A/N: So this is the fourth story in my MCU series. Most of the others are bunched under the Avengers category, but this will be all X-Men. I'll try to fill in as much background as I can, but really, you should at minimum pick up the Unchained, Unbound, and Unraveled: Prologue stories first. There's lots of one-shots and shorts in between as well to spend time with if you like.

Standard Disclaimer: All rights belong to those whose rights they belong to, primarily Marvel, though quite namely not me. Don't own a thing aside from my OCs.

Downtown New York City

Charles Xavier guided his wheelchair into the lobby of the apartment building. It was rather elegant considering the location downtown, though even in the early evening as it was now the place was otherwise deserted.

He halted his progress and turned his head slightly. "You may remain here," he said mildly in his rich, cultured voice.

Scott Summers, also known as Cyclops, and currently playing the role of his mentor's bodyguard, shifted his feet irritably. "Professor-" he started.

"It will be alright, Scott," Xavier interrupted him gently. "I shall be back momentarily."

Summers sighed in resignation and leaned up against the wall where he might observe both the lobby and the street outside. Chuckling softly to himself, Xavier continued on towards the elevators.

A few moments later saw him on the twelfth floor, rolling noiselessly down the carpeted hallway until he ended up in front of a door unmarked save for the apartment number. He allowed a slight smile to spread across his face as he sat patiently, not sending out any mental message to announce his presence.

The elderly mutant was only kept waiting for a few seconds before he felt a presence nearby. Shortly thereafter the door opened cautiously and an olive-skinned woman with lustrous black hair poked her head out.

"Oh! You are here!" she exclaimed. "Madame said you would be, please forgive my ignorance. I'm new here."

"It's not a problem," he reassured her quietly. "May I?"

"Oh, please do!" she said abashedly, standing aside and propping the door open. She wore a simple but modest white gown and had sandaled feet poking out from under the long hem.

Once he was inside the dimly lit apartment, the girl closed the door behind them and walked around the Professor's chair. "My name's Isabelle, but everyone calls me Dizzy. Follow me, please."

Xavier smiled slightly as he followed the young woman through an ornate study and towards the back patio. He only lightly touched her mind, but could tell that the mutant girl had enormous potential as a mentalist.

Isabelle stood to the side as she slid the patio door open, gesturing for Xavier to proceed on out. He did so with a gracious smile, and she closed the door gently behind him again.

Seated in another, though non-powered, wheelchair was an ancient-looking woman of uncertain ancestry. Her grey hair was tied back severely in a tight bun, giving her face a skeletal look. She was wrapped in a dark grey shawl over her black woolen dress, her eyes covered by a pair of rose-tinted sunglasses.

"Hello, Charles," she intoned with a voice that sounded like the wheezing of rusty pipes. "So good of you to join me."

"Well, your message for me was most intriguing, Madame Web," Xavier replied levelly as he wheeled around to face her. The cool fall air wasn't nearly as strong as he would expect it to be this high over the New York City landscape, but it was still enough that he felt the chill through his suit made out of good English wool.

Madame Web smiled thinly, her lips drawn across her face in the caricature of a grin. "Yes, I imagine so. Your fondness for your students is legendary. This does not affect just them, however."

"Oh?" Xavier inquired politely. He knew from past experience that there was no use in hurrying the precognitive mutant, nor was there any way for him to extract from her what she would reveal in her own time. The woman was a powerful telepath, one who rivaled himself even. And besides that, he knew he was there at her leisure. If she felt strongly enough about something to actually request his presence, he was damn well going to listen to it.

Web sighed like a breeze blowing through a long-abandoned steel mill. "This concerns only a small number of girls from your school. The others, however… you may still be interested in their future."

Xavier folded his hands in his lap and waited while the woman gathered her thoughts.

"Three girls who call themselves sisters and yet are not, though they look practically identical," she began in a low voice, increasing in clarity as she spoke. "The oldest charming and gregarious, the middle driven and angry, the youngest serious and thoughtful. All have been blessed with powers, some the same and some unique. Yet all three share a powerful bond, one that ties them closer than actual blood."

