Demonlrd here feeling too lazy to write and intro. So thanks a million to my wonderful reviewers (you know who you guys are and you know I love you ^.^) and I still own nothing that I don't own. Now here are answers (as promised)

Chapter 25: Tell Me What You Know

The group sat in Professor Xavier's office, watching the professor intently. They'd turned off the lights and Bobby had frozen the door and windows, keeping Nikolai out, but still allowing for escape. The younger students were moved downstairs to the med-labs and Danger Room with Storm and Beast watching over them. The group of older students upstairs was in their uniforms and ready to go.

Professor Xavier opened his eyes. He'd been collecting what little Jean and Rogue had managed to gleam from the man's mind and adding it to what he had learned. it wasn't much but, added to Leigh's personal experience with the man, it was enough.

"He's a mutant hunter," he explained emotionlessly. "It's been his passion for over twenty years. Normally, he makes no distinction in his kills, but when he learned his daughter was a mutant, finding and killing her became his obsession. And this situation is too perfect for him to pass up. His main target in a mansion full of mutants. No matter what we throw at him, he will never give up."

Leigh froze. Her head spun. 'He will never give up.' He would keep attacking her loved ones, because she was there. Even if he got her, he'd still go after them. It was hopeless… They'd have to fight him, kill him. She blinked out of her morbid musings, Logan and Remy each had a hand on her shoulder. Her team gathered close around her (even Scott), with Kurt, Warren, and Jean close by. Even Piotr, Rogue, and Kitty took a few hesitant steps forward.

Leigh stood up straighter and stared forward, eyes hard, steeling herself for the fight to come. Yes, they would fight. It would not be easy, but they would win. They had to.

"What else can you tell us?" she asked.

"Well, when the mutants he hunted became more and more powerful, he realized he would need to be stronger to defeat them. He began taking MHG…"

"MHG?" Bobby asked.

Logan growled. "Mutant Growth Hormone."

"It enhances a mutants powers," the professor explained, "or gives ordinary humans mutant abilities."

"But at a price."

"Yes. Leigh, it would seem your father had a repressed X-gene and the drug helped it develop."

Leigh snorted. "Of course he did. It's called karma."

"Yes. He became that which he hated in order to destroy that which he hated. His mind is truly a dark and disturbing place…" Professor Xavier sighed. "But he is now able to copy a mutants power simply by being near them. What's worse is that he is able to retain those powers. Kurt, Kitty, I would like you to stay downstairs with the younger students."

"But, Professor!" Kurt's hand reflexively flicked out towards Leigh.

"Please, if he were to obtain either of your powers we would be unable to stop him coming and going as he pleased."

Kurt's tail drooped and he dejectedly 'ported away.

"This is, like, so unfair." Kitty phased through the floor.

"So this guy's a shape-shifter, he makes astral projections, an' he's got Colossus and Beast's powers?" Logan groaned. "This ain't gonna be easy…"

"Plus he got Rogue's power," Roberto added.

"Shit!!" Everyone stared at Leigh. "He touched Dr. McCoy! While he had Rogue's power!" They all realized it simultaneously.

"He has Beast's memories!!"

As if awaiting their cue, all the lights switched on and the metal plates covering the doors and windows retracted. "LOCKDOWN ABORTED," the cheerful computer voice announced.

"Scott!" the professor yelled. "You and Jean get down to the control room, change all the passwords. Go! Now!"

"Scott," Leigh grabbed his arm, "remember, he was near the professor and Jean, he might try to read your mind. Tell the password to no one. Talk to no one. And whatever you do stay together!!"

Scott nodded and took off down the hall with Jean.

"Piotr!" Leigh whirled to face him. The adrenaline made her brain race, showing her all the possibilities like a crazed slide-show. "You and Rogue get downstairs and tell Storm and Beast what happened. Get everyone out of the Danger Room and into the med-rooms. Put them on lockdown using your own codes. He already has your powers so if he finds you you won't be helping him."

"How are we supposed ta know it's Beast and Storm?" Rogue asked.

"Touch them. Just a millisecond should be enough. Make sure Kurt and Kitty know to be on high alert. And do not separate, he could be anywhere…"

Piotr nodded, already in his metal form, he took Rogue's hand and they raced down the hall, following Scott and Jean's trail.

