Chapter Seven
It was as if some kind of electric shock had physically hit us. Clearly we had all forgotten that the X-Men had been on their way. Cassandra had foreseen it down in the labs - but with all that had been going on, it had been pushed right out of our minds. Behind Cyclops I could see more of the X-Men gathered, with their jet parked nearby, blocking our escape. Where were Mole and the others? Had they been captured?
I didn't have any time to think right then. Instinct took over as each of us reacted in an instant: Pyro flicked on his lighter ready to defend us; Vertigo tensed his body like a coil and prepared to spring; Gemini gave the agonised gasp as she summoned her twin to her side; I stepped in front of Cassandra to protect her from any attack, but she was already moving, having foreseen something.
"Recyclo, no!" she cried.
If hatred could be expressed emotionlessly, it was radiating out of Recyclo's grey eyes now, as he faced the leader of our enemies. As Recyclo opened both hands to reveal a pair of knives, I knew what Cassandra must have foreseen. She tried to push his arms back down, but he knocked her aside, and flicked both blades through the air towards Cyclops' throat. As he did so, I knew Cyclops was dead. Recyclo's aim was never anything less than perfect, and if those blades were aimed at the X-Man's neck, that was where they would finish up.
I was wrong. Cyclops reacted with almost unbelievable speed, bringing his hand up to his visor, calmly firing off two bolts of ruby energy that melted the knives in mid-air. That was, however, merely the catalyst that sparked off the tensions simmering between both sides. With identical screams of hatred, the Gemini twins launched themselves towards the leader of the X-Men. Taking a defensive step back, he swivelled on one foot to effortlessly flip one of the twins on to her back, letting her momentum do most of the work. He wasn't prepared, however, for the second twin reacting perfectly in tandem with the first, and side-kicking him in the back of the head.
The rest of the X-Men were hurrying towards us now. Shock raised her arm to send a lightning blast at us, but Recyclo had both hands up with some sort of shield deflecting the electric attack. Vertigo was running forward, ducking a lightning bolt and jumping into the air to flip upside-down and kick Shock and Iceman simultaneously. Before I knew what I was doing, I was following him, clenching my fists and inhaling a deep breath. Shapeshifter was the nearest X-Man to me, and I swung a massive punch towards his jaw. Dipping his shoulder, he dodged out of the way, and retaliated immediately, kicking me in the side. I felt no pain. Then he hesitated, his eyes widening in horror, "Gary?!"
My anger beginning to rise, as always happened during a fight, I swung another punch. He ducked easily, and held up his hands as a gesture of peace, "Gary! What are you doing? Gary!"
"My name is Gladiator," I snapped.
"But what are you - "
I cut him off. I had no time to talk to these people. They represented everything that was wrong with the mutant situation. Their insistence on protecting humans meant that mutants were dying, including the girl who had meant the most to me: Marina. Marina was dead, dead because she had trusted in these people to look after her and protect her. But no...they'd been so busy looking out for their bloody humans that she'd been left unguarded, and had been shot in the throat by a human soldier. I would never forgive the X-Men.
"Shut up!" I yelled. "Shut up, shut up, shut up! It's all your fault!"
With a furious rage burning in my veins, I breathed a white-hot jet of flame directly into his face. His quick reactions and his mutation saved his life, as he used his power to change into a liquid, his entire body dissolving in front of my eyes. His liquid form splashed on to the ground around me, and I stamped my foot into it angrily, knowing not whether it had any effect. Coward! Typical X-Man! He'd rather hide away than fight! I looked to see how my friends were doing.
