Guy scowled at the bus sign, which read, "Grayhand Bus Service has been temporarily suspended. We apologize for any inconvenience."
"Inconvenience" doesn't BEGIN to cover it, Guy thought bitterly. It's because of THIS that I'm still stuck in Duplora, while the person I'm supposed to find and protect is somewhere in Primera.
After the bus repairman had finally given up trying to fix the bus, the bus company had sent another to replace it. But before it even arrived, a worker had put up the new signs to replace the bus schedules, and bus service had been canceled.
Guy had tried everything after that to get to Primera, but all of his attempts had failed. He had even tried hitchhiking, but with the Madness going around, people were too afraid to pick up random strangers on the side of the road.
Now, Guy had been forced to spend the last three nights sleeping in an alley near the bus station. He had had little to eat. He could not even get a hotel room, because if he accessed his money, his father would probably notice, and then he would find out that his son was no longer in Troisemburg. If that happened, Guy would be in deep trouble.

At least he was not alone. Ever since he had befriended Karen and Neil on his first night in Duplora, the three of them had stayed together. Guy was happy to have friends his own age again; he had not had any of those since his time in the Snow Wood Boarding School.
Guy had grown rather fond of Karen and Neil. He didn't mind being stuck in Duplora with them; the only thing that frustrated him was his promise to Samuel Maybee, which so far he had not done a very good job of fulfilling.
Over the last two days after meeting them for the first time, Karen and Neil had started to look to Guy for guidance. Guy found out that they used to live in the orphanage in the northern part of Duplora, and now that they had left it, they didn't seem to know for certain where they should go. Karen wanted to find her parents, wherever and whoever they were, but she didn't have the slightest idea where to look. Guy found the situation almost ironic, because he didn't know too much about the outside world himself, and yet he had now met two people who knew even less about it.
Of course, he had not told them that he was the son of the wealthiest man in the world. Karen and Neil had no money, and if they knew that Guy had loads of it stored in various bank accounts, they might see him differently than they did now. Guy didn't want them to think of him as a "rich kid."
He turned and looked at them; they were standing behind him, looking at the bus schedule also. Karen was very nice, but she was usually quiet and withdrawn most of the time; Guy suspected that she hadn't had many friends in her life before meeting him. However, whenever she looked at Neil, her eyes shone with adoration. There was something about that look that made it specially reserved for Neil; Guy wondered if it might be love, but he didn't really know. In any case, wasn't his business.
Neil, on the other hand, was more talkative, and he was kind to everyone, especially to Karen. There was something protective in the way he looked at her, as if he had appointed himself to guard her from all harm. Yet Guy had a gut feeling, although he didn't know why, that Karen was far more dangerous than Neil could ever be.

"I guess we're stuck in Duplora for another day," said Karen.
Guy nodded. "It appears to be so," he replied.
Karen smiled slightly; she thought the way Guy spoke was funny.
"I'm sorry," Neil told him. "I know you want to go to that Sasha person you told us about, and you're stuck here."
Guy looked down solemnly. But then he raised his head again and smiled. "If I am stranded in Duplora," he said, "there is no one else that I would rather be stranded with."
Karen and Neil both smiled at this. "I'm glad I met you, Guy," Karen said sincerely.
"So am I," Neil added. "You're a good friend, Guy."
Guy smiled back. He might not be able to fulfill his promise, but there WERE positives to his situation.

They sat on the benches in the bus station, having nothing else to do. The other people who had also been waiting there for bus service three nights ago had long since gone away; however, Guy, Karen and Neil had nowhere to go. Guy wished he could safely access his accounts so that the three of them could be much better off, but since his father monitored all of Orange Enterprises' accounts closely, such a thing was out of the question.
"Is there anything at all that you remember about your parents, Karen?" Guy asked.
Karen sadly shook her head. "They left me at the orphanage when I was one year old," she replied. "I can't remember anything about them. I dream about them sometimes, but it's not really them; it's just them as I see them, them as I want them to be. Kind, caring parents who still love me."
