Everett Thomas was unique among mutants.  Experts in the science of genetic mutations among Homo superior, classified each mutant in a power class.  Most mutants fall into the category of alpha or beta class.  Beta class mutants are primarily physical mutations- shapeshifters, healing factors, strongmen.  Alphas usually exhibit some sort of energy power, such as teleportation, energy blasts, fire or water manipulation and so on.  More powerful mutants are classified at a higher level- Omega, energy manipulators and generators.  Some of the better known Omegas on Earth were the X-Man known as Phoenix or Genoshan leader Magneto.

This classification is what makes Everett unique.  The young college student, and member of the team of young mutants known as Generation X, is the only mutant on the planet classified as “Beta/Omega-potential.”  This essentially means that alone, Everett’s synchronistic aura poses little threat to anyone.  Combined with an Omega level mutant… such as Jonothon Starsmore… whom he’s currently synched with…

A stream of bio-nuclear fire streamed from Everett’s body, chewing up chunks of asphalt.  One of the black suited Federal agents, the only female, flipped and bounded avoiding Synch’s energy blasts.  He quickly shifted his focus from Jono, synching her momentarily.  He found his opponent was not a mutant, but a magically altered human.  He had found over the years that he could synch such abilities, but magic was something he didn’t mess with.  Too much of a chaos factor.

“Ange!” Ev called.  “Man-to-man!”

Angelo Espinosa was one of Everett’s closest friends, and the entire reason why Synch was tangled in this mess.  Accused of murder, Ange was on the run, and had just entreated his best friends for help.

“On it!” Angelo called.  Avoiding a sharp bone spur, he jumped and flipped, his elongated fingertips trailing behind him.  Although the maneuver was somewhat inappropriately named, the man to man call was a request for an opponent switch-up.  Using his prehensile skin, Angelo propelled himself to Everett’s position and quickly lassoed the young woman.

Everett made the switch as well, using his synched TK powers to propel himself towards the fed throwing sharp bone spurs.  It reminded him of a male version of the Morlock Marrow.

“Buddy,” Ev growled, “you have no idea how much trouble you’re in.” 

Jono Starsmore slammed his elbow hard into Slow Burn’s face.  He spun around and punched the FBI agent hard.  He prayed that he was moving fast enough to avoid using his powers.  He hadn’t used much more than his telepathy in months, excepting the blast he’d used several moments before to drive Slow Burn back.  Jono lunged forward and slammed his shoulder into his opponent’s ribs.  He jumped on top of him and began pummeling him.  He suddenly felt a blast of heat, and was thrown back.  He landed on his back several feet away.

“Assaulting a federal agent Mister Starsmore?”  Slow Burn stood, wiped blood from his lip and drew a badge from a pocket in his jumpsuit.  “Pretty nasty crime to add to harboring a federal criminal.  Do you want to come in quietly now?”

“Did I not tell you to sod the hell off?”

“Yes, you did.  And I’m not British, so I don’t know what the hell that means.”

“It means I’m not coming in quietly.”  Jono rushed at the agent again.  This time, he flared brightly with flame, hoping to deter the assault.  Chamber simply grimaced and hit him hard.  He stumbled back then blazed hotter, but Jono kept coming, hitting Slow Burn over and over.

Jackson Resnack stumbled backward, amping up his flame with every blow.  He couldn’t see Chamber as he kept on him.  He finally pushed back, turning the air around him into an inferno.  The young X-Man was gone, a figure of pure energy standing in his place.

“Oh you poor bastard,” Chamber said in his head.  The energy being flared brightly, blinding Resnack for a few moments.  When his sight returned, Chamber was standing in front of him again, his hands blazing with the same energy.

“You’ve just gone an’ really buggered up,” the Briton growled.  He threw his hands forward and threw the energy built up in his fists at him.

“Oh shit.”

Jubilee dodged a super speed punch and sprayed the area in front of the blur with hot plasma bursts.  The speedster cried out in pain and slid into a parked car.  Molly Hayes grabbed him by the scruff of the collar and picked him up.  She held him level to her glowing purple eyes.

“It’s not nice to hit girls!” she exclaimed.  She lifted him and threw him across the street.  She grabbed the car, the metal crumbling under her fingers, and threw it after him.  Jubilee twisted her lip.

“Did I say things that lame when I was your age?” she grumbled.  Molly gave her a large grin.

“Probably.”  Molly was suddenly thrown backwards.  A thin red-headed youth ran at them, his hands held forward.  He threw his hands up, lifting Molly into the air.  Jubes’ jaw dropped.  She threw her hands forward and sprayed the young man with fireworks.

