Phelan's Grunts

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I do not own the Marvel Universe or any characters that originated there, I just own the Grunts

Notes: Same as in chapter 1

The Team Forms - chapter-8

The knock on the door wakes Mavis Franklin from the nap she is taking in her lounge chair. She mutters to herself as she gets her cane and rises from the chair. "Samuel are you home?" There is no answer as she continues toward the front door. She opens the door to a man she does not know "May I help you young man."

Being called a young man brings a smile to Stefano Phelan's lips, "Yes, Ma'am. I need to see Samuel Franklin please."

"I don't think he is home."

"Do you know when he might return?"

"I'm not sure."

Stefano reaches inside his jacket and pulls out a card. "Could you please give this to him." He hands the card to Mavis, "Tell him it's about a job and that it was Charles Xavier that sent me." He gives her his best smile.

Mavis smiles back "A job, well, I'll certainly tell him about this."

"Thank you ma'am."

* * * * * *

Adam stands slowly; it is only through the force of his will that he keeps from throwing up. It had been pride; if Eve had not been here he would have let the chunks fly. He takes a deep breath, "Man, when you said I would be sick and disoriented I had not idea."

"I'm sorry Adam."

He pulls his bandanna down and pulls her into his arms. They had a few minutes while the guards look for them. He kisses her forehead "Not your fault love, it just is. I'll be ready next time."

"The effects are less the shorter the jumps."

"Good to know. You ready to rock and roll?"

"Yes, I'm ready."

Holding her hand he moves to the door. He listens for a second no alarm is sounding on this floor. It will probability start when he opens the door, but they have no choice Eve has never been in the computer center nor can she see it from here. He pushes open the door and out in the hall they go. It takes a moment to orient himself as to which way the computer center is from the lab. Then they are off in a run.

In the main control room a light shows the opening of the lab door, the tech quickly turns on the camera in the lab to find it still empty. However he does notice the door closing. He then turns on a hall camera to see two people dressed in black running down the hall. If it hadn't been for the duster and cloak he would have just thought it was two guards. He opens his mike, "Attention all agents, suspects located on level three, suspects located on level three."

The alarms start just as they reach the computer center, a sword and a kick made short work of the door. He runs to a computer terminal, from his pocket he pulls out a blank DVD disk and places it in the disk drive. He then logs onto the computer, then to save time he calls up all the information on anyone the lab had tried to create a hybrid with from and about the hybrids. He then saves the information to the disk.

It seems to take forever, but the computer finally stops putting information on the disk. He grabs it out of the drive and then places it under his duster into the mystic energy, this way it would always be safe. He then runs back to Eve who had been watching at the door. "We're good to go."

"I don't think so."

Adam looks out the door to see the hall filling up with guards. "Man."

"I think that not even your golden guns are going to stop all of them."

"I think your right." He looks around even though he knows this is the only door in, "The elevator. You came down in an elevator. Can you jump us to the elevator?"

"What about you getting sick."

"It's a risk we'll have to take." He grabs her hand.

BLINK

Adam thinks his stomach is twisting in two. "Not so bad this time." He said through clenched teeth as he placed a hand against the wall to keep from falling.

"Lair"

"Punch the top button. Let's get out of here."

* * * * * *

Ryszard is having a fit. He is standing behind a tech in the main control room. He went there after the first alarm went off. After watching the computer room camera he hit the tech on the back of his head "She teleported! How can she teleport when she can't see where she is going?" He yelled at the top of his lungs, "The computer, I want to know what he got out of that computer and I want to know now and I want to know where they are?"

The door opens onto a lobby that was miraculously empty.

"Finally a break." Adam whispers as they leave the elevator.

He didn't bother with the doors as they reached the front of the lab he pulls out a gun and blasts the supposedly unbreakable glass. They run through the falling shattered glass depending on their clothes to protect them. Once outside they head toward the woods. At first Eve leads Adam as they run, but as his strength returns he passes her and takes the lead.

A guard enters the control room, "Sir, they're outside."

"Outside? You mean outside the lab?"

"Yes, sir. Last seen heading into the woods on the east side on the complex."

"That does it. Alert all guards to kill them on sight and release the dogs."

"They can't get pass the fences, they're electrified."

"You dumb ass, the girl can teleport damn it, you think fences even electrified ones are going to stop her. And Adam how many times does he have to beat you people before you get how powerful he is? Get the coppers in the air, the gunships. I do not want them leaving these grounds."

They race through the woods toward the electrified fences. The duster and cloak flowing behind them, but not one limb, not one brier, nothing snags them. The sounds of dogs can be heard getting closer and closer.

"Adam the dogs, they're going to beat us to the fences."

"Don't worry I'll handle them. When they catch up to us just make sure you keep inside your cloak. It'll protect you."

With the fence in sight three dogs, rottweilers cut them off. Adam stops running, reaches into his duster and pulls out a six-foot staff. With the staff spinning so fast it is nothing but a blur he faces the dogs. Unseen by him a huge rottweiler hit Eve from behind taking her down.

* * * * * *

Sam Franklin sits down in front of Stefano Phelan in Stefano's office. "Thank you, Mr. Franklin. I'm glad you agreed to meet with me."

"I'm not sure what you want from me, Mr. Phelan."

"Mr. Franklin, I'm putting together a special team of troubleshooters and I want you to be a part of it."

"Me, a washed up marine and astronaut."

"You sell your self very short. You're a former fighter pilot, a skill I can always put to good use, but more than that are the things Professor Xavier told me about. Your companions."

"Xavier told you about me?"

"Yes, I contacted him to see if he could recommend people for my team and you were the first name he gave me. Now, I already have one team member, would you like to talk about you being number two."

"Humm. Alright Mr. Phelan let's hear you offer."

* * * * * *

"Adam!" His name and the cry from the third dog mingle together as he strikes the dog at the base of its skull with the staff. He turns to Eve she laying on the ground the huge rottweiler is on her but she has managed to keep her cloak in its face. Trying as hard as he can the animal can't get a grip on the cloak with its teeth, however its claws have ripped her combat pants in a couple places.

Adam moves toward the animal yelling to gets its attention. The animal turns from Eve to Adam, its lips pulling back in a vicious snarl baring its teeth. "Okay buddy, make this as hard as you want it to be." Then he hears the copper "Eve get to the fences and wait for me. I'll be right behind you."

She is up and running as the dog lunges at Adam. He easily side steps the dog's jump, as the dog passes he brings the staff down on the dog's head and like his three partners he is out cold when he hit the ground.

As Adam turns toward Eve he see an Apache gunship drop down below the treetops between them. He doesn't hesitate, one end of the staff forms into a sharp point and then he throws the staff at the copper with all his might. It hit the Apache and penetrated one of its engines. The loss of one engine won't bring the ship down, but it did throw the pilot off as he fires the chaingun missing Eve. Adam isn't sure if the cloak would be able to stand up to the power of the chaingun. He draws two guns and puts them together forming a larger gun, he drops to a knee as the Apache turns toward him. He fires the large energy bolt at full speed and density. It hit the gunner's windshield blowing it to bits. The gunship swerved off to one side landing hard in the open area between the woods and the fences.

He reaches Eve in a second, "That was too close." He can hear more choppers coming. "The fences love, can you pop us over to the other side?"

"Hold on to your stomach"

BLINK

They run into the woods and as night falls and their clothes blended them into the night the chasing men's job goes from hard to impossible.