Chapter Twelve:
"Kurt! Run! Get out!"
-----------------------------------------
Rogue inhaled sharply as Mary's voice shrieked from the hallway.
She looked around at Bobby, Peter and Remy, who were all looking toward the door with surprise.
"Look out!" they heard Mary shout again. Without a word, they all got to their feet and rushed out toward the kitchen, unspoken action, impulse created by their training.
-----------------------------------------
BAMF.
Faith stumbled forward from the momentum of her blade, as it missed its mark and cut only into a cloud of blue smoke. She coughed as the bitter scent of brimstone filled her lungs and then glanced upward.
She met the horrified glare of the young woman standing at the open kitchen door. Faith turned her head back and forth searching for demon. There was another soft sound, and over the young woman's shoulder, Faith saw a pair of yellow eyes appear out of thin air.
"Get out of the way!" Faith shouted urgently to the girl, and shoved past her. She would reach the demon before it took hold of another victim.
-----------------------------------------
Kurt appeared in the hall behind Mary, and took a protective step toward her. The stranger with the knife spotted him and pushed her way out of the kitchen.
Mary tripped and fell to the floor. She saw Kurt take a step back as his attacker lunged forward again.
"Stop!" she shouted as the attacker slashed the knife back and forth.
Kurt dodged each blow skillfully but had to teleport to avoid the young woman's swift movements. He appeared the first time, just a few feet away, but had to vanish again as the attacker swung around and drove the blade toward him. He reappeared behind her, and she landed one powerful blow with her elbow to his stomach. Kurt hit one wall painfully and saw the attacker spin and raise the knife over her head.
-----------------------------------------
Faith grinned as she stood over the fallen demon, and prepared to finally kill the creature. Suddenly, her arms were held firmly in the air, and Faith turned her head and saw a silver face staring down at her. The new grip around her wrists felt as hard as metal and she struggled to get free.
Unable to loose her hands, Faith leapt upward and kicked at the wall, causing herself and her new enemy to fall backward onto the floor. The impact was heavy, and she rolled to the side away from her attacker, knife still in hand.
Faith was on her feet quickly, as was the man who had held her. She slashed at him with the knife, but the blade only scraped noisily against his impervious skin. She took a step backward and shivered as the room's temperature seemed to drop. She tried to turn and run from her new enemies, but the floor was coating over with a layer of ice.
Faith felt the second attacker's strong grip clamp on her shoulders. She fought back, punching at him, but her fists only ricocheted painfully off his arms and chest.
To her left, she saw the young woman from the kitchen helping the demon to his feet. Three others were also staring at her with confusion. The one causing the ice had his arm extended, and it seemed to be almost transparent. Another had strange red eyes and a second young woman was also helping the demon.
Faith fought back panic. She had not found one demon, but an entire nest of them. Then, a voice echoed in her mind, and she turned her head to see another figure coming down the dark hallway.
Do not be afraid, Faith, the voice said, We mean you no harm.
"Peter," the voice said again, this time aloud for all to hear, "Do not harm her, but please relieve the Slayer of her weapon. Mr. Drake, I think that's enough ice for the moment, unless I am to sled the rest of the way down the hall..."
The voice was calming, and the others responded to it immediately. There was even a touch of approval and humor at the actions of the creatures around her. As the speaker moved forward, Faith saw an older man in a wheelchair roll into the light.
She glared at the new arrival, as the strong person holding her removed the knife from her hands. However, the older man simply gave her a reassuring smile.
Faith glanced back toward the demon as she heard one of the young women speak.
-----------------------------------------
"Are you alright, Kurt?" Rogue asked when she saw him gripping his chest.
Kurt nodded slowly, looking downward, "Yes, I think so..."
He glanced over at the Slayer, who was shaking her head angrily.
"You don't understand!" she shouted, and Kurt winced on her next words, "He's a demon!"
"No, he's not!" Rogue shouted back with her own fury.
The Professor held up one hand as he spoke, "Please, Faith, let us explain..."
"Is that why you attacked him?" Mary interrupted, stepping toward the Slayer constrained in Peter's grasp, "Why would you think he's a demon?"
Faith ground her teeth furiously, "I've been tracking it all day! I know what the hell it looks like!"
Kurt frowned and glanced over at the Slayer, meeting her glare with a strange pain in his eyes. Faith looked at him silently for a moment, feeling the warmth returning to the room, and the hearing the Professor speak again.
"Whatever it is you were searching for," Xavier said softly, "Mr. Wagner is not it."
Faith looked at him with confusion.
"We are not your enemies," the Professor continued, "Listen to your instincts. You will know that the evil you seek is not here..."
The tension left her limbs as Faith glanced around the hallway again. She looked at Kurt...at Bobby...upward at Peter as he released her arms and allowed his skin to return to normal...
Faith turned her head back toward Xavier, and heard his voice in her head again.
I know who you are, Faith, the Professor said to her, I know of the Council. I was a part of it...before they no longer accepted me there...
"You're...mutants," Faith replied, looked at each of the X-Men in turn before her eyes settled on Kurt again, "You're...all...mutants?"
Kurt looked away from her and took one deep, painful breath. There was still something in her face that doubted her own words. It was not the first time he had been mistaken for something other than a mutant...
Faith turned and looked at Xavier again as he spoke, curiosity replacing her anger.
"Yes, we are," the Professor said, "And you are a Slayer, also no longer accepted by the Council. I sensed your movements through our county since this morning...and the movements of the demon you seek."
"A demon I still need to kill," Faith said coolly, "So if I can have my weapon back..."
She tried to snatch the knife from Peter, who raised his hand out of her reach. She smirked bitterly and shook her head.
"I need to go," she said, "If you were part of the Council then you understand why..."
"Indeed," Xavier said with a frown, "I have felt the demon's power growing, which is why you may need our help."