X-Men: Dark Moon
A FanFic by: Artemis Hunter
Continued...
Chapter 2: Full Moon
--------------------------------------------------------------
Several hours later, the group came to the small town of Como, south of Milan. Driving past the town, they finally arrived at a secluded lakeside mansion. It was a large, three story villa, surrounded by acres of gardens and beaches, nearly two miles from the Italian populace in each direction.
A storm had picked up violently, and dark clouds covered the bright full moon still in the sky. They cautiously drove down the dim, lamp lit road which led to the mansion's parking garage. Gwen slowly led Moira into the villa's foyer.
Arthur passed them, shaking his head. "Nearly two weeks of searching for this bit..."
Deirdre rested her hand gingerly on Moira's shoulder from behind. "Don't mind Quinn. You've just caused us a little grief, that's all."
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to..."
"Don't fret over it, love" Gwen reassured her. "It's our job."
"I still don't understand. What do you want with me?"
"We heard you were in trouble, lass," Arthur chimed in, sitting down to recline on a sofa in the living room, "We protect runaway mutants like you."
The girl obviously shivered at the term mutant. Gwen caught her uneasiness immediately. "This is a school, Moira; a school for young people like yourself with special gifts. The students who come here come to learn how to harness their abilities. We'd like you to consider enrolling with us."
The girl looked a bit hesitant. "Why would you want me? I'm nothing special..."
Gwen cut her off. "Moira, you have a remarkable talent, a talent that we believe can be used to do great things. Don't dismiss your abilities; you'll be surprised at what you can accomplish."
"But you certainly don't have to make a decision right now!" Deirdre interrupted. "In the mean time," she began leading her up the grand staircase, "I'll show you to a room you can stay in. I'm sure some of the students wouldn't mind sharing for a few days."
Moira was silent for moment. "What happens if I decide to stay here?"
"Well, if you stay, you'll have access to any help we can give you." Gwen answered, "You'll be able to fine-tune your abilities. What you do after that is up to you."
"I'll have to think about it."
The woman smiled. "Of course. Take your time, love."
--------------------------------------------------------------
As the two headed upstairs, a young man sped down. He lifted his eyebrows, smiling broadly at Deirdre. The woman simply rolled her eyes and continued to walk up towards the dormitories. "Well hello to you too."
Arthur smiled patronizingly. "Well, Jacob, so nice of you to join us. I trust your evening went well?"
"Very funny, Quinn. I wish you fellas wouldn't leave me on babysitting duty all the time; it's embarrassing."
David stepped into the room, hearing the overzealous Australian's comment.
"Well we wouldn't want you to get too excited and short my car out, now would we, Shock?"
"More jibes at my expense! You hear all this, Gwen?"
"Yes, Jacob." Gwen stared out the window over the dark, calm lake. "But someone has to stay here to keep an eye on things. We couldn't very well have us all gallivanting around the city."
"So your trip went well then?"
"In most respects."
Jacob's icy blue eyes flashed at her comment. "What happened?"
"Oh, she ran into some trouble at one of the cathedrals." Arthur remarked, smirking. "Lucky we got there in time before she got herself shot."
Gwen whipped around to face him, offended. "I was handling things just fine, thank you."
Arthur laughed, "Sure you were..."
Feeling the tensions grow, Jacob quickly changed the subject. "Speaking o' Moira, what are the little sheila's powers?"
Gwen, still agitated, forced herself to answer him. "She's empathic; she can read other people's emotions. She may even be able to control them, I'm not sure. We don't know the full extent of her powers yet."
"You may not..." A voice replied from behind. The group's gaze darted up to the man leaning against the entrance, pointing two pistols in their direction.
Gwen gritted her teeth. "You again! What are you doing here?"
"I'm here for the girl." He answered matter-of-factly. He headed towards the staircase, but Gwen moved to block him.
"She's under our protection now; you're not going near her!"
"Well, you see, I can't promise that..." He raised his pistol to her face. She didn't flinch, and stared right back at him. Quinn headed towards them, but the American redirected the second pistol towards him.
"Why are you so interested in her anyway?" Gwen asked.
"I've been paid to be interested."
"Paid? So you're a bounty hunter then..."
"Good guess."
