July 4th

2134 EST

"CJ!" Avi screamed, her mouth dropped open at the boy now sitting in a makeshift ice prison. She looked desperately between the boys, looking for answers as to why CJ had assaulted their intruder.

All Avi could see in CJ's eyes was raw rage and malice. Whatever history the two heroes had was deeply woven and stained with fury. Her eyes then flicked to the bloody boy on the ground.

From her distance away, she could already see his eyes blackening and swelling and blood rapidly falling from his nose. Avi noticed a bandana lying on the floor beside their trespasser.

He lazily pushed himself onto his elbows and look at the rest of the teenagers amongst him with a dull smirk.

The boy smiled naughtily. "Is that really how you greet an old friend?" He taunted, his voice unusually smooth for having been beaten to a pulp.

From behind Avi, CJ growled and tried to attack the boy once again, but found his feet frozen to the ground. He unnervingly glared at Tristan, but just shrugged.

Avi didn't need to scan CJ to detect the intense levels of animosity coming from the speedster. Behind her, Bristol and Tristan stood close to each other. Tristan looked uneasily at Avi, unsure of what her plan was, but Bristol still looked thoroughly shaken by CJ's aggression.

Avi slowly advanced over to the boy spread across the ground. From a closer view, she noticed his snowy hair matted with blood. She stepped in front of him and her body started to buzz as she executed a limited mind scan.

She turned around to face her friends. "His name is Calum Darius. He is nineteen years old and he is a gravitokinetic and a slight telepath." Avi knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. Something was off, but Avi could not interpret what it was.

"What is it, Av?" Tristan asked, his voice filled with concern.

"I feel like I am missing something," she paused. "Something big." She stared helplessly at her friends.

"You're right, A. V. I." Calum piped up. Avi spun her head around to face him, her cropped hair whipping through the air. "Why don't you find out?" He smirked, "I won't hide anything this time." He winked at her.

Planting her feet firmly on the ground and locking eyes with the boy, Avi's body buzzed again, louder this time. The green 1's and 0's shimmered underneath her skin as she performed a stronger scan. The last thing she saw before slipping into Calum's memories were his dark black eyes discernibly taunting her.

Scenes and scenes replayed in her mind as she searched Calum's subconscious. She recognized a young boy with pale blonde hair running around a backyard whom she assumed to be Calum. There was a man sitting on a bench, staring intently at the boy. Every time Avi tried to concentrate on his face, it blurred, making it impossible to recognize the older figure.

"Dad stop!" The boy cried. He fell to the ground, splashing mud around him and dirtying his clothes. Young Calum pressed his hands to his ears, trying to shut out a mute murmur.

"Calum, you need to understand how to use your powers," the man growled at his son. Avi recognized his voice, but it sounded different than she was used to, younger perhaps.

The scene switched to a dark room where an older Calum sat with his father, hidden in the shadows. His hair had grown out, covering his eyes and almost touching his nose. To Avi he looked about thirteen, but she wasn't sure. She could only access the memories Calum allowed her to see, all revolving around his parentage.

"You can't go, how am I supposed to survive by myself?" He asked. The happy-go-lucky young boy Avi had previously seen was completely different than the somber boy who sat in front of her.

"I trained you well, you have my power and your own. You will survive fine," his father snarled from the camouflage in the darkness. He had his power? Avi questioned, still reliving Calum's memory. Her mind started turning like gears. He shared his father's power of telepathy?

His father began to step out of his protective umbrage, but Avi knew who he was before she saw his face.

She stumbled backwards as she fell out of his mind. She turned away from Calum's smirking face and faced her friends, her face paling.

"Avi, what did you see?" Tristan asked, reaching out to keep her stable. He looked into her eyes, his own full of concern.

"His father is Pysche." She said bluntly. Calum began to clap slowly from behind her. Without her noticing he had risen to his feet. His tall physique caused him to tower over the rest of the Union, even Tristan which surprised Avi.

"Good job," he mused. He put a long, pale finger to his face and stroked his chin in mock wonder. "Now it's my turn to guess," he grinned wickedly.

"So you," he paused for effect, gesturing to the girl glaring at him. "Avi, you are a computer! And that's why I can't get in your mind!" He laughed and walked closer to the union of heroes.

