Disclaimer: The original X-Men characters aren't mine. They're Marvels. The OCs either belong to me or their repective reviewer owners.
Author's note: Well, that took a while.
To make up for my long leave of absense I present to you an extremely long chapter! It's a little choatic because of all the new characters surfacing. Also I felt I need to redescribe the Haven characters as they appear again, so that took some space. Let me know, those of you who submitted OCs, if I stay on track. I would love to see any suggestions and critisms you have. Also the reason why it took so long (besides that it's so long) is due to an English paper on The Red Badge of Courage. Sorry for the wait...
Read. Enjoy. Review!
Phoenix, Arizona.
Despite it being nearly have way through September, the afternoon heat beat down on a teen and three kids at a local playground. A cool breeze swept through the swings and sand, whooshing past the kids.
The teen had tanned skin from being out in the sun all the time. Arizona will do that. He sat on the swing set reading a book. He wore a dark maroon T-shirt and ripped jeans, the heat made little impact to him. Oddly maroon colored hair was tied back in a low 'manly' ponytail to keep it from whipping in his face. Gold tinted eyes glared out in an eerie manner. His body was slim, but muscular. His face structure was angular and intense.
He watched the three kids as they ran about the playground. They appeared to be about ten.
"Hey Sionnach!" One of the boys yelled at the teen. The boy had tan skin like the teen and similar features, but dark brown hair. He pronounced it like See-ion-na-ck (the 'ch' in his name was pronounced like the 'ch' in 'loch'). "Guess who I am!"
The boy ran around the playground and up the slide in a comical manner with his arms spread out.
Sionnach squinted his eyes. "Not funny Caleb. That's not even how you do parkour."
The boy, Caleb, scrunched his nose. "That's not even how you do parkour." He imitated with a nasally sneer. The other two laughed.
The teen snorted and went back to reading.
"I don't even know why Dad has you babysit us!" Caleb grumbled. "You're no more mature than us."
"I'm seventeen. You're ten years old. In no way are you more mature than me." Sionnach muttered angrily as he continued to scan his book.
Caleb made a face at his brother, causing his two friends to laugh.
"Wanna play some baseball with us then?" Caleb asked, tossing a ball up in the air. The other two boys hefted their baseball bats onto their shoulders.
Sionnach grimaced. He wasn't all that great at sports, and his brother knew it. Playing would be humiliating and turning down the offer would also receive teasing.
"No thanks." He said slowly, just barely looking up.
"That's what I thought." His brother sighed. "My brother, the only guy I know who can't play sports."
"Probably 'cuz he throws like a girl." One of his friends jeered.
The teen winced and gulped his anger down.
Caleb looked over at his friends. "You know, he can't swim either."
"Really?"
"Yeah, just freezes up and starts drowning. He could probably drown in his own bath tub." Caleb said in a sad teasing manner.
Sionnach could no longer focus on the words on the page. They swam before him in a red-tinged fury. Caleb was too young to understand his aquaphobia, he couldn't remember when their mother died.
The friends laughed and joined in, jeering mean comments at the older boy on the swings.
"Afraid of water, eh? Hope you don't mind that I have this water bottle then." One mocked, pulling out a plastic bottle. He waved it in the air and approached Sionnach.
"Careful there, he might club you with that book!" Caleb yelled.
Sionnach froze, glancing up from his book. He knew what would happen if Caleb's friend dumped the water on him. He would freeze up and panic.
The friend still approached and Sionnach threw himself out of the swing as the friend swung his arm like he was going to fling the water out at him.
Nothing fell from the bottle.
The kids burst into laughter.
"It was empty dimwit!"
The teen looked up from the ground and saw the truth. The dusty ground was deprived of any sort of moisture. He cursed under his breath and pulled himself up to much teasing.
"Shut up. SHUT UP!" Sionnach yelled, angrily brushing himself off. He took a few angry steps away from the boys. He pushed his rage down and glanced at the three out of the corner of his eye. Each made eye contact with him.
"Go play in traffic." He snarled sarcastically. His eyes glowed a bright gold as he said the words.
Suddenly the three boys turned and ran toward the street. They flung down the bats and ball in their hands and in a sick happiness ran to the street. Sionnach whirled around shocked.
What the hell are they doing? He screamed in his head. He ran a bit after them then screamed, "Guys! GET YOUR BUTTS BACK THE SIDEWALK!"
The boys continued to run around in the street. A huge eighteen-wheeler came flying down the street. The boys didn't notice the impending danger.
Sionnach wanted to scream, yell, anything, but he couldn't.
The massive truck slammed into the three kids without slowing. No sounds escaped their lips as they died, almost like the pain couldn't be felt.
The teen stood there in complete shock. Anger shook his body, causing it to become numb to a transformation he would later not be able to stand.
His face stretched into a fox muzzle, ears sprouted from the top of his end, maroon fur coated his body, his nails grew into short black claws and his jeans split to make way for three bushy maroon fox tails. Blue flames engulfed his hands, tail, and ears.
He couldn't tear his gold eyes from the scene of his brother and his friends' mutilated bodies on the street. He was screaming in mental pain and anger. Sionnach didn't even realize it until something struck his head. Crumpling he fell to his hands and knees and stared at the ground in new found pain.
