A/N: Aaahh! Watch me write like crazy! Big thanks to all of my lovely reviewers. You all get an intergalactic crayon in your favorite color. Todd fan reviewed twice, so he gets a second intergalactic crayon in a color of his choice. ^_^
*****
"Hey," Kitty said suddenly. "We have to pass Illinois on the way to Seattle...can we stop and see my parents?"
"No," Logan replied shortly.
"Why?" she pouted.
"Do you see friendly visits on our itinerary?"
"I didn't know we had an itinerary."
"We don't."
A look of confusion crossed Kitty's face. "But then how can it not...oh."
"I think there's faulty logic here somewhere," Scott said. "If there is no itinerary, how can something not be on it?"
"Shut it, One-eye."
"I *told* you, I have two eyes!"
"Prove it," Kitty challenged.
"You know I can't do that without blowing something up," Scott sighed.
"Ha!" Kitty pointed an accusing finger. "Making excuses for not proving your statements! A clear sign of lying!"
"Look!" Scott pointed to his face. "Two lenses on my glasses!"
"That's true," Logan mused. "That girl on Futurama only had one lens when she wore glasses."
"So? That was, like, a cartoon."
*****
By the time the bus rattled across the Pennsylvania border, Ororo was fast asleep.
"Tell me again why we're Team Dig'em," Jean said, turning away from the window.
"For our initials," Evan explained. "Daniels, Grey, and Munroe. Dig'em."
"Why are you first?"
"Err...because it's in alphabetical order," Evan said quickly. "And age order! Isn't that clever?"
Jean looked at him doubtfully. "I think you just wanted to feel important. We should call ourselves...um...what's a word with g-m-d?"
"Go Mad?" Evan suggested.
"Go Mad," Jean considered the phrase. "No. Sounds like we're off the deep end."
"How about Grimed?"
"Is that even a word?"
"I dunno."
*****
Logan had gotten permission to land at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, but they'd had to circle for hours before they were allowed to come in.
"Ow," Kitty said as she stood stiffly. "I, like, never want to see a plane *again*."
"Have a nice walk back to New York," Logan bent over to pick up his bag.
"Fine," Kitty opened the hatch. "But after that, I'm absolutely not flying any more."
Scott, stuck with Kitty's oversize luggage again, nearly fell out onto the pavement.
"Careful with that," she admonished. "My little china cat is in there."
"Half-pint," Logan sighed. "*Why* did you bring a china cat, of all things?"
"I might need it," she sniffed.
"For *what*?"
Kitty didn't answer that to his face, but he heard something that sounded suspiciously like, "*Men*."
*****
The bus was mostly empty when it reached its final destination. Evan woke his aunt, and they debarked into the streets of Scranton.
"Nice place," Evan remarked. "Where are we going?"
Jean unfolded the scrap of paper. "12 Rosar Place. Give me the map."
"I don't have a map," Evan blinked. "I thought you had a map."
"I don't have a map," Jean looked up at him. They both looked at Ororo. She shrugged.
"Great," Evan sagged against a streetlight. "Lost in Scranton."
"Not a problem," Jean smiled the smile of a desperate person. "We'll ask directions. Sir!" She flagged down a passing man in a suit. "Could you tell us where Rosar Place is?"
"Not a clue," he said without stopping.
"Ookay..." Jean turned around slowly. "In that case, we'll...ask at a gas station. Come on!"
Evan groaned and followed. Ororo fell into step behind, and Team Dig'em made a little procession through a city none of them knew anything about.
*****
When the festive group arrived at the community center, a paper sign labeled "The Party" directed them to a field behind the building. As they rounded the corner, several things became apparent.
"There's no food," Kurt said immediately.
"There's no DJ," Jubilee complained.
"There's no *guests*," Rahne pointed out.
"Let's get this party started and shake things up!" said a voice.
"Lance," Rogue and Kurt said at the same time.
"Wha?" Bobby looked round at them.
"If someone spews bad earthquake puns, it's Lance," Rogue instructed him.
"Who's Lance?" Roberto whispered.
"Uh...him," Bobby pointed to a silhouetted figure on the roof.
Jamie followed the pointing finger, and saw two shadows of people. "Is it Team Rocket?" he quavered.
"Is that what the other team is called?" Amara asked.
"It's Team Rocket!" Jamie wailed. "They've come to recite a strange motto and steal my Pikachu!"
Jubilee put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Jamie," she soothed. "It's not Team Rocket, and I don't think they want Ray."
"Shut up, Jubes."
