Ayda took a deep breath in, and immediately wished she hadn't. The stench of spilled coffee long soured filled her nostrils. Her entire face scrunched in an expression of pure, momentary disgust, amplified by the knowledge she would have to take another breath. For a moment, the teenager weighed her options. Breathing through her nose would once again sample the smell, but inhaling through her mouth presented a threat of tasting the air. Neither appealed much. Ayda let out a long, exasperated exhale, then took a normal draught through her nose. Better to get used to a smell rather than a flavor.

In an attempt to distract herself, the girl shifted focus from one sense to another. She listened to the low rumble of the engine, turning in time with a quartet of wheels which slid over old asphalt just under foot. A smile crept across her face, as occasionally the motor would tick or clang in unhealthy fashion. She snickered to herself, but the merriment was cut off with another face scrunch. Giggling caused deeper breaths than normal, which brought on anew the stale coffee stink.

With an audible and overly obvious sigh, Ayda looked out the window. Her head came to rest against the glass at a lazy angle. It felt cool against her scalp, a brilliant contrast with the hot air outside. The famous Texas prairie lands sped through her field of vision, mostly flat and monotone, slightly faded around the edges from the velocity by which it passed. An abandoned shack in the distance seemed to follow along as the car eked by it. Ayda watched it for a moment, wondering distantly what purpose it may have served in the past.

Many found this landscape boring, and for good reason. It was predictable and wide open with nothing to see or do. Ayda liked it, though, for precisely these reasons. There was a distinct beauty in the simple things. A lack of obstacles did not necessarily equal dreary. People often forgot that in the nonstop hustle of modern Western living. Ayda was no exception, of course. She often lost herself in the stress of the city. However, coming out to a place like this always reminded her how important it was to slow down, if only just for a little while.

Though she had to admit, the surrounding area was rather dull. The teenager spared a glance for the reason she was in this particular situation. Elliot sat behind the steering wheel, eyes on the road as he guided the old vehicle down the equally aged country blacktop. He'd picked her up from school right after work. As such, he still wore his white lab coat and a gaudy green sweater which he could only get away with inside the heavily air conditioned halls of Belmont International. Ayda herself still wore her school uniform.

His gaze remained fixed forward as he drove. Elliot didn't even notice his passenger looking at him. This was a good thing, of course. The last thing the driver of a vehicle needed was distraction. It just did nothing to satiate Ayda's boredom.

She tuned back into the music on the radio just in time to catch the tail end of a song. Elliot may have had questionable tastes in both fashion and transport, but at least his music was decent, if a bit unexpected. Classic East Coast hip hop; Wu-Tang Clan, Biggie, N.W.A, that kind of thing. This particular tune Ayda had never heard, but it had a solid beat and aggressive lyrics. As the song faded out, Ayda almost wished she'd paid attention to it sooner.

The melody was replaced immediately with another, one much more abrasive and in your face. A duo of loud symphonic notes with guitar distortion in the background blared over the speakers, a tune Ayda had heard many times before; the El Puerto syndicated local news program. Most stations in the city aired it, with the exception of college radio, which didn't seem to care about much of anything. The anchor—a deep-voiced man—introduced himself before continuing on to the top story.

"A small supply warehouse on the docks was robbed late last night. Security systems both in the target building as well as the surrounding area were remotely disabled, allowing the assailants to enter undisturbed. Guards around the warehouse were found knocked out by the use of a powerful tranquilizer, the same kind used by zookeepers to take down large animals. Detective Joe McMahon had this to say..."

"We aren't really sure what happened yet," said a different voice, one Ayda recognized. He was the same detective who investigated the Belmont International robbery. "There aren't any footprints or fingerprints left behind and for all the stuff they stole, they'd at least have to have a truck or something, but we aren't seeing any evidence of that. Whoever did this knew what they were doing." The voice of Detective McMahon cut off, replaced by the anchor.

"Several thousand dollars' worth of mechanical and industrial supplies were stolen. This is the third incident of its kind in just over two weeks after both El Puerto University and Belmont International were broken into using similar means. In both cases electronic and informational materials were taken. Detective McMahon ensures all citizens he has his best men on the case.

