Questions

Michael sat back in his chair, looking at his screens. He was pretty sure one of the camera had caught an image of his daughter, but he wasn't quite sure how that was possible. He ran the fort data once more to make sure that he hadn't missed anything. There was nothing that showed anyone leaving or entering the fort.

Michael rose, knowing that there was only one way to be sure. As he checked the doors, the physical markers showed that one had been opened multiple times. He knew now that Karen had found a way to beat the computer system.

Looking into her room, he saw her reading and quietly shut the door. He returned to his chair, unsure of what to do next. He understood the urge to get out and explore, but the world was a very dangerous place, especially now. He had built the fort to keep her safe, and couldn't do that if she was leaving it.

As he sat there thinking, something on one of the screens caught his eye. He picked up the controller and enhanced the image one of Dayspring's cameras had picked up. He couldn't believe it, but the image was unmistakable. Someone was running down a street wearing a Redline costume!

He ran to his room and grabbed a few items, slipping into some dark clothing. He had to find this person before the Watchmen caught and killed them. He stopped at Karen's room and walked in, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I have to go out to find something. I want you to stay in your room while I'm gone, okay?"

Karen nodded, and he turned to leave the room. Before he reached the door, he turned back to her.

"When I get back, we need to talk about something."

She nodded again and he stepped out of the room, worried that something would happen to her while he was gone. He knew that he couldn't let someone run around town dressed like him. He knew all too well just how much pain that could bring. He locked down the fort, then ran off into the night to find this new Redline.

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Well, look at this... I'm posting on time again! Now I just need to continue to post on time. I can't do it alone, though! If you have ideas for where the story should go next, let me know by Thursday. The next section will be posted next Saturday.

Until Next Time,

Your Fearless Writer,

C. R. Hopkins

Relocation

When Karen got to the Justice Force's hideout the next night, everyone was rushing around, filling two trucks near the exit. Karen quickly found Dean and looked at him quizzically.

"We're packing up, Spirit. We're moving. Wings was captured by the Watchmen. They could be here anytime."

__________________

Wings screamed as the burning liquid flowed through his veins. He hoped his body would just give out, but they kept healing him after every session. He wasn't sure how long he had been here, but it must have been two weeks at least.

He knew they would be bringing the mind-flayer soon, but he had to hold out, in order to save the largest number of people. He was sure that the Force had left on the day of his capture, but there might be some that were away from the hideout. As his body was being stitched together by the serum, he saw one of his interrogators walking toward him with a flayer.

The flayer was a machine with organic tentacles that stripped secrets from one's mind. Flayers were extremely difficult to make, and each had only one use, due to the energy conversion process they used to steal the mind's secrets. He felt it grip his head, then a sensation of his head being torn open, then nothing at all.

________________________

Mayor von Haast walked toward the door of the time sphere, anxious to hear the results after the hour-long interrogation. The two interrogators slowly stepped out of the sphere, trying to adjust back to the normal flow of time.

The mayor wasn't in a mood to wait for them to fully adjust. "Well, where are they?"

The lead interrogator shuffled his feet slightly. "We weren't able to get a location."

The mayor's face turned red with rage. "Why not?"

"We applied the mind-flayer too soon. It killed the subject before it could get deep enough into his mind."

"I see." The mayor tapped his cane on the ground, releasing a dark bolt of energy into the two interrogators, turning them to ash instantly. The mayor quickly exited the room to prepare his next move.

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Apologies for the delay again. I ended up getting frustrated after what I originally wrote got erased, and I needed a bit of a push to write this portion again. Let me know where to take the next section by Thursday, and I will definitely have the next section up on Saturday.

Until Saturday,

Your Fearless Writer,

C. R. Hopkins