Battle Lines
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution. They are the sole property of Marvel Comics and WB. I do, in fact, own all original characters I put forth in this story.
A/N: This is the first time I have ever written fanfiction for the X-Men universe. I'm still getting used to the characters and the way things are so I apologize ahead of time for any continuity errors or mischaracterizations. I ask that if you come across any you kindly point them out in a review. I enjoy constructive criticism because it gives me a chance to improve. Please read and review. I won't ask for so many reviews before I continue, but I will admit that they help me along by providing an ego boost. So, with all that said I will not tie you up any further. Read and enjoy. ~Lacey~
Chapter 1: The Same Dough Kitty's Point of View"Everyone is kneaded from the same dough, but not baked in the same oven." The words of the old Yiddish proverb played in my mind over and over again as if they were a mantra. When I had been a small girl, confused as to why I was different from all the other children, my father had told me the proverb and explained to me its meaning. Since then I had learned to chant it in my mind whenever I felt out of place, which was quite often. I'd always been different from those around me. First because I was more intelligent than they were, and later because I had the x-gene and my powers had manifested themselves. How many teenage girls could walk through walls?
When I moved into Professor Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters I found myself using my mantra less and less. I was in a place where other teenagers possessed the x-gene and awesome powers that they too were learning to control. I fit in with everyone else for the first time in my life, even at school, because my friends from the institute were always there. But it didn't last forever. Almost overnight my security of fitting in at Bayville High and with the rest of the world had been turned upside down, and my mantra began to play itself again. I had to remind myself that I too was human, created by God, but made differently from the rest. I was no lower than they were, no matter what they said. I had to remind myself that being a mutant didn't make me less human, and even though 'normal' people were speaking horribly of mutants they just didn't understand.
How did everything get turned upside down? It started at 4:30 in the morning when the professor awakened all of the students. Though it's not exactly strange to be summoned from the warmth of your bed quite early at the Xavier Institute, it is unusual when there isn't a scheduled danger room or survival training session. I stumbled out of my room with a bad case of bed head and a touch of the morning grumps. My roommate, Rogue, looked about ready to kill anyone who spoke to her, so I did the smart thing and kept my mouth shut.
In the hallway we all gathered, each of us clad in pajamas, with tired eyes. No one spoke, and the only sound came from our constant yawning. One would try and stifle a yawn and before they finished another had caught it. The adults stood before us, looking more alert, and very grave. Miss. Monroe eyed us with care and an expression I could not read. Logan stood there with his normal nonchalant expression, but his eyes gave way something serious. Beside him stood Mr. McCoy who looked worried. The professor was still moving about, ushering the last few students who'd sought to sleep a few moments more, into the hallway with the rest of us.
My first instinct was to look to Scott for answers. He was the unspoken leader of the students, captain of the team, and usually the first to know when there was trouble. I dimly remembered that last time we had gathered like this someone had tampered with Juggernaut's containment field and the professor had been called away. Scott's façade gave no answers. He was just as confused as the rest of us. I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest, stifling a yawn of my own.
"I am sorry to have awakened you so early this morning, but something serious has happened." The professor announced when all of us were finally together. I glued my eyes to him, knowing that it must have been important if the X-Men were needed in any way.
"What is it professor?" Jean asked. It was no surprise; she was usually the first to ask questions if Scott didn't beat her to it. They were the oldest members of the X-Men, Professor Xavier's first recruits.
"There has been an attack by the Friends of Humanity on a mutant community in Jackson Mississippi. I received a call from one of my friends living there. They tried to fight back as best they could, but things are a mess and they are in desperate need of assistance." Rogue gasped beside me. It wasn't loud, and I wasn't sure how many people heard her. My tired mind registered that she was from Mississippi. I shifted my gaze furtively towards her so she wouldn't see I was snooping. There was worry in her eyes, a kind that I had never seen from her before.
"You mean Peace was attacked?" Rogue asked. Her Mississippi accent was prominent in her sleepy voice. I didn't know what Peace was, but figured it was what the other mutants called their community. I was correct.
"That's right." Logan growled. My heart twisted painfully. It didn't seem right for someone to attack a community with such a gentle name. But the past year had taught me that the Friends of Humanity didn't need an excuse to 'rid the world of the mutant plague'. They were an organization feared by all mutants. Horror stories were told by all about experimentations done to "cure" mutants of the x-gene, or attacks by radical members who just wanted to exterminate them like termites and other icksome bugs.
Mutants created the mutant communities to keep the peace. They each had a strict code of conduct. To live in the communities you had to agree only to use your powers around other mutants and never against humans. If you had trouble controlling your powers you would work together with others in the community until you could. Breaking the laws resulted in severe punishment as the community leaders worked with the law enforcement department to keep things peaceful. There was an unspoken rule between the communities and their respective cities that said mutants wouldn't attack the normal people if the normal people wouldn't attack the mutants. It was a shock to me and to everyone around me that someone had broken that law.