He yelped and looked in confusion at his hands. They were furry, and on fire. That just didn't register in his brain. It was physically impossible and he felt no pain.
Another missile was tossed by him, dragging his attention to a crowd around him.
A large group of humans had gathered and held any sort of weapon they could have found; from baseball bats to steel pipes and bricks. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew he had to leave, now.
Scrambling to his feet he turned and fled down the street to his house.
Luckily, his father was not home. Sionnach's father was a cruel man when it came to mutants, and Sionnach was now sure he was what he had been taught to despise. In a rush he ran upstairs, slammed and locked his door.
Cerebro, Xavier Mansion for Gifted Youngsters
"Discovery, mutant signature detected.
Scan complete, identity confirmed.
Name: Sionnach Fae.
Residence: Phoenix, Arizona.
Age: 17
Abilities include: mono-form shape shifting, friction derived flame conjuring, and limited possession."
Charles rolled back from the console of Cerebro. He frowned slightly. The newly discovered mutant was especially dangerous, not to mention confused and scared.
Putting a team together would be harder for this mission. Bobby had received a temporary suspension due to his behavior, Kitty had disappeared somewhere two hours ago, Leo was drifting away from the X-Men, Benj left an hour ago with Vince for the skate park, and Jean was returning to college for classes.
The professor sighed. Time was of the essence. An idea struck him. Scott and Rogue were two students with the best knowledge of the others and could probably help him round-up a team quickly.
'Scott, Rogue, come down to Cerebro please. Teachers, you as well.' Xavier called mentally.
'On mah way.'
'Course, what's up prof?' Scott's mind chimed.
As soon as they all were down there Xavier motioned to the screen.
"Meet Sionnach Fae. He's a newly powered mutant in Phoenix." The professor paused. "Due to his powers and the publicity of his power discovery we have limited time to get to him to help."
"What do ya want us ta do?" Rogue asked.
"I need you to help me come up with a team for the mission. I would like to have two telepaths for this one so we can relay information faster, but Jean just left."
"There's still Benj." Scott said. "I know he's not great with his powers, but as you said, time is short."
"What's his powers Chuck?" Logan grunted from the door.
"It appears to be shape-shifting, the ability to create fire, and limited possession." Xavier answered.
"Possession?" Scott asked.
"Yes, I don't know for sure the extent so we should be careful."
"If he can create flames, ain't it a good idea ta take Spades?" Rogue suggested. "He could absorb any potential threat this Sionnach guy can pose."
The professor nodded. "Good point. I suppose that leaves the rest of the normal team. If they're here they can come." Xavier looked at Rogue. "By the way, where is Kitty?"
Rogue avoided his eyes when she answered. "Ah don't know."
Professor Xavier smiled slightly. "You're lying."
Rogue sighed. She really needed to stop being everyone's secret keeper. All eyes in the room turned to her as she tried to think of some half-truth she could tell.
"What Kitty does in her free-time ain't mah concahn." She said.
"Yet you know."
Damn ya, Kitty. "Yeah, Ah know, but Ah can't say. She ain't in dangah or anything so Ah guess we should just leave her behind." Just then Rogue's cell phone buzzed. Grimacing she looked at it.
Al's gonna tell me wat BH is doin. B home aftr dinnr. It read.
Xavier raised an eyebrow. "I assume that's Kitty."
Rogue scowled, but nodded. "Yeah."
"Charles," Beast interrupted the semi-awkward scene, "what about the rest of the students? Not all of us can go. I'm perfectly fine playing babysitter if need be, but it is a Friday. Nothing good could come from that. I'll need back-up."
Before Charles could respond, Logan offered himself for watch. "I can stay behind as well and watch 'em. Leo's got similar powers to mine, I think he can handle the heavy lifting. 'Sides, we had a Danger Room session planned, they can't get off that early." Logan grinned mercilessly.
"And Bobby?" Storm asked in her usual polite way.
"He's still on suspension. His English grade has to come up if he wants back on." Xavier answered. "Let's round up the team: Spades, Leo, Benj, and Kurt."
Most of the mutants were easy to find. Benj was heading back to the mansion saying there was some anti-mutant trouble at the park.
Scott poked his head through Leo's open door.
He was lying on his bed, knees bent up, sketching.
"Up for a mission?" Scott asked, coming in further.
Leo looked up from his sketchbook. "Yeah, hold on." He flipped a few pages and turned the book so Scott could see. It was of Cyclops on one knee firing an optic blast through his visor.
"Neat!" Scott exclaimed, taking the book from Leo. "Wow, these are impressive." He said as he flipped the pages. He stopped at an unfamiliar face. It was a guy with long hair in front and spikey in back with a dark zig-zag down the left side. It was of Enrique, but Scott didn't know him. Enrique was sitting at a desk in the drawing, grinning straight through the paper like he could see the people on the other side.
"Who's this?"
Leo sat up and leaned over the page. "My friend, Enrique. He's from school."
Scott took in the graphite likeness of the boy. "Wasn't that the guy who came over to fill out those mutant sports contracts?"
"Yep." Leo said, taking back the sketchbook and setting it aside.
