Author's Note: The information about Chinese monsters was taken from Encyclopedia Mythica at pantheon dot com
Chapter 5: Illusions of Truth
According to an old Chinese legend, the burial mound of Qin Shi Huangdi, first emperor of the unified China, contains the replica of "all under Heaven and Earth". For centuries, scholars wondered what that meant. The fact that, to this day, Chinese government prohibits archeologists from exploring the burial mound fueled the speculation even further. Hank McCoy knew all this. He always thought that the replica in question was nothing more then a bunch of stone models, like famous terracotta warriors that were discovered a few miles away from the mound. He would've never imagined that the mount contained an actual environment. But he could not deny facts.
For the past three hours, X-Men were trying their best to hold off hordes of mythological beasts right out of "Journey to the West" while trying to cross what seemed like a perfect replica of an ancient East Asian forest. At first, the students had no trouble stopping the creatures. But every time victory was in their reach, more and more beasts came. Despite their extraordinary gifts, poor youngsters weren't invincible. They got tired. They got frustrated. They made sloppy mistakes. Even Wolverine, who held off huge hordes of attackers more times then he cared to count, seemed to be losing his edge.
Jean was in the air, fighting Feng-huang, a Chinese phoenix. Cyclops fired non-stop, trying to fry as many little gargoyle-like demons as possible. Iceman and Magma were helping him. Nightcrawler hopped from tree to tree as a creature that looked suspiciously like Goku the Monkey King tried to hit him with a large staff. Boom-Boom and Gambit faced off against a herd of deer-like Kirin. Jubilee and Cannonball tried to make their way through rows upon rows of walking corpses. They weren't having much luck. Five large hounds crossed the forest in gigantic leaps. Shadowcat tried to phase through the trees, but it was clear that she was losing concentration. Avalanche did his best to hold them off, but the hounds leaped out of the way before his blasts could have any effect.
Meanwhile, Wolverine and Beast were trying their best to keep two huge dragons at bay. True to the ancient Chinese myths, they had power over local environment, which made things even harder.
Come on, Charles, Dr. McCoy thought, We were supposed to stay in contact. Where are you?
En Sabah Nur, a mutant known among the modern men as the omnipotent Apocalypse, gazed at the viewing portal that displayed the scene unfolding in the burial mound below. As he watched the flame-haired witch trying to contact her mentor, his mouth formed into a small, deadly smirk.
"You told the truth, wizard," He said to his companion, "nothing can escape this trap. Nothing."
The other man adjusted his blue duster. The cold dark eyes behind his elegantly framed glasses showed a glimmer of satisfaction.
All his life, he was told that he was the most powerful magus of his age. His mentors assured him that once he achieved his full potential; no force in the universe would be able stand in his way. He took their worlds to heart. He studied hard, knowing that one day he would prove them right.
On his eighteenth birthday, he was finally ready
First, he went after all the great magic users of his realm. Dr. Occult, John Constantine, Dr. Fate, Zaruel, Shazam, Enchantress, Faust, Boston Brand, Kid Eternity, Madam Xanadu, Tempest, Sentinel and even the almighty Zatanna Zatara herself - they all fell one by one. He banished the Spectre and Phantom Stranger from his world. He even managed to weaken the material incantations of the Endless to the point where they were nothing but powerless shadows.
Then, he went after the heroes. The ones with powers died by his hands. He left the powerless ones alive. They were free to try to oppose him. In the end, they always failed.
He was called Tim Hunter. But, as Dr. Occult once told him, a wizard must never reveal his true name. As far as his associates and his enemies were concerned, he was The Other.
"Tell me, wizard," the mutant lord interrupted his thoughts, "how did you use these artifacts without losing your powers? "
"It's dreadfully simple," The Other replied, "I reset the energy converters so that the "artifact" would draw power from whoever happens to be inside the trap."
"Considering the power required to maintain these illusions, I am surprised the fools haven't collapsed from exhaustion. "
"Ah, but some of those 'fools' have far greater potential than they realize."
