Frictor audibly sighed. "I know you're freaking lyin'," he deadpanned.

"I'm really not," Ned assured. "Look, if I was, don't you think MJ would be slugging me right now, given the situation?

"Are you sure?" I asked. "I need to know because I don't have 'Facing Dragons' on my bingo card today. Come to think of it, I've never had that on my bingo card ever"

"Dude, you fought with and against aliens from different galaxies, on both Earth and another planet. You rubbed shoulders with Norse gods. You fought Captain America, a supersoldier from the 1940's. You fought the most powerful sorcerer on Earth – and won using geometry. And right now, you're standing with a seven feet tall former Marine who is bulletproof, a former Air Force Special Forces officer who can shoot powerful beams out of his eyes, a ninja who can phase through walls, and a vigilante that robs drug dealers and mentally controls friction. But dragons are where you draw the line at?"

"He has a point there," Shadowcat pointed out. I opened my mouth, trying to argue. But I closed my mouth. It wasn't the time to argue. We needed to figure out a solution. At least that's what I told myself – I really didn't feel like conceding that Ned had a point. Was it a petty? Perhaps… okay, it was. Shadowcat continued. "That would explain why the security response was rather small. Twenty guards for us? I hate to toot our horns, but I expected at least a hundred."

"So how do we override the console, Bob?" Cyclops demanded as he turned towards the captive guard.

"I don't know, really!" Bob exclaimed, putting his hands up defensively. "All I know is that only personnel from that floor can override it! I don't know any-"

Bob wasn't able to complete his sentence before he was blasted in the head by Cyclops. Cyclops looked down at the guard, who was out cold. He then took in a breath.

"Let's see what these dragons are about," Cyclops stated. He looked down at the console and tapped the screen, hitting the option for the fourth floor.

"I always said I'd do anything to get Carmilla back," Frictor muttered. "I guess it's time to put my money where my mouth is."

As the doors closed and the elevator descended, we all faced forward towards the door. Frenzy readied her shotgun. Shadowcat pulled out two sai from her holsters and palmed them. Cyclops had his fingers on the side of the visor. Frictor adjusted his jersey as he bounced on his feet. I myself deployed the Pincers. Within seconds, the four burgundy spider-like limbs materialized from the back of my suit. I didn't even have to ask Edith to do it. The Neural-Reactive Interface allowed me to do it with a mere thought. After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator reached the fourth floor. The doors then opened slowly. The first thing that hit me was the swirling red lights that bathed the floor and the sirens that sounded through the PA Sytem on that floor. However, my attention was taken away from those things when I took in the sight ahead of me.

As Ned said, there were two dragons on this floor. Both of them were rather large. If I had to take a guess, they were each the size of horses that are featured on Budweiser commercials. They looked like what one would expect a dragon to look like. They each had four legs with clawed feet and two leathery wings not unlike a bat or pterosaur. They both had long tails and scaly skin along with yellow eyes with no irises from what I can tell. One of them was purple and the other one was green. The purple dragon had two horns that pointed towards the rear, a long narrow snout, and two long fangs that protruded out of its lower jaw and towards the sky. The green dragon had a rounder snout with a horn on its nose. Spines ran down from the top of its head to just after where its backside ended and its tail began. The green dragon was on the floor, laying on its stomach. Somehow, I had a feeling it wasn't doing so hot. My feeling was reinforced as the purple dragon gently nudged it with its muzzle. All around them lay several security guards – way more than 20, perhaps even more than 50. Some of them looked burnt. Others, from what I could see, sported some really gnarly slash marks.

"…Is Ned right?" I asked in awe as I shook my head. "Are we seriously looking at dragons right now?"

"We're looking at dragons, bruh," Frictor replied, his voice betraying how dumbfounded he was. "We're looking at two whole behind dragons."

"Where did they even come from?" Shadowcat inquired.

"Maybe they're from Camelot," Ned suggested over the communicators.

"Does Camelot even exist?" Betty asked.

