"See what I mean?" She whispered to the handsome man beside her. "They just stare at me like I'm not a person."

"Well, Rikke, you are quite stunning." Javier smiled and held her hand.

"I know, but. You can check me out without turning your head as you walk to stare."

"I understand the difference." He pulled her close to his body and reached for a walking side hug. "Just try to ignore it and keep in mind that tomorrow, you'll be back in Barcelona where everyone seems to gotten over the fact that mutants like you exist and they move on with their lives."

"Have they?" She bit her lip ring with pointed teeth. "I don't think they're any better about it, they've just learned to stare without being so obvious. These Americans, don't care if you know they're staring."

"Could be worse, in Argentina and Mexico they were crossing themselves when you walked by." Javier handed their tickets to the attendant.

As the attendant stared at her, Rikke met her eyes and stared back.

"Um, uh, I need your, um, ah." The attendant stuttered.

"My passport?" Rikke asked sarcastically and handed the little red book to the woman.

"Um, yeah, thank you, uh... Ms.De Cordova."

"Yep, thank you." She forced a smile, baring her pointed teeth. ****ing Americans She thought and snatched her passport back.

She slid her arm around Javier's as they walked down the gate to the plane.

A mutant! I can't believe it's allowed the plane! A filthy, disgusting freak like that? I should call security. What if it blows up the plane? Or spreads some disease? It's a security risk, it's not like I'm being bigoted or anything, I'm just realistic, mutants have powers and it could be a security risk! Ugh, it was so ugly and I touched it's passport. I should see the doctor after my shift is up. Better call security before that freak gets any farther.

"Did you hear that?" Rikke asked Javier.

"Hear what?"

"What that Dumme K'lling said!"

"I didn't hear anything, and I don't know how you heard anything, they shut the door, and she's on the other side of it.

"No, I heard it clear as day, she called me disgusting and a freak and kept referring to me as it. What the ****! I should go back there and-

"Rikke." Javier put a calming hand on her shoulder. "Don't get upset, some people are just-"

"Stupid? Jerks? ***holes?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry, Rikke. the world just isn't ready for people like us."

"You mean people like me."

"Rikke, no, I think you're beautiful. I love you!"

"But you pass and no one says jack **** to you about being a freak."

"Rikke, you're being irrational. You're taking your anger out on me."

"You're right, I'm sorry. I know you love me, I'm just sick of being treated like this." She leaned into his shoulder after they sat down on the plane.

"Well, the cattle car section of the plane is hardly going to help my mood."

"If you'd let your Padre pay for our flights, we could be up in first class."

"I know, but I need to prove that I can take care of myself and not rely on Papa's money when I want to do something."

Well I guess you made your point, this whole trip cost you, what? Ten thous- uh-oh."

"What?" Rikke raised her head and saw the same awful attendant striding down the plane's aisle of the plane. "God **** it. What now?"

Oh my god in heaven! It's so horrifying, god would never create something so... repulsive. I think Pastor Davids is right, only the devil could create these awful things.

"There! did you hear that?" Rikke was practically screaming now.

"Jesus, Rikke, stop yelling!" Javier said and put a hand on her neck to calm her.

"Don't you-" She snapped at him and removed his hand from her neck. While Javier didn't look like a mutant, his powers allowed him to control her body's chemicals. Initially it was just the chemicals in plants that he could control, but in June he discovered he could apply his powers to people too.

Ah, there it is. I'll have to handle this calmly, it seems agitated, it will destroy the plane on the ground if I agitate it too much.

The woman bent to talk to Rikke like she was a child. "Um, excuse me miss?" It's bad enough I had to touch it's passport, now I've got to get close to it.

"****ing ****", Rikke swore and turned to Javier "I swear to ****ing god if she calls me 'it' again I'm going to-"

"Rikke, please calm down. She didn't call you anything"

What is this mutie's problem? I just want to get this over with so the plane can leave. Of course a freak like this one would ruin my day.

"Are you serious!?"

"Rikke, please." It was like Javier hadn't heard the slurs this bigot was calling her.

"She called me the m-word."

"Just calm down Rikke." She felt a surge of seratonin calm her before she even felt Javier's fingers slip under her shirt.

"I'm sorry." Rikke apologized "It's been a rough day for me, I haven't been home since March of this year. I guess I'm a bit anxious to get going." She smiled pleasantly at the attendant.

