It had started as a lark, getting out of the house for a day or so and just being kids for awhile. 'New Mutants On Parade' as Roberto put it.
But after Sam had died, they just wanted time to blow off steam. Some way to escape and clear their heads. The 14 of them had escaped the building and piled into the biggest van they had and Shiro the oldest had driven them. Even though he wasn't even a citizen and definitely not old enough to have a driver's liscence, he did a good job, when he wasn't arrogantly barking out orders.
They had gone to the park first to hang out and run off excess energy. Then they headed to a movie. Afterward, it was getting late, and they were hungry(well Bobby was always hungry, but that didnt count), so they took a shortcut through a bad part of town to get to a restaurant. It was the dark of night by then and the moon was shining bright.
They had gotten some green beer from a friend of Roberto's who was making it for St. Patrick's Day, and were sampling it, passing it around, when suddenly Kurt teleported into existence just a few feet ahead. Shiro threw on the brakes and twisted the van sideways and they all piled out. They could see Kurt was wounded by the light of the moon and he was surprised to see them but as their babble died down they heard his words.
"Scott, Jean, caught....ambush...black building. Same people that took Colossus and Kitty..."
"The blackguards who killed Sam!" exclaimed Roberto, shifting into his dark black sunform, his eyes bursting with rage at the death of his friend.
"Must get help from ..X-men"
"Kurt, let Me help"
Theresa , codenamed Rook, shouldered forward, her black locks shining in the lamplight, as she knelt next to Kurt and glanced up to them.
"I'll get him close enough to the House to alert the others on his own then come back, ok?"
"Good idea, Rook", said Shiro.
She gripped Kurt's arm and they both vanished in and blip of light and reappeared a long way down he street . her powers were unlimited by distance but by line of sight. She vanished again out of sight of them this time.
The others gathered around. They planned an surveyed the building for over two hours, moonlight making their jobs easier and harder at the same time, choosing a plan carefully and hoping it would be enough to win their friends free. There was a certain amount of revenge seeking as well.
Roberto burned to avenge one he thought of as a brother, while bobby had grown close to Kitty as a sister. Dominic and Piotr had become close as two foreigners learning the language and the lay of the land.
Shiro and Roberto then divided them into teams , for once acting together instead of at each other's heads. First they had Gilliam check to see if he could find Scott or jean or Colossus or Kitty, but there was something deep in the building partially blocking his senses, he could read the outer halls but not underneath.
They divided the team in three smaller groups to approach the building from above and from in front and behind. Shiro lifted off carrying Xian, as bobby made as unobtrusive an ice sled as he could up the side and Rook reappeared, got her assignment, and followed them to the top. Roberto led his team to the front door even as Elizabeth took off with her team for the back.
* * *
Approaching the door, he looked questioningly at Gilliam who shook his head negatively. Gilliam's telepathy was far above normal for his age and doors and such were no barrier for him. His headshake meant noone right at the door. he then waved Dominic forward.
Dom had at first been the odd duck out, the only human on the group, but his innate skill with tech and lockpicking had earned him a place. he carefully picked the locks and with one surge they all moved in. They entered a main lobby and spread out across the wide stone room trying to stay low like some spy novel group. It's dark stone seemed muted somehow. The place however seemed endlessly complex with twisty rooms and corridors. They got back together and with Roberto leading headed for the first corridor.
When Roberto turned the first corner looking into a main hallway and found himself face to face with a group of evilly smiling mutants and guards he suddenly knew all silence was lost.
"Get them!" shouted the familiar voice of Sabretooth, who led the charge.
*so much for silence* thought Sunspot.
* * *
Shiro, or Sunfire,'s group landed on the roof in their varying modes and moved towards the roof door, trying not to make too much noise. They however didnt notice a small camera observing their progress as they went, and when they reached one spot, the floor opened up suddenly beneath them and they were swallowed by the darkness.
Shiro attempted to fly but found himself unable to battle against punishing blasts of wind and water, which also made Bobby's ice powers erratic, causing sheets of ice to fly away almost hitting Xian when he tried to make a sled, and Rook couldn't see to teleport. Their long fall ended with a splash, they fell into a pit full of water... and things with teeth that hissed and rose to the attack. The fight was furious and brief.
