Most Likely to Succeed (Part Two)
By TheLostMaximoff
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. R/R.
Paige Guthrie thumbed through her Computer Science textbook with a level of disinterest she rarely gave her schoolwork. The pride of Generation X, Paige was nothing if not a studious and quick learner. Unfortunately, like most things in her life lately, school just didn't hold the appeal it once did.
"I spent my teenage years dealing with sentient technology light-years beyond this," muttered Paige to herself as she placed the book on top of her face while she laid on her bed, "I might as well just go back to the Stone Age." Paige wasn't one to brag or posture but the material in the textbook was laughably simple compared to what she had dealt with during her time as a member of the X-Men. The problem, at least for Paige, was that she wasn't an X-Man anymore and her options were slim. She didn't have a desire to get back into that lifestyle but she couldn't exactly sit at home with her siblings and her mother. Paige had too much ambition to be another victim of small-town syndrome so she chose the most logical path. Paige chose to go to college but after only a month at Eastern Kentucky University she found herself a very large fish in a miniscule pond.
"Fortunately, there're always distractions," mumbled Paige to herself as she heard music blaring from the floor below hers. It seemed that someone was in the mood to throw a party and Paige couldn't really think of a better excuse to blow off her homework. Setting her course of action in stone, Paige hopped off her bed and began looking through her closet for something more appropriate to change into. She wasn't aware that a pair of eyes was watching her from afar, a pair of eyes belonging to someone with intentions more sinister than simply watching her change clothes.
"She's on the move," said the man in black as he tapped the radio in his ear, "I think she's coming your way."
"I'll be waiting for her," assured the voice on the other end of the line, "If this works we may not even need the special operative."
"Wouldn't rule him out just yet," said the man, "The other three got away from us. The boss won't be very pleased if we let the same thing happen to this one."
"And if she were 'damaged' during the transport?" asked the other voice.
"Stop thinking with your stomach and start thinking with your head," ordered the man, "Stay sharp and notify me if anything goes wrong."
XXXXX
"Remind me again why we couldn't have flown without the jet." Jubilee sighed as she looked at her former classmate and braced herself to answer Monet's request, such as it was, for what seemed like the millionth time in only one night. She remembered when everything was that simple, when you did what you were able to do without having to worry about power supplies or equipment malfunctions. Life with powers was simple. Life with gadgets was a completely different story.
"You could have flown on your own," reminded Jubilee, "If Jono and I did that it would eat up too much of our power supplies and we'd probably burn out half through the fight all of us know will happen. We don't have powers anymore, Monet. All we have is tech."
"At least you have decent taste," admitted Monet, gesturing to the state-of-the-art jet belonging to the New Warriors that Jubilee and Decibel had "borrowed" for their trip.
"This is just the backup one too," bragged Jubilee, "At least the autopilot takes care of all the work."
"Coulda taken the express lane by yerself, gel," added Decibel in reference to Monet's inquiry about flying under their own power.
"It's very clear that we have a better chance of surviving if we stick together," stated Monet, "If Marius or someone working with him is intent on hunting us down then the last thing we should do is split up any more than we have to."
"Never knew you cared so much, M," admitted Jubilee.
"War makes for strange friends," responded Monet, "Not that I have to tell you two about war. You seem intent on waging one with Tony Stark."
"From what I heard, X-Factor isn't keen on registration either," pointed out Jubilee.
"A rash and ill-advised position taken by my boss," explained Monet, "I have no personal feelings one way or the other. As I told them when I signed the papers, I have nothing to hide. Why should I bother?"
"I'm actually so surprised you have a boss that I'm overlooking everything else," admitted Jubilee.
"He signs my checks," clarified Monet, "Well, maybe he does or maybe he just has one of his duplicates do it. I can never tell. The point is that he's only my boss in title. The poor man couldn't even lead himself out of our office building if his life depended on it." Both Jubilee and Decibel could tell Monet was visibly agitated while talking about Jamie Madrox but both of them also knew it would do more than good if they pressed the subject.
