HEROES Chapter 1

The doctor exited the room and uncomfortably squeezed past the two large men dressed in the standard issue dark grey coloured body armour of R.A.I.D. Enforcers. His eyes on the floor, he didn't make it two steps before being set upon by R.A.I.D. Supervisor Birkshire, causing the doctor to leap back as he raised his eyes to the obstacle that appeared before him.

"What is the condition of Mr. Trousseau, doctor?" Asked the R.A.I.D. supervisor.



A look of frustration befell the doctor's face, as this was about the tenth time that day he was ambushed by Birkshire with inquiries about his patient. "He still can't be moved, Mr. Birkshire." the doctor bluntly told him.

The supervisor had become accustomed to attitude he received from the doctors who were frustrated by the presence of R.A.I.D., as they felt they impeded their ability to best serve their patients. "Need I remind you, doctor, that I require progress reports, and that your patient is a felon and a dangerous meta-human." Birkshire countered.

The doctor tucked his hands into the pockets of his coat and reluctantly conceded to the will of the R.A.I.D. supervisor. "He's stable at the moment, but we may have to up his doses and possibly induce coma if we are unable to successfully treat his infection."

"He's conscious then?" Assumed Birkshire.

"No. It would just be a precaution. So you won't be interrogating him anytime soon." The doctor answered, delighting a little in the R.A.I.D. Supervisor's disappointment before he side stepped and continued on his way down the aisle of the burn unit.

Supervisor Birkshire spun around and watched the back of the departing doctor, his hands tucked deep into the pockets of his jacket. He had wished he could have told him just how serious the meta-human problem was becoming but keeping the public ignorant was protocol. His intense stare then fell on the guards as he held up his hand, making his I.D. wristband visible. A guard retrieved a small device from his belt, similar to a PDA but with much more capabilities. Holding it up before, the Supervisor's hand, the device emitted a blue light that scanned its entire surface and the wrist band. The monitor screen read, 'processing' for a few seconds, as it ran a DNA analysis and cross referenced the results with the identification provided by the wrist band. A rather serious looking photograph of Blake Birkshire appeared on the screen, and the words 'Clearance Approved', appeared beneath the information.

"Thank you, Agent Birkshire." Said the Enforcer, who actually personally knew the Supervisor, but R.A.I.D. was always on guard against infiltration from meta-humans and over the years they discovered mutations that enabled anything from a chameleon-like defense mechanism to the complete duplication of another organism.

R.A.I.D. stressed professional conduct at all times but the Supervisor still gave a nod and addressed the guard as, "Frank." before proceeding into the room.

The windowless room was a cool, clean white. On the far side of the room a counter top ran the length of the wall with various medical devices neatly arranged along its grey surface. In the center, was the prisoner, Robert Trousseau, a.k.a, Robert DiVinne, lay motionless in a hyperbaric chamber, an extensive area of his skin covered with saline soaked strips of gauze. A tall man in his thirties, fit, wearing a very fashionable suit stood beside a saturation monitor, reading over a chart.

"Blake!" The man greeted flashing a million dollar smile as he crossed the room to shake the Supervisor's hand, "It's been, what? Four years?" He asked furrowing his brow.



"Five." Corrected Agent Birkshire, a slight smile to his otherwise solemn expression. "How are you liking the detention centre?" He asked while he made his way over to the side of DiVinne.

Michael Eden had been waiting for his former partner to bring that up. Five years ago, he had requested a transfer to the R.A.I.D. research division on the grounds that he was no longer able to deal with the stress of field operations, but the real reason was that he couldn't deal with agent Berkshire. Now, his old partner would most likely be questioning his return to the field, probing to uncloak a truth he always suspected. A lot of water had passed under the bridge since then, and honestly, agent Eden, really didn't care if he discovered the truth or not, but for the duration of the time they would be working together he wanted to avoid as much confrontation as possible.

"It's good." Michael answered.

"You're part of the 'rat lab' now, is that right?" Probed Birkshire.

Agent Eden smiled to disguise of his irritation. "I am in meta-anthropological studies, my original area of expertise.", he corrected.

Birkshire nodded, and continued to stare at Robert DiVinne. He sanctioned the study of meta-humans for only one purpose and that was to determine their weaknesses, anything else was a waste a time. "What did you see under this glass, agent Eden?" He formally asked.

Michael glanced at the subject then briefly flipped through his chart before answering. "We don't have a lot of information on his mutation, but apparently he can manipulate plant life on a cellular level. It is really fascinating. I remember watching the news years ago, and seeing him—"

"I see a fugitive, agent Eden." Interjected Birkshire, "Nothing more, and the sooner he is in a cell, the better I'll rest at night. Now how soon can you move him."

By Birkshire's tone, it was evident to Eden that he had already made up his mind about what occurred five years ago, but their friendship dwindled quickly after he left, despite his efforts to keep in touch.

"The doctors said—"

Eden was cut off again by the supervising agent. "I know what they say. There has been a new development."

Birkshire then disclosed that he had just been granted complete control over Mr. DiVinne, and this piqued Eden's interest settling him into complacent state of general interest. "I received word a few hours ago that there will be attempt to free this prisoner." Birkshire continued, "This has come from the top, and they're rarely wrong. Now, I want to know how soon you can move the prisoner to the Eastern Detention Centre."

This was almost too good to be true. When Birkshire had called him in to deal with Mr. DiVinne, Eden had thought the best he could attain would be some blood samples, but this was far than he could have hoped for. At the detention centre DiVinne's mutant ability could be researched properly, and now learning that R.A.I.D. had been granted exclusive rights to him, he could supersede basic humanitarian codes; the possibilities would be endless!

Eden took a look at how the hyperbaric chamber was set up and made a quick assessment. "The entire unit can be transferred but the problem lies with the infection his body is fighting off. It commonly occurs in patients who have suffered burns over a large part of their body, but I am confident that my team can keep him stable." He paused then as, Birkshire thrust him a glare that screamed 'let's get on with it', and so he just blurted out what he wanted to know, "Tomorrow. We can move him, tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

The supervising agent was pleased with that schedule. "Good. Now if you will excuse me, I have some security issues to see to. Thank you, agent Eden." Birkshire was just about out the room as he finished his sentence and he never bothered with a farewell, he had no time for niceties at this point in time, not when he had to make sure that everything was set to ensure that his prisoner made it to the detention centre.

Exiting the double doors of the Burn Unit, agent Birkshire hung a right and proceeded past both nursing stations and crossed into a corridor to his right. He walked to the end of the hallway, past the patient-doctor conference room and opened the last door at the end of the hall. Inside the spare room, had been converted into a monitoring station for the Intensive Care Ward. Three enforcers sat before their terminals, their eyes trained on two screens each, which were divided into several video windows revealing every possible angle of the ward and surrounding aisles.

Birkshire walked over to the far corner of the room, where a fourth enforcer, sat a desk with a couple monitors before him, and stacks of folders and disks. "Is everything set, captain?" He asked.

The captain promptly stood when he noticed the supervising agent walk in. "Yes sir." He responded, "He have cameras with thermal capabilities installed around the perimeter, plus all elevators and stairwells on the main floor are being monitored. The roof is rigged with lasers that will engage plasma bursts or tranquilizer rounds, we've advised all hospital staff to avoid it. Enforcers have been placed at all possible exits and elevators on the main floor. The second and fourth floors are currently being patrolled and we have camera's set at all exits, and as per your request we have disguised several enforcers at nurses, technicians or doctors to countermand any infiltration."

The supervising agent nodded approvingly. "What about the automated surveillance units?"

The captain, reached into a box beside him and procured a small disc-shaped robot with a helicopter-like propeller in its center. On its belly was a silver sphere housing motion sensors and optics with thermal and infrared capabilities. "Just arrived today." He told Birkshire as he showed one of the hovering cameras to the Supervisor. "As you requested, they are currently patrolling the second, third and fourth floor. If you want to speak through the robot, just talk into this microphone."

"Very good." Commented Birkshire.

The supervising agent made himself comfortable in office lounger, content with the safety measures. He had witnessed with his own eyes the security of the intensive care ward, each exit with four guards as per his request, plus back up in the burn unit. All of his men were armed with plasma rifles and tranquilizer guns along with their standard fire arms, but out of consideration to patients, staff and visitors the enforcers and agents had been instructed to use the tranquilizers and electrical bursts first.

Birkshire's eyes looked up at the clock on the wall, which read 4:10pm, then he settled in and closed his eyes, stealing a few winks to prepare himself for the long night ahead. If anyone was coming after DiVinne, they would have to strike tonight or tomorrow, after that they would be able to transport him to a place that no meta-human would dare go, that is if they could find it.

