The Earth

Vaughn eyed each of the recruits as they filed out of the room, all of them clutching their files to their chest and looking even more dazed than before, not bothering to veil his obvious contempt. It's not that he' got anything against the new recruits in particular - he just isn't fond of the human race in general. A lifetime of working as a hired gun can do that to a man. He knew that most of the shuffling mutants before him would be weeded out before the week is up, begging to return to their former life, instead thrown out to feed the Affected. Vaughn liked that. If you haven't got the guts, than you're going to lose your guts. He almost smiled at the idea, but let's not get carried away. A few of the new soldiers caught his eye, something about the way they carried themselves perhaps, or the jut of their chin - whatever it was, they would need to be watched further. He glanced down at the clipboard in his hand, scanning the page with it's attached photos for those passing in front of him. Alex, Maria, Michael, Isaac, Catalina, Kasna, William. Yes, he'd certainly be keeping an eye on them. A boy with a tuft of blonde hair and a goofy expression tripped over himself passing Vaughn, sending a splash of acid shooting from his fingertips onto the tip of the officer's shoes. Vaughn looked down, watching the tips of his army boots begin to melt away. He looked up. "You're going to pay for that."

***

The new troops were lead into a large gymnasium, the wooden floor gleaming with polish but the walls thick metal, like the gutted insides of an aircraft hangar. Piled against one side of the room were thick, dark blue training mats and on the far end several tables lined with assorted objects. Everybody more or less milled into the center, nervous conversation spreading like a virus through the group, avoiding only the most sullen faced. Maria leant against one of the clear walls, her sunglasses pushed firmly down over her eyes and her eyebrow raised as she watched the others, sceptical of all the budding friendships. She didn't have anything against being friendly, she could be as a nice as the next girl, she just wasn't comfortable with wandering up to a stranger when she was still a stranger to herself. So instead she watched, ignoring the funny looks she was getting from some of the other recruits, used to standing out. Maria couldn't help wonder what the other's powers were, there was the odd visible mutation throughout the group but for the most part they just looked like normal people. A teenage girl with dyed pink hair gave her a wave and Maria supressed a shudder. She may not be able to remember before this morning but she was damn sure she wasn't a fan of pink. Luckily she didn't have to go through the bother of purposefully ignoring the girl, or flipping her the finger (whichever grabbed her fancy), because at that moment Vaughn entered the room. The Officer was red in the face, his cuffs rolled back and his shoes...sizzling?

The thickly built man stomped his way to the center of the room, parting the sea of people like some kind of thunderous moses, his expression enough to have even the hardiest of recruits tripping over themselves to get out of his way. Once he had reached the middle, he crossed his arms and looked at those around him for a moment, with an expression of impatience. When nobody began to move he let loose a sigh of irritation before roaring "ALL OF YOU. BACK OF THE ROOM. NOW." Naturally, everybody complied. When Vaughn was satisfied that he had his audience how he wanted it he began pacing back and forth in front of them, his hands linked behind his back with posture that would put a steel rod to shame. "Now, though it is unclear how many of you worms will even survive the training process, for the sake of making mine and the others instructors lives easier you will be split into squads at the end of today. I will witness your powers, how you work within a group and from that decide who you are best fighting alongside. And yes my decision is final. Have a problem with it? There's always the Wall." He stopped and looked at the troops, studying the level of fear in each of their faces before continuing in his pacing once again "To begin with I would like an example of your powers, each of you come up one by one and show the rest of us how fucking special you are. So come on, which one of you has the guts to come up first?" He waited and there was a moment of hesitation, people looking at those next to them, and he opened his mouth to shout again when a voice interrupted him-

"I'll go first." Maria called from her place beside the wall, frowning at the glances and murmurs she recieved, "Might as well get this shit over with." Pushing her way through the group she came to stand beside Vaughn, removing her glasses with one hand and feeling a little twinge of satisfaction when even Vaughn looked shocked. "So what...I just start?" Vaughn frowned at her before letting loose a bark of laughter and moving to the corner of the room "Good call Einstein." Maria ignored the jibe and looked around the room, unsure how best to show her 'talents', it wasn't as if she had any trucks to lift or slabs of steel to crush. "Any time sweetie!" Vaughn called from where he stood, laughing at his joke and frowning at those standing near him until they joined in nervously. Maria bristled with irritation, cracking her knucles before turning to the thick metal wall behind her, "Right away, honey." she growled before taking a few steps back. One, two, three. She took a few jogged steps lead up before sending a punch slamming into the wall, feeling the metal buckle beneath her knuckles before standing back to admire the damage done. The wall looked like a truck had smashed into it, the metal caved in to the point that Vaughn would have been able to climb into the hole and flick through one of the macho magazines he clearly reads. The wall gave a moan and she flicked a nervous glance at it before turning back to the group, thankful that it hadn't fallen. I mean, she knew that the file had said she was strong - but this? Where did it end? How much was she capable? It was kind of terrifying. "Oh and my file said I can create electricity or something..." she said, a hand placed aggressively on her hip as she surveyed the group before her "...but I'm not a performing monkey, i'm sure that - here she nodded her head back at the hole in the wall - "will suffice."

