Storm led them down into a bottom room. The metal walls seemed to
glint hungrily at them. Storm pressed a button on the wall of the corridor.
"Ororo." She said. A hidden door opened in the wall and she led them in. A group of students was standing in the room. They looked up as they entered.
"Who's missing?" Cyclops asked from his place at the back of them room.
"Twist and Khahara." Storm said. "I'll go and check again." She disappeared out of the room again. Chiara saw Alyx and Streak shiver in their pajamas. Most of the group looked like they'd just gotten up.
She and Connor were the only ones really dressed, having already received news that morning. She glanced at her two cold friends and then walked over to him.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"I'm not sure." Connor asked. He looked down at her. "Are you okay?" Chiara remember what Twist had said. She looked back at him.
"I'm confused." She said truthfully. "Does this mean we're going to Canada?"
"Maybe. I've tried asking Cyclops, but he doesn't seem to want to talk."
"He does that a lot."
Connor laughed slightly. Chiara didn't smile back.
"What? He doesn't. It's a serious condition of his." She said. Connor frowned for a moment, then realized she was kidding and smiled again. Chiara did the same. "Is X here?" she asked afterwards.
"Somewhere." Connor responded. "I came down here with him, then when those two arrived he disappeared somewhere with Logan." He pointed towards Simon and Add.
"Oh, them?" Chiara said. "They're very repellant." She looked back at Streak and Alyx who was talking quietly, throwing her looks. "Um... I'll be right back." She excused herself. She smiled at Connor quickly and went over to Alyx and Streak.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, pointedly.
"The weather." Streak said quickly.
"That doesn't even fool me." Chiara smiled. The doors opened again. A disgruntled Twist appeared, wearing a crinkled pair of black jeans and purple halter. Her hair was wet and beginning to curl. Behind her were Storm and a young girl with completely white eyes. The girl hurried over to a young man with orange eyes and brown hair, who immediately took her in his arms.
Twist stamped over to the other three.
"What the fuck is going on?" she asked loudly, too loud.
"Shh..." Alyx responded. Cyclops had climbed up a stair onto the platform in the room. He looked as thought he were about to make a huge speech, but then he spoke.
"Simon Erickson." He said.
"Here." Came from the crowd. Simon stood up, running a hand through his hair.
"Alyx von Goeth."
"Here?" Alyx said hopefully, not sure whether this was a role-call or not. Cyclops looked at her, displeased by her tone of voice. He looked back at his paper and checked her name.
"Twist Kain." Twist gave her grumbled reply.
"Trinity Koussa." Streak responded. The list continued until all nine of the students had been called.
"You are required to return to your dorms and change into black clothing." Cyclops said, putting back his paper. "In one half hour you will return here. At the voice test you will speak your authentic first name. Tell no other student not involved in these activities what you are doing."
A hand went up at the back. Add's.
"Yes?" Cyclops asked.
"Er... what are we doing? Why can't we tell anyone?" Add asked.
"You're going to Canada to be part of an X-Men plan to recover five missing students." Cyclops said. A few whispers broke out in the crowd now that the mission had been confirmed. Chiara folded her arms. "If you do not wish to participate then you are welcome to stay." He said. No one spoke.
"Why us?" Add asked afterwards.
"A couple of your names appeared on a list found by a student." Cyclops said reluctantly, with a look at Storm. "Infiltrators on the night of the mansion raid were planning to capture them as well. The rest of you have been chosen on your links to those missing and your defensive abilities, which may be used. We understand that you would want to accompany us on this mission." He said slowly. Chiara knew he had not thought of that idea himself. She put up a hand.
"What about Mystique?" she called. Cyclops looked at her.
"Each of you will be asked a question on your identification to prove your authenticity." He said after a moment. "You're dismissed."
Chiara could tell there were more questions. She grabbed onto Streak and Twist and pulled them and Alyx out of the room.
"We're going to get Gaudi?!" Alyx squeaked.
"It's about damn time." Twist smiled, cracking her knuckles. She escaped from Chiara's grasp and disappeared into the elevator.
"I'll go with her. I need to borrow some black clothing anyway." Alyx said, following. Streak let go of Chiara's arm.
"You got your mission then." She said bitterly.
"I did..." Chiara said.
