Disclaimer: I own Carnal. All other characters are owned by Marvel Comics. Carnal's story arc begins after Season 3's episode "Recovery."
When the Carnival Comes to Town
The flyers had been up for weeks, plastered all over Bayville. They hung from telephone poles, and were plastered on bus shelters. And they all exclaimed the same thing, in bright garish letters that seemed to leap right off the page and into your eyes.
TWO DAYS ONLY!
SEPTEMBER 18th and 19th!
DON'T MISS YOUR CHANCE!
See the amazing acrobats!
Witness the beauty of a LIVING mermaid!
Stare in awe of the beauty and the ferocity of
CARNAL, the only Wolf-Girl alive!
Rahne tore down a third poster, crumpling it up in her hands. "Only Wolf-Gahl, bah! Ah'll show her! Wot kindo' name is Carnal, anyhoo?" The two that strode beside the feisty Scottish lass cast sidelong glances at her. She only grew increasingly hard to understand when she was upset. And obviously the proclamation on the poster had greatly offended her dignity.
And still, Bobby and Jubilee could only chuckle at her heated one-sided conversation. They both knew very well that Rahne could become an imposing creature of the lupine persuasion when she wanted to, so they had nothing to argue about.
"Come on," Bobby endeavored to change the subject. "Lets get something to eat! Miss Munroe will be drilling us about homework soon anyways!"
Carelessly, Rahne paused by the open door, and glanced at the crumpled paper in her hands. With a snort of derision, she tossed it over her shoulder, where it bounced and rolled, and landing unceremoniously beneath a short spruce.
Logan.
The addressee grunted in response to the cool voice echoing within his head. His arms were at full extension, the barbell gripped between sweaty palms. He could feel every muscle in his chest tighten and flex, taught with effort. Sweat ran in ever-growing sparkling drops down his arms. He held the weight aloft for a count of twenty before the calm voice ever so gently reminded him of its presence.
Logan. I would like to speak with you when you are finished.
He grunted again, replacing the bar and sliding out from beneath it. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, Prof, I hear you." He grabbed his towel from the end of the bench, and grumbling about living with telepaths, he forced his way out of the gym, and up the stairs.
Professor Xavier was, as he always seemed to be, in his study, awaiting Logan with an amused smile upon his features. "You could have cleaned up first," Charles mused lightly, raising an eyebrow at Logan's shirtless carelessness.
Logan gave half a shrug, causing his impressive chest to ripple with the movement. "It sounded urgent," came the laconic response. Logan didn't even bother to sit down; he waited, feet shoulder-width apart, while he toweled off his neck and chest. As Logan scrubbed a hand through his short, black hair, Xavier wheeled his chair slightly closer.
"I want you to look at this," he offered, holding up a rumpled piece of paper.
Logan accepted it, throwing his towel over his shoulder. He proceeded to read with a puzzled expression. "So? Carnival Atlantis? What's so important about this?"
Xavier was disappointed. He had hoped that Logan would pick up on the strangeness in the last few lines. Xavier refused to take it back, instead allowing the feral to keep it. "I want you to take the children there."
"What? Babysit?"
"Chaperone, actually." Xavier smiled, and couldn't help but chuckle. "A few of them have expressed interest to me in attending. Ororo and myself would go, but unfortunately we have a meeting with the School Board at noon on Saturday."
Logan managed to stifle a groan. "Who am I taking?"
"Jean, Scott, and Kurt, in the least. Perhaps even Sam and Roberto."
Logan could just imagine a day with the five… all alone… surrounded by carnival freaks. It was almost too much for him to take. "Okay, okay… I don't have a choice, do I?"
Xavier smiled secretly. Not in the least.
What had started out as an outing of five, had turned into a gaggle of bouncing kids. Kurt brought his girlfriend, Amanda Sefton. Rahne, Bobby and Kitty had all decided that they wanted in on the action. And at the last minute, as everyone was loading into the van, Jubilation Lee decided that she too, wanted to have some fun on a Saturday afternoon.
