Jacob's midnight black 68 Impala growled through the street in this more run-down part of the big city, it's custom 351 Cleveland engine propelling the vehicle forward at an idle pace. The rain was coming down in sheets, and visibility was poor, especially considering most of the streetlights in this area were out. That was fine though, because in the massive trunk of his car was the parts he needed to begin the physical construction of his new firearm. He still hadn't come up with a name for the pistol yet, but he would eventually, and the alloy had been hard to come by... only this little shop in this part of town had it. Still, those were generally where you found the good deals if you had a sharp eye.

While driving and lost in thought, he almost didn't see the young woman walking along the street, no umbrella, and likely soaked to the bone. Part of him would regret offering what he was about to, considering the leather would need to be cleaned when he made it home... but he wasn't about to let the poor girl drown, regardless if that was what mother nature wanted. Pulling alongside, he pulled over and then used a long muscular arm to reach over and unlock the door, then open it just a short ways ahead of her as she was walking up. "Need a ride somewhere? No point in getting soaked any more." Nothing but honest intentions rang in his authoritive, strong and somewhat deep voice.

Aura's night had been brutal, the gang members had tried to rob her and do worse, they would no longer be harming anyone of course. Their bodies would be discovered by the cop's eventually and though their was not a drop of blood upon her the cop's had learned well Aura's more typical killing style. She exited the alley in no real hurry, her Aura having fallen to a mere outline around her, barely visible. It kept the rain off of her and thus kept her warmer then she might be in the cold winter night. SHe ignored the car she heard pulling up until she realized it was stopping not to far in front of her. Looking up to face the car the raven haired girl considered her options and with a shrug of her shoulders, decided even if it was a trap, their was little a human could do to harm her. She dropped her Aura entirely letting it fade away as she opened the door and slipped into the car. The beauty of the car was lost her. "DO you know where Sanctuary is?" she asked to his question, if he was human maybe she would murder him after he dropped her off, assuming his offer was legit. Aura was much dryer then she should have been as well in the weather. "I am Aura and you?" she asked curiously looking at the man who had picked her up.

Jacob wasn't a CSI Detective or anything, but there was a multitude of things that he picked up on from the young woman in a short amount of time just from paying attention. The first of which was that she wasn't nearly as soaked as he first thought... but he normally would have dismissed that almost entirely if not for her demeanor. There was no polite 'Thank you' or anything of that nature... and that meant one of two things... either she was one of those types of people who thought they were above others, or she was someone who held some kind of power... a mutant. There was a simple way to find out, and he would enact it in a moment. While all this passed through his mind in a single second or two, he played it off as though he had noticed nothing.

"I don't know where it is, but if you do, I wouldn't mind running you there." Jacob had never heard of such a place, but that was fine, so long as he wasn't driving her to her death, he wasn't really caring where he brought her. The fact that she used a false name or code name was another 'mutant' indicator, and he decided to test the waters. Without making any motion, once the car door was closed, the locks engaged and the heater began to run. "Jacob," he said simply, "now, which way is this sanctuary?"

She was about to reply, when the locking door's made her flinch and her head glanced at the door. She believed she was in no danger, the car door was not really an obstacle nor was the windshield. Still instinct told her to respond to such things. "It's ....." Aura tilted her head in thought. Using actual road directions would be harder then the navigation she was use to. Aura tended to stick to alleyways when moving and so paid little attention to street signs of any type. "Sanctuary is..."she described the location in slightly rough term's then frustrated she pulled a cell phone out of her pocket and in a few moments a gps like program popped up, with a red line tracing the ten minute car ride home. "Im not use to using actual streets" she admitted shaking her head slightly.

"Are you a mutant?" Aura asked bluntly, one could never be to careful. Humans had tried to kidnap her and her love just the other day and As such Aura did have some caution, her aura only a hair trigger away. "I am" she said not waiting for his answer, extended a hand out so her long delicate, unadorned fingers touched the dashboard. From her nails A pink energy seemed to appear and slowly traveled up her arm until it reached her elbow.Despenceing with the fancy stuff, the pink aura soon surrounded her body, still unsubstantial. However Aura knew if the man watched the news he knew exactly who he had just picked up, her power was a pretty solid indicator.

