Tides of Change Chapter Eleven.

Phantoms of the Night.

Yes, I would like that gun RogueFan, if you would be kind. HERE SPELLCHECKER SPELLCHECKER SPELLCHECKER!

Glad you liked the Stormwreck moment, and please please please keep up the fantastic work in Apokolips Defered. (By the way, you get a cookie for adding the Mighty Ducks and lending me the gun. ANYONE WHO SPOTS THE SPELL CHECKER GETS A COOKIE!) Red witch, thanks for the kind words and I hope you update soon. I LOVE Jean's new attitude. Lonegrowlithe, thank you for your compliments and your encouragement, I wish I understood Pokemon so I could read your fics. Dragons Wings, don't rush the character development, you where the first to ask about adding someone and as soon as you are happy with your character I will add them, never fear. Rachael, your review made me smile openly. Reading Girl, your fics are awesome and I am glad you like mine. Dante Tigerwolf, I hope I didn't scare you off! I love reading your reviews!

In this chapter We get back to Bonnie and Jynx, and the Author would like to point out that Zita will be making no further appearances in this fic, but will have a rather large one as soon as I iron out some details. (BTW, many thanks for the help on that subject L1701E, you're suggestions will most likely be shang-highed and thrown into the fiction. ) )

Zita: Ha! I'm Free! Free I tell you! So long suckers!

(She runs out the door, still whooping happily.) Forge, didja put a tracker on her?

Forge: Yep. You'll be able to find her again, in about three months.

Heck with that, I need her for the epilogue! Kim! Ron! Go and get her back! We apologize for the delay, and if anyones seen a Hispanic girl screaming about Tofu and Slushies, please contact team Possible.

Oh, and one last thing, this chapter contains violence, so read with digression. Or not, I can't make you do anything!

Logan sighed as he looked over at Amara on the bed. The girls usually tan skin was pale after the events in the living room. Tabby was in the room also, clutching her friends hand and had threatened to string her up by her toes if she EVER did anything like that again. Amara was laughing as Tabby told her a joke, presumably of questionable origins. He shook his head, although they where without a doubt the strangest friends he had ever seen, the two where practically inseparable. Even going so far as to team up in the field and Danger room. Logan had to admit though, if they ever took it upon themselves to go vigilantly, the would give anyone who crossed their paths a run for their money. Tabby started making extravagant motions with her hands, causing the girl beside her to double over with more laughter.

"It's good to see someone having a good time." Ororo said softly, "Even with all the strife and discord in the world at the moment."

Logan snorted and turned to look at the woman, "Thanks for the pick-me up 'Ro." he said, "That little piece of joy just brightened my whole day."

Ororo raised her eyebrows. "Touchy, aren't we?" She said aloofly, "Something bothering you?"

"It's that Skids girl." He said, "How do we know she's tellen' the truth?"

"Betsy didn't pick up any deceit from her." Ororo offered in a way she suspected was rather lame.

"Ro, Betsy isn't exactly the best Telepath on the planet, if ya catch my meanin." He said, then sighed, "Although considering that the best currently thinks he's Bijron Bluetooth, maybe that's not a bad thing. Anyway, we just agreed to help her without a second thought, but we don't even know where this place is!"

"We could use Cerebro." Amara looked over at them, "I mean, the place must have mutants out the wazoo! Wouldn't it be easy?"

Logan shook his head, "If that Blood character's half as smart as he thinks he is, he'll have the worlds best blocker over the place, or some power dampeners or something. We'd have ta let Forge soup up Cerebro again, like when we thought the Joes where holdin' Todd prisoner. Plus, not all of 'em are mutants. If Skids can be believed, more than half of 'em are Meta-humans or Mutates."

"What's a Meta-human?"

"Someone who got their powers by artificial means," Tabby said, "The biggest group of them is in Dakota, call themselves Bang-Babies. I got a cousin down there, Teresa or something. Haven't seen her in years." She leaned back, "Wonder how she's doing?"

"Why don't you call her?" Amara asked, looking at her friend, "On Nova Roma, the only time your allowed to forsake a family member is if they did something horrible. Like kill someone or rob the poor. Is Teresa a criminal? "

Tabby cocked her eyebrow, "Interesting philosophy 'Mar." she said, "No, not as far as I know, anyway. We just aren't a real close-knit family. Trust me, I'm lucky to know I even HAVE a cousin, we don't communicate much."

Jynx suddenly and fervently wished she had worn her boots. True, without them she was a couple seconds faster and a little lighter, but she'd gladly trade that for a good pair of foot-wear to protect her naked feet. Plus, she could kick the robots intent on her head without hopping around and muttering healing spells while dodging laser fire. Ace had flattened himself against the ground and dragged her down with him the first time this happened, but after that she had pretty much relied on her curses and hexes to defend her. This, of course, had happened after Brother Blood expelled her.

The New, New H.I.V.E headquarters, 10:05 P.M.

Jynx backed up, intent on getting back into the hall and NOT, in fact, getting pumped full of Laser fire. Brother Blood pinched the bridge of his nose, attempting to fight a headache off. This was getting old quite fast.

"Miss Jynx." He said, "Would you care to explain just what the SMEG you think you are doing?" He shouted, "You are both out of bounds and out of dorm! Return there AT ONCE and perhaps I will let this go with merely a punishment and not with expulsion!" A roar broke across the room, one of the prisoners was in pain.

