"That did not go as well as you had hoped."
"Please, Cait. This is the first time I went to the police. I didn't think that they too were also indifferent to our kind."
"Well,", Caitlyn angrily stood up from her seat. "They don't care. I'm black and a Mutt, so that makes it even worse."
The three friends were inside the local police precinct, sitting with downcast faces of disappointment as officers walked past, ignoring their presence completely. Of course they did. The law did state that the Neu-Volke, the people that gained powers during the global pandemic last year, were equal in standing along with other citizens of the United States, but enforcing that law was a different matter altogether. Most of the police did not even care about Mutts, as people called them; in the end, they were just like society at large. They did not think of the Mutts as people of equal standing with others; they were just another set of individuals that were different from the majority. Ah, what a familiar sight; cops of America either encouraging or ignoring discrimination. The history books were right. Humanity, which includes those whose job is to enforce the law, will most often seek to hate against those are different. It's just like the movies; their concern that Neu-Volke were being kidnapped was dismissed. Maybe they were in kahoots with the kidnappers too!
Ray got up, and looked down at Nikolai, who was still quite distraught at this whole thing. "Nick, Cait can just get her parents to give her private bodyguards, right? Is that right, Cait?"
"I hate bodyguards...", Caitlyn grumbled. "Feels like they are a bunch of helicopters around me all the time..."
"It's better than getting grabbed by the Aryan Brotherhood." Ray rolled his eyes. "Your parents have been insisting that you let them give your guards for a whole year already. It's time that you gave your consent. After all, your argument that you can freeze anyone who messes with you is now invalid because of... well, what happened."
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"What do you mean the cryokinetic got away?" A fair skinned man in his 40's, grey haired, slim, sporting a pair of side burns and wearing a formal suit slammed his fist on his desk, causing the snow globe to fall to the floor, shattering into a hundred pieces. His secretary, a young brunette woman, gasped in fear of the man's fury.
"Um... it's hard to explain, but a portal maker grabbed her out of her cell. I believe those were the others in the Multiple Awakening sequence that she was in. A Wielder and a Watcher, if the sensors were correct."
"Tch... hmmmm... interesting. A portal maker with metacognitive powers and a telekinetic strong enough to instantly destroy our best restraints. We will need them too. Get to work."
"As you say, sir."
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"Guys... I understand that you're concerned, but you really don't have to come along."
Nick scoffed. "Oh, shut up. You're the one that got kidnapped by skin heads, got tased, was in a prison for Neu-Volke for a day, and needs body guards. I think walking you home isn't going to hurt."
"Talk about being as being as honest as a rock..." Ray nudged Caitlyn at the side, giving her the 'I'm-worried-about-you' look. "I would have told Nikolai to just portal you home, but... you know your parents feel about a hole in the fabric of space and time breaking delicate optical devices. Worst of all, though, we know nothing about the guys that took you, and the police are not interested in helping us."
"Well, okay. I'm sure they aren't going to go through the trouble of dodging gunfire from drones once my parents give me those guards just to get a girl that freezes stuff. I mean... I'm not as strong as either of you."
"Hey, at least you don't run the risk of nosebleed when you use your powers." Nikolai tapped her by the shoulder. "And we're here."
"Yup." In front of them was a rather large high rise building, with the words Vanburen Tech Corporation spelled out in massive letters near the spire. It was one of the taller buildings in Long Island, and sported a helicopter landing pad on the top. The structure wasn't that special to look at, though the inside was a different story altogether. The Vanburens themselves lived on four floors, as they also included their extended relatives in their residence. The rest of it was mostly testing and work facilities for their business, with a laboratory in the basement.
Caitlin turned to the two of them, smiling. "Well, thanks for saving me. I gotta go in now."
"Actually...", Nikolai gently grabbed her by the arm. "I was thinking if we should tell what happened... personally."
Ray looked unsure, though. "You sure, Nick? It's getting dark."
"Actually, I think that's a good idea." Caitlin glanced towards the entrance of the building. "It's been a while since you tasted my mom's legendary cooking. We always have huge dinners... you should text your parents first, though. She will kick you out if you don't show her that you told your parents beforehand."
