A/N: Hello again! Just a quick message to say thank you to everyone who reads – I've noticed a lot of people have added me to favourite stories/authors list which I'm so grateful for! I would however like to mention that the only thing that really keeps me going is you guys who read.. so please leave a review or two. Secondly, I know that in the comics, some of the characters in this chapter don't even attend Academy of Tomorrow… but oh well! My story, my rules ;) Enjoy!
Chapter 10: Date Night Part 2
I could feel the heat from the flames before I could see them. I had almost caught up with Bastion by now, and we tore to the bottom of the hill, giving way to the even steeper descent to the building now almost in ruins. Screams and bangs penetrated my ears as we screeched towards the structure. I could see people – teenagers – running and shouting and throwing themselves from the building, and some older people older too. The worst was the ones younger, and I almost fell over one.
The little girl lay like a broken doll amidst the wreckage of a wooden bench. My heart stopped and I forced myself to a halt. Bending down, I held my breath as I leaned forwards to touch her neck, checking for a pulse. At my touch, she gasped as if coming up for air and began to cry. "Calm down… Calm down… your okay now… whats happened?" I tried to make my voice soothing despite the hysteria of the situation.
"Bad people arrived… they came… there trying to kill us all… they say they hate mutants… but Miss Frost is trying to help… help everyone out.." the girl said between sobs. I looked up to find Bastion standing, fists clenched, green sparks dancing across his knuckles and a dark glare on his face.
"Josh! Josh where are you! Get over here now!" came another voice, a female one. At first it appeared to be coming from a gigantic silver blob, standing a little in front. Then the silver blob began to shrink and twist, finally coming to stop in the figure of a tall girl. She had vibrant red hair cascading down her metallic looking skin. She ran over to where I sat with the girl.
"Who are you?" she asked quickly, her left arm almost turning to liquid before setting in a large hammer shape.
"Were from the Xavier Institute.. we were just up on the hill when we saw… saw this" I explained quickly. Her arm shifted back to normal and she nodded, looking down at the girl.
"What's going on?"
"Anti mutant thugs… they just appeared out of nowhere, they didn't even set off the alarms. There trying to blaze the school, and kill all of us" she said grimly. "Can you contact anyone?" I shook my head and explained about the car and the phones.
"Were here to help. Where's Emma? The headmistress?" Bastion said sharply as a boy, who also had strange looking skin, his own a luminous gold, ran over to the girl, resting his hands on her head. Both boy and girl were bathed in a golden glow, and when he removed his hands the girl's wounds were nothing buy dried blood and scuffed clothes.
"She's inside, trying to get the rest of the students out. If you want to help, you can get in there" the boy said gruffly before lifting the girl up and sprinting towards the surrounding trees.
"Do you have anywhere safe to go?" I asked quickly, standing up.
"We have a safe house underground in the woods… the tunnel connecting from the school was busted in the explosions, so everyone has to get out manually"
"Enough talk Max, lets go" Bastion shouted over his shoulder, already starting towards the crumbling building.
"What about the X-men? Where are they?" the girl said, grabbing my arm with her slightly cold metallic hand. "I told you, we can't contact them. And I'm no telepath."
"That's it! Miss Frost is a telepath… go and help her, maybe she can get them" I simply nodded, eager to catch up with Bastion and not lose him.
We raced towards what looked like the kitchen area, now with a wall missing and flames licking the sides. As we neared, I began to make out plenty of black clothed figures, with gas mask type masks across their faces, each one holding a lethal looking baton or gun. I felt my heart jump into my throat… this wasn't going to be anything like a Danger Room session... this was real.
Gulping, I followed Bastion as he jumped over the flames into the ruined room. At once the black clothed figures turned to us. The ones with guns opened fire, but I was already prepared. A telekinetic shield sprung up in front of Bastion and I, the bullets bouncing off. A new trick I had been working on.
Bastion flew forwards, his fists already swinging, and each connection with a figure resulting in a burst of green sparks and the figure being launched away.
I, however, turned my attention to the gun wielders. Keeping up my shield, I swung my arm to the side, the guns flying from their grip and up and over my head into the grounds. "Mutie freak! Get him!" I heard one muffle through his mask, but I had already sent a burst of telekinetic energy cascading into them, so they slammed against the wall and fell, not moving.
