Chapter Text
"Who did you invite... here?!" she shouted again.
Her brother bristled before shooting to his feet.
"No one!" he huffed, looming over her. Frazie glared back, refusing to be cowed.
"Liar, now tell me the truth," she demanded again.
"Look, I was just getting the money everyone was so fucking worried about!" he yelled. Frazie paused. Ok, that was reasonable. But why the drugs? Was he planning on selling it?
"Ok, fine, what is this person going to help you do? Is it legal?" she asked. Dion went to move away again, but Frazie continued to follow.
"Look, it was good money, and it's not like I am selling the stuff," he blurted as he backpedaled. Frazie froze.
"Selling what Dion? What are you messing with?!" she asked. He stumbled back again and fell over with a yelp. Frazie looked down to see that he had tripped over a sack next to the log they had been sitting on. Something bright and shiny was glittering from within it. What was that? She moved quickly and snatched the bag up from the ground.
"Give that back," Dion demanded. She turned to see her brother struggling to his feet. She then quickly looked back into the bag. There were pieces of the purple rock that she had seen everywhere in it. She stared at them. She could feel the waves of energy they gave off. It made her skin tingle and the hair on her arms and neck stand up. There was something different about these stones. Just on the edge of her hearing, she could hear buzzing. These were definitely the rocks that Mirtala had been talking about. These were the stones that Dion had traded for the drugs, at least according to Raz. Wait. Raz had said something else about these rocks before... they enhance power or something.
She took a deep breath.
"Why have you been selling these to people? No one else is even supposed to be coming onto these grounds. They belong to the government, Dion! You can't just take things from here and just sell them!" she squeaked out. Dion crossed his arms and huffed,
"They're just rocks!"
"Just rocks?! It doesn't matter if they are just rocks! They're the government's rocks! You are stealing from the government, you idiot!!" she hissed. "How long?"
"What?"
"How long have you been selling them? Mirtala's been crying about her missing rocks for a week. Did you sell them, Dion?" she asked quickly.
"I mean, maybe she lost them— "
"Dion Aquato!" she snapped. He flinched again.
"Ok, fine. I didn't think she would notice... the woman showed up early that week, and I panicked. She was paying me $300 for a bag of them, didn't matter what size," he admitted. "So, I figured she would forget about them." Frazie bit her lip and breathed through her nose.
"Ok... so, did she pay you?" she asked. He nodded. Ok, Dion was trying to find money in his own way. He was trying to help and got duped. Fine. He likely has no idea they wanted them for the drugs, but it would not hurt to check. But why had Raz seen him with drugs? Not to mention, if this person was paying $300 for a bag... why did they still have so little money? Was it only in the last couple of weeks?
"Dion, how long have you been giving the rocks to this woman?" she asked. His stance loosened as she relaxed.
"I don't know… two weeks?" he said, looking pensive.
"Ok, so where did all that money go? I know it wasn't for supplies or food... after all, the budget for the shopping trip was tight," she asked as she closed the bag.
"I— " he sighed. "Yeah... I had put it away, but— some... animals got to it. That's it." She lifted an eyebrow.
"That's the story you wanna stick to?" she asked. Dion flinched. He really had no poker face. Raz could do better.
"Yeah...?"
"You don't sound sure?"
"Look... I have a buyer coming, and we need the money." Dion pleaded. Frazie shook her head.
"Dion, we have no animals here. Two, it couldn't be the animals here, as Tejuk and Raz made sure the animals around here don't mess with our things. Also, animals are a very common excuse for one person around here," she prodded. Her brother flinched again. Bingo. But her elation quickly died as her mind started following an unsettling train of thought. If mom took the money... what did she spend it on? She remembered the flash of worry about her mother's behavior. But there was also Dion's weird river behavior.
"W-well, what if that was just what they said they did?" Dion sputtered. Frazie set the bag of rocks down and stepped closer to her brother.
"First, I can speak with animals, and if any of them move too close to the camp. I just let them know not to touch anything. Most of them are just curious and leave us be," she stated clearly. "So, try again. Or rather, a week ago... what were you doing at the river?"
