Chapter Six (hehe a little cheesy, I'm better with poetry than fight scenes)
"Cyclops!" Jean Grey cried out breathlessly as she reached the door of the danger room.
"I know. Do we know who it is yet?" He grasped her arm and pulled her gently to the war room. Meanwhile Ororo acted quickly to control the situation.
"Logan," she said speaking through the transmitter. "We need you."
"I'll be right there," his raspy voice replied.
"Alright, Beast, Gambit, Jubilee, "she said nodding at them. "What are you waiting for?" The four X-Men raced to the front of the building, colliding with Jean and Scott along the way. Storm felt the floor shake and the walls start to crumble.
"Hello, X-Men," A man said, standing in front of them, grinning.
"Who are you?" Jubilee demanded, while Storm clenched her fists and started to call on the elements.
"It doesn't need to come to a fight," The man said calmly, brushing off his black uniform. "Just give me what I came for."
"And what is that exactly?" Scott asked coldly, clasping Jean's hand protectively.
"I came for the creature."
"Logan, what's going on?" Lily cried, her eyes wide and fearful.
"Someone's broken in the mansion," he answered. "They need me. You stay here."
"Logan, if I can help-"
"I don't care if you can help," Logan snapped, but his eyes revealed something much bigger than angry. "I don't want you there. You don't have your real strength yet. You could get hurt."
"And you couldn't?"
"I'll deal." Logan's claws shot out of his hands and he ran through the wide hallways, wondering what the hell was going on.
"What creature?" Beast asked, glowering at the intruder and his group of obvious mutants. A woman with purple hair and glowing eyes, A man with claw-like fingernails and an imposing physique. And the last one, the most ordinary looking one of all, brown-haired and fair-skinned, Jean knew was a psychic.
"Yeah, take your pick," Scott growled. "None of us are what you'd call normal." The man laughed.
"I don't want any of you simple mutants. I want the living death."
"The what?"
"The living death," Xavier spoke, radiating power and fear, even in his wheelchair. "The destroyer of all time and space." The man smiled, a cold thin-lipped tremble of his lips.
"And it will come," he quoted. "This creature, who shall be the savior or destroyer of all time and space. An unseen plague on all that exists. For it is not human, it is time, it is space, it is death. It will feast on man, and suck the earth dry. Even the Underworlds will not be saved from this force of evil. It will crave all forms of life and matter, therefore it will destroy all and give us back to the dust from whence we came. It will be the true apocalypse and will be called la mort vivante."
"The living death." Xavier felt the sweat at his brow and stared at the man whom he knew was called, the Dark Knight. And he knew this was no ordinary mutant he was dealing with.
"Professor, what-" Jean started, but Xavier wasn't finished.
"You can't have her," he said. "I won't let you destroy her."
"What do you care?" The Dark Knight sneered. "You don't know her. Why don't you just spare yourself the trouble and hand her over right now. Before we have to rip your faction apart and take her by force."
"You can't have her," Xavier repeated. Logan stood beside him, ready to strike if this Dark Knight moved a step closer to his professor.
"What does it matter! You can't control her!"
"Neither can you."
"She is destined to be evil, you can't make her one of your X-Men. Give her to me now and she might not destroy you. "
"She can be saved. We can change the prophecies. I'm not giving up an innocent life."
"You fool! She's the most powerful being on earth! You can't tame her like some animal! She will murder all of you!"
"I think you've said enough," Logan said, stepping forward. "And we ain't listening anymore."
"Logan!" Jean cried as Logan jumped on the man and arched his arm back to strike. The professor didn't react, only stared bleakly as the other X-Men began to fight against the intruders. Storm gathered lightning to strike at the psychic who clenched them in his fists. Jubilee was raked up the arm by the other man, but delivered a good blow to his stomach. The Dark Knight stood watching as his small team fought back, giving as good as they were getting.
"You like that?" Cyclops blasted the psychic away from Jean. Logan lunged again at the Dark Knight only to be shot by the woman with her viperous eyes. Still, the battle was pointless, the intruders were outnumbered and the Dark Knight was beginning to step back when another crash sounded through the mansion and Xavier's metal watch stuck to his wheelchair.
