Mutant Ascension [IC]

[Zjaum]

Tristan barely had time for further orders when he saw yet another man flash out of existence. That man was from the Center, in all likelihood; he hadn't seen him that often before. "TARMO!" Tristan shouted. Tarmo was bewildered and speechless. He'd only barely grasped what had just happened, and he was about to relay all he knew to Shauna, another Center mutant. Tristan looked at the heat map, watching the Center mutant blink in and out of every room, triggering every mutant inside. Some mutants ran for the nearest phone, calling their friends to come help them.

Tarmo had dealt with terrorists. He had dealt with the worst criminals society had to offer. He even dealt with politicians from time to time. But every time, he was backed by men and women who knew what the fuck they were doing. These mutants... this whole operation was a mistake. He looked over to Lyle to see if he could do anything. Nope? GREAT! Tristan got out of the car, slammed the door, and promptly punched it. It was at that moment that he was approached by Shauna.

The Mutant Safe-Haven
Shauna Marks (aka "Lady Lang")
Ducking behind the barricaded cars, so as hopefully to not draw any incoming fire her way, Shauna made her way towards Tristan. He better be ready for an earful. "What the hell are you guys doing? I thought there were innocent mutants in there! And at least one civilian! Is this how you handle things, just begin with heavy assault weapons and then maybe move on to more powerful means after that fails?!"

"DO YOU THINK I'M TRYING TO HARM THEM?!" Tristan covered his ears, perhaps a little late. He'd heard gunshots before, but never a human sound this loud. Well, now suspense is completely jacked. He turned back to Shauna. "Your Center friends have about as much patience as a..."

And she left. Tristan wasn't even surprised at this point. "All agents, and mutants, move in NOW. Use tasers as much as possible, guns only if necessary."

An idea came to her. Whispering with her ability to make people say things they weren't planning on saying, she had him say, "Somebody. You. Get Shauna the phone number for the house. And the cell phone number for the pastor. Oh! Also get her a megaphone! I said move!" And the agent in question rushed off to speak to the agents in the armored van who had their computer up and running.

The agents were caught up in the moment, all rushing in towards the house. One of them paused and turned to the agent in question. "WHO THE FUCK IS SHAUNA?!" He turned back and continued running.

Tristan sighed, took out a megaphone from the inside of the car, and handed it to Shauna. "Please. If you can make some sense out of this shit show, you will have my eternal gratitude."


Mutants inside the house, the ones who weren't already unconscious, started muttering to themselves. None of them recalled a teleporter at Castle Blue. Even though they had once been discriminated against, the presence of a foreign mutant made them uneasy. They readied their powers, some taking longer to prepare than others. Mutants in the same room grouped together, calling out to other mutants in other rooms. "Did you see that?" "Yeah, some sort of blinking light!" "Is he new?" "Fuck it, just be prepared for anything!"

Then the scream came.

The guard who was installed to be the first response ironically noticed the intruders last. As the scream came from the top of the house, he turned around on a dime and rushed into the house. That was just the stroke of luck needed for the MISC agents to rush in. Without the distraction, the sentry might have been able to take them all out in a few swift moves. He was too busy focused on trying to open the coincidentally-locked door to notice.

Meanwhile, everyone inside jolted. Castle Blue had a strict no-powers policy inside the house except in emergency. "That's Mack!" "He's with Pastor Eric upstairs!"

Everyone jolted from their seats and headed to the base of the stairs. That was when they saw the pastor and the outsider stumble down the stairs. Both of them passed out when they reached the bottom, probably from concussion. Eric's last words were "I forgive you," while the stranger's last words were "Please...you have criminals here, I'm-I'm trying to p-p-protect you".

The catchphrase beeper continued to beep upstairs. One of the older mutants wasted no time. "I called the cavalry. You, and you, check Eric and see if he's okay. You, let me know when the blinker wakes up. Okay, everyone! Roll call! Rick! ["Check!"] Wendy! ["Check!"] Mack! ["Check!"] Mary!... Fuck, where's Mary?" Castle Blue also had a no-swearing policy, but Pastor Eric wasn't conscious enough to enforce that rule.

Then they looked down the hall and noticed a strange green gas coming out. "Fuck! We're under attack! Everyone to your stations!"

The mutants had practiced and drilled for this for a while. They weren't able to actually test their strategy, as that would have caught immediate attention, but the plan seemed foolproof. The sentry was let in, and he got into position at the front door, next to the mutants caring for the pastor and the intruder.

They all began to run to their respective positions in the house, ready for an attack. The catchphrase beeper finally came to a stop. Dead silence.

[Talchyon]

Outside the Mutant House
Shauna Marks (aka "Lady Lang")

Shauna stood, annoyed at how her idea to get the pastor's phone number and the house number didn't go as planned. The MISC agents neither knew who she was (remarkable, seeing how they were the federal agency given to track mutants and had her on their watch for years, apparently) nor cared. They ran up, ready for combat and action. Tristan looked frazzled and ready to burst a blood vessel due to the stress at Jacob and the other, Ace, just rushing in and not thinking it through. Now all hell was about to burst loose. Unless she could do something about it, and the people inside could hear her megaphone.

Putting it to her lips, she hoped it would work. And at least calm things down.

"Hello, everyone. You can call me "Lady Lang." Or Shauna. I'm easy to please. Look, there's been a big misunderstanding here. Two mutants, Ace and Jacob, rushed in and caused violence. Shame on them. We at the Center for Mutants neither approve or condone of violence against friendly mutants." With these words, Shauna laced them with emotion-causing power. Particularly, she wanted everyone in the house to feel weak, powerless, and peaceful all at the same time. So powerless, that none of them would even think about using their powers. Why bother? It wouldn't do any good. And for the peace - well, like they were on some kind of mental anesthesia...

"We at the Center came here to help. And help you we can. The others who are here, the friendly governmental task force known as MISC, well, I don't know about them. But the Center is not connected to them. All I want to do... is talk. Just use your phone. Or have someone come out and negotiate. Nothing dangerous or violent will happen to anyone that wants to be peaceful." And with that, she glared at Tristan and said outside of the megaphone, "Right?" Those agents outside the house and ready to go in, from MISC, with guns in hand, should start to feel relaxed, peaceful, and in no way violent.

With those words, she also wanted everyone in the house to trust her. Just trust the soothing sounds of Shauna's voice... and put down your weapons and powers while you're at it...

[Altito Asmoro]

Giovanni Serrano

"Why this has to be done like this?" he asked to himself as things went from order to chaos. Order, Chaos. This is like a game where order and chaos clashed. Except this time, it wasn't as funny nor as entertaining as games. No, instead we have to hunt the mutants down before they do more than harm to themselves. He aimed his sniper rifle, in which he was positioned behind one of MISC's vehicle. A cover of sort. He put down some shots, not for kill, more like to scaring them.