She tried to hide it, but Guy saw the tears in her eyes, and he decided not to inquire further. "How about you, Neil? Do you know anything about your parents?"
"Mine died when I was four years old," Neil answered. "I remember a little about them, but not too much. They argued with each other a lot, but they only showed me kindness. I wish I knew more about them."
Guy stopped talking; maybe this wasn't such a good topic. Then Karen looked at him and asked, "What about YOUR parents, Guy? What are they like?"
Surprised, Guy looked down. He had asked them about their parents, so now it was only fair that he tell them about his.
He looked up at them, taking off his glasses. "I know nothing about my mother," he answered. "I do not even know if she still lives. All I know is that her eyes were dark blue, as this one is." He pointed to his left eye.
He paused for a moment. "...My father..." he continued hesitantly. "...When I think about him, it makes me wish with all of my heart that your parents are whom you hope them to be, Karen... For my father is not."
Karen looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, Guy," she said. "I shouldn't have asked."
"I inquired about yours," replied Guy, putting his glasses back on. "It is only fair that you know about mine."
Neil stood up. "Why don't we just forget about this parents business, and go for a walk? It's a nice day outside."
Guy stood up as well. "That is a most excellent idea," he said. "I am all for it."
"Me too," Karen agreed, standing up. "We should be having fun, not sitting around this old station."
Together, they left the deserted bus station.

They walked up one of the streets of Duplora. "Where should we go?" asked Neil.
"Anywhere, as long as it's not the North Side," said Karen. "The orphanage is up there."
"It would be preferable to avoid that location," Guy agreed.
Neil looked around. "The weather is beautiful today," he commented. "You'd almost think that there was no Madness here, with weather like this."
Suddenly, there was a loud clap of thunder in the sky, and for a moment, Guy saw a spaceship pass overhead, at a very high speed. Other people saw it as well, and they started running away; with the Madness going around Hawkland, anything else out of the ordinary couldn't be a good thing.
Karen looked at Neil, feeling apprehensive. "Neil," she said, "that sounded just like--"
There was a flash of light, and a figure materialized in the center of the street. It was a fat man with dirty blond hair, who wore a brown suit that was too small for him. Guy stared at the man; he had never seen him before.
Karen, however, recognized him immediately, and she started trembling in fear. Neil also recognized him; he moved in front of Karen, giving a hint that he would let no one touch her.
Mister P looked at them and smiled a very evil smile. "Well," he said insidiously, "it looks like the coordinates that Master Giaguo gave me are quite correct." He laughed, staring straight at Karen. "I've found you again, my dear."
Guy looked from Karen to the fat man, wondering what was going on. "Who is this?" he asked.
Paralyzed with fear, Karen falteringly said, "M-Mister P..."
Mister P looked at Neil next. "And I remember you too. You're the little rat that robbed me of my prize. I almost got in trouble because of you... And I hate getting in trouble."
He advanced on them. "It's time to finish the job I started, Karen," he said maliciously. He flicked his right wrist, and a long, sharp blade slid out of his sleeve. "The master wants you, and it's my job to give him what he wants."
Guy didn't understand what was happening, but he did understand that Mister P meant to harm Karen, or worse. He leapt in front of Karen and Neil and pulled the Equalizer gun out of his pocket, taking aim at the enemy. "If you come near her, you will die," he said with conviction.
Mister P stared at Guy. "You vaguely remind me of someone..." he said thoughtfully. "Someone who got in my way thirty years ago, along with HIM."
He paused, as if remembering something. "Yes, HIM," he repeated. "No matter what I did back then, HE always got in my way... HE always stopped me. Carpainter, Monotoli, even Giygas... Every time I made something for myself, HE was always there to rip it away."
