--------------------
The X-Mansion...
"Cyclops..." Deep in concentration, Xavier sat at his Cerebro console. "Where are you, Cyclops..." Try as he might, Xavier was unable to locate any sign of Cyclops' presence. All that Xavier could sense in or around Newark was static, the droll hum of everyday human activity.
Sighing in frustration, Xavier once again adjusted the Cerebro controls. Cerebro beeped in response as it began filtering away the static. Hoping that this filtering would be more effective than the last attempt, Xavier leaned back and began an even deeper mental probe.
Stretching his mind to limit, Xavier searched the city for a mutant signature. After a moment, he found one. 'No,' thought Xavier, 'several. But I can't seem to get a clear identity for any of them...' Suddenly, the static level peaked, overloading the filters. Xavier gave a cry of pain and threw off the helmet. For several moments Xavier sat limply in his chair, trying to recover from the assault on his senses. At the same time, he tried to figure out why his senses had been assaulted.
"Its... Its impossible..." He finally concluded. "The static level shouldn't change that suddenly, nor that drastically. Unless..." Abruptly, everything fell into place. "Of course... That's how they're blocking Cerebro. They're taking static, and amplifying it so that it completely covers up any mutant activity. And the more obvious the activity..." Xavier rubbed his temples. "...The louder the static must be to cover it up. Now the question becomes how to get around this..."
Xavier paused for a long moment. "No. The question is if I can get around this... Before I loose Scott..."
With a heavy heart, Xavier placed the Cerebro helmet back on his head...
--------------------
The Hyde construction complex...
At Storm's order, Shadowcat let herself get caught in the battle's fervor. Along with Spyke, Rogue, and Nightcrawler, she charged the quartet in front of them. As he ran, Spyke yelled out some instructions, but Shadowcat didn't really listen to them. She already knew what had to be done.
Their charge was met head on. Spyke was the first one hit, barreled over by a purple column of goo. However, Shadowcat had no time to worry about his safety, as Anthro leapt at her the next instant. With her adrenaline already pumping, Shadowcat saw the attack coming and phased intangible before Anthro could reach her.
Anthro passed through her, and landed hard. As he scrambled to his feet, he looked at Shadowcat with a shocked expression on his face. "What the?! You some kinda ghost?"
"No, I'm a cat," replied Kitty, in a strangely calm voice. "A Shadowcat. And this is my boot!" As she said this, Shadowcat delivered a swift roundhouse kick. Still stunned from Kitty's initial evasion, he didn't react in time, and took the blow to the face.
As he fell to the ground for a second time, Anthro let out a bestial snarl. "I'll get you for that, girl!"
Even in the heat of battle, Shadowcat still had time for sarcasm. "Yeah, I'm so sure..."
Snarling again, Anthro got back to his feet. With his fist raised, Anthro charged. At the last moment, Kitty phased intangible, letting Anthro's fist go right through her. Hoping to catch him unawares, Kitty went tangible again and spun to deliver a back elbow. But as soon as she felt something grab her arm, she knew she had made a mistake.
Anthro never expected his frontal attack to connect, and thus had never thrown his weight into the punch. In doing so, he had kept his balance, and was more than ready for Shadowcat's counterattack. Using his superior reflexes, he blocked Shadowcat's elbow, and in turn delivered a flat-fisted punch to he shoulderblade.
The blow knocked Shadowcat to the ground. Expected her attacker to follow up his attack, she rolled to her feet as quickly as possible. Breathing heavily, she fell into a battle stance.
"Neat trick, girl," spat out Anthro, mockingly. "But its just a trick. And it'll take a lot more than that to keep me down!" With that, Anthro leapt at Shadowcat. She went intangible, letting Anthro dive though her. Anthro kept his footing, and instantly spun around and aimed a chop at Kitty's chest. Again, the blow went right through her.
