DISCLAIMER: This story is put on this site with the consent of the writer. DO NOT use this material unless you have her consent. The "Mutant X" characters and settings are property of Tribune and Marvel Entertainment. This story is FAN FICTION; I am not profiting from their use. All new characters and settings have been born from my imagination.
Note: I set this story between season one and (what will become) an alternate season two.
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On the night of a new moon, the ocean seems blacker than black. Even more so when you're sneaking around an unmanned oilrig that's offshore by about twenty miles, like Shalimar was. The only light she had came from the flame given life by Ally's mutant abilities. Ally was following behind Shalimar, who was choosing to use her feral senses to guide her.
"What exactly are we doing here?" Ally asked her in a hushed voice.
"I told you," Shalimar whispered back. "It's a lead on Ashlocke."
"Yeah, I got that. But why exactly are we here, alone, in the dark, when Ashlocke could be involved?"
"Hey, you're the one who insisted on tagging along." Shalimar reminded the thermal. "If you don't want to be here, you could always go back to the Double Helix and wait."
"You're right, I did want to tag along." Ally admitted. "So what I should be asking is why you were going to go after Ashlocke alone?"
"I can take care of myself." Was all Shalimar said.
Ally stopped in her tracks. "Shal,"
Shalimar turned and looked at her impatiently.
"I understand." Ally told her.
"Understand what?" Shalimar asked exasperated.
"What you're going through. What he does to you. How he creeps underneath your skin and won't go away. He's been haunting me too. I haven't even told Brennan about it."
Shalimar turned away. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes you do!" Ally snapped. "And you can make him stop. You can fight it. You just have to---"
"Shh!" Shalimar hissed, raising her hand to emphasize.
She stood very still and Ally knew the feral'd heard something.
After a moment, Ally heard it too: running feet.
From around the corner appeared five men. They skid to a halt right in front of Ally and Shalimar, caught off guard. When they saw Ally's flaming palm, they gaped.
"What's the rush, boys?" Shalimar asked as she made her eyes glow yellow.
The man closest to Shalimar was built like an ox and held a duffel bag, which he swung at her in reaction to her eyes.
A tussle began.
Shalimar ducked under the swing and grabbed the arm with both hands. She twisted it behind his back and heaved him into a wall of crates. Ducking low again and extending her leg, Shalimar pivoted sharply and tripped a second man who carried a flashlight. Even in the dark, Shalimar could see why he'd been the one behind the light. An ugly scar ran diagonally across the whole of his face.
As he fell, the flashlight went flying and rolled into the shuffling feet of Ally and two more of the strangers. As Ox came back for more, Shalimar's attention left Ally.
But the firebug was doing well enough. Using her still flaming hand, she fended off a guy with a piggy face, while backing away from the advances of another man with hair dyed midnight blue. Scarface's flashlight was kicked around through this, and when it came to a stop, the light landed on a slate loaded with full, highly flammable oil drums. This caught Ally's eye and she quickly snuffed out her only other light without thinking.
Her eyes had widened slightly. "Oops...maybe my tagging along was a bad idea."
Ally realized the men were trying to corner her, so she moved quickly. A front handspring, step out, round off. Back handspring, step out, round off.
Ally was directly behind Blue and Porky now, but she kept in motion and snapkicked Porky into Blue and they both fell to the ground under Porky's weight. Ally stepped back and turned to check on Shalimar---and bumped into someone. She spun around and fell into a defensive stance, but no one was behind her. Then back in the other direction she heard running footsteps and twirled back, swinging, but the fifth man, undoubtedly the shortest one out of the five, avoided her assault with ease and just kept on running right past her.
Shalimar was ready to go at it again with Ox and Scarface, when they stumbled to their feet and chased after Tiny. Ally could only watch with amazement as Blue and Porky followed.
Shalimar jogged up next to Ally, watching them all go and obviously frustrated that she didn't get to finish the fight.
"What was that?" She asked.
"I don't know but those weren't Asklocke's Links." Ally noted. "They weren't even New Mutants."
Shalimar snorted. "Yeah no kidding. Did you see the way they looked at us?"
"I happened to notice, yeah. Let's get out of here, huh? Ashlocke hasn't been anywhere near here."
Shalimar reluctantly nodded.
They returned to the Helix and took off for Sanctuary.
Ally, you there? Brennan's voice filled the jet.
Ally smiled a little to herself every time she heard him. "Of course, what's up? Miss me already?"
You and Shal took off. Is everything all right?
"Yeah, we're fine. We're on our way home now."
What happened?
"Nothing." Shalimar barked. "We just..." Shalimar trailed off and slowly turned in her seat. Her eyes studied the back of the jet.
You just what?
Ally's forehead creased. "Shal?"
"Someone else is in here."
Ally became alarmed. "What? Where?"
