Fresh Blood:

[Feral]

Feral broke forth from the wooden crate he stowed himself in for the long boat ride from Portugal to the United States. It took the better part of the month to get across the Atlantic, but it would be worth it.

The crate he stored himself in had enough provisions for him to live on leniently, but he had to get help from smugglers to rig the oxygen recycler and rig something for him to use when he had to answer Nature's call.

Of course, without much to do to entertain himself, Feral spent those days and nights in the dark reviewing the history of his people. The Athenians, the Spartans (especially the Spartans!) and even Alexander the Great and the entire Roman Empire. Along the way Feral decided to find information on the Picts and what made them so ferocious that Hadrian decided it would be better to build a wall than to try and conquer the rest of the British Isle.

The wooden crate splintered into pieces, startling some of the dock workers. They froze in fear as what looked like a horrific man in spiky white armor stood frozen in the daylight as his eyes adjusted. The sun gleamed off of his bones.

Feral took great care of himself, especially his bone structure. Calcium was very important to him in the upkeep of his bones and so he had found a diet that maximized bone health. For all of his impulses and devil-may-care attitude for longterm plans, he was very serious and dedicated to himself, his mutants, and his battle.

"Why so frightened, children?" he sneered. "Is it because my bones are poking out through my skin? If it disgusts you, I can make them disappear."

Feral hacked the workers to pieces and stalked through the piles of cargo crates, pulling his bones back into his body. He needed to find more people. Someone who could do what he needed. Someone who could be wild, fierce and act without remorse. Someone who would stop at nothing to advance mutant cause.

"Let's find fresh blood."

[Boulder]

Boulder trod down the shady part of the docks area. The chill ocean breeze nipped at his nose and tried to freeze his toes through his socks as he walked down the alleyway. Less than a mile to his east were the actual docs, but around here, there were less people. Perfect for what he had in mind. This was a test. He didn't need it getting out of hand and turning into something bigger.

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie as he walked. After a while, Boulder finally saw what he was looking for. "Let's see just what kind of potential I've really got..." he mumbled to himself.

He stopped outside of a small hardware store and cast a quick glance around. Drunks doubled over near buildings; broken glass further down; the stench of refuse and decay; buildings falling into disrepair. All the things anyone would expect from a less than upstanding part of town. Also, probably a place where cops were loathe to go, and if they would come at all, they would probably be slow to respond.

Smiling to himself, Boulder stepped inside the small shop, accompanied by the dull jingle of a bell at the door. He made sure the injured part of his face was covered, and, ignoring the cursory glance of the owner and a customer at the front desk, went into the back to find the building materials.

[Feral]

Feral stepped out into a roadway and cast about for anyone that might be the kind of person he was looking for. He had a nose for finding the mutants from the fodder. It was how he had spared Oddity even though she showed no real sample of her power when they first met. It was something he was counting on now.

One long, sharp bone slid easily out of his skin above his wrist, raking forward past his hand a good five inches. He continued down the street, raking the blade across the throats of beggars and homeless and drunks as he went. These people had no respect for themselves as men. They ought to make better presentation of themselves.

He came upon the hardware store and looked in through the large windows. There was a tall man in there--taller than Feral could remember seeing in his life. Height was not necessarily a distinctive feature for mutants, but perhaps upon closer inspection it would yield fruit.

Feral pulled in the blade and stepped in the door. The man behind the counter asked to assist him. Feral consented and inquired about a cutting tool. The man directed Feral to the correct aisle.

"Here you are," the man said.

"Nevermind, I have one that works perfectly right here."

Feral clasped a hand over the man's mouth and ran a blade right between the man's ribs and through his heart. It would be less complicated if it turned out the tall man was a normal after all.

[Boulder]

His heart racing in anticipation, Boulder picked up a small iron rod. Usually used for being part of the supporting framework for cement walls, this was instead going to be used as a first test. He ran his fingers along the steel, and closed his eyes. He rapped it with his knuckle, getting a soft ringing sound.

"It DOES feel slightly familiar... that book may be right. There may be enough minerals in this for me to use..." Flexing his muscles, he bent the steel rod in half. It was quite an effort, but nothing he couldn't do through sheer brute force. He was, after all, pretty strong. Studying the rod, he carefully brought his power forth. It felt sluggish to him, trying to seep into something impure to find the pure elements still residing in the rod, but once found, he was able to straighten the rod simply by sliding his hand up from one end to the other. The bent portion straightened with the resistance that warm clay would give a potter.

A huge smile spread over his face. He set the rod down on the ground, and reached out with his power again. With much less effort, just a little more than it normally took for a rock of this size and shape, he gently shoved the rod about six feet away, to the back wall of the store, and after another second of slight effort, brought it back again.

So far, so good. This is FANTASTIC!

As giddy as he could ever remember being, Boulder picked three more rods, and made his way to where the marble, bags of sand, and other earthen building materials were kept in the far back corner.

[Feral]

Feral rounded the corner to the aisle he saw the big man go down just in time to see him straighten the rod out as though he were running a bit of clay through his hands.

"There we go. That's what I'm looking for."

Feral continued to follow the big man, stalking quietly down the row so as not to arouse any awareness of the savage mutant's presence. He wanted to see what else his new discovery could do.

[Boulder]

Boulder ran his fingers along the marble, eyelids half closed as he felt how different pure marble was from the ordinary chunks of rock, concrete, and asphalt he was used to. So pure.... Without thinking, he flexed his fingers, and the topmost 2'x2'x1/2" marble slab curled up at its corners, as if eager to be used. He tightened his hand into a fist, and the corners of the slab curled in more, to touch his arm, forming almost a dome around his hand.

Boulder flattened his fist out and laid his palm once again on the slab. The marble reacted instantly and flattened out, as if it had never been disturbed.

Almost reluctantly, Boulder trailed his fingers off of the marble, and laid it to rest on the nearby sandbag. Even tho the cloth was holding it in, he could feel the grains of sand beneath it.

He'd never been very good at manipulating multiple things at once, and that's what sand was: multiple thousands of grains, all crammed into a bag. However, this time was different. Maybe it was the contact with pure marble, or maybe the heady intoxication of power he was starting to feel from being able to manipulate the metal, but for whatever reason, when he thought about all the sand, it started to, for lack of a better word, boil inside the bag. Thousands of grains, moving in every direction at once. A mad rush of motion.

The cloth bag tore open, spewing sand all over the aisle and snapping Boulder out of his dazed trance. His head snapped up, and he looked around to see if anyone had seen him. Looking around, he saw nobody on his aisle that could have seen him, but with the use of his ground sense, through the concrete floor, he knew SOMEONE was just around the corner of the aisle behind him. Which was close, but they still shouldn't have seen what happened.

Boulder mentally kicked himself for not bothering to be constantly looking with his tremor sense. He was too intent on his new findings to think of it at first.

[Feral]

Feral stopped short at the end of the aisle when the sand rushed into his view. The man had exploded a bag of sand? He had only just seen the man doing something with a chunk of marble, but he hadn't gotten a good look. He had seen enough though. The man was definitely a mutant.

"That's truly amazing. You're a prince amidst paupers, you know that?"

[Boulder]

Boulder whirled to face the man. Crap! Did he see me? ....What the hell does it matter anyway. If he wants trouble, he's come to the right place. If not.... well, that works out just as well for me.

He took in the smaller man. Lithe, obviously fit and muscular for his size, and with a strange look in his eye. Boulder tried to place it. Was it wonder in his eyes? Awe? A disconcerting look of superiority? Malice? It was hard to tell. The new man's eyes had a hard look to them, similar to what Boulder's must be, but also darker...and at the same time, with a hint of... innocence? Is that his normal look, or is it specially for me...?

"Huh...I've been called a lot of things in my life, but never that. Amazing. Prince. It's strange that they would be directed at me."

Boulder stuffed stuffed one hand back in his pocket, while the other, filled with four metal rods, hung at his side.

"What's it to you?"

[Feral]

"I'm like you," Feral said.

His eyes blazed with excitement at his gift. His power. He dominated everyone. No one was like him. Not even this man.

"A prince, indeed, a king. Though no one would know that. For some, we are animals. Scum. For others we are a cause of fear. And they are right to fear us. We will rule them all like chattel and they will be grateful for every minute we spare their lives."

