Geo lay on his cot in the barracks of the labs, the place that was beginning to seem more like a prison then a haven to him, in his jeans with no shirt on, trying desperately to fall asleep but failing miserably. As he lay there staring at the bunk above him, it seemed like a thousand things were running through his head. Deja, his girlfriend, had mysteriously disappeared. Did that make him single?Ted, his best friend, was in the camps. Did that make him all alone? His family, had totally abandoned him and probably thought he was either dead or in the camps right now. Did that mean that he had nowhere left to turn? He didn't want to go back to the mansion, things there just didn't feel right, and he wanted to make the human race pay for outcasting him, not try to live alongside them. Living alone in the garage for the rest of his life hardly seemed the answer either, how would that help him get revenge? There were the other factions he could go to he supposed, he just had to make the connections first.

He sat up straight in the bed and realized something. He turned to see the digital alarm clock sitting on the bedside table. It read 11:59 then flashed to 12:00. Zero hour...today was Geo's birthday. He stood and walked over to a makeshift calender he had on the cement wall, scratching out April 25 on it. "Happy Birthday to me..." He muttered and stumbled back to his cot, sitting on the edge and grabbing a carton of cigarettes and a lighter from the bed side table and sliding one of the cigarettes from the carton to his lips. As he lit the cigarette and tossed the carton to the side he wondered what his family was doing right now.

He could remember spending birthdays with his family, it was one of the few times they were all together and everyone seemed happy. His mother would forget about work, his father would step out of the garage and talk to Tristan about things other then cars. His sister was always nice to him but she always went the extra mile to make Tristan happy. Tristan, that name seemed like it didn't fit anymore. Tristan was the star football quarterback who was the Lady killer in school, one of the guys you look at and think, 'Wow he has it made'. But Tristan was dead, now he was Geo, a ruthless mutant who was beaten half to death by his father because of what he was, and was now forced to live in this prison because of what the outside world thought of his kind. He turned on the light and let out a short, surprising loud weep as a single tear rolled down his cheek. His eyes were puffy and red, his face twisted in anxiety. His lite cigarette fell to the floor as he opened his mouth for another weep to let itself out. Why did life seem to love to hand him the sh*t card. He let out another weep.

Geo felt a shadow cast over him and looked up, he saw a big red blur through his tears. He must have woken up Abyss in his crying at such a late hour. He quickly started whiping away the tears from his face. "Sorry Abyss, just thinkin' is all." He then stood up and picked up a towel from the end of his cot and whipped off his face. He then turned and looked up to the taller man, Abyss was quite an intimidating fellow. Geo would have taken a step back if he hadn't gained some trust for Abyss over training. He instead walked over to where he had sat and picked up the cigrette from the ground and put it back in his mouth inhaling deeply.

Geo nodded as Abyss spoke, he would enjoy doing more on his birthday then sitting around in the prison of a room. But Geo still didn't think it was a go out, especially with current events being as they were. "Pool sounds great man." he said, Geo had dreamed of checking out the cars he had seen when he first came into the labs but he just felt like shooting pool for some reason. Geo walked over to his trunk and grabbed a tight black t-shirt from on top and pulled it on. Also throwing a jean jacket over his shoulder, he almost forgot something. His birthday gift from his sister the prior year, he pulled a small golden cross necklace from his pocket and pulled it over his neck. Geo ran a brush through his hair once right quick before tossing the brush back to his bed and pulling down on the jacket so it fell into place. "I appriciate it man, I never expected to have to spend a birthday in a place like this. And i've been dealing with alotta sh*t latly too."

Geo feel into step next to Abyss as they walked quietly through the halls. Shaking his head as Abyss asked what was keeping him down. "Girl problems, friend problems, family problems and mutant problems, the whole nine." He said pulling up a bit on his collar. "My Girl disappeared and noones seen her for months, my friends in the camps, my family is anything but, and i can barely stand having to hide like a coward just because of what i am." He took a drag of his cig and exhalled smoke, he missed his old life a bit, but part of him was glad he had a new one. Then Abyss said that Geo could be a poolshark with abilities like his. "Man i was a pool shark before i went mutie. I've been playing for a long time, so i got a few tricks. And i don't think it's to easy to go rock fist and not be noticed." Geo was feeling a bit better already, just the idea of playing pool like he did before the registration made him feel better.

Geo chuckled as Abyss clones quickly took over the rec room, they were rather entertaining despite they're intimidating exterior but Geo still would hate to half to fight any of them. As Geo caught the pool stick he frowned a bit, "That's come up in my head, and i honestly don't know if she would try to leave the labs or not." He walked over to the wall and grabbed a rack and placed it on the table. "I suppose things will show themselves in time, but what i want to know is does that make me single?" Geo formed a sly grin on his lips as he began to put the balls in the rack and arange them. It wasn't like this was the first time he had only dated a girl for a week. In fact it was something he was rather useful, his sister always said 'You never look for miss right, Tristan, all you ever look for is miss right-now'.

