THE RETURN OF SPIDER-X

CHAPTER 33: REGROUPING

It had been a crazy couple of hours as they had to once more shake the authorities as they would most likely going through the entire mansion and no doubt they would find the lower levels as well which would just leave to even more questions. Questions that they wouldn't be able to answer of course but they had more immediate concerns and that was first finding a place to set down and then to find out who sent Deadpool and those robots.

They finally found a place to set down in a forested area it would have to do for now as they found a cave to help to set up there. They also put on a camouflage net that were stored in each craft over both vehicles as it would help to hide them from the air.

By now people were set up either in the X-Jet or in the cave since there was limited room. Although it was getting late they had set up a campfire as they were sitting around it all of them tired and beaten and no one had a clue what to do.

Hank would start analyzing the wreckage that he managed to salvage before they had to leave for any clues. Everyone was glad to see Wanda back at least she was the one piece of great news they had all day. Although now they were missing several others so it was a bittersweet moment as they sat around.

May was there with an arm around Spyder although if it was to support her or for Spyder to support May no one was sure. Jamie was next to her holding her hand and she was holding it tightly as well.

Logan sighed looking at Wanda, "Well I might as well be the one to ask, how the hell did you survive and get back to the mansion?"

Wanda shrugged, "Yeah I guess it is my turn to tell you guys what happened."

-Flashback-

Wanda was staring up at the debris that was falling down on top of her it was like time was slowing down. Her mind was racing as many thoughts were going through her head and she knew she just knew that she was going to die.

She couldn't get her hands up in time to use her powers and even if she did there was just too much there coming down on top of her. It was strange that she knew that there was nothing to stop it she heard the others and just when it was about to hit she was jerked from her spot.

The wind was nearly knocked out of her as everything became a blur and for a moment Wanda wondered if she had died and was on her way to the afterlife. But then the blurring slowed and she started to make out shapes as the pressure from her speed started to decrease as well.

Wanda felt herself being carried as well and when they finally stopped her legs finally hit the ground knowing what had to have happened. She turned around quickly and stood face to face with someone she wasn't looking forward to seeing again. "Pietro! What the hell was that?"

He rolled his eyes and crossed his chest, "Is that the thanks I get for saving your life?"

She glared at him and she wanted to hate him although she was still pissed as hell at him though. She had festered those feelings for years and if he thought one little act would make it all okay well he was wrong. But she knew that if not for him she would most likely have been killed in that.

She took a calming breath as she tried to move past those emotions like Xavier had been trying to teach her. "Okay…Thank you for that, I do admit that you saved me. Now take me back."

She looked around and wasn't even sure where they hell they were. It wasn't even in the city because she could see it in the distance and the smell told her it was country land at the moment. At least that was what she got from the large open spaces with nothing and the smells in the air.

Pietro looked at her like she was nuts, "Wanda you were nearly killed! And for what huh? Those geeks nearly got you killed out there today and you want to go back to them?"

"Well at least they never lied to me Pietro," She said harshly to him and she noticed him flinch a bit.

"Okay I'm sorry about that but you would have gone ballistic if you knew the truth."

"It wasn't just that Pietro what about Max huh? Mystique sure as hell didn't know what was going on and no one else wasn't helping her out except me and Lance. God, it's no wonder I left at least at Xavier's crap like that doesn't go on."

"Look I know there were mistakes and Max is a major jerk you won't get me denying that and that was a crappy thing of him to do. But it wasn't all bad we had fun and we were together again."

"Yeah after you and father dumped me."

"Well what the hell was I supposed to do huh? I was just a kid you know there was nothing I could have done. Hell I kept having nightmares that I would be next although later on he just dumped me too." He sighed rubbing his head it wasn't like he wanted to leave her there. Hell he wanted her to stay but what could he do against his own father?

"Plus it wasn't like I knew where you were either, what was I supposed to do look up creepy nuthouses in the phone book? By the time I was old enough I didn't know where that place was I didn't even as a kid since it was storming out and how we always moved around."

"Tell me just what was I supposed to do?"

Wanda wanted to say something about that, that there had been something he could have done but with how he said it she couldn't think of something. She didn't want to admit it at least not now. Maybe she shouldn't have hated him all this time but at the moment she couldn't afford to think about this.

"Pietro…We can talk another time but I do appreciate you saving me I have to get back there."

"Why?"

"Because I chose to go on that mission with them, because father is there and I need to face him and because…They're my friends and they need me." She stood up to him staring him in the eye. He argued against it still and she refused to give in it wasn't until she threaten to hex him and walk all the way back when he finally decided to take her back.

