Disclaimer: I don't own X-men evoloution, or any of their established charachters
The X-team was loitering around the small, resident monitor room, standing before an enormous computer screen. It was a rather cramped, dimlit room, and had a musky smell that put everyone's nerves on extra edge. The entire room was Every where throughout there were monitor screens that added just a tiny display of extra light in a room already lacking.
Scott and Jean huddled up against one another for comfort, Jean's expression looked sad, barely confused, but upset. She was holding back from her tears, in a series of repetitive chokes and sniffs. Scott hushed her comfortingly, and Jean began to slowly stabilize herself, but not completely.
Rouge jealously clicked her tounge in disgust and looked at the floor angrily, standing in a shady corner not too far away from the two them to notice their friendly, consoling affections. It was friendly, and simply just a friendly gesture of kindness, but seeing Scott close to Jean brought fourth a flame in her eyes that she couldn't fully explain. Or perhaps maybe it was because she didn't want to, neither think about it at all.
And Evan sat alone on the floor with his head hung between his knees. He was too busy thinking. More about why this was happening instead of how. He pondered what they would do, because while there wasn't an official word on how grim the situation seemed, he sensed it in his gut, the professor was only attempting a meaningless effort. He was hopeful, but like everyone else, they knew in the back of their minds to perhaps expect the worst.
Meanwhile, the Professor began managing Cerebro's head gear on his head, while Forge was sitting at his side on the marble flooring, typing away at a laptop computer which was connected to the room's main terminal for effiecient power supply. It had been less than thirty minutes of waiting for results, but to the students, it seemed like hours.
"Well? Any luck professor?" Scott asked with apprehension. The professor paused, his finger tips began to touch the panels of the computer, like a keyboard. A minute passed with indifference. Finally, the professor shook his head, almost hesitantly.
"Well... Unfortunately not, Scott." The professor sighed, removing the headgear completely."Kitty isn't using her powers, so cerebro is having a very difficult time tracking her loacation. There's not a single thing I can do at this point. I'll stand by in case she does indeed use them, but the odds of that aren't likely. I'm sorry."
"You did what you could professor." Scott said. "Thanks." He obviously wasn't appreciative of the results, a telling sign from his expression. But his voice seemed to be sincere for the placed effort.
"You're welcome... but I indeed find it peculiar. Cerebro can't even get a sub par reading. Its as though she's never even used her powers before."
Rouge seemed surprised. "But that makes no sense. Kitty uses her powers all the time, you know."
"Yeah." Evan said. "This is Kitty we're talking about."
"Trust us Evan, she's not." Jean said.
"Jean, what are you talking about?" Rouge asked. "Is there somethin' you're not tellin' us?"
Forge took a huge breath. "Well, after researching and examining my invention for hours on end, we have reason to suspect that the Kitty we've seen is a Kitty from an alternate reality. The professor and I believe that the electricial overload to the machine has caused my device to malfunction, sending Kitty to an alternate reality, and replacing her with her reality counterpart, instead of bringing an object from that reality to this dimension."
Rouge was completely stated by the news. "What?! I can't believe your inventions went haywire again?"
Forge looked away shyly, ashamed of his own initial pride in his work. "I know."
Kurt groaned, irritable towards his own lack of control in the situation. He was amongst the other X-men, anxiously pacing with his eyes staring into his own reflection in the floor. He began thinking out loud with an obvious dramatic, upsetting passion. "This is terrible you guys! She could be anywhere! What are we going to do?"
Rouge tried to comfort her brother, and placed a gloved hand on his shoulder. Her brother shoved it aside and slumped to the floor next to Evan. Rouge was surprised, she hadn't often seen Kurt act so moody. Perhaps once in awhile, but it wasn't something she was used to. She frowned, folded her shoulders and looked away resentfully.
Evan ignored her. His eyes creased confusedly, feeling almost as scattered as Kurt. "I-I don't think I fully get this."