Tim and Yelena stood just inside the doorway of the kitchen and grinned as Shawn threw Cassius on his ass, in an impressive Nija move. "Nevur under estimate yur opponet thar pardnar. ... Faye ya tell yur friend thar good move I'm right impressed, he'll fit right in with us." Tim then walked over and examined the communication devices and the maps.

Yelena furrowed her brows as she witnessed what took place. She was impressed with Shawn’s moves, yes, but there seemed to be something just below the surface that made her a little wary of him. He reminded the shape shifter of a rebellious teenager. There was a great deal of potential in him, yes, but would he use it for the good of humanity or would he use it for what ever purpose suited his needs, regardless of the consequences?

Looking over at Faye, Yelena gave her a small smile then she sought Zoe. Finding the red haired young woman, she cleared her throat softly.

“Zoe? Has any more news of Robert come through? I fear the longer we leave him in authorities custody, the less chance we have of bringing him home.”

Glancing around again, she furrowed her brows once more.,

“Did packages arrive yet?”

Zoe's eyes were also narrowed in Shawn's direction even after Cassius got up and disappeared through the back door. Saying nothing about it, however, she turned instead of Yelena and said in her monotone voice, "I intercepted a phone call for an armored transport. They are going to try to move him. Chances are we will have to try to get to them while they are transporting him and before they make it to the prison." She paused as the sound of a motorcycle's hum broke through the quiet kitchen and turned to see Cassius speeding off on a black Kawasaki Ninja through the tall grass that obscured the little cottage. Zoe then nodded towards him and said, "the packages are in. Dominic just went to pick them up."

Slipping past Yelena, the quiet young woman headed for the secret entrance in the wall and disappeared for a moment before she poked her head out again and said, "I am going to keep tabs on them until it's time. There's going to be a lot of activity around there and I wanna be in on it." She then vanished again behind the wall, the sound of the trap door thudding shut in her wake.

“What does this file tell us?” Special Agent Henkel asked himself. “Why does a known, dangerous and fugitive meta human keep a file about his dead girlfriend with him even though she’s been dead for almost half a century?”

“The questions do keep piling up, don’t they?” He said trying to imitate Jameson, making the mouth movements with his left hand.

“I wish you were more useful than a toilet brush in a nuclear war, Rick. But yes, they do.” Despite being preposterous Henkel found it to be calming to pretend talking, and most importantly, making fun of his colleague. He’d do it in person, but he had run off, as was typical. Luckily he had retreated in a room filled with patients who were all trapped in a deep coma, since all the proper offices had been secured for RAID. Damned egotistical bastards with tiny testicles.

“Well, at least the file is something of a clue, there are several references from which we can conclude it is part of a series of files on an unknown subject. All of the clues we can trace at least slightly lead to programs or projects for which we do not have and will never get clearance to learn anything from while others don’t even give us the slightest inkling of what it might be all about.”

“That is true, Jameson. We are also pretty sure Perovanini didn’t have access to this kind of material and given the projects with which it is being linked this file has been produced somewhere in the last decade. Part of the file however consists of very old records, like Nora Velderman’s death certificate and an autopsy report, which was not very enlightening. Hell, they even looked up her last resting place, and -I’m not kidding- they dug her up.”

“That’s sick, Simon.” Pretend Rick said.

“Sure is, my worthless partner. While you’ve been talking up the nurses I also found that the people who made this file made some very unusual notes concerning the woman’s death.”

“Maybe you should show it to one of the doctors around here to see what they think of it.”

“That’s a great idea, Jameson. If only I had thought of that already. Wait. I did! While you were busy wanking I had a doctor take a look. Of course the man happened to be an oncologist so he had little input on the matter, but he pointed me in the direction of a good virologist but he didn’t know what to make of it either. Any more bright ideas?”

“Any more bright ideas about what?” Jameson asked as he entered the room. Henkel quickly tried to naturally let his hand shift out of handpuppet mode and act casually as he realized he almost got caught. “Getting a cup of coffee was your idea.”



“I’m aware, Rick. But sometimes getting up and taking a walk gets the brain going down corridors that otherwise remain closed… I figured it didn’t hurt to ask if you got any insights while you were out.” Simon lied as best he could, “I was hopeful, since you were gone for a very long time.” He deflected to boot.

“Oh, yeah, I walked into an old buddy of mine. We both applied for RAID and were in the same batch during selection. As it turns out he ended up as a RAID goon while I became a Special Agent, so I guess he got the short straw in that one eh?” Rick laughed.

“I figured you’d prefer being a RAID goon over being an FBI one…” Henkel said as he took a steaming cup of coffee out of Jameson’s hands.

“Hey! I’m not a goon. I investigate stuff.” Rick defended himself.

“I’m pretty sure I’m the one who does all the thinking and you’re the one chasing people and shooting at things. In my book that makes you a goon.” Henkel poked his partner.

“That so? Well, I’ll prove you wrong. I did certainly do some thinking. Just now, even.”

“Surprise me.”

“As I said, I walked into this old buddy of mine, and so naturally I tried to use that as an in to get some information about RAIDs plans. See? I got all investigationary, there.”

“Bravo.” Henkel said unimpressed as he sipped his coffee.

“Yeah, well shut up, there’s more. He told me there’s going to be a rescue attempt for Di Vine and despite all the security they set up, they’re going to move him hopefully before his friends get a chance to come over here to grab him.”

“What? Why? They can’t do that, he’s not stable!” Henkel jumped up from his chair.

“Yeah, I know, but they’ve got all the paperwork to transfer him anyway.”

“The bastards!”

“Do you mind?” Rick tried to continue his little story, “So, instead of waiting for this miracle cure of theirs they’re taking Di Vine to the cure before they are at a risk of having him freed. And they intend to do move him tomorrow, and get him settled into his new, and very permanent home, before the end of the day.”

“That leaves us with even less time than we already had.” Henkel concluded.

“On the bright side, we can be pretty confident that this means the meta humans we are trying to nail are in fact coming out here.”

Simon blinked for a moment. That fact had not quite occurred to him before his colleague pointed it out. Turns out he’s good for more than chasing down very fast running fugitives. This came in handy because Henkel always got stabbing pains in his side if he had to run for very long, but now his partner had an added use. Of course, he didn’t want Rick to know and get all smug about it, so Simon had to quickly throw out a good idea to overshadow Rick’s discovery.

“In which case we’ll be waiting for them.” Henkel quickly decided.

“Well, yeah, that was the general idea.” Rick said.

“It may be kind of obvious, but… uh…” Now he had to come up with the kicker, “We make sure everything seems like their precious Robert is still right here, even after RAID has taken him off. And instead of finding their friend in that hyperbaric chamber, they’ll find a trap has been sprung right in their very faces!”

“I don’t see the need for all that… We just jump them as soon as they enter the hospital.”

“That isn’t going to work, they won’t make it that easy. You should probably give your brain a rest before you overexert yourself. No, everything needs to be just perfect or they’ll figure something is up.”

“They are a crafty bunch…” Jameson had to admit.

“Alright, let me make the necessary arrangements… I guess that means I’ve got to talk to the man in charge of RAID around here.”

“Bloody Blake Birkshite.” The two of the Special Agents said in tandem. They laughed for a moment but then when Simon finished his coffee he dumped the empty cup in his partner’s hands and said; “Whish me luck.”

“Good luck, Agent Henkel.” Birkshire said as he shook Simon’s hand in the doorway leading out of his office.

“We’ll get them, don’t worry, and I appreciate the help you’re willing to give us.” Henkel said and smiled at the large black man, let his hand go and stepped into the hallway where Rick was already waiting.

“And when you do.” Birkshire said after Henkel had already turned around, “We’ll be glad to lock them up right next to their buddy; Di Vine.”

“I’m sure you are…” Henkel muttered to himself as he walked past his partner and headed back towards the room with the coma patients before discussing the matter of their trap.

“So!? He’s going to have his men stay in the hospital to help us catch the fugitives, huh?” Jameson inquired hopefully. However Henkel remained silent until they had made it back into their “office”.

He sighed heavily before he was forced to share the cold hard facts with his partner.
“Basically Birkshire isn’t doing squat to help us.”

“Why? What’s he got to lose? He’s going to end up with half a dozen more inmates if he helps us.” Rick couldn’t understand why that wasn’t reason enough to help them.

