Edge

C1: Orders

[Disclaimer: MARVEL owns "X-Men: Evolution."  I own whatever I write/create.  Don't steal and don't sue.]

"He went that way officer!  Down that street!  He had a huge bag over his shoulder!"

"Right!  Let's go!"

As Ian watched the policemen run off down the street, she smirked.  It was so easy to act innocent and play-act like she was the victim of an awful thief.  The only thing the gray-eyed woman regretted was the scrape she gave her arm to really pull off the lie.  It stung, but pain faded.  Money was easy.

Ian shifted the bag on her shoulder and started to walk back towards her house.  A mental count made her grin even more.  The money she had just stolen amounted to something near ten thousand.

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Pandora ate her bagel quietly, waiting for someone to wake up and join her.  Someone was humming Beethoven's ninth symphony, fourth movement as they strolled into the kitchen.  The seventeen-year-old glanced up to find Ian rummaging in the refrigerator.

The teenager turned her gaze back to the newspaper she was reading, waiting rather patiently for Ian to sit down.  When the woman did, Pandora pushed the paper to Ian's hands.

"I assume you did that." the girl said softly before taking a bit of her breakfast.  The headline shouted of a theft—a bank robbery.  Ian smirked sideways, pushing the paper back and putting her hand atop Pandora's.

"So?" she chuckled.  Pandora withdrew her hand and frowned.  Ian blinked once and found herself suspended over a pit of spikes.

"A bit cliché, isn't it?" she said calmly.  She pulled her cigarettes from her jeans pocket and lit one.  Smiling knowingly, she let the smoke waft to her left.  A cough rang out and the pit crackled.  It vanished, leaving Ian sitting next to Pandora.  The girl coughed, waving the smoke away.

"I thought we agreed that you don't smoke around me unless a fan is on or a window is open." she protested.  Ian smiled, grinding the cigarette in an ashtray.  She put a finger to Pandora's forehead.  The brown-haired girl stiffened, her green eyes widening.

"We also agreed that you wouldn't put me in an illusion like that." Ian chuckled, "Now, are we agreed again?"  Pandora nodded quickly.  "Good.  I'm going to go wake up Pax and Kris.  I have something to tell all of you."  She stood, picking the cigarette from the tray and lighting it again.

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"Hey, lightning butt."

"Go 'way.  Not in the mood this early."

"Nice dream, bucky.  Get up."

"I said go away!"  Kris sat up quickly, his fist ready and sparking.  Ian, however, was holding his wrist steady and pointing a finger to his forehead.  Kris woke up very quickly.

"Shut up, stop sparking, and get downstairs.  Everyone's getting up."

"Is Pax up?"

"Not yet."

"Ah, you always get Pax up last!  Why can't I get those last few minutes?"

"Because you should be able to get up with all that ridiculous electricity in you.  Now get moving."  Kris rolled his brown eyes and shuffled off towards the stairs.  Ian followed him and turned right after leaving the messy room.  She stood leaning against the frame of the next room, smiling at the immaculate room Pax kept.

"Yo, Pax, get up." she called, "Everyone needs to be downstairs, including you.  Now hurry up."  A disheveled brown head poked up from under the blanket, followed closely by a bemused look from blue eyes.  Pax nodded and slid out from under the covers.  Ian strolled downstairs a minute or so later, followed closely by Pax.  Once downstairs, Ian was immediately assaulted by angry questions from Kris.

"What's this about?" he snapped, "What'd you have to get us up at six thirty for?"

"Simple." Ian replied, pushing Kris back by his nose, "You three are going to school."

"Oh no I'm not!" Kris shouted, "I came here 'cause I thought I wasn't going to have to go to school!  You're not my mother!"

"True enough." Ian grabbed the boy by the shoulder and pressed a finger to his forehead once again.  Her tone was colder, more sinister.  "If I was your mother, I would have thrown you to the wolves long ago.  However, you three still need to get through high school.  I arranged for you to go to Bayville High School when you arrived.  Today is your first day.

"And before you whine about not having anything, I bought some things last night.  You can go together in Kris's car.  And if I hear one single rumor about you three having any kind of powers, you're all back out on the streets.  Understood?"

"Yes." was the chorused reply.

"Good.  Nice day to all of you.  Now have breakfast, take some money and get out of here."

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"OK, the rules are no touching the stereo, no playing with the window, and no playing around."

"Kris, it's just a car."

"Hey, it's my car!  When you get one, you see how you feel!"

