Fantasy A clash of desires.

[Becboc]

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a clash of desires.
Rising_Sun x Becboc​

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In amongst the bustling streets of Reander, humans and mutants live side by side in a world that at one point in its history, would claim to have found peace between the differences of its inhabitants. The city holds a bustle of activity that on a surface level would seem nothing short of ordinary for a world of its size, but if you leaned in closely enough to hear the whisperings of the people, it would not be long before you learned that life in Reander, for the mutants at least, is anything but peaceful.

For years the humans of the city have treated their mutant neighbours with nothing less than disdain, a situation which is created by the city's governing powers themselves. The government continuously seek to antagonise what is already a precarious relationship between the two species, attempting to hide their animosity towards those who are different, through a dangerous ideology that marks mutants as lesser beings than their human companions. They do this in the hope that they can hold onto their distorted view that they are the more powerful race. This poison spilled out into the minds of the humans, who quickly came to view the mutants as monsters, an opinion which permeates their actions towards any being who is different from themselves. As a result of such hostility, mutants have resorted to hiding their abilities in order to protect themselves and their families, for fear of the consequences of their existence.

As normal practice, when a mutant is brought to the attention of the government, if they choose not to go into hiding, they are instead captured and forced through years of painful experimentation. Some are released, but ruined to a point beyond recovery and some never experience the freedom they once relished for the short amount of time that they were allowed it. For years this maltreatment went unchallenged by humans and mutants alike, the former simply through apathy, the latter through fear. However more recently, attempts at rebellion have become somewhat common place amongst the mutant race and have begun to grow in intensity across the city. At first, the government saw these acts of treason as a feeble attempt to disrupt the system, but now that things are escalating, the authorities are starting to panic - could they really be losing the iron grip of control that they believed to be established beyond destruction?

In the present day, the government have resorted to forming a mutant task force to tackle the ever growing problem of mutant rebellion. The governing body would never use precious human life to destroy mutants, so it was swiftly decided that they would use their own race against them. Mutants destroying mutants. Group X was created with intent to discover the whys and wherefores behind the recent attacks on the city, with promises of freedom and happiness thrown their way in reward for their compliance. The authorities were smart in their recruitment, targeting the vulnerable and the lost, providing them with the security of one of their intensive training programmes before thrusting them into a role of 'importance' within the team. This group, although recently formed, has been strongly conditioned to believe that they are playing an integral part of striving for the greater good between humans and mutants, and as the government work hard to cover up their maltreatment , Group X seemingly have less and less reason to question their orders.

This is where our story begins.​

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[Becboc]

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The day felt as though it had been passing slowly in the office on this gloomy Tuesday morning, as bodies milled in and out of desk chairs and between paper ladened areas with an air of efficiency. There were the odd rumblings of chit chat between pockets of people, as well as a soothing regularity of tapping keys that filled the air in accompaniment with the odd buzz of a photocopier. The headquarters of Group X was somewhat of a dismal scene, as it was most days due to the very nature of the building it was located in. A little drive out of the city centre was the location of some of the city's top secret organisations, held inconspicuously behind a large gated compound in a row of buildings that were impressive in stature from the outside, as well as the inside. The predominant presences within the buildings, as expected, were humans, who came and went throughout the day depending on their business and generally paid no mind to the odd mutant who brushed by them, on their way to the underground hideout that had been gifted to Group X by the government themselves. Of course, mutants could not be granted proper or official residency in any building of such importance, but were instead resorted to the basement of the second structure in the compound, an uninspiring workspace with dimly lit ceiling lamps and smears of old paint on the walls that had maybe once been intended to make the area more attractive. When they had first been shown to their new workspace, Kaya's immediate reaction was one of contempt - why did they have to hide away underground, when their human counterparts enjoyed the lavishness of the modern offices upstairs? But the explanation that had followed had temporarily reassured her that this probably was the best location for her team, whose top secret existence had to be protected at all times, even if this meant them residing in the darkness of a secret underground bunker.

As the brunette replayed this conversation in her mind, she was only shaken out of her reverie at the entrance of Thea, one of the team's frontline agents. The silver haired girl had an expression on her face that Kaya couldn't quite place. It was somewhere between frightened and excited, she decided eventually, as the younger girl drew closer to her, Kaya all the while searching her own consciousness for some hint of emotive reaction. To say that Kaya felt numb to most things these days was somewhat of an understatement. She had a coldness about her that made her unapproachable to most and disliked by many, but her vision and leadership skills were unrivalled by any of the mutants around her and although she was maybe a little feared, she was also well respected. Her team would do anything for her and their cause and in return they knew that she would do the same for them, as she had, many times. Despite the numbness that had settled within her heart, which Kaya had long since decided was probably some kind of defence mechanism, she was fiercely loyal to her team and her desire to protect them no matter the cost occasionally threatened to get the better of her. For someone of twenty four years old, she had already experienced more loss than she cared to think about and if she could prevent any further cases, she would, an uncomfortable shiver creeping down her spine as she was momentarily lost once again in her own mind. She sat up a little straighter in her chair then, her chin inclined towards the girl who began to speak. "You need to see this." Thea motioned towards the television that sat in the corner of the office, grabbing the remote control from a nearby desk and flicking the channel over. Immediately, images of a scene of pure devastation flickered into the eyes of the onlookers who had grown quiet as the news report blared into the uneasy silence of the office. In front of them, the camera shot showed what once was one of the city's largest buildings, but in its place was now something that looked closer to ruins than a building. The surrounding buildings had also been compromised, their windows smashed out and scorch marks splattered across their exteriors. From what had obviously been the target structure, what looked to be pitch black flames billowed out from what was left of it, streaking plumes of equally dark smoke way up into the clouds, creating a grey smog that was wrapping itself carelessly around the city. A low hushed murmur started to sound from the bodies in the room, the majority of which were glancing towards their leader who stood frozen to the spot, an expressionless flicker crossing her features. Kaya found that as she murmurings seemed to grow louder, they appeared to act as a glue that prevented her from reacting. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the images in front of her simply because there was something about them that looked all too familiar, yet she hardly dared to place where she had seen the darkness of those flames before.

Cutting through the chatter suddenly, came Kaya's dulcet tone after what felt like a good few moments, once she'd managed to get herself together for long enough to speak. "Thea, Lucas, you're with me," she ordered blankly, grabbing her jacket from the back of her chair as she willed her legs to carry her forwards. "Isaac and Beth, follow on behind us." The rest of the team watched as the chosen four silently obeyed their instructions, leaving their office in a somewhat determined but orderly fashion, before they were in the cars and heading into the city in barely any time at all. Kaya's two companions chattered between themselves as Lucas drove them towards the scene, both of them querying what they might find upon their arrival, tossing possible suspects and motives between them and failing to acknowledge the tension rolling of their leader, who laid her head against the window, her face turned away from her partners so they were unable to notice that anything was wrong. It wasn't unusual for Kaya to be silent and she was thankful that her team had come to accept this about her, more often than not letting her slip into her own spiral of thoughts. But it was currently more than thoughts that were ravaging against the walls of her mind as she tried to hold in a wince caused by the sudden unexpected wave of emotion that was rattling through her being. There were all sorts of feelings flying around her mind, from anger all the way through to... desire, the latter being what Kaya was maybe the most afraid of. She was angry that she had found out about this incident through the television rather than the group's intelligence, and angry that she had failed to know anything about it, let alone prevent it. She felt an undeniable guilt that whatever had happened had been allowed to happen on her watch. Part of her tried to reason that this may not be a mutant attack as she had originally suspected, but her more rational side argued back even louder. She knew what this was, of course she did. The flames were evidence enough. It was this thought though that brought on another onset of longing, that was quickly followed by an uncomfortable lurch in her chest as this alien feeling was turned to that of bitterness, her memories of her parents, her home, of him hitting her in quick succession. Needless to say it was a relief as they reached the city, the poor visibility momentarily pulling Kaya away from the images that threatened to drown her.

"Pull over here." The three moved swiftly then from the car, approaching the officers who stood around the perimeter without a word, instead the group simply showing their ID badges and moving effortlessly past and under the flimsy paper that blocked off the area from the rest of the public. Kaya could feel energy pulsing through her finger tips as instinctively her shield pushed out to those that stood around her. They couldn't be sure that they weren't in immediate danger, but this was just part of their job, something they had grown accustomed to. The five stood still momentarily, glancing up at the building before them that was still spitting out gigantic black flames that the human fire service had almost given up trying to extinguish. "Beth, do you think you can do anything about those?" Kaya asked, turning to the blonde who stood a few feet away from her. The girl nodded before heading towards the wreckage, Isaac hot on her heals. That just left the three of them. "You two head left around the building, I'll go right. We need to make sure that whoever did this isn't still hanging around somewhere. Keep an eye out for clues, or anything that looks unusual and report back here once you've done an initial sweep of the areas you can get to. Be careful." Kaya watched as the two nodded before heading off as instructed, flinging out her shield to wrap around them as they went, then moving steadily towards the building herself, desperately trying to ignore the panic that was starting to grip a hold of her chest.

The smoke that was rippling from the flames that still licked up the side of the structure continued to reduce the visibility around the scene as Kaya attempted to draw closer, her eyes flickering backwards and forwards as the first few droplets of cool rain dripped onto her papery skin. The twenty four year old readied herself for the cloud burst that she knew Beth was behind, her senses never faltering as she rounded the corner of the building that was the furthest away from the prying eyes of the humans behind her. She could feel the air growing quieter, the further away that she got, until she eventually came across what was left of a door that had seemingly been blown open, the remnants of the glass and concrete scattered in pieces around her feet. Leaning down to examine the shards, she ran slender finger tips over the bumpiness of the ground, admiring the impact of whatever explosion had taken place before she straightened again and silently slipped through the doorway. Kaya knew that there was only so far in that she could go before a solo mission would become too dangerous, but she would rather risk her own life than the lives of her team. Plus if there was any chance that the suspect could still be around, she would want to be the one who found them. The corner of her lips twitched at the thought of how this sequence of ideas displayed a worrying lack self-worth, an acknowledgement that she shrugged off with nonchalance as she clambered over a mound of dusty rubble, some of the rocks slipping away from her feet and hitting some of the other stones with a clatter. Living through some of the worst things that could happen to someone had given Kaya a feeling of fearlessness when tackling immediate danger. If the worst thing that could happen to her at this point was death, then she was convinced that she would be getting off pretty lightly.

 

[Jack19XK]

Under the urbanized and lively facade of Reander lies a vile and sinister reality. The barren deserts bordering the large and populous city was once the home of the Helix Institue, a world-renowned medical and scientific research facility. Helix was once regarded as being one of the most evolutionary facilities for medical research. They were responsible for the creation of the N1V1 vaccine, which saw the annihilation of the Necro-Viscus Pandemic in the 1980s. However, the vaccine's origins and how it'd come into being have since become a subject of debate for many.

Like Reander's reputation, Helix's emphasis on health and humanity was also a facade. While the advancements made by the institute had been true, the method in which they'd gone about obtaining such developments were far from humane. The institute had once housed over 4000 mutant subjects, many of which's identities remain unknown today. Most of those mutants were orphaned children whose parents had either abandoned them or "passed" away in circumstances redacted by the government.

Helix was destroyed several years ago in a mysterious fire that to this day, remained heavily classified. The government claimed the fire to be the result of an accident but as with many things, rumors quickly spread of other possibilities. Some claim it to be the result of secret nuclear testing while others asserted a more eerie cause. As more and more of the world became aware of the existence of mutants, many began to speculate that the institute's true purpose was to conduct illegal testing on the genetically evolved. Such tests may have triggered the accident that claimed the lives of all those who'd worked within the facility including the two head researchers and their daughter. Due to the death of all those involved, the world may never find the answer to the cause of this horrific accident.

Over the years, more and more facilities like Helix were built throughout the world. All of its governments asserted that there's no human testing involved and that the facilities were created solely for the purpose of legal and beneficial research. Such claims were continuously contradicted by articles and secret sources that highlighted the cruel reality that is mutant experimentation. Even so, the governments of the world maintained their stance and even went as far as censuring information regarding such subjects.

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Like any typical day, Lucas had arrived early at his team's main underground facility. Even before the sun had fully crossed the horizon, the 24 year old male had already risen from his bed and prepared himself for the day's work. Among all of his teammates, Lucas is perhaps the closest to matching the relentless and persistent work ethic of their leader. It's not uncommon for the male to arrive at Group X's base early. There is no grace period for wicked so vigilance is always of the topmost priority. Although the government has developed effective methods of fast communication in the case of emergencies, Lucas still emphasized the need to be present at the base. And with the gradual increase of what the government deemed as "renegade mutants", it has become even more vital for there to be someone who's present to be briefed and deployed at a moment's notice.

Lucas had spotted Kaya at her desk upon his entrance into their office space. The male did not like to bother the female during the early periods of the day given his understanding of Kaya desire to remain focused on work. Instead, Lucas made his way to his own desk. Pulling the chair away from his solid wooden desk, the male proceeded to take a seat. Lucas could feel a migraine forming as he stared at the mountainous stacks of documents laid out over his desk. There were enough to effectively cover the dark shades of the wood that was used to craft the headquarter's desks. Just as Lucas prepared to begin reading the documents, something attracted the corner of his eye.

Turning to one of the monitors scattered across the office area, Lucas' hazel colored eyes widened at the sight of an apartment building seared in flames. As the male glanced around, he could see his other colleagues whose eyes were also glued to the scream. Isaac, one of his close teammates, had grabbed the remote and increased the volume. The male felt his heart sink as the reporter reveals that many of the building's residents remained trapped within. At that moment, it was as if complete silence had befallen the office floor.

Without a second thought, the male rushed to the desk of Kaya but found that Thea had already beaten him to it.

Pair after pair of eyes turned to the tv screens as they continued to listen to the reporter. The building itself was located in one of the many apartment complexes in downtown Reander. The city itself houses a population of nearly 2.5 million, making it one of the largest and most populated cities in the country. Leaving a fire to spread in such a densely populated area would only mean disaster.

Like Kaya, part of Lucas also wanted to believe that what he's seeing isn't the work of a mutant. But there's no denying what is right in front of him. The color of the fire is beyond that of any comprehensive sciences. The reporter have also stated that the fire only seems to grow larger by the second despite the attempts by the fire department. There's no doubt that this is the work of a mutant. Now, whether it be an accidental fire or one caused intentionally is to be known. Such instances weren't uncommon especially with mutants who're unfamiliar with their powers or have just recently awakened them. Either way, they must act quickly.

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There was utter chaos as the team attempted to make their way towards the apartment complex. Traffic in Reander is already bad on a normal day but the fire has only made it worse as everybody raced to get away from the area.

Not only would its traffic increase as they neared the complex but so would the smog. The day had been sunny and the sky was once clear. But now, grey smoke had devoured the skies above, clouding the area in dark puffs of darkness.

"Look!" Shouted Thea from the backseat as she pointed at the building encased in pitch-black flames. Unlike the typical fires, there was no glow nor illumination but utter darkness. It was terrifying how fast the flames were devouring the building, burning through even the steel foundations that had formed it.

Apprehension filled Lucas' mind as they arrived before the building. Even amidst the roaring blazes, one could hear the wailful screams of the surrounding bystanders and victims. Police tape surrounded the scene as officers rushed people to safety. Firemen can be seen trying to put out the fire but to their confusion and terror, the flames would appear to grow ever more ferocious. It was as if it had a life of its own. The cries of the injured increased by the second as the ambulances were filled with the burnt, the dead, and the traumatized. It was like a scene out of a disaster film.

The group was quickly faced with a mob of eternally frightened bystanders. Although they tried their best to weave their ways through the discord, they nearly found himself surrounded and overwhelmed. Lucas' vision was briefly blocked by the sea of bodies heading their way. Not one person had stopped in their tracks to question or even stop the group from heading towards the flames. However, Lucas thought little over these people’s lack of selfless care. As his eyes scanned the crowd, he could see that many were in the midst of ushering their loved ones away from the chaos. Mothers and fathers could be seen running behind their children, sacrificing their own bodies for the safety of their offsprings. Some did stop but not for Lucas. Males and females could be seen standing in the middle of the hysteria searching for their significant others. Unfortunately, many of their cries were obscured by the frantic screams of others.

"How could something like this happen...." Thea mumbled in astonishment and dread.

"I don't know but we have to find out who did this and fast." Replied Lucas. By now, the shock had escaped the male as his eyes hardened with determination. He was no longer disturbed or afraid but resolute. As he surveyed the injured and the crying, the male could feel the unwavering resolve within him rising. And right in time as Kaya would quickly issue orders for the team to disperse with their own tasks.

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"If we don't stop the fires soon, it's going to spread to the other buildings." Said Thea as she eyed the vicinity. The buildings in the complex were all tall and grand but worse of all, they were close to one another. Normally, this wouldn't be that big of a deal with a normal fire but with this one, the flames appear to be far more infectious.

"At least the cops have started evacuating the people in the surrounding apartments." Replied Lucas as he gestured to the crowds of people rushing out of the nearby buildings.

Lucas and Thea’s footsteps were quick and vast, having been empowered by a sense of urgency and fear for the safety of the innocent. As they gazed up at the scorching building, trepidation filled their hearts as the screams and cries of nearby residents filled the air. Anguish and panic were plastered on the faces of everyone as rivers of tears seeped down their faces. Some even had traces of dust and smoke, suggesting that they were near the vicinity or even at the center of the fire.

It was hard for anyone to tell if there were any people trapped within the apartment. From a distance, it seemed like the fire was the strongest on the 6th floor of this 20 unit apartment building. Given the time, most of its residents were likely in bed when the flames had broken out. The fire had spread to the windows, preventing any people trapped on those floors from signaling help. This thought alone was enough for Lucas to quicken his paste. If there are people trapped within those buildings, he needed to find them and get them out as quickly as possible. He was sure that his partner would also have the same thought process in mind.

As Lucas neared the burning building, the crackling sounds of the relentless flames became evermore audible. The skies were filled with blackened embers as the morning winds carried them through the air. At the same time, the breeze was seemingly aiding in the fire's growth, helping it spread to its surrounding floors. By the time that Lucas and Thea had arrived at one side of the building, the fire had virtually devoured the 4th and 5th floors. The rate at which the flames have spread was terrifying. Its pitch black texture combined with its sizzling echoes reflected what one would picture hellfire to be like. Its appearance was purely demonic and deprived of any form of beauty that some may find in the colors of traditional flames.

The duo soon found a back entrance to the building. Like the front, one could see smoke rising from within the gaps of the door. Despite this, there's still a chance that it could be used to evacuate more people.

The door was locked but that wasn't much of a problem for Lucas. Approaching the door, the male gripped his hand around the lock and proceeded to yank it with ease. As Lucas kicked the door open, they were quickly embroiled a body of suffocating smoke. Covering their faces with their hands, the two valiantly entered. Making their way up the stairs, the duo soon arrived on the second floor where they quickly detected a trapped woman by the corner.

"Hurry up and take her outside." Said Lucas as he helped the woman on to her feet and towards Thea.

"But what about you?" Asked Thea as she begins to cough along with the woman.

"Your body won't be able to handle the smoke. Bring her out to the paramedics and just be ready to take anyone else I find."

With a nod, the silver-haired female held the woman close to her as they retreated back towards the direction of the stairs. As for Lucas, he would continue his venture into the cataclysm of fire and smoke. The deeper he got, the harder it was for him to see. He was limited on time and couldn't risk losing any more than he'd already. Lucas was confident that the others, especially Kaya, would be able to handle themselves well in this situation. Excelling in situations of extreme chaos and calamity wasn't foreign to any of them. Nevertheless, Lucas felt his stomach twist together as an ominous feeling coursed his body.

