The safehouse consisted of a small warehouse with an office area that had been converted into a small living area. The rest was filled with munitions, planning areas with bulletin boards of mutant targets, and various other equipment.

An it was into this 'rest' of the area, that Cassiel and Sapphire came smashing through the roof. The roof never touched them... nor did the debris. And when they landed, clean of all dust and rubble, they did so in the thick of Church of Humanity zealots, vengeance in their eyes.

Sapphire smiled, stepping out of cassiel's arms. A few dark tedrils appeared and engulfed various zealots. Their screams of pain echoed throughout the entire warehouse. Sapphire smirked devilishly as she brought one up to her face as the darkness began strangling him.

"Tell me where Emerald Is." Sapphire growled

"I rather die than tel you abomination!" The man chocked out.

"Fine." Sapphire rolled her eyes, Darkness smashing the mans skull. She may have been free of the darkness but she was still a trained assasin. "Mike you know what room em is in?"

Emerald let out a groan, eyes glazed over in pain. The Church of Humanity had beaten the wolf girl black and blue,they had burned, scalded and nearly sufficated her. Needless to say the wolf girl in pretty bad shape. She let out a small bark as a church of Humanity zealot approached her with...

((fill in the blank MIke))

...the hacksaw dangling menacingly from his hand. From across the room, though the badly bleeding boy looked up, one final defiant look in his eyes as he spoke with that powerful tone in which he usually commanded people to feel excruciating pain.

"DIE!"

And as Johnny slumped, the last ounce of energy he'd been clinging to spent, the hacksaw-wielding zealot did fall over... blood oozing out of his noze and ears.

---

"Well well," Cassiel sneered at the Church zealots, all wielding heavy firearms, as he looked at the bulletin board ahead of him. "Good to know I made the 'most wanted' list."

"Wallow in shame, abomination!" the closest one shrieked. "You dare to use a holy name, applying it to your filthy self? You die and return to the Dark One who spawned you!" And with that, they all opened fire.

"Fools. You wouldn't know divine if it snapped your neck," he growled, eyes blazing an wings unfurled. With a wave of his hand and a flash of golden telekinetic energy, the line of zealots' heads all snapped around at impossible angles with a sickening sound. "Or maybe you do now?" he taunted as they fell, then turned back toward the fight. "Sapphire! That wall! They're behind that wall!" he called out, pointing as he hurled three zealots across the warehouse. He could feel Emmy's pain, Johnny's barely-lingering presence, and something... else, that he couldn't quite put his finger on...

Sapphire nodded, long tendrils of darkness springing from the ground and slamming into the wall full force. Admits the plaster and dust Sapphire saw her younger sibling. The older girl bolted latching onto Emerald. She heard a small cry of pain elicit from her lips and she backed off a bit.

"Sapphy?" Emerald whined weakly, falling into sapphires arms as she cut the tightly bound ropes.

Sapphire nodded, cradling the younger girl in her arms. She brushed crimson hair off Emerald's face, looking at the full extent of what the bastards had done.

Sapphire growled lowly when she saw all the injuries that had given her sister. Her fingers where broken, fingernails ripped out, arms cut open with acid burns all across her body

. Emmy....the firecracker of the family, the one person that could make light of any situation, why would they do this to you? You never would hurt them unless given the incentive. Sapphire thought

She then turned over to Johnny, placing two fingers on the side of his neck. Her eyes widened. "Mike he has a pulse!" Sapphire exclaimed

((Whats the other presence mike?))

"Sapphire, get BACK!" Cassiel shouted, flying forward as fast as he could... but not fast enough. The creature appeared out of nowhere, evidently camoflaged, grabbing Sapphire with a snarl, its foul breath hot against her neck.

"And the demons shall be set upon themselves!" Mike heard over his shoulder as the last of the living zealots shouted before he followed his compatriots in a hasty retreat out the door.

The creature was big... big and obviously strong and hard to hit. But he was going to give it a good shot. Telekinetic staves formed in his hands as he tried to figure out how to get at the creature without having to go through Sapphire.

Sapphire growled, struggling about. She was still holding Emerald, refusing to her let go. She summoned dark teddrills, wrapping them around he creatures legs. She held it to the ground, keeping her grip tight, she didnt know if they could hold it, but it was the best she could do.

