An eventful summer

by Baldur

Summary:

Teenagers are tested for mutant powers and offered a scholarship to a special school.

Chapter 1

An Eventful Summer

The boy was standing on the steps of the brownstone frowning. The weather was good for June in NYC, it wasn’t raining, there was just enough breeze to feel nice, and it wasn’t too hot. He was a little short for a boy but he’d only just turned fourteen so he had time to catch up to his taller friends. He had black hair on his head in a chaotic mop and black eyes in a pale and serious looking face. His name was Rick Leitner and he was depressed. As he stood there frowning, his friend walked up and waved a hand in front of Rick’s face and said, “Hey, why the long face man?”

“I got a scholarship to some school up in The Bronx,” Rick muttered disconsolately.

“Yeah? So why are you frowning? That’s good news right?” Bobby was honestly puzzled.

“My grandparents can’t afford to send me anywhere else while my older sister is in College,” Rick said in tones of imminent doom.

“I still don’t see the problem dude,” Bobby shrugged.

"It's an all boys school!” Rick wailed.

“That sucks dude,” Bobby sympathized. “I know something that’ll cheer you up though.”

“Yeah?” Rick was skeptical but willing.

“Yeah! A trip to the Forbidden Planet store! I got some birthday money and so do you. Where better to spend it than the Mecca of all things geeky?”

Rick finally smiled, “Yeah ok. Let’s go.” He stepped on to the sidewalk and they started walking together. They could have run the whole way; they did enough running together that a mile was not enough to make them winded. Today though they were in no hurry so they walked to the subway and rode it into Greenwich Village, the tangled area on the southern tip of Manhattan that was home to, among many other things, the Forbidden Planet store.

The building was huge. It contained the current issue of any comic still in print, back issues of most and many out of print. It had dice, trading cards, every RPG you can imagine and more board games than you knew existed. It had miniatures, hex and square grid maps, and science fiction books in the hundreds if not thousands. They spent hours just looking around and each left with a large bag of goodies they couldn’t wait to take home and a large grin.

As they were heading back to the station they heard a voice say, “Don’t turn around! Put the bags on the ground along with your watches and any cash you have on you then you can go.” They heard an ominous click, and a second voice said, “Don’t even think about running or we’ll stab ya both.”

The boys took off running. This, more than the exercise, is why they ran together often. So that when they needed to they could accelerate and hold the pace as long as needed. They heard cursing as they accelerated and turned a corner at full speed. Rick sneaked a look behind and seeing two large individuals racing behind him he gripped his bag so as not to let anything spill and sped up. Bobby sped up alongside him and they dodged around people and leaped obstacles. After about 5 more minutes they were certain they lost the two guys and slowed back to a walk. The grins came back.

“That was awesome dude! We passed a bike messenger!” Bobby was ecstatic.

“No way! Those guys ride seriously fast!” Rick was wide eyed at the thought.

“Yes, way. I saw him when you were dodging around that Village Voice kiosk. We so did it. We rock dude.” Bobby looked thoughtful now but still happy. He walked closer and lowered his voice, “The Empire City Guard is doing free mutant testing as part of a goodwill thing. You know, to promote the idea that being a mutant isn’t a bad thing.”

“So?” It was spoken with careful nonchalance.

“So they said that anyone who tests high will have a chance to join!” Bobby was enthusiastic and it showed clearly in his tanned face and brown eyes. “Imagine us working with the Empire City Guard!”

Rick scowled at his best friend and also lowered his voice. “First, I just turned fourteen and you did the same only a month ago; we are too young to join a super team. Second, we aren’t mutants.”

“Are you sure about that Rick?” Bobby looked at him.

“What d’you mean?” Rick demanded looking up and down the street.

“I mean every time we go running you have to stop after and pour sand out of your shoe and sometimes at school you’d shake it out of your clothes changing for gym.” Bobby sounded matter of fact.

“Yeah so?” Rick sounded defensive.

“So we’re in freakin’ Manhattan and we run on the Lower West Side. Where does the sand come from?” Bobby leaned in, “I think you’re what they call a Manifestor. You’re making that sand.”

“Who cares? It’s just sand. You don’t see any heroes named Sand Boy do you?” He sounded bitter now.

“Hey, you might manage more than that with training and just that is enough for the bigots to hassle you. If you were part of a respected team, even a junior or probationary member, they wouldn’t let them bother you. I know we’re a bit young but this is when you first start showing abilities and they KNOW that so I think we should go.”

“If I’m getting tested, so are you.” Rick said. “How did you hear about this anyway? It’s not like they’d advertise openly. They’d have picket lines and H1 attacks on whoever showed up.”

“Hey, I was planning on it. There might be some pretty girls there. Besides, I kinda think I might be one too.” Bobby said sheepishly. “I heard about it while searching sites for info. I happened to get my hands on the IP addresses for some .mut websites. I dunno how many other ways they advertised but if we are the only ones who show up then so much the better huh?”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, well I keep up with you right? Sometimes I even pull ahead; and we did just pass that dude on a ten speed. Both of us. I know that’s why we started running together so bullies and such would get lost in our dust but man this was different. We left them in the dust and we aren’t even breathing hard. It wasn’t super speed or anything, cars still passed us but those messenger dudes ain’t slow.” He smiled, “So yeah I’m going too and for more than the girl watching opportunities.”

“Okay, so when is it?” Rick came off the steps and finally smiled, “The women on that team are pretty spectacular. Worth going to see it by themselves.”

“It’s tomorrow at noon.” Roberto answered with a smile.

“Want to stay over tonight? We can watch the anime we bought and decide on codenames.” Rick asked.

“I think you just want help with all the stuff your grandpa has you do as chores but yeah count me in.”

Later Bobby said, “Hey if your grandpa is the one getting paid to be the super, why are we the ones fixing this vent?”

“Well sometimes I think it’s because he is kind of old but mostly I think he does it because he can. I’ve been learning a lot though and I’ve been figuring I can do this for a living after school. At least unless I got shot for being a mutant or something.” Rick answered.

“Come on man! Stop being such a pessimist. Think about being a superhero and in the ECG. All the girls, the fame, the girls, endorsements deals, and did I mention girls?” Bobby sounded eager as he screwed the butterfly screws back into place.

“Haha, I think you did.” Rick shook his head; he never knew what to say to girls anyway so it was just as well that they generally ignored him. “Come on, let's go watch MD Geist.”

The next day they left before Rick’s grandpa got up so he didn’t send them to rewire a doorbell or something. Then they hit McDonald’s for breakfast. After they ate we went over to the Headquarters of the Empire City Guard.

It’s a beautiful building in Neoclassical mode with columns out front. They entered and made the short line in front of the receptionist. She smiled at them and asked, “Purpose for coming here today?”

“Uh, I uh, we’re uh…” Rick was staring. The receptionist seemed to him to have acres of cleavage and his brain was swamped by hormones. He managed not to say what he was thinking but nothing else got out either. Bobby interrupted, “We’re here for the free testing. He’s Rick, I’m Bobby.” He smiled back and extended his hand. The receptionist shook his hand and called someone on her speed dial, “Hello? More people for testing. Two boys about twelve or so.”

Rick found his voice and interrupted to say, “We’re both fourteen!”

She smiled and amended herself, “Two fourteen year old gentleman here for testing I meant. Yes? Okay I’ll have someone lead them back.”

A twenty-something guy led them back through a door and into a little room with lots of chairs and two girls in the corner. The girls looked up at them and giggled then started whispering. Rick steered Bobby over to the opposite corner and they waited.

A woman came in wearing a lab coat. I recognized her as Doctor Thunder, the Gadgeteer and leader of the Empire City Guard. “All you follow me and we’ll begin.” She led them deeper into the structure and down a level into what looked like a large gym, “We exercise in here and I think that here we can get a good basic idea of what powers you may have, if any.” She pointed to two doors off to one side; if you need to change the lockers are through there.” The two girls headed off to the doors and Doctor Thunder led Bobby and Rick over to what looked like a Nautilus machine on steroids.

“I’ve altered this machine so that any of you can use it and it should work fine as the first test. Grip the bar and pull it up. The way it is currently set the weight will go up with each repetition; the first rep will be fifty pounds. Strength is the main determinant of Exemplar level and easily quantified so we start with this. If you don’t know what I mean, don’t worry. After the testing we’ll give you an overview of the basic power categories and go into detail about any that you actually have. Now who wants to try before the girls get here and who wants to wait for an audience?”

“I’ll go first,” Rick offered.

He was shocked at how easy the first pull was, he didn’t feel any real resistance until the fourth pull. He stopped after only six but when the Gadgeteer checked she told them he had topped out at a thousand pounds!

“Yeah!” Rick jumped and punched the air. Then the door opened and the girls came through. They looked like they picked their workout clothes as much for fashion as anything. One was wearing a lavender halter top and matching sweatpants and sneakers, the other was all in red but otherwise a mirror image. She had on a well filled red sweatshirt, matching spandex shorts and sneakers of the same shade. “We’re ready!” the one in red announced.

“Okay, come over here to the strength machine so you can all introduce yourselves before we continue.” The brunette in red was Maria and the brunette in purple was Rhonda. Then Bobby got his turn at the machine and I saw the look on his face as he started pulling. “How could we not notice this?” I asked the leader of the ECG. “I mean you’d think we know right?”

“Not necessarily,” she said. “It’s entirely possible that your extra strength was there but when it works well you still have control of how much to use. Have either of you tried to lift or carry anything heavy or gotten into a fight?”

“We usually avoid fights. Neither of us is large and after getting creamed a few times we made it a point to get in better shape by running in our spare time so we could leave bullies in our dust. Yesterday though we did that a little too well so I agreed to come with Bobby to get tested because running faster than a lumbering hulk with no forebrain is one thing but passing a courier on a ten-speed is something else again.”

“Definitely. Okay it looks like your friend is finished let’s see what weight he finished with.” She went behind the machine and when she came out she told him he had lifted a full ton at the last. He looked shocked and she patted him on one sweaty shoulder. “Don’t worry, this is why we are doing this so we can get emerging mutants like you proper training so you don’t injure people accidentally. If you had fought those bullies yesterday it could have turned out badly for all of you but fortune smiled on you as well as them.” She looked at the girls, “And possibly on these you ladies. Which one of you is next?”

While they whispered and decided, Rick thought about what that guy’s face would look like if he’d punched him with his full strength. It made him nauseous. Then he imagined the MCO showing up and how they’d react and he felt worse. ‘Man I’m glad the Guard had this idea,’ he thought. While Rick was preoccupied the girls sorted out who was first and Maria was grabbing the bar.

Rick watched Maria lift. She was pretty and those shorts looked hot on her. Then he heard a giggle; Rhonda had been watching him watch Maria. ‘Oh man!’ he thought. ‘I was totally busted checking out her friend’s ass!’ Rick blushed and looked away waiting for her to say something.

“Also one ton!” Dr. Thunder announced and I looked back. Maria was puffing and sweating but still managing to look hot rather than overheated. She also looked shocked. “But I just came with Rhonda as moral support!” She exclaimed, “I never thought… I mean I’ve out-wrestled her during sleepovers but I never… and she said she did say lifted her brother’s barbell in one hand…” Doctor Thunder interrupted, “You are clearly a mutant my dear but don’t worry we’ll get you trained properly and once you are old enough you’ll have a place here as long as you’ve kept your nose clean and learned what Whateley has to teach you. We are going to need new blood eventually and we should provide leadership and opportunities to the next generation. Especially in the city we are responsible for protecting.” She continued, “Speaking of responsibilities and protection, if at any time you feel the least bit odd I want you to tell me. If you feel hurt or extra hungry or anything out of the ordinary let me know, okay?”

Rhonda giggled again, “She’s always hungry.”

Maria blushed and nodded, “Lately I have been. My dad said it was just puberty. Is that like a mutant thing?”

“It can be. Energizers always eat a lot and some other types eat more than normal for Baselines.” Doctor Thunder replied. “Baseline? Energizer?” Maria asked. “Baseline is the word we use for those who are not mutants. Much better than “Normal” because that implies that we aren’t.” She created a forcefield briefly, “I’m an Energizer and forcefields like this are one of the normal things Energizers can do. Supercharging their bodies to lift more and run faster is another. Once testing is over I’ll go over all the basic power categories for you along with more in depth info on whatever category we decide you fit into best.” She smiled, “Now Rhonda I believe it is your turn.”