"You shut up, Ray."
"All of you shut it," Rogue snapped, still glaring into the sun.
"Anybody like *rock* music?" Lance laughed.
That's when the ground started shaking, and it wasn't from loud music or too many people dancing. The young X-Men mostly stayed on their feet.
"Rogue?" Roberto said warily when the quake subsided. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Huh?" Rogue blinked. "I was just thinking which powers I might want to borrow."
"Stop it, Rogue," Kurt said, without taking his eyes off the roof. "They're not a salad bar."
"They're no use in battle," she argued. "They've barely finished basic training."
"So they'll be back-up."
Bobby exploded. "*Back-up*?" he shouted. "We're eighty percent of the team!"
"Only in numbers," Kurt said calmly. "Rogue and I have more experience."
"Half of the experienced elite have no offensive powers," Amara noted.
At that point, Toad jumped off the roof, landed in front of them, and surveyed them suspiciously. "Yo, Lance!" he shouted upwards. "Who're all the kids?"
Pietro came up from somewhere to join his teammate. "Lance, who are the kids?" he echoed.
"Hey!" Tabitha squealed, stepping out from behind another corner. "How've you guys been?"
"Tabby!" Jamie ran over and buried his face in her shirt. "I missed you!"
"Hey, squirt," she ruffled his hair affectionately. "They been treating you okay?"
"Eh," he shrugged. "It's lonely."
"Hello?" Lance called down. "Are we having a battle here or not?"
"Bring it on!" Bobby shouted back.
The field rocked again, harder this time.
Rogue grabbed Kurt's arm and pointed up. "Go!"
The lingering smoke made Rahne sneeze. There were three figures on the roof now. One collapsed, and the others disappeared.
"That's one down," Rogue sighed, reappearing on the field.
"I don't like the way she fights, yo," Toad said uneasily.
"What powers do the other ones have?" Pietro asked.
"How should I know?" Toad took a step backwards. "Hey, yo, I bet Tabby knows."
Tabitha was deep in conversation with Jubilee.
"Forget her," Pietro said. "Where's Fred?"
"'Round back."
"Well, go get him!"
"Yeah, make the Toad do everything," he grumbled, turning around.
"Not so fast!" Bobby shouted, icing Toad's feet to the ground. "I always wanted to say that," he grinned.
"Fred!" Pietro shrieked. "Help me!"
The Blob appeared from a dark doorway. "Whoa," breathed several of the New Mutants.
Roberto tested his energy reserves, shifted to his alternate form, and stepped up to challenge the giant. "No problem," he said. After a few minutes of grappling and wrestling, he changed his mind. "Anyone gonna help me here?" he called over his shoulder.
Rahne morphed into a wolf, leaped forward, and latched onto Fred's massive leg. He didn't even seem to notice.
Sam ran a few paces and launced himself at the enormous target, but bounced off ineffectually. He ran back to the group. "Do something!" he said to the older kids.
"Told you," Rogue smirked.
"Come on," Bobby whined. "That's no fair. *Nobody* can bring that guy down."
Rogue shrugged, easily walked up behind Fred, and absorbed his energy until he passed out.
Pietro was taunting Tabitha from a moderate distance, shouting insults and generally disrupting her conversation.
"Go *away*!" she shouted finally, throwing an energy bomb at him. He ducked easily.
Kurt spotted the explosive, saw a hill of loose earth, and rapidly calculated trajectories. He grabbed the arms of the two people nearest him and pulled them down into a miniature crevasse created by one of Lance's earthquakes. It was then that he noticed one other important detail. "Rogue!" he shouted reflexively. "Unten!"
Rogue, understanding only her name, automatically turned around. The bomb hit the pile and launched broken ground in all directions. A big rock hit Rogue squarely in the back of the head. She went down.
Kurt released his teammates and leapt forward. He shielded Rogue with his body, failing to notice that Lance had woken up and thrown a brick at him.
Lance had good aim. Kurt was out like a light.
"Whoa..." Roberto stared. "Bobby, do something!"
"Uh...charge!"
"Don't charge!" Sam said quickly. "It's too obvious, they'll catch us."
"Do they look that smart?" Bobby sighed impatiently.
"Listen," Sam said patiently. "We should-"
"Shut up and let's move," Ray interrupted.
"Sam has a point," Rahne said. "Let him talk."
"Hey, who died and made this a democracy?" Bobby crossed his arms. "I'm the leader, and I say CHARGE!" Without another word, he ran towards the enemy. Ray, Roberto, and Amara followed him enthusiastically. Rahne shrugged, morphed, and bounded after them. Sam looked upwards, sighed, and walked behind.
