Heroes Uprising: Alternate Universe (Thread 4)

The Lee's were immediately placed on stretchers and taken to operating rooms, William donned some scrubs and sparred the True Notes a glance, noting that a certain someone was missing and the usually lively group was somber " I wont ask what happened, just get out "

" Uhh what about? " Dave was unsure of how to ask about the bodies of Mortimer and Mitch.

Thankfully William took pity on them " I'll arrange to have the bodies stored till other arrangements are made....now either get out or go sit in the waiting room " with that said he walked off.

Noah and Adrian left, Kano was teleported back to the island. Victoria, Tyrone, Roberta, and Tie opted to leave as well.

" Theres nothing we can do here, might as well go and get some rest, Dr.Spayde said he'd contact us when he was finished with the Lees " Dave said as everyone moved to the waiting room.

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" Em, what the hell is this tent made out of and whered you get it? " Riku asked as they got back to the groups camping spot. Emmets over the top tent was the only thing left standing and unscathed.

Emmet shrugged " Amazon dawling, Amazon " he looked around the area and frowned " Everyone left their belongings " he bent over and began picking through the debris, but Riku stopped him.

" Personally I think we should just torch everything, but if it means that much to you, Kaiser, Kano, and I can pick up everybodies bullshit and get it back to them. You get some rest "

" Really i'm fine " Emmet protested " Doing something would be better then just being idle "

Kaiser placed a hand on Emmets shoulder " He's right, even if physically your fine, you should lay down and rest your mind for abit. Just an hour, chances are we'll still be cleaning up. Please? "

Emmet pursed his lips for a moment then nodded " Very well then, but just an hour and not a second longer "

" You have my word lord Emmet " Kano said " I shall come collect you on the time "

Emmet looked like he wanted to say something to Kano then turned and walked into his tent.

Tesla had already left to go back to her room. Sandra spoke up in agreement with Dave "Yea I was thinking the same thing. We all could use some rest. I suppose we should all meet in the choir room later to discus where the True Notes go from here. I would guess that after all that happened it would probably be the last meeting for some of us. Still after all we've been though as a team I think it'd be unfair to any of us to just not show up. There will be those that will stick with Emmet though all this, and they deserve to know where they stand with anyone who feels the need to walk away."

With that Sandra said her farewells to Dave as she and Tani headed back to their room. Once back Sandra just flopped onto the bed, not even bothering to undress or even pull the sheets back. Normally sleep would be the last thing on Sandra's mind, but after losing so many of the Lee's, letting the other Horsemen get away and everything with Emmet, celebratory sex didn't feel right. Sandra wanted to just pass out and go to bed, not really due to tiredness but more so just to relax and further think everything over. "Damn girl, we expected a rough day. We even went into that battle with the understanding one of us might not even make it back out. But all this with the reaper, Emmet and Phoenix. It was something else wasn't it?" Sandra asked Tanesha.

Emmet crawled under his blankets and layed on his back, staring up at the ceiling. His mind kept going back to the events of just a few shorts hours ago, it all felt so much longer. The more the fighting had progressed the more he felt disconnected. It all kept getting farther and farther away from him, like he was trapped in a cage with a sheet slowly covering it. He like like himself and yet like someone else all at once.

Who am I?

Emmet had never been one for an existential crisis, but now he appeared to be having one. It felt like there was more then one of him, yes there were different aspects to a persons personality....but it felt like an entirely different person resided in him. Now that he thought about it, this wasnt the first time he'd felt that way, time and time again it felt like there was someone just beneath the surface, not doing anything, just there.

He saw this person, a cage, bound by strains, he couldnt quite make out what they looked like, but their presense was undeniable and do too Thanatos actions, they'd somewhat shaken loose from their bindings. He didnt know this would mean for the future, he was unsure and somewhat scared. Was this person to blame for what happened, he wasnt sure and didnt want to place undo blame upon someone.

Holding out a hand, he felt spark of the phoenix's power, but he also saw flashbacks of his rampage and flinched, pulling his hand back. He couldnt use that power, not now, maybe not ever. No, the very thought of that hurt more to him, this power felt like it was another limb, sas improtant as his voice. He couldnt just abandon it, but at the same time he couldnt let what occured before happen again, he curled up, not wanting to think how good it felt.

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" My friends, I sense much disparity within our group, from lord Emmet to the others, there is a fracture " Kano said after a few minutes of sifting through everyones belongings.

" Yes K I think Helen Keller could see it, also whats with the lord? Youve always called him wise Emmet. He's noticed " Riku asked as he used shadow hands to pick stuff up " HAHAHA, oh god who's basic ass panties are these? Not even a hint of trying to get dick, must be Katy oh and these are definetly Patty mayonaise, when is that bitch gonna learn theres more then just the color white, hahaha "

" It is simply a matter of respect, something I have always thought, but refrained from because it did not seem quite proper. But now it can no longer be denied that lord Emmet is indeed a king, a ruler " Kano said, with great seriousness and respect " Even as I know he is in pain at raising a blade to his friends "

Kaiser had already cleared a good chunk of the mess on his own " It was an unfortunate event....but just for a moment at the end, I saw the real him " at the end, Kaiser had spoken in Emmet native language, babylonian, " Mother, please stop " its what gave Sandra the chance to land the decisive blow " It's possible, he can be saved "

Riku patted Kaisers shoulder with one of his shadow hands " Fuck yeah man, I know it seems like weve been dicking around, but thats never left the forfront of my perfect mind. We know that stupid cunt of a principle didnt bind Emmet on her own, it took a super high level ritual, so a mage was involved too, in order to bind a god, after that said stupid cunt could use her powers to lock him in and fabricate this new life "

He would never admit it, but Riku respected the skill and effort that had been put in, it would be so much fun when they inevidably wrecked them.