She made her way back over to her spot against the wall, shrugging off the whispers and giggles, "Did you see her eyes? And what was that thing with the wall? Why is she even allowed in here, she's clearly Affected." Maria pulled her glasses back out from the pocket of her denim shorts, quickly slipping them over her eyes before taking a few deep breaths. The anger rising up inside her at just these few pathetic remarks was...scary. She had nothing to compare the emotion to, this was all brand new after all, but surely she shouldn't this furious just because of a few whispered jibes? She didn't give a crap what these people thought really, and yet her hands were actually shaking with anger. She wanted to punch another hole in a wall, heck, she wanted to punch another hole in a person. Her file, where she had left it on the floor, reminded her of what Vaughn had said about the Affected ..."Paranoia, schizophrenia, antisocial behaviour, borderline personality disorders, depression - increased aggression levels." She pushed the thrill of fear out of her mind and focused on the scene before her, curious to see who would be the next one up, what their powers would reveal. These were the people she'd have to fight alongside, risk her life for, she should probably stop imagining decaptitating them.

"I'll go next." Will stepped forward, offering himself up for the chopping block before anyone else could. He didn't know if that was normal behaviour for him. He didn't know much of anything about 'him' at the moment, and figured that perhaps the best way to learn would be to demonstrate the one thing he was certain had not changed; his supposed powers. So he continued to move to the front of the room and the crowd of recruits, his eyes darting from one to the next, taking them in. They were certainly taking him in. A giant of a man, golden-skinned... he looked more like a servitor of the Lord than an Affected bastard, but his remarkably different skin could hardly be ignored. "What the fuck is up with him?," he heard one murmur. Another responded, dazed, "I don't know, but I don't think I even care. I like him." He stepped slowly forward the last few paces.

Then something inside him simply clicked - he fell onto his knees abruptly at the moment he had truly reached the front. A slight silence ensued, with the jeers from the other recruits fading as the possibility of danger and death flashed before all their eyes.

But William Hood was not dead. Nor even in any pain, or any form of danger. He was lost within the depths of his own mind, recalling his gift. Images flashed past, and he desperately tried to hold onto one, onto any of them... and, through partial dumb luck and partial skill, he succeeded in grasping one. And, with herculean mental effort, he tore it through the veil that had dropped over him, speaking the words before he even stood. "Ye think my gift rings false, that it is merely theatrical skill, but ye also ken that there are seven in this room that will succeed. I do not know their names, only their faces. Mine be among those faces." He struggled to his feet, his sharp green eyes opening wide. He cast a glance at all those around him, his expression unreadable, completely neutral. As he recognized the faces he had seen, he offered each the most barely perceptible of nods.

"If ye'll be needing further demonstration, ye'll need to ask nicely now." The trance had passed. A wave of conflicting emotions overtook him, as the use of his power seemed to release a floodgate deep inside him. He managed to remain on his feet this time, but the barest hint of a smile touched his lips, curving them into something that struck even the most heartless of those in the room with a twinge of appreciation. Vaughn seemed not to care, and he likely didn't. Not about the theatrics, at least, Will knew. He did, however, care a great deal for the power that the prophet, (as Will named himself,) had displayed. Reading into the man's expression, Will suspected that he was trying to think of potential military application... and there was something more. But he could not read that deep. Not without knowing the man. Giving his long red hair a shake, he purposefully strode back into the crowd. A man such as he, however, found it very difficult to remain invisible in a crowd... especially one that gave him such admiring looks and some frankly open stares.

Warm air enveloped him fully; each gust like a comforting hand sweeping over his body. He opened his eyes slowly, the bright light of the mid-morning day a stark contrast to the gloom of Sanctuary. Dusty ground crunched beneath his boots as he began walking forwards, and little vegetation save dried-out brown weeds survived in the wastelands. For miles there was nothing but desert stretching outwards beneath almost cloudless skies. The sun shone relentlessly, its heat almost unbearable. Already he felt thirst drying his throat, and sweat beading on his forehead. He reached the top of the mound and looked out ahead of him. Sanctuary loomed in the distance, its bleak walls rising out of the wasteland, towers cutting the landscape behind them apart like jagged blades. It was supposed to be a safe haven, but for Isaac it felt more and more like a prison.

**

He could feel Vaughn's eyes boring into him from across the room. Teeth grating together, he lifted his head just enough to lock eyes with the Officer, barely concealed contempt clear on both mens faces. The pale young girl loped delicately back into line, but his gaze was unwavering. Vaugn's face twitched, and he could have sworn the guy was amused. It was only when he realised the rest of the crowd had stepped back that he understood. It looked like it was his go next. His fists were balled tightly by his sides, and he could feel his nails digging painfully into the flesh of his palm. His eyes were still set on Vaugn, who appeared to be growing ever more impatient. Isaac took a sidelong glance across the other faces in the room; his irritation remained for all of them. Almost all of them had danced to Vaughn's tune without a semblance of dignity. It pained him that he would have to do the same. For now.

"Get a move on, prince-!" Vaughn's voice pierced his reclusive bubble. He looked back at Vaughn again and smiled.

There was an explosion of noise, and the air seemed to expand rapidly outwards as though filled with some invisible force. Before Vaughn could even finish his sentence Isaac had his nose pressed against the Officer's, a mischievous smile dancing across his haggard face. The force of his movement had been for show. This time when he flashed back into place there was only the tiniest of breezes swirling around his clothes. He let out a long breath, anger subsiding.

He cast another look across the faces around him. He could remember a few whom the golden-skinned man had identified. The first girl was one of them - the one with the freakish eyes. He set his gaze on her for a long moment, then took in some of the others. He wondered how many of them he would see again; how many would share his opinions and how many would share Vaughn's. If he tried to leave he wondered who would come with him, and who would stop him. While these thoughts coursed through his mind the wounds on his hands healed over.

