Young Mutants in Love

by William D. Dickerson

  "I might be able to get you in touch with a couple of people that could help," Karl responded thoughtfully.

  "That would be great," Diz returned. "When would you know?"

  "First I have something I have to ask," Karl insisted. "I need proof that you are who you say that you are. Anyone could dress in black and put on a bike helmet."

  "So what do you want?" Diz wondered. "I can run circles around you, but I feel like there's something else on your mind."

  "It’s not about that,” Karl insisted as he stood up from the table. “I need two things. I need to see you with your partner."

  "No problem," Diz shrugged. "She'll be here in a minute or two anyway."

  "Next I need to see you without the helmet so I know who you are in any situation we might face in the future."

  "Why do you need to see his face?" Karis asked Officer Jones as she landed beside him.

  "I know who you are by looking at you," Karl explained pointing at Karis, "but if the need ever arises, I need to actually know who I'm working with."

  "Does it matter?" Diz asked.

  "I don't think I could ever truly trust a man that won't look me in the eyes at least once," Karl insisted as he tapped Diz’ helmet with his index finger.

  "I can understand that," Diz agreed before he ran off, "but we can't do that here. Karis will take you someplace where we can have a little privacy."

  "Is he always like this?" Karl asked Karis while shaking his head at the departing speedster.

  "Not always," Karis replied. "Sometimes it's impossible to get him to sit still at all."

  "So where are we going?" Karl inquired. "I can give you a lift."

  "I appreciate it, Officer," Karis giggled, "but I was thinking we'd do this the other way around."

  She didn't give Karl a chance to comment before she grabbed his hands and took off into the sky. Karl struggled at first, but then he realized just how high in the air they had travelled. At a certain point, the fear of the height faded into the wonder of the view of the world below him. He'd looked out of the window of a plane as it flew across the country, but it didn't compare to this moment. There was no window or a wing in the way of the view.

  He wondered how Karis could be bothered to touch the ground when she could be here, experiencing flight. It must have been a terrible sacrifice for her to even talk with him.

  They travelled in the sky for a couple of hours before they started to move closer to the ground again. Karl saw an old tree in a barren field. This must have been the meeting place because he saw a blur running around the tree that must have been the Diz.

  "It took you long enough to get here," Diz taunted as he came to a stop.

  "I couldn't carry your buddy at full speed," Karis retorted. "Some of us weren't designed for your speeds."

  "I appreciate the ride," Karl said. "I've never experienced anything like that in my life."

  "It was a pleasure, Officer," Karis grinned.

  "Please call me Karl."

  "I can do that, Karl," Karis agreed. "So are you ready to get what you wanted?"

  "I hope it isn't too much," Karl remarked, "I just feel someone should know. What happens if we find a body in that costume? Who will be able to identify it?"

  "That is a valid point," Karis conceded.

  "I don't plan on letting anything happen to either of us," Diz reprimanded, "but I do think someone needs to know the truth."

  "The whole truth?" Karis quizzed.

  "The whole truth." Diz insisted.

  "What do you mean?" Karl asked. "What more is there to know?"

  "You would be surprised," Diz answered as he took off his helmet and reached out to take Karis' hand.

  "What just happened?" Karl shouted as Karis and Diz became Cacy and Gavin. "What is up with your hair?"

  "That's all a part of our explanation," Cacy assured. "There's more to us than speed and flight."

  "You've got red hair," Karl said, pointing at Gavin.

  "I've always had red hair," Gavin insisted. "She's the one with the blond hair."

  "This is going to be confusing, isn't it?" Gavin muttered and sat down against the tree.

  "You have no idea," Cacy laughed. "When you talk about Karis and the Diz, you're almost talking about four people. Right now, you can call me Cacy, and that is Gavin."

  "It's nice to meet you," Karl stammered.

  "What you saw just now is a part of our powers," Cacy continued. "When we hold hands, we can switch bodies. I enter Gavin's body, and he enters mine. One of the side effects is that our hair and eyes change color."

  "I noticed that," Karl nodded. "Then you also get the powers."

  "That's right," Gavin confirmed. "The part that will be confusing is that while you are used to talking to this body, it's actually Cacy that you've been dealing with all this time."

  "So can you do anything in your own bodies?" Karl inquired.

  "Not really," Cacy confessed as she pretended to fly. "We can sense what the other person is thinking from time to time, but that's about it."

  "So where did you get your powers?" Karl asked. "When did you discover them? Where do you come from?"

  "We don't know where the powers originated," Gavin informed as he sat down, "it just happened one night in this very field."

  "I think that Mornigan knows something about it," Cacy added as she also took a sear on the ground. "That's why he thought he could control us."

  "That makes sense," Karl agreed. "So you think this Hypnose guy can help?"

  "It's our only lead," Cacy confirmed. "You said that you trusted me, and you would help me with anything that I needed."

  "I did?" Karl wondered scratching his head.

  "Well," Cacy amended, "I was Diz at the time."

  "Keeping everyone straight is going to take some time," Karl muttered.

  "Time that none of us really has," Gavin reminded the officer. "Mornigan could start more trouble at any moment."

