SHADOWCAT REBORN 11

Kitty found herself bound and blindfolded. She couldn't tell where exactly she was, but her best guess was that she was within the Neo compound still. The surface beneath her felt soft and the faint fragrance of flowers indicated she was most likely in her bedroom. She couldn't believe that Seth had zapped her. She had freely stated that she wasn't leaving. The bindings were tight, inhibiting her phasing ability. She could barely breath, the bonds were so tight. Her mind began flashing images again. This scenario seemed familiar, only long ago in a less comfortable situation. The air had been stale and the ground was hard. She had felt weightlessness, as if they were not on Earth. She had gone to meet Seth, they had a date. His eyes, his kiss, the sensation of every nerve ending being on fire. He had done this to her before. An earring, hidden within her mouth, cutting through the bindings, freeing herself. She was in a space station of some sort, searching for her friends, warning them of bombs. It had to be the space station that Seth had talked about, her friends were the X-Men that Remy had mentioned. Well she didn't have an earring hidden in her mouth so this time she would have to improvise. Testing to see if she could roll, she used all her strength to move. The bindings were too tight, she was helpless. She wanted to cry but pulled herself together and tried to relax.

Another vision popped forth; Seth was in a Neo suit, preparing to leave them to die on the station. He spoke of Kitty living on in his heart, a farewell to someone who was about to die. He left them in space to die, when he could have easily saved them all. Her friends were brave, their spirits strong as Kitty helped them escape. She stayed behind in order for them to live. She was willing to sacrifice her life for them. She tried to concentrate carefully on where the bindings seemed tightest, willing her body to relax. She had found a matching Neo suit intended for her, Seth had planned on taking her with him. Her concern for her friends had been more important to her and he couldn't handle the fact. It was happening all over again, only this time she saved her friends but came back to him. He didn't see it any different then the last time. He wanted her to only think of him, of the Neo. She could never be with someone who thought so little of others, especially those who were different. Her body began to lengthen, the bindings loosening slowly. Someone was cutting the wires. A small hand reached up and removed the mask covering her eyes.

"Munda!" Kitty exclaimed as her eyes focused on the little girl.

"Hello Miss Kitty. Are you okay?"

"I am now! Thank you!"

"Your friends were taken to the lab. They put something in their necks."

"Oh god... The chips! Munda you must hide, if they find out you helped me they will be very mad."

"It's okay Miss Kitty, they never think of me. I am invisible to them."

"How could such a beautiful little girl be invisible?" Kitty placed her free hands around the little girl in an embrace.

"Hurry, I hear someone coming!" Munda scurried off, disappearing into a corner of the room.

Kitty pulled the rest of the bindings off her body and phased herself through the floor. The room below hers was filled with supplies and gave her a direct view of the main hall facing the corridor to the holding cells. She passed through the nearest wall, trying to circle around toward the temporary lab. She could hear men cheering in the dining hall and chose to sneak a peek. Logan and Victor were once more in the fighting ring but this time their movements looked stiff and slow. She spotted Goth and Ransome Sole clumsily typing on computers.

'They are using my chips to control their movements. I have to hack into my system and change the commands.'

She left the dining hall and slipped into the lab. Most of her equipment was still there and her main laptop hadn't been moved. Logging into the control system she began to recode her chips. Richard had installed a voice recognition program, most likely for military use so the leaders could instruct them while in battle. She recorded her voice and sync'd all of the chips. If they tried implanting more, she would be the only one capable of controlling them. Once the system updated, running on vocal cues alone, she destroyed all of the equipment and remaining chips. She wasn't about to allow them to enslave anyone else. She could hear booing from the dining hall. The arguing that continued brought Richard and Domina to the lab. Kitty pulled herself into the wall, hoping she could hold her breath long enough to hear the whole conversation.

"The equipment! It's been damaged!"

"Who would have done that?" Seth asked as he entered the room.

"Everyone was in the dining hall. Unless Kitty got loose?" Domina suggested.

"How? I bound her tight, it should have prevented her from using her powers."

"She got out of it once before." Domina reminded Seth.

"I'll go check her room. Richard, get the system back up and running." Seth left in a jog with two others following.

"Can you salvage anything?" Domina seemed annoyed.

"I might be able to save the motherboard but not the chips. They are completely useless. I'll have to make more."

"How long will that take?"

"A couple days? I'm not really sure. Kitty did most of the programming on these things, I just designed the technology."

"I'm sure you can do better then that." Domina looked down at Richard who had sat to inspect the damage.

"I'll do my best."

Domina left the lab, gesturing for the others to leave. Once Kitty knew Richard was alone she walked out of the wall and solidified.

"Coward."

Richard jumped in his chair at her voice.

"Katerina! What are you doing? This technology was the only reason they didn't kill me."

"And thanks to me you now have a few more days to prolong your life."

"They are not happy about the fact you helped Rosie and that guy escape."

"Their lives were in danger. I'd do it again if I had to."

"What did you do to the system? Why did it stop recognizing the controllers?"

