Lucas smiled at Mirage's joke.

"Something I will definitely check into, Helena. For now, just rest easy, all right?"

Lucas hung up the phone after talking with Rodger. He did think about sending that message out to the rest of the Legacy....but to whom? Mirage was here....Hunter was....Hunter....and who knew where Hotwire was?

And Friday?

She was a million miles away....or she might as well have been.

Damnit.....I am the Champion of Light...no matter what ANYONE says....this is why I was brought back....

He then leaned over and kissed Helena softly on her forehead.

"Hey beautiful...something has come up...hostage situation at the hospital...stay here...mend up...I'll be back soon..."

He then went out the back way into the alley, and once again summoned his armor. Heading for the hospital...

>>>>>>>>>To Weston City Hospital>>>>>>>>>>>>

Mirage lay stretched out on the bed.  She'd occasionally grimace from a spike of pain but she was slowly, very slowly, feeling better by tiny bits.  It gave her time to think about a few things, other than Lucas.

A rose that had appeared and disappeared.

That strange teddy bear in her condo.

What did they mean, if anything?  Were they somehow related to her illusion powers?

pm

Mirage sat up suddenly and winced.  Her side still hurt but it was getting better.

She glanced around the room, expecting to find someone there but there was only her.

As mirage is considering what the hell is going on there is a knock at the back door.  SHe hears a familiar voice saying "Lucas open up."

Hunter?  What was Hunter doing here?

Mirage lifted herself up to her feet painfully and opened the back door.  Her crimson smoke whirled about her briefly to hide her costume, leaving her in a sleeveless sundress.

"Lucas isn't here at the moment, Hunter." She said to her team mate.  "Is there something the matter?"

Don was, oddly enough, dressed in a dark blue suit and tie. "YOu culd say that. I just got attacked by our prison busters union. Since everyone knows where I live I was-" He stopped frowning as he looked at Mirage. "Are you okay?"

Mirage gave Hunters concern a dismissive wave of her hand.  She hated showing any form of weakness.

"I'm fine.  Just a little battered from a bank robbery earlier.  So escaped prisoners are gunning for you?  What do you plan to do about that?"

Hunter frowned but didn't press the matter further he could understand the reluctance to show weakness. "Same thing I was going to do before they started gunning for me, fidn their boss and take him down. As for the immediate I was gonna see if I could stay here for a few days till I could finda  new set up, I'll have to sell the condos its too dangerous fo rthe tenants now that I've been outed."

"Why not stay at the old HQ or even the new one?" Mirage offered.  "If there are people out to get you, wouldn't it be better to remove yourself to someplace safe, where there won't be any civilian casualities?"

"Because the new one is a little too out in the open for my tastes, I don't want these punks being able to find me easy. No one knows LUcas' identity or even that the two of us are connected as Civvies, then I'll just get a safehouse set up where I caan operate form until we've taken care of Little Bertelli/."

"A good reason I suppose.  You'll have to catch up with Lucas then." Mirage said.  "He's at the hospital.  Some sort of trouble going on there and he was called in."

HUnter Checks his watch. "I've uhh, got some place to be soon don't want to get caugh tup in a fight and miss it. but let him know I stopped by, or I'll just catch him later.."

"I'll let him know, Don." Mirage said.  She wasn't Lucas' secretary and probably would have said as much, but Don was a friend and team mate and his reasoning was understandable.

Mirage looked at Don skeptically.  "Is something going on, Don?  DO you need a hand with anything?"

Don nodded. "Thanks." When Mirage asked if he needed help Don shrugged. "Not in the usual way. Remembering that kidnapping we broke up a couple days ago? Well Eleanor Van Diemien is an old friend, in fact her and...my wife, were very close and well... she says Ellen told her something before she....died, and that she's going to relay the message."

Hunter had been married?  That bit of news caused Mirage to raise her eyebrows at her team mate.  It was a bit of a surprise, she couldn't picture Hunter married.

"I see.  I didn't know about your wife, Don.  I'm sorry to hear that she's no longer with us.  Do you need any moral support?"

WHen Mirage offered moral support it was Hunters turn to raise his eybrows, she didn't seem like the ttype to give hugs and say there there. "I'll be fine I'm just wondering what the hell this message is gonna be."

Mirage wasn't surprised that he'd turn down her offer of support.  On one hand she wasn't even sure why she had offered, but she liked Hunter.  Sure they'd had their differences in the past but he was just as fierce a fighter as she was, not backing down from a verbal or physical altercation.

"Alright.  Good luck with that.  You have no idea what the message could be about?"

"I really have no clue. Nora said Ellen, told her to tell me, when I was ready but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be ready for..."

Mirage was about to ask about Don's wife but he might not like to dredge up painful memories of the woman.  She held her tongue instead.

"You know how to get ahold of me if you need me." she said.

Hunter nods. "I know" Don checks his watch again. "Well I oughta be goin, you know where to reach me if something comes up." And with a nod and a wave Don was out the door, back in his car, and on his way to

>VAN DIEMIEN HOUSE>>>

Mirage watched Don leave and then closed and locked the door.  She limped back to Lucas' office and scrawled Dons message on a note which she put on the desk.

She sat heavily down on the couch once more and closed her eyes. She'd rest up here for just a little longer, just regain a little of her strength and then she'd head home.

>>>>>>>>From The rooftops>>>>>>>

Dragon Fist landed in the backalley, and then retracted his armor. Using the backdoor access, he went inside the dojo.

It sounded like Flip was finishing some things, but wasn't in the office, so he went to check on Mirage.

"Hey beautiful...sorry to rush off like that...there was a hostage situation at the hospital, but it's been taken care of. You feeling better?"

Mirage had her arm raised, her top off, and was looking at her side in the bathroom.  She might as well have resembled a mummy for all the bandages around her torso, except that hers were decorated with red spots of blood.

How could she have been so careless as to get shot?  That rarely happened to her anymore.  There was no way that she'd be able to go to her physiotherapy with this.  She'd have to call in and make up some excuse.

Frowning slightly is disgust, Mirage lowered her arm and used her illusion casting ability to hide the bandages.  She'd feel terrible for a few days and maybe she'd have to just disappear while she healed up.

No, she couldn't do that.

Her phone buzzed and Mirage checked the message as her sundress reappeared.  It looked like good news from Don.  Perhaps his meeting hadn't been so bad.