baylaust

Damian took a seat down beside his twin sister as both of them listened in on the conversation between Jason, Marina, and Alex. Jason folded his arms once again and looked down. "So, Joe is missing as well...? This is worse than I had feared..." Jason then unfolded his arms and looked at Marina. "You want to know if something bad is happening? Well, that I can't really say for sure. But I can sense it. Darkness is coming. That much is certain, and that much can't be stopped. Whether it can be defeated, I also don't know." Jason then turned himself so he was facing both Marina and Alex. "I was at Hollow Bastion when I was ambushed by someone. He called himself a "Barian." What that is, I don't exactly know, but whoever this person was, he was extremely powerful. He was standing a top a giant pile of dead Keyblade wielders, and he attacked me as well. I don't know who he is, but I know there's more out there, and whoever they are, they're coming for Keyblade wielders without mercy. They could be coming for you as well, if they haven't aready showed themselves. I came to warn you so that if they come, you can be ready." Alex gave a small smile. "Thanks for the update, Jason, but you don't have to worry. Just because Marina and I have been at peace for the last while doesn't mean we've gone rusty." Jason looked down and sighed. "Well, I hope you're prepared to back up those claims..." Jason then extended his hand, and a small burst of light shot out. Now in his hand, was the handle of his shattered Keyblade. "...because these guys seem to have a few tricks up their sleeves. Particularily problematic tricks..."

Just grab what's cheap and what's long. HDMI cords are pretty reliable, regardless of brand.

The hooded man looked at the handle of his shattered Keyblade, and gripped it tightly. Dismissing it, he opened both of his hands, and dual blades of light emerged in his palms. Shadows came at him from all directions, but he quickly and effortlessly cut through several of them quickly, before stabbing both the blades into the ground. Four pillars of light emerged around him, and span around as they spread away from him, slicing away the remaining shadows. The man stood up and dismissed the blades, looking around. This is serious... if these people have that kind of power... then I have to warn the others before it's too late... He opened his hand. "Darkness." A dark corridor then engulfed him. . . . Damian smiled back at Alexia and turned to Alex and Marina, their parents. "That's right, and you'll never believe this! So, while Alexia was hunting, I went into the old mansion, and I ran into this guy wearing a hood. And he said -" "He said that you shouldn't stray so far from home..." Everyone in the house immediately turned to see a hooded man in the room with them, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and his head down. Damian squinted his eyes, then they opened wide. "Hey, that's him! You're the guy I saw!!" The man slightly angled his head to Damian and Alexia, then turned his attention to their parents. "Alex. Marina. I need to speak to you both in private." Alex looked at Marina, then turned to Damian and Alexia. "Hey, you two hang out upstairs for a few minutes. You can come back down in a bit." Damian and Alexia looked at each other, slightly worried, before going upstairs. The man looked at Alex and Marina, and slightly pushed himself off the wall, stepping forward. "It's been too long..." He reached up and pulled off his hood, revealing a familiar face, with dark blue eyes, dark brown hair, and a scar over the right side of his face, going over his eye. "Jason?"

The hooded man sidestepped two of slashes from Kokayo, and ducked under a third before backflipping away from a fourth. He slightly turned his head to see a pile of dead Keyblade wielders in the distance. He then angled his head to the man he had just saved. "Run." The man nodded and ran away. The man then slowly turned back towards Kokayo. "I have not been hiding. I don't hide. And I suggest you look at a history book so you know what you're up against. Over 1000 years ago, I fended off an army of Nobodies from destroying the Land of Departure, and helped destroy an Organization of Nobodies that wanted to enslave all humans. I traveled over 1000 into the future to help stop a madman who wanted to destroy everything, a mere 15 years ago. And I've been spending my life since going where I need to, fighting to enact justice, protect those who can't protect themselves. I don't hide." His left hand began burning with darkness, while light was glowing in his right hand. His Keyblade, Two Become One, materialized, and he calmly brought the blade to his side and stepped forward. "Now then, come. Let me end your pain quickly."

