Hector Kazuhira's Story

Hector had been in his room, all the walls covered in a shiny, black substance. It was obsidian-like in appearance, but was more of a glue applied to the surface of the white room. This was the EM-dampening coating that prevented him from escaping. He could make himself invisible to security cameras, blind the HUD on a guard's helmet, or even play a frequency on their headsets to knock them out. He could try, but there were many counter-measures in place. Also, he was not permitted to have any electronics or conducting materials, save for his glasses. The current that flowed through his body would flow through his glasses. He could barely control it from doing so, but with the glasses on, it was easier to touch something without incinerating it. Which was good. He wouldn't dare fight if his glasses were on. They might be destroyed.

Hector's sitting positions was the lotus. His eyes were closed, and he meditated. He always tried to sleep or meditate whenever he could. Since there was barely anything else to do in his cell, he found himself doing both quite a lot. His focus was destroyed when the door slid open. The only surface he could see through was the door. There were no electronics that were directly in his line of sight. While this would be good, normally, they had countermeasures. Namely, a camera specifically made without electronic components. Older technology. The guards at the door beckoned for Hector to stand, and he did before walking to join them. Currently, his suit was being washed. It was the only thing he requested that he be allowed to keep. It meant a lot to him. After extensive testing of the suit and what Hector may be able to use the suit for, he was given access to it, after the removal of all metal in the suit, regardless of how minute the amount of metal was.

Hector and the guards walked to a testing chamber. Since they tested Hector's battery capacity last time, they would probably be testing for his conducting ability this time. With a full battery, he could be electrocuted like anybody else. Without a full battery, his body would just absorb the shock. Now, he was prepared for the test.

Naturally, they knew how smart he was. He had picked up little bits of conversation and managed to deduce that conductivity was what they would test for. Also, he could tell, since that was likely the only bit of information, other than his battery capacity, that they picked up last test. Hector was electrocuted when his battery was filled, that time. He had been electrocuted before, and not by his powers, even, but the rate at which they filled his battery could have killed him. Then, they would lose their test subject. So far, he believed that he was the only one with his kind of powers here, so that would be tragic if they lost him.

Hector stepped into the testing area wordlessly.

The scientist behind bullet-proof glass, who he didn't see the face of, spoke through a loudspeaker. The use of technology in this chamber was only permitted, due to the presence of several armed guards, armed with tranquilizer guns. Hector looked at what appeared to be a testing dummy. It looked like, maybe he was wrong. Maybe they were just testing his effective firing range for bolts of electricity. Well, whatever.

"We will test your aim and range of your electric powers. Please shoot the target with your electricity. Shoot the parts we tell you to. Arm."

Zap.

"The other arm."

Zap.

"Leg."

Zap.

"The o-"

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP.

Hector, throughout the whole test, had not had the need to take off his glasses. They weakened his powers when he conduced through them. But he still was able to hit each part of the dummy accurately. However, that last zap, that came before the scientist finished his sentence, came from the dummy itself. Or rather, a small instrument that extended from the chest of the dummy, and aimed right at Hector. The shock from that was massive. It seemed like this test was to catch him off-guard for a test based on conductivity. After all, this test had required that he be attached to certain sensors, strapped around his body, ready to detect the level of electricity Hector would conduct after being shot with the blast.

Those liars tried to trick him.

Hector's reflexes were honed from what he had done in the past. They weren't a superhuman ability, but were rather forged in the fires of hard work. Hector had grabbed his glasses from his face when he saw the device emerge from the chest of the target. He could sense the build-up of energy from the device as the electrical power filled the device to the brim. Or rather, the part of the device that extended outwards. Hector could sense no electricity leading to it, probably due to dampening materials, but the device itself could not have any if it wished to function.

For the device to have emerge, aimed at, and fired at Hector took 0.25 seconds.

For Hector to throw his glasses from his face to the blast, in order to conduct the entire blast and prevent it from reaching Hector took about 0.10 seconds.

Hector's glasses fell to the ground a short distance in front of him, as Hector turned to the glass. He could see the shadow behind the opaque glass recoil, likely in fear. The guards seemed apprehensive as well, since Hector had turned uncharacteristically quickly. His eyebrows were angled, showing his anger.

"If you lie to me again, then I won't be so cooperative in taking the tests. I'll shock you through your own cell phone and melt out your eyes!"

That was when Hector was shot in the neck with a tranquilizer dart. Hector fell onto one knee, but remained conscious, as another dart hit his neck, near the first. Hector's world turned black.

...

When Hector woke up, he was in his room, again, his glasses on the ground, near him. He picked them up, and then his eyes illuminated faintly. He returned to a meditating position, before the door opened again. This time, he followed them to a shower. The guards beckoned him to use it, and so he did, once they left. He threw off the clothes he was given, and when he finished, he saw that his suit was returned to him, waiting in the same bathroom. Hector changed, put it on, and was then beckoned by a guard to follow. He followed, thinking back on the previous events.

Hector was very calm, normally. It was difficult for Hector to get angry. He simply believed that he had not time for it. But he came to hate lies, when in the facility. He knew why, but that was irrelevant. Now he had reached the room. The guard beckoned him to enter, and enter he did. Inside there were a few odd characters. There were two boys, dressed flamboyantly enough that Hector's head hurt. There was a female child sitting near him, a girl who was clearly not lucid, and a male child, as well. He was told by the guards that he would have special training, on the way here.