Bastion had just smashed open the jammed door, and grabbed my hand, running into the hall. Despite everything happening around us, his touch gave me butterflies. In the hall we found flames and destruction down one end, and the other way clear. Running straight down the clear exit, we reached a wide reception area. The windows were smashed, the wooden floor caved in at places and the stairs missing one side. Figures slumped on the floor, some surrounded by pools of blood, made my stomach sink.
"Bastion! Wait... we need to help these students" I shouted, bending down again to a boy who didn't look any older than me with a bleeding shoulder. He was conscious, barely. "Max, I know they need help, but right now we need to get rid of all these fuckers that caused this" he shouted back, over another bang.
Ignoring him, I heaved the boy up so he was slumped onto me and began to half walk him half drag him to the front doors. They were now a pile of flaming rubble, but with a wave of my hand they were thrown forwards and down the steps. I could see the boy with the golden skin running amongst the slumped casualties. "Hey… sit here and wait for that boy, he'll help you. I have to go" I said urgently to the boy, resting him against a small garden wall.
I didn't even stop to listen to the thank you, but ran straight back, finding Bastion waiting rather impatiently. The stairs were slowly becoming more and more unstable, with flames racing up one banister, and the other side blown away. Grabbing Bastion's hand again we raced up, ignoring the heat from one side and the rickety steps. As we neared the top more black figures appeared.
Before I had chance to lift a telekinetic finger, Bastion had given each a explosive swipe with a roar of anger and they fell. "Forwards!" I shouted into Bastion's ear, shoving him hard in the back. As we pounded down the hallway, encountering a few more black figures, the sounds of a battle reached our ears over the roaring of the flames, which were now engulfing nearly every room we ran past.
Reaching the end of the hall, it opened up into another staircase and another foyer area. Two people had their backs to us, floating in the air above the now destroyed stairs. One was a girl, and one was a boy, who was engulfed in green energy.
"I bet you don't think you're so smart now huh!" the boy shouted. "Sofia, sort this smoke out, I can hardly breathe" he commanded to the girl. I felt gusts of unnatural wind rush past my ears and converge towards the thick black smoke, which quickly dispersed.
"Come on, we need to help" Bastion said, racing towards what was left of the banister. Below us, stood another large group of black robed figures, plenty of them opening fire with large guns, and plenty of them with laying waste with flamethrowers.
"Get me down there" Bastion shouted to me, motioning the group below. He must have seen the confusion on my face. "Float me down there like you do when you move things! How do you think Jean flies? She's a telekinetic too" he shouted back. I panicked and tried to focus my energy, but next second we were both lifted up, enveloped in a green light.
The boy who had been floating in front of us was floating us down, using his hands to gesture. "I don't know who you are, but you better be here to help" he shouted as we passed him in the air. Next second we were dropped onto the shaking ground.
"Get them!" one of the robed figures shouted. As one, three flamethrowers were raised and a huge torrent of white hot flames erupted towards us. Not before I had thrown up another shield, so that the flames split either side of us. The girl called Sofia was there in a flash, sweeping her arms, so that gusts of winds dispersed the flames as easily as the smoke. She directed the wind back towards the figures, and I watched as it sliced into them, cutting the robes and masks.
Bastion was already among the fray, and I tried to telekinetically cripple the figures before they could aim at him. He might have been a good physical fighter thanks to his abilities, but he wasn't invincible. "Telekinetic too huh? Lets shockwave em'" I heard the boys voice and looked to the side to see him floating beside me, a grim smile on his cut and soot-smudged face.
Nodding, I spread my arms, as did he, and as one we brought our hands together as if to clap. A wave of purple and a wave of green burst forwards, so strong that it stood my hair on end as it threw itself forwards. Sofia was quick to the mark and elegantly floated up, taking Bastion with her. The remaining figures were blown away – literally.
"We need to find Miss Frost!" the boy shouted, finally coming to rest his feet on the floor. "Sofia, we need to get her out" he was tall and of a similar build as Bastion, but he was dark haired and eyed. Sofia was also tall, with a athletic build and big hazel eyes with a matching hazel coloured ponytail that ran down her back.
