Okay, here's Chapter Six.
Chapter Six
Psyche crept through the shadowy alley, trailing the two mutants she'd seen coming out of Xavier's School for the Gifted. She'd been in the woods surrounding the school when she'd sensed an unusual number of mutants. Curious, she had gone closer to the school and seen the two mutants leaving.
She'd trailed them for almost three hours now. She didn't know what attracted her to them but she felt a need to stay on their trail until she was sure they were just kids with mutations, the same sort that she herself had.
They stopped in the park and sat down on one of the benches. Psyche settled herself in one of the trees above to watch them.
Almost as soon as she started watching them she'd realised that the boy had some sort of imagery device on him. Humans seemed to see a normal teenager and his girlfriend, enjoying the rarity of a sunny day in winter. But Psyche saw past the illusion to what was really there: a boy with blue fur, pointy elf ears, a tail, fangs and glowing white eyes.
Not that she cared about mutants. She was one herself, but she had no love for any others. No love for humans, either, beyond her pack. The small gang that she ran with in New York City. Some of them were mutants, some normal humans. She was the leader, and she'd made it clear that anyone with problems with mutants wasn't welcome.
She smiled to herself. Looking at her, nobody would think she was the leader of a dangerous city gang. She was sixteen years old and had white-blonde hair, green eyes and a pointed pixie face. She was small for her age and her clothes were always about three sizes too big, which made her the best bet for targeting middle-aged women with big purses. They always felt sorry for the skinny teenaged girl and didn't notice when Rania slipped a hundred dollars out of their pockets.
What gave Psyche the advantage over the rest of her gang was her particular power. Her name meant 'inner self' and it described her perfectly. She was able to see what was inside a person, whether they were good, evil or both, whether they meant her harm. Nobody could bluff when it came to fooling Psyche.
She sighed and kept watching the two mutants making out on the bench. Then a strong, evil mind caught her attention.
She searched for it among the confusion of Central Park on a sunny day and almost missed them. Then she saw them: a bug guy with long hair, who reminded her of a huge cat; a smaller guy with pebbly yellow-green skin who reminded her of a frog or something, and a pretty girl with long red hair and red eyes that made Psyche think of demons.
They were headed toward the two mutants on the bench. She studied them and was frightened by the evil in their minds, and the images she saw. Whoever had sent them had bad plans for the two she was watching.
She hesitated. She never gave anyone any clues as to her existence. As far as anyone outside her gang was concerned, the thirteen-year-old who had been called Michelle Dougherty was dead. In her place was sixteen-year-old gang member Psyche. Not that her parents were looking for her anymore. It had been three years. Still, some of the posters were still up and she didn't like the risk of being recognised.
Still, she couldn't just let these two be captured. She vaguely remembered what love was like, and she wanted them to experience it properly, not be prisoners of whoever sent the evil mutants. And for that, she'd break her strict code of silence.
** You two. On the bench. Yes, you. The mutants. No, don't bother looking for me, you won't find me. Get up now and get out of here, as quickly as you can. There's someone after you. **
She was impressed. Instead of looking around for the speaker, the two mutants stood up and began walking toward a stand of trees. Psyche looked for the three 'evil' mutants and was alarmed to see them speeding up.
** Hurry! They have you in their sights. **
The three 'evil' mutants were flat-out running now. Psyche leapt into the air and flew above 'her' mutants, giving them tactical advice.
** All right, they're in a blind spot now, cut left across the grass. Maybe you can lose them in the crowd. **
@ @ @
Kurt didn't know where the voice was coming from, but he knew it was another mutant and anyway, he didn't really want to find out right now.
Kitty was running beside him, trying to see their pursuers. The voice was still in his head, saying, ** okay, cut over to the petting zoo. But hurry! They're almost on you. **
Kitty gasped, "who is that? And how can they see all this?"
"I don't know, katzchen, but I think we should just trust them."
Kurt shot a glance behind him and saw the three mutants chasing them. One was a big, burly guy with long hair, one was a shorter guy wearing a wide-brimmed hat and the other was a redheaded girl. The girl didn't look too dangerous at first, but that was before he caught a glimpse of her red eyes, burning dangerously.
While they were in the crowded park Kurt couldn't 'port them away. As soon as they got to a place that was less crowded he'd be able to get them out of danger, but right now all they could do was run.
** They're going to be all over you in a matter of seconds, ** the voice told him matter-of-factly. ** I don't know if you'll be able to lose them. There's only one thing to do. Just remember, whatever you see, keep running. Don't stop, no matter what happens. **
Kurt grabbed Kitty's hand. She shot him a quick smile as they kept running full-pelt down one of the many pathways through Central Park, dodging people strolling at a more sedate pace.
Kurt glanced back again and almost stopped. Behind them was… them. Himself and Kitty, struggling to push through the crowd as the three mutants chasing them got closer.