Fear was the next thing to enter his mind. Fear that he might never be able to escape. Fear that he might slip away before he could.

Will couldn't help but ponder those around him. He bore them no particular animosity, but all the same, he found most of them boring. The only ones that struck his interest were those his gift had highlighted in his mind. He studied them carefully, watching as one by one, they slowly stepped forward after him. The girl who might be more of a cat than a human interested him; she seemed to move at simply unnatural speeds, and watching someone who looked human do that was frankly a little disturbing. His gifts though, he thought to himself, were surely no less strange and weird to the rest of them however. He became engrossed in this idea, considering himself from the viewpoint of those around him. Some were easy, on the surface at least.

Vaughn was impartial. Difficult to read. He seemed to dislike each of them, but Will was almost certain that was a facade. A curiousity, that man.

The rest of the men and women around him were difficult, more because there was so many than because he did not know them. He would have to wait til an opportunity to be in a smaller group presented itself; then perhaps he could figure out more.

He was so deep into this thought process that he almost missed the teleporter. The loud bang, for lack of a better description, startled the golden-skinned giant, making him flinch a little. He had not expected that. His silent return was even more interesting. Clearly he had control over the noise, and had wanted to spook everyone. Especially Vaughn, Will figured. As Isaac returned to his place, Will shook his head genially, shaking out all his thoughts, and laughed, a booming and friendly laugh that was infectious enough to make several of those boring folk near him join in.

Kasna fanned herself with her files as she watched those who had come forward to show off their strengths. Despite having to deal with the body heat within the crowd, she was enjoying the show. Strong men..well,women, psychics, cat people, and teleporting magicians –

It's almost like we're a bunch of circus freaks...

She frowned at the thought. It seemed insulting, especially since there wasn't anyone smiling. There wasn't much to smile about, it seemed; the projection of the explosion must have affected everyone's heart, she thought. However, the “meanie”, Vaughn, looked like he'd crush anyone's spirit any day or EVERY day, if he wanted. After a moment, she sighed and put her headphones over her ears to continue listening to the song that was playing when she had woken up:



She closed her eyes, started nodding her head to the beat with a smile and started singing along, calling attention to herself quite a bit. Vaughn glared, becoming agitated by the girl. Whether it was the smile or the...“head-banging”, something about her demeanor got under his skin (not that it took much or anything, anyway). Others seemed to notice the hateful glare of the officer and started to back away from Kasna, leaving her out in the open; it's her turn now.

Kasna opened her eyes after noticing that it had gotten a bit cooler around her and looked around. She jumped seeing the officer nose to nose with her - his cold stare make her freeze in her tracks. Once Vaughn opened his mouth, Kasna quickly took off the headphones then turned off the music player that was on her wrist. “M-My turn, right?” Chuckles and giggles rang out from the crowd and Vaughn growled. He turned and headed over to where he was before without another word.

After her incident of terror was over, she glanced at her file one last time before setting it down on the floor beside her feet. She looked at her hands nervously for a moment, thinking on what exactly she should show them. Her heart started racing; she started to panic. Before she could even have a chance to lose her mind, Vaughn voice blared out from behind her. “TODAY, DAMMIT!!” She jumped again.

I guess I am taking too long... Ah, hell, I'll just wing it... She bit down on her index finger until it started to bleed. The crowd could see a small glint of light reflect off of the tip. She did the same with her other finger, then slashed both backs of her hands. Blood streamed heavy down her knuckles and fingers, but didn't reach the floor. In fact, the blood quickly started to curve three inches away from her fingertips and began to outline a spearhead. More blood “colored” in the outline, then started to harden and turn to iron. Kasna didn't notice the fearful yet mystified looks from the peanut gallery as she started to demonstrate her martial art - her turns, kicks, and slashes were so swift and fluid, it was scary, yet beautiful to watch.

She soon stopped, just before her blade touched Vaughn's throat. She gasped, quickly withdrew her hand, and hurried toward back to the crowd with her head down... and a stream of blood trailing behind her.

A talented bunch, just as Will originally thought. He'd been right in the men and women he had marked. Though some of them seemed young, he had no illusions that all the people in this room were old at heart. They had all suffered, all been through hardships... inevitably, anyone that lived through the nukes went through terrible things. To truly want to forget, want badly enough to submit to this organization, the crowd here had gone through more tragedy than anyone should be forced to suffer through. With a figurehead like Vaughn, the pyschic didn't need his own talents to realize how committed this organization was to success. Vaughn sprayed about contempt the way, say, a skunk sprayed stench. Neither the soldier nor the skunk were particularly pleasant to be around when spraying, but at least the skunk had control over it. Will suspected Vaughn did not, nor did he care what others thought of him. An effective breaker of men and women, but no true leader.

Vauhgn did not interest him anywhere near as much as the two most recent individuals to step forward. Also people he had picked from the crowd, they both very quickly displayed why. The girl's unique talent drew Will's attention; she would be a deadly warrior, if trained right. She clearly was not a killer, not yet at least, but a warrior... that was far more likely. She was also pleasant to look at; many of the females here were, actually, he noted. Between her ability and her beauty, he realized he needed to have words with her. A shy, introspective girl like her could be easily influenced, and while that was not his exact goal, he did want to ensure that nobody came to dominate her will and take the role of an idol or master in her eyes. So he slowly began making his way through the crowd, which parted before him easily; his massive size and stunning golden skin more than likely aided this, he thought to himself as a wry smirk formed momentarily on his face.

