Butterfly Apocalypse: Red learns a valuable lesson.

Red was running bare foot through the tall grass. The forest was thick with trees and miscellaneous plants but that didn't bother her. Ducking under an oversize mushroom head didn't slow her down either. Her white summer dress was beginning to get a tad dirty but she didn't care. The only thing she could do is run. Run away as far and fast as she could.
A large shadow quickly caught up to her. Red noticed it and quickly looked up. Panicking she dodged into a  large flower with glasses. Avoiding the giant boot that was now resting where she had been running. Recovering from her tumble she got up and hurried over to the heel of the foot. She quickly reached inside the front pocket of her dress and pulled out a knife. Pulling back she quickly struck at the hard leather. But hit something softer instead. Red was now standing next to a man. She withdrew her knife and a few drops of blood spilled on her white dress. The man grabbed his side and stumbled away from Red. He moved a few feet in a futile attempt to escape and eventually dropped to the ground.
Red approached him, wiping the blood from the knife onto the apron of her dress. The man didn't move. She stood over the man for a second. Her eyes blazing a wild neon blue. A long smile crawled across her face. Putting the knife back in her front pocket, she grabbed the side of the man to turn him over. With a little effort she pulled him around to see a man with glasses and neatly trimmed facial hair. Red's eyes faded to her normal blue. The horrifying realization of what she had done was there. Ion lay dead in front of her.

Throwing herself up from the bed, Red was in a cold sweat. Trying to catch her breath as if she had been running for miles.

"It's okay Red.", Anna reassured.

"What the fuck was that Anna?", Red yelled.

Red had begun to have nightmares about killing Caught. The last couple of days it had escalated into killing random butterflies. They had grown so intense that Mesay had suggested she talk to Anna about controlling them. Or at least figuring out their meaning. She reluctantly agreed. Red was actively trying to avoid most of the butterflies since the dreams started. She was terrified that they were some sort of premonition. That some day she may actually cause harm to her friends, her family. And the only way she could think to prevent it, was to avoid everyone.
Anna had only been in home for a month or so but made her presence well known in the first few days. It was no trade secret what her power was. Dream Manipulation. At first she dream hopped from butterfly to butterfly without any real rhyme or reason. But she had made an effort to make sure she was able to control her ability. It was fun but not easy. And in some ways, dangerous. The things you could find out about a person in their dreams were not necessarily things you would want to know. In the rather short amount of time in Home she had become quite adapt at it. With the nightly practice, it felt like a second nature. Now she was trying to get some real use out of it. Trying to help her butterfly family.

"You said to make it more realistic this time.", Anna defended.

"Well you didn't have to add fucking Ion. The guy is like a brother to me.", Red continued.

"Ion?", Anna pondered. "I didn't add him. That must of been you."

"I would never want to dream of killing Ion. Or anyone!", Red retorted.

"This isn't yell at Anna time Red. We need to help you get a hold of your dreams. Getting angry every time we do this isn't conductive.", Anna insisted.

Red pounded her fists on the mattress and chucked her pillows at a neighboring wall before getting up and storming out of her room.

"That's not going to help either!", Anna called after her.

***

Red roamed the hallways for a bit. Occasionally hitting a wall or two out of anger. She couldn't figure out what was going on. The dreams were starting to get to her and nothing seemed to be helping much. Suddenly a giant yellow and orange cat approached her. Opie meowed loudly. Red smiled and leaned down to pet him. Opie started purring, pleased by her choice. 

"I have no idea what to do anymore. What do you think Opie?", Red asked.

Opie looked up at her and purred some more. He broke the petting and moved away, showing his backside to Red. He turned his head and looked up at her, meowing again.

"What Opie?"

Opie walked off to where the hallway turned a sharp right. Then he skittered off in a hurry. Red called after him and followed. She had a hard time keeping up. Opie was the largest cat she had ever seen but the fluffball knew how to run when he wanted to. A large hole appeared in the opposite wall, just big enough for a cat to go through. Opie disappeared inside.

"Don't think you'll lose me that easy.", Red announced.