"You're speaking of the three Brown sisters," Xavier murmured when she paused for breath. "Caitlin and Rebecca I know fairly well, though I haven't made the acquaintance of Abigail yet."

"And then there are two more players," Web continued as if Xavier had not spoken. "One who walks through obstacles in life, one who makes her own holes through them."

The Professor nodded to himself, clearly recognizing the description of two of his youngest X-Men, Kitty Pryde and Clarice Ferguson, also known as Shadowcat and Blink. The teens were often found in the company of both Caitlin and Rebecca, and now Abby as well since she had joined the group.

Madame Web inhaled deeply, smoothing the shawl over her shoulders as she exhaled. "All will go on a journey, and none will escape unchanged. Whether they will all return or not," she mentioned distractedly, "I cannot see. My vision is blocked by both distance and time."

She cleared her raspy voice as if unsure whether or not to continue. "There are many paths laid out before them," she finally continued in a harsh whisper. "Some lead to disaster, others to unmitigated success. Some look to be the correct path home but in fact extend the journey almost beyond endurance." She sighed heavily once more. "There are so few paths open where they all return alive, if at all…"

Xavier nodded again as she trailed off, more firmly this time. "I thank you for your information, Charlotte," he said familiarly. "I shall go warn them immediately."

"Oh, Charles," she said sadly, unerringly gazing at his face with her blind eyes. "It's far too late for that."

Chinatown, New York City
One Hour Earlier

Abby Brown snickered to herself softly as she walked beside her two sisters, listening fondly to the pair of them banter. Of course, they were not related by blood, though their bond made them closer than any such coincidental kinship might suggest.

The three of them were, in fact, the result of many years of experimentation and research by the world-domineering group known as Hydra. Caitlin was the first, the brunette girl having been activated quite by accident some three years ago. She was grown as a prototype model, created for infiltration and assassination, though she'd lacked most of her programming by the time she'd escaped and had to learn things as she went along.

Abby herself was technically the next oldest, though she'd only been with the others for a few months now. She was created much in the same vein as Caitlin was, but the blonde possessed several different abilities. She'd been activated at her lab in the UK about two years ago, and lost much of that time as a controllable and docile servant. She still experienced flashes of memories from her time spent as an assassin, but once she'd had her activation reset she had found herself working for the criminal gang who had captured her. And discovered a certain talent for burglary, which is how she found her new siblings.

Rebecca, now, was a bit of a different creature. The redheaded girl was built as a pure combat model, thus without the transformative abilities that both Caitlin and Abby possessed. She had one major advantage in combat, that of a shared DNA with a certain mutant by the name of Logan, otherwise known as Wolverine. The partial clone had a significant healing factor, one which made the quiet and reticent girl a powerhouse in a fight when combined with her agility, strength, resilience, and her deadly ability with knives.

Caitlin had come across Rebecca a little over a year ago while investigating what should have been the abandoned remains of her original lab. The redhead's mind had been damaged from when they had tried to activate her, and together the pair succeeded in finally burning the place to the ground.

Rebecca and Caitlin formed an instant mental bond, one which tethered Rebecca's sanity but also enabled them to sense one another's presence and at times almost allow for nonverbal communication. Once Abby had come along, they had somehow expanded this connection to include her as well. Though she didn't need it to survive, Abby was eternally grateful for its presence. It gave her a feeling of belonging, of home, that she never realized she had ever desired. Now that she had it, she didn't know what she would do without it.

And besides that, it made the three of them a coordinated terror in any fight.

The one thing the models shared was their similar appearance, one that made their relation obvious to any observer. All had the same five-foot-even height, slim athletic build, pert noses, and pale green eyes that could be warm, glacial, or burning with intensity depending on their moods. Their hair, Caitlin's being a shoulder-length curly brown, Rebecca's a silky long red, and Abby's a short blond bob, served as their major differentiation, along with a smattering of freckles across Rebecca's nose and cheeks.

