Author's Note: You guys know you love me! I was watching Fantasia while writing last night, and the part with the little mushrooms dancing came on….So I started singing mushroom mushroom mushroom to the tune of the song. And then the fish part came on next, so, um, yeah. That's where that came from. But here's the real chapter! No killie! And ewww. I just realized how short this is. Sorry guys!
Chapter Sixteen
When He had first come to Aleric, had first extended the invitation to join Him, there had been no one else on His side. Aleric didn't mind being the only one there. When some of the possibilities that had been rejected chose to stay on, Aleric didn't mind that either. He wasn't jealous that he was no longer the only one fighting with Him. Besides, at that point, Aleric hadn't been entirely convinced of His way. Aleric was only there because He had helped him control his power.
It had been a miracle, that Aleric could now use his power on other people whenever he wanted. Oh, if only she was here to see him now. She would be so proud of him, her Aleric. It didn't occur to him, with his mind addled by her death and His influence, that she would be horrified to see what he was doing. Who he was doing it with. But Aleric was part of something now. He could feel it, somewhere inside that was close to where he loved her. But it never touched where he loved her. Nothing could touch that.
There was still that small, tugging feeling, though, the one that told him that he was still incomplete. They hadn't found the others. They had a good number of followers, now, but they still didn't have the others. Aleric knew they were close, though, because He had told him that He knew where they were. All they had to do was go and get them. Aleric wanted to do it know, but He said to wait. Aleric understood. They needed to be convinced. Not everyone understood His way so quickly.
Aleric turned down the hall, running his fingers along the smooth dirt walls as he did so. He came to a room with an open door, in which a young man was packing a suitcase.
"Nathan." Aleric said in greeting. He had a name, another name, but it didn't matter. The little names these people picked for themselves meant nothing. It was just another way to gain their attention, and the one Nathan had come here with served just fine.
The young man looked up and gave a small smile. "Aleric. Did you need something?"
Aleric shook his head. "No. Just came to see you off. You won't be able to come back here again until it's done."
"I know." Nathan replied, gesturing to his suitcase. "Forgot a few things before. Hopefully I won't this time."
"Did you remember your game system?" Aleric asked with a smile. It was doubtful Nathan had forgotten them. He lived for that thing. But, still, asking showed that Aleric knew that. And that helped establish a bond.
"Of course." Nathan replied.
"Good. Here." Aleric held out a video game, one he had picked up while out working yesterday. "I don't think you have this one."
"I don't." Nathan said, taking it and looking it over. "Thanks."
"Be careful." Aleric told him. "Come back to us safe."
Nathan nodded and closed his suitcase, latching it shut. "I will. Later, Aleric."
Aleric tilted his head in acknowledgement as Nathan left them room, vanishing down the hallway. Aleric turned and walked back the way he had come, a small smile on his face.
The sun rose on Monday morning, but Tenebra didn't rise with it. In fact, she didn't wake up until a few hours after it had long since been hanging in the sky, which was rather disturbing. Tenebra would have contributed to the time zone change if it weren't for the fact that her assignments had taken her all over the world, and she had never had problems before. So she decided it was do to the training she had done with Magneto and the three other people he had recruited onto his little team the night before.
That thought pleased her. If the training was hard enough that she was tired from it, then signing on with Magneto was proving worth her while. It had been a long time since she had taken on something for free. Of course, she wasn't really working for nothing. She would be getting free room and board, as well as whatever money she needed. And she was still free to take whatever contracts she pleased. Tenebra had never worked for anyone anti-mutant, so that was no problem. In fact, she almost exclusively took contracts that were on humans. She hated the damn things. That was probably why Magneto had come to her in the first place.
She sat up and stretched, then winced as a shot of pain swept through her back. She padded over to the mirror in her hotel room and turned around, pulling off her shirt to look at her bare back. There were three cuts on her back, in perfect alignment with each other. They looked like claw marks, and they were pretty deep. Not enough to require stitches, but they still hurt like hell.
Tenebra frowned. It wasn't the pain that bothered her; after nine years of being an assassin she was rather immune to pain. It was the fact that she couldn't remember getting those scratches the night before. Tenebra shook her head. She was getting sloppy, if she couldn't remember an injury she had received. Again it occurred to her that joining Mangeto's little team was going to be more beneficial than she had thought.