"Don't worry Evan, there will be more time for an in-depth explanation later." The Professor said. "But right now... our main focus is Kitty, and how we're going to bring her back safely." Jean stood amongst the group, speaking very suddenly.
"Look everyone, it's not going to do us any good simply worrying about her.There's got to be something we can do. We've got to come up with a plan" She suggested.
Scott nodded in agreement. "Jean's right. We need to at least try to look for her. There's no point in feeling upset if we haven't tried anything."
"I admire your enthusiasm, Jean." The professor said, moving his wheelchair towards her, smiling hopefully. "But since we're on the subject, I think I have an idea that might just work if everyone is willing to cooperate." His eyes turned to Evan, almost pleadingly. "Do you think you could perhaps have a word with... 'them'?"
Everyone else present in the room including Forge sensed the idea the professor was trying to present. They looked at him, and then glanced at Evan reluctantly.
"C'mon Evan, what do you say?" Scott asked.
Evan was confused. "What are you guys trying to get me to--" He paused, giving himself a moment to think. He eventually made the connection within good due time. The Morlocks, a band of mutants who dwelled underground in the sewages, to evade mutant persecution and hatred from the humans living on the surface. Evan appeared to be the only person of the X-team they had personal connection with.
He was the only one who knew them personally, and the only one of the X-team that the Morlocks could possibly trust. There was one member of the Morlocks, Caliban, who had the uncanny mutant ability to sense other mutants. Perhaps this was what the others were edging him on about. He mumbled with discomfort and fiddled with his hands.
"Oh come on guys, please. Not that. Please, anything but that. I'm not going there again!" He folded his arms huffily, he aparently had made up his mind. There was a gut tension, the Morlocks were respectful to him, and him alone, but he couldn't help but feel intrusive on them, after nearly three months of no contact, only to so much as burden them with his own personal problems.
Evan also couldn't help but wonder if they would still accept him after leaving them for all this time. But for some reason he did want to help Kitty, even if she wasn't the friend he had became so fond of. Perhaps, he figured, it was because he pitied how she was probably dragged into a dimension she was unfamiliar with, without a say or knowing in the matter. She was probably scared to death.
Meanwhile, everyone else quietly continued to stare at him. Evan sighed dejectedly, it was more than obvious his front wasn't fooling anyone but himself, so he surrendered. "Alright, alright I'll do it."
The professor smiled. "Good." He said appreciatively. "Now, if there isn't anything else up for discussion, I believe we all have some work to do." Evan slapped his forehead and gave out a loud groan.
....
Kitty was surrounded by whom she recognized as her former classmates, but she felt alone, and singled out. She looked down at her empty desk, thinking, and then at the pale, plaster-colored walls. She wanted to know what was going on in her, what was real and what wasn't. The anticipation to discover was overwhelming, and eating at her like a paranah fish on fresh, vulnerable flesh.
There just wasn't a thing else she could sharply focus her mind to. What would be the point? If this was all just her imagination, the desk she was sitting in, and the people all around her, what would be the point in focusing on things that didn't truly exist? She figured, after hours of thinking through possible fail proof plans through classes, that the best way to get her answers would be to test her powers.
After all, she arrived at the institute to learn and control her powers, and if she still had them, it could possibly prove that this place isn't as real as much it supposedly was thought to be. It would prove that she indeed did join the X-men and did recieve the necessary training needed to be apart of the team.
Her memories would be real, her friends, and everything she had learned to know and love wouldn't be her imagination. She was shivering with anxiety and it was hard for her to break away from herself long enough to even decently look up from her desk. But, the realization would also be painful. The happy, normal life she had with her parents wouldn't be how she should truly live. Back before Kitty joined the Institute for gifted youngsters, where she became an X-men she would give anything to be different, and to stand out.
But now, standing out didn't matter, and she almost wished this world she lived in would be true as well. The mutant persecution, the drama, everything she's been through... She wanted to be normal more than anything. She wanted to live with her family like normal people do, or at least have some family with her back at the institute. It was friendly, and fun at the mansion but she felt sort of out of place at times. She enjoyed her friends with all her heart, and would do just about anything riteous thing for them, but life was still lonely.