"Are we, like, going to help?" I asked. I was ready to leave that moment.
"Yes. I would like the older members to come with me, and the newer members to stay here and train with Logan in case there is another attack. We will be on call to defend any community that needs us and to help them clean up afterwards."
"You really think there is going to be another attack?" Amara inquired, her voice sounding unsure. She was one of the new recruits, and she was still unsure of her powers and how to live in a world of technology. It was a shock to me to discover that I was a mutant, it must have been a greater shock to her, princess of Nova Roma, to find out that not only was she different from the people around her, but there was an entirely different world outside her own.
"We do not know, but we want to be prepared." Miss. Monroe stated comfortingly.
"What are we waiting for?" I asked, beginning to walk down the hall towards the elevator. Jubilation and Jaime giggled and I stopped.
"For everyone to change, unless you wanna go down there in your pajama's half-pint." I felt a blush creep into my cheeks. The professor nodded to dismiss us and I walked back to my room only slightly embarrassed. Rogue was in the room before me and I couldn't see her face, but I saw her rummaging through her drawers for her undergarments. Her uniform was laid out neatly on her bed. I turned to my wardrobe and took my uniform out and laid it on my bed in the same fashion.
"Have you ever been to Peace?" I asked curiously.
"Yes." She snapped and stomped out of the room to change in the bathroom. I huffed to myself and crossed my arms over my chest. It was only a simple question. She didn't have to snap at me. I could never understand the way Rogue was. Sometimes she was a normal girl, chatting about the latest rumors at school and asking who was taking who to the dance, but other times… Other times she would snap at you for no reason, call you pathetic and stupid, or just ignore you. She would never let anyone know how she was feeling or what was upsetting her. She kept it to herself and shut everyone out. You could always tell when she was doing it, or at least I could, because that was when she became the meanest. Something was bothering her and it had to do with Peace.
I sighed, knowing that I wasn't going to figure out what was wrong with Rogue any time soon. She was a great enigma to me and to many of the other X-Men. She refused to open up to anyone or get close to anyone. I often wondered what happened in her past that made her that way. I picked up my uniform and after closing the door I shrugged off my pajamas and stepped into the one-piece suit. After I finished I took a face-cleansing wipe from its small plastic box on the vanity and wiped my face clean. Afterwards I took my brush and ran it through my dark hair then pulled it up into a ponytail. I applied just enough make-up to make me look awake and then opened the door. Rogue was just coming out of the bathroom, her face washed, hair brushed, and pajamas in a bundle in her hands. For once she didn't have her dark make-up caked onto her face, in fact she didn't have any make-up on at all. I was shocked at how pale she really was.
"We'd better get going." She stated simply as she tossed her green and orange pajama set onto her bed. She sounded calmer than she had before she left, and more awake. I decided that she'd had a case of the morning grumps as well. I followed her out of the room, yawning. What I wouldn't have given for a cappuccino at that moment. Jean was waiting at the elevator when we got there and when it opened the three of us stepped on. We held it for Evan at the last moment and then were on our way to the jet hanger.
Scott, Kurt, and the adults were already waiting when we got there. I smiled slightly when I saw Kurt porting onto the jet with a coffee maker and pastries. I wasn't looking forward to a morning without any breakfast, and frankly I wasn't looking forward to a couple hours flight with others who hadn't had their breakfast either.
"Go ahead and go on inside. I will brief you all on the situation in route to Mississippi." Professor X ordered kindly. I nodded and climbed the stairs into the jet and took a seat next to Evan. Kurt and Rogue took the two seats behind us, and Scott and Jean the two in front of us. Miss. Monroe and Mr. McCoy took the pilot's seat, and a few moments later Professor X locked his wheel chair into its usual place. The doors closed and I hooked my seatbelt around my waist to prepare for takeoff. When I was a little girl I was afraid of airplanes. It was hard to believe that now I had enough frequent flyer miles to tour the world twice over and enough flight experience to legally get a flight license, if only I were old enough.
We were in the air a few minutes later. The Mr. McCoy was clearing out flight path with the local airport and Kurt was pouring coffee into paper cups while Miss. Monroe passed the pastries around to everyone. I took a raspberry pastry and awaited the coffee.
"Thanks Aunty O." Evan said as he took the last cherry pastry. Kurt came up and offered two cups of coffee. Evan turned him down, but I took a cup and a few packages of vanilla cream. I wasn't exactly one for coffee unless it was flavored with chocolate or made into cappuccino, but I needed the caffeine to help wake me up so I dumped the cream into the black brew and bore with the bitter flavor.
"We will be arriving in Jackson in about an hour. The situation there is dire. Mutants as well as members of the F.o.H are injured and many buildings were damaged in the attack." The professor began to explain. I took a bite of my pastry. "The attack ended just before my friend contacted me this morning. Our mission is to help rescue workers with both mutants and the humans caught in the attack and to restore a bit of order in the chaos." For a selfish and cruel moment I wondered why we would want to help the humans. They had attacked Peace and therefore gotten what they deserved when the residents defended themselves.
