All yee who enter here.

It was the summer of 1999; The alley known only as the crooked way by its inhabitants was famous amongst the street dwellers for the phrase that was hastily scrawled upon the brick wall of its entrance. It was that same sentence that drew upon the eyes of the young man standing in awe in front of what to others might look like just another dark place they'd better not cut through, but to him looked like something larger than life. Looking back from now, It was all so wreckless... Everything he had done was the worst idea he had ever had in his life, starting with this one. He took the first step into the alley. His old backpack hung loosely over his shoulder, though his right hand clenched it tightly; he knew no one would ever be able to pry it from that hand.
He stopped in mid step and clenched his teeth in apprehension as a figure strolled out of the alley, having caught sight of the young man's entrance. He looked to be about 30, though the stubble, dirt, and grime on his face made it hard to tell for sure. He walked with an air of boastful confidence as he approached the newcomer, and then leaned against the wall to block his path.
"Well, Whaddawe got here? Some kid lookin to score something too hardcore for the normal dealers?"
The man scratched his stubbly cheek, smiling a sinister grin that showed off his lack of a full set of teeth as he looked back to another man, who approached slowly.
"N-No... thanks."
The young man started to wonder if this was all a bad idea... maybe he should just go into one of those nice assistance programs where they washed you up and got you on your feet. The second man who was approaching sure was big, and the grin on the first man's face had faded.

"No? Why the @#$% you here, then?" He answered quickly, trying in vain not to stammer. "Eh... well, I-I want to live here.... Um... I was told that there were people here like... eh... Me."

"Like yo-"The stubbly man paused for a moment, and then pulled away from the wall, looking the kid up and down "Oh... On-a them, aye? Names Crig... That's all they call me, an that's all i call myself. If you need any drugs, call my name, and I'll be there; otherwise, your kind are lookin for Mosey."
The young man stood there for a moment, wondering what the hell Mosey was supposed to be. The big man that had been making his way over had stopped about ten feet away, and he stood in the middle of the alley with his arms folded across his broad chest. The young man looked at him, and then back to Crig, who pointed down the alley, and shooed him off, as if this 'Mosey' he had spoken of was in that direction.

He started walking, looking about nervously at the first ten feet of the long, staggering alley between two rows of buildings. There were dismantled and re-built cardboard boxes lining either side of of the alley, with small breaks in between each one. Some of them had names clearly written upon them, He walked slowly, making out every name he could on the way. 'Hops, Root, J.R, Cola, and Clinker.' Were these all really people's names? Maybe just nicknames? He stopped in his tracks as he almost bumped into the big guy, having forgotten all about him on the short ten foot walk.

The man was a giant... His dark skin and blank, yet somehow solemn expression made him seem like a great black wall standing in his path. "Eh... Are you.... Mosey?" The man stood there, not blinking, not nodding or shaking his head; just looking down at the little man with his arms crossed. Confronted with this giant obstacle, the significantly smaller man decided to try and just... Step around him.

"Wouldn't do that if i were you." The sound came from his left, and he turned quickly, startled by the voice, but no one was there. " Last guy that tried to get past ogre without my permission-" the voice was behind him now! He spun about quickly, but nothing was there once more. "Got broken so bad that J.R. couldn't even put him back together again." The voice had come from perpetually over his shoulder ,and he kept spinning to try and find its source, finding himself dizzied and on his rear in seconds, staring up at the slowly refocusing image of a hand. "Hi, I'm Mosey... Welcome to the crooked way."

Saphirus had only the sound of his own labored breathing to comfort him as he speed hobbled through the mansion's halls. He had, over the years, learned to make his hobble work almost as well as any other person's run without his powers. It looked funny; almost like he was trying to hop across a creek, going from stone to nonexistent stone on the ground below him, and it really tired him out; he worked his left side a lot more than his right when he ran. The older mutant knew that he had to keep in shape if he was going to keep up with all of these kids, so he had been running every single morning without exception.

If he was going to better himself morally, why not work on his body, too, right?

