Disclaimer: Eh. Right.
Comes the Night
Chapter One:
Note: Thanks to all the people who reviewed!- Guess what! Batman Beyond and X-men: Evolution are my favorite cartoons too!
~*~*~*~(^)~*~*~*~
"Summer has arrived!" Kurt, in an offensively colored Hawaiian shirt, whipped out a towel and threw himself down.
The front of the institute was the place to be, most of the students could be could somewhere around. Rahne was playing frisbee with whoever got to their feet, running around them determinedly. Others were sunbathing and talking, and some had disappeared off elsewhere. Jean and Kitty were chatting while a strange game of catch/tag/keepaway had started around the fountain.
Unnoticed, Professor X watched from the porch.
"It's a shame to do this to them on their first day of summer." He commented.
Logan shrugged.
Professor X wheeled forward into the sun. "Attention students."
Their heads turned, and they moved in, startled into silence.
"Sorry to interrupt your celebrations, but we have a bit of a problem on our hands. I will be traveling with a team to Gotham City immediately."
There was some mumbling. "What's going on, Professor?" Scott asked.
Xavier smiled. "Perhaps nothing, yet that is unlikely. At the moment I am not sure, and it would be better if we departed as soon as possible. Any I'd like Scott, Jean, Rogue, Kurt, Kitty, and Rahne to come. Wolverine will be accompanying us. Any other volunteers?"
Iceman, Sunspot, and Magma quietly raised a hand.
"I'm so there." Sunspot asserted.
"You will need me to do some tracking, correct Professor?" Wolfsbane asked.
"Yes, Rahne. Now everybody get changed, we will meet in the X-Jet in five minutes."
~*~*~*~(^)~*~*~*~
"Mom! Hey Mom!" Matt bounced exuberantly on the sofa. "Look, Mom, its Batman! He's out in the daytime!"
He pointed at the screen as Mrs. McGinnis stuck her head into the room. On screen Batman was standing next to the well-recognized Commissioner Gordon again, speaking in low tones. "Can we go see him, Mom? Can we?"
"No, Matt." She said patiently. "They've got enough on their hands. We're staying right here."
"Aw, Mom, but it's BATMAN-"
"Shh, Matt. Would you want to keep Batman from doing his job?"
~*~*~*~(^)~*~*~*~
Professor X, Wolverine, Jean, Cyclops, Wolfsbane, Magma, Rogue, ShadowCat, Nightcrawler, Iceman, and Sunspot sat in their seats in the X-Jet, peering forward in interest.
"So, Gotham, huh, Professor." Scott said from the second row of seats, where he sat with Jean.
"Yes. We're almost there. Gotham actually isn't as far as some people think, especially not with the speed we are at right now."
"What are we doing in Gotham, Professeur?" Nightcrawler called forward.
"We're off to search for a new mutant."
". . . A new MUTANT?" Jean asked,
"Yes. We've done it in the past Jean."
"But why the cavalry? Every time a new mutant was suspected, either we left them alone or went with one or too to look. What's so special about this time?"
She craned her neck forward to look at him.
There was a collective gasp/moan/strange-sound from behind her and she looked up. The people in the jet looked down at the destruction in Gotham with wide eyes. Even Wolverine looked surprised.
"Because, Jean." He said. "This is big. We can only hope that this mutant has been contained."
"Who did this?" She asked.
"Cerebro didn't know."
Magma piped up from the back. "Do you think that this mutant- whoever it is- would want to ally with us?"
"Probably not, huh professor?" Kitty answered.
"I do not know. However, if it is possible, or even if this was the work of Mystique or Magneto, we must have a hand in this either to stop what is happening or to get there before somebody else does."
"Definitely." Wolverine agreed. "If this new mutant persists on being our enemy we may have to take it down. What kind of person would do something this big?"
"Who COULD in the first place?" Jean added.
"That's what we're here to find out." Scott said firmly, ending the discussion, and everybody leaned back in their seats.
~*~*~*~(^)~*~*~*~
Terry had been doing hands on work all morning, so he had of course left the Batmobile inside the cave. He soared through the hidden entrance, flying through the tunnel. The walls sped by him, and he whipped into the large cavern landing neatly on his feet. There he stopped. Next to Wayne stood a tall, unmistakable figure.
"Superman?" Terry said.
The tall man smiled. "Hello there, Terry."
Terry went over to where they were standing, in front of the computer. The screen held maps of the town, with red markings in the damaged areas. The damage DID go in a path, seemingly appearing out of nowhere near the middle of Gotham and then going around in a crazy meandering path from there, with no pattern.
