Chapter Two:
Previous night...
Central Park. A great forest in a great city.
It was a peaceful night. The air was calm, the weather clear, and the few individuals who braved the trees after nightfall walked confidently in between the rows of tall metal lamps. There was a touch of dew covering the confined stretches of grass, and the city lights shone down over the trees like misplaced stars.
A perfect night in the city that never sleeps...
...or...almost perfect.
In one secluded area of the park, the ground began to tremble. Unless someone had been standing directly on the spot, they probably would not have noticed the strange vibration. However, they would have definitely seen the line of white light that shot up from the grass towards the sky.
The light expanded, and grew brighter, allowing the sun from another world to shine into the dark city as a door opened. Only a few individuals had seen that door before, and their stories would tell all about the lands beyond. However, this time, someone stepped out of the dimensional portal instead of into it.
The light spilling from the door was not shadowed by the invader, but the grass in front of it crunched under the weight of a footstep. Several other footsteps followed, slow and pacing, until a voice called out loudly.
"All clear!" the invader said with a grumbling roar, "Step though the door!"
With that sharp order, a dozen more individuals stepped through the light. Their eyes were small and dark, their faces twisted into vicious sneers. Their long, blunted teeth jutted upward from their bottom jaws and they spoke in harsh, mostly insulting growls.
All in all, not a bad looking group...at least as Trolls go.
The trolls wandered around the area for a few minutes, until the portal of light closed. They all looked very relieved to be in the darkness again. Trolls tolerated light when they needed to, but most preferred shadows to sun.
Relish, king of the Trolls, appeared in a cloud of gold dust as he stepped out of his magic shoes. The others grumbled in approval at their leader, as he stepped forward and put his hands on his hips.
He drew in a harsh breath through his nose and sniffed the air. It did not smell like any forest he had been in before, and a cruel grin spread over his face.
"The TenthKingdom..." Relish announced loudly, not sounding impressed though the others roared in triumph.
He turned to them, and spread his arms wide as if to embrace this entirely new world, but the look on his face said his intentions here were not amicable.
"My friends..." he hissed with glee. The Trolls waited in anticipation for their king's next words.
"Let's pillage."
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Back at Xavier's School for the Gifted...
Mary sat with her hands politely folded in her lap, as she waited for the Professor to respond. Several of the other X-Men were standing around the room, and Mary was not at all offended by the fact that they all looked ready to burst into laughter.
Professor Xavier sat quietly on the other side of his desk, quite perplexed by Mary's explanation of her latest vision.
"You say...you heard disco?" he asked respectfully, but the words sounded even more hysterical when said them in his learned and proper tone.
"Yeah..." Mary said and then sighed heavily before continuing, "I think it was 'Saturday Night Fever'..."
"Ah, yes...the Bee Gees," Xavier replied with a nod.
Bobby Drake choked back a chuckle and Scott smirked, though both were trying their best to keep their composure. Mary's previous visions had been invaluable over the past few months, but her dream from last night seemed too strange to be true.
Mary sighed again and shook her head, "I know how it sounds...but you did tell me to report any vision I thought was important...I guess it could have just been a dream..."
Xavier shook his head and smiled, "No, you did the right thing. After all, your visions don't always have a direct meaning. Do you believe this dream was significant?"
"I don't know..." she said with a shrug, "I know it was in New York City, that part was clear. And the feeling of menace around it. But the creatures in the dream...they weren't like the demon before. They were different. Dangerous...but not really that dangerous..." Mary threw up her hands in frustration, "I don't know. Trees, shoes, disco...it's so stupid..."
"Maybe not," Scott said with an apologetic smile, and then glanced at the Professor, "The Malloy family relocated to New York City, didn't they? Their home in Chicago had been destroyed."
Xavier nodded, and leaned his chin against his hand thoughtfully.
"Yes, they did," he replied, and paused a moment before glancing at Mary with a smile, "Have you ever been to New York?"
"No," she answered, shaking her head.
Xavier's eyes narrowed slightly, and his fingertips touched his temple. He concentrated for a moment, and then frowned. Mary and the others watched him curiously, until Xavier raised his eyes.
