(SunshineGirl177, I know how you feel. It took me months to write this chapter. First I managed to finish it then my computer caught a virus and I lost all my files. Thankfully, I had a backup copy of this fic on a flashdrive but I didn't update it very often so I had to practically write the entire chapter again. It actually worked out for the best though since I prefer the new ending I put in. This will be by far the longest chapter yet, and I hope you enjoy it.)
It was just a normal Friday night at the Xavier Institute with everyone celebrating the weekend and making plans. While most of the students were doing homework, Bobby and a few of the new mutants decide to play a prank on Lorna in the Danger Room.
Long story short, Lorna leaves the New Mutants wrapped in metal all over the Danger Room and heads to her room. "We're sorry, now let us out of here." said Bobby as Lorna walked out.
She passed by Storm. "Lorna, could you tell the others to assemble in the library room? Charles found a new mutant and will be done with Cerebro shortly." said Storm. "Okay." said Lorna.
After telling a few of the girls, she headed towards Scott's room. She found him talking to someone on the computer. A blond haired boy about Lorna's age and whose looks screamed out surfer. "Scott, the Professor wants us all in the library room." she said.
"Alright, I'll be down in a second." said Scott. "And who are you?" asked the surfer. "Lorna this is my brother Alex. Alex, meet Lorna Dale." said Summers, introducing them.
"Wow, I love the emerald hair. If I may say so, you are stunning." said Alex. Lorna couldn't help but blush at that comment. Most people consider her green hair to be a major turn off. But no one's ever called her hair emerald like a jewel or something beautiful. Scott started noticing what was happening and he did not like it.
"Listen Alex, we've got to go. So I'll call same time next week?" asked Scott. "No problemo bro. Oh, one more thing. That offer of joining the Institute, I have to tell ya just got a lot more appealing." said Alex, winking at Lorna before signing off. Scott rolled his eyes while Lorna walked off smiling.
Later in the library, the whole X-Men wait as Xavier enters the room. "Cerebro has detected a new mutant in Manhattan. She's extremely frightened and I believe she may be a danger to others if cornered." said Xavier.
"Who is she?" asked Jean. "Her name is Vanessa Marshall. Unfortunately, practically no information exists on her. She disappeared from her foster parent's home when she was seven years old and has not been heard from since." said Xavier.
"Any idea what she can do?" asked Scott. "No, the strange thing is that Cerebro keeps losing her at various moments. As if she just vanishes completely for a time then reappears. Also, there is a complication. Cerebro has also detected at least two other mutants in the area and they seemed to be following her." said Xavier.
Suddenly the alarm went off overhead. Xavier headed towards a nearby wall terminal. "Alert, new mutant signature detected and matched to archive file. Cain Marko." said the computer. "WHAT?!!!" everyone (except Lorna) practically all yelled out at once.
"How did he get out?" asked Rogue. "Who's Cain Marko?" asked Lorna, confused. "He's the prof's stepbrother and he's basically a steroid buffed superman with a violent temper." said Daniels.
"Let's just say there's a reason why he's called Juggernaut." said Kurt. "But how did he get out? He's like supposed to be in a maximum security prison." said Kitty. "Maybe Mystique broke him out again." suggested Rogue. "Why would she do that? He tried to kill her the last time she did." said Daniels.
"Calm down everyone." said Storm as Xavier finished doing over the data. "I'll contact Captain Stone but Cerebro is detecting Cain's mutant signature in the same area as Vanessa and the other two." said Xavier.
"How did she get out!!!?" yelled Essex to his two subordinates. "She went nuts okay? Wouldn't stop screaming that she wanted to see her uncle. We tried to put the collar on her but she went ballistic on us and ran off." said Arclight, trembling at the sight of Sinister's anger.
"You two imbeciles couldn't calm her? I could have done that in my sleep." growled Essex. Both Arclight and Harpoon expected the boss to fry both of them but then Nathaniel calmed down.
"Take the others and track her down. But do not engage her, I don't want any harm to come to her. When you find her, contact me. I'll bring her in myself." said Essex before his cell phone rang. "Yes…Really?...Hmm, I don't like the timing of this…No, you were right to call. We'll talk at the drop off later." Sinister spoke over the phone before hanging up.
"The X-Men just left the Institute. The fact that they are just leaving now that Vanessa is out in the open cannot be a coincidence. I don't care what it takes, do not let her fall into their hands. Am I clear?" said Sinister. The two grunts quickly nodded their heads.
