Back in the surveillance room, Soldier Boy received a welcome call from Phase on his communicator.

Phase's voice was as carefree as usual.  "I've found our academic friend. Want me to bring him back to the car park? Oh and he says the little girl's on the island with the Ferris Wheel."

Soldier Boy made a frightened sound and was glad he was alone. The passing years had brought him many nightmares about facing Jenny Pate again, and he was not anxious to play them out in real life. There was nothing in the universe he dreaded more, but he was a professional. His feelings didn't matter. There was only the job.

"Conquistadors," Soldier Boy announced on the communicator, "Everyone meet outside the ferris wheel island. Do it now. Nothing is more important."

Soldier Boy took a deep breath to center himself. It didn't work... not really. He was barely holding himself together, but he reminded himself that he was goddamned Soldier Boy. He raced out of the monitor room and took a bounding leap across the park to the ferris wheel.

Back at the front gate, the call came over the comm and Raphael glanced over the dregs of the fleeing crowd.  Well, it wasn't as if he was all that useful standing here.  He quickly located his bike and steered towards the Ferris Wheel.  Minutes later the circular metal skeleton loomed overhead.  He spied Heatwave easily enough, then JACE as well.  While he was very familiar with the dynamics of hierarchy and following orders, something about Soldier Boy's leadership style was as different from Angelo's as night and day.  And it was beginning to chafe.  For now, Raphael pretended not to notice.

Above Orion, in the distance, JACE nodded to himself.  That seemed to be the correct direction based on his tracking signal.  The doctor could only assume that, despite his obvious mental instability, Professor Relaford had been able to use his supernatural abilities to track Emily.  He aborted his search pattern, after recording his position in case he needed to resume it, and landed by the ferris wheel island.

While the Conquistadors were gathering in force to converge on the Island, the Professor stood alone.  Those few park goers that had gotten as far as Ferris Island, had already evacuated, and at first glance, all that was left behind were the large mechanical beasts that slaved away day after day.  Right now this definitely didn't feel or look like a fun place to be.

Relaford craned his neck back and looked up and up and up until the sun blinded him from seeing the top of the Ferris Wheel.  The only sounds were the wind and the gondolas as they swayed ever so gently back and forth.  It occurred to him then that even the attendant was missing, but he wasn't sure whether or not that would be strange considering the circumstances. Must have fled with the others, which makes the carnie much wiser than I. He thought.

Without further delay, he set his briefcase on a corner of the metal pipes that served as the queue for the ride in a place where they were joined in a 90 degree angle. He popped the clasps, and raised the lid. The bottle lay in its foam padding, still safe, but he had other things in there he needed more at the moment. A small ivory carving, of a warrior who held a broad greek Hoplite shield appeared in his hands, and he murmured over it quietly, his free hand hovering over it, as if polishing it from 6 inches away.

He could feel the eldritch power at work, as he completed the invocation, the barriers that separated one person from another thickening around his soul, the power to ward off unwanted intrusions swelling within him. He noted a curious side effect to the building of his Id defenses... he felt, powerful... confidant... strong.... not altogether unwelcome feelings.

He replaced the ivory carving in his case, and looked about, to see if any of the others had arrived during his spell.

Soldier Boy shook the ground when he landed and then made a bee line to Relaford at the queue. "Where the hell do you think you're going? Whatever we do here we do as a team."

Relaford pushed his glasses up, and glared up at The Legend. With a fury behind his eyes, amplified by his spell, and barely contained by his will, he spoke quietly, through mostly clenched teeth. "Your definition of team and mine must be wildly different. A team works as one, it has uniform knowledge, and uniform purpose. You have given me neither of those. Furthermore, and trust me when I say this, I am done with you, and your team ordering me about."

Relaford stopped long enough to inhale, before he continued his filibuster, "As far as I can tell, there is something she has stolen from you. Something very dangerous. So dangerous you are petrified someone will find out its outside of your custody. Something that requires an injection to counteract. What else you know, that I dont, I have no idea. You are reprehensible."

"I am not on your team, and I would not follow you to the bathroom. I am going to clean up this mess of yours, for one reason, and one reason only... I promised Mary Eisele I would do everything I could to save her daughter. I dont care who the hell finds out about your Super WMD. Now, if you want to help me do that, I will be grateful for it, because frankly Im in over my head. If not.... then get the hell out of my way."