Apocalypse traced his hand over the control panels. The viewing port zoomed in on the red-haired witch.
Yes, he thought, they do indeed.
"I trust you already apprehended my newest prize," Apocalypse said
"Naturally," The Other nodded.
"When can I have him?"
"When he serves my purpose." Sensing Apocalypse's displeasure, he hastened to add, "Fear not, Your Omnipotence. We have come this far. Do you truly think I would betray you?"
The ancient mutant considered that:
"Fair enough. I shall let you pursue your strange agendas. You know full well what would happen if you would try to double-cross me."
"Just as you know full well what would happen if you should try to double-cross me."
The mutant and the wizard looked at each other. Both wondered if they were being challenged. Both wondered if their alliance was worth it. And, after staring at each for a while, both decided that they never would've made it this far without each other's help.
They looked away.
"You may leave now," Apocalypse finally said.
"As you wish, Your Omnipotence," said The Other.
He made a quick bow and left the control chamber.
As soon as he was in the hall, he breathed a sigh of relief. Dealing with the ancient mutant was always a battle of nerves. Apocalypse's greatest asset wasn't his X-Gene – The Other could overpower him if he needed to. It was the amazing technology he wielded. The Other had seen Apocalypse use it to rearrange sub-atomic particles, alter the flow of space-time, violate laws of physics and magic and manipulate the human mind. He was terrified to imagine what would happen if the mutant conqueror ever discovered what this technology was meant to do.
The Other spread his magic throughout the hall, trying to find any sensors and recording devices. He knew that it was pointless – the technology was beyond his comprehension. The Other did it anyway. It was a comfort thing.
The Other shrugged and opened a portal. He took one last look around and stepped inside.
…He plummets into a hole that had no beginning or end, where past and future are meaningless. He cannot escape. He can't do anything to even slow down his fall. No matter how much he tries, he can't imagine his life beyond a single, terrifying moment…
He stepped out of the portal.
The Other looked around. He stood in a lush, quiet garden. The air was so pure it hurt his lungs. But as he looked up, he was reminded that this was no ordinary garden. The decaying fragments of a dying world stared back at him.
A tree so large that it made skyscrapers look like blades of grass loomed ahead. It cast an enormous shadow across the field. Beneath the tree was an elegant wooden teahouse. His associates gathered there. Much to his surprise, The Other heard laughter. He doubled his pace. There weren't that many things that could amuse the people he worked with.
The Other felt a certain kinship to them. They were freaks of nature. Accidents of fate. They fell through the proverbial cracks, defying (mostly by accident) the intricate laws that governed Hypertime. Alone, they were nothing but discarded, fateless ghosts. The Other gave them purpose, a chance to be something greater then themselves. And, if everything worked out as planned, they would have a chance to regain what was rightfully theirs.
Adrian Veidt was a prodigy. In a world where heroes were guided by selfish motivations and twisted desires, he was the only man who tried to work for the greater good of humanity. At first, he was Ozymandias, a popular hero who inspired countless young minds. But eventually, he realized that, for all the good he was doing, that just wasn't enough. Adrian Veidt set out to engineer an intricate conspiracy that would forever change his world. Despite a few obstacles, he succeeded. But in the end, all his efforts were for nothing. Less than a year after his victory, a white wave of anti-matter appeared on the fringes of cosmos. It made it's way through his universe, erasing everything in its path. There wasn't a thing he could do to stop it. Oh, he managed to survive the destruction of his universe. His brilliance ensured that much. But to the man who worked so hard to protect the innocents, it wasn't nearly enough.
The Other found him drifting among the scant few remains of his universe. Two decades passed since its demise. Because in hyperspace, time is meaningless, Adrian Veidt didn't age a day. The Other offered him a chance to rebuild his world in exchange for his services. Adrian Veidt reluctantly agreed.
