The Mutant Problem (Xana x The Corsair)

[Xanaphia]

Breaking News: Mutant Rights Activist and Congressional Candidate Izzy Reyes Assassinated in Chicago

Chicago, IL – September 7, 2024 — In a shocking and tragic turn of events, Isobel "Izzy" Reyes, a prominent mutant rights activist and candidate for Congress, was assassinated this afternoon in downtown Chicago. Reyes, 34, was leaving a campaign event when shots rang out, fatally wounding her. Authorities have not yet identified the assailant, and investigations are underway.

Reyes, known for her optimistic vision of peaceful coexistence between mutants and humans, was the founder of Unity for All, an organization dedicated to bridging divides and promoting equality. Her death is expected to send shockwaves through the mutant community and beyond, with concerns rising about the potential for increased tensions.

Police are urging anyone with information to come forward, as they continue to search for the perpetrator. The nation now watches as the investigation unfolds, while supporters and activists mourn the loss of a powerful advocate for change.

---

The grey clouds and pounding rain suited Lila's mood better than the "85 and sunny" the news had forecast this morning. Beautiful late summer weather didn't feel right for such dark day.

"Name?"

"Lila Beaumont."

The detective scribbled down her answer in a notebook, "What is your role in the campaign?"

Lila answered the questions by rote, hardly hearing the detective over the patter of falling rain. Nothing felt real. She'd just talk to Izzy, this morning, coordinating a statement over the recent bombings in Gaza. Threading needle between condemning the genocide and attracting the attention of powerful political enemy. Always picking our battles. Until one question pulled her out of her haze.

"Are you a mutant?"

Lila's eyes narrowed. Lightning crashed nearby, close enough to shake the building as if nature herself objected to the question, and the detective flinched. "Why? Am I a suspect?"

"We can't rule anything out at this point."

Lila snickered, and outside, the winds picked up, whipping rain against the wide glass pane windows of the campaign headquarters. It would be so convenient if a mutant had done this, wouldn't it? It would prove what they all already believed. Mutants were inhuman monsters, incapable of residing peacefully in human society. They needed to be wiped out, eliminated.

"It doesn't make any sense for a mutant to have killed Izzy," Lila snarled, and wind clawed at the glass, making the building groan. More people, detectives and civilians alike took notice of the growing storm. "Izzy was the leading mutant equality activist in the country, and her run brought hope to the community. Shouldn't you be interrogating the human supremacists who send us hundreds of threats each day?" More lightning split the sky, each bolt as bright as staring in to the sun. Thunder followed immediately, rattling the building like a riot, demanding to be heard.

Lilah drew in a deep breath, trying to contain the storm that raged within –and outside– of her. "I need a minute. A drink of water." The detective nodded, and called over another member of the campaign. Lila padded towards the break room, to grab a water bottle from the fridge.

"Hey." A fellow campaign staffer – and mutant– Vivienne approached, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Her voice dropped to a whisper, and she continued "I know it's hard, but you need to pull yourself together."

"I know." Lila took a long drink of water, and the pounding rain receded to a gentle spray. "Can't properly mourn without flooding the damn city." Another drink, to calm down. Breathe, breathe. "If the extremist are so damn worried about protecting themselves, they should have taken a shot at me. Izzy wasn't even dangerous."

Vivienne let out a short, bitter laugh. "Izzy was extremely dangerous. She could make people listen. She could make them understand. And to the person who killed her, that was the most dangerous thing of all."

 

[TheCorsair]

“They are, I mean, let’s be real here, they… we got a lot of work to do. They're poisoning the, the blood of our country, That's what they've done. Poisoned the blood of, of good Americans. I mean, that is, what happened in, in Chicago is just, it’s not right, they’re trying to silence people, just like they tried to silence me, that’s not good. But these mutes… what you gonna do? They poison mental institutions and prisons all over the world, not just America, but all over the world. They're coming into our country from Africa, from Asia, all over the world."
—Donald J. Trump, commenting on the murder of Isobel Reyes on The Matt Walsh Show

-*-

“Hey, you can’t go in there!” the officer called, heading for the man starting to duck under the police tape. He was big, the officer realized, well over six feet and built like a truck. “It’s an active crime scene!”