"I hope," Streak said sourly, "that none of us will get hurt, because otherwise, it's really going to suck."
"It wasn't my idea, Streak. I just wanted t-"
"Whatever." Streak said. "I'm seventeen years old. I didn't plan on risking my life voluntarily at this age. But I'm going for Silence. I just hope we all come out alive." She turned and rushed down the corridor in a swish of yellow hair. Chiara folded her arms again. She waited until everyone was starting for the elevator before she began walking again.
"So... you're first big fight, hmm?" came a voice from behind her. Chiara sighed. She thought she and Simon were through talking or even noticing each other. She stepped into the empty elevator.
"Mutant-wise, yes." She said. Simon held the door open and followed her in. The doors closed around them, locking them together in a metal capsule. Chiara lent against the wall, trying to be as far away from him as possible.
"You know what happens when you fight?" he asked, smiling slightly.
"I smash up TVs?" Chiara asked wryly. Simon laughed slightly. Chiara didn't like that he found the memory funny.
"It's like you're a new person. You don't think about your life. All it is, is you, your enemy and your powers." He narrowed his eyes and looked around the elevator.
"Is this your way of flirting?" she asked. Simon laughed again for some time.
"You're full of yourself, aren't you?" he grinned.
"Of course I am. I'm a Myste." Chiara said cynically.
"You don't have a codename yet, do you?" Simon asked finally. She felt stupid suddenly.
"Is that your way of telling me I have to have duel personalities?" She asked.
"Do you have any ideas?" he asked, ignoring her comment.
"They're all lame."
"Do you know what comes to mind whenever I think about your powers?"
"Do I want to know?" Chiara asked. They stopped, but the doors didn't open. Simon smiled again.
"Noise. Static, white noise." The doors opened, he stepped out. "How's that sound?"
"What? Noise? Static? Or White?" Chiara asked, following him out.
"Noise." Simon said. Chiara thought for a while. She wasn't anything powerful yet. She couldn't send huge blasts of electricity across open landscapes or bring down power lines or levitate herself on airwaves, but maybe... someday soon she would.
"It sounds..." she said, stopping. She thought the word over in her head. The more times she ran it over her mind, the more it began to become her. He looked back at her. Reluctantly, she said, "...like me."
"Ororo." She said. A hidden door opened in the wall and she led them in. A group of students was standing in the room. They looked up as they entered.
"Who's missing?" Cyclops asked from his place at the back of them room.
"Twist and Khahara." Storm said. "I'll go and check again." She disappeared out of the room again. Chiara saw Alyx and Streak shiver in their pajamas. Most of the group looked like they'd just gotten up.
She and Connor were the only ones really dressed, having already received news that morning. She glanced at her two cold friends and then walked over to him.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"I'm not sure." Connor asked. He looked down at her. "Are you okay?" Chiara remember what Twist had said. She looked back at him.
"I'm confused." She said truthfully. "Does this mean we're going to Canada?"
"Maybe. I've tried asking Cyclops, but he doesn't seem to want to talk."
"He does that a lot."
Connor laughed slightly. Chiara didn't smile back.
"What? He doesn't. It's a serious condition of his." She said. Connor frowned for a moment, then realized she was kidding and smiled again. Chiara did the same. "Is X here?" she asked afterwards.
"Somewhere." Connor responded. "I came down here with him, then when those two arrived he disappeared somewhere with Logan." He pointed towards Simon and Add.
"Oh, them?" Chiara said. "They're very repellant." She looked back at Streak and Alyx who was talking quietly, throwing her looks. "Um... I'll be right back." She excused herself. She smiled at Connor quickly and went over to Alyx and Streak.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, pointedly.
"The weather." Streak said quickly.
"That doesn't even fool me." Chiara smiled. The doors opened again. A disgruntled Twist appeared, wearing a crinkled pair of black jeans and purple halter. Her hair was wet and beginning to curl. Behind her were Storm and a young girl with completely white eyes. The girl hurried over to a young man with orange eyes and brown hair, who immediately took her in his arms.
Twist stamped over to the other three.
"What the fuck is going on?" she asked loudly, too loud.
"Shh..." Alyx responded. Cyclops had climbed up a stair onto the platform in the room. He looked as thought he were about to make a huge speech, but then he spoke.
"Simon Erickson." He said.
