All my stories can be found at http://www.freewebs.com/andromedaabyss

'My name is Adam. Adam Kaine. I used to be a scientist manipulating genetics in order to save lives. Because of my research, those same procedures could be used to install different and completely random powers on live specimens. When my partner, Doctor Eckhart, began manipulating those genetics on human beings without their consent or even knowledge-that was when I went on the run. Not long after mutant strains of genetics developed in certain human beings from all across the city. Realizing that they were out of control, Doctor Eckhart desperately sent a recall on their test subjects. The mutants were rounded up in the hundreds at the GSA. Some of the Mutants resisted. Others went without a struggle, thinking that they had deserved it. And other mutants fought back and won their freedom. This is their story. This is mine.'

************************

The GSA was in complete anarchy.

Hundreds of people were crowded on the main level of the building. They were next it a green core was crackling with electricity, and connected to it were hundreds of stasis pods. Around them security guards were watching them from all levels of the complex.

At the front of the line a mutant was being poked along with a gun. "Move it!" an officer shouted.

The mutant suddenly pushed back hard. He had a large bulk, and the officer slid easily to the ground. Another officer moved forwards and brought the clip of his weapon against the mutant's skull. The mutant fell against the pavement. His fist suddenly glowed with a dark green power. The Mutant smiled, and launched the officer a vicious uppercut. The officer was sent hurling upwards through the complex until he smashed against the ceiling lights, dying in a storm of sparks. The lights went out. Some of the people screamed. Instantly the officers turned on the mutant and fired point-blank with their guns. The mutant fell for the last time, dead.

Jesse could barely see that from where he was, but it soon cut any further resistance in the crowd. A young woman sat on the ground, looking at nothing. A little girl with blond hair looked lost among the people. Near her a middle-aged man stood, smiling at the officers. His lizard-like tongue flicked out of his mouth. Was he the only normal one? Jesse wondered as he was pushed along with a gun. He still had no idea what he was doing here. He zipped up his black jacket and wondered, not for the first time, if he was going crazy.

************************

High above Jesse in his office stood a man watching the mutants with his hands calmly folded behind his back. He wore straight black, almost blending in with the darkness except for the soft glow reflected in his eerie white hair. He stared down at the mutants through his glasses as the emergency power flickered back on.

"Freaks," he said softly. "All of them freaks."

Below he could hear more screams, but he payed them no mind as he turned back towards the head of his security. "This whole event has been one catastrophe from another. And the humanitarians call us barbaric! All it took was one mutant acting on his own to detonate a bomb for thousands to die." The man, whose name was Eckhart, looked down at the window towards the mass of mutants being pushed along. "They will never work without our supervision again. Almost all of them are processed with minimum casualties?"

"Yes, Doctor Eckhart," the chief of security said.

"Good," Dr. Eckhart said, briskly turning on his laptop. "Eventually after we have sorted the mutants based on their powers they will look on me as perhaps a mentor...a father, even. Or perhaps their worse nightmare. Regardless, they will all work for the GSA eventually, but for now they will have to stay where they are. Start your men on collecting the mutants on grid D. And how are we coming along with this other...problem?" he asked.

"We're still homing in on his position," the officer replied.

Eckhard looked up. "Regrettable," he said softly. "Here we're gathering things that can read minds, walk through walls, and become invisible altogether by the hundreds. Yet it seems my entire security staff is unable to find one simple and very ordinary man."

**********************

By now most of the people had been put into stasis pods, and the crowds had thinned to almost nothing. Jesse was one of the few that was left. Not for the first time, he wondered if this was real or some sort of weird dream from being passed out in the bar.

He was guessing the bar. Dreams like this were not uncommon there.

The thing was, that's where it had started from. He had just been sitting by himself drinking (his confidence ranked fairly low on finding a date) when suddenly six men entered the bar with guns, zapped his arm with something that made him feel woozy, and the next thing he could recall was being loaded into a truck handcuffed with other people as though he was being arrested! Yet when he asked the guard where they were going, one of them only muttered 'Processing' and said nothing more. After an hour of uneventful riding he had tried talking to the other people, asking them what they were in for. That had generated some laughter.

"We're in for being special," a mother said sarcastically, gripping her two-year-old in her lap.

"And you are too, no doubt," a man said.

"Special? Me? No, I'm not special," Jesse replied, utterly bemused.

"Come off it," the man said. "So what are you? Metamorphic? Telepathic?"

"Excuse me?" Jesse had said.

"Myself, I'm waiting for the first chance to get out of here," the man said. He then blinked, and Jesse could have sworn he saw the man's eyes glow...like, well, like a cat.

Jesse had then edged away towards the back of the truck. "It won't hurt, Processing", a girl said bleakly. "It'll just be like going to sleep."

Jesse had then decided that they had mistakenly put him in the looney truck and had tried to mention so to the officers. All he got was a clip on the head for his efforts. And more laughter.

And now he was....here. Wherever here was. The man with the cat-eyes lasted for less then a minute before being put into the stasis chamber. Apparently he didn't get his chance after all. Jesse had seen so many people with so many odd powers...his mind couldn't even begin to believe it. And quite frankly choose not to.

A hand suddenly clasped Jesse's shoulder, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Your turn," the officer said.

Jesse blinked. In front of him was an open stasis chamber. Waiting for him. "I'm not going into that," he declared.

But the officers had had enough rebellions for one day. One of them rammed his force-pike into Jesse's stomach. Jesse screamed as electricity danced along his body, making his muscles jerk and his body contract......

They withdrew. Jesse fell to the ground, swearing. Effortlessly the officers bent down, hauled him onto his feet, and pushed him into the stasis chamber. Jesse rolled onto his back and tried to sit back, but the guards pushed him back down. The plastic door to the chamber closed. "Beginning automatic cycling," Jesse heard the officer say. Instantly Jesse tried to push back against the glass with his fists, screaming, but the lid held. He suddenly heard the sound of gas before he lost all coherent thought..

And although he was still struggling in his mind, outward his sleeping features remained quite relaxed, with his hands folded quite calmly on his chest.

----------------

Once all the mutants had been loaded into the stasis chambers, the CSA had turned abruptly quiet. Quiet except for the slow hum of the generator core which powered the mutant's sleeping coffins.

Quiet was exactly how the woman liked it.

As the lights switched off for the night a small window opened. There was a blur of movement, and the woman fell straight down eight levels below. She landed gracefully on the main floor of the CSA.

The woman looked left and right. The place was empty. If there had been security they would have seen a woman who wore straight black-black shirt, black dress pants, and a black leather trench coat. Blond curly hair ran down freely to her shoulders. Hardly GSA personal. But she stood invisible in complete darkness, the only illumination coming from the soft blue light from the thousands of the stasis pods.

She sensed rather then heard someone standing behind her and looked up. "Let's go," she said.

Without waiting for a reply her muscles tensed, and she jumped onto a stasis pod. Under her high-inch heel lay Jesse's sleeping face. She jumped upwards again onto the railing of the upper level. She straightened, and walked calmly along the railing. She leapt upwards one last time, grabbing the railing of the top level, and swinging herself to the ground. She looked quickly to the right before proceeding along the empty hall.

***********************

Back on the main floor the man stared at the hundreds of pods that towered above him. All those sleeping bodies, the mutant thought, and shivered. It was eerie. He looked up. There was still one light on, and that was coming from Eckhart's office. He could just see the guy working on his laptop. The man, whose name was Jason, edged away from Eckhart's potential sight. He too wore a trench coat and straight black, but he certainly didn't have Shalamar's power for speed. He had brown hair and startling green eyes that were glowing slightly. He could see perfectly well in the dark. That was one of his powers.

He moved to the edge of the wall. Just in his reach was the main generator. He leaned forwards, and touched the open socket with his finger. Instantly shards of ice spread along the circuits. The man removed his finger, stepped back, and slammed the heel of his foot against the circuit breaker. There, the security systems were all gone.

************************

From his office Eckhart looked up as his laptop flickered. These damn system malfunctions...he typed and began a system's diagnostic, unaware of the shadow that flew past his window.

**********************

The woman flew upwards and landed on the floor of the uppermost level. Instantly a guard ran straight into her. "Who are you?" the guard asked dumbly.

Without looking behind her the woman kept walking confidently down the hall.

"Hey, stop!" the guard cried out. He ran after her. "Um...miss?"

The woman stopped, the folds of her leather cloak gathering around her from the abrupt movement. She did not turn to face him, but she was smiling. The blue irises of her eyes contracted briefly with a orange light. Her elbow suddenly jerked up, catching the guard in the face.

The guard flew backwards with his hand to his mouth. "OW! My jaw-"

The woman jumped upwards, her feet lashing out. She licked him in the chest and head before landing in a half-crouch. Her smile deepened as the guard fell. "Don't call me miss."

A minute later she walked to the end of the hall which ended in a glass door that was locked. From her pocket Shalamar took a keycard and inserted it into the slot. The glass door slid open, and Shalamar stepped through. Wisps of blue smoke danced along her body, and Shalamar soon saw why-some of the items in the room contained bio-hazardous material. But all in all, this place was one big database. Eckhart's personal archives. If she had any time, she would copy all of this information and cripple Eckhart once and forever. But time was one thing at the GSA she didn't have.

"All right, Eckhart," Shalamar said, sitting down at the computer. "Let's see what you know about Adam." She began to type.

A moment later she leaned closer. Eckhart didn't know where Adam was hiding..yet, but he was making some pretty good guesses. Shalamar sighed. It looks as though their new hideout wouldn't last forever. They needed to find a new place, and soon. Still, she thought as she looked up at her objective, the day wasn't a total loss.

*********************

On another level Jason was starring at the sleeping face of an elderly woman when he suddenly heard a sound. He looked up, but he couldn't see anything. Immediately his eyes shifted down and to the right when he saw a guard approaching his position. "Who are you?" the guard demanded.

Jason closed his eyes and concentrated hard. A circle of blue light appeared on his black sweater that was spinning.

"Oh, no, you're one of them!" the guard cried out. He dropped his flashlight and fumbled for his gun.

A large sharp icicle emerged in the air in front of Jason. Jason opened his calm eyes, and the icicle flew towards the guard. It shattered against the guard's chest, showering him with ice. The guard fell, screaming.

More ran along the chamber towards him. Jason flew down and slammed his palm against the floor. Instantly the ground crackled with ice. A patrol of guards fell slipping and cursing.

One of them managed to stand. Jason's eyes widened with panic. At that moment Shalamar jumped down from the railing, her heel lashing out at one guard and her fist at another. With a snarl etched on her face she kneed one guard in the head, whirled around and high-kicked another in the face. She was fighting on sheer ice, but that seemed to have no effect on her. Jason smiled slightly. There was more then one reason why Shalamar was Adam's number one mutant and protector.

"Have you got it?" Jason asked as Shalamar flipped the last to the ground with her hands.

Shalamar straightened and pulled her hair out of her eyes. "The one and only," she said, grinning. She held out a small data chip. She looked up. "Eckhart's calling for reinforcements."

Jason nodded. "We'd better go." He turned to leave but didn't see where he was going in time. His hip smacked against a control. Jason turned around, and saw that it was the workings to a stasis pod he had pushed. Jason leaned forwards.

Shalamar stepped closer. "What?"

"I dunno. I hit something..." Jason said, studying the controls.

