Jonathan had spent the entire day searching the town located near the hotel. He felt like he had knocked on every door. No one had seen or heard anything. When it started to get dark he decided he better head back home. He had already called Mr. Ross just before he was ready to head back to Smallville. He had hoped to find them before he had to call him.

The phone call had haunted him. He hated that he was the one to tell Mr. Ross that his son was missing. He also didn't like that he did it over the phone. Mr. Ross was completely upset as he expected. He told him he would leave the rental car and drive the truck home with the motorcycle in the back.

It was now dark and he had already stopped at the Ross'. He was standing outside the hospital room, afraid to tell Martha that their son was missing. Jonathan stepped up to the door and stepped into the room. Martha was asleep on the bed and Lana was sleeping in a chair next to her. He quietly walked up to Lana and nudged her slightly. She woke and looked up at him. He put his finger up to his mouth to say quiet.

Lana pointed to the door and he understood that she wanted to talk. He moved out of the room following Lana. He looked back at Martha sleeping in the bed then he quietly closed the door behind him.

"Did you find him?" She asked, he could tell she already knew the answer. He shook his head no. "She asked for you all day. I don't think she believed you were on the farm."

"I knew she would figure it out. I'll tell her when she wakes. Why don't you go home?"

He watched as Lana walked away. He knew it had to be hard on her too. Jonathan knew she and Clark were finally getting close when all this happened. He moved back into the room and sat by the bed.

"Jonathan?" Martha asked sleepily.

"Yes honey." He looked at her she was still as beautiful as the day they met even with the bruises from the accident. He didn't want to tell her, but he knew he was going to have to.

"What is going on? Where did you go? Is Clark okay?" She asked each question not giving him time to answer he could hear her voice start to quiver.

Jonathan felt his body start to shake. How was he going to tell her that Clark was missing? He moved and sat on the bed pulling her into his arms. He could feel tears stinging his eyes and he couldn't hold them back anymore.

*****

"Jonathan, Jonathan, what is it?" Martha asked fear entering her voice. She knew he hadn't been at the farm. She wondered what he had been doing all day. Jonathan held her tighter. "Jonathan, tell me." She was getting ready to panic.

"It's Clark." Jonathan said in a choked voice. He pulled away from her and looked her in the eyes.

"What is it!" She asked starting to panic.

"He's gone."

"What do you mean gone? Jonathan, your scaring me."

"Clark left, he took my motorcycle and left. I-I searched for him all day. I had a lead but nothing came from it. I searched all day, Martha. I don't know where our son is."

Martha felt as if her heart had stopped. She couldn't breath. It can't be. Clark wouldn't run away. It's not like him. It can't be. She felt as if the world had stopped moving. First, she lost the baby and now she has lost her son it was too much. She felt as if she were slipping from sanity. She felt as if she were watching herself from a TV. 'It was okay none of this was real,' she told herself, 'anyway it is just a show.' Then she felt two strong arms wrap themselves around her and she snapped back into the hospital bed. She heard Jonathan crying and she joined him.

*****

Rogue heard the alarm and moved to the window as some of the rest did the same. The others started to run for the hidden passageways fearing another attack. She could feel Bobby standing behind her. She looked out over the grounds pointing to the back of the mansion. "Who do you think it is?" She asked sounding a little more sacred than she meant to.

"I don't think is Stryker's men. They wouldn't attack in broad daylight." Bobby said. He sounded almost like he was trying to convince himself more than her.

"I see someone." Said Peter from across the room.

All the remaining kids moved to the other window and looked out. Rogue squeezed in to try to see who or what it was. She saw a tall teenager walking intently down the path heading to the front door. She felt Bobby grab her hand and she squeeze it. She looked back at him and he smiled a reassuring smile. He always made her feel safe.

The boy looked in their direction then looked right at them. He smiled a sardonic smile and kept on his path to the front door. Rogue and the others now moved close to the foosball table where they could see the front door from the room. They watched as the front doors flew open nearly flying off their hinges.

