Silver Claws and Cat Tails
Abby Ebon
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Disclaimer; I do not own Harry Potter. I do not own X-Men.
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Beware -Mutants-With-Military-Background
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Looking ridiculous or not, there was nothing really "funny looking" about being dropped off in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. A ridge of rolling hills surrounded them, boxed them into a "valley", it was sparsely forested. Enough so to give Harry the feeling that although they hadn't driven more then a day out, they would be well and truly lost if they tried to leave without knowing where they were and where, exactly, the closest town was.
Stepping out of the van resulted in the usual grumblings and exaggerated stretches, and then they seemed to take notice of where they were. Or rather, where they realized they weren't. A river flowed out of the forest and past the camp (really, it was rather like a group of clumped buildings) until it was out of sight.
Pressing her lips together, Rogue turned to Mystique, narrowing her eyes in distinctive anger. Rogue apparently didn't like surprises that landed her in the middle of no where. Then again, no one else looked very pleased with the turn of events either.
"What happened to 'Camp Cry'?" Lance demanded of the two, eyes glancing over everything in sight, apparently not recognizing anything. In a way Harry found himself glad to know he wasn't the only one who wanted to know where they were. In a different way, he was worried, because plans had changed from what the Brotherhood knew from before.
"As if you don't remember, you and Pyro made certain we couldn't use it again." Mystique hissed, arms folded, Harry was inspired to imagine cracked ground and burnt earth. This place looked peaceful, as if it hadn't been touched by such things.
"Huh, that never stopped you from rebuilding it before." Pyro murmured with rolled eyes, though he looked about more curious then alarmed. There were two docks beside the river, but Harry couldn't see any boats and felt a little reassured – they could be tucked away out of sight – but it seemed a waste of effort if they were to dig it out. Or something they could excuse as a "building character" exercise, though that thought wasn't nearly as reassuring.
"It proved more profitable to move to a different facility in the long run." Magneto interrupted before either could continue their glaring contest, or turn it into something else.
"So, what are you calling this one?" Wanda asked after a few moments of slightly uncomfortable silence. Magneto, for one, looked happy to answer. Or to just have one of his children speak with him, Harry wasn't sure which.
"Well, that's up to the Brotherhood, I want you to have a name by the end of the training you will receive here." Magneto stated, seemingly pleased with his sentiment. Pietro didn't seem at all impressed with the idea, and, as he had – instead of looking around – 'zipped' around in a blur of silver and blue. Harry wondered what, exactly, he had found out, because when he appeared he looked a mix of pleased and worried.
It was then that Fred's stomach growled. Not rumbled, not "gurgled", growled. He hadn't eaten since breakfast, and was well past noon. Pietro chuckled, patting the large boy (he was built bigger then Dudley, and though Harry hadn't know that could be possible he carried it all in such a way it was intimidating) on the shoulder, though he had a pinched look around his eyes that showed that although he was amused at the others expense, he was also likely hungry as well. Harry remembered what he had been told of the others advanced metabolism.
"After you've had lunch, we'll go over the schedule for the rest of your time here." Magneto suggested, though a surprisingly kind offer, it seemed to embarrass Fred. Mystique didn't give them time to second guess Magneto's words as she pivoted and headed toward the largest of the cabins that were clustered around in the camp.
They passed the first cabin which seemed to be an office, or likely for the two adults to share, two fire pits behind it, obviously meant for the two "homely" looking cabins that lay on either side of the one they followed Mystique towards. Harry was guessing this was the kitchen, and the other two on either side would likely be the boy and girl cabins respectively. Interestingly, there were no outside lavatories.
Here's hoping for indoor plumbing. Harry thought as he stepped though the entrance to the "cafe" (as it was scratched into the top of the door frame – likely short for cafeteria), to one side was all but walled off; save for a door, where he supposed someone went back and forth to collect their food, because, the paper plates and healthy mid-day meal were already laid out on the two tables that stretched just about from end to end of the cafeteria. Oddly, on the other side was what looked like a platform, likely there so the person standing on it could be seen and, likely, heard by everyone, in fact – as if to test that theory – a man stood leaning against the wall, watching them.
