October 8th, 2012

"So, what did Dr. McCoy say she could do again?" Vi asked Kitty and Storm as they walked down the filthy sidewalk. The only real sound was her boot hitting rock and the rock hitting cement. It was surprisingly quiet and empty in the surrounding area considering it was New York City.

"He said that she can create an armor of energy around her body," Storm answered as she peered at the rock skipping along the ground, "Could you stop that?"

"That's sounds pretty badass," Vi replied, still kicking the rock. She pulled the collar of her leather jacket up to shield her neck from the cold and thought for a moment. "I'll stop if you use your powers to make us not freeze to death".

Kitty rolled her eyes "You didn't have to come with us, you know?"

"Yeah I did. I haven't been off the grounds in two weeks. Plus, I can only put up with Rogue and Bobby's arguments for so long." Vi like them both well enough but they tended to get on her nerves quickly when they were together.

"We're here." Storm informed the girls as they stopped in front of an apartment. It wasn't extravagant nor was it a dump, but it was pretty nice compared to the places she had stayed while living in the city. "Vi, maybe you should let Kitty and I handle this. Convincing parents to let their children attend the school requires…finesse."

"Plus we need a lookout. The Brotherhood might attack us again like the last time we recruited a student." Kitty added quickly.

"Yeah yeah, I get it." Vi grumbled and moved to lean against the closest streetlight. She sighed as the other two mutants were invited into the apartment. Her eyes scanned the dimly lit scene, making out overflowing trashcans and the occasional stray cat in the dark. The entire area smelled faintly of vomit and booze. It reminded her of old times before the school, before the X-Men.

In the distance, she could just make out the top of the building where Storm, Jean, and Scott had found her. It was the place where she was set on the right path. The thought of that night caused a pang of guilt for something she'd rather forget. Jean and Scott were dead, along with the Professor.

Soon, Vi heard footsteps nearing her. She could see at least three silhouettes because of the street lights but it was hard for her to make out any details. It seemed she didn't need to since one of the figures hurled a fireball straight at her. There was barely enough time for her catch the fireball and extinguish it in her hand.

"So it's you. Still with those X-Geeks, I see." Pyro sneered as he entered the circle of light, flanked by Toad and an unfamiliar man. The look of him sent a shiver down her spine, a feeling she wasn't all too familiar with.

"At least I'm not a traitor. What are you even doing here, Allerdyce?" Vi questioned, moving into a fighting stance. It always ended in a fight with him, ever since he joined the Brotherhood.

"That's not my name." Pyro glared at her. "We've come to take the kid before you can fill her head with all that peace and love bullshit"

Vi rolled her eyes, "So you can give her that 'Kill All Humans' crap? Well bring it on then."

In a flash, Toad lunged at her and Pyro conjured three more fireballs. He threw them but since Toad distracted her, she only caught two, the third hitting her right in the chest of her uniform. She silently thanked herself for deciding to wear it before Toad succeeded in tackling her. He cackled, showing disgustingly rotted teeth. The elemental mutant nearly gagged.

"Ugh, you smell like a swamp. Here, let me help" Vi felt around for the flow of water in the pipes of the nearby apartments. She willed the water to break through and it hit Toad full force, hurling the green mutant across the street.

As she got to her feet, Pyro attacked her with a flamethrower. She crossed her arms in front of her face and the flames stopped in front of her like they had hit a wall.

After being tipped off by the water exploding from the pipes in the apartment, Kitty and Storm ran outside to be greeted by the roaring fire.

At this moment, Toad returned to the fight, heading right for the new arrivals. Storm's eyes clouded over "Did you learn nothing from our last battle, Toad?"

He slowed down, fear rising in him at the memory of that fight in the Statue of Liberty. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning came from the sky and struck him down.

Vi laughed at the scene "Nice one Storm! Somebody want to take care of Snape over there? He hasn't even made a move yet and it's creeping me out," she yelled over the roar of the flames. Blood began to leak from her nose and black crept into her vision.

The man heard this and his lips curved into a smile as Kitty ran towards him. He opened a bright blue portal in front of her and she stopped just short of it with a laugh. "A portal? What's that supposed to do against us?"

He glanced over at Vi and saw her struggling to hold back the flames. The smile turned to a full on sick grin. "I'll show you", he whispered in a gravelly voice.

The portal in front of Kitty disappeared and reappeared behind Vi. Pyro noticed this and smirked. He pushed harder until the other mutant couldn't fight anymore. The force of the fire threw the girl into the portal.

"NO!" Kitty screamed and turned to run towards the portal. She was too late. The blue light faded into nothing.

She turned around and grabbed the man by the collar "Where did you send her?!"

He laughed hysterically. "I don't know. I don't know."

Kitty turned to Storm, who had quickly dispatched Pyro with a bit of wind, and they exchanged a grim look. Their friend was gone.

All that Vi could make out was a blinding blue light and deafening whoosh, until her back slammed on the ground and the sound of annoyed passerby filled her ears. Last she remembered, the street was empty. She opened her eyes to find the light blue sky staring back at her. It wasn't supposed to be daytime either. What had the Brotherhood done to her?

A kick to her side made her completely abandon that thought. "You alive?"

She turned her head to see a man standing above her, "I think?"

"Then get the hell up off the sidewalk, bum." He spat before walking way.

"Well I'm definitely still in New York," She mumbled as she got to her feet and moved out of the flow of traffic. She had been laying half in an alley and half in the sidewalk. It surprised her that no one had said anything sooner.

Brushing away the dirt from her jacket, she finally took in her surroundings. And it was all wrong. The buildings were outdated, and the taxis that passed weren't like anything she had seen in her time living there. The people walking by weren't any more familiar. She pulled out her phone, only to find it unresponsive.

She slipped in and followed the flow of pedestrians, an uneasy feeling building in her stomach. At the sight of a newsstand, she broke away and grabbed a paper. The date read: October 8th, 1962.

Holy shit

The owner snatched the newspaper from her hand and sneered, "I don't serve your kind here."

If she hadn't been so thrown by what she read, she would have shot back, but she turned instead and walked away. 1962. Who did she know that would be alive in 1962? And who out of those few would believer her?

She had just the man, and luckily, she knew exactly where he lived, because she lived there, too.