Chapter 12
Assault on New York
Kim and Ron searched for what seemed like an eternity, but didn't find Magneto, or the Brotherhood,
"It's like they disappeared from the face of the Earth." Kim said, once she had returned to the War Room,
"You couldn't find them?" Storm asked,
"No, we checked Genosha, Island M, even the sewers of Manhattan, no love." Ron replied,
"We even made a stop at Muir Island, Forge said that there had been no activity from the Brotherhood since their last visit." Kim commented,
"Oh, great, I guess we're not going to get much sleep tonight." Cyclops remarked.
Just as Cyclops had predicted, Kim had not gotten much sleep that night, waiting for the axe to fall, as it were, and she wasn't the only one, Ron, Bonnie, and Cannonball were currently in the Danger Room, attempting to work themselves into tiredness, Brick had challenged Cyclops to a chess game, and Jean and Monique were walking the back garden, in fact, the only ones that were getting any sleep at all, were the inhabitants of the mansion that were not X-Men,
"Hey, Storm," Kim said, as she walked into the kitchen on the first floor, "can't sleep either?"
"No," Storm replied, "I've been thinking, what if Magneto went to Asteroid M?"
"Asteroid M, care to enlighten me?" Kim asked,
"Asteroid M is Magneto's space station base, it's built into the core of an asteroid, and it's magnetically suspended several miles above Earth." Storm replied, looking at Kim,
"So, he's hidden there before, then." Kim said, getting a nod from Storm,
"Guys, you'd better get out here." came Jean's voice, ringing in Kim's head,
"Where are you at, Jean?" Kim asked,
"In the back garden with Monique." Jean replied, Kim quickly got up from her seat, and told Jean,
"Get hold of Ron, Bonnie, and Cannonball, they're in the Danger Room."
"On it." Jean replied, as Kim and Storm rushed outside, and looked up to the sky, it appeared to be reddish in nature, as though something were burning far away,
"Is this normal?" Kim asked,
"No, it's not, something is happening." Storm replied, looking at the disturbance, and frowning,
"What's going on," Bonnie said, running out of the back door, "Jean told us to get out here as fast as we could, and . . ." she stopped when she looked up at the sky,
"That is just not right." Ron said, pointing at the sky,
"Thanks for pointing that one out, Captain Obvious." Kim said, looking back at Ron,
"Whatcha all thinkin'?" Cannonball asked, his eyes also locked onto the sky,
"Magneto?" Kim asked,
"It could very well be." Storm replied, now running back into the mansion, and hitting a concealed button in the kitchen, setting off an alarm,
"All X-Men, report to the War Room, immediately." Storm said over the intercom system.
In the War Room:
The whole of the X-Men were assembled in the War Room, several of them, still in their pajamas,
"We've got a nasty problem somewhere in the city." Jean said, looking at the group at large,
"I suspected that something like this would happen sooner, or later," Professor X commented, making all eyes lock onto him, "it appears that Magneto has upped the stakes a little bit, by going after non-mutants in New York City proper."
"If he's attacked normal humans, this could be a disaster of monumental proportions." Beast commented, his face contorted in thought,
"That's what I'm afraid of." Professor X replied,
"Okay, any idea where Magneto is now?" Kim asked,
"Back on Asteroid M, he didn't take part in the attack, but he ordered it done, I need some of you to go into New York, and stop the Brotherhood, then, I need you to get back to the mansion, and prepare for a raid on the asteroid." Professor X said, making Kim, Ron, Bonnie, Cannonball, Monique, Brick, and Psylocke jump at once,
"Okay, Charlie team, you go into the city, and stop the Brotherhood at all costs, the rest of you, prepare for the raid, I intend to pay Magneto a little visit when we're finished in the city." Professor X replied, as Ron left the room, to prep the X-Jet for the flight.
In New York:
Ron landed the X-Jet in a secluded lot, which had appeared to be abandoned for quite some time,
"We're down." Ron said, shutting off the jet's systems, and unbuckling himself from his seat at the controls of the state-of-the-art plane,
"Alright, everyone, be on your guard, if we get cut off, remember where we parked." Kim said, now heading for the ramp at the rear of the plane,
"Got it." Brick said, following Kim out of the jet, along with the rest of the team that had volunteered to go into town,
"Stay sharp, and be on the lookout for trouble." Kim said, looking around, her eyes never stopping for rest as she kept on her guard,
"KP, look out!" Ron shouted, pushing Kim out of the way of something that appeared to be a huge furry animal,
"Sabertooth." Bonnie said, now powering up, and encasing her body in a huge fireball,
"I'm gonna tear you apart, shrimp." Sabertooth said, charging after Kim, who had no time to react, she was picked up off her feet, and thrown into a nearby building, where she slid down the side of the building, coming to rest on the concrete, knocked out from the sudden hit,
"KIM!" Ron shouted.
