Feral Bonds Chapter 12
The reviewer known as Me: No worries. I don't mind mistakes being brought to my attention. Hell, considering the fact that a) I've never written before and b) I've gone so far past my outline it's not funny and I've been writing off the top of my head for the past four chapters I'm amazed that I don't post gobblygook on a regular basis. Oh yea, on the time issue, I meant for it to be an incredibly short amount of actual time. And another thing, when Professor Xavier turns, he *TURNS*. Don't forget it. ;) Heck, if you want, you can always beta them for me. :)
Inuyasha0001: Thanks again
I don't Review: Thanks for the praise.
Xavier's office
Xavier silently watched the group file into his office. A quick mental scan told him all he needed to know of the incident. He frowned when he came to Kitty smelling the cigar, the meaning readily apparent to him. Storm was the last to sit down and he took that as the opening to speak. "It appears as though we have had an interesting night." Kitty started nervously tapping a foot against the chair leg. "After reviewing the incident, I can tell you with all confidence that neither Jubilee or Bobby played any sort of prank on you, no matter how much it is in their character to do so."
Kitty shifted in her seat and spoke. "Like why did my wash smell so bad? And this shirt." she picked at the blue t-shirt. "..it smells like someone soaked it in air freshener."
Logan snorted and quietly mumbled. "You always smell like a walking air freshener kid."
Kitty snapped her head sideways. "It's like totally not funny Mr. Logan, I can barely think it's so strong."
Xavier saw Logan give a small start when Kitty turned and spoke. He could almost feel the mild surprise he was projecting. "Kitty, we did not have a chance to explain what occurred last night during the process." Kitty blinked and turned back to him. "And I must say that I am surprised that you didn't immediately come to me when you awoke. I assumed that you would be full of questions, most teenagers don't act as an intermediary in a mindscape."
Kitty was silent for a moment as she thought about it. "I don't like know Professor. I just didn't think about it is like all." She frowned. "I should have through right? I remember grabbing something and a flash of light, but it never really like occurred to me to worry about it."
Xavier and Ororo both glanced quickly at Mark. Xavier continued. "Well Kitty, it was quite a bit more complicated than that, but that is not the relevant issue that I wanted to speak to you about." He rolled out from behind his desk and stopped in front of her chair. "Neither Jean nor I know how it happened, but it seems that you have somehow forged what telepaths call a psibond with Mark when you disrupted the process."
Kitty's face scrunched up in thought. "Like, what is a psibond Professor, I've never heard of it."
Xavier leaned back in his chair and folded his hands under his nose. "Explaining exactly what it is, to a non-telepath, is unfortunately impossible. There are no words for the interfaces that are created. But the most basic way to describe it is a.." not wanting to subject her to the fact that it might be permanent, he changed his phraseology. ".persistent mental connection between two people."
Kitty blinked and felt an uncharacteristic anger well up in her, speeding her heartbeat and flushing her face. "So he's gonna like be in my head? That is SO not cool Professor. How do we like break it?" She was about to start growling when Mark laid a hand on her arm, drawing her attention. She turned and looked at the inquisitive look on his face and felt a wave of calm flood through her. She nodded and sank back into her chair.
Xavier filed that response away, gratified that it proved his theory. "Kitty, it looks as though you've gained access to his sense of smell at the very least." Kitty went wide-eyed and Xavier grinned. "It's true Kitty. The bodywash and your shirt both smell normal to me and Storm, and what you are smelling is what Logan and Mark normally smell. And yes, that means that you owe Jubilee an apology."
Kitty blinked and looked chagrined. She muttered "Yes Professor."
Xavier leaned back. "It does appear that we at least accomplished our objective though. How are you feeling Mark?"
Mark looked blankly at the Professor. "Well."
Xavier smiled. "I see. And why exactly did you break down Jubilee's door?"
Mark looked at Kitty. "I heard a scream from where she went."
Logan snorted. "So ya decided to scare the shit out of Jubilee and half the kids eh?"
Mark turned to him and spoke with a flat voice. "Yes."
Logan burst out laughing. Turning to Xavier, "He's not half bad Chuck." and chuckled again.
Kitty broke in. "Professor, so why is he talking so well now?"
Xavier rolled his eyes at Logan and turned back to Kitty. "He is subconsciously pulling your knowledge to himself. To put it in a way you will better understand, his Operating System is running off your Hard Drive."
