Chispa swept into the small room, eyes alight with triumph and scarlet hair twirling behind her.

"Got them!" she announced to the two people sitting at the table before her.

One of the people was a black man, Asian maybe, silent, stony faced, and still as a statue. The other was a woman, tall, thin and dressed in long gown of deep blue. An emerald necklace, dripping with shiny stones, hung around her neck. Her earrings were green too, small strings of gemstones, glinting in the low light of the lamp. They remained seated but the woman had to steel herself to do so while the man didn't even turn his head to see the new arrival.

Chispa, brandishing a roll of papers, set them down on the table, now crumpled slightly from her grip. She smoothed them out flat to reveal a complex set of blueprints.

Riloquice leant forward and reached forward for the prints, her bracelets jangling and her large, heavily made-up eyes wide and sparkling with anticipation. Chispa pulled up a chair and sat with the others. She leant back, a smug expression on her face.

After a quick inspection, Riloquice was satisfied, and grinning.

"We've got them alright. Good work. How was the security?"

Chispa screwed up her nose in contempt at the question.

"The 'security' was a breeze, a few cameras, locks, even some codes, but all of those minor problems just seemed to 'melt' away." Chispa allowed herself a small chuckle, pleased that she had completed her task. Riloquice smiled back at her friend, it was their first big mission and so far everything was running smoothly.

"I will work with these properly tomorrow," said the man, speaking for the first time, adding "Thank you Chispa. Next we need the records. I suggest, Riloquice, that you start on that some time this week, the earlier the better."

Riloquice nodded, her powers as a mutant may not be as useful physically as either of her companions, but the perfectly human gift of computer hacking was among her talents. She wasn't looking forward to it, records of institutes for juvenile mutants were rarely pleasant reading, but they were necessary if they were going to help anyone.

"Are we done? I'm knackered."

Chispa looked to her elder, he nodded, and she left with

"Thanks Monk, see you guys tomorrow."

Riloquice smiled and after looking over the blueprints for a while in silence with Monk, left too. Monk finally retired to his room in the small flat, black and invisible in the dark home, and quiet as the shadows.

####

Kate stopped pacing the cell to crash onto her bed that squeaked loudly; whimpering as its ancient springs took her weight. At the overseer's discretion, all inmates were required to remain locked in their cells while routine affairs were taken care of. Lunch was meant to have happened hours ago and all of the teenagers were feeling the worse for it.

"This is..." Kate began, "I wish..." she tried again, frustrated and wanting to complain to somebody. The others just ignored her. "Don't we have rights?!"

Spat sat up from his bed, leaning over from his bunk to reply.

"The phrase is 'human rights', Fel. But that doesn't include us does it."

Kate frowned at the floor, not knowing how to reply.

There was another cry of pain from mattress springs as Spat lay back down again, staring at the stains on the ceiling.

"I'm glad I'm not a human. Not today, not next week, but someday, we'll be the future. Humans have been the big mistake of whatever God there is. What have they done for this planet? Oh yeah, all their many accomplishments. War. Bombs. Science that enables us to kill things and make money. Humans are scum."

"It's not their fault they're humans." Kate said.

"What?"

Kate swallowed, not wanting to get on the wrong side of him. After a pause, she decided to carry on anyway. "We all know about how it's not our fault that we were born different, well it wasn't their fault they were born human. You saying 'humans are scum' isn't any more a prejudice than humans saying that we're scum."

"It's different." Spat was annoyed.

"How?"

"Why are you sticking up for them?" He was sitting up once more, facing Kate with a challenge in his eye. Kate opened her mouth to answer but he continued, "What have they done for you? If it wasn't for them you and all the rest of us would be free right now. It wasn't your own kind that put you in here. What human would help you now you're a freak like us?"

Kate mumbled.

"What? What did you say?" Spat asked.

"My brother..." Kate began hesitantly to be cut off by Spat's laughter.

"Yeah, sure. So where is he now Fel? Don't kid yourself, they're not worth defending. Some 'family', it was them who put you here."

Kate stood up, tense and defensive.

Gecko laughed with Spat, adding her own comments about 'the loving family'. Kate's hands clenched, she hated them.

"That's not true! Edmund...My brother, it's not his fault, he'd be here if he could, he would."

This time Gecko was left to mock her.

"Yeah, yeah, your knight in shining armour. Get a grip Fel."

Before she knew it, Gecko was left clutching her cheek where Kate had slapped her. Gecko straightened up and went for Kate. Gecko was a good deal taller than Kate, and after a scuffle and some kicking, Kate was left on the floor, with Gecko sitting on her. Grey and Spat looked on as Gecko pinned Kate's wrists to the floor.

Gecko drooled onto the floor beside Kate's head. The spit was bright green, and fizzed as it came in contact with the surface of the concrete. Gecko smiled, her teeth slightly coloured from the saliva.

"Acid." She said, grinning.

She got ready to spit again, this time on Kate, and Kate was petrified. She struggled but Gecko's weight was enough to keep her down. She was still angry at Gecko's remark, but right then she would have done anything to get as far away from her as possible. Would she do it? Kate wanted to say no but Gecko showed no sign of backing down.

Kate pushed backwards, but had nowhere to go. She tensed and she could hear the blood pounding in her ears.

"Please, No Gecko. Sorry. Don't..."

Gecko spat.

A fat, sloppy liquid landed onto Kate's face.

"Eurghhhh!" She cried, shocked that Gecko had actually done it.

Kate sat up, released from Gecko, and began to wipe madly at her face. She wondered how long it would take, expecting every passing second to feel the burning acid eating at her skin.

It didn't come. Gecko was laughing again and Kate looked at her hands. Nothing green. She felt incredibly stupid; there was no acid, just spit. She got the edge of her duvet and carried on getting the saliva off her cheek. They were all laughing at her now, even Grey couldn't help smiling.

"I hate you Gecko."

Gecko rolled her emerald eyes, still giggling.

"Hey, chill, I'm just messin' with you." After a pause, Gecko said more sincerely. "You didn't seriously think I was gonna spit acid in your face?"

Kate didn't answer. She looked away, embarrassed, and went to sit in the corner on her bed. Gecko felt guilty suddenly, maybe she had been a bit out of order.

"Hey, Fel. Ok, I'm sorry, the thing about your brother was...unfair." Gecko looked around and then picked up the pack of cards, flicking them between her slender fingers. "Wanna play cards?"

Kate went to sit with her and Spat, trying to make the movement seem reluctant, but quietly relieved that Gecko had made this peace offering. The offering was accepted, still no sign of them being let out of their cells in the near future.