"I can get into his head though," he grinned and pointed at Tristan. "He seems to care about you enough, is he your boooyfriend, Avi?" His eyes sparkled manically.

"Do not touch him," Avi roared. Calum raised his hands in an innocent way, but still looked pointedly at Tristan.

Tristan's face crumbled under Calum's mental invasion. He pressed his hands to his ears. "Get out of my head!" He yelled. He raised his hand and instantly, Calum was trapped against the wall in a prison of ice, similar to CJ's.

Still, Calum continued. His face changed from amusement to surprise. "Oh," he smirked again. "You don't like Avi! You're in love with Bristol!" He cackled. "Isn't that cute?"

Avi looked at Tristan and his face was bright red. She saw his fists freezing over and wished she could help him.

"What was I thinking?" He mocked, his face exaggerated. "You can't love Avi, she's a robot!" He placed his hand to his forehead and then dropped it. "Robots can't love!"

Avi's emotions flared and she stepped forward, ready to attack him. Tristan reached out his arm and blocked her path. "It's okay, we know you do," he whispered only loud enough for Avi to hear.

She took a deep breath, "you are right." She shuddered unintentionally. "I am sorry, telepaths and I do not mix," she whispered, her voiced laced with sorrow.

Tristan turned back to Calum. "One more word to her and you are dead," Tristan glared, his voice deadly serious.

Calum's face feigned terror. "Oh no! Don't blast me again Deep Freeze!" Tristan stepped forward, ready to blitz their intruder, but Avi held him back. She looked into his eyes and silently willed him to relax. He nodded in conformation.

"Shall we see how the Elemental Empress feels about her secret admirer?" His gaze locked with Bristol's and she screamed in response.

"Interesting!" He laughed. "She might just like you too Tristan!"

Avi turned to her best friend and felt alarm when she saw his face light up. She knew Calum wasn't finished.

"Or maybe she has feelings for my dear old friend CJ!" He finished, snickering at himself as if he had told the world's funniest joke.

Avi looked between her friends and couldn't take it anymore. She walked up to Calum, pinned to the wall.

"What's the robot going do-?" Avi cut him off by punching him straight in the face, knocking him out cold.

"Do not touch my friends again," she said quietly. She turned around and was met with a look of praise from each of her three comrades.

---

Avi tossed and turned in her charging station, similar to a test tube. As the green rings of energy circled her cylinder, Avi hoped that she would go into her regular sleep like state while charging. But as much as he hoped, her mind was still racing, memories she had suppressed resurfaced and her encounter with Eric played vividly on repeat.

Avi had left the ball room, mostly because her mind was set on the mission but there was something else. The sound of her heals echoed in the hallway, something felt wrong so she took a step back 'I should get Tristan, being alone might not be a smart move' she hesitated for a second but she never went to get him, she kept on walking.

Avi performed another scan of the building, the telepath was in the room at the end of the hallway, it felt as if he expected her but she knew her mind couldn't be read. She took a deep breath and walked up to the door. She stopped in front of it and listened, all she could hear were his breaths, calm and steady, his heart rate was normal and he appeared to be alone.

Avi opened the door and it gave off a loud echo. She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. The room was dark but she could see as she switched into her nocturnal navigation mode. A man in a tux was sitting on the desk with his back toward her.

"Most people would knock, you know," said a voice Avi immediately recognized. "Then again you've always been special. Haven't you, Nova?"

"Is this some kind of mind game?" Avi asked quietly, her voices filled with hatred, anger and fear.

"I told you, I can't use my powers on you" Eric said with a sad voice.

"You are not him. He died in my arms." Avi's mind was close to shut down from the amount of emotions.

"I did." his voice was heavy and full of regret "If I could change one thing, Nova, it--' he stopped himself. "I would change our last moment. I hurt you. I made a deep cut and I will never forgive myself." he stood up and faced her.

There was a tear running down his cheek. He took a step toward Avi but she stepped back and he look down with sadness. She could see that her move had wounded him. The human part of her wanted to take him in her arms and just cry but something stopped her, this wasn't right. Once you die you should be dead.

"If... if you are really him," Avi started, her breath heavy "Prove it." Eric gave her a thankful smile and when he approached her this time, she didn't back away. When he was close enough he offered her his hand. A single oil tear fell down her cheek but she kept a straight face.

