The Young Ishtarites

Micah burst into the room on the third floor, looking around the giant room. White walls, with wooden tables lining up two thirds of the room in perfect order, the other being lined with empty buffet tables and giant plastic containers made for holding juice. There were already a few people calmly searching for codes, but he didn't have time for that. He began flipping over tables, hoping desperately for a code to be hidden underneath it. He flipped over a column of three tables, bumping into somebody as he was about to move onto the next.

"Do you mind?!" He spluttered at them, before realising who it was.

Good ol Odebode, alongside some girl behind him. Gemma, that actress lady.

"Oh, hey Odebode." He said, instantly changing his tone in an attempt to be more pleasant. "Looking for codes?"

"I am, yes. And why would you be destroying this room?" Odebode sighed, gesturing Gemma to get behind him.

"Because that goth bitch and that goddamn serial killer stole my codes! So excuse me if I'm kind of desperate at this point!" He ended his statement with agitated jazz hands, and Gemma took a few steps back as Odebode summoned his sword.

"I believe you should calm down."

"Oh, are we really doing this?" Micah let out an exasperated sigh, running a sharped nail across the thumb on the opposite hand, covering the bloody thumb with his hand producing a jagged crimson blade.

Leonie's voice rang out loud over the intercom. "Remember, no killing! Or dismemberment, that's my job!"

Odebode lunged towards Micah, who dodged the attack and responded by flailing his hand around hoping to hit him, and the noise he made determined it was successful.

Odebode ran his hand across his face. Blood. He focused on Micah's slashes, getting a small bit of distance. He silently observed Micah for a few seconds, and when he swung upwards he dashed through it, hitting Micah with the blunt end of the sword, and he hit the wall. He watched his body twitch, so he was alive. Unfortunately, he was still conscious, as he got up again. They both looked towards the now melting blade on the floor, and Odebode approached him, ready to strike.

Until the momentum stopped.

That was the first thing he noticed, alongside his ears and nose filling up with water, before feeling nothing at all, as he fell to the floor.

"Sheesh, what did I walk in on?" Eric asked, retracting the water back into his hand. He looked towards the doorway, gesturing for Vanessa to come in. She did, shaking slightly, her eyes widening at the two comatose guys next to her.

"Relax, they always wake up." Eric mumbled, adjusting the blue spikes on his mohawk. He saw Vanessa run out of the corner of his eye, and he began to run after her. He only got a few steps in, before seeing her embracing Huang.

"Oh, thank fuck." He muttered rapidly.

"Ah, Eric!" Huang said with joy. Not enough joy to show his pupils, but still joy. "Good to see both of you in one piece!"

"Same here, buddy." Eric sighed happily. "You see Wendy anywhere, actually?"

"Last I checked, she was on this very floor!" Huang replied. "Wendy, dear? Eric has arrived!"

Wendy came out from what appeared to be the starting room, and immediately ran to Eric's side once she saw him.

"Alright, Wendy? I think I know one of the codes to the door. If it doesn't work, get back to me as fast as you can."

"Wait, how?" Wendy replied, taking a step back.

"I just do, okay? Call it a hunch. Huang, you got a pen?"

Huang starting patting the pockets of his suit in an odd rhythm that probably existed in his head, pulling out an ink pen. He patted a bit more, and a frown came across his face.

"The pen remains, yet my cards have vanished." He said after a few seconds.

"I'll write it on her arm, it'll be fine." Eric replied, taking the pen and writing the code on the back of Wendy's hand.

"Alright, get going."

Wendy ran for the elevator, with Gemma following with a code of her own, leaving just the three of them alone with the two unconscious people.

"Now, where would the codes be?" Huang whispered to himself, checking behind the white curtains of the windows, and coming out empty handed. Eric noticed a plastic beverage dispenser on top of a small wooden table that looked to be in very good condition. Without much thinking, Eric kicked it over, spilling some water on the floor. The health and safety violation was worth it, as a code was hiding underneath. The code was underneath the table, and he went to pick it up without thinking, undoing what looked to be tape above the code, and feeling a sharp pain across his index finger. He gave a quick glance at his finger and gave it a slight squeeze, and blood came out. He decided to use his abilities, feeling the water bubble inside of his chest, before moving into his fingers, and three strands of sentient water moved out of his fingernails. The three strands got behind the code, releasing it. Eric looked, and sure enough, there was sharpened metal behind it.

"Shit. Yo, Huang. You got a bandage or something?"

"Don't think I do." Huang raised his head from rummaging behind a wooden bar counter, checking his pockets slightly. "I do not. Why, did something occur?"

"Nothin' major. I got a code, so it's all good." He shrugged. "Just hurts like a bitch."

"I got stuff!" Vanessa yelled out, pulling a band-aid out of her jacket. Eric provided his index finger, and she carefully wrapped the band-aid around it.

"Where'd the tat come from?" He asked.

On the back of Vanessa's hand was a tattoo, looking like an unfinished version of Huang's. While he had a bird with two circles around it, Vanessa only had the body and one of the wings.

"Oh, this? I just thought it looked nice." Vanessa responded politely, looking at Cyrus as he walked in.

"Come on now, Vanessa! Leonie's voice stabbed through the back of her head and forced it's way into her ears. "You can just say you and your friend behind the bar are a part of the young Ishtarites! Or at least you're a member. Huang on the other hand…well, at least he's one of the more interesting, being a cult leader and all."

Eric looked over at Huang, and back at Vanessa, who backed away slowly.

"It's…it's not a cult! It's…a collective of people who believe the same thing!"

"Vanessa, my dear." Huang came out behind Eric in complete silence, handing her a code. Vanessa bolted for the door without a word, bumping into Cyrus and making her way into the elevator.

"Alright, Huang. What's the deal with you two?" Eric asked.

"You have a code, correct?" Huang mentioned politely, but with a noticeable venom in his voice. "You should go now. But have faith, for I will survive this challenge. I guarantee that."