Chapter 2: Taken
At the Xavier Institute in Westchester, New York, Professor Charles Xavier had gathered the X-Men in the briefing room. He said, "X-Men, a couple of days ago, Cerebro found a new mutant in a town called Coolsville, Ohio."
"Coolsville, huh?" asked Bobby Drake (a.k.a. Iceman) with a smirk. "Sounds like my kind of town."
"Bobby, this is no time for jokes," said Xavier calmly, yet sternly.
"Sorry, Professor."
Xavier nodded before continuing. "The mutant I found in Coolsville is a girl named Daphne Blake. She called me earlier today and requested to meet me here sometime tomorrow. I don't think Magneto knows of her, but I don't want to take any chances. Which is why, Scott, I want you to take Jean, Logan, Rogue, and Peter and make sure the Brotherhood doesn't attempt to kidnap her. If they do, I want you to bring her here for her protection."
"Understood," nodded Scott Summers (Cyclops). "Alright, people, let's get ready."
However, unbeknownst to the X-Men, somebody was watching. A bird flew from a tree and started to fly away from the Institute.
The bird arrived at its intended destination sometime later, approaching a grey-headed man dressed in white. The bird began to change shape. Soon, it was in the form of a blue-skinned, red-haired, scaly individual: Raven Darkholme, alias Mystique. She said, "A few of the X-Men are headed to Coolsville. They're looking to protect the girl."
The man snarled and said, "Just like Charles. We must act fast. Mystique, I want you to take Sabretooth and Toad, get the girl, and bring her here."
"Yes, Magneto."
Three metal orbs quickly approached the Blake household. Normally, these were controlled by Magneto, but in the event that he wasn't around to pilot them, they had manual controls installed. They landed in the backyard of the house, which was just outside of Coolsville. The orbs opened up to reveal Mystique, accompanied by two individuals. One was a long-haired, scruffy, intimidating-looking man in tattered clothes. The other one was a short, discolored man whose clothes were raggedy. Mystique said, "I'll disable the security systems. You two get the girl."
Shortly, it was done. Mystique said into a hidden com link, "Go."
The short man broke the glass of the back door, reached in and unlocked the door. It lead into the kitchen. The two . . . creatures soon approached the steps. The short one quickly and quietly bounded up and waited while the other man walked up. This was apparently Toad. They carefully and quietly checked the rooms until they saw the redhead teenager sleeping on a large bed. They quietly walked in. Toad reached into his jacket and pulled out a cloth and a container of chloroform. He poured some onto the cloth and applied it over her mouth and nose to knock her out. The cloth's application, as well as the smell, temporarily woke Daphne up. She saw the two kidnappers looking down over her and tried to scream. But it was suppressed and almost as quickly as she had woken up, she passed out. Toad put the container and cloth back into his jacket and said, "Get the girl, Sabretooth."
The long-haired man, apparently Sabretooth, pulled the covers off of Daphne. He then took off his trench coat and wrapped Daphne in it. And just as quietly as they had entered, they exited the house.
Mystique was waiting for them by the three orbs. Sabretooth's keen sense of hearing then picked something up. Mystique asked, "What is it?"
Sabretooth growled, "The Blackbird."
A large black jet approached the Blake household. A man in a black leather outfit and a strange visor saw what was happening and said, "Uh oh. Looks like the Brotherhood beat us here."
A red-headed woman in a black leather outfit similar to the man's said, "We'd better get her quickly."
A masked man in a brown and orange costume said in a gruff voice, "Cyke, Jeannie, there's a time to talk and there's a time to fight."
Cyclops said, "For once, I agree with you, Wolverine." He then put the Blackbird on auto-pilot and the hatch opened. Jean Grey-Summers levitated herself as well as Cyclops and Wolverine down into the Blake's yard. A woman in a green and yellow bodysuit with a large yellow "X" on her chest flew down carrying a muscular man in a red and yellow outfit. The woman also had a white streak in her brown hair.
When the X-Men landed, Mystique cried, "Let's get out of here!" But Sabretooth ignored her, put Daphne down, and roared before charging Wolverine. Toad, not really knowing what to do, followed his example. Mystique growled at her two accomplices.
Wolverine and Sabretooth tackled each other and started struggling like wild animals. Toad bounded towards the other X-Men, only to be stopped in mid-air by Jean's telekinesis. Cyclops then proceeded to shoot him with his optic blasts.
