FSE

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WHOOSH!!!

CRUNNNCH!!!

Jacob jumped out of the way just in time to avoid several large chunks of rock zooming past him. He pressed himself against the stone wall behind him and listened quietly for any other signs of movement.

"You can't hide forever, pup!" A deep voice boomed.

Jacob gritted his teeth and carefully peeked around the edge of the wall. The Simulation Room had transformed into what appeared to be a half-submerged temple. Arranged in the shape of a dome, the arena was lit by a shaft of sunlight that shone through a large hole at the center of the ceiling.

The structure of the arena was that of a bullseye formation, arranged into three concentric rings with a single center region. The outermost region was a deep trench filled with water. The trench was filled by small streams that leaked through cracks in the walls and emptied into an unknown location. The next ring featured what appeared to be the ruins of old stone buildings. The strategic placement of the structures made the area look like an obstacle course. The floor was covered in a fine sand that made it hard to move quickly sometimes. The ring closest to the center was wide open with nothing but sand. Lastly, the center region was just a deep dark pit in the middle of the arena. A fall into the pit would surely be fatal.

And there was Brent McAllister, slowly walking toward him with a smug smirk on his face. He wore a suit of bronze armor, minus the helm. The armor creaked quietly while he stalked forward, a heavy war hammer in his large paw.

Their eyes met, and the Alsatian's grin grew wider. He gave his hammer a quick twirl before sending it flying toward him.

Jacob only had a split second to react, diving to his right just before the hammer smashed through the wall where he had just been. Now lying on his stomach and slightly out of breath, the wolf glanced backwards to see the hammer halt in its trajectory and spin back into the dog's grasp.

"Come on out, Jake!" The dog seemed impatient now, but still mocking. "We haven't got all morning!"

Bringing himself to a low crouch behind the wall, Jacob did his best to ignore him for now. He needed a plan. Of course, he could easily do something about the water right in front of him, but his opponent was expecting that. And Brent did ultimately have the upper hand, since most of the arena was made up of rock and earth. He knew it, too. In hindsight, that was probably why he chose this arena in the first place.

Although...he might be able to play on that.

"Make a move, pup!" Brent shouted in a bored tone. "Don't make me come over -"

The water at the edge of the arena suddenly roared to life, beginning to overflow out of the trench. It then coalesced into a massive wave that the wolf sent hurtling in his opponent's direction. There was a loud booming sound as it collided with something large.

Jacob chose this moment to come out from his hiding spot. Once he rounded the corner, however, he stopped, confused. Instead of Brent, all he saw was a large slab of hardened earth standing in his place. Moments later, the small barrier crumbled away to reveal his opponent, soaking wet and fuming.

"Nice try," the Alsatian growled. He shook the excess water off his body and widened his stance. "Now you've gone and made me angry!"

The dog spun around and launched his hammer at him again, this time twice as fast. Jacob just barely jumped out of the way, but not before the hammer caught his right arm, right below the elbow. A blinding pain shot up his arm, causing him to cry out. He took a second to bend and twist his arm around to make sure the injury wasn't serious. He could tell nothing was broken, but it still hurt like hell. Tears were starting to well up in his eyes from the pain, but the wolf held them back. He couldn't show weakness.

Using the pain as fuel for his determination, Jacob let out a bellowing roar akin to a war cry, charging the dog at full speed. The Alsatian cocked his head in confusion, as if questioning the wolf's reasoning. He remained completely calm as he stepped out of the way at the last moment.

Jacob, realizing his mistake just in time, grabbed blindly at his opponent, trying to use the heavier canine as an anchor. Once he managed a firm grasp on Brent's shoulder, he tumbled to the ground to in an attempt to further reduce his velocity, bringing the Alsatian down with him. Before Brent could react, Jacob rolled so that he was straddling the dog's chest, using his legs to pin his arms to the ground. Brent growled and struggled, but it was no use; somehow, Jacob had managed to overpower him despite his own superior strength.

Behind them, the water that had splashed around the inner ring of the arena was beginning to creep inward toward them in a single donut-shaped puddle. Brent spotted this and began struggling harder to get free, but the wolf had him pinned quite securely. The wolf's plan was working; he had his opponent right where he wanted him.

For now.

Hearing something rustling back near the trench, Jacob looked up and saw the dog's hammer zooming right back at him again. He quickly ducked and the hammer shot over his head and crashed into the opposite wall. The Alsatian underneath him hocked up a load of saliva and spat it roughly on the wolf's muzzle. Taken by surprise, Jacob let his guard down just enough to loosen his hold slightly. Brent kicked upward with his leg, his metal boot catching the wolf on the back of his head. He shoved the dazed wolf off of him and stood, summoning his hammer again.

Rubbing the back of his head and wiping his muzzle in disgust, Jacob stood again with a scowl. Brent twirling the hammer idly in his paw again, cocky smirk in full force. The sand at his feet began to rise and rotate around the dog in a swirling vortex. Now protected by a barrier of high-speeding sand, it would be difficult for the wolf to get close without getting hurt.

"Gonna have to try harder than that, pup," Brent gloated, inching closer.

"Shut up!"

Jacob summoned his trident and lunged at the dog, thrusting the weapon forward. Brent jumped out of the way, immediately countering with a swipe from his own weapon. The two went back and forth like this, Jacob doing his best not to get too close and taking advantage of the range of his trident. The wolf tried to stay as aggressive as he could, keeping his opponent moving backwards. His plan was almost working; just a few more steps...