Red concentrated and started shrinking. By the time she got to the hole she was the size of a large rat and she ran though the hole unobstructed. Inside it was dark. She could hardly make out the walls save for a few bounces of light that came from an undetermined source. A meow came from down the tunnel. She ran toward it. Eventually coming to an opening to what looked like a larger cave. As she walked further she saw that it wasn't a cave but the underside of a bed. Opie was at the edge, crouched down. His tail was swishing back and forth in a curious manner. Red slowly walked up beside him.

Across the room was Ion. He was at his desk working hard on something. A knock rapped at his door.

"Come on in Blue.", He said.

Blue entered and walked up to Ion.

"Hey, are you almost done?", Blue asked.

"Yeah, just one or two more tweaks.", Ion responded.

Red wanted to see what Ion was working on. She started to walk forward to announce herself but a giant paw pulled her back. Opie held her in place while keeping his focus on Blue and Ion. 

Ion finally pushed his chair back and revealed a small laptop computer.

"There. Finally done.", said Ion.

"I can't believe you got it done.", Blue said.

"Well even without internet I can still mess with the programming and make it do some cool stuff."

"Is it going to work?", Blue asked.

"Not really sure until we try it. Assuming Red will let us.", Ion responded.

"I'm sure she will. If it helps.", Blue assured.

Opie moved Red to his mouth and grabbed her by the back of her shirt.

"Hey!", Red yelled.

Blue and Ion looked toward his bed. They had heard a tiny noise coming from underneath. Opie quickly picked up Red and turned, running into the hole. It disappeared as soon as he entered it. 

Ion dropped down and looked under his bed. Confused, he finally just dismissed the odd noise they had heard. He got back up and turned to Blue

"Let's see if Red and Anna are through.", Ion offered.

Ion closed the laptop and grabbed the computer. Then left with Blue following.

***

Red tucked her feet behind her as much as possible so they didn't drag on the floor. As odd at this seemed, it was kind of fun being carried along. Opie hurried through the tunnel until they finally got to the hallway again. Opie stopped and dropped her. He pushed her out of the hole and meowed loudly.

"What was that all about?", Red asked.

Opie almost seemed to smile as he backed down the hole until he couldn't be seen. Then before Red's eyes, the hole evaporated back into a solid wall.

"How weird.", Red said to herself.

"Red? Are you nearby?", Ion asked. Red could hear Ion through the Hivemind. 

"Yeah. Uh....meet you in my room?"

"Sure.", Ion agreed.

Red started running through the hallways as she made herself grow back to her normal size. She banked into the doorway that she knew led to her room. As she entered she crashed into Anna who was trying to leave. They both landed on the floor. Anna propped herself up while Red rubbed the back of her head. 

"Owwwww!", Red complained. "What are you doing Anna?"

"I was trying to leave so you and Ion could meet here.", Anna explained.

Just then Ion and Blue came through the door.

"What happened here?", Ion chuckled.

"Nothing. Just nothing.", Red responded. "So what do you have for me?"

Ion and Blue looked at each other. 

"How did you know we.... never mind. I'll figure out this hivemind thing later.", Ion said. "Look Red, Blue and I came up with this idea for your nightmare problem. I know you didn't ask for it but we would like to help you."

Anna, now standing, offered Red a hand. Red looked at her for a second then accepted it. Suddenly a thought crossed Red's mind. 

You will find great warmth and power in learning to lean on the family.

Roivas' comment seemed to echo in her mind. She shook it off. 

"Sure, what is it?", Red asked.

"Well it's a program that should help you become a better lucid dreamer. What it does is monitor your dream state and when you get all antsy it issues tone to remind you your dreaming. That way you can use that as a trigger.We figure it might be a good way for you to get a hold of your dreams. You know, turn them around."

"Wow....that's...."

Red had stopped mid sentence. Roivas' words had finally hit her. Now it seemed so simple and she even felt a little silly for not getting it right away. A loud meow interrupted the silence. Opie was at the door purring intensely. Blue reached down and scratched behind his ears.

"Opie, what are you doing here you big fur ball.", Blue chided.