* * *
Elizabeth's group hit the backdoor running. She had always been the cowboy of the group and loved to charge ahead. With her own massive telekinesis,with Kent in his Urth form, pure solid stone, Dani already swinging her knives, Doug with his quarterstaff, and Shelly moving at top speed, she felt they were ready for whatever they encountered. As they burst in the back door, they encountered a empty room full of old statues. They moved quickly through them and as they had reached the other side the statues began to m firing small stinging blasts.
They rushed through the next door right into a group of soldiers who were escorting a chained prisoner, a badly beaten form all in green, who looked like a...Leprechaun? She blinked at that sight, meeting his eyes for a second, until a giant man leaped for her, roaring and shaking his fists.
* * *
Down below, those incarcerated weren't about to just sit and wait. Scott had shocked Kitty and Piotr by slipping a lockpick out of his glove and with Jean's mind's eye picking the lock on his upper chains, then quickly doing the same for the lowers. he freed the others and then unclamped his headlock, using a spare visor jean had in her belt to replace it.
They moved quickly to the door and he once more picked the lock, and they slammed the door open,. startling the guards. Rage and desperation and training kicked in and they easily subdued the three guards, obtaining their passkeys for the rest of the doors. They charged onward, wanting to make their escape as quickly as possible. They encountered a few more small groups of guards but never more than three or four. They had gotten a level up when they suddenly felt their powers resurge with a sense of relief. it was just about then that they ran into the first real resistance.
They tore into a crowd of guards and suddenly faced several mutants as well...Scalphunter and Tower, Ringer and Frenzy... but unlike before they were now moving together as a unit, as the X-Men. And when the smoke cleared, only they were standing. Jean had a burn on her arm and Colossus had taken a bad hit to the ribs but they were all ready to go.
* * *
Roberto, or Sunspot's team slugged it out with those facing them. Sunspot fought hand to hand against Sabretooth until, suddenly Rahne, codenamed Wolfsbane, was there, hurtling into the teeth of the bastard and slamming him back. Sunspot blinked as sweet innocent Rahne transformed into her fully feral self and fought tooth and nail against the evil mutant, before he tore himself away and charged into battle again, this time facing a group of soldiers led by Pierce, a seemingly, part android madman who laughed maniacally.
He threw aside other soldiers and matched strength with the badly smelling and madly laughing cyborg, who screamed epithets in his ears, his voice off key and on a high uneven note.
"Die you mutie pond scum! I will erradicate all of your kind from this planet! none of you will survive!"
Roberto countered the madman's blows and soon threw him back amongst his troops, where he crashed and lay still. he shook his head and hurried back into the battle. There he watched for a minute seeing Wolfsbane shift into a yet larger form-- blinking as he saw this new manifestation of her power... and wondered how long she had known how to do that as the now ferocious wolfbeing threw Sabretooth aside like a ragdoll and charged against the soldiers. Sunspot sighed and launched after her to protect her back, or maybe just enjoy the fact that noone would get past her... he thought.
* * *
Dominic was getting his tech ready when a dark haired woman fixed her gaze on him. he froze, feeling her sensuality and a wave of sheer desire shot through him, making him shudder and drop his equipment. he felt her hunger and felt a growing hunger inside of him, even as a part of him screamed that this was wrong, that she was some kind of mutant and was trying to control him. Built he was lost and felt himself stumbling towards her, blind to all else, only seeing her dark sweet eyes, her pale skin, her arms that he longed to feel about him.
Then suddenly, a piece of weapon shot by and he flinched and the eye contact broke and Dominic felt himself shudder back too himself. Seeing the woman and the soldiers less than a few feet away. Dominic swore and desperately brought out his weapons a special sonic ray he had cobbled together from Apoc-tech. He fired it even as she came close to him and was gratified to see her stagger back along with the soldiers near him. he cranked it up and aimed it better folding the soldiers back like a wave to shattering their weapons as he tested each setting. The dark haired woman had vanished into the crowd and he gulped in relief.
* * *
Gilliam stood alone, his fear and pain evident, his queerly glowing eyes flinching as the mass of minds intruded on his own, his shields fading in such madness. his anger and fear multiplied and grew. Inside his mind a voice whispered.
~use it... use the anger and hate and fear and destroy them!you are better than they are, stronger!~
Gilliam was afraid and didnt want to listen to the oily voice in his head but he was so afraid and the voice seemed so strong and assured, and maybe he was better, surely he was better than a group of mercenaries?
