Watching the softly glowing monitors before him with an air of boredom Dr. Ingham eyes glanced back and forth between the wolfish figure in the centre of the screen and the tiny digital clock in the bottom right hand corner. 'Not long left now' the scientist thought idly as he added a few more notes on the clipboard. If this form was anything like Hunter previous experiences the hulking great beast displayed on camera would be reverting back to a man very shortly. The good doctor wondered if his employer would complete the course before he was forced to revert and if he did revert would he able to complete the maze in normal form?

Sadly though the doctors queries went unanswered as the sound of lumbering footsteps alerted him to Hunters presence, “Well... How did I do?”

Taking a moment to save the results and log out from the terminal James kept his gaze focused on the notes he had inscribed earlier as he spoke in a weary tone, "Your performance was satisfactory I suppose. It is obvious you lose much of your agility in that form yet your new regenerative abilities allowed you to blunder though." Taking a moment to glance at his watch Ingham released a tired sigh, "I had wanted to try one more test involving the use of silver, however it doesn't seem as though we have the time." Even as James uttered these words Hunters form began to convulse, shedding hair at a rapid rate and shrinking down to it's former size. " I shall take what results I have and see what conclusions can be made" James said, noting down the time at which Hunter had reverted but otherwise not reacting in the slightest to the this abnormal behaviour.

Without so much as a glance at his vampiric employer Dr. Ingham strolled out of the room and made his way casually back to the sterile confines of his lab.

Having changed back Hunter watched Dr Ingram leave before grabbing his coat and heading off to change. He had very much liked the feel of power that the transformation had brought him, though he noted that the feral instincts had a small but noticeable effect even while he held them in check.

Changing back into the smart, crisp suit he was informed by an orderly that Zephyr was on his way to the lab with Trista Evans, a mutant who one of his low level informers had brought to his attention.

From her time as a member of one of the gangs that Hunter very indirectly funded she displayed a quite devastating talent, one that he was sure he could put to use. It was noted that she had a lack of control, but he knew that he could teach her that.

After all, it would only take a single blood sample to be able to use her powers, all be it weaker, as his own and learn how to control them himself. The immense mental discipline that he has developed over the centuries would allow him to make progress in bringing the power under his control far faster than she could.

With the new suit on he headed for the entrance to welcome the new arrival.

Hunter strode into Dr Ingram’s lab. “I trust you received Miss Evans’ sample. Tell me what you have learned about it? I plan another live test, as once I know the mental triggers for her powers I can train her to control it.”

He didn’t know what Dr Ingram had been in the middle of and nor did he care, this was top priority now and everything else could wait. The sooner he could start Trista’s training the sooner he could deploy her in the field confidently.

Examining a portion of Trista's blood sample under a microscope while the rest was in the pitch black analyzer Dr. Ingham adjusted the lens focus until he was capable of discerning the individual blood cells that floated in the plasma. The girl was obviously a mutant that much was certain, James had become quite proficient over the years at spotting the traits of the X gene, so much so that they now stood out to him like a neon sign.

Hearing the door to his labs slide open the good doctor lifted his eye from the microscope and cast a baleful eye at his visitor. He had been expecting Hunter to visit him at some point today after he had received his latest samples, but this was too soon. James had only acquired the samples 20 minutes ago and so had had barely any time to properly examine them. If his vampiric employer thought that he was getting results so soon he was sorely mistaken.

“I trust you received Miss Evans’ sample. Tell me what you have learned about it? I plan another live test, as once I know the mental triggers for her powers I can train her to control it.”

"You realise that you are being reckless and impatient? You have gievn me less than half an hour to determine the mutation of a specimen whose blood could possibly cause you to combust? Science is a precise art Hunter, not something that can be called upon in an instant" The entire time the doctors voice had been a dull monotone yet it carried with it a level of scorn.

“She has given me a full description of her power,” Hunter said, explaining why he was keen to move on, “which will be enough for me to begin practical testing. I’ll use one sample to test then another to help train her. I am only looking for how it is controlled, not how powerful it is.”

“Set up some targets and monitoring equipment, I’m going to cycle through various mental triggers, and I’ll tell you which ones I am using for each effect. Once we have a complete run down of all the controls for the powers I can begin training the girl.”