"You are being irritating again," Rebecca responded to Caitlin's latest jab levelly. She was dressed casually today in jeans and a short-sleeved grey crop top, eschewing a jacket as the crisp fall breeze did not affect any of the sisters overmuch, and had her hair done back in a braid as she seemed to prefer it most of the time.

"Well, that's a given," the brunette smirked cheerfully, striding alongside in her dark green capris cargoes and white tee shirt, her hair up in a messy ponytail. "Doesn't make it any less true, though."

Rebecca let out a very put-upon sigh. "River Tam could not defeat Jacob Black in single combat."

"Oh really? You think he would just rip his shirt off and distract her with his pecs?" the longtime Summer Glau devotee said mischievously.

The pale redhead blushed at the jab, steadfastly refusing to admit she'd even seen the Twilight movies, much less developed an infatuation with the part played by Taylor Lautner. "No," she replied firmly. "He is a werewolf. He would simply transform and chew her… ass off."

"Oooh, struck a nerve there," Caitlin giggled. "I got you to cuss."

"Hush. Do not be obnoxious to cover for the fact that you are wrong."

"Abbs, back me up here," the brunette pleaded.

The blonde laughed merrily. "Oh, no, I'm not gettin' into the middle of this, luv," she replied with her English inflection. Abby usually was the more colorful of the trio, and today was no exception. She wore bright red capris leggings under a short black skirt and her usual grey hoodie jacket over a red-and-white striped tank top. Like her sisters, she wore sandals despite the weather. All three of them, whether through design or programming, tended to eschew other footwear altogether unless the situation, or combat scenario, demanded it.

"Coward," Caitlin laughed good-naturedly. "Alright, then. I'll see your werewolf form and raise you River's kickass combat moves. She took out a whole roomful of Reavers, for God's sake!"

Rebecca shook her head, a smug look on her face. "Werewolf chow," she replied, humor lacing her words.

"Nope," Caitlin replied, popping the end the word. "She'd slice and dice him into itty bitty little bits, after skinning him with her blades."

"You are delusional."

"Been accused of that in the past, yeah."

"As amusing as I am sure you find yourself, we are at our destination. Your deranged argument will have to be deferred."

"Deranged?" Caitlin scoffed as they turned down the sidewalk to cross the street. "The only thing deranged about me is-"

Her snark was derailed by the sound of honking as a cab, wanting to make a right-hand turn on red, came to a screeching halt in front of the three.

"Are you bloody well out of your mind?" Abby angrily screeched, instantly leaping onto the offensive. "Do you see the bleedin' light there? Do you? We've got the right of way at the pedestrian crossing, you arse!"

Laughing, Caitlin pulled on her irate sister's arm. "Down, girl! Let's move before the light changes!"

"Bloody daft taxi driver!" the blonde shouted over her shoulder as she allowed herself to be dragged off. She was still grumbling under her breath once they reached the relative safety of the sidewalk.

"Abby, you have certainly adjusted to living in New York City," Rebecca commented wryly.

"Why, thank you, Becca," Abby replied, her cheer quickly restored. "I do try."

They entered the curbside cafe, looking about the small shop for only a second to determine that they had arrived ahead of their friends.

"Well, let's get a table," Caitlin said. "Front or back?"

"May we sit up front?" Rebecca asked. "I enjoy watching the people."

"Sure, maybe Abbs here can find someone else to verbally assault."

"Sod off," Abby replied humorously. "I kept it verbal this time, didn't I?"

"This is very true," the redhead smirked softly as she selected a table near the window. "He would at the least not be able to sue for a damaged hood."

"It was the one bloody time," Abby sighed.

Caitlin laughed and grabbed the blonde in a quick one-armed hug as she sat in between her and her other sister. "Honestly, it was worth paying for the repairs. The look on that asshole's face was hilarious."

Just then the front door bell dinged, and a very different pair of girls walked through.

