"Adam, does this dress make me look fat?"

Adam glanced up from his computer monitor, irritated with Christina's interruptions. She was wearing a sundress with yellow polka dots on a bright pink background so dazzling he felt his eyes ache.

"No, Christina." He returned his attention to the monitor.

"You didn't even look!" Christina whined, crestfallen

"Yes, I did."

"Well, do you like it?" she chirped.

"It's nice."

"Oh, damn, Adam, I spent all day shopping for something special, and the way you act, I could be wearing any old rag. I should have just gone to Discount City and grabbed something from the clearance rack."

"Christina, it's a nice dress. A very nice dress." Adam felt a vague dread, sensing that her emotions were on the knife-edge of spinning out of control. He didn't have time for her drama.

"Wish I had somewhere to wear it," she pouted.

"We've discussed this."

Indeed they had. Adam was perfectly aware that the GSA was actively hunting him, and that the last thing he dared do was draw needless attention to himself.

"The GSA is inept. Just ask Eckhart."

"I'm not prepared to bet my safety and freedom upon the high likelihood that if I come upon any GSA, they'll be inattentive and incompetent…although most likely they will be."

"I do what I can to undermine recruitment and training," Christina giggled.

If anyone who worked with or for Christina could see her giggling while wearing an eye numbing yellow on pink polka dot dress, she would never again have any credibility with them again, Adam thought.

"If Mason figures out you're sabotaging the GSA, your career is over. He'll ruin you."

"I'm very careful, Adam."

"I'm serious. Mason has allies who will back him up without hesitation. A few words to them, and you'll be shuffling paper in a subterranean office, if you still have a job. You'll barely have time to pack a pencil. I saw him do this—I'm sure he still operates this way."

Adam didn't even want to bring up the matter of the money Christina was siphoning out of some dark corner of assorted black budgets. That she had been able to do so for years was proof of her skill at such…thievery, and he did not want to question her too closely and lead her to change methods…and possibly get sloppy, and worse, get caught.

"Such dreary talk, Adam. I think I know how Mason Eckhart operates. I worked with him long enough. This is so depressing. Can't we just go out and get sandwiches?"

"Okay, damn it, let's go to Burger King."

"Eee, maybe they'll have paper crowns!" Christina squealed.

"One thing."

"What's that?"

"Change the dress."

Christina's expression wilted. She went on the attack. "What are you going to do with all of that money I brought you?"

"Well…" Adam hesitated. Sure, Christina brought the cash, but did her really owe her much of an explanation? "There are a lot of things I need, like spare parts for this bird. If I don't have the Helix, my travel is limited...and I lose a good place to hide."

"Makes sense. I just don't want to see any of it going towards hot cars for Brennan."

Christina had taken an immediate, visceral dislike to Brennan. Soon after meeting him, Christina was puzzled by the way a brilliant research scientist so obviously favored an unaccomplished career criminal. Without telling Adam, she delved into Brennan's background, eliminating her initial misgivings while creating fresh ones. She could not quite bring herself to admit her jealousy of Brennan.

Adam laughed nervously. "At this very moment, he's probably stealing a hot car somewhere to generate some spending money."

"Brennan is no criminal mastermind. When he gets arrested for grand theft auto, make sure that there isn't any trail leading back to you. You can bet your life that Eckhart has "Brennan Mulwray" red-flagged in hourly database searches of national arrest reports."

"You worry too much."

"I worry about you."

The throb in her voice emphasizing "you" he found intolerably affecting. Adam never knew quite what to say to Christina whenever she spoke in such an overwrought, emotional fashion.

"Let's go eat."

"Don't you look around and make note of landmarks when you park in a big lot?"

"No," Christina answered quietly, still clutching her golden paper Burger King crown.

Adam scowled. "I had to wait three and a half hours in that parking lot for you."

"Well, I had to wander around that parking lot for three and a half hours in the dark searching for an invisible plane, looking over my shoulder for the GSA."

Adam's patience was gone. He had not cared for Burger King since the 'Whaler' sandwich was eliminated from the menu. The fish sandwiches replacing the Whaler were never equal to the original.

"This was not a good idea. I'm not sure how the hell they found me, but if I hadn't been facing the front door and seen these guys stroll in, you might have had a long walk home."

Tears welled up in Christina's eyes. "When I came out of the little girls' room, you were gone, with only your crown left on the seat."

Adam recalled feeling supremely foolish as he made eye contact with the GS agents, tossing aside the silly-making crown, and bounding up out of his seat and over the tabletops towards the back door, sliding on someone's fried onion rings as he plunged towards his sole chance of escape.

"It's going to be days before I'll be able to sleep," Christina whimpered.

Adam didn't doubt it.

Mason

"They had him in plain sight. The lighting was good and the view unobstructed."