Shalamar resisted an urge to roll her eyes. Jason had always been a tech-no wizard at heart. "Well, it doesn't matter. Let's just go."

Jason nodded uncertainly. It didn't look as though he had hit anything significant. "Yeah." He suddenly leaned forwards again. "Hey...it only looks as though this guy's only been in here for a couple of minutes," he said. He wiped away the fog on the crystal. It revealed a young man, no more then 21, who had blond hair, pale skin, and looked no later then twenty. He looked as though he was sleeping peacefully.

Shalamar barely gave the man a glance. "So?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Jason looked up. "So we can still bring him out of it without causing brain damage!"

Shalamar whirled around as she heard the sound of soldiers approaching from the upper levels. "We don't have time!" she said, turning back.

Jason starred at her neutrally. "I thought we were supposed to save mutants," he replied softly. "Isn't that what Adam always tell us?"

Shalamar hesitated, and finally decided on saying nothing.

Jason took that as an acceptance and bent down on the controls. A blue circle appeared that was slowly losing a portion at a time.

Shalamar shook her head. "This is not a good idea," she muttered.

The last of the circle disappeared. "We'll see," Jason said, and held his breath.

Blue fog poured out of the stasis pod.

***********************

Pain. Dizziness. An abyss of torment. Eternal hell.

When, in reality, he was in there for no more then two minutes.

As the lid slid open Jesse instantly became aware of his senses and he jerked up, gasping gand coughing in the blue fog. He was blinded, cold, and couldn't see. Under no circumstances did he want to go back in stasis. He was only partially aware of firm hands gripping his shoulder, which was good or else he probably would have fallen out of his coffin. He looked up, blinking tears out of his eyes.

And saw the most beautiful woman in the face of the world. He was about to say something, he had no idea what-probably something along the lines of 'hello', when suddenly his throat constricted. Shivers gripped his body and a wave of dizziness clouded of mind. His body shuddered helplessly and if he had eaten anything from this morning he would have thrown up on the incredible beautiful woman, which he was certain wasn't such a great impression. However, he did manage one word- "Where-?"

The woman, Jesse soon saw, had a temper. She grabbed Jesse before he could react, hauled him out of the stasis pod and slammed the lid shut. "Let's go," she ordered curtly. She then gave the man behind Jesse such a glare that it made Jesse cringe inwardly. She suddenly grabbed Jesse's arm and lead him from the main chamber. At first Jesse was going to do some serious protesting before he realized that since he couldn't seem to feel his legs, being held onto seemed like a good idea. And so he went meekly along...for long.

High above, Eckhart watched the trio from his window. With a raised eyebrow he stroll over to his desk and pushed a red switch with his pale finger.

**************************

Jesse stumbled down the empty hall, mostly being supported by the woman gripping his arm. Though she was hustling him along rather quickly, it was clear that he was slowing them down. He honestly didn't know what was happening to him. He felt like he was hammered, except without the blissful feelings.

"Stasis sickness," Jason explained.

"We don't have a lot of time," the woman said urgently. Indeed, the next second they heard boots approaching and a moment later a guard appeared in front of them.

The woman swore and deposited Jesse into Jason's arms and stepped forwards.

Jesse lifted his head. "Shouldn't we-" he began.

"Oh, she doesn't need any help," Jason said, and smiled a very odd smile.

"Stop!" the man ordered. Shalamar rushed forwards and booted the man in the chest. The man went flying. With a grin Shalamar did five front-flips until she reached the fallen guard and kicked him in the head just as he was struggling on his elbows. Jesse, whose arm was slung over Jason's shoulder, stared at Shalamar and knew he was in love.

Shalamar glanced left and right before rejoining the two. "The alarm's been triggered," she said. "We have to leave-now!"

As they started to walk Jesse shook his head. "I don't hear anything," he croaked.

"Shalamar's got extra-hearing capabilities. It's part of her powers," Jason said.

"Powers?" Jesse inquired. "What are you talking about?"

Jason smiled. "We're mutants, bud-just like you."

Jesse wanted to ask more-had a great deal of questions in fact, that he wanted to ask both of them, but his consciousness finally gave way and he fell to the smooth floor.

"Great," Shalamar said sarcastically.

Jason stepped forwards. "I'll-"

"I've got it," Shalamar snapped, and with one grabbed Jesse's arm and effortlessly flipped him onto her shoulder. "Let's go."

They both ran down the hall.

---------------

Jesse was lying on a basic military cot, sleeping. There were wires attached to all part of his body-forehead, chest, wrists, feet. Beside him a heart monitor was beeping steadily.

From the adjacent room Adam was watching a complete medical readout of Jesse. He put his hand to his lip, thinking. "Where are you?" he muttered.

Shalamar approached from behind him. "Hey."

Adam's eyes widened. "Have you got it?"

Shalamar smiled and held out the chip. "Did you ever doubt me?"

Adam took it from her, looking profoundly grateful. "Thank you," he said.

Shalamar tilted her head to the window where Jesse lay sleeping. "Any luck on our new little friend?"

"Well, I'm not getting much information," Adam replied. "ID confirms that his first name is Jesse. There's not much on him. A small criminal record, and that's about it. But look at this," Adam typed on the computer. "About three years ago, there was a riot and a missing persons report filled on Jesse, but it was never pursued by the police despite him being gone for over eight days. Now, three years on the exact day he winds up in Eckhart's lab."

"Kidnaped from the same bar? Doesn't sound like he has much of a social life," Shalamar said.

"No, but neither do I," Jason said, joining them. He tiled his head. "So what can he do?"

"I have no idea," Adam said with a small sigh. "I'm still getting negative feedback, probably due to the fact that his powers were only just developing when they grabbed him. There's some hyper-sensity in his cerebellum, but that's about it. I have to run some addition tests but for now assume that it's anything-anything from tossing fireballs in his hands to reading minds."

"Not a very comforting thought," Shalamar said.

Jason held up his hand. "Wait a minute-I thought that Eckhart manipulated with human subjects when they were babies."

Adam nodded. "Or earlier in the fetus stage."

"Then if that's true, why are his powers are taking so late to develope in the game?" Jason continued.

Adam stood and poured himself another cup of coffee. He took a long sip of it before realizing he was stalling for time. "In the earlier stages of the project, Eckhart didn't manipulate genetics on people when they were infants. He tried his experiments on human beings in the adult stage. What we're looking at is an old class A-3 project. It was soon abandoned because of too much incompatibility. People just couldn't accept the gene in the later stage of their lives. The results were...grotesque." He paused. "Looks like Eckhart's trying it again."

"And you think that's the case here?" Shalamar asked indifferently.

Adam sighed. "Well, his vital sighs are all normal, which I call a very positive sign. The gene's already had years to progress." He paused, thinking. "There was a very small portion of human beings that *could* accept the gene. I'm hoping that's the case here."

"And if it isn't?" Jason asked.

Adam gave him a look that said he shouldn't ask. "Then anything we do for him will be a mercy."

Shalamar looked up. Jesse was starting to stir. "We should have left him."

Adam shook his head. "No, you did the right thing by bringing him here." He leaned against the window. "Eckhart is the type of man to see his projects all the way through."

---------------

Jesse opened his blue eyes.

The first thing he noticed right away was that his clothes had changed. He was now dressed in a medical garb-a light blue shirt and pants. Hospital clothes. Yet he couldn't remember actually going to a hospital

The second thing he noticed, which was probably far more important, was that he was not alone. There was a man sitting next to him. A very brief glance told him that the man had brown hair, brown eyes, and the look of someone who had a sense of profound patience, and yet, at the same time, looked quick to anger. He looked exactly like the school professor who told him he was going to fail fifth grade. Jesse shut his eyes quickly, hoping the man hadn't noticed.

But the man wasn't about to be fooled. "Hello, Jesse," the man said. "My name is Adam. Adam Kaine."

Jesse opened his eyes. "This...this isn't a dream?" he asked, phrasing it as a question at the last minute.

"No, it isn't," Adam said. "You're a mutant, the end result of genetic reconstruction placed upon your body without your knowledge or consent. But we're here to help," he added. "How do you feel?"

Jesse searched. "Cold," he replied.

Adam nodded, not really surprised. "That's an aftereffect of being in stasis. It's an experience that very few people enjoy. I'm afraid it's a feeling that could easily last for the rest of your life."

Jesse frowned. His frown deepened when he looked up at Adam. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Adam leaned forwards. "There was a man," he began. "A very powerful and very influential man name Eckhart who kidnaped you for...well, reasons that were probably not very beneficial to you."

Jesse stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

"You have a gift, Jesse. Now, I'm not sure what that gift is exactly, but it's something Eckhart undoubtably wants. For the past nine months he has been kidnaping people like you for-"

Jesse's eyes widened as he remembered back in the lab, watching the soldier fly towards the lights..and dying....

"-quite some time," Adam was saying.

Jesse raised his eyebrow. "And you are?"

"The people that are going to stop him," Adam said firmly.

Jesse said nothing, thinking.

Adam gave him a gentle smile. "I know that it's quite a lot to take in. Mutants that exist in the world, but believe me it is quite true. You're quite welcome to stay here-"

Jesse frowned. "I think-" he suddenly paused as he shivered. Suddenly he began shaking. Those shakings turned into convulsions.

"Oh my god!" Adam whispered. He moved closer as he activated the com. "Jason, I need a medic-" He gripped Jesse's shoulder, trying to hold him steady. "You're going to be okay, kid-"

Jesse's fist connected with Adam's nose. Caught off guard, Adam fell into the bed as Jesse sprang up and tied the bed sheets around Adam. "-I think that I shouldn't believe you," Jesse snapped. "I don't know why you brought me here," he emphasized that with a yank of a knot. Jesse stepped back. "But believe me, I intend to find out after I call the cops." He ran out the door a second later.

"God!" Adam said as he untangled himself from the sheets. Blood was dripping down his nose. He slammed his hand down on the alarm. Sirens shrieked in the building.

Instantly Shalamar ran to his side. "What happened?" she demanded, helping him stand.

"Jesse hit me. He was playing me all along."

Shalamar's eyes glowed with an orange light. "That son of a-"

"No, it's not his fault," Adam said, pinching his nose. "He didn't believe a word of what I'm saying. And why should he? I'm basically telling him that superheroes really do exist." He added that with a short laugh. "Shalamar, go after him. We have to find him."

Shalamar nodded. "Okay." She turned and left through the door Jesse had gone through just moments ago.

*******************

Jesse ran out into the corridor, looking left and right. Both passages were empty, barren of anything except for the smooth blue floor and walls. He might be in a hospital, or an office building of some kind.

A passing window helped him find his bearings. It was night outside, and he was on the very high-level of the building. Beyond that was an ocean, and the soft glow of other buildings nearby lent him a great deal of relief. That relief increased tenfold when he saw an elevator near him. He walked over to it and pushed the downwards arrow. As the elevator hummed he fidgeted impatiently.

The elevator stopped, but the doors didn't open. "Access card, required," a computer voice said.

Jesse stared at it. "What?" he demanded.

"Access card required," the elevator said again.

Jesse stared at the slot by the control, and instantly tried to pry the elevator doors open. They didn't budge so much as an inch.

"Access card required."

"Come on," Jesse said, gritting his teeth. In his rage he hit the slot with his boot. "Come on!"

"Access unrecognized. Security has been notified."

