>SIX: Defeat<


Persyltha gently shuffled the deck of tarot cards, carefully and cautiously, as this deck was given to her by the owner of the Magic Eye Bookshop in her town when she had decided for the first time to turn to the goddess. She had been nine at the time, too young to make such a decision, some might think. That year, her parents had been taken, and through some sort of miracle, she had made it to the mansion. Ever since she had received the deck, it had never steered her wrong.

After talking with Alyce, who was a good friend of hers, just that morning before the professor sent them off again (lately the Neo-X-Men had been more active than usual), she had made her decision to look to her higher self, and see what guidance it had to offer her. The awful events at the bridge, just two days ago still haunted her, and she was certain that something groundbreaking was about to occur. She didn't know if it would be for the better or for the worse. That's why she had to consult the cards. Divination.

The only light in her dorm was the flame of a flickering candle, with which she could just barely see the beautiful illustrations on her sacred cards. She separated the now-shuffled into three piles, and then reassembled them. Concentrating hard, she thought of her question, and then whispered it aloud, although there was no one else in the room.

"What is coming for the X-Children and all mutant kind?"

Shutting her eyes, she drew a card, hoping that the answer will quell her fears. Scarcely daring to breathe, she opened her eyes, and stared at the card on the table. It was Death.

She panicked, but then remembered that Death scarcely ever meant the loss of a life. Telling herself this over and over, she pondered the meaning of the card. Death usually meant a change, a great change, and most often a hard one. She shut her eyes again, and concentrated on her breathing, for a moment to relax her fears. Then concentrated again. Sighing, she realized that the cards only confirmed her beliefs. Shuffling them delicately, she repeated the process again.

"How will this change be initiated?"

Her hand trembled over the card as she chose it, a feeling of destiny. She opened her eyes, and gasped at the card before her. The five of swords, a card that symbolized defeat lay before her like a nightmare's breath.

***

"Look at all the guards," Hannah commented as they reached the bank, "I don't remember it being this heavily protected."

When Rikston Street had been part of an extremely wealthy neighborhood, the bank here had been among the elite. It had three floors, the top one dedicated exclusively to a huge vault. On the roof, was a helipad used for when people delivered treasures from foreign lands that need to stay in a safe before they were to go on exhibit. Now, like many old buildings, it was in near ruin.

"Don't worry, we'll have the cloaking devices on so it won't matter," Tyler said, "The professor wouldn't let us test something out if he didn't think it was safe."

"And yet he'd send an inexperienced group to the GW Bridge just for a hound," Amit commented, "Ya got real logic there fearless leader."

"Well, we know that there's nothing here that's too dangerous and valuable that we should be concerned," Tyler said firmly, "Alright, let's see if these things really work."

He pulled out the cool metal device, clipping it to the sleeve of his uniform. The red button on the front bore the X symbol that had become so entwined into their lives. "Here goes nothing," he whispered. Pushing the button, suddenly where Tyler had stood was a patch of blue sky with few clouds.

"Wicked!" Hannah exclaimed, reaching for her own.

"This is too cool!" Mike was overjoyed, "Just like something out of a comic book!"

Soon all six were camouflaged into the background and were ready for action.

"I think we probably should just go down, and then back up again," Tyler announced, "If they don't see us within that time period, then we know these cloakers actually work."

"Ah guess dat's as good a plan as any," Sabine said, "Let's get dis over with."

As they stepped into the bank, Alyce couldn't help but get the feeling that they were being watched.

***

Spinning by his tail, Viktor grabbed onto a chandelier, and then turned a back flip, landing on his feet. Sylvia, and two girls from Neo-X-Factor, Rosalie, the leader, and Rika applauded loudly as he bowed low. Though quite serious in his duties as the leader of Neo-Excalibur, he seemed another person during leisure time.

"¡Fantastico! How do you do that?" Sylvia.

Viktor laughed, "Agility!"

"No kidding," commented Rosalie.

