The next day
We had gotten up at sunrise and began the weary trek to the spot where our paths would split, I had already decided which groups would take each route, I needed time alone so I would take the desert and the forest on my own, the others would split into teams of three.
We walked silently, me up front a distance away from the others. Wolverine was with Jubilee as if to protect her from any trouble, Mel and Ev were walking alongside them both of their eyes cast upon the ground. Kat and Bobby were stumbling along at the rear their hands clasped together. I glanced over my shoulder at them Kat looked pale and drawn, I furrowed my brow.
I dumped my rucksack containing my personal belonging onto the rocky floor and pulled out the silver hipflask I had acquired sometime and chucked it at Kat who gulped its contents down greedily. Kat had already drunk her water for the day and had now drunk mine too, so I hoped there was some fresh water nearby.
If I'm honest it was Ev's participation I worried about the most because if she used her powers she'd have to drink a lot of water to replace the amount she had used and with water not exactly appearing abundant around here, well it didn't bode well.
Almost sunset
We reached the brow of the hill and looked over towards where there was a log cabin. The very log cabin marked on the map as the place where we would stay until we were ready to go our separate ways.
We stood and looked at it with the sun descending behind it for what seemed like an age, I was the first to move sliding sideways down the deep gritty drop from the hill. I heard Mel's elegant footstep follow me before all the others came too.
I walked across the field ahead of the others wanting this whole thing to be over and done with, not just the meeting people at the cabin but the whole saving the world thing.
I stopped at the front door and waited for the others to catch up.
"You ready?" I asked the group around me who nodded solemnly
Mel stepped forward to knock on the door.
The door opened quickly none of us said anything; all of our mouth's hung open at the person who opened the door.
"What are you doing here?" I asked when I recovered
I looked at my mum, she shouldn't be here she should be in some safe place (if there was any) on the planet.
"Come in then" She stood away from the door so we could enter the cabin which smelt heavily of pine and cigars.
If mum was surprised to see our stowaways then she hid it very well, the only expression she held was one of cheer.
2 hours later
For the first time since we got to the planet we got a proper meal, and ample drink. Mel and Ev where talking in hushed voice by the log fire in the corner of the large room that served as kitchen, living and dining room. Kat and Bobby where sat holding each others hands silently while looking out of the window into the dark night sky. Wolverine had gone for a walk or something with Jubilee. I don't know where mum had gone but I sat by myself at the end of the large dark wood, it didn't look like the wood of earth ( I later learned it was in fact Malanci native to Linslee). As I sat I thought about the beautiful landscape of the planet: so far we had seen such lush green vegetation that it was easy to think of the land as an Eden or Utopia. I found it hard to believe that this world could be anything but vibrant and pure, but something had disturbed me as we had walked and that was the lack of human life, so far (excluding my mum) we had seen 3 people and they had been hurrying about there business. Something else I noticed was that with every hour the air became thicker, with what I don't know…perhaps with evil or maybe it was the natural climate of the place but somehow I got the feeling that we soon would, or was that just my overactive imagination talking again.
At that moment my mum called me, Mel and Kat and snapped me out of my reflections. We three followed her up to the roof that would serve as our sleeping area. She knelt down by an old dusty chest.
"This is the only place that we could keep these where no one would know where they were. It's safer like that; it stops the risk of them being damaged, destroyed or stolen."
She pulled out what appeared to be three bundles wrapped in a course, damp smelling cloth. She handed a bundle to each of us we just sat on the floor and stared at them.
"Well open them then!" She spoke as one would to a child reluctant to open its Christmas presents.
We looked at each other and carefully unwrapped the contents of the bundle.
My eyes grew wide as I looked at the beautiful and skilfully scabbard and hilt. The scabbard seemed to be made of a jewel similar in colour to azure yet as hard (maybe harder) then diamond, and had a metal similar in look to platinum woven through it in a pattern not dissimilar to the way forked lightening looks. The Hilt was of plain decoration being platinum and a material not unlike the scabbard in colour to give it grip. I pulled the sword from its sheath and marvelled at its brilliant, shining blade.
"It's made of a metal similar in properties as Wolverines Adamantium skeleton. It's a metal that was only found in the ancient times. These are the weapons the saviours used in battle" Mum said smiling at my expression of wonder.
I looked at Mel and Kat in order to behold the wonders which they had unwrapped.
Mel had in her hands a bow with the most ornate carvings of leaves and acorns all over it and with it was a quill made of leather that appeared to me from where I sat, enduring, sturdy and tough. The quill too had a pattern on it; the pattern on this featured the acorn and was accompanied by an exotic looking flower.
"That is called the Shinjugo plant; it is the national plant of Cadmus. It is said to be both the flower and seed of dreams"
Mel looked at her bow with admiration.
Kat had a scythe; with a bone handle with a flame carved in that licked its way up the handle. Its blade was shiny like the blade of my sword, so shiny you could us it as a mirror. Kat was looking at it puzzled.