Norman Osborn was a scientist, too. He wasn't nearly as brilliant as Adrian Veidt, but he had a creative side the other scientist never possessed. In his universe, Norman Osborn was in charge of a company that produced weapons for military and criminal organizations. During a laboratory accident, he inhaled an experimental gas compound that gave him super-strength and took away his sanity. He became a costumed criminal named Green Goblin. A few months later, he got his hands on a device that used hyperspace portals to give its user an ability to transport between distant locations in no time at all. During the battle with Spider-Man, the device malfunctioned. Green Goblin got sucked into Hyperspace. For some unknown reason, he maintained a psychic connection with his universe. Unlike Adrian Veidt, he felt every single second he spent in hyperspace. The experience aggravated his insanity. When The Other released him, Green Goblin wanted only one thing – revenge on Spider-Man. The Other offered to help him to make his wish a reality in exchange for his services. The insane scientist gladly agreed.
David MacTaggart was, quite arguably, the most powerful mutant in any universe. He was a son of Charles Xavier from Earth-219. Ever since he knew how to speak, David could manipulate the very fabric of reality without even breaking a sweat. Unfortunately, this power caused his body to deteriorate until it was completely gone. David, who now called himself Proteus, was forced to jump from body to body. The local version of X-Men tried to stop him. In the end, he managed to possess the local version of Betsy Braddock. Professor Xavier tried to help her fight off Proteus. Colossus, a more cynical member of X-Men, decided that the team could not afford to wait around. He crushed Betsy with a truck. The telepathic mutant died. But Proteus, who couldn't die because he was pure energy, wound up shifting uncontrollably between various planes of reality. It took Adrian Veidt weeks to devise a way to bring the hapless mutant back to the conventional plane. He created a device that would contain Proteus. The bargain between the young mutant and The Other was simple – if Proteus decided not to turn against him, he would turn off Adrian Veidt's device. At first, David grumbled a lot, but after he found out the final goal of The Other's plan, he became much more enthusiastic.
Legion, son of Charles Xavier from Earth-466, was as bizarre as his "brother". He came from a universe very similar to the one The Other just returned from. As he grew up, he developed three distinct personalities, each with a different power. After a confrontation with a local version of X-Men, he succeeded in finding a balance between his multiple selves. Or at least, so he thought. As time went on, the various personalities began reasserting themselves. He traveled throughout the world looking for a way to stabilize his condition. Two months later, the local version of Apocalypse finally made his move. In that universe, X-Men failed to stop Apocalypse from carrying out his plan. Billions of humans died. The rest wound up with mutant powers. Mutants suddenly reached their full potential. Legion was split into three separate bodies, each with the same set of powers as the others. At first, all three resulting entities were happy with the outcome. But when Apocalypse began hunting down everything related to X-Men, they were forced to run. David, Legion's more innocent personality, was quickly killed off. The other two personalities, Lucas and Ian, took the loss very personally. However, they both realized that they were no match for Apocalypse. So they snuck into the mutant overlord's base and tried to use his time machine to travel back to the past and change the future. However, something went wrong. Lucas was thrown into the universe similar, yet very different from the world he knew. That was where The Other found him. He explained to the angry mutant that, do to the nature of Hypertime, any attempt to change the future would have been pointless. Instead, The Other told him that he knew a way to wipe Legion's universe from existence. But in order to pull it off, The Other needed Lucas's help.
Since then, Legion's darkest personality had been The Other's faithful associate. He searched for Ian, who vanished without a trace, whenever he had the chance.
Compared to all those colorful stories, Mastermind seemed almost mundane. He was one of the refugees from a world that was destroyed by the Ultimate Nullifier. The only thing he wanted from The Other was to get paid, which suited the wizard just fine.
Then, there was Obake. The Other smiled. Now there was a character who deserved his own history book...
Before he could finish that thought, Proteus spoke up.
The Other is coming… Here. Right here. You're screwed.
"You're bluffing," Legion challenged his 'brother', "I would of sensed him… Oh crap."
"I don't see what you are so distressed about," Ozymandias cast a calm look in The Other's direction, "It wasn't like we were doing anything wrong."