Knowing she had to be solid to mount any offense, Kitty backpedaled and phased tangible as soon as she was out of Anthro's reach. Immediately, she leapt at her opponent, delivering a forearm to his head. Yet even as he was falling away, Anthro's flailing foot managed to connect with Kitty's gut, knocking her to the ground as well.
Anthro regained his footing and scrambled towards Shadowcat. Kitty saw him coming while she was still crouched down, and phased momentarily intangible. Anthro passed through her, Shadowcat immediately went tangible, hoping to be able to hit him before he could counterattack. However, Anthro's reflexes were far superior to hers, and as soon as he landed, he jumped backwards, landing another blow to Kitty's shoulderblades.
As Kitty rolled to her feet, a wicked smile crept across Anthro's face. "Well, little girl. I've got your measure, now. Struggle all you want..." Anthro blocked Kitty's sweep-kick, delivering a swift chop to he thigh in the process. "...Its only a matter of time before you go down!"
--------------------
With an icy stare, Jean Grey stood in front of her opponent. "So Erin, what's the deal here? Do you people go around kidnapping others for a reason, or do you just like to start trouble?"
"I didn't start anything," replied Vertigo. "Nor did any of my friends! We were just living here, on our own when you and your little 'Institute' decided to butt in. You messed with us, so we messed with you. And if you ask me, Scotty got just what he deserved..."
Jean felt her face harden into a scowl. "And just what, prey-tell, did Scott 'get?'"
"This!" With her fists clenched, Vertigo thrust her arms out towards Jean. As she did, a pale glow formed around them. The glow intensified and shot out towards Jean. Jean was struck by the glow, and seemed to stagger back a step. Hoping to end the fight quickly, Vertigo pumped more energy into the blast. The glow instantly expanded and seemed to envelope Jean.
After a few heartbeats, Erin felt her power begin to flag. Confident that Jean had been overwhelmed, Erin powered down and tried to catch her breath. But as the energy faded away, Vertigo learned she was wrong.
Standing in the middle of a psionic bubble, Jean glared back at Vertigo. "What? Don't tell me that's it..."
"Wha--What the--" Stunned, Vertigo took a step back.
Jean snorted in disgust. "Huh. I guess it was." Inside her bubble, Jean raised her arm. In response, an assortment of rocks and rubble floated off the ground and began hovering at eye level. "Good bye, Erin..."
"Nooooooooooo!!!" Vertigo's aura flared up again. She once again shot her arms forward, sending a cascade of energy towards Jean.
As the psionic attack washed over her, Jean was forced to drop the debris in order to maintain her shield. The attack intensified, and Jean was nearly blinded by the glow. Nonetheless, her shield held firm, and the attack began to quickly die away.
Yet even as the glow around her faded, Jean saw Vertigo try to prepare for another assault. Jean watched Vertigo's aura flare up again, and an idea formed in Jean's head. As the third blast shot towards her, Jean mentally reconfigured her psionic shield.
When the blast struck, Jean was no longer standing inside a bubble. Instead, she was standing behind a concave saucer. Erin's blast struck the center of the saucer, and began splattering away. The energy washed along the surface of the saucer, eventually being redirected back towards Vertigo herself.
Caught in the midst of her own assault, Vertigo stumbled. As quickly as she could refocus her concentration, she cut off her blast. Almost on the verge of panicking, Vertigo began backing away from Jean.
For her part, Jean wore a smile of confidence and began advancing of her opponent. "Now, Erin... It ends..."
And then Jean's world went black.
-------------------
With Spyke by her side, Rogue charged the quartet of boyz.
As they ran, Spyke yelled out instructions. "'Crawler! 'Port ahead and take out the banshee. I don't wanna run into any sonic booms..."
A puff of smoke and a 'bamf' told Spyke that Nightcrawler had obeyed.
"Rogue, you got a preference?"
"The black one's mime!" Rogue growled. "We've got a score ta settle!"
