Flight

"So who are the Morlocks, Kurt? We're not talking Wells, here, are we?" Romana asks as Kurt stops to get his bearings. Kurt chuckles to himself and starts to examine the side of the tunnel.

"Nothing so romantic, I'm afraid. Years ago a mutant named Callisto tried to gather a group of mutant outcasts to live in the abandoned subway tunnels under the city. They lived in peace for a while, until," Kurt's voice drifts off. -Until the Marauders came and you, Kitty, and Angel almost died-

"Until what, Kurt?" Romana asks gently as Kurt leans a hand against the wall and hangs his head in memory. "What happened to you?" she whispers to herself as she wipes the tears from her eyes.

Kurt sighs deeply and lifts his head to stare at the markings that signify the Morlocks path in the tunnels. "Very bad things happened here, Romana. I'm not sure if there even ARE any Morlocks left anymore, but at least we can use their tunnels to get across town."

They make their way in an awkward silence for a while, the sounds of dripping condensation and the occasional rat the only noises they hear. Kurt looks back at Romana for a moment and is gifted with a warm smile. -We've only met, and already this strange beauty trusts me to lead her into the unknown. I don't deserve that kind of faith after the way I belittled her earlier. Don't mess this up again, Kurt, because this isn't the last time you want to see that smile- He smiles back and asks, "How are you holding up?"

"Hah, I've been on the run a lot longer than this," Romana laughs. "In fact," Romana grabs her head suddenly and groans in pain.

"Liebchen, what is it?" Kurt asks worriedly as he puts his hands on her shoulders.

Romana raises her head to look at Kurt, but her pupils have turned a solid green. "Someone's coming!" she whispers.

"Hold on to me!" Kurt commands as she wraps her arms around his shoulders and he jumps high into the dark shadows of the tunnel walls above. He covers her body with his as they press into the wall and Kurt blends into the shadows. They wait in tense silence, as the faint sound of footsteps grows nearer.

As nervous as Romana is, she can't help but notice the soft feel of Kurt's fur through her fingers as she holds onto him. Her head is cradled between his neck and shoulder, and she nuzzles his neck for a brief moment, inhaling the smell of brimstone and musk. -I never thought brimstone could smell so good-- Kurt's terse words break her from her reverie as he whispers, "Here they come."
The noise of footsteps gets louder, along with a snuffling sound, like that of a large dog. -The police wouldn't bother venturing down this far, would they?-Kurt wonders about the possibilities until he finally sees a very large, and pale to the point of being an albino, figure hunched down on all fours and sniffing the ground, soon followed by a young blonde woman wearing jeans, jacket and t-shirt with the word "Freakazoid" emblazoned on the front, her hand gently resting on his shoulder. The albino stops sniffing and sits up in a crouch, his elbows resting on his knees.

"Here, Sally."

"Are you sure, Caliban? We haven't had mutants come down here without us for so long," Sally says doubtfully as she looks around the tunnel intersection.

--Caliban? Could it be that he made it off The Hill to live in the tunnels again? Could other Morlocks still be alive down there?-"Trust me, Romana." Kurt whispers in her ear as he shifts her into his arms and jumps down in front of them. "Salutations, fraulien, Caliban, it is good to see you well again."

Caliban rears up in an offensive stance, but the young blonde gently places her hand on his shoulder again and says with a smile, "No, Caliban. Look." Caliban stares hard for a moment at Kurt as he sets Romana down to stand beside him, and then calms down again, resting back on his haunches.

"Preacher-man."

Sally giggles softly and says, "Yes, Caliban. He's a preacher. I doubt he is intent on doing us any harm. My name is Sally, and you seem to know Caliban. May I ask how?"

"Forgive me, fraulien." Kurt bows at the waist with a flourish of his tail. "I am Kurt Wagner, though once I was known to the Morlocks as Nightcrawler. This lovely young lady is Romana. We encountered some difficulties surface- side that we needed to get away from, and were hoping to use your tunnels to avoid any future problems."

Sally's eyebrows shoot up as Kurt says his X-Men name. "Nightcrawler? Your name has been lauded as one of the fallen of the Mutant Massacre. We had no idea you were still alive!"

Kurt sighs deeply and a grim shadow seems to fall over his face. "Ja, I could say the same about the Morlocks. May we pass?" Sally draws him to the side and Kurt and her whisper back and forth, Kurt's expression getting more grim by the moment.

Romana gazes in deep thought at Kurt, watching the expressions of remembrance, pain, and resolution cross his face. "What happened to you that you have this shadow on your soul?" Romana whispers to herself. She fails to notice that Caliban has moved to sit next to her and also watches the heated conversation. "Preacher-man almost died. Many Morlocks died."

Romana's eyes widen in shock. -Goddess, there must have been a horrible battle here. So much death, and Kurt was caught in the middle of it!-

The conversation soon comes to an end and Kurt takes Romana aside as Caliban goes back to sit next to Sally. "Seems that this won't be as easy as I would have hoped," Kurt mutters darkly.

"What's wrong? Won't they let us through the tunnels?" Romana asks.

"Ja, they will let us thorough, but not before we talk to their leader. If it's really who they say it is, there's no telling what might happen next, so be prepared."

"What's their leader's name?"

Kurt takes a deep breath and stares down the tunnel that leads to a past that he wishes he could forget.

"Callisto."

**I know, I know, I am taking creative license with some loopholes in Marvel continuity. :P**