The feline and chameleons parted ways, Lizzy going towards the crime-scene, and the siblings to their family car. They soon informed their parents that they had decided to be spontaneous only to be ordered to come home because of their reckless behavior. The two chameleons were incredibly disturbed da this and immediately noted in their heads the many obstacles this was about to place in their nocturnal events. Regardless they drove home.



Lizzy had tailed the ambulanza for a large set of miles before arriving at the hospital assumed. The car went through the E.R. entrance which made little sense considering that no one was supposedly in a cautionary state of health… unless of course their patient was still inside.

The feline followed through the floor, making sure to keep her eyes barely above ground level to allow herself vision of where to go next. The car stopped, and unloaded a body. Two of the doctors moved it while the third seemed immobile. He was silent at the wheel, moving not at all.

Deciding that she had some time on her hands, Lizzy checked the driver via phasing behind him. Her first attempt at a response began with a tap on the head. This failed so she shoved him. Eventually she yelled “Hey!” before ducking down for a moment. Following this was no response. The feline rose slowly and exited the vehicle. She would come back for this man later. Before she left however, the black-cat made a note of his name-tag. “Dennis Oliver”. She murmured. “Okay.”

Lizzy heard the doctors still mobile and was soon on their tails, keeping a good corner-turn away whenever possible. Eventually a small bit of whirring was heard, followed da a single clang. The feline turned and noticed no one was there.

“Trap door,” She noted. “obviously.” She walked towards the bacheca but instead of phasing through, a bit of energy surged into her, and she found herself being moved… dematerialized and reappearing in a dark wide room.

The feline knew that this was where the doctors had gone, and that they would no doubt see her if no action was taken immediately, so Lizzy suppressed her shock and quickly colomba to her left, dive-phasing into the ground. She did not want to find out what would happen if she phased into a teleporting machine.

The doctors noticed the teleportation but not Lizzy. They called out a few times but after realizing they would receive no answer, dismissed it as simply a misfire… supposedly.

Lizzy knew she had arisen suspicion. No one would just instantly teleport after standing in that spot of the hospital… no, someone set up that teleporter… at one point o another, so whoever had teleported them there probably knew that Lizzy strolled along for the ride. They would come searching.

The feline would be interested in investigating regardless, and decided to sposta inoltrare, avanti with her initial plan…and immediately realized that she had no actual plan. Coming-to-stop-the-bad-guys simply didn’t seem so magnificent. For all she knew they were simply salvaging one of their own and not actually harming anyone. They were the enemy, clearly, but aside from trashing them what would she do?

Pondering this for a moment, the black feline decided that she would observe AND destroy. She gave the end tuff of her left arm-band a pinch and began her investigation. She had to bob her head up to the surface a few times to keep a straight image of where to go. She almost got herself caught the first time, surfacing right in front of two guards who were thankfully looking elsewhere. Thankfully it took only a few più ups and downs and she was standing in a short hallway alone.

Learning from that precedente encounter with these people, Lizzy jerked her attention in three general directions to make certain cameras were not observing her. She doubted this was also a trap but caution was key in this instance.

The feline discovered no hallway cameras, and made her way to the door five steps in front of her. Passing through it with ease, the feline made sure to walk with dainty feet, and slowed her breath as best she could.

Inside the room were the two doctors and the agent from the ambulance. He was still in two pieces but at his stomach sparks… electricity… He was, robotic? The doctors pulled out what looked to be an entire lower-chest, only… metallic. Was he a robot o a cyborg? Were… were they all cyborgs?

The new middle moved into its place and immediately connected with the rest of the body. A secondo later the echidna was sitting upright, panting heavily. It was both fascinating and a bit disturbing, but Lizzy had gotten the information she needed.

As soon as the still-recovering agent glanced over at the front-door direction, the lights were encapsulated in blackness, with the flicker of a blade recitazione as the only indicator of light. Before he could fully react, he was pinned to the tavolo with a blue aura radiating around their unwelcome guest.

