WS- SORRY FOR THE WAIT! I'm so busy and I got majorly caught up on fictionpress. Sorry, again.

Chapter Four: The Trap is Laid

Jhonny's eyes wandered over the camp, trying to locate Wind. Flash had given him a heads-up to watch out for her temper, but had also said she was a prize worth it. Flash had never won and gotten the prize.

He saw a flicker of movement in the trees and thought it was her. Would he finally have a chance to meet the infamous Wind?

No.

He sighed in disappointment when Reed walked out. He hadn't seen Wind after all. How could she avoid him for so long?

"Sooner or later," he muttered.

"Sooner or later what?" he heard from behind him. It was Iceman. Jhonny was surprised to hear his voice; it sounded only his age.

"Nothing," he recovered quickly. Iceman shrugged.

"Whatever you say, man. Don't you have a post? You should probably get to it." He half-smiled. "If Superman finds you taking a break during the job, you're gonna get flamed. No pun intended, dude."

Jhonny raised an eyebrow. "Well, it certainly sounds like a pun. And no, I don't have a post. I'm trying to"—

"Find Wind? Flash updated me. You're not gonna find her. She has a real way with camouflage. You'll find her when the time comes."

"You mean when she wants to be found?"

"Pretty much."

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Black Cat and Spider-Man got into a conversation as soon as they had set down. Neither of them had a post.

"Really, Black Cat, it's good to see you. It's been boring without a woman's touch. Especially when going up against vampires, the King Pin, the Chameleon, and everything else." Spider-Man smiled under his mask. He still had no idea that the woman standing in front of him was Felicia Hardy, and she had no idea that he was Peter Parker.

"Too bad, Spidey. You know I don't stay in one town. If you want to follow where I go, you're welcome to. But really, don't expect me to hold myself back. You're not the only one dealing with vampires. I have to put up with Blade's temper quite a bit." She grinned.

He winced. He had gotten a taste of Blade's temper a few times. "My heart goes out to you, Cat. He's treating you alright, though?"

"He gives me the equipment needed to take down the vamps, and we team up on hard fights. But he's definitely not someone you would call 'sweet'."

He laughed. "I agree. Oh, boy, do I agree."

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Rogue sighed. "All clear over here," she reported. When were they gonna get goin'? It was taking much too long. She folded her arms, still hovering over the forest.

She couldn't see anything wrong.

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"Good, Rogue. Same here, everyone," Cyclops reported. He was also starting to get a bit anxious.

"Superman, is everything fine over there?"

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"Fine," Superman reported. "We're going soon."

He heard a rustle near him, just beyond the edge of the trees.

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Jean didn't report yet. She had her hands to her temples, and was searching the area for any signs of activity other than their own.

She didn't catch anything…

But no one had thought of the possibility of helmets like Magneto's.

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Hawkgirl sighed. She had her mace in hand and was looking out over the forest. Nothing was there that she could see.

But she could sense something near.

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Firestar kept on the ground. She could fly, but preferred not to. She didn't see anything wrong. Yet.

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"I have an eerie feeling. I think something's out there. I keep hearing twigs snapping."

Kayen, Dark Panther, cocked her head as she heard it again. Her cat-like ears swiveled to catch the sound better.

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Reed furrowed his brows in frustration.

"You mean something's out there?"

"Yes," someone answered.

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Wind was sitting near some of the trees. She was so close to the edge that you couldn't see her from above; that's why Jhonny hadn't been able to detect her.

She had her eyes closed, listening and feeling instead of seeing. She believed that sometimes a blind man could see clearer than anyone else.

Her long hair flowed in the slight breeze, but was an abnormal color—light brown with the faintest tinge of green—and her skin was fair, unblemished. Her delicate lips were in a straight line as she concentrated. When she stood up she was taller than Jhonny. Her long legs helped her run swiftly and silently.

She wore a dark green shirt, and her pants were the same. The hem was black on both. She wore a black belt that held her communicator, though it was seldom used. She wore nothing to hide her face.

Her ears were pointed gracefully, like an elf's. Her hair tumbled around them, almost hiding them from sight.

While concentrating, she sensed something coming. It was coming fast.

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Ben sighed. Was there nothing to do? He was anxious to find Suzie. He kept hearing things but guessed that they were only other heroes moving in the brush.

He was oh so wrong.

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Storm couldn't see anything. But she did hear something.

"I hear it also. Can anyone see it?" she asked into her comm-link.

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Suzie shook her head. What could she do? How long had she been in that darkness already? Two hours? Two days?

When were her friend, fiancé, and brother going to come?

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"Superman, we've got to go now. We're running out of time." This was Jubilee. When it came to things like this, she wasn't her normal kid-ish self.

"I know, Jubilee," she heard from her communicator.

"Good."

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They all froze in place. Everyone either heard or sensed something. Many narrowed their eyes, scanning the trees. A few looked inside their circle; the sound was all around, not just in the forest.

"This gives me the creeps," Black Cat muttered. Spider-Man was next to her. He didn't say a thing.

Hawkgirl tensed, mace ready.

Firestar got ready to fight if necessary.

Superman had all of his senses alert, ready to take on a challenger.

Dark Panther slowly swiveled her ears, trying to locate the source of the sound.

Jean Grey couldn't sense anything.

Jhonny, Ben, and Reed were near each other, and they shared silent glances.

Cyclops, Beast, Wolverine, and Rogue all scanned their surroundings warily. Wolverine's adamantium claws were protruding from his knuckles.

"Something isn't right here," Wind muttered, still out of sight. She trusted her senses; not being able to sense anything with her mind but being able to hear something had never happened to her before. Something was amiss.

She was the only one who knew how big it was. Things were very, very amiss.

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Shade smiled, satisfied. "They will never know what hit them. Even if they bring Wind they will never know what hit them."

Quicksilver half-smiled. "Of course. I laid the traps. Do you think they'd be able to get past them?" he answered cockily.

Cheetah hissed from the doorway. "You've failed many times, Quicksilver. I pray you don't fail again, for your sake."

Shade grinned wolfishly. "Don't worry, my dear. I made the plans. They're perfect. I know their weaknesses. They're not getting past it."

"They'll be dead?"

"Oh, yes."

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WS-Quite sorry. It's short. I only got to work on it and didn't want to keep you all waiting all that long. I know it's been a while, but I'm majorly busy.

Feel free to put constructive criticism. From now on I'm going to try and answer reviews individually if they have questions.