The man looked abashed as he drew back. “Sorry,” he replied, reaching into his suit coat. “I didn’t see you over there.” He opened a wallet, revealing a badge. “Special Agent Joseph Lloyd.”

The officer looked over the badge. “Mutant Response Task Force?”

“Yeah.” The big man tucked the wallet back into his coat. “The department was supposed to call ahead, let you all know we were coming.” He smiled. “I guess they didn’t?”

“Fuckin’ brass,” the officer breathed, loosening a little as the big man laughed in agreement. “Lemme check in with the Captain, see what’s going on.”

-*-

“Our prayers are with the family and loved ones of Ms. Reyes this morning, and with all Americans who are shaken by this senseless crime. Violence such as this has no place in our nation. We must all condemn this abhorrent act and do our part to ensure that it does not lead to more violence.”
—Official statement from the office of Vice-President Harris on the murder of Isobel Reyes

-*-

Bolt stared at his phone in disbelief. “Izzy’s dead?”

He’d just seen her last night. She’d been alive. Really alive, based on their ongoing argument about human and mutant relations. She’d always supported his work with mutant teenagers, but he had been much outspoken about mutants being “out and proud” and demanding their rights while she advocated working within the system to ensure them. It was an old argument, one that started when they’d met in college and continued right up until last night.

And now she was dead.

There was a flash and a pop, and sparks flew from his phone. Fuck. He hadn’t even realized how angry he was until he accidentally fried it. Izzy was dead. His first and oldest mutant friend was dead. And some fucking monkey was probably…

There was a knock at his door.

Drawing a deep breath, Bolt slowly exhaled and tried to calm himself. As a second knock resounded he brought the electricity dancing across his skin under control and absorbed it back into his body. Once he was in control, he answered the door and found two suit-wearing men that screamed plain-clothes detectives. Fuck.

“Mr. Montoya?” one of them said, using his human name.

“Bolt,” he corrected, bristling. Behind them, parked in front of his townhouse, was a black SWAT van.

“Detective Ron Hite,” the cop on the left said, flashing a badge. “Chicago Police Department. We have some questions for you.”

-*-

The campaign headquarters was a chaotic mess of bereaved and confused staffers and officers conducting an investigation. Joe stood in the midst of it all like a blonde monolith in a suit, taking it all in.

“Anyway,” Lieutenant Smith said, finishing his briefing, “we appreciate you guys showing up. We’re hauling in our prime suspect right now, and it could get violent.”

“Hm?” Joe turned to look at the Lieutenant. “How do you have a suspect already? Your men are still…”

“The alarms were shorted and the cameras were blown out.” The Lieutenant looked smug. “Only one guy in Chicago could do that, and he was seen fighting with the victim publically last night.” He produced a picture. “Derek ‘Bolt’ Montoya. A mutant supremest.”

 

[Xanaphia]

Vivienne motioned with her eyes. "The big guy, there? He's a mutant."

Lila spared a sly glance. He was big, nearly a foot taller than her, and pure muscle. Unusual, but not outside human potential. "You can tell by looking?

"No– I'm reading his phone. Heavy encryption, he's important. Mutant Response Task Force."

Lila leaned against the counter, beside her. "A sign they are taking this seriously? Or are they just trying to placate us, with one of our own?" The last word was laced with venom, a clear disdain for one of their own who served with often hostile law enforcement.

"I don't know. They–" Vivienne stopped suddenly, eyes moving rapidly, reading screens only she could see. "They are taking someone in, for the assassination." Lila waited a moment, heart caught in her chest, hoping for news that wouldn't make everything even worse. Hopes that were dashed as Vivienne scoffed. "They are bring in Derek."

"Bolt?" Thunder cracked in the distance. Izzy pulled out her phone, "I knew these fuckers couldn't be trusted."

"What are you doing?" Vivienne asked, even though they both knew she could see the message Lila was sending out, calling on the campaign's mailing list to protests before the police station.

"We have rage on our side now. We need to use it."

---

Talia stopped short, as the police station came into view. "The protest is here?"

Erin was a step and a half ahead of her and still walking as she turned back. "Yeah, I guess we're taking it right to the police." She turned forward again, before realizing Talia's hesitation. "Wanna borrow a disguise?"

