I'M DYING 4: FLU MISERIES
Chapter 8
"Here, let me help." Marco put both his hands on Xavier's back.
Xavier felt warmth spreading down towards his stomach. At the same time, positive energy flowed into Marco.
The whole process took only seconds, but it felt like years.
Finally, when the boy pulled away, the Professor felt invigorated. Marco, on
the other hand, was bent over, retching. After a few minutes, he straightened
up.
"Sorry about that. That always happens afterwards. It goes away after a
while."
Remarkable, the professor thought. He'd never met a mutant with actual healing powers. This could definitely come in handy . . .
"Marco," he said suddenly, "would you accompany me downstairs as soon you're able?"
"Sure," he said. "Take me a few minutes,
though."
Logan knew exactly what Xavier had
in mind. "Want me to keep an eye on the monitors?"
"Yes, and let me know immediately if anything happens."
Elsewhere, the monster had started laying waste to Bayville High. He didn't really know what he was looking for . . . but he knew it was close by.
The X-Men (minus Kurt, who was still in the hospital) were already suited up and ready for action.
"Talk about kicking somebody when they're down." Cyclops said.
"Are we kicking him, or is he kicking us?" asked Spyke.
"I'd say we're being kicked," Jean said. "We'll have to work twice as hard as we did before."
"And we don't have Kurt," Kitty sighed. "Why did he have to get sick now?"
"How do you think Kurt feels?" Storm said.
Kurt, at that moment, was trying to get up. He'd overheard
Mystique on the phone, talking about some monster on the loose. There was no
way he was staying here while his friends were in danger.
The only problem was, he couldn't find his clothes.
They'd been locked away somewhere where he couldn't find them. And there was no
way he was going out in this butt-exposing hospital gown . . .
Mystique came in and found him trying to find something to
wear. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I have to go--" Suddenly . . . Kurt collapsed.
Mystique put him back in bed and paged Xavier. She also asked for an update on the Sandoval creature situation. What she heard was not encouraging.
"Our team is in place to intercept him . . . if they can."
"If they can?"
"If he's as powerful as he was last time, they may not
be able to do much more than slow him down."
"Then what? Call out the National Guard?"
After a pause, Xavier said, "We might have a chance with a few more powerful mutants on our side."
"Who?"
So he told her of his newest student . . .
"He can heal?"
"Yes, I know it's quite rare, but he does appear to have the gift."
"Where is he now?"
"Downstairs, in the Medical Ward."
With only a second's hesitation, Mystique said, "Send him over here when he's finished."
"All right."
But that might take a while . . . and time was one thing they were very short on.
The creature was already at the front gates, trying to rip them out of the ground.
"Maybe we can distract him," suggested Cyclops.
"How?" Jean asked.
"Good question."
Kitty decided to take matters into her own hands.
Using her phasing abilities, she went right through the
monster and out the other side.
It was probably the grossest experience of her life. It was also very nearly
the last.
Because the monster, far from being
distracted, was now focused on her.
He swiped his claws at her, nearly ripping her head off.
"NO!" Suddenly Evan lunged forward and shot an armful of spikes at the creature . . . most of which bounced off without doing any real damage.
But they got its attention long enough for Cyclops to hit it
with an optic blast.
"Grraagghh!" The creature staggered back . .
.
. . . and Jean fell to her knees.
"No!" she cried. "Stop! Don't hurt him!
He just . . . he just wants his mother."
Everyone stared at her . . .
(Okay, short, I know, but I felt that was a good place to stop. Don't worry, the next chapter will have the end of the Boo story!)
