped over the words,
"almost died."

Adam laced our fingers together. "You don't have to tell me."

"No, I want to. It's just that place..." I trailed off, thinking of the
words and then I stopped. "I don't want to get ahead of myself, so I'll
start at the beginning. Sixteen thousand years ago, there was darkness and
evil across the stars. It was an awful and brutal time. The chaos was a
result of the Last Great War. There was no centralized government to
establish peace and star systems enacted blockades, too busy watching their
own backs and defending themselves to worry about establishing peace."

"The Last Great War?" asked Adam, clearing his throat and knitting his
brows together. "I think I remember Lan mentioning that once... it was on
Mars. He said Heaven's Trumpet was created after that war."

I nodded. "I don't know much about it. Records were pretty much nonexistent
then. All I know is that no corner of the universe escaped the war. It
waged from galaxy to galaxy. Planets were turned to dust, stars were
snuffed out and billions died before the war ended." The history lessons
from tutors in Atlantis were sharper than ever as I continued on, "After
the war and during this era of chaos is when the Lords in Shadow gained
their foothold."

"Shit," Adam muttered, rubbing at his forehead with a frown. "Why can't I
freakin' remember all of this already."

I almost smiled. Here, here. "It took my near death to trigger this
Wikipedia entry, so don't let it bother you. Anyway, the Lords in Shadow
established their rule across the universe, bringing planet after planet
under their control. It lasted for centuries. It didn't seem like the
darkness would ever lift. Till a Divine Ancient, one of the First God's
couldn't stand it any longer. He approached the other First Gods-"

"They Above All, right?" Adam said in realization. "I...can almost remember
some of this."

I chuckled not even surprised. He was super intelligent, after all. "That's
right. The Divine Ancients, First Gods, whatever you want to call them are
They Above All."

His grip on my hand tightened, his expression turning worried. "You were
possessed by one of them. Back in the Ever After when you fully immersed
yourself in the Giga Annihilation Program. You said a First God took
control of your body when you harnessed the Power Creation."

I snorted. "I'm lucky I didn't burn my soul up, too, looking back on it
now. I guess being what I am gave me a buffer. It would've served me right
for tapping into that primordial power."

"That First God in your story is Oriens, isn't it?" asked Adam. "He's the
one that noticed the chaos."

"Yeah," I admitted, biting my lower lip between my teeth. "He saw the state
of the universe and sought to set things right. He gave up his mantle of
godhood and descended, taking his people with him to the mortal world.
Atlantis was built on Earth and under Oriens' rule the framework of the
cosmos was shifted. Peace was ushered in and light beat the darkness of the
Lords. Atlantis became the capital to a prosperous and peaceful empire that
stretched across the stars."

"Humans were so wild on Earth back then, primitive" said Adam distantly,
remembering. "But they had potential and it was determined they would one
day follow in our footsteps, so we protected and taught them as best we
could from the darker creatures in the world."

Then, Atlantis fell. An empire that had once spanned dozens of star systems
across hundreds of light years of space collapsed in a sneak genocidal
campaign. The Lords in Shadow turned their full might of their kingdom on
the heart of our empire, destroying Atlantis in one fell swoop. Then they
spread outward, turning their demonic horde upon the host of worlds allied
under the Atlantean banner. Hundreds of worlds were consumed by the demonic
army. Most died in defense of their planet and some could've survived. But
even if something was left of the empire there would be nothing back here
to receive it. A strong possibility was that those surviving worlds would
have initiated protocol quarantine procedures, so who knows what happened
to them after sustaining in isolation.

This is why I didn't like to think of Atlantis. It led down this road and
frankly, it was fucking depressing as hell to think of. All those lives
lost and for what? A stalemate that lasted for fifteen thousand years till
the Lords eventually got their asses kicked.

"Depressing, isn't it?" Adam said lightly, breaking though my melancholy.

I mustered a half smile, shrugging. "Yeah, kind of. It's hard not to get
swept up. We were talking about my father and Atlantis..." I took a moment
to find a starting point and then continued, "Gaius and I always knew what
father used to be. He wasn't a First God anymore, but his divinity was
always an option to us. It's in our blood. He told us after dying a mortal
death, the choice of Ascension would be given along with the option of
retiring to the Celestial Realm, the home of They Above All."

"You gave your divinity up?" asked Adam amazed, leaning forward. "Chad...
It must've been paradise."