I felt bad a moment later when I remembered what we stood for. Like the communities the X-Men's goal was to promote a peaceful coexistence between humans and mutants, and part of that was showing kindness to those who hated us. Martin Luther King said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." At the Xavier Institute we lived by the same philosophy. By showing kindness to our enemies we hoped that perhaps one day they would show the same kindness to us.
No one questioned our mission. It was clear-cut. We didn't need any further explanation as to the circumstance, nor did we really want any. At least I didn't. I didn't want to think about what had happened. All I really wanted to do was forget how cruel and heartless people could be. While I was growing up my father kept me believing that life was perfect and people were all generally good. I believed that all "bad" people were punished and justice would be served whenever a crime was done. It wasn't the right thing for my father to teach me. I was shocked when Lance betrayed me because I was naive enough to trust in all people. I was even more shocked to find that people did horrible things to people just because they were different, and the law overlooked them because they didn't want to see the crime. Maybe I would have been more knowledgeable and saved myself a little hurt had he let me know from the beginning what life was really like.
Silence reigned supreme for quite some time. No one really wanted to talk, but if they were anything like me they didn't want to stay silent either. We were all anticipating what would happen. We did every mission. Sometimes we would talk about it, and others we would keep ourselves in an uncomfortable silence like the one we were in. Finally someone broke the silence. I was more than surprised because it was the person everyone would least expect, Rogue.
"Professor, exactly how much of Peace was damaged in the attack?" Her voice was steady, but full of worry and… fear, maybe. I couldn't figure it out. I turned to look at her, everyone was. She didn't seem to notice, as her eyes remained glued on the professor. He turned around, a mask hiding his feelings firmly in place.
"Not a home was left untouched." He replied. I kept my eyes on my friends face. Her green eyes flashed and she closed her eyes. Something was bothering her, more than ever now. She leaned against the back of her seat, her eyes still closed, and once again silence filled the jet. I looked over to Kurt worriedly. His eyes met mine and I could tell he shared the same worry for Rogue that I did.
"What is it Rogue, what's wrong?" Kurt inquired after a few moments of silence. His voice, laced with a heavy German accent, was no louder than a whisper. He didn't want Rogue to feel like he was broadcasting to the entire group that something was wrong and therefore draw attention to her.
"What makes you think something is wrong?" She asked, not opening her eyes. I didn't point it out to her, but that there was one sign that something was wrong.
"We know something is wrong. Please tell us. It will make you feel better to get it off your chest." I advised. I was curious, but I also knew that when one teammate was having emotional problems it could be a danger to everyone on the team. We couldn't risk anyone breaking down or someone depending on them could be hurt, or even worse they themselves could be.
"It's just that… I received a letter from my foster mother yesterday. We write to each other every now and then even though we are on two different sides of the fight. She told me that she was staying with an ill friend in Peace. I'm so afraid for her. She's blind and her power isn't defensive." I gasped, suddenly feeling really badly for Rogue. She had someone down there she cared about. I couldn't begin to imagine how worried my friend was. She'd mentioned Irene around me before. She seemed like such a wonderful woman. I didn't know many people who would take in and care for a 10-year-old girl, especially when they were already hindered by a disability.
"Mutants look after one another, especially when one has a disadvantage. She's probably just fine. We will find her when we get there and you will see." Kurt declared reassuringly. He put a three fingered had on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. She opened her eyes and I could see how moist they were, as if she were ready to cry but wouldn't let herself.
"I haven't seen her since I moved to Bayville. I wanted to ask her to come and live with me, but at the time I had Mystique. I know she's a capable woman, but I got so used to carin' for her. That was always the way of things. I would take care of her an' she would take care of me." I listened silently, giving her a chance to talk. It was the first time she'd opened up to me even though we'd been sharing a room for almost a year. I'd always given her the chance, but it wasn't her style to get close to anyone.
"Perhaps you can speak to the professor. She could come and live with us at the institute." Kurt suggested. I nodded my head vigorously. It was a great idea. We could always use more guardians who'd already been through the process of learning to control their powers. It would be nice to have another mother figure around. Miss Monroe was the only one. It would also be good for Rogue.
"Maybe." She whispered, and once again we fell silent, and we were silent until we landed in Jackson, Mississippi. I couldn't believe my eyes when I stepped out of the jet. The sun was just rising over what looked like a set for the latest war movie. I could see where the clean-cut lawns had been. I could see where beautiful homes once stood, but there was nothing left of them, at least nothing worth looking at. I put a hand up to my mouth and closed my eyes. In my 16 years of existence I had never seen anything like it.
"Aunty O, where do we start?" Evan asked. I opened my eyes and gave her a questioning look of my own. She rested one hand on my shoulder and the other on her nephew's.
"I don't know." She replied. There was gloom in her voice and as I looked to the sky I could see heavy clouds rolling in over the city, covering the little bit of cheerful sun left.
