Chapter 11: Promise of a Far-Off Day

Just who am I, really? It would seem that the answers to my past are even stranger than I thought. Last night, I helped the X-Men enter Trask's Sentinel Production Facility located on the Northern part of town. After sneaking through the air vents and beating a few of Trask's soldiers, we made our way to his Laboratory. However, we fell right into a trap set up by the H.Y.D.R.A. elite and had to face his new Sentinel. The battle was a long and arduous one. In the end, we were able to destroy the mutant-seeking automaton. And thanks to the virus I uploaded as I was hacking Trask's data, the base was blown to bits.

After a meeting with Professor X, I analyzed the data that I retrieved from Trask's terminal. I came across a file of Dr. Vincent H. Jericho, the man who the Shadow King mentioned. It turns out that I was a creation, a being born from genetic splicing. But why… Why was I created? I must learn the truth. And I will… by any means necessary…

"Darkstrike!" a young woman's voice called out to me. "We got to leave!"

When I opened my eyes, I found myself running in a long hall of some type of building. On the left side, I could see the black sky glistening with stars. When I looked slightly downwind, I was at disbelief. Right below me was the planet Earth, its blue glow shinning in my face. "Where am I?" I thought to myself. But before I could continue pondering, I felt my hand being pulled away.

"Darkstrike!" That voice again. The same voice that first called me. Somehow, it sounded familiar; nostalgic, even. But why? I turned to the owner of the plea. It was a girl around her late teens. She had black hair and a blue skirt under her red jacket. "We can't stay here! We must go!"

I wanted to ask her what was going on and who she was. However, she took my hand and dragged me away from the spot where I stood. It was at that moment that the sounds of gun fire. I looked back and saw that we were being pursued by soldiers. However, they didn't appear to be H.Y.D.R.A. They looked like they belonged to some other group. I wanted to defeat these scum, but something told me to protect this girl. Following instinct, I was now in the lead and quickly rushed through the hall, the girl still in hand. We breathed heavily as we raced away from the enemies, a look of fear in the young woman's green eyes.

We arrived at a small room which housed two tubes in the center. The girl pushed me in one of the units and shut the door. I pressed against it, wondering what was going on. It wasn't long until the soldiers appeared in the room. The young girl stared at the grunts, helpless and in fear. One of them pulled out a small handgun, pointing it right at the young woman. My eyes were wide opened as I couldn't believe what I was about to witness. I pounded on the glass with all my might, but to no avail The teenager stared at me, her green eyes covered in tears. "Nnnooooooooo!" I shouted. But my yell was useless as the next shot I heard was a loud bang. It was then that I whited out…

I woke up with a jolt and a hand covered in dark aura. When I realized that I was back in my room, I relaxed a bit and covered my face. The sunlight was cutting through the glass windows. "What was that?" I thought to myself. "Was that another dream? Or a repressed memory? It felt so real. And that girl… Who was she? And what was I doing in outer space?" I looked at the clock sitting on my dresser, which read nine thirty. "Slept late again. Oh well." It's not that it has never happened. On Saturdays, I usually wake up at this time. "I could worry about that dream later. Right now, I guess I should get some breakfast."

After I changed my clothes, I went downstairs and fixed myself something to eat (which was a bowl of cereal). I wasn't the only one at the table at this time either. Ray, Kitty, and Scott were also at the location. While us males were starting our day at a leisurely pace, Kitty appeared to be in a rush. "Uh, hey, Kitty," Scott began. "What's going on?"

Before the brunette could answer, she chugged down a glass of orange juice. Ray and I both took notice of this and also began wondering the cause of this strange behavior. "Sorry, Scott," she said. "I really have to get ready. What time is it?"

"Around ten," Ray said.

"Oh, god!"

"Slow down, woman!" I replied with some concern. "Keep that up and you might get a heart attack."

"I have a date with Lance in a few minutes."

"Rictor?"

"Avalanche," Scott corrected.

"Still has to do with seismic activity. Close enough."

"Anyway, I really have to go," Kitty said. "See you guys later." She ran out of the dining room and went upstairs, narrowly missing Logan as he strolled over with an apple in his claws.

"What's with small fry?" he asked.

"The life of a teenage girl is perplexing," I said. After eating my food, I left the room and went to the back of the mansion. Ah, the smell of fresh air and the warm heat of the sun. Yet, I could care less about the sun, though. I walked around the yard aimlessly. As I did, I saw a few other students playing with one another with the use of their powers.