Logan could already feel the headache just beginning to develop as he turned the engine over. The kids all laughed and joked, entertaining themselves as only teens can. Amanda and Kurt held hands, only releasing so Kurt could fuss over his image projector. In the rear view mirror, they all looked so normal, and happy. Sometimes, just sometimes, Logan felt as if Xavier's dreams could really come true. He nodded slightly to himself as Kurt blushed in response to a quick comment by his human girlfriend.
Mercifully, the drive was quick and short. He didn't have to listen to Jubilee singing along with the radio for very long at all. It must have looked like a clown car as the kids piled out into the parking lot. "Remember, stay in groups, or at least… pairs. Contact Jean if you get lost, or… if anything comes up." With the way the teens were watching him, it was as if his word was the Word of God. He hated it when they watched him so intently.
With a grunt, he spun on his heel and stalked towards the gate. After a few seconds, he paused, realizing that none of the kids were following him. Glancing back, he followed their gaze to find out why. They were faced with a completely vacant lot, with the exception of the brightly smiling clown at the rickety shack in the center. Trash littered the scenery, blowing used napkins across the tops of Logan's boots. His lip curled, as the hairs on his arms raised in warning.
"I don't like this," he growled softly.
"Vhat do ve do?" Kurt asked, curiosity glinting dangerously in his eyes.
Jean was staring at the blank lot, with an expression of awe and shock. "Mr. Logan?" she began softly. "This is incredible! We have to go in there!"
"Why?"
"Because… the owner must be a mutant!" Jean was breathless, as if she could see something that the others could not.
Kurt grinned at Amanda, and bounded forward, pulling the hapless girl along with him. With a snarl, Logan burst into motion, easily keeping up. Kurt pulled to an abrupt stop as the Clown at the entrance leant down to greet them all.
"Welcome, one and all! Step right through these gates to see a wondrous world of fantasy, fear and awe! Step this way and be transported to the amazing underwater city of Atlantis! Home of the Half-Wolf, Half-Human!"
Rahne could be heard audibly clearing her throat, until someone nudged her in the ribs harshly. With a bitten off curse, Rahne glared about her, as if she didn't know the perpetrator. Logan made a quick head count, and gave them all a stern reminder, glaring at each of them in turn. Interesting, standing this close, Logan could almost smell the fairway fries, and hear the tinkling of the carousel over the din of people talking. With a deep breath, he handed over the cash, paying fare for one adult and 11 youngsters.
Then two by two, the kids stepped through the gates… and vanished into thin air.
The fairway was lit with sparkling lights in every shade of the spectrum. The heavy scent of fairway food hung in the air like a shroud lay over the bright, clean avenues. Laughter surrounded them, and throngs of people brushed by the stunned pair. Bells and whistles signaled a winner at one of the booths, and a young couple walked away clutching a giant stuffed cat between them.
Jean nearly collapsed from the sudden inundation of energies. Scott barely had time to catch her as she swooned against him. Frantically, he looked around for the others, but not only was there no sign of his fellow students: there was no sign of the entrance either! The paved avenue stretched on before and behind them.
"Jean?"
"I'm fine, Scott." She replied as she pushed his arms away. With a guilty glance around, she composed herself quickly and quietly. For a moment, she seemed distant, until she smiled, and nodded. "The others are fine." She sighed softly. "Just as confused as we are, but fine."
"Where are they?"
"Scattered around…" Jean mused quietly. She rolled her shoulders, and fluffed her hair after a moment. Her eyes just happened to glance up. "My God…" she breathed, reaching out to Scott for support once more. "Look!"
High overhead, where the sun should have been shining brilliantly, a thin, green, filtered orb wavered in and out of existence. As they watched, a giant shadow moved effortlessly across the light. As the silhouette became clear, Jean gasped aloud.
"We're under water!" The whale's shadow passed quickly, and left the rippling, weak sunlight filtering into the gigantic glass dome.
Logan's stomach churned like a top when he finally opened his eyes. He hated getting teleported! It screwed with the very sensitive inner ear, and had, counting this time, made him want to double over and puke. He scowled listening to Jean's report, and growled audibly as she told him that she couldn't reach the Professor. With a deep breath, he steadied himself, and forced himself silent.