In Hollow Bastion, in a dark allyway, a crime was taking place. A 30 year old man was having his wallet attempted to be stolen by a slightly older man. When he resisted, the thief pushed him against the wall and pulled out a pocket knife. "Now, give me all your money, or I splatter the alley with your blood!" "Let him go." The thief and the victim both looked up to see a man standing on the roof of an above building, wearing a hood that covered his face. The man casually walked off the building and plummeted to the ground, landing on his feet. The thief smirked. "Yeah? Who's gonna make me?" The man took a step forward. "I will." The thief laughed. "Okay, right!" From in his coat, he pulled out a pistol and fired three quick shots. The man raised his hand and the bullets were deflected in front of him. He put his hand down, and an invisible barrier of light appeared before vanishing. Before the thief could react, the man dashed forward and grabbed his wrist, disarmed him, and drew a Keyblade, holding it at his throat. "Now, you're going to go to the nearest police station and turn yourself in. You'll have half an hour to do so. If you haven't, I will come for you. And don't think I can't find you, because I will. And if I do, I will kill you. Now, go." The thief turned and started running for his life. The man who was getting mugged picked himself up a bit. "Hey, thanks a lot for the-" The hooded man had already turned and started walking away. "Go inside immediately, be careful from now on. Tell that to your neighbors as well, and if you know any Keyblade wielders, advise them to watch their backs." The man looked confused. "Wait, what's happening." The hooded man looked down. "I don't know... all I know, is that darkness is coming." . . . Damian smiled wide and shook himself from Alexia's grasp. "Alright, you got yourself a bet." The two turned to face each other and held out their hands, locking their pinky fingers together before shaking. The two then continued onward. "Hope you don't mind the sound of me bragging for eternity, because there's no way I'm gonna lose this one!"

Alex crossed his arms and looked down at the ground. His fists were clenching tightly at the memories of Athxson implanting Marina with his child. He wasn't angry at Marina at all for that, she had nothing to do with it, but the idea that Athxson actually went that far and did what he did to Marina, filled his heart with rage. His attention returned to Marina, who, as much as she tried to hide it, was clearly visibly shaken from this news. He sighed and sat down beside her, putting his arm on her shoulder and giving a reassuring smile. "Hey. We've been married for 15 years, you don't have to pretend you aren't upset. Try not to worry. Like you said, it could be nothing. And if it turns into something, we deal with it together, just like we always have." . . . Damian put his arms on the back of his head as he continued walking. "Hey, you're not allowed to complain. You're the one who was so dedicated to catching a rabbit. And as for a hero..." Damian's head drifted towards the sky. "I'd say a hero is strong, brave, loyal, smart. Not afraid of anything, always does the right thing and fights for what they believe in. And most of all, fights to protect the people they care about." Damian had a smile, and he turned to Alexia. "Ever since I heard those stories of all those wars from before we were born, I've wanted nothing more than to be like one of those people, fighting to save the universe. I think we could be, you and I."

Damian stared at Alexia, his eyes half closed. "You know, sis, 'doubt' isn't a good look for you. I wouldn't advise you wear it again in the future." The boy turned around again, still clearly excited. "But I have no doubt that this guy was some kind of hero. That white thing, it definitely wasn't a Heartless. It's hard to describe, but it moved strangely, and it had... I dunno, a zipper or something on its face. It chased me through the entire mansion, then that guy appeared and destroyed it in seconds! Picked it up by the neck and burned it in black flames! But he didn't say his name. He called himself a "shadow," an "old man in a new world." Which is weird, since he sounded like he was around mom and dad's age, if I just had to go by his voice. But yeah, let's definitely talk about it with mom and dad." Damian and Alexia then turned away from the mansion and started walking back into the forest. Damian took one last look back at the mansion, then turned to catch up with his twin sister. "Besides, you're my twin, you know me. If I was making that story up, it wouldn't end with someone coming to save me, it would end with me luring it into a trap and heroically destroying it... though I WAS leading it to a trap, mind you. I was never in any real danger, that man just happened to take matters into his own hands before my own plan came to fruition." . . . Alex looked over at Marina as she walked to the kitchen, a look of worry on his face. He thought back to what Jason had said so long ago. "Athxson's child... whatever happened to it? I don't sense any life inside of you, Marina, but knowing Athxson, he had accomplished that part of the plan. Likely accelerated the time needed to have his child. So it could still be out there, somewhere, and we still don't know what Athxson had planned for it." "Right... nothing to worry about..." Alex walked over and sat down beside Marina, looking at her drawings. He placed his arm around her shoulder. "Sure, drawing's hard, but you should give yourself some credit. You're pretty good. Better than I could ever hope to be, at least. I can't even draw a stick figure." He then leaned over to Marina and kissed her on the side of the neck. "And hey, no need to worry anymore. Even if trouble came knocking at our door, there's nothing we can't take on together." Alex and Marina then heard Judar's voice behind them, and they both turned around in shock. Alex's fist clenched and light began to gather in it, but he slowly eased his fist. He didn't want to start a fight, and drawing his Keyblade now would just be provoking him. Judar then told them that Joe was supposedly missing. Alex's eyes narrowed, and he took a step forward. "How do you know Joe? And how did you know where to find us? This house and our number are unlisted." Alex folded his arms. "Why are you really here? I doubt it's just to tell us someone's gone missing."

