Saturday, December 31st, 2016

Safehouse C

23:20

Maddie was nervous when Erika came into her room and closed the door behind her.

"Oh, Maddie," Erika said as she sat down.

"I'm sorry, Erika – it just happened."

"These things do."

Erika paused for a few moments before she continued.

"Do you know how much trouble that this might cause? You are just thirteen, Maddie. You have had underage sex with a boy. I am currently your guardian, and that means if somebody finds out about you and James, then you get taken off me."

Maddie looked horror-struck.

"I . . ." Maddie tried.

"I have no problem with you exploring your sexuality and James is a nice boy, but I just want you to be very careful. Something tells me that you have no desire to become a mother, just yet."

"God, no!" Maddie exclaimed.

"Then, you need to be careful. Tomorrow, we go get you started on the pill and fitted with an IUD, young lady."

"Yes, Erika."

"I would suggest that you just 'play' and keep his dick on the outside for a while."

Maddie's mouth dropped open and her face went directly to full-on red.


The following morning
Sunday, January 1st, 2017

Safehouse C

James and Maddie arrived together for breakfast, only for them both to stop dead as they found the twins waiting for them.

Both were grinning which could not be good for anybody. Then Maddie scowled as she recognised the music playing from Sky's cell phone.

Hoo, like a virgin
Touched for the very first time
Like a virgin
When your heart beats
Next to mine

"You can tell Madonna to go fuck herself!" Maddie announced.

"Obviously," Sky commented. "Getting poked in the snatch by James made her a little touchy."

Maddie scowled at the public mention of her private parts and she glared at Sky.

"Do you want me to shoot you again?" Maddie growled.

Sky grimaced as she rubbed her upper left chest area.

"I'll pass, thanks," Sky commented dryly.

"Touchy!" Chrissy chuckled before turning to James. "First time?"

"Yeah," James admitted.

"Was she a good ride?" Chrissy pushed.

"That's enough, Christina!" Erika said sharply. "I will not have you asking such things, understand?"

"Yes, Erika," Chrissy replied. "Sorry, Maddie, James."

"He was gentle," Maddie admitted, her face a fiery red.

"Cool!" Sky chuckled.


Old Sonoma Road, Napa
San Francisco, California

That same morning

Dieter blew his top.

It was like Mount St Helen's in 1985, only a magnitude worse. The news had come in about the casino being attacked. Then had come the news that the casino counter-attack had failed . . . badly. Right on the back of that, more bad news had arrived from Chicago. The failure of the bomber to take out any vigilantes was not pleasant news.

"I want another attack in Chicago," Dieter simmered, barely trusting himself to speak.

"Yes, sir," Anton Renke replied quickly.

Dieter Mannheim was just the sort of person to shoot the messenger. Renke had delivered some very bad news. His underlings had let him down – badly! However, there were a couple of silver linings.

"We did take down one vigilante in Glasgow, sir."

"We actually succeeded?" Dieter exploded. "Thank fuck! Which vigilante?"

"We believe it was Prowl, boss."

"One of the little shits?"

"Yes, boss."

Dieter groaned audibly.

"Well, I suppose the little bitch will be missed," Dieter reasoned. "She is dead, right?"

"Er, we don't know."

Dieter paced from one side of the capacious room to the other, allowing his temper to simmer and reduce slightly before responding.

"Are we ready for Terra Nova to begin?" he asked.

"Yes, boss – they are in position and have been scoping out the opposition. We should expect an attack around early February."

"Give them anything they need," Dieter ordered.

"Yes, boss."


That afternoon

Santa Monica Beach

Feet pounded into sand as the group passed beneath the Santa Monica pier, two miles into their almost six-mile run.

James was leading, his long legs striding ahead of him. Behind came the twins, Sky and Chrissy, their own legs reaching out and keeping pace with James and just a few feet behind the boy. Next came Guinevere and Nicholas as they kept together, keeping their pace the same and their breathing steady. The next group consisted of Logan who was keeping Juno going. Juno was enjoying the run, although it was a lot further than she was used to. The Predators had been running multi-mile distances for many years and thought nothing of such runs. The cool air and hard-packed sand helped to keep them going without overheating as they might at the height of summer. Finally, right at the back, Maddie was doing her very best to keep up. Erika was beside the IT geek as the youngster kept her feet moving out of sheer willpower, not wanting to let the team down by dropping out. Erika was there to stop Maddie should the girl push things too far. James was a good two hundred yards ahead, along with the twins. Maddie so wanted to be right up there, but she was not an athletic person – at all. The first two miles had been hell . . . to be honest, the first fifty yards hadn't been easy.

