Invisible Death

by VoxArcana

An industry tycoon abducts new mutants to use as guinea pigs or power sources.

They're Back

Jesse's head darted around the airport. "Where is she?" he asked.

Emma laughed and patted his shoulder. "Relax," she exclaimed "She'll be here."

Riley Jackson, the Revolution, could see them from where she stood, standing under a large skylight. The sunlight causing Emma's hair to look like flames and Jesse's to strongly resemble liquid gold.

"JESSE!" she yelled as she ran down the escalator.

"Rev!" he yelled racing towards her. The girl giggled as he hugged and swung her around.

"Hi, Em," she exclaimed breathlessly.

"Jess...you're choking your girlfriend," she said smiling.

Jesse hugged her one more time and smiled.

"Ready to go home?" he asked.

"Yes, please," she said, kissing him.

Down the other escalator, a smallish figure struggled to juggle a suitcase, a briefcase, several folders and a cane. Every few steps, the folders fall to the ground or the wheels of the suitcase get caught in floor creases and the darned thing tips over. Besides, there were other means of flying, all of them much better than being cooped up in the narrow space of a plane cabin, with stewardesses fussing over you because you're "challenged" and an awful lot of children running up and down the aisles. What a dumb idea to hold a medical conference in Orlando, Florida, of all places! Hot, humid, flat! And they didn't let her in most of those theme park rides because she was... groan... challenged. Political correctness be damned!

That's when the overloaded briefcase decided it was a good time to open and scatter the notes taken during the Mutant Viruses International Conference all over the airport lobby.

'This isn't my lucky day... Or maybe it is!' the small handicapped doctor thought. "Emma!" she cried to the redheaded slender girl the other side of the lobby.

Emma DeLauro, psionic extraordinaire and the doctor's best friend among Adam's team turned, looked at the strange figure, appreciated her sorry situation and doubled over laughing! She lightly elbowed the blonde young man by her side, pointing to where the hunchback was trying to gather together a ton of paper.

'Jesse Kilmartin, thank God its him, and not Brennan.' Even as far as they were, Angela Fontenelle could see clearly the bluest pair of eyes she'd ever seen in her life. And the kindest to boot. But who was the girl hanging from his arm? 'Boy, I should drop by Sanctuary more often.' She could see the girl was not pleased when they came her way, still laughing. Sometimes, eagle-like eyesight was more a curse than a blessing.

"This is uncharitable, you two. Laughing at a cripple! Shame on you!"

"Don't pull the 'poor little cripple' on us, Angela! We know you much better than that." Emma and Jesse started gathering papers while the doctor looked at the girl standing a little further apart.

"Hi, I'm Angela Fontenelle, a friend of Jesse's, Emma's, Shal's... well, Brennan's too, even after I beat him to a pulp in chess." She offered a hand, long fingers, large knuckles, talons and all for a friendly handshake. The girl hesitated, took a deep breath, bit her upper lip and the doctor noticed the look she shared with Jesse. He frowned ever so slightly, but the hunchback knew the "Come on, don't be repulsed" face ten miles away.

'Oh, boy...'

Revolution rolled her eyes Jesse way. Someone forgot where his girlfriend spent most of her childhood. She wasn't repulsed by the woman, she thought to herself, she was wary.

"I'm Revolution," the slender girl exclaimed, taking the woman's hand in hers "Jesse's girlfriend." She yawned and telekinetically lifted her large purple suitcase up and put in Jesse's arms.

"Be a dear?" She asked, kissing his cheek.

"Of course," he replied.

"So you beat Sparky at chess, did ya?" she asked the women as they walked away "Bet the Ole spark plug loved that."

Gathering the last items scattered around the floor and trying to close Angela's overflowing briefcase, Emma laughed. That was a cherished memory, Brennan's chess demise.
"The story is a little different. And it happened before you joined Mutant X and came to live in Sanctuary." Emma explained, while heading to the exit. "Jesse, we can give Tweety here a lift home."

"Thanks, I was hoping you would. Anyway, Adam had brought me here from Brazil after my mother passed away and I was living in Sanctuary, studying mutant physiology. " The pace was slowed, walking in boots was difficult and the crippled woman leaned heavily on her cane. "I was shy around people I didn't know, but I wanted to fit in. One night, Emma was playing chess by herself. I love chess. I was Brazilian and South American amateur champ, you know?"

Emma caught up on the narrative. "Brennan repeated that old quip of Jesse's about having my own butt kicked. Angela heard and suggested that we pulled Bren's leg. I'd challenge him, and pick the moves from her mind. With her eyes, she could see the board from afar." Emma couldn't go on, it was so funny...

By that time, the girl Revolution was following the story like it was a tennis match, looking from Emma to Angela and back, while they headed to the airport parking lot.
"Brennan and Emma played four matches and she won them all." Angela went on. "By the third match, they had an audience. Brennan was so desperate he kept looking at Adam, who kept his best poker face on, begging for help. "

"On the fourth match, it was mate in three!" Emma exclaimed while Jesse loaded the luggage in the SUVs trunk. "We captured his king in three moves! Revenge was mine! Brennan blew a fuse!"

Moods were high and they were all laughing. "Where do we drop you off? Home or clinic?" asked Jesse.

"Home, please! I miss Ally and I'm really tired," said Angela. "Dragging this junk all the way back was a pain."

"Your loft it is, then." And Jesse set the car in motion.

&&&

"So Rev?" asked Emma from the back seat "Lux teach you any nifty tricks?"

The girl smiled.

"Well, I can now successfully float for miles without dropping from the sky," she replied laughing.

"Is that what you were practicing when I visited last?" asked Jesse.

Revolution pushed her long red hair behind her ear and nodded.

"Broke an arm too," she said laughing.

Sitting with Emma in the back, the dark skinned woman studied the girl riding shotgun. Pretty... Slender... Looks so young... But there was something wild about her, a shadow of haunting in her eyes. It reminded her of certain birds... Hawks! Yes, as if she had suffered a lot in her few years, but retained all the fire of an indomitable spirit. She was always wary, always on the look out. And always very ready. She was a hawk, alright.

"Clean fracture?" the hunchback bit her tongue, she shouldn't butt in the conversation. "Sorry, but I'm a doctor. How does your arm feel?"

She turned to the stranger and pierced her with those fierce clear eyes of hers. So wary... so defensive...

Angela looked at Emma, who gave her a sad smile. This girl brings all Emma's compassion to the surface. The telempath touched her own heart and the bent woman got the message: Revolution had seen a lot, suffered a lot and survived a lot.

They were near the loft Angela shared with Allison Turner, who ran all Underground day-to-day activities when the sound of a Fire Squad siren sounded behind the SUV. Jesse pulled over to let the red truck go by. Another red truck shot from the corner and headed in the same direction the SUV was pointed to. Bystanders ran to the spot, trying to see what was going on. Inside the vehicle, four people very used to dealing with catastrophe looked at each other.

Jesse floored the SUV, trying to reach the loft, but traffic was jamming up. He turned to the right, looking for a back way and they managed to approach the building from behind. It was surrounded by firemen, onlookers, policemen...

Jumping out of the car, the four mutants couldn't believe what they were seeing: the whole building where Angela and Allison shared a home was burning, but it was no regular fire. There were no flames shooting out of the windows, neither there was smoke pouring out and climbing to the sky. Only small bluish flames could be seeing engulfing the second floor. The heat was unbearable and the walls were turning black fast. The blue fire seemed to be coming from the inside out and the apartment was rapidly turning to cinders.
Taking in the disaster, Jesse, Emma, Riley and Angela could do nothing but stare at the weird bonfire. Suddenly, snapping out of her stupor, Angela looked at her wristwatch checking the hour. She felt the cold hand of panic close around her heart as she screamed, "ALLISON!"

Catastrophe!

"Come on!" Revolution yelled.

Jesse looked at Emma who nodded. They ran into the burning building, Revolution using her telekinesis to spread the fire out and away from them.

"Where would she be?!" asked Emma.

"Quickly," hissed Revolution "I can only hold this back for so long." The ground was hot to the touch, so Revolution turned the sprinklers on.

The sprinklers rained on them, but seemed to be useless against the bluish fire that surrounded every object in the house. The heat was increasing exponentially and Revolution already showed the impact of the extreme effort of blocking off the fire. The blue light was stronger in the bedroom. Jesse and Emma ran through the door, Jesse leading the way. As soon as he saw what was inside, he turned around and stopped the young psionic in her tracks.

"It's too late!"

"Lets get outta here!" Yelled Revolution. "I can't keep it up any longer!"
Jesse grabbed both girls in his arms and phased down the floor to the ground. They ran out of the burning building as the heat intensified to a point where all the things inside burst out in a raging fire that promptly engulfed the whole second floor and smoke started to spiral upwards to the cloudless sky.

Revolution could feel the burns on her face as Jesse laid her gently on the back seat of the SUV. "Did we..." she started to ask. Jesse shook his head sadly. "Damnit!" she whispered.
She didn't dare look at the other women, she felt like she had let her down somehow.
They didn't see the body but one look at Emma and they knew. Jesse swore under his breath as Emma held on tightly to the sobbing Angela. Revolution felt sick. She slid out of the SUV and ran to a patch of grass where she commenced to empty the lunch she had eaten onto the ground.

&&&

The dark colored woman saw them as they entered the building. Her heart was beating uncontrollably in her chest, it seemed it would jump out of her mouth. The wait wasn't long. With her eagle eyes, she saw them as soon as they came running out of the bonfire, now in full rage. Jesse and Emma ran to the woman, managing to evade the firemen and bystanders now starting to crowd the place. The girl Revolution was cradled in Jesse's arms, her face red from the heat. Jesse laid her in the back and, in my shock, she heard her ask, "Did we..." and he slowly shook his head. The ugly woman's hands started to shake, then her shoulders, then her whole body was shaking and a cry of pure grief shot out of her throat as the tears poured out of her eyes. "Allison was my friend, my partner, my companion, the one person who loved me no matter how ugly I was," she sobbed and howled her pain to the sky as she felt Emma's arms around her and she knew that the telempath felt every ounce of hurt that tore at her soul. And Allison was Emma's friend, too. They cried together for a long time.

Revolution stood up and was immediately enveloped into Jesse's arms. "You all right?" he asked.

"Yes," she whispered pushing him away "Come on, we got to get them back to Sanctuary."

Taking his hand, she walked slowly to the others. "I don't mean to sound heartless," she said "But we need to get outta here."

Emma wiped her eyes and nodded. "Come on, Angela," she whispered gently.

The ride back to Sanctuary was silent and gloomy. Moods so high just a little while ago came crashing down. Jesse drove, Riley looked through the window and Angela cried, curled up in the back seat, with Emma's arms around her. The tidal wave of grief and sorrow emanating from the hunchback was almost more than she could bear. Angela had lost more than a friend, she had lost the love of her life.

As soon as the majestic Stormking mountain came into view, Emma sensed Angela tense as the feral whipped her head up, emotions at a breaking point raging within her body. Angela's claustrophobia, already put to the test in the confined space of the airplane's cabin, was reaching a maddening level, making the winged woman restless at the sight of the mountain.

"Stop the car, please, Jesse." Emma asked softly.

"Why? What's wrong, Em?" alarm ringing in the molecular's voice.

Angela couldn't stand it any more. "Just do it!" she cried.

Jesse hit the brakes hard.

Opening the door in a storm, Angela kicked off her boots showing her strange feet and stepped out and ran shedding her coat. Her wings unfurled to it's full extent and, with a leap, she was flying higher and higher.

"Oh, my God, look at her!" Exclaimed a startled Revolution, craning her neck to the creature already almost out of sight. "What was that?"

"Angela is an Avian feral, the only one Adam knows about. She wasn't even listed in his databanks." Explained Emma. "When her mother died, her father called him and he went to Brazil to bring her here. She was the only mutant in that country."

"Jesus, we feel lonely here, where there are some of us," said Revolution.

"Imagine what it would feel like to be the only one in a whole country," added Jesse, draping his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder.

Friendly Conversation

Revolution held tightly onto Jesse's hand as they walked slowly into Sanctuary.

"Rev!" yelled Brennan.

"Riley!" yelled Shalimar.

They were so excited to see her. It would be nice to have someone around who was at times as wild as they were.

"What happened?" asked Adam noticing the tired, sad looks in their eyes.

Emma wiped a tear from her eye and looked at Jesse. "Well," exclaimed Jesse "We saw Angela at the airport and offered to give her a ride back to her loft..."

"She should be returning from the mutant viruses conference in Orlando," Adam nodded.

"When we got to the loft," continued Jesse, "the whole thing was on fire."

"Oh, my God," whispered Shalimar "Allison... Is she...?"

Emma looked at Shalimar and nodded sadly.

The feral placed a hand to her mouth in shock.

"Where's Angela?" asked Adam, his voice thick with worry.

"She flew off when we got here." said Emma.

Adam looked at Revolution. "Do you think you could..." he started.

"Sure, I'll go find her," replied Revolution.

Floating around the mountain top, Revolution pulled her jacket tighter around her as the wind blew. "I swear I've passed that same rock ten times," she whispered "Where the hell is she?"

Hearing the flapping of wings above her head, she sees the large shadow of a bird cloud the sky.

"Bingo", she whispered and propelled herself to the highest point of the hill.

Angela perched on a twisted tree trunk, watching the sun go down. She folded her wings, enveloping her body to protect it against the cold and the wind.

"Hey, kid?" asked Revolution. "You all right?"

Angela turned her head, looked at the girl Revolution and went back to watch the sunset. It'd been a long time since anyone called her "kid".

"Fine. You mind if I sit out here with you? Adam isn't big on me smoking in the homestead." she exclaimed pulling a lighter and cigarettes from her pocket.

"Suit yourself, it's a free country."

"Sure," replied Revolution, sliding her hands into her pockets.

"Revolution... What a nickname..."

She smiled. "My first boss gave it to me," she replied laughing slightly.

"Mind giving me one of those?" asked Angela, pointing to Rev's cigarette.

She handed her a cigarette and the lighter. "So... not to be rude... but what is your mutation?" she asked sitting on a rock.

Lighting the cigarette with the slight cough of an ex-smoker, Angela answered matter-of-factly. "I'm a feral. Actually, I'm a hybrid, not a new mutant. My genes have stabilized."

"Must be nice," exclaimed Revolution, her thoughts drifting to her own constant mutations

Angela laughed without any humor and showed her ugly taloned hands and feet to the younger mutant. "Not really. Do I look nice?"

"I mean nice as in knowing that this is how its going to be, that fate isn't gonna say hey you're having fun, lets give you something else to screw up your life."

Angela dragged the cigarette smoked deep to her lungs. "Yes, this is pretty definitive. I'll never be anything else but a freak, just like my father used to call me three times a day."

"Mine just sent me away, to be tortured and experimented on," whispered Revolution not realizing that she had said it louder than intended.

The winged woman tore her eyes from the sunset and looked at the girl. She had been right. This one had seen a lot, suffered a lot and survived a lot. "Tell me. It seems we have things in common."

"My parents sent me to Genomex when I was 9 for 'treatments', which was the cute name they gave to a experiment into the healing process of Psionic mutants. We were cut, beaten, our bones broken and much, much worse."

"I was luckier," said Angela. "My father just never looked at me. Never talked to me. And I attended a regular school. Looking like this. His brainstorm, you know? She's a freak, lets make her a cripple."

"I never finished high school," sighed Rev, shivering. The mountain top is cold and windy.

"You cold?" asked Angela.

"Sort of."

"Come here." Revolution floated to the tree where Angela was perching. The winged woman unfolded her wings and draped them around Revolution. "You're young, you have time. But you don't really need it, do you? I mean, formal education."

"Never really thought about it." Inside Angela's wings it was warm and cozy.

"Yeah... You're lucky about one thing, though..." Angela's eyes filled with tears. "Love is a rare commodity, Rev. In my case, even more so. Stick to it. Never let go..."

'Oh, God,' thought Revolution, 'She's crying. What do I do?' She reached over and rather pathetically patted Angela's shoulder.

The feral hybrid smiled through the tears. "Thanks, I'm fine. I had to fly, you know. Flight heals me. It renovates me... It's just that I was hurting so much..." She sighed. It felt oddly comfortable to confide in the young, wild psonic. "I loved her, Rev. Allison... We were more than just roommates. She offered me love and I took it. It lasted a little over one year, but I was never so happy. And now... it's over."

"We'll find who did this, I promise and I never revoke a promise," said the fierce, determined girl.

"I believe you... Revolution... I really do." They turned to the blazing sun that turned Stormking into a mystic realm. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Guess..." answered Revolution with a large smiled that brightened her eyes. "Nature ain't really my thing."

"It is mine, Revolution," Angela smiled back. "It is mine. Lets get inside."

No Rest for the Weary

"Rev?" asked Jesse as he walked quietly into the lab "What are you doing?"

Revolution rubbed her eyes and smiled.

"Just seeing if I can get anything from the security cameras at Angela and Allison's flat," she whispered.

Jesse laughed.

"That's my girl, but seriously, hon, why don't you go to bed?"

He ran his hands through her loose hair as she typed.

"I tried," she replied "I'm so tired, but I can't seem to sleep."

"Your arm?" he asked.

Revolution looked down at the light blue cast that was a shocking contrast to her pale skin and shook her head. She wanted to tell her boyfriend what Angela had told her on the mountain top but knew that would be betraying the older women's trust.

"It's nothing," she replied as she leaned over and kissed him.

"Want to go watch a movie?" he asked hoping that it would help her sleep.

"Sure," she replied saving her work and taking his hand.

"Did you sleep at all?"

From her perch on the edge of the open skylight above the pond, Angela didn't have to look to know who the tenor voice belonged to. "Not a wink. Do you sleep at all?"

"On occasion," was the answer. "On those infrequent moments, I dream."

"Do you? 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep'?" She barked a laugh.

"Phillip K. Dick... Great story. 'If you're not human, then it's all different'", he quoted

"Of Mathematical equations and chemical solutions, then?"

"Of what we do not have and wish for: peace and a chance love and be loved." He sighed. "Blessed are those who've found a true companion, ladyhawk."

Angela's eyes never left the horizon, now clear with sunlight. "Yes, I've been blessed. I've known less pain than most of my kind. And I had Ally." She took a deep, long breath. "I was happy. And I'll never be lonely again, because for a whole year, my life was full, my heart, complete."

The sun was riding high, the sky was bluer than a robin's egg. Angela stretched, her wings unfurled to their full extent.

"Good morning, Adam. I won't be long."

And she flew away to let the immense joy of freedom heal the immense sorrow of loss.

Cat comes home

Cat looked around and there was nobody there. Guess they had forgotten that she was due back today. Oh well with Rev gone, the place had felt very lonely. There were voices coming from the kitchen, Brennan's among them. As she walked in, he choked on his drink.

"Oh, God, I'd forgotten you were coming home today. Baby, I'm sorry! With everything that's gone on in the last few days..." he explained.

Cat didn't say a word. She reached for a drink and walked out again. Her friends had forgotten all about her. Had Rev done that same? Had her best friend forgotten about her?

Walking into the lab, Cat stopped short when she saw Rev. She was back and nobody told her she was home. Turning around, Cat ran into Jesse. "I'm sorry, Cat. I should have told you she was back," he said.

"No big deal. I have the feeling I'm not wanted around here anymore. So maybe I should just leave," Cat said with tears in her voice. Her home didn't feel like home anymore. She walked aimlessly around the hallways until she got to the pond. The shadow of a large bird flew over her head. Cat sat down heavily by the waterfall that ran from the wall. She had missed Rev and the others, but getting away had been the best thing for her.

Revolution Explains

"Hey,hon," whispered Revolution as she walked over to where Cat stood gazing sadly into the pond "What's wrong?"

Cat wiped a stray tear from her cheek and shook her head.

"It's nothing," she replied.

"Liar," said Revolution nudging her gently.

Cat laughed and shook her head.

"Later," she exclaimed.

Revolution wrapped her arm around Cat's shoulder.

"I sure did miss you," she said.

Cat was like a sister to her. The feral had risked her life to help Revolution and that was something Revolution would never forget.

"What happened to your arm?" asked Cat.

Revolution giggled. "Rev fall down and go boom," she replied.

Cat laughed.

"Why is everyone so down in the dumps?" asked Cat.

"Wow, aren't you just bursting with the inquisitiveness today?" asked Revolution laughing.

Cat looked at Revolution, she could see large bags under her best friend's eyes, eyes that were filled with typical Revolution style fury.

"Do you know Allison Turner?" asked Revolution.

"I don't know her personally, I know of her. I think Brennan introduced me to her once."

"She was murdered yesterday," said Revolution.

Cat could feel anger rip through her as Revolution described the situation to her. She may not have known Allison very well, but no one especially someone who seemed as nice as Allison deserved that kind of death.

"What are we going to do about it?" asked Cat.

"I don't know, Everyone's still kind of in shock about it," replied Revolution "You should have seen it, it was horrible."

Cat instinctively enveloped the younger girl in her arms.

"We'll find who did this," she whispered.

Revolution sat back up and straightened her shoulders. Her posture regaining its pride. She nodded.

"Guys?" asked Shalimar "Breakfast is ready."

Missions and Explanations

The sun was blazing in the early morning and they were all gathered in the kitchen for breakfast. There was no mood for small talk and they mostly ate in silence, Shalimar drinking milk, Cat taking a lifetime to butter some toast, Brennan, Jesse and Revolution picking at their eggs and Emma staring at the bowl of fruit in front of her, apparently undecided on what to pick. The perfume of Adam's favorite green tea and mint blend scented the air.

"I keep seeing it over and over." Emma gave up choosing any fruit. Hunger evaded her thoroughly. "It was horrible."

All heads turned to the young psionic, and Shalimar, always protective, reached out to hold Emma's hands.

"I thought I had stopped you before you could see inside the bedroom." Jesse ran his hands through his thick golden hair and closed his eyes, trying to ward off the haunting image of the day before. "Honestly, Adam," he said, turning to address his friend and mentor, "I've never seen anything so gruesome."

The older man's dark eyes closed up on Jesse's. "Tell me."

"The apartment was like an oven, but the fire was blue and small," interjected Riley, the team's telekinetic. "It was only later that it went up in flames."

"And the body?" Asked Adam.

"There wasn't much left of it," answered Jesse. "Mostly the extremities, like feet and hands. It was lying on the bed and the thighs, torso, up to the neck and lower face..." the young molecular shuddered at the gory memory. "It was torched, burnt to a cinder."

"And you say the rest of the apartment showed signs of burning too?" asked Adam, a puzzled look on his face.

"Yes, every piece of furniture, every appliance, was surrounded by the blue fire," added Emma. "They were all blackening, turning into cinders and coal..."

"...but nothing exploded in normal flames and smoke," completed the young Revolution. "It was only later that the heat got so bad the place blew up like bomb."

"That's very odd! It's different of any case of spontaneous combustion I've ever heard of." Adam was puzzled.

"That's because it wasn't common spontaneous human combustion, if this phenomenon can ever be called common." The voice came from above, from the open skylight overlooking the kitchen. A winged creature was perched on the edge. All eyes turned to the voice and they all stood up to greet their grieving friend.

Cat couldn't believe what she saw. That feral was certainly unique. She looked at Rev and mouthed "What's that?" Revolution gave her a little smile and mouthed back, "Later."

The falcon woman alighted and was immediately enveloped into the arms of the blonde feline feral. Angela buried her head on the cat woman's shoulder and encircled her in a tight embrace. They held to each other, sharing the loss of friend and lover. "How do you feel, Tweety?" asked Shalimar.

Angela breathed deep, gently pushed the cat back and gave her a little smile. "It hurts like hell, Sylvester, but I'll survive."

"Have you eaten?" asked Emma.

"No, I don't think I can hold anything solid inside for the moment," Angela turned to the black clad man leaning against the counter, "but this herb tea of yours smells great, Adam."

"I'll get you some," he said, "and I agree with you. This whole affair doesn't sound like anything I've ever read or heard about SHC."

"What's SHC?" Asked Cat, nibbling at her toast.

"Spontaneous Human Combustion. It is the ability of the human body to blister or smoke or ignite in the absence of any external source of ignition," answered Angela, eyeing the one member of the team she didn't know yet. "The fire is of internal origin."

"Many say it's been recorded as early as in the Bible. In the last three centuries, there have been as much as two hundred documented cases. The first one seems to be from the fifteenth century." Adam handed the bird feral a mug of steaming tea.

"Yes! Jonas Dupont published De Incendiis Corporis Humani Spontaneis," added Angela.

Revolution and Cat had question marks drawn all over t heir faces. "The what?" asked the two in one voice.

"A collection of cases and studies," explained Adam, sipping his tea.

The whole team seemed enthralled by the weird tale. It sounded like a horror short story. Brennan's face lit up like a lamp. "Wait a minute! Do you remember Dicken's Bleak House, Adam?" Literature was the young mutant's field of expertise.

"Sure! The death of the heavy drinking Krook!"

"I read it in high school," interjected Emma. "Krook burned to a crisp."

"Over the years, several other cases were documented: Countess Cornelia de Bandi Cesenate, Anna Martin, Dr. J. Irving Bentley, and maybe the most famous of all, Mary Reeser, who torched up while seating in her rocking chair." Adam was in full professor mode.

"Did you memorize all these names?" Revolution was amazed.

"I read about SHC once, long ago."

"And you kept it all in your head?" the girl insisted.

"Pretty much."

"Big head..." she muttered just loud enough to get chuckles all around.

"All of these cases," Angela took over the makeshift classroom, "have one very strange thing in common, though. The fire never spread away from the body. Only the victim's immediate vicinity was scorched."

Nodding his head, Adam picked up the tale as if it were a tennis ball. "Yes, victims have burnt up in bed without the sheets catching fire, clothing worn is often barely singed, and flammable materials only inches away remain untouched."

By then, the rest of the team was watching as the two doctors in the house tossed the narrative like a volleyball from one to the other. 'This is ridiculous. I'll end up with a stiff neck!' thought Riley Jackson.

"Have you ever seen the aftermath of one of these cases, Adam?"

"No, they're extremely rare, surrounded in mystery," the older man answered. "They're a favorite of ocultists and alternative sciences adepts."

"Well, for your information, I have," affirmed the bird feral, then turned to the other mutants. "In my country, Brazil, medical students are required to spend time as interns in public hospital ERs. In big metropolitan areas like Rio or São Paulo, it's almost like combat training, due to shootouts, violent muggings, gang wars, and so on. Brazilian doctors have even gone to Israel to learn combat trauma techniques. I've met one who went as an invited professor."

Angela paused, collected her thoughts and proceeded with the tale. Now, even Adam was enthralled. "Up North, where I was born and raised, the main problems are malnutrition, parasitic infections, death in childbirth and in early childhood. Well, every misfortune squalor and filth can bring."

"You were born in Brazil? Neat." Cat interrupted. "And where did you see this combustion thing happen?"

"In a shack over the marshes, near Recife, my home town," answered the bird woman. "I was an intern in the public hospital ER there and we were called on site by a frantic policeman. Guys, policemen in my country have seen it all and then some. This one was out of his mind with fear. He was babbling something about demons, evil spirits, fire from hell, this kind of thing."

Cat's eyes were like saucers. "Demons, really? Wow!"

"The African legacy is strong in Brazil, Cat." Adam, in full professor mode, was hard to stop. "The slaves brought their beliefs with them, but the Portuguese regarded their Nature-based gods as demons and imposed Roman Catholicism on them. They mixed the two theologies and created a third, composed religion. Fascinating, really."

Angela picked up the narrative again. "The on site team, myself included, hopped on the ambulance and sped up there." The bird feral closed her eyes, remembering a very shocking scene. "We were expecting a full blaze, firemen, the works, but there was nothing, just the one police car that attended the neighbor's call. We entered the shack and, on a cot, the remains of a man were melted to the mattress. I could see it had been a man by the size and shape of the feet and hands. That was it, there was nothing left but the hands and feet. Everything else was torched." She looked around, as if she was building up the suspense like a good storyteller. "Even stranger was the fact that only the spot where the body had been lying was scorched. The sheets around it hadn't been even singed! It was unbelievable! Pathology determined that the fire had to be at least at 3,000 F to achieve that level of obliteration. Folks, a crematorium heat is 2,000 F tops!"

Shalimar and Cat shuddered, their pyrophobia shooting up several degrees, together with the description of the combustion heat. "And you say nothing around the body had been burned?" asked Shalimar.

"That's impossible! This kind of heat is beyond the point of explosion, when everything simply burst into flames!" Jesse's eyes were as wide open as everybody else's.

"That's not impossible, that's typical!" counteracted Adam. "It is something all SHC records have in common: nothing else is burned, sometimes, not even the victim's clothes."

Angela cut in, "That's why I say..."

"...this was not a case of Spontaneous Human Combustion..." Adam interrupted.

"...not as they've been recorded time and again!" Angela shot back.

'Oh, they're at it again!' thought Revolution, running her hands through her hair.

During the whole conversation, Adam had been calculating and forming a plan of action, his mind working in many levels at once. "Very well, here's what I want you to do. Brennan, you, Angela and Shalimar will go to the loft and look for anything off kilter. Mainly, the presence of accelerants. It they've been used, and I very much doubt it, Shalimar will be able to smell them." He turned to Jesse and Cat. "We are paying a visit to the morgue. I want samples from the body. I want to be sure it is really Allison and maybe I can identify any unnatural causes for the combustion, if there was any."

"Adam, I'm sorry, I don't mean to question you..." Angela stood up slowly and looked directly into her friend and teacher's eyes, "but you know I should be going to the morgue. You'd be in a better position to see clues I wouldn't notice, and I can collect samples as well as you."

"I know, but not in this case."

"I've passed Pathology with flying colors, Adam. And I had a nickname for each corpse I dissected with my right hand while eating a hamburger with my left!" Angela was intense.

"This is no Jack, Jill or Joe whose body has ended up in a Med. School lab, Angela." Adam could be equally intense, if not more. "This is Allison we're talking about."

"All the more reason to do it right. Falconer, trust your bird-of-prey."

Adam took a deep breath. He knew all along she was right, he just wished he could spare her this fresh amount of suffering. Biting his upper lip in a very Adamesque gesture . "You know I trust you, Angela," he relented. "So be it. You go to the morgue, but take Brennan along. And Jesse. Today is Sunday, there must be just a skeleton crew there. Take the samples and come back fast." He looked around. "Cat, you're with me and Shalimar. We will search the loft and see what we can come up with." Adam, then, turned his eyes to Emma and Revolution. "Riley, I need your hacking skills. Break into the police, DA's office and Medical Examiner's communications. And their databanks. I want to know everything there is about this case first hand. And I want a research on all SHC cases and odd fire cases ever reported. The latest cases, especially involving VIPs are priority. There was one case in Monaco last year involving an extremely wealthy banker named Safra. I want all files. You and Emma are on it. I want to know if important people have been bursting into flames lately."

The members of Mutant X were leaving the kitchen to prepare for their different missions. "Tweety?" Adam called.

Angela stopped by the door but didn't turn to her mentor. "Yes, falconer?"

"Fly high," he said.

"Seek peace," she answered.

A Favor

In the hallway, as the various team mates scattered to get ready, Emma and Rev were heading to the main computer while Cat and Shalimar went over the equipment needed for their investigation. Coming from the kitchen, Angela touched Emma's arm. "Do you have a minute?"

"For you, Tweety, as many as you want," answered the red-headed psionic, already aware of what the older feral was feeling that moment: embarrassment.

"Emma..." Angela started and stopped, trying to find the courage to proceed. "Would you do me a favor, please?"

"Whatever you need, just name it." Emma felt Angela's discomfort grow heavier.

"If we make a positive identification of the remains and determine they're really Allison's..." Angela paused and took a deep breath. "If it is really Allison... and I think it is, Emma, I can feel it..."

"I know, Tweety, go on."

"If it is Allison," Angela repeated, "would you, please, warn her parents? I'll talk to Vince and Ruby to arrange things so the Underground will go on as usual, but could you, please, warn Allison's parents? I can't. You know how they feel."

A few feet away, having heard the conversation, Cat's feral temper flared and she asked, "What is it? They don't like mutants?"

Emma shot her a look that all but froze the feline.

Angela looked at the stranger and smiled sadly, her eyes filled with tears. "They like mutants fine, dear. They just don't like dikes."

Finding the Truth

Cat looked at the woman. "Sorry, I didn't know. I only met Allison once when Brennan introduced us."

Cat walked back over to Shalimar. "Shal, tell me about your friend. You know that I don't take to new people all that easily." she said to her fellow feral.

Shalimar laughed. Cat had been having a hard time of late dealing with people. She didn't go out with Brennan like she had before. "Cat, what can I tell you? She's an Avian feral. Adam has know her longer than the rest of us, he can tell you more. Or you can just ask her," Shalimar stated.

Cat froze and looked at Shalimar. "I don't know. I..." she stopped and looked at the other woman. "I can't seem to be able to deal with people right now," she told her friend.

Shalimar picked up the pack she had just finished getting ready. "I've noticed. So have the others. Talk to me, Cat. What's going on? All Emma tells us is that you're sad about something. What's got you all out of sorts, girlfriend?" she asked.

Cat handed Shalimar the newspaper article. It was dated not long after Rev had left. Shal read the announcement. "Dr. April Scott died last night after a year-long fight with cancer. Family members will lay her to rest on Tuesday. She is remembered by her four children, Catherine Kay, Marie, Mike, and Silvia." Shalimar looked at Cat. "Your mother! Oh, Cat why didn't you say something to us?" she asked.

"I hadn't seen my mother since I was fourteen. I was shocked to see my name even in the paper as one of her children. I ran away from her because I was tired of her trying to make me into something I could never be." The anger in her voice easy to hear.

"What was that, Cat?" Shal asked

Cat looked at Shalimar her eyes flashing for a brief second their feral gold. "Normal!"

Cat picked up her pack and headed out to meet up with Adam in the lab. He took one look at Cat, and could tell something was wrong with the young feral. "Maybe you should stay here." he said to her.

"An do what? I can't use a computer. They tend to blow up when I do," she joked, but very little humor could be heard in her voice. "I need a job to do."

Cat looked up at the second story of the building. The police banner was still in place. The two felines easily climbed to the second floor, and opened the door for Adam. "My God, what the hell happened in here?" she asked.

"Exactly that, Cat, hell," said Adam. "We're here to find out the details."

Cat closed her eyes a took in the smell of burnt wood, and melted plastic. She couldn't smell anything that would cause a fire as hot as the one Rev had described. "I don't smell anything weird. Only normal smells like burnt wood and things like that."

Shalimar walked into what Cat thought must be the bedroom. She walked out shaking her head. "Same here, Adam. I can't smell anything that would explain this." she said looking around her.

Cat knelt down picking up some kind of object that was burnt beyond the point where she could tell what it was smelling it. Nothing there was nothing here to explain what had happen to cause the fire. "Darn Adam, there has to be something we're missing. I can't believe that Allison just burst into flames." she said to him.

Adam looked at both Shalimar and Cat. "I can't believe it myself. Keep looking take samples from thing we'll take them back and run them through the computer." he told them.

They were there for several hours taking samples from just about everything. Adam and Shalimar had to do the bedroom where Allison had been. Even though Cat had not really know her she could bring herself to go into her the room.

Cat helped Shalimar and Adam take everything back to the lab once the had returned to the mountain. Walking into the computer room Cat watched as Rev was doing her thing.

"Find out anything that might help?" Cat asked.

"No, not yet." Rev said just a little angry that her time hadn't turned up anything yet.

Cat touched her friends arm. "Keep looking, Rev, if it's out there I know you'll find it." Cat said.

Cat smiled over at Emma. Emma gave Cat a half smile. She followed Cat out of the room. "Are you Ok, Cat?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Em. It's your friend. Oh, I forget her name. Then again names are hard for me to remember. She's the one I'm worried about. She's lost so much." Cat said sadly.

Emma hugged Cat. "I have the feeling there's more to your sadness then your telling any of us, but when your ready to talk I'll be here." Emma said walking back into the computer room.

Cat smiled at Emma as she walked away. Whispering. "Thank you, my friend, for not asking for more than I can give you." Cat turned running into the winged feral. "Oh, I'm sorry guess my mind was some where else." Cat explained.

The woman smiled at her, her eyes sad. Cat just touched the other woman's shoulder. "Funny how pain makes us all sisters. Even when we are all so different." Cat said.

Cat smiled at Brennan. She hadn't said two words to him since she had gotten back. "Hey Sparkey." Cat said kissing his check.

"Angela, this is Cat. Cat this is Angela. I don't think you have been introduced yet, have you?" Brennan asked.

"No, we haven't," said the other woman.

"Nice to meet you. Wish it could be for a better reason." Cat said smiling back at the woman.

Cat smiled at Brennan. "I'll be by the pond if you need me for anything." she told him

Brennan and Angela watched Cat walk away from them. Brennan shock his head. "She's not herself, and she wont talk to any of about what's wrong." he told Angela.

"Maybe," Angela said. "She can't maybe. She doesn't know how to tell any of you what's wrong."

Fight The Power

Revolution pulled her ponytail through the back of Jesse's ratty old baseball hat and set to work.

"I don't know how you do this," exclaimed Emma as she set a can of coke beside Revolution "Computers make my head hurt."

"Stick with me kid, and I'll have you navigating the superhighways like one of the Andretti brothers." said Revolution.

"Jesse tried to teach me all this once," exclaimed Emma.

Revolution laughed.

"Ah, but my boy is a mere amateur...Oh Balls!"

"What?" asked Emma.

"Another damn dead end!" said Revolution "Ah hell, I'll do the CIA later, the FBI is a far easier target."

"You know, for some strange reason, that sentence makes me highly uncomfortable."

Revolution laughed.

"Well, looky here." said Emma.

"What is it?" asked Revolution.

"Three Japanese business men die in strange fire."

Emma handed Rev the translated pages from the Asahi Shimbum, the major Japanese paper.

"Says they were owners of Aircorp, a company that manufactures airplane parts." said Revolution.

Emma laughed when Revolution's eyes lit up like Christmas lights. Her fingers flew across the keyboard with incredible speeds.

"A Ha!" she yelled.

"What is it?" asked Emma.

"Airplane parts, my ass!" yelled Revolution.

Revolution pointed to the computer screen where the FBI had so conveniently kept records of the actions of major terrorists factions. A faction based in California had order several pounds of high powered explosives from AirCorp.

"New Order...New Order." said Emma.

"Name sounds familiar?" asked Rev.

"Yeah... keep looking. I gotta go give Lux a call."

"Not a problem," said Rev taking a swig of her coke.

Emma dialed the familiar number and smiled when Lux Windsor's face filled the screen.

"Hello, friend," Lux exclaimed smiling brightly.

"Hello, friend," said Emma in return.

"What can I do for you?"

"New Order."

Emma saw the immediate fury in the beautiful women's face.

"Who are they, Lux?" asked Emma.

"A dangerous group of mutants." said Lux tucking her hair behind her ears.

So someone took out the businessmen who had been selling explosives to mutants? thought Emma.

"Can you send me any information you have on them?"

Lux nodded.

Revolution watched in awe as new cases of SHC popped up. Tel Aviv, India, England, Indonesia, Bosnia.

"Did you find anything?" asked Emma as she came back in.

"Yes," replied Revolution "We need to call Adam and tell him."

Bring Her Home from the House of the Dead

Leaving the bedroom she used before moving in with Allison, Angela, in doctor's whites, boots and cane, and carrying a characteristic doctor's briefcase, ran into the feline feral, Cat, and Brennan. The feline actually apologized for her remark. There was such an enormous amount of pain emanating from the young woman that Angela, even without any psionic telempathic powers could feel the deep and ancient hurt inside her soul. After introductions, the cat woman went her way and Brennan mused almost to himself, "She's not herself, and she wont talk to any of us about what's wrong."

"Maybe..." answered Angela. "Maybe she can't. Maybe she doesn't even know how to tell anyone what's wrong."

From the main computer, Riley Jackson, aka Revolution, called. "I have Allison's case number. And the location of the... ahem... remains." And she handed Angela a printout.

"Can you call up a blueprint of the morgue and Forensics lab facility?" asked the bird feral.

"Coming up!"

The space above the console lit up as the holographic image of the building formed on thin air. "The remains are..." started the hacker.

"Let me guess," interrupted Angela. "They are in the Forensics Odontology and Anthropology labs. Here and there."

"Yes, how did you know? Are you psionic?" asked an amazed Revolution.

"No, it's simple logic," came the answer. "After a case of SHC, there's not much left of the body. Here, besides the SHC, there was a regular fire. What was left must have been obliterated. Our only hope is teeth and bone. And not many of them."

Adam, Cat and Shalimar were on their way to the loft. "Angela?" he called her while passing the trio studying the hologram.

"Yes?" Angela's eyes left the image, as she turned to face the man she called "falconer".

"Bring it all here, not just samples," he instructed his bird-of-prey, his voice heavy with sadness. "We will make the identification and bury her in the Hall of the Fallen, where we've buried Richard Saunders."

The winged woman nodded and the glint of a tear shone in the corner of her eye, which she quickly blinked away.

"Emma and I have already talked to Allison's parents." Adam went on. "They're not coming."

Angela stole a glance at Emma, then at Cat. Their eyes met. They understood.

"Are you ready?" asked Brennan, taking the briefcase from the feral's hand.

"As I'll ever be," she answered.

Seeing that they were all gathered in the main computer room, each on his or her way to a painful assignment, Adam looked at his inner circle, his eyes laying on each face. "Good luck to us all."

Angela and Brennan met Jesse in the garage. The young molecular was waiting for them at the wheel of the minivan. "Good thinking. An inconspicuous car, that's exactly what we want," said the feral woman. "Lets go."

They arrived at the City's Forensics Lab and Medical Examiner Offices by lunch time. The technical crew, restricted to the few already attending to cases, should be eating their meals, and security shouldn't be hard to avoid.

Jesse phased a back door and they broke into the building. The men, wearing lab coats, passed as technicians. Angela, a real doctor, should go unnoticed. "Nobody looks twice to a cripple," she said as they looked for the Forensic Odontology room.

The three mutants quickly made their way through the maze of corridors and hallways. The Odontology room was empty, no-one in sight. The locked door was no challenge to Jesse and he let the feral bird woman enter, while he and Brennan guarded the door against any intruders.

On the counter, in full view, the latest hot case evidence, a plaster mold with all the blackened teeth found on the crime scene neatly inserted in their right places. Fishing a plastic box from the briefcase, Angela rapidly had the mold secured.

They left Odontology and headed to Anthropology. Through the bay window, they saw a man in doctor's garb carefully laying down and labeling charred pieces of bone on a long metal table. Angela signaled Jesse, and he silently phased through the door. One quick blow to the back of the head and the man crumpled to the floor. Jesse opened the door to Brennan and Angela.

While the young men locked the unconscious technician into a cabinet, Angela checked the labels, the case number matched. She pulled on rubber surgery gloves, picked up a plastic evidence zip lock bag, pincers, and started collecting the bones from the table.

As Jesse and Brennan were about to leave and stand by the door in the corridor, a motion from the bird woman's hand stopped them. She signaled they should stay and guard the door from inside. She looked at the two young men, let her eyes glow feral, two amber rings with black diamonds inside and scrutinized the room. Through the doorway leading to the Anthropology head's inner office, her glowing eagle eyes closed in on the object she sought. As fast as she could, her boots making her walk unstable, the cane softly tapping the linoleum floor, she hurried to the back room.

"Freeze!" The main door to the Forensics Anthropology lab flew open and two armed security guards jumped in, only to be met by a karate chop to the back of the neck and a tesla coil to the chest. As the world turned black to the guards, Angela came back from the back office carrying a blackened and cracked skull. Her hands shook slightly as she carefully inserted the evidence in another ziplock bag. She closed the briefcase, now carrying all that was left of the woman she loved and they quickly made their escape from the house of the dead.

Lab Work

In the closed lab, a man and a mutant woman, both wearing lab coats and rubber surgery gloves, carefully lay down and label a collection of charred, cracked bones. Not a word is spoken, but their hands and eyes play like those of a fine tuned music duo. No movement is wasted, as the remains are organized in what resembles a human skeleton with many pieces missing. When all the bones are in their rightful places, the man and the woman step back and look at the result of their efforts. They both bite their upper lips in the exact same fashion, as if the gesture had been rehearsed. And they both have the same thought in their heads: there isn't much left, precious little of someone who was once so full of life and joy.

The woman hands the man a scalpel and a small saucer-like sterilized vial. The man scrapes what seems to be part of the left tibia, collecting the dust in the vial. Then, they head for the laser atomic microscope mounted on the left side of the lab. The vial is inserted in the central slot and, after a careful calibration, a beam of red light is directed to the sample. The plasma screen mounted on the wall lights up as the computer starts breaking up the bone dust into ever smaller units until reaching molecular level and displaying the DNA double helix correspondent to the sample at hand. The man types a command in the digital keyboard and the screen flashes up, rolling files at lightning speed, searching for a match in the new mutants database until it suddenly stops and displays a card with the picture of an attractive dark-skinned young woman with very expressive eyes.

The mutant woman slowly sits down on the stool by the microscope, quietly sighs and touches her temple with the tip of her gloved fingers, closing her eyes in the same movement. The man touches the woman's shoulder and squeezes it firmly, trying to give her all the support he can.

"We use to say that hope dies last, you know." she says. "But I was hoping against hope."

"I know." And he turns the screen off.

"Now what?" The mutant woman turns the bench around and faces the man.

"Now, we start running tests to determine if there was any external cause of death. And if there was any external cause for the fire."

"Any reason to think there was?"

"No, neither Cat nor Shalimar could smell any accelerants," he answers.

"Hence, we have reason to think there was none." Her turn.

"No chemical one, at least."

"You know, I've been thinking." she stands and paces around the lab. "Assuming this really wasn't a random occurrence, who was the target? Two people lived in that loft."

"Three possibilities: you, Allison or both."

"Care for a little speculation?" she asks.

"Lets play what if, shall we?" he accepts the offer.

"First, what if I was the intended target?" starts the woman.

"There would be the unknown, but direct connection to me," offers the man.

"This would be an unlikely motive, since we've worked hard to keep it under wraps," she says. "Since you've brought me here from Brazil, I've dropped my middle name and all possible data connecting the two of us was erased. I tell you, not even Allison knew."

"You didn't tell her? Not even her?" He is surprised.

"No," comes the simple answer.

"But she was..."

"It doesn't matter what she was," she interrupts. "You've asked me not to tell anybody, I gave you my word and I've kept it."

He nods and, again, bites his upper lip in that so characteristic fashion.

The woman proceeds with her train of thoughts. "The only way to find out would be an investigation into my life and origins in Brazil. And done in loco, searching public hard records, for even the Brazilian database was erased where I was concerned."

"Therefore it's highly unlikely that you could be the target due to your connection to me," concludes the man.

"The fact that I was out of town was no secret," rationalizes the woman. "Any operative acting with premeditation could have checked that out and adjusted the timing to hit when I returned home."

"Indicating that it either was a random hit or he wasn't targeting you both," concludes the man.

"Do you think it could have been a random hit?" she asks.

"It is possible, but again, highly unlikely."

"Then, we can speculate that Allison herself was the target," says the woman.

The man merely nods.

"But why? Allison had no enemies, not that I know of." The mutant woman thinks hard. "Unless..." Her eyes locks on with the man's as their heads snap up and realization hits both at the same time.

He immediately turns on the intercom. "Brennan? Jesse?" he calls.

"Yes?" they answer as one.

"Amp up the security measures on all Underground shelters and facilities. Regular checks on all safehouses must be doubled. I want all security personnel on red alert until further notice, understood?"

"Yes, understood," the elemental acknowledges the command. "But why? Any specific reason?"

"Allison wasn't the target; the Underground was."

Keeping Them Safe

Cat walked around the kitchen. Putting things on to cook. Funny she loved to cook. It was the one thing she was good at. She smiled at Brennan as he walked into the kitchen taking the lid off one of the pots. "Oh, man! I can't wait. It's been months since we last had some of your pasta." he said.

"Brennan, can I talk to you?" Cat asked.

"You know you can, sweetheart. What is it?" he said.

"First, come here." They kissed. "Sorry that it's taken me so long to do that."

Brennan pulled her into his arms. "I don't know what's been bothering you, but it's nice to see that my cat is coming back." he said kissing her back.

Cat turned down the flame under one of the pots. It would take her more than a few days to get back to herself, but helping to find out who had killed Allison would help take her mind off her own heartache.

She walked over to the table and sat down. "Maybe you should go help Jesse check out the safehouses. We can talk latter." Cat said.

"Jesse can handle it for a few minutes. I have a felling you really need to talk now."

Brennan was right. If she didn't tell him what was wrong with her now she might never`do. "About a week after Rev left. I got a call telling me my mother had died. I know that I hadn't had anything to do with her since I was fourteen, but she was my mother. That's one reason I took off the way I did." Cat stopped letting Brennan take in what she told him.

Brennan took Cats other hand in his. "I'm sorry, Cat. I would have gone with you if you had told me." he told her.

Cat smiled at Brennan. "Oh, I could just see that. I wonder who would have killed who. Silver let me know in no uncertain terms I wasn't welcome." Cat said closing her eyes to keep the tears at bay.

"What did Silver do? I mean she already tried to kill you once." Brennan pointed out.

Cat laughed as Rev ran past the kitchen, Jesse behind her. "Maybe you should go check on the safehouses. I promise we'll talk again latter. Besides, I have to finish the pasta." Cat laughed and went to stove.

Brennan walked up behind her pulling her into his arms. Cat winced as his hand hit the wound that still wasn't healed. Brennan pulled up Cat's shirt. The anger was written all over his face. "Adam needs to look at that, Cat. It's not healing, is it?" he asked.

"No, but Adam has enough to worry about. As soon as this is over, I'll let him look at it. " Cat said given Brennan a kiss and pushing him out the door.

Cat touched her side. It was bleeding again. Taking a kitchen towel in her hand, she finished the pasta, and took out the garlic bread. Maybe they could eat.

Cat touched her comring. "Guys, lunch or is it super, is done." Cat set the pasta on the stove to stay warm and walked to her room. By this time, her shirt was covered in blood. Cat tried and changed the bandage, but it wasn't easy. The wound was on her side and even a feral would have a hard time getting to it. She changed her shirt and walked back to the lab. Adam smiled at her. Cat walked over to Angela. "Did you want anything to eat. I could go get it for you." Cat asked.

Angela smiled at Cat. "No, I'm fine Cat, but thank you." the winged feral told her.

Cat turned to leave as Angela grabbed her arm. "You have blood on your pants Cat. What happened?" she asked.

Cat laughed trying to cover up ."Oh I cut myself with a knife." Cat said trying to keep Angela and Adam from finding out the truth.

"Adam, why is it that I don't believe her?" Angela asked Adam.

Adam walked over closer to Cat. "Maybe because ferals aren't likely to cut themselves." Adam said lifting the tail of Cat's shirt. Making the white bandage easy to see.

Angela removed the bandage. "This isn't healing." Something Cat all ready knew. "How long?"

Cat knew what the winged feral wonted to know. Giving up she answered her. "Three weeks." Cat told her.

Cat had never seen Adam get mad. "You could have gotten an infection. My God, three weeks! Why didn't you say something when you first got home?" he asked Cat.

"Because someone else needs you more than I do. Finding out who killed Allison is more important than my wound." Cat said pulling down her shirt. "Just bandage it again and lets get back to the job that needs to be done." Cat waited for one of them to move to bandage her side. "Fine, I'll do it myself. Oh, and the only other person who knows about this is Brennan. Let's keep it that way. No need worrying anybody else."

Cat walked back by the kitchen. Rev and Jesse were setting at the table eating. "Enjoy you two." she said and headed on to her room.

First Aid

The ring in Cat's room sounded for the third time, but no answer was coming. Then, the visitor tried the intercom: "Cat, you either open the door or I'll have Jesse phase it so I can come in. Your choice."

The door slid open and the feline stood there, hands on her hips. "You haven't eaten anything the whole day, Angela. Would you go to the kitchen, please?"

"You know, I could eat something, yes. After I'm done with you, that is."

"No need, I can take care of it myself."

"And pigs fly, dear," smiled the bird woman. "I have to be extra careful up there so I won't bump into the darn creatures."

Cat couldn't help herself but laugh. "Ouch!"

"It only hurts when you laugh? I don't think so. My guess is it hurts all the time." Angela closed the door behind her and helped the feline take her shirt off. The wound on Cat's side, just below the ribcage was nasty, but there was no signs of infection. "It needs stitching, but since you've endured it for three weeks now, there is no internal damage. I'll bandage it properly and, after dinner, you'll go straight to the lab, no detours. Either Adam or I will sew you up, OK?" she said, while disinfecting the gash and wrapping the feline in a tight bandage. "Very well, you are good for the next hour or so, and no longer, understood?"

Cat nodded and Angela stood up and turned around, heading to the door. "Angela?" called the feline.

"Yes, dear?"

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. And if you need to talk to somebody you have no background history with, know that I'm available. Sometimes its easier to talk to strangers than to friends, you know?"

Revelations

Revolution watched Cat enter the kitchen together with Angela. "That bitch of a sister of yours hurt you again, didn't she? If I ever catch that Silver..." she whispered.

Angela looked directly into Cat's eyes and placed a hand on the feral's shoulder.

"Listen to me, everybody has a past. Most of us aren't really proud of it. If you worked for Eckhart, Adam worked at Genomex FOR 20 YEARS! How about that? And Brennan was a full fledged crook. Come to think of it, he should be in jail!" said Angela.

Cat laughed at the look on Brennan's face.

"Hey...Don't leave me out." said Revolution as she sat on Jesse's lap "If he's a crook then so am I!"

Cat laughed at the almost offended look on her best friend's face.

"I was institutionalized," exclaimed Shalimar.

"I conned women into buying things they didn't need," offered Emma.

"I once phased through the stage during a play," Jesse said.

Everyone looked at him. Revolution squeezed his hand, he had told her this story. About how he had been so glad that he had gotten a part in the play but had been so nervous he had phased through the stage during an important part of the play. A group of boys had beaten him up later for screwing up the performance.

"I was lucky," he whispered.

"The point is," Adam began, "nobody came into the world for a walk in the park. We all carry baggage, we all have things we're not proud of. But we carry on. We try to correct what we did wrong, there's nothing else we can do. Now, deal with the past and go on to the future. We have a job to do. Riley? Emma? What did you find out?"

Revolution stood up. "Em, you bring those papers in?" she asked.

"I'll get them," Emma replied.

"Its cool, I got 'em," said Revolution as a folder full of papers floated in.

Cat laughed. "Sometimes I forget how handy you kinetics are," she laughed.

Revolution smiled at her then joined Emma at her place at the head of the table.

"So? What did you find?" asked Adam.

Revolution slid onto the counter and gestured Emma to begin.

"Well..." Emma exclaimed leaning against the counter "While Rev was working I stumbled across an article about the death of three Japanese business men. At first it looked pretty innocent. Well, as innocent as an arson case can look, but then I read the fire chief description of the fire"

Adam nodded and gestured her to continue.

"It was nearly identical to the fire at Allison's loft," she exclaimed.

"Only in this case it was three businessmen that died in the same fire?" asked Adam.

"There has never been a case of SHC with more than a single victim" Angela said.

"It wasn't one fire." Emma said "Three men, three offices, three fires, three nearly identical times of death."

"Same building, three offices, three victims?" asked Adam.

The two psionics nodded.

"And all this with little to no structural damage," said Revolution passing out the crime scene photos she 'borrowed' from the Tokyo police.

"Any other cases?" asked Angela.

"The leader of an Palestinian terrorist faction, The Pro Peace Pakistani ambassador. A doctor in England, a child prodigy in Florida and an Australian physicist." said Revolution.

"There are cases popping up all over the globe?" asked Adam.

Revolution nodded "Enough to be worried, not enough to cause global panic."

"Enough to suggest that they're done by the same person?"

Revolution nodded.

"Anything else?" asked Angela.

"When I was running through the CIA's database. I saw the name AirCorp but it didn't quite click on who it was until Em mentioned it. The CIA was looking into AirCorp after receiving intelligence that suggested that they had been selling highly explosive materials to a group that calls themselves "The New Order."" said Revolution.

"Wait...What's the New Order?" asked Cat.

""Well... I wasn't sure at first, but then I called Lux." Replied Emma "New Order is a highly connected New Mutant terrorist faction."

"They attacked Lux's Ring and kidnapped her daughter, Alex. We have to be sure they're involved" Said Adam.

"As if Lux would have it any other way," said Jesse.

Shalimar nodded.

"Does Lux know what happened?" she asked.

"Yes, I told her. She sends her love to the Family of New Mutants and The Ring will light a candle for Allison. Her portrait will be placed in the Hall of Sorrows," replied Emma.

"Riley, if there were cases of SHC popping up all over the world and the New Order might be involved, I need to talk to a friend of mine. You, Emma, Jesse and Angela, meet me in the main computer room." said Adam "Brennan, you, Cat and Shalimar, check the security measures on the Underground. I don't want surprises"

Revolution nodded.

"How is Lux?" asked Jesse as they walked.

"Worried," replied Emma "And if someone can make a woman like Lux worried...I'm more than a little nervous."

"Lux doesn't scare easily. If the New Order has something to do with Allison's murder, we'll need all the help we can get." Said Adam "Lets go"

Rabbi, Shalom

Adam entered the computer room where Jesse, Emma, Revolution and Angela were waiting for him carrying a strange object in his hand. It looked like a large black cloth disc. "What is that?" asked Emma.

"A kippah," answered Angela, while Adam clipped the piece of cloth to the top of his head.

"A what?" asked Rev.

"The traditional Jewish head cover."

Emma couldn't help herself. "Are you Jewish?"

"You know the answer to that question," Adam smiled.

"None of my damn business, I know." Emma smiled back.

"The man I'll talk to is Jewish, though, an ultra-orthodox Jew," he explained. "I can't even talk to him with my head uncovered, he'd be offended. His name is Menachem Meir ben Shlomo. His business is to know what happens in the world. Specially what others want to keep secret. Ladies, please, out of sight."

Typing a command in the digital keyboard, the holographic image of an elderly gentleman, his head covered by a large black hat, with curls dropping from either temple and a long beard came into view. "Rabbi Meir, shalom," started Adam, and the two men engaged in a conversation in a fast paced and strange sounding language.

"What gibberish is that?" Jesse asked no-one in particular.

"Hebrew," mouthed Angela. "This man must be Mossad."

The conversation took a long time and the only thing the four younger mutants could see was that Adam asked the questions and the old gentleman answered them. And that Adam's face darkened as the conversation proceeded. After a while, Adam respectfully thanked the old man and turned the hologram off. "Huston, we have a problem," he said, unclipping the kippah and rubbing his eyes.

A Hard Rain A-Gonna Fall

Jesse watched Cat leave to board the Helix with Brennan and Shal. He felt as if a storm was brewing in the horizon, the dark clouds gathering and distant thunder growling low. He looked at his team leader, more of a father to him than his own, sitting on the computer bench, his elbows on his knees, still rubbing his eyes. Adam seldom looked tired or dispirited. On these rare occasions, the problem they faced had been almost overwhelming, almost impossible to overcome, but, somehow, they always did. They always managed to come out on top, and, amazingly, never a team mate had been seriously injured. They had never lost a team mate before. The worst loss so far had been this one, Allison Turner. She had been one of the original Mutant X members, part of Adam's original draft, but had chosen to work for the Underground instead. And she had died, probably, because of her connection to the Underground. Jesse now wondered if they were running out of luck.

Lifting his head from his hands, Adam looked at each mutant around him. These were his most trusted, better trained, most reliable allies. Emma, the intense psionic, powerful beyond belief, yet compassionate, fair, and sensitive. Even without any powers, she would, most likely, be a terrific therapist. She had all the makings of a great psychoanalyst. Jesse, his technical right hand., his computer expert, a rock with a heart of pure, unblemished gold. And his firebrand of a girlfriend, the turbulent Revolution. Never a nickname fit so well both looks and temperament. A telekinetic capable of lifting either a mountain from its base or a baby from his crib without a stir, yet a demon when commanding a computer keyboard. And he thought about those who were absent, working to make sure other genetically altered men, women and children could have a measure of safety: Brennan, his powerhouse; Shalimar, the fierce, the first called on to join his troops, the one remaining by his side, and Cat, his other feline, only now emerging from the darkest pits of depression to take her rightful place on his small, but remarkable army. And last but not least, Angela, the falcon half-breed, his bird-of-prey. Older, wiser, brilliant, competent, dependable. As good a doctor in her field as he was himself in his. And loyal. Loyal as only falcons can be. The moment she called him falconer, he knew she would go with him to the seventh circle of hell, if necessary. This time, maybe it would be.

"Riley, Emma, the assassinations around the globe have come to the attention of Menachem's organization," Adam informed his team. "He told me there is a mercenary terrorist at large. Nobody knows his name, what he looks like, where he comes from. The modus operandi and the outcome of the attacks indicate that only one person is responsible. The wide range of victims indicate a hit man who hires his services to the higher bidder and has no qualms about killing anyone, men, women or children. Menachem said the cases are always the same, the characteristics of an SHC case, but with fundamental differences." Adam stopped and looked around at his team mates, who listened in silence to his every word. "The Japanese businessmen: three victims, three offices, almost no structural damage, but Menachem told me every scrap of paper in their offices burned. The Pakistani and the Palestinian were obvious targets. The English doctor's office also burned completely. The Australian physicist's work on an alternative cheap and clean power source that would render all other known fuels obsolete was totally lost in a fire that left all furniture intact." Adam stopped again and drew a deep breath. "And there was the child prodigy in Florida. According to Menachem, the boy was the son of a Cuban drug dealer with contacts all over Latin-America and the Far East, namely the biggest importer of base cocaine and base heroine in the US." He lowered his head. "The boy was killed slowly, while his parents watched and could do nothing to save him. His mother was severely burned trying to put out the fire that consumed her son from the inside out."

The mutants were silent, looking down at their feet. This was horror beyond their expectations. This time, they would face a cold and dangerous killer as they had never encountered before.

"Adam, I think it is obvious. Don't you?" offered Angela, lifting her head to look at her falconer.

"Absolutely," he agreed. "It must be a mutant. Menachem told me the killer's code name. And his organization. This murderer is known as the Salamander."

"And the organization that backs him up?" asked Jesse.

Adam looked directly to Emma. "It's the New Order."

Send In The Calvary

Emma sighed heavily and stretched her hands to the sky. Revolution paced around the lab floor, while Jesse and Angela attempted a half-hearted game of chess. Adam was off in his office knee deep in another conversation with one of his sources.

"This is the worst part," whispered Emma.

Jesse looked at his girlfriend. "Rev, honey, be a dear and sit down?" he asked "You're making us all more jumpy."

Revolution smiled sheepishly. "I just wish there was something we could be doing." she whispered.

Emma patted her hand. "We all do," she replied.

Revolution smiled and turned to the computer.

"When all else fails..." said Jesse winking at Angela.

Revolution turned towards him and stuck her tongue out. Pulling her hair out of her face, she accessed the security cameras.

"What are you doing?" asked Angela.

"Nothing really," replied Revolution "Just running some test, make sure our Fort Knox is...Fort Knoxish."

"What's that?" asked Emma, as the older Psionic leaned across the desk.

"What's what?"

Emma pointed to a car speeding through the underground tunnel.

"I don't know." whispered Revolution her body rigid with nerves "I'm thinking we better go down there for a little meet-and-greet."

Emma nodded. "Adam, we have visitors," she exclaimed over the intercom.

"I'm on my way," he said.

Lux Windsor looked around the dark tunnel and smiled at Jax McManus. "They all think we're attacking them," she whispered.

The feral laughed as she lifted two duffel bags from the back of the car. "Jeez...these damn things are #%$ heavy," she exclaimed louder than she expected.

"Whoever they are," whispered Angela "They're certainly not quiet."

Revolution laughed as a thickly accented voice let off a string of curses that would make the toughest biker blush. "JAX!" she yelled.

Jax looked up and smiled. "Well, if it ain't me tiny Revolution," she said embracing the girl.

Emma laughed and jogged towards Lux. The two Psionics stood face to face, both grinning brightly. "Hello, friend," said Emma.

"Hello, friend," exclaimed Lux.

Adam walked over with Jesse and Angela in tow. He wasn't as surprised to see Lux as the others. The young leader had a knack of being where she was needed.

"Being a precognitive mind reader doesn't hurt," whispered a voice in his head.

Adam laughed and embraced her.

Angela hung back with Jesse. "Now who is she?" she asked.

"Lux Windsor."

"And the other one?"

"Jax McManus, her bodyguard."

Jesse looked at the two new arrivals. They really were the definition of an odd couple. Lux, who was dressed in black pants, a white tank top and a leather trench coat was a mystery. Meanwhile, Jax, who wore a pair of patchwork overalls and an emerald t-shirt, was exactly what she seemed. A brash, tough, Irish woman who could swear and drink with the best. Lux looked like the leader of an underground Mutant group, Jax on the other hand looked like a normal person.

Untill ya piss her off.

Jesse laughed and embraced Lux.

Jax looked at Angela. "Who the hell are you?" she asked.

Come into my Parlor

Angela, smallish and bent, with her apparently twisted back, looked all the way up at the tall, strong woman. "Nobody really," she answered sweetly. And looking around as her friends greeted the visitors, she invited, "Would you care to come inside?" Then, she slipped out of her coat, and handed it to Jesse by her side. She seemed to grow as she stretched her bent legs and her curved back from the slouching, deceptive position of her crippled persona to assume the full height of her real feral self. She faced the lioness in front of her predator to predator, eye to eye, both glowing at the exact same time, Jax's slanted and yellow, Angela's round and amber. The bird woman spread her golden and maroon wings to their full length, screeched her clarion, turned around and flew through the dark tunnel as the magnificent falcon she was.

Jax McManus's jaw dropped to the floor and shot back up. And she repeated the question with her eyes open wide. "Who the hell is that?"

"That, Miss McManus, is my bird-of-prey," answered their host. "Be careful of her. Be very careful of her." And he motioned them to come in.

Trembling Earth

"Oh, her?" asked Revolution, arm in arm the fiery McManus woman, telekinetically pushing the bags they brought down the hallway, past Cat, coming from inside Sanctuary. "That's Lux." She smiled. "Lux, this is Cat, Cat this is Lux Windsor."

Cat smiled and shook Lux's hand. So this is Lux, she doesn't look so tough, thought Cat, did Rev say something about a bodyguard?

"Jax is floating around somewhere," said Lux.

Cat looked at Lux, more than slightly shocked. Lux tapped her temple.

"Telepath," was her simple reply.

"Ah," said Cat blushing slightly "There are far too many Psionics here."

Revolution slapped her arm gently.

"Hey, I resent that comment," she said jokingly.

"I know."

Cat wrapped an arm around Revolution and the two girls walked out of the lab.

"So that's Cat," said Lux as she sat on a counter.

"Yes," replied Adam.

"Sheesh, Revolution told me so much about her, I feel like I know her," said Lux "They make quite a pair."

Adam nodded.

"It's the Salamander," she whispered "You already knew that though….Menachem."

Adam looked at the young woman in shock.

"Don't worry," she said patting his arm "I never read and tell."

Adam laughed slightly.

"Why did you come?" he asked "Not that we don't enjoy seeing you."

"We're not exactly harbingers of good news, are we?" asked Lux rubbing her eyes tiredly.

Adam looked at her, his eyes filled with concern.

"Yes," she whispered "I'm fine. We'll talk later, Doc. Donna Gryphon is about to call. The Salamander struck again. Don't worry though, she's fine."

Lux walked out of the lab, just as the phone began to ring.

Brennan sat down on the couch next to Revolution and sighed heavily.

"She went, didn't she?" asked Revolution.

"Yes."

"Told you so," exclaimed Revolution grinning "My girl Cat is stubborn."

Brennan laughed then grew serious.

"I don't think Adam should have asked her to go pick up Donna, especially after that fight with Silver," he whispered.

Revolution patted his arm and grinned again.

"No worries, Spark," she said "She's got Shal with her and I guess this Donna chick is a wicked Psionic. She'll be fine."

"Yeah Static," said Jax "She's got Kitten, she'll be five by five."

Brennan laughed at the pet names Jax had given him and Shalimar when they first met.

"Hey….shh…" whispered Lux from where she was sitting, she leaned across Jesse's lap and took the remote from him.

"Hey!" said Jesse.

Revolution reached over and covered his mouth with her hand as she watched the newscast that had caught Lux's eye. A serious looking reporter stood in front of a ripped up street. "...reaching 6.5 on the Richter scale, the financial heart of the city was virtually destroyed..."

"Holy #%$," whispered Jax "That's #%$ Detroit."

"Was," whispered Lux "And I can only think of one person who has that kind of power."

"Bree," said Jax, her eyes flashing.

"Bree?" asked Revolution "Who the hell is Bree?"

"Its Nicky's Queen of Hearts," said Jax "Bree Williams, one of the few women in The New Order. A Terraformer Elemental."

"A Terraformer?" asked Jesse, his eyes wide with shock "They're one of the rarest forms of elementals."

Lux nodded.

"Nicky sends her in when he wants to send a message," she exclaimed.

"And what is his message?" asked Emma who had remained quiet the whole time.

"My guess…" said Jax "He's challenging us."

Revolution sighed heavily.

"Someone should call Adam and tell him," she said.

"I will," said Emma.

"I'll come with you," said Lux "I'll call Max and have him send up everything on our newest player."

Emma nodded.

Revolution watched the news for a few more minutes, growing more angry with each destroyed building. Jax could see it in the young Psionic's eyes, it was a look that she had come to know very well in the short time Revolution had been with The Ring.

"Come on kid," she said "Let's go do some of those exercises Lux taught ya."

Revolution nodded gratefully. If she got much more angry, she wouldn't be able to think straight.

***

Angela perched on one of the wooden planks that crisscrossed one of the training rooms, a tiny book sat precariously atop her knees. She watched curiously as Revolution rushed into the room, leaned against the wall and put her head in her hands. She was just about to see if the girl was all right when Jax came in carrying something. Angela's hawk eyes focused on the small object, when she saw what it was, anger filled her. A gun? How dare that woman do this? Mutant X had brought her willingly into their Sanctuary and now she was threatening the life of Revolution.

Touching the Flames

Cascade, Washington 7:00 pm

Blair and Donna were driving down the road after a wonderful dinner together. They had been engaged for a month now and were in high spirits. Though Donna did have a tinny twinge in the back of her heart that something was wrong. She could feel a small ghost of grief but she couldn't pinpoint it. She was still having a time reining in her increasing telekinetic ability and trying to have some fun at the same time. She knew that she was doing a good job at both because she was having fun and nothing "weird" happened during the whole dinner. Now they were off to see the Lord Of The Dance. Donna had already seen it a few years ago and wanted to see it again and Blair amazingly enough had not seen it yet. It was going to be fun to see his reaction to this one.

Three hours later after the show:

"Wow! THAT WAS ONE GREAT SHOW!" the anthropologist said to his soon to be wife.

Donna hugged against her soon to be husband and smiled. "I knew that you would like it! Couldn't you feel the energy when the music was playing and they were on stage doing their numbers? You don't have to be a psionic to feel that do you?"

"Oh no, you couldn't help but feel it. Man! That was SO cool!"

Suddenly the female anthropologist and linguist stopped in her tracks. She could feel another mind reaching out for her in fear. Donna takes off into a run towards Blair's car and gets into the drivers seat. Blair gets into the car after her. "What? What?"

"I just heard Carla in my mind." Carla Johnson was a fellow psionic new mutant who lived in Cascade and Donna and her had become friends after the whole Foundation incident. "She's in trouble Blair!" Donna reaches down with her hand and starts the car with her telekinesis forgoing putting her seat belt on as Blair is struggling with his.

Donna speeds around the corner and then picks up more speed as she barrels down the street. She is in telempathic contact with Carla and is able to sus out her location with her mind.

Down one block and then the other, going over bumps and baby pot holes Donna's mind is so focused on getting to Carla that she ignores the bouncing that she is causing and the fact that Blair's head is hitting the roof of the car. "DONNA! You are worse that Jim!"

"Sorry about that one honey but I can't help it." Blair's complaint reached her ears. She then reached out her telekinesis to brace Blair in his seat. "There you go, sweetie."

"Thanks, Donna."

"Any time."

All of the sudden the young psionic new mutant stomped her foot on the breaks and because she was holding her fiancé with her mind he didn't shoot through the windshield. "There. She is in there." Donna gets out of the car and Blair is behind her. "No! You stay here. I don't want whatever is going on to hurt you."

"No way man, I am not letting you go in there alone Donna!" Donna felt that his mind was set.

"Sorry honey but you have no choice in the matter." She throws a psi blast and he is frozen in place. She kisses him on the cheek and says, "You will snap out of it when you see me coming out of the building with Carla.

Donna races off to the building that she feels Carla in. It is a factory that builds airplane parts as Carla had told Donna once. Donna inters the building and smells a weird smoky scent. "Carla! Sweetie where are you?!" She then hears her psionic friends cries.

"Donna help us!"

"Where are you?"

"My boss and I are trapped in his office. There are strange flames surrounding us. HELP!" Carla paths.

"Help's on the way."

Donna races to where Carla and her boss are and with all of her telekinesis to smother the blue flames and after exhausting all the power she had in her was able to snuff out the fire. She collapses to the floor for a minute and then after some help from Carla and the Japanese man who was her boss help her to her feet.

"I have never seen anything like that before." Said the man.

"Donna! Thank God you came. I thought we were toast, literally."

Coughing Donna says, "That's what I'm here for." And then she waves her Com-Linked finger at Carla.

Carla laughs and says, "Naw, you're just the heroic type girl."

"Let's get out of here and call the police." Donna says.

"That sounds like a good idea young lady." Carla's boss says. "Sorry about my manners," and he holds out his hand and Donna takes it, "I am Carla's boss, Cary Tanaka. You are in my debt my dear."

"My pleasure sir." Donna says in Japanese and Mr. Tanaka looks amazed.

"You speak Japanese. I am impressed." he says in his native tongue.

Carla says smiling, "Donna is a linguist at Rainier University. She speaks many tongues Mr. Tanaka."

"Well now I know were to come to if I need a translator." They laugh and leave the building.

Blair sees Donna and Carla with the Japanese man and snaps out of the trance that Donna placed him in. He comes up to Donna and says in her ear, "You're bad you know that?"

"Oh yeah, I'm really bad." She kisses him on the cheek. "Blair Sandburgh, Mr. Cary Tanaka. Mr. Tanaka, this is my fiancé."

They both bow at each other, "Congratulations Mr. Sandburgh. You will be marrying a hero."

"I already know that Mr. Tanaka." Blair says smiling and then he looks at Donna, "Don't ever do that again!"

"What was I supposed to do?" and they walk to Blair's car. Donna calls the police and they are on there way. She then goes to the side and contacts Sanctuary.

Sanctuary:

"Yeah?" Adam answers.

"Hey Addy," Donna uses the nickname that her soon to be father-in-law MacGyver has for her Mutant X leader."

"Donna?"

"Yeah it's me. I just had the feeling that you should know this. I was out with Blair tonight and I got a hit from Carla so I went to see what was up. She and her boss a Mr. Cary Tanaka were in a fire at the airplane parts factory that she works at as his secretary and I managed to get them out. Man this one was a hottie. I mean the flames were blue and it took every ounce of telekinesis that I had to suffocate it. I never had such a time putting a fire out before. These flames were super hot!"

"Sounds like something that were are on right now. Donna, listen to me. I want you to get Carla and her boss to a safe house and keep them under guard. Don't let anyone but one of us in. Understood?"

"Yes sir! We're on our way."

"And Donna?"

"Yeah Adam?"

"Don't call me "Addy"."

Donna giggles and turns off her ring. "Let's go. I know a place were we can go and be safe. Don't worry Mr. Tanaka, everything will be alright." Donna, Blair, Carla, and Mr. Tanaka get into Blair's car Donna at the wheel again and she takes them to the safe house.

"What is this place?" Mr. Tanaka says.

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you." Carla says.

The Exercise

Looking quietly down from her perch, Angela considered the possibilities. 'This is a fight exercise, they'll spar a bit, and Rev will try and wrestle the gun from the bodyguard' she thought. 'Might as well watch.' Or...

The lioness feral posted herself across the room from Revolution. Jax McManus lifted her arm, pointed directly to Riley, cocked the gun... and with a screech, a falcon dove from the ceiling, talons at the ready.

Revolution looked up when she heard the shreak. She may have been a city kid, but she wasn't stupid.

"Stop!" she yelled raising a hand.

Angela was shocked to find her downward flight stopped quite so suddenly.

"Jesus, Hawkgirl," said Jax "You're #%$ lucky I didn't shoot. I could have killed her."

"I thought..." stammered Angela.

"That I was gonna shoot her," replied Jax "No sweat Hawkgirl, aint the first time I've been nearly filleted. Thanks for the save Rev."

"No problem" said Revolution as she turned Angela right side up and set her on her feet "Wasn't exactly in the mood for a blood bath."

"Thank you very much for putting me upside up," fumed the bird woman. "So, that was supposed to be an exercise?"

"Yes," answered Rev. "I would stop the bullet before it hit me."

"Very impressive. And very dangerous! Put the two of you together, plus Cat, and Adam and I won't be enough!" Angela had got a scare, and she wasn't pleased.

"Listen, Hawkgirl, that's what me tiny Revolution went all the way down to bonny California to learn." Jax McManus squarely faced the falcon woman. "And learn she did. Now, if ya'll excuse us, we have work to do here."

Angela looked at Rev, who shrugged, then she glared at the lioness feral. "Birds don't trust cats, you know? Harm Riley and I'll have your eyes for earrings."

The feline feral just grinned wickedly.

Angela shook her head and headed to the door. "I heard Adam send Cat and Shal to pick up Donna Gryphon," she turned to Revolution. "I think it's wiser if I go get a room ready for her," she turned back to Jax McManus, "or I might break the laws of hospitality."

Angela turned away and left the training room. As soon as she closed the door behind her, he heard the explosion of the firearm and shuddered. Leaning her head against the metal door, she let out a deep sigh. 'Oh, Donna, make haste. I need someone sane around here."

The New Ring Of Friends

Cascade Safe House, Cascade, Washington:

While Donna, Blair, Carla, and Mr. Tanaka were at the safe house waiting for someone from Mutant X to arrive Donna received a call via Com-Link from Adam. "Donna, I am sending Cat and Shalimar to the Cascade Safe House to pick you and Blair up. I want you to tell Carla that she is to stay with Mr. Tanaka at the safe house and keep and eye on him."

"Sure thing, Adam." Donna goes to walk over to were the others are.

Blair is talking with the two others as Donna walks up and tells them what Adam said, "Sounds good to me. Jim called me back," Blair had called his Sentinel as they were in route to the safe house to let him know what happened and Jim said that he would call Josh Evans, Donna's partner and they would check it out. Josh also knew of Jim's abilities and would act as de-facto guide whenever Blair couldn't be there at a crime scene. "he told me that they were at the factory and are now starting to go over it. He will let us know what they find. In the mean time he also said that Mr. Tanaka and Carla should stay were they are. I told Jim it wasn't a problem."

"Great. We should be going. The Helix will pick us up on the rooftop of my warehouse. we should go by your place so you can pick up a couple of changes of clothes and essentials and then go by my place and I can get my emergency bag from my car. After all that has been happening lately I thought that it would be the best to keep one handy for occasions such as this."

"Man, maybe I should make my own emergency bag too." Blair said to Donna as he got up from the sofa where he and the others were sitting and they say there good-byes and head up the stairs and out the series of doors and secret passageways to the street and they are on there way.

They went to Blair's loft and then to Donna's place and as they were in the freight elevator they heard the Double Helix land on the roof. Reaching the top they were greeted by Cat and Shalimar. Donna then Blair hugged there greetings and hopped into the craft.

"It's great to see you guys again," Donna said.

"Yeah," Shalimar said. "Though I only wish that we could visit with each other without a crisis."

"I hear you there my sister. How's the gang?" Cat explained what had happened and Blair and Donna were in shock. With tears in her eyes Donna said, "Mercy, Allison was one of the best. Man, this must be tearing Angela apart. No wonder I could feel a little twinge of grief. I was picking up on her feelings. Step on it! I wanna get there as fast as we can."

"Your wish is my command." and Shalimar gave her the gas.

Sanctuary, as Shalimar, Cat, Blair and Donna arrive:

They walk into the common room were all the computer terminals and the living area are located and Donna stops as she sees three people she has never met before. She automatically knows that two of them are Psionics but the other one she couldn't tell.

Adam walks up to Donna and gives here a huge hug and a proud smile. "Great work getting Mr. Tanaka and Carla out of the building." Adam says and then he shakes Blair's hand, "Good to see you again, Blair."

"Likewise. MAN! The more I see this place the more amazed I am. I still can't believe it is inside of a mountain." Adam smiles at the anthropologist.

"Adam, I almost couldn't put the fire out. It took everything I had and then some. I think I pushed the limits of my powers. I have never done that before. I still have a killer headache." Donna says looking at Adam with worry on her face and then she looks at the three strangers behind the leader of Mutant X.

"Where are my manners?" Adam says as he escorts Donna and Blair to the women. "Donna Gryphon, Blair Sandburgh. I would like you to meet Revolution, she is a telekinetic like yourself, Donna. And this is Lux Windsor, a precognitive mind reader and her bodyguard, Jax McManus and she is a feral. They are members of a New Mutant group called The Ring. They are a group similar to Mutant X."

Donna shakes there hands, "Pleased to meet you." Then turns to Adam with worry on her face, "I am so sorry about Allison, I didn't know her too well but I did call her a friend. I only wished that I could have called her an old friend. She was a good person. Where's Angela? How's she doing?"

"Thank you for the condolences. Angela is in her room. As soon as we get you and Blair settled you can go check on her. I know that she would like to see you. Then we can put our heads together and get to work."

"Yeah, I love her like a sister." She turns to Revolution, Lux, and Jax and says with a little sad smile still worried about her falcon friend, "I wish we could have met under different circumstances. Any friends of Adam and Mutant X are friends of mine."

Revolution nods and Lux Windsor holds out her hand and Donna takes it again, "Likewise. Adam says that you are a formidable Psionic."

"Yeah, well I hope he is right. Because it is gonna take all that I've got and then some to help put out this Salamander's flames." Donna says worry still on her eyes.

"Well, Adam is seldom wrong." Lux adds.

Emma and the other members of Mutant X walk up and say their hellos and Emma says, "Let me show you to your room, Donna."

Jesse says to Blair, "Come with me, I'll show you were you will be sleeping."

"Well, I thought that Donna and I were gonna share a room." Blair said looking at Donna and then at the molecular.

"No," Adam piped in, "you two need your sleep and besides while you are here there will be no playing around before you are married."

Donna whose spirits were a little lifted after that comment from Adam said with a little smile, "Why Addy," Adam gives her a warning look, "I mean Adam, I didn't know you were THAT old fashioned."

"No, I just want you two rested. You need to be at your wits." Adam said with a smile and a pat at both of their shoulders. "Go get settled.

Later Donna goes to check on Angela. "Angela, honey are you in there?"

Friends

Coming down the hallway, Brennan ran into Donna knocking at Angela's bedroom door. They looked at each other and hugged, with Donna disappearing into the elemental's arms. "Athena, goddess of wisdom, good to see you!" he exclaimed. "Is Blair around?"

"He's checking his room with Jesse, O Zeus, god of lighting!" laughed Donna Gryphon.

"How's Jim Ellison?" Asked Brennan. He and the tall Cascade detective had become friends during the Foundation incident.

"He's fine. Said he misses you, the dojo, and he misses you and the dojo together," quipped the multi-psionic. "He'll be ready whenever you are."

"And I'll kick his butt from here to Los Angeles," laughed Brennan. "Looking for Tweetty? You can't find her here. Try the pond. The skylight there is her favorite perch."

"Thanks, Zeus."

The skylight was wide open, revealing the blue, cloudless sky above Stormking mountain. Donna stopped by the waterfall, taking in the peace and tranquility the spacious room instilled, the Japanese feel inspiring meditation. Donna looked up as the flapping of wings above denounced the approach of a large bird that descended through the opening in the ceiling and lightly landed in front of her.

On the ground, without the twisted disguise she presented to the world, Angela Fontenelle was of medium height, and lightly built. Her skin was the color of a clear coffee-latte and her eyes were honey colored. Her hair was short and curly, her hands had long fingers and large knuckles, ending in talons, but her feet were her strangest feature, resembling those of birds, with three toes pointing ahead and a toe thumb pointing backwards, ending in black talons. She wasn't beautiful by any means, but she could be striking in her winged self.

The bird woman smiled warmly. "GryphonLady, greetings," she saluted her friend and ally in the traditional way she had used when they first met over the Internet, before fate and adventure brought them together, and took Donna's hands in her own.

Donna Gryphon smiled back, pulled the Avian feral close and held her tight in her arms. She had learned to admire and trust, even love the half-breed over the course of two missions already, when, on both occasions, Donna had entered Angela's mind first to save her sanity from the savagery of a power-mad organization, and, on the second instance, reaching even deeper into her subconscious, she helped the Avian boost her immune system to resist the attack of a renegade mutant who'd inoculated her with a murderous tropical disease. On both occasions, Donna visited Angela's memories and emotions, and discovered not only the feral's brilliant intelligence, but her sense of ethics and undivided loyalties to her friends in general and the man she called her falconer in particular. Donna was the only person on earth knowing the secret of Angela's true origins and she kept it to herself in such a fashion that not even Angela knew that she knew. The bond now shared by the two friends and, to a lesser extent, by Emma DeLauro, was now unbreakable in their hearts and minds.

Angela and Donna half broke the embrace and locked eyes. There was no need for words. The multi-psionic experienced the full measure of loss and sorrow carried by the feral. They looked at each other for a long time, as Donna showered her friend's mind and heart with peace, and helped her find the closure she craved. They kissed on the cheek and Donna's mind felt the gratitude emanating from her friend, now ready to put the past behind and face whatever the future had in store.

"If you're all done settling in," Adam's voice sounded over the intercom, "we will assemble in the kitchen where everybody can help put lunch together, get better acquainted and be debriefed."

"Lets go meet the others," said the falcon woman. "I want to see Blair."

As Angela turned to leave taking her friend by the hand, Donna felt her hair stand on end as a shudder shot up from the entwined hands directly to clench her heart, as if the angel of death had just flown over the open skylight overlooking the pond. Silently, she raised a prayer to the Goddess, the feminine principle reigning over the universe. 'Spare me, O Goddess of my heritage,' she pleaded. 'Thrust upon me all the responsibility and the power of your desire. Make me capable of moving and controlling all living and non-living things upon this earth. Make me capable of penetrating and traveling the roads of the fantastic circuitry enveloping the planet. Make me capable of knowing and feeling the beautiful and the hideous hidden in the souls of all mankind. But spare me this, O Goddess. Spare me the curse of the future. I beg you, O Goddess, on my knees, my head bowed to your wisdom and your wishes, spare me the curse of precog."

Visions and Burns

Lux looked around the small room where they all sat. Jax looked at her and grinned.

Kind of Rag-tag, aren't they?

Lux giggled behind her hand.

We aren't exactly a well disciplined machine either.

Lux took a quick inventory of their people. Revolution laid on a couch with her head in Jesse's lap, popping her gum and humming a rock song while Jesse read a book. Brennan and Cat were talking quietly as were Angela, Shalimar and the latest arrival Donna Gryphon. Emma and Adam were pouring over some of the intel that Lux had given them with Donna's fiancé Blair.

"Adam?" she asked "Are you ready?"

Mutant X's leader nodded. Lux walked over to the large screen that Brennan and Jesse had set up.

"Max?" she asked as she turned it on.

"Gimme a second, Boss," said a heavy Boston accented voice.

The screen crackled and a handsome dark haired boy emerged.

"Maximilian!" yelled Revolution.

"Hey! Revolution!" yelled Max Monroe grinning broadly "So you're an Mx'er now?"

She lifted her hand and pointed to the band of silver.

"Full Fledged."

"Excellent," he replied.

"Max!" yelled Jax "focus!"

"Sorry," he replied a sheepish grin settling over his boyish face.

"Please Max," said Lux "The footage from Detroit?"

He pushed his thick glasses up over his head and his eyes went black. The screen crackled once again and Max's face was replaced by the carnage that was once Detroit's financial district.

"Who could have done this?" asked Angela.

"Bree Williams," replied Lux.

"She's Nicky's girl," said Jax.

"Who's Nicky?" asked Blair.

"Max? pull up picture of Nickolas Lareou," said Jax.

Emma's disgust was easily viewed when the picture of Nickolas came up. Lux linked her hand with Emma's and squeezed it.

"Nickolas Lareou, 34. Has a rap sheet longer than Static's and mine put together," said Jax "A Sonic Elemental, he began putting The New Order together soon after his release from prison."

Jax saw it first, the way Lux's hands started to shake.

"Boss?" asked Jax.

"A vision," she whispered and closed her eyes, a pale hand clutched her chest and her breathing slowed to an almost deadly quiet.

"Isn't someone going to help her?" asked Donna.

Blair and Angela both started to rise to their feet, Jax stood in the way, her eyes flashing.

"Sorry Hawkgirl," she whispered "But I can't let ya interfere."

The heat was intense as screams ripped into Lux's skull like a knife. Then she saw it, a church, large and gothic looking.

"St. Micheals on 21'st street," she whispered "Send them out."

"Max!" yelled Jax "Patch me to Oliver."

Nickolas's picture faded and a large man took his place.

"Oliver, Saint Mike's." she said "Go now!"

The man nodded and the screen went black. Jax and Emma helped Lux back up and Cat gasped at the burns that went up and down Lux's arms.

"What the hell?" she asked.

Lux smiled and her eyes faded white. She placed her right hand on her arm and the burns faded away.

"Who the hell are you people?" asked Blair.

Oh Brave New Mutant World

"Welcome to the wonderful world of new mutants, Blair Sandburgh," sighed Lux, as she fell back on the couch, her breath labored, exhaustion darkening her features. "You have barely scratched it's surface."

Adam had remained in his place all the time. He knew Lux enough to be aware that, once in the grips of a vision, she shouldn't be interfered with, and couldn't be helped in anyway. If the vision was too intense, it might harm her severely, even kill her. Only her own instinct of survival protected Lux against some of her trances. "Blair, Lux is gifted with one of the rarest forms of psionic mutation, and one of the cruelest: precognition. In short, she can see the future. Besides that, in one of Breedlove's experiments, she was given the extra Molecular power to heal injuries at a cellular level, thus reconstituting damaged tissue."

