School Daze

[Locksmith]

There was anger, but more than that, there was a sense of urgency in John's demeanor. A student was missing in a dangerous crowd, and three more needed to escorted to safety. Looking Bernard in the eye, despite the few inches he had to look up, the nearly middle-aged mutant spoke firmly, "Bass, you get Sam and Damien out of here. I'm going in for Tess, wherever she is. And don't get smart and sneak off. We're taking my van back to the school. the whole lot of us. Got it?"

A dangerous gleam glinted in John's eyes as he turned back to the crowd. A youth, mutant or human he didn't know, saw only a symbol of autority in the older man, and charged, broken bottle raised. John shook his head and charged with a lightning quick shoulder ram into the teen's chest, bowling him over, but using his incredible speed, John caught him by the shirtscuff and wispered something evidently frightening as the bottle feel from the youth's hand and he hastened to run quickly away once released. Then it was back to the crowd, and looking for Tess.

Madness was breaking out, and the anger and miosunderstanding of youth fueled both support and resistance from those around who were previously uninvolved. Then he saw her--he thought--and with iron determination John made his way toward where he thought he spotted her, only to suddenly witness a flash of green before him and the crowd parted. John froze momentarily as his gaze fell upon the man on the other side of the break.

[Saladin]

And the man on the other side froze and looked back at him.

A chorus of loud pops echoed over the crowd, and the man wheeled to see tear gas cannisters arcing toward them. Calculating which two would land nearest to him, he blasted them with gravitic energy, and they erupted harmlessly in the air. And then the gap between him and John filled up, hiding him from view.

Moments later, Saladin appeared directly in front of the Locksmith, somehow remaining unjostled by the crowd.

"It's been a long time, John."

[Locksmith]

Johnathan Parker only nodded, Tess momentarily forgotten. "Yeah, it has," the Locksmith replied, unaware that his students were well within earshot. "We've missed you on league night. Vinne hasn't been able to roll a turkey since his kid was born, thought you might like to know. I'm still at the Red Nail every Friday night. Why don't you come down this weekend, we'll knock back a few and get back to how it was."

[Saladin]

The man called Saladin paused. It seemed the idea appealed to him.

"I'm afraid we can never get back to how it was," he said. "Not while Ethan remains blind to the world around him. But this isn't the time or place for catching up."

He glanced beyond John at the trio of very guilty-looking students and noted that Tess was not among them.

"Are you looking for something?"

[Locksmith]

"I never mentioned Ethan," John was quick to point out. "But, yes, a student has managed to go missing. And if you'd put aside your dogma and simply help an old friend, I'd much appreciate it, Hektor. It's a girl, name's Tess."

[Saladin]

Saladin considered for a moment what he might stand to gain from personally interviewing one of Ethan's students - it would be no difficulty at all for Void to spirit Tess away to one of the Brotherhood's New York safehouses. But this was John. And he deserved honesty.

Holding his eyes on John's, Saladin reached up to finger an earpiece that had been hidden from sight so far. "Void, take the girl to the Washington Square Arch. Her friends will meet you there."

Then, to John, he added, "She is under the protection of one of my associates. You can pick her up at the arch. But I'm afraid neither of us can stay to chat. I'd advise you to leave soon as well before the authorities begin making arrests."

[Locksmith]

John nodded, though he didn't ask for what reason Hektor had Tess pulled away for. Hektor and Johnathan had never lied to each other, as far as both knew, so there was no reason not to trust his words.

"Thank you," the muscular teacher said with a nod. "Red Nail, Friday. If you can," he added, nodding a brief goodbye before turning to lead the three other students toward the arch, not bothering to look back and see where Saladin would go.

[Lazarus]

Why'd he taken a walk down this street, on this day? Wherever he went trouble always seemed to follow him, almost magnetically attracted to him. An ordinary person wouldn't have died as many times as Malachi had in his short life - he was certain of that. Maybe it was his lifestyle, after all if you can't die, you eventually stop fearing death.

Sure, the pain always got to him, and he avoided it like the plague. It's the reason he usually stayed out of public view, but all he'd been doing is going for a walk, and walked into the middle of a protest - the speaker had some interesting ideas, and even more disturbing conspiracies. It all made him nervous, the idea of the government going to such length against mutants, like him.

He'd seen the depths humanity could go to, he'd been shot before for being what he was. Another time stabbed, you put a mindset like that in charge and... he shuddered, it was a bit too worrisome to think about, he'd be better off heading back down the street the way he'd come. He never had that chance though, and the whole place errupted.

The screams of anger, fear and horror were deafening - and he was caught up in the middle of a swarming mass of civilians, mutants and cops. Only chance was to try and push his way out of the crowd, break free and take off, just like he always did. He shoved a few people out of his way, and rushed into a small break in the crowd, a moment to catch his breath before he started trying to get free of the sea of people again. That's when he saw it, the glint of metal against the sun, and one of the rioters pulled a gun.

Death to genefreaks! was his only warning as he leveled the gun at a girl, no more than 14 who had a physically noticable mutation. Little wings on her back, probably unusable - and definately no harm to anyone. He could turn, run to the other side while everyone's attention was being drawn to the scene that would immediately follow the shot. He winced, but he was the only one close enough to do anything, his internal struggle lasted only a moment, and he sighed.

This is going to hurt. Again. No time to move her, the crowd was too thick, no way to stop him without someone else getting hurt, the only chance was the one thing he could do. He stepped in front of the shot, just as the man pulled the trigger. Police tackled him a few moments later, before he could fire again, and Malachi fell to the ground - a bleeding hole in the side of his head.