She picked him up straining a bit as she did. The eighteen pound cat was more than happy to be held up while being pet. All the easier for everyone to get involved. Anna and Ion crowded around Blue to have their turn. Opie had created the best distraction for Red to have her moment. The moment where she learned exactly what Roivas had meant all along.

Butterfly Apocalypse: The Phonecall

Avi found a strange sort of entertainment walking the hallways of Home. One of her favorite games would be to keep strolling in a strait line. Never backing up. Never turning around. And seeing how many rooms she could hit in a certain period of time. Sometimes, if she didn't want to be found she would just think of being lost in the hallways and that's where she would stay. Of course if anyone really needed to talk to her they could use the Hivemind. But the past few days had been uneventful. And while the lack of chaos was always a good thing. She would often find herself bored. Avi had not yet discovered her new ability like the others. And as such she would get frustrated when she couldn't keep busy. The first butterfly didn't have a power yet.

How lame.

Avi opened the entrance and walked out onto the empty courtyard. The wind was picking up and whipping around her. She looked up and saw nothing but blue skies. For a moment she thought of life. What things used to be like. Everyone seemed to be happy just being here. They wern't worrying about their families and friends back home. Truth was, Avi was missing the old days. She hadn't thought that would have been possible. This whole experience was a welcome adventure despite the dangers involved. The people here loved and cared for her. But it wasn't home.

Her real home.

Suddenly a giant flying shadow fell over her. It banked hard and doubled back. Moving closer to the ground the creature put his feet down and landed running. The giant bird like wings helping him keep balance. Normally this would of spooked Avi but she already knew who this creature was.

“Hey Avi!” Dox called as he approached. His wings shrinked behind him and seemed to disappear. He had to have one of the coolest powers of all. Flight. Compete with wings.

“Dox! What's up?”

“Your going to want to go back inside.”, Dox started. “A huge sand storm is headed this way and fast.”

“Wow a real sandstorm?”, Avi said surprised. The wind started to pick up again. This time it seemed more violent.

“Yeah. I'm going to cover up the turrets then get the hell inside.”

“Have you told the others?”

Dox smiled and tapped his temple. “Just did.”

“Alright I'll head in.”, Avi smiled back.

“Okay. See you inside.” Dox turned and ran off. Just as quickly as they had disappeared, his giant wings came back and soon he was off the ground. Avi could see the sand and dust start to swirl. She couldn't even see the sky that well anymore. The sand was beginning to hit her face. She turned to head in when she suddenly heard an odd sound. It was almost like a ringing but the wind was drowning out most of it. She cupped her hands over her eyes to see better and looked around, finally finding what was making the noise. A cellphone. It glowed as it rang. Avi knelt down and picked it up. It rang again and the screen blinked No Number. The wind was now pelting her with sand and dust.
Tarvok opened the entrance and yelled out. “Avi! Come on! Get inside!”
Avi clutched the phone and ran for the door. When she finally got inside Tarvok had to use all his stregnth to shut the door. He locked it then turned to Avi.

“What were you doing out there? Didn't you hear Dox?”, he asked.

“Yeah he told me but I found this phone...” Avi stopped as she held up her hands. Nothing but sand was there, filtering through her fingers.

“Hey! What happened to the phone?”

Tarvok looked at her oddly. “Uh....Avi....that's the strangest phone I've ever seen.”

“I know I had it.”, Avi insisted. “Maybe I dropped it.”

Tarvok shrugged, “Maybe. Are you sure you saw a phone?”

“Yes Tarvok.", Avi explained angrily. It was in my hand ringing. It even lit up and said no number on it.”

“Ooookay....”, Tarvok droned. “Well maybe you did drop it. But no sense in looking for it now.”

“Tarvok! If that was a working phone then we need to go get it. It might be the only way to communicate with the outside world here!.” Avi was pretty insistant. Everyone knew that Home has many comforts. The use of phones or the internet was not one of them. “We could tell our families we're okay!”, Avi proclaimed.

“I'm not so sure Avi. It seems kinda odd that there is a phone all of a sudden. Especially when we haven't seen anything like that since we got here.”, Tarvok offered.

