Three

Just a little bit further, Brick thought as she ran blindly through the alley way dodging trash cans trying to outpace her pursuer; One more block and I'll be safe.  The mutant's breath came in heavy gulps; she hadn't been running her usual 15 minute mile and now when she needed it most it seemed her body was rebelling.  Her legs screamed heavy with lactic acid and unwilling to go any further. As Brick slowed the footfalls behind her sped up as if it had been merely waiting for her to exhaust herself before closing in for the kill.

Screw this, Brick stopped and spun to face her enemy-there was no way she would just run away when she could stand and fight.  "Come and get me, you bastard!" She growled dropping into a fighting stance, but the alley was empty.

Straining her ears to listen for even a rustle of movement Brick scanned the alley and pushed her dark, heavy braids out of her face glad for once that her stone like skin made perspiration nearly impossible.  "Shit! I must be loosing it man…Gotta be Shade tellin' me Cypher ain't dead.  Hearing that bitch is still alive and kickin' would make anyone think ghosts are chasin' 'em."

Brick turned on her heel and began to walk out of the alley at a far more sedate pace than the one she had entered it with.  Above her a shadow disengaged itself from an overhanging fire escape landing square on the tall young woman's back.  It pulled it's hand back and the streetlights reflected off of the blade of a large knife.  Brick didn't have time to scream before it slit her throat.

Blood spurted from the wound like a waterfall-the jugular had been severed cleanly and even stone skin wasn't impervious to Adimantium.  The shadow rode Brick's body as it dropped to the ground; her life painting the alley a grisly crimson.  It watched as the girl twitched, eyes rolled back, blood lost on her dark skin.  Once Brick's body had ceased all movement the Shadow kneeled down, blade in hand.  Its work was only just beginning.  One down six more to go.  Then the real fun began.

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A small scream escaped Charles Xavier's lips as he jerked out of the grips of his dark dream that hadn't really been a dream.  Fumbling for the light switch the telepath took several deeps breaths and tried to make sense of the gruesome scene he had just witnessed-it wouldn't have been the first time for him to pick up on the extreme distress of another mutant.  Xavier was so enthralled in trying to recall every part of the dream that he didn't sense Logan's arrival until the feral mutant knocked on the door, "Chuck you okay in there?"

"Come in Logan," Xavier sat up in his bed smoothing out the tangled sheets, "Ready the Blackbird and wake the X-Men there is a mutant in danger in New York…I only hope we aren't too late."

"Too late for what Chuck?"  Logan lifted a bushy eyebrow unused to this frantic side of the usually calm, rational man.

Xavier lowered his bald head as the image of the stone skinned mutants final moments replayed in his mind; it took all of his considerable control to keep the bile from rising any further than his throat.  "I hope we can prevent some unneeded death."

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"Where the hell have you been all day?" Rogue flicked her bedside light on as Asli entered the darkened room-the Goth had sat up waiting alone since she had finally gotten Remy to retire to his own bed despite the Cajun's protests, "Curtis and the guys left hours ago."

Asli stalked to her bed and threw down the bag she had stuffed the mousy brown wig into when gathering her things from the Brotherhood house, then stood lifelessly in the middle of the room unsure how to proceed.  Her day had purged her of emotion, and now Asli just felt empty, "I needed to get out."

"With that bag of tricks of yours?" Rogue glared knowing full well that Asli didn't use her disguises unless necessary; she threw off her covers and began to stand-just in case this turned into a real fight, "Did you have a meeting and leave me out of it? Cause if you did I'm gonna be pissed!"

Closing the distance between them Asli lowered herself onto the end of Rogue's bed, "I saw Pitor and Kitty on a date."

"Awww…Shit.  Why didn't you call?" Rogue's aggressive tone evaporated making way for concern, "Remy or one of the others would have come got ya."

"I had a talk with Kitty."

It was quite a feat but Rogue managed to pale-in Rogue's mind the scenario of her two closest friends confronting each other did not end with both of them walking away, "And?"

"I told her to quit nosing around." Asli shrugged resignedly talking in a toneless voice that Rogue knew was holding back the flood of tears, "She figured it all out.  I told her to love him for me.  Then I left."

The Goth frowned wondering just where the hacker had gotten to since the fateful meeting but grateful that nothing apocalyptic had occurred.  Asli took a breath and let out the rest in a rush, "And I slept with Lance."

"What?" Rogue couldn't believe her ears, "Lance Alvers? Avalanche…Lance?"

Asli nodded a small smile brightening her face, "Yep. It was a self pity party of two until Toad walked in."

Rogue bit her lips trying to suppress the giggle that rose up-what she wouldn't have given to have seen the look on Todd's face.  The mere idea of it was too humorous for Rogue and a tiny laugh escaped.  Like a torrent laughter poured out of Rogue and it felt good to in something genuinely funny for the first time in months.  Slowly, Asli joined in until both girls were clinging to each other their faces coated with the wetness of laughter tears, their stomachs positively aching with mirth. 