Hunter waited for the doctor to complain about the interruption and about rushing things, but if Hunter had to deploy Trista he wanted her trained, so the sooner she was trained the sooner she could start earning the half million dollar salary.

Continuing to stare at his employer balefully James remained silent as he considered his possibilities. One option was to continue an eventually fruitless argument with Hunter that would waste both their time, as the man before seemed quite eager to move a head as fast as possible this option was quite attractive, however the doctor had no desire to waste his own time in such an immature endeavor. A second option would simply be to give Hunter what he wanted, while not nearly as satisfying this option would allow him to return to research almost immediately…

Rising from his seat Ingham swiftly crossed the lab as he moved to the computer bank that lined the entire left wall of the laboratory. Sliding into a clear plastic chair and let his fingers dance over the keyboard before him. In seconds he had logged onto the facilities mainframe and accessed the incomplete results Trista's blood examination, hitting a few more keys with rapid speed James terminated the analysis, a moment later obsidian analyzer had split itself open and revealed a single vial containing a sample of Trista's life essence. Grasping the vial he loaded it into a nearby dart gun and tossed it through the air to Hunter.

“I require most of what you gave me to complete my research, however what you have should be sufficient for your purposes. Head to test area 5, I shall control and monitor all your experiments from here” Sliding deftly back into the seat set in front of the multiple glowing monitors Ingham turned his back on his employer.

Hunter caught the dart gun that Dr Ingram tossed his way. He was glad that the doctor had chosen not to argue and to just get on with it. “Remember,” he said as he turned to leave the lab, “I’ll need another sample to train with Miss Evans.”

He paced swiftly through the halls of Mondragon labs and soon enough reached testing area five. Punching in the code the door slide back and he stepped into a large plain white room.

Rolling up his sleeve he fired the dart gun into his arm before tossing it aside. “James, give me some targets so I can get used to the basics.” Unlike the last test he felt no immediate change. Perhaps he would feel something when he began to utilise the powers.

Glancing at the many screens that now surrounded his form Ingham let his eyes dart to and fro and as he scanned the illuminated green text that detailed Trista Evans genetic code, it was unique to be sure, but then again since no two people are exactly the same this wasn't saying much. The code he had so far was incomplete and the doctor was struggling not to show his impatience at being left with so little to work with now that Hunter had his primary sample. He could have coursed used the secondary sample but that was already in the replicator and it was pointless interrupt the process once it started.

Fortunately at this time Hunter finally managed to arrive at the prescribed testing area and the moment James heard the vampire's voice he brought up a live camera feed of the area as well as activating the two way speaker system.

"Targets you say, did you have anything in particular in mind?" Even as the good doctor said this his hands were already trailing over the keyboard, entering commands at a lightening pace that came from years of experience. In moments he had accessed the system control panel, laying the entire rooms facilities at his command. From here could activate flame throwers, assualt droids and even a clichéd giant rolling sphere similar to the kind seen in Indiana Jones films. At the moment though he saw no needs for these rather flamboyant tools and instead summoned the most basic of targets.

Inside test area 5 a low whirring was heard as electricity surged through hidden cables and various motors began to turn. The floor underneath hunter trembled ever so slightly as a set of podiums rose from the floor, when they reached a height of five feet the ceased their ascent and a small sphere rose up from a tiny hollow located inside each of the podiums.

"Begin when you are ready" the doctors dull voice echoed through the speakers.

Hunter looked out at the five podiums as they rose up from the floor. Once they had stopped rising a small ball appeared on each. “Miss Evans said she need to be angry to use the power, so I’m going to make myself progressively more angry as I aim for each target,” Hunter said, so Dr Ingram would know what was going on in his head.

During his long life Hunter had developed an incredible level of mental discipline. Using this discipline he could recall memories to make him feel a certain level of a particular emotion. This technique would allow him to, in a controlled fashion, progressively increase his level of anger.

After making himself mildly annoyed he flicked his hand out at the first sphere. A small explosion was seen and the ball fell off the podium with a chunk of the fron missing.

Raising his level of anger he gestured at the next target. This time the explosion was larger and only a small chunk of the ball survived. Increasing his anger again he aimed at the third target and the resulting explosion completely destroyed it leaving only small fragments scattered about.

