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“I’ to find Mace’s bat It has to be with theht? I mean, instinct would tell it to find the other bats” She took a deep breath and screeched “Bat!”

“What the hell?” Striker gaped at his teammates “She knows about his animal?”

“Yeah” Ignacio shrugged out of his waterlogged shirt and wrung it out “We need to take her with us and sort this out”

Keiko turned a fiery glare on Ignacio, which would have been funny under any other circumstances She was tiny, battered, and clearly exhausted She was a woman as at the very end of her resources, and she was facing off against a man with twice her bulk and a whole lot more muscle Striker could see why his friend was enamored by her

Worthy reement

“You’re taking o where he goes” She pointed at Mace before turning her face back to the sky “Baaaat!”

Striker ran a hand over his bald head “That isn’t going to work His animal doesn’t listen to anyone but him”

“Not even him, half the time” Sandi brushed the hair from her brother’s forehead

Keiko didn’t listen “Bat, get down here I know you’re up there!”

Striker didn’t see how she could know any such thing It was just wishful thinking

He caught Ignacio’s eye “You think it’s still trapped in the research facility?”

“Who knows? I haven’t seen it, but it’s got to be alive”

Yeah, because Mace was still alive, and even though they’d never tested their premise that if one half of their weird little duo died, it would mean the end of the other, they all believed that was exactly ould happen

“Bat!” Keiko screeched “Get down here now Stoparound with your friends”

Striker let out a sigh as two tanklike vehicles ca to a halt on the rise above them Gray bolted out of the first vehicle, closely followed by several more members of his team