On board, the X-Men were suited up. This time, Lorna was going with them as Xavier felt that she had mastered her powers enough to join the team. That made a few of the other New Mutants upset but the simple fact was that Lorna was one of the most powerful of the New Mutants, even more powerful then most of the X-Men.
Her outfit was an emerald color outfit that matched her hair. Her mind was elsewhere though. The images of a certain helmeted man were on her mind. Magneto they called him. His power wasn't similar to her's, it was exactly her's. Though they never said it to her face, she knew the others talked behind her back. Wondering just what her relationship was to their arch nemesis. She had something back at the mansion that could give her answers but she would save that for another day.
The Professor gave them all a picture of her. "Remember, she's very terrified and confused. I don't want any strong arm tactics so be on all your best behavior." he told them. A few minutes later, the Jet landed on an abandoned construction site.
Everyone got out of the jet and it vanished, it's cloaking field enveloping it. Lorna could never get over how cool that was. Logan told everyone they were going to split into three teams.
Summers, Jean, and Evan were team one. Team two were Wolverine, Kurt, Polaris, and Kitty. Team three were Storm, Xavier, and Rogue.
The teams all broke apart, heading around the back alleys of the city were Xavier kept getting quick readings of her. "Any idea how she's able to confuse the Professor?" asked Lorna. "Maybe she's a teleporter like Kurt." suggested Kitty.
"Can't be. A teleporter appears somewhere else instantly, our girl seems to dropping off the face of the Earth for a while then pops back." said Wolverine. I've located her. She's about four blocks ahead of you Logan. said a mental message from Xavier that they all received. "Let's move." ordered Logan.
On a rooftop nearby, Ruckus was scooping out the area with binoculars. "Guys, X-Men are in the area." he said into his radio. "Ignore them for now, just find the girl." ordered Arclight over the radio. As much as he wanted to blast them, Ruckus headed towards the ladder and climbed down.
Logan and his team continued forward when they heard crying behind a dumpster. Logan was about to step towards it when Lorna stopped him. "Let me go first. No offense Mister Logan but I think the first person she sees should be a friendly face." suggested Lorna.
Logan growled but nodded, knowing he wasn't exactly the nicest looking member of the team. Lorna walked around the dumpster to find a girl crouched up behind in tears. She was about fifteen or so years old and had long white hair.
"Hello, are you okay?" asked Lorna. The girl, Vanessa, scrambled to her feet. "Who are you?" she asked, terrified. It looked like she was ready to bolt in a seconds notice. "I'm Lorna and I was wondering if you were okay." said Lorna.
The other members of Team two stood back out of sight watching the two converse. Logan activated his radio.
"We found her. Lorna's talking to her now but the kid is scared of something." said Logan into his comlink. "Good work, I want everyone to proceed to Team 2's location but stay out of the girl's sight. I don't think a large crowd will go over well with her." Xavier's voice came over the radio.
Just then, Logan smelled something in the air. "What's wrong?" asked Kitty. "We're not alone." growled Logan as his claws popped out. Suddenly, the building behind them shook and cracked. Kurt quickly grabbed Kitty and Logan and teleported them away before the building collapsed down on top of them.
Both Lorna and Vanessa gasped at the mayhem behind them. This provided a distraction as Ruckus came out of a nearby building. He took in a large breath and released a powerful sonic burst from his mouth. Lorna didn't have time to react to it as the burst send her flying into the wall.
Ruckus laughed as he fixed his slick short blond hair. The seventeen year old arrogantly walked towards Lorna who was struggling to her feet. "Time to feel the NOISE!!!" yelled Ruckus as he released another sonic burst. But this time Lorna was ready.
She summoned several large metallic dumpster in front of her and used her magnetic powers to hold them in place as the sound burst pushed against the dumpsters. But Lorna's magnetism was strong enough to hold them and as soon as the burst ended, she sent the dumpsters hurling towards Ruckus.
He jumped out of the way but one of the dumpsters stopped and homed in on Ruckus. Before he could react, the dumpster literally opened up and a metallic strip came out like a tongue and wrapped around Ruckus's mouth. It pulled him inside and closed. He banged against the walls but it didn't do him any good. And the strip around his mouth prevented him from using his powers.
Lorna glanced around and realized that Vanessa was gone. "Crap." she muttered.
Meanwhile, Kurt appeared on top of a nearby building with Logan and Kitty. "That was close." said Kurt, referring to the nearby collapsed building.
