Blix: Lol. You seem to enjoy Scott's humiliation. No problem, I do too! Hehe. It probably was way too amusing for me too. I just smirked for ages after, even now!
Calandra: Yup, Scott gets it again. It is a fun bit of humour to have though, since Scott always dusts himself off, it wouldn't be as funny if it was anyone else though.. Scott just has this sort of tempting aura around him begging for some embarrassing humour! Gambit does see women as toys, yep, it's got across XD Not only am I making Gambit into a player, but he's got a nasty streak in him that's not yet fully shown, but it will be, most definitely. Glad you liked the X-Sims! D
Chapter 30So Logan and Storm returned back to the junction of the steep slope of rocks. The evening sunlight cast a threatening glow upon the razor edges tips that glinted warningly as the pair came upon the slight cliff. Storm was ahead and she came to a slow halt as she glanced up slowly at the trail.
"Have we really got to go this way?" she asked quietly, turning her head to look at the male beside her.
However, Logan made a resolute nod of his head, "Yes.."
"Why is this way better than the river trail?" asked Storm, frowning as she proceeded to swipe her fringe of her eyes with her fingers.
"Call it instinct," murmured Logan as he strode forth. He placed a foot on one of the more or less horizontal rocks and used it as leverage to begin climbing. His hands reached up to grab the over hanging rocks above and slid across the mud slowly before lurching himself upwards upon the boulder. He looked down to see Storm giving him a worried once over before following after him, placing her feet where Logan's had been. With a nod at her, Logan turned his head to continued climbing, his hands rising and gripping the humid rocks as he proceeded to scale the slope of rocks. Below he could see the rush of the river disappearing down the silvery blue trail into the wilderness.
Beneath him, he could hear Storm's increasing breaths as she worked to keep up the speedily climbing male. Logan pushed in his motions, waiting till he heard her come closer before rising up to the neck rock. His hands gripped the rocks carefully, the ends looked horribly jagged. Luckily his bots were more than capably of digging onto the sharp ends.
As he climbed he thought over Aurora, and where she might be now. He frowned gently, pulling himself onto the next rock with a fiercer throw of his limbs. Storm's words had been lodged in his mind since her outburst earlier that day, and it would be a while till he forgot them. He hadn't let on to anyone how much Aurora's actions with Remy had hurt him. He had remained oddly calm at the campsite, and he didn't really understand himself why he hadn't lurched for Remy's throat. Maybe he had decided there and then that Aurora and he were through. She had taken things a step too far and he wasn't willing to stand by and watch anymore. So he turned his back on the situation completely. He had been giving her the cold shoulder for a while.. but nothing like this. Nothing as severe as complete indifference.
It hurt him even now. It hurt him to ignore her and treat her so coldly, and it hurt him to ponder over just what had happened between Remy and her.
As he mind rolled with thoughts, he was brought out of the smog of worry by a voice soothingly entering his mind. He felt a comforting wash take his aching inside. Her felt the warm run of fingers down his cheek before a low female voice entered his head echoingly, like it was far away, "Logan.. pay attention.."
Logan's eyes squinted gently before he looked around idly. He was near the top of the slope; he had been climbing like clockwork. In his head he subconsciously wondered why he had to suddenly concentrate. The voice answered like it had been listening in.
"You've left Storm behind," answered the voice simply.
Logan turned his head to look down to see Storm gasping to hurry up and follow him. She grunted, pulling her slim body over the edges of rocks, her knees bending and twisting as her thighs worked to push her body weight upwards. Her arms stretched and tightened as she came upon the next level of rocks. The sunlight caused her exposed skin to glisten enchantedly in the light, a silky texture of smooth chocolate flesh. Her hair had stuck to her warm neck, strands sprayed across the woman's forehead. Logan made a soft sigh, feeling guilty for practically abandoning her, he had become far to deep into his thoughts.
He turned to jump up the last level of rocks when the voice came back suddenly in his head, "Turn and take Ororo's hand."
"What?" murmured Logan aloud.
"Now!"
Logan spun his head to see Storm behind him, reaching her hand up to grab the rocks at his feet. Her hands grabbed the edge of the rock, and he could hear her gasp for breath as she pulled her legs after her. After the voice's warning, he suddenly shot his hand towards her, palm open and facing skyward. Storm's head suddenly snapped up at the arrival of his hand and she made a surprised gasp. However, as her head lifted, she lost her footing, her boots scuffing across the soil of the rock. She jerked downwards with an alarmed cry, a hand flying up instantly and grabbing his awaiting hand. As Logan tightened his hand around hers, Storm had made a grab with her other hand for the nearest rock, she made a high gasp as her palm sliced across the edge, sudden blood spilling across the dirty surface of the rock and swamping slowly through the bits of grit and soil.