An hour later and Kano entered Emmets tent " Lord Emmet, the promised time is no-

His words were cut off as he saw the expression on Emmets face, he felt an invisible force drag him over to the bed, which he made no efforts to fight.

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Tanesha crawled into bed beside Sandra and hugged her " Gurl and how? I dont think any of us expected it to go down like this " She felt bad for the Lees of course, they had a long road ahead of them, she couldnt even begin to imagine how that would be for them. But she also couldnt deny that she was glad none of her friends or girlfriend had lost their lives " Where do we go from here? " she was asking herself as much as Sandra. Could they survive this aftermath?

Sandra considered her response. "Babe I want you to know, if you feel like you need to step away from the True Notes after all this, you have my full 100% support, I would not hold it against you in the slightest. Emmet broke a lot of peoples trust today, and I think come tomorrow's meeting you would not be alone in that decision, if that is the one you make. I honestly think our group is about to get much smaller.

As for me girl, I've decided that I'm going to try to help Emmet though this. Something Riku said earlier has stuck with me, what he said about all of us having that darkness deep inside. I've already seen glimpses into that dark side of myself, you have Emmet have bared witness to it. I keep thinking back to when I almost split Karen's soul open, the admittedly justified hatred I had towards the girl, the pleasure I was feeling taking my sweet revenge. Who knows how far down the rabbit hole I would of spiralled if not for you and Emmet pleading with me to stop when I did.

I know it's not a perfect apples to apples comparison, I realise I was a lot more justified in my rage then Emmet. It's just how can I bring myself to abandon my friend when he needs me the most, especially when I know that deep down inside, there's a raging hateful side just waiting to come out.

So Tani whatever you decide to do, know that you've got my full support no matter what. So you do whatever is best for you. As for me, I just can't bring myself to abandon Emmet during this difficult time."


After Sandra said her peace the girls got ready for bed. The next morning Sandra awoke to the sounds of the showers running. Tanesha was already out of bed and a string of discard cloths lead to the bathroom. Sandra went walked into a very steamy bathroom, indicating a hot shower. Sandra figured that wasn't a bad idea, she badly needed one of those herself and hey if the water is already running. Sandra stripped down completely nude and stepped into the shower with Tanesha, this not being the first time they shared a bath. "Hey bebe, room for 2?" Sandra asked just to start conversation, already knowing there was plenty of room for the both of them.

Tanesha listened quietly, she'd had a feeling that was what Sandra would wanna do, of course it was, its one of the things that she loved most about the girl. Her deep caring nature and how she would always stand by her friends " I'm...gonna take break, just a small one. Someone needs to keep an eye for the others who were really effected by this, Tesla, Garfield, Victoria, etc. But dont worry, I wont be gone long, Riku would never let me hear the end of it about throwing the racial ratio off so much "

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" Gurl you know theres always room for you " Tanesha told her girlfriend, sliding her and offering to wash her back and naturally do more " I got a text earlier, we'll be meeting up in the choir room in an hour "

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That morning, the island had vanished in a shower of glittering energy. Emmet, Riku, Kaiser, and Kano had watched from Platinum Chariot before piloting it back to Genosha, Riku could have just void'd them all there but realized Emmet would probably enjoy a leisurely trip back more. He was currently sitting on top of the ship, starring out into the morning sky and contemplating everything.

"Like I said babe, if that's what you want, you have my full support." Sandra kissed Tanesha, happy there was going to be somebody to look after the group that will split off. "From what I gleamed of people's thoughts earlier, I think Tesla might be one of the worse off. Most are just unsure if they can trust Emmet anymore, but Tesla seems to be hurt pretty deep. Keep a eye on her will you?"

Sandra and Tani never had the closest relationship with Tesla given how the girl usually acted as well as her treatment towards Cass. But that said she was a True Note, and was always there for the team, often on the front lines even if the odds was against her. She has well deserved respect and support to help her get through what Emmet did.

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"An hour, that should plenty of time" Sandra said, totally accepting not only the back wash but whatever else her girlfriend had in mind.

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Katy had met up with Tesla at the cafeteria for breakfast, unsurprisingly the girl was in no mood for cooking her own meals as Katy could tell Tesla still seemed off. "So did you get any sleep last night?" Katy inquired. "As much as I could between the nightmares of what happened." Tesla said. It was clear to Katy that Emmet was in Tesla's head, and not in a good way.

Platinum chariot touched down in Emmets backyard, Emmet went to take a long soak in his tub before the meeting while the others went to their rooms to get ready for the meeting.

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Victoria entered the cafeteria with Tyrone and immediately went to sit with Katy and Tesla " Morning ladies " Tyrone told them good morning as well. A rather awkward silence set in for a minute " Um, you guys got the text for the meeting right? " obviously they had but she was fumbling for something to say.

Tesla gave Victoria a slight smile as she and Tyrone sat at the table, remembering how Victoria seemed to be one of the only ones to really give a shit about her the previous night. Not that Tesla cared to have pull the victim card and have petty support anyway, but it just nice knowing somebody cared. After greeting and a awkward silence the meeting got brought up. "Yea I got it. Might be the last meeting I'm attending for a while, but I'm going. You guys?"