"When are try-outs?" Scott asked as they left Leo's room.
"This, well next, week." Leo answered. "So what's the mission? Brotherhood?"
"Not this time, it's a recruitment mission. A mutant named Sionnach Fae."
"See-on-nach?" the shorter teen asked. "That's a weird name."
Scott chuckled, "Yeah, well so is Leo."
"Is not!" Leo scoffed. "You're just jealous your name isn't ironic.
The whole conversation was a cover-up, a way to defuse some of the tension between them, and they both knew it. Things weren't the same since Leo's past came into light. Every conversation had a background of awkwardness tinged with suspicion. Leo couldn't shake it, even when he spoke to those he had made close friends with. He held Scott in highest regard, a model to follow; but Scott couldn't see him as the "old" Leo anymore. So much for starting fresh.
Sionnach Fae paced nervously in his room. It was plain, but posters were plastered everywhere. Art supplies sat out on a wooden desk. He'd tried drawing and painting, but his nerves wouldn't stop.
He was a dead man.
His farther had drilled him every day on how mutants were the scum of the earth. They poisoned families and blood-lines, creating heart break and discord where ever they went.
They were devil advocates. A tainted splash on the pure mankind.
Sionnach believed all of it. Or at least used to. What could he do when he was the very thing he despised?
There was no acceptance from his family. His mother was dead, as was now his brother, and his father would disown him in a mere heartbeat.
The anger had boiled of him and left him feeling empty, weak, and vulnerable. With it had gone his mutant transformation, but some features stayed. There was still a maroon fox tail at his back side, and his nail remained black and hard, though not in points.
He nervously flicked his tongue over the still-shape fangs that lined his mouth. The anger was returning, fueled by his own self-hatred.
Suddenly he heard the front door slam and a man roar out. "SIONNACH!" It was his father returning from work.
A yelp burst from his throat, a sound he never made before today.
Leaden footsteps came up the stairs. His bedroom door flung open with no warning causing Sionnach to flinch. He screwed hi eyes shut.
The man shared many of his features, but his face was purple in rage.
"First you humiliate us with your… preferences." He spat. "Then you become a mutant! How much dishonor can one bring to his family?"
"Please, Dad! I d-didn't mean to—!" Sionnach whimpered.
The man shut the door behind him and balled his fists. He approached the teen with malice. "You may have not meant to, but I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"
The X-Men rode in the Blackbird in silence. The professor had just tuned the small television screen in the front to Phoenix's daily news.
"In a startling report today, a mutant killed three young boys this afternoon. In this video taken by a bystander the mutant displays its fury." An anchor woman said.
The footage played showed a half-man/half-fox mutant with maroon fur screaming in anger and baring his teeth. It was Sionnach, blue flames rolled off his body.
"We asked for your help in identifying this dangerous mutant and you complied. We now go live to our camera crew who is with police as they arrive at the mutant's residence to take it into custody. Plice received a tip from the mutant's father whose other son was killed in the attack."
The screen shifted and a bouncy camera jostled with other journalists and policemen. A police officer marched up to the door and banged on it yelling to have the mutant come out.
The door flung open with a visibly furious man and a teenage with bruises covering his face and arms, as well as blood running down his face from a gash in his forehead. Some of his limbs were bent the wrong way, clearly broken.
The man threw the teenage to the police and spoke with an acid tongue. "Take this filth away."
The police complied in a rush.
Scott reached over and switched the screen off.
"This is going to be more difficult than I once thought." Charles muttered. He swiveled his chair to face the X-Men while Scott piloted. "Looks like we will have a change of plans…"
Two police officers threw the bandaged Sionnach into a cell at the small special jailhouse built to contain mutants. At least they'd been civil enough to see to his injuries before tossing him into jail.
The cells were empty, except for his, all contained a cot and sink. A long hallway led back to the office part of the jailhouse.
Sionnach hit the cool concrete hard, and whipped back around to bare his new fangs.
The officers laughed and put a code into the keypad causing the bars to slam shut.
"Ain't going nowhere now mutie." One officer snarled.
Both laughed and turned to walk way, when they both appeared to be hit over the head. With a grunt they fell to the ground.
The air behind them waivered like something was melting out of the air.
There stood Enrique 'Cloak' Oculto. His white hair melded with the bleak walls behind him, but the black streak gave his head recognition.
He wore black pants with silver armor plates on his thighs, light weight black boots with leather soles, a black shirt with a gray triangle angling from his right shoulder to his left side then down to his waist on his right side, and a brown cloak with a hood over it. A metal Bo staff was in his hands and heavy black leather gloves covered his hands.
He looked down worriedly at the two men and knelt. He placed his hand on their necks and checked for a pulse. Finding both of theirs present he stood with a grin plastered on his face. He looked up from his handiwork and smashed his staff into the electronic key pad. With a shower of sparks it died, opening the barred door for Sionnach.
The teen with maroon hair could only stare at this new arrival. He avoided Cloak's eyes, afraid he would do what he had done to Caleb and his friends. He chanced a quick glance at the other teen's dark blue eyes and felt a connection. He was attractive, he couldn't deny that, and his heart beat a little faster as he took in the rest of his appearance.