"And who are you?" Arthur interrupted. He noticed Jacob in the corner of his eye inching closer to the man.
"Doesn't matter."
"It does to us," Gwen insisted.
The man smirked at her earnestness. "The name's DiMarco." His eyes flashed to Jacob, creeping closer. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Before he could turn back around, Gwen punched him hard in the jaw. Jacob released a bolt of electricity out of his fingertips, stunning the man for a moment. As he fell to the ground, David sped with super human quickness grasping him around the neck and lifting him into the air.
"Now, Mr. DiMarco," Gwen began calmly, "Who are you working for?"
He reached for David's hand, trying to allow some more air flow. "I don't know; I don't ask."
Gwen was unconvinced. "Jacob." The man rolled his sleeves up further, blue electricity surging around his arm. David tightened his grip. "Now I'm going to ask again; who hired you?"
"A man named...Xavier," He gasped. They all froze for a moment. Gwen stepped closer to him.
"Charles Xavier?"
"Yeah, that's the guy." She glared in suspicion. The man began to slip into unconsciousness.
"David, put him down." With a moment's hesitation, the large man released his hold and the bounty hunter crumpled to the ground, coughing furiously.
Gwen faced Arthur, her eyes fierce. "He's not to leave this room, understand?"
The man nodded as Gwen quickly stormed out the room.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Minutes later Gwen was pacing her office, deep in a heated phone discussion with Charles Xavier, the school founder and benefactor.
"But Professor, why didn't you just leave the girl to us? We didn't have any problems finding her on our own."
"I have no doubt of that, Gwendolyn," The older man responded over the phone. "But I believe that that Magneto may also be interested in Moira's talents."
The woman grew uneasy at the name. "Magneto? What would he want with her?"
"I'm not sure, but my sources indicate that Eric has been in on her trail for the last few weeks now. He was last seen on the borders of Northern Italy with several of his associates; that's a little too close to you for comfort. If he were to be looking for Moira, I believe that DiMarco could be a great asset in ensuring her safety."
"I don't think so, Professor. He's a bounty hunter; he hunts us for sport! What possible use could we have for a man like him?"
"He is merely a tracker, and I highly doubt he would kill his own kind for sport."
"DiMarco is a mutant?" That would explain a lot, she thought. She thought on it for a moment before continued. "What kind of powers does he have that would make him helpful?"
"I'm a little short on the details; he likes to keep to himself about it."
His lack of response shortened her patience. "I'm sorry, Professor; I cannot harbor a criminal in our school!"
"I'm not saying that you shouldn't be careful around him, Gwendolyn, I am merely suggesting that you think twice before you refuse his help."
The phone clicked, she grumbled under her breath and turned to leave.
--------------------------------------------------------------
After finally collecting herself, Gwen stepped out of her office and back into the living room. She glanced up the stairwell and noticed the small congregation of students crouching trying to catch a glimpse of the stranger.
She turned back to DiMarco and his captors. Deirdre had joined the group and was leaning uneasily against the wall adjacent to the bounty hunter, eyeing him suspiciously. The group raised their heads when they heard the office door close.
David was looming over DiMarco, who was now forced into a chair. Gwen stared for a moment in silence, reevaluating her decision. "Set Mr. DiMarco up in one of the guest rooms. He'll be staying the night."
Arthur stood in protest. "Gwen, what are you doing!?"
"I'm not going to let him loose in this storm, Arthur."
"But you can't keep him here!"
"It's not your decision," she reprimanded. She knelt in front of the man, "But you will be gone first thing in the morning, understand?"
"No problem." He was roughly pulled to his feet by David. "Why are you doing this?"
"Don't mistake this for hospitality, Mr. DiMarco. I simply find it unwise to let you roam around free."
"Then I'm a prisoner here?" He stood to meet her eyes. David roughly pushed him towards the stairs. The students at the top sprinted towards their rooms in a rush.
"For the night...yes."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Later that night, Gwen retired to her room on the second floor. Exhausted and shaken, she quickly stripped off her leather uniform, showered, and changed into a tank top and pajamas.
Without pulling back the sheets, she lay down on her bed, silently listening to the storm raging outside. Her whole body ached; she could still feel the pressure on her chest from DiMarco's rifle.