Shauna's voice soon entered the fray, and the calming voice should calm the people down. Perhaps if the mutants on their side weren't so willing to punch, kick, and kill everyone on sight, this shouldn't be happened. But it happened, and soon it compelled Giovanni to put down his rifle, and to stayed normally on his current position.

[Zjaum]

The house was silent under Shauna's speech for a few minutes, and no movement could be found through the windows. After what seemed like an eternity, the door opened slightly. The unconscious Jacob and the disgraced Ace were shoved/ tossed out of the barely-open door. The door closed immediately.

To be both relaxed and powerless goes against the fundamentals of human nature. As Shauna's words washed over them, everyone felt both feelings at once. Depending on personality, each resident's mind autocorrected to one of two states: calm yet rational or timid yet alert. Anything else would have felt like suicide.

There was one exception within the mutants inside the house, however. Several minutes after the two were tossed out, a shout came from within the house. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" one of the women screamed. She appeared on the windowsill and leapt out, her eyes in an animalistic rage. She took a look at a now-disarmed MISC agent and charged him, activating her force field before his comrades could react. The force field collided with the unlucky agent and sent him flying twenty feet backwards.

It was uncertain how many inside the house would help her, but one thing was certain: she was the obstacle, perhaps the last obstacle, to peace.

[Clashus]

Ace hit the ground hard, he wasn't expecting that great of a reaction to get rid of him. He glanced around and saw the woman with the microphone, the mutants inside followed her every command. What a wonderful lawyer. Ace reached out his hand to the other mutant. Thinking of the cheesiest line to say at the moment, Ace whispered to the Mutant, "Come with me if you want to live", with a great deal of sarcasm.

[NewLakotah]

Mutant Safe House
Kw'eh T'soh Dai/Keith Dai (Red Wolf)

Kw'eh sighed deeply. This was what happened when a bunch of crazies with powers were set loose. Chaos and destruction. The exact opposite of what MISC was trying to do. Tarmo didn't seem to have control over his Center fellows, however, the MISC agents didn't seem to be able to control them either, so both sides were on the verge of letting loose a straight up war on a suburban street. He only hoped it wasn't too late for some semblance of order to be restored.

Kw'eh had moved around the flank trying to do what he had been practically training for his entire life, stealth and a quick clean strike on the enemy scout so that the rest of the team could surprise the house. Now, with that surprise gone, the plan had to change. He quickly sprinted back up to the main street, to a flank positon that several MISC agents, all armed with their own M4 assault rifles, were stationed, ready to strike when given the order. He quickly surveyed the scene. He saw Giovanni hanging back by the vehicles, in full sniper mode, laying down suppressing fire. good, he thought to himself, at least someone knows what has to be done here. Several MISC agents were moving in fast, ready to burst straight in through the front door. not so good. They were most definitely not prepared to handle whatever mutant powers that were inside. For all they know, they could be heading straight into a trap. He stopped, his eyes settling in on Shauna. He had to do a double take, not expecting to find her here and in a full costume. It did look pretty good, probably better than his all black and skull-faced balaclava. He saw her grab a megaphone and start to yell. Using her powers to get everyone to calm down. As usual, it seemed to work.

"Hello, everyone. You can call me "Lady Lang." Or Shauna. I'm easy to please. Look, there's been a big misunderstanding here. Two mutants, Ace and Jacob, rushed in and caused violence. Shame on them. We at the Center for Mutants neither approve or condone of violence against friendly mutants." With these words, Shauna laced them with emotion-causing power. Particularly, she wanted everyone in the house to feel weak, powerless, and peaceful all at the same time. So powerless, that none of them would even think about using their powers. Why bother? It wouldn't do any good. And for the peace - well, like they were on some kind of mental anesthesia...

"We at the Center came here to help. And help you we can. The others who are here, the friendly governmental task force known as MISC, well, I don't know about them. But the Center is not connected to them. All I want to do... is talk. Just use your phone. Or have someone come out and negotiate. Nothing dangerous or violent will happen to anyone that wants to be peaceful." And with that, she glared at Tristan and said outside of the megaphone, "Right?" Those agents outside the house and ready to go in, from MISC, with guns in hand, should start to feel relaxed, peaceful, and in no way violent.


Kw'eh smiled at the new name that she chose to go under. Kw'eh soon began feeling relaxed, to a point. He gun lower, the men around him doing the same. He turned to look at the house, where all seemed to be calm until a bloodcurdling yell came from inside and a woman jumped out of the window in a animalistic fashion and nonchalantly flung a MISC agent 20 feet. Kw'eh sighed. Nothing could come easy. Now, everyone was caught in a condundrum. Open fire at the woman, possibly rekindling the conflict, or stand down, letting the Mutant go crazy, possibly killing more people, and letting the safe house continue in existence. Neither side had a good outcome. But he did know what he was here for. To take down the enemy. He turned to the handful of MISC agents around him.

"We gotta force her back inside. Trap her and surround her, then finish her off. Cover me, I'll move!"

"We don't take orders from you." One of the MISC agents retorted. Kw'eh's anger was boiling over now.

"Then find someone who will give the orders!" He snaps back. He bends down and picks up his assault rifle once again, and starts to move forward. IN the other hand he reaches down and grabs his radio, to find out what Tristan was doing in all of this mess.

"I don't know what the hell your doing, but like it or not, I'm moving in before she goes all crazy and kills us. I'll move in the front, keep her occupied and distracted, you get something to take her down from behind. Got it?" In another second he is up and moving forward, towards the woman. He turns back for a second to the other MISC agents.

"Cover me, if anything happens, take her out." He points to the grenade launcher.

Maintaining his distance and keeping his eyes on both her and the other mutants in the house. He points his gun over to the side of the house and towards the ground, firing a quick burst, far enough away that it would be obviously not trying to kill her, but at the same time showing that he meant business, then he returned the gun to be aiming straight at her.

"Stand down! We can resolve this all peacefully without anybody else getting hurt or dying, ok?" He braced himself. He wasn't sure what the range was on her force field, but it sure did not seem enjoyable to be hit by it.

[Talchyon]

Outside the Mutant home
Shauna Marks (aka "Lady Lang")

Her words had worked. Mostly. Yes, the soldiers had dropped their guns. That was good. And those who had been inside, hadn't made any threats or blown things outside up, such as the car she was standing by. It's always a good sign when the car your standing by isn't blown up right beside you. No sonic, ear-rupturing screams. No blasts of fire. No mind blasts, as far as she could tell. Yeah. It worked.