"Why are you bringing that up again? So, what I fell in," he huffed. He seemed happy to take the subject change.
"Well, before you fell in, you were yelling at the flamingos... something you want to tell me, Dion?" she asked. He blinked.
"They were talking to me first," he answered. Frazie blinked. Dion had said that he heard them. He had never mentioned hearing animals before. It also matched his behavior. She looked back at the sack of rocks. She could feel the energy coming from them now that there were a bunch of them together, and now she knew what the energy felt like. She usually ignored the ambient energy around camp as she figured the place was just weird like that. But now it made sense; the rocks were probably adding to the overall energy around the campground and forest. She just hadn't been able to tell it apart from anything else.
"So... when had you started hearing them?" Frazie watched as Dion relaxed further. Her uncle's advice was ringing in her head. Dion was becoming more comfortable now that he was no longer having to talk about the stones. She would let him continue to lead her away from that conversation.
Besides, he had already admitted to selling the rocks, but not getting drugs for them. She didn't think that Raz would have lied about what he saw, but in his excitement, he could have mistook a money exchange for a drug exchange. As her brother hemmed and hawed about his answer, she reached out to her uncle.
Would Raz have any reason to mistake Dion receiving drugs?
He possibly could have. The person was high when he looked into their head. So, there is a possibility. But you mentioned him talking to flamingos, right?
Yeah, I did. she responded as she covertly glanced about, trying to see if she could see her uncle anywhere nearby. There was nothing that stood out to her, not even a wolf. He was probably using some ability to listen in on the conversation, or he was excellent at camouflage.
Does Dion have Zoopathy?
No.
Ok... then it is likely he has been exposed to the drugs made from the psitanium. The purple rocks. Whether or not he had been exposed by accident or took it himself... is not immediately known.
How do you know that he took the drug?
People who have psychic blood in their background have been documented to briefly exhibit powers while the drug is in their system. So, he could have developed the ability to hear animals talk, but not be able to speak with them. After all, full Zoopathy is slightly uncommon. Usually, you can get one or the other: speaking or understanding.
Ah. I see. Raz and I can do both.
Right. So, that is how I am pretty sure that Dion took the drug if he had not been able to do it before.
Oh...
"I, um, --" Dion’s voice dragged her back to the physical world. She quickly cut him off,
"When you started hearing them at the river, was it just out of the blue?"
"Sorta," Dion said, scratching at his head.
"What do you mean sorta?" she asked.
"Well, I hadn't heard them before until then, but I don't think I did anything weird. Besides, why do you care?" he asked, his face scrunched up in suspicion.
"Raz has talked about these rocks. They give off strange energy, and being around them too much can make weird stuff happen," she explained slowly.
"Wait, really?! No wonder mom— !" Dion's eyes went wide. The pit that had been developing in her stomach turned into a canyon. She darted forward and latched onto his shoulders,
"Mom what?! Were you trading the stones for more than money, Dion? Did you ever get drugs from the woman? Was— is mom taking them?!" she demanded. Dion struggled against her hold, but she refused to let go.
"Frazie! Stop being a spaz and let me go!" he grunted.
"No! I need to know, Dion! That stuff is dangerous! She could be addicted! She could overdose!" she shrieked.
Nove, breathe. It's going to be ok. Shaking out what few berries he has in his basket is not going to help. I mean, he can't answer if you keep shaking him. Frazie let Dion go and took a step back, while taking a deep breath.
"I know, ok! What am I supposed to do?! You— you all just abandoned her and— "
"Abandoned?! We are all here! We have been here because we have nowhere to go, Dion! Just because not all of us want to follow the same thing forever doesn't mean that we are abandoning anyone. Jeez! After all, I have gone through keeping all of you alive, no way I am leaving you any time soon... even if I do take a break," she argued.
"Take a break! What does that even— "
"Wait, wait. We can squabble about this later. Mom. Is that why she has been acting weird and strange lately?" she asked.
"No, I am not going to badmouth mom to make you happy! Ever since we got here, you have just been arguing with her. Why don't you run back to that house of freaks with Raz?! It's not like you care anymore! Mom's been sick for weeks! You haven't even noticed!" He grumbled.
