Chapter Sixteen - Night Patrol

The five could no longer get away with sneaking to the kitchen, or plotting against the scientists. After being dropped off, two guards were positioned in each end of the hallway, making sure no more issues would occur. It did not matter to most of them, because the torture and questioning left them completely exhausted. The hallway was filled with the hushed voices of the two guards as they spoke to one another.

Travis sat against his door, listening to the soft chatter. He was not as lucky as the others who slept the hours away. Hugging his knees to his chest, Travis waited out the hours listening to the guards talk of the best kind of gun until the early hours of the morning. There was a long lull in the on and off discussion outside the door, and then he heard the guard by his door say to the other, "It's almost breakfast time. The caretakers will be here in an hour, let's go get something to eat." The other guard grunted, and then Travis heard the opening and closing of a nearby door.

Waiting a few minutes to make sure no one was going to replace the two who left, Travis stood and leaned against the door. When he was sure no one else was coming for a while he pushed the door open quickly and, as quietly as possible, dashed down the hallway to Jason's room. Busting inside, Travis quickly closed the door again, finding Jason out of bed with wide eyes.

"What-?"

"We don't have long." Travis rushed, fumbling with something in his pocket. "I did something bad, Jason."

Jason calmed down and furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean, Travis?"

Travis pulled out a cellphone, his hands slightly trembling.

"Where did you..."

"I don't know, I just had it." Travis shrugged. "I must have taken it when they were taking me back to my room." Travis rotated the phone in his hand. "We have to figure something out."

Jason reached for the phone, and looked it over. "It's locked." Handing it back to Travis, Jason sighed. "Unless you have someone's number memorized we can't do anything. And I doubt the police would do anything here."

Travis held the phone again, feeling heavy inside. "I only remember one number..." He said.

Jason instantly saw what was on Travis' mind. "The girl's number? The only number you remember is the girl who got you here?"

"It's not her fault i'm here!" Travis blurted. "She does hate me though." Staring at the numbers, Travis sighed. "I have to try. I should at least apologize to her."

Before he could chicken out, Travis punched in the numbers and held the phone up to his ear. The phone rang three times before a timid voice answered. "Hello?"

Travis froze.

The voice asked again, "Hello?"

"Hi..." Travis said, biting his finger.

"Who is this?"

"It's uh... Travis." There was no response. "Travis Peterson? I know I'm a jerk but your number is the only one I have memorized and..." Travis teetered off at the strange gasp across the line.

"Travis?" Kat croaked out. "You're alive?"

"Oh... yeah, everyone thinks I'm dead, huh? Well, I'm not, I guess."

There was a long pause, and a subtle sound of someone trying to breathe could be heard. "I'm so sorry." She cried. "I didn't know... but it worked?"

"What? What do you mean you didn't know?" Kat said nothing. "Well... I was calling to apologize for being such a jerk and to let you know me and a few others are being held captive against our will. Also, we will soon be made into military-robot food."

Kat's voice lowered as she responded. "Listen, it'll be okay. There's a plan."

"A plan? Kat, what's going on out there? What do you know?"

"It doesn't matter, just be smart, like I assume you're not being since you stole a phone." Kat paused for a moment. "Can you trust me?" She asked, her voice dripping with concern and eagerness.

"Yes... I think so." Travis replied. "Kat?"

"Yes?"

"What day is it?"

"It's a Wednesday." She said, a smile peaking through her words.

"Wednesday." Travis repeated, rolling the word around in his mind. "I think I like Wednesdays."

"I have to go." Kat said. "Be safe."

Kat hung up and Jason and Travis stared at one another for quite awhile. Finally, Jason stated, "You're about to get in a lot of trouble if you don't leave now."

Travis nodded, heading for the door.

"Also, delete your calling history." Jason called, as Travis retreated to his room.

Chapter Fifteen - Dr. Blohm

A pair of cold fingers gripped Emma's pale arms, pushing her into an uncomfortably stiff, silver chair. Emma's mind was racing, and her pulse felt like it was going to burst through her skin, as she felt cold leathers strips stretch over her wrists and ankles. A bright light then glared into her eyes, enhancing her feeling of panic as the room filled with fuzzy spots. Her fingers gripped so tightly that the white of her the knuckles reflected the white on the walls.

