Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men
characters. Thank you to Corrinth for the loan of Ilehana Xavier. Blaze is,
always has been, and forever will be mine, so there!
A/N: Don't forget to review!
Scene 16
Magneto was furious. His newest recruits had failed him. Even with the help of ace, they had not been able to prevent the X-men from destroying his shipment of the drug. And he had had such high hopes for them, Piedro most of all. Quicksilver stood abashed and sulking, as did Avalanche, in Magneto's usurped office room, waiting for the powerful Master of Magnetism's tirade. But Magneto didn't have time for such a waste of energy today. Let Mystique discipline the youngsters later, right now he had a war to begin, the war to end all wars...
"Without the ace, we stand to lose many of our already nervous troops, but no matter. When we have defeated the Friends of Humanity today they will no doubt come flocking back to my side." He spoke more to himself than to his protégés. Mystique came to put his grey coat about his shoulders, and he was appreciative of her support. Avalanche shivered as her cold yellow eyes flicked to him and Piedro. Not that he thought Mystique truly cared for anyone but herself, but she had not been best pleased since Pyro had not returned with them.
"Let us begin this." Magneto cut through the other's thoughts as powerfully as if he were a telepath. "And make a new future for mutant-kind everywhere..."
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Greyton Creed Junior did not address his troops with so much charm as his foe Magneto. They were well-drilled men, armed with the latest technology. His orders were barked, and carried out. Let his enemy choose the battlefield for this first encounter; Creed had no intention of letting a single mutant leave New York City alive.
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Atop a skyscraper the air-goddess' eyes went white with power, her hair crackling with static as she raised her hands to beckon in the weather. Out to sea a dark squall was building quickly, storm clouds of heavy rain, sleet and lightning that would soon black out the morning sunlight across the city and pelt everything with harsh, hard winds.
Rubbing her hands together in nervous anticipation, Jubilee watched Storm work with awe. Over the radio she could hear the others speak in abbreviated sentences as they coordinated their attack. The FoH had begun to move, spotted by Colossus marching in organised units down highways usually populated by bright yellow cabs and dispatch boys on bikes. Kitty and Kurt readied themselves for their first vital move, one to the front of the column, one to the rear, aiming to split the army in two as the single- minded orders of the FoH field command were followed to the letter- no mutants must survive.
There! The trap was sprung! Jubilee was surprised to be able to see the darting form of Nightcrawler teleporting frantically above the troops as he dodged the bullets. Jubilee couldn't see Kitty, but she could hear over the radio as Shadowcat broke from her cover and ran headlong in front of the lead troops just as Nightcrawler's attack distracted them to the rear. Too scared to scream Shadowcat ran straight through the wall of a department store and into the protective embrace of the Wolverine. His voice was subdued as he tried to calm Kitty down, knowing the lead FoH troops would right now be searching for a way into the building.
"Its alright Half-pint. You did good kid. C'mon..."
At that moment Storm's squall hit with ferocity. Nightcrawler disappeared inside a building where Colossus was waiting, eager to be involved, metallic skin shimmering and uniform stretched to its full capacity as his body mass had increased. Kurt grinned as he spoke to his fellow X-Man.
"Here they come..."
In both buildings, FoH troops could suddenly be heard breaking and entering with force, their commanders bellowing orders that they find the mutants as quickly as possible. The few units left outside on the streets as their comrades went to work were suddenly swamped with a heavy shower of hail and sleet. Jubilee was impressed to see the grown men cry out and try to cover their heads as they were pelted to the point that their lines broke and they ran for whatever cover they could find.
"Whoo-hoo!" She threw one hand in the air in celebration. "The FoH scum outside are all running away, guess they can't take Storm's shower!"
"Great kid," Logan snarled back over the radio, "But tell us what good that does us when we are inside and cornered?"
"Don't you know me yet, Wolverine?" Kitty replied, grabbing his wrist and putting her other hand to the wall. "I'm never cornered!" They fell backwards through the second story wall into the full maelstrom of Storm. With a scream, Kitty felt herself tumbling out of control. Logan grabbed the kid to his body; extending his claws he punctured the solid brick wall, dragging the adimantium through the bricks to slow their descent. Mortar and rubble fell around them, but at last they stopped falling and could drop safely to the ground as Logan retracted his claws.
