No Timeouts Left [complete]

[Jane]

Redención House.

The slim figure across the street from the mutant halfway house kept in the shadows of the olive trees as she surveilled the area. The Three-Elevens were still contesting this area, but for the moment La Raza held the neighborhood.

The air was quiet; not even the sound of police sirens sullied the summer evening as Jane stared at the lit front window of Redención. She flicked away the leaf she'd been playing with and crossed the street with purposeful steps.

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna was entering receipts into her checkbook when the doorbell rang. The teens were upstairs in the biggest bedroom, watching Lawrence of Arabia all piled together on the two queen beds with a big bowl of popcorn. Jake and Aidan were gone - though not together. Usually there was always one of them in the house, but somehow neither were there now despite their over protective streaks.

In fact, she was downstairs all alone. Pushing back from the kitchen table Anna rubbed a hand over her swelling stomach, and half-smiled. Not quite alone.

She walked to the front door, opening it while leaving the chain on. The woman on the other side was holding the screen door open, which made Anna feel a bit uncomfortable, but usually if someone rang the doorbell that meant they intended to be civil. These days if a stranger wanted to do hard to the residents of the House, they just bashed in a window.

"Anna Fernandez?" The pixie haired woman had a husky voice.

"Yes... how can I help you?" Anna was feeling a little nervous, and the warm night began to take on a chill around her.

"Saladin sent me."

Anna started shaking her head and closing the door. "No, no, we talked already. We don't need the Brotherhood's help right now."

The door stopped abruptly, the woman's boot wedged in front of it. "I know. But your little war has changed the climate politically. Mutant Registration Act? There's an emergency session of the state Senate going on right now, passing it."

Their breath misted as they stared at each other with the security chain between them. Anna didn't take her hand off the door, but she stopped trying to close it. "We don't need the Brotherhood's protection."

[Jane]

"Of course not," Jane said softly. Her breath was fogging and her nose was starting to feel pretty cold, but she ignored it for now. "Your new La Raza friends are taking good care of you, aren't they."

Ms. Fernandez folded her arms, and tilted her chin up in defiant manner. "They are not our 'friends,' but they are not our enemies, either."

Jane smirked. "And yet there is no one here right now. But," she waved her hand dismissively, "That is not the point. The government is desperate to fix this problem," another gesture that took in the entire neighborhood, "because the mundanes are scared, and they're getting loud. So expect this to be Ground Zero for whatever it is the MRA is going to entail."

[Anna Fernandez]

"Sólo un recordatorio amistoso, hmm?" Anna saw the woman's blank expression and sighed. "A friendly reminder?"

There were thunderous footsteps coming down the stairs, and she turned her head briefly to see what was going on as Ronnie dashed into the kitchen with the empty popcorn bowl. He must have rock-paper-scissored his way into being the one who had to refill it.

Turning back to her visitor, Anna flinched to find the woman standing even closer, practically on the threshold, her brown eyes unblinking and dilated widely. "You should leave."

"I won't go far," the woman promised softly. "If only to see what an example the military makes of your kids." Anna held her breath as the Brotherhood member slowly backed away. "You have our number. If you need to call."

She closed the door firmly, suddenly noticing how cold the handle had become. The nearby window was frosted, and Anna rubbed her slim hands together nervously.

"Anna."

She jumped, turning swiftly to see Ronnie standing in the doorway behind her, the microwave whirring as another bag of popcorn got started. "Oh, me sorprendió, Ronnie."

He looked apologetic. "Is everything okay?" The teenager looked pointedly at the window which was starting to return to its normal temperature.

"Si, si, it is okay." Anna tried to smile reassuringly. "Do not worry." She double checked the deadbolts on the heavy front door, and then bustled into the kitchen, cleaning up the checkbook and scattered receipts. "I am going to watch the news."

[Jane]

Jane returned to her spot across the street, lighting a clove cigarette and leaning against an olive tree. The fruit had ripened and was beginning to coat the ground in a disgusting, squishy mess, but Zombie wasn't moving, so she didn't care.

The cherry on the end of her clove glowed briefly as she inhaled, and then her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. Flicking it open, she listened, and said, "Yeah, I'm keeping an eye on the House. Everything is quiet for now."

She paused. "Headed this way? That makes things more interesting. ...Yeah, I can't wait. Talk to you later."

Jane slipped her phone back into her pocket and looked down the street. She couldn't see or hear anything yet, but if Tron said Three-Elevens were headed this way, they would be there soon enough.

[Anna Fernandez]

The eleven o'clock news had a little to say about the emergency meeting of the senate. It was closed to the media. A vote was still 'expected' but hadn't happened yet. There were some 'person on the street' interviews, with varying opinions of the looming Mutant Registration Act. Anna turned off the television after someone compared mutants to unlicensed and criminal gun owners.

She walked upstairs to see how the movie was going, and found the group still obstinately plugging away at it. Jamie was sleeping in the middle of the bed with a handful of popcorn in her hand. Anna had Scott help her carry the little girl to her own bed across the hall.

[Tycho Auriville]

There was a dull ache in the low slope of his left shoulder blade that felt as though a pointed chunk of granite were lodged just beneath the muscle, pressing against the underside of the bone like a lever. It was a simple by-product of a long work week and sleeping on the den floor of Rooster's cramped apartment with nothing but a thin foam pad to keep his S-curve intact but it was an insistent irritant that wouldn't let up harping on the fact that four states later, he was still barely scraping by.

Tycho Auriville cleared his throat, the sound echoing in the evening hush, and shifted his duffel bag to the opposite shoulder to even things out. With his worn, joint compound-stained boots, battered jeans and rumpled Henley-under-plaid shirt combination, the man certainly didn't cut a fashionable figure but there was a comfortable ease in the way the clothes did fit, hanging like a second skin on his unassuming frame that was made lean by hours of physical labour on construction sites. Ty had an ambiguous vagabond look that blended seamlessly into the background and he banked a lot on his non-threatening vibe; it allowed him to hoof it through neighborhoods like this without having to worry about getting his ass kicked.

Thankfully his journey wasn't completely aimless this time. Unnanounced, certainly, but who didn't like a surprise now and then?

