Stephen walked into the hideout and smirked. "Wow. I can definately see why you guys have the publics support. Hard not to be liked when your hideout is a 50 story skyscraper."

Rage smirked "Well, its hard to be liked when aliens are trouncing around like they own the place."

"They might as well." spoke Rayvin, for the first time since they left from the mall. "We're the protectors and as far as they're concerned. We've done very little."

Stephen smirked. "I am anxious to see this place."

"Go on up, take a look for yourself." Rayvin said offhandedly and Stephen began jogging up the steps. Spending most of his time in millitary assignments, he himself lived in a very small appartment so he found a lap of luxury to be a very welcome change. He found the top floor where the steps stopped and looked. Walking out and seeing it empty, a frayed computer in the open room from the hallway, he was meeted by a very attractive woman. That woman was Hurricane.

"Who the hell are you?" She demanded.

Stephen blinked, "I am Stephen Bannts..."

Hurricane looked as she approached him. "I dont know how you found this place. But you-"

"It's quite alright Hurricane. This is a friend. He's Duane's brother." Rayvin spoke coming out the door shortly after Stephen did, he was followed by Rage who opted not to join this conversation, and get right to work at fixing the computer.

"Follow me." Rayvin lead Hurricane and Stephen, who were eventually lead to a room with some more comfortable seating, they were joined shortly after by Issac.

"God, I guess I have alot of explaning to do. I'll start off with a proper introduction. I am Stephen Bannts." He extended his hand and shook both Hurricane's hand and Issac's hand.

"Patricia" Hurricane replied, and Issac just replied with a nod.

"Duane had put in his will, that when he were to die, that I would find out, and I would come help you guys out to fill his absence. I was in africa at the time on a covert mission to take out a drug cartel. And you can imagine how hard it is to work your way out of higher level military operations. But thankfully they gave me a release. Thankfully I had served more than my required number of years in service, or getting out could have been dodgy."

Hurricane looked. "Wow, he's more polite than duane, that's an instant upgrade."

Rayvin smiled. "Well, how did you find us?"

Stephen smirked. "Well truth be told it was a total fluke." He said with a slight smirk. "With this high grade military equipment i've aquired due to a few favors that were owed to me. I found you two on your journey to the mall... I also found the nearly 20 alien squad that was tailing you. And I decided to wait a bit until it looked really dire. Hearing Rage mention numerous times of radio shack I found the fire escape and forced my way in, it really was just a waiting for Rage to pry off that damn security door."

Rayvin smirked "I overlooked that, he was having a fair bit of problems with that."

Hurricane looked. "How do you know Rayvin?"

"Well, he is one of my brother's only friends. And since James was my foster brother I knew Rayvin second hand quite well. We sparred a few times." Stephen said with a smrik.

"Despite his lack of martial arts knowledge, he is a persistant fighter." Rayvin said in praise.

"So how much of the team do you know?" Hurricane replied curiously.

"Well, I grew up with Rage or Kevin so i've known him forever. Rayvin i just mentioned. Jennifer and Duane used to be lovers so I've known her for a while. I dont know, has the team changed that much?" Stephen asked curiously.

Rayvin sighed, this was never an easy story. "During that final battle, Jame's died, your Brother died, we've got a new member, or two. Hurricane here, a former member of-."

"The old Team Mutant-X... right?" Stephen asked curiosuly and when she nodded in reply he smirked. "Yeah, I followed that case closely. The military was hairpins to intervening in that, thanks to me. Its nice to know I held a bit of pull in that place."

Rayvin continued as if he were uninterupted. "Team Mutant X, yes. And we aqquired a Precognative, Vincent Demontique."

Stephen raised an eyebrow. "Vincent Demontique, kind of gothic, scars under his eyes. Walks around like he's death?"

Hurricane looked "You know of him?"

"Only through the millitary, they tried to start a precognitive division with mutants but Vincent was one of the few to decline. He got listed by the military for it." Stephan said as if it were of no consequence.

"Listed?" Rayvin asked curiously.

Stephen blinked. "To be honest Rayvin, I believe I've already said too much."

"He's not in danger is he? I mean, from the military." Rayvin asked curiously.

Shaking his head Stephen assured him, "Oh no no no. The military couldn't get the drop on a precog, not even my division or any others. He'll be okay, nothing bad is going to happen to him, or any mutants. The millitary knows better than to start another war, especially so closely after we've finally ironed out the differences."

"Well beside's what danger's he's in already." Hurricane said

"What do you mean?" Stephen asked curiously.

"Jennifer and Vincent are being held captive by the aliens." Rayvin spoke with regret, clearly it was a sensitive subject with him. With Rayvin it made him feel as if he'd failed as leader.

Stephen stood up, "Well lets bust them out! Show those aliens that the earth is not one place that they can come and bully around."

Rayvin looked. "And how do you propose we do that, We have no idea where they are? Our computer is thrashed and we have no idea if they even have their communicators."

Hurricane said with a sigh. "Beside, what do you plan on doing otherwise, taking a gun and storming the place?"

"A tried and tested technique." Stephen smirked. "Although I prefere stealth any day of the week."

Rayvin nodded, "So you're here by request of Duane?"

Stephen nodded, slightly glad of the change of subject."Yeah, like I said, the knucklehead wrote it into his will. You guys meant alot to him. I guess with all that had happened. You were the only family he ever had."

"Well aren't you his Brother?" Hurricane asked.