"OH" Her face lit up momentarily before drooping again "I don't know how to use it!"
My mum smiled at her like she would smile at me (Kat was like a 2nd daughter to her!) "Don't worry you'll get a crash course on how to use them then you'll have to clear the path to teasel things are beginning to turn towards the worse. The minions of Grimmler, the head and very embodiment of evil, are heading ever closer to the main towns, so far they are habituating the wild areas of the desert, tundra, mountains and forest." She smiled at all of us "I think you should get some sleep"
As if we would after that!
A week later
During the week that we stayed at the log cabin the three of us under went one on one training sessions with experts while Wolverine helped the others prepare for our trip, well the best he could, truth is we really didn't know what to expect. So how could we really prepare. During the time when we weren't training we spent all our time together, just in case we would never see each other again although no one wanted to admit it.
Inevitably the day where we would have to go our separate ways drew upon us. We sat around the table in the cabin for the last time as I spoke groups and plans.
"Okay Kat, Bobby and Evelyn your taking the Tundra to the east, Mel, Jubes and Wolverine you take the mountains up north and I'll go through the…"
"Hold on a minute short stuff!" Jubilee said raising her hand I looked at her "You mean to tell me that you're going alone?"
"Well it's safer for you in large groups" I said matter of factly
"But it's hardly safe for you on your own is it?" Mel said in her best I know better than thou voice.
"At this present moment all I care about is all of you getting home to your family and loved ones safely, besides I'll be fine." I said reassuringly.
"Won't you be scared?" Kat asked wide eyed
"Me, nah I'm courage right?" I looked at them none of them seemed convinced "Besides you can't have courage unless you're scared, courage is doing what you are afraid to do, not that I'm afraid to do it."
My mum looked at me eye brow raised sceptically
"I don't like this kid" Wolverine growled
"Look I know what I'm doing, the way I figure it the groups are well balanced besides this is something I *have* to do to prove to myself."
"Prove what?" Bobby asked
"That I can do it, that I can cope, prove who I am"
They all looked at me confused I sighed "I don't ask you to understand all I ask you is to support me, respect my wishes even." I felt uncomfortable again
There were silent nods around the table
"Thanks!" I grinned "Okay Hellfire, Tsunami, and Iceman you will be the first to reach the end you might have to wait there for 24 hours until Tantalus…" Mel smiled at her codename she had expected to be Aegis from now on but not with me, not with Retribution X "Jubilee, and Wolverine you will join them next. Now I want you to listen to this carefully if I have not arrived within 3 days of the last group I want you to all head through that portal back home to the mansion, and this is not to be questioned okay, if I can I will be there, if I'm not then I won't ever arrive but you must go, there will be no deaths in my team okay. Don't do anything stupid and say I would want you to risk your lives I want you to head straight back to safety!" The looked at me "Promise?"
Kat I think was the only one who noticed the steely determination in my eyes
"I promise" She said
Mel followed suit, then Jubilee and Evelyn, then finally Bobby and Wolverine.
I smiled "I don't want to sound like a martyr or like Jean, but I need this time to myself, and hell you guys need protecting you've got people who need you a home and I'm going to make sure you get back there to see them, all of you!"
Suddenly Kat began to cry "Why does everything have to change? Why can't we just be back at the mansion the 5 of us…"she glanced at Bobby "…6 of us…" Wolverine growled "…all of us nicking Remy's tequila and singing Gloria Gaynor!"
Mel put her arm around her "Everything has to change Kat"
I smiled an old phrase my teacher in England used to use sprang to my mind "If things never changed there would never be butterflies!"
Kat sniffed and wiped her eyes "Your right! Let's go kick alien butt!"
We walked silently to the door picked up our bags then continued to where the paths forked.
"We will see each other again won't we?" Ev asked quietly
"Of course we will we're Retribution X!" Jubes yelled.
I clutched at the dog tags that Wolverine had given us as a present I saw Jubes, Ev and Kat do the same, Mel clutched something around he neck but it wasn't her dog tags, I smiled it was Kurt's cross.
They all looked scared bar Logan; I was too, scared as hell. But the bravest thing you can do when you are anything but, is to profess courage and act accordingly…and that's what I did.
"Right then girls see you soon, stay out of mischief right!" I shook everyone's hands (I do not do hugs even now), Logan gripped my hand so tight I thought that he would crush my bones I looked him in the eye.
Look after them I told him through them and he nodded his understanding.
I turned around ready to get going and get it over with "And Bobby make sure Kat don't set anything on fire!"
And with that we all went our separate ways, none of us looking back because that would be too dangerous, too painful. We all walked towards an uncertain future, unsure in the way that we weren't sure we had a future.
Next up Kats pov!!
Muse brandishes a plastic butter knife Review or ya gonna get it!