"Never pegged Paige as tha college type," said Decibel after a few moments of silence, "Well, at least not a college that didn't have an 'X' in it somewhere."
"Life takes weird turns," stated Jubilee, "It hits some of us harder than others."
"I assume you're trying to take a shot at me," said Monet, "Jealous much, Lee? Do I have something you want?"
"We're here," cut in Decibel before Jubilee and Monet could argue further on Jubilee's issues concerning the loss of her superhuman abilities, "It's only about fifteen minutes away so we should be able to fly there."
"I hope you don't get all your intel from the internet," said Monet as the three of them got up from their seats and moved to the exit.
"We've got people," confirmed Jubilee, "Why bother them though when you can get what you need off Google?"
"That statement speaks volumes about your philosophy of life," replied Monet with a sigh.
XXXXX
All things considered, this was certainly better than the last time Paige got drunk. Of course the setting was less volatile than the time she and Jonothon Starsmore had blown up a dorm building. Paige smiled to herself at the memory of her wild teenage years before she finished her drink. She noticed that there was an uneasy gait to her step as she moved to the fridge to get another one.
"Allow me," suggested a voice as a hand came out of nowhere to steady her.
"Thanks," said Paige as she steadied herself before turning her attention to the drink the young man offered her.
"Freshman?" inquired the boy as Paige took the drink and eagerly sipped it.
"Must be obvious," replied Paige with a grin, "First semester here. I live a floor up."
"Sucks for you," said the boy, "I hear the girls on this floor like their parties."
"Who needs to study?" asked Paige sarcastically as she took another sip of her drink, "This is good. My compliments."
"I'll have to make you another one then," said the boy as he took her hand and led her out into the hallway, "Maybe some place where there's a little more peace and quiet."
"What exactly makes you think I'm that easy?" asked Paige as she pressed herself against him more for stability than anything else. Something felt wrong. The room was spinning more than it should be and her body started to feel heavy.
"Well if you weren't before then you are now," replied the boy with a grin as Paige stumbled trying to get away from him and ended up falling against the doorway leading into the stairwell. All the X-Men training in the world didn't stop her from falling to the oldest and dirtiest trick in the college rulebook. Paige cursed herself as she tried to fight against whatever drug she had unknowingly taken but it was working fast and she could feel herself falling unconscious.
"I'm gonna kill you," muttered Paige sleepily as she tried to get back up and get away one last time.
"I'd do the same to you but the boss wants you alive," admitted the boy with a cruel grin as he tapped his ear, "Package is ready for transport."
"Change of plans," replied the voice of his leader, "Alternate targets are en route. You secure the package while we send the specialist to deal with them."
"Understood," assured the boy as Paige finally succumbed to the drug and drifted into blackness.
XXXXX
"I'm reminded why I never considered college," sniffed Monet in disgust as she moved past the drunken revelers and stepped into the freshman girls' dorm building, "I knew I was too good for it." Jubilee and Decibel's tech support had given them the location of Paige's dorm room. Since Monet was the most normal of the three where appearance was concerned, she had the unenviable task of retrieving Paige while Jubilee and Decibel made sure there were no surprises. Monet climbed the steps to the second floor and stopped as she spotted her target. A man young enough to pass for a college student had Paige cradled in his arms as he tried to head down the stairs.
"Had one too many," explained the man.
"I see that," replied Monet, "Unfortunately, her room is the other way. So that leaves us with the question of where exactly you're going with her." Monet noticed a trickle of blood drip from the man's fingers and hit the floor.
"Sorry," apologized the man with a grin, "I just don't like playing so much with my food." Monet took a split-second to digest the fact that the man was an Emplate before something sprang out of the brick wall behind her and grabbed her.