Jesse stared at the door and took a deep breath. 'Okay, stay cool,' he told himself. If there was an elevator, there had to be stairs. And chances were it wasn't locked. He just had to find it.

Somewhere.

---------------

Jesse heard something off in the distance. He frowned. They were noises he couldn't really describe. He knew that he should head away from any noise as soon as possible, but curiosity won him out. He moved closer to the door. It wasn't locked. He opened it very quietly to see a peep.

Jason was inside a room, as well as a little boy whose back was turned to Jesse. Jason's hands were glowing with a light blue aura. "Okay, pitch me another one!" Jason said, slapping his blue hands. The kid squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and threw a fireball at Jason.

Jason caught it neatly in his hand. "Wow! Fastball, huh?" He blew on the remaining flame, and it disappeared in a flash of blue light.

Jesse slowly backed away until he hit the wall. The door closed shut on its own. "What the hell is this place?" he wondered to himself. He stated walking. He had to find some real answers, fast. He was starting to think he was going insane.

The red light of the stairs sign glowed in the distance. Jesse walked towards it and broke into a run. He quickly sprinted down the stairs as lightning flashed against the window. He looked up as he thought he heard a noise.

*********************

At the foot of the stairs Shalamar looked down the stairwell. She couldn't see him, but that didn't mean he wasn't there. Her eyes glowed orange with anger. She knew he was.

*********************

A hidden insight made him run even faster. He was now jumping down ten steps at a time. It took only a few minutes to reach the bottom of the stairwell onto the ground floor. Jesse yanked the door open.

He was inside a rather ordinary room with a computer, a work table and library bookcase. Dust covered the floor and the furniture. Jesse made for the door, and stopped.

There were footprints leading straight to the staircase. No footprints led back.

Confused, Jesse bent down to the ground and touched the dust. It wasn't real. It was flour. Lightning flashed again as he stood. Everything told him that he had to go through the door before it was too late, but he couldn't help himself. Compared to the things he had seen in plain view, what were the things these people were hiding? Jesse went to the bookshelf and experimentally pulled a blue book.

"Authorization accepted," a voice from the bookcase said.

Instantly the bookshelf dissolved into nothing with a flash of green light. Jesse, who had been far too close to the bookshelf, fell down head-over-heels a fallen stairwell, and with a scream smacked squarely against a stone wall. "Ow, god!" Jesse said. He looked up.

And couldn't believe his eyes.

He was now in a long, underground tunnel spanning as far as his eyes can see. There was very little light, but even so he could see people near him. Lots of them sitting down. Jesse scrambled to his feet. The people stared back at him bleakly without saying anything, reminding him of some of the people in Eckhart's lab. A lot of them had malnutrition. And most of them, he could tell, were very sick.

Jesse bent down to a little girl clutching a teddy bear. Her lips were green. "Hey," he said. "Do you know where your mommy is?"

"I don't like this place," the girl said. "I'm hungry. Do you have any food?"

"I'm sorry....I don't," Jesse replied. "Why are you here?"

The girl coughed. "They say I'm not like anyone else. They want to hide me away." The girl looked at him with her large blue eyes. "I'm hungry," she repeated.

Jesse frantically searched his pockets for anything he could give her.

Adam stopped short of him, out of breath. "There you are," he said.

Jesse didn't reply. He could only stare at the little girl.

Adam bit his lip. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to see this."

"What happened to them? What is this?" Jesse demanded.

Adam's teeth were clenched in anger, but not because of Jesse. "Your world," he replied. "This is what Eckhart has done to them. He's prevented them from getting ordinary jobs, sent out search warrants to hundreds of cities so that they're always on the run, half-starved out of their minds..." he paused and tried to calm down. "...and things like that."

Jesse glanced up at him. "Well there's gotta be something we can do."

"We're doing what we can for them, but we're working on limited supplies. We can't feed them all." Adam looked up. "This is the underground. Once some of my staff comes back we'll be shipping these people on their way to other continents. Maybe that way they'll have a chance."

Jesse sat down against the wall. "And this is what'll happen to me?" he asked.

Adam said nothing for a moment. "Yes."

Shalamar approached from the door. Adam held up his hand calmly. "This is the way the world works, Jesse. Eckhart's put a lot of money into tracking them down. The only worse alternative I can think of for them is working for Eckhart."

Jesse kicked the dirt. "It's just not fair," he said. "These people didn't do anything."

Shalamar tilted her head slightly, starring at Jesse. Jesse sighed angrily and stood. He glared at Adam. "How do I know that you're not doing this to them? That you're not letting them die out on their own? For all I know this Eckhart guy's the one trying to save them!"

"Do you really believe that?" Adam asked him calmly.

"Yes! What else can I believe?" Jesse looked away angrily. "I have to believe that there's a better choice then this."

"There will be. One day. And we will provide it," Adam said firmly. "Now listen, Jesse. In the past two hours you've seen things that few could possibly believe. I understand that it is a look to ask, but you have to trust this is real. You have to trust me."

Jesse said nothing for the longest time, his head lowered in thought. Finally he looked up and met Adam straight in the eye. "What exactly is this place?"

***********************

They had given him some clothes. He strolled out of the complex wearing a plain black t-shirt and jeans. He and Adam were walking outside the compound, which Jesse could see was nested on a cliff overlooking the ocean. They were on a small rocky path overlooking it.

"Eckhart thinks that he has captured more then three-quarters of the entire 3500 mutants in the city. That's what we we'd like him to think. When in fact that we've shipped over 30000 mutants worldwide to safehouses, their files and identities purged from their computers, and their locations known only to us. We help any mutant that comes our way, no matter how bizarre or dangerous their power is. The only thing I won't tolerate in this compound is discrimination, Jesse. It is our duty, our life's work to protect those form Eckhart, and to keep them safe." Adam sighed. "But because Eckhart has much more resources at his disposal we are constantly moving, constantly searching for a place to hide. We will soon have to pack up and leave this place. We are the liberation for these people."

"So this Eckhart," Jesse asked as the wind blew through his blond hair. "Is he a mutant?"

Adam laughed a little and shook his head. "No. No more then I. Just a very deranged man." Adam stopped and looked up at the ocean with his hands in his jacket. "He thinks slavery is the answer to mankind's problems."

"When secrecy has lasted so much better," Jesse said.

Adam turned and faced him. "Secrecy has worked for the past three years. Yes, there will be a day when mankind will know about mutants. But I hope by that time, humans will be a little more accepting. Until then, it's my job to make sure that both sides are on equal footing. And I hope that you'll be a part of that."

When Jesse raised his eyebrow Adam continued. "I'm going to be honest with you, Jesse. I have absolutely no ideas what you're powers might be. It could be dangerous to you, and it could be dangerous to me. Even as we speak your DNA is changing. Your powers are on the threshold of developing for the first time. That's why it's crucial that you stay here before you go through the underground. For your protection."

Jesse sighed and leaned on the railing. "I dunno," he said. "I don't feel any different. I keep thinking that this is all a big mistake. You know, I used to have it all made. I was rich, you know. Never had a care in the world. Now my life's in the pits." He paused. "How did it end like this?" But Jesse knew the answer to that question-it was this bad because he made it this bad.

Adam stared at him. "Well, maybe this will make it better."

"Oh yeah. Hiding in the underground for the rest of my life, fearing to be caught by Eckhart or anyone else. How does that make it all better?" Jesse demanded, turning around.

Adam hesitated. "You know, I was a scientist at a very respectful institution. I had everything I ever wanted, including money. It's been three months since I've been on the run, a fugitive, no money. And I've never been happier." He patted Jesse on the shoulder. "Things are never as bad as they seem. Who knows? They might work out better for you."

Jesse stared out at the ocean and sighed.

---------------

(2 days later)

Bounce. Bounce.

Shalamar slammed the basketball against the floor. She was wearing a white blouse and black dress pants as she played basketball and her blond hair ran freely down her back. If there was one good thing about this place, was that it had an indoor court. It was a shame they would have to leave it soon. She tossed the ball squarely into the hoop and retrieved the ball. She looked up, and saw Jesse leaning against the doorway.

"Care for a little one-on-one?" Jesse asked.

Shalamar smiled. "I don't think you can keep up with me."

Jesse walked down the steps and unrolled his sleeves. "Try me," he said.

Shalamar raised her eyebrow and tossed the basketball to him. They both walked to the center ring. "So let me get this straight," Jesse said as he bounced the ball. "You have a guy who isn't one of us as your leader?"

"Adam's understood our problem better then anyone I know, mutant or otherwise," Shalamar said.

"So why aren't there more of you helping him?" Jesse asked. He made his attack run on the basketball court. "Or can I just not see them?"

"Because most people choose to hide." Shalamar grabbed the ball out of his hands, whirled around to the other hoop, and slammed the ball down the basketball. She grabbed the bouncing ball. "There. That's 1-0." She smiled. "Still wanna play?"

Jesse gave her a reproaching look as she tossed the ball to him. They resumed their previous positions. "You know, I still don't know who to trust in this," Jesse said. He made a running start for the hoop, but was intercepted again by Shalamar.

Shalamar bounced the ball, looking for a way to get past him as he checked her. "Having second thoughts?"

Jesse was now breathing hard and blinking sweat out of his eyes. "Adam's keeping secrets. I know he is. Care to enlighten me?"

"That's his business," Shalamar said as they proceeded down the court.

"Not when it concerns me!" Jesse said. He suddenly grabbed the ball from her hands and sprinted like fire down the court.

All of a sudden Shalamar slammed the flat of her palm against his lungs. As Jesse gasped for air on the floor. Shalamar grabbed the ball and tossed it with one hand into the hoop.

Jesse pointed at her. "That wasn't fair."

Shalamar grabbed the ball. "I don't play by the rules."

"You know, it might be a little fair if you didn't use your powers," Jesse said.

"What powers?" Shalamar asked, tossing the ball. "I wasn't even using any." She glanced at him. "The way I see it, if it weren't for us you would be a slave for Eckhart right now. You owe Adam the courtesy of at least believing in him. But it's your call." She tossed the ball. It slammed into the ground next to Jesse and began to walk away.

Jesse stood. "You know, I was thinking of sampling mutant cuisine," he said. "Care to join me?"

Shalamar smiled and turned around. "You don't quit, do you?"

"I'm thinking about it with you," Jesse said.

Shalamar's smile widened. "Shouldn't you be working on how to develop your powers?"

"I'm working on it," Jesse replied testily.

"Yeah," Shalamar's smile deepened and gave a fake cough. "Right. Well if you think of something, give me a shout." She winked at him.

Jesse said nothing, glaring at Shalamar. If he could throw fireballs, now would be a great time to learn. Jesse wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Ouch," he said. Shaking his head, he picked up the ball and began bouncing the ball. He really was good at basketball. He ran right to the hoop and leapt up to slam the ball through the hoop with a ringing bang that Shalamar should hear from the halls.

Except that wasn't exactly what happened.

What happened was that his body went right through the hoop with the basketball and landed squarely on his nose with a grunt. He lifted his head, just as he felt himself begin to phase out again through the floor. "Woah!" he screamed as he disappeared.

---------------

The next moment Jesse felt himself flailing helpless as he fell, his hands trying to grip out at what he couldn't touch. As he looked up he could see at least a dozen ceiling lights fly past his head. Within each moment he would go through the roof of one floor and drop painlessly through the floor. One level after another. Until finally, he gained some coherent thought.'I'm falling through the building', he realized, and panic set in.