But now wasn’t the time to cloud his mind with emotions. With no choice, the male began pushing and shoving his way through the debris and smog. He was forced to resort to the embers of the flames to direct him as he continued on his path. The male continued to cry out for any survivors but the crackling sound of the flames and falling debris made it difficult to detect any sound. Left with no choice, Lucas was forced to check floor by floor and room by room to ensure their complete vacancy. This process was the quickest on the first three as their distance made it the easiest for its residents to escape. It was the fourth and beyond that Lucas was urgently trying to get to. The fire's location at the very center of the building would almost certainly trap anyone living on the uppermost floors.

 

[Becboc]

Somewhat sheltered from the mournful screams of the many onlookers, Kaya continued to scramble her way over rubble and under hanging bits of building that creaked creepily in the wind that was whipping through what remained of the main entrance to the building. The structure itself was making a noise that seemingly spoke to the brunette, warning her that time was not on their sides for this mission. Silently, she wondered how long they had left before the building collapsed altogether. As she moved closer towards the main staircase, her initial trepidation soon turned into an unsettling feeling of dread as the spitting and hissing of the flames above her continued to spew out dust into the air. Not only was it becoming increasingly difficult to see, but Kaya could feel her throat constricting as it fought against the urge to cough and search for oxygen. The sight of the building as they had arrived had imprinted onto her mind and she was finding it difficult to shake a trickling sense of deja vu that threatened to pull her out of focus. This was not the first time that Kaya and her team had arrived to a scene of total destruction, but they had never encountered fire like this before... or at least the four of them hadn't. Kaya of course knew all too well the kind of devastation that this kind of fury could cause and as her memories sought out a state of vulnerability within her, she smacked her dry lips absentmindedly against the wave of nausea that washed through her as she struggled to contain the sudden explosion of emotion that had erupted in her chest. With this momentary lapse of concentration, Kaya almost missed the rumbling screech that seemed to be hurtling towards her at alarming speed, as dust and debris began to drop from the ceiling. Just in time, she managed to move swiftly out of the way as concrete and rocks dived towards the ground, her back pressed against the wall as her path up the main staircase was blocked by whatever explosion had just taken place above her. The shock of this near miss was enough to shake Kaya back into her senses as she ran from the scene, a desperation to make it back to her team overcoming anything else in her mind at that moment. This wasn't a solo mission. If they were to be successful, they had to work together on this one, she thought to herself as the leader within her seemed to replace whatever weakness had been about to emerge from her just a few moments ago.

In hardly any time at all, Kaya reached Thea who was herding the injured to the safety of the medics who were on standby, ready to whisk any emergencies away to the hospital. "Where is Lucas?" She asked the girl, who looked at her leader with alarm now that the brunette's face was covered in soot and small lines of blood from where the falling debris had caught her skin. "He went through that door." She pointed to the back entrance. "He's trying to get to the upper floors, there are still people trapped up there." Kaya glanced up at the building that was still billowing with smoke, just as fat heavy rain droplets began to break from the clouds. A rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance and absently Kaya wondered if Beth's weather tricks would be enough to at least calm some of the fire. They had to stop it from spreading to the surrounding buildings; that, along with the human life still within the apartments had to be their main priority, to stop any further loss of life. They could figure out what had caused this mess later. Although with a sickly feeling, somewhere in Kaya's subconscious she felt as though she might already have the answer to her own questions, a thought which caused a fleeting feeling of terror. This was only interrupted as rain droplets began to melt onto her skin, Kaya feeling a small sense of relief at the welcome coldness of the water. Although this emotion was short-lived as another explosion suddenly rattled from the centre of the fire. "Thea, I need you to keep sweeping the perimeter looking out for the people Lucas and I manage to get out. I'm going to go in to help him, but we'll be limited to where we send people, so keep an eye out. Whatever you do, do not go into the building alone. If you need to for any reason, call for Beth and Isaac." Thea nodded in response to her orders, watching as her boss turned away from her with evident worry dancing across her features. "Kaya, be careful!"

It didn't take Kaya long to catch up with Lucas once she had secured a shield around herself, that was currently protecting her from the thickness of the air that threatened to choke her. It was difficult to plan a path in such poor conditions although eventually, she came across a tall figure who was battling forwards through the darkness. As she reached Lucas, Kaya reached out a hand to press against his arm to alert him of her presence. He was almost unrecognisable now that ash and soot had settled into his hair and on top of his skin, but she knew that he was able to hold himself well when in situations such as this; he didn't need her protection just yet, which meant she could use it for herself, to allow them to work together. It also meant that she could focus on using her shield for any humans they came across that might need it. Without a word, Kaya joined Lucas in his task to clear the area, it soon becoming evident that their next step was to tackle the upper floors. She knew that this is where the risk to human life was the greatest and therefore this was currently the most pressing idea in her mind. But first they had to get past the epicentre of the devastation and it was clear to both of them that this was no easy task. Kaya signalled for Lucas to move with her towards the staircase which was shrouded in smoke to the point of blindness. The heat spilling from the doors was almost unbearable and instinctively Kaya pulsed out her shield so that both her and Lucas were protected. With both of their powers working together, she was sure that they could get past the floors that were unsalvageable, to the humans who had been abandoned in their homes above. Getting them out however, would be more difficult. Turning to her partner then, Kaya felt an uncomfortable twist in her stomach as his hazel eyes met her own. She could see the concern that sat in his gaze, an almost instinctual expression that screamed at her to get out before it was too late. But they both knew that no matter Lucas's views on where he wanted her to be right now, she wouldn't even consider anything less than being the one to be the most at risk. Kaya had become aware that her use of Lucas was unfair the moment he had started to feel something for her. It was a largely unspoken thing between them but she knew, she could feel it in his intimacy. Something between them had changed and she simply didn't have the courage to address it. Spending time with Lucas made her feel alive when very little else did and this wasn't something that she was ready to give up just yet, no matter how selfish that might be.

"I can shield us from the worst of it," Kaya yelled over the complaints of the building and the deafening clattering of materials falling around them, signalling for her and Lucas to move forwards up the stairs. "I'll need you to work on getting us over the obstacles on our way up. Once we've made it to the upper floors I'll retract my shield and we can focus on protecting the humans." It was with this instruction that the two began to move forwards tentatively, dodging falling debris and navigating their way around gaping chasms that lay out before them. Kaya could feel the heat and darkness of the flames battering against her shield and she had to exert more energy than she would have liked to ensure their safety, but after some time they did manage to battle past the worst of it, the air becoming a little clearer as they moved further away from the impact zone. Eventually, Kaya retracted her power from Lucas, feeling maybe a little weaker than she had previously but shaking this off in favour of focussing on their task at hand. She could already hear the cries of people echoing in their air around them and she wondered if they were maybe a little out of their depth with the amount of people that it sounded like were still stuck on the floors upstairs. However, Kaya's determination that they would succeed soon replaced the small amount of doubt that had settled in her stomach and blinking away her uncertainties, she turned back to her companion. "I'll take this floor, you take the next. I think we'll have to try and send them out through the fire escapes if they're not injured." She just hoped the fire escapes were still intact, a thought which caused a shudder to involuntarily convulse through her system, as she was suddenly hit with images of how she had been saved from these flames all of those years ago. The brunette was momentarily stunned at the intensity of these thoughts that gripped her mind out of nowhere, the high pitched sobs that had ripped from her throat filling her ears and the feeling of a strong, iron grip holding her back as she struggled against it in desperation, encasing her body. So intense were these memories then that Kaya felt somewhat breathless, a fleeting look of panic spreading across her face. Usually she could expertly block out mental images that caused her any feeling other than the numbness that she was accustomed to, but today she was finding it particularly difficult and she was sure that this had a lot to do with the nature of the fire they were battling. But she knew as she started to move down the corridor that she couldn't falter now, there were people that needed her. Her team needed her, and that was all that mattered.

 

[Jack19XK]

The timely onset of the rainy weather was no coincidence. One could see smiles forming on the faces of many as the rainwater tackled the searing darkness that is devouring the building. But to their disappointment and shock, the rainwater appeared to have little effect on the flames. The touring crackles of darkness only intensified every second. It didn’t take long before the floor began traveling further up the building, encasing the other floors in its hellish flames as well.

“Just what kind of fire is this?” Isaac said in a frustrated tone as he watched the raindrops evaporate even before coming into contact with the fire. The difference in temperature was simply too high for there to be any affect. However, that doesn’t seems to be the only factor in the fire’s relentless growth as even the powerful hoses of the firefighters seemed to prove futile in putting out flames as well.

“I don’t know but it’s getting bigger.” Said Beth. With a wave of her hand, dark clouds gathered within the sky. Sounds of thunder eclipsed the snapping cries of the blaze as droplets fell from above in quantities surpassing the first.

Water may do little in putting out the fire but if there’s any possibility that it could help slow it down, then Beth would have to try it. For the sake of the people inside and her teammates, she needs to do whatever she can to stall the building’s collapse.

Beth and Isaac knew fair well that this wasn’t just any normal type of fire. They’ve encountered mutants with pyro powers in the past but never one quite like this. The firefighters themselves know this as well. After several minutes of trying to put out the fire, they also came to realize that the flames were not going anywhere.

But the duo wasn’t going to give up just yet. If they can’t do anything about the flames, at least they could in regards to the people themselves. Like Thea, both Isaac and Beth would shift their focus towards guiding people out of the vicinity. Furthermore, as instructed by their leader and friend, the two would remain vigilant of their surroundings.

Members of Group X were trained on profiling and understanding the mentalities of different criminals. Arsonists for example, are known to come back or even remain at the scene of the crime. They feel compelled to watch their work in action. Mutants may be special in their genetic evolution but many still possessed the same mind and mentality of normal humans.

———————————-

One of the powers granted to Lucas was the ability for his body to withstand elements that may seem too overwhelming for humans. Had it not been for this power, Lucas’ would’ve long given in to the suffocating weight of the smoke. His skin was sizzling from the pure temperature of the nearby flames alone. Everytime the wound closes, Lucas only found himself burnt again.

Even with his power of durability, there is a limit as to how much his body could withstand. Like his teammates, it took Lucas many years to fully understand and master his power. He’d feared it as a childhood as he knew nothing of what he was. He had not guidance as an orphan. His mother died in childbirth and his father is set to spend most of his life in prison. It was the government who eventually took him in and helped him to better understand himself.

Lucas felt the barrier that’d formed between his body as enveloping smog. Turning around, he quickly caught sight of brunette locks emerging from the smoke. The male was naturally happy to see Kaya well but another part of him had hoped that she would not come. Neither one of them fully understands the fire nor do they know who set it and why. The situation was also vivid as their surroundings, which makes it even more dangerous.

“I got this you know. The others probably need you more than me.” Regardless, Lucas knew that it was futile to argue for Kaya’s departure. The two had always shared a special bond, which have since been enhanced ever since the two crosses the boundaries of professional relations. Lucas and Kaya’s relationship wasn’t a complete secret to their team but it was not a subject that’s often brought up. Although the two had initially agreed on a strictly sexual relationship, Lucas couldn’t help but find himself desiring more. But Kaya wasn’t ready. She’d always seemed to be haunted by something from the past. Whenever someone asks her of it, she simply brushed them off.

Lucas understood and respected Kaya’s secrecy but part of him couldn’t help but feel pain at the lack of trust that the female possessed. It felt as if their relationship remained at surface.

As the two closed their distance with one another, Lucas noticed the dark stains that’d gathered on Kaya’s face. The male himself shared a similarity in appearance as he too was covered in the residues of soot and char.

As the two made their way to the upper levels, they could begin to heal sounds that highlighted the building’s now fragile state. Intermixed in were screams that became ever more audible. In an effort to rush towards them, Lucas’ foot stepped onto a withered floorboard, causing it to collapse into the fire below. Lucas nearly followed suit had he not caught himself fast enough.

During their venture through the floors of the fourth floor, several ceiling panels from above gave way, landing right on top of the couple’s shield before shattering to pieces. The two would find more debris, this time consisting of several fallen pillars and foundations weighing far more than what an average man could lift. But Lucas was no “average” man. Approaching the obstacle, he lifted the pillars with one hand before doing the same for the other debris in their way.

The couple found temporary relief on the sixth floor, which the floor have yet to fully consume. Sounds of trapped victims could be heard from multiple directions. Given how far up the two were and the speed at which the building is burning, Lucas and Kaya had limited time to get these people out.

“Be careful.” After giving his partner a final glance that spoke volumes, Lucas turned to make his way up to the seventh floor.

The path up was easier than the previous floors but it was still suffocating and clouded with smoke. Being in Kaya’s bubble had provided Lucas time for his body to rejuvenate itself, allowing Lucas to move about with relative swiftness.

Lucas soon came before a building labeled “711”. He could hear mix cries of a woman and her kids from within. A part of the ceiling had collapsed on the door, preventing those inside from escaping through it. Lucas quickly removed the obstruction before rushing in. The fire within the apartment room was intense. Lucas found the source of the sound as being a woman with her two sons. It was a miracle that the woman and her children were able to reach a spot still yet untouched by the fires.

“Don’t worry, I got you.” Said the young male as he carried the two children through the paths that still remained. The mother was also guided through afterward and soon, both were outside of their withering apartment. And now came the difficult task of getting them out.

 

[Becboc]

As Isaac and Beth both realised that Beth's attempts at putting out the flames were futile, the red haired girl pulled back the power she had been exerting into the atmosphere around them, the grey thunder clouds slowly dissipating almost as quickly as they had appeared. Beth was frustrated that she hadn't been able to help and wracked her mind for further ideas that might help them. She mentally listed the different types of weather in her head, wind? No, that would surely make things worse, as would lightning. Snow? Hell if she thought it would work she'd be willing to try but Beth knew that if rain hadn't quelled the never ending plume of heat then neither would anything else. She hated the idea that they were useless against this power, as did Isaac who gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "We've done all we can here. Come on, let's try and help the others." Beth nodded reluctantly, following his lead. The two moved quickly around the building, eyes all the while searching for places that they could help. Eventually their gazes came to land upon what appeared to be a stream of people, tentatively edging their way down a partially damaged fire escape that had miraculously managed to remain in tact, despite the flames that were licking from the windows nearest to it. "Over there!" Isaac pointed to the group who were being helped down the structure by Thea, who was yelling out instructions to ensure that the humans didn't make any fatal errors. Swiftly, the two made their way over to their team mate, Isaac clambering up the stairs to help, Beth on standby in case anybody happened to fall. "Did Kaya and Lucas make it to the upper floors?" She yelled out to her friend, who, despite their current predicament couldn't quite hold back a smile. "Of course they did!"

Back inside the building Kaya had simply nodded in response to Lucas's request that she be careful, before she watched him leave to the next floor up. She hadn't been surprised at his response when she had reached him, and she had momentarily wondered if she might have been best to leave Lucas to it. Despite their agreement to keep their relationship on a physical level only though, Kaya knew Lucas better than he thought that she did and sometimes she knew it wasn't sensible to let him be the hero he strived so hard to be. One of the things that had drawn her to Lucas initially was that she knew he was one of the good guys - he always wanted to do the best by people and strived to do the right thing wherever he could. It was a stark contrast to Kaya herself who was more like a thundercloud on a fresh summers day, and despite the fact that she didn't reciprocate Lucas's feelings completely, she did appreciate his company and she had grown to care for him. But not in the same way that she still cared for that somebody else. Lucas was right to believe that her head was still in the past - it had never really left, despite what Kaya tried to tell herself. When the government had essentially driven her rebirth, Kaya had sworn to say goodbye to her life before the incident, but try as she might, she had never really been able to completely detach the strings that had attached themselves to her, which had stopped her from ever finding happiness with anybody else, Lucas included. As she watched her partner turn away from her, her eyes not leaving his back until he had been enveloped in smoke, Kaya let a small sigh escape her lips before she began to kick at the door of the apartment closest to her. She quickly cleared the home before moving onto the next, relief flooding through her each time the space was empty. However as she came to the fourth door, she could already hear screaming coming from behind it. Effortlessly, Kaya managed to kick down the barrier in front of her, dodging a sizzle of sparks that flew at her from inside. The smoke from the hallway quickly encased the room, making it difficult for her to see where the screaming was coming from, but as her eyes adjusted she spotted a father and his crying daughter cowering in the corner of a space they had once called their home. The scene was heartbreaking and something convulsed inside of Kaya's chest, who found herself surprised at such an emotive response. "Hey, hey, shhh, it's going to be okay," she tried to reassure the two, reaching out her hand to the father who cradled his daughter's face away from the black fog. Kaya instinctively reached out her shield to encase them as his fingers made contact with her own, before she carefully guided him through the living room, edging around the gap in the floorboards in front of them. As they went, she grabbed a shawl from a nearby coat stand and draped it over the two before they all emerged into the hallway.

"Just wait here for one second, okay? I'm just going to check the other apartments. I'll come back for you both." Kaya did this quickly, gathering together a small group of survivors as she cleared the floor. There had been some humans who weren't so lucky and had succumbed to the smoke, but the brunette tried not to let this throw her off her guard as she desperately searched for some way to get the people out. Eventually Kaya's eyes fell upon a dimly lit fire exit light with an arrow pointing towards the staircase. She motioned for her group to follow her as she made her way to Lucas's floor, constantly checking back to ensure their safety, before eventually coming to a door that she was dismayed to find out had been locked. "Shit," she hissed under her breath, in the hope that the humans couldn't hear her. What did she do now? There's no way she could shield so many of them through the route her and Lucas had taken and she knew from where she had started this mission that the main stairwell was completely blocked. Helplessly, she ran a hand through her ashy waves as she tried to think past the smoke that was starting to gather around them once more. It was then however, that Kaya heard it, a rumbling sound coming from somewhere below them, that seemed to be growing in volume with incredible speed. The eyes of the humans widened in horror as dust started to quake around them, just before flames burst out with a hiss from one of the nearby doors. "Get down!" Kaya yelled at them, solidifying her shield against the debris that rained down on top of them. The brunette felt her body twitch slightly at the impact, only relinquishing her hold over it slightly once she was sure it was safe to do so. The little girl that she had rescued earlier's screams seemed to grow louder as panic started to build within the group, their realisation that there might be no way out dawning on them in what felt like slow motion. Kaya's thoughts immediately flickered to Lucas in the hope that he had another option; she so desperately needed to find him but she daren't leave the survivors alone. However, it was in the next moment that she saw movement emerging in front of her, Lucas coming into view with two children held in his arms, and who Kaya assumed was their mother following behind. He must have seen the fire exit sign too. Through all of her coldness, Kaya could have cried with relief in that moment as she moved instinctively towards her teammate. "I'm so glad to see you," she breathed, motioning towards the door behind them. "I-I can't get it open. If we can get them through that door, the escape might still be in tact."

The twenty four year old watched as Lucas took in what she was saying, him effortlessly handing a child to her, and the other to their mother before plucking the door open as though it were made of paper. Kaya followed Lucas through the opening, peering down to see that most of the stairs hadn't yet been damaged, her heart lurching with what she assumed was some kind of happiness. It was by no means an easy route but Kaya knew it was the only option as she managed to spot the silver hair of Thea part way up the structure. She turned then to the group behind her, motioning for the father to go first. "We'll help you get to the bottom," she reassured him, pointing to Thea who was reaching to out to help. "First, get to Thea who you see there and then she'll help you the rest of the way." Kaya was also thankful to hear that Beth and Isaac were also on the scene and almost dared to breathe a sigh of relief as she spotted them; although she knew that this was far from over, there were many more floors above them and the fire was growing quickly. Kaya realised with dismay that Beth's presence with their group must mean that she had not been able to halt the fire from spreading completely and she wondered silently if anything could stop those poisonous flames once they had taken ahold. From experience, Kaya knew only of time as something that would diminish them, time being maybe one of the only thing that the group didn't have.

Once the majority of the humans had made it to Thea, Kaya turned back to Lucas. "I don't know if we have time to clear every floor," she murmured quietly, glancing up again to the windows above them. "If we go up there now, the flames won't allow us back to this exit." But Kaya knew as well as Lucas did that this meant nothing to them. They couldn't give up now. They had to try, even if they ultimately failed in saving everyone, they couldn't leave knowing that they hadn't done everything that they could.

