A/N: brackets denote foreign language. In this case, German.
----------------------------------------------------------
"Oooooh... my head..."
Ororo opened her eyes and almost had a heart
attack at the sight of Evan's face less than a foot away from hers.
As she did so, her nephew's face split into a broad grin.
"Auntie
O!" he crowed, and promptly seized her in a bear hug. She hugged
him back at first, not really sure what had happened, then pulled
away and regarded the boy at arm's length.
"Evan, what
happened? The hermit..."
Evan gestured to one side. "Amara's
talking to him over there. She says he thought we were trying to kill
him, so he jumped us. It was just a misunderstanding." He shook
his head. "The dude's paranoid, but he sure packs a
punch..."
Ororo followed Evan's gaze. Hank, his chest covered
in a crude bandage made from strips torn off his shirt, was working
to revive Rahne. Nearby, Amara was engaged in a rapid-fire German
conversation with the young blue mutant, while Jamie stood nearby
paying rapt attention as though he could understand every word.
"...
his name's Kurt, by the way."
----
Kurt
shook his head. "This is all my fault," he said, mostly
to himself. He looked up at Amara. "Everything that has
happened to you, to your friends... I caused it all by being here."
Amara said nothing, so Kurt continued. "Baine has no sense of
compassion, mercy, humanity... we have to stop him or you'll never
see your companions again."
Amara did a double take. "We?
You would involve yourself in this?"
"I am already
involved," Kurt pointed out. "Besides... I've been
trained to take out Baine's soldiers. I know how they fight, how to
beat them. Without me, you won't stand a chance."
"Oh,
well then, you've convinced me, peasant, you truly have,"
commented Amara dryly. "But I'm afraid the others whom you
tried to kill won't be quite so forgiving."
Kurt looked
away, tears stinging the backs of his eyes. "I know," he
whispered. "I don't deserve your forgiveness. I dare not ask
for it. All I want is the chance to make things right. After that, I
will leave if I must, but until then..." he met the Nova Roman
princess's eyes. "... until then, I have a responsibility to do
what I can. Please, come with me. I'll need you to translate to your
friends." With that, Kurt strode purposefully away toward the
others. Jamie, who hadn't the slightest idea what had been said,
looked at Amara for enlightenment. Amara simply shrugged and hurried
to catch up with the blue mutant.
----
"...and
he wants to make up for what he perceives to be a chain of events
that he set in motion. As such, he has offered his services to us in
order to expel the intruders from the Institute."
Rahne
groaned and opened her eyes. The blue hermit was standing between
Amara and Jamie with a determined expression on his face. Hank,
Ororo, and Evan were standing opposite them with speculative looks on
their faces.
"How does he know that there are intruders at
the Institute?" Hank wanted to know. "There's no way he
could be aware of something like that, is there?"
Once Amara
had relayed Hank's objection, Kurt began to speak in German again,
and Amara once again translated. "Kurt used his abilities inside
the mansion. The Genetex agents have devices that can track mutants
who have used their powers, so they would look for Kurt at the place
his powers were activated. The jets that flew overhead were the
soldiers arriving, and by now they've probably got the entire
Institute under their control."
Kurt paused, then looked away
before continuing. Amara slowly turned pale as she continued, but
managed to translate what was said. "If Baine has come for him –
and he would have – then the others will be... tortured until...
they tell the soldiers where to find Kurt. If they don't get the
information they want, then they'll start searching again. The
residual effect of Kurt's teleporting just now would still show on
their devices, so they'd check them... and it's just a... matter
of... time... before they come for us..." Amara's voice broke
off with a terrified whimper.
"So." There was an edge of
steel in Ororo's voice that none of the others had heard before.
"He's going to help us because he's got nothing to lose."
Kurt
understood the tone if not the words, and answered for himself. "Ja."
He turned to Amara and said something else, but Amara did not
immediately translate it.
"Amara?" prompted
Hank.
Amara's reply was soft. "He seeks forgiveness from God
for the sins that took away his humanity."
Rahne finally
spoke. "An' what sins would those be?"
Amara's
translation came with a wistful smile. "He wishes he knew. He's
been asking God the same question ever since he came here."
Rahne
struggled to unsteady feet and continued. "Aye, an' even if we
believe that, why should we trust him when he's tried to kill us? Eh,
demon?"
Kurt's temper flared ever so slightly. "Ich
bin KEIN Teufel!" he growled. "Ich bin
Romani."
Jamie looked at Amara. "Huh?"
"I'm
not a demon, I'm Romani," reported Amara.
"What does
that have to do with anything?" Hank asked, confused.
Amara
resumed speaking for Kurt. "There is an oath that Kurt will
swear by, a Romani oath that no-one of his people would ever break.
It is an oath of friendship and trust in times of difficulty."
Here she paused in her translations. "He wants me to translate
this next part exactly..."
----
Kurt
held out his right hand, palm up. Speaking slowly for Amara's
benefit, he made eye contact with those around him as he spoke.
