Mutation

disclaimer

I do not own the rights to any of the characters in this story, and make no claims to the artistic visions of the marvel universe. I know nothing of the sexuality of any of the creators, actors, or characters involved in the Marvel universe. Similarly, this story contains graphic descriptions of gay male sex. If you don't like that, they you should probably avert your eyes.

This story takes place in an alternate X-Men universe from the one in which the 3rd movie took place. Certain events occurred after X2 which changed the timeline. Jean, Scott and Professor X are all still alive. The specifics of the timeline changes may be made apparent as the story progresses.

Chapter 14 -- "Demon"

"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions." -- Dr. Samuel Johnson

Doppelganger could not have been more thrilled with his newest body. It was strong, smooth, young (though no younger than his natural form) and beautiful. The instincts that came with it were fantastic; a strong desire to trust people, an outlook that the world WASN'T a dark place full of selfish people, and the constant desire to have fun. Of course, the best part was the POWER. He could sense everything in ways he never could before, not just his surroundings, but people, plants, the very air. He looked into the mirror of the New York City hotel room he had appropriated under the guise of some man whose wallet and DNA he stole. Staring back at him was spiky brown hair, brilliant white dimpled smile, and startlingly bright eyes, as blue as the ocean. Yes, the DNA of Alexander Wental was the best acquisition he had ever made.

Doppelganger had been there 2 months ago at the Golden Gate Bridge, had watched the battle ensue. He did not participate, not feeling particularly indebted to either side, but he had seized the opportunity to congratulate Hydrogue, had shook the man's hand and acquired his DNA. It was perfect, he had what he needed, and Alex, not knowing any better, though he was just a mutant who had used his power to calm his shaking nerves. But that was really just a side effect, the calm trance that everyone felt when he acquired their DNA.

Ever since, Doppelganger had spent as much time as possible in this form, loving the refreshing perspective it had on the world. The background of bodily instincts he felt when in a body was the same as those of the original person, allowing him to feel how they would feel, if he chose to. This body wanted to play, to hang out and have fun, and of course, have sex. Doppelganger, having little else to do, had been doing just that. Taking advantage of Alex's bright spirit, good looks, and overall charm served him extremely well. Doppelganger was a decent looking guy himself, but the success rate while in Alex's body was almost absurd.

Not only did the body want sex all the time, it LOVED it, and it was very good at it. Doppelganger fell into Alex's sexual instincts fully, sharing his insatiable love of bottoming. He had lost count of the number of men he had shared a bed with in Alex's guise, and had a private smirk about it. He had even been paid for sex, and did not mind because the sex was hot, and it wasn't really his ass he was selling. He loved his power so very very much.

Doppelganger/Alex left the hotel, wearing a tight blue button down shirt that flattered his borrowed swimmer body, the top several buttons open showing a peak at his smooth chest. His eyes matched the shirt perfectly, making them even brighter than normal. Between that and the tight jeans that showed off his ass, he was HOT. It never occurred to him to be less proud due to it being someone else's body. He made his way down the street, his way lit by street lamps in the dusk. It was clubbing time.

He made his way to his favorite bar in the city, getting several free drinks and offers to dance. Doppelganger/Alex saw in the corner a man leaning with his back to the wall, hidden by shadows, who had to be no older than 21. The man was tall, and perfectly muscled, with black hair and a handsome face. The colored lights of the club made it impossible to determine the color of his eyes, but they were focused and intelligent, and they were stating right at him. Doppelganger/Alex felt a familiar twinge in his groin, thought about how good it would be to have a big guy like that pound away at him.

Doppelganger/Alex got up and strode toward the larger man, whose face remained blank. His eyes were neck level with the bigger man, allowing a perfect view of the swollen pecs. It was at this point that he noticed that the man was barefoot. He looked up, amused, and in the brief flare of white light from a spotlight, saw that the man had red skin and ruby eyes. Doppelganger/Alex smiled, he remembered this man. He was Caleb, aka Demon, a student who had been at Mutant High during his brief tenure. Did Caleb know Alex? He decided to use this possibility, wanting to fulfill that old urge he had had to get with the big red guy.

"Let's get out of here" Doppelganger/Alex said, and turned to leave the club. Caleb, his expression a combination of hope and confusion, followed him.

Alex squared off, his knees bent, shoulders slightly down, his right foot forward. His left arm was slightly behind, palm open, his right held in front. In his right hand, he held a sword of pure ice and cold energy, swirling in an aura of blue and white. He held the sword with the hilt backward, so that the sword extended to his right rather than across his body. Across from him, both men inside a ring of spectators, stood Johnny Storm, holding a sword of fire with both hands in a high guard. Both men stood atop the thick Plexiglas roof of the Baxter Building, the headquarters of the Fantastic Four in New York. Both men wore minimal clothing so as not to impair movement. Alex only black gym shorts, Johnny only a pair of tight shorts made of the same blue skin-hugging material as his Fantastic Four uniform. Wind blew across the roof of the sky scraper, but neither man was affected by the chill.

Johnny came in first, sweeping is fiery sword down from up high in a great slashing motion. Alex stepped back quickly, and dashing forward after the stroke passed, slashing at Johnny with his backswept sword as he moved by on the man's right side. Johnny tucked and rolled away to the left, coming up on his bare feet just out of range. Alex came in, slashing with his backward sword at Johnny's left side. Johnny swung to intercept, his sword in both hands, but Alex spun his sword around the back of his hand until he held it normally, effectively going around Johnny's block. The ice blade came down, but caught only a glancing blow across Johnny's bare chest. The intense cold did not harm Johnny because of his impressively high body heat, but it did sting like a bastard. Johnny, rather than back out as Alex expected, charged forward, using his greater weight and strength to bring Alex to the ground.

Alex grunted as the wind knocked out of him, but had the sense of mind to use the momentum of the fall to roll both men over so that he came out on top. Rather than continue the fight on the ground, where Johnny's greater size would aid him, Alex rolled to the side and leaped to his feet, putting some distance between them. They squared off again.

