Rogue got home late from visiting with Tandy. Everyone was shocked to see
her glowing . . . both physically and figuratively. Scott was the only one
not happy with Rogue's apparent good fortune. "Why the hell were you so
late?" he roared at her.
"What s your problem Scott?" she barked back. "What ah do with mah girlfriend is nun 'a yur business."
"You are on my team and that makes it my business!" he snapped back.
"Listen if you wanna be a control freak go raht ahead, but do it without me." She turned on her heal began to walk away, but Scott grabbed her elbow. He grabbed it hard. "Scott," she said wincing in pain, "Yer hurtin' me."
"I don't care," he growled. "Don't you ever walk away from me. I have had it up to here with your attitude, now change it or I will."
"Scott!" came the firm voice of the professor. "What do you think you are doing?"
"Trying to straighten out on of my team members, why?"
Charles was taken aback, no one had ever heard Scott talk to him that way. As if he were more important than the professor.
"Scott I think we need to talk. You seem to have . . . changed. It concerns me."
"'Concerns you'?" Scott mocked. "That would be the first thing I did that actually concerned you. You know what. Screw all of this. I'm gone."
No one moved as Scott stormed out of the mansion and roared off in his convertible. He acted much like Logan often did, with the exception of his disrespect to the professor. No one could speak.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Across town at the Brotherhood Boarding house there was a knock on the door. As usual, Lance was the only one to answer it. "Chi?" Lance said in surprise as he saw his friend at the door.
"Hello Lance. I know this will seem odd, but I must ask you to do something."
"anything, what?"
Shang Chi sighed heavily and said, "No matter what your housemates say, stay away from the high school tomorrow. No matter what."
"But why Chi?" Lance asked.
"I cannot explain. Also keep her away too." Chi pointed up the steps behind Lance, and Lance followed his gaze. There on the steps was Wanda, listening to his conversation. Lance and Wanda locked eyes, and then eventually broke, only to look back and find Shang Chi gone.
"Lance," Wanda asked, "Who was that?"
"That was a friend," Lance said emptily.
"Anyway I was coming to tell you, Pietro wants to see us."
"About what?" Lance questioned.
"Don't know," Wanda shrugged.
After a few minutes the Brotherhood of mutants was gathered in their living room, and Pietro announced. "Brotherhood of mutants, with the loss of my father we were left without an employer. Now, thanks to my negotiating skills we have an employer once more." Pietro gestured to the door to command center they had never gotten to use, where there now stood a single figure in a business suit. "Greetings lady and gentlemen. My name is Sebastian Shaw, and I have a wonderful opportunity for you all. Now about tomorrow's day of school . . ." at that point Lance looked meaningfully at Wanda. She nodded to him and he understood. No matter what, the were not going.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Peter was relaxing on the couch once again when he heard Dr. Strange's bedroom door open. Peter looked up and listened as a familiar voice said. "I understand sir. But you need to know that I needed him. I missed him."
"And now you have seduced him as someone he does not know. You have only just barely avoided breaking every law I set down." Peter recognized the second voice as belonging to Dr. Strange himself.
"I will tell him tomorrow at school," conceded the female voice.
"Good," said Dr. Strange as he and the female voice began to descend the stairs. Peter looked to see Amanda, Kurt's girlfriend walking with Dr. Strange.
Peter ducked and watched them out the door. He hopped onto the ceiling and watched, unseen. "Good night Jimaine" bid the doctor.
"Good night your lordship," she said in response.
Without turning around Dr. Strange said, "Greetings Peter. How are you?"
Peter dropped gracefully to the floor. And asked. "You called her Jimaine? Isn't her name Amanda?"
"My young friend," Dr. Strange smiled, "That is between her and her beloved."
"And she called you 'lordship'?"
"Some of those I have responsibility over show a bit too much respect."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Both Shang Chi and Felicia arrived in the front door of the Hell House at ten o'clock. Neither asked the other where they had been. When they got in Emma was pacing in the living room. Natalia, who wore an exasperated expression, gave them a small wave. Shaw walked in the room and smiled darkly. "Sit," he commanded.
Chi and Felicia did as they were told and sat on the couch next to the chair Natalia occupied. None of the three less malicious members of the Hellions knew what was going on.
"There have been a few changes in strategy." Emma began. "We strike tomorrow at school at seven o'clock. The Inner Circle seems to believe that these X-Men could prove a formidable nuisance. We are to destroy any who resist us."
"Dat is unvise," Natalia observed. "Der are four of us, and many more of them." Natalia had taken into account all the new recruits.
"That is why I called in a few friends to help us." Emma's smile was like poisoned honey. "For starters, Slymm, also called Scott Summers." Scott entered the room in a black uniform with red body armour that seemed to emphasize his slight build. His face held no emotion.
"Also, the Brotherhood of Mutants is now on retainer for the Inner Circle. Meaning we have the talents of Quicksilver, The Blob, and Toad." She gestured to the boys who stood in one corner obviously unhappy about something that happened earlier.
"Last but not least two little gems we have been keeping hidden; the assassins Bull's Eye, and Electra."
Natalia let out an audible gasp at the mention of the last name. "E . . . Electra Natchios?" Natalia asked warily.
