16. Getting Ready

Xavier Mansion – One week later:

"Come on! Aren't you ready yet?" For the third time in half an hour, Tabitha banged on the door to Kitty's room in an effort to make her move faster. "We still have to pick up Lance at the Brotherhood house and get to the concert to find a parking spot in time."

"I'm, like, almost ready, geez. Just let me put on my lipstick and get my shoes on."

"Just slap on your face paint, grab your shoes and get the blazes out here right this instant or I'll slip a bomb in the lock and drag you out myself."

The handle of the door shook rapidly for a moment before being flung open. Kitty stepped out and looked at her blonde friend with an expression that read shock, worry, doubtfulness, and anger. "You wouldn't dare do that again."

Tabitha narrowed her eyes and stared down the Jewish girl. "I would."

"Fine. Just let me grab my shoes. And to let you know, Lance is coming to pick me up. Cause he's a gentleman."

"Then you should hurry up in case he's here and act like a lady."

"I am so a lady," Kitty said as she stomped to her closet to find appropriate footwear for the night. "And if you would quit interrupting me, maybe I would be done already."

"If you were done already, I wouldn't be banging on your door."

Kitty poked her head around the corner of her overstuffed closet. "Go play with your marbles and let me get my shoes."

"Or how 'bout you play with them?" Tabitha tossed several of her little yellow orbs at Kitty who dove out of the way with a shriek. Instead of exploding, they fizzled and dissolved harmlessly on the floor.

"Not funny, Tabitha!" Standing up and phasing through her bed, Kitty stomped over to her closet again and grabbed the shoes she was planning to wear.

"It is when they're duds. Now hurry up!"

Down at the end of the hall, Miguel was busy watching TV in the dark with Megan lying by his side on a pile of blankets and pillows. Jeepers Creepers was just finishing up with The Creeper entering the police station in search of his prey. An advertisement for Smackdown stretched across the bottom, alerting viewers of the wrestling show after the movie.

The two had been in there since the film began with Megan being ready for the concert ahead of the others. It was a way for them to spend some time alone together since the concert plan fell through. Drinks and bowls of popcorn rested at their feet in the darkened room as they relaxed and watched The Creeper do what he does best on the glowing screen of the TV.

"It's almost seven. Are you sure you'd rather stay here than go?" Megan asked as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Or I could always stay with you."

"Nah, Ah'm fine. You should enjoy the concert with the others." He ran his hand over her arm slowly as The Creeper devoured an inmate in the dark. "Ah got mah wrestling."

She looked up at him as he watched the screen. He didn't look as angry as did when he first came to the mansion, evident he was controlling his temper as well as the amount of curses he would say on a daily basis. It surprised her that she didn't notice he never swore around her or the other girls at the mansion until Kurt brought it up one day, showing he had some restraint when it came down to it. She snuggled up closer to him as they watched the end of the horror movie.

"So what is The Creeper?" she asked. "Is he a demon or just another monster?"

"Ah don't know," Miguel replied. "Ah think it might be a windego. Or maybe a guy who sold his soul to the devil and got screwed. Either way, it makes for a good movie."

"Hey, Megan," Tabitha yelled through the locked door. "It's time to go."

"Be right there." The summoned girl reached up and gave her boyfriend a peck on the cheek before getting up. "She ya later, Chupa."

"Have fun." He stood and popped his back as he headed to the door while Megan grabbed her purse. Before he could open it, Kitty's head appeared in front of them, startling him at the sudden intrusion.

"Come on, we're running late," the phasing girl said as if it was Megan and Miguel's fault they weren't out of the house by now.

"Like you had nothing to do with it." Marie called behind her while leaving her room.

Miguel opened the door and caught sight of the girls going to the concert. Kitty wore a pair of blue jeans with a loose fitting shirt and tank top combo with the Trapt logo on the front. Tabitha was in a very loud and tight, yellow shirt with white capris while Marie wore a black leather skirt and a green baggy, long sleeve shirt. Her knee high strap boots completed her biker chick look. The last ones to exit their rooms were Jean and Amara, Jean wearing a Trapt shirt with a flared skirt and Amara in a Trapt shirt with blue jean shorts.

"Well, since you're the only guy up here, how do we look?" Tabitha did a turn and struck a supermodel-like pose. "Be honest."

Miguel only grunted when Megan came out of the dark room they occupied in a pair of denim shorts and black tights ending at the knees with the 'FOCK FEAR' shirt he had given her.

"And what about me?" she asked.

"You look great." A small grin crossed his lips.

"Aww," Kitty cooed. "See, he can smile."

Miguel dropped the grin he didn't know he had and formed his blue claws as he glared at her.

"Um, point taken." Kitty and the rest of the girls headed downstairs with Miguel and Megan bringing up the rear.

"Hey, what are you gonna do about your eyes?" Miguel asked as he and Megan held hands.