"How long?" She asked quietly, looking right at him.

"How long is expulsion? Don't be stupid girl." Brother Blood scoffed.

"How long have you kept them in there?" She said, still backing away. "How long have you been auctioning off innocents?"

"How long has this school been running?" He replied rhetorically, "How long have you had a place to stay? Food to eat? All bought with the profits from the worlds greatest Slave Auction." He said.

"How can you sleep at night you little prick?" Ace snarled, baring his teeth. "You run a school for Meta-humans and Mutants!"

"Wrong, Master Starr." He said, "I run a school for future Super Villains. I give you one last chance Jynx, return to your room and leave the merchandise," He said, indicating Ace, "Or face-" A pink razor-edged projectile cut him off.

"Yadda yadda yadda." Jynx purred, her eyes casting an evil light, "You want the 'merchandise' you Bakka? COME AND GET HIM!"

Brother Blood's face settled into a scowl. "Very well. Drones! Take the Traitor and the Feral to the holding cells!"

As the robots closed in, Jynx and Ace exchanged a smile. Time to have some FUN.

The New, New H.I.V.E. Headquarters 10: 17 P.M.

Ace's claws charged up as his body converted the light around him into lasers. He ran after Jynx, attempting to stick close to his newly picked Battle Partner. Jynx was screaming something in a language he couldn't understand, but was apparently a very potent spell.

"DEMANTO SHAIL J'RENTORA!"

Ten of the robots burst into flame, their metal exteriors defying the preset laws of combustion as they twisted and charred. Their legs gave out as the seven foot machines crashed to the floor.

"Watch it!" Ace said, jumping out of the way as one narrowly missed his foot.

Jynx apparently didn't hear him as she sent a knife curse through the torso of another. She was working her way towards the cells for reasons unknown, other than 'It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time'. Ace rolled his eyes and leaped after her, aiming for a Drones head and using it to spring himself forward. One reached up and grabbed at his leg, halting the Leonine youth in his tracks. Ace gave a yowl of annoyance as his whole body felt the tug. He twisted in mid-air, slashing at the metal arm. Besides the unpleasant screeching sound it made, his famed laser Claws did nothing. The Drones arm came swinging down, bashing the teenager into the metal floor. Ace winced as he felt his spine break, his healing factor would take care of it in a couple of seconds, but it still hurt like anything.

The spine clicked back into place just in time for him to roll out of the way of a large yellow fist.

"What gives?" He grunted, scrambling to his feet and dodging a yellow blast, "Last time I took these trash compactors no problem!"

"That was before the upgrades." Brother Blood said, "I've recruited a simply charming young man with technological skills to revamp the basic drone design! Now they are invulnerable to your powers, once they've seen you use them."

"Fantastic." Ace muttered. "Abso-freakin-lutely fantastic."

Jynx spun in a circle, pulling her legs up and missing the laser blasts that where aimed at her. She flipped backwards over one of the beams, flipping both her arms out and managing to destroy both of the Drones. She bowed low as another punched at her, getting a certain amount of satisfaction when the fist obliterated another one. Before the arm could draw back she had braced both her hands on it propelling herself directly into the face of another. The sharp metal features scraped at the bottom of her feet, turning them into a bloody mess. She grunted, her face contorting with pain, but managed to use the head as a point to gain leverage and flip over the sea of drones. She landed hands first, casting one serious shock wave into the floor. Some Drones lost their balance, toppling over like domino's.

With a sixth sense known only to cats, Ace managed to dodge the metal projectile aimed at his head. He dropped to the floor, watching with mild interest as the fist banged into the robot behind him, caving the metal chest in. So the upgrade was for the bodies only, apparently. They where a lot dumber than the last time he fought them. The things legs gave out, but not before Ace could ran through them. A blade, attached to a metal arm, rammed down and slashed his side. He grabbed at the arm and drug the drone down, giving the vulnerable pipe throat a slash with his claws. It burst open, oil staining the floor a sickening purple. So it was only the metal exterior that could modify itself. Useful tidbit that, he's have to tell Jynx. He looked around, trying to spot the girl. Through the sea of yellow pillars, he could see two human, or rather mostly human, hands slam into the ground. A tremor shook the ground under him, practically throwing him off his feet. Hissing with frustration, he dug his blazing claws into the floor to try and stabilize himself. Jynx gritted her teeth and tried to keep the phenomenon going, not even noticing the cannon shot until it clipped her, tearing open the skin on her left side. She collapsed, the earthquake shorting out.

The robot loomed over her, readying a net to capture the Sorceress with. Ace bunched his muscles up and barreled into the Drone, managing to knock the legs out from under it by throwing his body weight against it. The cut in his side (Which was noticeably smaller but still bleeding,) argued with the action, sending a hot spike of pain up his side.

He helped Jynx up, supporting her with his right shoulder as the robots closed in. The girls side was bleeding heavily, the blood loss had already caused her to faint, and the Drone where still coming at them. He hitched her up higher, looking up at the celling thoughtfully. A long golden bar of metal was not to far above him, about twelve feet off the ground. If he was doing this alone, he could reach it no problem, but the very nearly dead weight of Jynx against his side hindered him greatly. He couldn't jump up and get it, no how no way. He looked back down at the advancing Drone army, backing up. Jynx mangled feet left a faint trail of blood behind them, and Ace had to struggle not to look at it. He kept backing up, fast running out of room. He could hear Brother Blood's laughter echoing slightly in the room. He was forced to stop when he reached the wall, the backs of his feet hitting it.

