Mutant X Websites: Mutant X Lives (Part 1)
From 2001-02, Tribune Entertainment created six Mutant X faux websites as part of the Mutant X official site, in order to supplement the information from the television series. These sites featured a great wealth of background information about the Mutant X characters and plot's storylines, but they vanished in early 2005. This site has archives of Tribune Entertainment's Mutant X Lives site prior to its demise. I'm saving this here in case this archive vanishes as well, but none of the following material is my own.
MXL Part 1: The Underground ~ MXL Part 2: Adam's Diary ~ MXL Part 3: Sanctuary ~ MXL Part 4: Adam's Serials
MUTANT X LIVES: THE NEW MUTANT UNDERGROUND
New Mutant Underground Postings
Posting - Know Your Underground
Most of our community knows the four champions of Mutant X (Shalimar Fox, Jesse Kilmartin, Emma DeLauro and Brennan Mulwray). The team, however, extends to names and faces that are not as familiar. The members that run the Underground play just as important a role out of the limelight. Many remain anonymous for their own safety, but there are some we all come in contact with on a regular basis who could use the recognition. Here’s a bit more about them:
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RUBY BISHOP: The highly tuned telepath who owns “My Friend’s Bookstore”, a major information hub and entry station for the Underground Railroad. One of the oldest and most experienced New Mutants on record, Ruby’s passion for literature is equaled by his compassion to help others, particularly victims of mutant hatred. Without his ingenious contributions, Mutant X would never have been able to extend itself from Stormking Mountain to safe houses all over the globe. Perpetual bachelor and keeper of many secrets, Ruby might be soft in the belly but not in spirit. He’s an educator, counselor and warrior in his own right. Recent events involving Genomex have forced him to take some time off, but he wants it known he is always in the game and on top of the next thought.
ALISON TURNER: One of Adam’s original recruits for Mutant X, this elegant telekinetic chose instead to become a major “conductor” of the Underground Railroad. Many owe their lives to Alison’s bravery. She has proven time and time again to not only move objects with her mind, but large groups of hunted New Mutants to new lives with her common sense. When asked why she turned down Adam’s offer to join the main team, Alison answers, “I wanted a family. You can’t do that as a superhero. To me, the fight has always been about being normal. That’s where I put my energy.”
VINCE MEISEL: This Molecular mechanic from Detroit has the reputation for being able to fix any gadget, machine or form of transport in record time. His natural gifts involve accelerated motion but his talents are all about engines. Vince is a guy of few words (he lets his feral fiancée do most of the talking) but his actions speak volumes. There’s scarcely a piece of equipment in Mutant X that does not have his stamp on it.
NEAL CUDDAHY: You won’t catch this guy falling asleep on the job. Neal is a Molecular whose body processes energy so he doesn’t require sleep. A professional driver, his non-stop midnight truck runs have transported hundreds of New Mutants and needed supplies to safe houses all over the country. Low key and fond of Jimmy Buffet tunes, Neal has only one complaint: “It’s lonely when you’re the only one awake.”
IN MEMORIAM:
RICK BELLAMY: A victim of the recent New Mutant virus, Rick left us far too soon. A powerful wind Elemental with charisma to match, many will not forget his friendly face and dedicated courage serving as a “conductor” in the Underground Railroad. Memorials have been set up for his wife, Linda, and their unborn child (due in June) in care of this site or “My Friend’s Bookstore".
...Posting - A Phone Call Away
What follows is the transcription of a typical MUTANT X LIVES hotline call. The operators are all volunteer New Mutants who man the boards 24 hours a day from a dozen Underground locations.
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OPERATOR: MX Hotline.
CALLER: I need help.
OPERATOR: That’s what we’re here for. What’s your name?
CALLER: Ken. Do I have to tell you my last name?
OPERATOR: Only if you want to. How old are you, Ken?
CALLER: 24.
OPERATOR: Where are you calling from?
CALLER: My girlfriend’s house.
OPERATOR: And are you in any immediate danger?
CALLER: Only from myself.
OPERATOR: Tell me about that, Ken. Are you alone?
CALLER: Yeah. Leah’s at work.
OPERATOR: What’s the problem?
CALLER: I’m not a human being! That’s the problem!
OPERATOR: All right. Calm down, Ken.
CALLER: That’s easy for you to say! You don’t know what’s it’s like…
OPERATOR: To be a mutant? Yes, I do, Ken. I’m one too. My name is Judy. I’m here to help you. Please talk to me.
CALLER: Oh, God…
OPERATOR: Ken, have you just discovered your powers?
CALLER: No. I’ve tried to ignore them since I was a kid but I can’t any more.
OPERATOR: What can you do?
CALLER: Walk through things.
OPERATOR: So you can become intangible. That means you’re a Molecular.
CALLER: It means I’m a frickin’ ghost!
OPERATOR: No, Ken. We’re all human beings. It’s important you always know that. Our genetics were tampered with before we were born and as a result we possess special abilities. But we’re men and women, Ken. And we’re not alone.
CALLER: I want to blow my brains out.
OPERATOR: (Off phone) Trace this. Now. (Back to phone) Ken, how did you get this number?
CALLER: Leah.
OPERATOR: She’s a New Mutant too?
CALLER: No. She just…
OPERATOR: Loves you. And you want to kill yourself because of that?
CALLER: No! I mean, she deserves a real…you know?
