Chapter Three
Kitty and Kurt walked toward the gates of the mansion. They'd been to see a movie and it was almost ten-thirty. Kurt had his tail twined around Kitty's waist again, even though he wore the image of a normal human boy.
There was the sound of a twig breaking. Kitty shivered, not just from the cold breeze. She whispered, "what if there's something out there, Kurt?"
"I knew I shouldn't have taken you to see a horror movie," Kurt said. "There's nothing there. You're just jumpy."
Kitty looked around uneasily. "I don't know," she muttered, "something doesn't feel right. I don't know why we didn't just 'port back."
"Because you said that tonight's a power-free night," Kurt reminded her.
Kitty shrugged. "I didn't want you 'porting out of the cinema just to get more popcorn," she said archly.
Another twig snapped. Kitty jumped and grabbed Kurt's arm. "You heard that, right? Now do you believe that there's something out there?"
Kurt nodded. "Ja, I think maybe you were right. Something doesn't feel right."
There was sudden movement and five mutants came out of the trees. Discordia, Dusk, Draconia, Sabretooth and Mystique.
"Take them," Mystique said curtly. The other four mutants came at Kurt and Kitty.
Kitty just phased through them, while Kurt teleported out of the way. Mystique laughed. "Surely you don't think we're so stupid as to try to take you with no plan," she said scornfully. "Discordia, if you would…"
The silver girl grinned and turned into liquid metal. She flowed across the ground, over to Kitty, and wrapped metal tentacles around the startled girl's ankles and legs. Before Kitty could phase away, Draconia flew over and snapped karamantium cuffs onto her wrists.
Dusk hadn't bothered to waste time. He just used brute strength against speed and agility. Kurt had been 'porting away from Sabretooth, and he hadn't seen Dusk behind him until the man had a knife at his throat.
"Don't even think of trying that teleport trick or your girlfriend will be sorry," Draconia hissed.
Dusk snapped the white-metal cuffs onto Kurt's wrists and Mystique smiled. "Be good children and don't make this more unpleasant than it has to be. We have no wish to kill you, but Damien understands that sometimes prisoners can be… difficult."
"That bastard's still alive?" Kitty gasped.
Draconia laughed. "Of course, silly girl. What, you think that attack Daniel Whitlock used would kill Damien? No, it merely incapacitated him temporarily. He was back to full health within a day."
"We don't have time for this," Discordia muttered. "If we're going to stand around here chatting all night someone will miss these two and come looking for them. Personally, I don't want to piss off Damien."
Draconia pulled two syringes out of the small bag hanging from a strap around her neck, sitting between her dragon wings. She tossed one to Toad and walked over to Kitty.
"Don't worry, this won't hurt… much," she said, chuckling. She jabbed the needle into Kitty's arm and depressed the plunger. As the sedative worked, the two mutants simultaneously sent a telepathic call to anyone who could hear them. And then everything went black.
@ @ @
Rogue and Remy walked through the grounds of the mansion under the light of a full moon. Corny, but true. Remy draped his arm around Rogue's waist and she rested her head on his shoulder, sighing.
"It's such a beautiful naht, isn't it?"
"Oui, chere. Not as beautiful as y', though."
Rogue giggled. "Did Kitty and Jubilee talk ya into watching a chick flick or somethin'?" she asked.
Remy nodded, grinning. "But I can' say non t' beautiful femmes like y' an' y' friends," he said.
Rogue laughed. "I'm tellin' Kurt ya said his girlfriend was beautiful," she teased.
Remy gasped melodramatically. "Non, not de elf!"
"Ya're the biggest flirt in the mansion, Remy LeBeau," Rogue scolded, trying to hide her smile.
Remy grinned at her. "Y' love me anyway, oui, chere?"
"Ya, Ah do. Don' know why, but Ah do."