The first might have passed for another sibling, the same stature, though an inch taller, and hair as Caitlin, though her eyes were a warm brown. She wore jeans, a green tee shirt, and black leather jacket along with a stylish pair of black boots.

The second girl had long, braided purple hair and matching purple markings on her extremely pale skin, arrayed around her eyes like tattoos, though the three sisters knew them to be nothing of the sort. She had on a brown mid-thigh coat over a pale blue blouse and stonewashed jeans, with simple black flats on her feet.

"Kitty! Blink!" Caitlin cheered as the other pair approached.

"Hey guys!" Kitty smiled, rounding the table to give each girl a hug in turn. "How's my favorite ass-kickers doing?"

"The usual," Caitlin bantered back. "Abbs almost assaulted a poor cab driver on the way in."

"Oh belt up, you cheeky girl," Abby shot at her, standing up to give the purple-haired girl a tight hug. "All right, then, Blink?"

"Hey yourself, Abby," Blink smiled as she warmly embraced the girl who had fast become her best friend. The young mutant had been rescued from an abusive foster situation by Kitty, Caitlin, and another of the younger X-Men by the name of Rogue about a half year or so ago. Abby had bonded with her instantly and they found an easy and sympathetic confidant in each other.

"What can I get you ladies to drink?" a waitress asked as she walked up.

"Chai latte, please," Abby said as she took her seat.

"Ditto!" Caitlin chirped.

"I shall have the same as well, please," Rebecca added.

Kitty snorted a laugh. "You three are a trip. Yeah, can I get a coffee with three sugars, please?"

"Coffee with cream only for me," Blink finished for the group. The waitress nodded and turned to walk back towards the kitchen as she wrote in her pad.

The five of them opened up their menus and perused the dinner offerings.

"They've got a bacon cheeseburger, Cat," the other brunette mentioned.

"Oh yeah, I see it. I'm also drooling over the meatballs, though I don't think they could hold a candle to the ones Abbs makes."

"Flatterer," Abby smirked. "What do you think, luv? Any of this nosh look good to you?"

"Huh, I'm kinda leaning towards the bacon cheeseburger myself," Blink murmured. "Ooh, sweet potato fries! Okay, got my order."

"Becca? You set?" Caitlin asked as the waitress approached with their drinks.

"Yes, I believe I am," the redhead replied. "They only have a small variety of salads, but I found one that will suffice."

"Rabbit food," her brunette sister teased.

"I am a vegetarian, not a rabbit," Rebecca distractedly replied with her standard response to the other's jab.

Blink did end up with ordering the bacon cheeseburger and sweet potato fries, as did Caitlin, though the latter asked for regular fries instead. Kitty asked for the ham and swiss panini, Rebecca a garden salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing, and Abby ended up being adventurous and ordering the fish and chips.

"Likely they'll cock it up," the blond grumbled after the waitress had left. "Hard to find a properly done fish and chips outside of the isles."

"Than why did you order it?" Rebecca asked curiously.

"I can dream, now, can't I?"

"You know, there's this really cool Irish pub near Times Square," Kitty commented. "We should try it sometime."

"Brill," Abby grinned. "It's a date for the next time, then, yeah?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Caitlin cheered, always ready to try a new culinary venture. So long as meat was involved, of course.

After their food arrived they spent a few minutes digging into their meals before conversation inevitably picked up again.

"So, here's a question for you lot," Abby began, levelling a fry at first Blink and then Kitty. "Your real name is Clarice, but you go by Blink. While your name is Kitty, but you sometimes go by Shadowcat? What's that all about, then?"

"Well," Blink replied slowly. "For me it's somewhat personal. I try to, you know, distance myself from my past, what I went through and all. This is who I am now, I'm an X-Man."

Kitty smiled and squeezed the other mutant's arm reassuringly. "It's easier for me, I just use Kitty when I'm not on a mission. It's my private life, my identity, and I only use Shadowcat when doing an assignment or when in training."