Kind of. One mutant jumped out of the window, screaming at Shauna to get out of her head. Shauna briefly had the thought that people seem to get this wrong about her. Far as she knew, there was some debate among the eggheads whether feelings and emotions came from the brain or from the central nervous system. But before she could go much farther that that, the angry mutant woman took off running. Man, she looked like a wild dog. But she was just as dangerous. Shauna couldn't tell how, but the mutant woman was running for one of the disarmed MISC agents, and Shauna saw him fly off the ground about twenty feet. But this angry mutant woman hadn't even touched him!

Just then, peering through her mask, she saw someone approach her. She turned, still trying to keep one eye on the dangerous woman. It was one of the guys who had just been thrown out of the house. And since she knew Jacob and this wasn't him, she had to assume it was the other, the one named Ace. What did he want?

He reached out his hand to her, and then said, "Come with me if you want to live." Shauna felt pretty annoyed and disgusted at the same time. What? Was that a suggestion of some sort to say to the other mutants in the house? Whether it was or not, the guy didn't look serious. He looked pretty rumpled and scratched up, no doubt due to his untimely exit from the house. So Shauna said to him, making sure to keep her mouth away from the megaphone,

"Can I help you, or something?" Heck of a time to start up a conversation.

[Altito Asmoro]

Ace hit the ground hard, he wasn't expecting that great of a reaction to get rid of him. He glanced around and saw the woman with the microphone, the mutants inside followed her every command. What a wonderful lawyer. Ace reached out his hand to the other mutant. Thinking of the cheesiest line to say at the moment, Ace whispered to the Mutant, "Come with me if you want to live", with a great deal of sarcasm.

Giovanni Serrano

Gio was put off by the Shauna's calming voice when someone else came in. Well, arrived, more like that. But still, same thing. Whatever happened after that was fast enough and he whispered something, it seemed. Such attitude, "What are you doing and who are you? Frankly your attitudes appalling," said Gio to the man. His hand was gripped on the sniper rifle, and with the threat in the house and with here, there are much more to focused on than just one kind of situation.

[Zjaum]

The force-field-wielding woman's fury didn't subside, despite the numerous verbal attempts of MISC, the Center, and even some mutants from Castle Blue. Slowly, as not to anger the lady, MISC agents backed away towards the edge of the house and got into less assailable positions. Ace's sarcastic quip didn't help the situation, but it didn't visibly damage the situation, either.

When Keith approached her, MISC had his back, but he physically stood alone. The crazed mutant was breathing heavily, as if under a great burden, and she slowly began building and expanding her force field.

Suddenly, the force field began to swirl, like a bubble just about to pop. Confused, she looked back at the house. Behind one of the windows, a hand peeked out and began to siphon the energy caused by the field. This action inspired shouts from within the house. They wanted to keep the conversation to within the house, but the distance between speakers guaranteed that MISC could hear them, loud and clear.

"What are you doing?! She's facing ten other guys; she needs our help!"

"She's not helping the situation! I'm pacifying her!"

"They hurt Pastor Eric! They'll hurt her too!"

"Pastor Eric needs medical attention, and none of us are doctors, nor do any of us have healing powers!"

"Gabe does, and you just called him, right?"

"Look around you! Do you really think someone like Gabe is going to come to the rescue, much less break the blockade? The guy in front seems reasonable, and I don't want to piss him off!"

"What, you mean the doofus with the gas that we just kicked out?"

"No, the guy with the big fucking gun!"

A slight pause came from the house. Slowly, however, the woman's hands began to glow, and the air around them began to feel warm. More shouts from the house. "Stand down, Bill!" "I'm not going to let her die!"


Tristan heard both Keith's order and the embarrassing conversation within the house. It was nice for the defenders to reveal their hand, and, while he doubted that Keith could settle everything, the facade was comforting, if nothing else. He wired in to the radio. "Cover the guy approaching the girl. He's one of us. If there's an opportunity to take her out, do so. Keith, make sure that you're out of the line of fire if she gets incapacitated."

Tarmo figured that he'd been watching from the sidelines for a tad too long. Sure, he was a leader, but he wasn't the leader right now. Apparently no one was. Without asking permission or even a word of speech, he walked up and began to further siphon the woman's energy. He didn't want harm to come to mutants, be he also was no idiot. If violence was necessary, a clean cut was always preferred to a bludgeoning. After a little consideration, he began to transfer a small percentage of the energy to Keith. Not a lethal dose, of course, but enough that Keith could give her a brief shock when they touched. It wasn't much, but every advantage helped.

After a stand off lasting a few minutes, the woman flung herself towards Keith, as if she pushed herself towards him. Keith had a second to react.

[Talchyon]

Outside the house
Shauna Marks (aka "Lady Lang")

Throughout the last several moments, one pesky thought kept bothering Shauna. Why had her words not worked on the angry lady mutant? Everyone else did what they were supposed to, calming down. But not her. Was her mutation that she was somehow resistant to other's powers? A discomforting thought. But one that would not go away.

Since the mutant who had started this all and made it a lot worse, Ace, hadn't answered her, Shauna turned back to the house and the megaphone in her hand. And then, was surprised to hear the other mutants in the house talking to each other. No one trusted MISC or the Center. That much was clear. But they needed help for the pastor who was foolishly wounded. Whether they wanted this help to come from them was iffy. Moreover, outside the house, Shauna saw Keith near the angry lady, who started heading towards him. While Keith could take care of himself, Shauna didn't think this was an all-together good idea. Who knows what might happen if this lady collided with Keith? Would he fly backwards like the MISC agent had?

Megaphone in hand, Shauna tried her best to calm everyone down in the house. Some may not trust her. Yet. But there were ways around that.

"Fellow mutants, I have ways to help. The Center for Mutants has a way to help. You can trust me. No one at the Center wanted Pastor Eric to be injured, or any mutant either for that matter. I can't speak for the MISC agents out here, but I know for a fact that the Center is friendly to mutants. If anyone inside needs medical help, then let us help them. We can get people here who can take care of such things, quietly." All the while, Shauna was using her power to make everyone who heard her to feel that she was trustworthy, and to feel relaxed and calm. Peaceful. So peaceful.

Hopefully the angry lady who had resisted her power would agree with Shauna's logic. That was all she could hope for.

[Clashus]

Ace went to his "Company Car" to pick up his Electric Charger. Things hadn't gone the way he wanted it too and it seemed that it wouldn't hurt to have a power supply in case things went even more downhill. Ace began to reload his HK Mark 23 when out of the corner of his eye he saw "Force Field-Zilla" head towards Keith. He opened up his Electric Lighter and found the battery dwindling, something must be interfering with the electrical current. It was comforting to know there was someone with Electricity powers like him, but disturbing to know that he wasn't special anymore, he was expendable.