~i ... i dont want to hurt anyone~
~ your power would make you like a god. you have the power of life and death over these cretins.Use it!~
He was so afraid and the mercenaries started towards him he finally gave up letting the other guide him. He felt the power grow, taking his fear and pain and hate and letting them build until he unleashed them like a wave slamming into the soldiers and into a strange shapeshifting mutant who had come close enough to start to grab him. They all shrieked and fell, writhing to the ground and, unnoticed, a cold cruel smile came to Gilliam's face as he felt a thrill of victory and warmth, and approval from the voice inside him. He turned to face more of the soldiers.
* * *
Amara was hot under the collar, literally, as they were rushed. her powers ignited like a clap of thunder and her form blurred taking on the flaming magma that shielded her from everything. She threw flaming magma at soldiers and shattered the floor bringing forth a flow of magma that separated the main mass of soldiers from them.
Wolfsbane free of opponents,suddenly shifted back down to her normal form and threw up violently and noisily as Roberto and the others finished off their opponents and reformed with her. They stood protectively around her until she was done and she looked up at them with anger in her eyes.
"Lets get the hell out of here." she said the swear word falling from her mouth totally surprising her and her friends but feeling right for this moment. They nodded almost as one and helped her to her feet. They charged out of the room, heading further down...
* * *
Elizabeth and her team fought well, their firepower, easily stopping most of the mutants they faced. Their brief fight yielded up the prisoner, who flinched when she tried to touch him.
"Are you ok? Can you walk? We can get you out of here."
"I ...i can walk, surely. Thank you, lass" His voice seemed blurred and with an Irish brogue and she almost giggled at the resemblance to a leprechaun cartoon character she had once heard.
"The name tis Calvin, and ye might be?"
"Elizabeth, Elizabeth Braddock. We are the New Mutants... the X-Men"
She easily freed him from his chains, but there was a chain/collar of some odd material around his neck and she couldn't break it. he sighed as she gave up and slumped his shoulders then smiled.
"Ye tried lass, tis ok, I am comfortable enough for now to get the hell out of here. Why are you here?"
"We are seekin a group of friends who were kidnapped and then ambushed."
His eyes grew dark.
"Aye I have seen them. They are on four levels down, but it wont be easy to get to them."
As if to emphasize his point, two more mutants charged out, this time the familiar Sabretooth and Feral, and a Green haired young woman who shone with power and a queer necklace on her neck.
Elizabeth used her powers to counter the green haired woman's magnetism , even as her teammates piled onto Sabretooth, but the battle went hard. her hardest blows were deflected by the magnetic woman's powers and her teammates were being thrown around like tenpins.
Doug, useless against so massive an opponent took a moment to study the green haired assailant and stepped to her side, yelling.
"The necklace! Snap it off of her neck. it is the focus of her power!"
She reacted instantly, trusting to Doug's ability to analyze ands see patterns and the tactic they had practiced of him sensing an opponents weakest points. She focused s tightbeam of tk under that collar and yanked... there was a psionic cream that sent her to her knees, and then the object was flying into the darkness and falling down a heat shaft. And the woman had fallen to her knees and was crying huge breath taking sobs, a look of horror and shame and disgust on her face.
Elizabeth spared her a hard glance then turned and seeing the growling Sabretooth coming for her shot out at him her strongest tk blast. She gasped seeing him fly across the room and slamm headfirst into a wall, his neck snapping with a cracking sound.
She stared for a minute as the others gathered around her then shook off the shock and tried to focus on the mission, knowing she would have time to cry and mourn for her loss later. Doug laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and she smiled thankfully. Urth picked up the crying woman and putting on a grim face, Elizabeth Braddock motioned to Calvin, the leprechaun, who led them into the darkness.
* * *
Scott and his group piled up more stairs and then they finally came to another fight. To their surprise they saw Roberto and his team fighting their way through a crowd of mutants and soldiers.
"Sunspot!" Scott hollered, remembering Roberto's codename.
Roberto's eyes lit and he turned towards Scott, and he raised his tired voice and they came to him and made a wedge as on the other side of the group Cyclops and his team slammed into the enemy. Unus looked both ways and was caught between Colossus and Roberto's blows and went down like a stone. One by one the mutant marauders fell and their soldiers with them until only the X-men and new mutants stood. A small cheer went up then they compared notes.