"Hmm," Abby mused, dipping the fry repeatedly into her ketchup. Her hand froze and her eyes widened as she was suddenly hit with inspiration. "Cor," she breathed. "That's it, that's bloody well it!"

"Abbs?" her brunette sister inquired curiously.

"We need code names as well, mates!" the blonde said, looking around the table with a wide grin on her face.

Rebecca blinked at her uncertainly. "We do?"

"We've never needed them before," Caitlin retorted after a moment's pause. "Besides which, it's not like we have a secret identity or anything we need to protect. I mean, we're just who we are, right?"

"But it would so brill!" Abby gushed.

Blink snickered at her best friend's antics. "Abby…" she sighed.

"No, really! Totally brill!"

"Well, when you put it that way," Caitlin mused, and then shrugged. "Yeah, can't argue with that."

The pair turned their identical pale green eyes to regard the third member of their small family.

Rebecca shook her head with a sigh, spearing a leaf of lettuce with her fork. "It is unnecessary."

"But totally brill!" Abby grinned.

"C'mon now, Becca," Caitlin wheedled. "You know you wanna. I bet you already have one in mind now, don't you?"

The redhead steadfastly refused to meet either of their gazes, lowering her face down over her food. The others began to chuckle, knowing what her refusal to answer meant.

"You do!" Blink laughed. "You so do, c'mon, share!"

Rebecca sighed somewhat embarrassedly. "I had the errant thought some time ago," she admitted. "But… it is foolish."

"Beccaaa…" Caitlin teased.

Rebecca shook her head adamantly. "It is unnecessary. I do not require a code name. The adventures I enjoy are usually of a literary nature."

Abby snorted. "Yeah, that just means you're a right proper geek, luv."

A withering glare was sent towards the blonde which she cheerfully ignored.

"Alright then," Caitlin sighed with feigned sorrow. "You force us to make one up for you."

The redhead turned her glare towards the brunette next as if daring her to do her worst.

Caitlin snickered. "Kickass Girl."

"What."

"No? Okay, how about Red Riding Hood?"

"No."

"Hmm… Ooh, I like Falcon Tamer," the brunette goaded, referring to Rebecca's boyfriend Sam Wilson from the Avengers, a.k.a the Falcon.

Rebecca wordlessly rolled her eyes.

"Tough crowd. Okay, I got one," Caitlin grinned triumphantly. "Erza Scarlet!"

Blink snorted into her coffee, almost spitting out her mouthful. "That sounds like a porn star name," she choked out.

"It does not, she's from that really cool internet anime, Fairy Tail," Caitlin explained in mild exasperation.

The other four just stared at her blankly.

"Oh, we are so having a marathon night next chance we get," she stated.

"Caitlin…" the redhead sighed. "Fine. I shall tell you, if you will stop being so obnoxious."

"I don't think there's a power in the universe that could stop Cat from being obnoxious," Kitty laughed.

"Hey!" Caitlin barked at one of her oldest friends. "I resemble that remark!"

"All right, then, give it up, girl," Abby prompted.

The redheaded girl sighed again. "Blade," she finally revealed quietly.

The others mulled over it for a few seconds.

"Isn't that one taken?" Kitty asked hesitantly.

"Not that I know of," Caitlin replied. "And besides, it suits her, totally."

"How many knives do you have about you today, luv?" Abby asked with a sly grin.

Rebecca tilted her head, her eyes dancing as she did a mental inventory. "Fourteen."

"Don't forget the one down your knickers," Abby reminded her. "You always forget that one."

"Oh, yes. Fifteen, then."

"Yeah, okay," Blink laughed. "Blade it is."

"Now what shall we do for Caitlin," Abby mused, propping her chin in the palm of her hand.

Caitlin glanced at Rebecca out of the corner of her eye. "Something tells me I'm gonna regret my earlier needling," she murmured.

"Of course not," Rebecca said levelly. "I am above such childish antics." She let a very small smirk cross her face. "Wondergirl," she added, sotto voce.

"Heard that."

"You did not."

"Totally did."