So once again Wanda felt the rush of the wind as her brother carried her off to the battlefield. And for a moment she wasn't sure what to think of him, she didn't like the Brotherhood and what it stood for. Her father was wrong about a lot of things and even though she wasn't sure about Xavier's dream she felt that she was better off at the mansion.

At least there it felt more like a home and family which was why she had to get back, she was worried for the others but by the time they got back it was over. They stopped in an alley as Wanda looked at the wreckage of the Sentinel or what was left of it. She looked around seeing no sign of the others and was thankful there wasn't.

There were soldiers and police blocking off the area as they looked at the wreckage of the street and of the giant machine. Reporters were already around as well not to mention a very large group of people watching on as well.

"So now what?" Pietro said impatiently to her.

Wanda sighed hoping that they were heading back if not maybe the others knew where they were. "I need to get back to the mansion Pietro."

-Present-

"After a little more convincing he dropped me off in the wooded area just as you guys were being attacked by those spider things and that freak in the red and black too," Wanda was finishing up her story filling them all in.

"Well I never thought I'd say this but I'm glad Pietro was around," Lance said as he had an arm around Kitty. She had been awkwardly quiet lately and he was a bit worried about her since he had never known her to be so quiet.

Kitty was just too tired physically and emotionally tired at the moment. After everything she just didn't know what to think. There was so much that had happened and they had not only lost a few more members, but their home and her parents were most likely worried sick about her as well. Then how would they deal with all of this?

At the moment she just wanted to go to sleep although she was afraid to as well. It seemed everything that could go wrong had today and she was afraid if she did something else would happen.

Ororo looked around seeing the faces of everyone there it had been the longest day of most of their lives. They would have to figure out a way to contact the parents soon as well her sister would be going out of her mind with worry about her and Evan. Then there were all the others as well.

She looked to May and her heart went out to the older woman, the only family she had left was taken although she was taking it remarkably well but Ororo knew it was just a front and that inside May was only just barely holding it together.

"I think it's time we all got some sleep or tried to, it's been a very long and trying day and we have a lot to do." Ororo stated as she stood up. There were a few nods of agreement as many of them shuffled off to the back of the X-Jet that they had set up or the cave.

Rogue was looking up at the stars she wasn't sure if she could sleep even if she wanted to. All she did was keep seeing Peter being carried off like that over and over in her mind. Even with her new strength she couldn't save him. It was killing her inside that she couldn't have done something she wanted to scream her lungs out.

She was sitting on the ground holding her knees to her chest just resting. She looked at the glow of the fire just staring into it as she kept wondering at what she could have done differently. Rogue hadn't felt this lost since her powers showed up and now it was just all gone so wrong.

The damn thing was when she got like this it was usually Peter that would try and make her laugh or cheer her up. She looked to see Scott there and she knew how he felt, but she was in no shape to help him out she felt like hell herself. She just started at the fire feeling a stinging sensation in her eyes she brought a hand up to it and felt a tear.

She hated showing weakness like that but the fact was she was hurting and all she wanted was to just bury her face into Peter's chest, to have his hand stroking her hair and him trying to comfort her with some joke or something. Then she felt a blanket being draped over her shoulders and looked up to see Kurt there as he sat down.

"Thanks." She said softly.

"Any time sis," He said to her sitting down next to her.

She actually felt a bit better when he called her that if she ever needed a brother now was the time. She leaned a bit to him and Kurt wrapped an arm around her shoulder as she leaned her head against him. "Aren't ya going to get cold?"

"Don't need it got zhe fur remember?" He smiled a bit and even she managed a small smile. He held her close knowing how much she could use someone at the moment. He was worried about a lot of things like everyone but he was also worried about Amanda. She would know what happened today and would be worried sick.

He looked down at her as he held his sister for comfort it was odd normally she was so strong and now she wasn't. It was odd seeing her like this as well and he hoped they could get them all back soon.

A few others weren't so tired such as May who gently told Spyder to go and get some sleep and Jamie made sure that she would get it as he went with her. Jamie held her hand as they moved into the back of the X-Jet. There were a few already there in sleeping bags in the larger back area of the jet.

He saw Amara and Jubilee were already asleep along with Ray. There were a few more empty spaces as they made their way to the empty ones. Spyder already slipped into one and she just felt numb. She had lost her uncle her only family and now she lost the closest thing she had to a brother in the world.

She closed her eyes not wanting to cry but she felt them anyway she bit her lip and the next time she breathed in through her nose there was the sniffling sound as her shoulders shook a bit. She felt like she couldn't have done anything, that her powers were just useless. She was totally powerless to help because her powers had been useless in that fight.