Frazie felt like she had been stabbed. This was the second time that she had been accused of not caring. She was tired of people assuming things about her. Of course, she fucking cared! She would not have put up with half the shit she did if she didn't! Images flashed through her mind of nursing all her siblings through illness, helping her father put up and take down tents, helping their mother cook, her staying up to soothe nightmares, holding Kris and Katia for the last time, the time she had to spend with that damned loan shark to get the money they needed to have Dion's ankle looked at...
"How dare you?" she hissed, ignoring the tears that had gathered in her eyes. Dion froze. "How dare you! I do care! I wouldn't bother cooking to feed everyone, picking up extra work so that we have food on the road, looking after all of you when you were sick! Making sure everyone's things stayed together and clothes were mended! Sure as hell wasn't you doing it! I had to do unspeakable things to get the money for your ankle!" She froze. She hadn't meant to say that. Not to him and definitely not where her uncle could hear.
"I-I— what did— " Dion stuttered. Frazie held up her hand.
"Besides, I knew mom was sick, but anytime I tried to help, she got in my face about it. So, I let dad take care of it. Now is not the time. Look, I am sorry about yelling," she crossed her arms, "I am stressed out about all the changes and lack of funds too, ok? But the thing we need to focus on right now is whatever you're caught up in, and what the hell is up with mom, ok? Is she taking something?" Dion looked away again. That's a yes. Frazie sighed.
"What is she taking, Dion? Where is she getting it? Is she getting it from the woman you sell the stones to?" she asked as she moved to catch his eyes. Dion avoided looking at her again as he shifted from foot to foot. "Dion. This is bad. I know you are trying to help, and you don't want more arguing. But would you rather take arguing or mom dead somewhere from an overdose?" Dion flinched.
"I-I don't know... It was some purple powder," he admitted. "The first time we did buy food with the money. Mom and I had managed to scrounge up some money by doing some tricks and stuff at a park we found. We had gone to a small store on the way back. I had run into the lady at the store. I had just been playing with a small piece of the rock as I was walking around. She saw and asked about it," he admitted. Frazie's eye twitched as she fought off the urge to face palm.
"Let me guess, you talked about this place with her, didn't you?" she asked. He nodded.
"She offered me $100 on the spot for the rock," he explained. "I made her prove the bill was real before I gave it to her, don't worry. Then we went back and got more food, and were planning to save the rest. The woman chased us down; she wanted more of the rock," he continued. Frazie made a noise of understanding.
"Did she say why?" she asked. "What did she even look like? Did you even get her name?"
"Yeah, said her name was Edith. Pale chick, black hair... dressed like she was going to a street funeral. She said that she was into like spirits and stuff and liked cool rocks. She said they were special and rare rocks. So she was willing to pay money for them." She frowned at the information.
Well, that's not good. Frazie almost jumped at her uncle’s voice.
Who is she? Are we in danger?!
That is an alias belonging to a psychic terrorist. But I don't think you are in danger at the moment, but I don’t like that any of you are on her radar at all. That usually means she has some use for you.
Should I keep going with the discussion then… or?
Keep him talking.
I am going to check in with my team lead and see if they have seen anything yet. I will be keeping tabs on you as well, ok?
"Ok, fine. She was willing to pay for them. I get that. So, you have been going back to the store to sell the stones for money?" she asked, returning to the conversation.
"Yeah, and mom would come too sometimes. We would go do some street tricks for extra money. Then, about two weeks I went to sell the stones and mom went with me. While we were there, Mom complained about being tired. Edith said she had a supplement powder that was all the rage with young people and older women," he explained. Frazie's stomach fell deeper into the canyon of dread in her stomach.
"She took it, didn't she?" she whispered.
"She had put a bit on her food. Not a lot, but she started feeling better. But then, she ran out," he whispered back. "She became really sick. She was convinced nothing else but that would make her feel better." Frazie put her head in her hands.
Well, that is not good. Her uncle said.
At all, what do we do?
