"A ball?" John scoffed to himself, disgusted at the whole idea. What was a ball supposed to do to help them? What, they'd just go and dance with some anti-mutant fascists and suddenly they'd change their minds? It was like a damn Disney movie, and so Charles Xavier.
He knew they X-Men had a reputation for being too idealistic, but John had thought the ice bitch would've at least vetoed it before it was decided. But nope, they'd thrown the idea out there like it was some genius plan bred by Einstein himself.
And so John had to dress nice and wear a suit, which had displeased him immensely. He couldn't remember the last time he'd worn a suit- probably a funeral of some sort when he was younger. It was a bit tight in the corners, a little too snug for his liking. He must've grown a little.
John was proud, though- he looked great, if he did say so himself. Dressing up like an ass wasn't his thing (he'd leave that to Pete Wisdom), but it looked damn good on him. He smirked, excited to see Kitty's jaw drop.
And she did. But not for the reason he'd been expecting.
"Oh my god, Pyro. Did you really think we'd be going to an anti-mutant ball?" Kitty asked, incredulous; she was grinning wildly, trying desperately to cover her laughter. John scowled, tensing up. How the hell was he supposed to know?
Kitty was instead in a dark leather suit highlighted with yellow leather, hugging her figure snugly. Her hair was tugged into a high, high ponytail, accenting the sharp smirk on her face. John felt a lot of things towards Kitty- especially this new Kitty- but his hatred was undoubtedly the strongest thing.
John had expected her to brush him off, leaving him alone in the hallway, letting him find his own way to the meeting point. Instead, she filed in line at his side as if the past didn't even exist. JOhn tried to hide his surprise under his scowl.
"They're holding the ball at one of their facilities, some sort of celebration at all they're brewing up." Kitty explained, shaking her head at the concept of it all. She talked with her hands, just like she did when they were young. "So we're going to do a little bit of snooping while they're getting drunk."
"You're just going to waltz in?" John scoffed before he could stop himself
"I can walk through walls, asshole." Kitty shot back, pursing her lips as she looked up at him. Her eyes were big, dark, and challenging. "And the X-Men are no longer scared of breaking and entering. Lot has changed since you deserted."
John, in a rare moment of self-control, decided not to comment on the last word.
"Besides, you're not coming in. You're staying in the X-Jet."
"Like hell I am." John stopped, stepping in front of her path. Kitty didn't stop herself and instead ended phasing through half of him before stepping back with a scowl on her face. John shook off the tingly feeling.
"You aren't ready." Kitty said simply, and John saw that look on her face, the seemingly-blank expression- she was enjoying this, the witch. Enjoying getting to put him down, to cutting down his pride. John felt anger well up inside of him.
"You guys need me, though." John insisted, grinding his teeth together.
"That's the thing, Pyro." Kitty hissed, her whole demeanor changing quickly. John hid his shock as she leaned in dangerously. "The X-Men don't need you. Scott doesn't need you, Emma doesn't need you, Logan definitely doesn't need you. And me? I sure as hell don't need you."
She pushed past him, this time not letting herself phase, but instead roughly bumping his arm as she passed.
Kitty was already pissed, and John added the cherry on top of her shitty-day sundae.
She'd fought with Pete that evening before the ball, and it had came to a surprise to both of them. They hadn't been officially 'dating' for a long time, since Kitty still shuddered to call it that. They had their fling when she still had ties to Excalibur, and it was supposed to end there. But instead it had continued when he had so graciously offered himself as a sort of bridge between American and English mutants.
Pete had introduced many young English mutants to the Xavier school, helping a ton of kids who would've had no future without it. It had surprised everyone, including Kitty; Pete Wisdom wasn't usually labelled as a gentleman, much less a hero of sorts. But instead he'd decided to make his permanent residence in the school, with frequent trips to England, and it had all fallen into place for him and Kitty.
But then she'd found something.
It was just a tiny piece of what seemed to be scrap metal, but Kitty looked closer. She had extensive history with technology, and even she couldn't immediately identify what it was. It would've been just a piece of trash to an untrained eye, but Kitty knew it had to be more. It was too artfully made, a bit too glossy. She found a small indention on the back, a place to press like a button.
And worse, she'd found it in Pete's sock drawer, where she had been looking for a pair of shorts that had gone missing.
