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Description
Together - Michelle Branch

'Hello? Gale?! Jay?! Ax?! Hello?!'
Axelia screamed, the explosion of sound in her ear scaring the living bejesus out of her. Her scream causes Waverly to shut her mouth and stagger back, away from Axelia for a moment; then hurry back to her. Waverly has never seen Axelia so out of it, so weak - her eyes are wide and wild, like a deet caught in the headlights of a Hummer and her skin is so pale that the purple on her clothing is turning into her skintone. She's all battered and bruised, with blood marking up her face like some sort of tribal markings - the most prominent is the dried trail coming from the left corner of the mouth.
"Ax, what is it?!" Waverly puts a hand on her friend's shaking shoulder, and Axelia's hand shoots up to her ear, turning the knob of frequency on her earpiece.
"He-hello? Philby?" Axelia asks in a small, tired voice, one that quivers like a leaf in a chilled morning breeze. She cringes as voices rush into her brain in explosions of shock, surprise and triumphance, and the girl can't huelp but smile either, her heart thumping in her chest.
"Yes! It worked!" Philby sounds so relieved Axelia can feel it through her walkie, "How did you guys get in there?! Did you find Wave-"
"I wanna talk to Ax!" Roxanne's voice suddenly bursts through, and hearing her best girl friend's voice makes Axelia remember that there is another world out there, a better one that is waiting for them to come back. But, that world also has her and Jerran together, but she isn't with him, and that thought makes it even worse. Her heart cracks in several more places, her soul slipping through the jagged openings.
"Chill! I know! You'll all get your chance!"
Waverly stares at her friend like she has two heads, "What is it, Ax?!"
Axelia gestures to her earpiece and then speaks, "Hey, guys. Yeah, I've got Waves with me, but... I got captured by this guy named C.L.U., that's why. I...I don't know where Jay and Gale are right now."
There is a silence on the line, but Axelia can hear something under the white noise, like something bubbling - a fluttering heart? She's not so sure, but it doesn't sound right, and it makes small warning bells go off in the furthest back, dimmest crevice in her mind. Then, Finn speaks, "It's alright, Ax. You're all gonna come back. Can you tell us how you got there?"
Axelia monotoniously begins to explain their journey. She starts from when after Gale called Finn, when they cautiously walked down the hall of the studio in Hollywood Studios after getting a tip of where they should look for Waverly. She explains how they woke up in a strange, mechanized room and in odd clothes and about C.L.U. She then began her explanation about the Games and how Gale almost died, and she could tell by the paling flesh on Waverly's face she shouldn't have brought that up. She chokes through how she was separated from Gale and Jerran, purposefully skipping the part when Jay and herself professed their love to one another - only to have pain flair through her at the thought of being in his embrace kills her a bit on her inside. Well, more than a bit. She concludes her story with how she ended up in the same room as Waverly, and leaves the best part of it for last for them.
"Penny was the one to trick Waverly into the studio." There was a collective gasp, and a few choice words from Maybeck. Axelia lets that set in for a few more seconds before saying their last bit of information, "...And there was a woman in the studio waiting for them, and she turned into a girl our age with black scraggly hair and sliver-green eyes. I bet you everything she's a Fairlie, oh, and she said her name was Amber."
"...Well, damn." Danny's voice comes through.
"Ask them how they contacted you!" Waverly goades Axelia in a hushed voice, and the girl nods in response and gives a thumbs up for the good idea.
"How'd you get a connection? That's mostly Waves' question."
"Yes, hi!" Waverly comes closer to speak into the walkie.
"Well, Wayne, who is in the Grid with you-"
Apparently, Waverly can hear him, "Oh! Wayne! He's coming to make a plan to bust out soon!"
"...Good to know, Waves." Philby states, even though he is relieved, he doesn't enjoy being interrupted, as more geniuses explaining themselves do, "Anyway, Wayne sent us a link to you guys fighting in the Games. It gave me codes and links into the Grid, so I just kept at it and hacked into the messaging system by using a few incrypted codes. It's a kind of weak signal, I sadly can't get anymore than that, and only in two spots - where you two are, and another a couple of miles away from you guys-"
"Call it."