He raised his HK to his eye and stepped towards the front of his car, the sights fixated onto Force Field-Zilla's head. She was approaching Keith, and probably not for a hug. Hopefully, her force fields were electrical otherwise his plan would go fail. He hoped to dampen her shields just as his rubber-tip bullets hit her. He released with the inclusion of the government he had to make himself all above board. The rubber-tipped bullets would almost certainly knock her out, or, even better, make her angry enough to forget about Keith.

Just as he was about to fire a certain calm, happy, hippie vibe came over him. His fingers were itching but not willing enough to pull the trigger, his hands stuck in the position. In his peripherals Ace saw the "Lady Lang" with a mic, most certainly the cause of his happiness. Back when he was in the heist business, one of his ex-mentors had this ability. She was very useful, right up until he shot her.

"Fellow mutants, I have ways to help. The Center for Mutants has a way to help. You can trust me. No one at the Center wanted Pastor Eric to be injured, or any mutant either for that matter. I can't speak for the MISC agents out here, but I know for a fact that the Center is friendly to mutants. If anyone inside needs medical help, then let us help them. We can get people here who can take care of such things, quietly." All the while, Shauna was using her power to make everyone who heard her to feel that she was trustworthy, and to feel relaxed and calm. Peaceful. So peaceful.

[Zjaum]

Having grown up in the Soviet Union, Tarmo was a tad unnerved by the phrasing, "Take care of such things, quietly." More importantly, though, Tarmo was concerned about the claims Shauna- excuse me, "Lady Lang"- made. The Center had no access to medical facilities except through the government, which the mutants inside wouldn't trust. They didn't have mutants with healing powers, either. He didn't speak out to correct, though. The last time he did, things... escalated. Instead, he continued to drain the force field of its energy. He shook his head briefly towards Shauna and ran a finger across his neck, hoping she saw and got the message, but he could never be certain. This line of work was anything but certain.

The woman seemed to trip herself as she lunged toward Keith, but she was still able to knock him over to the ground, if not by her force field then by her unexpected weight. She face planted onto the lawn after the tackle, though, and, for a second, everyone stopped.

Now, normally there would be a dozen MISC agents on top of her as soon as she hit the ground. They were distracted, though, by the sound of a half-dozen sirens. A number of concerned citizens, having heard and seen the yelling from within the house, had alerted the LAPD and, by proxy, the media. Behind the policemen were an equal number of news vehicles, all eager to get in on the mutant craze that had captivated the world. Both groups got out and immediately began to set up, some even starting live footage of the event.

The woman threw herself upward, as if possessed, and began jogging towards the news groups. Nobody fired, both sides fearing that they'd send friendly fire towards each other or, worse, the civilians in the media. Suddenly, she stopped only within tackling distance of Keith and looked around, as if surveying the possible chaos before her.

[NewLakotah]

Mutant Safe House
Kw'eh T'soh Dai/Keith Dai (Red Wolf)

"Dammit!"

Keith was startled to find himself on the ground. In one instant he was expecting the full blast of the force shield, bracing himself for the ignominious death, when he realized that the effect wasn't happening. He glanced up to still see the woman barreling towards him, surprising him and catching him off guard. Her tackle knocked him to the ground, and he rolled over. He was pissed now. Finding himself taken so off guard like that. It had been a risky and foolhardy move to charge into the middle of it without backup, and there still seemed no backup. He took a glance around. It seemed like no one but Tarmo seemed to be interested. He frowned for a second. Maybe that's why the force shield was down, the electrical current must be messing with the force field somehow. He wasn't sure how long it had been going and for how long Tarmo could hold it, especially with a house full of angry anti-government and scared mutants inside and a bunch of trigger happy government agents and several Rogue Mutants darting about. It was a recipe for disaster if things couldn't calm down fast.

He looked up next to him and saw the woman jump up in a frenzy, turning to face a large assembly of news crews. Damn, these news guys really get around, he thought to himself. Then the woman was darting towards them, stopping just in range of Keith. He looked down next to him. His gun was sitting right there, this could be a perfect opportunity to take her down, at the same time, killing her would probably not be the best idea. He grimaced, then rolled over onto his knee and pulled out his tomahawk from his belt and lunged into striking distance. He slammed the dull end of the weapon into her PCL right behind the knee, to displace her, and at the same time, lunging forward to come up right behind her. In his other hand he pulls out his peacemaker revolver and cocks back the hammer.

"Seems like your force field is down. Stop fighting or I will put you down."

[Talchyon]

Outside the Mutant Safe House
Shauna Marks (aka "Lady Lang")

Having grown up in the Soviet Union, Tarmo was a tad unnerved by the phrasing, "Take care of such things, quietly." More importantly, though, Tarmo was concerned about the claims Shauna- excuse me, "Lady Lang"- made. The Center had no access to medical facilities except through the government, which the mutants inside wouldn't trust. They didn't have mutants with healing powers, either. He didn't speak out to correct, though. The last time he did, things... escalated. Instead, he continued to drain the force field of its energy. He shook his head briefly towards Shauna and ran a finger across his neck, hoping she saw and got the message, but he could never be certain. This line of work was anything but certain.

The woman seemed to trip herself as she lunged toward Keith, but she was still able to knock him over to the ground, if not by her force field then by her unexpected weight. She face planted onto the lawn after the tackle, though, and, for a second, everyone stopped.

Now, normally there would be a dozen MISC agents on top of her as soon as she hit the ground. They were distracted, though, by the sound of a half-dozen sirens. A number of concerned citizens, having heard and seen the yelling from within the house, had alerted the LAPD and, by proxy, the media. Behind the policemen were an equal number of news vehicles, all eager to get in on the mutant craze that had captivated the world. Both groups got out and immediately began to set up, some even starting live footage of the event.

The woman threw herself upward, as if possessed, and began jogging towards the news groups. Nobody fired, both sides fearing that they'd send friendly fire towards each other or, worse, the civilians in the media. Suddenly, she stopped only within tackling distance of Keith and looked around, as if surveying the possible chaos before her.

Whether or not the mutants in the house believed her offer for medical help was a mystery. Truth be told, she didn't know any healing mutants - at least as far as she knew. She had been thinking maybe they could find a doctor at a hospital somewhere. But that's about as far as that went.

Keith had been knocked down, but he knew how to take a fall - even one that came as a surprise. He was talking to the dangerous angry shield mutant woman - more like threatening. But Shauna couldn't help him. She had other problems. Most especially, the news reporters and other police officers.