“He sees it as a chance to lose one inmate, instead of gaining more. I bet it would cost him his head if he lost Di Vine after gambling with the likes of us for capturing Perovanini’s accomplices. But, he was willing to help synchronize both of our objectives, and the few RAID agents that were going to be left behind to remove all the added security anyway, will also be on call in case we need them. Still the fact remains we’ll be relying on New York’s own to take these perps down.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“Yes. No. Maybe.” Henkel said and shrugged, “I’m not fond of working with these smug RAID bastards, they’ve got the easy job of holding them trapped in a tiny room, while the local enforcers are the ones chasing them across the city. Point is, after RAID set up the locals went home, except for a few. We’d have to call them back in, get them set up, the whole kit and caboodle. There’s precious little time and no margin for error.”

“Alright, alright. But we can do all that, Simon. So what’s the plan?”

“Initially RAID was simply going to clear out the corridors and escort the prisoner under heavy guard towards the armored transport awaiting at the receiving dock. Obviously if they do that there’s no possible way of convincing anyone Di Vine is still right here with us. So instead of that we orchestrate a ruse and fake a medical emergency, let’s say Perovanini starts to suffer from a sudden internal bleeding at around half past twelve and needs to get that hole plugged in an operating theatre or he’ll die?

We’ll make it look like it’s the real deal of course, allowing for discrepancies in RAID security and all that. Act like there is actual concern and chaos. There’s no way the fugitives will risk a rescue as long as they believe their friend requires surgery or will die. We’ll roll him into the elevator that leads almost directly towards surgery where we’ll have an operating theatre full of agents disguised as doctors ready to receive him, just in case.

Obviously Perovanini is not about to get any kind of surgery and there’s a decoy Di Vine already present inside the theatre that will be used. We already have claimed some poor guy who gave his body to science to fall in for our plant loving criminal. Just to keep it real the doctors will open him up and muck about for about 15 to 20 minutes, after which the decoy will be rolled into recovery.

In the meantime the real Di Vine has been rolled out through the other entrance into the operating room and is sent directly towards an ambulance that is standing by to pick him up. It will drive away and after a corner or two it’ll be out of sight and that’s where RAIDs convoy will secure the ambulance.”

“What about the armored transport?” Rick wondered.

“It will remain at the receiving dock. By the time the fugitives arrive at the hospital they are sure to notice the armored transport and will want to keep an eye on it. RAID is willing to sacrifice the little bit of extra protection of the transport for the smoke screen we’ll be creating for them.

Back inside we can expect that the fugitives will feel most confident in their success as long as Di Vine is in recovery where we will make sure are plenty of troops to stand watch at the doors where you’d expect them, but they know the recovery room simply won’t have the kind of the kind of security equipment as room 305. Despite appearances we’ll have most of our men disguised as personnel or guests while others are out in the open and yet others are in hiding to jump into action as soon as we know they have taken the bait. We’ll be prepared to lock down the entire hospital at that time and to top it all off we’ll rig decoy Di Vine with a little surprise for those who dare venture into the recovery room.”

“What if they don’t show up?”

“Birkshire has requested we keep up the farce for three hours to give him more than enough time to take the real Di Vine out of reach. But they’ll come. They know they have to, or they get to kiss Robert’s wrinkly ass goodbye. You can say what you want about these meta’s but they do have a code amongst themselves. They’ll be here. And we’ll be ready.”

“Alright!” Rick said all pumped, “Let’s make some calls and get this underway.”

“Don’t bother, I made the calls while meeting with Birkshire, all has been arranged and the first people will arrive in…” Henkel took a look at his watch, “Give or take 20 minutes. Better make use of this down time, we won’t get much as soon as the Riggs Act enforcers get here.”

Though she couldn’t say she approved of roughhousing indoors, Siege was actually glad to see Shawn throw Cassius over the couch. Zoe’s words about the young meta being her responsibility had lingered with her, and she wasn’t the least bit certain Shawn would be more of an asset than a liability…until now.

At least he seems capable, when it comes down to it, she reflected as she frowned at the astonished Cassius. And more aware than one would expect.

After Siege apologized to Shawn on Cassius’s behalf on the translator, ‘Sorry about Cassius. Cowboy is impressed, tho…’ they continued to work on the sign language until Cassius returned with their disguises and other supplies. Then it was time for a much-needed lunch break. By that point, Siege had committed the alphabet up through P, more or less to mind. Anything after L she was still having trouble with, though.

She concocted a salad from the groceries Cassius had faithfully returned with and poached a few eggs to have on toast. While the heroes ate, they went over their plan again as the finer details took shape.

“If they’re planning on transporting him, I imagine we’ll want to be on the ground even earlier than planned,” Siege commented and frowned, imagining continuing her education in tactile sign in the back seat of an automobile. When the others glanced at her, perhaps for elaboration, she went on, “We’ll have to send in a scout, won’t we?” She couldn’t help but glance at Chameleon. “And furthermore, what does it tell us, that they’re planning this transport so quickly after the accident? They must suspect a rescue attempt.”

When Zoe came in from the secret door, Siege watched her, anxious to hear if she had any updates for them. Her stomach was even agitated and she didn’t feel like eating the lunch she’d made.

Jeb was uncharacteristically both nervous and excited as he prepared for his interview. This interview with Our Lady of Mercy hospital had almost literally fallen in his lap after being in town only three days. He had moved from Toronto to New York without any specific employment lined up, but he'd stashed away enough in his savings that he knew he could survive for six months, maybe seven, which would have been plenty of time to find gainful employment in his new town.

Our Lady of Mercy was one of the foremost hospitals for kinesiology in the North American continent, and just having the opportunity to interview was a thrill beyond belief for the young Canuck. Jeb was confident enough for three people in just about everything, so this sensation of excitement and nervousness was a bit unsettling for him this morning. He chalked it up to too many changes in too few days, but still had a sense that something extraordinary was ahead of him.

"Damn these ties!" Jeb cursed silently. He'd never been good at tying them, and was even more uncomfortable when he had to dress up. His idea of dressing up consisted of the jeans without the worn areas and holes and a sweater over a button down shirt. But this was New York City, and one did have to fit in, he surmised. He finally got something between a full Windsor and a half Windsor to stay tied, and it didn't look half bad, so he decided to leave well enough alone.

Picking up his suit coat and swinging it on as he strode towards the door, Jeb quickly reviewed the directions to the hospital in his mind. A twenty minute subway ride, which would deposit him one block from the hospital, then probably 10 to 15 minutes of waiting until the interviewer was ready for him. Jeb knew he had plenty of time to make a good impression. He exited his apartment, securing the door behind him, and headed down the hall towards the stairs. His apartment was on the third floor and the jaunt down the stairs would be good to get some adrenalin flowing, since he hadn't taken the time to do his normal morning work out routine.

Jeb reached the bottom of the stairs to see a man in what appeared to be a military uniform put down the paper he was reading, stand up, and head straight towards the newcomer to the city. The directness of the man's movements raised the hairs on the back of Jeb's neck. Not knowing anyone in the Big Apple, Jeb slowed his pace, tensing ever so slightly and preparing for whatever might happen.

"Good morning Mr. Corvus," the uniformed man began. His uniform announced that he was a U.S. Marine, and the birds on his shoulders revealed he was a colonel. But there was something not quite right about his accent, which indicated to Jeb that the man could be impersonating an officer. "I don't mean to startle you on this beautiful New York morning, but I have matters of the utmost importance to discuss with you. I apologize for the abruptness of this meeting as you are so new to the city, but the consequences far outweigh any social faux pas that meeting like this might incur. I would like to offer you a ride to your interview so that we may talk while we ride."

Jeb gave no indication that he was surprised that this man knew of his interview. He knew that if necessary he could use his powers to escape practically any situation, and if needed he could deliver some serious damage prior to making an escape.

"Well, you will save me subway fare, I guess," Jeb offered with a sly smile. He looked out the building's glass front doors to see the limousine waiting. "And my first ride in New York will be in a limo, not a bad way to start."

The uniformed man smiled back, appreciating Jeb's attempts to diffuse the situation with humor. "Thank you, you will not regret coming along. I think my offer might intrigue you at best." The two men exited the building and walked towards the limo. As the uniformed man opened the door for Jeb, he said, "Please, call me Surge."

Yelena took the news of transporting Robert as both a pleasant surprise and a cause for concern. Especially after what she heard Faye say about a possible trap for the would be rescuers. The young woman was more contentious than she’d first realized. And what she said, made perfect sense.

