Mikala listened to Shawn patiently, reading his emotions, feeling his aggravation and anger. Once he was done venting and asking his question, she smiled, choosing her words carefully before she typed them into his device.

"You have learned to live with only 3 of your five senses when most people would have given up. Even though you've been like this for your whole life, it still shows how resourceful and brilliant you are to be able to have the confidence that you have....the ability to get around as well as you do. I have all five of my senses and still have problems finding my way around...yet you....you don't let it stop you and you only have three. I admire you, Shawn. I hope this helps you understand."

Mikey sat there, waiting for everything to sink in as Shawn was relayed the message. She then typed some more.

"I have a gym for kids that have nowhere to go and if it wasn't for my gym they would wind up in a lot of trouble. When they first come to me and Flames, they don't think they can do anything. You could be of great help, showing the kids that even with your lack of 2 of your 5 senses, you get around and accomplish things just fine. Most people struggle with all five of their senses working....yet, you do just fine with only three. There's a lot others could learn from you in how to deal with life."

Mikey didn't know if any of this would help or if it would make him angrier, so she sat and she waited while the message was relayed to him, waiting to see what his reaction would be.

Totem had been reaching out to Cowboy when the flash grenade detonated, bathing the entire area with blinding light. His eyes felt like they were on fire and he raised his hands to shield them, but the damage had already be done. As Totem retreated back into the tunnel, he staggered and fell into a puddle of water. The soothing cool felt good on his eyes and Totem washed his face with two hand-fulls of the run off water and blinked his eyes rapidly. All he could be see was what appeared to be an electric light show, then all dulled to darkness and he could see nothing. Blinded, he was be easy picking for RAID but he wouldn't let himself panic, he still had the heightened senses of the cougar within him and could use them to his advantage. A sightless lion was still a formidable adversary and he wasn't going down without a fight.

Feeling his way along the damp walls Totem moved as stealthily as possible while maintaining a fast pace. He knew he had to put some distance between him and the enforcers back at the well, who probably already in pursuit. He could feel a breeze on his cheek and hear the sounds of his foot steps trail away into the distance. Another tunnel, he figured and verified his assumption by feeling his way along the wall until he discovered it. Quickly then he raced down the passage as fast as he could, but little did he know that he was headed straight for the operatives that were working their around the well.




Wraith, wandered over to the eastern side of the underground base where a large room had been divided up into several work areas and found Sigma's office. He knocked on the door and immediately came an anticipatory response. "Com'on in Wraith."

"So you obviously know why I'm here." Remarked the large costumed Norwegian as he entered the darkened office, illuminated only by the glow of Sigma's monitor.

"Yeah, I figured you might change your mind. Have a seat."

Wraith sat down on the other side of the masked man's desk and folded his hands on his lap.

"I figured we give it a day. How's that sound?" Asked Sigma.

"Groovy." Replied Wraith as his eyes scanned all the tacky paraphernalia that the crime fighter had hanging on the walls. Stuffed fish, dusty plaques and pictures that just really didn't seem to match Sigma's persona.

Sigma recognized that Wraith had come to conclusion about his decor and smiled. "So how's the girl?" he asked.

"Didn't I just tell you? —"

"No. I mean, 'How is she?' I know you scientist types. You just can't keep your fingers out of the cookie jar, not until someone breaks them off." Sigma clarified.

Toril nodded. "You're right." he admitted, "I did do some extra tests."

"So what d'ya find?" Sigma probed, leaning back in his chair and kicking his feet onto his desk.

"Well, are you familiar with omega brain waves?"

"The Human brain has four types of waves. Beta, Alpha. Theta and Delta but they've found in meta-humans a fifth. They call it the omega wave." Sigma answered.

"Yes." Replied Wraith, impressed with Sigma's knowledge. "Only the omega wave does not appear in all meta-humans and they have found that the alpha wave also casts a shadow that can be mistaken for an omega."

Sigma put his hands behind his head and looked up at the ceiling. "Fascinating doc. There a point to all this?"

"Yes. Since she possesses a form of telepathy, Morgan's omega wave is more active but what I found interesting was she has two of them. She has her regular wave and then a shadow one, and I believe that this may have something to do with her mental instability."

Wraith had gotten Sigma's attention. "Could it be some sort of connection?" he added.

Toril thought about it and nodded. "Yeah, maybe. I'll have to do some more research."

Sigma did not respond. He didn't care for people experimenting on meta's, but in this case, if it would help the girl he was all for it.

Wraith checked the time on the wall. "Well, Morgan should be waking up in about half an hour. I should be there. Talk to ya later."

