Disclaimer: The X-Men aren't mine, they're Marvels! Check my profile for full props on OCs.
Author's note: Man I've missed their faces.
'Sup guys? That's right. Finally after I left you all hanging several months ago I finally bring back the Haven story-arch.
Now I want to send a shout out to two readers.
One is the mysterious "Guest" that left a review on Chapter 35. Thanks so much! You know, after I read your comment I went looking on the XME page and saw like five 'Season X' stories. Thanks for giving mine a chance. I hope this chapter helps answer some Haven questions.
The second is to TheWritingGirl23 who thanked me for constantly reviewing her X2: Survivors story (check it out, it's cool and has a certain trio of brothers occasionally). So I wanted to thank them for thanking me for reading, and return the thanks. Did... that make sense?
Seriously thanks to all my reviewers and readers, you guys know who you are (especially you regulars). It means the world to me to see a review.
Without further ado... here's the multi-chapter "Catching Up" starting with 'Civil War'.
Enjoy. Read. Review
A slight recap… Nearly a month ago…
"We need to help." Enrique stated, standing up and looking at his teammates.
"Why? It's not our problem." Sionnach grumbled.
"That's where Nuju's family lives…"
"I thought when you joined up you left your family behind." Sionnach continued.
"That doesn't mean we don't watch over them… I doubt Nuju or his little brother know about this… Who wants to play hero?" Clay asked with a smirk.
Jaller entered with a cocky smile and a thud of the door. "Actually no one's leaving."
"Jaller!"
His team walked in behind him, the youngest received an awful glare from Portal.
"Pathos."
"Portal."
As his eyes flashed red she sprang forward at him with a fierce yell.
"What do you want?" Clay half-growled.
"Good news. We are taking you into isolation." Jaller grinned. "All of your actions have earned you as such… Defying orders, skipping border patrol, engaging the X-Men… We need to remove you and give you time to think."
Clay gave in, walking directly up so she was in front of Jaller and smirked. "Where am I goin'?"
He laughed. "I know you. That's why Fusion is here."
Fusion grasped Clay's arms as she was shoved at him. Fear pricked her bright eyes as she yelled out at her team. "Go now! Otherwise-" She started. Suddenly the light faded out of her eyes, the normally neon green color dimming to an almost gray. The light absorbed into Fusion's body. Clay Dune breathed one last sigh and collapsed, her body falling to the floor.
"Clay!" Zendi had shouted. She charged at Jaller's team.
Jaller stepped in front of her and back handed her across the face. She stumbled back and tried again to attack. He blocked her movements with ease and grabbed her by the throat. He tossed her back, and Sionnach clumsily caught her before she could slam into the wall. He fingered his katana.
"Now everyone is to remain here… There will be no heroics."
As soon as Jaller finished his statement Xander collapsed from his stance by the couch. Jaller's eyes narrowed.
"So it's gonna be like that…" He muttered.
Sionnach helped Zendi up and then looked around at the other mutants. No one was taking charge. For some reason he felt compelled to be the one to do so.
He unsheathed his own sword and pointed it straight at Jaller's chest. "You will regret messing with us." His lips curled up in a snarl. "TEAM, GO!"
No one hesitated. Sionnach charged at Jaller, angling his sword down and whirling it around his head as he closely approached his new adversary. Jaller reacted fast, though, bringing out his own sword from the sheath at his side and blocking the fox-mutants first strike. He merely grunted and his own team went into action.
Thok extended his hands and the ground vibrated. Small, loose stones from the walls and ceiling flung themselves at Clay's team. Wires attached to the overhanging electrical lights and pegged along the ceiling began to strip themselves out of their holdings. One of the industrial lights flickered, the glass shattering. Wyvern threw himself over his sister, his hard scales and spikes deflecting the debris. Seth Severus (who was with his team once more for some training exercise that had originally been planned for that night) arched his back against the onslaught and ducked his head down. A noise somewhere between a battle cry and a hiss left his mouth and he barreled toward Thok, aiming to knock him over and break his concentration on the inanimate objects in the room. Seth had been at the haven long enough to know what, and how Thok's powers worked. The rest of the squad covered their heads with their arms the best they could. Seth slammed into Thok like a battering ram. The sturdy spike-armored mutant stumbled and tripped over his own feet after the force. The glass and stones stopped flying through the air and fell dead in the air, clattering to the ground.
Portal, Enrique, Rena, Zendi, Pathos, and Fusion stood back up, even the ones on Thok's team with cuts on their arms. The two opposing teammates glared at each other as they waited for someone to make the first move.