Feral took the man in. He looked hardened. His clothes were worn to the point where even Feral would rather go naked than wear those rags. He looked like he had also born loss--perhaps at the hands of those Feral sought to subjugate.

"Come, let's--"

Suddenly there was a scream at the other end of the store and suddenly an alarm bell, followed by "Police? This is the hardware store by the wharf. My employee has been murdered in my own store! Please hurry!"

Feral snarled and began to shed spikes along his arms. The rest of his body would be covered in mostly smooth bone plates that were well hidden under the rest of his clothes.

"That dog. He thinks a few small men can stop me."

[Boulder]

Thoughts blazed and tumbled around in Boulder's head, too numerous to count, much less voice all at once. Things were moving very quickly all of a sudden.

A king? Who are you? What the hell are you talking about? Do you have a touch of the crazy? How long will it take the cops to get here? What the heck is with your arm? What do you want with me? These questions and more swam in his mind, all bidding for the attention of his tongue.

Of the thoughts spinning around in his mind, one of the more practical ones managed to find purchase, and Boulder couldn't help but bark out a short laugh. "Hah! Just what do you think you can do against the cops with little spikes on your arm? Their guns will--" He jabbed feral in the chest to punctuate his point and halted mid-sentence. His finger had not sunken into soft skin like he had assumed, but a hard shell instead. Looking at the bone from the man's arm, Boulder understood and started shaking with laughter and a hint of excitement.

"Why hadn't I thought of that...?" he mumbled to himself. Of course. Body armor. Who needs to run from the cops when they can't hurt you? There's more than enough stuff in this place that I can-- *CLICK-CLICK*

Boulder was roused from his thoughts by the ever distinct sound of a shotgun loading. He slowly turned around to see the shop owner at the end of the hallway pointing his double barrel first at Feral, then at Boulder, not quite sure who was to blame, but clearly more wary of Feral, with the visible spikes on his arms now.

"You boys just stay right there. Don't you be movin' either until the police get here."

The man's heart was beating so hard that Boulder could feel it through the vibrations in the ground.

Boulder's gaze darkened and he narrowed his eyes at the man with his gun.
"So....we got us a hero...." he whispered to himself. Boulder took one step away from Feral, earning him the focus of the business end of the shopkeep's weapon.

Slowly, Boulder turned to Feral. "Well...bub," he had no idea what the man's name was, "it looks like you've got about three seconds left."

The meaning was clear in his eyes. Clearly Boulder knew this was between Feral and the shopkeep, but the message was simple. Feral, you have three seconds to kill him before I do. Act now if you want it.

[Feral]

Feral leapt down the aisle, keeping his profile low. Shotguns were dangerous, but Feral didn't mind them so much. he'd have a few holes in his shirt, but that would be the extent of it.

The man fired, spraying buckshot at the quickly closing mutant. Feral made another jump, raking the blades in an uppercut from the man's waist through his skull. The shop keeper fell over dead and Feral wore his usual warpaint of blood.

"Let's wait for the authorities to arrive," Feral said. "It would be a shame for them not to have any fun when they got here."

[Boulder]

Boulder's eye twitched in response to the brutal killing. Basking in blood was not something he was anxious to repeat; the first time was enough as far as he was concerned. But still...there was something about this guy...

I guess it wouldn't hurt...I could give my hand a try at the whole bullet proof armor thing...

He laughed softly to himself. "I have no idea who you are...but so far...I like the way you handle yourself, even if you do talk a little crazy from time to time. This isn't quite like me, but... ok. Let's wait for the cops. I think I want to take a cue from you and try out my own version of bulletproof armor."

[Feral]

Feral nodded. "That's the spirit! Use your power to the fullest! Make them understand that they are nothing compared to your awesome might!"

The police sirens could be heard off in the distance. "They're coming. Get ready."

The police cars stopped outside the shop. Officers climbed out and stood behind their vehicles for cover, resting their arms on the roofs to steady the pistols they trained on the building.

"You are surrounded! Come out with your hands in the air!"

[Boulder]

Surprise registered in Boulder's eyes. "I didn't expect the police to show up so soon. Well, whatever." The hard look came back onto his face as he placed a hand on the slabs of marble again. Marble, especially this thin, wasn't enough to be bulletproof by any means. However...

Boulder walked over to the brass fittings, copper wire, silver piping, and testing each of them, he gathered handfuls of the various items. "This might take some extra doing...but..." a smile curled on his face, "the more work that goes into it, the more pride I can have in it."

The cops continued to shout out through their bullhorns as Boulder set the pile of items down. Reaching out with his power, he started rolling the items around. As they rolled, they started, for lack of a better description, melting. Boulder had his eyes closed in concentration as he worked, and slowly, the pure elements of the metals separated from the rest of the junk that was cooked, changed, and added. After about thirty seconds of rolling the meal around, there were now two piles.

Satisfied with his initial work, Boulder's power swirled around him, lifting the raw elements along with the slabs of marble into the air around him. Intermingling, the raw ore extracted from the metals mixed with and coated the marble, reinforcing it.

With a final flare of power, the slabs wrapped around him, making a suit of armor, coating him, skintight, from head to toe. There were microscopic holes in the helmet to allow air to flow so he could breath, but without a visor to allow for vision.

Slowly, he stood, and grinned underneath his new mask. "There's something about you.... I think you are bringing out a part of me that's normally hidden...but.... let's go have some fun."

[Feral]

Feral grinned. It was a grin that so far only Oddity enjoyed. For everyone else it meant death. Feral burst out of the large plate glass windows with Boulder. The police were jarred by the sudden action and opened fire on the advancing duo.

Feral tore off a car door and smashed in a windshield as he cleared the first car. He tore off the first officer's arm and ran the second one through. There were three more cars and six more cops. Then they could go from there. But already there was the sound of someone calling for back up.

"Bring more meat to the slaughter!" Feral crowed and dove for the car to his left. He would trust his new recruit to handle the two to the right.

[Boulder]

Boulder laughed with the glee of a maniac as he felt bullets ricochet off of his armor. This is great! Unless they bring out a tank, I'm totally invincible!

The laugh reverberated out of his suit and into the ground, making it ominous, and infinitely more terrifying than anything Boulder could remember doing.

"Every day you pick up those guns, every day you try to be a hero, you are willing to die for whatever cause you deem necessary. I'm here to oblige you!!!"

The narrow, dirty alleyway was transformed from a business district into a small war zone. Boulder's eyes were wide open inside his helmet as the images of the whole scene flooded his mind through his contact with the ground better than mere eyesight could ever hope to match.

Chunks of rock ripped themselves from the ground, and hurtled towards two of the officers and the car they were using for protection. As the chunks flew, they chipped and frayed, becoming needles flying towards their targets. The screams of the two officers was muted significantly by his helmet, but Boulder knew that his projectiles had struck home.

Relishing he new power, he charged the remaining car as bullets fired from handguns bounced away after making contact with his armor. One hit him square in the forehead, and the resounding ping made boulder cackle like a man possessed. Using his power, Boulder at once augmented his strength via his suit, and lightened the car's more elemental parts, and with one swift throw, rolled the car over, crushing one officer, leaving the fourth to empty the remaining rounds, with no effect, into Boulder.

Turning his sightless eyes to the hapless officer, Boulder finally found his mean streak. Sand came rushing out of the hardware store. Boulder was so lost in the fight, in his personal promise, that what he couldn't normally do came as a reaction. The sand whipped about, creating a miniature whirlwind around the cop. Flecks of blue flew out, as the man's uniform was ripped to shreds, followed quickly by flecks of liquid red, and soon, chunks of pink.

The screams would have been horrendous if Boulder had been paying attention, but they were cut short as the officer's voice box was rubbed away in a vicious sand blasting. In a few heart wrenching seconds, an officer had turned into a pile of bloody bones.

[Feral]

Feral stood atop bodies and applauded Boulder. "Good to see you're capable of squashing bugs. Let's go see what else we can do."

Feral sauntered away towards the nicer parts of town. Perhaps there would be a target worth destroying there. Anything to make the normals panic.

