Disclamer: I don't own anything except for my OC Alan, i'm STILL too poor
to be worth suing.
Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews so far! That doesn't mean I've had my fill. Please, review some more! It'll make you feel all warm and squishy!
*****************
Chapter 2: From bad to worse
"What the hell happened?" I muttered as I opened my eyes
I was on my back in a parking lot behind the local mall. It was only a few blocks from my house. I struggled to get up but it felt like I had just ran 3 miles while pushing a boulder. Still I decided to stay there for a bit to regain my strength.
I groaned in pain and managed to bring one of my hands to my face.
"What?..Is that..."
I pulled my hand away from my face and saw a crimson stain that confirmed my suspicions.
"Blood..but-"
It all came flooding back...
The mugger.
The stabbing.
The blade coming from my right hand.
But wait..
'I stabbed the guy with my right hand. Why is there blood on my left?' I wondered.
I sat up with a jolt
"My god...what happened?" was all I could get out as I saw what was before me.
Cars had their doors torn off, some had been flipped, some had even been split in half. Light poles were either bent over or snapped off. The pavement had large gashes torn through it that resembled an ice rink after a hockey game.
I could hear police sirens in the distance.
At the center of it was another thing that I would never forget.
A woman was curled into a ball, sobbing. She had her knees to her chin and blood running down her right arm.
"Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me. Please let me live." She chanted to herself over and over.
I gathered what strength I had and slowly crawled over to the woman.
"What happened? What tried to hurt-"
"GET AWAY!" she screamed in a way that can only be described as pure terror
And it was directed squarely at me.
I leaned back into a sitting position and stared at my blood stained hands.
I didn't...I couldn't....Did I?
I was so wrapped up in the situation I almost didn't hear a motorcycle drive it's way into the parking lot. It's rider was helmet-less. A tall man with short, black hair that was grey at the roots. A thick moustache and a scar across his left cheek adorned his face. He had the typical biker wear; black leather jacket and blue jeans. One thing stood out though...
He was armed to the teeth.
A pistol at each side and a bandolier of hand grenades going down his chest.
That's just what I could see with the jacket closed, but it was enough to scare the hell out of me.
He cocked his head toward the woman.
"You know what caused this?" He asked in a gruff voice, almost annoyed.
She quickly extended her left arm and pointed it straight at me.
"HIM! He's a mutant! He did this!" she shrieked
Tired or not, I started running out of the lot and into the nearest alleyway as fast as my strength would allow.
After about 10 minutes of running on pure adrenaline and a few gun shots later. I felt I had lost him for at least a little bit. I wound up in another alley.
My thoughts were drowned out by the sound of an exceptionally loud jet engine passing overhead at amazing speeds. I knew that O'Hare was nearby but I didn't think the planes were THAT far in their descent when passing this area.
*vrRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrr*
I was then reminded of the NRA mascot on the motorcycle.
"He doesn't look like a cop, so why is he after me?" I asked myself while running.
"In here!" a southern voice called
I turned my head to see a girl with white streaks in her hair and wearing a strange jump-suit with a green design on the chest.
"Within the past hour and a half my life has gone to absolute HELL! I just found out I'm a mutant. A crazed biker with more weapons than I've ever seen before is chasing me because of that fact. How in the fuck do I know that you're not gonna put a bullet in my head the minute I get in there!?" I yelled at her.
"Do ya see any guns on me?" She yelled back, obviously annoyed.
"But...fine. Fine! Fuck it, like I've really got a better option," I reluctantly surrenderd and made my way into the alley.
"Why the *pant* hell are you *pant* helping me?" I asked.
"Because ah know what yer goin' through."Her response surprised me to say the least.
"How can you know? How the hell can you know what's going on in my head?!"
I tried to keep it vague. Let her fill in the blanks if she really knew.
"Yer confused, wondering why this happened ta you. Out of all the people on Earth, 'Why me' right?" The previous response surprised me, but this one nearly knocked me over.
"Y-yea" I stammered out. "But..h-"
Before I could finish, she grabbed my arm with a gloved hand and pulled me down the alley toward a fire escape.
"We'll talk later! Right now we gotta get outta here! Ah've got some friends who can help ya!"
I followed her up the fire escape. I looked up and noticed two people. A tall lanky guy with brown hair and a strange visor. The other figure was hunched over in a crouching position with blue fur and a tail.
I closed my eyes tightly for a second then reopened them.
Yep, blue fur and a tail.
*BANG*
That biker found me again and was wasting NO time trying to take me down.
*BANG BANG*
"Move it!" The girl in green yelled down to me, only slightly phased by the sound of gunfire.
"Sorry! I'm not used to being shot at!" I sharply replied.
We were almost near the top when I felt a burning pain in my ankle.
One of those bullets had hit it's target.
I howled in pain and let loose a few obscenities.
