9

After a few hours at the pool everyone began packing up. I was standing with Nega and Yukio.

"So I'll come pick you guys up at 10?" I asked and they nodded in unison and suddenly Wade just slid between us slowly rising up into view.

"Is this party talk we're discussing, ladies?" he asked.

"Yes and it's girls only." I said, Cable was just coming up behind me so I motioned at him. "You guys can have a guys night out with Weasel and Colossus." Cable rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Pass." he said.

"Oh come on you guys can go out for a night on the town and get into trouble?" I said mischievously and Wade grinned.

"You know something? You're right. I do have a little hit list or as I call, my shit list of top gun baddies we can kill." he said.

"Excuse me?" Colossus called out as he walked toward us and now Wade sighed with annoyance and rolled his eyes. "Scratch that, it's a list of all the top bingo games going on tonight. Cable you and I can just do this then. You know make our bond grow as strong as Beyoncé and Jay Z." Negasonic rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, Ziza see you tonight." she said taking Yukio's hand and pulling her away. She gave an innocent wave. Wade wrapped an arm around Cable causing him to groan and roll his eyes in annoyance.

"Come on big guy what do you say? Kill with me tonight?" he asked caressing his chiseled jaw of which he turned his face away. He looked at me and I smiled moving up to him.

"I think you would have a good night." I said.

"With his never-ending mouth?" he asked and I shrugged.

"But you get some action." I replied.

"The non-sexual kind." Wade added and Cable just sighed.

"Fine." he said. "I do miss shooting things." I clapped happily as Wade raised his hands in happiness.

"Yes!" he cheered. Once we were back in my car and taking off, I smiled at him.

"I think you will have a good time tonight." I said and he shrugged.

"I miss the thrill of the hunt." he admitted and I smiled.

"And shooting things." I said and he nodded with a smile.

"And shooting things." he replied. As I drove the whooping noise of a cop squad rang sharply in my ear and I looked over my shoulder and sighed at the cop car tailing behind us.

"What the hell?" I asked. Did I run a red light or stop sight or something? Cable looked as well before frowning. His arm reached back to his large gun, and I stopped him. "Definitely not. Just be cool." He gave me a look and groaned before leaning back in his seat and I turned to my window and rolled it down to look at the officer. He was a tall Asian man with short black hair and dark eyes.

"Hello officer." I said. He looked into the car and I was thankful Cable had his hoody on. The officer's eyes hardened a bit on him before looking at me.

"License and registration." he commanded and I nodded and leaned over into my glove compartment and I glanced at Cable to see him just looking forward with his usual scowl. I pulled my wallet out and registration before handing it to the officer. He took it and began to review it.

"Ziza Hemmingway. That's a beautiful name." he complimented and I smiled some.

"Thank you." I said. Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed Cable slowly looked at the officer, his glare intensifying. I leaned forward a bit so the officer wouldn't see him. "Did I do something wrong, officer?" His eyes now looked at me sharply and I just gave a polite smile in return.

"You ran a stop sign a few feet back." he said and I looked back thinking I didn't see one not like that mattered right now.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I…"

"Wasn't paying attention." he said coolly and collectively and I bit the inside of my cheek some. "Wait right here." I nodded and he walked back to his squad car.

"There wasn't a stop sign anywhere back there." Cable said and I shook my head.

"It's okay." I said.

"To hell it is." Cable snapped lowly.

"Let it go." I said as the officer was checking something in his car and coming back to my window.

"Where are you two headed anyways?" the officer asked and I just looked him over. It was hardly his business, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

"Just headed back from an afternoon with friends." I said and he nodded slowly.

"An afternoon with friends. Sounds like a nice time. You should be more careful with the company you keep. You don't want them becoming a bad influence on you and making you run stop lights Ms. Hemmingway." he said and as he said this, I noticed his eyes flashed a shade of black before his brown pupils returned. My body stiffened and I looked at the officer more closely before he handed me my stuff back. "I'll let you off with a warning this time. Try to be more aware of your surroundings."

"You can count on it." I said with respect before watching as he tipped his hat and moved back to his squad car. I rolled the window back and watched as the cop continued back to his car before driving on.

"The hell was that about?" Cable asked angrily and I shook my head.