So she, turning to them, said in her most power-inducing voice over her megaphone. "Hello, officers. Members of the media. I think you came to the wrong place." Her words would stir up the emotions she wished. In particular, apathy and laziness among the news media. Shauna wanted the news media to be so lazy that they wouldn't get their cameras up and rolling. And if they were already up and rolling, to turn them off and just dink around. She also wanted the news media to be so apathetic that they wouldn't want to take pictures or shoot footage at all. That what they were seeing at the Mutant Safe House was the most boring, useless, trivial subject that no reader or tv watcher would ever want to hear about.

As for the police officers, she wanted them to feel the same way. Better to have lazy, apathetic police officers about then officers full of zeal for their sworn duty - with bullets to back them up.

Shauna hoped this would help. She could handle the crowd control, while Keith and the MISC agents spoke to the field lady...

[Clashus]

Ace had watched as the Force Field Saurus barreled towards Keith. He closed his eyes to shield himself from the soon-to-be horrific scene but didn't hear the impact noise of the Force Shield. Ace glimpsed around to see if anyone had been acting squeamish like him, but to his disappointment found that everyone had nerves of steel. Ace's head snapped around as he hear Megaphone Woman make her speech.

"Hello, officers. Members of the media. I think you came to the wrong place." Her words would stir up the emotions she wished. In particular, apathy and laziness among the news media. Shauna wanted the news media to be so lazy that they wouldn't get their cameras up and rolling. And if they were already up and rolling, to turn them off and just dink around. She also wanted the news media to be so apathetic that they wouldn't want to take pictures or shoot footage at all. That what they were seeing at the Mutant Safe House was the most boring, useless, trivial subject that no reader or tv watcher would ever want to hear about.

Ace wanted to be sure that no-one could match his physique to an infamous heist master. He was trying to put that past behind him. To be sure, Ace decided to dampen the surrounding energy fields. He stared at the News Crews for like a good 10 seconds, unsure if there electricity was gone. He glanced down at his phone 5% had dropped in the last 10 seconds. Of course it had worked. Know the News Crew couldn't report the story even if they wanted to. All Ace had to do now was get rid of the buzzing in his skull which was the electricity he had stolen.

[Zjaum]

The combined efforts of Ace and Shauna had worked- mostly. The news crew stopped paying close attention to their cameras, but the live streams still kept running. The last thing the audience saw before the cameras were shorted out was the aggressive (but effective) takedown of the force field mutant. The cameramen didn't bother to fix their cameras.

With the threat clearly neutralized, Tristan approached her. She was silent, shaking, probably in shock. Just in case she had self-destruction powers, Tristan pulled out his Sig Sauer and pointed it towards the lady. At this point, he didn't even care if the cameras were rolling (not that they were, of course). He just wanted the day to be over.

Finally, the mutant raised her head. "I could feel him... he was in my head!"

Tristan replied, as gently as he knew now (which, to be honest, wasn't that gentle). "It's alright now. That was actually Shauna, one of the best mutants we have." He had to swallow his pride to say that, but he was going to have to anyway.

The mutant looked over to Shauna and shook her head. "No... no. I could clearly hear a male voice in my head. I don't think that voice would belong to her."

Tristan was mildly confused. Shauna didn't have her Morgan Freeman impression on this time. That must have meant another player, another psy... SHIT.

"You- check my car!" shouted Tristan to another agent. The closest agent had taken his neural defense earpiece off, and he shrugged. Frustrated beyond belief, Tristan raced to the car, shoved the man aside, and opened the car door.

Lyle Richards was gone.


Chapter 4: NOT GOOD (Alternative Title: F**K)

Tristan immediately fetched his radio and turned it on. Nothing. Not even a beep; the power was off. He checked his phone. Also off. Just to make sure, he ran the distance over to the cameras. "MISC! Show me any footage you've just caught! NOW!"

"Okay, sure, whatever, I guess."

Tristan wrested a camera away from the cameraman. It was off, too. It seems that Life had decided to throw him a curveball today.

This time, however, despite all his fears, he would try and play this with calm and tact. He summoned up what little strength and sanity he had left and walked over to Shauna, whose megaphone probably didn't have power left but who, hopefully, could help in conveying the message. Tarmo ran over to the two of them, anxious to hear the news.

Tristan swallowed before addressing the two. "Lyle Richards is gone, with a small bit of equipment. I can't track him, and I need to know where he went. Ideas?"

[Altito Asmoro]

Chapter 4: NOT GOOD (Alternative Title: F**K)

Tristan immediately fetched his radio and turned it on. Nothing. Not even a beep; the power was off. He checked his phone. Also off. Just to make sure, he ran the distance over to the cameras. "MISC! Show me any footage you've just caught! NOW!"

"Okay, sure, whatever, I guess."

Tristan wrested a camera away from the cameraman. It was off, too. It seems that Life had decided to throw him a curveball today.

This time, however, despite all his fears, he would try and play this with calm and tact. He summoned up what little strength and sanity he had left and walked over to Shauna, whose megaphone probably didn't have power left but who, hopefully, could help in conveying the message. Tarmo ran over to the two of them, anxious to hear the news.

Tristan swallowed before addressing the two. "Lyle Richards is gone, with a small bit of equipment. I can't track him, and I need to know where he went. Ideas?"

Giovanni Serrano

Alright, so things got out of control. Never the best thing ever that could've been done to the world, but this is reality so here we go. Giovanni heard that Tristan was frantically looking for Lyle Richards, and he has an idea. Something that couldn't work much, though. He approached the three of them, "Alright, I have the kind of solution. I have drones, these drones are military-grade and don't ask how do I get them. But they also works well on its camera feeds and moved fast."

"Basically, I can release them now to look for Lyle Richards, but I need Lyle's face so that the drone will automatically determine the location of Lyle, and hopefully fast enough. What do you say, Tristan?"

[Talchyon]

Outside the Mutant Safe Home
Shauna Marks (aka "Lady Lang")

The combined efforts of Ace and Shauna had worked- mostly. The news crew stopped paying close attention to their cameras, but the live streams still kept running. The last thing the audience saw before the cameras were shorted out was the aggressive (but effective) takedown of the force field mutant. The cameramen didn't bother to fix their cameras.

With the threat clearly neutralized, Tristan approached her. She was silent, shaking, probably in shock. Just in case she had self-destruction powers, Tristan pulled out his Sig Sauer and pointed it towards the lady. At this point, he didn't even care if the cameras were rolling (not that they were, of course). He just wanted the day to be over.

Finally, the mutant raised her head. "I could feel him... he was in my head!"

Tristan replied, as gently as he knew now (which, to be honest, wasn't that gentle). "It's alright now. That was actually Shauna, one of the best mutants we have." He had to swallow his pride to say that, but he was going to have to anyway.

