"I can't believe this. How the heck did I turn into the responsible one?"
- Bobby Drake
Turn, Smile, Shift, Repeat
A/N: Gasp! I'm alive! And I updated! DOUBLE-GASP!
Argh. This whole death scene-oatmeal cookie thing is driving me crazy. If none of my reviewers have seen this anime, I'm going to have a break down. So, thanks to you, Chaotic Boredom, I got an idea, and have decided to make a little deal with y'all – whoever correctly guesses the origin of the death scene first gets a free X-Men: Evolution one-shot ficlet from me about any-frickin'-thing. Even a Sabretooth/Xavier smut fic. I mean it. Here's one more hint: Some characters of this anime are based on true historical figures.
~*~ Reviewer Responses ~*~
The Uncanny R-Man – Yee! This is why I love this selective reviewer audience – they give me wonderful little tidbits from the comics that I never knew of that makes the story more fun to read. True, this'll take some time into tweaking my plotline, but they're priceless little bits of information. Y'all deserve pats on the back. Doug/Rahne fluff? Well, if the public desires it. ^^ As for Wanda – she didn't enter X-Men: Evolution until the near the end of Season 2, so that's how my story will go. If you want to keep track, this chapter is a little while before 'Growing Pains' (the first eppy of Season 2).
Calamari Rings – Yeah, Lance IS too thin to be a 'thug', but I couldn't think of another word. 'Ruffian' makes me think of an extra out of Pirates of the Carribean, 'brute' reminds me of some giant rogue bodyguard, and 'hooligan' just makes me break out into a fit of giggles. And I refuse to use the word 'hood', because that was an unfair term that Kitty labeled him. Damned Microsoft Word thesaurus...! Sigh. You know what, I'm thinking about uploading my Paul/Evan story onto ff.net. It's a bit… less in quality than my other fics… but I'm still very proud of it. (10 points if you can guess the reasoning behind this couple.) Meh. Go asskissing!
Risty – Lance is cutest generally all the time, but prominently cute in 'Joyride'. Hee. *gets all fangirl-ish*
Chaotic Boredom – Cowgirls in wet t-shirts run amok alongside banjo-playing chimps in your house? … That worries me, Chaotic. In any case, my house is empty of chimps and banjos, plus I'm not Canadian, so I can't really explain myself. Monkeyshines!
Asylin – Hah! Me, an almighty knower of minor characters? Puh. Worship Beyond Evolution, not me. …well, worship me for something else, at least. Paul is a sexy beast! Doug should be included in your mob scene! And Sandy will be SLAPPED into my story, because I take things literal like that! Fwahah! Now… update your own ficcies, sugahhh. I command you with my trippy wiggidy-wack mind powers. BAM!
Andivari – If mutants were real, I'd want Tabby's powers, so I could blow up things and dance the night away! But then, Doug's powers would probably be more practical, eh? Duncan… Duncan is likeable to me in the same way that Arcade is likeable to me. (WOOT for vague answers!) And you can't forget that underlying sexual magnetism. Rawr.
dunctapedaredevil – I rock! Someone said I rock. Just like Lance! SQUEE!
Caliente – Thankies for all the compliments! If you can guess where the death scene was ripped off from (only slightly, because there were a lot of modifications), you will be able to win a free X-Men: Evolution one-shot ficlet from me about anything at all, as said at the top of this chapter. Nope, Sinjin's not around just yet. Jean's time is yet to come, and I hope you're surprised by who kidnapped Amara. xD
Snitter In Rivendell – Figures that the chapter I hated most would be the most popular one with everybody. Heh. Currently, I find Freddy/Tabitha incredibly cute right now, but this is just one of my phases. Next week, I'll be all for Freddie/Roberto. Thanks for reviewing!
Cheesy Monkey – I sees no weird face. Ah well. Yes, glompage is a fun word. FUNFUNFUN. Thanks for teh review!
