Chapter 2

Adam was faced away from the room, staring out of the window, which wasn't really a window. The high definition image was transmitted from a camera on the other side of the thick Sanctuary walls and displayed what would be seen in real time if there were a true window facing that direction. Today, there were no boats or planes to be seen. Occasionally a bird swooped down from the cliffs of Stormking Mountain. The blue sky was largely dominated by billowing cirrus clouds and the water was calm, only showing a hint of rippling on its surface. Emma sat on a couch by the table in the lounge where the team often congregated for mission briefings. She was continuing to feel Adam's nervous fear that she could not entirely block from her mind. Although she had learned a great deal about genetics from Adam during her time with Mutant X, Emma's understanding of what she saw in the holographic bio-emulator was not complete, but she knew Adam well enough to be worried if he was worried.

The other three team members entered the room. Shalimar sat on a couch across the table from Emma and Jesse sat on Emma's left. Brennan remained standing, his right arm resting on the back of the leather chair next to him, partially supporting his weight. Adam turned from the "view" and addressed the group.

"You all remember Gabriel Ashlocke," he said. All of their ears perked up at the mention of that name. "As you know, Gabriel was the first mutant. He was an unstable combination of Feral, Molecular, Psionic and Elemental. When we attempted to eliminate these unexpected side effects from the genetic work we were doing, we were not entirely successful. Although more stable, the later subjects still displayed powers and a tendency to mutate as you all well know. Our first Elemental, patient three, was a young woman named Julia Lechner." The tranquil oceanscape behind him was replaced by a picture of the woman as well as the text of her file. She was an attractive, middle-aged blonde with a slim build. "Julia was a Geologic with the ability to disintegrate matter. Her touch was equivalent to millions of years of time, reducing solid stone to a pile of dust. The effect was similar when she touched a human. I was given a sample to study of the fine carbon and trace minerals that had once been an orderly at the research laboratory. Apparently he had tried to give Julia a shot and she had touched him with the desire to stop him. There wasn't the faintest trace of DNA or any indication that the dust had once been a human being."

Adam looked into each of their faces, trying to gauge their reactions. Emma sensed that he was walking a thin line, expressing the seriousness of the situation without scaring them. "By then, the subdermal governor had been developed and was used immediately. Over time, she was trained to control her powers and was not put on ice in a pod, like Gabriel was. Unfortunately, she was far too dangerous to be allowed to live with civilians, so she was raised at Genomex until, at age twenty-three, she escaped into the world and has not been heard from since."

He paused for a moment before continuing. "A bank was robbed downtown yesterday afternoon. Twenty million dollars was stolen shortly after the time-operated vault was shut. Bank employees reported that the safe door was completely intact and remained locked. When the time came for the vault door to open again, they found a large hole at the rear of the vault leading out into the street. The entire operation must have been carried out between the time when the vault was closed at noon and when it opened again at three. Police could only assume some sort of silent explosive or an incredibly powerful acid was used to open a hole in the solid steel vault. Of course both explanations are ridiculous. Nothing conventional could reduce steel to dust like that in such a short period of time, at least nothing within the experience of the police."

"And you think it was Julia Lechner?" Emma said, seeing clearly the conclusion to which he was leading them.

"The story came up in our computer sweep of police reports for unexplainable events that might be mutant-related. Only one mutant fits the description. From my own study of the steel in the vault, I've come to the tentative conclusion that Julia has developed the power to strip electrons from substances like an incredible direct current of electricity. I'm fairly certain that this is a mutation that developed after she left Genomex."

"Why did she rob a bank?" Brennan asked. "Why now and why in broad daylight?"

"That's what worries me the most. The crime was timed for the day of the month that the bank would have the most money in its vault. There was a small box truck waiting behind the bank, presumably for her to disintegrate the wall. Some passersby saw the truck, but there was nothing obvious to indicate a crime was transpiring. No one knew until the thieves were long gone."

"Did anyone see the hole from the outside when the truck left?" Jesse asked.

"Apparently they hung an advertisement for the bank over it." Adam appeared to smirk. The heist was clever in its simplicity. "This evidence suggests that she is involved with an organization of some kind that could research, plan and coordinate the theft. They must also be aware of her mutant powers. Even more troubling; the fact that the action came in broad daylight means that they are confident enough in the power of their organization not to fear capture. The question is: What do they need the money for? What are they planning?'"

