─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───
"the lightning strikes the rod, which sends the bolt down into the tunnel. we grab the ghost rider, push him into the bunker, and we trap him there."
mr douglas had now taken the three students into his classroom, where they were now able to talk more freely. there was an underground map of the school laying on the table as hayden explained her plan.
"okay. how do you keep him from riding the lightning back out of the tunnels before you get him into the trap?" mr douglas asked.
"well, if the lightning strikes again, it'll just hit our rod." liam explained. "he won't be close enough to grab on."
"but, shouldn't we assume the ghost riders have some kind of control over where it strikes?" mr douglas spoke.
"why would we assume that?" franchie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, her two friends mirroring her expression.
the man nervously chuckled. "just because physics can't explain it today doesn't mean there won't be a logical explanation tomorrow."
"so, if they have control, then how do we stop 'em?" liam sighed.
"we need to absorb a lightning bolt."
"can we do that?" hayden frowned.
"not with anything we have here." mr douglas shook his head. "i can't build a conduit strong enough to absorb even half that much energy."
the bell rang, and hayden quickly grabbed her map, rolling it up. the trio silently left the room, not uttering another word to their teacher as they thought about what to do next.
"instead of a conduit, maybe we can find a person to absorb the lightning." liam suggested.
hayden gave him a look. "i don't even think kira could do that."
"i mean, one time there was a live wire right outside the hospital, and she managed to absorb that." franchie told them, as they weren't in town when the event took place. "but i guess these are two different types of electricity."
"what about josh? he could like... eat electricity." liam reminded them.
"josh is dead."
"theo killed him, remember?" franchie added. "along with the rest of his chimeras."
"yeah, but his power didn't die with him..." liam hinted, insinuating that theo raeken may have the power they need to stop the ghost riders.
"it may as well have." hayden shrugged. "we can't get to it."
"we don't know that. not for sure."
hayden stopped in her tracks, her heart beating faster than usual. "what are you saying?"
"you know what i'm saying." liam sighed.
"liam-" franchie began.
"if you're saying what i think you're saying, you're insane." hayden shook her head.
"i know it's insane... but i need you guys with me on this." liam begged.
franchie sighed, wrapping her arms around his left arm. "moonee is going to kill you if she comes back and sees him."
─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───
"almost there. last chance to bail." hayden said from the middle of the two.
the three planned to meet kira yukimura's mother in the underground bunker, where they would make an exchange of the sword that kira used to trap the chimera underground.
"if we're gonna stand a chance, we have to do something drastic." liam shrugged.
hayden scoffed. "there's drastic, and then there's this."
"theo is impulsive, liam. he murdered only people that were loyal to him." franchie spoke up.
"i know, fran. but we need the bad part of the plan to make the good part work."
"you think she knows it's a bad plan?"
"anyone would know this is a bad plan." noshiko yukimura sooke as she unsheathed her daughters katana. "which is why i have to ask you one more time- are you sure you don't wanna change your minds?"
"honestly, i'm not a hundred percent sure-" franchie began to consider her offer to back out.
"we don't know what else to do. it's like the ghost riders are unstoppable." liam explained.
"they are unstoppable." noshiko agreed. "they've been riding the storm and taking souls since long before i was born."
"yeah, we won't survive them. not without your help." liam tried to convince her.
"kira entrusted me with her sword while she's with the skinwalkers." noshiko announced. "and now, i'm trusting you, because i believe she would want me to. do not mistake this for me agreeing with your decision."
"i understand. kira just... stabbed her sword into the ground." liam instructed the kitsune.
"if you want to do this, you'll have to do it yourself." noshiko told him, holding the sword out for him to take.
liam oddly bowed to her, gently allowing the weapon into his grasp. the boy stepped behind her and raised the sword, ready to complete phase one of their plan.
"once it's done... whatever happens will be your responsibility." noshiko warned as she exited the scene, turning into a dark part of the bunker.
"liam, wait!" hayden called out at the worst time possible, the glowing azure sword had already penetrated the floor.
they watched as cracks of the same florecent colour paved through the ground. a clawed hand flew out of the interior, followed by debris and dust. the hand then flat on the solid ground and the person used it to pull themselves up. a werewolf-shifted theo raeken emerged from the cracks, his whole body covered with dirt.
immediately, he lunged forward, holding liam against the wall.
"theo! safe not trying to hurt you!" hayden tried to explained. "we're the ones that brought you back."
"where's my sister?" he barked.
"your sister's dead. she died a long time ago." liam spoke softly, trying to resurface his memory.
"you killed her, remember?"
theo began to breath heavily . "i'm gonna kill you three. i'm gonna kill all of you."