"Are you the X-men?" A police officer asked, running up to us.
"Yes. You were told to expect our arrival?" The professor asked.
"We have been waiting. There are people trapped in buildings that we cannot reach, I was told that you have someone who's able to walk through walls."
"That would be me." I announced. The cop looked me over with an air of disbelief. I could see that he didn't think someone so young could handle a task so large. I didn't have to be a telepath to understand that, I'd been getting it all my life. "I'm perfectly capable. I've been trained to handle many situations, including rescues." He nodded his head, still seeming to have his doubts. Let him have his doubts, I thought. He couldn't exactly wait around for someone older. I wondered if he'd been told that we were all teenagers.
"I can also get into inaccessible buildings, I have the power to teleport." Kurt spoke up. The look of disbelief I had received was nothing compared to the shock registered on the officer's face when he saw Kurt. I used to be afraid of his appearance myself, but I learned to look beyond the outside and into the heart. Kurt's heart was probably one of the largest in the universe. I found myself slightly angry with the cop for judging us by our appearances and not our abilities.
"Where do we start?" I asked, trying as hard as I could to get the officer's attention off of Kurt. He couldn't help the way he was born, and it hurt him when people became frightened, or when they teased him, and even worst when they just blatantly stared. He blinked his eyes and focused on me once again.
"I'll have the captain come and speak with you. As for the rest I need you to come with me. I need to know your powers so I can find where you're best suited to help." The other four teenagers took after the officer as well as Miss. Monroe and Mr. McCoy. The professor looked to us for a moment before following after as well. "I must speak with the officials, wait here until you are told what to do". His comforting voice filled my mind.
"I'm scared." I told him.
"Everything will be all right Kitty. You have been trained to rescue. Use your gift and help these people, show them that we care." He said as he wheeled away. I watched everyone disappear into the disaster and I wanted to scream for them to come back. Kurt placed his three-fingered hand on my shoulder comfortingly.
"I think that's the captain." He stated pointing with his other hand to a man dressed in a disheveled uniform. He had an air of authority about him, the kind that demanded respect.
"He wasn't kidding, you two are a strange couple." The man said as he stepped up to us. "How old are ya kid?" He asked me. His accent resembled Rogues, only slightly thicker.
"Fifteen, almost sixteen." I replied. He looked over to Kurt with the same question.
"Sixteen." He answered.
"I must warn ya. It ain't a pretty sight. Inside those buildings there may be people hurt badly or even dead. I need ta know that you guys can handle it 'for I send ya in." The word dead sent a chill down my spine. I knew that there would be people dead, but I hadn't really thought about it. I nodded slowly despite my own fear. I was a lot tougher than everyone thought I was.
"We can handle it. Just tell us where to go so we can help before it's to late." Kurt insisted.
"Okay. I'm gonna split the two of ya up and put ya with two different rescue groups. I need ta know your names."
"Shadowcat." I declared nonchalantly. I didn't think to use my real name. It was habit to use Shadowcat whenever I was on mission.
"Nightcrawler." Kurt said beside me. The captain wrote down the names apathetically, but then looked at us like we'd each grown another head.
"Those are some strange names." I giggled, realizing how it must have sounded. There was really no reason to use my code name.
"They are the names we use when we are on mission." I explained. He seemed okay with that answer and motioned for us to follow. "Like how many people are going to be in the rescue groups?" I asked curiously.
"As many as we can have. We've got firefighters and paramedics along with some mutants who weren't injured. We're still swamped. Peace wasn't exactly a small community." I hated the way he used past tense when referring to Peace. We walked in silence for a few more moments and then came up to a group of people.
"Here ya go… err Shadowcat. This will be your team. It's referred to as team red if you get separated from them. Your team leader is Mari Takaishi; she's the blonde woman over there." I turned to look and when I turned around again Kurt and the captain were gone. I was alone. The only X-Man in a group of strangers, all of whom would no doubt be grown adults. I walked timidly towards the team leader, not sure of what I should say.
"Excuse me, are you, like, the team leader?" I asked warily. She turned around and looked down at me. She was a tall and intimidating woman.
"Yes I am. May I help you?" Though she looked intimidating her voice was kind. I felt a little less nervous.
"I'm Shadowcat from the X-Men… I'm like supposed to join your rescue group and help you."
"Well, we could use all the help we can get. I was under the impression that the group coming would be older, though." I shook my head.
"Most of us are in high school. I'm the youngest of the group here today."
"All right. Well, what can you do to help?" Before I could answer a girl who looked only slightly older ran up. Her face was red from the heat of working hard, and her mousy blond hair was falling from its once tight ponytail. A pair of small oval shaped glasses slipped down her nose. She pushed them up, and frowned at the older woman.
"It's no use. We can't find a way into the building. Even Kendra can't find a crack she can fit through. We know there are people in there, but we can't get to them. The stones are too heavy." She said sorrowfully. "What I wouldn't give for super strength." I felt a proud smile creep onto my face despite the circumstances.