It had only been two days since the group had stopped eating meat, and after they had all refused once again to eat it at dinner, consequences were threatened. Sticking their ground with a fake-religious fervor, the scientists grew red in the face, and without realizing what was really going on, each of the five was taken up by the guards that lined the cafeteria walls, and thrown into their own private, silver-chaired room.

Trying to get rid of the sound of her panicked breathing, Emma forced her mind to listen to the beeping that now echoed in the room, using the regulated beeps to help her breathing appear normal. She did not know where the beeps were coming from, and she fought off the memory of her first night here, trying to stay in control as the cold eyes of the blonde, steely woman took a seat on a silver stool. For the first time, Emma felt genuinely angry at this woman and what she had done. Perhaps it was the lack of tranquilizers, or perhaps the knowledge that she controlled Logan, but Emma felt her insides start seething. Looking this doctor up and down, Emma sized her up, noticing an embroidered "Dr. Blohm" on her coat, for the first time realizing these people have names too. Dr. Blohm also had a fairly feminine stature about her, very similar to Emma's own build, only taller, and more slender where Emma was more fit due to training. If for not being super-human, Emma felt almost certain that the two could pass as family, and somehow that calmed Emma a little bit. Given the chance, Emma could take her out in seconds.

"Five..." the woman sighed, seeming highly inconvenience as she shuffled some papers on her lap. "Why are you not eating the food we have so graciously provided?" Her fingers gripped the papers tightly, showing that while her voice was calm and even, Dr. Blohm was quite frustrated. When Emma did not respond, Blohm sighed again, harsher this time, and pulled her blonde hair away from her face, causing her sharp features to be more noticeable in the bright room. Keeping her eyes on Emma, the doctor motioned at the two guards who stood to left of the room, and, as they moved closer to Emma, Dr. Blohm leaned forward, tilting her head ever so slightly to the side, and said, "You will give me answers whether you like it or not, Five."

Emma glanced at the two men, who were now messing with a few wires, and the realization began to hit Emma. She was going to be tortured if she did not speak. "My name is Emma, not Five." She squeaked, hoping that she could buy time by just speaking.

"I did not ask about your name. I need an answer as to why you've been skipping meals, or other methods will be employed."

Emma cleared her throat, trying to avoid the squeakiness that sometimes came when she spoke nervously. She explained how the group was participating in the Daniel Diet, and that it was because they felt led to show how they can beat these seemingly stronger opponents by simply following God. It was not a speech filled with the passion and fervor a very religious person may have spoke with, but Emma did the best to explain how her mother was religious, and that it was in tribute to her that she followed her mother's faith in this place.

Emma was then starting to ramble on about her mother, and Dr. Blohm had had enough. "I do not care about your faith, or your mother. It has no place in this facility. You have been given everything you could need, and you and the others should not push your luck. Do you understand?"

Emma nodded, pressing her lips tightly together.

"You will eat what we give you, or matters will grow worse for you." To this Emma said nothing, and Blohm gave her a questioning look. "You will do as I say, won't you?" Emma simply stared at the doctor, and a fury took over Dr. Blohm at once. "I've had enough of you!" She barked, causing Emma to shrink away as much as possible. "Children are always so ungrateful." Blohm growled, and Emma felt this woman had a very questionable past. Walking towards the door, Dr. Blohm looked to the guards, and with a cold look ordered, "Give her the therapy until she gives into what I have said, and then drop her into her room for the night."

Dr. Blohm left the room, and Emma cried out, "No! No! You don't understand!" But everyone understood very well what was going on, and the wires were quickly placed on Emma's skin. Emma was then forced to give up what felt like her last freedom in this place, and with the smell of burning hair, and the constant streaming of tears, the two guards dragged Emma down the hall to her room.

