11. Explanations
The breeze blew lightly across the desert landscape as the clouds overhead floated lazily across the blue ocean that was the sky. Tumbleweeds skittered across the ground with some getting caught in the dry bushes of the environment. Lizards crawled on their bellies as they hunted for a meal among the rocky floor as a light amount of dust and sand was carried by the wind.
A large boulder rested at the base of a mountain with a yellow, green, and blue blanket lying on top of it where a young man and woman relaxed in the warm sun. She lay close by his side with her head on his shoulder and hand on his chest. He in turn had an arm wrapped around her back as he propped his head up with the other. Their feet were entwined and rubbing against each other as they enjoyed just being together. A gust of wind swept over them, causing her long black hair to sweep over his face. Her scent was enjoyed by him as he smiled at the fact that she was his and he was hers.
The bright sun overhead moved slowly across the atmosphere, turning the midday sky darker as it set over the horizon. The stars came out and twinkled as the two lovers stared up at them. Sweet nothings were exchanged in their native dialect as they kissed. He moved above her as she accepted him whole heartedly. Their bodies moved in sync with each other, taking their time as the stars moved above them.
As they separated from a kiss, the young man held his head up to look upon the woman loving him. Her Spanish features changed as her brown skin became light and freckles formed on her cheeks and nose. Her light brown amber eyes began to blacken over with her irises becoming pink. The last feature to change on her was her midnight colored hair that matched his, turning pink and revealing pointed ears. Light blue streaks cascaded down between her long locks, making her look more beautiful the longer he stared at her. She stared back at him with a large smile and brought him into another deep kiss.
The two continued their passionate lovemaking underneath the star filled night sky, enjoying the peaceful scene they partook in.
Taking a deep breath, Miguel woke up in the medical room under the mansion. Machines were hooked up to him to monitor his vitals, displaying strong signs in the patient. Sitting up with a grunt, he looked himself over. He was completely healed from his injuries meaning he had been out for at least two or three days, given how his healing factor worked. After working the creak out of his neck, he laid eyes on a sleeping Megan in the corner of the room wearing a yellow spaghetti string top and light blue pajama bottoms. She was slumped in her chair and didn't look too comfortable.
Flashes of his dream came back to him and he forced himself to look away, although he didn't want to. He then began to pull the various wires out from his arms one by one. He was almost done when an alarm sounded overhead, alerting those within earshot of a code blue. The noise caused the sleeping girl to jolt awake, nearly falling out of her seat as Miguel covered his ears from the noise. Ororo burst in through the door with Hank McCoy right behind her who quickly turned off the alarm.
"What happened? What…Miguel?" Ororo came to a stop before the bed as he finished ripping the last of the wires and their connecting patches off.
"How do you feel?" Hank asked. His blue fur and animal appearance was the reason behind everyone calling him Beast.
"Like Ah got sat on by a really, really fat ass." He rubbed his head and forced his eyes to focus more. "How long was Ah out?"
"About two days." Ororo informed him. "Blob beat you pretty badly.
"Yeah, well, Ah lived."
"Just barely." Hank said as he looked over Miguel's readings. "It took Jean and the Professor to keep your psyche together. Your brain was destroying itself. Had it not have been for Jean being with the team when she was, your powers would have killed you."
"Ah don't die."
"And I'm not blue."
The response made Miguel roll his eyes.
"What were you doing there to begin with?" Ororo asked. "What did they offer you?"
Miguel was silent as he stared down at his blankets. "Ah was trying to control mah anger. Ah was lasting longer in the fights and keeping my temper down."
"That's why you've been calmer around here?"
"…Yeah. Ah've been going to fight pits for months. Get mah aggression out. They tried to recruit me but Ah refused. They turned on meh."
"Miguel, I've spoken to Charles about this. The Hellfire Club is a dangerous association of very powerful mutants. But something happened to them after Logan and Remy came to get you. What do you remember about that night?"
"Ah fought a mutant at a warehouse fight pit. Ah went to their club, which looked like an apartment building and they did…this to meh." He grabbed a lock of his short hair to indicate his new appearance. "They said it's how a real fighter and gentleman looks like."
Pixie looked him over from her position behind Ororo and Hank.
"The man, Shaw…he turned on meh and attacked. His Cuckoos knocked meh out and Ah came to in their Gladiator Pit where Ah had to fight Blob."
"Cuckoos?" Hank asked. "You mean the Stepford Cuckoos? They work for him?"
"Yeah, and so does a near naked woman named White Queen. Ah don't know what she does but the Cuckoo girls can become one or five and have mental powers. That's how they took meh down."
"What about the White Queen?" Ororo asked. "Did you fight her?"
"No. Ah don't hit women."
"Well, I'll tell the Professor about this but he wants to speak to you personally. In the meantime, get some rest."
"Wait, what happened to them? What are you going to do about that club?" Miguel moved over to the edge of the bed. A chill ran over his body as he didn't have a shirt or pants on, just a blanket.
"The building where you were found…it was destroyed when Logan and a squad went back. It wasn't done by us nor by anyone from the club." Hank moved toward the door. "We don't know who was behind it but Logan picked up on several unfamiliar scents that did not match the interior of the building. Until the Professor deems otherwise, get some rest." He then left the room with Ororo following behind.
