A/N

Hey! Another chapter up, and my longest yet, pulling in at a complete nine pages. I like how it came out. Sorry about the wait, college started and I had to put homework first.

Shadows cast eerie shapes on the wall as I got dressed for the road ahead. My black pants, comfortably fit on my skinny legs, blended into them. My black jacket obscured everything about me by being just loose and bulky enough that no one could tell if I was a girl or a boy. Not that I had much to worry about in that department, really. If I had a skintight suit maybe it would have been easier to tell, but skintight suits don't help when you need to move fast and be on top of things. They tended to constrict movement.

Jaakeni's little gift were next to come on. I may be set out to betray him, but these gloves were still useful. I put them on and pulled my sleeves down. My socks and sneakers next, very much coordinated with the rest of my outfit.

Lastly…the mask.

Before when I looked at the mask, it was coldly indifferent. No eyes, no nose, no true mouth, just a few tiny holes to let air through…now, it seemed pitiful. It was a testament to a life I was about to leave behind. A statement.

Look here now, at me, to which no emotion came, and none was given.

I put it on. I had to use it for now. Later, I would smash the damn thing.

I swept my hair back with the palm of my hand, careful not to scratch myself. I pulled the hood on and closed my eyes behind the mask.

The world entirely through animal eyes was bizarre even to me, even though I had spent years watching it. I'm sure anyone else would have broken down it the fractured images and confusing information. I was so used to it by now, the time lag that usually came from sending and receiving images had dropped to milliseconds.

I left the hotel room, leaving a small amount of money for tip. I slung my backpack on my back and took off at a dead run. I had miles to go and only a few precious hours until daylight.

Night was my perfect ally. During the daytime, people usually wonder 'what's the deal with that guy in black and the mask?' and that tends to mess up the whole element of surprise thing. At Night, these people are asleep or halfway there and not prone to see black on black.

Though they have been prone to see floating white masks, which made for some interesting gossip over time.

The only bad thing about night is that most creatures I used to gather information were daytime creatures. As such, my bluejay was asleep, and I was having to direct other animals to narrow down the position of the Ghallian.

Damn him for moving. Some creatures should just stay put.

"Unbelievable." Xavier checked through the files again. There was no mistaking it.

Some powerful psychic influence had popped up overnight. There were different streams of psychic energy flowing across cerebro's screens.

Disturbed by the recent events of the last few days, he began tweaking Cerebro to show different signatures. One was of the strange psychic surge he felt just two days prior, of the intruders in the museum. Another was the mutants, ones he knew and those he didn't, still coming of their own in their mutations. Another was humans, which seemed to be relatively quiet, and the last signature was the underlying murmer of the earth, the last bit of the world after one took away the intruders, the humans, and the mutants. It was this one that had him so occupied.

Over the course of a few hours, Cerebro detected an intense wave that started in a single point and radiated in all directions. As that dissipated, small offshoots like clouds across the globe formed, then disappeared. Only a few pinpoints of psychic energy stayed for any real period of time, until they too disappeared.

Except for one.

He checked the current records Cerebro held. The spot was still there, but it had spread ever so slightly.

He steepled his fingers and took a deep breath.

What was the strange energy that had appeared? Were they friend or foe? Were they mutant, or some intruder? Why did it appear to be searching for something? Did the lingering energy on that one particular spot mean they had found what they were searching for? What was it?

He glanced at the clock. It was two forty-five in the morning.

If he remembered correctly, there was no school today.

I clung to the side of the building and hauled myself up. Forty miles is a long way to cling to the top of a car.

I hid behind an old air conditioner while sorting myself out. The Ghallian was blocks away, and seemed to be acting bored.

I had a quick check of the area. Some other Ghallians were wandering around a warehouse, but all of them seemed pretty aimless.

What were they doing here? Obviously they had some job. Maybe it was just guard duty? But if so, then what did they guard?

The Ghallian was standing on a rooftop overlooking the warehouse. He was obviously playing sentry.

As I watched, he seemed to stir to life and look around, then slowly turn to look over his shoulder.

I wondered for a minute what he could be looking at. I took a quick glance across his line of vision and-

He was looking in my direction.

Then it hit me. I knew who this particular Ghallian was. He was the leader of the squad that chased me when I had the scales. The one I slammed the pole into.

Suddenly the negotiations seemed to take a downhill slide. No way was he going to make a deal with the one that smashed a pole through his shoulder.

The Ghallian waved his arm in a cutting motion and pointed. I jerked and prepared to run, but stopped when a cat showed me which way the other Ghallians were running.

They were running the wrong way. They were running to the far edge of town, leaving the Ghallian alone on the rooftop. I watched, fascinated, as he began looking in my direction again. He turned away from the warehouse and started walking towards me.