After I hobbled up the last couple of steps to the roof of the building, I slumped over into a heap and grabbed my wounded ankle.
"Thanks for the help guys, but it looks like I'm out of commission. Get out of here before he gets you too."
"Ah don't think so." the girl said, as she leaned over and draped one of my arms over her and helped me to my feet.
"Rogue, get him to the X-jet!" The guy with goggles was obviously addressing the girl.
"X-jet? What kind of group are you guys with anyway?" I asked her.
"We're from a special school. One that helps people like you."
"Trust me. I don't deserve to be helped. I deserve to be left behind for the 'Terminator' back there."
"Don't say that. Just because yer a mutant doesn't mean yer life is over! The professor will help ya out." she replied, slightly annoyed.
I grinned a little bit, but then felt guilty. If she knew what I really meant when I said that, she might have agreed with me and tossed my wounded body off the roof.
Our conversation was soon cut short by shouting coming from behind us.
We turned to see the blue guy with a tail and the "leader" diving behind an air conditioner that was protruding from the roof.
*THOOOM*
The area where they were standing lit up like the fourth of July and the explosion rocked the ground where Rogue and I were at.
"CHRIST! That guy doesn't give a damn who he hurts!"
"Well DUH! We gotta move faster, the jet's on the next rooftop!" she quickly replied.
I looked ahead to see something that was about the size of a stadium with wings. All black with two gargantuan jet engines protruding from the back.
"Woah...But what about your friends?"
"They'll be fine! Kurt probably 'ported 'em out before the explosion went off."
"Kurt...the guy with the glasses, right?"
"No. Ah'll show you him later."
We got to the edge of the roof we were at, must have been a 10 foot gap. She gently set me down, backed up a few feet, got a running start, and managed to clear the gap with no problem.
After she landed I called out "Yea, that's just great for you, but I couldn't do that even if I hadn't gotten shot!"
*BAMF*
"The hell was-"
"One vay trip on ze fuzzy express!"
*BAMF*
I soon found myself on the opposite roof surrounded by remnants of a cloud and the odor of overcooked hard boiled eggs.
"W-w-what the HELL WAS THAT?!?"
"Vat? You've never 'ported before?" A joking tone said from behind me
I quickly turned around to get a better look at whoever had just gotten me from rooftop to rooftop in an instant.
Blue fur with a tail.
"Uh...Thanks." It was the most I could get out before I saw the guy with goggles approach at top speed.
"Introductions later, lets get out of here! Kurt, can you get Alan into the X-jet?"
"Ja!"
As the blue guy, now known as Kurt, said that, he made a mocking salute gesture with his tail.
"Wait, how the hell do you know my-"
*BAMF*
I choked on sulfur smoke for a few seconds and found myself in the jet. Rogue had already gotten in and was sitting in one of the chairs with a first aid kit in her hands. Kurt went to the cockpit and signaled to a very intimidating guy in the pilot's seat that they were ready to go and that the last guy would be in shortly.
I collapsed in the nearest seat, sighing in a mixture of exaustion and relief.
Rogue proceeded to bandage up my right ankle.
"Don't worry, this shouldn't hurt," she said uneasily. It was probably her first time working with a gunshot wound.
And of course, it hurt, ALOT.
I winced and jerked my leg back slightly, then held it steady for her to continue bandaging it.
"Sorry"
"Don't worry, if I knew I was going to be shot at I would have asked him to aim higher."
That seemed to ease the tension a little bit.
The guy with the goggles quickly got inside and took his seat in the co- pilot's chair.
As we took off I glanced around the jet a bit.
"Nice aircraft you've got here, what model is-"
Before I could finish my sentence I noticed an orange glow coming from outside the window I was seated near. There was a house fire.
A house fire.
An arson.
My home.
"No-no-no-no-NO!" My world shattered around me in a matter of hours
My house, my parents, my life.
I jerked my leg away, interrupting Rogue's work again. I just had to see if what I was watching was true.
Was I wrong? Was I off by a street or two?
No, I wasn't that lucky.
The blue convertable parked in the driveway with a cracked back window. My mom's red Toyota parked by the curb with the smiley antenna ball. Two houses from the corner. Two blocks to the west of the mall.
My house was on fire. My life was destroyed. I had a crazed biker chasing after me.
I just sat in the chair, pulled my legs to my chest and let silent tears roll down my face. I was in shock.
My life had just crumbled. I didn't know how, but I caused a path of destruction that I couldn't even remember. I didn't know why I deserved to live.
I felt a slight warmth on my left shoulder. I looked over and saw that Rogue had seated herself next to me and put her arm around me to try and comfort me.
"You said this Professor could help. Can he make me wake up from this nightmare?"
She looked at me for a second. Letting the words sink in, I guess. Then she looked to the floor.
The other passengers fell silent.