"Magneto!" He exclaimed, grateful, yet confused to see his old friend. He knew instantly Eric was there to help, he could feel his worry.
"Charles," Magneto said, stepping in between him and the Dark Knight. "This man is named Drake Armitage. He is the leader of an organization that destroys humans and mutants alike."
"I know this, Eric," the professor said softly. Drake laughed.
"Magneto? I've been looking forward to this. We fight for the same cause, and I'd hoped we could be useful to each other." Magneto glared at him.
"I would never be on the same side of a scoundrel like you," he said. "You kill with no mercy, no reason." He turned to Xavier. "Charles, you must give up this girl. I know you want to help her, but she's past our help. No one can save her."
"Wanna bet?" Logan said, putting up a clawed fist.
"Logan, you are insignificant in this matter," Eric turned then to Drake. "I'll distract them. Take her and get out of here!"
"Eric, are you mad?" Xavier cried as he felt his body stick to his wheelchair and felt another presence enter.
"Sssso," A familiar voice drawled. "I'm not the only one on the hunt." Sinister, with his mutants behind him, stepped beside Magneto. "Where's the girl, Xavier?"
"You're all mad!" Xavier cried, knowing Drake was on his way to her now. "She's just a kid!" Despite his words, Xavier felt the fear in his heart of what this "kid" was capable of.
"A kid that will serve to create a perfect species of mutants." Sinister's eyes gleamed and he pointed down the hallway.
"She's yours, Vertigo." Jean formed a shield wall, keeping them from passing while Cyclops, Storm, and Gambit kept some of Sinister's men busy.
"She's no one's!" Xavier put his head in his hands and prayed.
"Where is she?" Sinister growled.
"Nowhere that you're gonna get at," Logan hissed, digging his claws into Sinister's body. Of course the wounds healed themselves, but he kept clawing his way through.
"I have her!" Drake shouted, holding Lily at his arm.
"Let's go!" One of his men replied, beckoning the others.
"You think I'm gonna let you have her?" Drake grinned at Sinister.
" I don't think you have much of a choice." He extended his arm and opened his palm. A flash of light and sound pierced through the air and Sinister was on the ground, breathing heavily, but blind and paralyzed. His henchmen backed away nervously.
"That's only the beginning." Drake smiled and Lily tried to maneuver her way out of his grasp.
"Let her go," Logan commanded.
"Let him have her, Logan." Magneto sighed wearily. "She'd only destroy you."
"Let her go," he repeated. Lily closed her eyes and prayed that she could find it. This power, this force within her, that leaked out sometimes, but was never there when she needed it. She felt herself falling in the abyss of past life memories and other people's thoughts. No, not this much!
"Lily!" Gambit let go of one of Drake's men and started for Drake. Lily's shoulders started to shake and her eyelids fluttered. Her hair began to turn completely silver, blinding and surreal. Her skin burned Drake's hand and he tore it away. She rose up over them, streaks of light streaming around her.
"What's wrong with her?" Storm cried, clutching Jubilee's arm. Blue fire came out from every inch of Lily's skin and knocked everyone over. It sounded in their ears and blinded their vision. Her eyes were closed and her hands were reaching out to grasp empty air. Storm tried to get up, but she was held fast to the floor. Cuts began to open and the other mutants lay bleeding on the floor.
"Make it stop!" She screamed, tears falling on her hands. Drake was crawling across the floor and Xavier's wheelchair was laying on top of him. Logan closed his eyes and ignored the pain running down his skin and the blood clotting his eyes and jumped up. He knocked her out of the air and put a hand over her eyes. The power burned his hands but he held fast and grasped her arms. Slowly, the cerulean beams faded and the mutants began to move again. When Xavier looked up, Sinister and Drake were gone, taking their men with them. Eric remained, pulling Xavier's wheelchair off of him and smiling sadly.
"Charles," he said, wiping blood and sweat off his forehead. "What have you done?"
(don't worry, next chapter will continue with what happens to rogue)