A/N:Sorry, Ellie, but you won't see every single moment of captures. There will be bits and pieces but never the full thing. I will show as much as possible especially on the easy ones but several of these have been killed (the clones); I won't show everything. Sorry but enjoy.
DOWNTOWN AREA 11:55 a.m.
Angel dragged one of her hands through her hair before wrapping a black rubber band around it and tuning back into Julius. She continued to walk with him, ignoring his continuous talking; her eyes were on the windows of the shops they passed.
"Couldn't they have included the current location of or would that be asking too much? I mean, how hard can a guy that controls fire be to find? Seriously, think about it." Julius kicked a can, sending it clattering into the street. He stared after it a moment then continued walking. "He's Australian on top of that. How many Australians live in New York?"
"I don't know, Julius." Something in one of the windows of a book shop caught her attention. She froze, staring at the book. "What was Pyro's real name again?"
"St. John Allerdyce. Why? You thinking of starting a relationship with him...?"
She took in an irritated breathe, trying to ignore the double-edged meaning. "No, Misery, and stop making those kind of comments. Obviously, our Australian fire addict is a famous novelist,"she said, smirking, gesturing toward the window where a large volume romance novel rested.
The Devil's Promise. John Allerdyce.
"What the hell?" He turned back and stopped beside her, staring at the book's cover. He stared a moment then took her arm and yanked her into the shop, going straight to the clerk. "Excuse me...uh.." He stared at her shirt a moment then put on a charming smile. "Catlin, my sister and I are looking for information on John Allerdyce. It's for our school newspaper...do you know how we could reach him?"
"I'm sorry but no." She blushed slightly red when Julius cast her another look.
Angel rolled her eyes and jerked her arm away, walking over to a display of John Allerdyce books. She thumbed through several just to see what he wrote about then decided to purchase one as a sort of 'element of truth'. She picked up a book then flipped through before walking up to the check-out counter and Julius' flirtation with the checker.
"I'd like to buy this,"she said, ignoring Julius' raised eyebrow and irritated expression.
"That's not neccessary, little sister."
She gave him an innocent smile then paid for the book, thanked the sales clerk, and walked out, already thumbing through the pages. She pretended not to notice when Julius came up to her side but continued to thumb through the pages.
"Was it neccessary to buy the book, Angel?"
"Yep. Most writers will write what they know. For instance, John writes about people living in what he calls 'manors'; more than likely a manor would be a smaller version of a mansion.... he also has a thing for gardens with bright flowers. Sound familiar?" She turned the book over and pointed at the back cover where his biography rested. She tapped the word. "He lives in New York....probably visits some garden once in awhile."
"Madison Square Garden?"
"What do you think? His characters are strange, too....they sound familiar." She read the novel's summary while walking back the direction they'd come.
"What do you mean? How do they sound familar?" Julius took the novel from her and began to read the book, narrowly avoiding running into a light pole. She caught hold of his jacket, holding into it so he wouldn't walk into the street or into anything or anyone else.
Angel held up a finger to wait a moment then turned down the street where they'd left his bike, crossing quickly and yanking him along. "Amioyre's past. She's cursed by the gods with the ability that touching a person turns them to stone for being beautiful. Know anyone else that can't touch?"she asked, stopping upon reaching his bike.
"Rogue...?"
"Exactly. Now read Hamion's past. He's a hybrid of his mother communing and screwing the devil. His eyes are solid black but glow red when he's upset; he loves Amioyre despite her past."
"Gambit..?"
"I knew you were smart." Angel patted the top of his head. She took her book back and shoved it into one of her pockets; it wasn't that hard since the pockets were majority of the leg's room. "John wrote about the X-Men and probably the brotherhood, too, without the mutant bits. Do you get it now?"
"We're suppoused to find and kill a guy that writes romance novels from people he knows lives?" The disgust in his voice was obvious. It irritated Angel.
"Let's just go, Misery. I'd really hate to make you late for an appointment to torment someone else with your attitude."
"Shut up, Shatter."
"Make me."
"Don't tempt me."
Angel gave up only because she wanted to get this over and done with. Her idea of how to spend the day didn't include racing all over town to find mutant clones; it seemed to be heading that way, though.
"Are we going?"Julius asked, smiling at her in a way that showed, he knew, he'd won.
"Yeah...we're going. You'd better drive safely..."
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN 12:30 p.m.
"John Allerdyce?"
Julius barely avoided rolling his eyes at Angel's voice. It was a stupid question. The picture in his file, plainly, identified him as John Allerdyce or Pyro. It was a stupid question.
His head came up. His hair was blonde and his eyes blue but other than that he appeared normal...until one noticed the lighter that kept flicking open and closed in his hand and that he was intent upon writing in the giant binder in front of him. His eyes were immediately suspicious.
