Hey guys! For the continuity police: this story takes place between Caterwaul ch 4 & 5. If you read the end of Caterwaul 4, then you can skip the first bit here. It's just reprinted for those people who aren't reading Caterwaul!

For those of you who have been following the Shadow series, well, this is the third fic. First was Casting Shadows, then Shadowy Domain. For any newbies who haven't read any of these things and don't want to, I think I've done it so you don't have to. Any questions, e-mail me!

I'm leaving in a few days, so this most likely will be left unfinished for a few weeks. Sorry!

January & February Fiztgerald, along with Dana, Kit, and Colin are all mine. Risk is up for grabs (though she is someone I made up. This means that if you want to use her, there's no reason for a disclaimer, and I won't get mad! If I wanted her, I'd copyright her!) No one else is, and I'm not making any money off this. {gasp} I think that's all. Go read, have fun, and tell me what you think!
Shakti

Lost in Shadows ch 1

"We have the house in our sights," Lieutenant Agrowizt said as he waited just outside the mansion.

"Go get it." Came the voice on the other end of the line.

Agrowizt raised the loud speaker to his mouth and said clearly, "January and February Fiztgerald, come out with your hands up! This is the police!"

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Risk grabbed her gun, one of many, and ran down the hall after January and February. This was so bad. She had been doing research on the people who wanted the twins, thinking it didn't make any sense that they were after them, but not her. It wasn't the government at all. It was an independent underground mobster with a lot of money and clout. A mobster who wasn't a mobster, had no birth records, social security, insurance, no name even. But quite a few high powered contacts. This was really bad.

The men outside? They weren't police. They were getting ready to bomb the place to keep their weapons from escaping.

"January! Did you get the transporter fixed?" Risk shouted ahead, watching as the two girls ducked under a window.

"I really hope so. It should work."

Risk bit back the word that sprang to mind. "Should? SHOULD?! Are you trying to get us killed?!"

"I think it will, I mean theoretically there's no reason why it won't."

Risk tried to calm herself. It was her own fault after all. Letting a sixteen year old girl create a machine that not even scientists had been able to do yet. Even if it was one of that girl's powers.

"We're here. I need a house. It doesn't work without a solid destination yet. Someone give me a phone number!"

Risk spit out the first one that popped into her head and tried to remember the name that went along with the number.

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Kit licked his ice cream bar, then looked at Colin. "What did Jonny tell you about babies?"

Colin scratched his head, then turned to his brother and sister who sat beside him on the back steps. "He said that they came from kissing, and that I didn't have to worry about it."

Dana giggled.

"Hadji said they were gifts from people that you loved lots."

Dana laughed again. "That's not right. Jessie told me the real reason, she even had a book about it."

"Then where do they come from?" Colin asked.

"Birds called "storks" bring them in baby blankets," she informed them primly.

"Ohhhh," was said in unison.

Kit licked his bar again, then sniffed. "Someone's coming."

Jonny opened the door, almost hitting the cats sitting there. "Hey guys! What's up?"

Bandit ran out, barking hysterically. Kit yowled and dropped his ice cream, running off toward a bunch of trees. Bandit followed, hot on his heels. With one mighty leap Kit landed in a branch, then turned and hissed down at the dog. Bandit gave one last "whuff" then headed out to bark at passing butterflies.

"What was all that about?" Jonny asked.

"Kit's afraid of Bandit."

Jonny looked down quickly, then joined the two on the steps. "Why?"

Colin shrugged, then took a big bite of ice cream. Jonny watched as his eyes got big and he leaned over to spit it out in the grass. "That's cold!"

Dana rolled her eyes and slapped the back of his head.

All three looked up as a strange sound started, sort of a rushing, as if a bunch if air was suddenly pushed away to make room for something else.

A second later the twins and Risk stood there. Jonny's jaw dropped and he stood up as the door swung open, Race running out, gun drawn.

"Jonny, get--down?" Race smiled, then broke into a laugh. "Risk, you little twerp, you had all the alarms going off and everything else! What are you doing here?"

Risk grinned with relief. Thank goodness it was someone who could be trusted. And a safehouse while they got their act together. "Hey there, bozo. We need a place to stay for a few days."

Race frowned. "Do I want to know?"

"Probably not. Old guy like you'd have a heart attack."

Race smiled and gave her a very big bear hug.

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"So, now that we know something weird is going on, we have to bring down this mobster guy."

Race rubbed his eyes. "You know I can't help you with this one."

Risk nodded, watching as Jessie absently massaged Kit's extremely tense shoulders, and Jonny looked on possessively. She smiled slightly and nodded at Race's statement. "I know. I was just hoping for a layover place and some equipment, if possible."

Benton smiled, "That we can do."