Lowering her arm, feeling their was no need for further demonstration, she let a thin pink veil surround her body. "Sanctuary is a shelter for mutant's anyone may live their...well mutants anyway" she explained unsure if the man had heard of the place. If he was a mutant Aura was considerably curious on what he could do.

The visible flinch was something that Jacob had expected, and it wouldn't be long before the question popped up. That was fine... he was finding out volumes of information already about the young woman in his car. He had caught her off guard, and she was slightly startled, but was more concerned about finding Sanctuary. Looking at the directions provided on the phone, he recognized the route, and began to drive, using his periferal vision to watch his companion. He smirked slightly at her final comment after giving the directions. "Used to using the Leather Personel Carriers... I know the feeling." He said simply, not delving into why... it wasn't his business.

"Are you a mutant?"

And there it was. He was beginning to wonder if she had been having a blonde moment and dismissed his use of his skills. He teased it a bit more though by not answering right away, and was rewarded with an answer to his own mirrored question to her. The pink light that surrounded her was interesting, and he wondered idly what it was capable of. Having no Cable television, the only news he knew of Aura had come from exaggerated clippings in the newspapers. "The paper doesn't give you a fair assessment in my opinion. They try to make you out to be a monster... but it seems to me that you are just doing the best you can in this world. Granted... that's making some assumptions, but I'm generally a decent judge of character."

He didn't care if he was wrong, but sometimes even the harshest people could have a softer side to those who treat them with kindness, and Aura had not disrespected him or caused anything to happen that would cause a judgment to pass. The description of Sanctuary was interesting, and the name seemed to be relatively obvious now. A safe-haven for mutants... but the way she said it also meant that it wasn't welcome to humans... and although that didn't sit well with him, he was sure with all the hatred running through the streets they had ample reasons for wanting humans to stay away.

"Yes, I am as well, to answer your question."

She did not ask further into what leather person carriers were, instead she was more interested by his reaction. He knew of her but was unafraid or very good at hiding it. His answer did impress her quite a bit as well however as he seemed to have the rare gift to look past all the noise of the media. Many once they realized who she was simply screamed or ran.

"Our people are in danger, i was born to protect those i can" she replied honestly. Aura was entirely convinced humans would try and wipe out mutant kind sooner or later, but the majority of the mutant community simply did not want to see it, or could not. "I am glad you two are a mutant" she said visibly relaxing at the news despite the lack of demonstration. "Unfortunately defending our people is a rather brutal business" she added with a simple shrug of her shoulders.

"What can you do, if i may ask?" she said her voice betraying her interest on the topic. TO her a mutant power made one beautiful, weather it was visible or not. She preferred obvious mutations as heralds of their kind, despite the obvious harsh reality of that type of life. She was close to it, as her power simply gave her away of sight.

She considered herself a guardian... a reason he could definitely get behind. Regardless of most people, human and mutant alike, who wished for peace, there was certainly more violence than kindness in the delicate fracture in humanity. Mutants hated humans for being discriminated against, humans hated mutants due to envy or fear... a simple and most basic instinct. "Regardless of what they say, protecting others is never something I would look down upon. You have my respect."

She visibly relaxed at the fact that he too was a mutant, and that was interesting in itself. Being a mutant, being around another mutant, one would think the fact that she didn't know his intentions or abilities would cause her to go more on edge, but obviously there was more to it... she felt comradery with fellow mutants. Much like Jacob did when speaking to a fellow Service Member or Veteran... he could understand that as well. She spoke of the brutality of protecting others, and a quote rose to his mind.

"There is a question, as old as War itself. If someone is going to kill you, or those you love, are you not entitled... or even obligated, to rise against that person, and kill them first?" He paused, and allowed it to sink in. "I am a former soldier of the Army, and in my experience, the answer is Yes." He then began to address the other question. "Let me show you." Pulling over, he placed the Impala in 'park' and looked towards a parked vehicle across the street, making a nod in its direction to allow her to see what would happen.

The car, a newer Ford Focus, came to life, the lights turning on, the engine coming to life, and suddenly, it was moving in reverse. Coming to a sudden halt, it then began to pull ahead, and then using the slick roads, began to do donuts in an empty intersection. Just as quickly, knowing the squealing tires would draw attention, he returned the vehicle back to its spot, with needle precision. He then put Baby back into drive, and pulled ahead, moving towards Sanctuary again. "I can control anything mechanical."