Maybe this would be pretty interesting.

Sitting alone in what she knew now to be a cell, a young woman let her eyes stare out across from her, seeing nothing but an empty darkness, the same darkness she saw every day for as long as she could remember. Even before she had memories, she had the blackness. For her, the world was a combination of sounds, smells, textures, feelings, and tastes. The place she was in had a very clean scent, almost unnaturally so. Her minimal furnishings were firm and uncomfortable, only the slab of a bed holding any sort of softness. Her pillow was the softest thing in her room, and the blanket the warmest possession afforded her besides the clothes on her back.

She failed to see her neighbor looking out of her glass in the cell across her own, and thus continued to stare ahead without any sign of stopping. She remained silent, but in her mind she hoped someone would walk close enough to read, close enough to catch a glimpse of her world she would otherwise never see. She was met with nothing, and she leaned back on her cot and sighed, awaiting another day of tests, mediocre food, and taunts.

Juniper straightened up as a pair of footsteps reached her ears. IT didn't seem like her scheduled testing time, causing her to go tense and try fruitlessly to glance around for answers. She hoped by some small chance they would've forgotten to wear the lead helmets, not wishing to be entirely in the dark.

"So this is our Wraith"

A wraith? She had heard the term before, but she had no idea what it meant. She would hear the guards talk to her fellow mutants from time to time, but she never got to see who or what they were looking at. Her only hint was they talked of a female.

Juniper heard the voice clearly, quickly searching fo it's source and finally pinpointing the location. The mind was another guard, and they were looking at a young woman in the cell directly across from hers. Juniper hoped to get a better look, but suddenly her own visage met her mind's eye, the voice snapping at her.

"The hell you looking at mole?"

"You forgot to wear the helmet."

Juniper got a sudden glance at a second guard, only to see him hand her current subject a special helmet of lead before blackness swallowed her again.

Listening as the two guards commented on the young woman to her face, Juniper frowned at the conversation, wondering just how much was actual truth. After all, the guards said many things about her that were certainly not true. She was not stupid just because she couldn't see, nor was she mute. In any case, the torments they put on the mutants were no small matter either, and she could reasonably understand how some of her fellow prisonors would react violently to such treatments.

So focused was she on the conversation and her attempts to find out about her neighbor that she failed to notice the second pair of footsteps, this time the sound stopping in front of her own cell.

"C'mon mole, got something special today." barked a third voice, the beeping of the keypad followed up by the smooth sliding of her door. Juniper flinched when she felt a strong pair of arms grab her, tugging her along.

She had half a mind to fight, but the telepath decided to save her strength for now. She already was at a disadvantage. As she was led out, the silent prisoner attempted another 'scan' to try and gain some insight into the unexpected situation, she slipped inside the mind of who she assumed was the Wraith based on how the vision her host was seeing were the guards she saw seconds ago. Instead of the host leaving her effective range, Juniper fond her 'gaze' was never too far, seemingly following the companion across from her cell.

Her vision was cut off one more, cold tiles under her feet as she was led to yet another unknown room. She flinched and tried to cower away as her clothes were stripped from her, a bar of soap shoved into her hands as she was pushed unceremoniously into a spray of water.

"Shower, mole!" commanded a voice, female this time.

Juniper hesitated, but soon took the rare liberty of a shower, scrubbing herself and relishing the feel of clean skin and hair once more.
Sadly, the small luxury was short lived, no more than five minutes before she was pulled out, dried, and dressed. She wondered why they treated her like a helpless infant. She was capable of dressing, showering, and taking care of herself just fine. She might not be the quickest, but she was no worse than most normal people. She once more flinched as her arms were grabbed again, the guards leading her away down who knew how many halls and corridors, through more doors than she bothered to keep track of.

It was several minutes before she was finally seated none too gently on another bench, this time her visions jumping to multiple people. She glanced into each mind, trying to look at all of the other occupants of the room. Wraith once more, two very bright and identical looking males, a girl with different color eyes, a male with glasses, a young man in a black t-shirt, and a sweet faced young teen with cascading brown hair. Not wanting to invade too much, she went back to her original 'host', the girl called the Wraith. She never really knew if they could feel her in their minds, but if they did, she hoped it wasn't too unpleasant an experience.

Still, the blind woman said nothing, only looking over towards a friendly voice announcing herself as Reyna (Or Kitten or Rey, two other stated acceptable names). Juniper smiled, giving a slight wave to the voice, hoping she wasn't too far off the mark. That would be akward to wave to the wrong person.

She turned her head towards the door as soon as she heard it open, searching Wraith's mind to look at the scene. Another male was shoved roughly into the room, the male stumbling as he did so.

Ivan had been in the room alone, well not alone necessarily, but with nobody other than himself for barely a minute before others started shuffling in. One by one the occupants of this starched and oddly open room increased. First came a girl that Ivan had immediately recognized. The Wraith, as so many of the guards had called her, and they did discuss her with a fervor. She had gained her notoriety as an executioner, and a menace to her own kind. The guards only trusted her with that mask on, and not a single of the other inmates bore her any sympathy. Both of his minds processed her presence rapidly, coming to the same conclusion. They never needed both Ivan and "Isaac", but possibly they were going to do something about that now.

Ivan, the original Ivan, pulled out two cigarettes and a lighter from the pouch at his waist line. He lit them both and handed one to "Isaac", telling him, "This might be the last one we ever share."