With no one holding her back any more Portal ran at Pathos, the boy's eyes shining a murderous red. She had no weapons on her, since their team had been caught off guard, but she tackled him to the ground with an angry roar. The boy's back was pinned on the cold, stone floor as she sat up on top of him and punched him in the face.
"You don't know how much I've wanted to do that." She spat. She allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction when she saw the blood trickling down from his nose. After nearly three years of pent up anger she finally got the chance to release some of it.
Pathos blew some blood from his lips and smiled back at her. "Oh, I know." His eyes flashed coal black and Portal gasped, rolling off of him and grabbing at her throat.
"Portia!" Enrique's concerned voice broke through the rest of the battle chaos. He had just emerged from his room with his belt dagger and metal bo staff. He dove into the fray.
Rena leapt at Fusion as Portal started forward, her teeth bared. The white-blonde haired boy dodged her, side-stepping to the left. Her lean wolf body flew through the air and she landed sure-footed behind him. She growled menacingly and spun around. Fusion faced her and made as to bend down and take Clay's sword. A sharp bark from Rena's muzzle stopped him, the sound waves packing enough force to propel him into the wall a couple yards behind him.
Zendi joined the fight against Jaller. She jumped up to the ceiling and scurried across it to avoid the skirmishes below, until she was above the sword-fighting mutants. Sionnach's blue and white hat was trampled beneath their feet, the pair now extremely close to the open door way with its large steel door flung wide and partially dented in the stone wall from the force it was opened with. The fox mutant's signature white jacket whirled around him as he spun, duck, and slashed.
Knife dropped from the ceiling so just her left hand held firm. Jaller raised his arms too high, allowing a huge opportunity for Zendi. With quick movements she took a small knife from her belt she had taken to, much like Clay, not taking off while inside the Haven. She flung her arm across her body at the perceived opening, the knife becoming little more than a blur as it streaked toward the temporarily open chink in Jaller's armor.
Zendi hissed out in disbelief and frustration as he twisted his body out of the way just in time.
"Come on! Whisper, if you're still in here, a little help?" She muttered through closed teeth. She flipped down from the ceiling, her feet planting a double-footed kick on Jaller's chest.
"Now, that's more like it!" She laughed. Her laugh died as Jaller stood back up and swung his long bronze sword at her. "Eep!" She jumped backwards out of his range and Sionnach filled her slot with a swipe of his sword.
Toward the back of the new battlegrounds, still by the couch and television, Ashley nudged her brother.
"Nico… I think you can get up now." She whispered. The sounds of crashing glass and rock had just stopped, replaced by several battle cries and the constant clash of metal swords.
The young mutant moved slowly, standing up with maximum caution. His aquamarine eyes were filled with worry, as he sat up he reached his hand out and wiped a trickle of blood from his sister's cheek. The two siblings rose to their feet.
Ash's eyes were drawn to Nico's side. Right where the tough scales ceased and gave way to the soft cream fur on his stomach was a jagged piece of glass. The fur around the shard was stained dark red. The small girl's eyes went wide.
"Nico, don't move."
"What? What is it?" He asked, complying with her, but there was a frantic edge to his voice.
"N-nothing." She soothed. "Just look at the television. Don't take your eyes off of it."
"I-I'm not feeling so g-good…" The boy muttered, turning his attention to the television, which was still on and tuned to the Bayville news channel. A black female reporter was speaking on the screen, the buildings behind her being licked by flames. He tried to focus on her face, or on the scrolling words at the bottom of the screen but he felt light-headedness creeping in. His vision blurred for a second, but then it cleared. Like the little soldier he was, he did exactly as his sister asked.
Ash walked closer to her brother. The shard was sharp around the edges, guaranteed to cut her hands if she simply grabbed it. Thinking fast she tore a chunk of cloth from the bottom of her shirt and wound it around her hand.
I hope that works…
Hope what works? Nico's thoughts interjected.
Ash cursed herself. Without thinking she had opened the telepathic connection with her brother.
She inspected his side carefully, parting some of his fur away. The glass was intersecting his left side horizontally, the edge sticking out from his side along the gash. Most of the piece of glass stuck out in front, the sides slippery and bloody. Ash quickly decided the best way to remove it. It would be best to take it out now, since she could stop the flow of his blood as she healed him. She took her bound hand and grasped the shard.
"Portia!" Enrique's voice cut through the other noise around them.
Nico whipped his head to the side and Ash yanked the glass out. He let out a startled yelp and looked down at her. Fresh blood began to flow out of his side. He stumbled back in surprise and sat on the couch. Ash ran up to him and placed her bound hand on his shoulder, hurriedly putting the piece of glass on the back of the couch, the blood on it sinking into the fabric.
