Sky blue. Forest Green.
Two sets of eyes that refused to leave the other set, not blinking, not moving. X23 and X24 continued their stare down, determined to let the other blink first, let the other move first. In that instant, they would strike.
X23's free hand, her right, drifted down to her pocket without taking her eyes off of X24. Though she would've vastly preferred to ambush X24, she'd managed to formulate a plan to beat him. It was risky, but right now it was all she had. Grabbing the lighter from her pocket, without taking her eyes off of X24 she flicked it open and lit it, holding out the flame before him. Brandishing it, really. X24 quirked an eyebrow, his stance relaxing mildly. His defense hadn't lowered yet though.
"What the hell is this for, sister? You think I'm some dumb animal to be frightened by fire?" he asked with a dark chuckle.
"Fire has its uses," replied X23 calmly, raising the flame slowly and holding it over her head, all without letting her gaze leave her deadly opponent.
Suddenly a spray of water sprang from the ceiling, showering X24 and causing him to instinctively raise his hands to ward off attack. It took him a split second to realize the dupe and look back at X23, but that instant had been all she'd needed to duck out of sight. The sprinklers overhead were spraying, coating the entire room in a fine mist that obscured vision. And worse, washed away every scent in the room, from the medical chemicals to the dark-haired girl. Growling loudly, X24 took a step forward, his boot splashing against the already wet ground.
"Brilliant move," he conceded. "Now we play cat and mouse, I imagine. Mind if I'm cat?"
X24 lashed out behind the nearest glass tube, but no sign of X23. Cursing, he tried another. But again, no sign of her. Growling, low and deep, he searched for her, trying to stretch out his senses, but they were dampened by the water.
There!
X24 lashed out, slashing with his deadly adamantium claws behind the glass tube. He'd just seen movement, and it could only be here. But instead of ripping into flesh, his claws ripped through leather and cloth and... a metal disk? A trick...
Once again X24's reactions were a split second too late, as X23's boot slammed hard into his back. X24 went reeling, slamming fast first onto the wet ground and, because of its slick nature, went sliding almost half a dozen feet to ram fast first into yet another glass tube's metal base. Quickly recovering he flipped to his feet, not trusting his time to roll over, as X23's foot claw sliced into the base where he'd face had rested not moments before. She leapt forward, all four fists claws out and swinging, as he desperately tried to regain his footing. The slick ground didn't make it easy.
When X23 threw her next clawed punch he was ready, however, and grabbed her hand, throwing it aside. The motion, powered by his strength, nearly spun her completely around, and it took her a few seconds to recover. Those seconds he put to good use as he slashed with his other hand, right across her face, sending her reeling with four jagged slashes across her left cheek.
X23 flipped backwards, landing gracefully further down that particular row. She reached up to touch her cheek, though the wound was already healing... and three seconds later, it was completely unmarked. X24, across the way, grinned wickedly, and took great pleasure in deliberately licking the blood from his claws, no doubt trying to unnerve her. X23 had seen, and done, far worse.
Battle resumed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A piercing sonic sound split the corridor, as Sabertooth and Wolverine grabbed their heads instinctively, covering their ears. For all the good it did them. The sonic weapon penetrated the flesh and went made their skulls vibrate. Wolverine's metal laced bones gave him no protection this time. If anything, it sounded worse for him. Neither was able to keep to their feet, and soon they'd both be unconscious.
Thankfully, help was on its way.
Gauntlet's attack seized almost instantly as his weapon suddenly became encased in a solid block of ice. Startled, he dropped it, and it shattered upon hitting the ground. Growling, the tracker turned his attention to the ice-boy behind him, who was watching with a rather smug expression. That's when he caught the whiff of sulfur. The tap on the shoulder only confirmed his worst fears.
"Guten tag," came a cheerful German voice, as Nightcrawler appeared behind Gauntlet and slammed his fist into the green-skinned soldier's face, sending him reeling with a bruised jaw. By contrast, the blur-furred mutant was wringing his hand.
"Ow..." he groaned. Gauntlet grinned, grabbing the sidearm at his belt. However, two sets of claws then slammed into him, one to his wrist to pin his hand, the other to his shoulder to pin himself.
"I'm only gonna ask once, bub..." stated Logan quietly. "Where... is... the command center?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As it turned out, Cyclops and Rogue had already located the command center, though they'd sent Nightcrawler and Iceman back to help Wolverine. Blasting the doors down, Cyclops made his way inside, hand on his visor. No guards were present, just a few unarmed technicians. And one woman in black and green who had to be their leader. Or if nothing else, someone of importance.