All of a sudden the ground connected squarely with his chin. Moaning in pain, Jesse looked up. He was in an empty storage area. He lifting himself up, just as he felt his body begin shaking again and the floor turning into liquid.

"Oh-" Jesse only had time to begin before his body fell through the floor again. At least twenty levels passed through him. It was weird, but it was like he could look through a hole in the floor before he tore through them. He could see the very bottom of the complex. 'If I fall any further I'm going to pass through solid rock,' Jesse realized, but surprisingly, that thought didn't frighten him. Because he knew how to stop that from happening. As the ground came closer Jesse held out his hand. "Stop!" he commanded.

His shimmering, phasing body solified itself instantly and Jesse's feet gently touched the dirt. He looked at his hands. "Wow," he said. He looked up, and saw that he was in a small tunnel leading out of the complex. He walked out towards the cliff, and took off in a sprint. "YEAH!!!!" he shouted at the top of his lungs to the glorious sunset. He felt like shouting all day long. And why not? He was a Superman!

'I'm not a mistake after all,' Jesse thought, and he grinned. He spotted the wall of the complex and walked over to it. He hesitated, and put his hand against it.

His skin pressed against cold stone.

His grin didn't leave. He concentrated, and his hand slipped through the stone. He didn't feel anything at all. He pulled back, and his hand became solid again. It was so easy! It just took a single click in his mind, like snapping his fingers. It almost seemed impossible that he didn't know what to do before.

He walked down the small stone path to the top of the cliff. 'Does this mean...my whole body could phase out?' he wondered. He looked down at himself and concentrated. It took a great deal more effort, but yes, he did see his body shimmer like water. His hands touched his jacket to make sure he was all there. Already he was overwhelmed with the possibilities. No doors were locked to him. He could go through jail cells, bank vaults....he would never need money ever again. But why stop there? He could go through Government buildings, even the rooms in this bizarre place. Bullets would past right through him, the cops couldn't stop him....the smile slipped from his lips. He sat down on a log and sighed. This was exactly why he was locked up in the first place. Him, and other mutants like him. He could still remember the freezing abyss of the stasis chamber...it was something that would very likely haunt his nightmares. He sat down and watched the ocean, thinking for a great deal of time. Thinking had never been his strong suit, but he did it nevertheless.

He was dangerous, that much was certain. But he was also free. That was a luxury many people like him didn't have. He somehow had to change that.

He glanced back at the complex and his eyes narrowed. But first, he had some unfinished business.

************************

He melted through the walls of the locked door. It had taken some searching, but he had found a room in the complex that Adam had strictly forbidden to all mutants. He was in a computer room.

Jesse looked around, and moved to a computer. PASSWORD? The computer asked.

Jesse slowly began to type. Computer hacking was one of the few things he could do with incredible skill, and he did it with a skill of an expert. He went through Adam's fire walls as easily as he went through the walls.

LOG RECORDED. PLAYBACK? The computer asked.

Jesse hesitated, and typed, "YES".

The screen flickered on. Adam was leaning against the computer. "November. Shalamar and I found a patrol of Eckhart's men near the complex and took care of them. Eckhart's finally discovered where we are. I've instructed everyone to pack up. We'll be gone before dawn. Some good news, though. It appears that Jesse's cellular DNA has re-asserted itself. For now it seems that he is in no immediate danger. Now all we have to do is wait and see what powers develop from it." Adam paused. "The other teammates are...nervous not knowing what Jesse can do. I think Shalamar would still have rather left him in Eckhart's lab. A part of me can't help but feel the same way."

Jesse raised his eyebrow.

In the video Adam stood. "If my earlier suspicions are correct, then it was no coincidence that Jesse found us, and I'm frankly not all that comfortable with someone Eckhart fiddled around with personally." Adam hesitated. "But at the same time, I just can't abandon the kid either. I'm almost 90% sure that Jesse is unaware of all of this. He's certainly no criminal mastermind himself." Adam leaned against the counter. "So what am I supposed to do? I owe him a debt which can never be repair, just as I owe every man woman, and child that's been experimented on, mutilated because of *my* research!" Adam looked away and sighed angrily. "This is one of the worst ethical decisions I've had in a long time. Somehow, Jesse not knowing his role in Eckhart's plan makes it that much harder. I have to weigh the safety of this resistance against Jesse's future, which is a choice I have no right to make. I once swore never to play God again. I-" Adam looked away and sighed again. "I've almost made my decision, but it'll be decided when I know what exactly Jesse's powers are. Until then, I cannot show him any more of the Underground. He knows too much already. End log."

The screen went blank. For a moment Jesse said nothing, then released his breath in one collective sigh. So this is what Adam had been hiding. Among other things.

Jesse slowly straightened, and turned around. Adam stood right behind him. "We have to talk," he said.

"Yes, we do," Jesse replied. He backed away. Slowly. "I thought you were my friend."

"I never lied to you," Adam said.

"No, you just withheld the truth, which makes everything okay," Jesse said sarcastically.

"You weren't supposed to see this," Adam said, looking at him with nothing but curiosity. "How did you get in here."

Jesse took a deep breath. "I can phase out. That's my power. My curse. Whatever." He paused. "I'm a mutant."

Adam leaned closer. "May I?" he asked. He ran his hand through Jesse's phasing body.

"Hey," Jesse protested.

Adam drew out a short, astonished breath. "Interesting," he said, looking at his hand. "I've never anything like this! This could be a very powerful gift."

"Oh, so that's all I am to you now? A science experiment?" Jesse shook his head. "You're no better then Eckhart!"

Adam's face tightened and he moved away. "I don't expect you to know me, Jesse," Adam said calmly. "But that's the worse thing anyone could ever say to me."

"Well, it's true, isn't it?" Jesse snapped. "This all happened because of your research. Because of you."

"Not all of it," Adam said, looking up. "I'm not the one using it now."

Jesse stared at him in disbelief. "Look, who am I supposed to trust in this!? Because it seems to me that you and Eckhart are on equal footing now!"

Adam turned to face him. "We didn't rescue you because we knew what your powers were."

"No, it was just coincidence!" Jesse said. He frowned. "Or was it?"

"I hid the truth for your own protection," Adam snapped.

"Oh, just like you're protecting those other mutants! Nice job, by the way. Half-starving them in some mines?" Jesse demanded.

"I'm not the enemy, Jesse!" Adam shouted, for the first time losing his temper.

"At least with Eckhart they were safe!" Jesse shouted back.

"With Eckhart there is no future!" Adam hissed, anger shadowing his features. "Not for me, not for you, and not for this world." He turned away. "Believe me, I know."

Jesse shook his head. "I don't believe this," he said. He turned and left for the wall.

"Where are you going?" Adam demanded.

"I'm going to find some real answers," Jesse snapped at him. He disappeared a moment later.

"Jesse," Adam said. "Jesse, would you come back, please?" When there was no reply Adam shook his head. "Great."

*********************

Shalamar and Jason walked side-by-side as lights flickered out. The building was shutting down for the night. Shalamar herself was almost ready to go to bed. The last time she'll sleep in this place.

"Look at it this way. Maybe the next building will have a pool or Jacuzzi," Jason said helpfully.

"Or maybe it's one of the thousands rat-infested mud piles we've been to," Shalamar said. "What's our status?"

"The rest of the team is almost packed and ready to go. Now that the underground's cleared all we have to do is bury it with rubble. I hear that Adam's already picked out another place for us. Another coastal building. It'll need some work, but it should do," Jason supplied.

Shalamar nodded. "Good." Call it a feeling, but she had an idea that Eckhart and his men were close. Almost too close for comfort. Some hidden sense was telling her that bad things were coming.

Jason glanced at her and cleared his throat. "Adam's decided to send Jesse along with a group of children to one of the cities in Brazil. He can take care of them."

Shalamar nodded. "That should make him happy."

"Yes, it should," Jason said. Silence. "He might make it."

For a moment neither of them said anything. "So why are we hesitating?" Shalamar asked.

"I dunno," Jason said. "I mean, Adam obviously thinks he's a danger." Jason scratched the back of his head. "And obviously you're not too fond of him."

Shalamar shook her head, but hesitated. "Yeah," she said softly.

Another pause. "I mean, all he's been doing is pushing your buttons since day one. That kind of chemistry would only compromise our work. And we still don't know what his powers are. It could be fireballs, it could be acid, it could be making snowcones like me-"

Shalamar turned and faced him. "Jason," Shalamar began slowly. "I don't want-"

"Adam!" Jason shouted, sprinting down the hall.

Shalamar blinked, and the next moment she had beaten Jason to Adam's side. She had never seen Adam so upset in a very long time.

"It's Jesse, he's disappeared," Adam said.

"What do you mean, disappeared?" Jason demanded.

"I mean, he's not in the complex, and none of the security alarms have been triggered. I saw him somehow phased out of the building."

Shalamar turned to Jason. "Or maybe he can walk through walls," she said.

Adam frowned. "We have to find him," he said.

"Do you think he went back to his bar?" Jason asked, starring at Adam with his piercing blue eyes.

Adam shook his head and frowned. "No. Jesse doesn't strike me as the type of man to ignore old debts."

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

"I mean, he's gone back to the place where it all began. He's gone to Eckhart's laboratory." Adam looked up. "Shalamar, he found out about the research. About me."

Shalamar's brown eyes looked down.

"If he went back to Eckhart's-" Jason said.

Adam nodded his agreement. "Then we have to find him."

************************

It was raining outside on the city streets.

From across the street to Eckhart's complex he could see dozens of patrols walking around. All of them carrying guns. The entire building was closed off by a gate.

From across the street. Jesse zipped up his fleece jacket as the rain poured down his pale face and drenched his blond hair to his scalp. He stared out at the buildings that towered over him. Yeah, he was nervous. But he didn't have a choice. If there were any answers, they were in there. They were in the hands of Eckhart.

Taking a deep breath, he ran across the muddy road towards the gate.

*************************

Jesse ran up to the fence. It didn't appear to be electrified. He hesitated a moment, then climbed up. As he swung his leg over the side he looked up at the patrols. Damn, they seem to be everywhere. This was all one heavily fortified fortress. Jesse jumped down from the fence, a fabric from his black sleeve ripping off in the process.

At the foot of the fence was a small black generator. No sooner did Jesse make for the inner walls did it flash a steady red.

**************************

Eckhart slammed the red phone down and looked up at his new security chief. "We have a visitor," he said softly. "See to it."

**********************

As Jesse proceeded down the hall he ran straight into a group of soldiers. They instantly lifted their assault weapons. "Intruder, halt!" they ordered.

"You don't want to do this," Jesse said.

One of the soldiers grinned, and turned on the rod. Blue electricity danced along the end. He lunged.

Jesse jumped backwards through the wall into a storage closet. There was a hand bar attached to the wall for hanging jackets. Jesse jumped up, grabbed it, and used the momentum to swing his legs through the wall. They instantly connected with a soldier's jaw.

"It's a freak! Spread out!" a soldier warned. A fist came out of the wall and the guard fell to the ground.

The remaining soldier came up close to the wall, using the end of the electric wall to dance along the wall. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," he snarled.

