No one was guarding the room they kept Mikayla locked in. Hunter wasn't sure why she expected them to – the SSS wasn't a prison. Sure, Mikayla was on the enemy's side, but Hunter knew better than anyone that you can't fight fire with fire, and for that she respected the SSS and the way they handled their prisoners.
With the key the Captain gave her, Hunter swiped the door and it beeped green. Taking a deep breath, she entered the room.
What the camera didn't show was the desk just beside the door, upon which sat plates of uneaten food and cans that were still sealed. Hunter turned to the end of the room where Mikayla sat with her back against the wall and her arms around her knees. She reminded Hunter of herself, sitting in her Death Cave, only Mikayla was cleaner and the room was heated. She had it easy.
Hunter cautiously approached the girl, but before she could come within a meter, Mikayla ripped her arms apart and glared.
"Stop. Stay the fuck away from me."
Hunter froze. "Okay, I will."
Mikayla looked a hundred times worse than Hunter had ever seen her. Her hair was frizzy and misshapen and her round eyes were swollen and bloodshot. It only took her a minute to remember that the last time she saw her beloved Jet, he had an icicle in his chest. She sighed, sat down in the center of the room and didn't try for small talk.
"Mikayla, I know you hate me, and for the life of me I could never figure out why-"
"How about you punched my boyfriend in the face the day you arrived at ICE," she hissed in a poisonous tone.
Hunter dipped a nod. "Sure, that makes sense. I figured maybe once we talked it over in the bathroom, you might have moved on."
"You'd like that, huh? You think you're so perfect, the way you act like the hero when really you're just reckless and stupid enough to get yourself captured."
Again, Hunter nodded. "You're right, I'm not perfect and I am stupid. Sometimes. Haven't you made mistakes before?"
For a moment, Mikayla didn't answer. She twitched and her gaze averted to her nails. Hunter took that as a yes.
"I've made a lot of mistakes," said Hunter. "But if there's one thing I've learnt, it's that there are always second chances if you're good enough to ask for them."
Mikayla snorted. "What makes you think I want a second chance from you?"
"Because I can take you back to Jet."
Mikayla's brown eyes widened through the strings of her hair. "He's dead," she said in a monotone voice.
"He's alive. I wish I could say the same for Mosi, Benji and Fearne." She couldn't keep the bitterness from her tone. "But no, your psychotic, murderous boyfriend still lives and breathes."
Mikayla ignored the insults and slowly unfolded herself from the wall, leaning towards Hunter as though that would tell her if she was lying or not.
"Why should I believe you?"
Hunter shrugged. "I don't give a shit if you do or you don't. But I'm offering you a chance at freedom if you tell me what Dr. Wolfe is doing and where he's hiding."
Mikayla started chuckling. She rested her back against the wall again.
"Of course you're lying. You just want information."
"I'm not lying Mikayla. And yes, I want information."
"Why don't we play the question game?" Mikayla grinned, reminding Hunter of the old mutant woman who went crazy and tried to strangle her.
After thinking seriously, Hunter decided it would be worth the risk. "How do you play?"
"I ask a question, you answer. If you answer truthfully, you get to ask one and I'll do the same."
"Go ahead then."
Mikayla giggled again and crossed her legs. She tucked her ratty hair behind her ears. "Okay ... where am I?"
Thank fuck, an easy one. "You're in a compound built into the side of a mountain in the Nevada desert. The compound is run by an organization called the Superhero Support Society."
Mikayla frowned, trying to decide whether she made it up.
"It's the truth," said Hunter emotionlessly.
"Alright. I believe you. Your turn."
"Where is Dr. Wolfe?"
"He's at ICE, or he was when I left for the cabin to hunt you retards down."
Hunter rubbed her forehead. So that was a couple of days ago. According to Marcus, the FBI raided ICE yesterday. Dr. Wolfe must've evacuated after Mikayla left. Or she's lying.
"My turn." She thought for a second before her face lit up. "Okay ... okay, how did Jet survive the stab?"
"Honestly, I don't know. We left him there, and when we went back to retrieve the bodies, his was gone."