"Mike Hit it anywhere, Dont worry about me!" Sapphire exclaimed

"Like hell," Cass growled. His wings spread open wide with a sharp flap, and a telekinetic bolt streaked around Sapphire, slamming into the creature. Two things happened then... Emeraled was pulled fast across the room, where she landed gently on the floor, and Sappire was yanked sharply from the creature's arms, in a more wild journey, since Mike was trying to concentrate on not hurting Emmy... but he still snapped out an arm and easily caught Sapphire around the waist, bringing her to an easy stop next to him.

"Together, then. Ready?"

"Well I would be more ready if you told me what the hell we where fighting. But alright, I'm ready. "Sapphire grumbled irritably

Dark tendrils readied themselves for an assault on the creature. What ever it was Sapphire would tear it to shreds with her darkness. She had to keep Emmy safe, that was her offical job and now that she could control her ability she would do it the best she could.

"Lets kick this wierd ass things ass." Sapphire said

((Since I have no idea what it was or what to write I did a short post...sorry!))

((Pffff... like I know what it is, either?))

Cass surged forward as the thing came into focus... there was no better term for it as its camoflaged skin took on its natural, greyish tone. It was definitely reptilian, and had probably once been human, but was now twisted beyond recognition. Long, pointed teeth filled its mouth, and taloned hands sat at the ends of dangerously powerful arms. It lunged forward to meet Cass, who parried its crushing, but clumsy blow. Following through, he bashed it over the head with his other teke staff, snapping its head around. The thing's hide, though, seemed fairly well armored against his blunt strikes, and he lept backward again, his staves evaporating into the astral mist from which they'd come. "Gut it, Sapphy," he growled, waiting for the tendrils to strike.

Sapphire smirked as the teddrils sliced the creature open. She smiled as she kept cutting it and cutting it untill it was in little tiny pieces. The young woman laughed evilly for a moment before looking at Cassiel sheepishly.

"Sorry force of habbit." Sapph stated with a sheepish grin. "Oh and do you want some raw monster bits or are you good for the night?" Sapph asked with sarcasm

But Cassiel was too busy to answer her... the creature being neutralized, he'd rushe over to lift Emmy gently from the floor... the unconscious wolf girl was in fairly bad shape, but nothing she wouldn't be able to recover from. Across the room, he noted with a trace of bitterness, Johnny had disappeared. Which left him with a few thoughts in his mind... what had happened to his brother? Had he really even been injured, or was it another of his reality-shifting illusions? Was his brother developing MORE power, that would allow him to recover from such a terrible injury? How had he made that zealot fall over dead? And... most disturbingly, what was Johnny's real agenda?

But that wasn't important at the moment. Emmy was. He knelt on the ground, cradling her between himself and Sapphire, his eyes glowing gold again as he brushed a hand over her face. He looked up at Sapphire, then back at Emmy. "Sleep, Emerald... sleep until you're in safer places," he murmured. His body shook as he was wracked with sudden pain, as he rerouted all of the agony Emmy was feeling, even unconscious, into his own body. Again, slightly disturbingly, Sapphire coul feel an echo of what he felt, physically and emotionally, as he drew Emmy's pain into himself so that she could sleep easily until they were back at the mansion.

Emerald was put in a deep sleep, tail curled around herself contently. She couldnt feel any pain, any of the agoney she felt when she was awake, so it was good for her to be asleep.

Sapphire smiled softly brushing some of Emmy's hair off her face. Sapphire was worried about her but with Mike making the wolf girl sleep, at least she knew she would be without pain for a little while. Sapphire looked up at Mike, smiling softly, it was a sad sort of smile but a smile none the less.

"Thank you and despite the fact im still weary of a guy that can see inside my head. Youre okay, for a telepath with glowing wings and a split personality with that of an angel." Sapphire said, before looking back down at Emerald.

"Im surprised that youre girlfriend hasnt shown up yet...or my mother and sister for that matter. Where the hell are they?"

"Sadly clueless as to where Emmy was. I just sent her an 'all clear, go ahead and go home.' I'll probably get reamed for it later, if not from Daria then from your mother." He stood up, still cradling Emmy. He then cast a critical eye at Sapphire. "Is this the part where you disappear until we least expect it, or are you going to be there when she wakes up in the infirmary?"

Sapphire felt her body shift into dingo form, tail drooping between her legs. She actually didnt know what to do. The dingo woman barked in slight exasperation before morphing back into her human form. She hadnt morphed in a long time and doing that made things a bit more clear to her.

"I think I should go...Im still not exactly welcome am i?" Sapphire said.

Mike shrugged, looking down at Emmy, then back. "You're family," he said simply.