OPERATOR: I do know, Ken. I made this call once myself. I thought I was a freak and didn’t have a right to have people love me.
CALLER: What can you do?
OPERATOR: I’m a Feral, Ken. An animal hybrid. I’m a Cervine mix. Part deer. I can leap and run like the wind. But I also have antlers.
CALLER: God. You can’t even hide it.
OPERATOR: I don’t want to now. But then…it was hard. My family was very religious. They said I was a devil and threw me out. I was thirteen.
CALLER: Oh, God…
OPERATOR: And I didn’t have anyone like Leah to turn to.
CALLER: What did you do?
OPERATOR: Tried suicide, first. Sound familiar?
CALLER: Uh huh. Didn’t take?
OPERATOR: Someone stopped me. Another Feral. He was seven feet tall. Part bear. Named Cal. He brought me to a Mutant X safehouse and my life changed. Suddenly I was a part of the race again. I wasn’t alone. It took time, but all the good parts about came back. I could function, antlers and all.
CALLER: Well, that was you, Judy. I’m so messed up, I can’t even hold a job.
OPERATOR: It takes work, Ken. And a new mindset. I never said it was easy. But if you want it, it’s there for you.
CALLER: How?
OPERATOR: Why don’t I send some people from MUTANT X LIVES over to your home? Or you can meet them somewhere. There’s another Molecular like you. His name’s Jesse and he checks in with us regularly. If you don’t want to see any one here, I’d like you to talk to him.
CALLER: What about you? Can you come?
OPERATOR: If you want. My shift’s just about over and my husband’s picking me up. We could stop by.
CALLER: Your husband?
OPERATOR: Zach. He’s a New Mutant too. Psionic. He moves things with his mind. He also sells life insurance. We don’t know about our kids yet. But if they are, they’re never going to feel like outcasts.
CALLER: God. You’ve got a family. Just like…
OPERATOR: Everybody else. That’s the real miracle, Ken. One time I would have said you were warped just to suggest such a thing. Take the steps and deal with who you are and the world opens up like a rosebud.
CALLER: So…do you know where the Robin Hood pub is?
OPERATOR: On 5th? Sure. You want Zach and I to meet you there?
CALLER: Yeah. Leah works there.
OPERATOR: She’s welcome to join us. Er…Ken, what you said about blowing your brains out. Do you have a gun?
CALLER: I just unloaded the bullets.
OPERATOR: Good. Keep it that way.
CALLER: So…I guess I’ll see you at the Robin Hood in…an hour?
OPERATOR: We’ll be there.
CALLER: How will I know you?
OPERATOR: I’ll be the woman with the antlers.
(CALLER laughs) CALLER: First time I’ve done that in ages.
OPERATOR: Sounds like it suits you, Ken.
:: End of Transcript ::
...Posting - Genomex Rehab
Genomex is no more, but its affect is still damaging. Hundreds of New Mutants were incarcerated, probed and tortured for years within those walls and cannot be expected to “return to the living” without significant mental and physical adjusting.
That is why Mutant X Lives has set up G-Hab, a rehabilitation program for those who were victims of the Genomex regime and their families. Located at Underground Safehouses throughout the nation, this is a comprehensive curriculum of therapeutic consoling, physical therapy and anonymous group sharing sessions. All factions have been designed to address the issues facing the men and women who suffered the inhumane conditions imprisonment forced on them.
Psychiatric and Psionic specialists are on 24-hour call to assist with feelings of rage, depression and misplaced self-hatred often common among G survivors. Even though such symptoms may not be evident, suppression and delayed reactions are common in many cases. G-Hab experts can help diagnose such conditions and set up treatment to deal with them.
These same consultants will also be on avail to apply social “re-introduction” to the many kept in comatose stasis during the Genomex years.
In addition, volunteer staffs of medical doctors and plastic surgeons, sensitive to New Mutant physiology, will be scheduled to see and treat individuals who endured Genomex experimentation and/or disfigurement. Funds exist for the financing of any complicated procedures.
The only condition of G-Hab is for those in need to come to our door and let us help you. Together, we will survive the ordeals of the past, present and future. Apart, we will fall. Lean on us and rediscover your strength.
...Posting - Missing Mutants
TINA DENNING Age 14. Amphibian Feral. Caucasian, 5’4”, 125 lbs. Hair light brown (often dyed). Eyes vary from brown to pale green, depending on power application. A water-breather. Disappeared from her foster home on 10/30. Please contact Steven or Caroline Benedict with any information via the MXL hotline, Case # 87TINA. Message to Tina: “All is well with Danny now. Please come home and we’ll be a family again.” Dad & Mom.
GUY FORESTER Age 16. Chromatic Molecular (creates rainbow auras). Caucasian, 5’9”, 155 lbs. Ash blonde hair. Gray eyes. Son of Susanna Forester (single mother). Guy went into the Underground after his powers manifested in public following victory in a school track meet last fall. He has yet to contact any member of his natural family. Contact caseworker Vince Meisel via MXL, #90GUY with any news to rely to Mrs. Forester. Message to Guy: “Your mom is still your mom, kid, and needs to know you’re okay.” V.M.