Kitty made a rash decision at the time, overcome with paranoia.
She'd let the little piece phase through her hand, falling to the ground. And it short-circuited, sparking slightly as it broke. It was something alright.
Kitty had slipped it back into his sock drawer, tucking it into a pair of socks he rarely wore. She entertained her thoughts instead with the mission tonight, but the thoughts wouldn't leave her mind, hiding under the surface. She couldn't shake the feeling that it was much more than it seemed.
He'd came into their room that night as she was suiting up, tugging at the dark red tie around his neck. His hair was slightly messy, the bags under his eyes a little darker than normal. Kitty had brushed it off as just a side-effect of his job; he'd been over in England the past few days, and just got back the previous night.
"Still recovering from that jet-lag?" Kitty asked, brushing her hair back into a long ponytail in front of their bathroom mirror. When he didn't respond, she peeked her head back into their room.
"Pete?" Kitty asked again. He was sitting on their bed, his head dropped into his palms. She discarded her brush, quickly taking a seat beside him. "What's wrong?"
"If I may speak my mind." Pete started, and Kitty felt her stomach drop. Had he found whatever it was she destroyed? Was it worse than she thought?
"I don't think it's wise of you all to go to that facility tonight." He finished, eyeing her warily. Kitty felt a little betrayed despite herself, narrowing her eyes at his criticism. She dropped his hand.
"Pete, this cure is serious, much worse than last time." She argued. Pete sighed, shaking his head; she felt like a child again, like their age difference was much worse than they acted.
"And imagine the consequences if you're caught. The cure will only be pushed more, to stop these dangerous mutants that can sneak into everywhere." Pete responded, his voice tired and wary. Kitty stood up, looking down on him. Her body was tense, her fists clenched. What authority did he have, anyways? She wasn't supposed to tell him in the first place, and here he was, acting like he was the leader of the X-Men.
"They're going to use it against us anyways." Kitty shot back, shaking her head furiously. The way he was looking at her, like she was some subordinate child- it royally pissed her off.
"It's a bloody stupid idea. I don't want to see you hurt because of it."
It was the thought that mattered, that he cared for her- but Kitty ignored that fact. Hearing him condemn their plans like that, like they were just some adolescent group of mutants when compared to his past with MI-6, it brought her blood to a boil.
"You don't know shit, Pete." Kitty hissed, and she had turned away from him, not able to look him in the eyes at that moment. She'd stormed from the room, making sure phase straight through the door in hopes of leaving him that much sooner.
That whole exchange had only furthered her foul mood, and then she'd given John a chance, feeling a little bit of pity for his outsider status. Kitty had no reason to give him the time of day, considering their past, what he did not even five years ago. She'd promised she wouldn't forgive him for that. But talking to him a little wouldn't kill her- they were teammates now, technically.
But John being John had to go piss her off, remind her why she disliked him in the first place.
When they boarded the X-Jet later, she'd ignored him, instead let him be thrown to the sharks.
"Nice suit, fire-boy." Logan had said, a rough smirk on his features. Emma had even laughed, in that cruel, sharp way she always did. It was amusing, and Kitty loved how embarrassed he was, trying to hide it with a rough exterior.
"How the fuck was I supposed to know." John had scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest after they strapped into the seats. Kitty rolled her eyes, shaking her head. Idiot.
"You ready, half-pint?" Logan asked her, shifting in his seat beside her. He seemed completely at ease, which surprised her even more. It wasn't too much of a stretch to say he was eager to stretch his claws, exercise his bones; he longed for a little bit of violence, and he'd likely get that tonight. It wasn't going to be a clean investigation, they both knew.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Kitty shot back.
She wasn't ready, not in the least bit, she'd find out later.
John was sulking in the X-Jet, grinding his teeth together. He had to be driving Hank crazy by now, since the blue mutant could help but shift around in his seat.
To try and mend the situation, he reached out to John a little.
"It's just because you haven't trained with them yet." Hank told him, raising a furry blue eyebrow in John's direction. He just crossed his arms across his chest, idly playing with his lighter, watching the flame dance in front of him.
"A few weeks of training, you'll be good."
"What? Weeks? You've gotta be shitting me, old man." John responded, startled out of his tantrum. Hank gave a nervous, apologetic smile.
"This team, they're a tight machine. You can't just add new parts like that." He offered, shrugging at John.
