For as long as Callisto could remember, she had always dreamed of a happy family life. She believed that somewhere in the world, there was someone who would love only her and no one else. Her mother called her an idealist, her younger sisters admired her dreams, while the older ones called her a fool.
After all, such things could only be read about in books or seen in movies, but never encountered in real life. Nonetheless, Callisto couldn't help but cling to her dreams. Perhaps that's why, in the end, she forgot her real name and now called herself after the woman who experienced the love of Zeus.
Of course, Jupiter, as the Romans called him, was quite a loving god and had deceived the young girl to claim her, but to her, he was the only man in her life.
When she received her mutant powers, she didn't immediately end up with the Morlocks. For a long time, the brunette wandered across the states, trying to find her place under the sun, but in the end, she only lost an eye. Harsh life on the streets toughened her, but it didn't knock her rose-colored dreams out of her head. So when Caliban brought her to this abandoned subway station, right into Masquerade's hands, she thought, "This is it—her prince in a dark cloak!"
She wasn't put off by his terrifying appearance, as she had long stopped seeing herself as a beauty. In the beginning, everything was just like in the books she had read. He loved only her, paying no attention to Caliban when she occasionally appeared. But over time, the bald, corpse-like woman began bringing more and more women to their group, and he wasn't quick to send them away.
At first, she was terribly jealous, but then she realized that Masquerade wasn't interested in Samson or Sunder as women. No, sometimes he might spend a night with one of them, but it was very rare. He also wasn't a pedophile who lusted after Marrow.
Callisto had serious concerns when Skyds joined them. The striking blonde could turn any man's head. It seemed prudent to start plotting against a potential rival, but when Callisto learned the details of Sally's mutant powers, she calmed down a bit and even started to pity her supposed competitor. Those powers were not something you'd wish even on an enemy!
As unfortunate as it was, she only began to notice the oddities of her beloved after he practically stopped inviting her into his bedroom. Masquerade had never been particularly passionate, much like most men in general. His manhood pounded her "rabbit hole" maybe once a week, but over time, their nights together became even rarer. Now she considered it a blessing if she got to ride the limp "leather snake" once a month.
Whether it was because she had more free time or because she was simply outgrowing that blissful age when you see the world through rose-colored glasses, Callisto began to notice that Masquerade was not the good person she had once believed him to be. He was petty, capricious, willful, and cruel. If she could tolerate the first few traits, the last one was becoming harder to ignore every day.
Masquerade relished violence; he loved making others suffer, inflicting pain on everyone he could reach. She used to believe his claims that he did all of it for the good of the Morlocks, that he was building a new society where any mutant could find refuge and live in peace with others like them.
At one point, she may have even worshipped him as a prophet of change. Now she was deeply ashamed of how foolish she had been, of how blindly she had believed in him.
With each passing day, Callisto grew closer to the realization that Masquerade's reign over the Morlocks needed to end. Her only hesitation came from wondering if she could be a better leader. Letting go of years of blind adoration wasn't easy. And just when she was nearly ready to make a move, Caliban brought in a new recruit—another man, no less!
This immediately stirred up confusion and chaos among them. Callisto was deeply worried about how Masquerade would react. Would he see the newcomer as competition and start acting foolishly? They say there's no such thing as friendship between men, that only one man can exist in a harem. Callisto hadn't known enough men in her life to form her own conclusions, but for some reason, she believed the rumors.
Although their initial meeting was relatively peaceful, the tense atmosphere remained. If Skyds hadn't intervened on Rascal's behalf, something terrible might have happened. Callisto could only be grateful to Sally for what she did since she herself hadn't yet found the courage to take similar actions.
But when the blonde with her strange powers, against whom neither Masquerade nor any other Morlock could do anything, suddenly fell ill, the situation became even more heated!
It took great effort for Callisto to dissuade Masquerade from taking immediate action. She thought she could keep distracting their leader for long enough, even if it meant suffering for all of them, but then… Rascal came to them. He came and with a single touch did what only Skyds had managed to do before—he brought Masquerade to his knees!
