The X-mansion. A place of solitude. A place of sanction. Betsy Braddock walked through her large room. It had two beds in it. One for her, one for her fellow X-man, Rogue. She pushed the door to their personal bathroom open. She was wearing a short, silk purple robe. Her short purple hair was pulled back an a small ponytail. The party had just ended, and Betsy, not usually being a party animal, had just had enough, so he went into the sauna, and she now wanted to wash the sweat off of her.
She opened the clear shower curtain, and turns the knobs, and the hot water pours down from the showerhead. She dropped the towel on the floor, and stepped inside the steaming water. She lifted her face to the showerhead and felt the hot water flow over her. She looked around, and picked up her soap. She lathered the sponge, and washed her fine toned body, and cleaned her short hair. She heard a small noise, and stood as still as she could, and listened. She could hear footsteps over the plush carpet. She turned off the water, and stepped out. Without covering herself or drying herself, and stood in front of the door, and made a psi-katana. There was a knock at her door, she only waited. The door slowly opened…
"Whoa! I'm so sorry!" Marrow said after getting an eye full too much of what she needed to see.
"Good Lord, Marrow!" Betsy said.
"I knocked!!"
"What the hell are you doing in MY bathroom?"
"Kitty is using ours…I thought both you and Rogue were still downstairs!"
"You scared the crap outta me!" Betsy said and her blade vanished.
"Well…I am sorry." Marrow said, still looking away from the totally bare Betsy.
"It's ok," Betsy said as she wrapped a towel around her, "Go ahead and use it."
The towel that covered Betsy hardly left anything to the imagination. It was very short. She walks silently into her room, her long legs moving so smoothly though the low-lit room.
"Thanks!!" Marrow said as she shut the door behind her.
"Sarah didn't have her bones showing…I know she wasn't wearing an image-inducer…" Betsy said to herself. She threw on her loose jeans and her spaghetti string black shirt, that had no back. Even though Psylocke was a deadly assassin trained in the art of ninjitsu, she still liked being a girl, and she wasn't afraid to show anything off, as long as it wasn't TOO much.
She opened her door, and walked out of her room. She saw that Gambit's door was cracked. She heard the mellow sound of "What I Got" playing in his room. She knocked, and he nodded for her to enter. Gambit was just sitting on the floor, relaxing. Betsy sat down next to him, with out saying a word, and they just listened to the song.
Gambit had a deck of cards in his hand, and he flicked them back and forth. "Ya know, Chere…"
"Hmm?"
"Dis whole X-Men t'ing…I never felt dat I ever had a place to be safe in. I know I've been 'ere for a while, and I'm just thinking what it would be like…now if I wasn't 'ere."
"Remy… This mansion is a refuge for everyone that lives in it."
"I know, Chere…I wasn't saying I am different that anyone else in 'ere…I'm just wondering what I'd be doin' if I weren' 'ere."
"I wonder that myself," Betsy said as she pulled her knees into her chest, "When I do start to wonder, I try to stop myself. You and me both have had rough pasts…Everyone in this mansion has… Everyone wonders what could've been, or what could've happened if they turned Prof. down. There's always more than one way to do things."
"Don't you ever wonder if ya took da right one?"
"Never have, you?"
"Nah."
The next day, Betsy woke up earlier than anyone else. She threw on her training clothes, and walked down to the Danger Room. She put the mode on stealth. She stood in the center of the room. Suddenly, the steel surronding turned into cement walls. Betsy's eyes turned a pale what, and she concentrated. She was know known as Psylocke.
She leaned up against one of the many cold walls in this cement maze. She could hear footsteps a ways down. She held her hand out, and a psi-katana formed in it.
She peaked around the corner, and saw a "guard" walking down the corridor. She ran up behind, silent as the midnight wind, and made a quick slash. The guard's head popped up, Psylocke caught it, and shoved the body up against the wall, so it made no sound at all, so the other guards wouldn't notice her infiltration.
Suddenly, the walls faded, and she was in the middle of a tropical forest. "What the hell?"
"You want me dead?"
Betsy's face looked of shear terror. "It can't be…"
"I'm here to hunt you, Psylocke!"
"Sabretooth…" She muttered.