"Alright, where's X23?" demanded Cyclops, hand on his visor, all business. Rogue was right behind him. At the sight of them, the Viper was suddenly very fearful. She hadn't expected Sabertooth to bring friends, especially not powerful mutant friends.
"The... the gestation room," she replied, pointing to the console. The screen was monitoring the battle between X23 and X24 at the moment, though the image was fuzzy because of the sprinklers. Cyclops made his way over to the screen, verifying the location from a rather terrified grunt. Viper grinned, reaching down behind her back to the energy pistol she had concealed in her belt...
Suddenly a jolt ran through her system, and she slumped over as all the energy drained clean out of her body... and into the body of the pale-skinned Goth who's bare hand had previously been resting against the back of her neck.
"Arrrghh.." she said with a grimace, placing a hand to her forehead. Cyclops, finished with the technician, made his way over to Rogue in concern.
"Rogue, you okay?"
"I've been better... that woman's thoughts... so violent..." she muttered.
Wolverine, Sabertooth, and the others rejoined them at that juncture. The technicians and grunts fled. Wolverine spotted Viper, but was quick to draw Sabertooth's attention away from her and towards the screen where their cloneÕs were doing battle. Not that he had any desire what so ever to save the green-lipstick bitch. She could rot in Hell for all he cared. But the students were too young to witness it. To see death would unsettle them, may even damage their psyches. Logan wouldn't risk that.
"That's your clone?" asked Sabertooth, pointing at the on-screen battle of Sarah and X24. At the moment they were at opposite ends of the room, regarding one another. The battle had hit a temporary lull. It wouldn't last long, knowing them. "She's even more of a runt than you are," he stated grimly.
"So yours," replied Wolverine, scanning the screens. X23 and X24, in a laboratory of some variety. "Where're they at?"
"Far end of the compound... let's move it!" shouted Sabertooth, already on the move, as the X-Men and Wolverine moved to follow. They could only hope they'd be on time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
X24 grimaced, wiping his lip from one of X23's well placed kicks. She'd taken far worse. Her uniform, with the silly 'X' insignia, was torn and shredded in a number of places. She wasn't wounded... at least, not anymore. But she had lost a lot of blood and was growing weak. Soon she'd fall to him.
To his surprise, she stood back up, claws still at the ready to fight. She had spirit, if not strength. She was sorely lacking in that. X24 grinned, leaping forward again, and X23 raised her claws to block. But it was a feint, and his foot slammed into her stomach, sending her reeling against the far wall. She barely managed to dodge his follow-up attack, as his adamantium claws slashed at the wall, slicing through the thick stone like it was cheese. X23 grimaced, stumbled, clutching her stomach. It had hit high, she was sure one of her lower ribs had broken. She was rarely wrong. She was an expert on human anatomy. X23 grabbed the last of her razor disks from her belt and flung with wild accuracy. It wasn't meant to hit X24 so much as distract him, give her a few seconds to re-group. Unfortunately time was running out for her. The sprinklers had gone off, and sight and hearing were now clear. Scent would return soon, and then there'd be no place she could hide from him. She slipped behind a nearby green tube and hoped X24 hadn't managed to follow her this time.
X24 lifted his head, hearing the approaching clank of boots and assumed that more soldiers from Hydra arrived. Doubtlessly Madame Hydra was growing impatient, and wanted him to finish the job. He growled, low and menacing, as he stared at the door, which started to slide open...
... those weren't Hydra's troops.
A bright blast of ruby-red energy slammed into X24's gut with only slightly less force than a battering ram, sending the mutant assassin flying through the air. He slammed into the far row of incubation chambers, shattering the one marked 'X28' and spilling its contents all over the ground as glass flew simply everywhere. Quite a number of shards imbedded themselves in his back, but he barely felt them. Red obscured his vision. Blood red.
"He's down for the count!" shouted Cyclops, who hadn't noticed that X24 was anything but out of the game just yet.
Sabertooth moved in closer to inspect his pseudo-offspring as Wolverine located X23, who was standing there with a simply shocked expression on her face.
"What're you doing here?" she demanded. "You're going to get yourselves killed!"
"Nice to see you too," replied Wolverine, helping her to her feet. Angrily she shrugged him off, though it caused her to stumble. Her rib hadn't healed yet.
"Get out of here!" she shouted. A sudden roar, a thud, and a growl of pain alerted the X-Men as Sabertooth flew through the air, slamming into the concrete wall next to Wolverine and X23, cracking the stone. He collapsed forward, unconscious. They all turned, seeing X24 growling viciously. Green goo was stuck in his hair, his uniform was filthy with the stuff. And his eyes burned with a rage so palpable it nearly knocked back the less hearty souls in the room. Only Wolverine and X23 weren't affected.