As they took her down the hall, Emma looked around to see if the others were around, but her vision was hazy with tears and pain. Only when the guards walked past the showering area did Emma's vision begin to clear. Exiting the shower area, Logan ran right into one of the guards. Logan was wearing his uniformed black shirt and sweat pants, rubbing his hair dry with a towel, but the moment he ran into the guard and noticed they were dragging Emma he stopped with a furrowed brow.

Emma tried to reach out to him the way she spoke with the others, mentally and unheard by the guards. Logan, you know me, she whispered to him. Come back to me. Logan's eyes narrowed at Emma as she was pulled around a corner, and she felt the impression come back from him, saying, They won't keep you very much longer.

Chapter Fourteen - Diets

There was a soft hum emanating from the refrigerator, filling every silence filled gap, accompanied by the trill of rhythmic breathing and darting eyes. The five sat against the white painted cabinets, twiddling their thumbs and searching for some kind of answer to their question. The humming continued to grow louder, as if the fridge was threatening to fly away, giving them and their scheming away to the scientists and their monsters.

"So... we can never eat again?" Chandler finally squeaked, startling the rest of the group. Raven pulled her brother closer to her, causing Chandler to look at her instead of the fridge that sat directly in front of him. Raven made no sound, but tried to give Chandler a reassuring smile as she wrapped her arms around him, keeping him near, a protective mother's embrace.

"That would be too suspicious." Jason sighed, crossing his arms and leaning his head back against the cabinet handle. "This is why I have never brought it up before..." He remarked in an agitated and gruff tone. He knew Raven felt negatively toward him, and keeping this secret put another notch in the wanting-to-kill-Jason bucket of feelings she carried around with her. But by now, he realized, as he noted Raven's maternal tendencies, that it was not so much himself that Raven disliked, but the danger constantly surrounded her little brother that put her in a constant nasty mood.

Jason glanced over at Emma, who sat to his left. She was someone he wanted to protect. Yet, even in the midst of this serious conversation, Jason felt Emma's mind fixated on Logan. She was supposed to be the damsel in distress, and yet she is so determined to be the one playing the hero when it comes to the military robot that is her boyfriend.

With the beginning of a headache, Jason reached his arm to his right, punching Travis right in his shoulder. "Ow." Travis said, now looking at Jason instead of his tapping sock-feet. "That was a little rough."

"You said you had ideas."

"Ah..." Travis, now fully aware of what was going on, felt his face grow warm. Even though he had a nearly spotless track record for winning everyone over, and carrying the kind of charisma that would shock the president into a standing ovation, he had changed. In this place, he constantly dreamed and relived the ways he hurt others, sending him into a desperate spiral of self-hate and self-doubt. Something about being number one just was not fun for him anymore, and, as the old song says, one truly is the loneliest number.

"Travis..." Jason snapped his finger in front of Travis' face. "We need something... anything."

Everyone turned their attention to Travis, eyes trained and hopeful. "It's okay, just breathe for a moment." Emma soothed, reaching past Jason to lay a comforting hand on Travis's arm, a reassuring smile playing at her lips. Travis' mind grew gentler, and Emma withdrew her hand. She did not know she had this affect on others, but everyone else could see she was the kind of girl everyone fell in love with, if at least for a moment.

Travis stood up, brushing down his arms as if dust had collected upon his grey, long-sleeved  shirt. "Well, what we first need to do is find a way to switch our food around with their new super-humans', that way they will be the ones who eat the tranquilizers, not us." In a professorial kind of way, Travis pulled open the fridge, and was met with a series of vegetables, fruits, and meats.

"It's not like we can just switch some labels around..." Jason remarked, feeling superior by his knowledge of the refrigerator, even though no one really took note of it.

"That's okay, I have a back-up plan." He said, nosing around in the fridge until there was a short click and Travis turned around, holding a tray full of tubes that held beige colored slime. "We eject this stuff into all of the meat, and at meals we simply won't eat meat."

"Still suspicious." Jason retorted, growing annoyed in his growing exhaustion.