I— hold on… Nove, listen, I have to go. Edith… has been spotted by my team… I am going to go see what’s going on. Stay here and keep him talking.
But, Tejuk, wait!
Silence greeted her. She took a deep breath and looked back at her brother.
"Ok, so… the stuff mom was taking… it was a drug made from those—" but suddenly, a shrill voice rang in her head.
"Listens... listens, the girl listens." Frazie jerked her head up. Sitting in the tree above the firepit sat the bird she saw earlier.
"Where?" she demanded.
"On the other side of the flowing water!" it replied. Frazie looked out across the river, using only her periphery. But she couldn't really see anything passed the bridge.
"Why are you telling me?"
"Night Feather says look for people that do not belong, that listen and touch and then tell Water Dancer or Big Doggy. Very important," the bird replied. Frazie was confused for a moment, then she remembered.
When Night Feather had first appeared, she had referred to her uncle as 'Big Doggy' and several of the people that Raz liked by strange names. One of the names had been 'Water Dancer'. Now, it was likely that Night Feather had been referring to her. It was a bit jarring... she did not realize that anyone knew of her habit of playing/dancing with the water. She had meant to ask her uncle about that, but things had put that on the back burner.
Tejuk. Tejuk! Someone is spying on us from the other side of the river, a bird that Night Feather knows just told me? I am not sure, but it might be some kind of hawk?
Alright, you and your brother stay there. See what else they know. Although I am willing to bet money it's one of the junior agents. They just can't help themselves...
Raz has more discipline than they do, and trouble is his middle name!
Ha! I agree, nove. But we are currently heading up the road a ways to see what the others found. Try to keep the rest of the conversation as quiet as you can.
"Hey! What did they look like? The girl?" she asked the bird.
"Like you... smaller. Carry stick. Big stick," it replied. Frazie sighed. Like her but smaller? Well, the only three girls who are shorter than her would be Norma, Gisu, and Raz's girlfriend, Lily. Lily had stayed back with Razzle. So, it was not her. The other two were Gisu and Norma. The person was carrying a big stick. She thought for a moment. Perhaps the big stick was Gisu's skateboard.
"The girl, did she have something on her head or face?" Frazie asked. The bird clicked its beak and then flew away.
Frazie did a quick but careful sweep of the area before turning back to Dion.
"What's with you?" he asked.
"Someone is spying on us," she said quietly, "don't look!" she hissed as Dion started to turn his head.
"How do you know?" he asked, looking fearful. She just discreetly pointed up as the bird came back to land on the branch above them again. Dion rolled his eyes upward, paused, and then looked back down at her with wide eyes.
"Right, animals and talking," he murmured. "Oh!"
"Oh, what?" she asked.
"That day with the river... I had eaten some of her food. That's when I started hearing the birds," he said. "I never heard them after."
That tracks too. There had been reports of those with psychics in their family or bloodline briefly gaining minimal abilities while the drug was in their system. Frazie just managed to keep from flinching.
Aren't you busy checking on your folks?
Yes, but so far they are just observing, and I am on standby... so I am a bit further away but still keeping an ear on the conversation.
Ok... so that explains why Dion was only able to hear them and not speak to them. So, now what?
"Nothing on face," the bird said into the quiet before her uncle could answer. No glasses then... it had to be—
It's Gisu, tejuk... Gisu is spying.
Hmmm... let me take a quick look. So it is Gisu... I recognize her energy signature. Some of the junior agents are likely put out at being left out of the loop.... and it seems she was put up to the task of getting information by Agent N Navidad, it seems.
How do you know that and wait… who is that?
First, their minds are not shielded; they are basically broadcasting their thoughts. That is definitely something that we will work on with you and your siblings first thing. As for the second question, Raz may have referred to her as Norma. She is another junior agent.
Wait. Does she have purple skin and glasses?
Yes.
She was all over the camp and asking all these annoying questions back before everything went sideways. She was also eyeing me hard when we left. But we are getting off track. Did she hear anything useful?