Johnny came swinging in with powerful side to side brawler-style attacks, the sheer strength forcing Alex backward a few steps. Alex leaped up high, arcing over Johnny and landing behind him. Johnny whirled around fast enough to block his attack, but Johnny's momentum was gone. The two stayed with blades crossed for a moment, pushing against each other. Sparks flew from where the blades came into contact, the battle waged on a molecular level. Johnny was surprised at how strong Alex was, able to hold his own. Alex knew that if he used his powers to augment his physical strength, he could have thrown Johnny across the roof, but that was against the rules of this exercise. Johnny pushed hard, throwing the smaller man back. Alex let himself be pushed, then spun around to the right and down, coming full circle with his sword coming at Johnny's legs. Johnny leaped above the attack, coming down with his sword point down, driving it through

the Plexiglas when Alex rolled to the side. He pulled the sword out of the ground and got it up in time to block Alex's downward slash. Johnny kept his right hand on the hilt of his fire sword and with his left he punched out hard, catching Alex in the stomach. Alex grunted and backed up, struggling to fend off the barrage of slashes from Johnny's sword. The fire blade struck him twice, on the shoulder and leg, stinging him both times but not harming him. Alex snuck in a back-fisted strike to Johnny's left temple, but received another stinging blow to the arm for it. Johnny reached out and grabbed Alex's wrist, which had extended forward in his attack. He simultaneously pulled on Alex's wrist and delivered a straight front kick to his right upper thigh, taking his balance away. Alex fell forward, but rolled to the side with the fall. He came about on his back just in time to see the tip of Johnny's fiery sword just inches from his

eyes. He had lost.

"Just job guy" said Johnny. He dismissed his sword, which vanished in a final flare, and extended his hand to Alex, grinning his ever-present grin.

"Thanks" replied Alex, who accepted the hand and pulled up to standing. The group of a dozen or so Alliance members around them clapped , then dispersed. "You did pretty well yourself." He released his sword from his power, and it fell away like rain in the wind.

"You were both great." Johnny and Alex turned to see Bobby Drake behind them, his dirty blonde hair shining golden in the bright sun on the rooftop. "It was an impressive exercise."

"Thanks man" said Johnny. "I'm gonna hit the showers, catch you guys later." He turned and strode toward the stairs which led back down into the building. Alex watched him walk away, admiring the man's sweaty, muscular back and perfect ass in the tight blue material of his shorts.

"You were really impressive" said Bobby, drawing Alex's attention again.

"Thanks. I've been training with Scott and Logan a lot, I think it's paying off really well."

"I'll say" replied Bobby. "Look at how your arms have developed." Bobby reached out and squeeze Alex's right bicep, which was noticeably more solid and defined than it used to be. Bobby eyes could not be torn off of Alex's body, they moved continuously from the developed arms, the small but solid and defined pecs, and the flat, hard stomach, all of which were glistening with a thin layer of sweat from the workout. His ice blue eyes followed a bead of sweat down Alex's neck, over the swell of his pecs, and down to the faint grooves in his stomach. The two boys locked eyes, one set sapphire blue, the other icy blue.

Five minutes later, the two young mutants fell down hard onto the bed in one of the spare rooms in the Baxter Building. Bobby lay atop Alex, and both boys were now shirtless. Their smooth chests pressed together, sliding with the sweat from Alex's body. Their mouths were pressed together hard, tongues dancing and fencing. Alex's hands worked the fly of Bobby's jeans, forcing them open. His hands explored the smooth, thin body of the ice mutant, delighting in his trim body. Bobby was not overly muscular, but had a nice athletic runner's build with strong legs and very little fat. Panting, Bobby broke the kiss, grabbed Alex by both wrists, and pressed them against the headboard. With a hiss, both of Alex's wrists froze to the wood. Alex tried to pull his hands free, found his bounds very tight and strong. Bobby loved how Alex's biceps bulged as he strained, the veins popping out in his arms. His whole body grew taught and his muscles grew defined as he struggled against the restraints, though he remained grinning because he did not really wish to be freed. Bobby straddled Alex's face, fondling the obvious bulge in his little gray briefs. Alex strained to get to the bulge, but could not reach, only adding to his frustrated lust. After several more minutes of teasing, Bobby finally pulled his briefs off, and settled before Alex, slowly jerking his 6" cock in front of his eyes.

"You want this?" Bobby asked, playing with the head of his hard cock. A small bead of precum leaked out, hanging at the tip.

"Yes," said Alex. "Please." He opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue, trying to get at it.

"Please what?" The look in Bobby's eyes was one of pure enjoyment.

"Please put your cock in my mouth." Bobby obliged, teasing his lips with just the tip at first, but then slowly sliding the full length into Alex's mouth. He moaned as the amazing taste of Iceman's cock flooded his tongue, the musky smell of his groin filling his nostrils. Slowly Bobby thrust in and out of Alex's mouth, moaning each time Alex's nose was buried in his trimmed-short pubes.

Bobby face-fucked Alex for several more minutes until he couldn't take it anymore. He pulled out of Alex's mouth, and moved down the boy's body. Bobby grasped Alex's black shorts by the waist band, and sent a surge of icy energy into them. They became brittle, and shattered in his grasp. Bobby cleared the pieces off of Alex's body, revealing the black jock strap he wore beneath. The jock was stretched from trying to contain Alex's cock, and Bobby did not let it free. Pulling a bottle of lube from his pocket, Bobby squirted some on his fingers, and slowly inserted his index finger into Alex's ass. Alex groaned deeply, wiggling his ass and welcoming the invasion. Bobby continued to move his finger in and out, but Alex met his eyes and said "just fuck me. Right now."

Bobby quickly lubed up his cock and slid between Alex's legs. He positioned the head of his dick at Alex's hole and pushed. They both let out little moans as the head popped through the ring of muscle, and Alex's ass squeezed powerfully. Alex drove his heels into Bobby's ass, shoving the boy's cock all the way into him, and driving his body atop him. Alex wrapped his strong legs around Bobby's waist and kissed him deeply, loving the feel of the full length of his cock. Alex's hands were still trapped above him as Bobby started fucking him, slowly at first but increasing speed quickly. Bobby licked at Alex's ears as he fucked him, whispering to him what a sexy little slut he was, telling him how much he had thought about doing this since their night at the club together.

As Bobby thrust into him over and over, Alex gripped at him with his legs, digging his heels into the man's ass in encouragement. He tore his wrists free of the icy bonds, sending shards of ice all over the pair. He wrapped his arms around Bobby, grasping the sweat-slicked muscles of his back, pulling him close and forcing their mouths together. They kissed passionately, losing themselves in time. Bobby sucked on Alex's neck while Alex gaped at the ceiling in bliss. The boys built into a frenzy, Bobby fucking Alex so good that his eyes rolled back into his head. Bobby gasped and exclaimed "I'm cumming!" He slammed his hips into Alex forcefully for several more thrusts, then drove his full length and held it there as he shot deep into his ass. Alex reached the point of no return and came hard inside his jock strap, filling the black sweaty cloth with white cum, climaxing without direct stimulation to his cock.