"That was an awful trick." He whispered.
Ash raised an eyebrow silently and placed her other hand on his wound.
Nico turned his head to glare at her, even as his panic started sinking in and making it hard for him to breathe.
"Ripping my side open when I turned to find Enrique." He muttered, a half-hearted angry undertone. He half-hated his sister for not telling him there was glass in his side. She just didn't want him to worry about her.
He always felt bad when she had to heal him.
A purple glow encased her left hand and the cool energy extended to the gash on his side. He felt his warm blood stop flowing out of his side, and his side begin to stitch itself closed. The boy looked worriedly at his sister, waiting for her to react.
Her skin was already getting paler, and her breaths shorter.
There was another cry from the fight, it sounded like Zendi, and Nico grew angry. How could these other Haven members just barge in, take out Clay, and then provoke them all into a fight?!
He hadn't been around Jaller for long, he and his sister came there early the previous April after he accidently murdered two men with his shoulder spikes. Clay was in charge of everything then, and things ran smoother. He remembered how in early summer Jaller had challenged Clay formally. He never took a liking to Jaller because of his suspicious and arrogant nature, and watching the dual between Clay and Jaller only made him like him less.
They fought in the arena, the same place he watched Clay battle it out with several other team leaders for him and his sister to be placed on her squad, and seemed evenly matched. Like his sister, he had an eye for detail and had seen the slight switch when Clay Dune had gained the upper hand. And then suddenly Jaller let her get in close to him so he was close to her… and she screamed.
It was the only time he'd ever really heard his leader scream. It was disheartening. Pain and shock mingled together into a completely ugly sound, it was the sound that haunted him in his nightmares now instead of the dying grunts of the two men he killed. Clay was one of his heroes.
And he watched her shatter.
Twice.
Ash withdrew her hands and resisted the urge to clutch her side. She looked at Nico's eyes. Fury burned behind the pleasant color.
"No, don't—" She started weakly.
Wyvern stood up and whirled toward the battle.
Enrique jumped over Clay's still form and dodged around Rena and Fusion's fight, as well as Seth and Thok bear wrestling. His dagger was thrust in his belt and he flicked his staff to his side.
Portal lay on the ground next to the young Pathos, the boy recovering from his punch to the face. He wiped the blood from his nose and watched in amusement as Portal withered on the ground. His kaleidoscope eyes mostly flashed shades of red now as the general emotion in the room was anger. He ran a bloodied hand through his bed-head hair and smeared the remainder of the red stuff on the purple fabric on his chest.
He heard Cloak's cry and stood rapidly, back flipping a few feet away from the girl and waiting for Enrique's attack. The white-haired mutant rushed at him with his staff, swinging it at the younger boy's torso. Pathos dropped face and ducked under the metal rod, before scurrying between the teen's legs.
He let out a childish laugh as he dodged another swipe. "Can't love her. Can't save her. Tsk, tsk." The boy said, shaking his head in mock sadness.
Cloak's face contorted in anger and he shouted something in Spanish. He whipped his staff around so it was little more than a silver glint, and came at Pathos. The younger boy was agile though, dodging the blows with ease that mimicked Clay or Zendi in fights. He ducked inside Enrique's arms and struck at a pressure point. The teen's arm went numb and he dropped his staff with a surprised yell.
Distracted, he didn't avoid the younger boy's sweep of his legs. Enrique landed hard on his back and stared at the stone ceiling without really realizing what happened.
Stars swam in front of his vision and he struggled to take a breath to clear his fuzzy mind. He groaned and rolled over to his side. His deep blue eyes fell on Portia, who was only about a yard and a half away. Her eyes were squeezed shut and one hand was firmly clasped around her throat, the other in a fist above her heart. She wasn't moving.
"No, no, no, nononono…" Enrique heard himself say, but he didn't remember conjuring the words. He scrambled up and over to her.
"Porsh… come on…" He whispered, placing a cool hand on her cheek. It didn't cross his mind to think about where Pathos had gone. Cloak pried her tight grip off of her throat and squeezed her hand. She twitched irritably and her eyes snapped open. She looked up at him and shouted in warning.
"RICKY!"
A sharp crack echoed around the room and Enrique fell to the side, quickly gripping his lower chest. He had broken ribs before, but none had hurt as much as this time. His pained state of mind no doubt added to it.
"Ahhh!" He cried out in pain. Pathos stood over both older mutants with Enrique's metal bo staff in his hand, and a proud grin on his face. His eyes gleamed yellow.