They had both worked so hard, been so pleasant to get cigarette privileges. Now they both feared it would be their last. The anxiety was not even fully in effect when another entered, another girl. She appeared to be in some sort of near catatonic state. Hardly having processed this new comer, a third arrived, this one a young girl who seemed almost impossibly sweet. Ivan figured that they probably wouldn't be killed just yet, not with the number odds still in their favor. The girl sat next to the real Ivan, taking up almost no space on the bench. And in a voice that just about gave the boys diabetes to hear, she introduced herself.

Ivan smiled in time with "Isaac", something that either horrified or comforted people. And with his thumb crooked towards his clone, and cigarette clenched between his teeth he cheerily replied, "Well hello there Kitten, I'm Ivan, and this ugly dude is Isaac."

'Isaac' guffawed, part of a routine they had come up with so long ago, the antiquated joke was still a good one. He lied as best as he could, hooking his thumb to Ivan, "Don't be afraid of him, mom always said he was the dumb one, so jokes like that are pretty common with this idiot."

Within a few more moments a young man entered the room. He didn't speak a word, looking both stoic and quite dashing in his nicely fitted suit. A handsome man had indeed appeared, and for a moment Ivan revelled in all this company. Then reality set back in, he was a prisoner still, so were they. Each of them had been classified as sub-human, and were being kept here with no access to any of the rights guaranteed to free people. They were nothing more than intelligent lab rats, and this was quickly made painfully obvious. Unceremoniously, yet another young man was tossed in with them.

Though he was clearly wounded, it seemed his unique mutation had already taken effect. Ivan watched as the young man's injury rapidly began to heal itself shut. The boy mumbled something under his breath, but was too far away to be fully understood. Ivan only realized that they had been joined yet again when this other stranger asked the injured boy about his condition. Seeing through "Isaac's" eyes in order to avoid being obvious himself, Ivan observed this unfamiliar character. Though initially seeing a woman, Ivan quickly assessed that it was indeed a rather feminine man, possibly even more feminine than himself. Though for yet another time his attention was drawn to a stranger.

The poor girl walked in in what Ivan, now looking with his eyes, perceived to be almost too cautious of a manner. She was either blind, nearly blind, or very unstable on her feet. Then he felt it, just for a second, but a second was all it took. There was, for a brief moment something else present in his mind. While currently allocated to only two hosts and streams of consciousness, Ivan was certain that for just a moment, a third had entered into the vast network of his hive mind. Ivan exchanged a glance with his clone, confirming that "Isaac" had felt it as well. The two minds worked as one, and quickly were quite certain whatever was present in that moment had come from the blind girl.

To remember a thought for future reference all Ivan ever had to do was say it, write it or hear it once. So under his breath 'Isaac' commanded, "File that odd disturbance and the blind girl, under shit to look into later."

In unison, both Ivan and his clone pulled onto their cigarettes one last time before throwing them to the ground, and smothering the butts beneath their shoes. No sooner had they done that, than the once silent Wraith began to cause quite a commotion. Ivan was unable to discern the cause, but she seemed to be looking at the almost healed man lying on the ground. Trying to perceive once more through his own eyes, both sets turned to her. All at once the anxiety returned as her mask was removed. Gossip was never too specific about the prolific Wraith, only saying she was a mutant killer, but it was also commonly said that she killed you by stealing your breath. Even though she now took a sitting position, both boys worried. Stealing a person's breath, they were to assume, would be considerably easier for her now that she was sans-mask.

"Yeah...I am sort of fine. The wound heals, not the pain....owww. The guards sometimes like to do that, and worse, for fun..." he mentioned, managing to get up. Some of the guards smirked when they looked at him. Clearly, some of them had some very sick and twisted fantasies about hurting people. And thanks to Iziah's healing power, they could.

He kept that number in his head. Three minutes twenty two seconds. That was the window he had. Iziah had closely studied every inch, every crack of this place while he was here. Including the security office. He could teleport there, and bring everyone with him, if he wanted to. He had caught a glimps at one of the guards watches. He had memorized the guard rotations, running speeds when they dealt with an emergency. It had taken him a VERY long time to do this, as he didn't have a perfect memory, but eventually he had it figured out.

The main security office was unguarded for three minutes and twenty two seconds when they brought people for "Special training". This is because they pulled the extra guards normally there to be around all the mutants in one place. The last shift would be going to lunch soon, and if he teleported into that office, which he had examined the dimensions of the outside intensely so he could, he could quickly disable the alarms. Taht gave him the rest of the time to enact a distraction, and get away. The scientists didn't know he could teleport beyond visual range. That gave him an advantage.

Iziah had been patiently planning this out for months. He could be very tenacious, and very patient when he needed to. But the time for patience was nearly over. He was going to mastermind an escape soon. A great escape.

However, something had momentairily caught his eye. Ember, or who he knew as Wraith, had reacted. Had she seen his tattoo? Did she know waht it meant? He was curious, but he also knew what she might be thinking right now, so he walked over to her. "If I am right, and you are thinking what I think you are, no he isn't here" he told her quietly. He was very perceptive thanks to his enhanced senses.

Suddenly, a scientist came in. It was a very important scientist, and a dozen armed soldiers, including those that would be manning the security office, came in. And the first thing the guard did was shoot Iziah in the chest, causing him to go down and spasm a little as he began regenerating. THe worst part though might have been his screams. His screams echoed throughout the room.

