"... And I'm a Mutant." [IC]

[alderwitch]

Date: June 23rd, 2010

Petite and soft spoken, it was easy to mistake Alexandra Albright's gentleness for fragility. Those who knew her, however, knew that beneath that kindness lurked a stubborn streak and an iron will. Once committed to a course of action, she was near impossible to sway. Those that she cared about had been informed of her intentions before June sixteenth but no one had managed to convince her to alter her course an inch.

Like the other members of Young Freedom, she'd agreed to an interview. Unlike the rest of them, she'd arrived dressed in business casual attire, slacks, sandals and a blouse. Oh, and no mask.

"I'm Alexandra Albright. I'm a founding member of Young Freedom as Psyche and I'm the majority shareholder of AEON," she introduced herself to the interviewer in her high and clear voice, offering a soft hand shake. Then she turned to the camera, "And I'm one of the so-called Terminus children."

Always the planner, she'd 'leaked' her own file to the tv station a few days before. For the next half hour, she answered questions about her origins in a quiet, sober voice as well as her current activities with AEON and Young Freedom. She demured any questions about the origins or identities of her fellow teammates and at the end of the interview, rather than anything flashy, quietly shook the interviewer's hand again and walked off the stage.

All in all it was a very calm hour of her life that would change everything.

[angrydurf]

Mike watched the interview at the Albright home with her Parents as well as his own. It seemed to have gone well controlled much as she had said. Now the secret was out though and things were definitely going to change. As the interview wound to a close he stood and took a few steps to the door turning to look over his shoulder at their nervous parents, "It'll be alright she knows what she's doing." he said with a smile and a quick nod. The Albright phone began to ring as he reached for the handle to the back door all eyes drawn to it. Mike nodded to her father and opened the door, "I'm gonna go check on her." he said and stepped out rocketing up into the sky and across town to the station.

When he arrived he dropped into the ally behind hoping not to be spotted as he let his vision slide past the walls to track Alexs position so he could intercept her once he got inside.

"How ya doing?" he asked as she passed the hall he was lurking in.

[alderwitch]

"Okay, little shaky," Alex said quietly and walked into his arms. She let out a little sigh as she turned her cheek against his chest. Alex's arms slid around his waist and she relaxed as she listened to the rumble of his voice. "Lets go get something to eat, okay? I bet you're hungry and I didn't eat at all. Too nervous."

[Ecalsneerg]

Geckoman sat at the computer console in the Arborealair, watching TV on one screen while programming the basic systems. "Liiiiiiiiiz!" he shouted. "Where's the USB with OpenOffice in it?"

The sound of welding in the background ceased for a second. "In your pockets." Liz got back to attaching the blast doors to the Pitchoo's hangar. Chris reached into his belt to find... the USB stick he needed.

Then he paused when he saw Alex walk on TV.

"I'm Alexandra Albright. I'm a founding member of Young Freedom as Psyche and I'm the majority shareholder of AEON," she introduced herself to the interviewer in her high and clear voice, offering a soft hand shake. Then she turned to the camera, "And I'm one of the so-called Terminus children."

"WHAT?!" There was a clatter as he fell off the chair and lay pointing. Liz threw the welding iron aside and came running up.

"What the bloody hell did you do now?" she asked in an incredibly exasperated tone.

"Alex! Television! Identity!" he said in a high-pitched voice. "Alex!" Liz turned and watched the show for a while.

"Weird. You wanna call Mike or someone?"

"Alex! Television! Identity!"

"Uh-huh. I'm'a give you ten minutes, OK sweetie?"

[angrydurf]

Mike nodded to her and tried, as best his looming six and half foot frame allowed, to slip out with her relatively unnoticed, "You want me to call any of the others?" he asked, "Any where you want to go?" He decided not to tell her that her parents were already beginning to field calls from the Press they had all known it would come if Alex was right it would die down once the initial shock wore off.

[Cyroa]

James looked up from the console. Reading the language that now never existed and translating it combined with going over what the data actually was, and combining it with what he got from Navigatrix, was giving him a serious headache. He leaned back in the chair and glanced over at one of the screen as he noticed something out of the corner of his eyes. He reached over and fiddled with the control, turning the volume up. Alex's voice came in very clearly and he had to smile. He'd known this was coming a while now.