Talia considered it for a second, before shaking her head. "Nah, I wouldn't be able to keep it up for long." The concentration necessary to borrow another's powers was challenging on a good day. And today wasn't a good day. Not after what she'd seen. Not after what she'd felt, in staring into Izzy Reyes' eyes as life left her.

In those last moments, she was scared. And sad. A terror and sorrow that lingered in Talia, even after Izzy stopped breathing, terror and sorrow she recognized as not her solely own. It had been such a dramatic swing compared to how she felt at the end of rally, the excitement and optimism, believing truly that good things were possible. It burrowed into her gut, a gnawing, clawing. Defeated. Joining Erin in the protest was her own attempt to shake the feelings.

Already a large group gathered, chanting in unison "No justice, no peace!" Some already had makeshift signs, written on the back of Reyes for Congress signs. "Why are we protesting the police? Did they have something to do with it?"

"Nah, but they are trying to pin it on a mutant. Another activist, as if this could be swept under the rug as mutant on mutant crime."

---

Lila allowed herself a small smirk as she arrived at police station, proud of the crowd already gathered. Part of her wanted to join the protest, to turn her pain and rage into constructive action, but she couldn't risk giving into her emotions now. Instead she entered the police station, and approached the deputy at the desk. "Lila Beaumont, attorney for Bolt."

"Who?"

"Derek Montoya."

 

[TheCorsair]

Drawing a deep breath, Joe fought for calm. “What. The. FUCK. Is. Wrong. With. You?”

“He’s the obvious suspect,” Lieutenant Smith replied.

Joe stared out the police chief’s window, watching the gathered protesters and their hand-lettered signs. Just a few dozen of them right now, but more were showing up. A decent percentage of them would also be mutants, which escalated the risk. “Not enough of a suspect to arrest him.”

“Look,” Captain Daniels sneered, “this is Chicago. We didn’t ask for the MRTF, and you don’t have any jurisdiction. So…”

Joe wheeled on Daniels, and watched him flinch as his fist pounded down on the desk. “Jurisdiction? You think this is about jurisdiction? This is about the unbelievably fucking stupid move of arresting a man…”

“Mutant,” Smith corrected with a sneer, and it took all of Joe’s self-control not to deck him at that moment.

“A man,” he continued, “on flimsy circumstantial evidence!” Smith started to say something - probably something bigoted - and Joe pushed through. “She was shot what, three times? Shot. So what’s your scenario here? Bolt uses his powers to fry the door lock, fry the cameras, and then he shoots the victim to try to hide who did it?”

Captain Daniels tried to say something, and Joe cut him off. “But you wanted to play jurisdiction? Right. This is now a MRTF case.”

“How do you figure?” Daniels spat back.

“USC 351(f),” Joe replied. “The federal government has jurisdiction over the investigation of the murder of any individual elected or appointed to federal office, or of anyone murdered while a candidate for that office.”

Just then, the chief’s door opened. “Hey. There’s a lawyer here for Montoya.”

Without a word, Joe left the room and followed the uniformed officer. In the lobby stood an attractive brunette, one he recognized from the crime scene and from the files he’d reviewed on his flight into Chicago. Lila Beaumont, legal advisor to Isobel Reyes’ campaign and a mutant with weather control powers.

“Mrs. Beaumont,” he said, extending his hand. “Special Agent Joseph Lloyd. I’ve just taken charge of the investigation into your employer’s murder.” His professional demeanor cracked for a moment. “We’ll find the sons of bitches who murdered her.”

Another pause. Another struggle for control. “But, for now? I assume you’d like to consult with your client?”

Bolt smiled, enjoying the look of discomfort on Detective Hite's face. It was clear the man didn't want to be in the same room with him. But what else could they do? The 'special' interrogation room they'd put him in - isolated, with thick walls - hadn't worked out. All of the monitoring abd communications and recording equipment had shorted out.

Funny, that.

The pigs had bitched about that a lot, accusing him of causing it. Which was true, but they couldn't prove it. No more than they could prove that he was the reason everyone's phone batteries were dead in the precinct. He'd been out and proud about his powers, but he'd never revealed the full extent of what he was capable of.

"So where were you last night from 9 pm to midnight?" Hite asked.