I can’t say for sure exactly what Gisu heard, as I am only doing a quick scan of the area, but from where she was standing, she could probably deduce that you were arguing. According to her broadcasted thoughts, she is wearing some kind of tech... but it seems to be faulty. That is the most that she is broadcasting thought-wise. I can't dig as it is outside of my case scope.
Wait... aren't you like not even on the grounds anymore? How are you picking anything up?
Yes, but I use energy like a bat uses sound, so I can use it to get more information over a wide distance. Plus, we are only a few feet from the parking lot gate, but—
Where is she? Frazie cut her uncle off as she tried to discreetly look around for the other girl. Her stomach was twisting tighter from the anxiety of it.
On the other side of the broken bridge... behind a tree. I know you are worried at the moment, but I need you to take a breath and just focus on your brother.
But what are we going to—
Shit... something is going down further up the road, I need to take a look. You should try to get Gisu and Dion back up towards the ML— the Motherlobe. If things get bad, I want none of you anywhere near this place...
Ok... but what should I do?
Continue talking to Dion. The last thing you want is for her to think something is up and make a break for it with what information she may have. I will update you on my situation, and if it gets bad, give her a reason to follow and get out of here.
Frazie resisted the urge to jiggle her leg. That was a lot of pressure, but like everything else in her life, she had to do it. Tilting her head to the side, she considered the situation. She knew that someone dangerous was coming to buy the rocks off Dion. She agreed with her uncle that they did not need to be here when that happened. Not to mention, she still had far too many questions left to ask her brother. So what to do? Gisu was spying, and there really wasn't a natural way to end her conversation with Dion right now. Not only that, but it has been a little bit since she actually spoke to her brother.
"Ok, so you took some by accident?" she reiterated, trying to continue the conversation at least. He nodded.
"Yeah, never ate her food again. It made me so sick afterwards," he explained. Frazie made a thoughtful noise as she continued to turn ideas over in her head. The rustling of the leaves caused her to look back up at the tree to see that the bird had returned.
An idea had hit Frazie.
"Hey! Could you do me a favor?" she asked. The bird looked down at her curiously before trilling.
"Could you keep an eye on her? We don't want her getting closer to hear us..." she asked.
The bird clicked their beak before spreading its wings and flying away. Frazie watched for a moment before turning back to her brother. He was watching the bird, too. After a moment, she asked another question while he was off guard, and to distract herself from worrying about Gisu.
"So, did mom take the money to get more of this stuff?" Dion flinched as the words left her mouth. Once again, the answer was likely yes. Frazie ran a hand down her face. She opened her mouth to ask another question when a scream cut her off. Both siblings raced towards the campground's entrance and could only watch as the bird chased Gisu about, pulling at her cape and hair.
She was dodging around from the bird's talons and beak. She tried to make a break for it towards the forest, but the bird just flew overhead, banked hard, and latched onto Gisu's hair and pulled. The girl lost her balance and fell right into the river, taking the bird with her. The bird eventually flew up from within the river. Gisu came up spluttering a second later. Dion cried the girl's name and started to rush forward. Frazie immediately grabbed his arm,
"Are you nuts? You can't swim!" she yelled. Her heart was racing just like the rushing river. It was pushing Gisu closer and closer to the waterfall. Gisu was fighting to keep her head above the current. She was responsible for this! She hadn't meant for the bird to actually hurt her, just harass her a little! What do I do?
Tejuk! Help! I was trying to get Gisu to leave... but the bird attacked her and they fell in the river!
What?! She fell in the river?! Damn. We are— shit! A fight just broke out on our end— and then he went silent.
Tejuk? Tejuk?!
Her heart was pounding in her ears. Gisu cried out for help. She tuned back into the real world and saw Gisu struggling.
She-she had to do something— anything!
She reached out with her telekinesis by reflex... hoping she could pull the girl towards the bank. The power wrapped around the water, just missing Gisu's flailing arm. She tried again to connect, but again it grabbed the water instead. Come on! You grabbed a damn pebble in this thing. You can grab a human!
