Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story except the characters Lumina and Tory. The story's mine, but the X-Men characters I don't own.

Chapter One: The Rescue

Feet pounded down the empty street, splashing through puddles that had been left by the recent rainstorm and running through the areas lit by the street lamps and back into the shadows. She was being chased, running as fast as she could go, her adrenaline pumping. She knew that if they caught her, it would be the end. It was a whole mob of about twenty people carrying flashlights and signs that were anti-mutant affiliated. Desperate and out of breath, she turned down into a dark alley, hoping that they would not see her turn and just run past. They stopped outside of the alley just as she hid herself behind some garbage cans.

"Where did she go?" One of the sillhouettes demanded. Some others started talking amongst themselves deciding what to do.

"All right, we'll spread out and search for her." One with a flashlight said. "About four or five of you go to the park, four of you come with me and we'll go down this street, and a couple'll stay here in case the mutant comes back. And be careful; she extremely dangerous, so be ready for anything." They began to fan out and search for her, and only two stayed where they were outside the alley. I can wait them out. She thought to herself. I hope.

"Hey, man, what about the alley?" One of the two shined his flashlight down into the darkness. "She could be hiding down there."

"You're right," the second man said. "Go check it out."

"No way, man," the first one refused. "You saw what she did to that other guy…" "She's probably not even down there you know. Geez, you're such a wuss."

"Hey, I'm just trying to stay alive here. If you think that you're so tough, why don't you do it?"

"Fine, whatever." He waved his hand at the first man as he started for the alley. She had to stifle a gasp to keep from giving herself away. Oh, please…Please… He started looking behind all of the boxes and crates and was nearing her hiding place. She watched him closely, coiled and ready to run if he got any closer. After he finished looking through some of the cardboard boxes, he shrugged his shoulders and turned around to walk away. She breathed a silent sigh of relief when she was blinded by a flashlight. Her heart started pounding with fear. "I foun…!" The man tried to yell for his buddy but was cut off by a hand covering his mouth. She just stared in horror as the figure that had the man in his grasp stabbed his victim with three blades that protruded from his knuckled and then retracted into his skin. The man dropped without a sound. She looked over to see where the other man was and he was lying on the ground, his diaphragm surrounded by a small dark pool. She looked up into the face of the man who had saved her. He was average heighth, dark eyes and dark hair that was styled to look like devil's horns on the top of his head.

"Are you okay?" He asked in a deep voice, so deep it was almost a growl. He held out his hand which she looked at in fear. "Don't worry," he said. "I won't hurt you." She reached up slowly and took his hand. He yanked her up and dusted himself off. "Running around on rooves is not exactly very clean." He said with a half smile. "Where did you learn to run like that, kid?"

"I learned the hard way." She looked around nervously, checking for the rest of the mob. "Thank you, but I have to go…" She turned towards the street.

"Hey, not so fast." He said as he grabbed her arm. "I'll give ya a lift wherever you need to go." He jabbed his thumb down into the depths of the alleyway.

"Thanks, but no thanks, I don't accept rides from strange men who possess retractable claws." He smiled at the comment.

"Smart girl. Well, at least tell me what your name is and why those assholes were chasing you."

"My name's Lumina. This is why they were following me." She held out her hand, palm facing upward, and formed a small ball of light by gathering tiny particles of energy. The man's eyes widened.

"Is it safe to touch?" She was a little shocked that he didn't even cringe slightly away. No one had ever asked that kind of question before. He looked at her, and for the first time she saw his face in the light. He was handsome, but a little rough looking due to his sideburns and scruffy hair. He also needed to shave. He looked almost like an animal, but he wasn't. However, his eyes were what surprised her. They looked haunted, and tired, but also they were soft and caring. "Yes, you can touch it. It's only is dangerous if I gather the right energy." He stuck out a finger and poked at it, making it sizzle a little. "It's warm." He murmered more to himself than to her. The energy ball started to surround his finger and little particles of light started flowing from his arm into the ball. Startled, he pulled his hand away. "What was that?" The energy ball dissappeared, and she lowered her hand.

"It draws energy from everything, even living things, though it doesn't hurt anything that it takes the energy from." She explained. He nodded, understanding. He sniffed twice and looked up suddenly, out towards the street.

"We better get outta here, kid." He said, grabbing her wrist. "They're coming back." They ran, or rather, he pulled her further into the alley, and stopped at the dead end. No way out. "Climb on my back." He ordered.

"But…"

"There she is!" A flashlight beam lit up the area around them.

"No time to argue!" The man growled as he yanked her behind him. She finally consented and climbed onto his back. She heard his claws pop out and he seemed to punch the wall, sticking his claws into the wall and pulling himself up. He scaled the brick in no time, even with her on his back, and they soon reached the top. She held on for dear life as he jumped onto a ladder that was at least six feet away. He retracted his claws, climbed the ladder, and proceeded to run up the stairs of a fire escape to the roof. He was sucking wind at this point, but he didn't stop. He ran across the roof and jumped over to another one. Lumina closed her eyes as he jumped off the roof into another alley, extending his claws in midair. She opened her eyes when they came to a sudden halt. He had jammed his claws into the side of the building and had slid down a little ways. He jumped off and land on the ground almost in perfect silence. The alley that they had jumped into didn't have a wall and lead to another street on the other side. He sprinted down the alley and ran onto the street, turning left and running towards a motorcycle. When they finally reached the bike, he let go of her legs and she slid off. Without waiting to catch his breath, he climbed on the bike and dragged her with him, seating her behind him. "Hold on!" He said as he handed her the helmet. He brought the cycle to life with a roar, and he kicked it into gear. Just as they were turning around, Lumina looked behind her to see the mob just now running around the corner. Then everything was a blur around them as the bike surged forward into the abyss of the dark streets.