** Rogue, Remy, are you two nearby? **
Xavier's voice entered their heads suddenly. Rogue replied, ** ya, we're here. What's wrong? **
** Kitty and Kurt have been abducted and Logan can smell the mutants who kidnapped you and the others four months ago. I think you two should get back to the mansion as soon as possible, in case they try to take you as well. **
** Do ya need us ta do anythin'? **
** Just get to safety, Rogue. Logan and I can take care of this tonight. **
** Okay Professor. Be careful. **
Rogue sighed regretfully. "Looks like th' end of our moonlit walk," she said. "We'd better get inside like th' Prof said."
"Bit late for that," a cocky voice said. Prowler, Rebecca and Discordia stepped out of the bushes. Remy reached into his pocket for one of the playing cards he always carried, but Discordia melted into her metal form and was upon them before either mutant could act.
Prowler pinned Rogue against a tree, holding her wrists above her head. "You just keep those poison hands of yours to yourself," he warned. Rebecca snapped a pair of karamantium cuffs onto Rogue's wrist while Discordia did the same to Remy.
Rebecca pulled two hypodermic needles out of the pouch tied around her waist. She walked over to Rogue and bared the other girl's elbow.
"Keep still and this won't hurt as much," the redhead instructed, jabbing the needle into Rogue's vein. The sedative was fast-working and Rogue and Remy were out within seconds.
Prowler smiled. "Damien will be happy," he said. "If the others were successful then we have all we need. For now, anyway."
@ @ @
I can hear something going on around me, but I can't see it. How long have I been like this, hearing but not seeing? Time seems so trivial here, but I know it's not. There's something I have to do…
Classes. I have to go to classes, study for my SATs… but isn't how all this started? We were all studying, and…
Pretty, black hair, my mother, Alice, Alice Hawke, my father big and shining and full of light and music, Apollo the god of music, Mark Hawke, just like Apollo and mother was like Artemis, strong and brave and caring…
Logan. I told you this, didn't I? I told you about my parents, when that metal girl stabbed me and I thought I was going to die… you didn't let me die then… brought me here, where I finally have a family, the way I've always wanted, but it wasn't Mother and Father, never them…
Where are you, Bobby? You told me you'd find my parents… are you looking for them? Did you keep your promise? You wouldn't lie to me, not you…
I heard you, not long ago, years ago, yesterday, tomorrow, you told me that you found them… I knew you would, you said you would and now you have, and they'll be here tomorrow, ten years, a minute, a lifetime…
Time is distorted. I can't think. Damage. Too much energy, but I had to give it to Rogue. She would have died, couldn't let her die when there was a chance to save her, God Bobby I'm so sorry, don't look at me like that, I'm not dying, I'll be back, you know that…
I used to be able to call animals when I was in trouble… can call Logan now, since the truck, but they can't help a girl in a coma, I don't know how to get back, I know that I have to find a way back into my own body but I don't know how…
@ @ @
Storm drove through a small town on the outskirts of Westchester, glancing in the rearview mirror to make sure they weren't being followed. Solitaire was asleep on the backseat, his sunglasses still covering his eyes. His migraine had gotten pretty bad the night before, but he seemed to be over the worst of it now.
Storm hadn't seen any signs of anyone following them since they left Ohio. It was only a few hours before they got to the school and she was glad. It was unnerving, not knowing what was behind her. Usually when she went up against their enemies she could see who she was fighting, or at least she knew something about them. They still didn't know much about Damien and his minions.
They didn't even know much about Sabrina, and she'd been in the school for the better part of six months. All they knew about her power was that she could shoot lasers out of her eyes, sort of like Scott's optic blasts, only Sabrina's blasts could actually burn. While she'd been at the school Sabrina had been a closed, private girl, rarely opening up. She'd been friendly with all the students, with the exception of Aura, but she didn't seem to like the teachers very much. Storm had always assumed it was because of the way she'd been treated at her last school, but maybe the truth was Sabrina had always known that she wouldn't be staying at the mansion.