"41... 42... 43..." Alex was upstairs in his and Marina's room. He had jeans on, but no socks and no shirt, and he was doing push-ups. Now having retired from combat, Alex decided that now was as good a time as any to get into better shape. While he still had a relatively small frame, his muscles were significantly more toned and defined, allowing him to be significantly stronger while maintaining his trademark speed. Not that he needed it anymore, but it gave him something to do when he and his wife weren't having fun together or looking after their kids. He heard Marina answer the door, and he threw on a black sleeveless t-shirt, also putting on the locket he made for himself and Marina 15 years ago. He walked near the staircase, just close enough to hear the conversation. As he listened in, he heard them talk about Marina's daughter, "Rose." Rose? We only have an Alexia here, no kids named Rose, unless Marina's expecting again and has already named the kid without me knowing. Hey, anything's possible. Or maybe... Oh no. Alex reached the conclusion, seemingly at the same time Marina did downstairs. As she closed the door, Alex walked downstairs. "What's going on, beautiful?" . . . Damian was looking around the mansion to see if he could maybe find that strange hooded man again, when he heard the door of the mansion opening up. He quickly ran over to see Alexia at the door. "Hey sis! You'll never believe what just happened!" Damian ran over to her, out of breath. "Okay, so get this: I came in hear and was doing some exploring, when this white thing appeared and started attacking me. I ran through the entire mansion, but it followed me everywhere! And just when it was about to get me, this hooded guy appeared out of nowhere and destroyed it with his bare hands! And even stranger, he said he knew who the two of us were, and said that he had been watching over us for our entire lives, and he knew our parents! And to top it all off, he said we could be heroes too one day... well, he implied it!" Damian paused for a moment, and said, "Okay, saying it out loud makes me realize just how ridiculous it sounds, but it's true, believe me!"

Speaking as a huge PS fan, as much as I like and enjoy PSN, Live is simply the better service. Even though the price is really hefty, it just gets more things right than PSN, though I do believe PSN has some aspects that are superior to XBL. As for the Wii, I really don't know what happened there and how it failed so spectacularily. Haven't played Wii U, but I hope it fixed its online.

Damian looked up, still in amazement, at the hooded man. "Wha... how do you know my name?!" The hooded man took a few steps forward, away from Damian, and the boy stood on his feet. "I know everything about you. Both you and your sister. I've been watching over you two ever since the day you were born. Protecting you, keeping you out of harm's way." Damian looked surprised. "What? Do you know my parents?" The man nodded. "Yes... but we have not spoken in some time... as far as they know, I could be dead, or gone, or on business. I don't really know." Damian's eyes were wide with disbelief. "You sound like you're a hero or something." He heard the man give a small chuckle. "No... I'm not a hero... I'm just a warrior. An old man in a new world. I fight for justice, and to protect the weak. And as it so happens, you needed protection." Damian took a step forward, aggravated. "Well, you sound like a hero to me. And shut up, I'm not weak! One day, I'm gonna be a hero too! Just like mom and dad! Alexia and I, we both will!" The man looked down at the ground for a moment, then took another few steps forward. "Whatever you say... but don't fool yourself into thinking this is a glamourous life. It's anything but. Trust me. There are things out there you don't want to get involved with, no matter how "cool" they sound." With that, the man opened his right hand, and some kind of dark portal appeared in front of him. As he walked into Damian stopped him. "Wait, who are you???" The man stopped for a moment, without looking back. "I'm no one. Just an isolated shadow..." With that, he walked into the portal and vanished. Damian crossed his arms and looked at the ground. He was considered a "wise guy" by most of his family (something his dad had told him he inherited from him), but was also considered to be extremely ambitious for his age, and even if he was a troublemaker, he had nothing but respect and admiration for his parents. Even when he was young, learning about the stories from when his parents were young, he always dreamed of being a hero like them. And despite his sibling rivalry with his twin sister Alexia, he cared about her deeply as well, even if he would never admit it. With everything that had just happened, Damian only thought one thing: "Alexia is never going to believe me."