Again, Philby doesn't like to be interrupted. "...Easy, Ax. We will-"
"Gale and Jay, they could be there." Axelia's voice gets louder and louder, the higher the volume, the more certian she is that they are at that other point. That all she needs to do is find that other point and there they will be. Hope swells in her chest as she looks at Waverly's face, her's probably identical to the smile on her own face.
"Alright-"
"Not until I get MY chance!" Roxanne butts in and there's more white noise, the bubbling and fluttering continues. A low and rumbling laughter comes out through the odd noise, almost as if mocking Axleia. It floods her ear, sounding like boiling water and a dripping faucet all at the same time, and it sends chills through the teen's body. Roxanne finally speaks again, only it's been a few seconds or so when Axelia feels like it's been an eternity.
"Ax?!"
"Hey, Rox."
Roxanne suddenly stifles a sob, and Axelia's fear turns to sorrow; she wants to hug the girl, and tell her it's alright. But, she just doesn't know anymore, she just doesn't. Everything is too far out of her control, and it might spiral totally out of control soon. Since when they first found out their missions as DHis, nothing has been in their control, but now, the Game has definately changed. And not in their favor.
"I was so worried about you, I still am! Please don't ive up, we need you! Oh, Ax, I wish I could-"
"Wish." Axelia blurts, "Wish! Rox! Call-!"
"I already tried," Roxanne whimpers, "She said technology isn't her forte, Ax..."
Axelia groans and facepalms - this just gets better and BETTER, doesn't it?! Ontop of being locked and lost in a computerized world, she has a fairygodmother who can't even help her when she needs it, nor help fully or be nice to her boyfriend. Everytime she shows up, and sometimes at the worst times, the absolute WORST when she and Jay are alone, just to bash his self esteem in. But, she can't think about it, or worry about it, now, "God - Ok, ok. I want you to make sure our parnets don't do anything stupid or go AWOL. Waves and I are going to get out of here. Philby, you call that other signal. Don't worry about me."
"But, I AM gonna worry!" Roxanne whines a bit, though Axelia knows she doesn't mean it, "You're my best friend in the whole wide world." Roxanne's words tug at Axelia's already freyed heartstrings, and tears sting the corners of her eyes as Roxanne begins to sob again, "Please, come back!"
Through her tears, Axelia chokes out, "I will-I will! I promise-"
A scream echoes through the reciever and Axelia almost has a heart attack and faints from being shocked so quickly again, gosh, is this how a pregnant woman feels with her hormonal embalances. This isn't something Axelia would ever expeirence willingly again for a long time. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT THERE?!"
"Ax, shush!" Waverly looks at the door, she can hear the boots of guards outside of it and coming closer, and God knows what could happen if they're caught ocmmunicating with the others.
"JESS JUST FAINTED!" Another scream, "THE HEART JUST EXPLODED LIGHT-AH! WHAT IS THIS GUNK?!"
"Guys?!"
"MY COMPUTER!" Philby cries out, and suddenly Axelia's ear really feels like she's underwater, or liquid is lodged in that one ear. She looks at Waverly as the girl gasps, covering her mouth in shock and with her free hand points at her walkie with a shaking index finger, her eyes as wide as saucers in horror.
Axelia's hand immeidately goes up to her ear, and warm, stickly fluid is oozing onto her skin and seeping through the cracks between her fingers. Her heart stops and she slowly takes her hand, which is shaking horribly, and pull it into few. She actually gags at the sight from fear and distgust. A black, ink-like, liquid is dripping and seems like it's pulsing and moving, is on her hand. In the flourescent light it gleams with a sheen like oil spilled on the ocean's skin. It has a pizza-cheese quality about it, making a webbing connecting the gunk from her hand and onto her ear, she can feel the nasty warmth slide down her neck and on the side with the walkie, and suddenly globbing spheres begin to pull off of the main gunk and up and floating into the air before plopping back into place. Axelia slams her hand onto the device in her ear, rips it off and chucks it, the fluid sputtering out of it. The two girls watch it skid, leaving a trail of the slimey muck behind it, it squirming and shining like hair grease. The earpiece suddenly stops under a tilted food, leaning on the heel and it comes down hard and crushes the walkie. Axelia looks up and comes face to face with C.L.U., who doesn't seem phased by the fact there is black goop everywhere.