Suddenly, all of the anger that Ron had felt toward Sabertooth shot to the surface, his hair seemed to crackle with electricity, as did his fingertips, and his eyes seemed over bright, almost white from all of the power that Ron now controlled,
"Ron, amp down . . . Ronman." Brick said, but he would've done better to talk to a brick wall, Ron wasn't listening,
"Everyone get down!" Bonnie said, knowing what was about to happen next, as Ron looked over at Kim, he locked eyes with Sabertooth,
"What're you gonna do to me, shrimp." Sabertooth said, looking at Ron,
"Bad career move, furball." Monique said, from her prone position on the street,
"How's that?" Sabertooth said, now taking his eyes from Ron, and looking at Monique.
That was Sabertooth's biggest mistake, no sooner had his eyes looked back at Ron, than he was hit by an electrical surge that put the man-monster through the building that moments before, Kim had hit,
"No one lays hands on my Kim." Ron said, the power coming off his body was still evident, he reached down, and slightly shook Kim, she slowly opened her eyes, and smiled,
"I'm okay, Ron, but I got a major headache." she said,
"I'm gonna kill you slowly for that one, kid." Sabertooth said, now walking toward the two teens.
Kim and Ron reached a quick, unspoken decision, with Ron standing behind Kim, he brought his hands, palms up, in front of him, while Kim had brought her hands, palm down, to join with Ron's, when the hands touched, the power that was felt was incredible, as though God himself were raining down the biblical apocalypse,
"One . . . two . . . three!" Kim shouted, the shockwave that Kim sent out, combined with the electrical bolts that Ron threw, created an electrical shockwave that traveled through Sabertooth's body, knocking the man-monster out in an instant, but there was something wrong with Kim and Ron, both of them fell to the concrete as soon as they had separated,
"Oh, no." Bonnie said, running up to Kim, as Monique found her way to Ron,
"They're both still alive, but they're real weak, that move drained them." Monique said, looking at Ron, who was slowly coming around,
"Did we do it?" Ron asked,
"Yeah, you did." Monique replied,
"And Kim?" Ron asked,
"She's just now waking up." Bonnie said, helping Kim into a sitting position,
"I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't have time to sit here." Kim said, making a run, but before she could think of what to do next, she found herself floating high above the ground,
"I can fly? WOW!" Kim exclaimed, as she looked around,
"You're not the only one, Kim." Bonnie said, now joining Kim in the air,
"There's three of us, actually." Monique said, now joining her friends in the air,
"How can you do it, Monique?" Bonnie asked,
"Well, aside of being a telepath, I also have some TK powers." Monique remarked,
"You can move stuff with your thoughts, like Jean?" Kim asked,
"Well, not in that way, I've only got enough to allow flight, and that's all, I really don't need much more than that." Monique replied, smiling,
"Ron, get up here." Kim said,
"I didn't think I could fly." Ron said,
"Think about it, Ron, you have control of electrical fields." Kim said,
"Okay, I'll give it a try." Ron said, bending his legs, and jumping into the air, as he looked down, he noticed that his body was encased in pure electrical energy, and that he was hovering on a level with Kim,
"Told you." Kim remarked,
"What about you, Brick?" Bonnie asked,
"No thanks, like I said before, if man were meant to fly, he would've been born with wings." Brick replied, his fear of flying getting the better of him,
"Alright, we'll search from the air, you keep a lookout on the ground." Kim said, taking off with a loud sonic boom,
"Wait up, KP." Ron said, taking off so fast, that he caught up to Kim within seconds,
"Down there." Kim said, stopping suddenly, and falling out of the sky,
"KP!" Ron yelled, descending, and catching Kim before she hit the ground,
"Ooh, that hurt." Kim groaned, looking at her now bruised right side,
"Are you alright?" Ron asked, landing gently in the alley near the main problem,
"Now I know what a shake feels like." Kim said, holding onto her side, and wincing slightly,
"Oh, great, Monique, get down here." Ron said, he watched, as Monique landed gracefully next to him,
"She's got a few bruised ribs, not much else, but the next time you decide to fly, Kim, I would recommend that you slow down before you come to a complete stop." Monique commented, a wry smile on her face,
"Okay, let's get back into the air, and get to the source of all this trouble." Kim said, getting airborne again, Ron and Monique followed, Kim had decided not to go supersonic this time, allowing for a quicker stop if needed, which would also mean that Ron would beather, Bonnieand Monique to the fight.
