Times square was crowded but that wasn't a surprise. Jacen couldn't remember any time when he'd been at the center of New York like this and seen it without some sort of crowds. Times Square was one of the few parts of New York City that truly didn't sleep. Lined with various shops and clubs that stayed open almost 24/7, things were always happening here.

The skies were just a touch overcast but it didn't look like rain would be coming down anytime soon. Instead it simply gave everything a grayish look that made it seem closer to dusk than the early morning that it actually was. Glancing up at of the clocks around Times Square, Jacen double checked that his watch was correct.

8:57

***

Murder, Mischief, & Mahem III was set for relief and gamers all across the world were gathering at their local video store just waiting for the doors to open so they could run in and buy the lastest version of this top selling gamers masterpiece. The original Murder, Mischief, & Mahem had been the first game to hit the streets that allowed the characters in game to take advantage of the mutant powers that were becoming so well known. Each version had provided new opportunities for crime, new places to battle, and new mutant powers. With this latest version the two most popular powers were finally being made available to the gamers. One was the ability of electric control that woudl allow them a chance to fry not only law enforcement officers but also their police cars and as well as various alarm systems. The other was an armor type power that could manifest itself over the skin and be formed into various weapons to increase the carnage that one character could produce.

Inside the doors of Games For Gamers, the employees stood at the ready. Two stood just inside the doors, watching the clock closely for that magic 9:00 to appear. At that moment they would unlock the doors and then dive for cover in order to keep from being trambled by the surge they knew would soon follow. Unfortunately for the gamers outside there was going to be a problem. Only a quarter of their opeening order for Murder, Mischief, & Mahem III had been shipped, meaning that Games For Gamers only had a little over 200 games in stock. Even a quarter of the order should have contained 250, but several of the employees had chosen to stash away multiple copies of the game so they could sell them on the street later at an overly inflated price. For now, the countdown continued as they waited for the time.

8:58

***

"'Scuse me." Jacen said to noone in particular as he began to slowly make his way through an extra thick crowd on the busy sidewalk, "Just trying to get through. 'Scuse me!"

A few people in the crowd glared at Jacen but for the most part they did their best to allow this particular man to get through. After all, he was making it quite clear that he was just trying to get through and apparently had no interest in the latest game.

8:59

***

Inside the store, the countdown had begun in ernest. The manager was watching the seconds tick down on his watch while occasionally wiping the sweat off of his brow. He knew that when the day was over at least some damage would have been done to his store but hopefully the profit from the games would outweigh the damage.

9:00

"Open the doors!"

Isabel had decided that she wanted to go out for the day and splurge in the shops littered throughout Times Square. It also appeared as if she'd decided to do so during an especially crowded day. If she ever flipped on the television or read a newspaper she might have known the long lines were formed to pick up the newest video game to hit the market. However, because she was more absorbed in the affairs of both the Sanctuary and herself, she rarely cared enough to investigate the news for the business of humans. She would have found somewhere else to explore if she'd realized what would be going on during her little outing.

The aforementioned line of people that seemed to snake its way out of sight was currently blocking her way to a particular clothing store she'd made a mental note to visit during her trip, having purchased a few items that she rather liked the last time she'd entered the shop. Purchased was of course a word that could be debated. At least half of the items she'd left with hadn't been paid for. She only paid for any of it because of the size and impossibility of hiding the other items. Not that it particularly mattered either way. The Order made certain that she was never strapped for cash. Whatever she wanted she could most likely afford with ease. Stealing was just more interesting. It was also a twisted sort of way for her to pick at the human population a little more.

Speaking of humans, none of them seemed willing to budge when she made an attempt to cut through the crowd and continue on their way. They didn't seem any more eager to move after her insistence that she wasn't after their stupid little game. Apparently they took offense at her choice of words. Murder, Mischief & Mayhem III was anything but stupid, thank you very much.