One of the drones aimed it's arm at him. His heart started pumping faster. Deep in the tube, a dull light started pulsating. Peachy.

Five...

He looked up again, and saw the same beam. A straight up was out of the question...

Four...

but what about over?

Three...

He put one hand against the wall, his claws igniting again.

Two...

His legs tensed.

"You owe me Babes." He muttered.

One...

He sprang up, shifting Jynx so that he was between her and the laser fire. Her arms flopped loosely behind his back, somehow knotting themselves and securing her onto him. They soared into the air, almost ten feet up. As gravity took control again he dug his claws into the wall, pulling the two of them up as best he could. Cat claws weren't exactly made for hanging, and the slippery surface kept rejecting his holds. He was forced to repetitively try and reaffirm his hold, scrambling unsteadily up the wall. One of the more clever Drones didn't hesitate and started firing on them. One of them hit his foot, causing him to falter and nearly fall. His teeth ground together in a vain attempt to mute the pain as the burn healed up. Finally he was about even with the bar, a whole network of the things was visible from this hight, and even a round hole in the ceiling. His legs braced as he propelled them out, twisting around and managing to snag the bar with his claws. He pulled them up, his whole body panting with the effort. For half a second he thought they where basically safe, until the dull whirring of jet engines started. With a groan, he hefted Jynx again. She was getting heavy and hard to carry. He leapt at the next bar, pulling them up as the Drones rose into the air. Another bar was concord, the Drones where catching up. One time the laser very nearly caused him to fall, but he made it the the hole. Scrabbling at it with one hand and trying to balance the comatose Jynx with the other, he searched for a handle or something to get out of there.

In desperation he finally resorted to pounding on it with his fist, leaving small dents in the metal, until he saw the button. It was a little ways off, and he could have probably just tapped it with his hand if there hadn't been a Drone hovering menacingly between him and it. He growled threateningly as his right eye blazed with blue energy. His left eye was no sight for the faint of heart either. Without even thinking, he took aim at the button with his hand and fired a blue shot of light, hitting it first try. The button exploded with a sad little 'Blip!' as the laser hit it. The hatch opened into the night, the stars shining down on one jubilant teenager. He scrambled out of the hole, kicking a Drone off his leg as the hatch closed again with a beep. Ace collapsed onto the grass, panting heavily and wishing his bodies built-in healing factor worked for exhaustion also. Eventually he remembered that they where on top of what was essentially a bee-hive of evil, and drug Jynx further into the forest. Falling down to sweet mother earth once more. As he lay on the ground, an old song kept running through his brain. One of his favorites, actually. Ballroom Blitz by the Band 'Sweet'. He started to laugh as soon as he identified it. The last time he had heard it was at his house, playing an air guitar some of the time and thinking about starting a band. That was a long time ago, practically another lifetime.

The night wore on, and forest dwellers with in the radius where introduced to one of the most unique
songs in the galaxy as Ace ranted to the heavens just what it had been like down there.

Raven had a headache.

After Titans East arrived, it had been decided that she would scan for magical signals (Due to a suggestion from Cyborg) since Jynx would have to practice sometime and Raven would be able to find her. Needless to say, the last thing the Gothic girl wanted to do at the moment was search for one of four people that had entered her room and lived. She had found one hot spot for magical activity, way, way over in Ireland, (Which must have been pumping out some serious mojo, due to the fact that her scans where limited to the country she was on.) but she doubted that Brother Blood would have left the country. The closest he had ever come was in the ocean, which had lead to the eventual formation of Titans East. For a super villain, he really did more good than bad. Currently she was sitting on her bed with one arm supporting her face, and tried to concentrate around the bongo player in her head.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion- oh for the love of Zarquon."

Ravens eyes opened as she stopped her chanting, taking a small break. She looked at her purple bed spread and traced the black patterns of thorns on the walls with her eyes. She really needed to redecorate, but someone once said to be true to yourself. In all truth, Raven would rather be true to anyone BUT herself.

"I have to say Raven, when I found out the truth I was very impressed. All this time, I had no idea the power lurking inside you. The glorious destiny that awaits. It's always the quiet ones, isn't it?"

Her head jerked towards her door, which was still closed and bolted shut. Lightning flashed through the window, testifying to her nerves that the room was empty. Still, the air in the room was heavy and musty, like no-one lived in there at all. Better ventilation to, come to think of it. She must have been hallucinating, dark memories dredged up by lack of sleep and throbbing pain. That had to be it.

"I wonder Raven, what your little friends would, or rather, will think of you when they find out about your little secret?"

She scanned the room again, nothing. She was just being paranoid. Although it was hard not to be these days.

Three weeks. It had been three weeks since Slade had re-appeared, chased her through the frozen streets of Jump City, and finally dropped her off a building, and not a word since. She still had nightmares. She, who's father had a place in Hell. She, who's best friend growing up had horns and a taste for goat blood. She who was destined to destroy the cosmos. If Robin hadn't caught her...

... the world would still be going on at the end of the year.