She had assigned Jacob, the eternal night owl, to keep watch on the man, promising he could "shock him a little" if the bounty hunter caused any problems. It wasn't much consolation for another demeaning task, but it was enough. Staring at the ceiling, she contemplated whether or not she had made the right choice in allowing the man to stay.
She took a deep breath, deciding it was for the best. Just remember, he'll be gone in the morning. This thought didn't seem to ease her mind. She closed her eyes and drifted to sleep...
Suddenly, a vision came to her, breaking the silence in her mind. Her vision led her down the hall and further up the staircase, to the door of one of the third story rooms. Her vision went further, entering the dark room, she could see a creature, growling and scratching, leaping towards her. It seized her by the shoulders, shaking her, its golden eyes glowing in vicious delight. The shaking continued as she awoke from the vision. Deirdre was standing beside the bed, attempting to stir her.
"Gwen, wake up!"
She woke with a start. "Deirdre? What's going on?"
"Something's happening upstairs. It's coming from that DiMarco's room."
As if on cue, a shrill inhuman howl resounded through the mansion. Gwen jumped to her feet and reached for her robe, pulling it around her.
"What in hell?"
"This way!" Deirdre tossed Gwen her dagger from off the nightstand, and the two headed upstairs.
--------------------------------------------------------------
They sprinted up the staircase to the origin of the noise. When they arrived, Jacob, David, and Arthur, as well as a large gathering of students, had assembled at the door from Gwen's vision.
Moira stood at David's side, eyeing the door nervously. "It feels so...angry."
Gwen patted her on the shoulder. "It's alright." She walked over to Quinn, who leaned warily against the wall, his ear to the door.
"What is it, Arthur?" The man lifted his head, deep in concentration.
"I'm not sure," he whispered. "It started a few minutes ago: scratching, howling, and the like."
"I'm going in..."
Arthur stood in front to stop her. "Not by yourself you're not!" abruptly thunder boomed outside as a lightning bolt flashed, and the mansions lights flickered out. Some of the students screamed before the pale emergency lights came on.
She sighed. "Fine; David and I will go in." She threw her robe off and pulled out the dagger at her side. She turned to the other students, squinting in the darkness. "As for the rest of you, go back to bed!"
Deirdre rounded the students up and urged them back into their rooms. Moira stayed one moment longer before following. "Be careful."
Gwen smiled. "Don't worry, we will." She glanced at David and then to the door. "Are you ready?"
"Sure, why not?"
Gwen slowly opened the door, and David, grabbing a flashlight from the nightstand in the hall, followed her into the dark room.
Besides the storm continuing to rage outside, the room was silent. The two glanced around, searching for the source of the noise. As she stepped in closer, Gwen heard something shatter under David's boot. She knelt down, finding a broken hypodermic needle in a puddle of liquid. She carefully lifted the dry end of the syringe as David brought his flashlight down to read the label; it was a heavy sedative tranquilizer.
Gwen looked up, searching for the bounty hunter. "DiMarco?" A low rumbling filled the room, echoing, masking its source.
David suddenly swung around. "Watch out!"
Gwen had sensed the presence too and ducked out of the way. David leapt behind her to intercept the attacker. He swung his thick arm around and plowed his fist into DiMarco, driving him into the wall. Gwen spun around to face the bounty hunter, now crouched towards the ground, growling.
Several tense moments passed as he circled the two intruders, sniffing the air in their direction. This was obviously not the man she'd seen hours earlier; it was now a predator, a prowling animal. Its golden eyes blazed with hunger; Gwen knew it was hunting her. She tightly grasped her dagger and recalled her vision. As if on cue, the beast leaped into the air, reaching for her throat.
Just before reaching her, it howled, thrown back by a sudden bolt of lightning. Jacob and Arthur dashed inside. DiMarco vainly tried to lift himself back onto his feet, but soon collapsed once again to the floor. Arthur breathed heavily, eyeing the entire room before resting his gaze on the unconscious attacker.
"What happened?"
"I think we've just discovered his power," David remarked coolly, flipping the man over gently with his boot. Jacob ambled over and checked him for life signs.
"He's out cold."
Arthur turned to Gwen. "What do you suggest we do?"
Gwen cautiously watched the man lying on the floor, moonlight now shining down on him through the window. "Chain him up."
-------------------------------------------------------------- To be continued...