[Boulder]

Rather than follow along immediately, Boulder knelt down beside the pile of bones. Carefully he pulled out a leg bone and snapped it free from the rest of the pile, then turned to follow the OTHER crazy mutant in the city. He had remembered something one of the books he read had mentioned. Calcium. Calcium is a mineral, and that's what bones are made of....right?

He idly turned the bones over in his hands, feeling it with his power. It DID respond to him. Slowly, he raised little shards of bone up and out of the leg and sank them back into the normal shape. Interesting...

Tossing the bone aside, Boulder slid a part of his helmet up to reveal a slit for him to see through, and he followed Feral.

With another move, he slid open a mouth plate so as not to impede his speech. "So, just what is it that you are after?"

[Feral]

Feral looked over at Boulder. "To subjugate the world to my will!" He said, as though it were obvious. "We are the new pinnacle of the the human race! We have become more like gods than ever before, and it is our right to rule as the head while the weaker serve us!"

Feral laughed. "And when we are obsolete, others will come to destroy us and take up the mantle of governing in our stead! The mightiest conquer!"

The two arrived a bus stop just in time to see one of the city transports pull up. Feral stepped on and looked around at the crowded bus. "Fear me!" He snarled. Immediately the people rushed towards the emergency exits to get away from the man armed to the teeth with knives and blades.

Then Feral turned to the bus driver. "Take me to where this bus is kept."

[Boulder]

Boulder was stunned. "Global domination...? Isn't that a bit...absurd?"

He boarded the buss after Feral, in time to see the passengers flee. To his amusement, the but tilted violently as he put his full weight, augmented by his armor, onto the bottom step.

"Okay...I kind of hate to be this nosy mister 'I want to rule the world', but why do you want to go to the central bus station?"

[Feral]

"It is not absurd. Several great leaders conquered most of the world to their knowledge during their day. Alexander the Great, Caesar, Ghengis Kahn."

Feral threatened the bus driver with the tip of a spike and the vehicle started moving towards the hub.

"If we can paralyze the whole public transportation system, we can cripple the entire city! Then it's a matter of destroying all traffic coordination and the whole city is in our clutches."

[Boulder]

"Who's clutches? When you say 'our', it seems like you insinuate the two of us, unless you have other people waiting for you, or a mouse in your pocket." Boulder took a seat behind the bus driver, and kept a wary eye on Feral as he waved his spikes around.

"And, even if this amazingly well thought out plan works out, and the traffic IS turned upside down, what then? There's a lot more to a city than just the traffic. Then there's the cops to consider. IF you....WE do this, they'll come back, but with more than a few squad cars and street cops armed with pistols. There could very well be choppers, armor piercing rounds, and stun guns. If they STILL can't make a dent, they'll have to call for backup from SWAT, the FBI, or maybe even the Army. I don't know about you, but I REALLY doubt that either of us can take a round from an army tank. So, just what IS your plan?"

[Feral]

"I'd like to see them get to us when streets are clogged and full or wrecked cars," Feral said.

"The buildings in this city are generally too close together for helicopters. See there? Already we're at the main portion of the city. Those buildings would not be kind of helicopters. As for the special forces--"

Feral paused. "We will just have to block up the exits and hold hostages. Then we give them one and only one avenue to come in and get us. Once they're bottled up we can kill them like cows in a slaughterhouse chute."

The spiked mutant's eyes blazed with killing fire and his body spoke of a desire for more blood. "They will clog up the way with the bodies of their own compatriots. And we will hardly break a sweat."

[Boulder]

Boulder sat quietly in contemplation. He actually does have a good plan. I'm impressed. It's weird....this isn't really my style, to go out looking for trouble...but...in the past thirty minutes since I've been around this guy, I feel....accepted. Wanted. Accepted. And it's been a hell of a lot better than the past weeks of wandering around the streets from shelter to homeless shelter. It's also a nice to have someone around who does not look at me like some kind of freak.

"Okay then. Assuming all this works out," he nodded towards the bus driver, "what happens to the hostages?"

[Feral]

Feral shrugged. "Perhaps I indenture them to servitude. If they prove useful. Like our bus driver friend, here. Maybe I'll kill them all anyway. They're fodder. Worthless."

Feral looked out at the people on the city sidewalks. "They're all worthless."

[Boulder]

Boulder scowled. "Worthless or not, they have made no decision to put their lives on the line. Taking hostages or intimidating people as a means to an end is one thing, but to kill them when they obviously have no willingness to die is quite another. It's bullying at it's height. Look at this bus driver for instance. What have they ever done to you? They didn't pick up a gun and wave it in your face. There is no threat to your life here. It's one thing to kill when your opponent is clearly threatening you, it's quite another when you slaughter someone who offers you no threat. To take hostages and then kill them all anyway, well....for one, it eliminates a bargaining tool, and for another...there's just no honor or morality in it."

He stared at Feral, waiting to see what kind of reaction the strange man might give.

[Feral]

Honor? Morality?

"In the world which we live, it is not enough to simply defeat the combat capable. It's not enough to simply destroy what makes them fight. It is imperative that you crush their spirit. Give them no chance of finding hope! They must understand entirely that they live only by your mercy! And if only the soldiers die, how do the subjugated masses learn to understand the fear of death?"

Feral kept an eye on the road and the driver. "Live by meaningless rules. By their rules. You can never win living by their rules. Is that not so? Can you think of one time where doing what they say caused you to achieve your ends?"

[Boulder]

Boulder's life ran through his head as he thought about what Feral said. Because of the rules set down my society for him to follow, Boulder had grown up without parents. He was kicked out of school for fear of his ability. Lost jobs because of it. Was forced to steal to try and eke out some sort of a living. He remembered the night in the alleyway and the detectives that tried to pin him with public vandalism because he had fought for his life against other mutants. He remembered the hospitals he'd been to while looking for some way of saving his grandmother. The pain of anger and frustration that the rules held him back for lack of insurance coverage and money. He reached up and ran a hand over the smooth, seamless form of his armor, right where it covered the rock scar on his cheek as he remembered his last attempt to save her.

The rules by which society had set down had never worked for him. He had always known it in some way, but never really thought about it before. Not until this strange man put the question to him.

Boulder's hand dropped into his lap with a clack of stone on stone, as the vacant look slowly dissipated from his eyes. Focusing on Feral, he shook his head slightly. "I..." he swallowed past a lump in his throat that was trying to choke off his words. "I...guess not..." he managed.

"My whole life, I've tried to play be the rules that society gave me, and I have always had to break those rules to survive. Stealing to make ends meet because I couldn't keep a job. Fighting for my life and being blamed for damage because I'm different. Even when I went looking for help for someone I loved, I had to end up breaking the rules to try and save them, because the rules said that were imposed on me said she must die."

He cast his eyes aside. "You are actually right again stranger... their rules have never helped me."

Boulder's eyes hardened as he understood just what feral was saying. "You can't win if you play be the enemy's rules, can you? I... I think that you are right stranger. I think you're right..."

At his words, Boulder noticed the bus driver break out into a cold sweat. The last vestiges of hope for at least one sane mutant were dashed apart.

"On that note...since I've nothing better to do, and I may as well stick around with you, since you ARE very interesting, what do I call you?"

[Feral]

"Feral. Stick with me and re-make the rules and some day, the world. The rest of my cohort will be landing in the country in a few days. Until then, I must make ready the plans."

The driver was nearly to the hub. Feral could see it. A large building with few steps. It was not very tall, but it would make for an interesting holding ground. From what he could see there was one main entrance and several large windows that let sunlight into the lobby.

"Take us around the back to where you keep the vehicles,"Feral ordered the driver. "I want to see the entire building."

Usually big buildings like this one kept roof access and possibly a large air duct or two.

One one side Feral noticed two fire escapes and a ladder reaching the roof. He expected one on the other side as well, but waited until he could see that building for himself.

The back garage was wide and open. Twelve overhead doors stood open to let the buses go in and out as they were brought in for maintenance, refueling, and rest.

"Go around the building and then back to this area. You're going to be ending your shift early today."

The other side was just like Feral expected: two fire escapes and a ladder reaching the roof. The driver made his last circuit and wheeled the bus into the garage.

The need for swift action was apparent to Feral. Locking down the entire place was going to have to be decisive and fast. But how?

[Boulder]

"Feral eh? Appropriate."

