Run-
In
Part 1
Cairo certainly looked different from the last time she
had visited, thought the Valkyrie, Sura the Defiant. Last time she had been here there had been actual
buildings, not to mention people. As it was it was complete devastation; parts of homes and buildings looked as
if they had literally been ripped up. Fortunately, it looked as if these mortals and those not so
mortal, had either fled or been killed, she thought as she tromped through the rubble in her high heeled Vera Wang
boots.
This might have been distressing to a mortal female, not to mention exhausting to go at good speed for
miles through rubble in high heels, but Sura was a Valkyrie and it would take a lot more than this to wear
her out.
All of this destruction, of course, could have something to do with the monstrosity of a pyramid now smack dab in
the middle of what used to be Cairo.
Someone sure did have ego issues, she thought.
Nix-The-Ever-Knowing had sent her here to scope out a new Val Hall. And, of course, to kill the baddie
within.
As she drew near the pyramid, having been forced to land
the plane miles out (after all, sneaky was a Va
lkyrie's watchword when on a kill mission), she noticed
a skirmish already in progress.
It looked like some rather young Others (what the Valkyrie called mortals who had powers like an immo
rtal) were trying to get past another group of the same tothe front entrance to the pyramid.
Sura shook her head.
Amateurs.
Didn't they know that when you were sneaking into somepla
ce you were supposed to use the back door?
Unless you WANTED those inside to know you were there.
There was a reason the Valkyrie were feared in the Lore; They were what monsters feared would find under their
beds.
At a swift, confident pace, she circled the pyramid, ignoring the Others. It wasn't long before she spotted
a small, inconspicuous door and she entered, drawing the short swords from their sheeths at her back.
She strode in and through the maze of halls. But, Valkyrieweren't just super strong but super smart and it wasn't
long before she had the maze of halls figured out. Her goal was to find the middle of it, no doubt
where she would find Mister Baddie.
She snickered.
Locating it, she silently slipped into what looked like a main central hall and, quick as lightning, darted behind
a statue of an ugly...Other? Whatever he was, thestatue exactly resembled the Mister Ugly layed out
on a sacrificial table next to a smaller male mortal.
Mister Baddie is now Mister Ugly. She almost snorted and contented herself with a grin, swords at the ready.
Just as she raised them, prepared to leap out and jump him, he began chanting.
Ancient Egyptian, she thought, tilting her head, listening.
Weird mojo shit, she thought.
Then, she smiled.
Party time.
She burst out of her hiding place with super-human speed and, with a shriek and a summer sault, landed
perfectly on the table, standing over Mr. Ugly.
If he looked up her skirt, it would be the last sight he would
ever see.
Before he knew what was happening, swords crossed, she chopped off his head. Then, for good measure,
she ripped off his breastplate and tore out his heart, squeezing it to a pulp, before dropping it to what was
now left of the creature.
"Dead and dead." she laughed as she wiped off her hands and swords before sheething them.
She snorted as Mr. Ugly's head rolled off the table and onto the floor.
She was about to hop off the table when an accented voice interrupted her.
"Who or, should I say, what are you?"
She turned from her standing position on the slab, legs spread on either side of Mr. Dead and Ugly and stared.
The man there wasn't what one would call traditionally handsome. Rather, he was dark haired with pale
skin. Yet, somehow he appealed to her in a most unexpected way. Maybe it was his large, clear blue eyes.
Either way, he was beautiful.
Professor Charles Xavier, mind-reader, professor, and who was astronomically rich with dozens of child
ren who looked up to him, could only stare as the gorgeous creature looked back at him. She then casually
kicked the mutant who had been seconds away from taking over his body, his mind and subsequently, the
world, off the adjoining slab.
"Your worst nightmare?" she then asked.
She had long, curly deep red hair and, though petite, was curved in all the right places, if her red corset top
and mini-skirt were any indication.
She then, with astonishing speed, leaped from the table in a blur and was sitting next to him on the table,
leaning over green eyes assessed him as she tilted her head at
him. Much as an animal would, he realized.
He tried to touch her mind but found it completely blocked.
"Are you a mutant?" he asked, noticing the pointed ears.