"Yes, but at home Duane and I never really acted like brothers, more like just people. Co-workers of sort. My father was very military based. Duane could never handle absorbing and generating that much dicipline, thats why he ran away from home. Plus, im sure even though he'd never talk about it. That the fact that father did show me more gratitude than he did Duane got to him."

"Duane never really talked about his home life too much." Rayvin commented.

"Yeah, and even James was treated more like a son than Duane ever was. Truth be told, when Duane left, I only talked to him twice after his death." commented Stephen.

Rayvin seemed very interested at this, looking up. "Really?" Duane never talked too much about his brother. Duane was always very indipendant. Rayvin remembered Duane almost more for his stubborn reluctance to accept help more than his friendship. As they were both very high in his memory bank.

"Yep." Stephen said, "We were both on a mission in russia together. It was a team of 5 of us. This was Duane's post merc, millitary days when he began redeeming himself, as he called it. We had a long talk in a russian cafe, catching up. Of course, our father had not forgiven him for what he'd done. Not until the funeral of course. He cried more than mother did."

Rayvin nodded, the funeral was fresh in his mind. That was one of his more sad days. He couldn't handle two of his small ammount of friends to both go in the related incidences that they did. Of course what perplexed Rayvin is that they never did find Duane's body, Duane often said, no corpse, no death but since he hadn't turned up Rayvin found this theory unlikely to be applicable.

Hurricane looked "What happened with your father and Duane?"

"Like I said, Duane didnt like being ordered around and didnt like feeling like he was being forced to be something, so at 17 he left home. Didnt speak to my father once after that day. I mean, Duane was always great, his mutant abilites attested to that but father took it personally after a while. He'd wished all he could do is apologize to his eldest son. It was hard to see my father like that" Stephen said offly. Sighing lightly.

Hurricane nodded. "That's horrible." she said shaking her head. "I'd always found Duane to be stubborn but I mean, to walk out on his own family."

"He didnt end up that bad. Given what he did, he made more money than most people would ever see in their entire lives, and often at increments at a time. He had a whole fortune, and i didnt see a penny. To be truthful actually... Im happier he gave it to you guys."

"Only reason we've got this building." Rayvin said with a slight smile. "Duane, despite that afformentioned stubborness, had a heart of gold that could never be relenquished."

"Too true Rayvin." Stephen said looking to them, Issac looked to all of them and was very curious. "Who is this little guy?"

"I'm hardly little..." said Issac. "I'm Issac and I am 14. Thank-you-very-much."

Stephen smirked. "He a mutant?"

Issac smirked as he lifted his hand and pulled Stephens gun out of his holster with a smirk. "Cool gun!" Stephen grabbed the gun and re-holstered it.

"He's telekenetic?"

Rayvin just nodded with a slight smile. "He saved our lives when we were fighting our way back here. We saved him then he saved all of us.

"Well then he's good in my book." Stephen said with a nod.

A loud bang then almost a slight roar that simmered down into a quiet purr was heard from the room Rage was in. "Yes!" He yelled. "Rayvin, Hurricane! We have contact!"

Rayvin and Hurricane got up, and they, followed by Stephen and Issac walked over to the breifing room. The mega-computer was online, it wasn't pretty and there were wires everywhere. But Rayvin was overcome with happiness. "Well, load the positioning system. We have to find them!"

"Christ Ray, just let the damn thing start up. We haven't used it in a while, this thing isn't used to being turned off, let alone forced off. It needs time to get all the wheels rolling again."

Stephen looked. "Wow, this is an amazing computer."

"Yep, only one of two in the world, both built by me of course. This one's got 3 terrabytes of ram, a 400 gig harddrive. Don't even get me started on processor speed. Pentium would shit themselves." Rage boasted.

"You always were the computer geek. Yet, the jock at the same time." Stephen commented with a friendly smirk and a grin. "Not to mention bullied." he said with a slight shove.

"Yeah, well I was in college getting laid and getting an education. Those bullies are busy paying hookers to get STD's and busy working at grocerie stores for the rest of their lives. I'd say in the end I won." Rage said with a smirk."

"Umm rage..." Hurricane said with a coy smile. "Since when have you ever brought a girl home?" She used alot of self-power to resist the garguant giggle that was in her chest. That eventually seeped out, Stephen too giggled and Rayvin just shook his head.

"Can it, alright!" He said with a glare that could break ice. "Anyway." he said as he typed in some code and loaded up the positioning system and sure enough Vincent and Jennifers blips were right next to eachother on the outskirts of town on the north-east side. "There we go... we've got em, now we just gotta go save em!"

Rayvin smiled. In the midst of all of this he was so glad they'd finally found them. "Alright, we need a plan."

"Surely you cannot count me in." Hurricane said with a sigh.

Issac looked to her with a slight groan. "You can bring me you know, I am not eight years old. Im old enough to fight aliens with you guys!"

Stephen looked. "Hey, the kid seems determined, I'd say the more the merrier."

"Well you're not the-" Hurricane was saying before Rayvin cut him off, seemingly rejuvinated by the good news.

"Issac can come with us, the three of us cannot storm an alien stronghold alone." Rayvin pointed out as he pointed to Rage and Stephen. "Even Issac's help is apreciated. Anyway, we know where they are. We need a plan."

Stephen smirked as he looked to everyon else. "Well... I know that they blow up real nice."

Rayvin shook his head and Hurricane threw her hands up in sigh. "I take it all back, he's more like his brother than I thought."

Rayvin shook his head. "Come on we need to plan this one out."

And the five of them all crammed into the breifing room and began to plan out their attack.