"Hey, Tical!" a young voice called followed by a couple of barks. I turned around and saw Jamie and four of his dupes running towards me. Accompanying him was Rahne in her canine form. "So tell us what happened yesterday!" Jamie said.

Rahne reverted to her human form and said, "Yeah, c'mon! Bobby says that he was the one that destroyed the Sentinel single handedly!"

"Is it true?" one of Jamie's dupes asked.

I smirked. I knew Frostbite would say something like that. "How predictable," I said. I yawned before turning my attention toward the New Recruits. "Sure, I guess I can share with you the details of last night's mission." Jamie gathered himself together and the three of us sat down on the soft green grass. I told them everything that happened last night. From the fight against the soldiers in the garage, to the battle that raged on the bottom floor with the Sentinel. I told them how Bobby was the first to be knocked unconscious, leaving Ray and I to deal with the robot just before the virus I uploaded in the computer caused the explosion.

The younger students were amazed at my story. After I was finished, the two starred at me in awe and disbelief. "That was amazing!" said Rahne.

"I told you Bobby was making all that stuff up," Jamie said.

"Yeah right! You believed every single word of it."

"Well, I'm off," I said as I rose from the ground. "Have some stuff to do."

"Like what?" Rahne asked.

"Oh… it's business of a personal matter. Later." I left the scene casually. It was true that what I had in mind was of business and personal gain. However, it was something I have never done before. Something that is entirely new to me. It was to ask Rogue out (I'm sure you guys knew this was going to happen). I looked around me to see if she was also in the backyard. However, she was not in the vicinity. "She must be in her room," I thought. "Hope she's not asleep." I went inside the mansion and walked upstairs. I walked in the hall, wondering where her room was. "The last time I checked, she bunked with Kitty…" By the time I was near my room, I heard a door open. I turned around and saw the said girl hurrying out her room two door back. "Hey, Kitty!" I replied. "Is Rogue up?"

"Rogue?" she asked while jogging in place. "Oh yeah, she's awake. Hey, how do I look."

At the moment, Kitty had the usual ponytail held by a long hair pin. However, she had on a brown tank top and a green skirt. "If she were in the forest, she'd blend in perfectly with her environment." However, I knew she was in a hurry. And I had my own matters to attend. "You look… stunning. I have a feeling you'll do well."

"Thanks, Tical," Kitty replied.

As she walked down the stairs and out the door, I then thought, "Just don't do anything without the proper equipment." I left the scene and tapped on Rogue's bedroom door. "Rogue, may I enter?"

"Come in," the southern girl said on the other side. I opened the door and closed it behind me. As I came in, Rogue laid on her bed reading a book. "So, what is it?"

"How do I say this… You know, uh…" I was nervous as I spoke. My heart was pounding at rapid beats. My mind was racing. This is the first time in a long while that I felt such anxiety. "Stay calm, Tical," I thought to myself. "One step at a time." I let out a breath and relaxed myself. Though she was still facing the book, Rogue's eyes were fixed on me, in both bewilderment and indifference. "Listen, I was wondering if you had plans for today."

Rogue closed her book and laid it on the chest next to her bed. "Why do ya wanna know?" she said with interest.

"Well… I thought that if you were free today, maybe we could do some activities… around town…"

"Are ya trying to ask me out?"

"N-no! I mean, yes! I mean… perhaps?" I was stumbling over how and what to say. Rogue gave me a look of confusion. I sighed in defeat and said, "I apologize for interrupting your reading. I will be going now."

I turned around and was about to leave the room until I heard Rogue say, "Just a minute, Tical." I faced the southern girl and rested my hands in my pockets. "I'm not really someone that thinks about dating as much as anyone else…"

"I know what you mean."

"But ah don't see why not. Beats staying here all day."

"Sounds good to me. Meet you downstairs in ten."

"Alright." I left the room with a smile on my face. "Mission accomplished," I thought to myself. "Well, time to get ready." I left the area and went to the bathroom to get ready. All I did was get my face washed and brush my teeth. When I was finished, I went to my room and strapped on my katana (I'm sure there are a few of you still wondering why I carry this. Well, at the moment, there are two reasons: rogue mutants who could be associated with Magneto and a possible invasion by a secret organization. But enough of that, let's go back to the story). For a few minutes, I waited for Rogue. When she came down, she was wearing dark colored pants ripped at the knee and a short sweater over a black sleeveless top (or a sports bra, but it's not like I'm pondering about it or anything). "I see you're ready to leave," I said as she walked down the stairs.

