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The Aliens Have Landed in Bayville
by Rowena

Plink!

"He popped it!" Jubilee shrieked from the pitcher's mound. "It's a fly ball!"

The rest of the team took up the shout, but Kurt was already running, his golden eyes squinted against the glare of the summer sun as he tracked the ball with his glove outstretched. What he didn't see was that Jamie Madrox was doing just the same, only from the opposite direction.

"Kurt, Jamie, look out!" Jean called out from first. Jamie and Kurt both tried to swerve, but Jamie didn't have Kurt's acrobatic agility. The brown-haired boy overbalanced and fell on his face in the grass. The impact caused the young mutant's power to activate and, within moments, there were about a dozen perfect copies of Jamie Madrox lying sprawled all over the field, moaning in embarrassed annoyance.

The ball was still in the air, but it was falling fast. Kurt dived over a Jamie in a desperate attempt to head it off, but he was too late. The ball landed in the turf with a soft thud and immediately began rolling down the slight incline towards the pond.

"Nein!" Kurt exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. Several of the Jamies headed after the fuzzy blue teen, attempting to surround the ball before it was lost forever in the tepid water's murky depths. The pond was pretty shallow, but it was slimy and filmy and often stank of rot. No one in their right mind would willingly stick their hand in there, except on a bet or a dare. And Kurt, with his short, indigo fur, had even more reason to keep away.

Splish!

"Aw, no," the Jamies groaned.

"Crap!" came Jubilee's heartfelt contribution as she ran up beside them. "The ball's in the muck and Drake got two runs. What the heck is wrong with you, Jamie!"

"Me!" four of the Jamies chorused. "What did I do?"

"You ran into left field, that's what you did! You should have left the ball to Kurt!"

"That's not fair!" a Jamie scowled. "Nothing ever happens in right field."

"Exactly!" Jubilee snapped. "Why d'you think we put you out there! Just look at this!" She glared around at all the pouting Jamies. "What are we supposed to do with all of you? You can't all play!"

"We'll take turns," two Jamies offered. Jubilee let out a frustrated growl.

"Hey, why don't you let it go, Jubes," Scott called from his position as shortstop. "Let's just finish the game!"

"Yeah!" Bobby Drake shouted from home. "We're not done whoopin' yer butts!"

Jubilee's almond eyes blazed at that, and her fingertips began to spark. "Right," she snapped, storming past Scott and several more Jamies on her way back to the pitcher's mound. "Someone get me a ball. The Drakes are goin' down, and they're goin' down hard! Jamie, pick one to stay. Kurt, come on, get back to your place!"

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Cool it down a bit, shug," she said. "Just 'cause you're team captain this time 'round don't give you the right to snap everyone's head off."

"Yeah, it does," Jubilee retorted, her glare sharpening when she noticed Kurt hadn't moved from the edge of the pond. "Yo! Kurt! What's the hold up over there!"

"I don't know," the German mutant called back, his accented voice oddly subdued. "There is something…strange…in the water."

"Strange how?" Scott asked. His red shades made his expression hard to read, but his curiosity was clear in his voice.

"There is…this lump. These lumps. They look like yellow brains."

"Yellow brains?" Kitty lowered her bat.

"Ja," Kurt asserted, never taking his eyes from the pond. "It's pretty gross, actually. They are kind of giving me the creeps."

Scott and Jean looked at each other, then shrugged and walked over to join Kurt. The rest of the players trickled after them, their curiosity overriding their interest in the game.

"Hey!" Jubilee protested. "Hey, come back! We've got to finish this game before dinner!"

But no one was listening to her. They were too busy poking at the peculiar yellowish lumps with sticks. After a stubborn, sulky moment, Jubilee stomped over to join them.

"Careful!" Kurt exclaimed when one of the Jamies' sticks got too close. "We don't want to damage them. What if they leak?"

"They're kind of firm, like old Jello," Bobby observed, tapping another lump with his own stick. "What do you suppose they are?"

"And who could have put them here?" Jean added, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I've never seen anything like them before. And look at that texture…almost like a half-deflated kickball."

"OK, guys, this is like, totally nasty," Kitty scrunched up her nose. "I mean, this pond is gross to begin with, and now there's like these alien pod things growing in there. I think we should tell the Professor."

"Alien pods?" repeated the Jamie nearest to her, suddenly looking rather pale. "You don't really think… They couldn't really be alien, could they?"

Scott shook his head, at a loss. "I don't know. Personally, I doubt it, but hey, just look at us. We're pretty much proof that anything's possible."

"Thanks, Scott. That was really reassuring," Jean frowned. "But there is something strange about these lumps. Just looking at them…it makes my head sort of tingle…almost like…like a life reading."

Kitty shuddered. "Oh, God. You had better be kidding."

"No, I'm serious. Those things…they're alive." Jean took in a sudden breath, then turned away. "Come on, let's get out of here," she said. "We can finish the game somewhere else."

"But—" a Jamie started to protest, but another Jamie pulled him back.

"Just leave them alone," he said.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Scott agreed. "Let's move over to the lawn behind the atrium. That means you too, Kurt," he added, tapping his apparently transfixed friend on the shoulder.

"Hm? Was? Oh…oh ja." He straightened from his crouch with a small smile, his long tail twitching behind him. "But I'm coming back later. I want to find out what these things are."

"Yeah, well you're welcome to it," Jubilee scorned. "'S probably just fungus or something."

"That could make sense," Scott said, but Jean shook her head.

"No, no it's not a fungus or a plant," she said, the certainty in her voice sending a chill down everyone's spine. "Whatever it is…it's a creature. And not just one." She straightened, her green eyes snapping open. "Yeah, OK, forget the game," she said. "I say we go to the Professor about this. Right now."

To Be Continued…

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