The damp air was filled with the scent of ocean, decay and humanity. No entrance, no exit… the people seemed faceless, cheerful and yet stiff. The prickling sensation grew stronger as he looked around. He could hear some of the kids, Jubilee, Sam and Berto from the sounds of the maniacal giggling. They were waiting in line at a roller coaster, Jubes bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Thoughtfully, he looked around, and proceeded to move to the nearest wall. It was definitely a glass dome that covered them all, but at the bottom of the ocean? He wasn't sure how much he believed that. Scowling he tapped the glass with his finger as if trying to judge how thick it was. With a shrug, he turned to his left, and began to follow the sweeping arc around the perimeter of the carnival.
A towering Big Top was at the center of the huge dome, all the avenues, five total, led up to it. Vendors, food and souvenirs alike, were crammed in like sardines. And everyone seemed happy, which probably worried Logan the most. He looked up and down the fairways, taking count of his charges. In twos and threes he accounted for them all.
Relieved, he headed for the Big Top, seeking out the owner. Jean claimed to know that he too was a mutant. Looking around, Logan pondered just what could be up. Everything seemed in place, yet it all felt so wrong to him. He struggled to stay focused between all the flashing lights and pulsing sirens. So intent was he on ignoring the normality of a carnival that he missed the presence of three clowns, paying him a little too much attention.
"Are you not having fun?" piped the garishly colored face bobbing in front of him. "Everyone in Atlantis has fun!"
Logan grunted. The clown was hued in greens and yellows, topped with a hideous crepe paper hat. The clown stepped forward, as Logan stepped back.
"Surely, we can make him laugh!" another voice, this one lilting and soprano cooed. The she-clown was dressed as an opera singer. Huge bow-lips were painted upon her pancake-white face, and she was even complete with a mole upon the swell of her enormous bosom.
"But if not, what then?" the third speaker was a tragedos, tattered and torn, his clothing was all too large. His face was painted shabbily, the white and black running together into an ash gray. Logan spun to face each of them in turn, but they moved around him constantly, ringing him as if he were a maypole.
"Then," the first piping clown giggled. "We show him the Side Show!"
"Ooooh," the other two purred in concert. "The Side Show!"
"I dunno who you think you are, but I'm not stickin' 'round to find out!" Logan feinted right, but dodged left, trying to dive between the opera star and the tragedos.
"Ah-ah-aaah!" She scolded. Before Logan knew it, he had collided with the impressive tracts of land. Her hands closed tightly around his arms, spinning him to face the other two clowns.
"Perhaps he likes impressions," the tragedos mused, in a voice like Drew Carey's.
"Or balloon animals!" The head clown blew a long balloon up and began to twist it.
"Or jokes!" The singer gleefully quipped. Logan could feel every movement of her broad chest as she breathed.
Logan growled under his breath, squirming in the grip of the huge woman. "Let me go!" he snarled aloud, breaking the parlay between the clowns.
The three looked at him, and then exchanged glances. "Time for the Side Show!" The lead clown let out a whoop of joy, which was immediately echoed by the other two. Far and wide, up and down the fairways, Logan could hear the cry being taken up, like a chant.
"Side Show! Side Show!"
The clowns proceeded to drag Logan up the center of the fairway. For being a well-endowed female, the opera singer was incredibly strong… almost too strong. He cast a warning glare at the students. If any of them tried to help him, he would be irate. He watched helplessly as the kids were dragged into the mob that followed the three clowns up the fairway. Swept away by the tide of humanity, Logan soon lost sight of them all.
What's going on? Jean's inquiry sounded within his mind. Logan shook his head, and refused to answer. He felt her presence move on as soon as she didn't get an answer from him. Hopefully, Scott would be smart enough to gather the students together. He didn't have a very good feeling about this Side Show. The Big Top was their destination, wrapping around the front half of the colorful tent was a wooden platform. The platform was segregated from the crowd by a thick wire fence, topped with barbed wire. Logan's hopes fell.
The lead clown bounced up on stage, leaving the other two to watch over Logan. As he held his hands above his head, the crowd fell silent.