The bus ride, as short as it had been, was enough of a break that Boulder felt relatively refreshed from his exertion earlier at the hardware store. It was getting easier to move in his suit, like it really was becoming a second skin.

There was a grating and scraping of rock on rock as Boulder leaned forward in his seat and stood. A large, sunken imprint of his bulk remained in the seat.

"Well then Feral. Here we are. Now what's the plan? Aside from sealing this place up a little better. These giant doorways left open would make it easy for a lot of people to swarm in, or out, but I can fix that in a few minutes if you'd like."

[Feral]

Feral raised an eyebrow. "Yes, that would do well. This area looks like it is very well sealed otherwise. That will be perfect. Don't forget to keep as many people inside alive as possible. We want the people outside to be cautious and careful. It gives us an advantage."

Feral laughed. "And once the places are blocked up, see if you cannot shackle some of these people to the stone walls you make. That will keep them from using explosives to get past the barricades."

He stepped to the doorway of the bus. "I'm going to go take care of the front. When you are done here, join me at the lobby where I will need you to seal up the front entrance and all the large windows. We'll let them come in from the roof. There are no other levels to this building that I can see, which means there's an elevator shaft or one narrow stairwell that leads from the roof. A perfect way to keep them from swarming us."

[Boulder]

Boulder was thunderstruck and simply stared at Feral for a few seconds before a slow grin crept onto his face. "Rewriting the rules already I see. I would have never thought of that. With the walls I mean. I mean, we could have a person on every wall, every foot or so. It would be impossible to blast in from anywhere like that."

Boulder shook his head in wonder at Feral and pity for the bus driver who was going to be the first hostage of the day, and the only one privy to their plans.

Feral bolted out the bus door, and without waiting further, Boulder crashed through the thin wall of the bus right behind the driver. His landing was accompanied by screams from the people inside the garage. Some started running inside, some started to run outside, some stood rooted in place, not sure what to do. The sudden surge of motion ended with more people running headlong into each other than making any real distance.

Without missing a beat, Boulder took a step towards the open doors and grunted in concentration. The masses, thinking that he was concentrated on something outside, took that as a cue to start heading inside, where, they didn't know it, but, they would meet Feral.

Boulder's armor suit started cracking and crumbling as he used more and more of his power and concentration for his new purpose. The ground just outside bucked and a section running the entire length of the garage ripped itself up and started rising, as if it were a stick of butter being sandwiched between two pieces of cardboard.

Anyone left in the garage that still wasn't sure as to what was going on, decided that moving earth was bad for them, and they would have better luck inside. A panic broke out as people fought to get away. Unfortunately, a few with quick whits, and quicker bodies were able to jump the wall while it was still low, but it rose quickly enough.

Twenty-four seconds had passed, and in that time, where there were twelve open bays before, there now stood a solid wall of rock, approximately three feet thick. Daylight filtered in through the sides where the new wall was not flush with the building, and with one last mighty heave by Boulder, the walls touched and melded with an ominous THOOM, sealing the breach and plunging the garage into darkness for a few seconds until someone found a light switch.

Boulder sat heavily on the ground, breathing hard and wiping the sweat from his face. This is a lot more interesting than wandering around from city to city, shelter to shelter.

The garage was still a madhouse as the workers scrambled to squeeze through the doors to get away, but a few of the braver ones, seeing Boulder winded, picked up pipes and wrenches and started to advance.

Now that he was no longer concentrating on raising the wall, it was a simple matter to re-assemble his fallen armor. Bereft of any visible opening in the helmet portion, Boulder stood and turned to the would be attackers. He could only imagine how frightening it must be to be confronted by someone without a face.

"I see we have some volunteers" he sneered. In his suit, the voice became deeper than it already was, and reverberated in the rock and air all around.

He laughed and let the attackers come at him. He continued to laugh his eerie laugh as they hit him. Sparks flew, chunks of rock flew as well, but with his power, Boulder simply put them right back. Once the people realized they could not hurt Boulder, they dropped their weapons. Quietly he slid open two eye slots and, with grim determination, Boulder started the work of gathering people up, one by one, walking them back to the walls, manipulating the stone, and shackling them to it.

Of course, it wasn't fast work. Boulder had to go inside several times to get more people. Most of them had run inside and were frantic.

A few of the hostages were given special placement in the walls. Rather than being simply shackled to the wall, they were sunken INTO the wall, totally swallowed up except for their face. This was reserved for the rude ones of course. People who stared at him in defiance, or with a nasty, arrogant look. If the look persisted, Boulder simply made a rock visor and placed it over the eyes, so he wouldn't have to look at them later.

Noisy ones earned a similar fate. Hurling insults and anti-mutant sentiment earned many people a place in the wall or, if they were lucky, just a stone gag over the mouth. If they were not lucky, it earned them both.

It took Boulder quite a while to finish his assigned task, but the whole of the garage, new wall and older brick walls, were finally coated in insulating hostages. For varied effect, some of them were placed higher up in the walls, in case the authorities got the smart idea to try and blast a way in from above the hostages. Now, such an approach was impossible.

Boulder surveyed his handiwork and nodded in approval. Now, it was time to go find Feral. See what he was up to, and also pitch him an idea regarding the walls.

[Feral]

Feral jumped up the stairs, taking lives as he went.

BAM! The door burst open with a sudden crash. Feral extended the claws from his wrists and ran after the first security guard. The man was clearly too old to continue that line of work. He went down fast before the old man could get his firearm out of the holster.

Everyone in the place panicked. Feral put himself in the way of the door and cut down several people who couldn't stop because of the people behind them who continued careening forward.

Feral laughed until he was covered entirely in the blood of people he had slain. He was at his best and his happiest when he was like that. It made him feel accomplished. Soon everyone would be under his heel.

[Boulder]

KLAK KLAK KLAK KLACK

Boulder's stone clad footsteps echoed in the hallway as he marched along. Blood spattered on the walls and torn, broken bodies littering the floor told the tale of Feral's passing. If the visual cues were not enough, the mixture of laughter and screams up ahead served as another verification that this was the right way.

The throngs of people parted to let the towering man through. Some people turned to him with hope in their eyes. The people that had run in from the garage knew better, and reacted with an appropriate sense of fear.

After wading his way through the crowd, Boulder stopped in front and to the side of Feral. The face of his helmet melted away to reveal his face. "You seem to be having fun. Sorry it took so long, but the garage is taken care of, as you recommended. I would like your opinion on one thing tho. What do you think about exposing some of the people to the outside? You know, like an arm, or a leg, or even a face hanging out of the wall while the rest of the person is held tight. I don't know how closely you want to guard the number of hostages."

[Feral]

Feral thought it over. "I rather like that. Incorporate them into the barriers."

Feral turned to them. "Make them the pretty ones. Let them destroy the pretty ones to get to us. Help them to make their sad attempts to stop us something ugly and disgusting. Make them sick to their stomachs to fight us."

[Boulder]

"Heh. There will be time enough for that in a few minutes. But, for now...didn't you say these windows needed to be sealed?"

Boulder didn't wait for a response. He stepped behind Feral and concentrated. Again using the earth from outside, he began to cover the windows. Rather than a massive single slab, Boulder opted for bringing up several smaller slabs, one at a time. It was much less stressful, and less draining on him. It also had the added effect of slowly draining away the hope from the people left inside as the light was methodically shut out, and the building sealed off from the outside.

When Boulder was done, there was three feet of rock where before there was glass.

With Feral's help, people were selected from the crowd and methodically placed in the walls. Every so often, seemingly at random, one of the people would be swallowed completely by the wall and held in place while their face rippled out towards the light outside, as if breaching the surface of a still body of water. Other times, by manipulating the rock, he would force some of the hostages to bend at the knee so one of their feet would be poking out of the wall.

The result was disturbing and intimidating. Anyone looking at the building from the outside would get the impression that the building were eating people. After a few more minutes, Boulder would go back to the garage and continue the effect with the people already in the walls there.

"So, what do ya think? And, more importantly, what now?"

[Feral]

"So far things are working out just fine. And we will wait for them to come. In the meantime we destroy the dispatch and then we find the traffic light machine."

Feral looked around for someone who looked like they were in charge.

