Hi there gang. This may be my last part for a LOOOOOOONG time. I hope you
have enjoyed what has been done so far. I promise to continue writing the
story, it's just a matter of getting hold of a computer to send parts out. 

In case you missed any part you can easily find them on the web at:

www.geocities.com/SoHo/6329
www.spydernet.com/lori/index
www.ici.net/cust_pages/darqstar/ffindex 

Recap: Cable and X-Force have gone to Genosha to free the mutates, even
though after the assassination of Graydon Creed has brought the hatred of
mutants to an all time high.

Part XVII
	
	Boomer and Domino reached the inner city just as dusk was turning
everything in sight a drab grey. Neither had talked much during the ten mile
walk. Several times Tabitha had made an effort at conversation but Dom
remained aloof. She wondered if her co-leader was thinking about that hussy
Storm. As much as she considered Ororo a mentor, Cable and Domino were more
important now. She almost laughed at the direction of her thoughts. Here she
was thinking about the relationship between the heads of X-Force and she
couldn't even straighten out her own life with Sam.
	"Who needs him," she said, kicking a plastic bottle down the street.
	Domino, lost in her own world of thought, almost pulled her weapon on the
rolling trash. When she realized it was nothing she went back to working out
the plan Cable had come up with.
	Well that was just great, Tabitha said to herself. She's way too on edge
right now. Who can blame her though. Here we are two wanted mutants in a
country that has made it a policy to hunt us down as if we were rabid dogs.
To top it off we're walking straight down the sidewalk of a main road.
Reflexively she tugged on the collar around her throat. Who would have
thought the Genoshan's own restraining devices could be used to mask the
presence of those they despise.
	Once the fireworks start it was their job to wander the streets and point
out the 'mutates' that had suddenly broken free and were willingly helping
the citizens of Genosha. The hopeful effect would be a change in opinion by
a majority of the locals. If they saw the mutates applying crude first aid
or helping children escape the destruction maybe enough heads would turn
towards a different light. It was probably a long shot at best but an effort
that brought Xavier's dream closer would help her sleep better at night.
	"I guess any place is as good as any other," Dom said, looking around for a
bus stop bench. She sat down and brought her knees to her chest. The front
cover of a newspaper blew by from a slight breeze. The headline was covered
but she could make out the distinctive shaved head of a mutate gracing the
photo.
	Boomer sat beside her noisily cracking a wad of chewing gum. "Do you think
we'll get out of this one alive," she asked, deadly serious.
	Domino didn't glance at her. She only shook her head. "Every fiber of my
being is screaming at me to leave this place right now. Each step I take has
been a struggle." She stopped and shifted her body to face the younger girl.
"When you're young you have this feeling that nothing in the world can harm
you. Death only happens to the other guys but when someone close to you
dies, you realize that at any moment it can creep up on you and you're next."
	Tabitha almost stood and backed away. Instead, she arched her eyebrows and
listened.
	"A long time ago, when I was only twelve, I lost this sense of
invulnerability. A neighbor's house burned to the ground in the middle of
the night. My friend Cassie was killed. She died of smoke before the flames
got to her. Watching this as a child had a profound effect on me. I remember
wanting to rush in to save her but my legs refused to move. I sometimes
consider that one of the first unaccounted for incidences of my mutant luck.
	"It was not until a few years later that I officially realized I was a
mutant. I was always fortunate to avoid harm. I could be late for school and
the teacher would be later than me. I couldn't understand why. I heard about
mutants of course but being lucky... it seemed to... unbelievable.
	"Anyway, I'm talking in circles, not getting out what I set out to. I guess
you can imagine why I take the risks I do sometimes. I could be a
billionaire. Imagine if I played the lottery. Every year I could win.
Wouldn't that raise suspicions? Right now I'm wondering myself. Every step
I've taken for the past mile has been a test of wills against my own body.
My legs feel like lead and I can feel cramps all over. I have my hunches as
to what this means." Domino stopped her monologue and stared pleadingly with
Boomer. "If something happens to me, I want you to promise me something."
	This wasn't the Domino she knew. She wasn't implying that Copycat was
sitting across from her impersonating Domino like she had for many months
without anyone the wiser. Dom was normally so...distant and she was begging
her, the most obnoxious of the team, for a favor. "Sure. Whatever it is, I
promise, if I make it out and you don't, I'll do whatever you ask."
	Dom smiled and almost laughed. "You should never make a promise before
knowing what it is you're vowing to do. Your lucky this time. I want you to
make sure Cable understands that there was never a doubt in my mind about him."
	"That's all?"
	"Sounds simple, huh. You should know men by now. Thickheaded, stubborn and
clueless about thins when they are standing in front of you. Ororo is an
incredible woman and I see him slowly drifting away, even though he swears
he isn't. Call it woman's intuition. I'm sure you understand."
	Tabitha nodded and as if on cue a huge fireball shot up towards the
heavens. The rumble and wave of heat followed only seconds later. They were
nearly a mile away.
	Neither said a word as they sprang from the bench and sprinted towards the
destruction. Dominos leg cramps subsided. She puzzled over the sudden
disappearance of the foreboding feeling. She mentally shrugged and as she
did she felt the cold metal of the Genosha collar and wondered how her
mutant power was able to override to collars purpose. How strong had that
feeling needed to be.