She smiled.
Startled, he noticed slight fangs.
"Mutant?" she laughed, the sound musical and echoing in the
cavernous hall. "Oh, my pretty, I doubt you've met one of my kind before."
"Your kind?" he asked, genuinely puzzled. "I can always read hum
ans or mutants. At least touch their mind."
This time she tilted her head to the other side with a smile, looking almost. ..charmed.
Then, reaching out, she stroked what looked like the back of a red claw down his cheek.
"You know, males usually aren't interested in my mind." she told him.
"Of course, the males I usually meet end up dead." she added with a snicker.
He was almost too afraid to ask, but did, anyway, "How do they die?"
She gestured casually toward the other mutant's remains.
"I kill them." she said flippantly, as if commentingon the weather.
He swallowed.
This woman or, creature might be a better word, was sexy, indeed, but if what he saw was any indication, she was more dangerous than any mutant. Even Jean.
"Are you going to kill me?" he asked.
She laughed, the sound so musical it almost hurt.
"Oh, gods, no. I stopped that in college."
Sura found herself almost mesmerized by him, feeling, well, all excited, heart racing, as she stared into those blue
eyes. Kind of like she felt when she saw a new pair if Prada shoes or spotted a particularly expensive piece of shiny,
what Valkyrie call precious stones and jewels and which could put them in a trancewithout extensive training. For a
bad-ass Valkyrie who regularly hunted vampires and other baddies, this was something, indeed. And by a mortal, or
Other, really, of all things. How...novel.
Too bad she couldn't keep him.
The thing about mortals, even Others, was that they died so easily.
"I'm a professor at a school I run." he was explaining.
"I would never be late for your class." she told him, finding herself smiling and playing with the collar of his shirt.
"I do encourage punctuality in my students." he replied and shelaughed.
"So, tell me," she then said. "How does a mortal professor end up strapped to a sacrificial table?"
"I'm afraid it's rather a long story." he answered, blue eyes watching her.
A girl could get lost in those eyes, she thought.
"I'm sure it is." she told him, fingering his hair, which was surprisingly soft.
"Please, I must beg a favor from you...uh..." he said, looking questioning.
"Sura." she answered.
"Sura. I believe you are on the side of good." he continued,causing her to bite back a laugh. If he only knew. "So,
can you please help me get out of these shackles and get to my friends? They will be worried about me."
She looked at him for a moment. He was all stretched out and strapped down like an offering for her. Such a shame
she had to release him.
"Since you asked so nicely." she finally said.
Then, so fast it was probably a blur to him, she ripped the manacles from his wrists before leaping from the slab to
stand beside it.
"You're free." she told him as he glanced from wrist to wrist, just in case he missed that. "You can thank
me later."
"I don't know how.." he began, but she interrupted him with, "Don't worry. I have a few things in mind."
as he pushed himself up onto his elbows.
He actually blushed before saying, "I'm afraid I can't walk. Is there a way you could.." but, before he could finish,
she had scooped him up into her arms, smiling into his surprised face.
"Don't worry, honey. I got this." she told him before striding towards the entrance.
"I believe this building is quite a maze." he stated as they reached one of the halls.
"Oh, aren't you cute for trying to help a girl out? But, yes, it is for an amateur who hasn't lived for thousands of
years. But, don't worry, you have me." she told him.
"I have it all figured out." she added as she traversed one colossal hallway after another.
She strode along confidently, his weight nothing for a creature who could toss cars as if they were baseballs.
She wasn't a daughter of the gods for nothing.
It wasn't long before she stepped out and into the sunshine.
They were immediately surrounded by some of the young Others she had seen earlier. They had obvious
ly won the skirmish and were friends or students of the Professor because they immediately surrounded them,
concerned about him and asking if he was ok.
But a dark one with snow white hair stared at her before pushing slowly past the others towards her.
"Valkyrie." she whispered in awe, stopping just before her.
The others stopped and stared at Sura, too.
Including the Professor.
Sura smirked.
The cat was out of the bag.
And at least one of them had some education.
"Behold, the Valkyrie." she then announced.
"And I come bearing a gift." she added, lifting the Professor up a little higher.