 

[Jack19XK]

"We have to try." Said Lucas as he stared up at the shattered ceiling above them where the panels had collapsed. It provided them a perfect view of what is in store for them if they were to make their way back up there. Nevertheless, the male's mind was set. His level determination matched that of his partner. "Besides, it's not like we haven't been in situations like this before." Added the male in a half-hearted joking manner. The team's job essentially meant that they'll put their lives on the line constantly. Every mission could mean life or death but every one of them knew what they were signing up for when they joined the group.

It was a no brainer in the end. Lucas would lead the way back upstairs to remove any obstructions while his partner remained behind him with her shield. The building has been devoured to the point that it's on the verge of caving in. Debris has begun to fall from every corner. Every step meant the possibility of falling through the wooden earth below them, and there's no telling how far you'll go with the current fragile state of the floors.

The pair soon reached the eighth floor. Glancing behind them, Lucas saw nothing. What the fire has yet to consume was simply enveloped by the smoke. Of course, Lucas knew of the possibility that anyone who remained had likely already been consumed by the fire or suffocated by its smoke. But if the people they'd saved earlier proved anything, it's that there's always a chance for survival. And it's up to Lucas and Kaya to give them that chance.

"You take that hall and I'll take this one." As dangerous as it was to split up, Lucas knew that it'll be faster this way. They're simply running out of time. Every second brings them and the survivors closer to being buried with the building itself. The faster they find the survivors, the faster they can get out. Besides, Lucas knew that a situation like this benefits Kaya more than anything. Her ability essentially allows her to protect herself against environments such as this one. If the building does crumble, Lucas can rest knowing that Kaya will be the one most likely to make it out alive.

The hall that Lucas had chosen to venture down appeared to be largely evacuated. There were no cries audible and every room he'd entered appeared to be empty. This was a relief to Lucas but the male still made the decision to check ever last room. There's a chance that their people who'd passed out from the smoke and if there is, Lucas will find them.

Although every room on the floor had been turned into a demon's paradise, there was one particular room that caught Lucas' attention: Room 804.

What'd drawn Lucas' attention to this room was the lack of fire visible from the gaps of the door. Upon entering, the male was met with a room nearly untouched by the flames. Aside from the blinding smoke and several patches of fire throughout the room's corners, it looked as if the flames had simply bypassed the area. Even the area that had fires were burning at a paste much slower than the other parts of the building. Which was what made the following discoveries all the more foreboding.

Situated beside the living room couch was the burning corpse of a man, or each least that's what it liked like. Lucas could still see signs of flesh, which suggests that the male had perished not long ago. What aroused Lucas' curiosity was the degree in which the fire was burning. Lucas had come in contact with the flames earlier and knew first hand how fast they incinerate the things they touch. And yet, that wasn't the case here.

Lucas had always been someone who trusted his instincts. And those very instincts are telling him that there's more to this than meets the eye. This alone was enough to compel the male to investigate further.

As Lucas fought through the thick fog of smoke, he was able to arrive at what looked to be an office space. That's when the male began to suspect that there's something wrong. The office looked like it had been ransacked. Papers and documents yet untouched by fire were scattered everywhere. Cabinets containing files had been busted open and the documents within thrown all over. Lucas picked up a few of the documents and glanced over them. Although it was difficult to see through the smoke, Lucas was able to pick out the name "Helix", a name that only brought up more questions than answers.

"Why would files relating to an old research facility be here?" The male asked himself as he tried his best to scan through the documents as fast as he could.

Upon closer inspection, Lucas realized that the files were in relation to some sort of experiment conducted by the long destroyed facility. According to reports, all details regarding the facility and its experiments were destroyed in the fire. Whoever lived here must've been a scientist, or at least, was close enough to one to obtain such classified information. Lucas was no fool. Like his partners, he knew fair well as to what these "medical institutes" were doing to their kind. Even so, the male had still chosen to look the other way, having been blinded by the lies that such experiments were done for the betterment of society as a whole.

Picking up a handful of files, the male exited the office. He'd allowed himself to become entranced in his discovery for too long. He must keep moving. Perhaps Headquarters would have answers as to why and how this man possessed such files.

Just as Lucas made his way out of the door, a sudden commotion originating from the other side of the hall caught his attention. "Hello? Is anyone there?" Cried out the male as he wondered if the sound came from survivors trying to communicate with him. Turning towards the hall in question, the male tried his best to focus his hazel orbs in search of any who may still be alive. There was a period of silence before the crackling sounds of fire erupted. From deep within the barrier of smoke, a ball of fire emerged at breakneck speed. Lucas found himself barely dodging it in time as the flames collided with the wall behind him, causing an explosion that punched a hole right through the solid drywall. The reverberation sent echoes down Lucas' ears but he was, fortunately, able to recover just in time to dodge a second fireball. This time, it landed on the wall beside him, punching a hole straight through to reveal one of the apartment rooms.

"Who is there?!" The male exclaimed as he rose to his feet in preparation for another wave of attacks. However, he was met with silence once again. Lucas noticed his vision improving as the smoke throughout the hall slowly dispersed.

​

They left in their place the figure of a tall male donned in black attire. As the smoke dissipated more and more, Lucas was able to catch more of his features. He appeared to be in his mid-20s, looking not much older than Lucas. Unlike Kaya and Lucas, the male's appearance had not been tainted by the flames. His face and clothes were completely deprived of any signs of residue from the fire. Instead, the flames seemingly magnified his handsome features instead as his icy blue eyes contrasted with the darkness of the fires surrounding him. Unlike typical criminals, he wore nothing to hide his identity. He could've kept it a secret through the smoke but he'd instead, chosen to reveal himself. Whoever this man was, he wasn't afraid of Lucas seeing him. And that usually means one thing.

"You shouldn't have come up here." He said coldly, his eyes deprived of any emotion.

 

[Becboc]

Kaya nodded in response to Lucas's statements; he was right of course, it was their job to put their lives at risk and more than once had they found themselves in some kind of predicament that had nearly ended badly in one way or another. She was glad that he understood what they were getting themselves into and she wasn't sure why she had initially questioned this of him. She supposed as his leader she felt as though she had to check in with her team's expectations now and again, which was just part of how she built a strong connection with them. As they eventually moved away from the fire exit, Kaya and Lucas worked swiftly, her silently admiring how much their teamwork had come to evolve since they had started working together. They were very in tune with each other, she noticed, as they worked almost effortlessly through the hallways, giving each other space where it was needed or using their powers to clear the path, making it easier for the pair to overcome the many obstacles that were in their way. Eventually they came to a stop, Lucas instructing them to split off in order to clear the building faster. Initially Kaya had wanted to protest, but her uncertainty as to why stopped her. Call it a gut feeling but something about this whole thing didn't feel right, she'd had that opinion from the start. But she also knew that Lucas was right; they didn't have long left and to give them a chance of saving as many people as they could, it would be far more effective for them to work individually. So, working against her better judgement, something she didn't do very often, Kaya let Lucas start down one corridor alone and she started to down the other. "We'll meet back here," she called out to him as he left, before reaching her first door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the stranger stepped forwards so that Lucas could catch a better look at him, he was somewhat surprised to find that the man looked as neat as a pin, not one speck of dust or ash could be found anywhere upon his person. This immediately sent alarm bells ringing in Lucas's mind - this whole situation felt wrong. The person in front of him emitted waves of darkness that created an air of discomfort and tension within the room, Lucas's own hands balling into fists as he stood a little straighter. He found that his mind was racing, trying to piece together some of the information that he had read on the documents in his hands with the sudden presence of the man in front of him. The stranger certainly didn't look like a typical criminal, he was much less panicked than the usual suspects that they came across. Even a villain would usually be somewhat perturbed if they resided in a building that was on the brink of collapse, unless of course they had some control over the fire that was causing the damage.

Lucas exhaled as he brought himself to meet the icy cool gaze of the stranger and tried not to recoil at what he found there. Although that was part of the problem he thought to himself, because what he actually found there was nothing at all. The gaze was blank, unfathomable. In a lot of ways it reminded him of the same look he sometimes saw in Kaya, a thought which caused a pang of discomfort to wash through him. He quickly attempted to bat this recollection away however; he couldn't afford to think about her now, he had to save his focus solely for the situation at hand and whatever was about to unravel between them. "Shouldn't?" Lucas retorted, his features pulled into a frown. "If I shouldn't have come up here then neither should you. Didn't you know that this building is on the brink of collapse? I think the black inferno maybe gives that away... You wouldn't happen to know anything about that now, would you?" His voice lowered to nearer to a growl as he took a few steps forwards in an attempt to get a better look at his company.

Much like his teammates, Lucas had been trained to assess situations as they arose - he could judge the risk, make split decisions under pressure and analyse the motives of a criminal in next to no time at all. From what he'd seen in Room 804, he had already concluded that someone had been looking for information on Helix, although why that information should be in an apartment building he wasn't sure. Maybe the charred remains of the human he had seen earlier had some kind of connection to the facility? That would be his first guess. He also assumed that the person who had been searching was this man who now stood in front of him, but again, the reasons for why he was searching were still very much unclear. Lucas could feel his strength fizzing through his form as he prepared for some kind of combat. What he was certain of was that this stranger was not human. Although there was no clear giveaway at this point, sometimes you had to trust your gut, and Lucas's was telling him that he was faced with someone closer in similarity to himself than the majority of bodies in the building. Their race was probably where the similarities stopped though, he concluded. Every inch of Lucas was itching to make the first move, he could feel some kind of deep primal anger within himself as he thought back to the children he had helped earlier. If this man was responsible for the devastation his team had witnessed today then he wanted to do no less than tear him limb from limb. Of course, this was completely against the code of Group X and he would never go so far as to act this way, but it didn't stop the desire from seeping into his consciousness. What he actually had to do was fight to disarm; this mutant would be more useful to them alive at this point than he would dead. They had to find out more about him. If he was responsible for this attack then learning his motive would be key to his defeat. It was with this thought, that Lucas took a split second to glance around their immediate vicinity, which was maybe a small mistake on his part, as it would have given the stranger a chance to strike. However, Lucas was keen to ensure that there were no others who were acting with him, because if there were he was at risk of being overpowered.

"Who are you and why are you here?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It didn't take Kaya long to clear her hallway and she felt somewhat dismayed that the humans she had encountered were no longer alive. She had found families curled up together, who had long since succumbed to the smoke that had taken their lives and others who had simply not been able to get out of the way before falling debris had ended their chance at survival. She was used to seeing scenes such as this but that didn't make it any easier, her resolve faltering a little as she rounded back to where she had told Lucas to meet her. When she noticed that he wasn't there however, she could feel a little wave of panic washing through her. Although she was efficient, Lucas was faster than her and she had expected him to have finished his hallway way before she did. Quickly, she glanced around as if trying to spot him emerging from the smog, but the visibility in the building was becoming so poor that she could hardly see a few feet in front of her. Kaya knew that what she should do at this point was probably plough on and look for more survivors, but from the apartments that she had just witnessed, she was almost certain that her chance of finding anybody alive now was next to none. The smoke had been billowing for too long and it had probably created multiple victims on the floors above them. Plus, she wasn't the kind of leader to leave her teammates behind, not to mention, maybe Lucas had found more humans and needed help to get them out? Many viable options were flying through her thoughts at that moment, but one thing was certain in Kaya's mind and that was that she couldn't move on before she had found her partner.

Effortlessly dodging another round of falling debris then, Kaya pushed on down Lucas's hallway, looking for signs of movement. She noted the many apartment doors that had been pulled away or were opened, which suggested to her that her Lucas must have cleared them. However, as she pushed on down the hallway, she came to an abrupt stop as she sensed movement from one of the rooms, pinning herself against a nearby wall as she tried to let her senses pick up what was happening in the room that she currently stood next to. She noticed that the number was 804 but she didn't reveal herself to the doorway as she picked up on low voices emanating from somewhere close. Call it intuition but Kaya couldn't bring herself to enter as she attempted to listen to what the voices where saying. She could barely make them out over the crackle of flames and the groaning of the structure, but she did recognise at least that one of the sounds was Lucas, which would have usually caused her to exhale with relief. Not this time though; there was something off about this situation. Smoke didn't spill into the doorway as it did the others and Kaya knew that if Lucas was attempting to rescue someone, there would be more urgency in his voice. Instead she could hear the threatened growl of his tone which alerted her that something was very wrong. She was tempted to try and catch a look of who Lucas was speaking to but she knew she could not risk whoever it was seeing her. If the situation escalated, she currently had the upper hand with the element of surprise. Instead, Kaya stayed glued to the wall and closed her eyes as she imagined her shield reaching out to encase her teammate. It was maybe the best way that she could help for now; she was simply biding her time before she could act any further.

 

[Jack19XK]

There seemed to be a brief pause in the fire as the two men interacted. The flames had stopped its spread much like how it was like within the apartment room. There’s no doubt that the mysterious male standing before Lucas has something to do with this sudden shift in the fire’s intensity.

Despite his attempts to profile his target, Lucas found himself unable to do so. The man before him showed no signs of fear or anxiety. He’d answered Lucas’ questions with a callous gaze. Never before have Lucas met someone capable of maintaining such a calm composure in the face of a collapsing building. But then again, given that the man seems to be able to control the fire’s properties, it made sense as to why he would be so serene in his composure.

But there was something more to the man than his malevolent stare. His eyes were far too soulless for the typical criminal. If he was indeed an arsonist, it made no sense for him to be in the building itself. That, combined with the newly discovered files, made Lucas almost certain that this man had something to do with the ransacking of the room and the onset of the fire. Was he trying to find something? Or was he trying to destroy some sort of evidence? Both were possibilities given the circumstances.

As Lucas tried his best to profile and survey the man before him, the latter was doing the same. In fact, he’d been watching him for quite a while. At first, Nicholas had no desire to kill Lucas. But from the moment that he stepped foot into that room, that all changed.

Without taking his eyes off his target, Nicholas raised his palm. There was a loud crackle followed by a glow as a ball of flames ignited within the center of his palm. It was a little larger than a basketball but there was no doubt that it packs quite a punch.

“A dead man needs no answers.” Nicholas replied sinisterly as he launched the body of flames towards Lucas.

Lucas quickly jumped to the opposite side of the wall as the flames grazed his arm, causing the male to groan in pain. Its speed was so quick that Lucas was barely able to dodge it despite being prepared to do so. But there was no relaxing as his opponent had launched a barrage of attacks against him. He was able to dodge another blast but the other two had found their marks. The male tried his best to suppress the urge to cry out in pain as his abdomen and left leg were struck by fireballs. The contact seared his body as Lucas found himself smelling the scent of his own burnt flesh.

“Why are you doing this? Do you know how many people you’ve killed from this fire?!” Lucas exclaimed in anger as he fell on to one knew. There was no doubt now that this man before him was responsible for this catastrophe. What made him even more enraged was that the man had clearly casted the fire on purpose. He knew of the damages it would cost and the lives it would take. And yet, he still did it. Whoever this man is, Lucas needs to stop him before he does even more harm in the future.

“Sacrifices are inevitable in war.” Nicholas would take a step toward the injured Lucas. As Lucas had been working against the clock, so was Nicholas. The former is nothing but an obstacle in Nicholas’ mind. The faster he removes said obstacle, the more quickly he can get back to his mission,

Besides, no one sees his face and lives. Keeping his palms open, Nicholas proceeded to generate another ball of flames.

“War?” Lucas said in confusion. But before he could ask anymore questions, Nicholas had already generated another fireball in his hands. “Looks like I’m not going to get any answers from you this way.” Said Lucas as he straightened himself. To Lucas’ shock, his body has yet to fully recover from the attacks. It would seem that there’s even more to this fire that he’d initially thought. Somehow, it was able to suppress his own regenerative abilities. Even so, Lucas knew that he could not remain idle. He would place the stack of paper on the floor beside him as he readied himself for another attack. It’s clear that the male before him will not cooperate, so he’ll just have to subdue him first, however hard that’ll be.

There was another brief period of silence as the two man stared one another down. Their surroundings continued to burn but it would indeed seem like the intensity of the fire had been slowed. And then, with a quick swing of his hand, Nicholas released the body of fire towards his target. Once again, Lucas jumped from his position by the wall but this time, he ran straight for the fire. At the last second, he ducked down, rolling his body as the fireball flew past him.

Having closed his distance significantly, Lucas recovered his stance and charged towards Nicholas. His speed was impressive and had it been anyone else, it may very well he over at this point. But to Lucas’ ignorance, he wasn’t dealing with just any criminal.

A dark smile crested Nicholas’ lips as his body remained still. He made no attempts to dodge Lucas’ oncoming charge despite having the time to do so. As his opponent came into striking distance, Lucas winded his arm back before releasing it forward for a punch. To Lucas’ bewilderment, his attack became frozen in midair exactly one inch from Nicholas’ face. Not just his fist but his entire body had frozen as well.

“What the.....” Lucas said under his breath as he tried to move his body. But as hard as he tried, he was helpless. It was as if he’d lost control of his own muscles as any attempt to communicate with his body proved futile.

“You are as brave as you are foolish.” With a flick of his wrist, Nicholas launched Lucas’ body against the ceiling before dropping him back on to the floor. The impact was enough to shatter the already damaged panels above, causing them to fall on to the still paralyzed male. Lucas would let out another cry of pain as pounds upon pounds of debris smashed against his body.

“Who else came with you up here? Answer my question and I’ll make it quick. Don’t, and your death will be as slow as that man you saw earlier.” Nicholas said callously as he closed his distance with the male further. Staring into his eyes, Nicholas proceeded to create another ball of fire in his hands. This one was bigger than the first and had enough power to set Lucas’ body alight. If Lucas would not answer, then he truly would have no use for him.

 

[Becboc]

As he lay in shock underneath the materials that had fallen on top of him, Lucas spluttered blood onto the floorboards beneath his body, gasping for breath as he tried to regain some semblance of where he was. He suddenly felt very disorientated about his surroundings as he desperately tried to pull his body up from the floor, but again found that he was unable to move. It wasn't often that Lucas found himself in these kind of positions; this was bad, really bad. There was a high level of pain that he could take, given the nature of his power, but it had not taken long for him to be overcome this time around as he wondered absently what kind of mutant this stranger really was. Group X had encountered their fair share of criminals but this felt like another level to Lucas, and he had thought that even before this battle. The fight he was currently involved in signified to him that this was potentially a situation that they could never have been prepared for, a thought which caused him an immeasurable amount of discomfort. This couldn't all be for nothing, all of these innocent people couldn't have died for nothing... He wasn't about to die for nothing.

"If you think that I'm going to give you that information then you're more foolish than me," he managed to get out, as he weakly attempted to brush some of the debris that was crushing him aside so he could at least breathe a little easier. Again however, he found that he was still paralysed and glued to the ground by a weight which felt as though it might crush him. Desperately he was seeking some kind of inner strength that he could draw from to fight the man in front of him; he wanted nothing more than to bring justice to those who had lost their lives at the hands of such a villain. But try as he might, he knew his injuries were probably more serious than he was giving them credit for, and this was a level of power that he simply couldn't fight. If he wasn't healing then something was wrong. He had never come up against fire like this before and glumly he thought he probably never would again. However, his thoughts then soon flitted back to his team, each one of their faces flashing before his eyes. If he didn't at least try to end this now, he couldn't bear to think of what this stranger might do to them. To Thea, Isaac, Beth and... Kaya. The thought of Kaya perishing in burning black flames caused an uncomfortable convulsion in his chest as he refrained from coughing more blood out in front of him. He couldn't let that happen to her, or to any of them. So once again mustering up some of the very little strength that he had left, he attempted to pull himself up before he was overcome with a weakness he had never experienced before, any thoughts of fighting running from his mind along with the very last of his strength. It was taking every ounce of concentration that he had not to cry out from the pain in his torso and in his leg, mixed with his frustration at the situation he found himself in. But Lucas was managing through gritted teeth to remain mostly silent, refusing to give his enemy the satisfaction of hearing about the damage he had caused him. Although he could not lift his gaze to see it, Lucas could hear the crackling fire that was meant for him and him alone and he inwardly braced himself for whatever pain was about to be inflicted upon him. There was no way he was about to tell whoever this person was about his teammates so a slow and painful death was his only option, it would seem.

