Not Until We Are Lost

They'd gotten their fill of Christmas carols, candy canes, sugar cookies, hot cocoa and all of the other trappings of the holiday season. Felicity had even shared some Jewish traditions with him while they'd spent their time going between his cabin and hers. Ray still didn't like being taken against their will, but he had to admit that this journey had been one adventure after another. There were things that they never would have seen if it weren't for their abductors. He couldn't help looking on the bright side of just about everything. He knew right away when he opened his eyes that this wasn't the bed they'd fallen asleep in."

"Felicity," he reached over to nudge the blonde at his side, taking a moment to thank whatever powers that be that she was here with him. "Where do you think we are?"

Getting out and exploring was fun, but speculating ahead of time and coming up with some guesses based on what they could see upon just waking up sounded like a fun sort of thing to do. He did his best to contain his glee. He knew that danger could await them with every new world that they visited, but he was the sort that tended to think danger was worthwhile if knowledge and experience could be gained. And he thought that Felicity felt the same in some ways.

"Well, the hits just keep on coming." Jack laughed as she woke up again in some place new. She would have preferred waking up with a certain dancer, or even alone curled up in a comfy bed. Waking up on a couch that seemed a little too much somehow, fully dressed, in a room that was airy and bright and all too sweet and perfect was not her ideal. It was almost like the resort, yet not.

"Hey." She looked to the side, seeing a very familiar face. The hunter reached out and lightly swatted the werewolf's thigh. Jack didn't think he'd mind, seeing as she'd spoken before touching him. Hitting werewolves without a warning was probably a bad idea. "Wake up, sparky. Stop dreaming about your librarian babe. We got somewhere new to explore." She felt pretty good, and the newness said adventure! She needed a little bit of adventure and maybe a little intrigue. It was time to do something more than feel warm and fuzzy. She might have needed some action, in almost any form she could get it.

"If you don't wake up, I will molest you, and we both know where that ends up." She laughed, moving a little closer to the sleeping fellow, if he was really sleeping.

Jack was concerned about the dancer and Diana - she hadn't seen that woman in a while. Yet, she could handled the concern, seeing as she had an expert finder right beside her. Now to get him up and going.

Sun, birds, breeze, fresh air that rivaled that of the Winter Wonderland. A sense of home felt only one other place, though the menace here seemed different. Niks rolled to her back with an almost peaceful sigh, her fingers brushing over the soft bed coverings. They weren't as thick and heavy as the ones she'd come to know recently, yet they seemed just right, perfect almost.

Her nightgown briefly had her wondering if she hadn't somehow created a more permanent dwelling in the Dreamlands. The material so fine and sheer that it seemed to mirror what she usually wore there. The presence of some other creature, one she was growing closer and closer to, also made her wonder if she had managed it, a Dreamlands cottage?

"Mmm?" She stretched, not wanting to leave the bed, not yet. She rolled to carefully to her side, setting her head down to the pillow. Her hand reached out for the fairy not far away. "Where are we?"

This was the first time she'd woken up with either of her men. Even if she hadn't been in the same bed, she was in the same room. Perhaps he found her out there; she doubt that for some reason.

"Snow! So much snow!" They'd been in the Christmas village for a while, but the snow still brought out the little boy in Roy Harper. He knew that in other places snow meant death and unhappiness, yet here it was the good stuff. The stuff that made kids happy about snow days.

He had woken up alone, in some overdone cabin, and jumped out of bed almost literally to get dressed. He had to find Laurel. She had to be here. He couldn't take another planet without her; what if something other than the cry happened? What if the aliens did something worse?

Thankfully he found her not long after he started searching, and the two settled into a bit of domestic bliss in his cabin - he didn't even have to get a job. It was nice that he could provide a place for her rather than the other way around.

"I challenge you to an angel off." His smile was boyish, and before he could explain what he meant, he fell back into a very large snow drift, thankful that it wasn't too deep or too shallow, and started making a snow angel. They both needed a little bit of play and fun, especially since they knew that their team was in this strange happy place.

