*
SATURDAY
OK, so maybe, just maybe, this thing is going to work. And just perhaps give me the chance for a little fun as well. Well, I kind of enjoyed sticking Ashlocke's people in the wall and leaving them there for Emma to blast. Like I said at the time, they'd have to be hurting from both ends when they woke up. Mind you, I'm not sure how they were going to get them out of there... But I guess if Ashlocke is as good as Adam says he'll be able to re-phase the wall and release them. Hope so – whatever their intentions, they're still mutants like us and, if what Shal told us is true, only acting under the influence of Ashlocke's power. And I really hate the idea of them dying for him.
Have to say, though, that when I thought about the whole thing later it sort of gave me the shakes. I mean, my biggest fear is of being buried alive – which is kind of bizarre when you think about what I do to myself when I phase through stuff - and there I was happily putting others into a position where it could happen to them. If I'd let them go into the wall face first and left them there... well, it doesn't really bear thinking about. So I'm going to have to be careful how I use that particular trick.
I was pretty nervous going in. The others were all expecting me to just up and use my new powers to get us into Genomex, but they didn't seem to appreciate that I'd never actually tried phasing something with enough control to let a person walk through it. The nearest I'd come was when Emma tried sticking a finger into a wall I'd phased at the safehouse. She seemed fascinated by the whole thing, said it tickled, but that was before the electrical wiring (hard) inside the plaster (easy) fell out and gave her a shock. I should probably add energy-based stuff to my growing list of problem areas – I've worked out that I can phase the conduits fine, but that just releases what they're carrying and that's generally not a good thing.
But they weren't having any of my suggestions that we all just walk in the front way, so I didn't really have any other choice than to go for it. For a moment there, as I made a space in the outer wall big enough to get a bus through, let alone the three of us, I did wonder what would happen if I lost it. If I let them get inside and then couldn't hold the phase long enough for them to get out the other side. If it turned out to be further than it looked, too far for me to handle. At least I know that I can walk through anything as long as it's not too wide for me to hold my breath, stay intangible. But it's become a whole different ballgame now I'm responsible for whichever of the others has come along for the ride. So it's good to know that things reform round whatever's still inside them, rather than trying to crush them out of existence – at least then I'll have the chance to get them out again if I do screw up.
The first one was pretty easy, though, which helped – just plain old brick. I'm getting good with brick. It almost seems to want to help pull me through, unlike other stuff like steel which is just hard work. Brennan bailed out then to go find Shal, which just left Emma to take the really big steps into the unknown with me. And somehow I managed to get the both of us through all the varying barriers blocking our way into the central computer room, despite a couple of nasty moments with some pipework buried in the reinforced concrete that didn't seem to want to play, which was a major achievement given the problems I'd been having while I was practicing. Emma was pretty cool about it, though – she at least seemed to understand what a big deal it was for me, and her confidence in me gave me confidence in myself.
I'm sure I overdid it, particularly on the first couple of tries, phased far more area than I needed to. I should be able to do what's necessary, create the perfect access, without having to give up so much of myself in the process, without having to risk losing myself every time. Without the bone-deep ache it seems to induce...
But we did what we set out to do – to get into Genomex, to take back what Ashlocke stole from us. Shal seems to be OK, though I can tell there's something she's not sharing with us, something that happened while she was with him. But the new mutant database, and the innocent people it contains, is safe – at least for now - and we have a bit of a breathing space to take stock of what's happened the past few days, to work together as a team to make ourselves even stronger for when Ashlocke next sticks his head outside his lair.
I just hope I'm ready to step up to the plate when that time comes.
*
SATURDAY
OK, so maybe, just maybe, this thing is going to work. And just perhaps give me the chance for a little fun as well. Well, I kind of enjoyed sticking Ashlocke's people in the wall and leaving them there for Emma to blast. Like I said at the time, they'd have to be hurting from both ends when they woke up. Mind you, I'm not sure how they were going to get them out of there... But I guess if Ashlocke is as good as Adam says he'll be able to re-phase the wall and release them. Hope so – whatever their intentions, they're still mutants like us and, if what Shal told us is true, only acting under the influence of Ashlocke's power. And I really hate the idea of them dying for him.
Have to say, though, that when I thought about the whole thing later it sort of gave me the shakes. I mean, my biggest fear is of being buried alive – which is kind of bizarre when you think about what I do to myself when I phase through stuff - and there I was happily putting others into a position where it could happen to them. If I'd let them go into the wall face first and left them there... well, it doesn't really bear thinking about. So I'm going to have to be careful how I use that particular trick.
I was pretty nervous going in. The others were all expecting me to just up and use my new powers to get us into Genomex, but they didn't seem to appreciate that I'd never actually tried phasing something with enough control to let a person walk through it. The nearest I'd come was when Emma tried sticking a finger into a wall I'd phased at the safehouse. She seemed fascinated by the whole thing, said it tickled, but that was before the electrical wiring (hard) inside the plaster (easy) fell out and gave her a shock. I should probably add energy-based stuff to my growing list of problem areas – I've worked out that I can phase the conduits fine, but that just releases what they're carrying and that's generally not a good thing.
But they weren't having any of my suggestions that we all just walk in the front way, so I didn't really have any other choice than to go for it. For a moment there, as I made a space in the outer wall big enough to get a bus through, let alone the three of us, I did wonder what would happen if I lost it. If I let them get inside and then couldn't hold the phase long enough for them to get out the other side. If it turned out to be further than it looked, too far for me to handle. At least I know that I can walk through anything as long as it's not too wide for me to hold my breath, stay intangible. But it's become a whole different ballgame now I'm responsible for whichever of the others has come along for the ride. So it's good to know that things reform round whatever's still inside them, rather than trying to crush them out of existence – at least then I'll have the chance to get them out again if I do screw up.
The first one was pretty easy, though, which helped – just plain old brick. I'm getting good with brick. It almost seems to want to help pull me through, unlike other stuff like steel which is just hard work. Brennan bailed out then to go find Shal, which just left Emma to take the really big steps into the unknown with me. And somehow I managed to get the both of us through all the varying barriers blocking our way into the central computer room, despite a couple of nasty moments with some pipework buried in the reinforced concrete that didn't seem to want to play, which was a major achievement given the problems I'd been having while I was practicing. Emma was pretty cool about it, though – she at least seemed to understand what a big deal it was for me, and her confidence in me gave me confidence in myself.
I'm sure I overdid it, particularly on the first couple of tries, phased far more area than I needed to. I should be able to do what's necessary, create the perfect access, without having to give up so much of myself in the process, without having to risk losing myself every time. Without the bone-deep ache it seems to induce...
But we did what we set out to do – to get into Genomex, to take back what Ashlocke stole from us. Shal seems to be OK, though I can tell there's something she's not sharing with us, something that happened while she was with him. But the new mutant database, and the innocent people it contains, is safe – at least for now - and we have a bit of a breathing space to take stock of what's happened the past few days, to work together as a team to make ourselves even stronger for when Ashlocke next sticks his head outside his lair.
I just hope I'm ready to step up to the plate when that time comes.
*