He grinned. "Waiting to talk to my lawyer." Then he stretched a little, feeling the shifting of the grounding wire wrapped around his ankle. It wasn't a bad idea, really. He had to give them credit for it. Not that it would matter if he wanted to cut loose; the cable wouldn't last a second under the voltage and amperage he could generate.

"What were you and Isobel Reyes fighting about?" Hite asked.

"My lawyer."

Hite sighed. "This will go a lot easier for you if you cooperate."

He smiled at that. "I wonder if my laser would agree." As he said it, the interrogation room door opened. A big blonde cop he didn't recognize stepped in and aside, revealing a brunette in a sharp suit. His smile turned into a grin. "Speaking of…"

 

[Xanaphia]

The big blond guy from the campaign office –the mutant– was already at the station when she arrived. He was rather handsome, she admitted to herself in annoyance, as he offered a hand. She wasn't used to warm welcome from law enforcement. Not after her successful suit against Chicago PD over civil rights abuses a couple years back.

"Special Agent Joseph Lloyd. I've just taken charge of the investigation into your employer's murder." His professional demeanor cracked for a moment. "We'll find the sons of bitches who murdered her."

She didn't have a gift for lie detecting, but she did believe his sincerity. Wanted to believe that a fellow mutant would want justice in this case. "Does that mean you're releasing my client? So you can get back to finding the responsible party?"

"We still have questions for Mr. Montoya, and our 48 hour clock has just begun," Captain Daniels explained, not bothering to offer her a handshake. A 48 hour clock meant that Bolt hadn't been charged yet. Likely because they didn't have enough evidence.

"I assume you'd like to consult with your client?" Special agent Lloyd asked, seeming to have regained his composure. Another action she understood. Mutants could hardly risk showing their emotions around law enforcement, who could get scared at the drop of a hat, and plug a person with a dozen bullets in between deep breaths. She answered with a nod, and followed him back to the interrogation rooms. And further back yet, into a special, improvised area Lila assumed was reserved for mutants.

Bolt was in good spirits as she entered, at least. A relief, amidst the tension and despair. She returned his smile, and took a seat beside him, leaning in close to check on him. "How are you holding up?"

"If you don't mind, we'd like to get this questioning going," Captain Daniels insisted, arms crossed as he leaned against the opposite wall. "Mr. Montoya can no longer delay by insisting on waiting for you."

"I do mind, actually." Lila rebutted, placing her briefcase on the table and opening it. "I'd like to confer with my client in private, as he is entitled to attorney-client privilege. And he's perfectly capable of invoking the fifth until we've gotten that opportunity."

Whatever Captain Daniels was about to say was drowned out by the violent shaking of the ground, and the jerking of the rigid building in response. Seconds stretched out as the oscillations grew stronger, testing foundations not built to withstand it. The contents of her briefcase clattered to the floor and the police captain stared dagger at her. "This your doing? Your freaks out there, 'protesting?'" A sudden jolt sent him off balance, crashing into the east wall. "If you summoned the mutant freak doing this here, I'll have your ass in a cell next to them!"

---

The protest had grown quickly, easily as large as the campaign rally Talia had been at just hours ago. The police had moved quickly as well, suited up in Riot gear and pulling out their tear gas and pepper spray. Demanding dispersal, threats that were hardly audible over the chanting crowd. Rage permeated the throng, wanting a fight with cop, wanting an excuse to unleash the pent up aggression.

"We should go," Talia called to Erin, unable to hear herself. Erin certainly didn't, chanting in unison with the masses. Talia tried to grab her, but lost her balance as the earth shook beneath her, and collided instead. It wasn't just her, either. Protesters at front, standing their ground before a ling of riot shield toting officers, slammed into the police, who responded by shoving them back with their hard shields.

Still, the ground moved, stronger than before, tossing people back and forth, against the not activated police line trying to shove them back. Screams broke through the chanting, chaos reaching a boiling point. Beneath them all, the road groaned and cracked the unnatural shaking damaging the asphalt.

"It's got to be a mutant," Talia told Erin, both women fighting for balance against the quaking earth. Scanning the crowd, Talia caught sight of a large man, face covered with a black mask over his mouth and dark glasses. He wasn't tottering with the crowd, instead standing strong with his massive fists clenched together. Talia watched him a moment longer, feeling the way he sent shockwaves deep into the earth, until she too could harness this power. With one foot a step in front of the other, Talia found balance, grasping hands seeking to counter the shaking beneath them all.