"I understand that miss. But, the captain is going to need you to step off the plane for a bit." Freak

"I'm sorry I don't understand. Is there a problem with my passport? I bought this ticket last year, I don't see how there could be a problem with it."

"I'm sorry, but it's a security issue." You're a freak of nature and you might blow up the plane.

Even Javier's powers couldn't prevent her from feeling offended "Is this because I look like a mutant? Because-"

"Oh no, it's not because you are a mutant, it's just a security issue and the captain has asked that you step off the plane for a moment." It was as if the attendant was oblivious to how discriminatory she was being.

"See, here's the thing that bothers me," While the seratonin was keeping her calm, she still felt very insulted. "you are singling me out as a mutant because my mutation makes me look different, but I guarantee you that this plane, right now, is full of mutants. I feel that you are discriminating against me because my mutation is visible."

That's exactly right, freak, you look dangerous and probably are dangerous or at least carrying some mutie plague with you. "If you could just exit the plane please."

"I'm sorry but, you think I'm carrying a plague?"

"I uh, I never said that."

"Javier, you aren't hearing this?" She turned back to the attendant, "Maybe, miss, uh, Ross. Ms. Ross, I think you are a mutant, you are projecting a voice in my head and I can hear every vile and bigoted thought you have. You've called me a freak, it, even the god **** M-word. You were plotting to kick me off my flight the moment you saw me."

"Miss, if you could please step off this plane, we can sort this out and get you on the next flight." Oh my god! Can it read my mind? "Please miss, you're delaying the other passengers."

"I can only read your mind if you keep projecting your thoughts into mine." Rikke smiled. "You are a mutant."

"Rikke," Javier said, "Just get off the plane and call your Dad, he'll probably get you home faster than I will."

She felt another calming surge from his powers."I'm not going anywhere, I'm riding this plane home and then I'm going to sue the **** out of trans Atlantic airlines."

"Miss, please step off the plane." This freak is in my brain! I should get hazard pay for having to deal with ****ing muties like this.

"If I was in your brain, Miss Ross, I'd tell you to leave me alone, quit your job and jump off a bridge."

Oh my dear lord, it's trying to control my mind! "Security!" She called.

Not a second later, a NYC cop and a META boarded the plane.

"She tried to control my mind!" The woman was hysterical now, screaming and running towards the back of the plane.

Before Rikke could do more than grab her purse, the cop confiscated it and the META had her in cuffs

"Don't even try to use your powers, those cuffs will knock you on your *** if you do and I'd hate to have to carry you out of here."

"Um, I actually don't have any powers, I just look different."

"Yeah, I'm sure."

She spent the next 8 hours talking to police officers. She repeated to all of them that she had no actual powers beyond her appearance. The META confirmed her X-gene and that combined with the attendant's testimony convinced the police she was a telepath, Unfortunately there was no way to prove she could read minds and none of the officers were about to uncuff her, so they tried to sweat her out and intimidate her. However, fortunately there was no evidence to formally arrest her on. Until, one of the officers became convinced that she was a wanted Ragnarok militant. Within a half hour, all the officers were convinced they'd seen her on the news in footage of a Ragnarok terrorist activity. She denied everything and once the X-men confirmed they had never heard of her, she was released from questioning.

Rikke dug in her purse for her cigarettes and lit one. She held her breath hoping the tobacco would work its magic faster, but before she could exhale, she heard, "No smoking!" An airport worker was waving at her. Not wanting any more trouble she took a quick drag and crushed it with her boot. ****ing America. she thought and hurried until she could see the lights of the city before her. She spent all her American dollars before going to the airport, hoping to not have to exchange money in Madrid. She counted her cigarettes, Fifteen left, no money for transit, I guess I'm walking back to Manhattan.

Unable to walk any more from exhaustion, she fell asleep near the water in what she believed was Prospect Park. She dreamed about punching Javier in the face for flying home without her and getting chased by those creepy META robots through the streets of her neighborhood home in Aarhus.

The sun woke her up, Rikke hardly felt rested and was covered in dew

**** I need a shower. Being homeless doesn't mean I gotta be a bum.

She checked her pack of cigarettes and lit one of the remaining two. Could use a coffee too.

