YAAAAY! IT LIVES!

Zandibar~

Rex's words chill me to the bone.  Our lives are completely in your hands. And he's right. According to my own words, he and Saana should be in jail. I never doubted this before. But... something's changed since I lugged him, unconcious, down that rope not so long ago. Since I fell, carrying Saana. Do I care about them now? I never used to. But now... 

I think about Rex or Saana being sentenced to death. I want to scream. I want to through myself at whoever wants them to die and attack. Because I do care about them now. I don't know why, but I do.

I suddenly feel so tired, so... world weary. I don't know anymore. I don't know what to think. I always knew these people I dedicated my life to stopping were real, living people, with loves and needs and wants. But I never really knew them. As people. I knew them as villians. As 'the bad guys'. But I never knew them as people.

But...

"Why?" I blurt out, "Why did you do it? Turn to crime? Why didn't you go to social services, or something? Get a foster family to take care of you? Why did you have to come to this?" Rex just shrugs.

"That was never really an option," he simply says. Saana nods. Both their defiant expressions slip a little when he says this, to reveal more than a little sadness. 

"So, what is it? Kill us, lock us all up, or what?" he asks sharply.

"I never want to kill. Ever. I don't want to kill you, I don't want to kill Will, I don't want to kill Shaia, or Skylar, or even Leopald. I don't want to kill. But which is worse; for me to kill, or for the person I didn't kill to get away and kill innocents? I've never killed before, and I don't intend to. But... is there any other way, at this point?" My voice breaks on the last sentence. What am I saying? I can't kill! I just can't!

"No," I continue, "I can't kill. There has to be another way. I'm not going to kill someone. I'm not going to be responsible for someone's death. There is another way. I just don't know it yet."

The others exchange glances. I can tell they all think I'm an idiot, but I'm not going to kill. Saana speaks:

"Now I think you get it, Zandi. Why Rex, Skylar, Shaia and I all turned to crime. I didn't want my life to be like this, but I couldn't find an alternative. Sometimes, you think and you think, and you think, but you just can't find another way. So you do what you have to. You kill."

"No. I'm sorry, guys. This is probably the dumb move. The weak move. But I refuse to kill. I am going down there. I will fight, but I will not kill. I'll try to find the best move afterwards. I want to know what you all, espesially Rex and Saana, think I ought to do next, afterwards. I will do my best to capture, but I will not kill." I pause, look around the group, then continue, "Now, who's with me?" 

OK! Thanks Star! Would I be allowed to call you Starry? Are you ok with that? I can't wait for a new post!

Hi. I'm really sorry for not posting for a while. Let's try and keep this up - we could actually finish this rp!

Saana~

Something... strange is happening to me. Something that hasn't happened since Rex and I became criminals - not since our families died. I've never actually told people what it was like, being a villian. There was no one to tell. No one to look out for us or reassure us that everything would be okay. No one to comfort us when we were scared or lonely.

But now, now Rex is doing it. He's making them understand. And that's the strange feeling. There's a lump in my throat, a hard mound clawing at my heart and making it impossible to speak. The feeling of... sadness. And then, something completely foreign to anything I had ever felt since that horrid day when I ran away from social services after they told me my parents died. Tears. They flooded down my cheeks and racked my body with violent sobs. Grief and remorse crashed over me in waves. I had never wanted to become like this. I had never wanted things to be this way.

I had thought I could overcome the horrors of the hidden, twisted ways of the slums of Evernaught city. I thought I would be able to withstand the awful guilt that comes with killing. And for a little, I thought I had. But it was just an illusion. Nobody ever wins here. There's always someone bigger, better to push you down. But we are our own biggest enemy. 

I was eleven when I took to the streets, and Rex had just turned twelve. We thought we could stay good, uncorrupted, and that we were different than all the horrible villians we had always heard about. But all that changed when we became teenagers. The truth was, I hadn't overcome Evernaught city. Evernaught city had completely and utterly defeated me. And I hated admitting it.

"Hey, are you alright?" asks Zandi, noticing me.

I wipe away my tears angrily. I've never allowed myself to cry infront of other people before, no matter how bad things were.

"Hey," says Rex. "It's ok."

I look at him hopelessly. "No, it's not."

***

Riddler,  thanks so much for posting! 

Rex

~

Saana is right. Nothing is okay. But we have to get through it, I know that much.

I awkwardly put an arm around her in an attempt at comfort. She flinches away. "I get it," I say quietly, speaking only to her. The vigilantes don't understand,  not fully,  no matter how well I explain. They can't understand what it's like.

Saana looks up, straight into Zandibar's eyes. "You don't want to kill?"

Zandi nods without a hesitation.

Saana smiles grimly. "And that's why you will never understand what our lives are like."

I continue before the vigilantes can speak. "So we'll fight with you. And we won't kill. But whatever happens to Skylar and Shaia in the end,  happens to us too."

After a beat, Saana nods. "I'm with Rex. Whatever justice they get appliesto us as well."

Gem opens the window and we slip inside. So begins the fight. 

So, as Brookeira has left for an undetermined amount of time, what should we do about Willomena? I guess we just keep writing our charrie's perceptions of what she's doing, but should we make decisions for her?

Zandibar~

I'm startled that Rex and Saana still stick by their former partners, even as we go to fight them. But now is not the time to question it. We drop to the floor and the trio inside turn around. 

"Well, look who it is. The traitors and the vigilantes," Shaia sneers, "what a suprise."

"You are so predictable, weak vigilantes. Always on 'the side of good' or whatever," Skylar puts in, adding finger-quotes around the words 'the side of good'. I ignore this exchange, saying,

"It doesn't have to be like this. If you all just come with us, it will be much easier. For everyone."

"Silly girl. You can't honestly believe that," Shaia replies, "Because we will never go down without a fight. We are strong. Will'o'wisp is strong. Unlike you, Skylock. Very unlike you weak little traitors, Rex and Saana." Rex makes a growling noise in his throat, but stays where he is. I turn to Willomena,

"Will. Please come back. Please." She just looks at me.

"I need you, Will." She seems like she's about to speak, but then Leopold walks in. He seems to take in the scene and looks at Will.

"Well, Subject Beta? Prove your loyalty. Attack Zandibar. She is not yet worthy of being called Subject Alpha," he smiles cruelly. Will hesitates a moment. Can I see pain and even regret in her gaze? Or is it just my imagination? 

And how in the world did he even know my name? 

"Go on, Will. Prove yourself."

She stays just a second longer, then throws herself at me. She's stronger, but I'm faster. I duck underneath her arms, tripping her. She falls, but manages to throw a smoke bomb as she goes down. My eyes start to burn and tear up. I cough and rub my eyes to get the smoke out. Fortunatly by the time she is standing I can mostly see again.

Will throws herself at me again, but this time I'm not ready. I'm still off-balance and dazed by the smoke bomb and my possible concusion. She grabs my shoulders and tries to force me to the ground, but I launch upward, throwing her off me. She falls backward onto the floor and I pin her by the shoulders. She struggles, then blue-green liquid starts leaking out of her eyes, surrounding me. I roll away, but too late. She throws me up into the air with her power, raises me almost to the celing, then lets me fall. I change into a hawk again and swoop at her. She hits at me with her fist and we both scream as my talons rake her hand.

I dive to the ground in front of her and change back to human, horrified. I never wanted to hurt her.

"Will! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" she punches me with her bloody fist, cutting off my words. I stagger backwards, stunned. All around me I can hear the fighting. 

"I know you're in there, Will," I mutter. Then I change into a wolf and charge.

TOP!

TOP already! Are you superglued?

TOPTOPTOP!