"The one and only," said a girl in red walking in from the kitchen. "I take it you have heard of me?"
"what spy and assassin hasn't? you are said to be the best killer the world has ever seen."
"Not just said to be darling," Electra cooed, "I am."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Emma, Dearest!" called a voice to Emma Frost.
"Mother!?" Emma said in shock.
"Yes I have such good news dear," her mother reported in an emptying voice. "You have been promoted to the Black Bishop."
"Wow, Mother," Emma replied, quickly picking up on the reason for her mother's visit. "That means I am one step down from where you are. Of course I wouldn't be the Black Queen would I?"
"No, Dear. If you were appointed after me, you would be the white queen. Such is our way."
They stared at each other for the longest time. The real way is that you did not get promoted for merit of honesty, nor because the last person in the position had died of natural causes or retired. Both understood that if Emma wanted the position of White Queen, she would have to kill her mother. One of them was thought that it was the most likely course of action. After all, that's how Emma's mother had become the Black Queen.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it was midnight. Matt was sound asleep when he smelled it. His visionless eyes snapped open out of instinct. He moved quietly so as not to wake his roommate. He could definitely smell HER. 'Wait,' he thought. 'HER smell is only being carried. The main smell is . . . is . . .' Matt moved over to the window and opened it. "Did you want to come in Natalia?" he asked calmly.
She crept inside his room. She had only been outside the window for a few minutes. As she put both feet on the floor, she moved to Matt saying, "Matthew, I am scared." She put her arms around him and laid her head on his chest.
"Whats wrong?" he asked, bewildered by her new approach.
"Matthew, I am not what you think I am." She looked at his empty eyes. With tears in her own.
"Lets see," Matt said. "I'm pretty sure you are a professional espionage agent, more than likely tried by the KGB. And you have been hired to do something you do not want, and now something is terribly wrong hence we are in this position."
She looked at him strangely. "How . . . How did you know?"
"You aren't the only one who is odd," he confided. And for the next hour they told each other their stories. When it was over the looked at each other without words. Suddenly Peter stirred in his sleep. Natalia drew a needle from her bracelet, and readied it. Matt grabbed her hand. "It will only keep him asleep," she assured him.
She threw the needle, which should have stuck in Peter's neck. But a millisecond after it was thrown, Peter leapt from bed and onto the ceiling. He was breathing heavily as if he had been startled awake.
After Matt quickly calmed Peter, they proceeded down stairs with Natalia. Peter was sent to wake Dr. Strange. Natalia told them of the plans for the attack tomorrow. It wasn't long before there was a knock on the door. Peter opened it to find Felicia there.
"I need a place to crash Parker" she said.
"What s your problem Scott?" she barked back. "What ah do with mah girlfriend is nun 'a yur business."
"You are on my team and that makes it my business!" he snapped back.
"Listen if you wanna be a control freak go raht ahead, but do it without me." She turned on her heal began to walk away, but Scott grabbed her elbow. He grabbed it hard. "Scott," she said wincing in pain, "Yer hurtin' me."
"I don't care," he growled. "Don't you ever walk away from me. I have had it up to here with your attitude, now change it or I will."
"Scott!" came the firm voice of the professor. "What do you think you are doing?"
"Trying to straighten out on of my team members, why?"
Charles was taken aback, no one had ever heard Scott talk to him that way. As if he were more important than the professor.
"Scott I think we need to talk. You seem to have . . . changed. It concerns me."
"'Concerns you'?" Scott mocked. "That would be the first thing I did that actually concerned you. You know what. Screw all of this. I'm gone."
No one moved as Scott stormed out of the mansion and roared off in his convertible. He acted much like Logan often did, with the exception of his disrespect to the professor. No one could speak.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Across town at the Brotherhood Boarding house there was a knock on the door. As usual, Lance was the only one to answer it. "Chi?" Lance said in surprise as he saw his friend at the door.
"Hello Lance. I know this will seem odd, but I must ask you to do something."
"anything, what?"
Shang Chi sighed heavily and said, "No matter what your housemates say, stay away from the high school tomorrow. No matter what."
"But why Chi?" Lance asked.
"I cannot explain. Also keep her away too." Chi pointed up the steps behind Lance, and Lance followed his gaze. There on the steps was Wanda, listening to his conversation. Lance and Wanda locked eyes, and then eventually broke, only to look back and find Shang Chi gone.
"Lance," Wanda asked, "Who was that?"
"That was a friend," Lance said emptily.
"Anyway I was coming to tell you, Pietro wants to see us."
"About what?" Lance questioned.
"Don't know," Wanda shrugged.
After a few minutes the Brotherhood of mutants was gathered in their living room, and Pietro announced. "Brotherhood of mutants, with the loss of my father we were left without an employer. Now, thanks to my negotiating skills we have an employer once more." Pietro gestured to the door to command center they had never gotten to use, where there now stood a single figure in a business suit. "Greetings lady and gentlemen. My name is Sebastian Shaw, and I have a wonderful opportunity for you all. Now about tomorrow's day of school . . ." at that point Lance looked meaningfully at Wanda. She nodded to him and he understood. No matter what, the were not going.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Peter was relaxing on the couch once again when he heard Dr. Strange's bedroom door open. Peter looked up and listened as a familiar voice said. "I understand sir. But you need to know that I needed him. I missed him."
