((Collab post between Letter Bee, RedxCross, and Diggerton))

Despite Emma's apparent apathy towards her surroundings she perceived a change in character of those around her. It was unmistakable: People who weren't truthfully involved in the academia of the university were sprouting up around her. It was easy to make a guess why. As the powers which she had mysteriously acquired grew people were certain to notice. It wasn't hard to imagine her parents passing off a tidbit of information about them to the government; It would be a simple way for them to make their troublesome heiress disappear. 

As for Emma's mysterious new roommate, it was clear to her that she wasn't what she seemed either. It was no matter; what could Emma do? She was dealing with forces far beyond her capabilities, and she was sure that if she ran they wouldn't be far behind. So, for the time being, all she could do was maintain the status quo. She wouldn't do anything to make them suspicious of her. Whatever happened all she could do was go with the flow. She had no doubt her powers were growing, but for the time being they served as little more then a neat party trick. Certainly unable to contend with an assault rifle. 

One thing that Emma was not cognizant of was the existence of West Scarborough. She had noticed the supposed grad student hanging around her building, but nothing indicated he was more then another one of [i]them[/i], whoever they may be. It just so happened that as he enacted his plan, setting off a number of distractions throughout the campus, Emma was sleeping as she was wont to do. Luckily for him she was prime for the taking, and likely enough she would sleep through the distant fire alarm. However, it was unlikely that she would find the willpower to sleep through a home invasion.

Already people were starting to scramble. Some of the staff from his point-of-view were already running towards the fritzing computer lab as students started to push out of the residence building.

Everything was going according to plan as of now. As he watched, he was only slightly surprised that there was no sight of his target in the group piling out of the school. He thought he might have seen her roommate, but that too might be implausible. The other force at work here could've gone as far as to push their own that close to her. It wouldn't be that hard to falsify a roommate.

 Still. Time was of the essence. With the scrambling of people all around them, West made his move. He took a backdoor fire escape and made his way up to her floor, dodging the confused and bored young adults who were all leaving with the slightest irritation. He did well to dodge one student running down the stairs with their laptop open in their hands.

 It all seemed to work out. The hallway of his target had dispersed. Despite the irritated fire alarm, the rest of the hallway was absent of sound, of movement. West had to plan the next step carefully as he grabbed one of his shock batons and hid it up his sleeve. His breath slowed, his eyes focused as he stalked the hallway towards her door and test the knob gently. 

 It twisted open without resistance. With all the chaos of outside, it didn't surprise him that the door had been left shut. The hard part had been done. Now all he needed to do was pacify his target and pull her out of here into the confusion of the crowd, back to the car he had waiting in a parking lot nearby.
 
Except for one thing on the way: Emma's unnamed roommate was standing behind the door, assault rifle aimed at it. 

The doorknob was unlocked, his baton hidden. He twisted it and pulled the door open gently.

Only to raise his hands quickly and step back.
 "Oh dear..." He paused. His eyes shook subtly as his hands twinged with nervous sparks. 
 Cover hadn't been blown yet. His main aggressive tool was hidden in his sleeve. A gun was still on the inside of his jacket.
  The unknown device was in the back pocket of his jeans.

His cover wasn't blown yet.

"I-I didn't know firearms were allowed at this school," he chuckled nervously. His whole demeanor was more like a weak sidewalk tree than an aggressive object, "Anyhow... I was just checking you heard the alarm? I don't know how well these walls absorb sound..."

His hands were still in the air. HIs stun baton hid in his sleeve like a bee's stinger and it rubbed its cold handle against his arm.

"You know better than to lie to a Government Agent, [i]Mr. Scarborough[/i]. You're a nasty piece of work, that's what you are," said the roommate, a young woman of perfectly ordinarly looks. "And now word has arrived that you're serving a certain organization."

"How much did they tell you again?" It was clear that she was keeping him alive only to get intelligence.

He sighed. His arms dropped to his sides. [i]Strike one[/i] he thought as his hand gripped the handle of the shock baton. "Well, I wouldn't call it 'serving' a certain organization. I work for a contract, I'm sure you would know that. Where did the government dig you up? A Russian sleeper agent get in too deep? Or was this the only way you could get out of trouble?"

He checked behind his shoulder. Still nothing. The fire alarm was still blazing. The door was too far away to be used to get out of this.
 The device was still in his back pocket, but he still had no idea how it worked. And a security camera underneath its dark little sphere watched, but that would be wiped away before anyone could do anything about it.

 "I'd love to help you. But all I was given was a target," he shrugged, "And I thought that it was my side of the world that killed people without a fair trial." 

 The gun stared at his chest with its dark barrel eating at his nerves.
 
"Keep your hands up!" the agent shouted, "I know your tricks. And, you're right; throw down your weapons, and you'll get your trial - before a military court." Without looking back, she then said:

"Ms. Rocha! There's a team ready at the back of the school - I suggest you sneak out the window and go there right now!" 