"We have to find the others, and try to blow this place if we can. "
Roberto raised a small comm unit.
"Team Alpha to teams Beta and Gamma, Targets are secure. Repeat Targets are secure. Proceed with plan d."
Scott raised an eyebrow, but it was Colossus who answered his silent query.
"Plan D for destruction."
They headed out driving towards the outside and blowing up walls and sides as they went, doing massive destruction. Their ranks swelled as first Shiro's team then Elizabeth's team joined them.
Explosions racked the building growing with every minute. They compared notes on the run and set out for the outside as the New Mutants related to Scott all that had happenned. he found himself growing impressed with them. He would definitely have to speak with the Professor once they got home... after getting out of trouble that is.
Jean noticed the dark look on Gilliam's face but she was distracted and when she looked back she saw only his normal expression. When he saw her looking he smiled. She wondered if she had imagined what she thought she saw even as she smiled back. She went back to talking to Elizabeth in quiet tones, trying to comfort the young woman.
"Betsy", Elizabeth said, "from now on call me Betsy...I think it's time to change things a little."
Her voice was a little bleak but there was also conviction and a dark undertone that reeked of a growing belief in oneself...whether for good or ill, she knew not.
"Betsy, then. It sounds lovely." The girl smiled a little and hugged Jean, who hugged her back. She smiled and felt a bond growing between them.
The group headed out together talking but mostly silent and thinking. Elizabeth an Jean talked quietly. jean holding the taller girl's shoulders as she finally cried silently so as not to bother the others. many of the new mutants were introspective having never before seen battle especially not as brutal as this. They reached the outside and were faced by an army of goons, and the group was led by Sabretooth. Elizabeth gaped at him and whispered.."but I killed you"
"Not me girly, gotta love clones. Speaking of which, let me introduce you to some friends of mine."
They looked on in horror as copy after copy of the marauding mutants came forward out of the darkness, five and six of each filling the ranks of the soldiers. Their ranks swelled, and they finally stood some six or seven deep and twice as many wide.
Scott felt himself swallow as Sinister made his way forward between the ranks and faced them.
"You have made a mistake this time and will pay for it. My lab is gone, but the material I needed is long gone to another location and now so will I be. Perhaps, had we more time, I might be tempted to study you two as well as My targets", and Scott could feel Sinister's gaze on Jean and himself,
"Alas, we will not meet again. Kill them!"
He turned and strode away, vanishing into the night.
"X-men! Battle plan t!"
The X-men grouped together and formed a shield around their weak or wounded members and the new people they had picked up. As one they stood, no difference between X-man and New Mutant, all X-men standing together behind Cyclops their leader. The united team braced for a very bad fight when suddenly a growl broke out of the darkness and spoke words in a voice that Scott instantly recognized called out
"Hey, mind if we join this party?"Wolverine's voice cried across the night.
The blackbird shot out of the night and down out of the sky came Wolverine, Storm, Angel, Rogue, Spyke, Beast, The Professor, Dis, Photonic, and Berzerker, as well as Jonas Beven and Doc Sternge, outfitted in armor and carrying weapons. All floating down on the new planes lift beam. The now-swelled X-men stood together and faced the Marauders.
"I do believe the odds are more in our favor now and you should..." The Professor's words were cut off as Sabretooth #1 charged followed by th whole crowd. Scott's voice whipped out in command.
"X-men maneuver 12! All together!"
And move they did, together and as a team. United as they had never been before, they charged and broke apart into a maneuver that allowed the power throwers to shoot first and then be protected by the hard hitters and the power casters.The battle was fierce but brief and before long , the X-men stood united and victorious, wounded but whole again.
They New Blackbird, much larger than the old model and retro fitted with Apocalyptian tech, landed on the street, and as the team regrouped, out stepped...Sam.
There was utter silence as Scott, Colossus, Jean, Kitty, and the whole New Mutants team seemed to stop breathing.Then Roberto shouted out his name and led a charge as they rushed forward together and swept Sam up in a huge hug and series of backslaps and regreetings and tears flowed.
Scott smiled at Jean and she leaned in and kissed him on the lips. The moons shone down and made her look even more beautiful than normal. he laughed aloud and caught Kitty and Colossus' eyes who laughed with him. the laughter spread until they were all laughing and hugging one another. They were going home.