"I can walk through walls." I proclaimed. The girl noticed me standing there for the first time. Her eyes brightened.
"You can?" She asked hopefully. I nodded my head.
"Well, that helps. Celest, take her to the building, and be careful."
"Yes, mom." Celest stated and then motioned me to follow. I kept my eyes on her, trying not to focus on the devastation around me. I noticed that despite the warm spring weather she was clothed from head to toe. She had a pair of blue jeans, with a turtleneck t-shirt and a pair of opera gloves. My mind immediately made a connection with Rogue. Celest was a mutant and she couldn't be touched.
"Here we are." She announced. Groups of people were surrounding a collapsed multi-story building. A white cat crawled up to us and I jumped when the cat turned into a teenage girl. I shouldn't have been surprised given Rahne's power, but at the moment I wasn't expecting animals to suddenly become human. The cat person began speaking to Celest in another language. I quickly identified it as Japanese.
"It's okay Kendra, she can walk through walls." Celest said in English, indicating me with a wave of her hand. Kendra studied me for a moment.
"What's your name?" She asked.
"Shadowcat." I replied. Celest giggled softly and said,
"Okay, that has to be a code name." I laughed and nodded my head.
"I guess it's like habit to use my code name when I'm in uniform. My real name is Kitty."
"Your dressed like a comic book hero, you know that right?" Kendra asked. I nodded.
"It comes with being an X-man."
"So your in some kind of organization. Real life super heroes?" Celest inquired, generally interested.
"Not super heroes. Just a bunch of pariahs and freaks trying to defend a world that hates them."
"Ah, mutants. Come to think of it my mother told me about an hour ago that a group would be coming to help us, and lord knows we can use all the help we can get. I seriously thought you would all be older and trained in rescue missions."
"Well we're not older, but we are trained in rescue missions. It's what we do at the Xavier Institute. We learn how to help people and defend them in hopes that maybe one day they will accept us."
"Well, here's your chance supergirl. We heard voices coming from inside the building earlier, but we couldn't find a way in. There aren't even holes big enough for a cat to get through. That means we can't get in to see if everyone's all right, and it also means that there isn't a lot of oxygen." Kendra explained, "We need you to get in there and see if they are all right."
"I can do better than that. I can get them out. As long as I am touching them I can pull them through the wall with me."
"Great! We heard the voices coming from this part of the building. It seems like a good place to start. Be careful, and take this with you." She said, handing me a backpack. "Inside are small oxygen canisters and your general first aid items." I slipped the backpack on my back and walked up to the building. I put my hand on the cold brick, feeling it under my hand for a moment before the pressure disappeared and I passed right through. It was dark inside, and my lungs protested the dirty, stale air by forcing me into a coughing fit. I stood for a moment, allowing my eyes to get used to the darkness. I stopped coughing, but still found it hard to breath. If I were in here too long I would have to use one of the oxygen canisters for myself.
"Hello? Is anyone in here?" I called. My lungs protested my use of oxygen by throwing me into another coughing fit. I took off the backpack and dug through it. There were about five miniature oxygen tanks, a flashlight, bandages, and other useful items. I pulled out one of the oxygen tanks and hooked it to my belt, and switched on the flashlight before putting the backpack on once more. If I was in there to long I would need the oxygen, and chances were that whoever was in there also needed the oxygen.
When there was no answer I took to exploring the place. The floor was an obstacle course of rubble, furniture, and various other household items. I frowned I stepped on the remnants of an antique lamp. It was the same design as my mother's favorite… I coughed again. I needed to find these people, and fast. I shone my flashlight into the corner. It was only a pile of rubble. I took a step in the opposite direction when I heard a faint cough. I shot around and shined my flashlight on the pile of rubble once more. I studied it carefully before I noticed a leg sticking out from under some debris. I gasped in horror, and rushed over to the corner, literally jumping all obstacles.
"Oh my god." I whispered as I kneeled down beside the person. It was a female, not very large, probably a child. I could tell that much by the shoe. I picked off some of the debris; it was mostly wood pieces, glass, and such. I fought tears when I saw how young the girl really was, she couldn't be more than eight years old. She wasn't even a mutant! At least her powers weren't developed yet. Mutant powers didn't develop until adolescence.
There was a small wound on her head, and she seemed in between consciousness and unconsciousness. Her tiny eyes blinked open and closed, as if she were struggling to stay awake. I pushed more off of her to find that she was on top of a mattress, pinned down by a large beam.
"Sweetie, can you like focus on me?" I asked. She coughed and groaned. "Can you breath?" I was hoping she understood the words I was speaking to her. She shook her head a little. I took the canister off my belt and hooked the mask onto her face, turning it to a low setting. After she'd taken a few breaths I removed it so I could ask her some questions. "What's your name?"
"Mia." She whispered.
"Okay Mia. I am going to get you out of here, can you tell me where it hurts, if it hurts at all?"