But then, the Alsatian suddenly changed tactics. Taking a large step backwards so that he was just on the edge of the pit, he gave two more quick swipes with his hammer and then dropped the sand protecting him. Jacob took the bait and lunged again in an attempt to knock him over the edge. Brent quickly grabbed the trident before the prongs could pierce him and used its momentum to fling it into the pit behind him. The act caused Jacob to stumble forward, which the Alsatian took advantage of, spinning around behind the wolf and pushing him forward. Jacob yelped and desperately grabbed the dog, hugging his body in an attempt not to fall in. Brent gasped as he was pulled toward the pit, but managed to catch himself just in time.

Their eyes met, and Brent's face twisted in a sneer. "Got you." His smug expression was maddening. "Let go of me and you lose."

Surprisingly, the wolf grinned as well. "Got you. Either of us makes a move and both of us go down."

Blinking in confusion, the Alsatian looked down at their feet. The water from before had soaked into the ground underneath them, causing the earth to become soggy and extremely unstable. The wolf was right: any shift in pressure would cause the very earth under their feet to collapse, sending them both tumbling into the abyss.

Jacob grinned at the dog. "Not feeling so high and mighty now, are you, hotshot?"

Brent's eyes narrowed. "You lose either way."

The wolf glared back. "Let's call it a draw."

The Alsatian stared back with barely suppressed anger. "Fine." He raised his voice. "Ash! We're done!"

The arena faded out of view, replaced by the off-white walls of the Simulation Room. The room brightening a little from the fluorescent lights that adorned the ceiling. Jacob quickly pushed himself away from the Alsatian with a scowl.

"Next time," he growled. He began making his way to the door. "You had an advantage anyway."

"Face it, Jake!" Brent shouted after him. "You lost!"

"So did you!" Jacob retaliated without looking back. Brent's attitude wasn't the only thing agitating him. As much as he hated the dog's smug demeanor, he couldn't deny the truth: he really had lost. Had they continued their brawl, there would have been nothing he could have done to avoid falling into the pit.

As he passed through the control room, he noticed Ash regarding him with a look of pity.

"What?" He snapped.

The tiger just shook his head. "You do realize Gav's not going to be happy when he finds out about this, right?"

Jacob shrugged. "He's never happy." He then left the room without another word.

...........................................

After showering and changing into a fresh set of clothes, Jacob decided to head to the rec room to decompress. His encounter with Brent had left him bitter and tense, and he needed to simmer down lest he lash out at anyone else. As he approached the door, he heard the sounds of the television; someone was up rather early for a weekend. In hindsight, though, it wouldn't be a surprise if it was Gavin. He seemed to adopt somewhat of a militaristic routine, getting up early even on weekends.

As it turned out, it wasn't Gavin. Jacob quietly entered the room to find Nick perched on one side of the couch. His paws fumbled with the game controller in his paws, his eyes fixed on the television screen, although they did flicker in his direction when the wolf came in.

"You're up early," Jacob commented, taking a seat on the other side.

The fox shrugged. "It's only nine. It's not that early." He appeared to be playing some sort of high-speed racing game. His character drove wildly through crowded streets and around buildings, the occasional explosion or colored text offering random and sporadic distractions. "How'd your fight with Brent go?"

Jacob tore his gaze off the screen, looking at his friend in surprise. "You know about that?"

Nick raised an eyebrow, glancing back at him just for a moment. "Everyone does. The argument you two had last night wasn't exactly a quiet one."

The wolf sighed and sat back. "So Gav already knows then." He watched the game for a few more moments before adding, "He really needs to do something about Brent."

"He's not that bad," Nick replied, still watching the screen. "Not to the rest of us anyway. He can be a jerk sometimes, but he's really not a bad guy. He's actually really nice to Jasper."

Jacob's eyes widened, now staring into space in deep thought. "Is he? That's interesting..."

"I wouldn't read too much into it." Nick cursed as a large explosion filled the screen, followed by the words 'Game Over.' Not much later, he was already starting a new game. "Jasper's still pretty young. He's probably just trying to reel it in a bit when he's around. It's just the polite thing to do."

The wolf snorted in response. "Him? Polite? I doubt it." Shifting a little in his seat to try and find a more comfortable position, he changed the subject. "So what did Gav want last night? When he said he wanted to chat?"

The fox's face fell a little. "Not anything...important, really. He really just wanted to grill me for getting drunk."

Jacob grimaced in sympathy. They all knew Gavin was always a bit gruff, but no one wanted endure the brunt of his fury. Gavin was the kind of wolf that you never want to make angry.

"How bad was it?"

Nick didn't say anything at first, nothing but the game to defuse the silence. Then he began with hesitation, "He...said some things that...really hit home...but...let's just say it won't happen again."

Jacob was genuinely worried for his friend. He couldn't imagine what kinds of things could have been said. "Are you okay?"

The fox gulped. "Let's just drop it, okay?"

Nick didn't seem to want to talk about it, so the wolf relented. "Okay." He went back to watching the game. "So, what game is this anyw -"

"Meeting! Three o'clock! Conference room!"

Both furs started and whipped their heads toward the doorway, where Gavin Masters himself stood completely still. The large wolf watched them silently for a moment, as if daring them to comment, then left without a word.

Jacob and Nick both remained staring at the door, still shocked at Gavin's sudden interruption.

The wolf spoke first. "I still think he was a drill sergeant in a past life."

Nick waved a paw dismissively. "Naw, I just think he really enjoys striking fear into the hearts of others."

"I heard that!" Gavin's voice echoed from down the hallway.

Both furs smirked a little.

.....................................

"Right, so our next mission is coming up. Here's the short version. The Sealbreakers will be field testing their new so-called Ultium serum at the mall this Friday, likely undercover. It will be our job to intercept them and stop their efforts. Understood?"