Toril walked northward up the corridor from Sigma's office to the lab facility. He closed the door behind him and was just about to remove his mask when he noticed that all of Morgan's vital signs where flat lined on his monitor. "Shit!" he exclaimed running into the recovery room, and was relieved to find that the girl had awoken prematurely. She had removed her leads and pulled out her i.v. line and was sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Morgan." Toril called, "My name is Wraith, and I am also the doctor that has been treating you. How are you feeling?"

Wraith was doing his best not to alarm the girl. He didn't want her to hurt herself and to be cautious he had already secured the door to the medical lab, just in case she tried to make a break for it. He was confident that she wouldn't get by him, but he also didn't want to risk hurting her, so a locked door was passive way of keeping her in the hospital.

Morgan looked at the big man, her lavender eyes flashing back and forth between confusion, worry, and anger. She wanted out of here....she wanted to find Tim...she wanted to be better. When he introduced himself, she gave him a shaky smile then narrowed her eyes when she noticed him securing the door.

"Where am I? Where's Tim and Yelena?"

Morgan didn't know who this Wraith was and she was becoming more anxious by the minute. She felt....different somehow and she wondered if Wraith had done something to her other than fixing her injuries.

She swayed as she slowly slid off of the bed, leaning up against the mattress so that she wouldn't fall.

"I think I should leave. Thanks for patching me up, but I should go."

Morgan looked up at him again, seeing that he wasn't moving. She didn't know where she was going to find the strength to get around him, but she had to try. Her mind felt jumbled.....as if she couldn't quite grasp her thoughts. She rubbed her forehead, again wondering if he'd done something to her. Her gaze was accusing when she looked at him again.

Looking at the space in between him and the door, Morgan knew then that she wasn't going anywhere. There was no way she was going to get past him and to the door.

"You should let me go, Wraith. I'll only do something foolish and you'll wind up being the one who gets hurt."

Looking at him, her lavender eyes now showed sadness and acceptance of her fate...which to her was being alone so that noone ever got hurt again.

"So, are you going to move out of the way or do I have to find a way to get you to move? You really need to let me go."

She rubbed her forehead again. Why did she feel so out of sorts? As if she were missing a piece of herself.

Wraith held up his hands in a calming manner. The girl was definitely being irrational and thought that perhaps a familiar face would help restore some reason. He never took his eyes off Morgan and reached out and pressed the intercom button communicator beside the glass doors.

"Yes." Answered Zoe's monotone, cybernetic voice.

"Is Cowboy back yet or have you seen Chameleon anywhere?" Asked Wraith. Killswitch replied with a definite, "No" and so he requested that Seizure and Sigma stop by the lab.

Wraith leaned against the glass doors and waited for the others to arrive. It was apparent to him that he could talk until he was blue in the face and still not get through to her, so once the others arrived they could help him get her back into bed.

He wasn't too worried in the mean time, they were in a clean room and he had changed the combination of the door so that only he knew the code to open it. Wraith wasn't sure about Seizure but Sigma's office was just down the hall and he'd be probably be around in five to ten minutes.

When Morgan realized that Tim and Yelena weren't here...wherever here was for Wraith hadn't told her yet, she became even more panicked.....irrational. She had to make sure they were okay. She had to find Tim before she left. Where was he? Where was Yelena? Her guilt was overriding her logic.

Eyes glowing, she began to call to animals within a five mile radius, depleting what little strength she had. When she couldn't hold the connection for more than a few minutes per animal, she began to push herself harder, her face becoming more pale than before with her exertion. She saw Wraith make a move towards her and she backed up, stumbling.

"Stay away, Doctor. I have to do this. It's my fault he's out there and I have to find him...make sure he's safe."

He took another step, his face calm. She backed up another step.

"No!! This is my fault!!! If I would have listened to him he would be safe....they all would be safe!! I have to find him!!!! I have to make it right, before I leave."

Morgan kept projecting, reaching out to the animals, losing more strength.

The more Morgan fought to focus on connecting with the animals, the weaker she became. She simply didn't have the strength to hold any connection for more than a few minutes. She finally stopped, swaying where she was standing, her eyes unfocused as she looked at Wraith.

"He's out there because I wouldn't listen, Wraith and I can't......I can't help him. It's my fault."

Then, she collapsed, slipping into a coma, her mind unable to process whatever has happened to her. For something did happen in that warehouse when she was being held by her father. Something dealing with her mind.

