Sebastian sat back in his chair and picked up his glass.
Emma has failed… And yet… I can not find it in myself to relax knowing that all this now rests on Illyana's success.
He managed a slight frown and swirled his Bourbon.
I do believe that you will make every effort Illyana… But will it be enough? Emma was always able to meet her commitments… Until now. And I know that you had quite a bit to do with that.
Then he leaned his head back and let it ease down his throat slowly.
But so help me… If I wasted my time in aiding in the creation of the Mutant Advisor position… And it ends up in someone else's control…
He downed the rest of the Bourbon and then crushed the glass in his bare hand.
Then I will destroy you for this Illyana … as the failure will have been yours alone.
Sebastian smiled slowly. But there's no need to worry about that just yet…
He looked over to the bottle of Bourbon and replaced the crystal stopper.
Not when I can make use of this time by attending to other matters…"Hold on… Stop right here." The reporter told his crew as they were leaving. "Hop out and get some footage from right here, while they're still all standing outside together like that.
"Right. Good call." The man jumped out and threw them all in to focus and put them on tape. "Awww… Yeah. Nice shot."
"How are you going to spin this?" The cameraman asked the reporter.
The reporter shook his head. "I'm not spinning a frigging word. It's beautiful, just the way they laid it down. Wagner's odd looking, but very genuine and funny. And he's got this circus of news stories happening around him. I see sidebar stories about every member of the team coming… If we play nice."
"What about this Stuart?" The cameraman asked, getting the same shot in different filters.
Alistaire… The reporters heart went out just a little bit. "He's … clumsy … at times. But he's never been wrong about anything important, and he looks like he's finally made something of himself here."
"He didn't seem all that clumsy to me." The cameraman said. "He comes off like a hero in Wagner's version of the story. And that brunette… Pryde. She talks about him like he's her own personal Hugh Grant."
The reporter laughed. "Then that's how we tell it." He smiled. "But it begins with the girl."
The cameraman looked over. "The first girl?"
The reporter nodded. "Oh yeah. You heard her, saw her reactions. She's exactly what we need to lead off with."
He cameraman nodded slowly. "We'll see… Maybe…"
"I've been doing this for eight years now Robert." The reporter replied. "And I've never had a segment that would let me demand a raise. But I'm going to get one from this story." He said plainly. "And if we start off with the girl … with Lucy … Then I wont even have to ask. It'll be a gimmee."
The cameraman turned off his camera and climbed back in to the car.
"What are those papers Stuart gave you?" The cameraman asked.
"Proof." The reported smiled. "Proof that it's all true."
Illyana stood before her mirror.
She extended her flesh and bone hand and watched as small particles began to collect out of the air.
They spun and danced around themselves and slowly took the form of a sword.
The sword was oily and black, a direct reflection of her soul, it was heavy, severe and deadly.
She had cast off her white clothes and donned a dark blue ninja-style suit with hood. All but her eyes were concealed from view.
With a wave of her hand a portal opened between her apartment and the lighthouse. She stepped through and it closed.
A car was rounding the end of the driveway and vanishing out of sight.
Several members of the team were standing around or slowly shuffling in to the lighthouse.
She turned her eyes to the deck above and in the blink of an eye had passed through another portal and on to the deck.
She slipped in to the lighthouse through an open door and swiftly slipped through to the next level, mapping the place in her mind as she went.
She backtracked herself twice by creating portals and beginning at different points in the lighthouse.
They were mostly up the stairs when Tabby noticed Lucy's expression.
"What…" Tabby managed before the claws sprung out.
Everyone jumped.
"Someone's here." She sniffed again. I've smelled that before… "It's the girl. The one Forge fought with today…"
She leaned over and sniffed him, then the air again. "I'm sure of it."
Kurt stood up slowly. "Vhere is she?"
Lucy sniffed experimentally. "Everywhere. She's been all over up here…"
Kitty phased slightly. "Recon?" She whispered to Kurt.
"Ja." He agreed. "Clear Braddocks room first."
"I'm on it." She announced, vanishing through the wall.
Forge pulled a ray-gun of his own out of the back of his jeans. It was considerably meaner looking than Alistaire's had been.
"Once it's cleared I want you and Alistaire to stand guard over him. He still can't defend himself. Understand?"
Forge smiled. And Lucy thinks I'm not boring? "Sure thing." He shrugged. "But you're going to need me after you subdue her."
"Why?" Kurt asked.
"Another spell." Forge said. "Looks nasty too."
Kurt rolled his eyes. Wonderful!
Tabby smiled at Lucy and small explosive points began to solidify between her fingers.
Lucy looked at her oddly for a long moment and then motioned to the first door at the top of the stairs. "Wanna clear it?" She asked.
Tabby smiled, grateful for the chance to help. "Yeah." She said, taking three quick and quiet steps up to slowly round the corner in to the room.
Kitty's head appeared through the wall over Forge's shoulder and he jumped, terrified for a second, then puled it together before Lucy could turn around and notice.
Kitty smiled about it quietly. "Braddocks room is clear." She whispered.
"Forge, Alistaire, go!" Kurt whispered and they slipped off around the corner.
Lucy sniffed the air again. Nothing had changed.
"Tabitha?" Kurt ventured.
"Clean." She said back, leaning out the door. "Empty."
Kurt swallowed. "Okay… We'll have to fan out and find her."
And just a few rooms away, she smiled, opened a portal… and stepped through with a swift stab of her blade.