The members of Legion - minus Drake - sat around the conference table listening intently to Gavin's summary.After the utter catastrophe that had been the previous event, they were determined to make sure that everything went right this time. Some members fiddled with bits of clothing or drummed their fingers silently on the table surface, but no one else spoke. Even the usually boisterous Brent sat completely still in his chair, his stoic gaze on the table unwavering.

Gavin finished the initial briefing and put down his stack of papers. His eyes roamed the room. "Any questions?"

Jacob raised his hand. "If they're going to be undercover, shouldn't we just engage instead of waiting for something to happen?"

"We don't have a choice," Gwen spoke up. "Without knowing outright where the event is taking place, we can't just barge in asking questions. And without being explicitly supported by the government, we don't have any real authority. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves until we have to."

"And we will have to," Gavin nodded in agreement. "We're only undercover until we find the Sealbreaker representative and confront him. Assuming he doesn't cooperate - and he likely will not - we can expect a fight to break out. Take any violence outside the building if you can. We want as little collateral damage as possible."

Gavin pulled out several sheets of paper and handed them to Gwen, who took one and passed it along. When Jacob acquired one, he saw that it was a map of the mall, marked with X's in three places.

"We'll be patrolling the area in groups of two, with one group of three," Gavin explained as they each studied their maps. "We will switch off periodically every thirty minutes so as not to raise suspicion. I have Jacob and Nick down for one group, Gwen and Brent on another, then me, Sly, and Jasper in the last group. Ashton, you're staying in the van and watching the cameras. We'll have Nick switch off with you periodically as well."

"Hang on," Jacob interjected. There was something very wrong with this plan. "I want Jasper to stay in the van, too."

Silence fell upon the table. Each fur, particularly Jasper, appeared very confused at the proposal.

"That is not your choice to make, Jacob," Gavin said slowly with eyes narrowed.

"Please. If we're going to be fighting, I don't want him getting hurt." Jacob reasoned. "There's going to be a lot of people around, and he's only had his Brand for like, a month. Someone could get seriously hurt! He doesn't need that!"

Jasper gaped at his brother in astonishment. With a shaky laugh, he protested, "Jake, I'm sixteen! I can handle myself -"

"No!" Jacob snapped, the younger wolf flinching. "You're not ready for this yet!"

Nick, who had been watching the exchange with growing disbelief, turned to Gavin. "If it's expertise you're worried about, I can just stay in the van the whole time. I'm good with computers, and that way both Ash and Jasper get to do their part..."

Gavin shook his head. "They are doing their part." He looked at Jacob with a stern expression. "I don't care how old or young he is. We need all the help we can get on the field. As long as Jasper can help, he stays in."

"But he's too young!" Jacob was beginning to get very frustrated, his voice steadily rising. "And he's not nearly experienced enough to be in that environment. It's too dangerous for him. Sly," he turned to the short raccoon desperately. "Do you think he could hold his own in a fight?"

Sly looked ready to give an angry retort, but then stopped. He closed his mouth again, gulping silently.

Seeing the raccoon's reaction, the smaller wolf looked like he was close to tears. "But Sly's only eighteen!" He blurted out. "He's barely an adult and he gets to go?! What about me?"

The other members of Legion only observed the argument silently, not daring to get in the way of the verbal explosion that was bound to occur. However, it did not occur. All eyes were now on their leader, the large wolf appearing torn. Gavin contemplated for a moment and then finally gave his answer.

"I hate to say it, but...Jacob's right." Gavin glanced around the room. "It's probably not the best idea to have a person brand new to combat in the thick of the action. He hasn't even gone through the orientation course yet." He now raised his voice with a sense of finality. "Jasper will stay in the van with Ashton, no switch offs. Nick will stay with Jacob."

"What?! No, come on!" Jasper protested, slamming his paws down on the table. "I want to do something! I had to sit here and do nothing on the last mission! I want to help!"

Nick set a paw on the wolf's shoulder. "We just don't want you getting hurt, that's all. Don't worry, you'll get your chance, we promise."

Jasper roughly shook off the paw and swiftly stood from his chair.

"Jasper, wait -" Jacob's pleas were ignored, his brother angrily storming out of the room. All eyes were on him now, as if waiting for the wolf to get up and chase after him. Jacob ignored them, unable to shake the heavy weight of guilt settling in his chest. He only wanted the best for his brother. He had done the right thing...right?

Gavin cleared his throat, demanding their attention again. "I'll talk to him later. Are we clear on what to do on Friday?" After receiving the nods of the other members, he continued, "Good. Now back to work, everyone. We have a very important mission to prepare for."

Everyone rose from their seats and began making their way out of the room. Oddly, Brent was the first one to leave despite being farthest from the door, purposefully striding across the room and through the doorway as if going after someone. Nick wasn't far behind him, leaving the room just a second later.

Jacob caught Sly just before he left. "Hey Sly, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure," the raccoon said, hanging back to let everyone else leave first.

After the room had emptied, Jacob addressed him again. "So...how is Jasper doing with his training? Is he learning, at least?"

Sly bit his lip and looked away. "He's doing fine."

Jacob tilted his head skeptically and pressed. "You don't sound so sure."

Sly gave him a sad look, as if pleading him to drop the subject. The wolf stood firm, and he sighed resignedly. "He's...progressing. Slowly, but he is learning. He's just having some trouble controlling his magic, that's all."

"What kind of trouble?"

The raccoon opened the door and glanced out into the hall to make sure no one was within earshot. Satisfied, he closed it again and fixed the wolf with a serious look. "Listen, what I'm about to tell you, don't tell it to anyone else. It'll only make his case worse."

Jacob frowned. What could be that bad, to have to swear to secrecy? "I...can't promise that. I want him to be safe."