I hopped away from the conditioner. He was a few blocks away, I could still get to a good hiding place to watch him. I jumped off the roof and landed on all fours. I climbed the fire escape of the next building and hid under the jutting stone skirting of the roof. To see me he'd either have to be looking hard from the other building or bend over the side of the roof. The latter would get him a face full of metal, courtesy of claws.

I wedged myself carefully under the skirting so I could leap away if there was danger. The Ghallian was roof hopping, and was only a building away. I watched carefully as the nightbirds sent me an image of him catching himself on the side of the roof opposite from me and climb on with care. The roof was sloped, and the night made it cold and a little slippery.

I strained my ears to listen, but the only thing I heard was the cawing of one nightbird as it winged above. It was amazing. I could see him move with the help of the birds, but he was so silent, I couldn't hear him at all.

He stopped a moment at the top of the sloped roof. He was looking around, the helmet slightly bowed so a shadow fell across his features.

"I can't see you, but I know you're there. Come out."

I almost jumped. He had spoken, and if I wasn't a mutant with animal telekinesis I'd have said it was a ghost.

I stayed still for a moment until he moved his gaze to the direction he'd come from, then I grabbed the edge of the skirting and swung myself up, slamming my left hand into the roof to catch myself.

He jerked back around and saw me, sitting there with my claws halfway through the roof.

I pulled my claws out with a little difficulty and stood up. We sized each other up, him with his own eyes and me with information from the animals.

"You must be the witch. We haven't been formally introduced, but we've met." He flexed his shoulder a bit.

I nodded my head.

He stepped towards me. I moved away. We began to circle each other.

"I don't suppose you'd tell me why it is the witch of the human world is playing this game? Coming to see me, not running and disappearing before I can even arrive?"

I said nothing. Obviously, he was curious. Maybe if he kept on talking I could figure out how he always seemed to know where I was, or even better, a weak spot to exploit.

Perhaps he's thinking the same thing about me. I had to be on guard.

"Perhaps you've come to see me and surrender?" He asked.

I snorted derisively under the mask.

"I see. Then, perhaps, the witch is more intelligent than she looks." He said slowly. "Perhaps the witch is here to strike a deal."

I almost stopped but managed to keep up the circling. Was I really that transparent? Or, dare I think it, he was hoping to strike a deal of his own?

"Stop." He said suddenly. He stayed in his position and I didn't take another step. We were at a standoff.

Then he gestured to me. "Take off your mask. I'll take off this helmet. I want to see your face."

I made a quick gesture. 'You first'.

He pulled off the helmet and I found myself amazed.

He didn't seem to be much older than me, that age of just hitting the twenties. His eyes reflected the moon for a half second and I swore the pupils were of a darker blue, not black. His eyes were blue, and had a spark of intelligence in them that I hadn't seen in any of the Ghallian soldiers, or any of Jaakeni's human followers for that matter. Though it was dark, I could tell his hair was blonde, not the striking sun color or a straw color or even the color of gold like all the romantic novels would say, but the kind of blonde that you see on the dolls of a convenience store, the one not so special. The only thing about it was his hair seemed to spike if you looked at it just right. He was only a little taller than I was.

He looked so human, almost.

He rose an eyebrow at me and imitated the gesture I'd given him earlier.

I reached my claws up started to pull off the mask. Before it came off, I checked for the other Ghallians. They were tearing around downtown. Satisfied they weren't around, I pulled it off all the way, opened my eyes, and swept back the hood.

He studied my face for a few moments. I was getting uncomfortable. As far as I knew, he'd use this moment to make my life a living hell. It was a big jump of faith for me.

"You're not as pretty as the others Jaakeni has used." He mused, stepping forward and leaning in.

"Excuse me?" I deadpanned, standing my ground. "Just who do you think you're talking to?"

"The witch of the human world, most likely." He said, not breaking stride. "But don't take it personally."

I snorted. "I'll try not to."

"So, Witch, whatever is it that you desired my company for?"

"What makes you think I desire anything when it comes to you?" I countered swiftly.

"Well…Allow me to make a scenario. Human Witch can do things that frighten Ghallians because she appears in the oddest of places, always manages to get away without getting caught, always steals away the prize. She is known for her ability to get out of situations by appearing omniscient…she always seems to know where the enemy lies. Now imagine…she appears just inside the range of a Farseeker, blatantly doesn't move, doesn't run when said Farseeker comes after her and stops to talk with said creature, even removing her witchy mask. She must be there for a special reason. In war, creatures of opposite sides meet for one reason. Peace. A fight. Or a deal." He watched me carefully after the explanation was over.

I kept my poker face. He definitely was not as stupid as some of the other troops I'd heard talking. He was very smart, and he had guessed my intentions.

And yet, he wasn't attacking. He wasn't outright denying me anything.

He must want something from me.

Maybe he needs this deal as much as I do.

Time to take the plunge.

"Perhaps…the Ghallian has something pressing on his mind? Something that would make it worth his while to enter a deal with me?" I asked.