A FanFic by: Artemis Hunter
Continued...
Chapter 2: Full Moon
--------------------------------------------------------------
Several hours later, the group came to the small town of Como, south of Milan. Driving past the town, they finally arrived at a secluded lakeside mansion. It was a large, three story villa, surrounded by acres of gardens and beaches, nearly two miles from the Italian populace in each direction.
A storm had picked up violently, and dark clouds covered the bright full moon still in the sky. They cautiously drove down the dim, lamp lit road which led to the mansion's parking garage. Gwen slowly led Moira into the villa's foyer.
Arthur passed them, shaking his head. "Nearly two weeks of searching for this bit..."
Deirdre rested her hand gingerly on Moira's shoulder from behind. "Don't mind Quinn. You've just caused us a little grief, that's all."
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to..."
"Don't fret over it, love" Gwen reassured her. "It's our job."
"I still don't understand. What do you want with me?"
"We heard you were in trouble, lass," Arthur chimed in, sitting down to recline on a sofa in the living room, "We protect runaway mutants like you."
The girl obviously shivered at the term mutant. Gwen caught her uneasiness immediately. "This is a school, Moira; a school for young people like yourself with special gifts. The students who come here come to learn how to harness their abilities. We'd like you to consider enrolling with us."
The girl looked a bit hesitant. "Why would you want me? I'm nothing special..."
Gwen cut her off. "Moira, you have a remarkable talent, a talent that we believe can be used to do great things. Don't dismiss your abilities; you'll be surprised at what you can accomplish."
"But you certainly don't have to make a decision right now!" Deirdre interrupted. "In the mean time," she began leading her up the grand staircase, "I'll show you to a room you can stay in. I'm sure some of the students wouldn't mind sharing for a few days."
Moira was silent for moment. "What happens if I decide to stay here?"
"Well, if you stay, you'll have access to any help we can give you." Gwen answered, "You'll be able to fine-tune your abilities. What you do after that is up to you."
"I'll have to think about it."
The woman smiled. "Of course. Take your time, love."
--------------------------------------------------------------
As the two headed upstairs, a young man sped down. He lifted his eyebrows, smiling broadly at Deirdre. The woman simply rolled her eyes and continued to walk up towards the dormitories. "Well hello to you too."
Arthur smiled patronizingly. "Well, Jacob, so nice of you to join us. I trust your evening went well?"
"Very funny, Quinn. I wish you fellas wouldn't leave me on babysitting duty all the time; it's embarrassing."
David stepped into the room, hearing the overzealous Australian's comment.
"Well we wouldn't want you to get too excited and short my car out, now would we, Shock?"
"More jibes at my expense! You hear all this, Gwen?"
"Yes, Jacob." Gwen stared out the window over the dark, calm lake. "But someone has to stay here to keep an eye on things. We couldn't very well have us all gallivanting around the city."
"So your trip went well then?"
"In most respects."
Jacob's icy blue eyes flashed at her comment. "What happened?"
"Oh, she ran into some trouble at one of the cathedrals." Arthur remarked, smirking. "Lucky we got there in time before she got herself shot."
Gwen whipped around to face him, offended. "I was handling things just fine, thank you."
Arthur laughed, "Sure you were..."
Feeling the tensions grow, Jacob quickly changed the subject. "Speaking o' Moira, what are the little sheila's powers?"
Gwen, still agitated, forced herself to answer him. "She's empathic; she can read other people's emotions. She may even be able to control them, I'm not sure. We don't know the full extent of her powers yet."
"You may not..." A voice replied from behind. The group's gaze darted up to the man leaning against the entrance, pointing two pistols in their direction.
Gwen gritted her teeth. "You again! What are you doing here?"
"I'm here for the girl." He answered matter-of-factly. He headed towards the staircase, but Gwen moved to block him.
"She's under our protection now; you're not going near her!"
"Well, you see, I can't promise that..." He raised his pistol to her face. She didn't flinch, and stared right back at him. Quinn headed towards them, but the American redirected the second pistol towards him.
"Why are you so interested in her anyway?" Gwen asked.
"I've been paid to be interested."
"Paid? So you're a bounty hunter then..."
"Good guess."
"And who are you?" Arthur interrupted. He noticed Jacob in the corner of his eye inching closer to the man.