Sionnach ducked under a swing of Jaller's sword and managed to kick the taller mutant back so he could recover a little. Wyvern had joined Rena in fighting Fusion, who had taken in all of Clay's combat skills, and the trio had gotten relatively close to Jaller, Sionnach, and Zendi who clung to the ceiling.
Knife swung down again and hit Jaller with a series of quick jabs, most of which her opponent blocked with his forearms. She continued to force him into defense with as many quick attacks as she could so Sionnach could breathe a little. No one could really tell where Xander was, but they would feel his mental presence every once in a while reviving their spirits and telling them where to strike.
Rena's bark cut through the mental haze Sionnach was falling into and he temporarily turned his attention to her battle.
The wolf-dog had her teeth clamped down around Fusion's forearm and he knocked her off with a kick. She rolled on the ground a few times before springing back up and sending a sharp bark his way again. This time as he flew back, he fell into Wyvern's waiting arms and the young mutant held him tight.
Sionnach allowed himself a smile as he saw their fight, and as he saw behind them Seth bite Thok's shoulder in a sudden attack. The bulky mutant stumbled forward and then fell.
But a cry of pain from Enrique stopped the fox mutant's heart. He whirled to his right to see Portal and Enrique both on the ground with Pathos standing over them like a conqueror.
He couldn't catch his breath. His blood was boiling. Furiously he remembered the look Portal had given him, how young Pathos was. He knew Zendi couldn't hold Jaller off on her own, nor would Seth be able to. Everyone else was preoccupied and he most likely wouldn't be able to reach Enrique before Pathos struck again (though it looked like he was going to take his sweet time).
"Oy!"
Sionnach turned around in confusion. It sounded like Clay's voice.
His eyes fell on Fusion who was straining against Wyvern's hold. Fusion stared straight at him, his eyes glowing neon green.
"Don't just stand there!" Fusion's voice was oddly doubled with Clay's, strained tight. Fusion rolled his eyes in a totally Clay-like manner. "God damn, USE YOUR EFFIN' POWERS!" The mutant yelled, eyes snapping back to brilliant blue at the end of the phrase.
Kitsune sucked in a breath. If Clay fought her way to the top of Fusion's consciousness to tell him to do something, he should probably listen. He turned back to Pathos and whipped off his reflective sunglasses, sticking them in his jacket pocket.
"Help out Zendi, Xander." He muttered. "Ay! Short-stuff!"
Pathos lowered the staff in his possession which he had been about to strike Enrique with again as the white-haired mutant tried to drag himself across the floor. The boy looked up.
And into Sionnach's eyes.
"Drop." Kitsune snarled.
Pathos' eyes rolled to the back of his head and he simply dropped, smacking the side of his head hard against the stone. Sionnach shivered and shoved his glasses back on. Hopefully the boy would take a while to get up. The teen ran over to Cloak.
Enrique watched Pathos fall to the ground and sat up the best he could against the pain with help from Sionnach. He looked thankfully to Kitsune. He wanted to properly thank him, but there were still hazards in the room. "Jaller." He gasped, nodding his head to where Zendi fought her attacker.
Sionnach's face fell and went back to his fight.
Really, was a thank-you kiss too much to hope for?
He sprinted across the room, as he did so allowing himself to change into his full Kitsune form, he was done. It was time to make Jaller back down.
"Zen, duck!" He shouted, charging in at Jaller. Zendi got down the second he spoke and Sionnach swung his katana right where Zendi's head had been a moment ago at Jaller's chest. His sword hit home and left a long gash in the other mutant's armor that nearly cut through to his flesh. Nearly.
Jaller's yellow-green eyes widened in shock and he stumbled back a few paces. Slowly, he turned his head down to look at the damage down. He narrowed his eyes in appraisal and leapt forward at Sionnach, his sword down at his side.
Moving too fast to block, Jaller closed his hand around Kitsune's throat and lifted him from the ground. Sionnach flailed in distress and dropped his sword, using his hands and claws to try and pry Jaller from his neck.
"Whelp!" Jaller growled, bringing the teen close to his face. He threw Sionnach back through the open door behind him, and then started after his adversary.
Xander sat straight up off the floor, rubbing his head a little. He looked around quickly and then chased after Sionnach and Jaller, pausing only to scoop up the katana off the floor.
Portal pulled herself up and shook off the deep feelings of pain and grief left over from Pathos' powers. She stood groggily and saw the room had settled in activity. Pathos lay on his side not moving several feet away. Thok was face down behind the television. Ash sat gasping on the couch, Seth sitting next to her appearing to be talking softly to her, Enrique was staggering over to the other side of the room near their small kitchen area where Rena and Wyvern held Fusion.
