Caleb stared hard out the passenger side window of the jeep. His church was a mess. The parking lot had fissures and crags stabbing their way out of the earth. Windows were broken and there was crime scene tape circling the doors. It didn't even look too much like a church now. The steeple had fallen away, its whereabouts unknown.

"This doesn't look too good," Markas admitted. They had driven his car home to Illinois to check on their families.

"No, it doesn't. I'm gonna go ahead and take a look around. You go and see if your family is okay," Caleb unbuckled his seatbelt as he spoke. He stepped out, shut the door and waved to his cousin through the window. Markaspulled aU-turn. He returned the wayhe'd comeand started off in the direction of his home, a few cities over from where the church was. Caleb had already been to his mom's house and his dad's. He had discovered his mom sitting at the table, looking very sad, but other than that, okay. His dad and step mom were out in their yard working on picking up wreckage, the dog playfully chewing on a piece of wood.

He had approached neither home. He couldn't bear being reunited with his parents again. He was a mutant and they were not. He didn't want to be blamed for anything more than he already had. He had Markas drive on by, content to see that they were alive.

He climbed under the yellow crime scene tape and tugged on the church door. It was locked but the glass was broken out of. He ducked down and came in through the bottom. The foyer was pretty much unscathed. There was more crime scene tape stretched across the doors of the sanctuary, which was to his immediate right. He heard music playing through the sound system and a familiar voice singing along with the music. It was a true and strong soprano, echoing through the halls. He knew exactly who it was. He stepped between the strips of tape and saw her. She was kneeling at the altar with her back to him. There were chalk outlines on the floor, indicating that people had died there. There were all kinds of crime scene flags sticking up out of pews and on the walls. Some of them were stained with blood, not a lot.

Occasional sobbing stifled her singing; she was weeping. Her hair was a lot longer than it was the last time Caleb had saw her a year or so ago. Her slender frame was knelt at the altar with her jubilant red hair hanging loosely to the floor. Her hands were raised on either side of her body, lifted towards the heavens. Normally Caleb would not interrupt her worship and prayer but he was only going to be in town for this day and then he was leaving. He needed some answers.

"Lindsey," he said simply, getting her attention. She started and turned to him, frightened. Her face and eyes were red from steady crying. She had a collection of tissues before her. Her mouth opened as she stared at him in disbelief. She didn't smile.

"Caleb? What are you doing here?"

"I came home to see if my family was okay after what happened," she looked at him as if she expected him to tell her more. "They're fine."

"Glad to hear it," she said and she looked away, staying knelt on the floor.

"What happened here, Lindsey?"

"The same thing that happened everywhere else. Mutants suddenly started attacking and killing humans without warning or reason. No one knew what hit them or why their own family was lashing out at them," she began to tremble, a fresh batch of tears falling from her eyes. "I couldn't stop myself! I could see what I was doing and I knew that I needed to stop but I couldn't bring myself to. I killed people, Caleb! Aunt Pam…Nana…I…I…" she ended in a cry of defeat. Caleb put two comforting hands on her shoulders as he knelt beside her. "I killed them. I could see what I was doing in my head but I could not stop myself. Something came over me and I…I…"

She could manage to say no more. She went into a fit of wails, moans and screams. The tears flowed freely from her eyes, completely uninhibited. Caleb sat beside her for a while and waited for her to calm down. He hated to see her like this. She was not alone; her story was the story of many mutants who had suddenly turned on non-mutants without warning or control of themselves.

The bright, joyous Lindsey that he'd known had completely left the empty shell that was before him now. She looked frail, angry and hopeless—like she had given up on everything. He decided as she began to gather herself that he would tell her what really happened.

He didn't mention anything about the earthquake he'd caused or how he joined the X-Men but only that they recruited him. He told her of Jean Grey-Summers and the X-Men. He spoke of the Xavier Institute for mutants and how they helped mutants control their gifts. He told her of his experience in the Danger Room and about how mutants were put into a ranking system. Since she knew Markas or at least knew who he was, he mentioned him. He told her of how a lot of mutants gave themselves new names based on what they could do with their powers and he named off a few of them.

