[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/6DgKSAr.png[/img] [/center] [center][sub][indent][COLOR=FFD700][B]Manhattan, New York City[/B][/color] [color=4682B4]|[/color] [COLOR=FFD700][b]Present Day[/b][/color][/indent][indent][hr][sup][b][color=FFD700]Chapter One[/color][/b] [color=4682B4]|[/color] [b][color=FFD700]Part Nine[/color][/b][/sup][/indent][/sub][/center] [indent] Koriand'r's face lit up in delight as she bit into the baked, chewy treat Kitty had brought her. The chocolate chip cookie seemed to melt in her mouth and the alien girl nodded at her new friends who looked at her expectantly. "Oh my!" Koriand'r said before taking another sip of her bubble tea. "This is most delicious! Your Earth confectionaries are wonderful. We had nothing like this on Tamaran." Eli returned her smile politely. "I'm glad you enjoy it. I'm more of a fruits and veggies guy myself, try to cut out the sugary stuff, but I get the appeal." Koriand'r glanced over at Kitty to thank her for the cookie and tea but hesitated as she noticed an odd expression on the girl's face. Amber eyes narrowed slightly, scanning Koriand'r. It reminded her of how the Okaaran warlords would silently and skeptically appraise her during training. Always looking for an exploitative weak point. In the few short hours the two young women had known one another, Koriand'r had gotten a distinct impression that the other girl did not like her. Ever since finding herself on this new, odd little planet, Koriand'r had grown accustomed to the assorted looks and stares she received. From strangers both men and women alike, from young Garfield who often had difficulties averting his eyes from her chest. Even from Elijah, though she was glad to note his glances never seemed to be lustful. But with Kitty, Koriand'r felt under constant scrutiny. As if the human girl refused to trust her. And there was something else behind those eyes, something that Koriand'r had yet to figure out. "Kitty, I—" A loud, warbling wail off in the distance cut her off. The trio turned, looking for the source. "Car alarm?" Kitty asked. "Fire, I think. Seems like it's down the block." Eli nodded in the direction of the alley he had used to conceal his earlier spying. Koriand'r watched in uncertainty as the other two turned back towards one another and almost simultaneously said, "you don't think?" Eli was already up and rushing from the table, navigating haphazardly around what pedestrians remained out that evening. Kitty followed, trailed shortly after by Koriand'r. Rounding the corner, she stopped abruptly, nearly colliding into Elijah. Across the street, on a large, fenced-in lot sat the Meta Solutions laboratory. Dull red lights on the building's exterior flashed in sync with the blaring alarm. "Son of a bitch." "That is [i]so[/i] not stealth," Kitty echoed Elijah's dismay. "I am not sure what this means." Admitted Koriand'r. The repeating tones were not unlike the battle cries of the aggressive k'rildor on Tamaran, but she doubted this was an instance of two females battling to the death for the right to mate. "It means Garfield's in trouble." Elijah shook his head. "Come on, can't just leave him in there." "He might not even [i]be[/i] in there still." Kitty pointed out as they hurriedly crossed the road. "So, what, you want to just sit, wait, and hope it all just works itself out?" "Of course not, but—" "Hey! You, kids, get away from here." The two men who had been patrolling the grounds were converging on the gated entrance. One waved his arms in a shooing gesture. "It's dangerous, keep moving!" Koriand'r caught Elijah's eye as he glanced back at her. "Starfire? Would you mind?" "Are you certain? He does not seem to pose a threat." "I said," one of the men began reaching towards Kitty. "Get moving!" "Yeah, pretty sure," Eli answered her question as he pivoted abruptly, planting one foot firmly on the ground and twisting his hips to drive his elbow into the man's gut. As the second of the two undercover guards slid his hand towards the concealed firearm he carried, Koriand'r's eyes flared up and she darted forward. One hand grabbing his wrist while the other yanked the weapon from its holster. "Please do not try to harm my friends." She raised the gun to her face, regarding its design for a second. Then, she squeezed it tightly. Metal and plastic exploded in a spectacular fashion causing the would-be gunman's eyes to widen. "Sorry, we're on a time crunch," Kitty added as she walked by the restrained guard. "But if you could tell us what's inside the lab that'd be a big help." "Fuck you." "You are not very kind." Koriand'r tossed the man next to his partner who was now rolling around on the ground clutching a dislocated shoulder. "Please do not get up." Elijah finished dismantling the pistol he had grabbed, tossing the receiver and bullets as far as he could in separate directions before dropping the remaining parts. "Come on, we're wasting time. No need to be quiet at this point. Starfire, just bust the gate down." The redhead stepped forward, placed her outstretched palms on the metal and pushed. The mechanism holding the gate closed snapped immediately and the two halves swung open. "Well, if we're no longer worried about the cameras, I'll go ahead and see if I can find him," Kitty told the others before sinking into the pavement. The entrance to the lab provided even less resistance to Koriand'r as it too splintered and shot forward. Pushing inside, the pair discovered the reception area, and beyond that a handful of empty cubicles. Elijah pointed out the overturned chairs and