(OOC: This will be my last entry in this thread, I will continue it over to the Infirmary briefly in The Sum Does Not Equal the Parts.)

Garrett swam lazily in inky darkness. His mind and body reeled in a hellish inferno of pain and sensation, as if all of his nerves were fully receiving all possible sensations simultaneously. In his mind's eye, he imagined the demon, standing smugly as his body and spirit slipped away under the liquid death. It just seemed so ridiculous to Garrett. Did the creature not realize that if Garrett died that he would too? The thing was so maniacal and chaotic to Garrett that it probably was oblivious to the imminent danger.

Garrett had to do something. Hopefully his friends would save his body. He had to focus on his mind with the fleeting time he had remaining. He visualized his own magnificent nervous system, sketching it with an amazing fluidity and speed in the same manner as he had attempted to sketch Iris' system. He imagined it flaring hot with fiery red, similar to the aura associated with the demon. He then duplicated the image, placing another neural map next to him.

" Whatever you are up to you will fail, Garrett. Even now, your messages are slowing along with your pulse. Die, you worm!" He ignored the beast. Arguing or fighting at all with it would only strengthen it as well as decrease his time to plot and finish this maneuver of desperation. He began covering his own nervous system with a skeletal framework, then circulatory, muscular, and so on, in a similar yet reverse fashion to the way he had 'stripped' Neena down prior to attacking her.

He could feel his thought process slowing, the light from the blinding sensations creeping in to even his mind's eye as time wore down rapidly.

Neena said go. So as soon as Sam started working on whatever he was doing she began to summon the wind. She pulled the streams toward herself, slipping into a state of immaterialness. Sam stepped back and Ghost felt the slick hardness of ice around his hands feet and head. She also felt something curious on his feet, though she wasn't entirely able to tell how that was supposed to help.

"Thank you, Sam."

She raised her hands and with the motion Garrett's body lifted shakily, buffeted by the winds. The whole area around Ghost whipped wildly with the ferocity of a storm. Ghost's face was wholly focused. The man, everyone else in the clearing were hardly a blip on her radar. She had the strength of focus. As soon as Garrett's body cleared the ground a strong gale zipped by from behind it buoyed her form along into Garrett's and together they zipped out of the clearing at a rapid pace. She couldn't focus on keeping him breathing and maintain her strength so she opted for speed even if way sloppier.

They zipped back through the broken window --it was the largest open space-- shards of glass blasted out of their way knocked from their path by the strength of the preceding winds. They blasted through the hallway over the still huddling figure of Sunny. She spared a thought that she would need to come back for him, but as of now they blasted past in a fury of howling wind and shards of glass and flak.

Garrett's body was buffeted along until the wind swelled awkwardly and they slammed along the corridor. Anything loose on the walls were knocked free or sucked along with them. Corners were the hardest to navigate. Ghost slammed a dense stream of air into the infirmary door, essentially kicking it down. She had to slow herself down and take care to navigate Garrett's limp body through the slimmer enclosure of the door frame without banging into anything.

DocProf was there, though he didn't seem to have been expecting a friendly and panicked face. Medical supplies and papers swirled madly around the enclosed room. As soon as he realized what was going on he reached through the torrential winds to help guide Garrett in for a landing on a gurney. She guided him as gently as the chaotic swells would allow and as soon as he was safely in place she flashed solid as fast as she could manage. The short drop to teh gurney shattered teh ice from around his head.

Ghost wobbled, disoriented by her sudden weight but caught herself on the head of the gurney. DocProf was saying something, but she was too focused. She put her hands back on either side of his head forcing the breath back into his lungs. She pressed her forehead against his, "Garrett. Wake up, Garrett. Garrett... DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!"

The Haywire virus seemed to have a nasty reaction with the mutate. Shade didn't understand why, but he was sure that he would include it in his report to Syn. With much of the party appearing to be wrapped up, Shade decided that it was time to go. Turning his back to the group, he perpared to teleport near the wall then out of the mansion grounds.

However, before he had a chance to 'jump' through the darkness, every single light exploded into brillance, revealing the invisble mutant. Shade turned his head, casting a sightless gaze back at the group of remaining mutants before he bolted away at a dead sprint towards the safety of the darkness outside the complex.

Sam blinked and Ghost was gone, ”wow” that was all Sam could say. But Neena and Streak both said go help her so the least he could do is make sure she got there okay.

Sam slid off after her and got into the hallway and noticed the human sun was still lying on the ground. Sam un-iced his body and picked up the kid and slung him over his shoulder, “Dude this is no time to be lying around, something is going down.” Sam saw a flash and the courtyard he just came from lit up.