He had been all through the mansion grounds, letting himself get lost in thought just as he let himself get lost in the halls. Something about running always made him think back to more... Simple days. In some ways life had been a lot better back then... In many ways, it hadn't. He rounded the next corner sloppily, wiping his sweat drenched brow as he went.
* * *


From his planted position, the young man followed the hand up to its owner... A girl that couldn't have been older than sixteen, younger than himself, stood with a wiley grin on her face. He reached up to grab her hand, and found himself on his feet faster than a fat kid on a stack of pancakes. He stumbled a little, catching himself before he fell forward onto his knees. Still dizzied by the sudden movement, he looked to find the girl who had helped him up; she wasn't there... He saw something out of the corner of his eyes, and turned to see that she was leaning on the one named Ogre like he was a wall.

"Y'know, Ogie... I think we've found ourselves a new friend... I got a good feelin about him." The solemn wall of a man's face turned from a blank stare to a sloppy smile. His arms slowly dropped to his side, and he hunched a little... God, he went from looking like a statue of authority to a simpleton in seconds!
"Gud... Standin like dat hurt Ogre's back bad..."

The young man climbed to his feet, looking at the two nervously as the young woman, Mosey, eyed him in thought.
"What do you think we should name him to start with? Brick! It's your turn to name one, right?"
A voice came from the wall next to the young man, causing him to stumble to the side and stare at the brick alley side. A face slowly emerged from the staggering pattern and it's mouth moved slowly. "Hmmmm... Looks like... A Russel to me.... Yeah... Russel."
The girl was suddenly leaning against the wall in a flash of movement that made the young man blink in confusion. "Yeah... I like it... You see, Rus, when ever someone becomes a part of our home, they drop who they used to be, and they become a whole new person. We call you Russel right now, but it's only temporary... Until you earn your real name." She appeared right in front of him with an innocent smile, making him step back once more as the face in the wall sunk back in. "I'll introduce everyone when they get back... And then we'll get you settled in, Rus. That is... If you ain't gonna chicken out... you ain't gonna chicken out, are you, Russel?"

"N-No... I... Don't have anywhere else to go."
She smiled slowly, putting a hand against his cheek, and then tapping it lightly before turning and pacing down the alley. "Good! None of us do! Now, lets show you around."

"I dunno, doc... ever since then things've just been kinda funny." Saph sat uncomfortably on the examining table as the good doctor took his vitals.

"I'll just be goin about like normal, and alluva sudden everything will start to look funny; get bigger when it ain't really gettin bigger. wiggle around when it aint really moving. I get all dizzy, and I can't stand right." Saph looked to the older man, trying to gage what he was thinking. Nothing, it looked like. The former hobo sighed.

"I never thought I would say this, but I'm sorry, there is nothing wrong with you. It seems that what ever is happening to you is natural. You said you experienced a seizure?"The doctor had been patient with him for hours, but that patience seemed to be wearing just a little thin.

Saph shrugged "I guess... I don't remember much."

The older man nodded. "Well, perhaps something happened that affected your mutation in an unexpected way? You stated that these symptoms have become less and less frequent. Your body may just need some more time to level out."

Saph gave the man a blank stare as his nose inflated to the size of a fist, and then wiggled around like a rat trapped in a blanket. The doctor sighed, and placed his clip board down. "Look, if it will help you feel better, we could do an MRI. It may spot something I missed." Saph nodded slowly as the nose shrunk once more.

Minutes later Saph was laying on his back in an expensive medical machine, holding just as still as the doctor had instructed him to. As he lay in his magnetic prison, he thought back to...

***

"C'mon Russel! We don't make a living by being slow! That's how we usually die, actually." The lanky man rounded the corner, and Rus did his best to keep up, sliding around the bend, and stopping in his tracks. "Huh... This wall wasn't here earlier, was it?" The lanky man looked back to Rus, and he cursed out of frustration, looking back the way they came. There was a fence where there escape rout was supposed to be!

"Don't worry, newblood, I got this... That, or we're screwed." The lanky man took a deep breath, and exhaled a stream of bubbles into the wall, which started to bubble in response, as if it were a liquid. "Hurry up, Cola! I don't wanna freakin die!" Russel panicked as he heard fast foot steps approaching; the owners of that last car were closing in on them again! The lanky man took another deep breath. "hold your horses, metal is hard to bubble!" A small hole had formed, and was slowly widening. "Besides, If we don't escape, it just means it was fate, right?"

