Chapter 9: First Class, Part 4
"Didn't expect to see you here after what happened in Maine." Cyclops muttered.
"Shared sentiment."
Cyclops moved quickly as he threw a punch that sent Pyro flying backwards.
"Bloody-" Pyro began after landing against a desk.
He looked up and saw Rogue staring at him.
"Judas!" he shouted as he got back on his feet.
Before Rogue could react, a blast of flame hit her and Pyro escaped into the facility with Neil.
"Who are those guys?" the latter asked.
"You don't know? You honestly don't know?"
"No."
"Let me use as few words as possible: they're the X-Men."
At that moment, a filing cabinet went flying at the two.
"Oh bugger- Jean Grey's here!"
As if on cue, a redhead emerged from the shadows, two more filing cabinets hovering above her.
"Shoot, you moron!" Pyro yelled at Neil.
Neil drew his pistol and took a few potshots at Jean. The filing cabinets crashed to the floor with an audible thud.
"Smooth sailing from here on out?"
"You are mistaken." a Cajun-accented voice replied.
Gambit threw himself at the two, while Storm approached from the other end of the hallway.
"Power of lightning, strike them down!" she announced.
As if on cue, a bolt of lightning landed right between the two. Before they could react, something shaped like a crowbar soared through the air, glowing a dull pink.
"Oh-"
The crowbar exploded in midair, sending Neil and Pyro toppling backwards through a newly-formed hole in the wall and into another office section.
"Can this day get any worse?"
As if on cue, Kitty Pryde emerged from the wall.
"It just got worse."
A blast of light and color rose from one of the cubicles.
"Another one?"
Neil drew his gun again and took a shot at the cubicle. Unfortunately, the shot ricocheted off the wall and hit a gas pipe in the ceiling.
"Oh-"
Pyro fired a blast of flame at the source of the blast, and the office erupted into an inferno.
"HELP ME! IT BURNS! IT BURNS! OH THE PAIN!" Neil yelped as the flames engulfed his body.
After a good 90 seconds, the sprinkler system kicked in and extinguished the conflagration.
"Oops." Pyro muttered.
Meanwhile, Mystique and Lady Deathstrike were making their way out of the facility with the OZ sample when a familiar form emerged from the shadows.
"There you are, Wolverine." Mystique snarked
Wolverine extended his claws at the two, with Lady Deathstrike doing the same.
"What's the deal with the canister?" Wolverine snarled.
Lady Deathstrike charged at her counterpart and began slashing at him. Wolverine's response was to extend his claws and slash away at her arm, exposing the cybernetics beneath the skin. While this was going on, Mystique slipped off to the APC with the OZ sample.
"Pyro, report."
"I'm fine, but Neil's badly burnt from a gas explosion."
"Bring him back to the vehicle."
Five minutes later, Pyro emerged from the facility with Neil slung over his shoulder.
"We'll perform surgery once we get onboard."
"Onboard what?"
Just then, Lady Deathstrike returned.
"How'd it go with Logan?" Mystique asked.
"He may be from Weapon X, but I got him with a good-old fashioned boot to the bollocks."
The APC's motor started, and the Brotherhood escaped. Outside the building, the X-Men assembled and noticed Wolverine.
"You guys are going to have a lot of explaining to do." the latter mumbled.
SOME TIME LATER:
Onboard the Brotherhood's submarine, Mystique and Lady Deathstrike were performing surgery on Neil.
"There is not much left that is salvageable." the former muttered.
Lady Deathstrike pointed to a pile of cybernetic implants.
"I say we replace what cannot be salvaged."
Mystique sighed as she began to put the implants into Neil's body, bit by bit.
"Domo arigato, Mister Roboto." she muttered as she performed the operation.