Looking despondent, Miguel turned to Megan who looked at him with tired eyes. "Hey," he said sheepishly.
In response, he received a hard slap across the face.
"Why did you do that?" Megan shouted as Miguel grunted from the hit and fell to the cold tiled floor. She had put so much strength behind the blow that it left her hand stinging.
"Do what? Ah just said hi!"
"You lost your temper back there! You could have died, you idiot!"
Getting to his feet quickly, Miguel was just about to tell her off when he saw her face turn an extreme shade of scarlet as her eyes grew wide. He raised an eyebrow then looked down, quickly grabbing his blanket on the floor to cover himself as he was completely nude.
"It's called a penis, don't be so dramatic." He wrapped his covers around his waist then searched the room for some clothes.
"Just shut up." She covered her eyes as he looked for something to wear. "Just so you know, you had that coming."
"The slap or you getting me to drop mah blanket and flash you?" He opened a shallow closet and found a pair of blue scrub bottoms with a yellow 'X' inside a circle on its hip. "What is the deal with blue and yellow around here?"
"You're a dick, you know that?" He looked back at her with a raised eyebrow, which immediately made her blush. "Oh don't be gross."
"Pix, Ah-"
"I told you, don't call me Pix, Chupa."
"Then don't call me Chupa, Pix."
The two stood inches apart, each with an angered look on their faces. They could feel each other's warm breath on their faces and could hear their own hearts beating in their ears.
"I, I hate you," she said somewhere between a whisper and a mutter.
"I know," he spoke in his native tongue at the same level as Megan.
They continued to glare angrily, getting closer with each passing second. Their breathing intensified and all it would take was for one of them to bridge the gap.
"Hey, guys." Kitty said cheerfully as she phased through the wall.
Miguel and Megan jumped at her sudden presence and put some distance between them. The Jewish girl looked at them as if they were caught stealing from the cookie jar. She then looked closely at Miguel and saw him wearing only a pair of scrub bottoms but otherwise unclothed. Megan looked disshelved in her pajamas and messy bed head.
"So," she said mischievously. "Shall I call you two M&M now?"
Both turned as he manifested his blue claws and she formed her soul dagger while giving Kitty a death glare, making her run out of the room.
"So what have we learned of this situation. Chuck?" Logan asked as he, Remy, Ororo, and Jean stood in his office.
"Everything Miguel said was true. The Hellfire Club is seeking out more powerful mutants to increase their ranks. The fight clubs are simply a cover for their operations, which are never run for long. The fact they were in Bayville is alarming as they could be after some of the students here or members of the Brotherhood, possibly the Acolytes as well." Charles Xavier wheeled himself to the side of his desk. "If only you would have gotten there before they were attacked.
"But there lies the question," Ororo said. "Who would attack them? No one was left and it certainly wasn't us."
"May have been a sweeper team from da club," Remy spoke up. "Assassins Guild does those tings when dey fail at a mission. Dat branch is wiped out."
"I don't think so," Jean interjected. "It wasn't some sweeper team, I would have picked up on residual memories of one if that were the case."
"What did you see then?" Xavier asked.
"It's hard to say. There was such little mental activity that it was as if the brain waves were being masked somehow."
"Charles." Logan shifted to lean on his other foot. "When we left with the brown meanie, we didn't bother looking for any other mutants. After we went back we found cells where they were kept. Several of them had evidence of torture with others having a merciful death. They've been dead for at least an hour. It's not in the Hellfire's description to outright kill them. They never do that. They always have their so called gladiators to do their dirty work."
"Dat only leaves another group," Remy said. "But who would be crazy enough to take on a group like de Hellfires on their own turf knowing we were just there?"
"That's what worries me," Xavier admitted. "We have to face the possibility this new group will take extreme measure to make sure mutants are seen only as targets and are not afraid of what consequences their actions have."
Across the city in an underground military base, a large gathering of men in black and purple armor with helmets covering their faces stood at attention before a large podium. Each brandished an arsenal of high tech weaponry on their person, making each a one man army. They stood in uniform lines numbering nine hundred in all.
Loud booted steps echoed throughout the large hanger-like room where the men gathered as a more heavily armored individual took position at the podium. He looked over those standing before him, sweeping his gaze slowly from one side to the other before raising his fist into the air. The men followed suit as their fists rose and they released a deafening, unified roar. It was brought to a halt as the heavily armed man lowered his arm and began to speak into a microphone.
"Today, we made another successful blow to those who think they are gods among mortals. Freaks with abilities that would make men shake with fear. I say, we know no fear. We instead take what fear they want to impose on us and turn it into our power!"
The men roared again.
"Sebastian Shaw and his associates may have escaped but mark my words, we will find and eradicate them and all mutants from the Earth!"
Another roar erupted.
"We stand on a precipice in which we could fall to our extinction. Others out there wish for this. They wish for our blood to be tainted with these…freaks, these…mutants. Brothers, I say it's time we rise up where so many others have failed. We are strong!"
The men gave a 'HURAH!'
"We are one in a united cause."
"HURAH!"
"We are EXECUTIONERS!"
"EXCUTIONERS! HURAH!"