"What kind of a monster kills innocent people?" He spat out, directing some of his fear as anger towards his enemy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kaya remained just outside of the room that Lucas and Nicholas were currently battling in, her back still pressed to the wall. On occasion she had to step out of the way as more material came falling her way from the ceiling, but for the most part she managed to stay silent and still as she tried to make sense out of what was happening in the room just next to her. Her timing on this meant everything, although the poor visibility and loud sounds around her were making it increasingly difficult for her to be able to make out any kind of details about the happenings that were taking place inside of Room 804. She could again hear the low murmurings of two voices, but she could not make out the words that they were saying or really identify the voices themselves, they simply sounded like a low hum in amongst the chaos. She could also see flashes of dark flames lashing through the smog, but why or what exactly was causing it she didn't know. Her mind worked in overdrive as she tried to piece the scene together; was Lucas in the room with the person who had caused all of this destruction? If he was, he must be in immeasurable danger, a thought which threatened to pull Kaya into the room with him. How could she live with herself if she had stood by whilst Lucas perished? But then she also knew how strong Lucas really was and there weren't many situations in which he couldn't handle himself. She again told herself that if the assailant who was responsible for this amount of devastation was in there, her best chance of helping Lucas was her element of surprise.

Somewhere in Kaya's subconscious, she wondered if the other low voice that she could hear belonged to him. It was a thought that struck her with such an intensity that it threatened to knock her to her knees, and Kaya felt that she had to reach out a hand to steady herself. The whole time that she had been inside of this building, she had managed to push those ideas from her mind. Her focus had solely been on getting the people out safely and minimising the risk to life in every way possible. But now they were beyond this point, she was instead left with the stark possibility that this black fire was the same black fire she had witnessed the night she had lost everything. Memories quickly flooded her mind in quick succession then, as she saw her parents and a sudden flash of dark hair, again feeling those arms around her as she struggled to break free to rescue the people that she loved. Kaya felt herself frozen to the spot with an emotion close to terror at the thought of what she might face if she stepped into that room, her breaths escalating to a pace that she didn't feel like she had much control of. Not many things in this world could cause such a reaction in the brunette, but he could. He always had.

Suddenly, shaking her out of her momentary panic then though was a crescendo of crashes which seemed to reverberate around the room in front of her, more flashes of darkness appearing through the smoke. Kaya winced as she heard Lucas's yelp echoing into the hallway, trying desperately to get herself together long enough to step into whatever it was she was about to face. Closing her eyes then for only a moment, the twenty four year old could feel a soft breeze rustling through her ashen hair, an energy that felt like electricity fizzing between her fingers. If Kaya's shield were to defend Lucas against the darkness of this fire, she had to put as much of her power into it as she possibly could; she couldn't risk losing a team member to these flames, this wasn't even a possibility in her mind. So, with usually deep brown eyes glowing a slightly hazy purple, Kaya finally took her first step into the room, just as a fireball was thrown towards her partner who she noticed was collapsed onto the floor under a heavy amount of rubble that a normal human would not have survived. Kaya moved into the fire's path swiftly, lifting her palm to meet it and initiating an explosion that very nearly knocked her off her feet. The flames hit her shield with a force to hard it almost took her breath away and left in front of her a thick grey cloud that currently blocked anything else from her vision, her eyes frantically searching for whoever had initiated what could have been a devastating blow.

 

[Jack19XK]

“There’s no such thing as beininnocent. Innocence suggests virtue. If there’s one thing I’ve learned all these years, it’s that virtue and justice is dead.” It didn’t take long after Nicholas had escaped from the facility for him to realize that there are many who knew about the horrid experimentations that were being conducted by these cooperations. And yet, nothing was done by those people. They didn’t care about them because it did not affect them. They may be innocent of involvement but they are guilty of being accessories to it.

Lucas barely had the mindset to analyze the male’s words. His thoughts were filled with the well-being of Kaya. He knew that she’s likely still in the building and perhaps even looking for him at this very moment. He’s most certainly not going to give her up but what would happen if she comes across this man later? It’s rather clear that this man’s power is beyond their own. And even more apparent that he’s willing to kill without a hint of remorse. Kaya just stay away from him at all costs.

“Just get on with it will you.” Said Lucas in a brave and fearless tone. As much as he wanted to fight back, he knew that he was futile. He’d lost control of his entire body through methods still unknown to him. Perhaps it would be better if the man was to finish him off quickly. Not because of the pain but due to the fact that the male may leave afterwards, sparing Kaya.

“Very well. If that’s your choice, then so be it.” Without so much as a second thought, Nicholas aimed the flames towards Lucas and released. The massive ball of fire was twice the size of the others and possessed enough power to incinerate a man in seconds.

It was the end for Lucas Rollands.

But perhaps not.

In a moment of haste, a woman appeared from the smoke and placed herself before the incoming fire and Lucas. Before Nicholas had the chance to process this, there was an explosion followed by a burst of smoke. The attack had landed but not in the way that Nicholas had expected.

Once the smoke had dissipated, Nicholas was almost surprised to see that both the girl and the male remained unharmed. It quickly became clear why as Nicholas’ eyes landed on the body of a psionic force field that’d formed around the new arrival and Lucas.

Just as Nicholas charged up for a follow up attack, his vision finally cleared enough to see who’d dared to interrupt the execution. The male’s eyes visibly widened with bewilderment as the ball of flames in his palm dissipated.

6 years has past since that day but Nicholas could never forget what she looked like. Even all of this years, he could still see her old self illuminating from the woman standing in front of him. A wave of emotions ran through the male’s body ranging from shock to pain to finally, anger. Visions of the past flooded through his mind like a tidal wave of memories—painful memories.

“It’s been a while......” Nicholas said as he took a step backwards in order to create a distance between him and his new guest. Although his tone remained cold and callous, there was no doubt that there had been a shift in his emotions as compared to his previous interaction with Lucas. “...Wish I could say that it’s a pleasure.”

 

[Becboc]

It didn't take long for the cloud of grey to dissipate, another thick black ball of fire sizzling in its wake. Instinctively Kaya braced herself for another onslaught of explosions, reaching up her hands to channel more energy into her shield. However, as the visibility in the room became clearer, her eyes eventually managed to adjust past the darkness and to the owner who stood behind it.

Almost mirroring Nicholas's expression exactly, Kaya could feel her eyes fixated on the form in front of her, an icy shiver trickling down her spine as her hands fell limply to her sides. Between the two was the soft glow of lilac, crackling between what was left of the ceiling and the floor beneath them as the brunette momentarily lost a grip on her power now that she stood in front of him. The wall of her shield between them was somewhat symbolic of the sudden onslaught of memories that were flitting between the two, the events that had surpassed making it almost impossible for Kaya to greet Nicholas with anything more than a pained expression of silence. As her own gaze bore into those icy cold blues, she felt the sting of tears threatening to overcome her. She couldn't remember the last time she had cried, but right now she wanted nothing more than to break down and weep. But she couldn't. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Her usually pale skin had grown almost ashen looking under the black smears of soot that marred her features and as she blinked away some of the pain in her eyes, Kaya felt herself take a step backwards in order to put more distance between herself and the man who had murdered her parents.

"6 years..." she whispered then in response to his statement, a momentary softness to her expression that she hoped he was unable to see. Despite the immeasurable pain that Nicholas had caused her, some of the memories that did come back to Kaya upon seeing him stood in front of her, were far from unpleasant. She and him had shared moments, thoughts and feelings between themselves that Kaya had never shared with anybody else. She would never admit it, not even to herself, but Nicholas maybe knew her better than anybody else; or at least he knew the old her, who she desperately tried so hard to keep locked away now that this new version of herself had been born. Kaya convinced herself daily that the old her had died a long time ago along with her parents. It was with thought though that Kaya's expression hardened, any sparkle of tears having disappeared from her gaze completely. The very brief glimpse of her old self that she had allowed Nicholas was gone and had been quickly replaced by the colder, tougher version who stood before him now. He had murdered her parents and in a lot of ways he had murdered her, or at least the good version of herself that she hoped would never have another chance to resurface. That version was weak, powerless and naive. It was dangerous to allow her to have any influence upon her thoughts, especially when it came to him. Nicholas was nothing more than a callous killer, of that much Kaya was almost certain, as she reminded herself of the situation they currently found themselves in, the endless bodies of innocent people she and Lucas had come across, acting as a reminder to her of his true nature. Those people were dead because of him. It was a thought that didn't surprise her, she knew better than anyone what he was capable of, after all.

As Kaya's gaze never left his, she wondered absently if there was anything left of the boy she once knew, but his actions and his current expression told her that, this version of him no longer existed. "Pleasure isn't a word I would ever use around you," she managed to get out then, ignoring the very slight tremor to her voice that she hoped would go unnoticed, by Nicholas at least. Lucas was a different story, however, who despite having been on the brink of unconsciousness just a few moments ago, now found that he had been granted movement back into his body once more, the glue that had previously gripped him into place melting away to allow him to begin to lift the debris that had been pinning him to the ground. It took an immense amount of effort for Lucas to pull himself to his feet but it was his desperation to protect the woman who stood in front of him that drove his actions. After what felt like an age, he eventually managed to straighten himself, trying not to put too much weight on his bad leg, one of his arms hugging against the gaping wounds on his torso. Without a thought he attempted to place himself between Kaya and the stranger, tugging her behind him and ignoring the angry expression that she flashed his way. She didn't need his protection, she was more than capable of protecting herself. Lucas had caught some of the interchange between the two, and he noticed that the man in front of them's stance had shifted, as well as the uneasy look upon Kaya's features. He knew her well enough to know that something was up and his brow furrowed in confusion. "Do you... Do you know him?" He asked after a moment, his voice gruff from the exertion of movement. How could someone like Kaya, know somebody like him?

Kaya momentarily allowed her gaze to flicker to Lucas as he spoke. What did she tell him? She didn't even know where to start and she found that she simply did not want to open up that avenue of conversation between them, certainly not now, in front of Nicholas. "I did once," she replied quietly, her expression enough then to give Lucas a clear warning that she would not be divulging any further information than that at this moment. Instead, she moved her gaze back to Nicholas, reluctantly meeting the eyes that she had once known so well. She searched them for a long moment, her own eyes portraying a depth that was endlessly unfathomable. "So I suppose murdering has become somewhat of a hobby of yours?" She asked bitterly then, unable to control the anger that was rising at the back of her throat. There was years of pent up emotion that she so desperately wanted to release in that moment but another shudder from the building distracted Kaya momentarily, acting as a warning that now was not the time to get into whatever this was between them. "You won't get away with what you've done here. There were... There were children in this building. How could you?" But Kaya knew there was no use in appealing to Nicholas's conscience, from what she remembered she wasn't sure that he had one. "Wait, scrap that last question, I forgot that killing comes easy to you." She continued bitterly. Her emotions were starting to get the better of her as she desperately tried steer the focus of their words onto the situation at hand, rather than anything else that might be more painful to deal with. She wondered momentarily whether launching some kind of attack on Nicholas might help their cause, if they could capture him and get him back to their headquarters they would have a chance to potentially find out so much more about his motives. But at the sight of Lucas's injuries and the ever present danger of the building collapsing on all of them at any moment, she was pretty sure this attempt would prove to be nothing more than futile. Kaya knew how powerful that Nicholas had been when she had known him, goodness knows how much more powerful he had become in the time that she hadn't. But still, she couldn't help but feel as though she should try. "If you surrender to us now, we'll spare you any pain," she offered, similarly to the deal Nicholas had offered Lucas but with much less sinister intent. "You can't get away with this. I won't let you."

 

[Jack19XK]

The brief moment of shock quickly ended as Nicholas’ expression became clouded once more. This was the first time in years that something was able to cause his facade to waver. At first, the male wasn’t fully sure as to the identity of the woman. But her reaction confirmed it. It was her. It felt as if the two had stared at one another for an eternity. There was no doubt that he had experienced the same surge of emotions and memories as she had. There were memories both sour and sweet running through his head but the former would soon overshadow the latter.

Any hope for a happy reunion was shattered by Kaya’s response. Her comments pulled Nicholas out of his reminiscent daze and reminded him of just why he’d chosen to disappear after all these years. It reinstalled the same level of hate and determination that’d possessed Nicholas 6 years ago. It reminded him of the reason that he’s the man he is today. Their past may have been unforgettable but it was also haunting. And Kaya’s family had everything to do with that being so.

As the fog of recollection cleared, a new surge of aggravation boiled within the male. As he stared at Kaya and her partner, its became clear to Nicholas that the daughter of his former captors have become more alike to them than he’d thought.

“You have no right to speak of the well-being of children. Have you forgotten now we’ve met? Have you forgotten what it means to be a?” Kaya’s comment had invoked a level of indignant anger that Nicholas had suppressed within him for years. How could she have the nerves to mention anything about children? Nicholas was only an adolescent when he was taken from his home and installed as a test rat for Helix. He and many others had spent their childhood wasted away in desolation and torment. And the people responsible for all of that were the very ones who’d brought Kaya into this world.

“They were simply collateral for a greater purpose. Besides, to live in a world like this, you’re better off being dead.” The lack of apathy for taking life wasnt much of a far cry from Nicholas’ past self. His past in the hands of the human researchers had fueled a relentless hatred for humanity in general. Nicholas had shown himself capable of killing when he turned his vengeance on all of Helix’s staff. But to kill so remorselessly is something that could only be done by a monster.

Despite all the advancements in tech and sciences, the world today is in no way perfect. In fact, one can argue that it was better before all the discoveries made through mutants. Said discoveries had only augmented the corruption and greed of the higher class. Many saw it necessary to harness the power of the mutants. In order to do so, the concept of human rights were basically slowly chipped away. Not just for mutants but for all of humanity.

“To live in a world like this, it’s better to not live at all. I did those people a favor. It’s more mercy than what humans like them have ever gave me.” Nicholas was more than aware of the deceitful hearts of the world’s leaders. He also know of how hard it is to live in a world ruled by corruption and self interests. Which was why he believed it to be better for those kids to had simply not lived it at all.

“Humans can never repent for what they’ve done to us. Death is more mercy than I’ve ever gotten in their hands .” Nicholas sees every human as being monsters in their own right. Not all may had been responsible for the experimentations if mutants but they’re just as guilty for knowing and doing nothing about it.

Nicholas had almost forgotten about Lucas until the foolish male rushed for place himself in front of Kaya. That gesture may not seem all that illuminating but Nicholas was able to pick out the deeper meaning behind it.

“I see that you got another poor idiot to fall for you.” Nicholas taunted as he took a step forward towards the two. That would only cause Lucas to tense up as he prepared for whatever may come their way.

“To think that I’d once thought of you as being different. You’re just like them.” There was little need to elaborate on who them was. Nicholas had once thought of Kaya as possessing a heart pure of her parent’s greed and malevolence. Perhaps it was because of her mutant genes or maybe it was due to the kindness she’d once shown him. Either way, Nicholas did grow to trust and care for her. But all of that changed when she, like many others, betrayed him for the sake of research and money.

Nicholas scoffed in response to Kaya’s demands of surrender. “A traitor like you two have no right giving me demands.” Nicholas exclaimed back, his face twisting with darkness. Group X’s existence is well known amongst the mutant community. The reason however, is more bad than good. They are regarded as being traitors of their race. Their job of hunting and capturing mutants for the government is enough to antagonist them for all of mutant kind.

“I don’t intend to go anywhere. Not until I deal with the two of you.” His stare was as stern and cold as his voice, a reflection of his icy blue shaded orbs. His mentality have changed greatly in the last 6 years. It would seem that he’d even developed his own philosophy, one that overlooks the taking of a life.

“You will not touch her!” Cried out Lucas as he refused to move from his position between Kaya and Nicholas. The male could feel his regenerative abilities still being countered by the burning aftermath of Nicholas’ attacks. It’s certainly something they would have to look into, but not now. Even with his injuries, Lucas would never let such a man near his partner, no matter what past they’d shared. From their interaction, it did not seem like it was a good one either.

“He’s too powerful, Kay, you need to get out of here.” Lucas said in a soft whisper to his partner. He’d experienced the man’s powers first hand and knew more than enough of his potential. As strong as Kaya is, she was no match for him. “Get out of here and call the others for help. I’ll cover you.” Lucas would not give Kaya anytime to object, as he knew that she would. Instead, he simply charged towards the man with intent on stalling him in battle to force Kaya to run away.

The man’s attempt to intimidate sounded almost amusing to Nicholas. For the first time, his lips curved into a slight smile at the sight of Lucas trying to protect Kaya. It almost reminded him of his past life. Back then, he would’ve done anything to keep her safe. The next thing he knew, the man from earlier was charging towards him with an intent to attack him. Without so much as a worry in mind, Nicholas lifted his palm facing Lucas. As Lucas neared his opponent, he would find himself struck by a powerful telekinetic shockwave that propelled him all the way against the nearest wall. The impact was enough to cause cracks in the already fragile infrastructure.

“I don’t know if your friend is brave or just suicidal.” Nicholas taunted Kaya as he raised his hand which caused Lucas’ semi-unconscious body to also be raised. With a swing of his arm, Lucas’ body was slammed into another wall with just as much force as the first time. Then again, then a fourth time, then a fifth before

The injuries would’ve been fatal for the normal man but fortunately for Lucas, his body was able to recover quickly. The flames had only suppressed the healing of the parts that they struck, which meant that Lucas was able to recover from the internal and external damages caused by the impacts. Even so, there was only so much he could take.

Lucas laid on the brink of unconsciousness by the rumbles of the walls as he waited for his shattered bones to recover. Even so, his body had been damaged so much that he may not remain conscious long enough.

“Surrender Kaya and come with me. If you do, I’ll let him live.” Nicholas’ proposition seemed almost surprising given him and her’s history. But if one was to look at it from a more broad and non biased perspective, it made sense. Operatives like Kaya and Lucas have many enemies. Enemies who would pay top dollar for them to fall into their hands. Or, they could always be extorted back to the organization for money. But most of all, capturing the leader of Group X would grant Nicholas access to a great deal of potentially valuable information. It simply depends on Nicholas’ goal which still remains a mystery.

“You have 10 seconds.” Nicholas said emotionlessly as Lucas body became lifted off the group once more. Nicholas’ gaze turned to a nearby piece of rubble. With a single thought, the rubble rose to the air and sharpened itself into the shape of a spear before pointing its tip near Lucas’ left chest. ”Come with me or else we’ll see just how much damage his body can take.”

 

[Becboc]

"Don't you dare mention their name," Kaya retorted at the mention of her surname, the sound of it leaving Nicholas's mouth causing her own irrepressible anger, her cheeks flushing with rage beneath the dirt atop her skin. Her surname was a constant reminder to Kaya of what she had loved and lost, but also what she had once been a part of, and it caused her undeniable guilt to hear Nicholas speak it. She had even considered changing it at one point, when the government had agreed to disclose that she had died in the fire, but try as she might she found that she couldn't part with the last part of her parents that she had left.

As Nicholas continued to respond to her initial questions, Kaya could only watch on as the man in front of her looked visibly affected by her presence. Nicholas had always been cold, she remembered her desperate attempts as a child to win him round, when she would sneak him treats when nobody was looking or sit with him well into the night talking about what it would be like for them to be able to lay outside and look at the stars. However as his words hit her with venom behind their meaning, the brunette couldn't help but think his bitterness and hatred for life itself had grown in the time that they had spent apart. And who else could she blame but herself? Her mind flitted back to that night he had tried to escape and she had turned him into her parents, for fear of losing him for good. Kaya had no idea that Nicholas would be punished in such a brutal way and she winced at the memory, her heart dropping as it was weighed down with the guilt of her own conscience. Nicholas had had his chance to escape and she had snatched it away from him. Maybe it was her fault that he was like this now? It was clear from his words that he blamed her as well as her parents for this mess and maybe he was right to. A small part of Kaya had died that night, as she had watched her best friend being marched back to his prison, by none other than the two people who cared for her more than anybody else. As a child, she had lived her life constantly being split in two; her heart yearned for him, but she was not strong enough to disobey the unconditional love of her mother and father. Maybe Nicholas was right, she was just like them.

