Chapter Five
"Lance, what the hell is your problem!? Get off the damn bus, and let's go!" Wanda screeched, balling her fists and clenching her teeth.
Lance wouldn't move. He remained on the second seat on the right side, not even bothering to look at them. He had been that way for a few minutes, but ever since they had gotten this mission, Lance had been overly paranoid. Pietro scoffed and crossed his arms.
"Lance, since_when_are_you_afraid_of_the_dark!?"
Lance turned his head down and then looked out the window. "Since five minutes, thirteen seconds, and fifty-two milliseconds ago!"
Fred climbed on the bus again and dragged Lance out, having to fight him the entire way. The ground began to shake, and Lance thrashed about wildly.
"Let me go! Fuck off, Fred! Let me go or I'll bring down the entire fucking city!"
Fred dropped the vicious teenager on the pavement. He then went to the bus storage and retrieved all of their bags from the compartment.
"Let's check in and eat! Lance, quit draggin ass!"
Wanda pulled the ducttape wallet out of her back pocket and walked to the glass doors of the Blue Lagoon, the insanely expensive hotel that Mystique registered them in. She opened it and counted the money inside.
"You guys, wait here. I'll be right back," she said, stuffing the wallet back into her pocket.
Lance made to follow her in, but she hissed and he stayed put. Todd sprung up next to him and patted him on the shoulder.
"Lance, are you okay? You look really pale yo."
Lance froze, his eyes darting from side to side. He jumped and ran inside the hotel after Wanda. They watched him hide behind the wall.
"What's his problem?" Fred asked.
Pietro shrugged. "I_don't_know. He's_been_acting_that_way_ever_since_he_heard_about_the_trip. You_would_have_thought_he_would_be_happy. Mystique_gave_us_each_like_five-hundred_dollars_of_spending_money."
Todd grinned and patted his pocket. "She musta been possessed yo! We need to see if Wanda can conjure that spirit up again. I like Mystique when she's generous yo."
Fred nodded. "Me too."
The rooms were very exquisite. The penthouse was wonderful, and of course the master bedroom went to Wanda because the boys decided that was best (because if they hadn't, she probably would have knocked them out the window). The house had a gold-tinted, white wall paper with fuzzy, soft offwhite carpet. The kitchen was full, prestocked with groceries that Mystique had requested to be sent there. the two other rooms had two beds in them, and each boy got a bed. Each bedroom had a bathroom stocked with fluffy towels and two closets. It was certainly a change from what they were used to living in.
Pietro plopped on the very comfortable sofa and stole the remote instantly from the coffee table. He was flipping through the channels almost instantly, having unpacked and claimed the softest bed out of the four. Lance had the bed alongside Pietro's, and Todd and Fred shared a room.
"Pietro, move over! You can't hog the television like that," Fred said, picking the small mutant and tossing him over his shoulder.
"Is_Lance_still_in_the_room?"
"No, he's locked himself in the bathroom."
"I wonder why he's so paranoid all of a sudden yo."
Todd jumped on Fred's shoulder and stared at the television.
"Yo, what's that?"
The group attention focused on the television, where a woman was standing live in front of some very violent wreckage that used to be a bus.
"The Mutes have struck again, ladies and gentlemen. There were no casualties, but the driver has yet to be found..."
Todd leaned close to the big screen and poked at the number that was on the side of the metal bus in large black numbers. His eyes opened wide.
"FUUUUUCK! THAT'S THE BUS WE WERE ON NOT TEN MINUTES AGO!"
Todd fell away from the television, and Pietro and Fred got closer to it. Pietro stood up, throwing the remote down.
"Well, at least we weren't on it."
Pietro turned to tell Wanda what happened, but he saw Lance standing there, pale as hell, staring at the television. Wanda was in the kitchen, staring cautiously at Lance's sunken eyes and small pupils. His breathing was ragged and hoarse, and he was trembling slightly.
"They know," he said solunmly. "They know I'm here. Now they're coming to kill me."
*****************
Jim had calmed down, and the chairs were rescrewing and moving into their designated places, even the ball of splinters. Bobby was sitting on the table in front of Elizabeth and Austin, nibbling on the end of his tail. Mark was still a cloud above Austin, and Lilian had melted into a puddle of silver in her corner.
"Isn't he the earthquake kid?" Elizabeth said, breaking the silence.
She had been with the Mutes since she was eleven, seven years ago. She had known Lance for a few years, but he was always shy. She couldn't remember much of him now.
Bobby had came after Lance left, but the routine was always the same. They would go out and slay this guy.
