The sun hung overhead on a Sunday afternoon.
As he had been for the past week, Takabi had been searching without rest for Shine and Frannie. One night, the week before, he woke up in a cold sweat. His hands were shaking, and he was full of worry.
He wasn't one for anxiety attacks, especially that late, but something had disturbed him deeply. He went for a glass of water, before checking on Shine in her room. Once her door opened, he found it empty. Next he tried Frannie, and found she had gone too.
He left, his feet carrying him faster than they ever had before. Until morning he looked for them both, and the only traces he found was the destroyed gas station, and traces of their blood on a branch and in the soil.
That search, along with the others, wound up empty, worthless. He hadn't slept at all, and was barely in the Bunker during those days. Rest was the furthest thing on his mind. He was missing a friend and his sister.
Frannie's parents trusted him.
Frannie trusted him.
Shine trusted them.
And in one fell swoop, he let them all down.
Takabi's phone buzzed in his pocket. He landed on a tree in the park, sitting on the branch and answering. "What?"
"Any luck," Kairas asked.
Takabi sighed. "None. They vanished off the face of the fucking earth."
"Take it easy." He replied. He was quiet, before saying, "Give the search another hour then head back and we'll plan something else." Takabi hung up, then slammed his knuckles into the bark and shattered it.
"Take it easy," Takabi said, mocking Kairas' voice. "We just lost our fucking sister and her friend and he expects me to take it easy?" Takabi stood, then kicked off the branch and continued on in Denver's poor sector.
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Kairas placed his phone on the desk, pacing back and forth around his room.
Calm. He had to remain calm and patient.
They would find her. They always pulled through with these kinds of things. Something about this time felt different though. Despite what he tried to do while everyone was searching, he couldn't relax in the slightest. His anger was built up, through his normal ceiling, and he felt ready to explode any second.
The constant question of how they were caught kept repeating in his mind, yet he knew in his heart it was simply because one of the two wanted to go out when no one was aware. It didn't take a detective to figure something like that out.
A soft knock, then his door opened up. Nana watched him for a moment, before saying, "Still no luck on your guys end?"
He shook his head, shooting a look at her. She sighed and shook hers as well. Kairas moved past Nana and down the hall. The Angel followed after him, the pair walking in a strained silence.
Both were full of agitation and anxiety, and would have an earful of words to say to both the girls if they got back.
When they get back, Nana corrected herself. We'll find them. We will.
Up the stairs came Jewel. Looking between the two, she swore loudly in spanish and slammed her knuckles into the metal wall behind her. Snapping her attention back, she folded her arms. "I swear I'm going to mess them both up."
"Easy, Jewel." Ariel, the redhead from Un Ala and Jewel's best friend, told her. She had blossomed greatly. Skin had become clear and faintly tanned, and the shape of her body had become that of an hourglass. Her previously green eyes developed a small hue of brown inside them. Her hair was tied in a thick bun, and she was sporting a sparkling blue tank top and jeans.
"We all need to just calm down. They left a trail, we just have to follow it." She led the group into the board room.
Garuga had finished setting up the projector and checking every spot on the map for Denver. He glanced back at the young ones, dark eyes full of exhaustion, before he returned his gaze to the board. "They didn't leave Denver. If they did, we would've known by now. They're hidden."
"Yeah, but where," Kairas asked, sitting in a seat and resting his head on his knuckles. "Takabi's checked the city three times over by now. Not a single section has anything we haven't searched."
Garuga laughed a little, something that startled the group. "You all forget, we operate beyond the laws of nature."
Everyone was silent for a moment, thinking over what he could mean. Jewel and Nana's eyes went wide suddenly, but it was Ariel who spoke up. "They're trapped in a magic bubble aren't they?"
"That's the simple version, yes. Find that pocket, and we'll find them." He placed his finger on a spot on the map. It was the poor section of Denver, but further off from the City limits. Obscure, remote, yet still considered Denver property.
"Was that always there," Kairas asked, perking up.
"Not sure. However, it is a good place to check. You guys get over there, I'll notify Takabi to meet with you."
On cue, the board room's phone rang. Garuga clicked the speaker button and took the phone off the hook, leaning over it. "Takabi. Perfect timing. I got some good news."
There was a pause before he replied, "Really? Because I have bad news."
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The pair stood across from him. One held a smirk, the other a blank face. The last time they met, Takabi nearly took his life. He was pushed to the edge from their fight, and hadn't forgiven himself for breaking so easily.
Yet, here he stood, face to face with Carlos and Hailey, phone against his ear and Garuga on the other line. What's worse, they were standing in front of Taco Bell.
They stood across from one another in front of the door. Heads had turned inside the building to watch them, some even taking out their phones to record the confrontation. "Not exactly how I imagined meeting you again." Takabi said. "Burritos must be killer."
Carlos smirked at him. "Actually, I developed a strong stomach for spicy things. I am Mexican after all." His smile faded. "So, you're searching for her too."
"Shine? My sister?" He kept a stern face, careful not to give away anything crucial. "Yeah, I'd say so. She's been missing for a week now."
"What the hell are you doing?! Don't tell him anything," Garuga yelled. Takabi muted Garuga's end and held his gaze.
"A week." He paused a moment, crossing his arms. "Orion went dark about a week ago as well. Him and The Father were a shady pair, so the fact that both up and vanished is no coincidence. Say," He paused, looking Takabi in the eye. "Why don't we pull a temporary truce? Once we find the girls, we can fight for them then."
"Sorry, I'd rather not risk breaking your nose again."
Carlos' eye twitched in irritation, but he kept composure. "Worth a shot. To each his own." He turned, taking Hailey's hand and starting to walk in the opposite direction.
"What? Aren't we gonna fight now?"
"I'm sure you have enough blood on your hands right now. If we fought, Denver would be up in smoke in moments. Savor these human lives for a little while." He waved him off.
It was a taunting gesture, but Takabi agreed to a point. Easily, Denver would be leveled if they fought seriously and lost control, for even a moment.
Hailey glanced back at Takabi. Her eyes flashed, a single tear falling down her face. Takabi blinked, taken aback by her for a moment, feeling his face heat up.
She WAS Nana's exact look alike. "She's… Cute…"
Remembering he was on the phone, he unmuted the chat, and Nana's voice nearly blew out his eardrum. "WHO'S CUTE?!"
Laughing awkwardly at the people looking at him, he walked away from the Taco Bell. "You are," He replied. "What did you guys have to tell me?"
"We have an idea of where the girls may be, jackass," Nana growled. "We're sending you the meet point."
Nodding, he hung up, looking back in Carlos and Hailey's direction. Something about her seemed a bit different. It scared him, but he chose not to worry about it now. Shine and Frannie were the focus, and he couldn't shake the feeling of something terrible happening to the two.
"Hold on, Girls. I'm coming."