"Yes, shelia?"
Angel faltered at that point. She didn't say anything but didn't look away from him either.
"Ah for hell's sake. We're here to take you away...you're not the real St. John Allerdyce,"Julius said, moving forward until he was right in front of him. Angel hadn't moved yet.
"Excuse me?" John pushed aside his binder and things then stood, taking up his lighter in a tighter grip again. His expression showed even further distrust but he didn't look away from Angel. "I think you two are mistaken, mate."
"John, you're not a real person,"she said, finally breaking her silence but not moving. She stood where she was with barely a glance at Julius; her attention was fully on their Australian clone. "You were cloned from the original St. John Allerdyce. You have his memories and new ones that you've created..."
"You've lost me, shelia, I am real."
"No, you're not. Do you remember the sixties, seventies, eighties, or nineties?"she asked, making Julius wonder how she knew anything about the first two times. She was only seventeen, too young to have lived through them.
John seemed lost in thought a moment then shook his head. "No, but I've always had problems with my memory. I don't even remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday,"he said, giving them a smile before turning away. He picked up his binder. "Now if you'll excuse me...I have a novel to finish."
Wrong.
Julius forced a light pole to bend forward to the ground and wrap itself around him. He smirked and gave a mock bow. Bad move on his part.
The once happy going John was replaced by a darker expressioned one. "You will be very sorry for that, mate. Did you know there was a reason they called me Pyro?"he demanded, beginning to create a large mass of fire from lighter. It shifted slowly as his hands moved, forming a large bird. A crow. "You see, mate. Pyrokenesis makes a good weapon."
"John, we just want to help you,"Angel said without moving but her gaze had gone to the giant fire bird. Her next words weren't spoken aloud but sent to Julius' mind.
~Let him go, Julius. He might calm down if we talk to him.~
~You're crazy. If I let him go, he'll kill us both.~
Her voice took on an irritated tone. ~No. You threatened him. I don't....would you just trust me?~
~No.~
~Julius.~
~No.~
"What are you going to do, Pyro? I believe we outnumber you..."
"That's where you'd be wrong, Misery,"Angel said, settling down on one of the nearby benches. She took out her book and opened it to the first page, beginning to read. "When you learn about teamwork, I'll help. Otherwise I'll be reading The Devil's Bargain."
"Shatter!"
She flipped the page, crossing one leg over the other as she read.
Pyro's expression shifted to her for a moment then he smiled. "I think I like her, mate. The shelia avaliable...?"
Julius scowled and in the same instant several sidewalks began to crack and the street signs came up.
The bird attacked. It swooped down and picked up Julius then tossed him across the room as several nearby benches uprooted themselves. Angel still didn't move.
I swear if we both live through this I'm going to kill her, he thought as he climbed to his feet, unsteadily, and threw one of the sign posts at Pyro's chest, pointed end forward.
At the last second the fire bird swept forward, captured the pole, and flung it uselessly to the side. It rammed into the wall, driving itself through one billowing half of Julius' trenchcoat and pinning it there.
"That's enough!" Angel's voice stopped the fire bird in midair, drew Pyro's attention, and earned several curses from Julius. She stood, placing her book down and walked to Pyro; she forced the metal to unwrap itself then motioned to Julius. "Let him go, too. This is stupid."
"Of course, shelia." At Pyro's command, the bird retrieved it's stake before vanishing back into the lighter's mouth as he held it. Several passer bys had stopped to stare at the scene; their gazes focused on the three mutants.
Julius clenched into tight fists as he stalked over to Angel. She didn't back down but met him head-on with a glare of her own. Her arms rested, hands open, at her sides while they faced off.
"You want teamwork?"he demanded through clenched teeth, bringing one hand up.
She visibly flinched but didn't move either. "Don't you dare hit me, Kanteon,"she said, her voice low and holding a threat.
His hand dropped to his side. He wasn't sure of he'd actually planned to hit her or not; he didn't think he had. He wouldn't do that. She deserved it but he wouldn't do it.
"Is there somewhere we can talk...more privately?" Angel turned away from him but not before he saw the relief in her eyes. She wasn't as tough as she played it off. Her face was pale against the darker make-up she wore and her hands shook slightly.
John returned and nodded. "Yes. We should go if we plan to get there soon. I'm walking, mates."
"I'm not leaving my motorcycle."
"Fine. I'll walk with John and you can ride your motorcycle along with us, okay?" She retrieved her novel then walked to John. She held out one hand to him then shook his. "We know a few friends of yours...what we're telling you isn't a lie."
"We'll see, shelia, we'll see. What is your name, shelia?"
Julius noticed her hesitation and silently prayed she wouldn't give her real name.
