Between the Bars
On the night of May 27, there was no moon.
The four shadows skulking through the tall grass just outside of Westchester, New York were trying to use this to their advantage. Thus far, they were failing.
Lance Alvers stood at the head of the line and shook his head. Truly ridiculous, using the cover of darkness in hopes that it might aid them in their mission, he thought. You can't exactly hide a guy like Fred. It's not without good reason that they call him the Blob. Not to mention poor Pietro who, although he would go to great lengths to deny it, was terrified of the dark. Lance couldn't take two steps without the boastfully proud speed demon from grabbing his arm and gasping, "Did you hear that?" At least Toad was enjoying himself. The youngest of the boys, he hopped along beside the line, searching for an early breakfast.
"Yo, Avalanche, when we gonna get there?" he asked, casually lapping up a beetle.
"Damn it Todd, I told you to stop that!" Lance growled. "It's disgusting. And for the thousandth time, we'll be there soon! Just over this hill, I think."
Pietro grabbed Lance's arm. "Did you hear that?" he whispered.
Lance sighed. So much for his crack squad of super spies.
The air just above the field sat heavy on their shoulders. Lance glanced up at the lightless sky, wishing again that he had chosen the mission date based on the weather and not the moon. The clouds had rolled in thick, and a storm was well on its way. Most likely, they'd encounter some flooding within a few hours. It could be worse, he mused. We could have worn our costumes. I highly doubt even Toad could swim for it with that metal armor strapped to his back.
"Hey, I see something," Blob whispered.
"WHAT!? WHAT IS IT!?" Quicksilver cried.
"SHHHH!" Lance and Todd warned, just as Blob answered, "It's the office, you dumb ass."
The offices of Cornerstone Corporations loomed in the shadows across the field. There were some reports and rumors that the company donated money to support anti-mutant groups, such as the Friends of Humanity. The Brotherhood, deciding it was time they lived up the their reputation, planned to break in and delete a few files. Seemed like a simple mission.
At least it would be simple for mutants, Lance mused.
The windows of the building were pitch black, unless of course, you had the night vision of an amphibian.
"Ok Toad, you're up," Lance whispered.
"Sure thing, boss," Toad said with a mock salute, before lapping up another large insect, causing Lance to shudder. Then, with next to no effort whatsoever (which is the only kind of effort Todd ever makes), the half frog, half irritating dirt bag leaped fifteen feet in the air and grabbed on to a second story balcony with his tongue. Pulling himself up, he then began his task of surveillance.
The Brotherhood waited impatiently for Toad to scan the windows. Pietro had wedged himself between Lance and Fred for protection. "Man, I don't like it out here," he whispered. "I feel like someone's watching us."
"Pietro, will ya stop being so paranoid? You know that you could out run anything in those woods, right?" Fred muttered, just as Toad jumped back down to ground level.
"Coast is clear, yo. No security gaurds or nothing, at least none that I saw. There's some cameras in the corners and an alarm system, but that's it."
"Alright, good job Toad," Lance said. "Everyone ready?"
"Yes."
"OK then, let's get going."
Pietro took one last moment to look back over his shoulder into the dark woods before everything moved into action.
The sound of breaking glass crashed though the night air as Blob punched a hole in the glass door. 'WOO! WOO! WOO!' rang the alarm, until he punched a hole in that as well.
"Ok Pietro, you next," Lance ordered.
Before the command even finished leaving Lance's mouth, Quicksilver had dashed around the building foyer and disarmed every security camera in the room. "Done!" he announced proudly. Lance rolled his eyes and marched past him, the rest of the Brotherhood in tow.
"Should be this way," Lance said quietly, leading them all into a dark room full of computers. He pulled up a rolling chair and sat at the terminal. "Blob, Toad, you guys are lookout. Keep by the door." The room then became silent, save for the soft whispering of Lance's fingers tapping the keys.
"Avalanche? You hear that?" Pietro said, leaning over the shoulder of the team captain.
The teen whirled around in the chair. "Yeah, I do. I hear you interrupting me when I'm to get this finished before we get caught." He turned back to the monitor. "Just hang on a sec, Ok? I'm almost done." Lance continued to pull up windows and type in commands. "Ah, here we go," he said, punching up the delete key.
Within five seconds, three things happened. Pietro sighed in relief, Blob asked if they could go get something to eat, and the door to the computer room slammed shut all by it self.
"Oh man, what's going on!?" Pietro yelled.
"Shit, I think we're caught!" Lance shouted back.
"Wait a second.what is that?" Toad said.
Everyone in the room went instantly silent. A strange hissing noise was coming from the corner.
Blob was the first to break the silence. "You think it's a bomb?"
"Don't be stupid," Toad said. "Bombs don't hiss, yo. Bombs tick. Snakes hiss."
"There are in office buildings," Lance declared angrily. He slunk off toward the corner to investigate. "Must be something else." A small hole had been drilled in the wall. Strange, Lance thought. Then he caught a whiff of something. "Oh Shit! It's some kind of gas! Everyone hold your breath!"