(THere, post edited. YOu people have no taste for good writing!!! D: Just joking (mostly), but seriously (Wait I am supposed to be serious), nothing good will come from this...I shall hunt you all down!)

Hector never was one to observe others closely. He believed that, if they wanted something revealed, they would communicate it. It wasn't that Hector was bad at reading people. In fact, he was probably better than most. But, seeing all these people come in, and how they interacted with each other let Hector know quite a bit. Hector expressionless, the only part of his face moving being his eyes.

The twins seemed amiable enough. However, there was a level of interaction between the two. It might have been incorrect, but Hector believed that they could read each other's mind. Or, maybe they were simply twins who were very aware of each other. Joseph Mengele had experimented with twins to see how one reacted when the other was in pain. Maybe that happened between these two. Maybe not.

The young male, Hector realized, was wounded, and healing. He seemed to be able to regenerate. Why else would a guard stab him, if it wouldn't cause lasting damage. The number he mumbled, Hector kept it in mind. He had a feeling it would be somewhat important, later. At least, to a varying degree.

The man who Hector thought was a woman seemed very normal, in all ways, but Hector saw that person's eyes, as he blinked. His eyes changed colours with every blink. It seemed a bit ridiculous, as far as a mutant's eyes went, but, he expected to be surprised while he was here. Hector took note of what the blonde male said to the young male. And that was when Hector found the disturbance radiating from the young male's back. The heat it was giving off was able to be felt by Hector's powers. He could tell that the young male would be something to keep an eye on.

The young female who was beside him, caused Hector to lose his sense of seriousness, at least in his own thoughts. For a moment. When he had sat down near her, she had become tense. She was very much like a cat. Her nickname didn't help with that. Hector returned to his serious thought process.

There was another thing that caused the electrons in his brain to tingle. Hector knew how complicated a brain could be, especially on the atomic level. But, he could feel a very minute, very faint, even for his advanced senses, disturbance on his brain. Hector tensed up too, slightly, prepared for the worst. Someone might be scanning his brain, but he doubted it was with conventional technology. He could tell from what direction the scanner was aimed at him. Rather, he saw it, and calmed down. It was a woman in a mask, or helmet, and as she came in, Hector noted that she was probably blind. Given that he felt the disturbance when she came in, and that, in the past, he could feel brain scanners working on him, and could always pinpoint where the scanner was, until now, he decided to guess that she was the source of the scan. The wave she gave, however, dispelled any thoughts he had that she was malevolent. Since she seemed to be able to scan minds, she probably did not have any trouble getting around. Hopefully. Hector was sure there were counter-measures implemented for that.

Hector would keep an open eye on her, and everyone else, for hints of malevolence. But, more likely than not, none of these people were malevolent. They were probably just scared, or apprehensive. Or in despair. But, probably not malevolent.

The commotion coming from the female mutant wearing the mask made Hector alert. He had seen her eyes, earlier. He had seen the look on someone's face when they were dead, in the inside. Their soul unable to ask for help, as it was swallowed by the darkness that infected them, that spread like a flood to their very expression. Now, he had seen how she seemed to panic, and how the guards removed her mask. Hector prepared to stand up, and de-fibrillate her, if it was her heart that was running haywire. But, her statements that she was fine let Hector relax. He saw what seemed to be apprehensive looks from the others at her. Whatever people said, calling her the Wraith, he would have to watch for her. But, with the look in her eye, he believed that she would likely not do anything harmful that was purely of her own volition. She was a potential ally, then. He'd still have to keep an eye on her. He had in the past, too, looking through security cameras, and listening through microphones. He had only ever had enough time to do so when walking in the hallway, but from what he did see, she was called the Wraith, and he knew why.

And finally, the girl who seemed to have her head on Mars, far away from anybody being able to keep an eye on her. She was probably drugged. Since the facility was airtight in it's security, it was probably for a reason. Hector realized that he had read some of the containment protocols for her, before. He had read, directly from the wireless network of this place, of a few mutants that had to be continuously drugged, lest they cause havoc. This must be one of them.

What the little girl had said to one of the twins, about special training, caused Hector to remember the special training, and what they had in store for them.

However, a scientist and several guards entered. They were checking the young male, and his regeneration rate. When he heard about what they would do to his heart, Hector thought about it for a moment. It might seem cruel, but Hector thought it was a good idea, to give hearts to people who needed them. At least, if the young male would be sedated, and the process not be too uncomfortable. That was when he caught the suggestion to hold hands. Hector did so, grabbing the hands of the two mutants nearest to him. Most mutants had a sense of kinship. Hector didn't feel it, any more than he did with any other person, human or mutant, but he decided it was the wise thing to do. It happened quickly. The scientist's arm cut off, teleporting to the control room.

Hector would finally have freedom. He had not come to believe it was worth trying, until a clear opportunity came. But, it seemed that the opportunity came. But, then came the problem he heard. Every mutant here was released. ALL of them. Hector knew how horrible some of the worse ones were, and he made it his goal, not only to escape, but to try and prevent any truly dangerous mutant from reaching society. Even if he had to kill them.

Hector decided to help, but first, he had to see what the others thought.

Hector took his glasses off, folded them, and put them in his pocket. The glow in his eyes faded until his eyes returned to their dark-grey hue. It's showtime.

(Since we're all going back, let me repost my post from earlier, with a few edits.)