"Nice moves Half-pint." Wolverine glanced hastily about the streets, yelling above the heavy weather. "Give me a bit more warnin' next time though, okay?" xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Ready?" Kurt was perched on the top of the stairwell, looking down at the troops scurrying like ants up towards them. Behind him his teammate answered excitedly, adrenaline overcoming any fear the young man had felt.
"Yeah."
The first rain of bullets ricocheted off of Colossus' metallic skin harmlessly. Men cried out as they saw the weapons they relied on make no impression. Nightcrawler was away then as with the force of a small tank Colossus hit the first man, sending him backwards down the stairs like a domino. Nightcrawler gathered an armful of guns in quick succession as the aggressors tried to fend him off unsuccessfully.
"These guns not nice toys!" Kurt exclaimed, "I put them away for you!" And with that he teleported up into the decorative dome at the top of the broad stairwell, lodging the weapons behind metal support struts. A bullet whistled past his ear suddenly, that was too close! Nightcrawler grabbed Colossus' shoulder in a firm grip and teleported them both back down to the bottom of the stairwell. In their hurry to turn around and follow their prey, the FoH got in each other's way, slowing themselves down. Kurt and Peter ran out onto the street and into the storm. Seeing Wolverine hustling Kitty their way, all four X-Men began running up the road, headlong into the bad weather that seemed to recede around them, but then regroup and pelt their pursuers with ferocity.
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It didn't take Ilehana long to find the mutant base. A hive of activity, the building Magneto had chosen was packed from foyer to rooftop with frightened, excitable mutants. Ilehana knew they felt that this was their only choice, that unless they took a stand with Magneto now, Tsunami's death would be the first of too many at the hands of the FoH. Vixen could only pray they were wrong.
No one seemed unnerved or suspicious as Ilehana moved amongst them. They were all strangers to each other; Ilehana was just another unknown mutant. It suited her fine; she did not want to be branded a traitor. A quick brush of another's mind revealed that Magneto was above her in a first floor office. Ten seconds later the lift doors closed as she made her move unchallenged.
"It seems my old friend Charles Xavier has begun his attempt to stop our war." Magneto spoke with contempt to Mystique as Ilehana approached the office door. The Vixen fumed to hear her father spoke of as if he were of no more consequence than a flea or a tick. "The weather-witch must be trying to make any fighting on the streets impossible. Take Quicksilver and Avalanche, see if you can't make the weather a little more amicable."
**Jubilee! ** Ilehana called out telepathically, not able to speak into the radio as she dove for cover in a doorway, watching Mystique pass. **Call the others and regroup around Storm. Mystique, Avalanche and Quicksilver are on their way to you now! ** Vixen didn't wait for Jubilee's reply as she started towards the office where Magneto now stood alone.
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"Okay, guys, Ilehana says you gotta get back here, like now!" Jubilee was suddenly very aware that her purpose in this had gone from passive spectator, to the only force that stood between Mystique and her cronies and Storm. Behind her, Ororo's eyes were beginning to lose intensity, and her shoulders were beginning to slump as she burnt all her energy on maintaining the unnatural storm around them. Jubilee was very relieved to hear Logan's voice come back o the radio above the howling wind.
"Alright! On our way. Nightcrawler?"
The team linked hands as Kurt strained to teleport all four X-men to the roof of the nearest building. The blue mutant shuddered to see how far they had come across the city, how many roof tops he would have to teleport the team across to get back to Storm and Jubilee. But the brave and gentle man refused to complain, simply beginning his work with gritted teeth and ignoring the gasps from his friends as he moved them between places.
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Bobby was near collapsed as he pushed the mansion's front door open. Tabitha resolutely supported the still unwell Havoc, knowing Bobby could barely keep his own feet under him without having to help her as well. The children that ran to their aid as they stumbled through the doorway did not ask questions. Havoc and Bobby received bodily support from some older teenagers, but she brushed the help off herself.
"I'm fine, help them."
"We have to get them to the infirmary." One of the older children took temporary charge. "The Professor's busy and no-one else is here."
"Cool, a school with no adult supervision..." Tabitha muttered, "Really wish I'd come here..."
In the labyrinth below the mansion, the children hoisted the two exhausted and injured young men onto slab-like beds. Not knowing what else to do, Boom-Boom covered them over with silver isolative blankets, hoping that someone with some form of medical knowledge would turn up sooner rather than later. Looking round the room, she saw Scott lying sedated on his own slab, and couldn't help but wonder how many more beds would be needed in the infirmary before the day was over?
