Performance Enhancer

Hatchet's face is a quiet mask. "The one where all those people were killed in the explosion that took out the Underground?"

"Yes, I was trying to get away and was hit by a stray bullet. In my pain I lost control and so did the nearest mutants. One of the survivors was a mentalist who was able to tell I was a mutant and that I was somehow responsible. After that it was brick walls and daily use of my power for the government for months on end."

As Hatchet looks at John, his face changes from coldly quiet to sadness. "I lost one of my friends in that same fight. I wondered what had happened. Thank you for sharing, John."

John stares back at the tabletop in shame, his face coloring. "I'm so sorry, " he says in a small voice.

"It wasn't your fault. Besides, my friend knew it was risky going into the situation. We were part of another group then, trying to break into a research lab doing work on mutant genes and it turned out to be a trap. No one can blame you for being shot and losing control."

Shaking his head, John can't meet Hatchet's eyes. Karlos interrupts them both.

"I don't think anyone is to blame except the government, for treating us like threats. Most of us are victims of the bombings. I was in Fort Lauderdale when the gas attacks hit the beach. Now I'm a mentalist myself, John."

"What can you do?"

"Mostly hide us from other mutants, plus a little telepathy, enough to know when someone's lying." Karlos grins.

"You're not feared by others here?"

"We've learned more or less to work as a team. It also helps that I've saved a few lives with my other skills. Before all this, I was an ER doctor."

"I almost can't remember my old life," John says, staring into his coffee cup again. "I don't really want to, either."

Karlos claps John on the shoulder. "You're among friends now, John. One thing you should know- you don't have to help us either. We certainly could use it, but I won't expect it of you."

Meeting Karlos' eyes, John speaks. "Anything I can do to help, I'd be more than happy to do." Both men smile at him.

Dawn and Emma also decide to stay on, mostly because John had, rather than from any strong conviction. In the next few days John learns all about the group. There are currently 6 members- Karlos, mentalist and leader; Hatchet, with his stunning rays; Damien who has invisibility; Amanda who has teleportation; Brett who is a pyrokinetic; and Hien with super strength.

John also learns that Emma's ability is empathy, on a low scale. That was one reason she and Adam hadn't been asked to join the group; Adam's attitude had been another- he'd felt they had been better off alone and not drawing attention to themselves. It's a common feeling according to Karlos. Before his discovery in Atlanta it was how John had been living--low key and with minimal use of his powers, although they hadn't been very strong at the time.

After a year spent being a trained dog for the government, John feels ready to fight back. Karlos and his team are working on finding and recruiting others. They've spent months getting established, with a couple of small bases like this one and operating cash mostly stolen in armored car heists and bank robberies. Recently they've been tracking down other mutants using information stolen from government operatives they've kidnapped. It's how they'd found Adam and Emma. Those two were actually the only ones they've found so far--others were already captured or better at hiding from everyone.

At the team's next strategy meeting, John puts forth an idea he's thought of.

"Have you considered hitting one of the mutant jails?"

"Yes," Karlos answers. "They're all too well defended by both mutants and military personnel. It would be suicide."

"Maybe not. The one Dawn and I were held in was underground in NYC. It wasn't one of the publicly known ones. I think that's the key, finding either that facility or another like it. It had a lot of cells. I counted at least 20 in my hallway and there were several hallways."

"So you think there are more secret jails like the one you were in?"

"There HAVE to be. I've looked at the info available on the two known mutant jails and they just don't have the capacity to hold all the people being arrested. The teams I was boosting were going out on a weekly or even daily basis sometimes, hunting down mutants and detaining them. Even if they were only bringing in three mutants a week, that one facility couldn't have held all the people detained while I was there."

Dawn's soft voice breaks in, "I know for a fact where we broke out of wasn't the only place I was held. I remember some sort of bad reaction to the first meds they put me on and being transported there by chopper because of it."

Karlos looks thoughtful. "Makes sense. We believe there are several teams working for the government catching mutants, at least one on each coast and one in the D.C. area. So there's probably at least one secret facility supporting each team, holding mutants prisoner and so on."