"Ah guess so," Rogue said. "Where are we going?"

"How about the coffee shop in the middle of the city. If that is alright with you, of course."

"Why not?" We went out the front door of the mansion and hiked down the hill. We took a taxi to coffee shop.

After a fifteen minute drive, we stopped a block away from the shop. When we entered, we took our seats on the stools. It wasn't long until we were greeted one of the waitresses. "Welcome," she said. "Can I get you two something?"

"A regular cup of Joe for me, decaff," said Rogue.

"French Vanilla," I said. "And please, make sure it's decaffeinated."

"Coming right up." The waitress left the scene and began making our drinks.

"I'm not sure you know this, but this was where I first saw you," I said to Rogue. "The first day I came to this city."

"Yeah, ah know," she said halfheartedly. "Ya looked interested in what we were talking about."

"Indeed I was. Especially when I heard you talk about your 'extra' abilities. However that wasn't the only thing that caught my interest."

"Really? And what was that?"

"I sensed something from you. Something unique."

Rogue turned away slightly with her cheeks reddened and a small smile. "Ya know just the right words to say, don't ya?"

I smirked before saying, "I am not making this up. What I am saying are words of truth."

In a few seconds, the waitress returned with our drinks and set them on the counter. We drank our beverages from the styrofoam cups. After we were finished, I paid a seven dollar tip and we left the establishment. "So Tical, what did ya do before ya came here?" Rogue asked as we walked down the street.

I smirked. "You see, I lived as a nomad. I traveled from place to place, taking up residence for about a week or month before leaving to another area."

"Sounds exciting. But did ya ever have a place ya called home?"

"Well, I did live with my master in New York City when I was about eight years old, which wasn't long after I lost my memories. I took up residence there for about two years before leaving. After a few months on my own, I lived in a Chinese temple in the Wudang Mountains under the tutelage of another master for a couple years."

"So what were they like?"

"The first was the man who taught me everything about armed combat, like kenjutsu, and stealth. But let's just say he had… issues that needed to be resolved. The other was a man who had was strict, yet wise. He taught me everything about secretive Shaolin styles. They're two of the few meatbags I'm actually fond of."

"Honestly, I'm having a hard time believing that story."

"I thought as much." I brushed some lint from my shoulder and decided to change the subject. "Well, we still have time. What do you want to do next?"

"I don't know. Maybe that new movie everyone is talking about. The one with the ninja defeating demons in the future."

"You mean 'The Silent Shadow'? Alright." We walked a couple blocks to the theater. The tickets cost twenty bucks each (yeah, I know. Still can't believe they charge this much for strips of paper). After getting a large box of popcorn, we watched the movie. I admit, it was an entertaining film, though there were a few scenes that were ludicrous (like where the ninja seemingly kills all of the people in the entire factory armed only with a wakazashi, a large shuriken, and a bag of stars. That's Hollywood for ya). In two and a half hours, the film was over and we left the establishment, walking down a street that was getting less and less crowded than usual. "So, how was the movie?" I asked.

"It was alright, ah guess. Not the best movie, but not the worst, either."

"Indeed." I looked up at a nearby watch of a person who laid against the wall. The time was at least two thirty. "Time has certainly ran quickly."

"Let's go to the park." I turned to Rogue.

"You're not going anywhere, mutteys," a voice said ahead of us. We looked forward where the source came from and saw that we were blocked by three familiar faces. They were the meatbags from the first day I came to Bayville (you know, the same ones that attacked Rogue and Kurt in the alley). "Lookie here, boys," said the leader with the moehawk. "It's the gothic and her boy toy, the black samurai," he quipped.

"Not you three asses," Rogue said.

"What do you meatbags want this time?" I asked. "Our 'goods' as you so eloquently put it?"

The three punks chuckled. "Naw, it ain't that, kid," said the one with spikes. "We want something else."

"We want the bitch," said the fat character.

"What did ya call me, fat ass?" Rogue hissed.

"You heard."

"Why the hell do you want Rogue for, meatbags?" I asked coldly, pulling her behind me in case they try something.

"We don't have to tell you a thing, muttey," said the moehawked leader. "Just hand her over, and we won't hurt you."

"Too badly, anyway," said the spike haired kid.

"Sorry, Harry, Curly, and Moe," Rogue replied. "But ah I ain't going anywhere with you idiots."