After several minutes of panting and coming down from the post-orgasmic high, the boys lay side by side, clutching each other, stroking their sweat covered bodies.

"We need to do that again sometime" said Bobby, grinning from ear to ear.

"Yea we do" answered Alex. He was still out of breath, still sticky from sweat and cum, but still turned to Bobby and said "you up to fucking me again right now?"

Bobby looked at him with a grin that suggested that Christmas had just come early, and promptly rolled back on top of him.

When Caleb woke up the next morning, he found himself in a place he didn't recognize. He felt strange, his head swimming a bit from the alcohol he had drunk the night before. He winced at the sun coming through the open glass doors that lead to a balcony.

It all flooded back to him slowly. He was in a hotel room, had been there all night, with Alex. Alex!! The moment he had laid his eyes on that boy in the club, he had not known what to do. Should he pour out his heart? Should he leave in silence? Should he scream and yell and throw things? All the options seemed both perfect and insufficient, but luckily he had been spared the choice. Alex had approached him, brought him to this hotel room, and they had spent the hottest night of Caleb's life together. They had fucked on or over almost every surface in the hotel room, the floor, the shower, the bed, the tables, the couch, and even over the railing of the balcony. Caleb had not known he could have sex that many times in a single night, and was certainly surprised that Alex could be fucked so many times, but apparently anything was possible when true love came together. Caleb smiled to himself. Love. It had snuck up on him so slowly, after months of sharing a room with Alex, and even then he dismissed it as a more `brotherly' love, not the passion and desire that it truly was.

Caleb had been rejected so many times in his life that he had truly believed that he would never be able to love someone. He had grown up hugely popular, the big strong jock who excelled in every sport, the kid who all guys wanted to be and all the girls wanted to be with. His family loved him dearly, his parents incredibly proud. They had nearly forgotten that he was born with a tail, but the doctors had removed it and so far as they knew that was the end of it. But they did not know that the tail began to grow back in Caleb's teenage years, longer and stronger than it had been before. Caleb hid it, wore it wrapped around his leg and taped down so tightly that nobody could see it as long as he never wore tight pants. As long as nobody knew, everyone still loved him. But, as luck would have it, his mutation was more extensive than just a tail. He grew stronger, more solid, heavier, which for quite a while worked to his benefit. But, when Caleb began to tip the scales at 500 pounds of super-dense bone and muscle, he began to worry his family and his doctor, despite the huge number of sports medals and trophies he was earning. Then the rash came. Well, it started as a rash, but then spread throughout his body, turning his skin red and stopping all hair growth besides his head and eyebrows. He kept it hidden for weeks, but eventually it spread into his arms and legs, and began up his neck. The morning he woke up and saw ruby red eyes where his old soft brown ones had been, he knew it was all over. He tried to continue to go to school, but before long they expelled him. His family knew what he was, and cast him out as if he were a stranger. In a final argument, he accidentally injured his father severely, unable to control his incredible strength. He wandered homeless for many months, unable even to take comfort in the arms of another, for no woman would touch him. Women and children ran screaming from him, men brandished weapons and threatened him. He had once been loved by everyone, but was now worse than the lowest levels of humanity. He took the name his mother had called him, to remind him of what he had done to his father: Demon.

But that was over now. Alex was the one who showed him the light, proved that innocence and love were still in the world, if you looked in the right place. Caleb was sure that Alex loved him too, but needed time to figure that out for himself. He believed that Alex was coming to that conclusion, had come searching for him the night before. Caleb would not ask him how he felt, would wait for Alex to tell him in good time. There was no need to rush anything when love was assured.

Caleb heard a door opening behind him, and rolled onto his left side. He saw the door to the hotel room's bathroom open, and out of it stepped Alex. Alex, with his dark hair, light skin, and small but developed body, was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He was wrapped only in a white towel, and had another in his hands with which he was towel drying his hair.

"Good morning" Caleb said, smiling at Alex's barely covered body. Doppelganger/Alex looked up, fixing Demon with his borrowed sapphire eyes. Caleb loved those eyes, the perfect combination of brightness and color. But the eyes were not filled with love, or even lust as he had expected. The words he heard next hit him harder than anything he could remember.

"Why are you still here?" Doppelganger/Alex stood there with his hands on his hips, looking irritated and conceited, a look very alien to Alex's face.

"Wait, what?" asked Caleb, completely confused.

"We're done here. It's bad enough you stayed the night, but you didn't even have the decency to leave quietly while I was in the shower? What kind of hook up are you?"

"Hook up? What are you talking about? You know how I feel, I love you!" Doppelganger/Alex burst out laughing, totally unable to hide how hilarious this was to him.

"LOVE!?!? Oh my god you must be kidding! I just wanted a good fuck, and you gave me several fantastic ones, but that is ALL it was. I couldn't date you, look at you. You're a FREAK! We could never been seen together in public."

Caleb's eyes flashed red with pain and anger, and rose from the bed. He wore only a pair of black low-rise bikini briefs, his red skin pulled taught over his fully flexed muscles, his fists balled at his side. He was caught between crying and punching Doppelganger/Alex's pretty little face in.

"You knew how I felt about you" Caleb stated through gritted teeth. "If you didn't feel the same, why did you come up to me? How could you do this to me?"

"Get out!" said Doppelganger/Alex.

"NO!" bellowed Caleb, stamping his foot hard, splintering the hardwood floor. Doppelganger/Alex's face fell, looking hard and darkly angry.

"Fine" he said simply. He extended an arm in Caleb's direction, reached out with his powers and grabbed him with an invisible hand of power. Caleb struggled against the icy vice-like grip around his body, the water molecules biting into his skin. He struggled but his physical strength was insufficient against the Doppelganger/Alex's borrowed willpower. Doppelganger/Alex jerked his hand to the side slightly, and Caleb flew out the floor-to-ceiling glass doors leading to the balcony. The glass shattered and cut into Demon's skin, red blood smearing his red skin. He flew through the window and over the balcony rail, and dropped out of sight.

"Idiot" said Doppelganger/Alex to himself, a smug and satisfied look on his face. He could barely believe how awesome it was that he not only hooked up with a friend of Alex's, but the guy was IN LOVE with him. He had gotten half a dozen amazing fucks AND laughs to last him the rest of the week. He chuckled to himself as he got dressed and left the hotel, leaving the mess and broken windows for the housekeeping staff. He wouldn't be back.