The anthropologist's head was swimming in information of a sort he had a hard time digesting. He was used to many forms of the occult, a shaman in his own right, but this new mutants issue was hard Science tampering with life as we knew it. He would have to have a serious conversation with Dr. Adam Kane after this crisis was over.

"What did you see exactly, Lux?" asked Emma.

"Saint Michael's church on 21st, enveloped in blue fire," answered the precognitive. "The Salamander is traveling fast."

A ring sounded, announcing an incoming call over Sanctuary's special phone system. "Yes," Adam answered. "Who's speaking?"

A baritone voice sounded over the intercom. "Dr. Kane?"

Sanctuary's computer voice ID system immediately kicked in and the picture of a man in a crew cut lit up on the screen. "Detective Ellison!" greeted Adam, as Blair and Donna exclaimed as one, "Jim!"

"Dr. Kane, something came up I must inform Blair and Donna as Cascade PD, but I think you should know about it, too."

"Go ahead, detective. They're here and you're on speakers," Adam urged Jim on.

"There was a prison break," informed Cascade's sentinel. "Callhorne Penn was invaded, or so we think. It is pretty unbelievable."

The collective breath of both mutants and non-mutants in the room was suspended. "Jim, what happened exactly?" asked Blair Sandburgh.

"The maximum security ward was turned into a rainforest!" exclaimed Jim Ellison.

"Ntobo..." whispered Jax.

"There are trees growing inside cells, vines and twine wrapped around everything and anything!" the detective sounded amazed, incapable of believing his own words. "It all sprung up in less than five minutes! Bang, we're in the middle of the bushes! All inside a concrete and steel building!"

"Please, go on, Jim," Adam used Ellison's first name as he nudged the detective to proceed with his report.

"We have two prison guards dead, hung with vines around their necks from tree limbs," continued Ellison. "Two guards got tear gassed, but the gas didn't spread."

"Panarides..." whispered Lux.

"Not to mention the many others found passed out from sleeping gas all around the ward," finished the detective.

"Lareou must feel very confident," said Jax. "The New Order is spreading itself very thin."

"Yes," replied Lux. "Allison here, the Japanese guy in Cascade, St. Michaels back home, and now this prison break back in Cascade..."

"How many inmates escaped, Jim?" asked Blair.

"Only one," was the answer.

Blair and Donna looked at each other, then locked eyes with Angela and Adam. "Who escaped, Jim?" Donna Gryphon asked. But they knew the answer already.

"It was Alex Tremayne."

A Hurricane Of Bad News

Sanctuary:

"Man, Jim! Don't joke with us like that." Blair said to his partner.

"I wish that it was a joke, Chief." came the Sentinel over the speakers.

Donna sighed and covered her face with her hands and said, "Oh brother." She then gave a groan. Revolution and The Ring knew what had happened with Alex Tremayne and the MX'ers and they could see the dread on Donna's face.

"Adam, Mac, Sam, and Sam's Sentinel Cory Buchanan are here and we are all ready to go. Cory want's to help out too."

"I will sent Brennan and Jesse out to pick you up at your loft." There was a long silence, "Detective?" Adam said with worry in his eyes.

"Sorry Adam," Jim came back, "You won't believe this, we just got hit with one killer hurricane. Cascade just doesn't get hurricanes. The Weather Channel is going crazy. They are saying that it is unprecedented. The guys better get here fast. It's getting worse." The guys were out the door before the transmission could end.

"They are on their way, detective, hang in there."

"Will do, Adam."

Over the link Adam heard his old friend MacGyver say, "We gotta stop meeting like this, Addy." Donna gave a little smile, Adam rolled his eyes.

"Well, with your track record Angus, trouble always follows you. And it looks like it is in the genes." He looks at Blair.

"Hey," Blair says, "I resent that remark." Adam grins.

"See ya soon, Adam."

"Soon." The transmission was over. Adam turns on The Weather Channel and they show scenes of Cascade and everyone on the channel are in shock.

"ADAM, Freeze that!" Donna knew what the Sanctuary computers were capable of when she gave the command.

"What?" Adam said startled at the once quiet psionic.

"May I?" Donna took over the keyboard and typed away. She went back to where she had seen what had caught her attention. She then enlarged and enhanced the image that she wanted. Donna knew her way around computers. "There! I know that guy. His name is Windel Mann. I met him at the safehouse in Cascade. He was very rude and I remember once that he said that he was gonna change the world and create a new order. Oh, my goodness! He was serious!"

Adam takes the keyboard back from Donna and types a few commands as a page from his New Mutant Database pops up. "Windel Mann aka "WindMan" is an elemental with the power to create enormous winds and rain. Looks like The New Order have grown by two. Alex and now the WindMan."

"Looks like Salamander is recruiting new members for The New Order." Lux added.

"Oh this just gets better and better." Donna says with anger in her voice.

"Don't let your anger get in the way, Donna." Adam cautions.

"Oh, don't worry. I am gonna use it to stop Tremayne, Windel, and the others. Alex tried to kill Angela and Blair. I won't let him try again."

"Don't worry Athena," It was Brennan over the Com-Link using his nickname for her, "with all of us they don't stand a chance."

"Darn straight, Zeus." She uses his nick.

"Don't worry GryphonLady," the HawkGirl goes up and places her hand on Donna's shoulder. She then looks at Revolution and the two Ring members and says, "One thing you should know about our GryphonLady, when she wants something badly enough, she usually gets it."

"Well, we are gonna make user that she does." Lux tells the young psionic. Donna nods her appreciation to Angela and Lux.

"Let's get to work." Adam says.

Mainframe

Lux walked into the training room where Jax sat wrapping her hands with tape.

"You worried?" asked Lux.

Jax shook her head and flipped her long red hair that was tied into a braid over her shoulder.

"Nah." Jax replied.

"Liar," laughed Lux.

Jax smiled.

"All right, Boss Lady," she said as she began pounding on the punching bag "I'm a wee bit worried about being here when Haven is in just as much trouble as Sanctuary."

"Me too," said Lux patting her shoulder "Well, I'll let ya return to your assault on that innocent punching bag."

"Dis punching bag? See it looks innocent but earlier it was getting fresh with me." said Jax as she slammed her foot into the bag.

Lux laughed and walked out of the training room. She smiled at Emma as she walked into the computer room.

"Thanks for the Tip Em," she said "Jax was just worried about home."

"Ms. Windsor?" asked Blair "If you don't mind me asking...Where is home?"

"Please, Its just Lux," replied Lux smiling "Me and Jax hail from Southern California and I'm afraid that's all I'll be able to tell you. I run a group of Mutants called The Ring and that is where our base of operations is located."

"Haven" said Emma grinning.

"Well, we heard 'Sanctuary' was taken," said Jax as she walked in.

"So Ms. McManus is your... bodyguard?" asked Donna.

"Its standard procedure really," replied Lux "All of the Hybrids travel with a feral body guard."

"'Cept Connor," said Jax.

"Connor is a telempath/Ursine feral hybrid," explained Adam.

Revolution smiled and turned back to the computer.

"How's the flight?" she asked.

"Good," said Jesse "The inflight meal is not so good but our stewardess just told me that the inflight movie is much better."

Revolution laughed as a bizarre picture of Brennan in a stewardess outfit flashed through her mind. A large crackle ripped through the system as sparked flew out.

"Holy #%$!" she yelled "Jesse!"

Inside the Helix, all the light shut off and the controls were ripped violently from Jesse's hands. Inside Sanctuary all the surveillance screens crackled then Nickolas Lareou appeared on the screen.

"Well Hello," he said "Aren't you a pretty young thing?"

"Don't say anything, Rev," said Jax "Nicky, I wish I could say it's a pleasure to see you. But I don't like to lie."

"Hello, Jacqueline, you look lovely." he said smiling "Aidaan sends his love."

" #%$ Aidaan and #%$ you too." whispered Jax her eyes flashing.

"What do you want Nickolas?" asked Lux as she came to stand behind Revolution.

"I just wanted to show you something my dear," he exclaimed "Meet Yukio. Lovely woman, isn't she?"

"I know you've come here to do more then show off your new whore," said Jax.

"Oh, I did."

The screen went blank and a new picture flashed onto the screen. It was of the Double Helix, being nearly ripped apart by a storm.

"Jesse!" yelled Revolution.

"Oh my god," whispered Cat "Brennan."

Emma placed a comforting hand on Cat's shoulder.

"Double Helix? Come in Double Helix," yelled Revolution as she frantically tried to make contact.

"Riley!" yelled Jesse "The Helix is going crazy, I'm trying to keep it steady but its like it has a mind of its own."

Revolution rolled her shoulders back and sighed.

"I'm gonna try something," she whispered "Hold on Jess. We're gonna get through this."

Angela looked at Donna who nodded. She walked to Revolution's side and put a hand on the frantic girl's shoulder.

"Let me," she whispered.

Revolution looked around then stood up shakily. Donna placed her hands on either side of the monitor and closed her eyes. The others watched in shock as millions of numbers and symbols began appearing on her skin, the skin that had began to glow the way a monitor would.

"Hey... No one told me she was telecyber," whispered Revolution.

Inside Sanctuary's mainframe Donna used her telepathy to find the other telecyber who had invaded it. A lovely Asian woman stood in the middle of it, her delicate fingers doing a deadly tap dance across the Helix's controls.

"Hello Donna Gryphon. Multi Psionic, volunteer of The Phoenix Foundation. Honorary member of Mutant X and member of the Cascade Pd." said the woman.

"Well, now that we've gotten to know each other," said Donna "Weren't you just leaving?"

Jesse suddenly felt whatever was holding the controls away from him release. He grabbed them and Brennan slapped his shoulders.

"Nice work," he exclaimed.

Jesse looked at him and shrugged. "Wasn't me."

Yukio smiled dangerously up at Donna and jumped quickly to her feet. She kicked Donna hard and flung her against a wall of the mainframe. Donna could feel the Mainframe's power source burn into her back and her eyes closed just as the control's ripped out of Jesse's hands.

"Damnit!" he whispered.

Revolution swore as the lights flickered. Blair raced to Donna's side and touched her shoulder.

"Blair!" Yelled Emma "Don't touch her!"

It was too late though. The power that raced through the Psionic slammed into Blair causing him to be thrown directly into Angela.

Donna opened her eyes slowly. She could see that Yukio had started to escalate her attack on the Helix.

"Don't you people ever die?" asked Yukio as Donna's telekinesis slammed her back.

"Nope," replied Donna as she held Yukio up "Get out of here!"

She gathered her energy and threw Yukio into the dark recesses of the mainframe. Donna let go of the screen and fell backwards into Adam's arms.

"Jesse?" asked Revolution "What's going on?"

"We're back online. We've got some damage but we've got enough power to land and pick up the others. Me and you are gonna have quite the time fixing the old bird though." said Jesse.

Revolution smiled "It's a date."

Donna looked over at Blair and gasped.

"Blair?" she yelled "What the hell happened to him?"

"He touched you," said Angela rubbing her sore head.

"Is he all right?" asked Donna.

Lux smiled at her.

"He will be." she replied "Jax, you and Adam carry Mr. Sandburgh to the med lab. Revolution and Cat,help Angela and Donna to the Lab as well."

"I'm fine..." said Angela.

"No, you're not." said Jax "That's quite the head wound, Hawkgirl."

Revolution smiled and wrapped an arm around Angela's waist.

"Come on, lean on me," she said.

Adam and Jax placed Blair gently on the table and Donna hobbled to his side.

"What are you going to do to him?" she asked Lux.

"I'm going to reverse the effects of his electrocution," said Lux.

Her dark eyes faded to white and her hands glowed slightly as she placed them on Blair's forehead. She smiled with satisfaction when he opened his eyes.

"Morning Sunshine," she exclaimed grinning impishly "Whose next?"

"Mainframe then Hawkgirl," said Jax.

"Uh oh, Donna," said Revolution "You can't escape now. You've received a Jax nickname."

Donna laughed and kissed Blair's forehead.

Angela slid off of the lab table and rubbed the healed cut on her head. She looked at Donna who smiled.

"Boss?" asked Jax "You allright?"

Lux laid a hand to her head and grimaced.

"Tired," she whispered and fell backwards.

Jax picked her up quickly.

"If the rest of ya'll are five by five, I'm gonna take Lux here to her room." she exclaimed "Damn girl, overdoing herself like always."

Memories (On Behalf of Cat)

Relief washed over Cat as she saw Donna Gryphon fall back from the computer she had been holding and the system come miraculously back on line. The fear for Brennan's and Jesse's fate had almost been more than she could bear without howling her impotency to the four winds. She helped the injured to the lab and, quietly, escaped to her room. She needed some time alone to think things over.

Cat opened the locked drawer in her closet and took her journal out. The journal had been Adam's idea, so she could collect her feelings, her thoughts and work out her many problems on her own. She took the business card she had tucked in the journal and sat on the bed, her back agains the pillows. She stared a long time at the card, remembering the moment she had been handed it and the strange Asian woman who had approached her at her mother's wake. The same Asian woman whose face had filled the computer screen moments before Jesse lost control of the Helix. The smirking face of the man Jax had identified as the New Order leader had named her Yukio.

Cat sighed at the memory, at the woman's nerve. How could memories be always so painful. She would kill for a bout of amnesia that made her forget Silver, the GSA, sub-govs and pods, fights and wounds... She was so tired of memories, of
guilt, of suspicion...

The knocking on the door startled her awake. She must have dozed off! Cat jumped and yanked the door open only to fall into Brennan's arms. "Thank God you're back!" she exclaimed. "I was so scared!" And they kissed as never before, as the elemental closed the door behind him.

Here They Are

After breakfast, the small army gathered at Sanctuary met in the main computer room, where their command post was to be. Adam motioned to Lux and Jax to take over the meeting and the young psionic and healer studied the assembly. She had been introduced to the Cascade-Mac group, as they were, for lack of a better name, now called. Quickly, Lux Windsor did an inventory of the forces now allied against a common foe:

1- Four ferals, counting two feline cats, one feline lion, one falcon.

2- Three multipsionics with offensive and defensive powers counting Emma among them.

3- One psionic telekinetic.

4- One elemental.

5- One molecular, not counting herself.

6- Two Sentinels, whatever that was, evolutionary mutants with sensory enhancement, perhaps.

7- Two regular humans, the Sentinels' guides, their ground wire, so to speak.

8- Two bona-fide, genuine geniuses, for the new arrival had brought another one into their midst, in the form of an aging but fit man by the name MacGyver.

Yes, with that Brancaleone's army, maybe they stood a chance against the ruthlessness of Nickolas Lareou and his New Order.

"Max?" she called to the boy in the computer screen, "what's the news on St. Michael's?"

Maximilian's face darkened. "Thanks to your vision, we could evacuate the premises," he informed his leader. "The church, the shelter and the ambulatory, however, burned to the ground. It was the Salamander, all right. Same old method: no accelerant, no smells, a blue fire almost impossible to put out."

" #%$..." swore Jax McManus under her breath. St. Michael's had been their first and best shelter for new mutants in the West Coast. Now, it was a lump of coal. "Da sack-o- #%$ is gonna pay..." Whenever pissed off, her brogue thickened almost beyond understanding.

"Max, I'll send instructions for rebuilding," said Lux with a sigh. "Now, I need the rest of the files of the New Order."

One by one, the files of the renegade mutants shone on screen, projected by Maximilian's whiteless eyes. Nickolas Lareou, leader and sonic elemental; Mumbata Ntobo, botanical elemental; Yukio Matsumoto, digicyber; Aidaan Malone, shapeshifter molecular; Yanos Panarides, chemical elemental; Bree Williams, geological elemental. The newcomers to the foe fold, Alex Tremayne, organic molecular, and Windell Mann, climate elemental.

The multipsionic, then, as if savoring the moment, announced, "Now, ladies and gentlemen, la piéce de résistance..."

"C'est si bon..." Adam muttered, in perfect French.

"Nobody knows the Salamander's name and looks, right?" she asked the group.

"Not even Menachem knows that, Lux." retorted Adam. "He would have told me."

"Well, we do have a file on him. Max!"

The screen lit up with the face of a man in turban and the information on their most dangerous foe to that date. Adam stood up slowly and approached the picture. Of course... One of the unaccounted ones. Angela herself had been one of those, the ones not mentioned in his oh so complete database.

"Salumandr Pandiat Singh..." he read the chart, closed his eyes and breathed deep. "I remember his parents, Rajeev and Salima. They were with the Pakistani embassy and Rajeev, as a Sikh, needed a heir to carry on the ritual Singh, lion, surname after his own." Adam turned from the screen and faced his friends. "Salima had already miscarried a few times. Rajeev begged Breedlove to save that pregnancy and Paul accepted. After the pregnancy was secured, Rajeev returned with his wife to Pakistan and I never knew of their fate." He pointed to the screen. "Here it is."

"This is the New Order, folks." completed Lux. "These are our enemies."

"You forgot one," Cat shot from the corner where she was sitting on Brennan's lap.

"And who should that be, Miss Kitty Kat?" asked the lioness bodyguard.

And Cat answered, "Me."

The Cat Is Out of the Bag (On Behalf of Cat)

All eyes turned to Cat, as Brennan stood up, making the feline feral jump from his lap. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Cat looked at each person present, drew breath and steeled herself. It was time to come out in the open, no more hiding. "You know I haven't been myself lately. There was something eating me up." She sighed. "To be perfectly honest, I was so confused... I had even second thoughts about staying in the team." She turned to Brennan. "What kept me from leaving was you..." and to Rev, "and you."

She was now in the middle of the room, a star in a play with a captive audience. "Anyway, you must understand, please! My mother was dead, my family wanted me as far away as possible... I had to keep an eye open lest Silver would kill me then and there... And she tried, I still have the scars to prove it." She turned to Adam. "I was mad at you, mad at the world, mad at the stars, at my mother for bearing me... I was so utterly confused..." Cat collected her thoughts, remembering her mother's wake. "It was then that a very soft spoken Asian woman approached me in the middle of my mother's wake. She invited me to join a group of new mutants that would bring a new order to all genetic altered people in the world. And she knew everything there was to know about me and my family and the GSA and about me and Mutant X... She knew it all!" Cat looked again at Brennan, but he averted his eyes.

Revolution's cheeks were getting hotter and hotter, her temper rising and her blood starting to boil. "And when exactly were you planning on telling us your little tragedy tale? After we were all dead and buried?" she exploded.

"I told the woman I'd think about it, just to get rid of her..." Cat mumbled.

"And you didn't think about telling us, not even after hearing so much talk about the New Order?" Brennan was fuming.

"The woman talked about a new order, not the New Order!" Cat's voice was raising in pitch. "So many things happened since I got here. Allison's murder, Lux arriving... I honestly forgot all about it, until yesterday, when the woman's face popped up on the computer screen. Then I recognized her and I put two and two together."

"And why didn't you tell anything after Donna kicked the bitch out of our computer system?" Asked Shalimar.

"I was going to tell you all about it." Cat was panting now. This was more difficult than she had thought. "After we took Blair, Donna and Angela to the lab, I went to my room to pick this up." She fished the card from her back pocket and handed it to Adam. "I sat on my bed to think things over and I must have dozed off." She stopped there and looked at Brennan. No other details were needed. She sat down on the edge of the couch, her elbows on her knees, hands covering her face and sobbed. "I'm so sorry, but I was so confused..."

Adam studied the card. A simple business card with a cell phone number on it. He stood up and knelt facing Cat. Gently, he took her hands off her face and lifted her chin, looking straight into her eyes. "Don't worry about it, it's all right," he said, wiping the tears that were running down her cheeks. "You haven't betrayed anybody... At least, not yet."

Cat's head snapped up and she sat straight on the couch. "What do you mean? I won't do nothing of the sort! I won't betray Mutant X! No way!"

Adam smiled, "No, Cat, you will, but under my orders." His smile broadened. "You've just cracked us open a door to the New Order."

Donna's Thoughts On Cat/Setting The Stage

Donna was very quiet listening to what Cat had said. She was angry sure, but she wasn't angry at Cat. She was angry at the other telecyber, Yukio Mishimoto. Angry at her for trying to take advantage of Cat when she was at her most vulnerable. Donna had spent her life after finding out about her powers fighting for people who couldn't fight for themselves. To making sure that others weren't victimized by others who were stronger than themselves. She was also angered by the fact that Yukio was a new mutant and was using her gifts for evil and not to make the work a better place. The New Order were definitely not gonna make the word better. They were gonna turn it into a Hitler-like society where New Mutants were the rulers and ordinary people were their slaves. Not a place were everyone could live together in peace. Call her idealistic but this New Mutant thought that the world that she wanted was far better than the one that the Salamander envisioned.

And the fact that he had burned St. Micheals to the ground was another nail in his coffin in Donna's opinion. When this was over she would see if she could help Father Dowling and Sister Steve try and rebuild the church. She hoped that no one was seriously hurt.

Then she heard what Adam had in mind. Sending Cat in as a double agent for Mutant X, The Ring, and the Cascade Group was ingenious. Of course it came from a bonifide genius so it had to be. She really was in awe of the man.

"Yeah, and I wanna send that evil telecyber a virus of my own." Donna added. "If you can get in then that gives the rest of us the chance to kick their mutant butts into a new order of our own." Blair looked at Donna. He had never seen her so determined. Of course the stakes had never been this high.

"Whoa, Mainframe." Jax said laughing. That broke the tension way apart, "Are you sure you aren't a feral?"

"Adam can vouch for it. I am pure Grade A 100% Psionic. We can kick major arse too ya know." Donna said with a huge smile on her face as she looked at Jax. "Multi-Psionic at that."

Lux patted Jax's shoulder, "Ferals aren't the only ones with attitude my friend."

"Let's put our heads together then." Emma said.

Cat was glad that they didn't all turn against her. She didn't know about Brennan though. He was uncharacteristically quiet. She was gonna have to have a talk in private with him later to set things straight.

MacGyver made a suggestion. "What we need is a little show for the New Order to see. Make them see which side that Cat has chosen."

Donna knew what her future father-in-law was getting at. "And a script that needs to be carried out."

Angela added, "And the proper players to carry it out."

"Sister," Donna turned to Angela. "are you thinking what I am thinking?"

"I've always wanted to be the star of an off off, Broadway show." Angela laughed.

They were all listening in to the two as they were going back and forth with each other. They caught on to what they were saying. Cat finally said, "I will do everything that I can to help stop them. You have my word."

Jim said, "We give them a show that they won't forget. Cory, Sam, Blair, Mac, and I will take up positions and keep watch over what is happening just to make sure that nothing goes wrong."

"With two Sentinel's we can see everything." Cory added to his fellow sentinel's proposal.

"And a slue of Ferals with heightened senses as well." Shalimar also added.

Emma said, "And Psionics as well."

"Angela, Cat, and I will be the players." Donna said, "And I can drop a dime to the Cascade safe house were we will be if anyone wants to reach us. I am sure that Windel will find out and tattle to his little friends."

"And Mutant X can be in the shadows as well keeping watch as well." Jesse offered.

"He hurts one hair on HawkGirl, Athena," Brennan said, "Or Cat's head," Cat was encouraged, "and they are in for a little smackdown of the elemental kind." And he makes a Tesla Coil with his fingers.

Adam piped up at last, "Now all we have to do is set the stage."

When Opportunity Rings... Someone Better Answer

Revolution sighed heavily.

"I got an idea," she said.

"Yes?" asked Adam.

She rolled her eyes at him. Nothing like the condescending 'I'm just listening to you so you don't throw me across the room' tone.

"What about the new clinic?" she asked "The one you've been having me run nineteen thousand security checks on."

"I don't know," said Angela "I'd hate to put the other workers in danger."

"You won't have to," said Jax, her bright eyes lighting up "We'll stock it up for you."

"I don't know," Angela exclaimed again "They would have to at least have some medical training."

"Well... You'd have Lux and you, Angela." said Adam.

Anyone could see the wheels turning in Adam's head.

"And My girl Mckenna," said Lux smiling.

"So what's the plan?" asked Brennan.

"Don't look at me," said Revolution "I'm just location scout."

Jesse laughed and kissed the top of Revolution's head.

First Steps

Adam was musing, and he suddenly stood up and asked for silence. "I like the idea of using the clinic, but not just now," he said. "This kind of set up must be built brick by brick. Cat can't just change sides all of a sudden, they'll never buy it."

"You have some idea bouncing around this brain of yours, haven't you?" anticipated Donna.

"Always, GryphonLady," he smiled. If he could have his way, Donna Gryphon wouldn't be working for Cascade PD anymore. Alas, nothing was perfect. "Jesse, Riley, Brennan, Cat, Blair and Donna, how do you feel about painting this town red?"

"A night on the town?" Jesse was puzzled.

"With a love quarrel, a very public one, please," completed Adam. "Cat, I need you and Brennan to fight. Loudly." He turned to Brennan and Cat, placed his hands on their shoulders. "I need you to do something very difficult. Are you up to anything?"

They looked at each other, then back to Adam and nodded. The older man went on. "Brennan, I need you to slap her."

"Oh, no, man... Wait a minute..." the elemental started, only to be stopped by Cat's hand on his chest.

"That's OK. I think I know what he wants." Cat was actually smiling. Adam's idea was very clever indeed.

"Donna, Blair, Jesse and Riley, you'll interfere in the quarrel," he instructed. "I want you to come this close to really painting this town red. Blood red." And he drew his fingers together to less than a millimeter.

"You did it when we were in college, you brat!" exclaimed MacGyver with a smile that lit up his entire face. "Your study group seemed to be falling apart with dissent only to work as a symphony orchestra when we were in the laboratory!"

"That's exactly what I want!" Adam laughed loud. Mac was one of a kind, one of the few minds he actually respected. And they went way back. "I want Lareou and his New Chaos to think we are fighting amongst ourselves. I want his arrogance to take over. That will be his undoing."

Donna was excited with the plan and it showed on her flushed cheeks. "I'll drop a word, just casually, I'll be out tonight with the others when I call Cascade's safehouse. Windbagman will surely find out," offered Donna.

"And I'm sure the New Order will have Cat under surveillance," that was Jim Ellison, the detective.

"I'm counting on it. Tomorrow, we will take the Cascade Group to the clinic." Adam was in full strategist mode. There was nothing more fun than to set a plan in motion. "We will, apparently, show them around and organize things so a new director, Makenna, can take the Underground Health Care over, so Angela can step up to Allison's job." He turned to Cat. "We will turn on you, then, Catherine. I'm sorry, but we will turn on you hard."

Cat lowered her eyes and smiled faintly. "No problem. I know it's just for show."

"It is, be sure of that," he reassured her, knowing how sensitive Cat was.

MacGyver, uncharacteristically talkative, raised his hand. "If this New Order is so well connected, then your clinic must be overflowing with spy devices."

"And you're counting on it, too!" Jax McManus butted in.

Adam smiled broadly. Enough of just reacting to Lareou's antics. Mutant X, the Ring, the Cascade Group, that is, the Alliance, was biting back. "Cat, that's when you'll contact the New Order. If you haven't been contacted by them yet, that is." He looked at his army, ever the strategist. "Shalimar, you, Jax, Jim, Sam and Cory, keep an eye on our party animals here." He turned to Donna, Blair, Revolution, Jesse, Brennan and Cat. "Ladies and gentlemen, don't you have to get ready to have fun?"

Revelations/Getting Ready For The Ball

When Donna heard about the plan to get dressed up and go out on the town she was worried. THAT was the one thing that she didn't make an emergency bag for. She had a toothbrush and paste and other toiletries and her purse with her makeup and of course a couple of days change of clothing. Nothing special just jeans and a T-Shirts. But he didn't have a single dress or nice outfit. Come to think about it she didn't have a dressy outfit to her name. When she had to go out for something special a meeting or something like that she had a dress jacket that she wore over a shirt or her black leather jacket, which she did bring because she didn't go on a mission without it. It gave her good luck, in her opinion.

Emma felt her surge of panic and whispered in Shalimar's ear. Shalimar spoke up to Donna, "Don't worry honey, I think you are about my size. I should have something in my closet that will suit you just fine." Donna gave her a grateful look and the girls with Angela in tow wanting to see her sister by fire dressing up for a change. "When we are done with you, you'll have Blair eating out of your hands." Shalimar laughed.

Blair heard Shal' and yelled, "She already has me!"

Jax piped up and yelled to Donna, "Way to go, Mainframe!"

Donna laughed, "Why do you think he puts up with all my weirdness!" It was Jax's turn to laugh.

Jax walks past Blair and gives him a pat on the back as she goes over to the computer to set everything up with her group. Adam goes over to Mac and asks, "Any chance that I can get your future daughter-in-law over on my team?"

Mac looked at Adam with a grin and said, "No, Donna is set on making the world a safer place so women can walk down the street without fear of being attacked."

Adam gives a serious look at his old friend and asks him to step to the side so that he can talk to Mac in private, "When I first met Donna and did a scan of her DNA I noticed several scars on her stomach and back. Do you know what is that all about? I tried to look into it but I suspect that the young telecyber did a number on the net to erase that information."

MacGyver looks down at the floor and his feet and then back up with an even more serious look on his face, "Next month it will be two years since she was kidnapped outside of her home in Kentucky by a gang calling themselves the "Clockwork Orange Gang"."

"I heard about that gang. They are in Huntsville prison in Texas now. Their last attempt to rape and kill a woman in Kentucky failed. That was Donna?" Now he knew what drove the young psionic.

"Yep, the only thing that kept them from killing her too was that her powers kicked in and she was able to stop them. Not without a lot of damage to her body though. She had to learn how to walk again. They had severed her spinal column. Detective Evans' cousin was her doctor. He found out about her powers and took her away from where she was and gave her a place to be able to learn how to walk again and learn to use her powers. And Josh taught her martial arts and self defense techniques too. She grew up in a very stressful environment and her powers were suppressed that is why they didn't come out until then."

She must have gone in on the cellular level to telekinetically repair the damage." Adam thought aloud. "A scan of her DNA suggests that she has great potential. I think that later I should talk to her about it. We haven't really had a chance to sit down and talk."

"She tends to keep that to herself." Blair walked up and added to the two men's chat. "You can talk to her about other things and she is just fine but that is the one thing that bothers her the most.

"Blair and the others in Cascade have been real good for her. I don't think she would leave them for anything." Mac said. "Donna is very loyal to the people she loves. Though I suspect that she has become pretty loyal to Mutant X. I'm sure she would help you guys out in a heartbeat if you ever needed her."

Blair added to what his father said, "Yeah, you should hear what she says about you guys. Man, she thinks the world of all of you."

Adam was encouraged by what the father and son had said. He knew that something drove Donna and now he understood.

A few minutes later all the players in the little drama were all dressed for the ball. Blair had never seen Donna look like she did before in a pair of black leather pants and boots and a tight fitting top with flaring sleeves. Her hair cascading down her back. She was dressed to kill. Blair whistled and Donna blushed. The boys too were dressed to a T with Blair borrowing one of Jesse's outfits. Donna contacted the Cascade safe house and dropped the dime.

And they were on their way

Charming... I'm Sure.

Revolution swore under her breath as she pushed the last stubborn curl back behind her ear.

"Rev? Honey?"asked Jesse as he walked into her room "You ready? Everyone is waiting."

She zipped up her ankle length boots and grabbed her bracelets from her vanity.

"How do I look?" she asked.

"You look...Wow."

She was dressed in a ruby red sweater that looked normal from the front but the back had been cut away and the two sides were held together by three ruby colored ribbons. The skirt, if anyone had asked her, was her favorite. An unauthroized trip to NYC with Cat and Emma had been where she had found it. In the last aisle in a dusty old thrift shop, it had been like a shot of gold, a skirt made from red and maroon ties.

Jesse helped Revolution into the car.

"You scared?" she asked Cat as they squished in together.

"A bit," replied the feral.

"Your going to be just fine," whispered Brennan.

Revolution nodded and laid her head on Cat's shoulder.

"Chaos 66" whispered Jax as the second car arrived at the club "Freakishly fitting."

Shalimar nodded.

"Okay guys," said Emma "There are three New Order members there."

"Who?" asked Jax.

"Bree, Yanos and..."

"Aidaan," finished Jax.

"Jax," said Adam over her com link "I want you to stay away from him."

"Who's Aidaan?" asked Cory.

"An old friend of the family," whispered Jax her eyes flashing.

"Who's Aidaan?" echoed Angela.

"Jax's ex-fiance," said Lux "A molecular with shapeshifting abilities. He used her likeness to kill one of the original members of The Ring."

"She went to jail for a couple of years," said Emma.

"It was horrible," said Lux "I knew she didn't do it but what could I do? Go to the LAPD and say gee mister officer but my best friend didn't kill anybody cause I read her mind?"

"Well...Girls," said Jax "Now that you've told Hawkgirl about my tortured life how about the exact locations of our bestest new friends?"

"The bar," exclaimed Emma.

"Drinkers huh? well at leat Aidaan aint changed his ways."

"Jax," said Adam "No drinking either."

"Aww #%$," said Jax "There goes my night."

Shalimar laughed and patted her arm.

"Care to dance?" asked Jesse.

"Thought you didn't dance?" asked Revolution.

"I dance...I'm not very good but I do dance." laughed Jesse.

She took his hand and smiled.

"Well...then lets dance."

Cat watched them as they danced. She laughed slightly when a klutzy Jesse bumped right into Donna, knocking the otherwise graceful Psionic to the ground.

"You want to dance?" asked Brennan.

She shook her head.

"Hey, promise me something?" she asked.

"Anything."

"Watch out for Rev, will ya?" she asked.

"Absoulutely."

He kissed her palm gently and smiled.

"Rev asked me to give this to you," he said pulling something out of his pocket "She said she would have given it to you but she knew that you'd cry and you know how she is with tears."

Cat laughed as Brennan hooked a silver charmbracelet around her wrist.

"For luck," he whispered.

She hugged him tightly.

"Shall we?" she asked.

"Lets do this," he whispered.

"Okay guys," said Sam "Brennan just gave the signal."

"Jax and Jim stay near the others, Shalimar and Sam, I want you two to stay at the bar." said Adam.

"Ten four, good buddy," said Jax.

"Time to rock and roll," whispered Donna.

Revolution nodded.

"Remember though, not to jump in right away," said Blair.

Revolution could see them from where she danced. Cat's face was tight with anger as she glared at Brennan who was saying something fast and using his hands to make his point.

" #%$ You!" yelled Cat as she kicked over the table "You have no Idea what you're talking about. As Usual!"

"Well, how would I know when You won't tell me." said Brennan "I bet you told him!"

"whose him?" whispered Donna.

"Cat cheated on Brennan," said Revolution "That's the scenario."

"Oh," said Donna "Makes sense."

"It's not my fault your always fawning all over Emma and Shalimar to notice."

"Whoa..." whispered Shalimar "How'd I get dragged into this?"

"I was wondering the same thing," said Emma.

The club had gotten ten times quieter since the fight began. It must have been near silent when Brennan reached back and smacked Cat hard across the face.

"Jesus," whispered Jax.

Cat touched her mouth where a bit of blood had began to run and kicked Brennan hard in the gut.

"Stop It!" yelled Revolution as she raced towards them.

"Shut up!" yelled Cat kicking her against the wall.

"Riley!" yelled Jesse who massed and slammed his fist into Cat.

"Guys," whispered Lux "Revolution is really unconscious. wrap it up."

"How does it feel, Cat?" asked Donna as she stood over Cat.

"What?" sneered Cat as she struggled to stand up.

"That you just knocked unconscious the first and last person to truly trust you." replied Donna.

Jesse lifted Revolution up.

"Gotta get out!" yelled Cory.

"Yeah," said Shalimar "The fish are about to bite."

Ruby Red Rose (Written Together with Cat)

The falcon's eyes were glowing amber feral as they swept the club's entrance from the vantage point atop the building. As the strange bird spotted the scantly dressed woman storm out the door, it flicked the comring and instructed sharply, "Jim, Blair, tail Cat. Don't blow her cover." That moment, a young blond man carrying an unconscious girl in his arms stepped out. The comring flicked again. "Jesse, to the back alley, fast." And the bird took flight after the couple, landing as the man lowered the girl to the pavement. Taking control of the situation, the bird quickly ran her gnarled hands through the girl's body, searching for broken bones. She rapidly found the tender spot on the girl's side, evidence of broken ribs. The girl's breath was labored, gurgling sounds coming from her mouth, together with a thick trickle of blood worming its way down her chin.

As a strong redheaded woman and a slim brunette came running her way, the bird feral called, "Lux, Riley's got a pierced lung!" The redhead pulled the young man from the girl's side to give room to her boss so she could work her magic. The brunette placed her hands on the girl's sides and her eyes slowly lit up until they reached a blazing white. The girl's body under Lux Windsor's hands glowed the same shade of white and her breath improved noticeably. Then, Lux pulled her hands from the girl and turned to her lioness bodyguard. Her eyes, already back to normal, rolled up into her head and she collapsed in Jax McManus arms.

The bird's comring flicked again. "Adam, have the Med Lab ready. Riley's down with broken ribs and a pierced lung. Lux helped, but she's still in danger. It will be faster if we fly in." The creature than turned to the young blond man and she commanded without even realizing that she, too, was a natural born leader. "You and the rest of the gang, wrap up this brawl and we will meet at Sanctuary." She lifted the girl's limp body and cradled it in her arms. Turning away from her friends, she slightly bent her knees and leaped, huge wings flapping in the air, as she took off and gained height, soaring above the buildings.

Cat ran for one, two, three, four blocks until the grief that clenched her heart made her stop. She staggered through a side alley with garbage bins to her right, and leaned on the grimy wall to her left, her back to the street, and felt her knees buckle under her. All that had happened was playact, but it gave no relief to the burning sensation she felt on her swelling cheek and on her bulging lip. The memories of a time not too long ago were all too real, of another man, Mark, hurting her like that and worse were all to vivid. The pain in her heart and soul was so overwhelming she didn't even hear the three street thugs coming from behind. Only when they stopped and what seemed to be the leader wolf whistled and sneered, "Cute!" did she notice them.

She was instantly alert and conscious that the way she was clad didn't help her a bit. Her dark blue outfit left very little to the imagination, exposing her long legs and muscular arms and back. Slowly, she stood up, wiping the tears that ruined whatever remained of her makeup, but she didn't turn to the three man behind her, waiting for their next move instead.

The three men in black studded leather outfits and chains were leering as they anticipated an easy prey. There was fun to be had and that slut would provide it. "It seems this hooker is dressed for a party. And a party she'll have," the boss addressed his mates, already drooling over the woman. He walked a few steps toward her and reached his hand to grab her arm.

In what appeared to be slow motion, Cat turned to her right, facing her assailants, her eyes glowing yellow in the dark alley, a predator ready for the hunt. "You want a party, boys?" she asked, her voice the snarl of a panther. "Let the fun begin." And her foot connected directly to the first thug's chin, his head snapping to the side as blood and teeth sprang from his mouth.

The slender woman now faced the three furious men, her feet wide apart, giving her balance for the fight. The three men lunged at her, as she jumped high in the air in an impossible somersault that landed her behind them. Her foot kicked the nearest assailant in the small of the back, making him plunge into his mates. And the woman never broke her motion, turning and swirling like a devil, the heels of her boots connecting every blow, her fists smashing noses and mouths. The men could barely see her. One moment she was in front of them, backhanding one, punching the other. Next, she was climbing the walls and using their own backs as stepping stones for leaps that made her appear on the most improbable places, grabbing arms that tried in vain to stop her and twisting elbows that snapped like twigs under her assault. The three men in search of an easy target to rape and beat were reduced to a pile of moaning, sobbing flesh that begged for mercy.

From the opposite side of the street, too far for Blair Sandburgh's regular human eyes, but clear as a movie screen for Jim Ellison's sentinel's heightened sight, the Cascade detectives witnessed as the blue clad Hell fury destroyed three street heavy weights. Blair, unable to see the outcome of the fight, pushed Jim on. "She needs help, lets go!" Jim, a hard boiled Major Crimes detective, who had seen his fair share of strange things, was not about to be moved. "Believe me, Chief, she doesn't need any help. Those guys, on the other hand…" Blair looked at his partner, doubt crossing his face. Jim went on, his chin hitting the pavement, "Chief, she's turning them into ground beef. I say let her."

When the three toughs couldn't be recognized as men anymore, Cat halted her attack and stepped back to study her job. They could barely move and their eyes were washed out with fear and pain. The fun was over, and her fury with it.

She turned around to leave the alley and saw, sketched against the streetlight at the entrance, the figure of an incredibly tall and gaunt black man, his dreadlocks reaching his shoulder blades, wearing a tight fitting strangely embroidered vest that left his long, wiry arms bare. The man seemed to be made out of vine and twine himself.

Cat recognized him immediately from the Ring's database. That was Mumbata Ntobo, the botanical mutant that had helped spring a very dangerous foe from Cascade's prison. She stepped ahead cautiously as the black man leaned forward till his long-fingered hand lightly touched the ground almost between Cat's feet. As he drew his hand up again, a briar rose bush broke from the concrete sidewalk, springing up and sprouting a perfectly formed blood-red bud. The black man looked her straight in the eyes, cracked a wolfish grin that exposed his long white teeth, plucked the rose and offered to Cat with a bow. The young feline feral looked at the rose and took it in her hand. When she lifted her eyes back up, the black man was nowhere to be seen, apparently vanished into thin air. So, thought Cat, this was the second invitation to join the New Order. They'd bought it.

She picked up her purse from the corner where it had fallen, fished a band from it, tied her long hair in a knot and inserted the long stemmed rose in it. The flower looked like a ruby against her golden locks. She left the alley, never realizing that two men saw all the exchange, and set off to run all the way back to her mountain hideout. She still had steam to blow.

Hours later, already in her room, she took out her ruined dress and threw it away. The cold tap water felt good against her bruised cheek. As she looked up to her face in the mirror, she could see the purpling hues of the swelling spreading below her left eye. And she had sworn no man would ever do that again… So much for empty promises…

She picked up one of her lover's oversized T-shirts from her closet and slipped into it, the need to be near him, feel his scent was taking her over.

The light knock on her door brought her back from her reverie. "Cat, it's me, Brennan. Open the door, please." She cracked the door open just a little, and saw him against the hallway cold light. She opened it enough so he could come in, her head bowed, her left hand covering her bruised face.

Brennan Mulwray had been many things: thief, conman, a career criminal now mending his ways, or trying his best to. One thing he had never been, and that was a coward, a woman batterer. He lifted Cat's chin up and delicately took her hand from her face, so he could see the result of his action. He was horrified. He had never intended to hit her so hard, but it seems he didn't know just how strong he was. Cat's left cheek was a swollen purple mass, hot under his caressing hand.

He slipped his hand to the nape of her neck, drawing her close to his chest and held her tight as he felt her silent sobs and her tears wet his shirt. Then, he took her by the shoulders and made her sit at the edge of the bed. He knelt in front of her, pulled her mouth to his and kissed her swollen lips with infinite gentleness, then more deeply until a soft yelp warned him he had gone a little too far. Still touching her lips with his, he felt her smile slightly as he whispered "Forgive me… forgive me… forgive me…" and only her mouth in his made him stop, as she drew him to the bed and to her heart.

Morning came and he was holding her. Only love and tenderness had managed to soothe a little of the hurt imposed on the girl the night before. Brennan carefully unwrapped his arms from the slumbering Cat and stood, deciding to let her sleep her fill. She would need all the rest she could get to go through the day, which promised to be at least as rough as the previous evening had been.

As he stepped in the hallway on his way to his own room, he ran into Adam, coming the other way. As they looked each other in the eyes, Brennan couldn't help himself. With one fluid motion, he pinned the older man to the wall and hissed, "Never again ask me to do something like that."

Adam Kane, although fully capable of reacting to Brennan's roughness, seeing where he was coming from, understood his emotions only too well and chose not to do anything, but only to wrap his hand on the younger man's wrist and look him eye to eye. "Hopefully," he said, "you'll never have to. But I needed that."

"Whatever for? Wasn't a quarrel enough?" asked Brennan, his voice raising in pitch.

Adam replied very softly, "No. In the off-chance they had a telempath with them, some new recruit we knew nothing about, I needed her emotions to ring true." He felt the hand on his shoulder release its grip. "If she was found out acting, everything would be for naught."

Brennan let go of Adam's shoulder and lowered his head. He saw the older man's reasoning clearly now, but it didn't help his guilt in any way. Drawing a deep breath, he looked again at his mentor's eyes and asked, "How can you think of something like that? How can you imagine they might have a telempath? How…"

Rubbing his aching shoulder, Adam stepped ahead, back on his way, and with a gesture, invited the young elemental to walk with him. "That's my job, Brennan." And he sighed. "I have to calculate every possibility, anticipate every motion, account for every variable, be ready for anything that might go wrong with the plan. Unenviable as it is, it's my job."

And the two men went on their way, side by side.

Saying "I'm Sorry."/Learning To Fly

Sanctuary, the next morning:

Having not been able to sleep Donna had sneaked into Blair's room and curled under the covers with him and finally was able to sleep after hearing Blair's voice say, "I was hoping that you would come in here sooner or later." She couldn't help smile. Even after remembering what she had said to Cat that night. It made her feel like a heel for what she had said but she knew she had to do it. She also knew that she had to find Cat as soon as she had put herself together to tell her that she was sorry for being so harsh.

She got up and dressed and then put her face on and her hair in a ponytail and then walked into the common room were she found Adam, Brennan, Shalimar, Emma, and Angela talking. The others must have still been asleep, after all it was only seven and they had all had a late night. Donna always lost sleep when she was stressed.

She walked over to were Cat was sitting next to Brennan and said with a sad voice looking down at her feet, "I'm so sorry Cat, I feel bad about what I said last night. I didn't mean what I said, I hope you know that." She then looked up at her friend and was grateful for the smile that she got from Cat.

"You don't need to apologize," Cat laughed then, "I know you were just play acting. Did a fine job too. If I had an Oscar I would give it to you."

"Nice work too, GryphonLady," That was Adam. He preferred to use the nick from the net most of the time

"Did it work?" Donna asked her new leader.

"Like a charm. They contacted The Cat almost immediately after she left the club." Adam answered.

"Adam thought that there might be a telempath in their ranks so it is good that you acted the way that you did to make it more believable." Brennan said to the multi-psionic.

"Great, first Alex Tremayne, then Windbagman, now you think that they have a telempath. It was bad enough knowing that a telecyber is working with them. I think I'm getting sick now." Donna leaned against the wall near Adam. She looked up at Adam and said, "Well until the New Chaos as you call them is thoroughly taken care of you can consider me a full time Mutant X member." the GryphonLady lifted her silver banded finger, " I want them gone."

"I hope that means that you are up to anything that I throw at you to do." Adam said with a huge grin on his face.

"Tell me to jump and I will ask you how high."

"And I will teach her how to fly." Revolution said looking from Adam to Donna.

"Are you kidding? Fly like you do, and Angela too?" Donna looked at the powerful telekinetic.

"Sure, you are just as powerful as I am, I don't see why you couldn't fly like me. We can start as soon as you are ready." Rev said as she stopped beside her fellow psionic.

"Well I have levitated a few inches off the ground a couple of times and sometimes I would wake up floating above my bed. But I never thought about trying to fly. Just never occurred to me to try." Donna was thrilled at the idea of being able to take off like Revolution and her sister hawk. She really loved those few times that Angela had taken her for a flight. Her spirits lifted to the sky.

Adam said as he got up from were he was sitting, "Well that gives the three of you," and he points a finger at Angela, "something to do this morning while we wait for Ntobo to contact Cat."

Angela said finally, "Well, let's go get something to eat so we won't be flying on an empty stomach." She had a doctors tone to her voice. They all did what the good doctor said. Blair had woke up and joined them.

After finding out what they were going to do he said to Donna, "Just never take me on a flight."

Laughing Donna said, "I'm gonna get that fear of heights out of you honey."

"Oh, no you don't. I like being on the ground too much."

"Give it a rest Gryph'," Angela said, "Some people weren't meant for the sky."

After the breakfast Revolution thought that it would be best if they started inside Sanctuary with some small exercises in levitation and Donna picked up pretty good. She looked down at Angela from her vantage point halfway between the floor and the ceiling, "Hey Angela! You never told me how freeing this can be. I love it.'

Revolution said to her new student, "Just you wait until you are flying in the mile high club!"

Jax and Lux walked into the room just as Donna was doing a flying leap from the floor to the second landing totally bypassing the stairs. "Mainframe, I didn't know that you were a feral too!"

Looking down at the two Ring members she said, "I'm not, Rev here is teaching me how to do what she does. Though I think that it will be a long time before I can join the Mile High Club that her and Angela belong to. Can't wait though."

"Patience, Donna San." Revolution said.

"All right Miyagi San. I will remember to wax on and wax off in the meantime." Donna replied. Revolution rolled her eyes.

Say Uncle

"Revolution!" whispered Jesse as he walked into her dark room "You still asleep?"

That's weird, he thought as he closed the door.

"That's it Donna!" yelled Revolution as she floated around the top of sanctuary.

The older woman closed her eyes and floated a bit higher.

"Good!" yelled Angela from her perch.

"In no time, you'll be..." said Revolution as a sharp pain rippled down her side.

Angela looked over and saw the younger woman's grimace.

"You okay?" asked Angela "I told you that you should be resting."

"I'll rest when I'm dead," said Revolution through gritted teeth.

The falcon shook her head.

"When are you going to realize that your not indestructible?" she asked.

Revolution rolled her eyes.

"I've been through enough, I think I am plenty capable of knowing my limits." She whispered.

"There is a difference between knowing your limits and putting unesscary stress on yourself

"You know what? You don't know me." said Revolution

"I know what you're going through," whispered Angela.

"Uh...No ya don' think you're so wise and all knowing just because you've had a rough life. well, so have the rest of us." hissed Revolution.

"Now Riley, that's not fair," said Donna.

"Why not? Why isn't it fair?" Revolution asked as her altitude lowered with her waning strength.

"Because she's..."

"Only trying to help?" exclaimed Revolution rolling her eyes "Look save it! I don't need coddling...Not from Angela...not From you. NOT FROM ANYONE!."

Revolution landed softly on her feet and ran from the room. In her haste to exit the room, she knocked an oncoming Jesse over. She lifted herself off of him and slumped back against the wall.

"Riley? Sweetheart?" whispered Jesse as he tucked her hair behind her ears "Are you all right?"

She looked up at him, her bright eyes shining with fiercely held back tears.

"Yes...No," she whispered as the flood of tears poured down her cheeks "I'm tired, I'm scared and My side hurts like a bitch."

Jesse leaned over and kissed the trail of tears that had made their way down her cheek. The molecular stood up and lifted his girlfriend into his arms. She leaned against his chest and closed her eyes slightly.

"Here, lay down," said Jesse as he set her on his bed.

"Jess?"

"Yes?"

"Would you stay with me?" asked Revolution.

"Of course" whispered Jesse settling down next to her on the bed.

He laid down facing her. A sheepish grin settling over his boyish face.

"What's so Funny?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied.

"Liar," she said grinning "Even though I'm injured, I'll still get it out of you."

"Oh Really?" asked Jesse.

She leaned over like she was about to tickle him and he seized that moment to kiss her softly.

"Cheater," she whispered and kissed him passionately.

He placed his hands on her shoulder and pushed her away.

"I don't want to hurt you," he whispered.

She grinned impishly and kissed him again.

"I'll say uncle," she whispered in his ear as the door to his room slid shut.

Freedom!

Shaking her head, Angela Fontenelle, falcon half-breed and very frustrated mutant doctor watched as her best friend and sister in fire, a very excited Donna Gryphon, alighted from her first flight attempt. "Quite a temper, huh?" Donna pointed to the door, where Rev had just left.

"Yes, but she's still very young," the falcon answered. "She tries to hide her frailty with a lot of... what do you call it? Atittude. In order to survive, she had to steel herself against a lot of suffering. I think she ended up believing she's really made of steel."

"Give her time," Donna retorted, "she'll know better."

"If she doesn't die in the process," mused Angela. And she turned to her friend. "Remember our flight back here after the Foundation incident?"

Donna drapped an arm aroung her friend's shoulders, just above the wings. "How could I ever forget! It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life."

"Look up," pointed the Avian, "see the skylight up there? I want to try something." Opening the glass bands of the skylight, Angela took off and perched on the edge. "Come, float up here."

Donna Gryphon looked up, and up, and up... the skylight was very high up on the dome ceilinged room. The bird hybrid looked down, teasing her to push her body all the way up until she could perch by her side on the edge of the skylight. She watched as the bird woman cocked a long and large-knuckled finger calling her up. Drawing a deep breath, Donna mustered all her concentration and wished her body to leave the ground and float up, defying the laws of gravity, pushing up until she was at a level with Angela.

"A little more," instructed the feral. And Donna, sweat running down her back, pushed harder until her feet touched the edge of the skylight. "Now," instructed Angela, "float a little ahead so your feet can clear the room and you're just outside." Bending her upper body just a little, Donna pushed forward and stood floating just on the moutain side, nothing below her, nothing above her, behind her only the open skylight, in front of her only the amazing wavy landscape surrounding Stormking. The feral's voice was soft and reassuring, "Let go just a bit, enough so you can sit at the edge, here where I'm perching. That's it... That's it... Now, sit."

The morning sun was in full blaze and the hills rolled under the mountain top. The training room was high up and they could see for miles on end. The falcon woman drew a very deep breath and laughed loud. Donna looked at her, panting, exahusted from the effort of extreme concentration, and she noticed her friend's eyes were glowing amber feral. She saw Angela stretch on her perch and simply dive in the air, unfurling her wings and gliding up as she caught a hot air column, soaring above the highest peak. The falcon flew around the hills in a graceful aereal ballet, like a child playing in a pool, only there was no water, but the open skies around her. That moment, Donna Gryphon realized her falcon friend needed the space and the blue skies to live, her power as a telempath making her drunk on the pure joy only flight could bring, on the overflowing beauty only eyes capable os seeing the curve of the earth could experience. Take everything and anything away from that bird, even her first true love. If she had the space, the skies and her flight, she would survive.

The falcon woman returned to her perch and looked at her friend, cocking her head. A smile lit up her face as she took Donna by the hand and helped her land back in the training room. She knew her psionic friend would one day know the joys of absolute freedom, it was only a matter of time and practice. "We'd better get ready to go to the clinic," she said.

As they were heading for the door, hand in hand, a cloud covered the sun and, suddenly, the room was in darkness. Donna Gryphon looked at her dear sister in fire and shuddered, feeling her hands grow cold. Angela turned and saw Donna's face turn white, her lips drained of all color. She made a move to support her if she fainted, but Donna only looked at her, sweat now icy cold trickling down her back and between her breasts.

Donna shook her head to clear it, wiped her drenched face and breathed deep, struggling to go back to normal. Little by little her racing heart calmed down and blood returned to her cheeks. "I'm fine, just my blood pressure plunged," she reassured the concerned doctor. It was only, she thought, a little... precog.

Cat Scratch

Cat could hear the loud music pulsing from Revolution's room as she went to retrieve her friend.

"Rev?" she asked.

"Closet!" yelled Revolution.

Cat laughed and walked into to large walk in closet where Revolution sat trying to tie her shoelaces.

"Help?" asked Cat.

"That would be fantastic," replied Revolution placing a bright red sneakered foot in Cat's lap.

"How's your side?" asked Cat apprehensively.

"It hurts," exclaimed Revolution "But what else can you expect from broken ribs?"

Cat flinched.

"Hey..." whispered Revolution "We were doing our job, I aint mad at ya."

She took Cat's hand in her own.

"We are gonna get through this," she said smiling "Now help me up?"

Cat smiled and stood up.

"Hey Angela?" asked Jesse as he jogged to catch up to her.

"Yes?"

"She's sorry, She won't say it but she is," said Jesse.

The Feral patted his arm and smiled.

"Is everyone ready?" asked Jax "How 'bout you Benedict Arnold?"

Cat laughed nervously and nodded.

&&&

The clinic was enormous.

"You outdid yourself on this one," said Lux.

"Thank you," said Adam "Riley? Would you run a check on the system?"

"Of course," said Revolution setting her dark maroon peacoat on the back of a chair and settling down.

"He never asks me to do stuff like that anymore," said Jesse pretending to pout.

"Frankly, My boy" said Revolution "Its because even Adam knows I'm better than you."

"OUCH!" yelled Brennan.

Cat looked around the clinic, everyone was milling around and to an untrained eye it would look like they were just excited about the new clinic. Lux looked over at her.

Are you ready?

Cat looked at her and nodded.

Everyone, It is time.

Revolution sighed.

"Can I go now?" asked Cat.

"What?" asked Brennan.

"Well...Its obvious that no one wants me around," she replied.

"You BROKE my ribs," said Revolution "what did ya think we'd hold hands and sing songs?"

Jax laughed behind her hand.

"You know what Revolution," Cat said "Ever since you got back from California, you've treated me like I'm stupid."

Revolution rolled her eyes.

"Shut up," she said "As always, you have no clue what your running your mouth about."

Lux laughed.

"What are YOU laughing at?" asked Cat.

"Nothing really, I was just reading Revolution's mind," replied Lux "Now Rev, that wasn't very nice thing to think."

"You know what? This is your fault. Ever since the ALMIGHTY Lux Windsor came here, everything has been different," yelled Cat.

"Well, by the looks of things...I'm thinking it was time for a change." said Lux.

Cat's eyes flashed and she lunged at Lux.

"Cat!" yelled Donna "What the hell are you doing?"

"I've got no problem with you Donna," said Cat "Keep your mouth shut."

Lux lifted a hand and telekinetically tossed Cat away like a rag doll. Jax stood over Cat.

"Listen Kitty," she said "Go near my boss again with less then friendly ideas, and you'll find yourself in traction."

"Ooo...I'm scared. You know Jax, you've been here for a couple of days now and I haven't seen you fight once." said Cat "I don't think your much of a feral."

"Oh and a good feral beats the hell outta her best friend?" asked Jesse.

"Don't you start to," said Cat.

"Oh but why not?" asked Brennan "Rev is Jesse's girl, why shouldn't he defend her?"

"And what about you?" asked Cat "Aren't you supposed to defend me?"

"Not when you're wrong." whispered Brennan.

Cat wiped a tear from her eyes and tilted her chin.

"Ah yes, Bren, I'm wrong. I musta forgotten that you have such a refined moral compass." she said rolling her eyes.

Cat jumped when Adam placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Catherine? I think its best if you left now." he said "We don't wan't you to do something else you'll regret."

"Fine."

Cat grabbed her coat and flounced out of the clinic.

"You okay?" asked Angela.

Brennan looked at her and nodded.

"I just hope she is," he replied.

Lux patted his arm.

"She is, she says good job," whispered the telepath.

I Have A Bad Feeling

Felling all the emotions in the room Donna could only keep her self steady by leaning on a counter. The feeling that she had gotten from earlier with Angela. She didn't want to worry anyone by saying anything about her precognitive felling. She had had them before and didn't like them one bit. She only hoped that none of the other psionics would pick up on it. She wasn't used to having others around her that could sense what she did and could sense her too. As they left Angela and Lux came up to the GryphonLady and Lux said, "You feel something don't you?" That was a statement of fact and a question at the same time.

"It's nothing." Donna tried not to let it show that she was a little upset.

"Oh, no it isn't. I know from reading about you in Adam's database that you have considerable psionic abilities. You feel something don't you?" She repeated the question.

"You had a precog after our flight!" the HawkGirl said giving her a look and saying, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want anyone to worry. I'm not really used to some of my abilities and that is one of them. I don't really like that power either. I wish that I didn't have it half of the time. I did feel a very bad feeling." Donna said looking down.

Blair and Adam both looked over at the girls as they were talking. They heard the last thing that Donna had said. "I think that we better see what that is all about." Adam said to the Guide.

"Man, I know how accurate her feeling are, this one's a doozie Adam. I've seen her like this before." Blair said with a worried look that mirrored the Mutant X leader. They walked over to the three and Blair said, "Hey baby are you allright?"

"Emma?" he said indicating his telempathic teammate. "Could you come here please." Adam said.

"What's up?" Emma asked the older man.

"Donna, I want you to send Emma what you felt." Adam commanded the CPD Psionic.

"Adam, I don't think that I wanna go there. Send Emma something that I hate feeling in the first place." Due to the past experiences between Emma, Angela, and Donna, Donna felt just about as close to Emma as she did with Angela and didn't want to put the telempath through those feelings.

"It's okay GryphonLady, I can handle it. Remember, I've been at this for a long time and I know how to handle strong negative emotions." Emma reassured her psionic friend.

"Listen to Emma, she is a very strong psionic. I also want you to send it to me." Lux said. She wanted to know what the young woman was feeling as well. Don't worry I can handle it too." She could feel that Donna didn't want to send her the feeling as well.

"It's okay Donna. I want you to share it with them. They want to help as well." Adam said soothingly to his honorary teammate and gave her a pat on the back.

Trusting Adam she said, "Allright. But I gotta warn you, it ain't pretty." Adam took them back to a examination room and Donna sat on the edge of a bed and closed her eyes. She sent a psionic burst to both Emma and Lux."

Jax walked in just as she had finished giving Lux the precog. Lux was rubbing the bridge of her nose. "What happened? What did you do Mainframe?" Adam explained to the feral.

"You didn't tell us it was that bad!" Emma said looking at Donna. Adam looked from Emma to Donna. Donna didn't say a thing. She looked at her feet again her face paling a little.

"How bad?" Adam asked.

"Big time bad." Lux answered.

"I knew it!" Blair added. "I keep telling you not to hold back."

"I'm afraid of my powers sometimes. They are so strong and I don't want to hurt anyone with them or worry anyone." she said looking at the love of her life.

Adam sighed and rubbed his nose and looked pointedly at Donna, "I don't care how insignificant you may think it is. I want you to tell me the moment that you have another hit. Trust your powers GryphonLady. Don't hold back. Let them guide you, they are there for a reason." The psionic looked up at Adam and gave a weak nod. He then takes her Com-Link adorned hand and says, "Leave the worrying to me. I can handle it."

Angela piped in, "Sis, don't bottle it. We're your friends."

A lone tear fell from the woman's eye and she said, "I know."

And they joined the others and filled them in on what was up. And soon everyone was heading back to Sanctuary sans Cat. Donna looked in the direction that Cat had fled and hoped that the woman was going to be allright.

As they were on there way back to the mountain hideaway Angela said, "Come on sis, let's go flying. Best medicine next to laughter. Laughter coming in second of course."

Angela always knew how to make Donna feel better and she smiled and said, "Sounds great." She took a deep cleansing breath. Thinking to herself, 'I hope I become as strong a person as HawkGirl is someday.' Donna's sister by fire and a true Earth Angel. "I wonder if Rev can join us. She's good."

Adam watched as the two girls were off with Blair in tow and said to the two Ring members, "Those two are definitely good for each other. Revolution should spend time with them. Might help her as well."

"Just think of three flyers on our side." Lux Windsor said to her friend.

"Well, as HawkGirl and GryphonLady say, "Fly High...Seek Peace!"

"Sounds good to me." Jax said.

Join the Club

The steps matched her own, but she could hear them clearly. The clap clap of leather soles in the pavement sounded resolute, firm, yet light and nimble. A man's step, echoing like thunder in her ears. The steps followed her without secrecy, no hiding, out in the open. The steps teased her. Until she had enough. Coming to a handy side alleyway, she slowed a bit down, turned in a graceful ballet movement, collared the dark haired guy and pulled him into the darkness. "OK, pal, enough of that. Who are you and what do you want?"

The man had a killer smile that spread little by little through his features, leaving his face crisscrossed with laughter wrinckles and deepened the scar that marked his cheek from his temple to his chin. He said nothing, attempted nothing, just lifted the perfect long-stemmed ruby red rose bud he had in his hand and offered it. He didn't bow, for Cat had him pinned to the side of the building, only his smile was broader.

The Cat let him go and took the rose, a puzzled look on her face. Oh, yes... a few years older, but this was The Man, the New Order leader, the enemy that had three powerful and highly organized groups running from one side to the other, trying to put out all the fires and disasters he spread accross the mutant population.

"I'm Nickolas Lareou."

"And I am..."

"Catherine Scott, feline feral, ex-GSAgent, currently Mutant X operative, and a highly trained assassin and terrorist. I know who you are."

"And I know who you are," the cat shot back. "Sound elemental, ex-con, criminal organization leader and genuine pain in the ass. Your servants have been after me for a while now. What do you want?" And she let go of him.

"To offer you a place where your unique talents can be put to a more proper use," he answered, straightening his crisp white shirt and tucking it back into his designer jeans. "And it is also a place where you'll feel you really belong, where you'll be granted the respect you deserve."

"And that would be with you and your New..." she chuckled, "...Order?"

Nickolas Lareou took the young woman's hand in his, turned it over and kissed her palm deeply. "I'm hungry," he said, unexpectedly. "Care to have lunch with me?" And he gently pulled her out of the darkened alleyway and into the busy city street.

At a very safe distance, four men in two pairs, followed the cat. In each pair, one man, his heightened senses on full alert, both watched and heard all the exchange between the cat and the man their trained eyes immediately recognized as the New Order leader. As the couple left the alleyway, they followed still.

Nickolas Lareou was a man of impecable and expensive tastes. He took Cat to a trendy eatery with a wide veranda and French cuisine. Cat wasn't really used to this kind of laid back elegance, but when the lean blonde in tight black jeans and black tank top entered the restaurant, forks stopped in mid air, eyes turned from plates and women got instantaneously jealous. That was an effect Cat had on regular people Nickolas appreciated immensely.

The maitress d', a fake redhead in a black pant suit, directed them to a table in the middle of the dining room, where the handsome couple could see and be seen. She handed them menus and excused herself with excessive charm.

Nickolas studied the list and flashed his killer smile at Cat. "Can I order for both of us?"

"Sure," she answered.

Now, he studied not the menu, but her. Calling a waiter, he ordered fish and an expensive chardonnay wine to go with it. While they waited for the meal, he started, "I gather you've been having problems with your current... affiliation."

"You seem to know a lot of things."

"Not nearly enough," he answered. "Are you happy with it?"

Cat drew a deep breath and seemed to gather her thoughts, biting her upper lit. "Not of late, no." And she looked away from him, blinking tears off her eyes.

"That bad, huh?" He slowly reached his hand and touched her cheek, still swollen and bruised under her make up and her shades, with the tip of his fingers.

Cat flinched at the touch, but forced herself to relax and accept the caress. "Let's cut to the chase, Lareou. What do you propose?"

He took her hand in his accross the table. "I want you to be with us," he said. "Gabriel Ashlocke was right, we are here to rule. We can bring down every government on the planet, we are unstopable. If we can get rid of the soft-hearted do-gooders such as your Mutant X and the Ring. And those meddling Cascade busybodies, who had nothing to do with us, but chose to stick their fingers where they don't belong. Too bad for them."

"You want to rule the world?" Cat actually laughed.

Lareou's eyes hardened and glinted like fire. "Never make fun of me, Catherine Scott," he hissed between his teeth. "I don't want to rule the world. I will rule the world because I can. And I'll wipe out anyone standing on my way, starting with Adam Kane and Lux Windsor. Now, are you with me or against me?"

Cat was looking at him intensely. "You know, I think you really can. Rule the world, I mean."

"I have two highly trained operatives with offensive power. I need a third to speed up the power shift process. That would be you, Cat. Your training is invaluable to me."

"And what's there for me?" asked Cat. Greed was one thing this man understood.

"For starters, revenge. How about it?"

"Tempting. What else?"

"You'll be richly rewarded, never fear," he assured. "I got word Makenna and Zack Coniglario are coming here."

"Yes, she'll take the clinic over so Angela Fontenelle can take Allison Turner's job." Cat answered. "I should be helping set up a little welcoming gathering for them tomorrow, but tempers are very short lately."

"Tomorrow, eh?" he mused. "Interesting..." He seemed to brighten up suddenly. "I'll give you a join up present. How would you like it?"

"Depends on the present," she answered warily.

"It's a surprise," he answered. The waiter arrived with their order. "Bon appetit, Catherine la chat. Enjoy your meal."

Mac And Zack

"That's her?" asked MacGyver "That's Doc Coniglario?"

Adam looked at the tiny woman who stood nearly dwarfed by Lux and Jax. He laughed slightly and nodded to the older man. He could understand MacGyver's confusion, Makenna Coniglario did not look like the kind of woman who spent a better part of her life in medical school. She was dressed in a long patchwork skirt, whose patches were made from some of the brightest flower patterns he had ever seen and a white peasant top. Topped off by a corduroy newsboys cap and hoop earrings so large you could shoot hoops into.

"Dr. Kane!" yelled Makenna embracing him "Its so nice ta see ya!"

"I really appreciate you coming here," he said.

"It's no problem," she said "Lux called, we came."

"Is it just me or is her nose pierced?" asked Donna.

"Nope, its not just you," replied Blair.

"You know, In my day" exclaimed MacGyver "Doctors looked like doctors."

"Ah, yes, your day." said a gravely voice "Just after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, When women were seen and not heard, eh?"

MacGyver turned to see a short man leaning casually against a car.

"Now, now Zack," said Makenna.

She looked over at her husband and winked. She sauntered over to where MacGyver was standing.

"You, mah friend," she whispered, her eyes sparkling "Betta hope dat ya don't hurt yaself."

Then she reached over and patted his hand and flounced away.

&&&

Revolution sighed heavily as more random images from safehouses flashed by.

"Rev?" asked Adam "We're on our way back inside. Close the garage."

"On it," she replied.

"How is everyone?" asked Jax.

"Mylie's been hurt," said Makenna "A car accident."

"Why wasn't I notified?" asked Lux.

"She didn't want us ta," replied Makenna "She asked ta be put in stasis 'till dis ting wit da new orda is solved."

"I could have come there for a few hours," said Lux.

Even as she spoke the words, she knew it wasn't true.

"You'se needed here more," said Makenna patting her hand "I stabilized her as much as I could."

"And Jamal?" asked Jax.

"Who is Jamal?" asked Jesse.

"Jamal is Mylie's baby brother," said Revolution as she entered the room "Non New mutant."

"Ah," exclaimed Jesse.

"He's staying with Connor and Max," exclaimed Zack.

"Good," whispered Lux "And Logan and Allie?"

"Logan sends his love, he's been so busy with the Saint Mike's rebuilding," said Zack.

"And Rahyll and Rory 'ave been trainin Al." said Makenna.

Donna and Angela looked over at the group.

"What kind of mutant is she?" asked Donna.

"According to Lux, she's not," replied Angela "But her husband is."

Donna looked over at the short man who had been so snide to her future father in law. He stood behind Makenna, a strong arm wrapped around her tiny waist. His outfit was less outlandish then his wife's, jeans, a t-shirt and a plaid fedora.

"A feral," continued Angela "Reptilian."

"Hey Kane," said Zack "Where are me and Mac spending the night? Judging by the state of your already crowded place."

"You two," said Shalimar "Will be staying at the finest safehouse that Mutant X has to offer."

Makenna laughed and attached herself to Zack's arm. She looked up at him and batted her eyelashes.

"You always take me to the nicest places," she cooed.

He laughed and kissed her.

"Hey!" yelled Jesse "Cat's Back!"

Man In Black

Harold (Harry) Bloomenfeld, canine feral, was a proud man. One of the first new mutants to be put in the Underground, he received a new identity arranged by the Man himself. That was one of the highlights of his life, a life he owed entirely to an organization that, in return, only asked for a tour of duty according to the person's talents. If not for them, he would certainly be stored in a box, with a "nail" firmly implanted in the back of his neck. If one tour of duty was requested in exchange for a normal life, he would give it gladly, and today, it was his turn to do his part in what his beautiful wife Melissa called, jokingly, the "beast brigade". And the name had stuck with his pals from his Underground security detail.

The Underground... Since Ally Turner's murder, the organization had been in an uproar. Rumors abounded, security measures were amped to the highest level, the teams were in red alert. Harry dealt mostly with Vince Meisel and, sometimes, with Brennan Mulwray, head of security. He had asked about the new procedures, but they hadn't really been forthcoming and Harry didn't insist, but he could tell they were dealing with something big. And dangerous.

Recently, Harry had seen the Man a couple of times, while supervising the design of the new clinic he was watching over tonight. Harry had never dared to approach the Man, mind you, but watched from a distance while he instructed the terraformers and telekinetics working on the site. Now, the place was ready, the furniture, the machines, everything a proper hospital needed to operate was being delivered, and they were hiring the staff. His wife, Melissa, a registered nurse, had applied for a job. She wanted to work with new mutants and their families, something only natural, since they were thinking about a new addition to the family soon.

"It's 10 pm, security guard on duty front door," he reported on his radio. "Nothing here." And he signaled "all right" to his partner, Raisha Connors, a reptilian feral he knew was watching from the other side of the street, but could not see, since her chameleon powers blended her with her surroundings, making her virtually invisible.

The silver BMW came around the corner and stopped facing the clinics front door. Harry watched its approach and signaled Raisha to stay alert. He saw as she detached herself from the building's wall and came closer to the car. "Stranger alert! Car stopped front door, silver beemer," Harry immediately reported on the radio, and he saw two other ferals step out of the clinic and glare at the intruding car.

The beemer's door opened and Harry's eyes bulged. He breathed in deep and held it. It was The Man! Wow! With a gesture, he stopped the other from approaching the car and the driver. "Step back, it is Dr. Adam Kane!"

Respectfully, Harry approached the visitor. "Need any help, doctor?" He had to force himself to speak, so in awe he was of the Man, who actually smiled at him!

"Yes, thank you," the Man answered pleasantly. "I have two suitcases with fragile equipment to the clinic, drugs and medicine. If you help me get them in, I can have them properly stored and classified." And the Man opened the beemer's trunk.

Harry easily lifted the suitcases and followed the Man, two steps behind him. The feline feral by the door opened the way to the Underground's creator and they entered the clinic.

"Lets take the suitcases to the Pharmacology lab," instructed the Man.

"Do you need any assistance with the storage, doctor?" Harry asked, hoping the Man would say yes.

"No, thanks, I can manage." And he flashed his warm smile to Harry. "And warn the security guards that I'll check the whole premises. I'll be walking around a lot, and I'll be in the most unusual places."

"Yes, sir." Harry almost saluted. "I'll go back to my station, then."

Three hours later, Harry Bloomenfeld, canine feral on tour of duty for the Underground, saw the Man In Black, Adam Kane, creator of MX and the Underground, the mutant protection network, leave the hospital's building carrying two now evidently empty suitcases, wave him a good-bye and board his silver BMW. Harry waved back, sighed, proud of the small measure of help he was able to provide, and followed the car as it left. Harry watched as the car distanced itself from the building and, in the distance, he thought he saw a strange light glow inside the vehicle. 'It's just a trick of light, nothing more.'

Inside the car, the image of the Man In Black coalesced into the real features of the blonde man with spiky hair. Aidaan Malone, shapeshifter and New Order operative, looked back at the imbeciles guarding the hospital door, and grinned, cold and cruel.

Mission accomplished.

From Bad To Worse

Sanctuary, 7 PM:

Donna was in her room taking a nap after having an exhausting day helping Mutant X set up The New Chaos, she liked what Adam had called them, at the clinic. She had been keeping on high alert with her powers after the bad feeling that she got in the clinic. Adam had told her after they had gotten back that she should rest. But that didn't help. She kept tossing and turning on the bed trying to relax but she couldn't. Her whole body was a twisted tied up nerve. She finally got up and took her comb out of her purse and tried to put some order back into her long curly hair. Walking back to place the comb back into her purse she got a huge hit. A sensation that she had never had before in her life. A wave that made her sick to the bone. It also made her collapse to the floor. She couldn't stand up to save her life and she was terrified. She remembered what Adam had told her at the clinic.

Jim and Blair, Sam and Cory were with Jesse and Brennan in the dojo, Adam had thought that it would be good for them to train, especially Blair because he needed to learn how to protect himself as well. Cat was off to herself and Rev, Angela, Shalimar, and Emma were all at the workstation talking and going over the schematics to the clinic. Mac, Lux, Jax, and Adam were in Adam's office talking about what their next plan of action would be.

"Well, Addy, you did have some doozies back in school. Maybe you can use one of those." Mac said to his old friend.

"Yeah well, those were pranks and gags we all did to amuse ourselves and out fox each other remember?" Adam replied.

Lux piped up, "Adam, I would like to hear some of these stories after everything is over."

Jax agreed, "So would I."

"You wanna hear some good ones well I will tell you about the time when Adam and his posse of trouble makers were in the physics lab with the rest of us and we were trying to see who could..." There was a signal going off.

"Excuse me while I interrupt this one. I really don't think that they should hear this if it is the story I think that you are about to tell. Answer?" Adam answered the Com-Link.

No sound came for several moments and then, "Adam?"

"Donna?" he looked at the others, her voice did not sound right. "Is something wrong? Did you get a hit?"

"I need help." was all that the terrified psionic could say and then she passed out.

Sanctuary, The Lab Ten Minutes Later

As Donna slowly opened her pain filled eyes she could see everyone gathered around her in a room that she wasn't in before she blacked out. She recognized it almost immediately as the lab. She was in the exam chair and Adam was checking her vitals on the monitor and then he came over to her side and looked down at her. "Donna? How are you feeling?"

She couldn't speak, she did feel a hand holding her's. Donna looked over and saw that Blair was by her other side giving a worried smile down at her. Pain shot through her head when she had moved her head and she said finally, "Oh, I shouldn't have done that." and she held her head with her free hand.

Blair looked up at Adam and then back to Donna and repeated Adam's question, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I just got kicked in the head by a million ferals."

"Well, Mainframe, at least you have a sense of humor." Jax said laughing.

"Jumping Jax, I would rather have my sense of humor and get rid of this sense altogether. My friend." Donna tried to sit up but she couldn't.

"Don't try. You need to rest." Adam said putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Rest is what did it." and she covered her eyes and face with her hands."Why are they getting so strong. I hate this power!" Donna moaned.

"Maybe they are getting stronger because you have been using them a lot lately. What with the Foundation, Alex Tremayne, and then all of this. It is no wonder. Your telekinetic powers are increasing, why not your empathic precognitive ability. All muscles get stronger the more they are flexed."

When the frightened psionic uncovered her face both of her eyes were filled with tears. Adam squeezed her shoulder and with a look at the others indicated that they should give them a moment. They all left but Blair who stayed by her side. "You can stay of course. Donna," he pulled up a wheeled stool, "why do you hate it?"

Donna looked down at her hands and was still upset and she started to cry. Blair said to her, "Donna honey, tell Adam. He can help you. You know he can."

She looks up at her leader and still silently sobbing says, "It was the first power that came out and when it came out something really bad happened to me."

Adam understood fully what she was talking about. "When those guys attacked you?"

Donna looked stunned, she thought that she erased all of that from every computer she could get her hands on so to speak. Telecyberly that is. "How do you know about that?" she sniffled. Adam handed her a tissue.

"Mac told me. I wanted to find a way to get you to join us here permanently with Mutant X so I asked him how and he said that you would never leave your job in Cascade and then told me why."

"I had a bad feeling that whole day and didn't know why. And then that happened and after that I understood why. I mean my telekinesis made me realize that."

Blair added, "She has gotten stronger since I met her."

"Adam, I have a really bad feeling about something and I don't know what it is. Stronger than anything I have ever felt. I wish that I could just have a vision and get it over with. Please help me!" Donna cried again softly this time.

"I'll do everything I can. I promise you" Adam said to his young friend. "In the meantime I am going to give you something to help you relax. Your feelings are getting stronger. The only problem is that they are growing faster than you can keep up with them. You really need to get some rest. Go get ready for bed and in about thirty minutes I will come and check on you." Blair and Adam escorted Donna out of the lab and Blair led her to her room and left her there to get ready.

"How's she doing Chief?" asked Jim.

"Yeah, is she going to be okay?" Sam also asked.

"She's having a rough time with these hits that she is having and I don't know if she can take much more of it. They are growing stronger and stronger. Man, I wish I could help her.

"Well, Indy, Donna's got all of us to give her support. Isn't that right Dad?" Sam said giving his brother a big pat on the back.

"She's already family to us so of course we will be there for her." Mac said to his eldest son.

"And she's got me too. I've always liked her Indiana Jones." Cory said using the full nickname that Sam had given Blair a few years ago.

Blair said to his younger brother and former photojournalist, "Thanks Jimmy Olsen, Cory, Dad. That means a lot to me. And I think that it would mean a lot to Donna. I'll be sure to to tell her that tomorrow."

Sanctuary, Donna's Room:

Adam knocks on the door. Donna opens it with her telekinesis. She is sitting on her bed with a pair of old biker shorts on and a big T-shirt. "Hey, GryphonLady. Are you feeling any better."

"Not really. I keep having that feeling. I wish I had Lux's visions so that I knew what was going to happen. This is killing me not knowing."

"Get in there and cover up. There you go. Now this will put you to sleep almost instantly." Adam said holding up the syringe. "Tomorrow I will get Emma to help you control your ability a little better."

"Thanks, Adam." Donna said

"Your welcome sweetheart. Goodnight." Adam said smiling down at Donna.

"Goodnight." She said. And he gave the sedative to Donna and she was out. He gave her a peck on the forehead just like a proud father would his child and left the room. He met the Cascade Group outside of the door.

"She's going to be okay. She just needs a little rest. I gave her the sedative and that should help." Adam then walks back to his office.

Angela walks up to the anthropologist and his Sentinel and family and says, "Don't worry, GryphonLady will make it through this. She's tough."

Visions

"Ready?" asked Revolution.

"Yep," replied Max Monroe.

"What are you two doing?" asked Emma.

"Putting the new security net online," replied Revolution "It's supposed to work like a high tech low jack."

"Huh?" asked Shalimar.

"It's a thing they put into dogs and cars," exclaimed Max "So that they can be tracked."

"But how can we track New Order?" asked Jesse "Whose gonna get close enough to plant a bug in each of them? Cat?"

"No," replied Revolution "Its much simpler than that. Max...Run test."

The young telecyber nodded and the others watched in amazement as the program ran.

"Riley, did you write that program?" asked Adam.

"Uh huh," she replied as she typed in a sequence "With my boy Max's help."

Max mock saluted Adam.

"Just doing my duty," he said,

"MAXWELL!" yelled a voice offscreen.

"Oh Balls!" whispered Max "I forgot I was grownded. Talk to you later."

"Bye Max!" they all said.

Adam placed a hand on Revolution shoulder.

"Nicely done," he said.

"Thanks," she replied.

"Guys!" yelled Cat "Breakfast is ready!"

"Mmm...Computer work make Rev hungry," she grunted.

Jesse laughed and kissed her gently.

Donna looked over at Cat as the feral hustled around the kitchen.

"You should tell them," she whispered.

Cat stopped dead in her tracks.

"Tell who, what?" she asked feigning innocence.

"Don't play dumb with me," replied Donna "You should tell the others about your assasin training, or at the very least tell Riley and Brennan."

"Tell us what?" asked Revolution as she walked into the room.

"That we are out of Apple Jacks," stuttered Cat.

"Damn!" said Revolution "Mmm...Bagels."

Lux's head darted around. Damnit Jax! she thought as she began to slip into a very powerful vision. Where are you?

"Help!" she whispered to no one.

Donna was furious at Cat but she understood her reluctance to share. She shook her head and walked out of the kitchen.

"OH MY GOD!" she yelled when she saw Lux.

The beautiful woman's face had turn a dark red.

"I can hear them," she whispered to Donna "The children are crying, My friends are hurt. People are dying, bombs are going off and no one can stop them."

"Jesus!" yelled Jax when she saw her.

"Jax...The Orphanage. Someone is going to destroy it and kill our children." whispered Lux.

Jax wrapped her arms around her boss and rocked her back in forth.

"We'll stop them," she whispered "I promise. Watch her, Mainframe?"

Donna swallowed hard and nodded. Jax let go of Lux and dashed off to the Computer lab to hook up with The Ring. Donna looked over at Lux, her face returning to some resemblance of normalcy.

"No..." whispered the young leader "It doesn't get better."

Donna watched her in shock as she followed Jax to the lab.

"Do you think they got there in time?" asked Revolution as Jesse helped her into the car.

"We'll know soon enough," he said "Right now, we have the clinic to deal with."

Revolution nodded and bit her lip.

"We're gonna get through this, right?" she asked.

He kissed her.

"I hope so," he whispered "I hope so."

In a Heartbeat

They were all scattered through the five stories above ground and another five stories underground of MX's new private clinic, registered under their public persona, Axis Research and Development. All of them had their eyes opened, looking for anything that might seem out of normal. At the same time, they all admired the slick lines and practical design of the hospital's many wards, offices and infirmaries. On the first floor, directly through the front door, were the reception and patient admittance desks; the ER facilities, connected to the ambulance entrance was on the back. On the second floor, operating rooms, semi-intensive, post-surgery care units and the fully operational ICU capable of holding twenty Intensive Care patients. The third floor held the maternity ward, nursery, neo-natal ICU, delivery rooms and private regular and special rooms for mutant mothers with special needs. On the fourth floor, there were regular and special needs rooms for admitted patients, and on the fifth floor, doctors offices and administration. The hospital was even larger underground, the five stories sprawling under the whole range of the parking lots. The real mutant-oriented clinic and hospital facilities were underground, besides the Pathology, Pharmacology, Serology and Hematology laboratories and blood bank. There were state-of-the-art computer and laser diagnostic, genetic manipulation, therapy and research units only found before in Sanctuary, as well as the special units for podding and restraint of mutants deemed capable of harm to themselves or others. It was a hospital planned and designed for the special needs of the mutant population MX had sworn to protect.

"I must admit, Kane, I'm impressed," praised Zack Coniglario, flicking his forked tongue and looking around the genetic therapy laboratory. "We don't have anything like it back home, do we, honey?"

Dr. Makenna Coniglario was also highly impressed. This was a golden opportunity to establish a joint-venture for research on mutant-oriented treatments and therapies, and maybe, in the future, build a simmilar facility in the Ring's West Coast base. With a sigh, she sent a little prayer to her friends back home. Lux's vision were always accurate and the attempt on the orphanage was too close for comfort. The children were evacuated from the building and the bomb squad was still working. First St. Mike's, now the orphanage... The New Order was more than a nuisance, it was an outright disaster!

Discreetly but thoroughly, MacGyver, expert on explosives, was combing the building with Jim Ellison, Jax MacManus, Brennan Mulwray, Jesse Kilmartin, Cory Buchanan and Sam Malloy. They had spread through the building with the classic question on their heads, "If I were a bomb, where would I be hidden?"

On his way to the lower underground level, Jim Ellison stepped into the Genetics Lab, while MacGyver, Buchanan and Sam were already down another level, giving Pathology and Hematology the once over. He greeted Adam, Makenna and Zack and started his search, reaching out with his heightened sentinel senses.

Emma DeLauro, Shalimar and Cat were examining the fourth and third floors while Riley Jackson and Lux Windsor were on the fifth floor, in the director's office, glued to the computer system, following the work of the bomb squad disarming the charges rigged in the Ring's orphanage in Southern California. So far, three C-4 charges had been deactivated, two others remained hot, waiting for the experts to get to them.

Angela Fontenelle, Donna Gryphon and Blair Sandburgh were on another terminal, in contact with Cascade PD's captain Simon Banks. With the frustrated bombing of the Ring's orphanage, Cascade's safehouse was a potential target. Joel Taggart was on his way to check on the premises. As Donna typed the address on the Instant Messenger window, a strange hand seemed to grip her heart and squeezed it hard. She pushed the chair away from the desk and the keyboard, gripped her chest with her right hand and turned to Blair, her face drained of color. Icy cold sweat trickled down her back, between her breasts, drenching her clothes. The pain in her left arm and side was unbearable as her heart skipped beat after beat and her blood pressure plunged. Her eyes rolled up in her head and she slipped to the floor.

Angela wasted no time, helping Donna lay down on the carpeted floor. Her taloned fingers ripped the front of Donna's T-shirt and pulled off her bra, while she flicked her comring. "Adam, quick! Donna's got a hit and it's giving her a coronary! She's going into cardiac arrest! I need epinephrine here and a defib! Hurry!" And she started CPR, hoping against hope they'd get there fast enough.

"Lux, help her!" yelled Revolution.

"I don't dare! It's her precog power that's making her arrest!" answered a frantic Lux Windsor. "My own precog power would only make her condition worse."

"She's not responding! Adam, where are you?" Angela was desperate, helpless. Her dearest friend, sister in fire, to whom she owed her sanity and her very life was dying beneath her hands. They were in a fully functional hospital, only still non-staffed and on the fifth floor, in a regular office. There would be no time to get her down to Cardiology. And where was that defib!

"What's going on here?"

"Jesse! Thank God! Help me here!" the bird feral yelled.

The molecular ran to her side and knelt down. "What can I do? I'm not Brennan to restart her heart!"

"You can be just as effective!" answered Angela. "Hold my wrist and phase my hand."

Jesse did as he was told, phasing the gnarled, ugly hand of the bird woman. Angela inserted her intangible hand just beneath Donna's left breast, under the diaphragm muscle. Angela would have given her life for five minutes with X-Ray vision. "Now," she instructed very softly, "start massing it up little by little until I can feel her heart in my hand. Yes... A little more... Enough, I have it..." And she started rhythmically to open and close her hand, delicately massaging Donna Gryphon's heart until the psionic head jerked back and a strangled gasp escaped from her mouth. "Phase it again so I can pull it out, Jesse." She pulled her hand out of Donna's chest and Jesse stood up, his breath caught in his chest. He had never tried anything like that! Turning around, he fell back on his knees, covering his face with his hands as Riley pulled him to her chest and held him tight.

Framed by the office's door, Makenna Coniglario saw it all and jumped into action. She bolted to Donna's side, pushing Blair out of the way. An already prepared long needled epinephrine syringe was inserted directly into the psionic's heart, while Angela checked her heartbeat and blood pressure, slowly returning to normal levels.

"Where the hell's Adam, anyway?" asked the bird feral.

"In the genetics lab with that tall guy in a crew cut," answered the human doctor. "The man seems to have slipped into a trance."

Waking up from a panic stupor, Blair Sandburgh shoot up from his kneeling position by the side of the woman he loved and screamed, "Jim!" He hit the hallway running to help his sentinel.

The smell was very faint, wafting its way through his nose to his brain, acrid, acidic, running below the usual hospital smells of alcohol and disinfectant... It was an alien smell, almost intangible, but present in the air. Where was it coming from? Everything else was grey and fuzzy, no color, no taste... The world was echoing far and no touch could reach his mind, submerged in a sea of smells and sensations. Where was it coming from?