"You're the only person I know who can create bigger problems for themselves than me," Rogue wiped away a few tears shaking her head.

Asli grinned widely at her roommate, "Is that why you keep me around?"

"That and the Cajun listens to you," Rogue pouted causing the girls to fall into another near hysterical laughing fit.

The distinct chime of Asli's cell phone interrupted the hilarity and she rooted through her bag and brought it to her ear.  "Cypher."

"It's Shade," Curtis' voice was clipped and absent of any emotion, "You need to get down here.  We need your help."

Rogue lifted an eyebrow in question to the identify of Asli's late night caller but the girl lifted a hand all traces of amusement deserting her face leaving it blank as stone, "What's wrong?"

"Someone's killed Brick."

"How bad it is it?"

Even Rogue could hear the deep intake of breath on the other end, "It's bad.  Bring anyone you need, we're going on a hunt. We'll be waiting at the central morgue."

He disconnected abruptly and Asli stared at the phone absently before turning to Rogue, "Go wake St. John and Remy.  We're going on a field trip."

"What will Mags think?" Rogue got up and began pulling a pair of jeans over her shorts not really caring about the answer.

Asli's face was as cold as a winter morning and just as devoid of life, "It doesn't matter."

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Scott Summers took once last glance at the address in his hand being very sure that this building really was the Central New York City Morgue.  Running an absent hand through his hair he wondered just what it was that had caused the Professor the send the team so far from home in the middle of the night.  "Kitty, Pitor why don't you come with me and we'll find out if a mutant matching the Professor's description has been brought in. Kurt you stay with the car just in case."

Grateful that they had come clad in their street clothes and not the Spandex that screamed 'Superhero' the three X-Men filed into the drab municipal building each secretly hoping not to have to view any gory remains.  Through the warrens of hallways they moved until at long last they came to the night clerk's desk.  "Excuse me?" Scott tapped the tiny bell below the sign that said 'Pleas ring for service'.

The clerk swept s chunk of lanky black hair from his tiny eyes-he looked a lot like Fred Dukes; "Can I help you Shades?"

"We thought maybe a friend of ours had been brought in," Scott began sombrely, "Black female, about twenty years old, six foot seven...really muscular…"

"You're late."  The clerk rested his hands on his rolling belly, "A bunch of your friends are already in there…they made a positive ID."

"Friends? Like who else would be here?" Kitty asked Scott furrowing her brow.

The double doors at the end of the hallway swung wide; Scott's jaw dropped-it was Rogue, Cypher and the other Acolytes with another group of mutants that he couldn't identify.   "Look it's Dudley Do Wrong and his merry men." The tallest boy snapped whipping his tail towards them.

It all clicked, two months of freedom had agreed with the captives of the government lab-they had all lost that gaunt, haunted look and filled out to their natural proportions. "What the hell do you want Summers?" Scott hadn't noticed Lance trailing just behind Cypher.

"Shut up Lance!" Kitty stomped her foot down and gave her attention to Cypher, "We like came here because the Professor had a vision."

"So you think this is another chance to spread your goodwill message amongst us heathens?" the lanky tattooed boy asked sarcastically while supporting the tiny Indian girl who could boost other mutant's powers.

Kitty frowned ready to vent her annoyance out on all of them when the blonde boy shook his head, "She tells the truth.  They just want to stop any further bloodshed."

Obviously the leader the tattooed boy turned to Cypher, "You know them what do you think?"

"I think that if Xavier is having visions and sending them running then this is worse than we thought it was."  Cypher frowned deeply ignoring the glare Scott was beaming her way, "If we say no and others get hurt…"

Gambit broke in with a smile only to be elbowed in the ribs by Rogue, "It never hurts to have too much fire power Petite."

The snake like boy put himself between Scott and Cypher breaking their eye contact and stared the X-Man leader down, "If you're helping then you'll play by our rules."

"What are those?" Pitor broke in deciding to be the voice of reason-it allowed him to focus on something other than Cypher.

The Program escapees shared a dark look but it was Cypher who answered for all of them, "When we find whatever did this there will be no police."

"We can't…" Scott began grasping exactly what the cold eyes were telling him.

Cypher lifted her hand to silence him, "No.  The cops won't care.  When we catch it we will kill it.  There's no room for mercy."

"This like isn't a war you know." Kitty sighed wishing that the fragile Cypher she had glanced in the bathroom earlier would return.

The smile that lifted the hacker's lips chilled even her fellow Acolytes but left her childhood friends untouched, "Life is a war.  You'd be best to remember that."

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Dundundun!

How's that for a cliff hanger? Sorry about the lack of Romy here…but well…no room.

Thanks Ish…But can I be a Gerbil on Krac instead?

Thanks AnimeAddicted for the review…glad you liked it.