CHASE

PART II

CHAPTER II

Lyra woke, finding herself in the back of Scott's blue Mazda, the backstreet boys blaring from the speakers behind her. Nick Carter was doing a particularly loud solo so both of the x-men in the front seats didn't hear her gasp and begin to sob.

She leant over and felt like she was going to be sick, her stomach writhing.

Why was Phoenix doing this to her, surely she wasn't so important to the Brotherhood that her mental health had to be sacrificed?
The question that plagued her now was should she tell her captors?

'What's wrong, kid?' Logan growled, keeping his tired eyes on Scott who was slipping closer to the steering wheal. He knew he would never let him drive but just in case Cyclops fell asleep, he didn't want to have to explain anything to any of those judicial bastards who went out of their way to give mutants a bad name.

Lyra just moaned, resting her head in her arms.

How would Magneto know where to send them?

She fumbled around her neck for the identification necklace all members of the brotherhood had. She pulled it off her neck, her fingers touching the cold chain.

"Chase" The inscription read, glinting in the early light.

"Phoenix League"

Lyra stared at it until her eyes hurt. Unfortunately, those chosen for the Brotherhood weren't for there mental ability, which, in most cases, wasn't of a high degree. And Lyra wasn't one of those exceptions. She knew about combat, marshal arts, gym, the art of persuasion and drama, but that really summed up her range of expertise.

'Oh shit.' She cursed under her breath. The tracking devise implanted in each tag was still working, she assumed, how else would they know she was still at Mutant High and hadn't run off with the parts?

Mist rolled in over the still water of Lake Ponterchartrain. The sun seemed to be frozen, just peeking over the horizon, leaving the city in perpetual dawn. Scott gunned the Mazda through a clear junction before navigating round a corner by a shipping warehouse. Men carrying crates of fish caught earlier that morning scattered as the metallic blue car sped toward them. Logan gave a grunt of satisfaction as Scott came to sharp stop beside Something's Fishy Corp. Truck.

'You sure this is right, Scooter?' Logan said, climbing out of the car and looking around. He had never liked New Orleans, not since he ran into the red eyed kid down in Belle Chasse.
Scott nodded, already moving toward the building that owned the truck, according to its name. Logan looked back at Lyra who was leaning on the car, her eyes covered by big, dark sunglasses. 'Stay here and look for Le Beau.' He leaned in closer. 'You do anything weird and I'll stay true to my word.' He smiled at her horrified look before going to join Scott who was talking in Japanese fluently to a small man who was nodding and pointing at a huge paddle steamer named "The Tsunami"

Lyra scowled at the animalistic man. 'Schizophrenic' she muttered before heading in the other direction.

X

'There in place' Mystique turned, the corners of her lips curving into a smile, her golden eyes looking to Magneto who rose from his chair and paced the length of his quarters in a mater of seconds. 'Check' he said, clipping an ear peace to the side of his head. 'Pyro, The subjects are in position. I want Chase back unharmed, as for Xaviers precious X-Men, let it be the day you exact your revenge on the people who have constrained your powers for so long.'

X

John rapped his hand around Lyra's mouth and drew her into a tight embrace. She let out an exasperated moan and tried to struggle against his grip weakly. 'Shhh' he said, dragging her into the shadows of an old shipment ware house as several other mutants baring the Phoenix crest ran past, shouting commands at each other. 'Lyra, you have to listen to me.' He turned her to look at him, brushing wayward strands of hair away from angular face. 'You gotta do something for me, right? You've got to give this to the Proff,' He shoved a CD into the pocket of her jeans. 'Your gonna get Cyclops and Wolverine and your gonna get them out of here. Listen to me, Chase,' he pulled her in closer to him. He smelt of smoke, it was a warm familiar scent. She missed it.

'You gotta tell Drake – you gotta tell him I'm sorry.' He put a duffle bag into her arms which she dropped immediately. 'Whats in it?' She said, kicking it with her sneaker.

'Your stuff. You've done your time with Magneto. Try being a normal girl for a change.

She smiled up at him, her height, or lack there off, was diminutive compared to Pyro, who wasn't very tall himself. She threw off her usually icy exterior and pulled him into a demanding kiss. 'Missed you' She whispered.

'I told you not to do that' He returned, ruffling her hair before pushing her in the direction of the paddle steamer.

Lyra leapt up the side of "The Tsunami", enjoying the thrill of movement, letting her limbs stretch properly for the first time in weeks. It was good to be out of that ornate hell hole. She crept up the next level, sprinting on all fours to the double fronted doors.

'Well if it isn't Chase De Cloyes, never thought we'd see you here' A tall mousey brown haired girl piped, grabbing Lyra by the collar of her jumper, the other two laughed hysterically, Pyro just looked at his feet, Climbing over the side of the boat after her.

A boy with albino like skin and grey eyes moved up to her. 'The only thing we hates more than a traitor, is a traitor who joins the X-Men. You's goin' down, Chase.'

'No Ghost.' A dark hand gripped tightly on his shoulder. 'Not today. Magneto says he wants her back in one piece.'

'Stuff magneto, I'm gonna gut her from navel ta nose' He hissed, drawing a blade from his belt. Lyra backed up against the weather board wall, shooting tempest a pleading look.

'You think 'cause I wont let him kill you doesn't mean I don't want to?' She snarled, a look of disgust sliding across her face.

'You betrayed us Lyra. I don't know why Magneto wants you back so bad.'

Jake "Ghost" Hollingsworth delivered the first blow into her mouth. She felt the sting as a steady flow of crimson blood spilled from the wound in her bottom lip. The next into her upper chest.

He held the blade up to her neck. 'Ready to die?'

To her left, she could see something moving toward the group, none of the teens had noticed until it was too late, Raydar, Tempest and Pyro were all thrown to the ground, the three sliding along the decks with the force off the blow. The attacker then raised the staff he was holding above the deathly white boy, and brought it down hard. The wooden pole just slipped right through Ghost, who dropped the dagger and sprinted off around side of the boat.

'Mon dieu ! Dat ain't normal' The boy said, straightening up, his blood red pupils looking to Lyra, then to the writhing bodies at his feet.

'Well, Remy, what did you expect?'