"My head, and my leg." She replied, still whispering. I put the oxygen mask on her again and then picked her up, phasing her small body through the beam. I was careful with her legs, not wanting to injure them anymore. I quickly ran to the nearest wall I could find that led outside. I could have tried shortcuts, but who knew where they would take me.
The sun temporarily blinded me, and I took deep steady breaths to fill my lungs with fresh oxygen again. I took the mask off Mia and set her on the ground while someone called over a stretcher. She was more alert now, and she was crying. I held her small body close, wanting to cry as well.
"Do you know where mama is?" She asked me softly. I shook my head. "Mama tried to stop the bad people who don't like her powers by making the room shake, but they didn't go away and something blew up. When mama made the room shake again my floor broke. She wanted me to stay in my bed while she tried to get rid of the bad people. I did, but I didn't want to. I wanted to get powers like hers and help her." Mia explained. A stretcher came for her and the rescue workers placed her on it. The simple words the young child had spoken sank into my heart. Children had a way of summing up disasters in a simple way, as if they saw them differently from adults and teenagers. She had wanted to help her mother, and I was determined to if she couldn't.
"How many people live in your apartment building?" I asked.
"Mrs. Ally and her family make four, and then Mr. And Mrs. Reynolds, but they are the only other ones, and mama. We got the new apartments, not many other people live there yet." She said.
"Miss. We have to load her now." I nodded at the paramedic who'd addressed me, and turned to the building. Mia's mom, I decided, must have had a power similar to Lance's. If someone had indeed set off a bomb, and then she'd used her power it was highly likely that that was what caused the building to collapse. I'd seen Lance in action, and he certainly had the power to do as much.
"How are things in there?" Celest asked, coming up behind me.
"It's like really hard to breath, and it's really dark. I almost didn't see the little girl. She'd fallen from her bedroom upstairs. I think her mattress saved her from being hurt worst. There should be about six residents in there, not counting any FoH members that might have been trapped."
"You should be using one of the oxygen masks. According to witnesses that building has been down for nearly three hours. There aren't any openings large enough to let enough air inside." Kendra chided.
"I need to save the oxygen for the victims." I explained.
"Just wear a mask on the lowest setting while you are in there. It's not good for your lungs to be overworking." I nodded my head and took another canister out of the backpack and hooked it to my belt like I had the one before. I slipped the mask over my head and let it rest around my neck. Celest handed me something.
"Mom just gave this to me for you to use. I have one and so does everyone else on our team. If you're in trouble just give us a call, and call when you are bringing out a victim so we can have a stretcher ready." I took the walkie-talkie and hooked it to my belt beside the oxygen.
"I'm going in again." I declared. I walked up to the wall in a slightly different location than I had before. I pushed against it and was once again inside the building. I put the oxygen mask on like I had been instructed to and brandished my flashlight in front of me. I wasn't lucky enough to find anyone right away; it was almost twenty minutes before I heard the slightest indication of someone around. I was getting tired, and quite discouraged when a painful gasp assaulted my ears. I jumped, and held back a scream. I hadn't been expecting any sound. It was frighteningly quiet inside the tomb of brick and wood. Once I'd calmed my beating heart I headed in the direction I'd heard the gasp.
It'd come from beyond one of the few walls left standing. I phased through, finding a man struggling to sit up, despite his injuries, which could be clearly seen. Crimson blood seeped through his white shirt. His face was pale, and under his eyes were dark circles. He was having trouble breathing and it was clear his visible injuries were not the only ones. I walked up to him, but he shrunk away.
"Get away from me animal." His words stung, I'd heard people call mutants a lot of things, usually nicknames like mutie or freak, but no one had called me one to my face, and no one had ever called me an animal before. I took off my mask so I could speak more clearly.
"I'm here to help you." I told him. He moved away from me. It was obvious how much pain he was in.
"Just stay away." He shouted as he picked up a piece of debris and tossed it at me. I jumped out of its way, but it still managed to hit my leg, hard. There would be a bruise there.
"Sir, please. You're injured, I can get you out of here." He was gasping for breath now. The movement had aggravated him. I took a step closer, praying that he would only listen to me and allow me to help.
"I don't need the help of a freak like you." He gasped.
"Please." I begged. I wanted him to survive, to understand that I wanted to help him, that I was human.
"Get out of here." He threw another item in my direction, but the toss was weak and it didn't reach my person. I bent down and took another oxygen canister out, showing it to him.
"I want you to put this on. It will help you breath." I tried to reason with him. He glared at me.
"I'd rather die than accept help from a mutant." He cried. His eyes rolled back and he passed out. I ran to him. I was no doctor, but I knew he was not in good shape. I checked his pulse. It was next to none. Gently I slipped the oxygen mask on his face, and I pulled out bandages from the backpack and pressed them against his wound to stop the bleeding. I sat there for five minutes, but it was all in vain. He died in my arms. Tears fell down my cheeks as I picked up the walkie-talkie.
"If anyone is hearing this, I found another victim." Celest picked up a moment later.
