Chapter 9
Talon broke open the key box and plucked out the X-Van key. Trying to put the past few moments together he recalled it was when, upon hearing someone running in the hall, he had looked away momentarily from Mystique. She had nearly turned the tables! Her blow had glanced off his helmet and raked the base of his neck with claws that seemed to have instantly grown that very moment. He had staggered backwards and Mystique had followed hard. But he caught his balance, and struck sideways like a hammer with his left fist, torquing at the waist to add bodyweight to his blow. It had impacted just below her right ear and sent her out the window. Then there was the hallway, the stairs and... then Evan. Talon glanced down and found two spikes still stuck in his armor. He pulled them free and rubbed the sore spot they left. Score one more for body armor, he concluded and tossed the spikes into a dark corner.
His watch said 9:45pm when he kicked open the side door of the carport and got the key. He spotted his backpack inside as he climbed up onto the roof of the X-van to feel for the roll-door motor. Drawing a heavy survival knife from the small of his back, Talon pried the roll door chain off the motor cog. This disconnected the carport door from the locking mechanism. He then climbed down and opened the rollup door manually, bypassing the mansion controls and alarms-- at least that's what he hoped. He was heading back to the X-van when the roll-door already started falling. Spinning on his heel, he caught the door before it crashed down, and forced it back up. But it refused to stay in place. In desperation Talon stabbed his heavy knife into the door track to jam it open, while he pulled the X-van out of the carport. He jumped out to retrieve his knife-- and froze.
There was Rogue, she had pulled out his knife and was letting the door down gently. She then turned towards him, still holding his weapon. "Forget something?" she drawled, eyeing Talon for a moment. "Nice rig," she flipped the knife over and offered it to him handle first. "This is different from the sword you had earlier," she commented as she held it out toward him.
"What do you want?" He asked, not moving to retrieve the offered weapon.
"Strange how a skilled fighter could move through a dozen people, sword in hand, and not score a single cut," she replied, " unless he was a friend and concerned with their well being."
"I don't have time to explain!" Talon retorted.
"Logan says you wouldn't do anything without a reason," she persisted, "so what's really happening?"
Talon took a breath, then paused. He reached out and gently took the weapon from her hand. "Look, I can explain on the way but we have to go now." He slid the knife back into its sheath.
"Alright," Rogue opened the passenger door, brushed fries off the seat and got in. "But you have to promise me, you'll keep it between the lines."
Talon smiled slowly. It wasn't everyday you made a friend. "I promise," he said, then got in and shifted the X-van into drive.
"So what's the plan?" Rogue asked, bucking her seat belt.
"I'm going to..." Talons voice trailed off as he glanced toward the mansion.
Rogue was pressed into her seat as Talon eased his foot down on the accelerator.
"Look out!" Rogue yelled.
Talon's eyes snapped back to the road where Kitty was framed in the headlights.
He stomped on the brakes, too late! A sick feeling landed in Talon's stomach as the X-van ground to a stop over Kitty. No bump? Talon thought, as he unbuckled his seat belt and opened his door in one motion.
"What? Is he kidnapping you too?" Kitty's voice demanded from the back seat. Talon's head snapped towards the voice with in-human speed. A translusent Kitty, from the waist up, stood in the backseat of the X-van. Her "round-house" glanced off Talon's transparent visor. "Ouch!" Kitty cried clutching her hand.
"Just get in!" Rogue snapped.
"Fine, you know you don't have to, like, yell, you know." Kitty grumbled, shaking her hand. She place her "good" hand on the seat and pulled the rest of herself through the floor of the X-Van.
Talon stared in amazement, "I will never get used to that!" he said, shutting his door and putting a heavy foot on the accelerator. The Xavier gate came into the headlights.
With a poof, Kurt was in the back seat next to Kitty, he reached for Talon's shoulder,
"Game over!" Kurt called in triumph, and instinctively, Talon's fist struck out, hitting him between the eyes.
The blow drove Kurt into the back seat where he bounced and flopped over onto Kitty's shoulder. She was furious, "How could you--"
Talon cut her off. "Sorry girl," he said, but he was talking to the X-van as he floored the accelerator.
"Kitty, the gate!" Rogue called, "get us through."
"On it!" Kitty confirmed, as she put a hand on Rogue's and Talon's seat.
The gates flashed through the X-van and Kitty flopped back in her seat.
"Wow!" Talon said in amazment.
"So, is like, someone going to tell me, what's going on?" Kitty asked, out of breath.
"How's Kurt?" Talon asked.
"Like how should I know?" Kitty shot back. "You're the one who hit him! Stop changing the subject!"
Kurt's head banged against the door as the X-van leaned around a sharp corner.
"Well, could you at least belt him in before he gets hurt-- more?" Talon asked.
The click of Kurt's seatbelt signaled the end of the girls' struggle.
"Is he like, going to be ok?" Kitty asked.
Talon glanced over his shoulder at the bump forming on Kurt's head; a perfect reciprocal print of the scales on his glove. "Yes, but he's certianly going to feel that when he wakes up."
"Did you like, have to hit him so hard?" Kitty shot back.
Talon shrugged helplessly, "He scared me--"
"That's no excuse!"
Talon cringed under Kitty's relentless barrage that lasted for several miles. Why had he let them all come along in the first place?
Kurt moaned.
"How you feeling Kurt?" Talon asked.
"Like my head is a bowling ball." Kurt opened his eyes and looked at Kitty, "Did we stop Talon?"
"Ummm..." Kitty glanced at Rogue, who glanced back at Kurt and then over at Talon.
Kurt followed her gaze.
"Hi Kurt," Talon said, glancing in the rearview mirror. "Sorry I hit you so hard."