"Ho, ho!" exclaimed the large bodied young man. "It looks like this chick thinks her boyfriend will protect her."

"And I will," I said. "I will not let you put your despicable hands on Rogue. And besides, it was apparent last time that you were no match against me."

"I admit, you had us before," said the leader. "But here's the thing: this time we're prepared."

"What's your point?"

"We brought some reinforcements," said the spike haired enemy. "Come on out, boys!"

We looked around us and saw a large number of people emerging from various places. A few were coming from around corners and another couple or so people began climbing down apartment ladders. There were even a few jumping out of large garbage bins (you know, the ones on wheels with two lids on it). In the end, we were surrounded by over or so people. "Say hello to our little friends," said the young man with the moehawk halfheartedly.

"I think I'd rather say good bye." I pulled out my katana and held it tightly in front. "You think you can handle this?" I asked Rogue.

"And let ya have all da fun?" she asked wryly. "Not a chance." We looked at one another from the corner of our eyes and smirked.

"Oh, how cute," said the large bodied thug in a snide tone. "It would be a shame to break 'em up. Oh well."

With that remark, the gang began to attack. A thug armed with a baseball bat charged at me, holding the equipment high above his head. When he struck down, I quickly dodged to the side and delivered a knee to his chin. The enemy went down just as two more approached, with balled fists. I ducked under the attacks before leaping on their shoulders and jumping off (causing them to loose their balance and crash into the wall). Before I could react to any other opponent, my sword was yanked out of my hands. I turned and saw the person responsible. It was a tall, masculine man armed a long rope of chain. He hurled my katana a few feet behind him, where its blade was imbedded in the concrete. The enemy spun his rope of chain over his head a couple of times. Gathering around me there were at least five people gathered around me. "I see what you're getting at," I said. "No sword, no trouble. Let us test that theory." The enemies rushed toward me, roaring as loud as they could. By the time the first foe was in range, I leapt over his kick and gave him one of my own square in the face. Another enemy, this time armed with a knife, began to slash at me. I dodged as he stabbed and swiped with his short blade. When the enemy swung his knife near my head, I caught his wrist. The cutting tool was only inches away from my face. I squeezed the wrist until the knife dropped from his hand as he yelled and screamed in pain. I then pulled him toward me and ran my knee in his gut. The blow was strong and knocked the wind right out of him. When the third foe appeared, I tossed the defeated opponent to the side and focused on the new threat. The man began to punch and kick. Though there was some force behind his moves, they were not accurate, which allowed me to easily evade them. After evading one of his kicks, I delivered a spinning foot straight in his chest. Afterwards, I landed a barrage of barrage in the same area. After a strong sweep kick, the foe was down and out. I turned to the other two combatants who seemingly had second thoughts. I gave a signal for them to make their moves, but instead they fled. "Cowards," I hissed. However, that was before I narrowly dodged the chain of the other enemy. He retracted his chain and began twirling it beside him. As it hit the ground, sparks were created. In about a few seconds, he hurled his chain at my face, I bent back from the attack just before it made impact. It wasn't long after that he pulled back his weapon and spun in at me once more. Now I had to worry about getting hit in the face and getting crippled in the leg.

Luckily, I was cut a break as one of the minions flew to our location and crashed with the enemy. After the head-on collision, Rogue appeared right behind me. "So, how many did ya take out?"

"I counted eight. What about you?"

"Eight or nine, ah guess." Our conversation was cut short as the remaining enemies circled around us. "Looks like we'll have to talk later." With my umbrakinesis, I pulled my katana out of the concrete and returned it to my hands.

"What the hell was that?" the leader asked in astonishment. "The fucking force or something?"

"Who needs bacteria or simple telekinesis when you have the power of the shadows?" Rogue and I continued fighting. The sounds of swords strikes, punches and kicks rang through the streets. The foes were falling one by one. Rogue and I were feeling the effects of fatigue. After taking down the lesser opponents, we turned our focus to the enemy with the chain. He hurled his weapon at Rogue. Just before the linked metal connected with the southern goth, I intersected the trail and had my sword wrapped by his chain. While the two of us were in a tug of war, I turned to Rogue and gave her the signal to get in close. She ran toward the opponent, pulling off her glove as she headed toward the opponent. The large man continued pulling on his chain, with it, me. During this ordeal, I began to wonder how my sword could withstand such tension (I know that its blade is adamantium and all, but even titanium can be deformed if you apply enough force to it. Luckily, Rogue was able to grab a hold of the man's back. With her gloveless hand, she placed it on his face, sapping his energy. Now the foe was trying to shake Rogue off him, and keep a hold of his chain. However, his grip was loosening on his weapon. I pulled my sword hard enough for the link of metal to fly out of his hands entirely. Now he was completely at the mercy of Rogue. After a few minutes, the foe was on his knees. After Rogue got off the giant, the man laid on the ground unconscious.