Logan lowered his other hand, quickly taking her elbow and hauling her up with him, he leant back, carrying her to the top of the slope and resting her on the safety of the flat of the hill. He heard her giving a pained wince, palm open flat. Blood was dripping down her fingers. The rock edge had sliced a line of broken skin across the centre of her palm.
Now, the question is would she have hurt herself if I hadn't have distracted her? Logan asked mentally in his head as he knelt down beside Storm, taking the underside of her trembling hand in his gently.
A mischievous voice came into his head, "Who knows? The future cannot be predicted Wolverine."
Don't play coy with me..
"Let's just say you saved her from greater damage by grabbing her when you did."
Logan blew a gentle sigh out of his lips as he looked down at Storm's wounded hand. "Thanks for grabbing me in time," came Storm's voice as she bent towards the hand, looking at him. She gave him a grateful expression, but a sickly wisp of a smile tainted it.
"It's alright.." murmured Logan quietly as he dragged the backpack off his shoulders and swung it down into the dusty dirt atop the rocks. He pulled open the top of the bag and reached in for the medical supplies. Lucky he accepted them off Scott. He pulled out a cloth and rolled it up tight before pressing it down into her palm. The bandages spilled out with the next dart of his hand and he quickly wrapped it around the woman's hand. Storm already knowing the majority of medical methods, quickly squeezed her wound hand together in a fist over the wrap of cloth and bandages. She made a weak sort of grin before nodding her head gently in approval to his work.
Logan quickly fastened his bang closed before throwing it over upon his back, arms shooting through either strap before leaving it to sit against his back. He rose up out of his crouch, gently helping Storm to her feet. She straightened beside him, giving a soft sigh as she pushed her hair out of her eyes before looking up to him, "Right.. let's find a suitable crossing point."
Logan nodded his head gently, "Should be better further down, should calm down." He watched the woman nod and turn before she set off across the top of the slope. Logan followed behind her, hopping idly from the ledges of thick soil as the two made their way down the gentle slope to the river edge.
Their boots crunched lightly as they skidded down on the earth as the pair lightly jogged their feet down the base of the slope, reaching the banking of the river. Logan walked ahead of Storm, looking around the area slowly. He looked down at the running water, seeing it become shallower at this point of the run. His head rose to stare across at the opposite side of the banking. He could see a faint gap in the trees like they had been disturbed recently. He sniffed lightly at the air around him, wondering what it could be. Where they coming upon the secret building?
However, his questions where soon answered as he heard Storm suddenly sound with a choked gasp of, "Logan!" Logan spun around to see Storm staring at the top of the earthy gently sloping cliff they had just walked down. His eyes followed her trail to see a figure stood at the top of the hill. The backing sunlight cast an eerie silhouette on the figure. But the telltale glint of glasses at the eyes made a cold realisation spur in his stomach.
"Sentinel!" gasped Storm as she backed closer to Logan, intending to put distance between her and the killing machine as much as possible.
Logan's eyes widened upon the figure, instinctively pulling Storm behind him, "First a snake, now this."
"I love snakes," decided Storm breathlessly, "Give me snakes any day. Just no damn Sentinel!" Logan hadn't ever heard any form of a curse word to escape her lips, not even minor. She must be pretty worked up. And she had good reason to be.
The Sentinel suddenly jumped from the top of the hill, gliding easily through the air as he plummeted down to the flat earth at the side of the river. He landed in the dirt at the base of the slope without so much of a stumble. The Sentinel straightened out of his crouch in a slow and calculated movement, looking through his glasses at the pair of mutants in front of him.
He too wore a smooth and unwrinkled black suit. The same white shirt sat tidily beneath, the vicious horizontal tie clipped with the silver tie pie. Logan stared at the face of the Sentinel. This one was different to the others, although clothing wise he was identical. This Sentinel had a dark skin colour, head shaved bald so it gleamed in the sunlight. Soft brown lips spread to a rather vicious sort of smirk, the trademark warning from a Sentinel.
"Let's back away slowly.." whispered Storm to Logan.
"It's not a snake, Ororo, "Logan growled in response, "It ain't gonna work."
