They came in the night. My Cepan woke me, telling me in hushed tones to get my things, and my Chest.

The Mogs were here.

I can still feel the first two scars being burned into my leg, as if a branding iron was being welded to my skin. I had no wish for the other 6 after me to have my number burned into their legs, so I followed my Cepan's orders, grabbing my chest and wiping away any trace of our being there.

Within minutes we'd destroyed any evidence of our existence in this town, the small city in Kenya. Nothing on the internet to suggest that we'd lived here, and no documents in the records to prove we were here.

We were still too careless for the Mogs to find us; too reckless in training and not reclusive enough when choosing our home. Somebody had been watching us, tracing our every move the last month. I knew this too well, but I was scared; if they knew I knew, then they might send others to hurt me, or even my Cepan.

A crash in the trees broke into my thoughts, my head whipping up and to the left. My Cepan, Makara, flashed some hand signals. I nodded, understanding what she meant. I was to stay here, while she checked out the disturbance. Rising quietly, Makara set off in the direction of the noise, while I readied my Legacy.

I only had one Legacy, but that was enough. If needed I could turn my own body into a weapon, but it would only last for a few minutes. I could only manipulate one part of my body too, the lower part my left arm. Unfortunately my other powers hadn't had time to mature, leaving me nearly powerless. Focusing on my bones, I morphed my arm into something akin to a sword, with a long, slender blade and a wickedly curved end at my elbow. I'd tried to create other things, but it seemed that the more complex the weapon was, the harder it was to create and the more it drained my energy.

Hiding my weaponized arm under my cloak, I scanned the jungle around me. Nothing out of the ordinary, but I knew something was out there. A trap, maybe? By drawing us out into the open, the Mogadorians could effectively destroy us, and with the trees around, nobody would be any wiser.

A soft, hushed breathing sounded from behind, making me jump. From the trees surrounding me, a single boy stepped forward with his hands raised in surrender.

"I know who you are, Hannu. Or rather, Number Three." The way I reacted told him that he was right. "I've come to warn you."

My face twisted in confusion. "What do you mean, warn me?" I tried to keep the fear from my voice; only a Mogadorian could have gotten so close to our home without being spotted by Makara. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The Mog boy sighed. "I thought it might come to this. Look, your Cepan is out there, about to get jumped by a Mogadorian Squad. I may be a Mog myself, but I don't like the way my family works. I don't think that killing is the answer. They, my kind, think that by conquering the universe they'll control everything. But what is there to control when you've destroyed it all?" He hung his head. "I killed the first one, the one you called Number One. I regret that, but as the humans say, you can't change the past, now can you?"

I shook my head. "No, you can't. But why warn me?"

The boy extended a hand. "I've changed since then. I want to help the Garde, not kill you." He cocked his head, listening for something. A scream sounded, the sound of Makara being killed. Before it died, however, I got one last message from her. "Go to Florida, find Four. Tell his Cepan to act now!"

The Mog boy turned back to me, his words faster and more hushed. "It's too late. They must have found her and disposed of your Cepan already. I can't help about that, but I can help hide you. I can lead you away from the others, take you to a safe house."

I nodded slowly. Part of me wanted to trust him, but another part of me was screaming to kill him. Just the fact that He'd killed One was reason enough to skewer him. "And if you're lying?"

He crouched, bringing himself to my level. "Then you can run me through with that arm you're hiding under your cloak." He had no problem saying this, almost as if he was ready for it.

We stood, Me with my Chest, him with a sword he'd pulled from his belt. Holding it aloft, the Mog rushed through the jungle trees ahead of me, slashing the vines and branches down. I followed, ready to cut down any Mogadorians that appeared.

Shouting could be heard from behind us, probably the Mogs who killed Makara. That only made the one in front of me hurry faster.

I swung my head around to look back where we'd come, only to see what I'd feared most. Despite the rather large head start, The Mogadorians had gained on us. I turned back to the one helping me.

"Where to, kid?" My question came out in a pant, my exhaustion beginning to show. "We're running out of jungle, and I'm pretty sure there's more out in the plains.

He nodded, confirming my thoughts. "Yeah, there's definitely more of the squad waiting to ambush you as soon as you exit those trees. However, I can provide a way out." He stopped where he stood, about 500 yards from the tree line. Bending down to the ground, he brushed away a pile of leaves and vines, revealing a metal door set into the ground. Lifting the lid, he jumped inside before motioning for me to follow.

