Good to see you, Brother.

[Flux]

Flux twitched the ghost of a smile onto his face, a thanks for the back-up.

"I don't want to drive a wedge between you and your fellows," said the psychiatrist with a placating tone. "I certainly don't want to attack you. I understand the...paranoia?...with which many mutants regard this place. I really don't want your powers taken away, or to change your identities or try to divide mutantkind and set them against one another. I want to rehabilitate criminals, mutant or not."

"We want equality and safety," Flux grumbled.

"I know," she sighed. "I want that, too, but if the pair of you and your cohorts in the Brotherhood continue as you are, I think it will be very difficult to achieve that."

[The Brotherhood]

You and the Brotherhood. That was right. Because it was always the mutants' fault, wasn't it? It was the mutants' fault they were feared and hated. The mutants' fault that places like the Jozua Clinic existed.

Contempt hardened Geryon's face like iron. He didn't even bother looking back at the psychiatrist.

"If that's what you wanted, Doc," he said, "you wouldn't be workin' in a place like this."

[Flux]

Flux smirked as the doctor deflated.

"Yeah, you totally said that wrong," he smirked, relishing her failure. "Seriously, you're the worst. Go to Mundane Prison and rehab them. We're fine on our own."

The slender Doctor half-smiled. "I suppose you are," she conceded. "Guards, take the boys back to their rooms so they can be on their own." Plastic rifles braced on shoulders as three pairs of guards moved to flank the prisoners. Two produced handcuffs to bind the mutants arms.

"Well!" Flux said with a mockingly chipper tone. "This has been fucktons of fun. Visitation sure is swell." Flux stood respectfully. The guards reacted, but didn't subdue him. Yet. "See you again soon, Brother."

[The Brotherhood]

"See you," Geryon replied with a lazy salute. "I don't think I'm gettin' up. That drug's doin' a number on my head. I think I'll let these goons drag me out of here. They could use the exercise."

The immense Samoan mutant grinned at the guards on either side of him.

"Stay real, Brother. We won't be in here for long."

[Flux]

Flux returned the salute with a gesture like touching the brim of a hat. "Always," was his reassurance to the Samoan. "See you on the outside."

********

It'd been many months since that day. They'd not been allowed to visit again. Flux supposed that it was because the Center had decided they'd learned all they could from that one interaction, or else Sumpter hadn't been granted permission to continue observing them or to try group therapy.

Since then he'd only seen two other mutants: Rosanna Hughes, the enormous biological terror, and Banner, his we'll-see-how-this-works-out girlfriend. The pair of guards, ordinarily stationed back-to-back to guard from threats outside and inside the terrorist's prison cell, were both standing watching him. He'd not moved for several minutes.

"BOO!" Flux reared up at them through the door, his face a mask of hate. The guards jumped and pounded the door, cursing him and ordering him to go sit down. Flux obstinately held his ground, looking past them to the end of the no-metal zone. Beyond those doors, his Brothers, Sisters, and freedom. "Soon," Flux vowed.