Tycho turned abruptly, patting a familiar beat up van as he walked up to a similarly worn-in house. His weight on the wooden steps coaxed a weary creak and he surveyed the lumber briefly as he crossed to the door and rapped staccato on the screen.

"Hola," he called, resisting the urge to lean over and peer in through the window. "Uh, Anna? Si estás en casa?"

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna heard the voice as she was coming down the stairs. "Espera un momento!" She hurried down, forgetting to check her hair in the hall mirror before peeking through the peep hole. "Oh!"

She slipped the chain and opened the door. "Tycho, what a surprise!" She smiled at him, and then stepped back almost as an afterthought. "Entrar, come in!"

[Tycho Auriville]

Anna's smile was infectious and Tycho returned it as he did just as she offered, dragging his bag in after him. Whatever it's modest outer appearance, the house inside was a cozy little establishment; the knit throw on the couch reminded Ty of his grandmother and lazy afternoon naps in the winter light.

"Hopefully s'good surprise," he said as he set his bag down and scratched an itch behind his ear before embracing her in an easy, casual hug. He was careful, hands settling only briefly on her before he pulled away with a skittishness that didn't suit him. "Sorry it's so late, I just got off work and didn't stop to think it might not be the best time for a social visit. How're you, lady?"

[Anna Fernandez]

"Doing okay," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "The neighborhood has been pretty quiet the last week or so." Anna paused, not sure what the man had been reading or watching on TV about the raging gang war between Tres Once and La Raza.

"Come, do you want anything to drink?" She touched his arm, and then started back to the kitchen. "Some agua? Soda?" Anna swept the emptied microwave popcorn bags off the counter and into the garbage. "The kids are watching a movie."

[Tycho Auriville]

"Water's fine, thanks," Ty replied, trailing after her. He swept curious eyes around as they went and he chuckled softly at a child's drawing that was pinned to the refrigerator by a couple of alphabet magnets.

Tapping it, he nodded. "Ah, there's an artist in the house; that's the best spaceship-riding dragon I've ever seen." Ty paused and squinted at the colourful picture; he was pretty sure it was a dragon, at least.

"How many kids you got?"

[Anna Fernandez]

She smiled at Jamie's drawing that he'd noticed, and got the filtered water out of the fridge. "Oh, right now there are seven, including Jamie, the artist." Anna poured the water and handed to him, finally noticing the strange look on his face.

"Oh, no es la mía. Did I not tell you..?" She put a hand to her face, embarrassed. "I take in kids who have no where else to go, give them a place to live while they get back on their feet. A halfway house, as it were. Mostly teens, but Jamie is younger." Anna pointed at the drawing. "My adopted daughter."

She smiled fondly at the front of the fridge. "Its a long story."

[Jacob Foley]

It was like jasmine and honey. The last amber notes of daylight speckled the treetops and a playful breeze skittered the empty streets. All was still, save for the rythmic plod of Jake's boots upon the sidewalk. He was going home, a spring in his step and the hint of song under his breath. It was like jasmine and honey, and fresh fruit. Exactly as he remembered.

Certainly, the present ceasefire was nothing more than an anomalous blip in the suburb's bloody story, but all that was far from his mind. When the storm comes, they would be ready. He was confident in his new friends and the plans he and Aidan had put in motion, but moreso, he was confident in himself. This temporary reprieve was well-earned and how he'd sought to relish it: jasmine, honey, fresh fruit, and wood. Clinging to his faded shirt, a whisper of a happy memory.

A lone figure haunted Banyon Street, a sliver of a woman stood statuesque beneath the olive tree, her cigarette glimmered in the gloom. There were no mysteries for a man like Jake; people were like large open windows and all he had to do was look. He slowed to a stop beside the stranger as she pressed the clove to her lips.

"Those things will kill you."

[Jane]

"I'm not worried," Jane replied easily, canting her head to the side as she regarded Jacob Foley. She knew him on sight; the Brotherhood had done a great deal of research about Redencion House and its inhabitants. The adopted brother of Anna Fernandez, Jake was a bit of a bad boy.

Her lips curled a bit as she blew the smoke out of her lungs, politely away from Jacob. "The way I hear it, there are a lot of things in this neighborhood that could kill me." She looked pointedly across the street at the House, where Anna had just welcomed in a man whom Jane knew nothing about. Strangers were interesting. With no car she had no plates for Tron to run, but she'd snapped a photo with her cell phone and forwarded it to him for analysis.

Jane sucked in another lungful of smoke, the tip of her clove cigarette glowing brightly.

[Jacob Foley]

"And yet, here you are," he said, hands tucked into the pockets of his slim fit jeans.

A casual glance along the row of houses opposite; as if they could garner attention to themselves, with a few twigs in their hair they'd pass for a couple of scrawny birches. He noticed her hawk eyes burning holes through Redención House and the corner of his mouth turned in amusement.

"So is this how you spend your Friday nights?"

[Jane]

She shrugged. "Not usually." Jane didn't look at him, adding, "We look out for our Brothers. Tonight it seemed best to be close, should the call come."

Turning to him, she put her hand out. "I'm Jane."

[Jacob Foley]

"I know."

He accepted her hand with a smile. Her tomboy prettiness was offset only by that hard no-nonsense demeanour. She was immediately more interesting than the other mutants he'd met in recent weeks, but maybe that was down to the fact that they were a bunch of greasy gangbangers in wife-beaters.

"I'd tell you my name, but that would imply I didn't think you guys did your homework."

A cigarette of his own was clamped between his lips and he lit up.

"Anna shits bricks when I smoke indoors. How are our... brothers?"

[Jane]

"Busy," she said, and was careful not to lie to him. "Los Angeles is a powder keg, ready to blow. If you thought this little 'war' was bad..." Jane stubbed her clove out on the trunk of the olive tree and flicked the butt into the street.

"Well, the Mutant Registration Act is passing as we speak." She turned to face Jake, slim shoulders square. "The police are going to be taking a greater interest in this area, and La Raza in particular. After that little problem is taken care of... Lets just say Redencion House is fairly high profile. The Brotherhood has significant political clout, and could protect you.

"If Anna allowed us to, of course."

[Jacob Foley]

"Straight to business," he said, and paused to take a long drag of his cigarette, eyes fixed firmly upon the windows of his home, and the shadows which occupied them.