"Skies will burn, flesh will turn to stone, the sun will set on your world, never to rise again."

"Stay calm... it might not even happen this year..."

Fool. That's what she was, a fool. She'd honestly believed that she could change the future? That she could stop the wheel of ages from turning towards it final destination?

"But honestly, did you think you could just blow out the candles and wish it all away?"

She had hoped that she could do something good. That she could be something other than her birthright, something other than a tool for her father. She'd wanted to be a hero, like her mother had been in the end.

"Today is the day it begins. You've known this all your life."

How could she not know? The priests at Azarath had never let her forget what she was destined to do, the lesser ones shunning her and her mother, and the Highers, the ones with REAL power, had pitied her and gave her looks of sympathy whenever she passed the in the hall.

"It is going to happen. And no matter what you wish... no matter where you go... no matter how you squirm... there is nothing you can do to stop it."

"Says who?" Raven muttered.

She got up, grabbing her cloak in the process. She had found the place, somehow. Miles out in a wood near the border to Canada, in a forest. Big forest to. She hadn't been able to pin point it, but she was positive that thats where they would find Jenny-Lynn. She closed the door to her room, leaving the dark place deserted for the time being.

Viruses Limo, Location Unknown. 10:59 P.M.

Bonnie hugged herself in an attempt to stop shaking in the seat of the Limo. Shock from what had happened in the car and what she had done had caught up with her, plus the way Virus was looking at her helped a great deal. The older boy was leaning back in his seat, studying her intently. His eyes flicking sporadicly all over her body. Bonnie had almost slapped him at one point when his eyes had lingered a little to long. Virus continued to look her over. So this was the mutant that Brother Blood had been so interested in, eh? Fascinating.

The Drones had done nothing so far, just clicked in a worrying manner whenever she moved. Rain had started a few minutes ago, falling in a hazy continuous stream against the window. She'd been in the car for hours, just driving from her house to who knows where. She leaned back in the seat, trying to ignore the voice that kept screaming 'Let me out!' in the back of her head. Light began to flash by the windows, she guessed they where somewhere in a city then. She couldn't see anything, really. The windows where darkened and it was only occasionally that anything managed to pierce it. Her eyes where stinging from the tears she had refused to cry and her body was beginning to feel fatigue, usually she would be at least considering sleep by now, but the stares had provided reason enough to stay awake. She shivered as another blast from the air conditioner flew overhead. Didn't this guy know that it was Spring? You didn't need air conditioning yet, especially when it was just over sixty outside and raining! Bonnie blew on her fingers, which felt like blocks of ice, and wished she had worn something other than her customary short skirt and midriff baring tank top. Virus didn't seem to feel the cold from where he lounged on the opposite seat in his leather coat. Now that they where on the road again, his outfit had changed a little. While he didn't actually change any of his clothes, they seemed to take on a more edgy look as soon as he had added a few leather bracelets and a spiked dog collar. Why did he wear that anyway?

As if reading her thoughts, Virus dug into one of his pockets and pulled out a nearly identical one with red leather and white spikes. He studied it thoughtfully, pushing some buttons on the inside of the soft leather and finally leaned forward with an open collar in his hands. He cleared his throat. Bonnie glanced over, uninterested, and then tried to look out the window again.

"You'll need to put this on."

Her head snapped back at him. They where the first words that he had said since getting into the Limo. She looked at the collar again, the luminescent street lights shining against the leather.

"What, that?"

He nodded. She closed her eyes. She knew that either way, she was getting out of this car with that thing on, but she wasn't going down without a fight.

"No."

"Drones." Virus said wearily. Whirring started up as they looked at him. "Give me a hand, would you?"

Two metal hands grabbed her arms and forced her to the floor of the car, twisting her arms up behind her back. Bonnie was now kneeling, and looked none to happy about it. Virus slipped the collar around her neck, noting with some satisfaction that the depressor hissed slightly as it made contact with her skin, signifying that it had gone to work. After almost a month working out the particulars, (And many hours sent tracking down the failed side effects) He had finally managed to create something that would suppress mutant and Meta-human powers quickly and painlessly, without hours of heating up and cooling down and such like.

She was put back into her seat and released. Immediately her hands flew to the collar and tried to pull it off, setting the collar esque. Before she could even react Virus had slapped her hands away and straightened it, tightening the straps so that it would be hard to do the same thing twice. When he had finished another swift slap had marked her cheek bright red.

"Don't EVER try that again girl." He hissed, his eyes dancing with anger.

The usual reaction to getting hit by someone had decided to take a short absence, along with common sense. Anyone who had taken the time to think about it would not have attacked someone who had control over two of hulking behemoths on either side of her, but Bonnies blood was boiling and her brain didn't want to go in for thinking right now.

She grabbed his arm as it went down and twisted sharply, the pale skin exploding into streaks of crimson pain. Her face contorted and she brought the arm, and the teenager attached, down. Murderous rage stormed up into her eyes, and although she couldn't see it, her Scelra's normal pearly white glowed a neon red. Funny, she thought, I don't feel cold anymore...

From his position on the floor, Virus thought he was going to need a new pain of pants. The air had risen in temperature by at least twenty degrees. If she could do that with the inhibitor on, they where all in serious trouble. The Drones protective programing kicked in and one shot a dart into the girls neck, knocking her out almost instantly. One might have noticed, upon closer inspection of the darts plastic surface, that it was slightly charred and black where it went in.

