---

”Alright sure isolation shouldn’t be so bad. I’m used to it.“ Mercury got into the helicopter, and was next to Eddie he leaned his head back sighing. He had a lot on his mind, and he put a hand to his face. He looked over at her for a second then back to the ceiling before falling asleep. His stomach protesting in discomfort.

What he'd just eaten couldn't have been good for him. By evidence of how he felt like he was gonna hurl. Or was it more just a mental thing? He wasn't sure, but god help him he was scared out of his wits. Was this a side affect of what happened those years ago?

He wasn't sure, but he sure hopped the people in the Powerbound Aliance could help him put a stop to this. They looked like they had all the resources in the world, and then some. Or was that just optimistic hopping? Oh well, at least he was here with Eddie. A hand reached down taking hers gently.

Now only holding two pizza boxes, Jenny found it was much easier to hold the food in one hand. So she did so, grabbed her suitcase, and made her way into the helicopter, taking the empty seat next to the masked guy, Mercury. She then began talking to herself. "Oh man, I can't wait to tell Kelsie about this! Wait, can I tell her? Do I have to keep this a secret? Am I not aloud to tell anyone?" she then immediately stopped talking and began snoring. Just like that.

"Fine then, if no one wants a hug..." Light said, pouting at the group who was boarding the helicopter. Apparently a few newcomers had come and some had gone, but she wasn't in too good of a mood to get a good headcount right now, although something made her feel off with the mask guy.

Upon hearing where they were headed, Light sighed. "And here I wanted us to be in the heart of a big city. Oh well, at least we'll travel a bunch and whatnot." At least they were going to be dealing with some pretty hefty topics form the sound of things. She just hoped there weren't going to be too many tentacles or rotting things involved, they tended to follow her places...

---

Nyt took a moment to observe all the interesting faces that showed up to this stunningly strange gathering of unlikely friends. She had grown up with a large family and an even more extensive library of cousins she could barely keep track of when they visit in the Oregonian summertime. Some she liked, some she didn't; but regardless, they were family. Now, she was ready to make her own "family", so to speak. Even if no one was blood-related to her on this planet, most of them treated her relatively well, noting that she probably felt the most alone not only because she was an alien, but she was an alien with powers. She looked up and realized people were starting to pile into the helicopter. She put her phone away in a secret pocket she had sewn onto her romper dress after sending the long-awaited text she so desperately wanted to use as an inside joke between her and her entire family, "This is the Public Affairs Officer at Ground Control in San Diego, California. The final countdown for PBA-01 has begun at 02:45 AM on April 1, 2026. The ground crew has begun filling the liquid-oxygen tank and the liquid-hydrogen tank in the external tank. The attendees have entered the Heli-Copter through the access hatch and are stowing their gear. We are now at T-30 minutes to liftoff," and stood behind Aja to await their turn in the queue of superheroes that needed transportation.
Her brother Jesse was the first to text her: the one she feuded with most of her life over normal achievements but with their close age-range, it was all a competition. "Anything in particular you want to listen to during take off?" he asked; she could picture his intense eyes studying her choice of music, which she knew he loved. "That song from Samurai Champloo, of course." Nyt was the happiest to oblige, mostly because that’s what her brothers would always request of her: her taste in songs. It was a high compliment from the eight Vikings who needed to be silenced every now and then by a great jam.

---

As quickly as the fight was sparked came the ending as the flame flicked out by the plopping of pizzas in each of the combatants hand. It was fortunate for the both of them that Aja didn't hear the masked dudes slick comment at the end, as she quickly sat down, opened the box and excitedly smelled the aroma while pulling the cheesiest piece out.

"mmmrgm-anks"Her mouth full and hand over it she nodded in thanks to Jennifer, was it?. She could definitely see herself becoming friends with this girl. They had the same love of pizza.

”There are some meteorites passing by. I wish we could see them. They’re gorgeous to watch on a night like this.” With the mention of meteorites, Aja slightly turned to listen in on this new girl as she was conversating with someone else. Wiping her mouth with her arm, she slyly smiled. Yeah, i wish we could see them too. Wonder where they're heading off to? With that, Lisa once more gave an all call and people proceeded to board the helicopter.