Finally, Frazie felt her power connect with Gisu's sleeve and catch. She tugged and immediately felt off balance. It was just like the pebble. She could also feel the sleeve slipping from her power's grip. Damn, it was just like the pebble. She tightened her hold on the material even as the current was pulling Gisu further away. She pulled against the current again. Ok... treat it like the pebble. She began to add more lines to Gisu's arm and sleeve before tugging again. A pain began to build behind her eyes. Gisu was now moving towards the bank, but it was still too slow. She was still being pulled closer to the waterfall, and Frazie was sliding closer to the embankment in front of her.
Frazie planted her feet.
"Dion, help me... hold my shoulders and lean. I need you to hold me in place!" she ordered. Dion spluttered beside her.
"What?! Why?" he yelled.
"I am trying to pull her to shore with my powers, but the current is strong. I can't pull her in if I end up being pulled into the river! So, I need you to anchor me! Get the lead out of your ass and help!" she ordered. Finally, she felt her brother's hands resting on her shoulders, pressing down.
Frazie brought her complete focus back on Gisu. She continued to pull as hard as she could, and Gisu continued to move against the current. It still wasn't enough. Frazie could feel the strain in her head and navel. This is excuriating... she thought, but she couldn't stop. She would not be able to live with herself if Gisu died. She needed help, but she was not sure who she could call on. Her family was busy getting checked over, and her uncle was tied up in a fight of his own. Raz was sick and hopefully resting. Then, as if summoned by the stray thought, her brother's voice echoes in her head,
Frazie? What's happening? You feel nervous? Wait... why are you not in the Motherlobe? Are they done already?
I am doing a favor for Agent Forsyth. Look, is— is Ms. Vodello busy? She asked instead, trying to keep her voice steady even as the pain behind her eyes increased and nausea built in her stomach.
Umm... I am not sure... is something wrong?
Ow... give-give me a second, Raz.
Agent Vodello?
Yes Frazie? Has something happened?
I— Gisu has fallen into the river. I am trying to pull her back out with my telepathy, but I am struggling against the current. She babbled.
Gisu?! What was she doing? She should— spying... of course. Ok, darling... did she fall where there is a gathering of the stones near the falls?
Yes! she gasped.
Ok, see if you can guide her to one of the rocks instead of fighting the current! I am on my way, darling! I just need to get out of the building to teleport!
Frazie felt tears gather in her eyes. The relief was almost overwhelming, but she needed to keep her focus on Gisu. She was heading toward the rocky stones. She decided to follow Agent Vodello's advice and tried to guide Gisu towards them. But in her panic, Gisu tried to swim away from the rocks. This only caused her to spin the side just in time for the current to shove her into them. The girl went boneless, and Fraize had to pump extra energy into her threads to keep her floating on the water's surface rather than sinking. Ok, not a good idea... what do I do now? Keep her afloat until Agent Vodello gets here?
"Ouch! Why did you bash her against the rocks?!" Dion cried, letting her go. Frazie pitched forward and barely kept herself from falling.
"Don't let go, you idiot! I am playing mental tug of war with a river!" She shrieked. Dion's hands reappeared on her shoulders, steadying her. "Also, I didn't ‘bash' her into anything; the current did! I can only do so much!" she continued. She was not sure she could do anything else. She could move things with telekinesis, but the only thing she could levitate was herself.
Wait!
Herself.
Could she do both? Well, there was only one way to find out. She kept hold of Gisu but then reached out to the air around her. She felt it wrap around her limbs and lift her, even as Dion pushed her back towards the ground in panic. She reassured him that she was fine and doing it on her own. Once she felt stable enough, hovering slightly above the ground, she pushed forward towards the water's edge. She then leapt across the gap and landed on the biggest cluster of rocks in the middle of the river.
Now came the more physically demanding part. She crawled close to the edge, reached into the water, and hooked her arms around the closest of Gisu's arms. Then she let go of her telekinetic hold on the girl and was nearly pulled into the water by the weight. But a quick shift of her arms, and it was fine. She took slow breaths as the dizziness passed. She had never held something that heavy for so long with her powers before. Her arms were handling the weight far better. She wished she had thought of this earlier.
