Hauntress
Chapter Two: Thyn Wise One
Lance walked up to the Institute's gates, and sauntered through them.
He yawned.
He had gotten a call.
From Scott Summers.
At two in the morning.
Why the hell did he even come?
Then he remembered.
Scott had said that this had to do with Kitty.
Yep, that was pretty much the only thing that could get him up at two in the morning.
Ororo opened the doors right then, startling him.
"Uh, hi. I was-." Lance didn't have to continue, for the tired looking weather witch just pulled him inside.
A few students were sitting on the stairs and such, but most of them were still in bed.
Lance followed the woman over to where Jean was standing, mumbled something, and left.
Leaving Lance with Jean.
Oh, hell.
"What am I doing here?" Lance demanded, yawning.
Jean looked behind him.
"Where's the Brotherhood?" She seemed to sneer.
"Asleep. It *is* two thirty in the mornin', you know." Lance countered.
"Jean, that's enough. Come on, get Alvers up here." Scott said from atop the stairs.
"Fine." Jean said, still glaring at Lance, who simply followed her up the stairs.
Entering the infirmary, Lance was surprised that a lot of people were there.
A girl he didn't know was standing in the corner. She looked like an older form of Kitty, her body more developed, and she was wearing a black leather mini skirt and a red halter. Her shiny black leather boots went up to her knees, and she had her hair up in a messy bun, two extensions framing her face.
Scott walked over to a glass wall, and sighed. Jean stepped up beside him.
Hank was doing something with a microscope, and the professor was looking on, his brow creased with worry.
Kurt was standing alone at one corner of the glass wall, frowning sadly.
Evan was here too. He was just staring at the floor, his face worried.
Remy was here as well. He was gazing at nothing, just staring right ahead from his seat a ways to the side of Evan.
Amanda was sitting to the left of Evan, looking up at people, then looking at her hands in her lap constantly.
All the new recruits were either still in bed, or in the hallway; they weren't allowed in.
"Why- why am I here?" Lance asked quietly, knowing something was bothering everyone.
Scott turned to him with a pained expression on his face. He then turned and set his hand on the glass.
"Co- come here." Scott said hoarsely, like he hadn't spoken for quite a while.
Lance frowned, but did as he was told.
Once at the glass wall, he understood completely.
The wall was an oversight to a whole large room; maybe forty feet around each side, and three stories high, the glass only the middle of the room.
Inside there was one large machine in each corner, a curved part in the middle, like a seat.
Three of the machines were being used. Each one had a number over it in big red bold letters.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
There were three people sitting in the machines.
He gasped in horror when he saw his former girlfriend down in the second one.
All the people down there had their eyes closed, wires upon wires connected to the machines and their bodies.
The seat that they were sitting in was actually a bunch of Technicolor wires strewn together in a motion to hook up to the front of the machine.
They were wearing skintight metal that almost seemed molded on them, nothing but their necks and heads showing.
Lance slumped down on the ground.
"Kitty?"
He looked to the other machines, and noticed Rogue was in the first one.
The person in the third one had long black hair that touched the floor, their head down, and their fair skin wet with sweat. She had a red stripe on her left cheek, and a red tattooed pattern on her forehead that had a pretty sapphire jewel in the middle, the red going all the way across her forehead.
"What happened?" He asked, putting his hand on the glass.
The professor looked over at him.
"We're not sure yet, Lance." He answered.
"What do those machines do?" Lance asked, closing his eyes for a moment, then opening them to look up at the professor, who had moved closer to him.
"They monitor brain waves. Sleep patterns. Memory." The older man replied.
"What happened? I mean, when?" Lance choked out.
This time, Scott answered. "This morning. We found them at midnight."
"But what-?" Lance was at a loss of words, so Jean cut in.
"They were lying on their beds, in shock. They were muttering crazy things like, 'don't let them get me' and 'I don't want to die'."
"Re- really?" Lance choked, seeing his former girlfriend hooked up to all those wires.
"We found that girl over there with the black hair on the lawn. She's a mutant too, but she was already in shock, so we couldn't ask her. She was saying things like, 'He's going to get me.' And some such things." Jean told him.
"Are they gonna be okay?" Lance asked, turning back towards the room where they were all 'sleeping.'
"We're not even sure yet. We don't even know what happened, Lance." Scott told him, rubbing his head.
The professor spoke up. "It's time for bed. Lance, Remy, Amanda, you may all stay the night if you wish. We have a few extra rooms, and I'm sure the others wouldn't mind sharing some extra space if we don't have enough new rooms."
Remy nodded, but didn't get up.
Amanda stood, and followed Evan, Jean, and Scott out of the room.
Kurt didn't move. "I'm staying." He croaked.
Remy just nodded, and told the professor, "Me too."
Lance too agreed to stay, and the professor just nodded.
"You two needn't go to school tomorrow, so don't worry about it. I'll call the school." Professor Xavier told Kurt and Lance.
"Don't bother, Professor." Kurt told him, not removing his gaze from the room.
"Yeah, they won't miss us." Lance told him.
'Jean.' The professor sent her a message mentally.
'Yes, professor?'
'Get some blankets and pillows. We have some campers in the infirmary.'
'You're kidding, right?'
'No.'
Jean shook her head, and headed to the linen closet.
She picked up some blankets and three pillows, and took them over to the infirmary.
Remy mumbled in thanks, Kurt was silent, and Lance told her, "Thanks."
She raised her eyebrow. "An actual thank you from Mr. Alvers. Call the tabloids." She scoffed, then, seeing his red eyes, she said, "Sorry." And walked to her room to go to bed.
Kurt looked through the glass and whispered so no one could hear, "Katzchen."