“Know who I am?” Lizzy taunted while kicking the two doctors back. The agent did not immediately answer her question, choosing to jab what looked like an electric-based soldering-iron at her arm, but of course, she simply phased through it and him.

She landed on the ground, kicking at him from behind, but the agent head-butted into her heel, sending the feline toppling backward face-first into the back-wall. She was soon recovering of course, but so was the agent, now standing calmly in front of her with his arancia, arancio irises implying a much less calm interior. “Yes,” He began while the floor was his, allowing his associates to recover as well. “I know very much so who te are. I also know that te have something of ours that I want back.”

His words seemed to be Lost on the black-cat. She had already phased into the floor and soon after, the agent found his foot stuck halfway into the floor, with the same treatment being applied to the doctors. She rose up to the ground in front of him smirking, but the echidna seemed far from impressed.

“What exactly is your plan, Miss Eventide?” He asked calmly.

“I’m just here for spying and slicing.” She shrugged, tensing her dagger-hand.

The agent scoffed. “Well if that is your plan te do it sloppily. te aren’t going to win da simply killing all of our operatives. After all, they have families as well.”

The feline chose to block the agent’s message from her mind and quickly replied “I don’t plan to talk, o let te talk, much longer.”

She had only raised the dagger two inches when a clanking sound went off behind the agent. Both she, and the agent, looked briefly to the ground with confused expressions. The echidna sighed irritably. “I wasn’t exactly finished with my repairs as te can see.”

“You w-“ One doctor began before the secondo slammed his palm against his coworker’s mouth. This, accompanied da the incredibly widened glare of the echidna cyborg, electrified Lizzy’s reflexes, but not before her body was flooded with undesirable electricity.

The feline’s nervous system sky-rocketed, and her eyes felt like imploding. It was nearly impossible to move, but she had to stop the pain. Her hand was permanently clutching the dagger from the shock. She had to absorb the electricity in it; redirect it. She could not concentrate well enough however. It would need to be pressed to the ground.

It was nearly impossible not to scream from the fiery lighting flaring everywhere. It was almost equally impossible to bend one’s stomach, and press down into the ground. With each inch, the grunting and hissing became più like a whine, and whatever tears escaped the feline felt equally electric.

Finally the dagger was touching the ground, and immediately after, the buildup of energy imploded, both inside of Lizzy, and the medical station she and the agents stood in. Once the room was silent and dark, she began to fall forward, but this only made the pain worse.

Lizzy could barely breathe let alone stand, but she did her best. It took a minuto to start breathing regularly again, and longer after that to take a first step, to beheading the unconscious agent in front of her.

Lizzy was not going to react in time. She did not have the strength to dodge o jump o even phase. When two bullets penetrated her backside, she then finally collapsed.

She was not full unconscious, but she might as well had been. Lizzy could barely feel anything, and whatever sound she could hear were muffled and blurry to her. She did not open her eyes; that would only cause più problems. One can hide what they hear and feel, but eyes are much più noticeable.

Metal cuffs formed around her arms and legs as she was restrained in a vertical metallic table. Behind and above her were strange metal arms, each holding various tools. One held what looked like the back of a helmet, with a small rectangle digging in to it from the outside. successivo to this was a putty-like material which the arms began molding around the back of Lizzy’s head.

In front of her stood two guards and a decorated echidna of yellow who seemed to be their commanding officer. The guards seemed to be controlling the arms while the commander observed.

“Do te notice something different, o out of place?” The command asked.

“… Could te be specific, Sir?” One guard replied while still molding the material to match Lizzy’s head-form.

“She isn’t reacting.” The commander specified. “How did te subdue her exactly?”

Both guards tensed. They did not need to be told what was done wrong. It became obvious immediately, so they did not answer.

The commander sighed irritably. “Turn her around.”

The vertical tavolo moved outward before turning in a 108-degree angle and becoming transparent, mostrare the two bullet holes in Lizzy’s backside. They were fairly clean but at least two inches deep. This all showed to be a high chance of a fatal wound.

“You killed her?” The commander grumbled with tensing hands. “We can’t get information from someone who’s brain dead if the memory-station hasn’t been installed yet, o have te forgotten?”