"I know Julian, just calm down. Thank you…" she pointed the last part of the sentence towards us. "Max, and Bastion" I replied. "Where is Emma?"
"I think she's in the lock vault… that's where she was before all this happened…" Julian replied fiercely, already striding towards the double doors. We followed, all of our powers active. I had no idea whose these people attacking were, but they stirred something in my memory, but through all the madness I couldn't put my finger on it.
We entered yet another foyer area, but found heaps of the figures, bloody and scratched. Julian and Sofia exchanged a darkly satisfied look at that. "I thought the X-men were supposed to help at times like this?" Julian shot to Bastion as we carried on.
"They do, but they can only help if they know" Bastion replied shortly.
"That's why we were coming to find Emma, the metal girl outside told us she could reach them with her telepathy" I said. Julian turned to glare at me.
"Yes, us too… but if Miss Frost is in her diamond form she won't be able to use it at all.. or if she's… knocked out or…" Sofia trailed off, her large eyes beginning to swim with tears.
"Quit it Sofia, this is no time to turn on the tears. We'll find Miss Frost, and we'll get her out, and we'll get to the safe house" Julian spat. I had to bite my own tongue. I could understand that everyone was under stress, but shouting at your own team mates only made things worse. Besides, he was acting like a dick.
Bastion seemed to share my sentiment because he glared at Julian's back, but I squeezed his arm. I was about to lean forward and whisper at him to stay calm, but at that exact moment, the side of the hall we walked exploded in a shower of brick and dust.
We threw ourselves to the floor, and I felt Julian put up his own shield, rubble bouncing off. "FUCK YOUUU!" I heard a incredibly low pitched roar, almost like gravel. As the dust cleared, Bastion helped me up.
A huge hulking figure, seemingly made of what looked like grey rock picked itself up off the floor, and turned to another black dressed figure. A large, shiny looking cannon type machine was rested on the figures shoulder, and a huge blast of yellow energy was gathering in the head of it.
"Rockslide!" Julian cried, floating up into the air and racing to the figures side. Without even flinching, Julian released a blast of green telekinesis, the figure being thrown through the hole the machine created and through another wall.
"Bout time pretty boy!" Rockslide shouted. His tiny eyes took in me and Bastion, but he didn't acknowledge us. "Where's Mercury and Elixir? Laura? Surge?"
"Mercury and Elixir were in the grounds, getting all the students to the safe house" Rockslide replied in a low grumbling tone that matched his appearance. I assumed they were the silver girl and gold boy we had encountered.
"I believe Surge and Laura are trying to clear all of these horrible people out of the building" Sofia said, and I noticed how well spoken she was, even in such a wild situation.
"Nice revendouz, but weren't we on our way to the lock vault?" Bastion piped up. Julian glared for a second before striding forwards, Rockslide falling in line with him. I heard mutters between the two.
We reached the end of the hallway and came up to a colossal metal door, as tall as the wall. Where parts of the brick had been blown away I saw the vault was one huge metallic cube. It appeared to have been undented by the explosions and flames, but the sounds coming from inside sounded extremely violent. "Quickly Julian" Sofia urged as Julian activated his powers. He seemed to be fine, but my own head pounded and rung with the familiar echo of overworking my mind.
"No chance, not even mine and Max's telepathy together would open it" Julian replied somewhat grudgingly. "Rockslide, get in front of me, and brace yourself." Julian strode over to the way we had come, right in the doorway. Rockslide lumbered over and crouched down, wrapping his arms around him and jutting his rocky head out.
Julian floated up a few inches and drew his arms back, and then with a guttural roar thrust his arms forwards. A flash of green burst from his hands and Rockslide flew forward so fast he was almost a blur, stirring a gust that forced me to shield my face. The grey blur across my vision that was Rockslide smashed into the door, and then straight through. Sofia and Julian had already began to climb through the crude Rockslide shaped hole when Bastion grabbed my arm once again and motioned towards the entrance, towards the violence. I had noticed that he seemed so… eager when it came to engaging in a fight of some sort.
The inside of the cube was amass with black figures, most flattened under the large chunk of metal that been bashed in with Rockslide's entrance. What looked like had been a huge computer screen now lay smashed to one side.