"Erika . . . I need to . . ."

"Slow down gently and start walking," Erika said, and Maddie did exactly that, slowing down but keeping moving to allow her muscles to settle.

"I'm . . . letting the team . . . down," Maddie moaned.

"No, you're not, honey," Erika said as they both stopped, breathing hard. "You're not an operator. Those guys, other than Juno, have been running for years. You're our geek, Maddie."

Maddie grinned as she fought for breath, her chest heaving. She had so wanted to be able to finish. Erika had told her that she did not need to run, but Maddie just wanted to be part of the team. She knew that one day, she would need to go out into the field, and that meant that she would need to be fit enough to keep up with the operators.

"It'll come, Maddie," Erika said. "Give it time and you'll be able to keep up with them all . . . you've got long legs and that helps."

Maddie grinned, still struggling to catch her breath.

..._..

Five hundred yards ahead, Juno was beginning to struggle.

Despite Guinevere pushing her over the preceding months to improve her fitness, such wild exercise was beyond what the thirteen-year-old could routinely handle. That annoyed her in the very same way as it had annoyed Maddie. Juno so wanted to be as good as the others but that would take time and training, she knew. Still, that was not about to stop her from trying her hardest. As she watched, she saw Guinevere pursuing Nicholas who was accelerating on ahead in an effort to catch James. Logan did not appear all that interested in catching up, instead, he remained with Juno.

"Keep up a constant pace . . . little bit slower . . . use your legs to their advantage; they are long, so use that length to stride ahead. Keep the pace steady . . . just like that – perfect."

Juno was thankful for Logan. He kept her going during training when she felt like collapsing. He would also stop her if he thought that she was pushing herself too much in a way which could cause injury. He knew that Juno wanted to be as good as Guinevere – but no one was as good as Guinevere . . . except maybe for Nicholas. The pair were cutting edge Predators, top of their game.

Juno pushed on, determined to finish, even if it all but killed her.

..._...

As the finish hove into view and they came down to their last hundred yards, it was a major free-for-all as the remaining Predators bolted for the finish.

James and Nicholas were ahead, but only just as the long-legged twins kept pace two feet behind. Guinevere brought up the rear, just a foot behind the twins. All five were sprinting hard, pushing themselves to the limit and beyond. They ignored the burning in their muscles and in their chests as they each strove to be the first to touch the steel barrier. The boys had more stamina due to their genetic makeup, but the three females were not going down without a fight and they pushed harder and harder. Guinevere began giggling as she fought to outpace Nicholas who laughed in return. The twins pushed to outdo each other, just as much as they pushed to outpace James and the others, but especially James. Somehow, the boy was the major target – maybe it was because of what he had been caught doing with Maddie; the twin girls had their own ideas on how Maddie should be behaving and hence they felt that she might need protecting from herself. As for James, they needed to keep him under their thumbs where he belonged.

It looked like it was to be the boys who were going to win, as they sprinted forward, leaving the three girls an ever-increasing distance behind. It might have been a photo finish had Nicholas not stumbled slightly on the uneven sand, thus allowing James to crash into the barrier which prevented beachgoers from falling into the sea, first. Nicholas groaned as he crashed down to the sand beside the younger teen. The three girls arrived about fifteen seconds behind the boys with Guinevere taking the bronze while Sky took immense joy in gloating at her twin for coming last.

"That was fun," James commented.

"How about we go again tomorrow," Guinevere suggested.

"I think you might be on your own, Guinny," Nicholas replied to general agreement.

"Let's go find Maddie, Juno, and Logan," Chrissy suggested as she forced herself back to her feet.

The five teenagers began to slowly walk back down the beach.

..._...

Maddie and Erika were waiting half way back down the beach.

