Chapter 6 Rescued

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Marvel, except Krull, which belongs to Columbia-Tristar

Mystique had finished the tasteless mush that Lyssa - Slayer had given her. She sighed and handed the plate back to Lyssa when she came to collect it.

'Nice prison,' thought Mystique as she walked around. 'A toilet and everything. Don't have to go in a bowl and give it to the guards like in some prisons.'

Suddenly she looked out to see Ruckus looking at her from outside of her cell.

"Hello, cher."

"What do you want?"

"T' rescue you, m'lady. Shoot! Jes' act natural. Don't let on."

Ms. Dexter had walked up to the cell. "What are you doing here, Ruckus?" she asked pointedly. "shouldn't you be guarding the perimeter?"

"Hmmm-mmmm." Ruckus shook his head.

"Oh, yes, it is Slab 's turn." She turned and walked away.

Ruckus fumbled a little with the circuitboard outside of the cell, and managed to get inside and to disable it.

"Run, cher! Run for it!" Mystique joined Ruckus and they ran as fast as they could to the nearest exit, only to run into - Ruckus.

"What the Hell?" screamed the second Ruckus. The first Ruckus threw a charged card at the second, causing him to jump out of the way before it exploded.

"Gam - Gambit?" asked Mystique. "You're a shapeshifter as well?"

"Gambit be many things, cher. Mostly a t'ief. I'll explain later." He and Mystique were running. Gambit used a few cards to explode the front door, and they ran off, Gambit leading the way. Quickly they jumped on Colossus' motorcycle and sped away. A shot of green optic force blast managed to hit the ground near their back tires, but they avoided any direct damage.

"So," asked Mystique, as she looked at Gambit, who still looked like Ruckus. "Since when did you have shape-shifting powers?"

"Since I stole one of Kurt's image inducers."

Gambit suddenly hit a button on a watch on his right hand, and his appearance went to normal. "So, how's about a kiss fo' yo' knight in shinin' armor. At least, torso armor and shin armor, Remy's thighs just got normal clothes on."

"Not now."

"Jes' jokin' anyways, cher. Where to?"

"Xavier's. Now. Talia is in danger. I think I know what her powers are going to be, and I think that Sinister does, to."

"How?"

"I talked to a friend. She is - clairvoyant. Destiny, I call her. But - I think Sinister figured it out through analysis of her X-gene. She'll be able to shoot bursts of energy from Kurt's teleporting dimension at people, and to shift her mass into a side dimension - this one not Kurt's teleporting dimension - while transferring her consciousness to another's body. By the way, she also has very mild telepathic powers. I can feel them even now."

"But we're miles away."

"I don't mean now, this instant. I mean I can even feel them now, as in, while she's a baby. I did overhear Sinister talk a little, and I managed to piece together some information. Apparently, Talia is going to grow up in about a year, and then resume normal aging. But unless she undergoes certain treatments to telepathically add knowledge to her mind, she'll still think much like a child. Sinister's plans were screwed up when she was rescued.

Back at the mansion, the X-Men and the Brotherhood, and the Acolytes, minus Remy, were all listening to the plans that were being made by Charles, Logan, Hank, and Ororo. All except for Graydon, Roberto, Sam, Ray, and Jamie. Boom-Boom, whose allegiances were still not clear, was also there.

"I think," said Xavier, "that we need to focus our energy on getting to the Himalayas and stopping Mesmero and the two Rogues. I am assuming that they are the result of Rogue using Jamie's powers under Mesmero's influence. If anyone can find Magneto, we'll need his help, too. I also think that we ought to inspect the location in Egypt where Apocalypse was born. Something; some device, is there that Apocalypse needs to reach his full power, and we have to make certain that whatever Apocalypse wants with it does not happen."

Rogue was very distressed by this turn of events, especially as two copies of her were walking about, but she joined with the others in trying to figure out what to do. They were deep in discussion when Gambit and Mystique came to the gate, pressed the "doorbell," and asked over the intercom to be let in.

Once they got in, they were included in the planning. Unfortunately, Charles was too wrapped up in the discussion to notice the deep feelings of hatred coming from elsewhere in the mansion. Suddenly a gunshot rang out, and Mystique keeled over.

"Hello, mother," said a voice from the doorway. "It's time you paid."

Everyone turned to look at Graydon Creed, standing there with a handgun. "What? You think I wouldn't bring something here to defend myself? Those of us unlucky enough to be born normal need something to even the score."