"Shatter. I can't give you my real name...I'm sorry."
He smiled and took up his items, beginning to walk. "That's quite alright, shelia. I'm quite interested in these friends of mine,"he said as she fell into step with him.
A siren sounded in the distance.
"On second thought, run." John took hold of one of her hands and took off running across the square, taking several back alleys. The sound of Julius' motorcyle followed them through first the city then into a much more 'advanced' part of town; an empty driveway came into view. He darted up it, yanking her along without further comment.
"Wait,"Julius yelled, speeding up so he could pull in front of them, cutting off their movement. He barely noticed when both pulled to a sudden stop. "I don't trust this guy, Shatter. How do we know it isn't a trap?"
Angel thought a moment then released his hand stepping over to Julius' side. "He's right."
"Of course, shelia..." He removed his lighter and tossed it aside, holding up his hands. "I want to know the truth. How can I be real yet know so much about myself, others, and what happened?"
They stood in silence for a moment. John kept his hands up. Angel shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Julius waited for one of them to speak.
Angel broke their silence. "Do you remember dying, John? It was years ago but you should remember that,"she said, quietly without looking away from her feet.
He shook his head. "I remember something about a giant room and...I remember Gambit, yelling something. It wasn't very nice, I knew, and I don't even speak french....My old mate was just kind of sad through the whole thing."
"Can we get on with this? You've not our only mutant...we've got four others."
John's attention immediately honed in on Julius. "Oh? Like who, mate?"
"Jean Grey, Arclight, and Riptide...know where we could find them?"he demanded, standing but not moving more than a few inches from Angel. He made a point to keep one hand so that he could easily reach her should she or John try something. "Any of them at all?"
He laughed, a strong, hearty laugh. "Jean Grey. I have something for you to look at, shelia,"he said, addressing Angel rather than the speaker.
"We'd like to see it, John. Would you be willing to die again...?"she asked, even quieter than before. Her voice was almost in audible but Julius knew he'd heard it from the stiffening of his back.
"I can't agree to that, Angel, shelia." He went inside then emerged moments later with a newspaper. He held it out, allowing them to read one of the headlines. It was huge.
WOMAN CHECKS SELF INTO MENTAL INSTITUTE, CLAMING 'RE-BIRTH'
The story went on to tell of a woman named Jean Grey-Summers who checked herself into a mental institution after being arrested by police for claiming a 're-birth'. It was, at first, thought to be meant in a religious way until the woman began raving about phoenixs and fiery accidents. Facts are questionable as is the source of information.
"So...she's in the nuthouse?" Julius smirked at his own word usage.
Angel shot him a glare. "Shit. We get to check a lady out of the mental hospital; oh, joy, oh, rapture."
"If, and that's if, I decide to die again...will you honor one request?" John's expression gave away nothing.
"Maybe."
"Keep an eye on my novels. I should have another four coming out within the next year...my agent's working with them." He turned away and began to walk back toward them; he stopped on the front porch. "It's hell to get famous then learn you're dead, you know, mates?"
"So when will you be ready?"Julius demanded, ignoring the friendly exchange between the two. It irritated him taht the conversation was going so sappy or that Angel actually seemed willing to honor his request.
John shrugged. "I'll just report myself, mate. I know where to find the X-men...who else was cloned?"
"..Gambit, Beast, Mystique, Quicksilver, Toad...."
His smiled broaded. "I've missed my cajun mate. I'll be sure to show up on time...it's still hard to swallow." He went inside, closing the door between them. It was a final ending to their conversation.
It hadn't worked out at all how Julius planned. He'd figured these mutants would be hell bent on staying but it seemed they weren't. They accepted it too well to be normal; something else was wrong, too. None of them remembered much about dying. It was as if the memories starting with the moment that killed them were erased.
"Do you notice that no one's put up a struggle? Hank and Remy showed no real emotion and this guy, basically, said he'd give himself up.." Julius faced Angel while mulling over this tidbit of information.
She nodded. "It's like they don't want to exist. Jean Grey?"
He nodded, slowly. "Keep that paper. We're going to the psych ward,"he said with a smile. He stared up for a moment then shrugged. "We need a change of vehicle to pull this one off..."
DOWNTOWN AREA 12:25 p.m.
"It's impossible!" Kellie slammed her fist into the nearby brick wall but felt no pain from it. It didn't do anything but stare back at her. "Funny, Corey, we're not playing this."
"Playing what?"Corey asked, smirking at her irritation with his imagery. He ignored her glare and vanished the brick wall to leave empty space. "I just figured that it would be better to make you hit an image then a real brick wall, right?"
"No."
"Do you always have to make those images to cover things? What if I'd prefer to hit a real brick wall...?"