Then he stopped.
This guy was a mutant, an abomination, a creature of filth, someone who- who was just like Sionnach. He hated it.
Cloak looked down at the teen crumpled on the floor. He was definitely worse for wear. Bruises covered nearly every inch of his body, his arm was bound in two places, and several bloody stretches of gauze were wrapped around his body parts. His heart ached for this mutant, and he made the decision right there to do everything he could do to help him, despite the dangers. Cloak tried to stifle the anger he felt toward humans but it came through unbidden and marred his face.
He stretched out a hand to Sionnach. "Are you just going to sit there? Take my hand."
Wearily Sionnach complied, though he spat out, "You're a mutant."
"Sí y tú." Cloak said, a little confused. This other mutant was the same height as him and displayed the same sort of body build. Bruises marbled his potentially handsome face, but the emotional wounds were even clearer. Cloak wondered what had happened to his mutant, but the time for questions was later. If they didn't move now there'd be more police to deal with.
"Cloak." The Spanish mutant said quickly.
The other frowned. "Sionnach. What kind of name is Cloak?" He asked with disgust. Mutants and their damned names.
Cloak's face turned stony and he answered quietly. "My true one."
A small gray sphere blinked at his waist. It was a Haven communicator. "Our signal to go. Hold on tight and stay quiet." Cloak murmured to Sionnach.
"What do you mean by—" Suddenly a cold chill went through Sionnach's body. His skin tingled with tiny vibrations. Startled, he looked down at himself, but was unable to see anything.
Invisibility. I've been turned invisible by a mutant I don't even know.
Sionnach had the urge to pitch the contents of his stomach, but held it in feeling greatly disturbed.
Better to ask questions later when they were safely out of there.
Cloak tugged at his hand and guided him down the hall, through the door, which the two officers had left carelessly open.
Silently they glided into the office. Cloak stopped suddenly, almost causing Sionnach to crash into him. Though he couldn't see Cloak, he knew his eyes were focused on the man at the desk.
Charles Xavier sat in his wheel chair and spoke in calm tones to the officer on the other side of the desk. Spades stood behind the professor with his image inducer on. Leo and Scott were there too, having pulled jeans and hoodies over their uniforms. The X's on their chests were displayed proudly from the open zippers.
"I'm here to speak with Sionnach fae. I would also like to speak to your commanding officer about arranging his release." Xavier said.
The officer behind the desk shook his head. "Nuh-uh. Nobody's allowed to speak with the prisoners."
"I assure you it is of dire importance. Could I speak with who's in charge?"
The officer nodded, much too easily. Xavier was using his telepathic abilities to make things move a little faster. A sense of urgency hung in the air.
The officer called over his radio and seconds later a graying man walked in.
"Heard you lot wanted to speak with the officer in charge."
Xavier nodded. "Yes, I am Charles Xavier. I teach mutants how to control their powers. I was hoping to speak with the young Sionnach fae to see if he was interested."
The graying amn thought for some moments, the gears visibly churning in his head. Leo and Scott glanced nerviously at each other.
"I guess it couldn't hurt…" He muttered.
"Anything to keep troubled mutants off the streets, right?" Leo chuckled.
The older officer looked at him and smiled. "Good point young man. People hate mutants for what they do but are utterly unwilling to help them control their powers." He waved the other officer off. Walking toward the door he continued to speak.
"Compromises have to be made somewhere. You think the attack was accidental Mr. Xavier?"
"Yes, it often happens when their powers first flare up. Would it be possible to release him to us if he agrees?"
The man frowned, then nodded. "I suppose so, but that makes an awful lot of paperwork for me. I—" He halted mid-sentence when he looked down the hall.
Cloak pulled Sionnach toward the entrance in a hurry, no longer worrying about staying quiet.
"Cain, Rogers?" The older officer yelled out. Seeing his men were out cold he grabbed his radio. He barked orders over the device and turned to Xavier.
"Looks like you can't talk to him."
Xavier spun around to face the three X-Men in the room. He did a mental scan and sensed the two trying to flee out the door.
"Leo! The door!" He shouted.
Without hesitation Leo flung himself in front of the door and growled. He could smell them now, he wondered how he hadn't before.
Cloak swung his staff at Leo and knocked him aside. He almost appoligized, then remembered he had to keep going. He disabled the cloak he put on himself and Sionnach and ran out the door with the toher teen not far behind.
Leo jumped back up and roared in frustration. His spikey hair was crumbled. "Permission to pursue?" He growled, flinging off his sweatshirt revealing his sleeveless uniform.
"Go!" The professor commanded.
He mentally contacted Benj. 'Time to move, they're heading to the out skirts. We're already pretty far out so it won't take them long.'
'Them professor?' Benj asked as he relayed the information.
'Yes another mutant I've never seen before is leading him. Use caution and make sure everyone's communicator is on.'
'Roger that.' Benj broke mental contact.
Xavier sighed as he watched the three chase after the two mutants. Things were just getting more and more out of control.
The two mutants ran down back streets and alleyways trying to avoid their pursuers.
Sionnach was surprised by his rescuer's knowledge of the streets.