Dr. Halden stared at a wall covered in various scans and lab results, unable to make any sense of it all. It had been nearly a year since Jean Gray had fallen into a coma, and she had yet to stir in that entire time. Coma patients were difficult enough to begin with, just keeping them from atrophying or developing bed sores was a task in itself. But Jean was not just any old coma patient. The primary issue was the fact that there seemed to be no medical reason for her to be in the coma at all. In fact, she seemed to be more in a state of REM sleep than really comatose. He had gotten a full brief from Professor Xavier about Jean's split personality, and he knew that somehow her buried personality had separated itself from her body via her vast telepathic potential. But why would this cause a comatose state in Jean? If the Phoenix and Jean Gray were indeed separate entities, and if the Phoenix could operate fully on her own, why couldn't Jean? He simply did not know. The other issue was the fact that apparently Jean was one of the most powerful telepaths in the entire world, and the medical implications of this were totally unknown. The Professor had subjected himself to several types of scans for comparison, and Beast had worked with him side by side, but they were no nearer to any answers. If anything, he now had more questions.

He felt hands on his shoulders, hands which applied gentle but firm pressure to the knots in his shoulders. His eyes involuntarily closed, a relaxing sigh escaping his lips. He turned, his bright green eyes meeting the soft blue eyes of Elixir. The mutant with the golden skin smiled at him, the affection clear in his face. The two men had been working closely together for some time now, running the largest hospital facility the Alliance had available. With the combined knowledge of Dr. Halden and Hank McCoy and Elixir's power of biological manipulation, they had an incredible recovery rate. Soldiers were on their feet in almost every case within days of admittance, and almost nobody who came in still alive died under their care, a feet unrivaled by any war hospital to date.

"You need to stop beating yourself up about her" said Elixir, his voice concerned.

"She's my patient; I'm supposed to help her."

"I know, and I'm not suggesting that you stop trying. But you need to stop staring at these readings and forcing your brain to travel the same circles of thought. The answer will come to you, but not when you're beating your head against the wall."

Dr. Halden sighed, resigned. "You're right of course. Thanks."

The two walked through the hospital facility, a greatly expanded space beneath the Mansion. They checked on patient's, even processed a few new ones newly teleported from small skirmishes. Elixir watched as Michael tended to his patients, noted the care and concern he exuded. He talked animatedly with patients, always fascinated to learn more about them. Each new mutant was questioned about his powers, in as much detail as possible. It was very important to do so, as mutant physiology was far more variable than human, and many times these differences could be anticipated with proper attention to detail. But Elixir knew Michael took interest for more than professional reasons. He had been drawn to his work with the government branch assigned to mutant research because he was totally fascinated with mutants. He wanted to know everything about them, had even confided in Elixir that he had always fantasized about being a mutant ever since he was a child. It was cute, though Elixir would never tell Mike that, he would feel patronized.

After they had finished with mid afternoon rounds, Elixir and Michael proceeded to the set of quarters they shared which adjoined the hospital facility. They were able to be on call and at the ready at all times this way, without having to sleep in the hospital itself.

"Mike.." began Elixir.

"Yes?"

"I have a suggestion. I have been thinking about it for a while, and I think I can do it."

"Do what?"

Elixir smiled, his golden skin dimpled. He reached out and took Michael's hands in his.

"I can give you want you want. What you've always wanted."

Michael still looked completely confused, not knowing the train of thought Elixir was following. "I still don't know what you mean."

Elixir smiled again. "I can make you a mutant. I can give you powers." Michael's eyes widened, full of surprise and wonder. "I've been studying the X gene, practiced manipulating it, and I know I can insert it into your genes." Michael shook his head.

"No, if you started changing my genes, my body would reject the changed cells. It would kill me. It is sweet of you to have studied this for me, and I am very tempted, but it won't work."

"Your body wouldn't reject if I changed ALL of your genes at once." Michael seemed to stop then, deep in thought. "I've already discussed it with Hank" Elixir confessed.

Michael looked away, staring out the window. He could scarcely believe what he was hearing, what he was THINKING. He couldn't do this, it was absurd, a ridiculous risk. Right?

He turned to face Elixir, his friend, his coworker, his former experiment and current golden boyfriend.

"Let's do it."

Caleb walked the streets alone. He had fallen 6 stories from the hotel room and landed on a car by the street. The fall would have killed most people, mutant or human, but because of Caleb's super-dense body structure, he had survived with nothing more serious than bruises and cuts. He was still dressed only in the small black briefs from earlier, but he was unconcerned. He hid in the shadows now, the darkness fitting his mood well. His heart hurt, felt like it had been stabbed, ripped apart from the inside. What he had done to earn such utter disregard from Alex, he did not know, but the pain it caused made him angry. Dark thoughts of hatred and vengeance drifted through his mind, but above all of them was the feeling of total despair. He felt as though all of the light had gone from the world, and he was left alone in the dark. He felt his grip on reality slipping. What was right anymore? One of the best people he had ever

met, a kind, gentle person, had just used him for his own selfish desires, and then threw him out a window when he was finished like he was garbage.

Caleb lashed out, punched into a solid brick wall of the alley he was brooding in. His fist obliterated the brick, reducing it to powder, and he was arm deep in the wall. He had hoped the physical pain might dull the emotional, but alas, it did not. 
"Now now, that's not the way a civilized person behaves is it?" asked a cool voice from behind him. He spun around to face the source. Behind him, where moments ago there had been only a deserted alley full of dumpsters and trash, a woman stood. Her long dark red hair cascaded down her shoulders. Her eyes were dark, but within them a sinister light seemed to shine.

"Dr. Gray?" asked Caleb. He knew it wasn't her.

"No" answered the Phoenix. "I came because I could feel your pain and anger from miles away. I am here to help you."

"HELP me? Since when do you help people?"

"Come now, that isn't very fair." Phoenix's face fell as though she was hurt, but the effect was somewhat less than it should have been. "This whole war is about helping the earth, helping mutants everywhere."

"You're destroying the world in order to build it over again with yourself on the throne. Don't pretend any different." Caleb's voice seethed with anger. He wanted a direction to vent his fury, and now he had one.

"Very well. But even if that is the case, I am still the only person in a position to help you. I know what you are going through, dealing with this pain and anger, not knowing what to do with it all." Phoenix stepped up to the large man, seemingly unconcerned that he might harm her. "It's too much for you. Come with me, before it drives you mad."