still-warm cups of coffee at the desks. "Looks like they all got out quickly once the alarm went off. But keep your eyes peeled in case anyone is still around and tries something." Nodding, Koriand'r split off as the two searched the adjoining hallways and rooms. "Garfield," she called out loudly to be heard over the claxon. "Garfield?" There was no answer and after two minutes of scouring the place, she rejoined Elijah. "Anything?" He asked. She shook her head sullenly. "I do not see where he could be. Perhaps Kitty is correct and he has already left?" As if summoned by her words, the mutant girl stepped away from a wall. "Oh, Kitty was right. Just not about that." Pointing a finger towards their feet she added, "they've got a whole underground lab down there. Lot of people running around. They seem to think it's a false alarm, and I overheard someone talking about intruders. Not sure if they meant Garfield or us, though. But, the point is this all but proves my theory." "And it's probably where the kid is. Alright," said Eli, "how do we get down there? I didn't see any stairs." Kitty jerked a thumb over her shoulder towards the wall she had materialized through. "They've got a service elevator here. It's all the way at the bottom, and I didn't see a way to access it. But... we've got a key." She looked towards Koriand'r. "Please step back." Koriand'r advanced towards the wall Kitty had gestured to. Cocking back a fist, she gave a short shout as she forcefully slammed it against the surface. The section she struck dented severely, warping the elevator doors that were now exposed. She slammed her fist into the spot with another yell and this time the metal exploded forward revealing a hollow, narrow cylinder. The chunks that had broken free tumbled down the tube briefly before crashing at the bottom. Koriand'r took several quick steps away from the opening. Elijah took her spot and peered down. Whistling, he said "Damn. It's not too far, but I definitely can't climb down that without rope." Kitty just shrugged and looked again towards Koriand'r. "She's strong and she flies, she can just carry you down. I'll meet you both at the bottom and we'll find Garfield. And, with any luck, those missing meta kids." Without waiting for a response, the teen girl jumped into the elevator shaft. "Jesus," Eli shook his head slowly before sighing. "the three of you are ridiculous. Alright, let's get this over with. You okay with carrying me?" "Um, yes, of course." She stepped tentatively closer to the hole. It looked to be about the same diameter as the escape pod she had traveled to Earth in. Her mind wandered to the long journey through deep space. The pod had only one room if it could even be referred to as such. Cramped by any definition as it had only ever been intended to ferry one individual for a short time, Koriand'r remembered how the interior of the sphere had seemed to grow continuously smaller the longer she remained trapped inside. And the blaring, incessant emergency alarms that had emanated from the navigation computers due to the damage that had sent her off course originally. "Starfire?" Elijah was shaking her shoulder gently, distracting her from the memory. "Is everything okay?" She recognized the concern in his eyes and her own went wide in embarrassment. "Apologies, Elijah. I am fine. Let us continue." Her voice was stilted, almost distant. Taking one last look at the narrow shaft, she steeled herself. Suddenly wrapping an arm around her friend's waist and pulling him tight against her, she forced a smile back on her face. "Please do not let go." Koriand'r's feet lifted from the floor and she floated toward's the opening. Eli gripped one of her shoulders tightly as the pair quickly began descending. About halfway down, the fire alarm abruptly cut off. Koriand'r heard Elijah say something but she was too focused on calming her breathing to register his words. The flight down lasted less than a minute, but to her, it felt considerably longer. At the bottom, she set Eli down and once more used her sheer strength to break open the elevator doors. This time, she hit them so hard a single strike that the entire metal frame came loose, launching the doors a dozen feet down the hallway. Koriand'r immediately stepped out and distanced herself from the hole only to find herself in an equally narrow corridor. She felt overly hot, her skin slightly damp with sweat. Koriand'r swore she saw the ceiling slowly pressing down towards her like a vice, and although the lab's fire alarm had been deactivated she could still hear a high-pitched ringing in her head. [i]Why do I feel so strange,[/i] she wondered. While she took a moment to collect herself, a whispered voice called to her and Eli. "Guys, over here." At the end of the hallway, just before it split off into a T-section, Kitty frantically waved the pair to her. "Did you find him?" Eli asked as the three gathered together. "Uh, yeah. Well, he found me." Kitty eyed Koriand'r once more as the latter wiped the sweat away from her brow. "Is she okay?" "I am fine." Koriand'r answered, a slight strain to her usual cheerful tone. "Nevermind that, where's the kid?" Garfield's voice came from around the corner. "I'm right here." "Are you okay?" Elijah went to round the corner but Kitty held her arm out to stop him. "I wouldn't." She said. "Trust me, you [i]don't[/i] want to see him right now." Garfield poked his head around the corner keeping his torso and lower body covered by the wall. He looked sheepishly at the older teens and asked, "I don't suppose anyone brought my pants?" [/indent]