Vertigo was simply untouchable, never remaining still for a single moment: ducking, twisting, turning, spinning, flipping, punching, kicking, all the while avoiding the counter-attacks of our enemies. Iceman was trying to get to grips with him, but he simply wasn't fast enough. Gemini was still attacking Cyclops with the ferocity borne out of her vengeful hate for humans and anyone who tried to protect them. She wasn't faring quite so well; as I watched a ruby ray struck one of her in the chest, throwing her to the ground. I hoped it was the twin. Recyclo had formed and thrown two more knives, which Wolverine managed to deflect with his claws. Rogue and Pyro were facing off against each other, but so far neither of them had made the first move. Shock was on her back, stunned from Vertigo's attack, and was trying to pull herself back together as quickly as she could. Cassandra was near Gemini, shouting out warnings to help her avoid Cyclops' optic blasts.
Were all the X-Men here? No - there were two missing. Storm and Nightcrawler weren't here. Presumably they were back at the mansion, 'looking after' the children. I snorted. Their protection wasn't worth a thing as far as I was concerned. If a bunch of angry humans showed up at their school, the X-Men would probably invite them in for tea, then stand and watch as the children were slaughtered. It had happened to Marina. It would not happen again. My Brothers and Sisters and I would make sure of that.
I heard a scream, and turned. Cassandra had fallen, clutching her side, and I looked to see who was responsible - Shock. The lightning mutant stood with her hands outstretched, having just sent an electric bolt into my girlfriend's side. Fury exploded inside me like a mortar shell, and a curtain of red passed over my eyes as the demon of vengeance within me took control. I screamed with rage as I went berserk, running forwards to confront the X-Man. These people had already let Marina die. I would kill every last one of them before I let them do the same to Cassandra. Shock looked round as she heard me approaching, and instinctively her body tensed, but nothing could have prepared her for my attack. My fist crashed into her face, hurling her through the air away from me. She landed on her back, gasping with pain, and I pushed onward to hit her again.
Another X-Man appeared in the corner of my vision, trying to block my path. Without even looking in their direction, I launched a sideways kick, knocking them away from me. I strode forward to where Shock was struggling to pick herself up from the floor. I did it for her, grabbing her by the neck and lifting her from the ground with all my mutated strength. She fought against me, but I merely increased my grip on her throat until her movements became weak and ineffective. Her hands flapped uselessly at my grasp, but she didn't have the strength to resist me. Cassandra was still on the ground, still in agony, holding her side. In my hand I held the one responsible for her pain. All I had to do was squeeze...
Kill her, my inner demon urged.
A pair of adamantium claws snapped into place on either side of my neck, and Wolverine's voice came from behind me, "All right, kid, let her go."
I felt a pricking sensation at the back of my neck as the middle claw slowly extended.
"Let her go," he repeated.
I dropped Shock to the ground. She curled reflexively into a ball, her hands clutching at her throat as she gasped for breath. Wolverine said, "Good start, kid. Now - "
Kid, am I? I thought angrily, I'll show you how much of a kid I am, X-Man.
I called on my camouflage mutation, disappearing from his sight, ducking down and twisting out from between his claws at the same time. It drew blood from my neck but I didn't care.
"What the - " came his surprised voice, just as I grabbed his body with both hands and hurled him into the side of the building.
The impact must have jarred him somewhat, but he only appeared to become angrier, his face twisting into a ferocious mask, jumping to his feet and fully extended all six of his claws.
"You'll be sorry you did that," he snarled, his breathing harsh and ragged.
"I'm sure."
I was still invisible. He couldn't see me, but he could smell me, and he began moving across the ground towards me. I hit him in the side of the head with my fist, sending him sprawling on to the ground. For a moment he was stunned, then his healing mutation kicked in, and he got back to his feet as good as new. I chanced a glance behind me to see what else was going on. Cassandra too was back on her feet, still holding her side, and she was now struggling to deal with Rogue. Shapeshifter was helping Shock to hobble weakly towards the safety of the building. Pyro and Iceman were further away, jets of fire and ice shooting between them, their powers effectively cancelling each other out as both sought to get the upper hand. Gemini was on the ground, not moving, and Cyclops was kneeling over her, his hands on her shoulders.
"Get away from her!" I yelled.
