A/N: There have been much speculation over what happens after the Assault. In my version, because I think it's a little more easier this way, I decided to make this an AU-sort of. Though the Dominion is still after the MX-ers, they kidnaped Adam, but Adam didn't blow up the Double Helix and Sanctuary is still intact. The Dominion hasn't been able to infiltrate Sanctuary (illogical as it is) and now Mutant X are recovering the shock of the Creator and preparing 'the war' on the Dominion. Keeping up with me so far? Well, this is the start. Oh, and if you didn't know, Season One was originally set in year 2007 so in S3 it's 2009.

"You know disorders start out like this?"

Lexa was sitting in the round stools, her head carelessly lying in her palms as she watched Jesse spend another restless night watching the security cameras in the hangar. "Massive paranoia? Ring any bells?"

Jesse's blue, annoyed eyes flicked from the computer screen to focus on her. "Homicides start out like this," he remarked with a curve of a sleepy smile.

Lexa sat up. "Point taken," she got out of the chair and walked around. "Ouch," she mused sarcastically. She stood next to him and put her elbow on his shoulder and rested. "You know they can't get in here. Adam --"

"Adam could be working with the Dominion right now trying to get in here," Jesse snapped.

"Brennan's changed the security codes three times, Jess," Lexa reminded. "Go to bed. I'll watch, OK?"

Jesse sighed and Lexa took a step back for him to get off the chair. "Fine, but only for a little while."

"And I'll wait restlessly for your return," she joked, Jesse rolled his eyes and took a few steps toward his bed room. "Hey, Jess." He turned around. "You weren't serious about that homicide thing, were you?"

Jesse grinned and put a finger to his lips. "Shhh." Lexa rolled her eyes and she listened to his footsteps fade away. It was 3AM and she was only awake because Lexa was pained with hunger early in the morning and this time she couldn't stand it, and when she got up, she found Jesse. Lexa didn't know why he was so obsessed with watching over Sanctuary's systems and why he was so angry toward the idea that Adam could still be on their side. In the year that Lexa knew Jesse, he had never turned his back on Adam or any of his teammates for that matter but maybe Adam's secret was too much to ignore. Lexa didn't know how to feel about Adam's true identity: a clone of their greatest enemy. There was just so much to think about, was Adam's nature the same as the Creator since they have identical DNA? Was Adam just carrying out the Creator's orders to create Mutant X only to have it be controlled by the original Creator in the end? There were just too many what-ifs and guesses about the whole turn-of-events that Lexa didn't know how to start and what to think and it was making her angry. Black and white, no different shades of grey, that was the way of it since she could remember. Either the Dominion was good or bad, either the Creator was good or bad, either Adam was good or bad.

Why did everything have to be so confusing all the time? Lexa asked herself these questions all the time, and she was beginning to think that she wasn't the only one haunted by these questions. Jesse was different, watching the monitors all the time, waiting for the answers to pop right out at him. Jesse knew someone was coming for Mutant X: Was it the Dominion by themselves? Or Adam leading the operatives? Neither of them knew what to do about this. How can you change everything you've ever believed in one single night?

"I think you've been hanging out with Jesse too long, Lex," a voice interrupted Lexa's thoughts. It was only until Lexa woke up that she realized she was staring at the monitor, emulating Jesse.

"Shal," Lexa replied. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

The blonde feral was dressed to kill in her patched and fringed, brown leather jacket and tight jeans, Lexa realized. "Grow up, Lex. I haven't been to bed yet," she grinned.

"Another night with Brennan?" Lexa wondered even though inevitably Shalimar was. They have been spending all their free time together when they weren't changing the security codes and patrolling the mountain for intruders.

"Yeah. Just to a late movie. You and Jess should come with us sometime," Shalimar suggested.

"Ha," Lexa scoffed. "I just got him to go to sleep, he'll never go out ..." Lexa turned the stool to face Shalimar. "I'm worried about him, Shal. He hardly eats, sleeps, or talks."