Seth looked up as Portal stood, and rose himself. "We musssst go. Portal, I will go with you. We do not know what we'll be up againssst." He looked down at Ash. "Assssh, I fear we will need you assss well, are you up for it?"
Ash nodded, although Seth could tell it was in her best interest for her not to go. He chose to ignore that.
The snake man looked back to Portal. "We ssssshould go now. Time is ssshort." He hissed.
Portal flexed her hands. "Alright." She looked for Zendi. The Italian was staring at her, waiting to see what she would say. "We'll be back."
She swung her arm up and a swirling portal opened. The three mutants stepped through.
Enrique finally reached the other side of the room and came up to Fusion. He grit his teeth in anger and swung his fist, socking the blonde, gelled up, teenager. Fusion gasped in shock and Nico shot a questioning glance at Enrique.
"Let go of him, Nico." Enrique said, his voice shaking.
"Cloak… I don't think—"
"Let go of him!" He shouted, anger vibrating his voice. Nico held his hands up hurriedly and Enrique grabbed Fusion by the front of his gray and electric blue uniform. "RAH!" He roared, shoving the boy into the wall next to him; hoping that he saw stars.
He twirled the dagger out of his belt. Zendi's eyes widened. It wasn't Cloak's style to use blades.
"Release her." Cloak said dangerously, his voice as hard as steel. Fusion laughed. Enrique placed the blade up against his neck. "I said release her… or I'll kill you."
Fusion shook his head. "Like I'm gonna do what you say."
He pressed the dagger closer to his adversary's throat.
"Go ahead, kill me. Let's see where it gets ya!"
The boy slammed his hand into the other's shoulder, pinning him hard against the wall and staring coldly into his eyes.
"You're afraid. Afraid it'll make you just like—"
"Shut up!" The boy growled, pushing his blade closer. Blood now trickled down his adversary's neck.
"It's true. I can see it in your eyes. Your worst fear… to be like her. To grow to like killing. Afraid of losing your humanity in the suffering of others. In enjoying it."
He growled, bringing his face within an inch of the other's. "I will not!"
"Four deaths… your own kind too. How did it feel? Did you like it? To watch the light leave their eyes? It brings a sort of rush, don't it?"
He took a shuttering breath before snarling.
"Cloak!"
The world spun and Enrique took a few shaky steps back. He was losing it. Looking down at his hands he shook his head, the dagger clattering to the ground. He could only shake his head.
Zendi rushed up and pulled Cloak farther away. "Get. A. Grip." She commanded softly. "Let me handle this." She approached Fusion with a hard glare. "Alright, we'll give you two options. You either release Clay willingly, or we'll get Thok to help out."
Fusion let out a scornful laugh, still cornered against the wall. "How ya gonna get Thok to help? I saw Parselmouth inject him with venom."
"And you think we don't have the antidote?" Zendi raised an eyebrow and gestured to Rena. The wolf-dog sprinted down the girls' hallway and returned a few moments later with a vial in her mouth. Knife nodded to her and Rena morphed into her human form, spitting the vial out into her hand, and walking over to where Thok lay face down.
"I hear being straggled by your own clothing is a rather horrible experience." Zendi mused, casting a sideways glance at Fusion. A drop of sweat ran down his jawline.
"You're— no, why would Thok help you?" He asked, unsure and his smile failing.
Zendi paused, tapping a finger against her lips. "Hmmm, let's see… you guys mind-controlled him?" She watched his Adams apple bob up and down as he swallowed nervously. "Don't forget, we gave you another option. Maybe Thok will have cooled down in a day or so."
Rena crouched beside Thok and glanced back up at their captive. "What will it be?" She asked, her face as expressionless as slate.
"Fine, fine… I-I'll release her. Fusion don't need to deal with Thok all on his own." He added nervously. His stunningly blue eyes flashed green and a cloud of green light surrounded Clay's prone form.
Suddenly Clay sat bolt upright and gasped, clutching her chest and coughing uncontrollably. She swore softly, moving so she was kneeling on her hands and knees.
"Merciful lord." She gasped. "That was awful."
Clay tried to stand, but completely toppled over as soon as she was on her feet.
"Well, that ain't gonna work." She muttered. She turned to face the remnants of her squad. "Zen, remind me that I never want to be a boy."
They couldn't help but laugh. Nico faked hurt. "We're not all bad Clay."
"No, but I don't ever want to visit the interior of a teenage boy's mind again."
