Chapter 6 – Dinner with Bullets
As soon as Emma sauntered into the lounge and declared that the food was ready, the dinner table quickly filled. Wine and water was passed around for the adults, while the youngsters had their soda. While Emma and Storm served themselves, the others seemed a little weary. Scott and Charles slowly served themselves, trying to eyeball the grade of the food they were about to eat.
"What is this?" Jubilee asked holding up something that looked a little like dog puke. "It smells….like chicken."
"Just eat it, Jubilee" Emma said with a sigh. Jubilee held up a spoonful of the mush and made a face.
"Look Frosty, I want to know what it is before I eat it" Jubilee quipped. Logan, who was sitting next to Jubilee, took a sniff.
"Eat it" Logan said. He covered Jubilee's hand with his and forced the pile of mushy stuff onto Jubilee's plate before scooping up a spoonful for himself.
Mack looked at the food before her. There was a brown soup, the mush in front of Jubilee, something that looked like boiled salad, a roasted chicken with currants that looked okay, biscuits, and a pile of red hard boiled eggs that smelled of pickling juice. Mack looked over at Sean. He didn't look too happy about dinner and had the same look as everyone else.
Emma and Storm were smiling and eating their food, as if to say that it was okay.
"Could someone get me a slice of chicken?" Mack asked. Logan took a swipe at the bird with his claws, stabbed the chunk of meat, and held it over Mack's plate until she took it. "Um…thanks."
"No problem kid" Logan replied. Mackenzie took a biscuit and a little of the mush that was in front of Jubilee, who had decided that she liked it.
"Why does this egg smell like vinegar?" Peter asked. He had an egg speared on his fork. He carefully smelled it.
"They're pickled eggs, Peter" Beast said with a smile. "And, I'll take two."
"Thank you Storm and Emma for tonight's dinner" Charles said once everyone had picked at the food. "Everything looks delicious." Paige started to choke on a biscuit. Kurt smacked her back and handed her water to her. She murmured a small sorry to the group and the professor continued. "I wanted to let you all know that the conference went exceptionally well and I believe we have made more progress with the mutant rights issues."
"That's excellent, Charles" Storm said sipping her wine.
"I also wanted to welcome Miss Burns to the mansion" Charles said. "While you are here to lend a helping hand, I hope we can return the favor at some point."
"Thanks, Professor" Mackenzie said. Charles smiled and gestured that everyone should be eating. Mackenzie cut a chunk of her chicken and shoved a piece in her mouth. Her eyes started to water, her mouth became dry, and all she could taste was salt. Mackenzie's mind raced over ideas on how to get rid of the offensive meat without making people angry.
"Mack? Hey, kid!" Logan said. Jubilee had seen her eat the meat and moved her own piece of chicken to the edge of her plate. Mackenzie's mind stopped and she looked over at Logan, making a small sound. "You okay?"
Mackenzie shook her head 'no' and decided that using her napkin was going to be safer then swallowing the meat. Logan chuckled.
"It's…a little…." Mackenzie said when a few others looked over at her. "Damn. Sorry, but it tasted like salt."
Peter laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke. Storm elbowed him in the ribs and frowned at Mackenzie. Mackenzie felt parched and grabbed her wine, downing most of the glass. She set down the glass and gave a small shiver.
/ Good going. / Sean said. He had just set down a biscuit. / Ye just swallow an' pretend its good. /
"Cassidy!" Emma said glaring at him. Sean smiled and looked confused. Emma just punched him in the arm.
"I like the chicken" Scott said with a forced smile.
"Excuse me" Remy said standing. Everyone whipped their heads to look at the Cajun. "Jus' goin' to de bathroom."
The expressions on most people's faces were jealous of the Cajun for coming up with the classic excuse. Remy walked out of the dining hall without looking back.
"So, I was wondering" Scott said in between bites of his egg. "Will you be training with us Mackenzie?"
"Training?" Mack asked. "For what?"
"I zink zat you should" Kurt said. "Look at vat happened ze other night."
/ Ay agree with him. / Sean said. Mackenzie ate a bite of the mush.
"Um……" Mackenzie said. The idea of training for whatever didn't seem too appealing at the moment.
/ Only fer self-defense purposes, lass. / Sean said.
"Self-defense purposes…?" Mack repeated out loud.
"Wonderful" Scott said. "We'll start tomorrow."
"Wait!" Mackenzie said. "What?"
"Do you know any kind of self-defense?" Emma asked. Sean shoved a bite of biscuit in his mouth and smiled at her, but she only rolled her eyes.
