Okay. I used to watch the comic version of X-Men, and I seem to remember Rogue, Scott and Logan meeting Kurt in a German monastery where the monks were mad because Rogue was a girl, not in a circus like people seem to think. I don't know which way is right, but I'm going with the German monastery just 'cause it's more fun.
Also, this is set just after X-Men: The Movie. Logan is off somewhere, but rest assured he will be in this fic. I love him too much to leave him out.
Disclaimer: I don't own them. I'd like to, but I don't. I own Dreamer, Aura, Raptor and Sabrina. If you for some weird reason want to use them, ask me first.
Author's Note: this is the first story in a possible trilogy or saga, depending on my Muse. Review it for me, please, so I can tell whether people like what I'm writing. Feedback is always good.
Dark Rising: Call Of The Night
Chapter One
Deep in the heart of Germany there was a large monastery. The monks had always lived a peaceful, holy life that was untouched by the evils that plagued the Western world.
However, their holiness was somewhat tarnished by the presence of the blue demon. There were some among them who would gladly kill it, but Brother Ethaniel was not such a man. He knew that the blue demon, no matter how strange it was, was a creation of God and must be treated so, like all other creatures.
Brother Ethaniel was, at heart, an honest, kind man. He respected other humans and was less judgmental of mutants than some of the people he'd met. He was, essentially, an accepting man.
But even he had trouble accepting what stood in front of him.
A man wearing a rose-coloured visor over his eyes, obviously one of the 'mutants' that those foolish Americans had been prattling about two months ago. He wasn't the problem. Brother Ethaniel had nothing against mutants as long as they didn't harm people. No, the man, even if he was a mutant, was not a problem. His companion was.
She was young, in her mid teens. Very pretty, though Brother Ethaniel had long since disregarded females as anything but friends. Her long brown hair had a streak of white and she wore gloves.
"Th-there has never been a woman in a monastery," Brother Ethaniel spluttered. "It would tempt the monks of lesser will!"
"Brother Ethaniel, we won't be here for long. We just want to look around, see if there's anyone who might be—" the man began. Brother Ethaniel interrupted.
"Blessed with individuality, yes, you told me before that you were looking for mutants. Very well, if you will not be staying long then follow me. I will show you around."
He turned and led the two across the stone courtyard. Rogue glanced around and shivered. The man noticed and asked, "there a problem, Rogue?"
"Ah don't know, Scott. Ah cain't help but feel we're bein' watched."
Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched. White eyes followed their movements from the dark tower above the courtyard, a blue tail lashed behind the watching figure. A three-fingered hand rested against the stone wall as the figure took a step forward, curious about the newcomers.
Rogue still felt eyes on her and looked up at the tower that overlooked the courtyard. She saw a shadowy figure dart back into the darkness and turned to Brother Ethaniel.
"Brother, who lives in that tower?" she asked, pointing. Brother Ethaniel looked surprised and mildly afraid.
"That is where the blue demon lives, miss. Many of the brothers are afraid of him. He has caused us no harm, but he is uncanny to look upon; he has the form of a human, but he is covered in blue fur. His ears are pointed, like the elves in tales, his hands have but three fingers and he has a tail. I do not know what to make of him."
He noticed the look Rogue shot at Scott. "You think he may be blessed with individuality? One of these 'mutants' that you seek?"
"He might be," Scott said. "Is there a way we could talk to him?"
"Nobody has ever tried before. Myself and some of the other brothers leave food out at night, when he roams around the monastery while we sleep. Brother Rudy seems to think he watches over us as a watchdog would, although there is no doubting his intelligence. I suppose of you were to wait in the courtyard at night he might speak with you."
So later that evening, as the sun sank below the horizon, Rogue and Scott waited in the courtyard. When the sun finally disappeared and everything was dark, Rogue looked back up at the tower.
Two white eyes looked back at her from the shadows. She smiled and made a welcoming gesture. Scott followed her gaze and waited.
The white eyes vanished.
Expecting the 'demon' to come from one of the doors to the courtyard, they all jumped when a 'BAMF' echoed in the courtyard and, in a cloud of smoke that smelled of sulphur and brimstone, the 'demon' appeared in front of them.
