Disclaimer: I do not own the DC heroes Hawk and Dove, whom I loosely based my main characters off of.
While Phil was in reading class, Dan found himself lounging on the sofa in PJ and Chris's room. PJ tapped away on a laptop while Dan and Chris played Halo 3 on one of the TV screens. When PJ made yet another noise of frustration, his roommate paused the game.
"All right, Peej, what are you doing?" he asked.
PJ didn't look up. "Trying to figure out how Dr. Hurley knows anything about us," he replied.
"You know how. Someone is ratting us out," said Chris.
With another annoyed grunt, PJ shut his computer. "We can't just take that. Everyone in that group is there for the same reason, and we know every single one. It just doesn't make sense!"
"People are complex creatures," said Dan, putting his arms behind his head, "It doesn't have to make sense."
Chris scoffed. "Especially considering we're all a bunch of mutants locked up on a hill in Britain," he said.
PJ just frowned while Dan gave him a look. "You make us sound like the X-Men."
"And that would much cooler than what we've got going on around here."
Dan turned to PJ again. "What are you investigating, then?" he wondered.
Once again the technopath opened his laptop. "Security footage, computer mainframes, anything really," he said, "But what I've found is not promising."
Chris got up to look over his roommate's shoulder. "Why?"
"All the cameras in and around the areas of our basement are always on the fritz, I make sure of it so it's never suspicious. As for hacking into the computer system... it's impossible," he continued, irritated.
Dan sat up a bit, looking confused. He had never heard PJ use the word impossible before. He was hardly twenty and he made a school bus work like a small jet plane. "How is it impossible? You're a genius," he said.
PJ sighed and shook his head. "I'm not a genius, I'm a technopath. Technology comes naturally; I know how to build the hardware. I've caught onto software, such as the programming like in the bus, because that usually comes with the job. But these firewalls are... impenetrable," he said, scrubbing a hand through his curly hair, "Someone up there knows how to do this better than I do."
"Well, they are the federal government. I would think they have the best," said Dan.
PJ waved a hand. "I hacked into MI5 like a year ago," he said breezily.
"What?" Dan gasped, "Why, how?"
"Emma told me I couldn't."
Dan looked up at Chris, who nodded to affirm it was true. If PJ hacked into a secret intelligence agency, surely a firewall on the systems around this little place would be a piece of cake. Dan wasn't about to question it, considering he knew nothing about hardware or software or really any differences between the two, but it still seemed... odd.
"So, why can't you break through it?" asked Chris.
Growling in annoyance, PJ put both his hands in his hair. "I don't know," he muttered.
Dan drummed his fingers on his knees. There was a knock on the door then, and Chris went to answer it, only cracking the door a bit to see whom it was. "Just me!" chirped the voice, and Dan recognized Phil right away.
They let him in, and he sat down beside Dan. He asked what was going on, and with great contempt and lots of sighs, PJ filled him in. And Phil just looked confused. "Didn't you hack MI5?" he asked.
"Yes!" PJ exclaimed in exasperation.
"So the moral of the story is that PJ is nota genius and the administration around here has a genius," Dan said.
PJ hummed in thought. "I'm thinking something more than just your everyday, high IQ, graduated-university-at-fourteen-genius. Maybe something like artificial intelligence," he said.
"Maybe it's just one of us," Phil said absently.
PJ opened his mouth, but then shut it again, his eyes widening. "What did you say?" he asked slowly.
Phil's cheeks turned pink. "Maybe it's just one of us. Like being a super genius is their power and they made the firewall impenetrable," he said.
"But none of the administration has powers. They all work for the government," Chris interjected, shaking his head.
"But wait," PJ interjected and the typing on his computer quickened, "If it is an AI protecting the system, its signal would be traceable. Its whole point would be omnipotent presence, and because of that it would be wirelessly connected." The three others waited with baited breath while PJ worked on trying to find a signal of artificial intelligence. They didn't know how long it had been before PJ piped up again. "No signal to trace," he said.