	Caliban had sprinted until his sensory overload had diminished enough to
become tolerable. Caliban knew Cable-Nathan had said the dog leash would
hold back his mutant power. He was sure of it. If Caliban knew how to swear
on it he would. This leash must be broken no-good, he though and pulled on
the collar. It took a considerable effort and after a bruised neck, the
hinges snapped, along with the image inducer he wore, revealing his
beast-like form.
	"Caliban feel better now," he said, stretching his thickly muscled arms
above his head. He could feel the mutant signatures behind him radiating
intensely from the computer he was supposed to break. I guess I should go to
the plane like Cable-Nathan said to.
	The sun was kissing the horizon behind him and only a trickling of people
made their way along the city's sidewalks but every one had seen the
menacingly large man wearing a beige trench coat, blink out of existence and
be replaced with a grey creature from a nightmare. Women screamed and a pair
of children cried, clinging to their father's legs in fear.
	Caliban looked around in wonder. What where the people scared of? He tried
to find something or someone that appeared to be frightening anybody, not
realizing he was the one causing the distress. The nearest bystander was an
elderly lady who stood on shaky legs. "Excuse Caliban but-"
	A heavy thud of something striking his back finished the sentence for him.
Caliban stumbled forward and reached out to balance himself. His clawed
fingers accidentally grazed the woman and brought her down with him.
	"You mutant freak," the wielder of whatever had struck him from behind
screamed. "Someone call the magistrates."
	In the background he heard cries of freak, mutie scum, monster, devil. All
of which could not describe him. Not peaceful Caliban.
	The club came down on him again, this time across his lower back. Another
blow like that but on his head would crush his skull or at the last,
paralyze him. A burst of adrenaline kicked in and despite the excruciating
pain he jumped to his feet and flung his arms out wide. His assailant was a
young man in coveralls who looked like he spent too much time under the hood
of a car and full of grease to ever be clean again.
	Caliban's eyes narrowed and the other man cowered slightly. Two blows like
that would have finished a normal human but this beast was anything but
human. He brought the crowbar he kept on the passenger seat of his car,
because even in a safe city you can never be too careful.
	On the crowbar's upward swing Caliban lunged, wasting no time for a stand
off. His greater weight brought the other man down, knocking the wind from
his lungs in a quick whoosh. Caliban wanted to beat the man further but
footsteps signaled the arrival of others.
	He quickly took in the situation he now found himself stuck in. Nearly
fifteen men had come to this man's aid. Only two were holding weapons of
some sort. One had a long screw driver and the other a hammer. Caliban
wasn't intelligent to doubt his ability to win this fight. Patch-eye told
him he could overcome any obstacle if he tried hard enough. Not wasting one
moment he lunged at a pair of figures, grabbing both and knocking them
together. He dropped the limp bodies and turned in time to dodge the swing
of a hammer. Before a second swing could hurt him, he punched the man in the
throat, crushing his trachea.
	Caliban lost himself in the battle. A rage consumed his soul that he had
suppressed years ago. If asked if he killed anyone in that moment he
wouldn't be able to truthful say no. He claws were bloodied as well as his
teeth. Guttural growls and hisses were Caliban's only response to the dying
enemies at his feet. He hadn't lost control like this in a long time and
without any friends nearby to bring him back, his feeble mind receded into
an instinct driven animal like state.
	When no other foes stepped forward Caliban paused and sniffed the air.
Fifteen bodies lay strewn about, bleeding into the gutters. The other people
had walked by to witness the carnage but none dared to help take down the