The teacher interrupted her thoughts. "Ms. Pryde, can you read paragraph 4 for the class?"
Kitty gasped, and looked up from her desk. She noticed everyone else had their science textbooks open, but she hadn't even remembered to place it on her desk. She blushed, and stammered embarrasedly in front of the entire class. She began to sweat, knowing they were all looking at her oddly, and whisphering to each other.
"Quiet, class!" The teacher narrowed her eyes. "Is there a problem, Ms. Pryde?" She asked shrewdly.
"N-no, ma'am."
The teacher's eyes became more sympathetic. She noticed there was something not quite normal about her student. Her skin was paler than usual, and she noticed the girl shivering in a cold sweat."A-Are you sure, Kitty? You look a little pale, do you want to go to the nurse's office?"
"Huh... no, I--I'll be fine... I think."
The teacher didn't feel completely assured. "Well, alright. But I'll need you to go outside and get a glass of water. If you are sick, I don't want other students at risk for catching a potential fever."
Kitty sighed, somewhat relieved to hear this. "Fine." She pushed her seat into the desk and sluggishly made her way to the classroom door. From that point, the teacher hesitantly continued the lesson.
"Uhm, now beginning where we left off class, Michael, read paragraph four to the class..."
"...Huh, what?" A classmate of Kitty's snorted awake, and removed the textbook from his face. He noticed the class annoyed, waiting for him to begin. He wiped the drool from his mouth, and he noticed that some of the drool managed to find its way on the page he was supposed to be reading. "Aww man."
Kitty shut the door behind her, and the teacher's would-be-lecture on student attentiveness became silenced to her ears.
There was a stillness in the hallways of the school that Kitty found disturbing for some given reason. She huddled her arms together, and looked around with suspicion. She hated quietness, besides whenever she studied. She had become so accustomed to noise and being in the precence of others, that it now bothered her to feel alone.
The water fountain was right up ahead, and Kitty approached it and tilted her head to take a drink. She bent down, and her eyes noticed that her old locker was just a short walking distance in front of her.
"The plan! Like, I almost forgot!" Kitty said, completely forgetting the drink. She paced alongside the lockers, and made sure to stay up close to them.
Finally after an extra bit of walking, She looked both ways to make sure that no one was watching her. Kitty reached locker number C-137. "Like, okay... this is supposed to be my locker, right? Now lets see if I can do this."
She gulped; as much as she wished that she could live with her family like a normal girl, she enjoyed living with her friends more. Being an X-men gave her a new purpose in life she wouldn't normally dream to give up. Kitty squeezed her eyes and placed her hands against locker, attempting began to concentrate. Nothing happened. "W-what's going on here? I don't believe it!" She exclaimed.
Kitty growled in frustration and began to hit the locker with her palms, but nothing worked. No matter how many times she tried, nothing worked. The frustration began to mingle with fears that she probably WAS losing her mind. The hitting escalated to beatings with her fists, sending them as hard as she could.
"Why won't these stupid powers work? What's wrong with me?!" Kitty moaned and gave up, her hands hurt too greatly for her to continue. She placed a hand on her forehead, clearly upset. She felt like crying, but she didn't want to cause a scene, so she simply held in her emotions as best she could.
Her back ran up against the locker, and then her head raised against it. She sighed, looking at the ceiling. "It can't be... I'm supposed to be a mutant." She said in disbelief. She looked at her hands, and looked up again. She didn't want to think about this. Her life at the institute was all to real to be such a simple dream, but she just couldn't prove how it existed, which made her confused.
Kitty was the kid on the block that seemed to knw everything, and it made her sick to her stomach when she was confronted with something she just couldn't understand, hence perhaps why she was so pale and sickly that day. Kitty decided not to dwell on the idea any longer, and decided to go back to class. Suddenly Kitty gave a surprised yelp. Her ability of corporal intangibility phased her body inward through the locker unexpectedly like a surreal ghost.