Just as she felt the ground stilling, tear gas canisters exploding into the crowd, blinding her, and disrupting her concentration.

 

[TheCorsair]

The sudden jolt sent Joe stumbling into the wall, bracing himself with his forearms. The impact wasn’t particularly dangerous but he still felt the faint flicker of his powers activating, translating the force into physical enhancement. Not much, but enough that he was able to maintain his balance with casual ease when the second shock hit.

"If you summoned the mutant freak doing this here,” snarled Captain Daniel’s, “I'll have your ass in a cell next to them!"

“Please,” Bolt sneered before Joe could reply. “If she’d wanted to do that she could have brought the mutant in with her.”

“He’s got a point,” Joe added. “And she’d hardly have put herself in danger of a collapsing building.” The ground and the building quaked again, accenting his point. “So. Rather than stand there spewing epithets with your thumb up your ass, I suggest you start evacuating the prisoners.” His eyes flicked to Bolt for an instant, then he headed for the door. “All of them.”

Outside the interrogation room, he stopped and started punching the cement wall. One blow after another, with all the force he could muster. This was harder than it sounded, because the first few blows sent shocks of pain through his hands and left bloody knuckle prints on the greenish paint. But by the fifth blow he was hardly noticing, and the tenth blow left a crater in the cement.

Probably the best he could manage at the moment.

The next quake was a slow roll to his heightened perception and reflexes, feeling more like a fun house ride than an earthquake. He navigated it carefully, arms extended for balance, then made his way up the stairs and through the slightly slow-motion mass of humanity in the Presinct house.

Outside was chaos. Riot police and staggering protesters and tear gas. Fuck. His powers did a lot for him, but he still had to breathe. Adapting to gas was slow and painful. But maybe he wouldn’t have to? Because over there was a masked man in black who, as he watched, smashed his fists into the ground and sent another shockwave rolling out.

Timing it, Joe started sprinting as the shockwave passed beneath him. He didn’t know exactly how fast he was going when he clotheslined the man, probably between 20 and 30 mph, but it took the unnamed mutant right off his feet. “Do yourself a favor,” he said, skidding to a halt and turning to face the prone man in black. “Just stay down.”

 

[Xanaphia]

Lila flinched at the sound of Joe's fists hammering the cement, each blow sharp and sickening, echoing down the narrow hallway. She could feel it—his frustration, his anger—pulsing through the stagnant air like a second heartbeat. Every punch sent a jolt up her spine, making the hairs on her arms stand on end. And a wince, as she recognized the red smears on the green wall as blood from injured knuckles. But the wall did cave in, and Joe disappeared through it.

Meanwhile, one of the detectives removed something from Bolt's ankle and cuffed his hands in the front. Not that the handcuffs would stop bolt if he wanted to use his powers, but Lila knew he wouldn't do anything dumb. Not now, where he could be charge with a serious crime.

Despite the Detective's insistence, Lila followed them to the evacuation point for the prisoners, instead of joining the general public evacuation. Two dozen or so prisoners were lined up, all shackled in groups of four. To prevent them from escaping, Lila figured, but what would happen if they needed to move quickly, in case of another earthquake. These weren't convicts, after all, and they were still presumed innocent for what crime got them arrested.

The shaking stopped, with the same suddenness as it had started, enough that Lila's leg still shook, Heels might have better sold her as a professional, but they were hell for navigating the trembling ground. Not that she could take them off yet, either. From the looks of gather prisoners, they hadn't arrested any protesters yet. That would easily double or triple the numbers they held. And some of those people might need an attorney.

---

The noise of the crumbling building still echoed in Talia's ears as she stared at the officer in disbelief. Her heart raced, every muscle in her body tensing as his words sank in.

"You are under arrest. Don't resist."

Her chest tightened. "What?" she yelped, her voice sharp with panic. She forced herself to stay still, even though every instinct screamed at her to run. "I didn't do anything!"

The officer, tall and built like a linebacker, stepped forward, his expression hard as stone. "We both saw you using your powers to create that earthquake."

"That wasn't me!" Talia shouted, the words tumbling out in a rush. Her vision blurred with the pressure building behind her eyes. "I was trying to help!"