Raskolian Phoenix - *cringe* Auuhh, this might be the last chapter you'll be reading then. As authoress, I suppose it's my responsibility to warn you when there's SLASH FULL STEAM AHEAD, and I will warn you now. In this chapter, Chapter 6, there is SLASH FULL STEAM AHEAD. Actually, there isn't – they're just mostly hints and signs. Lalalala. But I will miss you anyways. Thanks for the review, in any case.
animeluvr1 – Erchthpuh. I'm having problems working in the whole 'Young Brotherhood' scheme right now, especially as I'm more preoccupied with the Season 2 storyline and not much more beyond. It's still a cool idea to be considered more carefully, but I have to store it in the backburner for now. HURRAH for the abrupt Paul love-age! I don't really know what spurred this movement (perhaps CHAMPU? They are, after all, very powerful, and mind manipulation would be a very simple thing for them to do), but I've loved Paul forever, and now, everyone does! Maybe there's hope yet for Arcade, that sexy beast.
pirate kit – Jamie is pimpin', I admit, but no one is as pimpin' as Caliban. OOOOOH sexy.
Showstopper – Ermm… I really wouldn't know, as I don't read much of the comics. ^__^;; But a new reviewer sighting! BWEEEEP! Happiness! Frolick! MONKEYSHINES!
Take me to a cave, where I can't be
seen
Solace makes the heart, pump adrenaline
I'm sick of being used, time and again betrayed
Give a man a key, he cannot not open the door
Give him something free and he'll resell it to the poor (c'est
la vie)
- NOFX (Pump Up The Valuum) … "Take Two Placebos and Call Me Lame"
Chapter 6: Take Two Placebos and Call Me Lame
"Alright, so far this is what ah've translated from the Jamie-nese jibb'rish he's been blubberin': Amara was jus' snatched by a pair of hands into a van and was stolen away."
Ray sneered. "I think just about everyone's figured that out by now, buddy." Sam flushed a scarlet red, but Tabitha shot them both a warning look, looking abnormally serious.
"So what happened to Rahne and Jubilee?" Tabitha grabbed Jamie and gripped him by the shoulders firmly with her orange-painted fingernails. "Where are they right now?"
Jamie sniffled a little, furiously wiping away some tears in a failed attempt to look mature and pulled-together in front of the older new recruits. "Rahne transformed into her d – wolf form, and started chasing after the van right away. Jubilee stayed long enough to yell at me to tell the others that Amara had been kidnapped, and stole some motor scooter from this guy who was still shocked by Rahne's transformation."
"She transformed, right in front o' people?" Sam said, shocked.
"Only a scooter? Why not a car?" Tabitha said simultaneously, sounding unimpressed. At the strange looks she received, she ducked her head a bit as if dodging blows to the head, and said meekly, "It would've been faster. All I'm sayin'."
"Anyways," said Bobby, giving Tabitha an odd look before continuing, "What are we going to do? None of you guys have a cell phone on ya, right? Because we have to tell the Professor!"
No one answered vocally, instead shrugging or pulling out lint from their empty pockets. Bobby groaned.
"I can't believe this. How the heck did I turn into the responsible one?"
"You never did, hun." Tabitha said, strolling into the center of the little half-circle the group had formed. She poked a finger at Sam's chest. "You're 17, right? You have a driver's license?"
Sam blinked. "Erm… Ah lived in a farm, Tabitha. Ah didn't really need a car, where Ah lived."
"Hell, this is New York!" Ray grumbled. "Nobody needs a car as anything except an accessory to show off!" He fumbled through his pockets as if looking for something, and when he didn't find it, he swore, and began pacing back and forth.
"Stupid Scott and his choir boy ways… need a fucking cig…" He muttered, and continued his incessant combination of muttering and swearing, until finally he saw a frowning Sam cover Jamie's ears. Ray scowled, but relented, instead opting to shove his hands into his pockets and slouch. Tabitha looked up hopefully at Roberto.
"Hey, Bert, you boys in El-Brazil-O wouldn't happen to drive some cars around the block, would you?" She asked. Roberto slowly shook his head 'no'. Jamie pointed a trembling finger at Bobby, hiccupping a bit.
"B-bo *hic* bby's from *hic* Boston, isn't h *hick* - he?" He swallowed his tears. Tabitha slowly turned around slowly, looking slightly maddening.
"Yeah, he is." She said, approaching him. "I wonder why he never mentioned it before? Them suburban Boston boys know how to drive, don't they?"
Bobby gulped. "But… I only have a permit. I need to have an adult drive with me at all times." Tabitha acted as if she didn't hear him, and began walking quickly towards a lonely vehicle parked at a selective place in the lot. She glanced backwards, seeing the other new recruits standing awkwardly, unsure of what to do.