"God, that's too long." John responded angrily. He was confined to the X-Jet with the doctor, going completely out of his mind. The rest of the team had left over an hour ago, parachuting out of the X-Jet like it was no big deal. That was one thing John wasn't sure he could deal with- jumping from the X-Jet. But he supposed if that was the key to letting him toast a few people, he'd gladly do it.
"Take notes, kid." Logan had told him, that stupid half-grin on his features, and if he wasn't such a damn terrifying guy, John would've flipped him off. But John liked keeping his fingers attached to his body.
What was even worse was that Hank and John barely had any contact with the team except for a few mics attached to their suits. So what was going on was practically a mystery to both of them. John was happy that he wasn't the only one left out of the action, even though he'd rather not be lumped in with big, blue, and furry.
"I've found a big complex within the facility."
Kitty's hushed voice came through the speakers of the X-Jet, and Hank was quick to respond back, taking his focus away from the angry fire-starter. John perked up, leaning forward in his seat.
"A complex? The facility didn't seem large enough." Hank responded back, the curiosity in his voice coming through. His brows were knitted together, worry clear on his features.
"It's huge." Kitty said in awe.
"Phase through it, see what's inside." Scott's voice came through on the comm link, his instructions rushed and eager.
"Getting to it, calm down." Kitty said back, irritated.
"Fuck," She hissed back, and John could practically hear the pain in her voice.
"Kid?" Logan asked nervously over the comms- he wasn't with Kitty, instead guarding the hallway she'd further explored. It was the only entrance into the deeper level of the facility, or so Hank had guessed. Apparently, their initial scans of the underground facility had been incorrect with the complex.
"It's adamantium." Kitty gasped back.
The comms link was immediately a rush of different voices, all talking over one another.
"What the fuck?" Logan.
"Surely not." Scott.
"That's gotta be worth billions, if not trillions..." Emma.
"Katzchen? Are you alright?" Kurt.
"Shut up, all of you." Kitty said, breathing deeply over the link.
That sounded just like Kitty, John mused.
"It's even more interesting inside, if you can believe it." She said grimly.
There was a sudden commotion, and John rushed up to the controls, coming up behind Hank. He looked over the myriad of buttons, finding the comm links; it was Kitty's comm, the button lit up, showing that the noise was on her end.
"Sorry 'bout that. Guards and all." Kitty panted back through the link.
"I don't mean to press you, Kitty, but we should try to wrap this all up in the next twenty minutes or so." Hank said politely, even though his body language betrayed him. There was sweat on his forehead, and his features were painted with worry. John admired him a little- he was anything but cool in the moment, but his voice was calm and collected, trying to help his team stay clear.
"We're clear down here, but not sure how much longer." Scott said, referring to his and Emma's vantage point at the opposite end of the facility, marking an entrance.
"The yard is clear, for the most part." Kurt shot back.
"I only need ten." Kitty responded.
The comm link went quiet for the next few moments, only the quiet sound of Kitty's footsteps.
She paused.
"Dead end, but there's another room." Another pause, except for Kitty's sharp intake of breath. "God, this wall- it's adamantium, but even thicker. I don't know if I can phase through this much without passing out-"
"Don't push yourself too far." Kurt warned.
"Is there nothing else?" Scott asked.
"There's a handprint scanner." Kitty said.
There was another pregnant pause, and finally Hank spoke up, seemingly out-of-character with his impatience.
"Perhaps the guards from earlier, Kitty?" Hank offered.
"I know, but…. I can't carry one of them this far. They're gigantic." Kitty said, disappointment clear in her voice. Logan spoke up after a moment, his voice grim. John listened carefully, his interest peaking.
"Well, I got an idea, Kit, but you aren't gonna like it."
Kitty had seen a lot of violence in her life, so much she had assumed she was mostly desensitized to it. She'd seen the worst of humanity already, the torture and the pain people could inflict on one another. But as soon as Logan spoke up through the comm link in her ear, she felt her stomach turn over in her body.
"The things I do for this team." Kitty said softly through her link, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. The team was silent over the links, but Logan offered up a small, gruff laugh.
She continued her work with one of her knives, sawing through the hard bone of a dead guard's wrist. There was blood everywhere, staining her hands, her lap. She swallowed down the urge to throw up, looking away from it all for a minute.