"Warren…" She stared at the angel for a moment. "I hate sending you out alone…"

"I can fly!" To prove his point, Roberto powered up and hovered.

"Good, Roberto, go with Warren. You two are reconnaissance. Fly around, see if he's still outside. If you find him DO NOT fight him, understand me?" She grabbed Roberto's collar. "I know you wanna be a hero, but you know what a hero is? Someone who gets other people killed. You can look it up later. (1)" She let him go. "If you do find him, come back here and tell the professor, he'll let us know. Do not separate." She smiled at Roberto, one of her youngest team-mates, her WoW partner, the over-achiever. "And be safe."

Roberto smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. Angel crossed the space between them in two quick steps and hugged her, closing his wings around her. In the comforting blanket of his wings, Leigh felt safe and relaxed. But she pushed him away. It wasn't really her he was interested in. If she had a normal power like any of the other girls, he wouldn't even know she existed.

Surprisingly, he got the hint and let go, taking off out the window. Roberto followed hot on his heels.

"As for the rest of you…"

She turned and faced her team. Bobby: so young and immature, the joker, but honest and faithful, you could always count on him to come through when you needed him. Alex: quiet and insecure, still not quite sure of his place, a surfer not a fighter, laid-back yet determined, willing to accept any challenge, never a quitter. Logan: stubborn and gruff, a loner, haunted by his past, like the father she never knew she wanted, a fighter, yet gentle and protective. Remy: a laid-back womanizer devoid of morals, doesn't work well with others but had finally found his place on the team, charismatic, strong, level-headed and stubborn, she could always rely on him.

This was her team. This was what she had to work with. Roberto and Scott would fulfill their assignments, she didn't have to worry about them. She had to figure out what to do with this bunch. Five mutants… She just hoped they would be enough.

"The rest of you are with me. We're the only organized team this place has right now so it's up to us. First things first, we have to rally the underclassmen, find their fighters…"

"Amara and Jubilee," Bobby said without hesitation.

Alex nodded. "And Ray."

Leigh nodded decisively. Jubilee she only knew by reputation, but it was good enough. Amara was a little to shy and a little too down, but Leigh knew her, the girls' earth-based powers and dependency on their mediums had given them something to bond over. And when necessity called for it, Amara was a good fighter. She would do… Ray, AKA Beserker, seemed a little immature, but all the New Recruits were like that. He was powerful, that much was certain, and in this fight power might be more important than discipline. But it was only three more fighters… would it be enough?

"Professor, do you have any way of reaching the Brotherhood?"

The others recoiled.

"The Brotherhood? Are you nuts?" Bobby yelled.

"Keep your voice down," she snapped. "Do you really think the five, at most eight, of us can do this alone? This affects all the mutants of Bayville, not just us."

"Then send Beserker to get the morlocks! Anything but the Brotherhood," Alex argued.

"Yes, we'll send Beserker, but we can't send him alone and that brings us down to six… and we have no guarantee the morlocks will come…"

"Why-"

Remy cut Bobby off by slamming his staff on the desk. "Assez! While ya'll are standin' round arugin' wi' Leigh, da enemy is makin' 'is move!"

"The Cajun's right," Logan agreed. "Sunshine here knows what she's doin' so listen up and follow orders!"

The younger boys shook, startled and terrified by the outbursts.

Leigh nodded to herself. "Yes… Beserker and Storm will go to the morlocks… The Brotherhood… Lance will come for Kitty, they're together again… Fred maybe… Tabitha will come…"

"I'm sorry, Leigh." She turned, pulled from her planning. "Nikolai wasn't lying, the Brotherhood house is empty. He didn't do anything to them, they just… vanished."

"Shit…" She bit her lip. "We'll have to make due and hope the others get back soon…"

"So, what do we do now?" Alex asked hesitantly, casting a fearful glance at Logan and Remy.

"We wait for our cue."

Kurt 'ported into the room, yellow eyes wide with panick. "The Danger Room! It's gone nuts! There are still kids inside!"

"And that's our cue."

(1) If anyone can tell me where that's from you will be my favoritest person ever. (or one of them at least)

So yeah, that's chapter 25. So press the magic review button and lemme know what you think cause I'm feeling very unmotivated right now...
Thanks,
~ Demonlrd