"Well, come on! Don't just stand there!" She yelled. "Bobby, c'mere!" At the beckoning words, Bobby paled. He had a very, very bad feeling in his gut.
"Come on, Tabitha!" Bobby moaned. "You know how to drive, don't you?"
Tabitha scoffed. "Since I was 14. But my license got cut up a while ago, and if I'm seen anywhere near a steering wheel, it's straight to the juvenile center and then back home for me. Move." Bobby obediently side-stepped. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what she had done to get her license invalidated.
"What are you doing, Tabitha?" Jamie asked inquisitively, sticking his nose down at the hood of the car that Tabitha had just lifted. Tabitha pushed him back with a powerful arm.
"Stand back, kiddo. I haven't done this for a while." She fiddled with some wires, and some sparks flew up at her, making her jump back into Sam, stumbling a sandal-clad foot on Sam's poor tootsies. You'd think by now that ol' Sammy boy would've learned to step away when people are falling backwards into you, like how I did every time we played the game 'Trust' at summer camp, or at least start tying bricks on top of his feet, but no. Sam winced, and his throbbing toes…throbbed. Meanwhile, Tabitha swore louder and harsher than anything that had yet to have come out of Ray's mouth. She looked around and glared at everyone who was snickering at her suddenly frizzed-up new 'do.
"Well, I don't see anyone else trying!" She snapped. Ray stepped forward confidently.
"Stand back, kiddo. I haven't done this for a while." He said mockingly, and Tabitha's face turned an angry red. At least, until after a couple sparks that flew from Ray's sure fingers, and the engine roared excitedly. Her eyes widened. Ray had done it – Tabitha Smith had been impressed. He cockily blew at his index finger like a cowboy whose smoking gun had just finished off a fearsome bandit. Hee. I like cowboys. Ever since I saw this one picture at an oekaki board that had Scott in leather chaps and Lance dressed up as a horse. And if that sounds kinky… well, it is. 'Twas quite funny, really, albeit somewhat frightening. Now that I have left that disturbing image in your mind, lets return to the story! [1]
After a little more of Ray's magic fingers and an explosion or two from Tabitha for some ambiguous reason, Bobby Drake found himself at the wheel of a '94 Corolla. Tabitha plucked herself down into the passenger's seat, and grinned wickedly at Bobby.
"Drive, puppet." She whispered in a hushed, slightly sinister voice. Bobby nodded, and pressed down on the gas pedal. Tabitha laughed maniacally, making Ray glad he had scrambled for the backseat, even if he was squished with three bodies next to him, and right between Roberto and a wigged-out Jamie. Speaking of which, Jamie, who found no sane female comfort nearby to comfort the little pimpling, pressed against Sam, who was quickly growing fond of the boy as if he were his own little Guthrie sibling. [2]
"I'm scared of Tabby." He whimpered. Sam patted Jamie's head. "So'm ah, little buddeh. So am ah."
A man whistled a ditty, vaguely resembling a Dixie Chicks song, cheerfully as he opened the door and strolled down the stone steps of the school, juggling a box full of papers and his suitcase. He bent over to settle the crate on the ground, and grabbed his car keys from his pocket. He stood up again to press a tiny button on his remote. There was no 'BEEP'. He blinked. And did it again. Still nothing. The man scratched his head and pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, and voiced his concerns.
"Er… where's my car?"
-----
Amara's eyes slowly opened; her thick lashes quivered and fluttered at a strange material that was rubbing against them. It was a nice sensation; a very fluffy, soft substance that felt oddly comforting and warm…
"EEK! Get AWAY from me, you vile creature!" She shrieked, and instinctively shot out her fist, slugging whatever it was right in the face. There was a distinct 'crack' sound, as if she had broken a bone – most likely the nose. Her breath, loud and gasping already, quickened when the thing before her snarled in fury. But when it did – snarl, I mean – she gave it a vicious kick, flailing her legs as high as it could go from its tied-down position. The creature actually flew back a couple feet from the force of the kick, and landed with a heavy 'thud' against an earthy wall.
