Okay guys, here it is: Finally, the chapter I've been trying to get out for over a week now! Warning: the following chapter contains violence and small amounts of swearing. Also, It's the longest I've ever written: You're welcome!

Enjoy!

The night air was rent with cries of fear and pain as bodies dropped all around the complex. Searchlights on the roof lit up the sky, illuminating the grisly scene as the group of terrified mutants watched the agents assigned to guard and protect them die, one by one. With each man that fell, the girls continued to scream, the boys stared in shock, and Allicia…She didn't know what to do.

It was all happening so fast, but for her it seemed to go on for an eternity. Her mutant senses were live wires; she could feel the adrenaline coursing through the veins of every single man as he fell, and she was shaken to her core every time one of their hearts suddenly stopped beating. She had never felt so helpless in her entire life; completely aware of what was happening and, yet, powerless to stop it. Allicia knew that as soon as one of them hit the ground, they were already gone. She couldn't even try to save them.

All she could do was watch.

The courtyard was suddenly overrun by armed men in suits, as the agents that were left alive tried desperately to locate the menace that was slaying their men, and neutralize them before anybody else was killed. One of the seniors ran over to the window and motioned for them all to take cover.

"Get back, get back! Do not leave that room! We're under attack," he ordered. But no sooner were the words out of his mouth than the attacker made himself known to them.

A man dressed in black with the face of a demon appeared in a cloud of red-and-black smoke in the center of the courtyard, bearing a pair of deadly-curved blades, poised to strike. The recruits all yelled at the agents to turn around, and they did, reacting immediately.

"SHOOT, SHOOT!"

But they were already too late.

The red-skinned swordsman, merely a beat later, vanished in a shower of bullets, only to re-appear feet away from his starting point, and then disappear again. A few men were clipped with flesh wounds as the ones who were firing missed the mysterious assailant, taking out the newly-replaced window in the process to the girls' renewed screams.

The recruits, meanwhile, were trying to stay under cover behind one of the couches, with Darwin and Allicia guarding them at either side, each facing one of the windows in case more of them showed up. Shots rang out in constant succession, making their ears ring as they alternately shrieked in protest and gaped in horror.

The men in the courtyard were shouting again, frantically trying to hit their target – they might as well have been trying to catch smoke bare-handed for all the success they were having –but the mutants weren't paying that much attention. They were otherwise occupied at the moment with the tornado that had just cropped up out of nowhere outside the other window; the one that was currently ripping Cerebro to shreds like it was made of tin foil (to Hank's visible and utter devastation).

As if the freak wind storm wasn't enough already, the gunshots began again in the courtyard. The teleporter –for that was surely what the man must've been –was back, busy slicing and stabbing the agents to pieces with frightening ease, popping up blade-first and felling them like trees left, right, and center. The ringing in their ears caused by the shots was overwhelming. However, it wasn't enough to block out the stomach-turning slash of metal through flesh; a sound that, apparently, was music to the telporter's ears. The idea made Allicia's skin crawl.

And she wasn't the only one.

"Stay here my ASS," Darwin yelled, signaling for them to follow him out the door, "Let's go!"

Agreeing that it was probably the safest option, Allicia didn't contradict the man, motioning for the others to listen and go ahead of her so she left last. She saw them all safely out, before quickly slamming the door and bolting after them.

They raced down the corridor, Darwin heading the pack with Alex and Angel hot on his heels and the others right behind them, while Allicia covered the rear. They didn't manage to get very far, however, before they found their path blocked by even more agents and men in soldiers' uniforms, all of whom were shouting at them to get back as well as acting as human barricades.

"Let us through!" Allicia cried, to a chorus of affirmations from the rest of the group. They could help fight whoever was doing this if the humans would just move aside!

Turns out, though, that they were just doing their jobs as guards –keeping them all out of harm's way, as it were -, because the next second, there was a colossal explosion that shook the entire building. The men pushed them further away, urging them to run.

Well, they didn't have to tell them twice.

They doubled back, Allicia now in the lead and shouting for the others to keep up, while running full-tilt from the intense blaze of heat and flames lapping at the walls and floors behind them. No one dared to look back.

Before they knew it they were right back where they started, skidding into the common room with a screeching halt, to gape open-mouthed at the unrelenting slaughter of men at the hands of the teleporter. He had a look of pure sadistic pleasure at the sight and sound of the dead and the dying, cutting down every man in his path with a sly smirk playing across his face all the time. There was blood everywhere, causing Raven and Angel to cry and whimper and Sean to look as though he was going to hurl, while everyone else was stunned silent.

All this, of course, would be second only to the continued war-zone being created by the spontaneous twister outside the window behind them; a window that, like its counterpart, was shattered moments later, as a screaming man flew through the glass, smashing it and landing in a broken heap, mere feet away from them. Nobody even bothered checking if he was still alive –they didn't have time.

They had much bigger problems on their hands.