I could pick out Emma Frost straight away. She stood, surrounded by black figures, and despite all the mayhem, looked like strangely impressive. Her whole body shone and glimmered, and I saw she really was made out of what looked like complete diamond. She threw punches and kicks that must have hit harder than normal, but even she was beginning to get overwhelmed by the batons and bullets and punches that bounced off her fabulous body.
Rockslide uncurled himself, standing tall and roared as he pounded forwards towards his Headmistress's aid. Two of the figures, carrying those strange cannons stepped forwards, and released two already charged blasts.
As if in slow motion, we watched the yellow orbs cascaded forwards… and literally smashed Rockslide to pieces. In a burst of light, and a crash, chunks of Rockslide's rocky body fell from the air. I felt my mouth drop open in horror, and Sofia screech, but it was Julian that made the most noise. He let loose a gut wrenching, stomach curdling scream of rage. He was in the air, his green halo blazing.
Wave after wave of telekinetic energy burst from his palms, and black figures were tossed and thrown and crunched. His scream carried on, as did the carnage as computer units were ripped off the walls by his mind and thrown towards any remaining figures. "Julian stop!" Sofia screamed, but he wasn't listening, his own rage and grief had completely taken him over now.
Metal panels were being torn from the wall behind me and Bastion, and him pushing us to the floor was all that stopped us from sharing the fate of the black figures. Emma Frost however, had returned to her normal looking self. Almost white blond hair, now dishevelled, ran down her back, and her exposing white outfit was torn and burned in places. Despite that, the look of cold composure on her face was a little awe inspiring.
Her eyes were narrowed in concentration, glaring towards a still raging Julian, ignoring the walls slowly being ripped apart and the flying bodies. Seconds later he fell to the floor, slumped, as if asleep. "Julian… oh god…" Sofia sobbed as she ran to him. Emma's cool gaze turned to take me and Bastion in, as we stood up. She said nothing, but nodded to us.
More voices from outside the lock vault reached our ears, and I saw Sofia tense, and Emma become more alert. But Cyclops, Logan and a tall lady with wild brown hair, a white streak running through her bangs, stepped through. "Scott… I'm glad to see you" Emma called as she strode towards them. She walked and sounded so casual, as if her school weren't under attack.
"Yeah, were here too ya know" the lady said in a heavy southern drawl. "Oh there ya'll are… these our ones aren't they Logan?" she said waving to me and Bastion.
"Sure are kid" Logan replied. "Boy am I glad to see you two in one piece" he said gruffly.
"Logan… what's happened? What's going on?" Bastion said sharply, his arm protectively across my shoulders. "All in good time bub, for now, we need to help Emma and everyone else clear out the scum here, and then the injured" Logan grunted.
"I shan't need any help clearing the scum Logan. I can take care of them quite easily… I mean, at least I can now that I'm able to use my telepathy, and not rely on my diamond form to prevent my neck being broken" Emma said, matter of the factly, also incredibly well spoken, and with a English accent. She raised a hand to her temple and closed her eyes, and I felt as if something rushed over me, almost like a gust of wind but more… thick.
"I've just put any remaining intruders into a sleep. Now, I would appreciate everyone's help. I need to locate my students… and my casualties" finally she showed some kind of emotion. But it wasn't as sincere as I had expected. Just a hesitancy in her sentence.
"And you two can go to the Blackbird and see Hank, you look a little rough around the edges" Cyclops said, in a commanding tone.
"No way, were fine. Besides, we helped so far, we can help now" I said back, just as stern, Bastion voicing his agreement.
"I don't think so Eko. You've both done enough, and you both need rest. You will go to see Hank, and once you've done that, you'll sit down for a few hours"
"How did you even find us?" Bastion asked. I could see Logan throwing a still unconscious Julian over his shoulder at Emma's request.
"When I got back and realised my car was missing, I looked up the tracker that's in every vehicle kept at the mansion" he replied, very coldly. I heard Bastion mutter a fuck under his breath that I almost very well repeated. We had completely forgotten about Professor Summer's car.
"You can explain later. Perhaps it was a good thing you were here… just not in my car" Cyclops muttered as he began to stride after Emma, who was exiting the vault.