Geo laughed as he remembered how his sister disapproved of him being a lady killer but Geo couldn't imagine life any other way. "You're under the right impression, I do control the ground, rocks and that kind of sh*t, but i gotta actually touch it with my bare skin. Thats why i tore open that punching bag in the training area." He pushed up on the rack to make sure the balls were tightly packed and then removed the rack placing it back on the wall. He tossed the que ball towards the OA (Original Abyss) "So unless it was a really dirty bar i was in, i gotta stick with pure skill" He chuckled and placed the end of his cue on the ground.

Geo chalked up his que, "Nah trust me that weight room thing was like some sorta fight for Deja, but she just ended getting pissed at both of us." Geo leaned over the table and banked the que ball of the far wall so that it nudged the 9 ball into the side pocket. He stood and walked towards the que ball. "But it wouldn't be the first time i've moved on to another chick, and it sure as hell won't be my last." Geo took a straight shot hammering the 13 into the corner pocket, but there was to much UMF! behind it and the que ball followed. "Scratch. Nah i think that just things going on like they are magnified the situation. Freaked me out more then it normally would. And to think i was gunna move back to the mansion for that chick." He stood and backed away giving Abyss the table for his shot.

"I'm used to being treated like dirt, the family i come from it's a regular thing really. Hell my sister is the only normal person thats been nice to me since i got my powers." He scratched his nose, a sort of manly way to wipe away a few stray tears without drawing attention. "But now i have no idea what i'm going to do with my life so, i've just been stressin' like a motha."

Geo didn't shoot right after Abyss' shot. Not because he didn't know what he was going to shoot for, but because of what Abyss began to talk about. Geo starred at the floor as Abyss said a word that stuck out more then the rest. "Sanctuary..." He muttered to himself, the very word sent a chill down his spine. It just brought the feeling of belonging right along with it. "I've never heard of The Sanctuary before, besides i have a garage in the city that i need to run, i can't just let that go to waste, it's my home." He then cleared his head really quick and took a shot, hitting the que ball into the ten which in turn bumped the 12 ball into the corner pocket. Geo took a shot right as Abyss said the words 'Join us' and hit the bal a little to low and it went flying towards a wall, suddenly two buddies playing pool sounded more like a recruiting pitch. He realized that he had never asked Abyss where he was before the resistance had formed. It never seemed relevent at the time because everyone seemed to be on the same side when they were here. "Whoa dude, that whole 'Join Us' bit seemed a lil 'heil mein fuhrer' for my taste. I'm all for making humans pay but...i don't know man."

Geo leaned against a support beam that was near the table, his eyes stared unblinkingly at the ground. He wasn't freaked out, just listening, absorbing ever ounce of what Abyss spoke. And as he listened, he realized that everything Abyss said was true. Why should they have to sit back and let the humans walk over them, why should Geo have to play Ghandi and sit while people took away everything dear to him. "So we strike back, if they want war then we bring it to them. If we brought together even a quarter of the mutant community we can whipe out new york in like a day." He pushed off the beam and walked opposit the table from Abyss, he leaned forward his hands on the table. "An the whole time people in the mansion are trying to live along side with humans, that could never happen, i mean alot of us got all physically changed when we mutated, how could we realyl fit in, or better yet why should we have too." He stood straight again but looked down at his hand. It was gloved as usual, not because he liked the way it looked or anything but because he had to. His poweres we'ren't completly in his control yet so he had to keep from touching the ground with his skin. "I just have one question for you, Tall Red and Scary, can your people help me control my powers." He pulled off his glove and took off his jacket. His arms transformed to their giant rock form. "It was never like this before. It just used to be my hands, but during a training sesion they went up my entire arm. Something inside tells me i can do more, only if i could control it though." He looked up at Abyss while he sat in his full mutant form. He wanted to get revenge at his family, or at least his father, and maybe this was the best way.

Geo sighed heavily and ran his left hand instinctively through his hair. A habit he had picked up through many years of living in highly stressful situations. He then brought his hand back down when he realized it was still made of rock. He hadn't had his powers long enough to be totally used to them, just mildly comfortable. He then shrunk his arms back to their normal state. "Well I was normal for sixteen years before i turned into a mutant so i'm still used to being Tristan, not so much with Geo, i've only had my powers for three or four months." He sat down on a bar stool that was near the table and ran his now normal sized hand through his hair. "I guess i'm still trying to figure out what is normal. I understand that i shouldn't have to hide it, but part of me wants to. Part of me wants to be Tristan again, back when life made a hell of a lot more sense then it does now." Geo then sat up cracking his neck, he still wasn't sure about this mutation that was now him. He knew that it ment he was better then normal people, chosen to rise above the rest.