** Don't stop, run! ** the voice roared. ** I'm using a lot of energy to create this illusion, you better make the most of it and get out of here! **
Kurt 'pathed out one question. ** Who are you? **
There was the equivalent of a telepathic chuckle. ** My street name is Psyche. Now get out of here. **
They'd reached a less crowded part of the park. Kurt pulled Kitty behind a small clump of trees and, with a BAMF, 'ported them back to the mansion.
They appeared in the grounds, near one of the back gates. Kitty asked shakily, "what the hell just happened? Why were those three chasing us?"
"I don't know, katzchen. I think we owe a lot to Psyche, whoever she is," Kurt said slowly. Kitty bit her lip. "They were after us in particular. You saw the way they came after us when we ran. That was no random thing. They were sent to capture us."
Kurt pulled her close. "They didn't. That's what matters."
"But they could have. If it wasn't for that Psyche girl, they probably would have. What could they possibly want with us?"
"I don't know."
"I think we should tell the Professor about what happened. If they were bold enough to come after us in broad daylight, in the middle of Central Park, then they just might be bold enough to attack the school."
"Ja, we should warn him. I don't think they'd go that far, but he should know about them."
@ @ @
The next morning, Scott woke up when Jean jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom. The sounds of someone being sick followed.
Scott got up and walked over to the bathroom door as she came out, wiping her mouth. "Jean, are you okay? That's the third time in a row that's happened," he said. "You aren't getting sick are you?"
"No, I'm not sick," his fiancé replied, her eyes twinkling. Scott frowned. "What is it then?"
"Can't you guess? Scott, I'm pregnant. We're going to have a baby."
Scott stared at her for a few seconds, speechless. Then he pulled her into a huge bear hug. "You're kidding! Jean, that's great. How long have you known?" he asked. She laughed and replied, "a few days. I wanted to be sure before I told you."
"When do you want to tell the others?" Scott asked her. Jean replied, "knowing the Professor he already knows, but I thought maybe we'd go out somewhere with the others, dinner maybe. Just the X-Men, for a while. I mean, it'll be pretty obvious to the students when I hit the second or third trimester but I just want it to be our friends at first."
"So we'd be looking at asking Storm, Rogue, Logan…"
Jean was surprised that Scott included Logan in the list of friends. "You want Logan there?" she asked. He shrugged. "Why not? The guy drives me crazy but he was an X-Man, and I count him as a friend."
@ @ @
Logan sat down across from Rogue. She was toying with something in her gloved hands, metal rectangles hanging from a silver chain. The dogtags he'd given her.
As he sat down, she spoke. "Logan, Ah think ya should have these back."
She held them out. He tried to explain. "Rogue, you're a great girl. And I—"
"Ya don't have to explain, Logan, Ah understand. Ah love ya, but lately Ah've been thinking it's more like ya're a big brother or a father t' me. Ah cain't expect ya t' drop everythin' an' stay here, it ain't fair of me t' expect that."
He slowly took the dogtags from her gloved palm. She asked, "how's Raptor? Ah haven't really felt like Ah should go down there, since she don't know me."
"She's recovering. She had her first day of classes today," Logan said. Rogue grinned. "Ya should celebrate. Take her an' her friend out somewhere tonight. Hell knows ya deserve a break from everythin'."
"Well, tonight's not good. We have that dinner thing Scott and Jean organised, remember?"
"Yah, I'd forgotten. Who're ya gonna ask? They said t' bring a date, cause knowin' Jean there's gonna be dancin'," Rogue said. Logan asked, "you wouldn't mind if I asked someone?"
"Why would Ah mind? Ah told ya, Logan, Ah don't think of ya that way anymore," Rogue told him. "Ah'm goin' with Bobby."
Logan stood up. "I better go see how the girls are settling in," he said. Rogue looked up at him, a worried expression on her face. "Logan, we c'n still be friends raht?" she asked. He smiled. "Of course," he assured her, before tucking the dogtags into his pocket and heading outside to find Jubilee and Raptor.
@ @ @
Damien looked at the metallic creature standing in front of him. If 'standing' was the right word. The creature was shifting all over the place, its head staying still but the rest of its body flowing across the room like water.
"Could you stop that? It's really very distracting," Damien said. The metal thing nodded assent and the various parts of its body flowed back to it until it resembled a human girl wearing a silver evening gown.
Damien was surprised. In its human form, the metal creature wasn't that bad-looking. 'She' had long silver hair, silver eyes and black skin. Pure black, like a black panther.
"The two who were traveling with Wolverine are no longer continually at his side," she said, her voice like the sound of waves hitting cliffs. "The girl lives. I have not been able to monitor any of them very closely. There are simply too many others around."
"Why don't you morph one of the others?" Damien asked impatiently. "It worked for Mystique before so it can work for you."