"Yo, Lazarus!" Johnny called to him mockingly, and he laughed, "I told you not to call me that Scrub." He was 14, and had been living on the streets for a few years, made a few friends here and there - and for a homeless, famililess young man, life was as good as it was gonna get. "Do it again!" He grinned, "No way! I told you before, it hurts okay? You've already seen it before." He just frowned, "Awww come on, Laz-Man..." Lazarus, Johnny'd taken to calling him that after he'd found out. He always said he hated the nickname, though... he always liked just how appropriate it was...

He gasped sharply, as he felt the still hot bullet roll off his brow and clink against the pavement - wincing as the wound from the gunshot finished healing up. He didn't know how long he'd been down, but the crowd was still in full riot mode, though he'd managed to gather some attention now - and people were staring in disbelief. "He's one of them..." "Mutant..." "Monster!" And just like that he remembered why he didn't things like this. He stood quickly and looked around, no time for a smoke or a shot to calm his gut, coughing he started pushing through the crowd again - he had a new reason to get free of the swarm of people - he'd exposed himself.

[Spectre]

"Easy there, son!"

"Just take.. it.. easy.."

A group of police were surrounding the young man. They had been moving into the fray to pick up his body before it could be trampled in the riot. The last thing they had expected from a gun shot wound to the head was for the corpse to suddenly sit up and shake it off like a beach ball had bounced off him and not a bullet.

Other people were gathering. Those who were bent on spilling mutant blood. Mutants who would have steppped around the young man to help him out, but were held back. More police and even more official looking men wearing suits and yelling into headsets. One of the later stepped forward and took the boy by the arm.

"You.. come with us." The 'Suits' hold wasn't painful, but it left no room for arguement. The young man was led toward and armored truck and the back doors were opened at his approach. He was not shackled, or sedated or anything that could have been expected, just led inside, left alone and then the truck began to move.

Before his eyes, a woman appeared on the seat opposite him. Shimmering from nothing, she was dressed in a silver jumpsuit and her hair was pulled back into a long silver-white tail. She held a finger to her lips, gesturing silence.

A few blocks away from the riot, the truck stopped. She spoke, not to the boy, but in the direction of the cab. "This is your stop, Eddie. Have a nice day."

The 'Suit' left the engine running, exited the truck and skipped up the street, happy in the vision that he was home from his school bus ride. She rose and opened the back doors once more, Saladin was standing where they had agreed upon, but from the look on his face he had expected Spectre to be alone in the truck..

"We have a guest..", she said..

[Void]

There was a hiss of static in Void's ear and then the voice of Saladin.

“Washington Square Arch?” he repeated, quirking an eyebrow.

His dark eyes scanned the area, as he tried to get his bearings amidst the fortunately thinning crowd. Having regained his orientation, Void lead Tess on towards their destination. As they approached the arch, he saw another group – lead by a tower of a man - appeared to be trying to clear their way through towards the monument.

“Guess this is your stop,” Void murmured, as he released his hold on Tess – once again making her visible to the world.

[Saladin]

Saladin quirked an eyebrow at the stranger - particularly at the bright red, bullet-shaped welt on his forehead which was fading before his eyes.

"I see. I suggest you make yourself comfortable for now. It's far safer in here than out there."

He swung himself in through the back door as his two bodyguards from the platform - a huge Samoan and a rangy Pakistani - piled into the cab. "Take us to the next rendezvous point - we'll pick up Void and be on our way. Now..."

As the truck rumbled away from the curb, Saladin turned and sat on one of the bench seats that just minutes ago had held agitated riot officers. By now the stranger's welt had disappeared entirely.

"Quite a talent you have there."

[Lazarus]

He was right, it was safer in here than out there... and he wasn't in any position to argue about his situation. It took him a few moments to realize that he he was now sitting across from the same guy who'd been talking to the crowd turned riot, just before.

"Quite a talent you have there."

He rubbed his forehead where the shot had hit him almost instinctively, and let out a sigh. He was completely exposed now, he'd probably be on the evening news tonight - there was no going back, no slinking back into obscurity, not after today.

"Talent?" He said almost confused, and finally nodded, "Seems like it's been more of a curse for me." He couldn't deny how beneficial his mutation could be, if it wasn't for the pain. The physical pain faded, he could learn to live with that, but all the pain he'd been through just for being a mutant... that lingered.

[Spectre]

Spectre sat down beside the boy and spoke softly. "I saw what you did for the little girl. That was a very brave thing."

She didn't want to admit it, but she had been torn in the descision to act herself. On the one hand she had no wish to see a little girl shot down and killed, especially one of their own kind. On the other hand, the death of a child in the streets, that was something that would galvanize the mutant populace into action. They would see the homosapiens for what they really were.. violent slave masters. She hated herself for being shrewd enough to see that.. Luckily for the child, she had been granted a far better savior than herself..

"Your abilities seem a curse because of them.", she nodded back the way they had come.

"It dosen't have to stay that way.. There are those who would seek to help you. You have the right to live.."

[Saladin]

Saladin watched the newcomer candidly. "We are all of the same kind here. I am Saladin. This is Spectre. What is your name, friend?"

[Lazarus]

The right to live... now there was a thought. He'd always had the ability to live through anything, but to be told something as simple as "You have the right to live." It just struck home, with the exception of one human, every one of them he'd met had tried to hurt or kill him. Today was a perfect example, only he'd chosen to move into the path of that bullet. He'd chosen to use his power, instead of being forced to use it.

He relaxed noticably, and started to smile. Maybe today wasn't such a bad day afterall.

"What is your name, friend?"

"Malachi Rayner..." He paused, blinking a few times. The names they'd given him, Saladin and Spectre, those were names they'd chosen for themselves, as mutants.

"Yo, Lazarus!" A flash of memory hit him again, of the only human who had ever treated him decently, and had been repaid by being murdered by his own kind.

"Lazarus." He corrected, "My name is Lazarus."