"There is a barrier between us; let it be cast aside. There is
blood that stains the ground where we stand; let the rains wash it
away. Yesterday we cared not for one another; today, let us begin to
care."
"To do what we know must be done, we will stand
by one another. I will pledge my life to yours and yours to mine,
sacrificing what little we have for the good of the people. This day
and in the days to come, I will stand fast by your side – until
again we stand alone."
Jamie caught on first. Placing his
smaller hand on top of Kurt's strange, three-fingered one, he replied
firmly, "Until we stand alone."
Amara was next: "Until
we stand alone."
One by one, Hank, Evan, Ororo and finally
Rahne added their pledge to the oath. When the oath had been made,
Kurt gave a faint smile and withdrew his hand. Stepping back, he
spoke quickly to Amara, then turned and began to walk away.
"Uh...
Amara?" prompted Evan.
Amara shrugged. "He said, 'Let's
go'." The small group looked at each other and, with nothing
else for them to do, began to follow their strange new ally down the
side of the mountain.
----
Scott
groaned as he slowly woke up. Noticing his glasses weren't on, he
groped for them on the bedside table with one hand.
His hand met
nothing but air; no glasses, not even a table. Also, he realized, he
wasn't lying down in bed. He was, judging by the pain in his legs and
the blood rushing to his head, hanging upside down in the air. Then
he remembered; he'd been sitting on the couch talking to Jean men
dressed in black uniforms had burst in holding guns. Then... it all
got kind of confusing.
Oh, Shit. Shitshitshitshit...
"Welcome
back to the land of the living," an unfamiliar and very English
voice greeted him. "And I hope you enjoy it whilst you can,
because unless your mentor here tells me what I want to know, you
won't be staying here very long."
Charles' voice came to him.
"Stay calm, Scott. Everything is fine..."
Scott,
mentally cursing his inability to see, found his voice. "Professor?
What's happening?"
The English voice ignored him. "As
far as this young man is concerned, Xavier, things are anything but
fine. Trinity, if you please...?"
Scott felt himself being
lifted. He let out a small groan of disorientation and apprehension,
before...
CRUNCH
Scott screamed aloud. Knives, or something equally painful, were tearing into him. Right into his already sore shoulder, slicing into his flesh. He struggled wildly and felt the grip on his ankles begin to slip. Something nearby snarled, and suddenly the grip on his ankles was released. Scott, blood streaming from his shoulder, landed hard on his head, and was knocked unconscious for the third time in under twenty-four hours.
----
Charles
bit his lips and looked away, closing his eyes. Why did this have
to happen? Why couldn't this man just leave them in peace?
"Alright,"
he said wearily. "What do you want me to tell you? I'm afraid
that none of my students go by the name '4127', so if you could
provide me with a bit more information – and perhaps a doctor for
my student..."
"He'll get one later," snapped
Baine. "But, now that you're cooperating, the young man I am
looking for is rather distinctive. He is German – Romani, to be
precise – and has numerous physical mutations. I can't give you a
name, as I'm afraid I never bothered to learn it."
Charles
nodded. "What kind of physical mutations?" he asked.
"4127
looks, ironically enough, like a demon. He has digridade legs,
prehensile tridactyl feet, equally tridactyl hands, pointed ears,
fangs, and a two-foot-long prehensile tail with a spade tip. His
musculature is extremely enhanced, to the point where he can perform
feats of agility and dexterity that no ordinary human being could
hope to achieve. He has a metabolism like that of 10 men, luminous
eyes that grant him perfect and total night vision, the ability to
stick to and climb the surface of virtually any substance, even to
the point of walking upside down on the roof. He can also become
invisible in shadows, and teleport himself, although I don't know if
these are the extent of his abilities. Most striking of all, however,
is his coat of fur; a beautiful shade of dark blue, if I may say so."
Baine ended his list. "Complete enough for you?"
Charles
wiped the impressive mental image he'd been constructing from his
mind. "Physically? It's complete enough for me to tell you, with
certainty, that the individual you are searching for is not a
resident of this Institute. He is neither one of my students or
staff, and I personally cannot ever recall laying eyes upon someone
who would fit that rather striking description."
Trinity
growled. "He liessss... yessss... we smell the Demon. The demon
was here, yesss..."
Baine raised an eyebrow. "I'd tend
to believe Trinity more than you, Xavier. Try again, or we'll see if
you're more attached to another student than you were to this
one."
Charles looked defiant. "I am not lying, Baine. As
you say, I would not risk the life and well-being of any of my
students. I do not know 4127. However..."
"What?"
He
sighed. "We have recently had... difficulty... with a mutant
living as a hermit in these mountains nearby. Early this morning, he
was inside this building and had an... incident... with one of my
students. It was because of this that Scott's arm was in a sling when
you brought him here."
Baine regarded Charles coolly. "And
where is this hermit now?"
"I don't know," admitted
Charles. "However, I might be able to find him if you will let
me try..."
"How?" asked Baine. "If you don't
know him, and you've never met him, and you don't know where he is,
how could you possibly find him?"