But of course, no one can hold their breath forever, and within two minutes, four teenage boys were passed out on the floor.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Just outside the offices of Cornerstone Corporations, the two men that had been so closely watching the Brotherhood only ten minutes before sat quietly amongst the trees. The tall one on the left spoke quietly into his cell phone.
"Yes, that's right. Operation Bait and Capture has been a success. We have four mutant captives, I repeat, four male mutant captives, between the ages of 13 to 20. We should be back at home base within 12 hours."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A blinding light shone down from the ceiling, reflecting harshly off of every surface in the metal room. Lance winced and squinted his eyes. It was so bright in here; it made him want to puke.
Slowly, he groaned and rolled over to see if he could find the rest of the Brotherhood. Toad was curled up in the corner, Pietro was passed out a few feet away, and Blob was sprawled out on his back against the opposite wall, looking something like a giant pile of putty with clothes. Ok, so everyone is here, Lance thought. Now the real question: Where were they?
Was this some kind of prison? Lance doubted it, as it was far too sterile to be a prison. More like a doctor's office. Ok, so maybe it was a testing facility. So what do they want with us?
'You're mutants, stupid,' he thought. 'Everyone hates and fears you.' Ah. So it was kind of place. Lance sighed and rubbed his eyes. Suddenly, he had one monster of a headache.
"Lance, yo, where are we?" Toad rose from his spot in the corner. The others were stirring as well.
"I'm not sure, but I'm betting it isn't friendly." Lance got up and went to examine the door, which was metal like the rest of the room. He jiggled the handle and turned back to the others. "Locked."
Pietro raced over to the door. With a speed that could only come from him, his hands darted around the frame. Frustrated, he sighed loudly. "There must be some kind of way out of here."
"Said the joker to the thief," Toad sang out. "Too much con-fuuuusion."
"Shut up, Toad! Those of us with brain cells are to figure out an escape plan." Lance began to rap on the walls. "Anyone know what kind of metal this is?"
"It doesn't much matter, Lance," Pietro said. "Unless these walls are aluminum foil, Blob can't bust us out of here. It's too thick."
Lance sat down and put his head in his hands, trying to think. "We don't know where we are," he said to himself. "We don't know why we're here. Our cell is about 10 by 12 feet and entirely metal. We have four sleeping mats, four pillows, and our powers. And a bucket," he added, glancing into a corner. His nose wrinkled a bit at that, once he realized its purpose. "Gross. There are no vents or any other weaknesses in the room. We have no clue who is holding us here." Lance looked up at his friends. "You guys. we are completely screwed."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ok, so that's the end of chapter one. Do you like it?
On the night of May 27, there was no moon.
The four shadows skulking through the tall grass just outside of Westchester, New York were trying to use this to their advantage. Thus far, they were failing.
Lance Alvers stood at the head of the line and shook his head. Truly ridiculous, using the cover of darkness in hopes that it might aid them in their mission, he thought. You can't exactly hide a guy like Fred. It's not without good reason that they call him the Blob. Not to mention poor Pietro who, although he would go to great lengths to deny it, was terrified of the dark. Lance couldn't take two steps without the boastfully proud speed demon from grabbing his arm and gasping, "Did you hear that?" At least Toad was enjoying himself. The youngest of the boys, he hopped along beside the line, searching for an early breakfast.
"Yo, Avalanche, when we gonna get there?" he asked, casually lapping up a beetle.
"Damn it Todd, I told you to stop that!" Lance growled. "It's disgusting. And for the thousandth time, we'll be there soon! Just over this hill, I think."
Pietro grabbed Lance's arm. "Did you hear that?" he whispered.
Lance sighed. So much for his crack squad of super spies.
The air just above the field sat heavy on their shoulders. Lance glanced up at the lightless sky, wishing again that he had chosen the mission date based on the weather and not the moon. The clouds had rolled in thick, and a storm was well on its way. Most likely, they'd encounter some flooding within a few hours. It could be worse, he mused. We could have worn our costumes. I highly doubt even Toad could swim for it with that metal armor strapped to his back.
"Hey, I see something," Blob whispered.
"WHAT!? WHAT IS IT!?" Quicksilver cried.
"SHHHH!" Lance and Todd warned, just as Blob answered, "It's the office, you dumb ass."
The offices of Cornerstone Corporations loomed in the shadows across the field. There were some reports and rumors that the company donated money to support anti-mutant groups, such as the Friends of Humanity. The Brotherhood, deciding it was time they lived up the their reputation, planned to break in and delete a few files. Seemed like a simple mission.
At least it would be simple for mutants, Lance mused.
The windows of the building were pitch black, unless of course, you had the night vision of an amphibian.
"Ok Toad, you're up," Lance whispered.
"Sure thing, boss," Toad said with a mock salute, before lapping up another large insect, causing Lance to shudder. Then, with next to no effort whatsoever (which is the only kind of effort Todd ever makes), the half frog, half irritating dirt bag leaped fifteen feet in the air and grabbed on to a second story balcony with his tongue. Pulling himself up, he then began his task of surveillance.