“Hey Dickhead!” she screamed.  “She’s just a kid!  What are you doing?!”  The plasma blast sent the young man stumbling back.

“A little help here Rush!” he called.  He threw out his hands again, and a gust of wind whipped around Jubes.  She braced herself and blasted him again.

“Yeah, right,” she laughed.  “Like it’ll help.”

“Heads up Typhoon!”  The speedster came from behind his teammate.  Jubilee started to react, but didn’t need to.  Molly tackled him.

“Rush, Typhoon?” she quipped.  “Man you guys are lame!  Can’t you come up with a fun name like… Princess Powerful!”  Jubilee had to suppress a snort at the name.  Molly punched him across the face and he slumped down unconscious.

“Don’t tell me you’re seriously considering that name?!” she cried, slamming Typhoon with another blast of plasma.  “It is better than their names though!”

“Yep!” Molly exclaimed, standing up and yawning.  “It’s lots and lots and lots better.”  She yawned again.  “Oh, so tired.”

“What?” Typhoon growled.  “In the middle of a fight?”  He started to turn to Molly to take advantage of her apparent exhaustion.  Jubilee pushed her sudden advantage, slamming Typhoon with a burst of fireworks.  It threw him to the ground and sent him sliding across the pavement.  Jubilee turned to Molly, wiping her hands.

“Good distraction Squi-“  She paused when she saw Molly really had fallen asleep.

“You have got to be kidding me!” she exclaimed.

Jono slammed Slow Burn with another blast of bio-nuclear fire.  It was all the special agent could do to deflect his assaulter.  The energy surrounded Jono, flowing freely from his hands.

“Come on mate!” he yelled and blasted him again.  “Yeh were so keen on bringin’ me in for helpin’ a mate.  Take me in!”  He marched towards him, raining blows of energy on him.  “COME ON!”  The cry reverberated in Resnack’s head, disorienting him almost as much as Jono’s assault.  He collapsed, dry heaving.

“That’s what I thought,” he said.  He kicked him in the side.  He spun to Angelo and Everett.  Jubilee crouched down not far from them, Molly’s prone form in front of her.

“Bloody hell,” Jono grumbled.  He reached out with his telepathy.  “Hey, you two wankers!”  The two FBI agents stopped and covered their ears, thinking the voice in their heads.  “You’re outnumbered, five to two.  We’re better trained than you two.  Stand down.”  He marched towards them, nuclear fire dancing around his body.

The woman sneered and rushed at Jono.  He started to build up a blast, but Everett moved faster.  Synching Angelo, he pushed himself with an extended column of skin towards her, extending his fingertips as he did so.  Five tendrils of prehensile skin wrapped around her legs.  He yanked hard and threw her to the ground.  She struck her head, effectively knocking her out.

“Damn amigo,” Angelo said.  “Haven’t lost your touch.”  Police sirens began blaring nearby.

“Let’s go!” Jono exclaimed.  He rushed over to Jubilee.

“She’s fine,” she said.  “She… fell asleep.”  Everett and Angelo joined them.

“You’re kidding me,” Everett said.

“No,” Angelo said.  “She did the same thing in LA.”  She bent over Molly and scooped her up.  “Let’s get out of here.”

“They have us all tagged now Logan,” Jubilee said into the phone.  “We have no where to run.”  She paced at the bus station in Saint George, Utah.  Angelo’s car had run out of gas about a mile away from the station.  They had discovered their credit cards were all locked when they’d tried to fill up.

“Look kiddo, I’ve been through this before,” he growled.  “Stay calm.  Y’ve got Jono with you.  Use his telepathy to yer advantage.  Don’t worry about the ethics.  I’ve done worse things t’ survive.  I’ll talk to Cyke and Jeannie, try to get you some help.”

“‘Kay,” she mumbled.  “Hurry please.”

“Oh, if you’re on a cell, keep moving,” he added.  “I’ll call you back ASAP.”  Her mentor sighed.  “Hold up kiddo.  You’ll be fine.”  The line went dead.  She flipped the phone shut.  Angelo held his hands out from where he stood and she tossed him the phone.

“He on our side?” he asked.

“It’s Logan,” she said.  “If I’m involved…”

“’Nuff said,” Angelo said with a nod.  He took a deep breath.  “Thanks chica.  I appreciate what you guys are doing for me.”

“Come on Ange,” she replied.  “The old gang?  How could I not come back?”

