The surprise that appeared in her eyes was wonderful and Paul couldn't help the fact that the corners of his lips had curled up into a tight half smile. She hadn't been expecting him to reappear. She had thought he was finished never to be seen again. That shock would be enough for now and he could enjoy savoring the look in his mind.

Of course, the other two in the room were completely different. The big man just look confused as though he was having difficulty understanding the situation while the other woman looked about ready to kill him with her bare hands. In fact, Paul was even starting to wonder and try to come to a conclusion about who was scarier. Blondie over by the wall or Lisa, if the name plate on her desk was any indication.

"You're not the first I've done that too and I'm sure you won't be the last." His voice had a hint of a chuckle in it. Perhaps a touch of condensation as well but that part was open for interpretation. Heck, she should be happy he wasn't focused on bringing her life to a violent end, shouldn't she? Any sort of friendliness should be appreciated, right?

As the conversation continued between the other three in the room, Paul began to detect a definite hierarchy. Apparently blondie was at the top because even though Miss Lisa seemed ticked at her, she was taking ordered for the younger woman. Lisa probably came next since she had been the one yelling at big man while Mr. Skeleton was somewhere near the bottom. A common lackey it seemed and not a really bright one if his question was any indication.

"Would you care to join me in my office, Paul? My name is Lori Faust."

Blondie was Lori Faust. Well at least he now had a name to put with his most recent killer. Unfortunately she was now stepping over to offer him her hand in what... friendship? Apology? Setting his own hands rather firmly in the pockets of his leather jacket Paul simply met Lori's gaze with a very even look. "You just killed me. I don't really think I'm quite ready for that, but a conversation might be a good idea. Please, lead the way." Paul wasn't trying to to hurt the woman's feelings but he was also keeping everything clearly on the table. Was she really expecting him to forgive and forget that quickly? Sure, death didn't have a permanent hold on him but he had still died for crying out loud!

"Tell you what... I'll trade you, answer for answer." Paul said conversationally as he followed the woman to her office, "Is this how you normally unwind after a hard days work? Some sort of auto repair if your clothes are any indication."

Paul said he wasn't ready for contact and that was just fine. Surely he realized that her killing him again would only satisfy some small amount of curiosity about the process. He left her handshake hanging so she took it back and shoved her grimy hands in her pockets to emphasize her harmlessness. Even though she still had the knife under her arm.

"Fair enough." Not fussed at all by his lack of trust Lori turned to lead the way to her office. She was a lot more rankled by the condescension in his voice. Being short, looking young and holding so many responsibilities had gotten far too much of that already.

Answer for answer, hm?

She supposed that lowly mechanics did not get offices. "As you can imagine, my ability doesn't play well with electronics. Rather than risk the investment of a vehicle, I'm fitting my own bike together in a way that will work with my power, rather against it.

So the short answer is no. I do not always play grease monkey after hours in order to unwind. Usually I prefer more simple pleasures." She was making up for killing him with frank and complete yet polite honesty. Yes, part of her had wanted to jar him with brutal honesty, but now seemed the time to play a gentler hand. He was only just freshly un-dead.

Lori opened the door to a very humble looking office. Cheap metal folding chairs, an uncarpeted metal floor and in the center a wooden desk with a tiffany lamp and a mountain of papers that had avalanched into a less than organized heap. At least her chair looked comfortable enough to spend some serious sitting time in.

She waved her hand at a chair before plopping down in her own. Even now in her own office, her shoes did not come off. The knife, Lori put on the desk between them and then she looked at Paul expectantly. She had, after all, already asked her question. Though she did have another one ready for her next turn.

So she preferred more simple pleasures. "Reading... I bet she's a reader." Paul decided with a slight grin as he tried to fit her looks with some sort of relaxation technique. Of course he could be completely wrong and she actually was into competitive mud wrestling or some such thing. Moving into her office he took a seat on one of the cheap metal folding chairs and tried to get as comfortable as was possible in those things.