Kitty spun to Mark and smacked his arm. "Stop it dammit! It's MY head."
Mark narrowed his eyes questioningly and rubbed his shoulder once. Both of their attentions were pulled back when Xavier and Ororo tried to stifle their chuckles without success.
Xavier willed his face back to passivity and spoke to her. "Kitty, it's not something he can control. As a matter of fact, you are the very reason the bond exists, so don't take your frustration out on him. Besides, it's all subconscious anyway, he can't read your mind any more than you can read his. At most, you can project emotions across the link."
Kitty crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine, I don't have to like it though."
Xavier was about to continue when a wave of fatigue disoriented him. He fell forward in his chair and pressed his hand to his forehead. Ororo leapt out of her chair and quickly crossed the distance to him and set a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "Charles, are you alright?"
Xavier shook his head and straightened. Quickly glancing around, he rolled to the terminal on his desk before he spoke. "I felt a wave of animosity for a split second before it cut out. Not only was the feeling coming from very close by." He looked in Logan's eyes. ".I can no longer use my telepathy, something is blocking it."
Logan sprang to his feet and sprinted to the window. Tearing the latch off, he slammed the windowpane open. Mark's head whipped towards the window and Kitty felt a brush of suspicion from him.
Logan turned back to the desk, a dark look on his face. His eyes speared Xavier's and he spoke. "Choppers, heading this way fast. And they ain't news choppers."
Xavier quickly typed in a command and a klaxon started blaring and red emergency lights strobing throughout the mansion. Not a second later, Scott and Jean burst into the room.
Jean looked to the Professor. "I was on my way to tell you my telepathy is being blocked when we heard the alarms."
Scott reached into an alcove and grabbed a spare visor. Settling it on his face, he turned back to the others and straightened. "What exactly is the situation Professor?"
Xavier turned the screen towards him. Scott leaned forward and read the security system status report. Skimming over it quickly he turned back. "There are four helicopters inbound from the eastern quadrant. They appear to be trying to fly below radar, but Logan and Forge's enhancements have acquired them. I believe we can assume they are hostile." He turned to Storm. "Storm, get on the intercom and get the students into the basement. It's the safest place right now. And have the team suit up and report here." She nodded and started relaying commands over the intercom.
Scott turned back to the Professor. "You also need to get to the basement Professor. With them jamming your powers, you are defenseless up here. I would advise we activate the security to Omicron level and prepare for an assault, probably armed."
Logan slammed the window shut and jogged to the desk. "There ain't not probable about it One-Eye. I heard three Chinook transports and an Apache gunship. They aren't just armed, they're military. So shut this place down. We've got about ninety seconds before all hell breaks loose."
Xavier quickly typed on the keyboard and the mansion shuddered as the armor plates slammed down over the windows and doors. Scott grabbed Xavier's wheelchair and started pushing it to the door. "I'm going to get the Professor in the elevator, get ready."
Mark grabbed Kitty's arm and yanked her to her feet. Taking a quick glance around, he wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her up before sprinting out of the office. Kitty grunted with the force of the grab and twisted around to tell him to let go of her but her demand was lost when the window at the end of the hall exploded in a burst of flame. She ducked her head under his shoulder and felt him grunt once and immediately felt a warm fluid spread under her shoulder. She yanked her head away and almost phased when she saw the jagged shard of metal that Mark had just yanked out of his back.
She shut the image out of her mind and she yelled. "The kids! The haven't had enough time to get downstairs! We have to help them!"
Mark didn't even glance her way but just kept running. She was about to start yelling again when he jumped up, slamming feet first into a painting and cracking the plaster behind it. He kept running on the wall for a few steps before dropping back down and sprinting down a hallway. Kitty realized that he had been running towards the New Mutant's hall already.
He turned another corner and slammed into Jamie, sending his copies sprawling down the corridor in a living chain. Staggering for one whole step, Mark planted his feet and jumped over the heads of the other students in the hallway. At the instant he landed, he dropped Kitty back to the ground and snapped his claws out.
He growled and started pushing students behind him when the wall exploded inwards and a soldier came flying through. The students still in the hallway screamed and the soldier's weapon spun to them. Kitty's blood froze when the rifle was lifted to his shoulder and his finger started to pull the trigger.