"If Asgard exists, then I don't think Camelot would be out of the question," MJ pointed out. "I have to say, the dragons are kind of cute."

At that, Frictor scoffed. "Easy for you to say from the outside, I'd say."

"So how are we going to handle this?" Frenzy asked as she looked towards Cyclops. Cyclops glanced at her before he looked back at the dragons in front of us.

"Hey, Guy In The Chair, would you kindly tell me where there's a console nearby?" he asked.

"Let me check the security system," Ned replied. After some seconds, Ned spoke again. "So, there's good news and bad news. The good news is, there's a console on this floor, and there seems to be a scientist slumped next to it. He just might have a keycard we can use."

"The bad news?" I asked.

"Well, the console is on the wall right across from you… which means…"

"We have to deal with these dragons," Frictor finished with a sigh. "Welp, guess we have to play Monster Hunter."

"Maybe we don't," Shadowcat said as she put away her sai. "Let me handle this. I can phase through them."

"Are you sure?" Cyclops asked in concern. "You don't know what they're capable of."

At that, Shadowcat scoffed and smirked. "What? You think they're going to be the first things that can harm me while I'm phased?"

"That's always a possibility."

Shadowcat's smirk faded. She paused before she looked towards the ground. "It never crossed my mind."

"Let me go with you," Frictor stated. "If worse comes to worse, I can be a distraction so you can do your thing."

"Then in that case, we should all go," Frenzy pointed out. "Especially since me and Spidey can take a lot more punishment than Frictor and Cyclops." She looked at the aforementioned two. "Respectfully."

"No offense taken," Frictor replied.

"You have a point," Cyclops agreed. "Okay, let's approach slowly. We won't attack them unless we're forced to. Understood?"

"You got it," I replied.

With Shadowcat taking the lead, we slowly moved out of the elevator. We walked forward at a very deliberate pace. We made it all of five steps before we got the purple dragon's attention. Maybe it heard our footsteps. Maybe it saw us out of its peripheral vision. Whatever the reason, it quickly moved in front of its companion and let loose a roar. On instinct we all stopped. The dragon bared its teeth at us as it growled.

"Whoa, easy there big fella!" Frictor called out with a chuckle. "I don't know what happened before we got here, but I promise we're not with these guys."

"We're just your Friendly Neighborhood X-Men," I added. Everyone else looked at me. I looked back at them and shrugged.

"Another modifier to the list," Shadowcat muttered.

During this, the dragon stopped growling. We all looked at the dragon as it no longer bared its teeth at us. Slowly, it started to walk towards us. Cyclops had his right hand lowered. But his fingers twitched, which told me he was ready to blast the creatures if he needed to. Frenzy grabbed hold of her shotgun. I reached over with one of my Pincers and tapped her on the shoulder. She looked over at me. I shook my head. She glared at me, but reluctantly let go her rifle, leaving it hanging. I nodded before I looked back at the dragon.

The dragon finally closed the gap. It started sniffing at Shadowcat's stomach. It sniffed for some seconds before it rose up on its hind legs and started sniffing at her face. Shadowcat chuckled sheepishly as she held her hands up.

"See, we're not the bad guys," she said. After some seconds, the dragon lowered itself back down to all fours. It then made a bit of a whining as it turned its head towards its companion. We all looked at the green dragon.

"I don't think it's doing too hot," I said. "Maybe we should check on it."

"Are you serious?" Frenzy interjected. "We're here to rescue Carmilla, and you're worried about a dragon?"

"Carmilla would want it this way," Frictor refuted, albeit with a voice that carried a hint of reluctance. "Come on. Let's see what's going on with them." We walked up to the green dragon, with Frenzy letting loose a groan of annoyance. I walked around the creature, stopping briefly when it lifted its head up and gently nudged me in the stomach. I finally stopped at its side, noticing the six bullet holes in its flank.

"Guys," I called out as I kneeled down. The rest of the group moved to me, with Frictor taking a knee to the right of me.

"Yikes, they lit them up something nasty," Frictor commented as he shook his head. "Shadowcat, think you can phase out the bullets?"