"Yeah," Legion looked away sheepishly, "I did nothing wrong. Nothing wrong at all."
Green Goblin snickered.
There were days when The Other would play along with the juvenile antics of his younger associates. Today wasn't one of them.
"What the bloody hell is this all about!" He demanded.
Legion took a careful step back. Proteus shifted towards Legion. Mastermind melted into the background. Green Goblin slowly reached for his pumpkin-bomb pouch. Only Ozymandias remained completely undisturbed:
"Well, Mr. Hunter," he explained calmly, "As you know, this place is a nexus between Gentincus and Portendo hypertimelines. While I find the very existence of this place fascinating, it's very boring as far as my colleagues are concerned. Lately, they've been getting restless. Fearing for my life, I used the junk you dumped here over the years to construct the Hypertime Receiver. This device can pick up broadcasts from every single universe in existence. Personally, I would have preferred to use it for more enlightening pursuits, but young Lucas here insisted that we watch something called Secret Celebrity Videos." Legion looked away with defiant embarrassment, "Since the others seemed determined to see this… program, I figured that I should just be a good sport and let them do as they wished."
The Other looked at his underlings. Everyone showed a healthy amount of fear. Well, everybody except for Ozymandias. The Other didn't mind. The destruction of their universe would make anyone reconsider their priorities.
"Mr. Haller," The Other finally pronounced. Legion stared back, "I hope you weren't thinking about killing off the guy who gets up all the cool toys. Because that wouldn't be smart, now would it?"
"No, sir," Legion mumbled.
"As for you, Mr. Veidt," The Other continued, "Next time some of your more… empowered associates try to pressure you, remind them that you are the only person who has the access codes to the Spirit Trap."
"Yes, Mr. Hunter," Ozymandias offered a quick bow.
He refused to call his master "The Other" on principle. He said it sounded too pretentious. The wizard couldn't help but admire the mortal's gall.
Then again, maybe it wasn't gall. Maybe it was desperation.
"Is everybody satisfied?" The Other addressed his underlings. They nodded politely, "Good. First, I would like to commend Proteus and Ozymandias for their success. Apocalypse was very pleased."
"Does he suspect anything?" Green Goblin frowned.
"Of course," The Other smiled, "He wouldn't be Apocalypse if he didn't. Don't worry, Mr. Osborn. In a few days, we will have the keys to the ultimate power. We'll never have to bow to anyone or anything again!"
"I, for one, sincerely hope that you intend to keep your part of the bargain." Ozymandias interjected.
"Stop being so paranoid, V-man" Legion shrugged, "The Other's been good to you. He said he would let you do your research, and he did. He gave you a whole sodding universe to play with. He even got you all those weird-arse books…"
"Well put, Lucas," The Other nodded approvingly. Ozymandias carefully looked away.
"Now that that's out of the way, we got a lot of things to get through and not a whole lot of time to get though them. Up to this point, I only gave you the general plan. Now, it's time for specifics. I need you to pay attention, because if any one of you screws up, it's all over. Do you understand me? "
His subordinates nodded silently
"Good," the wizard smiled, "Now, let's get to work."
OK, here is a quick recap of my day so far:
- I discovered that I might have a new power.
- I found out that a friend of mine vanished off the face of the earth.
- Apocalypse, the most powerful mutant ever, made a comeback.
- I met a strange little girl who clearly wasn't little and may not even be a girl. One thing for sure, she wasn't from around here.
- I found out that yesterday, two of my friends got to know each other a little too well.
- And, just a few minutes ago, I found out that the mutant I thought was out of my life for good might be behind everything that went wrong over the past few days.
So, when I saw a scarlet figure dropping in just as I was about to leave the crime scene, I decided not to take any chances. I reached for my throwing disks and turned to face the intruder. If he moved as much as a muscle…let's just say that lately, Wolverine went out of the way to compliment me on my reaction time.
The intruder jumped off the window and, with the grace that would make Rogue greener then the highlights of her costume, landed on his feet. His mirror-like eyes glistened against the red texture of his mask. Wait a minute! The mask, the red-and-blue costume, the web-like patterns…
"Spider-Man!"
