Paula and Jack stared at each other for some time. She seemed rather happy to see him, while he was horribly confused to see her.

The man in white broke the silence. "I am Elias Altman," he said quietly, offering his hand to Jack.

Jack's attention turned from Paula to Mister Altman. He shook his hand, and replied, "I'm Jack McGregor."

"I know." Altman turned to April, smiling at her. "And you must be Miss April Keith."

"Yes, I am. Thank you for saving us, Mister Altman."

"You are very welcome, my dear. No one deserves to be treated that way, especially not a pretty young woman with her whole life ahead of her." Altman looked to Jack, staring at him for a few seconds. "I've been following your exploits for some time, Mister McGregor. You've made quite a name for yourself. My daughter has told me much about you."

Paula repressed a smile. She hated it whenever her father made her an element of a conversation.

"Oh, yeah?" Jack asked, eyeing Paula.

"Yes, she told me of a friendly young man under her care at the hospital." Altman spoke with a very slight German accent. "She said there was something special about you, something noble and uncommon in people today.

"Then I was informed that you were released from the hospital, only to risk your life trying to keep Miss Keith here from being harmed by a mob of unruly townsfolk. When I learned this, my interest in you grew. I knew, like my daughter did, that there was something special about you. I knew that you were a lover of life, and a hater of hatred."

Jack was silent. He only listened to what was being said, and didn't want to add to the conversation unless he was invited to do so.

Altman asked, "Mister McGregor, are you a mutant, or a non-mutant?"

"Mutant."

"Ah, I believed so. You see, most non-mutants do not fully understand the predicament in which mutants find themselves. Most 'normal' humans, no matter how compassionate they say they are, would not readily risk their lives to save a mutant. If a non-mutant were willing to do this, however, he or she would be a truly extraordinary person, and a true friend of humanity.

"Tell me, Mister McGregor, if you weren't a mutant, would you have attempted to rescue Miss Keith?"

Jack thought for a few seconds before answering, "Since I'm not completely sure how I could truthfully say yes or no, I hope you won't mind if I don't answer."

Altman smiled. "No, I don't mind, Mister McGregor. But I know the answer. I know that you are an extraordinary person, and if you weren't a mutant, you'd still be an extraordinary person. And do you understand why I know this?"

Jack shook his head. He seemed entranced by how the older gentleman spoke.

"The truth is, most mutants would not be willing to become a martyr for another, just like non-mutants. It's human nature. One of our most powerful instincts is the preservation of our own lives. Another is the preservation of those we love. But it is not instinctual for us to preserve the life a total stranger. You, however, proved to have this altruistic instinct, and therefore, I believe that even if you weren't a mutant, you would have saved her, or at least tried."

All of the occupants of the vehicle were silent. Altman looked at April, who was reflecting on what the man had just said to Jack.

"Miss Keith. Do you hate those men who were trying to capture you?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"They were just doing their duty. They were ordered to capture Jack and me."

"What about the people in your town? Do you hate them?"

"No."

"No? Even though they hate you?"

"They don't hate me. They're just afraid because I'm different."

Altman smiled again. "That is a very mature attitude, Miss Keith."


Jack and April spent the next several weeks at Altman's mansion in the Colorado Rockies. It was a rather leisurely existence, which seemed a bit boring to Jack. He spent most of his time working with April, instructing her in the use of her powers. He felt it strange to be doing this, especially after telling April's mother that he wasn't qualified to be a proper teacher for the girl. But, he somehow proved to himself that he was a better teacher than he thought, and he even came to like the task.

Each day, around three o'clock in the afternoon, while April was taking a break, Jack spent time conversing with Mister Altman. He learned that the man was a mutant, a telekinetic. He possessed above average intelligence, which he used to become a self-made billionaire. He used most of his hard-earned money to give aid to anyone who he felt needed it, mutants and non-mutants alike, and used his home as a massive and extravagant halfway house, as well as a training center for young mutants. Altman said that he got the idea from Charles Xavier, who ran a school for gifted youngsters in New York.

Jack was all too familiar with Xavier's school. When he was fifteen, he was approached by Xavier's representatives, and was offered a life of unparalleled learning, respect, and compassion. Jack refused their offer, though. He didn't want to be spoon-fed knowledge. He didn't want all the answers to be handed to him. He didn't want total strangers to teach him about himself. He wanted to find out what he needed to know for himself. Ironic that he was now teaching April in the way that he had rejected for himself.

Jack often asked Altman where Paula was; she'd been absent since that day in the limousine. Altman only stated that she was on a business trip for him, attending to very important matters. This answer troubled Jack, but he didn't allow Altman to know this.