Remy, Harry noticed, had tensed up and had sat so he faced this man. Likely, they knew each other (or Remy didn't like strangers) though they didn't look to like each other. Oddly, Lance, and Pyro, who usually seemed to make a attempt at liking those Remy disliked – if how they had reacted to Harry were any sort of indication – were also wary, hardly touching their food least they take their eyes off the man before them.
Wanda made a show of hovering over Pietro, who had taken on a sickly pale look. It worried Harry, though Wanda seemed to have things well in hand though she glared at the stranger without reserve. Rogue, most surprisingly, had made a show of slipping her glove off, glowering at the stranger. Harry couldn't help the little hysterical voice in his head that muttered something like "and now the gloves come off".
He bit his lip to keep his expression from changing. There was nothing truly amusing about what he was seeing, the Brotherhood took this man – and the threat he represented – very seriously. Of them, only the younger and newer mutants, Mortimer and Fred, seemed not to know who they faced though they took their stance from Remy, and simply watched the stranger with wary eyes.
"I see some of you remember me," it was a rough voice, nearly pitched at a growl, that Harry heard then, "some of you are not so…lucky." There was irony there, and sarcasm, though yellow cat amber eyes peered at them when the man tilted his face toward them to see them. Harry thought he understood then, why his voice seemed to have a bite to it; not very human sharp teeth were glimpsed when he moved his lips. Harry was reminded of the night that Remus had changed while he had still been in Hogwarts, of seeing the shadows of a black dog fight for him and the others with a wolf that had been his teacher and friend. Remus could not help what he was, this man, Harry got the feeling, was just as dangerous but did not care to be human.
"I am, so the three who do not know me are informed, Sabertooth. Magneto has asked me to help prepare you…" He stepped further into the light, at the very edge of the stadium. No one was eating. Harry felt his magic pull at defenses that had been dormant since the war.
Sabertooth had wildly blond hair, and it fell past his shoulders, which were solid and bowed with muscles, his arms were crossed, and though he did not quite manage it over his barrel sized chest it was still intimidating as hell. The rest of him was compact, but somehow he seemed taller then his physical presence suggested. His dress didn't relieve any fears, about his shoulders was a fur – skinned by hand – that looked like a large cats. He wore a white shirt and black pants, somehow it was uniform, and he just carried that sort of mercenary professionalism naturally, though it was an undercurrent to the feeling of his threatening presence, it somehow fit. He made it fit.
"I have every intention of doing just as the boss asks, whether you like it…or not." He was smug at this, sure of his control – daring them to defy him. He looked as if he would like that sort of challenge.
The lights flickered - exploded.
Harry did not like to be threatened. Although he made an effort to seem as confused as everyone else, while with some relief Pyro flicked on his lighter and helped Lance herd them out of the 'café', and away from Sabertooth, Harry knew that he had lost control – no one had been hurt – though the possibility of the danger he could pose lingered.
Somehow, he got the feeling that Sabertooth knew what he had done, however accidently, even as the amber eyed man followed their – his - movements out of the "café".
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"Damn, that was freaky…" Mortimer stated, seeming to shiver thought it was not very cold outside of the "café"; there were murmurs of quiet of agreement, though Harry only shrugged uneasily. It had been his doing, after all.
"Think Sabertooth did it on purpose?" Pietro wondered thoughtfully, leaning against the wooden walls. Though they had left, they didn't seem to know where to go. Remy regarded him long enough to make anyone nervous before shaking his head thoughtfully.
"Non, he was just as surprised as we – if not more so." Remy said this softly, as if it was something he considered important. Harry sighed slightly as he looked over to the hills sparse of greenery; it did nothing to relieve his feelings of unease.
"Heh, well at least the light fixtures are on our side." Lance joked; Rogue promptly rolled her eyes at his playfulness. There were times they were grateful for the fact that Lance took things as they came. It was what made him a good leader. Every now and again his insistence to find something funny with every situation was a more annoying trait. Though Mortimer laughed weakly and Fred cracked a smile.
