Chapter 5: Reunions
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Character crossovers…
Willow: Scott Summers (Cyclops)
Madmartigan: Remy LeBeau (Gambit)
General Kael: Creed (Sabretooth)
Sorsha: Rogue ()
Elora: Katherine Pryde (Kitty)
Franjean: Kurt Wagner (Night Crawler)
Rool: Todd Tolansky (Toad)
Llug- Fred (Blob)
Llug's wife- Tabitha (Boom Boom)
Bavmorda: Raven Darkholm (Mystique)
Cherlindrea: Wanda (the Scarlet Witch)
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Night had come to Bayville. The difference not noticed by many, since the darkness always seemed to cover the lands.
Captain Creed entered the castle gates, returning from his latest mission, victorious. He strolled through the many halls and passageways of castle Bayville to the Queen's great hall. "My Queen, I have defeated the army Excalibur," he gloated.
"Well done, Captain," Raven praised, returning her gaze to her daughter. "It appears a group of Dwellers from Niagara are off somewhere."
"So," Creed said, bored.
"So, Rogue tracked what the midwife used to send the child down the river on. It was found on the shores of one of the villages in Niagara. Destiny foretold that the midwife would send the child downstream just as the wolves caught up to her. The Dwellers will take the child to the Scarlet Witch. I want you and Rogue joining forces and finding them."
"Mother!" Rogue insisted, stepping closer to her mother and away from Creed. "Y'know Ah can find this child."
"Be silent daughter! This…infant has eluded you for how long now?" Raven asked. Rogue lowered her gaze. "A month?"
Creed smiled. "A child? Betty, I told you, the field is not the place for a girl. Even one who looks so much like her mother," Creed said, his hand reaching out to caress her cheek. Rogue pulled her face out of his reach and eyed him with murderous intent.
"You dare slight my daughter in my presence?" Raven demanded.
"Nah, just teasing her is all," Creed offered.
"Call me Betty again, pig, an' Ah'll make yeh a gelding," Rogue threatened, green eyes offering the man a chilling stare. He grinned, accepting the challenge.
"Enough! Creed, I have asked you here to aid Rogue in finding the child of the prophecy. I want that child brought back to me, alive and anyone helping it."
"Ah don't need his help," Rogue insisted.
"This past month has clouded my judgment of your abilities in this mission. Creed will help you and that's final. Now go!"
Rogue replaced her helmet and left the great hall, bitterly. Creed turned and followed the young woman. He was in good spirits. He would now have the chance to torment her with Raven out of the picture. 'This mission is going to be fun,' he thought to himself.
Raven watched as the pair left the great hall. Once they were out of ear shot she called out to the man hiding in the shadows. "James, a word."
"Yes, my Queen?" he asked, head bowed in respect.
"Insert a copy with Creed. I would have you be my eyes and ears," she ordered and turned to finally look at the man.
Nodding his head, Raven watched as his body shook, almost like he was convulsing, and she nudged the man to help the process along. Just like that a copy of the man was reproduced before her very eyes, like he had been there all along. The copy bowed, "Arthur," he introduced himself then raced after Creed to do as commanded.
The original man stood before her and she patted the loyal Militia on the shoulder out of gratitude. With that she left towards her spell room.
As she walked she thought of the man, James Madrox, a loyal Militia, grievously injured in battle years ago. Raven had healed him and as he was nursing himself back to health she had proposed a spell to give him powers only trusted to someone as loyal as he was.
The spell allowed him to create duplicates of himself. The duplicates were able to tap into each other telepathically and even able to see through each other's eyes. Not only was he a faithful Militia but he was a great asset as well. His copies were mainly used as messengers between realms.
James eventually gained the ability to replicate up to six copies but if they traveled too far or were set upon this world for too long he could only produce and maintain a few copies.
With the copy Arthur, Raven would keep an eye on Creed as the search for the child of the prophecy continued.
~5~
Morning had turned to afternoon and Scott stopped for a break. Once the child was fed and cared for, he worried about his own needs.
The afternoon break wasn't intended to last long, since Scott wanted to get a good start on his journey. He reached into his pouch for an apple and retreated as he felt something move inside his pouch.
"What the…?" he said, dumping the contents onto the ground. Two Envoys fell to the ground.
"Hey!" one demanded, glaring up at Scott.
"Who are you and where did you come from?" Scott asked. Scott had heard of Envoys but had never seen one in person.
The pair stood up. "I am Kurt Vagner und this here is Toad," the Envoy pointed to the other.
"Hey, don't be rude, blue boy. I'm Todd Tolanksy, yo, but everyone calls me Toad."