"Wish I could say I was surprised but you don't strike me as a dance-around-the-matter kinda woman, so here it is: everyone in this neighbourhood knows who lives in that house, and what they are. Could you silence them? And even if we were to accept your help, we become affiliated, and while local government cannot touch us, do you ever stop think who watches you?"

His voice took on a turbulant tone, and as he plucked the cigarette from his lips, his face creased with disbelief. Now he turned to face Jane.

"Somewhere in Washington, there's a paper with your name on it, and the names of all your brothers. To them, you're a national threat! And you want Anna to throw in her lot with you?"

He took a breath and the bubbling fire in his belly subsided, "She just wants to help people. So you tell me, Jane, what can the Brotherhood really do?"

[Jane]

She smiled wryly. "All right, fair enough. You're right that we can't stop the tensions brewing in town. We can't keep the mundanes from hating you for what you are. There's going to be war in Los Angeles, and nothing you or I can do will prevent that. What the Brotherhood can do is keep it off your doorstep. Keep the government's attention elsewhere."

Jane fished out her pack and settled another cigarette between her lips to light. "And we're real good at that."

[Tycho Auriville]

"Oh, no es la mía. Did I not tell you..?" She put a hand to her face, embarrassed. "I take in kids who have no where else to go, give them a place to live while they get back on their feet. A halfway house, as it were. Mostly teens, but Jamie is younger." Anna pointed at the drawing. "My adopted daughter."

She smiled fondly at the front of the fridge. "Its a long story."

"I'll bet," Tycho mused, propping a hip against the counter. He'd had no idea when they first met that she was running a gig like this. The caution to be careful with his magia that she had issued had just seemed like well-meaning advice, albeit damned intuitive.

His thoughts drifted back to the van in the driveway, the entire reason they'd met in the first place and in part why he was here now.

"Santa Anna," he quipped, accepting the glass of water with a grateful smile. Tycho took a deep sip and then turned an appraising eye to her, gesturing at the walls that surrounded them with a tip of his head. "That's pretty awesome."

Tapping blunt fingertips against the glass, he continued. "So how's that beast of yours running?"

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna shook her head when he called her a saint, but her cheeks colored a bit at the compliment. "Like the dinosaurio it is!"

She leaned against the sink, adding, "We got new belts and a water pump for it, but Aidan hasn't had time to put them in yet." She paused. "He works with me, usually finding troubled mutant teens in need of our help."

Anna regarded Tycho for a moment, realizing that was the first time she'd said anything about her house being full of mutants. Before the conversation could get sidetracked again she pushed away from the counter and walked to the door that led into the garage. "Here, I can show you, if you want."

[Tycho Auriville]

His face was wide open and steady, accepting the information without so much as a flicker of surprise or unease. Instead, Tycho nodded and pushed off the formica counter, setting his glass down.

"Sure. Gimme a sec," he crouched down by his bag, soft whuff of air escaping his belly, and rifled through an outer pocket. Tugging out a ball of black fabric that unfolded to reveal a pair of what looked like fingerless motocross gloves, Ty slipped them on with practiced ease and then stood. He flexed his fingers as he followed after Anna into the garage, the sturdy tension in the woven fibres a comforting weight against his skin.

The garage was soft-lit but there was enough to see by and there were a few freestanding halogens in one corner, no doubt used to brighten up the workspace. Along the back wall hung various tools and there was a red steel chest with larger storage drawers near the bottom and smaller compartment for rivets and the like up top. Tycho nimbly stepped over an air compressor and skirted by Anna to a makeshift work table, picking up a timing belt and eyeing it up.

"Doesn't take much time to change these out," he remarked, waving the belt in the air. He shrugged. "I could do it if you like. If uh, Aidan doesn't mind; I don't wanna step in on a guy's project but..."

[Anna Fernandez]

"No le importa," Anna said, walking to the garage door and starting to hoist it open. There was a garage door opener, but it had been broken for six months. "Please, if you can do this, I'll make you dinner. We had enchiladas tonight, and there are leftovers."

She paused halfway with the heavy door, and then shoved it up over her head, the solid garage door rattling into place on the tracks. "Dios mío," Anna wiped her hands on her jeans, and walked back towards the work bench, the van illuminated by the security lights attached to the house. "It is unlocked, but here are the keys, if you need them."

[Tycho Auriville]

"Well, can't turn down an offer like that," Ty said as he unbuttoned his top shirt and hung it on a nail in the wall, next to a gleaming motorcycle helmet. He pushed the sleeves of his Henley up and rolled his shoulders back with a hollow pop, limbering like a fighter stepping into a ring.

"Go on back to your kids. I'll holler if I need help."

Ty watched her retreat back into the house, giving a two-fingered salute as she disappeared, and then surveyed the garage door as he snagged a wratchet wrench from it's home on the workbench and sauntered out to the van, whistling a low, lazy tune.

***

Tycho had no idea how much time had passed when he finally peeled his oil-stained gloves off his hands, kicked off his boots and let himself back into the house, careful not to get any grime on the walls. His watch had busted a few weeks ago after a cordless drill had rebounded off a support strut and into the face (which was fine - rather the watches than his own) and he hadn't bothered to replace it yet.

The kitchen was empty when he got there. Anna was probably busy with her kids - who wouldn't be? Keeping a place like this going would be a full-time job, Ty mused as he used an elbow to turn the faucet on and began scrubbing clean the grit-stained skin that his gloves hadn't protected . It was no wonder that small projects like the trusty old vehicle or garage door - which had needed it's tracks realigned and would have to have it's internal sensor strip replaced, a part he made a note to track down tomorrow - were put on hold.

[Anna Fernandez]

Something was going on outside. Anna twitched the curtains back into place and checked the clock. There was no school tomorrow, but most of the teens were finally in their rooms, if not sleeping, at least being quiet.

One of the smokers across the street was probably the woman from the Brotherhood who'd visited earlier, if Anna's intuition was worth anything. She tried to think why the woman would be hanging around, but couldn't think of any comforting reasons.

Noise in the kitchen distracted her from her thoughts, and Anna walked to the heart of her home. "Success at last?" She beamed at Tycho as he washed his hands, and opened up the fridge and got out the casserole dish of leftovers. "Thank you so much. These are much better fresh, but microwaved will have to do!" Anna scooped out a generous portion onto a plate as a car alarm went off down the street.

