Christmas in France

To mattb3671: Hey there matt! How're you doing, man? Will there be some changes in Marie-Claire after her little confrontation with Siryn? You'll see, man. You'll see. Enjoy the new chapter, and I can hardly wait for you to update your story "X-Men is Australian for Mutant".

To Raliena: Hey there, Rae! Oh okay, I see what you are getting at now. I get it. Well, the Joes are the best the US military can put out, so naturally, they wouldn't necessarily need a weapon to do the job. Keep on reading, Rae! Enjoy the new chapter!

To Red Witch: Hey there, Red! Yeah, nothing ever does seem to go right for our heroes. I have a lot of free time at night myself, so I write. I find inspiration sometimes when I go out and take a walk or look at my comic collection. Enjoy the new chapter, Red!

Disclaimer: "The sea monkeys have my money…" - Ellen DeGeneres as Dory, Finding Nemo

Chapter 16: Butt-Kicking All Around!

A warehouse in Paris

"Oh great, another bloody robot." Rahne grumbled as she shifted into her werewolf form. A robot that appeared to be over eight feet tall lumbered towards them. The body and head of the robot was apparently made to look like the Cobra insignia. The robot had silver arms and legs, a black lower torso and feet, and red hands.

"Robots tick me off." Athena snarled, unsheating her claws.

"Everything ticks you off, X." Longshot rolled his eyes.

"HEY YOU TICK ME OFF!!" Athena snapped.

"H-h-hello, West Coast Misfits." The robot appeared to say. "Th-th-this little robot is going to spell your doom."

"It talks." Jester blinked. "But can it make waffles? HEY!!" Dial-Up swatted the comedic pilot upside the head with a grumble.

"You are a simpleton, you know that?" Dial-Up grumbled. "It's pre-recorded."

"A little surprise that our ever-gracious host Overkill left in case we felt like leaving the party early, no doubt." Ace Starr snarled, baring his fangs.

"If only I had my cards, mon amour…" Tarot whispered to Ace. "I am very good with martial arts and a sword, but that is not enough against this thing. I need my cards." Jester overheard this.

The d'Agastino Christmas Party, Paris

What happened between Siryn and Marie-Claire, I wonder? Kicker thought as she dodged a laser blast with a backflip over a table. She lifted up the tablecloth and saw Gerard d'Agastino under the table. "You okay, Monsieur d'Agastino?"

"I'm okay. I need a new pair of pants, but I'm okay." Gerard gulped. He noticed the makeup marks on his daughter's cheek as she used her gravity powers to try and stop Overkill. "What happened to Marie-Claire. She looks like she was crying. I haven't heard her cry in a long time." Kicker blinked.

"Siryn said that while she and Marie-Claire took the BET to safety, they had a little talk." Kicker replied. "Can't talk more now, got an evil robot to stop. Just stay down and keep quiet." Kicker dropped the tablecloth back down. "Whatever Theresa said to that girl, it must have humbled her real good."

"Eat sonic blast, ye hunk of tin! WAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!" Siryn smashed Overkill with a sonic blast to the chest, causing him to stagger and fall backwards. Meanwhile, Firestorm and BR were coming to. The groggy pyromaniac explosive expert Joe pulled what appeared to be a Molotov cocktail and a lighter out of his jacket. He shook his head as he got to his feet.

"Do it, BR." He ordered the monkey, handing him the lighter. BR lit the cloth of the cocktail ablaze. "Hey Robot Man!" Overkill turned around. "In the mood for a drink?" He asked as the others got to their feet. "Here! Try my Molotov cocktail! It's a hit!" Firestorm pitched the cocktail. It hit Overkill's head and shattered, covering him in flames.

"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" Overkill screamed, running around in a panic, flailing his arms around like a headless chicken.

"What the--?" Rictor blinked as he and the others watched.

"What happened to you?" Kyle rubbed his head as he looked at Marie-Claire.

The warehouse in Paris

"That was easy." Ace grinned as he wiped his hands. The Cobra logo robot was in pieces. Jester, Dial-Up, Wolfsbane, X23, Longshot, Tarot, and Wildstar stood around the robot.

"Thank you for letting me use the card." Tarot handed the card back to Jester. "I had no idea you were into Battle Monsters."

"We all have our hobbies, Red." Jester chuckled. "I beat Torpedo ten times in a row once." X23 looked around, sniffing the air.

"Velocity…Thunderbird…Chilljaw…" X23 growled, sniffing the air. "They were here. I can smell them."

"They must've been captured earlier." Ace reasoned. "I picked up their scent too."

"No wonder they never reported in!" Jester realized. "I thought they were out partying!"

"It would seem like those three." Dial-Up nodded. "Let's go find them before Overkill returns."

"GET ME THE $#$# DOWN FROM HERE!!!" A familiar voice roared. "WHERE IS THAT $#$#$# ROBOT OR CYBORG OR WHATEVER THE #$#$ HE IS?!?! I'LL $#$#$# RIP HIM THE $#$# APART!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGH!!!!!!!" The group all looked at each other with deadpan expressions on their faces.

"Thunderbird." They all said in unison.

"We won't have much trouble finding him now. All we have to do is follow the screaming." Longshot quipped as the group ran off.

The Christmas party

"Ahhh!!!" A fiery Overkill screamed as he got pelted by laser blasts from guns held by Firestorm, Torpedo, and Wipe-Out.

"A couple explosive shuriken should put a real bang in your day!" Kicker quipped as she threw a couple shuriken armed with small explosive devices. The small metal projectiles hit Overkill's knee joints and exploded, weakening the robot, making Overkill scream.

"Whoa man, the Joes kick butt." Rictor blinked.

"One does not need superhuman powers or abilities to defeat an opponent." Toshiro nodded simply. "I would demonstrate that…but I left my favorite katana back home." Toshi mumbled the last bit. He glared at a snickering Ali and Rictor. "I don't laugh at any of you when you make a mistake."

Well, well, well! Looks like our heroes are beating back the bad guys! What insanity will happen next?! What was up with Marie-Claire? Will our heroes be able to rescue Velocity, Chilljaw, and Thunderbird? Find out in the next chapter! Suggestions needed badly!