As Morgan wavered and collapsed, Wraith was quick to catch her, but instead of placing her back in the recovery room he took her into the laboratory. He laid her down on a padded table and quickly began to set up leads to monitor her vital signs.

There was a knock on the doorway that separated the medical and research facility, then Sigma's voice came over the intercom. "Wraith. You need any help?"

Wraith jogged over to the door and punched in the code, unlocking it, then quickly returned to the lab with Sigma on his heels.

"What happened to her?" Asked Sigma, standing at a distance with his hands thrust into the pockets of his trench coat. He seemed uncomfortable, but then again it was not uncommon for people to dislike hospitals and medical tests.

"She over-taxed herself. Using too much of her meta-ability." Wraith answered while he finished up attaching several leads to Morgan's temples and forehead. He then turned on another monitor that revealed five different wave patterns and pointed at the bottom one, drawing Sigma's attention to it. "You see. This is the omega wave. Notice how it looks like two different patterns, only now the underlying wave is even stronger."

"So what does that mean, doc?" Asked Sigma, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, in her present state the omega wave pattern should not be unlike her alpha waves, but instead it's incredibly active. It's as if her mind is connected to something." Replied Wraith as he calibrated the monitor.

"Or someone." Added Sigma.

Wraith stopped what he was doing and cast the other man a worried look. "Or someone." he repeated, considering the possibilities.

Sasha sat in the park for a few more hours, trying to figure out where she knew the man she'd seen in the alley. As she stood up, she felt something, like a surge in engergy. Not big, but she was definately more alert. It felt......good.

Turning, she headed for the small mom and pops store she frequented, walking along the sidewalk, looking at people as she walked by them, smiling at their somber expressions. Shaking her head, she didn't bother wasting a smile on any of them. A half an hour later, she reached the small store, seeing Henry and Emma Jackson, the old couple who owned the store. Both gave her a smile when she strolled in and she smiled back, walking over to the counter.

"How's it going, Henry? Hi Emma."

Sasha loved these two people. They were in the late 60s, Henry standing only about 5'6" and Emma only 5'3" both with grayish/silver hair. Henry's blue eyes were always full of mischief and laughter while Emma's brown ones were more serious looking, but she always had a quick smile for just about anyone. Their store was located 6 blocks north of the Green Street base. It was called 'At Home Groceries'.


"Everything's going okay, Sasha. How about you?"

"Not too bad, Henry. You had any trouble around here?"

Sasha had noticed the last couple of times that some things had been knocked off shelves and Emma had looked a little frazzled, but she'd said nothing. Now, Emma once again looked frazzled and Henry looked even a little panicked.

"Just punks, Sash...wanting to make a name for themselves. You know how youngsters can be."

Sasha knew exactly what Henry was talking about now and she also knew that by the words he'd used, whomever it was causing trouble was still in here. She smiled at Henry and Emma, motioning for them to stay put as she quietly began to walk around the small store, acting like she was looking for something.

"Well, these kids need a good kick in the ass every now and then, but no one wants to step up and give it to them. You know what I mean?"

As she rounded the end of the aisle near the small freezer section, she looked up into the large mirror in the corner and saw a guy standing near the storage room door. He wasn't very tall and looked hispanic. She smiled, making her way over to him, her eyes turning black as she called on the yellow jackets that were just outside the rear door, buzzing around the dumpster. They found their way in through a small hole in the back wall of the storage area and advanced onto the man just as Sasha came to stand in front of him.

Just as the guy saw her and her black eyes, the yellow jackets swarmed on him, not stinging him....yet.

"I wouldn't move too much if I were you. Now, why don't you tell me why you're here and what you're doing. Lie, and I'll have my little friends here sting the shit out of you."

"You damned bitch!! I don't have to tell you shit!!"

Sasha made a tsking sound as her eyes grew even blacker and she focused on the yellow jackets, having a couple of them sting him, which had him hollering in pain as their stings are extremely painful.

"Now, I don't like repeating myself. Answer my questions or I turn them loose on your sorry ass."

Alright!!! I collect insurance from them....a guarantee that my gang won't rob them and we'll protect them from rival gangs. That's all, lady!!

Sasha knew the ins and outs of 'insurance' collecting and had the yellow jackets swarm just above his head. She smiled at him, her smile as cold as her eyes were black right before she socked him right in the jaw, knocking him back into the storage room. The yellow jackets followed him, hovering above his head.

"I would advise you to get the f#@ck out of here and don't come back!! Tell your guy that Henry and Emma already have protection and her name is Wasp!! You got that?!!"