Apparently, they had been right in guessing the first assassin might've had friends, factoring into account the russet-skinned man in a crisp, gray suit walking towards them from the ruin that was once Cerebro, stepping over the crushed glass and window frame to stand not far from them inside the common room. He was directly after joined by the teleporter who, having finished decimating the men in the courtyard, stalked over to them much in the manner of his assumed comrade; keeping his distance, but close enough to intimidate them.

Allicia and Darwin instinctively stood in front of the younger recruits, effectively shielding them with their bodies, their eyes darting apprehensively between the two men, watching their every move in case they tried anything else. The funny thing was, the violent strangers just…stood there, glancing up at each other every so often but, for the most part, watching the door –like they were waiting for something. They didn't have to wait very long.

Soon after the chaos of the men's arrival had given way to silence, said silence was broken, yet again, by the sound of gun fire and the girls' answering screams of terror. The shots suddenly stopped, however, and were replaced by a panicked voice on the other side of the door.

"You want the mutants?" he said, to an unknown second party, "They're right through that door! Just let us normal people go! We're not a threat –!"

He was cut off by a final gunshot.

Allicia couldn't believe it. That, that didn't just happen…

One of the men, one of the guards, who were assigned to protect them, had just sold them out! And probably to some psychopath who was there to kill them, if the past few minutes were any indication.

That bastard!

But she didn't have the time to be angry; the next second, the door flew open, emitting a sharply dressed 40-something man, who wearing a ridiculous-looking, gun-metal gray helmet. All was silent as he looked about the room, his eyes resting momentarily on each of the mutants huddled together in the back. The healer felt a chill run down her spine; something was seriously off about this guy. Her "senses" were starting to kick up again –so, he was a mutant, too.

Shit.

The newcomer regarded the two men on either side of the room, before asking the demon-faced one, "Where's the telepath?"

Charles? She thought questioningly, what the…?

"Not here," the teleporter replied, a heavy Russian accent coloring his words. If the situation weren't so tense, Allicia would've appreciated the irony of a scarlet-skinned Soviet a lot more. As it stood, she just shook her head sardonically.

Figures the red guy's a Red…

The man in the helmet frowned.

"Too bad," he said, before reaching up to remove the dorky headpiece, "Well, at least I can take this silly thing off." And he did just that, revealing a rather handsome face and a head of full, chestnut hair. He smiled at the group who were staring at him warily, addressing them with his fullest attention.

"Good evening," he greeted them genially, "My name is Sebastian Shaw…"

Allicia's brows disappeared into her hair. Shaw? As in, the Shaw? The man whose plans for world domination they were currently trying to foil; the guy that Charles, Erik, and Moira were hunting for overseas; the one that wanted to start World War Three; that Shaw?

They were so fucked.

She snapped back to reality as he continued to speak.

"…And I am not here to hurt you," he reassured them; to which a lone surviving agent in the courtyard answered, "Freeze!"

Shaw sighed, looking almost bored. "Azazel?" he said, sparing the teleporter a "would you mind?" look. The Russian responded by vanishing, coming up less than a breath later across the courtyard, soundly running the man through with one of his swords, and shifting back to his place near the recruits in a puff of black smoke. Allicia and Darwin exchanged a look of dread; not there to hurt them?

Yeah, right.

"My friends," Shaw continued, handing his helmet off to the Latin-looking man wordlessly, "There's a revolution coming! When mankind figures out who we are, what we can do, each of us will face a choice –be enslaved," he looked pointedly at Darwin, who set his jaw defiantly, "Or rise up to rule," he finished passionately, looking at each of them in turn with a mysterious fire in his eyes.

"Choose freely," he offered, "but know that if you are not with us, then by definition you are against us; so, you can stay, and fight for the people who hate and fear you," his probing gaze flicked through them all, looking for the weak link, "or you can join me, and live like kings!"

His eyes rested on Angel. "…And queens," he added, holding out an open hand for her. They all stared at her, willing her without words not to listen, to see that it was all just a trick. Allicia could see the girl's mind working, knowing without being a telepath that she was thinking about what those agents had said, and how the guard had turned on them.

Don't do it, she thought, wishing for Charles' power so that she could actually be heard, don't do this, please…

Angel took his hand, following him and the others as they made their way out. Raven stared after her, eyes full of hurt, as did everyone else.

"Angel…?"

"Are you kiddin' me?"

"Come on," she said, turning and nodding for them to follow her, "we don't belong here. And that's nothing to be ashamed of." Her voice shook with conviction; she was seriously leaving them, to join the ranks of their enemy.

Darwin held his hand out to her, begging her with his eyes to change her mind, to come back. The look on his face was imploring her to see how wrong this was, and that they were her friends, not this guy and his band of murderers.

She turned her back on them.

Raven was furious; they all were. "We have to do something," she all but growled.

"Like what?" Allicia snapped back lowly, looking at them all, then at Darwin; he was thinking.