Hector never was one to observe others closely. He believed that, if they wanted something revealed, they would communicate it. It wasn't that Hector was bad at reading people. In fact, he was probably better than most. But, seeing all these people come in, and how they interacted with each other let Hector know quite a bit. Hector expressionless, the only part of his face moving being his eyes.

The twins seemed amiable enough. However, there was a level of interaction between the two. It might have been incorrect, but Hector believed that they could read each other's mind. Or, maybe they were simply twins who were very aware of each other. Joseph Mengele had experimented with twins to see how one reacted when the other was in pain. Maybe that happened between these two. Maybe not.

The young male, Hector realized, was wounded, and healing. He seemed to be able to regenerate. Why else would a guard stab him, if it wouldn't cause lasting damage. The number he mumbled, Hector kept it in mind. He had a feeling it would be somewhat important, later. At least, to a varying degree.

The man who Hector thought was a woman seemed very normal, in all ways, but Hector saw that person's eyes, as he blinked. His eyes changed colours with every blink. It seemed a bit ridiculous, as far as a mutant's eyes went, but, he expected to be surprised while he was here. Hector took note of what the blonde male said to the young male. And that was when Hector found the disturbance radiating from the young male's back. The heat it was giving off was able to be felt by Hector's powers. He could tell that the young male would be something to keep an eye on.

The young female who was beside him, caused Hector to lose his sense of seriousness, at least in his own thoughts. For a moment. When he had sat down near her, she had become tense. She was very much like a cat. Her nickname didn't help with that. Hector returned to his serious thought process.

There was another thing that caused the electrons in his brain to tingle. Hector knew how complicated a brain could be, especially on the atomic level. But, he could feel a very minute, very faint, even for his advanced senses, disturbance on his brain. Hector tensed up too, slightly, prepared for the worst. Someone might be scanning his brain, but he doubted it was with conventional technology. He could tell from what direction the scanner was aimed at him. Rather, he saw it, and calmed down. It was a woman in a mask, or helmet, and as she came in, Hector noted that she was probably blind. Given that he felt the disturbance when she came in, and that, in the past, he could feel brain scanners working on him, and could always pinpoint where the scanner was, until now, he decided to guess that she was the source of the scan. The wave she gave, however, dispelled any thoughts he had that she was malevolent. Since she seemed to be able to scan minds, she probably did not have any trouble getting around. Hopefully. Hector was sure there were counter-measures implemented for that.

Hector would keep an open eye on her, and everyone else, for hints of malevolence. But, more likely than not, none of these people were malevolent. They were probably just scared, or apprehensive. Or in despair. But, probably not malevolent.

The commotion coming from the female mutant wearing the mask made Hector alert. He had seen her eyes, earlier. He had seen the look on someone's face when they were dead, in the inside. Their soul unable to ask for help, as it was swallowed by the darkness that infected them, that spread like a flood to their very expression. Now, he had seen how she seemed to panic, and how the guards removed her mask. Hector prepared to stand up, and de-fibrillate her, if it was her heart that was running haywire. But, her statements that she was fine let Hector relax. He saw what seemed to be apprehensive looks from the others at her. Whatever people said, calling her the Wraith, he would have to watch for her. But, with the look in her eye, he believed that she would likely not do anything harmful that was purely of her own volition. She was a potential ally, then. He'd still have to keep an eye on her. He had in the past, too, looking through security cameras, and listening through microphones. He had only ever had enough time to do so when walking in the hallway, but from what he did see, she was called the Wraith, and he knew why.

And finally, the girl who seemed to have her head on Mars, far away from anybody being able to keep an eye on her. She was probably drugged. Since the facility was airtight in it's security, it was probably for a reason. Hector realized that he had read some of the containment protocols for her, before. He had read, directly from the wireless network of this place, of a few mutants that had to be continuously drugged, lest they cause havoc. This must be one of them.

What the little girl had said to one of the twins, about special training, caused Hector to remember the special training, and what they had in store for them. Hector looked at the Wraith. She was used by the guards to do their bidding. Maybe she knew more about the special training. Hector approached her, and asked, in his calm, even voice.

"Do you know what the special training is?"

---

---

Two miscolored eyes blinked, Druggie stared intently at a wall trying to make sense of it, where did it come from? Did it have hopes and dreams like she did? Where were its parents? Druggie leaned forward on the bench contemplating the important questions in life, the bench she was sitting on was clear and made of some kind of hard plastic, there were two of them in the room each running a few yards long there were also two doors in the room one leading to a small control room where a group of scientists would study their subjects, the other lead to the rest of the facility. Three guards were posted at each door in the case of something going wrong, but Druggie wasn't aware of any of this the only thing she was concerned with was whether or not the wall was going to settle down and have kids.

Painfully slowly she sat up on the bench eyes wide as if she had just came to the realization of something, though this was far from true. When she came to a full upright position she stopped sitting straight up for several moments before yelling out quite loudly, "HELLO KITTY!" before slumping sideways on the bench wrapping her arms around the nearest warm body which happened to be a certain blind mutant. Druggie didn't understand what was going on elsewhere in the room some sort of commotion that she couldn't see only heard it mostly, she longed to be back in the solitude of her cell not liking how not silent everything was being. She lay horizontally on the bench hugging the waist of who ever it was that got in the way of her arms and kind of liking the softness, it wasn't anything like her simple grey frock which itched in the corners and hems. She opened her eyes looking at the wall, Wallace made a face at her, she made a face back, all was not right with the world.