A/N: Don't forget to review!
Scene 16
Magneto was furious. His newest recruits had failed him. Even with the help of ace, they had not been able to prevent the X-men from destroying his shipment of the drug. And he had had such high hopes for them, Piedro most of all. Quicksilver stood abashed and sulking, as did Avalanche, in Magneto's usurped office room, waiting for the powerful Master of Magnetism's tirade. But Magneto didn't have time for such a waste of energy today. Let Mystique discipline the youngsters later, right now he had a war to begin, the war to end all wars...
"Without the ace, we stand to lose many of our already nervous troops, but no matter. When we have defeated the Friends of Humanity today they will no doubt come flocking back to my side." He spoke more to himself than to his protégés. Mystique came to put his grey coat about his shoulders, and he was appreciative of her support. Avalanche shivered as her cold yellow eyes flicked to him and Piedro. Not that he thought Mystique truly cared for anyone but herself, but she had not been best pleased since Pyro had not returned with them.
"Let us begin this." Magneto cut through the other's thoughts as powerfully as if he were a telepath. "And make a new future for mutant-kind everywhere..."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Greyton Creed Junior did not address his troops with so much charm as his foe Magneto. They were well-drilled men, armed with the latest technology. His orders were barked, and carried out. Let his enemy choose the battlefield for this first encounter; Creed had no intention of letting a single mutant leave New York City alive.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Atop a skyscraper the air-goddess' eyes went white with power, her hair crackling with static as she raised her hands to beckon in the weather. Out to sea a dark squall was building quickly, storm clouds of heavy rain, sleet and lightning that would soon black out the morning sunlight across the city and pelt everything with harsh, hard winds.
Rubbing her hands together in nervous anticipation, Jubilee watched Storm work with awe. Over the radio she could hear the others speak in abbreviated sentences as they coordinated their attack. The FoH had begun to move, spotted by Colossus marching in organised units down highways usually populated by bright yellow cabs and dispatch boys on bikes. Kitty and Kurt readied themselves for their first vital move, one to the front of the column, one to the rear, aiming to split the army in two as the single- minded orders of the FoH field command were followed to the letter- no mutants must survive.
There! The trap was sprung! Jubilee was surprised to be able to see the darting form of Nightcrawler teleporting frantically above the troops as he dodged the bullets. Jubilee couldn't see Kitty, but she could hear over the radio as Shadowcat broke from her cover and ran headlong in front of the lead troops just as Nightcrawler's attack distracted them to the rear. Too scared to scream Shadowcat ran straight through the wall of a department store and into the protective embrace of the Wolverine. His voice was subdued as he tried to calm Kitty down, knowing the lead FoH troops would right now be searching for a way into the building.
"Its alright Half-pint. You did good kid. C'mon..."
At that moment Storm's squall hit with ferocity. Nightcrawler disappeared inside a building where Colossus was waiting, eager to be involved, metallic skin shimmering and uniform stretched to its full capacity as his body mass had increased. Kurt grinned as he spoke to his fellow X-Man.
"Here they come..."
In both buildings, FoH troops could suddenly be heard breaking and entering with force, their commanders bellowing orders that they find the mutants as quickly as possible. The few units left outside on the streets as their comrades went to work were suddenly swamped with a heavy shower of hail and sleet. Jubilee was impressed to see the grown men cry out and try to cover their heads as they were pelted to the point that their lines broke and they ran for whatever cover they could find.
"Whoo-hoo!" She threw one hand in the air in celebration. "The FoH scum outside are all running away, guess they can't take Storm's shower!"
"Great kid," Logan snarled back over the radio, "But tell us what good that does us when we are inside and cornered?"
"Don't you know me yet, Wolverine?" Kitty replied, grabbing his wrist and putting her other hand to the wall. "I'm never cornered!" They fell backwards through the second story wall into the full maelstrom of Storm. With a scream, Kitty felt herself tumbling out of control. Logan grabbed the kid to his body; extending his claws he punctured the solid brick wall, dragging the adimantium through the bricks to slow their descent. Mortar and rubble fell around them, but at last they stopped falling and could drop safely to the ground as Logan retracted his claws.