Mystique ran towards Daphne's body and attempted to take her, but the woman in green and yellow flew towards her and pushed her back and down onto the ground. She said in a Southern accent, "Sorry, 'mom,' but the girl's coming with us."
Toad, still conscious, shot out his tongue and it wrapped around the muscular-man's arm. In a Russian accent, he said, "You have got to be kidding me." His entire body then turned to solid steel. He proceeded to grab the tongue and threw him to where the orbs were.
Cyclops said, "Get the girl, Colossus!"
"Right." Colossus ran over to where Daphne lay and picked her up. As he did so, a part of Sabretooth's coat fell off, showing Daphne's face. He couldn't help but notice how pretty she was. "I am sorry, beautiful," he whispered. "But you are not safe here." He then started running towards the others, Rogue close behind. He said, "I've got her."
Cyclops then said, "Come on, Wolverine, let's go!"
Wolverine kicked Sabretooth off of him and leaped to his feet. Sabretooth got up and tried to charge him again, but Wolverine cut down a tree that was next to him with his adamantium claws, causing it to fall on Sabretooth. "We'll finish this another time, bub," he said before rejoining the others.
With that, Rogue began to fly up towards the Blackbird, holding Colossus, who was now in human form and carrying Daphne. Jean levitated herself, Cyclops, and Wolverine back into the Blackbird. As she watched them leave, Mystique growled and said to the now-recovered Sabretooth, "You're going to explain why we didn't get the girl." Sabretooth growled.
As Cyclops piloted the Blackbird, the other four X-Men were gathered around Daphne. Jean was examining her for injuries. "Physically, she's fine. All we can do is wait for her to wake up."
"What happened to her?" asked Colossus.
"Yeah," said Rogue. "Why won't she wake up?"
Wolverine, now unmasked, took two quick wiffs. "She was drugged," he said. "I can smell it."
Jean then said, "Well, in any event, there's nothing more we can do except wait. You three get seated. I'll secure her and join you shortly." When her three teammates were gone, Jean sighed. She thought to herself, 'I don't how long I can keep my little secret from them.'
To Be Continued
At the Xavier Institute in Westchester, New York, Professor Charles Xavier had gathered the X-Men in the briefing room. He said, "X-Men, a couple of days ago, Cerebro found a new mutant in a town called Coolsville, Ohio."
"Coolsville, huh?" asked Bobby Drake (a.k.a. Iceman) with a smirk. "Sounds like my kind of town."
"Bobby, this is no time for jokes," said Xavier calmly, yet sternly.
"Sorry, Professor."
Xavier nodded before continuing. "The mutant I found in Coolsville is a girl named Daphne Blake. She called me earlier today and requested to meet me here sometime tomorrow. I don't think Magneto knows of her, but I don't want to take any chances. Which is why, Scott, I want you to take Jean, Logan, Rogue, and Peter and make sure the Brotherhood doesn't attempt to kidnap her. If they do, I want you to bring her here for her protection."
"Understood," nodded Scott Summers (Cyclops). "Alright, people, let's get ready."
However, unbeknownst to the X-Men, somebody was watching. A bird flew from a tree and started to fly away from the Institute.
The bird arrived at its intended destination sometime later, approaching a grey-headed man dressed in white. The bird began to change shape. Soon, it was in the form of a blue-skinned, red-haired, scaly individual: Raven Darkholme, alias Mystique. She said, "A few of the X-Men are headed to Coolsville. They're looking to protect the girl."
The man snarled and said, "Just like Charles. We must act fast. Mystique, I want you to take Sabretooth and Toad, get the girl, and bring her here."
"Yes, Magneto."
Three metal orbs quickly approached the Blake household. Normally, these were controlled by Magneto, but in the event that he wasn't around to pilot them, they had manual controls installed. They landed in the backyard of the house, which was just outside of Coolsville. The orbs opened up to reveal Mystique, accompanied by two individuals. One was a long-haired, scruffy, intimidating-looking man in tattered clothes. The other one was a short, discolored man whose clothes were raggedy. Mystique said, "I'll disable the security systems. You two get the girl."
Shortly, it was done. Mystique said into a hidden com link, "Go."