His gaze fixed itself on Karen. "Even now, he stares at me through your eyes, taunting me, getting in my way." His eyes became filled with unmitigated hatred as he stared at Karen. "I hate him. I hate him! I will destroy every last remnant of him in this world, including YOU!"
Karen looked away from him. As the object of such powerful hatred, she felt more frightened than she had ever felt before.
Knowing that Mister P was about to try and hurt Karen, Guy fired his gun.
The beam glanced off of an invisible shield... And headed right back at Guy. Surprised, Guy dove out of the way as the beam burned through the space where he had been standing and shattered the window he had been standing in front of.
"Fool," Mister P spat. "You didn't honestly think that I would come here and leave myself open to attack?"
As Guy struggled to his feet, Mister P flicked his left wrist, and a small gun-like device slid out of his left sleeve. He pointed it at Guy and fired; unable to dodge, Guy was struck by the beam.
Guy suddenly felt his body go numb. Unable to move, he slumped back to the ground, and he could only watch as Mister P threw back his head and laughed. "Guy!" Karen cried.
"Paralysis beam," said Mister P with a laugh. "Not quite as effective as psychically-induced paralysis, but effective enough. You won't be able to move for at least five minutes."
He turned back to Karen. "Now that THAT little interruption is over, we can get down to the real business."
Neil charged him. "I won't let you touch her!" he cried.
"Oh, please," said Mister P nonchalantly. He raised his paralysis gun and shot Neil at point-blank range; Neil's body went numb, and he fell to the ground.
"I'll deal with you next," Mister P promised him. "You caused me to fail last time, and I don't forget things like that." Neil, unable to move, could only watch.
Mister P looked at his weapon and smiled. "I should have thought of this paralysis gun last time," he said. "It would have saved me a lot of trouble."
Karen, terrified, backed up until she hit the wall behind her. Mister P grinned evilly, and he raised his weapon and shot her with it as well. Karen felt her body go numb, and she collapsed.
Mister P strolled up to her and crouched down, hunkering his fat body close to her. Karen stared at him fearfully, unable to do anything.
Laughing, Mister P prodded Karen's cheek with his blade, right where he had cut her before. "This was almost too easy," he said. "I only wish HE could see this right now. That pig's butt thought he had hidden you away from me forever... But he was wrong."
As Karen looked into his evil gaze, something awakened within her. Suddenly, a jumble of thoughts bombarded her mind, and she suddenly realized that the thoughts were coming from Mister P. Somehow, she was hearing Mister P's thoughts!
It wasn't very clear, though; it was almost like a television set with extremely poor reception. She tried to sort through the "static," to pick up something she could use...
And then she found something. She looked up at Mister P, and found that she could still talk. "Your real name..." she said, "is Pokey Minch."
Mister P's eyes widened. "You... How do you know that name?" he demanded. "How can you possibly know that name?"
Karen felt a little bolder, having visibly affected him. She tried to sort even harder through his thoughts, to somehow use them against him. "Your father is... Aloysius Minch," she said, finding the name. "He... died 25 years ago. Your mother is... Lardna Minch. Almost... 30 years ago, she eloped with a man named... Mr. Prettyman. You have a younger brother... Picky, who lives in... Onett, Eagleland. He's the mayor there."
Mister P backed away from her slightly. "How can you know these things?" he demanded. "There's no way you can know these things! It's not possible!"
And then Karen found it. The thought was surrounded by an intense wall of hatred, and she couldn't fully see it. She tugged at the thought, trying to pull it into clarity. "My father's name," she said, "is... N..."
Then Mister P finally realized the truth, and remembered what Giaguo had said about her. He backed away from Karen as if she were an infectious disease. "You're a telepath!" he cried. "Just like your mother! I don't believe this!"
He glared at her, his eyes filling with hatred. "You won't see any more of MY thoughts, you disgusting telepath," he spat.
Suddenly the thoughts disappeared from Karen's mind. She cried out in pain as the thought of her father's name, that she had been holding onto, was torn away from her.