"What's yours? Do you have one?" she asked curiously.

"Yes, mine is Shockwave," he repeated with pride.

"Why Shockwave? What do you do?"

"I can release these powerful booms as I call them or shockwaves from my body," he said.

"That's all?"

"They're pretty intense," Caleb came back.

"How intense?" She looked at him as if she wanted a demonstration. He wasn't about to show her. He continued telling her his tale.

At last he told her about the Brotherhood and what they stood for. He began to replay the events that happened in New York City and at the mansion. He told her of Mindflare and about Cerebro. He was sure to reiterate that it was his fault that all of this was happening and not hers. She was under his spell, so to speak. She listened most intently when he spoke about Mindflare and the Brotherhood.

"Do you know where they are?" she asked darkly.

"Yeah—well some of them. Mindflare and a woman named Exus are locked in the stockade cells that we have there in the subbasement. I'm not sure how long they'll stay there or anything like that…it's really not my decision," Caleb explained.

"Can you take me to them?" she asked hopefully. There was still an ominous air to her. Suddenly Caleb thought he had a pretty good idea as to what she was thinking.

"I guess that I can. In a time like this, with the MCA on the hunt for mutants I don't see how they could refuse to take you in," Caleb deliberately made it sound like he was talking about the X-Men just to see if she would confirm his suspicions about her.

"Well I only want to go to see Mindflare. I want to look in the eyes of my family's killer. I want him to see me so that I can tell him what he's done…not just to me but to everyone," she said through bared teeth.

"I don't think that it would do any good, Lin. He's a sociopath, no concept of right or wrong but only lives to fulfill his own murderous desires. You won't make him feel guilty," Caleb warned.

"Even still, it would appease my mind to put a face behind my agony so I know who to take it out on," she said softly.

"Take it out on?"

"You guys are going to punish him, right? He should be executed for what he did!" the tears, this time of rage, began to flow.

"Killing him won't undo what he did. It doesn't solve the problem," Caleb assured.

"He deserves it! Think of the countless people who died because of his actions. He has to pay," she slammed her hand against the ground. Caleb decided that there was no since in arguing with her. Personally he did not support capital punishment. Though he had wished it upon himself when he beat himself up with guilt over the earthquake. He believed it to be barbaric and uncivilized. To kill a killer was simply more killing. Negotiation if possible, and peace, as Beast had taught him were much better alternatives to violence. There was a time for everything under the sun, however. Caleb would fight if he had to, in a heartbeat.

"Where's Nathan?" Caleb asked, hoping he was well, not just for her sake but for his as well. When Caleb was still in normal society, he and Nathan were pretty good friends. Nathan and Lindsey were dating, last he'd heard. Caleb always respected him simply for the fact that he was openly unashamed about his mutation. He was a class-2 heightened speed/strength mutant.

"He's good. He wasn't at church when all of this happened. He attacked and killed some police officers though. He's hiding out at my house right now because he knows that the MCA will be looking for him. He needs to know all of what you told me because he's feeling bad about it," she looked hopefully to Caleb, as if he held the keys to unleash her soul from hell.

"What about his job, his family?" Caleb asked. He'd have to leave it all behind if he came to the mansion.

"None of that matters now. He can't go home, and he can't go to work. He's a wanted man now…just like all mutants," she pointed out. It suddenly occurred to him that he didn't know that Lindsey was a mutant until that day. She had never said anything about it the short months they'd been associated with each other in the youth group. She was probably trying to keep it a secret, as he was. He didn't even know what she could do.

"Lindsey, what is your mutation?" she looked at him with a puzzled. "What can you do?"

"Oh, yeah! Um…I don't know…it's really hard to explain. It's dark enough now that I can just show you," at last she gave a little grin.

"What do you mean, 'dark enough'?"

"You'll see." She closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Suddenly a dark figure, like a spirit or ghost began to rise from her body. As he began to look he saw that it was semi-transparent, although clearly visible. It took a silhouette and at last, details that were identical to Lindsey. The figure stood up and stepped forward. Lindsey stood up too. They both looked at the figure as it moved.