"Take him! That leaves the wolf and goo-boy for Kitty and--"
Rogue put on a burst of speed and didn't hear the end of Spyke's comments. Howling, she leapt at the oncoming Bas. Rogue's forearm connected with Bas' head, knocking him backwards.
But to Rogue's dismay, the black kid instantly shrugged off the blow. "Still got attitude," the kid spat out, "but no more strength to back it up. And don't think you'll be gettin' any more. I'm on to that little trick..."
Rogue settled into a battle crouch. "Stop yappin' and start fighting ya--"
A side-arm swipe from Bas knocked the taste out of Rogue's mouth. A direct jab to her stomach knocked her back a step. A third blow to shoulder staggered her. And an uppercut to the jaw knocked her off her feet. Rogue fell back, landing hard on her back. She let out a groan and her eyes flickered shut.
Standing over her, Bas crossed his arms and smirked. "Piece of cake..." With a chuckle, he turned and started walking away. After five steps, a jarring blow to the back of his knee sent him crashing to the ground.
"Well then, here's a new trick for ya," taunted Rogue, from behind. "Its called playin' possum!"
Growling, Bas spun to a crouch and faced Rogue. As soon as he did, Rogue's boot connected with his face, sending him sprawling again. The fury and speed of Rogue's attacks caused Bas to backpedal halfway across the battlefield before he gathered himself enough to actually make a stand.
"It didn't work, little girl," growled Bas as he blocked one of Rogue's kicks. "That trick may have bought you some time, but it can't keep me down..."
Rogue grinned viscously. "Maybe trick two didn't, but trick one will..." Rogue backed off a little, and took one of her gloves off. With her ungloved hand she gestured towards Bas. "C'mon, Swamprat..."
Now not quite so eager to attack Rogue, Bas glanced around the battlefield, considering his options. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a very promising option, and a grin filled his face. "Funny you should mention 'tricks...' 'Cause here's one of mine!" With a sudden burst of speed, Basilisk leapt.
Backwards. Bas' momentum carried him though a few stuttersteps, then he planted his foot and drove his leg straight back. His heel struck squarely into the jaw of an unsuspecting Jean Grey. Jean was knocked unconscious before she could even cry out.
Rogue could only stare as she watched her friend fall lifelessly to the ground.
Bas grinned, maliciously. "Vertigo, take her down."
Vertigo, who was crouched in a battle stance nearby, blinked in surprise Bas' sudden appearance. Confused, she looked up at Bas, then followed his gaze towards Rogue. A look of realization came over her face. "You go it, Bas. Time for the little rogue to take a nap..." An aura formed around Vertigo's hands as she pointed them towards Rogue. The aura peaked, and lashed out.
Too late, Rogue came to her senses. Yelling out, she charged towards the smirking Basilisk. However, Vertigo's blast struck her, taking away all sense of orientation. Rogue stumbled, and fell past Bas as he stepped nimbly to the side. Rogue tried to regain her footing, but feeling of vertigo intensified, causing her to stumble once more.
"Okay, Bas," ordered Vertigo in a somewhat strained voice. "I've got her down. Finish her off!"
Rogue growled as she heard this. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. Hoping to keep her attacker at a distance, Rogue lashed out at the movement. To her surprise, Bas actually did back off.
"Bas, quit fooling around! Finish her off before someone else jumps in and helps her!" A bolt of lightning from another part of the battlefield punctuated Vertigo's order.
"I heard ya the first time, Erin," barked back Bas. "But trust me, it's better to be safe than sorry with this one..." Bas' words trailed off as he glared at Rogue, looking for an opening.
"Wha... What's he talkin' about..." Rogue muttered under her breath. While still keeping a wary eye on Bas, Rogue managed to bring herself up to her hands and knees. "Ah mean its not like Ah can..." Rogue trailed off as she temporarily lost her balance. For a moment, she fixed her whole attention on trying to push herself back up. As she stared at the ground below her, it hit her.
"Mah glove... Ah never got it back on..." Rogue heard movement from Bas and whirled to face him. She lost her balance again, this time falling on her back. But it did drive Bas back.