Softly, gently, a voice lightly touched his brain with silk tones, reassuring, coaxing, calling from another dimension, another time, another space. He had to come back, return to reality. Come back, Jim... Don't lose yourself in one sense... Don't drown in one sensation only... Come back... Come back...

The hand on his arm was solid enough, the grip on his shoulder, firm and friendly. Little by little, Jim Ellison's ears registered the voice calling him back to the world of five senses, pulling the threads of his mind and tying them back to solid reality. He knew the voice, only not as a guide's voice. But a guide it was, not his, not Cory's, not Mac... "Dr. Kane?!"

"You zoned out," the scientist answered. "I brought you back to reality the way I read described on Blair's paper."

Jim Ellison's eyes were bulging. Then... this mans was... yes, it made sense... Someone who dedicated his life to helping, instructing and protecting others might just be... No time for that! "Out!" he yelled. "Everybody out! There's C-4 in the building and I think I know where it is!"

Bad Company

They poured out of the building, exiting through the main door, the ferals jumping from second and third floor windows. Angela, with Donna Gryphon craddled in her arms, and Revolution, the flyers, left through the skylights and flew to the other side of the parking lot, alighting on top of a tall building. Angela's eagle eyes swept through the neighborhood, searching for any sign of strangers. On her lap, Donna was slowly returning to normal. "What happened?" she asked.

"Your last hit gave you a heart attack, dear," answered the bird feral. "And Jim found explosives in the building."

"Where?"

"Everywhere. They're hidden in the security cameras all over the place, in key positions. If they go off, the building will collapse," answered the feral.

"And where's everybody?" asked Donna.

"Out on the parking lot," answered Revolution. "Mac, Adam, Brennan, Jesse, Jim, Cory and Jax are still inside."

"Very clever," mused MacGyver, as he carefully unscrewed and lifted the side of the third security camera. "They're all rigged together. One goes off, all go off."

"Who could have replaced the real cameras?" asked Adam, unscrewing the fourth camera attached to a pillar. He could see all cameras were placed on pillars. "This place was heavily guarded by ferals we trust. Nobody stayed in the building long enough to do that!"

"According to the security log, Dr. Kane, it was you," Cory piped from the nearest computer terminal. "You were here last night and stayed in the building for four hours."

"I was here? You know I never..." Adam started.

" #%$ Aidaan Malone," growled Jax, as her eyes glowed bright yellow. "It was that son of a bitch, the pox on him!"

MacGyver was studying the rigging device attached to the camera. It was no good. Even if he disabled one of them, there were another dozen cameras scattered through the building. And if even one of them blew up, the others would follow suit. He had to find the primary trigger. "Adam, there are three central columns on your building's design. The other pillars assist them, but the main weight is supported by the three main structure columns. The trigger must be on one of them, with the bulk of the explosives."

"The basement, where we store oxigen and nitrogen tanks," offered Adam. "If a bomb goes off down there, this place will turn into a bonfire."

"I'm going down there now," and Mac turned to leave.

"I'm with you," added Adam.

"No! I'm going alone. You're out of here." A little before departing to Viet Nam, MacGyver had met the then impossibly young overachiever while on a special chemistry course at Stanford. Mac was twenty years old, Adam was fifteen, they pulled prank after prank on one another, and became friends for life.

"This is my hospital, Mac. I have a responsibility."

"And I am the bomb expert. Out! All of you!" As Mac looked at Brennan Mulwray, the young elemental grabbed his mentor by the arm and started pulling him out of the building. If necessary, he'd zap him unconscious and carry him out.

"Jesse!" called Adam. "Stay with Mac! Don't let anything happen to him!"

As Adam, Brennan, Cory, Jim and Jax exited the building, Angela's eagle eyes continued to watch the surroundings. And she saw as four cars approached the clinic from the four corners of the block. She flicked her comring, "We have company."

The cars stopped, blocking the four corners.

The Alliance naturally split in four groups, with all mutants surrounding their leaders, Adam and Lux. Angela, sitting the now almost fully recovered Donna behind the railing, pointed the building on the other side to Revolution, so they could have one flyer on either side of the parking lot. She watched the young telekinetic silently float to her aloted station. Signaling that her friend should stay put, Angela quickly flew to the third building, the one facing the clinic. The three flyers were stationed in a triangle overlooking the parking lot, ready to react.

From the corner guarded by the Cascade Group, came a tall and wiry black man with long dreadlocks and a slender Oriental woman, graceful as a fully trained kung fu fighter, followed by two other men, eyes glinting feral as they looked at the surrounded defenders.

From the corner facing Jax, Emma, Jack and Makenna, came two men, one blonde with spiky hair and a dark one, with long curly locks gathered in a ponytail. They were also followed by two feral, women this time.

From the corner facing Brennan, Shalimar and Cat, came a strange man, with large shoulders and narrow hips, long armas and big hands, and a tall, thin girl with long straight blond hair and big blue eyes, walking as if on top of a surfboard. The eyes of the two ferals following the couple glowed green in the fashion of reptilians.

From the corner facing Adam and Lux, the tall figure of Nickolas Lareou appeared, followed by a small man dressed in white and turban and the now well known cruel features of Alex Tremayne.

The New Order was paying a visit.

Clash of Titans Part 1

Mac and Jesse ran down the stairwell to the lowest level of the huge hospital. The basement held pipes, ducts, tanks full of chemicals, all the veins and arteries needed so the whole building would function as a living body. Three columns, as the body's spines, stood in line, supporting the bulk of the building's weight. Other columns shot up from the corners, assisting the three pillars in their structural job. Quickly, Mac and Jesse spotted the camera high up on the central column, innocent looking, but much bigger than the other cameras found around the building. Jesse turned to Mac, "You know, if this thing goes off, we're toast, powers or no powers."

"Then we musn't allow it to go off," retorted the older man, as he carefully unscrewed the side of the camera.

Outside, dark clouds were rolling and gathering above and thunder could be heard in the distance. Light was fading fast as a storm formed in the sky over the hospital.

"Adam Kane, I presume." Nickolas Lareou grinned. He had them outnumbered and surrounded. "Hello, Lux. Long time, no see."

"Not nearly time enough, Nick," returned the Ring's leader. "You got St. Mike's, but missed the orphanage, you know?"

"Too bad. Your visions have always been a nuisance, Lux," answered the renegade, pleasantly. "Your safehouse in Cascade was my consolation prize, though."

The hearts of all Cascade Group sank. What had happened to their friend Joel Taggart?

MacGyver studied the small timer in the palmtop linked to the mass of plastic explosive. On the pillar's surface, more plastic explosive was attached to the concrete, it's color perfectly matching the surface. The bomber had used a handheld computer to rig the explosive's trigger. To a mere human explosives expert, it would have been impossible to disable. With the help of a certain molecular, though, they might stand a chace.

"I'd hoped I'd see this architectural masterpiece of yours blow up sky high with you inside, Kane." Lareou let a long sigh out. "Nothing is perfect, is it? Pity! What a show it would be." And he picked a palmtop from his back pocket.

Three telekinetics shot their hands and snatched the device from the New Order leader, holding it in midair. Lareou wasn't intimidated. He just looked at the Oriental woman. Yukio Mishimoto withdrew two steps behind Ntobo and the ferals, picked up her own handheld. Numbers, symbols, icons started running through her skin and her eyes glowed bright blue.

"To me!" yelled Donna Gryphon, pulling the floating palmtop to her hand.

"NO! You're not strong enough!" shouted the bird feral.

Too late. Clutching the small device, Donna turned her back to the mutants and humans below and sank behind the railing, her body glowing equations, icons and symbols. Pink light glowed from the top of the building like a beacon.

Blond surfer Bree Williams bent her knees in a ballet movement and hit the ground with her fist, sending a ripple through the earth as if hitting water directed to the center of the parking lot. Brennan Mulwray rolled his hands in a circle, gathering energy for a blast. That very moment, Windell Mann lifted his arms and brought them down fast. Rain poured from the sky like a shower, electrocuting the young elemental. Cat screamed and lunged at the nearest feral. Lux Windsor ran to the stunned elemental and spread her palms over his heart. Her eyes and Brennan's skin under her hand shone white. Lux withdrew her hand as soon as the young man opened his eyes, preserving her strength for the fight.

Donna's glowing cyberbody stepped into the circuits of a huge motherboard. Everywhere, information in the form of sparks ran through brightly lit conduits that looked like freeways photographed at night, headlights leaving brilliant collored trails through the picture. Reaching out with her mind, she located her foe and jumped into one of the light tubes, flying like a rocket to the exact point where Yukio Mishimoto was about to trigger on the software that would blow the hospital, everything and everybody in it to smithereens. As the Oriental lifted her fist to hit "return", a missile smashed against her chest, sending her flying against a wall of lead lights, disrupting the cyberhighway and exploding in cyphers and blinking sparks.

"Donna Gryphon, we meet again," hissed the Japanese woman.

"And again you're just leaving," Donna shot back.

In the hospital's bowels, MacGyver delicately unscrewd and detached the palmtop's front panel. The tiniest circuits and boards appeared beneath the plastic surface. One wrong movement and they'd be fondly remembered by their loved ones.

The parking lot had become a battle ground.

The earth trembled under their feet as Bree Williams hit the pavement with her fists as if it was a drum. The tarmac broke in a crack that ran in the direction of Jack and Makenna Coniglario. The reptillian feral, eyes glowing green, grabbed his wife by the waist and rolled to safety, pushing her to a corner, protected by a large garbage bin. His retractable fangs grew in his mouth, giving him the appearance of a vampire and his forked tongue darted out as a lizard feral from the New Order jumped at him, clawed hands reaching for his throat.

Mumbata Ntobo shot vines from the cement floor at Ellison and Buchanan, who were fighting the feral soldiers. Though human, both were sentinels and highly trained, their heightened senses giving them an edge to fight the mutant animals that lunged at them. Blair and Sam, Swiss army knives opened and sharp, cut the vines that threatened to tie and strangle them, as they tried to get to Ntobo and cut his connection to the ground.

Jax McManus faced a woman feral. They circled, eyeing each other. Suddenly, the woman cackled a high pitched laugh and leapt at Jax's face. The lioness tackled the hiena woman avoiding her outstreched hands with a somersault, at the same time kicking her in the back, as her eyes seached for her real intended target, but it was now impossible to know where Aidaan Malone, the shapeshifter, could be found.

At Jax's side, Shalimar Fox jumped as the dark man in a ponytail shot her a cloud of acidic gas. The blonde feline feral landed low on bended knees and swept her leg under Yanos Panarides, kicking his feet from under him. The chemical elemental rolled over his side and rapidly stood up, attacking Shalimar with tear gas.

Viciously kicking the fearl she fought in the face, Cat turned directly to Lareou and lunged at him. "Knock me out," she whispered. "I don't want to fight you." Turning her over and imobilizing the cat in a half-nelson, Lareou shot her a sonic blast that exploded her eardrums, turning the light of the world off for her. He shoved her limp body to the side.

From her vantage point above the building, Revolution watched as the tiny man in a turban clenched a fist. His hand turned into a blue ball of fire and he hurled it directly to Lux Windsor's turned back, a killing bullet of horrible death. Leaping from the ceiling, Riley Jackson hovered over the battle ground. One hand outstretched, she stopped the ball of fire midway and hurled it back at the Sikh, who ducked and let it pass over his head, hitting the garbage bin in front of Makenna Coniglario. The human doctor screamed and jumped to the side. Lareou looked up and released a sound blast that slammed Riley against a wall, stunning her.

Clash of Titans Part 2

Two glowing bodies floated in cyberspace, their movements in slow motion were a deadly dance that sent sparks and fireflies all over the information highway every time they connected. A kick from the slant eyed digicyber sent a weakened Donna Gryphon against the strands of light running behind her and only her telekinetic power could stop her from disappearing into the depths of the system. Flying back on determination only, the multi-psionic slammed against the digicyber making her body crash against the motherboard. To Donna's horror, the Oriental mutant seized the chance to slam her fist against the return key, but her arm passed all the way through the board as it flickered and blurred. The Japanese woman retrieved her hand fast and looked up to Donna in total confusion. The board seemed to be pulled out of the system, disappearing before their very eyes. Donna jumped in action and grabbed the digicyber's arm and twisting it, the sole of her boot found Yukio's back and pushed hard. With a round kick of her right foot, Donna knocked the New Order operative out and her glowing body dissolved through the circuits and lead lights covering the bright cybernetic world. Sinking to her knees, Donna Gryphon let her cyberbody dissolve back into her solid form on top of the building. Her exhausted body slid to the side and her limp hand let go of the now blank palmtop.

"Good, now mass the tip of the pincers just a little, around the chip," instructed MacGyver.

"I can feel it." Jesse Kilmartin's brow was covered in sweat, his concentration unwavering. This was precision work, extremely dangerous. One mistake and they'd be history. First Donna, now this. Tough day at the office.

"Now, phase it and pull the chip out. Slowly."

"I did the same thing fifteen minutes ago, with Angela." And Jesse pulled out a tiny round black dot, the size of the head of a pin, from inside the palmtop. The screen went blank and he blew out the breath he was holding inside.

The ground was shaking under their feet, rain poured relentlessly from the overcast sky. The Alliance fought with valour but the tips were favoring their foes. It was necessary to cut Bree Williams connection to earth, put her out of comission. Leaping over Brennan's still unconscious body, Adam slammed his feet against Bree's chest, sending her sprawling against the hospital's front steps. For a moment, the earth stopped it's tremor and Adam straddled the stunned terraformer. Pinning her shoulder to the steps, he lifted his right hand to strike a blow that would have knocked the elemental out. A man's hand grabbed Adam's and jerked him back up to his feet. "I should have killed you when I had the chance, Adam Kane," growled a triumphant Alex Tremayne. "Time to correct my mistake." And a violet light enveloped the older man, glowing darker by the second.

From violet to purple to black, the sickening light of Tremayne's power shot from their locked hands to dominate and surround the man in black's whole body. Adam felt his knees buckle under him, his sight blurr as his body temperature skyrocketed. The renegade molecular drove the full force of his deadly power, turning whatever microorganisms Adam Kane might naturally carry in his body into lethal carriers of unrelenting death, congesting lungs, infesting blood, infecting membrane and killing his victim of natural causes. Want to stop an army? Stop the general. And this one was dead already.

From her perch up the building, Angela saw her falconer attacked and protective instinct took her over. Diving down, talons first, she aimed at Tremayne, ready to rip his face off. "Get the harpy!" shouted Lareou. A ball of fire hurled by the Sikh hit the bird woman directly in the face, sending her tumbling backwards until she hit the pavement.

MacGyver and Jesse ran from one corner to the other of the clinic disconnecting cameras full of plastic explosive. Havind disabled the main trigger, the other units weren't that hard to disengage.

He was dying. With his feverish eyes, he saw his allies fighting for their lives. The reptillian Zack Coniglario slaming a lizard feral against the small Pandiat Singh, knocking the Sikh off his feat and stopping the balls of fire from flying around; Shalimar tackling two ferals at once, punching and kicking like a she-devil; Jax, the lioness, rolling and sweeping Lareou's feet from under him, Brennan standing up and backhanding one of Shal's attackers. He was dying and his legacy with him. The New Order would dominate all mutants without Mutant X and the Ring to stop it. Mankind wouldn't stand a chance against a highly organized gang of renegade superpowered beings. His labored breath came in gasps, bringing a taste of blood to his mouth. The grip on his right hand was like a vise, burning and robbing him of whatever strength he still had. He was dying. He reached with his left hand, trying to grab something, anything that he might use to pull himself out of Alex Tremayne's killing grip.

The hand that held his was cool and soft, yet strong and firm, infusing his ailing body with a refreshing shot of white light. In a superhuman effort, he turned his head to the source of relief. "Lux..." he whispered.

Lux Windsor had Adam by the hand and poured all her healing power into him, seeking to drive Alex's black light back to the renegade mutant. The killer and the healer looked each other in the eye, a tug-of-war over the fate of the man who unwittingly created mutantkind, and now was a mere pawn in the struggle for his own life and the future of the whole world. Without him, Lux would be alone, the only force to block Lareou's power crazy march over the planet. Adam would not die, she wouldn't let him. There was much to be done, and she needed him. Tapping into the well of her own life force, drawing strength from her very soul, Lux Windsor pushed her white light against Alex's blackness.

As the tug-of-war raged over him, Adam looked around, alternatingly through dark and white light. The fight was almost over, those who remained standing from the two bands stopping to watch the combat between light and darkness. The winner of that clash would triumph that day. Only the most strange of battles still went on in full force. He thought he was surely delirious... That couldn't be... He was either hallucinating or altogether losing his mind... A wolf, a jaguar, a tiger and a hawk were attacking a forest of living, howling trees... From the right corner of his eyes, he saw a fox coming out of the hospital, his hospital and lunge at the moving trees, tipping the battle's odds in favor of the animals. Not ferals... animals... Painfully, he turned his head in Lux's direction and saw an owl flapping it's wings over her head, hooting angrily and showing its talons to Alex Tremayne.

Lux herself was sinking to her knees, her life force drained, her white light dimming and running back into her body, chased by the black light emanating from Tremayne, who laughed out loud, anticipating the glory of singlehandedly killing both Adam Kane and Lux Windsor.

Coming back to reality, Revolution and Donna Gryphon took in the situation. The fight was at a standstill, both the Alliance and the New Order were holding their breaths, waiting for the outcome of the tug-of-war between Lux and Tremayne, and Lux was losing, her light fading fast. With no time to think, both telekinetics floated to the healer's side and joined hands with her, adding their life force to fuel hers and using their power to push Tremayne's back. Lux Windsor's head snapped up and she came back to her feet, as three hands were clasped together in their own version of the power of a triad, the two additions to the white light side feeding their living energy to the healer. The Alliance's remaining forces fell back around their leaders in a protective circle. No one else would interfere. Come what may, this battle would be fought to the end.

The bright white light now blazed, dazzling and pushing the black light through Adam's body back into the stunned Tremayne, now incapable of resisting the power of the psionic molecular healer aided by the two telekinetics. Shining ever more brightly, a pool of white light surrounded the three women and forced all the blackness into Tremayne's body in a rush of energy that exploded in a heart piercing scream as the owl plunged its talons into the renegade's chest, making his body fall flat on his back, eyes open and dead.

Aftermath

It was deadly quiet in the parking lot. The festering body of Alex Treamayne had slumped to the ground in a heap, the last echoes of his screams still resounding in the air. The storm that hit only the hospital's block was now a faint drizzle. Lux, with Rev and Donna by her side, still clutched Adam's hand as he struggled to stand on his own and failed. The three women radiated power and seemed unfazed by the battle just won. Still glowing a dazzling white light, they turned and parted, each one a beacon of energy facing the stunned forces of New Order and blocking any attack with a glowing shield. The Alliance, banded together around them in a protective circle, now stepped behind the three telekinetics. The enemy had lost a soldier, other renegades were either stunned or injured. As they gathered their mates to leave the battle ground, Nickolas Lareou turned to Lux Windsor, hatred dripping from his eyes and his voice resonating with his power, sound waves hitting the wall created by the three psionics. "This isn't over."

"Not by a long shot."

With the New Order's departure, the white light dimmed, as the black clouds parted, admiting again sunlight over the parking lot. The Alliance's forces were not unscathed, with Brennan and Adam showing signs of exhaustion, Cat stunned, blood dripping from her ears. Cuts and bruises abounded in various stages of severity. Jim Ellison sported a deep gash over his left eye and Cory Buchanan's leg was twisted in an unatural position as his bad knee had failed him in the heat of the fight against Ntobo. As Makenna Coniglario ran from one person to the other, and those in better shape helped more gravely wounded friends get into the hospital, the doors burst open. Mac and Jesse left the building, relief clearly illuminating their faces. Opening their hands, they let go of a dozen handheld computers, letting them clatter on the steps, cracking small screens and exposing their circuits, no longer capable of detonating the charges they had been attached to.

With his arm around Shalimar's shoulders and her hand around his waist, helping him stand, Adam looked at his old friend MacGyver and his young protegée Jesse Kilmartin. Thanks to them, the clinic was intact and the New Order's plans, for now, thwarted. He reached for Mac's hand and smiled at Jesse. "Thank you, both of you."

"What happened here? World War III?" asked MacGyver, as he overlooked the battle field.

"Close enough," answered Zack Coniglario, his fangs still visible, his forked tongue darting between his lips.

"Lets get everybody inside!" ordered Makenna. "Angela and I can take care of the injured."

"Where is she?" asked Donna Gryphon.

"Last I saw, she dove from that building over there directly into Tremayne," answered Emma DeLauro, hands holding her hurting head where a rock had hit.

Jax McManus's nostrils were flaring, trying to locate the bird feral's scent among the different smells that crowded the place. "She's around, but I can't locate her."

"Wait." Leaning on Mac and Jesse, Adam placed his thumb and forefinger in his mouth and released a long and high pitched whistle, a call he knew his bird-of-prey would only leave unanswered in death.

The piercing sound tore at her ears, a needle in her brain, in her heart. As with the protective instinct that made her attack whoever threatened her falconer, his call could not go unheeded. The half of her that was bird went crazy trying to acknowledge the call. The half of her that was human only wanted to curl up, cover her eyes with the heals of her hands and scream, but whimpers came out of her throat. She felt blood, hot and sticky, rolling down her cheeks like tears. The piercing whistle sounded again, again her falconer called and this time there was no choice but to answer him. Where was it coming from? There was no light, the world had turned into a black pit with no way out.

Forcing one hand away from her face, she probed the broken concrete walls of the crater opened by the New Order's terraformer's power. Forcing her other hand away from her bloody face, she felt her way, breaking her talons on the rocks as she hauled up her body. She could feel the sun warming her hands and face, but there was no light, nothing but darkness and pain around her. She could hear now a woman screaming. Gasps and voices filled her ears as she tried to stand, but the ground was unstable, rocks or pieces of broken pavement rolled under her feet and she fell on her hands and knees, her head bent. Someone grabbed her by the shoulders above her folded wings and turned her, strong arms craddling her and pulling her to an inviting chest. "Hawkgirl..." she heard a whisper... and something hit her, a mindblast, plunging her into another kind of darkness, warm and tender, as her body relaxed in the lioness's lap, her head falling backwards, exposing for all to see the empty sockets where her eyes had once been.

Wounds of the Flesh, Wounds of the Heart

"There's nothing there!"

Lux Windsor looked around in desperation, pouring white light from her whole body. Her hands covered Angela's eyes and part of her face, white light also shining under them. The psionic was starting to hyperventilate, the effort of healing now showing in the dark circles under her eyes, the palor of her skin and the beads of sweat sprouting from her brow. "I've healed everything else, inside as well as outside, all the burns, even the scarring, but there's nothing there! I can't grow her new eyes!" Lux was panting, the exertion of healing robbing her of what little control of her emotions she still had. Tears sprung from her eyes and rolled down. So many times she performed the impossible, she snatched preys from death's own clutches, but she had limits. She could only reconstitute, rebuild, she couldn't create anew what had been so completely lost. The unconscious bird woman didn't deserve that, not this kind of fate.

"Come, lass, you can do no more." Jax McManus held her boss's hands in hers and gently pried them from the bird feral's face. She had carried the wounded woman inside in her arms, her weight a pittance due to the hollow bones that helped her fly, her silky feathers brushing against Jax's cheek and neck.

Adam took Lux's place by Angela's side. From a tray by the bed, he took gauze and delicately started bandaging his bird-of-prey's eyes. His own eyes stung and he furiously bit his upper lip, a gesture he had noticed Angela mirrored. Again, he berated himself. For that had he brought her here from her country? He didn't even notice it, but his hands were shaking. "Let me," he heard a woman speak, and a smaller hand covered his.

"Thanks, Makenna, but I have to do it myself," he answered.

"Your hands are shaking."

"Are they? Check again." Adam breathed in deep, closed his eyes for a split second and looked at his hands, now absolutely steady.

Makenna Coniglario looked at the older man, shook her head and withdrew. There were wounds aplenty to tend to, as well as Lux's exhaustion to demand her attention.

Adam finished up bandaging Angela's eyes, circling her head with gauze in a white blindfold and, with a light caress on her face, started putting the tools down. After covering the tray with a clean towel, he stopped, pinched the bridge of his nose and massaged his temples. Suddenly, he felt old and worn out. The life of a guerilla fighter demanded more than he had to give, more than he was willing to pay in blood and suffering.

As he turned to help Makenna with the other injuries, he passed Donna Gryphon, crying softly, her head against Blair's chest. She held his arm, halting his way, and stood up, looking at him. Without another word, he followed her to a secluded corner of the room. After a long pause, Donna sighed. "I'm scared, Adam."

Leaving the tray on a nightstand, he lifted her chin. "Tell me."

"That was it," she said. "That was what my precog power was warning me about."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," was the answer. "I was with her every time I had a hit. Every single time I was touching Angela. Or thinking about her." Donna Gryphon sighed again and crossed her arms tightly. "And I know who she is," the psionic whispered.

Adam raised an eyebrow. "How...? She didn't... Ah..." and it downed on him. "The bond you share."

"Yes," confirmed Donna. "The Foundation incident... After that horrible night, when Emma called... I went into a trance state and entered Angela's mind. I was there the whole night, while that toad... thing... raped her..." she couldn't go on, her own emotions, all she had lived and suffered herself overflowed and the words choked her.

Adam closed his eyes and pulled Donna into his arms, holding her and rocking lightly back and forth until the tears subsided. He was deeply moved. This woman was amazing, a true hero. She had willingly relived the most horrifying event of her life in order to hold Angela's sanity intact in her moment of need.

"Since that night," she went on, "a little bit of me is always with her. And a little bit of her is always with me. I know everything about her, even what she managed to keep hidden while that bastard Thorne hit her sub-gov again and again, even risking brain damage."

Adam nodded and his eyes wandered around the room, resting on Angela's unconscious form again. He couldn't look at Donna, not now. From the moment he found out about the corruption of his life's work, guilt had been his best friend, his constant companion. Now, a fresh batch was added to his already staggering load. His eyes fell on Emma and she immediately lifted her head from her hands, looking straight at him. He knew his emotions were so overwhelming she felt them clearly through the maelstrom washing the hospital room. Yet, he kept a tight leash on himself, as usual. Done was done. If Donna knew Angela was his niece, daughter of his older sister, dead three years before, then so be it. He couldn't acknowledge her to the rest of the world, lest she become both a target for his enemies and a weapon against him, but it actually felt good to have someone other than himself and Angela in on it.

"And I know another thing, Adam," Donna went further on. "With flight and the freedom I now know it brings, Angela could withstand anything." Donna stopped, letting the greater tragedy sink in their hearts. "She's never had a lot, she had already lost so much. Now even that was taken from her. That's what scares me the most."

Adam nodded again and, this time, looked Donna straight in the eye, and she returned his gaze. "It scares me too, GryphonLady. It scares me too."

Through Tonight...

"Makenna!" yelled Blair as Lux collapsed to the floor.

"God damn it!" yelled Jax as she raced to Lux's side.

"I can't breathe," whispered Lux as tears streamed down her face.

"Is she having another vision?" asked Donna.

"No," replied Jax "I'm afraid its much worse than that."

"Lux's 'ealing power is instant wit 'er but wit uddas it takes everyting she's got," exclaimed Makenna as Jax placed her on the table next to Angela.

"Will she be all right?" asked Blair.

"Can you help her?" asked MacGyver.

"It's aint up ta us ta 'elp 'er," replied Makenna "Its up ta 'er."

"She has to battle her way back," explained Jax "Battle her way through the demons that cloud her mind."

"What are you doing here?" asked a voice.

Lux looked up from the rock she sat on to see Angela. She looked down at her hands, the hands that had given her so much, the hands that had taken away a man's life.

"Can you see it?" asked Lux.

"See what?"

"The blood," whispered Lux as she watched the crimson river flow from her hands "I killed a man today."

Angela sat down next to her. "Who?" she asked.

Lux waved her hand across the air and a picture appeared. "Tremayne," whispered Angela.

Lux nodded.

"You must understand," said Angela "You did the right thing. Alex Tremayne was a horrible man."

Adam placed a hand in Donna's and squeezed gently. His gaze traveled over the people he loved, respected and constantly placed in danger.

Then he looked at the newcomers, The Ring's members who had left their own people to help him and his. Jax, Makenna and the still stone faced Zack. Makenna was stitching up a cut on the side of Shalimar's face, Zack sat behind her, his eyes had yet to return to their natural state. Jax sat unmoving next to Lux's bed, the lioness mentally berating herself for allowing Lux to slip past her own boundaries.

"You don't understand," whispered Lux "I'm not made for death, I made for life."

Young Lux, the determined leader of one of the most powerful groups of mutants in the world. One of the most powerful mutants in the world, she had single handedly saved the hybrids from certain death.

Jesse looked over at Revolution. She stared straight ahead, her dark eyes hiding her emotions.

Brennan ran his hands through Cat's hair as she rested her head on his lap.

Emma had left the room. The wave of desperation and pain had nearly overwhelmed the young psionic and Shalimar and MacGyver had helped her into the hall.

"God," whispered Jesse "Please just get us through tonight."

Vertigo (On Cat's Behalf)

Cat wanted to scream out her pain. Her feral ears hurt. The sound elemental's blast had ruptured her eardrums. Plus her head felt like it was going to explode. Even her lover's gentle touch hurt. Brennan cradled her head in his lap. One ear rested on his leg, blocking out the sound. Cat took his hand in hers, placing it over her other ear.

Brennan covered her ear, understanding his feral lover's silent plea to stop the pain. Brennan took the washcloth that Mekenna handed him. Gently, he washed the blood away from her ears. He could tell that even that hurt. Cat flinched at each gentle movement of his hand.

When Mekenna once again walked over to Brennan and Cat he whispered in her ear so as to not add to Cat's suffering. "Can you give her something for the pain?" he asked

Cat placed her hand on Brennan's. "No, Brennan I'll be fine. I… I just need to go someplace quiet."

Brennan helped Cat to her feet, but the sudden movement caused a wave of nausea to hit her. Cat's hand flew to her mouth. She would not get sick, she thought to herself, but the room was spinning out of control.

Cat looked around her, grabbing the wall. She sank back down to the floor. Brennan turned from Makenna to see Cat sitting on the floor, her head resting on her knees. Brennan sat back down beside her, pulling her back into his lap.

Cat smiled weakly at Brennan. "I'm sorry, Brennan. It makes me sick to stand."

"It's ok, baby." They were all hurting. The team had been hit hard. Brennan could still fell the effects of being electrocuted by his own powers. He cradled Cat in his lap, his hands covering her ears. With her eardrums ruptured, the slightest sound hurt her already sensitive ears.

Brennan watched as Makenna bent down and took Cat's arm. The strange looking doctor injected a painkiller. Cat leaned into Brennan's arms and letting the medication ease the pain, she fell asleep.

Accross the Universe

Lux Windsor lifted her eyes to the image before her, so different from the real Angela lying next to her. It was the bird woman, and it wasn't at the same time. Her normally golden and marroon wings were now whiter than new snow, she was also dressed in white and her most striking feature were her eyes. They had no irises, only dazzling sclerotics.

"You're not really Angela, are you?" she asked.

"Nope."

"You are my conscience in a form I can relate to, right?" Lux reasoned.

"Atta girl," said the strange white entity.

The angel-like creature offered her hands to help Lux stand. "You're hurting because you killed a man and you're meant for saving," she said. "Why did you kill him, Lux?"

"Why? He was threatening Adam's life!"

"So, you killed a man to save the life of another," mused the angel. "Uhm... Interesting."

Holding Lux's hand, the angel made a sweeping gesture and they both blazed white. The landscape changed around them and they were now hovering above the battle ground. She saw herself clutching Adam's hand and sink to her knees as Alex's power overcame hers. "Where are Revolution and Donna Gryphon?" she frantically asked.

Angela-Angel pointed to Rev's form sprawled against the side of a building, broken like a stringless puppet. Then, she turned and pointed to Donna's body lying against the railing, on top of a building on the other side of the parking lot.

Lux was on her own, she would have no help this time. Her physical body sunk all the way down to her knees, her survival instinct made her hand let go of Adam's. He was on his own, too, and his battle was lost. The glow around him was black and thick like a dark haze. Alex Tremayne's grin was wide and he laughed out loud as he poured the rest of his power into Adam's body. The older man shivered, high fever making his body shake uncontrolably. His head felt as if it was about to explode, the pain radiating from the back of his neck. Incongruously, he thought if this was what it felt like having a sub-gov implanted in the nape of his neck.

Horrified, Lux heard the scream that should have come from Alex's mouth, come out of Adam's as a ground shaking explosion blew off the clinic's front doors. The air displacement threw Alex and Adam to the middle of the parking lot. Alex hit the pavement rolling as Adam hit the ground and only moved to curl up in a fetal position, shivering as his teeth shattered and blood sprung from his mouth.

Shalimar howled and, in an impossible leap, landed next to Adam, sunk to her knees and craddled him in her arms. Emma, her head bleeding profusely, tried to come closer to her friend, but the world spun and shook under her, making her lose the little balance she had. Brennan, unable to wield his power under the heavy rain, stood in front of them, ready to protect his mentor and the feline mutant with his physical ability only.

The odds of the battle shifted in favor of the New Order. Jax now stood over Lux's unconscious body, protecting her, but the onslaught was too great even for the brave lioness. The hienas were coming closer, circling and threatening. They would lunge anytime.

On the other side of the parking lot, Zack Coniglario tried to protect his wife from two reptilian ferals and the Salamander, when Pandiat Singh hurled a fiery blue ball that struck Makenna in the chest. Zack turned back and held his wife tight against his chest, trying to put out the fire with his own body, but it was impossible. The fire, once struck, blazed from the inside out. Zack held Makenna while she burned to death. She didn't scream for long. The snake man delicately laid the still burning body of his wife on the ground and silently turned towards Pandiat Singh. Baring his fangs, he jumped at the Sikh, but the two reptilians blocked his way and attacked the crazed Zack, managing to bite him repeatedly, pumping him full of venom. Poisoned beyond salvation, the snake man staggered backwards and fell over his wife's corpse.

From the debris where once had the hospital been, emerged the shimmering form of a man, carrying another in his arms. Jesse had managed to save himself, but he couldn't save Mac. And this image was the Cascade Group's undoing. In the moment of hesitation, when Blair Sandburgh saw his father's body carried out of the collapsed building, Ntobo's vines got him by the neck and snapped it like a twig. Cory was down with his knee busted, Jim and Sam tackled the botanical, but there was no way to win over a living forest.

Jax was fighting the hyenas when Donna Gryphon approached from behind and assumed a fight stance, pretending to protect Jax's back. Pulling a spring knife from her pocket, Donna turned fast, grabbed the lion feral by the hair and slit her throat from ear to ear. Spinning back, blood pouring from the gaping wound, the last thing Jacqueline McManus saw before collapsing on top of Lux Windsor was the light coalescing around Donna's body and turning it into the smirking image of Aidaan Malone.

Hovering over the site of the carnage, Lux, in her astral body, hand in hand with the bird feral's angelic form, screamed and sobbed, impotent against the New Order's hour of triumph. She was vagely aware of other voices, more distant, muffled, "She's fibrilating! Charge to 200! Clear!" But these voices were echoes from another time, another world. She turned to the angel creature. "Make it stop! Don't let them die!"

"Had enough, dear?" asked the white angel. "I don't think so."

Suddenly, they were no longer floating over the hospital's parking lot, but on The Ring's own headquarters. The small town settlement was ripped appart. Cars were upturned on the streets, their tires rolling in the air. Most of the houses and buildings had collapsed and there were bodies scattered all around. Floating over the streets, Lux's astral body and Angela's form approached the main building. Entering through an open window on the second floor, the first thing Lux saw was Connor, strong, brave Connor O'Hare, standing over the broken form of his adopted son Max. Connor would not last much longer, the feral man's knee already had begain to give way as Lareou ordered another feral to attack. Connor stood strong, keeping his promise to his son that he would never be alone. In a corner, her fiancée, Logan, was lying on the floor, her daughter Allie cried and shook her father. Aidaan Malone smiled cruelly at the scene, the knife in his hand slowly advancing towards the child. Lux screamed, but no sound was heard on the physical world. "Please, don't let him! Don't let him hurt my baby!" she yelled at the angel creature.

Again, Lux was faintly aware of voices echoeing from a distant place. "She's not responding! Charge to 300! Clear!" This time, however, the voices were clearer, stronger. The angel-like creature turned to Lux, held both her hands in hers, and smiled sweetly. "Now you know, don't you? You know this would be just the beginning of Lareou's rise," she said. "Sometimes, the choices we make are forced upon us. You killed Tremayne with Riley's and Donna's help, there's no going back. Make peace with yourself, Lux Windsor, for you did the right thing." And the angel glowed brighter and brighter, until both of them exploded in white light and...

"I've got a pulse! Makenna, five CC eppy!" Adam commanded as Lux's physical body jerked on the table. "Life signs returning to normal! Pulse 60, BP 90/55!"

Slowly, Lux opened her eyes. She was lying on a table in a hospital's emergency ward. She had tubes and electrodes all over her upper body. Looking around, she could see most of her friends and allies gathered, the look of relief on their faces was touching. And Jax was crying! Lux smiled and breathed more easily. Revolution was crying, too. Lux almost laughed. Makenna's face was just above hers. "I thought we were losing you," said the human doctor.

"Never. I'll never leave you."

Binary Healing

New Mutant Hospital:

Donna sat in Blair's arms again watching them bring Lux, her new friend back with a sigh of relief. She cared about the Ring leader and didn't want her to die. She then looked over to her best friend with the bandages on her head. She was then thrown into despair and almost started crying again in Blair's arms. How in the world could she help her sister this time? She had to do something, she couldn't let Angela or Adam down. She had pulled the HawkGirl out of tighter situations than this hasn't she? She looked around the room at all the other people broken but being fixed by their fellow new mutants, sentinels, and ordinary humans. But she didn't see anyone helping Angela. This drove her crazy.

She then spied a little box in the corner of the room. Lit up and innocent looking. All the sudden she leaped out of her fiances arms and ran for the machine. Jax and Adam finishing up on attending to Lux looked up at Donna as she darted past them like a mad person. They looked at each other puzzled. They had never seen her like that. Donna sat down in front of the computer and poured all of her telecyber ability into it. She glowed so bright that it lit the room. Adam thinking that she was going to hurt herself tried to go and stop her but there was a force field around her and he couldn't.

"What is she doing?!" Lux asked now fully awake.

"Man, whatever it is, Mainframe sure is bent about it!" her bodyguard and friend answered.

"Adam, STOP HER!" Blair yelled.

"I can't she has a shield around her that I can't get through. Jesse, you try."

Jesse tried but failed. The shield was so tight that not even the molecular could phase through it. "I can't, Man, I have never felt anything like it. I never had something I couldn't pass through before."

"She's mutated then," Adam said, "The attack and stress must have brought it on. Also her learning to fly could be a factor. Donna hasn't had to use her powers to this extent before."

"That still doesn't answer Lux's question. What is Mainframe doing?" Jax asked.

"I don't know." the leader of Mutant X answered.

"She'll kill herself! She just had a coronary not too long ago. She's not strong enough!" Revolution said with worry over her fellow flyer.

Angela was still out cold.

Donna was in her own little world blocking everything in the room she was in out. She raced through the system until she found what she was looking for. A file about mutations. She had remembered back at Sanctuary that Adam had looked up the New Order on his database and that was where she was racing to right now. She double teamed her telekinesis so that no one could stop her from achieving her goal. Finally she was there. Easily slipping through Adam's encrypted passwords and firewalls. If he only knew she could go anywhere she wanted in his database. She went through the As, the Bs, the Cs and so far and so forth. Then she reached the Ms. Macevoy...THERE! Charles Marlowe. Then she read all about his power and what had happened to him. About how his DNA saved every mutant in the world from dying from a common airborne spore called Cladosporium. His power to regenerate cells and entire body parts and organs if necessary was possibly the only chance that her winged sister/friend had. She saw the binary code for his ability and then directly downloaded it into her mind. The idea she had was crazy but it had to work. A longshot was better than no shot in her book. She kept the file present on the computer and exited the system. Shutting down the shield she had in place in the process.

Blair raced to her side, "Honey what happened? Are you all right?"

She gave him a kiss on the lips and with a smile that spoke of hope looked at her future husband and said, "If my idea works I will."

She turned to Adam who was looking at the monitor and then at her. "You hacked into the Sanctuary database?" He was in awe.

She blushed and said, "A gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do." Everyone in the room was surprised by the new found color to Donna's skin and the light in her eyes.

Jim looked at Donna and then at Adam and said, "Well, I think we are gonna see one of Donna's big plans in action. You see when Little Miss GryphonLady gets a wild hair in her to pull off something thought impossible she is capable of anything."

Adam raised his eyes at Jim and then at Donna, "Oh really?"

"Just hear me out before you say anything." and she was more animated than she had been in a while. It was as if she hadn't had the heart attack or gave most of her lifeforce to her new leader just moments before. This Donna was bouncing almost as much as her soon to be husband. This time she had a good feeling about something. "I downloaded Charles Marlowe's binary code into my mind from the data that you had on him in your database. Okay my idea is to telepathically download the binary code of Charles Marlowe's DNA into Angela. Maybe then she can grow back her eyes herself."

Adam looked at her astonished. Jax piped up, "Mainframe, you really think you can do it?"

"I have to try, Jumping Jax. I have to try." She then looked at Adam and pleaded, "Please Adam, I can't stand by and see her spend the rest of her life not being able to fly. She would die. I know she would, I have had just a taste of flight but I would die to if I couldn't fly. Just think about what being grounded might mean for a avian? It would kill her just as stabbing her with a knife."

Finally able to speak after hearing her plan Adam said, "Try, GryphonLady. Try."

Donna had tears in her eyes and ran into Adam's arms and hugged him tightly, "Thank you so much! I LOVE YOU!" She gave him a huge kiss on the cheek before letting go.

Getting all serious she went over to the HawkGirl and sat on a stool above the bird feral's head. She then took both of her hands and held the woman's head at the temples and layed her forehead on her's. "Sis, you better pull through this." She said in a whisper. She closed her eyes and poured every bit of the binary code into Angela's mind. both were glowing bright white. Everyone could swear they could see little 000000's and 111111's flowing from Donna's head into Angela's. Then the glowing stopped and she took her hands away from Angela's head and with her eyes still shut breathed a deep breath and looked at everyone.

Adam went to the bed and started removing the bandages from the bird woman's eyes.

In the Eye of the Hurricane

"We are too vulnerable to attacks here," Adam stated. "And we're in no shape to resist. I know we're all exhausted and hurting, but there are still things to do before we can go home to rest and heal. Jesse, get the Helix here."

The young molecular sighed, nodded and went to the computer terminal to fetch the VTOL from Sanctuary's hanger. He'd get the cars back later.

"Brennan, Shalimar, call the beast brigade. Instruct whoever's in charge..."

"That would be Harry Bloomenfeld," the elemental cut in. "But he let Aidaan Malone in."

"Not his fault!" exclaimed Shalimar, the feral. "Aidaan looked like you to the tiniest detail. And Harry didn't have your scent nailed enough to recognize the fraud."

"I'm not asserting blame. Tell Harry nobody enters here, not even me, without a DNA scan. Nobody!" instructed Adam. "Explain what happened."

Brennan and Shal nodded.

Adam turned to Donna. She was sitting in a corner, her elbows on her knees and her hands holding her head. Disappointment emmanated from her body like heat waves. Adam squatted in front of her and held her face in his hands. "Don't blame yourself," he said soothingly. "You thought of something when nobody else did. You did something to help her, and I'm grateful."

Donna looked at the older man. Adam looked as if he had aged years in the last few hours. He had dark circles under his eyes and his face had new and deeper lines. "It didn't work, man," she sighed, long and deep. "Why? I don't understand! Any new mutant would have processed Marlowe's DNA binary code fine!"

"Donna, the characteristic of new mutancy is an unstable DNA," he explained. "Angela isn't a new mutant. She is a real hybrid, her mutation is complete, her genes have stabilized. That's why she looks like a bird: she has apparent wings, talons. Look at ther feet. She is a half-breed. So, the code was only half processed, then rejected."

"She grew eyeballs full of fluid, but no irises or retina..." mused the psionic. "She is still..." Donna couldn't go on, words stopped midway in her throat, and she averted her eyes from Adam's.

"Blind, Donna, yes. Thanks to that son of a bitch Pandiat Singh, my niece was blinded." Adam spoke very low, only to her ears, and between gritted teeth. "I'll make him pay, GryphonLady. That man will curse the day his path crossed mine. But for now, we must recover our strength."

Donna turned her gaze back into his and nodded. No words were needed, but they both knew they were of one mind.

"Come, let's check on Cory and Sam," Adam stood and helped Donna to her feet. "I need to talk to you, Blair and Jim."

On another gurney, watching everything that went on in the Emergency Room ward, Cory Buchanan had his leg on a stretcher. His knee, already busted a year back and fixed in a long and painful surgery and therapy treatment, had given in the fight against the botanical Mumbata Ntobo. Cory, Sam, Jim and Blair were used to strange things, but these last few days were unbelievable. They were learning fast about a new reality that comprehended people capable of prowess beyond their wildest imagination, people who threw electric charges from their hands, who had the physical capabilities of animals, who grew wild plant life where there was none... to name but a few. Most of them were model citizens, leading productive lives and contributing to the welfare of society in more ways than simple humans could. But some of them were renegades who needed to be stopped. And how can supermen be stopped? That was in the minds of all Cascade Group. They were, after all, law enforcement.

Cory saw Adam, Donna and Blair come their way. He had been watching when Donna used her powers to try and heal the injured bird woman, unfortunately to little avail. He saw as Adam Kane peeled the bandages from the woman's head and lifted her eyelids, revealing eyes that were milky white. He saw the man's head bow and his hands release the instruments on the tray. And he saw Donna turn away from the scene, cover her mouth with her hands and run into Blair's open arms.

Adam sat next to his old friend MacGyver, stretched his legs, crossed his arms and rested his chin on his chest, looking down at the tip of his feet. He felt tired, dirty, beat beyond belief, running on determination alone. Mac and his band were in no better shape. Jim had a gash over his left eye that Makenna had stitched. Sam and Blair had scratches and bruises, Donna was obviously tired and, even with her new mutant enhanced recovery capabilities, she was showing the aftereffects of her coronary and the extreme effort of fighting the New Order's digicyber, hacking into Sanctuary's system and downloading Charles Marlowe's DNA binary code into Angela in a desperate attempt to make her grow new functioning eyes. Everybody had limits, they were no exception. And they were reaching theirs fast.

"I thought I was a magnet for trouble," said MacGyver without looking at Adam. "But you, my friend... You tip the scale."

"Yes," Adam answered. "Who'd say that the King of the Nerds you met thirty years ago would end up in the middle of a war? I'm getting too old for this life, Mac."

"The price was never so high, was it?" asked the wise MacGyver.

"No, never," was the bitter answer. "We've got our asses kicked many times before, but not like this." Adam chuckled without any mirth. He looked around and saw all Cascade Group gathered around him and Mac. It was time to take care of some practical business and, then, to speak his mind, open an idea that had been haunting him since this New Order mess had started.

"First things first," he started and turned to Cascade PD's best detective duo. "Jim, Blair, I'll have Tremayne's body bagged and ready to ship back to Cascade. You can have an autopsy performed on him, but I tell you the results right now: he died of septicemia."

Jim Ellison's eyebrows shot up like rockets, as Blair Sandburgh's chin dropped to the floor. It took them a little while to understand: when Lux, Rev and Donna pushed Tremayne's power back into him, they also pushed Adam's natural microorganisms into the rogue mutant, and they were already at peak infectious power. That, combined with Alex Tremayne's own natural microorganisms going berserk, caused him to die of blood poisoning. "I'll have Captain Banks get the paper work ready for the arrival." He looked at his parner and they both shook their heads. "This time, we won't have to be too creative on our report writing, Chief. The S.O.B. died of natural causes."

Now, Adam turned to MacGyver. "Mutants are regular people, Mac, only with a twist."

"Sorry, man, but this is the understatement of the millennium," shot Blair.

"I know, but what I mean is there are exemplary citizens and bandits, just like in regular society, Blair." Adam breathed deep and took a few seconds to collect his thoughts. "The renegades need confinement, just like regular human criminals need law enforcement and the judiciary system."

"But how can we stop and confine people who can do what new mutants can?" piped Sam in. "It's impossible!"

"No, it isn't impossible, Sam." Adam ran his hands through his hair and rubbed his tired eyes. "We can do that with compact sub-govs and a specially designed penitentiary facility. With podding capabilities for the most dangerous."

The Cascade Group listened intently to Mutant X leader and creator of mutant kind. The idea was new and sound, very logic indeed. For special criminals, a special prison. "The government is aware of the existence of mutants," proceeded Adam. "It doesn't want the general public to know about them, though. So, we would have to act both inside and outside the law. Mac, you, Cory and Sam, please, contact Pete Thorton. After this Lareou mess is sorted out, we must get together for a common goal."

The explosive's expert sighed heavily. This was something huge, they would need more help, of the covert kind. "I'll contact somebody else, too." And MacGyver turned his eyes to Cory in a look full of meaning. The DXS would have to be involved.

"The Helix's here," called Jesse.

Barely Breathing...

Jesse looked over at Revolution.

"Riley?" he whispered touching her hand.

She looked at him, her eyes were vacant and emotionless.

"We should head back to sanctuary," exclaimed Adam.

"I don't know," said Makenna as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear "Do you really think its a good idea to move Angela?"

Adam came over and squatted down in front of Revolution.

"Riley?" he whispered using his finger to force her to look at him "Can you get Angela back?"

She looked at him and swallowed hard.

"Sure," she whispered.

"All you'll have to do is get her into the Helix," he whispered.

Revolution nodded and stood up.

Lux struggled to her feet and went to stand next to her. She placed a hand on the young woman's shoulders.

I know.

Revolution looked at her and smiled gratefully.

Lux understood Revolution's pain. She was glad her gifts gave her the chance to see what would have happened if Treymane had been allowed to live. Revolution however, was only 19 and had just killed her first man. There would be no sleep for the young telekinetic in the days to come.

"Come on everyone," said Makenna "We'll finish patching up back at Sanctuary."

Highs And Lows

Sanctuary:

Back at Sanctuary they all were winding down from a huge day. Angela was in her room resting. Donna was sitting outside of her room on the floor. Disappointed at not being able to restore her friends sight. But even though she couldn't do what she had set off to do she couldn't help but feel that something good was on the horizon. She couldn't understand why she felt this way while at the same time feeling so bad. She had pulled off some major things since they had hooked up and became sisters so to speak but this was the first time that she had failed miserably and that was what depressed her at the moment.

Blair passed by and saw her on the floor. "Honey why don't you come over here and sit with us?"

"No, I want to be there for Angela when she wakes up. I don't want her to be alone right now." She replied.

"You really should listen to Blair." that was Adam, "You have had a rough time today and need rest. I can give you something."

"I can rest right here." Donna said looking at the older man.

"She can borrow my papasan if you want." Shalimar said to the psionic. "I can bring it for you honey."

"Oh, you don't have to. I'm comfortable right here."

"Don't be silly. I'll be right back." The feral left for her room and came back with the chair and sat it up for Donna.

"Thanks, Shal' I appreciate it." Donna said giving a weak smile to her friend.

"Just don't overdo it hon'. I'm glad that she has you." Shalimar gave Donna a hug and left for something to eat, "Would you like something while I am in the kitchen.

"A bottled water would be nice." Donna said. "Thanks."

Shalimar was off.

"Like Shalimar said, "Don't overdo it."" The leader of Mutant X said and gave her a peck on the cheek. "If you need anything else just ask."

"Adam?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for being there."

"Anytime." And they gave each other a huge hug. Then the Mutant X Leader was off to the lab to check on everyone else.

Rude Awakening

"Donna, honey?"

The hand caressing her cheek was soft and tender. She opened her eyes, bleary and stiff from sleeping on a chair. How long had she slept? What time was it? The place was full of skylights that let in natural light and helped keep it warm. Judging by the sun, it should be almost noon.

She saw her fiancée, Blair, squating by the side of the chair and delicately calling her back from sleep to another difficult day, with a hard task right in front of her. "Wake up, baby," he said. "Adam, Shal and Emma will be here in a half an hour to wake Angela up. He said he needed you."

Donna nodded, caressed Blair's face, stood up and took his hand, heading to her own room to clean and change.

Adam watched as Emma and Shalimar pulled Angela's limp body up and propped it on pillows in a half sitting position. He, then, sat down at the bird woman's right and motioned Donna to sit by her left. Shalimar and Emma sat facing them, each on either side of the bed. Adam wrapped his left arm around the sleeping woman's shoulders and covered her eyes with his right hand, holding tightly. He nodded to Emma and the young psionic looked at him, formed a mind blast and shot it directly to the sleeping woman's forehead. She stirred and started moving slightly, as she recovered consciousness.

Angela tried to stretch and sit up on the bed, and she was startled by the tight grip that held her almost imobile. "What? What is it..." Instinctively, she grabbed the wrist holding her face and tried to pry it loose, but it only held her more firmly. "Easy, easy. It's me, take it easy." The voice was unmistakable. Releasing his wrist, she touched the hand over her eyes with the tip of her taloned fingers. The hand felt right, but she was confused. What was that all about? "Adam? Is this your idea of a joke? Let me go!"

His grip was firm, but gentle. "Just relax, Angela."

"What's going on?" she asked and moved her left hand, lightly brushing it against Donna's arm. "Who else is here? What is it? Adam, please, you're scaring me."

Shalimar held Angela's right hand. "Relax, Tweety. I'm here, so are Emma and Donna," said the feral in a low, soothing voice.

"Why do I have the feeling that you've all gathered here to bring me very bad news?" asked the bird woman. "If you don't mind my asking, what face is Adam making right now?" Angela heard two breath intakes. "Shalimar? What face?"

The feral sighed, looked at her friends and saw Adam turn to the right, avoiding her eyes. "He's making the 'I hate myself' face, Tweety."

"Oh, damn..." The bird woman shook her head, still in Adam's grip and relaxed her shoulders a bit, groping with her left hand for Donna's.

Adam forced her head up a little, looked down at her and asked, "Angela, what's the last thing you remember?"

"What do you mean, the last thing? I don't understand." She was confused.

"The very last thing, dear, tell me."

Angela frowned under his hand. Dear? He never called her that! Adam wasn't one for displays of affection, no way. This was getting worse by the second. She bit her upper lip in a very characteristic way, reaching back with her mind to the last memories her foggy brain held. "Well... I..." she was thinking hard. "I was up on the building accross the parking lot. It was mayhem down there, all hell was breaking loose, I..." she stopped for a couple of seconds, remembering. "I didn't know who I should attack, who needed help, I..." she stopped again, her mouth working but no words coming out of it. "I..." Adam felt tears under his hand. "I hesitated. I'm so sorry, I..." He felt her eyes shutting down hard and a sob shake her shoulders.

"No, no, don't. That's OK, Angela, go on."

Angela's hand held Donna's more tightly as the memories flooded her mind. The bond that linked the bird feral and the multipsionic made one feel the emotions of the other and Donna felt Angela's embarrassment at her confusion and hesitation to attack. Angela went on, painfully. "I saw you, Adam, leap over Brennan and slam your feet against that dumb blonde punching the ground. I remember I smiled and thought 'Good, go for it.' And I took off to get some height so I could dive better." Angela's tale was getting momentum. "Then, I saw Tremayne grab your hand, smirk and start pouring his power into you. You glowed purple, Adam! The falcon's protective instinct to the falconer took me over and I screeched. I dove talons first directly to Tremayne, I wanted to rip that grin off his face and..." She stopped and drew a deep breath. "And that's when a 747 ran me over, or that was what it felt like. Something hit me very hard. Very hard." The Avian feral stopped again, this time thinking harder. Memories were getting sketchier. She covered Adam's hand with her own, dropped her head and shut her eyes tight. "After that, I... It's less than a memory, more like a nightmare. I remember your call, the whistle. I think I was in a cave... or... a hole in the ground, very dark. Then, just sounds... Then, nothing."

Adam swallowed hard. "Angela, listen to me. Something hit you, yes." He could feel her heart pounding. "The Salamander threw a ball of blue fire at you. It caught you in the face, a direct hit." She shuddered in his arms, and he held her even more firmly.

She was trembling, her heart seemed to leap inside her chest. "I should be dead, then. Why am I not dead?"

"Angela, he wasn't aiming to kill, only to damage." Adam swallowed hard again and hesitated. He seldom felt so at a loss for words as he did now. "And he did a lot of damage, dear. An awful lot of damage."

Angela stiffened, ordered her heart to stop its mad pounding. "You can take your hand off of my face. I won't open my eyes." Her voice was surprisingly steady. "Tell me what happened."

Adam dragged the news on. In the past, he had to inform parents of their children's mutations, many of them impossible to imagine, some of them as painful as the worse diseases. He had to inform mothers of difficult miscarriages, fathers of stillbirths, he had to give terrible news to sensitive people. Never had it been so difficult. Never had it hurt so much. "When we found you, Lux tried to heal your injuries," he wen on. "She healed the burns, the scarring, both inside and outside." He was biting his upper lip to keep his teeth from shattering. "But there was nothing she could do about your eyes. The Salamander..." he couldn't go on, but he had to. Slowly, he removed his hand from Angela's face and drew here head to his chest. He looked at the three women gathered around his niece. They came closer. He had to jump ahead. "Donna hacked into Sanctuary's system, downloaded Charles Marlowe's DNA's binary code and telepathically fed it to you, so you could grow new functioning eyes yourself." The bird woman gasped and buried her face in his chest. "Your stable genes rejected the code half way through the processing. I am so... so sorry..."

Angela thought she was screaming, but no piercing sound came out of her lips, only the moans of a weeping wounded animal were heard. Her shoulders shook, her chest heaved and her tears moistened her uncle's shirt. Still sobbing, she pushed him away from her and turned back to Donna Gryphon. She drew her knees up to ther chest and grabbed her sister's hand in hers. Donna felt the full impact of the panic the bird woman felt, the enormous fear of dark and enclosure, of the black pit her world had turned into. Emma was crying openly and Shal was trying her hardest not to give in to her pain. The three women surrounded Angela in a cocoon of warmth and support. Outside the circle, Adam stepped back, crossed his arms and tucked his chin on his chest, shutting his eyes and trying not to give in to emotion himself. The bird woman lifted her face in the direction she believed Donna's face was and drew courage from the bond she shared with her sister. She opened her milky white eyes to nothing, to emptiness, to black. Losing the last shread of control she had over her fear, the woman screamed, tearing at at the hearts and souls of every person in Sanctuary, and they all clamped their hands over their ears, trying to shut off the wail of the torn bird.

The Naked Past (On Cat's Behalf)

Her lover's scent was unmistakable. Even in her pain-filled state, Cat knew he had entered the room. She had arrived in pain the night before, sleep had been impossible. Every faint noise sounded like cymbals in her head, the tick tack of the wall clock exploded like dynamite in her ears. She heard Brennan open the door four or five times since he had carried his kitten pumped full of painkillers to bed. He expected to find her still curled up and asleep, even this late in the morning. Instead, she was sitting at the head of the bed, her knees up to her chin, her hands covering her ears and tears running from her eyes like twin rivers. The slightest movement sent the world madly spinning around her like a ride in a fair. He wiped the tears from her face. Why hadn't she called him? She knew she could have, should have. "Why?" he whispered.

Cat gasped and her hand shot from her ear to his mouth, shutting him up. Then, she pointed to a notepad and pen on the bedstand. He picked it up and wrote, "Why you don't lean on me? Why you don't let me help you when you need it? I could have taken you to Makenna, to Adam". Grabbing the pad and the pen, she answered, "They're too busy caring for the others, and they can't do anything for my eardrums."

Brennan wrote back, "Let the doctors decide."

That moment, a scream shook the very foundations of their hideout, a long, panic filled wail. Even a hardened man like Brennan Mulwray flinched at the sound. Shooting up from the bed, holding her ears and her head, Cat stumbled and staggered to the bathroom, falling on her knees and heaving painfully as she lost the battle with nausea. Brennan jumped after her, holding her head, washing her face as she started to weep again. She buried her face in his neck and her whisper was little more than a sigh, "She knows, they told her... Oh, Lord, Angela knows." Cat's eardrums would eventually heal, but the bird feral would be blinded for life.

Taking matters on his own hands, Brennan eased his arms under Cat's legs and back. It struck him then just how light she really was. With no effort he picked her up and left the bedroom, heading to the MedLab.

Makenna Coniglario turned from the computer where she was studying the best way to reconstruct Cory Buchannan's torn knee ligaments and made Brennan lay Cat in the exam chair in the middle of the room. "Is there anything you can do for her? Please?"

Makenna looked at the feral. Her eyes were closed, and her hands were over her ears. "I'll have to see how much damage was done to the myrinx. As long as there's something still there, I can use a synthetic colagen membrane to rebuild her tympanum."

Makenna walked over to Cat. "I'll have to check your ears," she mouthed almost without any sound.

The feline feral looked up at the human doctor, her eyes filled with hurt and fear. In her young life, Cat had known her fair share of pain, she had been wounded many times over, but never had she faced that much unrelenting pain. She clamped her hands tighter over her ears and shook her head no, causing the world to spin faster and faster, until she had to uncover her ears and grab the chair, lest she fall on the floor. Makenna seized the chance and strapped Cat's wrists to the chair restraints, while Brennan tried to calm his lover down. Rapidly preparing an IV drip, Makenna picked a vein in the back of Cat's hand. "I'll stop the pain," the human doctor mouthed to the scared feral. Cat's eyes fluttered as the anaesthetic made her head swim and the world turn dark.

Makenna smiled at Brennan. With an otiscope, she examined Cat's ears to see how badly they were ruptured. Her left ear had just a torn tympanum, but was still in fairly good shape; her right eardrum was worse, but still repairable.

Adam walked into the lab and went over to the chair. "Your diagnostic, Makenna?"

"Badly ruptured tympana. Luckily, they're torn, not exploded," she handed him the otiscope. "Take a look."

Taking the tool from Makenna's hand, he looked at Cat's middle ears. She was absolutely right. Despite her unconventional looks, she was a remarkable doctor. "Synthetic colagen membrane?"

"Yeah, I'll cover the tears and the membrane will be absorbed after the drumhead heals."

Adam set the otiscope down and nodded, wearily. "Need any help?" He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Nah, that's simple enough." She studied him, and he looked exhausted. "Go get some rest. The last thing I need is you as a patient. Brennan, get him out of here."

As Makenna bent down to start working on Cat's ears, Brennan walked to the hallway. "How's Tweety?" he asked.

"As expected," the older man answered. "Scared out of her mind. Most ferals have pyrophobia, fear of fire. As an Avian, she has claustrophobia, fear of enclosed spaces. Cruel and ironic fate... Damn..." He rubbed his temples. "Other than Angela, Revolution worries me."

Brennan chuckled softly. "You worry about everybody."

"True, but Riley's dealing with major trauma," Adam answered. "She's nineteen, suffered a lot in her few years, and she helped kill a man."

"Tremayne had it coming!"

"Agreed, but you see, Donna's law enforcement. She has had to use lethal force before," Adam explained. "Lux's precog power made her deal with the trauma whether she wanted to or not. Riley, on the other hand, puts up a brave front, jokes, but hasn't slept a moment or eaten anything. Well, she has started to talk, which is good. I'll see if she opens up a little more, when she's ready." The older man smiled faintly at the electric elemental. "Go back to Cat. She needs you now, more than ever." And he walked away.

Cat woke several hour latter. She could hear Brennan's snoring, but the sound brought comfort, not pain. She sat up looking at Brennan and realized she couldn't keep her past from him any longer. "Brennan?" she called softly.

He woke with a start and sat up straight. "How are you?" he asked, siting on the edge of the chair and taking her hand in his.

"My ears still hurt some, but most of the pain is gone." she told him. "Thank you!" Cat said, as Brennan pulled her head up to bring her lips to his. They kissed long and sweetly, finding they needed the intimacy to help them heal.

"Can we talk? I mean, really talk this time?" Cat asked.

"Always, Cat. What about?"

"The past, Brennan."

"I know who you are!"

"No, Brennan, I don't think you do. Can we go out by the pond?" she asked him.

"Sure!" Brennan helped Cat stand up. Though felling better, she was still a little unsteady on her feet. They went to the pond holding hands. Once there, Cat took off her shoes and stepped into the water. She turned to look at Brennan. "Stay where you are," she told him, and climbed the block in the middle of the pond, carefully distancing herself from Brennan.

Brennan watched her. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Cat took a deep breath. "You know I worked for the GSA, but do you have any idea what I did for Eckhart?"

"I don't know and I don't care."

"You might change you mind once I tell you," she shot back. "You know Eckhart had several trained killers working for him."

"Yes, we fought and stopped a few, but we could never find or stop his head killer. The guy was just too good at his job."

Looking at Brennan from the block on the pond, she closed her eyes and shook her head. "That's because he was a she, and that she was me."

Brennan couldn't believe what he had just heard. He glared at her as if he had never met her before, and the look in his eyes hurt more them her torn eardrums had.

"Brennan I'm not proud of what I've done." She was drawing courage to admit her past crimes from her love for him. "At the time I was Eckhart's hired killer, I was mad at the whole world. Know that what I've done can not be forgiven or forgotten." She sat cross legged on the block. "Brennan, it's my training the New Order wants. I mean, why did you think they contacted me? It wasn't because of my past as a stripper."

"How could you?" Brennan managed to ask. "From what we know of Eckhart's top assassin, you would have killed almost twenty people."

"Thirteen men, five women..." she sighed heavily, "and three children. All of them considered too dangerous to live." She covered her face with her hands. "And I can still see all their faces. They're burned into my brain." She lifted her head and looked at him. "I was not the same person then that I am now. I let the feral have her way. I don't let her have total control anymore, but I have a felling I will for this fight."

"I don't understand."

"My feral side is separated from my human side," she explained. "Kind of like double personalities. When I go feral, I never let her take total control over me."

"Tell me, how did you kill them?" asked the elemental. "The victims of Eckhart's hitman were mangled beyond recognition. You don't look like you could tear someone apart."

Cat slowly stood up. "If I leap at you, stun me." Her eyes glowing a deep gold, she let the feral have total control and changed like a weretiger before Brennan's amazed eyes. Her nails seemed to retract and extend as claws like a true cat's would, deadly sharp. Her teeth grew pointy and curved like a tiger's, and her hiss could freeze the heart. Now he knew how she had killed and maimed. One hit from the razor sharp claws and the wound would be fatal.

Cat clenched her hands into fists, burying her claws on her own flesh and roared as she fought to get control back from the wild beast that she had become. "You see what I mean?" she asked. She sunk back into a cross-legged lotus position and bent her head into her hands. Brennan leapt to the top of the block and held her by the shoulders, making her look at him. "I can't say I understand why you did what you did for Eckhart, but it's in your past. We'll deal with it, but you have to talk to the others." he told her.

"I know, but I wanted to tell you first." She dreaded the moment she would have to expose her past to the others. How would they react when she told them she had been Eckhart's prized killer?

Some Much Needed Rest

Sanctuary, Donna's room.

After having to sedate Angel, Adam had ordered that Donna go and get some real rest. She didn't feel much like resting now after all the emotional trauma that she had absorbed from her bird sister. If she could trade places with her she would. Angela had been the first one to open her eyes to the world of New Mutants and Mutant X. Sure she new about what she was but she had not been in contact with others like herself until now.

Each bedroom in Sanctuary had it's own computer. Donna decided to go to her's and surf around. Nothing major just having a little fun. She didn't use her telecyber ability either. She was ordered by Adam that under no circumstances she was to use her powers unless absolutely necessary. Going through national news, entertainment and the like. She read an interview from Dr. Hank McCoy about mutations. She had met him a little while ago while fighting Eckhart and his minions at the Foundation. Very interesting man, from his appearance you wouldn't think of him as an intelligent well mannered man. She liked him the instant he opened his mouth to speak. After spending what seemed like hours in front of the computer surfing the Internet and basically doing nothing she got sleepy and went to bed.

Sanctuary, Common Room:

Blair had just walked in after checking on his fiance. "Well, Donna's finally sleeping."

Adam walked in hearing what the anthropologist had just said. "Good, she needs as much sleep as possible after what she has been through. She is not to do any strenuous activities for the next few days. She just had a coronary and has used her powers far beyond what she is used to. And the stress and trauma in and of itself is bad enough." Since everything that had happened and the young psionic finding out that her sister by fire was his niece Adam had become very close to the woman. She had almost felt like another niece and he was getting almost as worried about her as he was for Angela.

"Don't worry, we will make sure that she gets better." Blair said to the older man. "How's Angela?"

"I was just thinking about her." Adam said to the guide. "She is sleeping too. So are many of the others."

MacGyver who was also in the room asked the scientist, "Is there anything that you can do for her eyes?"

"I don't know. I am still looking for some options. I don't have any answers right now."

Mac walked up to his old friend and said, "Don't worry Addy, I am sure that you will find a way. You are pretty good at coming up with things out of thin air."

"Seems like that is something you both have in common, Dr. Kane" said Sam looking up and smiling at his father and Dr. Kane.

"Please, Sam, we are friends, you can call me Adam." The leader of Mutant X said to the other guide in the sanctuary.

Cory limps into the room on crutches that Adam had supplied for him and sat in a chair next to his guide and best friend and said to the leader, "Tweety," using the nickname that the others in Mutant X had used for the bird feral, "is still resting." Jax was in tow.

Jim made a comment, "I swear, I think that those two are Siamese twins."

"Who?" Jesse said.

"Angela and Donna." Jim answered the molecular man. "One is hurt, the other is hurt also."

"That is because they are connected to one another." Emma explained. "As am I with them. But I'm not as bonded with Tweety as Donna."

"I don't think Mainframe knew what she was bargaining for when she first contacted HawkGirl over the Internet. I wonder if she regrets having made the connection with us." Jax added.

"Donna doesn't. I have never seen her so alive, man. Meeting all of you is exactly what she needed." Blair said to the feral woman.

Jim added to what Blair had just said with, "She even was considering trying to find some of her kind and creating a group of some kind. Something like Mutant X as a matter of fact. That is how she came across Angela, she was trying to find others like herself. She had been alone for far too long. But after meeting all of you she says that she doesn't need to. Like Blair said, she is crazy about you guys. And that includes The Ring. I see how she acts around you as well and Donna only lets a select few into her little circle. Count yourselves lucky."

Adam thought about this little bit of new information he was given. Something he would have to file away in the folder that he titled "Donna Gryphon".

"Well, my mom would say that it was fate that she found Angela. That it was written in the stars that they connected." Blair said.

"Well," MacGyver said looking from his older son to his old friend, "Whatever it is, I am glad that it brought us back together again. Huh, Addy."

"So am I." And he added with a stern look on his face, "And please don't call me "Addy."

"You never did like that did you?"

"No."

Ghosts

"Rev?" whispered Lux as she tip toed into the young telekinetic's room.

She looked around, taking in the things that made the room less mutant x and more Riley. Riley, she wondered when was the last time that Revolution had called herself that. She wandered over to the bedside table and picked up the book Revolution was reading.

"Its about the end of the world," exclaimed Revolution as she walked inside.

"Oh, hey," said Lux "I didn't mean to snoop."

Revolution smiled and took the book from Lux's hands.

"Alas Babylon," she whispered "One of the kinder nurses at Genomex snuck this in for us. She would bring us one book at a time. This one was always my favorite, the people in it were..."

"Survivors"finished Lux.

Revolution nodded and set the book back down.

"So? what's up?" she asked.

"I just wanted to see if you were all right," replied Lux.

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

"I'm swell," she whispered and sat down on her bed.

"No, your not," whispered Lux "Your mind is racing, that's why you couldn't read. Your wondering about Tremayne, if he was married, if he had kids. Your thinking about Angela's eyes. Your wondering if you were cut out for Mutant X."

Revolution looked at her, her eyes danced with anger.

"Stay the #%$ out of my head," she whispered.

Lux shook her head.

"Get out of my room," whispered Revolution as she looked away.

"Fine," whispered Lux.

Black Reality

"You taste so good."

With the click of the opening door, the bird woman, huddled in the back of the birdcage, holding her knees tightly against her chest, her wings covering her whole body in a ball of feathers, lifted her head. The mishapen form of the toad creature that had captured her earlier had just stepped into the cage, his sticky, green tongue darting from its mouth. Her heart seemed to skip a beat and she stood up to her full height.

The creature just smirked wickedly in anticipation, licking its lips, as it stepped forward.

Her wings unfolded and spread, exposing her body, her arms extended and her hands as claws, showing her talons. With a flap of her wings, she tried to fly out of the creature's reach only to have a sharp pain shoot from the back of her neck and coil around her spine, clenching its fists around every nerve of her body, forcing her down on all fours, with her forehead almost touching the concrete floor.

"You can't fight back, can you?" laughed the toad creature. "All your fighting capacity is directly linked to your mutation." The creature laughed out loud. This was going to be fun! "You can't even fight back as a human would! The sub-gov kicks in!" Its laugh was a bark and it couldn't keep its tongue still. It darted forward and wrapped itself around the bird woman's neck, lifting her up and pinning her against the bars. Instinctively, she curled her hands into claws. The punishment was instantaneous and she strained her head back against the pain jolt. She opened her hands, trying not to think ahead. Keeping the woman immobile with his long tongue, the creature quickly spread her arms and cuffed her wrists to the cage bars. It stepped back to appreciate the view. Her skin was the color of milk chocolate and her hair was dark, short and curly. Not too tall, but muscular, with the narrow waist and large hips characteristic of mulatto women. Her hands and feet were strange, but for the creature's tastes, very appealing.

Donna felt the bitter bile of deep revulsion fill her mouth. Even asleep as she was, her heart was pounding and cold sweat moistened the T-shirt she used as a nightgown. She tried to shut her eyes tight and open them again as her grandmother had taught her, but it was no good. This nightmare wouldn't let her go, no matter what.

Its tongue unwrapped from her neck and slowly dribbled through her chest to her waist. The creature slurped it up and smacked its lips. That chick sure tasted great, sweet. It got closer, grabbing the bars and rubbing his hips against hers, glueing her against the back of the cage. She turned her head to the right, shutting her eyes and clenching her teeth. The toad held her chin in its left hand and forced her mouth open, it's tongue shooting out and invading hers in a repulsive kiss, while his right hand explored her body, ripping her leggins.

Emma woke with a start and leapt out of the bed. The fear, loathing and revulsion pouring out of Angela's room were almost overwhelming, yet Emma knew the bird woman wasn't awake, but held in a terrifying nightmare, re-experiencing the most horrific night of her life. Emma left her room in a hurry, still in her nightgown and ran to Angela, clicking emergency on her comring.

The red alert blinked on the computer's screen with the letters EDL. The little red dot moved down the corridor and entered a room, stopping there. Adam hit the hallway running.

The acidic tongue left her mouth raw and burnt. It licked her neck, her throat and wrapped itself around her bra, yanking it off.

The scream sounded through the hallway as Adam entered Angela's room. The bird woman was arched backwards, her head turned away from the door. Emma tried to hold her thrashing arms, but she wasn't strong enough. Adam leapt over the bed and held Angela's arms above her head, shouting for Makenna, for anyone within earshot. The psionic held the bird woman's head in her hands and concentrated, fighting to penetrate her mind and wake her up from the limbo that held her, but she was herself sucked into the dreamscape. Emma's eyes saw, but she was like a ghost, impalpable, without substance. She could watch and report, but she could not interfere.

The creature's body rubbed lecherously against hers, and its tongue danced madly on her skin, leaving angry welts wherever it touched. Its hands eased their way down her back, grabbing her thighs. With inhuman strength, the toad forced her legs open.

The lampshade crashed to the floor, waking Blair up suddenly, as Donna rolled around on the bed, held fast in the claws of the unyielding nightmare. The sheets were soaking wet and she was shaking and seemed to breath in gulps. Blair tried to hold her down, but a fist hit him on the chest and he fell off the bed. He ran to the door, opened it and yelled for help.

Sanctuary was in an uproar. Brennan and Cat came running. They entered Donna's room together with Mac and Jim Ellison. The four of them had a hard time holding Donna's body down on the bed as it threw the coverings and punched the mattress. Shalimar and Jax shot into Angela's room and fell on her kicking legs, trying to pin them down. Makenna Coniglario came in a hurry carrying two syringes full of a greenish liquid and prepared to inject the bird woman's vein, as Emma screamed, "No! Don't put them under! It has to play to the end!"

The falcon flew high, gently held in the beak of a fabulous mythic beast with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. Even though the bird knew it was supposed to be devoured, it felt no fear, only relief that it had been snatched away from the clutches of its jailer. Reaching the higher spheres, where its eagle eyes could see the curve of the earth, the beast of legend opened its beak and let the bird roll free. Spreading its wings, the falcon soared and circled the beast three times, studying it, gazing at its magnificence. The eagle-lion shot its head back and roared. The falcon screeched back and shot northwards. A few miles away, the bird turned back and screeched again, inviting the dream beast to follow it. They flew together until a golden mountain surrounded by brilliant sea loomed ahead. Circling the top, the falcon screeched once more and spiraled down, perching on a dead tree trunk that jutted up against the blue sky. The mystic beast alighted and walked over to sit on its hind legs under the falcon's perch. The falcon studied the strange legendary creature with its round yellow eyes. Suddenly, the winged lion leapt up, unfurling its wings and flew above the mountain, roaring an invitation. The falcon opened its wings and took off after the beast, and they danced together in an airborne ballet. They soared, circled, dove and spiraled for a long time. The setting sun shimmered on their wings and played tricks with their bodies, sometimes showing them as beast and bird, sometimes showing them as flying women, touching talon to paw, hand to hand, mind to mind, knowledge to knowledge until they were one with the wind, the sky and the horizon. The falcon drank deeply in the openness and sheer size of the blue canopy, beating its wings and searching for heat columns that pushed it higher and higher till the firmament almost darkened and the earth bellow showed the form of the continents. The half moon shone in the late afternoon sky as beast and bird swam the air until it was time to return to their true selves. For the bird it might have been the last time, for the gryphon, it was but the first.

Their real bodies relaxed and they fell flat on their backs, as they breathed deep and opened their eyes. They'd returned to the waking world.

Donna looked around to see four people holding her to the bed. Blair was the first to let go of her wrist and pull her to his chest with a sigh. They held each other for minutes, until Donna's heart pulled her away from her lover and out of the room. Barefoot, her straight dark hair streaming down her back, wearing only a crumpled T-shirt, she ran down the hallway and stormed into another room, where a winged woman sat curled up at the head of the bed, hugging her knees tight up to her chest, her open milky eyes unseeing but aware of her arrival. With a sad and tired little smile, Angela welcomed her, "GryphonLady, greetings," as Donna sat on the bed and embraced her. One by one, all the others left the room, very quietly, leaving them holding each other until the bird woman could face her new world painted in black where she'd never again fly high or low, and where there would be no peace to be sought.

I Defy You Stars...

Revolution wrapped her coat tighter around her and took a deeper drag of her cigarette, savoring the feel of the nicotine as it filled her lungs.

"The stars are out tonight," she whispered as she floated to the highest point of Stormking mountain.

There was one thing Revolution never understood it was how the stars could still shine when there was so much horror in the world below.

"I defy you stars," she whispered raising her middle fingers to the sky.

She laughed at her unintentional Shakespearean reference.

"Meg would be proud," she exclaimed shaking her head.

Megan Whitely, age 11, telepath. An adorable girl with an obsession with Shakespeare. After the downfall of the Psionic Project, she had been adopted by a feral woman. Revolution had made sure that she had contacted all of the survivors when she had gotten her first job. She remembered Meg's word as she and Joanie had escaped to the radiators.

"Cowards die many times before their deaths, The valiant never taste of death but once." Revolution whispered.

Meg had worshiped her and as much as she hated to admit it, that idol worship had made her feel like a good person. Then again, she had never considered herself a "good" person. She had lied, cheated, stolen and now she had killed.

"Well, slap some orange on me and color me convict," she said laughing.

Mutant X had been a real change for her. They had taken her in without asking questions, they had rescued her and Cat from God knows what fate awaited them. Yet, she still didn't trust them.

"Frailty, thy name is woman!" She yelled laughing.

She lifted herself higher and higher until the mountain was just a speck.

"Riley? No, my dear!" yelled Sam Simpson "You are fair too wild to just be Riley. You will be my little Revolution."

She smiled at the memory. Sam Simpson, activist extraordinaire, had been her first boss. Taking her in and teaching her the ways of the hacker. There she had flourished and Sam had become like a father to her.

"Sam!" She yelled as she entered the office.

The Simpson Associates Office looked as though a tornado had ripped through it. She raised her left hand and threw a desk from the door.

"Hey Little Revolution," whispered Sam, blood running down his stomach.

The person who had slaughtered Sam had never been caught. The attack had been vicious and Revolution had always vowed that if she ever found out who was responsible, her attack would be equally vicious.

So many people had come flying in and out of her life. Sam, Meg, Joanie, people who had changed her for the good and then there were the ones who changed her for the worse.

"Henry," she whispered shaking her head.

If there was one person who had hurt her most, it was him. Henry Martin, an electrical elemental like Brennan. She had fallen hard for him. She had fallen for him and he had betrayed her...Twice. Once to the cops the other to Eckhart.

"O, woe is me,To have seen what I have seen, see what I see!"She whispered as she descended "God Damnit! Again with the #%$ shakespeare!".

She say down on a rock and threaded her fingers in her hair. She wasn't strong enough to do this anymore, she realized as she lifted her cell phone from her pocket and with a trembling finger dialed a familiar number.

"Hello?" rasped a voice.

"Daddy?" said Revolution.

Jesse was shocked to hear her say that. he stopped where he was and leaned against a tree. It bothered him to know that she had parents and he didn't know it.

"Riley?" said the voice "Do you have any idea what time it is here?"

"I'm sorry," she exclaimed setting her head on her hands.

"What do you want? Do you need more bail money?" he asked.

"No Daddy," she said "I'm not in jail, they let me out. How's Mom?"

"She's fine," he said "I've got to let you go now. The baby is crying."

"Baby?" she asked as he hung up.

Jesse took that opportunity to step from the shadows.

"Revolution?" he asked.

She turned and looked at him with tears streaming down her face.

"I have a sibling," she whispered "My parents had another kid and they never even called me. Must be they don't want their precious baby knowing about its freak of a big sis."

"I'm sure that's not it," he said.

"What then? They lost my number?"

She buried her head in her hands and sobbed.

"I'm so tired," she whispered "I'm tired of being hurt, I'm tired of always losing and I am so tired of being angry."

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair.

"Its not fair," she cried "Do we deserve this? did Angela deserve to lose her eyes? did Max deserve to watch his birth parents slaughter in front of him? Did Shalimar deserve to be locked up?"

He didn't know what to say, so he just held her tighter while she raged.

"Come on Baby," he whispered "Let's go in."

She nodded slowly and wiped her eyes. He helped her to her feet and took her hand.

"The stars are the heroes of old," whispered Meg "They watch over us and give us courage to move forward."

Revolution looked up once more and smiled.

"I won't give up, if you don't give up," she whispered.

"Did you say something?" asked Jesse.

"No," she said smiling gently.

Pray you now, forget and forgive, she thought as they walked away.

"Stars sure are pretty tonight, aren't they?" asked Jesse.

"They are beautiful," she whispered and kissed his hand.

Making Peace And Moving On

Sanctuary, Donna's room:

Insomnia was a bitch. After trying anything and everything to relax, Donna finally started some music. An '80s station that she had previously found. She sat on the bed thinking about all that had gone on during the past few days. Reliving her attack, fighting The New Chaos as Adam called them. Angela's blindness, she so wished that her plan had worked. She also thought about helping Rev and Lux stop Tremayne. The others might think that she was used to using lethal force with her police work but the truth was that she had never had to use such drastic measures before. Helping to kill someone wasn't something that she was particularly proud of but she had to do it. My goodness, he tried to kill Blair and Angela. And he was trying to kill Adam. Now that was the icing on the cake as far as she was concerned. He went after far too many people that she cared about and loved for him to be allowed to go on any further. And if stopping him meant killing him, then she would happily carry that with her for the rest of her life. She finally went to sleep. Also putting to rest some of the worry and pain that she had felt from these few days. Tomorrow was a brand new day with all kinds of possibilities and things that needed to be done.

The next morning she woke and got dressed and went to the kitchen to find herself something to eat. She found some eggs and made herself a bowl of scrambled eggs and added some ketchup to the mix and a couple of slices of bread. Brennan walked in several minutes later and found her sitting at the table and said looking at what was in the bowl and said, "Athena, what the hell are you eating? Looks like something that came out of someone's guts."

"Very funny, Zeus, it is scrambled eggs and ketchup. I have always liked them. My older brother started me on them when I was just a little bitty girl. Never eat them without the red stuff."

"That is just too disgusting."

"To each their own, Sparky."

"Whatever," and he poured himself a box of cereal. They sat down and finished their breakfast as one after the other anyone who was not sleeping in entered the kitchen and fed themselves. Most of the Cascade Group with the exception of Jim and Mac were still asleep as was Angela.

Adam was also in to get something to eat and he saw that Donna was eating something. She looked more rested than he had seen her for days and that gave him encouragement. He didn't know how much more that she could take before she reached her breaking point. Today she had more color to her complexion and the light was shining brighter in her eyes. He made a comment, "GryphonLady, you look much better this morning."

"Thanks, I feel better."

"I gather you got some good sleep last night." the man said.

"After doing some thinking about things. I have made peace with some issues too. And, I want you to know that I will stay here for as long as I am needed to help Angela out and the rest of you."

"Thank you, I am sure that she would appreciate it as much as I do. And, thank you again for helping her get through that nightmare that she had last night."

"It's what I'm here for." Donna finished her eggs and downed a glass of milk. "When AngelGirl wakes up I will take her something to eat and help her out today. I wanna help her out as much as I can." She said after she got up and cleaned her dishes and her and Adam left the kitchen, Adam with a cup of coffee and a beagle with cream cheese.

Adam saw the little hint of guilt in her eyes as she talked of helping his niece and said, "You still feel like you let her down do you." She leaned against a computer console and idly played with the mouse looking down at her feet ashamed. "Donna, sweetheart, even you have limits. You did everything that you could for her. Now just being there for her will be enough to get her through this. Look at me, Donna," Adam gives a wide smile and says, "You have pulled off some major feats and have saved HawkGirl's life so many times. Hmm?" Donna gives a weak smile, "And for that I am thankful."

Changing the subject Donna asks, "So, what are we gonna do with Alex Temayne's body?"

Sighing Adam says to the psionic, "Jim and Blair are going to ship him back to Cascade."

"Good." And Donna gave Adam a smile and headed for Angela's room to check on her.

One Step at a Time

"Count the steps, lass."

The voice could be heard loud and clear from inside Angela's room. Donna cracked the door open and peered inside. Jax McManus was sitting on the winged chair the other side of the bed, and Angela was standing up facing the wall, two steps to Donna's left. "Use your hands, Hawkgirl, touch the wall," instructed the lioness. "What have you done so far?"

"I've just stood up from my bed," answered the falcon hybrid.

"What side of the bed?"

"The left side," said the bird woman.

"Where's the bathroom?"

"From where I'm standing, to my right," the bird woman turned to the right, her hand touching the wall.

"Don't forget to count the steps," reminded the feline feral. "Keep the information in your head, you'll need it later."

Angela counted the steps, one, two, three, four, five, six... and bumped into the chest of drawers propped against the other wall. "Didn't you know it was there?" asked Jax.

"I forgot," sighed Angela. "I forgot to picture the room in my mind."

"Now, find the bathroom door," proceeded Jax, as Angela gropped for the door knob, and found it. "Now, picture the bathroom in your head. Tell me what's in there, I'll tell you if you're right."

Donna smiled at Jax, as Angela started describing the bathroom, where was the sink, her towels, her toiletries. "Aie, that's where everything is," praised the lioness. "Do you think you'll need help?"

"I'll try to do everything myself, but I won't lock the door," answered Angela. "I'll call you if I need something. And, Jax?"

"Yes, Hawkgirl?"

"Thank you." And she closed the door.

Donna mouthed to Jax, "I'll bring some food." Jax McManus shook her head no vigorously and mouthed back, "She's going to the kitchen." Donna raised an eyebrow, but a smile crept to her face and she nodded OK. If anyone could help her sister now, it would be no-nonsense Jax MacManus, the perfect teacher.

"Good morning, gorgeous." A familiar and beloved hand slipped around Donna's waist, pulling her away from the door. A full mouth found its way to her neck, as the man embraced her from behind. Donna moaned softly as a little wave of joy washed over her. She turned her head slightly and kissed Blair fully on the lips, enjoying the taste of his mouth and the feel of her hands in his long hair. To her, he was tenderness, comfort and sweet love. They were so compatible, so complementary, so made for each other, she had dared to open herself again to a man's touch, to a man's body, she had dared to accept again a man's hand on her skin. It took a long time, but now she felt pleasure at his touch. The first time they had made love and she had trully enjoyed it, feeling the tidal wave of her first orgasm take her over, tumbling and spinning in a sea of happiness, she had cried like a baby, her head resting on his shoulder and her hand caressing his chest. Blair turned her around, pressed her to the hallway wall and kissed her again. "You look beautiful today, my Donna."

From the top of the stairs, an empty coffee mug in his hand, Adam saw the lovers down the corridor as they kissed again and again. With a little smile on his face, he silently turned around and headed back to the lab. Coffee could wait; Blair and Donna could not. Lucky man, Blair Sandburgh. He turned and looked again as the couple went their way down the hallway, Blair's arm on Donna's shoulders, and Donna's arm around Blair's waist. He smiled again, this time with a tiny drop of sadness in his eyes. Yes, very lucky man, Blair Sandburgh.

The pantry door slammed shut as a very annoyed molecular shook the last empty cereal box. "This pantry sounds more hollow than Brennan's skull!"

"Hey, I heard that!" shouted the elemental.

There was a bunch of people in the kitchen, trying to whip up some lunch and failing miserably, as Shalimar opened the fridge door and sighed deeply. She turned to the Emma and Lux, "Can you hear the eccho?" The two psionics nodded.

Feeling less than the perfect host, Adam piped in, "Hey, you, we have been somewhat busy to think about such trivial things as grocery shopping." He picked his wallet from his back pocket and waved a credit card. "Who's going? I have to take care of the paperwork for Tremayne's body going back to Cascade with Jim and Blair."