Storm spoke again, quieter, "What do you think he wants?"
"I have an idea, but I don't really wanna find out if its true.." whispered Logan as he tightened his grip on Storm, "Let's run." He span around, pulling Storm with him as the pair leapt into a sprint from the Sentinel. However, Logan made a surprised yell as he felt a thick sturdy hand grab the back of his shirt. Logan was dragged back by the Sentinel. Logan stared at Storm in front of him, obligingly letting go of her wrist, "Run!" he gasped before he was thrown down to the floor.
Storm staggered to a halt, whipping her head round to stare at the floored Logan, "Logan!"
"Storm, get outta here!"
The Sentinel swiftly turned, bending to pick Logan up from the floor. His fist tightened around the neck of Logan's vest before ripping him up from the floor without so much of a grunt from the heavy body weight of the Wolverine.
"Logan!" Storm repeated in a cry, staring with a horror struck expression.
If Logan was planning on answering her, it didn't come out, he'd just been struck in the face by a swift uppercut. He fell limply back out of the Sentinels arms with a surprise gulp, staggering. However, he shook his head gently, blinking before he let out a low snarl and his claws ripped out of his knuckles. "Come on you piece o' shit.." snarled Logan, ignoring the trail of blood running down his chin.
The Sentinel made another punch. Logan jumped back, snaking around the strike. But the Sentinel raised his legs to kick, spinning to then deliver a series of punches and a downward blow of his heel to Logan's head. Logan let out a grunt as he doubled over at the strikes, then collapsing as the foot smashed against his skull. Logan rolled back with a wince, coming back up into a crouch a few feet away, he straighten out his arms, waiting for the next attack. The Sentinel raised his foot again for a kick. Logan pounced. With a furious roar, the pair collided down to the floor; Logan blowing swipes of his claws fiercely at the Sentinel's face. The cries of anger shook from each as they rolled around across the dirt, each one trying to get the bigger hit.
All Storm could see was the flash of claws, the dash of moving fists, black shoes kicking, blood spraying. She gasped as she saw Logan suddenly tumble out of the fray, rolling across the dirt limply, wounds marking his face and chest, his vest ripped with bloody smears. The Sentinel rose slowly to his feet, slowly wiping blood from the claw marks that sliced across his face. But they were healing, and the Sentinel spent no time worrying. Logan coughed quietly, rolling over as he tried to gain the breath back in his lungs. Storm let out a scream to Logan as the Sentinel picked Logan up by the scruff of his neck. Logan blinked weakly as he was stood upright. He managed a bleary gaze to the Sentinel before the Sentinel drew back his hand in a flat palm before swiping across the side of Logan's face, knocking the man down. But before he could hit the floor he was catapulted back by a perfectly timed kicked of the Sentinel. Attack accomplished, his leg was draw in slowly and placed neatly by the other.
"Hey!" Storm cried, swiftly feeling that fear turn into a furious and boiling anger. "You got somebody else to keep an eye out for!" She spread her arms, bandaged hand and all. Before she clapped them together in front of her in a perfect triangle. With a furious buzz and heated smell, electrically crackled around her before a lightening strike exploded out of her palms and fired across the terrain to hit the Sentinel in the back. Without a sound he collapsed forward being knocked off his feet instantly.
He was temporarily immobilised.. at least.
Storm ran forward across the soft dirt, running over towards were Logan was straightening to his feet, "Logan! Logan! Are you alright?"
Logan let out a cough, doubling over and gasping as he spluttered and wheezed for breath, "Physical attacks don't work to well on 'em.." he managed to mutter slowly, "Not just healin'. They don't even flinch.."
"Are you healing?" pressed Storm, glancing worriedly to the grounded Sentinel. His sprawled limbs were still smoking gently. But she saw his fingers flinch suddenly..
"Yeah.." Logan let out another cough before he straightened and gave Storm a blood soaked smile, "Good as new."
Storm nodded, "Good, cos we better go!"
"Did you kill it?" asked Logan as he stared at the floored attacker.
"I wish.." muttered Storm before throwing her fist back as if to strike a punch, electricity made a furious crackle before her fist glowed. She threw the punch forward at the air, a bolt zapped from her knuckles and leapt towards the grounded Sentinel, sending him shaking with silent pain. "He'll be grounded for a while now.." she made a sigh of relief.
"I don't think he's the one we've got to worry about.." whispered Logan quietly.
Storm lifted her head slowly to stare at Logan, "What do you mean?"