“Everything here is odd. Besides....I...” Avi stopped. She didn't want them to think she didn't like it in Home. She was grateful for the protection. And to be surrounded by this family. She just wished she could make sure things were alright back.....home.

“Come on Avi. Let's go play a videogame. I'll let you beat me again.”, Tarvok smiled. Avi recultantly went along. All she would be able to think about that night was the phone.

                                                                        ***

The next day the storm has passed. It was another bright sunny day. Avi has spent the whole morning scouring the perimiter of Home for the phone. It's not like there was any real place it could hide. But she came up empty handed. The thing was gone. Frustrated, she decided to blow off some steam at the range.
The fireing range is actually a long thin table suspending a number of empty soda cans from the Mess Hall. Avi had set it up on the opposite side of Home. Furthest away from the entrance while still being in the courtard. She may not have had a power but she did have two 9mm pistols that she practiced with for a few hours each day. She was getting very good very quickly. And was possibly the most adept of the butterflies at her chosen weapon. As she was setting up the next round of cans a sound filtered through the air.
A ringing sound.
Avi quickly looked around and desperately searched for the location of the phone. She ran a few feet and found it in the middle of nothing. Just laying on the ground. The screen lighting up with the No Number text glowing across it. Avi picked up the phone and answered it. She waited a minuet and listened before saying....

“Hello?”

A light static could be heard.

“Hello?”

Nothing.

“Who is this?”

The deep labored breathing from a gas mask fell into Avi's ear.

“Help3r? What do you want?”

The call hung up. Avi scrolled though the phones memory and tried to search for any numbers or information. But it was clean. Like a brand new phone. Then she dialed a number. She was calling her house. It rang and rang. Then someone picked up and answered.

“Hello! Hello! It's me...", Avi was interrupted by the same labored breathing. It stopped long enough for her to hear someone calling out in the background.

"Who's there? What do you want with me? What have you done with my daughter?" Avi recognized the voice. It was her Mother.

"Help3r!", Avi screamed. "You stay the hell away from my family do you hear me?!" The call dropped and all she could hear was a busy signal. Avi dialed again and again but the same busy signal answered. Yelling and throwing her arm up in anger. She was about to chuck the phone at the ground when she heard an alert tone come from the phone. She lowered her hand and saw that a new text message had been received.


"If you want to keep your family safe you'll do exactly what I say."

Clearly it was from Help3r. Avi felt trapped. She didn't feel like she had a choice in the matter. Whatever Help3r wanted, she would have to comply.


"What the hell do you want Help3r?", She texted back.

"Paradox, the winged one. I want a sample of his blood.", The message said.

What on earth could he want with Dox's blood? God knew any idea of collecting it didn't appeal to Avi. Let alone giving such a thing to Help3r.

"How do you propose I get this sample for you?", Avi asked.

"On the inside of the battery cover is a small strip with a sharp end. BE CAREFUL NOT TO CUT YOURSELF. Get the sample from Paradox on the strip and place it back in the cover. Then toss the phone over the wall. If you tell him what your doing I will know. You cannot speak of this to anyone.",  Help3r instructed.

Avi thought long and hard. She couldn't understand why this was so important. She knew that Help3r always made good on his threats.

"And if I do this you'll let my Mother go?", Avi asked.


"Yes.", Help3r responded.

Avi couldn't stand this. But what could she do. Her anger grew and grew until she finally yelled in the hivemind; Dox! Please come quickly!


Avi quickly took the battery cover off the phone and found the strip. One side had a sharp end almost like a small blade but with tiny teeth in it. She removed it, careful not to cut herself. In the next second Dox plummeted down in front of her. The look of concern and rush over his face.

"What's wrong Avi?", Dox asked.

Avi's eyes welled up. She was about to cry. This whole thing was so horrible. She was torn from her home. Brought to this strange place in the middle of nowhere. And didn't even have an ability to show for it. Now her Mother was in danger and she had to betray a friend, her family, to help her. Help3r was many things but a bluffer was not one of them.
Quickly she grabbed his hand, and dragged the sharp end of the strip against his skin drawing blood. Dox quickly pulled his arm back and covered up the scratch with his hand. Avi slammed the strip back into the phone, clicked the cover back in place and ran to the wall. Dox called out to her, but she was already at the wall. She threw back her hand and chucked the phone as hard as she could over the wall.