She was quickly growing irritated with the small section of people she'd attempted to get around. God, people were so stupid, especially when they were gathered in large groups. That was just one reason why she hated crowds so much. Another was that they were pushy. She also almost always seemed to get into trouble where large groups of people were involved. They just didn't mesh well with her temperament. The way she saw it, if she wanted to get through, they should let her through, be it the easy way or the hard way.

"God, are you people hard of hearing? I just want to get to the other side of this mess. I could care less what all of you are up to!" She was about ready to break someone's face. Really, how hard was it to move a few inches back to let a young woman pass? It only took one more snide comment from the closest individual concerning her own level of intelligence to make her act on her impulse. Glaring at the offending male, she pulled her arm back and then sent it full force into his gut, bringing her knee up to meet his nose as he doubled over. With more reflex, rather than conscious intent, the injured man's hand shot out to seek some part of her to grab and hold onto, most likely to help keep his balance until he could breather properly once more. He manage to get a grip on the hem of her sleeve as she pulled her arm back to avoid him.

It was about that time that the clock struck nine and the Gamers store doors opened right on cue. Almost immediately the crowd surged forward, everyone pushing and shoving to get ahead in line so they had a chance to get their hands on a game or two before the supply ran out. Unfortunately for the ribboned mutant, her latest victim was easily swept up in the motion of the crowd, bringing her along with him before his grip finally slipped. However, even though she was free of one individual, she was having more trouble trying to get out of the crowd than she'd had trying to pass through it. Completely fed up with the incompetent humans, she went about parting a crowd in the best way she knew how. In quick succession one spine after another sprouted from her body in various places, seeking to puncture any body that came in contact with her. She was not going to let these people push her around for much longer.

Jacen had made his way about half way across the crowd of people when the doors suddenly opened and he found himself being carried along with a wave of people. For a moment he struggled against, trying to get through, but in a few moments he realized that his efforts would be futile until he was willing to hurt innocent people. Accepting the inevitable, he went along with the floow and in moments was inside the store along with as many patrons as could possibly fit in the small space.

"People! People! May I have your attention!" An authoritive voice was calling over a megaphone or loud speaker. Even as tall as Jacen was, there were enough people between him and whoever it was that was speaking that he couldn't see the person. "We have received a small, I repeat small shipment of Murder, Mischief, & Mayhem III. Because we did not receive anywhere close to our full order we will be passing out tickets and then drawing winning numbers in order to sell the copies we do have." The roars of complains and outrage almost drowned out the last bit as the crowd began to grow angry, but the man pressed on and did his best to shout above the crowd's noise, "Please form an orderly line and our associated will hand out tickets."

For a moment, it seemed as if the manager's idea would work. The crowd, though agitated, was still in control and was beginning to shift into position to form a line but then some people decided they didn't want to be patient and wait in line. A group of three or four suddenly darted forward, snatching multiple ticket out of the sales associate's hands and then, to put it bluntly, all hell broke loose. The crowd was in an uproar as it pushed forward and many of the people began throwing punches and kicks in a desparate bid to get to the front of the line. In a matter of moments what had been a rowdy crowd turned into an angry mob.

Jacen couldn't just go with the flow anymore. His life was now in danger which meant that he had to fight to get clear. Misdirected punches were slamming into his body from all sides and though they weren't particularly powerful or accurate, the shere number of blows was growing overwhelming. Jacen's arms came up to protect his body and face and he began bulldozing his way through the crowd, throwing precise jabs and cross punches whenever necessary to clear someone extra large or extra angry out of his way.

"Call 911!" The voice shouted with obvious panic, "HELP!"

It didn't take long until, despite her efforts, Isabel was also swept into the store with the number of bodies that struggled to squeeze themselves into the confined space and hopefully force other potential buyers back out of the building. She was hurting people judging by the splashes of blood that colored her outfit and skin, but contrary to the obvious evidence, the number of bodies still pushing against her didn't seem to lessen at all. She didn't care about what the staff member was shouting into his little speakers, but at least the crowd calmed for a brief moment, giving her a small window of opportunity to clear a little space for herself, mainly by shaving some flesh off of anyone standing nearby, grinning widely at the sound of those yelling for reasons other than anger at the store employees.