Caleb's red eyes darted around, every instinct fighting what she was saying, but his inner desire agreeing with it. He could feel himself going mad, was greatly concerned that he would lose all grip on sanity. He knew that she could not be trusted but thought that maybe, just maybe, she really did want to help him with this. She was, after all, the barely stable by-product of Jean Gray's childhood trauma of having near-godlike powers. She was supposedly a creature of instinct and passion and rage, but here she was seemingly totally sane, was in fact waging a brilliant and above all PATIENT campaign. Patience and critical thinking were not the strengths of people consumed by rage. Perhaps she had learned to control it all. Perhaps he could too.

"Ok. Let's go." The words left his mouth feeling toxic, and his heart recoiled in his chest, feeling disgust at agreeing with anything she had to say. Phoenix gestured, and the pair was engulfed by a sphere of roiling flame, which expanded until both were completely within it, and then contracted, leaving nothing behind.

"Three times in one afternoon? Damn boy, nice job" said Johnny, clapping Alex on the back. "I didn't know the Iceman was such a stud." The two sat with their legs dangling off the roof of a skyscraper, looking out at the ocean. Technically they were on watch, surveying the waters of New York Harbor for incoming troop ships. So far, all the major invasions had occurred by sea. All they could see were the four battleships scattered through the harbor, also on patrol.

"Thanks, but you're a stud yourself. I'm sure you've had sex more than 3 times in a day, I know I have" Alex replied. He thought to himself `I've had sex with more than 3 GUYS in a day,' but kept that to himself. Johnny didn't need to know EXACTLY how promiscuous he had been in his life.

"Well, yea, but it's still pretty awesome."

"Yea it was." Johnny laughed at the silly grin on Alex's face. Both boys enjoyed sex, and talked about it and had it together on many occasions. What else were two horny attractive young men to do when they had to share a bunk, or sometimes a tent, almost everywhere they went for months? Alex could not deny he had feelings for Johnny, but did not know the extent of them. He certainly found the man physically attractive, extremely so. Their personalities certainly melded well, he enjoyed their time together a great deal. But he was unconvinced that his feelings for Johnny extended beyond those of a good friend he REALLY enjoyed having sex with.

His thoughts were drawn to Caleb, not for the first time in recent months. Ever since they had slept together, he had barely seen his friend, someone he had been so close to. His friends kept him informed of Caleb's well being, and he knew the man was alive and unhurt, but had not been his fun loving self recently. Alex had been so certain of what he was doing when he rebuked Caleb's romantic interests, but lately he was unsure of that decision. He had intended to spare Caleb the pain of being with someone who was such a mess, and spare them both the pain of losing a loved one to a war. But now he found that they were losing each other anyway, as a direct result of his actions. Instead of having comfort, joy and fun with each other and running the risk of a painful loss, they were both just experiencing a painful loss.

Was he ready to let someone in again? Could he open himself up to love and be loved in return? He wasn't sure. He had felt a lot of pain in his life, and it all made him afraid of getting hurt again. But maybe it was time to heal. He resolved to himself to talk to Caleb as soon as he had the chance. He owed it to Caleb to talk to him, to apologize, to beg forgiveness, and to ask him to take him back. It was the only answer.

When Michael Halden woke up, he did not feel any different. He wasn't really sure what he expected to feel, but whatever it was it wasn't there. He DID have a pounding headache and felt extremely hot. He opened his eyes and saw Hank McCoy and Elixir standing over his bed with smiles on their faces.

"Congratulations Doctor" said Beast. "You came through the change remarkably well. You have a moderate fever, and may experience a headache or nausea, but those should all subside with time."

"Did it work? I don't feel any different."

"Yes, Mike, it worked" said Elixir. "You have tested positive as a mutant on a genetic test."

"Awesome" he said, though his voice was low from being tired and in pain. "What can I do?"

"Well, we don't know" said Elixir. "You have no outward mutations, so whatever your ability is we will have to learn the hard way."

Mike smiled, barely able to contain his excitement.

An hour later, Mike and Elixir went on their morning rounds. Mike was feeling much better, but was still unsure of what his power was. He tried to read people's minds, lift objects with his mind, generate or manipulate the elements, but nothing happened. Eventually he decided to just wait. Whatever his new mutant ability was, it would show itself with time.

The Phoenix watched her new pet with a primal joy that almost made her want to smile a real smile. Caleb knelt on the floor in the center of a dimly lit circular chamber. He wore all black, sleeveless shirt and cargo shorts. He was hunched over, and was breathing deeply, sweat poured down his face. He stared ahead as though he were looking through the floor, looking farther away than he possibly could.

The Phoenix sat in her throne-like chair, smug and enthralled. She poured dark thoughts and psionic energy directly into Caleb's mind, cultivating his anger and hatred like a harvest crop. His despair was being overcome by a desire for vengeance, a need to put himself first and others last, and other thoughts he had never had before. He felt wrong, tainted, evil, but he also felt ALIVE. He was filled with energy and motivation in a way he never had been before.

It had been like this for days. The Phoenix tirelessly poured concentrated evil into Caleb, and slowly his mind gave way, doing what it had to do in order to survive. His mind twisted, warped, lost ground every hour to the onslaught. He tried to hold a piece of himself in the recesses of his mind, but the darkness found him there too. He tried to get up and fight, to die rather than be ruined this way, but found himself unable to do so. Above all he hated himself for ending up in this situation against his own better judgment.

"Would you like to know a secret pet?" asked the Phoenix. Caleb looked up; his only response was to glare into her eyes with a combination of subservience and loathing. "I want to show you something." She gestured toward one side of the room, and out of the darkness drifted something Caleb could not see clearly. The object landed in the Phoenix's hand, and she held it up so he could see. She held a large syringe with a long, thick needle, inside was an amber colored liquid which glinted in the dim light. "Do you know what this is?"

Demon looked at the Phoenix, not answering because he could barely hold on to his sanity as it was.