DOUGLAS McDANIEL Age 27. Thermal Elemental (creates ice). Afro-American, 6’3”, 205 lbs. Shaved head. Brown eyes. A jazz musician (keyboards). McDaniel has been missing for two years. Underground has no references or cross-references to him in their files after his initial sign up as a New Mutant. Contact caseworker Allison Turner, re: #36DOUG. No Message.
CLOSED CASE (11/3)
DONNA VILLARD Feline Feral, mid 20’s. Found dead from DNA poisoning. No surviving family known. Memorial at Underground Base #A, Saturday, November 10.
...Posting - MX Lives Bulletins
#1 - WARNING!
Be on the lookout for any person flashing a government I.D. and asking questions of you, your friends (or family) and co-workers. These are most likely to be GSAgents (Genetics Security Agents) hunting down New Mutants. They do not have your best interests at heart. In fact, 90% of their “interviews” end up in formal abduction.
The agents are usually dressed in nondescript business attire and keep emotional content to a bare minimum. Many can be mutants themselves, conditioned to use their powers to bring down or apprehend their own kind.
Do not be fooled by their credentials or veiled official threats. Technically, they must go through all chains of command to approach you or even take a minute of your time. Since they seldom play by these rules, do not feel obligated to do so yourself. If you even suspect a stranger in your midst is a GSAgent, clear the scene and contact the MUTANTX HOTLINE immediately.
The GSA may be a federally sanctioned bureau, but its operations mode is kept secret from most administrators in charge. In other words, it is a covert front for a twisted agenda, which needs to be exposed and brought down. With your awareness and cooperation, MUTANT X is the team to do this. So keep your sensors up. Too many of us disappear as it is.
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#2 - THE UNDERGROUND
Applications for operators in the Mutant Underground Railroad system are now being accepted and considered. Needed are truck-drivers, media mechanics, computer techs and social therapists to work in all aspects of the systems. New Mutant DNA a must.
CONTACT: Vince Meisel or Alison Turner at the Underground website for further information and employment specifics. Full health coverage and cover jobs provided. FOR DRIVERS ONLY CONTACT: Neil Kowalski through the MXL website or CB radio ID “No-Doze”.
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#3 - SERVICES
Candlelight memorials for those lost to the recent Mutant Virus will be held at all Underground safe house facilities on Friday Dec. 8th at midnight. The services will be com-linked and addressed by Adam of MUTANT X. Any cleared member is welcomed to attend.
In addition a fund has been set up in the name of Charles Marlowe, whose sacrifice allowed the anti-virus vaccine to be created. It will benefit the New Mutant mental health and outreach programs. Contributions can be sent in care of Emma DeLauro or Jesse Kilmartin at Mutant X (website or hotline).
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#4 - DEFENSE CLASSES
All local ferals, elementals and moleculars are encouraged to attend defense technique seminars held at Underground facility XMCA over the next three Tuesdays starting at 7PM sharp. These sessions will be taught be MUTANT X members Shalimar Fox, Brennan Mulwray and Jesse Kilmartin and are of the highest caliber in power training.
Wear padded gym clothes and expect to be airborne for much of the time. A psionics defense course is expected to follow next month. (Schedule changes a possibility due to the unpredictable nature of the guests’ activities.)
...Posting - No One Is Alone
Aside from the day-to-day struggles a New Mutant encounters in the outside world at large, many also battle a disparaging force from within. The need to be normal and fit in conflicts with the reality that this will never be. It has brought on a common trend of depression, destructive behavior and even suicide among our kind. A calculated 20% of New Mutant youth succumb to self-inflicted causes before the age of 25. There has been no psychiatric care, junior counseling or specialized 12-step program available to deal with our specific needs. Until now.
Mutant X Lives offers an outreach curriculum of classes, therapy and anonymous self-help groups through the Underground headquarters in each area they are located. Trained counselors with powers similar to your own operate a 24-hour hotline with information and services if you live outside those regions. There are daycare centers, informed and open-minded doctors, libraries and concerned individuals all available for no charge at any time of the day or night.
Panels, lectures and peer groups are all tailored to modern New Mutants by modern New Mutants. You will be among friends who are in your same situation and will only be asked to volunteer or participate to the degree that you feel comfortable in doing so. The sole requirement is the acknowledgement that you who you are and need help in coming to terms with your inborn abilities.
You need not be a freak. You are a New Mutant and not alone. Contact Lists Available.
...Posting - You Have Rights
Regardless of your DNA, you still have rights as a citizen. The government, in fact, does not acknowledge that New Mutants exist so, technically, you are just a gifted human.
There is a new federal bureau known as the GSA (Genetics Security Agency). They operate pretty much like all other covert outfits except they are uniquely sanctioned to investigate biogenetic incidents and suspects. The agents wear standard issue suit and tie uniforms and are authorized to carry weapons. If tracked and apprehended by the GSA, know they are legally bound to identify themselves to you and enforce your rights as in any criminal inquiry. They do not have carte blanche to kidnap, harm or deny you consul.
If you have been pursued or victimized by the GSA in any way, report them to your local officials and contact MUTANT X immediately through the provided channels. This also applies to your given rights and any violation of them. If an associate or a loved one is missing under similar circumstances, follow the identical procedure.
A third call can be made to PROXY BLUE (1-800-PROXYBLUES). Though considered a questionable source, know the information given to her will be thoroughly researched and eventually aired oven infinite networks. PROXY BLUE is a bona fide neutral participant in the New Mutant turmoil that has arisen.
