2ndNote: Thanks for all the reviews everyone! *grins* Here's another (hopefully) x-citing chapter for ya'll!
Fear: Chapter 6-Ambush
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Ducking in the shadows and cautiously making their way down the halls, Storm and Nightcrawler prepared themselves for anything as they moved along, looking for their missing teammates.
Approaching the level above the foyer, Storm froze. "Kurt..."
"I heard it." he answered quietly. "I'll take a look." swiftly and silently, Nightcrawler crouched to all fours, then leapt onto the railing, pushing off from there and landing on the massive chandelier above the foyer.
Stick had stepped into the foyer when he heard a noise above him. He pulled a grenade from his belt, then aimed to throw as he looked up at the chandelier that was swinging ever so slightly. He pulled his nightvision goggles over his eyes, but saw nothing. Sighing and shaking his head with frustration, Stick clipped the grenade back on his belt and continued scanning that wing of the mansion.
Ororo gasped softly as Kurt landed back in the hallway after having leapt from the chandelier. "That was close."
Kurt nodded, catching the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Ja. Tell me about it."
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Soft echoes of footsteps sounded throughout the open spaced hangar, making the jet that loomed in the room seem like a hulking and intimidating beast that was just waiting to be awakened.
Logan grunted as he crossed the floor with careful, stealthy steps, his bare feet making barely audible sounds as he moved. He ducked beside a large barrel filled with water, crouching low with one hand to the floor to steady him. His left shoulder had stopped bleeding with the make-shift tourniquet, and Logan was thankful for that so he wasn't leaving a blood trail.
Heavy footsteps from one of the attackers boots echoed in the hangar as Craven marched through, keeping an eye out for any mutants. He lowered the nightvision goggles over his eyes, falling flat on his back when something from above struck his shoulder. "What the-?!" he hollered angrily, glaring upwards and pulling back his goggles.
A woman hung upside-down from a repelling rope above him, grinning fiercely. She had pin-straight black hair that hung about a foot from her head in her current position, a ghostly pale complexion with bright crimson lipstick and shimmering light green eyes on a thin, oval face.
"Not funny Spider." Craven hissed as he got to his feet and dusted himself off.
She smiled, then released the rope and flipped before landing perfectly on the hangar's floor. Her body was completely covered in the same combat style black cargo pants as the others, and she wore a black tank-top with a bullet-proof vest over that, a blood red arm band on her right arm, and heavy black boots.
"It's about time you showed yourself Little Sis." Craven smirked.
Rolling her eyes, Spider flicked back her hair, showing off the spider-web tattoo on the left side of her neck. "Don't act like I haven't done anything Craven." she spat. "If it wasn't for me, that power supressor outside wouldn't be there."
Logan listened intently, leaning against the side of the water barrel. He pushed up against it, stumbling a little as he lost his balance being hit with a dizzy spell.
The barrel tipped a little, then a wrench that had been atop it clattered to the floor, making a loud noise that echoed in the hangar.
Cursing himself inwardly, Logan stiffened and evened out his breaths when the killers conversation halted.
"Someone's in here." Craven hissed.
"Is it that obvious?" Spider spat sarcastically, moving toward the hangar wall where the noise had come from.
Logan remained still as stone, wanting to release his claws but holding back so the sound didn't further give away his location. He peered around the side of the water barrel, watching the two killers closing in on him. Realizing he had no other option but to react, and soon, Logan carefully pulled his lighter and the stolen perfume bottle from his pockets. He pulled off the bottle's cap, then leapt from his hiding place toward the closest killer which happened to be Craven.
"You!" Craven snarled, as he was tackled to the floor, taken by surprise. He winced as Logan slammed his palm against the gash in his shoulder, biting his lip so he didn't give the mutant the satisfaction of hearing him scream out in pain.
Without giving the killer's partner a chance to react quite yet, Logan poured the perfume all over Craven, then jumped back as he lit his lighter with his other hand and tossed it at him, setting the man's chest ablaze. Logan smirked to himself. 'Wow, women wear pretty deadly stuff.'
He had little time to enjoy the brief victory as a steel-toed boot connected with the back of his skull and he pitched forward.
"Craven!" Spider leapt on her brother, smouldering the fire on his clothes. She turned swiftly toward Logan, giving Craven a chance to catch his breath.
By now Logan had gotten back to his feet, thankful for his adamantium laced skull, which was probably the only reason he hadn't been knocked out by the force of the woman's kick. He growled and unsheathed his claws, diving toward Spider mercilessly.
She drew two sais from her belt, twisting them expertly in her hands and leaping over Logan, using his momentum to get up and over with a hand planted on his shoulder, thrusting one sai downward.
"Yaarrgghh!!" Logan roared in agony as the sai ripped into his flesh a few inches to the left of his neck, going through his shoulder muscle and coming out just under his collar bone. He landed on the floor with a hard thump and a soft rush of air as his breath was knocked out of him.
Stepping over his unmoving form, Spider planted her foot into his back and grabbed the sai's handle, ripping it out viciously, blood spattering up into her face as she did so. She huffed angrily, glancing sharply back at her older brother who was absently pulling burnt fabric from his shirt.
"We'll finish him later," Craven grunted, "let's go for the rest of them."
"No!" Spider shouted vehemently as her brother began leaving the hangar. "I want to finish him now."
"Fine. Just get it done with and I'll meet up with you later." Craven responded, giving in as he was too frustrated the moment to argue. He turned swiftly and was out the hangar door by the time his sister looked back.
Logan lay on the floor unmoving, his breaths coming in and out ragged and slow. Despite his pain, he listened as Craven left, then chose to make his move. When he heard Spider bend down to roll him over so she could pierce his heart, Logan used his last forceful effort to swing his right arm and pierce his claws into his enemie's shin. He sat up and pulled on her leg so she fell to the ground, then dragged her toward him and covered her mouth with his hand so she couldn't scream for her brother.
Spider was shocked from the sudden pain, but silently impressed that this mutant had any fight left in him at all after what she'd done. She struggled to grab a hidden dagger from her right boot and managed to slash it across Logan's chest.
He held back his howl of pain, holding his hand tightly over Spider's mouth and nose until she'd passed out. Satisfied that she wasn't about to attack him any time soon, Logan dropped her limp body, then staggered to his feet. Blood dripped from his shoulder that was cut in a half a dozen places, and he realized that the previous shoulder wound had reopened.
He managed to drag himself out of the hangar, then finding himself in the lower levels, Logan finally collapsed in front of the med-lab.
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