I'm back! I got really nice feedback last chapter, thanks again to Sister Grimm 13, Wolverine 15120, and A Half-Empty Glass for the awesome OCs. I'm sorry I didn't put this chapter up last night, but I had to make some last-minute changes. There will be sixteen new characters in the next chapter. Thanks guys, your contributions made this chapter a lot easier. Enjoy!
"I hope this mission doesn't last too long." Kitty contemplated, fastening her seatbelt in her seat in the X Van. "I want to be fully alert and rested for when the new students come tomorrow."
"Right now, just try and focus on the mission." Jean said, from her place behind Logan. "Whatever's going on at the Brotherhood house is our top priority, so try and stay alert for that."
"Fat chance." Rogue snorted. She was seated beside Kitty. "Ah was just fallin' asleep when the Prof sent us on this mission. The younger students are lucky that they got to stay behind."
"Well, this mission will probably wake you up." Scott said, from his seat beside Jean. "One kid took down most of the Brotherhood and Emma Frost. This shouldn't be too easy."
"Oh, come on!" Kurt piped up from the back, in his usual, playful manner. "I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle. We defeated Apocalypse, this guy can't be anything much."
Storm sighed. Young people these days...
At the Brotherhood of Bayville Boardinghouse...
The young boy opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was a dull pain in his head.
"Ooohh..." he moaned, rubbing his temples. Where am I?
He looked around slowly. He was lying on a bed in a comfortably but sparsely furnished room. There was a tall lamp on the floor next to his bed. He moved his arms. They were sore and stiff, as were his legs. He slowly sat up.
What happened? How did I get here? He thought for a moment and suddenly it all came flooding back into his memory: A blond woman made of diamond, horrible memories coming to surface, fighting, winning, a blue woman shooting him with a dart.
She must've brought me here. He stiffly swung his feet over the edge of the bed and got shakily to his feet. He found that he felt very weak. He walked over to the door and tried to open it. Locked.
No problem. He reached out and pointed his open palm at the door, then clenched his fist tightly, a move that should've brought the door down. The wall shook slightly, but nothing else happened. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and channeled every last ounce of his energy into his fist. A faint glow appeared around his hand. He clenched his fist again.
"Ughh!" He stumbled forward, his shoulder hitting the wall. He slowly pushed himself up. He had absolutely no energy left to use his mutant abilities. He dropped to his knees, and slowly slumped to the floor. He was asleep before he hit the ground.
The young boy heard a 'creeaak!' that jolted him out of his pained sleep. The door to the room he was in was slowly being opened. He got shakily to his feet, prepared to defend himself. Who would be entering his room? His captor? Was someone here to bust him out? Or was he still dreaming?
"Who is it?" he asked cautiously. The door swung open all the way, revealing the silhouetted figure of a girl in the dark hallway. She stepped forward into the room, where the light revealed her all the way.
"What are you doing here?" the boy snarled, recognizing the black-haired girl that with the Brotherhood.
"Wait, I just brought you some food." Wanda held out her arms. She was holding a gray, flat tray with various food items on it.
"Uh...thanks." The boy didn't want to show how weak he was. He couldn't give anything away to these people. He took the tray from her and set it down on his nightstand.
"Hope your feeling a little better." Wanda lingered near the doorway, purposefully avoiding his gaze. The boy looked at her in surprise.
"Yeah, I fell a little better." he admitted. "Just a little weak, that's all."
"Well, just eat." Wanda said. She turned around and began to walk out.
"Wait!" he called after her. She stopped and turned.
"Do the others know you brought me food?" He already suspected what the answer would be, but he wanted to see her reaction.
"...Yes. Of course." Wanda said hurriedly. She turned again quickly and walked out, shutting the door behind her. The boy narrowed his eyes. He wasn't totally convinced.
...
"Alright, we're here." Logan pulled the van up in front of the Brotherhood house. He switched off the headlights as not to draw the Brotherhood's attention. Everyone climbed out. "Half-pint, you take Jean, Elf, and Rogue inside and see what you can find out. The rest of us will surround the house. You got ten minutes, and if we don't hear from you, we're comin' in. Got it?