The blind female continued to utilize the one called 'Wraith' as her 'eyes' into the world around her. For now, she simply listened and watched her fellow mutants. As the colorful pair began to talk, the corners of her lip twitched slightly upwards, amused in spite of the situation. It was nice to able to joke around like such, and she tried to not think about what circumstances must have torn them from their home.

The semblance of calm and relative peace was rudely interrupted as the strange male was tossed in and attacked. She cringed as the male was stabbed before their eyes, feeling compelled to at least try to ease his apparent suffering when a strange fear began to overwhelm the mind she was inhabiting. A falcon, a sense of pure terror, and the woman's frantic thoughts of disbelief all flooded her mind with such force that the blind girl recoiled and retreated back into her darkness with a soft gasp. She had seen something private, something personal. A bubble of guilt nagged her for seeing it, even unintentionally. Guards came and tended to the panicked 'Wraith', one of the responders among Juniper's helmeted jailors, protected from her penetration from a shield of lead.

Juniper took a few deep breaths, hearing the 'Kitten's voice ask gently if the 'Wraith' was ok, even as the female in question declared she was. Of course, Juniper figured she was physically ok, but not entirely back to normal in her mind. That kind of fear would linger after such an episode.

Turning to face the direction of 'Wraith's voice, the telepath remained silent a moment more, allowing the injured male to speak before daring to attempt communication. Closing her unseeing eyes, Juniper slowly and tentatively focused back on the minds in the room, locating 'Wraith's within seconds. She kept her lips shut, but after some focus, she managed to bridge the gap and 'speak' to the fellow mutant.

~I'm sorry...I did not mean to see.~ she whispered inside her host's mind before taking her leave, knowing it would be rude to linger, especially after making the woman more vulnerable than she already was. The instant she left, blackness met her again, swallowing her whole. It was an empty, almost maddening feeling. She longed to peek into another mind, to use someone else as her eyes. But what if she saw something she shouldn't again?

Her musings were interrupted as a loud voice she couldn't place resounded from beside her, causing Juniper to jump in her seat. A soft yelp of surprise and uncertainty met the sudden feel of arms wrapping around her torso. The young woman looked helplessly and blindly down at whoever decided to hold her and utilize her body as a pillow, blank eyes hiding her questions. Juniper scanned the room once more, this time landing in the suited gentleman's mind before deciding to take a look at who was holding her waist. She saw a short-haired brunette with an almost distant look in her differently colored eyes staring intently at the wall. Her sudden companion seemed more focused on the wall than in the blind woman, elicting a certain curiosity.

Leaving the gentleman's mind, her vision went into the young woman whose warmth she felt in the arms. Tentatively, Juniper looked into the outermost thoughts of her host, surprised to find the wall itself was an entity to her companion. Wait, the wall made a face? Juniper had to pause for a second, realizing with a stab of pity that her host was hallucinating. Should she tell her?

"Don't worry...the wall is fine." Juniper murmured.

She glanced up before she could hear her host comment (if she even would), when yet another stranger entered the room. A considerable amount of yelling accompanied the action, causing the blind woman to wince. The mutant 'Esper' insisted on being called 'Zero', though Juniper could not figure out why such a name would be his choice.

Hector eyed the blonde mutant thrown into the room for a short moment. The fact that he was mundanely arguing with the guards reminded Hector that not everyone had been broken.

When the fat scientist had come in, Hector began to tense up. Whatever the special training was, it seemed like it was beginning. Hector glared at the man, wondering if he was the one Hector had threatened before. Hector looked at him, his outfit, his fat, and the look in his eye. Hector could saw what he believed to be a sadist. Not a human who was scared of mutants because of genuine danger, and treated them badly as a manifestation of fear, but a genuine sadist. A man who is a wolf to his fellow man, mutant or not.

A genuine monster.

Hector watched as he brought one of the brightly-colored mutants to the front of the room. Hector observed what was about to happen. This was something that would give him a crucial clue as to the nature of the special training.

When the scientist called the Wraith behind Hector to come up and speed up what they were doing, Hector grabbed his glasses, slowly. No sooner than he laid a hand on his glasses did one of the elite guards point his assault rifle at Hector. Hector lowered his hand. He knew something was about to happen.

Not everyone was completely broken, yet.

It was when the young female, Reyna, had spoken up that Hector saw the change in stance of the scientist. It was subtle, but he could see that he was restrained against his will. Hector spoke up, his voice full of urgency as guards began to raise their guns at the whole group. If someone had tried to fight the guards in this room, Hector saw a low chance of survival for everyone. And the scientists would probably find another way to kill the colorful mutant.

"Wait! You'll get yourself killed!"

Hector neglected to say that everyone the other mutants would possibly be killed as well. It was cold of Hector, but he wanted for as many people as possible to live. And this was a hard decision to make for a circumstance that was horrific. Ultimately, he would have to see what the group of mutants would do.

A small hand grasped Ember's and her whole body went rigid. Dimly she registered her reaction as shock- physical touch was only ever associated with abuse. This feeling was strange and uncomfortable and instinctively she drew her hand away. Reyna's blue eyes gazed up at her and for a moment the touch was forgotten as her sweet voice pierced Ember's shock.

"Hey it's okay, whatever happened it's over now."

A sweet gesture Ember was sure, but here the words were fairly meaningless to her. People in general were pretty meaningless. She was thankful the girl had returned to her seat, saved Ember from having to respond.

Suddenly there was a voice in her head.