On the alley beneath them, Arclight stood charging up. The eighteen year old's purple emo hairstyle was a dead giveaway that he was a mutant. "Humpty Dumpty stood on a wall. Humpty Dumpty is about to have a bad fall." chuckled Arclight as he punched the building, sending powerful seismic energy into it.
The three on top struggled as the building they were on began to shake and crack. "Elf, get us back on the ground." ordered Logan. Nightcrawler grabbed both Kitty and Logan and teleported away as the building they were on collapsed.
They popped up right behind Arclight who didn't notice them. Wolverine pounced on from behind and placed his claws at Arclight's neck. "Okay bub, start talking or I'll start carving. Who are you and what are you doing here?" growled Logan.
"The name's Arclight and I'm the guy who has a job to do." grunted Arclight. "And just what is that?" demanded Kitty. "This." said Arclight before slamming his fist into the ground.
The alley shook violently, throwing Logan off of Arclight and sending Kitty and Kurt falling to the ground. When the three got to their feet, Arclight was gone. Lorna approached them. "I lost Vanessa, but I managed to trap some guy who attacked me." said Lorna.
"Let's go have a chat with him." said Logan. The four went to the dumpster where Ruckus was trapped, only to find it ripped apart and nobody in sight. Wolverine tapped his radio. "Chuck, we've got a problem. It looks like we're not the only ones looking for the girl." said Logan.
Cyclops, Jean, and Spyke were all listening in on Xavier's and Logan's conversation as they continued searching for Vanessa. "That's strange, whoever these mutants are have the ability to mask their presence from me." said Xavier over the com.
"You think they're the ones Vanessa is running from?" asked Summers. "Let's assume so. Continue your search but be on your guard." ordered Xavier over the com. "Well let's get going." said Daniels who walked ahead of the others.
Suddenly, he was jerked backwards telekinetically by Jean and good thing she did because a large dumpster came flying at where Daniel's was standing a moment ago. "Whoa, talk about a close call." said Daniels.
The three mutants turned to where the dumpster came from and standing there were two mutants. One was huge, with arms that were bigger then his legs. The eighteen year old bald Blockbuster cracked his massive knuckles.
Standing beside him was a twenty year old man who wore metallic armor that practically covered his entire body. The armor resembled an exoskeleton combat suit. The black haired Scalphunter smiled as his mechanical arms transform into large chain guns.
"Fun time!" yelled Scalphunter as he fired lasers from his gun arms, the barrels spinning like crazy. The three X-Men quickly take off running as Scalphunter and Blockbuster chase after them. Scalphunter fired his cannons like a maniac, laughing the entire time.
"Time to spice things up!" laughed Scalphunter as his arms guns transform into flamethrowers. He fired flames that stretched across to both ends of the alleyway and was heading towards the X-Men like a wall of fire. The X-Men manage to leap out of the alley and the flames pass by them and die in the streets.
The three glance back into the alleyway to see their two attackers gone. "This is Team One, we were just attacked but we're alright. The strange thing is they just attacked us and ran." said Summers into his com link.
"Probably because we're not who they're after, they just want us out of the way." came Logan's voice over the radio.
"She ran this way." said Logan before he took off running. He didn't care whether the others were keeping up, Vanessa was in trouble and they needed to find her quickly. He followed her trail around a corner and found a dead end alley with no there. Also, Vanessa's scent was gone as well.
The others quickly caught up with him. "Her scent ends here." said Logan. "Then what happened to her, did she teleport away or something?" asked Kitty. "No, her scent ends but I smell someone familiar." said Wolverine. Then Lorna sensed it, the incredibly powerful magnetic fields that began to form all around them. "It's Magneto!" yelled Logan.
Suddenly, he was hurled into the wall and pinned by an unseen force. Garbage cans were lifted into the air and hurled at them. Kitty phased through them while Kurt teleported around them and Lorna managed to create a magnetic field to hold them at bay.
A sewage line broke through the ground and opened a hole just below Kitty who fell into it. Kurt was hit by a flying metal pipe that got hit him in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious. Lorna used all her might to keep her magnetic field in place while dozens of metallic objects banged against, trying to get through.
A fire escape ladder broke off from a nearby building and wrapped around the magnetic field, squeezing it like a boa. Just as Lorna was about to collapse, the magnetic fields disappeared and the metallic debris fell to the ground.
Logan fell to the ground, freed from his magnetic hold. He quickly checked on Kurt who was starting to come to. He had a concussion perhaps but he looked okay. Lorna was exhausted and couldn't even stand. Holding that field together took a lot out of here.