"What is this I hear...about you using illegal upgrades?" C.L.U. gives her a creeper's smirk, "That simply won't do..."
---

Drugstore Diet - Anarbor

All chaos exploded in the Whittman household. The last words from Axelia were 'I promise,' and then the craziness began. First, out of nowhere, when she walked back into the living room from the bathroom, Jess faints. Danny sprung into action while all the girls screamed. Millie, who was holding the Heart like she usually does, exploded in a pale pink and gold light that blinded them all for a decent couple of seconds. When it cleared, all eyes went to the computer. Black gunk is seeping through the speakers and all over the couch and on Roxanne.
"WHAT IS THIS GUNK?!"
"MY COMPUTER!"
"MY MOM'S COUCH!" Finn looks in horror, unable to hold that in. She flips out even if he drools on it during his naps, that's how scared he is about ruining that couch. And now this inky junk its spreading out all over it. Philby grabs his laptop and tries to clean it off with the end of his shirt. He's just beading it off like mercury out of a thermometer.
And suddenly, a red flashing screen comes up on Philby's computer, blinking CONNECTION LOST, CONNECTION LOST, CONNECTION LOST. All of the tar seems to vanish, none on the couch or anywhere, to Finn's relief.
"Jess! Jess!" Danny cradles her in his arms, and sighs in relief as she stirs, "She's coming to!"
Jess's lavender-chocolate eyes flutter open, and she sits up immediately leaning on Danny's chest. She breathes heavily, "1988, 1995, 2003, 2007. WDCS. Buena Vista Games, Inc. 1988, 1995, 2003, 2007."
"Crap! Did we break her?!" Maybeck howls, upset and shocked, but he would never admit that he is scared.
"No! Shuttup, Maybeck!" Amanda snaps, not wanting to lose her sister again. She turns back to Jess and hovers over her, putting a hand gently on her shoulder, "Jess, what did you see?"
"A..A portal. A paintbrush. Ink...So much ink! It was going to drown me, a sea, a sea of dark water!"
"The cruiseline?" Willa pipes up, she was basically speechless, surprisingly, for the most part, and Charlene is her usual scared and mousy self, except for that time the Evil Queen put a spell on her.
"Maybe, but I'll look it up."
"No, I'll look it up on my cellphone." Finn states, "You connect to that other spot, Ax and Waverly are obviously not in a good position, and are you sure that laptops alright?"
Philby examines everything about his 'baby,' and shrugs, "Yeah, it seems alright."
"Alright the-"
Millie snatches the remote off of the coffee table and suddenly turns on the television and puts the volume up on the news, and then everyone sees why. There, with her strawberry blonde hair perfectly straightened, curled and shined, and big blue eyes accentuated with mascara and eyeshadow, in a black and hotpink teeshirt and deep blue skinny jeans, and holding a crumpled tissue is 'public enemy number one.'She's being interviewed by a newsreporter about the dissapearances, the subline underneath her reeling a sentence:
'Penny Harris pleading for her friends to come back if they ran away, and for others to look out if the worst has occured.'
QUOTE FROM PENNY: 'I just want them home!'
A word escapes both Danny and Maybeck's lips as they look at her on the screen, one that they should have their mouths cleaned out with soap for. She is sniffling for the camera, her hand usually covering her mouth or the side of her face as she does so, dabbing under her eyes and on her forehead for tears and slight sweat. But, she has no problem sniffling and speaking the words she's probably rehearsed over and over again to make her seem not like the bad guy. The only background noise is Philby clicking away on his keyboard.
"Axelia was like the sister I never had," She gasps during a sob, fanning her face and looks away for a minute, and then Penny turns her perfectly sad face back towards the screen, "Jay was a brother, and Gale...he was our leader. Without him...I just don't know!"
"Note, she said was." Danny hisses and Maybeck nods in agreement.
"I just can't believe this family...this family that has grown since the DHi program started, is going through this! But, I know that with hope and faith, they will return....just...just....excuse me..."
And Penny takes her dramatic exit and walks off towards a woman.
A woman cloaked in all black.
Finn turns away from both his phone, and the television, to Philby with a sour taste on his tongue, this isn't going well, this isn't at all, "Make the call. Now."