"I came when I saw the news- how are things out there?" Superman asked.
"Same. This is new work, for Batman." Terry said with a grin. "I've been lifting block and walls and even whole houses. We found some people trapped inside, and still nobody saw a thing."
Superman sighed.
About half and hour later all three were upstairs, sitting on the deceivingly uncomfortable looking sofas.
Terry, still in his suit but without the mask, leaned back, sipping his tea. The heat from the mug permeated through his gloves and into his hands, warming them. "Man, I haven't had this little sleep in a long time. I had just got to bed when all this happened, and haven't slept since."
Superman nodded. "I with this wasn't such a big mystery."
"So you two haven't come up with any ideas yet?" Terry asked.
Bruce affirmed this with a shake of his head.
"No . . ." Superman trailed off. "There is one possibility though, though still improbable."
"And?" Mr. Wayne said, eying Superman piercingly. "What would that be?"
"Mutant."
"Mutant?" Realization dawned oh Bruce's face. "Ah . . ."
"Em . . ." Terry interrupted.
"You've heard of mutants, right Terry?" Superman asked.
"Of course, I've heard all kinds of stories. They were even mentioned in science some time ago. But there really aren't that many- they are that outnumbered by humans- and Gotham hasn't seen one in years."
"That's not the point, Terry." Mr. Wayne told him. "Its very possible that a mutant could be somewhere here in Gotham. Most are hiding, and the rest are living elsewhere in groups. The point is- what mutant would be strong enough to cause so much destruction?"
"Oh. Right."
"Yes, that's true." Superman continued. "There are many different kinds of mutations, most harmless. There is a percent of mutant kind that have destructive powers, yet to pull off something of this magnitude in the time given and doing it without being seen, without sound and blocking all of the cameras?"
"I see now. The only explanation is mutant, yet-"
"That would be a major breakthrough. Terrorists have been dealt with before, and could be dealt with again, however no mutant of this power has ever stepped forward, let alone gone on a rampage."
They sat, contemplating this.
"So what now?" Terry felt small, alone with these two- the legendary Superman, and the great mind of the original Batman.
"Vigilantes have flocked to the area. I told some to wait and guard their own cities, and left several here to help clean up and guard against any further problems, though that is improbable. Nobody would strike the same place twice. I came here to speak with you two, though perhaps it would be best, I'd think, if Terry came with me?"
Terry blinked. "Oh, where are we going?"
"Just some places-" Superman turned to Wayne, and they're eyes met.
"Gotham is safe without Batman for a bit, especially with all these extra superheroes around. Think you can spare him, Wayne?"
"Of course. You do go ahead. I," he announced. "Must make an appearance, and go see what can be salvaged of my company buildings."
Terry grinned. "Thanks Mr. Wayne."
Superman nodded to him and took flight from the nearest window, Terry right behind him.
~*~*~*~(^)~*~*~*~
Late that evening, the two of them stood, and they were not happy. They had flown all over the U.S.- New York, Metropolis, Washington D.C. The White House stood imposingly behind them, their backs turned to it.
"Most people didn't even think it was possible that it was a mutant." Terry said.
"Yeah . . . the general public might think that mutants are monsters, but the people in High Office have been making treaties and compromises for a while, and not even Magneto would dare to do something like this. It just doesn't make sense. If only someone knew where to contact mutants."
"So- back to Gotham?"
"Not yet. We have one more stop- Bayville."
Minutes later as they flew towards their destination, Terry had to ask, "Why BAYVILLE? I've never heard of it."
"Not many people have. There are many places you haven't heard of Terry- Smallville for instance?"
"Nope . . ."
"Bayville is a rather small town that has had an enormous concentration of mutant activity. We're there to scope it out."
"Shway."
The town they neared looked pretty normal, rows and rows of houses and buildings. It was fair sized but still pretty small.
"I thought you didn't know how to contact any mutants?" Terry asked.
"I don't- they keep well hidden and I respect people's privacy so I haven't pried before now."
They landed in an alleyway, quietly in the shadows where they wouldn't be seen. Far in the light people passed by on their usual work. Across the street was a small electronics shop displaying several television sets of different sizes- all showing the same channel. Several people were standing around, watching. One of them turned around, and Terry found himself looking right at a small girl, who met his eyes. She was maybe Matt's age, with a dirty, patched dress under the contrast of a clean, expensive looking coat. She looked right at him, not wavering. Terry stared back.
