Thanks for the review! I was worried this one would be rather short but it's ended up as the longest yet.


CHAPTER 7

Professor X walked through the hallways, the picture of calm. He stopped outside the front room, glancing at those inside. "I understand we have some visitors."

Rogue nodded. "The Brotherhood."

The Professor's gaze swept over the group. "Bobby, Kitty, Warren, Peter, Lee, Therese, get suited up and ready to join me." The six youngsters ran off. "Rogue, I want you to begin moving the other students to safer areas. Just in case the mansion gets compromised."

Rogue nodded. "Okay."

"Meanwhile, I suppose I'd better go and see what our callers want. Perhaps they merely wish to invite us to join their religion."


Pyro smirked as he saw the solitary figure walking out of the mansion. "Well, well. The great Charles Xavier himself. I suppose you think you can put us all back in our boxes single-handed."

"While you were my student, John, I did my best to broaden your mind. Sadly, it appears that mind has long since become permanently closed."

Pyro shook his head. "You tried to poison my mind, Xavier. Fill it with your little dreams of mutants bowing down before inferiors. I know now that I'm better than them. And I'm better than you."

"Can you can the talking?"Juggernaut asked. "I only came here for the punch up."

"Well, that's something you're not going to get, I'm afraid." The Professor touched two fingers to the side of his head, focusing his mind, preparing to mentally freeze the Brotherhood members where they stood.

War clapped his hands and the ground around Xavier exploded, breaking his concentration. Before he could recover, Juggernaut and Blob came charging at him from opposite directions, crushing him in between their bodies. They crashed into him again and again. Even his metallic body couldn't stand up to the constant impacts from the two powerful opponents. His body sparked as it short-circuited, crumpling to the floor.

Xavier moved his head to look at Pyro. "My X-Men will defeat you, John. They are stronger than you. They are stronger because they know their weaknesses." Then he was still.

Bobby, Warren, Kitty, Colossus, Jubilee and Siryn came running out of the mansion and stopped as they took in the scene: Xavier lying beaten on the floor, the Brotherhood poisoned to attack.

Bobby glanced back and forth at the line of X-Men spread out either side of him. "We hold the line, okay?" He saw Kitty look at him nervously and gave her a reassuring smile, relieved when she smiled back. He tried to catch Therese's eye but she seemed to be avoiding his gaze.

Pyro smiled, as he balanced a ball of fire in his hand. "This is where the fun starts."


Rogue was ushering students across the upper landing towards the concealed opening that would lead them down a long ramp to an exit out in the countryside. One of the younger girls kept glancing anxiously in the direction of the lawn outside. "What are they going to do to us?"

"Let's not find out, Paige, okay?"Rogue suggested. "Just go with the others." She looked around at one of the older boys. "Doug, you and Dani go to the other end. If there's any sign that the Brotherhood are coming, take all the students that are with you and run. Don't worry about the rest of us."

The fair-haired boy nodded in understanding and began leading the other students down the tunnel.

Rogue looked at the other students gathered round and picked out Leech, who didn't seem to be making any effort to join the others. "Jimmy…"

"Are you staying here?"he asked her.

"Until everyone else is through."

"Then I'll stay as long as you do."

Rogue nodded in resignation. "Okay. Keep the others moving." She hefted the sword that Logan had given her. She'd retrieved it from her room during the chaos just in case she needed it. But as she kept an eye on the stairs, she fervently hoped that no-one would come up.


Iceman stood at the centre of the melee that had erupted on the lawn, trying to keep track of the various combatants while continuing to defend himself. Blob came running at him. "Wait till I get my hands on you,"he snarled.

"I'd rather you didn't,"Bobby retorted. He froze the ground in front of Blob. Blob's feet disappeared from under him and he landed on his back with a thud.

Nearby, Juggernaut was running at Colossus. Colossus was in his metal form, ready to meet the charge. It made no difference. Juggernaut charged straight into him, carrying him into the wall behind him and continuing to exert pressure until he felt he'd done enough. He released Colossus, who crumpled to the ground, still in his metal form.

Vertigo focused her power on Siryn, causing her to sink to her knees from the effects of the dizziness. Siryn looked up and activated her own powers as best she could, directing a sonic scream straight at her opponent. Vertigo clutched her ears in pain and collapsed.

Avalanche saw where Siryn was fallen and directed his powers at the base of a nearby tree. He disintegrated the lower part of it, causing the rest of it to fall. It landed on top of Siryn, pinning her to the ground. She didn't move.

Pyro was continuing to hurl fireballs at the group. "Forget this lot,"he snapped. "Avalanche, Scalphunter, see who's inside."

The two Brotherhood members disappeared into the mansion. Bobby looked round desperately to see who was free. "Kitty, stop them!"

Kitty gave a quick wave of acknowledgement before disappearing through the wall of the mansion.


Avalanche and Scalphunter came charging down the mansion corridors. Kitty suddenly appeared in front of them. "That's as far as you go,"she snapped.

Scalphunter levelled his weapon and hurled off a volley of bullets in her direction. She phased and let them pass through her. He looked at Avalanche. "Deal with her,"he told him before heading for the stairs. Kitty turned solid and tried to stop him but he brushed her aside.

Avalanche looked at her dismissively. "If your big power is not touching people, this shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"I've been taking lessons,"she retorted. She lashed out with a kick to his mid section that caused him to stagger back.

Avalanche directed his powers past Kitty at the bottom of a hat stand. The lower part disintegrated and started to topple. Kitty phased and it passed straight through her…and struck Avalanche on the head, knocking him out.

"The bigger they come, the dumber they are,"she sighed.


Rogue felt her heart leap as she saw Scalphunter coming up the stairs. "Go faster,"she snapped at the students before turning to Leech. "Okay, Jimmy, time to do your stuff."

Scalphunter reached the landing, giving a malicious smile as he saw the children gathered there. "I've always loved sitting targets,"he sneered. He levelled the gun, pulled the trigger…and nothing happened, as Leech's powers nullified the modifications his mutant powers had made to it. Scalphunter looked down at the weapon in confusion and Rogue hurled her sword, hitting him in the shoulder. Then, every student on the landing surged forward, rushing him. Despite his being a lot bigger and stronger than any of them, he had no chance against the weight of numbers. He was pushed over the banister and fell to the ground floor below them. He hit the ground and lay there, groaning in pain.


War clapped his hands and the ground around Jubilee exploded. "Explosions, huh?"she asked as she began generating fireworks in her fingers. "I can do that." She hurled the fireworks at him and they exploded around his head, leaving him disorientated.

Pyro was hurling his fireballs when he felt a collision in his back as Angel rammed him, knocking him off his feet. "I'll singe your wings!"he snarled, hurling fireballs upwards.

"You'll have to aim better than that,"Angel retorted as he zipped back and forth in the air, avoiding the balls.

Juggernaut was facing Iceman. "Better start running, ice boy,"he called. "'Cos once I start moving, nothing can stop me."

"I'd better make sure you don't start moving then,"Bobby retorted. He froze the air around Juggernaut, encasing him up to his neck in ice. As Juggernaut struggled to break free, Angel flew in and kicked him repeatedly in the head, leaving him dazed.

Pyro looked around. Avalanche and Scalphunter were staggering out of the mansion and the rest of the Brotherhood were staggering to their feet. "Come on!"he called. "We've done enough damage here. Now there's no-one can stop us when we get to Washington."

Looking around as the Brotherhood withdrew, at the burnt and wrecked lawn, the damage to the building and the fallen forms of Professor X, Colossus and Siryn, Bobby was forced to conclude that Pyro had a point.