Chapter Six
The mutant with no name.
The blackest of sins.
It was eleven, and she had since located the strange boy. A thought lingered in the back of her head, but she knew the group of teenagers were mutants when they entered the city. Nothing happened here without her knowing. They had checked into the hotel. She found them in the penthouse above, having followed their sound up the elevator. Curious, this one boy was, the one with dirt brown hair. The others were curious too. But the people that came and took them, she didn't like them so much. She sensed that they all were mutants, but she was still to unsure of herself about the boy to make any contact with them yet.
The savior of evil.
She was the Mimic.
Was that the same little boy? The one that cried to sleep everynight? The little boy that Jim never noticed?
Fast.
Strong.
Was that Lance? Little Quake?
A mastermind.
And...
She followed the people, keeping her scent downwind of the cat man. No one in the group had noticed her yet, even though she was nearly upon them. They were going down the allies, dark and damp, the perfect place for murder. Murder among mutants was wrong, as was any murder.
Camera shy.
***
The sky was cold that night, and she stayed perfectly hidden against the dark sky, especially in the slums of Vegas; there were no bright lights here. Her white hair wasn't a problem either. She was somewhere else anytime someone looked, but still, she was not to be spotted yet. This was the smell of danger, and the kids being herded down the road were nervous.
"What's Magneto want with us now, Gambit?" Lance growled, causing the earth to tremble slightly.
"Dat is none of your concern now," the man with the strange eyes said.
It was Lance. No doubt Jim knew he was here now, but these people weren't trying to save him from the Mutes.
So, Lance Alvers was here again. Well, these people were enemies. These people were bad. The name sounded very familiar. Magneto. Were these people the Acolytes? Didn't seem very probable. She had expected the most terrifying mutant terrorist group to be a little more...terrifying. These people didn't look scary at all. The only problem she might have would be with the big one.
Now to rescue the hostages.
It was almost impossible to spot Mimic, even when looking directly at her. She jumped on a bar over the alley and waited until they passed, sliding her tail down to appear as an old wire. The little one walked underneath it.
Her tail wrapped around his head and mouth, grabbing him by his shoulders. Instantly, he was off the ground and into the air on top of the building.
He was about to shriek, but she unwrapped his eyes and his throat but kept her tail around his neck. Most people tend to scream after seeing her.
She felt a surge of power slide into her body. It hurt at first, but then it layed over. Frog boy, huh. Her body slowly shifted to look like Todd Tolensky to the shocked mutant's surprise. She shushed him and unwound her tail from his mouth. Todd was still awed at seeing himself.
She peered over the edge and caught up with the group, targeting Lance next. She spit a gob of slime ahead of the cat man, who was in front, and he sprinted off in one direction, ordering the others to stay put. She hug down on another bar just behind the man with strange eyes, putting on her most demonic face. Her dagger teeth shone in the dark, and her red eyes glowed brightly as she tapped him on the back of his neck. There was another energy surge.
He turned around and yelped, dishing out a card in her direction. She caught it and threw it behind her, lunging forward and grabbing the Cajun by his collar. She was bashed in the head with a bo staff, then tripped, but she landed on her feet and tripped him, avoiding the stream of fire that came in her direction from the orange-haired boy.
"Mimic!"
She rushed forward and grabbed the two boys' ankles, throwing them skyward. Pietro and Lance were lifted upwards with telekinesis, leaving just the girl and the fat mutant. She dodged the blows of the silver mutant, slamming him into the wall and farther down the alley. Metal skin? These people were awesome. The firebreather she had already; she needed no more fire power. She jumped skywards, hanging upside down on the bar. The girl and fat boy went up to join their friends.
They regrouped, and this time, Sabretooth was leading.
"You are not welcome here," she hissed, making the earth tremble slightly.
Sabretooth lunged for her, but she frog-jumped over his back. A healing power? Interesting. This would be useful.
"Byebye!"
The group of four were shoved further down the alley, and she vanished right in front of them.
************************
She crawled to the place where the group had gathered, stationing herself a few feet away. They stared at her, and she transformed again into Pietro. She sped forward and touched Wanda and Fred, then retreated again. The Brotherhood found themselves staring at Wanda, then at Fred. Then she transformed again.
Mimic was crouched over, her tail on the ground behind her. She had jet black skin and white hair, cropped shorter than Lance's but longer than Wanda's. She was dressed in black leather, something like a sports bra and long pants. She wore no boots on her feet, and her sharp nails were as ghastly white as her hair.
"Nothing goes on without me knowing, Lance," she sniggered. "I remembered your name. It's been so long though."