Both guards looked equally nervous but only one looked guilty. The yellow echidna took notice of this. “Hand me your ID.” He held out a hand.

“I- What?” The guard was in disbelief. “What are te suggesting, Sir?”

“I do not need to give te an explanation but for the sake of us moving this along before even più damage is done to one of the most vital individuals to our project,” He turned his hand to the restrained Lizzy, “I want to make sure te are actual uniform. Now hand me your ID.”

The subordinate seemed infuriated and flabbergasted. He stammered a sentence of non-words but with a scoff and sigh he grumbled a small card over to the yellow superior. The commander then pressed the card against his own palm, with a red light moving back and forth against the flat rectangle, then placed the card in his pocket.

“Well?” The guard asked as if time was being wasted.

“Your ID checks out. Now go stay in the secondary hall.”

“Wh-“

“NOW…”

The guard grumbled his way out the door and through the hall. The commander shook his head at the undignified attitude, and turned to the secondo and ordered him to follow. This guard nodded and went after his coworker.

With all the commotion going around, neither the commander nor his guards noticed that the bullet holes were becoming smaller, as the bullets were pressed out. The putty had finished molding da now and the head-casing was formed to its shape. The casing was then placed at the back of Lizzy’s head, as a small saw began moving towards the rectangular hole, to create a new hole for its socket.

The commander had yet to notice this. He was… confused. He felt strange. His head was shaking and his hands began to sposta absentmindedly. He had to hold them down. He only regained focus when a scream came from behind him.

The process had begun and the blade of the saw had already cut into the skull. Lizzy was trying to phase through the cuffs, but each time she jerked inoltrare, avanti a small blue light formed, keeping her from moving out.

The bone was about to be cracked through before the machine turned off, and the casing was torn away. Lizzy was turned around, now, breathing deeply with cringed eyes. Her cuffs deactivated and she fell forward.

“Are te able to stand?” The commander asked in a very grumbly tone. He sounded like he was forcing his words.

Lizzy wasn’t in the mood to reply. Her dagger ripped across the floor into her hands and she prepared to slice off the commander’s head, but when she looked up at him, she ended up moving back.

His hands were out of control. A small flash-drive was being moved to the back of his head. He kept yelling “No” and saying “Stop” and “Help”.

Despite how odd this looked, Lizzy was not interested in letting it continue, and promptly sliced both of the commander’s hands off. No blood splattered as the intense heat from her blade and absorbent properties instead made them sizzle and become near charcoal.

The commander screamed, understandably, but began bashing the back of his head instead of attacking Lizzy, o calling for help. The black feline had no idea how to react to this, and decided to simply stand her ground, ready, if something should affect her. A moment later and a burst of smoke came from the commander’s head, before he collapsed dead, on the ground.

Having no time for sentiment, Lizzy moved the commander over to see what had happened to him. At the tip of his back-head was a small hole, and on the floor a circular metal device, with burnt-off wires, and a large “C” at the center. A c…

Lizzy had bitten off più than she cared to devour and decided it was time to leave. She snatched up the flashdrive and phased through the hallways as the base went into lockdown mode.

She paused for a moment at the teleportation room, as two of the guards were already inside, sitting at the controls. They began firing at her immediately, but she walked through the bullets, now aware of the danger of guns, and dug her hands into their arms, sending stinging pain into them both.

The feline then removed her hands from their bodies, and yelled sternly “TURN IT ON!” attempting her best to seem intimidating. She was a bit dizzy from the attack on her head, but the wound was healing. She needed out before they could do it again.

They didn’t reply and did not comply so she grabbed one and held her dagger to his throat. “NOW!” Still no reply. The captive guard even managed to punch, punzone her in the nose before she stabbed him and tossed him into the other.

Sneezing and clutching her damaged front-face, Lizzy hit the activation button herself, and leapt into the field of energy, not knowing where it would take her. She arrived in a large highway at night, so it stood to reason she was at least in the same country. She would need to make tracks soon. Lizzy did not think the organization would care to chase her too long, for now at least, but she did not have time to stick around. If the commander was under someone’s control when he asked her where the file was… she needed to leave.