Sly sighed again, clearly not up to trying to change the wolf's mind. "Fine. Look, it's just..." He took a deep breath. "Jasper's Brand is unusually...volatile. There are times when we train that his magic just kind of...lashes out unexpectedly. Sometimes it works in his favor, sometimes it doesn't. It's totally random."

"But isn't that normal?" Jacob inquired curiously. "It has only been a month. Maybe he's just still getting his grip on things?"

"No, you don't understand," Sly said shaking his head. "Accidents this drastic should never be happening, not even at the early stages of learning. Brand magic shouldn't be active unless the user wills it. But Jasper's Brand is just..." He paused to find the right words. "Things just spin way out of control sometimes, and we have to take a break. I try to help him out sometimes by syncing with him, but even then..."

"Syncing? What's that?"

"Brands are compatible. People with similar Brands can combine their powers to perform greater tasks, but only within their Generation. So, like, a Fire and a Water can sync, but a Fire and a Dark can't. Anyway," Sly said, resuming his recollection. "I've tried to sync with him, but it doesn't quite work. His Brand will let me in, but only partially. I feel a resistance, like there's something fighting back against me. And he swears up and down that it's not him."

"Huh. That is...strange." Jacob had never heard of something like that happening. Then again, no one had taught him about syncing before. "Is there any way I can help?"

"Honestly? I don't think so," Sly replied, scratching his head. "I mean, you could watch our training sessions and offer advice, but that's pretty much it. You're not a Gen 2, so you can't sync with him. And even if you could, you're not a Dark, so there would be no point."

The wolf's heart sank. His brother desperately needed help and there was nothing he could do. Would he ever be let on the field now?

Sly noticed his distress and gave him a pat on the arm. "Listen, I understand that he's your brother and you want to keep him safe, but you need to learn that you can't always do that. Sheltering like this you only make things worse. After all," the raccoon continued. "How can you expect him to get better in the field if you don't give him the chance to?"

........................

"He's right, you know."

The comment made an ear flick in annoyance as the wolf watched the customers walk to and fro. On the day of the mission, Jacob and Nick sat at a bench in front of a clothing store not far from the food court. Gavin had stationed them at three different places in the mall to watch for any suspicious activity. Without any sort of entertainment besides each other, the two furs were quite bored.

"Jasper is way too young to be fighting," said the wolf tiredly. He watched as a customer paid at the register of a nearby video game store. "He's only sixteen. It's not good for him."

"It's not good for any of us. You think we enjoy this?"

"I dunno, you seemed to be having fun last time."

The fox's expression hardened at the jab. "Not funny. Look, all I'm saying is, maybe you're being a bit too hard on him. You're right, he's only sixteen. But he's got a point: Sly's only eighteen and he does just fine. If Jasper wants to help out, why not let him?"

"Sly has a lot more experience," Jacob shot back. "And he said it himself: he doesn't think Jasper could handle himself in a fight anyway."

Nick opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Gavin's voice in their earpieces.

"Alright everyone, time to rotate. Nick and Jacob, you'll be at the food court now. Pay extra attention and -"

_ _ "Alert you if anything happens. We know," Nick interjected, rolling his eyes.

"Thin ice, Nick."

_ _ The two got up from their bench and began moving in the direction of the food court.

"At least give it some consideration, okay?" Nick said, resuming their conversation. "Jasper was really upset after the meeting the other day. He thinks we don't want him on the team."

"What?!" Jacob exclaimed, taken back. "That's not -"

"I know it's not true, Jake! But that's what he thinks!" Nick said, gesturing wildly. "Me and Brent tried to tell that to him, but he won't listen! He needs to hear it from you."

The wolf did not respond immediately. He had no idea that the decision was having such an effect on his brother. Had he been too harsh? Did Jasper really think he wasn't wanted?

"I'll talk to him," he said as they approached the food court.

The area was bustling with activity, people of various ages and species walking across the crowded floor or eating at one of the many tables in the dining area. Several popular fast food branches populated the food court, as well as a few that were lesser known but just as good. The area was arranged in a wide "U" shape that opened up towards the rest of the mall. A huge multi-tiered fountain made of stone stood in the middle of the area, water cascading down into a large pool lined with smooth black and brown stones. In addition to bright fluorescent lights, the room was further illuminated by the bright sunlight reaching through a domed glass ceiling.

At first glance, the place seemed fairly innocent. No one would have thought that there was a secret operation led by malicious technology experts occurring right there in the sunlit food court; though nothing had happened so far. Legion had arrived in the morning, and it was now close to late afternoon, nearly three o'clock, and the Sealbreakers had not yet made themselves known. Either the experiment had occurred already before they had arrived, and they had missed it, or the Sealbreakers were still waiting to make their move.

"Good, you do that. Just, I'd wait a while after the mission is finished. He probably needs some space right now," Nick suggested as they idly paced along the edge of the fountain. "He really looks up to you, you know. You're his big brother. You're all he's got."

Jacob's fingers traced along the stone wall surrounding the pool as they passed. "What about his Uncle Nick?"

"I don't count. Not really." The fox eyed some of the food options longingly. They had been strictly forbidden from eating anything at the mall for risk of accidentally consuming some of the Sealbreakers' "experimental salt" that they were supposed to be testing. They had eaten a large breakfast to make up for it, but after several hours they had gotten hungry again. "I'm there for him when I can be, but you're practically his father at this point. It's got to be you."

Jacob gave a small growl that only culminated to a rumble in his throat. "If his actual father had never left, this would never have happened in the first place."