"You're amazing Viktor!" Rika laughed.

"Ja? Do you think Sabine thinks so too?"

"Honestly, Viks, I don't know what you see in that depressed little drama queen!" Rosalie groaned.

"Not your job to decided my reasons, ja?"

"Whatever."

"Has anyone seen Persyltha around lately?" Rika asked.

Sylvia shook her head, "Not since este mañana." (this morning)

"She said she vas going to read her tarot cards or some junk," Viktor said.

"Does it really take this long?" Rika commented.

"Oh she's very serious about what she does," Sylvia said, "It is her religion after all."

Just then, Persyltha stumbled into the room, white as marble and eyes shinning like cornered prey.

"Vat's wrong Sylph?" Viktor was concerned.

"¡Calmáte chica! ¿Que paso?" Sylvia cried. (Calm yourself girl. What happened?)

"Oh Vik! I saw it in the cards!"

"Saw vat?"

"Disaster! Defeat! It's coming! Something awful is going to happen!"

"Are you sure you didn't misread your cards?" Rika asked, feeling Persyltha's devout faith in her cards silly.

"I couldn't have! The cards never lie! Never, never, never have they steered me wrong!"

***

"There's someone tailing us!" Alyce whispered into her communicator to Tyler.

"Are you sure? I see no one. How could they see us?"

"Don't worry, Shugotenshi, nothing's going to go wrong!" Mike said encouragingly.

"But I see him! He's there!"

"Don't be so worried! I sure it's just a look out making his rounds," Tyler tried to sound reassuring.

But Alyce wasn't reassured.

All went smoothly as they finished walking through the building at their leisure. It was a childish pleasure: being able to walk straight into the lair of the enemy without even hiding. Soon, they were back on the roof again and boarding the Blackbird.

The operation had gone without a hitch. Everything went perfectly. Perhaps too perfectly. And then, in his mind, Tyler felt someone panic.

"Help! Lycee! Tyler! Hannah! Amit! Sabs! Help!" a voice screamed.

"Goddess! It's Mike!" Amit growled. Sure enough, there was Mike, being dragged away by two hunters; his cloaking device was now a pile of circuits on the ground, having been smashed.

"I thought he had come on board with us!" Hannah cried.

"Tyler! Land the plane!" Alyce screamed. There was a moment of silence, as Tyler concentrated.

"What the heck!" he screamed.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you landing the plane?" Hannah cried.

"It...it...it's on automatic pilot and won't switch back to manual!" Tyler stuttered.

"What in tarnation are you talkn' 'bout?" Sabine exclaimed, "Dat's impossible!"

Hannah had already rushed to the controls, franticly trying every single trick she knew to get the computer to respond. "Dragon's blood! He's right!"

"Mike!" Alyce screamed, reaching her hand to open the door to the plane.

"Lycee don't!" Hannah grabbed her arm, near sobbing, "We're too high up! You can't jump out and save him! You'd die!"

Shinning tears stung her cheeks with their salt as she sat down, head in her hands. "I wish I had wings," she moaned.

Sabine crouched beside her. "Ah hate hearing dis as much as you do, but dere's nothing ya can do. We're gonna to have to wait until we get back and fix the computer."

"But what if it's too late?"

Sabine shook her head, "Dat kid's little, but he's tough. He'll be alright."

There was silence the rest of the flight, the five feeling powerless as they left Michael behind.

***

"The loss of Mike," began the professor, "is a tragic one. However, for the moment, there is nothing you can do. By now he will be dead. May his memory live on."

"May his memory live on," the five repeated.

"He was a good teammate and a friend, and his devotion to the cause will forever be remembered as great."

"But professor! Isn't it too early to give up? Can't we go after him?" Alyce spoke up.

"I'm afraid it is pointless, my dear. I've already lost one; I cannot loose the rest of you. Any fight you put up will be in vain. There is nothing anyone can do. Nothing. I do not want anyone attempting a rescue mission, is that understood? I do not want any more lost."