"I overrode my own system and used your voice recognition program. So they now only respond to my voice."

"Guaranteeing your own future. I knew you were brilliant but never knew you were cunning as well."

"They are my friends Richard, I won't let anyone use them as slaves. You on the other hand seem more concerned about yourself then anything else." Kitty's eyes burned holes into Richard's conscious.

"I care about you Katerina and I curse the day they discovered who you were. I was trying to keep you safe."

"You are such a liar! You see me as a possession that you own. You don't want to save me, you just don't want anyone else to have me! Seth is the exact same way! Is that all you Neo know how to behave? I'm a person with feelings, with wants and desires! I have a voice of my own and a mind that thinks for itself! I want to explore the world! I want to know more about myself! I lost nineteen years of my life!" Kitty slammed her fists down on the desk that Richard was working on. "And my name is Kitty Pryde! I'm an X-Man as well as a Neo and I'm fucking awesome!"

"No one is arguing that dear but you've got a lot of explaining to do." Barbican was standing in the doorway of the lab.

Kitty's rant had made her unaware of his large form blocking the door. She nodded and went with Barbican to the dining hall. Domina refused to look at Kitty, her eyes were cast aside. Seth looked like he was furious as his icy blue eyes stared coldly at her. She could see Logan and Victor groggily pacing in the ring in the center of the room.

"Care to enlighten us as to why you allowed the flatscan and spike to escape?" Domina spoke, her eyes still not looking at Kitty.

"Escape? Were they really prisoners?"

"They tried to infiltrate our base in order to kidnap you."

"They were misinformed of my situation. You could have simply let me talk to them and they would have left with no issue. Instead you created unnecessary drama for everyone."

"Drama? We created drama?" Domina looked at her with spite.

"What else would you call it? Grown adults fighting over a person, lying, embellishing stories to suit their own needs."

"We were happy to find another Neo who we thought was lost, very possibly dead!" Seth joined in the conversation.

"Only lost or possibly dead because of you Seth. You zapped me, wrapped me and then tried blowing up the space station my friends and I were on! You left me for dead floating in space!"

"That's not how it went down."

"When you tied me up it triggered my memory of what happened before my crash. You treated me like I was an object you owned instead of a person! You had a temper tantrum when I didn't agree with what you were doing."

"I was going to take you with me. You alone would live. I loved you Kitty and I still do!"

"You don't zap the person you love! You don't tie her up and leave her to die in space! What kind of warped type of love is that?! You don't lie to someone you love! If you love someone you trust them! I came back! I got my friends out and I told them I was staying! I'm such an idiot for thinking you loved me." Kitty was holding back tears, she had to be strong.

"You've got it all wrong my love. I did everything because I love you. I wanted to keep you safe from harm. The X-Men brainwashed you and I was afraid they had done it again."

"Bullshit. Bullshit! You are lying AGAIN! You want to control me, isolate me from my friends just like Richard tried doing. Fuck you, fuck all of you. I'm tired of being lied to! I want to be free! Free to make my own choices, free to do what I want when I want!"

Kitty ran full tilt through the crowd, straight for the energy shield caging Logan and Victor. Sticking her hand into the energy, she overloaded the flow of electricity causing a wave of energy to blast across the room. She did her best to keep herself intangible as the blast cleared the room, knocking the Neo to the ground.

"Hurry, we need to get out of here." Kitty told the men who were standing in shock.

"Not so fast Katerina." Richard stood between them and the exit.

"Get out of my way Richard." Kitty brought her hand into a fist.

"You think you can take me? Careful you don't break a nail."

Kitty kneed him in the groin, then uppercutted him as he doubled over. He was splayed on his back when she stepped on him with her coral stilettos.

"Go fuck yourself Richard."

She left a shoe print on his forehead as she marched over him.

"Now that's sexy." Victor grinned appreciatively.

"It takes more then that to defeat the Neo!" Domina's voice boomed overhead.

"I'm not trying to defeat you! I'm trying to leave!"

"This is your home Kitty, we are your family!"

"Yes well then I'm running away from home."

"Traitor!" Several Neo's shouted out.

"I'm not a traitor! I just don't like being treated like a possession."

The trio stood their ground as the Neo gathered. Kitty wasn't about to let them dictate her life.

"It doesn't have to be this way Kitty." Barbican was trying to reason with her.

"I just want to leave Barbican. I want to discover the world on my own."

"It's not your choice to make. You are Neo, no one leaves." Domina pointed her gun at the three.

"So be it." Kitty grabbed each of the men's shoulders and backed up.

Victor grinned sinisterly, cracking his knuckles as the Neo moved closer. Logan extended his claws, crouching low in ready.

"Let the games begin." Victor sounded excited.

"We can walk out of here, they can't touch me or you when intangible."

"They ain't gunna let you go peacefully darlin'. They'd just follow us and you can't stay a ghost forever." Logan made his point, a battle was inevitable.

