Prince Halliwell: That was an uploading error that I realized about 20 minutes after I posted it, so I replaced the chapter, but I guess it took a while to show up and hadn't by the time you read it. Sorry about that.
Mony19: Yeah, Bailey is gonna be really powerful as she is Emma's daughter as well as part of the next generation of Mutant X. She won't be invincible though.
Ruffyan: Hmm, all good possibilities. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see, won't we? ;) Thanks for taking a moment to review!
bohemianbabe: Only time will tell. ;)
EternalFireangel: Shal's problem won't be revealed for a while and that's all I'm saying. ;)
chyp: Hey, thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you were able to find Mutant X, it really was an awesome show! I can't wait to get it on DVD myself (I've been looking in stores and online, I'm also putting them on my Christmas list, lol). And of course I'm anxiously awaiting the brilliant Charmed S2 as well!
4.06 What Mutates In Vegas, Stays In Vegas
"Are you sure this is it?" Brennan asked, as he maneuvered his way around a pile of children's toys.
"That's the third time you've asked that," the molecular retorted as he jogged up the cement steps of a quaint apartment in the run down part of the world's fastest growing city. The blonde folded up his map with one hand and shoved it into his back pocket, before knocking roughly on the door three times with the other.
"Maybe they're not home?" The electric elemental suggested after waiting several minutes.
Jesse knocked again, waiting a moment before jiggling the handle. "Hello?" He frowned, placing his hand over the door knob and the knob turned into a jumble of fuzzy molecules. Now that the latch on the door was also phased, as the entire knob subjected to Jesse's power, the rest of the solid door swung open since nothing was there to keep it in place.
"Nice way to be inconspicuous," Brennan noted as he slid past his teammate and into the apartment. Placing his hands to his mouth, he called out again and received no answer.
Jesse shut the door as he walked in, the light getting significantly dimmer. "I guess they aren't big on sunlight?"
"Maybe they're a bunch of bat ferals?" The elemental suggested, jokingly.
"Haha," Jesse grumbled as he darted into the next room. "Is anybody home?"
"Jess, I re-" Brennan stopped mid sentence as the blonde's hand clamped over his mouth.
"Do you hear that?" Jesse asked, his voice lowered several notches.
Brennan shook his head as Jesse's hand slid off of his face.
The molecular crossed over to a tiny closet in what appeared to be the main room of the apartment. Cautiously, he opened the door to a dark room barely big enough to fit one person in.
"You're over reacting," Brennan snorted when he saw that nobody was there.
Jesse narrowed his eyes, dismissing the retort and began to rifle through the hanging coats.
"Really Jess, what are you looking for?"
The phaser slid to his knees and began to move a few small boxes out of the closet. Satisfaction lit up his face as he found a small black mat over the floor, which had been hidden under the boxes. He removed the mat to find a square shaped door in the floor. "I knew it," he grinned in triumph.
"What?" Brennan asked, peering over his comrade's shoulder.
"This leads under the apartment," Jesse said as he unlatched the door and swung it back, revealing a small passage way.
"You're forgetting something, smart man. If somebody was down here, they couldn't of been up here to fix everything over the hole."
Jesse frowned, he hadn't thought of that. But he was sure that he'd heard something. "Why don't you go check the rest of the apartment and I'll check down here anyway?"
The elemental shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat, Jess." With that, he stalked off in the direction of the tiny kitchen.
----
"Thanks," Shalimar murmured as she slid out of the back of a cab and shielded her eyes from the glaring sun. She shoved a thick wad of green at the cab driver and turned on her heel, marching towards the location that her teammates had visited just two days prior. The feral swiped sweat from her brow as she slunk into the shadow of the house and wriggled uncomfortably against the side of the wall until she was sure that the cab driver was gone. She whipped a rolled up map out of her pocket and groaned as she was pricked with static electricity from her clothes. The blonde was not having a good day. Narrowing her eyes, she studied the map for a moment before sneaking around the side of the house and heading for the nearest entrance. She could already smell death.
----
"Do you mind?" Lexa glowered at the small tot. She had her leg propped up on a series of hotel pillows and the brunette was leaning her back uneasily on the headboard.
Bailey thrummed her chubby fingers against the carpeted floor and continued to stare inquisitively at Lexa.
Something about having a child not yet a year old staring at her every move really frustrated the elemental. Her eyes shifted to the ceiling, a blank white ceiling. She heaved a sigh. It was just her luck. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Bailey was now sucking happily on her thumb, but the child's eyes were still fixated on her. "For the love of..." Then a thought crossed her mind. Maybe if she can't see me, she'll go away? A tight lipped smirk slid across her rosy lips and in a bright glimmer, she literally faded from view.
Bailey plucked her wet thumb from her mouth and blinked a few times. "Hewo?" She narrowed her tiny eyes and patted her hands on the ground.
Go. Just go.
Bailey slapped playfully at her leg and began to giggle, before slapping her hands over her eyes as she'd done when she was playing with Jesse. She spread out her fingers, allowing her to peek through them. "Boo!"