"No, Graydon!" screamed Kurt as Creed leveled the gun at the fallen Mystique for another shot.

"Shut up, Kurt. You don't know her, you weren't there. I don't blame you, but I will avenge myself, and if you want to live, you won't stop me. He pointed the gun at Kurt. Anyone tries anything, I will shoot them. And don't try to teleport, Kurt. You might be able to disappear before the bullet passes through you, but it will hit someone behind you. Just let me kill my 'mother,' and I'll leave you alone."

"Hmm... kill your father, too, and we got ourselves a deal," muttered Wolverine.

"Logan!" said Charles angrily. Sabertooth also looked angrily at Logan.

Suddenly a blue light surrounded the gun, and Graydon pulled the trigger. But nothing happened.

"You will not shoot that thing in front of my daughter," hissed Wanda. She had been holding Talia, who had fallen asleep but who was now wailing in fright. "Leave. Leave now." The gun flew out of Graydon's hands.

"Mutants!" hollered Graydon! "You always stick together! She's a bitch! And she should die! But you won't let me!" he began to cry. He collapsed on the floor. Charles was about to use his mental powers to put the boy to sleep until the authorities could get here when Sabertooth grabbed him by the head.

"Don't. Leave the boy with me. He's showing promise. And I've always wanted to shoot Mystique myself. I will take care of this."

"Dad?" Graydon had not registered that Sabertooth was there until now. "What do you want? Aren't you just going to leave me again? Leave me alone with my 'loving mother?'" Mystique began to stir. The shot had pierced her right lung, but she was still alive and had managed a temporary "healing" using her metamorphic abilities.

Wanda turned to Sabertooth. "You left your child???!!" she screamed in a rage. She hexed him right through the wall. "What's, what's happening to me?" she cried, and fell on her knees while holding Talia. "I- I can't control myself."

Cain, who was wearing a bathrobe and slippers, and no armor, went over to her. "Now, now, it's okay, it's..."

"No, no, I'm going to hurt someone. I'm... I'm not safe. Talia isn't safe with me. But I can't leave her. I can't abandon her... I'd kill myself first!" she was hysterical.

~Beast, Logan!~ said Charles psionically, ~get Mystique to the infirmary. Cain, help Wanda. Kurt, take Talia to your room for a few hours and try to get her to sleep.~

Sabertooth leapt back into the mansion. "What did you do that for?" He glared at Wanda.

"I don't know!" screamed Wanda. But you left your child! How could you!"

No one noticed Graydon Creed slipping out of the front door. But Kurt, sensing that the mother of his child was in danger, teleported onto Sabertooth and then teleported him away.

"Herr Creed," said Kurt hurriedly, "please calm down. She's - she's touching on repressed memories of her father."

Sabertooth relaxed a bit, then snarled. "Magneto's going to pay! I don't care what he does with his daughter, but when it affects me! When she attacks me for something her father did -"

"And which you yourself did vhen your son was a non-mutant."

Victor Creed threw Kurt off of him. "Sorry. I didn't even intend for Mystique to get pregnant. I just wanted to make a few bucks."

"Huh?"

"Graydon was conceived while we were shooting a movie for mutants. Non-mutants would think it special effects, mutants would see it as a movie by mutants for mutants, and the proceeds would go to fund Magneto's projects as well as to give mutant actors something to live on."

"How does this have anything to do vith Graydon's conception?"

"It was a - uh - a - well, Mystique got pregnant during one of the movie's - er - love scenes."

"But the love scenes are fake, not real; it's just acting. Vhy vould she get preg... Oh mein Gott! It vas a porno! Mein mutter conceived mein bruder vhile shooting a porno movie!"

Sabertooth grinned sheepishly and shrugged. "Hey, I can show you guys sometime. It was called 'Blue Savage Love.'"

That's strange, that's the same as the name of a romantic comedy. I remember it's in Hank's collection of romantic comedies in his lab. It's the only vun he's never brought to movie ni- Oh mein... oh- oh... no vunder he never showed it at movie night - he vatches porn vith mein mutter in it?"

"If it makes you feel any better, your mother's really good in bed."

"Zanks," scowled Kurt. "Zat makes it all better."

"She looks good naked, too."

"Shut up."

Kurt teleported them back to the mansion, just in time to see Magneto enter through the giant hole Sabertooth's body had made when Wanda had thrown him.

"Rest tonight," he said. "We will have a little time, but we need to be at full alertness."