Her eyes still glowing, Vertigo glared at Bas. "Would you hurry it up?! I don't want to be here the entire fight..."
Bas didn't respond. He was engrossed in staring at Rogue, waiting for a chance to strike. Despite her condition, Rogue, was glaring right back, looking for some way to even the fight.
She found it. Fighting through Vertigo's psychic assault, Rogue charged haphazardly towards Bas. The move caught Bas unawares, and he jumped to the side to avoid Rogue's flailing arms. As she passed him, Rogue finally lost her footing, and fell roughly to the ground.
Basilisk regarded her curiously. "The heck was that supposed to... Oh shii--" Bas didn't even finish his words as he dove towards the fallen Rogue.
As she hit the ground, a pained smirk formed on Rogue's face. "...Don't worry Jean," she muttered. "Ah'm only borrowin' it..." With that, Rogue's shaky hand reached out and made contact with Jean's unconscious face. Instantly, Rogue felt the familiar sensation of powers flowing into her.
Acting on Jean's instinct, Rogue created as psionic bubble around her. The sensation of vertigo quickly fell away, as her shield began deflecting Vertigo's powers. As Rogue struggled to her feet, she sensed Bas diving towards the bubble. A telekenetic ripple along the shield sent him flying.
With the last traces of disorientation fading away, Rogue fell into a battle stance and glared at Vertigo. "Well, Erin, looks like its just you and me now..."
-------------------
With the battle beginning around him, Wolverine glared at the massive figure in front of him. For his part, 'Lith just smiled back.
"So," growled Wolverine. "You one the punks who brought down Cyke?"
'Lith smirked, not intimidated in the least. "Yup."
"Good. Now I can enjoy this!"
With claws extended Wolverine charged. 'Lith lowered his stance slightly, keeping his eyes focused on Wolverine's claws. Which was precisely what Wolverine wanted. At the last minute, he retracted his claws, and as 'Lith reacted, delivered a swift kick to 'Lith's face. Wolverine followed up the attack with a few punches, knocking 'Lith off his feet.
In an instant, Wolverine was crouched on top of 'Lith, with his hand poised over 'Lith's head, and two claws straddling his neck. "Now," said Wolverine in a very guttural tone. "Tell me where Cyke is, or the third claw comes out..."
Stunned by the speed at which Wolverine had attacked, 'Lith did not immediately respond. Instead, he glared defiantly at Wolverine, and tried to regain his composure. Slowly, almost reflexively, his two hands reached towards his neck.
This drew a chuckle from Wolverine. "I wouldn't touch those, bub. They're sharp..."
"Really?" Confidence suddenly returned to 'Lith's face as he grabbed the two claws. In contrast, Wolverine couldn't have been more surprised by the action. "So what?" 'Lith's grip tightened, his muscles bulged, and his arms began to pull apart.
Wolverine screamed in pain as the tendons attached to his claws stretched and snapped. The pain only got worse as he yanked his hand away. As he did, his claws slipped through 'Lith's grasp, incredibly, doing next to no damage to his skin. This left 'Lith free to mount his own offensive. Wolverine was still screaming when 'Lith delivered a jab to his face and swatted him aside.
As he hit the ground, Wolverine quickly regained his footing, but not his composure. He stood up and gaped at the two horribly misdirected claws sticking out of his hand. Even though the damage was already being repaired, the mere fact that it had happened disturbed him. And the pain...
'Lith laughed at the look of terror on his opponent's face. "What'd you expect? Some two-bit, under-powered thug? C'mon, Claws. Lets see what you've really got..."
Feeling the berserker rage start to come over him, Wolverine growled loudly at 'Lith. Clenching his damaged fist, Wolverine retracted in his claws, forcefully realigning them. With a bellow of rage, he popped them back out and charged 'Lith.
-------------------
As he sprinted towards his opponent, Spyke cast a sideways glance towards Rogue. "Rogue, you got a preference?