As Faye’s eyes turned upon Yelena, the Russian woman felt suddenly singled out and why, she didn’t know. It wasn’t like her abilities were a secret. Especially to the intimate group around her. In fact, she’d prided herself on her abilities to get into places the others normally couldn’t. But there was something about the way this whole situation was coming together that made the small hairs on the back of her neck raise in warning and give her cause for hesitation.
“If authorities are moving Robert, could be only opportunity we have to rescue him. I will take what ever form necessary but I will not be able to do so until we get there and see what we are up against.”

Already in her mind, Yelena knew she would have to be in some sort of medical professional disguise and from there, who knew. A black suit? A SWAT member? Something entirely different? What ever it was, she knew she’d be ready for it and then some when the time came. Just as long as she didn’t need to remain in disguise any longer than two hours. That’s when things would do very sour.

As her eyes scanned the room, she saw a mixture of determination and anxiousness looking back to her. With the help of the uniform disguises Zoe had secured for them, it would all come down to who got the surprise on who to begin with.

About an hour later, the door in the wall slid open and Cassius drifted into the room, followed closely by Zoe, each of them holding a box.

"Whassup, dudes! I come bearing contraband or some shit..." He grinned, biting down on an unlit cigarette as he and Zoe set the boxes onto the table, his leather motorcycle jacket groaning as he moved. Flicking open a pocket knife, Cassius ran it across the sealed top of the boxes excitedly. "I've been like, totally curious what's in our little costume party." Tossing the knife to O who nimbly caught it and opened her own box, Cassius dug into it and pulled out several white coats and a few shrink-wrapped and folded sets of scrubs. Sinking his arms a little deeper into the box Cassius rummaged around for another few seconds before he grinned even wider and pulled his hands out again, a few Styrofoam peanuts clinging to his hands. "Dude!" he exclaimed, unfolding a paper gown, "someone gets to walk around with their ass hanging out!" Setting these down, Cassius chuckled to himself and brushed the peanuts off of his hands before he reached into his pocket and lit the cigarette that was still dangling in his mouth while Zoe unloaded her box, which was full of more scrubs and a security guard uniforms.


"This looks like we've got our bases covered," said O finally as she piled them over the table and looked around at them all, though she settled on Yelena, "there should be enough here to send others along with you. I'm thinking the rest of us could blend in fairly easily as part of the medical transport, with the exception of maybe him," she went on, thumbing over her shoulder in Shawn's direction who was still sitting on the couch with his book and seemingly unaware of the packages' arrival.

"I wanna be a cop," Cassius broke in through a puff of smoke and grinning, "impersonating officers is fun." He chuckled again then glanced back at the others. "You didn't hear that." Ignoring him, Zoe looked around at everyone, her expression stony.

"So?" she said expectantly, "what do you want to do?"

Yelena looked at the different medical attire that had been acquired and the security guard uniforms as well. It looked as thought everything was set out there for them and all they had to do was dress and play the part and they could get to Robert. Hopefully.

But Yelena knew the best laid plans of mice and men were ever that easy. Exactly who was the mice and who were the men always seemed to rotate. Sometimes on an hourly basis. Still, as she let her fingers graze over the clothing, she bit her lip. If Zoe’s interception was right, they had little time to plan anything too elaborate and would have to merely figure it out as they went along once they got there. Looking over at Tim, she quirked her brows.

“Are you ready to play cop, Tim? Or at least, security guard?”

Looking around at the others, she let her gaze settle on them all for a moment.

“What ever we do, we must do quickly. Knowing authorities, they will try to move Robert as quickly as they can, regardless of his condition. We need to at least be in hospital to see what we are up against. If there is anything special we need to be prepared for.”

Glancing over at Cassius, she grinned slightly.

“Instead of cop, would you like to be patient, wrapped up like mummy? Only way we get to burn unit is to have burn patient. With Takashi’s help, you even smell like burn victim.”

Glancing over at Takashi, she smiled.

“No offense, Takashi. Your abilities will be asset to us on mission. You will be there to help us, not impair us.”

She looked over at Zoe then.

“You stay here and monitor situation or come with us in mobile command center?”

As she spoke, she pulled out a set of scrubs that were her size as well as a white coat to make sure she would have at least this costume she wouldn’t need to generate with her mind. The only thing she would need to do is make sure she changed her looks.

"Well I reckon that ain't gonna be too hard fur me ta do. Ya think Yelena?" Tim said with a grin as he picked up the security gaurd uniform. "Ya think me and "Smokey" here ought ta take the assault vehicle and hide it somewheres close, which ain't gonna be easy, just incase? Ya kin ride yur bike."

An entire section of the 'meta-anthro' research facility had been prepared to accommodate the experiments that surround the newest guest of the Eastern R.A.I.D. Meta-Detention Centre, or the ERMDC as it had come to be known. Doctor Michael Eden was just finishing up some last minute adjustments on one of the many devices that had been set up in the glass walled chamber when a distinguished looking man entered through the open door way. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back and inspected the array of machines in the modern day Frankenstein's laboratory, studying them as one might view artwork in a gallery, awaiting for the doctor to take notice of him.

Agent Eden had noticed the man with meticulously styled hair and perfectly knotted tie before he entered the secure lab, but let him wait while he finished his calibrations. "Warden Tomes," he acknowledged while just entering a final sequence of algorithms, " what can I do for you?"

A slight smile crooked the corners of the warden's mouth at the question he had been eagerly awaiting. It was not often that he took pleasure in being vindictive, but he disliked how the good doctor always made him feel like a visitor to the research section of his prison.

"Birkshire has relinquished control of your prize lab rat to the F.B.I." The warden told him.

It was all to clear to Eden then why the warden had delivered the message in person. He straightened up and took a few steps toward Tomes. "When?"

"A few hours ago." Answered the warden while he examined a slight imperfection in one of his manicured nails, which as he had hoped, angered the doctor even more.

"God damn Birkshire! Trust him to pass the buck! Did he give any reasons for this decision?"

Warden Tomes just shook his head and proceeded to leave, but he couldn't resist to twist the knife just once. "You needn't worry, I am sure the Bureau will see that he arrives here safe and sound for your experiments."

Eden stood with his hands on his hips, seething while he watched the warden slowly stroll past the several other labs where meta-humans were being experimented on or in one case, dissected. He couldn't believe that Birkshire would pass Perovanini off to the Feds like that, he had to have a damn good reason to pull a stunt like that. As soon as the warden was well out of ear shot, Eden pulled out his phone and called Supervising Agent Birkshire to find out what the hell was going on.

--------------------------------------------------------



Toril shut off the TV. If someone had asked him to describe what he had just watched he honestly would not be able to recall a single detail, his mind had been focused the entire time on the mission. He checked the time to verify what his stomach was already telling him, it was nearing supper time and so he jumped through the shower and put on the clothes he purchased that afternoon. Toril probably could have gotten by with some of his own garments but he wanted to be sure he looked the part of a visiting doctor. He wore a stylish pair of kaki's, a sapphire blue dress shirt with the top button left undone, and wore his own grey sports jacket as he was unable to find an over-size man's shop that sold them.

As he slipped his fake I.D. card with the name Paul Carson into his pocket, Toril noticed that there was an email message waiting for him. The sender was simply 'B', and the email address was also a capitol 'B', and it read, ' target - Di Vine, a.k.a. Roberto Perovanini, scheduled to be moved. F.B.I. control, R.A.I.D. disband. Secondary operative to be activated...'

Toril wrote down the information, and not a second after he finished the email message deleted itself. If he didn't feel like it before, he certainly felt like he was walking into the belly of the dragon now. He considered backing out, but if Beacon was activating another meta-human then he couldn't just leave them without any backup. Toril read back the information, and wondered what the time was that they listed after the mention of the secondary operative, it obviously marked the arrival of his partner but where? He had no time, to figure it out at the present moment since he had to make his way to the hospital by public transport since his rental car was registered under the name of Roy Deckard and he couldn't leave it behind if he had to leave in a hurry.

While sitting on the train, Toril kept on wondering why RAID would hand over control of a meta-human to the FBI, it just didn't make sense. It was pretty obvious that a trap may be set, but it could be anything, but he considered that without the involvement of RAID, the FBI would be less inclined to detect meta-humans, at least he had that in his favour.

The main lobby of the hospital was a large open area, exposed to the floors above it. Toril, approached the information and asked the lady behind the counter where he could find 'genetics'. The woman told him it was on the fourth floor, then inquired out of curiousity what his business was because security had been recently increased.

"I specialize in genomics, here to learn how things are done on the east coast." Toril explained, then when he mentioned he was from Seattle the woman gave him a nod with a 'it figures' expression. She handed him a print out of a map so that he could find his way then told him to, "Make sure you have your I.D. exposed at all times.", then reading the badge Toril clipped it to his jacket pocket she said, "Have a nice day, Doctor Carson."