I looked away. "It was... it felt like home. I've never felt more at peace,
more right than any other time in my life. I just wanted to rest and forget
my burdens." A soft smile came over my face as his face fell, hurt. "But I
didn't, I couldn't leave knowing I had people counting on me." I placed my
hand over his heart. "You wouldn't let me go. It's how I was able to find
my way back. Thank you."

Adam suddenly lunged forward, burying his face in my chest and sliding his
arms tight around my waist. "This may sound selfish and shitty," he said,
voice muffled as he pressed his face into my shirt. "I'm glad you chose me
over heaven. I love you too fuckin' much. I don't know what I would do
without you."

I swallowed thickly and said, "It's sort of scary but you mean everything
to me. What we have is pretty fucking epic."

He let out a bark of laughter and it made me smile. "I know."

"How long are we going have to do this?" asked Chad, turning his stare up
to the ceiling. "All the fighting and putting our lives on the line... is
this how the rest of our lives are going to play out? What about the
future? You're going to New York soon—"

"We don't know that for sure," Adam interrupted gently. "I haven't heard
anything back from Juilliard."

I flicked his ear. "We all know you nailed that audition."

"Then why haven't I heard anything back yet," he replied, playing devil's
advocate.

I rolled my eyes. "It's barely February. They'll be banging on your door in
a few weeks. New York is where you're meant to be. Your voice is amazing
and you can act circles around Efron."

"That's high praise coming from you," Adam laughed, tracing a circle on my
thigh with his finger. "We all know you'd blow him in a heartbeat."

"Have you seen those eyes," I retorted, sighing dreamily.

Adam looked at me, hazel eyes showing more green than brown. "You are so
Disney's bitch. That's how they lure you in."

"What, by waving the pretty in front of our faces?"

"It's how they roll." He pulled away and rubbed his palm flat on my
stomach. Right over the spot where I had been stabbed. "Are you sure you're
alright?"

Believe it or not I was. And what did that say about me. Less than three
hours ago I had been lying in a pool of my own blood, practically dead. It
was sad that I was starting to get used to crap like this happening. A year
and a half ago, I would've been curled up in a corner, bawling my eyes out
and listening to sad songs on blast. That boy was long gone.

I managed a real smile for Adam and said, "I'm fine. Seriously. You don't
have to worry."

"I'll always worry about you," he whispered all soft and sweet.

I leaned over and placed a tiny kiss on his lips. It wasn't passionate or
sexy. It was a chaste pressing of lips together. In that simple action I
said to him I was still here, reassuring him that I wasn't going anymore
and that I love him.

"Don't worry about me too much," I said, tapping his nose with my finger.
"I can take care of myself. And that concern goes two ways, baby. I want
you to watch your back. These clones aren't playing. Cobalt went after—"

Adam made a face. "Cobalt?"

"Horrible name, I know," I agreed, shaking my head. "That's my clone.
Ryan's clone is Reece and those dicks double-teamed me. So don't expect any
sympathy or anything when you meet them. They're coldblooded killers and
smart."

Adam nodded. "Hell yeah they're smart. They attacked you first. Without you
the rest of us would've have been too fucked up to see them coming for us.
And we would've been without a leader." He let out a small laugh.
"Killian's second in command and with him and Ryan fighting..." He trailed
off with a faraway look in his eyes. "Damn."

I frowned. "What?"

His eyes were bright with realization of a puzzle solved. "Don't you get
it? That show in the mall that you guys saw. They set it up! It was on
purpose."

"Divide and conquer," I said softly, finally seeing the bigger picture.
"Without solid leadership, and deceit formed within in the group... we
would've fallen like dominos."

Adam let out a rough sigh. He looked well and truly worried. "These
motherfuckers are diabolical."

"Shit," I swore, rubbing a hand roughly down my face. "That plan was
brilliant." I met his eyes, frowning. "Their threat level just went up.
This shit just got real."

"It's been... wait." He looked at me, eyebrow raised in that adorable
Vulcan way. "Was that from Bad Boys 2?"

I snapped my fingers in front of his face. "You know I quote movies when I
get emotional. Focus, Adam."

He mockingly fixed his face into an exaggerated intense look. I jabbed him
in the side with two fingers and he squawked like the little girl he was.

I shot him a smug smirk, ignoring his glare. "Anyway, I think it would be
best if we do a buddy system. None of us needs to be alone."

His palm was warm against my stomach. "I call dibs on being your buddy."

"I think that's a given," I said dryly, half smiling.