"Be my guest..." He stepped back, allowing her access to the wall behind him. Her hand flexed but she shoved it into her pocket along with the other one.
"I'm starting to regret this." Her voice changed, suddenly. "Jubilee!"
Corey's head shot up at the usage of the 'young' mutant's name. He scanned the area then made a motion with one hand to wait. His hands came up to stop Kellie from running off.
"What are you waiting for? Come on; we've found them!"
"Wait. They're not just going to stop for any old person that claims to 'know the truth about their identies',"he said, as thought that explained everything. He knew it didn't.
Kellie folded her arms and stared at him, working with the strap of one glove. She undid the strap then started to pull it off; she only made it halfway before he spoke again.
"I can control their minds to see each other instead of us. Jubilee will see yours truly as Bobby while he sees you as her...simple, isn't it?"
She chewed on her bottom lip. "Can you maintain the images even with the distance apart that we'd be?"she asked but she knew she was giving in. It would be so much easier to convince the two to trust a friend then someone new; it would be easy but... "If we're on, say, opposite parts of town?"
"Unless you somehow break out of my image then yes, I can maintain them both. Equally."
Hesitance, from her, again. "Okay."
"Okay?"Corey repeated, pretending not to understand. The look of triumph in his eyes said that he understood, perfectly.
"Do it but...if anything happens, I will hurt you."
He gave a mock salute then concentrated, drawing the images up in the subconsciences of his subjects. It took a few moments to enter their minds completely and train them to see things diffrently. It wasn't a large change but to them, friends would appear as enemies and enemies would appear as friends. His move was dangerous but neccessary. He hadn't mentioned how competlely he altered their minds to Kellie, nor did he plan to.
Within ten minutes, he'd spotted Jubilation Lee or Jubilee among a throng of passing people. She was easy to find with her short black hair and bright yellow trenchcoat; it made her a stand-out even among New York citizens.
"Jubilee!"
Her head turned and a smile almost brightened through the stormy expression on her face. She hurried over, stopping beside him, slightly out of breathe and panting. "Where've you been, Bobby?"she demanded, crossing her arms and glaring at him like the child she resembled.
He adopted a dumbfounded expression. "Were we suppoused to meet?"
She sighed, blowing several strands of black hair from her face that over hung there. "Yeah. We always meet at eleven-thirty to have lunch with Jake or did you suddenly forget that?" She noticed he wasn't paying complete attention to her. Her voice took on a whining tone. "Bobby."
"I'm sorry. It's just...I-I saw something that you should, uh, see,"he said, stumbling over his words while thinking up the story. It was all that he could come up with but it would have to work. Otherwise, he was screwed.
Kellie would kill him. The X-men would kill him. Lastly, the other alliance members would kill him. He died either way. It wasn't his idea of how to die; three times for the same thing.
"I don't know." She nervously chewed on the wad of pink gum in her mouth, popping it several times. Bubbles came forward from the sticky mass while she tapped the fingers of one hand against her chin. "Jake wasn't happy that you missed lunch."
"Please, Jubilee? It won't take long."
"Will we be back by four-thirty? I'm suppoused to help Jake with the store..." Her expression was still a mixture of confusion but trust in her friend. It made him feel a little bad, a little.
"Of course we'll be back, Jubes. Please?" He created the nickname out of nowhere.
She shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
In another part of town, Kellie walked through the streets and silently cursed out Corey, repeatedly, and in several other languages that she made up. She gave up on the streets when there turned up nothing even remotely similar to their mutant clone; a park came into her view.
A voice drew her attention. "I knew there was a reason I hated water. It always reminded me of Rogue,"the voice scowled, drawing her attention toward the nearby pond.
Bobby Drake or Iceman stood at it's ledge, overlooking the water with a scowl.
"Bobby!" She sprinted across the park and over to him, smiling. She brushed some of her hair away without thinking that it might not look like a Jubilee's move. "I was looking for you."
He shrugged. "I was thinking."
"What about?"she asked, staring down at the water. To herself, she looked like Kellie but she knew, he didn't, that to Bobby she resembled Jubilee. "Or is it none of my business?"
"It doesn't matter if you know or not. Where are the others?"
She blinked, confused. "Others?"
"The other X-Men. The Brotherhood. Anyone...why aren't there other mutants?"
"Maybe we just haven't found them,"she said, honesty in her voice. It was the truth.
Bobby's head shot up, meeting her gaze with his own icy blue one. "Do you know something, Jubilee?"he asked, holding her gaze through the conversation.
"Yeah. I think you should see and hear them out like I did."
He hesitated. "Hear who out?"
She threw out the line and waited for him to take the bait. "I've found one of the other X-Men,"she answered. She cast around inside her mind for a name that would pull him in. "Rogue."