[[sorry uber short post + the long wait, i'm rushing through today so that i can get a project done before morning]]

Geo's eyes closed as Abyss said that he would never be able to be Tristan again. It was a truth Geo had known deep down but never really wanted to face. He always thought 'Hey if i can control my powers maybe i can go back to my own life' but he knew that they're was no going back. No way his friends would ever look at him the same, no way his 'rents would ever even partially tollerate his presence like they used to. His lip curled up a bit as if into a snarl, his eyebrows squeezed tight together in anger. "It's not fair!" He yelled out in fury, bringing down a massive fist of rock on the bar shattering the marbel and cracking the support boards underneath. Geo jumped to his feet, his arms were completly rock but not because he wanted them to be, they did it themselve, activated by pure anger. "Why! Why should i not be able to still be Tristan just becuase of me being a mutant! Why should my entire life have to change! Move so far away from my home, lose my family, even though they weren't much but they were still family!" He paced back and fourth resisting the erge to lift up the pool table and throw it through a wall. All his anger since he became a mutant, all the anger he kept bottled up was letting itself out. "It's their fault, they force us to hide out here in this prison! It's the ostrige effect, if you can't see it then it doesn't exist! Well i'll show them that i f*cking exist! And i'll level the whole damn city if i have to!"

Geo slammed his fist together and they crumbled back to their normal size, "Now we're talking," He said grabbing his jacket and throwing it on as the walked out the door. "I'd say we take my car but I say we jack one of Money Bags cars, he's got ton i don't think he'll miss one." He remembered when they first came to the labs when he had parked his car in the garage with Deja, that place was jam packed full of cars, some models that weren't even supposed to be out for another two years. It was hard to belive in his mind that only a few short hours ago he had been crying over how much he hated this life. But he had to admit this life had some benefits, how many kids get a chance to smash apart the statue of liberty? How many i ask you? Geo could get used to this life, he could only imagine what the X's would do to him if he had been living there and he went to smash up something. He was gunna like this life, he still wasn't so sure about Abyss' offer on 'Joinin Them' but he thought that if it was like this all the time then he'd sign up.

Summary thus far....
Abyss and Geo are manly men. They play pool and make plans to go out smashing things to help Geo feel better. What a great birthday party! How could you not crash it?

Katrina found herself awake in the middle of the night. She couldn't remember having fallen asleep, but when she looked at the clock it didn't seem possible that she had been lying awake that long. She sighed. It was boring just lying there in bed. It was uncomfortable, too. The sheets felt scratchier than usual and the texture of the blanket next to her face was all wrong. She threw them on the floor. Then she was cold. Someone had turned on the AC way too early in the year. It was spring, yes, but just because the snow was gone didn't mean it had to be arctic inside. Reluctantly she retrieved the scratchy blankets and curled up under them once again.

After tossing and turning for another twenty minutes with no luck at falling asleep, Katrina finally decided to get out of bed and go for a nighttime stroll. Sometimes nighttime strolls led to chocolate cake and slumber parties in the library, sometimes they led to moonlit groves and shiny white horses, and sometimes they led to nothing. Katrina wondered what types of adventures this particular night had in store.

She pulled on a soft pair of sweatpants under her nightgown and a baggy sweatshirt over the top to combat the air conditioning that was probably running rampant out in the hallways too. On her feet, she pulled on her fuzzy slippers. The things were so warm, her feet would soon be sweating, but it was easier to take the things off and carry them than it was to come all the way back if her feet got cold.

She wandered through the hallways, in a general towards-food direction, when she noticed someone coming out of one of the lounges. Even at a distance and in dim lighting, there was no mistaking the giant red man with a tail.

"Abyss!" she squealed and streaked toward him, arms flung open. (She assumed it was Abyss, since she could only see one at the moment.) "What are you doing up so late?" That was about the time she noticed that Geo in the doorway, coat in hand. And the clones behind him. That had been uncool. Why did she always do uncool things in front of Geo? Like crying, and squealing like a six year old?

"Hi Geo," she added, blushing a little. Hopefully they wouldn't notice in the dim hallway. "Is there a party or something? Can I come?" She looked around hopefully at the planetary brothers and their earthly friend. This seemed like it could be an adventure worthy of this evenings night time wanderings, if they would have her.

(OOC: Hope you don't mind my crashing the party. If you don't want Katrina along to spoil the fun, feel free to send her back to bed, grumpy and pouting. She'll forgive you in the morning.)

(Paraphrasing)
Pluto stepped between Katrina's flying tackle and Abyss, catching her midair. He grinned mischievously, "You can come if you want to but I solemnly swear we are up to no good! Seriously your big brothers are up to trouble to night."

