The master plan

"The south core will be entrenched in no time my Lord"

T'allen said, he saw to it tete-a-tete that he would escort the next batch of troopers to see it through.

The mutants tramped over their new colony in the boulevards of Washington DC, the perfect settlement.

"Begin the entrenchment" He ordered and watched as the core was thrusted upright by the motor and set over the ground.

"And be careful, those costs more than your worthless lives"

His eyes rounded and he grinned filled with excitement as it lowered.

"Yes..." His eyes lowered as it tunneled into the earth crackling, the ground crumbled.

It spiked a tremor across the city and cracks expanded forcing humans to flee.

...

Darcy changed into her suit and straightened her hair getting ready, she paused at the flash as Astro spoke to Nova by the boulder.

She could see Nova was frustrated and Astro lit up flying through the canopy into the night sky. He whirled at Pooch and his eyes stirred as though he were looking at her.

She stepped outside "You know"

"That's exactly what I wanted to tell you but the message's been passed across" He raked his hair back.

"He left?"

"Yes, it's...complicated." His eyes narrowed.

"Well, good riddance" Zeke declared openly walking outside.

"The vessel is unsteady and it's been under there for the two years I've been here"

"What are those things?"

"It's an Evaporator Core, you must possess three of those for it to be efficient and we don't have much time" He said checking his communicator, he had an incoming transmission.

"How do we stop them?" Emma said.

"Whoa, we don't know what those things might do to us" Zeke said.

They all glanced at Darcy "I don't know"

"This is T'allen" He showed a picture of him on his communicator

"Ew, nightmare fuel" Zeke raised his hands.

"He's the third-in-command, very ambitious and will see to it that Lord Zandax's wishes are put in place, we need to be weary of him before he completes this mission"

"You want me to see through his eyes don't you?"

He nodded.

"I don't think I can,"

"Then you need to glimpse without being overwhelmed."

"This is still creepy" Her eyes turned hollow, not in a literal sense_ but it was swift, she saw through eyes at Los Angeles under fire and then into the spaceship and stopped at DC? She peered through a turned Infernal walking into the flight deck and its vision tilted to the ground once it met T'allen.

His looked uncanny, not himself but with large wings.

"Well?"

She couldn't hear the Infernal's voice but his own. She gasped at the boy tied at a corner with cords and her eyes started to pulse.

He looked dire and raised a claw, his was longer than the others and he swiped it across its face

"Ahh!" She came back when it disappeared.

"Did you see anything?"

"No_yes, I saw Astro and a lot more others, they've been taken"

"No" His breathe quivered "I must protect him."

"Not too hasty. Have you seen that ship? We can't go up there!"

"Then I suggest you stay back, Ezekiel," He blurted.

"I'm going too, you need to see first" Darcy said.

"I'll call the league about the evaporators, whatever's happening in DC doesn't look good" Emma suggested.

"No"

"We'll need all the help we can get"

"They'll disrupt my undertaking, I need to get Astro out first or else they'll destroy him"

"And we need the world to be stable" Emma argued. "And the hostages transferred."

Nova exhaled finding his bearing again and stood upright "Then I suppose we can't beat them at their own game. We need a new plan"

***

Zeke tapped Pooch as they got through the forest under the moonlight. The sky had a red tinge like there was fire going up.

He wore armor and so did Pooch on his shoulders and face.

"I wonder how my family are keeping up, especially Luther"

"The league evacuated over five thousand people from Los Angeles" Emma said behind him.

"That counts" He sighed.

He looked up at them gliding and looked at his hands on the reins and clenched them.

"You know, you don't have to come along,"

"I just wanna see how this goes" He chuckled.

"We've got company"

They stared at the lot that were moving toward them and Nova turned metallic shooting at them and pushing through.

He landed and they huddled kneeling undercover 'We prefer to stay concealed while we're at it"

Darcy cloaked and Emma nodded.

"Uh, I'll try my best" Zeke said.

"Perfection. I'm going in first, do you have the secret weapons?"

She nodded and opened the bags to find the guns. Strapping them on, her eyes flickered in admiration. "Thanks Zeke"

Zeke scoffed "Ridiculous"

"I employed the help of a new recruit"

They glared at the water as it aroused and a boy whirled his hands pushing at the water as he glided till he reached them hopping out on to the pavement and he held up a hand "Hi"

He had shaggy blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes wearing a suit that covered half of his fingers. It complimented his long arms and uncouth stature.

Emma tensed.

"Cool" Zeke let out.

"Nice to meet you" He shook hands with the three of them and grinned uncomfortably at Pooch. "What an odd party"

And as such he loved physical contact and he was spectacular for an aqua kinetic being that lived in Greece. They met during one of Nova's adventures.

"He prefers the name 'Poseidonian' " Nova explained and he gave a friendly smile and nodded.

"You're a mutant?" Darcy asked.

He shook his head "No, I am a direct descendant of Poseidon"

"But that's a myth" Zeke shrugged and his eyes glittered smiling.

"That's what makes it fun"

"Oh"

"So how are we going to stop that thing?"

Nova turned dark "We break it, I'll infiltrate that ship and get as many hostages as possible. Darcy you'll come with me. Poseidonian, you're our supply, Emma, you'll stay here with him and Zeke...until you find your courage"

"I'll look out with Pooch until you get back"

There were so many risks, it was like playing Jenga, pulling blocks and expecting everything not to fall apart

They glared up at the ships wafting along, more were coming.