The small beep and vibration of the com-device signaled that it was time for Toad to take his part in the mission. It was time for the distraction; it was almost time for the finale.
Without waiting another moment, Toad crashed through one of the many windows, right into a dorm room. Shrill screams filled his ears as the little girls that occupied this room ran out of the door and into the hallway. Toad loved it all. He breathed in the fear and hopped out of the room, following the terrified children. Then he cleanly knocked another door off of its hinges. Inside, three girls stared at him for a good moment before they uttered a sound.
All hell was breaking loose, and Toad was enjoying it immensely.
Mortimer screamed inside of Toad, but he wouldn't be heard. He could feel the blood pound and the adrenaline run in his own body. Nothing would stop Toad except for Toad himself. Whether Mortimer liked it or not, he had to watch everything that his comrade chose to do.
In a matter of minutes, more than half of the girl's dormitories had been raided. The girl, Rogue, still hadn't been found. But that didn't stop Toad; he knew that she was here. He would crush every door and every window until he found her. This was his mission as well, and he would not fail.
Only a couple more minutes were allowed to pass; Mortimer knew that the X-Men would soon appear and try to resolve the problem. They had to find the girl fast! They had to find her now!
And finally, the mutants came upon the door to the room that held her. Toad sniffed the air with glee as his gloved hand stroked the wood frame. Then in a split second, the door came crashing down, splinters erupting from it from the powerful blow. And there she was.
Without a moment to think, Toad pounced on the frightened girl and grabbed her. He flung her into his arms and over his shoulder while leaping out of a nearby window. Glass flew everywhere, and the girl's screams were enough to make Mortimer sick, but thankfully, the mission was almost over and so far, they had not been caught.
"Let go of me!" She screamed.
Mortimer heard Toad reply, but he didn't want to listen. His sadistic other found way too much happiness in this act and Mortimer did not approve. Why can't we just leave? Let us go back to the island and rot away until we all reach the demise that we deserve.
Toad laughed at him, 'Do you honestly think that you'll be around for that long, Mort? I don't.'
No more was said, for a small beeping sound came from the com-device. That was the next signal. Mystique was in position and it was time to stage little Rogue's escape.
She was not even a mere burden for Toad, for his muscular physique could handle almost anything, but it was time to let her go. Yes. Toad thought wickedly. Run. It's time to run. And then he let her go. He made her think that she had overpowered him for some reason. But no, she didn't know the true answer. She didn't know that life would be taken from her in a very, very short time.
Scott and Logan ran up the stairs swiftly and turned into the girl's dormitories. Screams filled the Xavier mansion, piercing screams that almost shattered the very windows of the manor. It was a good thing that Siren had spent the night in the MedLab, for her yells were absolutely devastating.
The two X-Men searched every dorm room and noticed that the doors had already been conveniently knocked to the floor.
"Is everyone here?" Logan asked.
Scott shook his head and replied, "I don't know. We'll need a roll count done if we want to find out for sure. But I want to know what the hell is going on here! Who would just break into the mansion, cause chaos, and then leave?"
Wolverine narrowed his eyes as he gathered in his surroundings. He sniffed the fear-stricken environment and a thought suddenly came to him.
"A Brotherhood member," he said blandly. "A green one."
Scott looked at him for a moment and nodded. "So you think it was Toad?"
"Who else could it be? And I trust my nose more than your eye, Cyclops."
Scott huffed at Logan's remark but didn't say anything. If Logan thought it was Toad, it very well might be. But one thought pulled at Scott's mind and wouldn't relent: Why?
Rogue ran like she had never run before. She had to get away! She needed to find safety! Frantically, she jerked her head in all directions, searching for somewhere to hide. Alas, there were no places that she saw, and she knew that her assailant would find her nevertheless. In fact, she could hear him bounding behind her. He was arrogant in his movements; he stayed just a tiny bit away as she continued to flee. He knew that he would catch her.
And that was when she collided with someone else.
"Jean!" Rogue screamed.
Her professor nodded to her and focused her attention on the Brotherhood member. Rogue watched with relief as her attacker froze in his crouching stance and was immobilized.
"Come with me, Rogue," Jean said.
Rogue wasted no time in accepting. All she wanted to do was get away from that monster that had grabbed her. Willingly, she followed Jean Grey into the forest and deeper into the night.
Toad unfroze himself and chuckled, "That stupid girl! She is gullible to think that I was really frozen." He gave another small laugh and headed in the direction that Mystique had gone.
"Mort, me friend, it's almost time for you to do your duty. You ready?"
What a question to ask. But really: Was he ready?
"I don't know, Toad," Mortimer managed to actually use his lips. "I don't want to kill her."
"Ah, but you have to, mate," Toad laughed, "You think you have a choice, but really, you don't."
