Steph emerged from her room into the darkening hall, looking around as Rogue followed her slowly.
"Wha is it so dark?" she asked. Steph's hand was resting on the hilt of her sword, which hung at her belt. Her nunchuks were also stuck in her sash, and she looked jumpy.
"They turned off the lights," she said. "Part of the plan, weren't ya listening? Did ya even make it to the meeting?"
"Ah- ah missed that part," Rogue said sheepishly. Steph groaned.
"Ya didn't listen at all because your boyfriend was with ya, great!" she said.
"Are ya gonna tell me what's goin' on?" Rogue said, brushing off the remark. Steph sighed and nodded, stopping as they reached a window that had its shades drawn.
"No light in here when they attack, they'll probably do it at night," she said. "So we transfer all the power to the defenses and hope it shakes them up a little. There will be a couple different groups of us in different parts of the mansion, hiding out, waiting. When the muties come near a group, bam! We take them out before they knew what hit them!" Steph hit her fist on her hand as she spoke, then grinned.
"Who am Ah with? What group?" Rogue asked.
"You're with dad, I think, dad and Kurt and Scott and Jubes, I'd go wait for them at the main stair," Steph replied, checking her glow-watch. "I'm with Remy and Danial, Remy's dad and Hank. The other group is mom, Bobby, the professor, Piotr, and Kitty. They're waiting in the cafeteria, I'm supposed to meet up with my group down-" before she could finish talking they heard a loud explosion, which made both girls leap to the floor.
"What was that?!" Rogue said. Steph turned pale.
"Oh man, they must have hit the garage! That's where Remy and Danial are!" she said, scrambling to her feet and running down the hall.
"Steph, wait!" Rogue called after her, flying after her. But Steph had also realized that running was the slower, more tiring way to get around, and had zipped off before Rogue could follow her.
-----
"Where is Steph?" Danial said, kicking a screw driver that was on the floor near the bike Scott had been working on recently. Remy and his father were sitting with their backs leaned up against a red sports car, enflaming their eyes even in the darkening room, while Hank kneeled with his chin resting on his fist behind another car.
"Stephanie will arrive, she is not the maid to abandon important tasks because of her feelings," he assured the teen. Danial grunted and leaned back on the bike.
"Maybe," he grumbled. Remy was silent and Remy Sr. turned to him.
"Never get a red car," he joked. "It clashes horribly wit your hair." Remy looked over at his father and grunted.
"Quiet old man," he said. Remy Sr. growled.
"Who are you callin' old?" he said. "Is dat any way t' talk t' your father?"
"Oui," Remy replied, and his father laughed, then hit Remy over the head with his Bo staff. "Ouch!"
"You old man can still whip ya int' shape," Remy Sr. said, "Watch your back." Remy opened his mouth to reply when suddenly, without any warning, the entire front wall of the garage exploded, sending wood, dust, and rock everywhere. Immediately the four X Men jumped low, behind different cars to hide themselves. As the dust cleared it became apparent that it was not an explosive, but rather Mattel, the large mutant, who had thrown himself into the key beam that made the entire wall collapse.
The mutant gang, minus Hype, walked into the garage, and the four X Men stayed low and out of sight.
"Alright, we're in, they'll be around soon," Ken said, looking at the others. "Let's split into groups. Ink, you and Alora will go in first, find the stairs and get up to the top, look for anyone up there. Salla and Mattel, you search this floor for any mutants. Remember, we're not here to take prisoners, save Ellen, got it?"
"Where are you going?" Salla snarled. Ken didn't answer for a moment.
"I'm going to find the computers," he said. "This place has been known for scientific stuff, and the Labs would be interested in anything we can bring back. So no destroying computer terminals unless you have to."
"What kind of scientific research?" Alora said.
"At the very least, documentation of every mutant that went here, at the most, the super computer said to be able to find every mutant and human in the entire world," Ken replied. "We're wasting time, Ink and Alora, go!"
- Stay down, - Remy Sr.'s voice was projected into Hank and Remy's mind. - We can't take dem all, wait till dey part a liddle bit. Remy stopped breathing as the boy Ink and the girl in blue gloves, Alora, walked past the car he and his father were behind, not noticing two of their enemies were so near. A minute later they heard Ken speak again.
"I'm going now, there are supposed to be some labs underground, you wait a couple minutes, then go around this floor," he said, then also walked by. Remy was about to jump him as he got closer but his father grabbed his wrist and stopped him, shaking his head and mouthing "Not yet". Remy nodded and relaxed slight, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm down like he had been taught to before a battle.
After a couple minutes Salla snarled.
"Can you smell that?" she said.
"Huh?" Mattel answered in a deep, slow voice. They heard Salla sniff and take a step forward.
"Someone's in here," she spat. "Muties! Search the room, they're here somewhere!" Remy heard a huffing sound and risked peeking through the windows, just in time to see Mattel throw a car clear across the room, into two other cars. Salla dodged them and bounded from one car roof to another, coming closer every second while Mattel searched the other side of the garage.