"I resurrect after I die completely restored and renewed. My energy is returned, all injuries are healed, and I feel like a new man." Paul finally got around to answering her question since she had been nice enough to answer his. "The first time it happened I woke up on a train full of other people that had died permanently. Mildly disturbing but I guess you get used to it."

Glancing around the office Paul noticed one very important fact. There was absolutely no personal mementos anywhere. There were no pictures, no plaques or awards, not even a personalized coffee cup. It wasn't a room that she called home it was just a room she kept for appearance's sake.

"Now what is the Order?" Paul as he became serious and once again focused on the blond lady in the coveralls, "From your reaction to the men in that warehouse I highly doubt it's an organization to help humans and mutants work past their differences."

Reincarnation, restoration and rejuvenation. What Lori wouldn't do to get a sample of those cells. She debated sending someone to the room where the bodies were just for that purpose. Of course, if she could keep the man himself around for long enough, perhaps she would get a voluntary sample.

Lori steepled her fingers at his question. She had been angry in a room full of walking dead men at the time. She had not expected to have to explain herself. Now that she had blown off steam, her shouting seemed a bit silly.

"The Order is a group of mutants who don't believe human rules can keep up with human evolution. We maintain a foothold in New York in order to maintain Sanctuary for those who run afoul of human justice." She spread her hands toward the walls as she spoke. They were in the Sanctuary of that Sanctuary right now.

"We funnel money to pro-mutant organizations, spearhead research into the ever evolving genome and occasionally take names and kick ass."

Her tone and demeanor were as placid as a librarian summarizing the current financial atmosphere, nothing like her earlier passion.

"What year were you born and at what year did you first die?" She wanted to know how old he was. Since he was in the habit of resurrecting himself, he could be older than what would be deemed a natural life span. He could also just have picked up this trick recently, considering his gray hair. Lori, herself, was an outlier in how late her mutation actually manifested itself.

Briefly she had considered asking if he retained all knowledge before his death but that would have been foolish considering their topic of conversation.

Human law could not keep up with human evolution... an interesting thought. It was definitely one that Paul himself had considered and even agreed with on some points but the implication of the statement was still frightening. That would definitely have to be the direction of his next question. Funneling money, heading up research, and even taking out the enemy was completely understandable and no real shocker. He would have liked to pursue the issue about rules a little further but he had agreed on a give and take session so it was only fair that he stuck with his own proposal.

"I was born in Europe in the year 1919." Paul replied slowly as he thought back, trying to remember the other date she had asked for. Once the second world war had begun all of the years had kind of run together and to say clearly exactly when he had died would be difficult. "World War Two kind of messed up the time line in my head but my first death should have been in the mid 1940's. '44, '45, or '46. Somewhere in there."

Pausing for a moment, Paul gave the young woman a sly smile and his eyes narrowed shrewdly, "And bravo... you have succeeded in making me answer two question almost without noticing. I'll have to be more careful with you." It was a minor thing to notice but it was also important. When consciously or subconsciously she had put her words together in such a way that what was really two questions sounded like one. She was a slippery one and a lot smarter than he had previously given her credit for. Mentally he gave her a couple more points than he had previously awarded her.

"If you don't believe that human rules apply to mutants then what rules do apply? Do you have some sort of guidelines or do you paraphrase the bible to say that all mutants 'do what seems right in their own eyes'?" Perhaps it was to soon to move into philosophy but now that the words had been spoken there was no taking them back. Watching the young woman intently he continued to try and get a feel for what she was and could possibly become. Was she really a person with the gift of leadership or was she simply someone that had a power that allowed her to stand above everyone else because she was stronger.

1919. She did some quick math and just as she had imagined, Paul aged incredibly well. If his first death was when he said he would have been somewhere around her age when he first died. That didn't mesh with her idea of how his aging should work, but what did she know? She was only 27 and had not died yet.

Lori only smiled for Paul's astute accusation. Her multiple questions had been quite intentional, though she hadn't expected him to pick it out for what it was. "My information is becoming increasingly more valuable. Perhaps I should require an additional answer from you for each I provide." She was serious and then again she wasn't. If he gave in to her request so be it. If he didn't, she wouldn't have lost any ground.