Mark let out a deafening roar and hurled himself claws first at the soldier. His shoulder erupted in a haze of blood and pulverized tissue as the soldier's MP5 sprang to life. Kitty felt a tsunami of rage wash over her. Mark dropped to the floor and rolled under the weapons firing arc. Spinning at the last second, his claws flashed out and ripped the soldier's left leg off at the knee. The soldier screamed and fell, wildly grasping at the stump, trying vainly to cut off the spurting artery. Mark rolled to his knees and pivoted back to the soldier. Another flash of claws and the muscles and tendons in both the soldiers arms were severed, leaving him to uselessly scream and thrash his life away.
Kitty had to choke back the bile that flooded her throat and had barely succeeded when she heard two more explosions from in front of her and clouds of smoke and dust billowed out from two rooms. Mark whipped around and started running back to her when the muzzle of a machine gun poked out of a room and fired at her. She yelped and phased just as the bullets tore through where she was standing. She heard a high pitched scream behind her and she turned to look at the source. The air in her lungs turned to lead when she saw Valerie, a seven year old mutant, writhing on the ground with a bullet hole in her stomach, screaming at the top of her lungs.
A red haze misted over her vision and her heart thundered in her chest. She turned and growled at the soldier emerging from the room. A snarl tore itself from her throat and she launched herself at him. The soldier smirked and pulled the trigger again, the smirk turning to shock as the bullets just passed through her without damage. Kitty roared and leapt straight at him. As she started to pass through him, she reached out and 'twisted' her power. Her hand partially fell out of phase and during the split instant she was in his body, reached out and grabbed a hold of his heart. Pushing her power in a direction she hadn't ever done before, she dug her fingers into the pulsing muscle and 'pulled.' She flew out of the back of the soldier and rolled to a stop. She flipped to her feet and dropped the still beating heart onto the ground. The soldier jerked and coughed..once.. before turning to her with a look of disbelief on his face before pitching forward and slamming into the floor, dead as stone. Kitty snarled again and phased back out of the room, in search of the next enemy.
Mark passed the screaming child and ripped his claws into the plaster next to a door a split second before his body crashed through it in a hail of splinters. He dropped to the ground and slid the moment he entered the room, narrowly missing the hail of bullets the soldiers fired at him. He reached out and hooked his foot around the leg of the Victorian bed, using it as a block to stop his momentum. Instantly snapping his claws out in an arc, he tore the side off the dresser and whipped around, hurling it at the nearest soldier like a discus. The spinning wood slammed into the soldier's legs, the sound of his femurs splintering audible even over the scream that clawed it's way out of the soldier. Mark completed his spin and started to leap over the bed at the next soldier when he felt a three-round burst stitch itself across his stomach and hurl him back into the wall. He crashed into the wood and plaster wall and slid down, unmoving.
The soldier stepped around the bed, holding his weapon on Mark's still form. Not taking any chances, the soldier sent another burst into his stomach. Seeing the body jerk, he confidently stepped forward. Nudging the corpse with his foot, he grabbed his radio and spoke. "Tango Down, primary target. Proceeding to secondary target." The soldier turned and sneered at the body. "Ain't so tough are ya you fucking freak" And spit in Mark's face. Seeing no reaction, the soldier snorted and turned to the soldier that was climbing in the hole in the outer wall of the mansion. He made a series of hand signals and his companion nodded. They both started to move to the door when Mark's eyes snapped open and he launched himself off the floor. Crossing the few feet separating him from the soldier that spoke, he lashed out with his claws, feeling them dig into the man's neck and briefly snag on the spinal column before ripping out of the other side and digging into the wall. The man's head went spiraling off into the hall and the other soldier was blinded by the gout of blood that spattered across his face. He franticly wiped the blood out his eyes and started firing randomly around the room. He cleared his vision and whipped around towards the hall.
Mark slid out from under the bed and sprang at the soldier. He roared and ripped his claws across the soldier's abdomen, tearing through skin and muscle and spilling his intestines onto the floor. The soldier gasped and fell to his knees, desperately trying to force the steaming ropes back into his stomach. He looked up at Mark with a look of abject horror. Mark stared back for a second before reaching out and slamming his claws into the soldier's back, severing the spinal cord. Mark crouched next to the body and threw a look out onto the roof where a Chinook was hovering just off the side. Mark flipped the body over and tore the satchel charge off the harness.