"Uh, okay," Scott said, confused with the whole situation.
"The Scarlet Vitch sent us to find you last night. I guess ve must have dosed off in your pack. Sorry man," the one called Kurt explained.
"Why are you here?" Scott asked.
"Yo man, don't you recall? The Witch wanted us to show you the way to Ororo on the Bay of Alexandria," Toad said.
As if a light flashed in his mind Scott did recall her saying that she was sending Envoys. "Well then, which way?" Scott asked, picking up the apple he originally sought and taking a bit waiting for instruction from the Envoys.
"Ha, you were just walking without any place to go?" Toad asked.
"I was heading towards Westchester. I thought the Bay of Alexandria was somewhere near there," Scott said, as he packed up his supplies with his other hand.
"The way to Alexandria is that way," Toad said, pointing east.
"No, it's this vay," Kurt corrected, pointing north.
"This way, yo" Toad said, readjusting his arm to northeast.
"This vay!" Kurt said, arm ironically pointing in the same direction as Toad's.
"That's what I said, blue boy!" Toad said, hopping ahead of his two companions.
"This vay," Kurt gestured Scott in Toad's direction.
"Are you sure you know where you are going?" Scott asked, with everything packed and ready for the journey.
"Of course, vhat do you think ve look like? A couple of idiots," Kurt asked, following Toad down an unseen hole.
"Not one vord," Kurt said.
Scott smiled as he picked up the two Envoys out of the hole they had fallen into and put them inside his pack. "Northeast, right?" Scott asked, making sure he had the direction right and teasing the Envoys.
"Yeah, just watch out for the rodent holes, yo," Toad said, poking his head out of the pack.
~5~
The endless journey had provided decent weather but today the sunny sky turned to rain and dark skies. From morning to evening the weather was nothing but rain. Scott soon started to worry about the baby's health. The dark rainy day also brought a rather chilly wind.
"Uh, I think we already passed this," Scott said, insinuating some of the familiar landmarks.
"You don't trust us?" Kurt asked, peering through the sack.
Scott looked down catching Kurt's eye. "What do we look like, a couple of idiots," Scott mimicked Kurt's earlier question.
"Funny," Kurt said.
"We need to get Katherine inside somewhere so I can dry her off before she gets pneumonia," Scott informed.
"How do you propose we do that? There's no shelter nearby that's safe from the rain, yo," Toad noted.
As if to answer the Envoy's question, laughter was heard in the distance not far away. Scott cautiously followed the sound through the thick forest and to a road. Across the road he saw a tavern.
"Ve cannot go in there!" Kurt said.
"As long as a certain Envoy or two doesn't pop out and blow our cover we should be fine," Scott said. Toad and Kurt disappeared in the safety of the pouch. Scott then took a breath and headed towards the tavern.
~5~
"What are you doing?" Toad whispered, rather loudly as Scott approached a table inside the tavern. In response Scott shook his pack, nonchalantly. He felt the Envoy fall to the bottom and he smiled.
"Excuse me," he asked a woman who was just about to pick up two mugs of beer.
"What?" she asked, impatiently.
"Is there someplace warm I can take my child to dry her off from the rain?" he asked, showing her the infant who sniffled.
A small hint of warmness softened in the woman's cold eyes. "There's a room back there. I don't think it's occupied," she said, pointing in the direction of the room.
"Thank you," Scott replied and proceeded to the closed door, behind all the tables and drunks.
"Nice. You're slicker than I gave you credit for, yo," Toad, muttered. Head again poking out of the pack.
"I swear if anyone sees you, you're both walking," Scott said, opening the door.
Inside was a simple room. A bed, a few chairs and several blankets. Satisfied, he placed Katherine on the bed and dried her off. Then exchanged her wet clothes for a new pair of dry clothes, compliments of Rachel and Nathan's infant clothing Jean knitted years back.
With Katherine now dry and warm, Scott collected her in his arms. As he neared the door, the unexpected happened. The door reversed its' direction, nearly knocking him to the floor. Fortunately, Scott caught his balance and backed away as two tavern goers entered the room, a male and a female.
The male rummaged through the blankets, searching for something. Behind the male, the female shut the door, as if someone was coming in right behind them.
When the male seemed to have found what he had been looking for, he pulled a piece of clothing over his attire and had a blanket covering his face. "He's coming," the woman warned. The man turned to face the woman, with his face now covered.
"Next time, petite, you might wanna tell ol' Remy when your husband's around."
Scott's jaw nearly dropped. "Remy!?" he blurted, catching the Militia off guard.
~5~
Rogue and Creed rode side by side, despite Rogue's persistence in not needing the appalling Captain her mother demanded the Militia help in the search for the child of the prophecy.