The fox pressed his lips together, staying silent. It wasn't true. Even if Richard Baxter had not left the wolf's family, Jasper still would have become a Dark...or would've he? Brands were manufactured to reflect the personality of the bearer, but could the person's state of mind hold any weight in the outcome? It was certainly possible... but he knew that Jacob's father was a touchy subject and opted not to get involved.

"Fucking coward..." Jacob growled, louder this time. Just the mere thought of his would-be father made his blood boil. "He had a baby son, for fuck's sake..."

Nick nervously tried to distract himself by observing the customers. Jacob almost never cursed, only when he got exceptionally angry, and the subject of his father seemed to always do the trick.

"Where even is he? What's he doing right now?" The wolf muttered irritably to no one in particular, kicking a crumpled up napkin that had been left on the floor. "Probably with someone else by now, I bet. I swear, if I ever see that sorry son of a bitch again..."

Nick cleared his throat loudly. He needed to pull his friend away from such a volatile subject. "Hey, um. Why don't we -"

He was interrupted by a shrill scream sounding from one of the food counters. All heads turned to investigate the commotion.

"Hold that thought," Jacob said, moving toward the noise. At one of the condiment stands, a middle-aged golden eagle woman lay crumpled on her hands and knees, shuddering violently.

"I don't know what happened!" A female otter cried as they approached. "She was eating her fries when she just screamed and fell over!"

"The salt..." Jacob muttered, crouching down and putting a comforting paw on the woman's shoulder. She flinched at the contact, but the wolf kept his paw there, speaking urgently. "Ma'am? Ma'am, are you alright?"

"I - I don't..." She sobbed, unable to form a coherent sentence. A stronger shudder shook her body. "It hurts!"

"Don't worry, ma'am, you're going to be okay," Jacob said, mind racing as he tried to comfort her. "Just stand up if you can -"

Another violent shudder ran through her body before her brown-feathered head rose to face him, eyes unnaturally clear. "Get away!"

_ _ An arm suddenly slammed into his chest with abnormal strength, sending him skidding across the floor and into a table. Rolling onto his hands and feet, Jacob groaned as he regained his bearings. Nick was there in a heartbeat, reaching a paw down to help him up.

Jacob allowed himself to be pulled up, using the table as a support. "Call the others," he said, brushing himself off. The woman was now writhing on the ground, a strange light rippling through her golden brown feathers.

Nick spoke into his microphone. "Guys, it's happening. Someone ate the salt. I think we're gonna need backup real soon."

"We're on our way."_Gavin's voice rose to a commanding shout. _"Everyone to the food court, now! You too, Ashton. Jasper, you stay where you are. Jacob and Nick, you need to clear area ASAP!"

_ _ "Got it," Jacob answered. He began shouting at the top of his lungs. "Everyone, get out! Leave the building! Get somewhere safe!"

Most of the many patrons in the area heard his warnings and immediately dashed for the nearest exit. Some had summoned their own armor and weapons and seemed ready to fight.

"No!" Jacob shouted at the stragglers. "Leave her to us! Go find somewhere safe!"

An explosion of bright white light emanated from the direction of the woman, accompanied by another bloodcurdling scream. She knelt on her knees, screaming up at the ceiling with her arms outstretched from her sides. That eerie white glow rippled through her body as her feathers began to change from their normal golden brown to pure white. Two enormous white-feathered wings burst from her back, flapping powerfully and lifting her body into the air. Her entire body grew to fit her wings, clothing ripping as her torso became too large to fit. Bright white energy crept around her body and materialized into tight fitting black leather armor that covered only her breasts and hips, leaving her legs and midriff exposed. Her feet became huge with terrifying razor sharp black claws. A shaft of light grew outward from a clenched clawed hand, solidifying into an eight-foot-long metal spear tipped on both sides with sharp glass blades.

In just a few seconds, an ordinary middle-aged woman had transformed into a terrifying white-feathered angelic creature wearing black leather and wielding a deadly glass spear. Jacob and Nick had both activated their Brands by this point, clad in their respective armor and holding their weapons at the ready.

"Jesus, what is that thing?" A voice sounded from Jacob's other side. Gwen had arrived at the scene, staring up at the strange creature. Brent stood alongside her, his bronze armor glinting in the light as he gripped his hammer firmly.

"I don't know," Jacob replied without taking his eyes off the angel. "Must be a defective Brand or something."

"Your efforts are worthless," the angel seethed. Her voice echoed eerily throughout the room. It sounded as though there were several other voices audible behind her own, only adding her already cacophonous tone. "You will not triumph!"

She brought back an arm as if preparing to deliver a backhanded strike, folding a wing in front of her body.

"Get down!" Jacob pressed himself down to the ground just as the angel struck, flinging her arm out and sending razor sharp feathers made of light flying down in a cone in front of her. The feathers became stuck in the floor and walls before disappearing. The wolf heard those powerful wings take her higher in the air before suddenly dive-bombing right for them!

Jacob rolled away to avoid her, but heard Brent cry out behind him. The angel had the Alsatian pinned beneath her huge clawed feet and was preparing to impale him with her spear!

"Get away from him!" Nick made a beeline for the creature, but only got backhanded into a table. The angel raised the spear, ready to strike -

But not before a searing ball of fire collided with her face, searing the feathers there. She screeched loudly in pain before snarling at her new opponent.

Ashton Monroe stood underneath one of the archway entrances, clad in his crimson-tinted armor and holding a blazing fireball in each hand, ready to strike.

The angel grinned and cackled menacingly. "Four Original Brands? This will be easy."

_ _ "Think again!"

Gavin and Sly had arrived. The raccoon was in the jet black armor of a Dark Elemental, wielding his two shorts swords in either paw. Black smoke-like energy curled off of his person and clouded the air around him. Beside him, Gavin stood in armor of deep blue, his eyes of the same color glaring pointedly at the angel. In each paw, he held a sickle with a fizzing and spitting ball of bright energy held within the curve of the blade. The qualities of a Star Elemental.

