Delta Seven lay motionless in their holding cell, a thin, scratchy blanket pulled tight around their body. It had been a few weeks since their last mission, though time was not a system that the shifter was privy to. After their first failed mission in a while, the adolescent operative had been elected for reconditioning. That meant no going out in the field, no interacting with other operatives, no rewards such as comics or sweets. No nothing. The absolute minimum.

The shifter’s stomach yowled, and Delta Seven curled into a tighter ball. He was not, as one might believe, asleep. He was too hungry to sleep, and too agitated. The early stages of reconditioning, when shards of the patient’s mind were still intact, always put Delta Seven into such a restless mood. The raw nerves were not remotely conducive to sleep, nor was the gnawing hunger in his gut. So, the child lay still, raking his index finger over the canvas of the cot.

Beyond the door stood an armed guard, facing outwardly and unaware that the cell's occupant was still awake, for Delta Seven's back was turned to the rest of the cell, and they were facing the wall. Their back was turned to the metallic toilet, sink, and a polished stainless steel mirror above the sink. There was no reason to watch the rest of the cell-- Delta Seven would hear it if the door was opened.

Infiltrating a SUPER facility was not quite that impressive the second time around. They must not have tagged Jesse during the first mission, because if they had, they would have removed all the mirrors and reflective surfaces. They didn't. It was a small relief, since Jesse could not exit the mirrorworld, or bring anyone into it... but it was one step closer to keeping her promise to Delta Seven, and taking the kid out of SUPER's clutches for good.
It took time, effort, and a whole lot of strings to track down the little shifter again. He had to be a precious asset, plus he was a shifter, so keeping tabs on where he had been moved after the facility was compromised was kind of a needle-in-a-haystack situation. It took Jesse months of quiet work to find a trace again. It was a good thing she did not need sleep.

He had been in the same place for days now. That meant either that they were doing something to him, or that they were going to move him again any time now. There was no more time to waste. If she did not want to lose sight of the kid again, Jesse needed to get Delta Seven out now.

Which meant that she needed help.

It was strange to share the same mirror with someone. Jesse had recently had a similar, and very disturbing experience, so the fact that this time it was her friendly neighborhood doppelganger was already reassuring. Gawain was equally feeling awkward about sharing the mirror with someone... but there was no doubt about doing this for the greater good. SUPER had a kid. And they were going to get the kid out.

The two mirrorwalkers made it inside the facility slipping from mirror to mirror, until they got to the cells. Not all of them had mirrors, so they could only hope Delta's would have one. Jesse led the way, wearing the same face she had the first time she'd met the kid. In one small mirror, she paused.

"There he is."

The kid was lying on a cot, turned to the wall. The whole place looked miserable enough to make Gawain feel like breaking something. Or someone.

"Hey kid" Jesse spoke quietly, hoping he was awake, and... not brainwashed. "Remember me? C'mon, time to get you out of here."

>> "There he is. Hey kid. Remember me? C'mon, time to get you out of here."

Delta Seven heard the voice, but initially he made no indication that he'd heard them speak. Sometimes his ears played tricks on of him. He would hear someone calling out to him, sometimes a voice he knew, and sometimes unfamiliar voices.

He rolled over in the cot, dark eyes sweeping the room. He saw no one.

"Remember who?" was the mumbled response. There was no need to speak loudly-- the room was quiet. He kept the blanket over his mouth, to conceal the fact that he was talking from the lens of the security camera.

The kid did not exactly jump at the opportunity of a rescue. Jesse looked worried, and Mirror looked confused. Eventually, the small figure turned towards them half concealed by the blanket, but still did not show enthusiasm... or even recognition. Whatever they had been doing to him, it was nothing good.

>>"Remember who?"

"Me" Jesse waved from the mirror "I promised to get you outta here. I'm sorry it took a while to track you down. Camelot, remember?" Gawain arched an eyebrow at his doppelganger. Jesse shrugged. The code word she had given to the shifter kid to make sure they recognized each other in any form. Hopefully, they had not wiped it out of Delta's memories yet.

"I'm Mirage. I hope you remember me. And this... this is Mirror. He's gonna help us get you out of here."

>> "Me. I promised to get you outta here. I'm sorry it took a while to track you down. Camelot, remember?"

The phrase was like something he'd heard in a dream: half-remembered, didn't really mean anything to him... But familiar. Distant, but familiar. The shapeshifter roused himself from bed, slowly. Even if he wasn't sure of who was speaking to him, getting out held its appeal. A flicker of motion from the stainless steel mirror drew him towards it.

There were two people in the mirror, neither of whom were Delta Seven.

>> "I'm Mirage. I hope you remember me. And this... this is Mirror. He's gonna help us get you out of here."