Two soldiers led a bound and gagged Jenny-Lynn down the hall to some unknown destination. Two minutes ago, just when she was getting to sleep, they had come in with a companion (Who had been assigned to holding Keeki down) and drug her out of the cell, saying something about a lab and activation, whatever that meant.

Soldier number one jerked on her arm a bit when she stumbled over the tiled floor, forcing her to keep up. Soldier number two didn't do anything but think about the lovely bottle of Gin waiting for him back in the barracks.

After much walking they eventually reached a long white room that smelled strongly of disinfectant. She was led through a door into a smaller room, two tables the only decoration. One of them was long, about seven feet from top to bottom and set at a tilt. Straps with huge, heavy-duty buckles covered it, and Jenny-Lynn had a feeling that she'd be getting better acquainted with the table in about a minute. The other was bedside sized with several shot-needles and a jar of glowing goo on it.

Two people in blood-stained surgeon outfits stood waiting at the table, one fingering a mask that would later administer sleeping gas to the patient. With a snap her bonds were broken and shed to the floor. Jenny rubbed her wrists resentfully and offered a death-glare at her escort.

"What, you're not going to run?" One of the surgeons asked, genuinely surprised. "The last four of you that came in for activation ran off!"

Jenny stared ruefully at them. "Did they make it?"

"Uh... no." The second surgeon said, "They got dragged back here and activated anyway."

"So there's no point, correct?" She said.

"Yeah, if you want to look at it that way." The first one said, blinking.

Jenny-Lynn sighed, "Let's just get this over with."

Surgeon number two shrugged. "Okay."

The next thing she knew she was back in her cell with Keeki prodding her. She got up, now aware of her cell-mates familiarity when it came to other life forms. Through the window, she could see Mike pacing back and forth in his cell. Across from him, a large wolf slept with it's nose to the field in front of it, ready to spring at the first sign of escape. Ariella, doubtlessly.

"Keeki!"

The wolfs eyes snapped open, making Jenny wonder if she was sleeping at all, and let out a funny yowl when it saw Jenny.

It backed up hurriedly, not easy when you have four paws on the ground, and changed back into Ari. Mike bolted over to the side that Jenny was on and stopped dead. Jenny rubbed the back of her head gingerly.

"What are you all looking at?" She asked, ignoring the lock of hair that fell into her face.

"Are... are you feeling okay Jenny?" He asked hesitantly.

"I've just been dragged down a hall to activation, whatever that is, with a few 'Accidental'," Here she made quotation marks with her fingers, "Kicks digging into my side. I've been better, to say the least."

"That's nice!" Ari said in a high, unnatural voice. "Yea Gods and little Fishies girl, what did they do to you?"

Jenny-Lynn's brows knitted together. "What?"

Mike cleared his throat, "Um, Jenny? Take a look at your hand."

Still with a confused look on her face, Jenny looked down. There, on her lap, was a bright green hand.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Donna Troy was NOT having a good day. First, she had woken up to early because her alarm clock decided to go on the fritz. She had hit it, unknowingly crushing in into a useless pile of plastic, and slept in to late. When she woke up, (First cursing the fact that she would have to buy a new clock) she had rushed around the house getting her stuff ready, and had high-tailed it to school only to find the building closed because of some Jewish holiday. She had gone home in a huff, taking out some of her aggression on an idiot that had had the gall to try and mug her, and decided to get a late breakfast. Even that had been denied her as six yellow robots leveled the kitchen, kidnapped her, and drug her through miles of swamp and forest with a gibbering loon on one side. The loons name was apparently Bart, but he had asked her to call him Impulse. Donna would much rather have called goodbye. He was from the city, he said, he liked Race cars and the TV show Atomic Betty, his most prized possession was a pair of yellow goggles, helived with his Auntand was about twelve years old.

She tried to get comfortable in the grip of the Robot. Nothing doing, it was like trying to get comfy on a thorn bush. Bart, or Impulse, was struggling in what he thought was a valiant way, but came off as more of a desperate need for a potty break. Donna looked up, trying to take some security in some familiar constellations, but got a face full of water instead. The water ran down her hot face and into her slightly singed coat. The rain was pouring down, practically soaking her to the skin. She had long ago given up trying to walk, her legs were tired and she needed the half rest. She could feel the miles of wet bracken snapping under her shins as she was continually dragged towards who knows where. The night noises where relatively normal though, as far as she could tell. She'd been born in the city, raised by a step-dad that was nice enough but never seemed to know what to do with her, and a mother that had either abandoned them, died of cancer, or both. Carl was never to clear on the matter. She had gone to visit her grandmother once or twice in the country before she had died, but the noises around a farm and the noises in the middle of the woods where different.

"Let the RAIN FALL DOWN! And wash me CLEAN! Let it WASH away, my SANITY!"

"To late, you beat it to that." She muttered, "Do the world a favor and shut up would you?" Donna groaned, "You've been singing Hillary Duff songs for hours."

Impulse shrugged as best he could. "Do you have something better to do?"

"Actually, yes." Donna said snappishly, "But it rather involved both hands, a roll of duck tape, and a large pastrami."

"But it was a good plan?" Impulse asked.