"Cops, you never know what they're going to do." I said and continued to look through my rearview mirror to make sure we weren't followed. Was what I saw real? Was that cop more than just a cop? Lord I hoped not.

"Let me out of here!" I screamed. "You can't just take people when you want you animals!" I was put in a square cell and just left there. It was clean with only a blanket and pillow on the ground and I kept banging and shouting on the door.

"People are trying to sleep you know." I hear a low accented voice say. I turned around and looked toward the back of the room. On both the left and right sides of the walls were small windows with metal bars. I moved cautiously towards the window where the sound came from and it was right beside my make shift cot. I got on my knees and leaned over. I saw someone lying down on the cot beside the window. He was an Asian guy, young, clean shaven face with choppy black hair. He's wearing some black collar, the same as what I was wearing and he was just lounging about. He's wearing a tank and baggy black sweats.

"Who are you?" I asked. The guy slowly opened his eyes and faced me.

"Name's Shen." he said and I nodded.

"Ziza." I replied and he nodded once and closed his eyes again. "Where are we? What is this place?"

"It's where people like us are taken and forgotten." he said and I just looked his face over some.

"You're a mutant." I said and he raised his finger up.

"Bingo." he said. I leaned closer to the window.

"What are your abilities?" I asked. He looked at me and for a second his eyes flashed black which suddenly made his body convulse and I gasped some as he groaned in pain.

"Gah. I control shadows and darkness. These collars hold our powers at bay. If we try and use them, they fry us." he said and I looked down in utter fear.

"This can't be happening. What are they going to do to us?" I asked.

"They're going to weaponize us and use us for any high paying criminal organization to use." he said and I covered my mouth in fear and turned away.

"How long have you been here, Shen?" I asked.

"I don't really know. I was really young when I came here. So an unspecified amount of years." he said. I stared off across the room, tears falling down my cheek as I listened. Was this to be my life.

"So then I am going to die here." I said.

"Only if you let them win. What is you can do?" he asked and I just lied down slowly on the cot.

"I can do stuff with water." I said. He arched a sharp brow.

"Stuff with water?" he asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know I'm new to all this." I said with stress and he nodded.

"Well since you're technically my new cellmate, I'll give you some tips on how to survive." he said and I just looked at him cautiously.

"Why would you do that, help me?" I asked and he tilted his head some.

"Because we are both prisoners who at any moment can be disposed of if we don't prove our use to these assholes." he said and I just stared at him for a moment before pulling the blanket over my shoulder.

"Okay." I said softly. "So what all can you do with your powers?" He smiled.

"I can create shadow beings and monsters and control them like my puppets. I can move through shadows to get to another place. I was a thief before I got caught." he explained.

"Ziza?" Cable said causing me to jump some and I looked at him as we were now in my parking lot.

"Huh?" I asked. He looked me over.

"You okay?" he asked and I looked around before nodding.

"Yeah. All good." I said getting out of the car and he followed my actions.

"Your face and posture say otherwise." he mentioned and I nodded.

"Just tired." I said and met him around at the front of the car and he stopped me, his hands massaging my shoulders and he looked a bit beside himself as well.

"Look. I have looked at the history of this current time. There's still a lot of police brutality going on and I know it can affect you and make you feel differently. In my time, there is no police brutality. You have your crew and your family. So if you ever want to talk about that stuff with me I'm here and since I don't have a dog in the fight of uh racial equality, just know I'll always be on your side and stand with you." he said and I just stared at him intently, emotions of happiness filling me. I smiled and placed my hands on his cheek leaning in and kissing him passionately. He wrapped his arms around me pulling me into him and responding just as passionately.

"You have no idea how happy you have just made me." I said against his lips and he smiled and pecked my lips again.

"Good. I should get going. I need to rest before I go on this… night out with Wade." he said slowly moving from me and I smiled more and nodded.

"Be careful tonight." I said and he nodded back at me.

"You too. If you need me I'm a phone call away." he said and I nodded watching him get in his truck and drive off.

"As am I." I whispered before turning to look at my apartment. I was excited about the adventure I would have with the girls tonight. But something was eating at me in the back of my mind. I felt like tonight I should sleep with the lights on.