The group took in the implications of a mutant who could utterly destroy anything with a simple touch and Emma could sense their feelings. Jesse seemed especially worried by Adams revelations. Perhaps he wondered if imperviousness in his massed state would win out against a disintegrative touch. It might come down to who was the stronger Molecular. Shalimar was feeling vulnerable as well. Her talent did not especially lend itself to a fight with such a mutant. If she were quick enough and her timing was right, she could launch an attack after the woman used her powers and before they were recharged. Brennan was the most confident of the others. He could strike from a distance with devastating electric force and propel himself away from danger with an electro-kinetic charge. As for herself, Emma wondered about the woman's motivations. What had driven her out of hiding? How had she spent the last dozen or so years of her life? What had changed?

"Another issue is that she may be continuing to mutate," Adam said, "just as all of you have. Examining her gene data makes it seem very likely. There's even the possibility that she may no longer need to touch in order to disintegrate." Now Emma could sense that even Brennan was afraid and she was as well. "Brennan and Shalimar, I want you two up in the Helix, monitoring police channels for any reports of objects or even people suddenly disappearing into dust."

"We're on it," Shalimar said, lithely rising from the couch and walking off side-by-side with Brennan.

He turned to Emma and Jesse. "Jesse, I want you to get on the computer and start looking for that money. Whatever they need it for, they can't do anything with cash. They will need to transfer the bills into an electronic form and clean the funds, probably overseas."

"And maybe I can get a better description of that truck," Jesse suggested.

"You might also want to see if you can pick up the trail Julia Lechner left after she left Genomex," Emma suggested.

"Good idea, Emma. It's pretty cold and G.S.A. was unable to follow it, but perhaps you can bring a new perspective to the challenge, Jesse" Adam said.

"Right, I'll do my best." Jesse left for the familiar computer console.

"Emma, I want you with me in the lab. Perhaps her return from hiding has to do with the instability of her DNA. It may have driven her to desperation. If we can stabilize her, it might be an important bargaining chip. We'll start with the research I did on stabilizing Ashlocke."

After hours of lab work, Adam said, "It can't be done."

"Adam?" Emma asked. His frustration was clear to her.

"We need a fresh sample of her DNA. There are too many possibilities. Our sample is too old and mostly conjecture."

"Brennan, Shalimar and Jesse are looking for her," Emma said. She knew he was right. They had come up with some interesting ideas, but until they found the woman, it was all theory.

"Why don't you go help Jesse. I'm going to tap some of my contacts and see if I can learn anything." Adam went into his private office through a doorway from the lab.

Emma found Jesse working intently at the main computer console.

"Find anything?" she asked him.

"I'm not sure that this was the first robbery of its kind. Look here." Jesse rolled his chair away from the screen and Emma sat on another one. The screen displayed several windows with newspaper clippings from across the country. They were all nighttime bank-robberies characterized by large explosions. "Look at the pictures. All of these banks were leveled. Completely leveled, even the vault. In each case, police forensics agents declared that the thieves used too much explosive and totally destroyed the vault as well as all of the money contained within." Emma nodded. "Despite the obvious similarities, none of these incidents were ever connected with one another and the investigations were all very short-lived."

"You think the organization behind those heists was behind this one? They destroyed the buildings to hide the evidence after they took the money?"

"Right. They all took place during a very brief window of time and get this." Jesse clicked and brought up another window.

"Fasergen?" Emma read questioningly.

"Fasergen," he said.

"How are they connected with this?" Emma asked. She had heard of Fasergen of course. No one with any knowledge of the field of genetics could fail to know about the brilliant newcomer to the field. To go from unknown to a leader in the field in just one year was a too remarkable to go unnoticed. Fasergen was a national success story.

"Fasergen was incorporated shortly after the first of these bank-robberies and has received regular cash infusions that correspond with each one. Julia Lechner may be the source of the company's start-up capital. Also, if they are employing new mutants, it might explain the fast pace of their discoveries and their uncanny success."

"I'll get Adam." Emma did not like the implications of Jesse's discovery and especially the fact that they were no longer bothering to cover their tracks. If he was right, Fasergen might be on its way to becoming the new Genomex. She retrieved Adam who looked through and confirmed Jesse's research.

"Fasergen," Adam said aloud. "You know, I never gave their name much thought." The way he said it and the emotions emanating from him gave Emma the feeling there was something ominous looming before them. She could tell Jesse was picking up on it too in his limited fashion. "Do either of you speak German?"

"No," they both answered. She could speak Finnish and Hungarian, but German was not closely related to either. Adam quickly walked off without saying anything else. Jesse went to an online translation website.

"I would assume 'gen' means gene," she said, "but I'm not sure what 'Faser' …." She trailed off as Jesse showed her the translation on the screen. It was ominous. "The Strand," she said.