"No, it's not." Emma chimed in. "From now on, we will be on the Daniel diet." To this, no one spoke, and instead gave Emma a strange look. "You know, Daniel from the Bible? Didn't eat meat? Beat everyone who did?" Still no response. "My mother is very religious." She confessed, no longer interested in defending herself.

After a moment of awkward silence, Travis took a deep breath and exclaimed, "Exactly!" Travis looked at the others, his head bobbing up and down ever so slightly. "We are all very religious, aren't we?"

The other three looked amongst each other and slowly nodded their heads, accepting this plan as their last hope.

Chapter Thirteen - Numbers

Jason knew this was his chance to say something. Everyone had been severely beaten down by Mora and Logan. As he had predicted, Mora and Logan were told to go against the five of them, and the five of them were easily outwitted and out-powered. The "doctors" were ushering their non-elite patients to the showers, keeping them all in a single file line. Jason held up the back, while Emma was at the very front holding a hand to her head, no doubt in pain from being kicked in head by Mora, who was able to jump much higher then expected for someone just let out of the surgical process. Glancing back at the white-cloaked doctor behind him, Jason concentrated on the four in front of him, passing along a mental message he hoped they would receive.

"Don't eat dinner." He tried to tell them. "They will think we are just too exhausted to eat after training."

"And why should we?" He felt Raven snap. He knew he had always been offensive to her, but he also knew he had to help her. Personal vendettas can come after they all get out alive.

"They put tranquilizers in our food." Was all he said, fearing to even mentally speak due to the burning stare of the doctor close behind.

Raven, who had been behind Emma, glanced back to Chandler briefly, but no one said anything else. Emma and Raven were then split off into their side of showers, and the rest took their place on the men's side, each door being guarded by two doctors in their lab coats, who usually just wrote in their little booklets that they kept in their breast pocket.

Jason was trying to think of a way to save everyone, while in fact trying to look like he was not thinking at all. He knew already that Emma would plead to take Logan along with them, but she should also notice how he had no reserves at practically trying to kill them all. This truly frustrated Jason. He felt he could never understand her dedication to Logan, especially when he was so brutish and uncaring. Then again, it could also be why up until now Jason had never really had friends. Maybe everyone needs an Emma in their life.

Everyone was allowed a seven minute shower, to the second, and then commanded to dry off and dress. Jason pulled on his assigned sweatpants and a black t-shirt, frustrated that he hardly had anytime to think of a plan, and that when he did he just thought about his frustrations with Emma. If he could punch something and get away with it, Jason felt he would probably do it. Reluctantly, Jason followed behind Travis, who was behind Chandler but seemed to keep a little distance as they were ushered to the cafeteria.

Travis took a deep breath as if he was simply enjoying his walk down the hallway, but at the same time Jason heard him say, "If Logan is an issue, I know how to drug him." Jason stared hard at Travis' head, confused by what he just heard. "When you gave us your warning." He went on, "You opened yourself up to us." He said.

This surprised Jason, but more than anything frightened him. His vulnerability seemed to rush over him just as the pack of dogs that seemed to bring him here.

"It's all right." Travis assured. "Control your breathing or they'll get suspicious. You don't have to let us know everything, I just couldn't help myself. It's the way I am." He explained.

Jason knew this, for even though Jason was not letting others into his mind, he could still see into theirs. Travis' history was always at the tip of his consciousness, and his nosiness and need for people, while he rejects it here, was apparent. "Meet in the kitchen tonight after you're sure the doctors are gone." Jason said to both Chandler and Travis. "And pass it along to the girls."

Chapter Twelve - Colors

There was a day, a long time ago, when Emma had a love for colors, especially the bright ones. Her closet was full of bright shades of hoodies and colored pants. Her mother use to tell her she dressed like she was still five, but Emma would give her a mom a look that said, "you got a divorce, being five makes me happy." And her mother would just shrug and give Emma a small smile of bright red lipstick. Emma never told her mother, but wearing bright colors made her feel closer to her mother, especially after she had gotten remarried, and the distance was furthered with Emma leaving for college.

"I have a surprise." Logan whispered, pulling Emma out of bed.