"Who are you!" He asked as they began to see a lack of city streets.
"Cloak." He slowed a little so Sionnach could catch up. "I am from a place called the Haven. It is a safe haven of sorts for mutants without a place to go."
"And you broke into jail, just for me?" Sionnach gasped stopping. Their pursuers were nowhere in sight and they were now on a sidewalk that looked like it led to the middle of the desert. Even the houses were nonexistent.
Cloak stopped as well and leaned heavily on his staff. "…Uh, yeah. Our squad leader sent us out especially for you."
Sionnach frowned. It sounded sketchy, and he was pretty sure the mutant misused the word 'especially'.
"How do I know I can trust you? Who's this 'squad leader'?" He asked with a twinge of fury.
"You have another choice of who to trust?" Cloak sighed, running a hand through his white hair. "As for our squad leader—"
"That would be me." Sionnach whirled around to come face-to-face with bright neon green eyes and pale gray skin. It was Clay Dune. She smiled from under her light tan mask. "Sionnach Fae, correct?"
He glared in anger. "What the hell is going on!" He pointed a finger at Clay and poked her in the chest, thudding against her armor. "What kind of sick game are you playing at?"
Clay shrugged. Glancing down at his finger she slapped his hand away. "You need a place to stay and I'm offering one. Take it, or go back to rot in that jail cell."
He continued to glare daggers at her smug face.
She laughed and looked at Cloak. "the others are stalling the X-Men, but Portal is with them. No one can leave 'til they meet us here."
"Won't the X-Men follow?" Cloak asked.
"That's the idea."
The setting sun cast a red glare over everything in the city. Most citizens were at home, cowering due to the 'mutant attack'. The streets were an eerie quiet as Leo, Cyclops, and Spades thundered down the streets.
Whoever they were chasing knew the city by heart and lost them fast.
Leo stopped and groaned. His legs were burning like they often did after a session with Logan. He leaned over and tried to catch his breath, he should have shifted a long time ago to lend him some better muscles, but he was too worried about catching up.
Cyclops jogged up beside him and stopped as well. "Where'd they go?" He looked around and saw little around. The buildings were spaced farther apart and the sidewalk just seemed to stretch out forever. The sun was setting fast and the receding red light cast strange shadows over everything.
"I don't know." Leo sighed, standing straight up. A flash of power to the left distracted his attention. The crystal above his heart basically turned his head for him.
Perched on the side of a brick wall was a girl in tight black spandex and a black trench coat. Her dark brown hair was tied back in a ponytail and orange tinted aviator goggles were around her neck. She was literally sticking to the wall looking down at them.
Leo met her eyes and growled. "Can I help you girlie?"
She smiled and dropped to the ground. Cyclops and Spades took a step back, but Leo remained where he was.
"Actually, yes. You need to remain where you are and not follow the other two." She said with a smile.
The spikey haired mutant grinned like a lunatic. "Actually, I think I will stay here." He turned to Cyclops. "Their scent keeps going straight. Call Turbulence and have him do some air recon." Leo said softly, then he turned back to the girl. "You got a name?"
"Knife." She said, flicking a knife out of her belt.
Leo grinned and shifted into his lion humanoid. He muscles rippled under his fur as he took a stance. He nodded slightly at Cyclops and slammed Knife into the wall.
She hit with a thud and a soft cry of pain, causing her to drop the knife. Cyclops and Spades took off running in the direction they last saw the other two mutants going.
Knife jabbed her fist into Leo's stomach. He shrank back and allowed her to escape his grasp. She looked with annoyance at Cyclops and Spades running off then back to Leo.
He stood with a cocky grin on his face, his canines glimmering in the red light. With the agility of a lion he swung his fist at the girl. Somehow she ducked under his arm and struck the gap between his shoulder and his neck.
"Ahh!" He roared, falling to one knee. His whole arm tingled. Pressure points.
"Oh, it's not that bad."
She kicked out at him and he caught her leg in one hand. Swinging his arm around, he flung her over his head and onto the ground. She groaned as stars floated through her vision.
"Oh, it's not that bad." Leo mimicked. He noticed now that her ears were pointed, she almost looked like an elf.
Knife got up in a whirl and began jabbing at him. Leo managed to barely block them all. He grabbed her arm again and threw her a small distance away.
This was the chance she was waiting for. Leo was evenly matched at close-range, but with some throwing distance Knife had the upper hand. She pulled a few throwing knives from her belt and aimed them at Leo.
The lion narrowed his amber eyes and prepared to dodge. Hopefully he could keep her stalled long enough for Cyclops and Spades to reach Sionnach and the other mutant, without him getting killed.
"Turbulence, mind helping us out?" Cyclops' voice came over the communicator. "See if you can find us from the air and give us some bird-in-the-sky help."
"Roger that!" Benj said. He secured the steampunk-styled pilot goggles over his eyes. The remainder of the team was about to head out on foot. "See you guys from the sky!" He jumped up and took flight, weaving his way through the buildings to where Cyclops' said they were.
Storm watched him go with a slight smile. She turned to Rogue and Kurt. "He really is getting better."
Nightcrawler nodded. "Jah."