Description
Together - Michelle Branch

'Hello? Gale?! Jay?! Ax?! Hello?!'
Axelia screamed, the explosion of sound in her ear scaring the living bejesus out of her. Her scream causes Waverly to shut her mouth and stagger back, away from Axelia for a moment; then hurry back to her. Waverly has never seen Axelia so out of it, so weak - her eyes are wide and wild, like a deet caught in the headlights of a Hummer and her skin is so pale that the purple on her clothing is turning into her skintone. She's all battered and bruised, with blood marking up her face like some sort of tribal markings - the most prominent is the dried trail coming from the left corner of the mouth.
"Ax, what is it?!" Waverly puts a hand on her friend's shaking shoulder, and Axelia's hand shoots up to her ear, turning the knob of frequency on her earpiece.
"He-hello? Philby?" Axelia asks in a small, tired voice, one that quivers like a leaf in a chilled morning breeze. She cringes as voices rush into her brain in explosions of shock, surprise and triumphance, and the girl can't huelp but smile either, her heart thumping in her chest.
"Yes! It worked!" Philby sounds so relieved Axelia can feel it through her walkie, "How did you guys get in there?! Did you find Wave-"
"I wanna talk to Ax!" Roxanne's voice suddenly bursts through, and hearing her best girl friend's voice makes Axelia remember that there is another world out there, a better one that is waiting for them to come back. But, that world also has her and Jerran together, but she isn't with him, and that thought makes it even worse. Her heart cracks in several more places, her soul slipping through the jagged openings.
"Chill! I know! You'll all get your chance!"
Waverly stares at her friend like she has two heads, "What is it, Ax?!"
Axelia gestures to her earpiece and then speaks, "Hey, guys. Yeah, I've got Waves with me, but... I got captured by this guy named C.L.U., that's why. I...I don't know where Jay and Gale are right now."
There is a silence on the line, but Axelia can hear something under the white noise, like something bubbling - a fluttering heart? She's not so sure, but it doesn't sound right, and it makes small warning bells go off in the furthest back, dimmest crevice in her mind. Then, Finn speaks, "It's alright, Ax. You're all gonna come back. Can you tell us how you got there?"
Axelia monotoniously begins to explain their journey. She starts from when after Gale called Finn, when they cautiously walked down the hall of the studio in Hollywood Studios after getting a tip of where they should look for Waverly. She explains how they woke up in a strange, mechanized room and in odd clothes and about C.L.U. She then began her explanation about the Games and how Gale almost died, and she could tell by the paling flesh on Waverly's face she shouldn't have brought that up. She chokes through how she was separated from Gale and Jerran, purposefully skipping the part when Jay and herself professed their love to one another - only to have pain flair through her at the thought of being in his embrace kills her a bit on her inside. Well, more than a bit. She concludes her story with how she ended up in the same room as Waverly, and leaves the best part of it for last for them.
"Penny was the one to trick Waverly into the studio." There was a collective gasp, and a few choice words from Maybeck. Axelia lets that set in for a few more seconds before saying their last bit of information, "...And there was a woman in the studio waiting for them, and she turned into a girl our age with black scraggly hair and sliver-green eyes. I bet you everything she's a Fairlie, oh, and she said her name was Amber."
"...Well, damn." Danny's voice comes through.
"Ask them how they contacted you!" Waverly goades Axelia in a hushed voice, and the girl nods in response and gives a thumbs up for the good idea.
"How'd you get a connection? That's mostly Waves' question."
"Yes, hi!" Waverly comes closer to speak into the walkie.
"Well, Wayne, who is in the Grid with you-"
Apparently, Waverly can hear him, "Oh! Wayne! He's coming to make a plan to bust out soon!"
"...Good to know, Waves." Philby states, even though he is relieved, he doesn't enjoy being interrupted, as more geniuses explaining themselves do, "Anyway, Wayne sent us a link to you guys fighting in the Games. It gave me codes and links into the Grid, so I just kept at it and hacked into the messaging system by using a few incrypted codes. It's a kind of weak signal, I sadly can't get anymore than that, and only in two spots - where you two are, and another a couple of miles away from you guys-"
"Call it."