As the group approached (staggered towards) them, Maddie scowled as she saw James grinning at her. The boy jogged ahead of the others and he made directly for Maddie. Just as he came within five yards of her, Maddie decided that was far enough.

"Stop!" Maddie exclaimed, holding out her arm, palm out.

"Huh?" James queried.

"You're soaked in sweat and you stink."

"Like you don't."

"Not as bad as you," Maddie retorted, wrinkling her nose.

"Maddie doesn't like sweat," Sky grinned. "She prefers the smell of electrons."

"Oh, for God's sake!" Chrissy exclaimed.

Maddie grinned but did not relent, keeping James at arm's length. The final jog was back to D-JAK where they would be able to shower and change. It was gentle and very slow-paced, allowing everyone to cool down and prevent muscle problems after the muscle-crunching run. It was not far but was harder under foot as they were running on the sidewalks as opposed to the compacted sand.

"Finally!" Maddie exclaimed as they reached D-JAK and the girl promptly collapsed onto the mat, breathing heavily.

Everybody laughed as they grabbed bottles of cold water and made for the showers.

..._...

Maddie and James had both made a point of avoiding one other, not that anybody was falling for it, just in case anybody got the wrong idea.

Therefore, the showers were a major temptation and Maddie succumbed and took the opportunity to have a proper look at James as she had not really had much opportunity to look at the time when they had succumbed to temptation the night before. However, she was not naked; she had a towel wrapped tightly around her midriff. James grinned as Maddie checked him out from head to toe, pausing part way down. It was a lot smaller than it had been . . . but only for a moment. Maddie was mesmerised as it grew before her very eyes and she felt her face turning bright red as she watched.

"Not a bad sized dick," Sky commented as she strolled past au naturel. "You are one lucky bitch!"

Maddie ran before anyone could say another word, giggling her head off.


The following week
Saturday, January 7th, 2017

Oak Pass Road

It was early evening and the youngsters had opted to spend the time in James' bedroom.

Maddie had giggled when James had selected some music to set the mood. The music allowed Maddie to shrug off any inhibitions as she so wanted to experience for a second time, that which they had both experienced just a week before.

First time, first love, oh, what feeling is this
Electricity flows with the very first kiss

Maddie felt the electricity flowing within her body as James pulled off her T-shirt and then began to play with her breasts through the soft material of her bra. Each and every time James touched Maddie's skin, she giggled, loving each touch . . . then he kissed her, full on the lips . . . she simply melted beneath his touch. They hadn't properly kissed that first time – it had been more fumbling than much else, to be honest.

Like a break in the clouds and the first ray of sun
I can feel it inside, something new has begun

"I love you, Maddie. . ."

And it's taking control of my body and mind
It begins when I heard, 'I love you'

Maddie giggled as he said those simple words, but Maddie needed his lips on her own. She gulped as his lips moved down to her neck and she giggled as she found his touch ticklish as he kissed down to her collarbone. Then Maddie's eyes went wide as James went further and she felt his fingers beneath her back . . . then her bra went slack, and James began to kiss her breasts before his lips then touched her right. . .

For the very first time
For the very first time

Maddie felt shivers spreading across her body, interspersed by electric shocks which caused her body to tense up as sensations felt only once before surged through her breasts and down to her groin. For James, it was something beyond amazing as he struggled to control the urges he felt in his groin. The undiscovered country which was Maddie's body was incredible in the boy's mind.

This life, this love, oh, what sweetness I feel
So mysterious yet so incredibly real
It's an uncharted sea, it's an unopened door
But you gotta reach out and you gotta explore

Maddie reached down as James pulled off his own T-shirt and he shrugged off his shorts – he wore no underwear, much to Maddie's joy. She experienced more joy as she explored his groin; so hot, in so many ways, she thought.

Even though you're not sure till the moment arrives
There he is, and you know you're in love

Then he kissed her again and again, his fingers touching her down below as he pushed down her shorts and panties. She felt sensations that she had not felt before as James fingers explored . . .