"So Phil's right," Dan said, "One of our own is working for the administration."
"It can't be of their own accord," Phil quipped.
"But we need to know," PJ added, "If I can find a way to get through the firewall, I can get into the files to see how Dr. Hurley is getting information on us. And it needs to be soon before Marcus goes through all our heads for no reason."
Chris sighed. "I still think this is pointless. I think we should just let Marcus do it and stop the mole," he said.
Phil shook his head. "I don't think we have a mole. I trust every single person in the resistance too much to believe that," he said.
"And I believe Phil. We should tell someone about this firewall situation," said Dan.
PJ closed his laptop with a loud snap and stood up so quickly Chris jumped into the wall to avoid a shoulder the face. "Let's go find Jenna. I think I know where she is," the technopath suggested.
Dan and Phil exchanged one glance and then got up to follow him out. Chris lingered for a moment, frowning. "Hey, what about our game?" he protested. Then he huffed and followed the other three from the room, closing and locking the door behind him.
After following the others up too many flights of stairs, Dan found himself sitting in a wooden chair in the corner of Jenna's office. It wasn't really just Jenna's office, but she shared with the other case managers, but at that moment she was the only one in there. Considering there were so many desks, Dan was surprised she had managed that.
"So you think that this isn't artificial intelligence?" Jenna said while she looked at PJ's computer screen.
"No. There's no wireless signal to trace, so there has to be a person behind a computer who wrote this code," he replied.
Jenna drummed her long nails on her desk. "Can you track the computer it was written on?" she asked after a bit of silence.
PJ grimaced and shook his head. "Not without getting through the firewall. And if I could do that this entire operation here would be moot."
"So what's the point of this?" said Jenna.
He continued. "The code is much to complicated for any sort of normal person to have written, which is the reason I can't hack it in the first place. So we had the thought-"
"It was Phil's idea," Dan piped up quickly.
"Yes, Phil thought of it first," PJ said with a nod, "We think that there's someone with a gift working with Dr. Hurley to protect her system files. For some reason she wants them exceptionally well protected, and we doubt this gifted person is doing it out of the goodness of their heart."
Jenna nodded slowly. "Sounds suspicious. And you want to hack Dr. Hurley's system why?" she asked.
"Because we don't think that one of our own is betraying information, and I want to try and prove it. At the same time, we could also find out who it is should it be true," Phil added from his spot beside Dan.
"For the record, the 'we' does not include me because I-" Chris was interrupted by Phil.
"Have no faith in humanity?"
"Precisely."
Jenna sighed and rubbed her temple. "Do what you have to do. And I will do my best to see if I can get into Dr. Hurley's office and look through her computer," she said, "You boys are brilliant."
They all exchanged slightly smug looks. It was odd, Dan thought, he would have never figured out any of this on his own. Without the others, his life would be horrifically monotonous and unproductive. In fact he would probably be actively hating life and losing all hope. But this; this was exciting.
As the boy's left Jenna's office, they were quiet. They were halfway down the stairs again when PJ spoke up. "I think this breakthrough calls for a celebration," he declared.
Chris fist pumped. "Ooh, I've been waiting for this," he said.
"What?" said Dan, confused.
"They want to go out," Phil told him, a few paces behind.
Dan still looked confused while Chris spoke. "I know you were told about it. Once it gets dark and all the administrators are gone, PJ turns off the cameras, we hotwire a car from the graveyard and drive into the city," he explained.
"Wait, you actually do this? I thought you were taking the piss!" Dan said.
"No, we do it," Phil said, "Haven't been caught once."
"And it's super fun. Come with us, it'll be way more fun than sitting around in this hell of a place," PJ implored.
And that's how Dan ended up in the junkyard behind the facility, braving the wind, while PJ lay on his back under a car. Chris bounced around, complaining about the cold and telling PJ to hurry the fuck up while Dan and Phil just waited.