"This is one of the reasons for my sweeping victories. Surely your friends, especially dear Professor Xavier have noticed that my armies seem to contain more mutants than have ever been known to exist." Caleb didn't confirm or deny this fact, though the Phoenix had piqued his interest, because they had of course noticed this very troubling fact. "This syringe contains a very special retrovirus, one I personally created molecule by molecule. Do you know what a retrovirus is? Of course not, you're much too muscular to open a book. A retrovirus is a virus which inserts new DNA into the existing DNA of a host cell. Normally the virus does this in order to reproduce, but I have created this retrovirus to insert the mutant X-gene into the DNA of normal humans. Thus, I am creating mutants from ordinary humans, mostly criminals and disgruntled teenagers, and filling out my armies with them. Isn't it glorious?" The Phoenix smiled, her supreme self satisfaction showing across her entire face.

Caleb filed this information away, hoping he would someday be able to use it against her. He fought against his invisible bonds, fighting the barriers within his own mind to force words from his mouth. "Why tell me?"

"Why tell you? Why my adorable little pet, because you have inspired me to use this miracle virus, this cure for humanity, for a new and more glorious purpose." Without further explanation, the Phoenix gestured toward Caleb, and the syringe flew through the air and plunged itself deep into his tricep muscle. The plunger pushed down seemingly of its own accord, forcing the amber fluid into his veins. Almost immediately it felt to Caleb as though his blood had turned to fire, as a piercing burning sensation filled his arm, coursed toward his heart, and was then pumped throughout his entire body. Every cell in his body felt like as though it were boiling. The burning reached his brain his vision dissolved into white as a supernova exploded in his head. His hair follicles felt like a billion points of flame in his scalp. He fell forward onto his hands and knees, skirting the edge of consciousness and wishing he would black out.

"I don't understand" he said between pained gasps. Of course, it made little sense, Caleb was already a mutant, why would the retrovirus affect him? He lacked the background knowledge to understand what was happening, and the excruciating pain kept him from guessing. Caleb finally screamed when a new pain erupted from his back, feeling for all the world like he was being ripped apart.

The Phoenix threw back her head and laughed, and then she watched her pet writhe on the floor.

"Secondary mutation," said Dr. Hank McCoy, "is a subject which is poorly understood, and rarely encountered." He stood before about thirty students in an advanced biology class in the Xavier Mansion. It was not normally his class, but he agreed to do a special seminar while he was at the school. "This phenomenon is used to describe the sudden change or increase in scope or power of a mutant's abilities, or even the generation of entirely new abilities." As he said this, the viewscreen behind him displayed various images of the mutant X-gene, and a couple of known examples of mutants who had experienced secondary mutation. One image showed Emma Frost.

"Our own Emma Frost is a prime example of a mutant with a secondary mutation. For most of her life, she commanded telepathic and telekinetic powers. In recent years, she has developed a new and completely unrelated ability: to transform her body into a nearly indestructible `diamond form'. In this diamond form, her body takes on the super dense and super hard qualities of diamonds, making her indestructible and extremely strong. However, in this form, she is unable to use her other powers." A student raised her hand.

"What causes these secondary mutations to manifest?"

"Well, there is a great deal of debate about that. Some view it as a further evolutionary advance beyond single mutation, one designed to compete with the growing mutant population. Others say that the mutations are not secondary at all, but rather they are dormant powers which only come to light in extreme situations. This is especially well argued in examples where mutants experience a vast increase in power level. And some even believe that secondary mutations are caused by outside stimuli triggering a re-expression of the mutant X-gene. Any of these theories could be true, and there is not enough information available to define which." Hank turned to his assistant lecturer, Dr. Halden, and said" and we have here today a very special man, one who may be able to offer special insight into the phenomenon of secondary mutation."

Michael Halden rose from his seat and strode over to Hank, and smiled to the crowd of students. He had been in school only a couple of years prior, so this was a new experience to be the one teaching. Though to be fair, this time he wasn't exactly teaching, he was more the subject. "Hello everyone" he said.

"Dr. Halden here is, as far as I know, the only person to be physically altered from human to mutant" said Dr. McCoy. The class erupted into whispered murmurs of surprise as the students shared comments with each other. One raised their hand.

"Dr. Halden, how is this possible" asked the blue-skinned boy.

"Well, some of you may know our good friend Joshua Foley, also known as Elixir" Mike began, indicating Elixir, who sat to one side of the classroom. Elixir raised a golden hand and waved to the students. "Elixir's mutant power is the ability to manipulate organic material. The primary use of this power is to heal and mend wounds and illnesses of al kinds, but there is a vast potential for such ability. Elixir and Dr. McCoy worked together to find a way to use his ability to generate the X-gene and insert it into my existing genetic structure."

"And that worked" asked one student, clearly skeptical.

"I have personally performed the genetic test on Dr. Halden, he now tests positive for the X-gene" confirmed Dr. McCoy.

"So what is your power" asked another student.

"Well, we don't know yet" said Mike. "My mutation has not manifested itself yet, or at least not in a way I have been able to utilize."

"It is possible" explained Dr. McCoy, "that there is a delay of manifestation with a synthetic mutation as opposed to a natural one. We must also remember that in a normal mutant, powers do not come to fruition until puberty in most, but not all cases. It is also possible that Dr. Halden's ability is one that he has not yet learned how to use, and it will merely take time to discover. This is a fascinating example to look at as we further research mutation."

Alex walked down the streets of New York City, trying not to look like he was in a desperate rush. The streets had many people walking them, but it was actually deserted by normal New York standards. With the civil war focusing largely on major cities, many of the residents of the Big Apple had moved on, seeking safety in smaller cities and towns, often moving more towards the center of the United States, where the fighting was much less. With western Massachusetts and Connecticut turned into war zones, the people were getting even more anxious. The same thing was happening in all of the major coastal cities, a mass migration away from danger. With the majority of the state of Florida and nearly all of New England under the rule of the Brotherhood of Mutants, this was causing an Exodus into the inner states.

Alex had searched on street level and flown above to see the rooftops, but he could not find Demon anywhere. His heart was consumed with desperation; he HAD to find Demon and tell him he was sorry, to tell him how he felt. He had contacted the Baxter Building, which coordinated all of the patrols in New York, and found out that Demon was in charge of patrol in this district today. But he could not find him. He even reached out to sense him with his abilities, but the sheer volume of people drowned out any reading he might have of his friend's particular water pattern. He turned down a less used street, one more likely for a red-skinned man to use when he didn't want to cause a panic. Throughout the entire search, he could not shake the feeling that he was being watched, which only heightened his anxiety.