Jack also spent much time watching the news in Altman's large media room. He'd never really been interested in the goings-on in the world, at least, not until recently. After the attacks against mutants and then against normal humans, the world had changed from a place of turbulence into one of unrest. Humans hated mutants. Mutants hated humans. Mutants and humans hated their own kind. At least before the attacks, most everyone was usually quiet about their hatred, but now it was all out in the open.

In more local and immediate news, Jack had learned the suspected specifics in the hunt for him and April. No one had any clue of their whereabouts until a fisherman spotted them at the lake. He immediately alerted officials, and the National Guard was called in to apprehend the fugitives. The news report said that there was a fight in which three soldiers were killed, an obvious lie. Jack knew his own strength, and made sure not to harm anyone too badly.

The news report then said that the two young mutants were almost captured, but somehow made it past the military roadblock, vanishing shortly thereafter. Jack knew this was another lie, but not a deliberate one. He'd learned from Altman that the billionaire's driver, a man known only as Avery, had clouded the minds of all the members of the capturing party. He'd caused them to believe that Jack and April had escaped, when they were actually rescued. No one needed to know that Elias Altman, one of the richest men in the world, was behind the foiling of the capture of two dangerous renegades.

Two weeks after the fugitives' disappearance, the Governor had called off the search. He said that they were probably long gone by then, and were now some other state's problem.


Jack sat at the desk in his bedroom, quietly drawing up lesson plans for April's training regimen. It was a tough job; he didn't know exactly how to improve her skills, but he'd somehow managed to train her very well for nearly a month now.

There was a soft knock at the door.

"Come in," Jack said.

The door opened, and Paula Brody entered. She smiled at Jack and said, "Hi, there." A man followed her, whom she introduced. "Jack, this is my husband, Ray."

Jack shook hands with the man, who he momentarily recognized. It seemed like he'd met him recently, and almost forgotten him. Jack didn't think anything of it, though. He seemed to once know so many people. He sometimes felt that his animal instincts somehow caused this strange feeling of familiarity, but he had no earthly idea if this theory was correct or not.

"How have you been?" asked Paula.

"Pretty good. Other than being a little bored, and occasionally getting on Avery's nerves, life's been great around here."

"I know what you mean," sympathized Paula. She looked at the papers in front of Jack, and asked, "So, what's that you're working on?"

"Oh, I'm just planning out April's training for tomorrow. I learned very quickly that teaching this girl required more than just telling her to concentrate."

"She's a good kid. I bet she's a fast learner, isn't she?"

"Yeah. She's learned to almost completely control her power. But she has a bit of a temper sometimes, which causes her to accidentally shoot off a few stray bolts of energy." He chuckled, and continued, "You know, a few of the other kids have started calling her 'Overload.'"

Paula and Ray both laughed, and Paula said, "I wouldn't really expect her to have a temper."

"Ah, she just gets a little frustrated at times." He looked down at the paper in front of him. "As do I."

"You know, Elias has employees here who could teach her for you."

"I know. Mister Altman tried to find her several suitable teachers, but she didn't like them. She said that they were strangers, and she wanted me to teach her because I'm her friend." He smiled, understanding her reasoning. He was silent for a few seconds, before asking, "Your dad doesn't mind if you call him by his first name?"

"Not really. Elias spent so much time at work, earning his billions, that my mom and I never saw him much. Then when he started taking in runaways, we grew even more distant. He was never really a father to me, so I never felt comfortable calling him 'father' or 'dad.' Then when mom died, we started spending more time together, and we've gotten pretty close, but I can't get out of the habit of calling him 'Elias.'"

Everyone in the room was quiet, until Jack asked, "May I ask you a question?"

Paula nodded.

Jack asked, "Why did you save me?"

"It was my job, Jack."

"No, not at the hospital. Why'd you save me when you found me? The two of you. At the wreck site."

"You know?" Ray asked.

"Yes. I've known for a while, actually." He thought of his mysteriously healed chest wound. He'd known since the day he awoke to find her standing over him in the hospital bed that she somehow had something to do with his recovery.

Paula cleared her throat, and said softly, "I'm not exactly sure. Something inside me said I needed to help you. Something told me that you were a good person, and there was a purpose for your life."

"You can heal people, can't you?"

"Yes. Or harm them."

Jack sighed, and then turned to Ray. "And why'd you knock me out?"

Ray seemed to be torn between several different responses. He finally chose the one he felt was best, a combination of the cold hard truth, and compassion. "There was this look in your eyes, Jack. You looked crazed, angry. I was afraid that you were going to kill her."