Again, Philby doesn't like to be interrupted. "...Easy, Ax. We will-"
"Gale and Jay, they could be there." Axelia's voice gets louder and louder, the higher the volume, the more certian she is that they are at that other point. That all she needs to do is find that other point and there they will be. Hope swells in her chest as she looks at Waverly's face, her's probably identical to the smile on her own face.
"Alright-"
"Not until I get MY chance!" Roxanne butts in and there's more white noise, the bubbling and fluttering continues. A low and rumbling laughter comes out through the odd noise, almost as if mocking Axleia. It floods her ear, sounding like boiling water and a dripping faucet all at the same time, and it sends chills through the teen's body. Roxanne finally speaks again, only it's been a few seconds or so when Axelia feels like it's been an eternity.
"Ax?!"
"Hey, Rox."
Roxanne suddenly stifles a sob, and Axelia's fear turns to sorrow; she wants to hug the girl, and tell her it's alright. But, she just doesn't know anymore, she just doesn't. Everything is too far out of her control, and it might spiral totally out of control soon. Since when they first found out their missions as DHis, nothing has been in their control, but now, the Game has definately changed. And not in their favor.
"I was so worried about you, I still am! Please don't ive up, we need you! Oh, Ax, I wish I could-"
"Wish." Axelia blurts, "Wish! Rox! Call-!"
"I already tried," Roxanne whimpers, "She said technology isn't her forte, Ax..."
Axelia groans and facepalms - this just gets better and BETTER, doesn't it?! Ontop of being locked and lost in a computerized world, she has a fairygodmother who can't even help her when she needs it, nor help fully or be nice to her boyfriend. Everytime she shows up, and sometimes at the worst times, the absolute WORST when she and Jay are alone, just to bash his self esteem in. But, she can't think about it, or worry about it, now, "God - Ok, ok. I want you to make sure our parnets don't do anything stupid or go AWOL. Waves and I are going to get out of here. Philby, you call that other signal. Don't worry about me."
"But, I AM gonna worry!" Roxanne whines a bit, though Axelia knows she doesn't mean it, "You're my best friend in the whole wide world." Roxanne's words tug at Axelia's already freyed heartstrings, and tears sting the corners of her eyes as Roxanne begins to sob again, "Please, come back!"
Through her tears, Axelia chokes out, "I will-I will! I promise-"
A scream echoes through the reciever and Axelia almost has a heart attack and faints from being shocked so quickly again, gosh, is this how a pregnant woman feels with her hormonal embalances. This isn't something Axelia would ever expeirence willingly again for a long time. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT THERE?!"
"Ax, shush!" Waverly looks at the door, she can hear the boots of guards outside of it and coming closer, and God knows what could happen if they're caught ocmmunicating with the others.
"JESS JUST FAINTED!" Another scream, "THE HEART JUST EXPLODED LIGHT-AH! WHAT IS THIS GUNK?!"
"Guys?!"
"MY COMPUTER!" Philby cries out, and suddenly Axelia's ear really feels like she's underwater, or liquid is lodged in that one ear. She looks at Waverly as the girl gasps, covering her mouth in shock and with her free hand points at her walkie with a shaking index finger, her eyes as wide as saucers in horror.
Axelia's hand immeidately goes up to her ear, and warm, stickly fluid is oozing onto her skin and seeping through the cracks between her fingers. Her heart stops and she slowly takes her hand, which is shaking horribly, and pull it into few. She actually gags at the sight from fear and distgust. A black, ink-like, liquid is dripping and seems like it's pulsing and moving, is on her hand. In the flourescent light it gleams with a sheen like oil spilled on the ocean's skin. It has a pizza-cheese quality about it, making a webbing connecting the gunk from her hand and onto her ear, she can feel the nasty warmth slide down her neck and on the side with the walkie, and suddenly globbing spheres begin to pull off of the main gunk and up and floating into the air before plopping back into place. Axelia slams her hand onto the device in her ear, rips it off and chucks it, the fluid sputtering out of it. The two girls watch it skid, leaving a trail of the slimey muck behind it, it squirming and shining like hair grease. The earpiece suddenly stops under a tilted food, leaning on the heel and it comes down hard and crushes the walkie. Axelia looks up and comes face to face with C.L.U., who doesn't seem phased by the fact there is black goop everywhere.