Mental aerobic games were fun. Not as simple or fulfilling as flexing her power to burst a lightbulb or straining to lift a weight, but equally enjoyable.

She ignored his first question and went for the second. Her answer would likely fulfill the first anyway, but this way she was only technically answering one of his questions.

"I make no religious pretenses, Paul. The Order isn't a cult nor are it's members inhibited by societal morality. These people were forsaken by that society and are now striving to carve out a place of their own with what means they were given. I can't pretend that I know what is right. I can only assert that we do what is necessary to achieve a goal. Some might enjoy the necessity a little too much, but we get results."

If Lori had tried to enforce any kind of morality on the inhabitants of these walls, she wouldn't have lasted a week. The fact that she kept the Order supplied with constant tasks likely helped keep her place as well. So long as they had something to fight for, they would. The blonde made a very comfortable collar that many never minded wearing.

"What was the year of your second and third deaths? Also, what is your favorite color?" She grinned. Sometimes throwing in something of a red herring would get a response unbidden. People can't help but pick out patterns and an aberration in an obvious pattern certainly deserved a response of some sort.

She would could it as a definite victory if he answered all three of her questions.

Increasingly valuable? This girl was sly and while Paul could respect that he could also play at the exact same game. He might allow her to win a round or two but he was also going to make it clear that he was on to her little scheme. As much as she was trying to downplay the value of his information she kept throwing more and more questions his way while offering nothing extra on her own part. It was an interesting mental exercise and though Paul might not be wiling to admit the truth he was actually beginning to feel a touch of admiration for the woman in front of him. Sure, she had killed him, but she was extremely bright and obviously tried to be in control of every situation that came along. His presence earlier had threatened that control and thus she had dealt with the threat. He couldn't fault her for that.

"I never said this was a cult, I simply used that quote because it seemed to fit the situation. By withdrawing from society and 'Carving a place of their own' as you put it, you are in essence creating a new society. History and even nature shows that in order to have a working society there must be laws or rules in place. Even if the rule is something as simple as 'the strong survive' in the animal world or as complex as the hierarchical ruling systems implemented in medieval Europe. Society without rules withers and dies."

Not wanting to sound like some sort of boring college professor, Paul quickly moved on to the two, no three, questions that Lori had just put forth. For a brief moment he contemplated answering all of them but then decided that it was time for him to exert at least a little bit of his own control over the conversation.

"Personally, I'm a fan of deep blue, almost black but not quite." He chose the most innocuous of the three questions, inwardly grinning at the fact he had momentarily foiled his mental adversary, "What can you tell me about your Miss Lisa? Most secretaries or receptionists I've met over the years don't have the sort of authority I saw her exhibiting over the man named Jack out in the lobby."

In truth, Lori's information was more valuable in that what she was telling Paul could get her and a lot of other people in trouble. If someone told the cops that Paul was somewhere in his 90's they wouldn't give a flying flip.

On one hand, she persisted because he hadn't run away screaming. The reincarnator had taken an intellectual view of their socio-economical situation and reasoned with her on the finer points. She didn't often find someone that she actually valued their feedback or someone who so quickly gained her respect enough to illicit truth from her.

Most of the time she just toyed with people. As much as they danced around their words now, this was a real and honest look at what a lot people liked to pretend wasn't even happening. They weren't playing games about who they were or what they were doing. It was… refreshing.

"Are you interested in our hierarchical structure?" Or was he just interested in the rules of their little society? To be honest, Lori had never sat down and outlined any. Well, none beyond the usual ilk: don't be stupid, don't destroy property we have to pay for and don't draw undue attention to the Sanctuary. Trying to get Sanctuary residents to follow rules was like trying to stuff a cat in a tube sock. A definite lose, lose situation.