"Can we just go already?"  Kris huffed angrily, but started the car.  He glanced briefly at the directions Ian had written for him before driving off.  Ian sat on the roof of the house, watching them drive away.  She smirked and drew a cigarette from her pocket.  A blackbird landed near her, cawing.

"I hate birds." Ian frowned, lighting the cigarette.  She aimed a finger blindly at the bird and grinned.  Red energy shot from her finger and the bird cawed loudly, barely flapping away in time.

"So, the bird has a brain?" Ian frowned even more, "I don't believe it.  Are you a shapeshifter or just a bird-changer?"  The bird settled down a few more feet away and changed into a blue-skinned woman.

"Shapeshifter by the look of it." the black-haired woman murmured, "Well, what do you want?"

"My name is Mystique.  I'm offering you a safe haven." the red-haired woman said in reply.

"I have one." Ian said, "I'd like to know what you're actually here for."

"That's all I'm here for." Mystique smiled.

"Want me to shoot you?" Ian snapped, "Are you here to recruit me for someone?"

"Listen, I'm just working for a world where mutants will be given the respect and status they deserve." Mystique sighed, "It would be no trouble for someone like you to be respected."

"And feared." Ian took another draw from the cigarette, "Look, lady, I may have split personalities, and one of them may be quite insane, but I'm not going to be stupid enough to try and be accepted by scaring people."

"So you're another sentimental fool, just like Xavier.  I should have known."

"You should have known not to come to my house.  Now leave before I actually bother to aim."  Mystique's yellow eyes narrowed angrily before she turned into a blackbird once more.  Ian sighed and flicked the dead cigarette towards the alleyway.  A burgundy Rolls Royce drove nearer and nearer to her house.  She had a bad feeling this was going to go on all day.

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"Hello.  Are you new?"

Pax looked up to the smiling face of a dark-haired boy.  A girl with brown hair that had white streaks accompanied him.  Pax looked nervously to Pandora, his blue eyes searching her green.  She gazed back easily, nodding slightly.

"Um, yes, we are." the boy said in his usual, quiet fashion.

"Well, my name is Kurt Wagner." the dark-haired boy replied, his voice laced with a German accent, "And this is Rogue.  Who are you?  Where are you from?"  Pax swallowed, looking again to Pandora for rescue.  Kris walked over and sat down across from Pax, thumping his lunch tray to the table.

"Man, you should see the jocks in this place." Kris chuckled, twisting open his soda, "Walk around like there's no one better.  I ought to show 'em something better.  Whoa, hello.  Where'd you come from all of a sudden?"  Kurt shook his head to put things back in order.

"My name is Kurt Wagner, and this is Rogue.  We were just talking to your friends here." he said once more.

"Let me take a wild guess here." Kris smirked and pointed at Pax and Pandora, "They were giving you the silent treatment?  Ah, don't worry about it.  They probably like you if they said more than a word to you.  He's Pax, she's Pandora, and my name's Kris.  All three of us just started today."

"If you ever want a friend, you can count on me." Kurt smiled.  Rogue was suddenly shoved into Kurt, both pushed aside by a burly blond boy.  The boy wore a letter jacket and was the very image of the perfect quarterback.  Rogue was livid.

"What's wrong with you, Duncan?" she snapped as the blond boy sank down next to Pandora.

"None of your business, freak." Duncan replied, "Hey, pretty lady.  What're you doing hanging around with this mutant?"  Kris and Pax locked eyes as the boy flopped his arm over Pandora's shoulders.  Kris lowered his hands to his legs to keep the angry sparks from view while Pax made sure to breath evenly.

"Mutant?" Pandora spoke softly, "Rogue, is that true?"

"So what if it is?" Rogue huffed, crossing her arms over her chest angrily.

"I find nothing wrong with that." Pandora replied, "In fact, I find fault with this dunce of a football player.  In fact, I'd like it if he would get his hands the hell off me before I smack him."

"Look, you little punk, if you want to get anywhere here, you'll listen to me and make sure you don't hang out with freaks like the Xavier mutants."  Kris looked to Pandora, raising his eyebrow in question.  She smirked for just a moment and he smiled as well.  Pandora closed her eyes slightly, lifting her hand to rest on Duncan's.

"Well, I don't care much for going places." she murmured, "But I'm sure you love trips."  She gripped his hand by his thumb and twisted backwards.  Duncan turned with his arm and flipped backwards.  His shins banged hard against the table and he bonked his head on the floor.

Kris laughed uproariously, pounding his fist on the table.  Pax grinned rather guiltily and Kurt and Rogue stifled snickers.  Pandora resumed eating her sandwich, smiling in her own small way.

"You're dead." Duncan growled as he stood.

—to be continued—