He took the bait from his expression. "Rogue..."
DOWNTOWN AREA 11:55 a.m.
Angel dragged one of her hands through her hair before wrapping a black rubber band around it and tuning back into Julius. She continued to walk with him, ignoring his continuous talking; her eyes were on the windows of the shops they passed.
"Couldn't they have included the current location of or would that be asking too much? I mean, how hard can a guy that controls fire be to find? Seriously, think about it." Julius kicked a can, sending it clattering into the street. He stared after it a moment then continued walking. "He's Australian on top of that. How many Australians live in New York?"
"I don't know, Julius." Something in one of the windows of a book shop caught her attention. She froze, staring at the book. "What was Pyro's real name again?"
"St. John Allerdyce. Why? You thinking of starting a relationship with him...?"
She took in an irritated breathe, trying to ignore the double-edged meaning. "No, Misery, and stop making those kind of comments. Obviously, our Australian fire addict is a famous novelist,"she said, smirking, gesturing toward the window where a large volume romance novel rested.
The Devil's Promise. John Allerdyce.
"What the hell?" He turned back and stopped beside her, staring at the book's cover. He stared a moment then took her arm and yanked her into the shop, going straight to the clerk. "Excuse me...uh.." He stared at her shirt a moment then put on a charming smile. "Catlin, my sister and I are looking for information on John Allerdyce. It's for our school newspaper...do you know how we could reach him?"
"I'm sorry but no." She blushed slightly red when Julius cast her another look.
Angel rolled her eyes and jerked her arm away, walking over to a display of John Allerdyce books. She thumbed through several just to see what he wrote about then decided to purchase one as a sort of 'element of truth'. She picked up a book then flipped through before walking up to the check-out counter and Julius' flirtation with the checker.
"I'd like to buy this,"she said, ignoring Julius' raised eyebrow and irritated expression.
"That's not neccessary, little sister."
She gave him an innocent smile then paid for the book, thanked the sales clerk, and walked out, already thumbing through the pages. She pretended not to notice when Julius came up to her side but continued to thumb through the pages.
"Was it neccessary to buy the book, Angel?"
"Yep. Most writers will write what they know. For instance, John writes about people living in what he calls 'manors'; more than likely a manor would be a smaller version of a mansion.... he also has a thing for gardens with bright flowers. Sound familiar?" She turned the book over and pointed at the back cover where his biography rested. She tapped the word. "He lives in New York....probably visits some garden once in awhile."
"Madison Square Garden?"
"What do you think? His characters are strange, too....they sound familiar." She read the novel's summary while walking back the direction they'd come.
"What do you mean? How do they sound familar?" Julius took the novel from her and began to read the book, narrowly avoiding running into a light pole. She caught hold of his jacket, holding into it so he wouldn't walk into the street or into anything or anyone else.
Angel held up a finger to wait a moment then turned down the street where they'd left his bike, crossing quickly and yanking him along. "Amioyre's past. She's cursed by the gods with the ability that touching a person turns them to stone for being beautiful. Know anyone else that can't touch?"she asked, stopping upon reaching his bike.
"Rogue...?"
"Exactly. Now read Hamion's past. He's a hybrid of his mother communing and screwing the devil. His eyes are solid black but glow red when he's upset; he loves Amioyre despite her past."
"Gambit..?"
"I knew you were smart." Angel patted the top of his head. She took her book back and shoved it into one of her pockets; it wasn't that hard since the pockets were majority of the leg's room. "John wrote about the X-Men and probably the brotherhood, too, without the mutant bits. Do you get it now?"
"We're suppoused to find and kill a guy that writes romance novels from people he knows lives?" The disgust in his voice was obvious. It irritated Angel.
"Let's just go, Misery. I'd really hate to make you late for an appointment to torment someone else with your attitude."
"Shut up, Shatter."
"Make me."
"Don't tempt me."
Angel gave up only because she wanted to get this over and done with. Her idea of how to spend the day didn't include racing all over town to find mutant clones; it seemed to be heading that way, though.
"Are we going?"Julius asked, smiling at her in a way that showed, he knew, he'd won.
"Yeah...we're going. You'd better drive safely..."
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN 12:30 p.m.
"John Allerdyce?"
Julius barely avoided rolling his eyes at Angel's voice. It was a stupid question. The picture in his file, plainly, identified him as John Allerdyce or Pyro. It was a stupid question.
His head came up. His hair was blonde and his eyes blue but other than that he appeared normal...until one noticed the lighter that kept flicking open and closed in his hand and that he was intent upon writing in the giant binder in front of him. His eyes were immediately suspicious.
"Yes, shelia?"