Jesse appeared from the wall behind him. "Okay," he said. The soldier whirled around. Jesse grabbed the electric rod and rammed it through the guard's sweater. With a jolt the guard joined the others. They were all out cold on the floor. With a satisfied smile Jesse proceeded down the hall. At the very far end was the main chamber of the Eckhart complex. It was completely empty-but exactly how Jesse had left it, filled with hundreds of stasis pods which glowed a dark blue. The core was humming quietly as Jesse walked past the still, pale faces of the mutants. He stopped by his own pod, empty and alone. He leaned over and touched his controls. If it wasn't for the sheer accidental touch of a button, he would still be like them. Asleep, yet not entirely unconscious. Dead yet somehow alive. Somehow aware.

Jesse looked up. Eckhart's light was still on. He had an appointment with him.

*************************

Gasping, Jesse emerged through Eckhart's office walls. He hadn't counted on how draining phasing out multiple times was getting to be. Looking around, he saw that the office was covered with expensive paintings and on the floor was a red carpet. At the end was a desk and a man sitting with his back turned to Jesse in a leather chair. "I'll have to invent safeguards against that," the man said off-handedly, and turned to face him. He had eerie light-blue hair which ran down his face and behind his thick glasses. But it was his eyes which were the most intimidating. "Please, have a seat."

"Dr. Eckhart, I presume?" Jesse asked.

"That's right," Eckhart said, moving around his desk. "And what exactly are you?"

***********

Outside the guard turned his head. "Hey, you're not supposed to be here-" he could only begin before he got punched right in the face. The guard flew to the cement.

With a snarl etched on her lips Shalamar wiped away a bloody knuckle. "I hate coming back here."

"So do I," Jason replied, holding a duffel bag," Adam, are you in position?"

*************

"Almost," Adam said, running along the outer wall. He lifted his watch that was an illuminate green. "Okay, stand by for three minutes. Then move in on my signal."

***************

"Right," Shalamar said. She immediately ran down the path. She looked up. Immediately she activated the transceiver behind her ear. There were going to be quite a few fireworks, that much she could guarantee, but it was easier getting in quietly. "Jason, up above you! The guard tower!"

*****************

"I've got it!" Jason said and looked up. Yes, he could see it as well. There was a guard that had spotted them with the searchlight. He was about to blow a horn. Jason closed his eyes as blue sparks danced along his hands. Jason lifted his arms, and with an explosion of power two currents of blue light connected with the top pf the tower. Jason squeezed his eyes shut as the light continued from his arms. Ice and snow rapidly formed around the edges of the tower. Jason screamed with exertion, but within seconds a thick wall of ice had surrounded the walls of the upper levels of the structure. Satisfied, Jason lifted his hands, and the light disappeared.

Meanwhile, Shalamar skipped down the small rocky path outside Eckhart's compound. All of a sudden a thick iron bar slammed into her side. Shalamar reeled backwards as a heavy soldier emerged out of the darkness, chuckling softly. Shalamar stepped backwards and half-fell, her gloved hand pushing against the concrete for balance. Her teeth were bared in a savage snarl.

The man clumsily aimed the wrench at her head. Shalamar ducked and whirled around. She kicked the man in the chest, and fell backwards from the exertion. It was like hitting a brick wall. Bending down, the man instantly aimed another throw at her head. Shalamar grabbed his hand with the wrench. The two struggled for a moment. Then Shalamar bit the man's hand. The soldier shouted with pain. Panting, Shalamar struggled to her feet and backed away.

This time his fist flew in her direction. Shalamar caught his arm, twisted around, and used her heel to break the back of the man's leg. The man fell to one knee, exposing his neck to her. Shalamar wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed, groaning from the effort. For one moment, Shalamar was gripping with an almost overwhelming temptation to snap the man's neck in two. But that wasn't the way Adam would want it. Instead she squeezed until he passed out before letting him go. The man thudded into the concrete. Wiping her lip, Shalamar grabbed the duffle bag and flew down the path.

The rain was only getting heavier.

****************

There was a window looking out into the main stasis chambers, and adjacent to that a window displaying the outside world. It was this window that Eckhart was looking out into with his hands folded behind his back.

Jesse was now sitting in a chair in front of Eckhart's desk. He was dripping wet from head to toe and told him everything that had happened to him within the last few days.

For many minutes Eckhart listened impassively to Jesse's story. Once Jesse had lapsed into silence, Eckhart did not turn to face him. "You did the right thing by coming to me. Never doubt that."

Jesse stared at Eckhart. "Is it true?"

Eckhart looked away from the window, mildly surprised. "Oh yes. Adam created the gene inside you that makes you walk through walls. A very brilliant man. It's his guilty conscious that rides him now. He believes that he is saving mutants by releasing them into the wild of society without any basic knowledge of what they do. In that state, the mutants are just as much as a danger to themselves as other people."

"You know, I would really appreciate it if people did not term us as 'mutants'," Jesse said angrily. "I'm a perfectly normal person-"

"-besides walking through walls and the floor," Eckhart said.

"I'm not any different," Jesse finished stubbornly.

Eckhart smiled slightly. "People, then. Well, then, Jesse, what do you think would happen if Adam put you on his little train to freedom right now? Do you think you'll be able to survive?"

"Hell, yes!" Jesse said.

Eckhart leaned forwards to whisper in his ear. "Are you sure? You use your powers only on instinct right now. What would happened if you 'phased' out of the wall of a fifty-story building? Or is someone saw you phase out of a wall? Do you really think they won't hunt you down?" He walked past him. "But really, if it's any consolation your abilities are hardly dangerous. Purely defensive and trivial at best. The real dangerous ones, people who are able to distort realities and blow up buildings with a flick of their fingers-the living, walking time-bombs, in other words, are the ones that Adam is releasing out into the city." He walked behind his desk. "We had one such incident a few days ago. A mutant was released out of control and killed hundreds of people." He handed Jesse a newspaper.

Jesse read the story. "Adam never told me about this," he said.

Eckhart straightened. "And what else has Adam neglected to tell you?" His blue eyes were blazing with hatred. "Believe me, I *know* what he hides."

Thunder crackled in the distance. Jesse looked up.

"You're the only one who can stop him, Jesse. Think about it. You have no idea how unforgiving this world is of mutants. Little incidents that happen to them, not to mention persecutions, witch trails and open crucifixions. *That's* what your future is. But it doesn't have to be that way. I'm the only person in this world with the influence to protect you and people like you. You can learn how to harness your powers with guidance and use my research to better understand your condition. Adam offers you misguided freedom that won't last very long anyway. I offer control!" Eckhart gripped Jesse's shoulders with his dry thin hands. Tell me where Adam is, and I'll make sure you have a *very* promising future in the GSA."

For a long minute Jesse said nothing.

-----------------

From the outside wall Adam checked his watch. Three minutes were up. Adam took out a flare gun, lifted it high, and fired.

From the other side of the compound Jason watched the sparks dancing against the night sky. He unzipped the duffle bag and took out a block of plastic explosives. He looked. "Are you ready?"

"Everything's in place." Shalamar favored Jason with a grin. "Let's get this show on the road," Shalamar said.

The inner wall exploded.

*********************

Eckhart lifted the cell phone to his ear. "I don't wish to be disturbed," he said.

"But sir, we've got-" a voice began.

Eckhart turned off his cell phone and focused his attention on Jesse. "Have you decided?" he asked. His white hair glowed in the soft light.

Jesse leaned back in his chair and released a breath through his teeth. "Why are you doing this?" he demanded.

"Doing what?" Eckhart asked, bewildered.

Jesse lifted his hands up in the air. "This! All of this. Why are you trying to kill Adam? Why are you kidnaping mutants?"

"Someone has to," Eckhart said. "Very few people know what mutants are, what they're capable of doing. If uncontrolled, do you have any idea the chaos and damage they can do?"

**********************

Shalamar and Jason stepped through the burning rubble as a patrol of soldiers approached the tunnel with assault weapons. Shalamar's eyes glowed a deep orange as blue sparks danced between Jason's fingertips.

"Fire!" the soldier shouted.

Jason lifted his hands, and the next instant a heavy block of ice filled the space between the mutants and the soldier. Their bullets chipped helplessly through meters of ice until their guns ran dry. Jason slowly lifted his hand, and snapped his fingers. The ice crackled and exploded into blue shards.

Shalamar stepped forwards and kicked a soldier in the stomach. She elbowed another in head, and with the heel of her boot smacked another in the forehead.

More screams of pain followed.

************************

"Well?" Eckhart asked as the rain pounded against the window.

For a moment Jesse said nothing. Then he looked up and stood. "I don't think so," he said.

"You don't believe me?" Eckhart asked mildly.

"Nah, I don't entirely believe you or Adam. You each have your own agendas which you're obviously not going to tell me. He's just being a tad more sincere. And, I think, unlike you, he has hope for us. Not you." He paused and lifted his hand. "And of course there's the matter of your hair."

Eckhart took a deep breath. "Adam...will soon be out of business, I can assure you. You should learn to be more trusting, Jesse. It would make things so much easier between us." He bent down behind his desk. When his hand came back up, he had a stinger attached to his finger. "But then, I never expected you to tell me the truth."

Jesse saw what was happening an instant too late. Eckhart plunged the stinger into the back of his neck. Jesse winced and put a hand to his neck. "What the frigging hell did you do?" he demanded.

Eckhart smiled slightly. "I've just injected you with a very potent inhibitor. From my own personal recipe, of course. It will prevent you from using your powers until such time that *I* allow it. I'm afraid the aftereffects are...very unpleasant for you anyway. But now that I have you here I have really no reason to let you go running back to Adam."

Jesse stepped forwards, stumbled. He pushed himself against Eckhart's desk for balance. "Adam was right about you," he said.

Eckhart raised his eyebrow. "Really? More then likely a high compliment, then."

"Yeah, but what he didn't tell me was how a pathetic excuse for a dictator you are. You know, it's people like you that never did well in the social class of school, isn't it?"

Eckhart leaned forwards until he and Jesse were almost eye-to-eye. "Do you have any idea what I'm trying to do?" he whispered angrily.

"You're trying to control mutants," Jesse said.

"I'm trying to save the human race, you bumbling idiot!" Eckhart snapped, losing control.

"Funny. And all it cost was your humanity along the way," Jesse said. "What exactly did you lose along the way, doctor? What did mutants ever do to you?"

For a moment Eckhart said nothing. Then he turned to his desk and pushed a red button. "You'll never know," he said.

Instantly three security guards entered the office. Jesse whirled around. But Jesse was hardly a fighter and no longer had the luxury of going through walls. A beating stick connected with his stomach, and again with the back of his neck. Jesse fell to the ground. The guards grabbed him and hauled him onto his feet by his shirt. Dazed, Jesse stared at Eckhart defiantly.

"Put him back in his stasis pod," Eckhart said with a sneer.

Jesse's eyes widened and struggled against the guard's arms. "No!" he shouted as he was being pulled towards the door. "Let me go! Not that! Anything but that!"

Eckhart raised his eyebrow and lifted his hand. "Anything?" he asked.

Jesse tore away the soldier's grip on his shirt. "Yes," he said, approaching Eckhart's desk. "Whatever you want. Just don't put me back there. Please."

Eckhart leaned back in his chair. "Adam," he said.

Jesse bowed his head. Then he lifted his head. "Okay.....," he took a deep breath. "look out your window."

