Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

The elevator started up. Everyone turned to face it, expecting the huge monster to be there, but when the gate went up, it was only Joe.

"Hey, Joe." Macleod started towards the new arrival. "Did you find out anything about the big monster?"

He grinned. "As a matter of fact, I did." He opened a folder in his hand and read from it. "It is called the Dark One. It is an extremely powerful demon that is damn near impossible to kill. The only way to kill it is whomever delivers the final blow has to have something called the Amulet of Light on their person. Now, the Watchers haven't heard of anything called the Amulet of Light, but I did some digging, and I found out that it is at the Seacouver Museum."

"No problem. Gambit get de Amulet." Gambit suggested.

"Who?" Asked Richie.

"Dat's me. I'm called Gambit."

"Why?"

"It my codename. We all got one, 'sept Rogue, who don't seem to have a nom vrai."

"And me." Jubilee added. "I don't have a codename."

"Why? Why do you need codenames?" Macleod jumped in.

"We are, in a sense, super heroes." Rogue said. "We see wha' happens t' our brother an' sister mutants, an' we fight t' pr'tect them."

"From who?" Amanda asked.

"De humans dat hate an' despise us." Gambit answered.

"So, you're super heroes?" Richie was trying to get it all straight in his head. "And you have codenames? What are the rest of you called?" He looked at Betsy and Logan.

"I'm Psylocke." Betsy said. She looked at Logan.

"I'm Wolverine." Logan extended all six of his claws at once and looked straight at Richie with a look that said, "don't mess with me, kid. You'll regret it." Richie just stared back. Wolverine retracted his claws.

"So, there's Gambit, Rogue, Jubilee, Psylocke, and Wolverine." Macleod listed them all. He looked at Wolverine. "What kind of super hero name is Wolverine?" Logan growled at him, and clenched up his fists again. "On second thought, it's a perfect name." Logan relaxed. Jubilee grinned. She liked it when Wolverine acted like that, all tense and feral, but not actually doing anything.

"This is all well and good, to have names and say you can fight, but until I have proof that you are super heroes, I'm going to stay far away from you, and hope the Dark One doesn't come after me." Methos said, going over to the kitchen area.

"You didn't see the way they fought the Dark One." Macleod said as Joe went over to the sitting area and took a chair.

"So, what's your name?" Joe asked Jubilee, who had returned to looking at the stuff on the coffee table. She looked up at him when she realized he was talking to her.

"I'm Jubilee. Who are you?"

"I'm Joe Dawson. I own the bar your friends helped save this evening." He glanced back to where Methos and Macleod were still talking, then asked her, "How did you get to know the others, Logan, Remy and Betsy?"

"And Rogue. Don't forget Rogue."

"Of course."

"I met them at the school they teach at."

"They're teachers?"

"Yeah."

"What do they teach?"

"They teach mutant kids how to control their powers. Which, if you think about it, is ironic, 'cause Wolvie and Rogue can't control their own powers. Also, since we aren't welcome at regular schools they teach us math and junk too."

Joe noted how Jubilee called Logan "Wolvie". She must be very close to him. From what he had seen of the man called Wolverine, he couldn't imagine too many people being close enough to him to call him "Wolvie".

"What are their powers?"

"Well, Wolvie heals, and he can see and smell real well, and he has the claws, but those aren't really part of his powers. Well, they are, but they aren't and it would take forever to explain it to you. Rogue can't touch people, 'cause she sucks up their memories and abilities, and if she touches a mutant, she takes their powers. She stole the ability to fly and super strength from someone else, so she has those permanently now."

"I'll make sure not to touch her. What about Psylocke and Gambit?"

"Psylocke is telekinetic, and she can create a sword out of energy, and Gambit charges things so they explode. They turn into grenades, technically."

"Interesting." Joe commented. "What about you? Are you a mutant?"

"Yeah, I'm a mutant. I create pyrotechnic fireworks.

He thought for a second, then asked, "Are you a super hero too?"

"No, not really, at least not yet. And they're called the X-Men."

"Why the X-Men?"

"They were named after the X-Factor in their DNA, by Professor Xavier. He runs the Institute for Higher Learning, and created the X-Men."

"Oh." Joe said, as if he understood, which, of course, he didn't. "So, is the school in Seacouver? I've never heard of it."

"No, the school is in New York. Well, not in New York, it's in the suburbs of New York."

"That may explain why I've never heard of it." Then the realization of what she said hit him. "You live in New York? That's all the way across the country! Why are you here?"

"Um, because Professor Xavier sent us."

"Why?"

"Because he learned about something that he was curious about and he wanted us to check it out."

"That's it?"

"That's it." She looked up at him. "What, you think that Professor X knew about the Dark One and all you guys and wanted us to help you kill it off?"

"I don't know. I don't know what Xavier would send you all the way across the county for, so I don't know what to think."

"He sent me and Gambit and someone else all the way to Genosha because he was curious, and he sent Wolvie and Gambit along with some others into space because he was curious, so, sending us all the way across the country is nothing."

"I guess so." Joe said, as Wolverine came over and sat down on the couch behind Jubilee. He rubbed her hair,

"So, what ya been talking about?"

Jubilee looked up at him, "I was just telling him about the X-Men, and all I know about why we're here, which isn't very much."

"So," Joe asked Wolverine. "What do I call you, now that I know you as Wolverine and as Logan?"

"Pick one. I don't know, and I don't care. Just as long as ya don't call me 'Hey you'."

"You don't have a preference?"

"Nope. I've been called both equally as much as the other. They're both my name, unlike Rogue, who, as far as we know, doesn't even have a real name."

"She doesn't have a real name?" He glanced at her.

"If she does, she's never told us what it is. She won't even tell Gumbo."

"Who?"

"That's my name for Gambit. It suits him, don't ya think?"

"Depends. Is he from Louisiana?"

"Can't ya tell?"

"I'm very bad with accents." Joe admitted.

"Nobody's perfect." Logan grinned.

Meanwhile, by now the others in the kitchen had finally gotten back to how to kill the Dark One.

"We have to figure out how to get into the Museum, and take the Amulet." Macleod reminded everyone, as he was pouring coffee for everyone. "I'm assuming Jubilee probably won't want coffee, right?"

"Prob'ly not." Rogue leaned across the counter to get a cup. She took a sip before continuing. "Gambit can get th' Amulet."

"You said that before." Macleod handed Gambit a cup. "Why do you say that?"

"B'cause, Gambit part o' de T'ieves Guild in N'Awlins. Gambit de bes' dere is. Gambit been stealin' t'ings since he was a boy."

Amanda glared at him, "Boy, you are nothing compared to me! I've been stealing for a living since the middle ages! Long before you and your mutants were dreamed up by the cosmos. However... I think we could work something out."

"Amanda…" Macleod warned.

"What? Macleod, it's perfect. Gambit and I case the Museum tomorrow when it opens, and tomorrow night, we steal the Amulet. Easy as pie."

"I've seen Gambit work," Psylocke added. "And if you're anywhere near as good as him, Amanda, we have nothing to worry about."

"Dere. We have a plan. Amanda an' I steal de Amulet tomorrow night, den we kill de Demon de day after dat. Perfec'."