"What's the condition?" She asked. I took a deep breath of the stale air.
"He's dead. I tried to help him, but he wouldn't let me." I told the story, and my heart ached. It was a very disheartening experience. I couldn't believe that someone would hate a group of people so much that they would rather die than accept help from a mutant. I left the man where he lay, as I was told to do. He was trapped there in his chosen tomb until all were rescued and everything was in order. Then bodies could be retrieved.
The next couple of hours went better. I managed to find the rest of the residents a lot quicker than I expected. Mia's mom was thrilled to know that her baby girl was all right. She told me that she hadn't meant to collapse the building, but she had become angry. I told her about Lance, and his power, and how he had trouble controlling the strength of his tremors sometimes. Though finding so many people alive and bringing them to safety was a major ego booster after I'd lost the FoH man, I was glad to get out of the building. Using my power so much was leaving me exhausted. Like most mutants, extended use of my gift was very taxing, and the emotional strain of the situation was weighing down on me, and every time I thought about it I felt like I was adding another weight to it.
"Our team is to have lunch at the shelter." Mari announced once we were all together. There were a lot more people on our team that I had originally thought. "Team purple and team green will also be eating lunch at this time. We have one hour. I know all of you have been working hard, but the day's not over." We all nodded, understanding what she was saying, "I would like you to stay with someone in your team and keep your walkie-talkie's on so we can meet again." She dismissed us, and I followed behind Celest and Kendra. None of us really wanted to say anything, so we kept silent.
The shelter was nothing more than a circus tent pitched up in a field with a bunch of stations, cots, and tables around. The X-Jet stood out of place amongst everything in the field. There were so many people around that I was almost sure I could get lost among them. I watched the people, wondering who was who. I was hoping to find some of the other X-Men, but it didn't seem likely I would. I sighed, following my two teammates to the food table.
There were sandwiches, soup, rolls, and bottled water. I knew I couldn't afford to be picky about what I ate, and I needed as much as I could get, but I timidly asked if they had any vegetarian sandwiches. I kind old woman shook her head sadly, but told me the soup was broccoli and cheese if I didn't mind dairy. I wasn't fond of broccoli, but I took a bowl any ways, along with a roll and a bottle of water. There weren't many places to sit, so I headed in the direction of the X-Jet. The ramp was still down and I knew I could sit on that.
"Are you sure you're all right." I heard a rescue worker ask. A very regal looking woman stood near him. She nodded her head.
"Yes, but she isn't." She said, indicating a woman on a stretcher, "She's a friend of mine. She had a head injury; I think that's all. I was told that the hospitals are full."
"Yes, they are. We are keeping the injured in the shelter for now. What is she called?"
"Most know her as Destiny. Anyone from the community looking for her will use that name."
"Why don't you check her in and we will get her into the tent."
The rescue worker took her to a table where I saw the professor. I thought about going over to him, but my eye caught someone sitting alone on the X-Jet's ramp. It was Rogue. I quickly made my way over to her, forgetting that I was supposed to be staying with my team. I supposed she was supposed to be with her team as well, but it didn't look like she was.
Her head was bent down and her hair covered her face, but by the shaking of her shoulders I could tell she was crying. It wasn't something she did often, or in public. I'd seen her make-up smeared from tears before, but she'd never actually cried in front of me. It was human nature to cry, even Scott did, I was sure, but the shock of seeing Rogue openly sobbing unnerved me a bit.
"Care for company?" I asked, taking a seat next to her. An empty bowl and a half full bottle of water were all that was left of her lunch.
"Not really, Kitty." She stated.
"I'm just sitting over here to eat." I said, taking a small bite of my roll. Her shoulders stopped shaking and she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She looked up at me with sad eyes. Something had happened.
"The last house we went to before we came to lunch was Irene's friend's. I remembered it from when I was little. The burgundy trim, the clean cut lawn, the flowers. It wasn't collapsed like some of the buildings. You could almost imagine that everything was just fine. None of the houses on the block were damaged badly. We split up to search inside for anyone injured. I was chosen to go inside. The house was a wreck. Ms. Molly's power is to manipulate the wind. It looked like she'd created a tornado, but that didn't help her. She was dead when I saw her." Rogue took a deep breath, "Irene's things were all over the room, but she was nowhere to be seen. I've asked everyone, but no one knows where she is. One person said they saw her being taken away from the buildin'. I found this on the ground." She unhooked a piece of jewelry from around her neck and dangled it in front of me. It was a locket.
I took the small heart from her and opened it. Inside was a picture of Rogue when she was younger. She still wore dark make-up, but her hair was longer and a large smile brightened her face. On the other side was a woman with a warm smile and a kind face. A pair of dark glasses covered her eyes.
"It's beautiful. Is that Irene?"
"Yeah. Ms. Molly took the pictures for her a few years ago. I'd given Irene the locket for Christmas, and she insisted on putting pictures in it, even though she couldn't see them. She always told me it was the same principal as wearing jewelry she couldn't see. She wanted to show everyone else who could see."