"De petite," Remy mouthed to his father, nodding and tightening his grip on his Bo staff. Remy Sr. nodded, concentrating on listening for the thumping of Salla landing on a car roof or hood as it got louder. Suddenly she was on the car they were pressed up against, but hadn't noticed them yet. With a roar Remy Sr. leapt up and struck out with his Bo staff, hitting Salla square in the chest.
"Hey!" she yelled as she flew backwards into the side of a car. Mattel yelled and charged at them, and Remy, Danial, and Hank jumped up as well, momentarily surprising the slow witted mutant, which gave Remy Jr. the chance to throw a few charged cards. The explosions hit Mattel in the chest, but it only made him roar again and charge.
"Die!" he screamed. Remy glanced over and saw that his father was ruthlessly attacking Salla, for the moment driving her back with kicks and strikes with his bo staff, until he brought it up with both hands to catch her under the chin, and she caught it.
"Like Mattel's vocabulary?" Salla grunted as she pushed against the staff, Remy Sr. pushing back and growling. "Only word he knows really, besides "yeah boss". Not too smart, but I'd like to see your brat try and take him on, even with the blue guy and his friend with him." Remy Sr. growled and spun suddenly, regaining control of his Bo staff and kicking Salla in the chest.
"Den I'll help 'em, soon as I finish wit you," he replied.
Remy looked back at Mattel, who was coming closer and raised his own Bo staff to the ready position, then realized that it would take brains to defeat this foe. Waiting till a second before Mattel reached him he ducked and rolled, striking out his Bo staff and hitting Mattel in the knees. The staff broke into three pieces and Mattel crashed, and immediately was wrestled down by Hank, while Remy got to his feet.
"Watch out doc!" Remy yelled as Mattel tried to head butt the doctor. But Hank, used to Danger Room exercises with Steph and Remy who would frequently butt anyone in their way, easily dodged and put a foot on Mattel's head.
"Young Danial, if you are planning on anything I would advise you hurry," he puffed, sweating. Remy watched as Danial quickly placed his hands on Mattel's head, and after a moment the boy grunted and fell still. Cautiously Hank got off and checked him.
"Still alive," he confirmed.
"What didja do t' him?" Remy asked.
"Telepathic block, he can't move or wake up until I remove it," Danial replied. Remy heard a shout and then remembered his father, and spun around to see that Salla had at last succeeded in hitting the older man, sending Remy crashing down to the floor, his Bo staff sliding across the floor away from him.
"Pa!" Remy shouted, but even as Remy Sr. opened his eyes Salla loomed above him, a nasty grin on her face as she bent down and grabbed his shirt, pulling him up and smashing her fist into his face. Grunting in pain Remy Sr. again hit the floor, and Salla kicked him mercilessly, even as he tried to roll over and grab his weapon.
"Finish with me, huh?" she gloated, "We'll see who finishes who old man, you ain't fit for the title of mutant, you're just a freak with demon eyes." Kicking him again she put her foot on his throat and looked cockily over at Hank and Danial, who stopped advancing, frozen for the sake of thier old friend.. Remy Sr. struggled, but as she pressed her foot down he stopped and glared up at her, a cut on his forehead and his nose bleeding badly.
"One move from you freaks and he's a goner," Salla said triumphantly, pressing her foot down harder. The Cajun on the floor started to choke, his hands scrabbling at her foot, trying to wrench it off, though his tired and wounded hands and lack of oxygen made it impossible to throw her. Salla beamed at him. "Now where's that brat of yours? Run away has he?" Remy tapped on her shoulder, and even as Salla whirled around he brought up his father's weapon and struck her has hard as he could across the face. Salla fell heavily, and grunting Remy pushed her off his father, who had started to cough.
"Pa, you ok?" Remy asked worriedly. Remy Sr. smiled.
"T'anks fer de help," he said "Good job wit 'er too." Remy helped him sit up and the older LeBeau tenderly touched his still bleeding nose as Hank and Danial hurried over. Danial paused and put the same mental block on Salla as he had done to Mattel before coming over.
"Let me see," Hank said, pushing the hand away. He made a tuting noise and shook his head. "I'm afraid your nose is broken, you'll have to get it fixed up later though, we have to help our friends."
"'Course," Remy Sr. said, getting up. Remy offered him his Bo staff but he shook his head. "You use dat for now," he said.
"Pa?" Remy replied, looking shocked. "Dis is your favorite staff!"
"It's de staff of a LeBeau, and your new one's broken," his father replied. "You carry it, but don't break it, right?"
"Right," Remy said, beaming.
"Come," Hank said, looking at the three. "Our friends will not have it so easy, I think." The others set off, but as Remy was the first to leave the garage he noticed something the others had missed. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a black trench coat whip around the corner of the hall, going towards the elevator.