For the very first time
For the very first time

Instead of stealing a condom, Maddie had forced herself to ask Sky for another one – Sky had given Maddie a box of twelve and made her promise to use them, each and every time. Maddie pushed James upright – he was very upright – and she feverishly ripped open the small square foil packet and gently unrolling the contents down James' shaft. She could see it jerking and she figured that he was struggling to hold it in. As Maddie lay back down and James plunged in, Maddie screamed out with pleasure as she gazed into his sensual brown eyes.

And baby when I met you
Every feeling I had was new

Maddie felt her body tensing up within seconds as James worked away inside her. She barely realised that she was squealing . . .

I don't think there are words
To describe the sensation

Maddie screamed!

No, no, no, no

Then it was over, and James collapsed off to the side as Maddie struggled to breath . . . to do anything.

It's an uncharted sea, it's an unopened door
But you gotta reach out and you gotta explore

Then she turned her head and she kissed James. . .

And when something happens that words can't define

. . .who responded, kissing Maddie deeply.

Only then do you know you're in love

For the very first time
For the very first time

For the very first time

"Damn!" James commented as he pulled the duvet up the bed to partially cover themselves. "That was the hottest three minutes and fourteen seconds of my life."

Neither teenager heard the knock on the door, nor noticed the door to their bedroom being pushed open until they both sensed someone standing in the room. They both looked up, to see a boy, just a few months older than James – actually, six months, to be precise – staring at Maddie's exposed breasts.

"Hello, I'm Kieran."


A few minutes later. . .

"So," James commented as he sidled into the kitchen with a dressed Maddie. "You've been released."

"Yes," Kieran confirmed. "My tracker was removed just last night."

"Cool," James replied. "This is Maddie."

"Your girlfriend?" Kieran asked.

"Yes," Maddie confirmed as redness tinted her cheeks.

"It just kind of . . . happened," James grinned.

"Somebody," Maddie growled, glaring at the giggling twins, "left our door open."

"Not funny, girls," Erika pointed out as she too glared at the two giggling girls.

"Nice boobs, by the way," Kieran grinned.

"That is the very last time you see them," Maddie hissed as she felt her cheeks burning. "But thanks."

Sky and Chrissy stopped their giggling and simply laughed out loud.


That night

It was a new start for Kieran Brennan.

The fourteen-year-old Predator wanted to do something with his life, but he wanted to make difference. In that way, he had opted to make for the west coast and Los Angeles where he knew that there might just be an opening for him in the Los Angeles branch of Fusion. As the boy strolled around the back yard, enjoying the amazing view over the valley, he was certain that he had made the correct decision. Leaving the cold and snow of Chicago behind had been an easy decision.

"A pleasant view," a familiar voice commented.

"Not bad," Kieran replied. "You seem to have settled in."

"It just happened, mate . . . what can I say?" James chuckled. "It's my magic Brit charm – the yank girls just can't resist it."

"Bullshit!"

"But you can't argue with the results," James pressed.

"No, I can't," Kieran conceded. "Maddie is a lovely girl . . . from what I've seen."

"She is lovely, but she's also an uber geek – it's part of what I love about her."

"You always were a little weird, James."

"I'll take that as a complement."

"You do that."

As James wandered back inside, Erika appeared.

"Enjoying the view?"

"Yeah," Kieran replied.

"Beats Chicago, huh?"

"Sure does."

"I know what you want to be doing out here, Domitor," Erika commented. "I promise to help you along, but only you can get there. You will have to prove yourself. Understand?"

"Yes, Erika. I understand."

"One last thing before I go to my bed, don't let the bitches push you around."

Kieran laughed.

"Oh, I know how to put those two in their places."

"Pleased to hear it . . . night."

"Night, Erika."

Kieran lay down on the grass and gazed up at the stars, thinking through his life and the bad decisions he had made . . . finally, he appeared to have made the correct decision.


That same night...

Pacific Palisades

The creature was out once again.

The dark green mottled effect of her combat suit ensured that she blended in perfectly to the shadows as she pursued her mark. The creature stalked with ultimate precision, never putting a foot down without considering the potential consequences. Her mark for the night was another stalker. The stalker had murdered two women, over the past month. The murderous bastard was currently out on bail after a fuck up during his trial. It appeared that he was about to escape justice, but that could not be allowed. He could not be allowed to kill again, either.