Vertigo was already moving towards the leader of the X-Men, who was clearly oblivious to his approach. Spinning, Vertigo kicked Cyclops in the side of the head, knocking his visor to the ground. Cyclops gave a cry of alarm and shut his eyes instantly, his hands desperately fumbling about for his eye-piece. Vertigo calmly stepped on it, then knelt beside the motionless Gemini, lifting her in his arms. Recyclo strode past emotionlessly, his right hand opening to reveal another blade. He snapped around, looking for a target, and the knife was flicked from his hand to pierce Rogue's heart. Her scream rang through the air, and the other X-Men looked over in horror to see her falling to her knees, choking up blood on to the ground.
"What is it? What's happening?" Cyclops asked, his hands on his ruined visor.
Iceman forgot about Pyro, and sprinted across the ground to Rogue's side. Wolverine saw red, and with a howl of rage he launched himself through the air towards Recyclo, his claws aimed directly at my friend's chest. Recyclo didn't move back an inch, calmly raising a metallic shield to deflect the furious X-Man's attack. Gemini had regained consciousness and was on her feet, as Vertigo hurried over to aid Recyclo.
"Crusader!" yelled Iceman. "Crusader!"
What? Who was he talking about? Some instinct made me turn and look behind me. The X-jet wasn't far away, and on the landing ramp appeared a single figure.
My sister.
For the first time I knew fear. She was the only one in the world who might be able to match me. I was still invisible, but that didn't mean she couldn't detect me. She was telepathic. Even now she could be reading my mind, finding out all of the Brotherhood's secrets, everything we didn't want the X-Men to know. I moved forward, determined to stop her before she could penetrate my thoughts. As she approached at a run, I clenched my fists, felt my berserk power rising, and took another deep breath.
She ran straight past me, either unaware of my presence or too preoccupied to worry about me. Iceman was on his knees now, cradling Rogue's dying body in his arms, and my sister was heading straight for them. Of course. She was going to use her healing power. I looked more closely and I saw that she was wearing their uniform. So they had made her an X-Man - or maybe X-Woman was a better word? No - she was only 16 - X-Girl was probably more appropriate. So they had put her on the front line, and were clearly willing to risk her life for their crazy ideals. I didn't understand it at all. My sister could read minds. Why was she unable to realise that the X-Men were feeding her a pack of lies?
And what had Iceman called her? Crusader? That had to be her mutant name. It had never occurred to me that my sister might have chosen one, as I had. A crusader - a holy warrior - a defender of truth and justice - was that the way my sister saw herself? Was she so caught up in their self-righteous nonsense that she genuinely believed she was fighting for what was right? How could anyone be so blind? I watched as she knelt beside them, her hand moving towards Rogue's face - then she stopped. Of course. How could she use her healing power when it wasn't safe to touch Rogue's skin? Wolverine gave another angry yell and swiped his claws at Recyclo. My silent Brother dodged effortlessly, and Vertigo back-flipped to kick Wolverine from behind. The X-Man stumbled, and Recyclo formed two blades, thrusting them deep into Wolverine's throat.
"Recyclo!!" yelled Pyro furiously.
Recyclo walked away unrepentantly, his back to Pyro, as Wolverine fell to the ground, his blood spilling on to the earth. He wasn't dead. There was just enough life left in him to kick-start his healing power, and as the blades disappeared into the thin air they had once been, the skin on his throat was mended back into place, and his eyes snapped open.
"Come on! While they're distracted!" Pyro yelled.
He had the remote control in his hand, summoning the helicopter. Cassandra and Gemini were both on their feet and hurrying after him as fast as they could. Vertigo grabbed Pyro's arm as he passed, "Wait a minute! What about their jet?"
"If we get away quickly enough, they won't be able to follow us!" said Pyro.
"No - that isn't what I meant! Why don't we steal it?"
I could have sworn a gleam appeared in our leader's eyes. He looked at Vertigo, "Can you fly it?"
"I reckon so."
"OK. Let's do it. No, wait - we have to find Mole and the others first."