If Relaford could talk through clenched teeth, so could Soldier Boy. It seemed only fair. The famed hero drew close to the angry academic to make the most of his physical stature. "Now you listen to me, perfesser. I'm here to help that little girl and whoever else is in danger, and you ain't going to imply otherwise. Got it?"

Soldier Boy stepped out of Relaford's personal space. "I won't lie to you," he said loud enough for both Relaford and Raven to hear. "I'm having a shitty day and I don't expect it to get any better. Right now we believe that little girl has some kind of virus that she stole from JACE. He'll get us all up to speed when we're all here. Sorry I didn't mention it before, but like I said, it's been a shitty day."

"Oh, its just been a non stop roman orgy for the rest of us."  Relaford said, not quite as under his breath as he had intended. "I will need help." He said, changing the subject. "I think I can trap her, but I wont be able to defend myself. I ... can't do it alone. " This last he admitted almost grudgingly... a testament to the effect of his defenses.

"She is up there, on one of those gondolas. She wont stay there, though. She will be extremely mobile, and you and your team will have to be on your toes. If you can keep her from killing me physically, I will be able to trap her."

"Let's go take care of her," Raven said. "I'll try not to let her kill anybody--but especially you."

* * * * *

After acknowledging Soldier Boy's order to converge on the ferris wheel, Heatwave gave one last assurance to the crowd and ascended higher above the park. She almost wished she could leave a fiery trail behind as she did a small loop the loop to show off for the kids. A blazing trail of fire would be much more impressive than the slight shimmer of heat she gave off and the kids would love it.

Seeing the other heroes already gathering she landed close by and asked Relaford, "Did you find Emily?"

Busying himself with his preparations, Xavier looked up and smiled at the presence of the lone Conquistador he had met, who had been nothing but pleasant. He was coating his hands in a shiny oil, as he replied. "Yes... well that is no. I am not tracking Emily. Im tracking Jenny. If Jenny is still 'inside' Emily, then we have found them both." Pointing up to the swinging gondolas, he said, "Up there. Whether or not she has your virus I dont know."

"Virus? What virus?" Heatwave asked, genuinely confused. Which drew a return look of confusion from Xavier.

"Your Fearless Leader says that she stole an anal leakage virus, or something." He said as he completed anointing his temples with the oil. "I had assumed that you all were listening in your Bluetooth gadgets. It seems reprehensible doesn't even begin to cover it." He said glancing over his shoulder at Soldier Boy's broad back.

"Our comms usually only broadcast to one person at a time unless we're deliberately trying to contact the whole team." Catching Relaford's tone when he spoke of Soldier Boy she looked past Relaford to where the man in question was standing and thought about what she had walked in on in Emily's bedroom. "Don't judge him too harshly. There's a good man under all that brusqueness even if he doesn't want anyone to know it." Even if he doesn't know it himself. She added silently.

Xavier turned and opened his mouth as if to respond further, but snapped it closed and decided to go another direction. "I'm sure you know him much better than I do, or want to."

Stopping to look around, he saw Orion, standing near the parked hypercycle. He had seen him earlier, briefly on the lawn of the Eisele's, but he hadn't taken enough notice of the man to actually look at him. Now that he did,  he wished he hadn't. As Orion's glance caught Xavier looking at him as if pitying the horribly disfigured.

Raphael eyed the academic with guarded skepticism.  Xavier's expression made him physically uncomfortable in his own skin.  He scowled and turned away pointedly.

Phase looked on from beneath her pylon as every other Conquistador, including Soldier Boy himself ignored the trainer's instruction to meet outside the island and headed straight for Relaford in the queue. Typical!  She jumped back across the lake to join the party. It wasn't a real party; Phase wished it were. 

Butting into the conversation Phase asked, " I thought the girl was supposed to be possessed not infected by some virus." 

"Unlike this one." Heatwave said barely loud enough for Xavier to pick it up. With a cold glance at Phase she asked, "Why, are you afraid you'll catch something?"

"Isn't that kind the idea? Catch the naughty girl?. So no, not afraid" Replied Phase sarcastically and muttered an addition "Plus I'm not the one who would die if they caught a cold." 