Terry turned his head slightly to the elder vigilante. "Um . . . so what's the plan?"
"I don't really have one, I figured we'd have a look around. We may be a bit conspicuous though . . ."
"Ya think?"
Terry looked back, but the girl, strangely enough, had moved on. He drew back into the alley.
"I have an idea." He said suddenly. "I bet you're needed elsewhere. Superman and Batman would be really obvious, but what about a Terry McGinnis? I could just tell my mom I'm on business because of the town, we get some cover story, I stay here for a bit, have a look around. We're not going to figure anything out, not now in one evening."
"You know," Superman commented. "That may just work."
~*~*~*~(^)~*~*~*~~*~*~*~(end of chapter)~*~*~*~~*~*~*~(^)~*~*~*~
Hehe. I would have had this out a day ago but I was preoccupied- reading the fifth Harry Potter book. I loved it to death but man is it bizarre!
Thanks to- wallflower23(), angelbird1224, merlyn, roguehobbit, lordanhur, M.W. Wallis, heath 999, Makura, Koneko, Gubman, Chibi Lauryn, Chibi-neko, and Luis for the great reviews!
merlyn- Hmm. It comes rather easy to me- like with my other fics I have to pay attention so that I keep with the language of the original story, but here its like second nature. About the time gap- I've decided to pretend it doesn't exist, which may sound like cheating but hey this IS fanfiction. Lets just say that the Xmen live more to the future that we knew and Gotham is a very high tech town. ^_~
roguehobbit- I wish I knew where it went . . . hmm, as for me I download previous episodes off of KaZaa. And whats wrong with a but of---- DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN!!!!!!
Lordanhur- I actually don't know yet.
Makura Koneko- yes these are two of my favorite cartoons too!! (lol . . . guess that's kind of obvious, isn't it)
Gub-man- thanks for the suggestion, I'm glad to hear your input I haven't solidified that part yet . . . thanks for the review!
Tiffany Wallis- Hey, two reviews! I'm really glad you approve. And the scary thing is . . . OH GOD you DO know where I live!! I know you're gonna come and sneak through my window because I always leave it open and you'll read the chapters not out yet (not like you haven't tried) and steal my notebook and whatnot. *sigh*
Comes the Night
Chapter One:
Note: Thanks to all the people who reviewed!- Guess what! Batman Beyond and X-men: Evolution are my favorite cartoons too!
~*~*~*~(^)~*~*~*~
"Summer has arrived!" Kurt, in an offensively colored Hawaiian shirt, whipped out a towel and threw himself down.
The front of the institute was the place to be, most of the students could be could somewhere around. Rahne was playing frisbee with whoever got to their feet, running around them determinedly. Others were sunbathing and talking, and some had disappeared off elsewhere. Jean and Kitty were chatting while a strange game of catch/tag/keepaway had started around the fountain.
Unnoticed, Professor X watched from the porch.
"It's a shame to do this to them on their first day of summer." He commented.
Logan shrugged.
Professor X wheeled forward into the sun. "Attention students."
Their heads turned, and they moved in, startled into silence.
"Sorry to interrupt your celebrations, but we have a bit of a problem on our hands. I will be traveling with a team to Gotham City immediately."
There was some mumbling. "What's going on, Professor?" Scott asked.
Xavier smiled. "Perhaps nothing, yet that is unlikely. At the moment I am not sure, and it would be better if we departed as soon as possible. Any I'd like Scott, Jean, Rogue, Kurt, Kitty, and Rahne to come. Wolverine will be accompanying us. Any other volunteers?"
Iceman, Sunspot, and Magma quietly raised a hand.
"I'm so there." Sunspot asserted.
"You will need me to do some tracking, correct Professor?" Wolfsbane asked.
"Yes, Rahne. Now everybody get changed, we will meet in the X-Jet in five minutes."
~*~*~*~(^)~*~*~*~
"Mom! Hey Mom!" Matt bounced exuberantly on the sofa. "Look, Mom, its Batman! He's out in the daytime!"
He pointed at the screen as Mrs. McGinnis stuck her head into the room. On screen Batman was standing next to the well-recognized Commissioner Gordon again, speaking in low tones. "Can we go see him, Mom? Can we?"
"No, Matt." She said patiently. "They've got enough on their hands. We're staying right here."
"Aw, Mom, but it's BATMAN-"
"Shh, Matt. Would you want to keep Batman from doing his job?"