Hallway
Kitty passed through the wall, still snarling and her hand dripping blood. Her vision was still misted over and she had to dig her fingers into her palms to control the rage coursing through her. She focused and succeeded in beating down the rage. Feeling more in control, she once again heard Valerie still screaming and crying. Kitty instantly ran to her and scooped her up into her arms. Turning and shouting at the remaining students to get to the basement, she cooed soothingly to the crying child and phased through the floor, praying that she could get to Hank before the child died.
Rooftop
Leaping out the hole, Mark sprinted across the roof. As he reached the Chinook, he pulled the detcord and was about to toss it when he ran into a disembarking soldier. Reaching his claws out, he ripped the man's throat out. Slamming the satchel into the man's arms, he grabbed him and threw him into the chopper like a rag doll, surprising the platoon inside. Mark hesitated for an instant to make sure the body had made it into the chopper before throwing himself down to the roof. A millisecond later, the helicopter erupted in a thirty-foot fireball.
Mark felt the flames wash across his back, tearing at his clothes and melting his shirt into his skin. He let out a roar of pain and pressed himself further into the roof. When the firestorm passed, he ripped the melted shirt off his already healing back and tossed it to the side. Scanning the rest of the rooftop, he saw the gunship hovering off the entrance of the mansion and starting to pull back. He roared and ran. He reached the edge of the roof and planning a foot into a stone gargoyle, he launched himself of the roof and into the air. Flying freely for a moment, his eyes met the startled pilot's for a moment before he slammed into the windshield of the cockpit, sending spider like cracks across it's surface.
The pilot scrabbled for his sidearm and was pulling it out of the holster when Mark slammed his claws through the glass and punched them into his heart. The pilot jerked and looked at him. Mark stared into his eyes until the life drained out of them. Mark's body jerked as the gunner's sidearm suddenly fired and a round slammed into his chest. He reached out and grabbed the metal frame of the cockpit to steady himself. The chopper started to wildly whip around and the gunner dropped his sidearm and grabbed the controls, franticly trying to steady the craft. Mark growled and looked up at the rotors. He blinked once before thrusting his left claws into the path of the spinning blades. His arm was nearly wrenched from it's socket as the first blade rammed into the claws. The blades tore off and spun into the night, severed cleanly. The chopper immediately started to fall and Mark threw himself off the doomed machine. He hit the ground hard and started to roll to the side when the chopper slammed into the ground next to him and his world winked out in a burst of flame.
The reviewer known as Me: No worries. I don't mind mistakes being brought to my attention. Hell, considering the fact that a) I've never written before and b) I've gone so far past my outline it's not funny and I've been writing off the top of my head for the past four chapters I'm amazed that I don't post gobblygook on a regular basis. Oh yea, on the time issue, I meant for it to be an incredibly short amount of actual time. And another thing, when Professor Xavier turns, he *TURNS*. Don't forget it. ;) Heck, if you want, you can always beta them for me. :)
Inuyasha0001: Thanks again
I don't Review: Thanks for the praise.
Xavier's office
Xavier silently watched the group file into his office. A quick mental scan told him all he needed to know of the incident. He frowned when he came to Kitty smelling the cigar, the meaning readily apparent to him. Storm was the last to sit down and he took that as the opening to speak. "It appears as though we have had an interesting night." Kitty started nervously tapping a foot against the chair leg. "After reviewing the incident, I can tell you with all confidence that neither Jubilee or Bobby played any sort of prank on you, no matter how much it is in their character to do so."
Kitty shifted in her seat and spoke. "Like why did my wash smell so bad? And this shirt." she picked at the blue t-shirt. "..it smells like someone soaked it in air freshener."
Logan snorted and quietly mumbled. "You always smell like a walking air freshener kid."
Kitty snapped her head sideways. "It's like totally not funny Mr. Logan, I can barely think it's so strong."
Xavier saw Logan give a small start when Kitty turned and spoke. He could almost feel the mild surprise he was projecting. "Kitty, we did not have a chance to explain what occurred last night during the process." Kitty blinked and turned back to him. "And I must say that I am surprised that you didn't immediately come to me when you awoke. I assumed that you would be full of questions, most teenagers don't act as an intermediary in a mindscape."
Kitty was silent for a moment as she thought about it. "I don't like know Professor. I just didn't think about it is like all." She frowned. "I should have through right? I remember grabbing something and a flash of light, but it never really like occurred to me to worry about it."
Xavier and Ororo both glanced quickly at Mark. Xavier continued. "Well Kitty, it was quite a bit more complicated than that, but that is not the relevant issue that I wanted to speak to you about." He rolled out from behind his desk and stopped in front of her chair. "Neither Jean nor I know how it happened, but it seems that you have somehow forged what telepaths call a psibond with Mark when you disrupted the process."