Her heart thudding against her chest, Amara's eyes focused on the whole of the thing's body and realized what had been nuzzling her closed eyelids. Hair. Long, blonde hair that, although its appearance was coarse and ratty-looking, was very soft, like fur. He could've been a spokesperson for Loreal, like Fabio, except he was not quite as well-groomed and waxed. And the thing was not a thing at all, but a man. A very, very large man, with frighteningly sharp teeth that were bared in a feral scowl, and long, black fingernails that looked deadly and sharp. His eyes were yellow, like Kurt's, but unlike the said fuzzy blue elf's, his held no warmth or friendliness for her; only cold fury. They were eyes that looked ready to kill. Amara choked back a sob of uncontrollable fear. She could not cry; it was not princess-like. But she couldn't keep back her terror. She didn't want to die.
Indeed, the cat-man with Loreal shampoo hair stalked forward, his back hunched, shoulders squared. Then, he abruptly stopped two feet away from her, one foot still raised in the air in hesitation. After what seemed like careful consideration, he growled, and turned away from her and disappeared into the gloom and darkness of the cave.
Amara let go of her held breath, sighing in relief. She took the extra time that had been given to her to live accordingly; she surveyed her surroundings. She was at the end of what seemed to have been a man-made tunnel under the earth. Her legs and arms were untied and were able to move about freely, aside from the numbing sensation that made her arms shake which could be nothing but fear. Either the man – cat – whatever – was extremely confident of himself, or he had truly forgotten to tie her up properly, like a proper villain.. But Amara had a chilled feeling in her stomach that told her he was right outside of the cave, just waiting for her to come.
Then, Amara's 6th sense, the "princess instinct", kicked in. In fact, it pretty much knocked down the door. Without wiping its feet on the mat. Without ringing the doorknob. Ooooooh, snap.
Amara promptly stood up, determinedly ignoring the unstable wobble her feet displayed. Her lips were in a strange border line between being thinned and pursed. She marched forward in an impressive, noble swagger, considering how dark it was inside the cave. At least, until her head hit the "ceiling", which was really an extra-large clump of tightly-packed soil and rock hanging down lower than the rest of the leveling of the cave walls. She shrieked at the impact, and fell down like a horse rider that had just hit a large tree branch. That caused her body to twist in a spectacularly odd way, so that her sandal-bound ankle ended up entwined around nothing at all. She bit down on her tongue – hard – to keep from screaming in pain.
Then, in perfect timing, the cat-man stomped in, his pointed nose twitching just like an animal's, as if he'd caught a scent. In fact, it was the exact same thing Amara had seen Logan doing that morning, when Kitty decided to prepare breakfast and make some pancakes. Amara gulped. Logan had certainly looked like a suspicious character from the start. What if this man was some sort of evil twin brother-version of Logan? Or worse: maybe he was in league with him?
Amara stiffened her resolve and straightened her back as he stared down at her grimly.
"Are you in league with Mr. Logan?"
"Where're you bleeding?"
They had spoken simultaneously. The two individuals stared at each other wide-eyed at the other's statements. Mentally, Amara was hyperventilating. Maybe this guy drank blood or something, like a freakish cross between a vampire and an overgrown house cat.
The said overgrown house cat began shaking. At first, Amara thought it was in anger, but she realized with a start, when he looked up, that he was laughing.
"Me? In league with Logan? They really aren't teaching you anything at that mutant school, are they?" He sneered down at her, still laughing as if she'd said the funniest thing in the world.
"Naw, I'm not in league with Logan. Over my dead body, I am." He muttered the last part more to himself than anyone, and then shook out of his brief reverie. "Anyway, are you deaf? I asked you where you were bleeding."
Amara very reluctantly replied. "My tongue. I bit it."
He sniffed in the air again. "Yeah, that too. But I thought I heard something twist. Lift up your pant leg."
Amara looked indignant. "I think not!"
"Relax, kid, I'm not interested." He snorted at the idea of it, and Amara frowned, but slowly rolled up her left leg. She flinched at the sight of her own normally-delicate ankle, now swollen to the size of a baseball. His hand came near it – his sharp-clawed, in-desperately-need-of-a-manicure hand. Amara shut her eyes and looked away, expecting her precious leg to be chopped off so she'd forever be labeled 'Stumpy'. Instead, a soothing rubbing motion came, and Amara nearly let go of a happy sigh, until she caught herself. She peeked out an eye open, and saw that scary, rough-looking hand massaging the ankle gently in an odd spot where it didn't hurt at all.
"I need you to be healthy. At least, for now." He muttered, before she could ask anything. Amara nodded, and her mouth blurted out the question.
