Mike had fully recovered in a matter of minutes and snapped both panels in two just in case. Most of the guards started to track us just as he recovered. All five of us trekked on back into the forest. Once we had found a nice place to make camp, I started to contemplate on what I am going to do. I had acted the whole time during our hike. The dead grass in the middle of the forest made a comfortable makeshift seat around the campfire. I had not recovered from the harsh blow I had brought onto myself back in the compound. I didn't even have the slightest thought that taking in to much air like that could shred you into pieces. Sure, I did recover from the big gashes inside and outside of me, but I stopped recovering at the rapid pace like I currently was. My ribs still feel like they are still in pieces along with my arm and leg. To avoid questions during the time we staggered to find a place to sleep, I plugged one of my ears with my Ipod, hoping that they would just think I am in deep thought and need something to keep my mind going. Once we came here I could hardly sit down.

"Hey um…" I stared at the fire Maddie had made. But my mind is so out of sorts that I gave up what I was going to say and I started to think about the new addition to our little rescue group: Maddie, of which I was skeptical about trusting. She is cool. I thought of her more as a mother though, but then realized she is more of a big sister. What I thought was the best thing about her was her ability to create heat, but not fire and she can control how hot she can make something. That way she could start a fire without accidentally hurting us. The fire illuminated the dense forest and our relieved faces from the bitter cold. The refreshed Mike is talking to Alex, and Serenity is chatting with Maddie, but I kept my mouth shut, still pondering.

"Serenity, can you get another log for the fire?" Alex asked her. She nodded her small head and stood there, apparently imagining going back and forth very fast. When her brain realized she was still there and everyone was looking at her, including me, she shook her head.

"What?" Serenity uttered in astonishment. Alex, too, was stunned not only with her, but with himself.

"Renee, did you hear the joke that I just told you?" He eyed me. Yawning, I shook my head wrapping my sweater that I retrieved back from Mike around me tighter.

"Nope, you didn't say anything out loud." I hugged my knees.

"I didn't say it out loud, I thought it to you."

"Well it obviously didn't get through my head."

"Renee, are you okay? Your cuts are not healed, shouldn't they be okay by now?" Mike interrupted. My face flushed.

"Ummmm… I have had some weird stuff happening to me too." I mumbled.

"Did you see that man Serenity?" Alex pestered her.

"No."

"Am I losing my ability?"

"No Alex you are not." Maddie giggled. All of us gave her questioning looks.

"You guys need to hear this then. Every single mutant gets this ONLY once in his or her life. The mutated gene that allows you to have your powers or whatever you want to call has a normal gene that is attached to it. The mutated gene is SLIGHTLY more dominant that the normal gene, so there is going to be a period of time (minutes, hours, or days) where both genes are fighting for dominance. That makes your ability, or one of your abilities, to spazz out. Sometimes it is there, sometimes it is not. Kinda like a short in a circuit. The weird part is that it lasts up to six days max. No more. No one knows why though. Now let me warn you. Alex, your short is going to probably last up to two hours. Mental abilities are the strongest of all mutations. As for Renee and Serenity, yours will last for a couple of days. The second ability is always the weakest." Maddie finished.

"Wait, super speed is my first ability." Serenity put in.

"Oh. In your case, your mental ability is weaker than the rest of the mental abilities. That happens. Don't worry. Yours will probably last two days tops." Maddie reassured her.

"Does it mean anything if you just found out about your second power less than a day ago and it is shorting out?" I gulped.

"No that just means your second power has always been active, but very weak. That is why your ability to heal is shorting out on you. Yours will last six days. But you guys don't worry; your abilities will never leave you permanently… Before I forget, you guys do know every mutant has a second ability; it is just that most of us, actually ninety-two percent, don't receive that second ability because the second ability is so weak that is just lays dormant your whole life." Maddie smiles. That whole explanation boggled my mind completely.

"How do you know so much?" Mike asked in amazement.

"I used to be a mutant doctor… Specifically for mutants." She ruffled her straight hair.

"That is so awesome! I have always wanted to be a doctor, but I never had the stomach for …." Serenity bobbed up and down, but I fell silent. I don't know what it was, but I became very silent. I could feel my leg and arm feeling better. The healing must be coming back for a short while. How could anyone pass that first test? That is barbaric! It never really occurred to me that someone would kill what they were fighting for. Then I thought that maybe, just maybe, that isn't what they are actually doing. Maybe the prisoners are really just a figment of the imagination, created by someone who had the power of Alex. A cloud of denial cleared my head and I knew that I was stretching it. There is no way Spud would do that. He wants the real thing, not just the imagination. The emotional storm brewing in my heart calmed down. My mind is ready now. Ready for devising a plan that will save those innocent mutants. But I need the map to this God forsaken place. I lean to the left of me and whispered into Mike's ear.

"Hey can you and Alex help me with something?"