Lastly, fight the urge to call your efforts futile. Recovery from a GSA apprehension may appear at low odds in the present state, but the more they are exposed, the more public they have to become. Awareness is the greatest weapon against them. Use it.
Remember, there is no official law against being a New Mutant. Do not help create one by a passive will.
...Posting - Memoriam
This is a list of those, mutant and non-mutant, who lost their lives for the cause of individual freedom and equality. As modern society will not permit a tribute on a wall of stone, we commemorate our fallen with one from the heart. Rest in peace, brothers and sisters. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.
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LT. MICHAEL ANDERS, Feral | MEGAN ALEXANDER, Human | KEN ARD, Feral | RICK BELLAMY, Elemental
MICHELLE BIGELOW, Psionic | LT. KRISTA BINGHAM, Feral | DR. ELEANOR SINGER BREEDLOVE, Human | CPL. ROBERT CALLAS, Feral | DR. WILLIAM CALLOWAY, Molecular | ALBERT CHARLES, Feral | ANDREA CHARLES, Feral | JOANNE PRATT-CHARLES, Feral | JUSTIN CHARLES, Feral | EDWARD CHIRAKA, Feral | GREGORY CORNWALL, Elemental | NICK CROSS, Feral | JANICE DALL, Psionic | ARTHUR DAVIS, Psionic | DR, DAVID DEAN, Human | STEVEN DOHANOS, Elemental | JASON DONAHUE, Molecular | RICH EDDINGTON, Feral | BRIAN EVANS, Molecular | TRISTAN EVANS, Molecular | ANDREW FERBER, Feral | DR. PAULA FINE, Human | PALADDIN FOX, Feral | JULIE GARLAND, Molecular | CHARLES GEORGI, Feral | CHERISE HARRIS, Psionic | JAMES HUGHES, Psionic | GENE KASELL, Human | ELIZABETH KIENLE, Molecular | DOUGLAS KIENLE, Human | SEAN KIENLE, Feral | LT. JOHN LEE, Feral | BARBARA LEIGH, Elemental | LIZ LEYENDECKER, Human | SGT. LASHANDA LOVELL, Feral | CHARLES MARLOWE, Molecular | SETH MATTHYS, Psionic | LT. JOHN NELSON, Feral | SAMANTHA O’NEIL, Elemental | CPL. DENISE OLIVER, Feral | DENNIS PATTERSON, Feral | STEVEN PAULSON, Molecular | CPL. JAMES PETERSEN, Feral | ROBERT PROVOST, Human | CPL. CLARK RANDALL, Feral | ALICE ROBINS, Elemental | PETER ROONEY, Feral | DR. MARK SAMUELS, Human | DR. RICHARD SAUNDERS, Feral | RANDALL SPEARS, Molecular | CELIA STORREY, Elemental | DONNA VILLARD, Feral | ANDREW WARNER, Feral | LT. JOHN WHITMORE, Feral | ROBERT WILLIAMS, Psionic
Beth's Diary
...Entry #1 - Thursday, Nov 02
It’s my birthday in a week. I’ll be fourteen-or four”tween”- like my brother says. Jerk. I was just looking through pictures of last year’s party. We did it all like a 50’s sock hop. Like in “Grease”. Mom was there. Shelly, Meredith, Taylor and Julie. My four best friends. How can anyone have four? Only Meredith speaks to me now. It was the first time I ever had boys over. And the last. Shelby Bjornson asked me to dance with him. He ignores me now too. Daddy took all the shots so they aren’t framed very well, but you can see what a good time we’re having. Why does it seem like somebody else’s life?
We got a darker pair of sunglasses today, but they still don’t hide the glow from my eyes. I’m a freak. The eye doctor says there’s nothing we can do to block the shine. Not even tinted contacts. It’s so unfair. And kind of funny. All my life I wanted pretty blue eyes. Now I got them. They sparkle like crystals and can see for miles. Like a telescope. They’re beautiful, but they make me feel so ugly.
The Jerk’s ticked at me again. He’s been benched off the basketball team because his high jumps make the coach think he’s a mutant like me. It runs in the family, I guess. And he really can jump freakishly high. He went off at me at dinner. How I ruined his life and made Mom go away…God, I hate him. Daddy told him to lay off, but I think he feels the same. He doesn’t hug me anymore. He said he’s going to look into home schooling for me. That this will all blow over and our lives will get back to normal. How can it? The whole school saw me when my eyes switched on. It was at morning assembly! Suddenly I could see out the window, down the street and into the park and I hadn’t moved from the gym bleachers. Every detail was so clear, so wonderful… It still is, when I can control it. But it’s destroyed everything I once took for granted.
Daddy told Sean and me not to answer the phone and to let him know if anyone tries to talk to us. If we even see someone looking at us differently, we’re suppose to call him at work. He said this man came to the office and offered help for me but that he didn’t trust him. And I’ve been shut up in the house ever since. I can’t even talk to Meredith. Happy Birthday. Why was I even born? And who’s after me?
...Entry #2 - Wednesday, Nov. 16
My dad is dead.
The men in black shot him in the back as he kept them from finding Sean and me. When we drove off he was just lying in the front yard and they stood around him on every side. They shot again and again. Their faces looked calm, like they were pitching stones in a creek. It was dark and we were a mile down the street but I could see it all clear as day with my freak eyes. I didn’t tell Sean…but I think he knows.