Kaya watched as Lucas tensed at Nicholas's words regarding his feelings towards her. "That is no concern of yours," she hissed back at him, wishing that Lucas would stop being so foolish. This was not a place for him to let his feelings get the better of him, they had to work together, as a team. She didn't need his protection and it would get them nowhere if he was intent on keeping her out of harms way. Kaya resisted the urge to pull him back to her, for fear of Nicholas seeing anymore than he already had, a thought which terrified her in itself. What did it have to do with him, if she was sleeping with her partner? Lucas was kinder to her than anybody else had ever been, yet it wasn't him that she wanted, another thought which she quickly shook away from the forefront of her mind. As Lucas whispered for her to leave, the brunette shook her head with urgency. "Don't be a hero Lucas, please. Lucas... Lucas, don't!" But despite Kaya's protestations, she watched as he lunged for Nicholas, the latter of the two men tossing Lucas aside like a rag doll. Kaya could only watch on, frozen in horror at the sounds of her teammate's bones cracking against the wall. It was taking all of her strength not to beg Nicholas to stop, but she didn't, she couldn't bear to give him the satisfaction. There was no time for her to shield Lucas, as Nicholas was soon offering her an ultimatum, shaping a dagger and pointing it to her partner's chest.

With nothing more than hatred in her eyes then, Kaya turned to face her enemy. She would not let him intimidate her and she wondered just how long she could call his bluff for. There was no doubt in her mind that he would kill her partner and eventually she would need to surrender to save Lucas's life. It wasn't an option in her mind that she would let her partner die, but at the same time no part of her wanted to give in to this monster. She didn't care about what he might do to her if she did, but the thought of giving him what he wanted caused a wave of nausea to wash through her. This time it was Kaya's lips though, that twitched into a smirk as she could feel an invisible forcefield of psionic energy spreading out from her finger tips, weaving its way into Nicholas's mind and tricking his thoughts into believing that he was in an immeasurable amount of physical pain. The ten second countdown had been a mistake on his part. "You underestimate me," Kaya spoke quietly then, taking a few steps towards Nicholas now that she knew he was disarmed. She came to a stop just in front of him, her knees shaking a little at their sudden close proximity. "You may have grown more powerful in our time apart, but so have I." She twisted the waves then to up the next level of pain. "I will never go with you. You disgust me, Nicholas. If you really believed that being dead is better than living in a world like this then why did you save me six years ago? You're nothing more than a coward. You should have murdered me like you did my parents."

Interrupting her little speech then however, was a sudden deafening groan that sounded from the building, the structure shaking around them as dust and debris began to fall in a constant stream of explosions. Kaya pulled herself away from Nicholas as this sudden change in their atmosphere rattled through the room, and rushed over to where Lucas lay, fluctuating in and out of consciousness. "Why did you do that?" She asked him sadly, helping him onto his feet and ignoring his grunts of pain. "I'm so sorry for hurting you. But we have to get out of here. Now. If we don't we'll both die." Kaya draped Lucas's arm over her shoulders, her own arm wrapping around his waist so that she could support the weight of him as best as she could. She had retracted the psionic energy as soon as she had moved away from Nicholas, instead favouring to wrap her shield around her and her partner, to protect them from the building as well as another onslaught of viciousness from their enemy. As they managed to get to the doorway of the room, Kaya turned to look back at the man who had already caused her so much pain. She wanted nothing more than to capture him as she had said that she would, but right now getting Lucas out was her main priority. She could swallow her pride long enough to know that saving a life was more important than revenge. "I was never different," she said coldly, only stopping for a moment. "I will always be their daughter."

Suddenly, the building gave another loud groan and Kaya was thankful to feel that Lucas's consciousness was coming back to him as she managed to help him out to the fire escape. For a little while, he was able to move himself down the stairs, believing Kaya to be right behind him. However, it was only when he noticed the sudden absence of footsteps in his proximity did he stop to look back to find an empty space where she should have been. "Kaya?! What are you doing?" The brunette had stopped just before the doorway, an invisible forcefield now between the two as Lucas ran back up the stairs to her. "I'm sorry," she said after a moment. "I... I need to know why he did this. Please, just go, make sure the others are safe. I'll be fine." Ignoring his loud protestations, Kaya maintained the shield to prevent him from re-entering the building, refusing to look back as she moved further and further away from him. She had to do this. She would never forgive herself if Nicholas got away... or if anything happened to him, the latter idea however quickly being pushed out of her mind in favour of the former. She was sure that she didn't have long, more and more debris was beginning to fall around her and it took all of Kaya's strength and agility to constantly dodge large, tumbling objects that would surely crush her if she stopped for even a moment. Eventually, she made it back to Room 804, hesitating for only a moment before re-entering what was left of the room. She didn't even know if Nicholas would still be there, but something was calling her back, whether that made any sense to her or not.

 

[Jack19XK]

Part of Nicholas already guessed that Kaya would not come with him so willingly. She’d always been stubborn, much like himself. He still remembers the nights when she would sneak into his cell against her parents knowledge. But thinking back, it was all for naught. She’d betrayed his trust to her parents and sentenced him to what could’ve been an eternity of suffering. She did not truly love him nor cared for him. All of it was an act orchestrated by her parents.

Fine then. If Kaya refused to cooperate, then Nicholas would just have to show that he was serious about the repercussions. However, just as the spear neared Lucas’ chest, Nicholas felt a sudden surge of pain flow through his body. Faced with overwhelming agony, the male gripped the side of his head as he fell to one knee. He groaned in discomfort as migraines coursed through his nerves until they became present in every corner. The agony was enough for him to lose focus temporarily, causing the spear and Lucas to be dropped.

Nicholas did not reply to Kaya’s taunts. Instead, he was using the time to allow his own psychic powers to counteract those of Kaya’s. Her power was the equivalent of a virus and Nicholas’ mind was the antibodies that repelled it. Sure enough, it didn’t take long before the pain throughout his body slowly evaporated as the illusion was casted away like a disease.

But before Nicholas could return the favor, the ground below them began to shake violently. Having been under the shock and emotional stress of their reunion, Nicholas had lost focus on the building. The fires, even without his control, had ate away at the apartment’s foundations including its brick and steel. The entirety of it is now crumbling down.

Anything that remained intact was now falling apart by the magnitude of reverberations that coursed through the building. Several bodies of debris collapsed right above where Nicholas was standing. With a glance over his head, Nicholas was able to stop the debris above from crumbling on him. By the time he’d glanced over in the direction of Kaya and Lucas, the pair was already on their way out.

“I will always be their daughter.”-She mouthed to him.

Those words sent images of that faithful night flashing before Nicholas’ eyes. They were a mirror of what her parents had said 6 years ago.

“She will always be our daughter”

“She will never like a monstrosity like you.”

Nicholas will never forget the night in which all of his trust were shattered in an instant. Not only did he trust Kaya with himself but he’d trusted her with his heart. Ever sense then, Nicholas Britton no longer believed in the existence of trust.

————————————————-

Despite his protests and the dangers that it presented, Kaya was determined to return to the scene for answers to questions that Lucas was never made aware of. In fact, he was certain that Kaya had never mentioned anyone like this. Why would she? Why does she? Just who is this man and what role did he play to have invoked such a bewildered reaction from Kaya? All these questions needed answers but they were not of the upmost priority at the moment.

“No, he’ll kill you. Kay come back!“ Lucas cried out as he tried to follow behind Kaya. Unfortunately, his path was blocked by a wall of violet energy. Lucas tried his best to break through but his current state did nothing to the solid body of psionic forcefield.

There was another violent shake of the building. Lucas was quickly reminded of the severity of the situation. Left with no choice, the male used the last bits of his energy to vacate the building. He could do nothing for Kaya remaining in the building now. He must make it out and call for help.

Lucas barely made it out in time before the entrances and exits with rubble. The fatigue caused him to fall to one knee, just as his partners rushed to his side.

“Thank god you guys made it out!” Beth exclaimed in joy. But it didn’t take long for them to realize the fact that Kaya wasn’t behind Lucas.

“Where’s Kaya?” Thea asked, her voice shaking with a tone of apprehension. The whole team had confidence in their leader. Never once in their many years of partnership did they ever doubt her. Even so, not seeing her exit with Lucas was still worrying to say the least.

“Inside with the man who did all this.” Lucas’ response only created more questions than answers. “No time to explain. Isaac, I need you to keep the building still. It cannot collapse as long as Kaya is in there.”

“You can count on me.” Isaac wasted no time in getting to work. Not only is Kaya’s life now in his hands but so is the lives of all others in the vicinity of the building.

Isaac would approach the withering structure and descend on to one knee. Placing his palms on to the ground, he shut his eyes as he started to concentrate. Moments later, the ground began to shake violently as ruptures formed around the building. Massive bodies of dirt and stone erupted against the building as they formed into pillars to act as the newest foundation. This would only be a temporary measure as the black flames were still going rampant. The fires continued to expand and devour everything they touch. They were chewing the newly formed pillars away like wood. Time was limited and every second meant that the building was growing closer to utter collapse.

“How long can you keep it together?” Asked Lucas

“I don’t know but not for long with this fire.” Said Isaac while trying not to break concentration.

————————————————

Ignoring his subsiding environment, Nicholas had taken a seat on top of a nearby body of rumble. Held in between his hands was what looked to be a piece of research paper. The paper was taken from the pile of documents that Lucas had left behind. Nicholas appeared rather entranced in the document’s contents. Despite this, he easily noticed Kaya’s return, something he may or may not have predicted.

“Can’t stay away either I see.” Nicholas said to the approaching Kaya. He too had felt a strange energy drawing him back. It was something that he could only explain as being close to an instinctive gut feeling. “You two never should’ve came up here and you never should’ve came back.” The comment was to be taken more as a threat. Nicholas still had every intention to capture Kaya. And she likely feels the same. Perhaps that was why she’d returned.

 

[Becboc]

Upon spotting Nicholas in amongst the debris, Kaya paused in the doorway a moment before she tentatively began to move closer. There were several holes that had been knocked into the ground around them, which meant that she had to be careful not to take a step that might cause them to widen even further. She was also very aware that getting too close to Nicholas was maybe not a smart move; the very building they were currently in was evidence of his power and destructive capabilities. If he could do this to children, Kaya was under no illusion that he could do the same to her, if not worse. "Don't kid yourself," she responded bitterly, "I came here for answers, not for you." She reluctantly met his gaze then, for fear that he might see the truth that lay behind soft brown eyes that Kaya had never been able to control the emotion behind. Despite the words that she spoke, for anybody that knew Kaya well, one glance at her gaze would signify if she wasn't being honest about her feelings. It was a trait she had grown loathe about herself; no matter how hard she tried to conceal her true emotions, there was always something to give her away, and even through she was trying hard to convince herself that she had returned into this building to bring those who Nicholas had killed to justice, she had also been driven by a sense of concern. For him.

"Are you threatening me?" Kaya almost laughed at the sentiment. "And why shouldn't I have returned? I thought you might be disappointed that I cut our reunion short." There was a hint of bitter amusement in her voice as she spoke to him, the building giving another involuntary shudder that momentarily interrupted what she was saying, before teetering off into a silence again and allowing her to continue. "You know what we do, Nicholas, of course I had to come back. I meant what I said earlier, I won't let you get away with this. You have killed... so many people. I didn't think..." But Kaya felt as though she couldn't finish that sentence. What she wanted to say was that she didn't think he was capable of such monstrous behaviour, but she reprimanded herself then for being naive; she knew better than anybody that he was very capable. Although, her very existence was living proof that at one point he had felt something other than hatred, she wondered if any of that was left within him now? As she searched his gaze she couldn't find it, but then she hadn't really held out much hope that she would. "So what are you going to try next?" She continued then, attempting to push her personal thoughts aside. This wasn't about them, despite the fact that this very much felt like a reunion that had been a long time coming. Kaya had so many things that she wanted to say, but she simply felt unable to now that they were facing each other again. She had rehearsed this moment so many times in her head, but pouring out her heart after Nicholas had initiated a killing spree was not how she had imagined it to happen. "Are you going to burn me like you did my partner? Toss me against the wall a few times? I'd like to see you try. I'm sure you've imagined doing worse."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

​

Thea felt her heart stop when Lucas told the group that Kaya was still inside. There were so many questions flying around her mind in that moment that she felt it difficult to focus on asking just one. The team knew that Kaya and Lucas were sleeping together, of course they did. They all worked in such close proximity that it was impossible not to pick up on nuances such as that. So for Lucas to be here with them now whilst their leader was still inside made no sense to the silver haired girl whose gaze had fixated on the crumbling building. She had a bad feeling about what was going on inside and although she desperately wanted to get in there and help, she was also faced with a reluctance she had never really experienced before. Thea was usually one to approach their missions with an almost childlike excitement, but not this time. There was more to this situation than met the eye, she was almost certain of it.

As Isaac attempted to secure the building, he could feel his arms shaking from the exertion of holding up the pillars that were currently being ravaged by the dark flames that had remained within the structure from the beginning. One by one he felt his pillars breaking down, a low growl releasing from the back of his throat in frustration. If he couldn't get a grip of this situation their teammate would die and Isaac could feel the mounting pressure on his shoulders as his teammates watched on in helplessness. Kaya was on her own now.

Beth moved a little closer to Lucas, reaching out fingers to grip his arm in comfort. She could only imagine what he must be going through as he watched their failing attempt to help. "This is impossible," Isaac yelled over the erupting sound of crashing debris. "Lucas, the building is coming down with Kaya in it. I just can't hold it." Desperately he tried to form more pillars to encase the structure, but the more he created, the quicker the flames seemed to ravage them. It was like the fire knew what he was trying to do. Lucas could hardly watch as he paced back and forth, trying to come up with a Plan B. He felt so angry that Kaya had re-entered the building without him; she had offered no explanation to how she knew the stranger who had almost ended his life and had left him to report back to their team with little to no helpful information. But mostly, he wasn't angry at her, this was simply an idea that masked how angry he was at himself for being utterly useless in this situation. The woman he cared for was about to be crushed to death, or worse, in front of his very eyes, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. "God damn it," he exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Right, Isaac, Beth, listen carefully. Plan B. I need you to get ready to catch Kaya when she falls. Beth, you need to use the wind in line with Isaac's pillar to ensure that he doesn't miss her. They're in that room on the corner of the building closest to us. You concentrate on catching Kaya and Kaya alone do you hear me? I don't care if the man she's with up there caused all of this, our priority right now is Kaya's life, not his motives." The two nodded a silent response as a far corner of the building began to crumble away completely. The whole team knew that this was somewhat of a mercenary approach to a rescue mission, when they were currently blinded by the walls surrounding the two mutants. But what other choice did they have?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kaya could feel that her and Nicholas didn't have long left to continue their conversation. The whole building seemed to lurch suddenly to one side, causing her to reach out her hands in an attempt to steady herself. She wondered if somewhere in Nicholas's abilities he could control this in some way; the flames did belong to him after all, or had he managed to get out of his depth? Had he lost control? There was no way that she could know the answer to these questions of course and instead Kaya took a few tentative steps towards him. "So what's it going to be?" She asked after a moment, "Are you going to let the building kill us, or are we going to fight?" Although what Kaya hadn't planned, was for the building to make up their minds for them. The whole room suddenly seemed to quiver, more and more of the walls falling away. Instinctively Kaya initiated her shield, but not only around herself. She only had a split second to act, in which she closed the distance between herself and her enemy, reaching out her arms to wrap him into what any onlooker would have assumed was an embrace. What Kaya was actually doing however was creating a shield around them both; in the moments leading up to the collapse she had realised that they were both about to be crushed to death, and she had moved to protect Nicholas without even thinking about it. Plus, her shield was much more effective when she could maintain contact with whomever she wanted to include in her bubble. Kaya also knew that her teammates would be doing everything in their power to protect her, so if Nicholas was with her, he had a higher chance of survival. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of violet light that burst from Kaya just as the ground seemed to swallow the two up, plunging her into darkness.

In the aftermath of the collapse, Group X found themselves to be covered in a pale beige dust, coughing and spluttering as they tried to make out the scene of devastation in front of them. Fortunately, Thea had warned the police in time to allow them to remove people from the immediate vicinity of the crushing devastation, and her teammates had been able to keep close enough to aid their leader without compromising themselves. As the walls had fallen away, Isaac had miraculously managed to spot the flash of purple his leader had initiated just as she had begun to fall and within seconds he was bringing up a pillar to meet not one body, but two, something which caused a moment of confusion within him. Beth had been on standby, a small breeze rippling towards the two should they fall in any direction other than the pillar. As the dust settled though, Isaac brought the mound of Earth down to the ground level as efficiently as he could, watching as Lucas sped off from the group towards Kaya and whoever else she was with, Thea hot on his heals. As he eventually reached her, having clambered and slipped over multiple mounds of rubble, his eyes picked up nothing but the sight of the brunette who laid unconscious on the slab of Earth that had caught her. He could hear police officers calling them back, the building had just collapsed after all, but there was no way in hell he was about to leave her. As Lucas reached Kaya, he took in her skin that was grey with ash and dust, except for a dark trickle of blood that was running from her nose. Lucas had seen that happen to Kaya only once before and she had mentioned in passing once that it sometimes happened if she over exerted her shield, which he assumed she must have done to save herself. He didn't realise at this point that she had not only saved herself from the collapse. Gently, he knelt down beside her, softly shaking her shoulder and failing miserably to hide the panic that was gripping his voice. He reached his hand up to gently stroke some of the dust away from her cheek, willing her eyes to open.

"Kaya? Kay, hey, wake up. Kay? Can you hear me?"

 

[Jack19XK]

With the piece of paper still held tightly in his hands, Nicholas stood up from his makeshift seat as he stared into Kaya’s eyes. Ever since they’d met, her eyes had always been one of her biggest weaknesses when it comes to concealing her thoughts. It would seem that’s something that she had never truly improved upon.

Despite Kaya’s close proximity, Nicholas made no attempts to compromise her mind. He had no need to as his own knowledge of her was just as good of an indicator of Kaya’s thoughts. Of all the men, only Nicholas knew Kaya well enough to read her properly. He could see the sadness formed by the sentimental memories that still coursed through her mind. But at the same time, he could tell that there was a wall that had formed to block said memories.

“You didn’t think?” The male’s eyes leered at Kaya almost as if her words had triggered some sort of nerve within him. “Of course you did, Kaya. Isn’t that why you turned me in all those years ago?...So that I won’t be released back into the world?”

“And don’t pretend that your hands are clean. You are no better than me. You have any idea on how many mutants have died as a result of your team’s efforts? How could you speak of justice when your very purpose is to capture mutants and send them off to face the same fate as I?” Nicholas’ hands balled into fists as frustration built sithin. It was then that he remembered the paper that had since become crumbled in his hands. “I’ve simply become the monster that you’ve always thought of me as.” He said with a hint of anguish as he tossed the paper towards Kaya with the aid of his telekinetic abilities.

It likely wouldn’t take long for Kaya to recognize the file as one that had originated from Helix. The institute’s symbol can be seen on the top left corner along with Nicholas' name and his designation of S.812. But the most recognizable details weren't Nicholas' name but the other two that were also listed: Rowan and Vivian Reid, Kaya's parents. The file looked to be an excerpt from patient records as suggested by the lack of actual research data. “I’m going to make everyone who has ever played a part in what happened in that place pay.” There was an overwhelming level of indignant bloodlust in his voice. Unknown to Kaya, it was Nicholas’ anger that was now fueling the ravaging flames in the building, not his mind. The flames were growing more violent with every passing thought and memory. The male had initially thought that his fire had killed all within Helix, but that did not seem to be the case. Of the several survivors, many of them have since returned to their occupations elsewhere. And Nicholas is determined to find them.