The angel snarled at her predicament. The entirety of the Legion team now had her cornered in the food court, Originals and Gen 2s alike, and she was outnumbered seven to one.

"It appears I have a challenge after all. So be it." Her eyes narrowed with a devious glint. "Why don't we find somewhere with a little more space?"

_ _ KEEEERRRAAAWWWWW!!!

She let out an earsplitting screech akin to a hawk's cry that shattered all the windows and the domed glass ceiling. Glass littered the floor like thousands of tiny coins, and Jacob had to duck and close his eyes to avoid getting some in them. He heard those wings flapping again, and he looked up to see the angel rocketing up toward the now broken ceiling. A struggling Brent was still held in her clenched claws. She broke her spear in two and the broken halves morphed into two short swords that she used to slice right through the metal connectors of the ceiling and rise into the open air.

"After her!" Gavin shouted, racing for the exit. Everyone else followed him, barreling through the double doors and into the parking lot.

There she was, floating a couple dozen feet in the air with her swords and grinning wickedly down at them. Jacob couldn't help but feel sorry for the owners of all the cars that would likely get destroyed. Luckily, they had parked their van on the other side of the mall, but there was still potential for considerable damage to be done.

"Give it up!" Gavin shouted at the angel. "You're outnumbered!"

"That may be so," the angel sneered, tightening her grip on the struggling Alsatian, who was frantically beating her leg with his hammer, seemingly not fazing her. "But I hold more power than you will ever know! It is time you -"

She was interrupted by Brent's hammer that he sent flying upward and into the underside of her chin. She screamed in pain and fury, dropping him down the remaining couple dozen feet onto the top of a car. The Alsatian's body hit the car hard, creating a sizable dent on the top and leaving him groaning in pain.

"It appears you wish to see my power for yourself. Very well." She inspected the group as if selecting from a menu. Her eyes settled on Gavin, and she grinned menacingly. "I think I will begin...with you."

The feathered angel swooped down upon the leader of Legion, the large wolf swiftly spinning out of the way and launching one of the balls of energy from his sickles. The orb easily made contact with one of her wings, exploding into white flame. The angel's beak opened again in another painful scream as some of the feathers were burned off her body. She landed roughly, claws digging into the asphalt.

She sent more spectral feathers his way, which Gavin easily blocked by breaking off a large slab of asphalt with his mind and using it as a shield. The slab spun towards the angel and was sliced into pieces by her twin swords. The angel rushed the wolf, both swords slicing downwards in a dangerous arc. Gavin dodged the attack, hastily countering with a swipe from his sickle. The angel blocked the blade with one of her own and countered with the other, only to be blocked by the wolf, bringing them to a stalemate.

Now face to face with one another, Gavin growled deeply as a strange dark vortex appeared behind the angel. Inside it was nothing but a swirling dark chasm, resembling a miniature black hole of sorts. It began to pull the angel backward, and pulling the wolf with her. Gavin narrowed his eyes challengingly as if daring her to try and move. Only a few feet separated them both from the swirling dark vortex, and the pull was getting stronger as they drew closer.

The angel snarled and suddenly pushed forward _hard,_grabbing the wolf's shoulders was flinging him behind her and toward the black hole. Gavin hastily dispelled the vortex and tumbled to the ground relatively unharmed. The angel then swooped in on top of him, pinning him to the ground with her claws.

"Gav, hold on!" Jacob shouted as he hastened to aid his leader.

Before he could reach him, however, two bolts of dark energy whizzed toward the angel, harmlessly dazing her for a moment. She froze and frowned as if a bug had just bothered her, and looked up in the direction of the aggressor.

Jasper stood about twenty yards from the scene, nervously watching the creature after having just provoked her. He appeared even more frightened after she saw him. What's he doing here? Jacob thought. We told him to stay in the van!

The angel chuckled darkly and stepped off the wolf underneath her, moving toward the frightened wolf. Oh no you don't! Jacob rushed after her.

"Hey!"

Successfully distracted, the feathered creature turned back toward him and snarled. She stalked toward him, her grip on her swords tightening.

But then she got sidetracked again, this time by a jet black arrow embedding itself into her left wing. The angel flinched, grabbing the arrow and easily pulling it out of her flesh as if it were only a needle. Off to the side, Sly was now wielding a pure black bow - a bow? - and had shot an arrow to distract her.

The angel, seemingly tired of the diversions, charged straight for Sly, the agile raccoon rolling out of the way just in time to avoid her blades. He rolled straight underneath a large truck and disappeared from sight. The angel gripped the truck's frame, and with amazing strength, flung the vehicle across the parking lot and into other parked cars, crashing into them and setting off several car alarms as they collided.

The angel snarled when she found the space empty, only finding bare asphalt where Sly had just been.

"Over here!"

She spun around to see the raccoon had just rolled out from underneath another vehicle, firing off another arrow that just barely missed. That's right. They can teleport through shadows.

Before the angel could move again, Gwen ran up and leaped at the creature, wrapping her arms around her shoulders and neck and attempting to strangle her. The angel was too strong though, as she used her powerful wings to propel herself upward, taking the vixen with her.

The angel's feathers began to ripple with that strange light again, and she soon faded almost completely from sight. All they could make of her was odd ripples and distortions in the light, making her form hard to follow as she careened through the air. Gwen could only hold on for dear life as the angel tried to shake her off.