Geo was a bit suprised to see the young girl up at such an hour. "Ain't it past your bed time squirt?" He asked jokingly to Katrina. He had noticed her behavior before he walked into the room but decided not to comment on it. He knew what it was like to try and live up to your elders. She asked if she could tag along, Geo made a slight wince in his face. He didn't like the idea of her possible getting hurt, but after rolling it over a few times in his head he decided that Abyss and Himself were perfectly capable of taking care of her. "Your gunna need a jacket Kat, and your wearing a seat belt." He added the last part as he walked past the two patting Kat on the head, he knew she hated it when he did that but it was all the more fun. He walked backwards towards the barracks. "So y'all coming or not we don't got all night." He said, he was a bit cheery about finally getting out of this 'Haven' for mutants, and that this was giving him a chance to get back just that little, or in this case huge, bit more. In the back of his mind he though that this could be a good experiance for the kid, show her how things went on in the real world.

Katrina was surprised to plucked out of the air mid flying leap, and intercepted by one of the clones. From the lopsided grin, Katrina guessed that it must be her hide and seek mate, Pluto. Kat still had trouble telling some of the others apart though. She'd have to do something about that eventually and spending time with them seemed like a good way to get to know them all better.

>>>"You can come if you want to but I solemnly swear we are up to no good! Seriously you big brothers are up to trouble to night."

Pluto put on his most innocent face. She wondered what kind of trouble these eight were really up to. Based on Pluto's grin, and the matching looks of uncertainty of the faces of both Geo and Abyss, Katrina guessed that Pluto really meant it when he said they were up to no good, which of course made her incredibly curious about the nature of the “no good” they were up to. It also meant that the only way she'd probably find out what they were up to was to tag along; there was no way they'd tell her afterwards what they'd done. (She had no idea that the trouble they planned had the potential to make it on the morning news.)

As she was contemplating Pluto's offer to let her come along, Geo helped her make up her mind.

>>>"Ain't it past your bed time squirt?" He asked jokingly.

Katrina narrowed her eyes at him. That's it. She was definitely going. And retorting. Definitely with the retorting.

“How old are you anyway? You're not that much older than me.”

>>>"Your gunna need a jacket Kat, and your wearing a seat belt."

“I accept,” Katrina responded as he walked past her, patting her head. Hey and more glaring, but he wasn't watching anymore. Katrina hurried after him, back towards her room on the way to the garage. She quickly grabbed her coat and pulled it on over her pajamas and sweat shirt as quickly as she could so they didn't change their minds and leave her behind. She also grabbed her tennis shoes on the way out the door, and hopped out into the hallway as she was putting them on. She was ready (or at least thought she was) for whatever adventures the boys had in store.

(Paraphrasing again)

They all walked to the garage. As soon as they entered it, Pluto whispered to Kat, "call shotgun...it is hilarious to see Abyss try to sit in the back."

Geo chuckled to himself as Katrina defended her age, she asked Geo how old he was. "I'm sixte...wait, no i'm seventeen as of today." Kat reminded Geo of himself when he was her age, always teased and excluded because they were young and constantly fighting to be accepted as equals by their elders. Geo waited passiently as she got ready to go and followed closely behind the original Abyss. Katrina seemed to have become awfully attached to her playmate during hide and seek and Pluto was whispering something too her. Geo wondered if Abyss knew what Pluto was saying and thinking, as well as all the other clones. This thought was quickly whipped from his mind as they entered the garage.

It was a grease monkey's disneyland, Geo had been in here once before but at the time he was more focused on the beautiful girl that was traveling with him. In the closest parking space to the door sat Geo's prized car, the 1969 Shelby Mustang named 'Hell Beast'. He walked over to the car and popped open the passenger side door. He sat inside and gave the car a quick once over, made sure everything was still there and it hadn't been tampered with. Geo had been worring about his car, even more so with not being aloud to tune it and check up on it as he pleased. Satisfied, he climbed out of the car and closed the door. Abyss told him to choose any car he wanted but not to bother with a red mitsubishi, Geo glanced around the room at the array of cars and out of the corner of his eye he saw it, the car. "No way," He muttered to himself and strolled over to the car, "This is a 2009 Chevy Camaro, these arn't even supposed to be out of testing yet." It was a convertable and the top was down only adding to it's alluring look. Geo walked up to the driver side door, there was no handle on the door, just a small metal strip with a button on the underside that popped open the door. Geo climbed into the car and placed his hands on the steering wheel. It felt comfortable, the car seemed to be perfect in everyway possible. Looking to the right of the wheel Geo noticed that the keys were in the ignision. He turned his head to look at his fellow travelers, "Hop in, we got work to do."