Waking Up
Leilani shook Ella's shoulder.
"Come on! Wake up!" She said, shaking harder. She was rewarded by an unintelligible mumble. "Ella!"
"Told you it wouldn't work," Sphinxie said, leaning against the bedpost. She glanced at the open area where a sliver of the outside was visible. "I can't go out. It's too dangerous."
"Not even for a few minutes?" Leilani asked. "Just a few minutes and we could shatter all those cylinders. Carol and Morris wouldn't have to work so hard."
"We're still growing. I don't think we've even tasted the edge of puberty yet," Sphinxie returned. "I know what those scientists were trying to do. Are trying to do," she snarled as she pushed off from the bedpost. "They're going to destroy us if they keep it up."
"And then they'll clone and decant again," Leilani retorted, standing up. She glanced around the misty area. "Do you even know how much energy I'm burning doing this?" Leilani waved her arms around. "I'm only a year older. This is putting a massive strain on me as well."
"Then you should leave. We didn't ask you here," Leilani retorted. She stalked off a bit before returning. "There's not enough room for a proper snit. You go home instead."
"That is so childish," Leilani argued.
"It's my brain, and you're intruding," Sphinxie fired back.
"Lucy says that you can't stay here, and we can't carry everybody." Leilani finally played her trump card.
Leilani had to admit to a definite surge of self-satisfaction as Sphinxie froze. Even Ella turned over on the bed with a wincing expression.
"Lucy knows?" Sphinxie asked in a hushed voice.
"Yep." Leilani nodded. "That's why I'm here. Do you think those nimrods could have caught me? Me?" She repeated while rolling her eyes.
"They could have tranq'd you and that's that," Sphinxie said.
"Which would have lasted just how long?" Leilani shot back. She raised her chin proudly. "I���ve been doing whatever I want for a long time now."
"That's not safe," Sphinxie said, narrowing her eyes. "You need someone to look after you."
"I do not!"
"You do, too!" Sphinxie strode to Ella's side and looked down at her other half. Then she started shaking her shoulders. "Wake up, Ella! It's time to get up."
Ella muttered, her brows furrowing. She half-opened her eyes, and the scent of medicine in the air lessened considerably. Sphinxie released her, looking around. Sphinxie nodded.
"We'll be awake soon. We're finally starting to burn it out of our system. Make sure that it's gone from outside, and it'll be soon." Sphinxie told Leilani.
"I'll let them know," Leilani replied. She took one last look around. "Are you sure it's going to be okay for you in here?"
"We'll be integrating in a few years, one or two at the least," Sphinxie said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Don't worry about us. I've got it under control, still."
"An entire year?" Leilani felt uneasy at the amount of time.
"Well, I don't know what's being injected right now. Who knows what that stuff's going to do," Sphinxie said, glancing at her arm. Following the look, Leilani saw a faint red bump appear. "Hopefully, it's something beneficial."
"Hopefully," Leilani agreed before running for the large opening.
As she passed through it, Leilani opened her eyes, finding herself sitting outside of Ella's cylinder. She looked up to see Court injecting something into Ella's arm through a hole Carol had burned through the glass.
"Is that going to wake her up?" Leilani asked.
"Maybe," Court replied. "Jebediah said that it was hormones to kick her puberty engine going. She's overdue, according to him."
"How would Jebediah know?" Leilani slowly rose to her feet. She stretched, remembering the misty place Ella and Sphinxie had barricaded themselves in.
"He has the records. He probably gave everybody's a scan through," Court said, handing the syringe to Carol who effortlessly crushed it in her hands.
Leilani watched the remnants turn into a goo of melted glass with metal sparkles. Then she looked up at Court who was trying to coax the cylinder into opening.
"Is it safe for Jebediah to have that information?" Leilani asked.
"No, but just when have we ever really been safe," Court shot back.
They all laughed, even the people still in nearby cylinders.
*****
"That's my mother's bow," Diana remarked, her voice quietly angry.
Bruce arched an eyebrow and turned, watching as the bow arced towards them, carried by a group of drones. Each little drone had a line sturdily attached to the bow.
"They're not Toymaker's," he remarked after a moment.
"Definitely not," Diana agreed as the drones drew closer.
It was easy to see that they truly didn't belong to Toymaker. The drones were a uniform black with grey tiger striping. Tiny little legs underneath further expanded on the tiger theme. The front of the drones also possessed feline faces with delicate crystal whiskers.
"But where are they taking the bow?" Bruce mused, eyes following after the drones who whizzed by with their prize.
"I don't care, but that bow belongs to my people," Diana said, springing up.
As if they heard her, the drones sped up, darting through the battlefield with a speed that belied their appearance. Diana frowned and chased after them, barreling through any battles with a blatant disregard for who she was interrupting.
Bruce heaved a sigh. Still, he couldn't say that he wasn't curious. He followed after her, more cautious in his movements.
The drones ducked into an open doorway. The hallway beyond was full of burn marks and the odd puddle of blood. Bruce paused and then followed the freshest footprints. He stopped beside a doorway that showed that someone had forcibly opened it.
Bruce ducked inside, looking at the mess of broken electronics and burn marks on the walls and ceiling. He raised an eyebrow at the cooling puddles of goo next to a particularly large table. He prowled around the wreckage.
Then he stopped, hearing a strangle crackle under his feet that had nothing to do with alien electronics. He lifted up his foot, staring at the broken rattle under his feet.
Bruce drew in a harsh breath. Then he exited, looking for Diana.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Tashady
Tashady Whew...herding everyone together is getting to be a chore! Well, not that bad actually...just having to go back and make sure everyone's where I thought they were!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone