Seeking Straw Dogs (Shade)

The tranining room inside the Sanctuary would have seemed to be not in use if one was to look through the thick, bulletproof glass protecting the viewer and control panels from the dangers within. However, hidden the blackness was an invisible figure and multiply assailant who were presently trying to capture the shadow mutant. The heads of the mechanical figures had large spotlights attached to them to give the shadow fewer places to hide. Shade teleported behind one of the walking flashlights and jagged a knife into back of it, severing its circuits. The figure crashed into a leap of thin metal and wiring. The other tin cans spung in unison to inspect the crash. However, the shadow mutant had already disappeared.

The next robot fell in the same way, then another, then another until only one remained. As its last comrade left, the spotlight swung around and revealed the assassin, still standing behind the heap of metal at his feet. A taser buzzed to life in the metal man's hand as it charged towards the shadow mutant. Shade smiled evilly before his arm blurred, sending a black blade straight into the light. The blade sliced through the cover and smashed into the bulb where it embedded in the 'face' of the robot. It broke into pieces as it fell at Shade's feet.

"Computer, end session." Shade said. The room slowly brightened, revealing the destruction. At the magic moment, the shadow mutant blinked into view with that smirk plastered across his face. Strolling into the control room, he set the clean up program, saved the thermal imaging video, and toweled himself off slightly before grabbing a water from the small fridge. Next, he switched off the lights and 'jumped' into the Foyer of the Sanctuary. His classic nod was given to Lisa who moved to do something secretarily(?). Shade ignored the movement as he headed to the stairs towards his room.

Disappearing into a dark corner, the shadow mutant tried to teleport into his room. However, the room's location wasn't on his teleportation map. That could only mean that his room's lights must be on. But they couldn't be. He always turned it off...to teleport down here. Shade's mind went from cloudy to clear in an instant. Someone must have been in his room. Someone might still be in his room. Who the hell would be in his room and what were they taking? Shade sprinted up the stairs, his grey cloak flowing behind him.

When he got to his door, the shadow mutant was too frustrated to bother with the handle. Instead, he just splintered the door frame. The door swung around, hitting his dresser, knocking his first stolen Fort Knox gold brick behind it. However, Shade didn't notice as he was staring at the blonde haired woman sitting on his bed, his face set in stone.

"I didn't know it was my birthday." Shade said harshly. Although the words were meant as a joke, the tone and stone stare were obvious signs that the shadow mutant was furious.

Shade reamained motionless as the light intensified. His unseen eyes squinted in response as the brightness increased until Pop! Out went his light. The shadow mutant made a mental note to replace that before his bedtime, usually around four or five in the morning. He didn't want those darn nightmares to return and cause him to bleed on his new sheets he had stolen the prior week from a nice bedding store in the local mall.

The intense light combined with the sudden darkness caused Shade's eyes to lack the necessary pupil size to see in the semi-darkness. The hallway light casted a portal of light into the room, turning Shade into a sillotte outlined by the doorway. He could easily slip into the shadows on either size of him and instantly disappear. From there, the little blonde girl resting upon his bed could be dead within seconds. However, the shadow mutant doubted that would sit well with the new management. Whoever that might be.

Shade listened to the woman's talk of recent news. Of course, he knew of them. The entire Sanctuary was a blaze with gossip about the recent happenings. However, it was nice to hear it from a reliable source that wasn't just speculating. The next question was certainly a surprise to the shadow mutant as it appeared to have been asked at a rather inapportiate time.

"...." Shade licked his teeth as if trying to find the correct words for the situation.

"Well, to tell the truth, I have never really tried. Anyone I've ever teleported was either dead or only a piece of them." Shade said with a wicked smile. However, he doubted the woman could see it in contrast to the bright light behind him. At this moment, the mutant moved to the shadows, blinking out of view as his mutation rendered him invisible.

"Why do you ask?" Shade's bodiless voice sounded from the darkness. A chair groaned unexpectedly as the invisible body was lowered into it, facing the blonde woman.

Shade tilted his head in an invisible, inguiring gesture at the woman's reply to instantly volunteered herself as a test subject in the potentially (and probable) dangerous act of teleporting with him. It had been a question on the shadow mutant's mind almost since the time he learned to control the 'jumping'. However, he himself doubted if it was even possible. Shade's mind traveled backwards through time as he tried to recall any jumps that might count as jumping with a person.

During one of his earliest bank heists, the young shadow mutant had tried to teleport an entire money cart. Only half of the cart came with him through the jump. The severed end of the cart appeared to have been sliced preciously in half by an extremely large meat clever. However, the force caused by the separation had also dislocated Shade's left shoulder. That was the last time he tried to do that. Using bags was so less painfully. About a year after that incident, Shade accidently tore off a beggar's arm when the poor man grabbed Shade's sweater as he entered a shadow and jumped away. However, the shadow mutant never returned to see what happened to the owner of the hand. Finally, while at the Sanctuary, Shade had helped retrieve hundreds of golden bricks from Fort Knox. The shadow mutant was sure he had teleported over two hundred pounds of the bricks at one time. However, it didn't take too many bricks to make that two hundred pounds.

Using this limited data base of information, Shade could only conclude that it wasn't necessarily a weight issue as it was a size issue. Also, the shadowy Orderling was confident in assuming that one must also be encompassed by the same shadow he happen to reside in, in order to be teleported with him. Beyond those sketchy guidelines, Shade had no idea what would happen to a person if they were to travel with him.

"...Yes, I would image so..." Shade replied with some skeptism behind his words. Not only was the passenger in danger, the teleporter was to, and Shade liked having all his fingers and toes. The shadow mutant also felt a tinge of reasonable suspision. If this did work, Shade didn't want to turn into some kind of instant taxi cab for Sanctuary residents. He liked the freedom that came with his power and he definitely wasn't going to let that go without a fight. Heck, he might even leave the Order if they made him do anything like that. All these thoughts swirled through Shade's mind as he contemplated whether the risk was worth even trying to teleport someone with him. However, the woman's next statement broke through his trance. Shade's face returned to the cocky smile at the description of the mission.

"Well, you came to the right mutant, 'cause stealth is what I do best. Well, I can get in and out no problem. What's so important that you need to be in there too?"

A prison? To rescue some mutants for the Order? Shade certainly liked the sound of the idea. However, the blonde woman still did not have him convinced that it was necessary to risk, not only his life but also his well being and life style for some two bit old crooks that the Order could use as foot soldiers. In ttuth, Shade almost liked the sound of the impossiblity of a group of Order members storming the place, slaining any guard stupid enough to try to stop them, and rescuing the prisoners that way. It was something Shade was more familiar with and was certain could be done with the correct team. Even if they didn't get all of the prisoners, there were bound to be some that would head for the safety of the Santuary where law enforcers would never dare enter.

The chair suddenly squeaked again as Shade teleported out of it and across the room to his closet. A second later, a cloak appeared out of thin air as the shadow mutant removed it. It landed on a pile of dirty clothes that was against the closet wall. Another almost identical to the first appeared from the beneaths of the closet, hanging unsupported in the air. As Shade slipped in on, it disappeared in the dark.

"I understand you want to get into this prison secretly, but you couldn't just give me a stun gun or something to knock out the collars. This teleport plus one things is unclear waters for me. I don't know what will happen to me...or you if we tried this. Plus, I don't want to become your personal mode of transportation. Unless, you got anything else I'd get out of this room." Shade's bodiless voice drifted through the room. The last statement had a twinge of anger to it.

Shade did not moved from his present location during her entire speech. Well that wasn't entirely true. At the woman's comment of him not being at the dinner, the shadow mutant had materialized a dagger out of frustration. It was more of a reaction than a conscious gesture. The blade remained in his hand as the woman rose and introduced herself, extending her hand. For what? In hopes that they were now instant friends? Shade didn't have friends. Just people that had earned his respect and people who didn't. At the presnt, their new 'leader' wasn't in the former.

"Shade..." He replied as he extended his body leaned into the light. His face and upper torse became visible before a hand appeared and moved towards the female's out stretching one. However, instead of shaking it, the shadow mutant placed the materialized dagger in her palm. It wasn't a threating gesture, although she might take it as one. It was more a respectful power play. In other words, he wouldn't attack her as long as he approved of her actions.

"So shall we meet at the training room? I'd rather not make a mistake in here and accidently teleport you into my dresser." Shade said, the stone stare breaking into a evil half-smile.

Shade remained half hidden to darken as he allowed Lori to fully consider the meaning of his gesture. She agreed with going to the training room, and also mentioned that their healer was avaliable. Although he mightn ot have shown it, Shade was relieved to hear that news. Now, he didn't have to worry too much about limbs. Of course, teleporting without one might still hurt a little, but at least they could reattach it.

With slightly (very slightly) more confidence that he might not kill both of them, Shade followed the blonde female out of his room. He turned to shut it, but thanks to his rash actions from before, the door no longer had a door slot in which to sit. Therefore, Shade could only just close it and hope for the best. Since his door was never open in the first place, he doubted anyone would notice. It had actually been several monthes since Shade had actually used his door at all.

The light from the hall was bright enough to have triggered the count down on Shade's magically disappearing dagger and the three seconds should be just about up. The shadow mutant wondered how she would take it when the blade suddenly disolved into smoke in front of her eyes.

As they began their walk towards the training room, Shade became aware of just how big the Sanctuary was. Usually, a jump or two and the shadow mutant could be out the golden front doors. However with walking, it seemed to be taking forever, at least forever in Shade's mind.

Fianlly! After what seemed like an eternity to the shadow mutant, they finally approached the training room. Lori was a step ahead of Shade so she naturally opened the door. The shadow mutant followed in behind her, closing the door behind him as a precaution. Inside the large virtual reality simulator, the classic setting of the metallic room was brightenly lit with hundreds of large bulbs above.

"First off, we are going to need it dark, very dark." Shade replied. This concept that he might actually be able to teleport someone with him was still so new. When he teleported, Shade didn't have to think an extra second abou whether he could jump or not. It was almost as if a special little voice was telling him whether or not he could. However, with a passenger, was there still a little voice or did he just have to guess? What happened if he did teleport without that person? Or just half of that person? So many questions were rolling through Shade's mind that he had a hard enough time concentrating on what he needed to do.

Moving to a control panel, Shade quickly began to flick off the switches to the lights. One row at a time, the burning flourencent bulbs snapped off. Finally, the last row snapped off. Shade didn't move for about ten seconds as his eyes adjusted, the only lights being small red emergency lights in the corners and over exits. Moving invisibly back to Lori, the shadow mutant reached out and grabbed her shoulder to allow her a sense that he was there.

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" Shade asked one more time. It was as much for himself as it was for the blonde woman standing in front of him.