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way

The songs of the season were not what Sam expected to wake up to. The last thing he remembered was a little hunting and a little running. There might have been a few strange humanish scents along the way. Carols were not high on his list of things to wake up to; they weren't low either. They really weren't on his list at all.

Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh, hey

The voices were a little higher than he expected too. When he finally opened his eyes, he was a little disappointed to see that there wasn't a blond head of somewhat sagging curls not far off. He'd grown used to her being around. Evan was fine, and his hunter friend too, but he was growing accustomed to Betsy. He laughed softly at the idea before rolling out of bed.

The air was a little nippy, as if the heater was just about to kick in because it'd gotten below the set temperature. He hadn't had many of these sorts of winters. He'd had a few, but he didn't get that many in Louisiana.

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way

The cabin smelled of the holidays, and it almost made him sad. He wasn't spending it with friends and family back home - well, friends anyway. He missed Bon Temps when things like the holidays or sense memory triggers came. As a shifter he had a few more senses in play, or he paid a hell of a lot more attention to his senses than normal types.

He knew he could go out in some warm creature's fur, but he wanted to see the world as a human for now. He put on some warm clothes, not bundling up too tightly, and headed out to find someone, anyone.

Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh!

Sam found himself humming that song, throwing in a few Batmans and Robins now and then. He sniffed a little at the air, catching something faintly familiar. He also smelled food in that direction, so he opted to find out what that familiar smell was.

Snow. So much snow. And lights. And merriment. And what the hell was going on?

Rob had grown comfortable in the university world, even with the mutants and threats of destruction by some force that wasn't exactly supernatural. He'd grown comfortable and possibly lazy. Just a little lazy. Not that he'd stopped working out or looking after himself. He had hoped to see more of Piotr, but the man seemed to need some time to himself, which Rob would give without complaint. He had asked for time, or at least put a pause one whatever might come. Piotr had every right to do the same.

After checking the new Christmasy cabin for bugs, charms, and whatever else might be used to hinder or spy, Rob got dressed, grabbed a muffin that had been set out for him - he was hungry after all that snooping - then headed out to see what other winter wonderland craziness he might find. He was not prepared for what greeted him first.

There sat a not sp sullen yet completely underdressed in little more than a long sleeve shirt and jeans Russian making a snowman.

"Well, that's one way to deal with the cold."

The big black wolf bounded through the snow, jumped into a snowbank, burst through the other side of it, and shook himself off before taking off running again. Evan didn't know how long he'd been doing this, he'd entirely lost track of time. The snow was glorious amounts of fun as a wolf. He liked it quite a bit when he was a man, but this was so much better. The smell of it was clean and crisp. The cold bit a little at his paws and nose, but the rest of him was quite comfortable due to the fur.

He threw himself onto his back and wiggled around in the white powder, his tongue lolling out of his mouth and his tail wagging wildly. He was attempting to make a snow wolf angel, but didn't know how well he was doing with it.

Waking up here had been wonderful. Mostly because it meant they weren't in a place where people might be trying to poach him. And where people weren't visiting to try to get a picture of the strange creatures that could shift their bodies into other things. Though he had to admit that it was nice getting to bond with Sam, and meeting Betsy. That meant two people who understood what he was going through, if in their own way.

Admittedly, he was still curious to see how tiny Betsy became an elephant.

Jack stretched out and sat straight up when her feet hit something soft and squishy. It was disorienting to feel so very warm and cozy when she'd gotten used to the dry, hard ground that was pretty damn cold at night. There was a scent of...something familiar. This was not a shifter preserve.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Jack mumbled to herself as she crawled almost reluctantly out of bed. The thing begged for her to stay; the soft knit pjs weren't helping. With a soft sigh, she started looking through the small cabin. There were times she really wanted to wake up without needing to go through a new living situation. The aliens could leave her things in a bag at least.

"Nothing can be...ooooh." She paused as she saw what was waiting for her behind door number two - her closet. "Jackpot. Okay, I will forgive you for now." Her Army surplus jacket was right there. So were other things, but the jacket really was all that mattered for the moment. And the boots. Jacket and boots and jeans. Only thing that would have made it all better was a certain Hunter and weapons.