Rebecca was reading the field report on the monitor over my shoulder. "Adam was wearing a crown?"

"This happened at a Burger King."

"Ah…then he wasn't alone?"

"The agents found signs of only one meal."

"The other person may have been done eating. Adam wouldn't have made a spectacle of himself wearing a Burger King crown to amuse strangers. No, he'd do that only for someone with some kind of leverage on him. Perhaps Christina."

"Perhaps. Unfortunately, they lost Adam in the dark and were not prepared to search for a stealth aircraft on the ground."

"Too bad. Adam's incredible luck continues. Where's Christina supposed to be?"

"Home. But she isn't answering her home phone this weekend. She is not on call, so she is not bound to be available."

"Does she know Emma?"

"She should know her on sight. Rebecca, why would an intelligent woman—and despite her flaws, Christina is intelligent—ally herself with a man like Adam?"

"I can explain it to you, but I'll warn you that it isn't rational," she sighed. "There are women who would be thrilled with someone like Adam. For a lot of women, science and math are impenetrable arcane mastered only by men and a handful of "unnatural" women. From their point of view, Adam's technical work seems nearly like magic. They would stand in unquestioning awe of someone they considered an intellectual giant."

I closed my eyes, and reflected upon what I knew of Adam's relationships with women. Rebecca's description was most fitting, as I mused upon Danielle, Christina, and yes, Jackie.

"And they would not question his actions or motives."

"They would not understand enough of the science to question Adam's ethics. Even if they understood some of it, they may well lack intellectual honesty or energy."

"How do they live with themselves?"

"That's the easiest part. Society makes it easy to be a follower, especially for women."

"So, between being awed by Adam and being intellectually lazy, Christina might be willing to risk career and freedom?"

"Depends upon the depth of her attachment to Adam. Women form attachments to a lot of unworthy men, Mason."

"Christina has been around, off and on, longer than any of the others."

"Perhaps she's desperate."

"I'm having her watched. April is quietly having her access to funds investigated. If anything is missing, a wider investigation will begin."

Rebecca

"Welcome to Genomex, Ms Tupolev." I wore my best corporate smile, producing a near perfect facsimile of human warmth. "I'm Dr Steyn."

"Oh, I've been here before. I used to work here," Christina offered, taking in the evidence of improved security. She pinned on her visitor's badge identifying her as part of the same organization as Genomex, but not based permanently at this site. "But it wasn't like this."

We shook hands, and then I continued. "That's why I'm here to escort you to Mr Eckhart's office. Procedures here have changed. Whatever applied before may no longer be in effect. I wasn't present, but some months ago the site was invaded by a gang of heavily armed thugs."

"I read a report about that." She threw that comment out casually, as if she was speaking about a change in the landscaping.

"Several people were murdered at their desks. This very corridor was splattered with blood." My smile gone, I had turned serious and grave.

"I don't think the report went into that detail."

I had read the same report. The aftermath of Adam's commando assault had been described in unpleasant detail. Conveniently, Christina had forgotten that.

"Mr Eckhart resolved to protect everyone here. The site is more defensible, and internal control is tighter. There are a number of instrumentally detected events which will trigger a security response without waiting for a supervisor to make that decision."

I informed her only in the most general terms. She didn't need to know, for example, that permanently issued badges had panic button capabilities, or that at least one employee in each section was armed.

I couldn't quite read this woman; I could not tell if she was reacting to horror she had repressed, if her shoes pinched her feet, or if her mind was occupied with an altogether unsuspected matter. So, I changed the subject.

"We've set aside a pleasant suite for you."

"Here?"

"Yes. Genomex now has a limited number of guest suites and temporary living quarters."

"But I already have a reservation at the Marriott."

"This is another new policy. It's for your own convenience and safety. Recently, there have been threats against some of our personnel, proving the wisdom of the policy."

"This is awkward."

No, contacting Adam from inside Genomex will be awkward.

I ignored what I knew she meant and replied to an alternate but plausible interpretation.

"Oh, the suites are very pleasant, with premium satellite tv, high speed Internet access, and excellent food service 24/7. I'm sure you'll be quite comfortable."

I smiled, and enjoyed the sight of her internal squirming.

Of course, we'll monitor all of your communications. And you'll find your cell phone jammed anywhere on site by the badge you're wearing. Won't you be surprised?

"I believe Mr Eckhart has an open schedule this afternoon, so you will have plenty of time to talk to him."

"Oh, that's good."

Christina naturally expected such priority treatment given her present position and responsibilities. She had to harbor some anxiety being dispatched unexpected to Genomex on a few hours' notice for a meeting with Mason. The prospect of just talking to Mason made most people nervous, if not physically ill with a headache or upset stomach. My purpose was to further unsettle her, as was the next step in her welcome. I left her at the door to Mason's office.