"okay." hayden groaned "send him back."
"i agree, liam." franchie chimed in.
the boy held up kira's sword. "you know what this does?" theo glanced down at it, genuine fear in his eyes as he released liam. "we need your power to help us. then, you can kill whoever you want."
"no, liam. that's not-" franchie shook her head.
"but, if you kill us, you're gonna end up worse than ever." liam threatened.
"there's nothing worse than what i've been through." theo mumbled.
"you ever hear about the ghost riders?"
mr douglas soon came into the bunker, franchie wasn't sure if they were going to reveal their supernatural abilities to him so soon, but the other two had no problem with it. he set up his electric device as franchie explained to the boy what exactly he had to do.
"what makes you think this is gonna work?" theo asked her.
"you took josh's power." liam said. "you can do it."
theo reached over to the stainless steel rope and wrapped his hand around it.
"here we go." mr douglas announced, turning the contraption on.
they watched as sparks of electricity flew around the wire and theo was thrown back onto the ground.
"hey, what the hell?" liam called out to the boy on the floor.
"that was only a billion joules." mr douglas informed them.
"only?!"
"well, how many joules are in a bolt of lightning?" liam questioned.
"five billion."
"well, i'm fine, by the way." theo told them, pulling himself off of the ground. "thank you for your concern."
"you're welcome." franchie gave him a curt nod, making him snarl at her.
"you don't have josh's power anymore, do you?" liam quickly understood what was happening there.
"or xan's." hayden noticed the lack of snake-like fangs in his mouth. and then grabbed his hand, checking his claws for kanima venom. "or tracy's."
the boy couldn't help but smirk. "guess i'm back to classic theo."
"maybe you should try some remorse, since you killed them for their powers." liam confronted him.
"i just put them back the way i found them." theo confessed.
"okay." hayden nodded. "put him back.
"hold on- i can help." theo tried to plead his case. "i know about the wild hunt from the dread doctors. i also know about things I'm betting you don't."
mr douglas shook his head, not buying his explanation and being brutally reminded of the dread doctors. "i'm with miss romero on this one. send him back."
"who's making decisions around here?" theo asked, unsure on why this unfamiliar man was giving orders. "where's scott? where's moonee? honestly, where's stiles?!"
hearing her name felt like a thousand sharp needles being pierced into his heart. liam almost forgot why he was doing all of this, what the end goal was. as he sighed, franchie noticed his new discomfort.
"you remember stiles?" hayden asked, incredulously.
"why wouldn't i remember stiles?"
"maybe he's useful after all." franchie hummed.
─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───
since scott had previously given them permission to use his house, the theee had taken theo there and franchie even gave him a change of clothesz
"you know all about the ghost riders. how do we get stiles and the others back?" hayden asked.
"you can't." theo stated. "the wild hunt comes, the wild hunt goes. that's how it works."
"but they're still here... and they're still taking people.
"that's not possible." theo shook his head. "they're the wild hunt. they're not just gonna stick around. unless..."
"unless what?" hayden asked.
"unless they're stuck." theo shrugged.
"what even brought them to beacon hills?" franchie enquired, leaning across the wooden table. "and what could have trapped them?"
"francesca, i do not have all of the answers." theo groaned in irration.
"watch your tone." liam threatened. "and i don't care if you don't have all the answers, you're gonna help us."
"liam, i don't know what to do." theo confessed.
"well, you remember stiles, so clearly you know more than we do." hayden pointed out.
"exactly."
"you're gonna help us, or you're going back." liam laid out the boy's limited choices.
"let me guess." theo smirked. "scott wasn't a part of this plan, was he?"
"no... scott is going to give us an earful if he finds out." franchie sighed.
"if i find out what?" scott's voice was heard before he was visible. he stepped into the door way of the kitchen and his face physically dropped at the sight of the chimera.
theo turned around, sending a new presence. "somehow, i don't think we're gonna hug this out..."
scott laughed. "i hope you realize it's taking all of my strength to not tear you in half right now."
once he said that, another figure appeared beside him. malia had entered the room, her eyes fixated on theo.
to make matters worse, theo continued with his banter. "hey, malia... you aren't still upset about the whole shooting thing, are you?"
the girl's eyes began to glow blue, demonstrating her shift into her coyote form. malia roared in reply, her razor-sharp teeth evident. she charged forward, tackling theo onto the ground.
⎯ ❃ jania speaks!
i do get slightly bored without moonee but i also love franchie she's my a-little-too-slow, vice-alpha sweetheart
a few more chapters before she's back!! would be more but i'm cutting them down