"What are you doing here? It's against the rules." Emma yawned, rolling out of her dorm room bed and pulling on a jacket over her tank top. Glancing at her clock, Emma noticed it was six in the morning and groaned.

Logan held a finger to his lips, motioned at Emma's still sleeping roommate, and began leading her  down the stairs and out of her dormitory. After walking quickly across the quad, Logan pulled out a piece of paper and punch in some numbers on an old art building that was being renovated this coming spring. The door gave a click, and Logan pulled the door open. Once inside, Logan had Emma close her eyes, and he slowly led her into a room, and, after closing the door, said, "Okay, you can open them now."

Emma opened her eyes and looked about the room. Everything was white, the floor, the walls, the ceiling. "You woke me up early to see a white room?" She asked.

"Nope." Logan smiled, stepping to the side. "I brought you here to paint." Behind Logan were trays filled with bright colors of paint, and no paint brushes.

"What are we painting with?" She asked, hiding a smile behind her hand.

"With our hands of course!" He exclaimed, tossing a blue hand at Emma's face.

Emma squealed, trying to get back at Logan with some green paint, and together in the early hours of the morning, they painted.

~~~

"What are you doing, five?" The blonde woman growled, clutching Emma's wrist, and pulling her away from a small white table.

Emma stared at the woman, not understanding why she was getting in trouble until she noticed her hand was covered in gray paint, and on the table Emma realized she had covered a piece of paper, and part of the table, in black, gray, and white paint without using a paintbrush. "I don't know." Emma said, looking at the woman with a look that said, "I know you think you have power over me, but your grip sucks."

The woman dropped her hand, and squinted her eyes at Emma. "Wash up."

Emma watched the woman go, and then went to wash her hands at the small white sink that sat on the wall adjacent to the row of white folding chairs. As she rinsed her hands, Emma glanced about the room, but everyone was doing their usual thing: Travis sitting in a corner, Raven on the couch, Chandler leaning against the couch by Raven's feet reading a book, and Jason, laying his head on the piano, no doubt tired from lack of sleep. Then there was Logan, sitting on the far end of the row of chairs, his fingers seeming to clutch his knee as his knuckles turned a pale color. For a moment, Emma thought maybe, just maybe, he had remembered the memory too, but only for a moment. Logan stretched, kicked up his feet on another chair, and picked up a copy of martial art demonstrations. Turning the water off, Emma moved to go back to the table and destroy her weird painting, but was interrupted by the beeping and opening of doors. Turning around Emma saw an older man, dressed in the usual white and using one hand to rub his graying hair and a thick beard, the other hand ushering in a small Chinese girl, about maybe thirteen or fourteen.

The man left, and the girl instantly went to shake hands with Logan, allowing Emma to spot the "8" on her hand. After they shook hands, the girl sat next to Logan, glanced at the rest of them, but made no effort to greet them. Emma's brow furrowed as she looked at the girl. She seemed so small, but when looking at her all Emma could get was that her name was Mora, and that Mora knew that she and Logan were of a more superior breed than the five of them.

Emma looked at Jason, who was alert now. With hands still dripping from the water, She looked at Jason with an almost desperate feeling in her stomach. Jason looked back at her, and seemed to battle with himself for a moment before Emma felt him saying to her, "We're not safe here."

Chapter Eleven - Jason

A weight seemed to sit on Jason's chest as he began to lock up the little grocery shop. He couldn't figure out why he felt so sad, twisting the key for that familiar click. The sun had just sunk below the small houses, and had left a chill that frosted Jason's every exhale. Tucking the key away in his pocket, Jason picked up his two bags of groceries and headed down the small slope that held a bunch of tiny apartments that fit snugly against another opposing hill. As he walked, Jason began to wonder if he should stop by Mr. Brown's place to say hello. Mr. Brown had owned the store for fifty years now, and had been like a father to Jason, even giving him a job at the store and bonuses to cover rent.

Another added weight of sadness seemed to pile onto Jason when he thought of his old friend. Why did it make him so sad, he wondered. He couldn't seem to make sense of it, and just when he thought he might be able to a loud snarling seemed to surround him, and a blur of teeth and pain pressed down until he couldn't handle it any longer.