"You are once again delusional."

"Right," Abby broke in with a grin. "We need something to define you, yeah? The way you fight… Oh!" she exclaimed, sitting upright. "That's bloody brilliant!"

All eyes turned to her curiously as she smiled like a cat who got caught with the cream.

"Scrapper!"

"I am not sure I understand what that means…" Rebecca said slowly.

"Like someone who's small, but can really kick some major ass even if she doesn't look like she can," Caitlin replied with a smirk. "And I like it."

"So now we need one for this gorgeous woman," Blink teased.

"Oh, stop," Abby replied with false modesty. "'Sides which, I think I like Speedy."

"That's boring," Caitlin disagreed.

"It also does not encapsulate all that you are, or what you can do," Rebecca added.

"Right," Blink agreed. "I mean, from all the stories you guys tell, you're not just really fast. I still wanna see you race Surge sometime," she added.

Abby snorted. "Someday," she agreed. "So then, what do you lot suggest?"

"Your talent as a thief," Caitlin stated. "Something that shows that, how you can sneak in and out of any place at all, like a… like a Ghost!"

"Ghost?" Abby asked quizzically, furrowing her brows as she rolled the name across her tongue, savoring the flavor of it. "Yeah, I can see that. Bloody awesome, it is."

"Now all you guys need is a group name!" Blink grinned widely.

Abby blinked at her friend uncertainly. "Sorry?"

"Like a team! A team name!"

"Hmm," Caitlin also grinned while shooting her redheaded sister a mischievous glance. "Kinda like Team Jacob?"

Rebecca blushed furiously, while the other girls at the table snickered save for one.

"I still can't quite get over it," Abby mused mournfully. "Becca, a Twilight fan."

"It was a phase," Rebecca mumbled into her cup.

"A very lonnng phase," Caitlin laughed. "Well, relatively speaking. But yeah, she's definitely a fan of Jacob. Especially without his shirt."

Rebecca sank deeper into her chair, her ears burning crimson with mortification. "You are incredibly irritating, Caitlin," she growled, sounding a bit like a ferocious kitten.

"True," the brunette smirked unrepentantly. "Very true."

"Just when I thought I knew my sisters," Abby intoned, raising imploring eyes to the heavens. "And then this bloody well occurs. My faith in the world is right shaken, girls."

Blink was snorting with laughter by this point, tears streaming down past the purple markings on her face as she leaned into the small blonde. "Oh, God, stop…" she wheezed. "You're killing me…"

Abby chuckled lightly and wrapped a friendly arm around the young mutant. "Never a dull moment with us, is there?"

"Nope," Kitty replied for them all. "Never ever."

Blink sighed, regaining her equilibrium and sitting up straight again. "Whew! Okay, so, team name! We still need one for you guys!"

Caitlin took a sip from her drink and shook her head amusedly. "Blink, what the hell would you call a… a collection of renegade Hydra assassin models?"

"Combat, not assassin," Rebecca interjected primly, recovering from her earlier embarrassment.

"You say tomato, I say assassin," Caitlin snorted inelegantly.

"Wait, that's it!" Blink shouted triumphantly as she pumped a fist in the air, startling the other patrons nearby.

"We are not calling ourselves assassins," Rebecca warned.

"Of course not," the purple-haired girl grinned, looking around the table. "Renegades! That's what you guys are, the Renegades!"

Rebecca sighed. "I still find the entire exercise unnecessary."

"But bloody brill," Abby interjected.

"Yep, gotta go with brill, myself," Caitlin grinned.

The redhead rolled her eyes, unable to keep the soft smile from her lips. "What am I to do with the two of you?" she murmured affectionately.

Any reply from the other two was overridden by the sound of a window-rattling explosion from across the street. All of the assembled girls whipped their heads around, searching for the cause of the disturbance.

"Was that the bloody bank across the street there?" Abby asked.

"I think so…" Kitty said slowly. "Oh! Yeah, look over in the alleyway, came from there!"