*****
"Hey," Kitty said suddenly. "We have to pass Illinois on the way to Seattle...can we stop and see my parents?"
"No," Logan replied shortly.
"Why?" she pouted.
"Do you see friendly visits on our itinerary?"
"I didn't know we had an itinerary."
"We don't."
A look of confusion crossed Kitty's face. "But then how can it not...oh."
"I think there's faulty logic here somewhere," Scott said. "If there is no itinerary, how can something not be on it?"
"Shut it, One-eye."
"I *told* you, I have two eyes!"
"Prove it," Kitty challenged.
"You know I can't do that without blowing something up," Scott sighed.
"Ha!" Kitty pointed an accusing finger. "Making excuses for not proving your statements! A clear sign of lying!"
"Look!" Scott pointed to his face. "Two lenses on my glasses!"
"That's true," Logan mused. "That girl on Futurama only had one lens when she wore glasses."
"So? That was, like, a cartoon."
*****
By the time the bus rattled across the Pennsylvania border, Ororo was fast asleep.
"Tell me again why we're Team Dig'em," Jean said, turning away from the window.
"For our initials," Evan explained. "Daniels, Grey, and Munroe. Dig'em."
"Why are you first?"
"Err...because it's in alphabetical order," Evan said quickly. "And age order! Isn't that clever?"
Jean looked at him doubtfully. "I think you just wanted to feel important. We should call ourselves...um...what's a word with g-m-d?"
"Go Mad?" Evan suggested.
"Go Mad," Jean considered the phrase. "No. Sounds like we're off the deep end."
"How about Grimed?"
"Is that even a word?"
"I dunno."
*****
Logan had gotten permission to land at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, but they'd had to circle for hours before they were allowed to come in.
"Ow," Kitty said as she stood stiffly. "I, like, never want to see a plane *again*."
"Have a nice walk back to New York," Logan bent over to pick up his bag.
"Fine," Kitty opened the hatch. "But after that, I'm absolutely not flying any more."
Scott, stuck with Kitty's oversize luggage again, nearly fell out onto the pavement.
"Careful with that," she admonished. "My little china cat is in there."
"Half-pint," Logan sighed. "*Why* did you bring a china cat, of all things?"
"I might need it," she sniffed.
"For *what*?"
Kitty didn't answer that to his face, but he heard something that sounded suspiciously like, "*Men*."
*****
The bus was mostly empty when it reached its final destination. Evan woke his aunt, and they debarked into the streets of Scranton.
"Nice place," Evan remarked. "Where are we going?"
Jean unfolded the scrap of paper. "12 Rosar Place. Give me the map."
"I don't have a map," Evan blinked. "I thought you had a map."
"I don't have a map," Jean looked up at him. They both looked at Ororo. She shrugged.
"Great," Evan sagged against a streetlight. "Lost in Scranton."
"Not a problem," Jean smiled the smile of a desperate person. "We'll ask directions. Sir!" She flagged down a passing man in a suit. "Could you tell us where Rosar Place is?"
"Not a clue," he said without stopping.
"Ookay..." Jean turned around slowly. "In that case, we'll...ask at a gas station. Come on!"
Evan groaned and followed. Ororo fell into step behind, and Team Dig'em made a little procession through a city none of them knew anything about.
*****
When the festive group arrived at the community center, a paper sign labeled "The Party" directed them to a field behind the building. As they rounded the corner, several things became apparent.
"There's no food," Kurt said immediately.
"There's no DJ," Jubilee complained.
"There's no *guests*," Rahne pointed out.
"Let's get this party started and shake things up!" said a voice.
"Lance," Rogue and Kurt said at the same time.
"Wha?" Bobby looked round at them.
"If someone spews bad earthquake puns, it's Lance," Rogue instructed him.
"Who's Lance?" Roberto whispered.
"Uh...him," Bobby pointed to a silhouetted figure on the roof.
Jamie followed the pointing finger, and saw two shadows of people. "Is it Team Rocket?" he quavered.
"Is that what the other team is called?" Amara asked.
"It's Team Rocket!" Jamie wailed. "They've come to recite a strange motto and steal my Pikachu!"
Jubilee put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Jamie," she soothed. "It's not Team Rocket, and I don't think they want Ray."
"Shut up, Jubes."
"You shut up, Ray."
"All of you shut it," Rogue snapped, still glaring into the sun.
"Anybody like *rock* music?" Lance laughed.