Rhonda started lifting and shortly the good doctor announced, “Twelve hundred pounds. All of you are solidly past Baseline, especially for your age.” As she led us over to a treadmill she announced, “You are all hereby accepted as probationary members of the Empire City Guard. If you do well in the school we’ll pay for you will be granted a place in our ranks.”

“Even if all we can do is manifest sand?” Rick asked.

She smiled kindly at him, “Even if that were true, yes. It isn’t however; you are solidly above Baseline in strength as well. All of you should remember there are no useless powers; even Baselines can be heroes so no matter what your powers you too can be heroes. Any power can be used positively if you are creative enough.”

Rick doubted that he could come up with a use for making sand appear in his sneakers but he didn’t want to say anything out loud. He was feeling more than a little lame as they took turns sprinting as fast as they could on the treadmill.

Being the fastest if only by a hair boosted his spirits a bit. His top speed was 40.1 mph; a top speed that beat Bobby’s by .1. Rhonda was slowest at 30 mph and Maria was holding steady at 39 when her stomach started growling audibly. Rhonda giggled and Dr. Thunder insisted we break for lunch right then.

“We get to eat at the same place the heroes do?” Rick asked, excited.

“Yes, and you’ll get to see how much Energizers eat too.” She smiled at Maria, “We Energizers eat like horses but if you’re an energizer you’ll never be fat.”

‘She was definitely correct about that.’ Rick thought as grabbed a tuna sandwich and some milk. ‘Her tray is as piled with food as can be and I think Maria’s matches it.’ Then he heard what was by now a familiar giggle and turned to look at Rhonda, “Why do you giggle so much?”

“Empathy.” Rhonda replied and giggled.

“She has a warped sense of humor.” Maria replied, “But she is also an Empath. That's why we decided to come today. She started picking up feelings from people in school and at first we made a game of it but as she got better we realized it wasn’t just good guessing so we started researching carefully and heard about this. She was scared to come alone so I agreed to get tested too. Watch out for her; she might develop Telepathy next and know exactly what you’re thinking.”

Rhonda poked both boys and giggled, “I don’t need telepathy to know what most boys are thinking. That’s why I giggle. If you had to deal with all the horniness pouring off the boys we know you’d giggle too. It’s either be amused or start swinging.”

Laughter echoed behind them and a voice with a noticeable New Jersey accent said, “You tell’em girl! That’s the spirit!” She introduced herself as Heavyweight, the heavy hitter of the team. Both Rick and Bobby found her beautiful but intimidating; she was taller than either of them and looked in much better shape.

After lunch they played games against the computer and tried to solve complex problems with equations that were new to them. “These are only the most basic of mental tests I’m afraid. I was hoping to learn more but I can’t say anything for sure. Maria might be an Exemplar/Energizer instead of just an Energizer but I can’t be sure yet. Let’s jump straight to testing your physical endurance then try to see if we can get you to manifest some sand dunes for us.”

“Hey, Dune might not be a bad codename right?” Rick asked.

“I like it.” Bobby said.

“It’s short, easily pronounced, and related to your power,” Doctor Thunder said, “All good things.”

They could all jog on the treadmill for more than an hour at a steady 25 MPH. Doctor Thunder made notes and documented that none of them had a history of inventing anything. “We don't have any Psychics here Rhonda so unfortunately we can’t help with that at all. But on the bright side it will make you all the more valuable as a team mate once you are trained. Can you broadcast as well as receive?”

Rhonda blushed at the idea of broadcasting her emotions to other people, “No, I just receive fortunately.”

Doctor Thunder noted the fact of Rhonda’s Empathy then nodded, “Okay let me set up the cameras then we’ll have Dune try to produce sand.”

Rick leaned in to Bobby and whispered, “What if I can’t do it?”

Bobby whispered back, “It’s cool man. You haven’t been trained yet. No reason for you to be able to do it on command yet.”

From the other side of the room Rhonda moved towards him, “It’s okay Rick. I worry about my power too. If you manage to create some sand you’re doing better at control then I am and if you don’t then you’re no worse.”

“Thanks Rhonda.” He was wondering what it must be like to receive emotions from people around you whether you wanted to or not. “I’m sorry if my worry was, uh, you know, bugging you.”

She smiled, “It’s okay. Just do your best at this and then we can move on to the real test. Telling our folks.”

Doctor Thunder said, “We can have some of our staffers call for you. If you think it will be bad news they are experienced at telling unpleasant truths or talking to mutant fearing people.”

They all smiled at that. Then Rick frowned and spoke up, “My folks are dead. You’ll have to call my Grandpa.” He was pointedly not looking at Rhonda’s face as he said that. He concentrated on creating sand. The area he was in was ringed by various cameras and other sensors. There was a platform with a clear container that he was supposed to aim for. Nothing appeared in the area so he concentrated harder.

“Hold on a moment I’m getting error readings from some of these sensors.” Doctor Thunder called. She moved forward and opened a panel on the side of one and sand came trickling out.

Rick blushed, “Sorry, I guess my aim was off.”

“It’s fine. This happens fairly often at the beginning. I can fix them and at least we now have proof you are manifesting sand. Alright now it's explanations and answers time. Follow me."

She led them into another room with a whiteboard. There she told them about all the basic powers and went into detail on Exemplars, Manifestors, and Energizers.

"Any questions?”

“None I can think of right now.” Rick answered. The others shook their heads.

“Alright. I’ll get our people to call your parents or grandparents. Come with me.” Doctor Thunder led them from the room.
Rick had no trouble with his grandfather. Once the old man realized he wouldn’t have to pay for anything for schooling at Whateley he was more than happy to let Rick go.

Bobby had even less trouble with his folks. Once Doctor Thunder laid out how it was they were committed to him learning to use his abilities as best he could and proud that he would have an opportunity to join the ECG.

The ladies unfortunately both had problems, very similar problems. Both their families were prejudiced against mutants and refused to even let them come home at all. Not even long enough to pack a bag. The boys were shuffled out and a lawyer called in. Rick wasn’t sure exactly what happened but both girls ended up in the care of the ECG with Doctor Thunder and Heavyweight as their legal guardians. Rick only heard that in jumbled form from Maria. She came running out of the room crying and he held her somewhat awkwardly as the taller girl cried against him. He found himself agreeing to go with them to Whateley and to let her cry on him anytime.

“Really?” She asked tearfully. Both Rick and Bobby assured her solemnly that they’d go with her and be her moral support. Then they repeated it to Rhonda and Dr. Thunder after she brought them.

 

“That’s a nice thing for you boys to do.” The head of the Empire City Guard smiled at them and added, “You boys go home and pack. We’ll meet you here tomorrow at 9 A.M. sharp. Then we’ll get you all on a chartered flight.” She turned to the girls, “In the meantime we’ll be escorting you home to pack along with some of New York’s Finest. Grab everything you even think you may want. You won’t be back.” She paused briefly then nodded grimly to herself, “And if perchance the MCO is their waiting let us handle them. We have the authority to do so and the power to insure they follow the laws of this country.”

The next morning the boys were ready. They appeared at the doors with two suitcases each. Bobby's parents were there to see them off but they were the only ones. Lioness led the boys to the ECG garage and to a heavily modified H1 Humvee.

 

The girls showed up as they were packing, "Good things boys always pack light,” Rhonda said. She was trying for humor but her voice was brittle, "We are going to need a lot of room." Each girl had suitcases and boxes piled near them.

"Well I'd be happy to help you put it in the Hummer." Bobby said and Rick nodded solemnly. “It looks big enough to accommodate all of our stuff.”

 

“It is.” Lioness agreed, “You can also leave some stuff here. We’ll store stuff you don’t want to take to your dorms.”

The girls quickly conferred and some of the pile was sent back. The rest was stored in the Humvee shortly after.

"We're going with you and we’re getting allowance money so we can help," Rick added with a tentative smile, “Just in case you do forget to bring something.”

 

"That's so sweet," Lioness smiled at the boys and added, "You all have an account set up at the Whateley bookstore so you can buy uniforms and anything necessary for classes. They might be a little shy of pocket money though at least until the semester officially starts though so I'm sure they'll be glad of a treat or two on you. The nearby town of Dunwich is small but has surprisingly good sweet shops and restaurants and the people are used to students like yourselves."

The girls were smiling at them and Rick felt uncomfortably like a steak being examined by a butcher but when Bobby spoke up he nodded. "We'd be happy to treat them as our funds allow. Maybe we can get school jobs?"

"It's encouraged from what I hear but I don't know if they're available during the summer. The Dean of Students should be meeting us at the Berlin airport. I'm sure she'll be able to answer all your questions. Let's get you all loaded up. We're on a schedule."

After they were all seated she continued, "We'll be meeting the plane on its way back from Florida with another student. She's got a power that makes her noticeable so her folks are sending her in early. I don't know any more than that but I'm warning you so you won't stare or act shocked just in case she looks," Lioness paused briefly, "very different. It can happen to anyone of us when we manifest and the last thing she needs is flack from her own kind. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." they replied in ragged unison.

When they got to the airport she parked and they walked over to the charter terminal where a plane was already waiting. A woman in a security guard uniform met them. She talked with Lioness in private briefly then Lioness led her over, “This is Wanda Barrett from Whateley security. The school has sent her and a partner, who is still on board the plane, to escort you and the other mutant on your way to the school. Please don’t give her any trouble. Remember you are representing us, so keep your noses clean if you ever want to be full members!” With that Lioness hugged them all and left, misty-eyed.

Once on the plane Wanda introduced them all. “Kids, this is Laura. Laura, this is Rick, next to him is Maria, and these two are Bobby, and Rhonda. Fasten your seat-belts, we will be in Berlin, NH before long.”

They took off and for a while everything was calm. Rick noticed the zone of heat and humidity around the newcomer. “Hi,” he said. “We are all going in early so we should get to know each other. I’m guessing this heat is why you have to go early?”

“Yeah. It’s awful! This stupid mutation ruined my life.” She went on to volubly and bitterly detail all the inconveniences her powers had brought her. Rick thought she was going a bit overboard. She at least had two parents who still loved her and her father could afford Whateley. Still he doubted she’d appreciate hearing that. He listened to all of it and then told his story and why the four of them were heading in early. When she heard about the troubles the girls were having her cheeks turned red and he suspected she was now feeling silly about her previous complaints. He was about to talk about his hopes for getting a job at Whateley when he heard Rhonda gasp. He looked at her to see why as the plane veered sharply to one side.

“Oh crap!” the co-pilot said and started trying to get the plane back on course. The pilot fought him for a long minute then the copilot stopped fighting and slumped in straps.

The two security guards drew their sidearms. Wanda put her gun to the base of the pilot’s skull while her partner Matt checked on the co-pilot. “Asleep,” Matt said, frowning.

“Put us back on course now!” Wanda shouted at the pilot.

He laughed, “Go ahead and shoot! I know Whateley Security uses frangible bullets on airplanes to avoid poking holes in them and I’m Exemplar enough to handle those.”

She shot him several times and he did nothing but laugh, “I guess you had to try. Now say goodnight Gracie.”

Matt suddenly slumped and Wanda realized he was a psychic as well. She used her training to try and prevent him from forcing her asleep but only succeeded in delaying him. Her last thought was to hope the kids would be okay.

Laura, hearing the exchange, remembers Wanda telling her about the bullets and how they are safe to use even at high altitudes because they shatter on hard surfaces but would still penetrate a human target as long as it wasn’t armored.

The kids were watching wide-eyed and looking scared. They all hoped she’d win whatever struggle was going on in her head. ‘If we had more training or experience we might be able to do something,’ Rick thought to himself. ‘As it is, I don't know what I can do, that won’t crash the plane.’

When Wanda fell to the floor suddenly and started to snore most of the hope went out of the five teens.

“I guess this is why people who want to grab mutants want to do it before they get to Whateley,” Rhonda muttered. “If I had training I might be able to stop him.”

The pilot laughed, having heard her, “You are right as far as you go! There is more to it though as you’ll soon learn.” He chuckled nastily, “First a little nap for all of you though.” As Rhonda watched her companions fell asleep one by one. She was able to fight it a little when it was her turn and she sensed she was stronger than he but he had too much of an edge in skill and at last she passed into the unnatural sleep as well.

They woke up in a small auditorium. They were chained at wrists and ankles to their seats in the front row. Wanda and Matt were there and feeling just as helpless as the kids.

They were in the front row facing a stage with a podium and microphone. Rick quipped, “I usually sit in the back row at these things so the principal doesn’t see that I have my tie crooked.” Rhonda giggled at that and hearing it made him feel better too. He was actually relaxed when the man came striding out of the wings and up to the podium.