Kitty phased through the ground, covered in sewage. "That magnetic jerk! I'm gonna need to shower for a week." she growled. "Why didn't he finish us off?" asked Kurt. "I don't know and I don't care. We need to get you all back to the Blackbird." said Logan.
"Chuck, looks like Magneto beat us to the girl." Logan said into his radio. "No Logan, I can still sense her nearby. She must have escaped." said Xavier. "Lorna and Kurt are in bad shape, I'm getting them back to the Blackbird." said Logan. "Understood Logan. I'll have Rogue and Storm go ahead without me, they'll be able to move much faster." said Xavier.
Scott and Spyke continued onwards following Jean. She sensed Vanessa nearby but couldn't get an exact fix on her location. Then Spyke caught a glimpse of a white haired girl running past them. "Hey wait! We're not gonna hurt you." he yelled as he chased after her. The others followed.
Suddenly, all three of them became dizzy and felt the world was spinning around. The three turned to see two mutants, Harpoon and Vertigo behind them. Vertigo was an sixteen year old girl with short green hair and was unleashing waves of psionic energy that was causing the three X-Men to feel dizzy.
The nineteen year old Harpoon smiled as an energy spear formed in his hands. He lifted it up and prepared to throw it when Summers blasted Vertigo with an optic blast. Jean shot out a telepathic wave that knocked Harpoon back and loosing his grip on the spear. It exploded once hitting the ground, nearly synching Harpoon.
Suddenly, Cain Marko without his helmet busted through a nearby wall. "Outta my way!" he yelled and charged at the X-Men. They jumped out of his way as he ran onwards towards Harpoon and Vertigo. The two got to their feet and noticed Juggernaut charging at them too late. "Ah crap." moaned Harpoon as Cain knocked them both aside and ran right through the wall.
The two of them managed to scramble away as the X-Men chased after Juggernaut. "C'mon, we've got to stop him before he causes too much damage." said Cyclops. "Why doesn't he have his helmet on?" wondered Jean. "I want to know how he can be here and Stokes County at the same time. I don't recall the Professor saying Juggernut had a twin." said Spyke.
But as soon as Juggernaut was out of sight, they lost him. Jean tried a mental sweep but couldn't find him. "Guys, I can't sense him anywhere. It's like he just disappeared." said Jean. "What is going on around here?" Scott wondered out loud.
Rogue and Storm continued moving along through the back alleys. When Rogue turned a corner, Vanessa ran right into her causing both of them to collapse on top of each other. But it was what happened next that really shocked the both of them. Nothing.
"What the…I touched her and nothing happened." said a stunned Rogue. "How is this possible? Why can't I become you?" asked a shocked Vanessa, who was crawling backwards away from them. "Wait child, it's alright. We're your friends." said Storm, trying to calm her down.
"I don't have any friends." said Vanessa. Suddenly, everyone felt dizzy and unable to stand. Behind them were Vertigo, Scalphunter, Arclight, and Harpoon. "Time to take a ride friends." said Arclight who slammed his fist into the ground, sending a seismic wave towards them.
Suddenly, Vanessa shape shifted into a young thirityish man and seemed to absorb the ground wave with his hands. She then shape shifted again, this time into Magneto. Everything metallic began to float into the air. "Ah crap, RUN!!!" yelled Scalphunter. The Marauders took off running as Magneto chase after them hurling metallic objects at them.
"Wait a minute, she's a shape shifter?" asked Rogue. "Who seems to be able to mimic one's appearance and powers as well. That would explain why Cerebro detected Juggernaut. She must be able to mimic a person down to the DNA." said Storm.
"But how come I couldn't take her powers?" asked Rogue. "I don't know. We need to go after her…" Storm started to say before suddenly a massive fist hit her. She was sent flying into a brick wall and slumped to the ground unconscious.
Rogue turned to the large fist belonged to a strange looking man. His whole body seemed to be purple along with pinkish hair. The stretched out fist seemed to shrink as it retracted back to the body. The guy reminded Rogue of the T-1000 from Terminator.
"Sorry lady but no more running." he said. Rogue dashed towards him but Gorgeous George stretched out his hand and hit her in the chest, knocking her to the ground. "As long as I don't touch your skin, I'll be quite fine." he said.
Then he grabbed an empty beer can and smashed it, pointing the now pointed end outwards. "But I don't need to touch you to kill you." said George before thrusting his fist with the can at her, planning to stab her with it.
