Two Twins, Four Guards

Daniel sat in the front seat, next to the driver. He could hear the conversation coming from the back, but didn't pay much attention to it. The two girls were bound to ask questions. The driver made a sharp turn to the left. "Damnit Eric!" Daniel said. "Watch where you're driving." "There's someone following us" Eric mumbled. He was looking in the rear view mirror. Daniel looked in the mirror on his side of the car. A black BMW was following their every move. It became more obvious as they drove through the east side of town, where the streets were narrower and had more turns. "Fuck" Daniel said. "You're a good driver" he said still watching the other car. "Get us away. Quick."

"Goddamn car!" Eric shouted after a few hours of trying to get away from the BMW. "What?" Daniel asked. "Gas" Eric said quietly. "You can't be serious." Daniel looked at the wasteland around them. There was no gas station, no buildings, not even a place to hide. The engine coughed a few times, but they were still moving forward. Someone banged at the wall from the back of the van. "What's going on?" Daniel sighed. "Out of gas" he shouted back. The engine coughed again before it died. A few metres after, the van stopped. Daniel and Eric climbed out of the van. Daniel walked towards the back slowly, while watching the BMW that had stopped right behind them. The doors opened and two men and a woman came out. One of the men came forward. His energy was cloaked, as was his body. "Daniel..." he said. Daniel recognized his voice. "Xavier... what are you doing here?" He made his best impression of a smile. Eric moved in front of the back doors of the van. "The only way..." Xavier said, "to stop me from entering that van, using my own way..." He paused. "Is to tell me how many of your men are guarding the Twins." Daniel kept his fake smile. "Twins? What twins?" Xavier let enough light fall on his face to make his smile visible. "The Twins you are hiding in that van."

Daniel looked at Eric, as if to tell him to stay where he was. "Even if I knew who these twins were, I can assure you I wouldn't be keeping them in my van" he said to Xavier. Xavier smiled again, then went behind the BMW and disappeared. Daniel looked at Eric again, then at the others who had followed them. No one said anything. A minute later, Xavier reappeared. "Four guards" he said. "Not bad for two young girls." Daniel just looked at him. "Are you going to open the door, or do I have to do it myself?" Xavier asked. "You're not entering my van" Daniel replied. "There are no twins in there, neither are there four guards."

A police car appeared in the distance. "You're not keeping the Twins" Xavier said. He seemed like he wasn't aware of the car coming closer. Daniel stared at it. Xavier stared at Daniel. The police car pulled up next to the van. An officer stepped out. "Is there a problem?" Everyone looked at him. Then a light blinded them all.

Damien stood on the roof of the van. The police officers were frozen. Daniel looked up at his king, suddenly feeling very safe. "Move away from the van." The voice was deep and powerful, yet barely audible. Damien's words were as always easier felt than heard. Xavier looked up at the being of light. "Why should I?" Damien looked down at him. "You may have fought me off once, when I was already weary from battle, but your strength is far inferior to my own." Daniel watched Xavier's confident smile, unsure whether it was an attempt to make his king seem insecure or real confidence from strength. His king would find a way... He was sure of that.

A tiny ray of light hit Xavier's chest. Daniel could see smoke coming from where it hit. Xavier clasped his hands over his chest, but to no avail. The strength of Damien's light was doing serious damage. "You'll regret this" Xavier hissed, before jumping into a spiral that appeared on the BMW. Damien turned his attention to the other two who had come with Xavier. The two slowly backed off, heading for their car. "Go!" Damien said. "And tell your queen she will not defeat me this time!" They quickly got into their car and drove off. "As for this disaster..." Damien said, looking at the van. He slowly descended to the ground. "Bring gas next time." Daniel looked to the ground, slightly embarrassed by what had happened. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Eric avoiding Damien's eyes also.

The back door was opened, to allow the ones inside to get some fresh air. All the men bowed to their king. Jonathan started a quiet discussion with him. The Twins seemed to be scared to move. Daniel didn't mind, they were safer inside the van than outside. Who knew what could come from the sky. He didn't like it, but knew that Riskare also had powerful men. Xavier was just the one most known. Riskare liked to keep her powers secret, unlike Damien who preferred to show off. Daniel didn't always agree with this, but couldn't do much about it. The King's word was law.

A feeling of restlessness came over him. He looked around at the others, who also seemed to notice it. Subtle changes, like the looks, the shifting from one foot to another, told him something was going on. No time to enjoy dawn, the few precious minutes before the sun came up. "We should get away from here" Jonathan said to Damien, but loud enough for them all to hear. "Someone has found our apartment. We need to find another place to stay." Daniel nodded. He looked at the two police officers who were still frozen. A smile played on his lips at the thought of their reaction when they unfroze and no one was there. He turned to his king, his face serious again. "Will you travel with us?" Damien shook his head. "I have business to take care of. Jonathan knows where to go. You have gas now..."

Daniel took his place in the front seat next to Jonathan. Eric was sitting in the back, next to the Twins and Aaron. "I trust this new place is safe" Daniel said to the one now driving. "Safe as can be..." Jonathan replied. "As long as we keep our shields up..."