“I call myself Dr. Incubator,” the man said. He was dressed all in glossy black, from his mask to his boots to the high collared cape behind him. “I do that because I take young mutants and put them through a forced growth process. The ones that survive are worthy of being on the forefront of evolution.”

‘Survive?’ thought Rick and he gulped. He heard Matt and Wanda struggling in their bonds. The man turned to look at them, “I see we have two members of Whateley Security here. Even though you are Baselines we won’t kill you. We will put you back to sleep until we are done. Then you can escort the survivors to Whateley. We approve of Whateley in principle you know, we just don’t think they go far enough. The training we have here may kill one third of our “students” on average but those that survive are the strongest and most adaptable. A few even join us in our work afterwards.” He gestured and their charter pilot came out. His face was bare so they recognized him but he was in a different uniform now. It was all matte black with a phoenix on the chest in shades of red and yellow.

“John here was one of our sleeper agents. He joined us after surviving the worst we could do to him and was allowed to be rescued. We had two sleeper agents adopt him and surreptitiously backed his education and training as a pilot. He brought us a fine catch and now has his choice of staying with the core group or getting a new identity and becoming a sleeper agent again.” The mad doctor then hugged John who smiled insanely at them all.

“Time for another nap everyone!” He pointed at Rhonda, “You’re much more than an Empath but without training you can’t fight me effectively and you might get injured trying so why not just let me knock you out? I promise nothing will happen to you until you wake up.”

Rhonda took a deep breath and started calling him every bad word she’d ever heard. She knew he couldn’t be trusted and he knew she knew. As the others slumped unconscious one by one she cursed him as creatively as she could manage. The only thing that stopped her tirade was the unmistakable satisfaction he felt at her reaction. She stopped yelling and started trying to guard her mind as best she could. Unfortunately it wasn’t good enough.

 

Chapter 2

Rhonda woke up slowly. She was awkwardly crouched in a confined space. 'Oh my gawd!' she thought to herself as she remembered what happened. 'I'm going to die,' she thought as straightened up. 'I'm in no shape to pass a hard gym test, much less some mutant 'survive or die' test.' She surveyed her surroundings; she was in a steel tube with blank insides, a grill under her feet and open tubes under that, above her was a light, a camera lens and a speaker grill. 'Oh great,' she grumbled to herself, 'I get to die on camera.' Water started pouring in from below and she started beating on the walls of the cylinder with her fists and shouting, "Help!"

"There's no one that will help you but yourself." A sinister voice called from above. It scared her so much she peed a little in the water that was now rising over her feet. "Isn't killing me enough? Do you have to humiliate me first?" She shouted back. "Are you broadcasting this you bastard? Or are you just getting your jollies from seeing me naked?"

"You need not die. Just transcend your current limitations and you will be able to free yourself. Empathy won't save you. Reach out for more. Your companion Roberto, or Bobby as he calls himself, is pushing his strength to the limits and may yet free himself. Of course he might just tire himself out and die faster but if he does he deserves to. Which are you Rhonda MacIntyre? Are you dead wood to be left behind as mutants claim their rightful place? Or are you one of the strong? Show us what you can do or die in your watery tomb."

Rhonda punched and kicked at the door holding her in but nothing worked until with a click it opened and Rick let her out.

In another cylinder
Laura woke up with a start and banged her head. "What the fuck?" She muttered then it all came back to her.
She looked around the cylinder noting all the features, "If you're trying to drown me you have a surprise coming fuckhead." As the water slowly rose she grabbed some of it and threw it at the door. The door groaned but stayed shut. She listened to what the voice told her, it wasn't done for her benefit she was sure, but he might give away useful information even if he didn't intend it. She leaned against the back at thought. 'I need to find the latch. If I hit it just right I'm sure I can force it open.'

She raised more water and moved it around until it was almost slipping from her grasp then sent it against the outer shell seeking the seam where the cylinder opened normally. "Aha!" She called out having found it. Smiling, she sent more water along the seam looking for the latch and finding that she hit it with water as hard as she could. On the third try it snapped and she stepped out gratefully.

 

In yet another cylinder
Bobby woke up quickly and took stock. 'I'm naked!' he thought, 'And sealed into some weird tube thing.' The voice from overhead spoke and he listened to a reiteration of their crazy manifestation then shrugged. If he was as strong as he thought he should be able to batter his way out. Eventually he did that just and was glad to see that Rick and the girls were okay.

In cylinder #4

Maria wondered if they'd done anything to her when she woke up and discovered she was naked. However after checking herself as well as she could she put that out of her mind. 'I need to concentrate on getting out of here first.' When the voice from over spoke she listened, "Yeah you tell yourself that. I don't believe it. What survival purpose does my being naked and apparently on camera serve? Never mind, I don't expect a straight answer to that. Anything else you want to say or gloat over?"

"We do have the best interests of the race at heart. You evidently don't trust us or our word and that's fine we aren't doing this for praise but I saw you checking yourself and I want to assure you that no one took advantage of you while you were unconscious. We just stripped you naked and stuck you in this cylinder for the first part of your test."

She rolled her eyes and thought to herself, ‘Of course he probably means that. Irony is wasted on him and so is sarcasm.’ The water was reaching her knees just then so she concentrated on possible ways to escape.

 

In the final cylinder
Rick woke up disoriented. He was leaning against something cold and hard and his feet were wet. He opened his eyes and looked around. 'I'm sealed into some sort of tube,' he thought, 'and I'm naked!' It was all steel from what he could tell and the wet feeling was because water was bubbling up from below through a grating. When he looked up he saw light, a camera lens and a speaker grille. He tried creating sand but it didn't stop the water flow.

 

“A little sand will not help you now. Reach for more power, reach for more strength, reach for a miracle. Transcend your limitations or die here.” The voice spoke the sinister words in a creepily excited tone.

“Why are you doing this?” Rick shouted. “This is wrong! No matter what your goals are, this is wrong, it’s evil!”

 

“The good doctor does important, necessary work and we are his support organization. Yes, he sometimes kills people but the end justifies the means if the end is survival. And all of us are people who not only survived one of his little tests, but found new strength from the experience, and want others to have that epiphany.” There is a pause then the voice continues, “We force mutants to realize their potential or die. We may seem evil but the world is not black and white and some day you may agree with us. We could have killed you all while you slept but that is not our purpose. You will only die if you are weak or stupid.”

Rick beats on the opaque lid in front of him as the cylinder slowly fills from pipes by his feet but it doesn’t open. He pushes with all of his might and nothing. He panics briefly then forces himself to be calm. He concentrates and some more sand appears but not in the right place. A few more tries just produced sandy water.

“Water seeps through sand all the time, you know. You’ll need more than that to escape. If you can escape that there is a way out past all the locked doors and guards. Freedom can be yours if you can just get this box open. Fail and it will be your tomb.” The voice intones. Rick realized that the speaker was watching him and that the cylinder is probably only well lit for that reason. He imagined being trapped there in the dark and shivers. “I have to hold it together!’ he thinks to himself. ‘I need to get free and help the others.’

 

Rick strains his brain looking for some solution. ‘Maybe I have powers I haven’t tried yet?’ he thinks. ‘It’s possible. They weren’t able to test for anything I didn’t already know I had and some mutants have a variety of powers.’ Meanwhile the water is creeping upward and has made it up past his knees. He starts trying everything he can think of and hopes that Bobby will wake up and free the rest. He doesn’t want to chance that however and furiously tries to do various things to the water. “Move!” he shouts and concentrates but nothing happens. He tries to call forth an energy blast but nothing comes out.

“Oh come on, you’ll have to do better than that if you want to live!” the sinister voice chides him.

 

Rick gets angry and focuses his rage on the water, he realizes it is a bit irrational but right then he hates water with a passionate fury. He tries to beam that fury into the water and something happens!

The water starts bubbling and at first he thinks it’s boiling but it’s not getting any hotter. The level starts dropping slightly even though more water is coming in and Rick smells ozone. In a flash of intuition he realizes what he is doing. He is separating the water into Hydrogen and Oxygen. He concentrates and tries to speed up the process. ‘At least I don’t have to worry about air,’ he tells himself as a plan forms in his mind. He would later realize that too much Oxygen is as dangerous as too little.

As he destroys the water more flows in and the air pressure inside increases. Applause sounds from the speaker, “Bravo! You’ve found a new power. It may not get you free but it looks like it will keep you from drowning.” Rick keeps his smile to himself; it seems to him that the man behind the voice is not thinking creatively enough. ‘Thank you Doctor Thunder’ he thinks, ‘I just hope I manage it in time to help the others.’

After a while that seemed endless Rick’s ears popped and He started pushing on the door while continuing to denature the water as fast as it came in. The door popped open and he stepped out hurriedly. He looked around to see who else was free. Nobody else was in the room and all the other cylinders were closed. A closer look showed only one of them was intact though. The one closest to him had several small holes in it and water was pouring out of the lower ones, the next one over was intact, the third had several fist sized dents, the fourth one over was enveloped in a cloud of steam.

A laser beam poking a new hole in the nearest cylinder reminded him of what his first priority should be. He knocked on the cylinder, “It’s me Rick. I’m going to try and get you out of there so don’t shoot for a minute okay?” He heard a muffled response and hoping it was a yes he stepped in front of it and looked for a way to open it. It was only meant to be secure from the inside so he easily had it open and Maria rushed out into his arms. He hugged her then blushed at the feel of her nakedness against him. “I need to go rescue the others.” He said while disengaging.

“Yes, of course.” She said, embarrassed. Then there was the groan of tearing metal and Bobby forced his way free.

"Good to see you made it out too!" Bobby called just as the steam wreathed cylinder popped open with a groan of stressed metal.

Laura stepped clear of her cylinder as Rick went over to the last remaining cylinder and freed Rhonda. Rhonda also gave him a hug and he felt extra embarrassed because he knew she could feel his emotions.

"Okay. We're all out, what next? I don't know if you all heard the same stuff I did but the guy gloating at me said there'd be a machine gun outside the door. Did any of you hear any different?"

"No," said a voice from the ceiling, "they didn't. We said the same to each of you, at least about routes out. There are two choices, try to force the locked door and face the men with machine guns or take the tunnel. But you'd better decide fast because the water hasn't stopped and the tunnel is low."

They all looked at the tunnel. It was set in the wall opposite the door in a corner. It was about three or three and a half feet in diameter and the bottom was at floor level. Water was pouring onto the floor from the five open cylinders and the tunnel was getting its share as well.

"Rhonda, can you use your Empathy to see if there is anyone on the other side of the door?" Rick asked.

"I think so," Rhonda replied.

"I can check too," Laura said, "My telepathy will get more info if I can get working." The two girls splashed through the water to the door.

Meanwhile Rick sloshed over to the tunnel and bent over to peer inside, "No lights in there at all that I can tell."

The girls came back looking grim. Rhonda spoke first, "I could feel two of them and they are eager for bloodshed."

Laura nodded, "I only got a glimpse of one of their minds but I can confirm and they do have a machine gun mounted on a tripod facing the door. I'm afraid we'll have to try the tunnel and hope whatever is in there it's better.

"Okay then who is first?" Bobby asked.

Rick looked at Maria and she nodded, "I think it will have to be me," she said. "I'm the only one who has a blast right? So I'm the only one that can attack danger at a distance. I need to be in front to use it though." She looked fiercely at the two boys, "Don't be watching my ass or anything as I climb in though!"

Both boys promised not to do anything like that. Rhonda giggled and said, "Rick should be next."

Laura looked shocked, "Why?"

"Well I think Rick should be second. He seems to be taking charge and doing pretty well at it. Also from what my little voice in the cylinder said he's a Warper as well as a Manifestor and Exemplar. He can deal with more things than the rest of us and if we need his sand he should be close enough to manifest it in front of Maria." Rhonda answered.

"Well then you should be next." Bobby told her.

"So you have a better sight in front of you than Rick's butt as you crawl on your hands and knees?" Rhonda asked with a smirk.

"No! I mean because your Empathy could detect people coming and it seems more reliable than Laura's telepathy. At least with estimating numbers. So you should be next to warn them if you sense anyone ahead and Laura should be last as rear guard."

"Well I'll agree to guarding rears but I hope nobody has to go to the bathroom." Laura smiled at the others, "Anyone want to admit peeing in the water before you got out?"

The others all vehemently denied it but Rhonda blushed as she said it.