* * *
But after Sam had died, they just wanted time to blow off steam. Some way to escape and clear their heads. The 14 of them had escaped the building and piled into the biggest van they had and Shiro the oldest had driven them. Even though he wasn't even a citizen and definitely not old enough to have a driver's liscence, he did a good job, when he wasn't arrogantly barking out orders.
They had gone to the park first to hang out and run off excess energy. Then they headed to a movie. Afterward, it was getting late, and they were hungry(well Bobby was always hungry, but that didnt count), so they took a shortcut through a bad part of town to get to a restaurant. It was the dark of night by then and the moon was shining bright.
They had gotten some green beer from a friend of Roberto's who was making it for St. Patrick's Day, and were sampling it, passing it around, when suddenly Kurt teleported into existence just a few feet ahead. Shiro threw on the brakes and twisted the van sideways and they all piled out. They could see Kurt was wounded by the light of the moon and he was surprised to see them but as their babble died down they heard his words.
"Scott, Jean, caught....ambush...black building. Same people that took Colossus and Kitty..."
"The blackguards who killed Sam!" exclaimed Roberto, shifting into his dark black sunform, his eyes bursting with rage at the death of his friend.
"Must get help from ..X-men"
"Kurt, let Me help"
Theresa , codenamed Rook, shouldered forward, her black locks shining in the lamplight, as she knelt next to Kurt and glanced up to them.
"I'll get him close enough to the House to alert the others on his own then come back, ok?"
"Good idea, Rook", said Shiro.
She gripped Kurt's arm and they both vanished in and blip of light and reappeared a long way down he street . her powers were unlimited by distance but by line of sight. She vanished again out of sight of them this time.
The others gathered around. They planned an surveyed the building for over two hours, moonlight making their jobs easier and harder at the same time, choosing a plan carefully and hoping it would be enough to win their friends free. There was a certain amount of revenge seeking as well.
Roberto burned to avenge one he thought of as a brother, while bobby had grown close to Kitty as a sister. Dominic and Piotr had become close as two foreigners learning the language and the lay of the land.
Shiro and Roberto then divided them into teams , for once acting together instead of at each other's heads. First they had Gilliam check to see if he could find Scott or jean or Colossus or Kitty, but there was something deep in the building partially blocking his senses, he could read the outer halls but not underneath.
They divided the team in three smaller groups to approach the building from above and from in front and behind. Shiro lifted off carrying Xian, as bobby made as unobtrusive an ice sled as he could up the side and Rook reappeared, got her assignment, and followed them to the top. Roberto led his team to the front door even as Elizabeth took off with her team for the back.
* * *
Approaching the door, he looked questioningly at Gilliam who shook his head negatively. Gilliam's telepathy was far above normal for his age and doors and such were no barrier for him. His headshake meant noone right at the door. he then waved Dominic forward.
Dom had at first been the odd duck out, the only human on the group, but his innate skill with tech and lockpicking had earned him a place. he carefully picked the locks and with one surge they all moved in. They entered a main lobby and spread out across the wide stone room trying to stay low like some spy novel group. It's dark stone seemed muted somehow. The place however seemed endlessly complex with twisty rooms and corridors. They got back together and with Roberto leading headed for the first corridor.
When Roberto turned the first corner looking into a main hallway and found himself face to face with a group of evilly smiling mutants and guards he suddenly knew all silence was lost.
"Get them!" shouted the familiar voice of Sabretooth, who led the charge.
*so much for silence* thought Sunspot.
* * *
Shiro, or Sunfire,'s group landed on the roof in their varying modes and moved towards the roof door, trying not to make too much noise. They however didnt notice a small camera observing their progress as they went, and when they reached one spot, the floor opened up suddenly beneath them and they were swallowed by the darkness.
Shiro attempted to fly but found himself unable to battle against punishing blasts of wind and water, which also made Bobby's ice powers erratic, causing sheets of ice to fly away almost hitting Xian when he tried to make a sled, and Rook couldn't see to teleport. Their long fall ended with a splash, they fell into a pit full of water... and things with teeth that hissed and rose to the attack. The fight was furious and brief.
