They said the boy would be here, and here he was.

They said he would be weak, lazy and unprepared. Here, he was not.

Omega-Five nursed his bruised jaw and frowned. Faster than light he seemed. The boy had been too quick. No wonder they wanted him so badly. There had been no keeping up. Not even for him. Despite his own special strengths.

enhancements, they said. you will be stronger, be able to defeat anyone, they said.

Not so.

He watched them nurse the girl back to consciousness. He saw them pick up the fallen - those who were still alive - and drag them into the house.

His head buzzed. Words crackled into his mind like splinters of glass.

get them now, they said. He shook his head, as if they could see, and his neck crunched painfully. It was not time. Not safe. They told him little, but he knew enough, to know that. Patience was the way. Sooner or later the boy would invite him in. His mouth dripped saliva at the thought of the firm young body he had been forced to abandon. If the boy hadn't interrupted him, he could have had some pleasure at last.

After all this time.

He waited.

After what felt like hours, people ventured cautiously forth from their hiding places, and moved the bodies to the churchyard.

Fizz. Crackle. what are you still waiting for? go now!

He shuddered away the stabbing pain in his temples. They had warned it would hurt, yet it surprised him how unique a pain it was. Like termites trying to eat their way out of his eyes.

He did not move. His own shifting was not good enough to risk it. People would be able to see him. Better to stay hidden until they have retreated into the safety of their homes. Wait for the lights to go out. Wait a little longer.

To pass the time, he directed his thoughts to his own pain, the knots of fiercely pulsating rawness in his jaw and ribs. Closed his eyes and looked inwards, seeking out the offending nerve-endings and closing them down one by one. Sighed as the numbness washed over him. Then to the centres of the damage, setting his body to work manufacturing chemicals. The rush made him dizzy and elated, always the way before the healing started. He waited.

The boy did not reappear.

Omega-Five shifted outside of time and stepped out of the shadows