The next day Charles, Erik, and Moria left on some mission or another leaving the others to their own devices. They did have to promise not to destroy anything while they were on their own though and so far they were doing pretty good.
"Whoa!" Darwin said as he watched Alex on the pinball machine while the others were sitting around the coffee table munching on Oreos.
"All right, all right." Alex said as he played the numbers shooting up.
"Jesus, man, you are killing me." Darwin said.
"Don't beat yourself up." Alex said. "I've had a lot of spare time."
"I didn't know the circus was in town." To agents stood outside the newly repaired window starring in.
"Zhen who sent in zhe clowns?" Simone gave them a hard look, but the men ignored her.
"Hey, come on, honey. Give us a little..." One of them looked to angel making hand movement mimicking Angel's wings making her look away. "No? Come on, let's see the foot. There it is. Come on, Big Foot, let's go." Hank walked over closing the curtains. "Hey. Hey, come on. Hey."
"They're just guys being stupid." Raven said looking to Angel who had her arms crossed angrily.
"Guys being stupid, I can handle. Okay? I've handled that my whole life. But I'd rather a bunch of guys stare at me with my clothes off than the way these ones stare at me." Angel said bitterly.
"At us." Raven corrected her, but the moment was broken when suddenly there was a thump on the roof followed by a bamf sound that seemed to repeat.
"Ca c'était quoi?" (What was that?) Simone placed her milk down as she stood up.
"I don't know." Darwin said coming over to the curtains. "Something doesn't feel right."
"What is it?" Simone said looking up at the silhouette against the moon then it fell to the ground in front of them, the body of the head of the paranormal CIA division slammed into the ground in front of them making them all jump back screaming.
"Get back! Do not leave that room." An agent ordered as they flooded the courtyard. "We're under attack!" A red man suddenly appeared in the center of the courtyard. "Shoot! Shoot!"
"Get back away from the window!" Simone ordered moving them back behind the couches. "And stay down."
Darwin and Simone stood over the others ready to use their abilities to shield them when a sound like a whirl wind drew their attention to cerebro which was torn apart by a tornado. They looked back to where the red man was cutting through the men in black teleporting, using their own weapons against them. Many of the agents ended up shooting their fellow agents.
"Stay here, my ass! Let's go!" Darwin snapped as he moved out the doors the others following.
"Get back!" A soldier ordered.
"We can help! We can help!" They called out, but then an explosion ripped through the building.
"Run, go!" Simone yelled rushing them back to the room only to see the tornado moving at them as the last of the agents were killed. The tornado picked up a soldier throwing him through the glass making them all scream again. "Mon Dieu."
The man who caused the tornado came through the window as the red man came through the other. Simone's hand went to her lead bracelet as she waited for the men to make a move.
"Wait!" An agent on the other side of the door called out. "You want the mutants? They're right through that door. Just let us normal people go. We're no threat..."
He was killed and a man in a helmet entered making them all shrink back in fear.
"Where is the telepath?" The man asked.
"Not here." The red man replied.
"Too bad." The leader said taking off his helmet. "Well, at least I can take this silly thing off." He smiled as he faced them. "Good evening. My name is Sebastian Shaw. And I am not here to hurt you."
"Freeze!" A soldier shouted.
"Azazel." Shaw said and the red man teleported killing the soldier then teleporting back. "My friends, there is a revolution coming. When mankind discovers who we are, what we can do, each of us will face a choice. Be enslaved or rise up to rule. Choose freely, but know that if you are not with us, then, by definition, you are against us. So, you can stay and fight for the people who hate and fear you, or you can join me and live like kings…" He focused on Angel, who was clearly breaking. "…and queens."
"Angel." Raven said in shock as she walked over taking Shaw's hand.
"Are you kidding me?" Sean said as she walked away with Shaw.
"Angel, revenir." (Come back) Simone called out.
"Come on." Angel replied. "We don't belong here. And that's nothing to be ashamed of."
"We have to do something." Raven said as they started to talk amongst themselves, Darwin and Alex starting to shove one another.
"Stop." Darwin called out. "I'm coming with you."
"Good choice." Shaw said as Darwin walked out into the courtyard. "So, tell me about your mutation."
"Well, I adapt to survive." Darwin replied. "So, I guess I'm coming with you."
"I like that." Shaw said then Darwin grabbed Angel.
"Alex!" Darwin called out covering his body in rock.
"Get out!" Alex yelled attacking as the other ran for cover, Simone covering them in her iron form.
"Do it!" Darwin called out as the rings hit Shaw who absorbed them.
"Protecting your fellow mutants? That's a noble gesture. Feels good." Shaw said walking over to Darwin who tried to punch him, but was blocked. Shaw grabbed him by his jaw, holding him still. "Adapt to this."
Simone and Raven screaming as Shaw shoved the red orb of Alex's powers down Darwin's throat then teleported away with his men and Angel. They could only watch as Darwin tried to adapt, not succeeding. He reached out to them as he crumbled then exploded into dust.
-0-
They were all sitting outside the destroyed remain of the CIA department, Simone sitting next to Raven, the two girls staying close clearly shaken by the experience, as the boys sat close by as well, all in states of anger and shock. Soon Erik and Charles pulled up in a car along with Moria, the three of them running over to the shaken mutants.
"Raven?" Charles called out, Raven shooting to her feet running into his arms. Simone stood up looking to the men with tears in her eyes as Charles looked them all over, his eyes lingering on Simone for a moment before he spoke. "We've made arrangements for you to be taken home immediately."
"We're not going home." Sean said shaking his head.
"What?" Charles looked at them, not understanding.
"He said we're not going home." Simone replied meeting his gaze, crossing her arms.
"And he's not going back to prison." Sean added looking to Alex.
"He killed Darwin." Alex said shaking his head.
"All the more reason for you to leave." Charles replied sternly. "This is over."
"No, it has only begun." Simone shook her head.
"Darwin's dead, Charles." Raven said, her voice thick. "And we can't even bury him."
"We can avenge him." Erik said making everyone look to him.
"Erik, a word, please." Charles pulled him to the side.
"They're just kids." Charles snapped.
"No. They were kids." Erik replied. "Shaw has his army, we need ours."
"We'll have to train." Charles said after a moment of silence, turning to them seriously. "All of us. Yes?"
"Yeah." Alex said as the others nodded.
"Well, we can't stay here. Even if they reopen the department, it's not safe." Hank pointed out. "We've got nowhere to go."
"Yes, we do." Charles said in determination.