"You!" He bellowed pointing out a large African woman in a uniform. "You will take me to the control room! I know it's here!"

He took her by her collar and despite her girth, he moved her with ease. "Let's go! And maybe you'll live a while longer! If you stay useful, then you stay alive longer!"

[Boulder]

While Feral went off to the control room, Boulder took this opportunity to revise his first wall in the garage. As he went, he grabbed people at random and intermittently dispersed them into the walls as he went, making sure that wherever there was a wall to the outside, there were people there.

Just for fun, he left large spots blank on the outside, to give the initial impression that maybe, a drill or a blast could make it through without harming anyone, and in those spots, he placed two or three people in the wall. After making his final rounds, he went back to the central area and flicked on a TV.

[Feral]

The woman was scared stiff when Feral took hold of her and was bawling and unintelligible by the time they got to the control room. He tossed the woman away with about as much care as he might a large sack of rocks.

"This is it!"

He bristled spikes all over his forearms and hands and plunged them into the machine until he was up to his elbows in the circuitry and wires. Things shut down and screens blacked out and died. Smoke and the smell of fried electronics filled the air.

"There we go! Now we we let the mindless masses cause all the trouble for us and get in the way of the SWAT team and the military."

[Boulder]

There was a special news bulletin going on about haywire traffic, and one of the stations had one of the few escaped, would-be hostages, in front of a mic, being interviewed.

News was starting to get around. The whole city would know of the attack within a few more moments.

The escaped, almost victim just added to the mystery describing a "big rock man" as the only assailant. It seems that, as far as anyone knew, Boulder was the one and only one causing the mess.

[Feral]

Feral cut the large woman down in the control room and returned to the lobby. The news showed helicopters coming towards the bus station and the streets littered with wrecked cars. Some of them were on fire. Police and firefighters were everywhere, and mass panic flooded the streets. It was going well.

Feral walked up to Boulder, already making the transition to full battle array. "They have no option but to come from the roof. Don't expect them to try to take us alive. The stairs to the roof are close by the control room. they will come from there. The hallway funnels them rather well. They will take both ends of the hallway to cover the most ground. Choose a side and we'll get them in a pincer attack."

Feral took a moment to snarl at the hostages, who all cowered on the floor in fear. "Do not try to be saviors. You cannot harm us!"

He watched them look at him in silence. "SAY IT!"

They repeated back the line

"NO ONE CAN HELP YOU NOW!"

There was a pause. "SAY IT!"

They repeated that line as well. One woman broke into tears. "Yes, you have no hope. Cry. And pray I find some use for you when I am finished with my business here."

[Boulder]

Boulder nodded at Feral's proposal. The mixture of armor on his head melted back into place, covering his face completely, in a seamless, blank faceplate as Boulder began walking down towards the doors to the garage.

"I think I'll take the garage doors. I feel somehow...attatched to that area."KLAK KLAK KLAK KLAK

Boulder's footsteps reverberated in the empty hallway as he made his way forward. He reached out and stroked the inner walls as he went. This was the most alive he had ever felt a building before. All the pulses of the people stuck in the walls reverberated with resounding regularity, making the whole building pulse in his mind. Each beat, each twitch of a muscle by one of those hostages sent out waves of tremors. Everything in the building was ablaze in his mind, and he could 'see' the authorities gathered up outside, pressing in against the walls, inspecting the appendages sticking out of the walls, talking to the faces of people exposed to the outside.

As he made his way, through the contact in the wall, he started sucking in the brick in the wall, and the cement under his feet. There were divots in the walls where his fingers dragged, and small craters around where his feet touched. The extra material crept up his body, cementing itself to him at various intervals in the form of short spikes. They started at his collar bone, about two inches long, varying in thickness, but all ending in sharp points.

The spikes continued to manifest over his shoulders, arms, backs of his hands, fingertips, chest, back, legs, knees, and feet. He could 'see' that there were a lot of people around outside. Boulder needed to be ready for a long drawn out fight, and lifting and throwing rocks around with his power would drain him much before the actual fighting was done. It would need to be hand to hand, using the minimal power it took him to keep the suit on and moving with his body.

When he reached the single door to the garage, he stopped and turned around, and heard a bloodcurdling scream. One of the hostages. Feeling around with his power, he knew what had happened. The fools outside had thought they found a safe place, and had drilled in, only to strike one of the hostages. Boulder could sense the people outside reeling back and could only imagine the blood that must now be coming through that hole in the wall, as if the wall itself were bleeding.

In concentration, he grasped the walls behind him, and through that connection, forcibly closed the hole they had made down to a very narrow opening, repairing enough damage to keep the walls solid, but leaving an opening for the blood to flow out. Let them know they had one option: the roof.

[Feral]

Feral waited with the hostages in the lobby behind him. He stood in the hallway crouched low and poised to strike.

He could hear behind him the SWAT team tinkering with Boulder's handiwork. People screaming, rescuers working and confused. It would take a good deal of tedious work to get the people out alive. He counted on that fact. No one could find it in them to kill the people in the walls to overwhelm two mutants.

"Any minute now."

He could hear the SWAT team coming down the stairs. Soon they would kick opent he door and clear the hallway. once the hallway was empty they would either open fire on Feral and Boulder or charge the hallway.

They would brobably fire down the hallway or toss a grenade. Maybe some sort of smokescreen or tear gas. Nothing new. He would find a way to get them to play his game.

Feral decided at the last minute to move out of the doorway. Right on time. The smoke grenade flew out of the hallway and into the lobby, causing the hostages to choke and gag. The SWAT Team filed down the hall. As soon as a gun barrel appeared through the doorway, Feral cut the man's throat and pushed the corpse back into the hall to move them back and keep them contained.

[Boulder]

Boulder stood in the doorway impassive and unmoving as the smoke grenade skittered down the hallway, stopping just short of his feet. The smoke belched everywhere. It made it a little hard to breath, but the real effect was for cutting sight, and that didn't matter for Boulder.

The men coming down the hall had weapons trained on the big, humanoid shape in the hallway, but were hesitant to open fire. After all, it wasn't moving.

Boulder could just imagine what they may be thinking. Is it a person? If it is, are they incapacitated? He'd show them soon enough.

In their masks, they crept down the hallway two at a time, one on either side. When the first pair reached Boulder they stopped and looked at him, confusion spreading over their faces.

With a roar, and an added hint of power, the walls shook as boulder, augmented as he was, reached out and clotheslined the two hapless men. Spikes shredded flesh, opened one man's throat, and caught the other in the eye, among other punctures and scrapes.

The hallway erupted into gunfire. Bullet's bounced everywhere. It was a constant test of Boulder's power to keep his suit from coming apart under the barrage, so he charged. One good leap into the midst of a cluster of the officers would lead to some real fun....

Boulder propelled himself forward and leaped at the men...

[Feral]

SWAT members shouted orders to the guys in the back. Clearly they had brought too many people. Already the hallway was clogged with people. Some were trying to go back up the stairs, but the going was made difficult. In the meantime Feral continued to go through them like felling stalks of hay.

"You can't stop us!" He yelled into the thronging people. "We will reign supreme!"

[Boulder]

Boulder came down on top of three men. One caught his leg, another his right arm, and the third his left arm and part of his chest. Blood sprang up into the air and came down again like rain. The wounds inflicted by Boulder's armor were mostly just painful, but for the last man, they were fatal. Boulder stood, to the sounds bones cracking as he put his weight on the body of the fallen man that was unlucky enough to be caught by Boulder's chest.

The other two injured men were on the ground, nursing wounds, trying hard not to bleed out when Boulder moved against the rest of the crowd. Charging in, he crashed into the swat team, making guns ineffective at such a close range. Men went down every time Boulder made contact. Simply bumping into him was enough to be crippling, if not fatal.

Boulder had begun working his way down his assigned hallway, making progress towards the stairs, leaving the bloody dead and they wailing injured behind him.

[Feral]

"FALL BACK! FALL BACK!" The SWAT Team kept yelling as they tried as best they could to back up the stairs.

No! They could not be allowed to escape. Feral turned to Boulder. "Collapse the building!" Feral roared. "Do it now! Bring the whole thing down!"