"Unfortunately for you," said Mister P, "not even a telepath can see into the mind of one who knows how to protect his mind."
He advanced on her again. "I've lingered here long enough," he said. "Master Giaguo wants you, and he's going to get you." He smiled. "I heard he has a special kind of torture for telepaths; I hear it's excruciatingly painful. He's never been able to use it on an Earthling before; I'll be rewarded for this."
Karen shut her eyes. There was nothing more she could do; it was over for her.
Abruptly a voice rang out, some distance away. "Stay away from her."

Surprised, Karen opened her eyes and tried to look at whoever had spoken. She found that she could move her head slightly; the paralysis effect must be beginning to wear off.
A boy with blond hair and bright green eyes stood in the middle of the street, hands clenched at his sides; strangely enough, he wore a pair of aviator goggles around his head like a headband. At his side stood a pretty girl with long brown hair and sky-blue eyes. She stood resolutely by his side, and Karen had the feeling that the girl could and would instantly back the boy up in a dire situation.
Mister P turned to them. "Who the heck are you?"
The boy's green eyes narrowed. "If you serve the new evil, then I am your enemy," he said. "I am Zain Maximillian, leader of the Chosen Eight."
Upon hearing this, Mister P staggered backward in shock. "You're... him... The one Kaatz mentioned..."
Then Mister P looked at the girl he was with, and he was overcome by even more shock as he recognized her features from the master's image files. "And you..." he said, almost dumbfounded. "Target Priority One, Sasha Maybee..."
The girl's eyes widened. "You... You work for the dark one!" she cried.
Getting over his shock, Mister P smiled. "'The dark one,'" he repeated with a sneer. "That's one I've never heard before."
His eyes glinted evilly as his smile widened. "So here you are, all in one place," he said, pleased. "Target Priority Three, Target Priority One, AND the chosen leader. Now I can kill three birds with one stone, and Master Giaguo will reward me even more."
Zain stepped back in surprise. "Giaguo... So that's the name of the enemy!"
"Indeed it is," said Mister P. "This planet should learn it well, for soon it will be the name of the one that rules this place!"
Zain shook his head with conviction. "Not if I can help it."
Karen suddenly felt the feeling return to her body, weakly. Struggling, she managed to sit up.
Noticing her movement, Zain looked at her, and their eyes met.
Suddenly, to Karen's surprise, Zain staggered backward, almost as if he had been hit by a feeling of deja vu.
Mister P used Zain's disorientation as an opportunity to attack. He raised his paralysis gun and fired.
Zain was hit by the paralysis beam, and he collapsed to the ground. "No!" Karen cried, struggling to get up. Nearby, Guy was doing his best to get up as well, as was Neil.
"Zain!" the girl named Sasha cried. She knelt next to him, trying to help him up.
Mister P grinned. "For a chosen leader, you're not very powerful," he said. He aimed his weapon and shot Sasha with it as well, watching in satisfaction as she collapsed on top of Zain.
Using the wall to brace herself, Karen staggered to her feet. She had to do something to stop Mister P. She attempted to use her PSI, but for some reason she was having trouble concentrating.
Mister P bent down over Sasha and hauled her limp body off of Zain. "I don't know how I got so lucky, to find Target Priority One like this," he said, laughing. "Master Giaguo will finally get his wish... His 'trophy.'"
Unable to focus properly, Karen could only watch. I guess it's over for all of us, she thought.
To her surprise, Zain spoke. "He will get no such thing," he said, a hint of fury in his voice.
Mister P's jaw dropped as Zain sat up and got to his feet. "How can you still move?" he demanded. "I paralyzed you!"
Zain turned to him, and to Karen's surprise, his eyes had become a burning red. "You will die before you lay another finger on Sasha," he said angrily. Karen's eyes widened as she suddenly felt an enormous power build up, and pent-up energy began to crackle around Zain.
