When All Hail Breaks Loose
She slowed her motorbike to a stop in front of the bank's entrance. A smile split her lips as she slid the black helmet off her head and looked at the reflection smiling back at her in the view mirror. She brushed thick strands of her snowy hair from her face. Her bronzed skin shimmered as she shifted in the light of dusk.
"Storm."
She turned around at the sound of her name. Emma walked towards her with the grace of a wild cat in her six inch knee-high boots. The white leotard she wore accentuated her curves and the flawless tan of her skin, her ash blonde hair fanned out behind her in the breeze.
"Frost," said Storm as she dismounted her state of the art two-wheeled vehicle. "Where is Jean?"
"Taking care of some . . . um . . . rat."
Storm did not pretend to understand Jean's cravings for sadism. But she didn't ask. Instead she pulled out her leather gloves from her pocket and slid them on. She checked herself in the large glass making up the door of the bank. Her black leather catsuit hugged her slender form in a way that embellished her womanhood.
"Sorry I'm late." Jean sashayed along the curb towards them, constantly snapping a whip. She flipped back her blood-red hair and scowled. "I hope he'll come."
"Get in then," said Storm. "I will make us cover."
Storm watched as the two women stepped into the bank. Just as the door shut behind them, Storm lifted her hands wide and summoned her strength. Her blue eyes turned completely white. At her mental command, a deep rumble pervaded from the heavens as dense clouds scudded from all directions and whirled where they met, plunging the land beneath in an atypical darkness. Billows of thick fog roiled with gust winds and shrouded the streets in an endless stretch of greyness.
Storm smiled at her handiwork before she walked into the bank. Emma, now transformed into a shimmering mass diamonds, stood at the far end of the bank with an arm around a scrawny man, ordering every other person to shut up and kiss the floor.
"Where is Red?" Storm asked.
Emma gave a lopsided smirk that revealled a portion of her sparkly teeth. "Getting the cash fro—"
A deafening blast stopped Emma dead in her speech. Storm figured Jean had exploded the vault. She had to go see if she could help.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"
Jean's scream sent shivers down Storm's spine. Her eyes met Emma's and, without exchanging a word, both broke into a sprint, headed for the vault.
"Storm?" Emma's voice crackled.
Storm couldn't respond. Her voice was stuck lower than her bowels. Jean lay slumped against a wall, her eyes shut and blood oozing down her forehead.
"Your streak of crime ends now."
Storm's eyes snapped to the source of the accented deep voice. A man stood in the debris that once was the entrance to the vault, his face shadowed by the cowl of his overcoat. A blue and barbed tailed poised scorpion-like over his head.
"Nightcrawler," breathed Storm, her African accent amplified by her anger. "We were hoping Professor X would send you. Now, tell us where you are holding Copycat prisoner and I just might let you live."
The German mutant chuckled. "I'm willing to bet the odds are against you."
Before the question formed in Storm's mouth, a blue-skinned girl walked from behind Nightcrawler and stood besides him. She wielded a pistol in each hand.
Emma gasped. "Domino."
"It's never a pleasure to meet you," said Domino.
"'Cause you know I always give you nothing less of hell," spat Emma.
"Storm," said Nightcrawler, taking a step forward. "Surrender now and we'll convince the bank to not press charges."
Emma sniggered. "I can do that in my sleep, sweetie. Just tell us where you're hiding our sister."
"Not in your wildest dreams."
"Then you've left us no other choice." Storm turned to Emma. "Do it."
Emma's diamond form began to recede. Her skin started showing bit by bit as she transformed back to her human form.
"She wants to read our minds," shouted Nightcrawler scurrying backward. "Domino, shoot!"
The roar of the gun echoed. Storm felt her insides lurch. She froze, her widened eyes fixed on Domino.
Nightcrawler stood rigid. He slowly turned and gaped at Domino. "You . . . shot me . . ."
"You told me to." Domino smiled. At that very instance, her skin began to shift and mould into a totally different female.
"Copycat?" Storm blinked.
"The one and only." She hurried to Jean and squatted besides her.
"How did you get out of the mansion? Didn't they keep you locked in some room?" Emma wanted to know.
"I got my ways. Anyhoo, I managed to get that disc we need containing all the names of Professor X's students from the mansion," Copycat told them as she examined the unconscious telepath. "Nightcrawler kicked Jean hard."
"We should get her back to the house," said Storm. "Emma . . ."
Emma nodded. She turned back to her diamond form and scooped Jean on to her shoulder as easily as if she were lifting a teddy bear.
"Do you hear that?" asked Copycat.
"Yes." Storm sighed. "Sirens. Don't worry. I'll take care of the police. Make sure you and Emma get Jean home safe."
"Cool." Copycat smiled, but her eyes were not. "Emma, let's get out this way." She was pointing to the vault.
Emma nodded, her eyes set on Storm. "You give them hail. Pun intended."