Faster than lightning, Shalimar got the plastic. "Em, you coming? Rev, Jesse?" she asked. Brennan escaped, using Cat's still healing ears as an excuse, Cory was in crutches and waiting for Makenna, Sam was staying with him. "Donna, what about you?" asked the feral.

"Jim and Blair will escort the corpse back, so I think I'll go with them to the airport, to say good-bye," the multipsionic smiled.

"Then, it's you, Em, Jesse, Rev and me." And Shal turned to the door, bumping into Angela and Jax, who had just entered. Shal's smile froze on her face when she looked directly into the bird woman's vacant eyes. The buzz in the kitchen died down.

Angela was at the door, leaning on Jax. The sudden silence was thick as fog. Instinctively, Shalimar stepped back. Jax shot out her left hand, stopped the feral and pulled her closer to the falcon hybrid. "There's someone here who likes you very much, lass," said the lioness. "Who is she? Use your hands, your ears and your nose. Try to get her scent."

Angela felt the discomfort in the room and tried to shy away from the task, but Jax was an exacting teacher. She grabbed the bird feral's hand and pushed it forward. Angela swallowed hard and slowly reached to the woman in front, touching her wrist. The bird's fingers brushed past the feline's arms and lightly touched her hair. Angela's heart was beating fast. They were all her friends, the family that had accepted her despite her odd looks, but she was scared, afraid they'd reject her, cast her aside as the liability she had become, or worse yet, that they'd pity her. All her life she had fought against pity, which was even worse than mockery. Mockery she had faced at school. "Notre Dame" was how her classmates had called her in highschool. Her father had had her homeschooled as a child, never letting her attend regular elementary. She had grown up alone, apart from other kids, hidden, until she could take it no more and demanded to go to a regular highschool. There, she had faced the laughs of the normal and the sad look of the gentle. She never knew which was worse.

The hair was long and silky, with a musk perfume. Angela let go of Jax's arm and stepped closer to the person just ahead. She held the woman's hand in hers and gently caressed her face, lightly drawing the rounded jaw line, the chin, the full lips... "Sylvester?" she whispered with a sad smile. And Shalimar, mother cat of Mutant X, broke down and drew her in her arms, holding her for a long time, as a collective breath was heard in the kitchen, welcoming the flier back in their midst.

Sending The Boys Home With A Monster In The Bag

Sanctuary, 2 PM:

Jim, Blair, and Donna are in the garage. She was to drive the two to the airport to escort Alex Tremayne's body back to Cascade. Jax was busy with Angela and insisted that she be allowed to work with the HawkGirl alone. Donna gave a little fuss earlier when Jax said that she wanted to help to and after a few minutes of discussion on the matter Jax had said, "Mainframe, honey, I know you want to help our little birdie but too many helpers will do her more harm than good." Jax was right. Donna also came to the realization that it might be best that Angela had a fellow feral to teach her. So when Blair asked if she could be the one to take them to the airport she accepted. She might as well be doing something constructive with her time. And making sure that that monsters body was taken care of was as good a thing as she could think of. She had wanted to go with them but at the same time she had an even stronger feeling that she should be at Sanctuary for Angela to give her moral support.

Adam came through the door with his keys in his hand shaking them to get their attention. "I thought that I could be the one to drive. I know a shortcut to the airport. Tremayne's body is already stowed in the plane. Then Donna and I will drive back home."

"Sounds good to me." said the multi-psionic. And they all followed the Mutant X leader to his car. Jim and Adam were in the front and Blair and Donna in the back

On the way they talked about the story that the guys were gonna give the local authorities. The guys would be there for about three days. They got to the gate and the men shook hands and Donna gave Jim and hug and then Blair a hug and a whopper of a kiss.

"Okay kids, enough. We don't want to miss the boat." Jim said to the couple.

"Jim, it's a plane. Is your vision going bad or something, man?" Blair said smiling. Jim gave him a cuff on the back of the head.

"You guys better go," Donna said, "Call us when you get there." She held up her Com-Link adorned hand. She gave Blair one last kiss before he headed off with Jim.

"Have a good trip, gentlemen." Adam called as they walked toward the plane.

"Will do, Adam." Jim called back to the man.

They boarded the plane and the two Mutant X members that were left standing watched as it took off and disappeared into the sky. They walked back to the car and took off themselves. "Well what do you have planned for the rest of the day?" Adam asked the psionic woman.

"Oh, I don't know. After Jax is done working with Angela I thought that I would sit with her and try to cheer her up with some word games or something like that. Maybe I can, oh I don't know, I'm just grasping at straws. I so hate seeing her like this. She is suppose to be the strong one. I have always thought that she was stronger than me you know. She has had to go through more than I have. At least me mutation is invisible to the eyes."

Adam looked at the woman beside her and gave a sympathetic smile towards her, "GryphonLady, don't sell yourself short. You got her through what the Toad did to her even though it brought back terrible memories for yourself. I can't think of anyone else that would or could do what you did." He took his right hand off the steering wheel and took Donna's hand and caressed it. It had caught him off guard at the sensation that went through his body just by this simple act. The felling that went to his very core. It caused his heart to skip a beat and his breathing to stop for a split second. He must be tired or something. Coming to grips with himself he said to Donna, "Just being there for HawkGirl when she needs you is enough. "Sometimes I don't think you realize just how extraordinary a woman you really strong."

Looking over at Adam, Donna blushed. She didn't think anyone had ever thought or even told her how extraordinary she was. Sure she was told she was tough. And even special by the people closest to her. They stopped at a red light and Adam glanced over at the multi-psionic. She then gave him a smile that made her whole face light up. "Thanks, Adam."

"Anytime."and then the scientist said before starting the car forward when the light turned green, "You should smile more often."

Laughing Donna said, "I will try."

"And laugh," Adam added and they both laughed as they headed for Sanctuary.

When they walked into Sanctuary ten minutes later they were laughing at a police capture that went crazy that Donna was telling Adam, "I'm telling you, the man had on a pink gorilla suit. He thought that he could hide underneath the costume."

"So you could tell it was him by his scent were the skunk had sprayed him." Adam was smiling ear to ear.

"Yep, not even that hideous costume could hide THAT smell!" She laughed saying, "Oh, man!"

"You are gonna have to tell me more stories like that." Adam said pointing at her.

"Anytime. I got a million of them. Man, the things that people do to keep from being arrested and put in jail. I could write book." They sat down in the common area. "There was a time when we were sent out to a reported drug lab hidden in a..." Donna was distracted by Angela walking toward the chair next to her. Jax was behind her. She then said to her best friend, "How's it goin'"?"

"Jax won't give me a break."

"It's for your own good, HawkGirl." Jax said to the woman.

"Yeah but you don't have to get me killed in the process!"

Donna looked at Angela and then at Adam and raised her eyebrows. She hoped that this meant that her feral friend was starting to bounce back. "Jax, give Angela a break for a while, I haven't got to spend time with my sister all day."

"Sure Mainframe, I'll be back later to give her some more lessons." And The Ring's feral was off.

The three shared a good hour together. Angela felt comfortable having her uncle and sister by fire with her. Donna could feel the bird woman relaxing just a little. Jax came back and took Angela to have dinner. MacGyver came in and Adam filled him in on the trip to the airport and how smoothly the plane took off. Then he got up and said to Donna, "I need to give everyone a checkup who was injured in the attack at the clinic, and you my dear are first in line," He indicated with his finger that she should follow him.

"Adam come on, I feel fine!" Donna complained loudly with a face full of dread.

"No, I am still worried about what effects that heart attack had on your system." He gave a firm look at her.

"I haven't felt any side effects!"

"Come on, GryphonLady, I care about what happens to you. That also means your health." He grabs her hand and pulls her out of the chair she was sitting in and gently but firmly led her to the lab. Donna reluctantly follows. "It won't take long and then you can send the others in for their check ups."

"Listen to the man, Donna."

Looking back as Adam was still leading her to her check up Donna said to her future father-in-law, "Man, you know how much I hate going to the doctor, Mac."

Smiling at the two Mac said, "Oh yeah!" Then he shouted, "Give 'er hell, Addy!"

Adam just looked back at his old friend and gave a wicked grin. Donna caught it, "Very funny you guys, very funny!"

The One Hour

"Where are you?" Jax let go of her hand just as they walked into the room.

Angela answered with a tired sigh, "The common room." And she didn't need to be told to describe it. "The hometheater unit is to my left. There are two couches to my right and a big, overstuffed chair, facing the hometheater. There's also a coffee table somewhere in the middle, I must be careful of it."

"Not bad, HawkGirl," praised the lioness. "Not bad at all. There are people here. Who are they?"

"One is Donna, I know," the bird woman promptly answered. "I simply know it is Donna. No scent, no sound, no nothing, I know it's her."

Donna chuckled and signaled OK to Jax.

"And who else is here? Use your animal instincts, lass," instructed the feline.

"I don't know..." Angela was tired and starting to feel disoriented. The constant darkness made her dizzy, specially when Jax left her all alone in a room, not knowing where to go, what she'd hit. Then, something, some known scent drifted to her nostrils. "Wait a minute." She concentrated on the familiar aroma, a perfume she knew but couldn't place exactly.

"Come on, ya know who's here, lass," the lioness pressed her on.

"Wait a minute! I know this smell... Adam!" Angela actually smiled. Ocasionally, it felt like a guessing game. "It's an aftershave, a cologne, something you use every day and I associate it with you." The bird woman sighed, tiredly.

Adam nodded, "That was very good, Angela." His voice never wavered, but Donna knew it pained him to see the Avian's situation. She placed her hand on his arm to lend a measure of support and butted in, "How's it going?"

"Jax won't give me a break," Angela answered.

"It's for your own good, HawkGirl," Jax said to the woman.

"Yes, but you don't have to get me killed in the process."

Donna looked at Angela and then at Adam and raised her eyebrows. She hoped that this meant that her feral friend was starting to bounce back. "Jax, give Angela a break for a while, I haven't got to spend time with my sister all day."

Jax looked at Donna, then at Angela. The bird woman had responded well to her first day in darkness. She was stronger than she looked, had an iron will. Most everyone in her place would have freaked out much more than that lass had, would have screamed, thrown tantrums, cursed the gods, fate, the heavens, whatever. The Avian had just complied and tried to learn what Jax taught her as best as she could, counting steps, inserting a finger in a glass to feel if it was full already, using her other senses to compensate for the loss of sight. Many times Jax's feral hearing had picked up Angela's pounding heart, her nose had sensed the stench of fear emanating from the bird, whenever her claustrophobia threatened to take her over. It never did. Jax saw Angela grit her teeth, ball her hands into fists and dominate the panic that made her sweat and pant. Many times Jax had to steady the Avian when the dizziness of constant darkness made her world turn upside down, but the falcon never complained, not once. The feline smiled at the psionic. "Sure, Mainframe, I'll be back later to give her some more lessons."

As the lioness was about to leave, Angela turned back. "Jax, mind if I ask you a question?" And the falcon reached out to Jax. The feline held the bird's hand in hers and drew her closer, wrapping her arm around her shoulders, just above the wings, and helped Angela sit on the couch at Donna's right. The bird woman was tired and slipped to lay on her side, acoomodating her folded wings on her back and resting her head on the psionic's lap. Jax, then, sat on the floor, her back to the couch, holding Angela's hand and caressing her cheek. "Ask away," she said.

"How come you know so much about helping the blind?" asked the Avian.

At the word "blind", Donna felt Adam tense. She held his hand and squeezed. "This is good," she mouthed, and Jax nodded to them. He nodded back and mouthed, "I know."

"Me mom had four wee ones, lass," answered the feline. "I was the oldest and I'm a feral because she couldn't conceive and was treated to ensure a successful pregnancy." She looked directly at Adam. "There was a wee bit side effect."

"It was the same with my mother," interjected Angela.

"Anyway," proceeded the feline, "when me mom had her third wee one, she had a compression of the optic nerve and she lost her sight forever. I was the one helping her until me sister took over and I went me way, looking for others like me." Jax leaned over and held Angela's face in her hand. "That's how I know, HawkGirl. I'll come back later and get you some dinner. You lost a lot of weight since I first laid me eyes on you." And she gave the Avian a light kiss on the lips, stood up and left.

Angela's hand groped for Donna's, held it and drew it closer to her chest. "Is there anybody else here?" she asked.

"No, just the three of us," answered Adam.

"Good, there's something I'd like to tell you." The Avian paused for a few seconds, looking for the right way to speak her mind. "I've made a phone call to Brazil while you were at the airport."

"Did you call your father?" Adam went to sit on the coffee table, facing his niece.

Angela chuckled. "So he could add another item to his 'Reasons to Hate Adam Kane' list? No way. It is long enough already." She released Donna's hand and reached for his. "I called Mary Help."

Adam chuckled back at the odd nickname. "And how is she doing?"

"Wait a minute," interjected Donna Gryphon, "who's Mary Help?"

"My aunt on my father's side, his kid sister," answered Angela. "My father's family is devout Roman Catholic, so, after she took her vows, my aunt Theresa became Irmã Maria Auxiliadora do Perpétuo Socorro."

Adam laughed and explained, "It's Portuguese and it means Sister Mary Helper of Everlasting Succor. Of all the silly names..."

"Actually, she is now Mother Mary Help," Angela informed. "She has been Mother Abess of the Benedictine monks in a hill town near Rio for two years now."

"Donna, Mary Help was the one voice in my brother-in-law's family who welcomed Evangeline, my sister, the 'foreign heathen' Marco married."

Angela tensed. "Adam, this is information..."

"Donna knows already," he interrupted. "And has known for quite a while now, thanks to the bond you two, siamese twins, share."

"No secrets between us, GryphonLady?" asked Angela, turning her face up to Donna. "This is a two way street, you know?"

"I know," she answered, smoothing the Avian's silky feathers. "No secrets at all."

"Do you remember, after mama's funeral, we were talking, Adam?" Angela couldn't bring herself to call him uncle. "I promised you I wouldn't be a liability. And that's exactly what I've become. I'm a weakness you can't afford. Now less than ever, with this New Order wrecking havoc everywhere!"

"That's not true, Angela, please..." he started.

"That's true, and you know it. There's no use coating the pill. The fact is I can't stay here." Angela sat straight up and pulled her knees to her chest. "Mary Help will have me at the abbey. She will see to it that I have tutors. I have to learn everything from scratch! I can't go to a regular school for the blind, how would I explain... this?" And she pointed back at her wings. "The nuns are sworn to secrecy, my mutation won't be made public."

Adam let go of the Avian's hand and rubbed his eyes. She was right, there was no question about it. She'd have to go back to her country and learn to live again in a new reality. And that would mean to live in hiding, sheltered and cared for, everything she loathed. The only other possibility was to give her her sight back, but how? He desperately needed an idea, and soon.

"I have to go," she insisted. "If I stay, I may turn into another Revolution, angry, aggressive, always in the look out, furious at one and all, and totally messed up. Or another Cat, wallowing in deppression." Angela sucked air into her lungs. "Donna knows that what I'd really like to do is to fly out of my favorite skylight over the pond, shoot up as high as I could, then fold my wings tight and dive head first into the sea never to surface again!" She threaded her long, large knuckled fingers on her hair, pulling her head onto her knees, trying to control her emotions, trying to stop herself from crying again.

Adam and Donna held the desperate Avian, both overwhelmed by the enormity of her pain. Angela steeled herself and lifted her head, holding their hands in hers. "That's why I have to go. And quickly, before I turn into another Revolution or another Cat. Now, I'm a liability, both physically and emotionally."

Coming to get Angela for dinner, Jax ran into Riley Jackson, who'd just turned away from the common room entrance, where she had been standing for the past five minutes, unseen by either Donna or Adam, both too focused on Angela's problem to notice the young psionic. The kinetic bumped into the feral and never said a word, shoving Jax to the side and storming down the hallway.

Going Under

"Messed up?" whispered Revolution as she paced the floor of her room. "I'm messed up?"

Suddenly it was as if the air had been sucked from her room. She grabbed a piece of paper from a notebook on her desk and quickly scribbled a note to Jesse. She walked quickly through the halls, grateful that the others had mostly gone off to dinner. She slipped into the garage and smiled when she saw Shalimar's bike.

"Sorry, Shal," she whispered as she pulled the black helmet over her hair and bending down she placed her com link gently on the ground beside the motorcycle.

"Anyone seen Rev?" asked Jesse as he walked into the kitchen, wiping the sweat from his training session off of his forehead.

"Nope," said Shalimar.

"Go get her," said Mac "That girl never eats."

Jesse nodded and jogged to her door.

"Hey Rev?" he asked pushing it open.

He walked over to her bed and looked down. Picking up the note, he swore under his breath.

She loved it here. High on top of the bridge, she could see the whole city. She took a swig from the bottle of Vodka that she had bought from a bar on her way and laid back on her elbows. Whispers from her past came swimming into her head.

Threw a chair at a teacher...

No good...

Never amount to anything...

Whore...

She placed her hand to her head and swore loudly.

"What did you say to her?" asked Jesse.

The group looked up at him.

"Who are you talking to?" asked Emma.

"Any of you," he replied "Revolution is gone."

He slammed the note onto the table. Cat picked it up with a shaking hand.

"What does it say?" asked Angela.

Cat handed the letter to Jax.

"It says: Dear jess, I don't really know how to put this, so I guess I'll just say it. I'm leaving, I don't know if I'll be coming back. Your probably wondering why, All I can say is that its nice to know what everyone thinks of me. Love always,Revolution," said Jax.

"What everyone thinks of me?" asked Brennan.

Lux turned an angry eye towards Angela.

"She heard everything you said," she whispered.

"What did you say?" asked Jesse.

Jax looked at him and shook his head.

"Later," She whispered.

"Yes," said Adam "First we must find her."

"I have an idea," whispered Cat "There is this bridge on the edge of town, she told me she goes there to think sometimes."

Jesse nodded.

"I'll come with you," exclaimed Donna.

"Definitely not a good idea," said Lux "Cat, why don't you go with Jesse? you can show him where this bridge is."

"I dunno," said Makenna "She's still a little shaky."

"I'm fine," whispered Cat "I'm just going to get her, not fighting a battle."

Dinnertime

Eight o'clock in the morning already and nobody there to relieve the security guard from duty. Stupid assignment, watch over that bird-like thing in the cage. She was totally out of it, as if she were in a coma, hadn't stirred for the past two days. Even the toad freak had given up getting a response from her, no matter what it did. Only her light breath denounced she was still alive. So much the better, all things considered. Ah, here they come. They sent two men this time, a tall, blond one in a crew cut and a shorter guy, his long hair in a ponytail. They were hiring anyone these days. "Why the two of you? The prisoner hasn't moved," asked the guard.

"She'll be transferred today, or so we've been told," answered the tall one. "It seems some VIP is coming to get her."

"Very well, then. Here are the keys to the door's padlock and the cuffs." The guard handed the keys to the tall one, who seemed in charge. "You're only to open the cage when the suits arrive."

"No sweat, man, we're on it," said the long-haired one, his eyes never leaving the cage.

Jim Ellison held his guide by the elbow to prevent him from blowing their cover. Blair's heartbeat had increased and he was breathing hard at what he saw inside the cage. The scientist guy, Adam Kane, had informed them of the looks of the captive woman they should find in the bowels of the new Breedlove Foundation, but what they had found was half bird! He had also warned them that the captive could've been roughed up by her captors and was being kept in an induced coma, but nothing had warned them of the savagery they'd encountered. The half-bird woman was naked, propped against the bottom of the cage, her wrists cuffed to the bars, lying in a pool of her own blood. Her skin was peeling in places, as burnt. Jim Ellison had seen his share of special victims when the Cascade SVU and Major Crimes worked in tandem. By the looks of it, that woman had been gang raped and the perps had used acid on her. According to the scientist, she should be coming out of the coma by now and, true to his words, she was starting to stir, to move her head, opening and closing her swollen lips. "Chief, look for something to cover her," said Cascade's Sentinel. "And water. She will need water."

As Sandburgh left the cage room, Ellison quickly opened the padlock and stepped into the cage. The woman's eyes were fluttering open and she tried to move her arms, held fast to the cage bars. Ellison released the cuffs and pulled the woman to his lap, as she instinctively covered herself with her wings. Only his heightened sentinel hearing could pick up as the woman begged for water in a whisper. Ellison cleaned her face a bit and prayed that Sandburgh would soon come back. "You are Angela, aren't you?" The woman nodded yes and again begged for water. "My partner is getting you some," he answered, as Blair returned with a bottle and a blanket. Holding the bottle to her parched, swollen lips, Ellison forced the woman to drink slowly and pause from time to time, lest she made herself sick. He wrapped her in the blanket and let her drink a little more. "Donna Gryphon sends her love," he said.

The woman looked at him, puzzled. "I don't know a Donna Gryphon," her voice was hoarse.

"Maybe you know her as GryphonLady," interjected Blair.

"GryphonLady? From the Internet?" asked the bird woman. "I know a GryphonLady from the Net, but how did she...?

"I'm Blair Sandburgh and this is Jim Ellison, we are detectives from Cascade, Washington. Donna's my girlfriend and a graduate from Cascade's Police Academy," answered Blair. "An Allison Turner contacted her over the Net and asked for her help when you went missing. She hooked up with your friend Emma and they found you here."

"You will meet her when we get you back where you belong, with your Mutant X friends. They are coming to get you," completed the one called Ellison, and motioned to pick her up as the cage room door opened to let a lean, white-haired man in a black pin-stripe suit and dark tinted glasses enter. He was followed by a blond young woman in a gray suit, a squat, broad-shouldered man, two obvious bodyguards in trench coats, and a strange creature resembling a toad in a white lab coat. The white-haired man stepped inside the cage and looked at the two men caring for the bird woman, who shuddered violently and buried her head in Jim Ellison's chest. He turned to the man slightly behind him. "Mr. Thorne, what have you done to my feral?" he asked.

The toad creature ran past all others, even brushing against White Hair and placed himself between Blair and Jim, behind the terrified bird woman, trying to snatch her from Jim's arms. Before the sentinel could do anything, a furious guide slammed his fist against the creature's stomach and in the same motion, pinned it against the back of the cage, cuffing its wrists to the bars as he had seen done to the woman. "Thorne gave her to me," hissed the toad. "She is mine now."

White Hair didn't move a muscle. He looked from the toad to the man he called Thorne. "Mr. Thorne, you cannot give away what does not belong to you."

Thorne was obviously uncomfortable, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "My intention was to break her spirit, Mr. Eckhart," he answered. "The psionic I had with me said she was concealing some important information. I tried hitting her sub-gov a couple of times to force her to speak or at least lower her mind barriers, but to no avail."

"So, you let this beast have its way with her." Eckhart's voice was icy cold. "Pass me her gov's remote control."

Thorne was sweating profusely. He fished a small black thing from his pocket resembling a key holder with buttons and a tiny screen. Deferentially, he placed the remote on Eckhart's outstretched hand.

"You hit it a couple of times, Mr. Thorne?" asked the ice man. "The counter reads 17, not 2." Eckhart lifted his eyes from the remote's screen and looked at Thorne. Then, he fished another remote from his own pocket and pointed it to the broad-shouldered man, who was now shivering as if he had a fever. Eckhart pressed one of the buttons and Thorne doubled over, his knees buckling under him, his arms hugging his midsection as a dry heave shot up to his lips and the pain spread through all the nerves in his body. "This is what 17 times feel like, Mr. Thorne. You are a Neanderthal." He pressed again. "You are an irrational that believes he can actually think." He pressed a third time. "You risked brain-damaging such an unique feral to extract a piece of information. Turned into a vegetable, she will never tell me anything. The only Aves I've ever seen, one that can attract Adam Kane directly to my hands." He hit it a fourth time. "Then you let that monster loose upon her, Mr. Thorne." He hit it again. "I've only hit your sub-gov five times and you are already vomiting bile. It is a marvel she seems to still be able to function, after you hit hers seventeen times, don't you think, Mr. Thorne? You are more of an animal than even that reptile." And he hit it a sixth time. White Hair, now named Eckhart, returned the remote to his pocket. "Stand up, Mr. Thorne." The broad-shouldered man obeyed painfully. "Now catch your breath and pick her up." Thorne stepped closer to the bird woman and pulled her roughly by an arm. The woman yelped in pain and pulled up her legs, trying to protect her lower belly. "Gently," ordered the man in the pin-stripe suit. He turned to the blond woman, who hadn't said a word but seemed to enjoy the humiliation of the man called Thorne. "Miss Medavoy, I want this feral cared for. I want her cleaned up, medicated and properly clothed. Did I make myself clear, Miss Medavoy?"

"Crystal clear, Mr. Eckhart."

Thorne lifted the bird woman in his arms and headed to the door, followed by the woman in gray. Eckhart was the last one to leave. He turned to Jim and Blair. "Thank you," he said.

"Anytime, sir," answered Blair. "What should we do to..." and he pointed to the cuffed toad.

"He is not my property, he is not my problem," answered Eckhart. "If I have a say in the matter, you can lock the door and throw away the key."

They were all gathered at the table and dinner was going on, even after Jesse and Cat left to find the other never-eating girl, Revolution. By the way, that Cat girl could cook, thought MacGyver. The only person who was pretending to eat, pushing food around her plate without any enthusiasm was the bird woman, Angela. That girl had no luck, he thought. As when he'd seen her back from the Foundation incident. Blair and Jim had told him how they'd found her and his friend Adam had spent over thirty hours with her in the Medlab. When he left, he was fuming to the point of being uncivil, storming out of the lab and locking himself in his private office, not even biding goodbye to the departing Cascade Group. MacGyver could only imagine the amount of corrective plastic surgery Adam had had to perform. "Angela, you're not eating," he said.

The bird woman, sitting between Cory Buchanan and Jax McManus, smiled faintly. "I'm not really hungry, Dr. MacGyver," she answered softly. "But I'd like to have some of that green tea and mint Adam is fixing right now."

"Very good, Angela," praised MX leader. "You're really learning to compensate with your other senses. I'll fix you some tea, too."

"No, fearless Mutant X leader, don't bother," interjected Jax. "HawkGirl will fix her own tea."

The woman smiled more broadly. "All right, Jax, I'll go." And as she turned around and stood up, she wavered on her feet and lifted a hand to her head, groping with the other, looking for something to lean on. Cory, his brand new knee, thanks to Lux Windsor, working like a charm, quickly picked her up in his arms and settled her back on the stool.

"It is the darkness," explained Jax. "She's not yet used to permanent darkness."

"Her blood pressure dropped, too," added Cory. "She feels cold to the touch, and she is sweating."

Running from the counter to the stool, Adam squatted facing the Avian and held her cold face in his hands. "Shal, get her some misso soup. It's salty, and will help her blood pressure," he instructed. He brushed the damp hair from her forehead. "How do you feel?"

"Dizzy," she answered. "And sorry. I've become a nuisance. Now, Rev's gone, and it's my fault."

"Of course it isn't, don't be silly, Angela, you didn't mean for her to hear anything."

"But she did! All the more reason for me to go away," the bird woman started. "And soon."

"Angela, your reasoning is perfectly logical, I'll give you that," said Adam. "Now, let me be illogical, please? Give me a few days, dear." He handed her a steaming cup. "Drink this, you'll feel a little better. Remember when you told me to trust my bird-of-prey?" She nodded slightly and sipped from the mug. "Now, I tell you, trust your falconer. Do you trust me?"

She nodded again. "You know I trust you. But what can you do, Willy E. Coyote? Even if you import all Acme gear in the world, how can you get this Road Runner?"

Adam laughed out loud, but from where Mac was sitting, he could see his friends eyes, and they were glinting. "I'll think of something, Tweety," he answered. "Trust me, I'll think of something. But you'll have to eat. Build up your strength, you will need it. I will need it. You've really lost a lot of weight."

MacGyver left his stool and went to squat beside his old friend, facing the ugly, sweet bird woman. "You know, I've never thanked the two of you properly for saving my son Blair's life when Tremayne tried to pull a fast one over in Cascade."

"There's no need to thank me for anything, Dr. MacGyver," answered Angela. "I had to capture that bastard before he killed somebody. I'm so sorry Blair stood in his way."

"You were brave, you know?" said the older explosive's expert. "Donna told me how you landed between her and Tremayne, before he could touch her. And how you grabbed him in a bear hug, exposing his neck so Jim could insert the governor."

"I knew I could survive him," she answered.

"Not as Donna tells it. He gave you dengue fever and she had to boost up your imune system," he recalled. "Thank you, Angela. And thank you, too, Adam, for striking a bargain with that devil so he'd reverse his power and save Blair."

"Don't mention it, Mac."

"Now, obey your... how do you call him, your falconer? I think I like Willy E. Coyote better," joked MacGyver. "You must eat something. Jax, make sure she eats, OK?" And the two men stood up and headed for the door.

"I need an idea, Mac, and fast," said Adam. "She is sinking deeper into despair. And nothing comes to my mind, damn it!"

"I think she is reacting remarkably well, you know?" countered MacGyver. "You are the one getting desperate and nothing comes to your mind for two reasons. First, you're too involved." Mac placed a hand on Adam's shoulder and shook him slightly. "She's special to you, isn't she? And not only because she's unique, part of the team, whatever. There's something more, isn't there?"

"You are right, she is special to me," answered the scientist.

"Is she your daughter, Adam?" Mac asked point blank.

Adam looked up at his friend. "No, she's not my daughter. Does she look anything like me?"

"No, but then again, Blair doesn't look anything like me either," interjected MacGyver.

"It's no use trying to hide anything from you, is there, Mac?" Adam released a long breath. "Very well, I'll tell it to you, and Donna is the only other person to know it. She's my niece. Evangeline, my older sister, married a black man, a doctor from Brazil. Angela was born and raised there. Are you satisfied?"

"Yes, I am. I'm an expert on relatives showing up from nowhere and growing on you." The older chemist smiled fondly at his friend.

"You said two reasons, the first being I'm too involved, and you're right, I am," admitted Adam. "What's the second?"

"You're approaching the problem the wrong way."

Adam frowned at his friend. "How come?"

"I know you're taking a crash course on Ophtalmology, I've seen you while you worked," Mac pointed out. "You're thinking Medicine, but I believe it is Physics. Optics, actually, and Mechanics."

"I'm listening," said Adam.

"Some twenty years ago, the DXS was involved in a secret government project, one of many," Mac recalled. "I was sent over to provide security measures. It was called 'The Six Million Dollar Man Project'. An astronaut had crash landed and barely survived. The OSI, a government agency, was providing him with very special prosthetics they called 'bionics'. He was having both his legs and an arm replaced with bionics." Mac paused. "And an eye."

Adam's eyes lit like lamps. "An eye? Are you sure? He was given a functioning prosthetic eye?"

"Not only functioning, but a high performance eye."

"And how can we get hold of this data, Mac, please?" pleaded MX leader.

"The project was closed down a few years ago," mused MacGyver. "The astronaut is now retired, and for all I know, he is a very private man. Let's go to the main computer room and contact Craig Bannister, from the DXS. I'll also contact Pete Thorton from the Phoenix Foundation, and a distant cousin of mine, Cel. Jack O'Neill. I'm sure they'll be able to find the astronaut."

"An astronaut, yes?" Adam was thinking aloud. "I'll contact Corbin Valentine, too. He owes me one. Now it is time to collect. What's the name of this astronaut?"

"Colonel Steve Austin."

She's like the rain...

She loved rain, Harry used to tell her that it fit her personality.

"Sometimes gentle and warm, other times hard and cold," he whispered "But always beautiful."

"That's the closest thing that #%$ ever said that was a compliment," she said swigging the vodka and swinging her legs back and forth on the bridge.

Harry, Harry, Harry, she thought, you were a horrible ass. So pompous and self centered.

"Now...you're dead," she said showing her middle finger to the ground where she imagined him to reside.

"Riley!" Called a voice from below.

She was startled and looked down.

"Harry?" she called.

"No...It's me, Cat." yelled the voice.

"Cat...Hey Cat!" yelled Revolution as the bottle slipped from her grasp "Ah Hell! Heads Up!"

She raised her hands and clumsily tried to stop the bottle's mad descent.

"Oww!" yelled Jesse as the bottle landed on his foot.

"Jess?"

"Hi Babe," he called.

"Hey!"

"Hey kiddo," yelled Cat "Why don't you come down?"

"Why don't you come up?" she asked.

"We can't!" yelled Jesse "No ladder."

She stood.

"Too bad!" she yelled "You should see the rain from up here!"

She swung her arms around her and twirled in a circle.

"What are you doing!" yelled Jesse "You're going to fall!"

"I'm telekinetic! Remember? I'll catch myself!" she yelled giggling.

"Come on Rev!" yelled Cat "Come Down! Let us take you home!"

"Home?" she yelled "Where's that?"

"With us!" yelled Jesse "Sanctuary! Where we all love you!"

She floated down to them.

Jesse was shocked to see her appearance. She had abandoned her leather coat and the striped tank top that had once been very stylish now clung to her body, The same with the bell bottom jeans. Her hair clung to her face, her lips were a slight blue shade.

"Do you love me?" she asked.

He pushed his wet hair out of his face and nodded.

"Then let me go," she whispered walking away.

He ran after her and grabbed her arm. An action that on better days, he'd know better.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"I don't belong with Mutant X," she whispered.

He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and forced her to look at him.

"Why?"

"When we went up against the new order," she began leaning up against the bridge's rails "And me and Donna went to help Lux save Adam. I could feel Treymane's life being drained out of him."

"Honey, Treymane would have killed Adam," he whispered "You know that."

"I know," she said "But I've done so many things in my life that I'm not proud of."

He cupped the side of her face and she leaned into his hand.

"Love, I know all that you've done," he said.

She nodded. They spent a lot of time together, she would tell him stories of the things she's done and the people's she's met.

"No matter what you may think, you are a wonderful girl. You are smart as hell and compassionate, you have an amazing heart and if you leave...I'm coming with you." he said.

She smiled.

"You would?"

"And so would I," said Cat "Us against the world, right kid?"

Revolution smiled for the first time in a long time and nodded.

Cat swallowed hard and waited for her to say something.

"I'm not gonna leave," whispered Revolution "What would Sparky say?"

Cat laughed.

Lux paced the back bedroom of Sanctuary which she shared with Jax.

"Did you tell them what Angela said?" asked Jax as she walked in.

"I told Cat," replied Lux "I thought she deserved to know."

"Were you eavesdropping on her mind?" asked Jax.

Lux's dark eyes clouded immediately and Jax regretted saying it.

"How dare you," she whispered "You know that I don't eavesdrop. I only found out about Angela's low opinion of Revolution when I scanned for Her. It was echoing in her brain, along with all of the other comments that have been made to her."

"Angela is in a bad place right now," said Jax quietly.

"Of this, I am well aware of," said Lux, her voice getting very quiet "You forget old friend, it was my ability that couldn't save her eye sight."

Jax winced, she could almost feel the guilt flow from her boss.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"I know."

And with that Lux walked away.

"Smart move McManus," said Jax.

Jesse looked back at Cat, who had Revolution's head in her lap.

"She gonna be all right?" he asked.

"She'll be fine," replied the older woman "She's just wasted. Gonna have one hell of a hangover though."

"I still don't understand why she left," he whispered.

"I'll tell you some other time or she'll tell you," said Cat looking down at the sleeping Rev "That'd probably be better."

He nodded.

Cyborg

"MacGyver, as I live and breathe!"

The plasma screen above the main computer console lit up with the image of a still handsome man in his early sixties with graying hair and lines around the eyes. He had a strong jaw and firm mouth, sparkling blue eyes, broad chest. He had the tan of a man used to spend his days outdoors and arms that spoke of a farmer's labor.

The older chemist's eyes sparkled. "I didn't think you'd recognize me, Col. Austin. It's been twenty years."

"I'd never forget you. And it has been just Steve for a while now!" When Steve Austin smiled, his eyes shone and the lines around them deepened. "Your expertise on security impressed me greatly." His hand reached out of the frame. "Look who's here!"

Steve Austin pulled a lovely lady into the frame, her blond hair salted with white, the scar above her upper lip now one of many lines around her mouth, but a woman who'd clearly been beautiful, and was still full of life. "Hello, Mac, it's been a long time."

"Mrs. Austin, what a pleasure."

"It's Jamie, Mac," she said, sitting down on her husband's lap.

"MacGyver, you got me puzzled here," said Austin. "After an awful long time without any contact, living my life as a farmer here in Colorado, I had four people calling me and insisting I called you back. All of them were... adamant, to say the least."

MacGyver nodded his head. "Steve, please, meet a friend of mine. We have a situation here." He pulled to the side, as Adam entered the frame.

The retired astronaut observed the man that took MacGyver's place in the screen. Shorter, darker, his small brown eyes, intense and intelligent, seemed to bear holes into him. A man with a mission, and one who'd do anything it took to carry it out. And who wouldn't waste any time, going straight to the point.

"Colonel Austin, my name is Adam Kane. I need your help." Adam folded his hands on his lap tightly. This man was his only hope to give Angela her sight back. "I lead a team of very special, very gifted people, colonel, and one of them was severely injured."

"What happened?" asked the astronaut.

Adam bit his upper lip and released a long breath. "She lost her eyesight."

Austin looked at his wife and pursed his lips. "How?"

"It was a freak accident."

Steve Austin's eyebrows almost touched his hairline and he chuckled softly. "I bet it was." He shook his head. "Try again, Dr. Kane. Corbin Valentine is a friend of mine of many years."

"What did he tell you, colonel?" asked Adam.

"About his family? Everything." Steve Austin leaned forward. "About you? Everything he knows." The old bionic man leaned forward. "I'm a retired OSI agent with too much time on my hands, Dr. Kane. After talking to Corbin, I did a bit of research and, then, I remembered this boy on the cover of Science Today, around 1978. Fascinating field of studies, biogenetics. But I'm sure you know that already." He looked at his wife, smiled and caressed her cheek.

Adam looked at Mac, who shrugged. He placed his elbows on the console and held his head in his hands. "Colonel Austin, I desperately need your help."

"Then tell me all I need to know." Austin's eyebrows came together in a frown. "This is my price, Kane, the truth. Answers. And don't worry, I'm well used to classified information."

Adam lifted his head and looked directly into Austin's eyes. "Very well, colonel. I lead a team of genetically altered people. Of mutants. We are fighting against a renegade group. They're also mutants. Mac knows they're not shy of killing people to reach their goals." He stood up and leaned on the console, his face closer to the screen. "One of my most trusted allies was wounded in battle. She is 28 years old, a brilliant doctor and a falcon hybrid, colonel. Yes, she is half bird, believe it or not. And she had her eyes plucked out." Adam sat back on the stool and bent his head, his hands massaging his neck, trying to ease the mounting tension.

Steve Austin was amazed. That man was either mad or... Then, Corbin Valentine's tale was... "MacGyver, is that..."

"Every word, Steve," Mac cut in. "Every single word."

Jamie Sommers Austin stood up and stepped back, as her husband adjusted the camera's focus to better show his private office. She observed as he keyed the voice conference mute, picked up a cordless phone, keyed a speed dial command and waited for a few seconds. Looking at the screen where the two man, MacGyver and Kane, waited, she smiled at them, offering a measure of sympathy while her husband carried a long conversation. Finally, she saw him return the cordless to its cradle, take her hand and kiss it. They looked at each other for what seemed to be a long time, then her husband grinned and the light of the room shone from his eyes.

Steve Austin keyed the voice conference back on. "I can provide you with two pairs of bionic eyes," he stated, and saw the dark man's head snap up. "On one condition."

"Name it," shot Adam.

"We will deliver them ourselves. Have a transport pick us up tomorrow late afternoon." Steve Austin held his wife's hand and kissed it again. "I'll feed the coordinates directly to your computer. I look forward to meet you in person, Dr. Kane. And your team."

Not If I Can Help It...

He was bigger than she remembered.

"Connor?" she whispered squatting down beside his bed.

She pushed a chestnut curl off of his forehead and looked at him.

Connor? If you hear me, open your eyes

He slowly opened his eyes.

"Lux?" he whispered.

She smiled.

"You remember me?" she asked.

"Of course," he replied trying to sit up "Little girl, asked too many questions."

"Lie back," she said pushing on his shoulder gently" I'm here to help."

Another vision had led her here, to the small Irish town where Connor had come after the end of the Hybrid Project. His powers were on a fritz and she had come immediately.

"What's happening?" he asked.

"Your DNA," she replied slipping her tiny hand into his much larger hand "Its..."

He touched her face with his hand and smiled.

"I'm dying," he said.

"Not if I can help it," she exclaimed.

Connor could feel it, a strange breeze swept across his face and a pure white light swept from the tiny girl sitting next to him. He could feel the effect of her immediately.

"How...What?" he stammered as he rose to his feet.

She laughed and looked up at him.

"I'll explain some other time," she said "We have work to do."

Lux stood at Revolution's door and watched as Jesse propped her up and pulled her hair up and away from her face.

"I'll sit with her," she said.

He looked at her.

"You have work to do," she exclaimed smiling "Don't shake your head at me, I know."

Jesse laughed and kissed Revolution's forehead.

"Tell her I'll be in the lab if she needs me," he whispered.

"Will do," she exclaimed.

The girl walked slowly as if not knowing what to expect.

"You must be Riley," Said Lux.

She pushed her hair behind her ears and nodded.

"Adam tells me that you are quite the computer whiz kid," Lux exclaimed "You have to meet

Max, our telecyber master of surveillance and security, you two will get along famously."

Riley smiled brightly.

"We'll get you settled and then Jax can take you to meet him," said Lux.

Revolution reminded her of herself at 19.

"Me at 19," she exclaimed laughing.

That was just as she and Jax had begun The Ring.

"I talked to the Macaffertys today," said Lux as she sipped her coffee.

Her best friend looked up at her.

"And?" was her reply.

"They offered to help us finance The Ring," she said.

Layla Macafferty had been a student of Lux's. A bright, telepath of the age of 16, she had been killed by the New Mutant Virus that had taken much of the West Coast's New Mutant population.

"Fantastic," replied Lux "When are Connor and Nick arriving?"

Connor's twin brother had offered his services when Connor had told him what was to happen.

"Around four," Jax said flicking her hair over her shoulder.

Revolution opened her eyes slowly.

"Hey Riles," she said.

"You haven't called me that in forever," whispered the younger girl.

Lux smiled.

"You told me to call you Revolution," she replied.

Revolution smiled then cringed.

"I think I'm going to be sick," she whispered.

Lux rushed over to her and helped her from the bed. She sat down next to her and held her hair back from her face as Revolution got sick.

"God, I'm so #%$ stupid," Revolution whispered as she sat back on her heels.

"No...You're hurt," whispered Lux as she rubbed the girl's back "It happens to the best of us."

Revelations Of The GryphonLady

Sanctuary, Outside Revolutions Bedroom:

Donna is watching as Lux helps with the young flyer. She felt the psionic as soon as Jesse and Cat had pulled up the car into the hidden sanctuary and what she felt she didn't like. She had become very fond of the young woman and was thankful for Revolution helping teach her to fly. She knew why the woman had left. The same reason that she had trouble going to sleep at night since the showdown at the clinic. The death of Alex Tremayne.

A lone tear fell down her face. Rev wasn't alone in her pain there. Donna felt it too. The knowledge that you helped take a life dug at the core of the soul. Donna always though of herself as a person who saved lives. Never in her life did she think that she would take one. She had broken one of her most solemn of vows and until now, watching Rev with her heart wrenching, Donna never let herself deal with the consequences of her actions. She wiped the tear from her cheek and left the two alone. She didn't think that Revolution would like for her to see her like this.

Donna walked past the computer area and watched as Adam and Mac were having a conversation with an older couple on the screen. Did her eyes deceive her or was that not, Colonel Steve Austin! She would probably ask later. Now all she wanted to do is find somewhere to be alone. Another tear fell down her cheek. She headed toward the hanger bay were the Double Helix was housed never minding to wipe the tears that were now falling down her cheek one after the other.

After the encouraging information that the two older men had received from the astronaut and his wife Mac went off to find his soon to be daughter-in-law the news. He saw her walking out the door toward the hanger. Catching up with her he said, "Hey Donna! I got some news!"

Donna turned around she was now silently crying. Not able to speak. "Donna? Honey are you alright?." MacGyver went to place a hand on the young woman's shoulder in comfort but she backed away. The psionic covered her hands with her face and collapsed to the floor now viciously crying.

"I killed him!" she sobbed.

"Who? Tremayne?" Those questions sent a new wave of crying from the , man Mac thought. He now understood. He knew that Donna had never killed anyone in her life until now and that this was tearing the sensitive young woman apart. It was a wonder she kept up the strong front for so long. Donna did have the knack for underplaying her own emotions for the sake of others.

"I swore I wouldn't ever kill anyone." Donna said between sobs.

"You had no choice. He was evil."

"He was a human being too!" More sobbing.

MacGyver said, "Look at me." Donna was too ashamed too and kept her face to the floor. Mac grabbed her face and held it in his and said with a firm voice, "Donna, Look at me! If you, Lux, and Revolution hadn't stopped that psycho he would have killed Adam and who knows who else. He made his choice and so did you. You guys stopped him when no one else could. And, the only way that you could. Nobody blames you. I know you would do it different if you could. That's what makes you special. And I don't mean genetically." Mac pulled her into his arms and held her until she wrenched herself away.

"Thanks Mac." Donna said as she dried her eyes on her sleeve.

"Anytime." MacGyver gave her a warm smile and she gave a small smile back. Mac stood up and held out his hand for her, "Come on sweetheart, lets get out of her. I'm not too fond of planes you know." Donna gave a little laugh. She knew of Mac and Blair's aversion to flying. "OH!" Mac said turning back as the started walking and looked at her with a big grin on his face, "I was going to tell you, I just got off the video phone with an old friend of mine."

Donna interrupted it her soon to be father-in-law, "Was that Colonel Steve Austin?"

Mac looked at her shocked that she knew who he was, "How do you know him?"

"I'm a NASA buff, remember."

"Oh, right. Anyway, I think we might find a way for Tweety to see again." He waited for her reaction and it didn't take long.

"REALLY? Does Angela know?" Donna's spirits were lifting considerably.

"Not yet, Don't tell her yet until Adam can straighten out a few things first." And they walked back to the main part of Sanctuary.

One Hour Later:

Revolution was asleep. Donna had checked up on her and Angela, who was with Jax working on some techniques for the blind. She hoped that whatever Adam had in mind could help her sister in flight. And the others were doing there own thing in various areas of the headquarters. She walked past the common area, then the computer area, and past the stairs. She then took a look see through the observation window of the lab. Adam was working away at his computer looking at some files on blindness and prosthetics. Donna could see what he was working on through her power of clairvoyance, a psionic's version of heightened vision. The man was amazing. Caring, compassionate, understanding, strong, and without a doubt the smartest person that she had ever met in her life. She was lucky to have him in her life she thought to herself. Lucky indeed. If anyone could help the HawkGirl it was Adam Kane.

Adam turned around and saw her standing there. She smiled back at him, a thrill running through her. Man, were did that come from? She must be tired. He invited her into the lab with a wave of the hand but Donna said to him with a motion of her hands together and beside her face that she was going to bed and he mouthed "Good night." and she did the same. Walking away Donna yawned, yep she was tired and needed some real sleep.

Volcano

"Knights errant are exempt from the application of all laws and statutes, that for them law is their sword, statutes are their spirit, and edicts and proclamations are their will and desire." Don Quijote de la Mancha, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Volume 1, Chapter 45, pg. 314

"Donna, I don't know if you look like heaven or hell."

He turned from the counter, the tea mug left brewing on the table, and motioned for her to come in. She was barefoot, in jeans and a tank top, her long dark hair reaching her waist. She didn't look like she had slept much.

"Last I saw you, you were turning in," he said. "What happened? Another dream?"

She nodded and came to sit at the table, resting her head on her crossed arms.

"Nightmare?" he asked.

"Sort of. Not half as bad as the first one," she answered. "That one was a..."

"Let me guess," he interrupted. "That one was a doozie." He chuckled at her peculiar choice of words.

"On wheels!" she chuckled back, her head still resting on her arms. "Angela seems to be taking stock."

"What do you mean?"

Donna lifted her head from her arms and breathed deep, collecting her thoughts. "She's re-experiencing important facts of her life." She rested her elbows on the table, her chin on her hands. "Remember when you first emailed me, she had gone on a mission with you to rescue some babies from the new Breedlove Foundation and she had been captured?" He nodded yes. "What happened to the babies?"

Adam sighed and finished fixing his tea before answering. "There were seven of them. She managed to save three. The other four were beyond saving. She turned the machines off."

"On three of them." Donna covered her eyes with the balls of her hands. "The fourth baby would have survived as a potted plant if she had simply turned off the machines." Donna paused, crossed her fingers tightly. "She injected the little boy with morphine." She turned to the older man by her side. "I saw it happen in the dream I had not five minutes ago. She killed the baby." Donna turned back, looking ahead but not really seeing anything, her hands on her neck.

Adam left the mug on the table and stepped behind her, massaging her shoulders, trying do knead away the knots he felt on her muscles. "Angela never told me. She never said anything about the Foundation incident." He worked her muscles some more, feeling the tension subside a little. "I tried to make her talk, but she just clammed up."

Donna leaned her head against him. "She seems to be taking an inventory of her life." She paused and took his hands in hers. "Something is making her take an inventory of her life, and I think I know what it is." She felt his hand caress her head, smooth her mussed hair. She felt herself relax. "When I was in therapy, after I was..." She couldn't say the words. Adam felt her tense again and sat behind her, pulling her back to his chest. She started again, speaking very softly. "When I was in therapy, I had these dreams. They made me go through it all again and again until I could face what had happened to me and not freak out. Today, I know it was my precog power doing to me what Lux's did to her." She turned to face him and held his hands in hers. "Our bond is getting stronger and I fear for her, Adam."

He looked deep into her huge black eyes, and cupped her face in his hand. "Give me one day, Donna. In one day I'll know if I can make her see again." He caressed her cheek and his fingers touched the nape of her neck, traced her ear, feeling the many earrings that adorned it. Something stirred inside them both, some deep feeling pulling them together, closer, attracting them like a magnet, until their lips met, his tongue exploring her mouth, her breath in his. They kissed long and deep, feeling the taste of each other and finding it sweeter and more inebriating than the heaviest wine. Finally, they parted.

"I'm sorry, I..." he stammered, "I don't know what..."

She touched his lips with the tip of her fingers, silencing him. "I don't know either, but..."

"I need you." And they kissed again, this time more hungrily, more passionately. "We can't stay here, anyone could..."

"Then where?"

He held her face in his hands and looked at her. He felt as if he was seeing her for the first time, her black eyes, the aquiline nose, the high cheekbones of a Cherokee. There was some ancient power about her, something that spoke of the earth, of roots, things he had given up long ago. The lavender perfume of her hair made his head spin. "Would you come with me?"

"Right now? To the ends of the earth."

He kissed her again, quickly, took her by the hand and left the kitchen, heading to his private office. There, he locked the door, turned her to a wall to the left of his desk, embraced her from behind, burying his face on the crook of her neck, drinking deep in the lavender of her hair. He looked up at the wall. "Don Quijote," he said . The wall shimmered and disappeared, opening the way to his room, dug into the side of the mountain. It was all black and tan, the huge bed in the middle, facing a glass wall overlooking the majestic promontory seascape. Above the bed, Eloy Teno's Quijote Cabalga pannel, lit from behind. The wall to the right was the rock of the mountain jutting out, beside it a double door leading to the bathroom and closet. The only other feature was a life size iron sculpture of the Quijote, in a corner.

Adam turned Donna to face him, his arm around her waist pulled her close until her breasts touched his chest. His right hand eased up her back to her neck, his fingers cupping her head and pushing it back to expose her throat. His mouth found hers again. She had in her lips the taste of woman he found so pleasing. He let her go. "Are you sure?"

"I want this night to last forever."

"And a day."

Her body was a contrast of white skin and black cascading hair. He traced the scars in her belly with the tip of his fingers and turned her over, exposing the one on the small of her back. Adam gently pinned her arms to the bed and ran his tongue down her back till it touched the scar. A wave of pleasure made her whole body tremble. They were drunk in each other, they had lost all control they might have had over themselves. Nothing else mattered, but the feel of their hands, of their mouths, of their whole bodies. When she arched backwards and pulled him inside her, they both knew one single night would never be enough to quench their fire.

There was the Door to which I found no key;

There was the Veil through which I might not see.

Omar Khayann - The Rubaiyat (st. 32 (later ed.)), (FitzGerald's translation)

Angela woke up with a start, sweat making her backless nightgown cling to her skin. Her hand reached out to click the lampshade on, but it stopped midway. What for? The realization that on or off, there would only be darkness, permanent, never-ending, encroaching darkness, made her heart sink and formed a fist in her stomach. She was in a cave, as locked down inside it as if a landslide had closed the entrance, as if someone had rolled the rock blocking its mouth and shouted "Close it, Sesame, never to open again!" The lack of space, the utter lack of light made her pant and feel whatever it was she hadn't eaten come up and fill her mouth with bitterness.

Trying her best to move silently, she stood up from the bed and groped her way to the bathroom. How difficult could it be to get to her own bathroom in her own bedroom in a place she had called home for almost a year before moving in with her late lover? Yet, the distance eluded her, the number of steps to the door bewildered her mixed up in a jumble with so many other numbers of steps to get anywhere. She wanted to scream she wasn't meant to walk but to soar, she wasn't meant to lay down, but to perch, she wasn't meant to the dead of night, but to the break of day.

Finally, she reached the door. She found the sink. Angela unhooked the nightgown's strap around her neck and let the garment fall to her waist. The cold water felt good against her face , the nape of her neck, her throat and chest. She bent down her head and found the water pouring from the tap with her lips, drinking her fill.

"Need any help, lass?"

Angela screamed and jumped back from the sink bumping against the commode and falling flat on her butt. Jesus Christ, she was startled! She never heard Jax get into the bathroom. She wasn't even aware that the lioness was in the same room with her. A hand held her right arm and helped her back to her feet. She leaned on the sink, trying hard to reign her galloping heart back into its rightful place. "Don't you ever do that again!" she panted. "For the love of God, you scared the living daylights out of me!" And she paused, chuckling at her words without real mirth. There would never again be living daylights in her to be scared out.

"Didn't mean to, HawkGirl." the lioness apologized. "You were asleep and I saw you start tossing and turning. Another nightmare?"

"Yes and no," answered the bird woman, clasping Jax's hand and accepting her help back to bed. "I can see things happen all over again. This time, it wasn't so bad."

"The first time it was..." started Jax.

Angela ran her hand down her throat to her breasts where the skin was lighter, almost discolored, as if she had been badly sunburned and the skin had peeled off. "Horrible."

Angela started to pull up the front of her nightgown, but Jax stopped her, letting the fabric fall back around her waist. She was small boned, had narrow shoulders and a tiny waist, but her hips were full and round, her legs long for her size and muscular, ending in those strange feet that looked like a bird's. The lioness traced the lighter colored skin with the back of her hand. "What happened?" she asked.

Angela swallowed at the caress. "It was acid, not strong enough to scar." She unlaced the ribbon that held her white nightgown and let it fall all the way to her feet. Her skin was stained a lighter shade in many places, mainly around her breasts, her buttocks and on the inside of her thighs. She felt the lioness shudder, and suddenly, she felt self-conscious of her nakedness, her supposed ugliness, her strange looks. She bent to pick up her gown, but Jax met her halfway down, pulling her up by the shoulders and their mouths joined on the way up.

Jax pushed her back delicately. Her hand smoothed the lighter skin from her throat to her breasts. The lioness turned the bird woman around, slightly parted her wings and pulled her against her body until she could embrace her from behind, her own breasts touching the downy spot between the wings and her hands cupping Angela's breasts, feeling her nipples harden under her fingers.

The bird woman moaned softly, bending her head backwards until it rested on Jax's chest. The feline's right hand ran up her neck to her chin, while her left hand caressed Angela's flat belly. Jax made the Avian lie down on the bed, her wings spread on the mattress, the tips of her taloned fingers touching her lips. Jax sat at the head of the bed and pulled the bird woman up to her lap, against her legs. Angela shyly touched the lioness's cheek, cupping her face in her hand and pulling her so they could kiss again, while Jax gently opened her like a flower and reached her hidden source of pleasure. "HawkGirl..." whispered Jax, as their lips parted.

Angela's breathed deep and a long sigh escaped from her mouth. "Lionheart..." she whispered back, and pulled Jax's lips to hers again.

"Surrender, I?

Parley? No, never! You too, Folly, - you?

I know that you will lay me low at last;

Let be! Yet I fall fighting, fighting still!"

(Cyrano de Bergerac - Edmond Rostand - Final Scene)

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The pounding in her head echoed like a Japanese drum. Drinking was all fine and dandy, the only problem was the price to pay in puke and pain. Hangover was a bitch, Revolution thought, sitting on the bed. Damn, the sheets will need changing. And she hated to make beds. What was the dream all about? Babies? Flying in a tube? Weird. "I'm so over vodka!" she said out loud. " #%$, I need a bath."

She gingerly stood up and the world turned upside down, as a wave of nausea hit her in the pit of her stomach. Sick to the core and furious at her own weakness, Revolution flipped the birdie at herself, looking hard at the tip of her middle finger and cursing the moment she had bought the booze in a cheap bar. "Should at least have bought Stolichnaya," she mused. "Gonna get plastered? Might as well drink the good stuff. Your liver will appreciate it."

Steeling herself against her own body's onslaught, Riley Jackson, now feeling a revolution inside her, headed to the bathroom, peeling her clothes on the way. She opened the water and it got real strong, real hot in seconds. She stepped inside and let the jet beat her neck, her shoulders, her back, even her head. The effect was extraordinary, miraculous even. The pounding headache disappeared, the nausea vanished and there was only the pleasure of the water splashing her skin, the heat turning it pink. She picked up a bar of soap Emma had given her, some aromatherapy thing smelling of chamomile, and lathered herself slowly, inch by inch, taking her time to soap her small breasts, her belly, her thighs...

The light noise was a warning. She didn't have to see to know who was there. She knew he'd hear the water running and come to the bathroom. She knew he'd lean against the doorframe and watch her. With a mischievous little grin, she started to lather herself all over again, this time with a sensuous feeling, working herself up, pinching her nipples, soaping between her legs for a long time, knowing full well he was watching.

She looked at him. He was breathing hard, licking his lips. "Feeling better, aren't we?"

"Like a billion bucks."

With a wave of her hand, she lifted him off the floor and made him float, his back only inches below the ceiling. Her hands danced in the air and Jesse's T-shirt flew from his body, his sneakers and socks fell to the ground. Like a maestro, she unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned his jeans and made the pants fly off his legs. He was as naked as she was. Her fingers gestured a "come here" and he floated, landing under the shower, the water soaking his golden hair and making his skin glisten. She touched his smooth chest, ran her hands to his back and grabbed his buttocks, pulling him even closer, if it was possible, feeling his manhood against her.

He had his hands on her shoulders. He bent his head until he found her mouth and they kissed under the hot water. He slid his hands down her arms, lifting them to his neck. He caressed the sides of her body and got her by the thighs, making her straddle him and leaning her back against the wall. He entered her and felt her gasp, her legs wrapping themselves around his hips. The heat in the shower paled at the heat of their bodies. Slowly, they slid down the wall until he was lying on the floor and she was on top of him. Her slender body arched, her knees pressed against him, their hands clasped together, Amazon and stallion in a wild pleasure ride that made them scream and cry and moan till she fell on him, all strength gone from her body.

Later, in bed, snug in his arms, she opened her eyes and looked at him. He slept like a kid, all innocence and peace, a little smile on his lips. Riley Jackson seldom cried, but she felt her eyes fill with tears, this time, of love and joy. She felt something hard break inside her, revealing a soft core, a silky interior. She kissed his chin, his neck, his throat, and felt him stir, his arm pull her closer and his mouth on hers. With a sigh, she whispered "Yes..."

"And taste

The melancholy joy of evils past:

For he who much has suffer'd, much will know."

The Iliad, Homer, Book xv, Line 434

"How's Rev?" asked Brennan, holding Cat's hand on their way to the gym.

"Wasted and puking an ocean," answered the feline. "Lux's holding her head. She'll survive." Cat stopped for a second and breathed hard. "You know of Adam?"

"Last I saw, he was tied up with MacGyver, talking to an elderly guy. Something about prosthetic eyes for Angela."

"I was so pissed at her!" growled the feral.

"That's Revolution, all right!" Brennan chuckled.

"No, I wasn't pissed at Rev, but at Angela!" exclaimed Cat.

"At Tweety? Of all people! Why?"

"You don't know? That's why Rev split!" Cat's eyebrows were up at her hairline. "She was talking to Adam and Donna, and she said she was going away because she didn't want to end up like another me, wallowing in depression. Or another Rev, all messed up. Problem is, Rev heard."

"Oh, come on, Cat, cut Tweety some slack, will you?"

"Don't worry, I know she's in a bad spot right now." Cat smiled sadly. "I'm not such a beast, you know?" She started wrapping up her hands in bandages to start sparring. "I wanted to talk to Adam, though. I feel the need to tell him about the feral, my GSA training and the assignments I carried for Eckhart. The others wouldn't understand, and the Cascade PD people might think they should do something about it." She punched the bag. "No matter, it can wait. He has a lot on his mind already." She kicked the bag. "Would you do me a favor?"

Brennan held her arm and turned her to him, holding her close. "Anything you want." He kissed her.

"Keep everybody out of the gym for one hour," she said, gently pushing him away. "I need to let go..."

He cupped her face in his large hands and looked into her huge green eyes. "Are you sure? If you can't get back in control..."

"I won't let her possess me that much." Her mouth sought his. "Check on me in one hour." He turned to leave. "Brennan? If I lunge at you, stun me."

He shook her hand from his arm, highly disturbed. The very idea! "I can't! Not this!" He held her, pulling her closer, running his hands through her hair. "I swore I'd never hurt you again!"

Nestled in his arms, her head against his chest, Cat spoke very softly. "Brennan, it won't be me. It'll be the feral, and she'll be out for blood." She lifted her head, looked at him and caressed his cheek. "My love, I have to do this. Ever since that night, I've been fighting her. From time to time, even I have to rest and give in."

Brennan Mulwray looked into his lover's eyes and saw the battle raging inside her, the two personalities fighting for control over a single body. The feral was wild, untamed, brutal. The human being was troubled, disturbed, yet loving and caring. He finally relented. "I'll lock the gym and warn the others." He kissed her eyes, her nose and her mouth. "Come back to me, Cat. Don't let the feral take you away."

For one hour, he stood outside the gym, looking in through the glass doors. For one hour, he saw a panther slash the punching bag to ribbons, spilling the sawdust all over the floor. For one hour he watched as Cat beat one holographic foe after the other. At last, he unlocked the door, entered the gym and punched a command to darken the glass panels. He didn't want anyone peeking in right now. "Time's up, you beast! I want my girl back!" he called.

The human panther in the middle of the room turned, her teeth long and pointy, her claws razor sharp. With a heart freezing roar, she made to lunge at him but stopped herself. With flaring nostrils, the feral circled around him, catching his scent. She knew it! It smelled male. It smelled mate! Stopping in front of him, her hand was a lighting bolt, shredding his T-shirt without breaking his skin. The beast came closer, almost touching her nose to his chest. She licked him and caught his nipple between her teeth, sucking lightly, and heard him gasp. Her claws ripped his pants, making them fall around his feet. He stepped out of his torn pants and pulled her top up, stripping her to the waist. He caught her arms and drew her closer, rubbing his hips against her belly and kissing her mouth, feeling her pointy teeth retreat to their normal size and shape. On the hands that now ran around his body, there were nails, not claws. There was no more feral, only Cat, his Cat, and he needed her like no other before.

She needed him badly, too. The feral was in heat and this was her mate, the scent never lied. Her mouth locked unto his, drinking in his taste. She forgot where she was, who might see. Only their bodies mattered. She pushed her tights down and stood gloriously naked for him to see. She was white and pink and golden, a goddess of milk and honey offering herself to her man. He smoothed her straight yellow hair, ran his hands through her shoulders, down her arms, her belly. Brennan made Cat lie down on the tatami floor and knelt by her side, kissing her mouth, her throat, the space between her breasts. His tongue circled each pink topped hill, taking each nipple in his lips. Cat felt herself melting in his mouth. His tongue traced a path of fire from her breasts to her navel and down, till he kissed the golden wheat field of her sex. Cat gasped loud, arched her back, ran her fingers through his hair and held his head between her legs. His tongue was burning her, sending sparks up her body to her heart, to her head, driving her crazy with desire. Cat moaned and licked her lips, fighting to breath in a wave of boiling lava. She pulled his head up and kissed him deeply, anxious to feel her own taste in his mouth. Brennan's hands caressed her back, her round butt and her thighs, his hips against her, his weight upon her. Cat opened her legs wider to better accommodate her mate, allowing herself to be penetrated. Her fingernails dug welts on Brennan's back as their breaths caught in their throats and they exploded in electric fireworks that blew off every lamp in Sanctuary's gym.

Later, much later, Breannan carried Cat to his room. Straddling him, her arms wrapped around his neck, her head resting on his shoulder, a pussycat slept with a smile on her face. She felt new, renovated, the feral finally tightly leashed. It would be released as much or as little as she wished. At long last, ferals didn't rule. Cat did.

In the room she usually shared with Jax McManus, Lux Windsor laid awake. The libido storm raging through the mountain hideout was almost unbearable. It made her feel the heat of the sun in her loins, it made her long for her own mate, Logan. Lux touched her swollen breasts, her nipples hard as rocks, her sex moist and throbbing. 'What are you doing to me?' she thought. It seemed that everyone there was drowning in lust at the same time, forming a tidal wave of feromones sweeping the place. In Shalimar's room, a tiger and a cat made noisy love; in Emma's room, two souls merged in slow motion as Sam dove into the psionic's body and soul. Lux saw the falcon and the lion blend in one mystic beast, she saw the electric thunderstorm blast and illuminate the sky, the stallion and the Amazon ride unbridled in a field of stars. And she saw a knight errant bare his heart to his damsel, laying his life at her feet.

Lux Windsor, crying out in loneliness, finally fell asleep and, all night long, she dreamt of a silver wolf howling in the moonlight.

Phone Call...

She smiled as she felt a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Mornin," she whispered.

"Mornin," whispered Jesse as he wrapped an arm around her and buried his face in her hair.

She opened her eyes and rubbed them.

" #%$!" she whispered as her eyes focused on the clock that sat on her bed side table.

"What's the matter?" murmured Jesse.

She untangled herself from him and the bed sheets and looked around her room.

"Stuff to do, Miles to go before I sleep," she said "Stuff like that."

He laid back on her bed and watched her.

"Ah yes," he said "My girl, busy as a bee."

She smiled at him in her mirror and walked to her closet. She changed quickly and telekinetically put her hair in two braids.

"Ever girl's dream," she said smiling at Jesse "It's better than having four hands."

He laughed.

She sat down next to him on her bed and began to tie her dark purple converse sneakers.

"You know what?" he asked.

She looked at him.

"What?"

"You work to hard," he replied "After this is all over, we oughta go on a vacation."

"Amen brother," she said kissing him.

The kiss deepened and she groaned.

"Jess..." she whispered "I have...to...Go!"

"Cheater," he exclaimed as she floated up from the bed.

"You love me and you know it," she said as she landed a few feet away from him.

"I love you but you're still a lousy cheat," he said.

She stuck her tongue out at him and flounced out of her room.

"Make the bed," she said sticking her head through the door.

He threw a pillow at her.

"Now, Jesse Kilmartin," she said as the pillow floated in front of her "Play nice."

He laughed as the pillow came hurling back at him.

She sighed heavily as she entered the kitchen. Drama, drama, drama, she said to herself as a wave of bizarre tension nearly engulfed her.

"Hey!" yelled Cat.

"Hey," said Revolution smiling.

"You hungry?" asked Brennan.

"Famished," she replied "Something about drinking always makes me hungry."

"Funny," said Cat "Something about drinking always makes me hung over."

Revolution laughed and looked around the kitchen. Lux was sitting by herself in the breakfast nook. Emma and Shalimar sat together at one end of the table, head to head, heavy in conversation.

"Have you said anything to her?" whispered Cat.

"Who?"

She pointed to Angela who sat next to Jax at the table.

"Nope," said Revolution "And I don't plan to."

Cat nodded and squeezed her shoulder. Brennan handed her a plate and she and Cat walked over to the breakfast nook.

"Mind if we join ya?" asked Revolution.

"Of course not," replied Lux smiling "You look well."

Revolution blushed slightly as the phone rang.

"I'll get it," said Emma.

"No!" yelled Revolution as she dashed over to the phone.

Everyone looked at her and she laughed slightly.

"It's for me," she said.

She picked up the phone and placed it on the counter. A small ray of light poured out of the phone, a ray of light that got larger as it went. Collecting on the floor, it soon began to take shape.

"Max!" yelled Lux.

"Hey Lou," said the light as it became solid.

Standing in front of them was Maxwell Monroe, the young security head of The Ring's home base.

There's Got to Be a Morning After

"Uoduohy sunaley, uoduohy aga yv."

Donna opened her eyes slowly. Adam was holding her and smoothing her hair, pushing it away from her face. He seemed to be awake for a while. With a faint smile, she answered, "Wado. 'Beautiful morning, beautiful woman.' I didn't know you spoke Tsalagi."

"A little. And Lakhota, too," he laughed. "I hate subtitles, and I wanted to watch Dances with Wolves."

"Do you ever sleep?"

"On occasion, and this was one of them," he answered and stretched. "Insomnia has been a friend these last few years, but tonight I broke a record. Four straight hours. Thanks to you, noble lady."

She nodded slightly and rested her head on his chest, biting her lips and blinking away tears. He lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes. "Was it that bad? Uhm?"

"No," she answered with a chuckle. "I think I feel so guilty because it was that good." She paused. "I'm... I'm very confused. I don't know what to feel, I don't know what to think." She stammered, looking for words. Donna reclined against the head of the bed and pulled her legs up, her chin on her knees.

Adam turned on his side and held her hand. "Donna, if there's one thing I know well, it is guilt. It has been with me every minute of my life since, as Brennan calls it, my fall from grace." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly. "Done is done, there is no going back. And even if there was, I wouldn't want to." He sat, crossing his legs in a lotus position beneath the sheets. "Look at me." He cupped her face in his hand. "You are a remarkable woman, one I admire and respect. One I could easily..." He didn't finish, didn't have to. "How do you want to play it? I'll abide by your decision."

Donna looked away and bit her lips. She drew a deep breath. It was all so confusing, so mixed up in her head. She felt divided, torn in two. Where to turn? What to do? Usually, Donna Gryphon made decisions fast and held on to them. With the powers she yielded, she had to be very well grounded or she risked a disastrous power trip. The experiments that boosted her abilities, aiming to create a multi-psionic that encompassed all the mind powers spectrum, had made sure she had a conscience, it had also boosted up her own innate sense of ethics and fairness. It had given her an enormous sense of justice and an even bigger capacity to feel guilty, only equaled by Adam's own addiction to the feeling. Where that was concerned, they were a pair all right. Right now, she felt ripped apart. She had betrayed the man she loved. Donna looked back at Adam. "I don't know." She paused, not knowing what to say next. "I wish I knew, but I'm so... mixed up... I..." She rested her head on her knees, her hands on her neck.

Adam understood her completely. Guilt was his constant companion, the shadow that darkened his days. The consequences of one's acts had a way of returning to haunt and hurt, specially when acting before thought, when giving in to instinct and emotions. But emotions also had a way to explode out of control. Keeping them in a tight leash every minute of every day was overwhelming. And when such a special woman crossed his path, such an unique, remarkable, utterly lovable woman crossed his path... Damn... He drew her to his arms and she came willingly, even meekly, accepting his embrace and holding him tight in return. "Your mixed feelings prove one thing, noble woman." She lifted her eyes to look at him. "You're human. Not a psionic, not a new mutant, you're very much human."

She smiled a little. "That makes two of us, then."

"Not quite." He held her head and kissed her. "I don't feel torn apart, I'm not confused." He kissed her again. "I'm very whole and my feelings are very focused right now, on you. There is a decision to be made, though, and it only saddens me that it is not mine to make, but yours. Were it mine, and it would have been made already." He held her tighter. "But it can wait, there is still time." He felt her tears on his chest.

"I don't know what to think, Adam," she sobbed softly. "I only know one thing. A qya du li hi ya sv no yi a do hi. I want this night to last forever."

"If this is the one thing you know, that you want this night to last forever, it gives me hope," he smiled at her and lightly kissed her moist eyes. "I can make this night last forever for you." He reached for the bed stand and pressed a button. Heavy black curtains closed automatically, blocking the view from the mountain and all natural light. "Today, the sun is yours to command, noble woman."

Donna caressed his cheek and smiled back. "Why, I'd never have taken you for a romantic. Then I guess the rumors are false, after all."

He grinned. "The rumors that I am actually an android, not a man?" He laughed louder. "The rumors I've started myself and carefully nurtured over the years? You tell me, are they true or false?"

"I don't know yet," she answered. "I have to study you to find out." And she pushed him down, making him lie flat on his back. There would come a time for decisions, there would come a time for choices, but not now. Now, only the two of them mattered, only the desire that consumed them had any meaning in their hearts and minds. Now, they were the only two people left in the world, all others had suddenly vanished. And if he was Adam, she was Eve, and the Garden of Eden was theirs once more.

Hours later, when they were back to their senses, Adam held Donna by the shoulders and made her face the holographic wall that sealed his room. He embraced her from behind as he did the night before, again burying his face in the crook of her neck, drinking in the lavender scent of her dark, silky hair. He covered her breasts with his hands and felt her heartbeat quickening and her breath become faster, as she gasped at his touch. "I'm a man of many secrets, none of them kind." He caressed her belly and her thighs. "And I'm a very private man, GryphonLady." He pulled her chin, turning her head, so he could kiss her long and deeply. After they parted, he looked her straight in the eyes. "Nobody knows of this room. Not even Shalimar. You are the first person I've admitted here." He turned her back to the wall. "While you were asleep, I did something for you, and for you alone, Donna." He covered her breasts with his hands again, her nipples hard under his fingers. "Say your name, my impossible dream."

She sighed, leaning against his body. The wall shimmered and disappeared in front of their eyes when she whispered, "Dulcinea..."

An Emotional Roller Coaster Ride

Hours later:

Donna was picking at a salad that she had made for herself in the kitchen. Every muscle in her body ached from last night. Last nigh, wow, she couldn't believe what she had done.

Donna picked up her plate and carried it over to the trash can. She just couldn't finish it all and had a feeling that she wouldn't be eating much today. When she was worried she tended not to eat. Now, she was feeling torn apart.

A beep went off on her Com-Link and Donna nearly dropped the plate on the floor. Placing it in the dishwasher she said "Answer!" while looking up at the ceiling.

"Donna?" It was Blair. A pang of guilt washed over her like a tsunami, a tidal wave.

Trying to be as calm and cheery as possible she said, "Blair, sweetie what's up?"

"Hey baby, how's it goin'?"

"Not much. What's up there?", she replied.

"Well we got a situation here and can't get back to Sanctuary. Simon needs all of us."

"Sure, honey. I will make sure that he is there as soon as possible. One of the guys could probably fly him back to Cascade in the Helix. You can pick him up at my place. You have a key. What's going on?"

"Can't talk about it right now. But as soon as everything is okay I will contact you and tell you the whole story."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"I'll try not too. I love you, babe." Blair said with a chuckle.

"I love you to, honey."

The connection ceased.

Teenage Riot-Squad...

gonna have a teenage riot.

Cus we all understand

what it's like to be a kid today.

gonna have a teenage riot.

let's blow 'em all away.~The Ataris

"Did she really say that?"

Revolution nodded and pushed a stray curl under her hat. The anger in Max's voice made her feel better about the whole situation.

"As if I'm some unstable headcase." she replied

Max looked at her and laughed.

"You are an unstable head case."

She smacked his arm and ruffled his hair.

"Watch the hair."

Revolution laughed and pulled her car into the parking lot of the clinic.

"You know, I could have gotten us here much quicker," exclaimed Max as she unloaded the equipment from the trunk.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah," he said watching as the heavy equipment floated along in front of them "Hey! aint ya worried that someone is gonna see that?"

Revolution laughed.

"Do you want to carry all that in?"

"Good point, float away."

Please don't let me, go falling from the sky,

This fasten seatbelt sign just needs to go out.

If only you could be, right here by my side,

Home wouldn't seem so far from here.~The Ataris

"Lux?" asked Jesse as he walked slowly into one of the smaller computer labs "What are you doing?"

The Ring's leader looked up from the small screen she had been watching.

"Watching Ring training videos," she replied "Max has been taping them for me."

She slid over on the table where she had been sitting allowing Jesse to sit beside her.

"That's Rahyll, right?" he asked.

The tall woman on the screen was alternately catching and releasing a flock of wild birds.

"Uh huh," replied Lux "Amazing, isn't she?"

Jesse nodded.

Lux turned towards him and patted his hand gently.

"Don't worry about her," she whispered.

Jesse looked at her and then smiled.

"No use lying to a telepath," he said.

she laughed lightly.

"Pretty pointless. Please Jess, don't worry about Max and Rev. Those two have the Most Platonic friendship ever." she said taking his hand in hers "Any feelings are Max's and Max's alone and even that is mostly because Rev is almost as good a hacker as he is."

Jesse laughed.

"Its not that I don't trust her or Max..." he began.

It always seemed to Jesse that Revolution was only with him until she found where she belongs. When he walked into the kitchen that morning and saw her sitting with Max, her bright head tilted to Max's dark one, it seemed right to him.

"She loves you," said Lux "You are the reason she is here."

Lux had offered Revolution a high up job in The Ring's army but she had declined.

"But is that a good thing?" wondered Jesse as he slid off the table and walked out of the room.

"I don't know," whispered Lux.

it's time to show 'em all

just how its done.~The Ataris

"Ms. Jackson," exclaimed Harry as he jogged over to her.

"Please Harry," said Revolution "Its Revolution or Rev or Riley."

The older man smiled.

"A girl of many names," said Max "Heya Harry."

Harry smiled and shook the younger man's hand. He had met Max twice and had been communicating with regularly when Max had been sending him the schematics for their design.

"Max," he exclaimed "its good to see you."

"Where's Raisha?" asked Revolution.

It had been Revolution's idea to give the 'disgraced' security guards the chance to help them. The fight outside the hospital had been in no way their fault but they both took their duties seriously.

"Behind you," answered a silky smooth voice as a beautiful African American woman stepped seemingly from the wall of the building.

Revolution smiled and hugged Raisha.

"Now you put up the announcements?" asked Max as he and Harry walked into the hospital.

the front lobby was packed to the hilt with the hospital staff.

"Yep," replied Harry smiling.

They worked for what seemed like hours and hours, Collecting blood samples from more than willing workers and feeding them into the machine.

"Now Rev," exclaimed Makenna as she handed her a coke "how does dis work again?"

Revolution rubbed her eyes and smiled tiredly.

"I'll show ya," she replied.

Revolution pulled a young man who had yet to give blood from the group.

"Walk through there?" she asked.

"Sure," replied the man.

Makenna watched as the young man walked through what appeared to be nothing more than a metal detector. A large light flashed and an alarm went off down the hall where the security office was located.

"Its okay," said Revolution into a small intercom "Just giving her a test run."

"Ten four good buddy," said Max.

"impressive," said Makenna.

"Yeah," said Zack giving her a pat on the back "Not bad for a kid."

"Ah #%$ you," laughed Revolution.

The group laughed and then went back to work.

Jesse sat with his head in his hands, trying to sneak a nap in before his guilt caught up with him.

"Jess?" called Revolution over her com link.

He awoke with a start.

"Yeah? Everything all right?" he asked worriedly.

"Peachy," she laughed "Didn't mean to scare you."

He laughed.

"Me scared?"

"You're a terrible liar."

"What's up?"

"We're pretty much done here," she said "Raisha and Harry are gonna finish it up. We're gonna do some of the safe houses then go to dinner. Why don't you, Lux and Jax meet us at the Foxworth Safe House?"

"Okay," he replied.

"All right babe, love ya."

"Love you too."

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

"It won't work, sonny."

Brennan sighed and looked at the older couple, the man studying the Helix's controls with great interest, as if he were a child with a new toy. His wife sat in the back of the VTOL, smiling pleasantly. "Yes, that's what he told me, Adam," he continued. "I tried, of course. The bionic eye won't react to the visual cloak." He paused as Adam spoke, but wasn't heard over the craft. "It is his right eye, and I can't tell one from the other." Brennan looked again to the older couple and smiled back a them. He turned back to speak over the Helix's com system. "Short of zapping him, what do I do now?"

Back in Sanctuary lab, Adam looked at his old friend MacGyver, now leaning against the wall, his arms crossed on his chest and a little grin on his face. The scientist chuckled at the explosives expert. "I guess it would be very bad form if I asked Steve Austin to consent to be blindfolded with something as low tech as a handkerchief." Mac just looked at his feet, grinned broadly and nodded his head. "Don't do anything, Brennan. Bring them in, they're honored guests." Adam looked at his own feet and shook his head, a gesture opposite to Mac's. "Lately, my hideout seems to be getting more traffic than the lobby of the New York Hilton!"

"Welcome to Sanctuary, Colonel and Mrs. Austin."

Steve Austin's handshake was a vise, Adam had to clench his teeth to keep from wincing. And his blue eyes, now lined more with laughter than with age, seemed to see much more than whatever met them head on. The man who left the VTOL towered over the scientist and could look MacGyver eye to eye. Over 6 feet tall, tanned, wearing jeans and a white T-shirt, a brown leather jacket and cowboy boots. His hairline was receding, but a larger forehead only enhanced his looks. He carried a metal case in his hands.

The lady that followed him was shorter, slender, her ash blond hair going gray, gathered in a youthful ponytail. Her blue eyes also showed lines around them, but the sparkle was unmistakable. She wore jeans and boots, too, but had a white silk shirt on and an elegant dark gray wool jacket.

"You have a nifty little plane, Dr. Kane," said Steve with a flashy grin.

"We like it very much. And it is Adam, colonel, please." He motioned for the older couple to follow him and Brennan to join them.

"Then it is Steve..." the astronaut started.

"And Jamie," his wife completed.

"You said you lead a team of mutants. It made me very curious, Adam. Could you elaborate, please?" The retired OSI agent's eyes shrunk to slits as he concentrated.

Adam took a breath, collected his thoughts and, while he led the couple through Sanctuary's maze of hallways and corridors to the Dojo area, he started his tale. From the very beginning. "Evolution is in permanent motion. Man as a species doesn't stop here. We, as homo sapiens, are not at the topmost end of Darwin's scale."

"Because it has no end, it just goes on and on and on," interjected Jamie Sommers Austin.

"Exactly! As we speak, there are evolutionary mutants around the world, men, women and children commanding fantastic powers that could easily be labeled as magical." Adam pursed his lips in a tight smile and shook his head again. "They are nothing of the sort, of course. They are the result of our natural and eternal movement towards infinity and perfection."

They entered the Dojo area, where three women, a blonde, a redhead and a brunette, were waiting. "My team, however, is constituted of New Mutants, who are the results of a research I started and directed to prevent a plethora of genetic diseases from either dooming infants to an early and painful death, or flaring up later in life, but ultimately coming to the same end, a painful death." He paused for a second, as his mind made a quick but thorough trip down memory lane. "On the research I led myself, all subjects had the genetic markings for any one of those diseases. Through the collection, modification and reintegration of stem cells, my team and I attempted to correct those genetic flaws." He bit his upper lip. "It worked, but there were unexpected side effects. Those side effects spiked the greed and curiosity of some powerful people. The biotech company I worked for started to produce not the cure, but the side effects." He looked around. "I rebelled, left and took some crucial data with me. When this company and the government started rounding up all New Mutants they could put their hands on, either confining them in stasis pods or turning them into thugs who did their dirty work, I started hiding and protecting them to the best of my ability. Now, there is a whole network of hospitals, safe houses and shelters for this special people." Adam smiled and pointed to Brennan and the girls. "This is part of my team. Each one of them would have been born with a deadly illness or would have been prone to develop one later in life. Some would have never been born at all. " He motioned them to introduce themselves.

"I'm Brennan Mulwray. I'd be a hemophiliac." He lit up tesla coils around his right hand. "Now, I'm an electric elemental." He closed his hand, shutting down the electrical discharge and reached out to shake Steve Austin's hand.

"I'm Shalimar Fox." She smiled. "I'd have over ninety percent chance of developing Lou Gehrig's Disease at a very young age." Her eyes glowed feral. "Now, I'm a feline feral, with the DNA of a cat mixed up with my own." She shook hands with Jamie Austin. "Thanks for coming and, if you'll excuse me, I'm getting dinner ready."

"I'm Emma DeLauro. According to my original DNA analysis, I'd surely have developed Early Onset Alzheimer's Syndrome." She smiled and formed the white mind bolt on her brow, but refrained from releasing it. "Now, I'm a psionic telempath, capable of absorbing other people's emotions, of communicating directly with other psionic New Mutants and of launching mind bolts." Pulling back the bolt, Emma lightly kissed Jamie's cheek. "Thanks for coming, and I'm helping Shalimar."

"I'm Donna Gryphon. I was supposed to be born with anencephalia. I'd have survived about half an hour out of uterus." She smiled and tossed her raven's hair back. "I started as a telekinetic, but another experiment boosted my powers. Now, I'm a multi-psionic telecyber, telekinetic..." she sighed. "And precognitive."

Adam resumed the narrative. "There is another class of New Mutants, the Moleculars, with the ability to control their own body and other objects density." He looked at Steve Austin and his wife, who were listening intently. "Besides that, there are a few others who defy classification. Some are model citizens." He looked at Brennan and smiled. "Some are heroes..." Adam looked back at the Austins and his face darkened. "Others are renegades, criminals. Those, we fight."

They were up on the Dojo itself, overlooking the pond and waterfall, and MacGyver had joined them, warmly greeting the astronaut and his wife. From the control panel, Adam went on with the tale. "Our latest battle was against the most deadly band of rogue New Mutants we've encountered so far. Mac was with us and he saved our new hospital from blowing up sky high." He smiled at MacGyver and the Austins on the other side of the platform, but a shadow descended on his face immediately. "Another feral New Mutant, a young woman, very unique, very dear to me was severely injured in this fight."

"The one you told me about," interjected Steve Austin, from the holostage that was the Dojo. "The one who lost her eyesight."

Adam's attention was diverted to Emma, Shalimar and Cat coming from the kitchen. The psionic was frowning. "What is it?" he asked.

"There's something very wrong, I don't know what it..." and her eyes locked on Donna Gryphon, who stood very still, her back to the others. When she turned, her eyes were milky white and shining, and she held her bare arms a little forward, as if showing her inner wrists. With a voice that was not her own, very sad, very sweet, she started to speak with a slight Latino accent and, as she spoke, two gashes opened like a rift on her inner forearms from wrist to elbow.

"Today, for the first time since I lost my eyes, it really downed on me that it will be forever. Only now I realize that the darkness has me in its clutches and it won't let me go. My dear uncle and falconer, I can't give you a day. I can't give you an hour. The darkness crushes me, it devours me. I'll be 29 the day after tomorrow and the thought that I can spend another forty years buried alive in this black pit is more than I can bear. Forgive me, but I'd rather it stopped now. And forgive me again for breaking my vow of silence. If you won't acknowledge me, I will acknowledge you. Your niece who loves you very much, Angela Kane Fontenelle."

Donna's final words were lost in the bedlam that followed the initial shock her trance provoked. Mac caught her as she collapsed, blood flowing freely from her arms. "Angela!" Adam shouted and went over the control panel's platform rail at the same time the Austins jumped from the Dojo and hit the ground running.

"Where is she?" yelled Steve, easily outrunning Adam. Their speed equaled or supplanted Shalimar's and even Cat's.

"Last door to the left!"

"It's locked!" shouted Steve.

"I can override!" Adam shot back.

Jamie Austin touched her left ear to the door. "No time! The heartbeat inside is very faint!"

The older couple grabbed the door with their right hands and, to the amazement of all witnesses, yanked it clear off its hinges, throwing it twenty yards down the hallway. Steve Austin was the first inside and he had no time to marvel at the half-bird winged woman sprawled on the blood-soaked bed. Easily picking her up in his arms, he hollered, "Where to?"

"Show him the MedLab, Shal, fast!" Adam yelled back. "And get a blood bag from Angela's stash in the refrigerator! She'll need a transfusion immediately!" He looked at the Dojo where Mac was cradling Donna's limp body and paled. For a moment, doubt took over. Where to go first? Whom should he help first? He could lose one of them, and either loss was unthinkable. The solution came in a flash and his eyes shone with the intensity of a man used to cheating death on an everyday basis. He turned to Emma and grabbed her by the shoulders, and he spoke low, but firmly. "Run to Donna, enter her mind, kick the gate open if you have to, but make her understand that she has to use her own microkinetic power to stop the bleeding and close the slashes. It's the same power she used to regenerate her spinal cord." He was breathing hard. "Do it for me, Emma, please. Save her for me, Emma." And he ran from the Dojo to the Lab.

Emma DeLauro felt the full impact of her mentor's emotions hitting her in the chest like a canon ball. She took the stairs two at a time and knelt by Donna's side. She grabbed the fallen woman's head, turned her eyes to the side in concentration and shot a small bolt that hit Donna Gryphon's forehead and held it fast, making her open her milky white eyes. Emma's own eyes turned white as she plunged into the inner recesses of her fellow psionic's unconscious mind.

All was white. The grass was white, the trees, the sky. Her clothes were white, her hair, her eyes. 'Then, that's what death is like?' Emma thought. 'Yes, it is. I've seen it before. Death is white.'

Donna's body was propped against a white tree. She was dressed like a Cherokee, in soft leather pants and tunic, and she had beads around her throat. She had her hair braided with leather thongs. She was yonega ugidali, the white feather, and from her forearms came the only splash of red in that white dreamscape. An old fox was laying by her side, its white flecked muzzle resting on her thigh, her left arm on its back, soaking its pelt with blood. Emma stepped closer to Donna. "Let me go, please," a voice made her turn around. A winged woman was standing right behind her, and her wings were as white as new snow. The white bird woman's eyes were open and had no irises, yet they shone like beacons. "Don't keep me here, I beg you," the woman pleaded, her blood-soaked backless white nightgown an angry stain in the pristine dreamscape.