"Here." Came from the crowd. Simon stood up, running a hand through his hair.
"Alyx von Goeth."
"Here?" Alyx said hopefully, not sure whether this was a role-call or not. Cyclops looked at her, displeased by her tone of voice. He looked back at his paper and checked her name.
"Twist Kain." Twist gave her grumbled reply.
"Trinity Koussa." Streak responded. The list continued until all nine of the students had been called.
"You are required to return to your dorms and change into black clothing." Cyclops said, putting back his paper. "In one half hour you will return here. At the voice test you will speak your authentic first name. Tell no other student not involved in these activities what you are doing."
A hand went up at the back. Add's.
"Yes?" Cyclops asked.
"Er... what are we doing? Why can't we tell anyone?" Add asked.
"You're going to Canada to be part of an X-Men plan to recover five missing students." Cyclops said. A few whispers broke out in the crowd now that the mission had been confirmed. Chiara folded her arms. "If you do not wish to participate then you are welcome to stay." He said. No one spoke.
"Why us?" Add asked afterwards.
"A couple of your names appeared on a list found by a student." Cyclops said reluctantly, with a look at Storm. "Infiltrators on the night of the mansion raid were planning to capture them as well. The rest of you have been chosen on your links to those missing and your defensive abilities, which may be used. We understand that you would want to accompany us on this mission." He said slowly. Chiara knew he had not thought of that idea himself. She put up a hand.
"What about Mystique?" she called. Cyclops looked at her.
"Each of you will be asked a question on your identification to prove your authenticity." He said after a moment. "You're dismissed."
Chiara could tell there were more questions. She grabbed onto Streak and Twist and pulled them and Alyx out of the room.
"We're going to get Gaudi?!" Alyx squeaked.
"It's about damn time." Twist smiled, cracking her knuckles. She escaped from Chiara's grasp and disappeared into the elevator.
"I'll go with her. I need to borrow some black clothing anyway." Alyx said, following. Streak let go of Chiara's arm.
"You got your mission then." She said bitterly.
"I did..." Chiara said.
"I hope," Streak said sourly, "that none of us will get hurt, because otherwise, it's really going to suck."
"It wasn't my idea, Streak. I just wanted t-"
"Whatever." Streak said. "I'm seventeen years old. I didn't plan on risking my life voluntarily at this age. But I'm going for Silence. I just hope we all come out alive." She turned and rushed down the corridor in a swish of yellow hair. Chiara folded her arms again. She waited until everyone was starting for the elevator before she began walking again.
"So... you're first big fight, hmm?" came a voice from behind her. Chiara sighed. She thought she and Simon were through talking or even noticing each other. She stepped into the empty elevator.
"Mutant-wise, yes." She said. Simon held the door open and followed her in. The doors closed around them, locking them together in a metal capsule. Chiara lent against the wall, trying to be as far away from him as possible.
"You know what happens when you fight?" he asked, smiling slightly.
"I smash up TVs?" Chiara asked wryly. Simon laughed slightly. Chiara didn't like that he found the memory funny.
"It's like you're a new person. You don't think about your life. All it is, is you, your enemy and your powers." He narrowed his eyes and looked around the elevator.
"Is this your way of flirting?" she asked. Simon laughed again for some time.
"You're full of yourself, aren't you?" he grinned.
"Of course I am. I'm a Myste." Chiara said cynically.
"You don't have a codename yet, do you?" Simon asked finally. She felt stupid suddenly.
"Is that your way of telling me I have to have duel personalities?" She asked.
"Do you have any ideas?" he asked, ignoring her comment.
"They're all lame."
"Do you know what comes to mind whenever I think about your powers?"
"Do I want to know?" Chiara asked. They stopped, but the doors didn't open. Simon smiled again.
"Noise. Static, white noise." The doors opened, he stepped out. "How's that sound?"
"What? Noise? Static? Or White?" Chiara asked, following him out.
"Noise." Simon said. Chiara thought for a while. She wasn't anything powerful yet. She couldn't send huge blasts of electricity across open landscapes or bring down power lines or levitate herself on airwaves, but maybe... someday soon she would.
"It sounds..." she said, stopping. She thought the word over in her head. The more times she ran it over her mind, the more it began to become her. He looked back at her. Reluctantly, she said, "...like me."