"Oh yes. Brilliant." Donna said brightly, her already brittle attitude starting to fray and crack. "World shaking, it was."

Impulse gave her a wary smile and looked ahead again. The same wet, glistening blackness was head, he could see one spider web that was covered in drops of water. Still not much to see.

"Bored in a STABLE with nothing to do! We make a game out of THROWING OUR SHOES!"

Her eye twitched. Impulses singing voice was not for the faint of heart or good of hearing, and unfortunately she had hearing like a safe crackers. After awhile he stopped singing, mostly because the Drone (in an act of sentient thought that many are still trying to puzzle out,) rapped him upside the head. He sulked along, aiming half-kicks at anything that got in his way. Usually he missed, but it kept him entertained.

"Impulse, I have another plan."

Donna's sudden words brought him back to reality, "What?"

"I have a plan."

"I heard you the first time." Impulse said, "It's called dramatic tension. Try it sometime! Does your plan involve large amounts of duck tape?"

"Surprisingly, no." Donna said, looking up.

"Ah. Will it allow us to escape?"

"I sure hope so." She muttered.

"What does it involve, then?"

"The figure sitting in the tree above us."

The Drones stopped. The recent conversation was being dictated into their memory banks for further use, but key words such as 'escape' 'figure' 'tuna fish' 'lampshade' and 'dramatic tension' had been fed to a sub-routine to prevent captives from leaving, and or throwing wild parties in their cells without inviting the warden. They looked up just in time to see something smash into their faces.

Whomever had been in the tree was now on top of one of the Drones, hacking at its head it some glowing... things. With another vicious swipe it managed to dislodge the head and chucked it at the other Drone.

"So if they don't actually look at you then your okay." The thing cackled as it toppled the Drone over. "Groovy."

It flattened against the ground and missed the pulsating stream off yellow energy that went over head. It flipped to its feet.

"I don't have time for this."

Ten thin blue lasers shot out of it's hands and punctured the Drones eyes. For the half a moment that the thing let it stand it waved it's arms around, trying to get it's bearings, before it had it's legs kicked out from under it. Donna gaped at it as it turned around and said.

"Either of you a healer?"

"Here Penance Penance Penance, Timmy's got a tasty cookie for y-ou!" Tim was stalking Penny, whom he had temporarily redeemed 'The Great Pink Shoe Snatcher', through the halls with a net. Just what he thought it was going to do against diamond sharp skin, no-one knows. What he did know was that he wanted his shoe, and he wanted it now.

He waved a stale cookie, forged by Kitty herself, around vaguely in the air, trying to entice his teammate out from hiding. Penance was the only one in the mansion who could stand Kitty's cooking, much less digest it, and was often fed scraps under the table whenever the Phaser was aloud within ten feet of the kitchen. Coming to a corner, Tim stuck the cookie around it and hoped that Ray didn't start screaming and try to kill it again. Ray, as everyone in the mansion had discovered, had an acute fear of cookies, epically the triple chocolate kind. This provided Roberto with no end of amusement as he constantly teased the electro-kinetic whenever the though occurred to him.

When no lightning scythed past him, he continued to look for Penny. He'd been searching for the girl for nearly two hours with little or no success. He'd once spotted her on the banister, chewing on his prized shoe, but after that nothing. Since none of the X-men or New Mutants had any idea where to start looking for Brother Blood, they had decided to wait for Proffessor Xavier to recover before heading out.

Something moved further down the hall, and the sound of nails clicking on wood came to his ears. He sped up, hoping to reclaim his article of clothing. The clicking got faster, his feet practically flew across the floor until he saw that the living knife was calmly sitting in a patch of moonlight and scratching herself behind the ear. His shoe was lying forgotten a few feet away, drool forming a pool around it. A happy squeak escaped him as he dove for the shoe, pressing his face against the slobber covered side. His SHOE! He had a pair again! He could freely walk the halls without having to wonder just what the heck that wet spot was! He struggled into it, oblivious to the fact that it was moist and uncomfortable, and went to his room.

Penny continued to scratch herself and wondered how long it would be before Tim realized that that wasn't drool that was covering his shoe.

Kim had opened the door to Hell.

Oddly enough, it was marked 'Chess Club' in a sloppy scrawl on a piece of white paper.

The various mutants of Middleton where unconscious, fighting weakly, trapped, or two out of three. In fact, the only mutant that wasn't trapped was one Elizabeth Chang.

She was standing on the ruins of a desk, watching haughtily as Drones loaded mutants into a odd looking van. Black smoke was pilling out of a ruins all around the former class room, the silver light from the stars and dull glowing red from burning piles of wood combined cast the illusion of death.

"Get a move on." Elizabeth snarled. "We need to get this cleaned up before she shows!"

If the Drones heard, they didn't respond, but kept up their methodical paces to and from the van. One of them reached down to lift a young blond haired girl into the van when a streak of Red and blue shoved it out of the way. The robot stumbled back, studying the panting girl in front of it.

Subject: Kimberly Ann Possible.

Age:15

Project number: Not found.

Powers scan: Super Speed and Strength.

Avoid at all costs.

Back-up programing kicked in in a nano-second. The Drone cocked it's arm and aimed at the teenage hero, intent on capturing her. Kim blinked as her brain caught up with her body, how had she gotten over here so fast? She would have stopped to consider it longer if the Drone hadn't fired a electric net at her. Before she had even known she moved the girl (Laurie, something in the back of her head offered,) over with Ron.

