An office building, now dark and empty, holds only the janitor as he sweeps
with headphones on blasting Mexican style music in his ears. Upstairs, had
he been listening, he would have heard breaking glass as a green skinned
man swings in and lands, crouched, on the floor.
His hungry, dark eyes keep a sharp watch for danger. He gets up and walks to the nearest desk where he rummages through every piece of paper within sight. He slams them back on the desk and moves on to the next.
A sudden gust of wind startles him, but it's only from the broken window. He goes back to work.
Downstairs, the janitor pulls his arm up and talks into a device on his wrist.
"He's here," he says in a thick German accent.
"Right, keep him there until we can get within distance," says a voice from another device.
He smiles, showing fang-like teeth, and starts toward the stairs. A long, blue, spade tail seems to sprout from the base of his spine as he switches off the annoying music and disappears in a thick cloud of dark smoke.
He reappears outside the door to the offices and peers through the window with bright, golden yellow eyes. The intruder has his back to him, but he recognizes him anyway.
His name was Toad and he worked for Magneto, who had tried a few years ago to turn all man kind into mutants for the second time. Toad was supposed to be dead, having been struck by lightning by one of his enemies, Storm.
He placed a blue, three fingered hand on the doorknob and eased the door slowly open. He would have teleported inside, but the smoke and sound would have startled him and scared him off.
Toad chuckled to himself as he held a folder up to his chest, rifling through the papers and, satisfied with what he saw, closed it and headed toward the window.
He couldn't let Toad just walk away, not after he'd been trusted so soon with such an important mission. He moved bravely into sight and called out to him.
Toad jumped slightly and ducked down, ready to fight. When he saw who it was, he couldn't help but smile a little.
"Your the new guy, right? The one that's supposed to be really fast and tough to beat? Well, you don't look so tough to me pal, so let's find out just how fast you really are," he said with a British accent and charged.
Toad came and went right over him as he ducked. He snapped his tail and tripped him, then wrapped it around his ankle and held him upside down.
"Now who's the fastest?" he asked with a fanged grin.
A loud crack echoed through the small room and a deep gash was cut into his tail. He yelped as he dropped Toad, who took the chance to make a break for it.
A helicopter hovered just outside the window with a hooded figure leaning out the side. Toad took a powerful leap and landed beside the figure with a taunting smile.
"You may be faster pal, but I've got better friends," he said as the pilot pulled the helicopter away from the building and into the night.
The only thing that remained of that night was his wounded tail, a few scattered papers and a ninja throwing star with his blood on it.
********
The next morning, his friends were less then impressed.
Scott Summers paced the room angrily as they waited for the others. Kurt Wagner watched his friend pace with a deep feeling that he'd betrayed him and the others. He was perched atop a bookcase with his tail hanging over the edge with a fresh bandage, applied by none other then Storm herself.
The door opened as Ororo Munroe, or Storm as some called her, entered with Professor Xavier behind her.
Scott approached the Professor, who held up his hand before he could say anything.
"Scott I know your angry, but please wait for Logan," he said in his 'smooth as honey' voice.
Kurt hated the fact that they were all going to yell at him about how much he'd messed up, but he figured it was better to be present for it then have them say it all without him. He sighed sadly and caught the attention of Ororo.
She gave him a hopeful smile as the door opened and Logan entered.
Compared to Scott, Logan was his exact opposite. Kurt wondered briefly if Scott ever envied him.
"Am I late?" Logan asked in a harsh, gruff voice that plainly said he didn't care either way.
"Glad you could join us Logan," the Professor said as Logan sat and put his feet up on the table "now, about last night."
Logan snorted.
"Is there something you'd like to share, Logan?" the Professor asked, knowing there was.
"The elf screwed up, what else is there to say?" he half snarled.
Kurt's heart sank. He knew he'd messed up, but did they have to act like he couldn't hear them?
"Toad may have gotten away, but Kurt didn't mess anything up," the Professor stated.
"What!?" came Scott, Logan and Kurt all at once.
"We know that Toad is, in fact, alive and that he's working for some else."
"Why not ask Magneto where Toad is?" Scott asked.
"I'm afraid my old friend is not aware anyone on his team is still living, aside from Mystique. But it wouldn't hurt to ask," the Professor said.
~You did well for your first time, Kurt. Don't worry, with the right training you'll be able to fight with the team~ the Professor said in Kurt's head.
"Scott, you and I will visit Eric. Ororo, you and Kurt will check the scene of the crime, find what Toad was after. Logan, I need you to stay with the children," the Professor said, switching to his leader mode.
"That's not too difficult for you, is it?" Scott asked as he and Logan bumped into each other near the door.