"It's really strange, I can't see what it sees, but I can. It's almost like a sixth sense or something. I can make it do things," she explained, pushing hair away from her glassy blue eyes. As she spoke the figure jumped, twirled around, smiled and did various other things.

"Wow. That's not like anything I've ever seen."

"That's not all." Another spectre emerged from her body, identical to the last one. They began to do different things, including rising up off of the ground, floating weightlessly in the air. Caleb reached out to touch one.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Any contact that anyone has with them is not pleasant. I'm completely immune but it will hurt anyone else."

"How bad?"

"It's not enough to kill them."

"Do it on me," Caleb said with a grin. "Come on, I'm pretty tough…do it softly."

The spectre suddenly dove towards Caleb with unnatural speed and slammed into him. The spectre disappeared into thin air and he felt as if he'd been punched in the gut where it hit. It wasn't as hard as if Lindsey herself were to actually come and punch him but it still hurt. There was something worse. It caused him to feel other things, nausea, confusion, dizziness and—fear. Yes they invoked fear when they touched him. It wasn't overwhelming in any of the side effects but he guessed if a bunch of these things were to hit him, he might not die from the beating but the other effects would be unbearable.

"See?"

"Whoa. That's really strange. I met a lot of mutants at the institute and they all have some crazy-weird powers but I've never seen or heard of anything like this before."

"There's more," she said.

"More?" when he turned to look at her, she'd been replaced by another spectre. They all began to speak with a raspy, dark version of Lindsey's voice but only one was looking him in the eye.

"I can transform my body to be like theirs, I'm stronger than they are and won't poof away if I touch you. You still don't want that to happen when I'm like this, by the way," she explained. She was smiling. Caleb knew the feeling. Being able to share your mutant abilities with someone who wasn't going to judge you was as rewarding as being accepted for who you were in any other situation. It was rare and felt nice when you were able to do it.

"You have a great gift," he said.

"Oh, I'm not finished yet," this time he almost heard a glimpse of the old Lindsey he knew before as all three spectres, turned to face him. Two stepped towards her and they fused back into her again and she became whole. Suddenly, it seemed as if she went invisible.

Wow…what can't she do?

"Over here!" she said. He whirled behind him and thought he saw the lights flicker. There was no one. He felt a tap on his shoulder that sent chills down his spine. "Too slow!"

Finally she stopped and moved from one spot to the next before his eyes. He had to watch for a while at first, because she moved so fast.

"As long as I'm in the dark and I can see where I'm going, I'm quick as lightning," she said, coming back into her regular form and stepping towards him.

"You've got skills, I'm not gonna lie," Caleb admitted hoping he could get her to laugh by his choice of words and tone. She cracked a small smile but it looked as if her misery came raining down on her and she remembered them all over again.

Caleb looked over at the grand piano on the left corner of the stage. He had to. It was almost like a rule: if there is a piano within his reach he had to play it. He figured that Lindsey could sing along if she wanted. He smiled and pointed to it.

"Do you mind?"

"No, go ahead. I'd love to hear you play," she said. She didn't sound very convincing but he knew that he couldn't ask for much more from her. He moved across the altar, onto the stage and to the big, black grand. He sat himself down, pulling the bench closer for comfort and ease. From where he was sitting, he had a clear view out of the sanctuary, into the foyer and out to the parking lot. To his horror, there were MCA cars pulling up in the parking lot. The yellow and white lights atop their vehicles were blaring. Several men were getting out, guns drawn.

"Lindsey! We have to get outta here!"

"What?"

"NOW! The MCA are in the parking lot!"

Her face turned from sorrow to concern and fear. She ran by his side and looked out the glass doors to confirm his warning.

"Where's you car?" he asked. He had not remembered seeing it in the parking lot when he and Markas had pulled up.

"It's around the back, in the field. I parked there so no one would know it was there," she replied.

Smart girl.

"Okay let's go out the exit here, get in it and go," conveniently, as if God himself had ordained it, there was an exit, just feet away from them. If they hurried they could slip out, get to the car and away before the MCA ever got in. They opened the exit and jumped out.