The boy looked at them and smiled, it sent shivers up and down her spine. The boy seemed disturbed, almost haunted. He looked as if he were going to move toward them and she had a jump of fear. Then she heard Logan's voice. She felt safer in an instant. The boy stopped and turned to Logan.

Rogue felt completely safe now with Bobby at her side and Logan confronting the stranger.

*****

Pete was freaking out now. He had just seen a girl looking at him through a wall. A wall! How was that possible? Sirens started to blare and he was wondering what they were for. Were they under attack and if so by who? Pete walked up to the door and tried the handle. He expected to be locked in the room but the handle turned easily. "This whole time I could have left." He said surprised to himself.

He ran down a hallway and felt like he was in a maze. Then an elevator opened down the hall. Pete ran to it, he wanted to get out. A man stepped out of the elevator at least he had thought it was a man. The man was dark blue and had a tail? Pete slid to a stop nearly hitting the man and fell backwards onto his back.

The man yelled and disappeared and reappeared a couple feet away. "Sorry." Said the blue man with a German accent. Pete just laid on the ground breathing heavily. The blue man walked up to him. "Here let me help you up." The man said as he reached out a hand and pulled Pete to his feet.

Pete reflexively pulled away from the man as soon as he was standing. He saw the hurt look on the man's face and immediately regretted it. He remembered he had looked at Clark that way when Clark told him he was an alien. He remembered the look on Clark's face, he had been devastated. "Sorry it... it's just I'm not used to people looking like you."

"It's okay I'm not used to people apologizing." The man said and smiled revealing sharp teeth. His eyes were yellow and he had markings all over his face. Pete wondered if they covered his entire body. Had he not already known that aliens existed and there were meteor mutants he probably would have freaked out more. Only these people according to Ororo were mutants because of an active gene.

"The names Pete." He said offering his hand surprised at himself.

The man shook his hand. "Kurt Wagner but in the Munich Circus they called me the Amazing Nightcrawler." The man said proudly stretching himself to perfect posture.

"Nightcrawler, cool name." Pete said as he noticed the alarm once more. "What is happening?"

"I don't know."

*****

Logan moved immediately when the alarm sounded. He wasn't going to let another attack happen to the school. He was going to do everything in his power to protect his family. He ran down the hallways as scared kids ran the opposite direction heading for the hidden passageways. He didn't know where he was going he just ran hoping to see someone soon. Logan, don't attack him. He knew it was Xavier talking in his mind. Wait for Storm.

'Don't attack who?' He thought to himself. He heard the front doors swing open with a crash. Logan turned and ran toward the doors. He stopped and looked around the corner slowly in case he needed the element of surprise.

He expected to see someone as vicious as Sabertooth or maybe even Magneto or Mystique. What he didn't expect was a young man, probably about sixteen, with dark hair. Why should he wait for Storm? He could take out the kid in two seconds. Granted the kid was taller than him he figured it wasn't the height that mattered it was the effort of the fight. He stepped out into the open. The boy turned and looked at him. Logan knew he had been looking in the Game Hall. He could also hear there were some kids in there.

"What do you want?" Logan asked taking a step toward the boy. Logan don't attack.

"What everyone wants: money, power, to rule the world. Simple stuff like that." He said sounding nonchalant.

Logan thought the boy was crazy. He snorted amused and asked, "How do you plan on doing that?"

"Oh it's simple really. All I have to do is get rid of all the mutants and then humans will worship me." The boy smiled a big smile. He sounded like he was talking about swatting flies.

*snikt*

"Claws? Metal claws? Very interesting."

Logan don't attack. Logan shook his head as if shaking away an annoying bug. He took a step toward the boy. Surprisingly the boy held his arms straight out to his sides leaving him wide open.

"Give me your best shot." He smiled and laughed a little.

Logan let out a war cry and ran at the boy.