"Several" Mackenzie replied. She pushed the food around on her plate and set her fork down. The others waited for her to continue and Mackenzie did so. "Karate, wado ryu and shotokan styles; kick boxing; tai chi; and I am an excellent marksman."
"Dude, I don't think she needs training" Jubilee said. Mackenzie smirked.
"Jubes, everyone needs training" Paige said. Sean nudged Mackenzie with his foot.
Mackenzie glanced up at Sean and leaned forward. "I will train tomorrow and we'll see who needs training."
"Well, it wasn't really a challenge, but…" Scott said.
"Sounds like she wants a challenge" Logan piped in. Hank chuckled and Charles smiled.
"Fine, you're on" Scott replied. "We'll start at six."
"Not a problem" Mackenzie said with a smile. Jubilee and Paige were looking at her as if she were crazy. She leaned towards them and asked "What?"
"You don't know how Scott trains" Paige replied.
"Your ass is grass" Jubilee said. Mackenzie smiled and sat back.
"Time for a beer, Logan?" Mackenzie asked.
"Oh, I'd like one" Kurt said standing. Logan stood up and tossed his napkin on his plate. Sean stood with them, helping Mackenzie with her chair.
"You've barely touched your food" Storm said. Logan clapped a hand on her shoulder.
"I recommend ordering take-out next time, 'Ro" Logan said before leaving the dining room with the others.
Sean, Mackenzie, Logan, Kurt, and Gambit, who returned to the lounge once the cards were shuffled, stayed up until one am playing cards and drinking beer. Paige and Jubilee had come in and out of the lounge and had gone to bed near midnight.
"I'm out" Mackenzie said with a cigarette clenched between her lips. It was an old habit that usually sprouted its head when she drank. She put out the cigarette in the ash tray and stood up.
"Where you goin', petite?" Remy asked. Mackenzie smiled.
"If I'm going to kick Scott's ass tomorrow, I'll need at least a few hours of sleep" Mackenzie said. Mackenzie put her hand on Sean's shoulder. "You coming?"
Sean slipped his hand up to cover hers. / Ay'll be up fer a while, lass. Haven't been out with the boys in a while. /
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow" Mackenzie replied. Mack smiled at the others. "G'night."
Mackenzie left the mansion and started walking to Sean's cottage. An alarm sounded, stopping Mack in her tracks. She turned to look at the mansion and found a few flashing red lights. Mackenzie furrowed her brow and pushed the hood of her raincoat back from her face.
Mackenzie instinctively prepared herself for whatever was going on and raised her shields. She could see people running past the windows.
/ Sean// Mackenzie called to him.
/ Not now// Sean yelled at her. Mackenzie could sense his aggression and suddenly felt his mind black out. Mackenzie felt her jaw drop. Mackenzie let her shields drop as she ran towards the house.
Mackenzie slipped on the wet grass and fell forward, getting a mouthful of grass. She turned over and found her right heel had sunken into the soft grass.
/ Miss Burns! Stephen--// Professor Xavier yelled into her mind. Mackenzie flung her shoes off of her feet and stood up. The mansion behind her went dark. Mackenzie looked at the house, which was achingly quiet. Scanning the area, Mackenzie could tell that a few people were upstairs, a few were unconscious, and few didn't know where they needed to be.
Mackenzie took a step back when the kitchen patio door was flung open. She saw a blur before it stopped and Kyle appeared beside her.
"Kyle?" Mackenzie said. "What's going on?"
"I don't know" Kyle said. "I saw you standing out here. Those alarms are bad. I don't know what's going on though."
"I need you to do something for me" Mackenzie said. She frowned when she thought of what the others would say about what she was about to do. "I need you to be as fast as you can. You know where I'm staying? You know what room?"
"Yeah" Kyle said. His eyes grew wide and he had a small smirk.
"I need you to go into my room and retrieve my gun. Don't take it out of its case. Just bring the whole thing to me" Mackenzie said. "My nightstand. In the cigar box. Go."
Kyle sped off in a blur. Mackenzie felt the heavy presence of a blank mind coming closer to her. Mackenzie took off her rain coat and threw it to the side. She looked around and decided to head into the woods.
Mackenzie ran across the wet grass soundlessly. The presence became stronger and she ran faster. 'Where are the others?' Mackenzie thought to herself. She ran behind a large tree trunk and looked out at the expansive yard. Emergency lights had come on, lighting only minimal areas outside and inside. Below one of the lights, Mackenzie spotted Stephen. He was casually walking around with his claws out.