Rogue's eyes never left her target. "The black one's mine! We've got a score ta settle!"
Spyke nodded. "Take him! That leaves the wolf and goo-boy for Kitty and--" Too late, Spyke returned his gaze to his opponent. He had nary a second to react before a column of purple goo knocked him to the ground.
The column backed off and solidified into human form. "Goo-boy? The name is George. Gorgeous George if you insist on using some sort of code name. I've never cared much for those, myself..."
Spyke got up scowling. "Ya don't say... I'm sorry to hear that, Goo-boy!"
George's face hardened into a scowl. "Now, you've pissed me off..."
George's fists became larger, and his arms abruptly shot out towards Spyke. In turn, Spyke slipped under the attack, and launched a barrage of spikes. Spyke sprouted another batch of bones, but George's arms circled around for another attack before he could launch them. Spyke dodged the fists only to find himself encircled by George's tendril-like arms. As soon as Spyke realized this, the arms snapped in, pinning his arms to his side. A moment later, George's oversized hands clamped down, completely ensnaring Spyke.
"So, what'd'ya got to say to that, smart-mouth?" In response, countless spikes shot out of Evan's body. "I thought so..." Completely unperturbed, George lifted his opponent up and slammed him into a nearby wall. As George retracted his arms, Spyke fell limply to the ground. George grinned. "That was almost too easy..."
George hadn't even turned around when the lightning shot through him. His scream was lost in the ensuing thunder. With somewhat sporadic movement, he regathered his singed body and turned to face his attacker.
Hovering in the air, Storm glared at George. Her voice had a hollow, almost ominous ring to it. "Funny how people always say that. ...Right before it gets harder..."
-------------------
With a determined scowl on his face, Ruckus watched the fight begin. Wolverine and 'Lith clashed. Vertigo and the redhead seemed to be trading psionic bolts. Four of the X-Men were charging his position, and George, Anthro and Bas were rushing to meet them. Ruckus' gaze quickly returned to Storm, quite possibly the most dangerous player on the field. A mist was beginning to envelope her, almost obscuring her position.
'She's gathering 'er powers,' Ruckus quickly concluded. 'If she manages to attack one of us first, we're toast! I gotta get 'er before she's ready to try something! Just hope George an' them can keep 'er friends off me...' Locking his eyes on his target, Ruckus inhaled deeply.
However, as Ruckus started to activate his power, he heard something behind him. An instant later, he felt something strike the back of his head. Ruckus reflexively yelled out as he fell toward the ground. Following his instinct, he quickly scuttled forward before regaining his footing and facing his attacker. And in the back of his mind, he noted that his yelp had a bit of his power behind it, and that it had at least disrupted whatever Storm was doing. But Ruckus didn't dwell on this, and his full attention was immediately returned to whomever had just attacked him.
Ruckus whirled around, expecting to find someone glowering over him. But as he tried to catch his breath, Ruckus saw no one. Just shadows. Shadows, some lights, a steak of red--
Again acting on instinct, Ruckus fell backwards. As he did, someone--something--leapt at him. Moving from survival-instincts to battle-instincts, Ruckus shot his feet out, catching his attacker and sending him flying over Ruckus's head. Ruckus quickly scrambled to his feet and looked to where his attacker had landed.
His attacker had landed neatly near a street lamp, yet was still only partly visible. But even in the half light, Ruckus could make out pointed ears, inhuman limbs, and a spade-tipped tail. Despite the fact that he was familiar with Anthro, the appearance of this new attacker unnerved Ruckus. "...The hell are you?"
Standing on all fours, Nightcrawler bared his teeth at Ruckus. "You hurt vone of my friends... Zat makes me your vurst nightmare!" With that, Nightcrawler leapt.
Ruckus reflexively backed off to counter the attack. But as Nightcrawler neared him, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Before Ruckus had time to react, Nightcrawler reappeared beside him, and leveled Ruckus with a solid punch to the jaw. Another quick teleportation allowed Nightcrawler to land another punch.