"Come one, come all! Join me in welcoming our ringmaster! Our leader! The illustrious! The incomparable! VINCINI!"
The crowd burst into applause, roared to life from complete stillness. The lead clown snickered as he jumped off the wire caging, landing in the muck right in front of Logan. The clown smiled, something wicked, and taunting lurked behind his painted eyes.
We're right behind you, Jean's voice whispered into his mind. She showed him a brief vision of what it looked like from behind. Logan was aghast to realize just how enormously large the she-clown was. The kids were close, so close that Logan could have turned his head and been able to look Jean right in the eyes. But then they would be liable to these evil clowns.
I hate clowns. He thought at Jean. He allowed himself the slightest smile as she giggled in response.
Suddenly, the girls behind him gasped aloud. Vincini had taken the stage, behind the wire fence. Logan pondered the short stature of the ringmaster, the small hands that held a riding crop, and the baby-like face that peered at him from beneath the rim of a top hat. Vincini was a child! Eight years old, perhaps at the greatest. Logan could feel himself trembling with rage, well, until the opera clown patted his head like he was a puppy.
"Just watch," she cooed softly, squeezing Logan tightly. "You'll enjoy this!"
She was making it hard for him to breathe, squeezing his ribcage so tightly that he could almost feel the adamantium bones rubbing together. He knew they wouldn't break, but his ligaments and tendons were unfortunately not part of the equation. The crowd oohed, and ahhed, and with each successive sound, the she-clowns grip got tighter and tighter. The purported mermaid, Logan figured out between gasping breaths, was nothing more than a woman wearing, of all things, a fish's head. Granted the beautiful legs were distracting, and not at all what most people thought of when 'mermaid' was mentioned, Logan could have cared less if it were dead.
A bearded woman, a living illustration, a man masquerading as a lizard, all of the traditional side show freaks were paraded before him. His eyes were watering with the effort of breathing when, suddenly, the she-clown released him long enough to slam her hands together in thunderous applause. All the while, the young Vincini never even uttered a word. He raised his hands, calling for silence. The crowd automatically obeyed. Not even a sniffle or cough was heard to break the eerie stillness, even Logan quieted his ragged breathing, as he tried to edge away from the she-clown's massive arms.
And now, what you've all been waiting for! The voice! It echoed in their heads! A telepath! Jean nearly jumped at the conclusion, her green eyes startling against the sudden pallor of her face. Please, be very quiet… she is a vicious man-slaughtering killer! Ladies and gentlemen, CARNAL, the beast girl!
A low snarl filled the air as a pair of giant hands lifted the tent flap. On one side, gripping a long metal pole was the bearded lady; on the other, the strong man held a similar contraption. Between them, held nearly six feet away from either, was the creature that Vincini called Carnal.
She was small and compact, covered in grime and dirt. Her skin ranged in shade from clay gray to a warm flesh tone. Her hair was dark, matted with dirt and manure. Dried blood clung to her scalp, and discolored her lips at the corner. Those lips were drawn back, the snarl issuing from her throat. Her canines protruded, and her fingers ended in nasty claws, chipped and broken by years of abuse. Logan did not wince at the scars that riddled her body; she was offered no dignity, nor did she seem to care. She was naked, except for dirt, and the collar that attached her to her 'trainers'.
Witness the awesome power! Bolt?
Vincini had turned to glance at the strong man. He grinned slightly, and seemed to close his eyes, concentrating. A jolt of electricity traveled down the metal rod, and ripped through the captive's body. She screamed in agony, the sound wholly inhuman and dripping with terror. Logan's anger turned to awe as she began to change before his eyes.
He had witnessed something like it before… after all Rahne's body would twist, as she becomes a wolf. But this one… this was different. Carnal's body did not change, she did not grow fur; or alter her hands into paws. Quiet simply, her anatomy changed. Certain bones elongated, certain muscles bulked out, allowing her to shift her position, to stand upright on legs that had become massively muscular. Her chest barreled, the already sinewy form losing most all traces of body fat, and breasts. She squatted like a bear; yes, Logan agreed with himself. A bear she had become… not necessarily in shape, but in function. She roared suddenly, a heartbreaking sound that was filled with pain and anger.