A light left Mikayla's eyes. "So you don't know for sure if he's alive?"
"Not completely, but there's a chance."
"I knew you were lying to me," she snarled. "I swear to God Hunter, when I get out of here I'm going to-"
"My turn." Hunter stared the girl down, feeling the fire burst inside her veins, sick of trying to play Good Cop. Mikayla saw her veins brighten and instantly, she doused the fire using her power. Her eyes started to twitch and panic filled them. She remembered the battle by the lake and how Hunter had beaten her. She started to become afraid, but Hunter wasn't going to threaten her just yet. She was enjoying watching the girl squirm. "What is Dr. Wolfe's next move?"
Mikayla shook her head. "I don't know."
"Now who's lying?"
"I DON'T KNOW! I swear, I don't ... he won't let me near Jack and when the soldiers come, I'm not-"
"Who are the soldiers?"
"You can't ask two questions!"
Hunter had had enough. She leapt from the ground and crossed the space between them in less than a second, her hands bursting into flames, her anger outplaying her control and the fire trying to best Mikayla's power. She should have been more careful of her control. Will had warned her so.
Mikayla whimpered as Hunter towered over her with her hands clutching the girl by her collar.
"Tell me everything you know Mikayla, or the next time Jet sees you he won't even be able to recognize your scarred face after I burn it."
"Okay! Okay!" Mikayla put a shaky hand up in surrender and Hunter released her. "Look, when you guys escaped, Jet and I were allowed to roam the institution and do what we liked. We experimented, Jet joined the guard's club-" At the confused look on Hunter's face, Mikayla elaborated. "It's, like, where they all hang out together and have fights and stuff, only they used Will as a punching bag instead."
Hunter felt the air leave her lungs. Will never told her that.
"Anyway, we weren't allowed to know anything. Dr. Wolfe had secret meetings with these Chinese generals ... actually they might've been Korean, I couldn't tell-"
"Do you have any idea what they were planning?"
She shrugged. "All I know is that when Jack woke up, Dr. Wolfe was happy for the first time since the escape and Jack ... he walked around like this robot, always looking like he could murder me if I so much as touched him. We never talked. Dr. Wolfe acted like Jack was his pride and joy. Jet felt really left out and once told me he wanted to tear Jack apart, but I don't think he could. So anyway, they would meet with these Chinese guys and Jack would always be in the meetings. Once he said to Jet that they were planning to destroy the country."
"The country?" asked Hunter. "So not the world?"
"Well, that may be their second plan, but yeah, America. They want to destroy America, the Asian bastards. But my theory is that the attack from the Chinese is only Dr. Wolfe's distraction. He wants something other than control over the government."
"What more could he possibly want?"
As soon as she asked the question, she knew the answer. Ravenadium. He wants more Ravenadium. Hunter ran a hand through her hair. "Okay. That's really everything you know? What about my dad?"
"Who?" she frowned.
"Leo Phillips. He was a patient of Dr. Wolfe's, he had really badly burnt skin and Dr. Wolfe was keeping him in one of the infirmary rooms."
Mikayla shrugged. "No idea who you're talking about."
Feeling deflated, Hunter got to her feet.
Mikayla reached out and grabbed her ankle. "Hunter?"
As Mikayla stared up at her with puppy-dog eyes, Hunter saw a flash of humanity that she didn't think the girl had. A strange burning sensation blew through her body at the touch of the girl's hand.
"There's a war coming. I hope you're prepared for the sacrifices you're going to have to make."
Hunter pulled her leg away. "They've already been made, Mikayla."
As she walked away, Mikayla called out to her. "Could you do me one last favor?"
"What?"
"Could you tell some of the others to come see me? Marcus and Zac, maybe? I just want to tell them ... well, it's personal. Please Hunter, it's all I ask."
Hunter wasn't sure if she wanted to give Mikayla anything, but there was no harm in it. Maybe Marcus could get something else out of her that Hunter couldn't. He surely seemed to want to pick a fight today.
"Okay," she sighed. "I'll try."