He seemed unbotherd by her, even knowing what it was she did. He even mentioned she had his respect, something that was rare. Even many mutants recoiled at the concept of what she did on a near daily basis. A solider now that was something she could relate to. It made her respect for him climb even higher. A Mutant solider.

"We are comrades then, I to am a solider" she said but before she elaborated he mentioned his powers which stole her attention. They Pulled over and she followed his gaze to the other car and watched as he made it do a number of tricks she had done in a car, only his were on purpose and did not end with a pool. She smiled in wonder as she watched, the demonstration a beautiful display that made her feel like she neglected her own powers introduction. "A beautiful ability" She said as her mind raced through just what could be done with such power. He could end a police pursuit almost before it began.

"If you kill a person trying to kill you, then you do not face the same threat again, nor can that threat learn from their mistakes. One day Humanity will declare war on our kind, i can not watch my people fall into the flames only to be reduced to ash" she said seriously. She really believed Humanity would one day try and kill every mutant on the planet and that, this was a mere prelude.

He knew the type of soldier she was... but honestly, wasn't about to start a 'who's better' competition with a young girl, especially when you consider the basics of what a soldier is, they were the same. They fought for the ideals they believed in. She then commented on his demonstrated ability, and he smirked. "Thank you," he said simply, leaving it at that. Some people would have used it for immoral means, but his morals and strengths were strong, and unwavering.

Then she went into the basis of her reason for killing... and he found he couldn't agree to some key points. He waited patiently for her to finish though, respecting her words. "Killing is for when there is no other option, or you know that a harsh lesson will not suffice. I agree that there will be a war, but labeling it as 'Humanity' and Mutants is too broad. I do believe there will be war in certain factions, but I know before I got out, the Army was being taught extreme levels of tolerance. We serve the people of the United States, and that Includes Mutants. Aside that, killing innocents only causes your enemies to multiply, for all the people who want vengeance... kill the wrong non-combatant, and you might have too much to deal with very quickly. For instance... I guarantee I would be hunting someone if they killed my parents, who are not mutants... and I am someone you don't want to have hunting you."

It wasn't a brag... from his tone that was obvious... it was a fact.

They pulled up to the end of the line, and the Sanctuary was somewhere nearby... he could feel the mechanical things there, but was more focused on the person he was with that anything. He put the car in park, wanting to continue his conversation, and directed his full gaze upon the young woman, giving her his undivided attention.

To Aura a solider was a solider, she did not make distinctions in the type because she did not really understand their was a difference. Most of the uses Aura thought of for such power were much less then moral. Of course Aura reasoned her own powers were used for what many would consider less then moral.

"That's been a tough lesson to learn, back in the woods, we simply killed any human before us. We were front line, so Orders were always to charge and defend or attack until victory or death. However the City's rules are much closer to what you say." she said agreeing with him. While she had been taught many things, some of them did not hold up well in the city. Aura believed Humans could learn tolerance all they wanted, eventually instinct would kick in a dna they would try and preserve them selfs.

"Then, i can only hope that does not occur." She said flatly. She did not wish to directly tell him that if she did encounter them and had the need, she would kill them. "Tell me, the first time i killed, i felt terrible, i think i may have cried, now i feel nothing, do you still feel anything when you kill someone?" she asked curiously. "I feel no regret or sorrow unless it is a mutant i have killed and even then the feeling is fleeting" She admitted

Colt nodded thoughtfully as she went through her entire speech, listening intently. "Well, rules of engagement change rapidly... not only based on where you are, but even mid-fight. I know some absolutely ruthless people actually convert the enemy into our allies through careful use of restraint and mercy. It is amazing what people will do when you have them cornered and show that you truly will exercise those abilities that are in everyone. Kill your enemy, and you lose one foe... Convert your enemy, and you not only eliminate your enemy, but you gain reinforcements."

He let that information sink in... this was all based on real life experience... he had fought in firefights and killed human beings... but he had never grown numb, but knew people who had.

