Where am I going to get food?

This was the issue foremost in Kaitlyn's mind as she continued to wander throughout Manhattan. At one point she was about to ask the man at a nearby hotdog stand for food, but she soon remembered that those cost money. She didn't have any money; distressed at the sight of her father's driver's license, she threw the wallet away. I think that homeless guy has it now, she thought.

I should have kept it with me. That way I wouldn't be hungry right now. Why did I do something so stupid.

She began to mentally tear at herself; she called herself stupid, she thought that it was stupid that she was where she was without knowing why or how, she thought that it was stupid for her to have taken her father's jacket and wallet, and she began to shiver at the thought of what he would do to her. She didn't even know why she had these things or where she was, but this must all somehow be her fault, she reasoned, and she was stupid for it.

Kaitlyn was standing on the very edge of the sidewalk, waiting for the "WALK" sign to turn on. Cars sped by just inches in front of her, or a foot away at the most. This continued along without a problem for about a minute, but then something happened.

Somebody behind her must have been in a hurry, because this person bumped into her and made her fall right into the path of oncoming traffic.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion as a taxi sped towards her. She flinched, and at the same time, something that almost resembled a cloud instantly formed around her and then rapidly expanded outwards in all directions, stopping the bus in its tracks and flinging cars, people and pretty much everything away from her indiscriminately. Glass windows as far as a block away shattered.

Kaitlyn herself was dazed by all of this. Her vision blurred, and every noise seemed like it had come from far away. She fell over sideways in the middle of all the destruction, unable to even tell which way was up, much less what had just happened.

It wasn't often that Lori got knocked flat on her you-know-what. She wasn't even wearing heels and it felt like she'd gotten hit full on with a baseball bat.

Everyone else was on the ground too. Cars were topsy-turvy. Her body ached.

Like everyone else she stay down for a time. Would there be another... What? Bomb? Or was it a mutant? Her lips sparked as they parted for her smile. Copper. She definitely tasted copper. Smelled it too.

She sat up slowly. Most everyone else was staying down. Slowly. Slowly she looked around. Judging from the way things were laying, the blast center was... that way. And so that was the way she went, hand on ribs.

She wanted to shake the hand of the man who had put her down from so far away. But she had to go quickly. Before he got away.

Mars stood up rubbing the back of his head, What the heck was that? he glanced at where Lori was a moment ago, he had been mid step when whatever the heck that was knocked him over, surely he wouldn't have fallen if his feet were planted. but enough time to worry about that and the fact that his head hit a newspaper stand hard enough to put a dent in it. He had to catch up with the woman while she chased whoever did that, he wondered Idly if he was about to be fighting or recruiting someone? He supposed it depended on Lori's mood and how much offense she took to the explosion. Mars stepped over a the man that was in too much of a hurry to not push little girls into the street, he didn't look like he was doing to well, regardless it wouldn't do to take one of those point blank.

He lumbered forward to catch up with the sizzling blond. His hulking figure didn't bother maneuvering past those that were beginning to mill about wondering what just happened. He bumped into those not paying attention and moved them from his way, others simply stepped aside. He worked to catch up and finally was close to gaining on Lori. She was a mere four feet ahead.

Kaitlyn finally managed to get herself to her feet. What was that?

Everyone was on the ground. One unfortunate man had been sent into the side of a mailbox -- his back was bent in an unnatural, sickening way. Most of the people on her corner were unconscious or perhaps even dead. She felt sickened at the thought that she had caused all of it.

She was vaguely aware that she was responsible for this. It was a panicked reaction, but she remembered doing something to cause all of it. It would be nigh impossible to describe exactly how she felt as she did it; to do so would be akin to trying to describe how she had felt as she had flinched. It was like moving a muscle, only very different. However, Kaitlyn tried her very best to deny this fact, though it was in vain. Though she did not know how, her implication in all of this was inescapable.

She stood and wept. "I'm sorry..." she said faintly. She leaned against a nearby wall with both hands for support. As she did so, that very same bizarre feeling of moving or doing something overcame her, and the wall that she was leaning on shattered, leaving a large hole. Her sight blurred and hearing became faint once again, while her sense of balance entirely left her as she fell over backwards. She continued to cry.

Jessica coughed, as she pushed herself unsteadily to her feet. What had just happened? There had been this loud noise, then everything seemed to turn topsy-turvy... She may had blacked out for a moment there. Was it a terrorist? A mutant?