"What is this I hear...about you using illegal upgrades?" C.L.U. gives her a creeper's smirk, "That simply won't do..."
---

Drugstore Diet - Anarbor

All chaos exploded in the Whittman household. The last words from Axelia were 'I promise,' and then the craziness began. First, out of nowhere, when she walked back into the living room from the bathroom, Jess faints. Danny sprung into action while all the girls screamed. Millie, who was holding the Heart like she usually does, exploded in a pale pink and gold light that blinded them all for a decent couple of seconds. When it cleared, all eyes went to the computer. Black gunk is seeping through the speakers and all over the couch and on Roxanne.
"WHAT IS THIS GUNK?!"
"MY COMPUTER!"
"MY MOM'S COUCH!" Finn looks in horror, unable to hold that in. She flips out even if he drools on it during his naps, that's how scared he is about ruining that couch. And now this inky junk its spreading out all over it. Philby grabs his laptop and tries to clean it off with the end of his shirt. He's just beading it off like mercury out of a thermometer.
And suddenly, a red flashing screen comes up on Philby's computer, blinking CONNECTION LOST, CONNECTION LOST, CONNECTION LOST. All of the tar seems to vanish, none on the couch or anywhere, to Finn's relief.
"Jess! Jess!" Danny cradles her in his arms, and sighs in relief as she stirs, "She's coming to!"
Jess's lavender-chocolate eyes flutter open, and she sits up immediately leaning on Danny's chest. She breathes heavily, "1988, 1995, 2003, 2007. WDCS. Buena Vista Games, Inc. 1988, 1995, 2003, 2007."
"Crap! Did we break her?!" Maybeck howls, upset and shocked, but he would never admit that he is scared.
"No! Shuttup, Maybeck!" Amanda snaps, not wanting to lose her sister again. She turns back to Jess and hovers over her, putting a hand gently on her shoulder, "Jess, what did you see?"
"A..A portal. A paintbrush. Ink...So much ink! It was going to drown me, a sea, a sea of dark water!"
"The cruiseline?" Willa pipes up, she was basically speechless, surprisingly, for the most part, and Charlene is her usual scared and mousy self, except for that time the Evil Queen put a spell on her.
"Maybe, but I'll look it up."
"No, I'll look it up on my cellphone." Finn states, "You connect to that other spot, Ax and Waverly are obviously not in a good position, and are you sure that laptops alright?"
Philby examines everything about his 'baby,' and shrugs, "Yeah, it seems alright."
"Alright the-"
Millie snatches the remote off of the coffee table and suddenly turns on the television and puts the volume up on the news, and then everyone sees why. There, with her strawberry blonde hair perfectly straightened, curled and shined, and big blue eyes accentuated with mascara and eyeshadow, in a black and hotpink teeshirt and deep blue skinny jeans, and holding a crumpled tissue is 'public enemy number one.'She's being interviewed by a newsreporter about the dissapearances, the subline underneath her reeling a sentence:
'Penny Harris pleading for her friends to come back if they ran away, and for others to look out if the worst has occured.'
QUOTE FROM PENNY: 'I just want them home!'
A word escapes both Danny and Maybeck's lips as they look at her on the screen, one that they should have their mouths cleaned out with soap for. She is sniffling for the camera, her hand usually covering her mouth or the side of her face as she does so, dabbing under her eyes and on her forehead for tears and slight sweat. But, she has no problem sniffling and speaking the words she's probably rehearsed over and over again to make her seem not like the bad guy. The only background noise is Philby clicking away on his keyboard.
"Axelia was like the sister I never had," She gasps during a sob, fanning her face and looks away for a minute, and then Penny turns her perfectly sad face back towards the screen, "Jay was a brother, and Gale...he was our leader. Without him...I just don't know!"
"Note, she said was." Danny hisses and Maybeck nods in agreement.
"I just can't believe this family...this family that has grown since the DHi program started, is going through this! But, I know that with hope and faith, they will return....just...just....excuse me..."
And Penny takes her dramatic exit and walks off towards a woman.
A woman cloaked in all black.
Finn turns away from both his phone, and the television, to Philby with a sour taste on his tongue, this isn't going well, this isn't at all, "Make the call. Now."