Kitty padded around the mansion, peering in to every single room. She strolled down the bedroom hall and glanced through every door. Having to phase her head through some, but finding out the hard way that the door was locked for a reason.
"Some people are so rude!" She thought to herself. "They don't need to bite my head off." She continued searching the mansion up and down, until she had annoyed two people long enough. In the next room she entered, Scott and Jean confronted her.
"Just, what are you doing?" Asked Scott, raising an eyebrow.
"What?!?" She retaliated innocently.
"You've been pacing around for almost an hour--"
"--We just want to know what you're up to." Jean cut Scott off because annoyance had risen in his voice.
"It's not like it's some big secret. I was just looking for Bobby." Scott and Jean had reactions that were a mixture of shock and concern.
"Iceman?" Jean asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"That's why you've been searching all this time?" The irritation he had towards Kitty had evaporated.
"Yeah, like, I can't find him anywhere." She paused though, noticing their faces. "Wait, you--you didn't know? I mean Jean I thought at least you--I mean you're psychic after all."
"Kitty, I don't but into other people's thoughts unless there's good reason." Kitty softened her accusing stare, she didn't mean to insult her in any way. "You know?" Jean began, reverting the conversation back. "Come to think of it I haven't seen Bobby for a while."
"That's why I keep looking cause I think I just somehow keep missing him. Usually he's the center of attention." Kitty had been looking for him for so long that she had even forgotten why. Now her mind was set on finding the usual, in plain sight, Bobby.
"I should be looking to this as an upside, no one to follow us around. Except this is totally unlike the Iceman to disappear from sight without a word of it to anyone." Scott stated aloud.
"Come on, Scott, you know Bobby. He's bound to have left a trail, we just have to find it." Jean said with confidence.
"You can't find him with your telepathy?"
"I've already tried, there must be something blocking his signal. Kitty, you've asked everyone?"
"Well… no. Not exactly." Both had questioning looks on their faces. "Well you were the only ones I've talked to."
"Then maybe someone else has seen him. You think?" Scott was becoming agitated while some sense of foreboding lay in his stomach, but he dismissed it as caution.
"I'll go talk to Jubilee, Bobby will either be with her or just been with her. I don't think I've seen those two apart for more than a moment." Kitty ran off, passing through a couple walls as shortcuts.
Both Jean and Scott glanced at each other and smiled, but just then they heard a familiar growl which caused heir faces to fall. "Logan." they said in unison.
"Hey, Logan." Scott said evasively when the Wolverine entered the room. He did NOT have a happy look on his face.
"What's it to ya one-eye?" Both students noted that something intense must have happened to put Logan in this kind of mood.
"Did something happen?" Asked Jean, worried to see him this on edge.
"No, that's the problem." He saw their confused looks and continued. "Darn newbies didn't show." He snarled. What scared them most was that he wasn't yelling it was just pure anger.
"The New Recruits weren't there for their session?" Scott began asking as Jean stood on the sidelines, thinking.
"Not one."
"But… Lifeguard--"
"Was there. Even though I told her she was exempt from the rest of today's training." Both teenagers eyebrows almost flew off their faces at this.
"You, Logan, let someone off early?" Nothing in him phased at this remark.
"That's right 'Cyke', she's the hardest worker in the bunch. And when I say the bunch that means x-men included. Now if you'll excuse me," he didn't allow Scott or Jean time to comment. "I've got some kids to punish." Then, right there Jean thought of something.
"Hey Logan," he stopped and turned his head to look. "You haven't seen Bobby anywhere have you?" his lip curled and his eyes narrowed.
"No and I better not, for his sake. That Ice-cube…" he trailed off as he glanced down at his foot, remembering how that clown had frozen it. Logan turned to go leave when a pair of footsteps came through the wall.
"Oh good, you're still here. I couldn't find Jubilee anywhere! Figures, if Bobby's nowhere then Jubilee would also be nowhere." She stopped when she saw Logan, and he whipped around.
"What'id ya say half-pint?"
"Oh, he--hey Logan, didn't see you there." Kitty said, not looking him in the eye.