"You CAN'T still move!" Mister P cried in disbelief. He shot Zain again with his paralysis gun; the beam stopped about an inch in front of Zain and was dispersed.
Karen watched as Zain raised his hand and spread his fingers at Mister P. "I am giving you one warning," he said, his red eyes glaring at Mister P. "Get out of here, or I will destroy you."
"Your psychic power can't harm me," said Mister P. "I'm protected against it."
Zain smiled. "Then it shouldn't matter to you if I do this! PSI Hyperion Alpha!"
Suddenly Karen saw a brilliant solar energy attack explode forth from Zain's hand and fly at Mister P. It collided with his portable psychic shield and was dissipated, and there was a high-pitched whine as Mister P's shield generator shorted out and stopped working.
Mister P looked at his shield generator in surprise. "This can't be!" he cried. "This shield can block Omega-level PSI!"
"Guess you should take it back for a refund, then," Zain said, his eyes still smouldering red.
Mister P looked up at Zain, and suddenly realized that if the boy attacked again, there was a good chance that he would not survive, now that his shield was gone. He backed away, reaching for his communicator, to call for a transport. "You... You're just like HIM," he said, glaring at Zain. "Always getting in my way... Always stopping me from achieving greatness..."
He looked around wildly. "I can't leave empty-handed..." he said. "I can't totally fail Master Giaguo again..."
He found his communicator, and then he also found an idea. "Ha ha... I won't leave empty-handed," he said. "Not this time."
When he had backed up far enough, he suddenly grabbed hold of Neil. "See you later, pig's butts!" he cried. "This one's coming with me!"
Mister P hit a button on his communicator, and both he and Neil vanished in a flash of light.
Karen stared in horror at what had just happened. "NEIL!" she cried.
She ran over to where Neil had just been and fell to her knees. "No! Neil!"
Neil had been her first friend. He had spared her from Mr. Angorage's wrath at the orphanage. He had followed her after she left the orphanage, to make sure that she was okay. He had saved her from Mister P the last time. He had given her so much... And now he was gone, snatched away by a man who hated her.
All her life, Karen had held back her tears, refusing to cry. She did not hold them back this time. She broke down and cried, letting all of her tears come forth. Neil Willard, the person who mattered most to her, was gone.

"I'm glad to see you again, Guy," said Sasha.
"As am I," Guy replied. "Your father sent me to protect you from the ones who are after you. I was stranded in Duplora, and unable to come to your aid. For that, I am sorry."
"It's okay, Guy," said Sasha. "There was nothing you could do, if the buses were shut down. Besides, after I ended up in Primera, I met Zain." She looked over at him and smiled. "He's my salvation."
Zain looked down, embarrassed.
Guy nodded. "Perhaps... You do not need me after all, then," he said, looking down.
Sasha shook her head. "That's not true. We need all the help we can get. Besides, Zain said that you're a member of the Chosen Eight."
Guy looked at Zain. "Excuse me?"
Zain nodded in affirmation. "When I looked into your eyes, Guy, I had the same feeling of deja vu that I had when I saw Sasha for the first time," he said. "Since Sasha is one of the Chosen Eight, you must be, also."
Guy stared skeptically at Zain. "Are you certain, Mr. Maximillian?" he asked. "I do not possess psychic abilities such as the ones that you and Sasha possess."
"I'm sure of it," Zain answered. "I'm the leader, so I think that the deja vu feeling is supposed to alert me to the other members of the Chosen Eight."
Although he was still unsure, Guy accepted this. "If you believe so, then perhaps it is true," he said. "Mr. Maximillian, you have both my help and my friendship, for as long as you desire either."
Zain smiled. "Thanks, Guy. But the first thing you can do as my friend is to stop calling me Mr. Maximillian. Just call me Zain."
"Very well, Zain," said Guy.
There was something else that he didn't understand, though. "Zain, Sasha... How did you come to Duplora?" he asked. "The bus service has been canceled."