Only, unlike the blonde, who had spared the Morlock leader and didn't stomp his pride into the ground, Rascal was far more ruthless. So when he ordered—there was no other word for it—her to take little Marrow away from the scene of the fight, Callisto was terrified.
What was more surprising was that she couldn't resist his words. She had spent the last few months preparing to defy Masquerade, but when the time came, she couldn't even utter a word against the will of this other, foreign man.
You could say it was just a habit, that it was a psychological dependency built up over nearly three years. But Callisto wanted to believe it wasn't that simple. When she looked into the deep green eyes of the boy peeking out from behind white bangs, she felt a tremor in her soul. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't resist the one who had looked at her then. That gaze belonged to anyone but a young, inexperienced boy!
When… when she returned, her anxiety only increased! Rascal was kneeling beside Sunder, holding her leg—the very leg that Masquerade had injured earlier.
She had already seen what her new acquaintance could do with just a touch, and she nearly lost her mind as she ran closer, only to realize what he was doing. The multiple cuts were closing up as if on their own, leaving behind barely noticeable scars.
Suddenly, Rascal withdrew his hand. He swayed on the spot, nearly losing his balance. If Callisto hadn't caught him, the man might have fallen.
"Thanks," he said breathlessly. "Just don't touch my exposed skin, looks like I'm still lacking control."
"Alright," she replied, though she wasn't sure she understood what he meant. "C-can you heal Sunder?"
The woman's leg looked much better, but it was still covered in cuts.
"I'll do my best," the boy shrugged. "But not all at once. Like I said, I'm still struggling to control Masquerade's power and separate it from my own."
"The Morlocks will be very grateful if you help her, and I personally will owe you…"
"Wait to thank me," he said with a strange smile, his voice carrying an unusual tone. "You might end up hating me for what I have to do."
Callisto looked at him in confusion, and then something clicked in her mind. She turned and looked toward the unconscious Masquerade.
"W-what are you going to do to him?" she asked nervously.
The boy didn't hurry to answer. He fumbled in his pockets and pulled out a crumpled pack of cigarettes. However, he didn't rush to light one. After playing with the pack for a bit, he put it back.
"Callisto, how does your power work?"
The brunette hesitated to respond. Normally, you wouldn't share such things with people you didn't trust, and Rascal wasn't looking at her with "that same" gaze that made her want to follow his every command. But after thinking for a moment, she decided to speak up:
"I… I see in the dark, hear much better, and smell things almost like a dog. I have an agile and resilient body. And I learn quickly when it comes to fighting."
"Simple but functional," the boy chuckled. "Well, then I'll share what I can do. You see, I want you and the Morlocks to understand through you why I might have to shorten your leader by a head. I like you all, and I don't want to become your enemy unless absolutely necessary."
Rascal spoke, and Callisto couldn't believe her ears. His power seemed even more absurd than Skyds', though perhaps only the blonde could oppose him—and not very successfully, judging by the story.
"Do you understand now?" the mutant asked at the end. "I know better than anyone what Masquerade is, and that's without even digging too deep into his memories and personality."
It was hard to believe that Rascal could not only read thoughts but the very essence of other people, but it was real. After all, the girl had seen many incredible things in her life.
"So you want to kill him?" she asked, feeling a strange trembling in her soul. Even thinking about it was frightening, but she caught herself on a fleeting thought that if it happened, she wouldn't be too upset.
"He wanted to catch a couple of octopuses and graft their tentacles onto you instead of arms," the guy's green eyes flared with a heat that could melt all the ice on the South Pole.
Callisto swallowed hard, imagining the horrifying scene, and felt the ground slip from under her feet. She had always thought that her mutant powers weren't all that impressive compared to some others, and she had even dreamed of changing them or adding something cooler. But octopus tentacles? No, she wasn't ready for that!
"The Morlocks won't interfere," Callisto declared, overcoming her nausea. "Just promise me you won't rush to a final decision and will carefully reconsider everything."
"That's exactly what I plan to do."