Toril followed the map and took the elevators marked with a 'G' to the fourth floor. He was actually quite comfortable with is false identity, it was very often that he was able to portray someone in his field. All he had to do was just remember his name and he could pretty much just act naturally.

Genetics was at the south end of the fourth floor and there was only one person in the lab when he arrived. Toril planned to introduce Paul Carson then do a little investigating when the opportunity arose.

Siege ticked off items on her fingers as she spoke. “Let’s see. We’re already going to have the ambulance. Someone must drive it up while the rescue team is inside—after Yelena and whoever else has done the preliminary scouting. We’ll also quite possibly have the mobile command center. How many vehicles do you think we should take? We’ll have to orchestrate our approach carefully.”

She finished the last mouthful of her salad and pushed the plate away. “I’ll have to stay with Shawn, obviously, and Takashi won’t be able to go in on the scouting mission, also for obvious reasons—no offense—but I don’t think Yelena should go in alone. Who would be the least conspicuous to join her?” She scanned the faces of the assembled heroes. “Lyrix, you are simply too well-known. As are you, Cowboy. They’ll have your faces all over their databases. Perhaps Void or Challenge should go with her. Or else, Shawn and I, with Shawn disguised as a patient. His infrared vision might be useful for spying, and he is an unknown. Also, I am not very well known, especially not here in the states. However, our communication is bound to be awkward, so we aren’t necessarily the ideal candidates.”

She arose and began clearing dishes off the table, waiting to hear what the group would decide. She wasn’t used to taking a leadership roll—she did her best work when flying along behind the trail-blazers by the seat of her pants—so she hoped they would reach a decision soon. Really, she reflected as she turned the hot tap on and squirted a few suds into the sink, this group needed someone to take charge of things and keep them moving forward. Yelena might be a good candidate, since she had a level head and seemed like she was willing to make decisions. In any case, it was a position Siege would do anything to avoid.

Another thing was clear to her as she glanced up at the gilded afternoon light spilling through the kitchen window. They didn’t have a lot of time to talk about it. With news of Robert’s being moved, they had to get on the ground and take stock of things. Chances were, they would still be discussing their options on the three-hour drive to New York.

She approached Shawn where he rested on the sofa. Though he didn’t stop perusing his brail book when she neared him, a subtle change in his posture told her that he was aware of her presence. She touched his hand and spelled, ‘H,I,’ as practice, then typed into his translator. ‘Get ready to go. Di Vine being moved, so we must get on-site now.’

Reading the text that Siege had typed to him, Shawn immediately shut his book and straightened himself on the couch. Even as he moved, his expression showing awareness and gravity, his eyes did not move from straight ahead and just slightly upward, continuing to stare into nothingness away from Siege. As he shut the book and raised his hands to help himself speak, the title sat exposed on Shawn's lap, printed in bold above the familiar raised bumps. Il Principe by Niccolo Machiavelli.

"You were gone a while," said Shawn, "if he's moving, then there's a new plan?"


Zoe paused, leaning on the table and thoughtfully lighting a cigarette.

"You shouldn't need more than two scouts," she said conclusively, "if you're careful and we have others hiding out as backup. I can also get into their computers and cause a diversion if need be, though I'd like to avoid that as it will immediately expose at least our presence and put them on even higher alert." Blowing a stream of gray-blue smoke from between his thin lips, Zoe straightened and looked around at the others gathered around her. "I don't know what you guys all do," she said, nodding particularly to Void, Lyrix, and Challenge, "but other than Siege and that deaf-blind kid with the infrared vision, our other best bet may be you, Dominic." She nodded towards Cassius who grinned through a screen of smoke that rushed out from his nose and mouth before dissipating into the air. "He's not a meta," Zoe clarified to the others as Cassius crumpled the cigarette into an ashtray on the table and leaned back against the wall. "If they have some way of detecting metas, then we'll still have at least one safe scout and Dominic can just keep up his act and pretend he didn't know Yelena was a meta. We can then deal with that if it happens... Don't worry," she added, addressing with a hard-eyed glance those whose faces fell with wide-eyed concern , "we've done things like this before. It's not as bad as it sounds."

There was a pause in which Zoe eyed them all expectantly, her hard expression blurred by the constant streams of smoke that brushed over her face. She then spoke again after a long drag off of the cigarette.

"We need to act now. It's a long ride to New York. I'd suggest you all pile into one or two vehicles if you can. Dominic, you can go separately on the bike in case something needs to change. The more unknown vehicles start gathering around that place, the more suspicious they're going to get. Get the basic plan together now," her voice became sharp, her stony expression matching the edge in her tone, "you can always pick apart the details on the way, either way," she tapped her ear, "I'll be listening in."

Yelena watched Faye closely. The young woman wasn’t used to taking charge of situations that involved more than herself. That much was obvious, but Yelena wondered if Faye realized the potential she had within her to do so. One thing was for certain, the Russian would discuss it with Faye as they made the trip back to New York to hopefully rescue Robert. Looking over at Tim and the others, she took a deep breath and finally laid out plans she hoped they liked.

“Let’s get disguises loaded up and ready to go. Zoe is right, less vehicles the better. We change into them when we reach close to hospital Robert is located. I go in using doctor disguise with Cassius pretending to be patient. Is only way to get to burn unit.”

Looking over at Void, Challenge and Lyrix, Yelena smiled slightly.

“When we get ready to bring Robert out, we will need distraction to take attention away from area we are bringing Robert out of. Think you three can give us what we need?”

Looking over at Tim and Takashi, Yelena smiled again.

“Tim…I think assault vehicle would be good idea, but keep it well hidden. Make sure you keep face obscured from cameras and like. If they see your face and cover is blown, we lose. With your eyes on the inside, you can feed info to Zoe so she can ell us what we need to do through ear bud communication devices. Takashi….while I know you not like to use powers, is important for you to use them and create smoke screen for us when time comes. We make sure you not overdo it and possibly hurt someone.”

Takashi looked around nervously at the others.

“Are you sure that’s such a good idea? What if I screw things up and end up killing someone…like I have already?”

Yelena gave the young man a warm smile.

”Is why Faye and Shawn will be waiting for signal if something happens.”

Looking over at Faye and Shawn, Yelena nodded.

“Faye….you and Shawn will be scouts on perimeter of hospital. Your force field may come in handy if operatives for government get wind of us and try to stop us or if Takashi cannot stop self. Shawn’s infrared sight will be huge asset in dark not to mention fact he can defend self rather well.”

With another look around at the group, she nodded again.

"Ready?"

Tim , nodded and looked to Takashi "Saddle up 'Smokey' yur riddin with me in the assault vehicle ." he said as he started towards the back door, pulling his hair back into a pony tail and out to the barn where the vehicles were stored. "Yur gonna do jus' fine, thar boy. I've worked undercover fur years."
Tim thought he could boost the young man's confidence on the ride back to New York City, with a little man to man talk and giving him a familiarity ride in the assault vehicle.

Siege grabbed a box of costumes to load into the back of the ambulance, and took a moment to translate to Shawn that they would be scouting the outside perimeter of the hospital while Yelena and Cassius found out when and where Di Vine would be transported. ‘Will have to finish tactile sign lesson in back of ambulance,’ she added.

They piled into the ambulance and Lyrix’s more inconspicuous car, with Cowboy and Takashi ready and waiting in the assault vehicle. Soon enough, they were spaced along the breezy motorway, headed south. Sitting in the back of the ambulance, bounding long with a gurney and the swinging cables of a defibrillator, Siege suddenly thought of Antimatter Woman and how much riding into battle without her felt like jumping into a well: dangerous, dark and stupid, and possibly resulting in death. She licked her dry lips and focused on repeating the signs Shaw showed her back to the palms of his hands.

It was a long ride, but the clustered, glittering buildings of the Big Apple seemed to appear far too soon. She wasn’t sure she had a good grasp of the letters after ‘S,’ but it was hard to worry about with thoughts of the swift-approaching mission taking over her mind. She updated Shawn, ‘passed the last toll, and officially are in NY,’ she typed. ‘You can be patient going through rehabilitation on hospital grounds, and I will be your nurse. Should be inconspicuous that way. We keep eye out for trouble and wait as backup. I am hooked up to O through hidden earpiece for instructions. If all goes well, we don’t do a thing.’