* * *
Elizabeth's group hit the backdoor running. She had always been the cowboy of the group and loved to charge ahead. With her own massive telekinesis,with Kent in his Urth form, pure solid stone, Dani already swinging her knives, Doug with his quarterstaff, and Shelly moving at top speed, she felt they were ready for whatever they encountered. As they burst in the back door, they encountered a empty room full of old statues. They moved quickly through them and as they had reached the other side the statues began to m firing small stinging blasts.
They rushed through the next door right into a group of soldiers who were escorting a chained prisoner, a badly beaten form all in green, who looked like a...Leprechaun? She blinked at that sight, meeting his eyes for a second, until a giant man leaped for her, roaring and shaking his fists.
* * *
Down below, those incarcerated weren't about to just sit and wait. Scott had shocked Kitty and Piotr by slipping a lockpick out of his glove and with Jean's mind's eye picking the lock on his upper chains, then quickly doing the same for the lowers. he freed the others and then unclamped his headlock, using a spare visor jean had in her belt to replace it.
They moved quickly to the door and he once more picked the lock, and they slammed the door open,. startling the guards. Rage and desperation and training kicked in and they easily subdued the three guards, obtaining their passkeys for the rest of the doors. They charged onward, wanting to make their escape as quickly as possible. They encountered a few more small groups of guards but never more than three or four. They had gotten a level up when they suddenly felt their powers resurge with a sense of relief. it was just about then that they ran into the first real resistance.
They tore into a crowd of guards and suddenly faced several mutants as well...Scalphunter and Tower, Ringer and Frenzy... but unlike before they were now moving together as a unit, as the X-Men. And when the smoke cleared, only they were standing. Jean had a burn on her arm and Colossus had taken a bad hit to the ribs but they were all ready to go.
* * *
Roberto, or Sunspot's team slugged it out with those facing them. Sunspot fought hand to hand against Sabretooth until, suddenly Rahne, codenamed Wolfsbane, was there, hurtling into the teeth of the bastard and slamming him back. Sunspot blinked as sweet innocent Rahne transformed into her fully feral self and fought tooth and nail against the evil mutant, before he tore himself away and charged into battle again, this time facing a group of soldiers led by Pierce, a seemingly, part android madman who laughed maniacally.
He threw aside other soldiers and matched strength with the badly smelling and madly laughing cyborg, who screamed epithets in his ears, his voice off key and on a high uneven note.
"Die you mutie pond scum! I will erradicate all of your kind from this planet! none of you will survive!"
Roberto countered the madman's blows and soon threw him back amongst his troops, where he crashed and lay still. he shook his head and hurried back into the battle. There he watched for a minute seeing Wolfsbane shift into a yet larger form-- blinking as he saw this new manifestation of her power... and wondered how long she had known how to do that as the now ferocious wolfbeing threw Sabretooth aside like a ragdoll and charged against the soldiers. Sunspot sighed and launched after her to protect her back, or maybe just enjoy the fact that noone would get past her... he thought.
* * *
Dominic was getting his tech ready when a dark haired woman fixed her gaze on him. he froze, feeling her sensuality and a wave of sheer desire shot through him, making him shudder and drop his equipment. he felt her hunger and felt a growing hunger inside of him, even as a part of him screamed that this was wrong, that she was some kind of mutant and was trying to control him. Built he was lost and felt himself stumbling towards her, blind to all else, only seeing her dark sweet eyes, her pale skin, her arms that he longed to feel about him.
Then suddenly, a piece of weapon shot by and he flinched and the eye contact broke and Dominic felt himself shudder back too himself. Seeing the woman and the soldiers less than a few feet away. Dominic swore and desperately brought out his weapons a special sonic ray he had cobbled together from Apoc-tech. He fired it even as she came close to him and was gratified to see her stagger back along with the soldiers near him. he cranked it up and aimed it better folding the soldiers back like a wave to shattering their weapons as he tested each setting. The dark haired woman had vanished into the crowd and he gulped in relief.
* * *
Gilliam stood alone, his fear and pain evident, his queerly glowing eyes flinching as the mass of minds intruded on his own, his shields fading in such madness. his anger and fear multiplied and grew. Inside his mind a voice whispered.
~use it... use the anger and hate and fear and destroy them!you are better than they are, stronger!~
Gilliam was afraid and didnt want to listen to the oily voice in his head but he was so afraid and the voice seemed so strong and assured, and maybe he was better, surely he was better than a group of mercenaries?