"Take that you asshole! You better keep your promise!", Avi yelled. She collapsed and started to cry. Dox ran up to her and knelt next to her.

"Avi, what was that all about?", Dox asked. "What the hell is going on?"

"I'm so sorry Dox. I'm so sorry.", Avi turned away from Dox in shame. Dox scooted closer as one of his wings reached over and covered her in a sort of hug. Avi went ahead and leaned into it. She just sat there and cried as Dox tried to understand what happened.

She wouldn't tell Dox why she did what she did. She wouldn't have to.

Dox would find out why soon enough.

Butterfly Apocalypse: The OT%

The Library at Home is quite a sight to be seen. The entire place is painted in a light blue with white undertones. The floor has a matching blue carpeting that is so comfortable, most Butterflies care to walk around barefoot on it. The ceilings are three stories tall and the walls lined with books that go all the way to the top. Seeing as how communication and therefore the internet is mute in Home, the books serve as an old fashioned tool for information gathering. As such the entire area is spread into three levels with a series of categories. When Beat first discovered the Library she found the seemingly old room to have no real identification system placed for the books. As she spent her time there she found that no matter what the subject, she could find it in the Library. Something that she originally figured was oriented around the convenient nature of Home. But when the others tried to do the same, it was near impossible. It was clear this was a part of her ability. Beat had connected with an eidetic memory associated to Home. If she didn't know something, she knew how to find information on it. Between that and the Hivemind they all shared, Beat had become the Butterflies' walking internet. As such she spend most of her time in the Library looking up anything she could find. Especially information on Help3r or Roivas.
On this particular day Mesay was helping Beat analyze the logs they had gathered from the past year. The two had poured over them all day. Pages and pages spread out over a large table between two of the bookcases on the first floor. They were interrupted by Izzie, running into the Library and up to where they were working.

"Beat! Mesay!", Izzie hollered. She had stopped just short of them and tried to catch her breath. Mesay rose from her seat.

"Izzie, catch your breath. What's going on?", Mesay insisted.

Just then an odd sound came from around the corner of the nearest bookcase. It almost sounded like the combination of a breeze and roaring flame.

"That.", Izzie finally offered.

The three quickly rushed over to the origin of the sound and found a taller man in his early thirties. He was in a simple t-shit and jeans and was surrounded in an odd oval of burnt carpet. Curled in the fetal position he coughed and shook.

"Paul!", Beat and Mesay yelled.

"Yeah, Paul. He's a butterfly now.", Izzie explained.

Beat and Mesay helped him sit up. Paul looked around wide eyed and shocked. His eyes glowed a bright blue before dimming down to his natural color.

"Beat? Mesay? Izzie? Where the hell am I?"

"Home.", Beat responded with a smile.

"Paul, what possessed you to become a butterfly?"

"Mesay!", Izzie scolded. "Come on, its Paul. You can't tell me you aren't super excited to see him."

"Well yeah but....This is still a dangerous gig Banana. I was hoping not to have to worry about anyone else.", Mesay confessed.

"Hey...", Paul started to get up. "Don't think you were the only one who was worrying." Paul wobbled and almost fell again. Beat and Izzie caught him and helped him over to the table with the spread out logs. Mesay lingered for a second and knelled examining the scorch marks. She had seen a number of butterflies transported via Roivas power. But never like this before. Mesay stood up and walked to the others. Paul was sitting in one of the chairs and grabbed his head.

"So that's the catch huh? Dizzy as hell and I'm not even tipsy.", Paul quipped. "Where am I again?"

The three caught up Paul to the situation and to his new home.

"Wow. Well....that explains a lot.", Paul said.

A blond, long haired woman with a hat and glasses ran into the Library. Followed by A dark, short haired woman with various tattoos and thick gloves on her hands.