Ron had touched down close to the fighting, and saw Mystique, Quicksilver, and Avalanche, all of them had their attention turned elsewhere,
"Hey, muttface, yeah, that's right, I'm talking to you." Ron said, looking at Mystique,
"Get him!" Mystique bellowed, which made Quicksilver take off after Ron, who was ready for him, hitting him with a bolt that knocked him back into the street, digging up concrete as he was thrown backwards,
"Who's next!" Ron said, looking at Avalanche,
"Blob, destroy him." Mystique screamed, looking at an extremely tall, and very fat man that was near the back of the crowd of Brotherhood mutants,
"I'm gonna smash you flat, X-punk." Blob said, thundering toward Ron, making the ground shake as he came nearer,
"I don't think so." Ron said, hitting Blob with a monsterous electrical bolt, that threw the obese mutant in the opposite direction,
"Is that the best you got?" Blob asked,
"Uh-oh." Ron said, now taking to the air, just as Magma, Brick, Cannonball, and Psylocke rounded the corner,
"Where's Bonnie when you need her." Ron said,
"Look up, Ron." came Bonnie's voice from above Ron,
"What are you waiting for, an engraved invitation, take him out." Ron said. Bonnie smiled, and encased Blob in a huge fireball, at first, there was no sound at all, but sometime later, the obese mutant began screaming a blood curdling scream,
"Let him go, Bonnie." Kim said, Bonnie put out the fire, and looked at the damage caused, Blob appeared to be unhurt, but he was cowering in fear,
"Do it, Monique." Kim said, as Monique raised her hands to her temples, and concentrated, making Blob's worst fear come true,
"NNNOOOOO!" Blob screamed, looking at something that only he could see, the obese mutant took off in the opposite direction, bouncing off the sides of buildings, as though his sight had been affected in the fire,
"What was that all about?" Kim asked, looking at Monique,
"Blob's biggest fear, being blind." Monique replied, smiling,
"So, he's permanently blind then?" Bonnie asked,
"Nope, it'll wear off in a couple of hours." Monique said, a slight laugh in her voice,
"I got the quake master, KP, you get blue and ugly." Ron said, smiling,
"I get stuck with the ugly one, give me the hard job." Kim said sarcastically,
"I would advise you not to move, Mystique, if you value your life." Kim said, the small shockwaves emanating from her body were intense,
"You don't order me, X-Man." Mystique said, making a lunge toward Kim, who let go with an immense sonic blast that leveled the building in front of her, and threw Mystique down the street for at least two blocks, before she came to rest against a light pole,
"Looks like you're here all alone, champ." Ron said, eyeing Avalanche with a look that would scare a normal man,
"I'm just getting warmed up." Avalanche said, hitting the ground hard, causing the earth to tremble, this was the opening that Ron was waiting for, in an instant, he hit Avalanche with a huge bolt, knocking the mutant out with the force of the current, Ron looked down at the bruised face of Avalanche,
"Ooh, better get some ice on those, champ." he mocked, smiling widely,
"Okay, that takes care of 'The Mod Squad', let's get back to the mansion, and prep." Kim said, now heading back to the jet.
At the X-Mansion:
Professor X had been waiting for the return of the X-Jet, when it arrived, the members of Charlie team got out, and Ron quickly hooked up the fuel lines, then, he followed the rest of the team into the War Room, in a couple of minutes, he, and Rogue, would be piloting the jet into space, for a confrontation with Magneto.
Forgive the cliffie, but I wanted to give you something to wait for, the next chapter will be the last before the epilogue, remember, there will be two more stories in this series, a sequel, and a prequel, that will tell the story of what Kim and Co. did during the eight months they spent roaming the country, where they went, and what they did during that time, how Kim was able to get the car, and where she got it from, it also goes into detail about the feelings of the different characters, and how they're able to cope with this sequence of events, of course, the prequel will begin just after the Sentinel attack on Middleton, and it will end as the five friends come into New York. The sequel will be called "The Age of Apocalypse," I'm pretty sure you can guess what happens in this one, and who the main bad guy is going to be, I need not say anymore.
As always, keep the reviews coming,
Doug