She tried to focus on the lessons Barbican had given her. She knew that he would hold back but the others looked like they were out for vengeance. Domina was the first to strike. Her aim was true, hitting Logan in the shoulder with an energy blast in the shape of a dragon. Ransome Sole lashed at Kitty with his chains, trying to entrap her. She phased through them, spinning gracefully toward him. She held the chains closest to his wrists and merged them together, tangling him up. Kilmer launched himself over the fallen Ransome, his hands transforming into blades aimed for Kitty's head. Victor charged Kilmer's side, puncturing him with his claws. The two struggled as each fought furiously with one another. As one of Kilmer's blade hands came down on Victor, it passed through him harmlessly. Surprised by the miss Kilmer left himself vulnerable to Victor who made short work of him, slitting his throat as he crushed his head beneath his feet.

Logan was dodging Domina's energy attacks while Seth tried to shoot him down. The man who wore the mask, known as Tartarus, pressed his hands together, focusing his powers of illusions on Victor. He created illusions of fire, pits of lava and creatures demented beyond recognition. Victor trudged onward, ignoring the hellish nightmare that Tartarus had conjured.

"I've been to hell and back, nothing scares me now." Victor held Tartarus' neck, crushing it between his talons.

Static had Kitty cornered, her scrambling field effect negating Kitty's powers. She would have to fight her without her abilities. Watching Static carefully she knew that she'd have to disarm her. The belt of ammunition around her waist would make an easy loop to hook onto, Kitty just had to get close enough to her. Using her dancing skills she gracefully avoided Static's blasts from her gun. Sweeping her way behind her aggressor, Kitty grabbed the belt and bent, pulling Static over her back and to the floor. Still holding the ammunition twisted around Static's waist Kitty spun her around, her face slamming into the floor. Kitty picked up the gun Static had been holding, pressing it to the back of her head.

"I don't want to hurt you, but you are giving me no choice."

She knocked Static unconscious with the end of the gun. Kitty rose to her feet only to be face to face with two men dressed in grey robes holding digital looking clubs.

"Names Bludgeon and Cudgel. Pleased to meet you. Seems you've taken out our boss. Going to have to teach you a lesson about that."

Kitty phased her body through their clubs, short circuiting them. In their confusion the men looked at one another giving Kitty an opportunity to pass through them. She had adjusted her frequency to disrupt their brains and leave them crumbled on the floor in slumber.

"I'm impressed dear. You bested some of our finest warriors. You have to understand where Domina is coming from. Her people are all she has in this world, a world that tried to exterminate us." Barbican looked reluctant as he stood before her.

"And she's lost more Neo because of her shortsightedness. Barbican, please. I don't want to fight you. I just want to live my own life."

"I understand dear, but you also need to know that my loyalty is to the clan. If I should allow you to walk away, I would be letting my family down. I cannot do that."

"Then I'm sorry."

Kitty advanced with a swinging left hook, followed by a spin kick to his side. Barbican managed to dodge her punch but took the hit to his ribcage. Grabbing for her ankle Barbican slipped through her, falling on his front and rolling over to jump back to his feet. Kitty met him with an elbow to the nose and a knee to the chest as he crashed down. Hooking his arm around her waist he pulled her down with him only to lose grip as she phased herself. They stared each other down as each recovered. Barbican moved forward, a familiar move from their training sessions. Kitty turned sideways, his body brushing by as she rolled onto his back. Holding his hips she brought her legs up, wrapping them around his neck and twisting her body to bring him down. She squeezed her thighs tightly against his throat, cutting off his oxygen supply. When she felt his body go limp she released his neck.

"That was sexy as hell." Victor was almost drooling at her.

"Where's Logan?"

They saw Domina blasting Logan with energy projections while Seth pummeled him with his armored suit.

"Need some help little brother?"

Victor joined Logan in his scrimmage, lunging for Seth. He was zapped by Seth's power, Victor's nerves burned hot. Kitty had dropped through the floor and reached up to drag Seth into the hard ground. Once his torso was submerged into the surface she let go of him and solidified.

"I trusted you Seth. Why would you lie to me?"

"You were too much like them. I couldn't be sure if you would betray us again."

"I never betrayed you Seth, you betrayed me."

Kitty kicked him square in the face with her heels, leaving a mark across his face. Victor had regained consciousness as Domina tried to pin Logan to the floor with her energy dragon once again. Growling he leapt at her, distracting her long enough for Kitty to come up behind her and phase her hand through her head. Domina dropped to the ground with a loud thud. The three looked around themselves and seemed quite pleased. The other Neo had left the complex, once they had noticed the odds changing against them.

"Let's get out of here." Kitty couldn't leave fast enough.

"Remind me not to piss her off." Victor commented to Logan as he looked at Seth's body stuck in the ground.

The trio walked out the main hall entrance into the long rocky corridor. When a breeze of fresh air hit their lungs they each breathed a sigh of relief. Their eyes squinted in the bright sunlight reflecting off the white of the snow covered ground.

"What's next?" Victor asked, strangely curious.

"Not really sure. But we're borrowing that." Kitty pointed at one of the Neo aircrafts.