Demonlrd here soooo sorry this took so long. I've been sidetracked by movies and music... plus I started working on a 'short little thing' that ended up being not anywhere near short and this chapter just didn't want to be written on paper so I had to wait till I was at my computer... Anyway, it's here now.
A million thanks plus one to Abbs of the faeries for her lovely long review, and to Archangelsredemption for his(?) two wonderful reviews (you'll get another reply at the bottom) and also to jadeDino (though I don't know if she reads this) for adding me to her Fave Author/Alert lists. You guys (and all you other readers out there in FF land!!) are the bestest!!
And now, without further ado, the next chapter of Mutie-Prison (of which I still own nothing)
Chapter 28: You've GOT to be Kidding Me…
"What the hell you talkin bout?" Logan growled.
"That guy just rushed in, hit a few buttons, and ran out. I don't know what he did, but the mansion's gonna self-destruct!" Jean explained.
"Could this day get any fucking worse?" Leigh screamed.
"It's about tah," Rogue said. "We all bout to get blown sky-high."
"Jean, call Kurt."
Jean stared at Leigh. "What?"
"We're gonna need him. And Kitty."
"But if Nikolai…"
"Dammit, woman, get your priorities straight! We can worry about my old man later, right now we gotta save the mansion."
"What's the point in saving yourselves now if you're just gonna get killed later?" Toad asked.
"If I'm gonna die, I at least wanna go down fighting." Leigh turned and walked to the door. "Not get blown up by a stupid house."
******
"Look, I've tried every password I know!" Scott yelled.
"Well keep trying!" Leigh yelled back.
"How do you people get anything done?" Wanda asked.
"Oh, dey ain't normally like dis," Remy answered.
"Yeah," Bobby answered, "they're normally worse."
"There's gotta be something we haven't thought of…" Leigh slammed her head on the control panel. They were in the mansion's security room trying to override the self-destruct command. Kurt and Kitty were moving the underclassmen into the school's emergency shelter. That was assuming something hadn't happened to them. She clenched her fists. Why was this happening? The school was about to blow, her murderous father was after all of them, stealing their powers as he went, and none of the passwords were working. Jean hadn't even been able to find something useful in what she'd taken from the man's head. They were doomed… "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"You ain't got nothin to be sorry for, sunshine." Logan walked forward and took Scott's place at the keyboard. "You just saved all our asses."
"What are you-?"
Logan cleared the 'PASSWORD DENIED' warning from the screen and typed in five letters. K-A-T-T-Y. "SELF-DESTRUCT ABORTED" the cheerful computer voice said. The mutants, X-men and Brotherhood alike, allowed themselves a brief moment of celebration. Leigh threw her arms around Logan, screaming happily.
"Yes! You are the awesomest!" She stepped back. "Alright, Jean, make sure Kurt and Kitty have all the kids in a safe place, once you're sure, Logan: reinstate the lockdown and change the password. I trust he won't be able to get in your head."
Logan chuckled as Jean closed her eyes and contacted Jean. Leigh continued acting light and cheerful while inside she was in complete turmoil. Nikolai's password had been 'Katty'? But why? Was it possible he still cared? She was in daughter after all. Or maybe he knew they'd figure it out. Maybe he was just messing with her. It was possible but… She shook her head. Dammit, she couldn't lose focus, they had a fight to win. When Nikolai was captured and laying powerless at her feet, then she'd get her answers. Now she just had to do her best to keep everyone alive.
"Kurt and Kitty got everyone into the shelter," Jean said, pulling Leigh from her thoughts. "Mikal and the professor are with them."
"Good."
Without needing to be told, Logan punched a few words into the computer. "LOCKDOWN INITIATED" the computer's sing-song voice said. Logan nodded, they were set. Time to worry about the next threat.
Leigh looked around the room. "Jean, Bobby: bar the door, we need to plan." They obeyed, Jean mentally locking the door while Bobby covered it in a thick layer of ice. That would give them some time.
She looked at the group. With the Scott and Roberto back her team was complete again. Plus they had Amara, Jubilee, Jean, Rogue, Warren, and Piotr; it was practically all the upperclassmen. Then they had the Brotherhood. She didn't know them very well, but she'd certainly heard of them: they were the bad guys. She'd been in fights against them now and again, so she at least knew their powers. She also knew they weren't much of a team. Lance and Pietro both had some kind of leader-complex, but a team can only have one leader and that left them in constant conflict. Not that it mattered, Lance was too headstrong and Pietro was too conceited. But Lance had untapped potential, she'd seen him with Kitty, when they happened to be together. He was capable of caring, he just had to stop trying to be a tough-guy and figure it out for himself. Fred and Toad were pretty much just side-kicks: one-dimensional characters just tagging along. Fred only cared about food and Toad just cared about Wanda. Wanda, the Scarlet Witch. Yes, she was their real asset. She had true power, the only problem was controlling it. Leigh didn't really know the details, but Wanda had anger issues connected to her father and a mental institute. Yeah, Leigh could relate to 'daddy issues'. But when Wanda was in control, she was unstoppable, she'd learned that first hand.
Eighteen. Her lowly group of five had grown to eighteen. It was a great change, but it would make it hard to maneuver. It also wasn't going to be easy keeping track of eighteen mutant teens. Plus, in a close range battle, their number would be their downfall. They would have to split into smaller groups. But that was risky, and Wanda was their greatest weapon, so…
"The Danger Room," she announced. They watched her as she walked briskly to the front of the group so she could address them all. "Alright, here's the plan-"
"Wait a minute!" Lance objected. "Who voted you leader?"
"Alvers…" Scott warned.
"Goddammit!" Leigh screamed, stamping her foot. "What is wrong with you people? Do you not understand lives are at stake here?" Her voice rang clear although she screamed with rage, the vines around her arms writhing and snapping in response to her agitation. "Oh yeah, you're all for mutant superiority, but what about survival? Do even give a fuck if we all die? Cause your macho bullshit is gonna get us all killed!"
Lance shrunk back under the onslaught of her power, but at the same time he felt… strange, almost drawn to her. They all felt it. Leigh's power poured off of her in waves, forcing Piotr and Bobby back towards the door, followed closely by Toad, although he wasn't conscious of why. Amara, Robert, and Alex exploded with power, basking in the light and heat while Warren, Pietro, and Jean were pulled closer. A touch from Scott brought Jean back to herself and she threw up a reinforced mental shield. Jubilee and Lance stood frozen, while Fred and Rogue remained unfazed. Logan shook his head as he took in what was happening, Way ta go, sunshine. Remy simply closed his eyes and basked in the familiar warmth.
Wanda had had enough of this. Her hands glowed as she bound Leigh's powers. Everyone visibly relaxed, freed of the oppressive energy. The plants fell from Leigh's arms and hands. She gasped for air, staring at the black haired girl standing in the center of the room.
"What- what did you do?"
Teeheehee. Now you'll have to come back even if it takes me a little while, cause you wanna know what the plan is and what'll happen when Leigh's without her powers. Mwahaha. Now don't forget the magic review button, it is a proven fact that the more people that push that button, the faster I update. Yep, it's true.
Thanks so much for reading, you guys mean so much to me,
~ Demonlrd
P.S. Archangelsredemption: Yeah, all the people gets confusing, hell, I even had to make a sticky note of who was where so I wouldn't fuck it up. Haha. And don't worry, the story has decided to write itself a sequel so even if the "happy ending" is in quotes, it'll be fine. Like I said, the ID verification was pretty much just something I made up on the spot, but whatever works right? I'm glad you're still enjoying the story, I love getting your reviews and I hope you keep reading.