When the levels of hostility escalated after some sort of trigger that she hadn't seen and punches began flying, she didn't hesitate to join right in. With her abilities in a crowd of humans she could dish out the damage intentionally as well as indirectly. Those little spikes of hers most certainly hurt when they were hit, and with those around her doing half the work, she could do damage with less effort. She made sure to take advantage of it. With ever punch she threw, she aimed for the more vulnerable areas on the bodies, mainly the face or the gut. There would most likely be a few people leaving without an eye, a full pair of lips, or a fully functioning intestinal tract.

She was about to rearrange someone's nose when something happened. Where it concerned those surrounding her it was most likely a fortunate incident. When it came to her, however, it was nothing short of devastating. While her hit still found it's mark, there was nothing left to tear into flesh, nor to protect her any longer. Her attacks came to an abrupt halt as she pulled back her arm, staring at her bare hand in amazement. Where had the spines gone? She hadn't consciously retracted any of them, nor would she have given her current predicament. So why had they melted back into her flesh? What the hell was going on?

In vain she tried to recall her weapons and armor, a sense of panic slowly setting in. The last time she'd been unable to make use of her mutation had been in the Camps, but at least then she'd known why. This time it was just simply...gone. Immediately more questions began flooding her mind. Why had it happened? What had triggered it? Would she ever get her abilities back again? What if this was permanent? Would she still be a member of the Order if it was gone for good? Would those in the Order still accept her and remain her friends if she was no more use to them as any other human?

The last question especially got to her, strengthening her feeling of panic, her stomach dropping uncomfortably as her efforts continued to prove useless. However, she wasn't allowed to dwell on these thoughts for too long before an elbow to her ribs brought her back to the present, effectively causing her to jolt away from the impact and bend slightly to try to ease the pain. She always forgot how much more things hurt when there was no protective layer beneath her skin. She was still in too much a state of shock to think of retaliating and throwing more punches. Her mind just wasn't fully in the fight anymore.

Quickly the tides turned against Isabel as she was no longer able to effectively protect herself from being injured by those around her. The strangers were just as quick to realize this and no longer tried to avoid her, some making it a point to try and injure her when they had the chance. A well aimed hit connecting with her gut caused her to double over, her body sinking lower to the ground as she attempted to slink away from the crowd and find someplace to hole up in. If she had something to her back, she wouldn't have to work about that area of her body getting injured and she might be better able to protect the still exposed area of herself. The lower position didn't prove to be at all helpful, as she only ended up putting herself closer to the crowd's legs, which they were not afraid to strike out with. A swift knee to the side of her head nearly sent her sprawling, her arms instinctively moving up to cover her face, hoping it was just her imagination causing the spots in her vision to grow larger.

The fight was frantic and Jacen's face was a mask of concentration as he did his best to block the rain of blows that continued to come his way while dishing out some powerful blows of his own. For a brief moment a small gap appeared in the crowd but as he began to move through it he saw a young woman go down out of the corner of his eye. One moment she seemed to be struggling against the crowd and then the next she dropped below the struggling masses.

Changing direction, Jacen's blows became slightly more frantic as he hit anyone and anything that prevented him from getting to where he had seen the girl go down. As he finally broke through enough to see her again he realized she wasn't actually down... at least not all the way down. Instead the young woman seemed to be in a crouch as she tried to avoid the blows that were seeming to come at random from all sides.

Moving forward without a thought for himself, Jacen quickly lifted the young woman into his arms and began to bull doze his way through the crowd, shielding the lady as best he could with his body while trying to ignore the blows that continued to come in contact with him. Suddenly out of nowhere a fist appeared, slamming into his left eye without the slightest pause. The blow wasn't extremely powerful but even then it was more than enough to burst blood vessels and start a nice black and blue mark around the eye.

Finally after a few more minutes of struggle Jacen burst through the crowd and into a small corner that was pretty well vacant of the struggle. Scanning the video game titles nearby it was no wonder that things were quiet in this section... after all, how many people would be fighting over princess and pony games?