Emma made a move in the direction of the angel-like creature. "Help me stay. I don't want to go, not now." Donna's eyes were open and they had no irises either, shining in the same light as the other creature's. "I can't go now. There's much to be done, much to be felt, much to be experienced. I can't go now!" Emma was torn between the two apparitions. She reached her left hand to the winged creature, beckoning her. The old fox stood and approached the bird creature. It took the hem of her gown in its teeth and pulled her in Emma's direction. The creature complied and took the offered hand. The young psionic drew her to the woman lying by the tree. She crouched by her side, the winged woman looking down on them. Emma lifted her eyes. "Don't you understand? If the falcon dies before its time, the gryphon dies before its time." She turned her eyes back to Donna. "One cannot go without the other, and one cannot stay without the other." Emma stood, taking the Cherokee woman's hand in her left hand. With her right, she took the winged woman's hand. "The falcon cannot die before its time. You have to stay for the gryphon's sake. Your spirits are bound together and cannot be forced apart." Emma lifted the two hands, the fingers almost touching. She turned to the winged woman. "You tried to sever the bond. So, the decision is yours. If you leave, you take the gryphon with you."

The white eyes of the bird woman locked on Emma's own and two rivers of light ran from them. The creature shone ever more brightly until it disappeared, leaving Emma, Donna and the fox in the dreamscape. The young psionic knelt by the Cherokee's side, took her blood-stained arms in her hands and spoke softly yet firmly, "Close your wounds."

Donna smiled and her eyes shone even brighter. The slashes on her forearms closed as they had opened, leaving no trace of their existence.

Acquainted With The Night...

She was thankful for the quiet. It had been some time since the halls of sanctuary were silent even at this time of night. She checked on Angela and then on Donna who both seemed to be sleeping soundly. It pained her immensely that she had not been there to help them. Pulling her hair up on top of her head as she walked into the kitchen, she sighed heavily.

"Where's your precog when I need it?" came a hoarse whisper from behind her.

She turned slowly, not surprised to see Adam sitting behind her, nursing a cup of tea.

"Pardon me?" she whispered as she telekinetically poured herself a glass of Sprite.

"I needed you, Lux. I never saw it coming. You could have."

She shook her head and slid up onto the counter.

"Adam, you know as well as I do that my precognition is the least certain of my abilities. Many variables throw it off. It may even be that I do not know Angela." she exclaimed gently.

"You don't know half the people you see in your visions." he said.

"Those are disasters of horrific proportions, not one woman about to kill herself."

"In a real attempt against her life, Lux, not just some pathetic cry for help," he stated as if it was so obvious she was stupid for not seeing the difference. "That was the real deal!"

"The church? The orphanage? Were those pathetic cries for help? My precognition is not a suicide hotline. I can't have singular visions of people I don't know."

The fury in her voice was so intense that if Adam had been in a better place, he probably would have stopped there.

"You knew her. You were together here for a week. You saw her operate, help others, fly... What else did you need?"

"I don't know her, Adam, she is not close to my heart," she whispered "I do not know her past."

Adam shook his head angrily.

"Damn, Lux, you're a mind reader! How could you NOT SEE IT COMING?" he exclaimed his voice raising to a dangerous level.

"Adam, my telepathic ability does not allow me to predict things like this. People think of committing suicide thousands of times a day. Even here, how am I supposed to filter out one person?"

Adam shook his head as if trying to forcefully remove her words from his mind.

"Not in Sanctuary," he whispered.

"Yes! Even here in Sanctuary. Dear Emma thinks about it the most, I'm afraid death would be a relief for her. Jesse thinks of it when he feels he has no one else to turn to."

"Thanks to Emma, I didn't lose one of them! And I came this close to losing one of them! It was either Angela or Donna! I couldn't help them both at the same time. And Jesse always has someone to turn to! He can always turn to me" exclaimed Adam.

Lux shook her head. "You will never be able to understand them."

"I've created them!"

"Emma may have helped you this night but what will happen to her when she can no longer stand the stress? You created them but you aren't one of them. It all comes down to the fact that you are just human. You can't feel other people's emotions and you can't walk through walls." she whispered.

"But I can think ten times faster than anyone else alive! I never forget anything, it's more than photographic memory, it's idetic! It's a curse!" he said.

She shook her head and marveled for a moment at his sheer arrogance.

"I'm only human? I wish I were... ONLY human."

"And I will outlive my child!" she said much louder than she had intended "You are only human."

That's when Adam looked over at her. In the dim kitchen light, Lux Windsor looked like a picture straight from a storybook. It was hard for him to determine if she was real or a figment of his imagination.

"You can't know that," he whispered.

"I do! I do not bleed, I do not get sick."

"Your healing power will make you almost immortal," he said more to himself than to her.

"I know this. Do you think that a day goes by when I do not think of it? Much like your Emma, I crave death."

"But death won't come to you, will it?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"No, it won't. I can't die. I suspect I shall be leading the Ring for many generations to come," was her reply.

"And your healing power will reject anything I attempt to correct this mutation..."

"Yes," she whispered.

They sat there and looked at each other for a moment. The Goddess and the man, one the creator of the other.

"I'm sorry, Lux. I... I'm really sorry..." he stammered.

"I do not want your apologies, nor do I need them."

"I can offer you nothing else. Done is done, Lux," he said sadly.

"You are the one who sought me out. I need nothing from you. Apparently you need something from me."

He looked at her.

"I need you as an ally, and a friend if possible. I don't think the New Order will be the last renegade mutant gang we face. There will be others, you know that." he said.

"You have me as an ally, you always have."

"But not as a friend?" he asked.

"As a friend, I know not."

"Tonight, I had to decide which one I'd save, which one I'd let die. It was sheer luck Donna's powers are similar to yours. She can't heal others, but she can regenerate herself," he whispered.

"You were very lucky indeed."

"Yes, I was. But I was also scared to death. I... That's something I wouldn't readily admit," he said as he began to pace the length of the kitchen.

"Yes, your pride," she whispered and took a sip of her drink.

"Pride has nothing to do with it. Fear impairs judgment, Lux. It's not a matter of pride, but of leadership."

"It is a matter of pride. You think that if you show you are just as scared as everyone else you will lose your power," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Not my power, my resolve. And I was scared, Lux. I couldn't lose either of them."

Lux shook her head.

"I couldn't lose Angela because she is my... my bird-of-prey. And I couldn't lose Donna because she is..."

"I know what she is," whispered Lux.

"...remarkable."

"I know what they both are."

He stopped pacing and looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I am well aware of who and what both Donna and Angela are."

"So you know, don't you? You're a mind reader when it suits you," he said angrily.

Lux's whole body shook with fury.

"When it suits me?! My telepathy is not like a switch! I can't shut it off. It is a constant companion."

"And you didn't pick up on my niece's death wish because other people here consider suicide, Lux? I almost lost her! One question: have you ever had a hint of how many times I think of doing myself in?" he asked.

"I did not pick up on your niece's death wish because I was unable to filter it out. And to be honest, about you, I care not."

"That answers my question about an ally and a friend. Good night, Lux. Sleep well." he exclaimed.

Lux shook her head defiantly, there was no way in hell he was just going dismiss her like that.

"It's not that I feel ill towards you. It's that I have things besides you on my mind. I have family and friends who are more vulnerable to attack then you. And here I am helping you, and yet you treat me like a comic book sidekick" she said.

"I know that you have other things in mind and I'm grateful. And you were never a comic book sidekick, Lux. That's exactly the reason why I snapped at you: you're my most valuable ally here, the one I needed the most."

"And I am only a girl, one girl. I can't be in two places at once" she whispered gently.

"I wish you could. I most fervently wish you could. All right, call me selfish if you want, but I'm tired, Lux. I'm fed up with this constant fighting. And yet I go on." he said as he sat back down at the table.

"I wish I could tell you that this gets better,"

"I don't want to lose even more. I don't want to lose the only family I have and one of the very few good things that happened to me in years," he continued "It doesn't get any better, I know that very well."

"You will lose and you will win. Things are hard. Of this I am certainly aware of."

He looked at her and shook his head.

"Tell me something I don't know, Lux. I'm 48 years old and I've been at it much longer than you have." he said.

"And I will be around much longer than you will," she exclaimed.

"Pay me no heed tonight. It's just the adrenaline that's wearing off."

Lux continued, as much for her own benefit as for his.

"I will see my children fight, my children's children fight and so on down the line."

"And you'll go on," he said.

"Because I have no other choice."

"Forgive me, Lux, if you can," Adam whispered.

She slid off the counter and sat beside him.

"You do not need my forgiveness Adam, but you already have it," she said placing her hand on his.

He smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Thank you. Tonight, I'm really too tired"

She nodded.

"As am I, and I'm very frightened."

Now that was a shock to him. Lux was one of the few, possibly the only mutant he knew that feared nothing. What exactly was there for an immortal woman to fear?

"Why?"

"I am scared for my family, for my friends who have lost so much. The New Order has taken many lives from the Ring. The Hall of Sorrows is nearly full with their portraits" she replied.

He looked at her with determination.

"Lux, if I can promise you one thing and one thing only, this is it: we will bite back. And we will take them down."

"And more will step into their places. Of this I have seen" she whispered.

"That can't be helped. We can only stick together and fight. And rally others to our ranks as we did with the Cascade Group. That's all. This is what we live for."

"You must forgive me, my friend. While I admire your optimism, its is hard to see the light when I am the darkness." she said.

"We are both in darkness, my friend. It is with us every moment of our lives," he said smiling. "Thank you for calling me "friend", Lux. You can't imagine how important it is to me. Good night."

She waved good-bye as he headed towards the lab. She went off to check on Emma. It saddened her but she knew that both would still be awake to see the sunrise.

The Dream Catcher

In a distant world:

Walking over to the river she knelt down and peered into the water. Who was that woman who looked back at her in the shimmering water. Certainly not the woman she thought she was. To one side, a silvery gray wolf walked up to the water, and took a drink. He gave her a loving look and nuzzled her leg before running off into the woods. An owl swooped down. Her arm was ready for it to land on. It looked her directly in the eyes and after what seemed like an eternity flew off toward a majestic mountain. Sitting down on a rock the woman thought of both the wolf and the owl. Love poured out of her giant heart for the both of them, the spirit of the Earth, the wolf that, with its black jaguar, protected the land, and the spirit of the Sky, the owl that protected the Earth from up high. Flying to where it was needed, anytime night or day. She admired and respected each of them. The only thing was who to follow. They both had just causes which crossed paths.

In the distance she heard voices, "How is she doing?"

"Resting for now. I have her sedated for the time being. She and Tweety are both resting."

"They have a real bond don't they?"

"Yeah, and it's getting stronger. I don't think I have ever seen anything like this in all my years of working with new mutants, Angus."

"Well, they aren't your average new mutants now, are they, Addy?"

"No, they sure aren't, my friend."

She knew whom those voices belonged to, the graying fox and the owl that had just flown away. How did she know that? She did not know. Then she looked back into the water and saw herself in a room sleeping. She then saw all of the people who she had fought beside in a great battle waiting in another room. The wolf was with its companion on a great hunt. For now she needed to fly to the mountain. Looking at the mountain and then back into the water she saw not a woman with long raven black hair but a mystical beast, the gryphon. And she flew off to join the owl and the others waiting for her in the mountain.

Celestial Blues

Mac was sitting by Donna's side in the lab, watching as the IV drip replenished the absurd amount of blood she had lost. Jax McManus was standing by Angela's side, looking intently at the tubular cuffs that encased the bird woman's forearms from wrists to elbows, covering the self-provoked wounds, and smoothing her short, curly hair. The Austins, by the foot of the MedChairs, talked softly about the strange new world they had entered with a bang. Mac knew the sensation. He had needed some time and some mind adjustment to get used to people with the abilities and, sometimes, the looks of animals, with the power to make things float in the air or throw electricity with their hands, or alter their own body density until it acquired the solidity of a rock or the evanescence of a cloud. Not to mention the toad hybrid he had seen months before, or the plant growing African man his sons and friends had tackled in the fight that had victimized the falcon girl. That girl had no luck. And she had done something incredibly stupid, but also incredibly understandable. He looked at Adam, at the computer keyboard, typing commands at lightning speed. Adam had taken a short break, but had returned from the kitchen even more stressed out then when he had headed there. He watched as his friend stood from the computer and went to adjust the setting of the cuffs that were regenerating the tissues of his niece's forearms. He could be mistaken, but the fiery McManus woman was blinking too much in the dim lab light.

"I thought the lass could do something like this," said the lioness, sniffling. "Ya know she hasn't eaten a bite since... well, since that shite happened. And if she tried, she couldda keep it inside." Jax was Alpha female, pack protector, and mother cat. And she cared for the bird woman. "I don't fucking understand! When she woke up complaining she was tired, I suspected she was sinking into depression. I took away all sharp things from her room! There wasn't a fucking perfume bottle there! How coulda..." Jax blinked and sniffled furiously.

Mac and Adam looked at each other. The older chemist stood from his stool and placed a hand on the lioness shoulder. "You couldn't have taken what she used away, Miss McManus."

"It's Jax, mate."

"You see, Jax," Mac delicately lifted Angela's limp fingers. "She was so desperate, she slashed her wrists with her own talons."

Jamie Sommers Austin flinched and shook her head. She went to the grieving woman she hadn't been introduced to and took her hand, offering comfort as best she could.

Feeling Mac's touch, Angela stirred and shook her head, moaning. The restraints held her fast to the chair. Sensing her wrists tied, she woke with a start and tried to sit up. Adam caught her by the shoulders. "You're not in the cage! I'm here, and Jax's here, too. You're not in the cage!"

She relaxed back, her eyes closed. "For a moment, I thought... Why am I tied up?"

"You've done such a good job cutting yourself up, I had to put you on Banner NanoMeds."

She opened her milky white eyes. "Banner NanoMeds? You have them? They're unstable, unreliable!"

Adam chuckled softly. "I redesigned the casing. Now, they can be recalibrated according to each tissue layer they reconstitute. I was planning on testing them, but not like this."

Steve Austin approached the chair and took the bird woman's head in his hands, studying her unseeing eyes. "What could have destroyed her irises and retina without affecting her eyeballs?"

Adam sighed before answering. "There is this mutant killer with the power to cause spontaneous combustion. He throws balls of blue fire. When they hit their target, they burn from the inside out. He is a walking microwave oven." He clenched his teeth. That son of a bitch would pay dearly, he'd see to it. "In the fight we told you about, she was hit directly in the face, her eyeballs exploded." He stopped, couldn't go on.

Mac took over. "A friend of ours, Lux Windsor, is a molecular healer. She could regenerate everything: the nerve endings, the burns, both internal and external, she made the scars disappear. But she couldn't recreate what had been lost." He pointed to Donna, sleeping under sedation. "You've met my future daughter-in-law there. She is a telecyber. She downloaded the binary code of a mutant who had a regenerative power and fed it telepathically to Angela's mind." Mac paused and pursed his lips. "She should have been able to regenerate her own eyes if, as in all other new mutants, her DNA was unstable. But she isn't really a New Mutant. She is a hybrid. Her genes rejected the new code halfway through the regenerative process. She grew new eyeballs, but not irises, cornea or retina." He looked at the Austins. "Hence, the blindness."

Jamie had a pained look in her face. "Part of our farm in Colorado is dedicated to the preservation of endangered species, you know?" She looked at Mac and Adam. "One of them is the peregrine falcon." Jamie cupped Angela's face in her hands. "You are a peregrine falcon hybrid, aren't you, honey?"

Angela smiled faintly. "Yes, ma'am, this is the DNA imbedded in me." The bird woman had a puzzled look on her face. Who were these people?

"We are falconers. We breed, train, and hunt with falcons," said Jamie, caressing Angela's face and hair.

The bird woman laughed at that. "I have a falconer, ma'am." She turned her face away. "And I've let him down."

"No, you haven't," said Adam, lifting her chin with his fingers. "I let my bird-of-prey down when I didn't give her hope even though I knew it was coming. Forgive me, Angela, but I didn't want to build up your hopes only to let them crash down again if our plan didn't work." He looked at the older couple. "These are colonel and Mrs. Austin, and they brought something that might give you your sight back."

Angela gasped and sobbed, tears flooding from her white eyes.

Jamie was herself blinking away tears. "What was done to you is the most perverse thing that can be perpetrated against a predatory bird, honey." Her voice was sweet and soothing. "We will do everything in our power to restore your sight. And I have faith it will work. It worked for my husband, you know? It will work for you, too."

A strong, deep voice boomed from her right. "What's your favorite color?"

"I don't understand... What do you mean?"

The voice boomed again. "It's a simple enough question, girl. What's your favorite color?"

She was confused. "Blue, of course. Like the sky." His laughter was a friendly bark. Were he a New Mutant feral, he'd be a canine, Angela thought.

"You shall have them blue, girl."

Jamie bent and kissed the winged woman's forehead. "Now, it is rather late. Why don't we let the doctor work and the patients rest?"

Adam turned to MacGyver. "The room Jim Ellison was occupying should be ready now. Would you take them there?" He turned to the Austins. "I can't thank you enough. You saved her life and probably, will save her eyesight, too. Thank you very much, Steve. And if you allow me..." Adam gave Jamie a little peck on the cheek.

"Don't make it a habit, though," barked the astronaut. "By the way, I heard your team has been shortened by two. Is that true?"

"My son Blair and his partner, Detective Jim Ellison, won't be able to leave their jobs with the Cascade PD just now." Mac released a long breath. Those two attracted trouble like sugar attracted ants. "They have a situation there."

"Well, in that case..." Steve Austin's eyes glinted and his smile seemed to light up the lab. "Are you taking volunteers? We may be a little over the hill, but we still pack one heck of a punch."

"It's been a while, but we know our way around a mission," intervened Jamie.

Adam couldn't believe his ears. "Volunteers of your quality and experience? You're a Godsend!"

"It's settled, then," answered the astronaut, shaking Adam's hand vigorously. "And we're sorry about the door." He mimicked yanking Angela's door off its hinges.

"Don't mention it."

Watching as the group left for the night, Adam approached Angela's MedChair. He replaced the almost empty blood bag and started injecting a sedative in the saline solution. Angela was alert, but she had to sleep. The NanoMeds would work better if she didn't move at all. He smiled at the bird woman. "How do you feel?"

Angela drew breath and kept it inside for a long time. "Ashamed. Stupid..." She closed her eyes and turned her head away. "And very sorry. I should have trusted you, but I..." She stopped herself and bit her upper lip in the gesture that ran in their family.

Adam half sat at the edge of the chair. "You were scared, trapped. You saw no other way out." He held her face in his hands. "I should have told you about the bionic eyes, Angela. And I should never have let you join that damned battle. You're not a fighter, you're a doctor."

"Remember when we were in the plane from Brazil? You told me about the Underground and I said it reminded me of the French Resistance against the Nazi invasion." She smiled and kissed his palm lightly. "I became a maquis, then. I have to be both doctor and fighter."

"I also said we should never reveal that we're family. I never realized how much it hurt you, dear. Knowing your father, I should have."

"That's all right, I understand your reasons."

"That's not all right, and I release you from your promise, at least for the people I trust. Before being my bird-of-prey, you're my niece and I love you, too." He kissed her cheek. "Now, sleep. The sedative must be kicking in and I have to recalibrate the NanoMeds. And Donna's sedative must be wearing off. I have to check her readings."

"Why Donna? What happened to her? I don't know... I..." And she dozed off.

True to his prediction, Donna was stirring, blinking, refocusing her eyes, only to see Adam's face directly above her. She lifted a hand and he grabbed it. He kissed her fingers and pulled her hand to his chest. "How's Angela?" she whispered.

Adam smiled. It was so Donna, to worry about somebody else, never herself. Her first thought would have to be for Angela. Remarkable didn't even start to describe Donna Gryphon. "She will be fine. And now that you're talking again, I will be fine, too." He sat by the edge of the chair. "I was scared stiff, Donna. I can't lose you." He pulled her up and held her tight. "You lost so much blood, you went into shock. You were too pale, too cold." He held her chin in his hand and kissed her softly, sweetly, longingly. "When Mac carried you in here, I thought you were dead. You can't imagine what I thought I'd do if you were. I think I'd have done something very stupid myself."

She pushed him a little and looked at him. His face was a combination of relief and sadness. That moment, she loved him like she had never loved before, she needed him like she had never needed anyone before. She pulled his mouth to her mouth and kissed him as if life could be found in his breath. She felt dizzy when they parted and rested her head on his shoulder and lifted her hand to his neck. Then, she saw the blood IV line inserted in her hand. "My blood isn't easy to come by. I'm A negative. Did you have it here?"

He held her tighter. "Angela's a hematologist," he answered. "We put together safety stashes of blood for emergencies. Feral blood can't be mixed. Besides blood type and Rh. factor compatibility, felines can donate to felines, ursines to ursines, and so on. And they can't receive pure human blood. Angela herself is the most dangerous case, for there is no other Avian, at least not that we know of." He smoothed her hair. "The odd characteristics on elementals and moleculars can be filtered. Psionics have no such problem. Since their powers are cerebral, not physical, they can donate and receive like regular human beings." He pushed her so he could look at her. "And guess what? We are compatible. I took blood from my own stash."

Donna couldn't help herself. She laughed and it was infectious. Adam started to laugh too. "What else is new?" She held his face in her hands. "I have your blood running in my veins?" He nodded. "Oh, Lord, what's happening to me?" And she drew his mouth to her again.

Behind the lab's transparent door, MacGyver, a metal case in his hands, looked in.

My Lady Of Constant Sorrows...

Jax stood in the doorway of the room she shared with Lux and watched as Lux paced the length of it.

"How is she?" whispered Lux as she sat down on her bed.

To Jax, Lux looked as though every minute spent in Sanctuary had aged her more and more. Not that there was a wrinkle in her alabaster skin or a gray hair in her raven curls. It was a different type of aging, it was the type of aging that clouded her beautiful eyes and deprived the world of her smile.

"Adam put her on a contraption. He said she'll survive." replied Jax as she sat down beside her.

"Good"

Jax ran a hand through her crimson hair and sighed heavily.

"I saw it coming, Lux." she exclaimed "I couldn't fucking stop it, but I suspected."

"Jax, you couldn't have known that this was to happen."

"I could'ave. We slept together. I like that lass, boss. And she woke up different." said Jax as she stood up. She didn't know why she expected a reaction from Lux. It wasn't the first time she had fallen for a woman, she had even once harbored a tiny crush on 'her' goddess.

"I know you like her," whispered Lux "And if anyone should have seen it, it's me."

Jax shook her head vehemently. "Now, you are a magnet for the depressed? How many times did you tell me people think about disaster all the time?" she said sitting down and taking Lux's hand in hers "And you can't command your visions. They come when they #%$ well please"

"Jax..." whispered Lux as the color seeped from her skin.

"What is it?"

"Run... Jax... Stay away from me! No!" yelled Lux as she slipped further into the vision.

"Boss, what can you see? Tell me."

"Its you... and me... I killed you," whispered Lux as she pulled her hand from Jax's and got off the bed.

"What?!"

"You and I were standing outside the clinic" stammered Lux as she slid down the wall "I... I... stabbed you"

Jax rushed over to her. Jax placed a finger under Lux's chin forcing her too look Jax in the eye.

"That's not gonna happen. Lux, now you listen to me. That's-not-gonna-happen!" She whispered gently but with determination "We can stop it. Your visions are warnings. We have stopped them from happening before."

Jax wiped a tear from Lux's face and swallowed the wave of curses that tickled her throat. Lux laid her head down on Jax's lap and sighed.

"Why me?" she whispered "Why was I chosen to bear this burden?"

Jax sighed. She never realized just how much Lux suffered.

"Lux, how long have we known each other?"

"Five years at the very least," she replied.

Jax laughed and gently stroked Lux's hair.

"It's going on ten years, lass."

"Sorry… Time really isn't an issue for me," whispered Lux.

"It is with me, lass. For you, time has no meaning, it is forever. For me, it will end some day," said Jax. "I can answer your question, boss. Why you? Because you can take it."

"And what if I can't?"

It was the quiet desperation in Lux's voice that shook Jax to the core. This was a woman who had stared death in the face and had won. This was the leader of The Ring and here she was doubting herself and everything she was.

"You've been doing a fucking great job so far. If the day comes when you can take no more..."

She stood up and reached her hand down to help Lux up.

"Fuck, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Together, boss." She said.

"What would I do with out you?" she asked touching the side of Jax's cheek.

"Find another me? Impossible! When a fucking biogeneticist changed me mom, he broke the mold."

Lux looked real thoughtful for a minute and then smiled.

"Maybe if I ask Adam real nicely?"

"Well, could be, but I heard he changed careers. Now, he is the DNA crusader. "

"Maybe we should get him a cape?" asked Lux.

"The image of that man, always dressed in black and wearing a cape will haunt me nighmares for many a night!" laughed Jax.

"Now would Brennan or Jesse be his sidekick?"

"Give him Rev for a sidekick. He deserves the aggravation," replied Jax.

Lux laughed.

"You're evil... I love it."

Confidences (Written Together with the GryphonLady)

Two in the morning and Sanctuary was silent and dark. After the adrenaline rush of the previous late afternoon, everybody was beat. Adam, however, was used to the quiet of the late hours. It was his favorite time for work, actually. Not that he had any problem concentrating, but the silence helped immensely when he had to figure out a design or come up with a new chemical combination, anything that needed special attention. This night, the work was of a different nature. It was Medicine, not Architecture, Biology or Mechanics.

He released Angela's left arm from the first NanoMed casing and examined the wound. It was healing nicely for such a nasty cutting job. When he garroted her arms to stop the blood flow and first looked at the gashes, he could see the bone inside. She had gone deep. A minute more and it would have been too late. That was the real McCoy, all right. His niece wanted out of her mysery bad! How stupid could that girl be? How stupid could he be really? He could mend a broken body with the best of them. He wasn't that good at mending a broken heart, though.

Angela's action was a direct consequence of his omission. He should have told her about the bionic eyes immediately. And the excuse that he didn't want to build up her hopes only to see them crash if they didn't work was pathetic at best. Face it, you dirty old man, you had other things in mind. And not only in mind. You were not thinking straight, you were not thinking about anything or anyone else but yourself! He finished bandaging Angela's left arm and headed to release her right arm from the casing. Marco, Angela's father, was absolutely right! For a 200 plus IQ, he could be pretty dense. On the dot, Marco.

Omissions had consequences and he was struggling to fix one of them right now. Actions had even direr consequences. How could he be so heckless? How could he take a sheltered, protected young woman from her native land and dump her in the middle of a war? Angela was never trained as a fighter! She was a doctor, for heaven's sake! Well, after hearing her own father call her a freak three times and after she told him she had had enough of the golden birdcage that was her life, he had brought her back with him without a second thought. Very smart move, don't you think? He had brought her back to be gang raped, doused in acid, given dengue fever and, now, blinded! You are really a ridiculous pseudo-genius. Genius, my ass!

"Don't!" Donna's hand squeezed his arm. "You're shovelling guilt upon your own back like a gravedigger. Stop it!"

"You weren't sleeping, after all." He smiled at her.

"Nope," she smiled. "Adam, she wouldn't have had it any other way." Donna made him sit by her side on her MedChair. "She is a predatory bird who was being treated like a canary. She would have died under her father's lack of love and excessive sense of duty. After your sister passed away, there was nothing there for her anymore. You were a way out and she took it." She caressed his cheek, traced the line of his jaw. "And you never lied to her. You told her exactly what it was like here."

He took her hand and kissed her fingers. "She could never have fathomed the sheer magnitude of it, Donna. She never knew the real risks involved."

"Don't sell her short, Adam," Donna chided. "She's no fool. She knew exactly what she was getting into. I tell you, even with all those awful things that happened to her, she blossomed here." She sat up and held his face in her hands. "And don't beat yourself up for having other things in mind. Leave that to me. If I didn't have other things in mind, I'd feel her emotions clearly and I would have realized what she was about to do."

"Are you giving me a pep talk, squaw?"

She laughed. "If you need one. And don't call me squaw." She pulled his mouth to hers.

No wonder he had other things in mind the last few days. That woman was... He had no words. Was it possible that he was really falling in love? Why not, damnit? He was a healthy man, still young enough. Donna was a strange choice, though, he mused. She was so different from the women he had met in his life. They usually were highly sophisticated, refined, cultured, mysterious. Donna was honest as opposed to Christina's double-crossing self. Donna was a solid rock as opposed to Danielle's unreliability. Donna could be the ground under his feet, the air around him. She was the salt of the earth. He could trust her with his life, she would never falter. And there was that undefinable thing that happened when skin touched skin, when the lavender scent of her hair reached his nostrils. There was that devastating impact when her huge black eyes closed in on his. Yes, it was very much possible. For the first time, the full meaning of "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" crashed upon him. She was the best thing that ever happened to him. And that was the dumbest move he could possibly make. It could destroy the alliance with the Cascade Group, the best since he met Lux and the Ring. And it could alienate one of his best friends, a person he genuinely respected, and they were precious few. Only, there was no helping it. He did make the move, dumb as it was, and to Hell with everything else. He'd stand by it.

He looked at her for a long time. "I took you off the transfusion, but I'd like you to stay here tonight, please?" He kissed her again. Proximity was catastrophic, they were magnet and iron. "I also took Angela off the NanoMeds, but she still needs blood. I'll deplete her stash completely, but that's its purpose. Do me a favor, GryphonLady?"

"Anything."

"I'll get something to eat, if Jesse left anything edible in the fridge, that is," he grinned. "Angela will be coming around shortly. If she wakes up before I'm back, call me." He kissed her lightly on the lips and stood up. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, thanks. Don't worry, take your time."

"I won't be long."

"Hey, gal, how's it goin'?"

Angela's sedative was wearing off, she was stirring. "Donna?"

"Yep, it's me all right." Donna gingerly stood up from her MedChair and almost fell to the ground as her knees buckled under her. She grabbed the other chair up to steady herself as the dizzyness from the blood loss made her head spin.

Angela licked her lips. "I'm very thirsty. I don't know why, I'm thirsty all the time, now. Is there water around?"

Telekinetically, Donna opened an icebox in a corner and got a bottle. She helped Angela sit up and placed the bottle on her outstretched hands. "Here, sweetheart." The bird woman was so light! She weighed almost nothing. All the talk about her blossoming was fine, but truth was she had lost a lot of weight, her bones were sticking out and her hands shook. She seemed to have shrunk. Her 29th birthday would be in a couple of days, but she looked like a 9 years old, really fragile.

The falcon hybrid drank eagerly. "Adam told me you needed medical care. Why?"

"Don't worry about that. What is important is that you are going to be okay."

Angela relaxed, leaning against Donna's chest, her wings folded and neatly tucked behind her back. "I had the strangest dream. You were there, but it wasn't you. Emma was there, too." She sighed and buried her head on Donna's neck. "I've made a fool of myself, haven't I?"

The GryphonLady had a sad look on her face. "We all make stupid mistakes every once in a while. Even I have."

Angela's head snapped up. "I knew it! There's something bothering you." She pulled her knees up and hugged her legs. "It is so odd, though. I feel you happy and sad at the same time. How can it be?"

"Don't worry about me, Tweety. Worry about getting better."

Angela smiled faintly. "Donna, Donna, you forget who you're talking to." She snuggled back in Donna's arms. "And either there is a leak dripping from the ceiling, or this wet thing on my cheek is a tear. You're crying, Donna."

Donna cried and laughed at the same time. "Sanctuary doesn't leak."

Angela chuckled. "I know, Adam's a good architect."

"Yeah, he's good alright."

Angela lifted her head as if she could see her friend's face. "Donna Gryphon, what's really going on here? Did you quarrel with Blair? Is that it?"

"We didn't have a fight."

"Then why are you so... disturbed? Do you miss him?"

Donna smiled through her tears. "Terribly."

"Blair is a dear," said Angela. "You know I'm really grateful to him and to Jim, don't you? They found me in that cage in the Foundation." She sighed at the painful memory. "I was so thirsty I though I'd go mad. They gave me water. I didn't know them back then. I didn't know you."

Donna now buried her face on Angela's hair and sobbed, crying almost full force. The strength of her feelings was enough to overwhelm the weakened bird woman. She felt Donna's suffering physically and pulled her legs, curling up almost in a fetal position, grimacing and moaning as her heart shrunk in her chest. "You are... Uhmm... Your emotions are two raw! You're in too much pain, it hurts..."

Donna was alarmed. The bird woman was panting, struggling to breath. "I'm so sorry! I'll try to calm down."

With her friends emotions now more under control, Angela relaxed on her lap. "What happened to Blair?" she asked. "Did something happen to him that you're keeping from me?"

"No, he's just fine. He's in Cascade on a case with Jim."

Angela's breath was almost normal. "Donna, I can't have you like this, it hurts too much. I am you, you are me. And you can't stop it, the bond is too strong, I feel what you feel physically and..." The winged woman's heart leapt in her chest. "Oh, my God... What did I do to you when I tried to kill myself? That's it, isn't it?"

"No," exclaimed Donna, fiercely. "Don't you ever think that!"

"Then what is going on?" Angela was frantic. "Please, it can't be that bad. It's horrible to be in the dark this way."

"Oh, mercy! I... you... I don't know what do do, Tweety."

"Maybe I can help. Let me help you, Donna," pleaded the bird woman. "I know something happened. I just do not know what was it. I know something hit you when I tried to die, but you say that's not it. You're torn in two. That much is absolutely clear, I can feel it."

Donna gently pushed Angela away and turned so she could face her sister in fire. "I wish I could split into two people right now," she said, wringing her hands.

"Why?" asked Angela.

Donna turned around. She couldn't face the bird woman right now. "I fell in love with Blair the second that I layed eyes on him," she started. "Two kids tried to mug him at the university. I saw it and helped him chase them away. I hurt my hand. He held it in his, wrapped a handkerchief around it and..." She sighed. "He had the most beautiful blue eyes I'd ever seen! My heart skipped a beat."

Angela reached out with her hand and groped, finding Donna's shoulder. "That is so sweet. I fell in love with Ally the moment she welcomed me to the Underground. Tell me more."

Donna went on with her narrative. "We didn't get together then, but six months later we all went to a cabin that Josh, my doctor from when I was attacked and a good friend of mine, had in the mountains. We were supposed to spend a long weekend there. Everyone from the Cascade Group was there." She swallowed hard. "Blair and I thought it would be fun to take a raft and go out into the water. There is a river that runs by the cabin." She paused, collecting her thoughts. "Josh had problems with this hermit, this Unabomber wannabee that lived in the mountains there and all that people gathered in the cabin was just too much for his tastes. He decided to do something about it and took a shot at us. One of the bullets grazed my arm and I went overboard. They all thought I had died. Jim finally found me, thanks to his supersenses, and they got me back to the cabin." She paused again, remembering. "Mac is fantastic, you know? He did some improvising like he always does and stiched me back together with fishing line. When I woke up, Blair looked sick with worry. He told me I was beautiful." Donna blushed, her face was hot to the touch. "He was afraid he had lost me and, then, he told me that he was in love with me. He kissed me and the rest, as they say, is history."

"And you're together ever since," said Angela. "It must have been difficult for you, after an attack like the one you suffered." Now it was the winged woman's turn to sigh. "I know, Donna. Been there, done that."

"Blair closed that wound for me."

Angela looked very serious. "Donna, can I ask you a very private question?"

"You know you can."

Angela took a deep breath and bent her head. "Before that toad mutant... You know what it did to me... I was a..." She paused for a split second. "Donna, I was a virgin. I had never been with a man." She lifted her head and it seemed she could actually look at her dearest friend. " What about you? How many men have you known in your life?"

Donna pursed her lips. "Three altogether. I had a boyfriend when I was 22 and he was my first. Then I was alone for a long time and then I found Blair."

Angela chuckled softly. "Then you have very little experience. That makes two of us." And it hit her. "Wait a minute!" It was simple Math. "You had a boyfriend when you were 22, then there was Blair..." She looked puzzled. "Those bastards who raped you don't count, do they?"

"Of course not!" Donna snapped, a little too fiercely.

Angela held three gnarled fingers up. "Then, there's one missing. Who's number three?"

Donna released a long breath. "You... You know him."

"Do I?"

"Oh, yeah!"

Angela was really puzzled now. "I know him? I know Blair, but you're not talking about Blair." She was doing some serious thought. "Brennan's with Cat, and I don't think you'd fancy him." Angela held a finger up. "Jesse's too young." She laughed. "And Rev would kill you."

Donna laughed back. "That she would."

Angela held a second finger up. She held a third and a fourth finger up. "That leaves... Oh, my God! OH, DEAR LORD, that leaves... Holy caboose!"

"Not Mac," whispered Donna.

"Not at all! Not Mac at all!" Angela's mouth was hanging open. "Sweet Jesus! Am I right or... Am I right?"

"I'm in love with both of them," Donna whispered again.

If Angela Fontenelle had dentures, she would be picking them up off the floor. "With both of them? They're water and wine! They're polar opposites!"

"I... What can I say?" Donna was almost apologetic.

"Donna, what about him?" asked Angela. "Does he know?"

"Which him?"

"Jesus, Donna, Adam, of course! Does he know how you feel?"

"I don't know," answered Donna. "I haven't said the words to him. He's smart, though."

"Why do I feel so much guilt emanating from you, then? If nothing happened..."

Now, it was Donna's turn to lay down on Angela's lap. The bird woman held her friend as best she could. "Something happened," she said. "Did the two of you...?"

"Yeah," Donna whispered so faintly she could hardly be heard.

"Let me ask you another very personal question," Angela pressed on. "Was it just one time, something that just happened or...?"

"Let's just say that we can't be alone in the same room together."

"Huston, we have a problem," quipped Angela.

"No kidding! What am I gonna do?" asked Donna.

"I don't know... I honestly think you must sort your feelings out." Oh, that was lame! "You're too loyal, too honest to be able to deceive for long."

"Please, don't tell me that."

"Why do you think you're in bits and pieces right now?" asked the bird woman. "You have too much of a conscience! You give too much of a damn!"

"Sometimes I wish I didn't."

"If you were not the person you are, if you were selfish or just lustful, you wouldn't think twice!" Angela tried to give her friend some measure of reassurance. "You'd bang Adam like crazy, then return to Cascade and go on with your life! No way in Hell would you do that!"

"Well I didn't think... TWICE!"

"Oh, Lord..." sighed Angela. The problem was bigger than she thought. "Donna, I think you should be sure of how you feel about Adam. After all, he is right here."

"What you must be thinking of me," said Donna.

"I'm thinking you're a woman, dear," returned Angela. "It might happen to anyone. You're fine with a person, then another comes along that sweep you off your feet. It happens!"

"I'm not anyone and neither is he."

"I don't think any less of you." The bird woman was no prude. "You are a woman, he is a man. Period."

"And he's your uncle." For Donna, that was an embarrassing subject. "It must be awkward to hear about this."

Angela was nonplussed. "Not really. He is my uncle, but he's not a trapist monk."

At that comment, Donna had to laugh. "No, definitly not!"

"What's really bothering you is that you feel you're dishonest to Blair, you're keeping a secret from him." Angela knew her friend like the back of her hand.

"I betrayed him," said Donna firmly. "I can't stand people who do that to other people. Now, I, too, am one of those."

"You didn't betray him, Donna," Angela shot back. "You fell prey to your emotions, to hormones, whatever. There was no premeditation involved!"

"I have spent too much time controlling my emotions for that to happen."

"Exactly my point!" exclaimed the falcon feral. "Adam is another control freak. And emotions have a knack for pulling the carpet from under us! There's a moment you simply lose control, Donna."

"And you fall from grace," the psionic whispered.

"Precisely! You find out the hard way you're not an angel!" Angela held her friend tighter. "You're not superhuman, powers or no powers. You find out you're just, merely, simply human."

"That's what Adam said."

"He's right, you know." Angela smiled warmly. "My uncle is the smartest man alive." She pursed her lips. "The way I see it, there are two things you could do to aleviate your lovesick condition, sister."

"I could have Brennan give me electric shock therapy," joked Donna.

"You and Adam, both. Fat chance!" Angela could joke, too.

"Emma brain blast me, Shalimar beat it out of me."

"Or you could have Jesse mass up and colide with him head on?"

"Yep, girl, good idea."

Angela became serious. "Donna, ask Blair for time out."

"What would I tell him?" asked the Cherokee.

"Nothing," was the feral's answer.

"We haven't had any problemes at all. What would he think?"

"That you need time," Angela's answer was deadpan. "Time for yourself." She paused. "Or tell him the truth, Donna. That something happened to you and you have to sort it out."

"We're engaged to be married, for crying out loud."

Angela blew air and frowned. "Donna, in my country, we say that dating is no engagement, engagement is no marriage, and marriage is not death! You're not married yet! You can have time out!"

"We work together. How would we do that?" Donna was really confused.

"Take the time you're here to sort your feelings out." Angela had an answer for every question.

"I can't be alone in the same room with Blair either without... you know..." Two men, different like water and oil. One woman.

"Define whatever it is that you have with Adam." What a suggestion!

"So what you're saying is that I should be with Adam and see where it goes?" reasoned Donna.

"Pretty much, but I think you should ask Blair for a time," said Angela.

"That sounds like trying on a new pair of shoes."

"In a nutshell." This one was deadpan, too.

"You can be pretty blunt sometimes, you know," said Donna.

"I'm Brazilian. Just remember one thing: Dr. MacGyver is at least as smart as Adam. He sees everything."

"Good Lord!" Donna was alarmed. "And Cory is a sentinel and Sam is his guide!"

"That's why I think you should ask Blair for a time," Angela suggested. "This way, you wouldn't be deceiving anyone."

"Yeah, you're probably right," agreed the psionic.

"Think about it, sister."

"That is all I have been doing, sister. And worrying sick over you!"

Angela was taken aback. "Me? Oh, Donna... With all that emotional seastorm raging inside you?" Why wasn't she more open to her friend? "I should have felt something sooner! I was so... So wrapped up in my own problems... I was selfish. Forgive me."

"Your problems are more important than mine."

"No, they're not. I was blinded, you saw too much." Angela paused. "But I met the strangest couple!"

"The Austins," completed Donna.

"Yes! The lady was the sweetest. The man was so... He sounded so powerful!"

"Steve Austin is an accomplished astronaut." Donna was crazy about space stuff.

"Really? That's awesome!" An astronaut? Impressive! "Adam told me they brought something that might give me my sight back! Donna, if that were possible!"

Donna was a precog, but even if she wasn't, hope was the best medicine for her friend right now. "I don't know what it is but I have a pretty good feeling about it though. And you know that has to count for something!"

"It does! Your feelings count a lot!" The bird woman seemed to light up. "Donna, I love you like my own sister, you know that."

"Likewise, sis." Donna tried to be cheerful.

"Besides the bond we share, I have a debt of gratitude to you," the bird woman went on. "You know I'm loyal to my falconer. It is more meaningful than even my blood ties with Adam." Angela paused and caressed Donna's cheek. "You come right next. Whatever you need, I'm here for you."

Donna was touched. "Oh, my dearest Angela, just talking with you has been the best thing that you could ever do for me. It is me who owes you. I love you so much."

"I love you too. Try to get some sleep, Donna. And with a clear conscience. Know that you haven't betrayed anyone."

"I'll try," said the GryphonLady. "If you need anything, just ask. I will be in the MedChair right next to you. If I tried to leave the lab I think that Adam would strap me down and sedate me to keep me here for observation."

"And if I know my uncle at all, he must be coming back." Angela chuckled softly. "No sleep for him tonight."

"Yep, I feel him," said Donna, very casually. "I know where he is 24/7."

"All the time? That's what happens when you bed a psionic! No privacy at all!"

White Quest

Time present and time past

Are both perhaps present in time future,

And time future contained in time past.

If all time is eternally present

All time is unredeemable.

"The Four Quartets", First Book "Burnt Norton", first stanza, TS Eliot

Sleep was impossible. Too much emotion, too much exhaustion. All Sanctuary was out like a lightbulb, except for Adam's MedLab. That woman, Donna, was up and she shone like a beacon. Her powers were similar to Lux's own, only they had flared up late. She was still getting used to them, feeling her ground. One good thing, she respected her powers. She didn't fear them, she respected them. And she beckoned.

Lux Windsor got up from her bed and left the room she shared with Jax McManus. Wearing a long flowing nightgown, she roamed the silent, dim-lit hallways until she reached the lab. The lights were dimmed to a soft glow. Two MedChairs were up side by side. On the first, Angela dozed peacefully, two IV lines connected to the back of her right hand, the first with blood, the second with a saline solution. Her forearms were neatly bandaged, but there were no signs of the contraption Jax had said Adam had wrapped her to. And Adam was nowhere to be seen. On the second MedChair, Donna Gryphon rested, her eyes closed, but not asleep. Her arms were crossed on her chest and, as Lux approached the chair, her head turned and she opened her black eyes, ackowledging the other psionic's presence.

"Telepathy can be taxing sometimes." Spoken words were unecessary, at least between the two mind power wielders. "You know this bond you share with HawkGirl is a form of telepathy, don't you?" Lux pulled a stool and sat by Donna's MedChair. "From what I could observe, your manifest powers are telekinesis and cyberkinesis. But you have reflexive powers too. Emotional precog, meaning you feel, you don't see. Also self-regeneration and mild telepathy."

If Donna was surprised by the silent mind conversation, she didn't show it. Even though she had had little contact with the Ring's leader in the past few days, the woman's raw power poured out of her like a waterfall. Also, there was something inherently good about the young Californian, some deep combination of compassion and wisdom that made her a creature unbounded by either time or space, a form of divine entity made flesh. It was very fitting that her name meant "light". Donna instinctively trusted her and opened her mind to Lux. "I was born a telekinetic with mild precog, just 'bad feelings'." She crossed her legs in a half lotus position. "My power flared up while I was in the hands of a dangerous gang of rapists and murderers." She sighed at the memory. "After I recovered from the assault, I volunteered to an experiment held by the Phoenix Foundation to enhance the powers of born psionics, giving them all known mind powers at once." She chuckled softly. "It was a failure. The subjects developed a secondary power at best. Some of them lost the first one they had. I was the greatest success, maybe because I had already the potential to other powers, besides telekinesis."

Lux pursed her lips and nodded. The discovery of another powerful multi-psionic was important to the mutant population at large, and the Ring and Mutant X in particular. Something in the Native American woman denounced she would one day be a power to be reckoned with in the larger scheme of things that would determine the relationship between mutant superbeings and the society as a whole. "Mind if I ask you a question?" asked Lux. "Have you ever been ill? I mean any kind of illness, a cold, an ulcer, measles, anything?"

Donna thought about it a bit. "No, never. Not that I could remember. My mother told me I never had a fever when I was little."

"And the power to regenerate? Is it automatic? Is it triggered as soon as you're injured?"

"No, I have to will it to happen."

Lux pondered at the answers. It meant the power to self-regenerate was present in a dormant state from early childhood. However, Donna Gryphon bled all right, she could be injured, and her precog power had already almost killed her once. But the potential was there. "Your life will be long, Donna. And it will be full." Lux leaned closer to the MedChair. "You're still filling it with experiences. Beware. Time can be your friend and ally, or your worst enemy."

"What do you mean?" Donna asked.

"As I said, your life will be very long," answered Lux. "People will come, stay and pass, and you will go on. Forever? I know not. But you have to be very strong to withstand the curse of time everlasting. Love will come and go, and new love will replace the old. Hatred will come and go and new hatred will replace the old. Special men and women, like the two you've already met are like comets that shine bright for a while and disappear in the horizon. Others will crisscross the sky that will be your existence, but these two will remain with you forever in your mind, your heart and your soul. They are the ephemeral. We are the eternal, the stars that illuminate and guide, but are never gone."

"You mean they'll die early?" Donna had her eyes full of tears.

"I mean time has little meaning, GryphonLady." The sparse light that bathed the high tech laboratory seemed to shine from Lux Windsor's face. "But rejoice. You'll love unbounded. You already do. You'll know undying friendship. You already do. And you'll have an endless mission, protecting your kind now and in the years to come."

Both women reached their hands. The moment they touched, dazzling white light shone from their entwined fingers, radiating through the whole vaulted room. Their heads tilted backwards and, hand in hand, they plunged into a bottomless pit of blazing colors, like they were falling into the rainbow itself. They plummeted for what seemed to be a long time until the myriad of colors exploded in the crispest white and they were standing in the spirit dreamscape Donna now knew was the other world where each creature was represented by its own metaphor.

The band ran through the neverending white plain. The owl flew directly ahead, a little behind it, the harrier and the falcon. On the ground, ran two large cats, a lioness and a tiger galloped. The hawk closed the cavalcade, together with the fox. In the middle of the pack, a white mare, her mane flowing in the wind, carried the female spirit, the yonega ugidali. Suddenly, all the animals spread, each running or flying in a different direction. The mare stopped dead on her tracks and stood on her hindlegs, as the overcast sky shot lightnings over their heads. They searched. They sought. The sound of a wolf howling ecchoed in the distance, followed by the thunderous growl of a jaguar. The light was fading and the white dreamscape changed colors, darkening fast. The Native entity floated up, changing shape. Her arms and legs turned into lion paws, her hair became a mane and her face changed to an eagle's likeness. From the creature's torso, wings sprung and the gryphon hovered over the plain. The white mare galloped ahead, jumping over a rock. White feathered wings dettached from the animal's sides as it took flight, joining the search. The mythical beasts, gryphon and Pegasus flew above the plain. From their bodies, light poured, shining upon the dreamscape. Yet they searched, yet they sought. The object of their search, one of the pack, which one they knew not, was nowhere to be seen.

The white glow shone from the transparent door, brightening the otherwise dim lit hallway. Something odd was happening in the lab, his lab. Adam opened the door to the sight of Donna and Lux holding hands, their heads bent backwards, their eyes open and staring at nothing. Their bodies glowed a whitish pink bright light. The first thing his mind registered was a potential threat to Donna Gryphon and he reacted accordingly. He took off and, using Angela's MedChair for purchase, leaped straight at Lux. Her head shot up and she turned her blazing white eyes to him. With the same momentum of his leap, he was tossed to the other side of the room, his back squarely slamming against the far wall. All air was pushed from his lungs, the impact paralizing his diaphragm muscle. He felt as if his lungs were glued together, it was impossible to breath. From some very distant place, he heard Angela shout his name and the clank of the IV pole being knocked over. She must have heard him cough and gasp and tried to get oriented by the sound. He felt her unmistekable hands touch his legs and up his stomach, the fingers rapidly probing and finding the right position. She pushed his diaphragm muscle in with the ball of her hand, forcing his lungs open again and allowing him to finally gulp some air. He scrambled to his feet, again trying to reach the two women locked in a trance, only to be stopped by a hand on his arm.

"Don't interfere!" Angela shouted, grabbing him and pulling herself up. "I don't know what it is, but Donna isn't in any danger! Let them be! These things have..."

"To play to the end," he interrupted and helped the bird woman back to the MedChair.

The forest hues went from the purest white to shades of light grey. Trees and limbs and vine blocked the way. The felines sneaked under the foliage and bushes, entering all crevices. Yet they searched, yet they sought. The graying fox sneaked into the dead and hollow tree trunks. The birds flew from tree to tree, from limb to limb. Their eyes shone yellow and amber, examining each hole in the ground, each cave. Yet they searched, yet they sought. And failed. The white flying mare shimmered into Lux Windsor's form as the gryphon shifted into Donna's. Immediately, the owl perched on the Native American's shoulder, the falcon came to perch on a limb directly above her. In the distance, a howl pierced the white night. The two female principles watched each other. They reached out their hands and their fingers touched.

Lux's and Donna's heads snaped up and they pulled air back into their lungs. The dreamscape exploded into non-existence and they found themselves back in Sanctuary MedLab. Donna fell back to the MedChair, breathing hard and shaking her head. Lux fell back to the stool, her arm on the chair and her head on her arm. Visions were really tiring, sometimes affecting the psionic physically. And Lux had entered Donna's dreamscape for the first time, experienced her allegories for the first time. "Lord, why me?" asked Donna, rhetorically. At that, Lux started to laugh and couldn't stop herself.

"Are you ladies done?" asked Adam, his hands holding his aching back. He would be black, blue and stiff come morning.

"Yep, that pretty much covers it," answered Donna, laughing, but her face sombered as she remember the object of the vision. Her hand reached out for his. "I have a feeling we might lose somebody. Something threatens one of us, more than the others. I don't know what it is, but something might happen to one person. It is so frustrating. I don't know what. I don't know who."

"How do you feel?" asked Angela.

"Tired, but fine." Donna didn't look sick or pale. "As you know, my precog is usually sensorial. It alters my blood pressure, my body temperature, my heart rate." She looked at Adam and smiled. "I feel fine."

Adam looked at Lux. "And you?"

"The same. It was powerful, impressive, but not hurtful or anything." She chuckled. "You, on the other hand... I'm sorry, I couldn't help it."

He rolled his eyes. "No problem. I'm used to being tossed around and acquainting myself with walls, shelves, tables and furniture in general." He picked up the IV pole lying on the floor. "Angela, you have another two blood bags to go before I release you. And you tore the needle from your hand. I'll catch another vein." As he worked, he often rubbed his back.

"Listen, why don't you and Donna go get some rest?" asked Lux. These two were an item all right, hypocrisy wouldn't serve any purpose. "I can stay with HawkGirl and change the bags when they're empty. I've done it before, you know. And if anything happens, I can always use my... ahem... magic touch. I can't sleep, anyway."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Go ahead. Consider it my way of apologizing for introducing you to the wall."

"And you, Angela? Can you stay with Lux?" asked Adam, already helping Donna off the MedChair.

"Of course, I can. And I can tell her how to change the bags. You go. Go!"

Adam held Donna's hand and headed to the door. His arm wrapped around her shoulders and he pulled her closer.

Donna tried to push him away. "What are you doing?" she barely whispered.

"Give it up, GryphonLady," he answered softly. "There's no way to keep a secret from a mind-reader."

Torn in Two (Written Together with the GryphonLady)

The bruise was already painting his back many shades of blue. Pulling his black T-shirt off was painful. Adam laid down wearily on his stomach. He was definitely getting too old for this rollercoaster ride he called a life. "Donna, do me a favor, please?"

"What is it?"

"Over there is the door to my closet," he pointed. "There's a medicine cabinet to your right. Get the camphor cream on the top shelf, please?"

"Sure." Man, that bruise was really nasty. Donna went to look for the salve and entered his closet for the first time. How neat could a man be? Angela was right, Adam was a control freak. Besides the ever present black theme, there were carefully separate outfits for particular looks, such as GSAgent, insurance inspector. All labeled. Don't be nosy, girl.

Adam had crossed his arms and his head was resting on them. "Please, would you...?" He pointed again, this time to is back. "Lux tossed me with all her strength. I'll be too stiff tomorrow."

"Of course. Just relax and I'll make sure that I won't hurt you when I put this stuff on you." Donna sniffed at the camphor cream. "Man, I hate the way this stuff smells. My dad had to use it on his leg." She rubbed the salve on the bruised areas of his back.

"Thank you! It feels great, though. Why did your father need it?"

Donna sighed. "He injured his back at work. The pain went all the way down to his legs. The left one especially. Had to beat on it to numb it sometimes."

"Ciatic nerve compression. It hurts pretty bad." Her hands were kneading his sore muscles. "Donna, this is great. You know what you're doing, don't you?"

She chuckled. "I, uh, I have a pretty good feeling."

Adam smiled. "You and your feelings."

"I can't help it you know."

"I know. Precog is involuntary." The smile faded from his mouth and he turned to face her. "Donna, about your feelings, what did you really see in the vision you had with Lux?"

She pondered her answer for a couple of second. "I saw all the spirit animals of my friends, your spirit animal. By the way did you know you have an owl?"

"An owl? Are you sure?" Adam bit his lips as he did when thinking something over. "I read about the spirit animals on Blair's dissertation."

"When I look into the owl's eyes, I see you," said Donna. "It's a tribal thing."

"Donna, when Tremayne had me by the hand, I saw an owl." Adam had thought he was losing his mind when the desease inducing mutant had turned against him. "And not only that. I saw a wolf, a tiger, a jaguar, a hawk and a fox. They were attacking a forest of living trees." That was one of the strangest visions of his life. "What does it mean?"

Donna was a psichology major with minor in anthropology. Sentinels and Guides was one of her favorite subjects. "Blair is a wolf, Jim a jaguar, Sam a hawk and Mac is a fox. Cory's animal is the tiger. Or rather they have those animals as spirit guides."

"And I have an owl? What do I need a spirit guide for?" asked Adam.

Donna Gryphon could get in lecture mood, too. "According to tribal beliefs everyone has one. They help guide us in the right direction and warn us of impending danger."

"When you, Rev and Lux reverted Tremayne's power to him, I saw an owl plunge its talons on his chest."

"That must have been your spirit guide's way of protecting you," explained Donna.

"Possibly," Adam agreed. He shook his head. "I used to be absolutely skeptic about these things. Well, until I met lovely and deadly Aziza."

"Aziza?" asked Donna.

Adam smiled at the memory. "You wouldn't believe it if I told you. A long dead Egiptian priestess Ashlocke cloned."

Donna's jaw touched the floor. "Oh, man, I've heard everything now."

Adam laughed at her expression. "And then some. Don't be jealous, squaw."

Donna was laughing, too. "Would you believe that aliens existed?"

"I've met some. I hope they don't stop around here again for a long time." Adam paused for a minute. "You know, combine your feelings with Lux visions, maybe we will know who we should protect. But that can't be helped. We have to wait and see."

Donna nodded. "Yeah... Well, I don't have that many spirit visions but the ones I do have, even though as cryptic as hell, they are never wrong."

Adam was thinking about Mac. "Yes, better safe than sorry."

"That's my motto anyway," joked Donna.

Adam looked at the GryphonLady, now sitting on his bed, her legs crossed in a lotus position. "These are your feelings here." He touched her temple. "What about your feelings here?" He touched her heart.

The young psionic grabbed his hand. "Sometimes I wish they were wrong."

"Why's that?"

"Too many reasons to name," Donna answered evasively.

Adam couldn't be fooled. "One of the names is Blair."

Donna swallowed hard. "And... and one of the other names is Adam."

"You don't know, do you?" he asked.

"How you feel about me?" she looked down, avoiding his eyes. "Only too well."

"It's good that you do. You can read me like an open book, can't you?" Adam lifted her chin with his fingers.

"Does that bother you?"

Adam thought for a moment. "It should, but it doesn't." He took a deep breath. He looked deeply into her eyes. "Because it is you." His eyes seemed to look far away. "Sometimes, Emma can read me and it does bother me." He looked down at his hands and pursed his lips. "I feel violated." He lifted his eyes again to gaze at her face. "But not you."

Donna pulled herself closer to him, held his hand in hers and brought it o her chest. "I feel like I am the one who is doing the violating. And I know how it feels to be on the recieving end of that kind of abuse and that bothers me."

"I know you do. And that's one of the reasons I admire you the most." He held her face and caressed her cheek, tracing her ear studded with rings. "You're a survivor, and so am I. Don't worry about it, GryphonLady."

"But worrying is what I do best," she smiled saddly.

"We are two professional worriers, aren't we? Adam was playing with her long black hair. It felt like silk in his fingers. "What worries me now is Mac finding out about us the wrong way." He blew air and clucked his tongue. "I don't know how long we'll be able to hide it with so many sensitive people in this place. Lux already knows."

"Yeah..." Donna looked down at her hands still holding the cream. She turned as much to leave the jar on the nightstand as to escape from his eyes. "So does Angela."

"Angela? You told her?" That was no good news. "You can only keep a secret between four people if you kill three of them, Donna."

"You know Angela? I couldn't keep it from her. She is like the Spanish Inquisition."

Adam laughed. Done was done, and he could trust his niece. But anyway, too many people were in on their secret already. "I never figured Tweety as Torquemada."

Donna was still looking down, but the thought of the self-effacing bird woman as the Great Inquisitor was too preposterous. "Well, there is that, and there is our bond. I think she is developing some innate natural telepathy or empathy."

Adam thought about this possibility. "I don't think so. I think this bond is something between you and Angela. Something akin to sentinel and guide relationship, as I read it on Blair's dissertation." He held her face in his hands and made her look at him. "What now, GryphonLady? How do we play it? I told you I'll abide by your decision."

Donna wrung her hands. Her confusion was plain on her knitted brow, her pursed lips. "I... I... I still don't know what to do. And that scares me so much."

Adam smiled lightly and pulled her hair from her face. "You have no experience in duplicity. I do."

"Duplicity?"

"Yes, Donna. How will you face Mac? Or Sam?" She turned her face away, reclining on the head of the bead, leaning on her left, her back to him. He sat closer, his face above hers. "I don't think you have the makings of a liar. Do you think you can keep what's going on between us from them?"

Donna couldn't look at him. "Angela was right."

"You know it's impossible to hide anything from MacGyver. What did she say?"

"Essentially what you just said." She turned around and faced him squarely. "That Mac is as smart as you are and that sooner or later I would have to tell Blair something. Maybe even take a time out from him."

Adam nodded. "She is absolutely right. My niece is smart." He smiled broadly. "It runs in the family." His smile faded and he spoke very seriously. "It is good advice, Donna. You can't deceive, it is not in you."

Donna smiled back at him, but a tear fell down her face. "I don't want to hurt anyone. It would kill me."

Adam pulled her to his lap and held her as a child, her head resting on his chest. "I know, but some things are inevitable." He kissed her forehead, his cheek brushing against ther hair. "I don't know what happened, we lost control. Donna, I haven't felt this way in a long, long time."

She cried softly, holding on to Adam tightly. "I wish I didn't feel this way."

"And I wish you were totally free." He pulled her chin up and kissed her mouth tenderly. "It's been so long since I've allowed myself to really fall for a woman." He kissed her again, more deeply. "I don't want to lose you, GryphonLady."

"I don't want to lose you either." She pulled herself up and away from him, her back turned. "And I don't want to lose Blair." She spun around to look at him. "Am I selfish? Is that so wrong? Why couldn't I just split in two?"

Adam held her by the shoulders. "Ultimately, you'll have to chose, Donna. You can't keep us both and you can't split in two." He chuckled and cupped her cheek. "I wish you could, you know, even though I've seen a person split in two and it is not pretty."

Donna smiled and shook her head. "I know. I read about the whole Yin and Yang Emma problem."

"Exactly." A mischievous grin spread through his face. "I'd keep Evil Donna anytime."

Donna gave him a small slap on the arm. "Then I think you would be getting more than you bargained for."

Adam pulled her back to his lap. "Listen, Evangeline, my sister, she brought me up after our parents died. Everytime I stumbled on a problem I couldn't solve, she told me, "Sleep on it, you'll find the solution. I always did." His hand sneaked up under her tank top, caressing her belly. "I tell you now. Sleep on it. But think about Angela's advice, it is very sound."

Donna closed her eyes. His touch was like fire. "I know," she said weakly.

Adam's hands now had a life of their own. "Come here, squaw." He pulled her tank top up her head, stripping her to the waist. "I want you so bad."

Donna Gryphon knelt on the bed. With her hands on his shoulders, she straddled him. Her fingers grabbed the hair in the back of his head and she pulled his head up, making him look up at her. "Don't call me squaw." She kissed him. The sun was rising but the night was just beginning.

Gryphon In Flight

7AM:

The sun was fully up by the time Donna jerked up from her sleep. Looking around she could see that she wasn't in her room at home. And then she remembered where she was. Sanctuary, more specifically Adam's bedroom. Oh man, three times is a charm like they say. This is it, she thought. Donna Gryphon, you have to do something about your situation before it is too late. Seizing the moment while she still had the nerve Donna very carefully clambered out of bed and slipped on her clothing which was strewn all over the place intermingled with Adam's. Pulled a small comb out of her jeans pocket and put her hair in order with a long braid and a hair elastic on the end that had a small charm with a feather attached that she had made. She went to the wall and whispered so that she wouldn't wake Adam, "Dulcinea" The wall shimmered and disappeared. She then walked over to his office desk and looked back at where the wall was and repeated what she had said before, "Dulcinea" The wall was back in place. Amazing technology this man possessed.

Donna's eyes took on a silver appearance as she used her telecyber ability to bring up a command on the computer. When that was done she spoke a few words then left the room. She was great at sneaking around due to her police work. She snuck into her room, changed into a pair of black jeans a black t-shirt and her black boots. Then put her black leather jacket on and was on her way to the hanger. Today was going to be a bad day so why not wear all black to fit her mood.

When she got to the hanger she walked over to where she had stood when she was watching as Brennan took off in the Double Helix. She looked around to make sure that no one had followed her tears were starting to fall down her face. "It's now or never, GryphonLady." She told herself. Mustering all the energy that she ever had she levitated off the ground and with one graceful movement left the hanger bay and flew through the holographic barrier and off into the direction where she felt Blair's psychic signature. Angela was right when she said that once you bedded a psionic you never had any privacy. Every since she and Blair had become lovers she always new where he was and that had been a great advantage when he went missing, which he had the knack to go at times. Either lost or kidnapped by the bad guys. Just like she would always and forever know exactly where Adam was. Did Lux have the same ability? Someday she had to ask. But now wasn't the time.

It was cold and she was glad that she had enough foresight to totally bundle up before she took off. This was the first time in about a week that she had flown and this was the first time that she had dared a journey of this magnitude. Using all the strength she had she accelerated until the landscape was almost a blur. How fast she was going she did not know. She had never pushed herself this far before. She had always held back. All the sudden something exploded inside of her and energy like she had never before experienced flowed through her. She was now a human rocket, Eat your heart out, Brennan!

Back at Sanctuary:

Adam woke up and rubbed his eyes. He reached over to pull Donna, who he expected would still be fast asleep, to him and was alarmed by her absence. He sat up and looked around the room. She was nowhere to be found and neither were her clothing. "Donna?" no answer. "Don Quijote." The wall vanished and he looked out at his office. No Donna. He got up, slipped his pants on and walked over to the desk. He saw that the computer was on and the screen was flashing "Audio Message." Adam keyed in the command. Donna's voice could be heard from the speakers:

"Dearest Adam, I am sorry that I could not be there when you woke up to be the first person that you see at the beginning of the day. You will not find me in Sanctuary, I will not be there. I am at this moment flying off to Cascade. You and HawkGirl are right, I have to speak to Blair. I will be back as soon as possible. Make sure that Angela knows where I am so she won't worry. I think she is as much a worry wart as we are. Something else we have in common besides both having maps to Guilt Trip Road and having A negative blood. Don't you worry either, who am I kidding you will worry your arse off. I hope that everything works out for the best. (There was a slight pause.) And, Adam, I love you, too."

That was the end of the message. Adam sat down rather heavily on his chair. Yes he was worried, SICK. He keyed in a few commands on his PC and pulled up the video surveillance of the hanger. The Helix was there. He was expecting that, Donna was flying on her own power. Now he really was worried sick. He needed to talk to someone. And that someone was his niece, after all Donna had said she wanted Angela to know where she was. He got dressed and went to the lab to check on the HawkGirl.

Entering the lab he saw that Angela was sitting up in her bed and straightening her bandages. "Hey Adam!" She heard him breath heavily and sigh. Whoa she did not like the feeling that she got, even though she wasn't a psionic she did have excellent instincts and they were telling her something was up. "Adam? What's wrong?"

He took a stool and wheeled it over and sat next to his niece, "Donna is gone. She left for Cascade before I woke up."

In her usual Brazilian bluntness she matter-of-factly said, "After the two of you spent the night together."

"Donna was right, we can't keep anything from you can we?" Adam sighed.

Snorting a laugh Angela said, "Of course not, remember who you are talking too?"

"Yeah."

"How's she getting to Cascade?" Angela asked,

"She's flying. Not in the Helix either." Adam said reluctantly.

"WHAT?! GryphonLady can't fly THAT kind of distance! She only learned how to fly this week! She's gonna kill herself, Adam."

"I can't very well go get her because we are concerned about her. What would she think? After all didn't we both tell her that she needed to do this? Besides, I don't think that it would be wise to draw that kind of attention to Donna or me. Blair's family are here remember?"

"My God Adam, what have we done?"

"I don't know." Adam's own guilt reflected Angela's. "Let's just hope she makes it there. I will monitor her location on the computer."

Betrayal

Black-bird fly

Black-bird fly, into the light of a dark black night

Paul McCartney

One Hour Later:

Donna landed on the roof of Jim and Blair's loft. She went to the door and stepped into the elevator. She pressed the button and it took her to their floor. Opening up her psionic senses she felt only Blair in the loft. Going to the door and mustering up all the nerve that she had left, she knocked on the door.

"DONNA!" Blair said as he opened the door wide and pulled her in. "What are you doing here? Man, scratch that! You're soaking wet, come in!" He lead her to the red couch and made her sit. Quickly, he runed to the bathroom and grabbed a towel, running back to where Donna Gryphon was sitting and helping her dry her hair.

Donna was touched by his concern and care. "You don't have to do that, I'm okay, I just ran into a little weather."

"You ran into snow." But why was Donna there in the first place? Damn, something might have happened. "Honey, what are you doing here? You were supposed to be in Sanctuary."

Donna was pale, looking down at her cold, shaking hands. "Yeah, well... I needed to come see you."

"You missed me so much you asked Adam for the Helix to bring you here to see me?" Blair Sandburgh was beaming. Gods, he loved that woman.

Donna rubbed her hands together to warm them. "I didn't ask for the Helix."

"Wait, I'll get you a blanket." He stood up and ran to his room. "Then how did you get here? You didn't..." He was back, carrying a Navajo blanket. "Did you fly yourself?"

Donna was almost ready to cry, seeing Blair trying to take care of her. "Yeah, I did."

Blair's blue eyes sparkled as he helped her take of the leather jacket and wrapped her in the blanket. He bent down and took off her shoes, massaging her icy cold feet. "Man, you're crazy! You're a basket case, but I love you for that."

'Oh, mercy," Donna thought. This wasn't gonna be easy at all. "I love you, too." She fought back the tears and pulled her feet up, hugging her legs and resting her chin on her knees. The tears were winning the battle.

"Why are you crying?" Blair sat down by her side and pulled her to his lap. "Did anything happen? Tell me." He remembered she had been frantic about her best friend's injury. That was a bummer, really. It had cost the strange bird woman he had once found in a cage her eyes. "Was it Tweety? What happened to her?"

"Tweety is fine, now," answered Donna, wiping the tears that now ran freely from her eyes.

"Did the New Order strike again? Donna, you're frightening me."

"No, they are in hiding right now." It would be hard to talk to Blair. Donna was well in her way to a nice ride down Guilt Trip Highway.

"Then what's going on? You're crying your eyes out, yet you say there's nothing wrong." He was puzzled. He had never seen his fiancée like that. And he had helped bring her back from a nightmare most people only knew through newspapers headlines or movies of the week.

Donna sighted. "Nothing's wrong with Tweety and The New Order aren't causing any trouble right now."

Blair frown immediately turned into a bright smile. "Then, you can come back to Cascade, Adam doesn't need your help anymore." He pulled her to his arms. "Come back, Donna, I miss you so much!"

"And I miss you. But I have to be with Mutant X at Sanctuary right now." She gently pushed him away. "Angela's having an operation to get her eyesight back hopefully. She needs me."

This was one piece of good news. "Can they can really do it? Man, that rocks! But you can spend the night, can't you?" Blair held Donna by the shoulders and tried to kiss her, but oddly enough, she backed off. "Donna, spit it out. What the hell is going on?"

"Give me strength," she whispered, looking at the ceiling, begging for help from above, help she knew she didn't deserve.

"What do you need strength for?" He cupped her face in his hands. His eyes were never so blue. "Look, it's me, Blair. You can talk to me."

"What I came her for is gonna take all the strength that I have."

Blair became very serious. "OK, whatever it is, tell me."

"Something happened." She couldn't bring herself to say more.

"'Something'" what? asked Blair. "What happened?"

"Something I wish that I could have stopped. Something that..."

"Donna, what happened?"

"Something that I had no control of whatsoever." Donna was looking down and wringing her hands.

"You are the biggest control freak I've ever met!" Blair tried hard to give her whatever support he could, but it was difficult. Donna seemed incapable of telling him what was bothering her so much. "You never lose it. Ever! What in the world...?"

"I lost it alright, BIG TIME!"

"OK, enough of that. Honey, stop beating around the bush and tell me! Whatever was capable of making you lose control over yourself must have been one hell of a dozie!"

Donna threw back the blanket, shot up from the couch and almost ran to the balcony doors. She looked out, to the snow, and watched it fall for a long time. She couldn't face him! Not after what she had done. "You know I love you very much." And she did, desperately. Only problem, she also loved another. How could a woman love two men at once?

Blair stood up, too, and followed Donna to the window. He embraced her burying his face in the crook of her neck. Suddenly, she didn't know if she was in the loft Blair shared with Jim Ellison looking out at a snowstorm, or in Sanctuary facing a holographic wall that shimmered against a password. Blair kissed her neck, making her tingle from head to toe. Even now, having shared another man's bed, his touch could set her on fire. "Of course I know that. And you know I love you more than anything in the world, don't you?"

Donna closed her eyes and wished he wasn't touching her. That made her confession all the more difficult. "That's what makes this so hard."

Blair didn't let go of her. If she needed support, he would give all he could, and more. "Donna, I'm here for you. Whatever it is that's making you suffer, it's making me suffer, too. Your pain is my pain."

"What I am here for will cause you more pain and I..." She couldn't go on. "Mercy..." she whispered.

Blair decided not to press her anymore. She would tell him whenever she was ready. Man, this one had to be a doozie.

"I am very much in love with you, but..." she started.

"But, what?"

"I... I never knew it was possible," she was stammering.

Blair's heart was now pounding in his chest. This was bad news. And of the worse kind. Donna wasn't one to be so at a loss for words. She had never had any trouble talking to him, even about her most intimate feelings, her fears. She had told him about the torment she had suffered in the hands of the Clockwork Orange Gang, her painful recovery, both in mind and body. He had shared in the joys and in the pain of discovering new powers, new abilities, not all of them exhilarating. Why all this hardship now?

"You are already upset, I can feel it." Donna felt like a fist was wrapped around her throat. Even breathing was hard.

"I have no reason to be upset, Donna. Not yet, anyway."

"But you are."

"Honey, I don't have to be psionic, psychic, paranormal, I don't have to be anything to know you're the one who's upset." Truly, her pain was his pain.

Donna started to cry very hard. He knew her so well! "I feel so ashamed, I'm so sorry. I couldn't help it.""

"What have you done? Whatever it is, it can't be that bad."

"You're gonna hate me for this." She looked at him. Her heart was about to leap out of her chest.

"No, I'm not. I'll never hate you, Donna. I can't hate you."

"Oh, yes you can."

"Why?"

"Because I hate myself for what I did." Donna couldn't face him anymore. The bleak landscape outside the loft was much more desirable then the love and concern that poured out of his eyes.

"If you hate yourself," said Blair, "then you did something against your very nature."

"I don't know anymore what is my nature and what isn't. I am the product of a freaky genetic experiment, remember?"

"And you always had a gigantic conscience." He held her by the shoulders, but she averted her eyes.

"Well, my conscience flew out the door this time."

Blair had had enough, and now, he was truly scared. "What did you do, Donna Gryphon? No more stalling. Tell me!"

Donna unwrapped Blair's hands from her shoulders and pushed him away. "I am in love with..." She paused, and drew a long breath. It was now or never. "I am in love with someone else, too." And with that she felt the whole world crash on her.

Blair was utterly confused. "You're in love with someone else? But... how...? Who? I don't get it!"

"Neither do I," she answered. "It happened so fast I couldn't stop it."

"But... I... You said you're crazy in love with me and that you're in love with someone, too? Who... Donna..."

"You know I don't have a lot of experience in all this." Donna was wringing her hands as if she wanted to yank them out of the wrists. "And I can't exactly read about it in a book and believe me I wish I could."

"Someone, who? You'll tell me now!" Blair's voice had dropped several notes. His blue eyes, once so clear, now glinted like steel.

Donna had never seen him like this before. It truly scared her. She said in a meek voice that Blair almost couldn't hear. "Adam."

Blair could barely hear her and what he had heard didn't make any sense to him. "Adam? Adam!?" He was sputtering. "He's old enough to be your father!" he exclaimed.

She was sobbing almost uncontrollably. "I know. That makes it even worse."

"Donna, how could you? Adam...?" Blair's eyes stung and filled with tears of his own. His next question was the most difficult one he had ever asked. Nothing could compare to the feeling of absolute betrayal. Never had he hurt so much, not even when he faced a legion of reporters and declared himself a fraud. "And did you...?"

Donna's head was swimming. "Did I what?"

Blair's thundering voice brought her back with a start. "Do I have to ask?"

She shook her head. "Why do you think I hate myself so much."

Blair was seeing everything red. She had betrayed him. His Donna had given herself to another man. If she had stuck a knife between his shoulder blades it wouldn't hurt so much. He lifted his hand to slap her and saw her flinch. She could toss him all the way across the loft, she could tear him to pieces if she so chose, but he knew she would never fight back. She would only let herself be beaten to death. And he knew he was incapable of doing her any harm. The blow never came. "You know, I think you're right." As his hand fell down by his side, so did the tears fall down from his eyes. "I can hate you after all. I could expect anything, but not this. Not from you, Donna."

"Whatever hatred you have for me now is nowhere equal to the hate that I already have for myself." She closed her eyes and bent her head. "I wish I had died when Angela tried to kill herself."

"Angela what?"

"She tried to kill herself and because of our bond I felt it too." Donna crossed her arms on her chest and turned away from him. "She used her talons to slice her wrists. My wrists opened up and I nearly bleed to death as well. I wish that Emma didn't make me heal myself."

Blair couldn't register anybody else's misery but his own. "You know, I wish she didn't." But that was his jealousy and pain talking. "No, I'm lying," he admitted. "I don't hate you. I can't hate you. I love you too much and it hurts. So I... I'm starting to love you backwards."

Donna's lips were trembling. "I... I don't understand."

"I don't understand it either." He turned around and ran his fingers through his long hair. "I love you and I hate you all at once, as if my love for you had turned upside down." His knees buckled under him, and he dropped to the floor, sitting with his legs crossed and his hands clenching the nape of his neck. "I can't bear the thought of you and another man... I thought we were going to get married!"

Donna stepped closer to Blair and squatted behind him. Tentatively, she touched his shoulder, but he winced at her touch. She drew her hand back fast. "I... I could make excuses until the sun came up and it still wouldn't make it better." She sat on the floor by his side. "I could tell you I am sorry but that wouldn't help. I hope it helps you to know that my hatred for myself has now tripled what it was when I got here. Knowing that I hurt you has given it strength."

Blair covered his eyes with the balls of his hands. "This is no consolation, Donna. And if you want forgiveness, know that I can't forgive you. Not now, anyway."

"I don't want your forgiveness. That is not why I came here."

Blair rested his elbows on his knees and slumped his back. He felt as if his head would fall all the way to the floor if he didn't hold it in his hands. "And why did you come here, other than to tell me about your little escapade?" His bitterness tasted like bile in his mouth.

"Escapade?" Donna had stopped crying and gave a harsh laugh more toward herself. "I think it is more of a fall from grace." Her teeth were starting to shatter. "You can tell me that I suck and I would agree with you."

Blair's head snapped up. He stood up from the floor like a rocket as if her mere proximity made him sick. "This whole situation sucks! It sucks rocks! What do you want from me, Donna?"

Donna stood up too and faced him. Her chest heaved as she drew ragged breath after ragged breath. "You can call the GSA and report me. They can stick me in a pod or something. Anything is better than this." She swallowed hard. "At this point I would go without a fight." She meant every word. "I can just fly to Genomex and turn myself in right now. I bet Eckhart would love that."

For Blair, they were nothing but a plead for sympathy, something he really didn't have. "Don't be silly, you'll do nothing of the sort."

"You wanna bet? I thought that I would never do what I did to you. And look where we are right now." Her eyes were blazing like black embers. "We both thought I was a good person, I guess we were wrong." She opened the balcony doors and looked down the three stories. The snow was falling relentlessly and the night looked like a white desert.

Blair went to the balcony and pulled her back inside. "No, you are a good person, you always were. You're ripped apart. And, honestly, now, so am I." He saw his own pain reflected in her eyes. "What do you need, Donna?"

"If I asked you for time, would you give it to me?"

There was a long moment of silence before Blair could bring himself to answer. "If it is time that you need, to pull yourself together and sort your feelings out, you shall have it."

"Even though I don't deserve it?"

"Deserving has nothing to do with it." They were looking at each other, their faces only inches apart. "You're in pieces now, and you need to be whole again. And so do I. But this is a two way street, Donna. I'll need time to sort out my own feelings, too.

"You deserve better than me." Her misery made her head throb. She felt like a criminal. Hell, she was a criminal. She had murdered trust, she had murdered love.

Blair turned away from her, went to the couch and picked up Donna's jacket and shoes. "Now, I think I need to be alone. You have all the time you need, all the time you want." He watched as she got the pieces from his hands. "Go home, Donna, please."

"Right now I don't have a home." She put on her jacket and stepped into her shoes.

"Donna, go wherever you want, but go. I need some time, too." He went back to the couch and sat, facing the wall. His eyes were dead.

Donna felt the whole weight of his pain in her heart, pain that she had caused. Buttoning her jacket up to her neck, she stepped out to the balcony, closed the doors behind her and jumped over the brick railing. She flew into the darkest night of her life without any direction, really. She headed into the snow, a black shadow over the white landscape, no direction, no destination, only a storm raging in her heart.

Ruffled Feathers`(Written with the Fearless Revolution)

The bird woman was lying on the MedChair, her eyes closed. So much the better. Those white eyes of hers were creepy. And she had IV lines hooked to her hands and electrodes glued to her chest and temples. Stupid girl. And a coward to boot! Why did Adam keep her around beats the hell out of Riley Jackson, the Revolution. Stick her in a safehouse and be done with it! But if our fearless leader wanted that useless chicken around, he could have her. And he could have these security charts too. Rev should have floated them to the lab, instead of carrying them herself. And where the Hell was Adam, anyway? Ouch! Stupid stool!

"Who's there?" Angela asked from the MedChair. "Is anybody there?"

Damn, the chicken's up. Next, she'll ask where she is.

"Please, whoever is here..." Angela chuckled, "don't keep me in the dark."

"It's just me, Revolution. I brought the security charts."

Angela was crestfallen. Of all people, she dreaded her first meeting with the fierce Riley Jackson, the one she had, even though unwittingly, offended the most. "Rev..." Angela licked her lips. Her mouth was getting dry. "I was meaning to talk to you."

"Oh, you know what? Spare me, OK?" Riley was in no mood to humor Miss Parakeet, not after the niceties she had said about Cat. And about Riley herself.

Angela flinched. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Sorry my ass! Take your sorry and shove it!" Revolution's blood was boiling now. "And one piece of advice. Next time you want to kill yourself, do us all a favor and cut vertical, not across."

Angela bit her upper lip and swallowed hard. She pushed her forearms, bandaged from wrists to elbows, in Riley's direction. "I'm a doctor, Rev. I know. That's what I did."

"Wow! Color me impressed," the redhead mocked.

"I'm not trying to."

Revolution couldn't let go. She despised cowards with all her heart. And after Angela tried to kill herself, she regarded the bird woman as the ultimate weakling in their bunch. A liability that should be dealt with swiftly and surely. "You really are something else, you know that?"

"No, not really."

"Oh, but you are," Riley pressed on. "You have people who love you but you are too selfish to see it"

"I can't see anything, Revolution," Angela answered softly.

"Big fucking deal," she snorted.

Angela's feelings had been sorely tested in the past few days. She wasn't a coward, she was a bird. Having her eyes plucked out was more than she could bear. "For me, it is!" she shot back. "You know ferals have a phobia of fire, don't you?"

Revolution rolled her eyes. "Yeah, my best friend is feral." She smirked. "Do you remember her? The one who wallows in depression."

"As an Avian feral, my fears are a little different, Revolution." Angela's voice was rising in pitch. "Do you know what my biggest fear is? A birdcage! I'm scared shitless of small spaces! Now, I'm locked up in one!"

Revolution was relentless. "Everyone is scared of something. Some adapt and conquer their fears. The weak ones don't. They destroy themselves."

"I'm... not that strong..." Angela grimaced. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you..." She felt hot tears filling her white eyes. "Oh, #%$... I won't cry."

"No amount of tears will change the way I feel."

Angela couldn't help it, her emotions were too raw. "I don't care how you feel, Riley, not anymore. I can't adapt to this. It's against my nature!"

Revolution laughed and the sound made Angela cringe. How could her? How could that girl be so cruel? The bird woman drew breath and lifted her head. She was a falcon, not a sparrow! "This is irrelevant!"

"You never gave a rat's ass about me," Riley snapped at the chicken. "You were too absorbed in your own problems."

Angela's eyes were now dry. "I'm so sorry if my problems seemed a triffle more important then yours," she snapped back.

"Oh, get over yourself." Miss Parakeet rubbed Rev the wrong way. "Every action you do has an effect on the rest of us. When you put your talons to your wrists, all you could think about was how you were suffering. Well, big fucking deal." But, you know, be blinded that way must be a bitch. It would be cowardly of Riley's to beat her up even more."I get that you're scared, but fear is no reason to shrivel up and die."

Angela's heightened sensitivity captured the slight change in tone. Riley was just a tiny bit more sympathetic. "Yes, you are right," answered the bird woman. "At that moment, all I could think of was myself." Her voice dropped in pitch the way it had risen. "Honest, Riley, to shrivel and die would be a blessing. I'm scared of living."

Riley Jackson was trying hard to relate to the woman's plight. If only she could get over the fact that she had tried to do the most stupid thing of all in Riley's book. Specially when you didn't succeed! That was the worse. To do it was one thing. To try and fail... that was another, very pathetic thing. On the other hand, Jax had told her this was for real. The woman had slashed her wrists till the bone showed inside. "Death would not be a blessing, believe me," Riley sighed. She was trying hard. "I've seen it. I've smelled it, touched it and heard it. Death is not a blessing."

Angela sighed too. "I know death well enough, Riley." She sat up on the MedChair, pulling her legs up and hugging her knees carefully not to displace the drip lines. "I've studied it. And I've experienced it first hand."

"No, you haven't," answered Revolution, very softly.

"Rev, try to understand. For a bird, living like this is dying every day."

"Listen, Angela, experiencing death is not seeing it on someone you were, as a doctor, trying to save."

"I'm not fishing for pity, Riley," said the bird woman. "I've fought against pity all my life."

Revolution turned around. She was reliving some painful memories. "It is seeing life being beaten out of little boy that I've..." She paused, catching herself in dangerous emotional ground. "That you've vowed to protect." She steeled herself again and turned back to Angela. "You'll get no sympathy or pity from me. I have none."

"I don't want any." Angela turned in the direction of Rev's voice. "I don't know what you have gone through, and I admit, I have been sheltered until I came here. But there are burdens too heavy to be carried."

"No burden is too heavy to carry." Revolution was stubborn. And very young.

"People have different limits." Angela was older and wiser.

"No," Riley insisted. "Nothing is so terrible that you can't get through it."

"Revolution, I pray that you'll never be proved wrong," Angela answered soothingly. "I pray that life never throws you a heavier load than you can carry."

"A heavier load?" Rev smirked. "No burden can be heavier than the ones I have already carried."

"I hope not," placated Angela. "But life has a knack for surprising us."

"Once again, as you said yourself, you don't know what I've been through," insisted Riley.

"No, I don't. But life has a way of surprising us, of mocking us." Angela chuckled. "When I woke up, Adam told me there is real hope that I'll see again."

"Ah, yes," said Revolution, "the prosthetic eyes."

"The bionics, yes. I wish I had known about them a little sooner." Angela laughed. "Before I panicked."

"So you wouldn't look like an imbecile?"

Angela was laughing hard now. "Yes!" She had a fit of the giggles.

Revolution was puzzled, shaking her head. "Whack job!"

"So I wouldn't have..." Angela was doubled over laughing, "...jumped the gun! Horrible pun!"

"Well, I'm glad you think this is funny," said Revolution, angry.

Angela was drying her eyes. "I don't. Laughter is a nervous reaction."

"Nervous?" Now Rev was even more puzzled.

Angela was catching her breath, her mouth very dry. She could remember a place where she had been as thirsty before, and the memory wasn't pleasant at all. "Riley, is there water around?"

"No."

"Damn, I'm thirsty as hell," the bird woman complained. "And I am nervous, yes. Now, there's hope where there was none. You bet I'm nervous."

"There is always hope, if you are brave enough to find it." Rev sat at the edge of the chair.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't. Brave enough, I mean." Angela sighed. "I just could see no hope."

"You don't have to apologize to me," interjected Riley.

"Oh, but I do," exclaimed Angela.

"Apologize to the ones who would have been crushed by your death."

Angela hugged her knees again. "I have to apologize to everyone here. You and Cat first of all. I didn't mean to offend you, believe me." The winged woman reached out with her hand.

"You didn't offend me, you nearly destroyed me." Riley took the offered hand.

"I'm very sorry," said Angela, firmly. "I would have kept whatever I thought to myself. I would never have voiced a demeaning opinion of you or anybody else."

"Ain't nothing," answered Rev.

"I said you were messed up." Angela rubbed Riley's fingers against the bandages covering her arms. "I think this proves who the messed up really is."

"Yeah, you are pretty whacked," laughed Riley.

"And as for wallowing in deppression... What can I say?"

"Right."

"Listen, Riley, I can't leave this damn lab." Angela's throat was parched. "Adam's got me hooked up on these IV drips. He'll soon be back to release me, but could you, please, get me a drink?"

Revolution released Angela's hand and looked around. There was a sink in a corner and she used her power to make the water flow. She formed a ball of water and made it float in the air. The ball of water flew to the MedChair and stopped in midair right in front of the bird woman. "Cup your hands," said Riley.

The woman did that and the ball touched her palms. Angela laughed in amazement, as her fingers touched the surface of the water. She bent her head, found the ball with her lips. The water was cold and sweet. She drank it all. "Thank you," she said. "That was... awesome. And forgive me, I really didn't mean to offend you."

"Ain't nothing," answered Revolution on her way out.

"Riley?"

"Yes?"

"You can do that with water," mused the bird woman. "Can you do that with fire?"

They heard clapping from the door. Riley looked and saw Adam leaning against a wall, a little grin on his face, applauding. "Very good, Revolution. And very good idea, Tweety. Are you thinking what I am thinking?"

Angela laughed. "I believe so. Riley should practice with fire. Then my dear friend, the Salamander, will be in for a surprise." The bird woman's face turned serious. "Any news?"

"She reached Cascade all right." Adam drew breath and released it, while pulling the electrodes from his niece's chest and temples. "Now, we wait."

"What are you talking about?" Revolution had a question mark written on her face. That moment, three people stepped into the MedLab. It was time to start working on the bionic eyes and Mac had the metal case in his hands, the Austins coming right behind him.