Rogue followed the black and green figure through the air then turned to Storm. "Well, Ah guess we go too."
Suddenly a purple swirling mass appeared in front of them. Out of it stepped three people.
One was a short girl with dirty blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. The suit this girl wore was half green, and half blue, the blue half being on the right, the green on the left. On the sleeves and legs there were hazel and brown curved stripes going down to her wrists and ankles. On the back of the uniform was a purple paw-print, and there were two matching smaller silver ones on the chest of her uniform. Brown boots covered her feet, and brown fingerless gloves were on her hands.
The second girl that walked out had dark brown curly hair with purple streaks. She wore a black trench coat over a purple suit that had a black triangle arching down from her shoulders to her waist. In the middle of her chest was a purple swirl that looked like a portal (almost like the Spore insignia).
The last person to walk out was much taller than the other two. As he emerged from the shadows of the portal the red light ignited against his skin. Glimmering in the dying light were green snake scales that covered his entire body. His head was that of a snake's. His yellow eyes darted about and a forked tongue flicked out of his mouth. Had Leo been there, he would have recognized him as Seth Severus, his former mutant supervisor. Dull metal guarded his shins and legs, and plain black shorts covered the rest of his legs. A long sleeved tight shirt covered his torso with black sleeves and a light yellow stripe down the middle.
Seth looked straight at the X-Men and narrowed his eyes.
"You guyssss jussst make our jobsss harder!"
"Can we help ya scaly?" Rogue growled.
Seth flicked his tongue out and looked at the two girls. "Where'ssss Whisssper?"
The girl with purple streaks in her hair looked around then groaned. "I don't even know."
Rogue glanced at Nightcrawler and Storm. "Should we just go around 'em?"
Nightcrawler nodded and grabbed each of their shoulders. "I'll just port us on the other side—"
The snake mutant turned his attention back to the X-Men. "You, aren't going anywhere." His deep voice seemed unnatural coming out of the snake's mouth. He charged at the three, aiming mostly for Storm.
The two beside him followed suit, the shortest one going for Rogue, and the one with purple streaks for Kurt.
Seth bowled Storm over then waited for her to get back up before attacking again. Storm clouds began forming overhead.
Rogue jumped back as the small girl leapt at her. The receding light made it hard to make anything out, but it appeared that the girl had taken on the appearance of a cat. Whiskers streaked her face, and small pointy claws extended from her hands.
The last girl ran at Nightcrawler then flung her arm up at the last second and conjured up another portal. She slipped through and left him cringing for no reason.
"What the—?" He began as a boot hit him hard from behind. His blue fuzzy face smacked into the ground. Spitting out dirt he got back up to see the girl looking at him in an interested way.
"You're a teleporter right?" She asked.
"Uh, yeah?" Kurt replied confused. One, why did she care? Two, how did she know?
"Hmmm… too bad." She said with a little sadness. Before Kurt could ask anything else she slammed her boot into his midsection.
As Rogue fought the small girl she realized the three's plan. They were trying to keep them separated and busy.
***BREAK***
Sionnach was not enjoying watching his rescuers. He was dreadfully bored, and Clay and Cloak were talking in Spanish. Having only taken minimal Spanish, he could only pick out a few words here and there.
Cloak was obviously a native Spanish speaker; Clay clearly wasn't, though she was still quite good. Sometimes she would say something and Cloak would calmly repeat the word, but either correctly, or followed by the word she meant.
Sionnach drew with a stick in the sand when suddenly the conversation behind him grew agitated. He turned around and watched.
Clay was rubbing her forearms, which were covered in bronze guards with an elegant design, and her voice was increasing in volume. It was hard to tell her facial expression, but the mask moved more as she spoke.
The white-haired mutant was calmly countering whatever she said, though he looked hurt and unhappy. Finally some agitation brought through and he shouted a word.
"Nuju!" He flung his hands up and glared despairingly at Clay. "He's one of Jaller's men! YOU HATE JALLER! Why would you ever—?"
Clay silenced him with a glance. "I had to tell someone, besides, he used to be one of our squad. He's on our side."
"Jaller will get revenge, you just wait." Cloak said quietly, he turned to Sionnach and his expression softened. "Hey, Sionnach, how are you doing?"
"Oh, don't worry about me. Just sitting here… I have no idea what's going on, or who you are, but that's okay." He replied with sarcasm. "Who's Jaller anyways?"
Clay nodded to Cloak and walked off to where there appeared to be a still form on the ground.
"At the Haven there are about two hundred young mutants. Jaller is one. He and Clay… do not get along. He is the current 'elected' leader," Cloak did air quotes for 'elected', "and before him it was Clay."
"I see." Sionnach said. "So she's pissed someone can do her job better."
"No, that is not it." Cloak shook his head. "He stole the position from her unfairly. Jaller also has not been running the Haven in a way Clay agrees with. Food is a little shorter, and his team enforces some rules more harshly than others." He sighed and sat on the ground next to the other teen. "He's kinda homophobic too. Makes my life a bit of Hell."
Sionnach looked shocked at the mutant. Most people didn't just come out and say things like that.
"So you're…?"
"Gay? Jes." Cloak answered without skipping a beat. He'd come to terms with that fact of his life a long time ago and was perfectly comfortable with telling people.