Kitty's face scrunched up in thought. "Like, what is a psibond Professor, I've never heard of it."
Xavier leaned back in his chair and folded his hands under his nose. "Explaining exactly what it is, to a non-telepath, is unfortunately impossible. There are no words for the interfaces that are created. But the most basic way to describe it is a.." not wanting to subject her to the fact that it might be permanent, he changed his phraseology. ".persistent mental connection between two people."
Kitty blinked and felt an uncharacteristic anger well up in her, speeding her heartbeat and flushing her face. "So he's gonna like be in my head? That is SO not cool Professor. How do we like break it?" She was about to start growling when Mark laid a hand on her arm, drawing her attention. She turned and looked at the inquisitive look on his face and felt a wave of calm flood through her. She nodded and sank back into her chair.
Xavier filed that response away, gratified that it proved his theory. "Kitty, it looks as though you've gained access to his sense of smell at the very least." Kitty went wide-eyed and Xavier grinned. "It's true Kitty. The bodywash and your shirt both smell normal to me and Storm, and what you are smelling is what Logan and Mark normally smell. And yes, that means that you owe Jubilee an apology."
Kitty blinked and looked chagrined. She muttered "Yes Professor."
Xavier leaned back. "It does appear that we at least accomplished our objective though. How are you feeling Mark?"
Mark looked blankly at the Professor. "Well."
Xavier smiled. "I see. And why exactly did you break down Jubilee's door?"
Mark looked at Kitty. "I heard a scream from where she went."
Logan snorted. "So ya decided to scare the shit out of Jubilee and half the kids eh?"
Mark turned to him and spoke with a flat voice. "Yes."
Logan burst out laughing. Turning to Xavier, "He's not half bad Chuck." and chuckled again.
Kitty broke in. "Professor, so why is he talking so well now?"
Xavier rolled his eyes at Logan and turned back to Kitty. "He is subconsciously pulling your knowledge to himself. To put it in a way you will better understand, his Operating System is running off your Hard Drive."
Kitty spun to Mark and smacked his arm. "Stop it dammit! It's MY head."
Mark narrowed his eyes questioningly and rubbed his shoulder once. Both of their attentions were pulled back when Xavier and Ororo tried to stifle their chuckles without success.
Xavier willed his face back to passivity and spoke to her. "Kitty, it's not something he can control. As a matter of fact, you are the very reason the bond exists, so don't take your frustration out on him. Besides, it's all subconscious anyway, he can't read your mind any more than you can read his. At most, you can project emotions across the link."
Kitty crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine, I don't have to like it though."
Xavier was about to continue when a wave of fatigue disoriented him. He fell forward in his chair and pressed his hand to his forehead. Ororo leapt out of her chair and quickly crossed the distance to him and set a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "Charles, are you alright?"
Xavier shook his head and straightened. Quickly glancing around, he rolled to the terminal on his desk before he spoke. "I felt a wave of animosity for a split second before it cut out. Not only was the feeling coming from very close by." He looked in Logan's eyes. ".I can no longer use my telepathy, something is blocking it."
Logan sprang to his feet and sprinted to the window. Tearing the latch off, he slammed the windowpane open. Mark's head whipped towards the window and Kitty felt a brush of suspicion from him.
Logan turned back to the desk, a dark look on his face. His eyes speared Xavier's and he spoke. "Choppers, heading this way fast. And they ain't news choppers."
Xavier quickly typed in a command and a klaxon started blaring and red emergency lights strobing throughout the mansion. Not a second later, Scott and Jean burst into the room.
Jean looked to the Professor. "I was on my way to tell you my telepathy is being blocked when we heard the alarms."
Scott reached into an alcove and grabbed a spare visor. Settling it on his face, he turned back to the others and straightened. "What exactly is the situation Professor?"
Xavier turned the screen towards him. Scott leaned forward and read the security system status report. Skimming over it quickly he turned back. "There are four helicopters inbound from the eastern quadrant. They appear to be trying to fly below radar, but Logan and Forge's enhancements have acquired them. I believe we can assume they are hostile." He turned to Storm. "Storm, get on the intercom and get the students into the basement. It's the safest place right now. And have the team suit up and report here." She nodded and started relaying commands over the intercom.