How do I get myself into these stupid messes?! The 14 year old dirty-blonde haired, blue eyed boy burst open the doors of the White Room in the Twilight Town mansion and ran out in a panic, being followed by a Dusk Nobody. He and his twin sister went out together to have some fun, but growing bored of his sister's bunny hunting (trying desperately to be a "man" and deny that bunnies were "absolutely adorable" [which they are, but he would never admit it out loud in front of his sister]), he had gone deeper into the forest and into the "haunted" mansion to look for some excitement. Which he soon discovered was a mistake, as a Dusk quickly appeared to stalk and hunt the boy. He ran across the hall and jumped down the stairs, hoping to get out of the mansion. He hoped that by getting out, the Dusk wouldn't be able to follow him. Thankful that he was wearing light, black track pants, his black running shoes, and a white t-shirt under a sleeveless hoodie (similar to his sister's, though not as low cut, and black), he athletically vaulted himself over the table in the grand hall of the mansion. When he landed, however, the boy stumbled and fell over. Turning himself over, he desperately kicked himself back until he hit the door of the mansion. The Dusk closed in on him, and the boy closed his eyes and covered his head. But the strike never came. He heard a mysterious sound above him, the sound of someone landing in front of him, and then the sound of someone grabbing something. Moving his arm and opening his eyes, he was awestruck by what he saw: a man in a black hood had appeared in front of him and was holding the Dusk up by its throat. Without a word, black flames engulfed the Dusk, and the man dropped it to the ground as it faded. The man then slightly turned his head towards the boy. He spoke with a quiet voice. "You're certainly far from home, Damian Roberts..."

It depends. If it's violence for the sake of violence and shock factor (like, say, COD's famous airport level), then yes, I'm against that. However, I'm fine with pretty much anything else. Games are made for different age groups in mind, not just kids, and these violent games clearly sell, and are usually of good to amazing quality. Way I see it, I can't learn how to kick a soccer ball by playing FIFA, so I'm not going to learn how to parkour and handle an AK with one hand from Uncharted, so that whole arguement is debunked. Games are a form of entertainment, just like movies or anything else, and as long as people have a grip on what's real and what isn't, what's right and what's wrong, these games won't have an impact. And if they can't make that discertion, it wasn't the game that did it. As for people playing games not meant for them (ex. an 8 year old playing COD), that's absolutely not something that should be happening, but again, not the game's fault. It's up to parents to know what their children are playing. These parents are often buying kids M rated games without having any idea what they're spending their money one, and when they find out, they blame the game. That's just lazy parenting skills. TL;DR, I'm fine with violence in games for the most part, and all these claims that game violence causes real violence, and kids are being exposed to horrific things because of video games, are bull.

Jason turned over to look at Lambda, who was now sitting beside him. "Things are never that simple. My entire life has been conflict. My earliest memories are of my brother vanishing and training to become a Keyblade wielder. I fought entire armies to keep this very world safe 1000 years ago. And now I'm a man out of time... my whole life has been fighting. Fighting to atone for the sins of others, fighting for justice, for what was right." Jason looked into his hands, one glowing with a radiant light, and the other burning with dark flames. "Most call themselves either light or dark. I belong to neither. Both give me their strength, yet neither has a hold over me. I have no allies, I have no enemies. All I do, is fight for what is right. It's all I've ever known, and that's all the future will hold for me should I continue living. It's not my intention to live in the past... but when your whole life, and the best memories, are literally trapped in my past, it's hard not to..." Alex looked at Marina as she playfully waved the extinguisher in his face, and he playfully stuck his tongue out at her. "My my, someone's feeling smug. Well, I guess I'll have to try my hardest to make the best steak of all time out of spite." Alex went over to the grill, threw the steak on it, and turned the grill on. About a minute later, a huge blast of fire had shot out of the grill. The steak was perfectly cooked, but Alex stood in front of the grill, his face covered in black ash, with his hands on his hips. "Hmm..." He turned to Marina. "I get the feeling I may have done something wrong."