We glared at the three fools as they stared with awe and fear. "H-Hey," said the fat one. "C-Can't we just t-talk about this?"

As soon as he said that, my left hand was covered in a dark aura. "Shall we, Rogue?"

"Let's," she said.

The three were now quivering. The leader quickly pulled out a walkie talkie from behind him and shouted, "Hello, damn it! A little help here!"

As we approached the three stooges, we were oblivious of a small glowing object floating to the ground. However, I heard a strange sound coming from behind us. I turned to the item which looked like any ordinary card. However, when I saw it bright up like that, I knew something was wrong. It was that moment I grabbed Rogue and hurried to a safe distance. However, before we could move far enough away, we were caught in a small explosion. It wasn't long after that blast that another blast occurred. We were coughing due to the dust that covered the whole area, as well as blinding us. I tried to find Rogue, but it was futile. I saw a couple of shadows near where I stood. I had a feeling that one of them was Rogue. When I got to where I last saw them, there was nothing. When the smoke finally receded, the three enemies were had disappeared. But they weren't the only ones. Rogue, too, vanished from the area. The only people here were the weak and unconscious. "Rogue," I called. "Hey, Rogue!" No response. "Damn it. They got her and it's all my fault. How could this happen?" I was now feeling anger, both at myself, and the event that occurred. As I took a few steps, I stopped when I noticed I stepped on something. I moved my foot and picked up the object. It was a card. An ace of spades, as a matter of fact. "What would a card be doing here?" I asked. I placed the card in my pocket, thinking that it could be some kind of clue. I then grabbed one of the fallen opponents by his collar and shook him roughly. "Wake up, meatbag." I said. The unconscious male groaned as he came to. I began slapping the side of his face a couple of times until he woke up.

"What the hell do you want, mutant bastard?" he said.

"Tell me where Rogue is."

"You want your girlfriend back? I don't have to tell you a thing." The young man began to chuckle. "What are you gonna do? Burn me, or something?"

I don't know why, but something in me snapped. I dragged the still fatigued juvenile and pinned him against the shadow covered wall. I pressed "Listen, I'm not a big fan of you meatbags," I said. "In fact, I'm a few seconds away from painting the roses, the wall, and everything else I could find red with your blood. So tell me where Rogue is."

"Y-You don't s-scare me, m-muttey," he said.

I rose my sword and placed the edge a few inches away from his face. "You see this? Do ya? This is a katana. A weapon developed by the Japanese as a perfect killing machine. With one slash of this sword, I could slice your head, along with your pea-sized brain, clean off of your neck. Or, I could run this sword straight through your skull."

"Y-You wouldn't."

"Oh, it's been a while since I last killed a meatbag. Either tell me what I want to know, or your head will be on a silver platter, as they say." In my blind rage, I noticed how the shadow on the wall was beginning to act unstable. And so did my client. "Or better yet, why don't I feed you to the shadows. Your choice, meatbag."

The client looked at me, and then at the weapon. Then he looked at the darkness as it was slowly engulfing him. Sweat poured down his nervous face. His face was shrouded in dread. The shadows were beginning to grow in size and I was beginning to loose my patience. Just before I wanted to attack, the meatbag quickly started talking. "Alright! I'll tell you everything! The girl's at our hideout at the abandoned factory a few blocks from here. The quickest way is through there." I glanced at the alley behind it. The passage was a dark one, and seemed to cut between a few small businesses and houses. "Just let me go, man!"

"This fool isn't worth my time," I thought. "But when I get my hands on his little friends, there will be some hell to pay." "You're free to go, meatbag." I shoved the fool hard enough for him to fall to the ground. "But if the information you gave me was false, or if this is another part of your plan, I'll hunt you down and dismember you limb by limb." Without hesitation, he lifted himself up and dashed out of the area. "Don't worry, Rogue. I'll get you back. I swear it." I sheathed my sword and ran through the pathway, hoping to find the gang's hideout and rescue Rogue.