I exited my cabin, making my way swiftly down the hallway, intending to find out what was going on. As I approached, I could hear the unmistakable sounds of heated arguments and raised voices, raising my defenses. If we were already devolving into arguments, this wasn't going to bode well later.

"I'm serious!" a familiar voice called out, stilling me in my confusion. "Call Theresa! She knows who we are!"

"Shut up, Noah!" Talia hissed to him.

"Why are you on board and how did you managed to sneak on?" Ranulf's voice carried.  The dark threat was silkily delivered, the promise of retribution clear in his voice.  My wariness increased, wondering what could have set a hardened man like Ranulf off.

I entered the common room, halting at the sight before me. Xavier stood with his arms crossed, looking annoyed, as he observed Noah and Talia in the middle of the room. Rayna was perched on a table, watching them as well with curiosity. Ranulf held his hand out, fire stemming from his hands, as it swirled within his palms, threatening to burn them should he release it.

"What's going on?" I asked urgently, as I climbed down the few steps leading to the circle of the group before me. Heat warmed my skin as Ranulf's little show of fire emanated power. My eyes switched to Noah and Talia who stood looking fearful, guilt evident in their features. "Noah? Talia? What are you doing here?"

"I told you she knows us," Noah said, as he glared at Ranulf. He turned to Xavier. "Thanks asshole for defending us!"

Xavier merely looked at him. "You shouldn't even be on this transporter. Do you have any idea what you just got yourself into?"

Talia looked uncertain then she looked among all of us. She looked at me then, as I approached them. I turned to Ranulf. "Put that away. They aren't going to hurt us."

"Funny, since I found them sneaking around the cabin wing on the east side," Ranulf said. "They snuck aboard."

I observed the pair, as I took in both Talia and Noah's casual clothing, which was something I was unused to seeing them in. Talia wore a simple boxy, oversize, yellow, crop-top hoodie with a pair of dark-wash, faded skinny jeans. Her sleek, black hair cascaded down her back, and she had on a baseball cap. Noah was dressed in nothing more than a simple navy sweater and a pair of jeans. His spiky hair was left a mess and he had his usual glasses perched on his face.

Ranulf dropped his hands, dispensing with the fire, as it disappeared. Talia spoke then, as I stood before them. "Sorry. I-I..." Talia looked almost helpless then. "I got carried away. I told Noah about you heading out for the next couple of days and that was when he convinced me to follow you to see where you were going. I didn't realize you were leaving Eden."

"Although, this is pretty cool," Noah said looking around, looking impressed. "This is a new stealth transporter isn't it? I've never seen this model."

"Who are they?" Rayna asked apathetically.

"They're red-marked students from Sacred One. They're my friends," I supplied in the way of introduction. Turning to them, I directed my inquiry. "How did you guys get in here?" I asked them. "How did you get pass security?"

"Didn't need to," Talia said. "I teleported both Noah and I right next to the transporter, once I got a lock on your energy signature. We really were planning on heading back, but Noah wanted to look around and before we knew it, the transporter was airborne and traveling through space."

Talia's dark eyes shot a glare towards Noah. Noah shrugged looking far from apologetic. Instead, he said, "Where are you guys going? This has got to the coolest thing I've ever done in my life. Why is Xavier with you?"

"Noah, this isn't a joke," I said, as he quickly realized the seriousness of the situation. I wanted to throttle him for his stupidity and instead I glared at him. "The four of us are headed off on an extremely dangerous expedition for the United Federation. It's not even considered on the books. If you die, there'll be no record or retribution to be exacted because the United Federation would have absolved all responsibility should it go south. They'll wipe us out of record if it's discovered that we've failed and it's being traced back to them."

Noah looked around the room, registering the solemn expressions that graced everybody's features. Noah grew pale along with Talia as they realized the situation they had now just placed themselves in. The two exchanged worried, anxious looks, before Noah turned to me. "Wait, are you serious?"

Ranulf spoke then, as he crossed his arms, glaring at Noah. "You just snuck onto a stealth transporter. This stealth transporter is headed to Halstead to infiltrate a highly secure compound owned by the Black Order."