"Are you OK?" Jacen asked as he set the young woman back down on the floor, momentarily ignoring the mob that was still fighting just a few feet away from the two of them, "Anything broken?"

While Isabel was busy trying to protect her head from further damage as well as rubbing one hand over her eyes to try to rid herself of the dark spots that had yet to fade from her vision, she had no concentration left for much of anything else except trying to keep her balance and avoid hitting the floor completely. A fear of being trampled should she be completely knocked back rested somewhere in her mind as the rest of her thoughts were still largely occupied by her questions and worries. There was also a tumult of less than pleasant memories trying to bubble up and claim her attention while she struggled mentally to push them to the back of her mind where she could avoid thinking of them.

Before she could attempt to bring her body back up into a standing position and try to make her way out of the crowd in that manner, someone else stepped in to do the work for her. She gave a somewhat violent jolt of surprise at the feeling of her body being lifted, her hands almost immediately seeking purchase on something in an unnecessary attempt to keep her balance. While she was perfectly secure in the stranger's hold, she still didn't feel safe. As her rescuer began to move through the crowd, she attempted to curl up and make herself a little smaller in his grasp, her head turning so her face could be hidden in the fabric of his shirt near his shoulder, trying to avoid sustaining any more injuries. She curled up a little tighter with every harsh jolt the unknown body gave.

When she once again felt the floor meeting her body as she was set down, she relinquished her hold on the stranger, though she remained just as tightly curled as she could manage. The spots were finally starting to fade from her sight, but in their place a sharp throbbing in her head rose, her hands once again rubbing briefly at her eyes and then seeking to find some way to lessen the pain in her head. It took a moment for his words to process in her mind, the meaning behind the words seeming to break some sort of dam.

With their understanding came tears, the salty liquid welling in her eyes, but not spilling just yet. The aches in her body started to make themselves known one after another, bruises no doubt already beginning to color her flesh in places. She couldn't tell if any of the blood on her body now had her own mixed in. That panic that she'd felt was by now shifting into despair. She still couldn't do even the simplest trick with her mutation. "I d-don't know," she replied, momentarily choking on a sob as she spoke before pushing it back down, refusing to start crying. "I don't think anything's broken. Something's wrong, but I don't know what it is."

The woman that Jacen had managed to pull out of the mess was very young looking. Although she was obviously an adult she couldn't have been more than 20 or maybe 21 if he was any good at judging ages. What in the world was she doing in this mob? Had she come to buy a video game or had she simply been swept along with the crowd just like he had?

"The police should be arriving soon." Jacen said grimly as he glanced over his shoulder at the various geeks and gamers that were continueing to battle it out, "There'll be some paramedica right behind them so we can see about getting you checked out." He continued as he turned his attention back around to the young woman.

Her brown eyes were moist looking at tears continued to try and fight their way to the surface. Instead of being in any type of adult style, the young woman's brown hair was down up in something that Jacen remembered seeing in either grade school or highschool. Maybe she was trying to hold on to the youth that she was already leaving. That was a question for either her parents or a shrink somewhere not for him.

"You want to wait here for help to arrive or would you like me to try and get you back outside?" It wouldn't be an easy task but Jacen would do his best to get innocent victims out of an area like this. It was her choice of course.

Isabel was doing her best to calm herself down at least enough that her stomach would stop feeling so queasy. Unfortunately it wasn't working very well. She remained curled up against the display of video games that no one was interested in, the questions that had cropped up in her mind earlier continuing to circle in her head. Her apprehensions about the Order still claimed dominance in her worries, right after the inquiries about how and why her mutation had disappeared. She wanted to go back to the Sanctuary and hole up in her room. If this problem proved to be long lasting she'd need to figure out how to tell her friends as well as how to ask them for assistance depending on their reactions.