Charles looked at Baine as
if he were an idiot. "I am a mutant too, Baine. Since all cards
are on the table, you may as well know that."
"Thank
you."
"My ability is telepathy. I may be able to locate
4127's mind, if I knew what to search for. You've told me what 4127
is like, physically. Now I need to know his mind, and then I will
find him if I can."
Baine looked surprised. "You would
do that?"
"As you pointed out, Baine, I have no choice,"
replied Charles acidly. "I will turn over a stranger rather than
one of my students. Now then," he continued, "strong
emotions are best for finding someone. What would 4127's strongest
emotion be?"
Baine allowed himself a victorious smirk.
"Guilt. When 4127 escaped, he immediately headed for his home
town in Germany. Trinity beat him there and vented some frustration
by killing 4127's family. 4127 arrived just in time to watch it
happen. Now the boy blames himself for leading Trinity there."
Baine nodded. "If you want to find 4127, search for feelings of
strong guilt and a deep hatred of my dear Trinity, here."
Charles
sighed wearily. "Alright. I'll do what I can. By the way,"
he added, "this will be easier, and therefore more likely to
succeed, if I'm not concerned with other matters. Could you have
someone tend to my student now, please?"
Baine turned to one
of the soldiers standing around the room. "Medic," he
ordered, "see to the boy. Take him to the hospital wing we found
in the eastern side of the building."
Charles sighed inwardly
with relief. His little ruse had worked; Scott was being tended to,
the other students and Logan were safe, at least for the moment, and
he was free to engage in telepathy.
Of course, he was not
looking for this mysterious 4127.
Hank...?
----
The
search party waded through the snow. They were in a mostly close
group, and were asking the occasional question of their new ally.
Evan in particular was impressed; not many people were able to beat
Evan when he was mad, but Kurt had managed it without raising a
sweat. Now, Evan addressed Amara, since Kurt couldn't understand him.
"Where did he learn to fight like that?"
Amara asked
Kurt the question, and answered in English for him. "At Genetex.
The laboratories exist for the purpose of finding the genetic makeup
of the perfect soldier; they take a mutant, test their limits and
abilities, then perform experimental enhancements on them. Kurt
escaped before any experimenting could take place, but they still
trained him to be a soldier in order to see how powerful he could
naturally become."
The others digested this. Finally, Rahne
spoke. "An' how long ago did tha' happen?"
"A
while," came the belated reply. "Kurt has lost track of
time, but at a guess he'd say eighteen months since he came to this
country, and at least another six before that."
"How did
he come to the country?" Hank wanted to know.
"He stowed
away on a plane," replied Amara after Kurt had told her so.
"Jumped onto a wing as it took off and hung on as it came to the
country. One of Kurt's abilities seems to be clinging to sheer
surfaces, and so he was a able to hold on despite the wind against
him."
"Two years..." whispered Ororo. She spoke to
Amara. "Does his family know where he is?"
Amara asked
Kurt, and when no answer was forthcoming she repeated the question.
Slowly, Kurt replied, his answer making Amara turn pale. Before the
others could ask what had been said, Amara translated.
"His
family are... dead. When Kurt... escaped from Genetex, he... ran
home. One of the Genetex test subjects was waiting for him there, one
whose mind had been broken by Baine's experimentation." Amara's
voice cracked as she said something Kurt had not. "Kurt blames
himself for this."
A shocked silence greeted this
revelation, before Hank suddenly stopped dead and gasped. "It's
Charles," he informed the others. While Amara explained this to
Kurt, the others waited impatiently while Hank and Charles exchanged
information. Soon, Hank opened his eyes and regarded them all. He
filled them in on what had happened at the mansion. "The Genetex
agents have control of the Institute. They are holding Charles
prisoner and using the others as hostages to force him to help them.
They want Kurt. Along with 20 soldiers, the head scientist of
Genetex, Francis Baine, is here, as is a test subject known as
Trinity..."
At the sound of that three-syllable name, Kurt
let out a tiny gasp. "Trinity..." he whispered. At Amara's
prompting, he described Trinity for the others, ending with a simple
explanation of their relationship: "He killed my family."
Kurt shook his head, and spoke rapidly and forcefully to Amara. As she translated for the others, Kurt swiftly outlined the methods they would use to force out their invaders.
----
At
the Institute, Charles opened his eyes. According to Hank, they were
half a mile due west of the Institute and approaching fast. Now,
Charles spoke to his British tormentor.
"4127 is near a
camping ground toward the beaches. Three miles, due East," he
informed Baine. Baine smiled evilly and nodded toward Trinity. The
behemoth lumbered toward the large windows, exited, and took
flight.
"For your sake, Xavier," mused Baine, "and
those of your students, I hope he finds 4127."
And for all
our sakes, thought Charles, I pray that he does not.
Looking out the window at Trinity's figure headed for the horizon, Charles sighed.
If this doesn't work, we are all in a lot of trouble, he mused. Come on, Hank...