The sun was nearly set, the light in the sky dim and the clouds crimson. There was a barely noticeable wave of darkness, one so fast that Alex contributed it to a blink, but looked up anyway and saw nothing. He continued down the street, searching with his eyes and his water senses. Suddenly, something hit him so hard in the side that he went sideways through a concrete wall. Alex felt himself slam into something hard that rang like metal, then fell to the ground. When the dust cleared and the stars faded from his eyes, he found himself in a poorly lit parking garage with a red van with a man-shaped dent behind him. As the various images of the world came back into focus and became a single view, he could scarcely believe it. In the hole in the broken concrete wall through which he made his grand entrance, stood a very different Caleb.

Demon was still the tall, muscular, red-skinned man Alex had roomed with for nearly a year, the very man he fell in love with and had been looking for before his trip through the wall. But now Demon's face was contorted with rage, his hands balled into fists, his arm muscles bulging with pent up power. His normally red eyes were now filled with orange flame, not pupil, iris, or white was visible. His teeth now included a pair of sharp white fangs, his fingers ended in long black razor-like claws. His spine had sharp black spikes jutting out at each vertebra all the way down to his tail, which now ended in a great black spear-like blade. His skin was dry and cracked, in some spots it seemed to be splitting, and from inside the splits came an eerie yellow light, like the glow of hot coals under a fire. And from Demon's back rose a huge pair of black, leathery wings like a giant bat, the elbows higher than his head and the tips reaching

below his knees. He was truly become the Demon his mother called him, a being like could only originate in Hell.

Alex's mouth opened in shock and horror, he struggled to speak but the words died on his lips. What had his friend become? How was this possible? Alex picked himself up from the ground, covered in dust but otherwise unharmed from his clash with the concrete.

Demon did not even speak. No comments, no declarations of perceived wrongs or well deserved punishment. No explanation of what had happened to him or where he had been. Demon thrust forth with both hands, and from his palms came a blast of burning magma and fire so powerful that it blasted Alex backward, through the already ruined van and through the next wall. The fire was so hot it incinerated Alex's black leather uniform shirt, burning a hole through the front and charring the skin of his chest. Alex smashed his back into a concrete pillar and fell to the ground again. He rose onto his hands and knees, pain shooting through his back and head, the world swimming again from pain and confusion. Before he could get back onto his feet, a huge hand grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air. Demon held him up by the neck with just his right hand, using no more effort than if Alex were a rag doll. The skin of Demon's hand

and fingers was searing hot. Alex's neck and the side of his face that was covered by fingers began to blister and burn, blackness began to spread as the flesh underneath charred and died. Alex looked with utter terror into the eyes of his friend, but found only unsympathetic flames. The claws on the ends of Demon's fingers cut into Alex's skin, drawing lines of watery blood. Alex grabbed Demon's forearm out of instinct to take the pressure off of his neck. He could take a lot of damage, but did not know what would happen if his neck was snapped. The skin of Demon's forearms burned his hands, but he would not let go.

"Why?" Alex asked, his voice cracking from pain and dryness.

"You know why" Demon answered simply, his voice deeper than normal with a strange burning undertone, somewhat like a speaking furnace.

In desperation, Alex generated an electrical surge within his body, arches of blue energy coursed across his skin and channeled into Demon, shocking him. A few of Demon's muscles twitched involuntarily, but his grip remained firm and powerful. Demon did not react to the attack at all, except to throw him bodily to the side. Alex went through a third wall and out onto the street again. A chorus of screaming and yelling surrounded him as frightened pedestrians ran out of the path of destruction. Cars screeched to a halt as he sailed into the road. One taxi cab did not stop in time and slammed into him, smashing the windshield on his body and sending him rolling off the hood onto the street.

Alex lay on his back on the road for a moment, breath coming to him like fire in his lungs. The burned skin on his face and chest was stiff and painful, but that pain was much lessened by the deadening of nerves by heat. The left side of his face was ruined, blackened by fire, slashed with claws and smashed by a car.

Demon emerged from the parking garage through Alex's exit hole, and stalked forward. More people screamed as the Demon came forth, his heavy footsteps cracking the pavement and melting it. A line of flaming footsteps followed him toward his prey.

"You used me" he said simply. "You used me and then you cast me aside when you were done with me. You knew how I felt and you USED IT AGAINST ME" he roared, and kicked Alex in the ribs, lifting him from the ground and sending him across the street and onto the sidewalk. Pain erupted in Alex's side as several ribs broke under the powerful blow. That pain paled in comparison to the pain in his heart. He had done this to Demon, no, to Caleb, his dearest friend, the object of his affection. He had turned Caleb into a monster because he was too weak to take a risk on love. And now that monster he created wanted to kill him. He deserved it. But he could not surrender to death so easily, there was too much he needed to do, too much unfinished.

Alex breathed in, drawing in air, and more importantly water. He drew water into himself from the air, channeled it, harnessed it. The water infused his body, and his water-comprised body repaired his wounds. His skin mended, bones fused, watery blood reabsorbed. Hydrogue rose from the ground, completely undamaged. Demon sent forth another jet of magma from his hands, but this time Hydrogue sent a countering jet of icy water back. The two streams met in the middle, and cooled magma fell onto the street between them. Demon's magma was powerful, but it was not as hot as the Firebird's flame had been. Hydrogue knew he could overcome Demon's attack if he applied enough power, but he didn't want to harm him any further, not until he had a chance to talk to him.

"I didn't mean to hurt you Caleb" said Hydrogue, shouting over the sizzling sound of the magma cooling. "I was scared, and I was a coward, but I see that now. I've been looking for you for days now so I can apologize, so that I can beg your forgiveness. I love you Caleb, I've loved you all along."

"LIAR!!!" Demon bellowed. He flapped his enormous wings, and the wave of wind knocked Hydrogue off balance. The exchange of fire and ice ceased as Hydrogue stumbled and Demon leaped forward. Hydrogue lashed out with a powerful punch, propelled by his hydrokinesis. His fist struck Demon's chest hard, with enough force to dent a steel wall. But Demon did not move, stagger, or even seem to notice the strike. He reached out and grabbed Hydrogue's right wrist with his giant, burning hand. He took his left hand and thrust it straight out, palm open, into Hydrogue's locked elbow. The complex joint, forced in the wrong direction, shattered under Demon's strength. The three interlocking bones in the elbow snapped from straining against each other. At the same time Demon's spear-like tail blade plunged deep into the back of his left thigh, severing the muscles. Hydrogue's vision exploded into white stars like a supernova, his

scream of pain roared across the city.