The other teen swallowed and glanced around. He saw Clay helping the still form into a sitting position then up all of the way. The two walked over and Clay wore a worried look under her mask that leaked out into her eyes.
The other next to her was a male with blue eyes and black hair cut close to his head, his skin was a pasty white color and he wore only a black hoodie and pair of jeans.
Clay looked from the new boy to Cloak and Sionnach. "Cloak, you and Whisper need to stay here. He was doing some recon and… well it looks like Portal's been caught up. Cyclops and Spades are running this way, and Turbulence is in the air. Stay invisible. Hopefully I can get back quickly with Portal and we can get out of this desert." Her tone was rushed and worried.
Cloak stood and grabbed her shoulders. "Do not do anything stupid Clay, please."
"No promises."
Rogue didn't like what she was finding in the girl's memories. It had taken awhile, but she wasn't a fighter, and didn't have knowledge of Rogue's powers so she didn't know to stay farther away.
The girl's name was Ash, that's all she could tell, and lived somewhere called the Haven. Ash had several bad experiences that she was unwilling to go into.
But a certain character in her memories, Clay Dune, was attracting her attention. Professor Xavier needed to know about this, but first she had to make sure Kurt and Storm were okay.
Lightning flashed out of the sky and hit the ground at the feet of the snake-man mutant. He leapt out of the way and hissed. He wasn't a fighter; this was a waste of time.
Flicking his tongue out he got a reading of where his comrades were. If he kept circling to the right he would meet up with Portal.
The woman he was fighting knew exactly what she was doing. Seth wasn't nearly experienced enough to deal with her one-on-one for long.
He backed up into a form. He spun around and hissed, baring his fangs. The shadows parted a little and he saw it was Portal.
"Thank goodnesssss." He sighed. "We need to go!"
"I know, I know… where's Ash?" Portal said tiredly. Her powers were directly related to her energy levels, and if she kept fighting in the style she liked, there would be no getting home.
Seth took a deep breath. "I'll take care of one of them. It'll buy ussss a little time. Try to contact Clay."
"No, Parselmouth, you don't have to do that." Portal tried saying in a convincing tone.
"Sssstay here." He commanded. With that he slunk back through the darkness to where Storm last was. She was now on the ground again looking for where her adversary had gone.
"If you are just going to hide, can we talk a little?" Storm called out into the darkness.
Seth slithered behind her. "Ssssorry. But we need to go." He bared his fangs and bit her shoulder.
Storm's eyes widened and she screamed. His fangs pierced deep and released some poison. She collapsed quietly and Seth stepped back.
He squinted his eyes shut and pushed the feeling of nausea out of his mind. He hated doing that. It made him feel primal, instead of the civilized man he was. She would be fine, but the action was gruesome. Hopefully it would give the X-Men something to worry about, giving them an opportunity to run.
Rogue ran up to Nightcrawler, who was struggling to see anything in the darkness.
"You know, for a place with so little places to hide, that girl is pretty good." He sighed. "Hey, Rogue. Lose yours too?"
"Nah, she's out cold ovah…" She pointed behind her then frowned and pointed somewhere else, "…there-ish."
"Let's just find Storm and meet up with everyone else." Kurt said.
"Or… you could just stay there." A monotone voice muttered.
The two looked around and saw several shadows approaching.
Clay Dune (holding her curved sword) walked up. Her eyes glowed in the dark and seemed to pierce into the X-Men's very souls. She stuck her sword out and pointed at Rogue. In her other hand was Ash; she was dragging her along by the back of her uniform.
"You! What did you do to Ash?" Clay shouted. She tried to keep emotion out of her voice, but she was tired and most of her team… squad… was scattered.
Rogue glanced at the sword then answered. "Ah took a little off her mind. She'll be fine."
Clay continued to glare. Exhaustion was setting in. Like it or not, everyone has their limits, and she was deathly close to hers.
Ash lay on the ground next to her. Making no sound Worry streaked Clay's bright eyes. Ash had an incredibly high pain tolerance, but she wasn't immortal. If they hadn't have been so damn tired…
Portal ran out of the gloom to her leader. She looked at Ash's still form then to the X-Men.
"I'd be checking on your own, if I were you." She said with menace. Raising her arm a purple portal appeared over their heads.
Seth ran over with lanky strides just as the portal dropped to the ground and transported the Haven mutants away.
"Check on our own…? Storm!" Nightcrawler exclaimed.
"Try ta find her. Ah will contact the profesah. Maybe he's havin' better luck."
Turbulence loved flying. It really was a load of fun. Only bad part was it used a lot of his concentration, so he had a hard time finding Cyclops and Spades.
Now he flew overhead keeping a look out for any other surprises. He kept getting flashes of what Leo was doing and how he was fairing against his opponent. This "Knife" was impressive. Too bad she seemed to already be aligned with someone else.
He turned his eyes up and saw that ahead was an open stretch with just a sidewalk and some dirt. He pressed the side of his communicator.
"Hey, guys, up ahead looks like where they would be. I can't see anyone, but the one can turn invisible right?"
Cyclops answered over the earpiece. "Yeah, I hope this is them, I would love to stop searching."