"They are living just outside of the city," he said, "And...They have a guest."
"Pyro?" Bobby asked uncomfortably and the Professor nodded.
"Perhaps it's time to pay Sebastian and his family a little visit," he said, and then smiled, "Mary...would you be interested in taking a short trip to the city?"
Mary blinked in surprise, "Me? Wouldn't it be better if someone else..."
Xavier shook his head somberly, "Unfortunately, Mr. Allerdyce...Pyro...did not part with us on the best of terms. It may be better to send someone whom he is not familiar with. Also, it would give you the opportunity to investigate your vision. You may be able to find some meaning there that you could not here in Westchester."
She sat for a moment and bit her lip anxiously. She had seen the city hundreds of time before, just like anyone who had been to the movies or owned a television set, but the idea of actually traveling there was a little daunting. She was from Random Small Town, Arizona (even Westchester seemed like a city to her) and knew less than nothing about navigating through urban areas.
"How would I get there?" she asked, unable to hide the anxiety in her voice. Xavier tilted his head thoughtfully and glanced at Scott.
"Mr. LeBeau was involved with the same abduction as Sebastian's niece, wasn't he?" the Professor asked.
Scott nodded, "Remy, Rebecca Malloy...and Toad...were taken by the Sentinel in Chicago."
"And Mr. LeBeau had not been present at the school when Pyro was," Xavier added, "Their interaction at the base at only been for a short time. Pyro may not be so averse to representatives from our school if they were not someone he knew well before he left."
"Remy probably would love the opportunity to get out of here for a while," Bobby said quickly, and Xavier nodded in agreement.
Remy LeBeau was not shy or subtle about flirting with the young women in the school, and Rogue was no exception, which explained Bobby's adamant support of sending the Cajun on a trip off campus.
"I'd feel better if I had someone with me," Mary agreed, and then added with a grin, "I won't need to keep him on a leash or anything, will I?"
Xavier actually laughed quietly, "No, I don't think so. Rest assured that Mr. LeBeau will be properly briefed before your departure."
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"New York City!" Gambit announced happily as he loaded a small suitcase into a small black car, "Mon ami, do you realize how close we will be to Atlantic City?"
"Yeah, only about a hundred miles," Scott replied with annoyance, "I'll be checking the odometer when you guys get back..."
Gambit looked excessively pained, "I would never take advantage of the Professor's kindness. Remy will be nothing but a gentleman on this trip, oui?"
"Oui," Scott mimicked the other man, and then regarded him seriously, "And let us know immediately if you encounter any of the Brotherhood."
"Besides the boy?" Gambit asked curiously. Scott nodded, grimly accepting the fact that his former student was now one of Magneto's followers.
"You are expecting there to be trouble?" Gambit asked after a moment, and Scott shook his head noncommittally.
"I don't know," he replied, "Mary's dream was pretty cryptic. Just be prepared for anything."
Gambit shrugged and slammed the trunk on the black car shut.
"Don't worry, ami," he said with a grin, "Between her brains and my...um...luck...I don't think we'll have any problems. And anyway, Remy has no issues with the Brotherhood. La Femme Bleue...I would not mind seeing her again, no?"
Scott was not the least bit amused by Gambit's banter. He knew how deadly every member of the Brotherhood could be.
"Ready to head out?" Mary asked as she walked toward them.
She yelped in surprise as Gambit grabbed her by the hand and twirled her around.
"Of course, chere!" he announced grandly, "Let us go to the City that Never Sleeps!"
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An hour later, Mary was sitting behind the steering wheel driving them toward New York City, and Gambit was reclined in the passenger seat, snoring comfortably.
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Author's note (a note on Trolls): For anyone who has seen the 10th Kingdom movie, you know that Al Bundy is the king of the trolls and that's what the whole "Let's pillage" line was inspired by. :-) For anyone who hasn't seen the 10th Kingdom, GO WATCH IT NOW. Looks at watch Yikes...it's pretty late. Nevermind. But I still highly recommended it when you have 10 free hours. Just know that Trolls in this story are entirely stereotypical...they like the dark, have that whole growly look about them, and have shoe fetishes. (Seriously...shoe fetishes...)
