Cyclops stopped after a few minutes. The kids following didn't seem to catch on straight away, but eventually, they do slowed to a halt. They were at the base of a hill. Cyclops looked back at Nightcrawler and Storm. There was a slight breeze and Kurt bamfed up to the top of the hill, gave some kind of shocked recoil and bamfed back.
"What is it?" Cyclops asked immediately.
"Ze warehouse." Kurt nodded. "Zey have some kind of truck, dropping of equipment." he said. Cyclops looked back at the group.
"Storm." he said. "You take these three." he said, seperating Khahara, Mark and Alyx to go with her. "Try and see what the truck was transferring. Kurt, what about exits?"
"One at ze back and one at ze side. Zere is one at the front, but the truck..." he said. Cyclops nodded again.
"Logan, you two take these two." he said, gesturing to Streak and Add. "Go in through the back." he said. He looked at Twist, Simon, Connor and Chiara. "You lot are coming with me." he said.
The groups seperated almost immediately. Chiara looked around, trying to shake the thought that they might never see each other again. It was worse that she was stuck with a love-triangle group like hers. She glanced over at Twist and Connor, seeing them talking together. Maybe it was a love square?
"Come on, you lot." Cyclops said. "This isn't social hour. You stick with the group. Never get seperated." he warned. "Now let's go." he said, starting up the hill. The other four followed him.
The truck, it turned out, was facing away from them. A group of five or so men were distributing something into the building, which was making a sound almost like a factory. Quickly, Cyclops's group lost themselves in the trees and made their way towards the side door.
They slipped inside, surprised by their own agility and silence. As soon as they were inside, Simon's eyes began glow a vivd green in the almost darkness.
"They're downstairs... below the building. Yuako's... they know we're here." he said.
"Which way?" Cyclops said. Simon seemed to struggle under the concentration and the messages Yuako was sending him.
"Two floors down. There's a construction elevator fifty meters to our left, down the corridor." he said. Suddenly, the pressure seemed to ease off of him. He relaxed and his eyes stopped glowing, leaving them in the dark.
"What now?" Connor asked, closed to Chiara than she'd expected. "We need light."
"Chi?" Simon asked. What was with the pet name? Chiara thought. It instantly annoyed her.
"Just call me Tinkerbell." she sighed, reaching her hand forth and concentrating energy into it. To her plesant surprise a crackling spark appeared in her hand. She made a second on her other and grinned.
"Good. Let's get going." Cyclops said. Chiara nodded, feeling anxiety buzz around her stomach like butterflies.
Together they moved down the hall until a corridor was visible to the left and right. An intersection. They stared down the left and began walking. The passage seemed to stretch on forever.
Suddenly Chiara heard something in her mind.
"Someone's looking at us." Simon said into her mind. "Behind us." The other stirred, obviously having heard him too. Twist turned in a flash, immediately pushing a force of wind behind them. The ripped plaster came off the walls and the lighting fixtures shook. Chiara's sparks illuminated something. Silence's figure being catapulted back towards the door by Twist's power. Suddenly, she screamed.
"Silence!" Twist shouted.
"No! Keep moving!" Cyclops said. Simon and Connor grabbed the struggling Twist. hurrying down the corridor. Uneasily, Chiara followed in a run, trying to drown out Twist's cries of pain. She still didn't understand why they were running from Silence. And now the corridor was filled with a roaring wind.
The beams of light from the elevator interior were just ahead, illuminating the box which would be their haven. Cyclops hit the caller, trying to make the door open. Slowly, it did.
"In! Now!" Cyclops shouted. "I'll take care of this!" he said, pushing them all in. The elevator closed, blocking Cyclops from view.
"Is he insane!" Chiara shouted. "What the fuck is he doing?!"
"He's taking care of it, Chiara!" Simon said.
"Yeah, whatever that... thing was..." Connor added quietly. There was the noise of Cyclops shooting lasers. Suddenly, the elevator began to move.
"What the fuck is happening now?!" Chiara ejected again. Twist was still sobbing, Connor holding onto her. Simon shrugged, pushing her back, taking a place before the doors, waiting for whatever came through. The lift stopped with a shudder and the doors opened.
Nothing was there and there was a sudden silence hanging ominiously in the air. Simon stepped out, his boots loud on the floor. Suddenly, something leapt out in front of him, making him jump.
"Guys! There you are! I got lost when we came in!" a familiar voice called, stepping into the light from the dim bulb in the elevator. Chiara felt a frighted shudder course through her body.
The person who had appeared was suddenly flooded with light. It was her. Right down to the long black eyelashes.
Simon took a moment to realise what was happening. He looked back at Chiara over his shoulder, and then back at the one who'd just appeared. There was a moment of silence again.
"What the fuck is happening!?" he shouted suddenly.
"It's a double." Chiara said. "That's not me."
"Stop it!" the other shouted, frustrated. "Show yourself! Stop lying!"
"Wait, wait..!" Connor started but as he tried to calm the two Chiaras, one grabbed the other, wheeling them out into the corridor, slamming into a wall. One looked up, kicking into the elevator, making the doors slam. She looked back at the real Chiara who was trying to stand.
"I never thought I'd pretend to be anyone as weak as you." she smiled. Chiara coughed. She heard banging from the inside of the elevator. Her double looked behind her and then picked Chiara up by the collar.
"I want to make sure we're undisturbed here." she said, in Chiara's same throaty voice. She threw Chiara into one of the warehouse cubicles like a ragdoll and slammed the rolling door.
Chiara stood up, feeling nauseaous and bruised.
"You're Mistique." she croaked.
"Well. At least you're not stupid." her double smiled, folding her arms and looking more powerful than Chiara could have ever imagined herself seeming. "Or maybe you are. I mean, you've only been in the building a little more than two minutes, and already, you're screwed."
Chiara felt a surge of angry energy flooding through her. She pushed out, coming into contact with her opposer. Sparks flew. She felt hard punches to her shoulders, sparks zapping off her skin like drops of water.
There was kick to her stomach that she didn't expect. She flew across the cubicle, winded. She struggled to stand again, but her legs seemed to give way beneath her. The other Chiara began walking towards her, picking her up and throwing her against the wall. Chiara was surprising she'd made it this far. With new courage she raised herself to her shaking legs again. Immediately, the other Chiara struck her to the side with a pipe from the floor.
"Oh God. This is pathetic." she said, tossing the pipe back and forth between her hands. "If I gave you this would it help?" She threw the pipe to the ground, smiling. Chiara stood up again. She concentrated hard, sending electricity through her arms and into her hands. Palms filled with crackling sparks she leapt towards the next Chiara, punching her stomach, clawing at whatever she could.
She felt heavy with exhaustion and pain. She threw a kick, tossing Chiara into the opposite wall. She picked up the pipe, grimacing with pain.
"I don't need it."
"I know." her voice replied from the reflection lying against the wall. "You're strong." She stood up and threw herself at the other and they both crashed to the floor, only the pipe seperating the two of them from murdering each other.
"You're going to lose, Mistique."
"Don't call me that! You're know I'm the original. You're just trying to confuse me!" One of them grabbed the pipe, rolling to the side. They both stood, ready to come into contact with pain as she began swinging it back and forth.
Quick as a flash, the opposing one kicked her back against the wall, wrenching the pipe out of her hands and crashing it into her arm. The victim slumped against the wall, blood beginning to flow from the new wound in her arm.
The remaining Chiara threw the pipe into the corner, glanced around and then ran off into the maze of corridors.
---------Please don't flame this. One, I had writers block. Two, it's supposed to be confusing... Thanks for your awesome comments.