Tactical Strike Part 2
By Whimsical Impulse
With beads of sweat collecting on her forehead, Jean Grey raised her hands higher, to gain a better telekinetic hold on the screen.
"Fred, how much more?" She called out.
Fred held the base of the screen, the rusty bars cutting into his skin. "Just a little bit more, red. Man, I am going to need a tetanus shot after this. And some ice cream."
Jean let out a soft giggle and then shouted, "Fred I will buy you 31 Flavors if you just hold on a bit longer!"
Fred grinned back. "I'm holding you to that."
Jean groaned with effort as she tried to ease the screen back onto the ground. Suddenly a beam of purple light blasted across her face. She lost concentration of her telekinesis and let the screen fall. "Fred, I lost my powers!"
"Shit" Fred replied as the screen toppled onto him.
"So. . after this fight; you wanna grab a burger or something?" Evan joked as he hit the ground. "So what exactly did you do to me?"
"Nulled your powers, bone-boy. Ya like?" The raven-haired girl giggled. She grabbed an object from her golden utility belt, paused a moment to aim, and hurled it at him.
Evan swore and dodged behind a car. The projectile hit the car and exploded, shattering the glass windows. Using the billowing smoke as a mask for his movements, Evan agilely climbed over the car and rushed the girl- attempting to body slam her. Unfortunately, the girl sidestepped and Evan let himself careen into the van behind her.
Letting out a groan of pain, Evan asked "So I don't even get a name?" The girl laughed again and replied; "It's Abrogate."
"Aw jeez- that was an SAT word, wasn't it. . ." He opened the van door.
"Kinda sorta" Abrogate lashed out with her right leg, which Evan dodged. She let the momentum carry her into a clockwise spin and struck out again with her left leg. Evan, anticipating the move, grabbed hold of her left leg, lifted her up, threw her into the van, and slammed the door.
Suddenly another girl appeared, wearing the same slinky, black cat suit. This one, a blonde, grinned saucily as she approached Evan. Evan, forever making the wrong choices at the wrong time grinned back. The girl moved closer and closer, until there faces were a foot apart. She opened her mouth slightly, pursing her lips together- when light green mist flowed out of her mouth. Evan inhaled, smiled, and then promptly hit the ground like a ton of bricks.
The girl walked over to the van and opened the door. "Getting sloppy, Tyler."
"Thanks for the save, Mae. I owe ya, one." Tyler Dumas, fondly known as 'Gate, replied. "Have we apprehended Summers' yet?"
"Negative, 'Gate." The blonde, codenamed Dusty, smiled. "The rest of his team are providing a little trouble. There's a couple of other mutants getting our way also."
"Well then lets get back in the fight!" The smaller girl cried out- rushing back into the battle.
"Lets." The voluptuous blonde replied.
"Oh God! Are you alright, Fred." Jean called out anxiously. "My powers! Something's wrong with them. I can't use my telekinesis."
"Well, I'm fucked then." Fred groaned- sharp pains shot through his left leg. He tested his strength on the screen, trying to lift it like he would a barbell. The screen moved slightly. "Jean, I think I can lift this but I don't think I can move it out of my way. I think my leg is broken too."
"If you can get the screen out of the way- the van isn't far away. We can get you out of here." Jean informed him, rushing to the spot next to where Fred lay.
"Sorry, but I don't think I can move out of this. My leg hurts pretty bad. I can't support all of my weight with just one leg." Fred's face contorted with pain.
An idea hit Jean. "Do you think you could move out of this screen if Kitty turned you intangible?"
"I think I could push myself out. Where is Pryde?"
"I don't know. I'll find her. Just stay calm."
Fred's eyes widened. A red-haired girl dangerously hovered 100 feet above the pair. Jean, preoccupied with Fred's condition had her back to the battle. Jean noticed his frown, though, and concernedly inquired; "What's wrong?"
Frantically, Fred shouted; "Get out of the way!"
Jean didn't have time to react as the red haired aerokinetic swooped down upon the two and bashed Jeans head with a piece of rebar. Jean collapsed onto the cold pavement and slipped into unconsciousness.
"Jean?" Fred whispered. "Oh shit, Jean. Snap out of this!"