"Nice moves Half-pint." Wolverine glanced hastily about the streets, yelling above the heavy weather. "Give me a bit more warnin' next time though, okay?" xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Ready?" Kurt was perched on the top of the stairwell, looking down at the troops scurrying like ants up towards them. Behind him his teammate answered excitedly, adrenaline overcoming any fear the young man had felt.
"Yeah."
The first rain of bullets ricocheted off of Colossus' metallic skin harmlessly. Men cried out as they saw the weapons they relied on make no impression. Nightcrawler was away then as with the force of a small tank Colossus hit the first man, sending him backwards down the stairs like a domino. Nightcrawler gathered an armful of guns in quick succession as the aggressors tried to fend him off unsuccessfully.
"These guns not nice toys!" Kurt exclaimed, "I put them away for you!" And with that he teleported up into the decorative dome at the top of the broad stairwell, lodging the weapons behind metal support struts. A bullet whistled past his ear suddenly, that was too close! Nightcrawler grabbed Colossus' shoulder in a firm grip and teleported them both back down to the bottom of the stairwell. In their hurry to turn around and follow their prey, the FoH got in each other's way, slowing themselves down. Kurt and Peter ran out onto the street and into the storm. Seeing Wolverine hustling Kitty their way, all four X-Men began running up the road, headlong into the bad weather that seemed to recede around them, but then regroup and pelt their pursuers with ferocity.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It didn't take Ilehana long to find the mutant base. A hive of activity, the building Magneto had chosen was packed from foyer to rooftop with frightened, excitable mutants. Ilehana knew they felt that this was their only choice, that unless they took a stand with Magneto now, Tsunami's death would be the first of too many at the hands of the FoH. Vixen could only pray they were wrong.
No one seemed unnerved or suspicious as Ilehana moved amongst them. They were all strangers to each other; Ilehana was just another unknown mutant. It suited her fine; she did not want to be branded a traitor. A quick brush of another's mind revealed that Magneto was above her in a first floor office. Ten seconds later the lift doors closed as she made her move unchallenged.
"It seems my old friend Charles Xavier has begun his attempt to stop our war." Magneto spoke with contempt to Mystique as Ilehana approached the office door. The Vixen fumed to hear her father spoke of as if he were of no more consequence than a flea or a tick. "The weather-witch must be trying to make any fighting on the streets impossible. Take Quicksilver and Avalanche, see if you can't make the weather a little more amicable."
**Jubilee! ** Ilehana called out telepathically, not able to speak into the radio as she dove for cover in a doorway, watching Mystique pass. **Call the others and regroup around Storm. Mystique, Avalanche and Quicksilver are on their way to you now! ** Vixen didn't wait for Jubilee's reply as she started towards the office where Magneto now stood alone.
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"Okay, guys, Ilehana says you gotta get back here, like now!" Jubilee was suddenly very aware that her purpose in this had gone from passive spectator, to the only force that stood between Mystique and her cronies and Storm. Behind her, Ororo's eyes were beginning to lose intensity, and her shoulders were beginning to slump as she burnt all her energy on maintaining the unnatural storm around them. Jubilee was very relieved to hear Logan's voice come back o the radio above the howling wind.
"Alright! On our way. Nightcrawler?"
The team linked hands as Kurt strained to teleport all four X-men to the roof of the nearest building. The blue mutant shuddered to see how far they had come across the city, how many roof tops he would have to teleport the team across to get back to Storm and Jubilee. But the brave and gentle man refused to complain, simply beginning his work with gritted teeth and ignoring the gasps from his friends as he moved them between places.
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Bobby was near collapsed as he pushed the mansion's front door open. Tabitha resolutely supported the still unwell Havoc, knowing Bobby could barely keep his own feet under him without having to help her as well. The children that ran to their aid as they stumbled through the doorway did not ask questions. Havoc and Bobby received bodily support from some older teenagers, but she brushed the help off herself.
"I'm fine, help them."
"We have to get them to the infirmary." One of the older children took temporary charge. "The Professor's busy and no-one else is here."
"Cool, a school with no adult supervision..." Tabitha muttered, "Really wish I'd come here..."
In the labyrinth below the mansion, the children hoisted the two exhausted and injured young men onto slab-like beds. Not knowing what else to do, Boom-Boom covered them over with silver isolative blankets, hoping that someone with some form of medical knowledge would turn up sooner rather than later. Looking round the room, she saw Scott lying sedated on his own slab, and couldn't help but wonder how many more beds would be needed in the infirmary before the day was over?