Okay, people, here's the next chapter.
Chapter Nine
Sabrina stared at the blonde woman standing in front of her. "Mother?"
Kylie Hunter nodded, smiling. "That's right, sweetie. It's me."
Sabrina frowned. "How long have you known I was here?" she asked. Kylie replied, "we didn't know it was you, Sabrina. Do you have any idea how many blonde girls there are in New York, or even at that school of yours? Dusk confirmed that you were my daughter when he did the blood tests for each of you."
Sabrina touched the crook of her elbow where there was a small puncture mark. She said, "you work with Damien, don't you Mother?"
"Yes, sweetie. I'm not going to give you a sob story or anything. One of his agents approached me back home when you were thirteen and explained a few things. I decided that, for your own safety, I should leave. I didn't know you'd inherited my mutant genes," Kylie said. "The people in Broome knew that I was a mutant and several of them hated the very idea of living with a mutant. So I left and had you sent to my sister Sally, where I'd hoped you'd be safe. Unfortunately, it seems your mutant abilities are as unpredictable as my own were."
Damien smiled and took a step to stand beside Kylie. "Some of my servants trained your mother to use her powers to the fullest, and we included some other aspects in the training. If you'd like to remain here with us, I can arrange the same for you. You'd learn how to control your powers, how to fight, everything."
Sabrina looked from Damien to her mother. "I'd be with you, Mother?"
"Of course, darling."
She sighed. "I just don't know. Xavier and his people were good to me, but… I hate that Aura girl. She has everyone there twisted around her little finger. It's sickening."
She looked at Damien. "Are you going to kill them?" she asked. He shrugged. "Certainly not at first. Later, perhaps, if they annoy me. Of course, I can't guarantee that the Southern girl and the blue boy will even survive the demonstration I gave you."
"Well. That would be a shame," Sabrina said. "Rogue's power is very interesting. I'd hoped she'd survive so I could study it with you."
"Then you'll join us?" Damien asked. Sabrina grinned. "I have to admit, this seems more my thing than being an X-Man, or even just a good little girl at Xavier's school. Besides, my mother seems to think I'd do better here. Who am I to argue with that?"
Damien smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, Sabrina. And, since your mother is virtually my second-in-command, that gives you a very high position here. I think it's time you meet some of the underlings."
Sabrina snorted. "Underlings? You make them sound like little winged monkeys or something."
Kylie chuckled. "You always did have an odd sense of humour, Sabrina."
"No, I've just seen The Wizard Of Oz too many times. That movie is so fake. Like a witch would melt because she got wet. How's she supposed to take a bath?"
She looked down at her clothes and wrinkled her nose. "Is there any chance I could get a new wardrobe? Aunt Sally dressed me in posh-girl clothes all the time and I don't think that goes with the whole bad-ass image. You don't picture a chick in a private school uniform when you think 'evil bitch'."
Damien laughed. "Welcome to my big, extended family, Sabrina. I think you'll fit in just fine."
@ @ @
Storm, Logan and Scott had gotten into the facility fairly easily. They'd found a door, padlocked yes, but nothing Logan's claws couldn't take care of. The upper corridors had been deserted. Once they'd descended to the lower levels they met a few guards that Logan and Scott introduced to the wall, very hard.
Now, in the very bottom level, the corridors were longer, narrower and less well-lit. The doors were electronically locked, and the few people they'd seen that they hadn't had to knock out entered with swipe-cards and keyed entry codes.
Logan sniffed. "Half-pint, Red and Elf came this way, as well as some of those guards," he said, referring to Kitty, Jean and Kurt. "They were headed that way."
He pointed further up the corridor. The three X-Men kept to the shadows as Logan followed the scent.
He stopped at an electronically locked door. "They're in here," he said. Scott moved to the front and aimed his lasers at the door. It glowed red for a few seconds, then blew up.
"Nice, red-eye. Think maybe next time you can open the door without blowing up the prisoners?
Logan, of course.
Jean was sitting on one of the beds in the room, looking at the blown-up door with wide eyes. Kitty and Kurt were sitting on one of the others, looking shell-shocked. Logan raised his eyebrows. "Nice to see you too. C'mon, lets; go find the others."