It took a while for Lizzy to get her bearings. Dashing successivo to the highway, she eventually came across a distance-sign, informing her of her current area. It would take a good half-hour to get back to the city, but only fifteen minuti to get to her desired location.

The feline arrived in a large forest-like area. It was only a small forest, o forests più accurately. They were each a good half-mile long roughly, and spotted about in a large hundred-acre landscape comprised almost entirely of flat dry plain-land. In the center of a specific woodland area was a large cabina community.

These cabins were not the type for camping and the like. They were in fact a bit large, with the smallest being at least a good thirty yards wide and two-stories tall. One house specifically, while not the largest, though three-stories tall and around fifty yards wide, had at least one acre of land in its fenced backyard. This was the one Lizzy arrived at.

She ghosted through the front door quietly and made her way down to a basement at the middle of a hall. She did not open the door to it in fear of her realization being accurate, and instead phased through this as well.

The basement itself was not lit. It was quite large of course, and packed with various large and small items, but it was completely black and Lizzy did not dare turn on the light if she were right about what was happening.

She reached for her dagger with the intent on using its energy to sense if there was a nearby individual. She could only do this in a small radius of around ten feet max, which made this situation highly, well, situational, but it did not matter now, because when her fingers wrapped around the handle a clamp of metal went off… and it sounded like it came directly in front of her.

The dagger tore from her boot and lit up the room. Instantly a black figure appeared in front of her, only to mantello into the scenery immediately after… but she saw… he had the box.

He had the Phantis File.

To say that Miss Eventide CHARGED into battle would be an understatement. She could barely stop herself upon missing her mark, and probably would have continued charging onward if it were not for the sound of the basement door opening and closing.

Lizzy whipped around and rushed after them, phasing through the door and arriving soon after in the fenced backyard. She kept her dagger out while running towards the center, and true to form, an aura shaped around an armored figure. He was climbing on to… a…

… “C…” She murmured. “… CYCL-“

A blast of wind knocked the feline backward as the motorcycle gave a low growling pitch before beginning its departure. Lizzy braced herself well and was already on his tail. What was he going to do; ride around in the backyard till they both ran out of energy?

Unfortunately the motorcycle and it’s rider charged through the fence, passing through it just as Lizzy did. She had no time to wonder how he could also do this. She had her mind set on snatching the file back.

They entered the shortwood, going up a tree-filled slope. For Lizzy this was easy. Combining her speed with her phasing, there was no actual obstacle. She assumed this gave her the upper hand, but the Cyclist seemed to have tricks of his own.

Instead of ghosting he was maneuvering through every single tree, flipping and turning as his vehicle transformed it’s shape and wheels in the blink of an eye exactly to fit the terrain and pillars of wood, keeping a straight constant speed.

This proved to make the chase incredibly agitating. Each time Lizzy was in a position to pounce she would have to return whatever part of her body she wanted to attack with to a regular density. Because of this, she only had a specific glint of an opportunity to strike and every time she struck, she would miss, and miss, and miss again, and occasionally get her hand stuck inside of a tree.

Ripping her arm, which was now turned into wood, from a tree, thus causing it to collapse behind her, Lizzy raced off once again after the vigilante. Glancing at her accidental absorption gave her an idea. She dug her hand into the ground, and a moment later, the threes in front of the Cyclist slammed into each other, pressing until there was no spazio left between them. He was now in a circular cage.

The Cyclist rode about for a secondo o so before slowing his vehicle to a stop, now turned directly to face Lizzy, who promptly shot wood into his face from her arm, which was now back to normal.

The rider did little to react to this aside from brush off the small pieces sticking to his visor. He remained silent and still so Lizzy decided to ask some questions.

“You did that to the yellow boss guy didn’t you? With the cerchio thing?” Saying that out loud sounded a bit odd after hearing herself, but Lizzy tried to keep a straight face. The Cyclist did the same, though she couldn’t tell under his helmet. He expressed no vocal response, o at the very least if he did she could not hear it. However after a good five seconds, he gave a slow nod.