Nick and Sly were now firing arrow after arrow at the creature, careful not to hit the vixen that was amazingly still clinging to her torso. Gavin, Ashton, and Jasper all sent their own projectiles flying, but it still didn't seem to faze their opponent. No matter how often she got hit, the angel didn't seem to want to go down. At one point, an arrow just barely grazed Gwen arm, the vixen nearly losing her grip from the pain.

"Watch it!"

"We're trying!" Nick shouted, loosing another arrow. "We can barely see her!"

Brent, having recovered from his fall, walked up alongside Jacob, also staring up at the near-invisible creature flying through the air.

"She's not going down," he grunted, fiddling with the hammer in his paw. "We need to try something else."

"But what?" Jacob asked incredulously. "We don't even know what she is. And she doesn't seem to have any weaknesses."

"Everyone has a weakness." Gavin dusted himself off, directing his fierce glare up at the creature. "I've seen something like this before. It's Sealbreaking gone wrong. They tried to change her Brand, but this happened instead."

"How do we fix it?" Brent inquired.

"We don't. We have to destroy it." Gavin's eyes narrowed, his glare becoming impossibly more intimidating. "And the only way to destroy a Brand is to overload it or replace it."

"Okay, so we can't replace it. They've just tried that, and it didn't work," said Jacob in contemplation. "So how do we overload a Brand?"

"Leave that to me." Gavin's sickles reappeared in his paws, the two stars hissing and spitting where they rested. "Just find a way to keep her on the ground. I need to get close."

"Got it." Jacob cupped his paws around his muzzle. "Gwen! You need to try and bring her down to the ground!"

"What do you think I'm trying to do?!" Gwen yelled irritably, struggling not to fall as the angel continued to spiral through the air.

Hearing his instructions, Jasper now doubled up his efforts to harm the angel, black jets of smoke flying spasmodically through the air.

"Jasper! Get back to the van!" Jacob shouted. "We told you to stay there!"

"No! I want to help!"

In his distraction, the young wolf's concentration slipped just enough for him to make a mistake. Long black tendrils sprang from the wolf's paws and slipped underneath a nearby pickup truck. Black smoke and tentacle-like tendrils curled around the car and lifted it up into the air.

"Jasper, stop! Whatever it is you're doing, stop!"

"I'm not doing anything! It's not me!"

Jacob could only watch in horror and slight admiration as the shadowy tendrils gripped the car and lifted it higher and higher. Once it had reached about twenty feet, the car was launched straight into the front of the feathered angel, narrowly missing Gwen. The creature fell to the ground, screeching in pain and shock.

"Well, that's one way to do it," Jacob muttered. Then he got an idea. Running back toward the entrance they had come out of, he shouted to Jasper, "Go back to the van! We'll meet you there!"

"But I -"

"Go!"

Without looking to see if his brother had obeyed, the wolf stopped just outside the entrance. He conjured a mental image of the fountain inside, the water rippling gently as it smoothly cascaded down into the pool. Now he imagined it bubbling up and over the stone barrier, flowing towards the exit where he stood...

Water crashed through the double doors and into the parking lot, avoiding the cars and the people fighting there. The stream twisted and turned in a serpentine fashion through the air and collided with the angel. It wasn't enough to completely submerge her, but that wasn't his goal. The water soaked into the bird's feathers and hindered her ability to fly, causing her to slowly descend to the ground.

Now that they had an advantage, everyone redoubled their efforts to bring her down. They pelted her with arrows, fireballs, and miniature star orbs that seemed to have more of an effect on her now that she wasn't able to dodge as easily. Brent summoned large chunks of rock from underneath the ground that he bombarded her with, the heavy boulders dazing her and keeping her distracted with even more pain. Jacob kept the water flowing around every inch of her body, making sure to keep her soaked so she couldn't fly off again. Gwen dropped off of the angel's body to avoid getting hit.

Keeping the flow moving, Jacob redirected part of the stream back into the food court entrance. Still keeping contact with the angel, the other end of the stream crawled up the wall and poked into an electrical outlet. The result was terrifying. Back outside, the angel screamed as the electrical current ran through her body, shaking violently and instantly dropping another few feet closer to the ground.

The moment her feet touched the ground, Gavin held up a paw. "That's enough!"

Everyone ceased their efforts. The angel collapsed onto her hands and knees, fully visible now and panting exhaustion from the assault. Gavin walked toward her and stopped just a few feet away.

The angel looked up at him, eyes burning with fury. "You...will not...win," she croaked.

Gavin glared right back down at her. "We already have," was all he said before he dismissed his armor, closed the remaining distance between them, and knelt, clutching both sides of her bird-like head in his paws. He growled deeply as his body began to pulse brightly with a blue-white glow. The ripples traveled down his arms to his paws, and into the angel's body.

The feathered angel screamed louder than ever before, her own body rippling with a pure white light. It pulsed brighter with every passing second, her screams seeming to echo eerily in their minds. Gavin's own eyes shone brightly with his Star energy, their blue glow making his look all the more menacing.

It all quickly came to a close, the angel's body giving one final pulse and exploding into millions of white sparks. They floated gracefully down to the ground like tiny fireworks. On the ground where the angel once stood was the golden eagle woman as she was before, naked and lying unconscious in the puddle of water.

Gavin panted from the exertion, his feat having truly sapped him of all energy. He tried to stand, but instantly stumbled and fell to his hands and knees. Gwen hastily came to his side and put an arm over his shoulder, whispering something no one else could hear.

"We did it...we really did it," Jacob muttered in amazement, surveying the damage. The parking lot was in ruins, cars overturned, chunks of asphalt lying all over the place, broken glass littering the ground; not to mention the utter catastrophe that was the food court.