~I'm sorry…I didn't mean to see~

Ember felt her own panic and rage return, the two conflicting emotions unable to show themselves through her normally responsive irises. How dare someone enter her mind? That was one thing that was her own, and she was furious to have her only sanctuary invaded. Immediately there was terror as well- how much had they seen? Could they control her? Glancing around discretely, Ember tried to pinpoint who may have intruded without success. Nonetheless she vowed that if she found out who it was she would do anything necessary to ensure this never happened again.

After this many of the mutants came in, each causing their own little disturbances, Ember made a point to ignore it all. No particulars. She'd stick to her rule of ignoring specific details of people, made it easier to get rid of them.

One of them had asked her a question about the training but again, the many entrances made an easy excuse to ignore it.

At first she was surprised that no one had forced her mask back on her again, but then one of the head scientists came in. At his announcement it all became pretty clear. Isaac Morningstar- just another victim to add to the list, though by now Ember has long since lost count.

At the scientists condescending use of pet words, her eyes burned red. Nonetheless she began to move forward, that was until Reyna stopped her. When she realised she couldn't move Ember began to panic a bit, her eyes lightening to grey. She had only a few things left that she had control of in her life- her mind and her actions…well to some extent anyway.

The short-lived chaos was a surprise. It appeared not everyone was as naïve as Reyna. So the man that had questioned her obviously was aware of that this was necessary and apparently the hot-headed Zero did too from his quick, albeit dramatic reaction. Ember would have scowled if she'd been able to move as she realised she remembered his name.

And then she could move again. She felt her heart-rate rising again as the blood pounded in her ears. Despite the lack of emotional reaction, killing always caused all her senses to go wild. One of the guards quickly twisted his hand upwards- the typical sign that they had a kid waiting outside in case she rebelled, even though that had been two years ago.

Without waiting she strode up to Isaac looking him straight in the eye, waiting for him to breath. She didn't bother with any words, they were meaningless now. Immediately she sensed the small sharp breaths of fear. Sharpening her concentration she felt her sixth sense tap into its rhythm until she could no longer resist and her instinct took over. Stuck in an illusion of time she felt her herself carefully part her mouth and draw the air out of him, slowly taking it's whispers of life into herself. It took less than a second, yet each time she felt each moment as the life left her victims. Isaac collapsed in front of her and she knew it was over now.

She felt the air around her trembling slightly as the new energy was added. It would be an hour before it completely diminished, until then she could draw on it to bring someone else back…that is only if the guard willed it. As Ember stared down at Isaac she couldn't help but ponder what it felt like, and then the familiar emptiness enveloped her and she returned to her seat, avoiding all eyes.

---

---

Another grin ran across the blonde man's face. Healing capabilities, huh? That was interesting. "How very interesting..." His breath let out slowly in a subtle murmur. He was still, simply starring for another few seconds as the wound slowly closed up, then the dark red blotch fading to a dark orange. But once it was healed, Matthaus lost interest. He whipped his head around to look at the blank walls around them. "Because I can't tell." And it was. The blobs of colours obscured most details. His head turning around to look over his shoulder, he his lips pulled back into a smile, showing his teeth."So I appreciate the enlightenment."

But with that, the long haired man returned his gaze in front of him, now looking at a pair of mutants. His hands slipped behind his back, folding neatly in each other. As he walked the man leaned back slowly, walking past the two. "Twins perhaps?" His toothy smile grew larger. The glows of colours were different on each. One showed soft reds and oranges, the other had bright yellow. "Or a manifestation maybe?" Matthaus straightened out. "Those things are tricky sometimes." He muttered, crossing his arms. His eyes wavered around the ceiling and walls briefly, biting his lips and cheeks.

But again, he lost interest,

He turned on his heels once more, now looking at another pair of mutants, though who are completely different entities. They were hugging. Apparently. One seemed a little more into the 'connection' than the other. Speaking more to himself, Matthaus rhymed,"Look at you,
Broken girl.
Trying to be so strong,
Heels clicking against those streets,
The ones that only sparkle during the night." Almost as random as the girl herself, perhaps.

But then Matthaus looked at the partner who was a little less interested in the contact. " Look at you,
A younger girl who never thought she'd be here.
They only see that desperate girl,
Your body is no longer yours" He always did this.

Then lastly he looked at the one who had freaked out earlier, which he paid no attention too. "Look at you,
Beautiful soul.
I know you can't pretend to have this strength anymore,
I don't want to lose you to those unforgiving eyes,
But soon I know I will." Everyone did.

Placing a frail, emaciated finger on his cheek, Matthaus, this time, turned slowly. Looking at the people who entered after him. Two men. One with glasses and one who's eyes change colours. Like his perhaps. But less often. "I'm surprised they let you keep those." He stated, apparently to no one once everyone settled down. Whether he was referring to the man's glaces or the other man's book, or even the cigarettes, it was hard to tell. Matthaus was vague on most matters, but he ended up walking over to a bench, sitting down next to yet another young girl. Younger than anyone else here.

"My, my, you're a sweet treat now aren't you?" His gaze was strange as he blinked several times, the colours flipping from red, to green, to yellow. His smile was much softer than his previous ones, but with his chin slightly pulled down, it was all the more odd.