"Donna went to Cascade to take care of some business." Adam placed a hand on Angela's shoulder and squeezed to reassure her as much as to reassure himself. Mac was listening intently and he had a strange look in his face. Adam bit his upper lip. "Problem is, she didn't ask for the Helix. She flew there on her own power."

Riley's breath caught on her throat. "That chick is crazy!" she exclaimed. "She has just learned to levitate, float and flight and now she's trying a cross country expedition?"

"Maybe she had pressing business to attend to," said MacGyver, looking directly into his old friend's eyes. It was impossible to hide anything from him and Adam knew it.

"Besides that..." added the Revolution, but she didn't finish.

"What?" Adam and Angela asked as one.

Riley Jackson was really agitated. "Didn't you check weather conditions? There's a snowstorm coming that way!"

Dance Snowflake, Dance

"Computer... Call Blair Sandburgh," exclaimed Revolution as she straddled the computer chair.

The Computer sprang to life.

"Revolution?" he whispered when he answered.

He looks like shit, thought Revolution as the older man's face filled the screen. His blue eyes were filled with an unreadable emotion and his long hair was disheveled.

"Sorry to disturb you, Blair," she exclaimed "But is Donna still there?"

He shooks his head sadly.

"No, she left about an hour or so ago," he whispered.

"Fuck!"

"What's wrong?" he asked his voice now filled with worry.

"There's a fierce snowstorm heading your way... D's only just learned to fly, even I wouldn't have tried a flight this long in this storm," said Revolution.

Blair drew in a sharp breath.

"Someone has got to find her," he exclaimed.

"I will."

He looked at her.

"I promise."

"I believe you," he said.

"I'll call you when we've found her," she said "Take care, Blair. Computer off."

She leaned over and turned the intercom on so that everyone in every room could hear it.

"I need everyone in the computer lab," she said.

Soon they all filed in, worry on everyone's faces.

"What's going on?" asked Macgyver.

"Well, I spoke with Blair," she replied "Donna has been gone an hour."

"In that weather?" asked Jesse wrapping his arm around her.

She nodded soberly.

"Well, we have to go find her," exclaimed Adam.

"No," whispered Revolution "I'm going to find her."

"Not alone," said Shalimar.

"No, not alone. Jesse and Cory will be coming with me. Max, I need you to stay here and keep in close contact with Jesse." she said.

The teenager nodded and sat down at a seat.

"I'm coming with you," said Adam.

Revolution shook her head and raised her hand. Adam soon felt himself being pushed gently into a seat.

"Riley..." he said "You can't keep me here."

She shook her head.

"Telekinetic remember? I'm pretty sure I can keep you here."

"Why didn't you want Adam to come?" asked Cory.

Revolution shook her head.

"Lux told me not too let him come," she replied tapping her temple.

Sitting down next to Jesse at the co-pilot's seat, she pulled her parka closer to her.

"Ready?" she asked Cory.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

Meanwhile back at Sanctuary, Adam paced the length of the computer lab.

"I can't believe she did that," he fumed.

"Stop pacing!" hissed Emma "You're making me nervous."

Max nodded.

"You wanna know why she did that?" whispered Lux.

Jax nodded.

"I told her too."

Jax smiled.

"There," exclaimed Cory.

"You sure?" asked Jesse as they stared out the windows of the Helix into what seemed like nothing but pure snow.

Revolution nodded.

"Right," she whispered pulling her coat tighter around her "Let's do this."

Jesse nodded and hit a button to open the back door of the Helix.

"Be careful," he yelled over the roar of the snowstorm.

"Always!"

They closed the hatch and then raced to the front of the helix. All they could see of Revolution was a fleeting figure and a shock of red.

Donna had gotten so tired, so fast. She laid her against the frozen mountainside and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Donna!" yelled a voice.

She thought she was going crazy.

"Donna! Gryphonlady! Mainframe!"

This was no delusion.

"I'm here!" she called out weakly.

"Donna!"

"Here!"

Revolution looked like an angel to Donna. Her red hair flowing behind her like liquid silk, her cheeks bright red from the cold.

"Donna!"

"Rev!"

Revolution landed gracefully beside her.

"You all right?" she asked.

"I'm freezing."

Revolution removed her oversized parka and wrapped it around Donna's shoulders.

"Can you stand?" she asked.

"I think so," replied Donna.

Revolution helped Donna to her feet.

"Now, I'm going to have to fly you up by myrself," she said "Don't try and help me, all right? You're too weak."

Donna nodded.

"Jess," said Revolution "I got her, she's on her way up."

"That's my girl," he said.

"You know what?"

"What?"

"I could really go for some hot chocolate right now."

The laugh that came across her com link warmed her heart.

"Its a date."

Keeping Busy

"Adam, stop pacing! You're making everybody nervous!" Emma was breathing hard, her heart pounding in her chest. "Then, I have to deal with everybody else's emotions! Don't you have anything to do to keep your mind busy?"

"Actually, yes, the three of us have work to do and we'd better get down to it." Steve Austin took the metal case still in MacGyver's hands and opened it. Inside, two orbs shone green and two orbs shone blue. Four bionic eyes were resting in rubber foam beds.

Fascinating! Still unsurpassed twenty years old technology. They were perfectly formed, and looked human, not puppet's eyes at all. Adam knew Steve Austin had one of his eyes replaced with a bionic. He knew it was his right eye, but he would have never been able to tell, if he wasn't informed before hand. It was perfect! Adam also knew Steve had had both his legs and right arm replaced with bionics after the crash that had cost him his career at NASA. He was known as the Six Million Dollar Man. "Uhmm... I expect this won't come cheap," he said to the former astronaut.

Steve Austin actually guffawed. "You'll be set a half million back for the two pairs."

Adam looked at Austin and smiled. "Half a mill isn't a set back, it is a bargain. I suppose I should speak to Mr. Oscar Goldman to arrange for payment."

"Oscar loves a good client."

"Well, since we have two pairs, we can dismantle one and keep the other intact." Adam picked up one green globe from its resting place and examined it against the light. "I expect the basis to be polycarbonate."

"First time it was used," informed Austin.

Adam was still holding the orb against the light, but his mind was already forming a secondary plan. "We have work to do. With your help, I can redesign the whole lenses system." He nodded to himself. If his idea worked, Angela would have not only new eyes. She would have much better eyes than she had before. And that was saying something, for her eyes had equaled those of an eagle. She could spot the light from a cigarette at sea level from the top of Stormking. "But before we settle down to work, I have a mission for you, Jamie. And for the younger set, too." He fished the wallet from his back pocket, chose a credit card and offered it to Shalimar. "You, Emma, Brennan and Cat, please, escort Mrs. Austin. You'll go shopping in the finest stores in this city." He looked around and smiled, sporting a confidence he was far from feeling. "I know you're all worried about Donna and the rescue team, but they will be all right." He closed Shal's hand around the plastic. "Be conspicuous, call attention to yourselves. Be loud. Be merry. I want you to be remembered. Try to drive me bankrupt and do a good job about it. Angela's birthday is the day after tomorrow, buy her something nice." He turned to Catherine Scott. "Cat, first thing you'll do is buy a red rose and wear it where it can be seen. This will be an invitation for contact by the New Order. Be sure to take the group to lunch in the same restaurant Lareou took you." He turned to Brennan Mulwray. "Quarrel again..." He spread his hands in front of him, halting the elemental's protest. "Not violently. But I want Cat to come back home alone. This will give Lareou a chance to contact her." Back to Cat. "You dance according to his music, just be careful if he hands you anything. I don't want his tracking devices in here." Adam addressed the whole group again. "Show the New Order we came out of that fight unscathed, while they lost a man. And have fun."

"That's what I call a nice mission, for a change," said Shalimar, pocketing the plastic, while the group left to change and get ready.

Emma stayed behind and pulled Adam's arm. "And you? Will you be OK?" she asked.

He nodded and averted his eyes. "I have a job to do. I'll be fine." He looked at his protege's eyes. He had met other multipsionics in the last year or so, but she remained among the most powerful ones. But that was not all about Emma DeLauro. She had grown, not only in power, but in wisdom and compassion. She could read him sometimes and it used to bother him, but she wasn't doing anything of the sort now. It was only a friend's concern. "Thank you."

Emma smiled faintly and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Keep us posted, please."

Adam saw the psionic leave and turned to the Ring representatives. He still felt uncomfortable in Lux Windsor's presence. She was worse then Emma and Donna put together. Lux was a bona fide, genuine mind reader and if Emma being able to read him felt like a violation, the Ring's leader felt like mind rape to him. He loathed having his mind laid bare, but with Lux, he could only hope some of his darkest secrets were still concealed. Plus, he couldn't order her around like he did the others. She wasn't, after all, a comic book sidekick. "What are you planning to do?" he asked.

"I'll be with Max. He will back Rev and Jesse up in the rescue mission." She pursed her lips. "And I have to talk to Connor. I still have a whole organization to run."

"I don't 'ave computer skills or orders to give," Jax butted in. "I'll keep an eye on HawkGirl, and make sure she eats something. Can she leave the lab now?"

Adam laughed at the lioness, so fierce and so motherly in her care for his niece. Who'd say Jax McManus was such a softie? "Of course she can leave now. And thanks for taking care of her."

"I just wish I had done a better job at it, mate."

"Speaking of taking care of someone we care about," Adam turned to Maxwell, "please, Riley will need you." He felt a shiver up and down his spine. His GryphonLady was lost out there in the middle of a storm. It was time for a Sentinel to prove his worth. "And, Max? You keep me posted."

The young telecyber just blushed and nodded, looking down at his shoes as Adam, Steve Austin and MacGyver left for the lab, taking the metal case holding bionic eyes with them.

Hours later, three men, after having disassembled one pair of bionic eyes, were engrossed in reshaping the polycarbonate irises, slicing the too thick compound to make it thinner and capable of two kinds of special sight: telescopic and microscopic. Both Mac and Steve Austin were amazed at Adam's skill and at his clever improvement of the far from obsolete bionic prosthetics. With new technology and a new molecular structure for the polycarbonate film, he could double the number of lenses and the capacity for focusing and accuracy. The bionic orbs would be totally rejected, since Angela had organic eyeballs complete with crystal fluid. Only the lenses system would be used. The tricky part would be the fusing of artificial to organic, specially the optic nerve endings to the lenses forming irises and cornea, allowing the visual input to be uploaded to the brain and, there, decoded into images.

"Have I ever told you about a man named Kincaid, Adam?"

At the sound of Mac's voice, Adam stopped operating the laser scalpels attached to the computer-controlled robotic arms now slicing the green irises into thin layers. Impossible to hide anything from MacGyver, he thought. He was willing to bet every penny he had Mac already knew about him and Donna. And to count Adam's wealth, a person would have to deal with about ten figures. "No, I don't think you have," he answered without turning his eyes from the computer screen.

Mac half sat at the edge of the table, right next to Adam. "Garret Kincaid used to call himself general of the Sun Rise Patriots Army, a militia force whose goal was to... ahem... free Washington state from federal control. For that, he wanted to break into and sabotage the Ares Bugle facility over in Idaho."

Adam lifted his eyes from the computer screen, his elbows on the table, hands folded in front of his face as if to hide it. "Ares Bugle facility?"

"A communication and security system capable of virtually shutting down the country."

"The com control? I can't believe they gave it this silly name! Ares Bugle, indeed." Adam stood up from the robot arms computer and went to the main hologram terminal. He punched the voice command. "Central Com Military Control Project, all files," he said to the machine. The air above the console shimmered as tri-dimensional blueprints showing different angles of the facility appeared floating in midair.

Both Mac and Steve Austin approached the hologram. The two older men started speaking at the same time, "What's it doing there?" asked the explosives and security expert. "That's the Bugle! And it is top secret!" exclaimed the astronaut.

Dozens of blueprint images popped up on the 3-D holospace and were displayed in a mosaic of sketches and equations, with text files and descriptions next to them. Adam waited a bit till the computer was done displaying the files. "This is not the 'Ares Bugle'", he said, a bit of sarcasm in his voice when he repeated the name. "These are my original plans, and they were turned down by the American government. Do you know why?" Adam chuckled, remembering the stuffy four-star general who had told him they'd go with another designer. "Because I warned them that concentrating all power and communications systems in one single place was stupid to say the least. It would only take a well-aimed plane crash to paralyze the whole country. The whole continent, really." He touched the keyboard again and the blueprints rotated around the holospace offering different angles of the design to be studied. "I think 9/11 has educated them the hard way. I was paid for the plans, though." He looked at the other two men. "What have you got to do with it?"

"The OSI was involved in the set up of the operation," answered Austin.

"And the DXS was in charge of the facility's security proper," informed MacGyver.

Adam crossed his arms and turned to Mac. "And this Kincaid nutcase tried exactly what I had warned the government could happen, to seize the facility?"

"Yes, the guy was many cards short of a deck, completely out to lunch," answered Mac, nonchalantly. "Anyway, he abducted Blair to force Jim to break into the facility and give him access to the main control room. He also needed a good computer nerd capable of cracking the system. A certain Dexter Fillmore. That would be me, by the way."

"A properly geeky name. So, if I understand correctly," said Adam, scratching his chin, "you and Jim bumped into each other while dealing with the same situation. Is that it?"

"Yes, exactly." Mac seemed to smile pleasantly, but his eyes remained dead. "To persuade Jim to cooperate, Kincaid cracked Blair's ribs, gave him a huge black eye, several cuts and bruises, besides locking him up half naked in a closet with concrete walls and floor in Washington state. It was dead of winter. Blair fought pneumonia for a couple of weeks afterwards."

"It must have been very tough to witness his mistreatment, you being his father," pondered Austin.

"Back then, I only suspected I was Blair's father, but I was extremely fond of him even then." Mac crossed his own arms, mimicking Adam's posture. "Kincaid broke my son's body pretty bad. And I broke his nose with a single blow." He turned his eyes from Steve Austin to rest them on Adam's face. When he spoke, it was between his teeth. "Imagine what I would do to a man who broke his heart."

Steve Austin looked from one man to the other. There was something very private going on there. "I'll try to reach Jamie over her cell phone. If you'll excuse me..." And he got the hell out of Dodge.

Waiting for the astronaut's retreat, Adam took his time. He breathed deep, uncrossed his arms and folded his hands behind his back. "It's impossible to hide anything from you, isn't it, Mac?"

"I'd say it is very difficult."

"We haven't even tried." He pursed his lips and turned away from Mac. Adam truly respected very few people on Earth and MacGyver was one of them. Mac was his equal in everything, almost the same generation, similar brain power, a lot of field experience. Maybe his education wasn't as sophisticated as Adam's, but his wisdom more than made up for it. "Mac, I..."

"You should be sitting down on a dentist's chair right now, getting your mouth fixed. You know that, don't you?" interrupted the ex-DXS operative.

Adam nodded slowly without looking at Mac.

"Do you know who stayed my hand? Sam." MacGyver's anger was cold, his voice low and measured. "Lovers break up everyday, dad' he said. That and the fact that Donna set off to Cascade to talk to Blair before daybreak. If it were up to you, she would never have gone there. Blair would be kept in the dark indefinitely."

"That's unfair, Mac," Adam snapped. "To me and to Donna. She wasn't made to cheat on anyone and it was killing her. Only I would have taken her there myself. Now she is lost in the middle of a snowstorm." He paused. "A friend of mine used to say Hell is a blizzard. And the devil is the snowplow driver." His hands were clenched in fists and he was having a difficult time not showing his true feelings, his fear for Donna's fate.

Mac's hand shot out and grabbed Adam's shoulder. He stepped around the scientist, facing him. The eyes were mirrors of the soul, weren't they? So, he needed to see Adam's eyes. "You fell for her. And you fell hard, body and soul." Mac shook Adam lightly. "This is no inconsequential fling, this is for real."

"As Revolution would say, 'Thank you, Captain Obvious.' It's been a long time since I've allowed myself to fall so hard for a woman, Mac." Adam swallowed dry. "Donna, being both a psychologist and a psionic, a New Mutant herself, can understand the world of demi-gods I live in. And she is utterly different from the women I've known in my life. To me, she felt like rain after a long drought." He looked up and his eyes zeroed in Mac's. "I never meant to hurt Blair, MacGyver, but I couldn't help it."

"Always the same bleat, right, Adam? You didn't mean it, but you've done it all the same. Just as you didn't mean to, but you created these unfortunate people with superpowers and self-destructing genes."

Adam turned away from Mac and paced the length of the computer lab. "I was about to say I was only trying to help, but the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, isn't it? I know it only too well."

"Hubris is the one unforgivable sin, the one that fell the angels." And Mac saw his old friend, a man he should now hate for the pain he had inflicted in his son, but he somehow couldn't, bow his head and nod. For the first time, Angus MacGyver saw the real amount of guilt that rested squarely on Adam Kane's shoulders.

Beep! The intercom calling startled them from their concentration. "Dr. Kane?" Maxwell sounded frantic, his changing teenager voice piping from the computer monitor screen.

Adam had forgotten all about the rest of the world while talking to Mac. And he didn't like the way Max sounded or the sight of his face, sweating profusely. Max's eyes darted from one point to the other, incapable of focusing on his own screen. "Go ahead" the older man prodded the kid.

"Dr. Kane, the Helix has made contact, but..."

"Did they find Donna?" Adam's voice was thick with worry. He looked at Mac, who had bent his lanky frame over, getting closer to the computer monitor.

"Yes, they did, but..." Max was so nervous he couldn't go on. "I'll play the tape for you."

The boy's face was replaced by a cracking sound, full of static. That was no good. The Double Helix had a state-of-the-art satellite communication system. Sound and image should be perfect even in the direst weather conditions. The breaking image of Jesse Kilmartin filled the screen, the sound came in bits and pieces. "...found Donna... She was... half frozen... Could be worse, but she is running a fever. Taking off to return to Sanctuary. ETA in..." And the screen went black.

Understanding In A Plane Crash

"Rev...Rev...Babe..." whispered Jesse as he shook her gently "Wake up, Love."

She slowly opened her eyes.

"Oh...I'm suddenly having flashbacks of hangovers long past," She whispered.

Jesse laughed.

"And a few more recent ones, too." he whispered as he helped her sit up. "You hit your head."

"What happened?"

"We crashed."

"Is everyone all right? Cory? Donna? Sam? Are you ok?" she asked frantically.

"Everyone is fine babe," he replied kissing her temple.

"But on other fronts," said Sam as he looked out the front window "We're in trouble."

Revolution gathered her strength and stood up.

"Jess... open the hatch," she exclaimed.

"Why?"

"I wan't to see where we are," she replied.

Jesse had landed the Helix expertly on a small cliff. Raising her hands she spread the snow away from her eyes and smiled.

"Jess!" she yelled "I know where we are!"

He looked at her.

"When I stayed with The Ring during the summer," she said "Me and Lux flew here, Haven is not far."

Jesse smiled.

"Get the others," she said.

"Hold on tight to Donna," she said.

Jesse nodded. This was a side of Revolution he had never seen, her voice was strong with authority and despite the gash on the side of her head, her eyes were bright with understanding.

"What about you?" asked Sam.

"I'll follow once you get there," she replied.

"No Rev," whispered jesse "I won't leave you here by yourself."

"Then... I won't give you a choice," she said.

Jesse swore loudly as she lifted him up in the air.

"All right Cor, Sam," she said "You're up."

The Sentinel and his handler nodded.

"Up, up" she said winking at Jesse "Straight on to Haven, Do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars."

She smiled in satisfaction as the figures of her friends disapeared. I can do this, she thought as she sat back against the Helix and closed her eyes.

Of course you can

"Lux?" she whispered.

Who else?

She laughed.

"Its good to here your voice," she said.

Ditto kiddo, we are a little nervous.

"The others are on their way to Haven," said Revolution.

You're gettin to be quite the little goddess.

"More like a godlet."

Lux's laugh tinkled in her head and she smiled.

They're there. Get goin godlet. I'll see you back at HQ.

"Yes ma'am," she said as she rose up.

Jesse paced back in forth in front of Haven.

"Relax," said Connor.

"Yeah," said Rory "Rev is Lux's protege. She'll make it."

Jesse was amazed that his girlfriend inspired such confidence as what the Ring's leaders were providing. He wondered when the last time was a mutant x member felt that way.

"Its a bird! Its a Plane! Its Revolution!" yelled a voice above them.

She was literally glowing as the mid day sun shone above her, lighting up her hair and taking his breath away. He opened his arms and she landed gracefully into them.

"You are amazing, a pain in my ass, but amazing," he whispered as he kissed her.

"Wow...kiddo," said Connor as he embraced her "Four people, after a plane crash. Color me impressed."

The large feral leaned down and kissed her hair.

"I'm very proud of you sweetheart," he said.

She grinned.

"We all are," exclaimed Rahyll.

Suddenly a skinny man raced out of the illusion that hid Haven from the world. A child clinging to his hip.

"Rev!" he yelled.

"Logan!" she called.

"Wiley!" yelled the small child.

Revolution laughed and embraced the raven haired child.

"Allykins," she said.

Jesse looked around the small doctor's office in amazement. He had forgotten how elaborate the spread at Haven was.

"Oww..." whispered Revolution as Rahyll stitched up her head.

"Sorry, I'm not Makenna," laughed the beautiful women "Humans aren't my thing."

Jesse laughed. Rahyll Greenberg was notorious for her inability to stand humans, give her animals any day.

"Here Jess," said Connor as he lead them into a large hangar "They are in no way as elaborate as The Helix, but they'll get you back."

Jesse smiled as he walked around the high tech airplane.

"They'll be great," he said.

"They better be," said Revolution as she wheeled Donna out "D needs Sanctuary."

They all filed into the airplane after saying their goodbyes.

"You all right?" asked Jesse as he noticed the slight sadness in Revolution's eyes.

She smiled slightly and nodded.

"Fine," she replied kissing his hand.

As they flew away, a realization hit Jesse like a ton of bricks. The sadness in her eyes was because she didn't want to leave Haven, She didn't want to return to Sanctuary. He really was what was keeping her there.

Shopping Spree

"We bought the whole mall! Adam will have a cow!"

"No, he won't", answered Emma DeLauro, who, together with Shalimar Fox, Catherine Scott, Brennan Mulwray and Jamie Austin, was having a very nice lunch at Chez Cox, a trendy eatery Cat already knew, courtesy of Nickolas Lareou. The red rose on Cat's hair shone like a jewel.

The whole group was striking. Emma's flaming hair against her marble skin made her look like a beauty of another age. Shalimar's golden locks, her full mouth and athletic figure made heads turn all the way from the sophisticated shopping mall they had practically looted to the restaurant. Cat and Brennan were a sight for sore eyes, both male and female. Specially for the thirty-something brunette with Mason Eckhart-like spectacles sitting on a table to their left and sipping a gigantic frozen daiquiri. She was obviously ogling Brennan and appreciating the muscle under his skin-tight T-shirt. Even Mrs. Austin, tall and lean, was eye candy for the older men in Armani suits going out for power lunches on the fine clubs and bars around that neighborhood. The group had shopping bags by the dozens and smelled of rich kids having fun blowing up a pile of cash as high as the tall, dark hunk of a man escorting the women. This and their looks guaranteed they were given the best table in the house. The platinum credit card guaranteed the best service. Nothing was too good for them. That was a different kind of mission, a very nice one for a change.

As instructed, Brennan and Cat were scowling at each other, trading glares and snarls under their breath. Under the table, they were rubbing their legs to reassure themselves it was nothing more than playacting.

Beneath the gayety in their demeanor, there was a layer of worry for Donna Gryphon, lost in the middle of a snowstorm. The team that left to search for her was experienced and competent, though. Cory Buchanan was a sentinel, his five senses enhanced to feral levels and he had Donna's scent nailed down through close contact over the years. Sam Malloy was his Guide, or his earth wire, grounding Cory and ensuring he wouldn't get lost in his own senses. Jesse had participated on a wide range of missions in the years he had been part of Mutant X and Revolution, his girlfriend, was the most powerful telekinetic they knew, besides being an expert computer cracker and a tough little cookie who never took no shit from anybody, not even Adam. But talking about Donna...

"Why did you insist on buying Donna almost a complete new wardrobe?" asked Shalimar.

"She'll need clothes!" answered Emma a little enigmatically. "She's staying for a while."

Cat leaned forward on the table, almost turning her back to Brennan. "How do you know that?"

Emma looked at Cat a little askew and gave her one of her sweetest smiles. "Lets just say that I know."

"Come on, Em," Shalimar prodded, "you think I don't know? Donna is good at sneaking around, but not as good as to fool me. And if you weren't too busy in your room, Cat, you'd have heard her tiptoeing up and down the hallways."

"You mean to tell me you're not busy yourself with that gorgeous tiger in disguise, Cory?" Cat was actually having a good time. "And don't give me this psionic I'm-all-knowing-and-not-telling look, Em. Sam is cute, too."

"Hey, Sam's cute, Cory is gorgeous! Look out, or the fight will be for real!" Brennan was a jealous guy.

Jamie looked at the youngsters. It had been a time since she went out with friends for food, drink and gossiping, but a woman was a woman and a good chat was second nature. Only, they shouldn't forget the other side of the mission: contact. She winked slightly at Cat, who stood up abruptly and excused herself to go to the ladies room. Alone. As Cat was waving around the tables, Jamie noticed the brunette in spectacles stood too and followed the feline feral to the restroom. She pointed the woman out to Shal, but she wasn't recognized as one of Lareou's minions. Anyway, that's what Jamie Austin's bionic left ear was there for and she kept a discreet surveillance of Cat.

In the restroom, Cat left the stall and was washing her hands. Behind her, reflected in the gilded mirror, she saw the image of the tall brunette that was so blatantly ogling Brennan. A strange glimmer seemed to envelope the woman and her whole body seemed to coalesce into another form, another person. Cat blinked at the sight. Where the tall brunette was, a man stood, blond, his hair spiked, with cold eyes and an evil grin. Cat's eyes never left the mirror. "Aidaan Malone, I presume."

At the table, Emma noticed as Jamie Austin's head tilted to the side and a frown appeared on her brow. The young psionic cast a mind net to pick up strange vibes and, clearly enough, something strange was happening in the ladies restroom, where Cat Scott was. She motioned to her friends and the talk died down.

"Catherine Scott, aka the Cat. How are your ears?"

"Better than yours will be if you annoy me." It was difficult to intimidate a feline feral. That was their turf and, in it, they excelled. "What did Jax see in you? I was expecting Nickolas."

"You think you're so important the boss will come begging that you joined us?" He smirked. "Anyway, he wants to know if you liked your present."

"What present? The clinic is standing tall and unscratched." Cat snorted a sarcastic laugh. "And Adam is still alive and kicking."

"Yes, Nikolas realizes that our efforts were less than completely successful." Aidaan released a mock sigh. "Thanks to those three bitches. Tremayne is gone, poor man."

"As if you really mourned him!" Cat laughed. "You were pathetic! Your precious New Order lost a man, while the Alliance came out unscathed! I'm having second thoughts about joining you."

"That's not what your current hair style shows, but the Alliance didn't come out unscathed," retorted Aidaan. "The Salamander hit his target. The harpy is down, the Underground is headless and in a turmoil."

"Then that was the plan?"

"Part of it, yes. Tremayne was supposed to kill Adam, who was most vulnerable to his power, and Lux, if possible." Aidaan's grin dripped venom. "Pandiat should fall the harpy with a ball to the chest, but it hit her in the face. No matter, we know she was blinded, so it worked."

"It didn't. Adam has already found a way to rebuild her eyes."

Aidaan's face contorted in a scowl. "Mutant X and the Ring will fall, you'll see, together with anyone who stands in our way, little kitten. It's a matter of time." He circled her, his eyes appraising her figure. He fished a small cell phone from his pocket. "Nickolas likes you, you're quite his type. So, he has sent you a little gift." He handed her the phone. "This is for you, linked directly to his com center. Untraceable. Use it to keep him informed. And he will contact you with instructions. Keep it with you always.'

Cat picked up the phone and looked down at it. Aidaan seized the chance. A stun gun appeared in his hand and the feral feline crumble in a heap at his feet without so much as a peep. "I don't like you, little whore."

Jamie's eyes refocused on the table. The conversation she was monitoring had stopped suddenly and she waited to see the man leave the restroom, but from the back of the restaurant, only a little girl, maybe ten years old, came running and passed by their table, heading to the veranda. No man, and no Cat. Where was the girl? There was not a sound. Weird. With a sign for Shalimar to follow her, Jamie stood and headed to the bathroom, but it was already too late. Only Cat was there, lying on the floor, with a cell phone clutched in her hand.

Revolutionary Words (By GryphonLady and Fearless Revolution)

The MedLab was dark and empty as Revolution wheeled Donna to one of the beds built into the wall. Adam would be there any minute to check on the multipsionic. Riley Jackson, aka Revolution, was quite fed up with the wave of depression that lately had engulfed her team. Sanctuary seemed so different from Haven, the Ring's hideout. Where one felt dreary and gloomy, the other felt sunny and warm. "You're an idiot", she shot at Donna.

"I know it!"

Rev pulled the chair up next to one of the beds built into the wall and hopped up on the edge. "First rule of flying, always be aware of the weather," she lectured.

Looking up at Revolution and then down at her hands Donna says, "What can I say, I wasn't thinking at the time."

"Obviously. Honestly, D, you could have died." Riley paused for a moment, "We all could have died."

"Yeah, I wish I had," Donna muttered under her breath, hoping that Rev wouldn't hear.

"Not deaf." Revolution said, rolling her eyes. And then, "God, what is wrong with you people?"

"I don't know, I..."

"Spit it out." The young telekinetic was in no mood for this.

"I had personal business to take care of in Cascade really fast and didn't think about the weather and it didn't go very well," explained Donna, still looking down at her hands.

Rev looked at Donna. "Maybe you weren't ready to learn flying."

"Maybe I'm not ready for anything."

Rev wouldn't disagree. "Apparently not."

"Man, I screwed this one up big time," said the GryphonLady, looking straight ahead.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. You had everyone scared to death, and because of you, I have a splitting headache."

Donna was feeling awful in more ways than one. She felt the physical ordeal of trying to fly cross country in the middle of a snowstorm, and she felt emotionally drained after her break up with Blair. Right then, she felt like the worst criminal. "Vent your anger on me all you want. I think I really deserve it."

"Nah...its not fun when the person is a willing participant."

Donna turned her head and stared directly at Revolution, "No, I am not willing, just deserving."

"Hello, Riley Jackson, welcome to hell. Honestly, do you people ever stop feeling sorry for yourselves?"

"Right now I don't feel sorry for myself. I feel sorry for..." Donna started to cry and that brought about a fit of coughing.

"Blair?"

Donna's head snapped up and she looked at Revolution in shock. Did Riley Jackson have some sort of telepathy?

"I called him before we mounted the ill-fated rescue mission. He looked like shit, I figured lover spat. Anything else isn't any of my business."

"Let's just say that it was the biggest and the only fight that we have ever had." Donna sighed and drew a ragged breath. Her back hurt and breathing was difficult. "Nothing could compare."

"Figured."

"Rev, I'm a screw up on wheels." Donna looked down at the wheelchair that she is sitting in. "Literally."

"Listen, D, I don't know what is going on but I do know one thing. If we're going to defeat the New Order, we need all of us to be in top shape mentally and physically. I'm not saying get over it, I just mean get over it."

"Get over it, huh?" Donna wished it were that easy.

"Yep, that's my sage advice."

"Good Lord between you and Angela..." said Donna, and Revolution started to laugh. That had to be the first time Donna had heard the girl laugh in the whole time that she had known her.

"You think this is funny?" Donna's depressed mood hadn't changed all that much.

"Very," answered the Revolution. "Extremely."

"Oh, mercy." Donna's head came down to rest on her hands, as another fit of coughing tore at her lungs.

Rev laughed again.

"Tell me the truth, did you really want to go rescue me?" Asked Donna.

"Sure I did. Mostly so I could tell you how dumb you are."

"And did it give you great pleasure?" Donna asked again, bitterly.

"What? Telling you how dumb you are?"

"Yes"

"Mildly, I'm afraid the concussion is cutting down on my pleasure ratio," quipped Rev.

"What? Because I'm not a good sparing partner?" Insisted Donna.

"No one can compete with me." Rev said with pride. "I am queen."

"Yeah, well I don't want to compete with you," the psionic conceded. "I know how dumb I am, among other things."

"Well... good." Riley Jackson glared at Donna Gryphon and her voice dropped in pitch dramatically. "You ever do that again and I will kill you. I realize that Angela had been helping you with flying, but she doesn't fly like we do. I blame myself."

Donna's voice dropped accordingly. "No! Don't you ever blame yourself for something I did. This was all my fault!"

"I should have taught you the basics more."

"I shouldn't have flown out like I did," Donna shot back. "I shouldn't have done a lot of things. But I did and I am the one to blame, not you."

"Yeah, I guess." Rev was felling a little charitable.

"Yeah, I guess." Not anything else?"

"Hey, I agreed with you, don't look a gift horse in the mouth," interjected the telekinetic.

Donna's coughing was getting worse. She covered her eyes with the balls of her hands. "You're right. I'm so sorry."

No! Tears? Here's something Rev couldn't stand. "Oh, God, don't cry again."

Donna dried her eyes. "What good would that do, huh?"

"I don't know, but you girls sure do love to cry," said Rev, with a drop of criticism.

"Maybe I should be more like you then,"

"Well, nobody is like me." One thing Rev had was humor.

"Is that good or bad?" asked the GryphonLady.

"Depends on who you ask," answered Revolution. "Jesse may say its bad, Adam may say its good."

Donna whispered to herself, "Adam..."

Realization crept in, but Rev didin't let it register. "My mom and dad would say its good"

"My folks just tried to ignore it." Donna was looking ahead, but wasn't seeing anything really.

"My parents and I don't get along." Rev took a deep breath and took a nose dive into her memories. "I haven't seen them face to face, since they dropped me off a Genomex."

"Yeah, well I was that big pink elephant in the room that nobody wanted to notice." Donna dove after Rev, remembering her own childhood.

"My parents couldn't handle me, so they sent me away to be brutally tested on." The young telekinetic and the older multipsionic were lost in their own memories. "All in the name of Science." Rev's humor was filled with bitterness.

Donna shook her head, trying to dissipate the memories that clogged her mind. "Yep. Listen, you don't have to stay here. Go be with Jesse. Adam will see to me."

"Me and Lux are about to retrieve the Helix," informed Rev. "I just wanted to make sure you survived the flight."

"For what it's worth, thank you." Donna looked down at her feet.

"Hey, it's what I do. I'm sort of like a superhero." Rev laughed. "Owww... My head."

"Get Lux to heal that while you are at it." Donna said, pointing at the badly stitched gash on Revolution's head.

"Nah... she's busy, needs her strength." Rev was dismissive. "'Sides, its a war wound."

"It's not a war wound and you know it." Guilt was as addictive as the best illicit drug.

"Ain't no worse than a hangover," joked Rev.

"Young lady you are too young to drink." Donna Gryphon was law enforcement. And she worried for the young new mutant.

"I don't drink... much." stated Rev in her own defense.

"Well I guess everybody has their hang-ups. Get going" Donna shooed Rev away.

"Hey, after everything I've been through, I deserve to be allowed to drink," shot Rev as she headed for the door. "And I make a mean fake ID." She blew Donna a little kiss. "I'm so gone." Rev turned to leave, almost bumping into Adam, who entered the lab in a hurry.

'Man, this is gonna be so hard.' thought a very disturbed, very guilty, very sick multipsionic. She turned her head and faced the wall.

Adam squatted by the chair's side and pulled Donna's chin, making her look at him, but her eyes never met his. "It was hell to pay, wasn't it?"

She nodded her head, still avoiding his gaze. "You could say that."

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you ask for the Helix?" Donna's little adventure had left him worried sick. "You know it would be yours."

"I… I don't know," Donna was confused. "I woke up and had this urge to go see Blair and if I didn't do it now I would never get up the nerve."

"I see," said Adam. "You're in a place I've been for a long time, Donna." This sentence made her lift her eyes and, finally, look at him. "It's easy to be a victim. It's horrible to be the perpetrator."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Well, I feel like the worst person on Earth right now."

"What can I do to give you some relief?" he asked.

"Right now, I don't want relief."

Adam tried a little humor to draw her back from the downward spiral he felt she was plunging into. "Now, who's shoveling guilt upon her own back like a gravedigger?"

"Yeah, well, if you are the king then I must be the queen." Her attempt at humor sounded hollow.

Adam smiled at her. "My queen, if you want."

Donna leaned over in the chair and covered her face. A sharp pain pierced her in the back. "Oh, man," she groaned.

Adam scooped her up in his arms and laid her down on the MedChair in the middle of the lab. He quickly adjusted a laser sweep to measure her vitals and project an X-Ray image on the plasma screen to his left. "You're in the early stages of pneumonia. I'll put you on antibiotics."

"No, I don't want any medication," Donna complained.

"I didn't ask whether you want it or not." Adam knew self-commiseration when he saw it. "Listen to me, I've almost lost you twice. There won't be a third time, not if I can help it

"I don't deserve it." Donna was running free on the Guilt Trip Highway.

"Stop it now," said Adam, sharply.

"Why?"

"Because I love you!" He exclaimed. "I won't let you self-destruct. I won't let you."

"I... I love you, too." Donna stammered, her voice so low Adam barely heard her. "But you deserve better."

"You don't know what I deserve or not." He half sat on the edge of the chair. "You don't know just how much of a perpetrator I am."

"Yeah, well I'm the one that just broke my fiancée's heart." Donna hated herself for the pain she had given Blair. "He is hurting more than my injuries are right now."

Adam pulled her up and held her. "You don't know half of what I did in my past. There is a reason for my "I-hate-myself-for-what-I-did-to-those-poor-mutants" faces, as Shalimar puts it."

"Well, you're making things right for us. Not destroying things." She was crying softly.

"The destruction was already done." He sighed. "I'm just trying to put things back together as best as I can." Adam held her tightly, letting her cry. She needed it. "Blair will heal, Donna, in time." He smoothed her hair. "So will you. I'll help."

Donna was sobbing. "No, he will always see me as a two timing bitch."

Adam chuckled. "I don't think so. He will understand, someday. Give him time, Donna. Give yourself time."

"How?"

He pushed her back, laying her on the MedChair. "Living. Going on with your life. Fighting. Loving. And letting yourself be loved back."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Anything." And he was willing to answer.

Donna dried her eyes. "Why do you love me?"

Adam laughed and looked pensive. "Good question. I don't know." He paused. "Skin chemistry?" He joked. "To be honest, because you are you."

"You can love someone who did what I just did?"

"Passionately."

Donna started counting her sins. "I went off and broke someone's heart, I almost got Rev, Jesse, Sam, and Cory killed." She stopped and bit her lips. "I destroyed the Helix, too."

Adam looked at Donna. How different from the other women that populated his past could her be? How devoid of malice? She had a humongous conscience that was punishing her horribly. He cupped her face in his hands. "Donna, lovers break up everyday." She averted her eyes. "As for Rev, Jesse, Sam and Cory, you didn't do anything." He pulled her face back and spoke firmly. "And you didn't destroy the Helix. From the logs I got, it was faulty from the time that digicyber cracked into its system."

"But it was my fault that they went off in the thing to find me."

Adam caressed her cheeks. "I would have gone myself. Rev stopped me with her telekinesis. I'll have to talk to that girl. I can't have that kind of insubordination."

"NO! You could have been hurt, too," she exclaimed. "And I can't have both you AND Blair hurt on the same day. I would simply die." She paused. "I should have died."

"Thank God you didn't." He was serious. "How many people do you think I could lose in my life and not break down. Losing you is not an option, GryphonLady."

"You don't understand, when I was on that mountain before the Rev showed up, I wanted to die. I..."

"If you really wanted to die, you would have died," said Adam. "You'd be quiet, you wouldn't call her out. No, you didn't want to die there, as you don't want to die now."

Donna's misery was palpable. "If I didn't answer when she called, she and the others would have kept on searching and WOULD have gotten themselves killed."

"You have too much of a conscience to let them, right?" He smiled at her and pulled her to his chest. "Enough of this death wish around here, Donna Gryphon. I need my team in tip top shape. I'll see to it that you are."

"Oh, man. Am I that selfish?"

"No, you're not. I told you before, you're a survivor." He heard her breathing, labored and gurgling. "Now, I know your allergic to regular antibiotics. I'll put you on ultramiecilin. It will make you a little drowsy."

"I don't want to sleep," she said. "I hate drugs that make me sleepy."

"But you are taking this one." She was behaving a little like a child, so he treated her like one. "It is a new drug that will cure the lung congestion in no time. Relax, you're not going anywhere for a while. I'll stay here, with you."

"Maybe Rev was right," mused Donna.

"About what?"

"She said that with everything that was going on with The New Chaos, that I should just get over it."

Adam smiled as he garroted her arm and picked up a vein. "Rev has just gained a respite on that talk about insubordination."

Donna looked as he injected the antibiotic solution. "For a nineteen year old, she sure has a way of saying some things, doesn't she?"

"She's a nineteen year old who has the experience of a 91 year old," said Adam. "Riley has suffered a lot on her short life."

"Maybe more than I have."

Adam pulled the needle out. "You've had your share, Donna. Now, lay down. I'll watch over you tonight."

Donna blinked. The new drug acted fast and her eyelids were getting heavy. "I love you," she said. "I don't deserve you, but I love you."

Adam helped her lay on her side to take the pressure off her lungs. "And I love you, Donna Gryphon." He whispered and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I don't deserve you either, but I love you."

Donna smiled faintly. "I still think you deserve better..." And she drifted off.

Ten minutes later, the beep from the intercom brought Adam to the computer console. Steve Austin's face showed on the monitor. "The blue bionics are ready. And Jamie is online from your clinic. I'll transfer the call."

The monitor flickered and Austin's face was replaced by his wife's, with Makenna Coniglario by her side. "Adam? Cat was approached by one Aidaan Malone. The doctor here said he is a shape shifter. Is that right?"

"Yes, Jamie. He is a molecular capable of altering his looks to resemble whoever he wants."

Jamie Austin was amazed at the powers the new mutants yielded. "He gave her a cell phone linked to his gang's com system and, according to what he said, untraceable. Then he stunned her."

Adam was worried at the news. "Is she OK?"

Makenna butted in. "Yeah, she'll be fine. We're keeping her here for observation. By the way, you should come here. Your hospital is fully staffed and functional." The tiny doctor smiled. "It was easy to select personnel. Angela had chosen good resumées. All I had to do was interview the candidates. And they were all cleared by security."

Adam smiled back. Makenna was invaluable, her help was a blessing. "I was planning to drop by tomorrow. Prepare me an operating room for ophtalmic surgery. Ask Jamie about bionics. We'll give Angela her sight back. Will you assist me?"

Makenna actually clapped her hands. "Sure thing! I'll have everything ready for you tomorrow."

Adam became serious. "Tell Brennan to buff up security measures. I don't want surprises."

"He anticipated your request," intervene Jamie. "He and Shalimar are right now sweeping the building with Harry Bloomenfeld."

"Adam, Emma is meeting with the psionics on staff," said Makenna. "We have a bunch of them on Psychiatry, Psychology, Anaesthesiology and Patient Relations. They'll be on alert to prevent mind interference from the New Order."

"Thank you, Makenna. And you, Jamie. I'll see you tomorrow. Sanctuary out."

Ordinary Girls...

Time expands and then contracts

When you are spinning in the grip of someone

Who is not an ordinary girl -Counting C

Revolution smiled brightly at Lux as she stepped out into the blinding sun.

"Ready?" asked the young leader.

"'Course," she replied tucking a strand of hair under the scarf she had tied around her head "Jess? Max at the Helix yet?"

Max had used a primary line in the Sanctuary Computer labs to beam himself to the fallen Helix.

"Yep. Hey hon?"

"Yes?"

"Be careful."

"Hey, its me."

"That's why I said it," he said.

"So..." said Angela as she leaned her head against Jax's shoulder.

"So?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

The Irish woman ran her finger's through Angela's hair.

"'Course ya can," she said.

"What is about Lux that makes you so loyal to her?"

"Plain and simple, she saved me," replied Jax "She saved all of us. From the Hybrids to the Ferals, to the children at the orphanage to Logan to Max. She saved us, and not just physically."

Jax's head swam with the memories. The slaughter of the Monroe's and the downward spiral of their gifted telecyber son. The near extinction of the Hybrids and the world wide trek to save them. Logan's drug addiction and the love of a goddess that saved him.

"She's our angel," whispered Jax.

"How did she save you?"

Angela wanted to understand why no matter how she felt for Jax, She knew that the Feline feral would not stay with her.

"I was attacked by Agents from Mirktech, the California version of Genomex at the time. It was before I really understood my powers. I beat most of them but there was this feral agent who countered every move I made," Jax swallowed hard and continued "I almost died and I would have died if she hadn't come. He was the first man she had ever killed and she probably believed that it would be her last."

"Until Treymane," whispered Angela.

"Until Treymane," said Jax nodding "She used her powers to heal me and on that day, I made a promise to god that whenever and however she needed me, I'd be there."

Donna's eyes felt heavy as she struggled to open them.

"How long have I been out?" she whispered hoarsely.

Adam brushed a strand of hair off of her face and smiled gently.

"A couple of hours," he replied.

He helped her sit up in the bed and then handed her a glass of water. Then he sat back down and returned his attention to the screen in front of them.

"What's going on?" she asked.

She could see Revolution standing beside Lux. A white aura sparkled around the two women.

"They're guiding the Helix home," replied Adam.

It was the most amazing feeling in the world, it was as if every part of her body finally understood who she was and what she needed from it. She was no longer, Riley Jackson confused juvenile delinquent, she was Revolution Jackson and she was powerful.

He loved her so much that it scared him. He traced the contours of her face as the security cameras caught every second of the telekinetic show of power. She was everything good and pure in the world and yet she was so tarnished.

"Max?" he whispered "How ya doin?"

"Smooth sailin," replied the teenager "How are the girls?"

Jesse smiled. All his jealousy of Max and Rev's relationship was unfounded. The teenager loved Revolution all right, but as an unattainable object.

"Vitals are good," he said.

Sometimes she wondered what it would have been like to be normal. What it would be like to be a regular person but then she has moments like this. Standing on a mountain with a beautiful and troubled girl, that she had begun to see as a daughter, watching as The Helix came whizzing past them and straight into the mountain side. These were the moments where she did not envy normal people.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Revolution as she laid down on the cold ground.

Lux laid beside her and took her hand and kissed it.

"How much I pity Ordinary Girls," she replied.

Revolution's laugh was loud and joyous and for the first time in a long time The Ring's young leader's laugh was true.

Shattered Glass (Written together with Angaline)

The silver BMW stopped at Axis Research and Development Hospital's main entrance. A large man in a black security guard uniform sporting a mythical beast resembling a chimera above the letters B/B approached the driver's door. A coffee colored woman wearing a similar uniform detached herself from the building's wall and approached the rear passenger's door. With a single movement, they opened both doors, as if they'd previously rehearsed it. The right side doors of the vehicle seemed to open by themselves, only a shimmering in the air denouncing a presence.

The beemer's driver stepped out of the vehicle and appraised the man by the door, who stood almost at attention. Adam had to bite his lips not to laugh at the canine feral's pose. "Looking very smart, Harry."

"Thank you, Dr. Kane," Harold (Harry) Bloomenfeld's face got red as a beet and he beamed. How could he have mistaken the Underground founder for that shape shifting rat that invaded the hospital right under Harry's own nose? Nostrils twitching, the canine nailed the Man's scent and found it totally different from the rancid aspect that had emanated from, now he knew, one Aidaan Malone. "We are going corporate, doctor. Mr. Zack Coniglario's idea." Harry rocked a bit on his toes, his hands clasped behind his back, his chin jutting forward. "We are forming a company, Beast Brigade Safety Measures Inc."

From the back seat, a gnarled hand ending in black talons groped the door, misshapen feet in orthopedic boots unsurely stepped out as a smallish dark skinned woman with a pronounced hunchback and startling white eyes left the vehicle. The female security guard immediately caught her by the arm and guided the blind feral to the stairway leading to the front door. Angela tripped on the first step. A fluid woman with flowing greenish hair sprung from the water mirror flanking the stairs and grabbed her left arm in a wet grip. "Deixe-me ajudá-la, doutora," offered the liquid molecular in perfect Portuguese. "Let me help you."

"Thanks for your help, but who are you?" asked Angela, also in Portuguese.

The green-haired woman in a water-resistant Beast Brigade uniform leaped out of the water. "Yara Oliveira. My parents are Brazilian, like yourself, but I was born here. I can alter my body density to liquid, solid or gas states."

As Donna Gryphon and Jax MacManus stepped out of the car, a disembodied voice greeted them with a "Welcome, ladies." The faint shimmering in the air grew stronger and a young man with blond hair and almost transparent blue eyes appeared by the BMW's door. "Christopher Kieslaw, light refracting elemental with stealth capabilities, at your service."

A second and third cars pulled behind the beemer, releasing Jesse, Rev, Lux, the Austins, Mac, Cory and Sam.

From the front door, a tiny woman in a flowing multicolored skirt and lab coat, with a small man by her side, greeted them merrily. "Yah should see whatta've done tah your clinic!" exclaimed her, giving Angela a hug. "Come on in, but you all have to pass under the DNA ID arch." She winked at Adam. "No exceptions."

The clinic wasn't officially open yet, but it was bustling with activity. The reception desk was manned, orderlies and nurses walked around. As the Alliance group entered the atrium, the muffled noise and normal activity of the health facility died down. The receptionists stood up, all employees stopped in their tracks. The silence would be almost creepy if not for the smiles spreading on all faces around them. As the group passed, Makenna, who had made the final staff selection, made introductions: doctors, residents, nurses, admin staff. They all wanted to meet with Mutant X core team and the friends who had come to help and prevent the clinic from being blown up by the New Order.

"Come on, Mac," called Zack. "I would like you and the sentinel to review our security measures, just in case. Lets join Brennan and Shalimar, shall we?" The reptilian feral had made it his job to make sure there would be no nasty surprises.

"Great chance to visit this center, don't you think, honey?" piped in Steve Austin, turning to his wife. "Are we invited?"

"Sure!"

"And we have to check the DNA ID network around this joint," added Rev. "Come on, honey." She imitated Austin and pushed Jesse on with a wink.

When they arrived at what should have been Angela's office, but was, for the time being, Makenna's, Emma was talking to a tall man with a receding hairline and a goatee, dressed in slacks, shirt and lab coat. The young psionic introduced him as John Sheridan, a resident specializing in anesthesiology. The tall man went straight to Adam and shook his hand. "It's an honor and a pleasure to be part of your operating team, Dr. Kane." He, then, turned to Angela, took her by the arm and lead her to a chair. "Dr. Fontenelle, I can't tell you how sorry we all were when we knew of your injury. Dr. Coniglario here is fantastic, but we all want you back." While talking, he quickly examined Angela's eyes and checked her heartbeat and BP readings. "I will put you under during surgery, doctor. I'll control your unconscious functions and keep you nicely asleep without any drugs. You won't feel a thing."

"I know what you can do, John." the bird woman smiled. "Your resumée was one of the first I selected to our staff." Angela turned slightly to a point where she believed Adam was. "John is a psionic. He can control involuntary bodily functions such as heartbeat, BP, brain activity and response to pain at cerebellum level. Very interesting."

"Thank you, doctor." He gently lead Angela to an exam table, helped her sit and held the nape of her neck in his hand, supporting her. "Lets see what I'll have to do during surgery, OK?" He closed his eyes in concentration and, in a head movement that reminded Emma's, looked at Angela. The bird feral's body glowed a soft light blue that faded as she relaxed against his hand. He laid her down at the table. "Very willing subject, very easy to control," Sheridan told Adam. "I have depressed her BP and heartbeat. She'll sleep for about half an hour now. I can keep her under for as long as you need, Dr. Kane, and I do not foresee any problems."

"Thank you, Dr. Sheridan. You're an asset for this hospital." Adam shook the young man's hand again as he headed for the door. Makenna touched Mutant X leader's shoulder and motioned him to join the others.

"Everything's ready for the surgery, whenever you want to start," the tiny doctor informed. "Right now, I'm more worried about Cat."

"Cat? How is she?" asked Adam.

"Fine, she was just stunned. It was Aidaan Malone again."

"The pox on him," muttered Jax under her breath. "I'm losing patience with that scumbag."

"Anyway, she was brought here because Aidaan gave her a cell phone and you told her not to take anything to Sanctuary," said Makenna. Adam nodded at that. "I thought it would be better if she spent the night, just in case." Makenna paused and pursed her lips. "Melissa Bloomenfeld is nurse supervisor on that floor and she told me Cat's night was awful. She had nightmare after nightmare and could only rest after Brennan laid down by her side and held her the rest of the night." The doctor shook her head sadly. "Melissa said that, in her sleep, Cat sounded like two different people. Like it was a double personality case."

Adam sat by Donna's side and casually held her hand. Donna's cheeks flushed slightly. "Cat was one of the first successful ferals to be created," he said. "Back then, ferals were a little different than Shalimar or Harry Bloomenfeld. Zack is more like Cat, since he has retractable fangs and a forked tongue." He rubbed his temple as memories flooded his mind. "The idea was to create werecreatures. Men and women who could actually turn into animals and retain reasoning capacity. It was only later that I perfected a splicing technique that enabled the DNA of humans and animals to be mixed up in such a fashion that the best features of both would be preserved, but no transformation would happen."

Makenna stuck her elbows on her knees and folded her hands. "There's a battle raging inside that girl, Adam. I think you should speak to her."

Adam merely nodded.

In her room at the clinic, Cat stood in front of the mirror, brushing her hair. The red rose on the little desk looked dead, its petals falling off. That's the way she herself felt, worn out and old beyond her years. Jesus, the circles under her eyes were blacker than ever. As Cat brushed her hair, she laughed to herself. She needed a trim. Maybe she would ask Emma if she would do it for her, she thought.

Mechanically, she brushed on. Memories from her past played in her mind like the some bad movie. Cat's body reacted to pains remembered. Why was she remembering things now? God, she had been more like a wild animal than a little girl. Her blonde hair often a mess. Her nails black and sharp. Then there had been Adam's treatments. With her anger flooding her mind and robbing her of any control, her fist shattered the mirrored glass. As pieces fell to the floor, so did Cat's tears. The pain and blood dripping from her hand never registered.

The door flew open and Adam walked into the room. Seeing Cat's hand still clenched in a fist and touching the now broken mirror, he ran and turned her. "Let me help you, Catherine."

"No, I think you have done enough to help me."

Adam caught the anger in Cat's voice. He noticed that tears stained her ivory skin. "What's wrong?"

"Did you enjoy it? Did you like playing god with me? Did you have any clue how much pain your so-called treatments put me through?" Cat asked and turned away from him, her hands coming down hard against the small desk.

So that was why Cat was so angry. She was remembering things that she was better off not remembering at all. "Cat, let me look at your hand. Then we'll talk about this," he said in a calm voice so like Adam.

"No, I don't want to hear anything you have to say. You made me a killer. If you had just let me be." Cat's tears poured down her checks. She picked up her purse and pulled out a frayed envelope, staining the once white paper red. "It's for you. The nurses can see to my hand."

Adam watched her leave. He remembered the uncontrollable animal she had been. She was wrong. His treatments, though painful, had made her more human. They had made her able to be the woman she was. But what had she meant about him making her a killer? Adam recognized April's hand writing. It had to be the letter Cat had told him about when she had first come home. He noticed the envelope was unopened. Two pages rested inside. He started to read.

Adam,

It's been a long time, my friend. I'd dearly love to catch up on all your many adventures these past years, but not now. There's much to say and very little time.

Catherine has told me how you welcomed her in your haven for special new mutants. Thank you. She has also told me she has found a young man who loves her. I just hope he's worthy of my daughter, Adam.

My daughter. Mine and nobody else's. Catherine has blossomed, hasn't she? Do you remember her? Scrawny, disheveled, her nails black and sharp. She was a little beast, more fit for the zoo than for human society. She has developed into a fine woman, hasn't she? Would she be able to develop so hadn't you changed her feral dominant genes into recessive? Never. She would have ended up under lock and key in a looney bin. Or worse. I think she would be dead. Mason would never suffer her to live as the werepanther she was. It was only thanks to the procedure, your procedure, that she could grasp some measure of control.

It was painful, I remember well. And she remembers well, too. But it was necessary. Lets just hope, as you said over twenty years ago, that this control is progressive, and she will have that animal under a tight leash, releasing it only when and if she sees fit.

You know Catherine blames you for the beast she has inside. She thinks the procedure she underwent when she was six made the feral stronger. Catherine blames you and you let her, don't you? I still know you well. You'll never tell her I'm the only one to blame. I was the one who signed the waver and accepted that my body was used to create a physical shape shifter, a being that would turn into an animal at will. And an animal with the sentience of a human being.

We were all so young, so cocky! You, me, Mason, Ken... Paul was the older and, in many ways, the worse of the lot. We were playing God, my friend. And our children paid for our hubris.

Adam stopped reading for a second, and he folded the paper. That word, hubris, was starting to haunt him. He had been stumbling upon it a lot lately. First Mac, now April. A shiver ran down his spine. He knew the fate of all classic heroes who'd fallen for it: a spectacular life, full of adventures, then sudden and early death, usually through violence. Was he running out of time? His hands slowly unfolded April Scott's letter and he went on, his mind plunging him again, tumbling and tossing through the gigantic slide that was Memory Lane.

Catherine blames you and you would go on, accepting the blame to prevent her from blaming the right person, her mother. Very noble, Adam. Very stupid, too. But you were never as clever in your emotional ways as you always were in your scientific ways.

I did try to tell Catherine how wrong she really is. How all that talk about early cancer was nothing but lies. I tried, my friend. Once I had the time for that. Now, I don't have this luxury anymore. Show her this letter and she will know.

Also, Catherine has always plagued me to know who her father is. She has even asked me if it wasn't you, since you were the only father figure she has ever known. Poor Catherine. Poor child of mine.

Help me out, Adam, please. Even if I do not deserve it, help me out. I don't have the nerve. I don't have the guts. How do I tell my daughter she was never begotten through an act of love? How do I tell my daughter she wasn't even begotten as an act of lust? How do I tell her she was the result of our Godless curiosity combined with Mason's and Ken's and Paul's greed and ambition? How do I tell her she was meant to be the first of a generation of half-human, half-beast soldiers, terrorists, assassins who would never leave a trace of their existence? How do I tell her that her "father" is an amalgam of those three combined genetic signatures implanted in my ovum? You were the only one to flatly refuse to be used in such a fashion. Well, I have a surprise for you, my friend. There is some of you in Catherine. Not an awful lot, but some. Remember? When we all started at GenomeX, we had samples taken and stored for studies. All experiments would be done with our express approval. Umph! They took what they needed, used what they wanted and that was that. Catherine is the result of one of those experiments and studies. We all approved and cheered. You didn't. That didn't stop us.

You're there, Adam. In Catherine. Together with me, Mason, Ken and Paul. Of the four males, who's the father? All of the above and none of the above. And how do I tell her that? I can't. I have no courage. Never had, never will. But you had the right to know. I would never have the courage to tell it to your face, either, but I'm writing and it makes things easier.

Show my Catherine this letter if you want. By the time it reaches your hands, I'll be long gone. I'll be six nice feet under, and it won't matter anymore. Not to me, at least. I know it matters to you and to Catherine. Forgive me for placing this extra burden on you, but if I'd never had the nerve, now I don't have the strength.

Thank you for all you've already done, but do something more for me. Please, take care of my first born. Make sure she develops to her full potential. Make sure she is strong. But more important, make sure she is happy. I couldn't. Maybe you can.

Your friend from another lifetime,

April

Adam refolded the letter, slightly in shock. He had known Cat had been created out of Mason's, Ken's, and Paul's DNA combined with April's, but he had never known he's own had been used in the mixture that resulted in the panther feral. Leaving the room, he headed to the nurse's station where he found a young feral nurse, eyes ablaze, picking up the last shards of broken glass from Cat's fingers with tweezers. On the table, a little kidney tray held all that was needed to bind a small wound. He picked up the tray and, with a hand on Cat's shoulder, lead her back to the room. On the way, they crossed with Brennan. "Catherine and I must talk," Adam said to the elemental. "There is something we must deal with between ourselves."

Adam made Cat sit on the edge of the bed and sat by her side, placing the tray between them. He fished April's letter from his pocket, placed it in Cat's left hand and closed her fingers on it. "What was done to you was absolutely necessary. I won't apologize for anything, but you must know the truth." He lifted her right hand and started cleaning the cuts. "Read it, Catherine. It will explain things. And if you still have questions after you read it, I'll try to answer them."

As she started to read her mother's letter, Cat's eyes were brimming with tears. The more she read, the worse it got. She stopped halfway through and looked at Adam. "You gave me control? You didn't make it stronger?" Cat was confused.

"Read on, Cat. Then I'll answer your questions."

Cat looked up from the letter. Tears once again streaming down her face. Adam wasn't to blame, her mother was. She pulled her hand free. "No!"

Adam retrieved her hand. "You have to read on."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can."

Cat looked at Adam again. Some of him lived inside her. Bred to kill, she had done just that for Eckhart: killed without leaving a clue that the death had been caused by a human, not an animal. No, that wasn't true. What human was she talking about? She was an animal. She was nothing but an experiment. Cat turned around. She couldn't look at Adam anymore. "Oh, God. I'm an even bigger freak than I thought."

"No, you are not a freak." Adam hated that word with a passion. "Cat, what April did was wrong, but she did love you."

"How can you say that? I was nothing to her but an experiment. One gone terribly wrong." Cat turned back and faced Adam. "I don't even have a father. God, my own mother made me a killer, and Mason knew it. He knew that I was bred to kill, and never leave a trace."

She was repeating that statement that she was a killer. Catherine Scott was one of the most sensitive and gentle ferals Adam had ever met. Yet, she was one of the first. What if...? He had given her control, but had it come too late? "What did Mason make you do?"

Cat stood up and looked at the shattered mirror, as broken as she felt right now. "He made me what I was meant to be: a cold blooded assassin."

Adam placed a hand on her shoulder. The control he had promised April he would give her had come too late. Too late to save her from Mason's evil schemes. Now, the New Order wanted not the Cat, but the beast that lived just under the surface. "Cat, the past cannot be undone. Whatever it is you did was beyond your control."

"Was it, Adam? Or could I have fought it?"

"Cat, you did what your altered DNA predisposed you to do. I'm just sorry that you didn't gain control before you had to go through this pain."

Cat turned around. "And you? What are you to me now?"

"I am what I've always been. Though you do share a small amount of my DNA, I am still your friend." He pulled her to his arms and hugged the feline feral who was a bit his daughter. Now, with a knowledge of her true origins, it was finally time to put the past behind her and move on.

Let There Be Light

"How's it going?"

In the room above the operating theater, Brennan touched Emma's shoulder, making her jump. She was lost in the procedures below. Sheridan had made Angela sleep, glowing that soft blue, and secured her head to the chair. Then, Makenna had opened her eyes and clamped the lids, exposing the eyeballs. That was... uh... Well, now she couldn't see much, for Adam and Makenna were bent over Angela's head, wearing magnifying glasses for microsurgery. Steve Austin, an engineer in his own right, expert on bionics, besides his missions as an astronaut, was getting the prosthetics ready for insertion. Melissa Bloomenfeld passed the instruments. Sheridan called the vitals from time to time, informing Angela's blood pressure, heartbeat rate... They were different from regular humans, with a kinship to the bird world. "They're doing fine. I guess."

Brennan looked around.

Donna was sitting at the far right, biting her nails, her eyes glued on the operating team below.

On the far left, Mac leaned against the wall, ostensibly staring at the surgery being performed, but from time to time, he stole a glance at Donna. 'My dear Athena won't have any fingernails left,' thought the elemental.

In the back of the room, Jax walked from one side to the other. She had never looked so much like a caged lion. Everybody knew she and Angela were an item, but the feline feral looked ready to explode.

Lux and Jamie Austin half sat, half perched on the railing looking down. Jamie pointed to her husband, now standing behind the patient with a tray in his latex gloved hands. On the tray, two hard plastic vials held each mounted group of lenses.

On a chair by a table, his Cat had her new Segovia Spanish pine handmade guitar on her lap. It had cost a bundle when she bought it on their trip to the mall. Good thing they paid for it with one of Adam's platinum fake ID credit cards. She quietly marked chords with her left hand and, with her right, wrote notes on a music sheet. He went there and peered over her shoulder, reading. "Don't do that," she said.

He chuckled. "What is it?"

"A ballad," she answered. "Jack Sloan, from WEA, called me this morning." She looked up from her work. "On my regular cell phone, of course. He wants a song for Damien Rice's new album."

"The Volcano guy Rev likes?"

"The same." She turned back to the guitar, marked two other chords without plucking the strings and wrote them down. "I didn't feel like writing anything then, but now..."

He squatted by her side and took her hand from the guitar's arm. "You can't imagine how glad I am that you're writing again." He pulled her head to him and kissed her. "What is it called?" Brennan asked after they parted.

"Moving On," answered Cat. "By the way, where's Rev?"

"She is with Jesse and Max. They're running a gazillion of diagnostics on the DNA ID network around the building." He grinned. "I think it gives them something to do. You know Rev isn't exactly keen on waiting."

"And Shal?"

"With Sam and Cory, checking security. Again."

Cat laughed softly. "There's another one who needs to keep busy."

Time passed slowly until Adam's voice sounded on the intercom. "Lux, scrub, please. We will need you in fifteen minutes."

As the Ring's leader stood up, Jamie Austin squeezed her hand. She didn't understand exactly what it was that the young woman was supposed to do in the operating room. She had explained, but it all sounded so fantastic! Lux Windsor was supposed to fuse the bionic parts to the biological parts without so much as a hairline scratch to the optical nerve ending, or the images wouldn't be correctly sent to the brain to be decoded.

Jax had stopped pacing and stood on Lux's path. No words were needed, they had been more than friends for ten years and each one knew what the other could do. They held hands for a second and Jax watched Lux leave the room.

&&&

Wearing doctor's light green scrubs, Lux entered the operating theater. The glare of the overhead direct light glowed on the bird feral's face. The clamps, still in place, held her eyelids firmly, exposing her eyes, once milky white, devoid of irises, now showing blue circles on reddish, traumatized sclerotics. Adam was standing by Angela's right, Makenna to her left. Steve Austin was behind the bird feral, between the doctors. By the chair's feet, the tall doctor John Sheridan was standing very straight, deeply focused on his task, never taking his eyes off Angela. From time to time, he chanted her vital stats, reflected by the machinery lining the back wall. Melissa, the nurse, was gathering the instruments used in the surgery on a tray for disinfection.

Lux went to the head of the chair and Austin released his place to her, stepping to the back of the room. "Unclamp her eyelids, please."

As Adam and Makenna released the clamps, Lux sat on a stool behind the Avian's head. She looked up and saw all the friends gathered above, beyond the glass panel, lean forward in anticipation. Donna Gryphon's fingertips were bleeding, so much she had bit her nails. Jax had her hands sprawled against the glass. Even Brennan and Cat had come closer to the railing. With a smile, Lux realized they were holding their breaths.

Angela's lids were closed. Lux leaned a little forward and covered the winged woman's eyes with her hands. She bend her head in concentration. Suddenly, Lux's head snapped up and her eyes shone white, but under her hands, nothing happened. She pushed harder, but there was no response. Lux heard as both Adam and Makenna drew sharp breaths. "Something is blocking me. I can't get in."

"It might be my power," said Sheridan, his voice strained with the effort of keeping Angela's vital signs in his grasp.

"John, very gently, you will bring her back and release control," Adam instructed the anesthesiologist.

"You realize, Dr. Kane, the level of pain the patient will endure?"

Adam nodded. "That's the price to pay. Otherwise the procedure will not do her any good."

Makenna and Melissa strapped Angela's head more firmly to the chair, and proceeded to strap her shoulders, her chest, her hips, her arms and legs to prevent her from trashing as she regained consciousness. When they were finished, they looked at Adam and nodded. The bird woman was ready.

"Lux..."

The Ring's leader looked up at Mutant X leader and smiled faintly. "I know. As fast as I possibly can."

Lux looked at Sheridan and nodded.

The tall psionic doctor bent his head slightly. A half second later, he lifted his eyes and Angela's body glowed a soft blue that faded as she regained her senses.

It was like drowning, only there was no water. She was being pulled up from a dark abyss very fast. Very fast. Too fast! There was something burning. She felt a searing pain in her eyes. They were about to explode again... burst open... again... She screamed!

Lux pushed the last remnants of Sheridan's power back at him with a flash of her own healing power, making the anesthesiologist fall backwards against a small side table. Her eyes shone a bright white light and, this time, the bird feral's eyes under her hands glowed in tandem. The light was so bright Makenna, Adam, Melissa and Steve Austin had to look away. The glare shone even brighter, making the onlookers up in the observation lounge cover their own eyes and avert their faces.

As the winged woman screamed, the glow increased until it exploded in a silent bang and died down. Little by little, people began to turn their heads back again. Lux's hands still covered Angela's eyes, her head bent and her scrubs drenched in sweat. Very slowly, she lifted her head and, breathing hard, smiled. As exhaustion took over, her own eyes rolled up on her head and she fell back on Steve Austin's arms.

Adam took over Lux's place and covered Angela's eyes, as Makenna turned the field light away. "Lights at fifty percent," he commanded. The lights dimmed considerably. "Angela, I'll take my hand off your eyes. Don't open them, you understand?"

Sobbing softly after the searing pain in her eyes subsided, the bird feral nodded. She felt the straps come loose. A hand on the nape of her neck helped her sit up and gently pushed her head down a little. The hand left her neck and cupped her cheek. Adam's voice was unmistakable. "Now, blink and open your eyes. Slowly."

There was something there. She didn't know if it was the pounding of her heart, the tremor in her hands or the cold sweat trickling down her back. Or all of the above. What if it didn't work out? What if the bionic eyes were no good? What if the darkness was permanent, trapping her forever in the black pit she came to abhor? What if they worked, but malfunctioned, leaving her with blurry images and faint outlines? What if she could only see in black and white, like an old movie? What if the colors looked blotched? To hell with all that! She had to know if the surgery was successful or if it was a failure. She blinked. Slowly. She blinked again, then a few times... And she opened her eyes, head still bent forward. And she rolled her head back, shutting her eyes fast, her hands covering them,

"Too much light! It's dazzling! It hurts!"

"Lights at twenty five percent," Adam's voice was firm, almost solid. As the lights dimmed further, he grabbed Angela's hands and forced them away from her face. "Again, dear. Open your eyes very slowly."

With her head again bent down, Angela drew a long breath and licked her lips, gathering courage. She blinked a few times and opened her eyes in the almost totally darkened operating room. She knew the lights were at twenty five percent only, but, to her new eyes, it was as clear as daylight, as noon in a bright summer day.

Adam was half sitting on the MedChair directly in front of her, still in scrubs and mask. Angela's mouth opened slightly. She lifted her hand and pulled the mask from his face. She didn't know if she was laughing or crying, only that she was giggling and tears were running from her new eyes at the same time. She could see every detail of her uncle's face.

She looked around and saw Makenna taking her mask off, John Sheridan picking himself up from the floor, Melissa putting the instruments away. A man entered the operating room and she knew, she just knew it was Steve Austin, his blue eyes sparkling.

Looking up, she saw Emma, Donna and an older lady, Jamie Austin surely. They were crying, all three of them. Mac was there, smiling from ear to ear. Cat and Brennan were hugging each other.

Angela looked back at Adam and laughed out loud. He laughed back and pulled her to his chest, holding her tight. One nightmare less, one burden lifted from his shoulders. "Lights at fifty percent," he commanded the computer, his voice hoarse with emotion.

Blinking a bit, her eyes adjusted automatically to the luminosity increase. She wasn't dazzled at all, her irises opened and closed accordingly to the amount of light in her environment. Looking down at her hands, she could count her own pores! If she looked closely, she could see microorganisms on her skin! She blinked again and shook her head. That was microscopic vision!

Angela leaped from the chair, thanking God she wasn't wearing one of those silly hospital gowns, took her uncle by the hand with a smile and ran from the operating room. She knew the hospital's design by heart and she didn't have to count steps anymore. She could see where she was going. Hallway after hallway, they ran until they reached the back door to the ambulance bay. Outside, night was falling fast and a huge full moon was rising. It was bitter cold, but she couldn't feel it. Only the joy of the sky mattered. She turned around, kissed her uncle on the cheek. "Thank you," she whispered.

Steve and Jamie Austin left the building, standing behind Adam. They were soon followed by Donna and Jax. One by one, all Mutant Xers, Ringers and friends lined up on the ambulance bay. All of them, no exception, had lumps in their throats.

Angela stepped back, unfurled her wings to their full extent, blew her friends a kiss, bent her knees slightly and took off. A screech of pure joy pierced the night and a large bird was siluetted against the moon. Flapping her enormous wings, she flew up as high as she could and darted off. Where? She neither knew nor cared. There was only freedom in the night and the wind beneath her wings.

Alas Babylon

Author's Note: Quotes from Alas Babylon aren't mine. They come from a wide assortment of inspiring people.

Dear journal,

As cliche as this may sound, today really did begin like a normal day. Well, a normal day for a group of mutant superheroes, but that's besides the point. Everything changed today when Max decided to go home.

"Lux?" whispered Emma as she gently touched Lux's elbow "Do you need help going back to your room?"

For the first time in her life, Lux Windsor felt ill. She shook her head in hopes that the fog would lift from her brain.

"Yeah Em," she replied tucking Emma's hand in her arm "That would be great."

The two psionics tilted their heads together and walked slowly.

"Is she going to be all right?" asked Revolution as she stood arm in arm with Jesse outside the lab.

Adam looked at the young couple and smiled.

"Emma is going to stay with her for a while," he replied "Then Jax will be back from wherever she and Angela flew off to and she'll help Lux recover."

Jesse kissed Revolution's hair and smiled gently.

"You worry too much," he whispered.

She laughed.

"I worry too much?"

Jesse laughed and grabbed her hand.

"Let's go see what Max is up to," he said.

"All right," she exclaimed "But then we will have a rematch at that damn computer game."

"Revolution! watch your language!" scolded Donna as she walked slowly from the lab.

Revolution rolled her eyes.

"Whatever you say Flygirl," she said under her breath.

"I heard that."

"S'pose to."

"I'm going home," announced Max as soon as they walked into the room he had been staying in.

"Why?" asked Revolution as she flopped down on the bed beside him.

"Something is wrong," he replied "I can feel it. Its as if something inside me has been disconnected."

She could see it now, the slight pale cast to the Boy from California's tan face and the glazed look in his expressive eyes.

"You want me to get Lux?" asked Jesse.

"No!"

They both looked at him confused.

"Listen, Lou has been through a lot with helping with the surgery on Dr. Fontenelle's eyes and I don't want her to worry if I'm just being paranoid," Max whispered his eyes darting back in forth between them and the small laptop that sat on the bed beside Revolution.

Revolution nodded.

"Right then" she exclaimed "To the lab. We'll beam you back and then you can tell us what's what."

He smiled and nodded.

Emma was overcome by the emotions that radiated from Lux as she slept. Fear, Grief but most of all anger, rolled off the young leader in waves. An anger so pure Emma nearly choked on it's intensity.

"Lux...sweetie," she whispered gently trying to rouse her.

Max loved this part of his ability. It was less computer geek and more super heroish. Not ever person could pass through a computer.

"Umm...what the hell..." he whispered.

"Max?" asked Revolution "What's wrong?"

"You linked this line to Haven right?" he asked.

"Of course I did," she replied slightly offended.

"Why?" asked Jesse.

"Its not here," whispered Max "Haven is gone."

There's a blood red circle

On the cold dark ground

And the rain is falling down

The church door's thrown open

I can hear the organ's song

But the congregation's gone

My city of ruins-Bruce Springsteen

"I can't," whispered Lux as she struggled to sit up.

"You can't what?" asked Emma gently.

"I can't hear them," replied Lux, her hand pressed to her forehead "Logan, Connor, Rahyll, Rory..."

"We need Everyone at the lab," said Jesse over the intercom "Now!"

He shut it off and looked at Revolution as she paced the length of the lab.

"What the hell coulda happened?" she asked.

"Anything," he replied.

"You don't think...The New Order?"

"No..." whispered Max from where he sat "Rev, it's virtually impossible to find Haven, and with the ferals there..."

Revolution looked at him. He was slouched down in a chair, his hand threaded through his ebony hair. It was as if the fear he felt for his family had ripped all the energy from his body. She nodded.

"Yeah," she replied.

Jesse took her hand and squeezed.

"Max!" yelled Lux as she raced into the room "What's going on?"

She knelt down in front of him.

"What happened?" she asked gently.

"Haven's gone, Lou," he replied.

"What do you mean gone?"

Max looked up at Adam who had just spoken.

"I tried to go home, home wasn't there."

"I have to go..." exclaimed Lux "They need me..."

"You're not going alone," said Adam "Who knows what waits for you."

She nodded and stood up.

"Where's Jax?" she asked.

"With Angela," replied Shalimar.

"Angela... Jax..." said Adam "Come back now."

"We're on our way..." said Angela, her voice thick with worry.

The air in the Helix was thick with tension, each of its occupants's head were swimming with thoughts. Wondering if their California counterparts were ok, wondering what kind of horrible event happened that caused them to abandon their home.

"Where?" asked BRennan as they neared Haven's location.

"The field," replied Jax as she sat with Lux.

Revolution looked over at the two women. Red and Ebony heads tilted together, they whispered in quiet voices.

"What are they going to do?" she whispered.

"Survive," whispered Jesse as he kissed her hair "Just like we have to."

She turned her head and caught his lips.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you."

Ashes to Ashes

We all Fall Down

"I don't deserve you," he whispered as he gasped for breath.

"Don't be silly," she exclaimed as she wiped the tears from her eyes "You are a Good man."

"Would a good man...have tried...kill...himself?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"You are just..." she whispered.

"Please... Don't make me feel better...Don't spend our last minutes together trying to justify me being a coward."

She looked down at his arms and traced the track marks that marred his pale skin.

"I love you and I am not going to let you die," she whispered as her eyes began to glow.

Logan had been addicted to drugs for quite sometime and this had not been the first time she had healed him. She healed him and his track marks disapeared, then they had returned.

Lux wiped the tears from her eyes and straightened her shoulders. They had gotten through the drugs and they'd get through whatever was in Haven.

"Logan!" she yelled as they stepped through the illusion.

"Connor! Oliver!"

"Oh god," whispered Donna.

Haven had been ransacked. Cars were overturned and houses were caved in, their contents spilled out into the sidewalks.

Max took one look at the buildings and ran away from the group.

"Where is he going?" asked Mac.

"Security," replied Revolution "I'm going too."

She followed Max.

Adam looked at Jesse who was watching Revolution.

"Go, watch their backs," he said placing a hand on his shoulder.

Jesse looked at his leader. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to protect his girlfriend but he didn't want to leave them. No one knew what still lay ahead for them.

"You sure you don't need me?" he asked.

"Go Jess," whispered Lux "The Security office is far from here and someone or something may still be there."

He nodded and ran.

"Hello!?" yelled Brennan as he walked through what was once the Hall of Sorrows.

Fury filled the elemental as he saw the destruction dealt to the most sacred area in The Ring's home. A large hall decorated with flowers and candles, it had a place for each portrait of a fallen New Mutant. Some he recognized, some he didn't.

"God Damnit!" he yelled when his frustrations reached a boiling point.

He didn't exactly know what he was looking for. A large neon sign that said 'hey, we were attacked by insert enemy name here?

"That would be nice," he whispered.

"Brennan?" whispered a small voice.

He stopped.

"Brennan?"

That time he knew it wasn't just his imagination.

"Hello?" he called.

"Help us," whispered the voice.

He followed the voice past a side door and into a small garden. He remembered this area, the very center of the Haven complex, it was where the Illusion that cloaked Haven was reinforced. He looked around for a moment, lost in thought, until a sharp tug at his sleeve snapped him back to earth. Standing next to him was Kal-El, Rahyll Greenberg's panther.

"Follow him," whispered the voice.

Kal-El turned and raced away down a path.

"Oh, God," he whispered when the panther came to a stop.

The bodies of two people lay on the ground beside a machine. He hesitated for a moment than ran to them.

"Guys," he exclaimed "I've found something, Come to the Garden of Sorrows. Now!"

Lux had never been so terrified in her whole life. She could take violence against her but not against the people she loved. She raced past the group and towards the garden, Jax right on her heels.

"Dear God," whispered Shalimar "Please help us."

Emma looked at her as tears streamed down her face.

"Logan is dead," she whispered.

Shalimar looked at her, then at Lux's fleeing form.

"God help us all."

The site that the two women came upon was enough to chill anyone. Brennan was leaned over the body of Logan Stonewall, trying desperately to get the other man to breathe, while Kal-El licked the unmoving face of Rahyll Greenberg, his mistress.

"Logan!" yelled Lux as she raced to Brennan's side.

"I tried," whispered Brennan "I tried to get him to breathe... I even shocked his heart..."

Jax placed a hand on the stunned man's shoulder.

"Ya did the best you could," she whispered "Git Rahyll outta here, take her to Adam."

Brennan nodded and stood up, shaking slightly. Jax knelt down beside Lux, whose eyes glowed so brightly that she nearly had to look away.

"Love, he's gone," she whispered, tears threatening to take over her.

"No," said Lux.

Jax could see the exhaustion taking over Lux as she tried in vain to heal her fiancee.

"Stop," she whispered "He's gone."

"No!" yelled Lux.

Jax looked away as the tears flowed freely. It hurt to look at Lux, it hurt to see her proud goddess so desperate and in so much pain.

"Stop Lux," she said putting an arm around Lux's shoulders and pulling her away.

She pulled Lux into a tight embrace, burying her face in Lux's thick hair.

"He can't be dead," whispered Lux "I need him. He needs me. Alley...How am I gonna tell Alley?"

So?" asked Brennan as they stood in the medlab," what happened?"

Emma placed a reassuring hand on the still shaken Brennan and looked expectantly at Adam. He looked at the frightened faces of his team and their friends and sighed heavily.

"From what I've seen," he exclaimed "It was the New Order."

"But how?" sputtered Shalimar "The Illusion? the passwords? The Security force?"

"I don't know," he said, his voice filled with frustration "All I know is what I can see and that is that Rahyll's injuries came from exposure to a concentrated wave of sound..."

"Nick" whispered Angela.

He nodded and continued.

"I think Rahyll was using her telepathy to boost Logan's power when he was hit by the full brunt of the wave. She was lucky enough to be able to pull out before it killed her too."

"Poor Logan," whispered Shalimar.

"Poor Lux," whispered Donna.

"Speaking of Lux, where is she?" asked Brennan nervously.

"She's at the Hall Of Sorrows with Jax," replied Angela.

"What are they doing there?" asked Donna.

"Preparing for war," whispered Emma.

You didn't need to be a telempath to feel the anger in the room and from his position in the back of the room, Mac could feel it in waves.

"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve," he whispered.

"Rev?"

"Yes, Max?"

"I'm ready."

"Ok."

"I don't think this is a good idea," whispered Jesse "According to the diagnostics, the system is highly unstable."

She shook her head.

"It'll be fine," she whispered back "Let him do this, if not, he'll just go crazy with grief."

He nodded. Ever since they had gotten the word on Logan, the young telecyber had gpme into commando mode.

"Let's do this," she said smiling as brightly as she could muster.

Max nodded and walked to the computer port, he smiled sadly as his body began to dissipate.

"Tell me this is going to be all right," whispered Revolution as Jesse wrapped his arms around her.

"I can't."

She turned around slightly and smiled.

"Thanks Deputy Downer," she whispered kissing his nose and returning her attention to Max's travels.

They sat in silence, watching as one by one, Haven's systems came back online.

"What... the..Hell..." whispered Revolution when everything just seemed to stop.

"Max?!" exclaimed Jesse.

"Come on Max," She hissed "This is so not funny."

"I'm sorry but Max can't come to the phone right now," said a familiar voice "Leave your name and number and he'll get back to you."

"Nick," hissed Revolution "What the hell did you do?"

"Oh, you had a bug in your system, Princess," he said "I had Yukio remove it for you. Now be a dear and go fetch your leaders, I have a proposition for you all."

Jax placed a hand over her mouth as the photos came up. Max had been beaten quite severely and seemed to be barely alive.

"The next time I see you..."she hissed.

"Now, now," said Nick "Play nice. Now, Lux, I'm here to make you an offer."

She looked at him.

"What?" she whispered in a voice filled with restrained fury.

"I am willing to let the kid go in exchange for something."

"What?"

Nick's eyes traveled to where Revolution sat.

"Her."

"Hell no," said Jesse.

"Why her?" asked Lux.

"Don't be stupid," he replied "Think about it. Whose got the entire security system for all of the Underground in her pretty head?"

Lux looked at Revolution who nodded.

"No," said Jesse.

"Its the only way," whispered Revolution as she slipped her arms around him.

Her hands were cold, though Revolution as Lux slipped them under her hair and placed them at the back of her neck.

"Jesus!" she shouted as Emma placed her hand on Revolution's forehand.

"What's wrong?" asked Lux.

"Do you two ice your hands?"

Lux smiled.

"Relax Rev," whispered Emma as her eyes faded.

Lux nodded as her eyes did the same.

"Easy for you do say," muttered Revolution.

She felt weird, like everything inside of her head had been ripped out.

"That's because it has," she whispered.

She glanced down at the half-written journal entry that sat in her lap and sighed.

"Babe?" whispered Jesse "It's time."

She nodded.

"Just a second."

So journal, its time. I guess I should make some brave statement about how I'm happy to do this for the good of everyone but frankly I'm not happy. I'm scared out of my #%$ mind, but I guess that's how it goes when you're a SUPERHERO.

She laughed and signed her entry with a flourish and placed it gently on her pillow and then walked to the lab where everyone was waiting.

ITCHING FOR SOME PAYBACK

Donna was sitting at the computer that Max had entered and looked at it then over at Adam, "I would like nothing more than to be able to go into the system like the kid did, you know that?"

"I know. But if you did then they would probably snatch you up as well." Adam said as he walked over and leaned against the desk that held the computer monitor.

"Yukio Mishimoto. Digicyber Psionic. That woman has been a serious pain in my backside since the first time that I met her in the web. You know, I would love to be able to lock her up somewhere were she can't touch a computer for the rest of her life. I wish that there was a prison for new mutants. I would personally like to be the one to lock up everyone of those New Order lowlifes and throw away the keys."

And the Gryphonlady wasn't kidding. Adam didn't have to be psionic to see that by the look in the woman he loved eyes. And he admitted to himself that he would love to watch her turn the key. "I hope you get your chance my dear." he sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You know that I could go in there and try to track her and the rest of those maniacs down telecyberly?" She said to Adam. "Right here, right now."

"No. We, I, can't take the chance that Mishimoto is still in the system waiting for you." Adam said shaking his head.

"Yeah I know, but I would like to get my virtual hands around her neck for what she and those goons have done to The Ring. Kick some major arse for what they have done here. Look around here, Adam. I have seen some horrible crime scenes before, but nothing as bad as this. Honey, these poor people didn't stand a chance. These guys have to be stopped."

Adam could see a fire lighting in her eyes. "I don't want you to risk yourself."

"I'm stronger than I was the last time that we met. I don't care about the risk." Donna said looking Adam in the eyes.

"I know your stronger but I can't let you do it." Adam said emphatically.

Donna sighed and rolled her eyes upward and looked at one of the man she loved, "Is this, "Adam Kane the leader of Mutant X" talking or "Adam Kane the man" talking?"

"Both." Adam said. And he wasn't afraid to admit it to her.

"Come on Adam, I can find them." Donna got up from the chair at the computer and started pacing trying to find something to say to convince him.

"Listen to me, Donna. If The New Chaos got a hold on you, they could very well use you to destroy The Underground. You are the only one who has ever broken through every firewall that surrounds Sanctuary's database. If they got the key to that then we might as well say our goodbyes." He said as he followed her walking back and forth.

Donna stopped, she knew that initially Adam had been uncomfortable with the idea that someone could be able to break his system. "But they don't know that I can access the database."

"They have telepaths. Donna, if Yukio could able to trap your cyberbody in the system, one of their telepaths could use her as a bridge to connect with your mind and gain that knowledge, The Underground is finished, not to mention the effects on you."

"Adam, come on. You know I am stronger than that."

"I know, GryphonLady, I know." Donna started pacing again. "Donna?" She stopped and gave Adam an impatient look. "I know that you want to stop them just as much as I do. But we can't risk it. You can't risk what it might do to you. Your powers are still mutating, we don't know what the effect of that type of invasion to your mind would do to you."

Donna was puzzled, "What do you mean? I am a new mutant, like any other psionic new mutant. If any other psionic was to have an invasion like that it wouldn't endanger them. And besides as much as it scares me, I'm one of the strongest psionics. Ashlocke, Emma, Lux, and Rev are the only others that are just as powerful."

"You are a different kind of new mutant, 'Lady. Your mutation was the result of a special project..." Adam started.

"I know, "The Gryphon Project." " Donna interrupted.

"And that is what makes you so unique. And your mutation with your mind is slightly different than other psionic new mutants. And it is why you have so many different psionic powers."

"I wanna do something." Donna said in defeat.

Looking to see that no one was around, Adam walks over to where Donna is standing and takes her face in his hands, "I know and we will, soon." He gives her a passionate kiss. And with his forehead on hers, "This is one of the reasons why I love you so much. You ache to do what is right and just."

Angela poked her head through the door. "Sorry to interrupt, but you'd better get down to the parking lot. Rev's leaving to meet Lareou.

TRADE OFF

Adam was furious. That man, Lareou, was getting on his nerves. Not Eckhart, not even Ashlocke had made him run from one place to the other, putting out fires. Lately, Adam had done nothing but react to the New Order's antics. He placed his hands on Riley Jackson's shoulders. The girl looked gaunt, spent. "There is no way I'll let you turn yourself in to that bastard, Riley."

"And what exactly is the alternative? Letting Max die?" Her eyes and nose were red and swollen.

"No, finding and rescuing him before that."

Revolution shook her head. The image of Max's beaten body was clear in her mind. "He won't last that long. He'll be dead before you get there."

Adam looked at Lux Windsor. "And I assume there is no way to pinpoint his location. Does he have a GPS implant?"

Lux shook her head.

"A comm system? Anything?"

Revolution's nerves were getting raw. The fastest she turned herself in, the fastest Max would be released. "He is a comm system!"

"Without a backup, or a firewall to protect it! Very smart, Revolution!"