Eckhart snorted. "Please. You insult my intelligence. You really think I would be so stupid as to believe that Adam would be in this compound at this very moment!?" He leaned forwards. "Tell me the truth, or it's going to be eternal sleep for you forever!"

"I would...really look out your window right now," Jesse said with a shrug.

Eckhart's eyes narrowed. He was about to speak, when a soldier exclaimed 'sir!'. Eckhart turned in his chair, and stared out of the window.

What he saw made his voice die in his throat. Inside, in the main stasis chamber, were hundreds of mutants crammed together and heading towards the tunnels. Awake. The pods were almost empty.

Eckhart stared at it, not comprehending. "What is this?" he asked slowly.

Jesse joined him. "I think this is your apocalypse."

"Guards!" Eckhart shouted. "I want all soldiers assembled on the main levels! Pull the soldiers outside to contain the situation if you have to-"

Jesse lifted his hand to his ear. "Say, Adam, how are you doing over there?"

********************

Adam helped the woman climb out of the stasis chamber. "Just fine, thank you. I think you've bought us enough time. Shalamar's loading the remaining as we speak. Get out of there."

********************

"Give me that!" Eckhart roared, tearing the transceiver out of his ear. He stared at it for a long moment. "This was all a trick," he said.

Jesse folded his arms. "Well. Guess you aren't so smart as you thought you were."

Eckhart snapped his fingers. Instantly Jesse was surrounded by three soldiers. Jesse stared at Eckhart with polite interest.

"Keep him here," Eckhart whispered furiously. "If he makes a move-*any* move towards the walls, shoot him." He stormed towards the doors.

"Nah. Don't think that's going to happen, Eckhart," Jesse said tauntingly from behind his back.

Eckhart whirled around furiously.

Jesse folded his arms. "I just have to point out a little flaw in your plan. You see, Adam knew what you were going to try. I've had the anti-drug to your little device in my system for hours now. There was more then four sides to this plan, just as there is more then four sides to this room. Speaking of which-goodbye."

And before anyone knew what was happening, Jesse disappeared through the floor.

Eckhart went behind his desk and looked up. "Get your men together," he said. "I want all mutants rounded up in the next hour, especially-" Eckhart pointed to the space where Jesse had disappeared. "-him." His voice dropped to a mere whisper. "But most especially Adam."

The officer swallowed. He knew that Eckhart wasn't in the type of mood to hear that if it was true the fugitives had gotten the mutants out of the stasis pod...then they would be outnumbered fifty-to-one. He quickly turned and signaled the others to follow him.

Eckhart waited until they were gone before smashing his fist against the desk.

*******************************

(6 hours ago)

It was starting to rain.

Jesse picked up the photo off the desk. It showed a pretty young girl, in her early twenties. She was laughing in the photo and had blond hair. He had taken a wrong turn and ended up in Adam's office. Curiosity prompted him to search around a little, but this photo stood out more then the rest.

"Everything that I worked for, it was for her," Adam said flatly.

Jesse looked up, so surprised he dropped the photo. "Who was she?" he asked.

Adam took the photo off the desk. "My sister. It was...cancer at a very young age. She carried it with her all her life." He smiled slightly. "She wouldn't even let it bother her. She was my light. I swore since I was a child I would help her. I went to all the schools. Turned out best in the field, in fact. Together with a brilliant young scientist named Eckhart, it was almost child's play to cure her. Then I discovered a rather remarkable development. Not only could she heal herself, she could heal others. She was the very first mutant, and she had an incredible gift. That's when I realized what mankind could accomplish. What I could do."

A long pause, the only sound coming from the rain splattering against the window. "You created the mutants," Jesse said.

Adam looked out at the window, so that way Jesse couldn't see the indescribable grief etched on his features. "I did it originally to save lives. And it worked," he added with a short and bitter laugh. "For a little while. And now, everything that's happened since the mutants began, has happened because of me." For a moment Adam couldn't speak. "You happened because of me."

"So what happened to her? Your sister?" Jesse had to ask.

Adam took a deep breath, his back turned to Jesse. "Eckhart denied all knowledge, but I know that it was him that was responsible for her dissection and the theft of my work. After that, nothing matter to me anymore. And very few things do now. I've hurt far more lives then I've saved." Adam looked up, his eyes swimming with tears. "The only consolation I have left to give is that maybe some lives could be made even more wondrous with the gifts they have...that I created. But that's not going to happen while Eckhart has the upper hand. What I'm doing-it may be small now, but it's the start of something. Something big. Our only hope is to use our combined powers to stop Eckhart, once and for all. Because there's no one else who can," Adam said. He stepped forwards. "Now listen. I don't see your power as something to be used on the dissection table, I see them for what they are-gifts. Gifts to change the world, to make it better for other people. Starting with your own." Adam sat down in his chair. "You can make a difference here, Jesse. Something which I doubt you ever had the opportunity to do.

A long pause. "Wait a minute. You want me...to become part of this...what did you call it again?" Jesse asked hesitantly.

Adam smiled faintly. "I haven't decided on a name yet. The point is-we need you. And, it looks to me like you need us just as much."

Jesse snorted. "Yeah, sure," he turned to go.

"If you leave to go to Eckhart's, you won't ever come out with your freedom," Adam said from behind him. "That much I do know. That is assuming that he won't kill you, of course. He's done the same to others whose only crime was knowing me."

"And I'm just supposed to take your word on that!?" Jesse snapped. "You've lied to me right from the beginning!"

"I've hidden the truth from you, yes," Adam admitted. "Just as I'm hiding more truth from you now. But whatever I hide, it's always been for your benefit."

"Yeah, I can take care of myself, thanks," Jesse said.

"Not with this," Adam said, shaking his head. "You have no idea what Eckhart's capable of."

Jesse glared silently at him.

Adam smiled. "But I'm going to let you see that for yourself. Because you're going to go back there and talk about it to him face-to-face. If you're willing, that is."

Jesse stared at him, puzzled.

"The time has come to strike back at Eckhart, and you're the one person I need for it to make it work," Adam said.

*******************

The electronical doors opened into a freezer-type room. "We need to get you the basics if you have any chance of surviving in there," Adam said, putting a keycard into a slot. The cabinet doors opened, revealing armor, weapons, and several things Jesse couldn't even identify. "We won't bother with body armor-you can take care of that well on your own."

Jesse grabbed a pistol. "Now this is what I'm talking about," he said, pulling the safety back.

But Adam shook his head and gently took it away. "No guns," he said. "We already have far too many weapons at our disposal. Lift up your sleeve."

Puzzled, Jesse did so. From the cooler Adam took out a green vial, and without giving any warning plugged it into Jesse's arm.

"Ow!" Jesse said, cringing. "What the hell was that?"

"Something to help you during your stay at the GSA," Adam said cryptically. "If I know Eckhart well enough, he's going to slip some sort of serum into your system that will make you temporarily lose your powers."

Jesse slipped a transceiver around his ear and nodded.

"I'll radio Shalamar and Jason to be your back-up. Your job will be to distract Eckhart, giving me time to wake the mutants up without causing brain-damage to them. While you're being the main attraction, Eckhart will focus on little else." Adam took a deep breath. "I would never ask you to do this, but-"

"I'm going to anyway," Jesse said firmly. "With or without your help."

Adam closed the cabinet doors. "At least this way I can ensure you'll get out alive, and if all goes to plan we just might be able to do a little damage along the way."

An hour later Jesse stood outside Eckhart's compound, zipping up his fleece jacket as the rain came pouring down. He remembered Adam's last words.

"Just be careful."

*********************

Jesse fell from the roof to the ground, some forty-odd meters below. Wincing, he gripped his foot. Okay, next time he would remember to look at a schematic of the building before trying that again. He hobbled on his foot as he looked up. There was a wire leading from the wall down to the main level. Jesse lifted his wrist, and a grappling hook attached to the cable.

"Down there!" A voice shouted above him.

Taking a deep breath, Jesse slid down the cable as the GSA men opened fire. As Jesse flew down from one level to the next the machinery next to him exploded with sparks. Bullets flew past his ear and one hit the cable. It broke in two. Jesse swung down towards the main level and grabbed a pole before he fell off the edge of the railing. He climbed up it to the upper level of the stasis chambers.

The control panel was right where Adam said it was. He activated it.

**************************

Back at Adam's home, a beautiful Chinese woman geared up the controls of the ship. "The defense perimeter's down. Prepare for take off." She tilted back to the group of fifteen mutants who were strapped in. "Once we land, there will be heavy fighting as we cover their retreat. Adam's counting on us. Let's not disappoint him." With her velvet gloves she activated the thrusters.

The ship lifted off the ground as the furious rain pounded against its hull.

***************************

Jesse held on as the first explosions rocked the compound. Emergency sirens went off, as did the call for evacuation. The lights flickered for a moment, but stayed on. Regaining his balance, Jesse ran up the ramp.

Adam glanced behind his shoulder as Jesse joined him. "Are you all right?"

Jesse nodded. "You were right, I guess."

Adam smiled thinly. "You *guess*?"

"Yeah, well, we'll see," Jesse said, lightly sarcastic.

Adam chuckled. "Give me a hand here." Both he and Jesse lifted a stasis lift off.

Jason appeared. "We've got about two-thirds of them out-oh, hey Jesse-but security's been alerted. The ship's radioed. It's on its way."

"Better move fast, then," Adam said.

Jesse looked around. There was someone missing. "Hey, where's Shala-"

Shalamar jumped from the railing onto the floor next to them, her cloak flapping in the wind.

"-mar," Jesse finished.

Shalamar glanced at him awkwardly for a minute, startled by how glad she was to see him. "Hey," she said.

"Hey," Jesse finished back.

"What's our situation?" Adam asked.

Shalamar focused her attention on him. "The charges are set to go in the next five minutes, but the sentry guns will be shut off in half that time."

"Good. I think we've just about worn out our welcome here, people."

Jesse looked around. "What about the rest of these mutants?"

"There's no time," Adam replied. "We have to take what we can and come back for the others."

"Oh, I really don't think so, Adam," Eckhart replied.

As one, Adam, Shalamar Jesse and Jason turned around as the sound of safety clips were pulled back. Eckhart stood in front of them with three soldiers, all pointing assault weapons at them. Eckhart looked very smug and was clasping his black gloved hands together.

Shalamar moved forwards slightly.

"Try it, and you won't live to see the end of this war," Eckhart said casually to her.

Shalamar froze in her tracks.

"All four of you. What luck," Eckhart said. "The four that's been causing me the most grief today."

Jesse stared at Eckhart defiantly. Eckhart's words, obviously intending to be intimidating, had a completely opposite effect on Jesse. It made him part of a group, and gave to him a sense of closure that he never thought possible.

In that moment, he knew he was on the right side. He would either live or die with them in the next few minutes, but at least he finally knew it was what he wanted.

"Holding us hostage accomplishes nothing, Eckhart," Adam sneered. "We've set charges to blow this compound to the ground. And even if you kill us now, we're easily replaceable."

"We've rescued almost all your prisoners, destroyed your home. You haven't got anything left.," Jason said with a small smile. "Admit it-you've lost."

Eckhart focused his full attention on Jason. "If you think this...minor setback changes anything, you're wrong. I have plenty of other installations, other mutants. But this place, the mutants that are left, will not survive. Even as we speak, toxic gas is being released into the chamber. It is harmful only to mutants and *will* eventually sweep into the stasis chambers and the other levels. All the mutants here are going to die."