The kid stuttered out a 'yea' as he ran by her, running by Henry and Emma and out the front door, the yellow jackets hot on his tail. When Sasha walked back up to Henry and Emma, her eyes went back to normal. The older couple were all smiles when she got there. They knew that Sasha was different, but she'd always been there for them, so they didn't judge her.

Emma came around and gave her a hug, tears in her eyes.

"Thank you Sasha....but you know that they will retaliate now."

Sasha smiled at the two older people, returning Emma's hug.

"Don't worry about it, Emma. I'll just stick close for awhile....make sure that if they return, they get the message. I am all the protection you need."

Wraith had been so interested in studying Morgan's omega wave phenomena that he lost track of time. "Shit!" he exclaimed checking the clock on the wall, "I gotta get outta here." he said to Sigma who had been idling standing by.

"What? You gotta a hot date or something?" Joked Sigma.

"Something like." Answered Wraith as he hastened to leave the room. "She'll be fine. I'll be back later, and if Cowboy and Totem should happen by tell them to sit tight and I'll be back as soon as I can."

Wraith started heading out of the lab then vanished into the air. Sigma could just make a pale ghostly image trailing off through the crack of the closing door as stood by Morgan's unconscious body. Thrusting his hands into the pockets of his trench coat he coldly glance at the girl then made his way out of the shadowy laboratory.


Wraith made it back to the home of Bronze Devil, flying in his physical form part of the way then dematerializing and appearing in his basement room. He quickly changed out of his costume, ran through the shower then threw on some kaki's, a dress shirt and a sport coat. Checking the time he was please to see that he was well ahead of schedule for his interview, and would have plenty of time to find the address. Skipping up the stairs, he rushed through the kitchen and grabbed himself an apple off the counter and said good by to Julie who wished him luck.

Bronze Devil had given him his old Taurus. It wasn't much too look at, but it ran well and for that Toril was grateful. He backed out of the driveway and pulled slowly away and down the street while crunching down on the red apple. Checking the address again, he made his way as best he could. He wasn't familiar with the city and so he was forced to stick to busier main routes, and Toril positively hated a traffic, but he had little choice but to endure it, he couldn't fly to his interview, although at some lights it was awfully tempting.

Toril endured the drive and eventually reached is destination which wasn't at all what he had expected. The address was for some club, which was a first for him, since most 'lab rats' preferred to give their interviews in their office, not over a drink. He parked his car and before he went in double checked the address one more time just confirm that he was indeed at the right place. It was apparent that the established was far more active during the night, and as Toril walked down the main corridor he checked out all that the place had to offer. Acts, specials and a listing of all the services were shown on large flat screens set into the walls which came to an end a large hall with several sitting areas, set along the walls and around the six large pillars that reached up to high balconied ceiling. On the wall to his left he could see the entrance to the lounge, which he assumed would be the meeting place and to his right he could hear the enticing baseline radiating from the dance club.

Having some time to kill, Toril couldn't help wandering into the club. He had always loved dance music and in his day was quite the dancer, although he'd be 'ancient school' compared to what the kids were doing these days. Wandering in, he was surprised to actually find a small group of kids working on their moves during the day. About six guys had formed a ring and were showing their stuff, throwing out variations of complicated hip hop and b-boy moves; they stopped and stared at Toril when they noticed him. Even though he appeared to be a man in his early thirties that was still grandpappy old to the youngsters and he figured that they thought he was a cop.

"Sweet 'Nike-Kick'." Toril complimented one of the guys who had just finished performing.

The kid laughed. "Yeah, okay. Whatever, old man." Replied the kid with some attitude.

"&%#@ look at you man! You're like a freaking linebacker! What the hell d'you know about this shit?" Asked another.

Toril smiled, took off his jacket and laid it over a chair. A new song had just began with a fast, heavy base line as he strolled into the middle of the circle.

One of the kids started laughing and stretching his arms wide started backing up, "Whoa! Back up a guys this &$%#er's crazy!"

Toril then then started with some flares, which were a feat for a man of his size and with his length of leg. Then he broke into some broncos which he kept in sync with the beat. His hand stands were flawless, and as he performed an array of dazzling acrobatics he used his flying ability to assist him in achieving what only smaller people could normally do. The kids just looked at one another, the jaws hanging open as the large man performed spins, floats, kicks and freezes with amazing precision, then he ended it all off with a move that Toril had always called a tornado. A high flying, horizontal aerial spin which he did directly at one of the kids, forcing him to duck under as he rotated several times and landed gracefully.