"Put him down." ordered a brown haired brown eyed female mortal, not a threat, who looked older than the others.
Sura focused on her, recognizing her with a hiss.
"You're the bitch who woke Mr. Ugly." she tutted reproachfully, glaring.
Quick as lightning, Sura reached out a hand, but, thinking beyter of actually slapping the woman, which
could kill a mortal, she flicked her with a finger. This was the equivalent of getting shot by a bee bee gun
and probably stung like hell.
Sura smirked, satisfied as the woman looked hurt and her hand immediately went to her cheek.
"Bad mortal." Sura told her.
The woman stared, looking frightened, and backed away.
The others looked confused, but a few snickered, and someone asked, "Who's Mr. Ugly?"
"I think she means the big, bad mutant." spoke up a young man with silver hair and not in the usual way, grinning.
"What happened to him?" asked a redhead.
"The Valkyrie killed him." the Professor announced to his friends before turning back to her.
"I'll take that payment now." she told him, staring into those blue eyes.
And then she kissed him full on the lips as the others gaped at them.
"Goodbye, my pretty." she told him as she gently handed him over to a tall older young man with glasses.
"Can I have your number?" the professor then asked in a breathy voice.
The others looked between them eagerly and someone made a low sound in their throat.
She paused.
Then sighed.
He was so very cute, after all.
Grabbing a pen that was held out toward her, she scribbled on his hand.
She then turned and strode casually down the steps.
"Later, Bitches." she called after her as they parted for her, staring after her, the boys ogling her legs and
boobs.
"By the way," she called back once she had reached the ground. "Use the back door next time."
After the gorgeous creature had disappeared from sight, Charles finally looked down at his hand and smiled.
On it was scribbled seven numbers: 867-5309.
Part 2
Present Day
Though it was the middle of the night, Sura, as a Valkyrie, could see perfectly in the dark and spotted the plaque at
the gate that said that this was Professor Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
Professor Charles Xavier.
Huh! She thought. Why did that name sound familiar?
The gate didn't present a problem, supernaturally strongand quick here and, before lightning could strike, which she
wouldn't mind, since Valkyrie ate lightning and it gave it back with strong emotion, she had kicked it opened and
was striding confidently along. She checked her phone as she approached the silent mansion. The screen glowed
the floor plan for the place and sure enough, she was headed to the right side of the building. She quickly turned it
to sleep mode, not wanting to alert any insomniac students or teachers to her presence. She unerringly approached
the French doors at the side and, breaking the door opened much as she had the gate, slipped in.
She was just riffling through the library, which was rather impressive, tossing books here and there as sh
e looked for a specific one, when her ear twitched. She turned just as the door opened and a child, probably three,
stood there holding a stuffed frog toy.
Smiling, she immediately put her finger to her lips.
"Shhh." she told the child.
The child nodded and smiled an innocent smile before disappearing.
Sura turned back to her riffling, tossing books hither and yon.
Where was it? And how had MORTALS of all beings, gotten a hold of a copy of the Living Book of Lore, anyway? She
swore to the gods and kept digging.
Professor Xavier's eyes opened and he knew immediately that the place had been invaded. Not by who, for the
mind was blocked as had happened only once before. But there was another mind awake that had seen the
intruder and he reached out to it.
"Who was it?" he asked the young one as soon as he had given a mental knock, as it were.
"Swan Maiden." came the surprising answer.
Charles wasn't sure what this was, but thanked the child before contacting Logan.
"Logan, we have an intruder. The library. Swan maiden."
Fresh from sleep, Logan's mind was groggy, but he still managed to ask, "What the hell is a swan maiden?"
"We are about to find out."
He felt Logan's hesitation and understood.
After all, one that would be kind to a child, not to mention, a being called a swan maiden, how dangerous could she
be?
Logan opened the library door to find a being of remarkable beauty standing across the room, smirking at him. And
not in a good way. More like she was pissed that he dared interrupt her. Which, with all the books strewn all over
the floor, it looked like he was.
She didn't even look guilty for the mess, let alone surpr
ised to see him.
If that wasn't enough, she actually hissed at him.