"Who are you two?" Noah asked then, eyeing them with suspicion. "What's the Black Order?"

"I'm the one who tried to burn your entire student population down," Rayna greeted herself. "Ranulf and I are affiliated with an underground Black Ops group. We're both elemental ability users, like Theresa. We handle the element of fire."

I looked at her. "That's how you decide to introduce yourself? Implicate yourself in a terrorist attack?"

Rayna smiled, uncaring. Talia's eyes widened in surprise. "Well, that would explain both of your energy signatures. They're powerful."

Xavier spoke then. "Do you realize now, what you just got yourself into? This isn't a daytrip. You two are on a clandestine mission where there's a risk that we'll get killed."

This seemed to overload Noah's good sense, as he stepped back and sat down on the sectional couch, almost in disbelief at the whole situation. "Fuck me. We're going to die." There was a sense of resignation, as he sounded on the border of hysterical.

"You two need to head back. I can't have you here in case we're intercepted and captured before we land on Halstead," I said. "Talia, can you teleport back?"

Talia shook her head. "No. We're moving too fast for me to get a lock on any specific location on Eden. It's harder for me to teleport when we're moving this fast. If I attempt to, we could end up missing Eden completely and floating in space, or hundreds of miles high in the atmosphere of Eden at the rate we're traveling away from it."

"So we're stuck here?" Noah questioned, although I wasn't sure if he meant it as a question so much as a dawning realization.

"You can teleport?" Ranulf asked.

Talia nodded. "I've been classified as having a forbidden ability. My ability is inter-dimensional teleportation and reality manipulation," Talia explained.

"So we're stuck, heading light years away to another galaxy to possibly get killed, accompanied by the terrorist behind the nearly successful attack on Sacred One," Noah began, "—who just happens to be an elemental ability user and who's affiliated with an underground organization."

"Yes," Ranulf confirmed.

Rayna snorted at his assessment, before looking at me. "So commander, what do you plan to do about this situation?"

Noah looked at me. "You're mission lead on this? But, you have no..." Noah immediately shut his mouth as I glanced at him.

"Want to finish that sentence?" I threw at him, raising one eyebrow.

He shook his head no.

I glanced at Rayna shooting her a pointed look. "As for what I'm going to do about it, nothing for now. They'll stay with us and travel to Halstead. They won't accompany us to the compound and remain on the transporter instead. If things don't turn out the way we hoped, they'll be able to report to the United Federation and at the very least escape with their lives."

"How reassuring," Noah said dismally.

Xavier straightened from his position and said, "Fine."

"We can help," Talia said after a moment.

Noah looked up, casting her a look of utter horror. "How? We don't have the kind of training that we need at this moment to be out in the field. We're more likely to get in their way than to be of help."

"Noah, you can deconstruct any piece of technological equipment at the drop of a hat and I can teleport. We might be useful in some capacity," Talia argued.

"Not at the expense of your lives," I said. "I can't be responsible for your lives as well. Xavier, Rayna and Ranulf can take care of themselves and have already gone on countless missions. They're better equipped to handle the obstacles that we're bound to face. I've been training with Terrance and my ability gives me an advantage. Noah's right. You don't have sufficient training to undergo such a dangerous mission."

Talia looked unconvinced, but she didn't say anything more. After some time passed, everybody dispersed and I motioned for Talia and Noah to find a cabin they could reside in for the remainder of the trip. Noah still looked a little pale, as if he was still processing everything while Talia looked determined to convince me otherwise, but resigned for now.

A couple of hours later, I found myself on the observation deck, observing the immeasurable vastness of space, as we continued to cruise. I found myself enjoying the solitude of my thoughts, wondering what in the world to do about Noah and Talia's presence on board.

