Hal had a lot to think about. So much that he barely noticed anyone else as he walked.

Sebastian had proven that he was powerful, sure. That was readily apparent to everyone who had been there that day. Especially Perry. He was the one who got stabbed in the heart, and lived to tell the tale. He was the one who had become utterly convinced by the experience, that Sebastian was no mere man, and no mere mutant, but a God. Because, clearly, if somebody can stab a few people through the heart without anyone dying, they must be God! And, y'know, not just a mutant. To Hal's utter disbelief, Perry, whom Hal had always respected as a rational man, bought it.

Hal had kept his objections to himself. It's generally ill-advised to direct negative comments towards madmen who carry swords around and have a penchant for stabbing people.

Though Hal hesitated to call Sebastian a "madman;" he felt, from their regular conversations, that he knew the unicorn-man too well for the term "madman" to apply to him. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he doubted that Sebastian truly believed half of what he was saying. The sociology major recalled what he himself said that day:

>>“When societies are in trouble, at their darkest hour, so to say, that is when religions have the most power. People want and need something to believe in and religion provides structures and rules when governments fail to control their citizens. It's a win-win situation, whether it's based on lie or truth.”

Maybe he had inspired Sebastian. Maybe this was all some grand scheme to gain control over the masses, to change the trajectory of history itself. It wasn't too far-fetched for him to actually succeed. If Perry could be converted by one of those "miracles," anyone could. They could get a real mass movement started! And Sebastian just gave him an opportunity to be a part of it. And, just maybe, even a chance to taste immortality. That wasn't too far-fetched, either, considering what he'd seen Sebastian do.

Sebastian might be the Lord. He might be a Liar. He may even be a Lunatic. But Hal began to realize that he didn't even care. Either way, he wanted in on it. Think of the opportunities he could have! Think of the good he could do for society as a whole!

"Hey, watch it!"

Some jerk with a hat just ran by and bumped right into him, without so much as an "excuse me" or a "sorry." People could really be inconsiderate, sometimes. Why was he in such a hurry?

Soon, a little red-headed girl ran past Hal, then stopped a few paces ahead of him. She was breathing hard; apparently, to catch her breath. Then, she did something that Hal thought he might never forget.

She turned and face him, specifically. She looked him in the eyes and said, plaintive and out of breath, "That guy stole my phone!" She didn't turn to anyone else, and she didn't cry it out for everyone to hear. She looked directly to him for help.

Hal wasn't a religious man, but something in him said that this was a sign. Perhaps his new "God" was legit and perhaps this was a test. It didn't take long for Hal to decide that he wanted to pass this test – with flying colors. He stared at the little red-head for a moment, then began to smile reassuringly. "Don't worry. I can get that back for you." Then he ran.

He was probably getting into a fight, which was just fine by Hal. Hal was a mutant with superhuman strength and bones more durable than reinforced concrete.

While Hal was lost in thought, and Kaitlyn was proving to be a distraction, Sledge pondered the pros and cons of leaning casually against the wall. He wasn't aiming to get anything out of the pigeon, so there wasn't a need to act as though he had really nicked something from the girl. Better though to keep up the display. If he could lure Hal farther into this little hidey-hole nobody would suspect a thing. Never let the mark see what's coming. To be at ease and stop playing the part of a petty pickpocket would be a stupid and cocky move. Such a mistake had cost him in the past.

Hal came rushing in sooner than Sledge had expected, so the surprised look on the Brit's face wasn't entirely faked. Exaggerated perhaps, but there was some shock there. Easy now, Sledge reminded himself, slowly raising his arms as if surrendering. Best to keep his mouth shut. If for some reason beyond his comprehension he should fail, and that shouldn't happen, the plan is bullet proof, he didn't want to give Hal any more additional information to go on.

Hal drew closer, and David took a step or two back. His attention wasn't on the man who he'd just lured into a trap, but rather the sidewalk beyond him. Once he got fully into the job he wouldn't be aware of anyone approaching. The sight of the small ginger girl made him smile, even with Hal trying to be intimidating. Bloke, compared to me gang in Bradford, you're nothing. Sledge gave the brim of his hat a quick jab with the side of his hand, letting it fall off his head in what was meant to be an awkward looking moment. Really all he wanted was a distraction, a second in which he could throw a quick punch to the face. Hal was close, and there wasn't much room to pull his arm back. Perfect.

Hal might not have noticed that Sledge's hand didn't break with the punch, but Sledge certainly noticed something was wrong. He had expected to feel something give way, to hear the sound of his hardened fist break Hal's skull. Sledge looked at Hal as though he had just been presented an odd puzzle. "You aren't human are you," he said, knowing the answer. Once again he had to wonder how was this person going to end the world. It looked as though Hal had the body armor piercing bullets that made the plan fail. Damn.

Was it just Hal, or was that jab a little bit harder than the average jab? And was that fist a little bit less prone to breaking than the average fist?