Increasing his anger to just bellow a full blown rage he flicked at the next target, causing a bigger explosion that completely annihilated the sphere, leaving no trace. The six of the explosion also caused some minor damage to the podium.

He turned his attention to the final target. For this one he would fully unleash his rage, and he knew exactly which memory to use. His rage had not been let use in over one hundred and fifty years, but for the sake of the experiment he would have to.

He thought back to the day Katherine died. While he had felt grief like he had never known before or since on that day, that was not what he recalled. He recalled the seething anger that the world had taken his beloved from him.

With a violent gesture he channelled that anger at the sphere, and the resulting explosion obscured half the room. when it cleared not only had the ball been destroyed, but also the majority of the podium that it had been placed on as well as a significant portion of the podium next to it.

Sealing the memory away and calming himself Hunter said, “I believe that I have mastered the basics. Miss Evans is currently unable to utilise her powers without accompanying hand movements. I am certain that it is possible to do so. Bring up another target and we shall see if I am right.”

Keeping his attention focused on the detonating spheres James reqound the footage of each explosion as each one happened before watching them again at an extreme slow speed and placing film through various filters. After a moment it became obvious that Hunter wasn't directing any type of laser or some invisible concussive blast so that eliminated the doctors first theory.

As the final sphere was destroyed and Hunter took deep calming breaths to subdue his rage Ingham switched his attention to another screen as he type down short concise notes and started forming a new theory to explain Ms Evans powers, however he was interrupted by his employer who boasted that he believed he had completed the basics and wanted more targets. Letting out an exasperating sigh James deftly opened a new window on the screen and repeated one of his earlier commands causing another set of podiums to rise up at the other end of the test area.

As the new targets rose Hunter turned to face them. Time to see if he was right. Keeping his hands by his side he made himself annoyed and tried to focus it on the target, but to no effect. He increased his anger and tried again, but still nothing.

Utilising his frustration at a lack of result he angered himself further and focused it at the ball. A small segment of the wall behind and to the left of the sphere exploded. Allowing himself a small smile of satisfaction he maintained he level of anger and attempted to target the sphere.

The next explosion was again on the wall behind, a little to the right of the sphere. Trying to correct his aim he unleashed his anger again and succeeded in striking the podium on which the ball rested, knocking the ball off.

Turning to the next target he kept his hands by his side and tried again. After hitting the wall behind and above the wall he managed to clip the edge off the ball, sending it spinning off the podium.

Moving to the next target his first attempt hit the podium just below the ball, knocking it off. Maintaining his anger at it’s current level he focused on the next target and succeeded in clipping it with his first try.

With only one target left he raised his anger slightly and really focused. The resulting explosion hit the ball dead on, blowing a chunk out of it. “As I thought,” he concluded, “the hand movements are merely a means of focusing the power. Without them, while the strength and accuracy are decreased, it is still possible to utilise the power.”

It was good to know that while immobilising Trista’s hands would put her at a disadvantage, it would not leave her powerless. “Next I will cycle through emotions to see what effect other emotions have on the power.” He didn’t ask for more targets, but it was clear that they would be needed.

Examining a series of fluctuating bar graphs and rotating pie charts James allowed a satisfied to grin to settle on his thin lips, his second theory seemed to hold some water. Throughout the entire second phase of testing the doctor had been monitoring the physical status of each of the spheres as accurately as possible. While he had confirmed that there was no external forces influencing the spheres he had found that the temperature of each orb had risen violently just before they detonated.

Heat was not an uncommon factor in explosions, indeed it was almost always present, for it represented the energy that was ripping the object apart at the molecular level. However this was often due to a chemical reaction, in this case there were no volatile chemicals to initiate such an increase in heat. This would suggest that Ms Evans power lay in the ability to excite molecules to the point where they gained enough energy to not only break free of their bonds but to move violently enough to simulate a chemical explosion.

Smug grin still present on his features the good doctor once more repeated his commands as Hunter requested more targets. He would not inform his employer of his findings just yet, the man seemed to enjoy experimenting and who knows perhaps the vampire would work out the science on his own? Even as the thought occurred him James could not resist a silent chuckle, Hunter may indeed be hundreds of years old but he had the scientific knowledge of a highschool dropout.