"Yep." Kitty nodded her affirmation.
"Understood." Jean tried to sound more formal.
"Got it." Kurt flashed a toothy grin. Rogue just nodded.
"Alright, now get going. I'm not in the mood for this to drag out." Logan instructed them.
"Right." Kitty, Kurt, Jean, and Rogue ran off off toward the house.
...
Mystique snapped awake. She had fallen asleep about ten minutes before in her enormous four-poster bed. But something had woken her up. She got out of bed and walked over to her window. She saw two, twin headlights switch off. The car to which they belonged blended perfectly into the night. There was only one car that would be here at night like this, and only one reason they were here.
"X Men." Mystique snarled. They were here, no doubt they'd come for the boy. She ran through her options. There was no time to wake all the others, and they were almost inside. She quickly devised a plan in her mind. She knew what the boy was thinking and what he wanted, thanks to Emma. She decided to use that to her advantage. She began to shrink rapidly, and her arms grew light. Feathers appeared all over her body, and her legs shriveled. Her feet grew into hard, tough talons, and her eyes grew wide and yellow. A hard beak replaced lips. In full Barn Owl form, she hopped onto her windowsill and flew out the open window, landing on a branch above the X Van, listening. Now, she had only to wait for the right moment.
...
"Are you ready for this?" Kitty asked. She, Kurt, Rogue, and Jean were standing in front of the Brotherhood house. In truth, Kitty Pryde asked the question as more of a way of reassuring herself, as well as the others.
"Ready as I'll ever be." Rogue whispered hoarsely. Jean nodded.
"Let's do it!" For once, Kurt sounded serious. They all joined hands. Kitty took a deep, calming breath, sending the mental command to herself and the others to become intangible. Then, she dove forward, through the wall.
"Be very quiet." Jean warned. They were standing in a dark room, presumably the kitchen.
"Really? And I was just about to start yodlin'" Rogue muttered sarcastically. Jean glanced at her. But she wasn't about to let Rogue's sour mood spoil her feeling of authority.
"We'll split up and look for him." she whispered. "But remember, Logan said we only have ten minutes. If you find him, contact me telepathically and I'll let everyone else know. Okay?" Everyone silently agreed. They each moved off in a separate direction, Kurt disappearing away in a cloud of smoke, accompanied by his trademark Pbiffmmff! sound.
...
Kitty slowly made her way up the stairs, ready to phase through the floor at the first sign that someone was coming. She reached the top of the stairs, where there was a dark hallway.
Left or right? She looked both ways. Umm... Right. She turned and pressed herself against the wall, sticking to the shadows. This might take a while.
...
Jean crept into the living room. It was dark, just like the rest of the house, but she could make out the shapes of a couch, a leather armchair, and a coffee table. She looked at her watch. Only five minutes left. She closed her eyes and scanned the house. She could sense Lance, Pietro, Wanda, and Toad, all asleep. Wait... she could briefly sense something else, almost a tickle, but then it was gone. Could it be Mystique? Jean knew she was hard to track, due to her...induced evolution, thanks to Magneto's enhancer. But this fleeting sense of someone didn't feel like Mystique. So it could be only one person, the boy there were here to get! She closed her eyes, trying very hard to track that mind again. Nothing. Come on... she scanned the house again and again. Suddenly, a flash of the mysterious persons' mind caught her notice again. Found you, Jean smiled to herself.
Everyone, I've found him. He's in the upper left portion of the house. I can't tell if he's asleep, so approach with caution. We'll all meet there now. She sent a telepathic message, carefully sending it only to Kitty, Kurt, and Rogue. The worst case-scenario would include her telling the Brotherhood that they'd found their hostage by mistake. She slowly lifted up into the air, she was less likely to be spotted if she was up by the ceiling. She floated up the stairs, and turned left down the hall, the same spot where Kitty had turned right. She came to the end of the hallway, where she could sense the boy.