As he strode towards her, his thoughts changed direction, even if only briefly, towards the other man that had stepped forward. Cassanova, or so Vaughn labeled him. Will thought it might be amusing to continue calling him this. Often men as silent and clearly intelligent as he attracted many women, quite unintentionally. And the man's reaction to such a nickname would tell Will a great deal more about him. His eerie silence and ability to track even in the pitch black were not combat skills, but neither were they skills that would find excellent use outside of a battlefield. The man, then, was an oddity; while clearly wanting to avoid attention, he would have to work harder than most to stay valued and appreciated. This place would change many of them, he was certain.

His thoughts nearly carried him past his destination, but he shook himself out of his stupor, clearing away the murkiness from his mind. He stopped right next to the small (compared to him) girl, who had replaced her headphones. He was unsure if she had noticed his approach, as she failed to look up at him even though she must have noticed his presence next to her. A giant with skin that shone like the sun was a little hard to avoid. So he cleared his throat, and slowly, carefully, tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hello, miss...?" He smiled, a clear and encouraging sign he wanted her to introduce himself.

Kasna sighed as she merged with the humid crowd again. She looked down at her feet nervously, hearing the whispers and murmurs of the crowd. She didn't want to touch her music player with her blood-soaked hands, so there was no music to drown out the hateful voices from the peanut gallery. Feeling herself lose her mind, she shut her eyes and started to breath heavily; the heat from the people around her wasn't helping either. She started shaking.

I've gotta stay calm.... I've gotta...

She jumped when she felt something grab her arm. She fearfully looked down then froze, seeing a young man starting to patch up her cuts. Fear turned into flattery and she smiled. She didn't realize that she was staring the entire time until he started to walk away. She blushed, slightly embarrassed about the situation and opened her mouth to speak, hoping that saying something would make this moment less awkward. Just as she was about the shout a small "thank you"....

"Hey you! Cassanova!"

She squeaked and quickly put on her headphones. Leave it up to Vaughn to make things even more awkward without even trying. She turned up the music and shut her eyes in hopes that the music would drown out her current emotions (and thus, missing the mystery man's performance).



She groaned inwardly. Dammit, Elton John... She quickly changed the song and absorbed the slightly more comforting tune of Blue Oyster Cult's (Don't Fear) The Reaper.

After a moment, there was a sudden tap on her shoulder. She calmly took off her headphones and turned to look up at her pursuer.

"Hello miss...?"he said with a glowing smile. There was a twinkle in her eyes as she examined this golden stranger. He was gorgeous, yes, but it going to take a lot more than that to impress her... not that she already was. She was more curious about his motives, but wasn't going to show any hateful distrust in him. Instead, she smiled back with a charming smile of her own.

"Hello," she replied. "Oh, and, please call me Kasna. "Miss" sounds a bit too professional." She chuckled, dispelling any tension she felt.

Not long after her reply, Vaughn impatiently announced something about practicing their powers with someone. She bit her bottom lip, scared to lose any more more blood than she already had.

Tuning out the distractions of the nearby crowd, Will focused all of his considerable charm towards Kasna, a brilliant smile continuing to light up his face as she asked him to refer to her as Kasna and not "Miss." He shook his head in a slight denial, well aware of his appearance and its effect upon the opposite sex.

"I could nae possibly do that, no' under any normal circumstances. But I suppose fer one of yer beauty, I could make an exception, Kasna." The pseudo-psychic knew he was laying it on a little thick, but, with the way he looked, it was almost to be expected. Furrowing his brows as he looked at her, reading the minute gestures and facial language... the way she couldn't quite keep her hands still, how she bit down on her bottom lip, it should've been obvious even without his abilities. She was scared. "Kasna, lass... if ye don't want to demonstrate yer powers, I ken that well enough. It must take a lot out of ye," he said, his face schooled into the very picture of a sympathetic friend, someone that was simply looking out for her best interests. He allowed a bit of worry to creep onto his features, relaxing his brows and opening his eyes a little wider to show his concern. "If ye'd like, I can tell ye what little I ken of my own talents fer now."

He allowed the offer to hang in the air, keeping his mask even as he studied her from beneath it. She was smart. And not simply in the 'I've read a billion books' sense. She knew enough to try and stay distant from him, even with his charming and angelic appearance. He had the feeling, the idea, that people simply felt at ease around him... but this one, she was smart enough to stay on her toes. He suspected it'd be that way with all of the 'volunteers' he'd pointed out in his trance. Kasna, though, she was still affected a teeny bit by his handsome looks. The rugged features of a man, a true man, combined with skin so golden that an angel would be jealous, and flowing locks that highlighted it... he knew he was a damn fine-looking figure of a fellow. And he'd use it.

A hesitant smile slowly appeared on his face, completing his look of concern. He wasn't faking the concern, not really. But neither was he going to willingly show exactly to what depth he felt it. Exaggeration in whichever way he chose, well, that wasn't lying, was it? Not really.