"Everyone, stand clear!" shouted Cyclops, launching another optic blast at the pint-sized Sabertooth, who dodged this time, able to see it coming and react. He leapt forward, slamming both his feet hard into Cyclops and sending him against the wall, cracking his ribs. Cyclops sunk to his knees, hands wrapped around his midsection, and he was clearly out of the fight for the time being.
Iceman launched a freezing blast, icing the water around X24's feet, freezing the boots in place. He was about to expand it and cover the fool's legs and arms (though not too much of the midsection, otherwise he might've killed him) when X24 slashed out with his claws, slicing the ice up like it was liquid. He leapt forward, slashing at Iceman, who hastily raised an ice barrier to ward him off. Then another, and another, as the Iceman retreated backwards from the brutal onslaught.
The sudden scent of sulfur alerted X24 to Nightcrawlers presence long before the blue-furred mutant or his pale-faced comrade could be of any use against him. As she reached out to grab his bare neck he grabbed her arm, flipping her forward, slamming her and into Iceman's barrier, who rushed over to make sure she wasn't overly hurt. X24 took advantage of this to back flip gracefully over Nightcrawler, lashing out with his adamantium claws. The blue mutant vanished under his attack, as intangible as smoke, but X24 was ready this time. When Nightcrawler next materialized he found he hadn't gotten the drop on X24, as he'd planned. X24 was right behind him, and the next slash attack barely missed his spinal cord as three long jagged marks were made in his back. He was thrown clear across the room by the strength, landing in the pile of other defeated X-Men. Unlike X23, those wounds wouldn't heal anytime soon.
"Sarah!" shouted Wolverine, as his own adamantium claws cleared their sheaths with a distinctive 'snickt.' "Get the others out of here! I'll handle this punk."
X23 was about to protest when X24 launched himself at her, roaring like the animal he was. Wolverine slammed into him at the last moment, overturning yet another green tube and spilling its contents everywhere. X24 growled, roaring like an animal, but Wolverine didn't even bat an eye as he beckoned his pint-sized opponent onward.
X23 turned her attention to the others. Nightcrawler was unconscious. Cyclops was trying to stand with some help from Iceman, who was the less injured. A few bruises, but nothing serious. Rogue was laying on the ground, moaning in pain, though she was moving her legs as well as her arms, and X23 didn't doubt her spine was still intact. She was grateful... provided they survived to enjoy all of this.
X24 was proving more than a match for Wolverine than he had for X23. Already his uniform looked like it had been through a shredder. What he lacked in speed and strength however, the dark-haired man made up for in endurance, and he'd been through a lot of pain in his life. His threshold was incredibly high. He wasn't about to go down easily. Which is likely why X24 reached around his back and grabbed a stun-spray from his belt, bringing it forward and spraying the thick blue gas all over Wolverine's unprotected and unprepared face. Coughing, choking, Wolverine stumbled back, but it was too late, he'd already breathed in the stuff. Already his limbs were slowing, and X24 took great delight in retracting the claws on one hand, curling up a fist, and slamming the unfortunate dark-haired man in the jaw, sending him reeling. It hurt him too... nobody hit a man with an adamantium jawbone and enjoyed it. But X24 enjoyed the pain. Grinning, he turned his attention back to X23 who was, once again, on her own.
"Time we finish this, sister," he grinned, unsheathing his claws once more and spreading them wide, both arms outstretched as if he wanted to give her a hug. He was baiting X23. Giving her an opening, inviting her into a deadly embrace that would see her sliced to pieces. "Then I take care of your friends."
..."Sarah," said Logan, cutting through the silence... "I teach her at the Institute... if you want I can give you some English tutoring once you start classes at Bayville High."... "This is so totally your color," said Kitty, tossing on a dark green t-shirt onto the pile... they enlisted the help of Jamie to carry in their bags, the little boy was ever eager to please... "I'm sorry sweetie, did I wake you?" she asked softly... Kurt, who'd back flipped onto the rock to land in a cross-legged stance before her, his head resting on his palms as he regarded her quietly... stood Rogue, watching her...
Her friends, her family. They were all going to die unless she could stop X24. She was the only one who could.
X23 howled, low, dark, angry. Her voice echoed off the walls as she shouted out all of the raw hatred, anger, and fury she'd felt growing inside of her. If nothing else, it caught X24's attention. He took a step back. Just one, but it was enough to let her read his stance. He was afraid. Her claws slid back into their sheaths.