After a few more moments, she maneuvered Gisu so that she could slip both of her arms under Gisu's armpits and tried to haul the girl up onto the rocky surface as carefully as she could. It was hard to do so without scraping the girl's back and clothes against the rocks. She tried to use her powers again. She focused and wrapped as many threads of light around Gisu as she could, and blue light wrapped itself around her limp form. She went to pull and almost dropped her altogether when pain shot through her head and back. She released her power. That’s no good. I have pushed my powers too far.
Internally, she apologized to the girl before pulling her up onto the rocks. She winced as she watched a tear appear in the cape or scarf that she was wearing. A few heaves and gasps later, Gisu was lying on her back, pale but alive. A moment later, a voice called out to her from the air. She looked up to see Agent Vodello gliding down to the ground. The woman landed neatly on the rock platform, her face twisted in concern. Frazie shuffled out of the way to allow the woman to see to Gisu.
"I swear I did not attack her or anything. The bird had told me she was spying... I just told them to watch her! I swear!" she babbled. The older woman did not reply, but started doing chest compressions. After a few moments, she turned to blow air into Gisu's lungs before repeating the process. Frazie turned to see that her brother was still standing on the bank, looking back at her helplessly. She was pretty sure her face was showing the same. She heard a cry from behind her and turned to see Agent Vodello turning Gisu on her side as the girl coughed up water.
"Are you ok?" Frazie asked, kneeling next to Gisu. She felt bad. She hadn't meant for Gisu to end up hurt. She had only told the bird to watch her, not chase her into the damned river. Hopefully, Gisu would recover. Frazie would not have been able to live with herself if the girl had drowned. Gisu took in another breath and tried to nod. Agent Vodello gently pushed Gisu back to the ground,
"Easy, darling. Don't move too much. You have had quite a ride. We will need to get you back to the Motherlobe so we can get a good look at you," she said softly. Gisu nodded awkwardly as she lay back down.
"Frazie, where has Agent Delgato gone?" Agent Vodello asked. Frazie mentally conveyed what happened. Before speaking aloud,
"He was stopped by one of his team members, who had some kind of update on some case for him. He said he would be back. I was talking with Dion and waiting when we saw Gisu being chased. She fell into the river, and I tried to pull her out. But between the current and her weight... I was having trouble. I moved to the rock and pulled her onto it, although not without some damage..." she admitted.
"It's alright, dear. Some scrapes are small in the face of drowning," Agent Vodello replied. Frazie nodded.
"Wha'she said..."Gisu groaned. "'eels like I took a spill off my b'ard n fell down a fligh' o stairs..." she grumbled. Frazie winced.
"Ok, give me a moment, dears," Agent Vodello said as she placed a hand on her temple, "I am going to have to inform the others about what happened." Frazie once more turned to her brother to see that he had a rather furry visitor. She met the hazel eyes of the familiar brown wolf. She tilted her head before saying,
Managed to sneak away, huh? The wolf wagged its tail. Frazie smirked, proud but not in the mood to outright smile. There was too much going on for her to feel like it. I guess we will talk about this later? This time, he nodded. She figured that he would find her when he was ready to talk.
Don't worry, the others are handling the issue with Edith and her followers. Thankfully, it was not as bad as we thought.
Oh, good, well, this was going well until the birdie decided to take matters into its own hands.
So, I have heard. Give me a moment, and I will join you and Agent Vodello to help. With those last words, the wolf takes off for the other side of the area, disappearing into some trees. Frazie looked at her brother, who was staring at where the wolf had gone. She decided that since Agent Vodello was dealing with Gisu, she would go see about her brother and try to get him to head up to the main building, if just for his safety. She took a deep breath before launching herself into the air with nary a thought. She skipped across the water and landed next to her brother. When she turned to speak with him, her uncle approached them from behind.
"Well, this is quite a mess, isn't it?" he said quietly. "What happened?" Frazie figured that it was mostly for the benefit of their cover.
"I was talking with Dion, and Gisu was chased by a bird and fell into the river. I had to do some tricky power work, but I managed to get her to the rocks on Agent Vodello's suggestion. Just as I finished up, Agent Vodello flew in and took over." Frazie explained. He nodded.