There was a pause for an entire minute. The entire hallway was officially as still and unshakable as a ghost town. Kitty eventually phased out of the locker, and very quietly to make sure she wouldn't be caught. She instinctively checked the halls to make sure no one was watching.
She stumbled to the floor in shock. Now there were more questions that would have to be answered. "I can still use my powers!" She slowly crawled to her feet, and clung to her arms for comfort.
"But then like, how come no one is afraid of me? My mutant abilities were all over the news a few months ago. And why aren't I at the institute like I'm supposed to be? My parents don't even know what the institute is!" She was surprised at how many words she uttered in such little time. Where am I? She thought carefully. This is definately not MY home, but at the same time it feels just as real as it does... "I... oh no! I forgot I need to get back to class!"
She stumbled clumsily and stood up. She trailed back to class, the hallways looking back and fourth, and was constantly cautious that no one had been looking. Little did she realize that meanwhile her attention lied elsewhere, the mysterious necklace that she had found on her neck that morning was flickering a strange, flourecent glow.
....
It was chilly nighttime now, and the streets weren't especially littered. Bayville looked almost as empty, and as vacant as a ghost town. Everything was dark, which was obviously apparent, but everything appeared to be unusually eery, like a graveyard after dark. As if the night was fortelling to an unnatural forthcomming event. But naturally, there were a few shops, bars, and nightclubs open at this time of the night, however still just a small few nonetheless, which didn't liven the deadness of the town.
Suddenly, a hoodless Jeep was claiming the road at high acceleration, driving at least thirty miles past the speed limit. There was blasting rock music, and every so often the car would blare its horn at passersby and other vehicles should they've gotten too close to it. Three boys were in the car, laughing and carelessly throwing empty beer bottles onto the road, for some unsuspecting victim to drive their car wheels over the remaining shards of glass.
Todd gave a drunk howl and continued to swallow down an entire bottle of beer gluttonously. Pietro shoved it away from him with disgust. "Idiot, this stuff doesn't come cheap. At least offer some to the guy who bought it!"
Pietro shoved the drunk boy aside, who was flushed in the cheeks, and nearly passed out from all the alcohol he had consumed. Lance rolled his eyes and turned up the volume to drown their voices out. He was the only one that was seemingly unamused with the car ride, and appearing the oldest amongst the three, it would hint some indication as to why.
"Stupid. I told him not have drink so much." Pietro said, taking a gentle sip of the beer.
Lance laughed dryly. "Better not think about where his mouth's been."
Pietro glanced at Todd, whose green mouth was hanging like a dead animal. He immediately realized that his back wash was in the alcohol, which wouldn't have alarmed him had it not been for Todd's uncanny habit of eating all of the insects that found their way inside the house. He shuddered and threw the bottle into the street.
The car behind them swerved, and missed the bottle from their wind sheild only slightly. The driver pulled his car over and began to swear furiously, but the boys had already driven way ahead of him to notice, or even care.
"Damn. And it was my last one, too." Pietro muttered. He folded his arms poutily and crossed his legs. The wheels of the vehicle came in contact with a pot hole, which prompted the seats to accel forward. Todd grabbed his mouth with his eyes bulging, and leaned over to throw up.
"Tell me this wasn't your idea of a joyride, Pietro. Now unless you have an idea of something better to do, this car is driving us home."
"Chill out, Lance. Give me a second, I'll think of something." He looked at the buildings whizzing by on his left, waiting for an idea to come to him. Suddenly something familiar had caught his attention. A pale, petite girl with blue eyes brunette hair locked into a ponytail. "Huh, what th--"
"What is it now?" Lance asked, more than annoyed with Pietro.
"Isn't that your girlfriend?"
"I don't have a-- My what?"
Pietro pointed to the left. "You tell me."
Todd hiccuped, and began cracking up. "C'mon guys! Let's have some fuuunnn!"
"Shut up, Toad." Pietro shoved him aside again to quiet him.