Angel faltered at that point. She didn't say anything but didn't look away from him either.
"Ah for hell's sake. We're here to take you away...you're not the real St. John Allerdyce,"Julius said, moving forward until he was right in front of him. Angel hadn't moved yet.
"Excuse me?" John pushed aside his binder and things then stood, taking up his lighter in a tighter grip again. His expression showed even further distrust but he didn't look away from Angel. "I think you two are mistaken, mate."
"John, you're not a real person,"she said, finally breaking her silence but not moving. She stood where she was with barely a glance at Julius; her attention was fully on their Australian clone. "You were cloned from the original St. John Allerdyce. You have his memories and new ones that you've created..."
"You've lost me, shelia, I am real."
"No, you're not. Do you remember the sixties, seventies, eighties, or nineties?"she asked, making Julius wonder how she knew anything about the first two times. She was only seventeen, too young to have lived through them.
John seemed lost in thought a moment then shook his head. "No, but I've always had problems with my memory. I don't even remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday,"he said, giving them a smile before turning away. He picked up his binder. "Now if you'll excuse me...I have a novel to finish."
Wrong.
Julius forced a light pole to bend forward to the ground and wrap itself around him. He smirked and gave a mock bow. Bad move on his part.
The once happy going John was replaced by a darker expressioned one. "You will be very sorry for that, mate. Did you know there was a reason they called me Pyro?"he demanded, beginning to create a large mass of fire from lighter. It shifted slowly as his hands moved, forming a large bird. A crow. "You see, mate. Pyrokenesis makes a good weapon."
"John, we just want to help you,"Angel said without moving but her gaze had gone to the giant fire bird. Her next words weren't spoken aloud but sent to Julius' mind.
~Let him go, Julius. He might calm down if we talk to him.~
~You're crazy. If I let him go, he'll kill us both.~
Her voice took on an irritated tone. ~No. You threatened him. I don't....would you just trust me?~
~No.~
~Julius.~
~No.~
"What are you going to do, Pyro? I believe we outnumber you..."
"That's where you'd be wrong, Misery,"Angel said, settling down on one of the nearby benches. She took out her book and opened it to the first page, beginning to read. "When you learn about teamwork, I'll help. Otherwise I'll be reading The Devil's Bargain."
"Shatter!"
She flipped the page, crossing one leg over the other as she read.
Pyro's expression shifted to her for a moment then he smiled. "I think I like her, mate. The shelia avaliable...?"
Julius scowled and in the same instant several sidewalks began to crack and the street signs came up.
The bird attacked. It swooped down and picked up Julius then tossed him across the room as several nearby benches uprooted themselves. Angel still didn't move.
I swear if we both live through this I'm going to kill her, he thought as he climbed to his feet, unsteadily, and threw one of the sign posts at Pyro's chest, pointed end forward.
At the last second the fire bird swept forward, captured the pole, and flung it uselessly to the side. It rammed into the wall, driving itself through one billowing half of Julius' trenchcoat and pinning it there.
"That's enough!" Angel's voice stopped the fire bird in midair, drew Pyro's attention, and earned several curses from Julius. She stood, placing her book down and walked to Pyro; she forced the metal to unwrap itself then motioned to Julius. "Let him go, too. This is stupid."
"Of course, shelia." At Pyro's command, the bird retrieved it's stake before vanishing back into the lighter's mouth as he held it. Several passer bys had stopped to stare at the scene; their gazes focused on the three mutants.
Julius clenched into tight fists as he stalked over to Angel. She didn't back down but met him head-on with a glare of her own. Her arms rested, hands open, at her sides while they faced off.
"You want teamwork?"he demanded through clenched teeth, bringing one hand up.
She visibly flinched but didn't move either. "Don't you dare hit me, Kanteon,"she said, her voice low and holding a threat.
His hand dropped to his side. He wasn't sure of he'd actually planned to hit her or not; he didn't think he had. He wouldn't do that. She deserved it but he wouldn't do it.
"Is there somewhere we can talk...more privately?" Angel turned away from him but not before he saw the relief in her eyes. She wasn't as tough as she played it off. Her face was pale against the darker make-up she wore and her hands shook slightly.
John returned and nodded. "Yes. We should go if we plan to get there soon. I'm walking, mates."
"I'm not leaving my motorcycle."
"Fine. I'll walk with John and you can ride your motorcycle along with us, okay?" She retrieved her novel then walked to John. She held out one hand to him then shook his. "We know a few friends of yours...what we're telling you isn't a lie."
"We'll see, shelia, we'll see. What is your name, shelia?"
Julius noticed her hesitation and silently prayed she wouldn't give her real name.
"Shatter. I can't give you my real name...I'm sorry."