It had been nearly two weeks since that day. The pair, along with their squad of Bayville troops had followed a group of Dweller's from Niagara to Syracuse and were now following the lone Dweller and the child northeast.
The recent rains had made tracking their target rather difficult and slowed their advancement incredibly. Their long exhausting days brought them across a tavern. Rogue halted her steed and she turned to her fellow Captain. "Creed, it's likely the Dweller stopped here. We should check the tavern."
"Oh please. We're heading northeast. The moron is going to the Bay of Alexandria. He's not going to stop in the open when he knows he's being tracked," Creed corrected, kicking his stallion in the gut and continued passed the tavern.
"Isn't it protocol to check all possibilities, Captain?" Rogue asked, standing her ground.
Disgusted, Creed brought his mount to a halt and turned to the Queen's daughter. "Take a small group and assess the tavern. I'll continue to the Bay."
Rogue nodded and called out for five troops to continue with her. "And Rogue," Creed said. Rogue turned and waited for whatever insult he was going to offer. "I won't be waiting for you."
Rolling her eyes Rogue proceeded to the tavern, in a sense alone. Hoping against hope that the child was there, just so she could rub that in Creed's ugly face.
~5~
"Hey, mon ami. Where'd you come from?" Remy asked, uncovering his face to greet the Dweller.
"Uh, Remy. What's going on?" Scott asked, taking a glance at Remy's dress and over at the Militia's female companion. The answer to Scott's question was answered as a man busted through the door. A near four hundred pound man took in the occupants of the room.
Fortunately, Remy had recovered his face as the hefty man caught a glimpsed of the suspected woman. "Well, well. What have we here?" the man said, closing the distance.
"Oh Fred, that's…Remella, my cousin," the woman said.
"Remella, huh," Fred was nearly on top of Remy as he eyed him like an animal during mating season.
"Tabitha, your husband is so…charming," Remy said, in a mocked feminine voice then grabbed Katherine from Scott's arms.
"Hey!" Scott insisted.
With the child in Remy's arms, Fred backed up slightly. "Oh honey, stop fussing," Remy said to Scott, who immediately became silent from the comment.
Confused, Fred backed off completely. "Well, it was a nice visit, Tabitha, but I tink Scott and I should be going," Remy said, inching his way to the door.
Again, the door burst open. This time, two Bayville troops grabbed Remy and shoved him out of the room. The troops herded the remaining three out into a group of tavern goers.
"What is the meaning of this?" Fred demanded.
"Silence!" a female voice demanded.
The entire tavern fell silent as a Militia woman approached the group. She eyed them all, searching for something.
"Yah!" she said, pointing to Remy. Scott took a deep breath. He knew what was coming. "Are yah the mother of that child?" she asked.
Remy looked at the infant in his hands and then back up at the warrior. "Yes, yes of course I am," Remy said.
Rogue stepped forward. "Let meh see its' arm," Rogue demanded.
"No!" Scott said, stepping in front of Remy.
A troop pulled a knife out and brought it to Scott's throat. "Back, off," he instructed.
Slowly Scott did as requested. "Ah said let me see the child!" Rogue said, reaching for the baby. Instead of obtaining possession of the child, she received an elbow to the collar bone which in turn knocked her to the ground. Her helmet clattered on the wooden floor and her brown and white streaked hair flowed freely onto her shoulders. Remy gasped.
The five troops dropped what they had been doing and covered Remy with daggers. Rogue got up, glaring at Remy. "Back away," she commanded. They did and Rogue approached Remy with suspicion. "Mah, yah sure are strong foh a woman," Rogue said.
"Well, you know," Remy said, trying to shrug off the woman's suspicion but knew he had been made.
Rogue continued to stare into Remy's eyes. Then with a single movement she swiped the blanket from his face. "Ah knew it! Yah're not a woman."
"That's not a woman!?" Fred shouted from amongst his Bayville captors.
Remy smirked then puckered his lips at Fred who hollered and lunged at Remy. Knowing it was coming, Remy dodged, as Fred's fist connected with a nearby Bayville troop. Then Remy and Scott were off as a riot began in the tavern.
"Scott, get on de horse," Remy said, as he mounted a Bayville steed.
"But, Remy," Scott began.
Behind them a pair of Bayville troops came rushing out of the tavern after them. "No time. Scott, we need ta go," Remy said.
Scott did as commanded, climbing onto a Bayville horse. Remy dug his heels into the horse, in response the horse reared and galloped off into the distance. Shaking his head, "I can't ride very well," Scott muttered, mimicking the same movement Remy did. Behind him, in the now distant of the tavern, Scott saw a distraught Bayville group after them. "Damnit," he muttered, catching up with Remy.