Adam's face, however, did not change. "I don't think so," he said. "I don't think that even you could kill mutants in cold blood."

Eckhart's eyes narrowed. "If I can't have them, Adam, then you certainly won't." His eyes flicked to Jesse. "Shoot him.".

"No!" Shalamar cried out.

Jesse shut his eyes and held his breath as the bullets came flying towards him-

-and hit nothing at all.

Jesse's eyes widened. A red shimmer was surrounding him. As he watched the bullets bounced off the shimmer with a ricochet of sparks. Jesse looked around. Adam looked quite comical with his jaw hanging open. The men opened fired again, but the bullets seemed to bounce off him. "Hey this isn't so hard-" Jesse began, and automatically inhaled. Instantly a bullet clipped him in the chest. He flew backwards to the floor and slid across the smooth service. He didn't move.

"There," Eckhart said pleasantly. "Any more predictions of what I can't do, Adam?"

Adam could only stare at him in silent horror.

But Shalamar didn't give Adam a chance to reply. She stepped forwards and clipped an assault rifle with the heel of her boot. A soldier reeled around to shoot her. With a growl Shalamar grabbed his neck and with incredible strength that Adam had never seen threw him upwards. The soldier hit the wall and slid down it. Jason instantly hit the remaining two with bolts of ice. Eckhart turned and ran. Without stopping Shalamar grabbed the assault rifle off the ground. Eckhart's fleeing back was in her sights. Her finger gently squeezed the trigger-

Adam's hand slammed down on the gun. "Shalamar. Shalamar...no."

For one moment Shalamar glared at him, angry enough to rip out his throat. Then she seemed to realize where she was. Shaking, she tossed the gun on the floor and ran to Jesse's side.

Adam stared at Jesse, and the pools of blood that was sweeping under his back to the floor. "No..." he whispered, and ran next to Shalamar's side.

Jason closed his eyes and spread his hands. Pure ice ran from Jason's hands to the two ventilation chambers expelling the gas, forming a seal.

"I don't know how bad this is," Shalamar said, looking up at Adam. Concern lit her brown eyes.

"I don't know either," Adam said, gently touching Jesse's shoulder. He looked up. Eckhart was already gone. He looked back at Shalamar. "Shalamar, you have to get him and the rest of the mutants out of here."

"What about you?" Shalamar demanded.

Adam looked up. "I'm going to take care of some unfinished business," he said.

Shalamar gripped his arm. Although she didn't say anything, her expression was clear-don't go.

"I'm counting on you to take care of them if I don't make it out," Adam said.

"But-"

"Go!" Adam snapped, breaking her grip. "Jesse needs you. The mutants need you." Without waiting for a reply he ran towards the direction where Eckhart had gone.

"The ice isn't going to last, Shalamar," Jason said.

"Okay," Shalamar said, and took a deep breath. "Start evacuating the other mutants to the ship."

Jason ran off. Shalamar, sitting next to Jesse, looked off into the distance, her brown eyes lit with worry.

Anyway she saw it, this was going to end badly.

---------------

As Jason ran off Shalamar struggled the unconscious Jesse to his feet. "Come on! You have to stand up," she said. "I can't carry you out this time." She shook him. "Wake up!" Her voice broke. "Wake up!"

"Mhn..mmm...what?" Jesse choked.

Shalamar breathed a sigh of relief. "All right. Stay with me," she said. She helped him out of the chambers.

"What's that hissing sound?" he asked.

"Never mind," Shalamar said quickly.

Jason looked around. "Hey, has someone been shot?"

"Yeah. You," Shalamar snapped. They reached the crowd of mutants running out the front doors. "Here, take him," she shouted to a woman, depositing Jesse in her arms.

"Jason!" Shalamar called out. "How many mutants?"

"Almost two-thirds!" Jason shouted back. "Some are staying behind. I couldn't stop them!"

"What?" Shalamar demanded as she caught up with her.

"What about the mutants in stasis?" Jason asked.

A long pause. "There's nothing we can do for them," Shalamar said softly. "Even if the gas doesn't kill them...the explosion will. We have to leave them behind."

Leaning against the side of the wall Jesse stared at them for a moment, breathing heavily. He turned around and ran back the way he came.

"Let's get these people to the ship," Shalamar ordered.

******************

Just as Shalamar and the others ran out of the tunnel the sky glowed with blue and green lights. Shalamar looked up as Adam's ship settled next to the inner wall. "That's our ride!" she shouted. The rain was pounding relentlessly against her body. "Everyone on!"

As the cargo bay doors open the refugees scrambled on board.

"Come on, let's go!" Shalamar shouted impatiently. They only had very little time before the charges would explode, probably killing anyone who was left inside.

"Jesse?" she said, as the last of the mutants boarded. She looked around. She didn't seem him board the cargo hold. "Jason, have you seen Jesse anywhere?"

Jason shrugged. His eyes glowed blue as he looked around with night-vision. "I don't see him," he said. "I thought he was with you!"

"Great," Shalamar snarled. She turned.

"Wait-where are you going!?" Jason demanded.

"I'm going back in there!" Shalamar said.

But Jason pulled her back. "You can't go back in there! It's going to blow in two minutes!" Jason said.

"Two minutes is enough," Shalamar snarled.

"Shalamar, no!" Jason said. "I can't lose you! If you're gone, who's going to lead these people!"

Shalamar stared at him evenly. "You will," she said.

As Jason stared at her in disbelief Shalamar tore herself loose. "I'll be right along. And I will make it out alive with Jesse." She turned and ran back into the compound.

"Two minutes, Shalamar!" Jason shouted after her. He stared after her. "Be careful," he said.

**********************

Eckhart was furiously putting his laptop into his briefcase when Adam opened the oaken door.

Eckhart looked up, and his eyes met Adam's. He straightened.

"Jesse tells me you were looking for me. Well, here I am," Adam said with a raised eyebrow as he walked on the expensive red carpet. The rain had plastered Adam's black hair, and his leather jacket was dripping wet. Yet his eyes never looked more focused, more determined..

"This was all a trick," Eckhart said.

"You allowed yourself to be fooled, Eckhart," Adam said scornfully. "Doing exactly the same tricks I knew you would try-you think I don't know you well enough?"

Eckhart gripped his briefcase. "So. It seems like you've started a little resistance. Mutants running around the place without unity. It's exactly the way I feared. The only question is-what happens now?" He shook his head. "You're in way over your head, Adam. You don't have what it takes to be a leader. You're not prepared to deal with the choices you have to face. Take some friendly advice and give up before you realize the damage you're about to do. To yourself, to your mutants." He paused. "To the world."

"I only have to make one choice, Eckhart," Adam said. "And that's whether or not this ends now." He took out a gun from the pocket of his leather jacket. "And that's an easy choice to make."

Eckhart laughed in Adam's face. "I really don't think so," he said. "I may be capable of killing mutants but you're certainly not capable of killing your own kind."

"Oh really?" Adam asked scornfully. "You killed my sister."

"I never laid a hand on her," Eckhart said.

"No, but you're the one who ordered her death," Adam said.

Eckhart put down the briefcase. "Perhaps. But then, perhaps not." He stared at Adam closely. "You're not entirely sure, are you? Wouldn't it just antagonize you to know that you killed an innocent man?"

Adam said nothing, but his gun never wavered from Eckhart's head.

"Or perhaps you'll realize, just as I did a long time ago, that their are bigger and badder things then the GSA. And with that in mind, the fact remains that your only hope to combat those things are the resources of the GSA. And even then, there will still be the sacrifices. People like Jesse and Shalamar would be killed in a heartbeat, and yourself? You yourself must become just like me-a monster." He shook his head. "Because there is no other way to defeat those things. Tell me, Adam, do you still feel so confident?"

"If it takes a monster to destroy a monster, then I'll do it," Adam said evenly. He pulled back the trigger.

Eckhart paled visibly. He slowly closed his eyes.

Adam lifted the gun. "But it takes more then an hour to become as pathetic as you, Eckhart. Utterly humiliating you is good enough for now."

Eckhart clutched his briefcase. "Your...mercy...won't..be...rewarded!" he hissed through teeth. He moved towards the door.

Adam turned to face him. "But your operation will stop, Eckhart. Now *I'm* offering you this one last chance-shut down the GSA, or I will shut it down myself. With my team."

"Your team," Eckhart echoed in disgust. "Your small rabble of mutants hardly frightens me, Adam."

"We may be a small group...for now, but look at what we did in one day." Adam allowed himself a small, disbelieving smile. "Just look, Eckhart."

But Eckhart had slammed the oaken door shut.

**********************

The outside courtyard was in complete anarchy.

Bullets pierced through the air but struck a red barrier before it actually hit the ship. Outside, fighting raged between the mutants and the GSA. On the ground, four GSA men were fighting against a mutant who was a martial arts expert. Near them another mutant's eyes glowed a dark blue, not unlike the way Shalamar's would. He roared like a tiger and threw himself against a heavy GSA officer. High above, a mutant teenage girl was throwing a combination of fire in one hand and ice shards in another at a GSA arming a sentry gun.

The Chinese woman was making her way to the entrance when she was approached by a GSA officer. The mutant's jade eyes glowed with power as she lifted her purple velvet gloved hand towards the man's face and blue light surrounded him. *see me.* *see my struggle*.

The GSA man jerked.

*fight with me* Her eyes commanded.

The GSA turned with a gasp, and began firing on his own men. On the rooftop, a GSA had set up a rocket launcher. He aimed it at the ship and squeezed the trigger. It passed through the barrier and exploded against the hull.

Resulting screams followed.

********************

Inside, it was deathly quiet.

Breathing hard, Shalamar paused for a moment and looked around. The lights were flickering inside and out. The rooms had been ransacked and garbage was strewn everywhere. Eckhart's fortress was now completely abandoned.

Well, almost.

As she walked, she saw a thin trace of blood between her black boots. As she walked, the thin line grew thicker. She broke into a run as the line grew into a pool. It led right back into the stasis chambers.

At the end of the hall she saw Jesse working at a control panel. Curious, she slowly approached him.

Jesse glanced up in irritation. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I could ask you the same question," Shalamar said.

"What the hell does it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to get these mutants out of cryo-stasis."

"You're bleeding," Shalamar said.

Jesse snorted. "Yeah, well, that's why I'm hurrying." He brushed past her. "I'm not sure what you're doing here."

Sirens raged on in the distance. "There's a rule that I doubt you're aware of. A code. And it goes along the lines of this-we don't leave our own behind. Ever," Shalamar said firmly.

"Then help me, or else these people are going to die," Jesse said.

Shalamar shook her head. "Jesse, we don't have time," she said. "This place is going to blow at any second." She looked to the left, and to her horror, she saw that the gas was now running freely out of the ventilation chambers. She turned back. "We have to get out of here!"

But Jesse ignored her. He brushed past her to one of the fifteen remaining stasis pods.

"Jesse," Shalamar said as he began to pull open a pod. "Jesse, we have to go. You're bleeding."

But he didn't reply. Shalamar was beginning to get angry. And desperate. She grabbed his shoulder. "Jesse, come on!"

Jesse shook her off. Shalamar frowned slightly, then drew back her fist and aimed for his head. Jesse saw it coming and somehow was faster then she was. He side-stepped her punch and with the combined effort of both his fists hit her in the side. Shalamar slammed against the railing. Jesse walked away.