As Carnivora watched from a sheltered position in the shadows, she observed the stalker parked up at an intersection and watching a pair of young women as they walked up the street, both heading home after a pleasant night on the town. Neither were aware that they were being stalked, nor that their stalker was also being stalked. Both stalkers had murder on their minds, only for Carnivora it was simply business with a bit of pleasure mixed in. That night, the creature was determined to make a statement and put her existence on the map as a warning to any others dodging justice. As the stalker climbed out of his car, heading up the same street as the two young women. One of them turned, having heard footsteps. They both simply froze as the man closed on them. Their slightly inebriated minds slowing their reflexes and thought processes. The stalker produced a large knife and the two young women screamed as they turned to run. Unfortunately, for one of the young women, her high-heels went over and she started to fall, but she found herself caught by something which blended in with the shadows.

"Run!" the creature hissed, and the young woman ran after her friend, leaving her high-heels behind.

The stalker, Ben Styles, suddenly found himself facing something out of his worst nightmares . . . instead of two sexual conquests.

"You want a female to play with, huh?" the creature hissed. "I'm all yours."

A terrified Ben Styles turned to run.


Forty minutes later...

Lieutenant Frank Nielsen of the Robbery-Homicide Division was staring down at the remains of Ben Styles when his cell rang.

"Nielsen."

"I killed Ben Styles."

Frank raised an eyebrow at the comment.

"Is that so? May I have your name – for the file?"

"Carnivora," the voice hissed before the line went dead.

Frank was a veteran of twenty years and he had never had somebody call him at a live murder scene to admit to the crime. Not that the call actually helped him very much.

"I'm too old for this shit!" he complained.

"What's up, boss?" Detective Ray Scott asked as he passed over a passable excuse for coffee.

"We have ourselves a new vigilante in town," Frank explained. "Carnivora."

"Carnivora?"

"Yeah, she just called in and told me she took down that pile of shit over there."

"Styles?"

"Yeah – the idiot went and tried to attack two girls while on bail, only Carnivora prevented the attack and executed him."

"Murdered, don't you mean?"

"Aaah, semantics."


The next morning
Sunday, January 8th, 2017

Oak Pass Road

Sunday morning was normally slow as far as the newspapers were concerned, only there had been a major stop-press for the current front-page headline:

CARNIVORA

"Woah!" Christina Abbott exclaimed as she read the text which went with the half-page headline.

"Someone new in town?" Erika asked.

"Looks like it," Chrissy replied. "Looks like the so-called Bluffs Ripper is a vigilante known as Carnivora."

"Carnivora," Erika mused.

"Any threat to us?" Chrissy pondered.

"As long as she keeps to herself and does not interfere in our operations, then we can let her alone. Just so long as she stays well away from shit-for-brains," Erika replied.

"Dieter?"

"Yeah."

Kieran and James appeared for breakfast, both discussing the new vigilante.

"She sounds hot," Kieran admitted.

"Oh, brother!" Chrissy growled.

"Bane feeling a little jealous?" James chuckled.

"No . . ."

"Sounds like the mark deserved to die," Kieran commented.

"I would have killed him," James admitted.

"Okay, standing order," Erika stated once they were joined by Maddie and Sky. "No one will engage this Carnivora, understand?"

"Understood," they all intoned.

Chrissy was still perusing the article which described slashing marks on the dead body as consistent to the claws belonging to a wild animal – she immediately thought of Wildcat and grinned to herself.


That same morning

Mulholland Drive
Beverly Hills

Juno was shaking.

Not from fear, but from satisfaction. It had been her very first full-on sexual experience and she was struggling to feel her extremities as she lay spread-eagled on the bed. Beside her, Logan was grinning happily. He was very pleased to have had Juno screaming and writhing in ecstasy. As he studied the naked girl, he saw her muscles twitching as she came down from the biggest orgasm Logan had yet seen from any girl. The boy looked up as he heard a knock on the door.

"Was that a nuclear explosion or Juno having an orgasm?" Nicholas enquired.

"Have a look," Logan suggested.

Nicholas pushed open the bedroom door and he laughed at the sight of Juno lying stark naked on the bed. Guinevere appeared behind him, grinning broadly.