Good going, Lex. Now she thinks you're playing with her! Lexa frowned to herself, although the telekinetic couldn't see it.
"Boo!" Bailey cooed again, stumbling to her knees and crawling over to the edge of the bed. The baby wiggled her fists and the ruffle of the bed leaned into her grasp where she used it to pull herself to her feet and stretch up at the top of the bed, unfortunately she wasn't tall enough to reach it. A fat lip protruded from her face. "Go bye bye?"
The invisible mutant placed a hand to her forehead, she didn't need to be a psionic to know what the little girl was about to do.
Bailey tugged at the left strap of her white, corduroy overalls. Her tiny eyes turned glassy and her lower lip began to tremble just like small objects tremble during a good earthquake when they aren't secured.
"No!" Lexa squealed, reappearing for the child to see. "I don't have time for this!"
Bailey blinked gleefully at Lexa's bright return, clapping her hands together. "Boo! Boo!"
"Boo hoo," the illuminator snorted sarcastically. Clearly, this was going to be a long mission.
----
From the other side of the wall, Emma DeLauro grinned in satisfaction. She didn't blame Lexa for her feelings, after all, she did just show up out of the blue to reclaim her position in Mutant X. She couldn't blame any of them for their feelings towards her and especially towards Adam for the lies and deception that they spread. Pressing her ear slightly to the wall and listening intently, a small smile graced her lips. But maybe if Lexa, of all people, could accept Bailey...Then there's hope after all.
----
Shalimar bent low to the ground. She'd pulled her flowing locks back into a loose blonde ponytail. She ran her tongue across her dry lips and dabbed her finger in a pool of dark red goo that almost looked like drying paint. She knew all too well that it was different though. With this amount of blood, surely it's owner couldn't be alive. She blinked back the salty water behind her eyes and stood up. Just what had they been looking for? Heading down a hallway filled over turned chairs and trash, the feral made it into another room. It was that of an office type interior. Unfortunately the once new computer held a gaping hole with sparking wires and black smoke pummeling from it. Wooden splinters from the broken door cracked under her clogs and the stench of death hung cruelly in the air. Blood spatter lined the cream colored walls and broken glass glinted in the pale light from the bent and broken blinds. She gave a small shudder as she walked over to a mound of smoldering ashes. "Papers," she breathed as she shoved them from side to side, hoping to find anything that might be of use to her. Nothing. What were these? She wondered to herself, narrowing her eyes and attempting to make out any of the writing. Then she gaped as she reached a paper in the center of the stack. Apparently the fire hadn't reached its very center. Several names were scrawled across the readable portion of the paper along with a type or more of animal. "Their records," she realized suddenly. "These papers must have noted the ferals that lived here!"
----
Jesse cupped his hands over his mouth. "Hello?" Glancing down at his shoes, he noticed that they were now covered in a thick layer of yellowish dust as he'd been shuffling around under the apartment for about ten minutes. "Is anyone here?"
"Jess, it's clear up here!" Brennan's voice boomed from the opening.
"I'll be up in just a minute," the molecular replied as he started to turn around. But as he did so, a small rustling sound caught his attention. Turning on his heel, he crossed over to a darker part of the dusty area. There he realized several wooden pillars were standing together, not spaced out as the others that helped to keep the apartment in place were. I knew it! Jesse mentally yelled as he heard a low breathing sound. The blonde quickly phased through the border of wood and discovered a small group of people huddled together.
A small scream elicited from a tiny child who buried his head into his mother's arms.
A six foot man shoved his way in front of Jesse, spreading out his arms in front of the group. His eyes flashed silver for a moment, challenging the molecular.
"I'm not here to hurt you!" Jesse promised, holding up his hands in surrender. "I want to help."
"He's telling the truth," a quiet voice from the back spoke up.
"Liv-"
"I can read him, John." A small woman emerged from the shadows, behind the group. Pink irises eyed Jesse as the ghostly white figure with thin locks of shoulder length white hair moved towards him. The tiny woman appeared to have slightly pointed ears and little pointed nails, as she held out a hand to take Jesse's.
The large man seemed to relent, taking a step or two back, but still eyeing the molecular suspiciously.
"I'm Livern," the pink eyed woman whispered hoarsely.
"Jesse," the blonde said as he shook Livern's hand.
"I know." Her pale lips formed a weak smile. "I have psionic and albino feral genes," came Liv's explanation. She allowed her almost clear eyelids to close and the wall of boards came falling to the ground as her psychokinetic hold on them fell.
So that's how they did it, she used psychokinetic abilities to make it appear as if they'd never been there. Jesse concluded, everything finally beginning to fall into place. All except for why feral safe houses were being raided and others left untouched.
"So many questions," Liv said as she placed a tiny pale hand to the side of her head. "I think they're looking for someone."
"Someone? Like who?"
"Like the most powerful feral," Liv answered. "I couldn't read them, they wore suits. But I could see their damage in my mind's eye and I know of what they did to the others. We've all been mutating rapidly lately and I think they want to find the most powerful and contain that mutation.."
The most powerful? Jesse's mouth became dry and a lump formed in the base of his throat. "Shalimar!"