Maybe. But, to be honest, it had been a while since he last got punched in the face. Hal was more preoccuppied with the fact that his glasses could have been broken with that punch. He took those off and put them in his pocket, just in case this guy was crazy enough to hit him again. His hand was probably really hurting now, and any sane man would consider that course of action a lost cause, but this guy just stole some little girl's phone. You can never tell with a guy like that.

"No, I'm not!" he answered cheerily. "Now, I believe you have something that belongs to her?" He pointed his thumb at the little red-headed girl, who was standing right behind him.

Kaitlyn was looking over her shoulder at that point in time. Thankfully, nobody on the sidewalk seemed to be paying attention to what was going on in here. When she realized Hal was talking about her, she snapped her attention back to the scene before her, and, thinking it appropriate, gave the conman her best angry glare. Because he stole her cellphone, and she would have the college student know that she was angry about this.

"Sorry mate, but you 'ave the wrong idea," Sledge said, taking a step farther back. Hal removed his glasses, and in the simple act of doing so, removed any hesitation that Sledge might have had. Punching a guy with glasses wasn't all that more different than hitting a man with perfect vision. The condition of prescribed bits of glass did not affect how tough you were anymore than Sledge's thin frame had bearing on his powers. Sledge's concern was that he was going to break the glasses, and while they were one of the ugliest frames he had ever seen, were harmless.

Distance made all the difference, Sledge had learned, distance and time. The earlier the punch he threw, the more it could do, and if he could really wind up prior to contact he felt confident that there wasn't a wall that would stand up for long. Now that Hal had revealed that he wasn't human David knew how he was suppose to approach this. Give himself some space and let the hammer fall.

He would never find out why his parents had chosen Maxwell for his middle name. David had been because he was a small baby, facing a world that was going to be big and harsh, a Biblical name from his God fearing parents. There was no uncle named Max, no lifetime friend of either his mum or da that he was named after. As Sledge swung his fist, up and over, the movement faster than possible for any normal human, one might have thought he was given his middle name for the song. Bang bang Maxwell's silver hammer came down upon Hal's head.

Hal's eyes rolled up and he sort of folded in upon himself, leaving Sledge the only man standing, and staring at the girl. "Tole you to keep watch," he scolded her. Already his arm was getting that lead like feeling. He massaged his hand as he crouched down. No doubt Hal was out like a light, but if he had forgotten anything wouldn't be discovered until after he came back to the world of the walking awake. Two fingers checked for a pulse. Knocking out some memories was fine, but Sledge didn't want to handle a corpse. Satisfied that Hal was still alive, though would have one hell of a headache upon wakening the conman straightened out. "And what was with that look?"

Kait didn't just hear that punch, she felt the sound of that fist colliding with Hal's skull.

"I was keeping watch!" Kaitlyn proclaimed, defensively. Then, she turned around and started actually keeping watch. Thankfully, nobody else seemed to be paying much attention to the alleyway. Kind of surprising, considering the noise it made when the conman's fist collided with Hal's head. She turned to face the conman again.

"I was just trying to look mad at you, 'cause he thought you stole my phone."

She took another good look at Hal. If not for the shallow rise and fall of his chest, she might have thought the college kid was dead. With him out of the way, she decided, it was time to take this sketchy person whom she barely knew, and bring him into a group that she was far closer to than any family she'd ever had.

"Let's get outta here before someone asks about him." She pointed at the unconscious student, then led Sledge away, towards a subway station. Her stomach decided to start growling at her again. Why did Alister have to insist on her not eating lunch earlier? Being hungry sucks.

"Let me clarify. Watch somebody else, not me. I know what I'm doing, and you're watching just makes it obvious that we're up to something." He had to remind himself that he was talking to a little girl and that he really shouldn't loose his temper. Kaitlyn probably didn't have the years of experience with this sort of thing that he did, and he could hardly expect her to know how to keep watch properly. So far she had shown that she couldn't pass herself off as being a twenty-something trapped in the body of a child. She also had Briggs beaten. "Would have looked strange if you could chase down the man who nicked your phone."

Kaitlyn wanted them to move out quickly, but there were a few things that Sledge wanted to take care of before they could go onto the subway. First he dragged Hal away from where he fell, and rummaged through the pockets. "Bloody 'ell.... you're too young to have a cellular." One might have expected Sledge to take Hal's wallet, at least the money that would be in it, but all he pulled from it was Hal's ID. The next thing he took were the glasses before Kaitlyn dragged him away.

"Nobody cares for a person passed out on the street, just as long as said person isn't in front of a place of business," he told Kaitlyn as they descended into the subway. Sledge was positive that he would never grow accustomed to the smell of the underground. As shabby as his parents house had been, and with how much both his mum and da worked, everything was kept clean. Boots might find their way into the hall, but dirt had been attacked with vengeance, and things always smelled fresh. David had grown up in poverty, but nobody could say that he lived in filth.

As he waited for the sub Sledge held the glasses up to his face. "He'll be blind as a bat when 'e comes to," he muttered to himself, "If this is 'ow he saw the world no wonder he needed the specs."