Maria got down on all fours and crawled into the tunnel splashing as she went. She was trying to figure out how to emit a more useful light when she heard Rick enter. She started moving forward again so he wouldn't bump into her. "You may wish you weren't right behind me Rick. I had the chili for lunch."

Rick laughed easily, "That's the least of my problems, don't worry about it." After a brief pause he said, "If I ... bump into you please don't get upset. It's just dark."

It was her turn to laugh, "Like you said, that's the least of my problems. If it happens I'll probably be the one at fault. I'm trying to figure out how to make a light beam that's more like a flashlight than a laser and I keep stopping while I concentrate."

"Want us all to stop while you experiment?" Rick asked, it would let the water get higher but if they got light it would be a lot easier to navigate and see any possible traps as well.

"No, not just for that," Maria said, continuing to crawl forward.

"I have a feeling that we shouldn't stop anywhere for long." Rhonda added.

"Okay," Rick agreed. "In that case, go, but be careful. There may be traps ahead."

Shortly after they were all in there was a sudden boom and a splash and the last of the light vanished.

"Everyone ok?" Rick shouted, "Say so one at a time if you are and what's wrong if you're not."

"Maria ahead of you and I'm okay. I'm stopping now until I hear you say go."

The splashing from ahead of him actually stopped just as she started talking and Rick's hand brushed her toes before he could stop.

"Rick, I'm okay and stopped."

"Rhonda okay."

"Bobby okay."

"Laura okay but I almost wasn't. A block of stone slid down fast to cover the entrance. I yanked my toes out of the way barely in time."

Rick spoke up again, "Okay, I'm glad nobody's hurt and we really aren't any worse off. We're actually better off because we don't have to worry about drowning. Rhonda, if you get more feelings like that let me know, alright?"

"Sure!"

"Start moving again Maria. It doesn't seem wise to stay in one place too long here." As they started moving again he wondered if Rhonda had a little bit of Precognition. "Any luck on the light Maria?"

"I have something I want to try," Maria replied.

There was a noise as her laser fired off down the tunnel. It was followed by a distinctive odor. Rick heard a giggle from behind and an embarrassed "Sorry" from ahead.

"Heh, don't worry about it. You did warn me." Rick was nonchalant about her breaking wind, he didn't consider it a big deal and he didn't want Maria to feel bad.

From farther back came a query, "What was that?" and Rhonda dissolved into giggles.

"Nothing important." Rick replied. "We're still working on light." Rick split some of the water into oxygen and hydrogen hoping it would help mask the smell.

After a short pause to regain her composure Maria tried again and this time she managed something other than a laser. She started glowing all over and became immediately visible but indistinct. A softly glowing outline with two dark patches. "Eeep!" Maria squeaked and the light went out.

"You're getting there! Keep trying." Rick encouraged her and tried to hide how sexy he had found that brief exposure.

Before she was ready for another try there was a click as the stone under her right hand moved down an inch. She stopped and Rick bumped his head into her ass. His blush invisible in the darkness, he quickly backed up a step. "Sorry," he apologized, "Halt everyone," He said to avoid a pileup then concentrated on the darkness ahead of him. "What is it, Maria?" He figured it must be serious because she hadn't reacted to his bumping her or his apology.

"I think I just hit a trap trigger. The floor under my right hand moved." She sounded scared.

Rick took a deep breath. He wanted to be sure he sounded calm. Leaders had to always sound calm he'd heard. "Alright. Don't move or shift your weight." He turned to look behind him even though it was too dark to see. "Laura? Can you have the water press down to keep it from registering when she lifts her hand? If it hasn't gone off yet it is probably set to go off when her weight comes off it."

"No," She sounded sad and scared as she said it. "I'd have to be able to see it to even try."

"Okay. Then this is what we'll do." He took another deep breath and continued, "Maria? I'm going to toss you forward. Hopefully you'll land past the effect of whatever the trap is. Once whatever it is happens we'll deal with it and then follow. Wait for us okay?"

"Okay. I trust you Rick." She still sounded scared but Rick realized she meant what she said. She was counting on him to lead them out of this deathtrap alive. That actually made him more scared. 'I must not fear' he told himself then a memory burst in on him and there in the darkness he silently recited the Litany Against Fear from the Frank Herbert book.

"Alright, here we go." His hands shot out suddenly and boosted her forward as strongly as he could. There was a loud click and long splashing sound. Then there was a 'ZAP!' and a blue flash. Rick had the afterimage of a forked piece of metal higher than the water level seemingly seared into his retinas.

"Are you okay Maria?" He asked as he waited to see what would happen. "Yeah. That was some trap. I was facing away and I'm still seeing spots." She replied.

"Well I'll try to pass it without triggering it. Was your hand closer to the center or the edge?" Rick asked as the spots faded?

"The center, definitely." Maria said. "I'll wait here for you so we can continue as a group."

"Okay, everyone crawl with your hands and feet to the outside as far as possible for the time being. Okay?" Rick waited until he heard everyone agree then took his own advice as moved forward slowly. No further zaps were heard as they moved forward to where Maria waited.

"Oof!" She laughed as Rick bumped into her ass again, "Do that too often and you'll have to marry me." She teased, then laughed along with the rest as he started stammering apologies and denials in a squeaky voice. "I'm just teasing. I won't hold it against you I promise."

Rick took a deep breath, he wasn't usually that easy to fluster but the darkness and the traps were getting to him. "It's okay," he said smiling into the darkness, "I can take a joke. Did you hear what I told the rest about traveling?"

"Yeah." Her voice took on a teasing tone again, "I'm spread wide at your orders. Shall I start moving again or did you have something else in mind?"

Rick heard Rhonda giggle behind him and was glad his blush was hidden by the darkness. "Onward and hopefully outward but carefully. Rhonda, did you get a bad feeling before the last trap?"

"No. I would have said something if I had."

Rick shook his head, "Too bad. It would be nice to know of them beforehand but we'll make it anyway regardless of what obstacles they throw in front of us. Okay Maria, all ahead slow."

They crawled on and when the silent darkness got to be too much they talked. Rick told them about meeting Bobby in first grade and how they became friends. Bobby added tales of them working on things in his grandfather's apartment building. The girls were impressed that they could replace electrical outlets and rewire doorbells. Maria and Rhonda took turns talking about growing up next door to each other and Laura described growing up in sunny Florida. They got to know each other and became relaxed and friendly. There were further awkward bumps in the dark for all of them but these lost most of their awkwardness and became jokes and teasing opportunities.

As they crawled slowly forward the tunnel got colder and colder. At first they didn't notice they were listening to each other and feeling for traps as they made their slow way forward but eventually they noticed.

"Is it just me or is this water getting colder?" Maria asked.

"It's not just you," Rhonda replied. "It was warm when we started but if this continues we'll soon be doing naked belly crawls over ice."

"Well I can fix that at least," Laura stated. "As I move water it gets hotter and eventually becomes a cloud of steam. It's the same effect that surrounds me with my own personal heatwave. I can keep us all warm I'm sure. I'm sending a wave forward, tell me when it passes you Maria and I'll curve it around and back to me. We won't freeze and my power never makes it any hotter than one hundred and ten degrees Fahrenheit. That's hot but even baselines can deal with that much heat and at least we're dressed for it."

"Thanks Laura," Rick said, "We're lucky you're with us."

Soon they were warm again as Laura enveloped them in a slow whirlpool. They started chatting again, the darkness helping them to open up to each other more easily. Rick talked about the problem he and Bobby had with the larger, more athletic kids at school and how they had decided that if they couldn't fight they'd run and started practicing every day.

Bobby described the trip to Forbidden Planet and the run that had convinced them both that they were mutants.

Laura told of her last dental appointment where her dentist had realized what she was and fortunately, instead of turning her in, had told her mom about it. He'd helped further when asked and recommended Laura's mom bring her to see an old friend of his from college days, the, now mostly retired, Dr. Awesome. She told of all the tests he'd given including calling in a friend with psi powers who confirmed her weak telepathy and suggested she had some undefined esper talent in addition to her telekinesis of water.

"Wow, that was a lot more comprehensive than our testing," Bobby told her.

"Yeah, I didn't get any psi testing at all," Rhonda said wistfully.

"Well the ECG told us they weren't equipped to do it right and that Whateley would do it properly when we arrived but..." Rick's voice trailed off but he didn't need to say the rest, but then we ended up here.

"Hey Laura? Can you turn off the heat for a minute? I'm starting to get a little too warm," Maria asked.

"Sure, I'll be glad to rest a bit. If anyone starts getting chilly again just let me know." She stopped circulating the water. She hadn't noticed the cold or the heat because the temperature around her was always pretty warm. "Bobby, you're in range of my normal aura so you might not get any cooler, sorry."

"Don't worry about it Laura. I'm just happy you kept us from being popsicles," he replied.

Suddenly hidden fluorescents lit up and they could all see each other again. See far too well considering the awkward positions they were in. After so long in complete darkness their eyes watered and hurt. As they blinked and squinted a voice spoke from overhead.

"Congratulations on getting this far. You have escaped drowning in the test of Water and made it through the cold, dark, silence of the test of Earth. We will be watching to see how you deal with the next test but you may be worthy of joining us."

"We will never join you madmen!" Rick shouted back.

"You may change your mind once you have been thoroughly tested and either transcended your old limits or died," The man's voice intoned.

"We won't," Maria replied and the others agreed.

"We shall see. We shall also see how well you face the next test!" The voice laughed maniacally until with a click it shut off.

When their eyes adjusted they moved forward again and were able to see and avoid the last few pressure plates. Those tapered off and were gone soon. Now that they were visible they weren't of much use.

"Have you noticed they don't use a gimmick once we prove we get past it? It's like they can alter the place on the fly," Bobby said.

"I don't think that's it or we'd be having more trouble. It's like those pressure plates. If they can be spotted easily you put them in the dark section but not elsewhere. It saves resources that way." Rick replied.

"So it's a cost saving measure? That's kinda funny," his friend replied.

"Well it's not like they're Goodkinds or anything and all this must take a lot of money and a lot of time too. Most of those who escape," Rick was thinking 'lives' but he didn't want to say it, "will tell the authorities so either this place is really well hidden or it has to be recreated every time they do this. That takes serious money."

"Aw, crap!" Maria said.

Everyone tensed, "What is it, Maria?" Rick asked.

"It's getting warmer now and Laura can't help us with excess heat like she helped us with the cold. Get ready to sweat buckets people and I hope your deodorant is up to the job." Maria said grimly as she crawled carefully ahead.

"Eww!" came from the other girls.

Soon they all felt it. The heat not only made them sweaty but more tired as well. "Anyone know how much heat a human can stand?" Rick asked, "I don't think we are close to that yet but if we have a lot of room to spare it would be good to know."

Rhonda answered, "Yeah I think we do. The Air Force did a study because the cockpits were heating up. They only tested Baselines but they were able to take up to 235 F or 113 C with no lasting effects. This," she briefly gestured out of habit, "is maybe around a 100 so far but nowhere near that and we aren't baselines so we should have more tolerance. I'm thinking that unless they literally roast us we'll be fine." She paused, "I'm not sure how long we could take that max heat but I'm sure we'll do at least as well as the pilots and they survived it."

"Wow, that's above the boiling point of water!"

"Yeah but then none of them were actually in water at the time. If we have to crawl through boiling water only the regens will make it." Rhonda said, "And even then it depends on how fast they regenerate."

With that grim thought in their minds they moved forward as fast as possible and silently.

Suddenly there was an "eep!" and a giggle from Rhonda. "Bobby just licked me!"

Bobby laughed into the brief shocked silence, "I wanted to make you giggle again to lighten the mood. We were getting too grim and fatalistic. If we're going to make it out of here we'll need all our wits about us and a positive attitude."

"Okay, that makes sense but..." Rhonda paused blushing.

"But why your butt?" Bobby asked.

"Yes! Why not tell a joke or something?" Rhonda didn't sound mad, just curious.

"Because it's beautiful and it's been waving in my face for half the day. Even when I couldn't see I was imagining it. Sorry, but I just couldn't resist any longer." Bobby sounded embarrassed but also pleased.

"It's not beautiful, it's fat!" she protested.

"Hell no! What ever gave you that idea? It's beautifully rounded, as good as Jennifer Lopez's. You wouldn't say she had a fat ass would you?" Bobby argued.

"Well no ..." Rhonda said.

"Then you don't either. No Latino boy would ever complain about that ass. I'm lucky you didn't insist Laura come after you."

"Maybe I should have." Rhonda said but not like she really meant it.

