Chapter Fourteen:
BEEEEEEEEP...
The harsh tone of the microwave cut through the house and the light inside the small oven went dark. The remaining kernels still hot enough to burst popped noisily from within.
Rebecca padded her way across the kitchen in her bare feet, humming quietly to herself and yawning. She pushed the small black button on the microwave and the door clicked open. She deposited the steaming popcorn into a large bowl and shut off the kitchen lights before she headed upstairs.
Walking through a door at the top of the steps, she reentered the den, a fairly large room, which took up nearly half of the second floor. An 'L'-shaped hallway lead from the stairs and an adjoining hall to the left headed towards the bedrooms. The den had two sofas, facing a modest television, and two large computer consoles on an immense cherry desk.
There was a variety of electronic equipment scattered neatly around the room, evidence of Jeremy "Sid" Malloy's neurotic fascination with computers. He had never officially been a student at any legitimate collegiate place of learning, however, his own virtuosity made him quite well known by others in fields of technological study. A point which Sid was quick to remind people of, especially if he happened to be trying to impress an individual of the feminine persuasion.
Rebecca tried at all costs to avoid any social situation involving her brother's pursuit of females, and his typical stalking places were usually not where she was comfortable hanging out anyway.
As Rebecca looked younger than her age, her brother had always looked older. It had been an advantage when they were under twenty-one, for the regular procurement of beer, but now that they were older, it was just annoying. Rebecca still got carded for movies sometimes and she had been over seventeen for almost eight years, another point her brother was quick to remind people of.
They were so alike, they were complete opposites, they had decided along time ago that they were a complete paradox to every law physics or genetics or psychology could come up with.
Their family history was long and bizarre, but in the end they were still sane, and living fairly well with their very eccentric, very dedicated uncle. He had been made a vampire years before and looked no older then the twins...which again made the family movie going experience entirely too confusing.
She knew they shared mannerisms, but in personality, Rebecca saw far more of her mother in Sid than in herself. Aside from all of his flirting and good humor, he was very reserved and had a cool temperament. Rebecca, on the other hand, was more forward, saying only what she thought (even if no one else wanted to hear it), and had a slow burning but explosive temper. For obvious pyro-kinetic reasons, it was a temper she kept in check.
Rebecca walked through the den and plopped down in the large leather chair in front of the smaller computer. Music was playing from the speakers, the same song she had been humming when she went to retrieve her snack. She accessed a database of information she had been preparing for a theory essay, and typed quickly on the keys.
She did not hear the glass door of the balcony slide open, or her uninvited guests enter the dimly lit room.
Toad crouched in one dark corner, watching the oblivious red head with his strangely colored eyes. Sabertooth had moved with the grace of a feline to the other side of the room towards the halls. He was securing the premises to be sure the girl was definitely alone, as their companions searched the floor below.
After a few minutes of typing, the girl leaned back and sighed. He could not see her face, but heard the agitation in her voice. The desk was stacked with books, but the electronic equipment around her interested Toad more. He had always had a knack for repairing the Island's machines, and in different circumstances, the devices here would have been quite fascinating for the brooding Brit.
However, he was now entirely focused on their mission...and their target.
As the girl reclined, she pulled the bowl of popcorn to her lap and began to eat, tossing the kernels, one at a time, into the air before catching them and chewing. She repeated this action a few more times and Toad grinned.
He suddenly had a great idea.
Rebecca ate slowly, her eyes scanning the text of her paper for any flaws. Almost thoughtfully, she threw a piece of popcorn in the air and then caught it in her mouth with hardly an upward glance.
She was studying chemicals related to neurotransmitter activity, not the most engrossing topic in the world, but difficult enough to hold her in deep concentration. She wished Sid would get home...he was better at these stupid math formulas than she was and when she needed Mr. Human Computer he was never around.
Oh, well, she thought and scrolled downward with her mouse before leaning back again. She threw another kernel into the air and caught it, the repetitious action helping her focus.
