Dimension Hopper by Zika-Silver

Chapter Fourteen:  Phantom observer

(Zika meets X-men, the movie.  Betcha thought it was Star Wars, huh?)

"And then she destroyed Namek!"  Emlei SilverDragon-Eyes cried.  "It was horrible!  Just Horrible!"

"What's your complaint, it was destined to get blown up anyways."  Karma DarkStar said from the arms of her muse, Korrena semi-DarkStar.  The baby Guardian glanced at her distraught sister.

"It's not just the planet, but she took out my main characters!" Enlei glared back.  "I'll have to spend a good thousand years to develop replacements.  It wouldn't be the same."  She sniffed.

"Let me just remind you Zika nearly permanently wounded my Galaxy Bounty Hunters."  Delilah added. "She's that powerful."

"Well it's their own fault for provoking her."  Karma declared.  "No, I know the Law of Balance very well, thank you.  And I know the danger that is involved.  But we can't do anything right now anyways, and you know how annoyed I get by useless weeping."  She shot a look at Enlei.

"Well," Enlei drew herself up haughtily. "Some of us have other was of dealing with problems, Karma.  And we all can't be like you, you cold hearted –"

"That's enough."  Crinan intervened.  "You two have been quarrelling since existence.  Haven't you grown up yet?"

"Well, if doll-face here would apologize for that remark-"

"Which she said over ten thousand years ago," Crinan added.

"And I still mean it too."  Enlei said. 

Crinan sighed.

~*~

"JOVA!!  It's bloody cold!"

"Why you yelling at me for?  I can't do anything about it!  I live in a computer!"  Jova shot back.

"Still, I wanna complain."  Zika said, adjusting her clothing.  "Blasted forest!  Where the [beep] are we?"

"Uh, in the mountains?"

"No shit." 

"Why you upset?"

"Cause I'm cold, and it's bloody snowing."  Zika looked closely at the trees.  "Huh, we must be in the Rockies."

"Didn't know it got this cold there."

"Moron, the Canadian Rockies!"

"Oh"

Zika sighed.  "Might as well start walking."

"Why?"

"To find at least a road or a building, stupid.  I'm not spending the night in the snow!"  Zika randomly picked a direction and started walking.  After a while, she came to the edge of a road.  She logically began to walk along its edge.  A vehicle passed her from behind. 

Zika shouted, and began to give chase.

"Stop!  Give me a ride!"  She took a deep breath and said a dreaded word.  "PLEASE!!!" 

The trailer rounded a corner, and Zika heard a smash.

"Not that suddenly." 

A roar met her ears as she came in sight of the wreckage.  Instinctively, she darted into the forest to hide.  Sweatdropping, she watched an animalistic man wearing furs attack another. 

Huh, claw-boy can't keep it up against fang-boy for very long.  Someone should help.  Zika debated with herself about joining the fight when someone beat her. 

A flash of red energy hit fang-boy and tossed him into the forest.  As some oddly dressed people raced around, Zika realized that the trailer was going to explode.  Quickly, she activated the cloaking device, and ran to a more sheltered area. 

That is, what she thought was a more sheltered area.  She was caught unaware by the explosion and was sent flying into trees. 

Groggily, Zika got to her feet and shook her head, trying to see straight.  She dizzily made her way back to the site of the crash, hoping she hadn't been left unconscious. 

Fortunately, she arrived on the scene just in time to follow the odd people to their jet.  Recalling that she was still invisible, Zika summoned a water-skiing rope and hooked it to the rear of the jet. 

As it lifts off, she angled her feet and was pulled behind.  Not wanting to simply dangle, Zika applied a tad of power to get her approximately horizontal with the jet.

"WHHHEEEEEEEE!!!"  She yelled at the top of her lungs.  "I'm AIR SKIING!!!" 

(Inside the jet)

A little red light started to blink.  Being nearest to the console, Storm reached it and examined the data attached on the screen. 

"Uh, Scott, I think the computer's broke."  She said.

Scott frowned.  "Can't be, this stuff's top of the line.  What does it say?"

"That there's a girl air-skiing behind us."

"Air-skiing?" Scott checked the visual.  "But there's nothing there."

"Check the heat sensors and the energy reading."  Storm replied.  Scott checked.