[Tycho Auriville]

"They look fantastic," Tycho said, resisiting the urge to press his face up against the microwave door and keep impatient watch on the food. It smelled amazing too - the rich, deeply spiced scent of food that would fill your belly and stick to your ribs, keep you going come what may. Sure did beat the hell out of his normal evening meal of Funyuns and two Cup-a-Soups - although that was almost an insult to the warming leftovers revolving in the microwave, considering the low-grade quality of his usual nutritional choices.

"I banged that sketchy door straight, too. Still needs some work but at least it'll be easier to manage," Ty shrugged, eyebrows rising in delighted anticipation as the microwave beeped. "And less likely to collapse on top of anyone."

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna pulled the plate free of the microwave and pushed it across the island to him along with a fork, cautioning, "The plates say microwave safe, but they always get too caliente."

She pulled up a bar stool to sit across from him, and leaned her elbows on the counter. "Thank you so much, muchas gracias, that means a lot to me that you did that."

[Jacob Foley]

She smiled wryly. "All right, fair enough. You're right that we can't stop the tensions brewing in town. We can't keep the mundanes from hating you for what you are. There's going to be war in Los Angeles, and nothing you or I can do will prevent that. What the Brotherhood can do is keep it off your doorstep. Keep the government's attention elsewhere."

Jane fished out her pack and settled another cigarette between her lips to light. "And we're real good at that."

"So I've heard."

A silence passed between them, granting him little solitude from his own treacherous thoughts. It seemed that, of late, taking the time to think was an indulgence too far, even for someone as fiercly introspective as Jake; what he couldn't decide was whether it was cowardice that kept him from facing his sins, or apathy. He cast Jane a measured glance.

"You know, there was a time when I condemned people like you. All that mutant-extremist shit you were peddling. I thought 'People will come around,' and so we waited, we endured, and now... now everything's gone a bit grey."

He trailed off, lost in thought, eyes fishing in the blistered tarmac below.

"Maybe the registration act will make fugitives of us all."

[Jane]

Her hand tightened into a fist at her side, and a pair of low riding cars came rolling down Banyon Street, the bass thumping as they drove slowly towards Redención House. The music was so loud that it set off a car alarm up the street as they passed it.

"If you'll excuse me." Jane nodded to Jake, and then stepped out of the shadows of the olive trees, stalking up the middle of the street towards the approaching cars. The street lights cast multiple shadows around her lanky figure as she stopped in front of the lead car.

The 3-11s had their headlights off, and she wiped at her nose and sniffed a bit, removing leftover residue as the gangbangers in the cars tried to decide what they were going to do.

"Hey! Fuera del camino, perra! Move your fuckin' ass!"

Jane squared her shoulders, put her hands on her hips, and slowly shook her head.

[Tycho Auriville]

Tycho shook his head as he tugged the plate closer and slid the fork to the edge of the counter, lifting it and slicing into one of the enchiladas. It gave way sweetly, releasing a curl of steam that smelled like everything good in the world condensed into a tiny package.

"Please, it was nothin', just a little spit-and-polish" he said, blowing on his forkful and using his fingers to break the cheese stringing from tines-to-plate. Ty shoveled it in as soon as it looked like it wouldn't burn his tastebuds clean off, closing his eyes and moaning lowly as he chewed. "Anna. Marry me."

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna giggled at his enthusiasm. "You like them now, you should have had them fresh."

She leaned back, pulling the elastic from her hair and re-doing her ponytail. As she did, she caught sight of the time over the stove. "Ach, after midnight already?" She thought guiltily about the unbalanced checkbook she'd swept into a drawer, and then decided she couldn't do anything about it until morning.

[Tycho Auriville]

He followed her gaze to the glowing numbers, mistaking her chagrin for his own shortsightedness in simply showing up on her doorstep unannounced. Ty swallowed, not at all surprised to find he had managed to work his way through half of the meal in just a few short minutes.

"Listen, uh," he cleared his throat, awkwardly balancing his fork on the edge of the plate. It was hard to tell beneath the accumulated layers of work dirt, but Ty's cheeks coloured a bit and his gaze flicked from Anna's face to a point just above her shoulder. "Feel free to say no, this is sort of... well, not done, is what my momma would say but, uh, I was hoping..." he puffed out his cheeks, a sharp breath escaping from between his teeth.

"If it's not an inconvenience, could I crash here tonight?" Tycho burst, though his voice remained quiet, bending towards shame. He scrubbed at the back of his neck apologetically. "The porch would be more than fine."

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna was zoning out on the clock, but his words brought her back to the kitchen. "Oh, no, you will not sleep on the porch. We have an empty room upstairs which you are welcome to, or the couch in the living room folds out."

She got up and refilled his water glass. "Estamos teniendo siempre en aquellos que necesitan un lugar para quedarse. I founded Redención House to help the mutant community, and there is always a couch or a bed, or a spot on the floor for those who need it." Anna raised an eyebrow, "Plus I can throw in a hot breakfast in the morning."

[Tycho Auriville]

A bedroom was a little too generous; it implied a sense of permanence that Tycho wasn't about to endorse while he had two legs and a heartbeat. There were too few places of refuge for mutants (the last he'd come across was in Salt Lake, and it wasn't so much a place of asylum as it was an old commune on the city limits where folk turned a blind eye to gifted squatters) without an able-bodied soul like himself taking up a spot he didn't need for more than a day, two at the most.

"That couch looked real comfortable," Ty answered, tipping his head in the direction of the living room as he resumed eating. When he'd scraped the plate clean of every last crumb he stood and crossed to the sink, waving off Anna as she tried to intercept him. "You cooked, lemme clear up."

It was only the work of a few minutes to scrub the dishes and set them in a half-full drip rack sat on top of a draining board on the counter.

"I'll try and finish patching up that door tomorrow, too, see if I can't track down the parts," Ty glanced at her searchingly as he reached for his bag. "You're sure this is alright? No one's gonna mind my just showing up?"

[Anna Fernandez]

"No, no, its fine. I'll write a big note for the fridge to warn the kids so no one sits on you por la mañana." Anna fished out a fat magic marker and a piece of construction paper and started writing.