After an extended typing spree, Rebecca leaned back and threw a piece of popcorn above her head. She vaguely heard a snapping sound...and it took a moment for her to register that the popcorn had not fallen towards her head.
She glanced around the floor, thinking it may have gone astray, but did not see the piece anywhere. She sighed and picked up another kernel. She threw it in the air...and once again it failed to return to the earth.
Rebecca frowned again. She searched the desk and her clothing, but did not see the second piece anywhere. Finally, just out of curiosity, she picked up another, and this time looked upward when she tossed it into the air.
Above her head, she saw something snap quickly and grab the popcorn deftly.
What the hell? She thought, and repeated the action one more time with the same results. Whatever it was looked like a long, prehensile...rope?
She sighed again. In a world of laser eye beams and cheerleading vampires, she really had no idea what could possibly be stealing her popcorn, a rude and reprehensible action in any culture.
Rebecca swiveled her chair around slowly and saw her guest crouching in the corner. She squinted, trying to see his features in the dim light, but could only clearly make out the gold wicked gleam in his eyes.
"Um..." she began, "...Hi."
The figure smirked, but did not reply. She regarded him for a moment, allowing her instincts to report their first impression of him. He was definitely not a demon, given the lack of chill in the room, but still looked rather odd. Maybe he was a mutant...but why was he sitting in her house?
Rebecca stood and took a few steps toward him. She folded her arms across her chest with amusement, but without fear.
"Who are you?" she asked openly and waited patiently for an expected reply. The figure tiled his head thoughtfully before speaking.
"Maybe a friend," he said with a thick English accent, "Maybe an enemy."
Rebecca gave him a cynical grin, "Maybe a friend?"
"Maybe," he replied.
"Maybe an enemy?" she asked.
"Maybe," he agreed again.
Rebecca shook her head and chuckled. This seemed to startle the crouching figure and he blinked a few times as she laughed
"That's way too many 'maybes,' buddy," she said with grin, "I have a feeling we're gonna need to be a little more decisive in this matter."
The mutant frowned for a moment, and then gave a brief, surprised laugh. This was not going at all as he expected.
Rebecca returned his grin and took another step forward. She was about to speak again, when a large, clawed hand grabbed her by the back of the neck.
Her yelp of alarm was cut off as the unseen attackers fingers closed around her throat. She felt herself lifted into the air, and gasped quickly as the hand shook her roughly. Her breath was forced and not enough to be able to shout for help.
"What the hell are you doing?" the accented mutant said from below her, "Magneto said not to hurt her!"
The second mutant growled deeply and turned his arm so that she could see him. He was almost snarling as he spoke and all Rebecca saw was his rows of sharp teeth.
"I won't hurt her," he said, and then sneered, "Just making sure she doesn't run off before the boss man comes."
Rebecca looked down desperately to the first mutant, who stood in fury but did not challenge the larger beast holding her. He was touching his earpiece, talking quickly, and spared her an apologetic glance. She could see now why he had hidden so easily behind her, his skin and hair (as well as his clothes) were varying shades of green, like natural camouflage. How the huge mutant holding her had escaped her immediate attention she would never know.
Oh, no, she thought, her wide eyes having nothing to do with the dangerous mutant, Oh, shit! Oh, shit!
She mouthed words to her attacker, warning words, but they were ignored.
Let me go! she thought since she could not say it, You don't understand what will happen...let me go!
But, in her heart she knew it was too late. The power was building around her, and the air was growing warmer.
From the direction of the hallway, another mutant came into view. It was a woman (who for some reason looked complete nude) and she was blue from head to toe. When she saw the girl dangling from the large mutant's fist, she began shouting angry orders at him.
Tell him to put me down... Rebecca thought wildly, He's hurting me...I won't be able to stop it.
The green mutant was still looking at her coolly, but intently, concern not obvious but understood. The blue mutant was still shouting but Rebecca could no longer hear the words. The power was too close now, an anger, a fury, ready to rise up and defend her against her attackers. But, in her struggles to breathe, it was moving out of her control.
Too late! Too late! She thought and closed her eyes.