"Hmmmm… 'Iceman' missing, and somehow at the same time the Recruits disappear as well? I'm thinking this is any thing but coincidence." By the looks on the other three's faces they agreed.
"That's Bobby, but I always assumed he's where the action is--" Kitty began.
"--Ah think you're right an' that's exactly where he is!!" An anxious voice shouted. They saw her come running from the living room.
~Earlier~
"Gawd, it is so boring aroun' here!" Rogue said aloud to herself. "Ah cahn't believe Ah'm actually wishin' for the out of ordinary to happen!" She felt so restless, there needed to be some action. After pacing in circles around her room she quickly exited and glanced out every window she passed. "Nothin'." She started walking downstairs. There wasn't a single sound that could be heard except for her own footsteps.
"Ugh! Ah need somethin' to do."
She walked into the library and scanned the shelves of books. She wasn't looking for anything in particular. In fact, all she was doing was looking at the shelves, not for a book. She recited the book titles that she walked past, " Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Black Stallion, Brave New World, Charlotte's Web, The Count of Monte Cristo, Little House on the Prairie, Little Women, The Odyssey…"
She took a few steps backward and pulled out Brave New World from the shelf. She walked over to a table sat down, propped her legs up and started to read. She hadn't been reading two minutes when she threw the book behind her in frustration.
"Urg! I give UP! I just need something to do!." She got up and exited the library, leaving the book on the floor. She walked into the living room and flopped down onto a couch. She picked up the remote laying on the nearby coffee table.
"Maybe some TV will pass the time."
She flipped it on and started channel surfing. "No, no, no, no. There's never anything good on at this time of day." She picked up the TV guide as her thumb kept on flipping the channels and she briefly listened to some sort of sports talk, soap operas and infomercials. Then she stopped flipping as she spotted an interesting article in the guide. The TV had stopped on a news channel. She could faintly hear what the news reporter was saying.
"We are confident that this case will be solved and the killer caugh--- This just in, a disturbance downtown has been brought to our immediate attention. It seems to involve these alleged mutants that we have been hearing about recently. We got live to Ernie in the sky with live footage of these mutants in combat."
Rogue heard the word mutants and immediately looked up, casting the TV guide aside. She watched in horror as she saw Jubilee, Shiro, Sam, Theresa, and Roberto, lead by non other than the Iceman, Bobby Drake, joined by Betsy, facing off with the Brotherhood and… losing. The vigorous battle was joined by five other mutants, one being Magneto.
"This only proves that mutants are very real. The only questions remaining are what threat they pose and just how many exist."
It had switched back to the reporter, still showing the fight with picture in picture. However, Rogue had already left. She was searching for someone to tell this to. She heard voices up ahead and went on in that direction. It sounded like… Logan and there was Jean and Scott as well. She stood, hidden, and listened. Then she heard Kitty's voice.
"Oh good, you're still here. I couldn't find Jubilee anywhere! Figures, if Bobby's nowhere then Jubilee would also be nowhere." She stopped when she saw Logan, and he whipped around.
"What'id ya say half-pint?"
"Oh, he--hey Logan, didn't see you there." Kitty said, not looking him in the eye.
"Hmmmm… 'Iceman' missing, and somehow at the same time the Recruits disappear as well? I'm thinking this is any thing but coincidence." By the looks on the other three's faces they agreed.
"That's Bobby, but I always assumed he's where the action is--" Kitty began. Rogue listened and knew she had to tell them, that was her original intent. She would not hold back any longer.
"--Ah think you're right an' that's exactly where he is!!" She shouted as she came into view. "Onle thang is that the action ain't here." She motioned for the others to follow her. Logan was the most intrigued. All of them could hear a news report on as they entered the living room. "Raight there!" She pointed at the television screen that displayed a struggle between the recruits and the Brotherhood. Then they saw Magneto. All any of them could do was stare.
"Hmm…" started Logan in a low growl. "Well, looks like I'll have to wait to teach them the lesson they'll never forget," he snarled, " 'cause first we need to save their butts."