"You got it," she replied. She stepped up and kneeled down to my left. She then brought her right forward before it phasing it right into the dragon's side. She went almost elbow deep before she slowly moved the arm around. After a couple of minutes, she pulled her hand out before she opened it, showing us the bloodied bullets that lay in her part.

"Well, that was the hard part," Frictor stated. "So how are we going to patch these wounds?"

"I have some tampons with me," Frenzy offered as she opened up one of her pouches.

"Wait, you can use tampons for wounds?" Ned asked.

"Yes you can," MJ replied. "That is what they were originally made for."

Frenzy passed off the tampons to Frictor. After taking them, he tore open the paper wrappings of each one. One by one, he'd grab a tampon before he stuffed it into a bullet hole as gently as he could. The green dragon let loose a noise of discomfort.

"I know, I know," Frictor whispered gently. "I'll be done soon enough, I promise you." After a few minutes, he had every bullet hole plugged. After that, he stood up and backed away. "There, all done." Slowly, the dragon stood up. It turned its head and nudged its nose at the wounds for a moment. It then turned its head toward Frictor before it blew a small puff of smoke in his face. Frictor coughed as he fanned the smoke away from his face with his right hand. "I'm just going to assume that's your way of saying thanks. So, you're welcome."

"I'll take care of the override," I declared. I jumped up, shot a web towards the ceiling, and swung towards the opposite wall. I broke my line and landed on all fours. As Ned said, there was a scientist slumped against the wall next to the console. I took a knee and started searching through the scientist's lab coat. "I feel like I'm looting a corpse on Fallout."

"Why don't you check to see if he has some Sunset Sarsaparilla," Ned jokingly suggested. I felt around until I felt a can. I pulled it out. I smirked as I recognized the drink.

It was a can of Cocaine.

"Hey, MJ, thirsty?" I joked.

"Spidey, if you so much as even bring that can back with you, I'm shoving it up your ass," MJ threatened. I chuckled. I knew she didn't mean it. It just happened to be a coincidence that I decided to put the can back into the pocket I found it in before I continued searching. A second later, I found the keycard. I stood up and stepped to my left so I was in front of the console. I swiped the keycard. After that went, I went through the options before I ended the alert. The lights turned to normal and the sirens stopped. I didn't realize how much of a nuisance they were until I felt the relief in my ears. With the alert ended, I took the keycard with me as I swung back towards the others, cut the line, and landed on my feet.

"Okay, we should be able to get to the fifth floor," I announced.

"Finally," Frictor said. We all turned and walked towards the elevator. Once on the lift, I stepped up to the console. I swiped the card and saw that the fifth floor was finally able to be accessed. I was about to select the floor when Frictor spoke up. "Whoa, where are you two going?" I looked up to see the dragons walking towards us. "Guys, I understand we just helped you, but…" They ignored him and stepped onto the lift. "…Oh, okay. This is what we're doing, huh?" The green dragon nudged its snout into his side. Meanwhile, the purple dragon rubbed its head against Shadowcat's stomach, prompting her to chuckle heartily.

"Looks like we gained two allies," Cyclops noted with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Seems like it," I replied. "Going down." I selected the option for the bottom floor. As the lift descended, I looked over at Frictor. He fidgeted a bit, shifting his weight from one foot to another as he grabbed his facemask and moved his helmet around a bit. I knew he was nervous, to say the least. I figured a little small talk could help. So, I spoke. "So… think our new friends have names?"

"Somehow, I doubt it," Frenzy stated as she looked at the dragons. "…I hate to admit it, but they're kind of cute."

I nodded in agreement. "Maybe Shadowcat and Frictor should name them, since the dragons seem to have taken a particular liking to them."

Shadowcat looked up towards the ceiling in thought. She then looked down at the purple dragon and smiled. "How do you like the name Lockheed?" she asked. The dragon let loose a rumbling sound from its throat. Something told me that it approved the name. Something also told me that these dragons are more intelligent than I was giving them credit for.