"Hah hah hah! Yeah! It's me, Babe!"
Psylocke gritted her teeth, and grasped her blade even tighter. "Then c'mon out and face me, you monster!"
Sabretooth jumped up from right behind her. He had been waiting in a small hole covered by branches. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, and held her face near his. "I'm gonna kill you, BETSY!"
Psylocke quickly thrust her psi-katana back into Sabretooth's stomach! The shock from the attack blasted him back into a tree, and it broke over his shoulders. "Don't bother getting up, Tooth. My blade will have you knocked out for a while…I hope you enjoy your stay at this mansion."
Sabretooth, to Psylocke's surprise, jumped up, and threw a large fist into her stomach! She dropped the blade, and curled over. "I'll be back for the entire X-Men team…Betsy…You'll be the first one I kill… Tell everyone that I have gotten a new power, and that the end is near." Betsy faded out.
When she woke up, Rogue, Wolverine, Gambit and Marrow were looking down at her. "Sabretooth…is…too…strong…" She murmured out.
"When ya heal sugah, we'll talk. Now, just get some rest." Rogue told her.
She and Wolverine walked out into the hall. "How the hell did Tooth manage to get into the mansion and take Betsy out like that?"
"I'm not sure, darlin. Last time I checked, Tooth didn' know how to use an electric toothbrush, much less the Danger Room's controls…" Wolverine said.
"Somethin' tells me this ain' gonna be fun…"
Wolverine, Rogue, Marrow, Gambit, Shadowcat, and Nightcrawler were all sitting around the conference table. Psylocke's seat was empty.
"Wolverine, you gotta find where Tooth entered the mansion. There's gotta be somethin that we missed." Rogue said.
"I'm still not sure how he could've taken this place undetected. We have cameras every corner of this place."
"I know that, Kitty. But Sabretooth lives in the wilderness. He is used to finding nooks and crannies that people over looked. He probably found someway to get past our cameras…" Nightcrawler said.
"But Tooth is illiterate to anything that is made by man but guns!" Marrow said.
"She's got a point 'dere. How did Tooth even manage to switch da trainin' mode in da Danger Room?"
"I'm not sure, Remy. He hasn' been here more than a few times." Rogue said.
"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure Tooth isn't the mastermind behind whatever this whole thing is. It's been quiet around here these past months… Tooth was probably just waiting, healing or something. Now that he's back, I'm sure he'll want blood. And that is just one theory that if he's behind this by himself. You never know who could be pulling his strings." Wolverine said, who had been quiet this whole time.
"Well that's a mouth full, sugah." Rogue said.
"I'm requesting a solo mission, Rogue. No one knows Tooth like I do." Wolverine says.
Rogue thought about that for a second. "You need one person to be with you, Logan. I won't let you do it solo."
"Rogue, gimme a break! I-"
"I am the new field leader of the X-men, Wolverine. That is my judgement call, and it is gonna stick!" Rogue said.
Wolverine snarled at the remark.
"I'll go, Rogue." A voice called from behind the table. Psylocke stood in the doorway. "Let me. I won't let Creed take me down again."
"No way, Bets. You aren't even healed yet." Rogue said.
"I will be in a few days. Creed won't get me like he has before. I swear."
"I'll let you go, only if you promise to let Wolverine make all the calls." Rogue said.
"WHAT? You've gotta be pulling legs over here, Rogue! There is no way she can be up to par with me or Tooth!" Wolverine said.
"I know." Rogue said. "Dismissed." Rogue said, and stood up. The other X-Men did the same. "Wolverine, c'mere."
"What?"
"Keep her away from Tooth, ok?" Rogue said after everyone had left. "I don't want her torn up again."
"Yeah, I got'cha." Wolverine said, and walked out. Rogue was alone in the Conference Room.
A woman in a long brown trench coat walked down the hallway of an airport. She was wearing a black beanie, and she kept her hands in her pockets. She looked up, and saw a man looking out the window. She pulled her hand out of her pocket, and was holding a big handgun. She pulled the trigger, and the man was dead instantly. His insides where on the window. Four men turned when they heard the gunshot. They pulled out their guns, and opened fire on the woman. She pulled her head down, nearly missing the bullets. Her hat fell off, and the men caught a good look at her. She had long black hair, chalk white skin, and a black spot over her left eye. Her name was Domino. She had been in the X-Force, but left, and hadn't been seen until this cold afternoon in a local airport. She twisted, and the trench coat fell to the floor, and Domino fired back at the attackers. She managed to tag a few of them, and miss a few. She dove behind a line of chairs, and reloaded her gun.