"LEAVE... THEM... ALONE!!!" she roared.
X23 launched herself forward with the speed and power of a cannonball, slamming the her bare fist into X24's jaw, sending him reeling. Without even giving the bigger mutant a chance to recover her fists were everywhere, striking him in the gut with a vicious one-two strike, before she whirled around and slammed the heel of her foot into X24's jaw from the opposite side, slamming him fast first into yet another green capsule, shattering it with his forehead. Before he could recover she grabbed the back of his uniform and leaned back, landing on her back in the water, kicking him in the small of the back and sending him flying upside down to slam into the nearby wall, collapsing face first onto the cold ground. X23 was on her feet in an instant, her claws sliding out again as she slashed at him, though this time he was ready. He blocked first her right hand, then her left, but he wasn't prepared as he foot claws sprang forth and she back flipped, slashing them across his face, making him stagger backwards, clutching his bloody face.
X24 roared, slashing out with his claws wildly now. His rage gave him strength, and if he moved like lightning before now his speed was a match for Quicksilver, but his blows were wild. He could barely see his target for all the red that obscured his vision. He didn't even care now that his reckless attacks were destroying the room, as glass tube after tube smashed to pieces, killing his siblings. All he cared about was the death of his foe. X23 remained calm throughout, ducking under his first blow and dropping to one knee. From there she leapt forward, slamming her shoulder hard into his gut, knocking the wind out of him.
Finally, it ended.
X23 grabbed X24 by the collar of his uniform, flipping him over and onto the ground, slamming him down hard. Without even pausing for breath she grabbed the taser from her belt and slammed it his chest with little less force than a hammer. X24's scream nearly shattered her eardrums, as the taser had been on the highest setting she thought he could possibly take without being killed. She couldn't afford to take chances. Thankfully, it proved to be enough. X24 slumped underneath her, unconscious. His blonde hair stuck out in every conceivable direction from the electricity in his system.
X23 grimaced, feeling the effects of her strenuous attack for the first time, and nearly fell unconscious herself. Thankfully, someone caught her, and she glanced up to see the crimson visor of Cyclops. He offered her a smile, which she returned half-heartedly. Her eyelids drooped, she felt half-dead. And in another sense, she never felt more alive.
Suddenly a shudder rocked the building. A big one. "Wha...?"
The wall at the far end of the room lit up. It had been a view screen, previously designed to look like any other wall. It had been unmarked by the fight. The view screen cleared, and Viper's dark visage had now replaced it. She looked ruffled and drained, but was obviously once again in the position she best enjoyed. A position of command.
"Weapon X... 23... still alive, I see. How irritating. You'll be pleased to know my agent hasn't failed me," she cooed softly, in that wicked Russian accent she did so well. X24 started to stir upon hearing it, but Logan's booted foot slammed down against his chest, pinning him against the ground with three adamantium claws at his throat. The warning was clear. Don't move.
"You've lost lady," stated Cyclops. "SHIELD is on its way, we radioed them before we got in here. They'll be here in twenty minutes. Turn yourself in and they may go easy on you."
"Poor boy... pity there won't be anyone to velcome them. Have a nice afterlife," she said quietly, as her image flickered out and vanished. The X-Men immediately heard alarms go off, blaring, as well as distinct five-minute countdown. Someone had set self-destruct.
"What was it about megalomaniac villains and self-destruct devices?" commented Nightcrawler to no one in particular, as the X-Men ran for their lives. Cyclops and X23 helped support one another, Rogue helped Nightcrawler. Wolverine picked up X24 and slung him over his shoulder, carrying the young boy with him. Sabertooth broke off midway saying this was his route, and no one was particularly sorry to see the big man go.
Suddenly X24 sprang to life, punching Wolverine in the head and landed gracefully onto his feet. The other X-Men turned to fight but X24 ran off, and they left him to his own fate. If he wanted to blow himself to pieces, no blood on their hands. Besides, they'd be lucky to get out on their own now anyway.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
X24 ran back to the command center. He'd heard his commander's voice, though the words had been indistinct. The buzzing in his ears hadn't faded yet, an unfortunate side effect of the taser shock. Alarms were blaring everywhere, so he must be needed. He needed to make his way back to Madame Hydra and report himself and his failure to her.
X24 made his way into the command center, which showed signs of a fight. But there was no one there. No bodies, no people, no blood. All the scents were a few minutes old, they'd all left recently. Then his sky-blue eyes widened, as he saw what was on the computer screens.
Five... four... three...
He'd been discarded.
Two...
Abandoned.
One...