Katy responded first "Totally. Emmet got a lot of explaining to do and I'm if nothing else interested to hear what he has to say for himself after yesterday's murder spree rampage." Katy couldn't imagine herself supporting someone like Emmet moving forward, but she did want to hear how he would attempt to justify his actions.

Soon the time of the meeting came, Emmet was the first to arrive at the choir room. He walked around the room, moving chairs around and pushing tables together accordingly. He did this by hand, newfound telekinesis or not, it was yet another power he would need to learn to use. Also he craved the busy work, it helped set his mind at ease. He looked at the walls, where pictures of the group had been hung, all from various performances, he smiled fondly at the memories.
It hurt to think it could all come to an end, obviously they wouldnt all be together forever, eventually they would graduate and make their way out in the world, but for now he'd been loving his school life and it was thanks to everyone in the True Notes. Emmet had a large friend group outside of the glee club, but they were definetly his inner circle. After awhile he took a seat at the head of the table, not as an act of authority, but an act of vulnerability, leaving him open to everyones judgment.

He sensed something on his right and didnt even need to look over to know Riku had arrived " I value your friendship deeply and the way your always there for me, its rather unusual give your approach to everyone else "

" I'm nice to those that I think are worth it, which just happens to be a very short list " Riku said

" I see, in any event, I imagine its pointless to tell you this, but I'd rather you not come to my defense, as I said before I'm taking full responsibility for what happened, i'll accept any critisim and debasement you see fit to give me " Emmet said solemnly " They have every right to feel the way they do "

Riku snorted " And I have every right to feel the way I do too, none of these asshats have the right to judge you in my opinion, you did what none of them would have had the balls to do...ok what most of them wouldnt have had the balls to do, the fact that you got a little extreme isnt really your fault and that needs to be taken into account and I'm sure as fuck gonna say it "

Emmet took his hand and squeezed it gently " Please? "

Riku frowned " Thats not fair....which is something a demon cant complain about, alright i'll try to keep my shade on topic and not get in the way of the public whipping you seem to want, long as they dont get too out of hand "

Emmet kissed his cheek " Thank you "

"It's time for the meeting" Katy said. Katy, Tyrone and Victoria all got up but Tesla remained seated. "Tesla are you coming?" Katy asked. Tesla gave Katy a visual confirmation before speaking "Yes I'm coming, I'm just going to give it a few more minutes." Tesla didn't want to spend to much time in Emmet's presence, at least not at this time. She wanted to be one of the last people to walk into the class, say her peace, then be one of the first to walk out. From there she hoped to distance herself from Emmet for a while so get could get her mind straight. She still stood by her defence of Emmet yesterday, she knew he never intended for matters to get that far out of control. But she couldn't spend a lot of time in that mans presence, not at this current time.

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Sandra and Tanesha where the next to arrive sitting at the table, they greeted Emmet and Riku though the atmosphere in the room was anything but cheerful. "Wow, I guess we actually made it fairly early for once, hey Tani." Sandra was so use to showing up late that it felt a little strange having so few people here.

" Lord knows black people cant be on time for anything " Riku snorted as Sandra and Tanesha took their seats.

" Excuse you, bitch but who was the dumb hoe that two hours late to a hangout because they were busy sucking dick in a back alley " Tanesha asked

" Why we talkin bout what ya mammy does for cheap change " Riku fired back, leading to a loud and petty argument. For a moment the mood in the room was rife with nostalgia. But it vanished as Dave teleported into the room with Garfield and Donovan. Garfield and Dave seemed withdrawn and awkward, even Donovan who was usually full of idiotic joy was oddly quiet.

" Hi Emmet " Donovan said quietly " Everyone " he said acknowleding everyone else.

" Ya'll clowns cant speak? " Riku demanded

" Hey everyone, hows.....things " Dave said awkwardly and Garfield murmered a greeting, obviously uncomfortable.

Riku rolled his eyes " Well this is going to be a shitshow, I know i'll try " he said in regards to the look Emmet was giving him.

Kaiser walked in next and took the seat on Emmets left, followed by Noah and Adrian. The two seemed very neutral on the whole thing, greeting everyone as they sat down. Noah had not voiced an issue with Emmet over what happened, he was a little suspicious of the phoenix force as it made him think of several cases of posession, he'd hold his judgement till more information came out. Adrian hand thought about it much, he'd been in conversation with Alex and Iko since he'd got back, after getting some sleep. He didnt really see an issue with what Emmet did, not really.

As the minutes passed Kano, Tie and Cassandra and Roberta would show up all taking their respective seats. Cass would sit on the other side of Tanesha opposite of Sandra. She really didn't know what to think of yesterday. Emmet looked like he really wanted to kill them all but now he seems perfectly normal again. Katy would show up next, Emmet could tell she wanted some kind of explanation from him for his actions. Tesla eventually showed up flanked by Victoria and Tyrone who had stayed behind just to give the girl some company. Finding a seat Tesla would look in Emmet's direction, but he'd note she'd be careful never to meet his gaze directly eye to eye. "So we have quite a group here, are we still missing anybody or can we just start this already." Tesla said, pretty clearly not wanting to be here.

" Tabitha's resting, also she said she's not really apart of the group like that, so this is it " Riku said.