I had already reached the landing ramp of the X-jet, and I glanced into its interior, "Pyro - they're in here!"
The unconscious forms of Mole, Scarab and Atlas were in the passenger compartment of the aircraft. My sister must have been left responsible for guarding them, until she'd been called on to use her power to heal Rogue. As that thought passed through my mind, I looked back to where the X-Men were clustered around the fallen Rogue. As much as I hated them, I didn't want her to die. The X-Men weren't evil - they were just dangerously delusional and mis-led. It was with a slight twinge of relief that I saw my sister's hand touching Rogue's face, and the wound in her chest closing up as she was healed. My sister pulled her hand away before Rogue's power activated, and both of them looked up to see me looking back at them. Annie - Crusader - opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, then I heard her telepathic voice in my mind:
Gary - what are you doing? Why are you with the Brotherhood?
"Come on!" said Pyro, as the others hurried past me into the interior of the jet.
I went after them, and Vertigo and Recyclo ran to sit at the controls.
"If I can't pilot this thing, you're going to have do some pretty quick re-programming of the auto-pilot," Vertigo told him.
Recyclo said nothing. Pyro slapped the button to bring the landing ramp back up, and as Vertigo hit the controls, the jet ascended into the air.
"OK - hold on to all your parts," he warned.
He pushed the jet into forward thrust, and each of us was thrown backwards at the sudden acceleration. Gemini stumbled and I caught her in my arms. Pyro had obviously travelled on this thing before, as he was braced against the interior wall, his hand out to steady Cassandra. When our acceleration began to level out, we regained our balance, and Vertigo grinned back at the rest of us, "I can't believe we actually managed to steal their jet. Actually, neither could they. I was looking at them through the front view-port - oh, you should have seen the expressions on their faces!"
"They underestimated us," said Pyro.
Gemini was making no attempts to escape from my arms, and it wasn't until Cassandra began glaring at her that she disentangled herself from me. Cassie and I came together and kissed.
"Are you OK?" I asked her.
"Yeah," she said, wincing slightly with pain. "That lightning woman hit me in the side, but it's not too bad. I'll live."
I kissed her once more, then glanced down. Our unconscious friends were still lying on the floor. I decided to try and make them more comfortable, so I lifted Atlas' body to place him on one of the seats. Cassandra and Gemini did likewise with Scarab, and I picked up the small form of Mole to leave him beside the others. Pyro had walked forward to the cockpit, and I sensed that all was not well with him.
"Recyclo," he said icily. "I want you to scan the jet and make sure there aren't any homing devices that they can use to track us. After that I want a word with you."
Recyclo said nothing, but got up to do as he had been asked. Suddenly a thought occurred to me.
"What about the helicopter?" I asked. "Are we just leaving it there?"
"Of course not," said Pyro. "Its navigational computer contains the co-ordinates of our base. We can't let the X-Men find that."
"So we're going back for it?"
"No," he held up the remote control, "I've signalled it. It's following us. It's not as fast as the jet, but it'll get to the island eventually."
"Does this mean the X-Men can't go anywhere?" said Gemini. "I mean, without their jet, they're pretty immobile, right?"
"No - they have three," I said. "Well, two now."
We were on our way back to the island, and considerably better off than when we'd set out that morning. As I took Cassandra in my arms once again, I reflected on our victory. Pyro was right - they had underestimated us. They'd obviously thought we were just stupid kids. Maybe now they knew differently. Young as we might be, we were every bit as powerful as they were. We were fighting to save our species, whereas they were following the crazy notions of some old guy who'd died years ago. We were in the right, and they were in the wrong. And in the end, if there was any justice in this world, those in the right would win. And when the world was free of humans, the X-Men would see how wrong they had been, and they would come before us and thank us for what we had done.
A/N: Thought I'd chuck a couple of random film quotes into this chapter. :-) Did you spot them?
A/N 2: my website is now up at www.geocities.com/capnsmirk --- I'll try to add some content soon! If you have any suggestions please let me know, and please keep reviewing this story.