"Well," said Sasha, "we met this nice man who was coming here. He gave us a ride, because Zain and I helped fight off some Madness creatures in Primera two days ago."
"Oh," said Guy. "I see."
Sasha looked at Zain. "So what do we do now, Zain?" she asked. "Where should we go?"
Guy looked at them. "I have spent the last three nights in this town," he said. "Believe me, there is nothing in Duplora. Certainly nothing akin to these 'Sanctuaries' you explained to me about."
"Well," said Zain, "if there's nothing in this town, then we should move on and go to Troisemburg. It's a big city; if nothing else, we can maybe find information." He looked at Sasha. "And maybe we can also find Sasha's dad. We've tried to reach him many times, but he's never answered the phone."
Guy nodded. "If you desire to go to Troisemburg, then that is also my destination," he said. "But with the bus lines canceled, we will have to walk. Since it is approximately a two-hour drive between Duplora and Troisemburg, it will take even longer to walk that distance. We must adequately prepare before we leave."
"Yeah," Zain agreed. "We should get more cookies, juice, and hamburgers. And I should also see about replacing that baseball bat, since my old one was broken in Primera."
Then he looked down. "There is one more thing, though," he said.
"What is it?" asked Sasha.
Zain looked away, toward the girl who was still kneeling in the center of the road. "She's one of the Chosen Eight, too. Even if she wasn't, we can't just leave her."
Guy looked at her. "I will speak with her," he said. "I know her better."

Karen couldn't even muster the motivation to move. Having cried herself out, she felt as if she wanted to die. She knelt in the middle of the street; if a car came and ran her over, it didn't even matter anymore.
She was suddenly aware of Guy standing next to her. "...I am sorry about Neil," he said. "I too am shocked by the abruptness of his abduction."
Karen didn't respond. She knew that Guy was trying to console her, but nothing could do that.
Guy looked down at her. "I know how you feel," he said.
"No you don't," Karen retorted. "Neil was my friend. He's the first person in the orphanage who ever showed me any kindness. He was my first and best friend... And now he's gone. You can't possibly know how that feels."
"You are mistaken," said Guy. "I, too, have suffered the same loss that you have now suffered."
Surprised, Karen looked up at him, her eyes still wet with tears. "What...?"
"I once attended Snow Wood Boarding School, in Winters," said Guy. "While there, I befriended a girl named Kyla. She quickly became the best friend that I have ever had."
He took off his glasses and stared at Karen. "But then, without warning of any kind, my father pulled me out of Snow Wood, and tore me away from her," he said. "I was ripped apart from the person that I care about most, the same as you have been."
Karen stood up and looked at Guy; there were tears rolling down his cheeks. Impulsively, Karen hugged him. "I'm sorry, Guy. I didn't know."
Suddenly her mind was assaulted by a myriad of thoughts, and she realized that they were coming from Guy. She attempted to sort through them, and found one of Guy's memories of Kyla. "...I can see her," she said. "I can see Kyla. She's very pretty."
Guy looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"It's like Mister P said," Karen replied. "I'm a... telepath, he called it. I don't know why, but I can read thoughts now. I suddenly started reading your thoughts, and I found one of your memories."
"I see," said Guy. "I do not have much knowledge of telepathy, but I do know that it is a very powerful ability. It is little wonder that this Giaguo wants you."
Karen solemnly nodded... And then she sorted out another of Guy's memories. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she looked at him in a new light. "Guy... You're the son of the owner of Orange Enterprises."
Guy nodded back, looking a little sad. "Indeed I am," he said.
"So when you were talking about your father... You were talking about Orangeman Orangere, the richest man in the world," said Karen. Even in the orphanage, people had heard of Orangeman Orangere.
"He is rich only materially," Guy replied. "His heart is poorer than the poorest of paupers."
Karen managed to decipher another of Guy's thoughts. "You... You hope that I won't see you differently because you're actually extremely wealthy," she said.