Emmet cleared his throat, gaining everyones attention, for a moment it seemed like he was at a loss for word, but the moment passed " Were here to discuss what happened yesterday, my actions against the Lee's and against the group. I'll answer every question you have to best of my ability "

He started by explaining his talk with Tesla and how he'd decided to take on the burden of ending the Lee's lives if no recourse to saving them could be met. He like the others too wished their could be a way to saving them, but admitted he felt their chances were slim.

" I wont mince my words, truthfully...I didnt care that much about the family, not compared to the rest of you. I wished for your survival far more then theres. I realize how that sounds, but I still felt it would be best for me to take on the task of ending them, for I held no malice for them and would ensure theire passing was painless "

" See how well that went " Garfield muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

Emmet just nodded and continued, skipping to his fight with Thanatos, how he tried to buy off the mercenary in a last ditch effort to save the Lee's, how Thanatos explained they were doomed unless someone of Iskandars skill freed them or they somehow freed themselves. Thanatos revealed himself to be fused with a reaper and how he attacked Emmet, blurring something away. He explained how he felt after, lighter, more free. His thoughts were clear and his strength felt more solid.

" Tanya Lee was the first, I sensed her incoming death and went to her, I burned her with the flames of the phoenix and released her. In that I held my promise for a painless death, next was Hannah Lee, but at that point....something had begun to stir in me, i'd gotten a taste of death, saw how the flames bathed and burned the bodies....I'm not sure I can fully describe it, next was Dale Lee and....it was not a painless death, not at all. He was more sturdier, so I summoned more power and destroyed him. At this point I was aware enough to realize something was wrong. My desires were flowing into my connection with the phoenix force and I could hear it's maddened cries "

He paused for a moment, the memories still so fresh to him, he could swear he saw a young girl with an insane expression plastered on her face, her eyes filled with a corrupt glee, eyes that generally held neutrality and a sense of innocence, had fallen to human cravings " By then we were one....a dark phoenix of sorts, it was hard to tell where my madness began and the phoenix's ended. I was drunk and lost to myself, not caring about anything but my selfishness and the excitement, the pleasure it brought me "

" Nothing else mattered....not even you all and that is the worst part, I was myself and yet I was someone else, but we all wanted the same thing, to see everything burn, fall to ruin and destruction. I dont know what would have happened in the worst-case scenario, I dont want to think about it, but it is a reality I cannot avert my gaze too. I did many terrible things, from my murderders, to attempted murders, sadistic games. Through it all I cannot blame the phoenix force, it was my failings that caused it all to go so wrong "

" I'm curious Emmet, you speak of different people, different aspects, which one is the real you and which is a falsehood? " Tie asked " I know you, as well as everyone else does, but we dont know everything. How much of you wanted all of that beautiful destruction, as you put it "

Emmet kept his gaze forward, looking at everyone " I....do not know, there is a part of me, something I have seen glimpses of, but only in passing. Now with it all laid bare for all to see, I wanted something that I shouldnt, not to harm any of you, but to harm all the same "

" So we just happened to be the unlucky ones to get in the way then? " Dave asked " This is all so damn confusing, you say you wanna fuck shit up basically, but you didnt wanna hurt us, but you did. So which is it? "

" It's what he said it is " Riku cut in " To reiterate my earlier point Dark thoughts like this exist in everyone, I wasnt kidding when I told captain sanctimonious the one thing that ties all living things together is violence. Everyone in this room is capable of it if given the proper motivation and outlet. Revenge, sorrow, sheer happiness. All it takes is one instance, one bad day to set it all off, break the lock and let the monsters out. They come in different variety but its all the same. I speak as an actual monster and im not the only one " he spared a passing glance to Noah, Tie, Kaiser, he passed over Adrian after a moment.

" There is some wisdon in those words, it is this violence that can drive us forward through dire situations, life and death, peace and war " Kano added " Lord Emmet I feel your sorrow, your at odds with yourself, in my land you would be a great warrior with many a battlefield to let yourself free in "

" So were just supposed to accept what happened cause everyone is fucked up on the inside? " Garfield demanded " I'm not gonna completely deny that inner darkness exist, but that doesnt make it right, you could choose to rise above it and cliche as im sure it sounds, see a path to the light "

Sandra cut in after Garfieild spoke "It's not always that easy Garfield.    I remember my earlier encounter with Karen, the brutality and misery she put me though as she slowly and methodically tortured the life from my body.    When I came back to life was my first real experience and with the Phoenix, and when I confronted Karen again to save Tanesha and Emmet from her grasp, that's the first time my darkness came though.    I took all the pain I suffered and mentally projected it back onto her ten fold, I was going to make that girl suffer.    I wanted to take back what was mine, her beautiful, luscious red hair.    Hair she stole by scalping my head.   I was this close to cutting that girls skull off with my telekinesis, a line cut across Karen's forehead, her blood started spewing out and I enjoyed every bit of suffering I was inflicting onto the girl.     I would of ended Karen's life just as she ended mine, with a honest to god smile on my face.

For me I was lucky, both Tanesha and Emmet was there to plead with me to stop what I was doing, to remind me that this wasn't me, to beg me not to put that blood on my hands.    They managed to talk reason into me, they stopped me from going down a very dark hole.    Emmet said it himself, the first kill as intended was a mercy kill, he only ended Tanya so she wouldn't have to suffer.    But after that it all started going wrong, he had that blood on his hands and it lead to a taste for murder.