He smiled and took up his items, beginning to walk. "That's quite alright, shelia. I'm quite interested in these friends of mine,"he said as she fell into step with him.
A siren sounded in the distance.
"On second thought, run." John took hold of one of her hands and took off running across the square, taking several back alleys. The sound of Julius' motorcyle followed them through first the city then into a much more 'advanced' part of town; an empty driveway came into view. He darted up it, yanking her along without further comment.
"Wait,"Julius yelled, speeding up so he could pull in front of them, cutting off their movement. He barely noticed when both pulled to a sudden stop. "I don't trust this guy, Shatter. How do we know it isn't a trap?"
Angel thought a moment then released his hand stepping over to Julius' side. "He's right."
"Of course, shelia..." He removed his lighter and tossed it aside, holding up his hands. "I want to know the truth. How can I be real yet know so much about myself, others, and what happened?"
They stood in silence for a moment. John kept his hands up. Angel shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Julius waited for one of them to speak.
Angel broke their silence. "Do you remember dying, John? It was years ago but you should remember that,"she said, quietly without looking away from her feet.
He shook his head. "I remember something about a giant room and...I remember Gambit, yelling something. It wasn't very nice, I knew, and I don't even speak french....My old mate was just kind of sad through the whole thing."
"Can we get on with this? You've not our only mutant...we've got four others."
John's attention immediately honed in on Julius. "Oh? Like who, mate?"
"Jean Grey, Arclight, and Riptide...know where we could find them?"he demanded, standing but not moving more than a few inches from Angel. He made a point to keep one hand so that he could easily reach her should she or John try something. "Any of them at all?"
He laughed, a strong, hearty laugh. "Jean Grey. I have something for you to look at, shelia,"he said, addressing Angel rather than the speaker.
"We'd like to see it, John. Would you be willing to die again...?"she asked, even quieter than before. Her voice was almost in audible but Julius knew he'd heard it from the stiffening of his back.
"I can't agree to that, Angel, shelia." He went inside then emerged moments later with a newspaper. He held it out, allowing them to read one of the headlines. It was huge.
WOMAN CHECKS SELF INTO MENTAL INSTITUTE, CLAMING 'RE-BIRTH'
The story went on to tell of a woman named Jean Grey-Summers who checked herself into a mental institution after being arrested by police for claiming a 're-birth'. It was, at first, thought to be meant in a religious way until the woman began raving about phoenixs and fiery accidents. Facts are questionable as is the source of information.
"So...she's in the nuthouse?" Julius smirked at his own word usage.
Angel shot him a glare. "Shit. We get to check a lady out of the mental hospital; oh, joy, oh, rapture."
"If, and that's if, I decide to die again...will you honor one request?" John's expression gave away nothing.
"Maybe."
"Keep an eye on my novels. I should have another four coming out within the next year...my agent's working with them." He turned away and began to walk back toward them; he stopped on the front porch. "It's hell to get famous then learn you're dead, you know, mates?"
"So when will you be ready?"Julius demanded, ignoring the friendly exchange between the two. It irritated him taht the conversation was going so sappy or that Angel actually seemed willing to honor his request.
John shrugged. "I'll just report myself, mate. I know where to find the X-men...who else was cloned?"
"..Gambit, Beast, Mystique, Quicksilver, Toad...."
His smiled broaded. "I've missed my cajun mate. I'll be sure to show up on time...it's still hard to swallow." He went inside, closing the door between them. It was a final ending to their conversation.
It hadn't worked out at all how Julius planned. He'd figured these mutants would be hell bent on staying but it seemed they weren't. They accepted it too well to be normal; something else was wrong, too. None of them remembered much about dying. It was as if the memories starting with the moment that killed them were erased.
"Do you notice that no one's put up a struggle? Hank and Remy showed no real emotion and this guy, basically, said he'd give himself up.." Julius faced Angel while mulling over this tidbit of information.
She nodded. "It's like they don't want to exist. Jean Grey?"
He nodded, slowly. "Keep that paper. We're going to the psych ward,"he said with a smile. He stared up for a moment then shrugged. "We need a change of vehicle to pull this one off..."
DOWNTOWN AREA 12:25 p.m.
"It's impossible!" Kellie slammed her fist into the nearby brick wall but felt no pain from it. It didn't do anything but stare back at her. "Funny, Corey, we're not playing this."
"Playing what?"Corey asked, smirking at her irritation with his imagery. He ignored her glare and vanished the brick wall to leave empty space. "I just figured that it would be better to make you hit an image then a real brick wall, right?"
"No."
"Do you always have to make those images to cover things? What if I'd prefer to hit a real brick wall...?"
"Be my guest..." He stepped back, allowing her access to the wall behind him. Her hand flexed but she shoved it into her pocket along with the other one.