Austin popped the bullets in his gun. He had known Lance, and he didn't mind killing the guy.
Mark was too scatterbrained to remember anything before breakfast.
Lilian knew it all, remembered everything. She was a pacifist, helping keep the others out of danger. She would stay behind and protect the base tonight. Even without her, Lance wouldn't live to see the morning.
Mimic knew him. Mimic was the only one he talked to. That was back when Jim was the leader. She had taken over after getting enough of his attitude, but she wasn't around very much, not in the base anyway. She stayed outside a lot, but when she did come in, Jim would behave as best he knew how.
Jim had found and destroyed the bus that brought him into the heart of the city, turning the sleek machine into a pile of crumpled metal. That made the news.
He could not locate Mimic to tell her the plan. He had a feeling that she wouldn't be too keen on killing him either, so they would have to find Lance before she did. His tantrum before had given him a migraine, which wasn't good. He couldn't just look at Lance and make him implode on sight. Curse. They'd have to leave in a few minutes, and there was no sign of Mimic.
Damn her! If she hadn't overpowered them all, there would still be a set of regulations around this place. There would be no opposition. When he ruled, they did what he told them to. Now Lilian wouldn't even fight anymore, not if she could help it.
But she still kept them all out of trouble. Even he had to give her credit for that. Damn that stupid creature.
Lance would still die.
"Come on. Get your game faces on. Mark, you, Austin, and lizard-brains go find that group he was in. There were a few guys and one goth looking chick. When you spot them, get Bobby to give a signal. If we spot them, I'll get a signal up. Don't kill until we're there. I want to watch this one die."
The meeting broke, and they all left, leaving Lilian alone in the corner.
***************************8
"Who's out to kill you?"
Lance slid his fingers in his hair and sighed. "It's begun. I have to find her...before morning."
Wanda stalked into the room and put her hand on Lance's shoulder. "Why before morning?"
Avalanche smiled awkwardly and nervously, his eyes staring into the void in front of him. "I'll be dead in the morning."
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Lance let out a startled yelp and shrank to the floor. Wanda jumped too, and everyone was still for a moment before the knock came again followed by the rapid pressing of the doorbell. Wanda walked slowly towards the door and charged a hex bolt in her hand, hiding it behind her back as she turned the doorknob.
"What the hell!? GAMBIT?!"
"Lance, what the hell is your problem!? Get off the damn bus, and let's go!" Wanda screeched, balling her fists and clenching her teeth.
Lance wouldn't move. He remained on the second seat on the right side, not even bothering to look at them. He had been that way for a few minutes, but ever since they had gotten this mission, Lance had been overly paranoid. Pietro scoffed and crossed his arms.
"Lance, since_when_are_you_afraid_of_the_dark!?"
Lance turned his head down and then looked out the window. "Since five minutes, thirteen seconds, and fifty-two milliseconds ago!"
Fred climbed on the bus again and dragged Lance out, having to fight him the entire way. The ground began to shake, and Lance thrashed about wildly.
"Let me go! Fuck off, Fred! Let me go or I'll bring down the entire fucking city!"
Fred dropped the vicious teenager on the pavement. He then went to the bus storage and retrieved all of their bags from the compartment.
"Let's check in and eat! Lance, quit draggin ass!"
Wanda pulled the ducttape wallet out of her back pocket and walked to the glass doors of the Blue Lagoon, the insanely expensive hotel that Mystique registered them in. She opened it and counted the money inside.
"You guys, wait here. I'll be right back," she said, stuffing the wallet back into her pocket.
Lance made to follow her in, but she hissed and he stayed put. Todd sprung up next to him and patted him on the shoulder.
"Lance, are you okay? You look really pale yo."
Lance froze, his eyes darting from side to side. He jumped and ran inside the hotel after Wanda. They watched him hide behind the wall.
"What's his problem?" Fred asked.
Pietro shrugged. "I_don't_know. He's_been_acting_that_way_ever_since_he_heard_about_the_trip. You_would_have_thought_he_would_be_happy. Mystique_gave_us_each_like_five-hundred_dollars_of_spending_money."
Todd grinned and patted his pocket. "She musta been possessed yo! We need to see if Wanda can conjure that spirit up again. I like Mystique when she's generous yo."
Fred nodded. "Me too."
The rooms were very exquisite. The penthouse was wonderful, and of course the master bedroom went to Wanda because the boys decided that was best (because if they hadn't, she probably would have knocked them out the window). The house had a gold-tinted, white wall paper with fuzzy, soft offwhite carpet. The kitchen was full, prestocked with groceries that Mystique had requested to be sent there. the two other rooms had two beds in them, and each boy got a bed. Each bedroom had a bathroom stocked with fluffy towels and two closets. It was certainly a change from what they were used to living in.