"The dance." he looked at her with hope "You were just as beautiful as today." memories came flooding back, despite the mass chaos that raced through Avi's mind.

"Knock, knock" Eric was standing outside of Avi's door, in his arms there was a box and with a card.

"You always said the phrase 'knock, knock' but you never actually knock on the door" Avi responded, curious about the box.

"Well you don't even say 'knock, knock' you just enter" he said, pushing his glasses back.

"What is inside the box?" Avi asked, ignoring his statement. Eric got down on one knee and smirked .

"Eric, when a man gets down on one knee it statistically means he is going to propose but that box is far too large for a ring." Avi's reaction made Eric laugh.

"It's a dress". He opened the box and revealed green fabric, he pulled the dress out and held it up. It shimmered in green and was long with a slit in the fabric up to her knee. The design was simple, but very beautiful. Avi looked at the dress, then at Eric, then back at the dress.

"On what occasion would I wear such a dress?" Avi asked as she studied it.

"Tonight. It's the annual Christmas Ball. Each year the company arranges a ball and the employees get to bring a date, so Nova, will you do me the honor of being my date for the Christmas Ball?"

Avi knew that she had been able to blush her cheeks would have been as red as the Christmas lights."It would be my pleasure," she responded with a smile.

She was pulled back to reality by Tristan's voice in her ear. "Avi? Where are you? Are you okay? Did you find Grayson?"

"You should answer him," Eric said with sadness "He seems to be worried about you."

"Last room on the right," Avi said with a blank expression. "If it really is you. How are you alive? I watched you die, you swore you would come find me, if it is you, Eric Hart, then why did you not fulfill that promise? The Eric I knew would never do such a thing" Avi said with a shaky voice.

"Psyche has made me his pawn, I can't control myself! One minute I'm myself, but then I lose control, I don't want to hurt you" His voice was filled with sadness and regret.

"You think this did not hurt me? I believe this pain is worse than any physical harm you could ever inflict upon me" her voice wasn't shaking this time, it was loud and clear. Her words made Eric take a step back, she could see how they had hurt him.

"I'm sorry. I really am, I wish--" all of a sudden the sadness disappeared from his eyes, he gave them an evil smirk. "Welcome, I'm your new host," he tilted his head "names' Mania. I hope you enjoyed your stay because you'll be leaving very shortly."

At that moment, Tristan burst into the room. Avi lifted her hand up to point and moment later, Eric's irises had turned a sickly purple shade. He threw his palm forward and the heroes flew back against the wall. They were under attack.

Avi shook her head to try and clear the memory. The thought gave her a feeling similar to a sick stomach, but she almost wished Eric had died that night rather than turn into whatever he had become.

Sighing, Avi placed her hand on the glass surrounding her and gave a slight tap. The door didn't move with her touch like it was supposed to. She pushed harder, but the glass still didn't budge.

She had to recharge every night, but if she stayed in her station for too long, her battery would overcharge and short circuit. Her flashback of Eric took too much time and she was getting dangerously close to passing the time limit.

Normally, Avi would stay calm and logically think through how to fix the problem, but her emotions were already elevated. Her levels of fear rose quickly until she couldn't take it anymore.

She rapped against the glass, trying to get someone's attention, but the chamber was practically soundproof. "Help," she screamed, desperately wishing someone would hear her.

Small fractures began to appear in the glass as she pounded harder. Avi's vision blurred, the energy nearing its capacity. She fell to the ground, her knees pressed to her chin in the enclosed space.

"Avi?" She heard someone call, and a figure rush to her through her closing eyes.

Within seconds her chamber was covered with ice, and with one swift punch, the glass shattered around her. Green sparks flew everywhere as the energy was released. The lights went out immediately, turning the windowless room pitch black.

Tristan collapsed next to her, patting the ground, frantically looking for her. "Are you okay? What happened?" His breaths were quick and his words came rapidly. "Shit!" He cried out.

Avi's eyes began to glow as she concentrated on providing light. Tristan sat on the ground, clutching his hand. A large piece of glass stuck out of his palm, blood spilling down his arm and onto his Captain America t-shirt.

Tristan gazed at Avi in wonder. "I didn't know you could do that," he gasped.