"Keep at it, Shades, and it'll be difficult for you to talk without a tongue," Logan snapped as he kept walking.
His hungry, dark eyes keep a sharp watch for danger. He gets up and walks to the nearest desk where he rummages through every piece of paper within sight. He slams them back on the desk and moves on to the next.
A sudden gust of wind startles him, but it's only from the broken window. He goes back to work.
Downstairs, the janitor pulls his arm up and talks into a device on his wrist.
"He's here," he says in a thick German accent.
"Right, keep him there until we can get within distance," says a voice from another device.
He smiles, showing fang-like teeth, and starts toward the stairs. A long, blue, spade tail seems to sprout from the base of his spine as he switches off the annoying music and disappears in a thick cloud of dark smoke.
He reappears outside the door to the offices and peers through the window with bright, golden yellow eyes. The intruder has his back to him, but he recognizes him anyway.
His name was Toad and he worked for Magneto, who had tried a few years ago to turn all man kind into mutants for the second time. Toad was supposed to be dead, having been struck by lightning by one of his enemies, Storm.
He placed a blue, three fingered hand on the doorknob and eased the door slowly open. He would have teleported inside, but the smoke and sound would have startled him and scared him off.
Toad chuckled to himself as he held a folder up to his chest, rifling through the papers and, satisfied with what he saw, closed it and headed toward the window.
He couldn't let Toad just walk away, not after he'd been trusted so soon with such an important mission. He moved bravely into sight and called out to him.
Toad jumped slightly and ducked down, ready to fight. When he saw who it was, he couldn't help but smile a little.
"Your the new guy, right? The one that's supposed to be really fast and tough to beat? Well, you don't look so tough to me pal, so let's find out just how fast you really are," he said with a British accent and charged.
Toad came and went right over him as he ducked. He snapped his tail and tripped him, then wrapped it around his ankle and held him upside down.
"Now who's the fastest?" he asked with a fanged grin.
A loud crack echoed through the small room and a deep gash was cut into his tail. He yelped as he dropped Toad, who took the chance to make a break for it.
A helicopter hovered just outside the window with a hooded figure leaning out the side. Toad took a powerful leap and landed beside the figure with a taunting smile.
"You may be faster pal, but I've got better friends," he said as the pilot pulled the helicopter away from the building and into the night.
The only thing that remained of that night was his wounded tail, a few scattered papers and a ninja throwing star with his blood on it.
********
The next morning, his friends were less then impressed.
Scott Summers paced the room angrily as they waited for the others. Kurt Wagner watched his friend pace with a deep feeling that he'd betrayed him and the others. He was perched atop a bookcase with his tail hanging over the edge with a fresh bandage, applied by none other then Storm herself.
The door opened as Ororo Munroe, or Storm as some called her, entered with Professor Xavier behind her.
Scott approached the Professor, who held up his hand before he could say anything.
"Scott I know your angry, but please wait for Logan," he said in his 'smooth as honey' voice.
Kurt hated the fact that they were all going to yell at him about how much he'd messed up, but he figured it was better to be present for it then have them say it all without him. He sighed sadly and caught the attention of Ororo.
She gave him a hopeful smile as the door opened and Logan entered.
Compared to Scott, Logan was his exact opposite. Kurt wondered briefly if Scott ever envied him.
"Am I late?" Logan asked in a harsh, gruff voice that plainly said he didn't care either way.
"Glad you could join us Logan," the Professor said as Logan sat and put his feet up on the table "now, about last night."
Logan snorted.
"Is there something you'd like to share, Logan?" the Professor asked, knowing there was.
"The elf screwed up, what else is there to say?" he half snarled.
Kurt's heart sank. He knew he'd messed up, but did they have to act like he couldn't hear them?
"Toad may have gotten away, but Kurt didn't mess anything up," the Professor stated.
"What!?" came Scott, Logan and Kurt all at once.
"We know that Toad is, in fact, alive and that he's working for some else."
"Why not ask Magneto where Toad is?" Scott asked.
"I'm afraid my old friend is not aware anyone on his team is still living, aside from Mystique. But it wouldn't hurt to ask," the Professor said.
~You did well for your first time, Kurt. Don't worry, with the right training you'll be able to fight with the team~ the Professor said in Kurt's head.
"Scott, you and I will visit Eric. Ororo, you and Kurt will check the scene of the crime, find what Toad was after. Logan, I need you to stay with the children," the Professor said, switching to his leader mode.
"That's not too difficult for you, is it?" Scott asked as he and Logan bumped into each other near the door.
"Keep at it, Shades, and it'll be difficult for you to talk without a tongue," Logan snapped as he kept walking.