29. P O W E R : Lost

CHAPTER III

The light gradually faded as it was absorbed directly into Fisi's body, causing his mask and hands to glow brightly with pure ivory light. The hyena god pocketed the device in his hand and examined his claws, looking as giddy as ever. "Excellent," he breathed. "Everything went exactly as planned."

The PFC, in the meantime, were all on the ground, groaning miserably in pain.

And it appeared they had an extra member.

Fisi laughed as he watched the newcomer—a tan-skinned woman with red-to-orange-to-pink hair and orange eyes flecked with pink—struggled to stand. "Why, hello there, darling!" he crooned, bowing deeply. "Nice of you to finally join us!"

The PFC tried to get up as well, staring with wide eyes at the woman. "No," Cameron rasped. "It can't be..."

The woman looked around at the Avatar and Worthy in surprise and dread before finally turning and fixing her eyes on Fisi. For a long time, she was silent, her heavy breathing the only sound in the office.

Then, in a musically-accented voice filled with horror, Safiya el Nar breathed, "What have you done?"

"I've merely set you free, my dear," Fisi purred. "And I've come one step closer to reaching my ultimate goal." He pressed a second button under the desk, causing an alarm to blare throughout the Tower. Simultaneously, machine gun turrets dropped down from the ceiling, training their barrels on the PFC. "All that's left," Fisi sneered, spreading out his hands, "is to exterminate the pests."

On cue, the turrets all opened fire—

—and they would have certainly ended the lives of the A-Team right then and there, if not for the timely intervention of their last remaining superhero.

A forcefield of green fire materialized around the PFC as a hail of bullets fell upon them, shielding them from the onslaught.

"Probably should'a left those A3s on!" Zill shouted over the sound of the turrets. Then he let out a yell as the forcefield expanded, washing over the office and torching the turrets.

Fisi raised a palm and blocked the flames, his face twisting in a snarl. "Excellent point," he agreed, reaching for the desk again.

However, Zill was faster. He shot forward and unleashed a thunderous kick on the desk, flipping it into Fisi. The hyena god caught it easily, but the distraction allowed Zill to spin around and pick up Kayla as he streaked out of the office. "Saf, grab Cameron!" he yelled. "Gus, stay close!"

Safiya reacted instantly. She spread her wings, scooped Cameron up in her arms, and carried her out of the office behind Zill, while Gustav shifted into his snake form and slithered away as fast as he could. "Stairs or elevator, Zill?" the Serpian asked frantically.

"Uh..." Zill glanced from one to the other, halting his flight momentarily.

Then the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, revealing a host of Masked Men with their guns drawn.

"Stairs!" Zill decided, quickly changing direction and heading into a stairwell as Kayla clung to him for dear life. Safiya, Cameron, and Gustav followed as fast as they could, dodging the Masked Men's shots as they opened fire.

A few floors down, however, the PFC ran into yet another group of armed Masked Men. Zill gritted his teeth and glanced at Kayla. "Sorry about this in advance, babe," he told her apologetically. "Feel free to scream if you want."

"Wait, what are you talking abaaaaAHHHHH!!!" Kayla shrieked as Zill tossed her over his shoulder. Gustav responded with appropriately-snakelike reflexes, slithering underneath her and catching her on his back.