Chapter: 4

Shortly after we woke up, Scott began our training. I knew we couldn’t stay long, so we made sure not to slack off. As hours turned to days, our activities became harsher. Scott’s ability to manipulate energy came in handy during my training since our powers were so similar. He taught me to not just control the electricity I project out of my body, but to concentrate it and create new forms of electricity. My powers were developing faster than I could have ever imagined. He also trained us in hand to hand combat; something we lacked. He revealed the hunters weak points and taught us how to defeat them with slight difficulty. During our training, my team and I got to know the red headed girl. Her name’s Lily and like us, she’s a mutant. She’s something utterly different however. Lily’s a telekinetic with some telepathic traits. She can create illusions that are unbelievably realistic. Her telekinetic powers are so strong, I witnessed her launch a car a mile away just by waving her hand. I didn’t know why, but I felt a strong attraction to her. She’s a very kind girl, but she made it obvious how oblivious she was of her ast. We were given new clothes and equipment. It’s been four months after we started our training and I feel great. My powers have become so strong; I’m considered one of the strongest mutants here, second only to Scott.

“We want to stay, but there are other things we have to do.” I said to Scott as we sat in the living room.

“That’s a shame; we enjoyed having you guys here. Where will you be going?” He asked.

“We’re thinking of heading to Chicago.”

“Chicago?” He asked. “That’s where the Ferrum headquarters is located. It’s way too dangerous.”

“We’re not accomplishing anything from here. Sure, we sabotage a few factories, but it’s not enough. We can lay low, then attack when we have a chance. But we need your help getting in.” I said.

Scott calmed down. I think he understood what I was proposing.

“I understand. I’ll get you guys what you need to get in, but don’t expect it to be easy. They have extremely high tech security systems. There’s no such thing as making a forged identification card. Luckily for you, I can get you real ones.” He said.

We walked to the courtyard where we met up with Razor, Scylla, Crank, and Izzy. I felt a bit bad, but I knew what he had to do.

“So you guys are actually going to Chicago, eh?” Razor asked.

“Yeah, we’ll wreck some Ferrum ass. Those damn hunters don’t stand a chance against us now.” Said Drake.

“Chase, Alyssa, Drake, Tank; you guys have developed your abilities to new heights. With your new abilities and knowledge, I’m confident you’ll be alright. Chase requested that you guys travel alone and I’ll respect his decision. When you reach Chicago, make sure to contact me and I’ll set you guys up with jobs and a place to stay.” Said Scott.

“Thank you Scott, for everything.”

I really did appreciate what Scott did for us. The only way to repay him would be to stop Ferrum and make a world that’s safe for mutants. We all said our goodbyes and left.

“Wait!” Lily yelled, running towards us. “Please take me with you.”

“It’s dangerous where we’re going, are you sure you want to come?”

“Yes. When you guys found me, my past was all too blurry. I can’t remember much. Maybe if I go to Chicago with you guys, I can find out why I was in that Ferrum facility.”

We all agreed to let her join us, although Alyssa was hesitant. I felt a bit relieved knowing she was coming with us. We traveled to the area surrounding the mansion. I liked it there because it was nice and clear of Ferrum. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long. We tried to keep safe by staying on Ferrum territory, but we were still tracked down. A hunter.

“Please show your identification cards.”

I could make an excuse. I could tell him we simply lost our identification cards, even though we don’t own any, but I want to test my skills. We instantly charged the hunter. The battle was rough, but we made quick work of the hunter. Nonetheless, we were careless. We didn’t notice the other hunters in the area. Four arrived at our location in seconds. They witnessed us defeating that hunter, so there’s no way to talk our way out. We could take two, but four are too many. I needed a plan, quickly.

“Mutants, by order of the chairman of Ferrum and supreme commander of the iron army, it’s our duty to execute you.” One of the hunters said.

Running away from a fight isn’t my thing, but what other choice do we have? Just as I prepared a distraction, one of the hunters fell from the sky. Then another; Then the other two fell.

“What just happened?” Alyssa asked.

“I’m not sure, but this may be a good opportunity for us to get out of here.” I said.

We ran away, making sure we weren’t followed.

“What are we running from exactly?” Drake asked.

“Him.” Lily calmly said as she stopped.

A man stood before us. I didn’t know what to think, he just appeared out of nowhere. How did Lily know where he was before he was there?

“He’s a teleporter.” Said Alyssa.

“There’s no way a teleporter could do that to hunters. Who are you?” I asked.

“Who am I?” He asked. “My name’s Bennet du Paris. You can call me Exodus.”

Exodus? That name sounded familiar.

“What do you want from us?” Alyssa asked.

“You guys are mutants. As am I. I think we can both agree we have a common enemy.” Said Bennet.

“Telling by what you did to those hunters, you would be a powerful ally, but how can we trust you?” I asked.

“You can’t.” He answered.

“Fair enough. I’m Surge, the girl’s name is Zephyr, the blonde guy’s Ghost, the big guy’s Tank, and she’s Lily. If you’re an enemy of Ferrum, we would be honored to have you join us. We call ourselves the X-Faction.” I said.

“X-Faction? Reminds me of those useless X-Men.” He said.

“Why are you talking like you know them?” Drake asked.

“Because I do know them.”

“The X-men were wiped out before Ferrum took over. How could you know them?” Lily asked.

“I would prefer not to explain, but I’ve been a live a very long time.” He said.

I was surprised to find out how old he was. He was alive before this whole war started. He witnessed everything. I was too distracted to even care why Lily knew about them. I guess she wasn’t stuck in that tube for a very long time.

“I’ll help until you prove to be unusable.” Bennet said.

“Well he’s not very nice.” Drake said sarcastically.

“We should go, I sense more hunters coming our way. I’ve overused my powers today.” Bennet said.

Exodus grabbed us and we appeared in a new location. Normally this wouldn’t surprise me since Alyssa can teleport us, but we were in an entirely new place. I don’t even think we’re in the same city. How powerful is this guy?