X24 roared in rage and frustration, and continued to do so long after the Hydra installation was vaporized in a bright flash of light.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The X-Men had managed to get far enough away from the facility they suffered a few additional bruises and a buffeting, but no further damage. Rahne was waiting when they returned, and Rogue joined her to return the plane to its owners. Wolverine would pick them up after he got the wounded back to the Institute. They'd had a long, tough day, and deserved some rest.
Sarah slumped down into her seat, eyes closed, breathing softly. Her uniform was in shambles, but she was unwounded. Just very, very tired. Scott was beside her, very careful when he strapped her in, and even more tender with himself, careful to avoid jostling his damaged ribs. He didn't heal like she did. Behind them, Kurt was already fast asleep, and Bobby beside him, the two catching up on the hours they'd lost that evening (it was now morning) and would doubtlessly need once they returned to the Institute. They wouldn't make it back in time to get to school, but Hank would be able to take care of that for them.
"Logan?" whispered Sarah softly. He glanced back at her as the XM Velocity lifted off.
"Yeah kid?" he asked. She smiled, still irritated by that nickname of his, but didn't argue with it this time.
"Sorry I stole your bike," she said softly. Logan smiled.
"Don't worry you didn't break it, so I'll overlook it... but you do it again and I'll have you on laundry duty for a solid year," he said with a chuckle. Sarah smiled, too weak yet to laugh. She hated laundry duty. Her sensitive nose did not enjoy the scent of soiled undergarments and sweaty uniforms.
Logan smiled and piloted the XM Velocity back to Bayville, watching as his spotted the stolen plane with Rogue and Rahne head in another direction towards the airport it had come from. Logan idly switched on the radio. Normally tuned to important broadcast signals (news and the like) he switched it over to FM, searching for a radio station. No, not that one... not that one... not a chance in hell... mmmm, maybe if nothing else... no...
"Go back please," said Sarah again softly. Logan, shrugging, decided it wasn't too bad and switched back to the song of her choice. Something soft and uplifting. How appropriate, he mused.
Lulled by the sound, the students drifted off as Logan piloted the XM Velocity back to the Institute for Gifted Youngsters. Back to home.
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The mountain had all but caved in on itself from the force of the explosion. Most nuclear devices didn't do so much damage as the explosives that had been stored within the Hydra installation. The command center was completely vaporized, with no remains. Not even adamantium laced nails were found after SHIELD arrived and captured the few who hadn't made it very far. Of Viper there was no sign, though the missing helicopter suggested she'd escaped. No sign of Gauntlet either.
What none of them realized, however, was that one room lay partially intact, buried beneath several layers of rock. A natural air pocket had formed, preventing the incubation room from being destroyed. Most of the glass tubes were destroyed now, those that had survived X23 and X24's clash. But one final tube lay intact, its occupant still alive and growing, awaiting its day of birth. Its eyes twitched, opening to mere slits, as it began to awaken in its liquid container. The label at the bottom, though partially burnt and blackened, was still legible, though none were around to read it.
X25.
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Author's Notes:
That's a wrap for now. A final chapter, an epilogue, will be added in a month or so from now. Based on the decision in December on a Season Five, either it will either be a glimpse of Sarah's future at the Institute or her leaving again. I try to keep in continuity with the series. Nightcrawlers 'Good evening' remark, followed by a fist to the face, is the same thing his counterpart did in the episode 'Bloodlines' from TAS. The part where Sarah remembers all that her friends have done for her are actually clipped and pasted from those chapters. Cyclops line was actually a self-criticism (concerning all my previous stories endings) and an honest question concerning super villains and their need for structurally insecure buildings. The instant their plans go awry (and they do) the place always starts coming down over their heads. They must not have good location scouts or structural engineers or something. The idea to leave X25 alive was at the request of a friend, and I admit it does leave interesting possibilities.
Kinomi: And -that- is how I wrap it all up. Hope you've enjoyed.
The Rogue Witch: Hope I didn't disappoint you with the clash of the clones. And glad you liked Viper, I borrowed a lot of Mystique's personality for her, since I don't know much about her.
Steven P.P: I'm sorry, I didn't explain it very well. X23 knew exactly where the base was because of two reasons. One, she was a Hydra agent, and knew where all their bases were. Two, it's the very facility she came from. The very place she was 'born. ' Sorry if that was unclear. But yeah I have been rushing to finish this.
Faith Darkholme: Good to see I still haven't lost my old fans. Glad you like this story as well as the previous too. Feel free to review them anyway, I always enjoy feedback to know what I'm doing right and wrong. No Sabertooth vs. X24, sorry. My other fics will come in time, hope you enjoy them as well.