I dread to think how far down that rabbit hole I would of gone myself if Tani and Emmet where not there to talk reason into me.    Emmet, I'm so sorry I wasn't there to repay the favour, to stop you from doing what you had planned.    From my own experience I knew the rabbit hole you heading down into.    Had I been there for you in no way would I of allowed you to go though with that plan.

It seems like our connection to the Phoenix goes further then it just lending us power.    Emmet and Phoenix, myself and Phoenix.   We feed into each other.   When Emmet or myself fall to darkness, said darkness can then corrupt Phoenix.    Said corruption then gets amplified by Phoenix and feeds back into us.   It's a never ending cycle of corruption and power that could push us into madness if we fall to deep into that rabbit hole.

Emmet I know our experiences aren't a perfect one to one comparison.   I was driven by revenge, you where not.    I turned back while you went all the way.    But despite the differences, I think that I can, probably more so then many of the others, at least relate on some level to what your going though.    So I want to make my stance clear right now, Emmet I stand by you.    I stand beside you and I want help you though this.    Me and you are the only two Phoenix's, we are the only two that can at least get some degree of an idea as to what the other is going though.    At a time that you need every friend you can get now more then ever, I'm not going to abandon you."

This did not come as a surprise to Tanesha as Sandra already told her last night she was going to stick by Emmet.    But now Sandra has made her viewpoint clear for all to see.

Sandra's words hung in the air, giving another perspective to the situation. Nobody trully wanted to doubt Emmets intensions, they wanted to believe in him. But with everything that had happened, it was not so simple. His actions had caused a lot of pain distrust, he was fully aware of this and was taking full responsibility, but for some that wouldnt be enough.

" I wanna ask something " Roberta spoke up " You said the guy you were fighting did something to you, is it possible he cause all of this to happen, like he mind controlled you? "

Emmet shook his head " Unfortnately that isnt the case dawling, what that mad did was erase something, wall so to speak. Everything that happened was of my own intions, warped as they were, but still mine, my darkness "

" A darkness once again everyone has " Riku said " As Elmo put it, the issue came through with the phoenix force went off its rocker too, were it not for that the situation would have played out different, in that we wouldnt have gotten our shit kicked in but what would have happened instead? You manage to convince Emmet against the mercy killing, they still would have died and no ammount of choosing the path of the light or wanting something the best option to happen would have done anything. Thats reality, you cant save everybody and I suggest you get that through your thick ass skulls and NO that doesnt mean you shouldnt try to save people at all, whatever gets you off "

A good chunk of this was thrown at Garfield, he glared at the demon but couldnt bring himself to deny anything he'd said, it was the truth.

" I dont want the phoenix force blamed either " Emmet said " It's hardly the fault of a cosmic entity that my weakness influenced it, it is all my fault "

" That felt like you and it didnt " Victoria said next " Like it was looking at two different people at the same time, it was so confusing. I dont feel as if I have any right to judge you based on my own past actions, i'd be a hypocrite to speak of betrayal "

" You've more then redeemed yourself dawling, your trully a valued and trusted member of this group. Anything you feel now is completely valid " Emmet told her " Everything all of you are feeling too " he was looking at Tesla out the corner of his eye, he could feel how deep her pain ran and it tore at his heart.

" I'm in the same boat as Vicky " Tanesha said " I was working against the group at one point too, regardless of why " she said raising a hand to stop Victoria from trying to defend her " It's more so that it's you Em. It would be one thing if this was Riku, kinda suprised it hasnt happened yet, we've seen how fucked up and evil he is and for whatever reason its just become ingrained that its not a problem. But your basically the leader here, someone thats always been good and had it together. To see you like that " she shook her head " It was difficult, seeing you fight and hurt our friends, I wanted to know who that person was, but I knew "

"To respond to Riku's earlier point" Sandra said. "I know the Lee's would of died anyway, honestly had things planned out different it's possible all the Lee's may of died with Iskandar sucking the life out of every single one, using them up all up until the collapsed. As ironic as it is, it's Emmet's madness that allowed any of the Lee's to be saved at all. All I'm saying was I was once on the brink of going down that dark path. And Emmet is right, it'f not the fault of the Phoenix Force. It was my anger and need for revenge that started any influence in the first place. My point was once that corruption starts due to the nature of the Phoenix's connection to us, it then becomes hard to stop. But don't worry Emmet, I'm not blaming the Phoenix as the cause of anything. The state of the Phoenix is dependent on the state of us. You, me, we are always the root cause. All I'm saying is once that corruption has began it's not as easy as Gardfield said to just choose a higher path. Be it myself or Emmet, once we set that corruption in place, it then becomes easy for us to lose sight of ourselves.

I'm just saying I wish I had been there to prevent Emmet from doing what he did."

"So do I" Tesla said in response to Sandra as she stood up. "Emmet I want you to know I'm not against you. You informed me of your intentions and I supported you. To be frank, the team means more to me then some random family ever will. I had no idea your plan would lead to things getting this out of control, and I'm sure you had fully convinced yourself you where able to handle getting any of Lee's blood on your hands. Clearly we misjudged. But I know you meant good, your intent was simply not to let the Lee's suffer.

Emmet I will support you... in time. I don't know if what you did to me during the battle was real or a illusion or what. But my head is all fucked up right now, I can't get that moment of my mind. It haunts me like a never ending fucking nightmare. I do believe you never indented any of this to get so far out out of hand, I really do. But right now I need time, time to fix myself, time to get my straight. Emmet I support you, but right now I can't be anywhere the fuck around you."

