I wasn’t exaggerating. I really could not take this.

I was sweating heavily now. All I could think about was Krit. And Krit’s body. And...

Zack was worried about me. I had never gotten this bad before. He knew it, I knew it. It didn’t change anything.

“Zack.” I spoke for the first time in hours.

“What, Ty?” he asked.

“I need...a distraction. I need...to not be able to hear my thoughts. I need to be someplace loud. Very loud.” I said.

Zack frowned as he tried to figure out what I was saying. I sighed in frustration.

“Syl. I want to talk to Syl.” I said impatiently.

Zack shrugged and took out his phone again. He dialed a number, then handed it to me. I held the phone up to my ear just as someone answered.

“Yeah.” Syl’s voice came over the phone.

“Syl.” I sighed with relief and frustration that it wasn’t Krit.

“Ty? How you holdin’ up?” she asked.

“I need...noise.” I said, hoping she would understand.

“Gotcha. I’ll be there in a bit.” she said, immediately getting what I was trying to put into words.

I gave a small smile of relief before handing the phone back to Zack. He still looked confused, but had obviously heard Syl’s end of the conversation and knew she was coming.

After what seemed like forever, Syl arrived. She carried an old, beat-up CD player and a small black pouch.

Zack nodded and walked outside. Syl looked down at me, concerned.

“Got it bad, huh?” she stated the obvious.

I bit back a smart remark and just nodded. Syl set down the CD player and unzipped the black pouch. She rifled through CD’s.

“Got a preference?” she asked.

“Try this then.” she said.

She put a CD in the CD player and handed it to me. I put the headphones on and turned up the volume as loud as I knew I could stand it and pressed play. My hands were shaking.

Syl left the other CD’s with me and backed off a few steps. I didn’t care anymore.

At first I listened to the words, but soon I phased them out and just heard the noise. I had to turn up the volume twice to drown out my thoughts. I hugged my knees tightly and rocked slightly to the tempo. I kept my eyes tightly shut.

“Pull my chin, stroke my hair, scratch my nose, hug my knees.

Try drink, food, cigarette, the tension will not ease.

I tap my fingers, fold my arms, breathe in deep, cross my legs.

Shrug my shoulders, stretch my back, but nothing seems to please.

I need contact.

I need contact.

Nothing seems to please.

I need contact.”

I kept repeating the words of the song until it ended. Much as this wasn’t really getting me off the thoughts of the activity I wanted to be doing, it was helping. Somehow, hearing the words that fit with my mood was helping.

In the next songs I listened for words that struck that chord. When I found them, I would repeat the song and again, unknowingly, sing out the words myself.

“Bees are buzzin’ in their honey catacomb.

All the noise seems to call my head a home.

Can’t escape the scratchin’.

My blood makes a noise.

It’s hard not to play when there are so many toys.

I suddenly noticed Zack, Cade, and Syl staring at me. I ripped off the headphones and threw them at the floor.

“What were you doing, Ty?” Zack asked slowly.

“I don’t know.” I snapped, “How the hell should I know?”

Zack glanced at Syl and Cade worriedly and for some reason that made me very angry.

“This would all be over with by now if you would just let me find Krit.” I growled.

“No, Ty.” Zack shook his head.

“Who are you to force me to be the good little girl, anyway? You’re probably sleeping with Cade and she’s younger than me, remember? Just because I’ve got the same DNA...” I said heatedly.

“Knock it off, Ty.” Zack said through gritted teeth.

“No!” Zack said with enough force to make Syl take an unconscious step backwards.

“See. If it were anyone but me, they’d be with someone by now. Max, Syl,...Cade. But not little Ty. Have to protect her. Little, innocent Ty.” my voice dripped with bitterness.

“I don’t want to do this, Ty.” Zack said.

***

I was still staring in shock. Had Ty really just said that? Had she really just goaded Zack into hitting her, knocking her unconscious?

“I hit her too hard.” Zack frowned, his voice holding the note of worry that most people couldn’t hear.

“She’ll be okay.” I assured him.

“You two stay with her. I still need to run that mission to DayTechCore.” Zack said.

I nodded. He needed some time to clear his head. And we did need the intelligence that Zack was going to get. If we wanted to do both at the same time, go for it.

“Don’t worry.” I said, knowing he would.

Zack turned and started towards his motorcycle. He wheeled it towards the door, pausing just before he reached it.

“If Krit shows up, beat the hell out of him for me.”

He didn’t wait for a reply from either Syl or me, but continued out the door.

“You know, impeccable timing must run in the family.” I commented to Syl.

Syl snorted and nodded in agreement. I settled in for a long wait.

“So, Syl. How does that rock-paper-scissors thing work?”

Syl and I spent the next long, boring period of time playing rock-paper-scissors and waiting. Waiting for Ty to wake up, for Zack to get back, for something, anything, to happen.

So of course, anything did happen.

Syl and I both looked up when we heard the sound of a vehicle engine. She shot me a questioning glance and I shook my head. No, I wasn’t expecting anyone. She got up and stalked silently towards the door.

I let the soldiers come to me before whipping out attacks. I didn’t want to leave Ty defenseless. I jumped straight up and kicked out, connecting with the skulls of two guys at the same time. They both crumpled. A third guy started to pull a weapon and I broke his arm with a sharp crack. He screamed and dropped to the floor. I engaged a fourth guy, but noticed that the injured were being dragged away. I decided to not immediately disable the guy I was fighting and see what was going on.