"She sounds like such a wonderful woman."
"She was… Is… I don't know where she is. If the FoH kill poor sweet Ms. Molly, who was sick, doesn't it mean they could have killed Irene even though she can't see? It seems so inhumane, but what if they did?"
"There are a lot of people in the shelters. I can go with you and we can look for her together." I suggested. I took another bite of my lunch. According to my watch we still had plenty of time, and right now Rogue was more important than staying with my team. She was my team, my true team, and her needs came above the needs of team red. When I finished eating we left together, heading towards the table Professor X was seated at.
"Kitty, Rogue, how may I help you?" He asked when we approached him. Rogue sighed.
"I'm lookin' for someone. Her name is Irene Alder."
"Your foster mother?" She nodded her head. He looked down the list he held in his hands, but shook his head in the end.
"There is no Irene Alder on my list." Rogue thought for a moment and then spoke,
"What about Destiny? Is there a Destiny on your list, Destiny Alder?" I gasped, Destiny! That had been the woman on the stretcher. The professor nodded his head, confirming my thoughts.
"As a matter of fact there is." Rogue sighed in relief and I smiled, grateful that my friend had found who she was looking for.
"She's injured though, they took her to the medical section of the shelter. I hope that helps you. Is that all?" Rogue nodded and stepped away for a moment, before a thought crossed her mind and she turned back.
"Professor, can we take her back to Bayville with us? The hospitals here are full, and there is no one to care for her. I know she's on the Brotherhood side, but I love her to much ta just leave her here."
"Of course." The professor answered, and I could have hugged him at that moment just by seeing the look on Rogue's face.
"There you are, we lost you!" Celest exclaimed. I turned to her and apologized for losing them. The professor had cajoled the rescue worker I'd seen earlier into taking Rogue to see Irene, and she was well on her way. I worked with Celest and Kendra until the sun started setting and our team once again met at the shelter. By then I was more than exhausted, and ready to go home. The whole X-Men team was there, and they too looked ready to drop at any moment.
"So that's your team?" Celest asked.
"Yep, they usually look a lot better." I answered.
"Well, you may be super heroes, but you're still only human and any human after a day like today is bound to be wiped." Kendra stated. I nodded my head in total agreement. Mr. McCoy passed us, coordinating a stretcher onto the X-Jet. The woman from Rogue's locket rested upon it looking as if she were just sleeping peacefully. Rogue didn't miss it, and was instantly at Irene's side.
"I'm afraid to go to school tomorrow. I overheard some of the reporters, and they were making the disaster sound like it was the mutants' fault, even though they were only defending themselves."
"I'm glad Japan is out of school in the spring." Celest murmured. Her mother walked up to us.
"I just spoke to Kitty's professor. Celest, Kendra, I know you won't understand now, but you will later. I want you to go home with them to the institute. Things are going to be dangerous around here, and traveling across America after today isn't going to be safe for any mutant, and especially one like you, Celest, one who can't touch other human beings." I'd learned earlier that Celest was covered up because when she touched another person she transferred her consciousness into the person she'd touched, literally possessing them. Celest looked shocked.
"Mom! They are still in school and everything. I can't just go live at their institute."
"This is non debatable Celest. I would love to keep you around, or allow you to go back to Japan, but it's not going to happen. Things just changed. It's not longer safe for a mutant to live among society without help hiding. I saw you today. You were great at helping people. Go with them and learn, learn how to help people even more." Celest ran up to her mother and hugged her tightly, I was sure she didn't want to leave, but she could see the logic in her mother's words. Kendra would follow Celest to the institute because at the moment she was living with her best friend. Her parents had flipped when they discovered her powers, and until Celest's family took her in she'd been living on the streets.
I sighed and walked towards the X-Jet, leaving this moment to them, and to them alone. Somehow I understood that they would not be the first new recruits coming to the Xavier Institute. The Professor had a big heart, and in a situation like this he was going to bring in as many students as possible, to protect, care for, and teach. I climbed onto the jet and took a seat once again next to Evan, who looked as if he were going to fall asleep in the next few minutes. I looked back at Rogue and Kurt. A makeshift bed had been made across the aisle from them where Irene lay. We took off less than an hour later, with Celest and Kendra, Irene, and the rest of us. I closed my eyes, and leaned my head back against the seat. Things were going to be hard, and the next day would only be the beginning. I dreaded going to school and facing all those people who would be saying horrible things about my kind without ever realizing that there were mutants around them. "Everyone is kneaded from the same dough, but not baked in the same oven." I began to chant in my mind.
~*~*~*~*~*~
That was the first chapter. Please tell me what you think, and I can't stress enough that I am just starting to write for this serious. Before this all my stories were Digimon, and this is a far cry from Digimon. I really do need all the constructive criticism and comments you can give me, but please, not flames. ~Lacey~ Next Chapter: Rogue's POV, Title Unknown