She held it up: THERE IS A MAN ON THE COUCH, BE NICE TO HIM OR ELSE

Anna used a plain black magnet to attach it to the front of the fridge where one could see it from the stairs. She turned back toward Tycho to say something, and then became aware of familiar noises outside. Someone was shouting somewhere up the street, and she folded her arms across her body, pulling her light cardigan around her tighter as she looked out toward the front door.

[Tycho Auriville]

Tycho read the note and chuckled, his eyes lighting up in appreciation of her humor (was it humor?) as he shouldered his bag, pleasantly relaxed with a full stomach.

"That oughtta--"

Whatever he'd been saying was cut off as Anna's attention shifted outside, drawn by a muffled din. Tycho frowned, his bag slowly sliding back to the cheap lino floor.

"Everything okay?" he murmured, even as he glided past her and into the den with a loose gait, curiosity driving him to inspect whatever it was that had her trying to chase away worry by stretching out her sweater. Ty glanced out space between the curtains that hung from the front window, quietly opening the door and stepping out onto the porch. The screen creaked, bouncing off the blade of his foot as he wedged it there to keep it from slamming shut.

Out on the street, a tall woman stood facing a car of obnoxiously confident boyz who had plenty to say, filling the silence with noises that he supposed were supposed to intimidate, though they weren't having an effect on her; if anything, they seemed to be cementing her position. He registered the guy off to one side, but Ty's eyes fixed on the crazy broad playing chicken as he leaned against the porch rail, hands clasped in front of him.

[Jacob Foley]

"Shit."

It had been expected. And yet, after a week of carefree school runs and shopping trips, Jake dared for a morsel of hope - dashed by the sight of the punks in their lowriders. He flicked his cigarette away, scattering embers across the road, and fell into rank beside Jane. The cars unloaded immediately, and the thugs closed in.

"You know the score, boys. This ain't your turf no more, so scurry on home before something bad happens to your ass."

"Fuck you just say, chump?"

One of the taller ones lurched towards Jake, and he instinctively backed off, raising his fists. The pack howled with laughter. Another punk squared up to Jane - Jake recognised him as Nico, the bastard who set fire to the nursery a few blocks away - they were practically nose-to-nose.

"So?" he said, his trademark lisp slipping through a toothy smirk, "You the new sheriff in town, girly?"

[Anna Fernandez]

Delete please

[Jane]

"You could say that," Jane agreed, "But you'd be wrong."

The gangbanger circled her while the others postured and made sure she and Jake could see the guns the had displayed intheir waistbands. She figured they had been about to enact a drive-by shootig on Redencíon House, before they had been interrupted. As Tron had predicted.

"Then get the fuck outta our way." The lisping thug turned to Jake, adding, "You're coming with us, perra."

"Nope, wrong again," said Jane, and she threw out a leg sweep knocking the taller Hispanic guy to the asphalt. She followed it up with a bonecrunching blow to his face before he could recover, and snatched his pistol from his pants.

"You better leave," she stated, staring at the other 3-11s, who were grabbing their own guns and pointing them at the two mutants. "Get behind me, Jake!"

He didn't move fast enough, and she quickly stepped in front of him, a bullet hitting her under her left breast. She returned fire, dropping the banger who'd shot at Jake with a bullet in his brain, and then held up the gun.

"Why don't we put these away, and fight like civilized people?" She grinned.

[The Brotherhood]

Somehow, the exchange of gunshots was enough to make the whole assembly miss a moving mountain.

Geryon eased up right behind the rear of the two cars, filling up the rearview mirror with his seven-foot, three-hundred-seventy-pound bulk. He stooped down, curled his fingers under mounts for the rear bumper, and lifted the whole rear half of the car off the street.

In his panic, the driver stomped on the gas, flogging the engine as the rear wheels spun impotently in the air. Geryon dropped the car just as quickly, and it lurched forward into the other vehicle with a shriek of metal.

He had their attention now. The Tres Onces found themselves weighing their options between an immense Polynesian man on one side and the woman who'd just shrugged off a bullet on the other.

"Either way," Geryon boomed, "you're boned, meatheads."

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna joined Tycho on the porch, just as two gunshots rang out. She flinched, ducking behind one of the thick wooden pillars of the porch, and the worried expression on her face quickly changed into a stern and determined one.

"Cruzaron una línea de llevar esta lucha, cerca de mis hijos." Her words were soft, but there was a steel in them that anyone who knew her would be surprised to hear. Anna stalked down the steps to the walkway in front of the house, and knelt down, placing her palms on the uneven concrete and taking a deep breath.

Slowly at first, and then faster and faster, ice began building up in front of her, spreading out on either side and creating a twelve foot wall a foot thick between Redención House and the goons in the street. Anna's skin was tinged blue, but she could not turn into her full ice form, not with the baby. She exhaled a frosty breath and began to stand up, then faltered, her body suddenly weak.

[Tycho Auriville]

There were a lot of unbelievable, inspiring wonders in the world. But Tycho felt certain that not a single one of them could conjure up the same magnetic fascination that witnessing a fellow mutant using their abilities did. Here was a woman who, not ten minutes ago, had been absently noting the turning of the hour and now look: out of thin air she had erected a glimmering wall of ice, a crystallized barrier that glinted sharply in the reflected light from the streetlamps.

"Shit," Tycho breathed, eyebrows crawling to his hairline. And then he clued into the fact that Anna had sunk to her knees on the lawn, leaning against the wall that had sprung from her palms. "Oh, shit."

With a wince, he vaulted off the porch and over to the woman, getting his arms under her and gently hoisting her up against him. Her skin was cold where it pressed against his and Ty shivered involuntarily.

"C'mon, inside," he said softly, supporting her while he urged them back toward the house. He glanced over his shoulder, unable to discern what was going on through the darkness and the distortion that the ice barricade created. "Who're those jackasses?"

[Anna Fernandez]

The world closed in around her, light receding to a pin prick as she sagged to the ground. Then warm hands were helping her up, and she blinked, her tunnel vision beginning to clear as Tycho supported her. She leaned on him, trying to make her rubbery legs move as they walked back up the steps to the porch.

"Tres Once," she whispered. "Local gang. Been causing... trouble." He helped her to one of the weathered chairs on the porch, and she sat, one hand protectively on her belly. She was only just beginning to show, couldn't even feel the baby moving yet... did she hurt it? Anna took a deep breath, trying to stop the world from spinning around her.