"Heck with this," he said standing. It had been almost forever since he'd even seen Alex. He could use the break. A quick change of clothes and a stop by the pad, and a few minutes later he was walking around the corner. He grinned at his two friends. "Long time no see! I just saw the news and figured I'd actually come see how you two are holding up. I've been expecting something like this a while now. Sorry I haven't been around much, nor am I likely to be able to stay for more than a few minutes; just want to say hi and check in with you guys."

[Gizmo]

In the Claremont garage, Trevor Hunter was up to his elbows in the innards of the Night Cycle, working away as a portable television provided background noise. Extricating one arm to wipe sweat from his forehead, the young man left a streak of grease across his pale skin. Casting about fro a rag, he turned to see a familiar face on the small screen.

"I'm Alexandra Albright. I'm a founding member of Young Freedom as Psyche and I'm the majority shareholder of AEON," she introduced herself to the interviewer in her high and clear voice, offering a soft hand shake. Then she turned to the camera, "And I'm one of the so-called Terminus children."

The dark haired teen raised an eyebrow. It was a bold move on Alex's part, but one is instincts told him was foolish. More importantly, her 'outing' could potentially put the rest of the school at risk by association. Hope you know what you're doing... he mused.

[alderwitch]

Alex unwound herself from the protective shadow of Mike and threw herself at James with a big and enthusiastic hug, "We're fine. Good, even. I expect there's going to be a lot of people that don't understand why I made the choice to do this today, but that's okay. People don't always understand me a lot of the time. I know my friends will support me." She squeezed him around the waist, still Alex despite fancy new clothes and stepped back, "How have you been?"

[Cyroa]

James chuckled and return the hugs, though not quite as boisterous in return. He left his arm around her as well, chuckling. "I'm...surviving," he said with a wry smile. "Just ...been real busy. Kind of missed all of you," he said with regret. He waved it away. Price he paid and all that. "Doesn't matter though; certainly not the place to talk about it. I'm here to just express my support. So, how've you been? Got this all set up I take it?"

[angrydurf]

Mike smiled as James approached, "Good to see you James." he said with a nod, "We've all been pretty busy lately it seems." he agreed. The big teen smiled down to his diminutive girlfriend, "So she says but its still been a bit nerve wracking." he admits, "But I'm sure it'll work out." he says with a confidence he never would have mustered six months ago.

[N/A]

Zoe appeared between the blinks of their eyes, first at Alex's side, then in front of her. "I came as soon as I heard. I kinda didn't know if you'd actually be able to go through with it." She gave Alex a big hug. "How you holding up?" Then she turned halfway when she saw James out of the corner of her eye. "*cough* Ahem. Um...James. Hi." She cleared her throat again, scratched the back of her neck nervously, then turned back to Alex. "So...what now?"

[Gizmo]

Jack of all Blades wandered into the hub of the Underground to find the rest of the Interceptors gathered around the monitors there. "What, you guys afraid you'll miss your stori-" The swashbuckler was cut off as Vince appeared on the wall beside him with a shushing gesture before waving him over and blinking away once more. Jogging over to the screens with a frown, Jack arrived in time to catch one of the several news stations playing of the extensive bank of computers replaying part of an interview with a slim teenage girl.

"I'm Alexandra Albright. I'm a founding member of Young Freedom as Psyche and I'm the majority shareholder of AEON," she introduced herself to the interviewer in her high and clear voice, offering a soft hand shake. Then she turned to the camera, "And I'm one of the so-called Terminus children."

The swordsman whistled low. "Gutsy," he commented appreciatively.

[Dr Archeville]

Doktor Archeville also looked on with the Interceptors. His observations of recent trends had led him to calculate that something of some importance would be announced sometime this week... and he was a bit annoyed at his inability to pinpoint it any more than that. He could have built a device that would let him see through time, but not knowing what to look for, he'd probably search so long (and get distracted by so many other things) he'd miss the announcement. Fortunately, he knew someone who routinely kept an ear out for any unusual broadcasts: Vince.