Adam glanced at the clock and groaned. "We actually have to go to school in
the morning. We better get on that sleeping thing otherwise we'll look like
hell in the morning."

"Caring about your beauty sleep?" I teased, smirking. "You are so gay."

Adam lips quirked into a condescending smile. "Last time I checked you love
the dick more than I do. Always slobbing all over my knob-"

I narrowed my eyes. "You know what, I was probably going to blow you in the
morning as a wakeup but you can forget that, fucker."

His eyes widened huge and round like saucers. "Let's not be that way. You
know I'm slow."

"I can't wait till we get married so I can just put your ass out on the
couch."

Adam ran a hand down my stomach. "So how's about, I agree to swallow
forever if you put the morning blowjob back on the table."

"Bitch, please," I scoffed. "You love the taste of my cum."

He grinned like the Cheshire fuckin' cat. "That didn't sound like a yes.
I'm assuming spitting's fine, then."

"Fine," I said, thrusting out my hand. "It's back on."

We shook on it.

Adam sighed wistfully, "Morning blowjobs are awesome."

We finally cracked up. He tackled me to the mattress and we laughed as we
wrestled, trying to pin the other. Adam won. Damn his Bowflex workout
routine.

"Mmm," he whispered, his face hovering over mine with a flirty smile. "I
win."

Adam leaned down and kissed me. It lasted for awhile till time became a
pressing factor. We finally decided that maybe we really did need to go
to sleep. Settling down on our sides, Adam snuggled behind me and I
burrowed into his arms.

"Goodnight," I yawned out.

Adam placed a kiss against the nape of my neck. "Night, sweetheart."

*

Was it paranoia if you had a legitimate reason for looking over your
shoulder every five minutes. Hell no. It was being actively defensive.

It was nice outside so the courtyard was filled with students gathered in
their cliques, eating lunches anywhere near a flat surface. Steps, tables
and ledges it didn't matter. We managed to score a table under the oak tree
that was coveted for its awesomeness at providing shade from the sun.

Killian shot me a look as I glanced suspiciously over my shoulder for the
fourth time in thirty seconds. "I swear to God if you do that one more time
I will stab you."

Adam flinched at the word stab and Kevin simultaneously glared at the
blond. "How about I stab you? Tone down the bitchface, Killian."

And the over protectiveness kicked in right on cue. I wasn't bothered by
Killian's comment. Like I told Adam last night, I was over it. I wasn't
repressing or anything. Quite the opposite. I was pissed and I wanted some
old fashioned revenge, Beatrix Kiddo style.

"Nathaniel said if we run into one of the clones we should immediately
call for backup," Ryan rasped out.

Adam and I traded looks of concern. For once Ryan wasn't sitting next to
Killian. Kevin sat between them, since they still weren't okay. Ryan looked
zapped of energy, his eyes clouded and his face tight with tiredness.
Killian looked about the same, but he was just better at hiding it. It was
a needed skill to have when one's income depended on their looks.

"So what's the plan?" asked Kevin, pointing his fork at me.

I glanced around and pitched my voice low. "I worked up a location spell
this morning to find where they're hiding out. It should've worked since
I'm essentially looking for ourselves, but it damn near blew up in my
face."

Ryan frowned with puzzlement etched on his face. "They must have some type
of ward or something up. I guess they thought ahead."

A ward wasn't hard to do. A symbol or a charm drawn correctly and powered
with the right juice could theoretically block even the devil himself. I
hadn't had to do one in ages, but I still knew how to whip one up if
needed.

"I don't see why we need to be so careful," said Killian, flippantly.
"We've had training and actual experience and they're basically like,
infants. They don't stand a chance against us."

Adam shook his head. "That's not true. These clones have our genetic
memory, meaning everything that we've done and experienced they know as
well."

"Up to when they were cloned," interjected Ryan. "So that means they know
about our families, lives and even Atlantis."

Kevin grinned like a shark. "But they don't know about me."

"You're right," I whispered in amazement. "They only know everything up to
when we got splattered."

Killian smirked. "Looks like we just found our ace in the hole."

I gave Kevin a pointed look. "If you get a clear shot I want you to take
it."

"Done," Kevin replied with a decisive nod. "I'll vaporize them."

He wasn't joking either. The twinkle in his eye was a promise unfulfilled.
Halo was a force to be reckoned with, and with him on our side this tipped
the scales in our favor. And because of this lack of knowledge we had the
element of surprise. We were so going to rock their world.