She grinned at his deep blue. She was still ahead, no matter how stubborn he might be. "People who like blue are supposed to be as psychologically as developed as they'll ever get." And blue happened to look really good with her skin tone. In fact, the sheets on her bed were usually a color Paul would enjoy. Not that he would ever see them.

"Lisa has been her longer than anyone else I know. She's the only one who is organized to keep track of everything and knows how to get a hold of anyone at anytime. She's the best secretary I've ever had and a better right hand than any of my seconds." She was steadfast in a world where the mutants were not always 100% committed.

"The other dates?" She would figure out his power.

Was he interested in the Order's hierarchical structure? It was a question that deserved some very careful consideration. This was the woman that had killed him only an hour or so before but yet he was already beginning to put that to the side. Her choice to do it could be excused and without that fact holding him back he had to admit that yes, he was very interested in the Order's hierarchical structure. On the surface this was the sort of organization that might actually be able to do some good in the world and it was possible, very possible, that this was the perfect woman for that type of leadership roll.

"I might be interested in even more than just that." Paul replied quietly and honestly, not even counting that as a question on his mental list. This was a conversation that was beginning to stand apart from the other questions. It was a conversation that could lead to a very different relationship between himself and the Order.

Lori's response to his blue comment was enough to draw a slight smile to the surface. If he was a psychologically developed as he could ever get then he was in trouble because there was still a lot he couldn't comprehend or understand.

The conversations nuances moved on to information about the woman out front. Apparently she had the gift of organization, a gift that many people lacked. If she could keep everything running smoothly than she was definitely worth more than her weight in gold.

"1956. The Algerian War." Paul replied slowly, "And as a gesture of friendship, I'll give you the next one too. 1960. New York City."

He had answered her questions so now it was his turn to ask another one but there was the rub... what else did he want to know? What was the most important thing he could gather from this first meeting? What would make him want that second meeting even more than he already did? "What is it that drives you? What is the goal you wish to accomplish through the strength and abilities of those in the Order?" It was an honest question but it was also a direct challenge to the woman. Was she worthy of having Paul's trust? Was she worthy of leading the Order?

And just like that he was in her pocket. Oh, there were no guarantees that he would stay there, but for now he wanted to stay on her good side, perhaps even to please her if only to glimpse the world that the Order had in mind. This was exactly why she had risked such "valuable information" on this man. The most exciting part of a gamble was when it looked like it might pay off.

They were too new to each other to trust one another fully and yet there was that part of them that connected on an intellectual level. Why was it that she only ever had fulfilling conversations with immortals? All her friends in school had been older too.

She did a little more mental math and estimated that with the way that he looked there must have been at least one more death in there somewhere. It was interesting to note how his deaths had gotten more frequent. Was there a reason for that beside maybe Paul not wanting to test his luck if his first death had been a complete fluke?

She out that thought aside when he asked his question. Her drive? That was very personal. So personal that Lori wasn't entirely sure of the answer herself. She hadn't really thought about it. Her eyebrows drew down close to her eyes as she rolled the thought around her head. Nothing really came to mind. Her brain was filled with static as white as a polar bear in a snowstorm.

Lori felt very zen when it came to her. "Love. Love is what drives me now." She shook her head so that her bun bobbed behind her. "That sounds so lame. I spent a lot of my life motived by fear or anger and those were wasted years. I was, I am a very independent person by nature, but I've come to realize that I can't build anything lasting on my own. I can't control everything, but I can put things into motion. I could start something for the people that I love with the people that I love." It was clear from her tone that this wasn't any romantic love. This was something stronger. She wasn't as eloquent in her answer this time because she had to hash it out aloud for herself as much as for Paul. He was going to think she was a stupid little girl. Love.

As for what she hoped to accomplish?

"I want us to develop a society that treasures our abilities like the useful tools that they are instead of forcing people to try to conform to the paradigm that already exists." She had heard tales of a dream about the future where the world had been forced to accept and rely on mutants because of their abilities. She wanted that. The humans could come or go, she just wanted a life for everyone that could be lived to the fullest.