Frictor looked down at his apparent dragon companion. He then tilted his head briefly. "I'll just call you Puff." In response, the dragon raised its head and let loose a puff of smoke. Frictor chuckled. "Well, there you go."

I smiled at the sight. Unfortunately, the moment of levity came to an end when the lift reached the floor. We all looked forward as the door opened. What we saw ahead of was a row of cells. From what I could tell, each cell door was completely solid, save for a barred window for viewing and hatches that I assumed was for giving those held captive their food.

"We're finally here," Cyclops stated. He then reached over and placed a hand on Frictor's shoulder. "Are you ready for this?"

"I am… no matter what the outcome is," Frictor declared. He took in a deep breath before he nodded. "Let's get this over with."

We all walked out of the elevator. As we walked, I looked around, trying to see if I could get a clue as to how we can find Carmilla. As we passed a cell door, I noticed that there were a series of numbers and letters on it. I came to a stop when I felt my senses buzz slightly. I looked to my right, looking at three cell doors. One was labeled WOSM119. Another was labeled USM98. The third was labeled ASM149.

"Everything okay, Spidey?" Shadowcat asked.

"Yeah," I said. "…I just got a weird feeling, that's all. Nothing major." I tilted my head. "Hey, Edith, we could use a little help. Is there a database we can access so we can find Carmilla Black?"

"I'm searching through the systems now," Edith informed. After a couple of minutes, she spoke again. "I found the database. I'm accessing it now… Access complete, searching database for Carmilla Black… I have found a match. She is currently in cell AFV2 dash 7. I'm uploading a map to both your HUD and Frictor's HUD. This map is based on the ground plan of this floor. You all should be able to navigate this floor a lot easier."

I clapped my hands together as relief washed over me. "Thanks a lot, Edith. If you had a flesh and blood body, I'd buy you dinner."

At that, Edith chuckled heartily. "I'm happy to be of help."

I looked at Frictor, who lifted his head slightly. No doubt the map appeared on his HUD. I saw the map in my vision. There were three dots on the map. Two of them were very close together – I figured that was me and Frictor. The third dot was quite a bit a ways from our current location. That had to be our destination.

"I'll lead the way," Frictor declared. "Follow me."

He began to walk, and the others followed. I tried to ignore the eerie feeling I was getting. That proved to be a challenge, when, every now again, there would be voices from the cells we passed by. It became a bigger challenge when I realized that some of the voices weren't human. I really wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. I kept quiet as we made our way through what was basically a prison. After several moments, we finally found the cell. We came to a stop. I stepped up to the cell and read the label.

"AFV2-7," I stated. "This is it." I then looked over my shoulder at the others. "Okay, guys, I need you all to get out of the way of the door. I'm taking this door down." Without a word, the group parted. I did a backflip, putting some distance between myself and the cell door. I shot two strands webbing. They sailed through the air before they stuck to the top two corners of the door. I cut the lines, but held on to them, gripping them hard with my hand. I then took a step back and pulled as hard as I could. The door wouldn't budge at first. Eventually, however, the sound of metal creaking and concrete cracking could be heard. I took another step back. Seconds later, the door was pulled off its hinges. I let go of the webbing and jumped to the side, just dodging the door as it fell to the ground with a huge thud. We all gathered on top of the door and in front of the now open cell.

Inside was a woman who didn't look much older than me, if at all. She had dark green hair. She had a set of intense green eyes. Her skin was pale – something told me she hasn't seen actual daylight for a very long time. She was shorter than me, but not by much. She was dressed in a rather ugly tan jumpsuit with the letters and numbers "AFV2-7" over the left side of her chest. On her feet were simple white sneakers that looked rather worn. One thing that stuck out to me was this metal cylinder that was over left forearm and hand.

Odd, I thought to myself.

She was in a fighting stance when we saw her. She had her eyes locked onto us and her teeth were bared. However, after some seconds, her expression softened as recognition came over her face.

"…Spider-Man?" she said.

"Not just me," I replied. "I got friends with me."