  "Switch back so I know who I'm talking to," Karl suggested.

  Gavin and Cacy held hands and Karl watched the transformation again. It left him speechless for a moment. The only noticeable variation was the hair color, but it made a world of difference in his perspective on the people in front of him.

  "Are you alright, Karl?" Diz asked.

  "Yeah, I'm OK," Karl acknowledged. "Give me a day or two to see what I can put together. I'll get you a chance to see Hypnose one way or another."

  Chapter 19

  Maybe it was the July heat causing everyone to lose control, but the criminal element in the city had certainly stepped up their game. Most of the activity was still pretty simple to handle, but then there were instances like today.

  Diz didn't have much trouble with the regular thugs with pistols, but a dozen hooligans with machine guns made life a little more complicated. He was still able to collect the fire arms and save all of the bystanders from harm. Karis had bigger problems since there was another group of criminals that had managed to obtain some surface to air missiles. It wasn’t easy for her to keep ahead of those projectiles. Fortunately Diz was able to clean up that particular problem after he had dealt with the machine guns. There wasn't time to do anything but make sure that the police had rounded up the twenty five men involved with this attempted robbery before they were off to deal with another situation.

  They travelled to Brooklyn and found that several cars were in a pile up and while no one was severely hurt, there were people trapped in cars and there was a fire that made the situation unsafe. Since neither of them had the strength to rip open a car, Cacy flew to the nearest fire station and borrowed a hose and wrench. Flying she was able to carry the weight as if it were nothing. Once she was back on the scene, they hooked up the hose and put out the fire before the emergency crews could arrive.

  They were about to go to a third emergency when they heard a voice.

  "Don't go yet!" the voice shouted from a crowd of onlookers. "I've got some news for you."

>   They turned and saw that it was Karl calling them. He was in uniform and looked ready for action.

  "Officer Jones," Diz called back, "what's on your mind?"

  "I've been in touch with some of the people who have been responsible for detaining and interrogating Hypnose." Officer Jones replied as he stepped through the crowd. "They want to talk with you."

  "More red tape?" Diz muttered.

  "I don't think so," Officer Jones responded as he took off his hat and wiped his forehead with the back of his sleeve. "I think they are hoping for some help in discovering anything useful from him."

  "I will get something from him," Karis hissed through her teeth.

  "Let's not do anything too rash," Diz advised, "at least not until we find out what we want to know."

  "Then I can slug him again, right?" Karis begged throwing an imaginary punch.

  "We'll see," Officer Jones answered holding his hands in the air. "Can you two come with me now?"

  "There are a few other problems still lingering," Diz replied.

  "I figured as much," Officer Jones acknowledged. "Can we meet up tonight? Maybe down at Central Park."

  "Six forty-five at the North entrance," Karis decided. "Keep your ears on the radio in case something else comes up before then."

  Karl jotted down the information and left. Diz and Karis waited a moment before they started towards the next emergency. The rest of the day was as uneventful as any other day off had been for the duo-two robberies, three accidents, and one fire. They made their way to the rendezvous uncertain of what they might find.

  * * *

  Karl Jones stood outside of his car at the North entrance to Central Park as he waited for Karis and Diz to make an appearance. Most likely, it would be something that would catch him off his guard, but considering the powers that they had, he was willing to forgive himself for not having that level of alertness.

  He looked at the woman dressed in black standing beside him and wondered why she had asked for this encounter. Karl understood why Karis and Diz would want to make this connection, but what was in it for her?

  Karl had thought about starting a conversation, but her attitude convinced him that she was not interested in a conversation. Karl tuned into the channels on his radio to see if they had been delayed by another incident. They had been busy today, and Karl wasn't sure how much longer they could keep up this pace.

  "Hope we didn't keep you waiting," Diz said from directly behind Karl.

  "Don't do that," Karl demanded as he turned to face the speedster.

  "Sorry," Diz replied, "I forget that people can't really see me. Besides, it's fun to see you jump when I scare you."

  "That means that he won't stop," Karis clarified as she dropped from the sky.

  "I didn't really expect that he would," Karl admitted. "What took you so long?"

  "A boating accident," Diz responded, "I had to run about a mile out to sea. My feet are still damp."

  "Poor baby," Karis mocked.

  "I have someone you'll want to meet," Karl interrupted before they could get distracted.

  "Does this someone have a name?" Diz asked.

  "Maybe I should let her handle the introductions," Karl suggested as he turned toward they mysterious woman.

  "So who are you?" Diz demanded.

  The figure turned to face them. She was taller than Diz, and had long black hair to match her outfit. Her face was hard to distinguish by the street lights since her hair was in the way, but they could see she had brown eyes that were dark, almost to the point of being black. Karis floated an inch above the ground just in case this person had something planned besides conversation.

  "For now you may call me Xenia," the woman intoned. “I have heard from my sources that you wish to have conversation with a man known as Hypnose. Why do you wish to have this conversation?"

  "We believe he can help us in our quest to find the man known as Mornigan," Karis explained.

  "Why do you seek this Mornigan?" Xenia queried.

  "We want to stop whatever he has planned," Diz sneered. "Why else would we want to get to him?"