"Hold it right there!" there was an MCA agent, dressed head-to-toe in combat gear. He had a pistol poised in his hands aimed at Lindsey, since she had jumped out first. Caleb didn't hesitate, even for a second. Since, he thought, that the instinctive thing to do is to put my hands up, he would. When his palms were parallel with the agent he unleashed a medium-sized boom. The man was uprooted from his position and went airborne. From the distance he and Caleb had been, he could very well have a few broken bones when he woke up in the morning.

"That intense," Caleb looked at Lindsey—now she had her demonstration. He grabbed her arm and continued around the back. "Let's go."

They treaded through the uncut grass and found her little blue car. Caleb took one look at it and laughed. It was a little 4-banger and would not outrun the MCA by a long shot. They needed to get to the road as silently as they did quickly. It looked fairly new, so Caleb had a feeling that it wouldn't give them much trouble as far as noise.

Without thinking, he grabbed for the passenger side door.

"Wait, don't…" Lindsey tried to warn him but he'd already lifted the handle. The alarm and horn began to sound. She quelled it as quickly as possible with her remote but it was too late. The MCA would be around the back of the church any second.

So much for being quiet.

"GO! Just go!" Caleb got in and habitually put his seat belt on. Lindsey started the car, put it in gear and took off slower than Caleb thought prudent, considering the situation. "What's the delay? GO!" he turned around to see an armored jeep coming around the corner. They were already on their tails.

"If I go too fast the tires will get stuck in the dirt!" she protested. There was a twinge of fear and panic in her voice. It was a struggle for Caleb to remain calm too. He was as new to this fugitive on the run business as she was. Before long they were on the road speeding away. The only part about that were the armored cars coming out onto the road behind them. Lindsey was already going ninety and could accelerate much faster than they could but it wouldn't be too long before they caught up to her.

"Okay as soon as you go over the hill, turn right and take the back way," he suggested.

"Why?" she was too upset to think.

"We cannot outrun them in this. You're probably at top speed," Caleb said. The sound of the engine giving its purr of a roar confirmed his fears. Even his suggestion wasn't going to work. He glanced back one more time to see that the jeeps were already in view. There were three of them.

"Okay, whatever happens I want you to try to stay calm, okay?" he tried to sound soothing but he was afraid that his own fear was hanging out a little bit. He had no plan whatsoever as to what to do about the MCA. He wasn't about to get caught, that much was for sure.

Suddenly the sound of a fully automatic weapon sounded in the night. They could hear the bullets smashing into the back of Lindsey's car. It didn't sound anything like it did from the chase scenes they'd seen in movies but it was easy enough to figure out what was happening. She screamed.

"They're shooting at us! They're gonna kill us! They're gonna kill us! I'm pulling over!" she started to brake and veer to the right. Caleb became livid.

"NO! Keep driving!" she released the brake and screamed again as some bullets came through the back windshield and shattered the front windshield. Caleb had to think of something fast. The bullets had stopped for just a second, he guessed, for the man to reload. The idea came to him in a flash. He unbuckled himself and climbed into the back seat.

"Lindsey, how do you feel about convertibles?"

"WHAT?" she asked. He smiled and put his hands on the roof of the car and the back windshield. He let out dual booms. To his satisfaction, the roof and back windshield disappeared. The warm summer air began to flow freely into the car.

"MY CAR!" she screamed from the front seat. Caleb felt bad, but only for a second. He stood up and faced their attacker. Surprised by his willingness to retaliate, he aimed and concentrated for the few seconds it took him to gather his strength and sense. Aiming for the grill of the jeep he released another boom, as powerful as he could muster. The jeep crunched up like a tin can and then began to flip and bounce in complete circles.

The other two came around the wreckage, each with a man coming through the roof with a gun. They pulled alongside each other and came speeding towards them. The bullets sounded through the night. Caleb sent off another boom out of reflex but it was only powerful enough to dent their hood a little. Suddenly, horrible pain stung his right arm. He dropped into the back seat. Lindsey was already as low as she could be. The bullets riddled through the car, going through the seats and into the dash, destroying the CD player. The front windshield shattered some more. None of that was even as minutely important as the fact that he'd been shot. He looked at arm, expecting to find it blown off. To his dismay, the bullet had only grazed him. He wiped some of the blood away to discover that it was no more than a bad scratch.