Pieces of wall, chairs, and ceiling fell around her. She laid on her side, waiting for a pause in the gunfire. When she heard one, she popped up, and opened fire, nailing one man in the face, the other dodged behind a doorframe. Domino jumped over the chairs, and pressed her back to the doorframe. The man jumped out, and looked around. He didn't see her standing right next to his face. He felt the smoking barrel pressed against his cheek.
"The man I killed lead mutant killings. Do you know that?" Domino said as she pressed the barrel harder.
"All mutants are scum. They are freaks that deserve to die." The man said, tears running down his face.
"Sorry you feel that way." Domino said, and splattered the man's brain on the wood of the doorframe. The body dropped. She slowly walked over to the first corpse, and ducked down to it. She heard a sneeze behind a closed door. Her eyes opened wide, and she jumped back, and rolled behind another set of chairs, ones that hadn't been torn by bullets. She waited.
"I can't believe you just sneezed!" A voice whispered behind the door.
"I'm sorry! I dunno why I did." A second voice whispered back.
"If you two don't shuddup, she'll hear us, and all of us will be killed!" a third voice whispered.
"3 plus men." Domino thought to her self.
The door blew open, and blind fire flew in, missing Domino. She bent her wrist over the chair, and fired back, hoping for the best. She noticed that her cover was starting to fall apart! She heard a clink, and saw a grenade roll next to her foot. She quickly stood up, and ran. The explosion clocked her forward! She was hurled down near the stairs, she twisted in the air, and spread her legs so that her feet landed on the rails going down the stairs, and she started to slide down. The men came out from behind the door, and she opened fire on them, taking all seven of them out!
When she got near the end of the stairwell, she jumped off, and landed on one knee. She felt a small rumble under her feet. She looked around. "Sixth floor." She said to herself. Under her the floor broke, she jumped up, and ran back up the stairs. Behind her, a group of prime sentinels flew up the stairs. She pulled out a square looking grenade, and pulled the pin with her teeth, and tossed it behind her. She ran straight up the stair in front of her. The explosion from her grenade, even though she was a whole floor above it, forced her into the air. She landed on the next stairwell with a thud. She thought it was done.
"MUTANT CODENAME: DOMINO
POWER: LUCK" She head the metallic voice come up the stairs.
"Son of a bi.." Domino said as the group still perused! She ran up, and kept firing back! She ran up the stairs, and was on the roof! The Prime was right behind her! One got through the door, and ran into her, smashing her off the roof with his shoulder! She retaliated, and threw a rope onto one of the banisters that was near the entrance! She swung so low to the ground, and had to tuck her legs up to her chest to avoid loosing them! She started to swing up towards the first room she was on, the seventh floor she was on. The line broke, and she tumbled through the air.
She landed in a luggage car. She saw the Prime sentinels still coming. She pulled two large handguns, and started to fire. She was lucky, and she took a few out! She kicked off the wall she was near, and the cart rolled back up into an open plank, and into a plane. The door slammed shut, and the plane took off, leaving the Prime Sentinels behind.
Domino woke in the luggage hold. She had a large headache, along with a large knot on her head. She reloaded her gun, just incase the prime knew which plane she was fallen in. "Damn, what a rush. Haven't had that much fun in a long time… Problem is where the hell am I off to?"
Psylocke walked through the long halls of the mansion. She put her fingers on the wall and dragged them as she walked. She was still angry at her self for not able to take down Sabretooth, and that he got her in the infirmary a second time. She hadn't even changed out of the gown that Jean gave her. Her bare feet slapped against the cold floor. She saw Wolverine standing by a window looking out over the forest. "Logan?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for letting me come along with you, when we go look for Sabretooth."
"It wasn't my choice, and I think you should stay here. But I'm not the leader, Rogue is, we all voted her into that position, I just hope we didn't make the wrong choice." Wolverine said.