"The one and only," the masked webslinger replied wryly, "Now, be a good sneaky costumed guy and stay put. You got some of explain' to do."
"Sneaky Costumed Guy?" I couldn't help but quip, "You were the one who snuck up on me."
"I am a superhero," Spider-Man retorted, "You are a criminal. That's different."
"A criminal? What gave you that idea!"
"Let's see – a heir to a fortune big enough to buy a few small countries vanishes from his apartment. Police can't find a single clue. A few hours later, some costumed weirdo shows up that same apartment. He can turn invisible and walk around without making a sound or leaving footprints. What am I supposed to think?"
"You got a point there," I allowed, "there is just one problem."
"Oh really?" Spider-Man cocked his head, "Do tell."
"Ever heard of X-Men?"
"Who hasn't?"
"Well, look at the symbol on my belt," I said, pointing at the buckle, "what does it tell you?"
"That… Wait, you mean to tell me you are an X-Man?"
"Bingo," I smiled beneath my mask
But the webslinger was not convinced:
"I don't remember seeing you on TV."
"Well, I am not much of a TV person," I sniped back. I love to kid around as much as anyone, but my patience had it's limits, "Look, it's not like we got membership cards or anything. If you want to be a paranoid web-head, that's fine. Just let me get out of here and I swear I won't bug you. "
"I am sorry," Spider-Man shook his head, "I can't do that. A person's life is at stake."
My fingers brushed against the throwing disks.
Shion! an urgent voice broke into my mind, Can you please get a move on! I can't distract those perverts forever, you know!
I was ashamed to realize that I was so distracted by Spider-Man's arrival that I completely forgot that she was even there.
Hey!
Oops. Gotta watch those pesky surface thoughts.
Damn right.
Sorry, Betsy I thought, I got a little situation here.
What kind of situation? Betsy asked.
And that's when it hit me:
An easily avoidable one. I thought. Out loud, I said:
"Spider-Man."
"What?"
"Personally, I would rather avoid a slugfest. Those kinds of things are always pointless."
"I agree," Spider-Man relaxed slightly, "That still doesn't get you off the hook."
"I was getting to that." I smirked, "If you want proof, follow me."
"Where are we going?" Spider-Man asked, his voice dripping with suspicion.
"The roof." I shrugged, "It's as good of a place as any."
The roof? Betsy interrupted my thoughts, Shion, what the hell are you trying to pull?
Look deeper.
I dropped my mental barriers for a few seconds.
Aha… she thought Alright, I'll be right up.
Don't forget to tell Rogue, I reminded her. To Spider-Man, I said: "You coming?"
"Yeah," he mumbled apprehensively, "But if you try to pull anything…"
"I get the idea," I pulled a grappling hook launcher out of my utility belt, "Why are you so paranoid, anyway?"
"Experience."
I came up to the window. In most skyscrapers, they simply aren't designed to open this high up. Warren had it customized. It made entrances and exits easier.
I reached for the hidden lock. Much to my surprise, it was already opened.
So that's how Spider-Man got in, I realized.
I looked around, took a calming breath and dove to the ground below.
I flipped through the air, adjusting my fall so that I would face the sky, not the ground.
I'll only get one shot at this, I reminded myself.
If I failed, I could always hide in the Middleverse. But I wasn't about to do that. Not unless I really had to. Safety nets make you careless.
I aimed the grappling hook launcher at the roof of Worthington tower. With a push of a button, a steel cable zoomed into the sky. One second passed. Then another. Then another.
On the fourth second, the cable embedded itself in the roof's ledge. I tugged on it just in case. Reassured that yes, it was secure, I pushed the second button on the launcher. With a barely audible WOOSH, the cable pulled me up to the rooftop.
"Wow," Spider-Man said, his voice coming from somewhere above, "That was kind of cool."