That couldn't be good…

He gave her a look, before narrowing his eyes meaningfully at Alex, who was shaking his head angrily at him. Realization dawned on her, and she didn't like it one bit.

'No!' she mouthed, shaking her head as well, 'No! Don't even think about it!' But he was already turning around.

"Stop!" he called out, "I'm coming with you."

Shaw smirked triumphantly when Darwin walked over to them, as did Angel.

"Good choice," he told him, meeting him half-way, "So, tell me about your mutation."

"Well, I adapt to survive," Darwin boasted confidently, "So I guess I'm coming with you."

Shaw's smirk widened, and he let out a small chuckle. "I like that," he said, gesturing for Darwin to stand beside Angel, and clapping the young man proudly on the shoulder before linking hands with Azazel. Just as they were about to leave, though, Darwin gave the other mutants his signal.

"Alex..!"

"GET OUT!"

"DO IT!"

They all ran for it, and in a minute they heard the tell-tale sound of Alex's power going off. When they heard Shaw speaking, however, they knew that something had gone horribly wrong.

Now, who could've predicted that?

The four of them ran back into the room just in time to catch Darwin trying to punch Shaw in the face, –how was this creep still standing? –and Shaw blocking him, his face twisted into the most wicked smile any of them had ever seen. In his hand was a glowing red orb of pulsating energy –Alex's energy, Allicia realized, terrified.

He held Darwin firmly by the jaw with one hand, and held the tiny orb in his other.

"Adapt to this," Shaw whispered, raising it to Darwin's lips.

"NO!"

All of a sudden, Allicia felt a foreign burst of raw power coursing through her, emanating from her very core and surging inside her chest, down her outstretched arm and out her fingertips. It wasn't a visible type of energy, but it felt…almost, alive, somehow; searching, reaching out. And as she screamed in protest at what Shaw had been about to do, that energy, apparently of it's own volition, found whatever it was looking for. In that split second, Shaw –quite literally –froze where he stood.

Allicia's eyes widened in shock; Alex's energy was still held in his hand, which in turn was still suspended in mid-air in front of Darwin, and yet, he wasn't moving. Not an inch. Darwin was confused, and still stuck in his grasp, but as he saw that he was –for the moment –safe, he managed to struggle out of the man's iron grip, getting quickly out of his reach and watching the oldest of their group with questioning eyes.

"Allicia…?"

But she couldn't think of what to say, considering she didn't have the slightest clue as to what was happening, or how, for that matter. The only thing she was focused on in that moment was keeping up whatever it was that she seemed to be doing; keeping Shaw frozen, as it were.

The teleporter, meanwhile, was staring at her with something akin to fear ruling his features. He looked at the others, who looked back, equally as confused as he, before grabbing Shaw and Angel's hands and swiftly poofing them out of there, along with the silent man. As soon as he was gone, and her apparent hold on him gone as well, Allicia sank to her knees, breathing heavily and shaking from fear and adrenaline.

What the hell just happened?

The others were on her in an instant, Raven kneeling before her with a hand resting on her shoulder.

"Allicia? Are you okay?"

The woman shook her head slightly, still not entirely clear as to what was going on.

"I'm…not sure," she replied, shocked to hear how weak she sounded. She was trembling head to foot, and felt all of a sudden completely exhausted, like she had just run a marathon. She was afraid to even stand up just yet, worried she might face-plant on the concrete.

Raven looked worried, too, exchanging nervous glances with the guys.

"How did you do that?" she asked, "I mean, I know that Charles can do that to people, if he really concentrates, but he's a telepath…" she trailed off, gazing at Allicia uncertainly.

Allicia shook her head again.

"No, it wasn't that –I'm not a telepath; I heal people, that's all."

Hank looked intrigued by this; she could practically see the gears in that scientific head of his begin to whir. Before he could ask her anything, though, Sean beat him to it.

"Then how...?" he asked, gesturing vaguely to the spot where Shaw had just stood. Allicia, being just as confused as the rest of them, gave him the only answer she did have.

"I don't know…"

Hiya!

Yes, I know, it's been a while since I updated, but this chapter was freaking hard! I had to keep going over this scene in the movie, like, a hundred times to get the dialogue and the action right, since it goes so fast. I know it looks like it went on forever, but if you watch the film, it only takes like, five minutes, if that. So, yeah, that's why it took me so long; that, and the holiday. Happy belated Thanksgiving to you all, by the way.

On a positive note -YAY! Darwin didn't die! I really couldn't understand why they killed him off in the film; from what I hear, he was a pretty sweet character in the comics. SO, I saved him! Again, YAY!

Now, as for Allicia: I'm guessing you're all a bit confused about this new development, but don't worry! Her epic Shaw-Freezing skills will be fully explained in later chapters. There is something of a science behind it, so we all know Hank will be all over that(Though, it's more along the lines of theory, really, rather than actual fact, so be prepared.).

Just to be safe, I'm not making any promises on the next update. You'll get it when you get it, okay?

Thanks for reading!

Reviews=Love :)