Brother Ethaniel had been right. The figure standing in front of them was entirely covered in blue fur; the parts of him they could see, anyway. He wore faded pants and not much else; Rogue could see the muscles of his upper body rippling under blue fur. A tail waved behind him as he regarded them with white eyes, his head slightly to the side, reminding Rogue of a curious cat.
"Hi. Ah'm Rogue, and this is Scott," she said, extending her hand. The blue-furred boy… how old was he? He didn't look old, in his teens maybe… slowly took her hand in his own three-fingered one and said, in heavily accented English, "I am Kurt. Why are you here? We don't see Americans often, much less beautiful American girls."
"We're here to look for mutants," Rogue said, slightly flustered by his compliment. He nodded. "Ja, and it appears you have found one. What do you want with me?"
Scott explained about the School for the Gifted, a refuge for mutants. Rogue asked, "don't ya ever get tired of bein' called a demon and bein' feared?"
"Ja, there are times I wish it wasn't so. Why? Is that why you came, to take me to this school of yours?"
"We came to ask if you want to come," Scott said, emphasising the word 'ask'. Kurt looked at him silently for a few minutes, then said slowly, "I have to admit this isn't the best of homes. Half the men here think I am a demon, sent by Satan, and the other half don't know what to think. But it is my home. Am I supposed to just leave?"
"We won't make ya come with us. But Ah wish ya'd—"
Rogue was cut off by the shouts that came from the monastery. A group of men were approaching them, brandishing torches, pitchforks and other makeshift weapons. Two men held the body of a pretty blonde girl, her fair skin marred by scratches and her throat slit.
"This is the work of the demon!" one of the men shouted. "Nobody could touch a witch but a demon. It must be destroyed before it harms any more of our families!"
Kurt shot a quick glance at Rogue and Scott. "I didn't kill that girl," he said. "I don't even know who she is."
"Scott, if he stays here they'll kill him," Rogue said. Scott nodded tensely. "I know. I just don't see how we can get past so many people."
An elderly monk with grey hair and a long beard pushed past the mob and walked up to Kurt. His green eyes were sad.
"My son, you must leave this place. If you remain and these men get their hands on you, I will not be able to help you."
Rogue watched as Kurt bowed his head, mutely accepting what the old man said. He and the man embraced quickly, then the monk hobbled back to the monastery and Kurt turned to Rogue and Scott.
"I will come with you."
@ @ @
Remy LeBeau grinned at his two friends, Daniel "Dreamer" Whitlock and Kristin "Aura" Langley. They were standing in front of a jewelry store. Dreamer shook his head. "No way. This is too much, even f' ya, LeBeau."
"Care t' make a wager on dat, mon ami?"
"I learned not ta wager with ya long ago, Remy. We gonna stand 'round yappin' all naht?"
Aura sighed and brushed her long red-and-green-striped hair away from her eyes. "Look, guys, you two can have a battle of testosterone later. If we stay here much longer someone's gonna notice and call the cops on us."
Dreamer turned gold eyes to her. "Aura's got a point. But Ah'd smell cops a mahle away. Long as they're only humans, Ah c'n track 'em."
Across the street, a man wearing a trench coat and a wide-brimmed hat shadowing his yellowy-green face watched the three teenagers intently. Confirming that these were the ones he'd been sent to look for.
Dreamer was the obvious leader. He was a few years older than Aura, and about the same age as Remy, though no older than seventeen or eighteen. His short, spiky hair was dark blue and his eyes were gold. During the few hours Toad had watched, he'd only smiled twice, at some remark Aura made.
Aura was about sixteen. She had long red-and-green striped hair that she'd pulled back into a ponytail and pink eyes, like a white rabbit. She laughed a lot and seemed not to notice the stares her odd colouring earned. When she did, she merely raised her eyebrows and made the passerby feel as if it was them who looked different.
Remy was midway between tall and short. His auburn hair was longish and fell into eyes that were red on black. He spoke with a heavy Creole accent and flicked a deck of cards between his hands while he and his friends contemplated the lock on the jewelry-store door.
Toad nodded to himself. These were the three he was after. Daniel Whitlock, Kristin Langley and Remy LeBeau. The guy who'd hired Toad, Mystique and Sabretooth as extra backup had told them that these three had some of the most interesting powers he'd seen since he'd watched the girl called Rogue, now one of the X-Men.