Later, I would acknowledge that he was right – it was kind of neat, especially considering that I didn't have Kurt's agility or Wolverine's life-long martial arts training. But at the time, all I could do was breathe a sigh of relief.
I mean, it's been a while since I swung between skyscrapers.
As I came closer to the roof, the cable slowed down, giving me just enough momentum to push off the wall, release the cable, flop over the ledge and land on the roof, feet first.
The cable WOOSHED behind me as it crawled back into the grappling hook launcher.
I glanced around. Rogue and Psylocke made it. And, amazingly enough, they were dressed up, too.
I noted that Betsy changed her costume since our last meeting. Gone was the cumbersome cape that got us in trouble so many times it wasn't even funny. She still wore a hood, only this time; it was part of a sleeveless, tightly buckled overcoat that ended where the legs began. Her boots no longer reached up all the way up to her knees. The wide, almost fluffy sleeves were replaced with the more skin-tight ones. Her gloves, on the other hand, got a few inches longer. I noticed that the new costume boasted a darker shade of purple then the previous one. The boots and gloves, which used to be dark purple, were now completely black. I wondered what brought on this shift.
Rogue stood nearby, her arms folded. She gave me a quick this-better-be-good look. Then, she noticed Spider-Man.
"OH MY GOD! You are…"
Judging by that little outburst, Spider-Man noticed her.
"…Rogue," the ever-so-lovely gothic belle supplied.
"Yeah… Rogue" Spider-Man struggled to remember how to breathe "I am sorry. It's just that… well, I thought I would ever meet an actual X-Man."
"What's he so happy about?" Rogue mumbled.
"I dunno," I shook my head, "Can you tell him that I am an X-Man too?"
"Shion, your ego is dangerous enough," Rogue quipped quietly, "Do you really need someone to stroke it?"
"Always."
Rogue smiled: "Just making sure. Hey, Spider-Man?"
"Yeah," the webslinging hero looked up
"This is Ecto. He is one of us, so stop bugging him."
"Well, I can see that now," Spider-Man said ruefully. Then, motioning at Psylocke, he added, "Is she an X-Man too?"
Betsy looked at him like he just called football 'soccer'.
"Have you ever heard of Psylocke?" she asked
Spider-Man thought it over for a minute
"Yeah," he finally pronounced, "she is that British girl who attacked the Helicarrier a year ago!"
Psylocke chuckled: "Yeah, that was fun. Well, except for the part where the entire Telepath Division tried to fry my brain but, you know, you win some you lose some."
"Wow." I was sure that beneath the mask, Spider-Man's jaw was hanging wide open.
"And speaking of trespassing on other people's property," I said before we could get completely off-topic, "What the heck were you doing in Warren Worthington's apartment?"
"Well…" Spider-Man paused, "I was investigating the scene of the crime."
"Police already searched every inch of it," I pointed out," What were you hoping to find?"
"You know, I could ask you the same question," Spider-Man's lenses glinted suspiciously
It would've been easy to answer that. It certainly would of saved us lots of trouble. But I couldn't risk exposing Warren's secret.
"It's OK," said Psylocke, "Spider-Man knows Warren is a mutant."
"How did she…" Spider-Man asked.
"You don't know how to shield your surface thoughts, do you?" Psylocke smiled.
"Surface thoughts?"
"It's like this," I started to explain, "Imagine being stuck in a cheap motel where walls are so thin you can hear everything that's going on in other rooms. For the most part, you can block the noises out. But sometimes, they get so loud (or unusual) you can't help but notice them. Those are surface thoughts."
"Every impulse, every secret, every fear, every desire," Psylocke added. "If you don't have a whole lot of self-control, I can pick it up in seconds."
"I have plenty of self-control," Spider-Man protested.
"Not in this costume you don't," Psylocke quipped.
"Alright, alright, whatever," Spider-Man sighed in exasperation, "Just don't go into my head, OK?"
"Sure. Don't worry," smiled Psylocke, "It's probably full of spider-webs anyway."
"Great," I said curtly, "Now that that's settled, we need to figure out what we're going to do next."
