A Warning Sign

[Rictor]

"You've been charged with the murders of Officer Tyrell Foster, Steven Slocum, and Frank Gabben. On top of that, also three counts of assault on officers of the law, five counts of assault - those kids at the rest stop are pressing charges, which I'm sure is their parents' doing, mayhem, destruction of private property, resisting arrest, credit card fraud, two counts of motor vehicle theft, forgery...etcetera...Julio, I don't know what I can do for you here if you don't help me." The young lawyer, Donald Kellerman, leaned forward and put the file across his knees.

"My name is Rictor," the mutant spat back at him. He rotated the chains of his handcuffs in his fingers. Each hand was shackled to the railing on either side of the bed. The chain links rattled slightly in his hands.

"Rictor, then. Help me with your case. I'm honestly worried about you." He leaned away from him and tapped the file on his leg. "Tell me a reason, give me an excuse, anything."

Rictor said nothing. He stared at the ceiling, his eyes slitted almost closed.

"You know, I don't want this case. But even more, I don't want to lose it. That looks bad for me. So, look, if you talk to me, you're helping both of us out, okay?"

Kellerman waited a moment, then sighed in anger when Rictor didn't respond. "Okay, I'll be back tomorrow." He moved to stand.

"Wait."

Kellerman paused. "You ready to talk?"

"Do you hear that?" Rictor asked.

"Hear what?"

"It's the sound of the drugs wearing off." Rictor laughed.

"Sounds more like the drugs kicking in," said Kellerman. He stood.

"No," said Rictor, "it's the sound of freedom."

Rictor's handcuffs emitted a loud rattle for a brief second, followed by a louder crunch. Rictor launched himself out of bed, ripping the IV from his arm. He landed atop Kellerman, whose face had gone white and eyes had gone wide.

Hospital staff fled from the area. A nurse ran shrieking down the hall, where two officers quickly met her. Rictor rolled off of Kellerman and put his palms to the floor. Immediately, Kellerman jumped to his feet and took a step back. A glass clattered off a dinner table and shattered as the room began to shake.

"Don't worry about me, Kellerman. I'll be just fine." A crack ran between Kellerman's legs and he stumbled backward another few steps.

The floor tiles began to hop up and down and shatter, kicking up dust and dirt. The two cops arrived at Rictor's room and kicked open the door despite the vibrating floor and rattling walls.

"Remove your hands from the floor!" They pointed their guns at him.

"Gladly," Rictor said. He stood, his hands in the air, as the room stopped shaking. Kellerman, the cops, and the staff in the hall all looked relieved.

Then the floor beneath Rictor collapsed, sending up a plume of dust and fragments of tile. The cops fired at where Rictor had been, but it was a pointless effort.

He was no longer in the room.

[Rictor]

Rictor fled down the hallway of the floor where he had fallen, his hospital gown fluttering about him and exposing his naked behind to the numerous patients and staff, both young and old. He cared little what they thought however, as he was a bit preoccupied. If he had the time he would have thought first that he certainly had nothing to be ashamed of - he was always proud of his body - and secondly that the humans should be honored to look upon any small part of the mutant form.

He reached the elevators and skidded to a halt, his bare feet squeaking on the tiles. A doctor waiting at the next elevator dropped his clipboard and backed away. A nurse to his right yelled "What are you doing?" but he didn't even look her way. He pushed the elevator button repeatedly, looking both ways down the hallway, waiting for the cops from upstairs (and undoubtedly downstairs) to arrive.

"¡Ascensor de mierda!" he shouted and pounded his palms on the reflective doors. He left his palms flat against the metal and clenched his jaw. Using his power on three solid objects in less than five minutes - he had never done that much before. The floor had been hard enough and now...

When the cops burst out from the stairwell forty-five seconds later, they found a gaggle of astounded doctors, nurses, and patients, all gawking in one direction. They were all staring at the pair of shattered elevator doors and the empty elevator shaft the fugitive had jumped into.