Heatwave was about to retort when she was interrupted. Phase's comeback had been lame and wasn't worth a comeback in any case considering Phase was the only one prima donna enough to whine if she were to get sick.

"Oh for the love of..." Soldier Boy stormed up to the group. "We think she swiped a virus from JACE's lab. Damned if I know what she plans to do with it. JACE will get us all up to speed when he gets here."

As Soldier Boy spoke his name, the armored hero was almost there, flying above the island and beginning a search of the giant ferris wheel.  As he was looking for Emily or any signs of life on the beastly ring, he felt an assaulting presence in his mind, wild and dominating as it slid through his state of the art technology and into his unparalleled mind.  There was a momentary surge of power as the entity reveled at what she could do, using him as a vessel.

The intrusion was sudden and horrifying.  He had expected his psi-shield to protect him, but it was obviously inadequate for the job.  He tried to focus, to think his way logically through the situation, but a feeling of being trapped overwhelmed him.  Once again he was imprisoned.  Unable to move or defend himself.  Only this time the prison was his own mind.  A scream of terror and rage silently ripped through his mind.

His flight paused as he lost control of his mind and knowledge of how to operate the equipment that he knew so intimately.  It was as if his own mind was being repressed and no matter how hard he pushed for dominance, the entity overwhelmed him. 

"Weee!"

JACE cringed as he heard his modulated masculine voice echo the childish exclamation, his flight erratic at best as he plummeted towards the ground and then recovered for a moment, as the juvenile entity that now possessed him tried to learn how to control the technology that she now inhabited.

Soldier Boy's heart raced. This was really her. This was what was left of the sweet little girl he murdered a lifetime ago. Everything that happened today was his fault. All of it. "Jenny! Jenny stop it! This is wrong!"

Raphael watched intently for a moment.  It was like witnessing a train wreck before it happened.  He knew what was coming but felt almost powerless to stop it.  His bike purring powerfully beneath him, he maneuvered away from the crowd and towards JACE's arcing decent.  Maybe if he was lucky he could guide him down.

As the heroes below looked up at their teammate, it was obvious that something was wrong.  As they tried to figure out what it was, he began singing in a voice that would have been enjoyable to hear, under different circumstances.  "Ring around the Rosies!  Pocket full of Posies!  Ashes.  Ashes." 

JACE fought against his own mind as much as the invading presence.  After his initial panic, his superb mind regained control, but he could still feel the fear nibbling at the edges of his mind.  It took most of his self control not to retreat within himself.  He was nearly overwhelmed with helplessness, barely able to think, unable to plan.  Even when he had been tied down and tortured, he hadn't felt as helpless as he did now.

...and then all flight stopped as JACE began plummeting to the ground in an uncontrolled fall.  As he heroes moved to react, Phase did a pirouette underneath the falling hero and began giggling as she continued the song.  "They all fall down!"

Without a second thought or even an "excuse me" to Relaford, Heatwave took to the air and raced for the falling hero. All thoughts of how much she disliked the arrogant doctor were gone as she concentrated on preventing his impending crash landing.  The collision sounded worse than it was, but the heroine felt the brunt of it as the armor clad hero impacted her.  He was already shaking off the affect of the entity and the look on his face was not a pleasant one.

Trapped in his memories of the torture, desperate to be free, JACE nearly blasted Heatwave away from him. The cybernetic circuits in his armor started to respond to his thoughts, preparing to unleash a lethal laser bolt on the heroic woman. Only by the barest margins did he control himself and he was unable to prevent himself from thrusting her away from him. Dropping the rest of the way to the ground, he fell to his knees, shuddering and shaking.

With a look of shock and hurt, Heatwave let the armored man drop. It was obvious he didn't want her help and she wondered why she had even bothered in the first place. Still he was part of her team and she would do it again if need be. Whether he liked it or not.

Below them, Phase continued the chant and danced in gleeful circles.    "They all fall down.  Down!  Down!  Down!"

Stuffered into a corner of her own mind the real Phase's thoughts were limited to a mental note to be glad she couldn't fly.

Only a few seconds had passed and the entity was gone again, leaving Phase feeling momentarily empty and without a navigator for her body.  She slipped to the ground as the disorientation overtook her.

Lying on the ground Phase was left with the challenge of how to make the best of a bad job. She began singing again, now in her own voice as she flipped gracefully back onto her feet. "Fishes in the water, fishes in the sea, we all jump up, one two three."