I must be in shock. I can’t cry. I want to but I can’t. It’s all so blurry, like it happened under water. One second we’re eating dinner, the next our doors are being kicked in. Daddy hit the lights and told us to do “the plan”. We’d been waiting for it for over a week. I almost felt relief when it actually happened.
Sean yanked me out of the kitchen just as the goons stormed in. Daddy charged them and yelled, “Not my kids! Not my kids!” I can still hear his voice.
No one knew the back pantry had a door to the garage, not even the neighbors. Family secret. Our bags were there. They’d been packed for days. Part of “the plan”. Sean and I got to the car and just pealed out of there. Right through the garage door, like a Bruce Willis movie or something! Guess the jerk’s not such a bad driver after all.
Speeding out of the neighborhood I felt like I was seeing ghosts. Sean and me riding trikes as kids. Mom. Meredith. Our old dog, Sasha. Trick or treating. Shoveling snow. Waiting for Daddy to come home from work. All things I was saying “good-bye” to because life is never going to be that way again. I’ve known it since that Ms. Rose called and asked me to meet her in secret. The bitch. Daddy said she was part of a group out to snatch me because I’m a mutant. He never left me alone from that second on. And now, we’ve left him.
We’re out of the city. No one’s followed us but Sean’s taken the back roads any way. Aunt Sheryl’s lake cabin is still a long way off. At first I thought Sean hated me because it was all my fault. He is crying about Daddy and for once, isn’t putting on a macho act to cover it up. I didn’t know what to say to him. Turns out he had something to say to me. “Beth. I’m one too.”
He’s a mutant. His high jumps aren’t just ‘cause he’s such a jock. It’s our genetics. I wonder if our parents knew before my eyes kicked in. I wonder where Mom is period. Should we tell her about Daddy? Would she care?
Sean hasn’t said a word since he told me (and that was hours ago!) but I know we’re in this mess together. For the rest of our lives. However long that is. I can’t see anyone for miles, but somehow I know we’re still being chased. All for now.
...Entry #4 - Monday, Jan 21
We had to steal today. I’ve never felt so low. The money we got selling Aunt Sheryl’s truck wasn’t much to begin with and now is almost gone. This city’s big, but Sean and I can’t stay in one place long enough to get jobs. The goons are always on our tails. So we stole.
I used my vision as lookout while Sean cleared the shelves in the grocery store. It was easy. We pulled it off without a hitch. So, now we aren’t starving and can pay for another week at some dive hotel. But the food’s hard going down.
Last year I was stressing about not being asked to the Valentine’s Day dance. This year I wake up every day and wonder if I’m going to get nabbed or killed for being a mutant.
Sean’s staying solid. I think he’s been stealing things for weeks and just hasn’t been telling me. We go our separate ways during the day but always meet at the big clock by the train station at 5PM. He jokes and brings me dinner. I take care of whatever money we’ve made doing day jobs (I’m better at math) but lately, both of us have had hard luck. So now we use our powers to rip off convenient stores. Sean swears we’ll pay it all back some day. He’s so determined, I almost believe him. Whatever, I know I love my brother now more than any one else on Earth. I couldn’t have said that with a straight face a year ago.
Had a close call today. Went into a McDonald’s to get warm and one of the trench coat creeps almost got me. I was so out-of-it, I didn’t see him coming. Fortunately there was a big crowd and I’ve learned to move fast. I cut out through the “Employees Only” door.
That guy on the French fryer is still probably wondering who I was running past him! I don’t think I’ll tell Sean. He won’t let me go off by myself again, if I do. Just gotta remember: I’ve got these amazing mutated eyes. I better keep them open!
We may be struggling and always on the run, but I look at the others in the streets and feel lucky. The very powers that destroyed our lives have also kept us strong and ahead of the game. There are so many homeless folks. Little kids, teen hookers my age (!!!), old people with shopping carts. They’re everywhere. They always have been. I just haven’t noticed them until now. It makes me ashamed and angry. Sean and I have been thrown aside because we’re freaks. These people were just thrown away…period.
Sean said tonight that there might be help for us. A long shot he heard about. Some sort of mutant underground. It may be a set up, but we should check it out. If there are others like us, it would be so awesome! Bogus or not, we’ll look into it tomorrow. Together. There’s a bookstore on the west side and I guess the owner can give us the contact. Please God, let it be true.
And God, if we get out of this mess, please don’t ever let me forget about all these forgotten faces I see every day on the cold streets.
...Entry #5 - Wednesday, Jan 23
There are New Mutants everywhere! Sean and I aren’t alone! The Underground is real and it’s going to help us.
I think yesterday was a turning point for my whole life. And almost the last one. We were on our way to the bookstore, which is in a part of town even seedier than where we were staying in (if that’s possible), when the goons caught up to us. We heard the screech of brakes behind us and whipped around to see this black van turning the corner. I focused in on it with my “bright eyes” and saw, clear as day, that the tall guys in the dark suits were behind the wheel. Thought my heart would pop out!
I screamed to Sean. He grabbed my hand and started to run. I swear the van drove right up on to the sidewalk. In the middle of the day and all with crowds of people! These guys don’t care who they hurt. It’s like their deer hunting.