I looked down into the pit, wishing that I had a Night Vision Legacy right now. An object glinted inside, my guide beckoning me down. Holding my breath, I jumped into the darkness before he pulled the hatch shut, an unknown force positioning the leaves on top to hide us.

A spark flashed, then a flame appeared in my guide's hands. He was holding a lighter, an odd thing for a Mogadorian to do, but then again, helping the Garde was odd too. He walked ahead, the light pushing the void away.

"There's a stash of Mogadorian weapons up ahead. You can use them to push through the defenses, possibly wiping out the whole squad at the same time." He spun around, looking me dead in the eyes. "There's also a ship. I can't show you how to work it, but it would be a shame if you just happened to have a hostage who knew how to fly the ship." He said the last part with a smirk, causing me to smile.

"Very well. Would it be a shame if I just happened to steal all of the weapons?" I asked with my own smirk.

"It wouldn't be a shame, it'd be a disgrace." We shared a smile, then turned back to the path. Within minutes we'd reached a cavern filled from wall to wall with all sorts of Mog weapons, a few of which I didn't recognize. In the middle of the room was a Mog ship.

Sleek and silver, the ship was obviously built for speed. There was just enough room for two people inside the cockpit, the rest of the space was filled to the brim with weapons. It boasted an unimaginable array of on-board weaponry, not to mention the ones inside the craft, and from that the Mog boy was saying, instantaneous transmission. When I looked at him, confused, he sighed.

"Teleportation. That's how we're getting out of here." I nodded, then began gathering the Mog cannons along the wall, shoving them into my Chest. The Mog boy scooped up the swords, opening the cockpit and throwing them in the back. He pulled the unfamiliar weapons from their casings, checked something and nodded, apparently satisfied before tossing them in the back too.

It was a bittersweet feeling, being able to open my chest on my own now, but helpful in the circumstance. I thanked the stars I was alive, even if Makara wasn't.

A pounding was coming down the corridor we'd come through, echoing loudly in our ears. Dropping the last of the swords into the ship, the boy called out to me in hushed tones.

"Get in the ship! I'll stall them as long as I can." He rushed off to the mouth of our cavern, pulling boulders from the walls and tossing them in a pile haphazardly. Shaking his head, he told me to toss him a cannon. I happily obliged, as long as it meant I'd get out safely.

Shouldering the cannon, he began to fire off shots into the dark, screams echoing each time he shot. Turning to the walls of the cavernous tunnel, he fired once, twice more, then ran as the rocks overhead began raining down, blocking the entrance.

Holding my hand out from the cockpit, I beckoned for him to hurry. He reached the ship, jumped and grabbed my hand, then swung himself into the pilot's seat.

"Ready, Three?" He sounded eager to get out of the tunnel. Nodding, I motioned for him to go ahead.

Punching in a few controls, the Mog boy flew into action. Seconds later the ship was at half power, and in the next minute it was rearing to go. Turning to his passenger, he spoke.

"I'm Adamus. It's a pleasure to meet you, Three. Not as much as it is to smash a few vat-born heads together, but almost."

Smiling, Adamus turned back to the controls and pressed a button, the ship humming underneath his touch. A flash of light shook the cave, then we were gone, out over the ocean.

I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. Thanks to this boy, a traitor to his own kind, I'd survived. "Thanks, Adamus. I owe you one."

He shook his head. "No, Three. I owe you. I was the enemy in this situation, yet you trusted me. For that, I'm grateful."

I placed a hand on his back. "It's alright, man." I held out my other hand, clenched in a fist. "From now on, we're in this together."

Taking my lead, Adamus did a knuckle bump. "I guess we are." He thought for a moment, then added, "Any idea where Four through Nine might be?"

I blinked, taken back. "Before you came, no. However..." I trailed off, putting together what Makara had said.

Adamus turned around, eyes wide. "However what?" He was anxious to get as far away from the squad as possible.

I smiled, the notorious glint in my eye that Makara always said I got right before I did something dangerous. "How's Florida sound?"

A.N.

Hey guys, just thought I might try my hand at a Lorien Legacy, namely Three. He doesn't get much of a story, and while reading Rise of Nine, I thought "How would this be different if Three were here?" And thus, the birth of this story. I know in the movie that Three's Cepan is a guy, but I changed it to a chick because that's just my personally liking. Anyways, tell me what you think!

-Discordian