Chapter 2

Another school day had passed, and Caitlyn still did not show up for art class. It was absolutely not like her to be late, or to be absent at all. She was an exemplary student; one that accomplished excellent grades, was well liked by the teachers, and even had positions in the student council before.

As the class ended, Ray and Nikolai stepped out of the front door of the school, ignoring the veritable tide of kids and teenagers that streamed all around them like a flowing river. The two of them trudged on the snowy ground; it was deep in the Ber months. Though the world had been getting warmer in the last few decades, New York was still one of the colder places, and the low temperatures would be obvious as soon as one saw the misty breaths that everyone had. Some of the students would just go home immediately and be with their families for the night, while others would stay out longer. Maybe they'll play games in the computer shops, or have basketball matches in the nearby courts.

As for Ray and Nick, their mind was set towards something else. Not games, not even the thought of going home, at least not yet. Caitlyn was not answering their texts and calls, which was also quite uncharacteristic of her. She always replied within five seconds of receiving a message, and would be quick and concise with her answers, never wasting her text space with too many words.

Caitlyn lived a few blocks away from school. Unlike Ray and Nick, who were from working class families inhabiting the suburbs surrounding New York City, Caitlyn came from a rather wealthy clan, the Vanburens. The Vanburen Corporation was a world leader in the technology sector, with its primary facilities being hosted in Silicon Valley, though it also had offices all over the coastal states and Western Europe. Caitlyn's mother and father did not mind that her friends were from... less affluent backgrounds; in fact, they liked it this way, as it made sure that Cait was not a spoiled like her older sister, or her cousins, who screamed and raged whenever they didn't get what they wanted. Her parents came from poor families, and had built their company from the ground up with sheer cunning and determination, as well as some luck.

As they began to walk towards the estate in which Caitlyn lived in, Nikolai, who was no less than six inches taller than Ray, put an arm over his friend's shoulders. He was quite protective, and would throw hands with anyone that teased the Ray for his mismatched yellow and green socks. 

"I'm worried.", Ray said out aloud. He had this conscientious frown on his face, and his eye brows were furrowed in distress. "This is the first time she hasn't answered anyone's texts. Or calls."

Nikolai opened his mouth, but was interrupted by a toddler pointing and laughing at Ray's socks, which were... brightly colored and did not fit together. He immediately stuck his tongue out at the kid, and the mother that was with the toddler spoke sharply at her child, telling him not to point at other people. "So.", Nikolai picked up after that rude interruption. "Where were we?"

Ray sighed, as Nikolai has apparently quite forgetful too. "I said... I'm worried."

"Nah.", Nikolai answered, ruffling Ray's hair rather playfully. "I'm sure she's alright. We'll just check on her to make sure that my hunch is correct."

"... why didn't we portal to her place again?"

"Because... The house is filled with cameras, as she told us once when we visited. I can't, you know, be accused of breaking in."

"Right..."

"Either way, we should hurry up and see if everything is alright with her so that you can be at pea- gaaaaaah...!"

At that moment, a piercing headache struck Nikolai, forcing him to get down on the ground. It was like a metal spike was being driven into his head. He then groaned in pain as he fell upon a conveniently nearby bench.

"Nick!", Ray said, worried. "What was that? Are you okay?"

"It's Caitie.", Nikolai croaked, falling into Ray's arms as he found his strength momentarily leaving his body from the intense headache. "She's... she's..."

"She's what?"

"The G-men in black... they're dragging her off..."

"Where? Can you portal is in there?"

Nick rested his head for a moment, massaging his forehead to lessen the pain that he was feeling. "Give me a minute, my head is on fire. I think I had a ministroke."

A few seconds passed. "Alright, let's go in that alleyway, and then I'll open the portal..."

Earlier...

"Where are you taking me?"

A black girl, no older than 17, had been bound with cuffs and shackles in the back of a truck. She had been gagged with a piece of tape on her mouth, and her surroundings had become extremely cold. The floor of the truck's back container had become coated with a thin layer of ice; it was like it there was a whole winter condition in there. She was separated from her surroundings by a divider that kept her from attacking the driver and his partner, both of whom were rather big and buff men armed with taser batons.