She smiled. "I can do a lot of things you are not aware of." Avi took his hand and gingerly pulled out the piece of glass in his hand.

He winced, but then a shy smile spread across his face. "Check this out," he grinned, swiping his good hand over his slash. Ice instantly covered his cut, stopping the blood flow.

"I don't know if that is health--" Avi started, but Tristan shrugged her off. He waved his hand again and the ice melted into water, taking the remains of his cut with him.

Avi's jaw dropped. She picked up his hand and turned it over, searching for a mark, but she couldn't find one anywhere. She looked at him in amazement.

He laughed a genuine boyish laugh, "It only works on small cuts and I can only do it on myself," he shrugged. "Olive and I tried all the time on each other when we were kids, she was always jealous," he grinned.

As hard as she tried not to, Avi still looked at Tristan in wonder. She knew he had a lot of untapped power, and she was eager to see more and more come out.

Avi pushed herself up onto her elbows. Out of the constant flow of energy, she immediately felt better. She stood up and held out a hand for her friend.

He took it gratefully and hoisted himself up beside her. Avi led him to the bed and sat, patting the spot next to her in invitation.

It was like a switch flipped. The relaxed, laughing Tristan was gone and was replaced with intensity and concern. "What happened in there?" He asked softly.

"I am okay," she responded automatically. "I was just charging and I couldn't open the door." She knit her eyebrows together in confusion. "I-it always opens," she stuttered. "It was built so it would never stick shut."

Tristan looked around the room, hesitant of eavesdroppers. "I'm sure it was just a defect," he assured. It sounded as if he wasn't sure himself, and Avi noticed.

She pushed her fears and suspicion aside. It was technology and technology always had the chance of malfunctioning.

"I'm okay, let's go do something else," she smiled easily. "I need to get my mind off of everything." She stood up and offered Tristan her hand for the second time.

"Sounds good, but uh, what are we going to do about this?" He gestured to the ice and glass enveloping the floor.

"I'll tell Priscilla, I don't want to think about it right now," she shuddered, remembering the terrified, enclosed feeling.

"Will you come with me to check on Olive?" Tristan asked quietly. "That's what I came here for," he paused, his face breaking, "thank god I did right?" He laughed uneasily. "I don't know if I can handle it alone," he finished, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

Avi put her hand on his shoulder, "of course I will." She smiled softly. They walked together towards the door and Tristan held the door open.

"Why thank you Tristan," she beamed. "A perfect gentleman."

He chuckled, but didn't question it. They walked out of Avi's room and passed Tristan's right next to hers. The lights flickered as they passed due to Avi's abnormally large voltage.

Avi stopped abruptly, her eyes widening at the scene before her.

Calum sat cross legged on the ground in an energy pen Priscilla designed. The waves of electricity interfered with his mind, making it impossible to exploit his powers.

Their caretaker decided they would keep him imprisoned until they were sure whether he would help or harm the heroes. The cage radiated energy and it was doing its job to protect the Union from the telepath.

What caught Avi off guard was not the boy, but the girl sitting next to him. Liv was spread across the ground talking to Calum. Her head rested in her hands, her eyes focused on their captive.

Avi grabbed Tristan and pulled him around the corner of the hallway. He looked around in alarm. "What?" he whispered, "is Calum still there?" He peeked his head out and his entire body went cold.

"What is she doing there?" He growled to Avi. "He's dangerous!" Ice spread quickly across his hands as it always did when his emotions rose.

"Tristan," she placed her hands on his chest to restrain him from running out to his sister. "Liv is very powerful she can handle herself."

Tristan waved his hands in exasperation and accidentally coated the wall in ice. "She's my little sister Avi!" He whispered, ignoring the ice.

"She is three minutes younger than you," she pointed out. Tristan sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Olive is seventeen, almost eighteen. She can use her powers and Calum cannot, she'll be okay."

Avi could sense Tristan's hesitance, but he nodded in acceptance. "So what should we do?" He asked. "Also our birthday isn't for a few months," he added as an afterthought.

"We listen," she said quietly, placing a finger to her lips. Tristan and Avi slowly stuck their heads out to hear their conversation.

"I know I've seen you before Calum," Liv said hesitantly. She twirled her silver blonde hair around her finger. "I just can't remember where."

