Chapter Twelve
"We're leaving?" Elizabeth said after spewing her morning coffee all over the room.
Jim surprisingly did not object to anything. The coffee gathered itself in a pure sphere and floated back into Liz's mug. They all looked in his general direction to see some form of harassment, but none came. Mimic shot a side glance at him, and he caught it and everything about it in that instant. If only he had not been so careless.
"Why are we leaving?" Austin said, jerking himself off of his wall.
"Yes, why?" Mark asked, copying what everyone else said. He really had no clue what was happening.
Mimic jumped on the table and scratched her ears. "Hard to explain. Don't want to try."
"Where would we live?" Bobby cried.
"Where ARE we gonna live?"
"With them," she answered plainly.
A lot of faces in the room paled, Brotherhood included.
"WHAT?"
"Mystique's gonna kill us!"
"What the hell is more dangerous? Mimic or Mystique!?" Lance screamed at his troop. "We will have no problem with Mystique, but there is the issue of space. Lilian...for example."
Jim answered, "She'll live under your house. I'll help with that."
Lilian chimed from the corner of the room. Mimic looked in her direction and nodded.
"Why? To keep safe, that's why."
Jim grabbed the end of her tail, and she spun around to look at him.
"There's someone after you, isn't there?" he asked, his eyes almost softening. "That's the reason for the cameras. That's why you never could be put on television. There's someone looking for you. That's what Elizabeth saw. She saw the one who's looking for you."
There was an odd silence in the room, and Mimic took the time to stare around at the questioning eyes in the room. She said nothing, but the silence said it all.
"We leave tomorrow morning during the day. I'll stay inside Lilian for the travel time. Jim, we follow Lance's directions."
The tone was nothing that anyone would argue with. Mimic talked low when she was serious or life-threatening, and there was always a hint of her own voice in that. Bobby crawled onto the table and hugged Mimic's waist.
"Pack, everyone," Jim said. "We leave early."
Mimic jumped off the table and headed down the hallway to Lilian's garden, sighing heavily and mumbling to herself incoherently. Jim closed his eyes and crossed his arms.
"Bobby, take your two roommates and go to your room. Elizabeth, you and Wanda go to bed. Same with Lance and Pietro, Mark and Austin. Lock your rooms. Lilian, I do not want you out of your garden. No one is to leave their rooms. Lights out in ten minutes. Goodnight."
He lifted himself off of the ground and floated after his advarsary.
"Mimic, we need to discuss some things."
She was perched in a tree, sprawled across the branch. She didn't even bother looking at him when he called to her. The room was lined with silver, glittering in the candle light. Flowers sprouted from the walls, beauties of every specie.
"Not yet," she said solumnly.
"We're talking, so get over it," he growled. "Who is after you?"
"Figure it out."
"I'm telekinetic not telepathic, Mimic! Tell me."
She shook her head.
"What's Snidva. Is that your name? Is that your creator's name?"
She said nothing. The tree melted, and she was thrown to the floor. She put up no resistence, which was really disturbing.
"Snidva was the name of a person I knew in my past," she said slowly, glancing in a manner to avoid him.
Jim froze. Mimic was cooperating.
"Who is after you?" he said gently.
She sat up, and her ears perked. She stared blankly ahead of her, and then she closed her eyes almost painfully.
"Follow me."
She ran out of the garden of silver, and he hurridly followed. She left the base and went into the city, creeping up to the highest place once again on the construction site. Jim looked around and saw no one.
"We're alone."
It was quiet for seemingly a long time. Jim sat against the beam and watched her as she perched dangerously on the edge.
She stared into the sky. "Fourteen years...," she said dreamily. "It's been fourteen years, hasn't it?"
They weren't alone. They had been followed since they had left the base.
"Fourteen years, yes," the voice said deeply.
Jim looked down and saw something almost invisible on the beam below them. The only thing he could see was the long, white hair falling down a lean back.
"You're more talented than they give you credit," the beast said.
Mimic looked down at the man below her. "They underestimated both of us in the beginning, right?"
He nodded. Jim tried to stay as quiet as possible when the black man crawled on the same beam, behind Mimic. She turned around and stared. Jim picked up a number on the side of his tail.
912121121145
"You had a twin?"
Both of them ignored him and embraced softly, but it was awkward.
"You won't find us after tonight," she said simply.
"I found you here."
"You found us here, but only because of his folly."
The man laughed and nodded. "Stupid kid."
The man turned around to face Jim. He had the same red eyes. Practically identical to Mimic except for form and build. He had thicker, more animal-like legs, and his tail looked thick like Bobby's. He wore an almost mocking smirk on his face when he looked at the inferior mutant.
"Yeah, stupid kid," he repeated.
Mimic sighed. "He's not so bad."
The man smiled. "Yeah, right."
The sarcasm dripped off this man. Mimic looked into the city and jumped between her brother and Jim.
"We're off. See you in another fourteen years," she said, patting him on the shoulder.
"Oh, don't worry," he said. "I'll find you before then."
Mimic jumped off the building's skeleton and was gone, her tail wrapped around Jim's leg as he flew with her.