Fusion shuffled awkwardly from behind Knife and Wyvern. Cloak was now sitting on the couch, blankly staring at the television. "Well, uh, seeing as I'm no longer needed here…"
Both Knife and Wyvern slammed a hand into his shoulders. "Or you know, I could stick around…"
There was a groan off to the side, the squad looked. Thok was stirring. Rena shrugged, her face still blank, the vial in her hand empty. "Never said I still wouldn't give it to him."
With a bright flash of purple, Portal's portal opened inside the warehouse district. The three mutants filed out. They were directly in front of an apartment building that the fire was just starting to spread too. A loud crash was heard somewhere off to their right, but they ignored it.
"Alright, I got lead." Portal stated. No one questioned it.
The three ran into the building, jogging up flights of stairs and twisting around corners.
"So you've met Nuju's family?" Ash asked as they hurried.
"Yeah," Portal answered, "like once… it was a long time ago… we'll have to tell that story some other time." She turned at the sixth floor landing and ran down the hall, stopping at a door marked 852. She knocked.
"Knocking? Isssn't that—"
"Shush. I don't need your sass Seth."
The door opened hesitantly to reveal a short old woman with dark skin and graying hair. "Who is it? Who's there?" She asked. Large, thick, glasses were propped on her nose.
Portal cleared her throat. "Uh, Ms. Nelson, we're friends of Akim's."
The woman squinted up at Portia. "What? Akim? No, no, no. He hasn't lived here in years." She made as to close the door, but Portia stopped it with her hand.
"No, Ms. Nelson, this building's on fire. We'd like to help you out." Portia said, trying to keep the impatience out of her voice.
"Oh well in that case, come on in!" Ms. Nelson said, shuffling around and opening the door wider.
Seth and Ash glanced at each other.
"Can sshe even hear?" Seth hissed.
"Sssh!" Portia hushed, following the woman in. They'd get her out…
Eventually.
"Okay, I think we've helped out about as many residents as the X-Men." Portal groaned. After Ms. Nelson, the other residents were more than willing to leave a fiery building.
The trio stood atop an apartment just across the way from the warehouse. Seth flicked his tongue out as Portal turned to open a portal to go home.
"Wait…" He said. Portal stopped her arm halfway on its arch. "Leo'sssss in that warehoussse."
"What?" She asked, her portal vanishing.
"Leo Dyssson."
"Clay's Leo?"
"The very sssame."
Portal glanced at the flames dancing along the warehouse walls. It wasn't exactly somewhere she wanted to go.
"Fine, we'll duck in quick, and try to get him out."
"Well we had a pretty good run, eh?" Benj sighed.
"Three brothers we started…" Ty started, slicing a cord.
"Three we shall end." Leo sighed. "We gave the X-Men a pretty good run for their money. They hadn't factored in on us being so troublesome."
"The two Dysons and the Dents. Three D's of trouble." Benj laughed. "The D-Factor."
"Sixty seconds…" Tyler muttered. He stopped fiddling with the electronics. "Benj, I'm going to throw these disconnected explosives, blast them as far as you can okay?" He wasn't ready to give up. "There's not much left, maybe we'll survive." He said half-heartedly. There was one last thing he could try as well.
Turbulence nodded. When Spades threw them into the air he slashed his arm through the air.
"Air bending slice!" Leo joked as they went flying into the night sky. He smiled as they disappeared.
"It's time to go home…" He sighed.
Tyler and Benj glanced at each other and then went to sit on either side of the trapped teen. Leo grabbed their arms and looked at them both.
"We're ending this journey the way we started it…"
"Together." They all said.
Leo smiled and started at the sky again. The pain was lessening, growing fainter. "Father God, we come to you today at last, broken and scarred. We've made mistakes, but all of it has led us back to You. Forgive us as we prepare to step into Your Kingdom…"
A bright flash interrupted Leo's prayer as the brothers turned their heads to see a dark swirling mass of energy.
"No way…" Tyler breathed.
Portal stepped out and looked at the three brothers, her eyes widening at Leo's predicament. "You want out? Drop the communicators, and we'll go."
"Done." Tyler said, standing and tossing down his communicator. "You can get Leo out, right? We have less than a minute."
"I can try, Spades, Turbulence, jump through the portal I have open right now. No questions. Not enough time." Portal commanded.
Tyler complied, but Benj stayed sitting next to Leo. He slowly removed Leo's earpiece, but made no move to remove his.
"I don't have to save you Mr. Dents." Portal said, closing the portal behind her. "You're just lucky I'm here."
He didn't say anything, or move.
"Whatever." Portal grumbled.
She flung her arms wide and a portal opened beneath Leo. The injured mutant slipped through.
Fifteen seconds.
"Look, we need to go." Portal said urgently, covering her head as a fiery chunk of wood fell from overhead.