With that Tesla left the room without listening to another word. She had to get herself out of Emmet's presence. She still believed in Emmet, she wasn't ready to believe that the Dark Phoenix as Emmet put it was his true self. But she also simply could not stay in that mans presence any longer, the wounds still far to fresh in her mind.

“I-I think I understand where you and Sandra are coming from.” Roberta said nervously looking at her hands. In a way it was easier for her to talk about this now that Tesla was gone.

“During the tournament I tried so hard to hold myself back because a part of me just beneath the surface only wanted to destroy everything in my path. I don’t know what it is that makes me feel this way, but when I give in for even a moment it feels…amazing.” She smiled unknowingly just thinking about some fights where she let loose just a little bit.

“What you did and what you tried to do was horrible Emmet, but I just can’t hate you for this. Actually I think I’m glad I know just a little more about you now.”

Tie smiled, finding that both her and Roberta shared the same view on this. Tyrone was a little shaken by what happened, but it wasn’t to the point he thought about leaving. To some extent Adrian helped temper his views on murder which was something he didn’t enjoy. However, who he cared about most was Victoria right now and the entire time he was with her since then he had a feeling what she’d choose.

Garfield stood up too, i'm.....gonna go too. I just cant understand, I feel like I dont want too. Em I know your not a bad person, not really. I need some time away so I can decide what I wanna do and I cant do it here...I'm sorry "

" You have nothing to apologize for " Emmet said quietly, Tesla's words and departure were having a deep effect on him, he was barely managing to keep his composure, but he was resolved to not fall apart in front of everyone, not when he didnt have any right to it " No one that chooses to leave will be judged for their decisions " he shot Riku a meaningful look, as the demon had started to open his mouth but closed it with a sigh.

Dave stood up too " I'm gonna go too, I know I just joined the glee club and stuff, but I need some time too, this is all a lot "

Donovan looked torn, his two best friends were leaving and he wanted to go with them, but he didnt want to leave Emmet and the others either. This sucked so much, he didnt understand why everyone was so mad at Emmet, he wanted to help the Lees but couldnt so he killed them before they could be killed by Iskandar, it didnt make a whole lot of sense to him, but Emmet did it so it had to be the right thing.

Garfield saw conflict on his friends face and lightly touched his arm " Don, dont hurt your head, you can stay with the group and still hangout with us too, its ok "

Relief washed over Donovans race, he stood up " I'm gonna go with you guys, but i'll still come back here too. Is that ok? " he asked, worried that he would be denied.

Emmet denied " Of course dawling, of course "

Donovan gave him a goofy smile and turned to Riku " Can I still learn magic too? "

The sour look on Rikus face was one who wanted to say hell no, but he deflated somewhat " yeah, your pretty decent and Tabitha likes teaching people. You two clowns can still learn to if you want and Garfield dont forget to pay what you owe " he said referring to what happened with Verstande.

Garfield paled at the sinister tone in the demons voice and just nodded. Dave teleported the three of of them away. After a moment Victoria stood up " I'm going to leave too, its not going to be permanent. Theres still Troy and fear factor to deal with and I still owe this group a debt, but for now like the others, I need some time away "

" Hangon girl, I'm going with you " there was some suprise when Tanesha stood up, many seeing how Sandra made it clear she wasnt leaving " Im gonna take some time off too, just to think things over and make sure everyone that left is ok and yes nigga I will be back " she said cutting off whatever Riku was gonna say.

Sandra stood up just to give Tani a kiss and smile.   "Most who left seem to be heavily conflicted.    Take care of our friends alright and I'll see you after class."    She sat back down and it seemed like to the others Sandra was already fully aware of Tanesha's decision to take a break from the group.     Cassandra stood up next "Um I'm ah, gonna go with Tani" she said.   This wasn't to surprising as other then Sandra, a lot of the people most accepting of Cass including Tanesha had left, and she was probably a bit freaked out by Emmet's murder spree.      Even if she wanted to stay, it didn't feel like there was much for her in the True Notes at the moment regardless.

Katy took a stand next "I'm out to. I'm sorry Emmet but it's a simple matter of trust. As good as a friend that you've become, after trying to destroy not just the bad, but also the Lee's as well as the True Notes. You turned your back on us Emmet, and I feel like I simply can't trust you anymore."

Cass took her leave and Katy soon followed. Some may have been more forgiving or understanding of Emmet's actions, but Katy wasn't one of them. When he turned on the Lee's was bad enough, but when he turned on his own friends... that was crossing the line.

Tyrone got up right after Victoria did intending on leaving with her. "I'm leaving but I'll be back to. Emmet...I can't imagine what it is that you're feeling right now, but at least for me you're one of the coolest people I've ever been around. If you need any help from the weakest member here just hit me up." Tyrone smiled and waved goodbye, trying to hide how bad he felt at that moment. He walked over to Victoria gently grabbing her hand as they left.

"Well it should be obvious I'm staying. I truly enjoy protecting my friends, even if it’s from themselves.” Tie said matter of factly with no hesitation. To some extent she considered Emmet with familial regard, so fighting him for him to the point of death was a simple choice.

And with that they were gone, Emmet remained incredibly still, as if the information was sinking into him. He'd done it, he'd held himself together, it hadnt been easy, he wanted to fall apart, dissolve and be blown away by the wind. But he hadnt, he accepted everything they all had to say, he thanked those that stayed and bid those that left a solemn goodbye. Trust, as Katy had said while she left, he'd lost a lot of their trust. But he couldnt just remain in his melancholy, trust once lost was difficult to receive again, but he would do that, he would prove himself worthy of his friends.

