So X-men are all © Marvel, the whole movie bit © Fox studios, that sort of thing.

The plot and all the original characters (including but not limited to Cat-Missy, Perry 'Dart' Jephson, Anne 'Bravo' Schönberg, Ian 'Drac' Rey, and Nazeela 'Shiva' Hena) belong to me and me only.

Note: This takes place about a month after the events of last chapter.

Note 2: As always, constructive criticism is highly encouraged.

Read and review! (No pressure.)

PEER PRESSURE!!! Ooooh!!

... Don't mind me.

23 Jul 2007

"Cat?"

"What, Dart?"

"It's tomorrow. Are you ready?"

Cat didn't answer. Her bad mood had been coming back for a week and a half, ever since Magneto had started keeping Pyro next to him. Where he belonged, Dart wanted to say, but didn't. For obvious reasons.

"Cat?"

He was sitting on the log near the bonfire with her, eating oatmeal Anne had made even though it was already close to seven at night.

"Of course I'm ready, Dart." She kept her eyes on the fire. "Are you ready?"

Dart laughed. "I'm gonna make those bastards wish they'd never been born, that's what. Nothing gets done without people dying."

"Says who?"

"Says me. Naz says killing isn't right—"

"It's not—"

"But it's necessary," he finished. "There's no other way."

Cat tipped her head to look at him. He couldn't read her expression, but he knew she was trying hard to keep it kind. "You really tink dat?" He nodded. "All de time?" He nodded again. "Den I'm sorry."

She stood up, ruffled his auburn hair, and walked away. She passed Bravo on the other side of the bonfire and Dart frowned when they paused to talk for a moment, glancing at him more than once. He heard Cat say, "Morfeo's here" and a wry laugh in response, but he didn't hear anything else before Cat looked back at him a final time and disappeared between the trees.

"Hi, Dart."

"Hi, Bravo."

Anne dawdled a moment before sitting down were Cat had been. She offered Dart a bottle of soda from the two in her hand. "Diet Coke or Dr. Pepper?" He laughed.

"Dr. Pepper, duh."

Bravo smiled and handed him the Dr. Pepper. "A toast," she said, "to us."

"To victory tomorrow."

"To victory all the time."

"Amen to that." Dart tapped Bravo's Coke bottle with his Dr. Pepper and chugged down most of it. Bravo laughed at him and took a few sips of her own. She paused as Dart's eyes drooped and he yawned. "I'm tired all of a sudden," he murmured.

Anne gently plied Dart's Coke from his relaxed grip. "Don't worry, Dart, it's fine." She poured the Coke out on the ground, tossed the bottle in the fire, and wrapped an arm around her drowsy friend. "It's fine."

Dart's head tipped over onto Anne's shoulder and she nodded towards the trees behind him. Fish and Nazeela came out from behind a nearby tree, more somber than usual, and Fish gently picked up Dart. "Nazeela?"

Nazeela frowned and closed her eyes.

When she opened them, they were black like Dart's.

Black like Jean Grey's.

"Let's go."

---

Missy trailed after the party of four for a few minutes, up in the trees.

They didn't know she was there, of course, but it didn't matter to her. Once they were far enough away from the camp, she turned back.

Magneto wouldn't be happy about Nazeela not being there to help, but Missy knew he couldn't care less about Fish and Dart. She knew he was more practical than that.

Magneto's no mento. He know da kine mutants dat stay choice do da powaful tings.

"Not like me," she muttered. She scaled a tree near Pyro's tent and sat up on a branch ten feet off the ground.

A few minutes later, she heard Pyro coming and tensed up, smiling until she heard Callisto with him. She circled around the back of the tree as they came into view, watching with a smirk after she caught his eye.

"You ready to get electrocuted, Callisto?"

"Very funny." She frowned. "Why you let that catty girl boss you around, huh?"

"She doesn't boss me around."

"You used to be a lot more open to suggestions, is all I'm saying."

Cat couldn't help laughing, and Callisto appeared at the bottom of her tree in a flash. "Hola."

"You bitch," Callisto said. "You think you're worth something.

Cat jumped down from the tree, landing nimbly on her feet. "I am, das why. Who you to say I'm not?"

Callisto glanced at Pyro, smirking with his arms crossed. "You're a bitch," she said. She zipped away and Cat collapsed in spasms of laughter. Pyro stood over her, and she glanced up once she had composed herself.

"You ready for tomorrow, Missy?"

"Of course." She looked at him accusingly. "Why does everyone think I won't be ready? Dart asked me too."

He laughed at her. "Stop thinking everyone's out to get you."

"I don't think that." She accepted his hand up and shook out her hair. "People don't think I can take care of myself, is all."

"That's not true."

"Is too."

"Not."

Missy huffed. "It is. Ever since..." She looked away. "It don't matta."

"Since when?"

"It don't matta, I said." She scaled the tree before he could stop her and looked down at him. "I'll be fine tomorrow."

"Never said you wouldn't be." Missy climbed up, farther away from him. "Come back." She laughed at him. He sighed. "I don't suppose you could—"

"Nope."

"You are a bitch," he called up.

"In yo dreams."

He walked away from the tree and crawled into his tent. He knew she'd be back.

Five minutes later, she was.

---

19:36

It's tomorrow.

I think a lot of people are finally realizing we're actually going to do it. I mean, everyone knew— but it's still something, when it's tomorrow.