A knock on her door startled her out of her thoughts.
"Tenebra?" The knocker called. "It's Mouse. Want to go grab some breakfast?"
Because Tenebra was alone, she allowed herself a sigh. She didn't like showing her emotions in front of the others. She didn't know why the damn girl couldn't go eat with one of the boys. Mouse had flirted with them the entire trip, so Tenebra figured she should jump at the chance to do it some more. Fortunately, Mouse hadn't made good on any of her flirtatious comments. Mouse had the room next to Tenebra, so the assassin would have been able to hear anything going on in there. Tenebra was rather grateful for that. Just watching the flirting was too much for her.
Tenebra did need to eat, though, and Magneto kept telling them how important it was for them to work as a team. Personally, Tenebra thought she did just fine on her own, but she had to admit Mouse, Madrox, Quicksilver, Psych, and Monster had come in handy during their little "practice" battles. So Tenebra gave another sigh and threw on some clothes, then pulled open the door, informing the waiting girl, "All right. Let's go."
Hank closed his eyes as he ended the conversation and hung up the phone. He was running out of contacts in the government that he trusted enough to tell him the truth. Unsurprisingly, there were very few of his political colleagues that had earned his trust. And he doubted very seriously that any of them knew anything about the attacks on the Institute. If any of them had heard something, they would have called him long before now. Still, it didn't hurt to ask them to do a little digging. Some of them had access to information that he didn't.
Despite his efforts, though, Hank didn't think anything would come of this. This didn't seem like a government operation. Of course, there was always the chance that it was an off-shoot of the government, or an ex-politician or military man like Stryker. Still, it just didn't seem political. It was professional, yes, but Hank had enough experience with politicians to know what their work looked like.
But he was still going to call everyone he could. It was something to do, at least, something more or less helpful that he could concentrate on. Professor Xavier was in Cerebro, searching endlessly for some sign of either their captured comrades or the mutants who had taken them. Scott was downstairs with Forge, a mutant associate of Xavier's who had designed the original security system. He was upgrading it as only he could, since Forge's mutant ability made him the best in all things technological. Ororo was in the Danger Room, running through the most complex rescue scenarios they had. Warren had taken to the skies, doing an aerial search, but he had come back after an hour or so and joined Ororo. Warren had told them that Logan had a better chance of finding them than he did, but he could make sure he was ready when the time came to get them back.
Hank picked up the phone and was about to dial another number when Xavier's voice sounded in his head.
I've located the mutants that attacked us last night. Xavier said.
Hank paused. Where are they? Do we leave now?
No. Xavier replied. They know nothing of the attack. They can't even remember doing it, much less where they left the people they captured. Someone has wiped their memories clean.
Can you get them back? Hank asked.
Yes. Xavier replied. Whoever did this was powerful, but I can find those memories. It will just take a little time. I will let you know when I have made any progress.
Hank nodded, then heaved a sigh. He was worried. He liked the newest recruits to them team, and he had gotten rather close to Anorra in the time that she had been here. He didn't want anything to happen to them. He didn't really know what he'd do if something did, or if he met the person who had done this. Hank prided himself on being cultured, but there was a darkness inside of him. He knew that all too well. And he also knew that sometimes, for some reasons, he enjoyed releasing it. He rather though this might be one of them.
He stared at the phone for a moment, then picked it up and resumed dialing.
Samantha had no idea what time it was when she finally woke up. That realization concerned her a bit, because she had always had some vague knowledge of the time of day. Her animal instincts had her tuned into the sun's path enough to know at least whether it was morning or night. But right now, Samantha had no clue. It then occurred to her that the ground she was laying on was hard, too hard to be her bed at the Institute. Too hard even to be the ground she usually slept on during over-night trail rides at the ranch. It was cold, she could feel that on her bare limbs, and felt more like rock.
Confused, Samantha struggled to shake off the last dregs of sleepiness and forced her eyes open. Sure enough, she was laying on solid rock, as if she was inside of a cave or something. She flicked her gaze to the side, looking for cave walls. Instead, though, she spotted the unmistakable iron bars of a cage a few feet away from her. Her eyes opened wide now, panic seeping into them and making them wild. She was in a cage. She bolted up, taking fast, deep breaths as she began hyperventilating. Samantha didn't notice that, though.