”Delta Seven," he reported, "Seven, for short."

He turned on the sink, cupping his hands beneath the spigot. Frigid water cascaded over ropey, upturned hands. Delta Seven rose his hands to his lips, and took a drink. It was all a charade, for the cameras.

"I was elected for reconditioning," the boy advised the strangers in the mirror, "I don't remember a whole lot."

This wasn't the only change in appearance. His hair had been shaved close to his skull, his features were slightly more gaunt. It could be assumed that Delta Seven had been sheared for testing, and was not being fed as well. The linen shorts and shirt hung loosely off of his shoulders. Delta Seven took another sip of water, before shutting off the sink and surveying the people in his mirror.

His eyes were an intrigued, hopeful purple-pink, set against the black sclera if his natural eyes. Though his body language was withdrawn, his expression was rapt.

"You... were stuck last time... right?" the boy hazarded, his gaze darting between the two people in the mirror. He wasn't sure which one was Mirage, so he addressed both. And he wasn't sure of the memory, hence asking for clarification, "You couldn't take me with you?"

The boy finally got out of bed to stalk over to the mirror on the wall.
Gawain's jaw dropped.

>>"Delta Seven. Seven, for short."

It couldn't be. Could it? How did that even work?... Gawain knew that face. Not well, by any means, but as the kid of the school's adapted counselor, the kid was definitely not a stranger. Except, this kid was. A stranger, and in a bad condition. The sight made Gawain want to punch someone repeatedly. Possibly someone high up on the SUPER food chain.

>>"I was elected for reconditioning, I don't remember a whole lot."

Gawain and Jesse both swore at the same time, for very different reasons.

>>"You... were stuck last time... right? You couldn't take me with you?"

"I am stuck. And I can't." Jesse nodded towards Mirror "But he can."

"Alright, Ch... kid" Gawain took over "Let's get you out. Can you tell me where the camera is in your cell?"

Delta Seven watched the two strangers with detached interest. He was no stranger to the language they used-- other operatives sometimes swore on missions. He wasn't sure what had prompted Mirror and Mirage to swear, though.

>> "I am stuck. And I can't. But he can."

>> "Alright, Ch... kid. Let's get you out. Can you tell me where the camera is in your cell?"

Delta Seven looked towards the upper corner of his cell, at the intermittently blinking red light that shone through the darkness.

"Up there," the child said, jerking his chin, "But they'll come if I touch it."

There had to be a camera. If the kid was an asset, especially if he had to be reconditioned, they needed to keep an eye on him. Which meant, there had to be at least one camera in the cell. It was not in Gawain's field of vision, which meant it could not see them in the mirror... but if he stepped out to grab... Other Chase, the last thing he wanted was to get in SUPER's hit list.

>>"Up there. But they'll come if I touch it."

"I won't touch it." Gawain smirked. He was not wearing the X-men uniform for a reason, but he did have a nondescript mask that he put on before he stepped out of the mirror, offering a hand to the kid. "C'mon, let's go."

Jesse watched, holding her breath. Would it work? Could they really rescue this kid before the guards busted in?... She was fairly confident that they would succeed this time, but... she also did not trust her powers, or Mirror's, all that much anymore.

Delta Seven staggered back as the man stepped through the mirror, his eyes widening. Was this... Was this what Mirage would have done with his full powers? A smile broke across the shifter' s face.

It was about then that the silent alarm had been raised, a flashing red light coloring the hallways beyond and the inside of the cell. The intruder had been spotted.

Delta Seven clasped Gawain's hand, fighting the violent sting of genetic information that crackled against his palm. The pain was a small price to pay, for freedom.

"Kappas," Seven cautioned cryptically. He could hear footsteps thundering down the hall. The door hissed, gears turning to unlock the cell door, "We won't be able to leave if they send Kappas."

Gawain stepped out of the mirror. Something must have triggered, because lights began flashing, which meant that there was a clock counting down on the mission now.

"Hurry up" Jesse called from the mirror. She was usually not nervous about easy missions like this one, but she felt responsible for the kid now, and she really needed to get out before SUPER agents had a chance to tag them. She did not exactly clear this mission with the rest of the team...

>>"Kappas. We won't be able to leave if they send Kappas."

"What are Kappas?" Gawain asked, but waiting for the answer would have been a luxury. They had to be like adapteds or something, if they could keep them from leaving. He pulled the kid into the mirrorworld, where Jesse was practically bouncing with nerves, just as the door began to unlock. "Go go go!"

They ran. From mirror to mirror, steering away from the facility as soon as possible. They made some big jumps, used some car mirrors, and sacrificed direction for distance. It took a while for them to pause once they reached a better known part of the city.