Distractedly she let her gaze wander over the still struggling crowd of people that she'd been pulled from, watching the people trying to tear each other apart, all over some stupid game. It took a moment for the stranger's words to register in her mind, her attention slowly shifting over to focus on him. "I don't like cops," she commented, trying not to let her panicked feelings escalate at the thought of the law enforcement officers showing up while she was unable to deal with them in her usual manner. "I think I can safely say their feelings toward me are mutual. We've never been real friendly. And I don't need a doctor. I don't like them either. I don't think they could help anyhow."

Did she want to stay here and wait for someone to show up? She already knew how that would turn out. Most likely she'd be hauled off in handcuffs for participating in the brawl. Her reputation was too much against her for anyone to believe she would be a victim in any situation, especially when it was a fight. "I don't want to be here when those people show up," she replied, rubbing a fist against her eyes to try to rid herself of the unshed tears and uncurling a little in preparation to leave. She'd be getting herself out of there with or without his help. It would most likely be easier with his assistance, but she wouldn't just sit around and do nothing if she was left on her own.

Continuing her movement she attempted to get to her feet, pausing when her head started to swim again, but trying to convince herself that she'd be fine for the moment, even without her mutation. She didn't entirely believe what she was trying to reassure herself of. She was going to go home once she got out of the shop, preferably without the unknown man having to follow after her. She didn't need to be inviting some human into a nest of human-hating mutants. It would be hard enough locating and speaking with her friends on her own in her current predicament without having some human trailing after her.

Garrett had always been a gamer. Years of isolation pretty much demanded some sort of hobby and games seemed to be his. He knew that the new M3 game was going to be big. That's why he had preordered it. Any serious gamer avoided the frenzied losers who didn't have access to a credit card. Nonetheless, the release in the city was going to be a big event. G4 was covering the throngs of frothy gamers that had been lined up to get the first hard copies. Collectors were like that. He expected some sort of groaning drama from the crowds, but the breaking news of the mini riot totally took him by surprise. The presence of a certain troublesome Orderling was even more of a shock.

He didn't wait to get briefed or attempt to ask her what she was doing there. The taxi was on its way and he was figuring response time in his head. He didn't have long to catch her. A large group of humans + violence + Isabel = trouble. He imagined there were already casualties and a fair amount of blood spilled. Isabel had promised to behave, though, so he did attempt to keep things in context until he saw the evidence with his own eyes. He knew she could handle herself, so her personal safety was little more than an afterthought. The Sanctuary's visibility was the main thing on his mind.

He had the cab driver pull over a block away from the madness, which seemed to be pouring out into the street already. A couple c-notes and the driver was happy to wait as long as he needed. Dressed in his new casual wear of a suit and tie, the colors black with the tie being black with small red stripes, Garrett made his way down the sidewalk toward the acne covered fray of angst. Nerd fights were amusing, with the awkward swinging and pockets of suppressed rage popping like popcorn. Testosterone was flooding the streets.

A large man stepped in his way as he was working his way to the door. Large in that he probably weighed 500 pounds, the bulk being cheesy doodles as opposed to muscle mass. Coated in foul breath and lack of hygiene, the man's bloated digits shoved and then grasped Garrett's shoulder. "Don't even try it, man." Garrett looked at the greasy hand marring the fabric of his jacket. His own hand touched the man's own as neural fibers sped over his body. The sketching seemed to come naturally and flowed in a reflexive manner due to practice. " It's already done, human." Two seconds later, Garrett was stepping over the bloated sack of pain and shaking.

The scene was a mess. The irony of humans fighting tooth and nail to pretend to be like him was just too amusing. What was not amusing was seeing Isabel. She seemed hurt and vulnerable. Two words he would never have guessed would apply to the formidable female. Were those the stinging presence of tears in her eyes? His initial concern was wiped clean as the protection and safety of one of his own was tantamount. Hands shoved him and bodies bumped him as he moved toward them. Groans of agony followed as a path of shivering bodies cleared the way for him. There was a man helping her and checking her condition, clearly one of the few with the taste for civility.

" Isabel?! What happened here? Why are you hurt?" It may have seemed to lack the sentiment one would expect, but those people didn't know the girl standing before him. Before the man could speak, Garrett's business card denoting him as the PR director of the Sanctuary was flashed and prepared to drop into the hand of the hero. " I have a car waiting. We need to leave before the police arrive."