“I can’t believe you just called us an old gang,” he said.

“Whatever,” she said, giving him a shove.  “You know you boys would never leave each other hanging out to dry.”  The phone in Angelo’s hand began ringing.  He frowned as he looked at the display.

“Private number,” he said.  He handed her the phone.  She flipped the phone open.

“Hello?” she asked.

“Is this Jubilation Lee?” said the voice on the other line.

“Yes?”

“My name is Gene Hayes,” he said.  “I need to speak to Angelo Espinosa.”  Jubilee started for a moment, then handed Angelo the phone.  She mouthed ‘Molly’s Dad’ with a puzzled look on her face.

“Hello?”

“Mister Espinosa,” Hayes said.  “We’ll be coming for Molly shortly.  It was unwise to take her in the first place.  Have a good evening.”  He hung up.  Angelo held the phone away from his ear.

“What the hell?” he grumbled.  “That was… creepy.”

“Jono.”

Chamber shifted in the bed.

“Jono!”

He grunted and rolled over.

“Jono, wake up!”

He sat straight up and looked around.  A familiar blonde figure sat in the chair across from him.  She was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, the clothes she’d been most comfortable in.  He gasped.

“Paige?” he muttered.

“Yeah,” she said, glancing around.  “Not too bad.  The telepathic credit card trick worked pretty well.”

“Why have I been hearing yeh?” he asked.  “What is it?”

“Ah’m here with you Jono,” she said.  “Ah always have been, even more so since Emma…”

“Paige, luv, I can’t believe yeh’re here.”

“Ah know,” she said.  “And ah really am.  I came to warn you.  Be careful Jono.  Something wicked this way comes, as the saying goes.  I love you.”  She reached out to him and faded away.

“Paige!  PAIGE!”

Jono sat up straight in the bed, cold sweat all over his body.  It felt so real, as if Paige really was there…

Everett rolled over in the room’s other bed and squinted at him.

“Jono, you okay man?”  He nodded slowly.

“Just a dream mate,” he said.  Ev sat up, sensing his friend was troubled.

“Of what?”

“Paige,” he said.  “She came to warn me.”

“About what?” Ev asked.  Jono looked at Everett, a haunted look in his eyes.

“All she said was ‘something wicked this way comes.’”

Agent Hans Maher walked through the Vault, flanked by a pair of Guardsmen.  The superhuman residents of the prison called out at him, trying to fluster the experienced federal agent.  The freaks had no idea what lay beneath the calm exterior.

“This isn’t common procedure Agent Maher,” one of the Guardsmen said.  “We’ve never had a fed here to release a prisoner.”

“This is a special case,” he said.  “We need to talents of this particular convict.  I know Mister Rhodes, your chief of security, objected to this, but this man… He’s the only one who can help to solve this case.”

“I’ve heard that before,” the other Guardsman said.  “It never ends well.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Maher said.  “This will.”  The trio stopped at a cell.  Maher glanced inside, seeing the bulky form huddled in the corner.

“Let me talk to him, alone,” he said.  Both Guardsmen cocked their heads, but complied per orders passed down from Rhodes.  One opened the cell, and Maher walked inside.

“Hello,” he said, standing back a safe distance.  “My name is Agent Hans Maher.  I’m with the FBI and I need your help.”  The figure took several labored breaths while a respirator on his back hissed.  “I’m tracking a small group of mutants.  They’re wanted for murder and various other crimes.  You’re familiar with them.  Generation X is what they used to call themselves.”  The figure startled at the name, turning slightly towards him.  Maher crouched down so he was at eye level with the convict.

“Yes, you know them.  We want them in custody.  They’ve become dangerous.  They’ve kidnapped a child and murdered a woman.”

“You’re striking a deal with the devil,” he rasped.

“I know,” Maher said.  “A necessity to bring in a group of sinners.”

“What’s in it for me?” he grumbled.

“Freedom,” Maher said.  “I have the authority to grant you a pardon and send you on your way anywhere not on American soil.  Is that acceptable, Marius?”

Emplate turned and stood.  His dark eyes glittered with something Maher thought might be delight.  The mutant vampire laughed, a sound that unsettled even him.

“More than acceptable,” he said.  “It’s a pleasure Agent Maher.”

In Generation X #20:  The Pride versus Generation X!  They’ve been hinted at in the page of Web of Scarlet Spider, but see them in action for the first time at M2K here!  Who will be coming for Molly?  What’s next for Emplate?  And just why did Husk insist she was really there in Chamber’s dream?  The answer will surprise you!