" Good fuckin riddicence " Riku said, he too had been holding back a lot, but as he promised Emmet, he'd remained silence " So fucking easy to critisize people and yes I know! " he snapped, cutting off Noah before he could open his mouth " Its a fine line coming from me "

Noah rolled his eyes " Emmet I cant imagine how your feeling right now, given all thats happened. But your not alone, the people that have stayed are willing to stick with you and see things from your perspective, forgive you. The ones that left, I dont think they'll be gone long and i'm sure you feel the same way "

" Hear hear, sir Noah speaks the facts....thats how that lingo goes? " Kano asked Riku who just shrugged " Even at your lowest point your light is still shinbing bright, your majesty and divinity are aweinspiring "

Emmet raised his head, not noticing that he'd lowered it " I'm not deserving of such praise, but I hope to be in time. Your right, staying in this mood wont accomplish anything. I'll strive to move forward and become stronger, in my power and mind, i'll bring them all back to us, I swear it "

-------------------------------------------------------

Luthor looked over the report that Thanatos had just dropped off for him. It was a complete defeat, it seemed. One of the riders was dead/captured and another was a vegetable, that just meant they were weak. But Thanatos and Harmonia had made it back, both requesting to remain in his service, he accepted them and doubled their salaries. They would be useful to him further down the line.

What was interesting was what happened with Emmet, he'd lost himself in the power of the phoenix force and nearly wiped out his own allies, but at the last moment he'd been brought back, based on what Thanatos had witness, Kaiser Nanaya had said something to him, something that shocked him enough to allow Sandra Fuller to deliver a finishing blow, what had that been.

he had all of the True Notes files laid out before him, most of them were average and unremarkable, but a few were of note, in the fact that their files had been manipulated. Kaiser was one such person, his background was fairly normal, more normal then a member of the Nanaya clan should be. He looked over his parentage and saw his mother was listed as unknown.

He rubbed his chin in contemplation, there were so many secrets on this island and he was always one for a good mystery. He closed that file and opened Adrians, his anger rising as it always did, he was still riding high on the beating he'd taken from the horsemen, but it wasnt enough, not nearly enough. He wouldnt be satisfied till he'd rendered Adrian a complete husk, it wasnt about killing him, that was easy. What he wanted was to chain Adrian to him and have him, to torture him to his dying day.

" Now how to move forward with the pieces I have on the board? " he contemplated, the True Notes were fractured now, that opened up many possibilities. His main goal was Adrian, but now this glee club had his full attention, full gods, angels, and demons, it reminded him of the YA fantasy novels his sister had loved to read. He clenched his fist and wrested his mind from thinking of her.

He looked through the rest of their files, making note of a few and their possible uses. He didnt want to make an enemy of Alexander Hill, not yet anyway, so he passed over Tyrone. He looked at Tesla Nova and his mouth twisted into a cruel smile " The market for diamonds is starting to heat up, i've been wanting to make a splash in it "

He flipped open Katy's " Not bad looking, a few sex rings would be interested, then again old man Katsu does have an interest in elementals " obsession was probably the better word for it, but he'd probably pay big money for her. Tanesha Mack, Victoria and Donovan Duval were all from families known for secondary mutations, certain gene harvesting labs would be interested in them, the Duvals could probably help with a variety of creations too. Cassandra Goodman, tempting to get a look at her for his knew exploration into cloning, but he didnt want to cross Cordelia Goodman, perhaps he could strike a business deal with her.

His mind kept turning over different ideas, different possibilities, all horrible. He even looked over the files for fear factor and he didnt see people or even allies, just products, thats all most people were to him, if you didnt have value then you had no right to live.

"Riku, try not to take to much offence to those who left.    You have to look at who Emmet was in the eyes of many of many of us.    He wasn't just the leader of the True Notes.    He was a kind friend that brought joy to hearts, a young man with wisdom beyond his years that helped us though so many bad times.    To see him turn against everyone he cared for in some kind of blood fuelled rage, it cut deep." Sandra explained, trying to see things from the others point of view.    

-----

Katy was on her way to seek out Ashe after leaving the meeting.   It was to late to take up his offer yesterday by the time all the fighting was said and done.    But now she was ready to expand the scoop of her powers, especially with needing a distraction to get her mind off the meeting and Emmet.    What better then to focus on training?

" Yeah yeah Elmo I get it, thats not gonna save those ashey ass hoes when they do come crawling back " Riku said, his thought process was just more geared to caring about Emmet, with a very small percent having actual concern for the others, but it could be said he had confidence in their ability to get over it and rejoin the group, he just wasnt likely to voice that " What now? "

Emmet sat up straighter, his demeanor more serious " We managed to survive our encounter with the four horsemen, with two of them being incapacited and crippled, all things considered thats a positive. But theres still the person who hired them in the first place, as well as fear factor. They have much to answer for "

" Indeed, their actions have been underhanded and heinous " Kano said, banging his fist on the table " We cannot allow them to continue having their way "

Emmet nodded " The question becomes how do we find them? Magical means have been ineffctive due to the mages in Fear Factors ranks shielding them. Making it a waiting game that i've grown tired of playing "

" Fuck yeah, when these busted up bitches gonna actually do something? " Riku asked " The horsemen were a bust, but whoever did call them in has deep pockets so we can only guess what hes gonna do next "

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Katy found Ashe in his office, a large pile of papers dominating his desk, but he was going through them with incredible speed " Katy Kharma....i've been waiting for you " he said in his ever present monotone.

