A/N: Though these are in their own branch, they still directly parallel the original work.  You should read the "official" 'Rude Awakeing' chapters if you want these to make sense!

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Seth glanced at the passengers in their official black "P.I.T.C.H." SUV as he sped off down the road away from the prison.  Victor was riding shotgun completely lost in this thoughts, staring off into space while he absently rubbed a thumb over his bottom lip.  Sid had activated a cold pack and was holding it to Chase's eye - the bruise forming on it was already spectacular.  For his part, Chase had thankfully regained concsiousness a few minutes earlier but had yet to say a word.  Seth frowned at that; the tech was normally kind of a motormouth... the hit may have caused a minor concussion...

Tyler, poor kid, sat in the far back of the rig by himself and kept his gaze locked out the window.  His eyes were wide and he couldn't seem to sit still; Seth couldn't blame him.  Having a hostile aiming for you was never fun, but on your first time out?  They'd probably be looking for his replacement come morning.

"Why me?" he suddenly blurted out, snapping everyone out of their thoughts.

Chase groaned.  "Victor, next time you screen newbies, make sure you don't snag a 'pure', okay?  I don't need their virgin mojo rubbing off on me and giving me concussions."

Seth smirked.  Maybe Chase would be fine, after all.

Tyler sat forward.  "I'm not a virgin!"  He was met with four pairs of unbelieving eyes.  "Guys, I swear, I'm not.  I can call up my ex right now and-"

Sid waved her hands.  "No, please, we don't need your tmi!"

Victor furled his eyebrows; his first guess regarding Tyler being used as target practice went along the same line as Chase's - hostiles, or at least the ones that weren't simply human spirits, weren't very keen on "pures."  It wasn't really a question Victor brought up during screenings, though, since most people would probably lie about it anyway.  He just did his best to make judgment calls and hopefully weed out anyone that would be a risk out in the field.  Tyler, barely nineteen with a self-sure attitude, build of the competitive swimmer that he was, short spiked brown hair and slate blue eyes, didn't exactly strike Victor as the type who had any trouble with the girls.

"Religous tattoos?" Chase proceeded with an almost interogative voice.

"Oh, yeah, on my back I have a huge freakin' Jesus flipping you the bird," Tyler sassed back, making Victor snort.  The sarcasm was one of the things that had won the kid a spot on the team.  You had to be able to handle the rest of them if you had any hope of sticking around.

Chase was unphased.  "Was there some Saint in your family ancestry?  Or maybe you were like a serial killer in a past life and this dude just really, really took offense to that."

Tyler looked up at Victor.  "Is he serious?"

Victor sighed.  "Serious, yes.  Logical?  Not so much."  Chase flipped him off and turned back to stare out the window as the team leader continued.  "Look, I don't really know why that thing went after you.  It might be because you're the youngest, or something as asenine as not liking the sun pattern on your shirt.  I honestly don't know enough about you or it to give us any clear answers; and if it was talking, it sure as hell wasn't in English."

His phone rang, cutting off any further discussion, and he frowned as he checked the caller id.  "Miles?  What's going on?  I thought I told you to call Vince."

"Uh, I did," Miles answered on the other end.  "He's here...and he sort of, uh, is it normal for you guys to-"

"He go over?" Victor cut him off.

"If that's what you call hitting the ground like a lead weight..."

Victor shut his eyes.  His brother really needed to learn more tact when it came to using their special abilities.  "How long?"

There was a short pause on the other end.  "Four minutes?"

With a nod, Victor checked the time on his watch.  "If he's not out in ten, call an ambulance.  Then call me."

"Yeah, that's pretty much what he said," Miles informed him.

"Then what are you calling me for?" Victor sighed again.  "Trust him, Miles, he knows what he's doing."

"...Okay...just making sure," the other investigator answered hesitantly.  "...Are there any special instruct-"

"This isn't like giving blood here, giving him a cookie when he comes back won't-" he smirked.  "On second thought, you should give him a cookie when he wakes up.  Tell him it's from me and have him give me a call.  There's something I need him to see."

With that he hung up his phone and checked his watch again, wondering how close to the mark Vince would push it this time.  After the night they already had, Victor really didn't want to have to go in after his twin again for staying in the wrong plane past his ten.  The last time had nearly been a disaster and with some rather unpleasant aftereffects to boot...

Another minute ticked by on his watch.

"Hey Seth, take the route that swings us by Miles' job, would ya?" he requested, holding a hand to his head.

Seth almost blanched.  "You don't have to go pull him out again, do you?"

"I think I might just go in early this time, play it safe.  It's easier that way."

With a nod, Seth cranked the wheel towards the Bachman residence and floored it.  He had seen what could happen first hand if the boys stayed in past ten and the consequences weren't pretty...