With a hearty gasp for fresh air, Jason bolted up right. After breathing for a few moment, Jason sighed. Reaching under his pillow, he pulled out a small key. He had no idea how he had managed to keep this small trinket, but it was something he would always treasure. Flicking on the small flashlight attached to the key, Jason pulled on a pair of gray sweats and put the comforter back on the bed. Once the bed was made, Jason carefully slid the key back under the pillow and ran his fingers through his hair, careful not to pull any out as he tended to do as a child when frustrated.

The heaviness seemed to always be with Jason. No matter where he was, or who he was with, there was always something. Perhaps he understood Emma in this way, in the sense that he could see the weight on her shoulders. But unlike Emma, Jason could hardly find hope. Emma felt she could without a doubt save Logan after whatever happened at training practice, but Jason didn't fall into those kinds of traps. His experience led him to believe that all life is is miserable. Perhaps if Jason had had a family he would think differently, but he had to raise himself and see the world for what it really was. Mr. Brown had been kind and gracious man, but even he had grown old and sick.

For Jason, there was nothing to hope for. Except, perhaps an unfortunate accident where Logan was concerned. With a sigh Jason laid back down, his hand reaching under the pillow to feel the coolness of the shop's key. He felt an odd pull toward's Emma, but he also knew that to grow close to her, he would have to open up as Raven had kindly ranted the other day, and all he was inside was a sad pit of lonely hopelessness. Jason could never put someone like Emma, with all of her lovely optimism, through such a tragic thing as that.

Chapter Ten - Training

Natalia paced in front of the group, her white coat pushed back as her fingers pressed against her hips. Emma had learned the blonde woman's name when she had arrived earlier that morning to wake Emma for the morning routine of washing, dressing, and eating breakfast. Now everyone was standing along a white wall opposite a glass window that rested against the edge of the ceiling. Emma tugged at her tight outfit; everyone seemed to be wearing the same black latex suite, but it was not ideal for Emma, she'd much prefer to breathe in her outfits.

A chirpy ring emanated from Natalia's pocked, and she quickly pulled out a small, flat, rectangular device the size of her palm, and held it to her ear. "What's taking so long?" She said, the feel of neck-wringing clear in her tone.

There was a mumble from the phone-like device, and Emma strained her hearing to hear a tired sounding man on the other side. "We've finished our diagnostics, and all we can guess is that the spike was from some kind of dream. There have been no other problems, subject six is free for use."

Natalia sighed, "Then why is he not here yet?" She complained, placing the phone back into her giant coat pocket. She looked at the group, taking time to eye each one of them, as if sizing them up and finding each one lacking. Emma couldn't help but miss the fake niceness she experienced from before; everything was beginning to be too real. "Here is what you will be doing today." Natalia announced, hands once again at her hips. "You will take turns fighting subject six, and you will not, under any circumstances, intervene when you are not the one in combat. This is a one-on-one session, and you will take notes as you wait for your turn." Everyone looked amongst each other, giving a little hint that they were confused by this session, but Emma felt that none of them really cared what they had to do except Jason, whose eyebrows were furrowed.

Across from Emma, below the stretched window, a metal door opened, and Logan stepped forward, wearing a tight red latex suit and a cocky grin.

Another sigh escaped from Natalia as her heels clacked on the her way over to Logan. "About time."

Logan looked Natalia in the eyes, giving off a strong sense of power and control. "Everything is as you asked."

"Great. Let's move!" She called, waving everyone to follow Logan back through the door he had opened.

They walked down a short hallway until another door was opened. Once inside Emma was taken back by all the rocks in the room. The ground was covered in a red dirt, and periodically spread throughout the room giant rocks stood out at sharp looking points.

"Subject three, you will go first. The rest of you go to the neutral zone on the left."