Alex looked over to Marina with an eyebrow raised. "Uh... you HAVE seen me in front of a grill, right? Cooking isn't my strong suit." Marina crossed her arms and playfully glared at Alex, making him look up and sigh. "Fiiiiiiiine, we'll make steaks... but on one condition." Alex wrapped his arm around hers and began walking with her. "You're on standby with the fire extinguisher." Jason felt something tug at his shirt, and turned around to see Lambda. He gave a small smirk and turned back around. "I don't know. If it were up to me... I'd be home. Thousands of years in the past, with my friends, knowing that the future is in good hands. But... going through the Realm of Darkness to time travel was a one-way trip. There's no way back. I'm never going to see them again." Jason sat down at the edge of the world, putting him at almost equal height with Lambda. "I've always said, if I'm not dead, then the worlds still require something from me. But there's nothing left. All I want is to be with Azura and Quentin again..."

Alex looked around in surprise, and looked at his own body, as the several cuts, burns, and bleeding wounds seemingly repaired themselves. "Well, at least I already got my own climactic battle already." Alex then turned his attention to Vashle. "Don't worry about it. Honestly, I wouldn't have killed him either. Won't doubt for a second that I hated him with all my heart, but seeing what he went through... he was misguided as all hell, and I don't take back my feelings and words towards him, but he was driven to the edge by his own pain. He had his reasons... even if he WAS bats**t insane." Alex looked down and to his side, seeing Marina holding his hand. He slightly tightened his grip and gave a small smile. "So... I guess this means we're finally finished?" Jason remained standing on the edge of the Land of Departure, with his arms crossed and looking down over the edge. "Maybe... but there are still loose ends." Alex turned over and looked at him. "Athxson's child... whatever happened to it? I don't sense any life inside of you, Marina, but knowing Athxson, he had accomplished that part of the plan. Likely accelerated the time needed to have his child. So it could still be out there, somewhere, and we still don't know what Athxson had planned for it. And asides from that..." Jason looked down even further. "...I don't buy that this is the end yet. Call me paranoid, but it's just the feeling I get." Alex looked at Jason for a moment, then smirked. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to celebrate a victory every now and then." Jason turned his head slightly back, and gave a small smirk of his own. "Was never one for celebrations..."

(I really need to remember to post when we get close to climactic battles. Guess I'll just watch.)

Alex crumpled to the ground, temporarily in shock over what he had seen. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine... I won't lie, that probably would have had more of an emotional impact if I was involved with the RPs Athxson was in." Alex picked himself up, and redrew his Keyblade. "Stop lying to yourself, Athxson! Love didn't do this to you. This was anger, darkness, not love. If you were really driven to this by love, then you would never have done the horrible things you did! Sure, you lost a loved one, and I know the pain that comes from that. But do you honestly think that destroying the universe will make it all better?! Do you honestly think that this is what she would have wanted?! Ask yourself, if she saw what you were doing now, what would she say?! She'd see the same thing that we all see: a heartless monster!!!" Clearly that provoked Athxson, as he charged at Alex with his blade. Before it could connect, though, a dark corridor appeared beside Alex, and a Keyblade shot out, blocking Athxson's strike. The corridor vanished, and Jason was standing there. He then pushed Athxson back. "I hope you don't mind if I interrupt..." Jason held his Keyblade out in front of him, and placed his flat palm on the blade, with dark embers flickering in his hand. He then slowly ran his hand down the length of his Keyblade, as the weapon became engulfed with black flames. "...but I have to remind you of what I said earlier. You will not hurt anyone ever again."

I've always been really into voice acting as well. Best of luck.

I honestly don't see how anyone could vote for something other than Not Batman.

Took you this long to lose your faith?

Alex got up as well, looking down at the ground, shaking his head. "Athxson... just stop. You're wrong about everything." He swung his hand to the side and his Keyblade materialized. "I don't know why you chose us to torture, or what happened to make you into this monster that you are, but you haven't said a single word that hasn't been complete crap. First, you aren't this way because of love. You're the way you are because deep down, there's been a monster just waiting to come out!" Alex rested his Keyblade on his shoulder. "Second, you aren't stronger for casting aside your emotions, you're WEAKER! Things like fear, anger, love... those are what push us to our limits, make us fight harder than we ever thought possible, and you STRIPPED yourself of those things in the arrogant belief that you're stronger without them! Well, you were wrong about that, too!" Alex swung his Keyblade to his side, and light began to gather in it. "And third... I'm nothing like you.... besides, I'm far better looking." Giving a smirk, Alex then began spinning his Keyblade as a volley of light blasts continuously shot from his Keyblade.