"So the odds are in our favor for once," said Ryan with a little smile.

I grinned. "That doesn't happen often."

Killian snorted. "It would if these jerks didn't roll with, like, a whole
army."

"We had an army too, once upon a time," Adam pointed out. "The military
deferred to us back then."

Kevin shrugged. "You were guardians of the realm. It was fitting. Plus the
soldiers looked up to you guys."

Kevin and I hadn't had a detailed conversation about our past lives.
First it had been because I figured he needed time to deal with being back
from the Void. More time passed and I thought he would like awhile to
process the ramifications of having Gaius' memories. Well, five months
passed and we were here, and the talk never happened.

Looking into his eyes now and seeing them shine with crystal clear memories
of a time I couldn't wholly remember, I was hit with a wave of guilt. A
talk was long past due. I should've been there for him and made sure he was
really okay with everything. Brother of the year award and jerk best
friend, right here.

"Do you miss it?" Ryan asked the question I should've known the answer to.
But like them I didn't know and it hurt. "Remembering things then and
seeing it now must be overwhelming. Especially interacting with us, we're
so different from our past incarnations."

Kevin played with the wrapping encasing his burger. "I'm still me, I guess.
At the same time I have these memories. It's like suddenly remembering
something I'd forgotten, like a revelation. I can remember going on
diplomatic meetings with my dad and Emrys, learning to fly a starship and I
can remember all of you guys. How you used to be." His expression went sad
as he said thick and quietly, "And yes, I miss it. Every damn day."

I wanted to reach across the table and hug him till he was blue in the
face. I just wanted to see that miserable expression gone from his face. It
wasn't right to see Kevin without a smile.

"But that's in the past," said Kevin with a note of finality in his voice.
"What's done is done. And we have an awesome future to look forward to."

Adam lifted his bottle of Coke. "I can get behind that thought. And the
sooner we get rid of these clones the better."

"I don't like the idea of someone out there wearing my face and abusing my
powers," I muttered.

Killian nodded with a grim frown. "They can do some serious damage to our
names."

"Understatement," retorted Adam, running his hand through his hair. He
frowned as a girl rushed past him like she was on the track team.

"I just hope we don't destroy the city or something fighting them," I
commented, noticing a boy running across the quad in my peripheral vision.
"I know if my back was pushed against the wall, I would do anything to take
out the fucker doing the pushing."

Ryan nodded at the crowd gathering all over the courtyard. "What's going on
around here?"

Everywhere I looked there was small groups crowded together in the quad.
Their voices mixed together in an inaudible soundtrack of sound. I leaned
back on the bench peering through the mass of bodies. They were gathered
around cell phones and at some tables kids were huddled over laptops, and
wait a second, were they all on Youtube.

"What? Are Miley Cyrus and Manders cleaning out her closet again?" asked
Killian.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "The pop culture references are mine, so back
off."

"Idiot," he huffed, looking his usual annoyed self.

Ryan already had whipped out his phone by the time I had a good comeback
planned. The Atlantean crafted device, which was linked to the servers in
the outpost, was an amazing piece of technology. Probably one of the most
advanced pieces of tech on the planet. Ryan's fingers tapped deftly at the
keys and he made a thoughtful noise as he pressed his finger to a link.

"I'm on Youtube now. These videos on the homepage are new, but they're
getting insanely high hits," Ryan explained, studying the screen carefully.

Kevin stared leaned down to better look at the phone and his face fell.
"Well shit."

Adam and I practically bolted to their side of the table. The five of us
crowded around the phone and we stared, slack jawed, as a video played
before our eyes.

A Soul Reaper Reprise tore through the street and slammed into the wall of
Central Bank. The wall exploded in a shower of stone immediately followed
by screaming and hysterical crying The quality wasn't great so it had
to have been taken on a camera or a cell phone. The video was grainy and
jerked around a lot, but still it kept on recording.

Smoke was thick in the air but it was enough to make out four figures
unleashing hell on earth as they strode toward the gaping hole made in the
bank's wall. The camera zoomed in on one of their faces, but the picture
only showed a blur as if the image was digitally altered. It panned back to
show a sunshine yellow beam cut the air and slice a man clean in half. The
person filming screamed and took off running. The video was cut a second
later.

"That was a Dawn Bringer," said Killian, looking pissed and confused.

My lips twisted into a grim frown. "And a Soul Reaper. So what these
douchebags are bank robbers or something now?"