"That is unfortunate," he said, before tilting his head. He must have been getting more information from Agent Vodello. Frazie looked back at her brother with concern. He was still pale and was switching his attention between the river area and their uncle standing behind him. Frazie couldn't blame him, really. A lot just happened. She had spoken to her older brother for longer than maybe 30 seconds for the first time in a very long time. That talk, of course, revealed that Dion had been trying to get money for the family but got caught up in some weird drug nonsense, and their mother was now likely hooked on said drug.
Mom.
Where was she?
Tejuk! Did you happen to see my mom at any point out there?
No, nove, I am sorry. Hopefully, she really had gone to the store. I will make sure someone is looking out for her, though.
Ok... thanks.
Chin up, Frazie, it will be alright. Let's get everyone back up to the ML. Gisu doesn't look so good....
Frazie looked back in time to see Agent Vodello landing beside them with Gisu in her arms. Frazie gave the girl a quick once-over. She was pale and her lips were blue. There were scratches on her face, and her cape was ripped, at least where it was visible to her. There were bruises and scratches lining her shoulder and arm. That must have been where she hit the rocks by accident. There were scratches on her head, likely from where the bird had been attacking her.
"Alright, everyone, let's head up to the main building." Agent Vodello said. Frazie nodded as her uncle spoke up,
"You too, Dion. There was a skirmish not far from here with some terrorists. I would feel better if you were somewhere with thicker walls," he said.
"I still don't trust you!" he blurted. Frazie rolled her eyes.
"Not the point," she said, "would you rather stay here and possibly become a victim of terrorism?" she asked drily. Dion huffed and crossed his arms again. Frazie knew he had no reply for her logic. So, she turned back to Agent Vodello and nodded. The two adults began to lead the group towards the gate.
"Wait, I thought you said there were terrorists?" Dion muttered as they headed across the parking lot. Their uncle snorted.
"Yes, I did."
"Actually, how are we going to get back to the Motherlobe with an injured agent?" she asked. "Surely, not by walking," Frazie protested.
"We can take my car. It's not far from the gate." He replied. "And as for Dion's safety worry, the fight has long since ended. There is a blockade on the road to keep an eye on things." The rest nodded and continued to follow him to the gate. By the time they reached the SUV sitting outside the partially open gate, Gisu was trembling in Dion's arms as he had offered to carry her for Agent Vodello, much to Frazie's surprise. She stood back as her uncle lowered the second row of seats in the vehicle and helped Dion maneuver Gisu onto the last row. Ms. Vodello went on the other side and once the second row was fixed, she hopped in and settled in to watch Gisu from there. Dion climbed into the other seat.
"Frazie, up front," her uncle called as he headed for the driver's seat. She moved to the other side and climbed in with a little bounce. Frazie eyed the road and trees as she buckled herself in, scanning for the woman that Dion mentioned as if she were hiding there. She watched from the windshield as her uncle spoke with his friend again as they rolled to a stop in front of the blockade her uncle had mentioned. There were black SUVs along both sides of the road. People were being loaded into them by people in matching uniforms. There were roadblocks stretched across the road. Her attention turned back to their conversation when she heard her mother's name being mentioned.
"Still haven't seen any hide or hair of Donatella then?" her uncle asked. The man shook his head.
"Nah. But her description's been passed 'round," he replied.
"Thanks, Claude," he said as the man wandered off and made a hand signal to one of the uniformed workers standing by the barricade. The worker moved a part of the barricade aside, and her uncle drove through the opening. Frazie looked into the rearview mirror to see the workers immediately close it back as they drove away. As she looked around at all the trees, time slipped away from her. It seemed between one blink and the next they were pulling around to the other gate with the Motherlobe complex stretching out in all directions behind it. Once her uncle parked, everyone slowly exited the vehicle. Frazie watched her brother and Agent Vodello help Gisu from the truck without injuring her ankle further. There was a click of shoes behind her.
"Well, looks like there were quite a few questionable happenings in the Questionable Area," stated a familiar voice. Frazie turned to see Agent Forsythe standing near the edge of the platform.