"In case you didn't notice, he's unconscious."

"And no one has the foggiest idea where Lareou's hideout might be." Adam turned around, speaking to all Ringers present. "No one imagined something like this could happen. Very good."

Revolution pulled his arm. "That's why this is the only choice. He wants me and I'm gonna give him what he wants."

Adam shook himself off Rev's desperate grasp. "Don't flatter yourself, Riley. He doesn't want you. He wants my security system. You have it in your head. And you're not giving it to him on a silver platter."

Revolution's eyes shone brighter than if she were a feral. "Do you really think me that weak? I'll take whatever comes. I'm not sacrificing Max because..."

"Because, what?"

"Because he's just a kid!" Revolution seldom cried, but the idea of a child held prisoner and tortured made her lose control of her emotions.

"And you've lost too many kids to our foes, be them the GSA or the New Order. Believe me, Riley, I understand."

"No, you don't."

"If you fall into Lareou's hands and he manages to get what he really wants from you, you might doom us all."

"I'll kill myself first and he knows it," said Revolution, meaning every word.

"There are ways, Riley. He has psionics in his troops. I don't want to see you dead. Or worse."

"You don't have a choice. I'm not letting you choose between me or Max, Adam."

"Riley, I can't keep you here against your will." He turned to face the Ring leader. "And Lux will support your decision. But I have to make sure you won't direct Lareou to Sanctuary. Or the whole Underground network."

"It's already been taking care of," said Revolution, touching her temple.

"Is Lux doing something to your mind? I was about to make Emma wipe your memory of our security system."

"The only thing that's left is some random access codes for safe houses long abandoned." She smiled at her psionic friends. "Emma and Lux put a whammy on me."

Adam knew it could be a golden opportunity to reach the New Order. "Very well, give me your arm." He pulled a small syringe from his pocket.

Revolution exposed her inner arm. Holding her wrist, Adam inserted the needle and a small chip nestled below the girl's skin. "This is a satellite location device, much like the one on all our cars and on your com link ring." Pulling out the needle, he looked directly into her eyes. "Only, it will be placed under your skin. Instead of you directing Lareou to Sanctuary, you'll direct us to his hideout, wherever it is."

Revolution nodded and smiled faintly.

"Good luck, Riley." He pulled her to him and kissed the top of her head. "You'll need it."

"Thank you."

The ring made everyone jump. With Brennan's arm holding her in a tight hug, Cat pulled the cell phone from her strap bag. "Yes? Just a second." She handed the phone to Jax. "He wants it on speakers."

The lioness placed the phone on a stand and turned the intercom speakers on. Lareou's voice could be heard, loud and clear. "Ten miles south of Coronado, there is a deserted beach under a cliff. Kane can land the Flying Sow there. No matter how many people you bring with you, one false move and the kid dies." He laughed. "See you in one hour. Enjoy the ride."

The sun hurt her eyes after the dimmed lights inside the aircraft. Strange that the day looked so bright and she felt so gloomy. With Jesse's arm tightly wrapped around her shoulders, Revolution jumped out of the Helix with Lux and Jax, her friends from the Ring. After them, Adam and Donna stepped out of the plane, followed by Brennan and Cat. Emma came last. The others had stayed behind to provide some measure of security while Angela cared for Rahyll.

Just to think about what Lareou had done to Haven, destroying it, killing Logan and injuring Rahyll made her blood boil, but to see him there, on the other side of the beach, flanked by his two bitches, the blonde and the Oriental, made her heart shrink in her chest, her hands grow cold. Other people came behind him. Aidaan, his second in command, supported Max's limp form. Gosh, he looked green and bruised.

The two groups eyed each other, keeping a healthy distance from one another. Whoever saw the standstill would think of a western style showdown. Lareou motioned to Aidaan to step ahead, Max on a fireman's carry over his shoulder.

Adam and Lux shared a glance and Mutant X leader, clenching Donna Gryphon's hand until it hurt, turned to Riley Jackson and Jesse Kilmartin.

"Are you sure? There is still time."

The slender girl looked up, more fragile than ever, and, at the same time, stronger than she'd ever been. Still wrapped in Jesse's arms, she nodded and the couple also stepped ahead, the molecular's face to face, eyeing one another with contempt.

Donna couldn't look away from the Oriental woman by Lareou's side. For a long time, Yukio Mishimoto had been a torn on her side. The whole New Order rubbed the multi-psionic the wrong way, but the sight of the digicyber was specially painful. Twice already they had run into each other in cyberspace. Only the last time that system bug had violated the Ring's computer network, Donna wasn't there to keep the bitch from abducting the boy Max, such a sweet little kid. Traveling through the Information Highway, he was unsurpassed. But he wasn't a match on a fight with a vicious foe like Yukio. Just looking at those slanted eyes, that little triumphant smirk made Donna's sense of guilt get the better of her.

"Well, well, well, you don't look like much without a computer, Yukio."

"I have many talents, Ms. Gryphon, come closer and I'll show you one of them."

"Oh, really? Besides being a walking and talking computer virus?" Donna let go of Adam's hand and stepped aside, hoping the Oriental would do the same. Maybe, just maybe, if she could create a distraction, they could seize the chance to grab Max and leave with Rev.

"Oh, you do flatter me so." The Japanese mutant also stepped aside, facing Donna squarely in the eyes.

"And you really underestimate me, Ms. Mishimoto."

Yukio smirked. "I think nothing of you, you are insignificant. A weak telecyber, the boy is better than you."

A wicked grin spread on Donna Gryphons lips, her eyes glinting as black diamonds. "Well, now, if memory serves me, didn't I beat you a few times?"

The smirk left Yukio's mouth as quickly as it had appeared. "Luck was on your side"

"Luck had nothing to do with it."

"Luck has everything to do with it, for it certainly wasn't skill." The Oriental's slanted eyes were mere slits on her face.

"I wasn't playing around and showing off my skill when I defeated you."

Yukio advanced one step towards Donna. "Luck or no luck, skill or no skill, the next time I face you, only one of us will walk away and I promise, my dear, that it won't be you."

The multi-psionic stood her ground, not giving one single inch away. "Do you really think that I am just your average New Mutant? Ashlocke couldn't hold a candle to me, dear."

Yukio's hands were fists, her knuckles white. "And Ashlocke is dead, he was of the old generation. I am of the new."

"And I am in a class all to myself."

"I know what you are and how you got that way. I know everything." Slowly, the Oriental fell into a battle stance. "First rule of being a warrior, get to know your enemy."

Everything had stopped to witness the duel between the cyber mutants. Aidaan and Jax glared at each other. The shape-shifter threw the boy Max on the ground like a rag doll. An object the size of a silver dollar and just as shiny could be seen attached to the nape of Max's neck. At first glance, it reminded Adam of the compact sub-gov attached to his niece's neck back at the time of the Foundation Incident. Only bigger. Lareou held the remote and pointed it to Max. Adam placed his hand on Donna's shoulder and held it firmly. "Not here, not now," he whispered, then turned to his enemies. "We know all of you. Now let's be done with this."

Riley Jackson gently pushed Jesse away. She looked back at each one of her friends and team mates. Jax couldn't take her eyes off Aidaan. She seemed ready to lunge at him and rip his throat off. Lux was looking directly into Lareou's eyes. Brennan and Cat flanked them, ready to fight. Emma, Adam and Donna were looking at her. With a hand move, Revolution lifted Max's limp body off the ground and, as it floated towards Jax, she traded places with him, positioning herself in front of Aidaan, her back to him. The shape-shifter clamped a hand on her left shoulder, forcing her to kneel. He produced a sub-gov gun, the bigger one anyone had seen, touched the muzzle to the nape of her neck and the world suddenly exploded in front of her eyes, submerging the beach, the sun, the sky, all the people around in a wave of pain, shooting from her brain through her spine, running through her limbs, knotting up her stomach until the metallic taste of blood flooded her mouth. Riley had been implanted with a sub-gov before, more than once, and it was never pleasant, but it was nothing compared to this time, to that thing. If it was a sub-gov, some twisted, sadistic mad scientist had improved on the design, blowing up the pain to levels never experienced before. Her eyes rolled up in her head and she fell face down on the sand.

Maxwell Smart

"Don't touch him!"

Lux was startled by Adam's order. How dare him! Max needed her help desperately. The damage caused by the New Order was obvious in the bruises that covered the boy's face, the dislocated shoulder, the leg bending well above the knee and the blood that trickled from his nose and mouth. She had to help him, heal him, make him whole again. That was her instinct, her very nature. Lux couldn't see Max lying on the stretched chair in the back of the Helix, moaning softly, his eyes vacant and unseeing as he drifted in and out of consciousness. As the leader of Mutant X, her ally, stepped towards her, a motion of her hand put her best friend and body guard Jax McManus, lioness feral, between them. Lux knew the feline wouldn't hesitate to tear that man to shreds if she so much as nodded.

Adam outstretched his hands in a placating gesture. It wouldn't do to have a fight inside the VTOL. Already the tension inside was so thick he could almost cut it with a knife. As Jax McManus took two steps towards Adam, Brennan formed a tesla coil between the fingers of his right hand, while Cat and Donna flanked Mutant X leader, ready to react. Only Jesse's eyes never wavered from the aircraft's controls and the computer screen where he monitored Revolution's whereabouts, now that she was in the hands of Lareou and his minions.

In a darkened corner, a light shone in the middle of Emma DeLauro's forehead. She was ready to interfere, only she didn't know yet which side she would take. She reserved judgement.

"Jax, for the love of God, if you value your leader's life, don't let her touch the boy," Adam pleaded. He had to do some fast talking. "Why would Lareou have Max beaten to a pulp? This is barbaric."

"Because he is an son of a bitch" growled the lioness.

"No, Jax. Lareou does nothing just for kicks or just because he is a bastard." Adam took a careful step towards the feral, his hands still placatingly outstretched. "Granted, he is a bastard, but he is not stupid." He felt Jax's hand flat on his chest, blocking his approach and signaled his team to cease any hostilities immediately.

Reluctantly, Brennan Mulwray retrieved the electrical discharge he had at the ready, and the beacon of light died down on Emma's forehead. Cat and Donna had not moved, but watched intently, ready for action at the slightest provocation.

Adam felt the tension that chilled the cabin of his jet. "Please, hear me out. You too, Lux. Everything Lareou does has a second and a third intention. He has his own agenda and nothing else matters. Whatever else he is, he is highly organized, methodical. And he knows you."

"Know your enemy's weaknesses," ecchoed Emma.

"Exactly!" Adam placed his own hand over Jax's and, delicately, took hold of it, looking the feral in the eyes. He took another careful step towards Lux, who still looked ready to throw herself at the boy and shower her power on him like a waterfall of healing white light. "Lareou knows your first instinct is to make Max whole again. He knows you won't think twice before pouring yourself over him. I'm willing to bet he is counting on that." Adam looked directly at Jax. If anyone could stop Lux from doing anything, it would be the feral. "Nickolas Lareou knows full well only Lux Windsor can kill Lux Windsor."

From the boy's chest came a gurgling sound as he fought for air. The blood trickling down from his mouth thickened and he blinked his eyes. For a moment, he focused them on Lux and a single tear rolled down his cheek. He was so young, he looked so scared, he was in so much pain... Lux had to do something, anything, no matter if it killed her. It would be worth it.

Surprisingly, the hand that stopped her was Jax's. And Emma's voice sounded sweet and tranquilizing. "Lux, Max would rather die than see you come to harm."

"At least, let me run a diagnostic." Adam was pleading with Jax, not Lux. "Here, I don't have the resources I have over at Sanctuary, but I can at least check the basics."

Jax looked at Lux. Her boss was leaning over Max's body, fighting with the urge to cover the boy with her power. Adam Kane wasn't the lioness's favorite person in the world, to put it mildly. She didn't trust him, and she didn't like people she couldn't trust. But he could be bloody smart when it came to deviousness. If anyone could understand Lareou's convoluted, evil, venomous mind, it was the DNA Crusader in his indefectible black uniform. Delicately, even tenderly, Jax held Lux by the waist and pulled her away from the chair. If Lux wished, she could rip Jax apart with a wave of her hand. Only their love for each other, beyond lust, beyond desire, the kind of love only bosom friends knew, made her boss trust her enough to go against her very nature and allow Jax to pull her away.

Adam didn't waste any time. His hands danced on the keyboard and a beam of light bathed the inert figure in the chair. The technology in the VTOL was state-of-the-art, but not as complete as Sanctuary's for simple lack of physical room. Instead of a holographic image, the plasma screen lit up and a two dimension sketch of a human body appeared with the injuries clearly indicated. The kid's right thigh bone was broken in two places, he had cracked ribs, one of them threatening to pierce his left lung, ruptured spleen, a dislocated shoulder, but the worse damage was to his face. His jaw was broken, as were his nose and cheekbone on the left side, indicating he was beaten by one or probably more than one right handed person. Adam was appalled and the extension of the injuries only deepened his suspicions that something was definitely not right. There could be, there must be a booby trap for Lux and he would find it, no matter what. He quickly picked a vein on the kid's inner arm and collected a sample of blood, distributing it through several saucer-like acrilic vials. He couldn't scan for the more arcane chemical substances, but the most common would show on the screen. One by one, the red laser light decomposed the samples, searching for foreign elements. Nothing. Adam knew he had to work fast, Lux wouldn't be able to stand innaction much longer. Biting his upper lip, the wheels in his brain spinning as fast as they could, he asked himself what would he do if he wanted to harm a healer of Lux's almost infinite power. Where would he conceal a trap? The answer exploded like a bomb in his head, his eyes shone. It was so obvious! His head snapped up and he turned from the screen, facing his protegées and allies. "Lux, Donna, very carefully, lift Max from the chair and turn him over. Keep him a few inches above the chair, under the beam, but don't let him lie on his belly, he's injuries are too severe."

The two multipsionics stood facing each other on the head and feet of the chair. They lifted their hands in tandem and Max's body floated up and hovered a few feet above the chair. Donna and Lux rolled their hands, one to the right, the other to the left, turning the kid on his belly. The telekinetics brought their hands down in perfect synchrony. The kid's body stopped five inches above the chair.

After telling Donna to release control of Max's telekinetic support to Lux, Adam bent down to examine the sub-gov. It was bigger and brighter than the regular model used by the GSA. That one was a black plastic ring with an orifice that allowed it to be turned off with a pin. This one was round and compact, similar to the model he had extracted from his niece's neck after she was released from her captivity in the new Breedlove Foundation, during the rescue of the smuggled babies, only larger. And nastier. Where the compact model looked like a quarter, this new model looked like a silver dollar. Of all the things he had invented in his youth that were later corrupted and used in any way he would oppose, the sub-gov had been the worse. When Adam Kane first came up with the concept, it was supposed to be a power inhibitor, designed to prevent the use of altered DNA superhuman capabilities, reducing the subject's capacity to human levels. Therefore, if an electric elemental like Brennan was implanted with a sub-gov, he wouldn't be able to conjure more than harmless sparks that might amuse a child for a little while. If the subject was a feral like Shalimar or Cat, she would be a little faster and a little stronger than a regular person, but nothing that could threaten a world record. Far from that. For a molecular like Jesse, the effect would be, maybe a hardening of the skin to prevent paper cuts. A psionic telempath would feel really sad if someone wept near by. A telekinetic, perhaps could make a glass shake or close the fridge door without touching it. What the hell, a dangerous organic like Tremayne wouldn't be capable of giving anybody anything worse than a runny nose! But his friend Mason Eckhart had seen the possibilities in the design. Why, that would make a perfect instrument of intimidation, the best means to enforce obedience and loyalty. Or else. And pain was added to the device, where there never should have been any.

Adam's hands danced again on the keyboard as he adjusted the beam for an inorganic sweep. There was nothing much to be learned, for the device was lined in lead under the shiny chromium coat. Only one sound rattled like a snake, only one arrow shot up to red levels of danger. Adam's jaw dropped.

The Geiger counter.

"Angela, I need a stasis pod."

The bird woman's face was looking back at Adam from the plasma screen monitor. She was disheveled, her white lab coat stained red, and she was peeling latex gloves from her gnarled hands, but her most striking features were her bright blue eyes. She brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. "There isn't one single piece of equipment here left unbroken! Not so much as a syringe." Someone handed her a fresh lab coat and she slashed the back open with her talons to pass her wings through. Haven was a community of mutants. There, she had no need to pretend. She talked while a young man helped her into the lab coat. "The only pod in working condition here is occupied. There's this girl in it, Mylie. She was in a car crash, badly hurt. She won't survive out of stasis."

Adam bit his upper lip. Max wouldn't survive long out of stasis either, but the older man wasn't about to sacrifice one to save the other. He looked at Lux, then Jax, and one by one of his protegees, friends and allies. He turned back to the image in the monitor. "Then, we improvise. I have an idea that might work." He looked at Donna Gryphon, his lover and one of the most powerful multipsionics in the world. Together with Emma, she could… "We will be arriving at Haven, or what's left of it, shortly. Have the girl Mylie's stasis pod brought to the town square where we will land the Helix. We will be taking her back with us to the clinic. And to Makenna. Bring the other girl, Rahyll, too."

"No, I can take care of my people. I'll heal them." Lux was controlling Max's telekinetic support.

"And burn yahrself out in the process, lass? Out of sheer guilt for being unable to save Max?" Jax was behind her boss. "Think again, I won't let you."

"Angela, have the girl Mylie's pod ready and wait further instructions. ETA in five minutes. You and Shalimar will stay at Haven with Cory and Sam, and help with anything you can. They have no doctor there, since Makenna is in our clinic. Over and out."

Adam left the computer keyboard and came to stand next to Lux. He knew inactivity would drive The Ring's leader insane. She had to do something, help somebody, or she would go mad. "Listen, let me take Mylie with me. You can take care of Rahyll. Then, rally your people, bring them together and come to Sanctuary. Your hideout was breached, your people need protection. They need protection you can no longer provide. I'll have all the resources at my command at your disposal. The Underground will shelter your people while this mess lasts. And I tell you one thing, Lux. It won't last long."

"Can you do it?"

Donna looked at Emma, who licked her lips. That was a tall order, but neither one of them was about to let Adam and Lux down. Donna drew a deep breath before answering. "In order to keep both the telekinetic support so Max's weight won't further the damage to his bones and organs and forming and maintaining a force field around him at the same time, I think I'll have to enter a trance state. I'll have to shut out everything else and focus only in the task at hand." She looked at him and knew he trusted her powers. She felt Adam's hand close over hers and hold it tenderly. "How long?"

Emma nodded. The question was sound. She would have to keep Max in an induced coma similar to the one they've kept Angela while in the bowels of the Foundation. Only, she would have to keep his vitals steady and firm, working much like John Sheridan, the psionic anesthesiologist. With Angela, it had been enough to put her under and shove the controls to the back of her head. With Max, she would have to keep his life in her hands. Emma wasn't sure she was capable of that level of control. She also took a long breath. "Yes, Adam. How long?"

Adam looked at Jesse and Brennan, piloting the Helix and trying their best to pinpoint the location of Revolution's GPS in the virtual map. So far, no luck. Both the molecular and the elemental returned their mentor's gaze. The older man made a quick calculation in his mind. "Even with the Helix's Mach-2 capacity, it is a cross country trip. Two hours, at least."

Donna and Emma looked at each other. Two hours was a long time to keep that kind of concentration. But that sweet boy Max could die otherwise. They had to try. At least try. Hell, they had to make it. Looking back at Adam, they nodded.

Adam nodded back, leaned towards Emma and gave her a peck on the cheek. Turning to Donna and abandoning any pretense, damning to blazes any attempt at hiding their situation, he drew her face to his and kissed her full on the lips. At that, there wasn't a pair of eyes smaller than saucers in the aircraft's cabin. Adam stepped back and let the psionics weave their magic.

Supporting Max's body floating in midair, Donna Gryphon slightly turned so she could look at Emma DeLauro. The young redhead had her eyes turned to Donna with a look of profound concentration, of deep focus. She breathed a few times and turned her head sharply towards Max. The boy's body shuddered slightly and relaxed in Donna's mind cushions, his labored breath growing steadily shallower until only the tiniest hint of his diaphragm movement remained. Donna, then, turned from Emma to face the kid directly and waved her hands in a circular motion that helped her draw the mental field cocoon around his body. The air around the boy seemed to shimmer faintly in a glow that reminded of an extremely thin layer of mother-of-pearl. Keeping her hands palm out in front of her, Donna closed her eyes and bent her head slowly. Her own breathing motion became deeper and longer, while her conscious mind drifted back into the recesses of her own self.

Adam softly called Cat and they brought stools, steadying them against the aircraft's wall. They helped the psionics sit without breaking their unwavering concentration.

The Play Thing

The room was bare, hot and stuffy. After the cold of the East Coast and the blazing sun of the West Coast, Revolution was disoriented. She had no idea where she was. Impossible to judge by the dim light pouring down from the small window high up, there wasn't much to be seen through the dirty glass panes. She could be in the middle of the Mojave desert without air conditioning. Or she could be in the coldest part of Utah only someone had cranked up the heat real high. That's where she had woke up, a dull pain in the back of her neck where the sub-gov had been implanted. That was a nasty thing. Maybe that's what was causing her head to feel so heavy. So heavy she could barely keep it up, leaning against the wall. Maybe that's what made her feel so tired, almost too exhausted to breath. Maybe that's what made her so thirsty. Boy, was she thirsty. Riley Jackson, the Revolution, smirked, remembering her conversation with Angela, Miss Chicken, days before. When the bird woman had been held captive in an almost botched mission, her captors had tried thirst to break her spirit. Now, she needed water all the time. Riley would have shaken her head, if it wasn't so painful. That chicken was treated like a bird-of-paradise before joining Mutant X and the Underground. Was she in for a surprise! Would Lareou and the New Order try something so elementary to make her reveal the many secrets that had been wiped out of her mind? Fat chance. Nick was much more sophisticated than that. No matter, there was nothing there to be revealed anymore.

She heard the metal door open with a clank. Nickolas Lareou entered, flanked by the spiky haired Aidaan Malone and the squat figure of Windell Mann, the Windman. How had Donna called him? Ah! Windbagman... The laughter came unbidden to Riley. What had Angela said about laughter? It's also a nervous reaction. Better that than crying. Crying was the pits!

"She is really a trinket, isn't she, Nick?" Aidaan squatted by her side and lifted her chin with his long fingers. Riley tried to push his hand away, but it was too much of an effort, her hand barely brushed against his. She noticed the shape-shifter's knuckles were red and bruised.

"In a tomboyish kind of way."

Two women slithered behind the men into the room, coiling and oozing, like two snakes. Riley recognized them immediately as Bree Williams, the blonde terraformer, and Yukio Mishimoto, the Oriental digicyber, who had her knuckles also red and bruised. Revolution filed the information out in her mind. Aidaan and that Japanese bitch had been busy, hurting someone. Riley knew just who.

"You know, Nick, I want some of whatever it is Kilmartin is getting out of her." Aidaan cold hand pulled Revolution's T-shirt's collar, ripping it until her bra showed. "Would you like to give it to me, Trinket?" His hand sneaked into the left cup, and he held her breast, pinching the nipple hard.

Revulsion shot up from her stomach and Riley spat on him. "Your mother was a trinket. She turned tricks."

Aidaan Malone's face twisted with hatred as he cleaned the spittle from his eye. He sprung to his feet and backhanded her. "When we are finished with you, you'll beg to suck me dry."

"Kiss my ass," she shot. Wrong words!

The Windbagman licked his lips. "I'd like that."

"Later, boys." Lareou was having fun. "Later, you can pass her around like the little toy she is. When she's no longer useful. But for now... Riley Jackson, the Revolution. It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."

"I wish I could say the same."

Nikolas Lareou smiled. If a scorpion could smile, that's what it would look like. "You know Aidaan already. And this is Windell. You know my girls, don't you? Yukio and Bree."

"Yeah, I know your girls. Where I come from we call them whores."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... What a foul mouth... You must learn some manners. When you're a guest in my house, you behave accordingly." Lareou pulled what looked like a sub-gov remote control from his back pocket, only bigger, pointed it in her direction and pressed on a button.

The world exploded all around Riley. She felt as if all her cells had lost their glue, as if every organ inside her had been blown to bits. She curled up in a ball and rolled on the floor. Even screaming was impossible. Her eyes filled with water that ran down her face. Anything but that! No crying! No crying! No crying! She managed to cover her face so that son of a bitch wouldn't see it. "Ok, that sucked," was all she managed to say when the pain finally subsided. "So, is this how it's gonna be? I'm gonna say something rude and you're gonna push that button?" She was still curled up on the floor, catching up her breath.

Nik slowly walked around her. "I'd think twice about that myself, Riley."

"What? The rude thing or the button thing?"

"Both. Do you know the history of the subdermal-governor? The first model, the one your precious Adam Kane invented, didn't involve any pain. It was only a power inhibitor."

With enormous effort, Revolution pushed her body up, sitting cross-legged in the middle of what she came to think of as her cell. "Lemme guess, you gave it a bit of an upgrade?"

"Eckhart did. He improved the design to use it as a means of... persuasion. The model he used could still be turned off with a pin, a needle or a simple toothpick."

"Ah, Eckhart, my old friend." Revolution chuckled. Laughter could really be a nervous reaction. "I can't believe I actually miss him."

"This one, my dear... This one cannot be turned off or easily removed. It is a brand new, improved design by my cybergeisha."

At that, the slender Oriental woman oozed herself to Lareou's side, clinging to his arm and licking his ear. "I am your geisha, Nik-sama."

Lareou held Yukio by the waist and smiled at her, speaking without looking at Revolution. "My lotus flower's new compact governor saps at the subjects energy. That's why you're feeling so tired right now, Riley. I don't like surprises and I don't want to be bothered by escape attempts." He turned his face to his young captive. "And it hurts more. You see, I'm not a patient man."

"Color me surprised."

"My lotus flower is very clever, don't you think?"

"Such a sweet girl," mocked Riley, her voice dripping with contempt.

Nikolas Lareou released his grip on the Oriental woman. "To business. Do you know why I brought you here, Riley Jackson? Why you and nobody else?"

"My stunning personality? My witty sense of humor?" Sarcasm was Riley's last stronghold.

"Your amazing memory and knowledge of Kane's secrets, more likely."

"Ah, flattery will get you nowhere."

"A simple statement of fact. I've already managed to destroy Haven. Now, it's the Underground's and Kane's hideout turn." Lareou looked around at his accomplices. "And you are my key, little Riley."

"First of all, it's Revolution."

"Silly nickname. Who gave it to you?" Windell Mann butted in.

"An old friend."

Aidaan Malone barked a laugh. "Oh, yes, Sam Simpson... The rogue mutants protector and employer."

Nikolas nodded. "Old Eckhart didn't like him very much, did he?"

Revolution looked up at him from her place on the floor. "You could say that, I suppose."

"Don't just suppose. You can be sure of that." Lareou now pulled the blonde surfer Bree Williams to him, holding her closer and caressing her face. "Refresh my memory, please. How did he die? He is dead, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he's dead." Riley averted her eyes. "His office was attacked when I wasn't there." She swallowed hard. "He was gutted."

"How painful..." purred the terraformer, her hand inside Nik's shirt, rubbing his chest.

"Yeah, I'm sure it wasn't fun," answered Revolution, watching the display. They were whores all right. And the men weren't any better.

"Sounds like the work of Eckhart's top assassin, don't you think, Nik?" Aidaan pulled Riley up to her feet and slammed her against the wall. "The one you never caught."

"Ever found out her identity?" asked Lareou.

"No."

"You did know it was woman, don't you?

"No."

"First generation of ferals, back when they wanted to make wereanimals," taught a professorial Nikolas Lareou. "Yukio, I can't remember the name... Always escapes me..."

The Japanese mutant spoke slowly in her silky, sexy voice, "Catherine Scott.'

"Oh, yes..." Lareou snapped his fingers. "Catherine Scott... I guess you know her. The Cat."

"You Lying Bastard!" shouted Revolution, baring her teeth.

Windell Mann rolled his hands above his head. A black cloud actually formed over Revolution. The Windman brought his hands down fast and rain showered over the telekinetic, freezing cold, hard, hail pelting her back. "You should be more respectful of your betters, bitch."

After the stifling heat of the room, Riley felt as if she had been dumped into a frozen lake. No matter, she could drink, and that was a relief.

"Thanks, Win, but that's enough." Nikolas Lareou clucked his tongue. "Lying bastard? Ask her, if you live long enough to see her again." He stepped closer to the puddle where Riley was crouching. "You will see her again, I promise. When you take me to Sanctuary after showing me every safe house and shelter in Kane's network."

"And why would I do that?" asked Revolution behind shattering teeth.

"First of all, to stop me from hitting your subgov again. You see, this new model controls intensity." He showed her the remote control with the little screen displaying the number 1. "I can give you a quick jolt, just a reminder of who's in charge." He pressed the command and Riley doubled over as a very familiar pain clenched a fist in her stomach. "Missed it? Just like the old one, isn't it? Or I can give you a stroke that will leave you paralyzed forever, my dear." Aidaan pulled her hair up so she could see the remote again. Lareou pressed another command and the number on the little screen changed to 2, 3, 4 and, then, 5. "It's just a matter of setting it up right," said the sonic elemental.

Revolution was defiant. "I'm young, I'll adjust. Or Lux will find me and heal me." She was panting. "I bet ya hate that. Lux must be always ruining your best plans."

Nikolas Lareou laughed hard. "Lux! The lovely Lux Windsor. I must admit, she is annoying. But I have made sure she will be quite busy fixing up the unfixable Maxwell. You had a ball, right, Yukio? And you did a superb job with his sub-gov."

The Japanese woman rubbed her red knuckles. "Aidaan helped, but just for fun."

Revolution would not let herself get desperate. "Lux will fix him, or Adam will or Mac will or Mr. Austin will."

"Or the gods and the stars will. Hope dies last, isn't it, Riley Jackson?" scoffed Bree Williams.

"Its called Faith there, rock whore." Revolution turned to Lareou. "I've seen them fix the unfixable."

"Well, you'd better start losing yours. Get ready to travel, Riley. You'll be my tour guide to the Underground."

"You really think that anything is left there?" Painfully, Revolution stood up to her full height. "News flash, buddy. It'll be just like Haven. The buildings will be there but the people will be gone."

Lareou grabbed Riley's torn T-shirt and pulled her to him, turning her so she could see the people assembled in the room. "I very much doubt it. I know there is a lot left there. The erasure of your memory banks won't help you, dear. You still have the information I need in your unconscious mind. I have means to extract it."

"Sounds kinky."

"Sounds painful and true." He kissed her cheek and it felt like a cobra had licked her face with its forked tongue. "You'll show me the Underground network and Sanctuary. And you won't even know you're taking me exactly where I want to go." Lareou hand was a vise holding her chin. He pulled her face to him hard. "News flash, Riley. I have psionics working for me with powers you never knew existed."

Bree Williams opened the room's metal door, admitting two teen-agers. They looked about fourteen and they were absolutely identical. Twins, obviously. Deadringers down to the last piercing, the last tattoo, both dressed in oversized cargo pants and torn black T-shirts. Some memory stirred into Riley's brain... She had seen them before, a long time ago, back at Genomex's sadistic playground. They were about four.

Lareou let go of the young telekinetic and motioned to his people. They left the room one by one, he last of all. The kids stayed next to the door, looking at her. "I know you. You're Peter and Paul Fitzwalker. When you were brought to Genomex, you were two tiny things... I played with you! I made you float around the dorm! You loved it!"

The twins only looked at her, their faces void of expression. They lifted their hands at the same time, one perfectly matching the other.

Riley's body tensed and arched backwards as it was pulled up to hover in the middle of the room as if hanging from invisible strings. "PLEASE! I played with you! I protected you as best as I could!" She rotated in mid-air, her head now pointing to the twins, her legs pressed together and her arms spread as if crucified. "PLEASE, don't!"

The twins's voices could be heard inside Riley's head, telepathically. 'It's nothing personal. It's nothing personal. It's nothing personal.' They repeated it over and over and over. And they started drilling.

THE WAITING GAME (Written Together with Angaline)

Emma De Lauro's powder blue blouse was plastered to her chest and her back, sweat staining it a darker hue. Her red hair was plastered to her face as drops of moisture trickled down her cheeks and neck. She was queen of meditation and her ability to concentrate and retreat into her inner self enabled her to keep Max's vital signs steady. Only it wasn't her calling, it was Sheridan's turf. She was a psionic telempath, not an organic or controller, she dealt with emotions, not unconscious body functions, and it was wearing her out. She didn't know how long she would be able to keep the boy in suspended animation.

Resurfacing from her meditation state for a moment, Emma stole a glance at her fellow psionic, Donna, now supporting Max's body floating over the medchair in the back of the craft. Even with her eyes closed, her hands spread palm out in front of her and her breath deep and long, Donna looked weary, really exhausted. She had dark circles under her eyes and her tank top was drenched in sweat. She wouldn't be able to keep that much longer either. Emma turned her gaze to Cat, locked eyes with the feral and plunged again into the deep meditation state she had left moments before.

Cat stood up from her place next to Brennan and motioned him to come help her care for the psionics. She could hear Adam in a voice conference with the Austins and MacGyver, who'd remained in Sanctuary, Makenna Coniglario at the clinic, Vince Meisel and Ruby Bishop in My Friend's Bookstore shelter. All the Underground resources would be employed, all safe houses and shelters, all new mutant families, friends and supporters would be called in to help. They would be welcoming refugees.

Grabbing a box of tissues and tossing Brennan another one, Cat started mopping the moisture from Donna Gryphon's brow, face and neck, while her lover cared for Emma. Her hands shook and she couldn't stop blinking away unbidden tears.

"Baby, calm down. There's nothing you can do."

Cat looked at Brennan, her mouth worked, but she choked on the words. "I could have done something besides stand there."

"And let Max be killed?" Brennan pointed to the telecyber boy. "Look at him, they beat the crap out of that kid."

"No, I just..." Cat pulled Donna's hair behind her head and caught it in a ponytail, tying it up with an elastic band. She worked mechanically, her thoughts elsewhere. "Brennan, she's my best friend."

"I know. Rev's like a little sister to all of us. But she can take care of herself."

"Not with that damn sub-gov, she can't." Cat stopped for a moment, her eyes darting around the cabin. Her heart was heavy, she felt sick with worry. "Brennan, I know how painful they are. For three years I wore one."

"I have been implanted, too." The elemental frowned at the memory of a nail being driven inside the back of his neck. "And that one is different. Did you notice that?"

"How could I not? She passed out because of it."

Brennan left Emma's side and went to Cat, holding her shoulders. "Rev has a GPS in her arm. We will know where she is and we will rescue her, I promise."

Cat was unconvinced. "How can you be so sure? When they find out she doesn't have the info they want, they could kill her before we have a chance to find her."

Brennan held her face in his hands. "Yes, they can. We risk our lives everyday, baby. That's our business, our job. Now, Rev's job is to lead us to that bastard's headquarters. And she'll do it, Cat."

Cat melted in his embrace, resting her head on his broad chest. The contrast between them only made them even more striking as a couple. She was small, he was big, she was fair, he was dark. They were meant for each other as no other couple could be. "Maybe I'm tired of the risk, maybe I'm sick of worrying about you and the others," she sighed.

"Do you want out?"

"I don't know, Brennan. I'm just so scared for her. I don't know what I want."

Brennan held her more closely, feeling her heartbeat accelerate. "Let's figure it out after this mess is over. I have things to sort out myself."

"Tell me something," said Cat still holding him tight. "If I do leave, would you go with me?"

Brennan looks at her and hesitates, then avert his eyes. "I don't know. Now, I'm not sure about anything. I just know I want this thing over and done with."

Cat pulled herself out of Brennan's arms and looked directly into his eyes. "Maybe there's nothing to sort out. I know this for sure. I love you, but I will not stick around and watch and worry about wether you will come back from a mission."

Before Brennan could answer, Jesse called from the computer station. "Adam, we've got a problem. I can't locate Riley. The radiation from the sub-gov is jamming the signal. There's too much interference."

Adam turned from the computer immediately. "Can't you filter it?"

"I've tried everything!" Jesse was frantic. "The satellite isn't picking up the beam!"

Brennan stepped behind the pilot's chair and leaned over Jesse's shoulder. "We can't leave Rev there on her own!"

"Now where's your faith, Brennan?" shot Cat from the back of the VTOL. "Nothing is foolproof." She turned to the older man at the computer. "Adam, I'm calling them."

Adam thought for a moment. "There is one way we can find their headquarters. By invitation." He turned to Cat. "You will call them, Catherine, and give them a report on our situation. As soon as I'm finished with Max, we will work out what you will tell the New Chaos."

"Adam I'm tired of waiting," snapped the feral. "Every second that passes could mean Rev's life. All I'm going to say is make it fast, or I'll do it on my own."

Brennan turned back and held Cat's shoulders, pulling her back to him. "She's right. I'm sick of waiting. It's time to act."

Adam stood up from the computer. "Now? With the Ring in tatters? Give me a couple of days. I have a few tricks up my sleeve, too, Brennan." The older man looked at Cat and smiled tiredly. "Catherine, don't jump the gun. Don't take me wrong. I have every reason to want a piece of them, too."

"No more than I do, Adam. They have tried to use me to hurt all of you. I'm sick of it. I will try and be good, but I warn you. If anything happens to Rev. I will never forgive you."

Brennan passed his arm over Cat's shoulders, holding her close. She crossed her arms and stared at their leader defiantly. It was clear Brennan supported every word Cat had uttered.

Adam looked at them, first Jesse, then Brennan and Cat last. "Fair enough."

In Stasis

The Helix turned slightly to the right as it landed in its hanger. The side hatch opened wide and a ramp slid till it touched the bottom of the cave. The tall, lanky man rolled the gurney with the box up the ramp and into the VTOL. Inside, the lights were dim, the only bright spot was on the floating body above a MedChair. Brennan and Jesse, leaving the controls, stood at the feet and head of the chair. Adam typed a command on the box's panel and the lid snapped open, revealing the series of laser beams, photoelectric cells and other sensors that lined the walls of the pod and that would keep the boy in stasis while they searched for a way to save his life.

Adam approached Donna and Emma, kneeling between them. He placed his hand on the multi-psionic's shoulder. Donna was drenched, sweat actually dripping from her brow through her cheeks and falling on her soaked tank top, her hair plastered to her head and neck. He spoke low and firm. "Turn off the mind field, Donna."

Slowly, Donna's hands made a circular motion in the air and the mother-of-pearl shimmer surrounding Max's body died down and disappeared.

Adam nodded to Brennan and Jesse. The young mutants touched Max's back and ankles, guiding the floating form from the chair to hover just above the pod. "Now, lower Max into the pod, Donna. It is ready to receive him." Then, Adam turned to the right and addressed Emma. "Release vegetative control."

Emma DeLauro was in no better shape than Donna Gryphon. She was also soaking wet and flushed, panting from the effort of keeping Max in suspended animation. Returning from the meditation state she had plunged in, she lifted her head and opened her eyes as she relinquished control to the machine, now humming softly, the beams blinking rithmically.

Adam motioned to MacGyver. "Close the lid, Mac. It will put him in stasis automatically. Could you and Jesse take the pods to the MedLab, please?"

MacGyver nodded and looked closely at Donna and Emma. "They don't look good, you know. What happened?"

"Long story. They're absolutely exhausted. There wasn't a pod left in Haven and we had to improvise. Actually, there wasn't much left of Haven. Period."

"That bad?"

"Worse. How are things here?" asked Adam, calling Brennan and Cat to help with the exhausted psionics.

"Steve is organizing everything with Corby Valentine, that chubby fellow, Ruby, and Vince Meisel. They're at the clinic, with Makenna and Zack. Those two are working themselves into a frenzy over the attack on Haven."

"I'll help them as soon as I can. Now, I have to take care of Max. And Donna. And Emma. The girls need rest and nourishment, really. They're burnt out."

"Then I'll let Jamie know. She is in full grandmother gear. Get them to bed and she will give them some soup as soon as they can eat." And they started rolling the pods out of the aircraft.

As Brennan and Cat helped Emma stand and leave the Helix, Adam called Donna softly. The psionic opened her eyes. "Max?" she asked in a whisper.

"Safely podded."

She nodded. "Emma?"

"Brennan and Cat have her."

She nodded again. "Revolution?"

This time Adam bit his upper lip. "No news." He helped her stand. "And you, Donna? You think of everybody else but yourself."

"Man, that was a doozie," she said with a little chuckle and tried to walk, but her legs refused to take a single step. "I've never been so tired..." Her knees gave.

With a fluid motion, Adam picked her up in his arms, cradling her. Donna had been sorely tested both physically and emotionally in the time she had spent with Mutant X fighting the New Order. It was now taking its toll. She needed rest bad. He took the elevator to the third floor, where his office and bedroom were located. There, he laid her down on the bed, took off all her damp clothes, dried her body and covered her up. She never stirred. Only when he kissed her hand she smiled faintly.

Closing the holowall, Adam turned his notebook on and typed a command. He had an idea to cleanse Max's body of the radiation that was slowly poisoning him and that would have poisoned Lux had she tried to heal the boy. The computer would track down somebody very special he had met a few years ago. Meanwhile, he called Mac to join him in the lab. That sub-gov was a nasty contraption.

"Did you contact Dr. Bauer?" Adam punched a command and Max's stasis pod started turning around in its axis, so the boy would be belly down, the nape of his neck exposed to view. The subdermal-governor could be seen through the bottom of the pod, shiny and protruding from the boy's neck.

"Yes, Helen will be permanently online, so you can send her whatever you find out about this thing." Mac punched another command on the computer keyboard and the lights inside the pod blinked in a different rhythm as the sensors analyzed the subject. The holospace above the computer displayed the likeness of a human body with the injuries Max sustained clearly displayed. With another flurry motion of hands on keyboards, the sweep poured data next to the holoimage. The two men read as fast as the substances, chemicals, and metal readings appeared. The pod's sweep penetrated the governor's protective lining by reaching it's controls through Max's body rather than from the outside. Together with the Magnetic Resonance Imaging, the computer revealed that the governor emitted a constant tiny needle-like probe that pierced the boy's spine between two vertebrae and reached his spinal chord. From that central point, the probe shot up through the cerebral cortex, dividing itself and reaching the medulla, cerebellum, pons, limbic system and somatosensory cortex. Whereas the primitive sub-gov would reach only the brain's frontal cortex, the center that controlled the use of mutant superpowers, the second model would also reach the somatosensory cortex, releasing a wave of pain through the subject's body. This third model reached all pain control systems, and it was capable of releasing a neural thunderstorm that could permanently damage the subject.

The sweep revealed the source of power for the governor: a minute radioactive isotope. The position of the isotope allowed it to be exposed to the inside of the subject's body, thus flooding it with radioactivity. The Geiger counter was going crazy.

MacGyver looked closer at the holoimage. "What do you think?"

Adam made the holoimage zoom in the head, augmenting the picture. "I think this monstrosity can't be yanked out without giving the patient an undeserved lobotomy. That probe has to be turned off first."

Mac looked at Adam. "It is impossible to turn off a radioactive isotope."

Adam looked back at his old friend, a wicked smile playing on his lips. "Impossible is a relative concept when dealing with New Mutants."

The ring announcing the computer had successfully tracked down a comm device such as a cell phone or Internet Instant Messenger and was currently activating it made the two men jump. "What did I just say?" Adam's smile broadened as he turned to the plasma screen in the com center.

The monitor lit up and displayed the most beautiful woman MacGyver had ever seen, and he had seen his share. The young woman had a perfectly oval face, straight nose, full mouth, silky golden-brown hair and the most fantastic light blue eyes in the world. Mac had seen that face before, but where?

"Adam!" The girl seemed to brighten up when she recognized who was calling. Even her voice, low and warm, was beautiful. "Long time, no see."

"Lovely Ashley! I've been following your career. How's Milan this time of the year?"

"Cold and rainy! Thank God, I'm not there," she chimed.

Realization hit MacGyver. "Ashley Elliot, the international model! I knew I'd seen that face before, it is on every magazine cover in the country." He turned to Adam. "Is she a mutant?"

The girl laughed and her mirth sounded like a waterfall. "Yes! And a very hungry mutant, until I was implanted with this little device." She turned her back to the camera and lifted her hair, revealing a small black rubber ring jutting out of her neck. "Who is your handsome friend, Adam?"

"Wow! Ashley Elliot, meet MacGyver, no first names." He turned to Mac. "Before we found her, Ashley left a nuclear power plant cold."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mac. Can I call you Mac?" She flashed the older man a killer smile. "You see, I am Brennan's polar opposite. You know Brennan, of course. By the way, how is he, Adam?"

"Unavailable."

"Alas, so am I. New fiancée, you know? Much better than that other one." She turned to Mac and pouted her lips. "Can you believe the jerk sold me to the GSA?"

"No, I honestly can't." Mac shook his head. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the monitor.

"Anyway, where Brennan releases energy, I absorb it. Now, thanks to the sub-gov, just as much as I want. Before that, I needed huge amounts of energy just to stay alive."

"Does it hurt you?"

"The subdermal governor? It itches a bit around the edges, nothing a little dollop of cream can't fix."

Mac turned to Adam. "No pain involved?"

"No pain involved, my friend." The scientist turned again to the girl on the screen. "You said you're not in Milan. Where exactly are you, Ashley?"

"In New York. I came to pose for this photo essay for Vogue." She sighed heavily. "Unfortunately, the photographer is an idiot. In my humble opinion, he can't take a mug shot to save his life!" She laughed her waterfall. "Why, Adam? Why are you calling me out of the blue?"

Adam bit his upper lip in that characteristic way of his. "I need your help, Ashley. If I sent the Helix for you, could you come over?"

"Only if you let me pilot it. You know I can."

"Deal. I'm sending it over right now. Where can we land it?"

"Tell you what, send it to Connecticut. My fiancée has this estate, it will be easier to land the craft. I'm sending you the address and I'll meet the Helix there."

"Thanks, Ashley. I owe you one."

"You owe me nothing, Adam. You paid for my first photo book and I know you put in a good word with John Casablanca. He offered me a very good contract and the rest is the proverbial history." She smiled sweetly. "If I'm not there, I'll arrive momentarily. Traffic, you know."

Adam smiled back at the young New Mutant. "Thanks again, Ashley. And how do you feel about radiation?"

"Why, Adam! It's my idea of caviar!"

Hell to Pay (Written Together with the GryphonLady)

She turned around and hugged the pillow more tightly. Her eyes opened slowly, her head still foggy from the deepest sleep the GryphonLady had had in ages. The room surrounding her wasn't altogether strange, but it wasn't either her own room, with her own bed, at home in Cascade, or Blair's room in the loft he shared with Jim Ellison in Prospect St. where Donna had slept so many nights before, or even the comfortable, but stark guest bedroom she had been given in Sanctuary. This place was different.

Donna sat up and leaned against the tan upholstered head of the huge bed, letting the sheets and duvet fall to her waist. Shaking the cobwebs that still remained in her brain, she recognized the life size Quijote figure in metal to her left, in front of the black curtains, the raw rock that formed part to the right wall, the winged chair by the bed with clothes on the seat, but those weren't her clothes. And where were her clothes anyway. She had slept in the nude, something she usually didn't do, favoring an oversized, well worn T-shirt as a nightgown. Oh, boy, did she do it again? She hoped she hadn't bedded Adam again, not before making up her mind about that relationship that had swept her off her feet and made her turn and tumble as if carried away by a tidal wave of emotions, not the least of them lust. Was it mere lust? On his part, no, she didn't think so. Actually, she didn't feel so. She could read him and desire was overwhelming, making his heart race whenever he so much as looked at her, but it wasn't just that, she was sure. On her own part... that was hard, she didn't know. She respected him, admired him, wanted him as she had never wanted another man in her life, not even Blair and that was a fact. But did she love him? She did. It was a different kind of love than the one she felt for Blair, more mature, less juvenile, founded in trust and unspoken loyalty. Together, Donna and Blair were carefree and youthful. Together, Adam and Donna shared the weight of the world on their shoulders, but that was the beauty of their love: they now shared it, neither one carried it all alone. Adam and Donna were bound together in mind and spirit.

Pulling her legs up and resting her elbows on her knees, Donna ran her hands through her thick, long hair. It was matted with dry sweat. She still felt tired and worn out. Healing herself was one thing, but creating and maintaining a stasis field for poor little Max for hours was quite another. Never before had she exercised her power to that degree and for so long. It must have taken a physical toll on her and a heavy one, for she felt burnt out, absolutely exhausted.

Shakily, she got up from the bed and checked the clothes on the chair. A paper was pinned on top of the pile sported Adam's handwriting. He never wrote cursive, only print, square and clear.

"My dear lady, Emma picked up a few things for you when they went shopping to draw out the New Chaos. I never had the chance to give these to you, with everything that happened to Haven. There is more in your room, but I want you to pack up and vacate it. The Ring is coming to Sanctuary. No, I'm not throwing you out. I'm throwing you in. Move in with me, Donna. When you're ready, go to the kitchen. You must eat and rebuild your strength. Afterwards, meet me in the lab. I want to give you a check up, for I'm worried you've overtaxed yourself. Talking about worry, your heart must be as heavy as mine is right now. We are professional worriers, you and I, GryphonLady. I wouldn't be surprised if, one of these days, I woke up with my hair turned white. Love, A."

One by one, Donna picked up the clothes and laid them on the arms and back of the chair: some very provocative lace underwear, matching bra and panty set. Goodness gracious, Emma knew about her and Adam. She had known all along. Sixties style dark blue stretch denim low rising jeans with bell bottoms and a white peasant top with huge long sleeves and a draw string collar. The tail of the blouse went just bellow the hips. There was also a long stringy leather belt, also sixties style and a pair of matching leather earth shoes with souls that were at least two inches thick. There was a hemp cloth backpack purse there too. She peered inside and found her things from her other purse there. Her makeup case, wallet, and her trusted white comb that she had had for over ten years. On the comb, there were the only hair things that she had ever really needed, a few hair elastics and a small silver barrette.

The sheets needed changing and Donna needed a bath, not just to clean herself, but to relax her muscles. She still felt sore and aching. Stripping the bed, she made a bundle with the rumpled sheets, threw it on the floor and headed for the bathroom.

Passing through the closet, she confirmed something she suspected about Adam and Angela had told her days before: he was a control freak, borderline obsessive-compulsive. That was beyond neat, every drawer, every complete outfit was labeled. Just by looking around, she found a shelf with bed linens and chose a matching set. She took it with her to the bedroom and returned. Reentering the closet, Donna realized something was different. A portion of the closet was empty, as if things had been moved around to open some room. Adam had a way of getting what he wanted, and he wanted her.

Carrying her bundle, she stepped into the bathroom. It was huge. He was fond of skylights and there was a large one over a Japanese-style ofuro tub. The wall was glass and anyone inside the tub could see the whole seascape beyond. The shower was fit for a spa, really strong. Rolled towels on a shelf repeated the ever present black theme and the jars with shampoo, conditioner and liquid soap had no brand. He was a chemist, he made his own. Donna smiled. She was getting to know Adam better just by looking around his bathroom. A door to her right lead to a small laundry room with washer and drier. Her dirty clothes were in a basket. Donna threw everything in the washer, turned the machine on and headed for the shower.

After spending a long time enjoying the hot lash of the water and washing her hair, Donna wrapped herself in a black towel and found a hair drier pegged to the wall over the sink, to the right of the mirror. She started drying her hair and, for the first time in quite some time, she looked at her own image reflected in the crystal. The drier almost fell from her hands as she saw herself. Her hands went to her temples and her mouth opened in amazement. Suddenly, the last sentence on Adam's note crossed her mind. I wouldn't be surprised if, one of these days, I woke up with my hair turned white. Laughter started in her stomach and bubbled up. She laughed so hard she had to lean on the sink or she would certainly fall on the floor. Donna Gryphon laughed and laughed, until her eyes filled with water and tears started rolling down her cheeks as she cried for her life, once so ordered and now turned completely upside down, but feeling so oddly right.

Leaving the elevator on the Helix hangar, Donna was praying she could reach the lab without running into anybody. That was a convoluted way to reach the kitchen, but she couldn't very well just leave Adam's office looking fresh out of the shower and with her hair still wet. Fat chance!

"What happened to you?"

Cat stopped Donna and caressed her hair, holding the psionic's face in her hand. Brennan, coming behind Cat, pulled Donna's chin up with his fingers and caressed the other side of her face. The multipsionic felt her cheeks grow hot and she avoided making eye contact with the feral and the elemental, but not before she saw Cat's nostrils flaring. She had caught an all too familiar scent all over Donna, and it wasn't her own. How could Adam keep secrets from new mutants? They all had ways to find out whatever it was you wanted to keep hidden from them. With a sigh, Donna grimaced and shook her head. "Something in me must have reacted to the effort of keeping Max in a mind field for too long."

"You know what, Athena? You look striking," said the electric elemental. Brennan liked Donna. She was wise and had a soothing personality. At the same time, she was enthusiastic and trustworthy. He liked her. A lot.

"Yes, it suits you. Makes you even more unique than you already were." Cat kissed Donna's cheek. The scent was stronger in her hair. Cat only hoped both Adam and Donna knew what they were doing.

Donna steeled herself, controlled her embarrassment and tried to sound casual. "Where are you going?"

"Connecticut!" answered Brennan.

"We're picking someone up there. Adam's orders," added Cat.

"Have a good flight." And Donna headed into Sanctuary.

Brennan was looking as Donna made her way to the hallway leading into the hideout. "Where was she coming from, anyway?"

Cat laughed at him. "You mean you don't know?"

"No."

Men could be so dumb! She turned to her mate. "Brennan, didn't you smell anything funny?"

"What do you mean, funny?"

"Donna had Adam's scent all over her. She smelled of Adam a mile away and she's been smelling of him for quite some time now." Cat laughed. "I guess that kiss on board of the Helix wasn't just a token of friendship."

Donna was standing just outside the MedLab. She knew Adam was there, besides his mind signature, she could see him through the door, his back turned as he concentrated on the computer readings scrolling on the holospace above the console. There was also somebody else there, Emma, lying on the exam chair, the laser diagnostic beam bathing her entire body.

"How's Emma?" she asked without entering the room.

"Burnt out, worn out, exhausted beyond words," the scientist answered without taking his eyes from the readings. "Come in, Donna."

"In a minute." The multipsionic sighed. "How does she look?"

"Haggard," answered Emma DeLauro herself. "When I looked in the mirror, the face that looked back at me was ten years older."

"Tell me something I don't know." And Donna stepped into the lab.

Emma looked at her and the breath caught in her throat, as her hand shot up to cover her mouth.

Adam turned from the computer holographic screen and the vial and pipette he had in his hand crashed on the floor.

The hair at Donna's temples, from her ears almost to the point in the center of her eyebrows... from the roots to the point... almost a handspan... Her hair was white as new snow... Two wings of white hair on either side of her face. She now looked more Cherokee than ever, the Indian in her overwhelming the Irish she had inherited from her father. Donna Gryphon was 32 years old, but right now, she looked ten years older, too. She had lines around her mouth and, even after she had slept over fifteen hours, she still had black circles under her eyes.

"I'm almost finished with Emma, and you're next in line." He turned to the younger woman on the chair. "Stay here while I check Donna out. You both are suffering from the aftereffects of overusing your powers."

When the beam faded away, Emma released her seat to Donna. Adam recalibrated the diagnostic laser and the light bathed the multipsionic's body. The holospace lit up and the tri-dimensional likeness of a human body appeared, flanked by readings scrolling fast. The scientist ran every test he knew, examining closely every aspect of his lover's physiology. It matched Emma's diagnostic to the letter. After the computer was done, he tiredly pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt responsible for the impact his request had had on the psionics's constitution, but what else was new? He felt responsible for everything and anything that befell any new mutant in the world. He had created them, after all.

From the MedChair, Donna looked at Emma and smiled sadly. She knew the telempath felt the guilt claw squeezing Adam's heart.

"I'd never seen this kind of effect before. Both of you overused your powers at my request." He approached the women and held their hands in his. "The excessive use seems to have had an impact on you at a cellular level. You have, indeed, aged. You're readings now show your bodies to be some five years older in terms of wear. In short, you have given up some five years of your lives, of your youth, to Max Monroe." He caressed Emma's face lightly in a fatherly fashion. "I expect the lines on your faces will fade and smooth out as you rest and regain your strength." He turned to Donna and ran his hands through her hair. "On the other hand, I'm afraid the white hair is here to stay." He pulled her closer to him in a tight embraced, while still holding Emma's hand. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked that of you. It was too much."

"We agreed," said Emma. "It was either that or Max would have died. I'm glad we did it, for now he has a chance."

After several moments of silence, Donna pushed him away and smiled. "You know you worry too much, don't you?"

"It's my job to worry," he answered looking back at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. She looked more beautiful than ever. At that, Emma just rolled her eyes.

"I tell you who I am more worried about than myself, Revolution. Have you heard anything?" Donna inquired.

"No, nothing yet. She's on her own, I'm afraid." Adam replied with a heavy sigh. "I've managed to send Jesse to bed and I've been monitoring her location."

"You've managed to make Jesse get some rest?" Emma was surprised. "How did you do it?"

"With great difficulty." The answer came from the door. Even though Jesse Kilmartin hadn't overused his powers, he looked older, too. He was sick with worry over his girlfriend. "Any news?"

"There must be something blocking her signal wherever they are keeping her." Adam saw Jesse bend and turn his head away, while wiping at the corner of one of his eyes. "We will get her back."

"Have faith, Jesse." Both Donna and Emma extended a hand, inviting the molecular into the circle of care they had formed. "Rev has become like a little sister to me. A rebellious one but still... She managed to get under my skin and into my heart. I don't want her to be hurt even more than she already has been. If they hurt her like that toad thing did to Angela or what was done to me, I swear I will kill the S. with every power I have and/or my bare hands if I have to. And I won't feel an ounce of regret for doing it."

Adam saw a fire like he had never seen in Donna's eyes before. He knew that she had just about hand enough of Lareou and his people and he felt the same way. "I promise you that we will get her back and take them down."

"Good because I am with you 200% of the way." And she held out her hand. Adam took it, as did Emma and Jesse, allies and friends.

Faery Tale

"The children will be sent to Brazil, on a special holiday."

The older but still handsome face of Jamie Austin was peering back from the computer monitor. On other windows, Ruby, Vince and Steve Austin, as well as Zack and Makenna Coniglario were holding a conference with Adam over at Sanctuary. The Underground resources were being rounded up to welcome the Ringers, coming from California to seek protection under Mutant X wing. "Why Brazil?" asked the Bionic Woman.

"I've talked to Angela and we agree they'll be safer there than here. Her aunt, Mother Maria, and her nuns will house them," answered Mutant X leader. "We can charter planes to take the children, but I'd rather not hire strange pilots."

"No need for that," shot Steve Austin. "Two charters can do the job. I'll pilot one, Corby Valentine will take the other. Corby's wife and son will go with the children, together with the Ring's orphanage staff to care for them."

"Good! Tell Corby to get the planes and I'll arrange for payment. And I want a full feral escort for security measures. Talk to Mac about that. Use people both from the Beast Brigade and the Feral Force."

"Adam, when are the Ringers arriving?" asked Ruby Bishop, who'd taken over the senior position on the Underground after Allison Turner's death.

"I'm expecting them here the day after tomorrow. Any problem?"

"None whatsoever," piped in Vince Meisel. "We're ready for them. Who'll be staying over at Sanctuary?"

This time, it was Zack Coniglario who spoke. "Lux and Jax, plus Rahyll, Connor and Oliver. They're the Ring's core group, now that Logan is dead, and Mylie and Max are incapacitated."

"By the way, can you send Mylie's pod over to the clinic?" Makenna's eyes were bloodshot and she seemed to have been crying a lot in the last few days. "We can take care of her here."

"I'll send Jesse and Emma with it, while I keep an eye on Rev's whereabouts." Adam leaned closer to the monitor, as if meaning to speak directly to the tiny Ring doctor. "Makenna, about Max..."

"I know, that son of a bitch nailed him with a sub-gov powered by a radioactive isotope," the doctor interrupted. "That's a death sentence..." and she choked on her own words.

"No, it isn't. I've sent for a person who can clean his body of the poison. Trust me, Makenna, we will save that boy."

A ring announcing an incoming call sounded on Sanctuary's comm system. The identity of the caller came as a complete surprise to Adam Kane, and he called the conference he was holding to an end, shutting down all other communications but the incoming call. The face that looked back at him from the monitor was unmistakable: the white hair that looked like a wig, the tinted glasses, the sallow skin and the ever present pinstripe suit and cut gloves. "Hello, Mason. It's been a while since we've spoken last. I must say the time you spent podded has done you good."

"I can't say the same about you, Adam. You look older."

"Thank you, Mason. What do you want? I'm rather busy right now."

Mason Eckhart relaxed back in his red high-backed chair. "I know. I know all about the New Order shenanigans. I must say I am very happy you are the one fighting them, not me." He folded his hands in front of his face. "I have been affected by this mutant war, however."

"What do you mean?"

"You know the GSA has changed it's approach to the mutant problem." Mason leaned forward again.

"Yes, I've been informed you've finally realized to round up all new mutants and store them for future studies was stupid, unfair and impossible. Congratulations, my friend. Better late than never."

"Anyway, even though we are now mainstreaming the law-abiding mutants, we've never stopped monitoring the overall mutant population. For the last week or so, we have been informed of a massive movement of mutants towards the South of the United States. They seem to be gathering together in the deep south."

Adam straightened his back and leaned forward, getting closer to the monitor himself. "Where exactly, Mason?"

"Now you are interested. It seems your information network has let you down." Eckhart's thin lips curled up in a tight smile.

"Enough gloating, Mason", shot Adam, angrily. "These people are deadly, and if they're increasing their numbers, I've got to know about it."

"Very well, they're gathering their forces in the deep south, somewhere in the baiou around New Orleans. If memory serves me well, a certain Nickolas Lareou comes from old Louisiana stock."

"Yes, he does," Adam nodded gravely. "And his family has property down there, they're still powerful and wealthy, even though Lareou finances his New Order operation by selling the services of his mutant terrorists to the highest bidder. My information network isn't that incompetent, Mason."

Eckhart crossed his arms on his chest and became very serious. "We are mainstreaming the law-abiding mutants provided they agree not to breed, as you know."

"Congratulations on your change of heart, but I still think it takes a lot of gall to demand that people give up on having children."

"I will not waste my time debating the issue with you, Adam," snapped Eckhart. "The fact remains that there will always be rogue mutants like your bunch of thugs and this Lareou, but I'd rather have you around than that criminal. What do you intend to do about him?"

"Bring him and his gang down," Adam chuckled without any mirth. "And pod them." His eyes shone suddenly, as an idea crossed his mind. "Actually, I have plans concerning these rogue mutants we... yes, Mason, we... are sure to fight now and in the future. I have contacts. You have contacts. Why don't we work together to keep the renegades under control?"

"A sense of responsibility, Adam? That is a novelty. But I suppose we could at least talk about it, if I can overcome the notion that you are one of the renegades yourself."

"After this New Order mess is over, I have a plan for a special mutant-oriented penitentiary. I have already started conversations with several agencies aware of the existence of mutants and willing to work in tandem with me so there will be a proper containment facility to those regarded as a threat to themselves and others."

The head of the GSA laughed loud. "So now you intend to become the mutant police force and secret service, the Cape Crusader of the mutant population? You are pathetic, Adam."

"Thank you for the heads-up, Mason. And give my regards to Rebecca." Adam turned off the communications software and closed the notebook, almost breaking the screen.

The VTOL landed on the park surrounding a manor house. In stealth mode, so it wouldn't spook the sophisticated neighbors, it didn't mar the perfectly manicured English grass lawn or even stir the water the sky blue swimming pool. Only the Italian ombrellones registered the air movement as the craft descended.

Stepping out of the jet, Brennan and Cat looked around. The house should have at least 10 bedrooms! That was the mother of all houses! Brennan whistled loud. "Gee, we arrived at Wayne Manor. When will Alfred come out the main entrance with a tray of refreshments?"

With her hands on her hips, Cat breathed deep, enjoying the many aromas coming from the flowers and herbs around the garden. "I could live here. Adam'd better not hear me, but I'd like it better than living in a cave. Where's the batmobile entrance?"

As on cue, the "batmobile" raced up the road leading to the pool. Actually, it was a red Ferrari Testarrossa. The sleek lines of the car, the purr of its engine, almost gave Brennan a hard-on. What really made his heart skip a beat was the long-legged, silk-haired, blue-eyed babe that jumped out of the vehicle and ran to him, leaping and landing on his arms, grabbing his face on her long fingered hands and planting a kiss on his lips. "Hello, DC," greeted the young woman. "Come on, gimme some."

Brennan Mulrwray had almost forgotten how absolutely beautiful, attractive and mesmerizing Ashley Elliot could be. Even more so, she was his direct opposite, and opposites do attract. He supported her weight on his left arm and formed a tesla coil in his right hand, launching it directly at her left hand. "Hello, AC," he stammered.

Ashley tossed her head back as she absorbed the energy Brennan released. "Uhmm... sweet..."

Someone cleared her throat and it sounded more like a growl. What was that young slut thinking? Is she thinking at all? Doesn't look like she is! Cat was fuming, her blood bubbling to boiling point, her face hot and red. The feral would take over her mind and body any minute.

"Never mind her, miss. That's just the way she is, over-passionate, overenthusiastic." The man was in his late twenties or early thirties, lean, of medium height, his dark and straight hair in a modern unstructured cut, obviously done by a top notch hairdresser. He wore black designer jeans with metal studs, a studded black leather belt, black Gap T-shirt and combat boots. He had a thick silver chain around his right wrist and state-of-the-art diver's watch, his ears were pierced many times over, showing several silver loops, and when he smiled, a diamond shone on his left canine tooth. "Hi, I'm Chris."

"I know who you are," answered the feral mutant. "You're Chris Gaines, the singer. In other circumstances, it would be a pleasure to meet you. I'm Cat Scott."

"Don't pay them any heed, Cat Scott. They're just friends meeting again after a long time." Chris stepped closer to Cat. "Wait a minute, Cat Scott... Cat Scott... Do you write music, Cat Scott?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Then I've been pestering my agent to find you for quite some time now." He looked at the elementals still hugging. "Come on, guys, enough is enough."

Sheepishly, Brennan and Ashley parted. They were both highly embarrassed. Chris broke the ice reaching out with his hand towards Brennan. "I'm Ashley's fiancée, Chris Gaines. You must be Brennan. 'Fireworks' told me everything about you and your little adventures."

They shook hands as Cat glared at Ashley. As the energy absorbing mutant picked up two overnight bags in the Ferrari's trunk, Brennan opened the Helix's side hatch, exposing its interior.

Chris Gaines whistled. "You know, I have a plane, an adapted 747 I use when I go on tour. And I am a pilot myself, but I've never seen anything like that! Wow!"

"It has mach-2 capability and it is a vertical take off and landing jet," explained Brennan, proud of the Helix as if it were his own.

"Sweet!"

The cell phone ringing brought Cat back to reality and away from her jealousy trip. Checking her purse, she saw it was the New Order device that was calling. "Sorry, I have to take this one."

"How is my favorite feline doing?" Lareou's voice was deep and velvety, his southern accent dripping like molasses.

"What have you done to Revolution, you bastard?" she asked between her teeth. "You wanted me to join your band and you abduct my best friend? Wrong move, pal."

"Not really. Now I have something to barter with." He laughed pleasantly. "Come on, Cat, I know for a fact you're not happy with your Mutant X association for quite some time now. Neither professionally, nor in your private life." Lareou faked a deep sigh. "Kane is a fool, he takes you and your team mates for granted. You're nothing more than his goffers. Your talents are wasted and you know it. Now it's time to put them to good use."

"Enough talking, Nick. What do you propose?"

"I propose that you finally come to join us. Our time is at hand. Come to your rightful place, Catherine, la Chat. I'll give you the credit you so deserve, and I'll even give you Trinket, well... almost unharmed."

"If you've so much as twisted a hair of her head, I'll..."

Lareou's voice changed in pitch. "If you want your pet telekinetic back, you come to me, but you'll have to pay for her."

"What do you want?"

"Your skills at my service and a bonus: Adam Kane dead by the GSA top assassin, just for old time's sake, Cat."

"Do you want me to bring his heart and liver to you, Nick? Who do you think I am, Snow White?"

"No, the Hunter."

The Exodus Of Angels

Author's Note: All quotes are lyrics from The band Brandnew.

***

Call me a safe bet. I'm betting I'm not.

I'm glad that you can forgive.

I'm only hoping as time goes, you can forget.

He stood beside the pod watching the boy as he sleeps. He remembered the stories he heard of this boy, Max Monroe, the telecyber that Lux and Connor had saved from spending his childhood inside of a federal penitentiary. He remembered his own young psionic as she and Max giggled over bowls of ice cream and stories of their adventures. A stab of guilt ran through him as he thought of the amount of pain Max and Revolution were going through at this moment. Max in the pod in front of him, Revolution in whatever private hell Lareou had reserved for the headstrong teenager.

"Adam?" said Shalimar over the comn link system.

He snapped out of his own morose thoughts.

"Yes?"

"I'm sending you a video clip I think you should see."

He ran his fingers through his hair and walked over to the Computers.

"What's going on?" asked Emma as she walked in.

"Shalimar is sending us something from Haven," he exclaimed.

"Is everything all right?" asked Mac as he walked in behind her.

"I don't know."

The black computer screen filled with what was once the pristine Haven compound. Evidence of the rebuilding attempts were all around.

"This is the Hall Of Sorrows," said Shalimar as they walked inside.

Adam gasped. He barely recognized the once sacred place of mourning. The photos of Fallen mutants lay strewn about or in some cases torn completely apart. He recognized some of them, Charles Marlowe's intense eyes stared at him from the corner of the screen and he could see Richard Saunders's photo propped up in the corner.

"Some of the kids have been assigned to clean up this area," continued Shalimar "But it's been hard for them. Angela and me have been doing most of it. After all, a lot of these people had helped raise those kids. We knew them but we weren't as close."

The next thing that was shown was the field outside of the illusion. Shalimar was obviously standing very high up with the camera.

"Shal, what is that?" asked Emma.

"They're getting ready," replied Shalimar, "They've been doing this for days. Every mutant above the age of 16 has been ordered to begin defensive training."

The camera panned across the field and they caught a glimpse of a slender figure standing on top of another hill across from Shalimar.

"Oh, Lux," whispered Emma "I should be there with her."

Adam couldn't imagine the state of the young leader. Unlike Mutant X, The Ring was not assembled for war. They were brought together to be a support system for New Mutants; they were almost the polar opposite of everything Mutant X was.

"Be strong," he whispered to his younger counterpart's image "We'll get through this."

***
You are second hand smoke.

You are so fragile and thin.

Standing trial for your sins.

Holding onto yourself the best you can

"Lux?" said Jax as she approached her slowly.

Lux tore her gaze from the field. She wiped tears quickly from her cheeks as she saw that Jax had most of the Feral Force standing behind her.

"Yes?"

"You ok?" asked Jax as she stood beside her.

"What's happening to us? This is not the way it's supposed to happen to us. We were supposed to show new mutants that their life could be more than fighting. Hell, we named the place Haven because this was a place where we could be free from the violence of the outside world."

Jax leaned over and kissed Lux's temple.

"This is not your fault," she whispered "Haven will be what it once was."

"After we destroy Nick?" asked Lux, with one eyebrow cocked.

"Exactly," replied Jax with a quicksilver grin "That's my girl."

"So what's up?" Asked Lux as she wiped her hands on her pants.

"Connor called Alina to see what she knew about the attack but her landlady answered. She said that Alina has locked herself inside of her bathroom for the past couple of days and has refused to come out."

Alina Mathias had been the bane of Lux's existence since the day she had literally bumped into Connor in one of the New Mutant clinics. A Psionic reporter gifted with the ability of Pyschometria, which allows her to extract information about past, present and future events from touch, she sold her information to the highest bidder. A pretty pirate, as Connor called her, she had no alliances but the one she had made with herself in order to survive.

"I'm going to go see her," said Connor as he came up beside them.

Lux looked at him, her eyes filled with concern.

"Look Lux," he whispered "I know Al has never been what you would call a safe girl to have around but I like her... around."

She stretched up to her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. She knew that Connor had fallen hard and fast for Alina but was worried about her loyalties and he had Max to think about as well.

"Go," she said placing a hand on his cheek "Bring her back here, then we'll take her with us. No allies of The Ring, as shifty as they may be, are safe from Nick."

He nodded and set off.

And everything I said about how messed your head is,

got cut up and left in bits and pieces on the ground.

He suddenly flashed back on all the times he had begged her to move away from the tiny hellhole of an apartment as he walked up the steps.

"Mr. Connor!" yelled a small boy as he ran towards him.

"Jack," he said scooping him up into his arms.

He could feel the fear rolling off of the tiny boy.

"My mom was taking care of Alina, you know trying to get her to come out when this man came and he hurt my mom and now he's trying to get Alina," stammered Jack.

Connor put him down.

"See the space behind the steps? I want you to squeeze yourself in there and don't come out till I say. Understand?"

Jack nodded and raced off to the steps. After making sure Jack was safe, Connor raced towards the familiar apartment.

"Alina!" he yelled as he busted down the door.

"Well, well," said a thickly accented voice from behind him "Hello, Connor."

Connor turned slowly around.

"Yuri?" he whispered "But you're dea..."

"Dead? I certainately decompose rather well."

"Did you see a man in here? The land lady's son said that someone came in and hurt her."

Yuri smiled gleefully.

"You never were very bright. Now that I think of it, you were always kind of a pushover," he said "You never stopped to wonder how the missing Ringer got inside you whore's apartment, did you? It's impossible for you to fathom that anyone who once bathed in the glow of the Ring's goddess could have defected, isn't it?"

"Connor?" whispered a voice behind him.

He turned to see Alina standing in the doorway of her bathroom. Dressed in a pale green slip, her thick red curls looked dirty and matted and she looked to have lost weight.

"I waited for you to come. You promised that no one would hurt me. He hurt me Connor and now my head is all foggy and I can't think straight."

"It's amazing how much knowledge is stored in that lovely little head of hers. Haven's location, security codes, the underground. I came back to harvest it some more."

"No, I don't think you will," whispered Connor, his eyes glowing.

"Ooo," laughed Yuri "Come here, Alina dear."

Alina walked towards him slowly as if in a trance.

"Alina!" yelled Connor.

"She can't help herself," exclaimed Yuri.

"I can," hissed Connor as he projected the feeling of being choked deep inside the Russian man's subconscious.

He grabbed Alina gently and pulled her behind him.

"You are never going to hurt anyone, ever again," he whispered into Yuri's ear "And since I am such a stand up guy, I'm going to make it quick and painless."

He placed a hand on either side of Yuri's head and jerked it quickly, dropping it to one side when he heard the sound of his neck snap.

"Is it over?" whispered Alina.

"Yes," he replied embracing her "You're safe now."

Meg Mallory groaned and stood up slowly.

"Ya'll best get out of here," she said rubbing her head "The cops will be coming soon."

Connor nodded.

"Jack is under the steps, I told him to stay there."

"Thanks. It's getting pretty bad out there, isn't it?" she asked.

He nodded once more.

"You should probably get out of here," he replied "There's a safe house in Santa Barbara, I'll call them and tell them you and Jack are coming."

"But we aint like you."

Connor leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"We don't care. Go there Meg, they'll keep you and your boy safe. I swear on my life."

She nodded.

"Okay."

"Come on, Ducks," he said as he lifted Alina up and into his arms "Let's get you back to Haven and let Lux and the doctors take a look at ya."

"Lux don't like me," she muttered as she started to close her eyes.

"Nonsense," he replied.

I just want to believe

She could feel his pain before she heard the music. The loud music that blasted through the hallways of Sanctuary, this was not regular music, and this was her music.

"Jess?" she called as she stood in the doorway of Revolution's room.

"I'm in here," he yelled.

She followed his voice into the large walk in closet where he sat in the middle, a light blue sweatshirt wadded up in his lap. She sat down beside him.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Being with her."

"Listen Jess, she's going to be…."

"Don't, Em," he whispered, his voice thick with emotions that threatened to overwhelm them both "Don't tell me she's going to be all right. Don't say things you don't believe."

"I do believe it," she said "And you need to as well."

"I can't."

Riley or Revolution, it didn't matter much to him, he loved her more than he could ever say or even admit to himself. The wild hearted and quick-witted Psionic had captured his heart and where she was, that's where it would stay.

"I can't lose her," he said standing up and running his hand through his hair "I can't. I don't think I can surv… I just can't."

She stood up and embraced him.

"Jesse? Emma?" asked Adam over the communications system "I need you to take Mylie's pod to Makenna."

"Be right there," said Emma as she watched Jesse finger the brim of one of Revolution's baseball caps that hung from a hook "Come on Jess."

He slid the cap on over his golden hair and nodded.

"Looks better on her," joked Emma as they walked out of the room.

"Do me a favor and refrain from saying that stuff to her when she gets home, it only encourages her."

She noticed that he had said when and not if and that was more than a little encouraging. Revolution was a strong girl but she needed all of them to believe that.

"Honestly Mrs. Austin," laughed Jamal as the older woman fussed over him "I ate before we left."

Adam laughed and patted the young boy's head.

"Hey Doc?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"Can I see Max?"

"I don't see why not," replied Adam.

He thought the friendship between Jamal and Max was a wonderful thing. A mutant and a human with an honest and good hearted friendship, it made him feel good that someday these two boys would be a larger part of the cause. A pale cast made its way across the African American boy's face as he came to stand beside the pod that held his best friend or what was cleverly disguised as his best friend.

"You really #%$ this one up," he whispered "You are such an #%$, always having to show off. Now you're in a pod with the equivalent of a personal nuke strapped to your neck, your pop is worried sick and Rev is stuck in who knows what kind of hellhole. You need to wake up so I can kick your ass."

"Now Jamal," said Emma "What would your sister say if she heard you swear like that?"

Jamal smiled and embraced her.

"You kidding? Who do you think taught me to swear like that?" he laughed.

"It's good to see you," said Jesse.

The two shook hands and Jamal rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Come on, Kid," said Jesse wrapping an arm around Jamal's shoulders "Let's get you and your sister to the clinic."

It angered Jesse more and more when he thought about how far reaching this fight was. Jamal was just a kid, a good-natured regular kid who had been orphaned at an early age and here he was being displaced from the only home he had ever really known.

"One more stop," said Emma after they had seen both Mylie and Jamal safely into the clinic and the warm embrace of Makenna.

Jesse looked over at her, confusion in his eyes.

"St. Pat's, please," she whispered settling back into her seat.

Jesse sighed and nodded. He hadn't been to church since the days his mutant abilities had begun to show up but he knew Emma went frequently. It wasn't God that brought her there but the faith of the people there. The kind of faith that clung to the rafters and bounced off of the ceiling, Emma may not believe much in god anymore but she believed in that kind of faith.

"Emma dear," said a kindly older man as they walked inside the cathedral "We've missed you."

Emma kissed the man's wrinkled cheek and smiled a luminance smile.

"Father, this is my friend Jesse," she said.

"It's nice to meet you," exclaimed Jesse.

"As I once told Emma," said the Father "You are welcome here."

Jesse smiled as the father walked away. Emma squeezed his shoulder affectionately and walked towards the front of the church. Jesse sat down in one of the pews and closed his eyes.

"Well…umm…" he said quietly "I haven't done this in quite some time so if I screw it up, I apologize. I don't really have much to ask from you, that's kind of something I've always prided myself on, being able to take care of myself but it's not me that needs you. Its her, Revolution or I guess you know her as Riley. Please god, keep her safe and bring her home to me, to us."

If it makes you less sad, I'll move out of the state.

You can keep to yourself. I'll keep out of your way.

And if it makes you less sad, I'll take your pictures all down.

Every picture you paint, I will paint myself out.

It's cold as a tomb, and it's dark in your room,

When I sneak to your bed to pour salt in your wounds.

They were all unnaturally quiet. Children were bundled up and each carried suitcases, their eyes were wide with exhaustion and fear.

"Adam," said Lux as she came up to him.

"Lux," he said embracing her.

"This is Marta Winslow," said Rahyll as she walked up to the Austins who stood with the people who would be transporting the children.

Marta was a tiny slip of a girl. Only 17, she was thin with a wild mane of strawberry blond curls and wide emerald eyes.

"She's a telempath and she'll be accompanying you on the trip," continued Rahyll "She'll be able to keep the children calm and safe."

Mrs. Austin nodded and drew the tiny girl into her arms.

Emma walked hand in hand with Allie towards two older people who stood in the back of the hangar.

"Allie, sweetheart," she whispered "These are the Austins, they are going to be taking care of you for a while."

Allie's dark eyes were serious as she bit her lip and nodded.

"Mommy told me that you have ponies that you would let me ride," she whispered.

The man leaned over and nodded.

"That's right," he said picking her up "We'll find you a pony."

Lux stood on the steps that led to Sanctuary and waved sadly to Allie as the Austins took her to the car heading to the airport.

"Don't worry," said Angela "She will be fine in Brazil."

Lux smiled and nodded.

"I know."

Connor was sick to his stomach as he stared down at the pod. Jax squeezed his shoulder as he placed a hand on it.

"I'm here kid," he whispered "I'm here now. You hold on."

War Council

"Now, tell me exactly what happened to Haven. How could they possibly break the Illusion?"

They were assembled in Sanctuary's kitchen, turned into a makeshift briefing room, the only one large enough to accomodate so many people. The aroma of Adam's favorite green tea and mint infusion blended with the smell of strong coffee.

"Logan created and mantained the Illusion that protected Haven from detection," answered Lux. The young leader looked worn out. The usual care she displayed for her clothes was forgotten, her hair looked like it hadn't seen the likes of a comb for days and her eyes were puffy and red. "The only way to see through it was a known mind signature."

"You mean, if the brainwaves of the person, be it mutant or regular human, matched a known frequency, then the person could see through Logan's power?" asked Donna Gryphon, herself a psionic used to be atuned to certain selected brainwaves.

"Exactly, but even that didn't mean the person would gain access to security codes and passwords, or even know about safehouses and shelters or other secret facilities," explained Jax McManus.

"For that, the son of a bitch needed me." The voice sounded bitter and hurt. The redheaded girl speaking reminded all Mutant X team mates of Revolution. She could have been the young missing telekinetic's older sister.

"This is Alina Mathias, folks," introduced the haggard looking Ring leader. "Be careful around her, she is a no good snoop."

"Now, now, Lux, it wasn't her fault," placated Connor O'Hare, telempath and ursine feral, the gentle giant. "Who could know Yuri Simonov was alive and kicking?"

"Another unaccounted for mutant? Your database seems to be in need of updating, Adam" MacGyver spoke very low.

The scientist sat down next to Donna Gryphon and put his steaming mug of tea on the table. "He was born and raised in Saint Petersburg. The same agency that created him and all other Soviet mutants, later created Pushka 357, the DNA altering rifle. My database isn't that obsolete, Mac."

"Dreadful thing," shuddered Shal. "It almost killed Brennan."

Lux stepped in. "Yuri was an old-school telepath. I am a telepath myself, but I'm a mind-reader. Yuri not only read minds, but broadcasted and influenced. He was a controller. And he was Haven's lawyer. After he defected from the Soviet Union, before the Berlin Wall was torn down, he went to Law School here and joined Haven." Lux Windsor sucked air through her nose, fighting tears. "I guess once a defector, always a defector."

"Anyway, we thought Yuri had croaked in action." Jax took over the story. "His signature was recorded on Logan's mind and he could breach the Illusion. Only he wasn't dead, but he had been working with Lareou all along, the greedy bastard."

"We were in the main hall, Logan and I." Sitting on the floor, a little apart from the group, the shy Jewish young woman, Rahyll Greenberg, spoke so softly she was barely heard. The tiger by her side placed its massive head on her lap. "Yuri appeared out of thin air." Her eyes were lost somewhere in the past. "Logan couldn't believe what he saw. He started to say something, to greet Yuri. Logan was actually smiling, he was glad to see Yuri was alive." Rahyll's eyes were now swimming in tears. "Then that man, Lareou, appeared behind Yuri, and the spiky haired one, your Aidaan, Jax..."

"Mine, my ass," growled the lioness.

Rahyll didn't hear the feral speak. She was lost in her memories. "Kal-El sensed the danger and roared. I stepped in front of Logan, but he pulled me around... He caught the full force of the sound blast. If he hadn't protected me with his body, I'd be dead too." The girl buried her face in her hands and cried freely.

"You know the rest," completed Connor O'Hare. "I found Yuri at Al's flat. He was trying to finish her up, wipe her mind out completely." The gentle giant averted his eyes. "I lost it." He looked down at his tightly folded hands. "I killed Yuri, for good. Snapped his neck."

"And now, we know there's a gathering of mutants somewhere in the deep south of the US. A lot of genetically altered people seem to be on the move." Adam drank some of his already cold tea. "Lareou is rallying his troops."

"And we will be ready!" Jesse's voice sounded clear and strong from the kitchen's entrance door. Behind him came Emma, Brennan, and Cat. They flanked the door, as if opening way to the couple coming in.

The effect Ashley Elliot had in a room full of people was staggering. Her beauty and luminosity lit up any place she stepped into. Her fiancée, Chris Gaines, also presented a striking figure in his all black and silver metal attire, his stylish haircut, many earrings, and diamond-studded smile.

Adam jumped from his seat and ran to the just arrived girl. "Thank you for coming so fast, Ashley."

The model flashed her killer smile at the older man and took both his hands in hers. "You have nothing to thank me for. Whenever you say jump..."

Angela and Donna looked at each other, laughed and completed the sentence as one. "We ask how high!"

Feeling his heart fill up with hope for the first time in what seemed to be ages, Adam turned around and addressed the assembled Alliance. "If you want to see a miracle, come with me." He turned to the ursine feral and to the healer and mind-reader. "Connor, Lux, you've got to see this."

The pod's lid was opened, exposing the boy's body inside. Emma DeLauro could feel the urgency and desperation emmanating from Lux and Connor. They were eager to hold the boy in their arms and both heal and comfort him. But there was another emotion clenching her heart, and it wasn't coming from any one of the Ringers or even Jesse. It was coming from Cat. The panther feral was standing between Brennan and Chris Gaines and what she was broadcasting was beyond fear, it was almost panic. Emma, ever atentive, noticed Cat wasn't looking at either Ashley or the pod. The feral couldn't take her eyes off Adam. She was working herself into a state of panic over him. Why?

"I can feel the radiation all over him." Ashley ran her hands above Max's body. "It is stronger there, in... What's that?!" she exclaimed.

"That is a subdermal-governor," answered Adam.

"Oh, no, it isn't!" shot the young energy absorbing elemental, lifting her hair and showing the nape of her neck. "This is a subdermal-governor. That thing is a torture instrument."

"Good Lord, the poor girl has been implanted!" Donna Gryphon was appalled.

"And thank God I was. If not for this little device, I'd be either dead or mad." She looked at Donna, a beauty herself with her black and white hair, then at the strange Avian feral, Angela. "You've put together an odd bunch here, Adam."

"I have, haven't I?" smiled Mutant X leader.

"Doesn't it hurt you? I was implanted once and it hurt like hell," asked the Avian.

"It itches," answered the model. "Would you turn it off, please, Adam? I can't suck up that much radiation with the gov on."

Adam picked up a pasteur pipette from the counter and used the point to turn Ashley's sub-gov off.

The girl drew a deep breath as the almost forgotten rush of need swept through her body. "Now, give me a moment to work up the Hunger." She closed her eyes and breathed hard. "Brennan, step back."

The elemental obeyed, pulling Cat with him.

"Adam, have the Geiger ready."

Ashley Elliot's skin became sallow, her cheeks seemed to sink into her face and she acquired a hungry, even starving look. She looked like Famine, the second horseman of the Apocalipses. Panting, she turned to the boy lying inside the open pod and spread her hands a few inches above his body. A green light began to glow from the boy to the model's hands and she ran them over the unconscious figure from the feet up towards the head. As Ashley absorbed the radiation, she tossed her head back as a look of pure pleasure, of sheer delight spread over her face. She licked her lips in an almost sexual display of satisfaction.

Chris Gaines's eyes were bulging, almost falling off their sockets. He took a step towards his fiancée, only to feel a strong and large hand grab his shoulder.

"You've never seen Ashley feed before?" asked Brennan.

Chris just shook his head, unable to tear his eyes away from his fiancée.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine."

Ashley's hands reached the Max's sub-gov. She opened her eyes and covered the device with her right hand, pulling the hand slowly back up as if drawing the green glow clearly off the small disk. The beam linking the boy's neck to the woman's hand glowed brighter and brighter as a look of beatific pleasure took complete hold of her face. The model sucked air between her teeth and pulled harder. The green beam left the boy's neck, travelled through the air and disappeared inside Ashley's hand. The woman exhaled a few times, turned to her fiancée and fell in his arms. "Boy, that felt great! It's been a long time since I fed this good! Uhmm, yeah!"

Adam quickly turned on the laser sweep. The Geiger counter was silent, not a single beep. "Lux, knock yourself out," he said with a broad smile as he turned Ashley's governor back on.

With tears running through her cheeks, the Ring leader, psionic telekinetic and mind-reader with the molecular hybrid power of healing pulled the boy's limp body into her arms in a tight embrace as her white light shone all over him.

Connor O'Hare, ursine feral and psionic telempath was also sobbing openly. Despite all his huge size, the big man had a sweet nature and couldn't be more sensitive to other people's pain, specially his foster son's, whom he loved dearly.

As Lux's white light died down, the kid's eyes fluttered, then opened completely, and he looked around, seeing all the smiling and crying faces sorrounding him. He zeroed in on the person he loved the best.

"Hi, dad."

Flickers

Cat snapped the cell phone shut and waited. Soon, the transport would arrive at the restaurant's door. She knew they were ready for her. She was ready for them, too. The day she had lunched with Nickolas Lareou in that same eatery, trendy French fusion cuisine Chez Cox in the most expensive, most fashionable neighboorhood in the city... how long ago was it? It didn't matter. It felt like a lifetime had gone by. So much had happened to Mutant X in general and to Cat in particular. She felt like ten years older. Funny thing, Emma, Donna and Lux, even Jesse and Shalimar. All of them looked older, worse for wear. No matter, she wouldn't see them ever again. Not after what she had done. Catherine Scott, former trained assassin, ex-singer and exotic dancer, respected songwriter, was now a traitor and defector, waiting for her ride to her new hideout, proof of the price she paid for her new affiliation safely stored in her large purse. That was all she took with her from Sanctuary. That and the memories.

