"Just like we planned... just try teleporting to the institute, hard as you can. I don't think you'll teleport, even when we burn out the inhibitor... but we have to make it strain itself enough stopping you and stopping my power that it can't take the strain. Your power should pack a big hit on it's dampeners... probably more than mine, really."

Michael closed his eyes, focusing on his power. He could do this. He could feel the power inside him, power that SHOULD be let out. THey had no right to do this. He was a mutant. He was CASSIEL. He couldn't be held back by mere machines!

As before, as his rage at the injustice built, the power he was trying to exert increased. The lights dimmed... only this time, as he wasn't about ot stop himself and hold back, they kept dimming.

Daria sighed and leaned against the wall. She was really afraid. She'd had near death experiences before, quie a few but here it was again-this feeling that she didn't belong to herself-that she was easily taken advantage of and taken away. It was the most depressing thought she could have had-yes, more depressing that death. For to live as a slave was worse than not living at all.

But even as Daria prepared herself for the end she was deeply disapointed that she couldn't have any faith. Mike thought they were going to to get out, the conviction wasi n his voice. And sure he may have been scared but he thought they were going to make it. Should she not have the same faith? Was she not capable of great things without her powers. And who said she had to be without them? Who said that a drug and a 'magic box' were enough to keep her from using something that was hers. She had went through so much with her mutation that it was ludacris to think she would let someone tell her she couldn't use it for what she wanted to use it for.

Daria took a deep breath finding her chest hurt and she went into a fit of coughs. She inhaled again, this time more controlled and pictured the mansion in her mind. The image was vivid now-it was home. She imagined the grounds, the sports court, the pool in which she had almost drowned on the first day, then the roo on which she had fought a dragon but a few minutes later.

Home, in which her family dwelled, in which Ruby and Jamal and Emerald and Hairpin still were. Still vulnerable..what if?? Daria suddenly felt the urge to be back at the mansion immediately, to check on the kids to make sure everything was alright. She could feel the drug tugging on her powers, almost tugging on her molecules and making it teleporting a very ehavy experience. But she pushed forward and soon she began to 'blink' in flashes of gold light. She wasn't going very far, appearing only a few inches away each time she disappeared. The inhibitor, however was smoking and sparking. Not yet blown out but on it's way.

Mike was, disconcertingly, getting flashes of Daria's emotions. THe inhibitor was failing. And at the same time, her emotions served to spur him on.

These animals had hurt her. THEY had HURT HER.

NO ONE was to make her feel like that... NO ONE! He'd sworn that long ago, and he intended to make sure of it.

Yet here she was... feeling hopeless and afraid... How dare they!?

HOW
DARE
THEY!?

As Michael thought this, his rage grew, until it finally shone through in his eyes and his astral wings began to flicker into existence... only a faint outline at first, but growing more substantial.

How DARE THEY HURT HER? NO ONE was to hurt her... NO ONE! HE WOULD MAKE THEM PAY, FOR EACH TEAR, IN BLOOD!

He thrust his arm out at the panel, and with a final, exploding flash, the panel burst across their cell... and finally, the both of them were whole.

Daria's head was throbbing and teleporting even the short short distance she had done so had reopened her wounds. She fell into Mike, gasping for breath and coughing at the same time.

"Yay.." she said weakly. "We did it."

Mike kissed her as his mind, again, enveloped hers. She could feel her aches, pains, and exhaustion fading into the back of her mind where she wouldn't notice them, and any lingering effects of the drugs were quickly countered as her body began producing the apropriate chemicals to fight them off even more rapidly than it had been.

"We did it... now it's time to get the hell out of here. Let me take it for a few minutes while you catch your breath," he said.

The door to their cell was smashed open, and, holding Daria's hand, Mike led as they quickly made their way down the hall, searching for a way out, or a safe place for her to recover enough to 'port them away.

Daria felt her senses move back into balance. Her hearing died down a bit and her sense of smell did as well. Her sight cleared up so that she could make out actual images as they ran. She couldn't feel her wounds but her body was still weak and a bit tired. But the comforting thing was Mike was 'with' her again which made her feel a whole lot safer.