Scott turned back to the Professor. "You also need to get to the basement Professor. With them jamming your powers, you are defenseless up here. I would advise we activate the security to Omicron level and prepare for an assault, probably armed."
Logan slammed the window shut and jogged to the desk. "There ain't not probable about it One-Eye. I heard three Chinook transports and an Apache gunship. They aren't just armed, they're military. So shut this place down. We've got about ninety seconds before all hell breaks loose."
Xavier quickly typed on the keyboard and the mansion shuddered as the armor plates slammed down over the windows and doors. Scott grabbed Xavier's wheelchair and started pushing it to the door. "I'm going to get the Professor in the elevator, get ready."
Mark grabbed Kitty's arm and yanked her to her feet. Taking a quick glance around, he wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her up before sprinting out of the office. Kitty grunted with the force of the grab and twisted around to tell him to let go of her but her demand was lost when the window at the end of the hall exploded in a burst of flame. She ducked her head under his shoulder and felt him grunt once and immediately felt a warm fluid spread under her shoulder. She yanked her head away and almost phased when she saw the jagged shard of metal that Mark had just yanked out of his back.
She shut the image out of her mind and she yelled. "The kids! The haven't had enough time to get downstairs! We have to help them!"
Mark didn't even glance her way but just kept running. She was about to start yelling again when he jumped up, slamming feet first into a painting and cracking the plaster behind it. He kept running on the wall for a few steps before dropping back down and sprinting down a hallway. Kitty realized that he had been running towards the New Mutant's hall already.
He turned another corner and slammed into Jamie, sending his copies sprawling down the corridor in a living chain. Staggering for one whole step, Mark planted his feet and jumped over the heads of the other students in the hallway. At the instant he landed, he dropped Kitty back to the ground and snapped his claws out.
He growled and started pushing students behind him when the wall exploded inwards and a soldier came flying through. The students still in the hallway screamed and the soldier's weapon spun to them. Kitty's blood froze when the rifle was lifted to his shoulder and his finger started to pull the trigger.
Mark let out a deafening roar and hurled himself claws first at the soldier. His shoulder erupted in a haze of blood and pulverized tissue as the soldier's MP5 sprang to life. Kitty felt a tsunami of rage wash over her. Mark dropped to the floor and rolled under the weapons firing arc. Spinning at the last second, his claws flashed out and ripped the soldier's left leg off at the knee. The soldier screamed and fell, wildly grasping at the stump, trying vainly to cut off the spurting artery. Mark rolled to his knees and pivoted back to the soldier. Another flash of claws and the muscles and tendons in both the soldiers arms were severed, leaving him to uselessly scream and thrash his life away.
Kitty had to choke back the bile that flooded her throat and had barely succeeded when she heard two more explosions from in front of her and clouds of smoke and dust billowed out from two rooms. Mark whipped around and started running back to her when the muzzle of a machine gun poked out of a room and fired at her. She yelped and phased just as the bullets tore through where she was standing. She heard a high pitched scream behind her and she turned to look at the source. The air in her lungs turned to lead when she saw Valerie, a seven year old mutant, writhing on the ground with a bullet hole in her stomach, screaming at the top of her lungs.
A red haze misted over her vision and her heart thundered in her chest. She turned and growled at the soldier emerging from the room. A snarl tore itself from her throat and she launched herself at him. The soldier smirked and pulled the trigger again, the smirk turning to shock as the bullets just passed through her without damage. Kitty roared and leapt straight at him. As she started to pass through him, she reached out and 'twisted' her power. Her hand partially fell out of phase and during the split instant she was in his body, reached out and grabbed a hold of his heart. Pushing her power in a direction she hadn't ever done before, she dug her fingers into the pulsing muscle and 'pulled.' She flew out of the back of the soldier and rolled to a stop. She flipped to her feet and dropped the still beating heart onto the ground. The soldier jerked and coughed..once.. before turning to her with a look of disbelief on his face before pitching forward and slamming into the floor, dead as stone. Kitty snarled again and phased back out of the room, in search of the next enemy.
