Disclaimer: Furor Paxx and VulgateOfEarth do not own the X-Men or any affiliates. All are the property of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc and its various affiliates and partners. Phoenix Malcolm, Haiden Malcolm and all irregular characters are the sole property of Furor Paxx and are being used with permission.
~~ Haiden, Lance and Logan ~~
"Whoa." Lance put out a hand to steady himself. One second he was about to be smushed and the next he felt like he had a killer hangover. Maybe that's all it was... he'd been drinking and had one of those creepy dreams.
"Don't do that again." a gruff voice growled a few feet away.
"My apologies. I had forgotten how much it hurts other people to teleport. Are you two okay?"
"Yeah. How 'bout you, kid?"
Lance sighed. So much for the hangover theory. "I'm as okay as I can possibly be. You think the others made it out?"
"Of course. The real question is what caused he earthquake to begin with."
"It wasn't me, I can tell you that for sure."
"Where are we?" Logan asked.
Haiden looked around. "I have no idea. I just tried to get us out of that tunnel."
Lance and Logan followed his gaze. They still were in a cave, but it was a lot bigger than the tunnels they had been in. There was an enourmous lake in the far corner and it glittered in the light that seemed to come out of the walls.
"I smell blood, but it ain't normal blood."
"I do too, but I can't get a lock on what it is. Not human in the slightest."
"Ah, I smell shit." Lance said, wrinkling his nose.
"Yes, there's that too."
"Okay, how do we get out?" Logan turned back to the other two and waited for sugestions.
"Well, we could follow those stairs and see where they lead." Lance said patronizingly.
"Stairs? Where?"
"There." Lance pointed to a small path that led to a stairway right up a steep cliff face. "It looks like it leads up. You know, the opposite of down."
"Shut yer trap, bub."
"Let's just go." Haiden interjected. "I don't have the patience for your bickering."
The path was only three feet wide and broken in some places. They had to jump over rocks and debris, even a skeleton one time, though what the creature had been was anyone's guess. As they walked, Haiden looked more closely at the walls.
"You were right, of course. It does get brighter the deeper down we go. My guess is that we'll break the surface in a little while. Do you see how the walls get dimmer and dimmer?"
"Yeah, but what's making it glow?" Lance asked, he had been thinking the same thing.
"Maybe something in the rock. Phosphorus of some such thing. I really should have paid more attantion in my geography and earth science classes. I doubt I'll ever get any sleep until I find out what this rock is."
"Get a sample or two to take with you. We're almost out, you can see the light from here." Lance pointed past Haiden to a glow that was a bit brighter than the rest of the cave.
"It's artificial light. There's someone else down here." Logan whispered and there was a soft snikt sound as his claws unsheathed.
"Great."
"Halt." A voice called from above them.
"How the Hell..." Haiden began.
"Speak your names and your purpose."
"Logan. This is Haiden and Lance. We're tryin' to find a way out of here."
There was a sudden flare of light and the three of them blinked their eyes to adjust to the brightness. THe light was actually a ball of light held by a man... who was floating in thin air.
Or rather, was flying. Every few seconds he would flap his great wings as he peered at the three humans.
"What creatures are you? How did you get here?"
"Well, I'd love to chat, but I'm kinda tired right now. Maybe if I got a bit more comfortable I'd be willing to talk." Logan eyed the winged man. His gut told him that the guy wasn't a mutant.
"Very well. You may continue forward. A guide will await you." The light was extinguished and a rushing sound marked the stranger's departure.
"Weird."
"Definitely."
"Let's go."
~~ Haiden, Lance and Logan ~~
"Whoa." Lance put out a hand to steady himself. One second he was about to be smushed and the next he felt like he had a killer hangover. Maybe that's all it was... he'd been drinking and had one of those creepy dreams.
"Don't do that again." a gruff voice growled a few feet away.
"My apologies. I had forgotten how much it hurts other people to teleport. Are you two okay?"
"Yeah. How 'bout you, kid?"
Lance sighed. So much for the hangover theory. "I'm as okay as I can possibly be. You think the others made it out?"
"Of course. The real question is what caused he earthquake to begin with."
"It wasn't me, I can tell you that for sure."
"Where are we?" Logan asked.
Haiden looked around. "I have no idea. I just tried to get us out of that tunnel."
Lance and Logan followed his gaze. They still were in a cave, but it was a lot bigger than the tunnels they had been in. There was an enourmous lake in the far corner and it glittered in the light that seemed to come out of the walls.
"I smell blood, but it ain't normal blood."
"I do too, but I can't get a lock on what it is. Not human in the slightest."
"Ah, I smell shit." Lance said, wrinkling his nose.
"Yes, there's that too."
"Okay, how do we get out?" Logan turned back to the other two and waited for sugestions.
"Well, we could follow those stairs and see where they lead." Lance said patronizingly.
"Stairs? Where?"
"There." Lance pointed to a small path that led to a stairway right up a steep cliff face. "It looks like it leads up. You know, the opposite of down."
"Shut yer trap, bub."
"Let's just go." Haiden interjected. "I don't have the patience for your bickering."
The path was only three feet wide and broken in some places. They had to jump over rocks and debris, even a skeleton one time, though what the creature had been was anyone's guess. As they walked, Haiden looked more closely at the walls.
"You were right, of course. It does get brighter the deeper down we go. My guess is that we'll break the surface in a little while. Do you see how the walls get dimmer and dimmer?"
"Yeah, but what's making it glow?" Lance asked, he had been thinking the same thing.
"Maybe something in the rock. Phosphorus of some such thing. I really should have paid more attantion in my geography and earth science classes. I doubt I'll ever get any sleep until I find out what this rock is."
"Get a sample or two to take with you. We're almost out, you can see the light from here." Lance pointed past Haiden to a glow that was a bit brighter than the rest of the cave.
"It's artificial light. There's someone else down here." Logan whispered and there was a soft snikt sound as his claws unsheathed.
"Great."
"Halt." A voice called from above them.
"How the Hell..." Haiden began.
"Speak your names and your purpose."
"Logan. This is Haiden and Lance. We're tryin' to find a way out of here."
There was a sudden flare of light and the three of them blinked their eyes to adjust to the brightness. THe light was actually a ball of light held by a man... who was floating in thin air.
Or rather, was flying. Every few seconds he would flap his great wings as he peered at the three humans.
"What creatures are you? How did you get here?"
"Well, I'd love to chat, but I'm kinda tired right now. Maybe if I got a bit more comfortable I'd be willing to talk." Logan eyed the winged man. His gut told him that the guy wasn't a mutant.
"Very well. You may continue forward. A guide will await you." The light was extinguished and a rushing sound marked the stranger's departure.
"Weird."
"Definitely."
"Let's go."