Demon grabbed Hydrogue by the shoulders and spun with him, then hurled him back toward the parking garage, to send him back through the wall. In mid flight, Hydrogue forced the water in his body to stop moving, and he came to a halt in the air before hitting the wall. With a grimace, he refused the bones in his arm, the cells becoming liquid and reforming like new. He did the same with his leg muscles, and the blinding pain receded from his mind.

`Fly away' he said to himself. Perhaps if he fled this fight, Demon could cool down and they could talk this out. Besides, he did not know how much more of a beating he could handle. His body could absorb and heal from a lot of damage, but his mind could only take so much pain. He turned to soar away, but suddenly an intense burning erupted from his left ankle. He looked down to see a whip of flame wrapped around his ankle and part of his calf, the skin bubbling and blackening from the heat. Demon held the handle of the whip in his right hand and pulled with all of his considerable strength. Hydrogue was yanked from the air, pulled across the street, and slammed into another building. This building was a hotel, with a large lobby with tall stone pillars and high ceilings. Hydrogue smashed through the ornate oak and glass doors before cracking the marble floor. The doors burst into flames as Demon strode through them, the shear

heat of his body igniting the wood with close proximity. The few people in the lobby screamed and fled.

Hydrogue was on his feet quickly this time, and extended a hand to launch a pulse of water to throw Demon back. But before he could attack Demon flicked his whip and knocked the hand aside, sending the pulse to the side, shattering the marble counter. Demon's tail slashed forward faster than Hydrogue could see, driving the black spear-like blade into his stomach. Demon was still running in, and threw all of his momentum and all of his super strength into a wicked left hook to the jaw. Hydrogue's skin was made of water molecules tightly bound together in a surprisingly strong membrane and his bones were mostly super-dense ice like tempered steel. But Demon's full-force punch ripped open that skin and shattered the bones in Hydrogue's jaw. So great was the force of the strike that Hydrogue was thrown back, spinning, through a stone pillar, through the steel doors of an elevator, and falls into a still heap in the ruins of the

elevator.

Demon hesitated for the briefest of moments, but then continued his attack. From his hands he launched a volley of magma and fire from his hands. The metal of the elevator and the shaft grew hot and soft, and began to warp and glow. Under the onslaught, the shaft lost stability and collapsed, burying Hydrogue in a heap of hot stone and melted metal.

All was silent for a moment, but the heap of ruin began to stir, and Hydrogue's hand appeared, and he pulled himself out, dragging himself forward with only his arms. He made it half out of the rubble before he collapsed onto the cold marble floor and lay still.

Demon strode forward without hesitation this time, his face stony and determined. He walked over and raised his foot up, and stomped down on the back of Hydrogue's head, driving his face into the stone, breaking the stone and drawing a sudden spray of clear water from under his body. Hydrogue was still, and did not move, but the pool of water spread beneath him as the life force bled from him.

Demon looked down at his broken opponent, the body of the man he had loved, and the ruin of the one he hated. He could barely conceive of how he had been able to defeat Hydrogue, and had even expected to die in the attempt. Alex was far more powerful than he. But, Demon did have all new powers at his disposal, and the surprise of these powers and the shock that he had come after him at all must have paralyzed Alex from fighting with the speed and power he normally would have. He did not know and never would know how he had managed to kill Alex, but he knew that it would haunt him forever. He hated Alex but hated himself even more for what he had allowed himself to become. But it was far too late now. He turned and walked away, knowing that he would forever deserve the name of Demon.

Echo surveyed the ruin of the parking garage with a detached fascination. The forces that had torn apart several of the walls, pillars, and cars must have been intense to cause such damage. He stared at a pile of twisted metal, wondering how it had been turned from a car into the ruin it was now. He had been the first to arrive on the scene, and was just now trying to figure out everything that had happened. Psionic had felt Alex's distress telepathically, their friendship making such detection very easy. Echo had been closest to the area, though the others would be here soon.

Echo looked out through what appeared to be an exit hole in the wall and saw Psionic, Will, Wolverine, and The Human Torch standing outside, looking unsure as to where to start, the parking garage or the ruined hotel across the street.

"I checked this out already" Echo stated as he walked out toward the other heroes.

"What do we know?" asked Wolverine.

"Nothing yet" replied Echo. "I found a huge mess in there, but no blood, evidence, or people, living or otherwise."

"I could sense a huge amount of pain from Alex," said Psionic, "both physical and emotional. It was so chaotic, so sudden, and all clouded by shock. I could swear he was with Caleb too."

The four men strode into the hotel, which was thoroughly ruined. The formerly beautiful wooden doors were reduced to splinters and ash. The smooth white marble floor was marred with a sizeable crater. The desk area was shattered and broken, barely recognizable as what it was. One of the large, thick pillars which held up the tall ceiling was destroyed, pieces scattered everywhere. And the main elevator shaft in the center of the wall opposite the door had completely collapsed; a pile of metal and stone, both partially melted in places, filled that end of the room. And half buried under the pile lay the still body of Alexander Wental, his face crushed into the floor, a large pool of water surrounding him. They all stopped, and not one of them took a breath.

"Relax" they heard, a voice coming from the side. Sitting atop a piece of broken pillar in the corner, his eyes red and face distraught, was Alex. He sat holding his knees and staring at his own body. "I'm not dead."

"Wanna explain how you're not dead kid?" asked Logan. "And maybe how you almost got dead?"

Alex swallowed, not ready to talk about what had happened. But he knew he had to, they needed to know what had happened and why, and they needed to know that Demon was now more powerful, and on the other side. He told them everything, Demon's proposal of love, their one-time sex, and how he had broken the poor man's heart because of his own fears. Tears ran down his cheeks when he talked about his regret of that act, and about the terrible form that Demon had taken on. He spoke of the fight, and Demon's total rage and hatred towards him, and how he deserved every bit of it. He told them all how he had felt his skull break apart under the force of Demon's stomp, had seen the sight fade from his eyes and felt his body die. And then he told them how his mind had not died, and he simply moved from one collection of water molecules to another, and how a new body had formed from water vapor around his mind. As he spoke, the crushed body

on the ground evaporated and rejoined the natural water cycle, and there was only one of him again.

"What do we do now?" he asked. No one answered him.

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OK everyone, there is Chapter 14, I hope it didn't take me too long this time. I also hope you don't all hate me after this. Anyway, you know the drill, my email is phoenixfire543@yahoo.com if you have anything at all to say/ask, and once again http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HydrogueFans is the address for the fan group if you want to talk to others about the story. Hope to hear from you all soon!