At one point, I had considered enlisting their help, when the four of us had organized a plan to infiltrate the compound. Talia could certainly get a lock on Ember and allow us to teleport in and out before we were even detected and Noah could easily dismantle any piece of equipment including weapons and even technological strongholds for easier infiltration. However, I would be gambling with their lives and that was something I wasn't prepared to deal with. Talia and Noah were young, still experiencing academic life at Sacred One. To be prematurely shoved into a dangerous situation, knowing they would eventually find themselves there once they were indoctrinated into the United Federation Special Divisions Operations, was asking for too much. I felt uncomfortable with the idea, no matter Talia's arguments.

"Why am I not surprised to find you here?" Xavier said from behind me.

I glanced at him over my shoulder, before I turned away. His long strides carried him quickly to where I was sitting. "I was thinking."

Xavier sat down beside me, his arms balanced across the back of the couch, leaning back with ease. His legs were spread before him, reminding me of a king on a throne. His aqua eyes examined me, unnerving me with their intensity. I began to wonder about his presence here. I didn't consider myself exceptional company, but I could feel the rising heat between us. "About?"

"I'm considering Talia's proposition to help," I said.

"That's considerate of you," Xavier commented.

"I would be taking a gamble with their lives, but their abilities would be tremendously useful," I pointed out. "Except, I'm not sure how long it would take for Noah to get out of his dazed stupor about indirectly launching himself on a clandestine mission to prove even to be remotely helpful."

In one swift move, Xavier swept an arm around my back and hauled me into his lap with his strength, until I was straddling him, my legs one either side of his hips. My arms went to his shoulder to anchor myself. I gasped, looking down at him, my blue-gray gaze connecting with his own. His arms banded around, me holding me to him, allowing me no escape. I didn't feel trapped however and instead felt like his anchor, like he was on the verge of being anchored away and somehow I grounded him.

"I'm confident that whatever you decide, it'll be in the best interest of your friends," Xavier said. His voice turned husky with need, his eyes filled with heat. "I miss you."

He lifted a hand to the back of my neck and brought my face down over his, until our lips met in a kiss. I gave myself over, my body missing the heat of his. Under the inky black space of the night sky, my heart beat fast, blood rushing through me as the kiss turned into something more heated. We continued kissing, our breaths mingling and our bodies pressed tightly up against each other, until some time had passed. I could feel Xavier's hardness pressed up against me, but as he drew back, he understood that we couldn't make love here.

At some point during our heated exchange, we were laid out across the couch, his body trapping mine underneath, his forearms leveraging his massive body from crushing me underneath him. He looked down at me with raw need and it was nearly my undoing, as my thighs cushioned his hips between me. I felt the heated clench of my pussy, reminded of how good it felt to have him dominate me in his way. I felt small underneath him, like he thought I was the most precious thing in the world. I was taken aback by his treatment of me and there was an intimate moment of raw vulnerability that had me silencing every protest.

"You drive me crazy with need," Xavier admitted, gruffly. "I can't seem to get enough of you. I want you."

I arched, as his lips grazed the column of my neck, moaning softly. I closed my eyes enjoying the feel of this hard man wanting me. There was something erotic about being desired to the kind of degree that he was exhibiting. This was no soft, light, tentative burn, but rather a hard stamp of possession filled with a desire so unexplainable that there was not much point in questioning the depth of it.

"I want you, too," I admitted. "But maybe next time don't throw Ranulf against the wall."

He pulled back and looked down at me, his expression darkening. "If he touches you again, I'll kill him. You're mine."

"I think that message got across pretty clear," I teased with a smile. "Let's just be civil, okay? We're not here to test boundaries and if it bothers you that much just remind yourself whose arms I'm in right now."

Some inner primitive instinct within him seemed to be placated with that answer, because the next thing I knew he relaxed above me, all thoughts of Ranulf's closeness gone. He moved, pressing his lips once more against mine own and we stayed like this for the next hour or so.

The stealth transporter was cloaked, hidden among the large canopy trees of the forest, just outside the mountain pass on Halstead. We had landed hours ago and I took a moment to observe my surroundings, as I stepped outside.

The air was crisp, the tall, soft willowy grass around surrounding us mainly on flat land. The trees in the surrounding forest were some of the tallest I had ever seen, reminding me of the kind of Redwood trees that graced some of Earth's national parks. The only difference was that the bark was smoother and the leaves were enormously massive and palm-like hiding the forest floor below. It was nearly the size of a small transporter.

