eleMental: The Gifted

Chapter 2: Welcome to the Mutant Underground

"Hey, John... I think we got one." I said sitting on one of the tables in the control room.

"Who? Where?" He asked stepping into the room brushing his hair behind his ear.

"It's a mutant that escaped from a detention center and she's only a few miles from here... so, when are we going?" I asked jumping off the table.

"Now. Let's get Marcos and Lorna." He said rushing out of the room. I followed close behind him.

"Marcos, Lorna, we got one." John said from outside their room tapping on the doorframe. 

"It's about time... I'm getting antsy being cooped up in here." Lorna replied sassily grabbing her leather jacket from her bed with Marcos following silently behind.

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          We were now in some alley somewhere in Atlanta... Don't trust me with directions or geography... 

"You getting anything?" Lorna asked John impatiently.

"Working on it." John said touching the ground to get an idea where this mutant was.

"Is the great Thunderbird having trouble?" I asked sweetly.

"Shut up, Dylan. I'm trying to focus." John said while I made a fake offended gesture.

"Yeah, you seriously think she's here, man? I mean, she was just two miles away." Marcos said annoyed that it was taking so long to find her.

"She's close." John said taking his hand off the pavement.

"Closer than the last time she was close?" Marcos questioned accusingly.

"She's moving strangely." John said unsure of how to explain why it was so hard to track her.

"Maybe she's a teleporter. That would be a great addition to the team." I said out loud, but was ignored by everyone... Rude.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he just likes keeping us out in the cold." Lorna joked.

"Look. There." John said pointing to a broken police light that looked like it was cut with a laser.

"Well, that's interesting." Marcos said unsure how to react.

"Told ya." John said searching for possible routes this mutant could have taken.

"Hey, you all right? - Want me to warm you up?" Marcos asked Lorna as he made his hands light up.

"I'm okay. You can warm me up later, though." Lorna said.

"Oh, I'm gonna hold you to that." Marcos replied instantly.

"Do you guys really have to rub it in? I am gonna be single forever." I said bitterly.

"You know you love seeing us flirt." Marcos said teasingly as I made a gagging noise.

"She's there. Inside." John said interrupted my gagging session. John attempted to open the door, but it was bolted shut. He knocked his shoulder against it a couple times and it broke open. "Hey go." John said quietly ushering us inside. We all split up looking for the mutant in need. I went with Marcos who had his hands out lighting up the entire place. Lorna and John checked the other side of the building. We heard a woman panting and immediately, Marcos reassured her.

"It's okay. We're just gonna talk." Marcos said putting his palms down in a nonthreatening way.

"Oh." the girl said, but ended up throwing a coffee mug at Marcos. I almost bursted out laughing, but that would've been inappropriate. I would tease him about it later.

"Okay. Well, hey, hold up. Wait a minute! Okay. Whoa. Whoa. Calm down, all right? " Marcos said dodging multiple objects being thrown at him.

"You with the cops? I can't go back." She said desperately.

"We're not cops, okay? We heard you broke out of the mutant detention center and we came looking." Marcos explained.

"We want to help you. Take you someplace safe." I added sincerely.

"I don't understand. Who are you?"

"Just a couple of freaks, same as you. Look, I'm Marcos, this is Dylan. Now, trust me, we have all been where you are, or worse. We can help. Now come with us." Marcos calmly explained.

"We can get you some place safe" I started, but was cut off by John yelling.

"Guys! There's trouble." John said coming into where we were talking to the girl with green eyes and purple hair.

"Come on, get dressed. You're with us now." Marcos said handing her a shirt.

"What is it?" I asked John concerned.

"Cops. Coming fast this way. Kill the lights." John said and Lorna instantly shut off all the lights with her electromagnetic powers.

"How many?" Lorna asked.

"At least ten, from the west and south." John said.

"This is the Atlanta Police Department. We know the fugitive is in the building. Come out now, or we will open fire." We heard an officer say over the loudspeaker. Lorna and I went to the windows to draw their attention for John to find a way out.

"Suspects at the windows." Another officer said. Lorna used her powers to move one of the cop cars in an effort to slow them down. I put my arms out in front of me and willed the ground to shake and it shook like no other. The officers were disoriented for a moment, but quickly started shooting. 

"Open fire!" An officer shouted as bullets started flying everywhere. As it died down, I yelled, "Is everyone ok?" 

"I'm good." John yelled.

"Lorna!" Marcos yelled over the gunfire.

"I'm fine." She reassured her boyfriend.

"Find us a way out!" Marcos shouted to John. John was so lucky he was bullet proof in this moment.

"Lorna! Dylan! Get out of there! Go! Go!" Marcos yelled as Lorna and I moved to the door to escape.

"Come on! Over here!" John yelled gesturing for us to go with him. As we headed to the car I heard Marcos scream in pain. I went to go get Marcos to help him to the car.

"John, I need your help here." I said as I tried to hold Marcos up with my entire body, but I wasn't strong enough.

"I got him, you get to the car." He said gesturing to the car and I nodded.

"Marcos!" Lorna yelled incredibly worried. Lorna decided to go after the officer that shot Marcos.

"Lorna! Come back! Come, come back!" Marcos yelled trying to get out of John's grip to stop Lorna from hurting anyone, but it was too late more and more officers started appearing surrounding Lorna.

"Freeze!" One of them yelled.

"Lorna! Stop!" Marcos said still trying to get out of John's grasp, but couldn't.

I attempted to go help Lorna, but John grabbed my wrist giving me a look that said it was too late. In one final attempt to at least slow the officers down, I sent a harsh wind at them to knock them to their feet hoping that it would help Lorna a little, but there were still entirely too many officers for me to even make a dent.

"What are we gonna do?" I asked in the van on the way back to headquarters with my head in my hands.

"Once we regroup, we'll assess the situation and discuss plans to break Lorna out of prison." John said while looking at me through the rearview mirror. Marcos was passed out at this point which made it easier to head back home. It was still incredibly difficult because my family was captured. One thing is for certain. I will do anything in my power to get Lorna back home and safe.