Rus looked back at the lanky man, who smiled at him. "Jesus, man! Why do you gotta say crap like that?! Less talking more blowing! If they catch us they are gonna freakin shoot us!" The foot steps were close now, and Rus made it a point to hush himself. Oh god, they were gonna get caught! He knew this was a bad idea! The young man felt a tug on his shirt, and then a harsh yank. It was all he could do not to yelp aloud as he landed on his back side, on the other side of the fence, staring out of the open hole that Cola had melted. "see? Told you I had it." The lanky man whispered as he pulled Rus up to his feet, and started running down the alley; The young mutant followed.

A few twists and turns later, they were back in safe territory, and they had the time to check on their spoils. Rus dropped the pack on his back to the ground, unzipping it, and opening it wide. Four cd players, two cd collections, and two car stereos. "Not a bad haul, kid! You got a knack for this! Let's get this stuff to Mosey so she can hawk it and we can get ourselves some grub!" Rus breathed a deep sigh of relief as his heart slowed from a sprint to a slow jog. What a rush! He'd never stolen before, but something about it made him feel... alive.

Besides, everyone in the alley had to play their part in order to keep each other alive; this was his part; Mosey hawked the things, the smaller mutants pick pocketed the street walkers, and the big ones, like him, stole what they could from the cars that the streets of their home provided them. "Well, c'mon, lets see what the other groups got before we get too excited." Rus nodded, and they headed off into the streets once more.

"Oh yeah... Good job on the whole 'not dieing' thing, kid. I'm impressed."

Saph sighed as he looked down at the glittering blue water beneath his feet. He had been standing here for hours, just watching it. Watching as the lucid liquid showed no signs of movement. It looked so harmless, but it's still form had taken more lives than many.

He swallowed his throat, looking about nervously... He had come out here early, but he was sure that if he didn't hurry, the students might awaken and think him strange. Honestly, he felt a little bit strange, so they wouldn't be wrong in the thought. He was a grown man; he had fought crime, seen lots of death, and a had seriously #$%#ed up a giant robot once...But here he was, staring at a simple swimming pool in horror. Why? Was he irrationally afraid of water? No, Not at all. He was very rationally afraid of water; half of his body was useless in it.

It had something to do with how he soaked up force. When ever he pushed in the water with his right side, all of the force would be soaked up, and therefor it wouldn't have any effect. While it meant that on that side he didn't feel the water resistance that one might feel when trying to move their hand while it's submerged, it also meant that he couldn't tread water. His left side could, though, and last night, in his dreams, he had come up with an idea; it was one of those ideas that made sense on paper, but you were still afraid it would blow up in your face upon practice.

He realized that he didn't have anyone here to save him if this didn't work... somehow that comforted him; he tended to perform the best under pressure, and the risk of downing was certainly enough pressure for him... He smiled, laughed a little at how ridiculous this was, and then took a deep breath. And then he jumped in.

* * *

"You sure you don't want nuthin? It's a great trip, or your money back." Crig spoke as he looked back to Rus, who turned him down with a quick 'no thanks' gesture. The scruffy man shrugged, and pocketed his product, looking to the left and the right as he turned the next street corner, and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it as he walked. "You really are a straight arrow, aincha kid? I gotta give it to you, it's pretty rare on these streets, and being rare has its advantages. S'why I hang out with your lot, all rare, all different. You got an advantage from the start." The dealer spoke as he ashed his stoge, and scratched his neck slowly.

Rus shoved his hands into his pockets... gees, it was cold out. "So, eh, Crig, where we headed exactly?" The young mutant said as they crossed a busy street. The dealer smiled a little bit, coughed heavily, and then spoke back to his follower. "Mosey said she wanted you to hang with me today. She wants me to teach you how and where we fence the crap that you guys get off the streets. I guess she likes you or somethin... you only been living there, what, three months? And shes already giving you more responsibilities than most of the other freaks." Rus looked at the man oddly as he said that last word. Crig was a normie... A human being with nothing special about him, other than a good network of connections. Apparently those connections were very valuable to the residents of the crooked way, so the dealer got a good cut of what ever they sold. Mosey didn't seem to trust him, but, honestly, Rus liked him; he knew a lot, and he had a way of speaking that made him seem larger than life. It was like he was one of those mob bosses on those mafia movies, cept with less teeth.