  "There could be many reasons," Xenia replied. "I'm still not sure about your motivations."

  "What is that supposed to mean?" Diz demanded.

  "It means that words often have less meaning than actions," Xenia responded.

  "You have seen our actions," Diz growled, "unless you haven't been paying attention to the news."

  "The news is also without meaning," Xenia informed him. "There is truly only one way to test your motivations."

  "What is that?" Karis asked before Diz could answer.

  "I will take you to this Hypnose and see what happens," Xenia declared. "It may not be the safest decision, but it will remove all doubt. I would recommend that you refrain from hitting him again. He's still recovering from the last time you two met."

  Chapter 20

  Karis and Diz had to agree to be blindfolded and restrained before they could be taken to the location where Hypnose was being held. Karis had her hands bound and something around her ankle that she couldn't identify. Diz had his arms and legs locked in handcuffs and had to use tiny steps to reach his goal if he didn't want to fall. The trip took a couple of hours and finally they were released in a small off-white room with no windows and only the door they had used to enter. The only furniture was a card table with a chair on each of the four sides.

  "I love what you've done with the place," Diz laughed. "I wouldn't change it at all."

  "This is a safe room," Xenia explained as she directed them to take a seat on opposite sides of the table. "Aside from these simple pieces of furniture, there are no weapons in this space. You and Hypnose should feel secure while you are here."

  "I won't feel threatened by that guy," Diz crowed. "What has he got without that helmet?"

  "Are you sure I can't hit him?" Karis begged as she took her seat. "It will only happen once."

  "I understand that he has violated you," Xenia replied as she placed a hand on Karis’ shoulder, "but we need him to be in one piece."

  "We don't even know who you are," Karis mentioned as she turned to look at Xenia.

  "That is a matter for another time," Xenia insisted as she moved to one of the empty seats. "For now you will just need to trust me."

  "That's the kind of line that started our last fight," Diz complained.

  "I'm not interested in playing those kinds of mind games again," Karis explained.

  "There are no mind games," Xenia assured, "we just want Hypnose to feel safe enough to tell us everything that he knows."

  "What makes you think he's going to talk?" Karis wondered. "He had that helmet, and I think it inflated his ego."

  "That is certainly true," Xenia confirmed with a wave of her hand, "but he also seems to have an abnormal connection to you."

  "So what am I supposed to do?" Karis inquired.

  "You and Diz will figure it out as you go," Xenia advised. "I don't want to get in the way on this."

  "Thanks for being so helpful," Diz commented not bothering to hide his sarcasm.

  "Hypnose will be coming into the room soon," Xenia informed ignoring Diz's comments.

  * * *

  Karis and Diz had been waiting for close to half an hour with nothing to do but wait when the door opened again. Hypnose walked through the door. He stood tall and looked confident.

  "I see you have finally arrived," Hypnose announced as he strutted to the the table and sat down in the closest empty seat. "It isn't nice to keep me waiting."

  "You are missing a few eggs in your basket, aren't you?" Diz snorted and tapped Hypnose in the head.

  "I don't understand what eggs or baskets have to do with our conversation," Hypnose dismissed Diz with a wave of his hand.

  "You're crazier than that night at the restaurant," Karis insisted.

  "A foolish infatuation, and nothing more," Hypnose declared as he stroked her hair. "I was young and felt insignificant befo
re you two, and now I have grown beyond you."

  "You think so?" Diz chuckled. "What do you have without that helmet?"

  "I have been elevated beyond your lot," Hypnose declared as he stood.

  "How were you elevated?" Karis asked.

  "I met a man one day," Hypnose began as he sat back in his seat and leaned forward. "He came to the restaurant looking for me. He said he had seen me on the television and knew that I was destined for greatness."

  "Greatness or a goofy hat," Diz mocked.

  "You do not understand," Hypnose continued pantomiming that he was putting the helmet on his head. "The helmet and the greatness are one. You cannot have one without the other."

  "And you don't have either," Diz pointed out as he pretended to take off his own helmet.

  "How narrow your world must be," Hypnose muttered.

  "Will you tell us more about the man?" Karis inquired as she signaled for Diz to keep quiet.

  "He entered the restaurant dressed in black. He had on a strange metal hat, but I didn't worry too much about that. He didn't wait to be seated, but he walked straight towards me as if he had something to tell me."

  "Did he give you his name?" Karis pressed.

  "No," Hypnose responded mechanically. "He simply told me to follow him, so I did."

  "Wait," Diz interrupted, "Why are you telling us all of this?"

  "I don't want there to be any secrets between myself and my bride," Hypnose revealed.

  "Your what?" Karis shouted.

  "The man promised me he would give me the power to have anything I wanted." Hypnose answered as he moved closer to Karis. "When I asked him if I could have you, he said that it was a simple matter."

  "Why do you want me?" Karis asked as she pushed him away.

  "You are my angel. You saved me when my world was collapsing. I would do anything for you."

  "Like force you to try and kill your partner," Diz growled.

  "What if I'm not interested?" Karis asked waving off Diz.

  "That doesn't matter where love is concerned," Hypnose replied staring at Karis.

  "What if I'm already in love?" Karis countered.