"Does he ever?" Shalimar joked which surprised Lexa, she was always the one to go to if Jesse had a problem. "I'm sorry, he's fine. It's not easy for Jesse to admit there's a bigger picture then what he's been led to believe. You know, when Emma told us that Adam's been keeping secrets from us two years ago, Jesse didn't turn his back on Adam, but he never really trusted him again .. and when Emma died, a part of him died too. Emma and Jess were really close. He's been through a lot and when he thought everything was going well, something like this happens."

Lexa nodded and smiled. "Thanks, Shal."

"Yeah, no problem. Go to bed. Jesse can live a few hours without nobody at the post," Shalimar remarked.

Lexa got up. "Let's keep our fingers crossed."

Brennan yawned sleepily and splashed some water on his face in his bathroom. He lifted his head to look in the mirror, he looked around in the reflection and saw a young girl stifling though his poetry books in his room through the open door. Brennan whirled around but saw nothing, rubbing his eyes, he shook his head. "It's always me to see a girl in my room when I'm tired," he mused.

Shalimar tossed her jacket on her round chair and zipped off her boots. A scent hit her and she snapped up straight and looked around, her eyes flashed feral yellow and her vision switched to her more effective infrared vision. Through the walls she felt a presence in the hallway, it didn't smell like Brennan or Lexa or Jesse. Shalimar fled out of the door and looked around, but saw nothing. In her bare feet, she walked cautiously down the hall.

"I know you're in here, I can sense you," she whispered. Shalimar felt the presence behind her and she whirled around, but nothing.

Lexa poured her a glass of water from a pitcher and put it to her lips at the kitchen sink. A swirl of wind blew her hair into her face and she turned around. Nothing. "What?" she echoed. Lexa walked out of the kitchen and walked straight into Shalimar. Shalimar caught Lexa by the arms and was looking around, hardly noticing the clash.

"Lex, there's someone in here," Shalimar said looking around in her infrared vision.

"I know, I felt someone," Lexa said, doing her share of looking around.

"Come on, let's check the cameras." Shalimar and Lexa walked to the hangar, carefully. When they reached the computers, Lexa clicked open the security footage.

He slept soundly in his bed, his labored breathing, eyes closed, dreaming about puppy dogs or his fantasy-babe, Jessica didn't care. "They can't have crib like this playin' it straight," she repeated to herself. "They have to have something." Opening the drawers and searching through pairs of underwear and socks, to no avail. "Come on, give a girl a break. It wasn't easy getting in here," she thought a loud. A little too loud.

The door whirled open and Brennan charged in, a Tesla coil in his palm. Jessica looked at him with her eyebrows raised. "Good going, Sherlock, you caught me," she shrugged. "Now if you'll excuse me."

"Move and you're fried," Brennan warned. The girl was a teenager, denim jacket and jeans, with a black Jansport backpack.

"Awe," she remarked sarcastically. "And I thought you were the good guys. Now, shh, the man's sleeping." Jessica motioned to Jesse, still slumbering.

Lexa and Shalimar hurried next to Brennan on both sides. "Who are you?" Brennan asked.

"Jessie ... Jessie Quick." As soon as the words left her mouth, she disappeared.

"I can't believe you didn't wake me up!" Jesse shouted. "The one time I sleep, someone gets in."

Shalimar sighed. "Jess, I doubt that girl was a Dominion operative. Just a speed freak looking for some loose change, that's all. But since we've been cut off, I bet she didn't find anything useful."

"What is she?"

Jesse tapped on the computer. "A propulsion molecular – but I've never met any New Mutant this fast. Something must've happened after her initial mutation, or something."

"I don't care who or what she is, but how'd she get in," Lexa snapped. "The security cameras have never been tripped before."

"I don't know, Lexa, but since she didn't find anything, I'm sure she won't be back again," Brennan responded.