Emma looked at Chandler as she followed to others to a spot behind a row of horizontal bars. Chandler looked so small and thin compared to Logan's giant build. Logan smirked at Chandler, who gulped in return.

Natalia appeared in the giant window that sat up and to Emma's right, just along the wall of the door. "The training begins now."

Logan launched himself at Chandler, and before Chandler could blink an eye he was pinned against a boulder with his eyes practically bulging out of his head. Chandler struggled a bit, but to no avail.

"Enough. Subject three may return."

Logan stood up and sighed, as if bored as Chandler moved to safety with his head bowed low. Raven was fuming, and Emma tried to dismiss the rudeness of what she felt Raven thinking.

"Subject five, your turn."

Emma took a deep breath and moved in front of Logan. She looked for any signs that he remembered her, but his eyes were as cold and calculating as ever.

"Begin now."

Logan smirked and moved for Emma, but she anticipated this from watching Chandler, so she dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way. Logan landed on the boulder, wrapping one arm around it and finding Emma pushed himself off of it. Emma, never learning how to fight, was taken by surprise as Logan snatched her wrist and flung her to the ground. Fear began to take over Emma as a sickening grin stretched across Logan's face.

"Please, Logan." She said, knowing it was useless.

Logan grabbed at her again, but she tried to move out of the way this time. Logan still managed to grab her leg, and he swung her across the room, making her land on a bunch of smaller rocks. He launched at her, and deciding to take fight instead of flight, Emma launched right back at him. Logan grabbed hold of Emma's wrists, and her weight pulled him down on top of her as they twisted mid-air. With Emma's wrists pinned above her head, Logan seemed to half-smile, his eyes boring into hers.

Emma was quickly reminded of another time.

~~

It was raining and Logan had just lost a championship game. He had waited until everyone had left, and then found himself alone in the stadium. Emma knew he liked to process losses alone for a while, but she didn't like how sad he would get, so she went out, when everyone had left, to meet him in the middle of the field.

"You're still here." She called out to him.

He looked over at her, feeling the weight of his helmet in his hands and the stains of mud and grass mocking his playing. "You know I like to process things." He said at a normal volume as she stood in front of him.

"I know that, but it's raining." She said, motioning her pink polka-dot umbrella up and down. "You can't be alone when it's raining."

"And why is that?" Logan asked, a smile beginning to pull at the corner of his mouth.

"Because it's a waste of a perfectly good opportunity, of course." Emma closed her umbrella and dropped it on the ground, and before Logan could say a word Emma punched his arm and took of running. "You're it!"

"What are you doing?" Logan cried, feeling exhausted from the game.

Emma stood near the goalpost. "Ah, giving up before you even try. Maybe that's why you lost." She said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Woah! Too soon!" Logan yelled, taking off towards Emma, who could barely run ten yards before Logan had caught up to her. Emma let out a squeal as Logan grabbed her arm, but with the rain pouring down the two of them slipped in the mud, landing on their backs. Logan let out a small groan. "Of all things, that I will feel tomorrow."

Emma chuckled. "Maybe you're not so bad."

Logan propped himself up so that his head was above Emma's. "Maybe." He sighed.

"Hey." Emma placed a muddy hand to Logan's face. "It was just a game. There will be lots of games, but there's only one you. And... well, you're pretty amazing."

Logan searched Emma's warm eyes and placed his hand over hers. "I love you." He whispered.

"About time." She smiled, placing a soft kiss against his lips.

~~

Emma looked hard at Logan. "Maybe you're not so bad." She said, restraining from clenching her teeth.

Logan's eyes dilated and a feeling of panic and confusion took control of his face. "Maybe..." He said, glancing at the rock he was clenching in his fist just above Emma's head.

Before Emma could respond Logan was pushed off of her, and Jason was grabbing the rock from Logan's hand.

A crackling sound echoed in the room, and Natalia's voice screeched, "Subject four, you have disobeyed command, and will not be receiving lunch!"

Jason stood up and brushed himself off, and Logan's cocky personality returned instantly. Emma got the feeling Jason could care less about missing a meal, but she wished he hadn't interfered. There was something there, maybe Emma could save Logan after all.