As silent as a certain alley in downtown Chicago where a bleeding corpse lay.
Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews so far! That doesn't mean I've had my fill. Please, review some more! It'll make you feel all warm and squishy!
*****************
Chapter 2: From bad to worse
"What the hell happened?" I muttered as I opened my eyes
I was on my back in a parking lot behind the local mall. It was only a few blocks from my house. I struggled to get up but it felt like I had just ran 3 miles while pushing a boulder. Still I decided to stay there for a bit to regain my strength.
I groaned in pain and managed to bring one of my hands to my face.
"What?..Is that..."
I pulled my hand away from my face and saw a crimson stain that confirmed my suspicions.
"Blood..but-"
It all came flooding back...
The mugger.
The stabbing.
The blade coming from my right hand.
But wait..
'I stabbed the guy with my right hand. Why is there blood on my left?' I wondered.
I sat up with a jolt
"My god...what happened?" was all I could get out as I saw what was before me.
Cars had their doors torn off, some had been flipped, some had even been split in half. Light poles were either bent over or snapped off. The pavement had large gashes torn through it that resembled an ice rink after a hockey game.
I could hear police sirens in the distance.
At the center of it was another thing that I would never forget.
A woman was curled into a ball, sobbing. She had her knees to her chin and blood running down her right arm.
"Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me. Please let me live." She chanted to herself over and over.
I gathered what strength I had and slowly crawled over to the woman.
"What happened? What tried to hurt-"
"GET AWAY!" she screamed in a way that can only be described as pure terror
And it was directed squarely at me.
I leaned back into a sitting position and stared at my blood stained hands.
I didn't...I couldn't....Did I?
I was so wrapped up in the situation I almost didn't hear a motorcycle drive it's way into the parking lot. It's rider was helmet-less. A tall man with short, black hair that was grey at the roots. A thick moustache and a scar across his left cheek adorned his face. He had the typical biker wear; black leather jacket and blue jeans. One thing stood out though...
He was armed to the teeth.
A pistol at each side and a bandolier of hand grenades going down his chest.
That's just what I could see with the jacket closed, but it was enough to scare the hell out of me.
He cocked his head toward the woman.
"You know what caused this?" He asked in a gruff voice, almost annoyed.
She quickly extended her left arm and pointed it straight at me.
"HIM! He's a mutant! He did this!" she shrieked
Tired or not, I started running out of the lot and into the nearest alleyway as fast as my strength would allow.
After about 10 minutes of running on pure adrenaline and a few gun shots later. I felt I had lost him for at least a little bit. I wound up in another alley.
My thoughts were drowned out by the sound of an exceptionally loud jet engine passing overhead at amazing speeds. I knew that O'Hare was nearby but I didn't think the planes were THAT far in their descent when passing this area.
*vrRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrr*
I was then reminded of the NRA mascot on the motorcycle.
"He doesn't look like a cop, so why is he after me?" I asked myself while running.
"In here!" a southern voice called
I turned my head to see a girl with white streaks in her hair and wearing a strange jump-suit with a green design on the chest.
"Within the past hour and a half my life has gone to absolute HELL! I just found out I'm a mutant. A crazed biker with more weapons than I've ever seen before is chasing me because of that fact. How in the fuck do I know that you're not gonna put a bullet in my head the minute I get in there!?" I yelled at her.
"Do ya see any guns on me?" She yelled back, obviously annoyed.
"But...fine. Fine! Fuck it, like I've really got a better option," I reluctantly surrenderd and made my way into the alley.
"Why the *pant* hell are you *pant* helping me?" I asked.
"Because ah know what yer goin' through."Her response surprised me to say the least.
"How can you know? How the hell can you know what's going on in my head?!"
I tried to keep it vague. Let her fill in the blanks if she really knew.
"Yer confused, wondering why this happened ta you. Out of all the people on Earth, 'Why me' right?" The previous response surprised me, but this one nearly knocked me over.
"Y-yea" I stammered out. "But..h-"
Before I could finish, she grabbed my arm with a gloved hand and pulled me down the alley toward a fire escape.
"We'll talk later! Right now we gotta get outta here! Ah've got some friends who can help ya!"
I followed her up the fire escape. I looked up and noticed two people. A tall lanky guy with brown hair and a strange visor. The other figure was hunched over in a crouching position with blue fur and a tail.
I closed my eyes tightly for a second then reopened them.
Yep, blue fur and a tail.
*BANG*
That biker found me again and was wasting NO time trying to take me down.
*BANG BANG*
"Move it!" The girl in green yelled down to me, only slightly phased by the sound of gunfire.
"Sorry! I'm not used to being shot at!" I sharply replied.
We were almost near the top when I felt a burning pain in my ankle.
One of those bullets had hit it's target.
I howled in pain and let loose a few obscenities.