"Hell no!" Laura chimed in. "I wasn't going to get in this damn tunnel unless all you perverts went in first." She laughed, "Although I have to admit the view from here is impressive and has been getting more so since the lights came on." Her tone was teasing, "I'm forced to conclude that he really does think you're beautiful but I'd watch out if I were you. Boys are notorious for poor impulse control and he's obviously a butt man." She snickered, "Oh look! His blush travels all the way back here."

The temperature continued to rise as they crawled forward so Rick decided that they should try to get rid of the water that was still with them. "Hey the water level seems lower doesn't it? There might be a grate or drain up ahead. Laura, why don't you try to push the water forward while I crack as much of it as I can? You can't make the air any hotter than it is with your power and maybe we can avoid turning into stewed prunes down here."

That got a chuckle out of them and Laura started pushing the water forward as Rick separated it into hydrogen and oxygen. Rick stopped after a minute though because he worried that he was adding too much oxygen to the air. He remembered vaguely from classes that too much was as bad as too little and they didn't need any more problems than they had. A few minutes later only a trace of water was left in the tunnel. They moved forward through the steamy mist Laura's power created as a by-product and tried to ignore the still rising heat.

Maria stopped again and so did the rest. "Are you hoping I'll bump into you again or is something wrong?" Rick asked.

Rhonda giggled but Maria answered seriously, "I can see a stream of fire up ahead. What do we do?"

Rick thought back to Dr. Thunder's lecture on powers and considered everything the group had managed so far. They were all pretty tough but fire? Out loud he asked, "Is it a continuous stream Maria?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell how thick it is?" he asked.

"Not from back here." she replied.

"Can you get closer without burning yourself?"

"Yes, at least a little closer," She said.

"Okay, move up until you can see it well or until the heat is noticeably worse. Don't get too close though we just need better intel before I decide which course of action we'll take." He tried to sound completely confident and hoped they believed it.

Maria moved up and they followed behind. She stopped and he could see the glow of the fire around her and it was noticeably hotter. He wanted to curse but didn't think he should waste the time. "Okay, what can you see now?"

"The fire is pouring from the top of a squarish room that's about two feet wide. The ceiling is higher than the tunnel's but the floor is level with the bottom here except flat. The floor is one that I'd hate to crawl over on my stomach. It's a thin wire mesh that the water would have poured through but would act like a cheese grater on soft flesh and catch hair painfully. On the bright side the tunnel doesn't continue past it. I can see a room on the other side with toilets lining one wall." Maria said it all in an admirably calm voice. If she doubted Rick could think of a way past this obstacle she didn't show it.

"Oh thank god for the toilets." Rhonda said. "I'm about to bust open. Five minutes more and I wouldn't have any choice but to go anyway."

"I guess we need to get through in less than five minutes then," Rick chuckled as he said it. “Okay I have several ideas but I need you to try something for me Maria.”

“What is it?” she replied, “I’m willing, whatever it is.”

“Thank you. Remember that lecture Doctor Thunder gave us on the lucky day I met you?”

“I’m not sure it was lucky but I certainly remember it,” came her reply.

“See if you can pull any energy from all this heated stone around us. It’s a thing some energizers can do. Just don’t try it on the fire!”

“Yet, you mean. Surely if this works you’ll want me to try that next.”

“Only if it works. I don’t want you to take any unnecessary chances of burning yourself. I wish I could eliminate ANY chance of harm to you but I can’t do that until we are free of this maniac’s maze. Rhonda’s bladder notwithstanding it’s probably a bad idea to spend too long in one spot especially if they can see us. So are you willing to try?”

“I am already. If this doesn’t work then what?”

“Then we somehow get Laura to swap places with you and have her try to call the water back up through the grate and then we dash through the steam as fast as possible. It’s a sucky alternative though so if anyone has anything better let’s hear it.” He paused, hoping someone had a brilliant idea and was just waiting to be asked. No one came forth with a better idea but the air cooled noticeably before starting to heat up again.

“It worked,” Maria said with a note of wonder in her voice. “I can pull in heat as energy. I don’t know if I can do fire but I’m willing to try.”

“Want a kiss for luck?” Rock asked with a smile.

Maria chuckled, “Not on any body parts you can reach. I will take a rain check for later though.”

“Sure, next time we’re face to face I’ll kiss you.” He grinned, “On the lips. You don’t have to worry, Bobby’s the butt man not me.”

“Yeah he’s a breast man!” Bobby called out from behind, “And he likes tall women.”

“Shush you!” Rick called and everyone laughed while Rick blushed. It might not have been that funny normally but the tension made the breaks in it all the sweeter and the jokes all the funnier.

Maria reached for the fire tentatively at first. She smiled to show it didn't hurt and started trying to divert the wide stream of fire enough to let someone through. That didn't work, even both hands together only diverted part of it. She took her hands back out and turned to Rick, "I can absorb it but for how long I don't know and worse I can't stop it. Not even with both hands."

"I was expecting that and my plans took it into account but, like so much else about this escape, it'll be embarrassing," he said.

"What else is new?" Maria replied. "It seems to be our fate. Teleporters would be long gone and density warpers would have ignored the machine gun. There are a lot of powers that could help right now but we have to work with what we've got. What's your plan? It can't be more embarrassing than what we've just been through can it?"

"I'll let you decide that. The plan is for you to block the fire with your body and we crawl under you." he told her hoping he wouldn't have to explain in too much detail.

"So? How is that worse? Unless you're worried about me seeing your butt for a change?" Maria grinned at him.

Despite his embarrassment he grinned back, "It won't be my butt you'll be seeing. As you said, crawling on your belly would be extra painful." He paused to take a deep breath and try unsuccessfully not to blush, "We'll be crab crawling face up on our hands and feet."

"What?" came from behind him in shocked tones.

"It will be faster that way than wriggling on our butts over that mesh grating. Once I'm through I can pull people through fast but ..."

He was interrupted by Laura, "Are you SURE this is the best way past this obstacle? Maybe it's the perviest instead? So you get to rub all along her naked body with yours then we have the choice of doing the same or being dragged on our butts across wire mesh?"

"If you have a better idea, any of you, I'm willing to try it. But this one will keep us safe and help charge Maria in case we need to fight somewhere along the way," Rick replied. "Are we all agreed?" he asked.

The others quickly agreed and seeing herself soundly outvoted Laura grumblingly agreed. Maria took a deep breath then leaned into the fire until she was at the square entrance to the next room. She wrapped widely spaced hands around the edge and with a silent prayer to Murphy that he make things go wrong elsewhere today she spread her legs until her feet were touching opposite sides. "Come on in the fire's fine. Just don't think you can get away with anything. Poor impulse control is not sufficient reason."

Rick had been mesmerized by the sight. He gulped when he realized she was talking to him. "What?" he asked and blushed when Rhonda laughed.

"She said no licking allowed! Now go before your schlong gets any longer!" she added.

Rick hurriedly rearranged himself, horribly aware that he was aroused and it wouldn't take an empath to notice the fact. As he started across the hot wire mesh he simultaneously wanted to have as little flesh in contact with it as possible and to not bump into Maria above him.

"Hey, do you want me to hold little Rick horizontal for you while you crawl?" Rhonda asked and giggled, "Only my hand is all hot and sweaty so it'll keep slipping down and being slid back up and sliding down again. Can you imagine how that would feel? My hot, sweaty hand sliding up and down your staff as you ... eep!" She cut off as a loud, meaty thwack sounded.

"Stop being such a tease or I'll spank you again!" Bobby's voice called. "It's hard enough ..." he started when her giggle made him stop and realize what he'd just said.

"It certainly is!" She replied, "But don't get the idea that my ass is a toy you can play with whenever you like." An 'Ooph!' from Bobby punctuated her statement, "Next time you'd better ask before you touch it. Or you'll get more of the same, Capisce?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. I was just looking out for my friend."

"Hmph! A likely story." She grumped.

Meanwhile Rick had scooted forward until he was face to breast with Maria, "Wow," he whispered.

"My dad used to tell me I looked like a cow. Are they really that large?" She replied in a whisper.

"That man should be horsewhipped!" Rick whispered back urgently, "There was never a lady less bovine than you and your figure is truly beautiful. You inspire my awe and admiration." He whispered back then slid forward more until he was looking into her eyes.

"Is that true?" She whispered, searching his eyes for any falsehood.

"Yes!" he whispered back sincerely. "Those aren't the only two emotions you arouse in me but both are prominent and growing."

She smiled, "Then I claim my rain check. Kiss me!"

He did, then he slid the rest of the way out and clambered to his feet. He shouted, "Next! Let's move it people! She can't keep it up all day!"

He heard a giggle and a faint, "Unlike some people." as he turned to look around the new room.

Along the left wall were five toilets but he saw only one roll of toilet paper. He rolled his eyes, they were getting petty now. Or maybe it was misdirection? They get you worrying about tp or lack of privacy and you don't notice some larger boobytrap?
He made a mental note to check them out carefully. The toilets only took up a small part of the wall of the large square stone room. Rick figured they'd been put so close together as a form of psychological warfare or did they consider it testing? The far wall had a large steel door with a wheel lock such as you see on the hatches in submarine movies. To the right stretched a table with 5 Gallon containers full of what he hoped was water and lots of different kinds of food.

He turned back to call in what he had seen, "They have food and water as well as toilets!"

"Ew, all in the same room?" Laura said from the back.

"Hey, you don't have to eat any." Rick replied. He watched Rhonda struggle to crawl under Maria briefly then grabbed her arms, "Here, let me help." He pulled her out in a swift motion then set her down on her feet. "Check the toilets for boobytraps before you use them."

"That's silly. Who'd boobytrap a toilet?" She asked.

"These people are crazy, you can't know what they'll do." Rick reached inside and yanked Bobby through fast. "No time for sightseeing man. A quick pit stop and we are going again."

Bobby chuckled and headed for the water, "You getting possessive already man?"

"I don't know what you mean dude," Rick replied. "I'm just trying to hurry things along," he winked at Maria then reached under her to slide Laura and onto her feet. "There, that's everybody. Can you make it out on your own Maria?"

"Yeah, I think so, but I wouldn't mind a hand." Maria replied.

Rick pulled her out but didn't set her on her feet. In a brief show of Exemplar dexterity he managed to end up carrying her in his arms, "I'll be happy to carry you anywhere you need and for as long as you like."

"Why thank you kind sir!" She put her arms around his neck and smiled at him. "I could sure use some water. I'm not hungry for some reason but I think I've sweated at least a gallon and should replace it as soon as possible."

"Your wish is my command, fair lady." He carried her over to the table and she grabbed a gallon jug and opened it. After a long drink she stopped, "I feel like I could drink it all but I've been camping with the girl scouts so I know better." She held it up, "Since your arms are full allow me?"

"Surely." He drank as she held it. He got enough to quench his initial thirst then she withdrew it. He smiled and thanked her, without her warning he would have tried to drink it all.

Rick turned to the others and spoke, "Everyone should drink some water but not that much at first. Give your body time to get back to normal." He figured his body was slowly recovering from the heat stress rather well. The room had felt cold when he first got out but felt fine now. He worried about Maria though, she wasn't an Exemplar or a Regenerator as far as he knew. He didn't want to patronize her though so he tried to make his concern general, "We all just went through a lot of physical stress so if anyone is feeling odd or hurt please let the rest of us know." Then he looked down at Maria, her hair was plastered across her head and face with the sweat that covered her liberally but she looked beautiful to him, and he would protect as well as he could.

"Earth to Rick, come in Rick," Maria called.

"What?" he replied.

"You had the oddest look on your face. Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No," he said and blushed. "Do you think it's safe to try the food?"

"Yeah right. That's why you're blushing, sure. You can tell me, after all we've just been through you can tell me anything. You were staring a bit but not at what most boys stare at so what were you thinking?"

"Uh, you have really nice eyes, you know?" Rick felt like an idiot saying it and blushed again.

"Oh," Maria said and blushed a bit herself, "Thank you. After we get out of here maybe we can go on a date or something?"

"Be hard to top this," he replied.

Maria laughed, "I hope you don't try. A nice normal date is what I mean. Pizza maybe?"

Rick smiled, "Pizza it is."

He was thinking about whether to kiss her when he heard Rhonda call out.

“Help!” she said again when they turned towards her. She was still sitting on the toilet, “What happened?” I asked.

“I can’t get up!” she shouted.

“What? But you lifted over twelve hundred pounds! Even if some glue can hold against that much strength you should be able to break the porcelain.” Laura replied.