~i ... i dont want to hurt anyone~
~ your power would make you like a god. you have the power of life and death over these cretins.Use it!~
He was so afraid and the mercenaries started towards him he finally gave up letting the other guide him. He felt the power grow, taking his fear and pain and hate and letting them build until he unleashed them like a wave slamming into the soldiers and into a strange shapeshifting mutant who had come close enough to start to grab him. They all shrieked and fell, writhing to the ground and, unnoticed, a cold cruel smile came to Gilliam's face as he felt a thrill of victory and warmth, and approval from the voice inside him. He turned to face more of the soldiers.
* * *
Amara was hot under the collar, literally, as they were rushed. her powers ignited like a clap of thunder and her form blurred taking on the flaming magma that shielded her from everything. She threw flaming magma at soldiers and shattered the floor bringing forth a flow of magma that separated the main mass of soldiers from them.
Wolfsbane free of opponents,suddenly shifted back down to her normal form and threw up violently and noisily as Roberto and the others finished off their opponents and reformed with her. They stood protectively around her until she was done and she looked up at them with anger in her eyes.
"Lets get the hell out of here." she said the swear word falling from her mouth totally surprising her and her friends but feeling right for this moment. They nodded almost as one and helped her to her feet. They charged out of the room, heading further down...
* * *
Elizabeth and her team fought well, their firepower, easily stopping most of the mutants they faced. Their brief fight yielded up the prisoner, who flinched when she tried to touch him.
"Are you ok? Can you walk? We can get you out of here."
"I ...i can walk, surely. Thank you, lass" His voice seemed blurred and with an Irish brogue and she almost giggled at the resemblance to a leprechaun cartoon character she had once heard.
"The name tis Calvin, and ye might be?"
"Elizabeth, Elizabeth Braddock. We are the New Mutants... the X-Men"
She easily freed him from his chains, but there was a chain/collar of some odd material around his neck and she couldn't break it. he sighed as she gave up and slumped his shoulders then smiled.
"Ye tried lass, tis ok, I am comfortable enough for now to get the hell out of here. Why are you here?"
"We are seekin a group of friends who were kidnapped and then ambushed."
His eyes grew dark.
"Aye I have seen them. They are on four levels down, but it wont be easy to get to them."
As if to emphasize his point, two more mutants charged out, this time the familiar Sabretooth and Feral, and a Green haired young woman who shone with power and a queer necklace on her neck.
Elizabeth used her powers to counter the green haired woman's magnetism , even as her teammates piled onto Sabretooth, but the battle went hard. her hardest blows were deflected by the magnetic woman's powers and her teammates were being thrown around like tenpins.
Doug, useless against so massive an opponent took a moment to study the green haired assailant and stepped to her side, yelling.
"The necklace! Snap it off of her neck. it is the focus of her power!"
She reacted instantly, trusting to Doug's ability to analyze ands see patterns and the tactic they had practiced of him sensing an opponents weakest points. She focused s tightbeam of tk under that collar and yanked... there was a psionic cream that sent her to her knees, and then the object was flying into the darkness and falling down a heat shaft. And the woman had fallen to her knees and was crying huge breath taking sobs, a look of horror and shame and disgust on her face.
Elizabeth spared her a hard glance then turned and seeing the growling Sabretooth coming for her shot out at him her strongest tk blast. She gasped seeing him fly across the room and slamm headfirst into a wall, his neck snapping with a cracking sound.
She stared for a minute as the others gathered around her then shook off the shock and tried to focus on the mission, knowing she would have time to cry and mourn for her loss later. Doug laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and she smiled thankfully. Urth picked up the crying woman and putting on a grim face, Elizabeth Braddock motioned to Calvin, the leprechaun, who led them into the darkness.
* * *
Scott and his group piled up more stairs and then they finally came to another fight. To their surprise they saw Roberto and his team fighting their way through a crowd of mutants and soldiers.
"Sunspot!" Scott hollered, remembering Roberto's codename.
Roberto's eyes lit and he turned towards Scott, and he raised his tired voice and they came to him and made a wedge as on the other side of the group Cyclops and his team slammed into the enemy. Unus looked both ways and was caught between Colossus and Roberto's blows and went down like a stone. One by one the mutant marauders fell and their soldiers with them until only the X-men and new mutants stood. A small cheer went up then they compared notes.