The young woman wanted to get out of the crowd but without meeting up with the cops. That was in itself all that suspicious since a lot of people in New York City prefered to remain uninvolved when it came to police investigations.

"We'll get you clear and on your way then." Jacen offered a smile before turning his gaze back toward the crowd and trying to look for what the best escape route would be, "Just relax and let me see what I can do."

Right then, out of nowhere, and bald man suddenly pushed his way through the crowd and stood over the two. Without the slightest bit of hesitation he handed a business card to Jacen even while his eyes seemed to stay focused on the young woman. Glancing at the card, Jacen's face took on a mask like quality as he read the title. He had heard of the Sanctuary and he knew that it was a mutant home that didn't exactly have the most sterling of reputations even though nothing had yet been proven. Tucking the card into his pocket for later research, Jacen rose to his feet, not bothering to offer his own name to the man.

"If you want to help her I'll see about clearing a way out for the two of you." He said quietly as he turned back to the rest of the crowd looking at them with something akin to suspicion in his eyes, "Something strange's going on with the crowd. My ability hasn't worked since I came into the store."

It was a lie... a lie mixed with just enough truth to make it believable although not fool proof. Jacen knew he didn't want it to be obvious to these two individuals what his abilities were but he had to make some sort of explanation that would add up. The key would be to allow himself to be intercepted while they were going out the door so that they would get away from him while he was still mingled with the crowd. Other wise these mutants would know for sure that he was the cause of any problems they might currently be experiencing.

"Ready to go?"

Isabel had just about straightened up completely when the stranger replied to her comments about sticking around and waiting for the cops to show up. She did as she was told and stayed put while he surveyed the crowd, focusing on trying to ignore the throbbing in her head as well as any other injures her body had been subjected to. Tenderly her fingers flitted over a split in her lower lip, blindly trying to assess the damage and only succeeding in starting a shallow flow of blood to emerge again. With the stinging that followed, she left the cut alone, her red fingertips brushing down the front of her outfit, seeking out a dry patch of fabric that would absorb any excess liquid on her digits. At least now she knew that not all of the blood that she'd been splattered with belonged to someone else.

With the sudden addition of a familiar voice addressing her, her head whipped around in surprise in order to locate the owner of that voice. She almost immediately regretted the action, her head beginning to swim once again with the motion and the pounding in her skull growing a little stronger. The hand that had explored her torn lip moved to press against the side of her head where the pulsing seemed to originate, her other hand seeking a little support against the game display. Her stomach didn't feel much better. Despite the grimace that colored her face, she attempted to smile at Garrett as he stepped forward. The sight of a familiar face was a great comfort to her, her worries about revoked acceptance and companionship momentarily forgotten.

"I didn't start it this time," she replied, already trying to wriggle out of any blame that could be placed on her, particularly if the Sanctuary's PR had come down here to apprehend and scold her for her involvement in the whole mess. "And I got hurt the way most people get hurt. Some of those kids have a good arm, even if they are kind of scrawny. Their knees hurt worse, though. Very bony," she continued, her attempted smile fading a little as the incident ran through her mind again. "I don't know what happened, or how it happened, but I can't seem to work right anymore." As far as she was concerned, without her abilities at her disposal, she wasn't worth much more than a broken toy, much like the humans that filled the store. Humans were just toys to be busted apart sooner or later. No mutation meant she wasn't a mutant anymore. She could only hope someone could fix her again.

The strangers following comments effectively recaptured her attention, particularly the one about his abilities. Was he a mutant, too? If so, that meant he was in the same boat as her, though he at least seemed to have a direction in which to cast his suspicion, while she was still focused internally. If his mutation was on the fritz as well, then maybe it wasn't something wrong with Isabel herself, but there was some outside source affecting her abilities. Did that mean Garrett was in trouble, too? She sent a worried look in her companion's direction, unsure of what to make of the situation. She didn't want him to experience the same troubles as well. She never liked it when her friends went through any kind of hardships, especially if she was somehow involved, like she was with the riot.