[Tycho Auriville]

Tres Once. He filed the name away, a half-remembered image of tags on the side of a 7-11 that made more sense in the present context rising in his mind. When this little party died down and Anna wasn't struggling to beat back passing out, he would have to find out the way the neighborhood was divided. The last thing he needed was to get caught in the middle of another fucking border war.

"Hold tight, Santa Anna," Ty stood, joints cracking in readiness, and went into the house, retrieving the afghan that he'd seen earlier on the back of the couch.

"What's going on?"

The voice belonged to a young teenager, all elbows and awkward leg standing warily on the staircase. Tycho pulled one hand out from under the blanket and lifted it, not quite a wave. "Just some noise," his eyes flickered above the kid, to the ceiling, "there any younger'n you upstairs?"

He got a short nod in response. The kid hugged his chest, glancing over Ty's shoulder and back again. "Who're you?"

"Nobody," Ty shrugged. "Just passing through. Can you make sure everyone stays upstairs?"

"Where's Anna?"

"She's on the porch, she's fine. Can you do that?"

After a reluctant beat, during which Ty could see the kid weighing whether or not to trust that this wasn't a set up, he nodded. Either Tycho didn't fit the mold to set off alarm bells or he wasn't enough of a threat to warrant the kid worrying. With a last look at the screen door, the boy turned and took the stairs at a good clip.

Anna was where he'd left her, still conscious. Ty wrapped the afghan around her, tucking it snugly under her arms. "Breathe in through your nose, slow."

A thunderous voice made him glance up, keen eyes trying to cut through the ice wall to see; there was just a massive, black silhouette.

[Vipul Chandrashekar]

Down the opposite side of the street the 311's had cruised in from, a big GMC shuttle van accelerated into a turn, it's tires squeaking as it lurched to accelerate. The brakes slammed on as the van came to a stop at a slight angle, it's big sliding door peeling back about six feet short of Jake and the mysterious woman he was with.

In an instant, six identical people bolted out of the van, looking ready for just about anything. One of them turned to Jake and jerked a thumb to the van.

"Get in, both of you!"

Before the two others could comply, another six identical people jumped from the van, flanking around the other side. The tres-once welcoming committee was quickly becoming outnumbered.

[Jacob Foley]

In his panic, Jake huddled behind Jane as the bark of guns renewed. The Three-Elevens were spooked by the sudden demise of a comrade and the intervention of an angry man-mountain, but not enough to run. First they scattered and loosed several desperate shots, peppering their rides with bullet holes, and spat fury and hatred at their mutant aggressors.

Overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of violence, Jake saw the chaos as it unravelled through the eyes of his enemies, and of his protectors, and of the fearful neighbours peeking through windows, and through the eyes of Vipul Chandrashekar - all twelve of him. Disoriented, he scrambled for his friend and clutched at his shirt.

"We can't leave," he cried over a crescendo of gunfire, "They want the house!"

[Jane]

Jane had taken another bullet in the melee after Vipul Chandrashekar had arrived, but it merely creased her arm. In her current state she could barely feel it, adrenaline pounding through her body. Geryon was roaring, their plan to keep the 311s bunched between the two cars gone as the gangbangers scattered. She used the lead car for cover, squeezing off a few rounds when she had a clear shot.

While Jake yelled at Vipul, perhaps forming a plan of some kind, Jane lurched to her feet and walked towards a group of about four Tres Once. She made an attractive target, drawing their fire and keeping the gang from the rest of the neighborhood. In the distance sirens started up, no doubt called by concerned neighbors.

[The Brotherhood]

Geryon had taken a few shots as well to his arms and shoulders, but all it took was a little concentration, and the bullets wormed their way back out, pushed by the regenerating flesh. He quickly located a knot of three gangbangers backing toward an alley between two houses, pistols flashing.

With a wet, sucking noise, two thick arms burst from underneath his ribs and crossed up over his chest like body armor. With his torso and face protected, Geryon charged down the alley toward the Tres Onces. The first man emptied his clip into the oncoming juggernaut but forgot the bit about running away. He wasn't even an obstacle - Geyon barreled straight through him, and he bounced off the side of the house and tumbled to the ground in the mutant's path. A huge shoe landed on his sternum with a mighty crunch, and he didn't get up.

Geryon bulled forward toward the second man, who tried to dive aside, but one swipe of the mutant's huge hand sent him ragdolling through the air. The third man simply dropped his gun and turned to run.

Sneering, Geryon turned to see how his brothers and sister were faring.

[Anna Fernandez]

She heard the voices clearly, but when the bullets really started flying it was harder to know what was happening on the other side of the ice. Anna pulled the afghan up a little higher, worrying about the wall that blocked her view up the street. It was only going to block the stray bullets - anyone could just walk around the obstacle.

And what about the neighbors? They were suffering because of Redencion's existence. How long would it be before once friendly faces were set against her?

Anna breathed slowly as instructed, flinching as a pair of bullets slammed into the glacial barricade, but the sounds of fighting seemed to be getting further away even as police sirens grew louder.

[Vipul Chandrashekar]

"They're not getting the house, Jake!"

One Vipul took a round to the chest and went down, but not before three more pounced on the shooter. A hurricane of puching fists and kicking feet, then out of the scrum, a glock flew in the air to a waiting Vipul's hand.

"Not while I'm here."

He gave the youngster a knowing nod as another three Vipuls exited the van, giving Jake another push toward the interior.

[The Brotherhood]

"Better listen to him, Foley," Geryon said as he lumbered back through the fray. His extra limbs slid back into his gut, leaving behind a shower of nine-millimeter bullets.

"Me and Zombie have got this, especially with Veep's help. Far as the cops know, this fight's between La Raza and the Elevens. Anna don't need this shit on her doorstep."

Geryon glanced down at the Vipul who'd been shot through the chest. "Need a hand with your bodies, man?"

[Vipul Chandrashekar]

Another pack of Vipuls overwhelmed the nearest gangster, and again he was beaten to the pavement and disarmed. By this point, three Vipuls lay dead on the street. The nearest four Vipuls, now armed with the 311's own guns, surveyed the situation.