Pietro plopped on the very comfortable sofa and stole the remote instantly from the coffee table. He was flipping through the channels almost instantly, having unpacked and claimed the softest bed out of the four. Lance had the bed alongside Pietro's, and Todd and Fred shared a room.
"Pietro, move over! You can't hog the television like that," Fred said, picking the small mutant and tossing him over his shoulder.
"Is_Lance_still_in_the_room?"
"No, he's locked himself in the bathroom."
"I wonder why he's so paranoid all of a sudden yo."
Todd jumped on Fred's shoulder and stared at the television.
"Yo, what's that?"
The group attention focused on the television, where a woman was standing live in front of some very violent wreckage that used to be a bus.
"The Mutes have struck again, ladies and gentlemen. There were no casualties, but the driver has yet to be found..."
Todd leaned close to the big screen and poked at the number that was on the side of the metal bus in large black numbers. His eyes opened wide.
"FUUUUUCK! THAT'S THE BUS WE WERE ON NOT TEN MINUTES AGO!"
Todd fell away from the television, and Pietro and Fred got closer to it. Pietro stood up, throwing the remote down.
"Well, at least we weren't on it."
Pietro turned to tell Wanda what happened, but he saw Lance standing there, pale as hell, staring at the television. Wanda was in the kitchen, staring cautiously at Lance's sunken eyes and small pupils. His breathing was ragged and hoarse, and he was trembling slightly.
"They know," he said solunmly. "They know I'm here. Now they're coming to kill me."
*****************
Jim had calmed down, and the chairs were rescrewing and moving into their designated places, even the ball of splinters. Bobby was sitting on the table in front of Elizabeth and Austin, nibbling on the end of his tail. Mark was still a cloud above Austin, and Lilian had melted into a puddle of silver in her corner.
"Isn't he the earthquake kid?" Elizabeth said, breaking the silence.
She had been with the Mutes since she was eleven, seven years ago. She had known Lance for a few years, but he was always shy. She couldn't remember much of him now.
Bobby had came after Lance left, but the routine was always the same. They would go out and slay this guy.
Austin popped the bullets in his gun. He had known Lance, and he didn't mind killing the guy.
Mark was too scatterbrained to remember anything before breakfast.
Lilian knew it all, remembered everything. She was a pacifist, helping keep the others out of danger. She would stay behind and protect the base tonight. Even without her, Lance wouldn't live to see the morning.
Mimic knew him. Mimic was the only one he talked to. That was back when Jim was the leader. She had taken over after getting enough of his attitude, but she wasn't around very much, not in the base anyway. She stayed outside a lot, but when she did come in, Jim would behave as best he knew how.
Jim had found and destroyed the bus that brought him into the heart of the city, turning the sleek machine into a pile of crumpled metal. That made the news.
He could not locate Mimic to tell her the plan. He had a feeling that she wouldn't be too keen on killing him either, so they would have to find Lance before she did. His tantrum before had given him a migraine, which wasn't good. He couldn't just look at Lance and make him implode on sight. Curse. They'd have to leave in a few minutes, and there was no sign of Mimic.
Damn her! If she hadn't overpowered them all, there would still be a set of regulations around this place. There would be no opposition. When he ruled, they did what he told them to. Now Lilian wouldn't even fight anymore, not if she could help it.
But she still kept them all out of trouble. Even he had to give her credit for that. Damn that stupid creature.
Lance would still die.
"Come on. Get your game faces on. Mark, you, Austin, and lizard-brains go find that group he was in. There were a few guys and one goth looking chick. When you spot them, get Bobby to give a signal. If we spot them, I'll get a signal up. Don't kill until we're there. I want to watch this one die."
The meeting broke, and they all left, leaving Lilian alone in the corner.
***************************8
"Who's out to kill you?"
Lance slid his fingers in his hair and sighed. "It's begun. I have to find her...before morning."
Wanda stalked into the room and put her hand on Lance's shoulder. "Why before morning?"
Avalanche smiled awkwardly and nervously, his eyes staring into the void in front of him. "I'll be dead in the morning."
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Lance let out a startled yelp and shrank to the floor. Wanda jumped too, and everyone was still for a moment before the knock came again followed by the rapid pressing of the doorbell. Wanda walked slowly towards the door and charged a hex bolt in her hand, hiding it behind her back as she turned the doorknob.
"What the hell!? GAMBIT?!"