/ Kyle, stay in the house. / Mackenzie called to the young boy. Mackenzie looked around and found a large rock. She picked it up and hurled it towards Stephen. It hit him square in the shoulder and only made him stumble slightly.
"Shit" Mackenzie whispered harshly. Mackenzie edged closer to the cottage, which was still a ways away.
/ Kyle, I'm near a birdfeeder. / Mackenzie said.
/ Okay, I'm coming// Kyle said quickly. In a blur of color, he was standing near the birdfeeder, seemingly oblivious to Stephen. He harshly whispered "Mackenzie!"
Mackenzie hit herself and ran out to him, taking her gun. "Go hide Kyle."
"But you could use my help" Kyle said. Mackenzie looked at the oncoming figure. She pulled the gun out of its sheath and checked it to make sure it was loaded. She took off the safety.
"Kyle?" Mackenzie said. She glanced over at him and found him wiping water from his face. "Kyle, at least get into the woods."
"Fine" Kyle said moving into the woods. Mackenzie looked back to where Stephen had been and found that he was gone.
"Stephen!" Mackenzie called. She dropped the tip of her gun and started to move out in the open. She blinked the rain from her eyes and looked at the dark lawn. She could only hear the rain and thunder.
Mackenzie turned around and caught a sliver of light against Stephen's pale skin. She raised her gun and fired twice. She watched as Stephen fell to the ground. She carefully approached Stephen with her gun targeted on him.
Stephen was on his back. Mackenzie couldn't tell where she had hit him, but she saw his hands moving.
"Stephen?" Mackenzie called. Stephen rolled over and pushed himself up to his knees. Mackenzie stopped and kept the gun on him. "Stop." Stephen looked at her, his eyes glowing red. "Stephen, I want you to leave."
Stephen laughed and slowly pushed himself up.
"I'm not leaving until you're dead" Stephen said.
"I'm not going to be the dead one" Mackenzie replied. Mackenzie started to pull the trigger. Before the gun could go off, Stephen lashed out, knocking the gun away from him and slashing at Mackenzie's stomach. Mackenzie cried out and moved back. Stephen took her brief pause to punch her.
Mackenzie fell to the ground. She looked up in time to see Stephen leap into the air. Mackenzie rolled away before Stephen could sink his claws into her. In a swift movement she kicked him in the face and quickly stood up.
Mackenzie brought her gun back up and aimed at him. She pulled the trigger twice, hitting Stephen both times in the chest. Mackenzie watched as Stephen stumbled, then fell backwards.
Mackenzie moved towards the mansion. She pushed past the gate that surrounded the pool, which was now covered. She carefully padded around the large pool and stopped when she felt Stephen's presence again.
Slowly turning around, she cried out when her gun was ripped away from her. Stephen stood before, eyes still glowing. Mackenzie blocked his quick punch and moved to deliver her own punch. Stephen stumbled backwards as her fist made contact. He retaliated by knocking her feet out from underneath her.
There was a brief flash of color near the door to the kitchen. Mackenzie caught it briefly before being hauled up by her shirt. She grabbed onto Stephen's fists and swung her feet up into his chest, knocking both of them down. They both stood up and faced each other.
"You should be dead!" Mackenzie yelled over a roll of thunder.
"Ten times over, babe" Stephen said. They both threw punches and kicks until they both had each other by fists. Stephen moved awkwardly and they both fell into the tarp covered pool.
The tarp fell around them like a bag with all the air sucked from it. Mackenzie scratched at the tarp. She could feel the bottom of the pool with her foot. She could also feel Stephen struggling to slice the tarp.
Air was leaving Mackenzie's lungs as she struggled. She tried using her shields, but found that she still couldn't breathe. Then, suddenly, Mackenzie felt water on her face and someone pulling her out of the water by her arms.
Mackenzie took a breath as soon as she possibly could. She moved so she was on her hands and knees, coughing, but breathing. She looked up to see Kyle kneeling by her and Logan standing with his claws out.
"Are you okay?" Kyle asked.
"Fine" Mackenzie said in one breath. She moved to stand up and watched as Stephen dragged himself from the pool.
"Okay bub, why don't ya try pickin' on someone yer own size?" Logan growled. Stephen coughed once and stood up. His claws came out.
"Bring it on" Stephen replied. Logan charged at the man in black.
"Where's the power source?" Mackenzie asked Kyle.