"Just… one second…" Benj muttered, standing up and looking away from Portal.
Benj sighed, and pressed the button on the side of his communicator. "Turbulence to Rogue. I'm so sorry Rogue. I love you."
Five seconds.
Portal approached Benj and ripped the earpiece from his ear. "Let's go!"
Seth tapped his foot impatiently back on the roof.
A portal opened suddenly and Tyler stumbled through. Almost immediately afterwards a portal opened horizontally half a foot off the ground and a mangled Leo fell through.
"Sssshit." Seth swore. Ash rushed forward, planning to heal him just enough to make sure he would not die before they got back to the Haven.
A third portal opened on the far side of the roof. A loud explosion came from within the warehouse, sending flames spiraling skyward. The last two mutants dove out of the opening, followed by a burst of flame. The girl hit the ground hard, Benj landing partially on top of her.
"Agh!" She screamed, shoving him off and cradling her ankle. The back of her black jacket was singed and smoking, and the hem of her pants on her left leg was torn. Her foot was bent at an odd angle and there was a long scrape up her shin from the fall. She swore slightly and allowed Benj to help pull her up.
"What issss it?" Seth asked, dragging his glowing eyes from Leo.
Portal answered back through clenched teeth, with Benj supporting her on her injured side with his good arm. "My ankle. I think it's broken." She motioned for Benj to help her forward until she was standing alongside Seth. They stared at the warehouse completely engulfed in flames. She looked over at Benj and noticed his pale skin and the blood soaking through his other sleeve. "Come on, let's get everyone back to the Haven. Hopefully Jed is in."
A few seconds after Portal showed up, Leo lost consciousness. He remembered feeling like he was falling for a small time span and then being engulfed in nothingness. What a sour moment of knowing he had been saved and then thinking he had been lost.
The world came back to him in chunks. The first thing he was aware of was sound, though it wasn't clear. Faint murmurs hummed around his head and he opened his eyes to try and get a better reading on what he was seeing. Blurry images swam in front of him. A bright light high above him, the vague outline of a man with pale skin and black hair, a small girl, and a purple glow at his side. Touch came next, and he became aware of where he was laying. He was on top of an uncomfortable, cold slab (he assumed it was metal); its surface was slick under his fingertips, which he found odd. Did someone forget to wipe the slab off before they placed him on it?
The purple glow came again, and his side burned. He arched his back against the pain and howled. Strong hands pushed him back down by his shoulders.
Voices sounded again and he tried to filter the noise to make sense of it.
"Ash, take it easy. Healing him too fast will only be bad for the both of you."
Leo howled again and felt his hands shift into claws. He dug his claws deep into the metal below him, the sound grating against his eardrums. The crystal over his heart screamed as the purple glow spread over his chest.
"Jed, what's going on?"
Jed, the mutant in charge of the medical bay, looked up from Leo and to the door. The medical bay was a long narrow room with beds of all sorts and metal slabs lined up against one wall. In the center of the wall on the opposite side was a large metal sink set deep in the wall. Jed kept his hands firmly down on Leo's shoulders, ignoring his cries, while his eyes fell on two mutants in the doorway on the far left.
"Clay!" He exclaimed, his voice a little raspy from exhaustion.
The gray-skinned mutant stood with one arm wrapped across her rib cage and the other slung around the strong upper body of Zendi. The Italian had one arm under Clay's far side, and the other underneath the other girl's arm for support. The pair stumbled in as Clay tried to walk forward like an ill-devised machine.
Her skin was an ashen gray and her eyes far below their normal brightness, with her ponytailed hair in disarray and sweat glistening on her forehead. Jed was surprised to see her there when he could hear the noise of chaos and battle beyond the threshold.
It seemed as though the entire Haven had erupted into civil war.
Clay and Zendi continued forward, Clay panting a little as they went. She knew she was in no shape to do anything, but when Seth and Tyler Dyson came into her squad's common room she had to investigate. Most of her team had spread out throughout the Haven to try and subdue the fights that were breaking out between mutants. Apparently Jaller's team had caused a massive stir and mutants' loyalties were split between Jaller and Clay Dune.
She turned her head a little bit as Zendi forced her to come to a halt and saw Portal sitting on a bed a little ways down with her ankle bound tight, as well as Benj leaning against the wall behind them. She cast a bewildered and worried look at Zendi.
"What's exactly going on out there?" Jed asked, redirecting Clay's attention.