After the third punch, Ruckus dove to the ground, inhaling as he did so. He rolled onto his back and waited for a split second. Wanting to press his advantage, Nightcrawler teleported in font of Ruckus, poised to deliver the finishing blow. It never landed. As soon as Ruckus saw the small flash that heralded his attacker's arrival, he screamed.
Nightcrawler felt it as soon as the teleport was complete. The compressed sonic waves buffeted him, assaulting his hearing and sending him flying backwards. As quickly as he could, Nightcrawler teleported away. He reappeared off to the side, and tried to catch his breath. But Ruckus never gave him the chance to do so.
Nightcrawler looked up just in time to see a gloved fist flying towards his face. There was no way he could avoid it. Nor the kick that followed. Regaining his senses, Nightcrawler blocked the third blow and backpedaled furiously. As soon as he was out of Ruckus' reach, Nightcrawler teleported again.
Ruckus reacted immediately, inhaling deeply and whirling around. Yet even as he did, he heard a distinctive 'bamf' come from behind him--where he had just been facing. Before he could whirl around again, he felt something--a tail--wrap itself around his neck. The tail's grip tightened, choking him.
"Vat's za matter now, hotshot? Can't catch your breath?" Nightcrawler punctuated this remark by putting another squeeze on his neck.
Stuck in the choke-hold, Ruckus' mind raced furiously. Or tried to, with its limited blood supply. 'Tail... ...He's using his tail... Which means... He's close. He... He's in range!'
With a renewed surge of energy, Ruckus planted his foot and threw his arm back as hard as he could. The backhand chop hit Nightcrawler in the temple. His tail instantly loosened as he struggled to remain upright. Gasping for breath, Ruckus pulled the tail away from him. As soon as he was free, he spun around and slugged the demon in the face. With only a strangled grunt, Nightcrawler fell to the ground, unconscious.
For a moment, Ruckus stood over his fallen opponent, trying to catch his breath. As his breathing finally evened, he looked out over the field. 'Storm!' He thought. 'I gotta find Storm. Have to make sure she--'
The cackle of an electric discharge quickly focused Ruckus' attention. He looked toward the sound, and saw Storm standing over something, with her hands still glowing. Ruckus looked closer, and realized that the 'something' was really the now formless body of George.
As she stood there, Storm's hollow voice floated to Ruckus' ears. "I'd advise you to stay down. Unless you enjoy close-up lightning demonstrations."
Ruckus' face hardened. "Hey, Storm!" He yelled out. "What's a little lighting without the thunder?" Storm whirled around, and Ruckus couldn't help but smile at the look of surprise on her face. "HUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Acting quicker than Ruckus had expected, Storm flew up above the sonic blast. As she did, the electric glow around her hands intensified.
"Aw, crap..." Ruckus dove to the side as twin bolts of lightning struck the ground in front of him. Another bolt hit the ground beside him, knocking him off his feet. Knowing that Storm still had a clear shot at him, Ruckus began rolling. In doing so, he managed to barely avoid several more lightning strikes.
From her position in the sky, Storm scowled. "Agile little fellow, aren't you? Lets see if you can avoid more than just lightning..." Storm half closed her eyes in concentration as she summoned a concentrated gust of wind.
Ruckus' roll came to an abrupt stop when a gale force wind struck him, and nearly picked him up off the ground. He took advantage of the situation to jump back to his feet and jut back the in opposite direction. As he did, a lightning bolt shot through his billowed-out trenchcoat. Ruckus skid to a stop and tried to regain his breath.
"Very agile," commented Storm as she began hovering just above ground level. "But you shall fall, just the same!" A gust of wind came up behind her, and Storm shot towards Ruckus, with electricity arcing all around her.
Ruckus didn't even have time to activate his power before he was forced to dive away from Storm's charge. After she passed him, he managed to roll to his feet and send a sonic blast after her. His scream jolted her slightly, but did no real damage. Storm quickly steadied herself and turned back towards him.