Soon as Toril jumped out of the circle, one of the kids came at him and offered a respective high five grasp and spoke in a b-boy language that the old man was out of touch with. "Thanks.", he said not sure what he was exactly replying to, but it was obvious they liked his moves. They were also quite amazed that a man of his age could move like them, and Toril could only imagine what the would think if they found out how old he really was.

As he picked up his jacket, Toril was alerted to the sound of someone slowly applauding and when he looked to the direction it was coming from was surprised to the beautiful form of Sara-Lynn Tessier. Turning around he acknowledged the b-boys then threw on his jacket as he strode toward the Beacon operative. He found remaining cool around Sun Storm difficult since she knew that he had always deeply cared for her despite all the crap she had done in her life, but he managed to stay composed.



She was leaning against a bar stool and clapping her hands above her head as Toril approached, a mischievous smile on her perfect lips. "When are you going to grow up?" She teased.

Toril stopped in front of Sara-Lynn, towering over her. "Where is he?" Was all he asked, his face expressionless.

She looked up at him, playfully smiling, then when she realized that she wasn't going to get the reaction she wanted stood up and lead the way to the lounge. Gesturing with a nod of her angled jaw, she pointed to a booth where Toril saw the man who was supposed to be conducting his interview at a new company. His jaw flexing from his grinding teeth, Toril made his way to the booth and slid into the seat.



"I hear the veal comes highly recommended." Commented Vacily as he perused the menu.

"How did you find me?" Toril coldly inquired.

Vacily put down the menu and laughed. "Are you kidding? You leveled a city block. Wraith is back on the grid and he's on RAID's top ten most wanted list. How do you think I found you?"

Toril couldn't believe that he was just sitting there across from him, speaking civilly, after he had tried to kill him. "I ought a rip you head off right now for what you did to Cassius, you egotistical son-of-a-bitch!" he growled lowly so as not to attract any undue attention to them.

Vacily picked up the bottle of wine on the table and filled Toril's glass, his stern expression softening. "I have called off Shinnigami." He told him, "I just wanted to let you know personally and to do what I can to make amends."

"Amends?" Scoffed Toril, "I know that you killed Silicone Surfer and you sit there asking for forgiveness!"

Vacily looked shocked at the accusation. "You think I could have something to do with that?"

"We have proof it was you! How can you even deny it?"

Surge leaned back, horrified at the revelation but then he said something that Toril felt in his heart was the truth. "She was my daughter." he revealed, tears welling in his eyes.

Tim heard the faint clink of metal hitting metal behind him and quickened his pace thru the old brick lined drainage tunnel, searching for a side passageway as his hand slid along the damp bricks. His hand fell into nothingness and Tim stopped abruptly, taking a step back he felt the edge of another passage to his left. Following the wall for approximately fiftey feet, he stumbled slightly on something on the floor. Slowly kneeling and reaching down he felt the damp slimmy surface of a rotting wooden beam. Running his hand across its surface, Tim found another and another laying across the second. Sliding his hand along the surface, Tim felt it rise until he felt another brick wall and what felt like an old coal oil lantern hanging on a rusty nail. He lifted the lantern off the nail, brought the lantern close to his ear and shook it. What he heard he could hardly believe, the slosh of liquid. Hoping, beyond hope, Tim pressed the metal lever that caused the glass to rise, reached in his pocket, removed his lighter and lit the wick of the lantern. A dim light illuminated the the area in front of him. Tim stood infront of what appeared to be a side tunnel that had never been completed. Lowering the wick so the light was but a small dim illumination, Tim lowered the glass, turned and started to make his way back to the main drainage tunnel. That is when he heard the sound of water splashing and the murrmered "Shit Charlie watch where your stepping." Tim extinguished the light, stepped back a couple of steps into the darkness and set the lantern down on the ground.