For the duration of the pair's conversation Emma had been tactically positioned on her bed, wrapped up in a coccon of blankets. Of course, it was here where she spent most days. She had awoken as Scarborough made his way into her room, and had been waiting for some opening to move. She didn't hold alliegence to either side, and was merely interested in following whoever promised to deliver her from the situation alive. And, for the moment, that appeared to be her would-be roommate.

So Emma followed her instructions. She seperated herself from her bed, taking a moment to glance at the doorway. She had no interest in seeing the situation through, so she headed straight to the window as instructed, opening it and clambering out onto the lawn. She began hurriedly pacing towards the rear of the school, avoiding the urge to run so she wouldn't draw uneeded attention. 

[i]Shit,[/i] he thought to himself as his target got away. This whole situation was going sour pretty quickly, and if he didn't do something soon, he would be toast. Still he tried hard to keep his composure. Without any other option, he pressed the button on the device through his pants as his hands started to raise into the air.
 
 Just then, something strange started to happen. First, he was struck by a searing headache. Words started to dance through his head in an awkward, robotic voice.
 
 [i]"HOST BRAIN PROTECTED. OFFENSIVE MENTAL SHUTDOWN IN 5 SECONDS."[/i]
It shouted at him. He had no idea what that meant, only that the moment the words were said, his headache started to subside.
Five... four...
 "Hey, as far as I'm concerned, she can either be captured by me or contained by 'the system'. And when was the last time the system helped any of us?"
 
 One...
 
 The countdown finished, and as it did, those within a very close area to him would feel an incredibly debilitating headache. The effectiveness would decrease at a longer range, but up close, it would be [i]very[/i] painful. Enough to send someone to their knees.

When it was done, the device fizzled out in his pocket, leaving a dark sear mark on the back of his jeans.

The agent was now prone on the ground, holding her head. However, through the pain, she managed to say:

"You people...are worse..." before she fainted.

As for Emma, she can see the team her roommate mentioned, led by a 16-year old boy with red hair and green eyes, who, upon seeing Emma, rushed out to meet her, seemingly with no weapon. Should he catch sight of West, who might be moving to intercept right now, he would create a wall of [i]fire[/i] with a wave of his hand, hoping to flummox and delay him.

If West wasn't pursuing, he'd create a wall of fire anyway.

As Emma came upon the team that was suppoused to be saving her, she was quite suprised by the appearence of their suppoused leader. She looked at him pointedly, "Aren't you a little young to be doing this?" She paused, and quickly backpedaled, "That doesn't matter. So, what's your plan? Are you supposed to be taking me dead, or alive? I would hope the latter."

He watched the agent collapse to the ground as his hand brushed the blackness on the back of his pants. If there really was a team waiting, then following after them was definitely not the path he should be taking.

"We are not 'you people'. At least my side didn't hang me out to dry when my life fell apart."

Instead, he went the way he came. He backed out of the building into the crowds and cut through, going the other way around. Loud chattering was happening everywhere between struggles in the tech lab and the fire alarm, but going around to the other edge of the building didn't seem to be a problem. From his hiding spot, he saw as Emma met up with another young man. His eyes widened as he watch the boy wave his hand, and fire errupted from behind them.

Now he remembered: Stefan Zimov. Another possibility on his list. One of these other "star children" that he was supposed to capture.

Now, the super power thing had been left out of his files. No matter. As long as he could sneak up behind them, he could nab them and go.
 His shock baton found its place back on the inside of his jacket. Instead, he popped the cap on one his pen needles, leaving his other hand free to grab the shock baton just in case.

A knock out drug. That's all there was to it. But it was fast acting, especially when administered directly to the bloodstream. If he got lucky, maybe he could grab Emma too.

Two was always better than one.

"Alive," said Stefan. "You may not believe it, but we're here to save you. Now go!" he intoned with a note of command, before scanning his surroundings with a hard stare.

Then, as Emma would - hopefully - go to the team and their car, Stefan would flick his fingers, and a dumpster behind West would erupt into flames; a barely audible 'tsk' from the boy would imply that he missed.

"I know you're here, West!" he was shouting. "Come out, and no charges will be pressed! There might even be an amnesty for you in the making!" The boy's face was red with anger - or was it just the heat? 

"You don't know what you're messing with!" Another eruption of fire. "It's us or War of the Worlds!" The implication behind that last statement was clear.

Emma followed the command she had been given. There was little time for any argument, as her intrepid pursuer was not far behind her. She hurried to the waiting car, pulling the door open and throwing herself inside. She knew she wasn't quite out of and danger yet, so, for the time being, she merely took a seat, not allowing herself to rest just quite yet.

((Written by Letter Bee as RedXCross left the game))

West was not going to listen to some teenaged brat; powers or no. He made to throw his pen needle -

Before his head got blown off by a round of assault rifle fire; Emma's roomate had gotten up.

Now, Emma herself was safe, safe and being taken to Area 51.