Phil shifted a little closer, which the other was hyperaware of. "Do you feel cold?" he whispered.
Dan shook his head. "Not at all. The wind is just annoying because it's really messing up my hair."
He laughed lightly. "I understand that. I hope this car's mirrors are still intact, because I'm going to need a fringe check," he muttered.
Dan smiled a little, trying to hide his face in the collar of his jacket. Even though he didn't feel cold, his skin could still get windburn and he didn't want to chance it. "Do you feel cold?" he asked Phil.
Phil just gave him a look. "I always feel cold," he replied.
"You're right, dumb question," he responded. God, he was such an idiot.
Suddenly the car's engine caught and started to run smoothly. Chris threw his hands in the hair. "Finally!" he cheered and climbed in the front seat.
"You did not call shotgun, cheater!" Phil protested.
PJ climbed out from under the car and brushed his hands together. "Just sit in the back with Hothead. Don't pretend you weren't going to do that anyway," he said and climbed into the driver's seat.
Dan chanced a look over at Phil after that statement, and all he caught before getting into the dark car was a small smile from the older boy. "Don't call me that," Dan muttered after climbing into the backseat.
The School turned out to be much farther from the city than Dan expected. It felt like they were in the car playing guessing games and I Spy for hours before they even saw a sign for London. That made Dan nervous, considering he had been knocked out before he was taken there from home. How long had he really been out?
When PJ parked on the street and managed to turn the car off, Chris cleared his throat. "You didn't know how to drive stick before today, did you?" he said.
"Nope," the technopath replied.
"That makes me feel safe," he replied with a sigh, "Alright, gents, lets go get drunk!"
The closest pub was called The Blind Tiger and it was full of mostly middle-aged men watching a football game. They were cheering and laughing and just having a good time, and it was all so normal. Dan had almost forgotten that normal life went on while he trained to control his strange mutation. An entire world existed outside his little messed up one, and that gave him a weird sense of satisfaction.
"I can't believe you guys do this without getting caught," he said while following others to the bar.
"It pays off to have a technical genius as a friend," Phil said.
"I'm not a genius-" PJ started.
Chris interrupted. "Yeah yeah, it's in your code or whatnot. Oi!" he waved at the bartender, "Four shots here please!"
"Make it three," Phil amended, "A vodka cranberry for me, please."
Chris turned to give him a look. "Are you a sissy?" he said seriously.
The taller boy glared. "That implies that being a girl is weak and I don't appreciate that. Also, I'm a lightweight and someone has to drive us back," he said.
The bartender placed three shot glasses of clear liquid before them, and then handed Phil his own drink. Dan plucked one up and gave it a sniff. It smelled very similar to cleaning liquid. "I'm supposed to drink this?" he asked.
"You've never had a shot before, have you?" PJ said. Dan shook his head. "Well, on the count of three we'll knock 'em back, alright?"
Phil just chuckled and sipped his drink while the other three got ready. Dan didn't really know what to expect, other than a disgusting taste. Chris counted to three and then at the same time they all took a shot. Dan nearly choked; that feeling was not was he was expecting. And it sure was awful.
As he coughed, Chris laughed and clapped him on the back. "Not the kind of burn you're used to, huh?" he said.
"No," Dan said in a choked voice, "People do that for fun?"
PJ shrugged. "You don't find that fun?" he asked playfully.
"Horrific, more like," Dan said.
Chris waved his hand again. "Another round!"
And another round they had. And another. And another. While Phil finished off his one drink, the other three kept ordering more and more. Eventually they were all happily buzzed, which was a feeling Dan was not used to but he wasn't about to complain about it.
"This was a great idea," he sighed, putting his head down on the counter.
"I know," Chris said while he tried to spin a shot glass on his left pointer finger. Phil reached over and took it before it could be smashed everywhere.