Her voice was not her own, but Elizabeth's. Mimic was too hard to understand if she spoke in her own voice which she usually did when uttering insults or smart comments. Lance was at ease now, but his guard was still up.
"You do know the rules, Lance. Jim's out for your life," she said.
"Mimic, please. You can't let him kill me!"
She raised her head and nodded. "Morality says I can't, but they are the rules. Have always been."
Lance's head fell. "It wasn't my fault! I was ordered to come here!"
She shook her head slowly. "I suggest you leave. The men you were waiting for didn't seem very lovable. Jim won't hurt you if you leave now."
Wanda stood up and walked up to the sitting woman, despite Lance's attempts to stop her.
"I don't know who the fuck you are, but you have no right telling us to leave."
The black woman seemed amused, standing up. She was about two inches taller than Wanda, and her dagger grin appeared again. Her grin stretched to the sides of her face, wider and wider until the skin on her cheeks ripped from the massive smile. Her eyes sank into her head, and her mouth opened so wide that the bones could be seen amongst the tearing flesh. A horrid wail arose from the very depths of the essence of human fear, and it sent Wanda flying backwards on the ground, eyes wide in horror. Surprisingly, no one else seemed to be terrified. Wanda watched as the woman's face fixed itself, no scars, no blood, nothing.
"Don't fight with me, little girl. I can kill all of you in a Vegas minute," she growled.
"What...are you?" Todd asked.
"I am the Mimic. Simple as that. Come on. It's not wise to stay in one place here. Ever."
She walked on her hands and feet, more like bounded like a cat. She dove off the side of a building, and they rushed over to the side, being lifted off the building and lowered to the ground.
Mimic was suddenly pounced on by Sabretooth, who had been downwind as well. She wrapped her tail around his head and threw him against the wall.
"Go on ahead! I'll catch up!"
She slammed the man into the wall with him ripping at her tail. The walls cracked, and then she hurled him down into the alley, making a getaway. They hadn't gotten far, but they had gone into an open street. Lance had dropped to the ground and began to wriggle in pain, and the group was trying to snap him out of it.
"Why, look who it is? Lance Alvers, so nice to see you."
The bald scaled boy was bouncing happily from side to side with a demonic grin on his face. The girl with the wide hat was standing in perfect posture, her arms crossed over her chest. The man with the guns had both aimed at the group, and the ghost hovering nearby was giggling evilly.
"Jim, leave him alone," the black woman said from the rooftops.
Suddenly, Lance returned to normal choking and coughing insanely. Jim stared up in horror at the creature that slinked down the building.
"Austin, put your guns away. Right now, the Acolytes are in Vegas. These guys are the least of our worries. Lance won't tell anyone. I've threatened him with a nightmarish death if he does."
The guns were put away. "The Acolytes?" Elizabeth said happily. "Oh we could kill them easily. I could take everyone down."
"Don't waste my time, Mimic!" Jim hissed. "Alvers is dead! You know the rules!"
Mimic braced herself against the ground as he sent a telekinetic blast in her direction. It knocked the Brotherhood down, but she charged up her own and the ground began to split and crack between them.
"DAMN YOU TWO!" Austin yelled, shooting a bullet into the mess. "NOT HERE AND NOT NOW!"
The energies died down, and Mimic jumped on a nearby garbage can.
"They're coming back with us."
"OH FUCK NO! THEY ARE NOT!"
"Shut up, Jim. There are people after them! They need protection, and I'm not about to let this group of pathetic teenagers die just because of your stubborn attitude!"
Mimic snarled and snapped her tail. Dragon had gone out of his killing phase and was now crawling around to the Brotherhood. Elizabeth smiled as they shrunk away from him.
"Oh don't worry. He's friendly."
Bobby sniffed at Freddy and jumped on his shoulder.
"Hi there! Name's Bobby," he said, sniffing Fred's head.
Fred picked the little guy off, and Dragon made peace with Toad. Meanwhile, Wanda was shooting stars at Austin, who had barely noticed she was there. Elizabeth walked over and helped Lance up before giving him a hug.
"Nice to have you back, buddy," she laughed, helping Pietro to his feet. "Name's Elizabeth. That's Austin and Mark, the dust cloud. Jim's got the purple hair and temper. Lilian isn't with us today; she's back at the base."
"Lilian's still here?"
Elizabeth nodded. "She's got her own greenhouse now. Remember the trees."
*****
"If he messes up once, I'll kill him, Mimic, "Jim sneered on the way back.
The group flying through the air was invisible to the world below.
"No, Jim. He's connected with something important, something that we need. You leave him the hell alone."
"How the hell do you know?"
She shook her head. "I feel it. Now shut up. I've had a hard day, and yours is about to get much harder."