The man stopped at a cross walk that was still red, and looked back to the young mutant following, smiling slyly. "So, you like her too, huh? You two bin spending an awful lot of time with each other lately." He gave Rus a nudge, and the young mutant blushed in response. "Heh, Salright, kid... I understand. You gotta find somethin to keep you goin out here." The light turned, and they started walking again.

"Me, I got my money... Money's all that matters. People? you can't trust em as far as you can throw em, trust me there, kid." The man looked back to Rus, and then frowned, looking away once more. Rus didn't know, back then, why exactly the man had frowned, but he would one day learn that it had a lot to do with guilt.

Saph slowly pulled himself out of the pool, sopping wet from head to toe... He rolled over onto his back, gasping heavily from the effort... As the exhaustion melted away, as sense of was exposed beneath, causing pockets of victorious laughter to burst forth... He smiled widely as he thought about it...

He could really do anything he put his mind to, couldn't he? Sure, doing all of that stuff that his mutation assisted him in was easy, but he could even do the things that his mutation made tougher... He just had to put up the effort, and he could even swim...

He could swim...

He sat up slowly, planting his hands on the ground and leaning back with his arms as support. The warrior stared at his defeated opponent, a 14ft swimming pool, and smiled just a little... It really did feel good to win every once and a while, didn't it? Just thinking about it brought him way back...

Way back....

***

"You stupid, stupid kid! What were you thinking?!"

"No one saw me!"

"Why are the $%^%ing cops chasing you, then?!"

"No one saw my face!"

"Are you sure?! Are you #$#%ing Sure?!"

"Yeah, I was wearing a mask."

"Hah hah! Get in the car, kid, we gotta get outa here quick!"

The sound of a slamming door dominated the atmosphere for a moment, and then was replaced by the roaring of an engine. Rus could barely hear it all over the heavy beating of his heart in his chest, as fast and as heavy as a horses hooves in sprint. He looked about in a paranoid panic... He was sure he'd lost them before they got into the car but you could never be too sure. looked over to the driver, a face he had seen engraved into walls more often than not. "Jees, Brick, you got here fast... Hey, I didn't know you had a car." Rus remembered the first time he'd met Brick... It was a year ago, now, that the man had given him his name. The man's bold features formed into a wide grin . "I don't."

"Aww, Crap, this car's hot?!" Rus looked about quickly once more, seeing a purse in the side seat, and a bunch of things that most certainly were not Brick's. "Well, when you called you sounded like you needed me here quick... I's just doing my my job. Gettin you outa trouble... So... Wacha get?"

The young man grinned, and finally let go of the bag he'd had clenched to his chest. He opened it up wide, showing its contents... Some jewelry, a few high-end watches, but most importantly, a gigantic blue sapphire of the greatest clarity. Brick's eyes lit up. "Jeeeeesus christ almighty! What the hell is that?!" Rus's eyes lit up in response. "The owner said it was priceless... Begged me not to take it!"

"Hah! I knew doing a heist would get us a lot more than all of this petty theft ever would!" Rus grinned a little, but Brick shook his head slowly, still smiling. "You know shes gonna be pissed as all hell, right? Mosey."

Rus nodded slowly, and then took another, more calm look around. The looking payed off, he noticed the cop car behind them... any second now it would run their plates. "Brick... Blues behind us... we gotta ditch em..."

"I see em... Don't worry, this car prolly hasn't been repo-" WHOOP WHOOP! The sirens kicked on, and the acceleration followed quickly. "Awwww Sonofab$%#%#ing #@$@ across a whole feild of @#$#@$ up the #@$@#% Cheeseburger#%$%$#% pie." Rus couldn't help but laugh... Being around Brick was sure to give him a dirty mouth some day, too.

A few sharp turns, and heavy accelerations later, and there were even more lights following them. "Awww Crap, Russel, we gotta do this the old fashioned way... on foot." Rus nodded slowly, and with little more warning, Brick slammed on the breaks, pulled the E, and sent the car reeling into an alley sideways. The car crashed to a halt, and Rus was out and running before he knew it. He didn't look back to see if Brick escaped... All the guy had to do was jump into a wall, and he was gone... The guy had put him into a pretty good position; there was a car in between him and the cops... Brick was always thinking like that...