I watched as he slowly grinned. It was more predatory than nice. "Yes, actually. Maybe we should drop the little performance and get down to, as they say here, brass tacks?"

I nodded. "Very well. Let's just get one thing straight. I trust you only as far as the deal may go."

"Agreed, Witch."

"I'm looking for a way to save my world from Ghallia and Jaakeni. I need help finding a way to use the artifacts against them, to stop them from coming through."

"And you'll use your newfound powers to take over my world instead, is that it?"

"No. I could care less what happens to your world. I don't give a damn if Jaakeni triumphs and all that over your side or vice versa. And I don't want to start a three way war. I'd rather everyone stay where they were supposed to stay. And that, Ghallian, is the cold hard truth."

"Really?" He said, with no real trace of amusement.

I nodded.

"They say honesty is a virtue but you use it like a weapon. I have to say that you are nothing like I would have imagined."

"Don't patronize me. What is it you want that would make you want a deal? Or have I already shot it down?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I have a solution to your problem. I do know a bit about the 'artifacts' and what they do. That I can help with. But if I help you, I'll be a traitor to my own kind, and there will be a very, very good chance they'd torture me and kill me."

"So get to the point."

"So I want sanctuary."

"Sanctuary." I pondered it for a minute. "You want protection? From what? I can't hold off an army by myself you know."

"I know. Not even Witches are all-powerful. What I mean is that when I help you close the gates linking the worlds, you let me stay on this side. Once it's all over, I leave you and you aren't allowed to harm me."

"Why would you forsake your own side?" I asked sharply.

"That's my own business. Do we have a deal?"

"Should this be in writing?"

"Only if you want someone to find the contract. It's not usually a good idea to leave a paper trail if no magic is involved."

"Agreed. But this is a partnership of convenience. We work together, but we don't have to like each other."

"Alright."

"Oh, and, one more thing."

"What?"

"How do I know that you won't try to pull a fast one and try to take over my world?"

"I'm selfish. I have no wish to devote my time to creatures I don't care about." He said simply. "And that, Witch, is the cold hard truth."

"I can see we'll get along famously." I said holding out my hand. "I'll let you stay, but only if you help me stop them. If at any time you endeavor to stab me in the back, I will kill you."

"Understood." He grabbed my hand and shook on it. "Shall we go before the others discover I've gone?"

"That's a good id—"

WHOOSH!

I stumbled as the birds sent jumbled images of a craft flying directly over us.

I pulled myself together and looked up. What I saw made the mask slip from my hands and shatter on the ground.

The X-men's jet.

The door open and some mutants had begun to fly out. Then the X-jet lost altitude and I was looking into the windows at the pilot.

Professor Charles Xavier.

And me without my mask.

I saw the surprise light up his face and I swore loudly.

"DAMNIT! Let's go! We have to get out before they catch us! Jump!" I pulled him to the side of the roof and leapt down into the alleyway. I pulled him away to the street on the other side and we ran.

I closed one eye. The red head Jean was closing in on us. I gave the night birds a few images and they dive bombed her, effectively making her break off pursuit. Another one, a younger girl, was trying to move in front of us. When she got there, I grabbed the Ghallian and pulled him into another street as fire bolts started pouring down.

The X-jet roared into the air above us, skimming above the light poles and electrical lines.

Suddenly the Ghallian grabbed my arm and ran into a side street.

"What are you doing?" I yelled over the roar of the engines.

"I have an idea!"

"What is it?" I asked as he pulled me into an alleyway and hid us behind a dumpster.

"We hide."

"They saw us come in here!"

"True." Then he pointed at figures squirreling across the roof of a building across the street we'd just run from. "But they didn't."

I closed my eyes and watched as one Ghallian threw itself onto the plane and began banging on the metal. A few more jumped on the wings. From my aerial view I realized why they were attacking.

We had ended up next to the warehouse. They were guarding the warehouse!

The Ghallian grabbed my arm and pulled me away. "Let's get out of here before they figure out what happening."

"Right."

We hurried away as the sounds of fighting grew louder and louder. Soon there would be sirens and policemen and groups of mutants and Ghallians alike beating hasty retreats.

After would be the inevitable throwing away of the cell phone and the little glowing orb, the former because Xavier would try to track me down. I would lose my link to my parents, but right now it was necessary.

But now there was the Ghallian and I, running away, snagging a car someone had left running, getting out of town with our heads intact, and wondering how far the gas would take us.

"What's your name, anyway?" I asked as the speedometer hit sixty and kept climbing.

"Dexaniaroth. Dex for short."

"I'm Danielle. Danny for short."

Then the car hit eighty and we were long gone.

PrincessofWildfire:Yeah, I know. This chapter may seem a bit rushed too, sorry. I'm working on it. Glad you liked the voice. Sorry it took me so long, Hope you liked the chapter!

Please leave your reviews on the way out!