Rogue grinned predatorily. The two women she had been battling, forgot about her after she feigned unconsciousness; they would pay for that now. The taller blonde had joined a smaller woman- and the brunette tree controller had gone off to battle Kurt. The girl who breathed out knockout gas and the girl who shot out purple power negation beams were ready to get what they deserved.
Stealthily, she ducked behind cars in the parking lot- using there shadows to provide even more protection in the cool night air. She stole silently to a spot nearest the two. She could hear them talking.
"Well then lets get back in the fight!" The smaller blonde cried out.
"Lets" Agreed the taller.
"Let's not!" Rogue cried out, lunging from her shadowy position. She viciously slammed her right fist into the smaller blondes face. The woman cried out in pain and surprise, her head collided with a car door and she became silent. Rogue turned around and faced off against the taller, more athletic woman.
Rogue surveyed her new opponent. She was taller, half of a head taller than herself. She moved devastatingly smoother than the smaller girl- suggesting intense combat training.
The woman grinned savagely and lashed out with her left foot. Rogue sidestepped and countered with a roundhouse punch. The blonde ducked, stepped in, and delivered a devastating uppercut to Rogue's chin. Knocked backwards, Rogue cried out. The blonde rushed forward to capitalize on her advantage but was met with Rogue's left fist.
Rogue let out a shout of victory as she knocked her adversary onto the ground with a single blow. The woman let out a groan of pain. as she collapsed on top of her partner. Rogue grabbed the woman by her shoulders, lifted her up, and snapped; "What do you want from us?"
"Not. . telling.. .you a thing. . ."The woman gasped out, fighting for her consciousness.
Rogue dropped the woman in disgust. She turned to the other unconscious girl. "You've been giving my team a lot of trouble. Let's see what your powers can do to your team." She murmured to herself. Slipping off her glove she placed a pale hand onto the cheek of the unconscious Tyler.
The familiar rush of power and memories flooded her mind. Rogue tugged her hand away from Tyler's face.
Flexing her hand, she let purple energy emanate from her eyes.
"Time to get even now."
Kurt felt bruises forming on his left side, the side he had landed on.
"Mein gott, I am going to feel zees in zee morning."
He got up, brushed himself off, and prepared to rush back into the fight. The girl who had hit him with one of her trees stalked off in a different direction. He ran, though his left ankle felt broken, to catch up. His head hurt too much for him to be able to concentrate on his teleportation powers. Additionally, he lacked the energy.
"I hate not being able to 'port. . . " He grumbled as he limped his way closer to the brown-haired tree-girl.
"Having pediatric problems, blue boy?" A familiar, but not friendly, face asked.
"That's podiatric, dumbass. Vat are you doing here?" Kurt growled menacingly.
"Saving your ass, furball." Lance shot back.
His eyes rolled upwards as he pointed his outstretched right hand at the tree monsters. Small quakes became bigger, until waves of earth raged towards Anne and her creations. The waves tore up all of the pavement and dirt it encountered. Anne didn't have any time think as the waves poured over her, trapping most of her tree creatures under it- the wood snapping and crunching underneath hunks of pavement and dirt. Anne managed to stay atop her tallest tree being and above the concrete carnage.
She turned around and found, to her surprise, two mutants. She grabbed something from her belt, seeds from what Kurt could tell, and tossed them onto the strange mixture of dirt and concrete. She threw her hands up into the air.
A second passed. Two seconds.
It was like an explosion of dirt, concrete and wood; as 4 new tree beasts arose. Savagely swinging their heavy arms- the giants approached the two mutant teenagers.
Kurt attacked first- running up to one of the beasts to attempt to bring it down by himself. the tree responded by knocking the furry boy away with a well placed tree limb. Lance got battered next, yet managing to bring down one of the trees.
"Yo. ." Todd muttered nervously. "Can't we talk this out?" He turned his gaze to Scott. Isn't that what you X-Geeks do anyways?"
"Shut up, Todd." Scott replied, his steely gaze directed at Raika. "Why are you attacking my team? We haven't done anything to you."
Raika laughed. She grabbed her communicator; "Strike Force- reconvene at coordinates 216, 32. Summers is in sight."