But his conversing didn't last too much longer than that, for the door opened once more. Instead of another mutant, a scientists, along with some of his pets lingered inside. Matthaus smiled in an old fashioned manner, pulling his legs up onto the bench and crossing them . He slipped his hands in the open space between his crossed legs and listened, almost intently, as the stubby man made his bold and loud announcement. "You all take to long on matters such as these." He quickly responded once Special training was mentioned. But he remained silent as the scientist continued. One of the twins was pulled up to the front of the room, and Wraith was beckoned as well.

But things started to decline as the attention was pulled to other matters. The scientist and Wraith both froze, and the youthful girl began to protest. It was an odd reaction to such a thing. Matthaus looked up at her as she stood defensively, tilting his head slightly and his eyebrows furrowed. The ever changing eyes squinted slightly and his mouth was also agape, but also slightly.

The conflict went on for only a matter of a few seconds, several other mutants getting involved. The one with the book and the other with the glasses. How strange... His gaze switched back and forth between the three, the one who had a book now using physical intimidation to stop the girl.

And she did.

How peculiar...

The scientist and Wraith were set free, but the young man was slammed to the ground. It all died down fairly quickly after that, each mutant now remaining silent. The scientist proceeded, and so did Wraith. She stood in front of the boy. Waited a few seconds. Took a breath in.

Then he fell.

Matthaus looked carefully at the limb being in the room. Squinting some more as the red slowly started to turn blue. He then folded his hands together and looked at them.

"How very interesting...

A thin, sour looking man entered the room. His sharp grey suit stood out abnormally against the typical white clad scientists.

"I believe we can now continue with the special training program."He said with a questioning glance at the professor, which was more of a nicety than asking for permission.

"Each of you will now be sorted into dormitories of three or four mutants to one separate apartment. When your name is called I expect you to line up in front of the second door."

He quickly waved his hand, causing the guards in the room to aim their weapons at the group in case of any disturbances. The scientists then went around placing small metal bands on each of the mutants wrists.

"And now the groups: Group one- Wraith, Esper, Reyna and Brent, Group two- Juniper, Druggie and Izaac and Group three- Hector, Matthaus and Ivan. Your apartments will join a common room, but you are not permitted in another groups apartment. If you try to enter you will be electrocuted. Hector, I would not suggest tampering with any of our measures, lest you're up to a bit of torture."

Without so much as a glance, he opened the second door to reveal a plain common room with a few simple metal tables and chairs. Three unmarked open doorways led to the apartments.

"It's your responsibility to figure out which is your apartment."

With a brisk nod from the man, the guards came forward to force the mutants into the room.

Ivan watched on in horror as the little girl, the one he had called ‘Kitten’, stood up and denounced the wretchedness of the current situation. By some means she had managed to stop both Ember and this eldritch abomination of a scientist. Not stop their intentions, but actually physically stop them. They seemed to freeze on the spot when she had spoken up. Still cut off from ‘Isaac’, at least mentally, all Ivan could speculate on was his clone’s intentions. There was clearly something more behind this, the pair had always been willing to make sacrifices before, but there was always something to be gained for it. The other two boys made their moves rapidly, one preparing to subdue the little heroine, and the other actually doing it.

Just as quickly as the whole bout of chaos had started, it was over. The boy had been taken down, Kitten returned to her seat, and the handsome one with glasses slunk back to the sidelines. Ivan understood Reyna’s unwillingness to see another suffer, and strangely enough he understood the viewpoints of the others too. One life, even if it was a part of his own, was not worth risking the lives of everyone else in this room. While all of this was going on Ivan continued to just stand in place, a consistent tremor moving through his body.

Then when Ember was in range of his clone, Ivan began to cry. Not large heaving sobs, and not silent stolen hidden tears either, just tears knowing that his companion was leaving. Over the years Ivan had made plenty of clones, some died, some were assimilated back in. He gained whatever knowledge they were able to, and suffered as they did. But ‘Isaac’ was different, that was his first clone, he never died, was never absorbed back into the fold. His parents had made a false birth certificate for Isaac, for the past five years Ivan had a twin.

Now, just as the Wraith was about to do her grisly work, Isaac looked back at Ivan. In that moment a thought occurred to the boy, and since Isaac suddenly put down the mental barrier, there was no doubt where it had come from. Isaac, totally calm in the face of his annihilation left one parting thought to the network of the hive-mind he had been connected to since splitting off from Ivan. ”Now, at least one of our deaths can mean something. Now we’ll learn something instead of the scientists who just loved killing off our clones. Now we can know how exactly it is that The Wraith executes.”

Ivan shuttered as the thought occurred to him. The tears stopped falling and he stopped shaking, now filled with no more regret, he found anxiety. Lighting another cigarette the boy watched in awe as Ember stole Isaac’s breath. He puffed on it as he felt the sensation of Isaac’s lungs collapsing into nothing. Now, just as color left Isaac and he fell to the ground one more thought occurred, one last fleeting idea. Soft as a whisper it trickled through Ivan’s mind, rocketing him back into tears, this time the large gasping kind.

Hardly with enough breath to take drags in between his overwhelming body shaking fit of tears. Ivan watched and accordingly proceeded as they were rounded up into groups, brought to a new place for them to stay, and told they would figure out their own living arrangements now. He watched as The Wraith made her wrong choice and received the punishment in the form of what appeared to be an incredible shock. He watched as the others reached the new room they were to be kept in. He observed all of this, silent aside from his now quieting sobs, but he was not concerned. His mind only had one thing on it currently. Isaac’s last thought, one word playing a continual loop. ”Brother.”