Sam turned his way to the infirmary and started to run after Ghost and Garret while fireman carrying the kid on his back. Sam had to get to the infirmary fast, he had to get back and make sure Neena, Nika, and Streak would be okay. It was after all only one-intruder right? How tough could he be?

While waiting for direction from her teacher Nika glanced to see where everyone was. She could still smell the unfamiliar scent she had pointed out to Neena. Her eyes scanned for the mysterious figure in the general direction of the scent.

Unexpectedly the area was illuminated. There was the figure she had been searching for. He was looking right at them. Now he was running. Nika didn't want to waste time by telling Neena she had found the intruder. Instead she burst forth into a sprint in the direction the figure was moving. She hoped to cut him off from his escape route.

Streak walked up to Neena and listened to her directions. The directions were a little hard to follow since Neena's eye's were closed. He looked at Nika who seemed to know what was going on and followed her gaze as best he could in the direction of where the mutant was hidden. He ignored Neena as she called someone. He didn't want his gaze to wander at all. Streak slowly scanned the area but didn't see anyone.

Suddenly all the lights on the campus came on. He shielded his eyes when the lights came on. He was blinded only for a second. Streaks eye's quickly adjusted to the light and he saw who they were looking for. The mutant was a man that was covered in a gray cloak. The mutant took off running away from the three of them. Streak was so shocked that a man appeared out of no where. Nika started the chase after the ma. Streak son followed Nika's lead, and caught up to her. He moved off to her side and went after the guy at a different angle. He was hoping that Nika and himself would be able to corner the man in the light.

Light flooded the area. Even behind closed lids, Neena's eyes felt the pain of bright light. Coupled with the general feeling of malaise taking over her body, the result of the past minutes' assault, a wave of nausea washed over her. She was sooo taking the rest of the week off....

The figure in her line of vision began fleeing, with Nika and Streak hot on his heels. She knew she couldn't hope to keep up with the pair, so she had to settle for helping keep him in sight, should the lights give out.

And maybe practice her target practice as she did....

Since her clothes were already halfway shredded, she figured it wouldn't hurt to make things worse. Moving as quickly as possible, she ripped off the bottom of her shirt, filled her pockets with any rocks she could find, and took off after the running mutants.

Another wave of nausea hit her. She clenched her teeth against the nasty taste in her mouth, and attempted to block out everything but the chase in front of her. She placed a rock in the strip of cloth, and began twirling it. Taking aim to the right of the intruder's head, she let the bit of paving stone fly. Several more projectiles followed the first in a rapid-fire volley, between the intruder and the wall he seemed intent on getting to.

Shade knew light was never good when it came to his abilities. However, he still seemed unable to avoid it. With the lights piercing into Shade's tranquil darkness, the mutant had no choose but to run. What else could he do? He didn't have a chance against three other mutants especially in bright light.

The fence wasn't close enough for Shade to reach before his escape from cut short by what appeared to a half-cat, half-woman mutant. He skidded to a halt. Shade tilted his head slightly behind him as he heard another mutant approach. A low growl escaped his mouth as he grinded his teeth together in a sinister scowl.

"Do you mind?" Shade asked sarcastically to the woman restricting his access to his escape route. Suddenly, a flying rock smashed into his shoulder. Shade gave it a casual glance before turning back to his road block.

with a brief satisfying smile Nika's speed allowed her to get ahead of the fleeing man. She stopped between the fence and the unwelcome guest. Getting in a stance that would allow her to move to either side easily she did her best to keep the man from going any further. She could see Streak closing in quickly. That was good as she knew they'd have at least a number advantage.

"No, I'm not letting you go any further. What were you doing here and who are you?"

[[Ok Sunny is out for the coun't i have him in the infirmiry with a lil bit of amnesia if anyone wants to join click Here]]

Nika quickly pulled away from Streak and managed to even get ahead of the intruder. He heard Nika's answer to the mutants question. Those were in fact the exact same questions that he had in mind. He stopped behind the man, a few feet away from him, as quietly as he could. He didn't want to alert the guy to his position. Streak waited to hear his answer to Nika's question before he started asking his own. He waited prepared for the mutant to make a move. Streak hoped the intruder wasn't stupid or arrogant enough to try something.

Neena was glad Nika had managed to keep the intruder from running any further. Truth be told, she was exhausted. They flying rocks didn't seem to have enough effect to make them worth it, so once she got within hearing distance, breathing heavily, she abandoned the makeshift weaponry.

