"Hey kids!" Zack said as Ted led him and Paulina into their room.
"Hello Mr. Scott." Ted and Omniboy said. Rift just gave him a silent nod.
"Oh come on. Call me Zack. We're all friends here. Seems you're adjusting nicely. How's rooming with Jake going?"
"Really good. Jake keeps to himself a lot of the time but does most of the chores. He's either doing that or sleeping. That man loves to sleep," Ted replied.
"Nothing ever changes. Well, Paulina and I came over so we can have a little fun."
"Fun?" Ted asked.
"I brought movies!" Zack said, holding several CDs with a wide-eyed grin.
"And I made popcorn," Paulina chimed in while holding a bag of the buttered goodness.
"Th-that's really sweet," Ted said, scratching the back of his metallic head. "But Jake isn't here right now."
"Oh? Why?" Zack asked.
"He said he's on some private business."
"He's probably looking for Ivy again," Paulina said.
"Yeah, that's what Stacya told us," Ted replied.
"I take it she followed him?" Zack asked.
"Yeah, but I don't think he'd like that," Ted said.
"Why?" Zack asked again.
"He said it's something really private and if any of you try to follow him we should stop you," Ted answered.
"I take it Stacya didn't get the memo," Zack said with a smirk.
"Yeah."
"She's persistent. I'll give her that. She'll be back with him in no time. You'll see. And hey! If we're lucky they actually find Ivy," Zack said, still smirking.
"Who is this Ivy anyway? Whenever we ask about her Jake either changes the subject or brushes her off," Omniboy asked.
"Best to avoid the topic for now. C'mon. Let's start up the movies. The others will join soon enough."
"What about Luthor and that Max guy? Isn't he part of the team too?" Omniboy asked again.
"Luthor is having fun with his family back home. He doesn't live here. As for Max, we don't... we don't really talk about him," Zack said as Paulina turned on Jake's TV.
Max sat in his room staring at the wall, a piece of himself watching the conversation unfold.
"Jake, Jake, Jake... wherever could you be?" Max said, getting up to track him down.
Meanwhile...
It was a cold and windy night across the city. Jake felt the wind brush across his face as he ran.
Usually, he'd be hopping from building to building, avoiding the streets and roads due to his speeds, but now? The streets were empty. So were the roads.
Plenty of space to run. Plenty of time to think.
If what He told him was right, this was his chance of finally finding Ivy. His chance of curing her. His chance of getting her back to him.
How would she react to the three human kids? To the incident at the Super Society? To her being cured?
Jake smiled at the thought.
He was so happy he almost didn't notice someone following him.
He turned towards the nearest alley and stopped there. He looked around and saw no one.
He didn't have time for this.
"Show yourself."
Nothing.
He really didn't have time for this.
"Now!"
Stacya emerged from the ground with a splash.
Jake stood back so as to not get any liquified concrete on his clothes. He wore a black T-shirt with dark red jeans but no shoes. Even he admitted such casual attire looked strange on his monstrous form.
She wore a black one-piece swimsuit very similar to her costume. The Spear of Selene shone very brightly as it clung to the strap on her back.
"What are you doing here?" Jake asked right off the bat.
"The kids said you were looking for Ivy and..."
"They also said no one should follow me. Am I correct?"
"I thought you needed some help."
"Am I correct?"
"To cover more ground you..."
"Am I correct, Stacya?"
"Yeah."
"Look, I appreciate what you're doing but I don't need your help. At least not now."
"Why?"
"My own business, Stacya."
"What do you mean?"
"Goodbye, Stacya."
"Look, I barely knew her but..."
"Good. Bye. Stacya."
Stacya opened her mouth to speak but he was already long gone. She took a step to follow but stopped. It was futile. He'd just stop her again.
She turned to the nearest wall and bashed her head against it.
She didn't want to make him mad.
Angry, she did it again.
But she still wanted to follow him.
She barely knew Ivy but she knew how much she meant to him.
And again.
She liked Jake.
And again.
Even more than a lot of her friends.
And again.
Seeing him like this hurt her.
And again.
She just wanted to help.
And again.
To make him feel better.
And again.
But she couldn't.
Just as the blood was dripping down her face, she charged for another slam but stopped.
She felt someone grab her shoulder and pin her to the wall.
"Careful now. You don't wanna damage that Atlantean skull of yours."
"Wha...? Max?"
"In the flesh. Thanks for the distraction, by the way."
"What are you doing here? Distraction? What do you..."
"I put a piece of myself on him while you were talking. If it weren't for you I wouldn't have gotten the chance. Now we can track him down. Just like we did for the Kobra Klan."
"Y-you followed me? Why?"
"To make sure Jake doesn't get into any trouble. I am supposed to train him after all."
She didn't have a response to that. Her best bet was to change the topic.
"Well, I'm still following him."
"No, you're going home."
"What? Why would I..."
Before she could even finish, his lips were on her. She was too shocked to move. To resist. This felt wrong but she didn't fight back.
Luckily she came to her senses in a matter of seconds.
Just as she raised her arms Max let her go.
"Why did you..."
"Thanks."
"What?"
He then turned and dove into the concrete floor, and much to her shock, it liquified. Soon after, he was gone.