"Look," said Ryan, pointing at the corner of the screen. "In the related
videos column there's links to other videos. Christ, they've been at this
all day. These videos are all different robberies."

Kevin looked at me curiously. "Why did the camera blur like that when it
focused on the face?"

"It's part of our celestial bindings," I explained quietly. "When we
initiate our armor a disguise field is automatically brought online. Even
people you know won't recognize you."

He blinked, looking surprised and impressed. "Handy."

"That video was the most recent one?" I asked and Ryan nodded. "Okay guys
let's make a little field trip. We're going to go have ourselves a showdown
before they get far. We're leaving. Now."

The hardness in my voice went unquestioned. No one paid us any attention as
we dumped our lunches and walked out of the quad at a quick clip. We
hastily made our way toward the abandoned baseball field at the back of the
campus.

It's tucked away under a shelter of trees, thin rays of light piercing
through the leaves and onto the mossy concrete. The grass itself was
slightly overgrown, weeds peeking up out of the pitcher's mound, the dusty
bases long gone. It had been a long time sine the field had been used.
People had even forgotten it was here. The newer field, donated by an
alumni turned celebrity, on the east side of the school got all the action
now. We ducked behind the old dugout, entirely out of view from any spying
eyes.

"Power up, boys," I stated, revenge rolling thick in my gut. "Let's kick
ass and take names."

We triggered our celestial bindings and silently transformed into our
Chosen aspects. The black body suits replaced our civilian clothing and I
took a deep breath as magic hummed beneath my fingertips, ready to do my
bidding.

Lowering the hood of my cloak, I nodded at Halo. "Your abilities are more
compatible with manipulating space. Can you portal us downtown?"

"Does baking come easily to your people?" Kevin retorted.

I elbowed him in the side and his grin smoothed into an expression of
concentration as he faced the empty space. Blinding white light shined
forth, forming first in width, then length into a two-dimensional rectangle
of inter-dimensional fold travel.

The speed and quality of the portal was impressive. I could do the same but
not as seamlessly and nowhere near as proficient.

We stepped through the portal that allowed a twenty two mile journey to be
covered in under a second. Instantly we were assaulted with the smell of
smoke and the thick smell of burning fire. Cars were turned over in the
street, fires burned in busted store windows and everywhere you looked
there was another tale of destruction.

I turned away from the sight of the dead. There weren't many, but the dead
bodies splayed along the concrete cooling in their own blood was a heart
rendering sight to witness.

I swallowed heavily, putting the images to the back of my mind. "Where are
these fuckers?"

A fireball shot into the air and we spun around, taking off around the
corner where the display originated from. We skidded to a halt just in time
to see a police car hurtle through the window of a candy shop. It was one
of many ruined police vehicles that littered the street like a graveyard of
cars.

They were courtesy of the four boys in front of us. Even with their backs
to us they were recognizable. Cobalt and Reece I zeroed in on instantly.
Adam and Killian's clones flanked them. It was another second before I took
notice of their outfits. Instead of the black body suits we had on, they
wore entirely different ensembles.

Our armor was tied to our celestial bindings and the imbedded chameleon
wards adapted the suits to fit to the environment. Ages ago we once wore
tunics and silver armor, so thank God the techs that designed our suits
thought ahead. Their armor was a fashion show at best. A club outfit at
worst.

They all wore tight black leather pants, matching black t-shirts and
motorcycle jackets. Not in black however. Oh no, that would've been too
Goth apparently. Their jackets were color coordinated. Cobalt had on blue,
surprise, surprise. Reece was donned in white, Killian's clone wore a
silver jacket and Adam's clone was decked in red.

"You're kidding me," said Kevin derisively, voice cutting through the air.
"Did someone get lost in the Power Chamber's supply closet? No one told me
we were going against the fucking Power Rangers."

They turned around slowly like they didn't have a care in the world.
Cobalt's face lit up and then his expression fell when he caught sight of
my heated face.

"Oh," he sighed, sounding forlornly disappointed. "It's you guys. And you
somehow managed to save the lead cocksucker."

I glared at him. "You've got an ass kicking coming your way, dick."

"By you clowns?" asked Cobalt incredulously.

Killian's clone eyed me appraisingly. "He's a cute little fuck, but I
thought we killed him."

"You're not wrong, Korbin," said Reece, eyeing me sharply. "I gutted him
like a fish."