Rearing back, she lifted the strong man and bearded lady off their feet, flinging them hard into the wire fence. She advanced on Vincini, her yellow-gold eyes tinged red with fury. The little boy calmly reached beneath his ringmaster's cape, and withdrew a stout wand. With a flick, he knocked the terrified feral over, from six feet away.
BZZAAAP! Summers had seen enough. His force beam had torn a hole through the chain fence, and pulverized the small wand into tiny shards. Kurt had already left behind the stench of brimstone and sulfur as he teleported out. Vincini tried to duck as the corresponding BAMF echoed off the stage around him.
"Guten tag!" Kurt chirruped with a devilish grin. He balled his fist, and took his best shot…
Only to find his hand pass right through the boy. A cackle surrounded him, and faded, but the angry snarling did not abate. Kurt turned, eyes widening at the sight of the feral mutant towering over him. His first instinct was to port, but where to? He couldn't form a coherent thought in his mind.
The crowd cheered, thinking perhaps that this was all part of the show. Jubilee ran up to the fence, and threw fireworks and pyrotechnics in the face of the feral. Rahne was halfway through her transformation, when Bobby knocked her out of the way. The she-clown was spinning, spreading her arms wide in an attempt to knock anyone and everyone down. Flattened by the clown, the two of them rolled clear, only to be fenced in by dozens of feet. The feral continued to bear down upon Kurt.
SKINKT! Logan ignored the eruption of pain that his claws caused; he could only think of how to rescue the terrified elf. The wire fence was no barrier, and he leapt through the hole he so expertly excised. As Logan's shadow fell over Kurt, he heard the teen gain his composure. There was a tense moment as Logan squared up against the feral.
Her eyes were amber, split horizontally with jet-black pupils. Those pupils widened for a moment, adjusting to the changing lights. She dropped down to all fours, and tightened her hands. The claws that had sprouted from her fingertips sunk into the wooden stage, splintering the board as she pulled up. Logan found his footing compromised, and stumbled backwards. Kurt bamfed just as the delicate workings of Logan's balance gave way. Landing hard on his back, he wasn't prepared for Carnal's pounce. She landed atop him like a ton of bricks, knocking the wind right out of his lungs.
Scarlet blood splattered across the wooden planks as her talons dug deeply into his shoulders. Her roar of fury echoed his roar of pain. Her anger was born out of mortal fear; Logan could appreciate that even understand it. But he refused to let the kids be put in danger. Behind him, he could hear Scott taking charge.
"Group on me! We need to find the ringmaster!" The boy never seemed more at home than when leading a team. Logan knew he didn't have to worry about the kids; they were in good hands.
"I'm not leaving Logan!" Jean cried. About the same moment, Carnal's body was enveloped. The telekinetic has frozen her, holding her still with the force of her mind.
Logan snarled. "GO!" He returned his claws to their housing on his forearms. Jean gave a cry as Scott pulled her away, putting distance between the stage and themselves. "Follow the damned clowns!" Logan cried as he caught sight of the giant she-clown disappearing into the Big Top. He closed his hands around Carnal's wrists, and pushed.
The beast-girl, shocked to find her motility returned so suddenly, hesitated for a split second. Logan's strength counteracted her own, and she bent backwards in his grip. Impossibly flexible, Logan could feel her skeletal and muscular structure altering underneath his grip. As he got to his feet, he could feel the pressure from her tendons and muscles again, bulking out beneath his hands. She snarled in his face, and attempted to bite at his nose. Logan brought his skull down, to crack loudly into hers.
Blood immediately gushed onto her face, but almost as instantaneously stopped. Logan was transfixed with horror as her nose changed shape, widening and flattening, the tip turning down like the black nose of a wolf. He chuckled.
"Oh, so you heal on the fly too?"
"Through there!" Bobby pointed between two giant beams, the two main supports of the single-spired Big Top. "She went that way!"
"But!" Jubilee chimed in. "The sad clown went that way!" She pointed off to the east.
"It's a DOME, people!" Scott reminded them. "It's not like they can go much of anywhere! Jean?"