Soon she picked up her pace and was able to keep up with him better.

And it didn't take long at all before it became apparent that this wasn't going to be easy. Mike suddenly pulled her into a side hallway and shoved open a closet door for them to hide in. As they waited for a few minutes, they heard the doors they'd been running toward slam open, then the heavy footfalls of guards hurrying toward the cell area. Mike kept his mind open, then threw the door open when the coast was clear. He pointed to the hall that the guards had just come from, and that they had intended to take. "Well, they didn't pass us in that hall, so they might not think to look that way right away. Thoughts?"

Daria thought for a minute sniffing the air simply glad to have her senses back in order.

"There are alot of them in that direction." she pointed. "I can smell them. If we were in better condition I'd suggest we go that way. But We aren't so let's continue down this hall..."

She said turning back "I still smell guards though, so be careful."

Mike nodded. "Let's hurry, then."

The maze of hallways all looked the same, but between Mike's mind and Daria's senses, they managed to navigate it fairly well, avoiding confrontation.

Unfortunately, though, luck only lasts so long. Finally, they realized that they had guards bearing down on them from all sides. "Shit... get ready, babe. We've done this before, we can do it again."

Daria nodded her head and took a deep breath, slowly unsheathing her claws. It didn't hurt this time, or she didn't feel it, there was no hole in her pants for her tail, which she needed for balance, so she tugged them down a little bit.

"Okay...Let's do this." she sighed. The guards were big brutes, heavily armed with super human strength. Their skin took on a slightly greyish tone and was very hairy. But they were simply built for fighting-it was obvious they weren't that bright.

Daria charged forth in one direction jumping into the air. She didn't expect to get as high as she did, finding her powers were near what they used to be. The leverage caught her off guard so when she made contact with her opponent she fell back. They were almost like rock in their solidity.

She hit the ground, tumbling and rolling onto her feet. She wasn't used to falling-cats always landed correctly.

"Careful, you don't wanna take a hit from these ones." she warned Mike.

"I wasn't planning on it. Let's do this the easy way," he said, his eyes flashing. The one closest to him suddenly screamed, clutching his head, and flailing into the path of another, who was soon similarly clutching his head. "Let every scar on your black souls be reopened," he thought darkly as his influence over the guards began to spread. The first one fell, still screaming in horror as a third guard fell under Mike's telepathic spell.

Daria grinned, seeing them begining to be defeated was more than enough encouragement for her. She began to help out with the only weapon she knew could demolish stone in less than three swipes-her claws.

She darted forward, taking down anything she could get to that wasn't reached yet by Mike. she dug her claws into their skulls and chests and necks, lebotomizing, and decapitating them-not to mention her own version of open heart surgery.

She was tiring quickly though and was panting heavily, her heart beating as if it would leap from her chest.

They were, frankly, extremely efficient. The guards were dropped before they knew what hit them, and the two ran on.

The corridors were deserted... something that MIke found fairly disconcerting. Still, he'd picked up enough from the guards' minds to know which way they needed to run... more or less.

Perhaps, though, this wasn't the best policy. As he kept his mind open to any thoughts ahead of them, he didn't even notice the faint smell of ozone that Daria definitely would have noticed as he plowed on ahead of her into another deserted corridor.

Daria hissed rearing back for a second. "Something isn't right."

She sniffed the air, moving slower than before, much slower. She reached a hand out before her and didn't touch anything. She then gently touched the wall and a bunch of blue sparks flew from her fingers. She hissed and jumped back. "Don't touch the walls." she warned still sniffing.

Mike turned to see what she was saying, but before he even managed to face her, he knew something was wrong. He got ready to sprint back to where she was, but his reflexes weren't any match for the speed of technology.

The part of the hall Daria was in was only the part leading up to the trap... Michael, several yards ahead, found himself in the middle of the real deal. Blinding blue flashes of electricity arced from the walls and and over his body, the sound of the current so loud that it was almost audible over his screams.

And then, the charge spent, the walls fell harmlessly silent, as Mike fell over, gasping for breath and barely conscious.