Disclaimer: Same as always. They're all Marvel's.

"Hey, Ford! Guess who just took on the Reavers without gettin' a scratch ?"

Glancing up as the New Mutatns trooped into the rec area, races flushed and sweaty from an afternoon workout in the Danger Room, Kevin raised an eyebrow and said "David?"

That got a quiet chuckle from Prodigy. "I only wish." He wandered over to sit down on the couch and pick up a book from its endtable as Josh continued . His teamates, clearly familiar with the story, shook their heads and headed their seperate ways. Kevin, however, sat up and listened.

"So there I am, trapped in a corner with Nori, Sophia and Laurie all busy. I figure, what's a healer to do, huh? Things were looking mighty grim, I tell you." The dozen or so students listening made various of awe or disbelief or amusement as Josh rambled. "I think to myself 'no way are these dorks taking me down! Not without a fight!' So I throw myself at the nearest one, just wanting his half-metal ass to go down. And what happens? He collapses, just like that. I stare for a while, wait to see if he's getting up, and when he's not, I grin and..."

"Get nocked on your rear," came David's dry reply from behind his book. "I Jay hadn't gotten you out of there right then, you'd have been virtual dogmeat."

Josh walked off, sulking, to the sound of his listener's laughter. Kevin remained frozen in place thinking furiously. Foley can reverse his powers. Foley can reverse his powers. FOLEY can reverse his powers. If he can harm someone instead of healing them, and my powers are basically his in reverse...

Grinning, he rose and started walking towards Laurie's room...

Kevin woke with a jolt, as the truck rolled over a speed bump into the last truck stop before Greer. He looked sleepily at the dashboard clock; it was a quarter past eleven in the morning,

Jeb, glancing over at his passenger, said "Get out and take a leak. This here's our last stop. I don't want you fouling my truck, you hear?" Kevin almost told the older man that his truck was fouled enough as it was, but thought better of it. Pushing open the door and jumping out, he streatched aching limbs and looked around.

It was your average truck stop, a central building with restrooms and vending macines the ceterpiece with a couple of picnic tables scattered here and there behind it. The early afternoon sunlight made the place almost disturbingly bright and open, but there was no one else in sight. Perfect.

Jeb had unwrapped a turkey sandwich and was sitting at one of the tables, devouring it messily. Kevin took out a choclate bar he'd bought earlier that day, but found he didn't have the appatite to finish it.

"So where's you home again?" Jeb demanded as Kevin sat down across from him.

"26 South Dalton," he replied. It was as good a point as any to begin searching for his dad's ashes. The Professor had told him where his father's remains had been taken, but he figured it was best if noone knew where he was going beforehand. He still had about $200 dollars left in his wallet, and getting a hotel room for a few nights while he found out where, exactly his father's ashes were scattered. And once he'd found them, and collected as much of them as he could...

That was a question for later. Best focus on the now.

"You some college dropout?" Jeb's voice jerked him out of his reverie, and he looked up to seet the truck driver looking steadily at him. "Excuse me?"

"A dropout. You know, one of those stupid rich kids who goes to college for a few months, fools around, and comes back after having blown mommy and daddy's money? Why don't you just make it easier on yourself and head off on your own? Can't be worse than showing up at home a failure and a bum."

Kevin found himself unconciously tugging at his gloves. Forcing himself to stop, he said in a level voice "I didn't have much choice but to leave school. It was for the best."

"I'll bet. And I bet you won't be a burder either, that your screw ups won't cost your parents a thing. That's the problem with this country todayl; kids like you who can't hack it in the real world and..."

That was as far as he got, before Kevin tore off his gloves, leaned across the table, and grabbed him by the throat.

Shock flickered across Jeb's face as he struggled to pull Kevin off. Something was happening, though. Normally, it would've been on trouble to get control of this pipsqueak, but even as he began tugging at his hands, he seemed weaker than before. Not enough air, he thoguht fuzzily, as his hands began to go slack and his vision grew dim.

Holding on, a grim expression on his face, Kevin watched as Jeb's hands began to fall to his side, and his whole body trembles as if in the clutches of fever. His skin began turning a blotched green, his hands grew slack, and his whole body seemed to be melting before Kevin's very eyes. Kevin couldn't help but thnink that there ought to be something more to this, something thundering in his head or his ears, some sense of rightness or rythem, some euphoric feeling of glory. All he felt was the slow easing of tension in the back of his head, unnoticed until it was relieved, as his power fed.

He dropped Jeb's still twitching corpse before it could begin to disentigrate and stepped back, considering. He'd had to flee the mansion in haste, before he could really study this aspect of his power, but he supposed it was now or never. And if worst came to worst - No. That wouldn't happen. Ever again.

Slowly, he approached the corpse and laid his hands on its head. He pushed forward with his mind, slowly letting his consciousness seep into the organic molecules that made up its rapidly cooling body. Soon, he felt the body begin to disentigrate further. Furiously, he pushed against it, trying to find what his power was doing to his body and make it run backwards, put the body back together instead of tearing it apart.

He would have had better luck pushing at the wind. No matter how hard he pushed, how firmly he told his powers to reverse themselves, the body softened and greyed, turning to a viscous paste and then to ash blowing away on the wind.

Tears streamed down Kevin's cheeks as he stared at the sooty spot where Jeb had once lain. Oh god I killed him just like Dad Oh Sweet Jesus what am I going to do No. This was just one more failure. He had to get up, get back on the road, and find his Dad. There were enough people who wouldn't understand, who would try to stop him and keep him from making everything right. No need for him to hinder himself.

Turning resolutely towards Atlanta, Wither began walking to the highway to find another ride. He glanced back only once, and began to walk faster, not pausing to wipe the gathering tears from his eyes.