A grinning Caitlin rose to her feet, looking at the others expectantly.

"Caitlin, we are not intervening," Rebecca warned. "We should let the authorities handle things."

"Now where's the fun in that? C'mon, Team Renegade and associated sidekicks, let's get 'em!"

"Sidekick, my ass,' Kitty snorted as she rose as well.

Blink looked at her plate mournfully as she rose with the rest of them. "I didn't get to finish my burger," she whined.

"It'll be here when we get back, luv," Abby reminded her. She glanced up to see the waitress approaching. "Oi, we're gonna go take care of those buggers, be right back, yeah?"

"Not without paying first," the woman stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

Caitlin snickered. "Fair enough." She pulled a wad of bills out and dropped them on the table. "Be back for our change. Oh, and don't clear the plates away, okay?"

As they exited the cafe, the brunette girl glanced over at her sister. "Got my back, Becca?"

"Always, Caitlin," the redhead replied with a small smile. "Abby?"

"Ready for a scrap," the blonde affirmed. "Let's do this."

The five crossed the street, weaving in and out of the traffic that had come to a standstill. They entered the alleyway, Caitlin and Rebecca in front as the strongest hand-to-hand fighters, with the others following closely.

They came to a stop halfway down when they spied the gaping hole in the side of the building where the smoke was issuing from.

"Hellooo bad guys," Caitlin called out. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

"You really need to work on this superhero thing," Kitty snarked.

"Hey, it's more effective than you realize," Caitlin shot back. She grinned as a masked and robed man exited from the hole, clutching a large bag in his hand. "See? Guaranteed results."

"Run along now, little girls," the figure barked out imperiously. "You tangle with the mighty Electro, and you will be burned!"

"Oh, lovely," Abby sighed. "We got a right barmy one, here."

Several more bags floated out from behind him on their own accord, slowly making their way into the back of a van parked at the end of the alley. He released the bag he was holding to allow it to float away as well.

"Well, not a fraud, anyway," Blink commented. "Definitely got something going on there. Telekinesis?"

"I'm thinking more like magic," Caitlin growled.

"How can you tell for sure?"

"I can smell it," the tracker replied, wrinkling her pert nose. "He reeks of it."

"I warned you," the man spoke again. He waved his hands in front of him and bright bolts of electricity shot out, arcing towards the five girls. They scattered, easily dodging the few that were sent their way.

"How very Emperor Palatine," Caitlin smirked as she regained her feet and began moving forward cautiously.

"Not very accurate, though," Kitty said, walking just behind the brunette and her redheaded sister as the trio advanced. She kept her hands poised over their bodies to grab and phase them if another attack was forthcoming.

"I got the next bolt he sends," Blink proclaimed. Abby held back by her side, eyes roaming about for any accomplices or other tricks up the masked man's sleeves.

With a snarl, the man shot his hands forward again. Blink was ready this time, and popped a portal up in front of him, intending to pop another one overhead to direct the blast back on top of the villain.

It didn't quite work out that way, however.

Whether it was the electricity itself, or the magical properties of such, or perhaps the fact that this attack was far stronger than the last, the crackling energy played across Blink's portal, tearing it from her control and interacting with it in a way she'd never experienced before. The lightning flickered around the edges instead of going through it at all, and then the opposite side facing the girls suddenly swirled a brilliant orange color. A roaring sound began to issue from it.

Rebecca and the two brunettes froze in their tracks. "Blink?" Caitlin shouted over her shoulder.

"I'm not doing that!" she shouted back, panic lacing her words. "I can't control it!"

The wind immediately began to pick up around them as small debris was sucked into the portal. Kitty made a grab for the two girls in front of her, but they had both already dropped to the ground to better resist the pull.

Unfortunately a trash can came rolling past, clipping Rebecca on the shoulder and causing her to stumble. Within an instant she was airborne and disappeared through without a sound.

"Becca!" her brunette sister screamed, lunging to her feet. The others were unable to tell if she was sucked in or voluntarily threw herself into the portal, but in the blink of an eye she was gone as well.

