Chapter 5
Kurt jumped on Logan as soon as he pulled in the garage.
"Where is she?"
"Hold on, Elf," Logan said as he pulled off his helmet.
"Well?"
"I have to talk to the Professor first."
Logan started to walk off. Kurt teleported in front of him and Logan stopped.
"No, you'll talk to me first."
Logan sighed. "Come on."
Logan by-passed around Kurt and left the garage, Kurt in tow. Professor Xavier met then as soon as the door closed.
"Welcome home Logan."
"Yeah, yeah. Listen, Mary Ann is being held in some sort of run down mansion in the mountains. They made is too easy to find her. Something is up."
"When is it not?" Kurt asked. He held in the urge to change into his uniform and run off after Mary Ann, but he knew he couldn't to without Logan.
"Good point, Logan. I believe Mystique will want to show off her new recruit when we arrive."
"Yeah. Right now Mary Ann seems to be just fine. If they let look out the window she's not chained up anywhere."
"First you will rest. Everyone else run a simulation in the Danger Room. I'll set it to shoot electricity so you'll be ready."
"But Professor!" Kurt said.
"She's fine Kurt. Mystique isn't going to hurt her."
Kurt turned and started back for his room. "It's not Mystique I'm worried about. It's Pietro." He opened the door to his room but couldn't force himself to go in. He just threw his holo watch on his bed and headed for the Danger Room.
Pietro looked from side to side down the hallway. He stood in front of Mary Ann's door, hand on the doorknob. When he was sure no one had seen him he quickly opened the door and went in.
Mary Ann was sitting at a desk working on her homework, in silence. Pietro stood there and watched her for a while.
"Homework on a Friday afternoon?" he finally said, in his normal quick manner.
"Nothing else to do. Anyway I to train tonight and tomorrow."
"Why?"
"Mystique want me to."
"You're gonna do everything she tells you?"
"Yes."
Pietro sat down on Mary Ann's bed. She didn't stop working or pay any attention to him. He was a little annoyed by this but he didn't show it.
"So…" he said.
"Don't you have some home to do?"
"Yeah. But it's Friday. Lance and me are going out tonight. I wanted to see if you felt up to coming with us."
"Are you asking me out on a date?"
"No. It would just be a good time to get to know each other."
"Let me think about it for a while."
"We leave in an hour."
"Ok. I'll think about it."
Pietro stood up and smiled at Mary Ann "We're going out again tomorrow night."
"Ok."
Pietro started at there for a moment then turned and quietly left. Mary Ann put her pencil down and walked to the closet. She was still in her new uniform and needed to change. She slid the mirrored door open and was amazed. There were so many different outfits there she didn't know where to start. She began sifting though them and half an hour later her room was littered with clothes and she had found the perfect outfit. She stood in front of the mirror and smiled. She had picked out a short leather skirt and a blue sparkly tube top. Over the top of that she had on a small baker's jacket. She smiled at her reflection, grabbed a matching purse she'd laid out and went to find Pietro and Lance.
Kurt ducked, rolled then teleported to the other side of the Danger Room. He teleported again to miss the electric bolt. Jean stopped on heading for Kitty and Scott deflected one heading toward Jean. Only Evan was missing, boarding with some of his friends. Kurt took time to catch his breath and watch the others. The longer the training went on the more his anger at his mother grew.
It was almost an hour and a half before the Danger Room shut down. Everyone stopped where they were and looked up tot he control room. Professor Xavier's voice boomed throughout.
"Ok. You all did well. Rest for a few hours then we'll see where we are."
"Professor!" Kurt called.
"Kurt, you're of no use to her all tiered. Anyway she went out with Pietro and Lance."
Kurt gritted his teeth and teleported out of the Danger Room and up to the Control Room. "Where is she?"
"You're not going, Elf," Logan said.
"Like hell I'm not! Where is she?"
"At the Vogue night club," Professor Xavier said, quietly.
"I'm going. Just to check on her. May be talk to her. I promise."
By this time the rest of the X-Men had joined them.
"Where are you going?" Scott asked.
"Vogue. Mary Ann is there with Pietro and Lance," Kurt said through still clenched teeth.
"I was planning on going there anyway," Rogue said.
"Let's all go. Have a night out and keep an eye on her. We can't start a fight in a nightclub," Jean suggested.
The room was silent while the Professor thought about it. He looked to Logan, who looked away.
"Ok. Scott you look after everyone."
"Yes, sir."
"Other than that, have a nice time. You don't get enough breaks from life."
Kurt squeezed his eyes shut and teleported up to his room. He grabbed a towel and walked to the bathroom to shower. He was out in ten minutes and back in his room.
Half an hour later Kurt met everyone, including Evan this time, down in the garage.
"We can't take my car. Too many people," Scott pointed out.
Just then the garage lit up as another car pulled up. It was a black Subaru Outback Legacy. The engine stopped and the lights were cut. The door opened and a young man got out.
