Lexa sat up, murmuring woke her, voices were coming from the first floor. She looked to Shalimar on the bed, dead asleep. "Some kind of feral," she whispered. Curiosity got the better of her as she got up from the couch to the door. Light poured from the cracks of the doorway, she opened the door and walked barefoot down the smooth hallway. Lexa past Dinah's doorway, the voices became clearer, and Lexa recognized one of them as Carli and some male. "Carli and a boy at this time of night?" she thought out loud. Suddenly, a door behind her opened. She wheeled around to see Jesse coming out of his bedroom, and her heart skipped a beat. Jesse's fair hair was tousled from sleep, his chest bare, and his eyes were tired.
"Jesse, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" she whispered hoarsely.
Jesse smiled. "Have you been reading my journal?" Lexa smiled and rolled her eyes. "So, you've heard them too?" Jesse asked, motioning toward the railing, guarding the computers.
"Yeah, it's Carli and some boy," Lexa explained.
Jesse stood still and listened. "That would be Jason, Carli's friend, super strength metahuman. I met him earlier."
Lexa nodded. "How long have you been awake?" Lexa asked,
"Brennan started snoring so I guess I haven't actually gone to sleep," he answered, he walked next to her and nodded toward the light. "Let's see what they're up to."
Lexa nodded and they walked to the end of the hallway together and stopped at the balcony but keeping well hidden. Carli and Jason were on the computer platform, sitting in chairs and looking at one of the large screens. Lexa looked to the screen and put her hand over her mouth. "Jesse, look," she whispered. Jesse turned to see what had surprised Lexa. On the screen were images of Mutant X, all flooded together. Flashes of Jesse on the computer and then an image of Shalimar in the dojo a second later. Next was an image of Jesse and Lexa together playing chess, smiling challengingly; the next flash was Shalimar and Brennan sparring in the dojo. The next flash was Lexa and Jesse sitting down on the floor in a cell.
"Oh, no," Lexa whispered. She remembered this moment just as it happened on the screen. Carli and Jason watched as Lexa kissed Jesse not once but twice.
Carli reached to the keyboard and paused the image. "So that's what they're hiding."
Jason crossed his arms. "And how'd you get all this?"
"Dinah," Carli began. "When she shook Lexa's hand . . . her mind was more open than Shalimar's, Shal's thoughts weren't clear enough for Dinah to project."
"Bummer . . . we'd get some kickass fight scenes from that girl-I checked her profile, she put lots of people in hospital beds," Jason replied. "And Lexa doesn't seem to be the kind of person to have an open mind."
"Uh-same things with Helena . . . Barbara said that a person who has a closed heart has an open mind for telepaths, some kind of spiritual thing."
"She doesn't really look like she has a closed heart by the looks of that," Jason said with a nod toward the still frame.
"Look at this," Carli pressed another key, the image unfroze and Lexa grabbed Jesse's collar and threw him down, Carli froze the image.
"I stand corrected," Jason answered.
"And let's take into account that her mind was under control . . . " Carli said.
"How do you know that?" Jason asked.
"Lexa's medical files that we got from Sanctuary's backup database . . . some implant on her nervous system I think."
"But what about this one?" Jason pressed a few keys, the images flew by until he stopped at an image of Lexa crouched down by a man, crying.
"Um-I don't know who that is . . . a relative maybe? Not all of them can be completely out of family," Carli explained. "That's sad. They seem close."
"Past tense, he's dead," Jason observed. "They're brother and sister. The resemblance is uncanny."
Lexa took a step back from the balcony, feelings of that day flooded in, Jesse put his arm around her gently.
"Carli, don't you think this is invading someone's privacy? Lexa just lost her brother and you're watching like it's no big deal," Jason observed.
Lexa looked at Carli to hear her answer. Carli turned to look at Jason. "We all lose people, Jason, all of us . . . I'm just trying to know what's she not saying."
"Oh, and what do you think she should have said, Carli? Hi, I'm Lexa, I'm from Mutant X. Oh and by the way, my brother died a few months ago."
Carli bit her lip. "Jason, do you think that they came to New Gotham without doing some homework?"
"They did if they knew you were a mutant and they probably know your mom's dead but they didn't peek into your personal thoughts," Jason argued.