Jack took a quick shower even though she felt rather clean. Maybe because she felt clean - she didn't want to know who had gotten her to her particular state of cleanliness and attire. No. A quick shower, some quick dressing, with a little bit of snacking from the fridge - if they weren't supposed to eat it, they should have been warned dammit - Jack was ready to go.

She got as far as opening the front door to step out. There was what looked like fresh snowfall on the walk, and there were little people walking around. Actually they were dancing around, all singing the same song. They seemed to be winding down; it certainly had that end of a musical number feel to it.

"Well, shit."

Ray knew that he should be more unhappy about the change of scenery. Truthfully, he'd miss the university life. But it was hard to do anything but grin when he woke up in a winter wonderland and encountered actual elves. This whole place was apparently built around merry-making. And he knew that it was possibly concealing something dangerous and he would be ever watchful, but that didn't stop him from enjoying something while he could.

He kept an eye out for Felicity, or any of the others of their group, as he explored the little town. There were shops and restaurants and decorations everywhere he looked. Trees adorned with ornaments and lights lined the walkways. He had to smile as he passed the choir in the town square. It would appear that Christmas carols were the same in this place, wherever it was. If he didn't know better, he might have believed that they'd all ended up in Santa's village. But... Santa couldn't be real, could he?

Then again, if aliens were real, he supposed anything could be. And Santa could be easily explained with advanced nanotech and possibly even time travel devices. There were a lot of scientific explanations for Santa, when one imagined the possible as well as the technology currently available. Not that Ray had spent all that much time musing on the science of Santa. Maybe only a research project and paper in college. Maybe.

He didn't find anyone right away, but he wasn't going to panic just yet. So far, the aliens had kept himself and Felicity together. He had to hold out hope that they'd continue the pattern, even if Laurel had gone missing for their time on the pirate ship. For now, he was getting hungry, so he thought that it might be a good time to check out one of the restaurants. And there was that whole saying about staying in one place if you got separated from your group, because they may just be looking for you too and two moving people had less chance of finding each other than one person staying in one place.

Besides, he mused as he entered what looked like an old fashioned Waffle House, this was a very likely place to find Felicity. He waited to be seated at a little table for two, and made sure to choose the seat facing the door. He kept an eye on the people (and elves) coming in as he ordered a plate of waffles. Now it was just a matter of eating and hoping that she turned up.

Laurel woke up alone, and not next to a certain boyfriend. She didn't like the feeling, and she didn't think she would ever get used to waking up in a different place from where she fell asleep. She thought bitterly that the aliens must have just figured it was time. After all, she'd started to feel at home in the last place. The team had even started training and testing her abilities, and she'd started to like her job and her apartment. They'd even started doing patrols as needed. Not that there was a whole lot of crime in the small town, but it still felt good to suit up and get out there.

She went about exploring her new surroundings immediately. She'd woken up in a cozy little cabin with a fire crackling merrily in the fireplace, and Christmas decorations in every spare corner of the cabin. It would almost be cheery, if she weren't alone and disoriented by yet another change of locale.

She changed out of the flannel pajamas that she'd been wearing into a cozy sweater and a pair of jeans. A wool coat, gloves, hat, and scarf finished off the ensemble.

If she thought that the inside of the cabin looked like something out of a Christmas card, that was nothing compared to the small village outside. Everything was covered in a thick snowfall, and fairy lights twinkled out at her from every rooftop, lamppost, and tree that she saw. It was easy enough to navigate the place, and she eventually found herself in a town square. Under a giant tree in the square, there was a choir of what looked like children singing Carol of the Bells. As she got closer, she saw faces that looked too old and wizened to belong to children, and ears too pointed to be human. Elves? Was she really going to suspend her disbelief and accept that?

There had to be someone else here from the group of abductees. Someone who was human-sized. Her eyes scanned the street for any familiar faces.

Sam stripped out of the pants that Jack had offered him. He wasn't sure if this was the best idea, but he supposed letting the new wolf run with another...wolf wasn't such a bad thing. It might help the guy find his way in his new world.

"This might take a little bit. I haven't done this in a while." There were many explanations for it. One big one was the way wolves felt the need to create an order. With a slight stretch, he looked around pulling up the memory of being a wolf, being round wolves, knowing what it was like to be that particular animal.