The Brotherhood waited impatiently for Toad to scan the windows. Pietro had wedged himself between Lance and Fred for protection. "Man, I don't like it out here," he whispered. "I feel like someone's watching us."
"Pietro, will ya stop being so paranoid? You know that you could out run anything in those woods, right?" Fred muttered, just as Toad jumped back down to ground level.
"Coast is clear, yo. No security gaurds or nothing, at least none that I saw. There's some cameras in the corners and an alarm system, but that's it."
"Alright, good job Toad," Lance said. "Everyone ready?"
"Yes."
"OK then, let's get going."
Pietro took one last moment to look back over his shoulder into the dark woods before everything moved into action.
The sound of breaking glass crashed though the night air as Blob punched a hole in the glass door. 'WOO! WOO! WOO!' rang the alarm, until he punched a hole in that as well.
"Ok Pietro, you next," Lance ordered.
Before the command even finished leaving Lance's mouth, Quicksilver had dashed around the building foyer and disarmed every security camera in the room. "Done!" he announced proudly. Lance rolled his eyes and marched past him, the rest of the Brotherhood in tow.
"Should be this way," Lance said quietly, leading them all into a dark room full of computers. He pulled up a rolling chair and sat at the terminal. "Blob, Toad, you guys are lookout. Keep by the door." The room then became silent, save for the soft whispering of Lance's fingers tapping the keys.
"Avalanche? You hear that?" Pietro said, leaning over the shoulder of the team captain.
The teen whirled around in the chair. "Yeah, I do. I hear you interrupting me when I'm to get this finished before we get caught." He turned back to the monitor. "Just hang on a sec, Ok? I'm almost done." Lance continued to pull up windows and type in commands. "Ah, here we go," he said, punching up the delete key.
Within five seconds, three things happened. Pietro sighed in relief, Blob asked if they could go get something to eat, and the door to the computer room slammed shut all by it self.
"Oh man, what's going on!?" Pietro yelled.
"Shit, I think we're caught!" Lance shouted back.
"Wait a second.what is that?" Toad said.
Everyone in the room went instantly silent. A strange hissing noise was coming from the corner.
Blob was the first to break the silence. "You think it's a bomb?"
"Don't be stupid," Toad said. "Bombs don't hiss, yo. Bombs tick. Snakes hiss."
"There are in office buildings," Lance declared angrily. He slunk off toward the corner to investigate. "Must be something else." A small hole had been drilled in the wall. Strange, Lance thought. Then he caught a whiff of something. "Oh Shit! It's some kind of gas! Everyone hold your breath!"
But of course, no one can hold their breath forever, and within two minutes, four teenage boys were passed out on the floor.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Just outside the offices of Cornerstone Corporations, the two men that had been so closely watching the Brotherhood only ten minutes before sat quietly amongst the trees. The tall one on the left spoke quietly into his cell phone.
"Yes, that's right. Operation Bait and Capture has been a success. We have four mutant captives, I repeat, four male mutant captives, between the ages of 13 to 20. We should be back at home base within 12 hours."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A blinding light shone down from the ceiling, reflecting harshly off of every surface in the metal room. Lance winced and squinted his eyes. It was so bright in here; it made him want to puke.
Slowly, he groaned and rolled over to see if he could find the rest of the Brotherhood. Toad was curled up in the corner, Pietro was passed out a few feet away, and Blob was sprawled out on his back against the opposite wall, looking something like a giant pile of putty with clothes. Ok, so everyone is here, Lance thought. Now the real question: Where were they?
Was this some kind of prison? Lance doubted it, as it was far too sterile to be a prison. More like a doctor's office. Ok, so maybe it was a testing facility. So what do they want with us?
'You're mutants, stupid,' he thought. 'Everyone hates and fears you.' Ah. So it was kind of place. Lance sighed and rubbed his eyes. Suddenly, he had one monster of a headache.
"Lance, yo, where are we?" Toad rose from his spot in the corner. The others were stirring as well.
"I'm not sure, but I'm betting it isn't friendly." Lance got up and went to examine the door, which was metal like the rest of the room. He jiggled the handle and turned back to the others. "Locked."
Pietro raced over to the door. With a speed that could only come from him, his hands darted around the frame. Frustrated, he sighed loudly. "There must be some kind of way out of here."
"Said the joker to the thief," Toad sang out. "Too much con-fuuuusion."
"Shut up, Toad! Those of us with brain cells are to figure out an escape plan." Lance began to rap on the walls. "Anyone know what kind of metal this is?"
"It doesn't much matter, Lance," Pietro said. "Unless these walls are aluminum foil, Blob can't bust us out of here. It's too thick."
Lance sat down and put his head in his hands, trying to think. "We don't know where we are," he said to himself. "We don't know why we're here. Our cell is about 10 by 12 feet and entirely metal. We have four sleeping mats, four pillows, and our powers. And a bucket," he added, glancing into a corner. His nose wrinkled a bit at that, once he realized its purpose. "Gross. There are no vents or any other weaknesses in the room. We have no clue who is holding us here." Lance looked up at his friends. "You guys. we are completely screwed."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ok, so that's the end of chapter one. Do you like it?