Just as Ally turned to follow Shalimar's gaze, a man with wild dark hair and almost black eyes appeared out of thin air. He was injured and almost immediately collapsed to the floor, passing out.
Note: I set this story between season one and (what will become) an alternate season two.
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
On the night of a new moon, the ocean seems blacker than black. Even more so when you're sneaking around an unmanned oilrig that's offshore by about twenty miles, like Shalimar was. The only light she had came from the flame given life by Ally's mutant abilities. Ally was following behind Shalimar, who was choosing to use her feral senses to guide her.
"What exactly are we doing here?" Ally asked her in a hushed voice.
"I told you," Shalimar whispered back. "It's a lead on Ashlocke."
"Yeah, I got that. But why exactly are we here, alone, in the dark, when Ashlocke could be involved?"
"Hey, you're the one who insisted on tagging along." Shalimar reminded the thermal. "If you don't want to be here, you could always go back to the Double Helix and wait."
"You're right, I did want to tag along." Ally admitted. "So what I should be asking is why you were going to go after Ashlocke alone?"
"I can take care of myself." Was all Shalimar said.
Ally stopped in her tracks. "Shal,"
Shalimar turned and looked at her impatiently.
"I understand." Ally told her.
"Understand what?" Shalimar asked exasperated.
"What you're going through. What he does to you. How he creeps underneath your skin and won't go away. He's been haunting me too. I haven't even told Brennan about it."
Shalimar turned away. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes you do!" Ally snapped. "And you can make him stop. You can fight it. You just have to---"
"Shh!" Shalimar hissed, raising her hand to emphasize.
She stood very still and Ally knew the feral'd heard something.
After a moment, Ally heard it too: running feet.
From around the corner appeared five men. They skid to a halt right in front of Ally and Shalimar, caught off guard. When they saw Ally's flaming palm, they gaped.
"What's the rush, boys?" Shalimar asked as she made her eyes glow yellow.
The man closest to Shalimar was built like an ox and held a duffel bag, which he swung at her in reaction to her eyes.
A tussle began.
Shalimar ducked under the swing and grabbed the arm with both hands. She twisted it behind his back and heaved him into a wall of crates. Ducking low again and extending her leg, Shalimar pivoted sharply and tripped a second man who carried a flashlight. Even in the dark, Shalimar could see why he'd been the one behind the light. An ugly scar ran diagonally across the whole of his face.
As he fell, the flashlight went flying and rolled into the shuffling feet of Ally and two more of the strangers. As Ox came back for more, Shalimar's attention left Ally.
But the firebug was doing well enough. Using her still flaming hand, she fended off a guy with a piggy face, while backing away from the advances of another man with hair dyed midnight blue. Scarface's flashlight was kicked around through this, and when it came to a stop, the light landed on a slate loaded with full, highly flammable oil drums. This caught Ally's eye and she quickly snuffed out her only other light without thinking.
Her eyes had widened slightly. "Oops...maybe my tagging along was a bad idea."
Ally realized the men were trying to corner her, so she moved quickly. A front handspring, step out, round off. Back handspring, step out, round off.
Ally was directly behind Blue and Porky now, but she kept in motion and snapkicked Porky into Blue and they both fell to the ground under Porky's weight. Ally stepped back and turned to check on Shalimar---and bumped into someone. She spun around and fell into a defensive stance, but no one was behind her. Then back in the other direction she heard running footsteps and twirled back, swinging, but the fifth man, undoubtedly the shortest one out of the five, avoided her assault with ease and just kept on running right past her.
Shalimar was ready to go at it again with Ox and Scarface, when they stumbled to their feet and chased after Tiny. Ally could only watch with amazement as Blue and Porky followed.
Shalimar jogged up next to Ally, watching them all go and obviously frustrated that she didn't get to finish the fight.
"What was that?" She asked.
"I don't know but those weren't Asklocke's Links." Ally noted. "They weren't even New Mutants."
Shalimar snorted. "Yeah no kidding. Did you see the way they looked at us?"
"I happened to notice, yeah. Let's get out of here, huh? Ashlocke hasn't been anywhere near here."
Shalimar reluctantly nodded.
They returned to the Helix and took off for Sanctuary.
Ally, you there? Brennan's voice filled the jet.
Ally smiled a little to herself every time she heard him. "Of course, what's up? Miss me already?"
You and Shal took off. Is everything all right?
"Yeah, we're fine. We're on our way home now."
What happened?
"Nothing." Shalimar barked. "We just..." Shalimar trailed off and slowly turned in her seat. Her eyes studied the back of the jet.
You just what?
Ally's forehead creased. "Shal?"
"Someone else is in here."
Ally became alarmed. "What? Where?"
Just as Ally turned to follow Shalimar's gaze, a man with wild dark hair and almost black eyes appeared out of thin air. He was injured and almost immediately collapsed to the floor, passing out.