"And his consciousness is suffused with the storm somehow, I can't get a clear link on him that way," the telepath informed us.
    "Our only option at this point is just to dive into the storm."
    "Yeah," I agreed. "They don't pay us enough for this."
    "No, they don't." He put a TK shield over Emily to protect her from the wind and hail, and we were inside the front. I dropped down low to look for a human bio signature beneath the growing waves. A massive swell leapt up and over me, almost overpowering my shield, but I kept from being dragged underwater. I caught a telepathic yell from Trent and waved to let him know I was all right.
    "I think he's starting to get close up ahead!" he told us. "There he is!"
    Manta Master hovered in midair, the winds holding his billowing cape aloft. He held a trident of some sort in one hand, energy dancing around it.
    "Come, android, see how much more power you can absorb!" he laughed, presumably talking to Scott, and saw us. "You!"

[Aside: Others]

    "Oh, this is ridiculous, let's just both grab the spear, all right?"
    I was willing to give it a try, but there was a sudden, massive electrical discharge before our powers could close on it, and Manta Master chuckled.
    "Ah, ah, ah! You think that'll work? You think I'm not ready for you? Hah!
    "Are you ready for this?!" Emily challenged.
    The wind picked up, diverting her blast of flame aside."Looks like I was, little girl. Are you ready for this?" The wind's roar rose yet again and blasted the three of us back several hundred feet. Not having wings, I was actually a bit less affected than the other two. Trent soared up, against the draft, while Emily was hurled down and slapped into an upcoming wave.

[Aside: Scott]

    I dove down to rescue her. She coughed up a lot of water and shook out her soaked wings, flames doused by the cold Atlantic.
    "You gonna be okay? I'll just set you down on land...."
    "No," she gasped. "I can fly. Just caught me unprepared" She flapped hard a few times, caught the wind and headed back into the fray. I looked around for Trent.
    Don't worry, I've got the situation as under control as we can. What he's forgetting is in order to maintain that, he's gotta have some sort of storm eye. He sent me up and around, which means that I should be able to.... He broke off and dove straight down, through the eye of the storm. He was probably doing about two hundred mph.
    Manny looked up. Bang.
    "Give me that spear, you idiot!" The two of them were suddenly locked in a midair struggle.
    We were all pretty close to Mariner Island now, close enough for Scott's liquid form to lash out at the severely disgruntled one-time archaeologist.
    Manny released the spear with one hand; Trent hauled back, certain of victory, just as Scott felt some force close around his body and redirect him. He returned to gas form in time to keep himself from actually crushing Trent, but part of the impact caught the flier's wings and they both veered away from the immediate fight before getting back under control. Manny retained the trident, which clearly was a spear with little metal prongs stuck on to make the trident.
    "Manny, you can't even weld," Scott sighed.
    "Yes I can!"
    "We need you back here right now," J.T. suddenly barked to Scott. "How much of a charge do you have?"
    Scott laughed; all this stored electricity was making him a bit giddy.
    "Get here as quick as you can."
    He began bobbing along back toward the island.

[Aside: Others]

    Emily had regained her concentration. "Just... need... to focus!" she muttered to herself as Trent flew back into close range.
    "You wish to grapple with me again?" Manny laughed.
    "Not quite like that...." the telepath replied, frowning.
    Manny cried out.
    "Just... let go... of the spear! Needle, any time you want to help out with this, that'd be great," he ground out. "He has a remarkably stubborn mind."
    Next time I won't bother saving your girlfriend, sheesh. I wasn't being nice; Manny screamed again as I reached into his body and twisted gently.
    The scream cascaded out into the storm; the wind picked up as if amplifying his pain. Waves crashed below us.
    Trent reached out, grabbed hold of the spear, and realized something. "No, Emily, wait!"
    Masters used his own weight as a pivot, spinning the locked pair around so that Daedalus was in Emily's line of fire. He turned to stone and plummeted toward the sea.
    "Trent!" Emily streaked downward to catch him.
    "Your friends have all left you," Manta Master chuckled at me.
    "Yeah, well, I'm fairly used to that." I hit him again, hard. Do not try to feed me to sharks, buddy. He fell. The spear remained floating in midair; I reached out and grabbed it without really thinking.
    If I never again experience anything as unpleasant as having Emmanuel Masters inside my head.... Yuck. You wouldn't think there would be room, with ten of us already in residence.
    "The power is mine!" he/I cried.
    Emily had managed to reverse Trent's transmutation before he reached the water, and the two of them flew back upwards.
    "We have to train more," he snapped at her. "Hopefully by now Needle has... uh, Needle?"
    "Yes, come closer my friends! The situation is perfectly under control."
    Trent sighed impatiently. "I'm a telepath, you really expect me to fall for that?"

[Aside: Others]

    I'm going to take you a guided tour of your own small intestine! I raged at the twerp who was currently occupying my brain.
    "Stick and stones, little girl," he laughed back. "Sticks and stones."
    "Don't worry, I can help her regain control of herself," Trent said—before being caught in a pincer of wind.

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