Summary: After Gambit takes some time to finally get over Rogue, the X-Men are going to have to save the world again. This time with a man named Professor Vargas and his mysterious assistant. Can they stop this new sinister plot before it's too late? Be prepared for lots of action and just maybe a bit of romance too. There is no set universe for this fic, and sorry folks, no Romy.
PROLOGUE
It was such a dark, cold evening that Sister Anne not only lit extra candles on her old wooden oak desk, but she had put a few logs on the fireplace & set it blazing. She bundled tighter into the wool blanket draped around her shoulders and began a third time to recite from her bible studies pamphlet. Lightning silently flashed in the distance and the novice nun picked up her head and stared out the large bay window. The sky tonight was a deep, ruddy purple instead of the usual evening navy blue. It was so beautiful, yet almost unnatural. Sister Anne had already noted the color of the sky though, along with the distant lightning flashes. She had looked up because she thought she'd heard a new sound. Almost like a gust of wind, but it had rushed past the window too quickly to be as powerful as it had sounded. She gathered her blanket around her robes so she could stand and approach the window. I really ought to get back to my studies, she thought. Sister Margaret would have her teeth if she couldn't recite the Seven Mysteries of Faith at morning Matins by memory.
A rustling sound from outside jarred Sister Anne out of her thoughts. It was probably a raccoon looking for shelter before the rain came. As she turned away from the window to stoke the fire, she could hear the rain suddenly start to pelt down on the 100 year old roof of the monastery. "God protect us and keep us dry", she silently prayed. As she continued to poke and prod at the logs, she thought she heard a faint, mournful wailing. 'Probably that poor creature'. Then came a guttural, lung-filled cry. That was no creature. She dropped the poker to the floor….that was a baby. A very human baby!
Sister Anne's blanket had been abandoned on the floor as she dashed out of the corner study. She ran down the hall, heart racing, all while the rain fell down in buckets outside. She quickly fetched a raincoat that was hanging on a hook by the side door, and she lit the lantern that normally hung there as well. She burst into the black night searching and straining to listen for the crying as the thunder echoed louder and the fast approaching lightning tore through the sky. The wind picked up in gusts and pulled at the long skirt of the Sister's robe. She gently rummaged through the debris in the alleyway as she began to doubt herself. 'Why on earth would there be an abandoned child out in the alley?' It rarely ever happened to begin with and when it did the reluctant guardian normally left them on the front step inside the alcove. There was even a large bell tower in front to ring for assistance.
Sister Anne felt incredibly foolish as she moved her drenched bones around the front just to be sure there was no lonely babe waiting outside for her care. She trudged past the dumpster that stood on the corner of the alley and the front of the old building. As she turned the corner, she finally heard a low and constant cry. The novice was shocked at first and then immediately appalled to find that the cry itself was coming from within the dumpster. In a very un-nunly manner, 'God please forgive my impropriety', she hiked her robes above her knees and climbed up the side of the metal container.
There it was, naked as the morning, lying in who-knows-what filth. Sister Anne carefully balanced her feet on the tiny lip she had climbed onto and bent over the edge to reach the poor babe. It was almost directly in the middle of the dumpster so she had to loosen her grip ever so slightly to stretch farther out. Her right foot lost grip and she slipped down and collapsed onto her stomach on the hard edge. With an "oof!" she did her best to keep her precarious position as she finally reached the crying child. Once in her possession she clutched the precious bundle to her chest and gently climbed back down.
'Who would ever discard a child in the trash and at a church no less?' Thank heaven she had been sitting in the tiny corner study in the front or the child would never have been found alive. As she looked down at the naked baby, she suddenly realized that it was burning with fever from being exposed to the elements. Who knew how sick the child really was after laying in a dumpster. Sister Anne found her feet and dashed towards the front alcove. Without stopping in her tracks, she pulled the thick rope of the bell and charged through the front door. "Sisters! God has called for your mercy this night!"