"How they doin'?" January asked as she sat quietly on the floor.

Jonny smiled. "The cats? Okay. No major fights, no broken bones, nothing like that. We get along pretty well too."

"So your dad's not about to throw them out or anything? He didn't seem to pleased when this all started."

Jonny laughed. "Dad? Throw them out? Naw! He's too soft hearted. Though, I think Dana really misses not being able to go out in public."

January frowned. "Why don't you let them in public?"

Jonny looked at her like she was crazy. "Are you blind?"

She rolled her eyes, sighing. "So use an image inducer! You know, like Feb and I had? It's sort of a holographic image, only it masks it feel that way and stuff too."

"Heeyyyy," Jonny said, "That's a great idea! Where do we get them?"

"I'll make you some."

Jonny smiled and nodded, whispering, "Don't tell them, I want it to be a surprise."

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By the next morning January had made five, one for each cat and one for her and February both. Grinning, she gave them to Jonny, who presented them to the cats at the breakfast table.

"What is it?" Were Kit's first words.

"An image inducer! You hook it onto your belt, like this, and flip this switch, like this, and viola! You have a normal looking Kit!"

Kit looked down at his body, which appeared to be furless, tailless, pointy earless, et cetera.

Dana squealed with delight, then put hers on.

Jonny smiled. She would have been quite pretty as a human.

Colin grinned as he activated his, then watched while his fur disappeared. "Wow."

"Now I can go on dates and stuff too, right?" Dana asked Jessie excitedly.

"Now wait a minute--" Race started as Benton frowned.

Jonny smiled at him, squaring his shoulders. "I believe you and my father said that we were in charge of the cats?"

Benton chuckled as Race stared open mouthed at the tow headed boy. Finally he smiled and nodded. "You're right. We did." Race took a step back, giving Jonny the floor.

Jonny turned to Dana, who was watching hopefully. "If it's a nice guy, and you go with either me or Hadj or Jess, you might be able to. We'll see."

Dana nodded, figuring that was about as good as she was going to get right then.

January started laughing, finding the situation inane. "Look, I have to go to sleep. I've been up all night working on these, and making another transporter out of Questworld." She turned to Jonny, using the smile that had made her the most popular girl in school at one point. "I didn't think you'd mind."

Jonny shook his head and watched as she made her way upstairs.

A few minutes later she came down again, dressed in a different outfit and wide awake. "That was fast!" Jessie laughed.

January gave her an odd look, then shook her head as she understood. "I'm February. J's in bed."

Kit laughed as he dug into the Kix that sat on the table, image inducer off. "I knew that."

Colin rolled his eyes and snapped, "You couldn't have known. They have the same scent."

Kit shoved more food down his throat and smiled. "February has a limp."

Her eyes widened. "No I don't!"

"Ya huh." Kit took another bite, then frowned when Jessie took the box, giving him a dirty look.

"I can't hear a limp," Colin said.

Kit just shrugged and took the bowl of cereal Jessie handed him.

"Hey there!" Came a voice from the door.

Kit's head snapped up and he was gone in an instant.

"Kit!" Jess called to the walls, "Kit, she's a friend!"

Doctor Mandoza walked in, grimacing. "He's still scared of me?"

Benton smiled and looked at her apologetically. "I'm sure he'll get over it soon."

Mandoza just smiled. "Don't worry about it. Anyway, there's some people at the door for you."

Risk ran downstairs just then, panting and out of breath. "We have to get out of here, NOW! They've found us again!" She grabbed Jonny's arm, pulling him out of his chair and through the back door. "Get to the light house, Shadow's* there!" Risk yanked Jessie up, pushing her toward Jonny who was still in the door. "GODDAMIT, GO!"

Jonny took Dana's hand, pulling her out, pushing Jess in front of him. "C'mon Hadj!" Hadji stood up and followed them out, almost at a dead run. A second later Colin was beside them, running quickly.

Risk looked at Race, an apology in her eyes. "They got a tracer on January's computer. She brought it, she had to since it's in her arm, and they tracked us here. I'm so sorry. There's a transporter in the lighthouse, we're hoping it'll work even though it's not totally finished. We're going to try and get you guys out of here. Here, I got you a present." She smiled as an explosion was heard in the living room and handed him a gun.

Race smiled grimly and pushed the two doctors out the door. Risk turned, firing out the door into the main part of the house. There was returning fire and she ducked back, watching as Race fired, covering Benton.

"C'mon kid," Race growled at the blond. She smiled and ducked out the door, quickly followed by the older Race.

As they reached the light house Kit was just ducking through a shimmering field, January following. There was a pause as the people left, Benton, Race and Risk, looked at each other, then bullets started to pound against the door and they all leapt through.

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*Shadow = January

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