She hesitated, looking at the sightless face of the boy, the too-young boy who read Machiavelli—which made her shake her head, but the choice in literature was all the more evidence of his cynical teenaged world. ‘You don’t have to come,’ she typed to him. The label-maker tape ran out and she began to fuss with it. Shawn took over, inserting a new roll of the glossy tape that came out dimpled with brail after she typed into it. She sighed, and wrote to him again, ‘You can wait in ambulance to receive Di Vine, if want to. You didn’t sign up to fight Riggs Act.’

Just then, the ambulance pulled to a stop. The small rectangular windows, painted with the rich tones of a dying afternoon, showed that they had turned into a small parking lot overshadowed by ancient brick structures all leaning against each other. They were not on the hospital grounds, and would not drive up with the ambulance until it was time to fetch Di Vine. From here they had only a short walk.

Toril had used the Paul Carson identity in the past. Surge must have remembered that Carson's birthdate, address and workplace were all related to significant events and statistics to Toril's own life and thus it was an alias that he knew well.

A small bald headed man in his late forties, who had the look of gopher, popped his head up over his monitor when Toril entered the lab. "Yes? How can I help you?"

"Doctor Paul Carson." Announced Toril.

The man's face stretched into a warm smile at the announcement. He hopped off his stool and marched toward Toril with his hand extended. "Pleased to meet you Doctor Carson.", he greeted shaking Toril's hand exuberantly. "We don't get many visitor's from the west coast, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Toril just smiled, curious of the man's zealous welcome then it became all to clear as he introduced himself.

"I'm Doctor Bourne. You know I've applied several times to the Seattle Children's Hospital, you have an amazing facility which is why I am curious why they would even be interested in our little gene in the pool."

The doctor snickered at his little joke and Toril feigned a laugh. At least, he was friendly and looking for a good reference he considered, ditching Bourne should be easy.

The small man, shrunk even more by comparison to Dr. Carson, scurried back over to his computer and beckoned his colleague to follow with a fervency that denoted that he had something of importance to reveal. "See here, Doctor Carson," the doctor said as he pointed to an enlarged picture of a cell's genes. "I have isolated another mutation that can be associated with the meta-syndrome."

Toril took a good look at the screen and checked the location of the genes. "Colour blindness?", questioned Toril.

"Yes, very good." Replied Bourne impressed, or possibly just acting that way to make a good impression. "But this patient is not colour blind. This could be another replication associated with the syndrome."

Toril knew without a doubt the doctor was right, his own research had revealed it a year ago and RAID was naturally aware of it as well. Bourne's discovery only meant that more and more meta-humans were going to be flagged in the next few years and there wasn't a damn thing anyone could do about it.

Toril knew that there was no one particular gene that attributed to the powers of a meta-human and the so called 'meta-gene' was only a myth created by some comic book writer. It was through a process of accelerated genetic recombination that 'homo-sapien-meta' developed several mutations in their code producing markers that could only be identified as a syndrome, however, many of these mutations also appeared in the general population and so it was not possible to make a conclusive identification of a meta-human from just a DNA sample. Colour blindness, was just one of the many mutations that a meta-human's code replicated in error during recombination and there were many more, some so subtle that with the current technology scientists remained unsure whether in fact they were part of the meta-syndrome. Every meta-human also had a different variation of the syndrome, a different combination, and so long as geneticists could not without a doubt map these mutations and fully define the syndrome, children with meta-abilities could be flagged but not labeled until their powers manifested.

"So are you, biochemical, Doctor Carson?" Asked Bourne as he sifted through some files.

"Molecular genetics." Answered Toril.

"So then you are quite familiar with meta-syndrome genes."

Toril nodded. If the doctor only knew just how familiar.

"Perhaps then you would like to review some of our own research?", the doctor pulled out a pen and wrote something down on a pad of paper then handed the sheet to Toril. "Here's your account information to access the hospital records. I am afraid I don't have much else prepared for today, I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow."

"That's quite alright." Toril told him and wandered over to a spare terminal.

"Just be careful what you look at." Bourne warned, and prompted by Carson's curious expression he continued to inform him that RAID was in the building and that rumours were that they had captured a powerful meta-human that was severely injured.

"Really?" Toril responded, acting surprised. "Have any blood samples been sent your way?"

"I wish." Doctor Bourne snorted. "No, they got everything locked down pretty tight around here, and I'd have better luck drawing blood from stone, than getting anything from them."

Toril nodded and logged onto the system. While he browsed through the database testing his access privileges he couldn't help notice that Bourne kept looking over at him with a questioning stare until he just came out and asked, "So, do you work out or something?"

"Never a day in my life." Quipped Toril with a sparkling smile. "You?"

Yelena was silent the whole trip to the city. So much was going through her head she had trouble focusing on just one thing. Was Robert alright? What sort of resistance were they going to encounter? Was RAID going to bring out the heavy guns? Did they have something up their sleeve? Would she be able to pull this off long enough to get Robert away from these people who saw him as nothing but a lab rat? And if they hurt him in any way, she would NOT be happy.

Of course, along with all of that, Yelena was going through the rescue plan. Zoe had given her the credentials she needed to get into the hospital and she was confident in the young woman’s abilities. Of that she had no worries. It was the other doctors and nurses she would inevitably come in contact with that she was concerned about. Of course, with this hospital being a teaching one, she wasn’t worried about others questioning her presence. It was some of that medical jargon she knew she would have trouble with. Hopefully she’d heard enough throughout her life she would be able to have SOME clue as to what they were talking about.

As Yelena sat in the back of the ambulance with Fay and Shawn, she wondered if the young man would be able to handle things when the going got bad. And it was going to get bad. There was no doubt about that. Yelena just hoped it didn’t get bad enough people lost their lives. Even the RAID agents she knew were going to try and thwart their plans.

Closing her eyes, Yelena visualized the floor plan Zoe had shown them. The easiest way in and out, at least in theory, were the D elevators just off East Blvd. through the rehab area on the bottom floor. That would bring her right up to the thirst floor on the other side of the burn unit Robert was being treated in. Of course, if things got bad, she would have to find an alternate way out and that’s where the stairs would come in handy. Or the roof entrance that would lead to the helipad.

All too soon the ambulance came to a halt and when she opened her eyes, Yelena blinked and saw the setting sun reflected in the windows of the nearby buildings. She detested this city. It was way too crowded, way too dirty and way too dangerous for people like her and the friends wither her now, both old and new, risking their lives to save one of their own.

Giving everyone a quick glance, Yelena morphed into her doctor disguise. For a brief moment, her true self was glimpsed as her skin turned blue and her eyes turned gold. Never lasting for longer than a few seconds, her disguise was in place with the next blink of an eye. Looking like she was wearing scrubs and a doctor’s coat, she sat next to Cassius, who was gathering up the hospital gown he would need to change into after he got into the hospital, and looked over at Fay. Giving the young woman a soft smile, she spoke in the voice she was going to use. It was accent free and it had a softness to it.



“Well. I suppose we’re ready. Be careful, you two. If things go south, and there’s no chance of getting Robert, high tail it out of here, meet up with Tim and the others then get the hell out of the city. I’ll be sure to keep them occupied enough so they won’t go looking for the rest of you.”

Looking out the back windows, she saw Tim, decked out in the security guard uniform, complete with hat in place, and Takashi walking towards the ambulance.

“Everything OK so far, O?”

Zoe’s voice quietly sounded in her.

“Ready when you are.”

Yelena took a deep breath then slowly stepped from the ambulance and closed the doors behind her. Glancing around, she looked for anything out of the ordinary. Once more Zoe’s voice spoke to her telling her all was clear. Joining Tim as he walked towards the hospital entrance, she put on a bright smile and tried to look the part of an energetic, young doctor. Truth be told, she was very concerned and not the least ready to smile brightly at anyone or anything. She just wanted this to be over with and Robert safe and sound, back with his friends. Looking at Tim and Takashi, she nodded.

“Another night shift for you too, huh?”

Shawn read the label and let a sneer curl the corners of his mouth.

“Yes I did,” he replied, his hands moving with a suddenly incomprehensible speed now that Siege had begun her rudimentary sign training. “When you told me who you were and I agreed to come. A lot more fun than my old job.” There was a pause in which Shawn adjusted the strap on his label maker, his head turning slightly as though he were scanning the view out the windshield and on either side of him. As he felt the ambulance slow to a stop, the smirk faded and a look of businesslike seriousness fell over Shawn’s face.

“You’re going to cover my eyes?” he asked, “so I can use my powers?” Straightening expectantly, he turned and ran his hands along the wall behind him, ensuring there was no window. He then made sure to face the wall and let the shocking green glow take over his eyes before turning and scanning the figures in the vehicle with him.
He watched as two others slipped out and walked with long, purposeful strides toward the enormous building that was now a hive of movement among very distinct pockets of hot and cold.

