Harold Combs adjusted his seat belt as the helicopter came on final approach. The Arctic winds buffeted the chopper, threatening to slam into the ocean, with only the expert pilot's grip keeping them from the abyss. On his way in, the pilot double-checked the Doppler radar for crosswinds and other air traffic.

"Prime Control, this is Victor Indigo Two Seven on final approach, requesting landing permission."

"Roger Victor Indigo Two Seven, you are clear on landing bay two; we have you on ILS approach. Come vector two-seven-one, and drop to 100 feet."

"Roger Prime Control."

The helicopter swooped around to the second landing pad on the roof of Purgatory Prime. Combs' eyes widen as he examined the gapping hole in the roof, disabling the first landing bay. That must have been where the meta burst through the roof escaping. What was her name, he wondered from his briefing?

"Senator Combs, welcome to Purgatory Prime," the warden and senior chiefs greeted as Combs stepped onto solid ground.

"A pleasure to meet you Warden. I just wish it could have been under better circumstances."

"Don't we all," the Warden agreed.

The Warden, senior chiefs and Senator Combs walked off the landing pad, and headed to the security area to check in. On the way down, Warders and flight personnel saluted. Once at the security station, the Warden stepped in the mantrap first.

"James Howard, Warden, ID number 326-32-3426."

"Authorizing..." the female voice spoke. "Identify confirmed. Have a nice day."

"Norman Case, Chief Warder, ID number 335-26-4376."

"Authorizing..." the female voice spoke. "Identify confirmed. Have a nice day."

"Confirm entry for one person, authorization Two Three Delta Foxtrot Charlie Eight Seven One."

"Visit authorized for one person under Chief Case," the female voice spoke.

"I see the procedures haven't changed since my last visit," Combs quipped.

"In this case, procedures wouldn't have helped," the Warden said as he lead the group into one of the administration meeting rooms. "The good news is that we've managed to secure the rest of the prison, so there's no threat for further breakouts. The bad news of course is that we've lost a number of prisoners during the event."

"Event," Combs muttered. "That's a sterile way to put it."

"That's true," the Warden admitted. "We've all been on edge since the break-in. Chief..."

The Chief Warder stepped forward and began his presentation. "Last week, we were attacked and penetrated by a new metahuman who identified herself as Mindshadow." He pressed a button on the projector remote control, flashing up several surveillance pictures.

"Wow...she's a real looker," Combs noted.

"That may be, Senator," the Chief confirmed, "but she's also an extremely powerful psionic. We're still in the process of compiling the data gathered from the sensors, but our initial estimates place her even stronger than Brainchild in terms of raw telepathic power."

"The Brainchild?"

"Yes, the Royal Elite's mentalist." The Chief pressed another button, splitting the screen into four vertical parts, displaying Brainchild, Harbinger, Psi-Clops and Mindshadow. "According to our sensor readings and review of the battle footage, she doesn't have all of Brainchild's capabilities in terms of versatility. She never demonstrated the ability to mentally interface and override computers and machines like he can. She also doesn't seem to have Harbinger's lethal psi-strikes, and her telekinetic shields register weaker than Psi-Clops. But in terms of telepathically manipulating minds and telekinetically controlling matter at the subatomic level, she's about the best we've ever seen."

"Coming from this place, that says a lot. But I thought we were prepared for telepathic intrusion after the Harbinger incident."

"To a point, we were," the Chief defended. "The biofeedback helmets developed by PowersTech were the only reason the assault squad even saw her. Without those, she literally had them walking all around her without even being able to see her."

"How exactly?"

"Mass telepathic hypnosis, according to the computer. She literally willed everyone in that room not to see her. That's thirty men from the assault teams, and another fifteen prisoners we interviewed. And judging from the surveillance and bio-sensor scans, she did it with about as much effort as it takes a normal person to spit."

"But the helmets stopped her," Combs persisted.

"Maybe. We're not entirely sure if they actually stopped her or just startled her," the Chief allowed, with a trace of bitterness. "But it might have been better if we hadn't tried. When we made it painful for her to influence their minds, she just unleashed molecular telekinesis on the squad instead. According to the autopsy reports, about a quarter of them dropped dead almost instantly when she transformed their blood into mercury. The rest went down when she turned several of their bodies into corrosive radioactive gas."