"We have to find her," Jesse resolved. "If she could trip the wires, she could be an asset to the Dominion if they got a hold of her, guys."

"Especially if they are offering money," Shalimar agreed.

"OK. Jesse, check the computers for any name of Jessica Quick, OK?" Lexa instructed.

"On it," Jesse turned back to the screen and clicked open the database.

"Shal, Bren, can you check the doors and the perimeter? See if there's anything we missed?"

"No problem," Shalimar said and they were off.

A few minutes later, Jesse came up with something. "Jessica Quick. Born December 31st, 1992. Only seventeen-years-old. Orphaned at the age of thirteen, I guess she's been living on the streets since then."

"Where money is rare and information and goods are valuable," Lexa remarked. "Anything about where she hangs out?"

"Lexa, the girl's top speed is 175 miles-per-hour, she can live anywhere she wants to anywhere around the world. She could be in Canada right now."

"Or I could be right behind you," Jessie mused from behind them. Jesse turned around while Lexa rolled her eyes. Jessie had changed to red sweat pants and a red tank top. Pajamas. "Now, we kind of got on the wrong foot, and I need a place to stay. If you would be so kind as to point me in the direction of a sofa?" Jessie asked elegantly, looking around, avoiding Jesse's prying eyes.

Lexa turned around and looked at her as if the girl was crazy. "Sure. If you answer some questions."

"Shoot. Wait, don't, I know what kind of surprises come at the tips of those fingers, L.P." Jessie remarked.

Lexa raised an eyebrow. "You know me?"

"Of course I do. You're famous for taking down the crack-pot scientists that created us, yeah? Mutant X? While I was sneaking around here, I took a peak at those computers," Jessie turned to Jesse. "You know downloading songs are illegal, right?"

"How'd you get in here?" Jesse interrogated.

"I've known about Stormking Mountain for ages, a good place to stretch my legs, right? Well, a few nights ago I saw Car-Jack around the base and tracked him to the level opening, spotted the code, and tonight decided to take a look. Nobody could hollow out a mountain like nothing unless there was some serious money behind it."

"Car .. Jack?" Lexa echoed.

"You know, Sparky? I spotted him in the slums a few years back boostin' a Ferrari. Well, I just sped through, looking for anything."

"Would you have told anyone about us?" Jesse asked. "If they were asking?"

"Who's they?" Jessie inquired.

"Anyone. I'm sure some people would be interested in things like a group of mutants holding up in cave," Lexa lied. "Media? Government?"

"Nah ... as if I like those kinds of people anyway," Jessie answered. "So about that couch? I know you hardly want a speed freak slash thief in the homeland but good people like you wouldn't turn a helpless teenager in need of a good night's rest and food in the stomach, would you?" she asked quickly.

"You're good at conning people into a night on the couch and a meal, aren't you?"

"Pretty much. I've been doing it since I was thirteen, remember?" Jessie remarked. "So? Am I in or out?"

Jesse looked at Lexa with a raised eyebrow and he shook his head. "Sorry, but we're not in for another roommate," Lexa answered.

"Alright, fine with me. I can get into a Hotel 6 faster," Jessie replied, she disappeared and Jesse sighed.

"Thanks," he answered. "I don't want that girl sleeping here."

"She wasn't dangerous, Jess. I think you're paranoid," Lexa remarked.

"Not paranoid, cautious. We don't need anymore people in the mix, Lex," Jesse explained. "We need to focus on the Dominion, only the four of us."

"I agree, but Jessica wasn't going to stay for long," Lexa reminded.

"We both know the type, she wants a more permanent place to crash," Jesse responded. "I'm going to bed."

"Night," Lexa answered. Jesse walked away and Lexa put her comm link ring to her lips. "Shal, abandon the search, we got answers."

"OK, we're heading back," Shalimar answered over the communication.

Lexa yawned and headed to her bedroom.

End of Chapter One.