rampaging monster. Caliban howled and licked the salty blood off his claws.
Prey was still plentiful around him. His eyes nearly glowed in anticipation.
	"By the order of the Genoshian Government you are to cease and desist any
further action. You will be detained and sentenced-"
	Caliban couldn't process what the armored Genoshian was yelling about. The
airship had appeared out of nowhere and three others were quickly joining
the first. He jumped straight up and fell considerably short of reaching the
hovering craft.
	The captain of the gunship took that as his cue to let loose with the twin
chain guns mounted on each short wing. The bullets ridded the ground in
almost a direct line for the mutant. The road and sidewalk, bombarded with
spent rounds, flaked and sent shrapnel flying.
	Caliban ran as the first bullets tore through the ground. He had no sense
of which direction to head or and no qualms about leaving the fifteen bodies
behind that stood the chance of further injury, if they weren't dead
already. The battering he dished out wasn't all one-sided. His arms and legs
were bruised, making it difficult to maintain any speed.
	The gunship swooped lower and followed behind spraying the street with more
high caliber rounds, which somehow managed to miss their target with every
sweep.
	Caliban ran with his head down, taking turns and doubling back only at the
last possible moment. His strength was waning and he knew he wasn't going to
keep this up for much longer. He needed to hide but could not find any place
that seemed safe. His path eventually lead him straight into more
reinforcements. Their guns blazed brightly in the diminishing light of day. 
	There seemed to no escape. Caliban braced himself for his death and looked
down, somehow putting aside the animal ferocity for a moment. By his feet a
round manhole cover seemed to beckon to him. He remembered the tunnels and
living there among friends. Hastily he reached down, his sharp claws finding
the seem around the lid and yanked straight up. The metal disk flew and
crashed into a pane glass window on an electronics store.
	The Genoshans watched the grey mutants frantic attempt to escape for only a
second before sending another volley. The captain slammed his fist into the
console of the ship and swore. "We can't afford to have a renegade mutant
running around underground. Land! Land, God damn it!" He pushed the stick
forward and brought the aircraft within inches from the ground. The
stabilizers would keep the heavy ship from further destroying the heavily
damaged road. The damn mutie had disappeared and he was responsible.
	Caliban hit the bottom of the chute hard. He knees buckled and his balance
was thrown off, sending him face first into the murky mater. He was slow
getting up. His right shoulder throbbed painfully and he barely registered
the blood coming from a slug that shredded a chunk of meat out of his shoulder.
	From above he heard the whine of turbines and armored feet striking the
street. Flashlights pierced the darkness, barely penetrating the utter
blackness surrounding him. It was in that faint light he saw a dark figure
with his hand extended towards him. "You were mine once and so you shall be
again."
	The boots of the soldiers above clanged against the metal rungs of the
ladder as they made their way down into the tunnels. He couldn't make out
the words they spoke except one: mutie. It was a word he could associate
with the pain in his shoulder.
	Not remembering who the dark figure was that he belonged to but deciding
anything would be better then facing the soldiers, he extended his hand. As
soon as his fingers brushed the other man's, he felt his stomach churn and
his vision blur as his body was transported across several thousand miles.

End part XVII

Next: What happens to Cable and the rest of X-Force. (Here's a teaser. Not
everyone lives, so please be patients to find out who doesn't) A new member
of X-Factor joins Bastions team AND Beasts discovery about the Legacy Virus
AND the Gamesmaster sets up the next target AND X-Man makes an appearance
AND ah there's too much stuff in my head to name right now.