"We came a soon as we heard.", Joie said as she adjusted her glasses from the run.

"So, Paul. Now your just as screwed as the rest of us huh?", Xuch jabbed.

"That's what I was saying.", Mesay agreed.

"What do you mean you heard?", Paul asked. "Oh...hivemind. For real huh?"

"Yup!", Joie smiled.

"Well isn't this just peachy. We got the old gang back together. One more trip into hell right guys?", Xuch asked.

"I sure as shit hope not. I got better things to do.", Mesay answered. "Paul, can you walk? You should have something to eat. Your going to get really hungry soon. Trust me on that."

"Yeah, the dizziness if fading a bit."

"Let me help you.", Xuch offered.

The six of them left the Library and escorted Paul into the Mess Hall. In the kitchen they all decided to fix a little something for themselves. Paul was amazed at the availability of nearly anything he wanted. But everyone was fixing sandwiches and he still too confused to bother being picky. Izzie handed him one as the others started to talk about their current situation. As Paul bit into the sandwich he didn't feel satisfied. In fact it wasn't anything like he really wanted. Something warm like comfort food would of set him right. As he took another bite he nearly spit out his food. The cold cuts were now hot, and the bread soggy from warm melted cheese that dripped on his fingers. Paul put down the sandwich and got up to grab a towel. Wiping the mess off his hands he wondered what happened to his food. Suddenly the towel smoked and singed where he was touching it. Izzie first noticed the odd behavior. It wasn't a moment later that everyone else did too as Paul panicked at the now burning towel in his hands. He dropped it quickly as Beat ran over to help. She stomped on the fire until it was out then reached out to Paul's hands to inspect them for burns. She grabbed his hands then in the same instant quickly pulled away. She looked down and saw her now burnt fingers.

"Get to the sink! Put your hands under cold water!", Izzie was already at the sink as she yelled and had the water running. Beat got there first and started to cool her hands. Paul followed but as his hands hit the water there was a loud hiss. Izzie and Beat both backed off to avoid the hot steam now pluming from the sink.
They all stood in amazement for a moment.

"Paul! Take you hands out of the water!", Mesay yelled. Grabbing a pair of hot mitts from the oven she walked over to Paul. She put the mitts on and when the steam had mostly dissipated, started inspecting Paul's hands. No burns, no singeing, no black, no damage at all. She removed her hands when the mitts started to smoke.

"Guys...what the hell is going on?", Paul demanded.

"Calm down Paul.", Mesay insisted.

"How can I calm down when everything I touch gets burned!" From Paul's hands grew two small fires. They licked and encircled his hands. He didn't even notice it.

Mesay motioned for Izzie and Beat to back off as she did the same. "Paul, just listen a second. There is something we didn't tell you about yet."

"What?", Paul desperately requested. The flames dissipated and fizzled out. Paul looked at his hands again and saw the smoldering heat rise up from them.

"There is another odd circumstance to being a butterfly. Apparently we all have received some kind of ability or another. When you enter Home the way you did. They tend to be a little more intense.", Mesay explained.

"Are you saying I got here differently than you?", Paul asked.

"Not me.", Mesay answered. "Some of us got here by plane or train or car. Others were transported here. By Roivas. Do you remember anything that happened before you got to Home?"

The imagery flashed though Paul's mind. He didn't remember much.

There was black.
                                              Then little points of light.
                                                                                                        Some odd form watching.

The next thing he knew he woke up in this strange place with all his friends surrounding him.

"I don't....not much. I don't remember much.", Paul tried to use words for the memory but it was too far out of reach.

"It's alright Paul. None of us do really.", Mesay comforted. "I know this is a lot to take in but I promise, you have everyone here to help you with whatever you need. And Home provides the rest. In a way, it's kinda fun."

"Yeah I mean come on guys. We basically have superpowers. We're fucking superheroes!", Xuch proclaimed.