"Who are you, then? If you're not Logan's evil twin brother or whatever?"
He chortled. "That's probably the best way to describe me. Just call me Uncle Sabretooth." He seemed to find this unusually funny, and after his laugh attack, growled in the gutters of his voice range in a feral manner. "Just you wait, Wolverine. When he comes back…"
"Who?" Amara asked curiously. Sabretooth's yellow eyes seemed to light up at the very question. They glinted magnificently in the darkness of the cave, just like a cat in the dark waiting to pounce.
"Magneto." Sabertooth said in a hushed voice. He leaned up close to her face. Close enough that she could smell the raw, fishy smell on his breath. She could even probably count the nose hairs in his nostrils if there were a better light source. He began laughing, and not in the ordinary (well, as ordinary as he could get) way he had done earlier, but a creepy, homicidal kind of laugh.
"Magneto. Magneto promised he'd make me stronger. H…he said so. He told me to wait. So I waited. And when he didn't come, he started telling me to bring an X-kid to him as bait." Sabretooth leered, baring all of his razor-sharp teeth. He leaned even closer towards her.
"Just think how much he'll be indebted to me. He says good job, good job." Amara blinked, and her vision actually started to adjust to the dark lighting. She could see properly for the first time. The bestial man's eyes were yellow, but blood-shot and ravenous as well. The arm belonging to the fearsome clawed hand was much too thin of a man his bulk and height. She had the feeling that he wouldn't have been able to kill her had she put up the struggle in the first place. He must've been starving himself for days. Maybe weeks, perhaps, while living on scraps. And he was hearing this Magneto guy giving him a 'job well done'. Where? Maybe in his head.
"You're positively mad." Amara whispered, the fear having taken the wind out of her breath.
"Maybe, but at least I'll be the one who's stronger." Sabretooth licked his lips and smacked them, as if imagining a great feast. "We'll just see Wolverine try to save any of you tykes then." He gave a maddening, triumphant sort of grin. He stood up, and Amara realized how tall he really was. Much bigger than Logan – who happened to something akin to a midget.
"You hear me, Logan? I'm on the winning side!" Sabretooth roared.
"You're just a sad excuse of a man." Amara retorted heatedly. He was clearly insane, and it was unnerving her. Sabretooth whirled down and sneered at her. That only fired her up.
"Your soul was obviously lost in carnage. You're just trying to find an excuse for yourself! Anyone can wait for a man with a stupid name that's more than likely not a fabrication of their thoughts." Amara shook her head. Sabretooth sank down to his knees, his red-and-yellow eyes shaking intensely. Amara, with some difficulty, turned herself so she'd be directly facing him. Her face expression was a mixture of repulsion and remorse.
"You're just…sad. I feel as though I should be sorry for you. In fact, I am." Sabretooth's eyes hardened at that. Abruptly, he snarled at her, and she screamed. He jumped away and ran out into the darkness of the cave.
"…Well. If that wasn't the creepiest sociopath I have ever met." Amara announced to the empty echo-eyness of the tunnel. The cave didn't reply, and instead carried a wind that cooled the entire atmosphere up. Amara shivered, and tried to huddle her body together. She was frightened.
-----
Jubilee eased the 'borrowed' motor scooter to a slow, steady stop and joined Rahne at the intersection of a deserted road. Fustrated, she kicked her helmet off.
"Ugh! Damn it! We lost sight of them!" Rahne didn't answer; only investigated the ground. Jubilee looked around at her surroundings. Her fists clenched, and spewed out some unintentional sparks that scorched the road surface with blackened marks.
"She might be dead right now, for all we know." said Jubilee. "I mean, I hated her, and she hated me, but still…"
"Hold the tearjerkers for another time, Jubes." Rahne said. "I think I can get a scent." Jubilee gave her a perplexed look. "A scent…?"
Rahne transformed for the second time that day. The wolf-Rahne sniffed at the ground; sniffed at the air; sniffed at a nearby stranded boot on the side of the road. After a couple minutes of this, she transformed back to her human self, and nodded to Jubilee.
"It's this way!" Rahne hopped onto the back of the motor scooter, and the two were off.
-----
Victor Creed stumbled through the isolated forest in a red haze. His mind was jumbled and trying to resort itself of its priorities, but he felt too distracted. Images flitted in and out of his mind, and none of them were making sense. Were they real, or just an apocryphal illusionary created by his own mind?