Suddenly, a glowing object hit him in the chest and exploded. George screamed in pain as he fell back and dropped the bottle. Rogue turned to see a young eighteen or nineteen year old with straight red hair and wearing a brown trench coat. But it was his black and red eyes that caught Rogue's attention.
"Now now Georgie, didn't your mother ever teach you never to hit a lady or did she not bother knowing how stupid that silly puddy brain of yours is?" mocked the stranger with a Cajun accent. George growled and leaped at him. Gambit then pulled out a retractable metallic staff and extended both ends with a touch of a button.
The staff then glowed purple with energy and Gambit swatted George away in mid-air. The liquid-like mutant screamed as he was launched back. "Care to try your luck mon ami?" asked the Cajun, pulling out a card and charging it with energy.
"You're gonna get yours traitor." growled George before running away. Gambit put away his weapons then turned to Rogue who was still on the ground and helped her to her feet. "You alright?" asked Gambit. Rogue found herself mesmerized by Gambit's eyes, they were beautiful.
Gambit noticed this. "Do my eyes please you chere?" asked Gambit playfully. Rogue finally snapped back to reality, trying not to blush. "Uhh, thanks." she said. "My pleasure." said Gambit, smiling. Rogue turned to see Storm regaining consciousness. Then as soon as she turned back, Gambit was gone.
Wolverine managed to get the others back to the X-Jet when he heard chatter on the radio. Now that he knew what was going on, he could probably track Vanessa. "Elf, Half pint, you two stay here and watch Lorna. I'll find the girl." said Wolverine.
The Marauders ran into an empty warehouse with metallic debris and Vanessa (in Magneto form) chasing them. They were all backed into a corner. "I told you to leave me alone." growled Vanessa. "We're sorry. How about we promise never to do it again?" gulped Arclight.
"Liars!" Vanessa yelled out. All the Marauders prepared for the debris to impale them when suddenly a dart hit Vanessa in the neck. She fell to the ground unconscious and shape shifted back to her original teenage form.
Stepping into view was Sinister with a tranq gun in his hands. "Thanks boss." said Harpoon. Sinister glared at him and Arclight. "Next time you screw up this bad, you'll wish she killed you here." growled Sinister. The two underlings nodded their heads quickly.
Blockbuster picked Vanessa up when Wolverine busted into the building. "Okay bubs, hands off the girl." growled Logan, his claws extending. Sinister stared at Logan for a moment then smiled. "James? Is that you?" asked Sinister.
At the mention of that name, something clicked in Logan's mind. It was like the dots were there but he just couldn't connect them. "Who are you?" demanded a confused Logan. "You don't remember me? Oh, of course not. Colonel Wraith did away with your memory. Probably took credit for my work too." said Sinister.
"Who are you?" growled Logan, getting impatient. "I'm the one who gave you those metal bones of yours." smiled Sinister. Logan dashed forward at him. Sinister calmly raised his right hand and fired an energy blast out of it. The blast knocked Logan all the way to the wall.
"Why such anger James? As I recall, you volunteered for the procedure." said Sinister as the rest of the Marauders left with Vanessa. That last statement caught Logan off guard. "I…volunteered?" wondered Logan. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this reunion short. Goodbye James." said Sinister before walked out the exit.
Logan struggled to get up but the blast took a lot out of him. But it was Sinister's words that affect him the most. He volunteered for what happened to him? Why? Who was that man and if what he said was true, then Logan wondered what kind of person was he before his memory was wiped.
When the X-Jet got back to the Mansion, Beast was waiting for them in the Hangar. They all exited the fighter with very depressed looks. "I take it things didn't go very well." said Beast, noticing their faces. "I'm afraid we have a problem." said Xavier.
"That's an understatement." said Kurt, helping Lorna out of the jet. "We nearly got killed out there by another mutant faction." said Scott. "And they were nothing like the Brotherhood. These guys are going to be a serious problem in the future." said Jean.
Logan walked passed everyone, not saying a word. "And Logan will probably be leaving for a few days. Needs to clear his head." said Xavier. "Sounds like we all need that." said Beast.
(Did you like my little Gambit appearance? As for why Vanessa and Rogue can't affect each other through touch, well you'll have to stay tuned because she'll be back. I didn't really change the Mauraders much except Scalphunter. His mutant power is that he can assemble any machine that he can think of but I decided to change that to being to able to change machinery with a touch. I don't know when I'll be able to update next but I will try to do it as quickly as I can. Now for your preview of the next chapter, the X-Men are all bumped about Mesmero taking control of them. Well, the Brotherhood decides to cheer them up in their own special way.)