"Mean bitch," Combs admitted. "She went out of her way to make our guys suffer before killing them?"

"The shrinks say she's probably psychotic. No remorse, no conscience whatsoever. To her, people are just toys for her to use and play with and dispose as she sees fit. Hell, our guys' suffering probably turned her on."

"A psychotic psionic, wonderful," Combs muttered. "Too bad she won't turn those telepathic powers on herself to fix that."

"That would be too good to be true. For now, we've compiled a preliminary analysis and are preparing to forward it to the appropriate agencies. Computer, display power profile, Mindshadow," the Warden commanded.

"Metahuman file...Mindshadow," the female computer voice announced as it flashed a composite on the screen. "Subject registers as a Class 1 telepath/telekinetic. Telepathic powers include controlling the thoughts, perceptions and actions of multiple individuals simultaneously. Telekinetic powers include manipulation of matter, energy and sub-molecular structures. Subject has also demonstrated the capability to increase her powers geometrically by tapping into the mental strength of others around her. Subject is capable of utilizing her powers with considerable skill and demonstrates the capability of bypassing and overcoming most conventional psionic defenses. Subject is able to use powers with little or no appreciable effort discerned. Subject is to be considered extremely dangerous."

"That last sentence was just a little redundant, wasn't it?"

"Yes Senator," the Chief admitted.

"Well, now that you've got me scared to death, what exactly are we going to do about it?"

"For starters, we need the funds to fix the damage she did and replace the personnel we lost."

"That's going to be tough," the Senator admitted. "Do you know what it's going to look like when I stand up on the floor of the Congress and tell them that the US's newest super-meta-prison just got its ass handed to it for the second time in six months?"

"Sir, we'd actually request that this be kept out of the public view under the SAHO protocols."

Combs looked up sharply. "Before I go invoking the Special and Hazardous Operations rule, I hope you have a better reason for me to give the oversight committee than CYA."

"Very simple, Senator. Right now, there aren't more than maybe a dozen known Class 1 metahumans in the world. They're about the only ones who have the raw power to crack Prime with little or no foreknowledge and even they have to work at it. If Prime's reputation and specifics are compromised, then that number goes up by an order of magnitude, not to mention the loss in public confidence."

"Even under SAHO, some people have to know about it. And what are you going to do about the thirty men who died? Most of them have families who are going to want answers."

"We're in the process of making arrangements for the families," the Chief confirmed. "They'll be taken care of, without giving the specifics. They all signed their waivers, so we're clear there."

"OK, then what about how to improve things?"

The Warden looked around uncomfortably. "To be honest, there's not a whole lot we can really do. Prime already uses the best technologies known to man. The personnel we've got here are about the best we can get without going public to the military. We're looking into setting up a concurrent program with The Protectorate for additional support, or a satellite contingent for additional manpower. But truthfully, neither one of those are probably going to stop a determined Class 1, especially if we're talking about a group."

"That's not good to hear."

"You'd rather I lie? The truth is, there are metahumans out there who can literally shake the Earth. Some of them are practically beyond society's ability to enforce. The only thing that's going to hold some of them is a grave."

"That's dangerous talk, Warden."

"We live in dangerous times, Senator. And Prime's the only place to hold back the storm. Take that to the committee."

Senator Harold Combs took a moment to think things through, and looked at the newest dossier one more time. Beyond society's ability to enforce, the Warden said. If the dossier was even half-right, this girl Mindshadow was one of those. A living, breathing lethal weapon on two shapely legs, who could control or kill anyone with a glance and a thought. And she was just the tip of the iceberg, he knew. Even now, Ireland was being overrun and the European Union would be next, but almost certainly not the last. So really he had no choice. Prime had to be funded and improved. And yes, the Warden was right. The public would never understand or accept that Prime was so vulnerable. The mystique had to be preserved or the whole thing was just an overpriced Alcatraz. And that was something the United States could ill-afford in these dangerous times, so he nodded. "Very well, Warden, I'll bring your concerns to the Hill."

"Thank you, Senator." The three of them got up and walked out. After cycling through the exit procedure, the Warden and the Chief looked at each other. "We're going to have to get more info on this Mindshadow before we send the profile up."

"We've got the other four who were breaking in at the time," the Chief said. "Sensor logs show that they were all under mental domination. Ten-to-one says that Mindshadow was calling the shots. We're talking to them now."