With the new targets in place Hunter looked at them and began to cycle through emotions. Focusing on his meeting with Katherine he made himself happy and gestured to no avail. Quashing the memory he moved on to Katherine’s death and the grief he felt, causing himself to feel immense sadness.

He waved a hand towards a sphere, but to no effect. Suppressing the memory he worked methodically through the range of emotions, all with no result, until he came to the last emotion. Fear.

With the power Hunter had accumulated he had little to fear, his mutations giving him sufficient physical abilities to make him confidant and with good reason. He did however have the perfect memory for fear.

Almost three hundred and fifty years ago he had been captured by a witch hunter. The man and his followers only utilized weapons of white oak, believing them to be holy and as such better for vanquishing evil. It was against them that he discovered his vulnerability to wood.

Dr Ingram had in fact analysed this particular aspect of his physiology and concluded that he was highly allergic to wood. It impaired his healing factor, and as such injuries sustained by wood took a great deal of time to heal.

However, at the time he didn’t know this, and when the witch hunter’s followers clubbed him unconscious and dragger him into the cells of his own castle he awoke in such pain. He had sustained severe injuries and could barely move.

The witch hunter had interrogated him several times, utilising various methods of torture, but the worst was when he would stab small splinters of white oak into Hunter. He would plunge hundreds of the splinters into Hunter’s flesh, causing him pain unlike anything he had ever felt before or since.

Hunter could remember the feeling of true terror as that man, in his long coat with wide brimmed hat stepped into the cell. He would try to move away from the monster, but the pain from the beating would make it impossible. The man would take of his hat, revealing a gaunt, skull like face.

Then he would pull the splinters from his coat pocket and step towards Hunter. He knew what was coming, but was powerless to prevent it form happening. The icy hand of fear gripped him and the ball on the podium stopped moving.

The little ball had been rocking side to side slowly. It was barely perceivable, even to his enhanced vision, but he saw it stop. As the fear released him the ball began to move again. So fear could immobilise targets.

He began to wonder how the two were linked. What ability could cause an object to immobilize and to explode? While his knowledge of science was not as broad or in depth as the good doctors, it was superior to most people’s.

Explosions could be caused by the increasing of a molecules speed to the point where it violently comes apart at the molecular level. Immobilisation would be the reverse, the decreasing of a molecules speed, possibly until it became immobile.

“James, did you notice the ball become immobile?” he asked, “I believe that Miss Evans’ power is essentially the ability to manipulate the speed of molecules. Either to speed them up, causing them to explode, or slow them down and making them immobile. What do you think?”

"Yes I did" the doctor intoned monotonously as he responded to Hunter question, "It would indeed seem that the specimen possess the ability to appropriate the energy of molecules as well as grant it, the results I have from the second phase of testing conclude that there was no outside interference with the spheres and that their temperatures rose sharply just before detonation."

James then began opening various other programs as he utilized the abundant processing power at his command. After a moment he spoke again but his tone was coloured with a hint of puzzlement, "Strangely though the orb that was frozen did not experience any drop in temperature, it appears to have simply gone into a state of stasis for the few seconds you exercised your borrowed abilities... I shall need to explore this further detail."

Frowning at this conundrum, the idea of complete stasis was an intriguing one, if it could be replicated, and James was certain that it could, it would allow him an unheard of level of control in his future experiments. Locking his fingers together and then stretching them out before him the good doctor was rewarded with a satisfying crack of his fingers before he let his hand dance over the keyboard in front of him like a master pianist, opening multiple calculation programs and analyzing software as he set the rest of vast processing power to work. Multiple windows flashed up before him one second only to be dealt and minimized the next as they were replaced by more, the answers did not come immediately and though that might have irritated some James was simply pleased at having something to occupy his time. The idea of failure never occurred to the anti social professor, he would have the answers he sought, nothing had ever eluded him before and this trifling puzzle would be no exception.

“The trigger for the stasis is fear,” Hunter explained to the doctor, “Can you get me some moving targets for me to attempt to immobilise.” Hunter did not like having to allow himself to be gripped by fear, but it was necessary.

Bracing himself he unlocked the memory of the witch hunter again, allowing the fear to come forth. The terror of knowing that such pain was imminent and there was nothing in the world that he could do to stop it. With the right emotion coursing through he he prepared himself to direct it at the targets.