I'm pumped.

There's going to be a lot of sacrifices— lots of us are going to get hurt. I know they'll use cure bullets, not real bullets; I don't think I'll be shot, though. I'm going to be careful, I'm going to sneak around, I'm going to get the humans from behind.

Nazeela's going to help me out. She says she'll shield me, keep the humans from knowing I'm there until it's too late. Dart's coming with me too— God knows he wants to be in the front, but he's just a kid, you know? He wouldn't be able to handle it, I don't think. He's a little kid; he doesn't know how things go.

I'm only a few years older than he is, to be honest, but I still think he's been less exposed than I have. He's been sheltered, by Bravo, by Cat-Missy. Hell, even Pyro's kept himself on a leash when Dart's been around.

I don't think this fight is the best way for Dart to see the real world.

I think it's for people like Dart, the kids, the young mutants, that we're going to fight, to get rid of the Cure.

I feel kind of bad for the kid they got the cure from. But he's letting them destroy his people. Maybe he doesn't know any better, maybe he doesn't know what they're doing.

But I'd die for mutantkind.

If it meant Dart could grow up never having to worry about sticking someone, it'd be worth it.

I'm ready for tomorrow.

19:50

—Ian Rey.

---

Quill and Psylocke stood towards the back of Magneto's little cave-office.

Magneto had somehow procured a bottle of very high quality wine and he was sharing it with the people in charge.

Or at least the people high up on the Brotherhood food chain.

So the two of them were standing together, like usual, talking under their breath.

"Callisto's so antsy."

"Pyro's not here, that's why. She's obsessed with the kid."

"He's a lot younger than we are, too. At least some of the other kids are being treated their age."

"Who? Shiva?"

"She's cool, for a girl."

"For a girl!" Psylocke slapped his arm.

"I mean, besides you, Betts, duh."

"I hope that's what you meant."

He laughed and tapped one of her short purple pigtails. "You rule, Betsy, you know that." She shrugged, smiling. "Look." He nodded towards the stairs to aboveground and Psylocke raised her eyebrows when she saw the Phoenix with Pyro. "The dream team, huh?"

"Eesh." Half unconsciously, Psylocke slipped her hand into Quill's. "Think she's pissed at Callisto?"

"Why'd she be?"

"She spends time with Pyro, y' know? And Callisto is so... clingy, even when she shouldn't be."

"I hear you."

They watched Callisto make a beeline for Pyro, but not quite fast enough. The Phoenix spoke with Magneto, very briefly, and then Pyro grinned at her, turned back, and went back aboveground. Callisto turned to Quill and Psylocke, who struggled to keep their grins subdued as she came to complain.

"That catty girl got him on a short leash," Callisto said.

"What, the other Japanese one?"

Psylocke pursed her lips at Quill. "Ex-cuse me."

"Sorry, Betts."

"And she's a bitch," Callisto continued. At Quill and Psylocke's looks, she added, "Worse than I can be."

"Oh."

"That says something," Quill agreed. Callisto snorted. "What? I'm just being honest."

"Quill, just shut up."

"Can't I—"

"Just shut up!"

When Psylocke and Callisto spoke together, Quill decided he'd better shut up.

---

Pyro unzipped his tent door and found Missy sitting on his rumpled sleeping bag, wearing one of his shirts. When she only glanced up from the book she had in her lap, he squinted at the design on the shirt.

"I was wearing that when I joined the Brotherhood," he said.

"Mhm."

"What is that?"

"Hm?" She glanced up again, frowning, her hair in front of her face.

"The book. What is it?"

She shrugged. "Nazeela Hena gave it to me, said to read it. She got it from Phoenix. I only started just now." She held it up, and he realized it wasn't actually a book.

It was a notebook with writing in it.

"That's mine," he said. Missy raised her eyebrows and looked down at it.

God, how much have you read?

"Why would Nazeela have your notebook? Why would Phoenix have your notebook?"

"I don't know." He swallowed. He didn't want to know how much Nazeela had read, because she'd only go telling Fish about it and drawing stupid conclusions.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Fucking stupid.

Missy watched him carefully, but made no move to give it back. If anything she tightened her grip. He didn't want to ask for it back, but clearly he'd have to.

And she'll ask me why.

"Can I have that back?"

She pursed her lips but handed it back, and he stuffed it under his pillow. She stared at his pillow before turning back to him. "Are you ready?" He frowned. "For tomorrow."

"I've been ready my whole life."

"Really?" She smiled and shook her hair out of her face, or tried to. "Dunno what we'd do without someone who's choke prepared like you, Pyro."

"Call me John," he said. He zipped up the door to his tent and turned back to her.

"Why?"

"Because tomorrow, Pyro won't have time for you."

Missy flinched. "I know dat's true, at least." He scooted up close to her and eased her down with him on top of his sleeping bag. "Why should I waste time now, John?"

"Because you want this just as much as I do."

She sighed but let him kiss her once. "I don't tink I can win tomorrow."

"We'll win, Missy, don't worry."

"Den what?"

"We'll keep winning."

"It'll stay like dis?"

He studied her face and nodded. "Exactly the same. I promise." She smiled.

"K'den." She bit his earlobe. "Do yo thing, Fireboy."

She didn't have to add what he was thinking.

I'll make you too hot for anyone else to handle, Missy.

"Do your thing, John."

He did.

---