Mark passed the screaming child and ripped his claws into the plaster next to a door a split second before his body crashed through it in a hail of splinters. He dropped to the ground and slid the moment he entered the room, narrowly missing the hail of bullets the soldiers fired at him. He reached out and hooked his foot around the leg of the Victorian bed, using it as a block to stop his momentum. Instantly snapping his claws out in an arc, he tore the side off the dresser and whipped around, hurling it at the nearest soldier like a discus. The spinning wood slammed into the soldier's legs, the sound of his femurs splintering audible even over the scream that clawed it's way out of the soldier. Mark completed his spin and started to leap over the bed at the next soldier when he felt a three-round burst stitch itself across his stomach and hurl him back into the wall. He crashed into the wood and plaster wall and slid down, unmoving.
The soldier stepped around the bed, holding his weapon on Mark's still form. Not taking any chances, the soldier sent another burst into his stomach. Seeing the body jerk, he confidently stepped forward. Nudging the corpse with his foot, he grabbed his radio and spoke. "Tango Down, primary target. Proceeding to secondary target." The soldier turned and sneered at the body. "Ain't so tough are ya you fucking freak" And spit in Mark's face. Seeing no reaction, the soldier snorted and turned to the soldier that was climbing in the hole in the outer wall of the mansion. He made a series of hand signals and his companion nodded. They both started to move to the door when Mark's eyes snapped open and he launched himself off the floor. Crossing the few feet separating him from the soldier that spoke, he lashed out with his claws, feeling them dig into the man's neck and briefly snag on the spinal column before ripping out of the other side and digging into the wall. The man's head went spiraling off into the hall and the other soldier was blinded by the gout of blood that spattered across his face. He franticly wiped the blood out his eyes and started firing randomly around the room. He cleared his vision and whipped around towards the hall.
Mark slid out from under the bed and sprang at the soldier. He roared and ripped his claws across the soldier's abdomen, tearing through skin and muscle and spilling his intestines onto the floor. The soldier gasped and fell to his knees, desperately trying to force the steaming ropes back into his stomach. He looked up at Mark with a look of abject horror. Mark stared back for a second before reaching out and slamming his claws into the soldier's back, severing the spinal cord. Mark crouched next to the body and threw a look out onto the roof where a Chinook was hovering just off the side. Mark flipped the body over and tore the satchel charge off the harness.
Hallway
Kitty passed through the wall, still snarling and her hand dripping blood. Her vision was still misted over and she had to dig her fingers into her palms to control the rage coursing through her. She focused and succeeded in beating down the rage. Feeling more in control, she once again heard Valerie still screaming and crying. Kitty instantly ran to her and scooped her up into her arms. Turning and shouting at the remaining students to get to the basement, she cooed soothingly to the crying child and phased through the floor, praying that she could get to Hank before the child died.
Rooftop
Leaping out the hole, Mark sprinted across the roof. As he reached the Chinook, he pulled the detcord and was about to toss it when he ran into a disembarking soldier. Reaching his claws out, he ripped the man's throat out. Slamming the satchel into the man's arms, he grabbed him and threw him into the chopper like a rag doll, surprising the platoon inside. Mark hesitated for an instant to make sure the body had made it into the chopper before throwing himself down to the roof. A millisecond later, the helicopter erupted in a thirty-foot fireball.
Mark felt the flames wash across his back, tearing at his clothes and melting his shirt into his skin. He let out a roar of pain and pressed himself further into the roof. When the firestorm passed, he ripped the melted shirt off his already healing back and tossed it to the side. Scanning the rest of the rooftop, he saw the gunship hovering off the entrance of the mansion and starting to pull back. He roared and ran. He reached the edge of the roof and planning a foot into a stone gargoyle, he launched himself of the roof and into the air. Flying freely for a moment, his eyes met the startled pilot's for a moment before he slammed into the windshield of the cockpit, sending spider like cracks across it's surface.
The pilot scrabbled for his sidearm and was pulling it out of the holster when Mark slammed his claws through the glass and punched them into his heart. The pilot jerked and looked at him. Mark stared into his eyes until the life drained out of them. Mark's body jerked as the gunner's sidearm suddenly fired and a round slammed into his chest. He reached out and grabbed the metal frame of the cockpit to steady himself. The chopper started to wildly whip around and the gunner dropped his sidearm and grabbed the controls, franticly trying to steady the craft. Mark growled and looked up at the rotors. He blinked once before thrusting his left claws into the path of the spinning blades. His arm was nearly wrenched from it's socket as the first blade rammed into the claws. The blades tore off and spun into the night, severed cleanly. The chopper immediately started to fall and Mark threw himself off the doomed machine. He hit the ground hard and started to roll to the side when the chopper slammed into the ground next to him and his world winked out in a burst of flame.