"You're bleeding!" Lindsey sounded again.

"I'm great, keep driving," Caleb could've kicked himself, first for being so scared over a scratch, and second for realizing that the only way conversation was possible was that they shooting had stopped. He was already gathering more energy to perform another boom. Stood up again and blasted the jeep directly behind them. He aimed a little to the left but still liked the results of his boom. The right side of the jeep caved in, the glass shattering. It spun around ninety degrees, tipped and began to roll.

Suddenly, he was thrown backward so hard into her passenger seat, he felt bolts and springs breaking loose. She was stopping! What was she thinking? He whirled around to find the source of her idiocy. The other jeep had pulled ahead of them, in front of them, and was trying to force Lindsey to stop. Caleb heard the tumbling of the jeep behind them getting louder.

NO!

In a flash the jeep would be on them, rolling and rolling until it collided with them. It bounced in the air and was upon them. From his position he gave off a powerful boom and the jeep suddenly bounced away from them and to the side of the road. The car swerved and bumped violently. She crossed a median to avoid collision with the other jeep. She was now on the wrong side of the road, cars were barreling past her and honking angrily.

He turned around looked in horror. Once again, unlike the movies, there was nothing exciting about this chase. Being on the wrong side of the road, going as fast as she was was the scariest thing Caleb had ever experienced. His stomach was no longer where it should be and his blood ran cold.

"What are you doing?" now it was his turn to panic. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel. She looked as if she had found a new source of determination and calm. Clearly, she had stolen all of Caleb's as he was ready to curl into a fetal position on the floorboard.

"Hold on!" she said suddenly swerving as they crossed through an intersection, cars crossing before them. Caleb swore, something he wasn't accustomed to, and dropped into the seat. He began to pray silently for his live as he heard squealing tires. Soon they were simply going straight and steady again.

Thank you, Jesus, he finished his prayer and sat up. He figured that her little maneuver had lost their pursuers but no such luck. They had turned on their sirens and cars had let them cross through the intersection unscathed.

Bummer, Caleb understated. There were no cars between them and the jeep so he unleashed a boom. The jeep swerved a little bit but continued hard on their heels. He unleashed another with the same results. Angered, he made quick alternating bursts from his hands, eight in a row, more than he'd ever tried before. Still, no luck against the jeep. The realization and fatigue hit him all at once and way too late. He dropped in the seat again, this time from exhaustion. Sweat poured from his brow, despite the wind, his breathing and heart rate far above normal. His power worked much better close up. Unless he charged up and deliberately focused a boom, it would do less and less damage, the further he was away. He was too tired to muster another boom now.

Stupid!

The bullets began to enter the car again, and Lindsey was screaming. His head pounded and he choked back bile from overexerting himself so badly.

"Caleb! Do something! Caleb I can't control the car! CALEB!" she wailed. He could barely move, let alone perform another attack under such pressure. He felt a tremendous bump from underneath as their own car began to twirl in the air. Caleb braced himself and tried to stay in the car, but he was soon sailing through the air and towards a grassy hill to the side of the road.

He hit the ground and was vaulted into the air again, boom had sounded involuntarily. He hit the ground with the same results. He landed much more softly than he could've hoped. He was not unconscious by any means but he was unable to move at all. He turned his head and threw up. Gummy tears trickled down his cheek as he heard the car crash.

He began to crawl, pulling himself towards the wreckage, he was moving too slowly to help her, he knew. Soon he gave up, and just lay there, defeated by his own mutation. He gritted his teeth and wished all over again that he'd never been born a mutant. He could hear voices at the top of the hill.

"—Hold it right there!"

"—Don't move!"

"—Mutants have been identified as M-117k, Lindsey Basden, and M-121r, Caleb O'Fallon."

Then he heard automatic weapons'fire. He winced. He couldn't see her but he knew that they'd shot her. He was unable to save her. He'd failed to redeem himself again, like so many times before.

Lindsey…I'm sorry.

He heaved heavily and passed out.