"But suh!" Sabine spoke up.

"No ands, ifs, or buts. At the very least, the cloaking devices were a success. It seems that Mike simply bumped into one of the guards on the way out and they managed to find his arms and grab them. You will continue to use these on missions. Dismissed."

There was a gloomy silence as they left the room.

***

"Can ya believe what he said?" Sabine was outraged, "Can ya believe it? Ah say we go after him instead!"

"Amit could track him!" said Hannah, "And I'll go fix whatever problem there is with the autopilot on the blackbird!"

"You're all crazy!" Tyler cried, "You heard the professor! There's nothing we can do!"

Sabine glared at him, "We're crazy? We're the crazy ones! Well maybe it be good dat someone's thinkn' crazy for once. Look where the professor's so-called rational thinkin' got us dis week!"

'Sabine! What are you trying to do? Go on a suicide mission and get yourself killed?!" Tyler yelled back.

She froze; her red on black eyes became daggers, piercing all with their glare. It seemed that the reds of her eyes were burning with pure fire and anger, the kind of mythical beasts. "Tyler Nathan Grey-Summers! Are ya jus' givn' up on a friend? Why, doncha remember when it was jus' you, Amit, Mike, an' Ah? Doncha remember how he was so young, an' we used to read him bedtime stories an' tuck him in at night? Doncha remember dat?"

"Sabine....I...."

"An' hasn't he always been one of your good friends? Doncha play video games togeatha almost ev'ry day? An' now you're just givin' up because just one person thinks he mind be dead? Tyler! You're the one signing the death certificate!"

"But the professor said..."

"Tyler! We 'ave listened to so many things the professor has said and where has it gotten us! A few days ago it killed a girl! Non! Ah don' trust the professor! An' Ah say that we go rescue Mike!"

"Sabine! I'm the leader of this team and..."

"Leader!" the fire in her eyes had become a blaze burning on the fuel of fury, "Leader! Well then oh brave, tough, and fearless leader, why doncha try leadn'? Why doncha try t'inkn' for yoself for once? So you're the leader! Show me some leading! Lead dis team in the name of the cause.... Ah dare ya! No, Tyler, Ah t'ink dat if you refuse to come, Ah'm leadin' the team on the rescue mission."

"You...you...you can't do that!"

"Why sure Ah can. Ah am the second in command on dis team afta all. The duties of a second in command, an' Ah quote is to 'lead de team in the event dat de leader becomes injured, under de influence of de enemy, or otherwise incapable of his or her duties. Well, as far as Ah can see, you are incapable of leading dis mission. So Ah'm leadn' it. Who's wit me?"

The others stepped forward, glaring at Tyler the whole time.

"But...but...Sabs...."

"Don' Sabs me! Ya know, Tyler, why don' you go tell your precious professor about all dis. Ah'm sure he'll want to punish us!" she turned to the others, "Now where doya suppose the hunters might have taken him."

"They may be nearly at Mutant City by now, " Amit commented, "We'll need our snow uniforms. Jus' in case we have to head for Alaska. " He spoke of the quilted white jumpsuits with hoods and red X logo that were optimized for warmth in the snow.

"Alraht. Ah'll get our uniforms while Hannah works on the blackbird. Let's try ta get dis mission underway ASAP!"

"I think I've found the problem," Hannah said quietly, "there's a device attached to the plane's com link that I think could be causing the problem. The thing is though, I'll have to cut the com link to remove it."

"That would mean no contact with the outside world! We couldn't radio for help!" Alyce exclaimed.

Sabine thought for a moment. "Do it," she said finally.

Soon all was ready, and the blackbird lifted off for the second time that day, hopefully to return with their teammate.

Tyler watched them go. Suddenly he felt guilty. Sabine was right! He was such a hypocrite! How could he abandon Mike, his friend through thick and thin, a strong, and proud member of the team? And then, suddenly he knew what he had to do.