[Boulder]

Boulder used his power to propel his suit, with him in it, down the hallway like a cannonball, ripping apart any SWAT members left between him and Feral. In the blink of an eye, Boulder went from one end of the hall, to the other, landing right in front of Feral.

Complying with Feral's order, Boulder pushed out with his power in all directions along the ground. The result was that every wall of the building bucked out, from the bottom. Screams filled the air as hostages trapped in the walls were ripped in half as the stone around them, gripping them tight, shifted, bent, and cracked. The roof began to crumble as it's foundation became unstable.

Boulder swirled his hands from his feet to up above his head, and a bubble of rock flew up around him and Feral as the roof came down, crushing everyone and everything inside. Anyone that was lucky enough to be on the roof would just find themselves pinned as parts of their bodies were pinched in between hunks of the building.

Boulder smirked under his helmet. His voice came out deep and ominous, doubly so because of the small space he shard with Feral, as he spoke the answer to the un-asked question. "Heh. This is your plan after all. I couldn't very well let you get splattered with everyone else, now could I?"

[Varun Petrov]

Varun sat in a local bar drinking in as much as the American culture as he could, but he was tired of the uneventful life he had taken up. As he watched the TV when the program was interrupted by a news report. A small town to the south of him was under attack just as the anchor announced what was happening four cop cars flew by. He really did not care what was going on until the anchor mentioned that the town was being over ran by a mutant/mutants, they were not sure how many were involved in the take over. Slamming his empty glass down he laughed as he picked up his coat. As he walked out he stepped on a large pile of what looked like dirt. Stopping he smiled, picked up his foot and shaking it off addressed the pile.

"So sorry Bill."

An evil laugh busted out form him as he opened the door and wind mixed together the piles of dehydrated people. Getting into his car he buckled up and took off down the road to the town. Pulling up behind the cop cars he focused on the air filter of the two cars in front of him. Forcing the air around them to solidify causing the water to be sucked into the filter. Moments later the two cars started slowing very quickly. Pulling off to the side of the road Varun drove by laughing as he drove up behind the next two and repeated his actions. Being free of the cops he rushed down the road to the small town

Pulling up to the edge of the town he noticed that most of the roads were blocked. Eventually he found his way to the edge of the encampment of the two mutants. Getting out of the car he walked a little closer and was stopped by two cops who were staged at the corner of a building across from the transit station that was just collapsed. Varun smiled as he raised his hands in the air.

"Vhat is problem officer?"

Varun asked as he turned to the officers. The two officers was covered with sweat. Focusing his powers on the pours on the cops neck he caused them to start perspiring. The two officers would notice a weakness setting in as slowly the water coming from around their neck turned red. With in minutes they where on their knees with water streaming from every pour of their body. Bending down Varun smiled as he looked into the eyes of each of the cops.

"My, my, you do not look like you are well hydrated today." tut tut tut. "You should always carry vater vith you."

Varun stood up and walked over to the pile of rubble and waited. He found a piece of the cornerstone to sit on and wait for his 'friends' to join him.

[Feral]

Feral burst out of the debris cackling. "You cannot defeat us! Bow before your rightful rulers!"

The man emerged in full bone armor, bristled to the fullest with sharp blades and spikes. He stalked along the rubble heading towards the open street where he planned to massacre every soul unlucky enough to not already be dead. Then he noticed Varun.

"You." He looked at the two dead officers. "Did you do that?"

[Boulder]

Boulder emerged right behind Feral. Now that things had calmed down, he finally let his stone armor fall off of him. Relaxing his power, the armor cracked and fell off in chunks, littering the ground at his feet with the unique mix that made up the armor, as well as the blood that began to pool around him as it freed itself from Boulder's now shed armor.

He squinted his eyes against the sun, made doubly bright since Boulder was encompassed in total darkness from his helmet. He leaned heavily on a large chunk of debris as he scanned the area around where the building stood.

A few cops were around on the outskirts tying to keep some semblance of order, but mostly it was a confused and panicked mob running around in every direction. And of course the ever typical media trying to get in close for a picture. Flashes from all around told of cameras recording the day.

Finally his gaze settled on the lone figure that Feral had addressed. Boulder would use this small break to catch his breath. Using his powers in such large quantities was taxing.

Boulder idly swept rock dust and debris of his body as he waited for the man to respond to Feral.

[Varun Petrov]

Varun laughed when Feral addressed him.

"Vell. . .They were bothering me."

He looked over his shoulder to the officers. They looked like thousand year old mummies because of the lack of water in their bodies. Focusing more on them he drained even more water from them. One of the officers let out a long, low, agonizing moan that brought a pleasurable smile to Varun's face.
Looking to the man that walked out after Feral, he watched as he shed his rock armor and leaned against the building. He was obviously tired and dehydrated from being encased in such and armor. Directing the water from the officers to Boulder Varun aided in helping the Boulder recover some of his lost water.

[Feral]

Feral nodded. "Do it again," he said. "To all those people."

The mutant continued to survey the area. They needed to hit their next big target. "We need to destroy all ability for this town to communicate with the outside. No one must know what is going on beyond now until we are ready to make our display of power."

[Boulder]

Boulder's eyes widened a little at the inexplicable feeling of hydration making it's way into his body. It was disconcerting and refreshing all at once. Not enough to fully replenish his energy, only rest would do that, but it helped him feel better and gave him a small boost none the less. Not having a solid idea as to where the feeling came from, he quickly gave up on looking for a source.

Now that the next step in Feral's plan was revealed, Boulder closed his eyes to get a look at the ground under the city. With the panicked people running around, there was vibration enough to give him a good view of the pipes and cables running underground.

The water lines were pretty easy to discern since they were so much bigger than anything else. The rest of the cables, as far as Boulder could tell, could be anything. Rather than take a chance, he decided that it wouldn't hurt Feral's plans one bit to just block them all off.

Boulder was able to locate three nodes around them within the block. Manipulating the earth at those nodes, he systematically cut the lines by pulling slivers of stone together.

Traffic lights that were blinking went dead. Street lamps went out, and lights in buildings dimmed to blackness. Cable TV lines as well as internet and phone lines were surely cut as well.

Boulder let out a breath. "Yea. That was me." He grinned. "You think you are up to the challenge Ruskie?"

[Varun Petrov]

Varun smiled at Boulder as he saw the effect of his power. Then he looked at Feral.

"No, no. Ve never do same thing twice in roll. You don't want people to see fine. Ve take out news helicopter."

He turned to face the helicopter that was hovering over them. He closed his eyes and focused his energy on the air around the chopper. He caused condensation to build up around it in a thine layer. Soon streams of water was flying around it as he focused on building up more water around it. About five minutes later the chopper was completely encased in what looked like a giant rain drop that floated in the air. Opening his eyes he glanced over his shoulder at Boulder.

"Hey rock boy. Can you do this?"

He laughed as he looked at the men on the ground that were looking up at the helicopter. The men inside had jumped out in a hope that if would save them, but they fell straight through and landed on the ground dead. Varun laughed again as he tossed the chopper at the men Feral wanted dead when it landed the water went flying in all directions throwing men into building or parked cars. Then there was also the added bonus of the chopper exploding sending shrapnel everywhere, acting as a bomb. Varun Turned and looked at Feral.

"How vas that?"

[Feral]

"A good start. Now we need to cut out all power and telephones. Once that happens, the city is ours."

Feral looked about for anything indicating a power generation facility. He knew that blown transformers could short out power for blocks, but that would take time to go find each and every one in a city this size. At least it wasn't as big as Madrid.

[Boulder]

Boulder rolled his eyes at the new man's bravado. Obviously he was the source of Boulder's mysterious re-hydration. He very seriously considered making, what he was sure would be a successful attempt, at showing this guy up. Instead, he opted for just voicing his opinion, which was going to conserve Boulder's strength for when it would be needed later.

"For the time invested in that little stunt, it sure wasn't a lot of bang for your buck. As far as I'm concerned, I don't NEED to do what you just did, 'cause I could do something just like it in less than half the time. Tho, admittedly it probably wouldn't look as impressively flashy as what you did."

He turned to Feral. "As for finding the SOURCE of the power, without knowing the layout of the city.... I think I have an idea. Grab a car, and let's get ready to go for a ride."