"You're right.  They both say there's a girl of high energy air-skiing behind us."

(Outside)

Uh oh, their auras just changed.  I think I'm found out.  Zika grinned.  Time for me to exit.  She let go of the rope, and dropped towards the ground at a neck-breaking speed.

(Inside)

"Er, now it says she's let go of the rope and is falling downward at a speed that guarantees she isn't going to survive."  Storm said, looking worried.

"WHAT?  Is she NUTS?"

(Outside) 

Zika calmly slowed her descent as she approached tree-level.  Bet ya they think I'm suicidal by now.  She chuckled to herself.  Landing neatly on the ground, totally unharmed, Zika allowed a moment to smirk before continuing to follow the jet on foot. 

(Some undefined time later)

Zika was perched on the roof of the mansion, watching the scurrying of people below.  She was amused mostly by the games the children were playing than the classroom pranks.  Occasionally, she caught wisps of mind talking nearby. 

Looks like they're having some trouble with visitors lately. She giggled silently.  Wait till tonight…

That night, Zika found a cable on the roof.  With some probing, she discovered it was a phone line. Feeling very smug, she changed her form to be electricity, and hacked her way into the system. 

A little quick exploring earned her an exit out of an unused phone jack.  Changing back into her Physical Form, Zika began to snoop.  Of course, she wouldn't call it snooping; it would be an un-guided tour unasked for. 

With some expert knowledge, she found a secret elevator to the basement.  Following it, she emerged into the pristine white halls far below.  Interesting and interesting, she thought.  Randomly, Zika explored the chambers. 

A fury of activity above made her start.  Instinctively, she made sure her cloaking device was on and working before investigating. 

Professor Charles Xavier turned and wheeled his chair out into the hall.  There was no doubt in his mind that Logan would recover. Even now, the after-effects of Rogue's touch were wearing off.

No, something else was troubling the mutant professor.  It was a presence, a hovering presence that he couldn't quite read.  He had first felt it when Storm and Cyclops had returned with Logan and Rogue.  But then it had been outside, and watching silently.  Apparently, the presence had followed the group in.

But now it had moved.  Xavier had vaguely felt its movements around the mansion, and had decided to investigate when Logan's screams had drawn his immediate attention.

Surprisingly, the presence had appeared on the scene soon after, but left as if bored.  With the immediate dangers out of the way, Xavier was now free to probe. 

He found a private room and began to scan the building.  Xavier nodded to himself; the presence was still there.  He dug a little deeper, trying to learn some more about the visitor. 

Brushing against the presence's mind, he felt shock before shields slammed down and pushed him out.

He sat still for a moment, pondering what glimpses he caught. 

Zika sat floating the air, watching.  She scowled at the professor now, ever since that one night.  She didn't like people trying to get inside her head.  They never understood anyways. 

Something distracted her from her dark brooding.  Some one was having an argument.  Several, in fact. 

Amused, she noticed that it seemed to involve a man and some girl. 

Zika watched as the man stormed from the mansion, searching for the girl.  She laughed as they left their computers unwatched and allowed Mystique mess with their systems.  Zika watched the shape-shifter closely as she bypassed the security systems. 

******* GUESS WHAT???!!  It's time for a Random Act of Insanity! **********

Small light snowflakes gently fell from the sky.  Three girls we all know so well were walked home.  They crossed the football field and were approaching the fence when Neko Baka darted away from Togepi, who started to chase her.  Reaching a snowdrift, Neko grabbed a chunk of snow.

"Hey Togepi," she turned to face the taller girl.  Togepi's eyes widened.

"Oh SHIT!"

****This has been RAOI thank you, come again!*****************************

Zika was waiting when Xavier returned to Cerebro.  Oh Chuck, I wouldn't use that if I were you.  But then, you've never thought someone could get by your security.  Well, there's a first time for everything, right?

She shook her head as he collapsed on the floor, so close to the door.  She watched the other rush him away.  But she did not follow.  She simply waited.

Finally, she came, determined to fix the great machine.  Jean knelt and began to take apart panels.  Zika slipped silently from her hiding place, and flew over to her.  For the first time since she arrived on this world, she removed the cloaking device. 

Jean didn't notice her standing behind her. 