She had touched his arm, resting her hand with feather-lightness. "The ringmaster is laughing at us. He wants us to join his circus."
"Which way is he, Jean?" Scot pressed gently, as the other students crowded around them. "Where are his thoughts coming from?"
"All over," she was pained, wincing as she was trying to find her 'off' switch. "Everywhere!"
"Vell," Kurt mused, looking around at his surroundings. "If he is everyvhere, then… ve destroy everything…. Ja?"
Behind his sunglasses, Scott blinked, looking astonished while still seeming to be perfectly collected. The implications boggled his mind. An omnipotent telepath… Surely, he couldn't be. There had to be a catch to this, something that they were missing. Kurt was already leading Amanda to someplace safe, while she was protesting against being separated from him for so long. Jean was reeling, having finally blocked out the sea of panicked thoughts. Scott steadied her with a hand on her arm.
"Alright, Sam, Berto, Rahne… I think it's time to bring the Big Top down." Scott grinned grimly. "You three take the Fairway; Bobby, Kitty, Jubes, I want you three on the Vendors. Kurt, Jean and I will check out the Big Top."
Scott shone in leadership, his back straightened, his head was held high. Even his voice seemed deeper, authoritative, but lacking the boyish charm that Jean warmed right up to. She instantly found herself missing Scott, and regretting Cyclops. But there wasn't any time to waste; Cyclops didn't even allow himself the beam with pride as the youngsters ran out into the crowd.
The kids fell to their tasks with glee. Breaking everything, burning wood, shooing away all of those people who had not yet made it to the edges of the dome, they pillaged like pirates. With every shattered crossbeam, with every shorted fuse, there seemed to be something… different… about the Carnival.
No one was watching the entrance of the Big Top. All eyes were locked upon Wolverine and Carnal grappling in a life-or-death struggle on the wooden stage. Jean, Cyclops, and NightCrawler all found their way into the tent without a problem. Once inside, they took long minutes for their eyes to adjust to the dimness. Jean gasped, once she could see, and turned quickly to Scott, hiding her face from the sight. Kurt swore in German, muttering under his breath a string of oaths unbecoming to a teenager.
Cyclops eyed the surroundings with stoic calm. Surrounding them were all cages, stacked atop each other, toppled haphazardly into jumbles, every one of them held a creature within. Some did not move to acknowledge the intruders, while others howled in agony, or begged for release. More still did not breathe any longer, stone dead beneath the years of carnival life. One cage remained empty, a cage that was as filthy as the occupant. Bones littered the floor, mice and rats scurried about in the filth. Even the arm of a dead sideshow freak hung in the cage, and had been picked clean of flesh.
Cyclops herded them past it all, ignoring the calls for help, which quickly turned into cries of hatred. He kept his eyes forward, focused on the smaller tent that had been erected in the center of the mess. With no visible entrance, they lifted up the edge of the fabric and peered into the darkness. Nothing: silence and darkness, except for the occasional snarl of the beasts in the cages. Kurt blinked, glanced at Jean and Cyclops. Jean was concentrating.
"There's something in there," she whispered, breaking the odd silence. The darkness seemed to shimmer the longer she watched it, as if there was something within struggling to maintain control. The sense of otherness was complete within, as if the missing pieces of the rest of the carnival were all contained within the dark shadows of the tiny tent.
Cyclops edged further in, hoping that the ambient glow of his eyes behind his ruby visor would shed some extra light. Even the light seemed to be sucked in by the source of Jean uneasiness. She frowned slightly, as NightCrawler fidgeted beside her, twirling his hair around one of his tridactyl fingers. Somewhere outside the tent, the mermaid wailed in sorrow, causing NightCrawler to jump, bumping into Jean.
Jean stumbled, and lost her concentration. Once her guard was down, that, unfortunately, was when the fun began. The darkness wavered; shivered with a chill wind. It seemed to fold in upon itself, closing up like a little box, until the interior of the tiny tent was no longer shrouded in darkness.
Are you shocked?