"Hey. If this where Mary Ann Sparks is staying?" he asked.
Scott looked around then stepped forward. "Yes. Can I help you?"
"I'm her friend, John, from Indiana. I'm here to drop off her car."
"Um, she's not here right now but you can leave the car here."
"Um, ok."
Just then another car pulled in behind Mary Ann's. Its engine didn't stop but someone got out.
"Come on, John! We gotta start home so I can go to work on Monday," a female voice called from the dark.
"Hold on Leah. I'll be there in a few seconds," John called back.
He stepped forward toward Scott. "Nice sunglasses. Are all of you mutants to?"
"Actually, yes. This is an institute for people with gifts."
"Out of all the places she could have chose, she stumbled into you guys," John said, smiling.
"Yeah. We're lucky to have her here to."
"She's accepted here. And happy. She told me in her last letter. Thank you for taking her in."
"You're welcome."
John threw the keys to the Subaru at Scott then turned and walked to the other car, which was still idling. It pulled out and sped off.
Scott looked around then back at the car.
"I'm sure she wouldn't mind us taking it out," Kitty said.
"Probably not," Evan said.
Scott turned the keys around in his hand. She only had two key chains and one key. He threw them up in the air, caught them then walked toward to car.
"Let's go. The nights not getting any younger," Evan said enthusiastically.
The club was already in full swing by the time Mary Ann walked in on the arm of Pietro. She looked around in amazement as Lance found them a table. She put her purse down and grabbed Pietro's hand and made a beeline for the dance floor. Pietro came reluctantly but loosened up quickly. Pietro noticed Lance talking to a group of girls in a booth. They were all giggling. One stood up and followed Lance to the dance floor.
Mary Ann danced alone for a while, while Pietro just looked at her. Her swinging hips, wild hair small top. He soon joined her and they danced close to each other.
An hour after Mary Ann arrived, the X-Men walked through the same door. They all looked around then continued in. Rogue found some of her friends and left quickly. Jean and Kitty sat down at a table. Kurt looked out over the dance floor the he sat down to.
"I'll get some drinks," Scott said over the music. Evan volunteered to go with hi,.
Kurt continued to look over the dance floor, his neck straining to see Mary Ann.
Then he spotted her. Her strawberry blonde hair streaked with hot pink and her leather mini skirt had been pulled higher up. He looked at the man who had his hand on her thigh and his stomach dropped.
Pietro.
He stood up quickly, causing Jean and Kitty to stare at him. He looked straight at Mary Ann and Pietro. Jean and Kitty followed his gaze, then stood up to. Scott and Evan returned to the table and se the drinks on the table.
"What? Bad chairs?" Evan asked as he pulled one out and tested it.
"We found Mary Ann," Jean said, her gaze not leaving the dance floor.
Scott followed their gaze and set his jaw. Kurt stepped away from the table, grabbed Kitty's wrist and pulled her to the dance floor, as close to Mary Ann and Pietro as possible. It took Pietro a few songs to notice them. When he did he moved his hands and stopped dancing. He scowled at Kurt then led Mary Ann back to their table where Lance sat with a girl. Kurt left Kitty on the dance floor and followed them.
"What do you want Kurt?" Pietro asked. He looked at Mary Ann, who didn't seem to remember Kurt at all.
"What do you think I want, Pietro," Kurt growled.
"I don't really know what you want. I know you wouldn't start a fight here in the club."
"Let me talk to her."
"Who?"
"Mary Ann."
Mary Ann looked up from her lap at Kurt. "Can I help you?" she asked.
"Don't you know who I am?"
"No. I'm sorry. Should I?"
Kurt's whole body went limp. "It's me. Kurt? Kurt Wagner?"
"No. I'm sorry."
Pietro and Lance smiled at Kurt, who started to back away from the table. Lance started to laugh and Pietro soon joined in. Kurt just stared at Mary Ann, who stared back.
"Just leave, Kurt. She's our now," Lance said. This started another round of laughter.
Kurt turned and walked back to sit with Jean and Scott, who were talking about a movie they'd watch together yesterday in Scott's room.
"What happened, Kurt?" Scott asked as Kurt put his head on the table.
"She doesn't even remember me. Or us. At all."
"Complete brainwash," Jean said.
"Is there anything you can do, Jean?" Kurt asked, hopeful of some way to get Mary Ann back.
"No. The Professor and I talked about it. There isn't anything individually, I can do."
Kurt put his head back on the table in frustration and anger. Jean reached across the table and patted his shoulder.
They all three sat there until the club started to empty. Lance, Mary Ann and Pietro walked passed Kurt, Scott and Jean and that's when the voice boomed through Mary Ann's head.
"Kill the X-Men."
Pictures of the X-Men flashed through her head. She put her hands on the sides of her head and ran out. It came again.
"Kill the X-Men."