She looked at the ripples left by his trail for a few long seconds. Soon she snapped back to reality, turned the opposite direction, and went back to base to warn the others.
But what happened was still at the back of her mind.
Did he copy her powers?
She knew he could make powers with that strange red energy, similar to Jake enhancing his powers with his blue energy, but copying powers through kissing?
Or was it something else?
Did he make that power or is it something he can do on his own?
She kept the topic at the back of her mind but made sure she was focused on warning the others. She didn't trust Max much but she didn't want to gamble on his words.
Especially with Jake on the line.
Speaking of Jake...
"I'm here!" Jake said as he stepped into the same children's hospital he found the kids in.
As he walked along the corridor, he felt a sudden chill run down his spine.
"This place was not that scary before," He muttered to himself.
Suddenly he saw the walls begin to grow darker and darker as a black mist formed around them.
"Is that you?"
No response.
The mist began to creep closer and closer, consuming the walls as they approached.
"This isn't funny, you know. Show yourself..."
"Hello."
The figure stood before Jake before he could even finish. It was like he spawned out of the mist.
Jake nearly leapt away in shock but did everything in his power to keep himself composed.
"You again. You're the Bishop, right?" Jake asked in a voice much more beast-like than usual.
"Yes. I am the Bishop of the Lost Light." He said with an emotionless voice. He wore a completely black hooded robe that covered him from head to toe.
His face was covered with a black mask resembling a human skull with two white dots for eyes. Its design was eerily similar to Jake's monstrous face.
"So do you have her here?" Jake asked, returning his voice back to normal.
"You don't need to fake your voice for me. We are allies."
"Just tell me you have her."
"Yes I do. Just like we discussed before. I have your dear beloved Ivy in my possession. All you need to do to get her back is to come with me."
"And you're not playing a trick here? You really have her?"
The Bishop didn't answer this time but rather reached out his gloved hand towards him. Then the black mist appeared again.
"Take a look."
Jake stared at the mist for a few long seconds and saw a figure inside of it. A woman.
No.
Ivy.
She still had her tail.
She still had her head of snakes for hair.
She still had her green skin.
She was still a mutant.
She seemed to be in a tank of some sort. Probably to keep her contained, Jake thought. Still, it didn't sit right with him.
"Why is she in a cage? She's not an animal."
"She can't control herself. She'd attack us and escape if we let her go. You don't want that, right?"
"No."
"And you want her back, right?"
"Yeah."
"And you know what we want from you, right?"
"Yeah. You want the Baron."
"Good. Now let's go. We can't delay any further."
Jake nodded in response. Soon after, the Bishop pressed his palm on Jake's chest and the mist covered him. Jake nearly resisted but the Bishop gave him a reassuring look, at least that's what Jake thought it was, and he calmed down.
In a few seconds the mist consumed him.
And all Jake saw was darkness.
Just like how it was before.
The first time.
When Max gave him the Black Water.
After the Lost Light sent him.
The same Lost Light he's making a deal with.
Was he really ready to do this?
Jake, while still skeptical, kept quiet and stood in the mist for a few long seconds, trying to block out his doubts.
He couldn't go back now. Not when he was so close to his goal.
To her...
The darkness dissipated even faster than it appeared. Jake found himself in a large open arena, similar to that of a colosseum.
He looked around to see marble pillars and statues arranged neatly around a large circular hall. Above him was an arrangement of seats occupied by hundreds of robed figures watching him. Some murmuring, some clapping.
Jake tried his best to ignore them.
In front of him were two tables with straps arranged close to each other. The ground below them was some kind of pentagram with symbols Jake couldn't even begin to comprehend.
"Probably to extract the Baron," Jake muttered to himself.
He then heard the sound of splashing.
Behind him was a large square tank of water.
Ivy was in it.
Just as Jake turned to go to her, run to her, the Bishop placed his hand on his shoulder.
"Now now, Jake. It's not time yet. You know what you have to do," The Bishop said calmly.
Jake nodded.
He walked over to the two tables before him, the crowd above cheering and clapping in response, and laid down and let the Bishop strap him to it.
"Did I really want this?" Jake thought as the Bishop tightened his restraints.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, loyal followers of Umbra, of the Lost Light, I present to you, the vessel!" The Bishop said to the cheering crowd.
"Was this right?"
"For too long we have laid low. Stayed in the dark. Not a threat in the slightest. Well, that changes today!"
"What would my team think?"
"At last we have the vessel in our grasp. Just as the prophesy foretold. Soon the Baron will return. Soon he will alert the great one..."
"What would Ivy think?"
"And she will take this world! We will take this world!"
Suddenly the mist returned and covered Jake entirely. As it did, Jake felt his body being lighter by the second, like a great weight was being lifted off his shoulders.
He felt no pain.
Just relief.
"Was this a trick?"
"Wasn't he supposed to feel pain?"
All Jake saw then was darkness.
Just like the first time.
Just like all those times before.
This time, he saw something flying at him.
Something big...
A person?
"Barry?!" Jake screamed as the figure brushed past him. He tried to reach over and grab him but was too slow.
"My seed, what have you done?!" He said with the fear in his voice clear as day.
"I... I think I doomed us all..."
To be continued...