Ron suddenly found himself watching his best friend engage in a duel with a six foot monster, with a hot girl propped up on his shoulder.

Laurie groaned and shifted position. "Gnh... Where am I?"

"Do people always say that?" Ron asked as she opened her bright blue eyes and stared at him.

She scrambled away from him on all fours, looking very much like a wild animal. A piece of metal seemed to leap spontaneously to her hand and she raised it threateningly.

"HEY! I'm on your side! Honest!" Ron held up his hands and tried to convince Laurie that he wasn't the enemy.

"Y-your not with them?" She said.

Ron nodded fervently.

"Promise?"

"Yes! Yes I promise!" He said. Laurie dropped the make-shift spear. "Do you know whats going on here?"

"Something about a auction." Laurie said, "Elizabeth, she, she's gonna sell everyone in that van!"

Ron looked over at Kim, who was still duking it out. He cracked his knuckles, the ball was in the Ron-mans court now!

He dug into his pocket before he set off, "Hey, could you do me a favor?"

"Uh... sure." Laurie said.

"Look after Rufus while I try and get to the van, would ya?"

The moment Laurie saw the Naked Mole Rat she gave a soft squeal took him, rubbing him against her cheek.

"He's so cute!" She said, "Of course I'll watch him for you!"

Rufus gave a happy squeak at the unexpected affection, apparently glad he was getting some female attention.

Kim swung her fist at the Drones jaw, her hand colliding with it and tearing it from it's foundation.

Unperturbed, it grabbed her hand as it went for another shot. Kim and the behemoth stood in at an impasse for a second before Kim's martial arts moved her leg up and kicked the Drones chest hard. It let go of her arm and she dropped to the ground in a spiral, kicking it's legs out from under it. The Drone caught itself, standing on it's hands and driving it's legs into Kim's stomach.

Kim doubled over in pain, barely avoiding the fist for a second time. She kicked it in the chest when it went for her throat, flipping over on her back and carrying the machine over in an arc and smashing it against the ground. It skidded to a halt inches from Elizabeth, finally attracting the girls attention.

Elizabeth blinked, her ivory brow wrinkling.

"Kim? Your not supposed to be here for another couple of minutes!"

"I wanted to make a good first impression." Kim panted as she stood up, still cradling her bruised torso, "Good thing to. What are you doing? Building an Army so you can take over the word?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "Hardly. That is SO cliché."

Out of the corner of her eye, Kim could see Ron sneaking out from the hall and heading towards the Van. Slight indignation rose up in her. Now it was HER job to be the distraction?

"So what are you doing Lizzie?" She asked, "Why are you loading them up?"

Elizabeth smirked, "If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?"

Ron had reached the first of his mile stones, how to get around the Drones. They where standing around the van in a tight circle, staring outwards stoically. He decided to go for the test and tried tactic, acting like your in charge. He sucked in what little gut he had, stood up straight and marched out towards the car.

"Atten-tion! You are dismissed!"

The Drones turned their heads towards him with metallic whirring. The scanners in their eyes looked him over, looking for an x-gene. They found nothing, and thus deemed him expendable. The two closest to him raised their arm cannons at his head. Okay, so acting in charge hadn't worked.

"Eh-heh." Ron backed away slowly with a nervous chuckle, "Just kidding guys. Please don't fry me."

The tubes start to glow.

Ron took a deep breath and resorted to the grand-daddy of all fall-backs.

"KP!"

Elizabeth's head snapped around to glare at Ron. She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off. Even without her fancy new powers, Kim had always moved like lightning. Years of martial arts training and Cheer-leading had drilled her muscles into rock-hard pistons fueled on determination and the term 'I can do anything'. She leapt into the air, her super-charged muscles carrying her higher than expected. She delivered a flying kick to Elizabeth's head, knocking the girl back and onto the teachers ruin of a desk. Elizabeth struggled to her feet, snarling like an animal for exactly one second before her eyes got a glassy look and she started whimpering.

"Go! I'll hold her!"

Laurie was holding her hands out in front of her and groaning slightly. Rufus was sitting on her shoulder and cheering as only he could. Elizabeth was sinking to her knees, still whimpering.

Kim didn't need to be told twice. She dashed over to her friend just in time to see the robot fire.

Little did Ron know it, but someone up there, up in the great big, vast intergalactic holding pin for beings of immense power, someone liked him. That is the reason that he is alive and happy today, and not because the robots cannon malfunctioned and fired one second to late to actually hit him.

Kim barreled into Ron, knocking him out of the way of the blast. They slid to a halt in the wet grass, and Ron suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Kim was on top of him, panting heavily and with bags under her eyes.

"Um... Thanks KP." he said.

"Don'tmentionit." Kim speed-muttered. Super speed took a lot out of you, as she was beginning to find out. She rolled to her feet and charged the wall of robots with a yell. The first blast that came at her she dodged by flipping sideways, the second by ducking, and the third by managing to rip the robots arm off and using it as a club.