"Doesn't matter."
"It does to us," Gwen insisted.
The man smirked at her earnestness. "The name's DiMarco." His eyes flashed to Jacob, creeping closer. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Before he could turn back around, Gwen punched him hard in the jaw. Jacob released a bolt of electricity out of his fingertips, stunning the man for a moment. As he fell to the ground, David sped with super human quickness grasping him around the neck and lifting him into the air.
"Now, Mr. DiMarco," Gwen began calmly, "Who are you working for?"
He reached for David's hand, trying to allow some more air flow. "I don't know; I don't ask."
Gwen was unconvinced. "Jacob." The man rolled his sleeves up further, blue electricity surging around his arm. David tightened his grip. "Now I'm going to ask again; who hired you?"
"A man named...Xavier," He gasped. They all froze for a moment. Gwen stepped closer to him.
"Charles Xavier?"
"Yeah, that's the guy." She glared in suspicion. The man began to slip into unconsciousness.
"David, put him down." With a moment's hesitation, the large man released his hold and the bounty hunter crumpled to the ground, coughing furiously.
Gwen faced Arthur, her eyes fierce. "He's not to leave this room, understand?"
The man nodded as Gwen quickly stormed out the room.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Minutes later Gwen was pacing her office, deep in a heated phone discussion with Charles Xavier, the school founder and benefactor.
"But Professor, why didn't you just leave the girl to us? We didn't have any problems finding her on our own."
"I have no doubt of that, Gwendolyn," The older man responded over the phone. "But I believe that that Magneto may also be interested in Moira's talents."
The woman grew uneasy at the name. "Magneto? What would he want with her?"
"I'm not sure, but my sources indicate that Eric has been in on her trail for the last few weeks now. He was last seen on the borders of Northern Italy with several of his associates; that's a little too close to you for comfort. If he were to be looking for Moira, I believe that DiMarco could be a great asset in ensuring her safety."
"I don't think so, Professor. He's a bounty hunter; he hunts us for sport! What possible use could we have for a man like him?"
"He is merely a tracker, and I highly doubt he would kill his own kind for sport."
"DiMarco is a mutant?" That would explain a lot, she thought. She thought on it for a moment before continued. "What kind of powers does he have that would make him helpful?"
"I'm a little short on the details; he likes to keep to himself about it."
His lack of response shortened her patience. "I'm sorry, Professor; I cannot harbor a criminal in our school!"
"I'm not saying that you shouldn't be careful around him, Gwendolyn, I am merely suggesting that you think twice before you refuse his help."
The phone clicked, she grumbled under her breath and turned to leave.
--------------------------------------------------------------
After finally collecting herself, Gwen stepped out of her office and back into the living room. She glanced up the stairwell and noticed the small congregation of students crouching trying to catch a glimpse of the stranger.
She turned back to DiMarco and his captors. Deirdre had joined the group and was leaning uneasily against the wall adjacent to the bounty hunter, eyeing him suspiciously. The group raised their heads when they heard the office door close.
David was looming over DiMarco, who was now forced into a chair. Gwen stared for a moment in silence, reevaluating her decision. "Set Mr. DiMarco up in one of the guest rooms. He'll be staying the night."
Arthur stood in protest. "Gwen, what are you doing!?"
"I'm not going to let him loose in this storm, Arthur."
"But you can't keep him here!"
"It's not your decision," she reprimanded. She knelt in front of the man, "But you will be gone first thing in the morning, understand?"
"No problem." He was roughly pulled to his feet by David. "Why are you doing this?"
"Don't mistake this for hospitality, Mr. DiMarco. I simply find it unwise to let you roam around free."
"Then I'm a prisoner here?" He stood to meet her eyes. David roughly pushed him towards the stairs. The students at the top sprinted towards their rooms in a rush.
"For the night...yes."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Later that night, Gwen retired to her room on the second floor. Exhausted and shaken, she quickly stripped off her leather uniform, showered, and changed into a tank top and pajamas.
Without pulling back the sheets, she lay down on her bed, silently listening to the storm raging outside. Her whole body ached; she could still feel the pressure on her chest from DiMarco's rifle.
