I entered headquarters reluctantly because of my awkward situation with John. I was greeted by everyone with open arms. Marcos, Shatter, Sage, Sonya, Clarice, and everyone came to give me a hug and welcome me back. I was even introduced to the family I helped save. Caitlin was the mother she seemed super nice, but really distracted. Lauren was the daughter and she seemed sure of herself for the first time in a long time. The boy, Andy was a little skeptical of everything, but seemed like he wanted to prove himself. They seemed like a perfect family.
"Hey, Clarice, what happened here?" I asked referring to the damage.
"Oh.. yeah that was me. I portalled for miles and kind of flipped out and couldn't control my powers. I'm better now, though. Caitlin helped me." She said sheepishly.
"Oh... I'm glad you're ok." I said squeezing her hand letting her know I was sincere. I walked passed the control room when I overheard Marcos and John arguing again.
"So, what, we just forget about Lorna - 'cause she's behind bars?" Marcos asked.
"You know that's not what I'm saying." John defended.
"Well, God knows what she's going through in there." Marcos said trying not to think of what Lorna was going through at this very moment.
"I doubt they will hurt a pregnant lady in jail. Lorna is tough. She can defend herself. She's in a much better place than I was." I said trying to comfort Marcos while avoiding John's gaze.
"You're talking about breaking into a jail. 20-foot walls. With guards. With guns." John said logically.
"We have a way past all of it: Clarice. You saw what she can do." Marcos said trying to find any solution to get Lorna back.
"I saw her tearing through the fabric of space. She almost destroyed half the building. She almost died." John said quizzically.
"I think she'd be willing to help once she gets better. Lorna did help save her." I said.
"Yeah... Besides, she's fine now." Marcos shrugged.
"In your expert medical opinion." John scoffed.
"Yeah, well, she's better than she was." Marcos said.
"Even if she is, she's nowhere near ready to take on what you're proposing." John said.
"Then train her. Just like you trained most of the people in this room." Marcos said gesturing around the room.
"You train her." John said trying to get out of this situation.
"I'll train her... God. We're supposed to help people. Clarice is terrified to use her powers again. We have to show her what it's like to use her powers for good. Not out of fear or necessity or for our gain. We need to help her." I said.
"Yeah, Johnny, Clarice did get herself out of jail. I mean, maybe she can do this with our help." Sonya said trying to convince John to help Clarice.
"So you're on their side." John accused.
"No. I'm on Lorna's side. She's my friend." Sonya defended.
"John, there aren't any sides. We all have the same goal. You out of anyone should realize that." I said trying to make John know that I'm mad at him.
"All right." John said.
"W-Wait. We still live in a country of laws. H-Have we tried calling a lawyer? Some members of Congress are sympathetic to mutants." Caitlin said optimistically.
"You're really overestimating -" Marcos began.
"Why not try? We can assault a building, but we can't talk to a person?" Caitlin said cutting Marcos off mid-sentence.
"You said you wanted to fight." Marcos said.
"I do. But there are ways to fight that don't involve battles. I have connections. I can reach out." Caitlin said trying to avoid any fighting.
"Caitlin, I think that it's great that you want to avoid a fight, but it always ends up being a fight caused by people that hate us." I said trying to let her down gently.
"We can't have contact with the outside world while you're staying here. Sentinel Services will be looking for you. We can't risk - the exposure." John said trying to keep the underground safe.
"Even if it could help?" Caitlin scoffed.
"Much better odds they turn on us. I'm sorry, Caitlin. No, it's too dangerous." John said shooting her down walking out of the room. I followed him.
"John, what was that?" I asked grabbing his arm to turn him around.
"I'm trying to keep this place and everyone in it safe and Caitlin's plan would get everyone killed. I'm just being honest." John said.
"Since when are you all for fighting?" I asked concerned.
"Since I lost my best friend a year ago." He yelled.
"I lost him too, but I'm not gonna let that fill me with hate and rage that will get people hurt. You need to take a step back and realize that you're fighting for more than revenge. You're fighting for all mutants, everywhere." I said leaving him to think about what I said.
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I went to my room and shut the door for some peace and quiet. I didn't expect to think about Gus this much. It was bringing up painful memories. I laid on my bed and began to reminisce about all the good times I had with Gus before he died.
Four Years Ago...
I was sitting on the couch in the common room when John entered with a man following him. He looked around the room unsure of what to think. He was attractive, close to six foot, blonde, and had the most amazing icy blue eyes. I was gonna have some fun with him. I could tell. I stopped staring once I realized they were approaching me.
"Hey, Dylan. This is Gus. I've known him forever. We even served together. He's gonna join us. Help us out for a while." John said gesturing to Gus. Gus waved a little to say hi.
"Hey. As John said, I'm Dylan. I'm kind of a big deal around here. I can manipulate the elements. You know air, water, fire, and earth... So... what can you do, handsome?" I asked in a flirtatious tone.
"Uhhh... I can interfere with... uh... electromagnetic frequencies." He said nervously clearing his throat.
"What does that mean, exactly?" I said with a mischievous glint in my eyes.
"Umm... I can block frequencies like security cameras and other mutant's powers." He said looking between John and I. He looked like he was asking John for help, but John knew better.
"Cool... Try on me." I said sweetly putting my arms behind my back.
"What?" He asked concerned.
"I said try it on me. Block my powers." I said holding my arms out at my sides.
"I don't know if that's a good idea." John said concerned.
"Awww, are you trying to protect your friend's pride. That's very honorable, John." I said mocking their manliness.
"You want me to block your powers? Fine." Gus said as his eyes blue eyes began to turn yellow.
"Alright... let's see what you're made of." I said cracking my knuckles preparing to create a mini tornado inside the compound. I put out my hands and focused on my task, but nothing happened.
"It's ok, I tend to have that effect on people." Gus said confidently, his eyes returning to his original baby blue color.
"Wow... Pretty boy got confident all of a sudden. We'll see how long that lasts." I said leaving the room purposely touching Gus's shoulder on my way out.
"She's something..." I heard Gus say knowing his eyes were following me.
"Yeah, you'll get used to her." John said continuing his tour of the compound. This was going to be fun.