Ray nodded slowly, giving his mom a text that he will be with the Vanburens for dinner. "Huh. She lets you play with poor sods like us but is still strict... nice." Not a moment passed before a reply came in; a simple 'k'. Typical...
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"So Ray and Nick are here too. Very nice to have my daughter's best friends here this evening."
Caitlin's mother, Therese, set down another plate of spaghetti on the expansive dining table, beaming a bright smile at the same time. She had these thick eyebrows and curled hair, and wore a grey dress with long sleeves. And her slippers were... penguin slippers. Nick almost laughed at them, but Ray's gloomy glare stopped him bursting into a snickering mess.
She was not like a lot of people out there. While others thought of the Neu-Volke as a ticking time bomb waiting to happen, she viewed them as people of great potential. Sure, Caitlin turned her bedroom into an icy hellscape when she was having nightmares, but Therese always saw the best in people. Perhaps this was why she was so successful; her optimistic attitude, combined with her husband's massive intellect, was an unstoppable force. When Caitlin manifested cryokinetic abilities, Therese had always been there by her side, encouraging her to control her power and to embrace them as part of who she is. Caitlin was spared the traumatic experiences that most Neu-Volke endured when they manifested, such as getting kicked out their homes and living on the streets...
Therese gave a warm smile. "Just wait here in the living room while I prepare dinner."
Nick and Ray both just nodded at her, and reclined on the soft grey couch. "Well, its been a month since we last sat in here. And it was your birthday back then."
Caitlin snickered. "Just wait until my goofy brother comes along and begs you to portal him to Disneyland."
"He was really cool, though. Peterson was the first guy to beat me in CounterStrike. Ever. Even Ray couldn't beat me in that game."
"Guys..." Ray frowned. "Who's gonna say it first?"
"I will." Caitlin raised her hand. "I'm the one that got the, you know, the K-word."
"And we'll just add to it... okay?" Nick gave a wink.
"Yeah, yeah. You do that."
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Nick couldn't resist grinning while eating; it was just too good. "This pasta is really good, what's the occasion, Mrs. Vanburen?"
"Hmmmm, I don't know. The most wholesome boys in the school are with my daughter, and they're also special, like her, and... I sense... unspoken attraction."
"Mom! Oh my God, that's so..."
"Embarrassing?"
Caitlin was blushing. Of course. The way she and Nikolai looked at each other; it was just too obvious. One didn't need to be a telepath to know that there was something being sparked in there... and Ray was the third wheel.
"Well, anyway. Cait said there was something you three wanted to tell me?"
"Yeah." Cait began. "I got kidnapped."
"... come again?"
"A pair of skin heads with taser batons nabbed me when I was going to school. They put a bag over my head and when it was taken off, I was in a cell."
"Uh... okay." It was quite a bit to take in. "That seemed to be a very quick kidnapping, considering you're already back here..."
"You can thank Nick and Ray for that." Caitlin gazed towards her two friends.
Ray raised a hand, acknowledging the contributions of the boys to her rescue. "Ah, yeah, we were wondering why she wasn't answering her texts, so we decided to check on her in here, then-"
"I got another of those headaches slash visions, and I saw Caitlin in a cell. I then opened a portal and Ray used his telekinesis to get her out before I... um... collapsed on the ground with a nose bleed."
"Oh, sweetie." Therese placed her hand on her daughter's cheek. "Did they hurt you? Are you okay?"
"Yes, thanks to them. But there were others."
Therese gave out a sigh of relief. "I'm so lucky that God had you two to be my daughter's friends."
Ray smiled weakly, putting a hand on both Cait and Nick's shoulders. "That's what friends are for."
"Anyway, I will make sure that there will be a full investigation on this." Therese put on her mean face. "And... Cait, please. Are you going to accept the bodyguards? I won't take no as an answer this time."
"'That's actually the next thing I was going to ask you about, mom. I want them. Ray and Nick saved me, sure, but they have their own lives to worry about. The police ignored us, and... well... I think they will need security too..."
"Anything for the three of you." Therese smiled at them all. "And I promise you this, kids. I will use everything I have in my disposal to get justice for this atrocity. This... is what your father would want me to do, Caitie."