“It wasn’t my intention to kill all those people, Kaya. But in this age, violence and bloodshed is the only way to get your message across.” Kaya was right in the sense the old Nicholas has lost his way. Much of his old self has since become swallowed up by a pit of darkness fueled by his relentless lust for vengeance. This very same thirst for retribution on the people that’s wronged him have blinded Nicholas’ sense of morality.

There wasn’t much time for Nicholas to think of an answer as the building had finally lost its last bit of stability. The fragile floor below them was shaking violently as pieces started to shatter in every corner. Amidst the chaos, Nicholas felt something wrapped around his waist like an embrace. Even after all these years, it felt familiar to him.

Nicholas watched a violet forcefield generated around him and Kaya, just in time as the floors above them caved down all at once. He could hear the loud destructive sounds of rubble collapsing on to the shield. Soon enough, the earth below them had also gave in.

—————————————————



Dust soon filled the earth as the apartment building had now turned itself into a makeshift grave for all those that’d perished in the flames. Consequently, the ravaging flames seemed to had extinguished themselves all at once. Whether this be due to the building’s disintegration or other factors is still a mystery.

By the time the dust had settled, many were shocked to see Kaya in the arms of a mysterious man. She’d fallen unconscious mid way through the descend and Nicholas was able to catch her.The use of the shield had drained Kaya of her energy, forcing her into a state of unconsciousness illuminated by her greyish tone.

“You didn’t have to do that.” Nicholas whispered to Kaya, who remained in his arms. Shortly after, he spotted a familiar sight racing towards him. It was Lucas but only this time, he wasn’t rushing to fight Nicholas but to check on Kaya.

Nicholas would find a flat surface nearby and proceed to gently place Kaya’s body on top of it. As for Lucas, he‘d pushed Nicholas to the back of his mind as he attended to Kaya. His hands gently brushed off the dust on her face as he held her tightly against his chest.

In the meantime, Nicholas soon found himself the target of multiple firearms as the police rushed to surround him. They were backed by the rest of Group X who placed themselves between Kaya and Nicholas. There was no doubt in their mind that this was the man responsible for all those deaths. And like Kaya had said, he must pay for his crimes.

“Don’t move! Get on your knees and put your hands up!” Ordered one of the officers.

The entire time, the group were also preparing themselves for what they’d expected to be vehement resistance. The team’s bond had become so strong that they don’t always need to communicate verbally. They’ve learned how to use each other’s powers in unison in order to insure maximum effectiveness

Thea and Beth pondered over what they could use to counter the male if he was to unleash his flames again. Rain proved useless and so would snow. Perhaps she could go for a more direct approach and target him instead with lightning. As for Beth, perhaps she could use her sonic scream to immobilize the male or even to rebel the flames. However, if his fire was able to bypass the properties of water, there’s no telling what other abilities it may possess.

Isaac may had been tired out by his efforts in keeping the building stable, but he still had plenty of energy to fight. But like Thea, his power over earth could only stall, not contain. Nicholas’ fires has devoured his pillars like they were made out of wood. The only person they could think of with the ability to even remotely counter the male is Kaya.

Nicholas simply looked amused than anything as he remained idle but did little to follow their instructions. He wasn’t even paying them much mind. Instead, his focus was placed on Kaya, who was being cared for by Lucas. The sight of which, confirmed his suspicions regarding the two’s relationship.

“I will not say it again! Put your hands up or we’ll shoot!” The officer yelled again.

Finally, Lucas’ gaze lifted from Kaya and on to Nicholas. Anger filled his eyes as he stared down the man responsible for the state of the woman in his arms as well as those that’d perished. There’s no telling how many people have tired because of his actions. Even now, they do not know the reason as to why he’d done it.

“It’s over. It’s time for you to pay for your crimes.” Lucas‘ stare pierced Nicholas like daggers. Having recovered a great deal from the injuries earlier, the male was also ready to fight Nicholas if needs be.

 

[Becboc]

Somewhere in the depths of her unconsciousness, Kaya could make out a body of warmth holding her tightly, like the comfort of a blanket she had once known long ago. Instinctively, she nestled into the familiarity of it, clutching onto the last remnants of sleep that clouded her mind. This was better than the pain of her consciousness and she was reluctant to welcome that back into her thoughts. If she could just hold onto this feeling that little bit longer... But despite her sudden overwhelming desire, the warmth was soon relinquished from her grasp, the unwelcome coldness of a hard surface replacing the previous softness she had been longing for. Even with this change though, Kaya could still not bring herself back to full consciousness; her body was weak, her limbs refused to give into any kind of movement. Even her eyes felt heavy, her papery eyelids flickering as a new warmth replaced the coldness, wrapping her into a comfort that felt much less familiar than the previous. "N-Nicholas?" She mumbled into the material of a shirt, her brow furrowing as she recognised a scent that was different to the one she knew so well. Slowly, Kaya could feel herself slipping back into consciousness, dark lashes that previously fanned dusty cheeks flickering open to squint against the sudden intrusion of the light. She could see a large form coming into focus before her eyes, soft words asking her to wake up, a gentle tickling sensation stroking against her cheek. "Lucas?" She asked then, her voice faint and croaky from the inhalation of ash. "Where... Where is..."

"Put your hands up or we'll shoot!"

The faraway sound of this statement jolted Kaya back awake then, panic racing through her veins as she inhaled deeply, choking on the dryness at the back of her throat. "No... Wait." She gasped scrambling to move out of the warmth of Lucas's embrace. She could feel the confusion on his features as he watched, his arms falling limply to his sides. He had heard her mumbling a name that wasn't his, but what he couldn't fathom was why. How did Kaya know this monster? The way she had been so quick to run back into the building to him... Was there more to that than her her simple need for justice? Lucas wasn't sure, but as he stood up from where he had held her, he took a few steps back, feeling somewhat rejected. Again.

It took Kaya a moment fo focus on the scene in front of her, the buildings around her spinning as she wiped at her nose with the back of her hand, noting the smear blood that stood out against her skin which was still grey from the dust. She wobbled a little on her feet as she noticed her team staring at her, their own confused expressions doubled in her vision. It was taking everything she had to keep from collapsing again, her eyes frantically searching the crowd for... him. As Nicholas came into focus, Kaya exhaled with relief to see that he hadn't been harmed in the fall. The only one the collapse looked to have affected was her. And the rest of the bodies that lay amongst the rubble, she thought to herself, as her eyes widened as if seeing the devastation in front of her for the first time. The first thing that Kaya noticed was the sudden silence, compared to the horrendous crushing sound she had heard just before she had fallen. It was silent like a graveyard, with crows already swarming above their heads and a tension in the air that was almost palpable. As she tried to gain a grasp an understanding of the situation, her thoughts raced to piece together the moments before she had initiated her shield. Kaya recalled Nicholas's words about the time she had betrayed him and a sudden sharp pain struck through her chest. How could he think that she would ever have done that to him, for any reason other than her own selfishness? The only thing that had caused Kaya to turn him in was her desperate desire to keep him close to her, nothing more, nothing less. It pained her that he thought she was capable of such a horrendous act of betrayal, but then she could understand why he was so quick to see the worst in somebody like her. You only had to look at her parents for starters. Maybe Nicholas was right, maybe she really was more like them than she had ever considered herself to be.

As a child, Kaya had been filled with happiness and warmth. She always wanted to see the best in people and she could never really understand why her parents did what they did. It was for the greater good, they often explained to her, although what the greater good was, Kaya had never been exactly sure. This was the same reason she used to explain her own involvement with the government now. When they had agreed to record her death as official after the fire and she had agreed to take charge of Group X, part of their promise to her was that they would end the inhumane treatment of mutants. They would still use them for experiments; they had to, to learn more about their kind in order to support future generations of both human and mutant alike. But they would at least treat them with care and respect during the process, or at least that's what they told Kaya anyway. And she had no reason not to believe them. She had lived a sheltered life, she was naive. Her parents had worked for the government, so what reason did she have not to take their word? This reasoning that Kaya often gave herself was soon replaced with flashes of images of Nicholas's angry words regarding his intent, her brown eyes widening in horror as she recalled the intentions that he had disclosed to her up in the building, just before she'd rushed to save him. She remembered he had a file in his hands and seeing a glimpse of her parents' names. If Kaya didn't take this chance and stop him now, who knows how many more lives he might end.

Even with this thought though Kaya could feel an internal battle churning away inside of her; how could she possibly imprison Nicholas again, when he already blamed her for it happening to him the first time? But if she didn't order her team and the police to take him away, the only other option was death and that simply wasn't an option in Kaya's mind. If she had to shatter whatever trust that might be left between them to save his life then so be it. She would never admit it to herself, but the thought of Nicholas's death caused her more pain than she could even begin comprehend.

Kaya desperately flicked her gaze between her team and their enemy, her breathing becoming a little more shallow as she tried to swallow the panic that was threatening to overcome her. She could see Thea, Isaac and Beth watching her intently, questioning why she wasn't giving an order.

“It’s over. It’s time for you to pay for your crimes.”.

"Wait," Kaya whispered. "Wait." A little louder this time. Lucas turned to face her. "Wait for what?" He snapped. "Kaya you need to make the call. We have him surrounded." But Kaya found that she couldn't speak, her dry and cracked lips moved, but no sound seemed to come out. "What the hell is wrong with you Kay? Make the call, or I will."

The brunette turned her gaze to Lucas then, and then back to Nicholas. Everything about her expression seemed to melt into an apology as she looked at the ground beneath her as she spoke. She couldn't bear to see his reaction. "Take him in," she ordered flatly, turning away from the group then so that she didn't have to watch. Immediately she felt Lucas by her side as she began to move away, a solid arm wrapped around her shoulders in support. "We need to talk," he murmured by her ear. If things got out of hand with this teammates he would be there in a flash, but right now his priority was ensuring that Kaya was out of harms way. She had been through enough; plus he was desperate to know more about her connection to this man. Something about the way he had seen them communicate bothered him, and as desperate as he was to cause Nicholas even a small amount of the pain he had caused him, he also sought some kind of reassurance from Kaya that there was nothing going on here that he needed to worry about. Kaya herself, found that she didn't have the energy to shrug Lucas off in that moment, even though she wanted to. If anybody asked, she would simply use her lack of energy as reason for her hesitation. Nobody needed to know the truth. Hell, even Kaya didn't fully understand it herself.

As their leader turned away from the scene then, Isaac, Beth and Thea all readied their powers, standing in formation just behind the officers who surrounded Nicholas. Although they needed Kaya's power, they understood that right now she wasn't up for another battle. She had just almost been crushed by a building after all. It was with this thought that Beth flicked her gaze over her shoulder, a flash of envy gracing her features as the sight of her boss cuddled into Lucas's side. She had to turn away in the end, for fear of the anger the scene caused her, and instead focussed her gaze on their target, readying a lightning storm ahead and channelling some of the anger she felt flushing her cheeks a gentle hue of pink.

"Ready or not," Thea taunted, her hands twitching with a fizz of power.

 

[Jack19XK]

As more and more officers arrived on the scene, Nicholas paid them no heed. No matter how many of them come, there still wasn’t much that they could do. It’s the mutant traitors that he needed to prioritize on. Those Kaya called her friends weren’t hard to pick out among the sea of blue uniforms and badges. Nicholas have done his research regarding Group X. Each of their powers are unique in their own accord. Single handily, they prove no danger to Nicholas. However, if they were to attack together, even someone like Nicholas must remain wary. Especially if Kaya was to join in. Nicholas wouldn’t doubt that.

Despite being so mindful of his current situation, Nicholas was not worried. He’s confident enough in his powers to know that he won’t be subdued by three mutants and some armed insects. Besides, even if he was to somehow fail in his defense, he’s certain that there are those watching who’ll risk anything to ensure his safe escape. Nevertheless, it’ll be best to paint himself as a loner for now. For his plan to succeed, he would have to maintain the element of surprise.

Dozens of perplexed faces were concentrated on Kaya, who had always been known to be decisive. But Kaya wasn’t herself today, or at least, not her new self. Her team had noticed the ambiguous change ever since they watched the news. Speaking of which, from the moment that the fire had extinguished itself, the area became infested with different news stations itching to get a shot at the man responsible. One could say that Nicholas did indeed achieve the attention that he sought after.

Like many others, Nicholas was also staring intently at Kaya. “Go ahead. Make the call, Kay.” He said to her, mimicking the comment made by Lucas. The latter of which, quickly noticed the way that Nicholas called Kaya’s name. He was certain now that the two not only knew one another, but their history likely went far more back than he’d originally suspected. That’s the only reasoning for the way that Kaya has been acting. She’s someone who refuses to let herself become disorientated by any matters. But today, it seemed as if all it took was a fire to cause her anxiety.

“Take him in.” She finally said, having relented to the pressures of her morality. Nicholas should’ve known that it was coming. Actually, he did, but part of him was hoping for something different. He understand that it was too much to ask for her to understand him. She was willing to protect those who don’t even care about her than someone who truly did, once. Nicholas had made a mistake.

“You could at least look at me this time as they take me in, Kay!” Nicholas yelled out with great volume. Kaya’s inability to stare at Nicholas was taken as a sign of weakness by the latter. She’d just given the order for him to be captured and possibly thrown back into a life of torment and yet, she couldn’t even find it within herself to look him in the eye. She’d done this last time as well, betraying him and not even having the courage to confront him herself.

In Nicholas’ mind, death was better than being imprisoned again. The government’s promise of ending the inhumane testing of mutants were lies. Nicholas knew first hand that such tests were far too valuable to simply give up. The hard truth is that results from pain and affliction are simply more punctual than any other methods.

Lucas had heard Nicholas yell out to Kaya. He glanced back and presented the male with a menacing stare as he continued to usher Kaya away. He’d already done enough harm to her and Lucas wasn’t going to let him do anymore. And neither will her teammates. Each of them had taken their position by this time and formatted their own approaches in their minds. With their focus locked on Nicholas, they awaited as one of the police offers retrieved a Power Collar, one designed specifically to suppress a mutant’s powers. The one that they brought was made specifically for high powerful mutants such as Nicholas, albeit they still have no clue as to who he is or what level he is exactly.

The sight of the collar triggered a series of flashbacks of the moments that he had been shocked by the collar. The stinging and immobilizing pain was something that no one should’ve become used to. But Nicholas did and to this day, the mere sight of a collar such as that is enough to invoke anger within him.

“You were all better off keeping those things in the car.“ Nicholas said cryptically. Rather than focusing on the team of mutants, Nicholas instead turned to a random police officer while completely ignoring the electrically charged Thea. With his lips curved up into an ominous smile, he proceeded to approach the officer while knowing full well that the others would not do anything hasty without knowing his intent.

“What are you doing?! Freeze?!” The officer said with a shivering voice. After seeing the damage that Nicholas has done, it made sense as to why he was fearing his approach. There’s no doubt that he could be incinerated with a single touch.

Despite knowing this, Nicholas did not stop.

“I said stay back!” The officer warned again as he raised his head to aim at Nicholas’ head. His hands trembled as he placed his finger against the finger in preparation to shoot.

“Sir calm down!” Exclaimed Isaac from afar.Their orders were to bring Nicholas in, which usually means keeping him alive. If the cop somehow panics and fires, that may be hard to do.

“Go ahead. I know that’s what you want to do. That’s what all of you want to do right? To kill monsters like me? Then go on. Do it!” Nicholas lifted up his hand. Seeing this, the cop fires his weapon, prompting his colleagues to do the same. In a span of seconds, the thundering of gunshots pierced through the air as bullets sped towards Nicholas. They would not make it to him. Instead, all of them would freeze mid air. Some were stopped inches away from Nicholas while others were stopped right as they exited the barrel.

Fear and shock filled the faces of those in blue as their eyes widened at the sight of their bullets floating the air. The same could be same for Isaac and the others. They’ve seen telekinetic users in the past but never before have they encountered one with such a high level of control. Being able to stop something traveling over 1200 miles an hour is already difficult enough. It’s hard to imagine doing so with so many at once.

“I suggest that all of you stay back. I may have stopped them once but I don’t know if I can do it again.” He taunted smirkingly. Nicholas knew well that he’s capable of doing it again. Whether or not he wants to is the question. As he said this, the bullets had rotated and aimed themselves against the foreheads of every single officer in the vicinity. Out of panic, the officers all proceeded to drop their weapons and lift up their hands in surrender. Their faces were frozen with terror as many turned to Group X for support.

“Let me go and they get to live. Don’t, and you’ll have several more bodies to bury.” As all the force contained from being fired from the gun still remained in the bullets, it meant that they would do just as much damage if released from Nicholas’ hold as they would coming from a barrel. And that’s if Nicholas doesn’t choose to augment them further with his own powers.

This presents a dilemma to Thea, Isaac, and Beth who stared blankly at one another. Neither of them possessed powers remotely close to those of Nicholas’. One wrong move and dozens of lives could be lost now. But if they were to let this man go, many more may be lost in the future.

“What should we do?” Thea asked her partners, who proceeded to glance behind at Kaya and Lucas for the answers.

Seeing this, Lucas had no choice but to turn his attention back towards the criminal. Questions and answers would have to wait as lives are now once again at stake.

 

[Becboc]

As Nicholas's words sang out into the group, an echo of his voice rippling around what was left of the buildings around them, Kaya flinched under the weight of Lucas's arm. She was suddenly plunged back into memories of the facility, as she had ran to her parents, her cheeks tear stained as she begged them not to let Nicholas go. Her mother and father had reacted quickly, sending out an army of people to bring the mutant back and despite the fight that had ensued, they had succeeded. Kaya had seen the hatred in his gaze, a hatred that was meant for her and her alone as she had found that she was unable to look at him as he was brought back to his cell, her parents keeping watch over the proceedings and forcing her to do the same. "You've done so well, Kaya," they congratulated her. "He would have escaped if it wasn't for you." The brunette could hear this same hatred in Nicholas's voice now, after she had given the order to bring him in. Back then, her parents had prevented her from seeing him after the incident and she had cried herself to sleep each night out of desperation to explain herself to him. But that chance had never come. Yet here they stood again, all of those thoughts and feelings she had held once flooding back to her in a memory so intense she thought it might take her breath away. Here she was, attempting to imprison who had one been her only friend with no way of communicating her reasons for it. First it had been her parents that prevented her explanation but now it was Kaya's own fear of what her teammates might think of her. If she allowed them to see that part of her, the old Kaya, she was sure that they would probably never trust her again.

Nicholas's use of her name was what caused her to pause then, as she glanced up at Lucas who was still attempting to usher her away. She could see the confusion pulling his brow into creases and she wondered what kind of explanation she would need to give when they were alone later. Did she owe him any explanation at all, she wondered as she sunk into his side. She had warned him that their arrangement was nothing more than physical when it had begun, no strings attached. But the more time that they spent together, the more Kaya could feel their arrangement turning into much more than that, at least on Lucas's part anyway. She wasn't sure that she was capable of those kind of feelings anymore. Nicholas's demands for her to look at him had caused a barrier to shoot up once again around her heart, her eyes turning cold and her body growing rigid with tension. She was angry at herself for allowing the old Kaya to poison her mind momentarily and she was angry at him for initiating those kinds of feelings within her. She had been right to believe that her old self was weak and she refused to let the new Kaya fall victim to these flaws anymore.