"And since we already know roughly where one jail is, we could start by tracking it down. Even if we decide not to break in, we'll learn a lot more about their operations." John sits back and watches Karlos decide.

"I like it. Let's get ready to hit the Big Apple."

............

New York hasn't gotten any prettier since the arrival of mutants on the global scene. The WTC Memorial had been trashed last year and would probably be years getting rebuilt. The rest of the town is almost the same, only grimier and more likely to be called Gotham by people who weren't comic book nerds. Crime was nearly on a level with Mexico City now--kidnappings, murders, every category is up across the board.

John and Dawn have no problem finding the location they'd emerged from the sewers at. It's backtracking from there that takes the team several weeks of guesswork and poring over maps. After a week, John realizes he might be able to boost Dawn's memory and recall of the event. That helps a lot but she hadn't always been paying full attention to her surroundings.

Now they stand in the darkness far below ground, watching a small computer screen. It shows the camera output from a remotely controlled car that has been converted to a spying platform. It had been Amanda's idea to disguise it as a (large) rat. All the electrical work and cameras, visible and infrared, has been done by Hien. Super strength is his trademark now but before mutating he'd been an electrical engineer. The car is rolling up to what they think is the perimeter of the underground jail.

As everyone huddles and watches, John is very aware of Emma and Dawn flanking him. The soft press of their bodies against his remind him that it has been days since he'd been with Dawn. Recently, Emma has also been flirting with him, possibly because of how he'd manipulated her when they first met. Dawn made it clear she's jealous of his attention but it hasn't stopped Emma from teasing him whenever they are alone together. Reaching down, John quietly and forcefully removes Emma's hand from the front of his pants and returns his attention to the screen.

The screen shows the now-repaired wall that Nicolai knocked down when escaping. The new bricks and mortar are clearly visible. As Hien pans the camera around, they can see a security camera looking down on the area.

"Shit!" Hien said. "I hope they buy into the disguise, or that their cameras are worse quality than mine are." He brings the car around and back down the tunnels towards the team as everyone looks to Karlos for guidance.

"We wait for now. We'll put out our own security system--laser tripwires and cameras that Hien's cobbled together. If we don't detect anything by the end of the week, we come back and continue mapping out the facility. In the meantime, we'll work on the break-in planning."

................

The week passes without any signs of detection. By Friday John is going stir crazy, along with the rest of the team. They've holed up in a small leased condo and it's cramped with nine people. John swears to himself as he gets out of the shower that once this is done he's taking Dawn, getting a cheap hotel, and relieving his blue balls. Having pancakes and sausage for breakfast today had been the last straw. Dawn and Emma got into a competition for "sexiest sausage swallower," as John privately thought of the display they'd put on.

After dressing, John joins the team in the kitchen for their final briefing. Karlos and Hien have printouts on the walls for everyone to clearly see. Hien has managed to insert several smaller versions of his "rat car" into the A/C for the facility and has done some exploring. Augmented by John's limited knowledge of the place, they have a working layout for the facility. Karlos stands up and addresses the group.

"Alright, we're ready to go. We've managed to identify roughly where the prisoners are," he indicates an area on the map, "and I think we can get in and rescue about ten prisoners before they mobilize. From what Dawn and John encountered, their response consisted entirely of human personnel but we assume there's a team of mutants on site as well."

The rest of the briefing covered escape routes and a few contingency plans, which John has helped Karlos develop. As he tries to look attentive, John can feel Emma's stockinged foot sliding up and down his thigh. He tries to ignore it and is mostly successful until he sees Amanda's grin out of the corner of his eye. The cute, short brunette knows what's happening and it suddenly pisses John off that she finds it amusing. As Karlos droned on, John concentrates on Amanda and makes her skin sensitivity increase tenfold.

Amanda's eyes pop out nearly as far as her nipples do when she finds herself suddenly super-aware of the clothes she's wearing. Embarrassed, she holds up her printout and hunches over slightly trying to hide how her shirt is now tented out over each nipple.

