Mortimer killed the engine as the boat neared the docks. Quickly jumping the mediocre fifteen feet, he tied a rope around a post and left his boat to await his return.
Pulling the bill of his hat down to cover his green complexion, Mort made his way toward the main road and hailed a taxi. Silently, he waited for a car to come and pick him up. Soon enough, a horrible mustard-colored automobile pulled up beside him and Mort slid into the cushioned seat and told the driver where he wanted to go. "No problem." Said the man, "I know exactly where that is." And Mortimer was off.
It had been roughly a three and a half hour trip from the Brotherhood Island to the main land. Exhausted from the morning sun beating down on him, Mortimer sank into his seat and closed his eyes. He thought about his part in the mission: How was he going to do this? But Toad only scoffed at him and made Mortimer feel even worse. 'You know it's easy. I told you I would take care of everything... if you'd only let me free!'
Mort shook his head. 'Like that was ever gonna happen.' He didn't want Toad to run amok. Or did he? In no time, the horrid little cab pulled up just outside the gates to Xavier's "School for the Gifted", just out of sight as Mortimer had instructed. "It's a...um... surprise." He muttered to the driver shortly.
Absently, he threw the cabby some random bills and waited for him to drive away. More than happy to be away from Mortimer, the driver sped off hurriedly.
'So this is the X-Men establishment...' Mortimer thought, peering past the open iron gate. He thought it was odd that the gate was open; in fact, it seemed to beckon Mort in. Curiously, Mortimer slunk through the entrance and dove immediately into the foliage. He wanted to know everything that was going on. Everything.
It was now the afternoon and Mystique felt her stomach rumble with hunger. Beside her, Rogue and Jubilee clutched their bellies as well. "Oh, I'm so hungry!" Rogue whined. Surprisingly, Mystique didn't find it as annoying as she once did. Jubilee nodded in agreement, "Yeah, let's get to the food before anyone else does!" Quickly, the three girls ran down the corridor and into the dining hall.
When the three teenage girls reached their destination, they saw that they weren't the only ones with the idea to come early. Jubilee sighed and rubbed her growling stomach, "Aw, man! I think my belly's gonna cave in! I can't wait that long for food." Rogue put a sympathetic smile on her face for Jubilee and herself. "I know, Jubes. I'm starving too."
Mystique felt compelled to do something. She could go back into the kitchen, steal some food... Was there a penalty for that? The shape shifter wondered this privately. A tap on her shoulder made Mystique lose track of her thoughts, "Kit? Whatcha thinkin' about?" Mystique smiled mischievously at her "friend" and whispered, "I'll be right back." Disappearing into the crowd, Mystique left a bewildered Rogue and Jubilee to themselves.
Soon, the disguised intruder found herself inside of the kitchen. Stealthily, she made her way toward the smell of fresh-baked food. Glancing around, Mystique found a large bag, some plastic containers, and forks. Quickly, she began to fill the bag with bread, butter, and fruit. The plastic containers she filled with egg noodles covered in a mushroom chicken sauce. Satisfied with the weight of her parcel, Mystique turned to exit the kitchen when a loud voice from behind her called out, "Hey! What do you think you're doing? I'll see you get in trouble for this!"
The shape shifter made sure not to turn around so the man couldn't see her face. Instead, she back flipped, gaining amazing height and distance. In a flash, she was over the man's head. Quickly, she wrapped one of her arms under his, clasping that hand with the other that was draped over her prey's neck. In no time at all, the man fell to floor, unconscious, as Mystique casually exited the room through an adjacent window.
Crawling back into the manor, Mystique beckoned to Rogue and Jubilee. Puzzled, both mutants followed "Kitty" to their dorm room. When they were all safely inside, Mystique exposed her stolen goods to them.
"How...!" Jubilee was in utter shock. Rogue just shook her head and smiled. This made Mystique happy; she had gained their trust. 'But,' she thought to herself, 'will this make it harder for me to accept their deaths?' Shaking that ridiculous thought aside, Mystique urged the two other girls to dig in. They spent the next two hours eating and laughing.
Scott Summers smiled merrily as he walked into the dining hall. All of the happy faces made him feel likewise and he couldn't keep the grin off of his face. Waving to a few students that called out his name, Scott entered the kitchen and froze at what he saw.
The cook lay on the floor. Dead? Scott hoped it wasn't so. Quickly, he ran over to the man and felt his pulse. 'Good.' He sighed internally, 'still alive.' Slinging one of the man's arms over his shoulder, Cyclops exited through the backdoor of the kitchen to take the matter up with Xavier.
Charles sat in his wheelchair, his face showing signs of great thought as Scott explained to him what happened.
"I don't know, Professor. I came into the kitchen and there he was... just lying there." Cyclops shrugged his shoulders in shame, "I wish I was there to stop whoever did this." Xavier only shook his head slightly, "It wasn't your fault, Scott. Whoever did this to him must have snuck by everyone else and entered the kitchen. I will consult with him about the matter when he regains consciousness and find out exactly what happened. Maybe he can inform us on who did this to him." Xavier stopped and took a much needed breath and Scott smiled, "Yes, Professor." Silently, Summers exited the office and went to find Jean.
Charles Xavier sat in deep thought for a moment. Who could have done this to the poor cook? Suddenly, the man lying on a chaise lounge across from Xavier began to stir. Charles straightened himself and began to talk to the man in soothingly deep tones. "I apologize, sir. I'm afraid you've had frightful experience some time ago." The cook lazily raised himself up and scratched his head, "Oh, hello Professor. What am I doing here?" He looked around the room in confusion, getting his bearings.
Xavier let the man have some time to think and then explained.
"Oh, yeah. I remember that." The cook began. "She was stealing food, she was! I came to stop her, but she back flipped over my head and put me in a headlock. I thought she was gonna kill me!"
Xavier processed his thoughts for a moment and asked the man if he could enter his mind. The man acquiesced and Xavier directed his wheelchair toward the cook. Closing his eyes, he began to read the man's thoughts.
Almost as soon as he had started, Xavier had finished. He snapped his head up in surprise and was suddenly perplexed.
'Kitty?'