In fact, she didn't notice anything except the fact that She. Was. Caged. Samantha released the shields that kept her human. She didn't know what she would turn into, because it wasn't something she did consciously. It didn't matter, though, because nothing happened. Samantha didn't seem to realize this, as she lunged for the nearest wall of the cage, hands formed into claws and teeth bared as if they were fangs.
She got maybe two inches before strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist, pulling her back from the iron bars. Samantha hissed and struggled in them, turning herself around to face her attacker. She found yellow-gold eyes and froze, her own eyes locked onto them. Her attacker was making some noise, saying something. It was German, but it wouldn't have matter if it was English. Samantha was too far gone to understand any of it.
His voice provided her with something to lock onto, though, as she forced herself to calm down. It took awhile, but finally Samantha had enough control over herself that she would no longer attempt to attack the cage walls. She had this strange, hollow feeling that she couldn't explain…But there was something she was more worried about at the moment.
"Kurt." Samantha said. "Are you all right?'
Kurt smiled slightly. "I should be asking you that."
"I'm fine." She said, sliding out of his grasp and putting her feet back on the floor. "Sorry."
"You didn't want to be doing that, petite." Gambit commented. "Not a pretty sight."
"Gambit?" Samantha asked, stepping away from Kurt to look around.
She and Kurt were in a small, ten by ten cell. The walls were made of iron bars, but the floor and ceiling were solid rock, giving Samantha the impression that they were under ground. To the right of their cell was another, identical one. Both cells used the same wall, so that Samantha could have reached her hand through the bars and into the other cell. Cassandra lay unconscious in this cell, curled up near the middle.
To the left of Kurt and Samantha's cell was another one, also sharing the wall. Rachel and Anorra were in this one, both out as well. Another cell was built at the head of their two cells, so that this cell shared half a wall with Kurt and Samantha and the other half with Rachel and Anorra. Gambit and Bobby occupied this cell, both awake and look disgruntled. Looking around, Samantha could see numerous other empty cells that formed a pyramid-like shape. There was one empty cell at the head, then under that was another empty cell next to Gambit and Bobby's, followed by the three cells occupied by Cassandra, Kurt, Samantha, Rachel, and Anorra. There were four after that, then five. Beyond that, Samantha didn't know, as she could only see as far as the five.
Samantha started to ask what happened, but then she remembered the attack on the Institute and winced. "Gambit? Bobby? You guys okay?"
"Peachy." Bobby muttered. "Nothing like being turned down and then getting captured to brighten your day."
"Bobby's having women trouble." Gambit said conversationally. "Gambit's guessing his day hasn't improved much."
"Oh." Samantha said. "Rachel's stupid. Want me to talk to her?"
Bobby raised an eyebrow. "No, that's okay. I think we have more important things to worry about than my love life."
"Good point." Samantha admitted. "Anyone know what time it is?"
Kurt shook his head. "No. None of us have watches."
"Oh." Samantha said, then blinked. "Wait a minute. Can't you 'port us out?"
"I wish." Kurt said. "My teleportation is not working. None of our powers are working."
Suddenly, Samantha realized what that empty feeling was. She couldn't hear any thoughts in her head, nor sense any animals near her. "Oh, God." She murmured. She felt so alone. So very, very alone.
Her hand reached out and grabbed Kurt's. He looked at her in confusion, then concern as tears filled her eyes.
"Kurt." Samantha said. "Kurt, there's no one here."
"Of course there is, Sam. We're…" Kurt trailed off as his eyes lit in understanding. "Oh. Are you…"
"It's so lonely." Samantha said. "How do you guys stand this?"
She stepped closer to Kurt, maintaining as much physical contact with him as possible. Fortunately, he didn't seem to mind. His tail even wrapped itself around her calf, giving it a soft, reassuring squeeze.
"We thought it was only blocking active powers, since Kurt and Anorra are still themselves." Bobby said. "But it probably blocks telepathy, too. Makes sense, since whoever's behind this probably doesn't want Professor Xavier finding us."