Ruckus fell into a battle stance and glared at her. "Is that all you've got, X-Man?"
Storm replied in a voice dripping with disdain. "Hardly."
Ruckus raised his hands and gestured towards Storm. An uneven smile formed on his face. "Then bring it on..."
Ruckus hit the ground as two lightning bolts streaked over him. Instantly, he rolled to the side and was soon back to his feet. As he looked up, he saw Storm flying towards him again. With the same disturbed smile on his face, Ruckus closed his eyes, looked down, and screamed.
Dust billowed out around Ruckus, and bits of debris exploded away from where his blast hit the ground. The explosion forced Storm to veer away from her target. Even with an abrupt rise in altitude, she still had to shield her face from the debris. As she was doing so, Ruckus ran out of the dust cloud with his arms crossed over his face. He once again skid to a stop, and lowered his arms. Ruckus looked to the sky and saw Storm still hovering, trying to clear her eyes.
"Its over, Storm," he muttered. "Now FAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!"
The blast hit Storm dead on. The shock waves buffeted her body, shooting her upwards and causing her to loose control of her powers. When the scream ended, Storm fell to the ground, landing with a sickening 'thump.' Afterwards, she lay still.
And for a moment, Ruckus stood triumphantly, with his trenchcoat billowing in the dying winds.
A howl of rage cut through the silence. "Auntie O!"
Ruckus whirled around to face the speaker. As he did, he felt something burn across his forehead. Ruckus flinched back, and saw a furious Spyke running towards him. Reflexively, Ruckus sidestepped the wild charge, and tripped up Spyke. Ruckus fell into a fighting stance as Spyke scrambled back to his feet. As the fury of his initial charge wore away, Spyke too fell into a fighting stance. Both glaring, the two combatants began circling each other.
Trying to control his rage, Spyke repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists. "Nothing between you and me now, pal! This time... You're... Going... Down..."
Blood dripped past Ruckus' eyes. The gash in his forehead was deep. And it hurt. Even so, Ruckus wore a grin on his face. "You sure 'bout that, kid? I'm on fire tonight! ...But if you really think you can take me..." Ruckus chuckled and gestured toward his opponent. "...Bring it on!"
-------------------
Once again, Shadowcat was knocked to the ground. But this time, she just didn't have the will to get up. The fight had been beaten out of her. With a forlorn expression on her face, Kitty exhaled and waited for the final blow to come. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Anthro rise up. Dejectedly, Kitty closed here eyes. Kitty heard the sound of a bone snapping. Then something heavy fell on her.
'That's it.' Kitty's mind lazily thought. 'I'm out. There's no way I could have survived that. ...Wait... Bone? ...First?'
Suddenly, the weight on her back was unceremoniously shoved aside. With her mind still reeling, Kitty felt herself get turned over. She opened her eyes, and found herself looking at the face of Evan Daniels. The roughed-up face of Evan Daniels. Kitty shifted her gaze slightly, and saw that Evan was holding half of a broken bone quarterstaff.
At that point, Shadowcat realized that Spyke was talking to her. "...Come on Kitty... Snap out of it! He couldn't have got you that bad..."
"Yes he could..." Kitty responded out of habit. "And he did..."
A smile formed on Spyke's battered face. "Well don't worry about him. He's taking a nap now. A nice, loooong nap."
Spyke slowly helped Shadowcat to her feet. Kitty put a hand to her head as a wave of dizziness passed over her. "So... How're we doing?"
Still supporting his teammate, Spyke took a look around the battlefield. "Not so good. I just got pounded by that purple guy, but I think Auntie O took care of him... Other than that..." Spyke swallowed nervously. "...Things look pretty even. ...This isn't the Brotherhood we're dealing with... But once you're ready, we'll rush one of these guys and double-team 'em. Then maybe we can start to turn the tide..."