The door slid open and six of them jumped out. It reminded me of bats in Aunt Sheryl’s attic. I think there were firing guns at us, although they gave off more of sharp “buzz” than a “bang”. Sean never looked back. He just moved faster, dragging me behind him. I thought my lungs would cave for sure! A car backed out of a lot in front of us, blocking the way. I thought that was it but Sean didn’t miss a beat. He grabbed me around the waist and jumped into air. At least 15 feet up! We just cleared the car. I never realized how powerful he was until then. Not that I could tell him. We had to keep running.
We ducked into an alley. Bad move. It didn’t go through. The goons had us cornered. Sean was about to try and leap us up to a fire escape (believe me, it did not look sturdy. 8th grade metal shop could have built a better one!). The goons were closing in when, all of a sudden LIGHTNING STRUCK.
I mean it! Real lightning! There was this awesome-looking guy in a long black leather coat standing in a doorway. At first I thought he was one of the bad guys but it turns out he was protecting us from them. He does this kind of thing with his hands that looks like karate but sends electric bolts from the fingers. Honest. He’s a New Mutant too, like Sean and me. His name’s Brennan (tall, dark and you know…) And he wasn’t all. There was a girl too. Blonde, in her twenties. She looked like a Barbie but moved like a panther. She could leap higher than Sean and was near fearless.
They attacked the goons. “Fryin’ and filletin’ ‘em”, Sean said. I’ve never seen people move like they did. It was like a video game or a Japanese cartoon. We just tried to stay out of the line of fire.
Not that the goons didn’t put up a fight. It was up in the air (for real!) who’d win for a few minutes. The last creep fell and the two Mutants came running up to us. The girl’s name was Shalimar (Sean asked right away you can bet. If I’d been a boy, I would of too).
“Sean! Beth! We can’t stay here!” she said. (They knew our names!) “They’ll be more GSAgents in a minute!”
Brennan winked at me and put his arm around my shoulder (yes, I melted). “You’re safe now, kids!” he said in the sexiest voice you can imagine, “We’re Mutant X and we’re here to help you.”
...Entry #6 - Wednesday, Jan 23 (Nighttime)
Brennan and Shalimar took us to what they called a safehouse. It looked like an abandoned store on the wrong side of town, but inside it was clean and stocked with food and hi-tech gizmos. Shalimar said the folks at the bookstore had tipped them off that we might be in trouble, which is why they showed up when they did. “Saved our butts,” Sean said later, although he was pretty quiet now.
A lot of holes were filled in for us. It seems the black tsuit creeps who’ve been chasing us and killed Dad are the GSA (Genetics Security Agency). They say they work for the government but really serve a bunch of evil scientists who want to cut up mutants like frogs or brainwash us into doing their dirty work. Shalimar and Brennan are a part of team called Mutant X. They use their powers to fight the GSA and help us live useful lives. “Otherwise we’d all be circus freaks,” Brennan told me with a wink (I thought I’d pass out!).
A beautiful black woman was waiting for us at the safehouse. Her name was Allison and she was with the Mutant Underground (I guess they work together with Mutant X). She told Sean and me we were going to placed with a family out East, if that’s what we wanted. “Your lives will be as normal as possible,” she said, “Except you’ll have lessons on how to manage your powers and grow up with them.” It sounded good to me. I looked at Sean. He wanted it too. We are both so tired of running.
Allison asked us for our fingerprints so Mutant X could identify us if we needed their help (or them ours) in the future. At first I didn’t want to. After all that’s happened in the last few months, it’s really hard to know who to trust. Then two cans of cola floated across the room from the refrigerator, landed “plunk” in front of us and popped open with a fizz! Turns out Allison is a mutant too. She can move things with her mind! “We’re one family here. All in the same boat.” Her smile told me it was okay.
I found out that I’m a Molecular! That’s a type of New Mutant. Allison told me that since my vision powers go against the laws of nature, they begin at a molecular level. That’s where the name comes from. Wish I’d paid more attention in Biology.
Sean is a Feral, same as Shalimar. His DNA is part animal (I could have told them that years ago. They should of seen his bedroom!) They thought he might be a cat breed, but could also be deer. That means he might sprout ANTLERS some day! I looked over at Sean while we were eating dinner. He didn’t seem to mind. He really likes being a New Mutant. So do I. It’s like there was a part of us that always existed and couldn’t show itself until now.
Everything was chilled when Brennan and Shalimar’s teammate, Jesse, suddenly ran in. He ran in THROUGH THE WALL to be exact! Like a ghost! He’s cute too (but not as cool as Brennan). Blonde, closer to our age. Kind of intense. He said the GSA were in the neighborhood and we might not be safe, after all. He, Brennan and Shalimar decided to go out and “take care” of them. Sean and I were to stay with Allison until they told us different.
It was really nerve-racking for about a half hour. We thought we heard explosions outside a few times. Allison was calm but Sean paced around like a tiger in the zoo. I used my bright eyes to try and find out what was going on. I focused straight through the safehouse walls, like an X-ray machine (I’ve been working on it for a while). It was nighttime now. I saw Shalimar leap high in the air once from a few miles away and then some lightning (Brennan).
Then Allison got a buzz on the ring she was wearing (it works like a cell phone or pager). She told us we could “breathe easy”. Mutant X was fine but wouldn’t be coming back. The GSA had been beaten, but they weren’t taking any chances of being followed.