"Long time, no see," said Mondo as he began to squeeze Monet's ribcage, compressing her lungs and forcing the air out of them. Monet struggled briefly before kicking both of them backwards. Aided by her strength and her flight, the two of them hit the window behind them and crashed through it before hitting the ground below. Neither mutant was hurt by the fall but the landing made Mondo lose his grip. Monet slipped from his grasp and wasted little time catching her breath before rocketing towards him. She slammed her fist into his face with all the force she could muster, knowing that his brick skin would take a great deal of punishment.
"I suppose you're working for my brother too," assumed Monet as her punch rocked Mondo and she followed it up with another.
"Yeah, something like that," answered Mondo. He caught Monet's fist and tossed her into a tree, her spine cracking against wood that barely held up against the force.
"Bloody hell, not this sod again," muttered Decibel, blasting Mondo with a sonic pulse, "Couldn't he be one o' tha ones who lost his powers too?" Mondo stood his ground against the attack but it gave him pause long enough for Jubilee to tackle him and begin raining down blows on his skull.
"You're even more annoying than before," decided Mondo as he grabbed Jubilee by the back of her uniform's collar and dangled her in the air while he got back to his feet, "Go play with your useless friend." Mondo slung Jubilee into Decibel before turning around and allowing his face to meet Monet's fist. Mondo staggered backwards but as Monet swung again he mimicked the ground beneath his feet and slipped into it to avoid the blow. He came up behind Monet and backhanded her to the ground. Before she could get back to her feet, he quickly kicked her in the ribs twice to keep her down.
"Doesn't surprise me that you're not clear on what's happening," admitted Mondo, dropping his hammer-like fist down onto Monet's back, "I'd clue you in a little but it would spoil the surprise and, trust me, the boss is all about surprises."
"My brother's a devious asshole like that," retorted Monet as she clasped both her hands together and then drove them upwards in a blow that lifted Mondo off the ground and sent him flying backwards.
"I think someone's got a complex," jeered Mondo while he staggered to his feet again, "There some unresolved issues between you two?"
"You have no idea," warned Monet in a low, threatening voice, "You're obviously designed to waste my time. Where are the rest of your goons and what have they done with Paige?"
"Come and find out," dared Mondo, flashing her a cocky grin. Monet obliged him by flying towards him at breakneck speed. Mondo managed to grab her as she rammed into him and both of them went flying through a fountain in the middle of the square. Mondo quickly absorbed the water and stuffed Monet's face into his body. Monet struggled against his watery body as she fought to breathe. Mondo continued to force her head underwater, locking her arms as she thrashed violently to break free. It took only a few moments before her struggles ceased. Once Mondo was satisfied that she was unconscious, he spat her out of his body and watched her tumble limply over the ground.
"Alternate targets down," said Mondo into his radio as he returned to his normal form, "Someone needs to help me pick them up."
"Pick up is coming," assured the team leader, "We're almost finished with the two other extras."
"Understood," replied Mondo.
XXXXX
Marius St. Croix had been dead for a very long time, ever since he was shunted into a pocket dimension akin to Hell itself. When he first emerged from that torturous place, Marius took a new name. He became Emplate and since that day he only had one thing on his mind: revenge. He had waited a long time to take it and it had eluded him many times in his quest. Now there was a different thing on his mind. Emplate only thought of survival now and in a world where some ninety-percent of the mutant population had been erased, survival for a creature who fed off mutant bone marrow was difficult at best.
"My men have picked them up," said the woman standing beside Emplate's bed, "As promised, they'll be here shortly."
"My sister," rasped Emplate weakly, tilting his head to look at the woman.
"She'll be here," she promised, "Like I said when I approached you, you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. You made my men stronger, faster, and tougher. You deserve a reward and I guarantee you'll get it."
"I'm tired," declared Emplate, "I can feel myself slipping back. I need to eat."
"I was lucky enough to get those bone marrow samples from hospitals," said the woman, "Soon you'll get a real dinner. Soon, we'll both get our revenge."