Bobby went over and grabbed her hands, “I’ll see if I can pull you off. I guess Evil Masterminds do stoop to boobytrapping toilets.”

The now familiar voice from the ceiling spoke, “Well now you should have expected something in this room to be trapped. Even high level regenerators and Exemplars still require food and water, Energizers often require more as their power increases so it seemed that tampering with either would be contrary to our purposes. But instilling the proper caution for the environment, ah that is in keeping with our mandate. We ..." he was interrupted by Laura's shout.

"Yeah right you perverted madman! Your reasoning for the food and water also works for the toilets! Anyone who still has to eat and drink has to go to the bathroom! You are all just perverts getting your jollies watching this aren't you? Are you recording this? Is that how you fund your sick games?" She was red-faced and wild-eyed, literally shaking with anger, "Deny it if you can, you bastard!"

"Well as I was about to say," the mysterious man's voice continued. He didn't sound angry or contrite, he sounded amused, "We left one toilet untrapped. If you were good enough to find it then you deserved to use it. Apparently Rhonda ran afoul of the one trapped with one of the many glues developed by the Devisor known as Mr. Sticky. It could have been much worse, she should count herself lucky. Oh and that's not porcelain. It's a high density ceramic that is much stronger. You should leave her behind, you're very close to the end. You want to go home don't you? Leave her here and proceed on."

"We won't leave anyone behind." Rick said, "We'll find a way to free her and we'll ALL escape."

"You are welcome to try," the mysterious man's voice said and we heard a click, as he presumably shut off his microphone. I was sure he was still watching though.

Bobby tried pulling on her hands and lifting her from the waist and even lifting from under her knees with her arms around his neck (which he enjoyed) but he could not free her from the glue. It would have left skin behind and he didn't want to hurt her. He turned to the others, "Any ideas?"

"I have one but I can't do it until I've eaten and rested. I'll need a lot of energy for it and I'm too pooped to manage a single Watt. Sorry Rhonda."

"Hey, I can wait. Just pass me that water jug and I'll be okay for a while." The gallon jug was passed over to her and Rick repeated Maria's warning. "Yeah, we both learned that in Girl Scouts. I'll be careful."

"I have an idea," Laura started, "it's not about how to get you free though. I don't think you should flush if you haven't yet. Sorry, but we know that the toilet is one of the boobytrapped ones and something worse might happen."

"Oh that's a lovely thought," Rhonda replied, "But thanks for sharing it. I'd hate to see what else their sick minds come up with."

Rick spoke up, "Why don't I carry Maria over to the food so she can be resting while she eats and help you all the sooner?" He carried Maria to the far side of the large room and Laura went with them.

Aside from the gallon jugs of water the table contained several warming trays supported on four legs over two Sterno flames and one with no flames at all. There were plates and bowls behind the warming tray along with silverware. Laura walked around to the far side of the table and lifted the cover of the tray that wasn't being heated. It was a three bean salad.

"Well the food can't have been here too long because this salad doesn't look wilted." Laura said. She held up a plate and looked at Maria, "Would you like salad for your first course Madam?"

Maria laughed, "Yes, please." She accepted a plateful and a fork from Laura with a shaking arm.

Rick frowned worriedly, "Eat up before you faint." He said it needlessly because she was already eating as Laura removed the other lids.

While Maria was eating Laura removed the lids from all the others, "Heh, I think I see a pattern here." She shook her head. "Whoever thought of these has a low sense of humor or strange tastes in food."

The other trays turned out to hold Chili, Baked Beans, Enchiladas, and Nachos loaded with cheese, salsa, guacamole, jalapenos, and sour cream.

"Nothing wrong with TexMex." Rick said.

"I like it myself," Maria agreed, "I'm also hungry enough that if there was a horse roasting on a spit I'd eat the horse."

"Well I don't mind playing server if you don't mind being the guinea pigs." She shrugged at their expressions, "Sure, he said they didn't tamper with the food but can we trust that?"

"I'm too hungry to pass up the chance at food. I'll try some of the nachos next. If I explode or something you'll know they were lying." Maria said and passed her plate over.

"I think we can and I'm willing to put my stomach on the line for my beliefs but I guess I'll have to wait until later as my arms are pleasantly full at the moment," Rick said.

"Oh I think I can manage to feed both of us," Maria said, taking the full plate back from Laura. She lifted a loaded nacho up to his mouth. "Open up."

Rick smiled and opened his mouth. She alternated between her mouth and his and soon the plate was empty.

"I think I want to go first if we have any more tunnels to crawl through." Laura said with a smile as she added three enchiladas to the plate and handed it over. Maria blushed but took the plate.

"Don't worry Maria. I'd volunteer to crawl behind you any day!" Rick said, smiling.

She blushed more and stuffed half an enchilada in his mouth. They shared the other courses in silence. Rick stayed silent and tried to use the time to come up with a way to free Rhonda.

"So?" Laura asked after we finished. "How was it?"

"It was all very good but be warned that the chili is definitely 5 alarm hot." Maria said, "I could use more of everything though. How about you Rick?"

"No I've eaten enough I think but thanks. Maybe we should try this sometime when we aren't being held captive by madmen?"
"You mean me feeding you or me being naked in your arms?" Maria asked, "Because I might be willing to feed you again but once we are out of here you won't see all this again until we've had quite a few proper dates and I'm sure you actually like me for me."

"That's fair enough. I'll be glad to date you under any rules you set once we get free." He grinned then and in a lighter voice asked, "Does that mean I get to look my fill now to tide me over until that distant day?"

She smiled and shook a finger at me, "I think perhaps you should put me down now. There's a clear spot on the table there." She pointed and I set her down. "Thank you for carrying me." She gave me a brief hug, "I just don't want ..."

"It's okay," I interrupted. "I understand. Really, and it's perfectly okay with me." I said as I hugged back, "Let me see if I can help get Rhonda free."

Laura was passing out plates so I took one to bring to Rhonda and walked to that side of the room.

"Food Delivery! That'll be six bucks ma'am, plus tip." I smiled at her and she giggled as she took the plate of nachos and enchiladas. "Wow, I never knew Mexican restaurants delivered."

As she ate I outlined my idea to get her free. "I can crack water into hydrogen and oxygen so I think I might be able to dry the glue to powder and free you but I'm worried I might dry your skin too. You might want to wait for Maria's idea. I can go slow and stop as soon as it's uncomfortable but I figured I'd leave it up to you."

"I'm willing to trust you. Just stop as soon as I say so. Okay?" She gulped.

"Right!" I answered. She looked like she was imagining turning to dust or something but she didn't say anything as I squatted in front of her. "Next time pick one on the end instead of the toilet in the middle; it'll be easier all around." I smiled to show I was kidding. She didn't smile back. I reached out and felt where her thigh was stuck to the seat. I couldn't feel the edge of the glue. Maybe it's a good thing I couldn't, I might have gotten a finger stuck, but it made my plan harder to implement. I wiggled the fingers of my right hand under her as far as I could then concentrated on slow dehydration.

"Uh! I can feel that." she said, "You'd better stop."

I stopped, "Well maybe Maria's plan will work." I smiled and she smiled back a little. I stood up wanting to curse but all I said was, "Enjoy your food. I'll go check on the others."

Everyone else was fine. After four helpings of everything Maria stated she was recharged. Walking over she told Rhonda, "These toilets are constructed the same as normal ones so I should be able to get the seat off the base with a few minutes of lasering at most. Hold still now."

Soon Rhonda was free; well for certain values of free. Maria managed to cut the bolts that held the seat to the base but the seat was still stuck to Rhonda. She could at least stand up and leave with the rest of them however, so they all decided to count it as a win.

The door out was like an airlock door and Rick frowned at it. "The next challenge should be air and the way to it is an airlock. That seems like a bad combination to me."

"You think there will be a vacuum on the other side?" Bobby asked.

"I hope not but it could be or they could lower the air pressure as we cross," Rick said.

"I'm not putting anything past them at this point," Rhonda added

"Okay, if nobody else is hungry or has to use the facilities I'm going to open the doors." Nobody spoke, so Rick spun the wheel and tugged it open when it clicked.

The room beyond seemed to be full of blue gel. He reached out to touch it briefly and it felt like styrofoam. "What the hell is this?" He asked, not expecting an answer.

"It's an Aerogel," came the voice from the overhead speaker. "The lightest solid matter you'll ever see. It is derived from a gel in which the liquid component of the gel has been replaced with a gas. The result is an extremely low-density solid with several remarkable properties, among them its effectiveness as a thermal insulator and its extremely low density. It is typically 50-99.5% air, yet can hold 500 to 4,000 times its weight in applied force. It is your last challenge before you leave. You can't burn through it or bust through it. Not with the level of power you've shown so far. You'll need to either be very clever or very powerful to get through 20 feet of this. Good luck, I'll be watching."

Rick smiled, "I think I have just the thing." He continued, "I really owe Dr. Thunder a big thank you next time we meet her. She was dead on target with everything she said to me." He made motions like he was rolling up his sleeves, "Watch and be amazed!"

Rick stretched out both hands to the blue barrier in front of them and inside the transparent block a shadow formed. It got darker and thicker and suddenly there was a crack! He smiled, "I'm sure it could hold up this sand it was falling on top but all those empty spaces inside seem to be just begging to be filled." As he spoke he kept manifesting sand inside the block. His aim was still terrible he noticed but with 20 square feet as a target being off by 3 or 4 feet was no problem. He made sure he never aimed closer than about five feet from the edge but otherwise used the challenge as target practice.

After about ten minutes he was able to push it away from the door and the way was clear. Well sort of clear because the broken Aerogel was all over the place and looked wickedly sharp. Rick nodded as if he'd been expecting that and decided to use his other idea.

"Laura? It's your turn now. Please inundate the pieces with lots and lots of water. It will keep the pieces from being sharp, just in case." He gestured from the toilets to the door.

"Use the toilets for water?" Laura asked. She hoped he'd qualify that a little.

"Yes, except for the middle one because Rhonda still hasn't flushed." Rick said grinning.

That got a few chuckles and one indignant shout. "Hey! That's just because it's trapped! It might blow up or something. Not because of, of, anything else!" Rhonda was red in the face while shouting then laughed, "Okay, you got me back good for the comments I made by the fire stream. Are we even now?"

"Yep! No hard feelings?"

"None. Laura, can you do it without making it steam before it gets there?"

"I think so. Please move out of the way everyone. If this doesn't work we can pour the drinking water we have left on it."

She gestured and four waves of water rose and raced through the door, merging as they went. About half of it turned to steam on the way but the rest landed where she wanted it. She nodded in satisfaction and more waves followed the first. Soon the Aerogel was softening and when it looked safe enough they marched through. When they reached the far door a new voice spoke again from the ceiling speakers.

In the same computer like voice you get from an automatic voicemail reply it said, "Congratulations! Touching the exit door has triggered this pre-recorded statement." Then they heard the voice of Dr. Incubator, unforgettable even though they'd only heard it once. "You have beaten our test and we applaud you, however many of you survived. Beyond this door there are no more traps, challenges or recording devices. We hope some of you have seen the light and know that we did this for the benefit of all mutantkind. However experience has taught us that more likely you remain mired in a shortsighted view of morality and will alert authorities as soon as you recover your possessions so we are leaving these caves. By the time you have reached the surface we will be gone. Do not despair though. Your belongings should be waiting for you along with the two flatscans who were escorting you. Everything, including them, completely unharmed. They might be inferior but their hearts are in the right place. Good luck in all your future endeavors!"

As Rick opened the door a new voice was heard, "The good doctor asked us to do that but he doesn't realize just how much money setting up a new lair and challenge are. We have sold all of your belongings. The most intimate ones included and your escorts were dumped in Alaska. I hope you are all ready for a desert though. Bye!"

Chapter 2: Chapter Two

Eventful Summer 2

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN, NOR AM I A CANON AUTHOR FOR The Whateley Universe.

Chapter 2
"If I ever get my hands on that bastard I'll squeeze his neck until his head pops off!" Bobby's hands rose in front of him and squeezed in demonstration.

"Oh, I'm so there with you man," Rhonda added. "Before you kill him I want you to hold him up while I kick his balls repeatedly."

Before stretched desert and behind them rose a stone ridge. The opening they'd walked out of was already gone.

"That must have been some sort of teleporter or something. It's probably why nobody has caught the damn bastard yet. We will find him though. I will look for him each summer until I graduate or find him. Are you with me?" He stuck out his hand and the others each put theirs on top. "One for all and all for one!"

"Just like the Musketeers!" Rhonda said smiling.