I was bummed that I wouldn’t be seeing Brennan again before we left. Allison said we’d be leaving before sun up and should get some sleep. Like I could. I’m a teenage Molecular starting a new life tomorrow.
...Entry #7 - Tuesday, Feb 19
Three and a half weeks. That’s the time “normal” life lasted for us in Maine. Our foster family, the Kellys, were great. Mike and Anne treated us like their own kids. Sean just bunked in with their son, Dylan, as if they were real brothers and I shared a room with another “underground sister”, Jenna, a 16-year-old ice Elemental from Georgia. Aside from being a bit chilly, it was good time. I was back in a regular school, eating hot meals three times a day and sleeping through the nights. We used different names in public. Sean was “Jim”. I was “Jill”. Like superheroes without the fake glasses.
Two or three times a week, Sean, Jenna and I would go hiking in the woods behind the junior high. Sometimes Dylan came too. When we were far enough off the main trail, we’d shuttle over to a clearing no one knows about and practice using our powers. It was part exercise/part to keep us sane. Sean would leap and glide farther and faster than ever before (he’s definitely is a deer feral). Jenna would freeze the air around her and form these massive ice sculptures that would glisten in the sun like diamonds.
I’d spend half the time focusing my eyes through the trees back at the schoolyard to see if we’d been followed. Then I’d intensify on a leaf or a bug until I could see it broken down into microbes. It’s so awesome, like shrinking down to Wonderland! I think I’ll make a perfect lab researcher some day. Maybe catch sight of a small, missed quirk that makes a deadly disease and put an end to it. Dylan thinks it’d be good a good career for me. He’s my age. Red hair and kinda skinny, but…I don’t know. I like him. He and his folks are the most excepting people I’ve ever known. They’ve put their lives on the line for us. And now…when I think of what’s happened, I want to curl up and die.
Last night I was having the best dream. Dad was alive and we were sailing on a pontoon boat on Aunt Sheryl’s lake. The Kellys were there and Brennan from Mutant X. Even Mom. Everything was warm and golden. I looked over at Sean. He had antlers, but seemed so happy. I knew he thought I was too.
Then Mike shook me awake. “C’mon, Beth! Genomex is here.” Jenna and I grabbed overnight bags we’d packed just in case this happened (part of the plan). The house was pitch dark. We met Sean and Dylan in the hallway. There was a loud knocking on the door. Anne had run downstairs to answer it. Mike thrust a flashlight into Sean’s hand and pushed open the door to the linen closet. Behind the shelves was a false back. It led to a secret room that couldn’t be seen from the outside of the house. We all knew about it. I just thought we’d never use it.
Sean, Jenna and I squeezed inside as Mike and Dylan sealed the opening off behind us. The three of us stood perfectly still. I could feel Sean’s heart pumping beneath his t-shirt. We were that tight.
I focused and used my vision to see what was happening to the Kellys. Past the walls, frames and stairway, down to the living room. Only one lamp had been turned on. The three of them stood together. Four GSAgents were questioning them. Same black suits and stony attitude. The lead was a woman. She had yellow, lizard eyes. A mutant, like us, and she was working for them! It still makes me sick.
Mike was doing most of the talking. I couldn’t hear what they said, of course, but knew the rehearsed alibi. He was telling the GSAgents that we’d run away. Typical foster home situation, right? Only, it didn’t look like they were buying it.
The three male agents almost tore the house up looking for us. But the Kellys had thought of everything and made sure no trace would be found. It had all been planned out. We had drills. They were fun. This wasn’t.
Jenna gasped. It probably wasn’t loud, but it felt like someone had blown a trumpet. I thought that we were sunk. The goons were stomping up the hallway by the closet door…but they didn’t find us.
Sean grabbed my hand. I kept watching the Kellys downstairs. They weren’t going to give us up. Not even as the GSA hauled them out of their own house and rode off with them in a van.
The three of us stayed frozen after they all left. It seemed like hours, cramped and sweating in that dark, hidden corner behind the closet. It was what we were told to do. So we did. No one came back to the house. I knew we’d never see Dylan or his parents again. By morning, sunlight was seeping in through seams in the wall. Sean, Jenna and I all were crying.
...Entry #8 - Friday, March 8
I’m not sure which is more dangerous: hatred or fear. People who hate you never give you a chance. But people who fear you strike out violently as if their lives depend on it. My brother and I are New Mutants. We’re hated and feared. Yet, I can’t give up hope that somewhere, somehow we’ll be recognized for the honest souls we are. It’s what ordinary folks don’t understand that set us apart. The unknown. For the rest of my life I’ll try to teach them who we really are and what we have in common. I promise to do it ‘til the day I die. Of course lately, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be far off.
Jenna’s gone. The GSA got her or maybe she just surrendered and went over to their side. She said she wouldn’t, but her attitude the last couple of weeks was real flaky (lots of Elementals I’ve met seem that way…except Brennan). Her leaving’s been worse for Sean than me. He had a major thing for her. I think it was the pressure of constantly being chased that got to Jen. She couldn’t take it. I’m not sure how I do.
After the Kellys got raided, we were able to steal away from the house and phone the Underground for help. They picked us up and we’ve been moving from safehouse to safehouse ever since. It’s hard to place Sean and me with another foster family because Genomex is hot on our trail and Mutant X doesn’t want to jeopardize anyone else’s safety. I know they’re on our side, but it almost feels that we’re on our own again. No. I can’t think that way!