Maria was waiting semi-patiently for the crowd to thin, leaving a partner she could drag off into a corner and work out a few frustrations upon, when a man came tumbling out of the edge of the crowd. Maria's eyes widened in concern as his eyes met hers. Shit. Maria may not remember what a spoon is right now, but she knew for damn certain that some sort of sonuvabitch of a social convention meant they had to pair up now. The man, after scuttling away before realising he couldn't get away with it, eventually coughed out a manly 'Hi'. The lack of enthusiasm in his voice was honey to Maria's ears. Messed up little puppy she was, she'd rather have to spend time alongside somebody who hated her guts than one of the peppy let's-be-friends clones bouncing around the room. She quirked an eyebrow in amusement as he seemed to clock his own rudeness and try to make up for it with another, less irritated, greeting. She felt a flash of grudging admiration, a sort of recognition of a fellow species, someone else who didn't want to play the game. All around them people were casually greeting each other, ice breaking jokes and pleasantries flying through the air like fluffy bullets - it was enough to make one retch.

He held out his hand, making an apathetic joke about he breaking it and Maria rewarded it with a quirk of the eyebrows and a slightly-too-long glance at his hand before taking it gingerly in hers, careful to put little pressure on it "I wouldn't want to get all the fun out of the way so early." Her voice was dry, mocking but lacking any real vehemence. "And as far as that prick bothering us i'm pretty sure he's too busy with his homerotic magazine in the corner to actually take an interest." At the mention of the magazine she nodded her head towards where Vaughn sat, still flicking through his GUNS magazine, now with a poisonous cigar between his thin lips. Suddenly Maria froze, a sound so violently offensive to her ears that she actually paused mid-mock to stare in the direction. A little away from them, just within hearing distance, stood the golden kid and blood girl, engaged in some postively cringe-worthy flirting. "Oh, beloved sanctuary." Maria growled, as words such as 'ken' and 'lass' sent shudders down her spine "If I 'accidently' cave in a certain area of the ceiling and am forced to go on the run for the deaths of mr and mrs perky over there, will you be alright without a partner?" she asked, motioning towards the aforementioned. The delightful thing about Maria, was she was only half joking.

To say that he was relieved by her surly reflection was an overstatement; Isaac hated this place too much for anything it spawned to cause him a mite of happiness. Still though, he was pleased that she hadn't gone barreling off towards Vaughn to pour her heart out. Instead, she took his hand gently and gave it a delicate shake. That sort of bemused him; she didn't appear the demure type - hell, she had her hair cut like a damned pixie (what the hell is a pixie?). He hadn't bothered to look at Vaughn; but the mention of his risque magazine warranted a look. Isaac wasn't sure why, but he felt that something about those details would prove important one day. He tried to imagine why, but his mind threw up a series of blanks; it seemed the sedatives they fed him religiously were still fucking with his head.

It was at this point that he noticed her eyes - he had to admit they were a little unnerving. Like staring into the eyes of a tiger (I know what a tiger is? I'll have to remember that...) who was patiently sizing up a potential meal. He realised he'd had his mouth agape - a display of too much interest, as far as he was concerned - and promptly closed it. Fortunately, the girl hadn't noticed - instead she was staring at a tall, golden-skinned man with a look lurking somewhere between outright hatred and disgust. Isaac found that he was pulling the same face.

When he realised he had laughed he choked, and then looked as embarrassed as a nun on a street corner. He recovered quickly, slipping back into his facade of 'distant, slightly arrogant disapproval'.

"Like I'd stay here on my own. Besides, you might need me to get out." There was something veiled in that statement, but he said nothing further on the topic. His eyes held a dangerous sparkle, though, and his fingers twitched just a little too enthusiastically. He had the impulse to ask if she had been beyond the wall, as he had. Instead he made do with: "So, you going to show off your powers then?"

Kasna's eye lit up, relieved once he had assured her that she didn't have to demonstrate her power again and was willing to demonstrate his; she definitely didn't want to lose anymore blood.

"Thanks!" she exclaimed while cupping her hands together and slightly hoping in place. She paused her music in order to give him her full attention. Though she had grown more comfortable around him after his last statement, she still kept a bit of her guard up. Even his attempts to make her swoon went over her head.

"So, your psychic.. "powers". What exactly was your prediction about it?" she asked, referring to his exhibition earlier. As she awaited his answer, she examined him. He was such a glowing mystery to her and she hoped that maybe she could soon get to know the truths behind this seemingly godly man. She was sure that he wasn't completely sincere towards her, since they had just met; she had officially made it a challenge for herself to break his mask.

Her thoughts strayed once again toward another clouded individual - the man that had put the bandages on her hands. She knew in the back of her mind that no one should have power over her thoughts like this, but he was so intriguing. She looked toward the ground for a moment and started to drum her fingers on the matter. Who was he? Did he show his powers to everyone or did Vaughn skip him? Who did he partner himself with? Does he like music? Does he talk? Did he-

She blinked and quickly looked up at her partner again, wanting address another matter:

"You never told me your name."

"Well, me apologies for that. If, eh, ye'd prefer, I can try 'n drop tha accent. It seems to come 'n go pretty well at random, but I d'no if it be at all natural." Will, while talking, suddenly realized he was losing track of what he'd originally meant to say. He blushed a little, dropping his head for a moment - the rosy hue that lit his cheeks gave him an unnatural look, an almost unearthly one when combined with the golden skin over top. Whatever the colour of his skin, he was still clearly, even to himself, a red-blooded man.