"Would you like to turn first?" He looked around again, as if he half expected the women to come out from the trees. They had all agreed that a little run would be good, and while he felt bad for Betsy, an elephant running with the wolves just didn't seem ideal. Plus, he felt better knowing that the human of the bunch had a shifter along. Or maybe he liked the idea that Betsy had someone who looked like she could look after herself along.

"Or we could do this together." It was certainly not the strangest thing he'd asked in his life.

Natasha had long since lost the two teens she'd found upon arrival. She found herself worrying just a little about them, but they'd chosen to wander off. Their fate was in their own hands at this point. Or so she told herself. She'd spent her time exploring and gathering supplies. She found a cave to hole up in. She'd even taken down one of the idiots prowling around with guns. From what she could tell, they were trying to 'poach' some of the superpowered people running around here. A little interrogation turned up information that this was some sort of reserve. She'd left the poacher alive, but too banged up to hurt anyone else. And she'd taken his weapon and bullets. Hunting was a lot easier after that. Natasha Romanoff was many things to many people, but survivor would always be first on the list.

She'd kept an eye out for any hint of green. If this place was a reserve for people with abilities, there was a good possibility that Bruce was in here somewhere. Or more likely, the Hulk. She just hoped that if he had Hulked out, she'd be able to talk him down when she found him.

She was currently making her rounds to see if she could find Bruce or any of the others, and looking for supplies. She'd eaten recently, but her eyes were peeled for any animals or edible vegetation as well. She'd transitioned fairly easily to the life of hunting, gathering, and taking in whatever information she could. It wasn't the first time that she'd had to live like this, and it likely wouldn't be the last. Perhaps the aliens had taken her specifically because she could adapt to just about any environment they might throw her in.

Dreams had come easier since Simon had helped her find her way back. The Lands were always waiting for her, wanting her back, and while she wanted to spend most if not all her time there, she was getting better about not doing so. She had a job here. She had things she must do, and there were people to meet. The alien - literal alien if she understood - had sparked a curiosity which was a nice distraction from the comfort of dreams and Dreamland. The curiosity didn't keep her away for long though.

She raced down the stairs, not from fear though she still felt as if something were waiting, waiting to be free perhaps or just waiting to take her under. She wasn't sure if it was something she had created, her anxiety, or if it was something that was truly there. She'd ask Simon when she saw him next, or more when she saw him next and thought about it. The Dreamlands had a way of making her forget the troubles outside.

In a filmy dress that was more ancient Greek than anything, the librarian settled by the pond and stared out at the waters. It was almost idyllic. Almost. Now and then she'd look up and catch a glimpse of something she knew wasn't there, just hoped for it. She wished a wolf roamed the lands, or the man that belonged with the wolf. In the wolf? To the wolf? Her hand dashed at the water in small frustration.

"He wouldn't want you pining away, you stupid girl." With a huff she rolled to her back to stare up at the sky. "He wants a strong woman, not...whatever you are now. Right?" She rolled over to peek at her reflection in the water. The look on her reflected face told her she knew better.

"You did good in not licking that one." The reflection smiled as if they were sharing a joke. "He felt different, begged to be petted and snuggled against. Can you imagined Mikey with him?"

Her head lifted, feeling not at all alone.

After the haunted insane asylum, Mary came to in a city. A little time spent walking around confirmed that it was New York City. And from what she could tell by the fashion, cars and technology, she was sometime around the 2010s. She rifled through her pockets and turned up a little bit of money, but not enough to actually get by. Which sort of pissed her off. If the aliens insisted on dropping them off at random places, they could at least provide room and board.

She also didn't like that it had just been herself and the Doctor in the last place. And here, she seemed to be alone. It would be hard to find the others in a place as big as New York City, assuming they were even here. She had to think of Rob, whom she hadn't seen since the pirate ship. Her dad and Johnny, who she hadn't seen since the resort. And her mom had been missing since before that. None of that set her mind at ease. She didn't know if she'd find any of them in this place, or if the aliens had decided to separate them again. Her heart ached a little at the idea of losing the people she loved over and over again.