She looked around at all of us as she slowly walked forward. Her mouth went ajar as she took everyone in.

"…Shadowcat?" Carmilla asked as her eyes landed on Kitty.

"The very same," Shadowcat replied.

She looked at Scott. "Cyclops?"

"I am," Cyclops confirmed.

She looked up at Frenzy and tilted her head. "…You… I don't think I know you."

"You don't," Frenzy replied. "I'm Frenzy. I'm helping the X-Men."

Carmilla's eyes narrowed. "X-Men?" She looked at Cyclops. "I thought the X-Men are defunct."

"They were defunct," Frictor spoke up, stepping forward slowly. "We just revived the name some weeks ago and have Spider-Man in the fold."

Carmilla tilted her head. Her eyes then went wide. "…Frictor?"

Frictor replied quietly. "Yeah, Carm', it's me."

Carmilla stepped up to him. The rest of us backed away, giving them room – except for Puff, who remained at Frictor's side. She reached over and grabbed one of Frictor's sleeves. "…What is this? What did I tell you about walking around in flashy costumes?"

"'Flashy gear gets you shot', I know. But it's functional, you know? It can handle bullets, especially when I use my powers with it." He took in a breath as he bowed his head. "I… Um… I also… It's just… You used to call me All-American. I figured I'd have Spidey and his girl make a suit so I can look like one when we find you."

Carmilla let go of his sleeve and grabbed his facemask. She moved it, forcing him to make eye contact with her. "I thought I was dead to you."

"You were," Frictor replied with a tone of regret. "But… I didn't know the full story and I didn't even give you a fair shake."

"No you didn't," Carmilla deadpanned with a glare. She then sighed. "But, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't have acted the way you did if the roles were reversed." She smiled slightly. "…I figured texting you three would be a longshot. But I didn't expect for you to care enough to come."

"You'd be surprised," Cyclops spoke. "He wanted to come straight here guns blazing. He even yelled at me when I said we needed to do our due diligence."

"He's been missing you for a long time," I added. "He thought that, when you disappeared, you no longer wanted anything to do with him."

"He didn't even leave the house outside of work and patrols until very recently," Shadowcat stated.

Carmilla looked at Cyclops, Shadowcat, and I for a few moments. She then looked back at Frictor.

"Is this true?" she asked.

"I literally went to therapy over you," Frictor replied. He sighed. "…I got a lot to apologize for and a lot I need to tell you. And if you want to be mad at me for a while, I get it and I'm okay with it, just as long as you're okay." Carmilla closed her eyes and bowed her head.

"…You fool… you sap… you mensch." She took in a breath before she raised her head, stepped forward, and wrapped her arms around Frictor's neck as she embraced him. Without hesitation, Frictor wrapped her arms around abdomen and lifted her up off of her feet as he hugged her back. "We got a lot to talk about Frictor… but I'm happy you're here."

"Am I still your All-American?"

"That depends. Am I your Chicken Carmesan again?"

"You already know you are."

"Then that's your answer."

Frictor chuckled as he lowered Carmilla to her feet. He pulled away from her a bit, but gently placed his helmeted head against her forehead.

As I watched them, I couldn't help but feel relieved. I was able to do my part in this whole mission. And what made it all better was that we got the best possible outcome. I was happy for myself. And, obviously, I was happy for my fellow X-Men, Frictor especially. But, a little selfishly, I was internally happy over my little victory.

"So, I hate to interrupt this feel good moment," Ned stated. "But you guys need to get out of there quick. I just intercepted some chatter – reinforcements have been called in and they'll be arriving in about ten minutes."

"Of course," Cyclops muttered out. "Okay, everyone, we need to head out right now."

"Okay, we're rollin'," Frictor said. "Can you run okay?"

"I can," Carmilla assured. She then looked over at Lockheed and Puff, who looked at her curiously. "…Okay, I'm not the only one who can see these dragons, am I?"

Frictor shook his head. "Nope."

"Okay, good… let's go."

With that, we all ran for the elevator.