Chapter Six:
Professor Xavier maneuvered his chair through the long silver hallways beneath the mansion, a troubled look upon his face.
Ever since his struggle with the strange creature in Stryker's base, Xavier had kept his mind open and constantly monitoring the area around the school for any unusual occurrences among the population of Westchester. He sensed no direct danger to the mansion or his students at the moment, only a kind of disquiet, and an unease that had been growing in his mind all day.
Xavier came to the end of one long hallway, and stopped in front of the entrance to Cerebro. Since Alkalai Lake, he had only tried to use the large machine when necessary for locating mutant signals...or investigating unusual disturbances, like he would attempt to do today.
Welcome, Professor, a soft voice echoed and the large silver doors drew open.
Xavier positioned himself at the end of the long platform and placed the helmet on his head. He took a deep breath before allowing his mind to activate Cerebro.
At once he felt everyone around him, a large cluster of mutant readings around the school grounds, and then becoming mostly human as he stretched his mind further away through the county. He searched each part of the community individually for signs of the disturbance, and sighed in frustration as he failed to find anything out of the ordinary. He knew there was something...he just could not see it yet. He allowed his mind to reach farther and deeper until he locked on something different. He felt a person in distress. This woman's mind was not in the lull of daily life, she was...
-----------------------------------------
...she was screaming...he heard it as clearly as if the woman had been standing beside him...
Xavier found himself behind a stone building. The sun was moving toward the western horizon and the building's shadows covered most of the back lot...
...she screamed again...
Xavier glanced around quickly, and felt the cold presence of a demon envelop the woman and muffle her shrieks...
...there was someone else coming...
Instinctively, Xavier tried to move forward to aid the woman. He could tell she was a mutant, though she herself may not have known it...
...the Slayer...
Xavier heard running footsteps approaching from behind, and he watched another young woman charge past him toward the demon...
...holding a knife...
Xavier locked his mind onto the second young woman with surprise. She was not a mutant, but was no ordinary human being either. There was an ancient strength in her...something primal...something Xavier had not sensed in a long time...
...the demon sneers at the Slayer with its smoky face and drops the woman's body to the ground...
Xavier heard the Slayer growl with fury, and the demon hissed back at her defiantly. In a cloud of black smoke, the demon stole away, leaving the Slayer alone once again with the remains of his victim...
...the Slayer was in a rage, and did not bother to cover this victim before chasing the demon again...
Xavier listened to her thoughts, and in her fury, she did not feel his presence...
...Fifth...this is the fifth one...I'm losing...Come on, Faith, get it together...
Xavier watched her go sadly and felt the demon moving further into Westchester...
...closer to the mansion...
------------------------------------------
Xavier removed the helmet from his head quickly and exited Cerebro. In his mind, he called for Storm and Scott, and asked them to meet him in Dr. McCoy's lab as soon as they could.
------------------------------------------
"A demon!?" Henry exclaimed, his great eyes wide against his blue face, "Professor, you don't mean a real demon."
Xavier sighed and nodded, "Yes, I'm afraid I do mean a real demon, as strange as it may sound."
"Strange does not quite describe it," Henry replied softly, leaning his chin into one massive hand.
Xavier glanced over at Scott and Storm, who were looking sympathetically at the bewildered physician. As students of the Professor, they were familiar with some of the Council's texts dealing with such creatures, but their knowledge had never been needed until recently.
"Is this creature dangerous?" Storm asked and Xavier nodded gravely.
"Yes, unfortunately," he replied, "I sensed it take a life when I was in Cerebro, and I believe it has killed a number of people over the past day. Mutant and human. However, it is nowhere near as powerful as the being we encountered a few weeks ago."
"Do you know of any way we can stop this creature, Professor?" Scott asked, his arms folded over his chest.
"No, not without doing some research," Xavier admitted, "And that may take more time then we have before it finds its next victim. There is another option, however, that Cerebro revealed. There is a Slayer pursuing the demon, and she has the knowledge needed to stop it."
"What is a Slayer?" Henry asked, his voice still filled with curious wonder.
"Every generation," Storm explained quickly, "One or two young women are born with superhuman strength and knowledge passed down over the centuries to defeat dark beings such as demons and vampires..."
Henry took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes wearily, "Vampires...she didn't just say vampire, did she?"
Storm smiled and nodded, "These young woman are not technically mutants, though still more powerful than any ordinary human being..."
Scott glanced at Xavier, "Do you have a location for her? Maybe we can help her out in battling that thing."
"I know where she was when I was in Cerebro," Xavier said, "But Slayers are very difficult to keep a psychic lock on. Based on the pattern of deaths, I would say she is heading straight down Old Salem Pike."
"So, right at us, in other words," Scott said, "Terrific. Storm and I can take a car out and search for them. We'll keep in radio contact here, just in case you sense them moving away from the main road."
"Good idea," Xavier replied and then glanced at the doctor, "Henry, I'd like you to accompany them on this little outing, if you don't mind. Many demon attacks are treatable if you reach the person in time. Perhaps you can get an idea how and why this creature is targeting his victims..."
Henry tilted his head toward the Professor and grinned, "Should I bring garlic and my wooden stake?"
Xavier smiled, "Of course, not, Henry. I'm sure the Slayer has stakes you can borrow if any of the undead make an appearance."
The doctor stared at Xavier silently for another moment before, sighing and standing up to gather what he needed for the mission. Xavier shook his head with amusement as he heard Dr. McCoy muttering to himself.
"...Why do I get the feeling the stake comment wasn't a joke..."