For the first time, Lori considered the fact that unlikely allies were often formed in war. Social boundaries were abandoned in times of crisis as the need dictated. Maybe it was Paul's talk of all the wars he had died in, but she was seriously considering finding or becoming the enemy herself. Who cared if the history books put her down as a villain?

Nothing united like the threat of a common enemy.

Love was her driving force but love for what? Or whom? From the tone of her voice it wasn't one individual person, be it either man or woman, that she was in love with. A familial unit perhaps, the joining of brother and sister mutants that gave her a feeling of home. It was a nice sentiment but did it have the staying power to actually move forward and change the world? Was it something that could give her strength when nothing else could sustain her and keep her warm when the whole world was frozen over with ice?

"And where do you see humans fitting in the equation?" Paul asked quietly, mentally noting that fact that she had not bothered to ask him another question. Perhaps they were getting into a topic serious enough that she felt it was time to dispense with their silly game. Maybe she thought it was time to move on to the real reason they were both sitting here talking so calmly. "Can a human be a mutants partner or are they simply servants or slaves to be ruled over? Are they a lower class or an equal with their own strengths and weaknesses?"

If Paul was honest, he was probably being slightly unfair. He was throwing questions Lori's way that he didn't necessarily know how to answer. Maybe he needed to voice that and offer up his own opinion. Because he needed to do a little more giving and a little less taking to show that he was serious about this subject.

"I know it's probably a strange view point for most mutants but I happen to believe that there are some humans that really are our equals if only for the fact that they don't judge us just because we have special abilities. There are plenty of humans that are no better than slaves or servants but there are also those that deserve more than a life of servitude." Paul answered his own question, allowing Lori time to think about her own response if that was what she needed, "I'm not concerned with taking the lives of those that would stand in the way of progress, like those men we face in the warehouse, but I am also willing to protect humans that speak out for mutant rights and try to be a voice of reason in this world."

There was most definitely good and evil in the world but on the issue of mutant rights there was a lot of gray areas. He would never be one that subscribed to the idea of killing all humans so that mutants could roam the world without concern for the lower life form but he also didn't believe that mutants should be subservient to humans while worrying about whether their abilities would frighten someone. Some of their abilities were frightening but damn it, that didn't mean the person with the abilities was any less afraid than the ones just watching!

The question game was ended. They were into real strategy now and there wasn't anything to waste on alternative ploys.

"We have been developing a way to jump start an inactivate X gene. With all the hoops the FDA is making us jump though, it'll be forever before we can actually claim the mutant trials we've done. Of course, we already have let M loose so humans can know what it's like to be a mutant. I'm starting to think that we can't simply medicate the human problem." She smiled at her own joke, but it was only her mouth that twisted up. Her eyes were busy flicking back and forth as if she were reading some mental notes that were written in the air between them.

She realized that Paul must be confused, having only part of the story. "My day job. I oversee a pharmaceutical research facility." She dismissed that as the least important part of this story. Her real passion was here at the Sanctuary.

"When I assumed leadership of the Sanctuary, the attitude was entirely anti-human. I don't necessarily share that animosity, but it was a sentiment I exploited to cement my position. Within a certain radius, we've been charging the humans who are stupid enough to pay for "Mutant Insurance."

On one hand that has made our section of town predominantly a mutant population, a necessity for security's sake. On the other hand, the humans that have stayed play well with our population. They would have to since they are the fast becoming the minority."

She nodded to Paul's explanation of his feelings on the matter. "We are of the same mind then. It takes a special human to hold a place among mutants but it's possible. In fact." Lori glanced around as if someone else might be listening, a ridiculous notion since they were alone in her office. "I think Lisa might be human."

A pharmaceutical company? She ran a pharmaceutical company? At least that explained the business attire he had first met her in because it hadn't fit with what he'd seen of the Sanctuary thus far. This was not a place for dressing up and acting prim and proper but a pharmaceutical company most definitely was. The idea of being able to medicate humans to activate the X-Gene was an interesting concept and a path that Paul never would have considered. Had she come up with the idea all by herself? If so then she was far smarter than he had given her credit.