Boulder reached out his hand, and his discarded armor stirred around him. It rolled around on the ground, gathering up into a long rod. When the rod was finished forming, it sprang up into Boulder's outstretched hand with a slap. The finished product was a large rod, about as big around as Boulder's forearm and about six feet high.

"And now, we get to go for a joy-ride, and I can play the part of the divining rod."

[Varun Petrov]

Varun smiled at Boulder.

"You know I like you. Smart, witty. Not bad."

Looking over to Feral Varun looked a little put out.

"Vhy not just have Rock Boy just- fth-"

He sliced his left hand over his right hand to indicate a cutting off the power lines underneath them.

"the power lines under us? It vill take less time vith same general effect."

[Feral]

Feral watched the two and felt like he didn't have time to decide if they were going to get along famously or if they were going to have to be kept under control.

"I will let both of you handle this yourselves," he said at last.

Then he stalked off to find radio and television stations.

[Boulder]

Boulder shook his head and turned to Varun. "Rock Boy? I suppose we can call you The Drizzle then. As for cutting the power lines under us, if you didn't notice everything in the area going dead, I already did that. But it's only to this section. To cut power to the whole city, we need to cut it off at it's source, at the main power plant. It would take hours, if not days, to cut every single power line that runs under the city, not to mention the hundreds that run along the rooftops. Now, are you going to get a car, and take the two of us on a ride down the city sidewalks while Feral goes off on his own, or, am I going to have to set out on my own to find the power plant? Either way suits me. In fact...there's something I've been wanting to try that only I can do, so I wouldn't mind taking it solo for this. Wouldn't mind a bit. The question is, what do you want Mister Moist, and what would you be doing if both Feral and I headed out without you?"

[Varun Petrov]

Varun smiled as Boulder talked. His face hardened as he looked past Boulder as if he was not listening. He rolled his eyes at the time when Boulder said.

"what would you be doing if both Feral and I headed out without you?"

Putting up his left hand he closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. About that time a gun shoot was heard that was only 20 feet from behind Boulder. The bullet never reached the back of Boulders head. Smiling he looked back to Boulder.

"I found a car."

Pointing behind boulder to the undercover cop car that was parked about a block away.

"They vill never know it's us."

Varun started walking towards the car he stopped and looked over to Boulder.

"So vhat is your name?"

[Feral]

Feral cut his way through panicked civilians until he found one that looked like he was an easy talker. The savage mutant took the man by the collar.

"Take me to the city's radio and television buildings!" He roared into the man's face

The man was thin, balding and covered head to toe in sweat. "It's just a few blocks that way!" He screeched.

"Pathetic. You will show me!"

Feral dragged the man kicking and screaming down the street.

[Boulder]

Boulder shook his head at Feral. "That's one way to do it..." he muttered. He turned to address Varun. "My name.... Just..... Just call me Boulder. My name does not matter anymore."

He headed over towards the car, large stone rod over his shoulder. He quickly erected a stone wall in front of him, which moved forward at his pace, in case more bullets decided to fire from the direction he was walking. Boulder was rewarded by the sound of bullets ricocheting off his wall a few seconds later.

The cop scrambled out of his car after emptying his gun at Boulder. As soon as he hit the ground, his feet were caught as the ground rose up around them, sticking the man in place. He struggled mightily, but as he struggled, he started to sink. Boulder lowered his wall at the same rate as he sunk the man into the ground and had a nice view as the man's face disappeared beneath the ground.

"Looks like he's going to let us have the car. How nice." Boulder took a few more steps towards the car, stepping around the flailing arms poking out of the pavement.

[Varun Petrov]

Varun walked behind the Boulder and his wall. He did not say much after the Boulder told him his name. He chuckled as he heard the bullets bounce off the wall in front of them. When they reached the car Varun asked.

"I drive."

Varun opened the door and sat down in the drivers seat. He waited for the Boulder to get in.

"So. . .Where normally is electricity plant?"

[Feral]

Feral shoved the man into the doors of the indicated building. He looked around the building. The satellite and antenna were on the roof. He took the man with him in case helicopters decided to rain on his parade.

"So," Feral asked. "What is it you do?"

"I-I'm an accountant."

Feral nodded and broke another door open with the man's rotund body. "How many locals are under your service?"

"Several."

"You will give me their money in exchange for your life."

Feral of course had already planned to kill him anyway.

[Boulder]

Boulder walked around the car and got in the passenger side. Grabbing his stone rod, he thrust it through the floorboard so that it was able to touch the ground below the car.

"Depends. Some power plants are located in the middle of cities, others on the outskirts, in case of a meltdown. I'd wager more heavily on the outskirts. Just start driving, and I'll take a look around. See where the power cords go, and where they join up. The larger the cluster of cables, the closer we will get to the plant."

Boulder slammed the door and settled in. "By the way, what do I call you? I have a feeling that 'Moist' isn't your name."

[Varun Petrov]

As the Boulder talked Varun reached over his shoulder and buckled his safety belt, and started the car. He looked for the clearest street to head down, finding it he threw the car into first gear and took off down the road. In a matter of seconds he was in fifth going 60 mph. He looked at Boulder when he asked him his name, then back to the road.

"Petrov. . . Varun Petrov."

He laughed as he mocked the famous James Bond.

[Feral]

Feral went to work on the wires trailing up the antenna and the satellite dish.

"You are afraid of me," he said to the skinny accountant.

Feral could have sworn the man grew even paler. The wiry man nodded.

"Why is that?"

"You-you--"

"I'm WHAT?" Feral roared.

"You're dangerous! A mutant, a psychopath!"

Feral stalked over to him and hoisted him up by the collar. "Where do we go to get the money?"

The man pointed down the street. "My office is five streets that way."

Feral grinned. With the bones in his face moved to sharpen his features, it made him look more like an animal than a man. "Then we will go and I will make you feel very glad that you lived."

[Boulder]

Boulder shook his head at the man's mocking of the international hero. He may have been from a poor home, but even he had heard of James Bond.

"Okay Petrov, just keep driving."

Boulder shut his eyes and braced himself. This was probably not going to be easy, tooling along at around sixty miles per hour. He got a good grip on his stone divining rod, cementing it in his hand with his power to make sure he didn't lose it, and thrust it down as hard as he could though the hole in the floor. The impact beneath the car produced a loud 'boom' as vibrations shot out from the point of impact.

Boulder gritted his teeth and held the rod to the ground, fighting to keep it from ripping out of his hands, for the few precious seconds it would take for the vibrations to bounce back to him and produce a view of the cables under the streets.

The vision came to him through a haze, like trying to make out a picture on a fuzzy or scrambled TV. Despite the difficulty, Boulder was able to make out the lines that were the power lines under them. As they passed through an intersection, he could make out the forms of two lines coming from either side, to join up with them, heading in the direction they were going.

"Keep going this way," he told Varun.

He braced himself to do the whole thing over. He'd have to do it at every intersection to make sure he didn't miss a turn.

[Varun Petrov]

"Vhat are you doing?!"

Varun shouted as the car shuttered and jolted as the rod went through the frame and into the ground.

"You might vant to varn me before you do that again. The car almost flipped."

[Feral]

Feral picked up the pace as a realization hit him like a truck: He had to get the accountant to move all the money to an account electronically. Which meant that he had to hope that he could get the money before Boulder killed the power.

The wild mutant shattered the glass door to the accounting firm and thrust the skinny man into a chair at a computer terminal. "Transfer all the money to your account!"

Feral placed a blade under the man's chin, next to his throat. "Do it now."

The man's fingers flew frantically over the keyboard as he accessed one account after another, making as many transfers as he could simultaneously. Feral watched with glee as thousands of dollars were moved effortlessly.

"These funds are permanently moved?" Feral asked.

The man gulped. Feral could feel his victim's adam's apple on his blade. "Yes. They're all permanent."

Things were going well. Soon Feral would have more than enough money to do whatever he wanted. All he needed was to kill the accountant and get the account information. He could then set up a new account later. Or even better, he could make several and then be harder to trace.

"You are doing well. You are of much use to me."

[Boulder]

Boulder smirked. "That is how I'm going to track down the power plant. Or were you planning on running around the city blindly to find it? Turn right here." He pointed ahead at the upcoming intersection.