"In other news, a local man was caught—"

Ayda stopped listening after that. Both she and Elliot let out exasperated sighs in nearly perfect unison. The breach of Belmont International hit them both pretty hard, and the fact that more places were being hit added fuel to the fire. The police would never admit it, but it was obvious these attacks were all perpetrated by the same group.

It all made Ayda feel rather useless. She was supposed to be the protector of the city, and yet this mysterious bunch of ne'er-do-wells continually got the better of her. Just like the news report said, she could do nothing to track them down. They were an unregulated menace, the kind she was supposed to snuff out. That just wasn't possible.

As it normally did whenever she pursued this line of thought, the sensible part of her brain took over. Just as she'd said to Elliot, there's no point going after an enemy they couldn't see. Instead, it was better to focus on the clear and present threats, the ones she could tackle on her own time. The ones responsible for these heists had to overextend at some point. When they did, Pulse would be there to smack them into place. Anything else was a waste of time. Speaking of which...

"You mind telling me where we're going now?" Ayda said as she slowly rolled her head around to peer at Elliot.

"Nope," he denied. "It doesn't matter how many times you ask me, I'm not telling."

Ayda made an agitated grunt and returned to the window. "You know I hate surprises, right?

"Oh, I know exactly how much you hate surprises, but I'm still not telling you." Elliot spared her a glance before returning to the road.

"Are we at least getting close?" Ayda asked in search of a way to soften the blow.

"Yeah, actually. There'll be a dirt road on the left, eventually. We just need to get far enough out of town."

Ayda thought about that for a moment. "Where does it go?"

"Nice try," commended Elliot with a chuckle. Ayda made another disgruntled sound.

Despite Elliot's claim of close proximity, they still drove on for about another ten minutes or so. Admittedly, this was a rather short drive, especially when compared to the near constant congestion of El Puerto proper. However, Ayda lost her patience for travel shortly after leaving the city. So, ten simple minutes felt like as many separate eternities.

It wouldn't be nearly as bad if she could just get Elliot to spill the beans. The suspense was killing her. They'd been driving for well over an hour. Granted, much of that had been spent escaping the concrete jungle, but that didn't make things any better. A hint, anything at all, would help.

It wasn't the first time he'd done something like this. Elliot played a similar card when he presented her with the staff she now used every single day. Was that the case here, another staff? No, that's dumb. Ayda didn't need another weapon. What reason would Elliot have to give her one? Surely he knew it was a waste of time. The man could be ambitious, but he'd not pursue a pointless endeavor without a perfectly valid reason.

So, why the secrecy? Moreover, why bring the two of them out to the middle of absolutely nowhere? Clearly, it had something to do with her. Or else, she wouldn't be there in the first place. The barren location hinted at a need for secrecy. Putting those two things together, it was pretty simple to deduce this thing was about her powers.

Which of course begged the question: why? If Elliot discovered something either about her powers or at least involving them, wouldn't that constitute as important enough to tell her outright? Ayda certainly thought so. Yet, he hadn't. Elliot kept it to himself. It was almost like a game to him. The way he smirked at her and shrugged his shoulders; he enjoyed leading her on. Ayda didn't' know what was happening, and this uncertainty manifested as a swirling pit in her stomach, small but present nonetheless. She may have to force the information out of him, just in the interest of her own mental health. Maybe if she stopped the car with a good blast or two, it would convince him to finally get a new one, which would be a win-win...

The teenager must have been thinking about this much longer than she realized, because as soon as the concept of physically stopping the car came to mind, it began to slow down. She sat up straight in her seat, somewhat startled by the sudden decline. The car pulled into a left turn, just as Elliot said it would. Ayda returned her eyes to the road, watching as the vehicle gobbled it up. This trip was finally going somewhere again.

The path itself was narrow, only just wide enough to accommodate a single vessel. It sloped downward at a moderate angle, somewhere between steep and gradual, before flattening out. It went back up at a point a little in the distance, and there was a hill behind it. The road seemed to go around the incline, rather than over it. After they'd driven a few seconds along the lower flat land, Elliot pulled well off the street and brought the car to a stop.

"Alright, we're here," he said, turning the car off.

"How did you even know this was here?" Ayda asked, looking around through the windshield.

"I don't remember how we found it, but my high school friends and I used to have bonfires in this place all the time," Elliot explained. Ayda only peered at him with surprise painted on her face. "Don't give me that look. I was a teenager, too, at one point." He smiled at her.