She checked her purse and found a hundred Krone, maybe 10 Euro and whatever the copper US coin was worth. She could exchange her Euros and Krone and at least cover a few essentials. Some food and another pack of cigarettes. She thought about having only one remaining cigarette and decided all she wanted to buy was more, she could eat grass or something to get by. Somewhere to sleep that wasn't a park would be nice.

After treking to Manhattan, she exchanged her money and got a lead on a shelter for mutants. While crossing the Williamsburg Bridge, Rikke started to wonder about the incident at the airport.She was sure that the attendant had mutant telepathic powers. She only knew one telepath, back in Barcelona, Alazne, the girl was talented and could project her thoughts. But when Alazne projected her thoughts, she was only able to speak to a crowd rather than a single person. And Javier hadn't heard the attendant's thoughts, no one else on the plane had heard them either. Rikke had always wished that some useful powers came with her mutated appearance, but she was hesitant to believe that she had any telepathic abilities.

Against her best instincts to ration her last cigarette, she smoked at the midpoint of the bridge and admired the Manhattan skyline. She liked the city, there was no real equivalent in Europe, nothing like New York City in the world. it had a rich history built by immigrants in the 1800s and all the cultural flavors of the modern world. She'd noticed while crossing Brooklyn that each neighborhood had its own cultural identity, but everyone was a New Yorker. Like bits of vegetables in a stew, each it's own thing, but all part of one whole stew.

She exhaled a cloud of smoke and wondered if mutants would form their own 'vegetable' in the stew. She'd like to be a part of that.

That ****ing freak ought to jump off

She jerked her head in the direction of the person she believed she was picking up on.

You should kill yourself for being such a bigot. Rikke thought to herself.

Barely seconds passed before the pedestrians on the bridge reacted to the woman's fall from the bridge into the East River.

"Oh my god!" "She just jumped" "I didn't hear her say anything, she just went over!" "Somebody call 911!" "Does anybody know her?" "She just jumped!" "I can't believe it!"

Rikke knew exactly how the day was going to go if she stuck around. The crowd preoccupied with looking over the railing would notice her and then it would be, "The Mutie did it!" And if a Mutant did do it, Rikke didn't want to take a beating for it. She picked up her pace and flipped open her pack of cigarettes. ****ing empty, ****! She thought and crushed the empty box in her hand.

As she neared the end of the bridge she saw several police cars position themselves to block the street. Two cops got out followed by the black robot thing she saw at the airport.

"Excuse me uh... miss?" The first cop said.

"Yeah?"

"Did you witness a woman jump over the edge of the bridge?"

"No," She lied. "I heard a crowd, but didn't see anything."

"X-Gene positive." The META announced

"What kind of, er, powers do you have?" The second cop asked.

"None really, I just look freaky, nothing that actually does something."

"But you are X-Gene positive."

"So I'm told."

"Let the META handle it, we need to disperse that crowd."

"****!" Rikke swore and planned a route to get past the META and on her way.

The cops were jogging down the street towards the crowd when the robot announced, "Attention Mutant, you are under arrest. Please comply."

"Attention ***hole robot, **** you." Rikke dashed across the street and slid between the two cop cars. As she neared Kent Ave, the robot caught up to her and grabbed her arm. She shook loose and kept running. Finally as she saw Kent approaching she slid through the girders and jumped to Kent Ave below.

As she connected with the asphalt, she rolled and resumed running. While she had no extraordinary powers, Rikke's unique skeletal structure and dense muscle tissue allowed her to take the fall fairly unscathed. Unfortunately, the META took the fall as if it were going down stairs.

As she neared the intersection, she spied a construction site and decided to try and lose the robot there. But before she could attempt yo hop the fence, the META grabbed her leg.

For a second she wondered if she'd be deported back to Europe and finally go home, then she punched the robot's elbow and hoped it might release it's grip.

Naturally the thing didn't let go, so she tried writhing and prying the thing's fingers. By some stroke of luck, she slipped out of it's grasp and vaulted herself onto the fence. Once over, she caught a glimpse of the robot just standing there doing nothing. While it was odd, she wasn't about to stop running.

Atop a weave of beams, she tried to get comfortable and avoid looking down. She felt the crushed pack of cigarettes and wished she had more. She had started to drift off to sleep when she heard the robot announce


"Mutant, Rikke de Cordova, you are under arrest for obstruction of justice."