Emma

You've all seen the movies with someone entering an office, expecting to find one person behind the desk in a high-backed office chair only to be shocked! stunned! and horrified! when the chair's occupant spins the chair about, revealing someone else.

"Mason?"

I watched Christina enter Mason's office by the reflected image in the glass and delayed turning the chair until the last possible moment. Christina's uncertainty translated to greater vulnerability to my probing.

"Mason's attending to an emergency. He'll be along shortly."

Of course we had arranged this ahead of time. I could probe more effectively if people were off balance.

Christina stopped and studied my pleasant, smiling face.

"You used to be with Adam. Your name is de Lauro."

"Emma deLauro."

Adam thought of us as tools, so not surprisingly, Christina had adopted his attitude. She never paid much attention to us as individuals. She wasn't sure of my name until I confirmed what she said.

"You were part of Mutant X."

Images and emotions flooded by mind. Mason warned me that Christina was highly strung. He had not exaggerated.

Matters involving Adam triggered more information that I could coherently sort out. Christina's involvement was deeper than we had known; I perceived images of Sanctuary during all stages of its construction, along with the procedure Christina had used to siphon black project funds into an account used by Adam. Christina had even arranged for some of the contractors, convincing them that Sanctuary was a clandestine agency project instead of a private one. All the impressions of Adam were highly emotional, even confused.

Can't Adam treat anyone well?

Over and over again, Christina demonstrated loyalty, even devotion to Adam, and in return, he took her for granted. Typical Adam. I felt a twinge of sympathy for Christina.

But only a brief twinge, because Christina knew all along what Adam was doing and planning. He never deceived or misled her. He never had to. Quite willingly, she had supported all of his schemes, beginning years ago when she worked at this site. I knew all of this, and something more: she was still helping him.

Gotcha.

Just knowing this much was valuable; in Christina we now had a prime focus for our efforts in tracking down Adam.

"I was part of Mutant X. I left when I couldn't stand being used for an unclear purpose, or having my personal life dictated by someone else."

Knowing what I know now, about the application and control of my powers, I could have stopped Adam from ever annoying anyone ever again. I could have selectively fried those portions of his brain that made him such an arrogant, controlling individual…and controlled what he did and said myself. He would never know what happened to him and neither would anyone else, but he would be acting purely upon my wishes and commands.

Nobody else knew I could do this, not Jesse, not Laura Varady, not Mason Eckhart. Some things, I decided, were best kept to myself. If people were aware of what I could potentially do to them, they might find loving me no longer possible. They might come to fear me. I had resolved to apply this extreme power in self-defense or in the defense of someone I loved. I would not do it in a moment of anger.

"Adam can be…overbearing."

I'm sure you would know.

"Well, I didn't care for the way he treated us, and that was before I knew about the scam he was running with the so-called underground."

"Underground scam?"

You don't know about that? No, as far as I could tell, Adam had not told her about that. You're good enough to be his accomplice, but not to be told the full extent of the crimes you have enabled.

"Mutants directed into the underground either had to pay thousands of dollars for their new identities and transportation, or they had to work off these charges in businesses in which Adam held an interest."

That shocked her. She was speechless.

"Some of the people I've talked to called it nothing short of slavery. Some people were kept on the grounds of these businesses in 'dormitories'. They didn't have any money of their own, so they couldn't leave. Going to authorities was out of the questions. These people would like to find Adam and hit him with a civil suit." I smiled. Christina might have been blind to Adam's flaws and misdeeds, but she wasn't stupid.

"This is documented?"

"Yeah. There are people here who lived it."

"This is a shock. I had never heard even a suggestion of anything like this."

"It isn't something Adam advertised, and a lot of the people who went this route didn't want to admit the mess they'd gotten themselves into."

But you should have wondered about the underground. I did. I asked Adam about it, and he lied when he answered me.

Throughout, I made quick probes for Adam's location, trying to extract every possible scrap of information that might lead us to him. By now, I was sure I had everything that could be had from Christina. Rebecca had done her part, I had done mine, and now, it was Mason's turn. I pressed a button on his desk to silently summon him.

"I guess that would be embarrassing."

Mason was close by, waiting, and entered his office within ninety seconds of summoning.

"Good morning, Christina." Mason sounded crisp and businesslike.

"Good morning, Mason."

Uncertainty and confusion rolled off of Christina in waves. She was devoted to Adam, but she was also essentially decent and good-hearted. Right now, her heart was deeply troubled.

I rose from Mason's chair. "Mason, Dr Varady needs your signature to go ahead with the department reorganization."

Mason seated himself and signed the form, but the whole exchange was actually code to tell him that I had in mind a city and likely location for Adam, but still lacked a specific address, and that Christina was deeply involved. He handed the form back to me.

"Thanks."

Then I left Christina to Mason's mercy.

to be continued