John's eyes get bigger as he sees how Amanda's nipples stand out. They have to be an inch long at least! His mouth waters at the thought of getting his lips around those tits. Pretending to read, he concentrates on her feelings. He can't be sure, but he figures embarrassment and arousal are good hot buttons to choose. As the briefing wraps up, Amanda abruptly leaves the table and heads to the bathroom. Trying to look inconspicuous, John trails along behind her. Fortunately, Dawn and Emma are sniping at each other again and most of the others stop to watch the entertainment. As their voices raise, John can hear Karlos trying to intervene.

Inside the bathroom, Amanda is just starting to cool down. She knows exactly what just happened. They've all seen John's powers in use; one of the things Karlos insisted on is that the team train together and figure out ways to complement each other. She's pissed but can't get John out of her mind. 'What would he be like in bed?' She catches herself kneading one of her breasts and is pulling her hand away when the door handle turns.

John notices that Amanda hasn't locked the door and quickly opens it and walks inside. She's standing with her back to the sink, clutching one tit in what looks like a death grip. John immediately amps up her lust and sensitivity again and her face changes from shock to awe. Her nipples fully tent out her shirt again and she stands there as he closes the two steps between them. He reaches up and latches onto a nipple with his fingertips, pinching lightly and enjoying the resulting moan.

"You're going to enjoy this, Amanda." John leans down and kisses her. As he does, he can feel her body shiver against his and her legs move apart as she steps into his embrace. Her scent carries in the small bathroom and within seconds (helped by his augmentation) she's writhing against him and moaning lightly. Fingers slide from her nipples to cup the entire breast and his other hand pulls at her hair, forcing her head back as they kiss. He moves from kissing to nuzzling her neck, breathing lightly on her super sensitive skin and feeling her convulse and wrap her arms solidly around him to remain standing.

When John finally nips lightly at her neck, Amanda all but collapses in his arms and moans with her orgasm. Giving her a few moments to recover, John spins her around against the counter and undoes her jeans. When they drop into a puddle around her ankles, his questing hand discovers that she has no panties underneath AND is clean shaven.

"You're exactly how I like my sluts, Amanda." John whispers in her ear as he undoes his own pants and drops them to the floor. His erect cock springs out and he quickly bends her over the sink and seats himself against her wet opening. "Are you ready for this, bitch?" He meets her eyes in the mirror as he asks and she has barely started to nod yes when he slides into her. As her taut muscles spread to accept his thickness, John focuses again on sensitizing her body and she begins silently thrashing in orgasm and biting her lip to keep from screaming out loud. When he finally seats the last inch of himself inside her, John is pleased to feel himself bump right up against her cervix. That does it--Amanda shakes one last time and passes out. Only John's arms supporting her keep her from falling to the tile floor.

Looking down at her body pinned beneath him, John gets angry again. He isn't ready to come yet! With a grin, he begins pumping in and out while holding her in place and concentrating his powers again. As he continues fucking her senseless body, her eyes begin to open and she shudders awake. Pulling on her hair he bends her spine backwards and started hammering home.

"Who's (thwap) my (thwap) new (thwap) bitch?" He asks as he continues fucking her, no longer trying to keep quiet for fear the others would hear.

"Me!" Amanada manages to get out, her voice breaking as she speaks. With a grunt, John slams home one final time and feel himself spurting deep into her wet pussy. At almost the same time, Amanda begins coming again herself as she looks at his face in the mirror. Unknown to John, Amanda has always been a submissive in bed and now she feels a wave of affection sweeping over her at this man who has dominated her so thoroughly in just a few minutes.

After he pulls out, Amanda turns and drops to her knees in front of him. She gently takes his cock into her mouth and sucks him clean of most of their juices, savoring the sensation as she does. John enjoys it as well, but pulls her off by her hair when he begins to harden again and angles her head up so she can see his face.

"Thank you slut. You did yourself proud." With that, John zips up, washes his hands and leaves the bathroom. As she cleans up herself, Amanda's thoughts turn to Dawn and Emma. She'll have to figure out how to deal with them both. She grins as she thinks about the challenge.