Gazing out of the corner of his eye at Varun, Boulder watched him turn the wheel and make the corner. "Now, I'm gonna do it again to scout ahead and see if we need to make another turn or go straight through the next intersection. Get ready."

Boulder braced himself and raised his rod up to the roof of the car and prepared to ram it down again...

[Varun Petrov]

Varun nodded as he listened to Boulder. He floored the gas and as he watched Boulder he held on tight to the shifter nob and waited as soon as Boulder jabbed the rod down again he would shift the car to neutral to help with the jerking.

[Feral]

The accountant was at the end of his rope trying not to wet himself before this scary man. "Sir, the transfers are running automatically. Can I be... be excused to the bathroom?"

Feral chuckled. "Empty your pockets."

The man put his wallet, car keys, and cell phone on the desk next to the computer keyboard.

"Now," Feral said, "where is the restroom?"

The man pointed a shaking finger at a door across the room. Feral dragged the man to it and kicked him in there. "Don't forget to wash your hands!"

Feral took the time to consider his situation. Despite the destroyed communications, it was too late to use the city as a staging ground. The news had already televised his take over, and even though the outside world wasn't able to stay updated on the events, there was no doubt the military would be deployed to take care of him. They had to get out.

But how to find his two new cohorts and let them know to run?

Feral pounded on the bathroom door, causing the skinny man to shriek within. "Where is the power plant?"

The man gulped and there was the sound of the toilet filling with waste matter. "On the edge of town, north of here!"

Feral nodded. He jammed the door shut and took the man's wallet. He would need the man's bank card to make use of his new funds. Then he discerned north and ran off towards the edge of the city.

[Boulder]

"Left. Right. Straight. Straight. Right. Left." Boulder rattled off directions, punctuated by the thunder of stone on stone, as Varun drove, leading them out of the city. The buildings began to thin as they went, and eventually, on a final right turn, the road opened up to an almost quaint kind of country setting. The whole trip from the middle of the city to the outskirts only took about six minutes, of course, Varun was speeding like a devil.

Boulder glanced over at his driver. "Well, the hard part is over." He pulled his stone rod up, and forced it to mold over his arms leaving his hands exposed, like gigantic stone gauntlets. They made Boulder's forearms look to be about as big as his legs, but he knew that it would be too cumbersome to keep the stone around in pretty much any other form.

"Now, we just have to follow this road for a little ways. Five, maybe ten miles. The power plant should be right up ahead."

He closed his eyes and settled down to enjoy the rest of the ride.

[Varun Petrov]

Varun followed Boulders directions as he spat them out. It only took them about 10 min after they left the city limits for the plant to surface on the horizon Varun nudged Boulder and pointed ahead.

"There it is."

[Feral]

Feral had run for miles. It was not hard with the lack of traffic. Everything was slowed to a halt save for one car with a large rock pillar hanging out of it.

He bolted for the car and extended two long claws from each hand and let the bones in his fingertips extend just enough to give him some extra grip. Then he leapt at the car and grabbed hold of the back. Two more points shot from the tops of his feet and jammed into the trunk. He stayed on the back of the car and climbed to the back, where he cut a hole in the roof and dropped into the back seat.

"Are we there yet? Once we down the power plant, we need to leave. It's going to be too dangerous here in a few hours."

[Boulder]

Boulder straightened up and opened his eyes at Varun's warning and started looking. Before he could voice any kind of response he felt a bump coming from the back of the car, and whipped his head around to see what could be causing the commotion.

He shook his head as he watched Feral climb up the back, rip open the roof, and plop down in the back seat as if he'd been there the whole time.

"Yea" he said in response to Feral, "It should be just up ahead. Probably over this next hill."

He turned to Varun, "You ready for one last bit of fun before we blast out of here?"

[Varun Petrov]

Varun had a smile on his face of pure joy as he watched Feral climb the back of a moving car then cut his way in.

"I agree. This car can use a sun roof."

He joked with Feral after he had plopped down in the back seat. Just as Boulder finished commenting to Feral the gates to the power plant came into view. There were two guard stations with two guards in each one. He cocked his head to the side and addressed Feral.

"Vell mine captain, vhat do ve do from here?"

[Feral]

Feral smiled and laughed. "Boulder will launch his pillar at the guardhouse on the left. You will freeze water on all the power lines. they will break and fall under the weight of the ice and that will be enough."

Feral held on to the seats in front of him. He did not have a seatbelt on and was not sure what would happen in the next few moments. It was the perfect chance to see how his newest members executed his instructions.

[Boulder]

Boulder balled up his pillar and without a second thought, launched it out of the window, not waiting long enough to roll it down. Glass shattered out of his side of the car as his rock ball flew towards the guard hut on the right. It crashed through the front window.

As the glass to the hut broke, Boulder, his hands also balled up into fists, rapidly opened his hands, miming an explosion. The rock ball exploded into sharp columns, all connected at the middle by a small ball, impaling the two guards inside. From the outside, all anyone could see was a spray of blood and little rods of stone poking out of the hut in a myriad of directions.

He would yank his stone concoction back as they drove by.

As they approached the remaining post, Boulder pulled his hands apart and the guard house on the left fell as the ground split open beneath it. Just as fast, he pressed his hands together, sealing it back up. Half of a guard lay on the ground, pinned, and dead, as he was trying to get out.

[Varun Petrov]

Varun's face contorted as he listened to Feral's instructions

Vhat. . .? Ice. . . I can't make ice. Vhat can I do to take the power out.

He scanned the area as he drove around the plant.

"There you are."

He saw a cluster of circuit breakers that had all the power lines connected to it. He turned the car towards them and focused all his energy on building up enough water to cause an electrical shortage. Just as the car reached the gate that surrounded the converters a huge spark flew from the middle one, telling Varun his job was finished. He spun the car around so quickly that anyone who was not strapped in would the thrown to the left side of the car. Missing the gate but just inches Varun watched in the rear view mirror as all the boxes exploded, killing the power to the city.

[Feral]

Feral hit the side of the car's interior, but did not feel harmed at all, thankfully. Well, maybe he would find a bruise under one of the bone plates later, but he was fine for now. At last able to find his seatbelt, he put it on.

"Good job, both of you. Go as fast as the car will allow. Do not stop until the car runs out of fuel. I don't care where we end up, but we need to be the farthest distance possible from here."

[Boulder]

The stone Boulder had thrown had just gotten back to the car as Varun started his wild turn. Quickly, Boulder manipulated it into the frame of the car and whipped it around himself faster than anyone could possibly put on a seat belt, and the concoction of stone held him fast in his seat, preventing him from careening into Varun.

"Just...leave the plant? I mean, they CAN still repair it if they wanted. Why not just mess it up so bad they can't?"

He turned to Varun. "And next time you are going to do something like that, SAY SOMETHING FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!"

[Varun Petrov]

Varun's laughs thundered through out the car. He speed off heading, as fast as the car would go,even further out of town. He looked over to Boulder as the car went flying over a hill, leaving the ground buy a few inches.

"Vhat? You don't always vear your safety belt." -tutu, he played.- "You never know vhen things vill go a stray and you vill need it!"

He raised an eyebrow as he talked and took the next hill at a good 120 mph this time leaving the ground by a good two to three feet.

[Feral]

"We're leaving it because it will take them months to fix what we've broken. If we demolish it all entirely then they will accept that loss with more finality. Therefore we leave it just broken enough that it is almost too costly to repair that facility and the damage to the streets. They will have to choose between the high cost of repairs or tearing the electrical facility down and building a new one. If they choose to repair, then they will deal with the frustration of finding each and every hiccup in the old system. If they rebuild, they have the added anguish of finishing what we started. If we do all the work for them, then there are no choices. There is no anger or woe."

The car went sailing over the top of a hill and came down with a crashing thud. "I appreciate your driving skill, Varun, but it is unwise of us to die before our time. Once we are clear of the area I want you to drive as a normal person drives. No one notices out here because we are fleeing a disaster area. When we get further out people will wonder."

Feral sat back and smiled. Not bad for his first day in America. "You two will be joining me from now on. I like the work you did. Together we will advance mutant kind to its true place in the world."

Now if only Ricky and Oddity would come along. Then the real fun could begin.

"Welcome to my family."