A yell from across the field interrupted the conversation. "Now FAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!"
Spyke's eyes shot open and he looked to the sky. He saw--almost in slow motion--Storm get caught in the sonic shockwave. Her body seemed to go limp as it got pushed upwards. Then the shockwave died away, and Storm's body slowed, then began its descent back down to Earth. Her body hit the ground, then lay still. For a moment, Spyke was in shock. Only a moment.
"Auntie O!" Forgetting about the injured Shadowcat, Spyke charged his Aunt's attacker. Almost frothing at the mouth, Evan sprouted three claw-like spikes and launched them straight at Ruckus. Ruckus was only barely able to avoid the projectiles before Spyke was upon him.
Kitty struggled to steady herself after Spyke's sudden departure. "So much for attacking together," she muttered.
Fighting through a headache, Kitty took her own look around the field. Spyke and Ruckus were facing off. Near them, both Storm and Nightcrawler were laying unconscious. On the other side of the field, Basilisk and Vertigo were standing over the barely struggling forms of Jean and Rogue. And elsewhere--
Kitty's jaw dropped in shock as she saw Wolverine swaying, barely staying upright. Beyond him stood 'Lith, wearing shredded clothes, yet completely unharmed. As Shadowcat watched, 'Lith stepped forward and grabbed Wolverine's head. He shoved Wolverine towards the ground, simultaneously raising his knee. Wolverine's neck collided with the knee, and the 'crack' was audible even across the field. As adamantium bones were snapped out of place, Wolverine literally bounced off of 'Lith's knee. Kitty could only gawk as Wolverine's limp body fell to the ground. Seemly satisfied with the outcome, 'Lith shook his head, and began walking over towards Ruckus and Spyke.
Unable to stay where she was, Kitty rushed over to where Wolverine lay. "Oh my God... Oh my God..." As she reached him, Kitty started tapping the side of Wolverine's head. "Come on, Mr. Logan. Don't be dead. Please don't be dead..." Nervously, Kitty felt Wolverine's neck, searching for a pulse. There wasn't one. "Oh my god... No pulse, he's dead. He's dead. He's--"
Suddenly, Wolverine's eyes shot open. Shadowcat screamed and fell backward in surprise. Now completely berserk, Wolverine ignored her. Instantly, he was on his feet and running.
'Lith heard Kitty's scream, and turned to investigate. His eyes widened in shock as he saw Wolverine charging towards him. He didn't even have time to react before Wolverine's metallic knuckles cracked against his forehead.
As she watched the brawl begin anew, Shadowcat slowly calmed down. "Okay... He's not dead. That's good..."
Suddenly, Shadowcat heard a footfall behind her. Still not fully recovered from her earlier fight, Shadowcat couldn't go intangible before the blow struck. A fist hit the back of her head, and Shadowcat fell forward.
Basilisk smirked proudly. "Huh... Piece of cake. Looks like Rogue's the only one of you punks who's got some bite. Ah well. She'll go down soon enough..."
Hovering at the brink of unconsciousness, Shadowcat let out a groan.
"Oh, still awake, are ya? Easy enough to fix." Bas had his fist poised to strike when a quiet, ragged voice cut through the night.
"Back... Off..."
Bas chuckled and lowered his fist. "Now why would I do something like that?"
"Because... I said to..."
Bas glanced at the speaker. He saw a silhouette of a strangely contorted, almost feral-looking man. Bas smiled cockily, positive that he could outpower any bestial opponent. "Oh really? You think you can take me, punk? Tell ya what... I'll finish her later. But for now, I'll just settle for pounding on you!" With a wicked smile on his face, Bas began walking towards the figure.
"Go ahead..." Replied the figure in its raspy voice. "Fight me. Try whatever you want with me..." As he spoke, the figure's voice became less ragged, and his stance became more intimidating. Too late, Bas realized who he was dealing with. "...JUST STAY AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS!"
And a crimson streak illuminated the battlefield...
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