"Anyone there?" she called softly, seeing if any of her teammates were there.
"I'm here." Kitty said softly. She was crouched in the corner, and her dark, full-body suit concealed her smoothly.
"Where are the others?" Jean asked, gently lowering herself down next to Kitty.
"I'm not sure, but we don't have much time." Kitty whispered.
...
Rogue had gotten Jean's message, and she was heading from the dining room upstairs to regroup with the others. She slinked out the doorway and had just rounded a corner when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
"GAH!" she yelped, jumping and spinning in the air.
"Relax, sis, it's just me." Kurt was standing behind her. Rogue scowled at her adoptive brother.
"Kurt! You nearly scared me to death!" She scolded.
"Shhh!" Kurt looked nervously around. "Not so loud. You'll wake someone up!"
"Did you get Jean's message?" Rogue ignored Kurt's comment.
"Yep. I'm heading there now." he replied. "Let's go." He grabbed her arm, and with a Pbiffmmff! and a cloud of smoke, they were gone.
...
"Alright, on my mark." Jean instructed. She, Kurt, Kitty, and Rogue had regrouped outside the room where she believed the boy to be. They were all holding hands, and were tensed to jump through the wall. "One...Two...Three!"
Kitty phased them through the wall. Inside, there was a bed with a nightstand next to it. There was a lamp on the nightstand, glowing slightly. They could see a dark shape on the bed.
"It must be him." Jean whispered. Slowly, they made their way across the room.
"I think he's asleep." Kitty whispered. She inched closer. Her instructions were to phase him out of the house.
"Wrong." a voice said. As Kitty watched in open-mouth shock, the boy sat up in his bed.
"What do you want with me?" he asked. Kitty took a step back. This could get ugly.
"We only want to help." Jean said. She took a step forward. "We know you're going through a difficult time right now, and we can help you."
"Why?" the boy uttered a single word.
"Because that's what we do." Jean said softly. "The X Men are here for all mutants."
"You're lying." The boy said. He got to his feet, fists clenching dangerously. Everyone took another step back, to show that they weren't aggressive.
He's kind of cute, Kitty decided, for the first time getting a good look at his caramel-colored skin, dark eyes, and black hair. He tried to hide it, but Jean noticed he was a little unsteady. He looked weak. "Get out." he warned threateningly.
"But, we're the good guys!" Kurt exclaimed. He wasn't wearing his inducer, so his blue, fuzzy, tailed form was a little intimidating, especially in the dark. They boy took a step toward them. He raised his fists, which were encased in a soft glow.
"Wait!" Jean raised her hands in a gesture of peace. "We don't have to fight. We just want to talk to you." The boy lowered his hands. Good, thought Jean. We're making a connection.
"At the Xavier Institute, Professor X helps us learn to control out powers." Jean went on. "He helps mutants like us, if we're having problems. He-"
'CRASH!' Jean was interrupted by loud, shattering glass. Someone had jumped through the window behind the boy.
"Yagh!" The boy yelped, jumping back. Lips pulled back in a snarl, Wolverine stood in front of the window, claws extended, on a pile of crushed glass.
"Yer ten minutes is up." He growled. "You guys okay?" He turned toward the boy, who had backed into a corner. "Now, why don't ya give it up and come with us?" he asked, taking a step toward him. The boy's eyes started to glow.
"Wait, Logan!" Jean shouted. "Stop! We have it all under control!" She lunged forward and grabbed Logan's arm.
"Our "instructions are to bring the boy back to the institute." Wolverine snarled, removing his arm from Jean's grasp. The boy stepped forward, a faint glow surrounding his body. Jean's eyes widened. She had to stop Logan.
...
"It's almost been ten minutes." Storm said quietly. "We should probably go in."
"Yeah." Logan agreed. He pushed himself off from the van. "Scott, lets-"
-LOGAN! Are you there?- Logan jumped from the Professor's urgent voice in his head.
-Yeah, I'm here. What's wrong, Chuck?- Logan mentally responded while the Storm and Cyclops looked on nervously.