"I doubt their going to just will fully follow us into battle a second time" Sandra noted. "They failed against us with four plus the Lee's, and the strongest of us are who remained together. Unless they plan on bringing the Fear Factor into battle this time, I can't see them attacking with just two. Honestly I fear that they might try to target the others first."

-----

Katy walked over and sat at one of the seats in front of the desk. "I apologise for not making it after class yesterday. The battle with the Horsemen went on far longer then we expected. But I'm here now, and if your offer to teach me about my powers is still open, then I'll humbly become you student." Katy was hopeful with Ashe saying he'd been waiting for her, but she still felt compelled to explain herself not showing up sooner.

-----

Cass was walking down the halls and had a slight smirk of how perfect this happened to turn out. She'd been wanting Tanesha for a while, and even her mother had given her the green light to go after what she wanted. The problem was Sandra was stronger then her, with Sandra and Tanesha also rarely spending to much time apart. But now Cass had a opening. Sandra had remained in Emmet's group while Tani had left. That gives them time where they are apart, and gives Cass a period of time where she could pounce. Cass was giddy with excitement, finally the time to make Tanesha her's had presented itself. At last it was Cass turn to get a taste of what Sandra had.

" That....is an unfortunate possibility " Emmet said, Sandra brought up a good point, it would be a sound strategy to pick them off now that many of them were separate from the group, easy pickings as it were. " The remaining horsemen are still strong in their own regards, particularly Thanatos, though I may be his primary target " he'd explained before how Thanatos craved destruction and saw Emmet as the key to that.

" Well we should at least make sure the others are aware of this so they can be on guard " Adrian offered " I dont get the feeling they'll attack right off the bat though, nota fter the loss on the island, they'll take some time and regroup, reassess our combat capability " it's what he would have done in Luthors shoes, the annoying thing about him is that they thought alike, it made many games of chess quite frustratingly long.

" Yeah, the alternative is having to babysit and im not about that, though I could technically saddle them with " things " to watch them " Riku said as he stretched out " I can call on other demons now that the fight is over "

" What was preventing you from being more useful? " Noah inquired, his tone decidedly smug, Riku summoned a ball of hellfire and winded his arm back to throw it "

" Song! " Kano suddenly said, mainly to avert a fight " The mood has been quite dour and perhaps a round of songs will unite us and lighten the mood "

Riku put out his fire and stood up " You know what, your absolutely right, fuck the feels, lets just sing it out! " Riku jumped onto the stage and music immediately started playing.

Riku:
This sinking feeling sets
It feels just like a hole inside your chest
I know you're thinking
No, no, no, no, it is easier said than done
But please let me attest
I know it's hard
You're feeling like you're trapped
But that's how you react
When you cannot see the light
But try and see the light
I'm telling you
No, no, no, no
You're the only one
Standing in your way
Just take a breath, relax, and tell me

Riku(True Notes)
(Why?)
Please tell me why do we worry?
(Why?)
Why do we worry at all?
(Why?)
Just tell me why do we worry?
When worry is never helping tell me why worry at all?
Primis Player Placeholder

Sandra:
Why do we insist
On crossing bridges that do not exist?
Let's take these issues
Step by step by step, to work it out
Day by day by day we're falling down
But life goes on
I've got some questions
Are you sick of feeling sorry?
Uh huh
And people saying not to worry?
Uh huh
Sick of hearing this hakuna matata motto
From people who won the lotto
We're not that lucky
Have you noticed that you're breathing?
Uh huh
Look around and count your blessings
Uh huh
So when you're sick of all this stressing and guessing
I'm suggesting you turn this up and let them hear you sing it

Riku(True Notes):
(Why?)
Please tell me why do we worry?
(Why?)
Why do we worry at all?
(Why?)
Just tell me why do we worry?
When worry is never helping tell me why worry at all?

Riku and Noah
Chin up, quit actin' like you're half dead
Tears can only half fill how you’re feelin'
Don't worry, be happy baby
Stand up, life is too damn short
That clock is ticking
Man up, if ya feel me
Everybody sing it

Riku(True Notes):
(Why?)
Please tell me why do we worry?
(Why?)
Why do we worry at all?
(Why?)
Just tell me why do we worry?
When worry is never helping tell me why worry at all?
(Why?)
Please tell me why do we worry?
(Why?)
Why do we worry at all?
(Why?)
Just tell me why do we worry?
When worry is never helping
I'm not buying what they're selling
So if worry's never helping tell me
(Why)
(Why?)
Worry at all?
When worry is never helping tell me why worry at all?


-------------------------------------------------

" It's fine " Ashe ignored the comment about horsemen, reminding him of something unrelated " You have a fairly good grasp on your abilities primary function. Hydrokinesis allows you to manipulate water in its liquid state, but many users are often able to branch out to waters other forms, solid and gas, water is the element of change and has a high level of versatility "

As he spoke, he held up a hand and generated a ball of water, shifting it from liquid to a ball of ice, and a cloud of gas in a constant loop " You have already begun developing the ice aspect, but your still lacking in overall power, but working on adaptability will help make up for that. As you work on this you will develop a more intimate understanding of your power and that water exist everywhere, meaning you are never without a weapon at your disposal "