"I can show you more than that thing can." Zika said.  Jean jumped.  Her eyes found the silver-haired girl who had suddenly appeared.

"Who are you?"  She asked.  "What are you doing here?"

Zika didn't answer, but tilted her head as if looking at her in a different angle.  "I can show you." She said, slipping past Jean to the mainframe.  "Here."

She placed her bare hands on the wounded computer's brain.  Glowing light came from her fingers, and surrounded the wires and tubes.  A moment later, the light disappeared, revealing the fully operational Cerebro.

Zika slowly backed away, as Jean gasped with amazement and leaned in to get a better look.  She walked baskwards towards the door. 

"How did you do that?" Jean turned.  "Hey!"

Zika smiled enigmatically, fingering a button on her armband.  Jean jumped to her feet. 

"Where are you going?"

Zika pressed the button, activating the cloaking device, and ran from the room. 

Avoiding Jean was incredibly easy.  Zika wondered how people so smart could be so stupid sometimes.  After a while, the mutant doctor gave up and went into Cerebro, closing the door behind her. 

Zika was left to her thoughts.

If she was right about this, every time she came to a new world, a message appeared psychically and electronically.  It was documented in the mansion's computers, and Zika remembered what Hitomi had said… What disturbed Zika was the feeling that she HAD to be going or doing something.  It was an itch she couldn't scratch, an annoying bug that refused to die. 

She gritted her teeth, willing the feeling to go away.  Nobody told her what to do!

Something caught her attention.  It was a group of mutants, the X-men, planning something.  Zika drifted down from the spot she had been brooding.  She watched them line out what looked like an assault.  Giggling to herself, she followed them into the jet.  Before they took off, she grabbed a wing and hung on for a terrifically thrilling ride (kids, don't try it at home).  

But, alas, all good things must come to an end. 

Zika complained to herself as the jet very silently landed.  Of course, complaining to herself meant grumbling to Jova. 

She noted the direction the others were taking, and decidedly took an easier route than climbing the inside. 

Looking around before hand, she floated up the outside of the Statue of Liberty.  Randomly, she hummed an off-tune song.  She examined the set-up of an odd looking machine, and a girl locked inside it. 

The girl was weakly pulling at her handcuffs, scrapping her wrists raw.

"You know," Zika drawled, turning off the cloaking device.  "That man can't use you dead." 

The girl jumped at her voice.  "What do you mean?" She asked.  "Who are you?" She trembled. 

Zika looked at her dispassionately.  "You know what I mean."  She pointed to the handcuffs.  "If you are brave enough."

The girl paled.  "I don't want to die."

Zika considered.  "No, I suppose not."  She shrugged.  "Have it your way."  Zika sighed, and fiddled with her computer.  "Then be calm, and know I am merely a breath away." 

She re-activated the cloak and winked out of sight.  The girl stared at the spot she'd been. 

Zika waited. 

At last the man called Magneto arrived.  It really wasn't that long, but Zika wasn't in a waiting mood.  And unfortunately, she was too late to stop him from getting to the girl.  She cursed as the machine started up, locking the girl in. 

There's enough time, she thought.  I'll deal with Magneto first.  She jumped down to his level.

"It took you long enough!"  She yelled.  Magneto jumped and looked around.  Zika giggled. 

"Oh, you can't see me, can you?"  She said, moving closer.  "And you're thinking you're going to get away with playing around with genetics, aren't you?" 

"Who's there?" Magneto said.  "I demand you show yourself!"

"You demand, do you?"  Zika snorted.  "I suppose you think yourself pretty righteous about this don't you?  But you don't get it.  First, it's only one, but then it becomes two, and then three, and on and on until you can't count them all.  Oh, but someone else counts them and you've become your worst nightmare.  You become the man you hate, killing with such thoughtlessness."  She was breathing in his ear now.  "And you think you'll never slip, but you're only mortal.  And when they do catch you, you'll realize you can still see every innocent face you've killed, and you wake up one night screaming in your cell because their ghosts can't rest." 

  He was trembling.  Zika wasn't exactly sure why, but she had scared him.  She smiled. 

"But you can't stop now, can you?"  She asked.  "You've come this far already."  She floated a little away.  "But I can stop you." 

She simmered and let the cloak drop, appearing as a little girl.  "No one else has to die tonight."