But she knew that musing over that wouldn't help her much. So she wandered and eventually found her way into a bar that had a TV set to the news. She ordered a drink and paid attention to the reporters, as well as idly listening in on any nearby conversations.

It didn't take long before the news report gave way to the celebrity gossip segment. But what caught her attention was a very familiar face featured in the gossip. Jack's, to be exact. There was some mention of her being one of the most famous 'hunters' in the US that had Mary sitting up straight and staring at the TV in a mixture of surprise and horror. The idea of hunters being famous went against the very nature of the family business. And when the gossip reporter went on to discuss Jack's latest ghost hunt, it left little question that they were talking about Mary's brand of hunting.

She took a long drink from her beer bottle, trying to ease her nerves a bit. This place apparently had a lot that she needed to wrap her mind around.

This.

This was much better than the place she had been before. The University was too loud, there were too many people for her liking in too close of quarters. Being an RA was not something particularly high on her list of things she wanted to do or be. It disgusted her. She was worth more than being in charge of brats, better than solving problems for youngsters that wandered lost like a scattered herd of sheep.

She hadn't had the chance to kill anyone. It was a compromise she hadn't been willing to make and the opportunity had escaped her. But it was no matter. She would claim someone else in time. Killing was one thing she was good at. In Gotham it had been her pride, her honor. She had been powerful, a force to be reckoned with and Batman's greatest enemy. She was not his equal. She had no equal. She was unique.

The darkness of the cave overtook her instantly and despite the draft and the faint, maddening constant drip of water far behind her, Inque found that she could deal with all of that because of the peace.

The wonderful peace.

Had she been aware that there were others, she would still have taken the moment to bask. She did not awaken unclothed as the rest of them because no matter how many layers they took from her she always regained. She always had the advantage over the others.

Next to her was a swarm of velvet. A group of bats nestled on the rocky ceilings, cuddled together to keep themselves safe. Inque decided she was alright with these rodents for the time being. She had always liked bats...there was just one in particular she wanted to rid the world of. He was an annoyance. These creatures were actually quite pleasant.

Outside the crisp sunlight poured in through the entrance to the cave. Down below, if one peered out of the mouth, one might find themself overlooking the jungle. A wide canopy spread below, concealing the Earth beneath it.

She could get used to the view. As long as it remained peaceful, that was.

He woke up naked.

Again.

Evan very carefully assessed his surroundings before he decided to move. There didn't seem to be anyone nearby, and there was no overwhelming smell of blood indicating that he'd slaughtered poor, innocent petting zoo creatures again. He slowly sat up and had a look. His nose filled with the scents of others. Other animals that were just animals, but other animals who were more along the lines of himself. A quick glance informed the new wolf that he'd been left with absolutely nothing.

Slowly, he stood. Slowly, he brushed himself off. He was waiting for some kind of trap to be sprung, if he was completely honest with himself. Or for somebody to come out of the foliage, laughing and holding a video camera. Allowing his senses to do their thing, he eventually realized that he was alone in the immediate vicinity.

The only thing to do, then, was walk. And walk he did. He passed a strange sign in Latin that gave him some information that made him more than a little uneasy. It rolled through his head again and again. Why would anybody do that? What was the point? Was he a zoo animal now? He hoped they got fed regularly.

A breeze lifted up and two peculiar scents. They were mixed up in with human things. Evan guessed that they had to be like him somehow. They were close by. Evan, quite boldly, stepped into the path so that they could see him.

Felicity chewed on her thumb as she stared at the screen. She wasn't sure what she was looking for. She had read the available papers on the X gene, the debate on whether or not it existed. She'd paid attention to the leading thinkers, and she'd even read what she could on those who were "changed." Gamma radiation and Super Soldier serum, there was something about toxic waste.

She'd been a little nervous about asking to test Laurel's blood; the hacker didn't want her friend to feel like a lab rat. It was one thing to have a boyfriend who didn't mind being experimented on, even if it was dangerous and exciting. It was a completely different thing to ask to experiment, or to poke and prod in this case. Experimentation with Ray, or his suit more so than him, was testing the suit, not testing him, not seeing what he was made of.