Several police cruisers and ambulances arrived at the scene, furs pouring out of the vehicles and rushing towards them. Jacob and the others retracted their weapons so as not to appear threatening to the authorities. Most of the officers ran into the building to survey the mess while the paramedics stayed and talked to them to make sure they were okay.

"No, I'm fine!" Nick was heard amidst the ruckus. "Go talk to her, she needs help!"

"I'm okay, really," Jacob said to a couple paramedics who insisted on taking his vitals. "Excuse me, I need to talk to him over there."

Jacob pushed past them and made a beeline for Gavin, who was struggling to his feet using Gwen as a support.

"You stupid old man," Gwen said with a sigh. "You've gone and exhausted yourself. Why didn't you let us help?"

"I'm not old," Gavin said tiredly as he leaned on the vixen for support. "Besides...only a Gen 2..."

"You could have let me do it," Sly said as he approached. Then with a smile, he added, "Now how are you going to drive us back?" Gavin promptly fished the keys out of his pocket and tossed them to the raccoon, who caught them with a chuckle.

Glad to see that his leader was okay, Jacob turned to watch the authorities work. People rushed in and out of the building while taking copious notes. A few paramedics came over to inspect the eagle woman who still remained unconscious. While he watched, a Doberman in a police uniform approached them.

"Good afternoon gentlemen. And lady," he added, with a polite nod to Gwen. "I'm Officer Stryker. We understand that you are a group dedicated to fighting the Sealbreaker cause?"

Gavin nodded. "We do what we can."

Stryker nodded in assent. "Do you have an appointed leader or authoritative official that I may speak to?"

The large wolf shifted on his feet in an attempt to straighten his posture, only partially succeeding. "That would be me."

A black and tan paw was held out. "Pleased to meet you, mister..."

"Masters. Gavin Masters."

"Pleasure." The Dobie cleared his throat. "Do you perhaps have time to answer a few questions?"

"He's a bit tired right now," Gwen cut in, shifting a little underneath the wolf's weight. "You can ask me instead -"

"No, Gwen, it's best if I do it." Gavin addressed the rest of the group. "Go ahead and wait in the van. This shouldn't take long."

Jacob glanced around the scene, noticing that one member of the group was missing. "Where's Jasper?"

Nick looked around as well and shrugged. "Probably back at the van. Let's go."

The remaining five of them walked back around the mall to the opposite parking lot and sure enough, Jasper sat alone in the van looking dejected. Nick placed an encouraging paw on his shoulder, "Hey, you did good," but it only made his ears go down further.

True to his word, it didn't take long at all for Gavin to finish talking to the officer. Not even ten minutes later, he too approached the van and climbed in with Gwen's help.

"What did he want?" Brent inquired.

"Not much. Just asking about what we saw, what's Legion, what we do, et cetera," Gwen replied as she climbed into the passenger seat.

"Iss nothin' harmful," Gavin said, now beginning to slur heavily. He settled back in the back seat with his eyes closed. "The public 'sposure's good fer us..."

Ashton glanced backward at the wolf. "Are you sure you're okay, Gav?"

"He'll be fine," said Gwen as Sly drove them away from the mall. "He's just tired. A depleted Brand will do that."

"He depleted his Brand to pull that off? That must have been rough." Jacob cocked his ears are the sound of heavy snoring coming from the wolf who was sitting right next to him. "Did he just fall asleep?"

"Yep. I told him he should have let someone else help." Gwen shook her head in disbelief. "What the hell happened back there anyway?"

"Not sure," said Jacob. "Gav said they tried to change her Brand and it didn't work. Well, I guess it did, in a sense."

"I know, but why?" the vixen said incredulously. "They've already got the Ultium serum in liquid form. It's what they've been selling to clients this whole time. Why crystalize it?"

"Maybe they want to hide it," Ashton suggested. "If they're trying to disguise the serum as salt, then that means they don't want clients - victims, rather - to know they're ingesting it."

"Well, yeah, but why would they want to _forcefully_change people's Brands?" Gwen sighed. "It makes no sense..."

"It's hard to tell," Brent said gruffly. "But can we discuss this after we get some food? I'm starving."

A buzz came from Jacob's pocket. He took out his phone to find a text from Nick.

About time >.<

Jacob suppressed a chuckle and made to respond, but was interrupted by a different text from an unknown number.

Hello, Jacob Grimm. Impressive performance this afternoon ;)

Jacob frowned. That certainly wasn't anyone from Legion, and he hadn't given his number out to anyone else. He glanced around quickly to make sure no one was watching and tapped out a response.

Who is this and how did you get this number?

That doesn't matter.

Jacob didn't even get a chance to respond before the next text came.

What does matter is that we are going to talk very soon.

Why can't you say it now?

Not a good time. Just want to make my presence known ;)

Why should I listen to you?

Because if you don't, bad things will happen ;)

The vague and oddly cryptic nature of the texts he was receiving was seriously putting him on edge, not to mention the abundance of winky faces.

What do you want?

You will call this number tomorrow at noon sharp. No telling and no excuses or there will be consequences.

'Or there will be consequences.' Jacob didn't want to know what that meant. Still, the question remained: how had this mysterious person gotten hold of his number? And what else had he gotten access to?

The next message answered one of those questions.

Something for you to think about ;)

What followed caused the wolf to freeze in his seat and made his heart skip a beat. The unknown caller had just sent him a photo. Filling his screen was an image of the interior of the van from the vantage point of the radio interface at the front. He could see the Sly and Gwen sitting in the front row closest to the camera. Brent, Nick, and Ashton were in the middle row; Jasper, Gavin and Jacob sat in the back. He could see clearly the look of fear etched on his own face as he sat in the back seat, staring down at what he knew to be his phone.

One more message.

Talk to you soon.

_ _