~*End Chapter
Chapter Two: Thyn Wise One
Lance walked up to the Institute's gates, and sauntered through them.
He yawned.
He had gotten a call.
From Scott Summers.
At two in the morning.
Why the hell did he even come?
Then he remembered.
Scott had said that this had to do with Kitty.
Yep, that was pretty much the only thing that could get him up at two in the morning.
Ororo opened the doors right then, startling him.
"Uh, hi. I was-." Lance didn't have to continue, for the tired looking weather witch just pulled him inside.
A few students were sitting on the stairs and such, but most of them were still in bed.
Lance followed the woman over to where Jean was standing, mumbled something, and left.
Leaving Lance with Jean.
Oh, hell.
"What am I doing here?" Lance demanded, yawning.
Jean looked behind him.
"Where's the Brotherhood?" She seemed to sneer.
"Asleep. It *is* two thirty in the mornin', you know." Lance countered.
"Jean, that's enough. Come on, get Alvers up here." Scott said from atop the stairs.
"Fine." Jean said, still glaring at Lance, who simply followed her up the stairs.
Entering the infirmary, Lance was surprised that a lot of people were there.
A girl he didn't know was standing in the corner. She looked like an older form of Kitty, her body more developed, and she was wearing a black leather mini skirt and a red halter. Her shiny black leather boots went up to her knees, and she had her hair up in a messy bun, two extensions framing her face.
Scott walked over to a glass wall, and sighed. Jean stepped up beside him.
Hank was doing something with a microscope, and the professor was looking on, his brow creased with worry.
Kurt was standing alone at one corner of the glass wall, frowning sadly.
Evan was here too. He was just staring at the floor, his face worried.
Remy was here as well. He was gazing at nothing, just staring right ahead from his seat a ways to the side of Evan.
Amanda was sitting to the left of Evan, looking up at people, then looking at her hands in her lap constantly.
All the new recruits were either still in bed, or in the hallway; they weren't allowed in.
"Why- why am I here?" Lance asked quietly, knowing something was bothering everyone.
Scott turned to him with a pained expression on his face. He then turned and set his hand on the glass.
"Co- come here." Scott said hoarsely, like he hadn't spoken for quite a while.
Lance frowned, but did as he was told.
Once at the glass wall, he understood completely.
The wall was an oversight to a whole large room; maybe forty feet around each side, and three stories high, the glass only the middle of the room.
Inside there was one large machine in each corner, a curved part in the middle, like a seat.
Three of the machines were being used. Each one had a number over it in big red bold letters.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
There were three people sitting in the machines.
He gasped in horror when he saw his former girlfriend down in the second one.
All the people down there had their eyes closed, wires upon wires connected to the machines and their bodies.
The seat that they were sitting in was actually a bunch of Technicolor wires strewn together in a motion to hook up to the front of the machine.
They were wearing skintight metal that almost seemed molded on them, nothing but their necks and heads showing.
Lance slumped down on the ground.
"Kitty?"
He looked to the other machines, and noticed Rogue was in the first one.
The person in the third one had long black hair that touched the floor, their head down, and their fair skin wet with sweat. She had a red stripe on her left cheek, and a red tattooed pattern on her forehead that had a pretty sapphire jewel in the middle, the red going all the way across her forehead.
"What happened?" He asked, putting his hand on the glass.
The professor looked over at him.
"We're not sure yet, Lance." He answered.
"What do those machines do?" Lance asked, closing his eyes for a moment, then opening them to look up at the professor, who had moved closer to him.
"They monitor brain waves. Sleep patterns. Memory." The older man replied.
"What happened? I mean, when?" Lance choked out.
This time, Scott answered. "This morning. We found them at midnight."
"But what-?" Lance was at a loss of words, so Jean cut in.
"They were lying on their beds, in shock. They were muttering crazy things like, 'don't let them get me' and 'I don't want to die'."
"Re- really?" Lance choked, seeing his former girlfriend hooked up to all those wires.
"We found that girl over there with the black hair on the lawn. She's a mutant too, but she was already in shock, so we couldn't ask her. She was saying things like, 'He's going to get me.' And some such things." Jean told him.
"Are they gonna be okay?" Lance asked, turning back towards the room where they were all 'sleeping.'
"We're not even sure yet. We don't even know what happened, Lance." Scott told him, rubbing his head.
The professor spoke up. "It's time for bed. Lance, Remy, Amanda, you may all stay the night if you wish. We have a few extra rooms, and I'm sure the others wouldn't mind sharing some extra space if we don't have enough new rooms."
Remy nodded, but didn't get up.
Amanda stood, and followed Evan, Jean, and Scott out of the room.
Kurt didn't move. "I'm staying." He croaked.
Remy just nodded, and told the professor, "Me too."
Lance too agreed to stay, and the professor just nodded.
"You two needn't go to school tomorrow, so don't worry about it. I'll call the school." Professor Xavier told Kurt and Lance.
"Don't bother, Professor." Kurt told him, not removing his gaze from the room.
"Yeah, they won't miss us." Lance told him.
'Jean.' The professor sent her a message mentally.
'Yes, professor?'
'Get some blankets and pillows. We have some campers in the infirmary.'
'You're kidding, right?'
'No.'
Jean shook her head, and headed to the linen closet.
She picked up some blankets and three pillows, and took them over to the infirmary.
Remy mumbled in thanks, Kurt was silent, and Lance told her, "Thanks."
She raised her eyebrow. "An actual thank you from Mr. Alvers. Call the tabloids." She scoffed, then, seeing his red eyes, she said, "Sorry." And walked to her room to go to bed.
Kurt looked through the glass and whispered so no one could hear, "Katzchen."
~*End Chapter