In the next few moments the struggle between Nicholas and the police ensued, landing the group with an ultimatum that none of them could quite comprehend. Kaya was quick to turn back to the scene, despite the distance she had managed to put between it and herself, Lucas turning as she did. She was stopped briefly by her partner as she began to take a few steps forwards, Lucas's hands cupping her face to ensure that his eyes met hers. "You don't have to do this," he offered her gently, but with a sense of urgency that tinged his voice. "Let me help Kay. I can take it from here." Kaya sighed at the offer he was making but she knew all too well that she couldn't trust Lucas to lead with his head on this and not his heart. Her eyes were suddenly filled with a sadness as she realised that when it came to this situation she could not trust her teammate. He had made his feelings towards Nicholas all too clear and that made for a situation Kaya wasn't willing to risk. "I can do this. I have to." she whispered, reaching up to place a small, discrete kiss on his lips then, something which surprised Lucas considering that there was a crowd of people who could see their little exchange. She was never this forthcoming with her feelings, but right then Kaya felt desperate for any kind of comfort that she could take, no matter how small. Plus, part of her wanted to bother Nicholas. She didn't know why, but she wanted him to see that she was capable of something more than betrayal.

The brunette moved away from Lucas then, willing her legs to carry her back towards Nicholas and the officers that he was currently toying with. She could feel the eyes of her team watching her as she moved past them, clear concern marring their expressions. "Kaya..." Thea began but stopped herself when the brunette shook her head in response. In quick succession, Kaya was weighing up their options in her mind. Did she open fire on Nicholas and let more people die at his hand? Did she give into the option he had given her and let him go, only for him to kill more people further down the line? Did she attempt to imprison him again, risking losing his forgiveness forever? Or did she allow him the freedom that she should have gifted him all of those many years ago? Although Kaya's eyes were cold, there was a storm of emotion ravaging her mind behind them. She was angry at herself for using up her own powers to save Nicholas, when she needed them now more than ever. But she was simply too weak to fight him and she knew that without her, her team's attempts to detain him could prove to be fatal. This had been an oversight on her part when she had previously requested that they take him in.

"Enough now," she said quietly as she enveloped her shield around the police officers that the bullets were aimed at. The shield crackled with a lilac glow and Kaya could feel another warm trickle of blood beginning to flow onto her upper lip, quickly wiping it away again with the back of her sleeve. Her shield was essentially a projection of herself and using it was currently sucking the life from her. God only knows what would happen if Nicholas let the bullets go - the impact would be like shooting Kaya herself. She wondered silently whether he would let that happen and found with a blank numbness that she didn't really care if he did. It was better that it happened to her rather than anyone else. "You're free to go Nick," she offered softly, her voice and eyes, for once, completely void of any emotion as she met his gaze. "Officers, put down your weapons and stand down." As they hesitated her tone became sharper. "I said, stand down." The police did as they had been told, the glances that they offered between each other resting somewhere between relieved and confused. "I will let you go, this time," she continued then, ignoring the shocked murmurings that seemed to ripple through the crowd. "But if you so much as move to harm anybody else before you do, we will not hesitate to bring you down." Kaya's voice grew darker then, her gaze following suit. "And just know that you will never get away with what you did here today. I will find you." Her voice lowered further, as she took another step towards him. "You truly have become the monster I always thought you were," she said gently, so that only Nicholas could hear her, her voice filled with a venom that was fuelled simply by her own pain and anguish. Although Kaya had attempted to recapture him, she had also saved his life just moments before, compromising herself in the process. Or at least that's what she believed to have happened. Yet here he was, causing her more and more suffering as he tore open her old wounds, laid bare for everyone to see.

Eventually ending their interchange, Kaya stepped away, turning her back on Nicholas and to her teammates who were looking at her with confusion. She could not bear the look of disappointment she could also see in their faces; she had never had that from her team before and it really hurt. "Kay, what are you doing?" It was Lucas who spoke first. "We can take him."
"No, we can't," she answered simply. "Stand down, all of you. Nobody else is going to die here today, is the building not evidence enough that there have already been too many deaths? Rest assured that this doesn't end here, not really. But I refuse to let him end anymore innocent lives on my watch. We cannot win this fight."
"B-But if we let him go, he'll only do it again. We have to try."
"Beth's right," Lucas drew nearer to the brunette. "Even if we save people today, it doesn't mean that he won't kill again in the future, he's certainly capable of it. We can't give up now."
Kaya sighed, irritation creeping up her neck in a flush of red. "Did you not see what he did to that building?" She cut in. "His power is beyond all of ours combined and I cannot use mine as I want to. We don't stand a chance. I'm making the call, to save us, and everyone else in this god forsaken place. We can go away, train ourselves up and next time this happens we'll be ready."
"This isn't right," Beth attempted to disagree but was shot down by a simple look from her leader. "Stop it. I've made my decision. We're done here." Both Beth and Isaac straightened their stances then, Isaac shaking his head at Beth who went to protest further before stopping herself. She stole a glance at Lucas who was looking past her to their boss and lowered her head in slight embarrassment, like a child would who had just been told off.

Kaya could feel her knees buckling under the weight of the exertion of maintaining her shield. She didn't have much consciousness left in her, as her vision started to blur. But Kaya was used to fighting these feelings of weakness, it happened more often than she cared to admit. Letting a small exhale escape her lips then, Kaya turned her back on her group again, turning instead to face Nicholas to ensure that he left quietly. She could see the incredulous faces of those that surrounded the scene as they tried to work out why on Earth she had made the decision to let a criminal go without punishment. She could imagine the stories printed in the papers now, words like coward and defector flitting through her mind. She was almost certain that the government would have something to say about it too but right now felt too tired to care. She had her reasons and she would willingly give them if anyone asked. Of course Kaya also had reasons that she would be completely unwilling to give as well but she couldn't let those cloud her mind right now.

 

[Jack19XK]

The situation was far too chaotic for Nicholas to deduct the hidden meaning behind Kaya kissing Lucas. The male had already speculation that the two were in some sort of relationship and that gesture had only verified that assumption. Who Kaya dates or sleeps with is none of Nicholas’ concern. At least, that’s what he was telling himself. Him and Kaya’s spark had been extinguished 6 years ago and it was Kaya who’d doused it with her own hands. Both of them have changed since then. They’d changed in someone that nether of them could love. Nicholas has become a monster in Kaya’s eyes and Kaya had become a traitor in Nicholas’. The spark will never be ignited again.

While Kaya had forsaken her old self, Nicholas had simply evolved from it. He spent his years understanding his potential in hopes that he could one day achieve his promise of revenge. While mutants detested the idea of being thought of as monsters, Nicholas had simply embraced it. At his time at Helix, Nicholas’ powers were exploited for many purposes. His fire was tested in hopes of being used to create new forms of weaponry. Ones such as bombs whose explosion could create miles of near inextinguishable fire. As for his mind, the possibilities were even more endless. If they could master his telepathy, soldiers could use it to interrogate enemies. The upper class could use it to control the lower. And scientists could use it to control other mutants. The scientists have treated Nicholas as a herald to weapons of destruction. They’d foolishly shown him the capabilities of his powers and ways to use them. Ironically enough, Nicholas would use his powers in the same way as the researchers had imagined it. Except, he used them for him and him alone.

Too many mutants have suffered and died at the hands of the people who claim to be working for the betterment of mankind. But mutants are men as well. They did not choose to become what humans referred to as monstrosities. But no matter how hard one tries, there was no removing said label. Mutants will always be seen as abominations who exist to be exploited.

Nicholas awaited patiently for as he watched the brief exchange between Kaya and her teammates. His lips curved upwards into a satisfactory smile upon hearing of Kaya’s decision of letting him go. If only she’d made a similar decision 6 years ago. Perhaps things would’ve been different today.

Nicholas was there when Kaya had manifested her powers for the first time. He remembered the fear and anxiety that she felt as she realized that she had become a monster. That discovery however, was what ultimately brought the two closer. Kaya started to visit Nicholas more and more as the latter slowly taught her how to control her newfound powers. This was made easy by the fact that they both possess some form of psychic power. As her powers were new at the time, Nicholas never had the pressure of seeing Kaya master them. Not until today.

The male watched as a forcefield of violet glow enveloped the humans. Nicholas took a moment to observe the shield. It wasn’t hard to detect a level of fragility in them. Powers involving the mind requires a great deal of concentration and willpower. Kaya wasn’t particularly in the right state for any of that right now. All Nicholas had to do was let the bullets loose. Who knows how damaging that could be to Kaya. Not only could it break her shield but her as well. Given her current state, perhaps it could even be life threatening. He could finally have his revenge for her betrayal.

With that thought in mind, Nicholas loosened his mental grip over the bullets, causing them all to drop to the ground in unison. The sound of the metal alloys hitting the ground filled the air as many of the officers let out sighs of relief. Nicholas had chosen not to exploit Kaya’s current weakened state, but for what reason? The male convinced himself that it was because she’d chosen to let him go. But had it been anyone else, he wouldn’t had passed down the chance. So what was different with her? The truth is, as much as he wanted to do her harm for her betrayal, Nicholas simply couldn’t bring himself to do so. He had plenty of chances today, from their one on one meeting up in the building to this very moment. Nicholas knew how vulnerable she was in those situations and yet, did nothing to exploit them. Is the past still haunting him like it has with Kaya?

“You know how I am, Kay. I never stop until I get what I want.” He said in a determined and unwavering voice. In this case, what Nicholas wanted was to spill blood and raise hell. He would stare back at Kaya. He matched Kaya’s dark gaze with his own cold stare. For a brief moment, it was as if they were reading one another’s thoughts. In a way, they were. “I have but who was it that made me this way?” He sneered in a disgruntled manner. Although it was really Kaya’s parents who’d caused Nicholas to fall into darkness, it was Kaya who made sure that he stayed there. Her treachery was essentially the nail in the coffin.

“See you soon....
....Kay.” Nicholas said with a soft voice as he glanced at Kaya one last time before disappearing into the crowds as promised. None of the officers attempted to chase after him. Even the reporters were smart enough to not go after someone who’d caused such devastation. Besides, if five mutants can’t stop him, there’s no way either of them could.

His farewell cut through the air like a hot knife through butter. Kaya’s teammates immediately tensed up at the statement, especially Lucas who grew suspicious of its meaning. Once Nicholas was out of their sight, he would rush up to Kaya.

“Kaya, just what is going on?” Although he was anxious for answers, Lucas had managed to separate that from his tone. He spoke to Kaya calmly in hopes of not adding anymore stress and trauma to the situation. Even so, it’s rather clear that Lucas would not stop until he has some sort of explanation.

“Yea, who is that man? And why did he call you....” Thea paused as she could see Lucas staring at her from the peripheral. “.....it just seemed like you guys knew each other.” She corrected herself hastily.

“Should we follow him?” Asked Isaac who in spite of seeing everything the man was capable of, was still willing to go after him. However, it wasn’t just Isaac but everyone of them as well. Being members of Group X, they trust Kaya with their lives. They knew that she would always make the decision that betters their team. Today was an example of that, albeit not all of them could tell.

“No, rockhead. Kaya said to let him go.” Thea teased with soft smack to the back of Isaac’s head.

With the situation calmed down, Thea slso started to notice that something was very off about Kaya. As Kaya and Nicholas’ conversation replayed in her head, Thea could guess that they had some sort of history. And judging from the conversation, it was a volatile one.

Approaching Kaya, Thea took her by her hands. “It’s ok now. You don’t have to talk about it right now if you don’t want to.“ Thea smiled. She always had one of the best smiles in the group. It was as bright as the sun and as genuine as her kindness. Like Kaya, Thea truly cared for those in her group, which was why the two of them had become so close.

Thea’s statement was what ultimately snapped the others into the realization that there was something more to Kaya’s decision of letting Nicholas go. They would all nod in agreement to Thea as each of them smiled brightly to not discourage Kaya.

 

[Becboc]

The whole of Group X seemed to cringe at Nicholas's menacing departing comment, Kaya closing her eyes momentarily as she pushed thin fingers to press the skin above her left eyebrow where a splitting headache was just beginning to emerge. She retracted her shield from the officers as soon as she had known they were safe, which was at least allowing her to conserve some of her energy. She had wondered why Nicholas had not let the bullets smash into her when he had the chance, and part of her felt a sadness that he hadn't. Maybe she should have been relieved, but instead she welcomed whatever physical pain he would inflict upon her, because that had to be better than the mental torture she was currently putting herself through. It was her fault Nicholas had turned out this way. He'd said so himself.

In the next few moments, her teammates had rushed to her side, lead by Lucas who was keen for the answers Kaya knew he would be seeking. Reluctantly she looked around the group, managing a small smile as Thea encouraged them to give her some space, all four of them nodding in agreement. It was touching to the point that Kaya was finding it difficult not to reach out to them; how had she gotten so lucky with such wonderful friends, she wondered? Maybe if they knew who she was, who she truly was, they wouldn't be so quick to comfort her. "No... You deserve an explanation. You all do," she said softly. "But let's get out of here first. We don't know who might be listening." Kaya glanced around then as teams of humans had already initiated a clean up operation, the news reporters itching to get a glimpse of the group of mutants who had failed to apprehend the one who was responsible for this mess. "Look, let's get ourselves cleaned up and we can meet back in the office shortly."

Thea was the first to rally the others into action. "Yes boss," she smiled. "Beth, Isaac, come on you two, we can take one of the cars back. I'll race you to it." Just as Thea turned away, Kaya caught her by the wrist. "Thank you," she offered quietly, before the silver haired girl had disappeared after the others. Thea had always been like a shining light to Kaya, they had clicked almost immediately upon meeting. Although the brunette didn't open herself up very often, Thea had been one of the lucky/unlucky ones (depending how you looked at it) to catch a glimpse of somebody other than the leader of Group X. Kaya was drawn to Thea's inner warmth and her genuine happiness, features she had once recognised in herself. After Kaya had watched them leave together, her and Lucas started to silently make their way back to the second car, the brunette spiralling into her own small cloud of self-loathing, something that wasn't unusual for her but was usually triggered by the words of someone else, this time it being Nicholas who had initiated her mental self-destruct button. When they eventually got into the car, Lucas taking the driving seat, Kaya rested her head against the coolness of the glass window. She could feel Lucas's eyes on her, patiently awaiting some kind of answers, but she remained silent for the most part. Her mind had momentarily taken her elsewhere, back to the facility when she had discovered herself to be a mutant. In that split moment, when her shield had first erupted from her body, Kaya had melted into a shaking bubble of turmoil, tears slipping from her eyes as she curled up against a wall next to Nicholas's cell. The people in her immediate vicinity, including Nicholas, had suddenly dropped to the floor, screaming about a pain in their heads that Kaya couldn't hear. It was Nicholas though that had found the strength to communicate with Kaya through the pain, coaching her through how she needed to withdraw her power until she managed to relinquish the mental torture she had inadvertently inflicted upon the people around her. Although Nicholas had been unable to physically comfort Kaya in that moment, his words had meant everything to her and she had taken those murmurings with her as she had been whisked away by her parents for immediate testing.

"Kay?" It was Lucas's soft tone that eventually brought Kaya back to the present day, her eyes flickering to meet his as he glanced at her from the driver's seat. "Are you okay?" No, was what she really wanted to say then, but instead she slowly nodded her head. "You're always so far away from me," he continued gently. "If... If you just let me in, maybe I could help?" Kaya sighed at his offer; sometimes she hated how kind Lucas was to her, she didn't deserve such treatment from somebody she used to make her feel better. "You don't want me to do that Lucas," she smiled weakly. "You have no idea what you'd be letting yourself in for." In Kaya's mind she was broken, and allowing Lucas to see that part of her would only cause more pain, for the both of them. She could feel her partner exhale in frustration, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. He was struggling to contain his own emotions; he could see the fragile state that Kaya was in, both physically and emotionally, but he deserved to know how she knew the villain she had previously called Nicholas. The way that he had used her nickname seemed to ring through Lucas's mind, images of them together flashing briefly through his thoughts. He ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to stop himself from seeing such disturbing ideas. "Can you at least tell me how you know him?" He asked then after a small pause. "I deserve to know that much." Kaya thought for a moment, her eyes scanning the road in front of them. She had been considering how much information she could give to the group; it had to be enough to satisfy their curiosities without giving them the whole truth. Kaya's true connection with Nicholas was not something that she could divulge, both because she didn't want to but also because it had been part of her agreement with the government to keep her past identity a secret, for her own protection and the protection their treatment of people like her. Although this wasn't something that particularly bothered her, Kaya knew that if she went back on her part of the deal, they would surely go back on theirs. What she didn't know however, was that they already had.

"I... I knew him once, from a government facility." Lucas frowned in confusion at her response, but didn't say anything as he let her continue. "He was experimented on. Before the the regulations came in to make the experiments more humane. Nicholas is... Well, he's very powerful. More so than any of us." That was as much as Kaya was willing to say as she pressed her lips together and turned away from her partner, whose eyes also drew back to the road as he mulled over the small piece of information she had given to him. When Lucas had asked the question, he hadn't exactly wanted information about Nicholas's powers - that could wait until Kaya told the rest of the group. He had meant it on a much more personal level, but then he knew that Kaya knew that as well and she was choosing to ignore it. "Okay, let me rephrase that then. How does he know you? He called you Kay..."
"Look Lucas, I really don't want to get into the ins and outs of how I know him right now. I do know him and that's all you need to know. None of the other stuff matters."
"So there is some other stuff? Other stuff that you're not telling me?"
"Yes, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear? Yes there was some other stuff at one point, but it's not important to our cause. You don't need to know."
"But what about what's important to us?" Lucas pulled the car to a stop then as they arrived back at HQ, pulling the keys out of the ignition and turning in his seat face the brunette who had grown rigid in her seat in amongst the tension that was floating around the car. "Kaya? What about us?"
There was a long pause before the brunette responded and she couldn't bring herself to look at Lucas as she did. "There is no us," she said quietly before letting herself out of the car and heading inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Around an hour later, Group X were back in their office, sat around a circular conference table, Isaac with a laptop in front of him, Beth and Thea chattering amongst themselves and Lucas sat quietly, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. They awaited the arrival of Kaya, who had stolen an hour to herself to get cleaned up and gather herself together before stepping back into the role of their leader. Currently, she was sat in one of the changing rooms after having showered to get rid of the ash that had been masking her skin and the majority of her hair. She looked a lot more like her old self now as she pulled on plain black clothes and tied her dark waves into a ponytail. She took a glance in the mirror before she left the room, acknowledging the dark circles under her eyes and the small scratches upon previously smooth skin. She had a larger gash just above her right eyebrow, framing one of her dark brown eyes which now looked completely void of any kind of feeling. In the time that she had taken to try and recuperate some of her energy, Kaya had pep talked her way back into the numbness that she was so accustomed to and despite her small war wounds, she looked a lot more like her old self, albeit a little more drained than before. As she took in her appearance, Kaya's thoughts flickered back to her conversation with Lucas, a pang of guilt ringing through her chest. She had always wondered what someone like Lucas saw in her; he was kind, loving and loyal. He was much better suited to one of the other girls in the team. Beautiful Beth with her lovely light hair and pretty features, or Thea who had more happiness and joy than anyone else Kaya had ever known. Why he had chosen her, the thunder cloud to their little group, Kaya couldn't fathom and she simply didn't have the energy to try to change it. Lucas was one of the few people that made her feel good about herself; he had become almost like a drug to her, someone she could go to when she was feeling the dark place in her mind that she had grown to know so well.

It was with this thought though that Kaya tried to shake herself from her spiral, pulling on her jacket and leaving the room to rejoin the group. Upon entering, she noticed the hush that seemed to envelope the team, her gaze avoiding Lucas's as she took her place at the head of the table.

"Nicholas Britton, is the name of the mutant we encountered today," she began, motioning for Isaac to pull up the records on the laptop that was in front of him. "His powers are mainly telepathic," she continued, "And he is more powerful than anyone or anything that we have ever encountered. We can't afford to underestimate his strength." Isaac twisted the laptop to face the group then, a detailed profile appearing on the screen. "His motives were made a little clearer to me today and I think the information we have is really important for us to be able to plot his next steps. He plans to take down all of the humans who once worked at the old Helix facility; that's who he was looking for in the building. So, we need to figure out who his next target is, ideally before he does. Any suggestions?"