Finally she was close enough to get a good look. And while she couldn't make out much because of the cloak, thanks to her photographic memory, she did recognize that scowl under the hood.

"Careful Nika," she growled out. "He's quick. And sneaky." She wanted to say cruel, as he'd certainly dispatched the camp guard cruelly enough. But there was a lot of killing during that time, and by people she wouldn't immediately label as vicious. Best to be safe though.

Another thought popped into her mind. When she had come across this character back during the Breakout, she'd had difficulty spotting him in the darkness. His skeleton had appeared faded and not whole. And just now, she had only know he was there by his heat signature.

"Keep him out of the shadows," she informed the others. "And watch for the knife!" She couldn't see one, but he'd used it back then without her being able to see it. Best to play it safe and assume him armed, and that his mutation had something to do with the darkness.

Shade gave an evil chuckle at the cat-eared girl's response. Did she actually think she was going to get an answer that easily?

"Come now, that would ruin the fun." He replied with a another chuckle. Shortly after, the group was joined by another mutant, the one who had thrown the rocks by the looks of it. Shade turned to cast his unseen gaze upon the new arrival. His brain took several seconds to remind him where he had seen that face before.

Back in the camps during the breakout, he had saved this mutant from the assault of two guards, and she had decided that instead of freedom, she wanted to continue living in that mutant hell-hole. She apparently remembered him too as she shouted out orders of what not to do with Shade, like playing in the dark.

"What you mean this knife?" Shade said as he materialized the dagger in his cloak and retrieved it from the darkness. The black knife seeemed to almost absorb the light as the assassin held it up proudly. Shade carefully counted the seconds before the dagger disappeared.

One.

"It's okay. You can have it. I've got two more just like it." Using his other hand, Shade drew two more daggers forth, protruding between his fingers.

Two.

"Here, catch!" The trespasser yelled as he flung two knifes towards the silver man and cat-girl before slinging the last one at Neena.

Shade had already calculated the probability that he would reach the safety of the shadows. He didn't like the chances so he was going to make his own shadow. Shade wretched the hood down over his face while falling to his knees. Wrapping his cloaked arms into his chest, Shade knew he had to elimate any light from hitting his body. Suddenly, the relief was complete and Shade's body vanished from beneath the cloak.The now empty cloak retained its shape for a full second before the hood collasped and rest floated down into a pile of emptiness.

Three.

The stranger was conered now that Streak and Neena had caught up. Nika had done her job of keeping their guest occupied. What would happen now though? She wasn't sure but hopefully they could get some answers from the guy.

Neena yelled out warnings to Nika and Streak. Apparently the woman knew something about this stranger. He's quick and sneaky huh? I'm pretty quick myself. thought the catgirl. As for keeping the fellow out of the shadows...that was working for the moment. Wait, he's got a knife somewhere? Nika quickly looked the man over, but saw nothing in the shape of a knife of any kind.

That is, shoe didn't see any kife until the man produced some sort of black object. It sure had the shape of a knife, but what was it made of and where did he get it from? Nika recalled her training with Neena when she had to dodge flying discs. She felt her body tingle slightly as it was ready to react.

The man started counting. When he reached two he threw another black knife shaped object at Nika. Her training kicked in and the catgirl rolled to her right to avoid being hit. When she rolled to her feet she saw the mands clothes suddenly collapse to the ground. It was like they had been held up by air.

"What happened to him?"

Nika looked to Neena.

"How did you know about him Neena?"

Streak watched the stranger as Neena joined them. She started giving orders about this man like she'd met him somewhere before. He was taking her advice very seriously. Considering what he'd done to Garret he was someone who wasn't just here to take a tour in the middle of the night. Streak scanned the man for any visible weapons and didn't see any. Where's he hiding the knives. I don't see anything. Streak thought. Suddenly the man materialized a knife before making his own little quips.

The silver mans muscles tightened ready to jump to of the way at a seconds notice. The cloaked man then threw the knives at each of them. Streak was busy avoiding the knife that was thrown at him and wasn't paying attention to what the man was doing. Streak dove out of the way narrowly missing the knife. Streak rolled to his feet and rushed at the cloaked man. Unfortunately, he was to late to get him.

"Where'd he go?" Streak exclaimed, picking up the cloak that was left behind. He started rifling through it looking for any clue on who he was or what he was looking for. He didn't find anything, so he threw it back to the ground angrily. He looked back at Neena after a minute or so to hear what answer she was going to come up with to explain everything.