~*~

Logan and the others looked out the window, watching white light pouring out of the torch. 

"Got to blast it," Cyclops said. 

"Not with Rogue up there," Logan replied, but before turning to Storm, something made him stop.  "Look!  The light's stopped!" 

"What?"

"Not quite, now it's moving…somewhere else." Cyclops said. 

"But where?" Storm asked.  "Hey, is that a girl up there?"

"Storm, go check it out."  Cyclops said.  Storm nodded and floated away, and the others began finding a way over. 

Zika set her teeth, ignoring the sweat dripping down her face.  It was a bit tougher to direct the energy than she'd thought.  It wanted to run free, but she forced it to enter to body where she could sent it somewhere safe. 

She felt a light breeze.  Zika read an energy pattern. 

"Storm," she said.  "I need you to get out of the way.  I'm going to use this energy to stop the thing and there's going to be a tonne of metal flying soon."

"What about Rogue?"

Zika snorted.  "The girl will be safe."  She felt herself starting to tremble from the energy.  She risked a look at her computer, and saw it winking at her.  There's no way I can control all of it in this form, she realized.  It's going to force a change anyways.  She growled deep in her throat, annoyed.  Quickly, she allowed the energy to begin the change. 

She didn't hear the gasp of amazement as her skin started to melt, twist and settle into her armour.  Zika smirked as she gained more control.  She stopped trembling and sweating and used the light to work on the machine. 

After a short while, there was a whine and the thing stopped, disconnecting the flow of light.  Zika let it fade away, but an aura still surrounded her.  She floated down to the cooling machine and snapped the bonds on the girl, at the same time filling her with life-giving energy. 

~*~

WACK! 

Magneto's machine went hurling through the air, landing somewhere near Ellis Island.  Zika shaded her eyes.

"Huh, copper's a crummy club.  Thought it would go farther than THAT!"  She muttered. 

~*~ 

"And then this silver-haired girl stopped the machine and revived Rogue," Jean finished telling Xavier.  The professor was sitting in bed, recovering from his ordeal.  Around him sat the X-men, Rogue and Logan. 

"I've never heard anything like this," Xavier said, looking thoughtfully.  "And now you say there's a computer virus?" 

Jean nodded. 

"Do you think there's a connection?" Cyclops asked.  Xavier raised an eyebrow.

"I assume there is a reason?" 

"Well," Cyclops coughed.  "The virus displays a message saying to beware bald heads and strange little girls, after that is a very annoying smilie face.  Which stays like that."

The staring, the staring. Zika giggled to herself as she floated in the corner of the room. 

Xavier looked up, frowning. 

Oops. 

"What is it?" Storm asked.

"I think we have a visitor."  Xavier said quietly, and then raised his voice.  "You can come out.  What do you want?" 

Zika let out a long hiss.  "What does it matter, little man?   It's gone now anyways."  She paused.  "Gone, yes, it is.  All gone.  Party-poopers!" She hollered before transporting herself outside the building. 

"I'm leaving; it's boring here."  She announced venomously to thin air.  "Good BYE!"

And with a flash of shining light that temporarily blinded everyone within the campus, she was gone. 

Inside, Xavier let out a sigh of relief.  "Well, that went well."

The others, although puzzled, nodded in agreement.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~~*~

Neko Baka:  **grins** I got a couple of emails and complaints about me leaving out what happened in the last few chapters.  Believe me, I did it on purpose.  Aren't I evil?  I must be getting lessons from the real Zika_Silver.

Zika:  damn right

Neko:  muse, you shut up!

Zika:  **grumbles** 

Neko:  **ignores her** anyways, where was I? 

Zika:  baka

Neko:  that's my name and don't wear it out!  **grins**  oh right! Oh, and I'm really trying to write more, but somebody changed my schedule on me, so I have tones of nasty homework.  And now it's snowing way over my knees!  And yes, it took me an awful long time to write because of exams.  I am very sorry. 

Zika:  you'd better

Neko:  **glares**

Zika:  **whimpers** why'd I teach you that?

Neko:  **looks triumphant** 

Disclaimer:  Like I said before and I say again, I don't own any but the guardians, and if I did, you know then that I'm not sane.  **grins**  it's a rhyme!  Sort of…