Toad hissed at the very thought of the X-men, then suppressed his anger. The job was what mattered, not past grievances. Though from what Damien had said, he'd have his chance at revenge soon enough. Right now he had to follow these three and make sure they stayed alive long enough for Damien's machine to be completed.
He continued studying the teenagers. Street kids, both of them. They'd been living in New York for three months according to Damien. Apparently they'd met when they were much younger, in an orphanage. A boy from New Orleans, one from France and a girl from Georgia.
A guy who looked like he'd give Sabretooth a run for his money sidled up to Toad. "You I.D'd them?" the muscleman asked. Toad nodded. "They're the ones. Now what?"
"Now we wait," Dusk replied. "Damien wants us to follow them, make sure they stay alive. If they get hurt, fine. Just not killed."
Toad recalled Damien's parting words — "don't kill them. Scare them by all means, hurt them if it makes you happy. But if even one of them comes back dead I will make you wish you were with Magneto in his little plastic prison."
Back across the street, Dreamer sniffed. "Ah c'n smell cops," he said. "An' a few mutants, but mainly cops. We better scoot."
They left the front of the jewelry store and ducked into a nearby alley, cutting through to Central Park. As they walked across the grass, Dreamer frowned. "Ah'm still gettin' scent from a mutant. Someone's followin' us," he said. Aura smirked. "No offence, Dreamer, but why would anyone follow us? Nobody cares what happens to us."
"That's not true," a soft female voice said. The three teenagers whirled around and looked at the woman standing behind them.
She was pretty, with reddish hair and a gentle smile. She continued, "I care what happens. Because I'm like you, a mutant. Have you heard of Xavier's School for the Gifted?"
Dreamer raised his eyebrows. "A school f' 'gifted' kids. 'N'other words, a preppy private school. Ya wanna tell us what that has ta do with us?"
"It's not just a school, it's a refuge for mutants," the woman said. "I know the Professor would like to meet you three. Why don't you come for a few days, see if you like it? If not, you can always leave."
The three street kids still looked skeptical. Jean smiled to herself and pulled the trump card. "You'll have food and a warm bed, at least."
Remy, Dreamer and Aura exchanged glances. Then Dreamer looked back at the woman. "We'll come."
@ @ @
Two girls walked down the street at dusk. Both were pretty, both had straight dark hair and white skin. Apart from that they were opposites.
One of the girls wore bright yellow, even down to bright yellow boots. She had the look of a typical teenage teenybopper mall-rat, right down to the bags from the Gap and Body Shop.
The other girl was taller and wore tight black Spandex pants, a black leotard, black leather boots and a black leather jacket. She gave off a vibe of independence, toughness, a vibe that said "don't touch me, don't even think of trying to take advantage of me or I'll do very painful things to your face."
The shorter girl looked up at her friend again, frowning at the bruise on one cheekbone. "For god's sake, Raptor, you can come stay with me for a few days if you want. My parents won't mind. I think you should get away from Richard for a while."
Raptor shook her head fiercely. "No, Jubilee. He gets worse when I leave. If I went away I'd just be in for a bigger beating when I got back. At least this way he's not as bad."
"Rap, maybe we should call the cops. He shouldn't keep hitting you. I mean, he's your foster-father! He's supposed to protect you, not hurt you."
"No! It's not his fault Jubes, he doesn't know what he's doing when he's drunk. I'll deal with it," Raptor said urgently.
They turned down an alley, taking the shortcut to Raptor's house. At the door, Jubilee hugged her friend. They air-kissed and Raptor went inside.
Almost immediately, Jubilee could hear Richard start yelling. Then came the sound of a fist on flesh, and a pained cry. Smothering tears, Jubilee ran for her house.
Several hours later, her mobile rang. She picked up sleepily and said, "hunh?"
"Jubes?"
The voice was muffled and choked with tears. Jubilation frowned. "Rap? That you?"
"Jubes, I gotta get away. You were right before, I can't take this. I don't know what got into him tonight, but I can't stay. Meet me in the alley?"
"Sure, Rap. I'll see you in a few minutes."
Jubilee hung up and quickly got dressed. She slipped outside and waited in the alley.
A few minutes passed before Raptor showed up, carrying a duffel bag. She was wearing Spandex pants and a leotard, but they were different to the ones she'd been wearing before. These were still black, but the pants had silver streaks down one leg and the leotard had a red heart across the chest. She was sobbing and holding her wrist.