"I'm sure you were," he said with icy detachment, twisting her arms behind her back before she could protest further. The sharp snap of the handcuffs locking in place made her flinch.

As the cold steel dug into her wrists, Talia bit her lip to keep from screaming. Her mind raced, desperate to find a way out. The officer's grip was tight, controlling, as if he expected her to fight him every step of the way.

"I'm telling the truth!" She forced the words out through gritted teeth, even as the lump in her throat made it hard to breathe. She wanted to explain, to plead with him to believe her, but the quake had thrown everything into chaos, and no one cared about explanations. "It wasn't me. There was another—"

"I don't care," the officer interrupted coldly, starting to drag her toward the police van that had pulled up near the scene. "Save it for the judge."

 

[TheCorsair]

“Are these really necessary?” Bolt asked, clinking the handcuffs for effect.

“Shut. Up,” the cop growled.

Outside, the station - the whole block - looked like a war zone. Shattered glass and masonry littered the street, and the sound of injured people and shouting filled the air. But what caught his eye was the riot cops shoving people - mutants and humans alike - into black vans. “All for the crime of exercising their rights,” he sneered.

“Shut. Up,” the cop growled again.

“Yeah, fuck you too,” he replied without any particular heat. Irritated, he watched the cop for a moment, observing the electrical flow of his biofield. It wouldn’t even take a snap of his fingers, and the pig would be on the ground in the throes of a seizure. Hell. He could end all of this right now. Just cut loose a little, and put a stop to the pigs shoving mutants and mutant supporters into the vans. Let the whole world see that they weren’t to be fucked with.

Of course, he’d also hang a bigger target on the back of every mutant by doing that. And most of them couldn’t do what he could do. He sighed. “Must grind your gears.”

“Shut. Up.” the cop growled again.

Bolt gestured over at the big Judas of a Fed, carrying back a black-clad figure. “Took a mutant to do what you couldn’t. Must really burn, knowing that.”

-*-

The black-clad mutant had chosen to stay down. Well, maybe chosen was the wrong word. He was entirely unconscious, a not uncommon side effect when Joe decided to hit someone. Still breathing, though.

Joe hefted him one-handed, with all the effort of lifting a bag of groceries, and slung him over his shoulder. Then he walked back to the damaged station, whistling and looking for an officer who didn’t have his hands full. “Hey,”

“What?” the officer asked.

“Cuff this guy.” Shifting his shoulder, Joe dropped him on the ground between them. “I don’t need him trying to sneak away if he wakes up, because we’ve got him on a number of federal and state offenses.” The cop gave him a quizzical look, then stopped to cuff him. “Domestic terrorism’s the big one, but I’m sure we can come up with others.”

Nodding, the cop rose back to his feet. “Sounds good. We’ve got his accomplice as well.”

“…accomplice?” Joe sounded nonplussed. “What?”

“Yeah. Over there.” The cop pointed out a young blonde woman being pushed into a van. “Same powers. We caught her reinforcing and amplifying the tremors.”

 

[Xanaphia]

"You a lawyer?"

The question caught Lila off guard, blinking in surprise at the female officer who posed it. It didn't come with the accusatory tone she was used to. "Yes, why?"

The officer nodded, and looked around sharply. Oddly paranoid for someone who presumably had every right to be there. Unless she wasn't what she appeared. "You got to help my friend– she got arrested."

That was the piece she needed to figure out the puzzle. A shapeshifter, posing as a police officer to evade arrest in the aftermath of the protest. "Look, most of the protesters are going to get off without any charges. There wasn't widespread acts of destructive or harm. The fed is only going to be looking at the main perpetrator, who caused the quake."

"That's the thing, they think Talia caused the quake. But she didn't, she–"

Lila cut off the woman with a simple hand gesture, and urged her to follow further away. Once they were out of earshot, she set the volume low by speaking quietly, and purposely, "How do you know she wasn't causing the quake?"

The woman responded in a quiet voice, "She doesn't have that kind of power. She can only mimic other people, other powers. I know she was probably just trying to stop whoever did this."

Extremely valuable information, Lila considered. Also dangerous for this friend, Talia. Her legal advice was always to keep the nature and potency of one's powers to themselves. If law enforcement knew what you could do, they'd use it to pin any and every crime on you. Like they were doing to Bolt, right now.