"Well, we can try to work together," Spider-Man shrugged innocently
"It's a good idea." I acknowledged, "but I am not sure it's actually plausible."
"Why?" asked Psylocke
"Because if we work together, we are going to have to trust each other," I explained, "We'll need to coordinate with each other, cover for each other, share information with each other. We can't really do that, because, well, some of us got secret identities to hide."
"How about we just ditch the secret identities?" Rogue suggested
She had a point. In my experience, if you want someone to trust you, you are going to have to give out your secret identity sooner or later. Otherwise, things get a little too complicated for comfort.
"I don't know…" Psylocke toyed with the fabric of her hood.
"Well, if worse comes to worse, you can always mind-wipe him." I pointed out.
"Wait a minute!" I could hear genuine fear in Spider-Man's voice, "Mind wipes? As in wiping out memories?"
"Trust me," I assured him, "when you find out who she is, you'll understand."
"Alright… I'll do it," Psylocke lowered her head, "but if any of this gets on the Internet…"
"It won't," Spider-Man promised, "I swear."
Psylocke looked at him thoughtfully. Finally, she nodded.
"So, do we reveal our secret ID's now?" she asked
"No," Spider-Man shook his head, "I mean, not here. Not out in the open."
"Out in the open?" Rogue rolled her eyes, "We on the top of a skyscraper!"
"Exactly," Spider-Man exclaimed, "we stand out!"
Rogue groaned wearily: "Ecto was right. You are a paranoid web-head."
"Whatever," I sighed, echoing Rogue's sentiment, "Do you have a better alternative?"
"Sure," Spider-Man nodded eagerly, "how about we meet over by Empire State University."
"Because, you know, that's so not public," Rogue commented sarcastically.
"Well, if we are all out of costume, no one will pay any attention to us."
Rogue looked at Spider-Man with a delicious combination of skepticism and annoyance. I couldn't agree with her more.
"If we are out of costume," I pointed out, "how the heck are you going to know who we are?"
"Psylocke over there is a telepath, right?" Spider-Man replied, "She can find me."
"I thought you wanted me to stay out of your mind," Psylocke reminded him.
"Oh yeah," Spider-Man realized, "Well, you can just… look for my surface thoughts or whatever it is you do."
"Just make sure you think of someone other then Rogue," Psylocke smiled, "because that last thought was wrong on so many levels."
Rogue's annoyed glare turned downright poisonous.
"What?" Spider-Man raised his hands, "What did I think?"
"I was just teasing you," Psylocke laughed, "Relax. The whole nerdy goody-two-shoes thing really isn't working for you."
Spider-Man mumbled something I wasn't sure I wanted to understand.
"Anyway," he said aloud, "I'll see you at ESU in an hour. Later."
He shot a web at a nearest building. Within seconds, he was miles away.
"You know, Shion," Rogue said quietly, "I think you finally found your soul-mate."
"What?" I shrugged innocently, "Am I really that annoying?"
"Sometimes," Rogue admitted.
"Damn. That sucks."
Rogue opened the door that led to the stairs.
"Don't worry," she smiled, "The rest of the time, you are the best thing to come along in quite a while. "
I froze. Literally. If Betsy didn't give me a not-so-gentle nudge, I probably would've stayed on the roof of Worthington Tower for quite a while.
Rogue doesn't give those kinds of compliments very often. I learned to savor them. At least for a little while.
I took off my mask and followed Betsy and Rogue.
My day was about out to get a whole lot more interesting.
To be Continued…Disclaimer: Adrian Veidt, Dr. Occult, John Constantine, Dr. Fate, Zaruel, Shazam, Enchantress, Faust, Boston Brand, Kid Eternity, Madam Xanadu, Tempest, Sentinel, Zatanna Zatara, Spectre, Phantom Stranger and The Endless are properties of DC Comics. Green Goblin and Proteus are properties of Marvel Comics. The alternate versions of Legion and Mastermind are based on the characters that belong to Marvel Comics.