"Yeah, I know," Ayda returned defensively. Of course she realized he'd been young in the past, but it was weird to think of him in that way. Elliot had just always been Elliot to her. He also didn't really seem like the type to enjoy a bonfire. This must've been a really long time ago.

"Come on," said Elliot, opening his door. "We have to get a few things from the trunk."

He stepped out of the vehicle. Ayda followed briefly behind him, undoing her seatbelt to exit the passenger side. Once free of the cage, she first took in a deep breath of fresh air. She'd forgotten what air untainted by exhaust and smog smelled like. It was heavenly, and certainly beat the funk inside Elliot's stupid old car.

As she breathed out, the girl took in the scenery. It was a wide open, mostly flat area made of light soil, broken up only by a few sparse shrubs here and there. This, combined with the descent required to reach the area, told her this used to be a lake bed before the water all dried up however many hundreds of years ago. That was not the most important detail, however. Looking back up the dirt path, Ayda realized they couldn't be seen from the main road.

From the corner of her eye, Ayda noticed the car's trunk raise. She actually hesitated before going to help with whatever baggage Elliot dragged along with them. Part of her almost didn't want to know what he was up to. That way, she at least wouldn't have to deal with it. But, curiosity killed the cat. Or, in this case, the Persian girl.

She walked around the back of the car and fell in at his right side. Elliot was elbow deep in an old gray duffel bag. His only acknowledgment of her presence was a quick glance. Ayda observed him with a skeptical tilt to her eyebrows, unsure of how exactly to proceed. Thankfully, he answered that question for her.

"You'll need these," he said, shoving a pair of sunglasses into her hands. Ayda donned the accessory without much of a second thought. "And this to." Elliot held another object up to her. This one, however, she took with a hint of confusion.

"My staff?" She wondered, looking over the collapsed rod. "Wait, did you go through my saddle bags?" Ayda cocked her stance and shot him an intense glare.

"No," Elliot shook his head. "You left it on the coffee table again."

"Oh," the teenager breathed in response, standing normally again.

She really needed to stop doing that. It was hard to start any of her patrols when she kept leaving her weapon in random places. Though, the reasoning behind it wasn't so bad. She'd no reason to hide anything from Elliot, not like when she was still living in the Belmont Manor. He knew who she was, after all. Ayda felt comfortable enough around him to keep all her crime fighting implements out in the open. It was a complacence she knew better than to wish away.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Ayda remained standing at the boot just in case Elliot needed her to tote anything else, but he only had a few more items to gather himself. First came the duffel back itself. He swung it around his right shoulder. Its contents jangled around at the movement, settling in uneven lumps within the worn canvas.

Next was an object which took Ayda completely by surprise. Underneath the bag hid a piece of sheet metal. About three feet in size, and probably as many inches thick, Elliot hauled it from the trunk with two hands. With a heave, he placed his palms underneath it. The weight fell against his chest. It must've been quite heavy, but he took the weight like a champ. Moments like these reminded Ayda just how strong he was. As geeky and awkward as Elliot was, he also took good care of his body.

"Alright, come on," Elliot said. He jerked his head off to the left before following his own command. Ayda fell in behind him, closing the trunk as she passed.

Elliot walked in a sort of awkward bowlegged stance. His face twisted and his breaths came in slow repetitions. Ayda was about to rush up and offer some assistance when he dropped the metal sheet with a resounding thud. They hadn't made it very far, only a few feet away from the vehicle. Ayda stopped on the balls of her feet, kind of expecting Elliot to reacquire the metallic cargo and walk a little further.

Instead, Elliot stood in place knuckling his back to work out whatever strain he'd just imparted on the vertebrae. Ayda walked up to him, face contorted in a constant look of puzzlement. She opened her mouth to ask a question, but before any words came out Elliot dashed away, toward the center of the former lake. The girl watched him go, closing her mouth with an audible click of teeth a second later.

The object of her confusion zipped back after a few moments, a big tan rock clutched in his right hand. He set it down just shy of the metal sheet. The man then lifted it up and dragged it to rest against the rock. It stood at maybe a forty-five degree angle, perhaps a bit shallower. The sun just barely caught a reflection from its unpolished face. All the while Ayda looked on, completely and utterly dumbfounded.