It provided the perfect cover for the stealth transporter as we landed in a clearing. The large palm leaves would render us undetectable to the naked eye from above and this part of the forest appeared relatively untouched by explorers.

I had originally considered taking the smaller ship on board, but as we assessed our environment, there appeared to be no need. It would look even more suspicious if we were merely hovering above Halstead's orbit, giving away our cover as a regular cargo transport. More than likely, we would have been detained, questioned and possibly shot down given the relative unorthodox of our intended trajectory.

"Wow," Talia breathed. "This is beautiful."

I looked to her, noting her change of clothing. She wore a sleek, tactical long-sleeved vest in a dark green color along with a pair of tight combat pants, tucked into boots. Since we were potentially heading into a dangerous and hostile environment I cautioned that it might be best if she outfitted herself in some sort of projectile-proof clothing. Her hair was braided into two Dutch braids behind her, as it cascaded over her shoulder, looking ready to dive into battle.

"Hopefully, we'll be alive long enough to appreciate it," Noah grumbled, as he exited the stealth transporter just the same and looked around.

Rayna came out, joining us, her hair tied back in a long, sleek ponytail. Talia had braided mine in one lengthy, thick, French braid that cascaded down my back like a thick rope. Rayna looked at Noah then. "You guys should have opted out. The fact that you two are now involved makes you guys a liability."

I gave Rayna a look. She had a point. Talia and Noah were still figuring out their powers and with little instruction in combat and stealth training, (unlike Xavier and I), they were likely to make mistakes along the way that could put our lives and the mission in jeopardy. That made the decision to involve them all that much more difficult. I wasn't so concerned about Rayna and Ranulf since they both had considerable elemental and combat training at hand. In fact, if they were able to infiltrate Sacred One without getting caught, then they certainly had extensive training.

Rayna shrugged, finally noticing my look. "Just telling him the truth."

"We agreed to help!" Noah defended. "How does that make us a liability?"

Xavier secured something on his persons. "Because now we have to protect you instead of focusing on the mission at hand. The less factors we have to worry about the easier it is to focus and seize control. For all intents and purposes this is a stealth mission and I don't think they've covered any of that with your training yet."

Both Noah and Talia had convinced me to allow them to help, Talia more so than Noah. After I had spoken to Rayna, Ranulf, and Xavier about it, it was agreed that they could help, finally settling the argument that Talia was posing, despite their voiced opinions now. Once Noah had gotten around to the idea that he was either going to die doing nothing or die doing something, he opted to volunteer in the hopes that if he was going to go out, he was going to go out with a bang.

Unlike Talia, I had on an oversize, white linen tunic shirt and a sports bra underneath that had the same projectile-proof protection as Talia's vest. They were both made out of a polymer fiber material that was designed to insulate heat and mask my heat signature from any holo-thermal-equipped devices. My loose, off-white linen trousers was tied at the waist, billowing out, before they were cinched at the ankle, reminding me of harem pants. My feet were encased in comfortable, Sherpa-lined boots that had a small compartment for a pocket knife. I wore a brown, hooded cape around my shoulders to further hide me from surveyors.

Rayna and Ranulf wore similar gear, while Xavier opted for more tactical gear. Logistically, the tactical gear was heavier and can be restricting. The simpler loose clothing provided the ideal comfort for me to utilize my elemental ability since it required precise movements and stances. I balled my hands into a fist, noting the finger-less gloves encasing them. The gloves would allow for better grip if we had to scour any uphill terrain.

The six of us reviewed the plan, ensuring that everyone understood how we would proceed. We would make our way through the mountain pass with both Noah and Xavier scouting ahead to eliminate any dangers. Noah would dismantle the electromagnetic shielding around the compound and any automatic ballistic missile weaponry that was probably peppered and hidden along the way. By doing so, this would ensure that the six of us would be able to infiltrate the grounds encompassing the compound without alerting any additional