The mutant looked over to Shauna and shook her head. "No... no. I could clearly hear a male voice in my head. I don't think that voice would belong to her."

Tristan was mildly confused. Shauna didn't have her Morgan Freeman impression on this time. That must have meant another player, another psy... SHIT.

"You- check my car!" shouted Tristan to another agent. The closest agent had taken his neural defense earpiece off, and he shrugged. Frustrated beyond belief, Tristan raced to the car, shoved the man aside, and opened the car door.

Lyle Richards was gone.


Chapter 4: NOT GOOD (Alternative Title: F**K)

Tristan immediately fetched his radio and turned it on. Nothing. Not even a beep; the power was off. He checked his phone. Also off. Just to make sure, he ran the distance over to the cameras. "MISC! Show me any footage you've just caught! NOW!"

"Okay, sure, whatever, I guess."

Tristan wrested a camera away from the cameraman. It was off, too. It seems that Life had decided to throw him a curveball today.

This time, however, despite all his fears, he would try and play this with calm and tact. He summoned up what little strength and sanity he had left and walked over to Shauna, whose megaphone probably didn't have power left but who, hopefully, could help in conveying the message. Tarmo ran over to the two of them, anxious to hear the news.

Tristan swallowed before addressing the two. "Lyle Richards is gone, with a small bit of equipment. I can't track him, and I need to know where he went. Ideas?"

What exactly was the relationship between the government G-men squad of MISC, and the Center (new creative name pending) for Mutant Preservation and Safety? Normally, Shauna would have said that they had similar goals - but only at certain times. The MISC men wanted to preserve society from mutants. And Shauna and her fledgling team at the Center wanted to preserve mutants from society. And yet sometimes, their paths crossed, the stars aligned, and they were all trying to do the same thing.

Shauna didn't know exactly if now was one of those times, or not. Though it didn't hurt when G-Man secret agent Mr. Tristan started paying her compliments in her hearing. "One of the best mutants we have," he said to the field lady who almost took out Keith. Shauna smiled in a kind of ironic pride. Of course, she liked being called one of the best. Who wouldn't? It just was funny how she was lumped in with the MISC mutants. The word "we" jumped out, as it should have. Did Tristan really think that Shauna was one of his? She wondered then if she should submit a bill to Tristan for consulting fees. Wouldn't that take the cake? She laughed to herself at the thought. Maybe she would. Being a consultant to MISC could still help pay the bills, but it didn't have to come with the MISC's stifling authority and oversight. This could be the beginning of a beautiful financial arrangement between herself, the Center, and the U.S. government. And of course, her initial fee would be for six figures.

As the heavily-breathing, stunned mutant woman was explaining about the male voice in her head, Shauna wondered what the heck she was talking about. Obviously, it wasn't from Shauna. People mistake her powers all the time for some kind of psychic, mind-reading mumbo jumbo. But they don't realize the finer intricacies of using words to cause emotional reactions in people. And that was fine with Shauna. Yeah, they may know about her being able to change her voice. And she has a few other tricks up her sleeve that her words can cause. But they don't have to know that. Let her powers and abilities remain shrouded in mystery.

And then, Mr. Tristan got a look of panic, rushing to various agents under his command, to members of the news media and to his car, his eyes raised in utter shock, his face beginning to look ashen. After fiddling with some of the devices in his car, and looking even more dismayed, Tristan came back to her and to Tarmo, her Eastern European colleague, who had also joined them. And Tristan asked for their help in tracking down one Mr. Lyle Richards.

Shauna said, "Who? And you want me to give an idea where someone I've never heard of has gone?" Since she had joined the party late after having the aborted attempt at helping some corporation sell their product, Shauna had only gotten the bare bones basics of the plan from Tarmo, and he wasn't that great of a conversationalist,
his broken English and cultural differences considered. Shauna had never even heard of Lyle, nor did she understand why Tristan was so worried about one guy who was missing.

Though, another man had an idea. Shauna thought she recognized him as the man who was acting as the patron and financial backer of the Center, the wealthy Italian guy. Never had caught his name. He mentioned tracking this runaway Richards with drones. "Sure. Why not drones?", she said. "I mean, it's not like I have any ideas."

[Altito Asmoro]

Outside the Mutant Safe Home
Shauna Marks (aka "Lady Lang")

Shauna said, "Who? And you want me to give an idea where someone I've never heard of has gone?" Since she had joined the party late after having the aborted attempt at helping some corporation sell their product, Shauna had only gotten the bare bones basics of the plan from Tarmo, and he wasn't that great of a conversationalist,
his broken English and cultural differences considered. Shauna had never even heard of Lyle, nor did she understand why Tristan was so worried about one guy who was missing.

Though, another man had an idea. Shauna thought she recognized him as the man who was acting as the patron and financial backer of the Center, the wealthy Italian guy. Never had caught his name. He mentioned tracking this runaway Richards with drones. "Sure. Why not drones?", she said. "I mean, it's not like I have any ideas."

Giovanni Serrano

"Alright then," as he called on his own services to released the drones. The drones will obviously gave them the answer, but when and how, it still gave them time to discuss. "Alright, I already call them to get on the scouting. However, I think we need his real appearances, this Lyle Richards. There are chances we can get him higher if we have the picture of his, like I said earlier,"

He waited for them to answer, of course. But whether or not they going to give him, by and by "they" he meant Tristan and Tarmo, since well...they are the kind of people he talked to that haven't give any answers.

[Zjaum]

Well, Tristan was officially out of options that he could field, and Giovanni's drone fleet was a saving grace. As paranoid as he was taught to be, he was also a self-taught opportunist. "Sure- let me get you the files." He stated, without any emotional expression.

Files, files... Agent Spinner recalled which car had the files. He'd brought them along in case any of them wanted some topical light reading, but now he needed them more than ever. He retrieved the ordered stack and began flipping through them. He passed through a number of faces, some of which he'd just seen pop out of the house. Finally, he came to Lyle Richards file. He detached the photo but brought the file along anyway- Shauna probably wanted to look through it.

He returned to the group of people, which seemed to be growing bigger despite Shauna's previous attempts to pacify them. He handed the photo to Giovanni and the file to Shauna. "Long story short, he's a psychic like you, only his powers are aimed at individuals and have to be recharged. He came wIth us on the trip here. I'm sorry for forgetting you were absent..." He sighed. "It's been a long day." And it was only about noon...

Tarmo knew that he couldn't be much help to Giovanni or even Tristan at the time. He was the leader for the Center, but he was also a mutant, and his powers were needed now, perhaps more than ever. He uttered a short, blunt "I'll be back soon" and lifted himself into the sky. With his eyes and Giovanni's technology, they could probably track him down. A man can only run so far.

