As The World Turns Cold

Elements & Heroics

"Let me get this straight.  You can control the earth.  What are we the avatar gang?" Rogue groaned in frustration.

Terrance scowled.  "I didn't ask for these powers, either, you know.  Besides you can't really be team avatar if you're missing an element."

"The way I see it, we can give it a matter of days and we'll have the whole team assembled.  First Rogue found me and then you did. Three out of four elements aren't so bad."  Mercy laughed without a shred of humor.

  All of this was unbelievable.  Here they were joking and fooling around when the government was still lively and powerful. 

It was odd to act light-hearted when there could be agents around every corner waiting to snag them.

All she wanted was to overthrow the evil in the world. Was that too much to ask for?  She'd become a little bitter after the day's events. 

No amount of flattery from Rogue could change that right now, even though she was secretly pleased by it.

Rogue shifted in his seat.  They'd been driving for hours.  At one point, Rogue grew restless and Terrance took over. 

If they had any doubt on whether or not they could trust these people, Rogue and Mercy had to put it aside.  Too much was as stake to choose otherwise.

  "I don't see why all of this matters.  Is there a key to banding together to take down our enemies.  Is that really all it takes?"  Rogue questioned.

Terrance shrugged.  "Beats me, but it's worth a shot, don't you think?  What have we got to lose?  I mean, you" he shot a sideways glance at Rogue, "already lost your family.  Mine's right here with us and I don't know much about Red's."

"My family has their own battles raging on right now.  They will always be the first to get hurt if I step out of line, though.  If anyone back at the compound thinks I deserve punishment for running away, they won't hesitate to go after my family."  Mercy glanced out the window, shutting everything around her out.

"Do you know where they are?  We can help you get them back."  Terrance declared.

  "If you need anything, you've got us at your disposal."

She shook her head.  "They aren't any safer being with me than they are right now."

Rogue's knee bumped hers as he found a comfortable position in the seat.  Mercy jumped at the contact.

He cocked an eyebrow in question.  "Did that bother you?" He whispered.

She shook her head.  It was a lie.  It did bother her, but not in the way he thought.  There was something about his company that made her brain a jumbled mess.  Everything he said or did caused her heart to jump start.

Ever since Rogue came back for her, she couldn't stop thinking about him.  It's funny how the heart works. 

She could be tossed into another facility any moment, but her heart threw that idea aside and presented her with thoughts of Rogue instead. 

She tried to focus her attention back on Terrance and the matter at hand.  There were bigger things to worry about.  "How do we go about this?  What's the plan?"

Terrance shrugged, his eyes scanning the dark road.  "You're the leader here, Red, not me.  I'll follow what you say not the other way around."

"Son," Dennison Carlisle placed a hand on his son's shoulder, "let me take over.  You need a break."  He paused.  "It might be easy for all of you to devise a plan if you can give your complete focus to the matter."