"Sure"

"Okay, follow me." I whispered softly.

"Does anyone have a flashlight?" Mike called out from his private conversation.

"I do." Alex and Maggie answered in unison. Alex handed the flashlight to Mike and I got up, my joints popping. Leaves crackled under my feet, and I led the two guys farther away from the camp. The trees and leaves all look the same to me now. I created a little tiny seat of grass to have instead of the hard floor. Alex and Mike gave each other a high five as they sat down. For what? Curiosity pricked at my imagination and for that I had to shake my head. I MUST stay emotionally disconnected for the moment being so I can plan this out.

"Okay, why do you need us?" Alex started.

"We need to plan this out. Where is the map?" I widened my eyes to adjust to the flashlight. Crumpling noises of paper were followed by the image of three pieces of paper. Mike brushed the leaves away from the ground and grabbed a couple of tree branches. The three pieces of paper that made up the map rocked back and forth in the air as the strong hands cradling them freed them from his hold. Rough, brown branches found their places on the edges of the maps.

"I thought it was only one page?" I bit my nails.

"I printed out only one page because I have the rest." Alex winked. Mike clicked the light on and ran the light over it.

"There we are. Annnnnnd that is where your dad is being held." Mike traced.

"So that is the building next to the building we…. Broke into." I realized.

"That is unfortunate. I suppose you know that there are now more guards by your dad now."

"Yeah….." I sighed.

"No problem. Look. There is a pipeline we –" Alex was cut off by Serenity.

"What are you guys doing here without us?" She whined. Maddie filed in right behind her.

"That is a good question…." Mike thought about it.

"Um…. We have no clue why. Would you like to join us with planning?" Alex saved us. Both of the girls bent down on their knees in the dark, not knowing what they were kneeling on.

"As I was saying before, there is a pipeline we can go through. It has not been used in the past thirty years. That will lead us to that building right there. Right there next to the building that is next to the building where your dad is being held." Alex pointed.

"Now when we get to that building, we have to be crawling the whole time. You won't really know why until you are there. Let me just leave it at that. There is a shielded bridge of the roof that leads to your dad's building. Guards will be swarming over there. Renee, I need you to be on the ground to distract the guards so we can take care of them up there. These guards will be the most powerful mutants you will ever see. Once we get pass the guards and the bridge, we need to shut the power off. There are panels everywhere and the locks are locked automatically by a code in another panel. Everyone is going to be free, but there is a catch. Spud told me that Renee's dad holds the information needed to make a new panel. A panel that will kill mutants if the powers are taken away. Spud plans to use that new panel to absorb every ability there is. And since there would be no more mutants left, he is going to then be the biggest and only mutant alive. That is all he told me. So your dad has this schedule. I have that schedule in my head because I escort your dad to the places he has to go to. He is brought to Spud for questioning at two in the afternoon. Before, at six in the morning, he is brought to breakfast by himself. We need to get him before six. That leaves us about nine hours to do this." Alex finished.

"Alex is right on the money with this plan." Maddie commented him.

"Renee, you cannot be caught. Spud is going to use you against your dad." Mike pointed out.

"Yes. Mike is telling the truth. Remember, EVERYONE stays together, except for when Renee has to get to the ground underneath the bridge. In that case, Renee, stay with us until we have reached the bridge, then get to the ground and distract the guards. They will not be affected by your choking them." Maddie ordered me.

"Hey, I think I saw someone. Renee, will you come with me to check it out?" Mike stretched.

"Okay." I copied him. This is the first time that I have talked to him since the incident. Mike helped me up and we shuffled quite away, deeper into the forest than the others would want us to be. This part of the forest is more open and showed me that there is still a moon out tonight. Mike caught me by the shoulder and reeled me in, closer to him.

"Thanks Renee… For going through all of that trouble." He rubbed my banged up shoulder.

"No problem. I didn't go through that much trouble."

"Yes you did. I saw you laying on the ground, smiling when I woke up."

"Maybe a little bit of trouble…"

"Yeah yeah. Whatever you say."

"What exactly happen when the shooting started earlier today? Didn't you let the bullet pass through you?"

"Ah. That was a painful experience. I don't know what really happened there. I guess when I let go of you it freaked me out and I didn't let anything pass through me. Other than that I don't really know."

"You scared me though! I thought you died!"

"I know, but you had your new boyfriend Alex to help you." Mike teased.

"Uhuh."

"So you aren't denying it!"

"Yes, yes. He um…. Kinda kissed me before I did this one test thing where I went into hypothermia, but I am fine now,"

"I know, he told me. He knows that I am protective of you. He didn't want me to find out from someone else."

"So wait… Are you assuming that we are boyfriend girlfriend?"

"Nope."

"Oh… Well." I smiled.

"Hahaha, and I am guessing that you know that there really is no person, I just wanted to talk to you." Mike heartily laughed.

"Thanks Mike." I hugged him.