Guy raised an eyebrow. "Do you?"
For the first time since losing Neil, Karen managed to smile. "How much money you have means nothing to me, Guy," she said. "The only difference I see is that I now see you as an even greater friend than I did before... And that has nothing to do with money. Thank you, Guy Orangere."
Guy smiled back. "Can you read what I am thinking right now, Karen?"
She tried. "You're thinking that you want to help me find Neil, wherever he has been taken--" She gasped in surprise. "Is that really what you're thinking?"
"It is," Guy replied. "You and I are going to swear an oath, Karen. Together, we are going to find the people that matter most to us, the people that we were ripped away from. I am going to find Kyla, and you are going to find Neil, wherever he has been taken. And you are going to find Neil because I am going to help you find him. Will you swear this oath with me?"
Karen smiled. "I will swear this oath with you, Guy."
Guy held out his hand, and Karen placed hers over it. "Together," they said simultaneously, "we swear to find the people that matter most to us. We will not stop until we do, and woe befall anyone who steps in our way."
After they had sworn, Guy grinned. "You read my mind word for word, Karen," he said.
Karen's smile widened. "I'm really starting to like this telepathy thing."
She looked over at Zain and Sasha. She sorted out a few more things from Guy's mind that they had told him, and pieced together Zain and Sasha's purpose. "So..." she said, "If I'm one of these 'Chosen Eight,' I guess I should go with them."
"Yes," Guy agreed. "Like it or not, we are part of this. I suppose it is... our destiny... to join them."
Karen nodded. "I don't know why, but going with them seems like the right thing to do. I guess if they're on this quest, then they're going to need some help."
She started to walk over to them, but then she turned back to Guy. "And by following them," she said, "maybe we can fulfill our oath."
Guy smiled and nodded in agreement.
Karen turned back to Zain and Sasha and approached them; she knew now what she had to do. She looked at Sasha, and a clutter of thoughts entered her head, coming from Sasha. Then she looked at Zain, and her eyes widened in surprise as she realized that she wasn't reading any thoughts from him. She tried harder to read his mind, but all of a sudden she drew up against a solid mental barrier. No, it wasn't solid; it was continually shifting and changing, dynamic yet never allowing passage. Karen stared at him in surprise as she realized that Zain's mind was protected by an unbreachable barrier of emotion.
She shook it off; it didn't matter now. She faced them and said, "So when do we leave?"

Meanwhile...

Mila sat in Quincy's home, in the South End of Ellay, with Nick, Jenna, Carl, and Brian. They had managed to make it there without incident.
That was three nights ago. Now, they were still unsure how to carry out their plan.
"The problem is that the Neo-Bla-Bla Gang has overrun all of the abandoned parts of town," said Jenna. "If we go and look for the children, we'll definitely get caught."
"What about the other Defenders?" asked Quincy. "Surely the four of you--"
"FIVE of us," Brian corrected, folding his arms indignantly. Ever since Home Base had been taken over, Brian had started to consider himself a Defender.
Quincy sighed. "Surely the FIVE of you can't be all there is," he said. "There were at least twenty Defenders."
"The others were captured by the Neo-Bla-Bla Gang," said Carl. "They're being held within Home Base."
Jenna nodded. "And the same thing will happen to us if they catch us."
Quincy rubbed his eyes, feeling tired. The news of Home Base's capture by the gang had really shocked him, and he was still finding it hard to believe that it had really happened.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Nick and Carl went to answer it.
When Nick opened the door, there was no one there. A note lay on the doorstep; he picked it up and brought it in.
"It's a note," he said.
"What does it say?" asked Jenna.
Nick read it aloud. "To the ones who escaped our glorious conquest: If you wish the release of your fellow Home Base scum, then Dangerous Tom demands that Mila Aisengarde come to the headquarters formerly known as 'Home Base'... And give herself up."
Upon hearing this, Mila turned pale in utter surprise and horror.

To be continued...