Shocked was putting it mildly…
Jean stepped forward, bravest of them all. She placed her hand lightly upon the glass case. The figure within stirred, and rotated, opening large luminous eyes. Machines whirred and clanked, keeping the creature alive, keeping the viscous liquid it lived within oxygenated. Vestigial legs kicked weakly in the substance, and tiny webbed hands pressed against the glass case, directly against Jean's palms.
"What are you?" Jean asked quietly, ignoring the frightened sounds issuing from NightCrawler's and Cyclops' mouths.
I am like you. The things bulbous head rotated slightly so it's wide eyes could take in all three intruders. Why do you destroy my sanctuary?
"Because there are people here being mistreated; people trapped within the dome!" Cyclops chimed in, his ideals being threatened.
You would leave me here alone! Trapped, without company!
"Well, uh…" Cyclops floundered, and looked to Jean for support.
"We will only do what is best for the people you have trapped here in your carnival." Jean whispered. "If they wish to remain here, then they can. But those that wish to leave, must be offered that choice." She bit her lip, wishing she could ask the question that bugged her most.
How did I get here? You do not want to know. The clowns are loyal; they are the ones that built this for me. They will surely stay with me.
"You must offer the chance to everyone." Cyclops answered. Jean was telling the others to stop destroying things. She shied away from Wolverine's mind as his was a blank sheet of fury.
The creature within the tank gave a soft mental sigh. I was human once. I know what it was like to fear and love, and hate. I hate all of you. Every last one of you.
NightCrawler had edged over to the apparatus that shivered and sighed, and pumped air into the tiny liquid-filled chamber. "How do you get pover to this thing?" He inquired, reaching out for knobs and dials.
DON'T TOUCH THAT! The thing within the case threw itself towards him. NightCrawler bamfed away, reappearing behind Cyclops. Don't touch that. I'll let them out… just don't touch that!
The creature closed its eyes, and brought its tiny webbed hands to its temples. A wave of vertigo swept the room. Jean doubled over, and had almost fallen if Cyclops had not jumped forward to support her.
Doors opened everywhere. Gates with images of freedom beyond them. As one entity, seas of people moved towards the gates, abandoning the joyous life of a carnival for the freedom of home. The clowns were shoved out of the way, as people fought for the openings, struggled to leave. Jubes pointed, grinning. She could see the Van just outside one of the gates. She rushed forward, and placed her hand on the side of the fence, as if the gate would vanish before her very eyes.
"We've gotta get the others!" she shouted over the din at Bobby, who kept trying to direct traffic around the trio. Finally, he ground his teeth and spread his fingers.
Within a few moments, twin sheets of ice had formed, diverting the terrified flow around them.
Kitty frowned. "Wait here." She was gone before Bobby could open his mouth, phasing through the ice as though it were air.
"I hate it when she does that," he sighed, kicking at a rock. "So what now? We just wait?"
Jubilee's dark eyes smiled. "Why wait?" Her hands seemed to glitter after a moment, and she threw her arms high into the air. A trio of fireworks exploded overhead, flashing light and sound in a sparkling conflagration. Jubes had sent up her patented distress call, using the handiest flare gun of all… her mutant power.
Kitty chuckled to herself as she phased through the crowd. There was nothing she could do about being seen, but with the panicking state of the crowds, she really didn't expect to be noticed all that much. The others would definitely see Jubilee's signal; she really hoped Bobby would be putting out the few fires some of the sparks had set off. The only one she was really worried about was Wolverine. If he slipped into a blind rage, he wouldn't see the doorways until it was too late. And she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she knew he had not only killed someone, but gotten trapped under God-knew what ocean!
The two ferals were still locked in combat as Kitty came up to the stage. The two of them moved so fast, dodging and blocking, raking and punching. They were both bloodied and beaten, but both seemed to heal as fast as they scored glancing blows on each other. Kitty stared in awe for long moments as the two combatants seemed to be quite evenly matched. After a moment of watching, she willed herself insubstantial, and walked forward carefully.
She passed through the stage, as Nightcrawler, Jean and Cyclops ran out of the tent. ShadowCat waved heartily at them, hesitating only when she registered the greenish hue to Jean's features. Disturbed, or disgusted, Kitty couldn't figure out what was bothering her. Nor did she really have time. Wolverine glanced down at her, stepping over her protruding head as he drove forward into Carnal with a series of hard, fast punches. The feral girl took them all in stride, catching them on her forearms. But she was backing away, giving in to the force of Wolverine's blows.