"It ain't our fault pig!" Chain shouted. "We were set up!"

The Prime interrogator took the statement down and nodded. "And just how are we to confirm that?"

"Ah, come on! You guys have sensors and shit like that!"

"I'm afraid we're not necessarily at liberty to divulge the specifics of Prime's sensor information."

"Bullshit! I'm not doing time for shit I didn't do!"

Outside, the rest of the investigation team looked at each other with disgust and anger. They had mixed feelings about the whole affair. On the one hand, Chain and his teammates were involved in the break-in that killed several of their compatriots and comrades. On the other hand, the sensor logs were quite clear that they were under someone's influence.

"Our surveillance cameras say otherwise," the interrogator calmly said.

"Fuck you pigs!"

"How about I leave you to think about it, Chain? Maybe you'll feel like talking once you realize what a fix you're in."

The rest of the profanity was cut off as the interrogator left the room. The interrogator shook his head as the Chief walked in.

"No luck sir, he still says he was under mind control."

"Well, he was. But we need to know more about this Mindshadow and right now they're the only witnesses we have."

"The only evidence that supports that though is classified, sir," the interrogator said. "We can't go releasing that info to a public trial."

"Chain's just a thug who robs banks and beats people up. Mindshadow represents a threat to national security and probably all mankind. We need to prioritize. Make it happen," the Chief ordered.

The interrogator nodded and proceeded to the next cell. It probably didn't matter which one he talked to, and he probably would get better information from a better type of prisoner. He opened the door, and pulled up a chair to the second prisoner. "Alright, we're willing to make some arrangements. Tell us what you know."

Hardware looked at the interrogator and sighed. "It started in New York..."

The compiled dossier wasn't as thorough as the Warden would have liked; evidently, Mindshadow did some editing of her slaves' memories, which didn't surprise him. Judging from the suppositions of her powers, and analysis of her psychology, such a task was probably trivially easy and second nature to her. Still, what was left didn't paint a reassuring picture. The Matrons, the Dictator, a half-dozen others; the list of prisoners she freed was troubling. Given what was known about Mindshadow's modus operandi, the possibilities on what she had planned with that much power at her command were frightening. But that wasn't his job. His job was to hold her, if mankind were ever lucky enough to catch her. Finding and stopping her was in the hands of others.

"General Gardner, we have FLASH Traffic coming in from the NMCC."

Heads turned as the military liaison carried the printed packet to the head of the Tyrian Project. General Gardner scowled at the interruption, but set his feelings aside. FLASH was high on the alert list; since it was coming from the National Military Command Center, it was probably something of substantial importance to national security or intelligence. Whatever it was, it must have been damned important to interrupt a strategic planning session among the European powers on the Ireland front. He picked up the packet and read the cover letter. His face blanched as he read the contents. Just great, he thought. Glory had warned him that he had picked up indications of a rogue telepath out there, but one this powerful could potentially screw up everything. He picked up a STU-4 and dialed the number to MI-5. "This is General Gardner of the Tyrian Project. Get me Old Glory..."

Generallisimo Juan Hernandez smiled with satisfaction as the courier brought in the latest "take" from his sources in Washington DC. Greedy, selfish capitalists, he thought - all too easy to acquire even Top Secret information. Just flash a few bills under the nose of the nearest Congressional aide and anything he wanted was his. It was all their own fault; they made money their status symbol, which left the lower-paid members of their staff grasping for any means of catching up.

His good mood lasted until he finished reading the first page of the packet. So, the bitch had a name...Mindshadow. The more disturbing news was the fact that the bitch who had humiliated him had just crushed Purgatory Prime and got away with a handful of prisoners. Not that he cared about Prime; the place was a symbol of America's arrogance and deserved an occasional humiliation. But the power levels shown here... He shook his head - were these numbers accurate? If they were...well, no wonder she had thrashed him so thoroughly in mental combat. He was lucky to have escaped.

Well, all the more reason to build a portfolio on her. Power on that level couldn't be left in the hands of children. It had to be channeled, preferably by him, of course. And to do that, he needed her to fall to his power. Probably not by conventional means, he admitted to himself. But fall she would. And before she did, she would know who had arranged her defeat. Picking up the phone, he dialed a special number. "Colonel Cortez, it's me. I have additional information regarding our target..."

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