Which is how he came to be in the Brownstone's monitoring room with the rest of his team.

Son of a #$%*! If I'd known she was gonna do that, I wouldn't have bothered having the pixie spy on her and her boyfriend!

You would have found other reasons to spy on them.

True, but that's not the point. The point is my time was wasted!

Yours, perhaps, but not mine. While you used the data Lyn obtains for purely selfish means, I have been working on beneficial uses for it.

"Hunh, I vould haff figured she vould vait until she vas out of her teen years before making such an announcement. Perhaps it is best to get it out of de vay now, dough. I vonder if Mike vill divulge his status as a-"

The Doktor clasped a hand to his mouth, realizing he's just blurted out that Michael "Phalanx" Harris was also a Terminus Baby. But... maybe the other Interceptors didn't catch that. And even if they did, surely none of them would run around blurting that out... right?

I'll get the Neuralyzer...

No! No memory wipes!

[alderwitch]

Alex returned Zoe's hug cheerfully and announced, "Now, we go get lunch. Don't worry so much, guys. Things will be okay in the end. You'll see. Now, who wants lunch? I'm buying."

Her serenity was back in place, although she kept a comforting arm around Zoe soothingly as if she could sense some distress from her. And she probably could. She kept her tone deliberately light. "And of course I went through with it. There's been a lot of planning that went into this. I'm no chicken!"

[Cyroa]

He nodded at Mike. "I bet. Though I'm certain you can handle it and anything else that comes your way. If you need anything from me though, don't hesitate to ask." James gave a wry smile and chuckled. His expression never slipped upon seeing Zoe. "Never doubted it for a minute. I saw this one coming a long way off after all. I can't really stay and have lunch though. Just wanted to show my support and say hi. Been a while since I've seen you guys," he said with a shrug. "Things will calm down soon enough I hope." Not that he particularly believed that but it sounded nice.

[angrydurf]

Mike nodded agreement, "Yea nothing we can't handle" he replied with a smile. He started slightly at Zoes sudden appearance still not completely accustomed her her sudden comings and goings and even less certain how to treat his daughter who was in many ways older than he was.

As James made his excuses Mike gave him a solid pat on the back, "Well don't be a stranger." he said with a wide smile, "We'll have to get together if we can find the time for more then a quick hello." he added.

[N/A]

Zoe blinked out of existence again, reappearing in front of Mike still in motion. She crashed into his massive frame and gave him a big hug. Of course, given his godlike strength, the impact didn't budge him in the slightest. "Hey you." Still halfway holding onto Mike, she turned to Alex. "Yeah, try not to fall over and have a heart attack from the surprise, but I could totally go for some grub. So, are you even gonna try to convince me that coming out like five years ahead of time and totally turning your whole farking life inside out had nothing to do with, well, me? Or are we gonna skip the foreplay this time?"

[alderwitch]

"No, of course I'm not going to try and convince you of that. You're a bright girl, its obvious that some adjustments have to be made with the present situation being what it is," Alex said with the usual mingled pride and aggravation that Zoe generally caused her. She gave James one more fond hug and murmured, "You're welcome all the time, you know. Sometimes you simply need to make time."

She nodded and reached up to loosen the button of her dress blouse and explained patiently, "Someone has to come out eventually as a non-threatening Terminus child. It was only theory that our mutation would be passed down genetically to any offspring. A very sound theory, but a theory none-the-less. Eventually someone is going to realize who you are, Zoe, and more importantly what. When it comes clear that not only are the original children possessed of strange powers, but with the capacity to breed more, the same sort of hysteria that allowed Mike and I to be placed in government care could rise up again. I'm not going to have you raised in government care or laws passed to prevent Terminus children from marrying or reproducing. The idea is obscene. Which means one must be proactive and the only Terminus child capable of handling the resultant emotional and psychological strain as a teenager, is me. It is a logical and necessary conclusion to reach and a step that I would have had to make at some point. Whether that's at sixteen or twenty-two, makes relatively little difference in the grand scheme of thing. I'm not having you have to go through that. Not at two or ten or sixteen. Not ever."

Alex took a breath after that little and relatively impassioned speech before suggesting, "Shall we hit the mall then?"