~*~*~*~(^)~*~*~*~
Professor X, Wolverine, Jean, Cyclops, Wolfsbane, Magma, Rogue, ShadowCat, Nightcrawler, Iceman, and Sunspot sat in their seats in the X-Jet, peering forward in interest.
"So, Gotham, huh, Professor." Scott said from the second row of seats, where he sat with Jean.
"Yes. We're almost there. Gotham actually isn't as far as some people think, especially not with the speed we are at right now."
"What are we doing in Gotham, Professeur?" Nightcrawler called forward.
"We're off to search for a new mutant."
". . . A new MUTANT?" Jean asked,
"Yes. We've done it in the past Jean."
"But why the cavalry? Every time a new mutant was suspected, either we left them alone or went with one or too to look. What's so special about this time?"
She craned her neck forward to look at him.
There was a collective gasp/moan/strange-sound from behind her and she looked up. The people in the jet looked down at the destruction in Gotham with wide eyes. Even Wolverine looked surprised.
"Because, Jean." He said. "This is big. We can only hope that this mutant has been contained."
"Who did this?" She asked.
"Cerebro didn't know."
Magma piped up from the back. "Do you think that this mutant- whoever it is- would want to ally with us?"
"Probably not, huh professor?" Kitty answered.
"I do not know. However, if it is possible, or even if this was the work of Mystique or Magneto, we must have a hand in this either to stop what is happening or to get there before somebody else does."
"Definitely." Wolverine agreed. "If this new mutant persists on being our enemy we may have to take it down. What kind of person would do something this big?"
"Who COULD in the first place?" Jean added.
"That's what we're here to find out." Scott said firmly, ending the discussion, and everybody leaned back in their seats.
~*~*~*~(^)~*~*~*~
Terry had been doing hands on work all morning, so he had of course left the Batmobile inside the cave. He soared through the hidden entrance, flying through the tunnel. The walls sped by him, and he whipped into the large cavern landing neatly on his feet. There he stopped. Next to Wayne stood a tall, unmistakable figure.
"Superman?" Terry said.
The tall man smiled. "Hello there, Terry."
Terry went over to where they were standing, in front of the computer. The screen held maps of the town, with red markings in the damaged areas. The damage DID go in a path, seemingly appearing out of nowhere near the middle of Gotham and then going around in a crazy meandering path from there, with no pattern.
"I came when I saw the news- how are things out there?" Superman asked.
"Same. This is new work, for Batman." Terry said with a grin. "I've been lifting block and walls and even whole houses. We found some people trapped inside, and still nobody saw a thing."
Superman sighed.
About half and hour later all three were upstairs, sitting on the deceivingly uncomfortable looking sofas.
Terry, still in his suit but without the mask, leaned back, sipping his tea. The heat from the mug permeated through his gloves and into his hands, warming them. "Man, I haven't had this little sleep in a long time. I had just got to bed when all this happened, and haven't slept since."
Superman nodded. "I with this wasn't such a big mystery."
"So you two haven't come up with any ideas yet?" Terry asked.
Bruce affirmed this with a shake of his head.
"No . . ." Superman trailed off. "There is one possibility though, though still improbable."
"And?" Mr. Wayne said, eying Superman piercingly. "What would that be?"
"Mutant."
"Mutant?" Realization dawned oh Bruce's face. "Ah . . ."
"Em . . ." Terry interrupted.
"You've heard of mutants, right Terry?" Superman asked.
"Of course, I've heard all kinds of stories. They were even mentioned in science some time ago. But there really aren't that many- they are that outnumbered by humans- and Gotham hasn't seen one in years."
"That's not the point, Terry." Mr. Wayne told him. "Its very possible that a mutant could be somewhere here in Gotham. Most are hiding, and the rest are living elsewhere in groups. The point is- what mutant would be strong enough to cause so much destruction?"
"Oh. Right."
"Yes, that's true." Superman continued. "There are many different kinds of mutations, most harmless. There is a percent of mutant kind that have destructive powers, yet to pull off something of this magnitude in the time given and doing it without being seen, without sound and blocking all of the cameras?"
"I see now. The only explanation is mutant, yet-"
"That would be a major breakthrough. Terrorists have been dealt with before, and could be dealt with again, however no mutant of this power has ever stepped forward, let alone gone on a rampage."
They sat, contemplating this.
"So what now?" Terry felt small, alone with these two- the legendary Superman, and the great mind of the original Batman.