"Going numb is actually dangerous... it is a natural reaction to try to steel yourself against that kind of pain, but that pain is what helps you balance it. I have felt no remorse for people who I have killed, but I do feel respect. They were combatants, fighting for what they beleived in, just like you and me... what I have no feeling is fighting a coward. You have to rediscover your feelings in combat, or you will become weak... it is as simple as that."

Finished, he wondered for a moment if she understood the depth of his words... they all brought back memories of a time he wish he could forget. "Does what I am saying make any sense? Feel free to ask questions, it took me years to understand all this."

Aura seemed to look past colt and slightly haunted look passed her eyes and she recalled the events of her life. Their had been few chances to convert after all a human could not become a Mutant not truly. The Mutant's she had fought had mostly been people of the mansion to her appeals usually fell flat.

She raised her hand and around it her Aura appeared and began flowing like pink water until it formed an axe head on either side of her fist. "When my powers first emerged i was fighting a girl at school, i almost cut her in two with her spine. After that Humans caged me with other young Mutants until i was Rescued my a Mutant Named Miracle. Her Deal was simple absolute loyalty or death. She trained us but soon men with automatic rifles and mortars starting attacking our camp. I was assigned front line and scouting duty because of my powers. Nearly every day we fought i watched most of my friend's die in one way or another. The concept that we would die, likely quickly had been hammered into us as had the ideal to follow orders despite personal feeling or even weather they were suicidal. " she said not sure how else to get to what she was trying to say and she felt background helped a bit.

"Then we were out on patrol, routine stuff. We were ambushed, and 2 of my team fell before they could scream, Me and my friend Sayre beat them back, but Sayre's leg meant we would never make it back to camp. Standing orders were to slit his throught and make it back to camp, but i could not......Instead i disobeyed a direct order and left him. Three day's later i awoke as a mortar shell ripped one of my good friend's body apart, I lived only because our barracks fell on me, preventing me from fighting but not preventing me from watching almost 200 people die because of me. I came to NYC after" She said finishing her explanation on the last kill that had really mattered to her, not that she had killed Sayre.

"I enjoy fighting itself, that single minded rush, overcoming an opponents strengths and finding their weakness. I have no idea how to rediscover such feeling's, we were taught we would be dead in week's." she said though a few had managed to survive consistently over the year but they were separated and made squad leaders.

"Do i feel remorse at the kill? Joy ay having over come an opponent or look for te next target?" she asked when he asked for question's. She had not understood to much of what he said, but understood enough she believed she understood what he meant.

"As long as i fight, less of our kind need have blood on their hand's. Mine are already to soiled to be clean" she said. She truely wished no one else had to fight but knew that would never be entirely possible.

Jacob knew the look in her eyes… he had the same look, and knew dozens of people from his platoon who had seen real combat and the horrors it brings. It is something, no matter what you do, that you never forget, and haunts you till the day you die. So when she began to speak, he gave the young woman his undivided attention, as this was likely something that she didn’t tell many people. War stories… true ones anyway, were hard to share.

The first thing that he realized was that part of the reason she had no problem killing was a very early exposure. Someone had captured her like a lab rat because she had simply lost control, young and just beginning her life journey. The only salvation came in the form of drafting her into a merciless band of troops. She felt responsible for getting her entire band killed because she didn’t kill her friend, and thus the information was leaked on where their camp was. It seemed like some extremist group, but from the sounds of it, it hinted at mercenaries or something more organized. It certainly wasn’t military though… if the Army or any other branch ever were caught doing such a thing there would be an instant revolt and riot. There were several higher ranking members of the military with children who were mutants… tolerance was what had been taught to the masses.

This poor girl…

Jacob wanted to cry, but he didn’t… he was a better leader than that. He knew that crying in front of a fellow soldier who had been through all this would recoil, not wanting pity from anyone… they wanted someone they could talk to, get advice from, and follow in the darkness of the day. So instead, he focused his will, and responded to each part. “I’m sorry that you had to go through that kind of hell. I know a bit of what it is like, but on a different spectrum. It’s fine to be excited by combat, I feel the same way when I am doing combatives… it’s like a living and breathing game of chess, with much higher stakes. But that is simple competitiveness, and has a multitude of safe outlets that don’t lead to direct violence. Remorse should only be felt if you killed someone who didn’t have to die, such as a non-combatant. And you should certainly take pride in defeating someone, especially if it was a tough opponent, but you also give them the respect for having the courage to rise against you and providing you with that challenge.”