 

[Jack19XK]

Lucas had entered the meeting room just a few moments before Kaya. Normally, his absence from Kaya’s side wasn’t all that strange as the two understood the need for space during work. However, given the circumstances witnessed today, the team could feel the gloomy clouds elevating above Lucas’ head. Something was bothering him and it was clear that it had to do with the man that they’d encountered today.

The tension in the air only thickened with Kaya’s arrival. Lucas could sense his teammate’s eyes shifting to him, almost as if they were trying to see his reaction to Kaya’s entrance. But he gave none. Instead, Lucas would remain entranced in his own thoughts as the words Kaya had said to her continued to repeat in a cycle.

“There is no us.” Lucas reprteaded in his head. That wasn’t the first time that Kaya had said this to Lucas. She had every right to given their agreement to remain only physically connected. But this time, Lucas truly felt himself crushed by those few words. Never before did he feel so close but yet detached from someone. He and Kaya may be connected physically but they‘re on completely different plains mentally.

Kaya and Lucas’ teammates had always saw the two as an ideal couple. Even in their very early days, they’ve been trying to ship them together. Kaya was like the clouds on a gloomy day and Lucas was the sun that brightens it. Lucas could’ve fallen for any of the other girls, whether it be the beautiful and graceful Beth or the uplifting and selfless Thea. He could’ve chosen any of them but he choose Kaya. He saw something in her and her only. He saw a girl haunted by her past, and all Lucas wanted was to be man who helps her move on from it.

Lucas may had never verbally expressed his growing feelings but he’d made them clear. His feelings complicated with every passing day. Even without factoring in his personal feelings, Lucas still deeply cared for Kaya’s well-being. He was this way before the two became engaged in their agreement. Whether it be during their missions or those late nights they spent together, Lucas simply couldn’t stop himself from caring about Kaya. He knew her better than most on the team and could tell that she had a troubled past. if Nicholas had anything to do with why she’s like this, he needed to know.

Like Lucas, Kaya had given the rest of her team a very short briefing on the man known as Nicholas Britton. She’d left out almost any details regarding her personal relationship to the man. Interestingly, those were the details that the team were most interested in. They all had the same questions as Lucas did. They’d all witnessed and heard the exchange between Kaya and Nicholas. Their words highlighted a past that their leader seems to want to buried. None of them were lying when they stated that they were willing to give Kaya time, for her to tell them whenever she is ready. Even so, there’s no stopping their own minds from pacing with speculations.

Thea and the others found themselves unwillingly grow tense as image of Nicholas was pulled up. Not because of what Kaya said but because of what they saw. The image Isaac displayed on the board before them was not of a man in his early 20s but an 18 year old boy. It was a picture taken from when Nicholas was still in the Helix Institute. One could see the darkness that lied behind his blue orbs. It was a deep seeded hatred just waiting to erupt.

“Do you not have any more current photos?” Beth asked as she glanced over at Isaac. Like the others, she too noticed the abnormalities of the lack of images on this man. If he’s a criminal, there’s no way that there’s no further information on him. Even the records detailing his powers were somewhat outdated as it possessed very limited information on the extent of his abilities. Like Kaya had said, Nicholas is someone unlike anyone the team has ever encountered before.

“No. That’s the newest image I can get.” Isaac said with a hunt of surprise. “That’s weird....the records shows that he was among the dead in the fire.” Isaac stated as he proceeded to pull up the government issued death certificate for Nicholas. “There’s nothing on him in any database since the accident. If he did survive that fire, I don’t know why there’s no information on him throughout the last few years. It’s like he just disappeared off the face of the earth like.....”

“A ghost.” Lucas interrupted. His comment caused many eyes to shift towards him. The others were almost expecting him to say more but Lucas simply remained silent.

“Uh yea....like a ghost.” Isaac finished as he leaned back against his chair. “There’s also James Marks, a 62 year old former researcher of Helix. Lucas found him killed in his apartment before he engaged with the suspect.” Beside Nicholas’ image, Isaac would pull up a photo of Marks. It wasn’t his crime scene picture as the authorities are still trying to identify the bodies. But it’s rather clear to them now as to why he was chosen as the target.

“Well, if he’s formally a subject of Helix, then we can assume that he’s targeting these people for revenge? But why go through all that trouble of burning down a building?” Beth commented with an arched eyebrow.

“Maybe he’s trying to get a message across?” Added Thea.

“But what message? That he’s coming for them or is he trying to tell them something else?” Beth added on. “How do we even know the message is for the former scientists? Maybe it’s for the current ones. He might be trying to scare people out of doing the experiments.”

Like usual, the room bursted into debate as everyone threw in their thoughts and opinions. Everyone except for Lucas, who’d always voiced himself in these meetings. With his elbow leaning against the armrest of his chair, Nicholas stared intently at the image of Nicholas on the board. He remembered what Kaya had said to him in the car regarding Nicholas’ past experience in the facility. At that moment, it was as if something had clicked in his mind.

“Why did he choose Marks?” Once again, Lucas’ words pierced through the air, causing a brief pause in the debates.

“Because he used to work for Helix.” Isaac answered without much thought as he partially wondered as to where Lucas was getting at.

“No, why him? Of all the people he could’ve targeted, he choose him. Not only did he choose him, but he choose to burn down his entire building as well.” In Lucas mind, there must be some sort of correlation between Nicholas’ choice of victim and his motives. “Isaac, pull up everything you know on Marks.”

As usual, Isaac went to work. He’d always been rather tech savvy, making it so that the team had no need for an outsider to operate the technology.

“James Marks, he worked at Helix from 1992 to its eventual destruction in 2014. He was a high ranking researcher who worked directly under the facility’s head scientists.” As a result of Kaya’s refusal to forsake her last name, the government had saw it necessary to redact any information regarding her parents from all the records. This essentially saved one of Kaya’s biggest secrets from being revealed right now. “There’s one more thing. According to what I’m seeing here, Marks was the assistant overseer of Sector S.”

“That means that Nicholas must know him personally given their associations on the same sector. And as someone of such a high ranking, he must have the information on those working under him as well. That’s why his office was trashed. Nicholas was most likely searching for the information on the other remaining researchers.” Although Lucas’ deduction skills was never a surprise, it was in this case. The way he pieced the puzzles together was almost too efficient and fast. It was clear that he had been thinking about this case for quite some time, which only made his team suspect that there’s more to Nicholas Britton than meets the eye.

“So do you think that he found what he was looking for?” Asked Isaac.

“I don’t know. Did he?” Lucas said back to Kaya. Given how much Kaya tried to talk to him, Lucas wondered what else she was able to learn from him. He stared at her with a hidden sense of pain, clearly from their conversation in the vehicle earlier. This was invisible to the others but he knew that Kaya could see right through his facade, just like how he can through hers.

 

[Becboc]

As she had given her brief history of Nicholas, Kaya had felt her team's glances shifting between themselves, noticing that Lucas was maybe the only one who didn't join in. As the leader of Group X, she had become skilled at picking up on the general feeling of her team and the small nuances that gave away their thoughts without them having to say much at all. She could tell that they knew there was more to this whole thing than she was letting them see and she wondered silently how long she could keep up this charade without it doing any permanent damage. By the look on Lucas's face, it was probably already too late for him. Kaya quickly cast her gaze away from him however, as Isaac pulled up an image of Nicholas onto the screen of the laptop, that Kaya should have known to be prepared for. The brunette took a seat in an attempt to hide her pained reaction from gazing upon the face of a prisoner whose life had been ruined by none other than herself. The image threatened to throw her back into a world she had once known as the Nicholas that she knew was suddenly laid bare for all of her team to see. She had to turn her eyes away from the image in order to get a hold of herself; she could feel Lucas's eyes studying her from across the room.

As the team banded ideas around the table, Kaya listened to Isaac recalling the information about Nicholas's death, again choosing to remain quiet, for she knew all too well the reasons for why the government reported him as deceased, and it was not something that she deemed would be useful to share with the group. Instead, she let them speculate, nodding along to some of their theories. Part of her would have usually settled into happily observing her team work so well together at this point, if it was on any other mission, but she simply couldn't relax when the subject of their conversations was a large part of the history that she had spent so many years trying to hide from. One wrong bit of information could cause all of her barriers to come crashing down and she was neither emotionally or physically prepared for that happening. At the mention of her parents, Kaya could only concentrate on keeping her expression emotionless, but that nearly changed as they brought up the picture of Marks. Kaya had known him of course; he had worked very closely with her mother and father on just Nicholas alone. He had been one of the main instigators in organising the experiments and it was no wonder that Nicholas had chosen to burn this man's whole building to the ground. He had been an essential part of the torture and pain that had been inflicted upon Nicholas from such a young age, for the majority of his life.

When the conversation turned back to Kaya, she paused for only a moment. She reluctantly met Lucas's gaze, trying not to flinch at the pain she could see that he was trying so hard to hide. She knew him well enough to see past his barriers though; their ability to wear their hearts on their sleeves was one of the main things that Kaya and Lucas had in common. As she reconsidered his question for her then though, a cool sentence seemed to cut through her thoughts like ice.

“I’m going to make everyone who has ever played a part in what happened in that place pay.”

"We can't know for sure but I... I don't think that he did." Kaya's mind cast back to an image of Nicholas holding his own file and a crumpled bit of paper he had crumpled in his first as he had grown angry with her about her accusations. "Given that Marks was already dead when Lucas entered the room, I think that Nicholas didn't get the information from him that he wanted, so he killed him out of anger. That's when the office was trashed as he searched for any information he could find about the others who were involved in his experimentation. Lucas is correct to assume that Nicholas is searching for other researchers. Actually, I think he is searching for the names of anybody who worked at Helix." What Kaya didn't add on to her comments was that Nicholas had told her that much himself. She preferred to keep any detail from their conversations up in that building strictly between the two of them.

"So if he didn't find the names he was looking for... Where might he go next in his search?" Thea asked.

"Isaac, is there anything on Marks's record about a second home, another office, any family information?" Kaya stood then, moving around the table to get a better glimpse of the laptop as Isaac manoeuvred his way around the records system. "He had a holiday home on the coast but I think he sold it a few years back. There's mention of daughter... no wait two daughters, who live with... his wife across the other side of the city." The brunette retracted then away from her team, turning her back on them momentarily as her mind worked into overdrive. If Nicholas had been unable to find what he was looking for in the office then why wouldn't he try the next best place? It wasn't unusual for researchers to take their work home with them especially when the facility they worked at had burned down and there was nowhere left for them to keep important records.

"Wait, you don't think that..." Beth's voice trailed off as Kaya turned back to the group, her face ashen.

"He's going to go to the wife next," Kaya nodded, finishing the sentence.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Isaac rose out of his seat, slamming the laptop shut and reaching for the jacket that hung on the back of his chair. Beth was quick to follow after him and then Thea, and finally Lucas. Kaya had noticed his unusual pensiveness during the group's discussion, but she knew that now was not the time to pick up where they had left off in the car. She realised that she probably owed him an apology, he had done absolutely nothing wrong, other than wanting to help her and ease at least some of the turmoil that she found herself in. But the sad thing about his attempts was that Kaya did see this as wrong, getting involved with someone like her would only end up in heartbreak for someone like Lucas. She had proved that much already.

"Wait," Kaya stopped the group then, just as they were nearing the door. "Before we go, we need a plan of attack. You've all seen how powerful Nichols is. We need to know exactly how to handle him if he is at the house."

"He won't be expecting us," Lucas cut in then. "We have the element of surprise on our side."

"Lucas is right," Kaya continued. "We need to approach this cautiously; Nicholas cannot know that we are there or we risk him demolishing the house like he did Marks's office. We need to approach the house with care, first to determine whether Nicholas is actually at the scene or not. If he isn't, we don't want to alarm the wife and her children. Beth and Isaac, this can be your task. If Nicholas is in there, you need to signal to myself and Lucas who will enter the house from either the back or the front, depending on his location. From how he reacted during our previous encounter, Nicholas is susceptible to my psionic energy, so I can use that to disarm him initially and then Lucas you can use your strength and the collar to subdue him. That should be enough for us to remove him from the scene and get him back to headquarters. Thea, I'll need you on standby, by either the back or the front door depending on where we enter, in the event that he tries to escape. If he does... Well, you know what to do."

The group nodded in unison, all except for Lucas who held a reluctance at working so closely with Kaya for the second time that day. Given that their last mission had ended so badly, he didn't exactly feel thrilled at the idea of coming between Nicholas and Kaya again, as he couldn't be certain that his heart wouldn't overrule his head in another combat situation. However, as this thought struck him, he tried to shrug off his own recklessness as the group started to move again towards the door, with an urgency that they had left the same building with a few hours previously.

As they headed for the cars, Lucas noticed that Kaya purposefully chose to take the vehicle that he didn't, a pang of pain rushing through him as he jumped into the driver's seat, with Beth by his side. He didn't understand what he had done to deserve such treatment, he was only guilty of caring too much if anything. But it was this that continuously drew him to Kaya and her constant unfeeling disposition. If he could only change that for her, he knew he could make her life so much better, he could add to it in ways she didn't even realise. But then, almost like clockwork, as soon as he got a little closer, she slammed the the door on him again, keeping him out in the cold. Alone. He wondered if he would ever figure her out, or if their arrangement would always be just that. A transaction between two lonely people. As he gunned the engine to life then though he felt somewhat dismayed that he preferred the idea of having that arrangement with Kaya, despite it not being what he wanted, rather than having nothing with her at all.

 

[Jack19XK]

The trip to the other side of town would take several minutes. Those were valuable time that the team could not waste. The fact that they weren’t sure if Nicholas was already there or not only made the situation more stressful for the team. Neither of them would know how to act if more innocents were to die because they were too late.

A slight surge of joy came across Beth as he saw Lucas enter the vehicle she was in. Although that was quickly made redundant as she assumed that it was because of the current awkwardness between him and Kaya. Being teammates, Beth and Lucas had always been close. He’d saved her countless times during their missions. It was only recently that she was able to return the favor. Ironically, as Lucas wanted more with Kaya, the same can be said for Beth. Although she knew that him and Kaya weren’t official, Beth still felt a little bit of guilt over harboring feelings for Lucas. This was made more painful by the fact that‘d closed his heart off to everyone but their leader. He was giving Beth no room to express her feelings to him.

“Are you guys alright?” Beth asked in a soft and concerned tone. Her curiosity was genuine as despite her feelings for Lucas, it hurt her to see him so glum and despairing. The same can be said for Kaya, whose wellness Beth also cares for.

“We’re fine.” Lucas replied bluntly. His hands tightened themselves over the steering wheel as he rushed through traffic. The government had given Group X a pass for running red lights. All the authorities needed was to see their specially designated plates to know not to stop them.

Beth knew better than to believe him. It was obvious that trouble has brewed betweenLucas and Kaya. All because of the appearance of that one Nicholas Britton. “She just needs some more time. She’ll tell you when she’s ready.” Beth said in an attempt to comfort.

“How could she not trust me? After...after everything.” Lucas’ voice was rising from a mix of frustration and sadness. He‘d chosen not to mention to Beth what Kaya had said to him in the car, but those words were still replaying in his head.

“Maybe she’ll open up if we catch this guy.“ Beth said hopefully.

“Not if. Will.”

The Marks’ home appeared to be a rather modest one. It’s nowhere near the massive houses that many of Helix’s scientists had chosen to reside in. Marks’ was located in a rather quite and suburban neighborhood. There were three cars within the drive way by the time that the team arrived at the scene. With the exception of Isaac and Beth, the others would remain in the vehicle down the road. As Kaya had stated, if Nicholas has indeed yet to arrive, they did not want to alarm the Marks family.

Isaac would approach the front door first. There was no signs of force entry and door itself remained locked. Hopefully, that’s a good sign. Next up, the pair circled around to the back. On the way, they would survey the windows to see if there was signs that someone had broken in through there. There wasn’t. Once the group had arrived at the back, they found that the door was also locked. “Why is Lucas never here when we need him.” Beth said in a halfheartedly joking manner.

“We don’t need him. Watch this.” Isaac said as he reached down to scoop up a piece of pebble from the ground. Isaac then placed the pebble against the lock of the door. Beth watched as the rock slowly morphed in shape to mimic the keyhole. Before long, there was a click as before Isaac pulled out the makeshift key. Isaac then moved to the top lock and again, there was a clicking sound. Tossing the stone forged key aside, Isaac turned the knob to open the door.

The pair carefully moved into the eerily silent home. It was a large house and looked nicely decorated and furnished. There were no signs of struggle anywhere. But having witnessed Nicholas’ powers, it’s likely that the home’s occupants didn’t even get the chance put up a fight. Soon, they arrived at the living room where the pair spotted the wife and her daughters in the corner. They were fear stricken and held on to one another as if it were their very lives. Yet again, there were no signs that any physical damage had been done to them.

Isaac would keep watch of the vicinity while Beth moved to comfort the trio. “It’s ok. We’re the police. We’re here to help you.” Beth said as she revealed the fake police badge that the government had issued them. Despite this, the three looked to be entranced terror as their bodies had frozen stiff without reason. Their bodies shook like an earthquake was occurring within them. It was a truly ominous and perplexed sight.

Beth and Isaac had initially thought they were being fearful of them as they may had been mistakened as burglars. But that wasn’t the case. Before any of them realized, Isaac found himself thrown across the room by an invisible force. He’d crashed into one of the cabinets, the impact causing him to grunt out in pain. This caused Beth to turn around, her eyes pointing up the stairs as footsteps could be heard. It was who they had expected.

“It seems like you guys were able to connect the dots after all.” Nicholas said in a falsely impressed tone. It was in reality, more of a taunt than a compliment. They may had tracked him to his next target in time, but by doing so, they’d also signed their own death warrants.

“We’re taking you in, Nicholas Britton. Your crimes to the people are inexcusable.” Beth announced loudly. She hoped that she’d been able to mask the nervousness in her voice well. She was used to doing missions like this but never with a criminal as brutal as the one standing before him.

The male simply scoffed at the silver haired girl’s comments before glancing around. “Where’s Kay?” He asked curiously as he took the final step off the staircase.

“None of your concern.” Beth replied back shapely. It was then that she noticed the folder hold in Nicholas’ hand. That must be the names, she thought to herself. This meant that he no longer had used for the three women sitting the corner. Come to think of it, their state did seem awfully odd, even for people who’d fallen into shock.

“What did you do to them?” Beth asked.

“I simply made sure that they wouldn’t go off running while I looked around. That’s all.” Nicholas replied smirkingly as he noticed Beth staring at what’s in his hands. “If your friends are waiting around somewhere, you might as well tell them to come out.”

“You’re not going to get away with this.” Beth exclaimed. As the two interacted, she’d secretly reached into her pocket and retrieved her cell to signal her teammates. However-

“Oh but I will.” All of a sudden, the female found herself gazing into Nicholas’ icy orbs. For a brief moment, she found herself entranced within his eyes. Weirdly, she felt no desire to look away instead. It was as if her mind had become trapped in his stare alone.

“What...what did you do to me.” Beth cried out as she felt her body immobilized by unknown means. No matter how hard she tried, she could not control any part of her body. Most importantly, she could not contact her teammates.

“Just wanted to make sure you’re not going anywhere....” Nicholas reached out his palm. Beth could feel her phone suddenly slip out of her hold and fly towards Nicholas and landing within his grasp. “.....or calling anyone.” He smiled balefully as he crushed the phone within his palm.

Around this time, Isaac has recovered from the impact and risen from the rubble. Placing his palm on to the ground, he would rip a hole right below where Nicholas stood. However, the male was able to dodge the formation of sinkhole with amazing ability. Again, Isaac found himself thrown across the room in a fashion similar to how Lucas was. This time, the impact was hard enough to knock him unconscious.

”ISAAC!” Beth cried out as she watched her friend fall into unconsciousness. She then turned to Nicholas. Her eyes widened as she saw an all too familiar dark glow ignite within his palm. She knew instantly as to what the male sought to do. In that moment, only one thing came across her mind. “Please hurry”