Caitlyn struggled in her bindings, angrily stomping at the metal container that kept her abilities contained. "Don't you know who I am?! I'm Caitlyn Vanburen, and my parents will not be pleased when they find out that I'm missing! You two skinheads are gonna be in so much trouble!"

No answer.

"Bring me back home you idiots!"

No response. Her captors were ignoring her completely. They had been quiet for all this time, even when she had used her ice powers to defend herself earlier. It was like they felt no pain, no emotion. They never even looked her in the eye. It was as if they were mere automatons...

Right now

"You sure you can make a breach right now?", Ray asked Nick with a tone of concern as he watched his friend struggle to stand up. There was no one in the alley, and the trash bins provided ample cover from prying eyes.

"Yes! I don't care if it hurts, we need to save her now!"

"Right, right."

"Okay." Nick readied his hand, which began to glow again. He concentrated, focusing on what he had seen in his vision. There were a lot of metal bars, screams of pain, and the muffled discussions of men in lab coats and expensive suits. And then... one cell, with their friend Caitlyn imprisoned inside it. She was crying, wearing nought but a white prison dress.

A few seconds passed before the breach opened. It was purple and blue, just like the energy that emanated from Nikolai's hand. It was not a perfect circle; it was more like a irregular shape, one that someone could expect from spilled liquid. On the other side of the portal was Caitlyn, curled up in a fetal position.

"Ray!"

"On it!"

Ray immediately sprung into action, sprinting forward in front of the portal. He focused his attention on Caitlyn, moving his hands in a circular motion as he telekinetically tore apart the shackles that held down.

She was standing up now, arms held up for her to be taken from the cell. Ray wasted no time as he made an inward motion with his hands, pulling Caitlyn towards himself... just in time for Nikolai to collapse on the ground. The portal closed, but at least their friend was now safe.

"Caitie." Ray held her in his arms, patting his friend's head as she wept in relief. "It's okay. We got you."

Nikolai got up from the ground, still rubbing his forehead in pain, but was alive and well nonetheless. He stepped forward, gathering both of them into a group hug.

Caitlyn held both of their hands before shifting to a serious expression. "Let's go to my other place first, before I answer any questions.

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

"What happened?", Ray asked. "Where did they take you?"

"All I remember was getting ready to leave for school when these two skinheads ambushed me right outside the door of my home.", Caitlyn said in reply. "They had taser batons. I tried to fight them off, but... I couldn't."

A pause. "When I woke up, I was in a prison cell. It wasn't just any prison cell, though. It was built for someone with special abilities. People like us."

"So...?"

Cait looked down on the dusty floor of her attic. "There were at least dozens of other kids in there, all of them being special in one way or another. The scientist that examined me said that I was a special case, because I had something called... a marker for Multiple Awakening. I don't know what it means..."

"I think I know.", Nikolai said, munching on some peanuts while going at it. "You remember when we got these powers for the first time, right? One day we just got them, together... You got ice powers, I have portals and energy, and Ray got the Force, all at the same night. I think that is what that scientist meant by this Multiple Awakening."

"Makes perfect sense.", Ray nodded. "Anything else?"

"Well... There was this old lady in the same cell as I, though she died an hour before you guys saved me. She was really wierd, but she said something... she said that the 'everything is wrong'."

"Huh.", Nikolai crossed his arms in response. "There's a pandemic and you got kidnapped. Can't get any better than that."

"What now, though?", Ray asked with a sober expression. "You were captured by people who are interested in those like us. It's only a matter of time before Nikolai and I get targeted too. I just can't believe the government

"We should go to the police.", Nikolai said, his eyes starting to shift colors in a rainbow sequence. "Tell them that there is a group out there hunting mutants. We're protected under the law, right?"

"I don't think-"

"Come on now, it's their job. We're American citizens too!"

Cait fell sullenly silent, and then scoffed. "Fiiiiine. Don't say that I didn't warn you that the cops won't be of use..."