"Jubilee, Aura, Dreamer and Sabrina are in a room a few corridors over," Kitty said. "I heard Dusk ask Damien where to take them, and all these corridors are numbered. I don't know where Rogue, Remy, Bobby or Raptor are. But I think Rogue's hurt."
"Logan can sniff them out," Scott said. "Are you three okay?"
He'd gone over to Jean as soon as they were in, and how he was standing with one arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders. She smiled and kissed his cheek, then said, "I'm fine, and so's Kitty. Damien used some device on Rogue and Kurt, and Kurt just woke up a few minutes ago."
"Ja, and my head feels like something exploded in there," Kurt muttered. Kitty kissed him and murmured, "poor Elf."
Storm grinned and said, "you can fawn over each other back at the mansion. Right now we have to find the others and get out of here."
Kurt and Kitty stood up. "Well, if Logan can track Rogue, Remy, Raptor and Bobby, we can take you to the others," Kitty said. Storm nodded. "All right. Logan, you, Jean and Scott go find Rogue, Raptor, Bobby and Remy. Kurt, Kitty and I will go for Sabrina, Aura, Dreamer and Jubilee. Logan, you mind doing something about those cuffs?"
Logan let his claws slide out with a metallic-sounding snick and carefully sliced the cuffs away. He, Scott and Jean headed off in one direction while Kurt and Kitty led Storm down a few corridors until they reached another electronically locked door.
Kitty ran her hands over the keypad. It sparked a few times and then the door swished open. The three inhabitants of the room looked up.
Jubilee jumped up and said, "I knew you'd find us!"
Storm looked around the room and frowned. "Where's Sabrina?" she asked. Aura shrugged. "Dusk came about half an hour ago and took her away. We haven't seen her since then."
"We'll have to look for her once we've regrouped," Storm said.
@ @ @
Bobby looked down at Rogue, still lying motionless and pale on the bed, barely breathing. He said softly, "I don't think she's going to make it. Even if the others do rescue us, she's too weak. There's nothing we can do."
Raptor was sitting on the bed, her legs crossed. She looked up and said softly, "yes there is."
Remy looked up at her, his eyes full of barely-restrained hope. "How?"
Raptor sighed. "Rogue's power still works, even when she's unconscious, right?"
Remy nodded. "Oui, but what does good does dat do? She'd rather die than absorb more memories."
"My power includes being able to absorb some information about people I touch," Raptor said. "If I touched her, she could get the energy she needs to live without getting my memories. It's the only way. I'm the only one who won't give her anything else in her mind."
"You can't," Bobby protested. "It could kill you."
"I don't have a choice," Raptor told him. "Rogue was my friend, Bobby. I can't just let her die when I know there's a chance I could help her. If it kills me, then it kills me. I honestly don't think it'll go that far, though."
Before he could stop her, she pushed past him and knelt beside Rogue. Then several things happened at once.
The locked door glowed red and blew apart. Logan, Jean and Scott entered the room. They saw Raptor about to touch Rogue and Scott yelled, "Raptor, no!"
It was too late. She placed her hand on Rogue's face. Almost at once, she gasped, weakened already. Bobby tried to pull her away, but she just grabbed Rogue's arm above the glove with her other hand. "Let… let me do this, Bobby," she panted.
Time seemed to stand still. Raptor's grip weakened. Scott and Logan ran forward, Jean frozen in place, staring at the tableau. Remy was kneeling on Rogue's other side, one gloved hand in his.
Raptor's eyelids fluttered. Logan cried, "that's enough Raptor, if you give her any more energy you'll die!"
Raptor blinked rapidly and braced herself against the bed with one hand, the other still in contact with Rogue's skin. Then she collapsed backward. Bobby caught her just before she hit the floor and cradled her in his arms, stroking her hair away from her suddenly pale face.
She looked up at him. "I'm — sorry, Bobby," she said haltingly. "I had — to hold on for — as long as I did. She — wouldn't have — made it."
Bobby pulled her closer. "Don't you dare leave me," he said in a choked whisper. She reached up with one shaking hand and touched his face. "My parents — are still out there — somewhere. If I die — I want them to have — known I was alive. Find — them for me, Bobby. Please."