"I recognize this place," Maria said looking around. "It's Furnace Creek, inside Death Valley National Park. My mom is half Timbisha Indian. I've been here often to visit Grandma during Christmas but never in the summer. It can get to 120 degrees here in the summer!"

Rick has been searching the horizon, "Hey, is that a mirage or is that some sort of hotel or something peeking up over that ridgeline?"

The others all looked, "I think it is!" Rhonda squealed happily.

"Yeah, but we still need water before we go because it looks several hours and a hard climb away and they say you should hydrate every 20 minutes in the desert." Maria replied with a frown, "As Exemplars we might get away with every hour or even two but a hike through this desert with a climb at the end could still kill us if we don't have some water first. Does anyone see any springs?"

"In the desert? I thought deserts had no water?"

"Not really. All deserts have some and Furnace Creek is known as an Oasis of sorts. There are hot springs and even occasional rains here. I'm worried that the building has drained the local water table to supply its guests. If we are where we think we are it's the Furnace Creek Ranch and Inn. Depending on which location that is, it might even be open but first we need to get there and that means water and shelter before we start."

Laura said, "I can feel there is water in the area that would come if I called." She concentrated and a small stream of water came from below and to their right. It boiled into nothing before it got to them. Laura said, "At least we know where to start looking."

They spread out a little and went looking to see if they could find the cave or crack the water came from. "Travel by night because it's cooler?" Rick asked.

"If we can see the resort it shouldn't be that far," Maria replied. "I don't want to wait out here any longer than necessary."

"Yeah, I think I'm a lot more likely to fry." She looked down at her milk pale skin, "I used to try to tan every summer with Maria up on the roof or out at Orchard Beach but I burned even with SPF 30 on." She frowned, "I hate to think what I'll look like out here without any sunscreen unless we find shade soon." She wiped sweat out of her eyes, "I vote we leave as soon as we find water."

"I'll think of something to do about the ceramic stuck to you, Rhonda. Don't worry, I'm on it," Rick called to her.

Rhonda replied from off to the right, "Actually I think it's getting looser." She was pointing off to the right and down, "If we find a pool I think we can soak it off after we all get a drink."

Rick looked at her, and said, "Is this like the bad feeling you got just before our plane got hijacked? I mean do you have a feeling we will find a pool?"

Rhonda looked startled, "Man that feels like so long ago now." She paused then nodded, "Yeah I think it is the same feeling. How weird is that?" She started walking again and the others shared a look then followed behind her.

About 10 minutes later she led them to a cave hidden from above by a shadowed overhang. It would have been impossible to see from above and was even hard to see from as little as ten feet away. Getting out of the sun was a blessing but they were dog tired after everything they'd been through. They all picked a relatively smooth rock and sat panting. The brutal heat made everything an exertion, even walking.

After a few minutes though Rick stood up, "I'm going to explore the cave. If we're really lucky there might be water back there instead of scorpions."

He started walking and Maria called, "Wait up, I'll come with you. It'll get dark in there soon. I want to see if I can manage the flashlight trick. If nothing else I can ..." She paused, about to say 'protect you' she changed it to, "keep you company." She didn't want to call attention to the fact that she was stronger and had powers better suited to combat. She was worried he'd hurt himself but doubted he'd enjoy hearing that or having his girlfriend protect him. She wasn't even sure he'd want to hear her calling him her boyfriend.

Rick smiled, "You are always welcome to accompany me anywhere Maria."

As they walked back farther into the cave they made small talk. He learned about what it was like going to a public Grammar School that went from grades one through six and a Middle School that went from 7 through 9. She learned about going to a Catholic school that had eight grades for Grammar School then started High School with grade 9. They were both faintly surprised that there were two ways of doing it.

"So you're a year older?" he said.

"Yeah but we'll both be Freshman at Whateley. Whenever we get there," she frowned.

"Hey, we will get there. Never doubt it," Rick put a hand on her shoulder, "We got this far didn't we?"

"I wasn't frowning at our chances, I was thinking it's gotten dark enough to try making light again," she sighed. "You'd better move back a little and close your eyes. I'm not sure how well this will go."

Rick put his hand back at his side and stepped two paces away to the other side of the tunnel. He kept his eyes open though, "I bet you get it right this time."

Maria smiled, "Thanks. Here goes nothing." She lifted her arms to shoulder level palms forward, closed her eyes, and concentrated. She started glowing all over at first like she had in the tunnel and Rick was wondering if he should say something when things changed. The light started to recede upwards from her feet and grew brighter as it did so. As Rick watched fascinated on several levels the light slowly continued receding upward and after it passed her knees it started receding from her head down. The light stopped moving down shortly after it passed her shoulders but continued moving up past her hips until it all pooled on her chest. It was as bright as a strong flashlight, more than good enough to allow them to see their footing and notice any tunnel branches or dangers. She breathed out and opened her eyes, "That's as concentrated as I can get it."

"It's a good light," Rick said, "But have you noticed ..." his voice trailed off as he searched for the right words.

"Yeah, I know," she said smiling. "I think I might be losing my ability to be embarrassed though because I mainly just think this is funny." She chuckled, "At least now boys have a good reason to call these 'headlights'."

Rick blushed, "Boys used to say that to you?" He couldn't imagine having walked up to a girl and said something like that. A couple of guys in his old school might have but they knew their teacher would send them home if they tried it.

"Well not to my face but I've heard it said about me." Maria looked at him, "You can't be too surprised. I know boys have all sorts of names for breasts and even if you and Bobby are nicer than most you must know them."

"Well yeah, but we'd never say them in school or to any girl," he shrugged. "I guess you think we're lame huh?"

"No, I think you're awesome and he's pretty nice too," she kissed his cheek. "Now let's keep looking for water."

"Okay," he started walking again and told her about being on the track team and getting Bobby to start running with him as a way to stay in shape and get away from bullies easier. She told him about being taller than all the girls in her class and most of the boys. The cave was longer than they expected and had been sloping down so when they reached the back of it they were well below the sand and it was cool enough that they were hopeful of finding water.

"Some caves like this have pools below because moisture in the air condenses out as it gets cooler and rolls downhill to the bottom." Is the way Maria put it so they kept walking further hoping to find enough to drink and maybe even bathe.

When they finally reached the far end of the tunnel they found a small, clear body of water being fed from underground. It wasn't very cold but it looked clear.

Rick tasted it first, "It tastes fine. I'll go get the others while you drink or wash or whatever."

Maria smiled and said, "Don't worry, I won't do any whatever in the water."

Rick snickered, "Good, after we all drink we can bathe and try to free Rhonda again." He left and soon came back with the other two.

They all drank their fill and washed. After about fifteen minutes they were able to remove the ceramic from Rhonda. Then they headed back to the cave mouth.

"Now that we have water we can head for the resort by daylight. There must be food there." He smiles, "I've even come up with a way to keep the fair skinned Scot from sunburning." He stuck out his tongue, "She might not enjoy it but it's her own fault for being born so pale." He bent to drink himself, it was warm and had a lot of minerals but it was very welcome.

After everyone had their fill of water he explained his idea to Rhonda. "I don't see how sand will keep me from burning," she said.

"Well while you and Bobby got your drinks I practiced and I can manifest it where I like now as long it isn't too far away and in line of sight. It should stick to the sweat we're all producing copious amounts and you can't get a sunburn through it. Enough of it should block the sun completely like zinc oxide. I wouldn't even try it if we had food but we don't so we need to go where we can get it. If you really hate the idea then I guess we could try to wait until night but I think it will work."

Rhonda sighed and nodded, "Well I've had sand in my suit often enough to know how it'll feel and it's better than sunburn everywhere so I agree." She turned to Maria, "But you know how I suck at climbing. How many times over the last nine years of gym class have I made it to the top of the rope or the wall?"

"None. I'll help you all I can. I know that Rick's mostly worried about me and my fast metabolism," Maria replied.

"That's not your fault and I happen to agree with him that potential starvation is worse than a sandy buttcrack," she grinned at them, "but you still owe me a piggyback ride. You got out of it last time but this time I'm holding you to it." She gestured, "If we are going up that ridge across the sand out there I'll be riding up on your back. Otherwise I'll fall and it won't just be a few feet to the gym floor this time either." She frowned briefly, "You can manage that right? I mean I know you're strong enough but will you have the energy?"

"Sure!" Maria said brightly, "I can absorb some from the sun and the heat of the rock face. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Rick decided he'd keep an eye out and carry them both up if necessary.

Rick coated Rhonda thickly with sand everywhere but her face, "I'm hoping that if you keep your head down you'll not burn much there. Fortunately your hair is long enough to block the sun from your head and neck. But you can put this anywhere you worry about. If it slides off anywhere else just tell me and I'll add more." He smiled, "You'll be better protected than us! We might get red despite any protection we get from our ancestry and then you can laugh at us."

Laura added, "Yeah and we'll probably end up just as sandy by the time we make it in."

With that they took off into the brutal heat and fierce sunlight and started walking to the next ridgeline. They reached it panting and sweating and arranged themselves for the climb.

"Your grandma lives here year 'round?" Rick asked Maria incredulously. He found it hard to imagine an old woman moving around in this desert.

She smiled and nodded, "Yup! She doesn't even bother with air conditioning either. It wasn't available when she was growing up and she never bothered to add it in after. They've been here since time immemorial and are fully adapted. The younger generation usually does get A/C but I doubt they use it as much as I would. I just wish we'd had something to carry water in when we left the cave. With proper water and food I'd bet we could walk right through the National Park the long way."

"Well I'm glad we don't have to," Laura said.

Bobby looked up at the sloping ridge, "It doesn't look too steep but if any of you get into trouble just call out. The others will come to help." He looked over to where Rhonda was hanging from Maria's shoulders. "That goes extra for you as you'll be off balance with Rhonda on your back. Let me know if you need any help at all."

"I will," Maria promised. Rhonda nodded tiredly, she seemed to need the ride for more reasons than one. "Let's get started," Maria said, "Sooner we get going, the sooner we finish."

"True. Alright, let's move out," Rick said.

Bobby turned to the smooth rock and punched it at head height. *crack* Once he cleared out the broken stone he had a handhold. He lifted himself up by it and punched higher. In this fashion he slowly ascended. They would climb single file of necessity.

"Laura next, then Maria. I'll go last," Rick gestured her to go ahead of him. She nodded and started climbing.

"If we fall and you try to catch us you'll most likely end up falling yourself," she was concentrating on her footing but couldn't help worrying about him and about Rhonda on her back.

Rick shrugged, "I guess I'm busted. I thought you'd just accuse me of wanting to go last so I could ogle."

Maria chuckled, "I doubt I look that great at the moment and I probably smell worse, besides I've gotten to know you and you feel responsible for us even though we're all older than you, even Bobby by a month or two, and you don't have any more experience at this than we do."

"Well I am responsible for you if I'm in charge," he replied, "That's one thing I learned from my dad before he died."

"I am sure he'd be proud of you Rick, you're doing a great job." She chuckled, "And if you can climb well enough to ogle while you climb I won't even complain."

"What?" he said, startled.

She laughed, "You're fun to tease." She started to shrug then thought better of it, "I told you in the cave I think I'm fresh out of embarrassment, at least where you guys are concerned." Her voice took on a teasing tone once more, "As long as it's me you're ogling and not Rhonda and her big, fat, sandy butt." That got protests from all three of the others and she laughed again.

"Her butt isn't fat!" Bobby called down, "It's just right, J. Lo quality at least. Even if it is pale it's..." he trailed off and Rick was sure he was blushing as well as his complexion allowed.

Rhonda giggled, "Thank you. That's quite a compliment."

They continued climbing in the hot sun and Rick replaced the sand on Rhonda a few times but it seemed like his makeshift solution was working. As they neared the top though he noticed Maria's arms were shaking as she climbed and for the last few steps her legs were too.

Rhonda noticed and once they'd reached the flat ridge-top she said, "I shouldn't have asked you to do that. Now you might not have the energy to get yourself down." She was frowning, "I'd offer to switch but unless the trip down is much shorter than the trip up I don't think I can."

"I can get myself down but I can't carry anyone," Laura said as she lay on the rock resting.

Bobby had been lying flat on the smooth rock but at that he rolled up onto one elbow, "It would be my honor to carry you down Rhonda. May I?" He was looking her in the eyes as he said it so he saw her blush a bit as she nodded.

"I'll agree but please don't tease me because while Maria may have run out of embarrassment I've still got a whole bunch. Okay?"