"That was so freakin' awesome!" The girl in question exclaimed as she sat up, ignoring the fact that she was naked, and everyone was staring at her. "Can we go again?"

"Honey," Guinevere laughed. "Logan isn't a fairground ride."

Juno groaned as she flopped back down onto the bed.

"I want it so bad – Guinny, can I borrow your vibrator?"

"She has one?" Logan asked Nicholas.

"Oh, yeah!" Nicholas replied. "It's for when I'm fucking worn out. Runs on high-capacity batteries to keep Guinny coming and coming, for hours and hours and hours. . ."

"No, honey, you don't share dildos," Guinevere replied, ignoring Nicholas' stupid grin.

"Back to the finger then," Juno groused as she began to play.

Guinevere dragged Nicholas out of the bedroom as Juno began to moan.


One week later
Friday, January 13th

Oak Pass Road

It was time to head down to the Safehouse and get ready for a night out, however, there appeared to be an obstacle.

"Who the hell do they think they are!?"

"What's up," Erika asked James.

"FBIT," the boy replied.

"FBIT?" Erika asked.

"Fucking Bureau of Ignorant Twats!"

"Oh!" Erika said as she looked at the camera feeds from around the property.

"That city worker has been sweeping the same patch of tarmac for the past hour. They must think we're fucking thick in the head! As for the 'old man' who keeps strolling backwards and forwards – he's full of shit."

"Not a surprise," Erika groaned. "Well done for spotting them, James."

Erika picked up her cell and dialled a number from memory.

"Juno's House of Ecstasy."

"Hello, Guinevere," Erika laughed. "She still at it?"

"She can't get enough, ever since she punched her cherry, last week."

"We have a problem – the FBI are camped out on our street. They must think we haven't a damn clue! James' counter-surveillance was bang on – I'm good, but you Predators are something else."

At the opposite end of the call, Guinevere grinned happily at the complement.

"I'll head over with Nick and I'll send Logan and Miss Orgasm to checkout D-JAK. How far you want us to go with them?"

"Just don't kill them; I've got enough trouble to going on with. We just want to be able to get out of here without them tracking us. I'd recommend fake plates."

"We'll be there in half an hour – I need to get a certain girl dressed."

Erika chuckled as she dropped the call.

"I've got everyone together and Maddie has the cameras at Safehouse C and J-JAK looking for surveillance," James informed Erika.

"Thanks, James. Sky, Chrissy – take a Focus each; I'll be in the Corvette. Maddie, you go with Sky. James with Chrissy. Kieran, you take Sky's BMW."

"What!" Sky exclaimed.

"I'll be nice to her," Kieran offered.

"One scratch," Sky growled. "Just one fucking scratch. . ."

"That gives them four targets to follow – not to mention Nicholas and Guinevere will be here to muddy things a bit. We can expect other FBI cars and trucks between here and D-JAK . . . so we split up and take our de-lousing routes. Try not to end up with the LAPD after you, please."

"Cool!" the twins yelled as they ran for their cars.

"Wait for me!" Maddie called after Sky.

"Kieran, should I not survive my ride with Erika, you can have my personal affects," James grinned.

"One more quip about my driving, kid. . ." Erika growled.


Thirty minutes later

Guinevere and Nicholas headed up Oak Pass Road from two different directions.

Both wore full-face helmets to protect their identities while their motorcycles each sported a fake licence plate. As they approached the property, they had noted two vehicles which, while unmarked, stood out as Federal vehicles. The FBI obviously assumed that they were dealing with people who had no idea about counter-surveillance.

"Let's just hope they don't notice our counter-surveillance," Nicholas commented dryly.

"Then we just use our counter-counter-surveillance skills," Guinevere countered.

"What if they then employ their counter-counter-counter-surveillance skills?"

"Well," Guinevere replied. "We use our counter-counter-counter-counter-surveillance skills."

"What if they . . . never mind," Nicholas chuckled. "You got your ears on, Erika?"

"We're ready to go," Erika radioed.

"There's a Ford to the north and a Chevy to the south," Nicholas reported. "We're about to go annoy them. That just leaves the old git patrolling and the over-zealous road sweeper – his city truck is down the road to the south."