"We deserved this. I deserve this," Dan continued, "After getting my ass kicked in scheduled training every day and then againat resistance meetings-"
Phil cleared his throat. "You do fine."
"-this is great. A great time. You guys are great," he finished.
PJ and Chris started to laugh a little too hard, and then the screens all flashed. The pub was filled with annoyed complaints at the game changing to an anchorwoman from a national news station. The foursome watched the closest screen over their heads, distracted from their drunkenness. "We interrupt your scheduled programming for a special announcement from Prime Minister Page regarding the mutant hunt," she said.
As Dan picked his head up off the bar, PJ leaned forward. "Mutant hunt?" he repeated.
The screen changed to a full shot of the English Prime Minister talking at a podium. "The number of reported gifted people grows more and more every day, yet the number in our custody does not even compare," he said.
"That doesn't make sense," Phil muttered and leaned on the bar beside Dan.
Page was still talking. "The fact that these gifted people are escaping government custody is dangerous to the general public as well as unacceptable. There are multiple reports of incidents happening all across this country and others as well of these mutants losing control and hurting those around them. Where are they going in between being reported and our representatives coming to collect them?"
"But we are in government custody," Chris muttered in protest. PJ simply shushed him, and they continued to listen.
"Because of this fact, I am issuing a full scale manhunt for these gifted individuals who refuse to allow their country to feel safe. We will be doing no more waiting for reports alone, because we as a nation will not be afraid anymore. These mutants will be profiled and treated as armed and dangerous like they truly are. They are notlike us and they will no longer be treated as such. Anyone who tries to harbor these dangerous individuals will be treated as accessories and will be dealt with in due process. There will be nowhere to hide any longer." Page started to take questions from the crowd after a short bout of applause.
"What... is happening?" Chris muttered, still staring wide eyed at the television.
PJ was shaking his head. "This doesn't make sense, we are already in government custody, we're taken as to make sure this doesn't happen," he whispered in panic.
"Page said something about what happens in between a report and the person being collected... does that mean..." Phil trailed off, as if he were actively trying to work it out while staring at the screen.
Dan waved his hand at them. "Wait!" he hissed.
Page had called on a male reporter in the front row. "How will anyone be able to tell who is mutant from just another person?" he asked.
"By looking at them, no one can tell. They look just like you or I. However, our scientists have developed an enzyme that will react with mutated blood. Therefore, when representatives begin mandatory testing, it takes only a drop of blood to be able to find out," the minister answered. PJ's jaw fell open. Page called on the female reporter beside the first one.
"Sir, is there any other reason to take these mutants into custody besides lessening the danger?" she asked him in a thick American accent.
Page pursed his lips, as if he were thinking long and hard about whether or not he wanted to answer. "Yes, there is. Of course our main reason for this manhunt is to ensure the safety of the British people, by any means necessary. When these mutants are finally brought in, our scientists will put them through a series of tests. We are determined to discover what has caused their mutations and why they have their specific gifts."
"They're going to experiment on us," Dan muttered, eyes still frozen to the screen.
"There's an entire school full of gifted people, why haven't they just started on us?" Phil said under his breath as the broadcast ended. Soon the football game was back on and the chatter restarted around the pub.
The foursome was silent for a while, thinking. Dan couldn't even fathom what was happening. The Prime Minister claims that those they have in custody don't match the number of reports. So, where are the others going? And now they were sending the military out looking for them, and subjecting people to blood tests. Was this happening outside of The School? Dan didn't have enough answers, and it making him very paranoid being out in public.
"Why would they be hunting for more 'mutants' to cut open when there are hundreds of us already in one place?" Chris asked.
"Can't believe they called us mutants," PJ said through his teeth.
Dan shook his head. "They wouldn't," he murmured.
"Then what could be going on?" Chris demanded a little too loudly. He shrunk a bit as other bar goers glanced over.
Dan looked over at Phil first, then at the others. "Someone is lying."