Nothing's making sense anymore. Victor clutched at his head. Damn you, Magneto!!... I waited for you… but nothing…nothing…
"Oi! What would a big boy like ye be crying fur?" Rahne called out. Victor stood tall and straight. The maddened look in his blood-shot yellow eyes had intensified greatly since Amara saw them, and Rahne had a reason to gulp down a scream for mercy. "Where's ma friend?"
"What do I look like to you?" Sabretooth asked mockingly. His arms were flexed and ready to tear apart. Rahne sighed despairingly. She was already tired out from two morphs in one day, but it seemed she would have to gear for another one.
"Alrigh', mate," Rahne said, feeling her hands grow smaller and furrier. "Whits fur ye'll no gin by ye!"[3]
She chanced a glance diagonally from here, where Jubilee's small form ran silently past Sabretooth. Who, unfortunately for her, had enhanced hearing. He turned his head towards where Rahne was staring, and saw the girl trying to make a run for it. Jubilee, at the realization that she was caught, made a 'eep' sound and began sprinting like mad. Sabretooth roared ferociously, and would've taken off after her at once once had wolf-Rahne not pounced him at that instantaneous moment.
"AAAARRRGHHH!!" Sabretooth threw off Rahne's small wolf body and threw it against a nearby tree in one swift, fluid moment. Rahne yelped in pain and slumped onto the ground, unconscious.
"RAHNE!" Jubilee screamed. Sabretooth raced up towards her headfirst, as if he was going to head butt her.
"Eat sparkies, cat-man!" Jubilee yelled, her arms outstretched in front of her. Bright red fire cracker-like shapes burst out and caught Sabretooth in the eye, causing him to roar furiously. His eyes even worsened, and his vision considerably damaged and spotty, Sabretooth took a swipe at Jubilee. His longest claw caught a bit of skin and teared it off at her arm, making it begin to bleed readily. Jubilee made a strangled choke of pain.
"JUBES! DUCK!"
Sabretooth turned around just as Jubilee dived to the ground. The effect? He was slammed backwards into a tree by a tremendous amount of electricity forcefully pushing him back. It was enough to stun Sabretooth for some moments, and enough to wipe Ray out.
Tabitha came running up, swearing. "Shit! Can you stand up, Jubilee?"
Jubilee shakily wobbled up to her knees with the help of Tabitha and Bobby. "Yeah, I'm fine. Stupid arm, though…" She widened her eyes. "You guys! Rahne! Is she breathing?"
The words had hardly gotten out of her mouth by the time Roberto had reached her. Sam reached second, and a small huddle formed around the unconscious wolf-girl. Roberto carefully turned her over onto his lap until she was laying on her back, and felt her neck with his fingers.
"She's breathing. Out cold, though." Roberto said in a low voice. "And I think some of her ribs might be broken." It was the most words he had spoken to all of them collectively.
"Yer aff yer heid." Rahne croaked. Roberto widened his eyes and brushed some hair out of her face, but she had lapsed into unconsciousness again. Tabitha cursed again.
"Sam, you go take Rahne and get help! Find a hospital or somethin'. Actually…" She paused, and looked at Jubilee's arm, now bleeding profusely. "They're both small enough; you can carry both of them, can't you?"
Sam nodded, but Jubilee frowned. "I've got to--"
"You're useless to us dead, hon." Tabitha said seriously. Jubilee bit her lip, but relented when she saw Roberto carefully transfer Rahne over into Sam's arms. She wrapped her arms around Sam's neck like in a piggy-back ride, and the three burst off into the air.
"Hope they don't crash into an airplane." Bobby said, watching the sky.
"That's not funny."
"I'm not trying to be."
Ray interrupted the two and pointed out the obvious, taking over Sam's usual position. "It's Amara!"
And indeed it was. Amara was limping out of the cave, with the help of five Jamies or so.
"Alright. Come on, let's get out of here before the big guy wakes up again." Bobby said in relief.
"Too late." Ray said tonelessly. Sabretooth staggered up, shaking his head clear. He took a menacing step forward towards Ray, but found his way blocked by a smiling Tabitha, her arms crossed in an intimidating way (though it was hard to be intimidating to a guy three feet taller than you).