"We'll let you know once we have the cars shifted," Guinevere added.

"Thanks, guys."

With that, Guinevere and Nicholas split up and headed down the road.

..._...

Nicholas pulled up, directly in front of the pale brown Ford, leaving his motorcycle blocking the car in.

He dismounted and raised his visor before striding up to the driver's window. The man did not look amused.

"Go away!" he growled.

"I look for sea. I want waves. Can show where go?"

The man scowled – a goddamn foreigner!

"Just head west, 'kay?"

"You show map – you have map?"

"No, I haven't got a goddamn map!

"Please, show map for sea, I go big waves."

The FBI Special Agent knew that these things happened, but he had a job to do.

"Look, I'm an FBI Special Agent and I need you to go away," the man stated.

"You are CIA?"

"No, FBI?"

"CIA?"

"F – B – I!"

"What is FBI – you traffic policeman?"

The FBI Special Agent had no idea it was intended as an insult, but he went with it.

"Whatever you say, sir – please move."

Then the Special Agent gaped as he saw his quarry breeze past in a red Corvette Stingray, closely followed by a tangerine Ford Focus ST.

"Cheerio!" Nicholas said in a British accent and the FBI Special Agent glared as the boy remounted his motorcycle and sped off.

..._...

Guinevere had decided on a more forward approach.

She rode directly up to the driver's side of the cheaply-painted blue Chevy and she pulled a screwdriver from her right boot. Without hesitation, she jammed the pointed tip of the screwdriver into the lower right corner of the closed window. The glass shattered into tiny segments which spilled over the driver's lap. Guinevere accelerated hard as the startled FBI Special Agent started his engine, leading the man off down the road. Seconds after the Chevy had departed, a red Ford Focus ST and a metallic matte BMW F800 GS Adventure accelerated off in their wake, before splitting up at the first junction.

"Holy shit!" Kieran exclaimed as he found a route popping up on the visor before his very eyes.

"Take it easy, Kieran, you're in good hands," a female voice told the boy.

"Who . . . who are you?"

"They call me Hal."

They boy was stunned to be listening to a Fusion vigilante who had to be almost two-thousand miles away. He followed the route which dictated turns, recommended speed, obstacles, traffic.

"Damn!" the boy exclaimed.

..._...

A few miles away, Sky was having the time of her life as she worked her way up and down the six-speed manual gearbox.

For Maddie, it was not so much fun as the girl gripped the nearest handhold and prayed that she would not be catapulted through the windscreen when Sky ran them into a wall at full speed. The cars were being escorted by those on motorcycles and Guinevere took great delight in causing traffic jams while Nicholas just rode like an imbecile. Kieran would race past a vehicle identified as being FBI and then slam on his brakes to cause the FBI vehicle to slither to a halt just as Kieran accelerated away, working up his own gears and streaking past Sky in her Focus ST. The girl scowled as she recognised her own motorcycle passing her at speed.

As was hoped, the FBI Special Agents were so annoyed that they pursued Nicholas and Guinevere instead of their primary targets. They avoided D-JAK, parking their cars in random parking lots before jumping on the first bus which came their way.

"That was really cool!" a grinning Maddie exclaimed as she and Erika slumped into a double seat on the bus.

"I did enjoy it," Erika admitted – she always loved putting her foot down in the Corvette and Maddie knew it.

As the bus pulled away from the curb, Erika observed a pair of FBI Special Agents checking out her car.

..._...

A little over forty-five minutes later, the entire team had gathered at Safehouse C having executed several counter-surveillance sweeps.

Between Abby, in Chicago, and Maddie in Los Angeles, it was agreed that the FBI had lost the scent and that they were safe to prepare for a night out on the town. Kieran had been wide eyed as he had been shown around the safehouse by James for the very first time. The boy was very impressed by everything he saw but especially by the combat suits belonging to the twins. He was even more impressed when the two girls were actually in the combat suits. The figure-hugging suits accentuated the girls' already awesome curves. Once the weapons were added, Kieran was obviously struggling to control the bulge in his trousers.

Not that Sky was complaining as she enjoyed the male attention.