"How did you get in?" he asked her.
She gestured to what was left of the French doors hanging from their now broken hinges.
"Pilates." she said flippantly.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"World peace." she said. "And to take a book."
"You can't." he told her.
"It was obviously stolen from my kind. I'm just stealing it back." she explained.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."
She smiled and he felt real fear for the first time since he had entered the room.
"I knew you'd say that."
Before he knew what was happening, she was across the room and her short swords that had only a split
second ago been at her back, were crossed under his chin, a bare inch from his throat.
"Now be a good boy and show me which one is the Living Book of Lore." she purred.
Though she was nearly a foot shorter than him, not to mention petite, with pointed ears, and was that a t-
shirt that said 'It'll only hurt for a second. Promise. ..' paired with a miniskirt? He wondered and was beginning to
realize that this creature, who was flashing small fangs, was a real threat.
He was expecting to find a fellow mutant who was looking for sanctuary at the school. Certainly not this
creature who was otherworldly beautiful with supernaturalspeed, not to mention dangerous as hell, though she
looked no older than twenty-five. And she was here to steal a book, of all things.
"The Living Book of what?" he asked, not really wanting to hurt a woman, especially one as nicely made as her,
curves in all the right places.
"Lore." she answered.
The metal of her swords pressed into his throat and Loganhad enough. At his command, his metal claws
sprang out from between his knuckles in warning.
Her eyes widened.
But, instead of fear, he heard admiration in her voice as she said "Those would take a lot of nail polish."
"Are you a Freddy Kruger wannabe or something?" she then asked.
"Wolverine." he said, trying to hide his surprise. Freddy Kruger? Who the hell was he? He wondered.
She squinted at his head.
"That explains the hair." she told him.
While she was distracted, he jerked his hands up, catching her swords with his claws.
But she was quick and she jumped back at the same moment and his claws only grazed her swords and there was
the sound of metal on metal. He swiped out again and, with a back flip, she landed on a table, standing over him.
Then there was a lot of parrying and thrusting as she continued, "Wolverines. They're supposed to be fierce. Does
that describe you?" she asked.
"You tell me." he said as he thrust and her swords, caught between his claws, went flying.
He expected a look of defeat or even fear at being defenseless. Instead, she smiled almost flirtatiously and gave
him a come here gesture.
He approached warily.
"Give up, kitten." he told her as he took a step closer.
"Your fight is over. "
"Oh, Wolvie." she actually laughed. "Don't you know? Kittens have claws, too."
Before he knew it, she had swiped out with said claws withone hand, racking down his side, all the while smiling. He
yelled out and stumbled back, clutching his side. She jumped off the table and actually blew on her nails and buffed
them on her shirt before saying, "Oops,my bad. "
Logan felt his skin begin to regenerate and only stood there,waiting as it did.
She looked up and her eyes actually widened as she saw that he was healed. But, again, instead of looking
frightened, she looked impressed.
"Wish I healed that fast." she muttered.
Logan was so pissed he hardly noticed and, with a yell, lunged at her. Seeing this, she crouched down and grabbed
her swords as he did and deflected his full frontal assault by knocking his arms either way. Then, before he knew
what was happening, she had sheathed her swords and was actually picking him up. Next thing he knew, there
was a shriek and he was flying face first into the chimney. Bricks rained down on him, adding to his injuries.
Through the rubble, he heard a snort and then rummaging.
"Well, that was fun." she said.
He couldn't believe it, he thought, gritting his teeth. He couldn't even move and she was laughing. What
the hell were these Swan Maidens, anyway? He wondered, when he couldn't even beat them?
"There you are, you little bugger." she said, obviously finding the book she had come for. "More like the
Living Book of Hard to Find."
"Well, Wolvie, it was real and it was fun. Till next time." she told him.
"Wolverine. I have GOT to remember that. I'm so bad with names." he thought he heard her mutter.
There was a laugh and then she was gone.
"Professor. " he said mentally once all was quiet.
"Yes, Logan?" came his soothing voice.
Logan sighed.
"I'm thinking Swan Maidens might be a little dangerous." he
told him.
He swore he heard laughter in his head.