And he was, of course, acting. He wasn't sure who he'd been before this all, but, he did know that he must've been a damned fine actor because that was not a skill one simply learned overnight. He did sincerely hope he wasn't too obvious about it, but, at the moment, he was having enough fun in the moment to not worry about it. This exposed another aspect of his personality he himself wasn't even aware of until that moment. For all the time he'd spent since waking in introspection and deep self-contemplation, he found it very easy to let it all go and make a game out of studying the other person, learning them, and subtly steering the interaction in the direction he wanted it to go. He figured that most of his chosen psychic-picks would be astute enough to notice it, but that didn't stop him from trying, and enjoying it too.

Of course none of this thought showed up on his face, and, like any decent thought, it raced through his mind in a second and was gone. He looked back up at the girl, grinning a little ruefully now; gone was the fake smile. This expression was quite legitimate, even under the mask. He allowed it to slip through, and then responded, a little joke in his voice. "Well, Kasna, me name is Will. William Hood, according to me doc'ments, a'least. But I'd prefer it if ye'd call me Will. And, as for me gift, well, let me try and explain as best as I ken."

Taking a deep breath, he looked around at the crowd for a second, closing his eyes and exhaling. This was all part of the theatrics again, and, as he opened his eyes, he spoke. The accent was dropped, and he seemed relatively normal, except for his radiant skin which caught every little bit of light and refracted it gloriously. "Our friendly Drill Sergeant over there thinks that there are some of us in this room that will succeed, and go further than the others. I don't know how I know it, I really don't. And honestly, I wouldn't call what I have psychic powers; more of the power of prophecy, and even then, only a hesitantly accurate one. This feeling..." He stopped for a second, struggling for words, his lips attempting to shape words that he wasn't sure he even knew or understood. "It just takes me over. And I say what it says. I mean, I say it, don't get me wrong, and I choose to say it... but I think the feeling makes me want to say it. I don't entirely understand it, I won't lie. I don't rightly know if I can even bring it on willingly... it has happened only a few times since I woke up, and each time, well, it'll sound strange... but it chose it. Not me. It brought itself on."

He shrugged helplessly, but knew that revealing as much as he had would make him a fellow victim of this institute. It'd give her something to connect to, a shared problem to bond over. in his mind, he was smiling, though on the outside he retained that lost and dazed appearance that he figured would help endear him to her.

Kasna stared at William's cheeks as they flushed a hot pink across his golden skin. Not only was she amazed by the glowing hue, but blushing was such a human action - it was... weird, seeing him as someone normal. She couldn't help but smile; it was adorable watching him drop his guard, even though it was only for a second. A small part of her wanted to touch them, but she was able to resist, not wanting to come off as weird or give him the wrong impression.

As the man's blush faded away, so did Kasna's thoughts. She listened intently as he began to explain his powers.

"Wow... How do you feel having this power?" she asked. "Have they ever worked against you?" She quickly bit her lip. "I apologize for asking if it's personal..."

She closed her eyes, suddenly felt light-headed, and placed her hand on her forehand while the other reached into her pocket a fished out a capsule with her name on its label. She popped open the capsule with her thumb, removed her hand from her forehead, and opened her eyes to pour two pills into her hand. She put both iron pills into her mouth then swallowed them whole. She stuck out her tongue and twisted her face with disgust as she pout the capsule back into her pocket.

"Pardon me..." she murmured, slightly embarrassed and dizzy. "I need to sit down."

She headed towards the wall slowly, hoping that he would follow.

Genuinely worried for the girl. Really? Will wasn't sure. He FELT genuinely worried, but the concept of genuine in a mind so used to theatrics was a little bit shaky. He was just about to answer as she popped the iron pills into her mouth, and then as she said she needed to sit down, he followed her over to the wall, stepping along slowly beside her. He squatted a little, helping her settle down on the ground, and then, a bit uncomfortably, sat down beside her. Sitting felt strange, wrong almost, like he wouldn't be able to escape or run if he needed to, but he bit back those feelings and instead, gave her a friendly and supportive smile.

"Are ye going to be okay 'en Kasna?" He coloured his words with legitimate emotion, concern and care in equal measure, at once helpful and worried for her.

Then the Prophet drew his legs in a little, crossing them under him and pondering her question while he still watched her, curious what had been in the pills and curious how much they'd helped the poor girl. At least his powers didn't physically drain him, as hers did.

Maria was amused when her reluctant partner released a snort of laughter, quickly stifled, the shame of giving into the ‘let’s-be-best-pals’ vibes everybody was giving off like a bad case of BO, clearly a worry. Of course physically Maria’s amusement was little more than a slightly smoother forehead, her gaze a little less disinterested and vaguely irritated. He made a comment about not wanting to stay here on his own, and how he could help her get out. His tone was flippant as he said it, almost overly casual, but there was an underlying tension to his muscles that gave him away. ”I’d love to see them try to stop me.” she replied, her voice dry but sincere enough. She was quickly becoming to realise that out of the vast quantities of mutants in the room she was reasonably high up on the pecking order. His reference to how she may need him to get out was interesting. She’d consider it properly later, carefully storing away his silent implications as food for thought in quieter moments.

He asked her if she intended on showing off her powers and she gave a firm shake of the head, ”I think there’s been quite enough of that crap this afternoon. I’m starting to feel like I’m in some sort of twisted Affected beauty pageant. Whatever a beauty pageant is.” she growled, her tone slightly disconcerted at the appearance of yet another strange phrase in her mind. She lazily stretched an arm over her shoulder, rubbing the back of her neck as if to shake off her uneasiness. ”I guess we’d best play happily families in this place until we gain back some of our more necessary memories.” Though she’d used the term ‘we’ her phrase was mostly rhetoric, more speaking her thoughts out loud than an invitation to debate. Maria was quickly realising she was not one for debate. ”How about you, going to practise your baton twirling?” she asked, tilting her head slightly to catch his reply, her blue eyes flicked his way.