Logan made a quick sniff at the air before he grabbed his bag from the floor and began to run, "My God.. these things work in pairs. We better move it!"
Before the words had even managed to get out of his lips a rustle of the bushes revealed a running female sprinting towards them with an expression moulded with no expression. Her black glasses where turned directly upon Storm and Logan.
"Let's get movin'!" cried Logan, pulling Storm with him as the pair leapt away from the banking and into the deep undergrowth.
The female Sentinel ran with perfectly place footsteps, her boots slapped down effortlessly into the dirt. She did not stumble or falter during her powerful sprint towards the fleeing mutants. Her shoes splashing through the muddy banking of the river, specks of brown marking the bare of her black trousers. But her expression didn't flinch, it just kept rigidly straight, all concentration zoned upon the mutants. She continued to tear through the large leafy foliage, arms not even bothering to swat away large fern-like branches as they slapped into her suited upper torso.
Storm and Logan continued to run together, gasping and staggering as they leapt and turned around the rocks and tree trunks. As he ran, Logan could feel the bruises and cut on hit torso fade away, the usual tingling sensation of his speeded healing joining the wounds back together seamlessly. Just as Storm pulled herself around a tree, she stopped her running, quickly glancing behind her before looking swiftly to Logan, "Keep running. I'll catch you up."
"What the hell are doin'?" cried Logan, staring down at her.
But Storm pushed him on, "Make sure she keeps following! Go! Trust me!" Logan staggered back a few steps, still looking at her in disbelief, "Quick!" said Storm in a fiercer voice. As Logan sighed and turned to continued to run, Storm spun to the tree beside her and latched her hands upon the uneven surface and speedily shimmied up the branch, her legs lifted and hooked around branches, feet pressing her up, hand clutching to the bark. Her breaths stung at her throat as she tried to gasp in more oxygen for her activities. She could still feel her body stinging before the earlier climb, her clothes still stuck to her warm skin. However, she quickly reached the large over hanging branch above the trail Logan had just ran through. She turned upon the branch, crawling along it before crouching centrally on the thick branch. Her head turned and lowered to look back the way they had came.
The Sentinel was coming towards the tree, still following the distant Logan. Storm summed up full concentration as she clutched tighter to the wood beneath her bent knees. Slowly her pupils were devoured by the familiar flood of white that spread over her usually bright eyes. Her fingers bent and gripped upon the bark of the large branch. A wind suddenly began to whirl around her, her hair rising and dancing in the sudden gusts.
She gasped out a breath as she jumped backwards off the branch, hands gripping the tubular wood as her body swung under the tree branch. The Sentinel was in the process of running under the over hanging branch, but suddenly a pair of thick boots smacked the Sentinel in the face. There was no sound as the female was catapulted backwards in a spray of blood. The black suited body flew backwards in the air, winds spinning around her frantically, pushing, guiding, only stopping as the body hit the rocks of the river with a sickening slap.
Storm released her grip on the branch, dropping the rest of the way back to earth with a gasp for air. Her injured hand stung all the wilder as the run of friction on the course wood of the tree had ripped through the bandages Logan had done for her. But she had stopped that Sentinel. Her eyes slowly returned to their normal blue shade as she watched the unconscious body of the female Sentinel slump off the rocks it had landed against to drop limply into the rush of waves of the water to tumble and fall under the thrashing current of the river.
Storm doubled over slightly, resting her hands on her knees as she tried to fight air back into her lungs to try and simmer her frantically hammering heart that was pounding the blood and adrenaline through her brain. She licked over her dry lips gently before she straightened, turning and remembering Logan. She set off in a jog to follow him, surely he would have realised he had lost the Sentinel?
However, she saw him running towards her, wide eyes sparkling at her from his bloodstained face, "Storm!" he choked, stumbling across the uneven terrain. He smashed through a few leaves of the bushes, reaching her, "I saw it in the river? Did you do that?"
Storm was still wheezing and gasping for her breaths, weakly managing to nod her reply to Logan, "Uh huh.."
Logan gently took her hand, seeing the ripped bandage. He made a small smile before beginning to walk slowly, helping her along, "Impressive.."
A weak smile wobbled from Storm as she walked beside him, her hand clutching the back of his ripped shirt for support as she quietly coughed, "Now would be a good time to rest.." she muttered, looking up slowly to the glow of the red sky, "Not so close to the river though.." she grinned slowly, "Don't really want to meet any more Sentinels just yet do we?"
Phew, long chapter!
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