Sean’s getting restless. He keeps hinting we’d be better off if we just ran away and disappeared into the crowd. I don’t want to do that. We’d never be able to breathe easy for the rest of our lives. We’d never know who to trust. With Mutant X, everyone is in the same boat. We’re all New Mutants. There’s a sense of strength we get by staying in touch with others like us. Like I said before: HOPE. Seems weird being the “big sister” for a change. Sean’s listening to me though. For now.
Meanwhile, my powers are growing just like the rest of me. I can pinpoint and focus my eyes just like a laser beam. One other neat thing: I guess when I use my vision, my eyes turn different colors. Not just ordinary green or blue, but purple and silver! I look in the mirror and can’t see it, but others do. They always fade back to normal but for a while, they sparkle and make me feel special. Even beautiful. I need that now.
...Entry #10 - Monday, April 1
It’s April Fools Day. At least I think it is. I always forget if March has 30 days or 31 and it’s not like these creeps are keen on showing me a calendar. Any way, it’s the right “holiday” to sum up my life.
I know my days are numbered now. The black suit goons dragged me up to meet the head guy at Genomex. At first I thought they were just taking me out for exercise again. It’s a real treat. There’s this chrome torture chamber and they make you run around it for an hour a day hooked up to a bunch of beeping machines. Then they feed you with a tasty needle in the arm and toss you back in your cell. Just like camp. Prison camp.
Today, we marched right past the gym and took an elevator up for what seemed like fifty floors to the office of MR. ECKHART. I’d heard his name before in safehouse gossip but the man in person is a whole ‘nother monster. He’s real thin with this rubbery skin that doesn’t sweat and all this dead white hair that looks like someone put a bowl on his head to cut it. He wears these thick glasses and suits that look expensive but don’t quite fit. And people call me a freak.
There was someone else in the office: Jenna. You know, the ice Elemental from the Kelly’s. Turns out she was a rat all the time and the reason we got caught. I should have wanted to break her nose, all airs in her stuffy business suit, but instead I just said “hi”. I swear she winced as if I’d slapped her.
Mr. Eckhart spoke in a low, soft voice. He wasn’t mean or rude. He almost sounded like a computer. He told me I was a “very talented young lady” and the only Molecular he ever knew of to have such “impressive” vision powers.
“Genomex could elevate you above all others in the New Mutant zoo,” he said (I felt my stomach churn). “We will make you a hero.”
He nodded to Jenna, who pressed a remote and BING! My powers were back. Quickly I scanned every corner, looking through walls and barriers, up and down corridors, over to stairwells. I hoping to spot Sean somewhere. There were plenty of New Mutants in cells like mine. Sean wasn’t one of them.
“You won’t find your brother,” Mr. Eckhart told me. I think he was trying to smile. “But I promise you will see him when you’ve committed yourself to Genomex.”
There was something about how he put that. He never said I would see Sean alive and well. Just that I would see him.
I thought for a minute about all that had happened. About my powers suddenly appearing and changing me from a normal girl into a thing with sparking eyes. About Daddy lying on the lawn as we drove off. About Brennan, Shalimar and Jesse at Mutant X. About the safehouses and New Mutants like Allison and Donnie who ran the Underground so we could all live normal lives. About normal human families like the Kellys who found it in their hearts to accept and help us.
Then I thought about Mom who ran away. And Jenna, so scared she used her powers to save her own skin. And all the dirty looks the world gave me because I was different. It would be so easy just to say “I’ll be as cruel as they are” and sign up as a special GSAgent.
Last of all, I thought of Sean. My jerky older brother. My friend. My hero.
Then there was no question. I looked into Mr. Eckhart’s eyes. Right through them into his skull, actually. He was so frail inside he must have been held together by sheer hatred. I pierced him with my vision powers until he shuddered. Then I said, “No.”
He sighed and signaled Jenna to “switch me off”. My powers vanished with a sharp jolt in the neck. Mr. Eckhart sat down at his desk and did not look up again. I was taken out of his office and brought back to my cell.
Jenna didn’t say a word, but she looked frightened like she had failed a test, something I guess you just don’t do at Genomex. I should hate her…but I don’t. I realize now I don’t hate anybody. If I did then my life would have been for nothing.
No matter what God or DNA or your folks deal out, you always have to find the room to love and forgive. Then you trust things will change things. If not in our lives, someone else’s. Another girl, a New Mutant of tomorrow. Now she’ll have a choice: To be like Jenna. Or like me.
The glass wall has been tagged with some kind of ticket. Probably instructions about how to get rid of me. Time’s running out.
I think Genomex let me keep my diary hoping I’d write something in it that would lead them to capture others. Well, that’s not going to happen. I’m going to hide it and hope it gets found like a message in a bottle at sea.
Please. Whoever you are that reads this, pass it on. Let people know my story and learn from it. I won’t lie, I’m very afraid. Not so much for myself anymore, but for all of you.
Beth
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Elemental Brennan Mulwray discovered Beth’s diary during a recent Mutant X infiltration of the Genomex compound. His teammate, Emma DeLauro (a Psionic Empath) confirmed the book belonged to the girl he had once rescued. Mulwray then turned it over to Mutant X Lives in respect to the young heroine’s wishes.
Return to The Mutant X Warehouse