Felicity had been concerned that Roy wouldn't let anything go on, that he'd bring up the very issues that she had with all this - testing Laurel like she was something to be dissected, nothing more than a frog, worm, or shark. Some kids got to dissect sharks in school, or so Felicity had heard.

Roy sat in the corner, giving Laurel assuring glances. He looked ready to help in any way he could, even if it was simply holding his girlfriend's hand. Felicity was getting over how odd this whole situation might be, even the different reality issue. She leaned against Ray a little as they waited for the results of the blood test.

"I've tried to tell it everything we need, but this would be so much easier if the team from STAR Labs was here." Her hand rested on Ray's shoulder. "Caitlin would know what to do."

Laurel had a difficult time focusing on work after discovering the sonic scream that came out of her mouth, but she did her best. So far, she hadn't lost control again. She also hadn't found much time or chance to practice control. It wasn't until she was looking over the list of staff members and spotted a familiar name in the physical fitness department. She just had to hope that it was the same Diana.

She found the department easily enough-she'd had the chance to explore the campus and learn it by heart, and she'd sometimes come here to use the gym after her own classes. It didn't take too much work to find out where Diana would be. Laurel found the Amazon leading a class in archery out on one of the fields. She took a seat in the nearby bleachers and watched the last ten minutes of class. If this wasn't the same woman who'd trained her back at the resort, she would be surprised.

Once the students had packed up and started to filter off the field, Laurel pushed off her seat and moved over to the brunette.

"Diana?" there was the faintest hint of a question to her tone. She waited and hoped for the spark of recognition in the other woman's features.

The first thing Mary noticed when she came to was that she no longer had a dozen layers of skirts. The second was that she was sleeping on a cot with straps. A look around revealed a poorly lit room that looked like it belonged in some sort of loony bin. A draft played over her and she sucked in a breath as she sat up. A few brown stains suggestive of blood decorated the walls and floor, and she thought she saw movement out of the corner of her eye.

"Well, this feels a little more like home," she muttered to herself.

A quick look around turned up her own supply bag. The simple canvas bag contained a few of her favorite guns, knives, two canisters of salt, a can of spray paint, and three bottles of holy water. There was a small comfort in having her things, but that didn't stop the hair on the back of her neck from standing on edge when an inhuman scream sounded from somewhere else in the building.

She got to her feet and headed out into the hall. She supposed she should be thankful that the lock on the door had rusted over and was easy enough to jimmy open. She also gave a moment of thanks that she hadn't woken up in a straight jacket.

( Read more... )

Lois thumbed through the small notepad she was holding in a palm. She had been carrying one since she could remember and used it only for notes on observations. The lined pages were filled to the brim with notes; the penned letters might look like some kind of code to an outsider or an onlooker, but the journalist knew every section of every line and could find any tidbit of information in a second.

Since coming to this place, Lois had been keeping meticulous notes on her daily activities, the environment and anything that might seem suspicious. The notebook was almost halfway completed, and the reporter was getting no further in to the story than when they had arrived and first begun. She didn't like that she was being held up for a reason beyond her control. She needed to get with Clark and pick his brain about anything he might have seen on his nightly flights.

And then Lois sighed softly and smiled to herself at the thought of Clark. There had been a secret there, one Lois intended to keep, but something they shared now between them. He was Superman! Of all of the people in the world he could have been, Clark had chosen a persona completely opposite his normal stature. She understood it, and it was still flooring her. But she smiled about it anyway and then made herself get back on track.

"Focus, Lois..." She breathed to herself.

She was standing in the middle of the hallway, talking to herself like some looney, unaware how crazy she might look to anyone else shuffling down the corridor. In one hand she held a small iced coffee, and the other still held the notebook. Her shoulders were bearing the weight of her shoulder bag with her assortment of textbooks, papers, etc., while also holding her purse. Sometimes beneath the strain she felt a bit like a pack animal.

A swift turn, and Lois managed to run right in to someone whom she hadn't seen there before. She dropped her notebook and reached out to steady the person she had bumped, "Oh gosh! I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying much attention."