"We have to find the others, and try to blow this place if we can. "
Roberto raised a small comm unit.
"Team Alpha to teams Beta and Gamma, Targets are secure. Repeat Targets are secure. Proceed with plan d."
Scott raised an eyebrow, but it was Colossus who answered his silent query.
"Plan D for destruction."
They headed out driving towards the outside and blowing up walls and sides as they went, doing massive destruction. Their ranks swelled as first Shiro's team then Elizabeth's team joined them.
Explosions racked the building growing with every minute. They compared notes on the run and set out for the outside as the New Mutants related to Scott all that had happenned. he found himself growing impressed with them. He would definitely have to speak with the Professor once they got home... after getting out of trouble that is.
Jean noticed the dark look on Gilliam's face but she was distracted and when she looked back she saw only his normal expression. When he saw her looking he smiled. She wondered if she had imagined what she thought she saw even as she smiled back. She went back to talking to Elizabeth in quiet tones, trying to comfort the young woman.
"Betsy", Elizabeth said, "from now on call me Betsy...I think it's time to change things a little."
Her voice was a little bleak but there was also conviction and a dark undertone that reeked of a growing belief in oneself...whether for good or ill, she knew not.
"Betsy, then. It sounds lovely." The girl smiled a little and hugged Jean, who hugged her back. She smiled and felt a bond growing between them.
The group headed out together talking but mostly silent and thinking. Elizabeth an Jean talked quietly. jean holding the taller girl's shoulders as she finally cried silently so as not to bother the others. many of the new mutants were introspective having never before seen battle especially not as brutal as this. They reached the outside and were faced by an army of goons, and the group was led by Sabretooth. Elizabeth gaped at him and whispered.."but I killed you"
"Not me girly, gotta love clones. Speaking of which, let me introduce you to some friends of mine."
They looked on in horror as copy after copy of the marauding mutants came forward out of the darkness, five and six of each filling the ranks of the soldiers. Their ranks swelled, and they finally stood some six or seven deep and twice as many wide.
Scott felt himself swallow as Sinister made his way forward between the ranks and faced them.
"You have made a mistake this time and will pay for it. My lab is gone, but the material I needed is long gone to another location and now so will I be. Perhaps, had we more time, I might be tempted to study you two as well as My targets", and Scott could feel Sinister's gaze on Jean and himself,
"Alas, we will not meet again. Kill them!"
He turned and strode away, vanishing into the night.
"X-men! Battle plan t!"
The X-men grouped together and formed a shield around their weak or wounded members and the new people they had picked up. As one they stood, no difference between X-man and New Mutant, all X-men standing together behind Cyclops their leader. The united team braced for a very bad fight when suddenly a growl broke out of the darkness and spoke words in a voice that Scott instantly recognized called out
"Hey, mind if we join this party?"Wolverine's voice cried across the night.
The blackbird shot out of the night and down out of the sky came Wolverine, Storm, Angel, Rogue, Spyke, Beast, The Professor, Dis, Photonic, and Berzerker, as well as Jonas Beven and Doc Sternge, outfitted in armor and carrying weapons. All floating down on the new planes lift beam. The now-swelled X-men stood together and faced the Marauders.
"I do believe the odds are more in our favor now and you should..." The Professor's words were cut off as Sabretooth #1 charged followed by th whole crowd. Scott's voice whipped out in command.
"X-men maneuver 12! All together!"
And move they did, together and as a team. United as they had never been before, they charged and broke apart into a maneuver that allowed the power throwers to shoot first and then be protected by the hard hitters and the power casters.The battle was fierce but brief and before long , the X-men stood united and victorious, wounded but whole again.
They New Blackbird, much larger than the old model and retro fitted with Apocalyptian tech, landed on the street, and as the team regrouped, out stepped...Sam.
There was utter silence as Scott, Colossus, Jean, Kitty, and the whole New Mutants team seemed to stop breathing.Then Roberto shouted out his name and led a charge as they rushed forward together and swept Sam up in a huge hug and series of backslaps and regreetings and tears flowed.
Scott smiled at Jean and she leaned in and kissed him on the lips. The moons shone down and made her look even more beautiful than normal. he laughed aloud and caught Kitty and Colossus' eyes who laughed with him. the laughter spread until they were all laughing and hugging one another. They were going home.
* * *