"Got a name for this place already, how about "Up Yours"…?" Pyro suggested, nudging Lance meaningfully; both broke down to snickers and muffled chuckles. It got Pietro to smile, though just a little, which Harry thought might have been the point. Wanda at least looked grateful for their interference.
"Funny." A voice snarled that made everyone turn to regard Sabertooth, who was smiling all very sharp teeth and glaring amber eyes. His expression was anything but amused. Pyro swallowed, and then something like a foolish bravery made him grin, just as unfriendly.
"I thought so." Pyro spoke out. Sabertooth curled his lip, glaring at the red head before regarding the rest of them.
"We are not here to play, children." Sabertooth told them very softly, Harry got the feeling that this was because he was trying to restrain his anger. Apparently killing them outright was not aloud by Magneto.
"Magneto suggested letting you rest for the rest of today and run the obstacle course tomorrow. I say you can do it twice in less then twelve hours. I expect the first time will be your worst….you will do this, without powers." Sabertooth looked significantly to Pietro. Harry narrowed his eyes; there was something of a history between those two – more so then the rest of the Brotherhood – though there was a clear line between Sabertooth and the rest.
It was something Magneto and Mystique likely thought natural, maybe encouraged, a rivalry of some sort. Between the Brotherhood, and whatever Sabertooth represented to them. Harry intended to find that out, after – obviously - the obstacle course.
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Sabertooth seemed to delight in their expressions of mixed fear and disbelief. The "obstacle course" was a jumble of metal bits – hanging bars, "slides", and pits of something held in tin – climbing walls.
There were also blocks of metal that moved in more ways then side to side and up and down (though Harry didn't know if he should be glad or worried to see the bits of metal which might have been meant for them to hang onto if they fell or were meant to teach them a lesson as they fell) there was also something like a "block" staircase, though it moved up like a elevator, there were no sides and Harry knew that was a trick of balance all on its own.
"Magneto was delighted to set up this little jungle gym for you. Hop to it, children, Chesire," Sabertooth sneered slightly at Harry as he spoke, "Fred, and Mortimer you're a team; Lance, Remy, and Wanda next up, with Quicksilver, Pyro, and Rogue following it up last." Cat-like reflexes or not, this, Harry knew, was going to be a challenge.
The pit of mud at the bottom of the floating "playground" only served to remind them of where they ranked in the score of things.
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Note; well, they say inspiration finds you when you don't expect it – all too true in this case. It struck me that my story needed its characters "team trained"; I can admit I've never done anything like this before. I needed to train a group, and – somehow, very oddly, I stumbled back into an old category I'd nearly forgotten about – don't know how many of you may have heard of it….
It's the "Alex Rider Adventure" series, by Anthony Horowitz, starting with "Stormbreaker", where a boy (I'm thinking he's around 15, but I might be overestimating) is recruited by an English spy organization. It's an interesting set of adventure novels trying for something like a teenage James Bond.
It goes on like that in the next novels, "Point Blank", "Skeleton Key", "Eagle Strike", "Scorpia", "Ark Angel", and the last I heard of, "Snakehead" (being the only one I have not read). Look them up. Anyway, what some of the fan-writers have done is have Alex (obviously, the main character) be trained (again, as he's worked with SAS - Special Air Service - before) with his entire class (this usually focuses on seven individual "classmates", though we know logically there must be at least over twenty) with the British "SAS (Special Air Service)". So, I decided to try for something like that in the Brotherhood's training …we'll see how it goes. So anything you see in this next part you can likely credit somehow to amitai (whoes on my favorites) and has written "Hell is Other People" among other Alex Rider stoties. All of which are very well written, thank you both Nightjar and OssieBossie for reminding me of title and author. Fear not though, her work really won't be much like mine as far as camp "Up Yours" is concerned.
Should be mentioned that L'autre Monde reminded me of the fact that the Brotherhood does not know Harry's name - and neither should Sabertooth...my bad, if anyone else were to catch such mistakes I'd be greatful.
Anyway, likely in the next two chapters things will really get moving.