"I…I don't know" Kyle said. "I think its somewhere by the medical lab."
"Let's go turn on the power" Mackenzie said. Kyle grabbed her arm.
"There's gas or something in there" Kyle replied. "Everyone's out!"
"There's a ventilation system, right?" Mackenzie said.
"I'll show you" Kyle said. Mackenzie formed a force field bubble around them.
/ Logan, we're going to see if we can clear out the mansion. / Mackenzie told him. He didn't respond back, but the fierce sounds he made were enough. Mackenzie and Kyle ran to the ventilation system.
The room was next to the medical lab. There were four large canisters that were marked with gas stickers. The lids were on the floor.
"Hold your breath. We need to get those lids on the canisters and turn on the air" Mackenzie said.
"Look" Kyle said pointing to a small red box on the wall. It simply said 'Oxygen Mask'.
"Good" Mackenzie said. "Put it on."
They both took deep breaths and Mack dropped her shields. Mackenzie hurried to get the lids on the canisters. Kyle put on the mask and quickly helped her. He took a deep breath and gave the mask to Mack. Mack looked at the ventilation system and moved a heavy lever that was labeled on/off, and was currently in the off position.
A deep rumble was heard as the blowers came on.
"Go outside Kyle" Mack said. "I'll try to get the electricity back on."
He nodded and ran out as fast as he could. Mackenzie ran out into the hallway and started to open all the doors that she could. Most were locked. Near the end of the hallway, she found a small closet that held a mop sink, cleaning supplies, and the electrical box.
Mackenzie flipped all the switches and the lights started to come back on. Feeling proud of herself, she quickly ran back upstairs and into the lounge. Sean, Remy, and Kurt were on the floor. Sean looked like he had stood up and had fallen face first on the floor. The other two looked like they had fallen from their chairs.
Mackenzie opened all the windows letting the cool rainy breeze in. She knelt by Sean and slapped his cheeks.
/ Sean, wake up// Mackenzie said to him. She could feel him trying to think coherently. / Sean// She looked over at Remy. / Remy//
/ Remy….sleepy. / He called back to her.
/ Get off your ass, LeBeau// Mackenzie said moving to him. / I need your help//
Remy let out a moan and moved his head. Mackenzie moved to help him up. She took off her gas mask and placed it over his head. She pulled his arm around her neck and led him through the kitchen, outside. She pulled the mask from him and let him breathe the fresh air.
"Oh….what happened?" Remy asked.
"Stephen is what happened" Mackenzie said moving him so he was leaning against the side of the mansion. "Look, Logan is out there fighting him."
Remy looked at Mackenzie, taking deep breaths. "Why you soaked?"
"I'll tell you later" Mackenzie said. "Right now, we have a house full of people who just breathed in some kind of gas. I don't know what kind it was, but it was enough to knock you guys out. The only one who didn't get a lung full was Kyle."
A light came on upstairs. Mackenzie looked up, Remy followed her gaze.
"I'll go see who it is" Mackenzie said. She took the gas mask and put it back on. She ran back in the house and up to the second floor. She heard groaning from a room down the hall that had a picture of a half naked guy on the door. Mackenzie noted that it was Jubilee's room and opened the door. "Jubilee?"
"What?" Jubilee asked shoving her window open. She was in her pajamas and had a bloody nose. Mackenzie moved towards her.
"You should go outside with Remy" Mack said. "Logan is somewhere outside. I'll check on the others."
There was a howl from outside. Both girls gasped.
"Logan's fine" Mack said after quickly reaching out with her mind. Jubilee threw on a robe and went downstairs after giving her reply of "duh!".
It took an hour to get everyone either awake or in a bed. Logan had returned to the mansion claiming that Stephen would never bother them again. Peter, after waking, helped carry Sean back to the cottage with Mackenzie.
Kyle ran after them and slowed so he was walking beside Mackenzie.
"Can you believe it!" Kyle said excitedly. "We stopped them!"
"You did a good job, Kyle" Mackenzie said. Peter looked over at Mackenzie. "But, I wouldn't get ahead of your self."
"Can you show me that move you did when you blocked his two punches and kicked him in the chest?" Kyle asked. "I'd be really good because I'm fast!"
"Go to bed Kyle" Mackenzie said. "We'll discuss it in the morning, okay?"
"Yeah" Kyle said. "Okay."
"Good night" Mackenzie said opening the cottage door. Peter went in with Sean in his arms.
"Good night" Kyle called back before running back to the mansion.