Then he addressed her last comment, although this one was the utter truth. “I don’t care if you have killed a thousand people… there is no such thing as a point of no return when it comes to killing another soul. If you don’t have a choice but to end their life, then don’t hesitate, by all means, but if you have a choice, the only one deciding whether or not to further soil your hands is you… and believe me, if you stop the killing, your emotions will return, and your soul will feel better for it. Jacob had been there… done that… and the graveness in his voice, sculpted by those hollowing experiences, was meant as a guide, not an order.

He understood the battlefield, that much was very clear. She had played chess enough to understand what he meant. Aura was pretty sure her definition of people who deserved to die and people who did not were very different from her new found friends. SHe decided to leave out mention this or that she was not entirely sure their were no combatants when it came to humans.

Still what he said made a bit of sense in a way. Maybe Humans did lack such a thing as a non combatant but it could also be said most of them were not remotely dangerous. Humans in general were weaker then Mutants and of little threat currently. perhaps their was a way however to find and reeducate the higher ranking humans. She considered the weight of this vs her lower scale blood baths which had quite frequently headlined the news.

"You may not but even if i laid down my sword today, the Humans would cage and kill me. They did once recently, but i am....difficult to keep contained. Their was almost no screaming this time either." she said not wanting to refer to those who had helped her.

"Simply murdering every Human is inefficient and a quick way to die. This was mentioned to me, as it draws to much attention, I restricted my kills to homeless, gang members and loose woman, stopped using their bone's to make furniture as well." she said considering his words still.

"However that was for training and could be stopped...." she said considering a number of factors. Despite her training her powers had not grown to much past what they had been a few years ago. The Bone furniture while relaxing had only helped her control to a point, a point she had found while still in the wood's. Perhaps she was not meant to be a raw brute.

"I went back to the wood's recently, I learned after i was captured me and many others were used in a program to turn Mutants into weapons. To this end, they destroyed or altered many of my memories, i recall nothing before my powers emerged and my first kill. Not my Age, Human name, where i lived, or even what my parents faces looked like. Miracle broke us free from that, but those Humans pursued us and thus Miracle taught us religion and war." she said revealing the rest of the story. The Humans had caged her for a year and altered her memories but before they did anything, the team due to miracle had been broken free to fight another year in the wood's.

Jacob listened to everything, letting the words soak in on this poor, twisted girl. She was being used, and she didn’t care that she was… it was all she ever knew, thanks to the idiot egg-heads trying to use her as a weapon. Still, if she continued down this path, it would lead to nothing but more blood, trouble and pain. Karma was definitely something that the mechanic believed in, and with all the negative karma surrounding the young woman, chances were pretty high that something bad was going to happen. The bone furniture caught him mentally off guard, even though his face didn’t show it, he was in a bit of dismay about that comment, but then again, he wasn’t too sure what she had been re-taught after her mind was wiped.

“Well, I can’t say for certain, but I’m pretty sure that your memories aren’t gone. I have heard of mutants who can mess with people’s minds, bringing back old memories long forgotten and stuff… but that is only if you want to remember.” He then switched gears, wanting to speak on another subject.

“You and I… we are soldiers… in our core, we know that we are always going to fight. But the thing that can always change, is what we fight for. You want to stop humanity from oppressing mutants, you have to fight that battle the right way. Killing the homeless isn’t going to help… hell, throw a bit of food at them, and they would probably help you in any way they could! Gang members… well, that’s a case by case basis… and loose women? It sounds to me like you don’t have a real game plan for stopping humanity even if they are trying to wipe us out, because to be honest, you aren’t really targeting anyone who could make a difference.”

He paused for a moment, letting that sink in. “I might be over-reaching, but it sounds to me you are targeting all of humanity, lashing out because that is all you know. I’m a mutant too, and I fight the same thing you do, just on a different scale… I am good friends with multiple higher-ranking people in the social, law based, and political chains… and when we talk, I slip in a bit of things that change their perspective about us.” It was a type of covert war, where the words did all the fighting, but it was VERY effective when talking to people who had a decision on what to do with the ‘mutant phenomenon’.