Watching Cassius put on a heavy limp as he walked along beside Yelena, his shook his head, another grin curling the corners of his mouth. This was an interesting group he’d fallen across indeed.

“Okay,” he said, “just show me where to go.”

For the last couple of hours, the two geneticists had conversed from behind their monitors, sharing their research and even trading off some of their recent discoveries. Toril was careful not to tell Dr. Bourne too much, else he let the cat out of the bag, but he found the man quite pleasant to be around and had learned quite quickly that he was both a man of science and morals. He disagreed with the flagging of children just because they had the potential to become something that the world feared, especially when at least eighty percent of all tagged infants only shared the common mutations of the meta-syndrome.

Dr. Bourne also shared some stories that Toril had never heard before. He told him that R.A.I.D. had barged into his lab a year ago and went through all is records without a search warrant. 'They could so whatever they wanted when it concerned a meta-human', he repeated and went on to tell him that not three days later, one of his patients born with a genetic heart defect was taken away in the middle of night from his home and his parents. When he was done the story, the little man's face was red and Toril thought he was going hit something but he cooled off quickly, embarrassed that he was ranting to a man he had barely known for an hour.

Toril lifted his head toward the doctor then with the solemn look of a man who seemed much more than a researcher. "Don't ever be ashamed about speaking your mind, Doctor Bourne. We can't let organizations like R.A.I.D. dictate their versions of the law to us. They have to be held accountable for their actions."

Doctor Bourne nodded and for a few moments just stared at Doctor Carson as if he had seen a ghost then forced his eyes back to his monitor and continued typing. He peeked his up though and said, "My name is Chris by the way."

For a brief moment there, the doctor's reaction had worried him but he chalked it up to his nerves just making him edgy. Toril smiled. "Pleased to meet you, Chris, call me Paul."

Toril returned to checking the hospital records for anything that might give him a hint when Perovanini's unscheduled move might be, but it was like surfing a mind field. He had to be careful not to make any direct inquiries to room 305 in the burn unit, else he was sure R.A.I.D. would come screaming into the lab in a matter of moments. After another ten minutes of fruitless searches Toril finally gave up and realized that his current cover wasn't going to get him anywhere at his rate. He leaned forward and ran his hand through his hair out of frustration, and perhaps he was just being paranoid again but he could have swore that Doctor Bourne was steeling a look at him from over his screen.

Toril wasn't sure what his next move should be. A second operative was supposed to be activated but he hadn't the foggiest idea who that would be and he wasn't even sure if this other team of meta-humans were even in the hospital. With so many unanswered questions his training had taught him that he would be considered a liability to this mission so he had reached a quandary. Folding his hands behind his head, Toril leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling as if the answer might come crashing through and land in his lap.

"Doctor Carson." Called Bourne.

Toril pulled his eyes from the ceiling and found the doctor standing at a counter on the far side of the room. He had his back to him and was gathering up some vials and placing them in a tray, so Toril got out of his chair and strolled over to where he was working.

"You know I found it a little odd that a doctor from Seattle would come here," Bourne began, he eyes remaining fixed on his work, "and I found it even more odd when that doctor ended up looking like he could be tight-end for the New York Giants."

Toril could see where this was going and quickly looked to the doorways of the lab expecting to see R.A.I.D. agents barge in.

"I haven't called anyone." The doctor stated and continued putting together his tray of vials, samples, syringes and q-tips.

Toril was puzzled, but since his cover was blown he didn't seem any harm of speaking frankly. "So what now?"

"What now." Repeated Bourne. "What you are going to do now is go to room 304 in the burn unit and get some samples from Mr. Green.", he told him as he handed Toril the tray and gave him a key for the service elevator.

Toril took the tray and was unable to utter anything else but, "Why?"

Doctor Bourne gave a slight smile. "I consider myself a pretty good judge of character and you don't seem at all like one of the bad guys, Paul. I happened to see the man that R.A.I.D. brought in and he just didn't seem like a criminal either.", he began to slowly stroll back to his computer and Toril walked along with him listening intently. "You were right when you said we can't let R.A.I.D. dictate their version of the law to us, sometimes we have take a stand."

"You can get in trouble for this, Chris. This isn't your fight." Advised Toril.

Doctor Bourne stopped and turned toward the large man. "Oh, but it is. You see the boy that they took in the middle of the night was my nephew."

Toril understood then. "Thank you.", he said as he reached out and shook the man's hand.

"You better get going." Bourne told him, "If I suspected you, I am betting that R.A.I.D. may not be that far behind."

The fourth floor was mainly labs and offices, and Toril was pretty sure they wouldn't be wasting their physically monitoring the area, they would review the images later so he made sure he kept head down and eyes on the floor most of the time. He took the stairwell to avoid the elevator camera and from experience he simply avoided them.

When he opened the door to the third floor, a man in a dark blue suit appeared in front of him.

"Identification please."

Yelena’s credentials and key card let her through the normal locked doors of the hospital and sure enough, no one stopped to ask her what she was doing. They all assumed she was just a new intern reporting for duty. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

Once she got inside, she looked around casually, seeking out all the surveillance cameras the hospital had in place as she helped Cassius towards the ER. All hallways and areas were pretty well covered, not leaving room for error. But, as Yelena knew better than anyone, where there was a will, there was always a way.

As they got close to the ER a nurse saw her helping Cassius and walked over to help her with her ‘patient’.

“What’s happened to this fellow….Dr..?”

“Martin….Angela Martin….I’m starting my first shift tonight. I’m to do my internship in the burn unit. Just so happens this fellow has burnt his leg pretty bad when he ran into a charcoal grill and the hot bed of coals ended up on his leg.”

The nurse quirked a brow and looked up at Yelena.

“Burn unit, huh? Good luck with that. Especially right now. Those dark suit goons have that place locked down tighter than a frogs ass right now. But they can’t keep it locked down to new patients. Not without looking for a hefty law suit from a patient who gets an infection because he wasn’t given proper treatment.”

Yelena quirked a brow.

“Dark suit goons?”

The nurse brushed her question off.

“I haven’t got the slightest clue what’s going on up there, all I know is that they are the biggest assholes in the world.”

Yelena furrowed her brows then.

“So what am I suppose to do with this poor soul?”

The nurse snorted and grabbed a wheelchair then handed Yelena a blank chart.

“We don’t even try to treat burn patients here in the ER. It’s too risky. There’s too much of a chance they’ll get an infection. We wheel them right up to the burn unit so they can be treated in a sterile room. Properly. And since your interning in the burn unit, you can escort our guest right on up. When you get up there, the duty nurse at the station will take this chart from you and get all the guys info while you prepare for his treatment.”

Yelena blinked and took the chart from the woman looking completely flabbergasted.

“You…..don’t treat them….in the ER?”

The nurse chuckled softly and wheeled Cassius into the elevator and more or less guided Yelena into the elevator with him.

“Welcome to Our Lady of Mercy, Dr Martin. We’re not your typical hospital. After all, our name DOES have the word Mercy in it.”

Yelena was confused for good reason. If Cassius couldn’t get changed into his hospital gown right away, what the hell were they going to do? She didn’t dare say a word as they rode the elevator up to the third floor. She was too worried about what she was going to do when she got up there and the elevator opened to a floor full of federal agents.

Of course she didn’t have the chance to make an alternative plan for all too soon the doors of the elevators opened and she came face to face with three dark suits. All of them looked poised to attack at any moment. Giving a yelp of alarm, she quickly jumped back and gave a wide eyes look to all of them.

“Don’t shoot!”

One of the agents, still looking like a coiled snake, reached his hand out to her.

“Identification, please”

Still looking like a deer in the headlights, Yelena blinked.

“What?”

The agent, not being too inclined to repeat himself, stepped forward and yanked her badge from around her neck. Thankfully the lanyard was designed to come apart if were ever yanked like that.

“Hey! You didn’t need to do that.”

The agent studied her credentials then spoke into his comm. unit.

“We have a Dr Angela Martin here. Looks like she’s bringing up a new patient.”

Before the agent could get a response back from anyone, there was a voice behind him that caused all of them to look back.

“No shit, Sherlock. He’s a burn victim and he needs to be placed in a sterile room. Right now. So move your asses out of my way so I can assist the intern, Dr Martin, and get this guy situated in his room.”

The petite, older woman addressing all the suits looked like she could have been a sweet grandmother, but there was no doubt she didn’t take any lip and she was in charge of the unit, regardless of what ANYONE said.