"I know," he cooed. "In your dreams," he winked. He grinned at her, though not in the way he had previously grinned at the Union. Calum looked at Liv like an old friend he admired, not a potential enemy.

"More like nightmare," she scoffed. She looked at him, challenge in her eyes.

"Either way we know each other from somewhere," he said with ease. He looked her up and down and grinned again.

"No," Olive corrected, "we recognize each other. It isn't the same thing." She snapped at the cocky boy. "I don't know  you and I'm not sure I want to." Olive rolled her eyes at his sarcastic expression.

Calum raised his hands in surrender. "Calm down, Pyro, can't take a joke?" He grinned smugly.

Liv narrowed her eyes. Even from a distance, Avi could see her caramel eyes take on a fiery glint. Similar to how Tristan's sapphire eyes turned icy when his emotions or powers flared, Liv's irises must have the same effect.

"If you don't like me, why'd you come see me?" Calum wiggled his eyebrows.

From behind the corner, Tristan rolled his eyes. Avi could tell it pained him to see his sister with the villain.

"I need answers." She growled. "Everything that's happened to me in the past year is a blank in my mind," she lifted her head. "And I have a feeling I met you in that timeframe."

"Oh Olive, don't you think you'd remember meeting a guy like me?" He said smugly.

She scoffed, rising to her feet. She turned around to leave, but Calum stopped her with his words.

"I hear you're pretty good with fire," he challenged. Liv looked over her shoulder at the phantasmal boy. "I'm even better at getting in people's heads." She raised an eyebrow in response to his taunting words. "When I get out of here let's see who's better."

Olive laughed in disbelief. Her blonde hair went everywhere as she shook her head doubtfully. "If I didn't know better," she paused, challenging the boy. "It sounded like you think you can beat me?" She cocked her head.

"Oh I can," he assured confidently. "Fire is cool, but what can it do if you can't execute it?" He asked, his voice full of pity.

"Fire is destruction," she said calmly. She waved her arm and a ball of fire appeared, suspended above her hand. "The fire is within me, and believe me," she paused. "I can execute it just fine."

She flicked her wrist and the ball of fire flew at Calum, expanding as it arched through the air. As soon as it hit the cage, it disappeared, but Calum looked genuinely frightened.

Liv's laughed ricocheted against the walls, and Tristan smiled. Even if it was spiteful, Avi knew his sister's laugh relaxed him. She blew a kiss to him before laughing again and walking away.

Calum leaned against the back of his cage and crossed his arms. "Damn," he said, whistling in awe.

Avi pushed Tristan behind her to keep him from turning Calum into a Popsicle. He rolled his eyes, but took a deep breath, relaxing.

Making sure Tristan was following, Avi hesitantly started walking in the opposite direction. "One of these times you make the temperature drop, I am going to short circuit," she laughed.

"Really?" He gasped, ashamed of his little control of the temperature.

Avi smiled, "It is doubtful. I am equipped for extreme conditions," she paused. "Though I am not sure I could withstand a direct attack from your sister," she laughed.

"Another thing I didn't know about you," Tristan added. He looked at his best friend in wonder. "What else can you do?" He asked.

Avi thought to herself. "Well I can speak every programmable language fluently," she smiled.

Tristan's eyes widened. "Really?" He sighed. "That's really amazing, Av." She smiled in response.

Before they knew it, Tristan and Avi reached their rooms. Avi opened her door and waved Tristan goodbye.

---

Later that night, Avi sat awake on her floor. She alerted Priscilla about her charging station, but her caretaker informed her that she would not be able to get a new one until the next day.

She pulled her long legs into her chest, trying to get comfortable, but to no avail. Times like this made Avi wish that she was entirely human so that she could sleep and forget her troubles.

Scenes of Eric replayed over and over in her mind until she couldn't think straight anymore. His normally laughing eyes turning a sinister violet shade, how his voice turned chilling and disorientating, his cries of pain before her turned into the monster that attacked she and Tristan. Her thoughts were interrupted with a tapping at her wall. She inched closer to hear him better.

The tapping continued, until Avi realized they meant something. Can you hear this? Tristan tapped in Morse code from his room.

Avi smiled to herself, where had Tristan learned Morse code? Yes, she tapped back.

Goodnight Avi, she translated the taps.

Smiling softly, she tapped goodnight, Tristan on the wall.