"Why not come back to the Sanctuary with us?" she proposed, turning back to the young man that had assisted her as she worked to rid herself of the need for support from the display behind her. "We can figure the problem out there, and we're always open to welcome in new mutants, even if they don't end up staying." While the Sanctuary had a good medical staff on hand, Isabel was thinking primarily of Sebastian, the healer for the mutant shelter. He was probably the only individual she'd trust with her medical needs. Her distinct dislike of needles tended to keep her from seeking anyone else's help. Not that she liked doctors that didn't have a syringe in their hands anymore than those that did. "He can come with us can't he, Garrett?"

Isabel's injuries seemed to be superficial and yet painful. He reached out to touch her, hoping to alleviate her pain. His hand rested on her shoulder as she declared her innocence in the fight. Normally, this would be the standard disclaimer for her, eyelashes batting. This time was very different, however. Tears of pain and confusion were welling in her eyes. The confusion was quickly added to by Garrett's own. Isabel's neural map was not present. He pushed himself to alleviate her pain but nothing happened. Nothing. Garrett was at once scared and exhilarated. What the hell was going on here?

The man next to them looked out at the crowd, blaming them for the nullification of their gifts. So he was a mutant? This made him feel a bit better, as there were strength in numbers. However, without any mutations to speak of, the numbers were irrelevant in their case. turning to the man who he had passed the card to, Garrett spoke." Thank you for helping Isabel, Brother. What are your gifts? Perhaps they will help us once we can figure out what is going on here." He had his arm around Isabel, helping to support her.

"Why not come back to the Sanctuary with us? We can figure the problem out there, and we're always open to welcome in new mutants, even if they don't end up staying." It was an excellent idea. The Sanctuary would truly hold its namesake's power in this instance. "He can come with us can't he, Garrett?" Smiling as he helped Isabel limp through the crowd, he answered." All mutants are welcome at the Sanctuary, especially one chivalrous enough to save Princess Isabel. He hoped to keep her spirits up until they could leave the area. Their faces leaving a riot on the news surely wouldn't help anything. Turning to her savior, he added," How about it? Won't you join us?"

An invitation was to go to the Sanctuary was almost enough for Jacen's blood to quite literally run cold. So far all of the mutants he had met had considered his gifts a novelty and as such as simply smiled, laughed, and enjoyed the opportunity to temporarily be away from their powers. If the scuttlebut about the Sanctuary was true then he wasn't going to find that same sort of reaction over at the Sanctuary. What could he do? How could he handle the situation without looking suspicious?

"I touch other mutants and I get their opposit abilities." Jacen lied with the first thing that popped into his head, "I'm weak in their strengths and strong in their weaknessess."

Was that even a viable power? What the hell? Had he just completely blown his cover with that sort of explanation? Who had ever heard of a mutant that copies the opposite power from his opponent? This was stupid. He had to get out right away!

"I'll help you get through the crowd but I can't come to the Sanctuary with you right now." was Jacen's quiet reply as he did his best to put at least a note of dissapointment in his voice. He had to sell this... he had to convince them otherwise there would be hell to pay far sooner than later. "But I have your card and everyone knows where the golden doors are. I'll come by first chance I get."

Stuffing the card in his pocket Jacen stood ready, broad shoulders and arms poised to begin pushing through the crowd. "Isabel... Garret... hopefully I'll see the two of you again soon." It was a lie... a blatant lie, but it was all he could offer. As soon as they were ready he'd push through the crowd but he still had to get separated. Somehow he had to get caught up in the crowd so that they wouldn't get away from the crowd and realize that his abilities were the cause of all their problems!