"I'm starting to regret this." Her voice changed, suddenly. "Jubilee!"
Corey's head shot up at the usage of the 'young' mutant's name. He scanned the area then made a motion with one hand to wait. His hands came up to stop Kellie from running off.
"What are you waiting for? Come on; we've found them!"
"Wait. They're not just going to stop for any old person that claims to 'know the truth about their identies',"he said, as thought that explained everything. He knew it didn't.
Kellie folded her arms and stared at him, working with the strap of one glove. She undid the strap then started to pull it off; she only made it halfway before he spoke again.
"I can control their minds to see each other instead of us. Jubilee will see yours truly as Bobby while he sees you as her...simple, isn't it?"
She chewed on her bottom lip. "Can you maintain the images even with the distance apart that we'd be?"she asked but she knew she was giving in. It would be so much easier to convince the two to trust a friend then someone new; it would be easy but... "If we're on, say, opposite parts of town?"
"Unless you somehow break out of my image then yes, I can maintain them both. Equally."
Hesitance, from her, again. "Okay."
"Okay?"Corey repeated, pretending not to understand. The look of triumph in his eyes said that he understood, perfectly.
"Do it but...if anything happens, I will hurt you."
He gave a mock salute then concentrated, drawing the images up in the subconsciences of his subjects. It took a few moments to enter their minds completely and train them to see things diffrently. It wasn't a large change but to them, friends would appear as enemies and enemies would appear as friends. His move was dangerous but neccessary. He hadn't mentioned how competlely he altered their minds to Kellie, nor did he plan to.
Within ten minutes, he'd spotted Jubilation Lee or Jubilee among a throng of passing people. She was easy to find with her short black hair and bright yellow trenchcoat; it made her a stand-out even among New York citizens.
"Jubilee!"
Her head turned and a smile almost brightened through the stormy expression on her face. She hurried over, stopping beside him, slightly out of breathe and panting. "Where've you been, Bobby?"she demanded, crossing her arms and glaring at him like the child she resembled.
He adopted a dumbfounded expression. "Were we suppoused to meet?"
She sighed, blowing several strands of black hair from her face that over hung there. "Yeah. We always meet at eleven-thirty to have lunch with Jake or did you suddenly forget that?" She noticed he wasn't paying complete attention to her. Her voice took on a whining tone. "Bobby."
"I'm sorry. It's just...I-I saw something that you should, uh, see,"he said, stumbling over his words while thinking up the story. It was all that he could come up with but it would have to work. Otherwise, he was screwed.
Kellie would kill him. The X-men would kill him. Lastly, the other alliance members would kill him. He died either way. It wasn't his idea of how to die; three times for the same thing.
"I don't know." She nervously chewed on the wad of pink gum in her mouth, popping it several times. Bubbles came forward from the sticky mass while she tapped the fingers of one hand against her chin. "Jake wasn't happy that you missed lunch."
"Please, Jubilee? It won't take long."
"Will we be back by four-thirty? I'm suppoused to help Jake with the store..." Her expression was still a mixture of confusion but trust in her friend. It made him feel a little bad, a little.
"Of course we'll be back, Jubes. Please?" He created the nickname out of nowhere.
She shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
In another part of town, Kellie walked through the streets and silently cursed out Corey, repeatedly, and in several other languages that she made up. She gave up on the streets when there turned up nothing even remotely similar to their mutant clone; a park came into her view.
A voice drew her attention. "I knew there was a reason I hated water. It always reminded me of Rogue,"the voice scowled, drawing her attention toward the nearby pond.
Bobby Drake or Iceman stood at it's ledge, overlooking the water with a scowl.
"Bobby!" She sprinted across the park and over to him, smiling. She brushed some of her hair away without thinking that it might not look like a Jubilee's move. "I was looking for you."
He shrugged. "I was thinking."
"What about?"she asked, staring down at the water. To herself, she looked like Kellie but she knew, he didn't, that to Bobby she resembled Jubilee. "Or is it none of my business?"
"It doesn't matter if you know or not. Where are the others?"
She blinked, confused. "Others?"
"The other X-Men. The Brotherhood. Anyone...why aren't there other mutants?"
"Maybe we just haven't found them,"she said, honesty in her voice. It was the truth.
Bobby's head shot up, meeting her gaze with his own icy blue one. "Do you know something, Jubilee?"he asked, holding her gaze through the conversation.
"Yeah. I think you should see and hear them out like I did."
He hesitated. "Hear who out?"
She threw out the line and waited for him to take the bait. "I've found one of the other X-Men,"she answered. She cast around inside her mind for a name that would pull him in. "Rogue."
He took the bait from his expression. "Rogue..."