She received no response. She frowned for a moment and growled into her communicator again. She tried again, and again.
Toad turned to Scott from his position atop a van and snickered, Scott grinned back- put a hand to his visor and loosed an optic blast that knocked the communicator from Raika's hand. Raika swore and dodged behind a car to hide from more attacks. She grabbed a another ice-explosive from her utility belt, but before she could throw it a blast of purple energy hit her.
"'Gate, the hell do you think you're-" Raika's confusion was cut off as Rogue's unrelenting fist buried itself into her stomach. Raika let out a cry of pain and countered by backhanding Rogue across the face. The southern belle accepted the desperate blow with nary a shout.
"So," With a cold look upon her face, Rogue drawled calmly "You're the leader of this outfit? Why did you attack us?"
Raika spat at the girl's feet. "I won't tell you a thing."
Rogue smirked and grabbed hold of Raika's shirt, bringing her to her feet. "Have it your way. I stole your girlfriend's power-sapping ability. You won't be able to do. . .whatever it is you do." Rogues thick southern accent got even thicker with fury.
Raika responded by head-butting Rogue. Rogue stumbled back and let go of the ice-manipulator. Raika stumbled away, grabbing object and throwing it down. The object exploded in billows of grey smoke- masking Raika's escape.
Rogue, Scott and Todd swore simultaneously.
"Rogue, Todd Offensive maneuver Alpha."
Rogue immediately got into position, but Todd, instead, relaxed his combat stance and replied out "Thanks, loser. I really know what Offense Alpha is."
Rogue scowled and hissed "Just look sharp, Toad. All you have to do is watch my back."
"Okie dokes, hot stuff." Todd winked.
"Oh shut up, Toad." Rogue replied. The three mutants formed a tight-knit formation and prepared for battle.
"I'll kill them." A somber, even delicate voice, spoke the words that carried through the late night air, cutting through the shouts of civilians like a knife.
Anne Morland, codenamed Dryad, had in the clutches of a solitary tree monster- two unconscious mutants; Kurt and Lance.
Scott swore again.
"What do you want?" He asked of the girl controlling the monster.
He couldn't let his teammate, or Lance for that matter, die. he couldn't live with blood on his hands.
Raika smirked. "We want you, Scott Summers. To come with us."
"Why" Scott replied. "Where are we going? What do you want with me?" He had no idea what they wanted with him- but he was ready to do whatever was necessary to save the lives of the two teens.
"Scott! Don't listen to them. They're criminals- we have no idea what they-" Rogue was cut off.
"You don't have a choice in the matter." The joking tone that Raika had formerly adopted was replaced with a cold steely tone. "We'll kill those two if you don't come with us."
Scott paused a moment. He couldn't let anyone die. He refused.
"I'll do it."
"Scott! Ya can't!" Rogue cried out.
"Yeah, yeah Scotty, m'man. That chic looks insane. Who knows what they'll do to youse." Todd mumbled nervously.
Scott didn't budge. "Take the rest of the team home, Rogue. Todd, you can stay at the mansion if you want." Todd nodded. Scott turned his gaze to Rogue. "I'll come back. I promise."
"Let's move it, Summers. Dryad, release those two. Strike Force! Move out."
The team, in various stages of disarray climbed into the black, un-plated van- and drove off leaving Rogue and Todd in the dust.
"So what are we going to do now, yo." Todd asked.
"We find those bitches and bring Scott home." Rogue replied. Her eyes glinting dangerously.
To Be Continued
Haretrigger: Here's some more for ya, mate!
Kitrazzle Fayn: Thanks for being my faithful editor/beta/idea back board for me! I didn't feel like adding the Colossus part in just yet. . . But I owe ya big time for all of the ideas!
DeadCJunkie: Hey! I'm back. Thanks for your review. Todd and Fred rule!
Yokokaru-Chan: Thanks for reading! Now keep doin' it!
Aceswild: yep, that was Jacen. My first ever OC and my biggest Mary Sue- he's the coolest. You can still see him in my other fic "Destiny's Apocalypse".
Eternal Sailor Serenity: Tyler Dumas, renamed "Abrogate" (Thanks KF), does cancel powers indeed. thanks for letting me use her!
PEACE OUT
Kyle