After I hobbled up the last couple of steps to the roof of the building, I slumped over into a heap and grabbed my wounded ankle.
"Thanks for the help guys, but it looks like I'm out of commission. Get out of here before he gets you too."
"Ah don't think so." the girl said, as she leaned over and draped one of my arms over her and helped me to my feet.
"Rogue, get him to the X-jet!" The guy with goggles was obviously addressing the girl.
"X-jet? What kind of group are you guys with anyway?" I asked her.
"We're from a special school. One that helps people like you."
"Trust me. I don't deserve to be helped. I deserve to be left behind for the 'Terminator' back there."
"Don't say that. Just because yer a mutant doesn't mean yer life is over! The professor will help ya out." she replied, slightly annoyed.
I grinned a little bit, but then felt guilty. If she knew what I really meant when I said that, she might have agreed with me and tossed my wounded body off the roof.
Our conversation was soon cut short by shouting coming from behind us.
We turned to see the blue guy with a tail and the "leader" diving behind an air conditioner that was protruding from the roof.
*THOOOM*
The area where they were standing lit up like the fourth of July and the explosion rocked the ground where Rogue and I were at.
"CHRIST! That guy doesn't give a damn who he hurts!"
"Well DUH! We gotta move faster, the jet's on the next rooftop!" she quickly replied.
I looked ahead to see something that was about the size of a stadium with wings. All black with two gargantuan jet engines protruding from the back.
"Woah...But what about your friends?"
"They'll be fine! Kurt probably 'ported 'em out before the explosion went off."
"Kurt...the guy with the glasses, right?"
"No. Ah'll show you him later."
We got to the edge of the roof we were at, must have been a 10 foot gap. She gently set me down, backed up a few feet, got a running start, and managed to clear the gap with no problem.
After she landed I called out "Yea, that's just great for you, but I couldn't do that even if I hadn't gotten shot!"
*BAMF*
"The hell was-"
"One vay trip on ze fuzzy express!"
*BAMF*
I soon found myself on the opposite roof surrounded by remnants of a cloud and the odor of overcooked hard boiled eggs.
"W-w-what the HELL WAS THAT?!?"
"Vat? You've never 'ported before?" A joking tone said from behind me
I quickly turned around to get a better look at whoever had just gotten me from rooftop to rooftop in an instant.
Blue fur with a tail.
"Uh...Thanks." It was the most I could get out before I saw the guy with goggles approach at top speed.
"Introductions later, lets get out of here! Kurt, can you get Alan into the X-jet?"
"Ja!"
As the blue guy, now known as Kurt, said that, he made a mocking salute gesture with his tail.
"Wait, how the hell do you know my-"
*BAMF*
I choked on sulfur smoke for a few seconds and found myself in the jet. Rogue had already gotten in and was sitting in one of the chairs with a first aid kit in her hands. Kurt went to the cockpit and signaled to a very intimidating guy in the pilot's seat that they were ready to go and that the last guy would be in shortly.
I collapsed in the nearest seat, sighing in a mixture of exaustion and relief.
Rogue proceeded to bandage up my right ankle.
"Don't worry, this shouldn't hurt," she said uneasily. It was probably her first time working with a gunshot wound.
And of course, it hurt, ALOT.
I winced and jerked my leg back slightly, then held it steady for her to continue bandaging it.
"Sorry"
"Don't worry, if I knew I was going to be shot at I would have asked him to aim higher."
That seemed to ease the tension a little bit.
The guy with the goggles quickly got inside and took his seat in the co- pilot's chair.
As we took off I glanced around the jet a bit.
"Nice aircraft you've got here, what model is-"
Before I could finish my sentence I noticed an orange glow coming from outside the window I was seated near. There was a house fire.
A house fire.
An arson.
My home.
"No-no-no-no-NO!" My world shattered around me in a matter of hours
My house, my parents, my life.
I jerked my leg away, interrupting Rogue's work again. I just had to see if what I was watching was true.
Was I wrong? Was I off by a street or two?
No, I wasn't that lucky.
The blue convertable parked in the driveway with a cracked back window. My mom's red Toyota parked by the curb with the smiley antenna ball. Two houses from the corner. Two blocks to the west of the mall.
My house was on fire. My life was destroyed. I had a crazed biker chasing after me.
I just sat in the chair, pulled my legs to my chest and let silent tears roll down my face. I was in shock.
My life had just crumbled. I didn't know how, but I caused a path of destruction that I couldn't even remember. I didn't know why I deserved to live.
I felt a slight warmth on my left shoulder. I looked over and saw that Rogue had seated herself next to me and put her arm around me to try and comfort me.
"You said this Professor could help. Can he make me wake up from this nightmare?"
She looked at me for a second. Letting the words sink in, I guess. Then she looked to the floor.
The other passengers fell silent.
As silent as a certain alley in downtown Chicago where a bleeding corpse lay.