"Get out of the way, sweet cheeks." Sabretooth smirked. Tabitha's smile turned evil.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that, dog breath." Tabitha unfolded her arms to reveal five tomato-sized bombs. Sabretooth widened his eyes, and tried to use his arms to block the blows, but to no avail. Five consecutive BOOMS resounded throughout the area.
"Geez. Couldn't you have warned us?" Bobby coughed after the smoke had somewhat cleared. Tabitha shrugged nonchalantly, and nodded towards Sabretooth. He still stood, but his hair no longer looked so Fabio-inspired. His face, a mixture of black soot and red fury, looked ready to kill.
"Magneto. I have what you asked for!" Sabretooth brayed, staring up at the heavens. His eyes flashing fire and rage, he turned to Amara and jumped at her. She screamed in panic.
"Achthp! No!" Tabitha darted in front and hugged Amara with her body, covering her from any possible blows. She needn't have, however; a flying object barreled into Sabretooth and hit him into a tree for the second time. Sabretooth recovered more quickly this time around, however, and his roar reverberated throughout the forest. The flying object turned out to be a freakish-looking figure all up in flames, smiling vindictively at Sabretooth. He took a couple steps forward as if he were floating on the lightest air, and moved into an extraordinarily fast jump kick that made Sabretooth sprawl onto his back. The man wasn't Logan's rival for nothing, though. He swiped back at the figure, almost equally fast. The walking flame barraged into a tree, but recovered. They soon were absorbed in a ghostly high-speed battle.
Ray, Jamie, and Bobby watched, mouths agape and wide open. Tabitha finally released her tight hold on Amara. "You okay?" She asked concernedly.
The Nova Roman princess nodded. "Yeah. Thanks to you."
"Merda! Isto não está trabalhando!" The burning figure yelled.
"Holy... that's Roberto??" Ray said incredously.
"They're just tiring eachother out. But Roberto's slowly losing." Bobby said, still watching the match intensely. Ray set his mouth into a thin line.
"Then we'll just have to make a distraction for him to get away, won't we?"
Sabretooth had knocked Roberto backwards again, and was about to jump forward and launch himself again until about twenty other things had already launched themselves at him.
"DIE, MEANIE!" Jamie thundered, beating his chests. The multiples proceeded into kicking, biting, punching, licking (yes, licking), and pulling at the poor man, while delivering harsh taunts and statements. Such ones, like: "Eat BOOGERS, doo brain!", and "Stop being stupid, stupid-head!"
"ARRRRRGGHHHH!!!!"
And so, the remaining new recruits slipped away and managed to escape, with cool-flying-version-of-Roberto carrying Amara and Jamie getting some well-deserved pats on the back from everyone. Eventually, the multiples had disappeared with all but one ramming a thin tree branch up and down Sabretooth's nose.
"OH, LOOK AT THE SNOT! Oh, there it went back in again! LOOK AT IT! Up it goes! Down with the green! Up to the brain! Now you see it, now you don't!"
It was that incident that would forever taint and emotionally damage Sabretooth. It would so much, that Magneto finally came to him and put him into rehab on a diet of rationed cat nip and apple juice. And it was that incident that let Logan ease up on the new recruits and give them three months of chores instead of five.
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A/N: I was trying to finish this thing up quickly, so if it's lacking in quality.... well, too bad? Hey, I can't HELP my writing skills! I just wanted to move this thing along and update already for you guys.
[1] – If that wasn't distracting, then I have FAILED YOU ALL. Lalala. By the way, that picture is from one of those Japanese oekaki boards that I miraculously stumble upon and never can find again. I wish I could, because it was one-of-a-kind, man. Like, people in Japanese oekaki boards are SO POLITE! They'll comment on everything, and every one of the comments is really nice and make you feel all fluffy inside! Even if the picture sucks bananas. They'll still be really nice. But they don't really draw any of the inane, immature, grotesque pictures that I love. They're too talented to do that. But that one board was awesome. I think I saw one with Mystique as a mango. Now tell me that's not the greatest thing you've ever heard of. Yeah, I didn't think so.
[2] – Pimpling. TEEHEE! :B I think someone asked for an appearance by Paige Guthrie, and this is the most I can give you, chum. At least, at the moment. Try to hold off requests for non-canon Evo characters until I'm through with at least the Season 2 storyline.
[3] Translation: What's meant for you will not pass you by.