She shook off the shiver that ran up her spine. Sabrina hadn't been clairvoyant; maybe she'd just had a problem with adults, teachers in particular. It had happened before, albeit never on this scale.
Storm sighed and turned her attention back to the road. Soon they'd be back at the mansion and they could try to figure out what Damien was up to this time.
@ @ @
Damien studied the screens in front of him, each one showing a different X-Man or student at Xavier's school. Discordia was beside him, hissing softly whenever she saw Logan or Raptor in a shot.
There was a light knock on the door and Dusk poked his head around the frame. "Sir, Miss Sabrina is back from the city. She has company," the big muscleman said.
Damien nodded. "Good. Tell her to stay with her friend and I'll be out soon."
He turned to Discordia. "Study them. Learn everything you can. I don't want failure again."
The metal girl nodded. "Sir, about the four children? What exactly are they here for?"
"You'll find out soon enough, Discordia. Once I've welcomed our new guest, I'll brief you on your next mission. Until then, study the material we collected."
"Yes, sir."
Damien left Discordia in the large surveillance room and went down the corridors to the room he usually met new recruits in. Not that he bothered recruiting much; the last person he'd taken in was Sabrina, and only because Kylie had begged him to.
At first, anyway. Now he was glad he'd accepted the Australian teenager. She was smarter than any of his other servants, smarter even than Lance had been. Damien regretted the necessity of Lance's death, three months ago, but the other man had been getting cocky, believing he knew better than Damien. Dissention in the ranks was never good.
Damien entered the room. Sabrina looked up and smiled. "Good evening, Damien."
He looked at the boy sitting by her side. Younger than himself, older than Sabrina. Maybe eighteen or nineteen. Dark blue hair like that damned Daniel Whitlock, dark purple eyes. Muscular, already self-possessed and confident from two weeks spent with Sabrina as his guide, on that trip to Ohio to send the little message to Xavier. Damien wasn't sure why Sabrina had felt the urge to bring a stranger into the fold, but the boy looked so much like Daniel Whitlock it was uncanny.
"I'm Damien, Sabrina's employer,' he said, sitting across from the younger mutants. "Sabrina tells me you're looking for your brother. What can you tell me about him?"
"His name is Daniel. He looks a lot lahke me, but his eyes are dark gold, not purple. He's a year youngah than Ah am. Ah think he's been on th' streets since he was much youngah, but Ah'm not sure. Ah was injured in th' accident that killed our parents and we were fostahed out separately."
"I'll do the best I can to find him," Damien said. "Adam, what do you know about a place called the School for the Gifted?"
"That place f' mutant kids? It's run by that Xavier guy, an' all th' students are mutants. Why? Ya think Daniel maht be there?"
"It's a possibility. I'll look into it. Adam, I have to ask a favour. You see, there is a telepath who can get inside people's dreams, like you, and he's trying to find out where my people are. He has a grudge against us, I'm afraid. Do you think you could repel him?"
"Sure. Anythin' ta help."
"Thank you. Sabrina, why don't you show Adam around. I'll see how Daphne is doing with her study."
Sabrina grinned at his use of Discordia's real name. The metal girl had been christened Daphne, but she hated the 'bimbo name' and insisted on being called her chosen name.
When Damien returned to the surveillance room, Discordia was paging through the notes Sabrina had made after joining them. She frowned.
"This Logan guy is insane," she commented. "Well, I already knew that from the way he drives, but now I think he's weird as well. According to Sabrina he spent four days worrying about that little animal-girl."
"They're soft-hearted, weak-minded fools," Damien said nonchalantly. "They're bound to want to rescue their kidnapped friends. It's their weakness, and we can exploit it."
TBC. In Chapter Four, Damien talks with Kitty and Remy. Dreamer tries an experiment to find the kidnapped mutants. We meet Raptor's parents. Review me please folks. It won't kill ya =)
