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A new Dawn

Chapter III: Awakening II

He had barely bitten the bag open when the first drop of blood hit his tongue. Suddenly his instincts took control, so fast and hard he couldn't do anything to stop it. He practically shredded the blood blag in his drinking frenzy until he had swallowed every last drop.

As suddenly as it had hit him, it was over. He looked at the bag in his hands, breathing heavily. What was that? Is that going to happen every time I drink?

All of a sudden, pain hit him. Pain of the likes he never knew before. It flooded him, stretched from his head to his toes and engulfed him like an unstoppable tidal wave. Unable to even utter a single word, blackness surrounded him once again.

The last thing he felt before he became unconscious was the feeling of something breaking free in him.

…Mutant signature detected…

Analysing signal now…

Mutant identified…

Name: Sean Baxter

Age: 19 years

Mutant powers: Unknown

Unknown?

Unknown was not a word Charles Xavier used often. As the leading specialist in the mutant field, he often came up with answers to questions others couldn't answer.

But to have Cerebro not being able to identify a mutants powers…

I must look into this immediately! Xavier connected to the super computer via the helmet. Seconds later, his psychic self was soaring from Bayville, NY, to Detroit.

What he saw there made him gasp. Ororo, Logan, take the Blackbird and fly to Detroit, to the Detroit Medical Center! I need you to recruit a new mutant for me…

"Wonder what had Chuck all wound up like that?", Logan mused as he fired up the afterburners of the Blackbird.

"I don't know, but it would be wise to hurry, Logan.", Ororo answered. "Yeah, you're right… I was just wondering." "I know how you feel. It is… unusual for Charles to be so emotional even when…"

Ororo, Logan, can you hear me?

"Yeah, we hear ya Chuck. Whats wrong?" The new mutant that I located is in serious trouble. Apparently, the hospital staff found out about his mutation and is after him. They have cornered him on the hospital roof.

Logan gripped the controls tighter. "Those stinkin little…" "Please, Logan, not now. Charles, we are still a good fifteen minutes away from Detroit. Will we make it in time?"

I don't know, Ororo… for the moment, it seems that he can keep them away… I don't know how long he will last, though! "Understood, professor. Logan, can we not…" "I'm already milkin this baby for all she's worth, 'Roro. We have to hope we'll make it in time."

This SUCKS!, was what Sean was thinking over and over again as he kept pressing aginst the stairway door in front of him. The croud that had gathered was hammering at the door with everything they had.

A particularly strong blow weakened his hold for a few seconds before he could reinforce it. Damn it, I don't know how long I can last against this!

"You look like you got some trouble there, handsome."

Sean whirled around, loosing his concentration on the door just enough for the croud to burst through. Cursing, Sean rolled away from the door, noting at the same moment that noone was around on the roof. Someone was there though, I'm sure I didn't start hearing things!

The croud came through the door and Sean ran over to the roofs ledge. One quick look down convinced him jumping was NOT the ideal solution. I'm in deeeeep shit…

Turning around, he came face to face with a shotgun just before a blast tore apart the right half of his head.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

The force of the shot threw him of the roof. That didn't even register, though. His only thoughts were on the pain. How he could think with half his head missing he didn't know, and more importantly he didn't WANT to know.

Suddenly, when he was halfway down the building, the pain stopped. His senses went mad and he felt like his body was transforming. Looking down (or up, depending on the point of view), he saw his legs and stomach had become mist.

It didn't stop at that, however. His whole body changed, transformed, becoming mist. It happened just in time, for when he would have just hit the floor, all that remained was the dense mist, which, after hitting the ground, started expanding, covering the whole emergency parking places for the ambulances.

I don't know what just happened here… but I'm not complaining!, Sean thought as he took in the strange situation. He seemed to be able to see out of the mist all at once, even what was happening IN the mist. As if it isn't even here…

Not knowing exactly how he KNEW how to, he changed back inside the mist, his body becoming solid once more. Hesitantly, he reached up to touch his face and breathed a sigh of relief (and disbelieve) as he felt the actually destroyed half of his head back where it was supposed to be.

I guess the story about vampires being able to regenerate wasn't so overblown as I thought it was, he thought with a grin.

Not wanting to waste any more time, he turned on his heel and ran away from the DMC, using his extended sight within the mist to guide him around any and all people in his way.

Breaking through into the sunlight, he kept running and put as big a distance between him and his pursuers as he could, finally taking a break after ten minutes of running when suddenly a thought hit him: Oh shit… I hope Sterlings okay…

Unease filled him as he thought of the doctor who had done so much to help him these last few weeks. Goddamn it… I can't leave him without knowing he's okay!

Turning around, he ran back full speed, noticing only then that he didn't seem tired in the least. So, enhanced stamina as well, huh? At least it comes in handy now.

Pushing himself harder, he noticed he didn't seem to have a limit as to how fast he could go. What took him ten minutes before took him only two on his way back.

One large jump and he climbed up a small building block. Looking down, he realised the mist had vanished when he left. He immediately wished he hadn't.

Sterling was surrounded by the crowd that had attacked Sean before. He was being beaten by the angry mass and didn't look like he could take much more.

One quick thought and the same mist as before began seeping out of his sleeves. Sean narrowed his eyes: Too slow, damn it…

Concentrating, he willed the mist to not seep, but rather pour out of his sleeves and cover the DMC grounds once again.

As soon as he had sufficient camouflage, he transformed his body into mist and reappeared instantly in front of Sterling, catching him just as he went down. The croud around him had apparently lost interest in the doc as the mist had appeared, afraid of the mutant from before turning up again. Goddamn assholes… they can mess up someone who is helpless, but as soon as they get into an unknown situation…

Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind (he could always pick up where he left later, after all), Sean surveyed his situation. Shit, how the hell am I supposed to get Sterling out of here?

One typical trait of his was that he practically never thought before he acted. He acted on instinct rather than intellect. And right now it just came back to bite me in the ass!

Suddenly his sharp hearing picked up something: it sounded like… a jet? A jet that was getting closer very quickly, so quickly in fact, that in a few seconds it was directly above him and seemed to be hovering.

The blast of air it caused parted the mist Sean had created, giving everyone present a view of the sleek black jet before it disappeared in the reinforced mist. However, due to Seans extended sense of sight, he could see into the jet perfectly clear. And what he saw made him sigh in relief.

He knew the two people inside: they belonged to the X-Men, a group of mutants who, two years prior, had managed to defeata mutant hellbent on eradicating humanity.

If they were here, then they may have found out about his existence… how, he didn't know, neither did he care. A door opened in the jet and a white haired woman with dark skin looked out.

She seemed to concentrate before surprise showed on her face. Sean didn't really have time to listen what she was yelling to Logan, but he caught something that sounded like "…can't dispel it…"

Quickly hauling Sterling over his shoulder, Sean squatted and jumped with all his might.

The woman who was standing in the jets doorway stumbled back in surprise when Sean landed in front of her, carrying an unconscious Sterling.

Quickly recovering her wits, the woman stood up and asked: "Sean Baxter?" "Yeah, who're you guys?" "Friends. My name is Ororo Munroe, this is Logan", she said nodding towards Logan.

"Right, then lets get the hell outta here! Sterling needs some medical attention!" One look from Ororo confirmed what he said and they were off.

The third chapter! Seans powers have finally powered up to their maximum and he has met the X-Men.

So, hope you enjoyed the chapter and, as always, I WOULD enjoy a little review ;-)