-Are you attacking the boy?-
-What? 'Course not! I'm outside with Storm and Cyclops.- Logan shook his head with confusion. What was wrong with Charles?
-Logan, you must hurry. I was contacted by Jean. She said that you were attacking the boy. It must be...-
-Mystique.- Logan growled, with a shink! of his claws extending. He turned to Storm and Cyclops. "Come on!" he said, as he started running toward the house."We've got trouble."
Wolverine, Cyclops, and Storm ran up the steps to the front door of the brotherhood house. Without checking to see if it was unlocked, Wolverine slashed at the wood, chopping it into shreds. They hurried through the darkened hallways to a room in the upper left part of the house, guided by Wolverine's nose. They came to a closed door, with muffled sounds coming from the other side. Cyclops pressed the button on the side of his visor, blasting the door down. Inside the dark room, Jean, Kurt, Kitty, and Rogue were trying to stop...Logan? They all whipped around when the rest of the X Men came in.
"Logan! But...how?" Kurt looked at Wolverine, than at (Mystique)Wolverine.
"She's Mystique!" he growled, pointing his claws at (Mystique) Wolverine. Everyone looked in her direction.
The tiniest hint of a smile splashed across (Mystique)Wolverine's face. Then, she lashed out to the side, her claws slicing through the lamp on the nightstand, plunging the room into complete darkness.
"Careful!" Jean warned. "Mystique could be anywhere or anyone!" Everyone backed up against a wall.
"Jean? Is that you?" Kitty bumped into someone.
"Yes and no, Kitty." Jean replied. 'It's ME!"she spun around, planting a foot in Kitty's chest.
"Oof!" Kitty flew backward and crashed into the wall, unconscious.
"Mystique is me!" Jean yelled.
"No, I'm not." Another voice that sounded like Jean said. There were sounds of fighting, but how could the real Jean's friends help if they didn't know which one was Jean?
"Jean, are you okay?"Scott yelled.
"I'm fine!" Jean's voice sounded. "Mystique is someone else now!"
"Anyone see her?" Rogue's voice was heard. Suddenly there was a grunting sound, followed by a grunt. But before anyone could react to that, the door swung open, and light from the hallway streamed into the room. The real Rogue was standing in front of Mystique's crumpled body.
"What's going on in here?" A sleepy voice asked. Everyone turned to the door. Pietro stood in the doorway, along with Freddy and Toad. They were all wearing pajamas. His eyes widened as he saw Mystique unconscious on the floor at Rogue's feet.
"Wait, this isn't what it looks like." Jean started. "Mystique attacked us!"
"Yeah, right." Pietro scoffed. "Mystique attacked you, one-on-seven, in her own house? I don't think so!" He glanced at Freddy and sneered. "Let's take care of these losers."
"My pleasure!" Blob charged into the room, the floor shaking with every step. He picked up Wolverine and hurled him at the wall. He slammed into it, breaking a large hole in the side of the house.
"Ugh, looks like we have no choice." Wolverine extended his claws and jumped to his feet.
"Eat this!" The room lit up suddenly as Storm blasted Freddy with a lightning bolt.
"Aaughhh!" He screamed, flying out of the room and down the hallway. Pietro scowled. He ran into the room and kneed Storm in the stomach.
"Oogh!" she fell to the floor. Jean closed her eyes, and Pietro lifted into the air.
"Hey, lemme down!" he wailed. Scott then proceeded to blast him. But as Pietro fell, his flailing arm caught the young boy in the cheek.
"Uhh!" the blow stunned him, and he stumbled back to the hole in the wall. He reeled backward and teetered on the edge, trying to regain his balance.
"NOOO!" Jean yelled, making a lunge for him. But she was too late. The boy fell two stories to the ground and landed with a sickening thud!
Well, sorry to keep you hanging like that. This was kind of a sucky chapter. There was too much to put in one chapter. The next chapter will feature the new students that I was going to originally going to put in this one. Stay tuned and review!