[Cyroa]

James nodded at Mike. "I'll try. You guys take care, keep your head down and give me a call if you need something." He chuckled at Alex. "I know. But as I've recently discovered, sometimes you just have to suck it up and do the right thing." He'd come a long way in less than a year. "Still, I'll try. Take care you guys. Cya around Zoe." With that, James blinked out, teleporting away.

[Heritage]

"I'm Alexandra Albright. I'm a founding member of Young Freedom as Psyche and I'm the majority shareholder of AEON," she introduced herself to the interviewer in her high and clear voice, offering a soft hand shake. Then she turned to the camera, "And I'm one of the so-called Terminus children."

Grim felt a mixture of feelings watching Alex during her interview, though shame was at the forefront; her undercover work at Claremont still left a bad taste in her mouth, and it reminded her of the work to come, which she'd been unsuccessfully trying to put out of her mind.

"Gutsy,"

"I'll say; I hope she'll be alright."

And she actually did; as scary as all the implications of Alex, Mike and their bizarre love child from the future really were, she meant none of the harm, and seriously hoped things would work out well for them in the end.

Because they so often do... :roll:

"Hunh, I vould haff figured she vould vait until she vas out of her teen years before making such an announcement. Perhaps it is best to get it out of de vay now, dough. I vonder if Mike vill divulge his status as a-"

The diminutive shapeshifter stiffened and cocked her head slightly at their benefactor's comment, but said nothing.

[N/A]

"Whether that's at sixteen or twenty-two, makes relatively little difference in the grand scheme of thing. I'm not having you have to go through that. Not at two or ten or sixteen. Not ever."

Zoe broke away from Mike's embrace and hugged Alex again, tightly. Mentally, she whispered, without any of the usual hesitation that accompanied the word, Thanks Mom.

Alex took a breath after that little and relatively impassioned speech before suggesting, "Shall we hit the mall then?"

"At the risk of sounding like every teenage girl stereotype the popular media's crapped out in the last forty years, and will continue to crap out for the next fifteen at least, 'Hell yes, let's go to the mall.' I would drown a kindergartener in his own potty-training for a couple pretzels right now. So, we hoofin' it, or does THE C-E-O have a limo now?" She grinned as she playfully punched Alex in the shoulder.

[angrydurf]

Mike smiled over to Alex as she explained her reasons in complete agreement with the sentiment even if he had just assumed they would refuse such an attempt. Alex's way was undoubtedly better.

He looked down to Zoe then to Alex, "Or we can go in Style." he suggested and extended an arm to them each heedless of the fact that immediately after her coming out might not be the best time for them all to fly out across the city for pretzles.

[alderwitch]

Alex patted her back gently, in her suit and heels miles more like Zoe's mother than she'd felt since she'd come to this crazy place. Even the faint perfume was the same. It was probably as eerie as it was comforting, 'I love you, too.

Alex did know that it wasn't the best time to go flying around the city, but she also knew that flying, walking or driving a car, she was bound to deal with the fallout of everything. She linked her arm with Mike's and teased him playfully, "You sure you can carry both of us without winding yourself? What will you do if a reporter flings herself out the window while we're on the way over? You'll have no hands left!"

[angrydurf]

Mike rolled his eyes, "I'll just have to find a way to make do." he said with a wink and looked over to Zoe, "You in Zoe?" he asked with an easy smile. It was an eerily familiar tableau in many ways. It seemed that Her arrival had done little but accelerate Mike and Alex turning into her Parents. Mike gently patted Alex's arm as he waited for Zoe's response.

[N/A]

Zoe grinned as she practically leapt onto Mike's arm. "Totally! I'm in, let's do this! It's not like you can't mind-over-matter us as a backup if he does have to fly off to save someone's day." She kissed her future daddy's shoulder, then nuzzled her cheek against his bicep. Wow. It's like I'm five years old again. Memories of a better time, or at least, a more simple time, came flooding into Zoe's mind. She did her best to clamp down on them and just enjoy the moment. Can't turn my brain off, even if I try. She glanced at Alex. Guess the apple didn't fall quite as far from the tree as everyone thinks.