People around her were already moving about, ableit in a daze. She had been among the last in her immeadiate vincinity to get up. But further up, she coud see an upturned vehicle, could hear the wailing of car alarms that had been set off...

There could be people hurt!

But what could she possibly do?

The black-haired teenager bit her lips. There really was only one choice... which was to continue on her way. That the way led towards the epicentre of the blast (if that was what it was) was a coincidence. At least, that was what she told herself.

At the epicenter there was... nothing. Most everyone was still on the ground. There wasn't a clearly defined place, no perfect circle where the pavement stopped cracking. It just didn't work like in the movies. One thing was a little bit wrong for this scene... well besides the heavy trodding footsteps in her shadow.

"Anything in this picture look a little off to you?"

It was at about that time that a little girl, the only one standing and apparently unharmed, leaned against a wall... and the wall dented in.

She fell over. And was crying. Lori didn't really care for children, but as far as kids went this one looked old enough to use the toilet on her own. And her face was of the round and believing sort. Children had such wonderfully malleable minds.

"You alright?"

Lori knelt near the tispy looking child. If that girl did to Lori what she had done to the wall... perhaps not even Sebastian could put this humpty-dumpty together again. "Did you get hit by the shockwave too?" Lori offered a hand to the girl and hoped she wasn't feeling particularly destrcutive.

Mars lumbered around the corner and watched quietly as Lori was being…tender toward the little red headed bomb. It was in tears and was well, it looked like it needed protecting? How was she scared even though she could do all this? She need not worry for anything? She was her own champion…but perhaps she did not know. He kept back out of the way, there had been times when children had not reacted too well to the large figure.

He wanted to look away, it made him squirm to see the little one distressed. What made them stop crying. He looked around and then made a dash for a nearby store. Candy…Candy made children stop crying and made them happy…it certainly worked on Mercury.

Jessica couldn't help but cringe as she walked onwards. The devastation seemed to build up the further she walked. And there was nothing that she could do. The injured were already being tended to, by now... and even if they weren't, she didn't know the first thing about first aid. As for the upturned vehicles and smashed structures... Jessica bit her lips, and looked down.

As she turned a corner, her eyes were still downcast. Thus it was that she didn't notice that she was now on a headlong collision course with a certain red giant...

"You alright? Did you get hit by the shockwave too?"

Kaitlyn looked up from her crying to see a blond woman looking right back down at her, hand outstretched in some gesture with which was as unfamiliar to Kaitlyn as the woman herself. In spite of this unfamiliarity, something about the woman's presence soothed the little girl. She was older, stronger, almost even maternal; in some vague, disconnected way it reminded her of her elementary school teachers, who had gone closer to filling the role of Kaitlyn's mother than anyone else in her short memory.
Although she did not know what a shockwave was, she tried her best to answer the question. "I... I... I think I'm okay." She was doing her her best to stop crying and speak coherently, but it was an uphill battle.. "The car was coming at me and... and I got scared and I... I think that I.. that I... that I did all this to everyone." At this time she realized that the lady was holding her hand out so that she could grab it. The girl thrust her own hand out to accept the gesture, whatever it might be.

Yes. That was how children worked. You said an ambiguously encouraging sentence that stated the obvious in the form of a question and the information came tumbling out.

A car. A tragedy averted. Guilt.

She took Lori's hand and Lori drew her to her feet with only the hint of a flinch to her features. There was just no way not to be nervous around a kid in possession of a power. It was like being around a wild animal or a gun with the safety off. It wasn't her fault really. It was a lack of control. Something Lori understood very, very well.

"I didn't see you do anything wrong." True. She'd just felt the wave. And an accident was an accident. That's why they were called accidents. "And there's no reason to be scared now, most of the cars around here are on their sides."

And had big red men hiding behind them. People were stirring now. They should probably get out of the public eye.

"Have you met my friend Mars?" If she would allow it, Lori would keep the girl's hand in her own. Musn't let this much raw power just get away when it could be properly applied elsewhere. "He's really nice, promise." She waved Mars over, but... he had dashed away. "And... shy."

With a sigh she pulled a tissue out of her pocket and offered it to the kid. "My name's Lori. What's yours?" The age of false names was over if even a child got the truth. Mars had just better be back soon so that they could leave together.