Shalamar's eyes glowed a deep orange. "Okay," she said. She ran after him and tackled him to the ground. Both collapsed to the concrete.

Jesse pushed against her. "Shalamar, get off me!" he ordered.

Shalamar shook her head, her blond hair bouncing against her shoulders. "Forget it. You're coming with me, whether you like it or not."

Jesse struggled to sit up. Shalamar pushed him back down. "Jesse, we've got about a minute left before this place explodes!"

"Then you're talking to a dead man, so you might as well leave," Jesse snapped.

Shalamar paused. "You really care, don't you?"

"I'm not leaving," he said. He struggled to get up, but Shalamar pushed down with her black glove. "Why?" she demanded. "Why do you even care."

"I just do, all right. Now would you get off me *please*?"

Shalamar shook her head. "This is never going to work," she said, but her eyes strayed upwards to the pods. Pods with sleeping faces, sleeping children. "Dammit," she said.

***********************

Jason warmed up the engines. All the mutants were now aboard. "Thirty seconds, Shalamar!"

*********************

"Almost done!" Shalamar said as she and Jesse unloaded the last of the mutants to the ground. By that time all of them were chocking in the toxins that were seeping out of the vent. Shalamar moved to the head of the pack and helped Jesse to walk. Together all of them ran out the hall to the ship waiting outside. "Keep talking to me, Jesse," Shalamar ordered. "What did you do before you learned you were a mutant?"

"Shalamar, is this really the time to have this conversation?" Jesse asked sarcastically. "I mean, we're only in a building that's about to explode and that's assuming the toxic gas doesn't kill us first."

"So better late then never," Shalamar said. "Come on-what did you do?"

Jesse shrugged his blond head. "Oh, you know. I've been around."

"Really," Shalamar said. "Sounds like fun."

Jesse paused. "I never really had anyone to hang onto, you know."

She glanced at him, for a moment perfectly serious. "Maybe you do now."

"I thought you didn't like me," Jesse pointed out.

Shalamar smiled briefly. "I'm starting to."

They made their way out of the hall into the outside courtyard. The wind tore through them and the rain had now increased to hail. Still Jesse barely noticed it as he stared at the ship nested on top of the basketball court. "Wow. Hey, can I drive one of those?" Jesse asked.

"No," Shalamar said curtly. She tossed him in the general direction of the cargo hold. "Get in with the others and strap yourself in. This is going to be rough." She ran into the tiny bridge of the ship.

Jason stared at her. "Finally. I didn't think you were going to show up."

"Well you know, I always like leaving things to the last minute," Shalamar said as she put on a headset. She looked around. "Where's Adam?"

"He still isn't back," the Chinese mutant said.

Shalamar's eyes widened. "We can't lift off without him."

"I'm right here!" Adam shouted, running to his seat. He put on a headset and geared up the controls. "Lifting off!"

The ship lifted off the ground as the first few explosions began to rock the GSA.

Inside the passenger hold the mutants struggled to keep their balance. "Where are we going?" A woman whispered.

Jesse, who was holding onto the wall looked out the window as the ship lifted off into the sky. "Home, I think."

**********************

(The next morning)

Her boots echoing in the halls, Shalamar walked towards the end of the hall until she reached retrieval & recovery. She hesitated, then entered.

Jesse was rolling a bandage around his ankle and his face immediately brightened when he saw her. He was also painfully aware that his shirt was off. "Hey," he managed to say. There was something about Shalamar that made him very tongue-tied.

Shalamar took a deep breath. "Adam wanted me to check and see how you were doing."

"I'm doing alright," Jesse said. "Just out of curiosity...is this what you guys...always do?"

"It was one of our busier days," Shalamar said. "But yeah...that's what we do. Some days it can really bad." She allowed herself the luxury of a smile. "Yesterday was one of our good days."

A pause.

"Huh," Jesse said as he pulled on his shirt.

Shalamar cleared her throat. "Adam told me you were on board with us from the beginning...but I have to know...you weren't tempted at all?"

Jesse raised his eyebrow. "To join Eckhart's side, have wealth, power and control over my life for the first time? Well, it was more then a little tempting. Plus I knew that Adam wasn't being entirely on the level with me at the time....so yeah, it was a little thought-provoking."

"Okay, but what convinced you to trust our side?" Shalamar had to know.

Jesse raised his eyebrow. "Well, Eckhart called my powers 'trivial' for one. Another reason was the hair-I mean, what is the man thinking? Can he look *any* weirder!"

Shalamar smiled a little.

"And...because you guys didn't lose faith in me. Even when I lost all faith in you," he finished.

"Well, I knew you would make the right decision," Shalamar said quietly.

The doors opened before Jesse could reply. Jason stepped through, holding a cardboard box. "Your things from your apartment," Jason said, putting them on the table. "Since you won't be going back there anytime soon."

"Hey, thanks," Jesse said.

"Any trouble?" Shalamar asked.

"Nah. Just one GSA poking around the building. I took care of him," Jason said.

Jesse looked through the box, then looked up. "Guess I'm going to need this stuff while I'm in Brazil, huh?" he asked softly.

Shalamar and Jason looked at each other quickly. "Listen, I-," Shalamar said, leaning forwards.

"We don't want you to go," Jason said flatly. He smiled a little. "You could say we've grown a little fond of you. The truth is that Eckhart has kept so many doors locked to us for far too long. With your help that won't even be a problem anymore. You could be a valuable teammate for our organization....if you're signed on, that is." Next to him Shalamar said nothing, but she was starring at Jesse intently.

The doors opened before Jesse had time to reply. "I agree," Adam said. "What you did...it showed more courage then few people I've met. You saved a lot of lives today, and for that reason I have to thank you." He smiled, shaking his head a little. "Besides, I have the feeling that if we put you in the underground you just won't be satisfied with staying quiet. This way we can keep an eye on you."

"What's our status, Adam?" Jason asked.

Adam folded his arms. "The last time anyone saw Eckhart, he was running from the mutants who had decided to stay behind. They made it out too." He glanced at all three of them. "He's hiding now. And something tells me he won't be resurfacing for a long time. Because of you three."

"I call that news for celebration," Shalamar said, but the smile did not quite reach her eyes as she looked at Adam. She clenched her fist, trying to calm her anger.

Jesse shook his head. "Okay, I don't think you guys quite know who I am," he said.

All three looked up at him, startled.

"No offense, but I just don't want you to have the wrong idea. Yeah I can walk through walls and all and maybe stop a bullet or two but that's all I can do. Eckhart was right-it's all purely defensive stuff. I mean, I'm not a fighter."

"You think we were from the beginning?" Jason said. "Well, maybe Shalamar was."

Adam shook his head, still smiling. "You'd be surprised what you think is purely defensive can be a weapon in the hands of others...and you are a weapon, Jesse. I can think of no better example then what you did yesterday. As for the rest...it's trivial. And things I can easily teach you."

Jesse opened his mouth to speak, and found that he couldn't. Adam gently put his hand on his shoulder. "You don't need to answer right away, Jesse. Give it some thought. Whatever you choose to do, we won't stop you. But I think I speak for this entire organizing....for these people right here in this room, that we'd like you to stay."

"Adam, can I talk to you for a minute?" Shalamar abruptly asked.

Adam didn't look the least bit surprised. "Yeah. Of course, Shalamar. Meet me in my office." He glanced at Jesse. "Get some rest. You've earned it."

Jason rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, I'm going to go get the rest of Jesse's things before the sun sets. Might be a good idea before the GSA cleans it out."

Shalamar smiled. "Okay, I'll see you later, sweetie," she said. She arched up and gave Jason a kiss on the lips before proceeding out the door.

Jesse's eyes widened. He felt incredibly stupid. How could he have not noticed. But then, when did he ever have time *to* notice? "Oh! I'm sorry-"

"Hey man, it's okay," Jason said, waving his hand away. "You think you're not the only guy to eye a woman like Shalamar?"

Jesse stared out at the door. "She's quite a woman. I wonder why she left in such a rush?"

"I can honestly tell you that I don't have a frigging clue," Jason said, perplexed as well.

*********************

Adam had seen Shalamar in many moods, most of them angry and rarely happy. But he had never seen her before absolutely furious. And it was all directed entirely at him.

"Why did you lie to me about Jesse!?" she demanded, her hands slamming against his desk. Her brown eyes stared intently at him. Watching her was no less dangerous then watching a dangerous animal.

Still, Adam kept a neutral face as he looked up. "How do you mean?"

"You said that he had ran away to Eckhart's because he didn't believe us. You mentioned *nothing* about a double plan to strike back at Eckhart's with Jesse's help until about a minute before we were at his lair! Why couldn't you have told me from the beginning?"

Adam tapped his fingers against his desk. "I had decided from the moment in the underground that Jesse was going to be a part of our team," he said. "I just wasn't sure how you felt about it."

Shalamar glared at him and straightened. "You lied to me," she said again. She began to pace. "You couldn't trust me?" She faced him. "I thought we were friends. I guess we're not."

"I do trust you," Adam said. "More so then I've trusted anyone I've ever known."

"Obviously not with this," Shalamar pointed out. "You can't hold things back from me, Adam. Not when my life is at risk, or especially the lives of others!"

Adam took a sip of coffee. "It was a very important mission," he said. "Much more important then finding the location of a new home. It worked out well for us, and saved hundreds of lives." He couldn't help but smile. "And you all did damn good in there. I suspect that Eckhart's having a little trouble with the few mutants that decided to stay." He looked up at her and raised his eyebrow. "Goodnight."

Shalamar stared at him for one final moment. Then she smiled. It was a smile Adam didn't like. She turned and slammed the door shut so hard that the doorframe broke.

Adam sighed and emptied his coffee in the sink. Outside, it was night. Lights twinkled off in the distance. Adam stared out of the window for a long, long time.

It had to be one of the two. Everyone else had been excluded. He leaned his head against the glass and looked out into the city, feeling so lost.

He just hoped against hope that it wasn't Shalamar.

********************

Eckhart turned around slowly in his chair. "So the little runt has become a member of Mutant X," he said tonelessly, as though no more interested as he was in the fact it was raining outside. "Everything's going according to plan, then."

He put the report on his desk and drummed his fingers against the wood. "I did not expect him to come back, though. I dislike surprises, especially when they are connected with infiltrating our organization and this very office. I'm sure you will do better."

Jason tilted his head slightly.

Eckhart leaned back in his chair. "Perhaps it wasn't a total waste. Perhaps I have installed a certain doubt in Jesse's concerning Adam's abilities. That'll help the transformation. And if there's one thing I've learned, is that it's the little things that effect the big picture."

"And perhaps, one or two large weapons," Jason said with a small smile.

"Yes," Eckhart said, and smiled thinly. "Perhaps."

**********************

Sitting onto of the roof Jesse watched the sun rise. His ribs still ached quite a bit and his lungs burned, but for the first time ever he was okay. Jesse lifted his hand and watched it shimmer. He still didn't understand what he was capable of, still couldn't believe that mutants existed, but it was something he could get used to. As for the dangers and the inevitable battles ahead where there would undoubtably be pain and loss...he was okay with that too. As the sun's rays touched his cheeks he closed his eyes. He had made his decision.

He was safe.

He was home.

THE END.