"I… I'm not completely sure." Clay muttered. "Jaller picked a fight he shouldn't have. Apparently he dragged Kitsune down to the arena where a lot of our mutants were gathered for mixed training sessions. He denounced me as a traitor to the Haven and Kitsune actually defended me, causing rifts in loyalty. I have to admit, not many people have grown to like Kitsune, so I don't know how many…" Clay shook her head. "Fights are breaking out between and within teams, Jaller-loyal control the arena, and levels four through seven as well as twelve through fifteen, the rest are on our side." She met Zendi's soft brown eyes. "I don't know how the Haven will recover from this."
Jed shook his head in shame. Digger had instructed him to remain in the medical bay and to help whoever came in. But so far only members of Clay's squad had come in, and the sounds outside only grew worse. Three times already he heard bloodcurdling screams.
"We only have the current to focus on." Jed mumbled. "Before you ask, they just brought Leo in about fifteen minutes ago."
Zendi started moving before Clay did. She knew Clay too well. "He'll be fine." She whispered directly into Clay's ear as they came to a stop at the head of Leo's bed.
Clay bit her lower lip as Leo howled again. As he settled Jed stepped aside and took his hands off his shoulders. The boy was on the only slab rotated parallel to the wall. The gray-skinned mutant put her hands down heavily on either side of Leo's head and propped herself upright. Zendi stood close next to her, ready to catch her if her legs gave out again.
Slowly and deliberately Clay brought one hand to rest on Leo's cheek.
Leo's senses burned with her touch and his eyes fluttered open again. It pained her to see his amber eyes so murky. He looked up at her, his vision swimming. The pain across his chest was subsiding and he could properly feel his legs again. Neither Leo nor Clay noticed Ash slump backwards into Jed's arms.
Leo narrowed his eyes, trying to interpret just was in front of him. It looked like Claire Darth, but the coloring wasn't right. Her skin was an ashy gray and her eyes were far too dull. Something in the back of his mind pricked at him.
"…Cl-Claire?" He stammered, his voice weak and airy. A memory tried to nudge his way into his consciousness but he pushed it aside, focusing on the face above him. She looked hurt, he wanted to fix that.
"Leo, oh God. Are you— how are—?" Her voice caught in her throat. Zendi propped her up a bit, thinking she was going to fall. "Leo…" was all she managed to croak out.
"You… your skin… l-looks f-f-funny." He breathed. "Has it always been gray?" Leo saw her pale considerably. "What?"
"Leo… there's… something I haven't been completely honest with you about…" She said, her voice strained.
"What… do you mean?" Leo asked.
The memory pricked at him again. He tried to ignore it and focus on Claire's semi-familiar face, but it shoved its way through this time.
"Girly? That's pathetic."
"No…" He groaned.
"Now, be a dear and set me down so we can talk like normal people."
"We're not normal."
"Huh, I'd say better than normal."
Another half-memory poked through.
"It's nice to see you again, Leo."
The way she said his name, like it was something exotic. Her bright green eyes. How she always seemed to know uncanny things about him and the X-Men. The times she had been missing from school… How did he not see it earlier?
"Wow, I'm an idiot." Leo moaned, squeezing his eyes shut.
Clay almost chuckled from the way he said it, but decided it was not the best option. "No, you're not. Leo, I'm—"
"Go away." He grumbled, turning his head so her hand fell beside his face. His heart ached and his mind burned. He did feel like an idiot. It was so obvious before. He didn't want to see her face. He felt betrayed entirely, not only by Claire, but by Clay. The girl he possibly loved and the mutant who presented an open opportunity to him, both were a lie within one another. Where her hand had been in contact with his skin was heated, against what his mind wanted he longed for her to place it back.
But she didn't.
"I'm so sorry…" Claire/Clay whispered, her voice barely audible and filled with pain. "I'm so sorry."
"Shut up." Leo spat, harsher than he meant, but it carried all the emotion he felt from that day. He was hurt and wanted to hurt her back. "You already said that."
Claire frowned. "You never let me finish. Please Leo, I'm so—"
"Seriously? Stop."
He heard her take a sharp intake of breath and she shuffled backwards. He realized they had just recounted almost word-for-word one of their conversations.
"Jed… Take care of Ash. Leave our guest alone for a bit with his brother. If he needs anything, don't hesitate to give it to him." Clay said with hard, barely contained emotion. The way she called him a guest sliced his heart open. "I have a haven to save."
Relationships aren't something that can be fixed with a magic word, or strength of will.
They are so easy broken. So easily torn.
It takes work and perseverance, but just the efforts of one won't rebuild what's been dashed.
Sometimes… things fade… and other times mistrust rips friendships apart.
But a fight between friends…
Causes more destruction than anything else.
Who's ready for more? Stick 'round buddies! The Haven ain't done yet!