"Listen, we're about to give them some really important information that they could get themselves and us killed. I want to know whom they're giving it to," Carli said calmly. "And if they want to borrow Dinah to read our minds, they can go ahead, I have nothing to hide."
"Maybe you don't . . . and didn't they tell you that they want to find their friend? Adam-something?"
Lexa backed away, Jesse noticed her growing anger. He grabbed Lexa's hand and pulled her into the hallway. "Where do they get off---" Lexa began.
"Shh, they are only doing what they think is right," Jesse interrupted.
"They?" Lexa asked. "Seems it's only Carli who is doing it."
Jesse looked back to the railing. "We'll talk to Barbara about it tomorrow, okay?"
Lexa thought about it. "Okay . . . hey, Jess?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think I have a closed heart?" Lexa asked, a smile playing on her lips.
Jesse laughed. "Of course not, goodnight, Lexa."
"Goodnight," Lexa opened her door and walked inside.
Jesse took one last look at the light at the end of the hallway and then turned into his bedroom.
The next morning, Carli walked from the elevator carrying her backpack with Helena behind her. Barbara was at the computers, opening up all the files that Adam had sent her over the past year. "They're not up yet, Carli, put your stuff down until they are."
"Okay," Carli agreed and tossed her backpack near the stairs.
"How was your night?" Barbara inquired.
Carli groaned. "Helena's apartment can no longer sustain life . . . I'm going to eat something."
"Okay, Alfred is up there. He can whip something up for you." Carli went into super speed and zoomed up the stairs.
Helena leaned on the table and crossed her arms. "You think we're doing the right thing? Helping them like this?"
"I trust Adam's judgement."
"I don't," Helena answered roughly. "After what he did with-what was it-Genomex? Ruining all those people's lives by slapping an expiry date on them? I really think we should reconsider this."
"Come on, Helena, you of all people should believe in second chances . . . plus, by messing with their genetic code, he cured a lot of their diseases."
"Right," Helena said, unconvinced.
Carli sat down at the table and Alfred brought her a plate of food. "There you are, Miss Carli," he said in a British accent.
"Thanks, Alfred," Carli answered and she grabbed her fork.
Jesse and Brennan walked inside the dining room. "Mmm, what smells so good?" Brennan asked.
"That would be breakfast, Master Mulwray, shall I serve you plate?" Alfred asked politely.
Brennan recognized the greying old man as the butler, Alfred Pennyworth. "Yes, sir."
"And what about you, Master Kilmartin?" Alfred went on.
"I wouldn't mind, thanks," Jesse said politely, though he was starving on the inside. Jesse sat down at the table, followed by Brennan.
"How'd you two sleep?" Carli asked.
"Like a baby," Brennan answered.
"I know," Jesse snapped sourly.
Alfred came back with two more plates of breakfast and set them down in front of the two young men. "Thanks," Jesse replied.
Shalimar walked into the dining room, drawn in by the smell. Alfred smiled delightfully. "Ah, Miss Shalimar, good morning. Will you be eating breakfast this morning?"
Shalimar threw a sidelong glance at Brennan and Jesse, feeling like she was in the Addams Family. "Oh, yes."
"I have bought you fresh clothes, all waiting for you along with a hot shower," Alfred said on his way out.
"Clothes? How'd he know our sizes?" Jesse inquired.
"Don't ask, you think Barbara knows everything? She has nothing on Alfred," Carli said with a grin. "Hey, Shal, is Lexa awake?"
"Yes, just getting things together," Shalimar answered, sneaking a fork onto Brennan's plate and stealing a bite.
"Hey! Yours is coming!" he shouted.
Carli laughed before walking to the hallway. She reached her bedroom door and knocked once before opening the door. Lexa was having a little trouble folding the couch back up, Carli hurried and forced it back. "Thanks," Lexa said, exasperated. "What's up?"
Carli put her hands in her pockets and bit her lower lip, wondering if she was doing the right thing. "I wanted to apologize . . . " she started.
"For what?" Lexa asked, turning to face Carli, she sensed that Carli had a problem with apologizing not unlike Lexa herself.
Carli sighed. "I made Dinah use her telepathy to get some info-very personal info about you. Let's not get too deep into what I saw, anyway, I'm sorry."
Lexa smiled. "It's okay, but don't do it again."