"Oh, yeah." Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a pair of glasses and slipped them on. Her eyes went from their black and pink coloring to that of a normal person's eyes with blue irises. "Problem solved," she said with a smile.

She looked like any other normal nineteen year old girl, only with pink and blue hair. Her ears were covered by her locks when they were usually exposed around the mansion. He just wished she could look like her normal self wherever she went and not have to depend on a disguise.

The guys waiting in the foyer instantly stopped their conversation when Jean announced their arrival by clearing her throat. All eyes were on them as they descended the stairs like models on a catwalk. Logan rolled his eyes at the males hypnotic stares while Miguel had stopped at the top of the stairs as he and Megan engaged in a quick kiss goodbye before she joined the others.

"We'll be back around midnight, Logan," Scott, in a red dress shirt and navy blue slacks, told him as he lead Jean out the door followed by a grunge dressed Lance and Kitty.

"Just stay out of trouble. I don't want to break anyone out of jail tonight." The ill-mannered mutant popped a claw and sliced himself a piece of apple.

"Don't worry, we can break ourselves out." Tabitha created one of her bombs on a fingertip and had it spin around before having it disappear.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"I give you my word I will make sure Tabitha does not detonate any of her 'time bombs' without good reason," Colossus told him. He wore a pair of dark grey cargo pants with a blue Polo shirt.

Watching the others head out, Marie turned to Megan. "Told ya mah Swamp Rat's got style," she said as she indicated Remy's worn in blue jeans, black Trapt shirt, and leather jacket. He and Marie looked like a biker couple, suitable since they were using his motorcycle to get to the arena where the concert was being held.

Amara was the last one out with Megan and gave both Logan and Miguel a quick wave goodbye. Once the door closed, both men turned to head back to whatever it was they were doing before the others left. The sound of a beer can popping came from the kitchen as the door to Miguel's private TV room shut closed and locked.

Outside the mansion, a pair of eyes monitored a jeep, convertible, and a motorcycle, take off and leave the grounds. The eyes then looked back at the mansion to see what lights were on within the dwelling. Neither sound nor movement could be seen as their owner crawled along the dirt covered ground of a walking trail and took position behind a thick bush to begin tapping into the structure's security system. A small monitor popped up from his arm and he began to type away at a small keyboard.

Entering the final command, the black and purple soldier triggered a countdown to begin. He then reached up to his helmet and spoke into a comm unit.

"This is Soldier Zero One. Eight of the mutants within the mansion have left for town. Unknown number remain within the compound. Security system has been hacked. Time for complete shutdown in T minus one hour. The others should be at that concert by then. Be ready to move out five minutes after the power goes out."

"Roger that Zero One," the leader's voice came over his comm unit. "We end this mutant haven tonight. Huragh."

"Huragh."

Bayville Sports Arena – Trapt concert:

"You forgot tha tickets!" Marie yelled at Kitty who was busy pulling everything from her purse. "Ah told jean not tuh let you have the tickets!"

The mutant group stood outside the arena as other concert goers made their way inside. Glances were thrown their way from what Marie was yelling as Kitty franticly searched her bag and pockets for said tickets.

"Easy, chère," Remy told his goth girlfriend.

"No, don't 'Easy, chère,'me! Ah said this would happen if she held onto the tickets and look what happens! She lost the blasted tickets!"

"I didn't lose them, I misplaced them." Kitty backed up a step from Marie as she gave her a look that could kill. "Just give me a-"

"If you two would just calm down," Jean interrupted, "I got the tickets." The psychic pulled out an envelope from her purse and distributed the passes for entrance. "I found them on Kitty's dresser when we were leaving and thought I would bring them with me. I knew she would forget."

"See, they were stolen, not lost. So you can't blame me for that."

"I can blame ya for whatevah I want." Marie told her as Remy took his and her tickets and led her away, lest she put Kitty in a coma.

"Come on, let's go hit the snack bar before the show starts." Lance took Kitty by the hand and the two made their way to obtain drinks and snacks.

"I'm going to the souvenir stand to get Miguel a shirt," Megan told them.

"Wait up, I'll come with." Amara chased after the pink haired girl as Jean shouted behind them.

"Alright. Just remember, we're all sitting together so be in the fifth row when the show begins." Jean turned to Scott and asked a question in which she already knew the answer to. "Do you think they heard me?"

"Do they ever?" He draped an arm around her as they entered the arena floor to get to their seats.

In the parking lot of the arena, a purple and black clad soldier using a pair of specially designed binoculars that could pick up on a target's bio signature, kept a close eye on the group of mutants as they entered the auditorium. He glanced at his wrist monitor, which displayed a count down with forty one minutes and thirteen seconds left. Another check of his binocular's HUD showed a large number of purple dots indicating the soldiers surrounding the arena with more on the way. He knew the ones stationed at the mutant mansion were getting ready to launch their operation at the same time his group would launch theirs. It was just a matter of time.