She had assigned Jacob, the eternal night owl, to keep watch on the man, promising he could "shock him a little" if the bounty hunter caused any problems. It wasn't much consolation for another demeaning task, but it was enough. Staring at the ceiling, she contemplated whether or not she had made the right choice in allowing the man to stay.
She took a deep breath, deciding it was for the best. Just remember, he'll be gone in the morning. This thought didn't seem to ease her mind. She closed her eyes and drifted to sleep...
Suddenly, a vision came to her, breaking the silence in her mind. Her vision led her down the hall and further up the staircase, to the door of one of the third story rooms. Her vision went further, entering the dark room, she could see a creature, growling and scratching, leaping towards her. It seized her by the shoulders, shaking her, its golden eyes glowing in vicious delight. The shaking continued as she awoke from the vision. Deirdre was standing beside the bed, attempting to stir her.
"Gwen, wake up!"
She woke with a start. "Deirdre? What's going on?"
"Something's happening upstairs. It's coming from that DiMarco's room."
As if on cue, a shrill inhuman howl resounded through the mansion. Gwen jumped to her feet and reached for her robe, pulling it around her.
"What in hell?"
"This way!" Deirdre tossed Gwen her dagger from off the nightstand, and the two headed upstairs.
--------------------------------------------------------------
They sprinted up the staircase to the origin of the noise. When they arrived, Jacob, David, and Arthur, as well as a large gathering of students, had assembled at the door from Gwen's vision.
Moira stood at David's side, eyeing the door nervously. "It feels so...angry."
Gwen patted her on the shoulder. "It's alright." She walked over to Quinn, who leaned warily against the wall, his ear to the door.
"What is it, Arthur?" The man lifted his head, deep in concentration.
"I'm not sure," he whispered. "It started a few minutes ago: scratching, howling, and the like."
"I'm going in..."
Arthur stood in front to stop her. "Not by yourself you're not!" abruptly thunder boomed outside as a lightning bolt flashed, and the mansions lights flickered out. Some of the students screamed before the pale emergency lights came on.
She sighed. "Fine; David and I will go in." She threw her robe off and pulled out the dagger at her side. She turned to the other students, squinting in the darkness. "As for the rest of you, go back to bed!"
Deirdre rounded the students up and urged them back into their rooms. Moira stayed one moment longer before following. "Be careful."
Gwen smiled. "Don't worry, we will." She glanced at David and then to the door. "Are you ready?"
"Sure, why not?"
Gwen slowly opened the door, and David, grabbing a flashlight from the nightstand in the hall, followed her into the dark room.
Besides the storm continuing to rage outside, the room was silent. The two glanced around, searching for the source of the noise. As she stepped in closer, Gwen heard something shatter under David's boot. She knelt down, finding a broken hypodermic needle in a puddle of liquid. She carefully lifted the dry end of the syringe as David brought his flashlight down to read the label; it was a heavy sedative tranquilizer.
Gwen looked up, searching for the bounty hunter. "DiMarco?" A low rumbling filled the room, echoing, masking its source.
David suddenly swung around. "Watch out!"
Gwen had sensed the presence too and ducked out of the way. David leapt behind her to intercept the attacker. He swung his thick arm around and plowed his fist into DiMarco, driving him into the wall. Gwen spun around to face the bounty hunter, now crouched towards the ground, growling.
Several tense moments passed as he circled the two intruders, sniffing the air in their direction. This was obviously not the man she'd seen hours earlier; it was now a predator, a prowling animal. Its golden eyes blazed with hunger; Gwen knew it was hunting her. She tightly grasped her dagger and recalled her vision. As if on cue, the beast leaped into the air, reaching for her throat.
Just before reaching her, it howled, thrown back by a sudden bolt of lightning. Jacob and Arthur dashed inside. DiMarco vainly tried to lift himself back onto his feet, but soon collapsed once again to the floor. Arthur breathed heavily, eyeing the entire room before resting his gaze on the unconscious attacker.
"What happened?"
"I think we've just discovered his power," David remarked coolly, flipping the man over gently with his boot. Jacob ambled over and checked him for life signs.
"He's out cold."
Arthur turned to Gwen. "What do you suggest we do?"
Gwen cautiously watched the man lying on the floor, moonlight now shining down on him through the window. "Chain him up."
-------------------------------------------------------------- To be continued...