"I will," Bobby promised. "I swear it."
"I — I love you."
Her eyes closed. Bobby fumbled at her neck to find a pulse. It was there, slow and weak. Tears blurred his vision as he hugged her to him.
A hand touched his shoulder. He glanced up and saw Logan looking down at him. "C'mon kid. Let's get back to the mansion. Jean can help her there."
Bobby stood up slowly, cradling Raptor's unconscious form in his arms. Remy had Rogue, who was stirring slightly. She opened her eyes and murmured, "Remy? Wha' happened?"
"Hush, chere. Y' gonna be okay."
Storm, Kurt, Kitty, Dreamer, Aura and Jubilee showed up a few minutes later. When Jubilee saw Raptor she cried, "what happened?"
"We'll explain in the jet," Scott said. "We have to go, now."
He frowned. "Where's Sabrina?"
"Dusk took her to Damien," Aura said. Scott nodded. "All right. We'll find her on our way. Logan, can you track her?"
"Of course. If she's touched the ground anytime today I can tell."
They headed down the corridors, Bobby carrying Raptor. They were almost at the exit when they rounded a corner and found Damien and his minions standing in front of them. Next to Damien was Sabrina, but changed.
Her long blonde hair was out of its braids, tumbling across her bare shoulders. She was wearing black jeans and a dark blue halter-top instead of the pink skirt and white Peter Pan blouse she'd been wearing when they were captured. A blonde woman stood beside her, and it was obvious that they were somehow related.
Sabrina smirked. "Were you guys looking for me? That's so… sweet. Why don't I introduce you to my new friends?"
She gestured to some of the mutants standing on her left. "Discordia, Prowler, Dusk, Draconia, Delta, show them what you can do."
Damien smiled. "Mystique, Toad, Sabretooth, you want some of the action?"
The seven mutants moved forward. Sabrina sighed. "Damien, sending eight against thirteen? Are you insane?"
"They'll manage, Miss Hunter. You haven't seen their full capabilities yet."
Logan found himself facing Sabretooth. He slid his claws out and slashed at the huge mutant, but Sabretooth shrugged off the few cuts Logan was able to make.
Out of the corner of his eye Logan saw Jubilee and Dreamer fighting Toad together. Toad spat at Jubilee, trying the same trick he'd used on Jean. Jubilee dodged out of the way, having heard about that battle.
Rogue and Remy were fighting Prowler, the cat-guy. He didn't have any major weapons, but his agility and speed worked against the two fighting him. Blood trickled from countless small wounds gouged by his cat's claws.
The others were all fighting for their lives. Most of them were two against one, but the mutants on Damien's side had more training and more experience in combat. Slowly but surely, they began to gain the upper hand.
Until Dreamer locked eyes with Damien and hissed, "it ain't happenin', not t'day."
He closed his eyes. Damien suddenly cried out and fell to his knees, clutching his head. Dreamer's breathing grew ragged as he continued some sort of mental warfare against the older man.
The other mutants all abandoned their fights and ran to their master. Dreamer collapsed suddenly, and Damien fell back, as if he was a puppet whose strings had been cut.
** We have to go now, while they're distracted, ** Jean said in everyone's head. Scott hoisted Dreamer's unconscious body over his shoulder and they ran.
They barely made it to the jet before Damien's minions came swarming from the lower corridors, bent on getting revenge. Scott took off as soon as everyone was inside the jet.
Dreamer was still unconscious, but Aura assured them that it wouldn't last long. "He's done this once or twice before," she said, "when we were in danger. I think he scrambled Damien's brainwaves or something. It takes a lot of effort."
Bobby and Remy explained what had happened in their cell. Rogue was horrified. "Ya mean she gave herself up f' me? How could ya let her do that?" she asked. Bobby replied, "she wanted to, Rogue. We couldn't stop her."
"Sounds like Raptor," Jubilee said, sniffling. Bobby was still holding Raptor in his lap, stroking her hair away from her pale face. "She's going to make it," he said fiercely. "She's too strong to just give up."
TBC. In the next chapter… Chapter Ten is the last chapter for Dark Rising 1! After that I'm starting Dark Rising 2: The Devil You Know. Review me please!