That made everyone pause a second. Real superheroes. Real abilities. It really wasn't until now that they had grasped the full extend of their situation. Everything came so easy at Home that they found themselves not questioning much. And that scared them more than anything. One of the biggest fears they all had was becoming some kind of mindless puppets of Roivas. What better way than to give them all a treat. Something for their trouble. What exactly was the endgame here? And when would they need to do something more than just sit around and wait?

Mesay broke the silence. "Beat why don't you go find Blue and get that burn fixed up."

"Alright." Beat walked off in search for Blue.

Mesay took one hand out of a mitt. "I'm sorry Paul." She took her hand and tested it against Paul's. When she found it cool she took the other mitt off, grabbed his hands, and squeezed giving a soft smile.

"Sorry?", Paul asked. "For awesome superpowers and a trip through space and time? I should of signed up sooner. It figures you guys would be having all the fun while I sit at home and go to work."

Paul's quip took any heaviness off the group and made it disappear.

"OT% for life right?", Paul offered.

Mesay smiled, "Damn strait."

They all laughed and hugged at that. Even Beat could be heard laughing and joking along with them.

"This actual Hivemind thing is going to take a while for me to get used to though.", Paul admitted.

Butterfly Apocalypse: Brother

Chewie opened the entrance to Home and let it shut behind him. He was off again, and at daybreak when most of the others were asleep. Dox was awake of course. Watching Chewie leave the comforts of Home yet again. Chewie was one of the few of them that could actually leave and come back on a regular basis. Even if the potential risks kept most everyone inside, no one would of asked him to stay. They might be a family but they were also individuals and allowed their freedom.
He never shared where exactly he went in the middle of nowhere. Or even why he went out. Everyone assumed it was to find more butterflies and bring them home. Besides he always brought a large pack and his sword just in case. As Dox watched the gate close behind him he became conserned. It would be nice to be in on what Chewie was really doing. Dox worried just like the rest of them.

Even though it was early spring the desert was hot. The temperate climate he grew up in was a world away from this. But he was prepared. He dressed light, but made sure to keep his legs and torso covered. He also donned a pair of large leather work boots, and carried only what he needed for the time he was going to be gone. About an hour into his trek Chewie decided to take a break. The scenery was a desert but being so close to the mountains it afforded the area some water more often than the rest of the place. As a result a number of dried bushes and cacti grew in a spotty pattern. He threw his pack on the ground and used a large obliging rock as his seat. He took out the canteen of water and slugged a few gulps down. The heat was awfully oppressive. Chewie had given more than one thought to cutting his long hair and beard because of these excursions. But they served as protection from the sun. And besides, he liked his beard.
Chewie reached down into a side pocket of his bag and pulled out a black hair tie. He had been borrowing quite a few from Mesay since he got there. It was a quick way to cool off. As he reached up and began to tie his hair back a sudden noise made him freeze. The sharp rattle had taken him by surprise. Apparently the rock was also home to a now very upset rattle snake. Coiled back and ready to strike, Chewie assessed his situation. Any movement would set the snake off and with his hands by his head he wouldn't have time to do much. He took a slow deep breath. Then twisted off the rock pushing his boots toward the snake. The snake struck but hit only the deep sole of the boot. He lept off the ground and to his feet, taking out his sword in the same motion. The snake, determined to payback Chewie for his intrusion, struck at him again. But this time Chewie was ready. He quickly moved to the side and used flat end of the sword like a bat to knock the brains out of the snake. It flew a number of yards before finally falling dead. The force was enough to kill it instantly. Chewie walked over to where it landed.
"Sorry buddy.", he said. Returning to the rock he cautiously picked up his bag and canteen and continued on.