Adam's clone flicked his gaze to my left, sizing up Halo appraisingly. "The
name's Axel and what's your name, sexy?"

A dark smile turned at Kevin's lips. "Your worst nightmare."

"Uh oh!" Cobalt called out, laughing loudly. "We got a live one here,
folks."

Korbin cocked his head. "Since when do the Chosen take recruits?"

I narrowed my eyes. "That's none of your business. Either surrender and
come quietly or face the consequences."

"By all means, we'll take the consequences," Cobalt stated, uncaringly.

Everyone tensed up and slid into partial crouches as we prepared to fight.
I didn't take my eyes off the four duplicates, who mirrored us like some
eerie funhouse mirror.

"Halo, alpha strike on my command," I ordered, flatly. My mouth curved
into a smirk. "Drop them."

Halo rushed forward in a leap of black and silver. White light, shining
like liquid fire, burst from his hands at the peak of his jump. Then, as
his feet touched concrete two balls of brilliant white launched from his
hands. They rocketed forward down the twenty meter range at roughly the
speed of light. Cobalt saw the attack for what it was and his eyes widened,
as he hastily threw up his hands.

Both of the white balls of death impacted less than a second later,
detonating in a massive flash of white light and explosive force. The
shield I'd thrown up protected us from fallout, as we safely watched the
dispersing white cloud of energy.

Axel had escaped the attack by leaping skyward at a high rate of speed, and
he lowered himself to the ground as his fellow clones picked themselves up.
Cobalt escaped the full brunt of the attack by hastily erecting a shield,
but he wasn't able to stop all of the attack. The attack shredded through
his barrier and the energy ball dumped its remaining potential into the
clone, knocking him off kilter and blowing him five meters downrange.

They were the lucky ones. Reece's left side was burnt and smoking so
heavily that I could smell the charred skin from here. Grimacing, he helped
pick up Korbin who looked no better. His entire torso was bloody and he
wobbled to his feet, scowling with a face pinched with pain.

Cobalt pinned Halo with an expression that was stunned, confused and
wondrous all at once. "What are you?"

The question came out sounding amazed and almost rapturous. It was
unnerving how he looked at Halo. It was like he was seeing the sunrise for
the first time. I didn't like it.

"He damn near blew through the damage absorption capacitors in our armor,"
snapped Reece, angrily. "What kind of powerhouse freak are you?"

Cobalt looked up from where he had been staring at the ground. I looked
closer. No, he wasn't staring. He had been drawing. With bloodied hands
he'd dawn a sigil on the asphalt using his own blood. It was a circle
dominated by a triangle at its peak with symbols tracing it.

"I know what he is," Cobalt sang out in a high and teasing voice. He stared
hard at Halo and sneered, "Go back to Heaven."

Cobalt slapped his bloody palm onto the sigil's center. I caught a glimpse
of Kevin's frightened face, then there was a too quick flash of light and
he was gone. My face fell as horror took root of every sense I had.

Grinning widely, Axel gleefully clapped his hands. "Again! Again!"

"I don't play well with heaven's hookers," said Cobalt coldly, glaring at
me. "Your angel's gone bye-bye."

With pure fury radiating from my gaze, I let the caged magic swirl to the
surface. Chaos born wind exploded outward with my rage, as my aura shined
blue and clear, glowing impossibly bright like a second sun.

"Oh, goody," said Korbin, smirking. "Are we about to see a show?"

He wanted a show, so I gave him one.

I gave them all one.



***************************************************************************
A lot of reflection this chapter along with some much needed origins into
Atlantis and exactly what Chad is. Sorry for the cliffhanger that leaves
off with the fate of another character up in the air. I hope the wait for
this chapter was worth it.

I posted a ficlet on the Chosen wiki a week or so ago. Go give it a read if
you're jonesing for some more Chad and Adam. It's about exactly what the
title says and its unashamedly sappy and full of schmoop --->

* Four Ways Adam and Chad Didn't Meet (And the One Time They Did)*
Summary: Even if they were never Chosen fate and destiny will find a way-
`cause Adam and Chad are kind of like magnets.
http://attachments.wetpaintserv.us/TetriWE...KWHZMUQ%3D%3D140687


Batmanhater@aol.com -- Drop me an email here.
www.quicktopic.com/39/H/fXmyJ3NcYt7Z - Chosen forum. For updates/discussion
thechosenfour.wetpaint.com -- The Chosen Wiki (Still in Progress)