While she was pacing, Cat didn't realise that Arborly left, but she did know that something needed to be done about both the puddle of blood and the sick girl who made it. The redhead stopped pacing long enough to see both the girl and the golden man she was talking to sit down against a different wall. Cat considered getting assistance, but who would she get assistance from?

Vaughn was way too into that magazine of his, and he did say he didn't want anyone asking him questions. She wasn't sure if that was because he didn't know any more about them than they did themselves, or he was lazy, or simply didn't care. He probably does care about his paycheck though. Did she know what a paycheck was? The word was really plain but it seemed to be important. Maybe she would get a paycheck too for fighting the Affected. That's what he said they're supposed to do, right? She wasn't sure she liked that idea yet. For now, she hoped there wasn't a lot of blood.

Other than The Boss, as Scales identified him, there wasn't a lot of other people who she would consider. It seemed that most of them didn't even notice the girl. They were all wrapped up in their partners. She snarled under her breath and looked back to where she saw Arborly and he wasn't there. That didn't make her feel any better either. She was taller than most of the women and girls here, but the guys were a different story. She could count on one hand how many were notably shorter than her; about half were her same height, within an inch either way; and the rest were notably taller. A few of those were unnaturally tall like Arborly, but she couldn't see him through the mass of bodies. Maybe he was sitting down too.

Cat sighed and gritted her teeth, before heading over to Scales and Pinky. It was Pinky's turn to show off her stuff, and Scales watched just as starry-eyed as she was a few moments ago. The tall redhead gagged again, but tapped Scales shoulder. "How bout you use your cute li'l bubbles on that puddle over there," Cat indicated the blood.

"I can do more than make bubbles. If I wanted to, I could drown everyone in this room. Bubbles are just easiest, but that doesn't mean they're cute and weak. Besides I thought you didn't want anything to do with me, sweets." His voice was harsh, but he flashed his perfect white teeth in a smirk.

Cat snarled again, but she didn't act on her temper and said simply, "My name is Cat and I have claws. I could use them to tear you to pieces, but I don't want to right now. Don't make me change my mind." She flashed said claws and repeated her request.

His eyes grew wide in fear and she grinned, while he responded, "Sure whatever you say, sw- I mean Cat." He did so, while Pinky glared at them both.

"Thank you..." She paused so he could tell her his name.

"I'm Henry, but please call me Hydro, and this is Jenna."

"Nice to meet you," She said pleasantly and offered her hand to him with sheathed claws. He refused to take it, but that didn't surprise her. She did just threaten him. The blood was cleaned up, and then she needed to figure out what to do about the sick girl. She again considered taking a chance with The Boss. She could simply ask him where the doctor went after he walked her to that meeting room, just like she was curious. Surely, that couldn't make him mad. Catalina nodded, confirming the perfection of her plan and then she strode confidently over to the corner where he sat with his magazine.

Kasna smiled, hearing the worry in William's voice. It was sweet that he cared or at least acted like he did. She rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes to make the room stop spinning.

"I'll be fine, thank you.." She chuckled. "However, if I pass out, I'd call a nurse." She laughed nervously at the thought. Blood lose was never fun, but, compared to everything else going on, it could be the funniest thing in the world. The bandages on her hands were becoming even more soaked in blood. She was becoming dizzy, and the room started to spin faster. She groaned; she felt sick.

"Maybe....we should start calling that nurse.."

Did I really use that much blood...? she asked herself. That wasn't even the biggest weapon I can make... Well, I did leave an open scaaaaaaa..

Her body leaned away from William and hit the ground. "Blood.. I need..." she panted.

William may have or may not have really cared about Kasna, but he certainly didn't want her dying in front of him. The Prophet stood to his alarmingly large (but still human) height, and called out in a booming, conversation-ending voice.

"NURSE! WE NEED A NURSE HERE, NOW!"

He quickly went back down to his knees, taking Kasna's hand and massaging it, knowing enough to know that squeezing it would only pump more blood out of her already weakened body, and with the state she was in, that wouldn't be even remotely beneficial to her. He tried to support her, holding her up, even with the blood dripping all over his shining skin. It created an eerie, reddish glow around them, not so much hellish as simply bizarre; Will supposed that he could add walking lantern to his list of powers, but he had much more important things to deal with. He leaned in close to Kasna, and spoke again, more quietly.

"Come on girl, ye can't give up. Tha nurse be on her way. Ye'll be fine, ye will. Concentrate on stoppin tha' blood, if ye can."

The two made an odd combination. Dirt-covered, dusty looking moleman, and angelic golden giant... but William didn't mind. He would work with Vaughn himself if it meant saving Kasna, whom he found at the very least an interesting girl, and quite possibly more as well. She was too young and sweet to die, so he followed Arborly's instructions, applying (what he hoped) was the right amount of pressure to her forearms. Will then looked up at Arborly and nodded, giving him a tight little smile.

"Thank ye. What now?" was all he asked, keeping it simple in such a crisis situation.