~5~
Logan's group had been recruiting for what seemed like forever, though in reality it hadn't been that long. They had moved on from Niagara to Syracuse. Amongst their own camp the numbers grew. Each time they set up for camp Logan would work on instructing all in the form of combat.
Many of those recruited were quick studies and adapted to the sword and weapons quickly. Those that didn't spent more time training.
Piotr had just finished the group lesson and followed after Logan, finally getting the chance to talk to the legendary man.
"Logan, a moment," Piotr called after him.
Logan turned to face him, an impatient look on his face. "Yeah, what is it bub?" he asked.
"I would talk to you a moment. I have heard stories of you growing up and had hoped to one day meet you. Could I ask you a few questions, of how you came to be a Militia?"
"Don't like talking much about my past," Logan insisted. "Besides ain't you a little old for that hero stuff and hearing stories of em'?"
Piotr looked down, his confidence wavering. As Logan watched the young man's reaction for the first time he saw the man before him was not a man at all but a boy. "How old are you?" Logan asked, trying to catch the kid's eye.
Piotr continued to stare at his feet; feeling even more embarrassed that Logan could tell by his current childish action he was not as old as everyone perceived. "Thirteen," he said softly.
Logan couldn't help as his eyebrows shot up shocked of the admission. He would have guessed sixteen, fifteen at the youngest. Then Logan grinned and slapped the boy on the shoulder roughly. "Come on kid, don't mean I like you any less."
Piotr finally looked up at him a childish grin on his face. Logan put his arm around Piotr's neck and they walked towards Logan's tent. "So why haven't you come for Militia training before we recruited you?" he asked as they approached his tent. A fire already started, Logan sat down on a stump he'd made when they set up camp here. The tree had provided the wood for the fire burning before them. Piotr pulled up a log to sit on and looked at Logan who was lighting his cigar in the fire.
"My family runs a farm in Niagara. They need me there, not in Westchester or anywhere else. But when you recruited us I knew if we are to continue to have that farm I must help Westchester defeat Bayville."
"Kid, that's a shame that's all that's been keeping you from your title. You could always bring your family to Westchester. Militia folk do get compensated for their services."
Piotr nodded, never knowing that. Perhaps he could sway his family from Niagara once this war was over. Then he would be able to fore fill his lifelong dream of training with Logan and becoming part of the Westchester Militia.
The pair remained silent for a time, while Piotr thought of possibilities beyond the war and Logan enjoyed his cigar. "So Petey, what's the story with your realm-folk?"
"Do you not ask them yourself?"
"I don't like socializing. Sides' I got you here to give me the footnotes. I don't need any of the long winded sob stories."
Piotr nodded. He was the same way. He didn't mind talking here and there as he was a quiet man. But this, he had always hoped he could spend and talk with his hero.
"Bobby is a childhood friend of Scott's. He followed him from Syracuse to Niagara. His parents died when he was a teenager and he has been sort of lost ever since. He does not really know where he belongs but his loyalty is unwavering.
Bishop is from Olean. He came to us recently when his sister was badly injured during the Olean Massacre. He joined our guard and swore to one day come to Westchester once his sister was fully recovered and help defeat Bayville.
Warren comes from a family of wealth. His father started by selling seeds and continued the growth of his merchandise in Niagara. He even helped build the town we reside in Niagara. He died five years ago and Warren inherited everything. Needless to say, Warren is nothing like his father. Spoiled and has never been one to conceal that."
Logan chuckled. He didn't spend much time with Warren but knew the type. If it weren't for the need for every able body he would not have accepted the man to train in his ranks.
"After all of this is over and we ain't dead, I'll take you under my wing. The realms need more men like you."
Piotr looked at him, eyes eager with enthusiasm he grinned. "I would be most honored to be trained by the great Wolverine."
Logan chuckled. "That name's reserved for the enemy. Strikes fear into their hearts. And if we are going to be talking about nicknames, all of my apprentice's need one, Colossus."
Piotr smiled. Not only did the name fit him but it was given to him by his idol. "I would be most honored, Logan."
Logan nodded. "Okay kid, it's time for bed. Once the fighting starts you won't be getting much rest. Take advantage of it now."
Piotr stood and extended his arm to Logan. Logan put the cigar in his mouth and took the offer. He stood as he did so and slapped Piotr on the arm.
"Thank you and goodnight," Piotr said leaving to his own tent, thoughts of the future beyond the war laying heavily on his mind as he did so. He wasn't sure how much rest he would get with the excitement making him feel like a kid for the first time in a long time.
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