"Vigilantes have flocked to the area. I told some to wait and guard their own cities, and left several here to help clean up and guard against any further problems, though that is improbable. Nobody would strike the same place twice. I came here to speak with you two, though perhaps it would be best, I'd think, if Terry came with me?"
Terry blinked. "Oh, where are we going?"
"Just some places-" Superman turned to Wayne, and they're eyes met.
"Gotham is safe without Batman for a bit, especially with all these extra superheroes around. Think you can spare him, Wayne?"
"Of course. You do go ahead. I," he announced. "Must make an appearance, and go see what can be salvaged of my company buildings."
Terry grinned. "Thanks Mr. Wayne."
Superman nodded to him and took flight from the nearest window, Terry right behind him.
~*~*~*~(^)~*~*~*~
Late that evening, the two of them stood, and they were not happy. They had flown all over the U.S.- New York, Metropolis, Washington D.C. The White House stood imposingly behind them, their backs turned to it.
"Most people didn't even think it was possible that it was a mutant." Terry said.
"Yeah . . . the general public might think that mutants are monsters, but the people in High Office have been making treaties and compromises for a while, and not even Magneto would dare to do something like this. It just doesn't make sense. If only someone knew where to contact mutants."
"So- back to Gotham?"
"Not yet. We have one more stop- Bayville."
Minutes later as they flew towards their destination, Terry had to ask, "Why BAYVILLE? I've never heard of it."
"Not many people have. There are many places you haven't heard of Terry- Smallville for instance?"
"Nope . . ."
"Bayville is a rather small town that has had an enormous concentration of mutant activity. We're there to scope it out."
"Shway."
The town they neared looked pretty normal, rows and rows of houses and buildings. It was fair sized but still pretty small.
"I thought you didn't know how to contact any mutants?" Terry asked.
"I don't- they keep well hidden and I respect people's privacy so I haven't pried before now."
They landed in an alleyway, quietly in the shadows where they wouldn't be seen. Far in the light people passed by on their usual work. Across the street was a small electronics shop displaying several television sets of different sizes- all showing the same channel. Several people were standing around, watching. One of them turned around, and Terry found himself looking right at a small girl, who met his eyes. She was maybe Matt's age, with a dirty, patched dress under the contrast of a clean, expensive looking coat. She looked right at him, not wavering. Terry stared back.
Terry turned his head slightly to the elder vigilante. "Um . . . so what's the plan?"
"I don't really have one, I figured we'd have a look around. We may be a bit conspicuous though . . ."
"Ya think?"
Terry looked back, but the girl, strangely enough, had moved on. He drew back into the alley.
"I have an idea." He said suddenly. "I bet you're needed elsewhere. Superman and Batman would be really obvious, but what about a Terry McGinnis? I could just tell my mom I'm on business because of the town, we get some cover story, I stay here for a bit, have a look around. We're not going to figure anything out, not now in one evening."
"You know," Superman commented. "That may just work."
~*~*~*~(^)~*~*~*~~*~*~*~(end of chapter)~*~*~*~~*~*~*~(^)~*~*~*~
Hehe. I would have had this out a day ago but I was preoccupied- reading the fifth Harry Potter book. I loved it to death but man is it bizarre!
Thanks to- wallflower23(), angelbird1224, merlyn, roguehobbit, lordanhur, M.W. Wallis, heath 999, Makura, Koneko, Gubman, Chibi Lauryn, Chibi-neko, and Luis for the great reviews!
merlyn- Hmm. It comes rather easy to me- like with my other fics I have to pay attention so that I keep with the language of the original story, but here its like second nature. About the time gap- I've decided to pretend it doesn't exist, which may sound like cheating but hey this IS fanfiction. Lets just say that the Xmen live more to the future that we knew and Gotham is a very high tech town. ^_~
roguehobbit- I wish I knew where it went . . . hmm, as for me I download previous episodes off of KaZaa. And whats wrong with a but of---- DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN!!!!!!
Lordanhur- I actually don't know yet.
Makura Koneko- yes these are two of my favorite cartoons too!! (lol . . . guess that's kind of obvious, isn't it)
Gub-man- thanks for the suggestion, I'm glad to hear your input I haven't solidified that part yet . . . thanks for the review!
Tiffany Wallis- Hey, two reviews! I'm really glad you approve. And the scary thing is . . . OH GOD you DO know where I live!! I know you're gonna come and sneak through my window because I always leave it open and you'll read the chapters not out yet (not like you haven't tried) and steal my notebook and whatnot. *sigh*