Talentless // Fitz Vacker

// thirty three//

Sophie had no idea how much time had passed before she had forced her eyes open to reveal the searing lights of where-ever-they-were.

Sophie grabbed her head in her hands and groaned.

Dex stirred next to her and Sophie squirmed closer to him. As long as they were alive, they could move forwards.

"Dex..." Sophie whispered, her voice croaking.

Dex's eyes shot open, winced as the lights blared in his eyes and then sat up. "Sophie?"

The two locked eyes before seeing Adora, still dozed off in front of them, vertical.

They both grabbed her shoulders, tackling her down in a hug. Adora awoke with a shriek as she got pulled down.

Adora got the breath knocked out of her as they had a little group hug, huddling like penguins.

"I thought I'd never see you guys again." Dex breathed, practically strangling the two girls.

"I'm so sorry," Sophie apologized. "It's all my fault."

"Your fault?" Adora looked at her incredulously. "I was down there for longer than you, if I just escaped—I could've warned you two! And I also almost stole—"

Adora was cut off by more hugs. "I don't care."

Dex wiped his eyes. "I'm so glad you're okay, and I'm so sorry for the way I've been acting—"

"Who cares?" Adora questioned. "All that matters is that we're alive." Adora sniffled and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "This is getting too sappy."

"Where are we?" Dex looked around, studying their surroundings.

Sophie looked around too. "Somewhere human..." She pointed at a cigarette butt.

"Why would we be in the forbidden cities?"

"Their hideout must be here..." Adora concluded. "The guy who rescued us didn't leap so it can't have been far."

Adora saw in the corner of her eye, Sophie checking her wrists for bruises that weren't there. She tugged her sleeves down to hide her sacrifice.

"What are you doing?" Dex asked as Sophie searched for something on the ground.

Adora got up from the floor, quickly realizing that they looked like idiots in their Foxfire uniform if they were in a human city.

"He gave me something to help us but I can't find it."

All they found was a piece of paper.

"Alexandre, Lantern, Concentrate. — Hurry" was written on it.

"Well that's helpful!" Sophie shrieked, annoyed. She tossed the paper away.

Adora was annoyed, confused and way too tired to do this. Four, extremely vague, words with weak significant connection? "What?—Did the Riddler rescue us?"

Dex looked confused.

Sophie shared Adora's annoyance.

Adora helped Sophie and Dex up, shaking her legs that fell asleep.

"Why would he dump us here? Why not bring us home?" Dex asked, dusting himself off.

"Because it's his job." Sophie grumbled. "He didn't want anyone to know he was involved, that's how the black swan operates."

Adora knitted her eyebrows. "Wait so he's the Black Swan?"

"What's the Black Swan."

"We'll explain as we walk, we need to figure out where we are."