Tim knelt down, lifted his pant leg and withdrew a Navy Seal killing knife from his boot,watched as one red laser beam spot danced back and forth on the floor, walls and cielings of the tunnel and passed by him a few feet back another danced along the walls, floor and cieling of the tunnel. As it passed, Tim reached out and grabbed the second R.A.I.D officer around the neck, covering his mouth and nose with his left hand, driving the six inch blade of the knife into the side of the officer's neck with his right hand. Tim quickly stepped back and lowered the slain man to the wet ground, withdrawing the knifefrom the officer's neck, knelt down, wiped the knfe clean oh the slain officer's vest, replaced the knife in his boot. He searched the slain officer, finding the officer's side arm and spare clips, Tim stepped out of the darkness, flipped the laser sight on an took aim at the lead officer just as he turned to say something to his pardner. Tim let off two rounds striking the lead officer in the neck just above his body armour. The officer fell to the ground, Tim walked up slowly, lifted the man's face shield with the toe of his boot and placed another round in the fallen officer's head between his eyes. Tim then found officer's side arm, and spare clips, placing them in his jacket. He then searched the man's body for his radio, removed the man's helmet, ear piece and mic, follow the connecting wire and removed the slain officer's radio. "Wrong place wrong time pardnar." Tim muttered under his breath, as he reached down and drug the slain officer back to where his slain pardner lay. Tim searched the bodies and found their flash lights,. He then removed the slain men's Kevlar vest and hydration packs. Tim removed his own jacket and shirt, donned one of the Kevlar vests and put his shirt and jacket back on. Tim then keyed the other man's mic and said "11-99 ... 10-57 ...Multiple Shots fired! .... Code 20 Officer down! Tunnel 29-877" ........ Tim fired three more rapid rounds ..... "Send backup! Repeat 11-99 Offic (Static)......." Tim then turned the radio off, stuffed the spare radio in his back pocket and the first radio in the inside pocket of his jacket, slinging the spare vest and the hydration packs over his shoulder. Using one of the pilfered flash lights, Tim then made his way on down the old drainage tunnel, searching for a shaft going up.

Morgan regained conscionsness, briefly while Toril was gone, and after Sigma had left. She didn't try to move around, she was too weak but she saw that she was no longer in the same room as before. She remembered trying to connect with various animals and unable to hold t he connection, then passing out, feeling as if someone was sucking the energy from her. She heard the door open and saw a young woman enter the lab and walk over to her.

Jessica smiled down at the young woman laying on the lab bed as she approached.

"Hi, Morgan. I'm Snap Dragon, but you can call me Snap. Wraith had an appointment, but he'll be back soon."

Morgan just looked at her, trying to focus on the woman, her words sounding like they were being spoken inside of a well. She wanted to tell her that something was wrong with her, how she knew she didn't know, but she knew that something wasn't right inside of her. But, she couldn't seem to get her vocal cords to work. Panic began to show in her lavender eyes and Snap placed a gentle hand on Morgan's arm.

"It's okay, Morgan. Really. Wraith looks like he knows what he's doing. Just rest. I'll stick close by, okay?"

Morgan nodded her head, her eyes closing as she slipped back into the darkness again.

Totem's panther eyes stared blindly ahead as he made his way along the tunnel. Behind him he could hear the first group of enforcers closing in, but then he stopped in his tracks as he caught scent of more of them ahead. He was trapped! Cursing in his native language the blind Haida slid his long knife from its sheath and prepared to take a stand. There was no way he would survive the fight, but he was damn sure going to take a couple of the bastards with him.

Crouch low in the dark, Totem waited. He made peace with this world and prepared to use the abilities of his cougar spirit to their upper most limit. As he tensed and readied himself to spring before they could lay eyes on him, the foot steps both behind and in front of him stopped.

"Man down!" Totem heard one of the enforcers announce. "Tunnel 29-877, bring up the map."

'A man down?', pondered Totem, 'Cowboy! He must have taken one of them down.' He then heard the steps behind him, retreating back the way they had come, but the one's ahead were fast approaching. Totem, thought fast, and began chanting lowly calling to him a totem that would hopefully save his life one way or the other. Closing his eyes he concentrated, and when they next opened they were black. Quickly then he took a deep breath and submerged himself in the knee deep water, pressing his body up against the side of the cylindrical passage. He had summoned the totem of the great polar bear, it's great strength surging through his pained body, but he cared more for the bear's ability to hold it's breath for long lengths of time.

Totem felt the force of displaced water against his face as a boot of one of the enforcers just missed his head. In their haste the RAID enforcers, focusing on assisting their fallen comrade failed to notice the Haida's long dark hair floating on the surfer of the water as they moved past him. Totem then waited until his lungs burned, and only then did he feel that it would be safe to rise out of hiding. From darkness to darkness he emerged and used his new keener sense of smell to tell him that he was safe, then he carried on letting his instincts guide him through the labyrinth and hopefully back to the base.



Illuminated by the flickering flame of the ornamental lantern in the middle of the table, the two men sat in silence for a moment in the dimly lit lounge processing the revelation.

"Your daughter! I never knew you had children." Exclaimed Toril, finally breaking the quiet.

Vacily, brushed away a tear from his hardened face with his sleeve and slugged back a gulp of wine. He clenched his teeth, searching for words but none were uttered, he just sat wallowing in despair and anger.