The silver BMW, a perfect match for Adam's car, stopped by the entrance and a man clad in black wearing the ever familiar face of the creator of mutant kind, stepped out of the car, walked around it and opened the passenger's door to Cat. 'That's official,' thought the panther feral. 'Aidaan Malone is a son of a bitch. How dare him disguise himself as Adam, of all people. That is a cruel joke, but he is a cruel man.'

"Come in, Cat, we don't have all day," called the shapeshifter.

Gracefully, the feline stood up from the table she was occupying, stepped down the stoop and got in the car without even looking at "Adam". She looked straight ahead and didn't turn even when the shapeshifter's body coalesced back into his true features.

The car ate up the road to the airport, where the two mutants boarded a lear jet plane. They flew for hours going to the south. Aidaan slept peacefully all the way down to Louisiana, while Cat didn't close her eyes. She couldn't stop thinking. Brennan... Adam... Jesse... Shalimar... Emma... All her old friends, and some new ones like Angela and Donna, the Cascaders... But first and foremost in her thoughts was Revolution. Ten years younger than Cat, but her best friend ever, nonetheless. How long ago was it? One year? Two? A hundred? Cat could still see the GSAgent running after Revolution in the alley, how she had jumped on the guy and kicked his ass big time. That GSAgent must have spent a while recovering in a hospital bed. And how they had mistaken Brennan for another agent. Cat smiled at the memory of Riley spinning Brennan in the air faster and faster! Bren almost lost his lunch! That had been a riot. Riley...

The plane landed on the Louis Armstrong International Airport of New Orleans. Outside the jet, it felt strangely hot for a winter day. Back up North, the weather was freezing cold, Spring still a while away. Here, deep in the south, it felt oddly stuffy.

Aidaan Malone took Cat by the elbow and motioned to lead her through the thorowfare. The feline dug her heels and glared at the molecular, who simply shrugged and shoving his hands in his pockets, shuffled on to the parking lot, where a nondescript SUV waited.

They drove until they reached an out of the way pier, where they boarded a speedboat. Aidaan expertly piloted the small craft. "Won't you use a visual cloak?" spoke Cat for the first time since he picked her up at the restaurant.

"What for? This place will soon be left behind." Aidaan smirked. "We will take over Sanctuary. Wonderful headquarters, don't you think?"

"You don't need Revolution to take you to Sanctuary." Cat turned to the shapeshifter. "Why bother with her if I can take you there myself?"

The molecular cackled a laugh. "You could take us there all right, but you couldn't override Kane's security systems. The trinket can. And, come on, I'm entitled to have some fun, after all. All work and no play, you know how it goes." The boat jerked to the left. "Hold on, I don't want to deliver a wet cat."

The sun was setting in the horizon, casting a golden glow over the ancient house that loomed over the river, presenting all the trimmings of a Southern Mansion. At any given minute, Scarlett O'Hara, in crinolines and pantalettes, would leave the building and pass under the high pillars that supported the upper porch. But the house looked old and abandoned. 'Good Lord,' thought Cat, 'it looks like the Haunted Mansion at Disney World!'

Aidaan offered Cat his hand to help her step out of the boat, but the feral simply ignored it. With her oversized purse hanging from her shoulder, Cat cautiously approached the manor house.

As the massive door opened, the whole New Order inner circle assembled under the double staircase that ran at each side of the marble-floored entrance hall. It was obvious the decaying, bedraggled outside look was a deception. Inside, the mansion was pristine, the lighting fixtures denouncing the state-of-the-art technology that surely was employed in the hideout.

Always fond of a dramatic entrance, the handsome Nickolas Lareou appeared on the balcony and leaned on the shining woodcarved railing.

"The New Order bids you welcome, Catherine, la Chat. You've already met some of my trusted colleagues, but I'll introduce them again, if you don't mind."

Nonchalantly, Lareou descended the stairs step by step. "You've met Salumandr Pandiat Singh, otherwise known as the Salamander."

The small Hindu man, dressed in a white traditional India suit with a Nehru collar, gold chain and pendant hanging from his neck, long beard and turban, pressed his hands together in a prayer fashion and bowed low without taking his eyes off Cat.

"My favorite girls, Bree Williams, terraformer, and Yukio Mishimoto, my cybergeisha."

The women stepped ahead, blew a kiss to Cat as if previously rehearsed and went to lean against the wall, under the stairs, waiting for their leader and lover.

"You know Mumbata Ntobo, my botanical, don't you, Catherine?"

The tall, wiry African in long dreadlocks seemed to sail towards Cat. He stopped a few feet away from her, extended his left hand and opened it, showing a small amount of soil in the palm. He touched the soil with the tip of his right index finger and pulled the hand up. A plant shot up from the palm of his hand and, in a matter of seconds, formed a perfect long-stemmed ruby red rose. The African Ntobo plucked the rose, kissed its petals and handed it to the new recruit with a florid bow.

"I don't think you'll remember Yanos Panarides, the chemical elemental, and Windell Mann, my weather man. You've only seen them in that fight at the hospital, and I remember I had to render you rather incapacitated. For that, I apologize."

The Greek mutant just smirked and turned away, while the Windman licked his lips and ogled Cat with a lecherous look in his large face.

"Meet Peter and Paul Fitzwalker, two of my psionics. There are others, but they're busy right now."

Two teenagers in oversized cargo pants, dark T-shirts, tatoos and piercings stepped ahead of the group. In her mind, Cat heard their voices, "Hi, babe... Wow, cool dudette..."

Cat's eyes glowed bright yellow, she smiled. The sweetness of her voice made her words even more threatening. "Get your scrawny asses out of my head before I cut you to ribbons... dudes."

Lareou cleared his throad. "Other than that, we have many other ferals, but they are just helpers and foot soldiers. But if you look up and behind you, I'd like to introduce you to the one heading our animal troops."

Cat did as she was told and, hanging upside down from a bar high up on the ceiling, a dark haired man had his arms crossed at chest level. He uncrossed them, spreading wings of thin, almost transparent skin. The bat feral's eyes glowed black as he took off from his inverted perch and landed in front of the feline, recrossing his arms and folding his wings.

"Meet Bruce Wainworth," introduced Lareou. "Yes, I couldn't stop laughing myself."

The man-bat bared his teeth and two front fangs grew in his mouth.

"Don't call him Batman, Catherine. Ever." Lareou was now next to Bruce. He took Cat's hand, turned it palm up and kissed it while looking directly into the panther's green eyes. "Now that you're here, did you bring your joining fee?"

Catherine Scott fished a wallet out of her purse, and a small compact computer disk shone between her fingers. "It's all captured on digital video. Many angles, lots of fun." She pulled the disk back. "I want to see Revolution."

Lareou smiled seductively. "In due time. First, lets go to the movies." And he delicately took the disk.

The New Order core group was scattered around the Mansion's common room. A huge TV screen was lit and ready to start running the night's main feature, "Murder in Sanctuary", as Aidaan Malone jokingly referred to it. Bree Williams and Yukio Mishimoto came in carrying bowls of popcorn they passed around to their team mates, and settled down next to Lareou. The small Hindu man known as the Salamander dimmed the lights and Yanos Panarides started the video player.

The pod shone a soft greenish light, it's transparent walls revealed a small teenager lying inside it. A man in black jeans and T-shirt stood up from the desktop computer where he had been working for a couple of minutes and approached the pod. He fiddled with a few commands on the lid and the holoimage above the console changed its angle. Adam shook his head and pursed his lips. The boy was only alive thanks to the stasis pod. If he ever was released from the pod, he would surely die of radiation poisoning, and the holoimage showed this diagnostic clearly.

"Great job, lotus flower!" said Lareou, his eyes fixed on the screen, as he drank every image shot inside his foes's hideout.

A noise outside the reach of the camera made the scientist break his concentration and look behind him. As he turned, another camera caught his face. He smiled. "Come in, Cat. What can I do for you?"

The young blonde woman was caught in another camera angle as she just stepped inside the MedLab. "The right question, Adam, is what can I do TO you." And she hit the lock up switch next to the door, sealing the lab.

Adam's face showed his surprise at the sudden change in his protegée, but he reacted fast, leaping and reaching for the emergency button on the computer console. A Japanese shuriken star hit and buried itself in the computer screen. A second and a third stars buried themselves in the computer, disabling the commands and preventing the older man of reaching the keyboard. A fourth star made the whole main computer console explode in sparks. All Sanctuary's intercom system was rendered useless. Adam hit his com link to summon his team, but he and Cat were shut inside the lab. When Brennan, Shalimar and the others managed to gain access to the room, it would surely be too late.

Adam Kane was a strong, fully trained fighter, extremely nimble for his age, but he was no match for a half transformed werepanther. Cat's teeth were now pointy and sharp, her nails were razor-like claws and her skin showed a thin layer of white fur. Her eyes were yellow beacons in the dim lit laboratory. Adam jumped over Max's pod and threw a chair at the feral, but she just cast it aside. The feline and the man circled the pod, eyeing each other. In a faster than lightining movement, Cat overturned the pod. It fell to her right, the lid popped open and Max's body rolled out, ripping electrodes from the kid's forehead and chest. Adam made a move to the boy and this moment of distraction cost him his life. In a ballet leap, the feline shot her clawed hand to the man's neck, ripping his throat, shredding it in gashes that splurted thick, red blood. Instinctively, Adam pulled his hand up to his neck, trying in vain to stay the blood flow, as he looked uncomprehensively at the feline. Cat's other hand ripped the man's belly open and new blood stained the lab's white floor. Adam staggered and his mouth worked, "Why?" but no sound came from him other then the gurgling noise of blood gushing from his neck and stomach. His knees buckled under him as he spun and fell against the overturned pod. Cat pulled his hand from his throat, meeting no resistance, and yanked the com link ring from his finger. Adam tried to speak again, but his head fell to the side. His chest stopped any movement and his eyes glazed over.

Cat looked at the door. Brennan, Jesse, Shalimar, and Emma were there, pounding like mad. With a wave of her hand, Donna Gryphon shoved all others to the side and stood behind the door, her long white-streaked black hair seemed to be blown away from her face by an impossible wind and she focused her telekinetic power on the transparent door. Cat jumped to the wall, slid opened a secret panel concealed behind the computer console, and, as the lab's main door exploded inwards, allowing the team to enter the room, she pulled the disk off the camera box.

In the New Order's video room, the screen went black as the renegade mutants cheered the end of the picture. Lareou was clapping his hands and smiling broadly. "Well done, Catherine, la Chat! Well done! I see you haven't lost your fine touch."

Cat pulled a small object from her back pocket and flipped it to Nick Lareou, who caught it in midair. On the palm of the New Chaos leader's hand, shone Adam Kane's commlink ring.

The metal door to the basement room opened with a clank. Cat entered together with Lareou, Aidaan and the twins. She ran to the rumpled cot where Riley Jackson was stretched, barely breathing, her eyes open and unblinking, as if she was lost inside a foggy limbo. Revolution was dirty, incredibly thin, her face stained, her clothes torn to tatters, showing more skin than the telekinetic would certainly approve. Her cheeks were sunk and her lips were swollen and cracked. Cat pulled Rev into her lap, but there was no reaction from the psionic. "What have you done to her?"

"Nothing... much," answered Lareou. "She is a tough cookie and I've put her under the twins' control. They're almost completely in control of her mind, so you will take us to Sanctuary and she will override the late Adam Kane's security systems his now headless team surely has kept operational."

"Have any one of you remembered to give her at least some water to keep her from dying of dehydration?"

A thoughtful look crossed over Lareou's face and he turned to Aidaan Malone. "Good question," he said.

"Oh, sorry," answered the molecular shapeshifter. "I must have forgotten to instruct the others."

Lareou's eyes were just slits.

"Ok, ok, I'll get her some water," growled Aidaan.

The New Order leader turned to Cat. "I promised you would have her almost unharmed. I'm a man of my word." And he cracked his scorpion smile. "Release her, boys."

The twins bent their heads and snapped them up again, looking directly to Riley. The young telekinetic's body jerked in Cat's lap and she blinked as her eyes refocused. Revolution recognized her best friend's face and rolled over and off the cot, crouching on the filthy floor of the basement cell. Ignoring the fact she had been implanted with a nasty sub-gov, she shot her hands and pinned the feral to the wall. Her voice was hoarse and dry. "Tell me about Sam Simpson, you bitch."

Cat's mouth opened but she couldn't speak as an invisible hand squeezed her throat. She looked at ther friend in shock. She knew! Someone told her who Cat had once been, what she had done in her younger years.

"Tell me about Simpson, you animal!"

Quickly, Lareou pulled a remote from his pocket, aimed it at Revolution and pushed the button. The telekinetic's body twisted. An inhuman howl poured from her swollen lips as she doubled over vomiting whatever it was she didn't have in her stomach. The girl screamed and screamed. When she lifted her head, blood was pouring from her nose.

"Stop it!" shouted Cat a she slid from the wall. "Stop it, Nick! No more!"

The man at the door released the button and the girl went limp on the floor, her breath ragged.

Crying, Cat snatched the bottle of water Aidaan had brought from the shapeshifter's hands, ran to Riley and pulled her up to her chest, making her drink.

"Tell me about Sam Simpson, Cat, please..." whispered Revolution.

"I'm so sorry," sobbed Cat. "I didn't know who he was. I didn't know who anyone of them was." She was weeping and holding Riley close, rocking her like a baby. "The GSAgents took me to the target, made me transform completely and let me loose. I had the target's image in my mind, but I didn't know who they were back then. I just had to attack. The feral had to kill, it was her nature!" Cat pulled Revolution closer, holding her tighter and tighter. "I'm so sorry. Please, forgive me! I didn't mean to kill anybody! I swear I didn't mean it, I couldn't help myself! I had no control over the feral!"

Unseen by Lareou, Aidaan or the twins, Cat pulled out her left silver loop earring, made to hold Riley's limp body even closer to her chest and clicked the piece of jewelry around the psionic's subdermal-governor. Chemically reacting against the metal and Revolution's DNA, the ring blend with the gov and disappeared, becoming invisible to the naked eye.

Riley's body jerked and stiffened again, as the twins regained control of her mind. Inside Lareou's brain, the kids's voices sounded clear. "Something broke inside her, boss. Probably her heart. She is ready. Whenever you want."

In Sanctuary's main computer room, Jesse Kilmartin hit the intercom with his fist as his mouth cracked a hard smile and his eyes shone with hatred. "Folks, they're on the move!"

Mount Badon – The Last Showdown Part 1

That was the tallest black man Nickolas Lareou had ever seen. In the middle of the bushes leading to the mountain where his foe's hideout should be located, the band had stumbled upon seven people, planted on the way as if waiting for them. A little ahead of the six Nick already knew as Blair Sandburgh, Jim Ellison, Cory Buchanan, Sam Malloy, and the elderly couple, Steve and Jamie Austin, towered this impossibly tall black guy, even taller than Mumbata's six‑plus feet.

"I am Captain Simon Banks. Cascade PD Major Crime Unit," barked the giant. "I've been given special federal jurisdiction over mutant matters by the president and the attorney general of the United States of America. Nickolas Lareou, you and your associates are under arrest for murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder."

Nickolas couldn't help himself. That was too humorous. He looked at his core team, Bree, Yukio, Aidaan, Pandiat Singh, Yanos, Windell, Ntobo, the twins holding the drooling shell that once had been Riley Jackson, and Cat Scott. The ferals were scattered around, looking for traps. Their laughter ecchoed on the mountains ahead. Only Cat and Riley had no reason for mirth. "You are the human contingent, the weakest link in the sorry gang gathered around Adam an Lux. Are you arresting us? You and what army?"

The seven humans pulled shiny pistol‑like miniature sub‑gov guns from their backs. "That army, Lareou," pointed the black man.

The face of the mountain ahead shimmered like a movie screen and the IMAX size image of a lanky blond man in his mid‑fifties appeared, smiling. "Hello, my name is MacGyver and I'm here to present the Making Of our blockbuster movie." His voice boomed in the clearing under the mountain, carried by a dozen cleverly disguised speakers. "Well... we haven't thought of a title, really. Maybe you'll help us there." And the man gestured as the camera panned to show Shalimar and Emma by a table in a state‑of‑the‑art kitchen, all in silver and white. "The first thing we needed was a lot of theater blood," proceeded the man named MacGyver. "It is very easy to improvise fake blood. You mix up corn syrup..." and he pointed to Shalimar, who poured a pot of syrup into a big transparent bowl, "...with enough grenadine to reach the proper color and texture." And he pointed to Emma, who poured the red liqueur into the syrup and stirred until the mixture was deep red and sticky.

Nickolas looked up at the holographic movie in disbelief as Cat took two steps ahead, her eyes bulging.

The image changed to Shalimar and Emma now using sponges to apply make‑up to a man's throat and belly. The man's face couldn't be seen, his back was turned to the camera. "Next, the fake blood is poured into plastic containers and applied to the actor, if I can call him that."

Nick and Cat faced each other. The New Order leader's face was a study in fury. The feral's was a study in shock and surprise.

"The two punks holding Rev by the shoulders..."

"I know. Emma..."

"Already on them. Cover me, Donna, I'll be out of the loop for a while."

"Lux, can you protect Emma?" asked Donna. " I have an appointment with a certain digicyber."

"My pleasure."

The bright mind burst came out of nowhere and, unseen by the New Order, who couldn't tear their eyes from the IMAX picture showing on the face of the mountain, hit Riley's forehead.

"I'm sure you've seen the main feature quite a few times now, Nick," the man in the picture went on. "Lets just show the highlights in detail." He smiled and the image changed again, this time to show the moment when a half panther Cat ripped Adam Kane's throat and belly. This time, the movie was shown in slow motion and the camera zoomed in on Cat's claws breaking only the fake skin covering Adam's neck and fake blood pouring out. The image froze and Mac's face appeared in the frame. "You see, our beautiful star is very skilled in her attack." He retreated and the movie caught on in normal speed, showing Adam spin and fall on the overturned pod, Cat opening the secret panel, the lab's glass door blowing up to shards and Cat yanking the disk from the camera. "Cut!" exclaimed Mac's voice out of camera reach. "That's a wrap!"

On the floor, the seemingly inert Max Monroe opened his eyes and looked around. Slowly, he pulled himself up on one elbow and spoke in a dramatically loud theatrical whisper, "I see dead people..."

Also on the floor, peeling the fake skin off his throat and belly, Adam burst out laughing as Cat, already back to her fully human form, jumped out of the secret panel. Donna, Shal, Emma, Jesse and Brennan, laughing themselves, joined the others in the middle of the lab. Mac, playing movie director, offered Adam a hand to help him stand. "If you're thinking about becoming an actor, don't quit your day job. You're a ham!" And that remark brought about another round of laughter on the gathering team.

Still cleaning his hands of the sticky fake blood on his stained trousers, Adam turned to Cat. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," sighed the feral.

Brennan stood behind Cat, ready to catch her, as Emma held the panther by the nape of the neck and threw a mindblast that caught the feral's brow dead center. Her eyes rolled up in her head and she fell backwards in the elemental's arms.

"Jesse, Brennan, go," ordered Adam.

"You have one hour before she wakes up," instructed Emma as the molecular and the elemental left the lab. She turned to Mac and Adam. "In Cat's mind, everything will be true. She will believe wholeheartedly that she killed you and fled Sanctuary to barter your life for Rev's."

Adam smiled, turned to Max and helped the boy stand. "Good job, everyone."

This was not the white dreamscape Emma DeLauro had visited before. This was the forest on the base of Stormking Mountain, where they really were that morning, only much more ominous. The trees were dark brown, the leaves were dark green, there was black moss on the ground under her feet and the sky above her head was overcast and rumbling, bolts of lightning crisscrosing the clouds. And it was completely deserted but for the girl floating in the middle of the clearing, her legs pressed together and her arms outstretched in the classic crucifix position. The girl's eyes were fixed ahead, unseeing, vacant and her head was slightly bent forward and to the left. Emma started walking towards the girl as two figures stepped out from behind the trees.

The twins were more than identical. Even their mother would have had a hard time telling them apart. They were one and the same, down to the last piercing, the last tattoo, and they wore the exact same clothes, oversized cargo pants falling down their hips and tight torn black T‑shirs. The same little smirk turned their lips upwards as they gestured to the girl, making her body jerk backwards, her head snap back and her limbs stretch even more.

"Let her go, boys," whispered the telempath with infinite sweetness.

A scream rose to the sky from Riley Jackson's throat. The twins's smirk only broadened a bit as they turned their hands and clenched their fists, daring Emma to do something or get the hell out of the telekinetic's mind.

Emma smiled back at the twins. "Not even if you were triplets."

Two other forms stepped up to the either side of the telempath, as Emma divided herself in three. From the center figure, a mind blast shot directly at Riley, pulling her out of the twins' control. Each one of the two other Emmas shot a black cloud directly at each twin, hitting the psionic teenagers square on the chest.

The two boys fell on their butts, their hands on their chests where the cloud hit. Cold sweat was pouring down their faces and damping their T‑shirts. They looked up at Emma in utter disbelief and their faces contorted. They sprung to their feet, turning towards Riley and their hands almost lifted in a mind torturing gesture.

Mindblasts shot from the three Emmas. The ones hitting the twins were black and drove holes on the teenagers's foreheads. The one hitting Riley was white and dazzlingly luminous.

"You can't do that!" The twin's mental voice rang in Emma's mind. "You're no controller, you're a mere telempath!"

"You don't know what I'm capable of." Emma kept the blasts firm, holding the twins and Riley in her psionic grasp. "Not even my friends know exactly what I'm capable of." And she pushed with her hands and her mind at the three forms dead ahead. The mental wave rolled from the three Emmas's foreheads and hit the twins and Riley in two black and one white tidal waves, cutting the connection between the punk kids and the telekinetic, making the boys explode and disappear from the dreamscape that was really Revolution's mind, as the telekinetic's body fell on the ground, free from the twins' domination.

Riley Jackson's head snapped up and her eyes refocused as she recovered control over herself and her surroundings. The twins were still flanking her, holding her by the shoulders, but they had no hold over her mind anymore. "Get out of my head!" she screamed and telekinetically pushed them away from her, tossing them twenty yards away.

Nick Lareou jumped, turned to Riley and pointed a remote at her. "You're dead." He pushed the button full force, expecting the psionic to crumble on the ground, her brain forever melted down by a massive stroke.

The roar behind him made Lareou scream. A half‑human, half‑panther woman stood in front of him, her teeth pointy and gleaming, her claws black and razor‑sharp, her skin covered in white fur and her green eyes slit and slanted. The creature tore a silver loop from her ear and threw it at the New Order leader. "Neutralized," it growled and sprung at the sonic elemental, who rolled to his right, avoiding the attack.

Steve and Jamie Austin each grabbed a twin by the hair with their right bionic hands and, with their left, touched the muzzle of a sub‑gov gun to their necks, firing and implanting the psionics with the coin like device. The teenagers screamed and fell panting on the ground with a shiny compact sub‑gov firmly nailed to the back of their necks.

The forces of Mutant X and the Ring were coming literally out of the woods. They seemed to detach themselves from the folliage and the shadows, appearing where the New Order least expected. No one noticed the two African American girls facing each other in a crevice of the mountain. Mylie Calhoun had Raisha Connors held hands, their eyes locked intensely and linked together by the bright green light that glowed from the feral's eyes. The psionic projectress was casting the lizard feral's chameleonic powers over all Alliance members, making them blend into their surroundings and disappear in a mock invisibility that confounded their foes.

Shalimar tapped a lean, dark man in a pony tail on the shoulder. He turned suddenly and threw a jet of acid gas at the feline's face, but she knew exactly who she was dealing with and did a backwards sommersault before the gas hit her, kicking the Greek mutant's on the chin in the process. He fell back and tried to sweep Shalimar's legs from under her, but the feral was nimbler and leaped, falling back on her feet and roundkicking Yanos Panarides. Shalimar Fox grabbed the mutant by the throat, preventing him from spitting gas and offered his neck to Capitain Banks, who quickly nailed him with a sub‑gov.

Aidaan Malone pulled a palm pilot from his back pocket and showed it to Yukio Mishimoto. The digicyber pointed a finger to the device and her body dissolved into numbers and equations and symbols and icons and it disappeared inside the handheld computer. The shapeshifter quickly dropped the machine to the ground and stepped on it, virtually trapping the cybermutant inside the Information Highway. She would have to come out somewhere else.

Donna Gryphon saw the Japanese mutant disappear. "She has entered the system body and all! I can't follow her physically!"

"Oh, yes, you can, Miss Gryphon!" exclaimed the young Max Monroe, as he grabbed the multipsionic by the waist and pointed to the palm pilot Adam was showing him. Both Donna's and Max's bodies shimmered and dissolved into a beam of light as they combined their powers to follow the cyber criminal into the virtual universe.

Windell Mann rolled his hands above his head summoning the clouds and hoping to cause a storm. He rolled and rolled his hands high untill he was satisfied the sky was ready to fall in buckets of water on the fighting teams. He brought his arms down fast, only to yelp as they crashed against Jesse's outstretched and massed up arms, hard as rocks. The weather elemental collapsed in front of the molecular, who kicked him in the gut, making Windbagman fall sprawled at Blair Sandburgh's feet. The guide quickly touched the mutant's neck with his gun and fired, implanting Windell Mann, who screamed and whimpered, his arms broken and his neck nailed. The rolling clouds that had gathered at his command withdrew as quickly as they had come, letting the sun shine on the battlefield.

As a botanical, Mumbata Ntobo was in his habitat. He belonged in the forest; there, he was invincible. His arms unfolded into tree limbs, his dreadlocks turned into vines, the vegetation growing around him took a life of its own.

Adam saw the African turn into the forest of living trees of his past vision and he just knew he had to cut his connection to the earth. Without a link to the soil, the botanical would be incapable of using his powers. The scientist leaped and drove his feet against the mutant's chest, but he had turned himself into a tree, his legs and torso hard as a trunk, his toes sinking into the earth as roots. No matter how hard Adam hit him, he was immovable. A vine coiled itself around the older man's neck as he managed to cast aside a branch that tried to impale him, but his air supply was cut out completely and black dots marred his sight. He felt his feet leave the ground as he was lifted by the neck. Soon, he would die like a hanged man swinging from the gallows.

Adam heard more than he saw the tree being ripped out of the earth roots and all. The vine that strangled him came suddenly loose and he fell on the ground. He imagined he was having another vision, as he saw the tree being slowly suspended in the air by a pair of powerful arms.

Connor O'Hare held the tree trunk from behind and pulled. He pulled and pulled until he felt the roots give and lose their dig on the soil. He pulled still until the tree was totally free from the earth, it's limbs crashing and trashing around him, trying in vain to hit him and retouch the precious soil that was its very life. Connor's arms kept the tree lifted above his head until it turned back into a man. He then threw the man against the rocks and, before the African had time to get his bearings, he hit him. The ursine fought like a bear, his hands open, slapping his opponent rather than punching him. Connor slapped Ntobo once, twice, three times. And he roared. He roared like the grizzly bear he was.

In the Northern forests, bears were kings.

Bree Williams ran to the very base of the mountain and bending her knees in a ballet movement, started pounding the ground, making the rocks that supported Stormking shake and tremble. The whole mountain threatened to roll down and the two mutants up in a crevice, Mylie and Raisha, had to break their contact in order to cling to their lives. With Mylie's concentration broken, the spell‑like power of chameleonic invisibility stopped its effect and the Alliance members suddenly appeared in full force to their New Order enemies. The ferals from Mutant X's Beast Brigade and the Ring's Feral Force ran after Lareou's foot soldiers, who tried to stand their ground, but they were grossly outnumbered.

Brennan Mulwray saw the blonde surfer terraformer shaking the mountain and threatening to bury them all alive. He was at a safe distance and, this time, there was no rain to electrocute him as he used his powers. Rolling his hands in a circular motion, he gathered energy between his fingers and shot at the terraformer, throwing her twenty yards away. He could have killed her. Frankly, he didn't give a damn.

"I can feel her ahead, Max. Go faster!"

"I'm going as fast as I can," panted the young energy‑travelling mutant. "We will catch her."

The Japanese digicyber's virtual body could be seen ahead as she ripped at a wall of lights, throwing sparks as her hands slashed the circuits. Yukio Mishimoto was destroying vital information on Sanctuary's databanks in her hurry to gain access to the hideout's computer security system. Files upon files were being irretreavably deleted from the hard disks as the cybermutant forced her way into Sanctuary's mainframe.

Suddenly, Yukio felt her cyberbody being pulled away from Sanctuary's wall of information and she flew backwards, passing Donna Gryphon's cyber shape. Only, this time she was more... solid. How could it be? Yukio knew only Donna's cyberbody could travel the highway. She couldn't turn her physical body into binary codes and enter the Net. The Japanese had no time to ponder further on that mystery as she crashed against the threads of light running back and forth as information and data was exchanged by billions of computers throughout the world. Hundreds of thousands of connections were broken as Yukio cut through the lines crisscrossing the virtual universe. The New Order digicyber stopped it's backwards flight and she felt as if an invisible hand had grabbed her by the collar and was pulling her forward in Donna Gryphon's direction. That was impossible! That bitch couldn't yield her other powers while in her cyberbody! She couldn't use telekinesis, unless... And Yukio heard Max Monroe laugh as Donna greeted her with the sole of her foot. Yukio gasped as she felt the kick hit her stomach. The three of them were inside the highway with their bodies, meaning they could feel the punches as they fell, and the digicyber was outnumbered. She could see the fire in Donna's eyes as she spun and backhanded her. Yukio responded quickly, punching Donna, but the multipsionic was a skilled martial arts fighter and blocked the punch, pulling Yukio at the same time, forcing the Japanese to roll as she was thrown again against the data threads. Again the digicyber was pulled back into the fight and again she was greeted by a fist on the chest. A punch to her chin made her head snap back and the Japanese jumped backwards. This time, she spread her arms and turned to the data light threads, letting the beams pierce her body and puncture holes in it, each hole a beacon of light, until her body dissolved completely into the information highway.

Max turned to Donna. "Can you feel her? I can't feel her anymore!"

"I can't feel her either. Not as a whole entity, I mean. But she is still out there." Donna flew into the miriad of lights that travelled at ultraspeed through the virtual universe. She started spinning faster and faster, the light threads surrounding her glowing cybershape and attaching themselves to her, making it look like a light cocoon had formed around her. The glow was increasing exponentially as more light gathered around the multipsionic until the enormous ball of light exploded in billions of sparks.

Max screamed and covered his mouth with his hands until he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned and saw Donna standing there in full cyberbody, smiling at him. "What did you do? I saw you blow up!"

"I scattered that bug through the whole Internet in billions of bits. I made sure that computer virus will never pull herself together again. Literally."

"It will take her decades to find each binary code that used to make her whole!" exclaimed the young Ring computer expert. "You've locked her up in a virtual prison."

"Exactly. Let's go back, they need us."

From her vantage point on the mountain top, the Avian feral Angela used her blue bionic eyes to scan the battle ground below. All of a sudden, the mountain shook from the tip where she perched to its very foundations. Angela had to grip the tree branch tighter with her talons lest she fell from her perching point. A high pitched squeak made her look down to her right. Fifty yards away, a winged creature attacked the two dark skinned women on the crevice overlooking the forest. Raisha, the chameleon feral, blended with the rocks behind her and disappeared. Mylie, the psionic projectress, fell back as far as she could, but the thing flapping its wings and screeching would get to her any moment. This time, there was no hesitation possible. The Avian reached back and pulled her cane from the harness that crossed her chest and her back. With the sturdy oak stick in her hand, she dove towards the bat feral and hit it on the shoulder with all her strength.

The bat feral yelped loud and forgot all about his previous prey, turning to the Avian.

"Come fight with a flier like yourself!" The feathers on Angela's wings were standing on end, angrily ruffled as she flew around the bat and swung her cane at his back again, missing the blow as the flying mammal dove in a curve and flew back up. The falcon dove in a similar motion, waiting for the bat to plunge again and, this time, driving the point of her cane into his chest, knocking all air from the man‑bat's lungs.

The flying feral fought for air, but quickly recovered, and, as the falcon hit with her cane one more time aiming his stomach, he flew up and the cane was shattered against the rocks on the side of the mountain.

The falcon flew back and put a little distance between herself and the bat. For a split second, they eyed each other, the mammal's eyes glowing black and his fangs growing in his mouth. That was something Angela's bionic eyes couldn't do. They couldn't glow feral anymore, but the sparkle was there and she knew it. The two airborne ferals, the mutant and the hybrid, their wings flapping like mad, flew at each other and clashed in midair. Angela's talons sunk into the bat's black wings, stopping their motion, as the bat's fangs tore at her left arms muscles, making the Avian scream. They fell from the sky like a missile, the falcon's wings folded on her back. When it was all but certain they would crash on the ground, the falcon spread her wings, her feet talons sinking on each side of the bat's waist and pulling him away from her. Her right hand shot at his throat and held fast as her eyes quickly scanned the battle ground. "Jim!" she yelled and flew directly to the Sentinel, who pointed his sub‑gov gun and pulled the trigger as soon as the muzzle touched the bat's neck.

"Are you OK?" Adam pulled the Avian to face him and bent his head to look at her torn arm.

"I'll need rabbies shots," panted the falcon as she saw her uncle lift his eyes from her arm and look behind her. She felt him spin her around and hug her as if to protect her with his own body. Straining her neck and looking over his shoulder, she saw the blue ball of fire thrown by the Pakistani thermal mutant coming directly at them. Angela screamed and hugged Adam back. They were less than a second away from burning to death.

MOUNT BADON – THE LAST SHOWDOWN PART 2

Harold (Harry) Bloomenfeld, canine feral, was a proud man. And a good fighter. He could take another two of those ridiculous felines on any time and come out unscathed. Crouching, Harry growled at the New Order ferals and made to attack. The hissing behind him made him stop in his tracks. Slowly, he turned his head just enough to see what was stalking him without turning his back all the way to the felines. Another two ferals, ophidians, stood in a combat stance a few feet behind him, their fangs fully grown and dripping venom from their mouths. Harold (Harry) Bloomenfed, proud canine feral, felt a drop of icy cold sweat trickle down his spine. Snakes. He hated sn...

"I was looking for some! Thought I'd never find any!"

The joyful yell made Harry look up. Jumping down from a tree branch, LizzieAnn Bowen landed next to Harry and faced the snake ferals. Her lithe body seemed to stretch in the elastic taupe Feral Force jumpsuit she was wearing, as the mangusto half breed leaped at the ophidians and circled around them. With the heel of her hand, she snapped shut the chin of the nearest snake feral, making him bite himself. Snakes. LizzieAnn loved snakes!

The salt water wave loomed high above the two hienas as they ran inland, trying in vain to escape the onslaught of the sea. As the wall of water hit the two ferals, they could swear they saw the face of a green haired woman in the liquid. The hienas gurgled and coughed, the water whirling around them, until it washed them directly to Cory Buchanan's and Sam Malloy's hands. After the sub-govs were in place, the puddle of water shot upwards, materializing in a slender young woman with long greenish hair and green eyes. Yara Oliveira smiled at the two humans and smirked at the hienas. "Not much for surf, are they?"

The scream overpowered even the bedlam of the battle ground. Everything and everyone stopped as the blue ball of fire hovered in the air some five feet above the ground, a handspan away from its target. It should have hit it dead on, but it didn't. It just stood there, hovering, rolling fast and in place around its own axis.

Adam and Angela, holding each other, waited for the hit and the heat, but neither came. Realizing nothing was coming, they parted and looked at the fireball rolling in place. They looked around them, taking in the situation.

Revolution had her hands stretched, as if holding the ball, only she was standing fifteen yards away from the orb. Her eyes were glued to the fireball.

The small man in a turban and Hindu attire contorted his face in hatred and pulled his hands together as if cramming up air between them. The space between his hands shimmered as heatwaves formed between his palms and a new blue ball took shape and began rolling faster and faster. Salumandr Pandiat Singh hurled the ball directly at Adam and Angela, hoping the telekinetic Riley Jackson was already busy with the first one.

Lux Windsor shot her hand out and, with a gesture, stopped the second ball in midair. In perfect synchrony, the Ring leader and the young Revolution pulled the balls they were holding with their power closer and bounced them with their hands without ever touching them.

The Pakistani's face acquired a darker hue and his breath deepened. He repeated his motions and formed a third ball. Looking first at Lux, then at Revolution, he hurled the third ball, daring them to drop those they already had and stop the third deadly projectile. His mouth gaped as this new ball also stopped short of hitting its target.

Stepping in front of Adam and Angela, Donna Gryphon held her left hand palm outwards and stopped the ball two feet away from them. With her right hand, a small smile playing in her face, she pushed the older man and the Avian away and started bouncing the ball herself. "Volleyball, anyone?" she asked, looking around at her fellow telekinetics. She tossed the ball to Revolution, who tossed hers to Lux, who, by her turn, tossed hers to explode at Pandiat Singh's feet. The Pakistani jumped back and tried to form another ball, only to jump again, as Revolution's ball exploded to his right. The thermal elemental formed smaller balls that shimmered around his fists and threw them fast at the telekinetics, who responded in kind, blocking and sending the balls back the way they came. Quickly, blue balls of fire were flying all around the battle ground, exploding everywhere and threatening to hit not only the fighters for Mutant X and the Ring, but also the very New Order ferals who were fighting or trying to escape the perimeter.

Nick Lareou and Aidaan Malone looked at each other. Pandiat Singh was one of the most powerful operatives the rogue mutant organization had in its ranks, but he was one against three telekinetics. The throwing knife shone on the shapeshifter's hand as a sound blast rose on the sonic elemental's throat, aimed directly at Riley Jackson.

Revolution had her back to the spiky haired molecular shapeshifter. Her hands moved like lightning, preventing the fireballs from doing even more harm then they already did. With a malevolent grin, Aidaan drew back his fist and released the knife, which flew straight and true to its target, only to be stopped by a blur of white fur leaping in its way. With lethal force, the knife penetrated the half panther, burying itself in her chest under the ribs and pointing upwards, cutting from navel to sternum, nicking the aorta artery, and piercing the feral's heart. The blue eyed albino panther, caught in mid leap, landed and rolled, the knife entering deeper into her body, the fur retreating into the skin, the ponty teeth retreating into the mouth, the paw-like hands returning to human form. The werepanther was again a woman, lying on the ground, a pool of blood oozing from her chest and darkening the thin sandy soil under Stormking.

Thrown against a rock, Lux Windsor's whole body glowed white as her self-healing power kicked in and fixed the cuts and bruises the sound blast had inflicted her. Turning around, she glared at Nick Lareou, who locked his own eyes on hers. Leader to leader, foe to foe, they circled around. "It's you and me, Lux," said the head of the New Order. "No more cat and mouse games, no more hunting."

"You killed Logan. Now, my daughter will grow up without a father."

"I did and she will. You need a stronger man, not a pathetic junkie like your illusionist." Nick reached out, offering Lux his hand. "Together, we are invincible, Lux. We can have the world at our feet."

"The only think I want at my feet is you, Nick." And she pushed with her hand, throwing a telekinetic blast at Lareou, but the sonic blocked it with a sound wave that hit the young Ring leader square on the chest like a horse's back kick. This was the chance Lareou was waiting for and he quickly took it, running to the fallen girl and standing over her. He opened his mouth and threw her another sound blast that would certainly blow up her eardrums, destroying Lux's balance and hearing forever.

"You are a lousy singer," exclaimed the girl, as she used her powers to push herself up and kick the criminal mutant exactly where it hurt the most. It connected.

The spider feral dropped from the tree where she was hiding in front of the two teenagers. Jamal Calhoun and Max Monroe were watching the battle unfold. They knew they were inadequate fighters by any standards, one a regular human with no fighting skills, the other a telecyber and energy travelling mutant with non-aggressive powers. Their backs against the rocky side of the mountain, they had nowhere to run.

The spider woman smiled and two side snapping fangs grew out of her mouth. Her movements were deadly fast and she toyed with the kids, moving to attack and then retreating and laughing at their fear. A white gooey spittle shot from her throat, passed between the fangs and splashed against the boulder to their right, cutting their escape route. A second thread shot from the insect feral's mouth and splashed against the rock to their left, blocking the way. The two kids were trapped against a rock and the web that kept coming and closing them in. Soon, it would become a cell. Max and Jamal tried to break the web, but the cords were impossibly strong and seemed coated in glue. The more they fought, the more entangled they became.

A hissing sound made the insect turn away from her prey. Fangs snapping, she faced her new enemy, a small feral man, his eyes glowing green in the reptilian way, pointy hollow teeth sticking out of his mouth, dripping venom.

Zack Coniglario seemed to coil as he sprung towards the spider, his hands bearing all his weight on her shoulders, making the insect woman fall to her side and roll with him on the ground, her fangs click-clicking, looking for his throat.

The two animal mutants, the cobra and the arachnoid rolled, each trying to bite the other, poison drops showering around them, until the spider managed to shove the snake man back against the sticky web. Zack ripped open his shirt and slid out of it, leaving it hanging on the threads. Crouching low, he swept the spiderwoman's legs from under her, but the insect was fast and ran sideways, escaping his grasp.

From inside the web cage, Jamal and Max saw Zack Coniglario run after the insectoid. To their eyes, he seemed to slither like the snake he was. And he was fast. The boys gasped as the Ring's head of security bent his knees and leaped, did a sommersault in the air and landed with his feet squarely on the woman's back, sending her sprawling on the ground. As she tried to flee on all fours, looking more spidery than ever, he pulled her back by the ankles and bit her thigh deep, pumping her full of poison. He heard her scream and grab her leg. Her eyes were haunted now, and she tried to crawl away from him. The fear of dying of the snake's venomous bite was pouring from her eyes, as she retracted her side-snapping fangs and whimpered. Zack grabbed the woman by the shoulders, pulled her up and closed his hand on her chin and mouth, keeping it shut. He pushed her backwards as Capitain Banks came running, his sub-gov pistol at the ready.

Nickolas Lareou gasped as pain exploded between his legs. He doubled over, a bitter taste in his mouth.

Lux spun fast and round kicked Lareou, sending him sprawling backwards, but the New Order leader was a strong man and a vicious fighter. He released a sound blast that caught Lux directly and sent her flying back against the rock. Only her telekinetic power could prevent her from hitting the side of the mountain. Stopping her backwards motion, Lux hoisted herself up, gaining height. She rolled around in the air and dove directly at the sonic elemental, using her power to haul him up in the air, dragging him back up in an upside-down wave. The sonic elemental was lifted by invisible hands clamped on his shoulders. He was lifted all the way up until he was face to face with Lux, her wrath emmanating from ther whole body in white waves of raw power.

Aidaan Malone was a knife man, his weapon of choice was the blade, cold steel, perfect balance, good for perforating, severing and throwing, something he did with deadly accuracy. He could have a knife-throwing number in a circus, if he so wished. Too bad the knife didn't hit his first intended target. That feral monster stopped it with her own body, the stupid animal. Aidaan had warned Nick time and again not to trust that bitch, but sometimes Nick thought with his genitals, not his brain. No matter, the deceiving whore had gotten what she so highly deserved. Now, he would try again for the little telekinetic who was giving Pandiat such a hard time, governor and all. How could that Revolution girl still fight when the gov was pumping her full of radiation and destroying her imune system? She should be passed out, drowning in her own vomit, the little wretch. She had incredible stamina. Nothing a good knife between the shoulder blades couldn't cure. He got the weapon from his ankle holster and threw it.

The hand came out of nowhere in a rolling motion, jumping and turning in an athletic display fit for an Olimpic gymnast. The red short hair of the nimble and muscular lioness shone in the sun as she landed on her feet between Revolution's back and the shapeshifter, the throwing knife's hilt secure in her palm. A third throwing knife shone in the sun, as it flew directly at the feline feral chest. Jax grabbed the weapon in midflight, her speed defying reason itself. She threw both knifes at Aidaan Malone, making them stick and quiver at his feet. Whatever she intended to do to that man, she would do it with her bare hands.

Pandiat Singh was proving himself a tireless fighter. He jumped and rolled and turned, fast as lightning, all the time hurling fireballs that would kill on touch. The two telekinetics were having a hard time blocking his onslaught, one of them, the smaller girl, visibly tired and faultering. The Pakistani saw the little waif of a girl return a ball and sway on her feet and seized the chance, throwing three successive balls at the girl and another three at the other woman, the one with the white streaks in her long black hair.

The young man with the golden hair pulled the young exhausted telekinetic into his arms, turned around fast and willed his body hard as granite, impervious to the thermal mutant's power. The three blue balls of fire hit Jesse Kilmartin's back and exploded harmlessly on his massed up body.

The older man dressed entirely in black, the one Salumandr recognized as his main target, Adam Kane, leader of Mutant X, grabbed the white haired telekinetic by the waist and rolled with her, pulling her away from the deadly missiles's path, as the bird woman Salumandr had hit on the first battle released a piercing screech and flapped her wings, flying up above the fight. The three balls of fire aimed at Donna Gryphon exploded harmlessly on the ground where she had been a second before.

A new fighter took their place, another woman, her thick, long brown hair gleaming in the sun, her stunning blue eyes shining as lightning bolts criscrossed the irises. Her face would be the synonym of beauty, but for the hungry, starving look that hollowed her cheeks and sunk her eyes. Facing the Pakistani mutant was Famine, the second horseman of the Apocalipse. The creature cackled a laugh and croaked, "Feed me, mutant. I hunger for your power."

MOUNT BADON – THE LAST SHOWDOWN PART 3

The spiky haired, grinning molecular bent from the waist but never took his eyes from Jax's. The two knives gleamed at his feet, inviting him to pick them up again and put them to good use against the lioness. Years ago, he had made her believe he loved her. And he had enjoyed it thoroughly. The woman could be wild in bed. He had enjoyed it all the more when he framed her for murder. She took the fall until DNA testing proved she was innocent upon appeal, but then she had already spent a couple of years doing hard time in his stead. The real perp, himself, was never aprehended. Good job. Now, he was about to finish it. With flair. The knives almost leaped to his hands, and he stepped to the side, begining a circular motion. His eyes never left hers, and she moved to the other side. They were half crouching, knees flexed, almost dancing. Aidaan sprung at the feline, who used his own momentum to shove him far, but he landed rolling over himself and throwing one knife directly at her. Jax rolled herself, caught the knife still flying and threw it back at him in the same motion. Aidaan let the weapon fly by him and bury itself in a tree trunk. He turned all the way around and aimed a kick at Jax's face. The feline blocked it easily, pulling the shapeshifter's leg to break his balance. Aidaan jumped high, rolled in the air and landed behind her, driving his foot at the small of Jax's back. The lioness ducked and the back kick missed. The deadly dance continued as they attacked and blocked with clockwork precision, until Jax landed a punch that sent Aidaan flying twenty yards backwards.

The sound blast was aimed at the ground, not at Lux Windsor, and the wave propelled Nick upwards and over the young Ring leader. The sonic elemental descended on the psionic with all his strength and weight, pulling her back down. The girl spun in the air and shoved Lareou to the side of the mountain without ever touching him. With an invisible fist, she pulled him back to her. Nick wasted no time. As soon as he was withing reach, he tried another sonic blast. It should blow Lux's ears away, destroy her balance, melt her brain, damnit. Why was she still standing? How could she still have him in her telekinetic grip? The unseen hand that pulled him inexorably to the girl had him by the throat and now he couldn't release anything, not even a gasp. He saw her raise her hand and make him float above her, while with her other hand, she pulled a plug from her ear. They had been ready for him all along! Nick saw Lux smile as she showed him the filter that protected her from his power, while she slowly crushed his windpipe. The bitch was strangling him, cutting off all air from his lungs... And she was enjoying it! He would be dead any second... And he fell on the ground, suddenly released from the vise that was crunching his throat.

The fireballs hit the gaunt ghost of starvation dead on the chest and disappeared. The squalid woman sucked them into herself and howled in delight. She didn't burn, she didn't scorch, she didn't flare up. She came! The pleasure emanated from her in waves of delight. And she could never be satiated. There wasn't energy enough in Pandiat Singh, or in Brennan Mulwray, not in a powerplant of continental proportions, not even in the sun itself to leave that wraith sated. The more thermal force the Pakistani hurled at the creature, more it demanded, manically repeating, "Give me more! Give me more!" and walking towards him. The ghost of pure hunger was unstopable, ancient and ugly. The Sikh roared his frustration as he crammed up all the energy he could possibly muster in a huge single blue fire ball. Rolling his hands around the fiery orb, Salumandr sent it flying, but with a sucking sound, the thing slurped the ball up and howled like a banshee. Spent and drained, the Pakistani heard the sound of flapping wings behind him and slowly turned around, facing what he thought was the angel of death descending upon him. The winged woman backhanded him with unexpected strength, a blow that sent the small elemental sprawling at Steve Austin's feet. The sub-gov was implanted with lightining speed.

The sun was shining on her, but she felt so cold. And feather-light... As if she was floating in the breeze. How could the day be so beautiful and bright, while the world was turning upside down around her? Sounds clanked in the distance, shouts, thuds, blasts. The air was thick with the smell of ozone. She smiled. It meant her mate was using his powers. The electric discharge left that smell in the air. She felt it tingle in her nostrils. Shalimar must feel it, too. Lying on her side, Cat could see everything that was going on in the battlefield: Adam saving Donna from the fireballs, Angela flying away and returning to punch the Salamander, Lux, high up in the sky, holding that bastard Lareou hanging in the air. There was no pain, only cold, and it was worming its way from her feet up. She felt the cold spreading through her body and she knew, clear as the day, that when it reached her heart she would be dead. No problem, it would be a relief. It was all right, really. Before she went out to join the New Order, she had left the letter ready with Chris Gaines. If anything happened to her, he should give it to Brennan and Riley. And, she thought with a chuckle, something did. She saw Jesse pick Revolution up in his arms, turn around and mass up, blocking the missiles sent by the Pakistani mutant. She looked so pale, so thin, so dirty and pained, her friend. If Riley was dying, then Cat's own death would be meaningless. That couldn't be, shouldn't be... With superhuman effort, the wounded feline raised the hand that clutched at her wound. "Rev," she called. "Revolution..."

Jesse had Revolution in his arms. It felt like they had been parted for a lifetime, not just a few days. He was holding Riley, but less of her. She was thin to the point of weightlessness, her skin was matted, her clothes, the same she was wearing when she was traded for Maxwell Monroe, were torn and filthy, her hair was stiff with dry sweat and dirt, but nothing mattered to him, she was there and in one single piece. Everything else could be fixed. He craddled her with enormous care and tenderness, feeling she rest her head on his shoulder and painfully lift her arm to hold him back, and he pulled her even closer, hiding his face in the crook of her neck. The faint call made him pull away. From the girl in his arms sprung a strangled cry, "Cat!"

The strength of Jax's shove sent Aidaan directly against Lux, breaking her concentration and making her release her grip on Nick Lareou. Molecular and psionic collided and rolled on the ground. The air around them shimmered and, as they rolled and parted, there they were, two Lux Windsors, identical to the last detail. The only thing different was the knife that shone in the hand of one of them.

Jax MacManus did a forward flip and landed facing the two Luxes. She stopped dead and, for a moment, didn't know which one was the real Ring leader, which one was a fraud. One of the girls, with mind-numbing speed, lunged at the lioness, the knife aimed at ther stomach. Jax jumped, but the blade caught her in a glancing blow that opened a gash on her side. The lioness lightly touched the wound, blood coating her fingers and heard the other Lux scream her name and raise her hand, but a vicious kick to her back sent the girl against her other self again. The two girls rolled on the ground until they stopped side by side, one holding the other, and the knife had magically disappeared. "It's Aidaan, Jax! Nail him!"

"No, I'm Lux and you know it!"

"I'm Lux! He is Aidaan!"

The two Luxes parted and turned to Jax, who was half kneeling, holding her bleeding side.

"I'm Lux, Jax!" exclaimed one of the girls, pointing at the other. "He is Aidaan! Nail him fast!"

The other Lux just looked at Jax, smiled, dropped her eyes and shook her head slightly, waiting.

Painfully, the feral stood and approached the girls. Since her eyes deceived her, she closed them and let her other senses tell her the truth. Her nostrils flaring, she nailed the scent she knew like the back of her hand. Her friend, her leader, her goddess was unmistakable and if that bastard thought he could have duped her, he was sorely mistaken. She turned to the Lux standing to her right, opened her eyes and growled.

The knife shone again. With a wolfish grin in her mouth, Lux plunged the knife on Jax, but the feral was too quick and grabbed the girl's wrist, turning her around, holding her from behind in an immobilizing grip. With her hand closed on the false leader's hand still clutching the knife, Jax MacManus pulled Lux's arm up and made her slice her own throat from ear to ear.

Lux staggered, her hand dropping the knife to hold her own gaping neck. As blood splurted from the wound, her body shimmered one last time, the long brown hair shrinking and turning yellow, the breasts and hips narrowing and flattening, the female features hardening into the shapeshifter's cruel face, now showing enormous surprise and shock. Aidaan's knees buckled under him and he knelt on the ground, still clutching his open throat, his eyes clouding in utter disbelief as life left him together with the blood that trickled down his chest.

Jesse felt Riley squirming in his arms, struggling to get down. Usually, she would kick him until he let her go. Now, she could barely move. He let her slip all the way to the ground, took off his jacket and ran to Cat. Kneeling next to the feline, his first impulse was to use the fabric to try and stop the blood flow, but it was impossible. The knife was stuck to the hilt in her chest, and it was the only thing that kept her from bleeding to death even faster.

Riley crawled to her fallen friend. Facing Jesse, she pulled Cat's head to rest on her lap. "Do something! Anything! Lux! Adam! Anybody!" She looked around and saw two Luxes fighting in front of a hurt Jax MacManus. Adam was right then punching Nick in the face and making the bastard land between Jim Ellison and Blair Sandburgh, who had their pistols drawn and ready. "Please, somebody help Cat!" cried Riley, tears flowing free from her eyes.

"I think it's too late, little sister," whispered Cat, her blood-stained fingers touching Riley's cheek. "The cold is almost... here..."

Revolution wept. For Cat, for all the friends she had lost in the past, for all the children whose death and suffering she had witnessed, but mostly, for herself. Revolution wept.

Jesse looked around, but there was no one near them. "Brennan!" he yelled.

Cat's face was ghostly pale, her lips devoid of all color. Weakly, she grabbed Rev's tattered shirt, pulling the girl's face closer. "Forgive me..." Cat could be barely heard. "I never... never meant to kill... anybody..." She closed her eyes and grimaced.

A shadow fell upon her as Brennan Mulwray dropped to his knees. He formed a tesla coil in his hand, ready to restart her heart, but withdrew it. The knife was sticking out of her chest, preventing any action. He reached for it, closed his fingers around the hilt.

"Don't touch it!"

Adam came running, followed by Shalimar and Emma, as Angela landed next to Cat. The doctors crouched and quickly checked the wound. The position of the knife blade made it impossible to remove it without killing Cat faster. Any kind of first aid measure would be useless. They looked at each other and shook their heads.

Cat was lying between Brennan and Riley, both of them craddling her in their arms. She turned her head to her mate and smiled, her eyes glowing. "I love you..." she soundlessly formed the words as the feral light faded from her green eyes and a cloud descended on them. Her head fell on Brennan's shoulder and her fingers let go of Riley's shirt.

Revolution wept.

AFTER THE STORM

The ring startled him, pulling him out of his reverie. He must have dozed off, holding her tight. Jesse Kilmartin rubbed his eyes. For hours he had held her, soothed her, caressed her. He looked at Riley. She was gaunt, only skin and bones, new lines drawn in her face, dark circles under her eyes, the governor still sticking out of her neck. Ashley had drained the radioactive isotope of energy, cleaning Riley's body and stopping the poisoning, but much damage had already been done. Her organs, mainly her liver, had been damaged beyond repair. Thank God for Lux Windsor, he sobbed. She couldn't save Cat, but she saved Riley. She reconstituted her, fixed her body as much as she could without endangering herself. Now, it was up to him to fix Riley's heart and her mind, and this was another ball game entirely. Even sedated, she turned and trashed, crying softly in her sleep.

Cat... it was hard to believe she was really dead. He saw her breathe her last in Rev's and Brennan's arms, while all others looked on. Emma was overwhelmed with the emotions raging in the mountain top, Shalimar wailed, Donna sobbed... Angela covered her face with her hands, her wings folded on her back, she looked like a statue in a graveyard. Brennan hugged Cat's body and cried like a little boy. Adam sat on the ground, his head on his knees. And Lux... She had run like crazy when she saw Cat lying there, but it was too late. She had tried to use her power on Cat, but Jax and Adam had stopped her. It wouldn't work anyway.

He looked at his girlfriend. Riley was still dirty, even after he changed her ruined clothes for her favorite nightgown. The sheets would need changing, he thought. and chuckled sadly. She hated making beds. No matter, he would make the bed for her with Egiptian linen and lacy pillow cases. Jesus, he loved that woman.

The ring sounded again. "Come in."

The door slid open, letting Shalimar and a strange looking winged woman in. The feline went straight to Jesse and sat down next to him on the big chair by the bed, while the Avian examined the IV drip that helped with Rev's dehydration. The doctor's practiced hands, ugly as they were, changed the saline solution bag, inserted needles in the proper place and injected the light colored medicine, antibiotics, vitamines, sedatives, whatever it was she and Adam had agreed Riley needed in the serum. Then, she bent down and checked on Riley's vital signs, measuring her BP, temperature, heartbeat rate. All that could have been automatically monitored in the MedLab, but Adam thought, and Angela agreed wholeheartedly, that Riley really needed a familiar environment, not an impersonal tech facility. After the battle, Jesse had carried Revolution back to Sanctuary and she had undergone a thorough physical in the Lab. It had revealed what was expected: the sub-gov was washing her system with radiation. As soon as Ashley could muster the Hunger again, she had cleaned Riley and rendered the isotope powerless.

"When are you taking this thing off her neck?" Jesse's voice was cracking.

Angela turned from the bed. "As soon as she is strong enough for microsurgery, dear," she answered. "She is too weak right now, too fragile."

"Jesse, get something to eat. I'll stay here with Rev," offered Shalimar.

"In a moment," he answered. "How's Brennan?"

Shalimar sighed. "Emma is trying to calm him down. He is hurting like hell."

Jesse nodded. He understood. Completely. "Adam?"

"He made a point of preparing Cat's body to be taken to the hospital's morgue himself," answered Angela. "I offered to do it, but he wouldn't hear of it." The winged woman shook her head. "The government is putting a big hush-hush on the whole New Order problem. Capitain Banks is heading the field operation, but there are other people involved. One Craig Bannister, from the DXS, Peter Thorton from the Phoenix Foundation... Donna knows him... It seems Oscar Goldman is ultimately in charge of the whole cover-up." Angela sighed. "They're sending the head of the Boston Medical Examiner's Office here, a Dr. Garret Macy, to perform the post-morten on Cat and Aidaan Malone."

Shalimar pursed her lips. "Adam is putting up a brave front for all the strangers around, but, you know what? I'd never seen him..." she cut herself off.

"What?" asked the Avian.

Shal looked up at Angela, drew a deep breath and took her time. "I've been with Adam for more than ten years now. I've seen him worked up. I've seen him furious. I've seen him frantic..." She looked at Jesse and took his hand in hers. "Do you remember the Cladosporium epidemic?"

"Oh, yes," answered the molecular. "He was frantic, all right."

"I saw him desperate," Shalimar went on. "When Nathan Block died here..." She looked up at Angela. "When you lost your eyes... Before that, when you were being held in that cage, during the Foundation incident... that first afternoon..."

Jesse looked at the Avian and saw her close her eyes at the memory. "Emma was doubled over, groaning in pain, on the computer, linked to Donna, while Thorne was hiting your gov I don't know how many times. They managed to send him the image of Eckhart pissed off if you were severely damaged. That stopped Thorne." He made Angela sit on the bed and the three held hands. "Emma said she felt about a third of what you were going through. Adam went ballistic."

"Yeah, but today was the first time I saw him..." Shalimar stopped again.

"What?"

"Cry."

The vault was huge, dark and cold, excavated in the mountain itself, no lining on the walls, just the raw rock, hard and black beyond the thick sliding door. The cold white light bathed the lines of crystal boxes with blinking lights, each one holding a man or a woman inside, covered in electrodes, tubes inserted in veins and noses. Two men, a lanky blonde one in his early fifties and an older gentleman, very tall and blue eyed, fidgeted with the controls, preparing the room to be sealed. An older lady, her once blonde hair now streaked with white, looked on, waiting for her husband. MacGyver stepped to the computer console in a corner and typed a few commands, making all the boxes blink together as a well-rehearsed orchestra.

"I think it's all set," said Steve Austin.

From the doorframe, a smaller man, dressed in black from head to toe, looked in. "Is Lareou's pod ready for transport?" asked Adam.

"It's already stored in the charter plane," answered Mac.

Adam approached the pods lined around the vault, reading the names of the mutants contained in them. "Then, it is all set, yes." He looked up at the Austins and Mac. "When are you leaving?"

"Now!"

The answer came from the door, where a tall red-haired woman and a younger long-haired girl had just arrived.

The three men and the lady turned around, smiling.

Adam went to Lux and held her hands. "Are you leaving so soon?" he asked. They entered the vault proper and started strolling down the aisles of pods. Steve, Jamie and Mac joined them.

"I've been away too long already." Lux's smile was sad, she looked tired and anxious to go back home. "Haven needs me. There's a lot of rebuilding to do and I need the find the funds to do it."

"Check your bank account," suggested Adam, smiling a tad mischievously. "You'll find out you have more than enough to rebuild Haven, Saint Mike's and add a new wing to the orphanage."

"Did you find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, mate?" asked Jax MacManus, her hands on her hips. "You charter planes, build hospitals, foot the bill for all this operation here... You found the bottomless purse!"

"You don't mince words, do you?"

The lioness shrugged. "That's part of me charm."

Adam laughed at the feral. "It's only money, Jax, and making it is the easy part." He sighed and spread his hand on the lid of the pod containing Bree Williams. "The difficult part is putting the people you love in the way of harm." He turned to the young Ring leader. "Isn't it, Lux?"

She looked up at Adam and nodded solemly, holding his gaze. This time, he wasn't looking at her and seeing a comic book sidekick. He was seeing his reflection, a force to be reckoned with, a consumate leader.

The throat clearing brought both team heads back to reality. "Here's the plan," said Steve Austin. "I'll drop Mac, Cory and Sam in Los Angeles. Then, I'll take Lux, Jax and the Ringers to Haven. Corbin is coming from Brazil with the children. Holliday is over."

Adam looked at Steve Austin. The older man, with his experience as a test pilot and a field operative, together with his wife, Jamie, both mechanically altered people, bionics, had been a Godsend. They had brought hope with them in the moment he needed the most. He reached out with his hand. "Steve, I wish I had met you years ago." They shook hands and, as usual, Austin's handshake was a vise. "I can never thank you enough for joining us in a battle that wasn't yours. We need all the allies we can rally to our side. You and Jamie were more than invaluable, you were a gift from God. And thank you for making it possible to give my niece her eyesight back."

"Your niece? The peregrine falcon is your niece?" Jamie Austin was stunned.

Adam smiled at the bionic woman. "Yes, my older sister's daughter. She would have miscarried for the fourth time if Paul Breedlove hadn't made an alteration in her womb, literally turning it into an egg to ensure the pregnancy would come to term." He touched his temple with the tip of his fingers. "The result was the only Aves, or Avian, feral to be created." Adam gave Jamie a peck on the cheek. "Thanks for being here for her."

"I told you not to make it a habit, Kane," barked the Six Million Dollar Man, mockingly.

"Yah knew about Tweety Bird all along, didn't you, boss?"

Lux laughed. "Yes, but I never read and tell."

Adam led Lux and Jax to the door, kissing the young psionic on the cheek and offering his hand to the lioness, who took it willingly. No thanks were needed. Both leaders knew their alliance would never be broken.

MacGyver and Adam were left alone in the vault. The scientist looked the bomb expert in the eyes and offered his hands. Mac held them in his. "I don't know what to say, Angus."

"Then don't say anything, Addy. Just promise me you'll take good care of Donna."

Adam chuckled at his old friend. "You realize she doesn't need any taking care of. Donna is a force of nature, a power in her own right."

The taller man nodded slowly. "Yes, she is that." Angus MacGyver looked directly into Adam Kane's eyes. "Promise me anyway."

Adam smiled and nodded, too. "I promise you, Mac. You have my word."

They stepped out of the vault. "Want to do the honors?" asked Mac, dimming the lights in the chamber.

"Oh, yes." Adam typed the command and the door slid shut, sealing the containment room.

"Have you had time enough?" Blair's face was serious, his usual boyish demeanor absent.

'He has aged, too,' Donna thought to herself. 'We have all aged.'. She drew a long breath and held it. Love had strange ways to manifest itself. Blair's presence still stirred feelings in her heart, just not the same feelings. She was not the same person anymore. Not only she had physically aged, Donna had also evolved, matured. Even after her terrifying experience in the hands of a vicious gang of rapists and murderers, she had been carefree. The night they had enjoyed a nice dinner then gone to The Lord of the Dance show, on tour in Cascade, felt like a lifetime away. She had witnessed death first hand, unspeakable loss, incredible self-sacrifice. She had done battle, been part of an army, a well-oiled battle machine that depended on each and every one of its soldiers to come out victorious. One failed, all failed. She smiled, understanding the true meaning of "all for one and one for all". And betrayal. She had experienced being a perpetrator, instead of a victim. Donna Gryphon was getting to the end of this mutant war a very different person than the one who'd seen its start. Donna Gryphon had changed both in the outside, with her white streaked hair, and the inside, with a new understanding of the dark side all people had, of the capacity both to good and evil present in all human beings, genetically altered or not. And yet she felt she still had a long way to go, a lot of growing up to do. Maybe this knowledge was a badge of wisdom.

"Yes, I have had time enough. And I think you have had time to think things over, too." She sighed. "As you said yourself, this was a two way street."

"Are you reading me, Donna? 'Pathing me?"

"No need. I know you well." She crossed her arms on her chest. "You don't love me anymore, do you, Blair?"

"No."

"I still love you, though. Not like before, no, but I still love you." She uncrossed her arms and let them fall by her side. Her body language spoke of openess and honesty. "I hope, in time, we can be friends again."

"Maybe in time, yes, but not right now." Blair's countenance was heavy, but not hostile. "What are your plans, now that Lareou and his minions have been aprehended? Will you marry Adam?"

Donna laughed softly. "No. We talked about it, but I turned him down."

"Really? That's unexpected," said Blair. "And what do you intend to do?"

Donna pursed her lips and tossed her long hair back. "I'm putting up for transfer from Cascade PD." Her black eyes locked themselves on his blue ones. "The Internet conference between Adam, Cpt. Banks, and the three gentlemen now in charge of holding rogue mutants accountable for their actions was very positive. A new mutant oriented penitentiary will be built in the Cascade mountains." Donna turned away from Blair Sandburgh. "Adam has suggested my name as warden. Since I am a police officer, a psychologist and a mutant myself, it was approved. And I have accepted the position."

"You know, Donna," interjected Blair, "I think you can be the perfect person for the job." He reached out with his hand and held her shoulder, turning her back to face him. "You can be both firm and compassionate." Blair's hand ran from her shoulder to her hand. "You will do good."

"Thank you."

"Have you decided to stay alone, then?" he asked.

"Not really, Blair." Donna smiled at her former fiancée. "Adam and I will be together. I don't think anything other than death can take us apart now. But we won't live together, if that's what you want to know." She chuckled and held Blair's hand in hers. "He will come to Cascade often on business, designing the facility. Axis Research and Development will build the penn, together with the Phoenix." She smiled sadly. "And I'll come to Sanctuary as many times as I can."

Blair nodded. "Very modern arrangement, Donna, very sophisticated."

She shrugged. "That's what we want for now." She looked at him. "That's what I want for now."

"Are you returning to Cascade immediately?" he asked.

"No," she answered. "We are really beat. As you would say, this one was a doozie." She smacked her lips. "We will take some time off ourselves. God knows we need vacation."

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know yet. Adam is taking me somewhere, he didn't say where. You know how mysterious he can be."

"I guess I'll see you back in Cascade, then." Unexpectedly, Blair bent down a little and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Good luck."

Donna stood there, in the garage, watching the car as it took her friends Jim, Blair and Simon Banks to the airport, touching her face where her ex-fiancée's lips had touched.

Life changed. People changed.

Two stylish purses were thrown full force on the larger couch of Sanctuary's common room, landing on the seat and scattering their contents all over the floor. The young psionic, Emma DeLauro was blowing air like a steam engine, while the feline feral Shalimar Fox paced the length of the room like a caged lion.

"Was it that bad with Sylvia Scott, ladies?" asked Adam quietly from the overstuffed chair he was occupying with Donna Gryphon perched next to him on the chair's arm.

"After we had a little heart to heart with that Silver bitch, everything went smooth as silk."

Donna looked at the two mutant women. "Who is Sylvia Scott?"

"Sylvia, or Silver, is one of Cat's younger sisters," answered Emma. "She hated Cat with a passion and actually tried to kill her a few times."

"Can you believe that slut was making arrangements to have Cat's body donated to Science?" Shalimar was furious at the very thought.

"What?" Adam sat straight on the chair.

Emma's eyes were cold as ice. "I threatened to melt her brain down and gave her a sample of how it would feel."

"And I was flashing my eyes at her all the time," added Shalimar. "After that, the little wimp signed all the paperwork releasing the body to us for burial." The feral was still fuming. She shook her head and blew steam together with Emma, making her golden hair fly. "How is Rev, Adam? I spent last night with her so Jesse could get some rest and I was worried."

"So was I. That governor is one of the nastiest things I've ever seen, and you know I've seen my share." Adam bent a little forward and folded his hands, his elbows on his knees. "Even though I thought Riley was still weak for surgery, we yanked that damn thing off her while you were out. Angela is doing the final stitching and dressing the wound. Rev will have a scar in the back of her neck just like the one Max now has."

"I'll stay with her so Jesse and Angela can come hear what Chris has to tell us," said Donna.

"Chris? I thought he and Ashley had gone home." Emma sat on the couch and started collecting her scattered things.

"They'll leave later today, but Chris has asked that we all met him here," answered Adam. "It has something to do with Cat."

"Yes, it has everything to do with Cat," stated Brennan Mulwray from the common room door where he stood with the visiting couple. "She enthrusted Chris with her last will and testament." The elemental, his eyes red and puffy, the stubble of a few days without shaving darkening his face, sat tiredly on the smaller, three-seats couch and hunched his back. "He will read it to us as soon as Jesse is here."

"We are here." Jesse Kilmartin was standing under the doorframe, carrying Revolution in his arms, drapped in a blanket.

"I told her she should rest after the operation, but you know Riley..." sighed Angela, the Avian mutant, entering the room herself.

Rev lifted her head from Jesse's shoulder painfully. "I insisted. I told them I'd crawl in here on my belly if I needed to, but I had to be here for this. I owe Cat at least that much..." She started to squirm in Jesse's arms.

"Shhh, calm down." Adam stood up and approached the girl. He quickly checked the back of her neck. The stitches were perfect and so was the dressing. "Ok, you stay, but if I suspect this is too much for you, off you go if I have to sedate you."

Revolution raised her hand with enormous effort. "Telekinetic, remember?" She breathed hard. "I can..."

"You can what?" asked Adam, good naturedly.

"Righ now? Nothing. It is a deal."

Jesse sat down next to Brennan with Rev resting on his lap, her feet neatly tucked between the two men. Brennan pulled her legs to his lap and reached out to hold the girl's hand, giving her one of the saddest smiles Rev had ever seen. God, Brennan looked like hell. Tears filled her eyes and she blinked them away furiously. A lot of sniffs could be heard all around.

The Goth-looking singer looked around the common room. All eyes were set on him. That wasn't a problem, he was used to having an audience. He picked up a heavy manila envelope from the coffee table. "Before Cat left to infiltrate the New Order, while you were preparing the set for the trap, we had the chance to talk at length," started the Chris. "We were both musicians, roughly the same style." He sat down on the larger couch bewteen Shalimar and Ashley. "In short, we had things in common." He looked around again. "Cat thought you all had a lot on your minds then, and I didn't have much to do, so she confided in me." He looked down at his feet and raised his head again, his own eyes filled with tears. "I'm honored, you know. Before I met Cat Scott, I admired her as a songwriter. After we met, I admired her as a person." He blinked away the tears. "She gave me this to read to you. She was so thorough she had it notarized. This is a valid legal instrument." And he began to read.

"I'll begin the classic way. If you're reading this letter, than I'm probably dead. That's fine with me, really. In all honesty, I'm tired. I've been tired for a long time. It's not easy being a mutant. It is specially hard being a feral, and first attempt, at that. No, Adam, I don't blame you for that. Not anymore, anyway. I know better now, don't I? But the hardship remains unabated. I can't honestly stand the thought that I've murdered innocent people. And I have. I've killed twenty one people. Thirteen men, five women and three children. All of them were regarded either as an extremelly dangerous mutant and a threat to the general population or as a threat to my employer, Mr. Mason Eckhart. Among the latter, Riley, was Sam Simpson. I've been living with the knowledge that I butchered your friend, your mentor and the first real father figure you had in your life for years now. And I can't stand it! I can't! I can't stand the fact that I don't have the courage to tell you. I should have! I should face my fair punishment, I know, but I don't have the nerve. I'm so sorry! I never intended to do anybody harm. It was in the nature of the feral, the second personality I have to fight every moment of every minute of every hour of every day, seven days a week, for as long as I shall live. Enough! If I have to go, then it is a relief, really.

I'll miss you, though, all of you. I'll miss you sorely.

Angela, I've only met you recently, but I have written something for you. Chris will give you the disk and the lyrics. I hope you like it.

Donna, it was a pleasure to meet you. I wish you the best in your life. You will be a very important person in the mutant community and I know you will never let us down. I'm glad you've come to your own and found your true mate. Yes, I know all about it. I'm a feral, aren't I?

Shalimar and Emma, you know the kind of siblings I had to endure, don't you? You know Silver, my darling of a sister. Know now that you are my real sisters. None better than you. We've fought together, lived together, shared joys and sorrows. For that, I'm grateful.

Jesse, little brother, know that I love you. I love your smile, your intelligence, your heart of gold. Take good care of Riley when I'm gone, will you? She needs to be put on a tight leash once in a while. If anyone can, it is you.

Adam... I've so wished you were my father! I've hated and loved you at the same time, blaming you for things I know now were not of your doing. And you allowed me to feel whatever I needed feeling, shouldering a blame that wasn't yours, but my mother's. Now, I wish more than ever that you were really my father, but I guess some 25% of fatherhood is better than nothing, isn't it? Only in this weird world of ours can someone be partially somebody else's father. It sounds like being just a little bit pregnant, don't you think? I'm happy a fourth part of me is yours, it makes me proud. It makes up for the other three parts that are less than commendable in my DNA. I know your genetic signature was introduced in my helix against your will. I can only hope you don't regret it now and are a little bit proud of this crooked a quarter of a daughter of yours.

Riley Jackson, the Revolution, my kid sister, my daughter at heart, my friend above all, don't hate me, please. I love you since the day we met. Even when we were far from one another, we've never been apart. I've always known I could count on you no matter what. I could count on you to save my life or to give me a shoulder to cry on. What more can I expect from a true friend? Nothing! You're part of me and I'm part of you.

Brennan, love of my life, my man, my mate, don't grieve. I'll be fine even if I'm no longer with you, and I want you to be fine, too. Live on, love again, but don't forget all about me. Set aside a tiny corner of your heart for me, so I'll have a place to live even after I'm gone. If there's a shred of thruth in life after death, I'll be watching over you and doing my best to protect you. Even though we never married, I vowed only death could do us part. I've kept my vow and I'm contented. I've never loved anyone as I've loved you and it fills my heart with joy. I've had true love in my life!

Finally, I've made a new friend in Chris Gaines. Even though we met for just a short while, I trust him completely. I've entrusted him with my catalogue, making him the curator of my estate. I have a sizeable songbook ready, with lyrics and tapes, music sheets and everything else needed to copyright the material. I've showed Chris a few tunes and he told me they're potential number one hits. I hope he isn't saying that just to make me happy. We have talked about it and he will have his lawyers, managers and accountants take care of the legal and finacial aspects of my catalogue. All profits are to be equaly divided between Riley Jackson and Brennan Mulwray, for they are my heirs. Only one song, Fly My Angel, belongs to Angela Fontenelle, my dear Tweety Bird. Chris will see to that, too.

Well, I think that's it. I hope I'll come back to you, but if I don't, all is taken care of. I love you all, you are my real family and I'll see you all in another life, a better one, I'm sure.

Catherine Kay Scott.

The silence in the room was only broken by an occasional sniff. There wasn't a dry eye there, not one.

Chris Gaines stood up, handed a copy of the document to Jesse, another one to Brennan and a smaller envelope to Angela containing the music sheet, lyrics and a minidisk with her song's demo recording, only Cat and her guitar. He looked around the assembled Mutant X team. "Ashley and I are going back to New York now. I've booked us in a commercial flight, so don't worry, you don't have to take us back home." He approached Adam and Donna, who stood up. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Kane and Donna. I only wish it was in a better circumstance." They shook hands.

"I'm so glad to have been of help, Adam." Ashley hugged the older man and kissed Donna on the cheek. "Thank you for the new sub-gov. This one is much more comfortable." She smiled. "It doesn't itch."

Chris was shaking hands and saying farewell to Shalimar and Emma. He, then, sat on the coffee table facing Jesse and Riley, kissed the crying telekinetic on the forehead and shook hands with Jesse, while Ashley hugged Angela. Last, Chris turned to the elemental. "Come visit us in New York, Bren," he said. "We would love to have you there."

"Yes, Brennan, come stay with us for a while, please," insisted Ashley Elliot.

The electric mutant smiled softly, his eyes were the picture of sadness and longing. "In the future, maybe. Right now, I want to stay home, alone, to cry my fill." He chuckled sorrowfully. "A grown man like me, and all I want to do is to curl up and cry. How wimpy of mine."

"How human of yours, my friend," corrected the singer. "You let me know when you're ready to come and I'll pick you up myself."

"And I'll be with him to greet you," added the model, giving Brennan a hug and a kiss.

"I'll drive you to the airport. It will do me good to leave for a little while," offered the elemental.

Shal and Emma looked at each other and nodded. "How about you gave us a ride?" asked the feral. "We need a vacation, too, and we are going to California, to meet with Cory and Sam and help Lux rebuild Haven. We'll stay there for a while. We will be back for Cat's funeral, though."

Chris and Ashley nodded. They'd be back to pay Cat a last tribute, too.

"Just a moment, please," asked Adam, turning to the Avian. "What are your plans now, Tweety?"

"I'll stay here while I look for another apartment, if you don't mind," answered the bird woman. "And I'll go back to work immediately. I've been away from the hospital far too long. I have to take over now that Makenna has returned to Haven. That's where she belongs, and they need her there badly." Angela sighed deeply. All that crisis had started with the murder of her life parner, Allison Turner. "The best thing for me now is work. And a little solitude to think things over, too."

Adam nodded. "Of course you can stay here for as long as you want. You're family."

She smiled at the older man now with his arm around her best friend's shoulder. No more secrets. "Thank you... uncle Adam." She laughed softly. "I think I can get used to calling you that."

"I think I can get used to hearing you call me that," he smiled and pulled the Avian closer, wraping his other arm around her shoulders, just above the wings. "Brennan, you and Angela will keep house, then. Those of us away on vacation will stay in touch with you. No more than a day without some kind of contact, understood?"

Shal and Emma nodded and left to pack and fly to California.

After all others were gone, Adam sat down facing Jesse and Riley. The young psionic was so weak she had cried herself to sleep. "I have a mission for you, Jesse."

"Oh, no, man, how can you? We are in pieces!" exclaimed the molecular. "All we want is to go some place far!"

"Hear me out, please." Adam caressed Riley's hair lightly. "Is Malaysia far enough?"

"Malaysia?"

"I have booked you on a commercial flight to Kuala Lumpur departing tonight," informed Adam. He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and took out two credit cards. Donna Gryphon handed him two passports and two plane tickets. "You'll fly under your own names, first class. Use these for expenses," he gave the plastics to Jesse. "When you arrive in Malaysia, you'll be welcomed by an old friend of mine, Datuk Alif Sharfan bin Muhammad. He promised me he will have his driver and bodyguard, Sarban Vellu, take care of everything you might need." He passed Jesse the passports. "You'll be staying at the Sheraton Perdana Resort, in Langkawi Island. You have a suite of rooms in your name." He reached out his hand and held Jesse's. "These are my orders. Get the hell out of here and take Riley with you. Stay away as long as you need, as long as she needs to recover. One condition only, no more than one day without direct contact with Brennan, understood?"

"Perfectly, but what about Cat's funeral?" asked Jesse.

"That would be too much for Riley," said Donna. "Let's spare her at least that."

"You are right," agreed the molecular. "That would be too much even for Riley." He looked at Adam and Donna. "And the two of you? Where are you going?"

Adam smiled, as mysterious as ever. "Away."

The house was all wood and glass, its large veranda overlooking the beach. The sun was almost totally set, only a huge red ball touching the horizon, a bright path sketched on the crystaline water of the Atlantic. The old black lady in starched white laced skirts had turned on the soft indirect lights in the house and departed, leaving them alone to enjoy the evening. From the slowly swaying hammock, a pile of books on the floor next to him, Adam looked at the sea. The place was perfect, an almost untouched tropical paradise, complete with gleaming sand and palm trees, and a permanent sweet breeze that kept that land from being a furnace. It seldom rained and the Gulf Stream made the ocean waters warm and inviting. From his vantage point, he saw Donna rise from the sea. Botticelli's painting came to his mind immediately, Aphrodite rising from the ocean, her hair as her only garment. His smile broadened as she came closer, her body covered in tiny drops of salt water. He reached out with his hand and pulled her to lay on top of him in the hammock, wet as she was. "You're beautiful, like the birth of Venus."

Donna looked at him, then laid her head on his chest, looking at the large moon floating above the water, the red light path now silvery white. "Venus was born from the foam of the ocean, totally naked. I'm almost like her. This is not a bikini, this is a formality."

"I can say I am an informal man." He laughed low and pulled the strings that kept the tiny bikini top in place, his hands running through her back and caressing the scars that marked her otherwise perfectly smooth skin, now tanned and warm to his touch.

"Stop it," she chided him softly. "Babah is around, what is she going to think?"

Adam pulled her wet white locks from her face and caressed her back until his hands stopped at her hips. "I've sent her away, we are on our own." And he pulled the strings that held the bikini bottom in place, leaving her like Venus under the moonlight.

Donna smiled, pushed the pieces of fabric away and, with a wave of her hand, turned all the lights in the house off, leaving only the moon and the Southern Cross to shine on them.

EPILOGUE: Seasons Of The Mists

Did you ever hear the story of the 36 tzaddikum? They say that the world rests on the backs of 36 living saints - 36 unselfish men and women. Because of them, the world continues to exist. They are the secret kings and queens of this world-Death

It was quiet in the airport, which is odd considering that most airports are noisy by definition. They usually are a swell of humanity, each person more intent on getting to where they're going than whether or not they were the one who knocked you over. This one seemed like the set of a forgotten episode of the Twilight Zone.

"Is that them?" asked Emma as she shifted around in the uncomfortable seats.

Shalimar rubbed her eyes and nodded.

"Yep," she replied easing herself gracefully out of her chair "Jess!"

It was easy to see the change in the young man. His golden hair was much longer than she remembered and was covered by a baseball cap, a pair of sunglasses hid his bright eyes and his once timid walk had been transformed into a walk of a man who had seen too much tragedy.

"Shal! Em!" he yelled jogging ahead to meet them halfway.

He embraced each of them, happy to see them but not happy to be there.

"Where's Riley?" asked Emma, her blue eyes conveying the sense of worry that she felt for the young woman.

"Losing your touch, Em?" asked a familiar voice "I'm behind you."

The woman who stood behind her bared no resemblance to the girl they had once known. Her once bright red hair was now a deep chestnut color, Her deep green eyes seemed sadder and older than they should be at her now twenty years. She was dressed in a pale green sundress and white sandals giving her an even more fragile look and making most who saw her wish they could protect her.

"Hey Rev," said Shalimar embracing her and squeezing hard.

Emma stood back, the wave of emotion coming from the telekinetic leaving her sadder than she could remember.

"Hi, Emma," said Revolution, taking the first move and embracing the empath.

She smelled like orchids, was Emma's first thought. She wiped a tear from her eyes before Revolution saw it.

"You guys ready?" asked Shalimar.

"Definitely," replied Jesse kissing Revolution's slender shoulder before wrapping a white sweater around her.

Thow hast made the Furies cry, Orpheus. They will never forgive you for that-Persephone, Queen of the Dead

"Stop the car," whispered Revolution as they drove past a small graveyard.

"Is everything all right?" asked Jesse, his voice filled with worry.

She kissed him gently.

"Don't worry so much," she replied tracing the lines around his mouth "It's giving you wrinkles. There is just something I need to do."

She pulled her sweater tighter around her and slid out of the car and into the warm twilight air.

"Well, this certainately is a pretty place," she said when she reached her destination.

She could almost see Cat in the tiny plot of land. A large apple tree stood to one side, a slow meandering river made its way down the side of hill nearby. She knelt down in front of the tombstone and traced the words with the tips of her fingers.

"I'm sorry," she whispered finally "I'm sorry I wasn't here to say goodbye. I guess you could say I was kidnapped."

She laughed and ran her fingers through her hair. It wasn't that far off-base, though; in a way she was kidnapped. One moment, she was sitting on the couch listening to Chris Gaines read Cat's will, the next she was in a plane.

"I was furious, I wanted to come back, but Jesse wouldn't let me."

She had raged for days, telling him continuously that he had no right to keep her away. After a while, she could understand why he had kept her away.

"Now, you know me better than anyone so you know that heartfelt confessions aren't exactly my thing. So I'm just gonna say this, it's gonna lack elegance and poetry and it aint gonna be profound and moving. I love you and I always will. I'll keep fighting and I won't give up because I'll be doing it for you. Every new mutant we help, every mission we finish it will be because of you. If you hadn't saved me in that alley, who knows what would have happened but I believe that I still would have found you."

She looked back to where the car stood.

"I should go now," she whispered "There is some big to do at sanctuary and my presence has been requested."

She reached into her small shoulder bag and produced lei.

"I got this for you." She said as she laid it on top of the grave "I remember you saying you always wanted to go somewhere tropical. Now you can at least pretend."

She kissed her hand and placed it on top of the tomb.

"Bye, Cat," she whispered.

Stopping for just a second as a gentle wind blew across her face, Riley Elizabeth Jackson smiled.

***

"Alright, I admit it. He's got a point. The sunsets are bloody marvelous, you old bastard."-Lucifer Morningstar, Erstwhile Lord of Hell

She never thought she could miss a room as much as she missed this one. She missed her massively large stereo and her collection of cds, she missed her movies and her secret stash of candy bars that she and Jesse had collected over many trips to the store.

"It's good to be home," she said.

"It's good to have you home," said a deep voice from behind her.

She squealed and turned around embracing the elemental, whose voice she knew by instinct.

"How are you?" she asked looking at him.

"I'm good," he replied sitting on her bed.

She sat beside him and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I missed you," she exclaimed "I know we talked almost everyday but I did miss you."

He kissed the top of her head.

"I missed you too," he said "It's been quiet around here with you and Jess in Malaysia and Em and Shal in California. The solitude was good for a few weeks but I kind of got stir crazy after awhile."

She laughed.

"You should have come to Malaysia," she said.

Suddenly, she bounced up and rushed to her suitcase.

"I got you something."

"Present for me?"

She handed him a small box. He looked at her and opened it. Inside was a picture, a picture of a perfect Malaysian sunset.

"Do you remember, I hadn't been here for too long when you found me on top of the mountain watching the sunset?"

He nodded.

"And you told me you were waiting for it all to make sense," he said "That somehow watching the sunset at the end of a day helped you to realize that this wasn't the end of everything but the beginning of something."

He looked at her and smiled. She had done it again, she had gathered herself together and survived once more. Never forgetting what had happened but not dwelling on it was his 'little sister's' biggest strength.

"Rev!" called a voice over the intercom "Come to Shal's room!"

She looked at him, confusion written all over her face.

"Its okay," he said "You and the girls are gonna be bridesmaids."

"Adam and Donna…"

He shook his head and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"I've missed a lot, haven't I?" she asked as they walked out.

Brennan laughed.

- I think the whole world's gone mad.

- Uh-Uh. It's always been like this. You probably just don't get out enough.-Sexton Furnival and Death

She hesitated for a moment. She couldn't help but wonder what else had changed while she was gone. A wedding? She couldn't begin to think of who could possibly be getting married. Suddenly a low wolfish whistle, rang out, she knew immediately who it was. She turned around to see Max leaning against a nearby wall.

"MAX!" she shouted embracing the boy.

She let him go and took in what he was wearing. His usual outfit of jeans and t-shirts with smart-ass sayings had been replaced with a tux.

"You look good," she said.

"Watch it sister," said Marta Winslow as she came to stand beside her boyfriend.

"Worry not," said Revolution "I will continue to admire your boyfriend's beauty from a safe distance."

The young telempath grinned and hugged her.

"It's so good to see you," she said.

Revolution looped her arm through Marta's and then the other through Max's.

"Be honest, you two thought I was a goner," she exclaimed.

"Not me," said Max "I knew if anyone could get through this it's you. Your too damn stubborn."

"Damn straight."

Angela grinned and leaned against the wall. She had been listening to the teenager's talk and was immediately struck with Revolution's air of invincibility.

"Hey," she said stepping from the shadows "We have a wedding to get too."

"Hey, Hawkgirl," exclaimed Revolution hugging her "How's things?"

"Much better now," replied Angela "Max dear, your father needs you. Marta, could you run up and see how preparations are going?"

Marta nodded and kissed Max's cheek.

"See ya up there."

Revolution put her hands on her hips and looked at Angela.

"I'm not going anywhere until someone tells me what is going on!"

Angela grinned.

"Alina and Connor are getting married."

"Really? I didn't even know they were dating."

"They weren't. In fact they hadn't even kissed until they approached Adam about having the wedding on the mountain. Emma asked them if they had ever kissed and Connor took Alina into his arms and kissed her and then they went on talking about the wedding. Apparently it was Max's idea."

"That's it!" shouted Revolution as she was herded into Shalimar's room "I'm never leaving this place again. I leave for a month and everything is different."

TO BE CONTINUED...