"Elliot," she practically pleaded, "what is going on? What is all this?"

"Hopefully, the result of a week's worth of planning." He balled up fists under his chin and smiled a toothy grin. He practically bounced from one foot to the other. What alarmed Ayda most, however, was that Elliot had been doing this for a week and yet she'd not the first inkling what it was.

"If this is another one of your kinetic energy experiments, I swear to God, I'll—"

"I already apologized to you for that," Elliot swiftly interjected. "But, I do need you to test something for me. Extend your staff, please."

Ayda rolled her eyes, but followed orders without much hesitation. Small, simultaneous blasts on either end of her weapon extended to pole to its full length.

"Alright, now hit the sheet metal," said the still overly excited man. Ayda looked from him, to the specified target, and back again.

"Why?"

"Just because we need a control."

"Control?" she scoffed. "What control? Why bother? You already know what's gonna happen."

"Ayda, please, for the sake of science, just hit the thing."

"I'll give you science..." Ayda grumbled, but got into position nonetheless.

She stood ahead of the thick metal sheet within easy striking distance. Left foot back and staff held at an angle, she assumed her favorite fighting stance. The entire world slammed into focus as power and perception coursed through her veins. She became acutely aware of the slight breeze, how it blew stray strands of hair into her face. A bored mind aching for stimulus subconsciously tracked the lackadaisical motion. The staff clenched in her fists glowed with the signature purple outline of her energy.

Partly out of spite, but mostly because it was the most effective means of procedure, Ayda swept upwards with the back end of her staff. It struck almost the exact middle of the plate. The accompanying blast was very much a middling effort: stronger than what she'd usually use when fighting a person, but notably weaker than what she was capable of under normal circumstances.

A sharp metallic ping mixed with the small scale explosion to lift the sheet from the dirt. It was much lighter than Ayda expected. Still, the arc it carried through the air was rather shallow. It landed a few feet away, skidding a further distance along the ground than in flight. It came to a rather abrupt stop against another rock with a distant and quite comical tink. Ayda couldn't stop herself from grinning.

The levity lasted but a second. The moment she'd hit it, Elliot took off downrange. He recovered the target shortly after it stopped and sprinted back to the start. Ayda watched him with her stance cocked to one side, suddenly remembering why she'd been annoyed in the first place. When the man returned, the metal once again found itself placed against the rock. Both present individuals inspected the damage.

"See? What did I tell you?" Taunted Ayda. "It's the same as the million other times we've run this test back at the lab."

It was unsurprising in the purest sense. There were some scratches and a barely noticeable dent, but other than that the sheet looked brand new. Exactly as expected. Metal resisted compression better than most materials on Earth. Her blasts were substantial, but conferred little effect on any substance which refused to break or tear, exacerbated tenfold by the elasticity of most metals. A piece thick as this current example would be almost immune to her ability.

Elliot grabbed the teenager lightly by the wrist and began to lead her away from the sheet. When it was clear she would follow of her own accord, he dropped his grip. The two stopped several feet away from the target, adding further to the girl's confusion.

"I figured that's what would happen. It's good that it's predictable, though," Elliot said. "It'll make the results of this more obvious."

As he spoke, the older man extracted a peculiar object from the unzipped duffel bag slung over his shoulder. It was a broad cylinder of glass, barely wide enough to keep his fingers from wrapping completely around. Metal caps punctuated both ends to seal it off. A liquid sloshed around inside, but Ayda could barely see it through the thick glass. The only reason Ayda could follow it at all was because of her enhanced perception.

"What is that?" Ayda pointed at the device. She kept her distance from the foreign thing.

"This, my dear Watson, is a freeze bomb." Elliot said, lifting a finger like an old-fashioned scholar.

"A what?" Ayda stepped in for a slightly closer look. "And, please. You're my Watson."

"It's a freeze bomb," Elliot repeated, as if that made it any clearer. "Okay, you know how much trouble we've been having with Tahoe, right?"

"No, I don't," Ayda quipped with a roll of her eyes behind her sunglasses.

Elliot ignored her. "And you know how the last two times you tried to beat him with brute force you lost?"

"I'd rather not talk about it, but yeah."

"Well, I was thinking about how to solve the problem, and I think we've been going about it the wrong way. We need to find a way to remove his advantage." Elliot spoke at an incredible speed so as to make his words nearly unintelligible.