It was growing somewhat evident that the spirit that they were chasing was playing games with them, but after Phase slumped to the ground, no one knew where she went.  Until they heard Heatwave in the air bellow out the next verse of the song, rarely if ever heard.  This time, though, the entity was able to have a much greater control of it's vessel and Heatwave soared high into the air, a helpless passenger to her own powers.

Panic surged through Heatwave as she felt herself lose control of her power. The last time she had lost control she had killed two people, burned them alive, and it still weighed heavy on her conscious. They at least had been guilty of murdering her family but everyone here was innocent. What would she do if she hurt one of them?

"The King has sent his daughter, To fetch a pail of water."  Her pretty voice trilled higher and higher as she flew.  "Ashes!  Ashes!  We all fall down!"  ...and like JACE, Heatwave's body grew still and began to fall from her sudden disorientation as the entity exploded in her mind and then vanished again.

Soldier Boy vaulted into the air and grabbed Heatwave before the arc of his flight brought them to ground on the ferris wheel island. Jenny was going to get somebody killed like this. His fault. "Heatwave. You okay?"

"You should have let me fall." She replied. Afraid Soldier Boy would see her guilt written on her face she turned away.

So, Soldier Boy didn't have the market cornered on angst. "Not damned likely, sweetie. Get up. You're doing a great job."

Xavier Relaford nearly jumped out of his skin, as the vibrations on his impromptu pendant began to suddenly shift, from one Conquistador to another, and all hell had broken loose. The initiative was Jenny Pate's, control over the situation was in the hands of an 8 year old girl. An incredibly powerful, pre teen. An angry child. God, help us all. He prayed, as he did the only thing he could, and started the ancient ritual.

Shadow seemed to swirl around him, the absence of light dancing like smoke into a windless sky. But the air around him seemed anything but still. Despite the mild breezes of the island, Xavier's salt and pepper hair flew up, and the bottom of his blazer, and tie did the same. His ever wayward glasses, gave up their perch, and flew high into the air over his head, spinning and catching the sulight.

His arms flew straight out from his chest, as if locked in place on an invisible cross and he seemed to be hoisted aloft, his feet dangling limply under him. He wore a shocked expression on his face, though his eyes were closed. He had entered another place, and had not expected to see what he had found there. Higher and higher he drifted on the siritual updraft, until he seemed to stop around 12 feet off the ground. He shook his head, side to side, deliberately, then spoke a single word. "Klaatuveratanikto."

Xavier's concentration was very focused on his task, but even so, he felt the strong foreign presence of the spirit as it tried to hammer it's way into his head.  At first it was an annoying buzz like a bee, distracting but easy enough to ignore, but it quickly grew strong as it tried unsuccessfully to force it's way into his mind.  The necklace vibrated frantically at the base of his neck, but his spell wasn't ready yet to capture the exposed spirit.

With a howl of frustration the buzzing activity left the Professor again, and this time the rock on his neck pulled in Orion's direction.  Xavier, however, was too wrapped up in his spell again to see or hear the big Hero as the spirit took her turn playing with him.

Completely uncharacteristically, Orion harshly belted out the next line of the limerick at full volume.  "The wedding bells are ringing!" he hollered.  A look of abject horror gripped his expression.  He fought the song at every note.  "The boys and girls are signing!"

Confused, he looked at Soldier Boy, then Xavier.  His head shook almost apologetically.  A grin spread across his face, but his eyes refused to match the mirth.  "Ashes!  Ashes!" He yelled at them.  A terrible toothy smile, he looked positively maniacal.  "We all fall down!"

Orion collapsed atop his hypercycle as the spirit slipped out of him, invisible into the crisp March air.  Once again no one knew where she went, but all eyes instinctively went heavenward.  And as if on cue, one of the Gondola doors, high upon the Ferris Wheel opened and a young boy jumped out with a squeal of excitement. 

JACE was just starting to get control of his mind when the small frame jumped.  His first, panicked thought was it was Emily.  With an audible growl he thrust his panic and fear away into the depths of his mind and focused on the falling form.  His hand flashed up and his armor responded to a cybernetic command.  Beams of force appeared and formed a slide under the boy, redirecting and slowing his fall so he landed gently at the heroes' feet.