The make-shift bludgeon caused one side of a Drones head to cave in slightly, shiny bits of circuits sticking to it's former skull. It's right eye went dead as it stumbled away from her and tried to find some stable footing. Kim threw the arm over her shoulder, effectively ridding her self of dead weight, and put her back against the side of the van. Muffled, very muffled, groans resonated from inside the transport. Kim looked for some sort of handle before noticing the large square metal pad on the front of the door, bright silver against black. Kim's hand went into her pocket and retrieved the Kimmunicator, flicking it on.

Miles away in his room, Wade got a very nasty shock when something that looked vaguely like Kim opened the channel.

"Kim? Is that you?" He asked, raising one eyebrow at the screen.

"Can't talk." Kim said gruffly, "Wade, canyouopenthislock?"

Wade blinked, "Pardon?"

Kim took a deep breath, "Sorry. Got Super Speed. Messes with speech. Can you open this lock?"

"I'll try." Wade said. After two years of being Kim's computer assistant, you learned not to ask unnecessary questions.

Kim slapped the Kimmunicator onto the metal pad, the magnets in the back of it securing it to the door. The back of her neck tingled moving her head and avoiding yet another fist. She rammed her elbow backwards, trying do buy Wade some time as he did the impossible.

Meanwhile Laurie was having troubles of her own. Her power had manifested in the ability to project pheromone into the air, but she wasn't very good at yet. While the telekinetic cheer leader Elizabeth couldn't stop them, she sure wasn't making it easy. Laurie had to practically shove the Pheromones down the girls throat before she responded to it. The air between them was thick and wavering with strange perfume. Laurie was groaning with the effort of keeping the steady stream up, her body beginning to shake violently.

Finally, the stream gave out and Elizabeth was able to recover. Laurie collapsed, gasping for breath as her whole body heaved with the action. Elizabeth towered over her, a cruel smile on her face. She grabbed the girl by the neck of her shirt and dragged her up to eye level with her. Rufus responded to the treatment by biting her hand sharply. Her hand jerked away from where the mole rat sat, glaring at it.

"How dare you! I'll-"

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

An Ex-Drone came sailing out of the sky, one of it's failing arms clipping Elizabeth on the head. Her eyes rolled back and a low moan escaped her lips as she collapsed to the floor. Kim panted heavily as she caught a projectile launched at her and threw it back. This was really taking a lot out of her and she sincerely hoped that Wade got through soon.

Computerized figures splashed across the screen as Wade typed furiously. Wall after wall of codes fell before his relentless struggle against them, and after a very, very long time Wade was impressed. Whomever had come up with this had a serious understanding of computers, it was all Wade could do to get through some of the more complex designs. One hand reached up to wipe some sweat from his brow as the other continued to hack. Finally the light at the end of the metaphorical tunnel broke onto the screen.

"I'm through!"

He had never been so glad to hear those words, and they had never been received so happily. Kim turned around to see the doors sliding open just before something that looked like a humongous werewolf crashed through them.

"AROOOOOOOO!"

The howl would have undoubtedly chilled the Drones to the bone, if they had any. The Werewolf savagely tore into the robots with a ferocity usually reserved for mortal Enemy's. The other occupants where unconscious or-

Kim struggled not to throw up at the sight of the bodies. While her adventures had been extensive and often violent, no one had ever died, least of all people she knew. She leaned against the door, shock covering her body. She finally moved when with crunches and growls behind her ceased. Looking back, she could see that the Werewolf was rapidly going bald everywhere but it's head, the fur falling off or shriveling into nothingness.

When it was done, Dean Franklin stood in the middle of the slaughter, shaking himself vigorously. Kim was glad to see a Grey tank-top and jeans on him, facts that she had apparently missed when he had burst out of the prison. He turned around and looked at Kim, flashing her a grin that could only be described as 'Wolfish'.

"Hey." He said, "Sorry about that, the smell in there was driving me nuts."

"I'll bet." Kim said weakly, "Is anyone still alive in there?"

Dean bit his lip and considered, "Carley, Emily, Julio, and Miss Steed. The others didn't make it." he said sadly.

A look of extreme hatred crossed over Kim's face. Ron cautiously approached her, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"KP?" Ron asked, "Are you okay?"

She turned to look at him, her eyes blazing with cold fire.

"Who ever did this." She said lowly, "I will kill them."

To Be Continued...

Well! That was eventful wasn't it? Kimmie's on the war path, Bonnies going to kill someone, Jynx is bleeding, possibly to death, and the X-men need a lead!

I had a bunch of songs running through my head as I wrote this chapter, and thanks to a new policy I can't put them in here! Maybe I should get a website or something. I really wanted to write in a songs from 'Phantom of the Opera' for Ravens foreboding, like Masquerade or even the one that shares a title with the Opera! The song 'It's Us Against the World' kept popping up in the battle scene, and then I REALLY wanted to do 'Painting pictures of Egypt' or 'Worst Day Since Yesterday' for Bonnie, but sadly none of them are allowed in.

Next time: Terra and the X-men team finally meet up, the X-men find out where to go, Kim meets the Misfits and whatever else I can cram in there! See you then!

Another note. When this story is done, before I start the next one, one or two one shots in the Teen Titans section are going to go up. 'The next Generation of Villains' for one. It's about what happens when Brother Blood finds out what Gizmo did in the Training Room, and 'Cosmic Justice' showing what happened to Mirage, Mammoth and the ever unfortunate Gizmo when they went to go prank the Titans.