Sorry for not updating for so long. I'm getting used to college life. Here's the new chapter for Inversion!
Inversion chapter 7 – Gem Hunt, part 2
"Well," Quantum said, "this is cheery."
Quantum was with Mystique, standing outside the mansion owned by Charles Xavier. The mansion was famous and infamous at the same time. Famous among parents for its reputation of getting young mutants to control their powers, infamous among children for the harsh methods the teachers used. Kids were especially scared of two teachers in particular – Scott Summers and Kitty Pryde. Both of them were the hardest on the children. Summers used his eyebeams on anyone he perceived as "troublemakers" (which was pretty much everyone), and Kitty Pryde… well, all Quantum heard was Pryde gave a new definition to the term "racking your brains."
Looking at Mystique, Quantum asked, "Why can't we free the students? They'll be much better off with us."
"We can't," Mystique said, her voice thick. "We can't risk any one of the X-Men tracking us back to our base. Otherwise, I would get those kids out or die in the attempt."
Quantum didn't say anything. She knew that Mystique was right, but that didn't make things any easier. After taking a moment to quell her anger, she asked, "Is anyone else going to help us?"
"There is someone else," Mystique replied, "but I don't understand. He should have beaten us here."
Almost in response, purple smoke started rising from the ground. In less than three seconds, the purple smoke encompassed them completely. Mystique groaned, muttering, "Of all the times…"
"Ladies and gentlemen," said a masculine voice, drawing out every word. It reminded Quantum of every ringmaster she saw at every circus she went to. "For one night only, please put your hands together for the one, the only…"
The smoke was swept aside, and Quantum saw the most horrible costume she had seen in her entire life. The green reminded her of a snake, scales and all, but the purple cape was like a bad knock-off of Doctor Strange's red cape. The cape was fastened by two gold clips that looked more like eyes. Gold gauntlets covered his hands, devoid of any other detail. Worst of all, where the head should have been, there was a giant gray bowl similar to… Quantum could only describe it as the unloved child of an astronaut's space helmet and a fish bowl.
"MYSTERIO!" he announced. He then started bowing to an imaginary audience, saying, "Thank you, thank you. You're too kind."
Quantum turned to Mystique, wearing an exasperated expression on her face. "Do we have to work with this guy?"
"Trust me, if all Beck did was act like he was in the circus, I would have handed him over to some cheesey wax museum," Mystique said, taking out some wire cutters and making a hole in the fence while she was at it. "But he's a lot more talented than people give him credit for. He even managed to fight Daredevil to a standstill so everyone in Hell's Kitchen could get away."
"My crowning achievement," Mysterio said, his chest puffing up with pride. "Too bad everyone believed that I was the one who was holding Hell's Kitchen hostage."
"It's not hard to see why," Quantum muttered under her breath as the three of them entered the hole in the fence.
As Mysterio and the others walked through the halls of the Xavier Institute, Quantum silently thanked God that she had run away before her parents sent her here. The place reminded her too much of a Gothic cavern, like some nightmare from the creator of the Castlevania games. The walls all contained pictures of the X-Men, and it was rare that one of those pictures didn't have them inflicting some torturous thing to a young child. The most horrifying images involved Wolverine, who was doing things that even the X-Men wouldn't have done.
"What are we looking for?" Quantum asked, whispering so quietly it was almost under her breath.
"We're looking for the Mind Gem," Mystique replied just as quietly. "It's the source of Charles Xavier's power."
"Wait, I thought he got his powers because he was a mutant? The most powerful telepath on Earth?"
"Well, that last part is true. He is the most powerful telepath on Earth. He did not get that title, though, through his mutant abilities. In fact, he's not a mutant at all. If it weren't for the Mind Gem, he'd just be a very evil man in a wheelchair."
"This wasn't in the script," Mysterio said in a normal voice. A voice imbedded with alarm. Turning to see what was distressing Mysterio, Quantum and Mystique understood and shared that alarm.
A small team of X-Men stood before them. Cyclops was there, his hands on his ruby red sunglasses. Kitty Pryde was there as well, her outfit making her look like a hooker-turned-villain. Nightcrawler hung from the chandelier above them like a demonic bat. That wasn't what scared them. In front of all the other X-Men was Wolverine, his claws already out.
"I don't suppose we can talk about this?" Quantum asked weakly.
"Mystique," Nightcrawler growled. "How dare you come here, mother."
"Enough of the family reunions," Cyclops snapped. "X-Men, take them down. Then… take them to the Danger Room."
Mysterio threw three green test tubes at the X-Men. Upon contact, they didn't shatter, but instead started coating the X-Men in what appeared to be liquid cement. In two seconds, the X-Men were encased in actual cement.
"Go!" Mysterio shouted. "I'll handle them! You guys get to the Professor!"
Mystique and Quantum ran off without a word. Quantum had no idea where to go, but Mystique had no such problem – she took the lead and turned corner after corner. Eventually, the two women found themselves face to face with the door to Professor Xavier's room.
Unfortunately, they also found themselves face to face with Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler.
Mystique wasted no time in pulling out two handguns, and started shooting at the two X-Men. Pryde turned intangible, while Nightcrawler teleported around the room.
Quantum ran through the opening that Mystique gave her. Opening the door, Quantum used her power to slow down brain waves in an effort to help Mysterio and Mystique. Satisfied that she had done all she could to stop the X-Men, she went inside.
The first thing that hit her was the smell. It overwhelmed her so quickly and completely she started throwing up before she could even identify the smell. After she regained control of her stomach, she looked up and saw what was causing the smell. A rotting corpse was there, in a wheelchair. In its lap, a blue gem sparkled in an unseen light.
"You little bitch," a female voice with a British accent spat. "Now everyone will know the truth!"
Emma Frost stepped out from behind some curtains. Wearing a white bra, pants of the same color, and a white feather boa, she looked like she had just come back from a Vegas show. Quantum knew better. This was one of her recurring nightmares – Frost was the one that handed her over to S.H.I.E.L.D. Wasting no time, Quantum directed all her brain-stopping energy towards Frost. It had the desired effect – Frost stopped in her tracks completely. Dashing forward, Quantum grabbed the Mind Gem.
The minute it was in her hands, Quantum gasped as her mind touched every other one in the universe. Hell, she even got a glimpse into Galactus's mind. Then she started remembering her training. Slowly, but surely, she returned to Earth… more specifically, herself.
Using the Mind Gem, she froze every X-Men in the house. Once again using it, she sent a telepathic message to Mystique and Mysterio. I got the Gem! Let's get out of here!
They didn't need to be told twice. They never stopped running until the mansion was well beyond their sight.