"And now you have seduced him as someone he does not know. You have only just barely avoided breaking every law I set down." Peter recognized the second voice as belonging to Dr. Strange himself.
"I will tell him tomorrow at school," conceded the female voice.
"Good," said Dr. Strange as he and the female voice began to descend the stairs. Peter looked to see Amanda, Kurt's girlfriend walking with Dr. Strange.
Peter ducked and watched them out the door. He hopped onto the ceiling and watched, unseen. "Good night Jimaine" bid the doctor.
"Good night your lordship," she said in response.
Without turning around Dr. Strange said, "Greetings Peter. How are you?"
Peter dropped gracefully to the floor. And asked. "You called her Jimaine? Isn't her name Amanda?"
"My young friend," Dr. Strange smiled, "That is between her and her beloved."
"And she called you 'lordship'?"
"Some of those I have responsibility over show a bit too much respect."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Both Shang Chi and Felicia arrived in the front door of the Hell House at ten o'clock. Neither asked the other where they had been. When they got in Emma was pacing in the living room. Natalia, who wore an exasperated expression, gave them a small wave. Shaw walked in the room and smiled darkly. "Sit," he commanded.
Chi and Felicia did as they were told and sat on the couch next to the chair Natalia occupied. None of the three less malicious members of the Hellions knew what was going on.
"There have been a few changes in strategy." Emma began. "We strike tomorrow at school at seven o'clock. The Inner Circle seems to believe that these X-Men could prove a formidable nuisance. We are to destroy any who resist us."
"Dat is unvise," Natalia observed. "Der are four of us, and many more of them." Natalia had taken into account all the new recruits.
"That is why I called in a few friends to help us." Emma's smile was like poisoned honey. "For starters, Slymm, also called Scott Summers." Scott entered the room in a black uniform with red body armour that seemed to emphasize his slight build. His face held no emotion.
"Also, the Brotherhood of Mutants is now on retainer for the Inner Circle. Meaning we have the talents of Quicksilver, The Blob, and Toad." She gestured to the boys who stood in one corner obviously unhappy about something that happened earlier.
"Last but not least two little gems we have been keeping hidden; the assassins Bull's Eye, and Electra."
Natalia let out an audible gasp at the mention of the last name. "E . . . Electra Natchios?" Natalia asked warily.
"The one and only," said a girl in red walking in from the kitchen. "I take it you have heard of me?"
"what spy and assassin hasn't? you are said to be the best killer the world has ever seen."
"Not just said to be darling," Electra cooed, "I am."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Emma, Dearest!" called a voice to Emma Frost.
"Mother!?" Emma said in shock.
"Yes I have such good news dear," her mother reported in an emptying voice. "You have been promoted to the Black Bishop."
"Wow, Mother," Emma replied, quickly picking up on the reason for her mother's visit. "That means I am one step down from where you are. Of course I wouldn't be the Black Queen would I?"
"No, Dear. If you were appointed after me, you would be the white queen. Such is our way."
They stared at each other for the longest time. The real way is that you did not get promoted for merit of honesty, nor because the last person in the position had died of natural causes or retired. Both understood that if Emma wanted the position of White Queen, she would have to kill her mother. One of them was thought that it was the most likely course of action. After all, that's how Emma's mother had become the Black Queen.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it was midnight. Matt was sound asleep when he smelled it. His visionless eyes snapped open out of instinct. He moved quietly so as not to wake his roommate. He could definitely smell HER. 'Wait,' he thought. 'HER smell is only being carried. The main smell is . . . is . . .' Matt moved over to the window and opened it. "Did you want to come in Natalia?" he asked calmly.
She crept inside his room. She had only been outside the window for a few minutes. As she put both feet on the floor, she moved to Matt saying, "Matthew, I am scared." She put her arms around him and laid her head on his chest.
"Whats wrong?" he asked, bewildered by her new approach.
"Matthew, I am not what you think I am." She looked at his empty eyes. With tears in her own.
"Lets see," Matt said. "I'm pretty sure you are a professional espionage agent, more than likely tried by the KGB. And you have been hired to do something you do not want, and now something is terribly wrong hence we are in this position."
She looked at him strangely. "How . . . How did you know?"
"You aren't the only one who is odd," he confided. And for the next hour they told each other their stories. When it was over the looked at each other without words. Suddenly Peter stirred in his sleep. Natalia drew a needle from her bracelet, and readied it. Matt grabbed her hand. "It will only keep him asleep," she assured him.
She threw the needle, which should have stuck in Peter's neck. But a millisecond after it was thrown, Peter leapt from bed and onto the ceiling. He was breathing heavily as if he had been startled awake.
After Matt quickly calmed Peter, they proceeded down stairs with Natalia. Peter was sent to wake Dr. Strange. Natalia told them of the plans for the attack tomorrow. It wasn't long before there was a knock on the door. Peter opened it to find Felicia there.
"I need a place to crash Parker" she said.