"And we're gonna do what with cold shit?" Ayda reached out to touch the freeze bomb, but stopped short with a glance at its current possessor. Elliot gave her a quick nod and she took it. The glass was just barely frigid to the touch. It was heavier than she expected, and felt solid as a rock.

"Hopefully we will. Think back to science class for a second," Elliot began. Ayda groaned audibly. "Just, humor me, please? What happens to metal when it gets really cold?"

Ayda took a slow breath. She looked up and to the right, mouth tilted in a focused frown. Science had never really been her strong suit, mostly because it involved a lot of math; all of which was ironic considering the company she kept. Still, as she was currently taking physics in school, it the inquiry only required a moment of concentration to answer.

"It... becomes brittle?" She gasped. "Elliot!" The gravity of the situation slammed home. Her eyes tripled in diameter as she turned them on her companion.

"I'm hoping these little buggers will help even the playing field a bit, but I need you to see if it works." he made a wide open gesture to encompass the long dried lake bed. "That's why we're all the way out here."

"Okay, so why couldn't you tell me any of this before driving for, like, two hours?"

"It wasn't that long," Elliot countered. "And I didn't want to get your hopes up if it didn't work."

Ayda just shrugged at his explanation. It made a lot of sense, and sounded more or less exactly like something he would do. Still, Ayda could feel her heartbeat quicken. Her fingers tapped against the bomb in her left hand, nails clicking dully against the glass. For the first time since arriving, she shared in Elliot's excitement.

"Well, I guess there's only one way to find out," she said, positioning herself between him and the metal plate. "Do I... just throw it?" She turned the bomb over in her hand in search of a trigger mechanism.

"Yeah," confirmed Elliot. He stepped back to give her room. "It should break, but you'll probably need to propel it with a good blast."

"Yeah, I thought that would be the case."

Squaring her stance, Ayda switched the items in her hands around so the bomb was in her right. Elliot took a few extra steps back, which did not exactly inspire confidence in the girl. Nevertheless, he brow furrowed in concentration. She bounced the thing around in her palm, getting a feel for its weight. The liquid inside would slosh around in flight, giving it an awkward and unpredictable path. Elliot appeared to have more than just one, which was good because it was entirely possible Ayda would miss with this first shot.

But, standing around thinking about it wouldn't do anyone any good. Without warning, Ayda reeled her arm back. Like a baseball pitcher she stepped into a fluid motion forward with her entire arm. Just as the object was about to leave her grasp, the teenager let loose a blast behind it. The thing accelerated to unnatural speeds no normal human would ever be able to achieve.

To the naked eye, it happened instantly. Her blast propelled the freeze bomb, and it at the same time impacted the metal plate. It hit width-wise, a little bit high and to the right. Released from the constrictive container, the liquid—which was now an obvious pale blue color—splashed out in all directions. Pulverized glass along with the frigid substance spewed all over the place, bending around the plate in a way which was kind of pretty to look at. Quite a bit coated the metal, as well. It was only a thin layer, and some dripped down the face, but most painted its hue along where the bomb made contact.

All the while, Ayda stood back, watching all of this go down. The hit could've been better, but she wouldn't argue with a useable result. Elliot rejoined her now that the coast was clear.

"So..." the girl trailed off, "what now?"

"Give it a few seconds," answered Elliot. "It won't take long."

So that's what Ayda did. She waited. This entire day had been nothing but one big wait, whether it was for Elliot to give her the scoop, or just to arrive in the first place. But, a little bit longer wouldn't kill her. She could be patient.

The two of them just kind of stood there, silently, awkwardly, staring at the fruits of Elliot's labor. It was agonizing. Ayda just wanted to hit it; mostly to see the results, but also because hitting stuff was plain fun. But, Elliot told her to wait. He was the brains of the operation, so it probably behooved her to listen in this current predicament. Though, if the fingers drumming against his legs were any indication, he was also antsy. Both of them wanted to know if this would actually work. It was fortunate, then, they wouldn't have a lengthy pause.

"Alright, that's probably long enough," Elliot broke the brief silence. "Go ahead and hit it. Try to use the same amount of strength as last time."

"You don't have to tell me twice," joked Ayda, striding her way over to the plate. Her staff glowed just before she reached it.