Toril suddenly felt terrible. As misguided as his old friend was seeing him as a grieving father burned a hole in his heart and sunk to the pit of his stomach. "I — I'm sorry, Vacily.... for your loss. I didn't know... how could I have known?"

Vacily sighed and procured from his breast pocket and picture which he laid on the table before his ex-partner. The photo was of Vacily, and Silicone Surfer when she was just a girl. "Her mother contacted me out of the blue one day and told me that I had a thirteen year old daughter." Vacily began, staring warmly at the picture. "It seemed that Joanne had hacked into a federal database and they needed my help. It was one of the greatest days of my life."

Toril joined his old mentor in a smile as he reminisced about meeting his daughter for the first time, then he just sat back and let him go on about the good times that he needed to share with someone who remembered the person he used to be. He knew how important it was for people with their longevity to never anchor themselves to the past, but in times of loss it was a blessing to speak with one who could walk back in time with you. Unfortunately, Vacily's reunion with his daughter occurred during his marriage, when he had left Beacon but that hardly seemed to matter to the old super-hero.

After a while, Toril mustered up the courage to ask a question that had been itching his brain for a while. "This is not an accusation, but, isn't a strange coincidence that your daughter's killer had a power identical to yours?"

Vacily who had now switched to coffee, took a sip of the hot beverage while contemplating the observation. "How is it that you lost control of that tornado?"

Toril leaned back, curious what one had to with the other. "I don't follow." he said.

"Have you ever heard of a meta called Apex Fusion?" Vacily proposed.

Toril bobbled his head. "A little. Isn't he the guy whose been organizing that gang called Umbra?"

Vacily nodded. "He has a unique ability that allows him to copy the powers of other metas.", he revealed and this made Toril realize just what had happened that night when the dying twister had suddenly had its strength rekindled.

"So he mimicked my power and yours. But why?" Wondered Toril.

Vacily shook his head the stared coldly into Toril's eyes as his hand tightened into a fist. "That, is what I intend to find out." he vowed.




"Can I get you anything else?" Asked the server.

"No, I'm fine. Just the check please." Replied the dark haired, man.

Sigma leaned back and strained his ears once more to eavesdrop on the conversation between Vacily and Wraith occurring in the booth behind him. He knew better than to try and use any surveillance equipment around the electrical mutant since not only would he short it out but would also detect the signal. The powers of Surge were almost legendary, and so Sigma had decided to stay low tech and learn what he could the old fashioned way.

He had to admit that he was a little disappointed to learn that Surge was not the ultimate bad guy in this situation, he had been looking forward to matching wits with him. Perhaps another time, since now he had someone else to focus on, a man who had been slowly making a name for himself on the Chicago streets — Apex Fusion.

The server returned with meals for the two men. Toril hadn't ordered, but the plate placed before him seemed satisfying enough. "I took the liberty of ordering for you ahead of time." explained Vacily, "I recall you enjoyed blackened salmon and apparently its a dish that this place is known for."

"Thank you." Said Toril, as he placed a napkin on his lap.

The men were silent while they sampled the flavours of their dishes. Both of them quite worldly in their tastes exchanged satisfied looks at the quality and it felt for that moment as if they traveled back in time, when they were partners working for the European division of Beacon. No matter where they were, Vacily always had to sit down to a fine meal at least once during their assignment; good food was always his one vice and it seemed it still was.

"So, this was supposed to be an interview for a new job." Toril queried before he took a sip of wine.

Vacily smiled. "Forgive me, but after your stunt with the tornado I used Beacon's resources to track you down, Mr. Devon Gale." he mentioned.

Toril was surprised that Beacon had been able to track him down so quickly, but after considering that he provided an organization with access to high security government resources a start point it didn't seem that remarkable. "Is the company real, then?" he was curious.

Vacily nodded. "Yes, its completely legitimate, no strings attached. Beacon had no affiliation with it, nor do they have any records of you under your new identity. Sara-lynn, doesn't even know."

At the mention of her name, Toril glanced across the lounge to the bar where the beautiful woman seemed to be have no problem entertaining herself, as she flirted with a couple of businessmen types. "Sara-lynn's unaware?" he repeated, "What's going on Vacily? You've always been a company man."

"After the incident at Oneida, I decided to relinquish my command and finally take that cushy Pentagon job." Vacily explained, "You and Yelena, helped me open my eyes. You made me realize that no matter what I tried to do to help our kind, it wouldn't change a damn thing. My daughter had been trying to tell me that for years and I was on my way down here to share my revelation in person and found that I was stinking day too late." Vacily's jaws clenched. "The difference of one stinking day." he sadly muttered and his blood pressure became noticeably elevated he winced and the lights of the lounge flickered.