He had managed to duck in the store purchase six kinds of candy and come out of the building quickly. Mars wasn’t paying attention to the slip of a girl and so it happened that another collision was made, it was comparable to that of a Volkswagen beetle and a semi-truck, The only way that she stood a chance was the fact that Mars noticed at the very last second. He came to a halt and made a swipe for the girl in case he had knocked her over. There was enough damage done already. He glanced at the woman before him, his eyes went searching for Lori and the little one.

He accessed the scene once more and noted the people that were able to were beginning to stir. There was no immediate reaction of revenge, more of disorientation and wonder at what had happened. good it should stay that way. If they poked their noses in too far then he would gladly bloody them for their time spent.

It was like running into a brick wall. Thankfully the red giant had come to a halt, but Jessica would still had fallen onto the ground if he had not reached to catch her. As it was, the collision left her head spinning and aching.

The girl winced, then immeadiately cringed. "I'm very sorry," she gasped. "I- It's my fault for not paying attention...." Then her eyes focused on just who had caught her, and her eyes widened.

Another mutant! And this one seemed like he could crush her with just the tip of his little finger...

"I didn't see you do anything wrong," the woman said, continuing to hold Kaitlyn's hand, "And there's no reason to be scared now, most of the cars around here are on their sides."

Her words had a calming effect on the girl; crying was reduced to the occasional sniff. Kaitlyn wiped her tears away with her free hand, slowly becoming more aware of the chaos around her.

Shattered glass littered every inch of sidewalk. People everywhere began to talk frantically, some crying for help, some talking on cellphones, some doing their best to help the injured. Amid the confusion, a small group of people were trying to help the man with the snapped back, who had since been laid down flat on the ground. One of them had removed the poor guy's shoe and was now poking his big toe with a large shard of glass, drawing blood, yet eliciting no reaction at all. Each person had a worried look on his or her face.

Not everyone fell into the categories of injured and helpful; some stood about and looked dumbly at the spectacle, while others simply walked or ran away from the scene for one reason or another.

Kaitlyn began to grasp the woman's hand tighter.

"Have you met my friend Mars?"

Kaitlyn shook her head, the name evoking images of a red planet in her head.

"He's really nice, promise," continued the woman, gesturing for somebody who wasn't there, "And... shy."

Sighing, she offered Kaitlyn a tissue. "My name's Lori. What's yours?"

"Kaitlyn," the girl replied simply, blowing her nose.

A siren rang out from somewhere in the distance; the kind that comes from ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks. The very sound of it put the child in a state of visible unease, though she didn't know why. What Kaitlyn did know, however, was that she didn't want to be around when policemen came over.

Kaitlyn's grip on the woman's hand loosened. "I don't think I should be here" she said worriedly.

Okay. So far so good. Lori wasn't particularly good with children, but this one wasn't running or screaming yet. Just sniffly. She really didn't want to be the tissue.

The little one tensed against her hand. She had good instincts. "I think you are absolutely right." someone was bound to figure out where the big bad boom came from.. or at least they would think they knew.

Ah. There was Mars. He had one arm full of candy and the other full of... little girl. Yeah... deeeefinitely time to go. Lori looked to the closes car. It was trashed. She pulled the girl along, not ungently but firmly.

"Mars, care to drive a hummer?" Because that was the only car that looked mostly not crushed in the area. It was actually leaning against a mailbox. A little (big) magnetic field dented the doors and pulled that sucker back onto its wheels when Lori waved her hand.

~~"I'm very sorry," she gasped. "I- It's my fault for not paying attention...."

“Don’t worry about it. we are both ok, right? No harm.” He looked down at the girl. “But really this isn’t any sort of place for young ladies.” Mars said as he scooped up the young woman and carried her as if she were his favorite stuffed animal. He did this for two reasons, one he didn’t want the girl to see the disgusting scene that as you came closer to the explosion the more graphic the detail got, and two and more importantly he didn’t want anyone conscious pointing fingers at a blonde and a big red guy.

**"Mars, care to drive a hummer?"

He made way across the road and opened up the back drivers side door, planting the young woman on her rear and then handing her the pile of candy on her lap. “ You girls share that stuff while I get us a little bit further away, sorry for being a bit pushy but it does no one any good being questioned by police.”

He shut the door behind him and hoped into the drivers seat. He waited for the ladies to buckle up.

He smirked at Lori and in a quiet whisper. “can we keep them?” he said with a smirk on his lips.