He bolted down the alley, but skid to a stop when a cop car came to a jerking halt at the other end... Damn, he looked back to see a roly poly cop climbing over the other side... Double damn. Luck had it that there was a door right at his side, though... He used the force from the crash to crush through it, and found himself on a stairway. He looked back, the cops were closing, he looked forward, and then started running up the jagged steps.

He lost track of time, running up those stairs, with the footsteps and voices of the cops right behind him. His adrenalin carried him up the steps like a boat atop a rushing river, his heart beat acting as the drums for the rowers. In a frenzied rush he nearly bashed into a broad door labeled "Roof access" The sound of the fuzz behind him drove him onward, even though he would have nowhere to run... He burst through the door, and found himself on a high, flat roof with ledges on each side... He ran to the furthest edge, and then looked down... Oh, jesus he was high...

The cops coming through the door behind him prompted him to shove on his ski mask quickly, and turn... four of them...

"Freeze dirtbag! You aren't going anywhere!" Rus took a break from heavy breathing to gulp, and then turned to look down once more... He had to escape... But he had no idea whether or not this jump would kill him... He'd never tried anything close to this... He looked back. "Get on the ground, now." Rus stood, and glanced once more to them, and then to the ground below... He took one more step toward the ledge. "Hey! Hey what are you doing?! I said freeze!"

"Sorry... I ain't goin to jail." He stated plainly, before taking a deep breath and leaving over the ledge...

There came a moment of free falling and then a crack as he hit the ground. "AHHHHHH crap!" It hurt! Wait... didn't that mean he was still alive?! Hah! He climbed up slowly to his feet, and tested his right ankle... it was probably bruised, but it felt fine! He grinned as he looked up to his pursuers, who were now looking down at him with shock painted on their faces... He found himself laughing under his breath as he ran off into the streets...

He had done it! He'd won!

"You stupid, stupid, stupid man!"

In his dreams he heard the voice... An echo from an old, old memory.

"Sorry!"

The voice that responded was more familiar than any other in the world... It was his own, albiet younger.

"You aren't! You're an idiot! A big, stupid idiot! You always will be!"

As much as it hurt to hear the other voice speak like that, a smile formed on his gently snoozing face... He was drifting deeper into sleep. It wouldn't be too long until it became all too real... That was good, though... This was a pleasant memory.

"C'mon Mosie, be easy on hi-"

There it was... he was starting to see them, now.

"And YOU, nearly getting yourself caught bailing him out!"

The young woman he'd come to know as Mosey pointed acusingly at an older man.

"F#$%in lighten up, lady! No-one got caught! We shook em!"

Rus had to admit, he wasn't sure if his ears would have survived the talking Mosey had given him without Brick there to stick up for him. Gees, the little woman could get angry. Hell hath no fury, right? He zoned out for a minute as his fellow mutants jabbed at each other. It wasn't serious, really... They were both in charge in their own ways- so they butted heads a lot, but it was all in good fun. In the end, they were all like a big family. Mosie was at the center of it all, and in the end, what she said, went. They would prolly get in a lot of trouble for this... but it had definitely been worth it.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Brick's gravely voice.

"You ain't gonna b*@% so much when you see what he got! Show er Rus!"

A grin appeared on his face as he reached into his bag, and pulled out a large Sapphire. Mosey's eyes wandered down to it, widened, and her mouth fell open a little, before he looked up to him, and did something he definitely hadn't expected.

She kissed him.

He'd been ready to cover his face for the impending punch to the face, but instead she ran on up and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face messily up against his. His eyes were still wide by the time she pulled back. Brick was turning around as if it were suddenly time to mind his own business. "Rus, you stupid, brave, idiot! Look at it! It's huge! That thing must cost a fortune!" Before he knew it, she zipped away to the center of the alley.

"Everyone! Come look!"

Rus's cheeks suddenly went red, due to the mixture of a million emotions... Pride... Joy... Love. This had been the happiest moment of his life.

Saphirus woke up with tears in his eyes.