"I know where we should take him" Gawain offered, looking at the kid whose hand he was still holding "You okay there, Delta?"

They were in the cell... and then they weren't. There were two of them... and then there were three. Delta Seven didn't have the time to wrap his head around what this meant. He couldn't fight the sting any longer, and his arm began to unravel, expand, and reshape itself into something that emulated Gawain. The shift swam up his arm, across his face and torso, and down to the tips of his toes.

And then they were running. Delta Seven was shaky on his newfound feet, but he did his best to keep up. He ran with the two mirror-walkers, his legs wobbily, his mind unable to keep up with their surreal flight. Freedom. Freedom. He was going to be free. A wild smile had been spread acorss his features, breathless as he ran. But now tears were welling up in his eyes. Freedom. When they finally slowed down, to catch their breath, Seven's breathing was ragged from both flight and raw emotion.

>> "I know where we should take him. You okay there, Delta?"

The question was posed to a Gawain lookalike. Delta Seven really wanted to wrap his rescuers into a hug, to break down in full-on crying, but... they didn't have the time. They weren't in the clear yet. Through tears and ragged breaths, the doppelganger nodded.

"Call me Seven," the duplicate insisted, "Delta is my rank."

And there was no need for ranks if he wasn't with SUPER.

"Wh-where will you take me?" fake!Gawain hazarded, ever-cautious. He wanted to stay with Jesse, not be pushed into some other prison, "C-can't I stay here? I'm not gonna be on my own, am I? They'll get me. I know they will. I wanna stay with you."

Though he looked like Gawain, his Seven's mind still leapt to conclusions like a child's.

They finally paused, Gawain convinced that they had put enough distance between them and SUPER to merit a short pause. Turning back to the kid, Gawain and Jesse both jumped at seeing another copy of Gawain.

>>"Call me Seven. Delta is my rank."

"WHOA dude that's..."

"...freaky" Jesse finished her doppelganger's thought "Three shapeshifters in one mirror. Holy sh*t."

"I feel like I'm at a disadvantage here" Gawain muttered. He did not let go of D... Seven, though. They had to keep moving, even if at a slower pace.

>>"Wh-where will you take me? C-can't I stay here? I'm not gonna be on my own, am I? They'll get me. I know they will. I wanna stay with you."

"You are not going to be on your own. I promise. And we won't let SUPER get you." Jesse put a hand on fake!Gawain's shoulder. God, this was weird. "We'll..."

"We'll take you to the other side of the rift. The safest place we can hide you is... well, the school." Gawain glanced at Jesse, then back "There are people there that can protect you. Me included. Did they put a tracker on you?"

Seven looked bashfully at Mirage and, as he gleaned from the shift, Gawain... his face scrunching in a confused frown. They could pull people into mirrors, and were calling his powers weird? That wasn't very nice. Mirage reassured him... they weren't just going to dump him somewhere. Good.

"The Rift?"

There was a lot they didn't tell him. For example, that there was a rift between words.

"The School?"

They also didn't tell him what school was. There wasn't much of a need to, if you weren't going to be sent to school. Gawain explained that people at The School that could protect him. Was it like a base?

>> "Did they put a tracker on you?"

Fake!Gawain's expression scrunched, wading through the fog of memories. After all the rounds of reconditioning, it was hard to say what had been done to him, and what hadn't. He could remember trying to run before, without avail. Being caught. Being found. He knew what a tracker was because of his involvement with numerous bag-and-tag missions.

"I think so," Seven murmured, "I've tried to run before, but they always find me."

>>"The Rift?... The School?"

"Whooo boy" Gawain sighed, running a hand through his hair. There was a lot to catch the kid up on... but maybe not at once. Being rescued was intense enough without learning about other universes and mutant schools. And especially Other Chase.

"We'll explain later" Jesse promised. She was worried for the kid, and she really wanted to make good on her promise and not let SUPER get him again. Especially if they were taking him across the rift.

>>"I think so. I've tried to run before, but they always find me."

The two mirrorwalkers looked at each other.

"Okay,change of plans. Tracker needs to come out first." Gawain frowned "See, Seven... the school's a safe place for mutant kids. Like us. We can't have SUPER show up there. Do you have... any idea where your tracker is?"

The shapeshifter's eyes swirled with confused colors. Where his tag was? He couldn't-- he didn't-- Seven grit his teeth. The only memories that simmered up in his mind are the bag-and-tags he'd participated in during the past few months.

"Usually they have... guns... for bag-and-tags," Seven explained, "They try to... aim... where it's hard to reach?"

His hand tensed around Gawain's, his stomach churning, "But my skin... is like snakes..." which meant that his tag wasn't subdermal. It was deeper, but he didn't know... how deep.