Jamie was next to her and heard her he hated seeing her like this. He turned around and reached out touching her shoulder. "Ollie?" He called out softly to her. The next he knew she had turned around and buried her face into his body. He was surprised by this but wrapped an arm around her holding her close.

He had wanted to get closer to her but not like this but he would still help her out not matter what his feelings towards her she would always be his best friend. "It will be okay we'll find them all and get them back."

"Do…Do you think so?"

"Yeah I mean we have to and we won't give up." He told her gently as he held her through the night.

-Oscorp Facility-

Norman Osborn was walking the halls of the facility in New York area it was just outside of the city so it would take some time to get here at least not if he didn't take the company helicopter and he did since he couldn't wait for the results.

He had gotten a report from Deadpool and the loss of a Spider Slayer was a major setback and the fact it could be traced back to Oscorp wasn't good at all. He would have to hurry and cover his ass soon because as soon as someone found a few parts that were only made from Oscorp he'd have to make a fake paper trail that those parts were stolen or bought by another person.

Either way he would have to do that soon already the authorities had shut off the area. He remembered reading that front page spread of the Daily Bugle that simply read 'Monsters Among Us!' He had to admit that Jameson person knew how to sell papers.

The President already called for a curfew and people were already scared apparently the world was changing fast. Soon after people got over the shock they would see the benefit to mutants. Hell that little show of Trask's would help him out it was like free advertising.

If he could figure out how mutants worked and then implant powers into normal people it would make him billions. Hell there were governments that had been trying to make super soldiers like the legendary Captain America for years and he could have the key for that already.

There were many that would pay to have the ability to turn their troops into a super powered one man army.

When he entered a large room with several human sized tubes filled with a strange liquid. In them floated several forms those of Xavier, Jean Grey, Peter Parker and Tabitha Smith. All of them had been stripped of their clothing down to the underwear at the moment with a breathing apparatus over their faces and a few tubes in their arms.

The nutrient flow would help keep them alive and nourished while a sedative kept them unconscious. For the past two days Professor Miles Warren and Dr. Nathanial Essex had been working over the DNA that they had taken from the samples and the two men looked like they hadn't slept at all.

They were in a large area that held computer terminals with a board with bits of biological analysis written onto it in different hand writings. There was a room that was sealed off with see through walls where the DNA samples were most likely experimented and studied in a contained environment to prevent contamination to the samples.

Both men were already looking through the results of a machine that was printing out something important by the way they were looking it over. "Gentlemen I've come a long way so please tell me that you got something for me."

Miles Warren a brown haired man with a mustache and glasses was smiling at first he had been kind of put off by having these people in the tubes but the data he had seen was unlike anything he had ever thought about. He knew that Essex was the man taken in for this extra gene that was in short amazing.

His job was to replicate it given his profession in cloning even Dr. Essex seemed interesting in his line of work and the data they had gather together was revolutionary to say the least. "Mr. Osborn I'm telling you that this is some amazing stuff."

"Yes some very good samples," Essex said nodding looking at the people in the glass, "The brain scans of the two with mental powers is a very unique chance to see the relationship between genetic and physical makeup. But there is one very interesting factor about one of them."

"Oh? What exactly is that?" Norman asked him as they led him to Peter's tube. He looked at the boy hard to believe he had met him all those times and yet never knew this secret of his. He smiled at the thought of how he just fell into his lap.

"This specimen isn't like the others," Nathanial say the slightly surprised look on Osborn's face. "He doesn't carry the extra gene like the others in fact he's totally different from them. From what I managed to figure out he's undergone some type of genetic manipulation. His DNA has been altered with certain traits, I'm still trying to figure out from what but given his powers I'm comparing his DNA with that of spiders to see if there is any link."

That was a surprise to Norman he had figured him out to be a mutant but if he was something different that was a bonus. Given that his powers were artificial his DNA could prove to be the key to how to manipulate the DNA of others to give them powers as well. "Very good I want to see if you two can do."

"Yes Mr. Osborn and I'm already trying out phase one of the Genesis Project as well with luck and a little time I should be able to make the first subject soon. I'll just need to refine the process after that to see how the first one comes out."

"Really? I thought you were still years away from that." Norman asked.

Essex stepped up grinning, "I've been helping the good Professor out his new techniques are…Quite amazing and are very useful."

Norman wasn't sure about Essex the longer he had the man the more and more he got the feeling he had his own agenda. But he was still invaluable that is for sure so he would keep him around at least for now. "Well then keep up the good work. Make sure to send copies of your data to Site Omega and any extra genetic material as well."

NEXT UP CHAPTER 34: THE SEARCH

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