Aja did some stretches before boarding, making sure her luggage was together (which wasnt much but a dufflebag.) "Here's hoping there's a lab there for me to do some experiments, aye Light?" She said whimsically as she boarded. Passing Mercury, in a show of faux immaturity, she stuck her tongue out and pulled at her left eye, and then sat down as far away from the front as possible, with empty seats near her. She hoped she could convince someone to sit next to her, just so they could shade more areas for her.

---

Alex turned to listen to Lisa as she told them that it was their last chance to turn back. There was no doubt in her mind that this was the right choice for her. She would maybe get a decent meal after years of living in complete solitude. Her clothes would finally fit, and best of all, those around her didn't seem threatened by her mutated arms. That was definitely something she could get behind. Alex swung her "bag" over her shoulder. In reality, it was just a square piece of cloth tied at the top with some string. Inside was a change of clothes, a rusty canteen, and a small bracelet. If her appearance didn't already scream homeless, her lack of belongings certainly did.

"Looks like it's now or never. Quite an easy decision for myself," Alex said over the whirring helicopter. She made her way over to the others who had already begun boarding. As some decided that this whole Powerbound thing wasn't for them, others showed up to take their place. They seemed to have a pretty decent sized group. Alex didn't pay too much attention to where she sat, and just chose the one closest to the door. If this helicopter were to go down, she wanted to be the first one out.

Others started falling asleep, which made sense. It's not often that many people are up at almost three in the morning. Alex, though, was used to it. This was the time that she would use to go into the city and find anything she could. Most of her meals came from dumpsters behind restaurants or grocery stores. It wasn't always the best food, but most of the time, it was edible. Alex let out a sigh of relief. Those days were finally over.

Listening to Lisa as she spoke, Marcus watched silently as one by one, those present either boarded the helicopter or wandered off back into the night. Some certainly seemed enthusiastic about it, others seemed to come along purely because they had no other choice or nothing better. Honestly Marcus wasn't even sure of his own decision even still, he'd said he would come along, but at the same time was this life really for him? Perhaps it was best if he faded into obscurity. But then again, he wasn't exactly helping anyone by doing that either, the entire reason he had come, he had even said anything, he wanted to make a difference again. Taking another long look out at the city, he stood there for some time in silence, making his last thoughts and decisions.

"Alright." He finally said, plainly and to no one in particular. Turning to the helicopter, he moved toward it and climbed inside, sitting down near the door. He glanced over to the others, saw that plenty of them were settling in to sleep during the flight. He didn't have any such intention, he was used to long nights without sleep, and even he didn't exactly trust the company he was with, at least not enough to completely let his guard down. He reminded himself that this was a good decision, and hoped deeper down that it in fact was. Something was telling him to go through with this, he didn't know what but he figured soon enough he'd know if it was to pay off.

Sighing as he rested his head back, he reached up to take his cap off, tucking it between his seat and the window as he peered out, remaining relatively silent as he would throughout the flight, just waiting to see what would happen. This was either going to be one of the best decisions Marcus made in his life, or possibly the worst. So far, he wasn't sure.

---

After everyone boarded the helicopter, Lisa looked to Armando. "Mind flying back this time? I'll take over at the next stop." Lisa offered.

Armando looked back and nodded. "Sure thing, hermana." He said, patting her on the shoulder. "C'mon... lets head on home." He said.

The two soon climbed onboard the helicopter and closed the door behind them. While Armando climbed up to the front seat of the helicopter, Lisa looked to everyone in the passenger's cabin and addressed them. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking." Captain Kinesis said with a soft grin. "Since our safehouse is located in Colombia, this is gonna be one hell of a ride, and we'll be making a few stops to refuel along the way. So get some shuteye. We can get some snacks and food along the way too, so yeah. Trust me, the journey will be worth it." She said. "So... buckle in your seatbelts! We're taking off!"

After Lisa climbed up to the co-pilot's seat, the helicopter powered up and began to lift off. Within minutes, the helicopter was already airborne, and with the exception of a few blinking lights, the Sikorsky flew out into the night, disappearing into the pitch black void of midnight. They were off to Colombia, and this is where the adventure begins.