Isabel's attention once again shifted back to Seizure at the feeling of his hand coming in contact with her, noting the slight shift in his expression as he did so. She could make a guess at what he was trying to do, and judging by her own problems and the unknown young man's comments, she could also make a safe assumption that he was not getting the desired results from his attempts. It was bad enough that she had to put up with this nullification of her powers, but to have her friend forced to experience it as well didn't seem fair. There was no doubt in her mind that she probably deserved to be punished in such a way, even if it was indirectly. She didn't exactly lead a morally pristine lifestyle. However, she could never see her companions as deserving such treatment. In her mind her friends deserved nothing but the best of everything and it was very nearly heartbreaking to see the hardships they had to endure. Stubbornly she rubbed the back of her sleeve against her eyes again, trying to dry them out but most likely only succeeding in coloring her face with faded red smears.

Trying not to dwell on all the negative feelings that flooded her current mindset, she instead took in what the young man had to say about his mutation. It really was an interesting ability. She'd never heard of anyone who could take advantage of someone's weaknesses in such a way. "You'll have to stop by and see us some other time then," she replied, genuinely disappointed that he couldn't join them on their way to the Sanctuary. She loved meeting new mutants and welcoming them into her home. New residents often meant a sort of new family. "I'd like to see your mutation in action sometime. It sounds like it could be pretty powerful when put up against the right opponent." She did wonder what could be so pressing that the stranger couldn't accompany them to try and figure out this problem. Were she in his shoes, she'd be more than willing to investigate the reasons behind the nullification of their abilities. "What's your name, by the way? So that we might recognize it if you ever stop by."

And then they were moving, or rather the two young men were moving. Isabel felt more like she was being ushered along with them as Seizure offered his support. She'd never really liked the feeling of having to depend on someone for help, no matter how minimal the amount. But at the same time it was an immense comfort to have a friend there with her. She would of course allow him to help her as he saw fit, but she would still be doing her best to get away with as much as she could on her own. It was bad enough he was having the same issues as she was when it came to their mutations. There was no need for her to burden him with much of anything else. She gave the neural manipulator a smile at the invention of a title for her, the humor appreciated in light of the dreary atmosphere.

Going back into the crowd she'd been unable to escape from on her own wasn't exactly Isabel's idea of a good time. She could feel her stomach tightening up at the though of it as her nerves started acting up again, the bruised muscles in her torso not appreciating their continued exercise. She wouldn't back down, though. There was no way she was going to stick around and wait for the police to break up the crowd. If it was someone within the riot that was causing her mutation to go on the fritz, then there was no telling if the problem would be resolved in time for her to deal with the cops as she usually did and make her escape. She'd rather deal with these humans for however long it took to make their way to the door. Besides, it seemed as if the boys would take well enough care of her. She trusted Garrett completely, and the other young man had proved to be trustworthy enough thus far. She would of course hit back were she to be pushed around again, but contrary to her usual behavior she would focus more on getting out of the fight than participating in it.

Garrett was full of uncertainty. He was uncertain about why Isabel was so vulnerable and upset. He was uncertain about the man before him, especially with the oxymoronic gift he mentioned. While anything was possible in the beautiful world of mutation, his words seemed jumbled and unsure. His eyes told a similar tale, the look of a captured animal. Garrett knew that look too well. Why though? Had he joined them and returned to the Sanctuary, all would be well. Perhaps he was of the factional mindset and had made friends elsewhere. It was a moot point at the moment.

The greatest uncertainty of all was the complete lack of his own mutation. He doubted that it was gone. Genes rarely just changed on the spot, if they ever did at all. Something was surely suppressing it, however. Maybe it was an agent which worked in reverse to Haywire? Either way it was something he would seek out for many reasons. Mutants could be the target of such an agent. Perhaps some of the more confused of his kind would welcome such a thing, especially if their mutation was merely horse legs or three eyes. Every gift was not always so serene and easy.

Hearing the disappointment in Isabel's voice at the man's refusal to join them, Garrett put his mind back to the task at hand. He needed to remove her and himself from the scene as soon as possible. The blood streaks on Isabel's face in front of police would guarantee an unwelcome greeting. "Sorry to hear you won't join us. I would definitely appreciate the help getting us out of here, though." Without his abilities, his mediocre physique would not be a great help. Another thing to work on besides paperwork. Garrett merely kept his ears open should the bodyguard decide to give a name.