That's when the ground started shaking, and it wasn't from loud music or too many people dancing. The young X-Men mostly stayed on their feet.
"Rogue?" Roberto said warily when the quake subsided. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Huh?" Rogue blinked. "I was just thinking which powers I might want to borrow."
"Stop it, Rogue," Kurt said, without taking his eyes off the roof. "They're not a salad bar."
"They're no use in battle," she argued. "They've barely finished basic training."
"So they'll be back-up."
Bobby exploded. "*Back-up*?" he shouted. "We're eighty percent of the team!"
"Only in numbers," Kurt said calmly. "Rogue and I have more experience."
"Half of the experienced elite have no offensive powers," Amara noted.
At that point, Toad jumped off the roof, landed in front of them, and surveyed them suspiciously. "Yo, Lance!" he shouted upwards. "Who're all the kids?"
Pietro came up from somewhere to join his teammate. "Lance, who are the kids?" he echoed.
"Hey!" Tabitha squealed, stepping out from behind another corner. "How've you guys been?"
"Tabby!" Jamie ran over and buried his face in her shirt. "I missed you!"
"Hey, squirt," she ruffled his hair affectionately. "They been treating you okay?"
"Eh," he shrugged. "It's lonely."
"Hello?" Lance called down. "Are we having a battle here or not?"
"Bring it on!" Bobby shouted back.
The field rocked again, harder this time.
Rogue grabbed Kurt's arm and pointed up. "Go!"
The lingering smoke made Rahne sneeze. There were three figures on the roof now. One collapsed, and the others disappeared.
"That's one down," Rogue sighed, reappearing on the field.
"I don't like the way she fights, yo," Toad said uneasily.
"What powers do the other ones have?" Pietro asked.
"How should I know?" Toad took a step backwards. "Hey, yo, I bet Tabby knows."
Tabitha was deep in conversation with Jubilee.
"Forget her," Pietro said. "Where's Fred?"
"'Round back."
"Well, go get him!"
"Yeah, make the Toad do everything," he grumbled, turning around.
"Not so fast!" Bobby shouted, icing Toad's feet to the ground. "I always wanted to say that," he grinned.
"Fred!" Pietro shrieked. "Help me!"
The Blob appeared from a dark doorway. "Whoa," breathed several of the New Mutants.
Roberto tested his energy reserves, shifted to his alternate form, and stepped up to challenge the giant. "No problem," he said. After a few minutes of grappling and wrestling, he changed his mind. "Anyone gonna help me here?" he called over his shoulder.
Rahne morphed into a wolf, leaped forward, and latched onto Fred's massive leg. He didn't even seem to notice.
Sam ran a few paces and launced himself at the enormous target, but bounced off ineffectually. He ran back to the group. "Do something!" he said to the older kids.
"Told you," Rogue smirked.
"Come on," Bobby whined. "That's no fair. *Nobody* can bring that guy down."
Rogue shrugged, easily walked up behind Fred, and absorbed his energy until he passed out.
Pietro was taunting Tabitha from a moderate distance, shouting insults and generally disrupting her conversation.
"Go *away*!" she shouted finally, throwing an energy bomb at him. He ducked easily.
Kurt spotted the explosive, saw a hill of loose earth, and rapidly calculated trajectories. He grabbed the arms of the two people nearest him and pulled them down into a miniature crevasse created by one of Lance's earthquakes. It was then that he noticed one other important detail. "Rogue!" he shouted reflexively. "Unten!"
Rogue, understanding only her name, automatically turned around. The bomb hit the pile and launched broken ground in all directions. A big rock hit Rogue squarely in the back of the head. She went down.
Kurt released his teammates and leapt forward. He shielded Rogue with his body, failing to notice that Lance had woken up and thrown a brick at him.
Lance had good aim. Kurt was out like a light.
"Whoa..." Roberto stared. "Bobby, do something!"
"Uh...charge!"
"Don't charge!" Sam said quickly. "It's too obvious, they'll catch us."
"Do they look that smart?" Bobby sighed impatiently.
"Listen," Sam said patiently. "We should-"
"Shut up and let's move," Ray interrupted.
"Sam has a point," Rahne said. "Let him talk."
"Hey, who died and made this a democracy?" Bobby crossed his arms. "I'm the leader, and I say CHARGE!" Without another word, he ran towards the enemy. Ray, Roberto, and Amara followed him enthusiastically. Rahne shrugged, morphed, and bounded after them. Sam looked upwards, sighed, and walked behind.