"Thanks, but I'm alright. No shortage of manpower, you see."

And with that, another pair of Vipuls exited the van to drag away the bodies.

[Jane]

It didn't take long for the entire group of 311s to break and run, leaving their cars in the middle of the street. The police were almost there, just blocks away as Jane staggered back up the street. Vipul was cleaning up his dead bodies as he kept the big GMC van running, ready to tear out of there.

Geryon yelled something like "And stay out of our neighborhood, La Raza owns this place!" but her hearing was getting a little fuzzy. The walk back was settling her system, the adrenaline she'd been running on was beginning to recede. She paused for a moment behind the second Tres Once car, pulled out her necklace and unscrewed the pendant. Putting it to her nose she sniffed hard, her eyes clearing and heart beginning to beat faster again.

Shaking her head and wiping her nose, Jane stalked back to the others. "We have to get out of here." She turned to look into the dark interior of the van, wondering how Jake would fare in there with a clown cars amount of Vipul. Almost as an afterthought she reached to her chest and pulled out the switchblade that an enterprising 311 had tried to fillet her with, and, failing that, had stabbed into her.

Her arms were cut deeply from that attack, flesh ripped open down to the bone at one point from the sharp knife. Jane flipped the switchblade over in her hands and closed it, shoving it deep into her jeans pocket. "Geryon, lets get gone."

[The Brotherhood]

Geryon grunted an affirmative and stomped off toward a beige-colored Crown Vic parked just a block away. The car listed to one side as the Brotherhood mutants drove off.

[Jacob Foley]

"Jane," Jake called out, and he gave a nod, "Thanks."

She was the stuff of horror movies - all mutilation and gore like something from an awful torture-porn flick. It was difficult not to stare. That she was still standing was simply spitting in the eye of nature. What Jake found most impressive about the bloody spectacle was how calm she'd been throughout, Geryon too, dispensing with their enemies with icy efficiency. Strangely, they reminded him of Aidan.

A solitary Vipul was attempting to lift one of his fallen copies, so Jake took him by the legs and together they manouvered him towards the van. It was chilling to see him like that, a deadweight, his vacant face and such lifeless eyes. And to look up and see him again, sweating and panting and blood-speckled.

"Once the last one is stowed, Vipul, you and me need to get back in- side..."

Slack-jawed, Jake stared up at the towering wall of ice which rose up around Redencion House. The darkest midnight blue electrified with streaks of moonlight. He sighed.

"Anna..."

[Anna Fernandez]

The LAPD didn't hang around too long, just took some statements and pictures, including the ice barricade Anna had erected that was now slick and steaming from the summer evening. She stayed on the porch and answered their questions as best she could, and truthfully. They never asked if The Brotherhood was involved, so she didn't mention it either. The LAPD had a good relationship with Redencion House, and Anna was glad to find that she was not unduly hassled about the situation going on around them with Tres Once and La Raza.

At least, not by the police. By the time the tow trucks had carted off the ruined Tres Once cars and the flashing lights were all gone it was about two in the morning. Anna was sitting in the living room, curled up on the couch under the blanket, while Tycho was sitting in one of the armchairs opposite. Estaba tan cansada, but she was trying to stay awake, to find out if Jake was all right.

You'd think Vipul would at least remember to call. But with the police around, they were probably waiting to approach the House. Anna's eyes closed, only to jerk open when she heard a key in the back door.

[Tycho Auriville]

So that had been interesting. It wasn't often that couch surfing became such a dramatic escapade - he'd always assumed that was more or less a phenomenon reserved for a handful of eighties movies that cycled like clockwork on basic cable in bad motels.

Tycho had mostly kept to himself when the police arrived. They weren't interested after he'd made a cursory statement and let them know that naw, he didn't live around here, was just passing through. By the time they left, Anna looked even more pale and drawn than she had after single-handedly creating an ice sculpture replica of the Great Wall of China.

But of course she couldn't sleep; that kind of adrenaline was better than an intravenous espresso line.

Ty'd kept her company as long as he could, his duffel serving as an ottoman at the foot of a comfortable lounge chair (whoever made a habit of camping their ass in it had done a champion job of creating the perfect dent in the cushions.) It was only a matter of time however before a twelve-hour shift at the site prevailed over their conversation and all too soon the man's eyelids were drooping, words slowing and blending together until his responses gave way to deep, level breaths.

[Vipul Chandrashekar]

Vipul and Jake came in through the back, discretely. Even though things had died down, they still had to play it cool. Fortunately, the apartment Vipul rented ten minutes away was an ideal safe house. They were able to lay low, and swing around the long way to come back to the house. Inwardly, Vipul was a bit frustrated. He should have just had one of himself at the house like he almost always did. While he was trying to avoid keeping too many of himself active at once, Rendecion was important on many levels. It was a mistake he wouldn't be repeating.

"Anna?"

[Anna Fernandez]

She was already sitting up, adjusting the blanket around her legs. "Vipul, Jake... I'm so glad you are okay." Anna tried to stand up, but found herself sitting back on the couch, her head swimming.

She put a hand to her forehead, and pushed her messy hair out of her face. "I was so worried..."

[Jacob Foley]

Jake skulked in behind Vipul, taking the time to double-check the lock on the back door before proceeding into the living room. Hands wedged firmly in his pockets, a sour expression etched into his face, he took one look at his sister and said:

"Fuck's the matter with you? You look terrible."

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna shook her head, eyes tearing up at her younger brother's harsh tone. "I jus' got lightheaded." She blinked, trying to keep the tears at bay.

[Jacob Foley]

"Shit."

Jake reeled wearily at the melodrama and slumped against the wall, flashing a mirthless grin at the ground. He shook his head.

"It's late. We're all tired. Can we skip the emotional bullshit this once, please? What happened to you?"

[Anna Fernandez]

"I made a huge wall of ice and nearly passed out," she snapped, yanking her dark hair back into a ponytail. Her brown eyes flashed as she continued, "And I was worried about you, which was obviously misplaced concern. As for the... the emotional bullshit, I can't help myself anymore."

Anna wiped tears from her cheeks even as she glared angrily at Jake. Tycho seemed to still be asleep, and Vipul seemed a bit taken aback by her uncharacteristic blow up.