"Can I hit it down this time?" Asked the girl, miming a vertical swipe over her left shoulder. "It'll be kind of hard to hit it up from this angle."

"Sure," conceded Elliot after a moment's consideration. "I'd prefer if you didn't, but you're the combat expert, here, so go ahead."

Ayda just nodded in response. She again assumed her favorite fighting stance. For the sake of muscle memory she mocked the hit a second time, stopping her weapon just above the target. It wouldn't do to miss now, and she took every precaution against it. When the staff raised a third time, it was for real. Ayda brought it crashing down with a blast on impact as close as she could manage to the first, but it was probably a little stronger.

The sheet buckled. With a sickening screech the weakened area collapsed in on itself. Great chunks of frozen metal flew off every which way, one skittering underneath Elliot's car. Where the affected area had not shattered completely, it instead folded up like an accordion, the corner curling up just slightly around Ayda's staff. Uncompromised areas remained mostly whole, bending only a little to accommodate the sudden change in shape.

Ayda just stood there for a second, dead silent as big eyes looked over what she'd done. The results were right there, but she couldn't really wrap her head around it. She took her staff away to get a better look. She'd never done so much damage to strong metal. It reminded her very much of a crushed aluminum can. As the reality of the situation sunk in, a gaping maw twisted into a broad smile. She looked back at Elliot, who mirrored her expression.

"Yeah?" He asked expectantly.

"Yeah," Ayda giggled. The man laughed along with her. "Elliot, that was amazing!" She rushed over to him, closing the distance in a few swift strides. "I can't believe that just happened."

"Neither can I, really. I think I'm in shock." His eyes lingered on the distorted metal a moment longer before meeting Ayda's. A pure smile scrunched around the pretty brown pupils, and Elliot couldn't help but gush along with her.

"Do you know what this means, El?" Asked the teenager, voice shaking just slightly with excitement the likes of which she hadn't felt in a very long time.

"I'm pretty sure I do, yeah."

"It means I can finally beat him. I finally have the leg up. I can win!"

At that, Elliot's expression drooped just slightly. "Are you sure you're ready for that?" His voice took on a suddenly acquired underlying serious tinge.

"You're goddamn right I am!" Confirmed the girl. "Are you kidding? I've been waiting for this."

"Okay," Elliot beamed back at her once more. "I believe you."

With that settled, Elliot walked over to retrieve the mangled bit of metal. While it certainly wasn't any lighter, the deformation gave him something to hold onto. Careful to avoid the frozen parts, he hefted it into a low hold and walked back over to Ayda.

"God, I'm so excited!" She mused as Elliot joined her. The two of them began together back toward his car.

This bubbly, ecstatic demeanor was so unlike her. Any other time, Elliot probably would've been a little bit creeped out. Right now, though, he was just glad to see her so happy, especially after the tough time she'd been having.

"So, any idea how you're gonna flush Tahoe out?" Elliot asked as they traveled; a question to fill the air more than anything else.

"Oh, I have a few ideas. I've been thinking about this for a while."

"Well, why don't we talk on the way back? It'll give us something to do."

"What is that stuff, anyway?" Ayda asked.

"Liquid helium," Elliot responded before carefully placing the damaged metal plate in his car's trunk. "It's a whole lot colder than liquid nitrogen."

"What? Where did you even get something like that? You didn't steal it from the lab, did you?"

"Nope, Ebay," answered Elliot simply.

"You just bought it?" Ayda raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that illegal, or something?"

"You'd think so, but no. Anyone can buy liquid helium. It's expensive, though."

"Sorry," Ayda said. "You know I don't want you spending money on me. I'll pay you back once this is all over."

"Hey, don't worry about it." Elliot smiled. "We're a team, right? We're in this together."

"Yeah, a team." Ayda returned his expression. "Thanks, El."

"Come on, lets head back." Elliot gestured toward the front of his vehicle before walking toward it. "I think I'm sweating to death all the way out here."

"Don't wear a sweater next time." Ayda lightly chastised him while opening up the passenger side door.

"Yeah, yeah," Elliot returned before ducking into the vehicle.

When they were both squared away, Elliot turned on the engine and they were off. Ayda kept her staff and sunglasses with her. Something about them calmed her, which she would need to combat the giddy waves coursing through her heart.