"They play well with the population except for a few stragglers that take far longer to learn the lesson." Paul observed, meaning the men they had met in the warehouse. He would have to check the statistics but if what Lori was saying was true then the area directly around the Sanctuary probably had one of the lowest crime rates anywhere now that most of the human population had been driven away.

Lisa was a human? Lori's 'best right hand' as she so eloquently put it was a human? It was an interesting fact and demonstrated something that many individuals, both human and mutant, had yet to admit. Humans and mutants could cohabitate without hating each other.

"If she is human then I'm very impressed with how well she holds her own among mutants." The admiration was not overflowing but it was most definitely there, "If her scene with Jack earlier was any indication then she is a force to be reckoned with."

For a few moments Paul fell silent, thinking about all they had discussed and then he slowly stood back up to his feet. "well, I appreciate you're taking the time to speak with me Lori. With your permission I'll stop by again when I'm slightly more presentable." He said with a wave of his hand toward the worn and ragged clothing he had on, "I'll stop monopolizing your attention and let you get back to your vehicle project."

If this was the end of the conversation then it seemed far to formal to Paul's ears. He didn't want this to be a strictly business relationship but instead to have at least a trace of friendship in it. While Lori would have to prove herself a little more to completely earn his trust the foundation was definitely being laid. "Though next time I hope we can skip the deadly side of our introduction." He said, a teasing tone entering in his voice as he slowly extended a hand in the gesture he had refused less than an hour before, "Maybe a cup of coffee instead?"

"They play well with the population except for a few stragglers that take far longer to learn the lesson."

"Those few had to be new in town. They didn't even know what they were up against." She had heard one of them ask what the Order was. Well, now at least once of them knew... no, at least two of them knew. Paul wasn't dead. Anymore. "There are always those that will test the limits of your power." Such was the way of things.

And just like that their conversation was wrapping up. Lori certainly had enough things to think over, no doubt Paul did as well. She was loathe to let him walk out free without some sort of guarantee that he would not betray their organization, but she got the impression that Paul wasn't one to be pushed. She also was of the impression that he wasn't acting, though the believable ones made for the worst betrayals.

In short, Lori had some serious trust issues.

"With your permission I'll stop by again when I'm slightly more presentable."

"I would like that." And she actually meant it. Especially when he let her shake his hand. She relished the opportunity to let just the slightest bit of electricity hum between their hands. If he would stay longer, she could watch his mind when he spoke... though, admittedly she had been distracted enough by what he had said today to last her a while. Lori didn't have the confidence to touch his mind with as little electrical observation she had of it. For shame.

"Not that a repeat would do me any good." If he could poke fun, so could she. "Lisa should know how to find me, when you do come back."

And then she took the bravest gamble of all. She let him walk away.

The goodbye was cordial and Lori was even able to thrown in her own teasing response to his comment. It was a good way to end the conversation but the most important thing was the hand shake. Maybe that didn't mean a whole lot to her, being as young as she was, but for Paul a hand shake was a symbol of developing trust and belief. He remember his father shaking hands with men as their form of a contract versus the written paper that had become so popular in the 20th century. To shake someones hand was to give them your word, your bond, a piece of yourself. It was not something to be taken lightly or to be offered indiscriminately.

"I'll get in a touch within the next couple of weeks. I look forward to our next conversation." Paul said with a smile as he released the handshake and moved toward the door, "Take care of yourself Lori."

***

An hour or so later Paul finally climbed the stairs leading up to his own apartment. Shedding the clothes and tossing them straight into the garbage he headed into his own room for a shower and clean clothing. The conversation with Lori had been one of the most intellectually stimulating he had enjoyed in quite some time and she had given him a lot to think about. He definitely needed to meet some of the other members of the Order and while that held his interest the idea of more one on one time with Lori was even more stimulating. It was to soon to say but he may have finally found the type of person he had been looking for. The type of person that could lead the world down the path that needed to be taken "Only time will tell."