"Kitty?" Lance immediately pulled the car over. "What's she doing out here? It's almost ten o' clock."
"And looking like-- that...?" Pietro noted. Kitty was in her purple pajamas and wearing slippers that were beginning to tear.
Todd quickly managed to sit upright, continuing his random slurring. "I dunno... she can have fuuun with usss. You know..."
Pietro hit him upside the head, and Todd finally fell completely unconcious. Lance ignored the both of them and left the car and caught up with her. She wasn't that far ahead from where he parked.
"Kitty? Kitty?" He asked. He placed a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. She gasped, and twirled around quickly. Her eyes were black and devoid of sleep. She was completely exhausted, and it seemed like she was mindlessly running away from something, or someone.
"Kitty what's wrong? What the hell are you doing here?"
Kitty became startled, she didn't recognize this person, and like the others at the institute, she didn't know his name, but he apparently knew hers. She made scream and began to edge away from him slowly like a scared mouse. "No!" She cried, screaming bloddy murder.
"What's wrong with you? Are you okay?" Lance tried to grab ahold of her but she savagely fought back with such force that it reasonably surprised the heck out of him. "Let me go, creep!" Kitty gave a final shove, and knocked him off his feet and into a brick wall. Pietro was watching the whole from the Jeep with complete amazement, and decided to get a closer look.
She became hysterical and began to cry. "Like, g-go away! Leave me alone, you're one of them!" She shoved him aside and proceeded to run as Lance to wonder what had just happened with absoloute confusion. He didn't go after her, he was more shocked with her behavior than anything she had said, there was something about her that just didn't seem quite right. Or quite like her. Sure there were times they didn't get along, but she had never reacted with this amount of melodrama and lack of self control.
Kitty was like a madwoman; or a loose animal that was running wild on the streets. Suddenly Kitty lost her balance and stumbled to the ground, and was from that point motionless. She didn't resume running, her body had completely given out due to exhaustion.
"Whoa, man." Pietro said. "Dude, what the fuck just happened?"
"I... really don't know." Lance rubbed his head confusedly.
"Remind me never to get on her bad side. Ever."
"Sure."
Toad staggering outside of the jeep, and threw up all over the sidewalk. Lance put his hand on his forehead. "I'm going after her."
Pietro shrugged. "I'm going home."
Toad hollered like an idiot drunkard. "I'm gonna have some fuuuunnn and paaarta--" He gagged, and immediately bent down to throw up.
....
Wheee! Another chapter done! (It took me ALL night to do). Sorry about how the way the fic looks (there's no indents, ect). isn't allowing me to do much with the format of the fic (despite the fact it's compatible). Hopefully they'll get the site fixed, and I'll reformat the punctuation errors to the fic (some words also got cut out of the fic, too --;) Anyway, let's take a look at some of your letters okay?
ldypebsaby :Kitty is now in a place where she hasn't yet been labeled a freak. Will she run into Lance? Will she use her powers?
Peace out
Nymph: The answer to your first question is yes, most definitely. And as for your second question... I think you've already figured it out by now (of course if you read that is
-;).
soulstress: this is groovy update soon
Nymph:Here it is... enjoy. XX
carlzberg : gr8 story, iz really interesing plz update asap and iz this gona b a lance and kitty story?
luvz ya
carlzberg
X
Nymph: About your question, I'm not going to spoil anything, but this fic will have it's share of "fluffy" moments. What are the pairings? Well, the pairing preferences will go both ways (as in Lancitty and Kurtty), but the story does take some unpredictable turns so expect the unexpected.
Flava Sava: This is an awesome story!! I'm reviewing all three chapters now, instead of one at a time, or would you rather have that?anyway, write more!! this is so good!can't wait for the next chapter!
Nymph: Well, I would suggest reviewing the three chapters at once since it becomes a little difficult to mingle with the letters from previous chapters, I might overlook it and accidentally forget to post it should you do otherwise.
I'm super duper happy with all the reviews I got! You guys are too kind.
Until next time everyone, take care of yourselves!