***

The neighboring mountains were still another hour away but the time seemed to go by soon enough. At the foot of them was a little brush and a rather large rock collection that formed into a perfectly sized cave. Chewie took off his pack and layed it down on ground. He spent the better part of the hour unpacking, setting up the tent, and getting everything ready for that night. Afterwords he walked over to some nearby bushes and searched for his prize.
The butterflies had been in any number of scrapes and scuffles with the Help3r drones and dolls over the time they had been there. Whatever wasn't claimed by nature would just be sitting around like fossils. Chewie had grown curious about these things and decided that learning more about them would be a good idea. But taking enemy technology into Home seemed like a pretty stupid. Especially with knowing so little about it. On one of his scouting trips he found a downed drone far away from Home. When he touched it, it seemed to spark and move. Eventually he learned that it would only do that at his touch. So he took the initiative and slowly learned how to control the machine by touching it. He had moved it into the area and used the large bush to hide it. He figured it had to do with some latent ability for him to control magnetic fields or electricity. Logic aside, everyone here had some kind of odd ability. That seemed to be his.
Chewie finished parting the brush to reveal his own personal drone. He opened a hidden side panel and took a look inside. The drone itself was mostly empty. Despite its size it has almost no mechanical components in it save a few wires and circuits. If he wanted, Chewie could probably even fit inside. The innards were cool to the touch. As if the thing had air conditioning. He wrapped his hand around the mess of wires inside and put the opposite hand on the base of the drone. The whole thing began to sputter and start. As if he was turning the keys in an antique car. The inside began to light up with little bits of the walls starting to glow and pulse. On the opposite wall, a small rectangular screen lit up. Chewie's eyes opened up wide.
That was new.
The screen seemed to be booting up and showed all kinds of numbers and Dos code. Eventually an empty prompt blinked in waiting. Chewie recognized it but wasn't sure where to go from here. He wasn't a programmer but he might be able to navigate this machine if it was set up like a computer. While Chewie was thinking he started tapping a finger on the base. The prompt started to move. Curious, he pressed other fingers on the base. Random letters appeared on the screen. He took his opposite hand off the wires and placed it on the base as well. Then be began to mock type.
The letters appeared on the screen.
Thrilled he continued to do this for quite some time. He finally found a series of lists. One was listed current infected. When accessed the private information of all the registered butterflies flew past the screen. Everything from address', to name, next of kin and phone numbers. Chewie stopped it as it reached Tadgh's info. It had everything, even some events of them as children. It carried a lot of truth. More than Help3r should know. Then he saw it. The Dos prompt offered the option to call Tadgh directly.
Chewie poked his head outside. The coast seemed clear enough. He crawled inside, making sure to keep his hands on the base at all times. He settled in a Indian style sitting position, took a deep breath and then typed, Call Queen Alexandra Birdwing. 
Some sort of speaker system turned on and the ring of a phone could be heard in the drone. A few rings went by before someone picked up and said, "Hello?"

"Tadgh? Is that you?", Chewie quickly asked.

"Sean? Where have you been?", Tadgh answered.

Just then Chewie was pulled violently from the inside of the drone. His hands flung from the base and everything inside went black instantly. As if someone has pulled the plug. Chewie landed a few feet outside on the dirt. His arms were a little cut from scraping the inside of the panel. He looked up and saw the hooded Help3r standing over him. Help3r showed Chewie his sword and tossed it behind him a number of feet. Caught was right. Help3r has super human strength.

"What the hell do you want?", Chewie demanded.

Help3r just breathed heavily. Chewie couldn't see but it sounded like a gas mask.

"Talk to me you twat!", He yelled.

Help3r just stood there looking down at Chewie. Then he picked up Chewie by his collar and threw him into the cave. Chewie hit his head on a rock and passed out immediately.
When Chewie woke up it was night time. His head ached and pounded. When he reached back there was even a little blood. He couldn't see very well but the full moon gave him some light to work with while he got a fire set up. He sat next to the fire and rested. As he was bandaging the wounds on his arm he noticed the drone was gone from its hiding spot. Help3r had taken his precious tool back. Chewie figured that when he was playing with it he must of activated some sort of tracking beacon. That led Help3r right to him. It was any wonder Help3r didn't kill him right then and there. But Help3r surely had more important things to attend to.
Chewie couldn't sleep. He took out a few dried meats and fruits he had packed away and ate those. Then spend the rest of the night making sure he could leave at first light. He would be coming back a few days earlier than usual. And this time empty handed. He learned all he could from the drone. And it would be a long time before he tried anything like that again.
At least everyone would be happy to see him at Home again.
At least Tadgh knew his brother was alive.
At least, he had family.