The agent, still holding Yelena’s credentials furrowed his brow.

“I’m under orders to verify all personnel. I can’t let her or the patient pass until I’ve got confirmation.”

The woman put her hands on her hips and looked over the rim of her reading glasses to the man.

“Yeah? Well my heart bleeds for you. If you don’t move your ass out of the way and let this patient AND doctor pass, you’ll have a law suit from the patient AND the nurses union for interfering with the treatment we’re ORDERED to give by FEDERAL LAW. You can verify the identification as we’re getting this patient prepped for treatment. Besides, the doctor here is late. If we hold her up any more, she’ll be docked half a days pay. I don’t know about you, but I sure as hell don’t want a pissed off doctor on my hands. I’m nothing compared to them.”

The agent swallowed visibly then. Obviously he’d had to contend with this nurse before. He looked at Yelena then and held her credentials up.

“Fine….but I hold onto these.”

Yelena furrowed her brows and finally nodded.

“What ever….just let me get this patient to his room.”

The agents slowly moved aside to allow Yelena and Cassius to pass. As she walked out into the lobby, she saw the dark suits, the nurses…and the tallest, broadest doctor she’d ever seen before. Not to mention the fact he was about the most handsome man she’d ever seen. Finally tearing her eyes from the blond man, she looked around again. They were headed towards room 305. The nurse turned them into a large room with several beds in it. This set Yelena and Cassius up right across the hall from Roberts room.

Trying not to look conspicuous, Yelena looked into Roberts room and all she could see was a large, hyperbaric chamber. And more dark suits. Looking at the nurse who escorted them into the room, she inquired as to what was going on.

“Is this place usually this secure? If it is, I’m surprised anyone comes here for treatment.”

The nurse began gathering up supplies and huffed.

“No. Apparently there’s a special guest in our presence. Don’t know who it is, though. Rumor has it he was part of that group of freaks that blew up that warehouse. His buddies left him behind to fry. How do ya like that? Those freaks can’t even take care of their own right.”

Yelena tried to smile but she just couldn’t get herself to do it. Was the world really that tainted against her and her friends? Obviously. Look at the way they were treating Robert and how this woman felt about them. The woman rummaged around the area then muttered a curse under her breath.

“Ah shit….I’ll be right back. We ran out of visors. I’ll be right back. Go ahead and get him prepped.”

The nurse left the room and Yelena helped Cassius up to the bed and had him stretch out then pulled the curtain around his bed to give some privacy. As she pulled the curtain closed, she caught sight of the Adonis like doctor. For a brief moment their eyes met before the curtain was closed completely around Cassuis. Hopefully Zoe’s devices were picking up all the audio and visuals they could. Of course planting the button sized camera on the OLOM pin of her coat lapel was a good idea.

Quickly helping Cassius out of his clothes and into the hospital gown, Yelena quickly donned her yellow treatment gown and gloves then took a roll of gauze and quickly covered a portion of the young mans leg and doused it with saline water, making it look as though she were in the middle of treating him when the nurse returned. As she worked, she spoke very softly to Zoe.

“Looks like we’ll need something to keep the nurse occupied. Think you can handle that?”

Toril handed the FBI agent his identification and the man scanned it with one of RAID's hand held data-link devices. His picture, name and all information pertinent to the hospital appeared on the screen.

"Visiting from Seattle, huh?" The agent commented, as he perused Doctor Carson's file and made a note that he had been cleared by Doctor Bourne who had been on staff for over eight years.

Toril nodded, and patiently waited his clearance, holding his tray in front of him. There was an old nurse making a scene not to far away from him and she was making the agents edgy. In his experience, edgy agents could be just as bad as alert ones and he was relieved when the woman finally said her piece.

The agent's eyes looked up at the large man, then back down to his screen. "What do you bench?"

The question surprised Toril. He hadn't prepared himself for gym talk and he quickly calculated what a normal man his size would be able to bench. He was pretty sure that if blurted out that his usual was around 1300 lbs, he'd have one hell of a fight on his hands. "About 425.", he answered nonchalantly.

"Got me beat buddy, er, uh... doctor. Sorry. I thought all you doctors played golf in your spare time." Quipped the agent to cover-up his faux-pas.

Toril smiled. "Not my kind of past-time."

"Nor mine." Added the agent, "Sorry for the formalities we have a situation. There's no need to worry though, we have everything under control. You can proceed on to," he had to check his screen to jog his memory, " Mr. Green in room BU-304."

"Thank you, agent."

The agent stepped aside and Toril continued on his way, following behind a blonde haired intern, with fairly decent legs, pushing a scruffy looking young man in a wheel chair. When he stopped at the nurses station for Mr. Green's file, he lost sight of her and focused on the task at hand.

"This is I.C.U. 3000." The nurse told him. "You want to go to the Burn Unit, through those doors". She pointed behind him.

Toril thanked the nurse and followed her direction. An honest mistake, but a wake up call nonetheless, he had to concentrate on what he was doing.

With the proper paper work, Toril then proceeded down the aisle of the Burn Unit to room 304 and he could see at the end of the hallway, the blonde intern walking past the room and taking a peek inside. As soon as she left, two concerned agents exited the room and watched her return to the 300 ward.

The agents who were stimulated by the inquisitive intern now had there suspicions raised and Toril could tell that they were beginning to question things they normally wouldn't give a second thought. "Crap!" Toril thought, and just did his best to behave like any other doctor that might have to fight for his life in an enclosed space with only one exit. The agents stared at him with the ferocity of two doberman pincers and the personality of them as well and with a slight nod, slipped into room 304 before they could consider questioning him just to appease their heightened states.

Toril was glad to see that there was only his patient in the room, and he was unconscious. He needed to think. "Who was that intern?" Toril wondered. She had made a bee line right for room 305 and then beat it back to BU 300, where he had noticed she had left her patient. Could she be one of the team? If she was, Toril hoped that those agents didn't pick up on her scent or his for that matter.

Special Agent Simon Henkel walked quickly down the hallway while trying to sip his coffee on the way. He opened the door at the very end and entered into the darkened room illuminated only by the glow of computer screens. He closed the door behind him and wove his way into the crowded surveillance room that was still being run by R.A.I.D.

"What ya got?" He asked the tall man sitting with his back to the door.



Supervising Agent Blake Birkshire of R.A.I.D., was not used to being addressed in such a manner but between Henkel and his recent phone call from an irate Michael Eden he was getting used to it.

He swiveled around in his seat to allow Henkel to see the monitor and pointed to the two small screens in the top left hand corner. The FBI agent leaned in, gulping his coffee and studied the the tiny images.

"Can you make these things bigger?" He grumbled.

Birkshire clicked the mouse a few times and split the screen into two larger videos. On one side was a pretty, blonde haired intern peeking in to room 305 and the other a large fair haired man entering room 304. There was no way they could have been aware of their micro-cams, that were all over the burn unit.

"Who the hell cleared that guy?" Henkel expressed, gesturing to the large man on the screen with his coffee cup.

"They both check out." Birkshire informed the agent. "Doctor Paul Carson, visiting from Seattle and the intern is Angela Martin, she's just new."

"Check out my ass!" Exclaimed Henkel.

Birkshire agreed with his colleagues assessment, although he wasn't so colourful with his words. He just calmly leaned back in his chair pondering their next move.

"Where do you think the rest of them are?" Henkel wondered.

"Probably doing what we are right now, agent Henkel." Surmised Birkshire still contemplating their next act. "We don't want to spook them off. This is our chance to get them all with one net."

"Agreed." Nodded Henkel. "Should we proceed with the plan? We already have Di Vine preped."

Birkshire checked another screen to his right, where there was the familiar face of reddish haired girl, the name above her head simple read 'Zoe'. "This is a sensitive matter, agent Henkel. Someone is very interested in this girl and it would be in our best interest to not let this one get away."

Henkel studied the file for a moment. "I'll have my men do a perimeter sweep."

"I've already taken care of that." Advised Birkshire.

"I thought I was supposed to be in control of this operation." Countered Henkel.

Birkshire looked up at Henkel. "And you are, but my men are specially trained in these matters. They are equipped with state of the art equipment designed specifically for missions of this nature." Birkshire then looked back to the screen with the images of the two doctors. "Don't worry, you'll get your chance for some heroics soon enough."

Henkel looked back at the screen displaying two meta-human that had infiltrated the burn unit. "I'll alert my men to keep an eye on them but not engage. We'll proceed with the plan and take them all together." He chuckled, "They won't even know what hit 'em."