[Jacob Foley]

"Wh-"

Jake, suddenly lost for words, raised himself to his full height and halved the distance between him and his sister. He gestured at the window which looked out onto the street.

"You were out there?" he asked, sounding like she'd suggested the earth was flat, "You were actually out there?"

He spun on the spot, looking to Vipul for a kindred spirit to share his disbelief, and then back to Anna. His wide eyes and open hands screamed: Well!?

[Vipul Chandrashekar]

"It's my fault. I should've been here."

Vipul sat on a nearby countertop, tugging one of the captured Glocks from his waistband to eject the magazine and set it aside.

"I got sloppy and careless, and it won't happen again."

[Anna Fernandez]

"Una pared de hielo dentro de la casa parece poco práctico, Jake!" Anna shouted, and then lurched off the couch, intent on storming out of the room until Vipul spoke up.

"It is not your fault," she managed, in a more moderated tone.

[Jacob Foley]

"Stop trying to blame yourselves!" Jake cried out, despairingly, "It's no-one's fault other than the bastards that keep trying to kill us!"

His eyes darted between Vipul and Anna. It felt like there was electricity coursing through his veins. He raked fingers through his hair and hissed.

"Anna, the next time the shit hits the fan, you stay indoors," he said, then dropped his damning finger, the tone in his voice softened a degree, "And no more powers! Look at you! Whiter than a- look, will you sit down?"

[Anna Fernandez]

She sat meekly, except she forgot that Tycho was behind her in the armchair. "Oh Dios mio," Anna jolted back upright and flailed her arms, forcing Jake to catch her.

[Tycho Auriville]

Pleasantly sandwiched between Anna Kournikova and Bar Rafaeli, Tycho was blissfully ignorant of the rising volume in the room. His subconscious stirred only slightly and in the perfect confines of his dream the man rolled over on the waterbed that served as their nest of debauchery. He buried his face in Anna's glorious breasts and sighed.

"Mrphm," he said. A hand caressed the back of his neck, the smell of peach lotion tickling his nose.

"Just ignore it, Tycho baby. We'll keep you distracted."

Soft hands began to rub at the wrought-iron lines of tension in his lower back and Tycho cracked open an eye to fully appreciate the finer points of Israeli nudist massage. It sure beat the hell out of those torturous deep tissue deals.

A pinch in his sacrum made him wince. "Ah, not so hard, sweetheart," he grunted absently as he ran a hand down a lithe hip. "M'not--"

Whump.

"Hah!" with a startled yelp at the random impact, Tycho's eyes flew open and he jerked upright in the chair, blinking owlishly. The room was two-more populated (alas, with neither leggy athletes nor exotic supermodels) and after a moment to gather his fuzzy scattered thoughts, Ty gave a groggy wave and scrubbed at his face. "Hey."

[Jacob Foley]

The sudden theatrics left Jake startled. A prickly heat crawled up the back of his neck as he set Anna straight and he shot a look of annoyance at the stranger.

"Who's the guy?"

[Anna Fernandez]

"Oh! I forgot. This is Tycho." Anna paused, and then admitted, "I don' remember your last name, I'm sorry. He came over to help with the van, and then.. everything happened." She made her way back to the sofa and sat down, her feet tucked up underneath her.

[Tycho Auriville]

"Ty," Tycho managed through a bitten off yawn, heel of his hand pressing circles against his temple before his hand snaked through his hair and settled on a knotted muscle in his neck. "You the brother?"

[Jacob Foley]

"Jake."

He folded his arms and glanced at Anna, he could almost see her baby bump swelling out before his very eyes. Curled up daintily on the sofa, she looked more like a little sister - his naive little sister. His gaze fell heavily upon Tycho once again.

"You know, I don't remember us needing any help with the van."

[Tycho Auriville]

"Guess it's just lucky I was in the neighborhood, then, huh?" Ty held Jake's gaze, an easy smile pulling at one corner of his mouth.

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna muttered something under her breath, then said, "We always need help with the van. I met Ty the other day, and he offered to take a look at it. Because of the noises."

She laughed, a little hysterically, "And now its God knows how early in the morning and he's staying the night. He is my guest, Jake."

[Tycho Auriville]

After a night like theirs had been, it was no surprise that a biting edge had taken hold of the conversation. Ty scooted to the edge of the easy chair, body protesting the pull away from it's comfortable nest.

"Anna, look, it's been a busy night, I don't wanna cause any more issues. Buddy of mine lives nearby, no worries," he stood and stretched his arms over his head.

[Jacob Foley]

Jake remained steadfast for all of two seconds. In the corner of his eye, Anna summoned thunderclouds, and bristled like an angry cat, ready to pounce. He concluded it simply wasn't worth the grief, and he unraveled his folded arms, his hands raised in surrender.

"No. No, it's alright. You're welcome to- He's sleeping on the sofa, right?"

Anna nodded, chasing away the haunted look from his face, and with a large dose of relief he returned his attention to Tycho:

"You're welcome to stay here, Tycho. It's been a long night. Sorry."

[Anna Fernandez]

"Fine. Great. Fantastico. So glad we could all be civil." Anna got up off the bed, leaving the blankets there. "There is some bedding in the hall closet at the top of the stairs, Ty, if you need more.

"I am going to bed."

She pushed past Vipul and her brother, heading upstairs as quietly and quickly as she could, using the railing for support. Anna gave her teeth a cursory brushing in her little bathroom, and then curled up in her bed under the covers despite the summer heat. It felt like her world was spinning out of control around her.

The Brotherhood was lurking nearby, being helpful, and the 3-11s were not going to give up easily on their turf. If anything it felt that she was playing a huge game for stakes she could barely comprehend. Not only the teens that trusted her, but now her unborn baby's future hung in the balance.

Things were only accelerating toward some end game - and Anna knew that she was not setting the rules. No, the House was turning into a pawn in the hands of others, and it scared her. The path she was on was like a truck with no brakes, and she couldn't be sure of its destination, either.

She wanted to be able to call a timeout - just pause the events around her and catch her breath. Figure out what the correct course of action was. But there were no timeouts left. Anna hugged her knees to her chest, her eyes threatening to spill over with tears again. Her feet were ice cold under the covers.

She turned over fitfully, praying for peace of mind. Soon enough she passed into a deep sleep, exhausted from her previous exertions.