Bobby nodded, "I won't tease if you don't. Deal?" He sat up and stuck out his hand.

"Deal," she replied and shook on it.

Rick sat up, "Maria? May I carry you down? I am glad you helped Rhonda up but I think she's right in saying you'll need help getting down."

She stayed laying down but looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "You can carry me down?"

"Yeah," he replied, "I may not be as strong as Bobby but I'm still far stronger than a baseline. I can carry you easily and it will be my pleasure. I won't promise not to tease though. You've got some teasing coming." He smiled though to show he was mostly joking about that.

Maria gave a tired chuckle and held out her hand, "Deal."

Rick shook it with a smile on his face. "We'll rest here a bit I think then go down. I'll go check to see if we'll need Bobby to make handholds down like he did on our way up." Rick got up and walked the few paces to the place where the ridge started sloping down.

"I hope not," Bobby replied, "it'll be harder to do on the way down."

Rick called back, "Well my friend you need not worry. This side has natural handholds all the way down to the Inn's back fence and it evens out to a walkable slope halfway down."

"Good," called Maria. Can you see if the place is open or closed for the summer?"

"I can," Rick replied, "It's open. I see people by a big pool but I can't make out too much from up here. Let's get down and get this over with hopefully by tomorrow we'll be at the Academy or back in NYC at least and dressed."

"Oh man, I really want a shower. I smell like a goat and I can't wait to get all this sand off," Rhonda said as she climbed on Bobby's back.

"We all smell like goats Rhonda, it's okay," Laura said.

Maria turned to Rick and said, "How do we do this? I mean with me being taller."

Rick thought briefly then replied, "I think you'll have to lift your feet until I'm over the side, then it shouldn't matter anymore. At least not until we get all the way down."

"Alright," she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her weight forward then lifted her feet off the floor, "I'm ready."

They started climbing down but soon they switched to walking down the sandy slope. Bobby had no trouble switching but Rick needed to use a fair bit of dexterity. He ended up with her arms still around his neck and a hand under each of Maria's knees. She rode his back as he walked down the slippery slope to the back fence.

"We could break in but I think it's best if we just follow this around to a door and ask to be let in. We can pay as long as it's not an astronomical amount so there's really no reason they shouldn't let us stay until Dr. Thunder can send someone for us." He started around the fence to their right, "Come on. We're almost to showers and room service!"

When they reached the doors they caused a huge commotion. the others let Rick do the talking, "We can pay," he panted. "I have a credit card number to give you but we need a phone, a meal, and a room or two. We need to call our guardians to come get us."

Arms helped them to seats in the lobby and a bellhop brought them all glasses of water clinking with ice. "Bless you for this," Rick said after draining the glass in one long drink.

The people clustered around had been asking rapid fire questions and he used the time he spent drinking to think. He also noticed that he and his friends weren't the only ones naked. The staff was dressed but the patrons weren't. Oh, most had sunhats and a few had shoes and fanny packs but none had on clothes. 'This will make it both better and worse,' he thought. He didn't want to mention mutants if he didn't have to but he didn't want to make them suspicious with a story that couldn't be checked out either. "Maria's grandmother lives nearby and we were visiting during the summer. We'd heard of this place and wanted to come see it," not technically true but hopefully they'd give Maria a chance to talk to her Grandma before they asked her anything. "We were driving a dune buggy and it turned over but we knew we were much closer to here than there so we walked in." "You could have been killed you crazy kids!" seemed to be the gist of what everyone was shouting but at least nobody was shouting for the cops, or worse the MCO. Once Rick gave them a credit card number that checked out and signed for a three bedroom suite they were allowed to go and rest. They did have to promise to call Maria's grandma before they fell asleep and Rick truthfully promised they would.

Chapter 3: Chapter Three

Eventful Summer 3

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A CANON AUTHOR OF THE Whateley Universe.

Chapter Three
They moved up to the three bedroom suite where Bobby, Rhonda, and Laura headed for the showers while Maria and Rick headed for the phones. Rick called the ECG from one bedroom and Maria called her grandma from another.

The Empire City Guard was shocked but pleased to hear from them. The guards had also been thrust naked through a different one way portal and landed in Denali National Park in Alaska two days ago. They'd fortunately landed in sight of a Ranger station and were fine now but they'd assumed the teens had landed in the same park but further away. There was a large search going on, both near where the plane was found and in the Alaskan park. However after two days of no traces found and no contact it was assumed they'd perished in some particularly brutal test.

Rick was surprised two whole days had passed. He was suddenly feeling much more tired knowing that. He told Dr. Thunder the basics of their situation and she agreed that not coming out and announcing they were mutants was a good idea. She sighed at the fact that the only resort nearby was a nudist resort but agreed they'd had little choice. She okayed his use of the emergency funds and told him he could use it further as necessary but to be ready to explain each purchase. She would send actual cards and some clothes by fast messenger to the resort and asked that they stay there until collected. She wasn't planning on taking any further chances with transportation. She was planning to go get them personally but there was a current crisis the team had to take care of first. Since they were safe it would be best if they stayed at the resort incognito until the team could collect them. He had a sudden flash of them getting on a Greyhound bus and finding John the traitorous pilot behind the wheel so he agreed to wait right where they were until someone from the team arrived to collect them.

After his talk with her he took a cold shower to keep himself awake long enough to eat and headed back to the main room with a towel around his waist. Maria was just entering wearing a larger towel wrapped to cover her from cleavage to mid-thigh. She smiled as she hung up, "I ordered food for all of us from Room Service. My grandma is willing to cover for us but I'll have to give her the whole story this Christmas. She offered to come pick us up but I don't want to get her any more involved in this. Those bastards are still out there somewhere. Did you get through?"

"Yeah, I did. Dr. Thunder is shipping us some clothes and some credit cards. We can charge things to the room until then but only necessary purchases please. I'll have to account for them when we get back to New York. She is coming for us in person and says it may take a few days so we should sit tight until then." He thought about telling them there was a crisis but he decided they had enough to worry about without adding to it.

After a huge meal they all slept about twelve hours, Rhonda and Maria in one bedroom, Laura in a second bedroom, Rick in the third one and Bobby on the couch. Maria and Rhonda teased them about it but neither boy felt comfortable sleeping in the same bed.

The next morning after breakfast they hit the gift shop looking for anything to wear or at least some sunscreen. They found lots of sunscreen but no actual clothing. They ended up getting SPF 45, and four sets of sun hats, flip-flops, fanny packs, and cellphones with the resort's logo on them and charging it to their room. Attired as well as possible they went and explored the resort for the remainder of the day. The promised cards and new clothes arrived the next day via express courier and they were happy to see them even if they couldn't wear them yet. Something else arrived that day however that they weren't happy to see, not at all. Criminals intent on robbing the resort!

As he stepped into the lobby Rick saw three men with guns pointing them at Bobby. Rhonda was hiding behind him. She looked relieved when she saw him. Rick put a finger to his lips and she nodded. Rick slowly sidestepped to the wall looking around for Maria. He was happy when he saw she wasn't involved. Her only offense was entirely too obviously a mutation and she wasn't as tough as either Bobby or Rick. He slowly stepped along to the wall towards the men as Bobby spoke.

"You've got everything we have already, why not just leave?" His voice sounded weary rather than angry and Rick shared that sentiment. If the gunmen left now he could safely leave them to the reservation police. However the next words out of the criminal's mouth dispelled his hope for any chance of peaceful resolution.

"Well she may not have any money but she still has something we want," the leader said, leering at Rhonda. The others chuckled nastily and grinned as Bobby frowned and clenched his fists.

"I won't let you harm her," he declared. It was a very real threat but the three men didn't know that anymore than they knew Rick was sliding slowly closer along the wall. He was concentrating on filling the guns with sand but was unsure as to how well he was succeeding if at all so he continued to slowly inch closer as Bobby continued to hold their attention.

"Think you can stop us boy? You ain't got no weapons at all and we can tell," the leader laughed at his own humor, followed shortly by his cronies. "That's why we picked this here resort, because we could be sure that no one but the guards would be armed and there ain't many of them. By the time they get here I'll have some hostages and the boys will be having fun with your friend there." He gave a grin that would have matched any supervillain for pure evil and said, "You might as well just give up since we hold all the power here."

Rick was almost even with them now and wondering when he should step away from the wall to be closer still when he heard a female voice, "There are many types of power villains."

Everyone looked towards the voice and there was Maria standing with legs well braced and her fists on her hips. The leader laughed again, "That pose is less effective when you're nekkid you know. If you're trying to scare us then I'm afraid all you've done is add yourself to the list after the blonde there." He gestured with his gun and suddenly noticed Rick stepping quietly forward. He pointed his gun and said, "Nice move kid, if you'd had a gun it might even have worked." Then grinning maliciously he pulled the trigger; unfortunately for him the trigger barely moved and that with an audible grinding sound.

Rick smiled, "Sand in your gun? How could that have happened?" He and Bobby stepped closer and the other two goons found their guns likewise fouled as they tried to shoot. After that the hardest part was not hitting them too hard.

The manager thanked them and comped their stay, refunding everything they'd spent in gratitude. Then he asked them to meet him in his office before the police arrived. "Although I am grateful for your help and I'm sure the tribe as a whole would be proud of Maria for her part in things, it has also come to my attention that you four are mutants. Now I'm not going to call the MCO on you and wouldn't even if you hadn't just saved the resort. I'm Timbisha myself and enough of a student of history to see parallels between how our tribe was treated and how people treat mutants today. However I am going to ..." he paused briefly as if searching for the right word, "expedite your travel to your destination."

Seeing suspicious looks on their faces he hastened to reassure them, "I only mean that it would be in the interest of both you and me that you not meet the police and that we cover up your part in things. I've arranged for my driver to take you to the nearest Amtrak station in my limo. I'm not sure you should head back to your rooms even once so with your permission I'll send my assistant here to pack your belongings and bring them down here. You can get dressed then we can take the service elevator to the garage and meet her in the limo." He gestured to a cheerful blonde in a teal suit, "If you'll just hand her your key cards?"

Rick frowned and thought for a bit, "Well I can't fault your logic however little I like it so we'll agree to go." He handed over his keycard and the others followed suit, "Thank you for not charging us for the stay and not calling the MCO. This might have ended better but it might have ended far worse too." Rick shook the manager's hand and followed him to the service elevator. Once at the limo they dressed and Rick pulled out his new smartphone. "I'll see if I can book us on a train going to Dunwich," he smiled, "Who knows? Maybe a train will be safest after all. I know I'm not anxious to get on another chartered plane."

The others agreed with that. With a train at least you could get off early if you had to without needing a parachute. By the time they arrived they were all dressed and had four tickets and two sleeping compartments waiting for them.

"I tried to get one sleeping compartment for us all," he started, then blushed, "for safety's sake only." Rhonda snickered and he blushed darker then continued, "But they won't do it since we are underage. So we have two sleeping compartments right next to each other and we'll sit together in the dining car. Good enough?"

"More than good enough," Maria kissed his cheek, "You're doing great. When does it leave?"

"Three o'clock. One hour away, it was the soonest I could find one going our way."

An uneventful hour later they were on board storing their meager belongings. When the train arrived it was more full and less luxurious than they'd expected but they were still happy to be getting on and happier still when it pulled out on time with no problems. They all gathered in the boy's sleeping compartment to talk. "I'm glad I stored my sentimental stuff back at ECG headquarters," Maria said and Rhonda nodded. "Yeah," Rhonda added, "otherwise we would have lost it all. As it is we have little enough. I never knew being a superhero would be so hard on the clothes."

Laura nodded, "I agree."

They chatted about possible costumes and codenames and relaxed. It seemed that their eventful detour would be over soon and they were already imagining what life would like at school. Eventually they wound down and headed for the dining car.

"I'm sorry Maria but if we are going to stay under cover I don't think you should go back for thirds," Rick said, frowning and whispering. "I know you're still hungry but people nearby are already whispering about us and I don't think we can afford to stand out. Let's head back to the rooms and I'll go see if they have any place to buy snacks." He hated the thought of her going to bed hungry when there was food but if she ate like a hungry energizer on the train it might lead to much worse.

"It's okay Rick," Maria replied. "I shouldn't have asked. Don't look so worried I'll be fine with two plates full. I could eat more but I don't have to." She smiled, "Thanks for watching out for us."

That night there was some discussion, in both rooms, about whether to sneak over to the other bedroom but, brave as they were, none of them were audacious enough to risk the rejection that might come. It was for the best though, as they would need to be well rested for what came next.