"Promise," Carli said, making Scout's honor sign with his fingers.
Lexa walked to the door and opened it, she struck an idea and turned around. "Oh, and by the way, he was my twin brother." Before Carli could say anything, Lexa disappeared behind the door.
Carli shook her head and grinned. "She is totally my new best friend," Carli said before walking out the door.
All of Mutant X was eating breakfast as well as Carli and Dinah, Helena raced up the spiral staircase. "Carli, are you done?"
Carli looked at her half empty plate, noticing her sister's impatience she shrugged. "I guess so."
"Meet me in the training room. Now," Helena snapped and walked off, her anger speaking volumes.
Lexa looked at Jesse and Dinah and Carli looked at each other. "Oh man. She's pissed."
Carli shrugged as she dropped her napkin on her plate. "Barbara can do wonders. Pray for me." Carli zoomed off toward the training room.
"What was that?" Brennan asked.
"Usually when Helena's angry, she likes to fight. Carli's the only one who's fast enough to give her a challenge," Dinah explained with a shrug.
"Whoa, and I thought Lexa was a firecracker," Brennan thought out loud, deserving a dirty look from Lexa.
"She could have asked me," Shalimar suggested. "Feral versus feral could have been a match."
"Can we watch?" Jesse asked.
"Sure, but I'd give it a few minutes before we go out there, though," Dinah replied. "Helena likes to vent usually."
"Do you usually talk about her behind her back?" Lexa asked.
"He asked!" Dinah pointed at Brennan.
Ten minutes later, Carli and Helena were still in the center of the mat in the training room. Carli breathed heavily, a sweat drop swept down her face. Helena was getting angry all the time recently, and Carli was working all the time for Helena. "Want to go again?" asked Carli.
"Sure you can take it?" Helena asked, a hot glare soared toward Helena and she gave a curt nod. Carli moved toward her and kicked high toward Helena's face. Helena moved out of the way and swatted Carli's leg down, making Carli lose balance. Helena grinned to prove that Carli had let her guard down. To stomp on Helena's ego, Carli back flipped and mildly kicked Helena in the face.
"Easy, Tiger, this is how I get tips," Helena teased, pointing to her face.
Carli grinned, but Helena used this resting moment to try and hit Carli in her face, on reflex, Carli isolated her arm and made it go into super speed to block Helena's fist. Helena's arm flew to the side at an accelerated rate that she lost her balance and fell, twirled in the air, and landed on her back.
Carli stepped back in amazement and then helped Helena to her feet. "Ow!" Helena whined. "Since when could you isolate your body parts, Carli, that really hurt!"
"Reflexes?" Carli asked.
Shalimar, Brennan, Jesse, Lexa, and Dinah walked inside the training room. Shalimar looked around at all the weapons and punching bags. "I've heard of siblings fighting but this is ridiculous," she joked, her wild blonde waves hanging loosely about her shoulders.
Brennan grinned mischievously. "I'll go a few rounds with big sis," he suggested.
Sensing that it was a pausing time, Carli walked to the side of the mat and grabbed a towel. Helena followed, Carli tossed her a towel, and Helena gave half a smile. "I bet you would."
Shalimar gave Brennan an incredulous look and looked at the many weapons, Helena's watchful eyes preyed on Brennan as if he had a dangerous plan of some sort. Shalimar pulled a sword from a rack and twirled it around. "What do you say, Helena? A couple of rounds with me?"
Helena tossed the towel back to Carli. "Me?" She guessed that Shalimar was territorial like herself and to Shalimar, Brennan was territory. Helena didn't take it personally that Shalimar saw Helena as a threat, because sometimes the animal inside was a little too much to handle. Helena nodded and Shalimar took off her leather jacket to reveal tensed muscles.
Carli walked to Jesse, Lexa, and Dinah that were hanging behind toward the door. "Who else sees this as a bad idea?"
All three of them raised their hands a little. "Either they're going to kill each other, or they are going to wreck this room," Dinah observed.
Lexa rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but Brennan looks like he's having the time of his life."
"Sick amusement much?" Carli inquired as she threw the towels into a hamper by the door. "This is going to be good, though, I might be out of a job while Shal's here."
A/N: Finally, all the intros are done! Now comes the fun stuff, Enjoy!