The mutant with no name.
The blackest of sins.
It was eleven, and she had since located the strange boy. A thought lingered in the back of her head, but she knew the group of teenagers were mutants when they entered the city. Nothing happened here without her knowing. They had checked into the hotel. She found them in the penthouse above, having followed their sound up the elevator. Curious, this one boy was, the one with dirt brown hair. The others were curious too. But the people that came and took them, she didn't like them so much. She sensed that they all were mutants, but she was still to unsure of herself about the boy to make any contact with them yet.
The savior of evil.
She was the Mimic.
Was that the same little boy? The one that cried to sleep everynight? The little boy that Jim never noticed?
Fast.
Strong.
Was that Lance? Little Quake?
A mastermind.
And...
She followed the people, keeping her scent downwind of the cat man. No one in the group had noticed her yet, even though she was nearly upon them. They were going down the allies, dark and damp, the perfect place for murder. Murder among mutants was wrong, as was any murder.
Camera shy.
***
The sky was cold that night, and she stayed perfectly hidden against the dark sky, especially in the slums of Vegas; there were no bright lights here. Her white hair wasn't a problem either. She was somewhere else anytime someone looked, but still, she was not to be spotted yet. This was the smell of danger, and the kids being herded down the road were nervous.
"What's Magneto want with us now, Gambit?" Lance growled, causing the earth to tremble slightly.
"Dat is none of your concern now," the man with the strange eyes said.
It was Lance. No doubt Jim knew he was here now, but these people weren't trying to save him from the Mutes.
So, Lance Alvers was here again. Well, these people were enemies. These people were bad. The name sounded very familiar. Magneto. Were these people the Acolytes? Didn't seem very probable. She had expected the most terrifying mutant terrorist group to be a little more...terrifying. These people didn't look scary at all. The only problem she might have would be with the big one.
Now to rescue the hostages.
It was almost impossible to spot Mimic, even when looking directly at her. She jumped on a bar over the alley and waited until they passed, sliding her tail down to appear as an old wire. The little one walked underneath it.
Her tail wrapped around his head and mouth, grabbing him by his shoulders. Instantly, he was off the ground and into the air on top of the building.
He was about to shriek, but she unwrapped his eyes and his throat but kept her tail around his neck. Most people tend to scream after seeing her.
She felt a surge of power slide into her body. It hurt at first, but then it layed over. Frog boy, huh. Her body slowly shifted to look like Todd Tolensky to the shocked mutant's surprise. She shushed him and unwound her tail from his mouth. Todd was still awed at seeing himself.
She peered over the edge and caught up with the group, targeting Lance next. She spit a gob of slime ahead of the cat man, who was in front, and he sprinted off in one direction, ordering the others to stay put. She hug down on another bar just behind the man with strange eyes, putting on her most demonic face. Her dagger teeth shone in the dark, and her red eyes glowed brightly as she tapped him on the back of his neck. There was another energy surge.
He turned around and yelped, dishing out a card in her direction. She caught it and threw it behind her, lunging forward and grabbing the Cajun by his collar. She was bashed in the head with a bo staff, then tripped, but she landed on her feet and tripped him, avoiding the stream of fire that came in her direction from the orange-haired boy.
"Mimic!"
She rushed forward and grabbed the two boys' ankles, throwing them skyward. Pietro and Lance were lifted upwards with telekinesis, leaving just the girl and the fat mutant. She dodged the blows of the silver mutant, slamming him into the wall and farther down the alley. Metal skin? These people were awesome. The firebreather she had already; she needed no more fire power. She jumped skywards, hanging upside down on the bar. The girl and fat boy went up to join their friends.
They regrouped, and this time, Sabretooth was leading.
"You are not welcome here," she hissed, making the earth tremble slightly.
Sabretooth lunged for her, but she frog-jumped over his back. A healing power? Interesting. This would be useful.
"Byebye!"
The group of four were shoved further down the alley, and she vanished right in front of them.
************************
She crawled to the place where the group had gathered, stationing herself a few feet away. They stared at her, and she transformed again into Pietro. She sped forward and touched Wanda and Fred, then retreated again. The Brotherhood found themselves staring at Wanda, then at Fred. Then she transformed again.
Mimic was crouched over, her tail on the ground behind her. She had jet black skin and white hair, cropped shorter than Lance's but longer than Wanda's. She was dressed in black leather, something like a sports bra and long pants. She wore no boots on her feet, and her sharp nails were as ghastly white as her hair.
"Nothing goes on without me knowing, Lance," she sniggered. "I remembered your name. It's been so long though."