"Mystique merely took on the form of the ice boy to scare Rogue away from the mansion, and changed her retina to resemble that of Professor Xavier," the metal girl said angrily. "Taking on the form of another mutant for the purpose of espionage is much harder. I would have to take on memories, mannerisms and many other things. It is not an easy thing you ask me to do."
"It may not be easy, but can you do it?" Damien asked. The metal girl hissed, but nodded. "Given time to study that which I must become, I may be able to pull it off."
"All right. This is what I need you to do…"
@ @ @
Logan knocked on the door of the room the woman he'd asked to the dinner stayed in. She called, "just a minute!"
He waited. The door opened and the woman walked out. Logan's jaw dropped; this was another side of her that he hadn't seen before.
She was dressed in a long, clingy, sleeveless white evening gown that shimmered silver when she moved. Her hair was up in a French twist, with tendrils falling to frame her face. She wore a silver necklace studded with pearls.
"You look beautiful, Ororo," Logan said. Storm smiled and replied, "you don't look too bad yourself, Logan."
They went out to the driveway, where the cars were waiting. Logan smiled at Jean, who looked beautiful as always in a dark blue gown, her reddish hair elegantly piled on top of her head. Scott stood beside her, one arm around her shoulders.
He turned to Rogue and again, his jaw dropped. She was wearing a pale pink gown, white gloves and a gold necklace. Her hair was loose and rippled over her shoulders.
((What is it with women giving me so many surprises today?)) Logan wondered. First Rogue and their conversation that afternoon, then Storm, and now Rogue again.
The six climbed into the cars — Jean and Scott in the first one, and Logan, Storm, Rogue and Bobby in the second. They drove to one of those places in New York where there was a dance floor in the middle of the restaurant.
During the dinner, Jean and Scott kept making puppy-dog eyes at each other, or holding hands under the table, or kissing for no apparent reason. ((Whatever it is they have to say, it's obviously making them happy,)) Logan mused.
At the end of dinner, Scott cleared his throat. "I'm pretty sure you all know we asked to here to tell you something," he said, taking Jean's hand again. "Well, it's actually two things. The first is, we've set a date for the wedding."
He turned to Jean. "You want to say the other thing?"
She smiled. "The other thing is, we're having a baby. I'm pregnant."
Logan was almost deafened by Rogue's squeal. "You're having a baby? Congratulations!" she said happily. Scott cleared his throat again. "The wedding's going to be in four months," he said. "Logan, I know this is out of the blue but I'd like you to be my best man."
"Uh, sure," Logan said, floored by Scott's request. Jean added, "Rogue, Storm, I'd love it if you two could be my bridesmaids. We're going to ask some students to be ushers."
"How long have you known about the baby?" Storm asked. Jean replied, "a few days."
"Do you want a boy or a girl?" Bobby asked. Jean smiled at Scott and took his hand again. "I'm happy just knowing I'm having the baby of the man I love."
The dancing began a few minutes later. Logan extended a hand to Storm. "You want to dance?"
"I'm not very good," she warned him. He chuckled. "I've never danced a step in my life, so I guess we're more or less matched."
After a few songs Logan and Scott traded partners and Logan danced with Jean. Her eyes were shining happily as she danced. Logan said, "congratulations, on both counts. Scott's a good man. I think you'll be happy together."
"You have no idea how glad I am to hear that," Jean said softly. "I kept remembering how you and Scott were when we all first met, and I was hoping that this wedding wouldn't cost us your friendship."
"Scott counts me as a friend?"
"Of course. Don't you?"
"Well, yeah. Just don't tell him I said that."
@ @ @
Dreamer shot a glance at Jubilee. The other girl was sketching quietly, never looking up. Her pencil marked the paper in quick, decisive strokes as she drew.
He looked down at his paper and started to draw. Started to draw Jubilee, her head bent over her work, her black hair tucked behind her ear.
He knew that if Remy ever caught him doing this he'd be in for a lifetime of teasing, but Jubilee was just… Jubilee. There was no way to describe her.
At the end of the class Dreamer shoved his sketch into his folder and stood up. And somehow Jubilee was standing beside him, her dark eyes twinkling as she said, "hi. I'm Jubilee."
"Yah, Ah know. Ah'm Dreamer."
"That's a really cool accent, Dreamer. Do you want to go to a movie with me?"
"Wh-what?" he stammered, unsure of how they'd gotten from his accent to movies. Jubilee smiled. "Do you want to see a movie with me on Saturday?" she asked. He grinned. "Sure."
"Cool. I'll see you Saturday at six then. Bye!"
The girl left, running to catch up with one of her friends. Aura appeared a few minutes later and looked at him with raised eyebrows.
"Okay, what gives? You look like a boozer who's just been given a lifetime supply of beer," she said. Dreamer laughed. "Ya always were th' charmin' one, Aura. C'mon, let's get outta here. Ah've had enough school f t'day."
TBC. In Chapter Seven, Damien's minions finally make their move on the mansion…