The short man broke the glass of the back door, reached in and unlocked the door. It lead into the kitchen. The two . . . creatures soon approached the steps. The short one quickly and quietly bounded up and waited while the other man walked up. This was apparently Toad. They carefully and quietly checked the rooms until they saw the redhead teenager sleeping on a large bed. They quietly walked in. Toad reached into his jacket and pulled out a cloth and a container of chloroform. He poured some onto the cloth and applied it over her mouth and nose to knock her out. The cloth's application, as well as the smell, temporarily woke Daphne up. She saw the two kidnappers looking down over her and tried to scream. But it was suppressed and almost as quickly as she had woken up, she passed out. Toad put the container and cloth back into his jacket and said, "Get the girl, Sabretooth."
The long-haired man, apparently Sabretooth, pulled the covers off of Daphne. He then took off his trench coat and wrapped Daphne in it. And just as quietly as they had entered, they exited the house.
Mystique was waiting for them by the three orbs. Sabretooth's keen sense of hearing then picked something up. Mystique asked, "What is it?"
Sabretooth growled, "The Blackbird."
A large black jet approached the Blake household. A man in a black leather outfit and a strange visor saw what was happening and said, "Uh oh. Looks like the Brotherhood beat us here."
A red-headed woman in a black leather outfit similar to the man's said, "We'd better get her quickly."
A masked man in a brown and orange costume said in a gruff voice, "Cyke, Jeannie, there's a time to talk and there's a time to fight."
Cyclops said, "For once, I agree with you, Wolverine." He then put the Blackbird on auto-pilot and the hatch opened. Jean Grey-Summers levitated herself as well as Cyclops and Wolverine down into the Blake's yard. A woman in a green and yellow bodysuit with a large yellow "X" on her chest flew down carrying a muscular man in a red and yellow outfit. The woman also had a white streak in her brown hair.
When the X-Men landed, Mystique cried, "Let's get out of here!" But Sabretooth ignored her, put Daphne down, and roared before charging Wolverine. Toad, not really knowing what to do, followed his example. Mystique growled at her two accomplices.
Wolverine and Sabretooth tackled each other and started struggling like wild animals. Toad bounded towards the other X-Men, only to be stopped in mid-air by Jean's telekinesis. Cyclops then proceeded to shoot him with his optic blasts.
Mystique ran towards Daphne's body and attempted to take her, but the woman in green and yellow flew towards her and pushed her back and down onto the ground. She said in a Southern accent, "Sorry, 'mom,' but the girl's coming with us."
Toad, still conscious, shot out his tongue and it wrapped around the muscular-man's arm. In a Russian accent, he said, "You have got to be kidding me." His entire body then turned to solid steel. He proceeded to grab the tongue and threw him to where the orbs were.
Cyclops said, "Get the girl, Colossus!"
"Right." Colossus ran over to where Daphne lay and picked her up. As he did so, a part of Sabretooth's coat fell off, showing Daphne's face. He couldn't help but notice how pretty she was. "I am sorry, beautiful," he whispered. "But you are not safe here." He then started running towards the others, Rogue close behind. He said, "I've got her."
Cyclops then said, "Come on, Wolverine, let's go!"
Wolverine kicked Sabretooth off of him and leaped to his feet. Sabretooth got up and tried to charge him again, but Wolverine cut down a tree that was next to him with his adamantium claws, causing it to fall on Sabretooth. "We'll finish this another time, bub," he said before rejoining the others.
With that, Rogue began to fly up towards the Blackbird, holding Colossus, who was now in human form and carrying Daphne. Jean levitated herself, Cyclops, and Wolverine back into the Blackbird. As she watched them leave, Mystique growled and said to the now-recovered Sabretooth, "You're going to explain why we didn't get the girl." Sabretooth growled.
As Cyclops piloted the Blackbird, the other four X-Men were gathered around Daphne. Jean was examining her for injuries. "Physically, she's fine. All we can do is wait for her to wake up."
"What happened to her?" asked Colossus.
"Yeah," said Rogue. "Why won't she wake up?"
Wolverine, now unmasked, took two quick wiffs. "She was drugged," he said. "I can smell it."
Jean then said, "Well, in any event, there's nothing more we can do except wait. You three get seated. I'll secure her and join you shortly." When her three teammates were gone, Jean sighed. She thought to herself, 'I don't how long I can keep my little secret from them.'
To Be Continued