Her voice was not her own, but Elizabeth's. Mimic was too hard to understand if she spoke in her own voice which she usually did when uttering insults or smart comments. Lance was at ease now, but his guard was still up.
"You do know the rules, Lance. Jim's out for your life," she said.
"Mimic, please. You can't let him kill me!"
She raised her head and nodded. "Morality says I can't, but they are the rules. Have always been."
Lance's head fell. "It wasn't my fault! I was ordered to come here!"
She shook her head slowly. "I suggest you leave. The men you were waiting for didn't seem very lovable. Jim won't hurt you if you leave now."
Wanda stood up and walked up to the sitting woman, despite Lance's attempts to stop her.
"I don't know who the fuck you are, but you have no right telling us to leave."
The black woman seemed amused, standing up. She was about two inches taller than Wanda, and her dagger grin appeared again. Her grin stretched to the sides of her face, wider and wider until the skin on her cheeks ripped from the massive smile. Her eyes sank into her head, and her mouth opened so wide that the bones could be seen amongst the tearing flesh. A horrid wail arose from the very depths of the essence of human fear, and it sent Wanda flying backwards on the ground, eyes wide in horror. Surprisingly, no one else seemed to be terrified. Wanda watched as the woman's face fixed itself, no scars, no blood, nothing.
"Don't fight with me, little girl. I can kill all of you in a Vegas minute," she growled.
"What...are you?" Todd asked.
"I am the Mimic. Simple as that. Come on. It's not wise to stay in one place here. Ever."
She walked on her hands and feet, more like bounded like a cat. She dove off the side of a building, and they rushed over to the side, being lifted off the building and lowered to the ground.
Mimic was suddenly pounced on by Sabretooth, who had been downwind as well. She wrapped her tail around his head and threw him against the wall.
"Go on ahead! I'll catch up!"
She slammed the man into the wall with him ripping at her tail. The walls cracked, and then she hurled him down into the alley, making a getaway. They hadn't gotten far, but they had gone into an open street. Lance had dropped to the ground and began to wriggle in pain, and the group was trying to snap him out of it.
"Why, look who it is? Lance Alvers, so nice to see you."
The bald scaled boy was bouncing happily from side to side with a demonic grin on his face. The girl with the wide hat was standing in perfect posture, her arms crossed over her chest. The man with the guns had both aimed at the group, and the ghost hovering nearby was giggling evilly.
"Jim, leave him alone," the black woman said from the rooftops.
Suddenly, Lance returned to normal choking and coughing insanely. Jim stared up in horror at the creature that slinked down the building.
"Austin, put your guns away. Right now, the Acolytes are in Vegas. These guys are the least of our worries. Lance won't tell anyone. I've threatened him with a nightmarish death if he does."
The guns were put away. "The Acolytes?" Elizabeth said happily. "Oh we could kill them easily. I could take everyone down."
"Don't waste my time, Mimic!" Jim hissed. "Alvers is dead! You know the rules!"
Mimic braced herself against the ground as he sent a telekinetic blast in her direction. It knocked the Brotherhood down, but she charged up her own and the ground began to split and crack between them.
"DAMN YOU TWO!" Austin yelled, shooting a bullet into the mess. "NOT HERE AND NOT NOW!"
The energies died down, and Mimic jumped on a nearby garbage can.
"They're coming back with us."
"OH FUCK NO! THEY ARE NOT!"
"Shut up, Jim. There are people after them! They need protection, and I'm not about to let this group of pathetic teenagers die just because of your stubborn attitude!"
Mimic snarled and snapped her tail. Dragon had gone out of his killing phase and was now crawling around to the Brotherhood. Elizabeth smiled as they shrunk away from him.
"Oh don't worry. He's friendly."
Bobby sniffed at Freddy and jumped on his shoulder.
"Hi there! Name's Bobby," he said, sniffing Fred's head.
Fred picked the little guy off, and Dragon made peace with Toad. Meanwhile, Wanda was shooting stars at Austin, who had barely noticed she was there. Elizabeth walked over and helped Lance up before giving him a hug.
"Nice to have you back, buddy," she laughed, helping Pietro to his feet. "Name's Elizabeth. That's Austin and Mark, the dust cloud. Jim's got the purple hair and temper. Lilian isn't with us today; she's back at the base."
"Lilian's still here?"
Elizabeth nodded. "She's got her own greenhouse now. Remember the trees."
*****
"If he messes up once, I'll kill him, Mimic, "Jim sneered on the way back.
The group flying through the air was invisible to the world below.
"No, Jim. He's connected with something important, something that we need. You leave him the hell alone."
"How the hell do you know?"
She shook her head. "I feel it. Now shut up. I've had a hard day, and yours is about to get much harder."