“Why do te want the file?” She continued. To this he gave no reply. She took a step towards him, absorbing the earth through her shoes to prepare a small fissure if needed. “Fine, then give it back!”

She did not expect him to actually comply but… it seemed like he was going to. The rider got off his motorcycle and walked over to her, holding what looked like a flash-drive in his hands. The feline almost took a step back. She did not want to admit feeling intimidation from this person, but at the very least, she was cautious considering who this was.

It seemed like everything was going to turn out well. He gave the flash-drive to her without a fuss, but that probably meant something else. “You already copied it’s data didn’t you?” She asked while looking over the device.

She did not expect an answer but he gave it regardless. A deep and echoing hum of a tone that simply detto “No”. She looked up in surprise, and was immediately electrified da the Trojan-file in her hands. She collapsed backside down on the floor, paralyzed.

The Cyclist walked slowly over to his vehicle, and sped off with the fake-flash-drive jumping from Lizzy’s hands and following after its owner. The paralysis lasted only a minute, but she knew he was long gone da then.

She rose up feeling ready to scream at anything, but became perplexed when a dug-in message was left on the ground. “Stay alive” it read.

Despite having many domande about what had just happened, the black dagger-wielder returned to the cabina she previously searched through. She knew that no one was harmed but she passed da one of the top-story windows, placing a palm against it as she looked in for a moment. She left a small baciare on the glass, then departed for the night. No doubt the chameleons would complain about her never calling them.


“Why DIDN’T te call us?” Zen asked as the three sat around a park table. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I didn’t have to be in that place, but we could have called the cops to deal with the Cyclist… right?” He turned to Tess for confirmation, who gave a very iffy half-eye wince and shrug for a reply.

“I was a bit busy trying to catch up with him. If I called anyone while going to the hiding spot then…”

“… Then what?” Tess asked.

“Never mind. It’s just done. I’ll try to call te successivo time o whatever.” The three fell silent for a moment before Lizzy remembered, “Oh yeah! I recorded the base and sent the info to the police. I haven’t gotten time to look up the name of that driver yet but that’s successivo on my list.”

“You think the cops will look into it?” Zen asked.

“They’re the police. I’m pretty sure they’d be interested in finding out.” Tess noted with a humored, but droll, tone.

“I’m not convinced.”

“Are te ever?”

“Sometimes.”

“If I go check does that mean I get at least ten minuti less of this?” Lizzy asked cynically, making hand-mouths at the twins.

“You don’t have to.” Zen shrugged. “…But te could .”

Originally Lizzy had no plan of checking the police for confirmation, but the più she thought about it, the più it ate away at her. With a grumbling sigh she placed down a frullato, smoothie she had previously been sipping on, gave a quick “Your fault” to Zen, patted Tess on the shoulder (and absorbed her cloaking ability in the process) and rushed off.

The twins spent their free ten minuti discussing the architecture of the playground they sat nearby, particularly the spiraling slide, and if there could be something done about the static that would always form while going down it. They had gotten to the point of almost testing the slide for research but when Tess took a step toward it, she stepped on Lizzy’s foot right before the feline decloaked.

With a hiss and a growl, Lizzy ripped her foot away and sat down with a moping expression on her face. “This just got a whole lot harder.” She groaned.

“So they didn’t look into it. They’re just dumb cops.” Tess joked.

“Hey!” Zen snapped. “They’re busy. No reason to just call them dumb.”

“I thought te were the one who thought they were lazy.”

“No I just thought they hadn’t gotten to it yet.”

“YOU’RE BOTH WRONG!” Lizzy yelled. “Don’t te get it!?”

Both chameleons shook their heads. Lizzy sighed, resting her cheeks against her upward-sided knuckles. “The doctors are part of it, and they could be anyone. I looked everywhere for the file I left with them. I listened in on their conversations. I found the disk broken and buried under the ground nearby. They’re in on this too.”