"We're leaving?" Elizabeth said after spewing her morning coffee all over the room.
Jim surprisingly did not object to anything. The coffee gathered itself in a pure sphere and floated back into Liz's mug. They all looked in his general direction to see some form of harassment, but none came. Mimic shot a side glance at him, and he caught it and everything about it in that instant. If only he had not been so careless.
"Why are we leaving?" Austin said, jerking himself off of his wall.
"Yes, why?" Mark asked, copying what everyone else said. He really had no clue what was happening.
Mimic jumped on the table and scratched her ears. "Hard to explain. Don't want to try."
"Where would we live?" Bobby cried.
"Where ARE we gonna live?"
"With them," she answered plainly.
A lot of faces in the room paled, Brotherhood included.
"WHAT?"
"Mystique's gonna kill us!"
"What the hell is more dangerous? Mimic or Mystique!?" Lance screamed at his troop. "We will have no problem with Mystique, but there is the issue of space. Lilian...for example."
Jim answered, "She'll live under your house. I'll help with that."
Lilian chimed from the corner of the room. Mimic looked in her direction and nodded.
"Why? To keep safe, that's why."
Jim grabbed the end of her tail, and she spun around to look at him.
"There's someone after you, isn't there?" he asked, his eyes almost softening. "That's the reason for the cameras. That's why you never could be put on television. There's someone looking for you. That's what Elizabeth saw. She saw the one who's looking for you."
There was an odd silence in the room, and Mimic took the time to stare around at the questioning eyes in the room. She said nothing, but the silence said it all.
"We leave tomorrow morning during the day. I'll stay inside Lilian for the travel time. Jim, we follow Lance's directions."
The tone was nothing that anyone would argue with. Mimic talked low when she was serious or life-threatening, and there was always a hint of her own voice in that. Bobby crawled onto the table and hugged Mimic's waist.
"Pack, everyone," Jim said. "We leave early."
Mimic jumped off the table and headed down the hallway to Lilian's garden, sighing heavily and mumbling to herself incoherently. Jim closed his eyes and crossed his arms.
"Bobby, take your two roommates and go to your room. Elizabeth, you and Wanda go to bed. Same with Lance and Pietro, Mark and Austin. Lock your rooms. Lilian, I do not want you out of your garden. No one is to leave their rooms. Lights out in ten minutes. Goodnight."
He lifted himself off of the ground and floated after his advarsary.
"Mimic, we need to discuss some things."
She was perched in a tree, sprawled across the branch. She didn't even bother looking at him when he called to her. The room was lined with silver, glittering in the candle light. Flowers sprouted from the walls, beauties of every specie.
"Not yet," she said solumnly.
"We're talking, so get over it," he growled. "Who is after you?"
"Figure it out."
"I'm telekinetic not telepathic, Mimic! Tell me."
She shook her head.
"What's Snidva. Is that your name? Is that your creator's name?"
She said nothing. The tree melted, and she was thrown to the floor. She put up no resistence, which was really disturbing.
"Snidva was the name of a person I knew in my past," she said slowly, glancing in a manner to avoid him.
Jim froze. Mimic was cooperating.
"Who is after you?" he said gently.
She sat up, and her ears perked. She stared blankly ahead of her, and then she closed her eyes almost painfully.
"Follow me."
She ran out of the garden of silver, and he hurridly followed. She left the base and went into the city, creeping up to the highest place once again on the construction site. Jim looked around and saw no one.
"We're alone."
It was quiet for seemingly a long time. Jim sat against the beam and watched her as she perched dangerously on the edge.
She stared into the sky. "Fourteen years...," she said dreamily. "It's been fourteen years, hasn't it?"
They weren't alone. They had been followed since they had left the base.
"Fourteen years, yes," the voice said deeply.
Jim looked down and saw something almost invisible on the beam below them. The only thing he could see was the long, white hair falling down a lean back.
"You're more talented than they give you credit," the beast said.
Mimic looked down at the man below her. "They underestimated both of us in the beginning, right?"
He nodded. Jim tried to stay as quiet as possible when the black man crawled on the same beam, behind Mimic. She turned around and stared. Jim picked up a number on the side of his tail.
912121121145
"You had a twin?"
Both of them ignored him and embraced softly, but it was awkward.
"You won't find us after tonight," she said simply.
"I found you here."
"You found us here, but only because of his folly."
The man laughed and nodded. "Stupid kid."
The man turned around to face Jim. He had the same red eyes. Practically identical to Mimic except for form and build. He had thicker, more animal-like legs, and his tail looked thick like Bobby's. He wore an almost mocking smirk on his face when he looked at the inferior mutant.
"Yeah, stupid kid," he repeated.
Mimic sighed. "He's not so bad."
The man smiled. "Yeah, right."
The sarcasm dripped off this man. Mimic looked into the city and jumped between her brother and Jim.
"We're off. See you in another fourteen years," she said, patting him on the shoulder.
"Oh, don't worry," he said. "I'll find you before then."
Mimic jumped off the building's skeleton and was gone, her tail wrapped around Jim's leg as he flew with her.