Logan? It was Jean, hesitantly touching his thoughts. Concern colored her inner voice, giving Wolverine reason to smile. The doors are open, Logan; we have to go now.
He pondered asking Jeannie to knock the girl out for him, since she rebounded so quickly from all of his blows. He loathed the thought of gutting her like a common fish; frightfully, she reminded him all too well of himself. He didn't even have a chance to ask; lost in his thoughts like that, he had missed Carnal's subtle weight shift. Kitty hadn't.
Just as the feral girl pounced, claws extended; Kitty grabbed Logan's leg, and pulled him through the stage floor, out of the way of danger. Carnal landed hard, and skidded a few feet, pivoting to face empty space. Confused, she peered around for her opponent. Jean bit her lip, and whispered an apology, before she flared a single, overpowering thought into Carnal's mind.
With a painful cry of outrage and fear, the shapeshifter clutched her head, and crumpled into a pile. ShadowCat brought herself and Logan back up to the stage level, where she released him, returning to solidity. Wolverine knelt by the young feral, and watched fascinated as she shed muscle-mass, bulk and height, until a petite, filthy young lady lay unconscious at his feet.
"Let's go," he growled as he picked her up. "I've had enough fun for one day."
"Awww…" Kurt griped as he pouted. "Just when things were getting interesting!"
Logan counted heads one last time, before they all stepped through the doorway, back into the vacant lot. He let the ten kids file out first, pausing before he left the dome with his burden. Overhead, another dark shape circled the dome, and somewhere within the rubble of the ghost carnival, he swore he heard someone crying. He eyed the girl in his arms, fearing for her well-being. She was so light, so thin, so mistreated. How long would it take to break through the trauma's she'd experienced?
He allowed himself to smile down at her, before he closed his eyes and stepped through the portal. As the gut-wrenching sensation of being teleported gripped him, he wondered just how he was supposed to explain all of this to the Professor. He laid her in the front seat, where she automatically curled up to fit in the smallest space possible. Around him, the kids were all somber, and quiet, until Jubilation broke the silence.
"You mean, we're bringing her home with us?"
Logan nodded. "She's a mutant too. It's the least we can do for her."
Amanda fidgeted quietly until Kurt put his arm around her. "How can someone be that cruel to another living thing?" she asked him, her lower lip pouting slightly. He hugged her then, an action that Rahne joined in on, first. Soon enough, only the boys stood aloof from the situation.
Logan was the first in the van, closing the door tightly, and making sure the radio was instantly and permanently turned off. With a rumble the van started, and the kids piled in, a few exchanging nervous glances. Wolverine was impressed, even Jubilee was quiet on the ride back to the Institute. But he had a feeling that Jean was already in contact with the Professor, which suddenly made him feel a little bit happier.
The kids disappeared as soon as he shut the van off. Logan found himself wishing they moved that fast in their training sessions. As he carefully extracted Carnal from the front seat, he caught the scent of their approach long before he turned around. Professor Charles Xavier and his right hand weather-witch, Ororo Munroe stood quietly waiting for him just outside the garage.
"Jean told me what happened," Xavier began, wheeling slowly forward. He paused as Logan came towards him, the limp girl protected in his arms. "You did well protecting the children, as well as rescuing that one."
Logan grunted. "She needs medical attention. And food…"
"And a bath," Ororo added as she approached Logan. She laid a slender, nut-brown hand on the girls face, brushing her fingers down her neck until she found a pulse. "Her heart is racing," she murmured with a frown.
Logan moved away from the native African. "She's a shifter," he told them as he moved towards the huge house. "And a feral… like I was." He didn't care to listen further, as Ororo turned to the Professor; he kept going, shouldering his way into the house carefully. The girl stirred weakly in his arms, and he did his best to calm her. Moments after he laid her in the infirmary, Ororo rolled Xavier in behind him.
"So," Logan sighed as he turned back towards the two others. "What happens now?"