Turbulence dived and went lower, he pushed more air behind him and aimed for more speed.
A quick flash of thought interrupted his concentration. Leo had pushed Knife into the same area they were headed for. He was letting more and more of the lion slip in to try and gain ground. It was working. He managed to grab a hold of her and slam her into the ground with significant force. She didn't get back up this time.
'Finally.' Leo sighed to his brother. 'The professor's over here, he was helpin' me predict her next moves. Damn, she's good.'
Turbulence almost flew into a light pole, and then swerved out of the way. 'That's great! I think Sionnach and that other guy are up ahead.'
'Careful, we don't want to spook them.' Xavier broke into their thoughts.
The mutants raced toward the open space and stopped when they got there. Leo waved over at Cyclops and Spades, and Turbulence touched down next to him.
"So this is Knife?" Turbulence asked, pointing to the girl on the ground a short distance away.
"Yes, I tried to scan her mind, but she has an impressive shield." Professor Xavier said. "Luckily for Leo I pick up on patterns pretty well."
"Zzzt- Professor!" Rogue's voice sounded over the communicators.
The professor cringed and responded. "Yes Rogue, what is it?"
"Ah, oh gawd, Ah don't know. Storm's-Storm's not movin'. It's too dark ta see. Ah think it was one of those mutants who attacked."
Cyclops pressed his communicator button. "Wait, you were attacked too?"
"Yeah, but… oh gawd!" She cried.
"Take her back to the jet, Rogue." Xavier said calmly. "We'll finish up here and meet you there."
"Careful! Some girl with a sword showed up and probably is coming your way." Nightcrawler finished.
The X-Men glanced around. Things just kept getting stranger.
A small gray sphere clipped to her belt flashed red. Leo's eyes widened and his own hand went to where he kept his own Haven communicator in his belt.
"What's that?" Cyclops asked. "Something's flashing on her belt." He bent down to remove it when it looked like he was hit over the head with something. He grunted and slumped over, rubbing his head. "What the—?"
There was a scuffling noise and Knife was dragged across the ground by a pair of invisible hands. The hands stopped and the air shimmered. Cloak appeared with his hood drawn up, standing over her.
"I would not do that." He muttered. Sionnach and Whisper materialized as well.
A purple portal swirled into existence behind him and out stepped Clay, Portal, and Seth carrying Ash.
Clay looked at Cloak, then to Knife on the ground. Fury boiled off of her in waves.
"That's it!" She roared. She started toward the X-Men, but Cloak grabbed her arm.
Leo looked at the group of mutants. He gasped as he looked at the snake humanoid.
"Mr. Severus?"
Seth looked at Leo, who had shifted back to human. "What… Leo? Why are you…?"
Professor interrupted. "Who are you?"
Clay grunted and shook Cloak off. "Who we are is no matter to you, not yet. Portal, we're leaving."
The girl with purple streaks in her hair nodded and stretched her arms out. Another portal appeared, this one obviously larger and stronger.
"Sionnach!" Xavier called. The teen turned and faced the professor. "We came to offer you somewhere to stay, a place for mutants to gain control."
"Funny, so did they." Sionnach laughed. He glanced at Cloak then back to the professor. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm going wherever he does."
He and Cloak backed out into the portal, followed by Whisper who dragged Knife through.
Seth looked at Leo again then turned and jumped through the portal. Portal went in as well.
Clay turned to follow her squad, and then turned.
"It's been awhile professor. Tell ol' Wolverine: Clay Dune says 'hello'." She smiled with her eyes and walked into the portal. It closed with a whoosh after her.
The Haven... Somewhere in North Dakota
"And this, is your room." Clay said, gesturing to a door.
She was giving Sionnach a quick tour of the squad's floor.
The Haven was carved out of brown stone. The whole thing was like a cavern with a building inscribed inside. It was huge, and had at least twenty floors, the bottom one was a huge arena.
The metal door opened without a squeak and Sionnach examined his new home. The stone floor was ground smooth as were the walls. A carved out closet was in the corner, a bed in the center against the wall, and a dresser sat opposite it. There was another set of doors, though these had glass windows on the far wall. He looked back at Clay. She had taken off her mask and her face was much happier. Both Ash and Knife had awoken, and were no worse for wear.
She smiled. "Go ahead, check out the view."
Sionnach walked toward the doors and opened them. A small rock ledge with a metal gate jutted out from the smooth rock face. He'd asked where the Haven was and all he'd gotten was a "somewhere in North Dakota". Thinking about where Arizona was he was surprised it had just been one short five second inter-dimensional jump away.
The sun had long since gone down. The night sky was a dark navy with no light pollution to be found. The stars studded like jewels in the sky.
He smiled. Somehow Clay had known he loved the stars. She walked up next to him and looked out into the night.
"Welcome to the Haven."
And you just thought Seth Severus was only a background character. There was a lot of characters in this one so the last bit I got in over my head. It takes a great deal to keep everything straight in your head. Let me know how I did.
Next chapter will probably the X-Men's reaction to this and... of course... What Lance tells Kitty. Dun dun duuuun.
'Til next time: ~Keep writing strong.