"Here," she offered, slipping a business card towards the woman. "Leave me a voice mail when you get home; I'll need to follow up with you if I am going to be able to defend your friend. Be careful, and go straight home. You won't be able to help your friend if you get locked up beside her."

---

Talia sat in the cold, steel chair, her wrists cuffed tightly behind her. The faint sting of blood pooling under the metal cuffs was an irritant, but it was the least of her worries. She felt every eye in the room, from the occasional uniformed officer passing by to the ones who lingered, watching her like she was some sort of predator. She lowered her gaze to the floor, though her mind raced, circling through what had brought her here. They thought she'd been amplifying the quake, reinforcing it with her powers—an accusation that felt like some twisted joke. Talia had barely used her powers since she was a kid, her family's legacy of mutant hunting embedded so deeply in her that she'd spent years fearing her own reflection.

The room buzzed with voices outside her cell, low murmurs spiking with the occasional laugh or accusation. She braced herself, breathing in slow, steady cycles, though each inhale only seemed to tighten the coiled knot in her chest. This wasn't just a misunderstanding—it was an execution by public opinion. They wanted a face for their anger, someone to bear the weight of the broken glass, the screams, and the ruined buildings. Her fingers twitched reflexively, her muscles aching to mimic, to defend herself, but instead, she clenched her hands into fists.

How could she even defend herself? No one could see how she was trying to counteract the guy causing all the damage. And no one would ever believe her. No human anyways.

A pair of officers approached the cell, and motioned towards her, "Clarke, let's go."

She didn't argue as cuffed her, yet again. "What's going on?"

"Your lawyer wants to meet with you, before you're questioned." Talia bit the inside of her cheek inside of question him. Erin must have done that. She followed between two officers, led down a long hallway, past several rooms until they reached a concrete addition, thicker and more oppressive than the regular rooms. There was a women already in the room, dressed in a smart, black skirt suit, with light brown skin and thick brown curls cascading down her shoulders. She offered a sympathetic smile as the officers attached her handcuffs to the table at the middle of the room.

"Lila Beaumont, and I am not going to let them railroad you into a massive conviction. It doesn't matter what they charge you with, you still have rights. Starting with a presumption of innocence." Talia nodded, pushing down the rising anxiety churning at her core. This was bad, worse than she even expected.

"Your friend says you have the power to mimic other people's power?"

She nodded again, hoping that Lila really did believe in her innocence.

"Alright. The detective is going to come in and ask you some questions. I will be here the entire time, and I will let you know what to answer and when to stay silent. Before even that, I will say don't tell them anything about your powers. Don't confirm, don't deny, and don't try to explain. Anything you give them will be used against you. It won't get you off the hook here, and it may get you even more charges."

Whelp, that didn't sound great. But the police would have to see that she couldn't have done this if she could just explain how her powers worked. Instead she nodded again, "Okay."

 

[TheCorsair]

It wasn’t a detective that walked in. It wasn’t even a police officer. It was a man in a Navy uniform, with a Captain’s rank insignia and a name plate that read “Wozniski”. He was followed by a squad of soldiers in battle dress carrying rifles, all of whom were watching Talia with a kind of nervous anticipation. “Prep her for transport,” the Captain stated.

-*-

“What?”

Joe had been on his way to MCC Chicago when the all came through. He’d been tempted to ignore it, since he didn’t like navigating traffic and talking at the same time, but it had come up as Marcus Clarke. It didn’t pay to ignore the boss.

“Yeah.” Marcus sounded strained. “It came from the Justice Department. They’re invoking 18 U.S.C. 113B to treat declare both of the mutants who attacked that police station to b me foreign combatants.”

“That’s bullshit!” Joe declared. “They’re…”

Marcus sighed. “They’re going to be transferred to the Pre-Trial Containment Facility at NAVSTA Great Lakes, Joe. There’s nothing I can do about that.”

“Fffffuuuuuck,” Joe breathed, trying not to crush the phone as his anger built.

“They’re building a case to try them both as foreign combatants, Joe,” Marcus continued. “If the Attorney General agrees, they’ll be facing a military tribunal.” Marcus paused. “I need eyes on this, Joe. I know you’re pissed off, but I need you keeping an eye on things.”