THE PRESENT
(thank you to ElegantButler, for use of the term, Alter :) )
2
"Kaff-kaff-kaff Aw holy fu-KOFFKOFFKOOOOOOOOFF!"
Christina rolled around on the ground, dropping the cigarette she got from Kyle, and rolled onto her face.
"That SUCKED!"
"Christina! Dont'ya know lil mutant girls should not smoke? That's for big mutant boys!" Kyle laughed.
"I am not a mutant, dammit!"
"I don't think I can kiss that mouth anymore."
She got up and spat out dirt. The two climbed a ridge and looked down at the city. It was 2:30 am, they had gotten to the city quickly, now they could not enter.
"Perimeters. Peller and the metro-thugs are waiting, ever since they found out you escaped."
"Is he another Ned Grossberg?"
"Hm! That's a tough question. Not quite... he's a different kind of slimeball... and a slimeball by any other name... "
"I want specifics!"
"Prejudiced, bigoted... xenomorphic. Once he hated blanks, now he hates mutants."
"No!"
Christina thought.
"For one thing, it's xenophobia! For another... I'm not a mutant, I'm an... Alter... I'm special and unique... "
"You want to believe that! Save the lies for someone who can't read people like a book."
"No one knows about you?"
"Nah! It was work but my dad and I made sure to cover our tracks... for Tommy... it was the one thing we could agree on."
"Ok... lets find Max."
Max's head bobbed and wiggled on the screen.
"Oh, yeh, you got a fan-base alright. Unfortunately they won't be throwing flowers at your feet. More like chains on your feet, and isolated to a desert island with any other "of your kind". Max scowled, then looked around.
"The security has tapered off over the last month... but they're expecting you to come back."
"Alright." Christina rubbed her eyes. Kyle kissed her forehead.
"What's your plan?"
"Me? A plan?"
"I cant read minds, just feelings! What's on your... alter-brain?"
"Hm... well, you can go to your dad... Persecuting me would persecute Tommy as well, right? He wouldn't let that happen would he?"
"Tommy's powerless... just stupid... no, Ben Cheviot would never let that happen... "
"Good to know," Christina said weakly.
"I still don't see why we can't find our own private hideaway."
"I don't want to hide!" she flared. "I don't have to hide! Yeh... I... hurt Theor-"
her voice broke, he head dropped, and she trembled.
"Cos of ignorance! Cos no one knew or wanted to know, and that left a creep like Ned Grossberg free to take me from the hospital and... " she looked up, eyes filled with tears and determination "and I''m not going to hide anymore! Janie Crane will do the story... and then people will never be able to hurt me again!"
"Ok... "
"I won't be hurt again!"
"Ok, what now?" Kyle asked, putting a comforting hand on her face.
"I'll go in at the North-West section. It's closer to Edison's apartment. In case I don't make it and the dweebs grab me... you go that way," she pointed to the South.
She kissed him, hard and passionate.
"I love you!" and with that, she ran off.
Kyle remained behind, giving her a head start.
"I can't read your feelings! What's up?!" he poked the screen.
"I wish I had feet," Max said with a frown.
Christina stepped over the piles of trash as best she could. Even the good part of town still had a long way to go. Ruffians and hooligans were sparse but wandered the streets. As long at they didn't throw out too much trash, or leave bodies in the middle of the road; as society grew the number of criminals still outweighed the police needed to control them. Resources were saved for the more dangerous in society...
The journey to Edison's apartment started smoothly; she did pass 2 cops, who only glanced at her oddly and let her pass.
"Hey honey you wanna make make some credits?!"
Christina walked around a corner, looked around, and realized she was only 4 blocks away. She picked up her pace.
"You wanna make some creds dontcha?!"
Christina glanced back, and saw a swarthy man following her. He sauntered behind, and the distance between her was closing.
"Go away!" she ordered, and kept walking.
The man quickly ran in fron of her. "C'mon darlin! That sexy mouth may say no, that even sexier body says 'make it hurt'!"
She tried to move past him and that's when he grabbed her around the waist. He lowered his face to her neck and she tried to pull away.
"Let go of me!"
"Call me daddy, sweetheart!"
Christina Spencer was a nice girl, despite growing up lonely, and strange. She tried hard to hang onto positive thinking, despite the horrible abuse leveled at her time and again.
It showed no sign of stopping, and she was fed up.
I won't be hurt again!
"I said leave me alone!"
She slammed her hand on his shoulder, sending a bolt hard enough to knock him several feet back.
He rolled around on the ground, screaming; it wasn't enough to do damage, but enough that he, at least, would never hurt her again.
"Shut up!" she hissed.
Two metros raced around the corner.
"What happened!?" the tall cop demanded.
"Her! That... she's one of them freaks! She tried to fry my brain!"
The cops looked right at her, and one drew his sidearm. "I knew she looked familiar!"
"Don't move, hands in the air, down on your knees."
Christina ran.
3
"Mr. Peller? We have her."
Simon Peller sat on the edge of his bed and looked hard at the view-phone. Ronald his campaign manager called in, waking Peller from his sleep.
"Dead or alive?"
"Alive. Stunned her... but it took ten times!"
"I expected as much... " Inwardly he cringed.
There were more like that girl, and mixing in among normal people! For the last three months, every person in their teens to early 20's he saw in an entirely new... and disturbing... light.
It just wasn't right!
"Is that team of doctors ready?"
"Called in on short notice, sir. They started work already... "
"What? What are you not telling me?"
"Well, Edison Carter... he notified the hospital and he's on his way... with a news crew."
"That's fine! If that simpering fool wants her back, he can have her... with restrictions, of course. I'll be at the hospital in ten minutes, and will hand her over personally."
"Is that wise?!"
"I don't know...but if I send her off again Carter will never let me hear the end of it. No, as long as the doctors complete their work and the rest is in order, I see no problems. Besides, I've just completed my latest tv spot, and the handover will coincide nicely. I'm not a monster Ronald! I'm a concerned citizen... as well as an important political figure."
Peller disconnected, and hurried to get ready.