"Or it considers Sam's little animal mind thing an active power." Gambit said. "Or both."
"Well, if the Professor cannot find us, then he will look for the ones who attacked us." Kurt said. "We will not be here long. We are X-men. X-men do not leave anyone behind."
"Yeah." Bobby said. "I learned that a year ago." Except…Except sometimes they did. Bobby had learned that a year ago, too, when he left behind his best friend.
There was a long silence after that, until Samantha commented, "You know, my mom always told me you're not a rider until you've fallen off the horse. Maybe it's the same way with X-men. Like, you're not an X-men until you've been captured or had to rescue someone."
"Guess we just joined the ranks, then, huh petite?" Gambit asked with a lopsided grin. "Whoopee."
Zephyr was exhausted, both physically and mentally. She had been out searching with Logan, Rogue, and Piotr since before the sun had come up, and now it was almost down. And they still had nothing, which didn't exactly improve her mental state. She couldn't understand why she was left behind. Her best friends, the guy who had started to feel almost like a brother, another who was rapidly becoming another close friend, and one who she hadn't interacted with much but would like to get to know better….Zephyr had to close her eyes, then, to keep the tears that threatened to spill at bay.
She rested her head against the cool metal of the jeep for a moment. It was an open top, which was probably why Logan had selected it for their transportation. Most likely, he would have preferred to take his motorcycle, or just go on foot, but with the three of them there as well, the jeep was more practical. When Zephyr had herself under control again, she cast her gaze about the interior of the jeep.
Logan was driving, his gaze steady on the road. Zephyr knew that his heightened senses were probably in over drive, though, looking for any trace of their missing friends. Rogue was in the passenger seat, and every now and then Logan glanced over at her, as if checking to make sure she was still there. Rogue didn't seem to notice, though, since she was staring out the window, gaze not focused on anything in particular. Zephyr resisted the urge to reach out and somehow comfort her. This wasn't really a time for that kind of thing.
Instead, Zephyr turned her silvery blue gaze to Piotr in the seat next to her. The young Russian man was sitting as straight as possible, most likely from tension. His eyes darted back and forth across the road, as if he would be able to pick out some sign of their friends if only he looked hard enough. He must have felt her gaze, though, as he moved his eyes from the street to rest on her face.
"They're okay." Zephyr said, realizing as soon as the words came out that they were sort of lame. It had been her first response, though, and she did mean it.
Fortunately, Piotr didn't seem to think her words were hollow reassurance. He nodded, giving a tight-lipped smile. "Da. They are X-men."
Zephyr's reply was cut off by a vibration coming from her pocket.
Rogue snapped back into reality as Zephyr pulled out her cell phone. "Is it the Professor?"
"No." Zephyr said, looking at the caller ID. "It's Trent. Sam's brother." With a slight frown, she answered, "Hey, Trent. What's up?"
"Hi, Zephyr. Um, is Sam with you?" Trent asked.
Zephyr froze. "Um, no. She's not."
"I knew it." Trent said. "Something's wrong, isn't it? Arabus started freaking out early this morning, and he just took off somewhere. What happened?"
"What does he want?" Logan asked.
"He wants to know what happened to Sam." Zephyr said, covering her cell with her hand. "He says Sam's pet wolf has been freaking out. Probably since she disappeared."
"How well do you know this guy?" Logan asked. "How's he gonna take the truth?"
"Okay. He came up to visit Sam a couple of times, and I stayed some holidays at the ranch." Zephyr paused. "Probably not too well."
"Tell him we're getting her back, then." Logan said.
Zephyr nodded. "Trent? We just had a little trouble with some other mutants. We're going to get Sam right now, no worries."
"Oh." Trent said, then asked, "You want me to come out there? I can come out there."
"No, it's okay." Zephyr told him. "She'll be back before you can get here."
"Okay." Trent said, but he didn't sound too convinced. "Have her call me, okay?"
"I will. Later." Zephyr said, then hung up. "Okay, I didn't lie to him. I didn't."
No one answered her, though, so Zephyr just turned her attention back to the road. And started wishing that Warren had come with them. She really wanted someone to hold right now.