[NewLakotah]

Mutant Safe House
Kw'eh T'soh Dai/Keith Dai (Red Wolf)


The battle was over. The crazed woman was finally taken down. He sighed and stepped back. Noticing the wide array of news crews and police and various other onlookers watching them with wide eyes. He smiled, glad that he had chosen to completely conceal his face this time, no more worries about being identified this time. He holstered his gun and sheathed his tomahawk as Tristan stepped forward talking to the woman, with his own SIG Sauer in hand. He stepped back again, letting Tristan begin talking down the woman. He could feel his adrenaline up, noticeably feeling the effects of the events of the day. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and watched and listened as Tristan started talking to the woman.

He was surprised at her answers, unsure of what she meant. Referring to a "him", instead of a "her". It was strange. He wasn't very familiar with the effects of psychics on different people, however, it he didn't think that her response was that unexpected. Hell, he had his own almost-meltdown not that long ago from an mind attack from Shauna. However, he studied Tristan's face. He seemed confused, then panicked if not frustrated as well. He darted off, yelling at one man to check his car. Kw'eh was confused, remained standing, staring at the woman, then back at Tristan. He could easily see the concern on the faces of the MISC agents and Tarmo and the Center Mutants as Tristan talked. He decided he should probably join the conversation and see what was happening. As he approached he heard the name "Lyle Richards" and that he was "psychic". As he joined the group he heard Giovanni talking about his drones as Tristan flipped quickly though files.

As he opened his mouth to speak, Tarmo jolted himself up in the air, uttering in his sharp Eastern European accent: "I'll be back soon."

Bemused, Kw'eh removed the cigarette from his mouth as he stared up at Tarmo.

"Damn bastard ripped off Terminator, and couldn't even get that right. Anyway, what the hell is going on? What the hell is this Lyle Richards character? What does he want?" He blurted out, his questions all coming in a short burst.

[Talchyon]

Outside the Mutant safe home
Shauna Marks (aka "Lady Lang")

Well, Tristan was officially out of options that he could field, and Giovanni's drone fleet was a saving grace. As paranoid as he was taught to be, he was also a self-taught opportunist. "Sure- let me get you the files." He stated, without any emotional expression.

Files, files... Agent Spinner recalled which car had the files. He'd brought them along in case any of them wanted some topical light reading, but now he needed them more than ever. He retrieved the ordered stack and began flipping through them. He passed through a number of faces, some of which he'd just seen pop out of the house. Finally, he came to Lyle Richards file. He detached the photo but brought the file along anyway- Shauna probably wanted to look through it.

He returned to the group of people, which seemed to be growing bigger despite Shauna's previous attempts to pacify them. He handed the photo to Giovanni and the file to Shauna. "Long story short, he's a psychic like you, only his powers are aimed at individuals and have to be recharged. He came wIth us on the trip here. I'm sorry for forgetting you were absent..." He sighed. "It's been a long day." And it was only about noon...

Tarmo knew that he couldn't be much help to Giovanni or even Tristan at the time. He was the leader for the Center, but he was also a mutant, and his powers were needed now, perhaps more than ever. He uttered a short, blunt "I'll be back soon" and lifted himself into the sky. With his eyes and Giovanni's technology, they could probably track him down. A man can only run so far.

It was a unique experience, being handed a classified file from a government agent. Much more dangerous and sexy than Shauna Marks, real estate agent, had ever experienced. Like she was a spy or something. Huh. She really should hit up Tristan for consulting fees. She and Tarmo both, though he was flying out of sight at the moment and couldn't put up Tristan for the cash. Meanwhile, Keith began smoking, probably to destress after this critical situation.

The file itself was thick. A veritable dossier and profile of this mutant, Lyle Richardson, lay in the stereotypical, government-issue manila folder. There was so much in here, Shauna wouldn't be able to get through all of it in this setting. Maybe she could read up on it as she went. She picked up on a few things, though. The nature of this Lyle Richardson's mutant abilities were not simply psychic and mental, but deranged and extremely dangerous. "He can do that?", she asked quietly.

However, there was still the problem with these mutants, some of whom were criminals, and all of whom were pissed at Ace and Jacob, not to mention frightened. While Tristan was about to burst a vein due to the stress of losing this Lyle Richardson, Shauna thought she might be needed here for damage control.

"Tristan, there's a lot in this file that I'll have to look over. But we also need someone to stay here and sort out the criminal mutants from those who were just scared, and maybe I'm better suited to help them. Not to mention keeping the press at bay." At this, she glanced over at the newscasters and the tech who were beginning to stir out of their apathetic slumber. Shauna told Tristan that he should insist they shut off all cameras, and she also would do her part to keep things quiet.

But she had an idea. And she needed an unlisted, government cell phone from Tristan. And she needed the number of the news agencies. This just might work. She told Tristan what she needed. Call it a surprise to get the press off their backs. Then she could handle the mutant situation later.

[Altito Asmoro]

Well, Tristan was officially out of options that he could field, and Giovanni's drone fleet was a saving grace. As paranoid as he was taught to be, he was also a self-taught opportunist. "Sure- let me get you the files." He stated, without any emotional expression.

Files, files... Agent Spinner recalled which car had the files. He'd brought them along in case any of them wanted some topical light reading, but now he needed them more than ever. He retrieved the ordered stack and began flipping through them. He passed through a number of faces, some of which he'd just seen pop out of the house. Finally, he came to Lyle Richards file. He detached the photo but brought the file along anyway- Shauna probably wanted to look through it.

He returned to the group of people, which seemed to be growing bigger despite Shauna's previous attempts to pacify them. He handed the photo to Giovanni and the file to Shauna. "Long story short, he's a psychic like you, only his powers are aimed at individuals and have to be recharged. He came wIth us on the trip here. I'm sorry for forgetting you were absent..." He sighed. "It's been a long day." And it was only about noon...

Tarmo knew that he couldn't be much help to Giovanni or even Tristan at the time. He was the leader for the Center, but he was also a mutant, and his powers were needed now, perhaps more than ever. He uttered a short, blunt "I'll be back soon" and lifted himself into the sky. With his eyes and Giovanni's technology, they could probably track him down. A man can only run so far.

If we are lucky, and with the files of Lyle Richards on hand, it could be easier than given. "He's nice looking man, for one. Hard to believe he could be much more violent than now, right?" he eagerly looked at the photo while transferring the visual imagery of the photo into his drone's feeds. "Don't worry, agent. Once the image's on the feeds, I'm pretty sure the drones will be able to find him. And beside, it's not a human objects so he will not be able to influences the drones.

Mentioning something about absent, in the end, was a sore point. "You're right about the absent one, but it's fine. I was here to do more than just helping mutants..."