Kitty was caught flat-footed, still reaching out to the siblings, and ended up tumbling onto her face. The wind quickly picked her up as she bounced off of the ground and flung her through next.

"Abby!" the purple-haired girl screamed, terrified.

Her blonde friend grabbed hold of her around the waist from behind. "Hang tight, luv, I'll get us-"

She was cut off as the portal suddenly pulsed one last time in a surge of energy, sucking the pair of them in before they could escape. And then it imploded, dissipating into nothingness and leaving a very perplexed Electro sitting on his rear, moneybags spilling their contents all over the alleyway.

"Well," he finally said, slightly dumbstruck. "That was unusual."

Abby wasn't sure how long she'd been inside the rogue portal. She was fairly certain, after having been through one of Blink's portals before, that it was not supposed to take this long to exit. But the mutant girl hadn't had the chance to throw up another portal before the first had gone haywire, so she had no idea really where she was going to end up.

The blonde girl kept her eyes screwed up tightly as the dizzying kaleidoscope of colors hurt her head to look at. She was cognizant of only two things. First, she had wound her arms tightly around her purple-haired friend's midsection, tucking her head down into the crook of her neck, and was not about to let go for anything.

And secondly, she hoped beyond all measure that the others who went before her were okay.

Eventually there was a popping sound and her ears rang from the shift in pressure. She felt gravity take over again and fell to the ground with a grunt.

Arms still clutched around Blink, the blonde girl took several deep breaths. "Blink?" she whispered fearfully. "You all right, luv?"

The purple-haired mutant squirmed slightly under her. "Ow," she groaned painfully.

Encouraged, Abby peeled open her eyes to see where they had ended up. Once she got a good look, she shot to an upright position, staring about incredulously.

"Abby?" the other girl moaned, rolling over onto her back. "What is it?"

"See for yourself, girl," Abby breathed. "The world's gone right mad, it has."

Blink sat up as well and joined her friend in gaping at the tableau where they'd been deposited.

The landscape looked like it might have, at one time or another, been a metropolitan city. It was unclear whether or not it was actually still New York City, as it was currently unrecognizable. To all outward appearances, it looked as if a herd of giants had stomped the buildings into rubble, and then jumped up and down on top of the piles for good measure. The sky was the color of a television tuned to a dead channel, leaving the landscape bleak and colorless.

Blink's hand gripped Abby's arm as she glanced over their shoulders. "Look," she whispered in a combination of awe and terror.

Cruising along the horizon where Blink had indicated were several alien-looking ships, probing the shadows with stabbing beams of lights as if in a search pattern.

"Bugger me sideways," Abby whispered.

A/N: So! I really hope you had a chance to read the other stories as indicated up in the top author's note. If not, well, I've hopefully given you enough info to go off of concerning the Brown sisters, and I'll try not to assume familiarity.

This is my first major story done inside the X-Men: The Movie universe, though I did a one-shot with my same characters earlier inside the X-Men comics category. Like Unchained, this will be, hopefully, in an episodic format where each chapter will more or less stand on its own (save for this first one). Also, just to warn ahead of time, I'm going to be tossing in the occasional femslash (with lemon warnings) as well as describe same-sex relationships. Anyone who's read my stories knows I like to include them alongside traditional hetero couples. If love between two consenting (though fictional) people disturbs you, that's your choice. But love is love, and that's all I'm gonna say about it.

And yes, the bit about the television tuned to a dead channel is a direct tribute to one of my favorite authors, William Gibson.

One last note, as I've mentioned in the Prologue story leading up to this one, I am not of British origin. I've gotten more comfortable speaking in Abby's voice, but I do apologize if I tend to get a little heavy-handed with the slang. If it helps, when you read her lines just imagine Hermione speaking in your heads, that's how I envision it.

Well, much appreciation for the reads. Hugs to my faithful Beta, KellyConnely, and please do drop me a review to let me know what you think!

Stay shiny!