For lack of a better term, Alex had been completely glomped by Marina. She had hug-tackled him to the ground, and they were all but rolling on the ground, holding each other close, laughing, and kissing. Eventually Alex had to stop and get some air, but both were lying on the ground and looking at each other. "Marina, we've known each other for a long time now. And I don't know what's going to happen in the future. Hell, I don't even know if this is the last RP we're ever going to have, or if this series is going to end up continuing. But there's only one thing I'm certain of: no matter what the future holds, I can't imagine it being without you. I want to be with you until the day I die, and not a day less." Alex then held Marina's hands, feeling the soft skin of her bare hands for the first time in an eternity. He gave his trademark smile. "And if we end up having kids, we're doing it the right way next time: just you, me, and actions I probably can't mention because this is a PG forum. But we'll do it right." For the first time in a while, Athxson had gone to the back of Alex's mind. All Alex could think now was that he wished this moment would never end.

Wrong. This is.

Alex was not in the best shape. Blood and cuts were scattered over his body, his white t-shirt and jeans both badly torn up, and dirt covered a good portion of his face. Most of that damage had been done when Alex managed to destroy Marina's gloves. But despite everything that had just happened, the moment Marina came up and hugged him, he didn't waste a moment in hugging her back, holding her as tightly as he could without hurting her. It sounded almost like he was laughing, but tears were coming out of his tightly shut eyes. "Stop, Marina. I'm the one who's sorry. I promised to keep you safe, I promised not to let anything happen to you. I'm so sorry, Marina." The two did nothing but hold each other for what felt like hours, until Alex pulled back and looked Marina in the eyes. "Athxson... he made you doubt how much I care about you, didn't he...?" She didn't even need to say anything, Alex could tell by the look in her eyes that Athxson had done exactly that. That bastard... Alex gave Marina a heartwarming smile. "Well, hopefully I can put those fears to rest. I have a couple things for you. First..." Alex reached into the pocket of his jeans, and pulled out the locket he had given Marina not even 24 hours ago, and placed it back on its home: around Marina's neck. "And second, this was something I had actually planned for the end of our anniversary, but given how a certain someone managed to ruin that day for us, and given everything that's happened, I want to do it now, in case the opportunity never comes up again." Alex reached into his back pocket and pulled something small out. "Now, close your eyes, Marina." Marina shut her eyes, and Alex placed the object into Marina's hand, before taking her hand and wrapping it tightly around his "gift." The first time Alex had truly held Marina's bare hand in 5 years. "Okay, now open and look." Marina opened her eyes, and opened and looked into her hand. In her hand, was a ring. With a beautiful diamond on it.

Marina's strike had sent Alex flying back, despite him blocking it. He hit the ground, and his Keyblade flew through the air and stabbed into the ground a distance away from him. Alex was growing weak, with Marina's brute strength constantly wearing him down. However, he saw something that fueled his determination: the gloves were at their breaking point. All they needed was one good strike, and Marina could be free for good from them. Alex slowly picked himself up from the ground, and looked up to see Marina charging at him, full speed and covered in green flames. This is it! One last chance! Alex got onto his feet, with his legs wobbling, and extended his arm. His Keyblade, stabbed into the ground far away, vanished. "Let..." Alex's Keyblade then rematerialized in his outstretched hand. "...Marina..." Alex then did a spin and swung at her. "...GO!!!!!!!!!!" As Marina charged him, she instictivly raised her fists to block his strike, and his Keyblade connected with her gloves at full force. The moment they connected, Alex could see the cracks in the crystals grow and spread. Green light began to burst out of them, and a huge blast of green light and fire consumed the immediate area. Alex flew back and hit the ground hard, rolling several times before coming to a stop. His Keyblade flew through the air and clattered on the ground before vanishing. Alex managed to get himself onto his hands and knees, coughing, trying to turn around and look through the smoke. "Marina... please tell me you're back..."