"How can ya say that? Rogue is doing a great job, Logan."
"So far, but this idea she has isn't really smart."
"I can handle this myself. Tooth just caught me off guard!"
"Shh. I smell something."
"Huh?"
"SHH!" Wolverine said, lifted his masked head into the air, and sniffed two short times.
"What is it?" Psylocke whispered.
"Ome--…" He was stopped when two long tentacles blasted through the ceiling, nearly missing Psylocke and Wolverine.
SHNKT
Wolverine jumped straight up through the ceiling, and saw Omega Red standing up on the roof in front of him. "Haven't seen you in a while, Big Red." Wolverine said.
"I've missed you, bob-cat!" Omega Red said, and lunged himself at Wolverine. He threw out his hand, and a gray whip flew out, wrapped itself around Wolverine, and started to drain him energy.
Psylocke jumped up, and was holding her Psi-Katana. She slashed down hard, and cut Wolverine free. He fell to his knees, completely drained of energy. Psylocke thought she was safe until she was wrapped up. Suddenly, Omega Red dropped Psylocke, and fell over, his body smoking. From above, Domino dropped down, and held Psylocke so she wouldn't fall off the side of the mansion.
"Well don't I just have the darndest luck?"
"It's great that you're here, but why are ya?" Rogue asked.
"Sort of an accident."
"What'cha mean by that?" Rogue asked again.
"Well, I went and assassinated a man named Michael Crook. He was leading a mutant hunting facility. While I was there, and group of Prime came and attacked me, and I ended up in a plane. So here I am." Domino said, leaning back in her chair.
"Do you wanna stay here for a while?" Rogue asked.
"Thanks but no thanks. I guess I'll be gone by tomorrow, if it's ok that I stay here through the night."
"That should be fine." A voice called from behind her.
"CABLE!" Domino said and stood up quick, and turned around to see the tall man known as Cable. Her first love.
"How ya doing, Dom?" He asked.
"Oh My Gawd! I can't believe it's you! It's really you!"
"It's me, alright. C'mon and give me a hug." Cable said. Domino couldn't wrap her arms around Cable's neck faster.
Cable slowly wrapped his arms around her lower back, and picked her up, and inhaled through his nose, breathing in the scent of her black as satin hair that he missed so dearly. "Won't you stay more than a night?"
"Don't gotta ask me twice!!" Domino said with a huge grin.
Omega Red had been taken to the holing cell. Psylocke was watching the huge mutant gain his strength back. He was so evil. His white eyes couldn't tell the difference in morals if he killed his own mother or if he killed her. Wolverine was down the hall, getting his energy back as fast as he could. He was still groggy from the attack. Thunderbird, Neal, walked up behind her, and put an arm on her bare shoulder.
"Ya gonna be ok, Bets?"
"Yeah, I…I just dunno why the hell I've been so careless lately…I got taken by Sabretooth, if that was Sabretooth, and now this, Omega Red could've killed both me and Logan! And why can't Logan pick up a scent of Tooth?"
"I'm not really sure." Neal said.
Warren Worthington, Archangel, walked in, and looked at Neal with sternness. Warren and Betsy were very much in love, but it was obvious that Betsy looked at Neal more than a friend. "Has he waken yet?" Warren asked.
"No, no not yet." Neal said and took his hand of Betsy's shoulder.
"I just wish I knew what was going on here lately…I'm so confused…" Betsy said.
"Whatever you do, don't doubt you powers…" Neal said.
Warren looked at Neal coldly, and moves his head down near her ear. "No matter whatever happens, you know I'll always love you", he said just loud enough that Neal could overhear. Betsy nodded.
Vreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeemmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!
"What!?" Neal said.
Betsy snapped out of her stare, and looked around her. "Why is that alarm going off?"
"Just stay close, Bets." Archangel said. He made fists, and lifted his hands. They all heard it at the same time. Two sets of tapping. Feet hitting the steel floor. Two something's were running, and they were running right for the three of them.
"It's us! Who ever is down there it's us!!"
They all loosened up as Cable and Domino came into view. They were both holding their guns. "Sabretooth is back! I'm not sure where in the mansion, but Logan picked up his scent!" Cable said was he stopped running.