"Raptor?"
When the light from the streetlight hit Raptor's face, Jubilee gasped. Raptor's face was a mass of bruises and cuts, some still bleeding freely. Her right eye was swelling and turning black-and-blue, and her black hair was matted with blood. Her left wrist looked like it might be broken.
"C'mon, Rap, let's get outta here," Jubilee said, putting her arm around her friend's shoulders. Raptor sniffled and said, "I'm not going back, Jubes. I don't care what happens, I'm not going back to that bastard."
"Where are you gonna go?" Jubilee asked. "You know my place is the first place he'd look."
"I don't know, Jubes. I'm just gonna hitch upstate, maybe go to New York. I got a few friends I can stay with there, at least until I turn eighteen."
Jubilee hesitated, then said, "I'm gonna come with you. It'll be fun! Just come to my place and let me pack a few things."
Raptor smiled slightly, despite the discomfort of her bruised face. "You really want to Jubes?"
"Hell yeah! Who knows, maybe we'll meet a cute truckie who'll give us a lift," Jubilee giggled. Raptor laughed softly.
They went to Jubilee's house. Raptor cleaned up her cuts while Jubilee threw some things in a bag, including about a thousand dollars in cash. Then she shouldered the bag, scrawled a note to her parents and said, "let's hit the road."
She burst into giggles again. "Sorry. Always wanted to say that. Come on, let's get going."
@ @ @
Sabrina Hunter riffled through her locker, looking for her chemistry textbook. She heard footsteps approaching her, which stopped beside her, and she stifled a groan. ((Great. The last thing I need is Ryan Lopez making some snide remark about me.))
"Sabrina! I appear to have mislaid some entrails, you wouldn't happen to know where they are would you?"
Sabrina turned to face the boy who insisted she was a witch. "Gee, Ryan, I don't know, have you tried up your ass?"
She turned and stormed down the hall, ignoring the gasps from other students. She was used to people calling her a witch, used to all the snide remarks and people asking her for potions to turn someone into a frog. That didn't mean she liked it.
"Wow, you look pissed," a guy called. "What happened, you lost your broomstick?"
She ignored him, her anger building up. She forced herself to contain it.
"Everyone knew your mother was a witch. Like mother like daughter huh Sabrina?"
Sabrina spun around and glared at the girl who'd spoken. "What did you say?"
"I said your mum was a witch. Everyone knows. And you're a little witchy slut just like her."
Sabrina felt pressure building behind her eyes as she tried to contain her anger. Then a girl threw a piece of fruit at her. "Go away, witch! We don't want you here!"
She snapped. Her eyes flew open and beams of light lanced from them toward the girl who'd thrown the fruit at her. Luckily for the girl, the beams missed and blew a hole in the wall.
The beams vanished, but Sabrina's one-blue eyes were now glowing red, as if they were lit by lasers. She spoke in a voice that sounded like it had been run through a synthesiser.
"Never say anything about my mother again."
A calm, cool woman's voice interrupted. "All right, students, please go to your classes. I'll take care of things here."
Sabrina whipped her head around and glared at the African-American woman walking toward her. The other woman's long white hair crackled with electricity, and Sabrina blinked at the sight of another mutant.
Not that she was 'seeing' as people knew it. With her eyes the way they were, colour was nonexistent. Outlines were undefined, but heat was visible in ultra-violet shades. Every movement the other woman made seemed slower than it really was, though Sabrina's reflexes weren't changed.
"Sabrina, my name is Storm. I'm from Professor Xavier's School for the Gifted. I'd like you to come there."
"Why?"
"Because there are people like us there. Mutants who understand what it's like to be a mutant. I think you'd fit in there."
Sabrina considered this, letting her eyes go back to normal. A strand of hair fell in her face and she smiled. Her blonde hair was as soft and bright as if it had just been conditioned. ((Maybe using my power automatically gives me a good hair day,)) she mused. She looked up at Storm.
"All right. I'll come."
TBC. In the next chapter, Logan! In a truck with two girls! And a metal thing! (Don't worry, it's nothing bad.) Also, Kurt, Remy, Dreamer, Aura and Sabrina come to the mansion.