Her grogginess slowed her, but it was the height that slowed her the most. She tried to stick to the thicker I-beams even though the rebar inside the square afforded more movement, but she wasn't sure if it would hold her weight.

"Halt Mutant." The META ordered.

She ducked behind a concrete pillar and tried to plan her next move. The whole structure was a big square, all she could do is let it chase her around in circles. She had to get out of the site or at least destroy the META. Rikke knew she was strong, well stronger than any average person her size, but far from super strength. She could snap a brick in half or lift an end of a car off the ground, but it was a far cry from any super-human power set. She spied a few short rebar scraps sitting on a platform diagonal from her.

god **** my life. She thought as she stepped on the rebar that criss-crossed the I-beams. The fear must have caused her to forget that there was a META in pursuit because by the time she's taken a few precarious steps on the rebar, the **** thing was almost caught up with her.

Fortunately, the rebar was mostly strong enough to hold her weight, but unfortunately, it was difficult to step on and move quickly. She dared a quick glance back and thanked the universe that the META was having as hard a time with the rebar as she was. Even better, it was heavy enough to bend the rebar wherever it put down its full weight.

She instantly wished she could take back the past 5 seconds of her life as she slipped on the rebar and fell between the bars. But by instinct, she grabbed the rebar with her hands and hung for a moment until she saw the META step just behind where she had been standing. **** She thought and started to swing on the rebar, reaching forward and forward until she was just under where she wanted to be. The only problem was that the META had anticipated her plan and had beat her to it.

Let's test that balance of yours, ***hole! She grabbed the META by the ankle and pulled. Unfortunately, the Meta could balance itself on the platform that she had intended to find refuge on. She looked down and saw more of the same rebar crossing I-beams. She wondered if it would hold her if she fell from the above floor, but decided she was dead any way, so she let go of the rebar she was hanging from and grabbed the META's ankle with both hands.

She swung and pulled with all her might, cursing and screaming. Finally the ******* toppled onto it's back. She watched as the rebar bent with the weight of both her and the META. While this rebar was obviously below it's typical strength, she doubted it would break. So she reached for another piece of rebar and pulled with all her strength to pull the META through a hole in the rebar grid.

As the machine fell, she released it's ankle and held to the rebar, hoping that a fall, plus the META's weight might at least immobilize the robot for a little bit at least. Much to her surprise, when the META hit the steel, the welds to the I-beam snapped and it fell through to the next floor below.

"Ha! **** you!" She yelled and pulled herself up to the platform. However when she looked over the edge, the META was gone. It took her openly a few second to spy it climbing the ladders back up to her floor. She swore and retrieved a short baton sized piece of rebar, at least she had a weapon.

Look at that little Mutie go, way tougher than I thought. But then again, Mutants are like cockroaches, they're resilient.

She looked around for the voice, but found no one. Could the META's think? She hoped not. Clutching the rebar she decided her best chance was to get to the ladder before the META reached her floor. No longer afraid of the rebar she made it to the ladder in good time. The Meta was halfway up the ladder.

"Overaskelse grimme k'lling!" She yelled as she wailed on the META's head with the rebar.

Covered in the robot's fluid, she tried to pull the head off, but to no avail. She resumed beating the thing until finally it fell and crashed through the rebar grids until it stopped near the first floor.

"*******" she spat and sat back on the I-beam. I gotta get out of here. She thought to herself.

**** right you better run ***** She heard in her head.

Now she was convinced. Somebody was listening in to her thoughts. She recalled the attendant and the woman on the bridge, maybe she was projecting. Did she have psychic powers?Something was wrong. or at least different. She was a born mutant, she never had any powers beyond her strange appearance. It was very unlikely that she had developed psychic powers at 23 years of age. So most likely, someone was near her since the plane that had psychic powers. Now she was convinced, she was being followed.

What do you want?" She tried to project.

Get out of my head you freak!."

"It's trying to attack my brain, it's a god **** psychic!" A voice from far below her position.

"I'm calling for back-up." Another voice.

"****" She swore under her breath.

"Bed-Stuy has a couple of Sentries, they'll be here soon."

What the **** was a sentry? It sounded bad to her, she had to leave now. She followed the ladder down until she caught sight of the subway entering a tunnel from the Williamsburg bridge. She could lose the cops there for sure.


The Sentry METAs were arriving as she climbed onto the service walkway. Knowing that time was running out, she ran headlong into the darkness