"I don't mean to rush you, Kitty, but-" Scott said.
"I got it, just let but finish mutilating this guy." Kitty said, not breathing through her nose. Soon she had a large hand in her grasp, blood flowing freely from the appendage. She wrinkled her nose, trying to ignore the fact that she had a real, fresh hand in her grasp.
"Should I keep it as a souvenir?" She offered, calming her nerves.
No response. Such a tough crowd.
Kitty tried to clean as much blood from the palm as she could, laying it on the tiny scanner. She prayed, hoping it would grant her clearance. She had this pull to go inside, some part deep inside her telling her to go in. It was both alluring and frightening, and she knew she had to go in.
She didn't tell the others that, though.
The doors slid open quietly, a bit anticlimactic.
Kitty found herself instead facing four large, burly guards, even more formidable than the one whose dismembered hand she currently held.
She phased immediately, their shouts bringing forth bullets from their even bigger guns. Kitty fell into action, it all coming natural to her, like exercising a forgotten limb. She grabbed one guard, pushing him into the adamantium wall; he shouted in pain, no doubt experiencing the fiery sting over his whole body, the same one she'd been through.
Without a second thought, Kitty let go of him, letting the material phase straight though his head. He stopped struggling, his body going limp in an instant.
One of the guards cursed at her, his eyes going wide; she took the opportunity to throw one of her knives in his direction, nailing the side of his arm. He dropped his gun just as another guard hit her side roughly, taking her off guard.
Kitty went flying to the ground, the air escaping her lungs. She didn't even have time to phase, instead her whole body slamming to the ground. Her brain rattled in her skull, and she heard the faint sound of her teammates trying to contact her through the comm link.
She felt a kick land to her ribs, and she was so disoriently that she didn't even phase at first. Kitty felt pain spark through her body, sharp and cutting.
Kitty forced it out of her mind, phasing straight through the guard above her; she stood up behind him, a snarl on her lips as he turned around, her hands in fists, ready to attack.
But instead, the guard just stared above her head, completely ignoring Kitty.
She didn't have much time to be intrigued or confused, for her questions were quickly answered.
Kitty felt a body move through her as she phased instinctively, feeling the familiar tingle of another human form go through her. But this kind was different, had a different feel- it was cold and cutting. She hadn't felt it in years.
The metal being knocked the guard from his feet, sending him flying; his neck snapped like nothing more than doll, crumbling to the wall across the room. There was too much pent up energy in his form, too much revenge in his body.
Kitty fell, her knees scraping the ground harshly. Her legs didn't work.
She wondered if she were dreaming, if there were perhaps a telepath in her head, forcing her to see this moment, to feel these emotions. She cursed that telepath.
She thought the moment couldn't get any worse, any more conflicting and confusing and all around painful, until she saw another form emerge from across the room, rising from another guard's lifeless form.
It was tall, strong and pale, a Amazonian woman with long, bright blonde hair. She glided over to Kitty's form, taking her place by her brother, as if it were any other day, any other circumstance than the one Kitty was forced to experience.
It was all too much. Kitty let out a choked sob, the grief in her stomach rising to her heart, clenching painfully.
"Kitty? What's going on, Kit?" Logan asked nervously, his tone sharp.
"Kitty, say something." Scott said urgently.
Kitty barely heard them, registering their voices like they were just a dream, far away. None of it felt real, like a reality she wasn't actually a part of. All that mattered were the two siblings in front of her, both with horrified expressions on their faces, yet still frighteningly blank and emotionless.
"You're both-" Kitty said with a shuddered breath, her voice shaking with tears. "-You're both dead. I spread your ashes together- in Russia, like you wanted- I saw your funeral I sent your letters I told your family-"
"Katya." Illyana said, her voice frighteningly small and broken for her formidable being. She dropped to her knees next to the woman, reaching out to touch her hair, feel her skin, see if it was real.
Kitty phased, letting the hand go through.
"You're not real." Kitty sobbed, her voice breaking.
"Are we dead? Is it over?" Piotr asked, his voice detached and strange as he gazed upon the two women in front of him. Kitty cried harder, crumbling into herself on the floor, her body limp.
"We're coming, Kit. Just a few minutes." Logan's voice said quietly on the link, hearing the exchange clearly.
Kitty sobbed.