[Zjaum]

The drones were among the fastest on the private market, but for the folks on the ground it seemed to take ages compared to the rate at which everything had devolved. In the meantime, Tristan, quite appreciative of Shauna's help, handed her a phone (albeit out of battery) and ran over to the cameras asking them to be turned off. Shauna's effects had mostly worn off by then, and the media crew, though protestant, complied. Most of them had their footage, anyway, and there was a political event happening downtown to which they needed to attend. Keith approached the crew, smoking through his mask, asking about Lyle, and Tristan simply pointed to the file.

The drones finally arrived, and everyone involved huddled around the monitor that came with them. Giovanni worked his magic, programmed Lyle's image into the program, and let them fly up to Tarmo. The drones were better trained to look for hostages, though, and so took only a few tense minutes before one of them spotted their target. One of the cameras on the screen started blinking, zooming in on Lyle's face, who was apparently not as clever as Keith was to have brought a mask. Lyle quickly realized his mistake and pulled his shirt over the front of his face. Puerile, yet effective, yet altogether too late. Tristan wasted no time. "Quick, get any landmarks!"

There was only one, but one was all that was needed: a large bounce house in the front yard of a house in the background. By God's grace, some kid must have had a birthday party in the area. Tristan paused. "Great. Great! Which drone is that?"

The feed in question suddenly cut short. Tristan tapped the screen and performed light percussive maintenance on the device. "What happened?! Get it back on! Which drone?!"

Out of seemingly nowhere, an object slammed into the ground a few feet away from them. Dying whirs peeped out from what was the sixth drone in Giovanni's fleet. A bloodcurdling cry came from the skies, one of either immense pain, equally immense rage, or both. Above the group, halfway down a street, Tarmo pivoted towards MISC, gritting his teeth and slowly building an electrical field. Behind him, just above the peaks of the single-storied houses, was a big red bounce house.

Cell phones, cameras, everything started turning back on from the electrical field. Meanwhile, the mutants of Blue Castle, clearly no longer the focus of MISC's gaze, started raising commotion. A dodgeball shot out from one of the windows, propelled by superhuman strength. With a loud "THWUMP," it knocked a MISC agent unconscious and quickly snapped the others back to attention. Tristan sighed in frustration. They were now fighting two problems at once, and they could barely handle one. Lyle was the smartest of the mutants, but Tristan still clearly underestimated him. He looked over at Keith and pointed towards Tarmo. "That's Lyle Richards."

[Talchyon]

Outside the Mutant Safe House
Shauna Marks (aka "Lady Lang")

The drones were among the fastest on the private market, but for the folks on the ground it seemed to take ages compared to the rate at which everything had devolved. In the meantime, Tristan, quite appreciative of Shauna's help, handed her a phone (albeit out of battery) and ran over to the cameras asking them to be turned off. Shauna's effects had mostly worn off by then, and the media crew, though protestant, complied. Most of them had their footage, anyway, and there was a political event happening downtown to which they needed to attend. Keith approached the crew, smoking through his mask, asking about Lyle, and Tristan simply pointed to the file.

The drones finally arrived, and everyone involved huddled around the monitor that came with them. Giovanni worked his magic, programmed Lyle's image into the program, and let them fly up to Tarmo. The drones were better trained to look for hostages, though, and so took only a few tense minutes before one of them spotted their target. One of the cameras on the screen started blinking, zooming in on Lyle's face, who was apparently not as clever as Keith was to have brought a mask. Lyle quickly realized his mistake and pulled his shirt over the front of his face. Puerile, yet effective, yet altogether too late. Tristan wasted no time. "Quick, get any landmarks!"

There was only one, but one was all that was needed: a large bounce house in the front yard of a house in the background. By God's grace, some kid must have had a birthday party in the area. Tristan paused. "Great. Great! Which drone is that?"

The feed in question suddenly cut short. Tristan tapped the screen and performed light percussive maintenance on the device. "What happened?! Get it back on! Which drone?!"

Out of seemingly nowhere, an object slammed into the ground a few feet away from them. Dying whirs peeped out from what was the sixth drone in Giovanni's fleet. A bloodcurdling cry came from the skies, one of either immense pain, equally immense rage, or both. Above the group, halfway down a street, Tarmo pivoted towards MISC, gritting his teeth and slowly building an electrical field. Behind him, just above the peaks of the single-storied houses, was a big red bounce house.

Cell phones, cameras, everything started turning back on from the electrical field. Meanwhile, the mutants of Blue Castle, clearly no longer the focus of MISC's gaze, started raising commotion. A dodgeball shot out from one of the windows, propelled by superhuman strength. With a loud "THWUMP," it knocked a MISC agent unconscious and quickly snapped the others back to attention. Tristan sighed in frustration. They were now fighting two problems at once, and they could barely handle one. Lyle was the smartest of the mutants, but Tristan still clearly underestimated him. He looked over at Keith and pointed towards Tarmo. "That's Lyle Richards."

Well at least the government-issue unlisted phone Mr. Tristan gave her was working now. It was dead before. And that phone with power was what she needed right now. Shauna was focusing on getting the data up and getting some needed contact information. Namely, the contact information for the news outlets in Los Angeles. And when she got the phone number for the ABC channel 4 newsroom, she was about to call... and then glanced up, and saw that her work was not done yet.

The mutants in the house had erupted again, throwing high speed dodgeballs and taking out the MISC agents. Which, in any other circumstance, might have been funny. But not while she could help again. She turned the data off the government phone, and put it in her pocket. And as she was beginning to put the "Lyle file" under her arm and raise the nearby megaphone to her mouth, the hairs on her arms began to stand up and she felt kind of tingly all over. Confused, she looked around, and saw Tarmo flying back to them. Was his mission over? Had he found this missing Lyle Richardson guy? But the speed he was flying, plus the blank look on his Eastern European chiseled face, was disturbing. Shauna began to get a very bad feeling about this, even before Tristan called out that Tarmo acting out was under the influence of Lyle's abilities. Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no.

Quick. She remembered how the force field lady was unable to be affected by her emotion-inducing words. Tarmo would probably be the same way, so talking to him was probably useless. Silencing his voice would probably be useless, too. That meant she had to do something with the mutants in the house. Maybe get them to focus on her friend and distract him from frying them all? But how?

Raising the megaphone to her voice, Shauna said to the mutants in the house, "Fellow mutants. We need your help, or we're all going to fry. The flying man's mind is under the control of someone else. Please focus on him for right now." Her voice was going to cause feelings of courage, focus and determination to survive from her friend Tarmo who was not himself, and was now in danger of electrocuting them all. Tarmo, Shauna thought. Please forgive me.