"I'm sorry sir, may I have your card once more." A server requested of her customer as the mobile interac console reset itself from what Toril knew to be static interference generated from Vacily.

"Calm down Vacily." Toril told his old friend, "The tremors are getting worse, aren't they?" he figured.

Vacily procured a vial of pills from his pocket and chased a few down with a drink of water. The effects were fast acting and soon he was breathing normally and didn't feel the need to discuss his health with the good doctor. He just waved off Toril's concerns and continued discussing his new job. "The president of the company owed me a favor so I called it in.", he said as handed Toril a business card, "As soon as you give him a call and let him know you're interested you're on the payroll at Genomorph Laboratories."

Toril took the card. "Just like that, eh?" he questioned with a wry smile. "Beacon has nothing to do with this."

"I give you my word." Vacily assured him.

Wraith tucked the card in his pocket, wiped his mouth and slid out of the booth. It was a lot for him to take in, Vacily suddenly turning from ultimate enemy to grieving friend over the course of a meal. Toril figured that he would have to sleep on it and process the information before he would truly begin trusting the man again.

"I wrote my number on the back of the card." mentioned Vacily without looking up, his eyes remaining fixed on his wine glass.

"I need some time to think about all of this." Toril told him, "I'll call you."

As Toril strode away from Vacily no goodbyes were exchanged and he acknowledged Sara-lynn with a fleeting glance as he exited the lounge. Walking through the lobby, hundreds of scenarios were flashing through his mind but he couldn't deny the fact that Silicone Surfer was Vacily's daughter, that in itself legitimized everything that he had revealed. Still, the man was as devious as they came and so he was aware that he needed some time to weigh all the possibilities and approach everything from a fresh perspective.

Toril drove back to Bronze Devil's where he dropped off the car and changed back into his costume. He then flew back to the base, and along the way his thoughts kept wandering back to his conversation with Vacily, analyzing every word. By the time he entered through the west door he was ready to accept Vacily's word, but he wanted to talk to Sigma before he allowed himself to fully commit to accepting the job. He hadn't known the man very long, but he seemed to possess an uncommon logic and felt that he could provide him with an objective perspective on the situation. Seemed he had left shortly after he did, however, and since Sigma wasn't one to share his comings and goings with anyone, it was impossible to know when he'd be back.

As he wandered back into the base's medical facility, Wraith went into to check on Morgan and found Snap Dragon sitting at her side. She informed him of Morgan's brief awakening, to which he didn't seem that surprised. "I'm glad you were here for her." Wraith told her, feeling guilty that he wasn't around, after all her care was his responsibility now and it wasn't like they could just take her a normal hospital at this point.

Wraith started some preliminary checks on her vitals then decided to transfer her back to the recovery room, where he got Snap Dragon to assist him in transferring her from the gurney to the bed. He then added another dose of an anti-biotic to her i.v. and continued to monitor her, charting all of her current stats.

Using the pilfered flashlight, shading the beam with his cupped hand,Tim made his way along the drainage tunnel until he came to a shaft, with a metal ladder going up. He stopped and listened closely but all he could hear was the sound of water trickeling down from above. Off in the distance he thought he could hear the faint rumbling of water falling a great substancial distand and slashing ont another body of water of a wet floor. Cautiously he shone the light up the ladder a few feet. "Well ya gonna stay down har like a rat in a trap ur ya gonna get the hell outta har an'find Totem." Tim muttered solftly the thought "Damn boy now ya ar talkin' ta yurself. I reconkin it's 'bout time ta get outta this har hole."

Tim stuck the flashlight in his belt, turned it off and began to climb up the ladder. After about forty feet, he stopped with just the top of his head and eyes above the rim of the shaft. Tim, listened closely, holding on to one rung, removed the flashlight from his belt. Holding it against the wall he turned it on, shielded the beam with his hand, lifted it and swept tunnel he was peering at. Seeing and hearing nothing but the sound of running water, Tim climbed out of the shaft and stood against the wall. He made his way along a short passageway until he came to an arched opening to an adjoining tunnel. Faintly he could hear the occasional splash of foot steps. "There is only one set." he said to himself, as he turned the flashlight off. Tim took a step back into the darkness, stuffed the flashlight back in his belt. knelt down scooped up some mud, smeared it on his face and hands. He then withdrew his Navy Seal killing knife from his boot, stood up, leaning against the side wall of the drainage tunnel and waited as the foot steps grew lounder and closer. ......