“Retreat!” someone yelled.

The guy I was fighting moved to run off. I yanked him back. Someone was going to spill their guts about what the hell was going on. These guys couldn’t be Manticore. They didn’t operate like Manticore. Manticore wouldn’t call a retreat.

A gun went off and the guy I had a hold off, sagged to the ground. I looked up and saw a guy pointing a gun at him. The guy fired again at me and I was forced to dodge bullets. By the time the gunfire had stopped, the building was empty again. I looked over to see Syl looking at me with an utterly confused look on her face.

I sped over to the door, but all I got a look at was the back of a large black van as it drove away. I noticed something white on the van and amped my vision to see what it was. That van said DayTechCore.

“Holy shit.” I said.

“What? What is it, Cade?” Syl demanded.

“That was a DayTechCore van. They know we’re Manticore. Whoever the hell they were, they were looking for Manticore’s.”

“How the hell did they find us?”

“Don’t know. They must have tracked you somehow. We have to move. Help me get Ty.” I ordered.

“How could they know? I never left a clue. What did I do wrong?” Syl muttered as she helped me rip the bar Ty was handcuffed to out of the wall.

“Stop it, Syl.” I snapped, “We’ll get back to your apartment and contact Zack. Until then, concentrate on making sure we’re not followed. I doubt that explosion left the car in good shape so we’ll probably be walking.”

Syl’s mouth clamped shut and she nodded. She turned to go scout the area outside of the warehouse. I turned to Ty and slapped her hard.

“Wake up, Ty. I’m not going to carry you.”

“Alright. We have to get out of here, so you have to snap out of it.” I said.

“What?” she asked, confused.

I was not going to waste time explaining it to her. Time to try a different strategy.

“We’re going to find Krit.” I tried.

“Goody.” she said.

Oh, boy. It was not going to be fun trying to keep her away from Krit when we got to the apartment. But what other choice did we have?

***

I seemed to have a lot of energy, all of a sudden. I knew Cade and Syl would agree with me. Just let me go to Krit. Then, it would all be over.

“Let go.” I said in my command voice.

“Not gonna happen.” Max replied.

I looked down at Krit and struggled. Max refused to let go. I kicked backwards into her shin. Max made a noise of pain and shoved me hard down the hall. I had obviously made her angry.

A kick to my back sent me stumbling forward into my bedroom. The door slammed behind me. I immediately slammed back against the door. I felt Max bracing against the other side.

“Don’t bother!” Max called, “It’ll be barricaded in a minute!”

I sighed and slid down to sit on the floor. So close and yet so far away.

“Ty!”

I straightened with a jerk.

“Krit?” I asked.

“Yeah.” he called back through the wall, “Are you okay?”

“I’d be a lot better if you were in here.” I replied.

“I can’t, Ty.”

“Sure you can. “

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

“Not the point. This is for your own good, Ty. Try to get some sleep. Please?”

“All alone?” I whined.

“Much as I’m enjoying this, I have to go, Ty.” Krit said.

“Don’t go.”

“Have to. I’ll see you when you’re better.” he promised.

I sighed. Why couldn’t I be better now?

***

I raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t go there.” Max said quickly.

“Shouldn’t we be calling Zack?” Syl prodded.

I nodded and picked up the phone. Then, I suddenly had a thought.

“Forget the phone number?” Krit teased.

“I thought there was no such thing as luck?” Logan mocked.

“Oh, shut up. Go sit on the couch.” I replied, sending him an annoyed look.

“But it’s down the hall, barricading Ty’s door.”

“Exactly.” I agreed.

Logan just rolled his eyes and cleaned his glasses.

“Zack’s back.” Max announced from her spot at the window.

“That rhymes.” Krit commented.

“I thought I mentioned nothing good coming from things that rhyme.” Syl said immediately.

“Krit?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.” I interrupted before he drove me insane.

I turned around just in time to see Zack striding through the door.

“Cade?” Zack asked, surprised, “What are you doing here?”

“Big boom, men in black, fight scene.” I said shortly, “You got something to share or no?”

“Well, I found out who’s running the DayTechCore operation. Someone called Royce. And apparently, this guy worked with Lydecker for some time. I also have the name of a mentor who works nearby. Someone named McCallen.” Zack said.

“Check him out?” I asked.

“In the morning.” I announced, “I’m tired. And I want a back massage.”

“I’m good at those.” Krit said.

“Not from you.” I said, shooting him a look, “I’m getting a migraine. Krit, you’re sleeping on the couch.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re sleeping in your room, genius.”

“So where are Max and Logan going to sleep?” Syl wondered.

“Your room.” I said.

“How do you figure that?” Syl complained.

“Couples get a room.” I replied.

“Damn it.” Syl swore, “That’s discrimination against single people.”

“Get over it.” I said, heading down the hall.

“Good thing it’s a fold-out couch.” Krit commented.

“Good thing.” Syl grumbled.

“You know, you could be a couple if Zane...”

“Shut up, Krit.”

I closed the door and stopped their conversation.

“You have to explain to me what happened.” Zack insisted.

“Later. I get very grumpy if I don’t get my back massage and a good night’s sleep.” I said.

The songs mentioned before were “I Have The Touch” by Heather Nova and “Under The Water” by Jewel. Don’t sue me.