Relaxing his grip on Kasna, Will looked away from her again and up at Arborly. He studied the explorer openly, making no secret of his attention. This man was an enigma, and Will didn't believe in enigmas. Everyone was readable, if only you knew how to look past the surface and at the true being underneath. So Will tried to strip the man bare of his tattered appearance and soft, almost hesitant voice. He looked beyond the obvious apprehension of physical contact, and tried to see. The prophet didn't know where this impulse came from; the same mysterious source as his premonitions, most likely. And just like those premonitions, Will had no idea what the information he learned actually meant. It was all well and good to be able to read the future, (whether he could control it or not,) and to read other people... but if he couldn't even understand what he found out, then what use was it?

He grimaced slightly, the twist of his lips probably barely obvious to Michael. Then Will redoubled his efforts. He slowly, again, examined every aspect of the mystery man... and came away with nothing useful, once more. He frowned in frustration, but it appeared that at least for now, this particular ability was not going to help him. Later, though... yes, there would always be a later.

Will looked back down to Kasna, resting one hand gently on her forehead while holding her forearm gently with his other hand. He smiled reassuringly down at her, hoping it might help her, before he looked up once more and smiled slightly at Arborly. "Thank ye. Ye probably saved 'er life there, sir. Ah'm sure tha gal would love tah know her saviour's name...?"

"Thank ye, Arborly was it? I'm William, tho iffen ye like, ye can call me Will." The giant smiled, relaxed now a bit more since Kasna was out of immediate danger. He stood to his full height, and stretched his legs and arms out, yawning a bit. It occured to him that he was a mite sleepy, but the situation warranted him staying awake for a while longer. As the redhead approached, Will's attention shifted over to her. She was another of the ones that he'd noted as being... unique. Important to Vaughn for some reason, and therefore, important to the prophet as well.

"She should probably be in a bed to rest, if he ever lets us out of this room."

Will nodded at that in silent agreement before speaking up, eyeing her for a moment first. "Aye, ye be right there lass. Kasna needs a bed, and sooner rat'er than later. Ah think that convincin our boss should be my next step. Do ye two mind watchin the girl while ah do so?"

He grinned at both of them, hoping for a yes so he could go give Vaughn a piece of his mind for not having a nurse around for these sort of situations. With this many powers in one room, it was almost inevitable that someone would end up hurt... and not being prepared for that spoke of either a massive lack of resources, (which was doubtful,) or a severe lack of foresight. The latter, Will could more than likely help with.

"WE NEED A Nuurss...." were the last few words that Kasna had heard before blanking out. She lay in the silent darkness for a while, feeling herself slipping out of consciousness. She felt a numb-tinkling sensation fill her body; the "pins and needles" started to annoy her. She wanted to shift, but she had no control over her body. 'At least I'm not dead..' she thought. She let herself fall deeper into the silence, hoping that the sooner she'd "fall asleep", the sooner she could wake up.

After what felt like hours, she soon heard voices in the distance. The voices were faint and muffled so she couldn't quite understand what was being said. She tried to focus more, in hopes to point out a few of the words.

"....Michael Arborly..."

'Who's voice is that...? That doesn't sound like-'

"...call me Will..."

'Oh, there he is.. who's is this Arborly guy..?

"...If you want to......go right ahead.."

'A girl? Did she help me, too..? I've got to see these people!'

She groaned and fought harder to pull herself awake. She tried moving and managed to wiggle her fingers. 'Yes! Now, if I can just..say something..'

"Wh...Who's Arborly..?" she uttered weakly. It was a bit embarrassing for that to be the first thing to come out of her mouth, but it was something to let her new friends know that she was okay. She tried opening her eyes, but quickly closed them, due to the bright lights. "Gah..I could've sworn it was a lot darker than that in here.." By the sound of her raspy voice, you could tell she was forcing it.

Kasna rose her hand to shed the light from her eyes; she wanted to see this Arborly. She manages the catch a glimpse of a silhouette of the "V" that he made with his middle and index finger. She smiled, finding comfort in the sign. As he eyes began to slowly adjust to the light, she could finally see everything around her. A young woman that, for some reason, resembled a cat; Will, the golden man that only a blind man would miss; the surrounded worried (or just nosy) people, and a grungy, yet gentle, dirty, familiar-looking man.

So his name is Arborly...

She sat up. "You're the guy that helped me earlier..!" she exclaimed in mild shock. She bowed her head to hide her pink-tinted cheeks. " T-Thanks again.."

Smiling casually, Will nodded down to Kasna. "Ye'll be alright with these two Kasna, they'll take good care o' ye til we can get ye a proper med bay. I'll be back lad and lasses." With that simple sentence, the giant of a man slowly turned and made his way towards Vaughn at the center of the room. He strode purposefully, his earlier smile replaced with an unreadable (he hoped) blank expression. He pushed, not ungently, past a cluster of men and women demonstrating their abilities to one another and eventually wound up in front of their supposed leader. Nodding once to the man, Will gave him a quick once-over and then stared him in the eyes as he spoke.

"I dun' know how ye could be so careless as to oper'te without any sort o' nurse on call with this kinda bunch in the room, especially knowin' many o' the powers tend towards violence." The stare of a golden giant as tall and large as he was not easy to ignore, but just to be sure, he also took a step closer before continuing. "I highly suggest ye put an end to this business and tell us what's about, and ye get a nurse in 'ere to help out that poor lass in the corner."

He did not move back after speaking, simply resting his gaze on Vaughn and daring the man to react negatively.