ACT 1: EAGLE CLAWS

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Three days have passed since Kitty first met the Eagle Claws. During this short time, Vulcan advised her to eat healthy to regain weight before she decided what to do next with her life. Vulcan was adamant that the Triangle Organisation were possibly hunting for her so he warned her to avoid going to deserted areas of the city lest a spy was lurking there. She obliged and she was grateful that Vulcan was not inquisitive about her life. He never asked where she was from, what powers her mutant gene possessed. During her brief moments with the powerful man, Kitty ached to ask for Pietro and also to pour her heart to the stranger but she was afraid to tell Vulcan that she was not from his era.

What would he do if he found out? She feared that he would send her back to the past without Pietro. She decided to join the Eagle Claws once she trained herself. She will aid them in their missions while at the same time she'll search for any traces of Quicksilver.

Kitty shifted onto her side, the rays of young sunlight poured over her, breaking her away from her thoughts.

She scanned for the time. Ash's floating clock was in the corner of the room. It was almost half eight in the morning. Kitty was early riser. Back in the days, she woke earlier than others to study for exams or prepare for pop quizzes. They say old habits die hard. Kitty only ever woke late after a tired day. (Although she remembered how bed became her priority after the funeral).

Ash stirred in her sleep, snoring softly on the floor. The platinum blonde still slept in her sleeping bag, refusing to take the bed when Kitty insisted to. Kiki wasn't in the room, probably off to train with her cat as she often did in early mornings.

Kitty didn't know what to make of her two current roommates. They were complete opposites of each other, Kiki being unorthodox and eccentric whereas Ash was quiet and sarcastic. Kitty was slowly becoming accustomed to their presence with each passing day.

She slipped off the bed, making sure not to tread on Ash as she made her way to the bathroom. She took a hot shower, sighing with relief, her worries lost in the steam. Both Kiki and Ash had offered her clothes. She chose an oversized teal hoodie and skinny jeans from Ash. She needed clothes since Vulcan told her that he was finding a free room for her. Today, Kiki and Ash are supposed to take her to the mall.

Kitty wore the flats that Pietro had retrieved for her before. Ash's feet were too small and Kiki's feet were too big so none of their shoes fit her. When Kitty left the bathroom she was surprised to see Kiki kneeling beside Ash and poking the younger girl in the side. The latter remained deep in sleep.

"It's no use," Kiki sighed, shaking her head in dismay, "She's like an alarm clock, won't bing before midday."

She faced Kitty and gave her thumbs up. "Well, I guess it's just me and you! Let's go down get you some breakfast first."

Kiki grabbed her arm and ran out of the room. They passed a corridor full of doors. A teleporting machine was waiting at the end. Kitty still wasn't used to using the devices. She didn't roam around the Eagle Claw hideout on her own.

Kiki stopped in her tracks, letting go of the other girl's wrist and stared at the ceiling with sorrow in her eyes. "The cat god is still crying. He told me that he senses great danger ahead. I'm afraid, Kitty. The Red Insurgents are getting stronger and stronger."

"Who are those creeps anyway?" Kitty placed a hand on Kiki's shoulder.

The latter licked her palms and rubbed it over her purple and brown twelve inch bangs. She suggested they take the stairs today to the cafeteria just to talk more and get to know each other. Kitty smiled and agreed.

As they made their way down the eternal flight of stairs, Kiki resumed their conversation.

"The Red Insurgents are mutants who're kinda roguish. They wanna kill all humans, regardless if they're innocent or not," Kiki said, tapping a perfectly manicured nail on her chin, "What do you think of Vulcan?"

"Huh?" Kitty was surprised at the sudden change in conversation, "I think he's nice. I think he's sort of like, you know, creepy. I mean, I have the goosebumps when he's around."

"Haha, that's so funny!" Kiki snorted, "I think Vulcan's hot! But he's too old for me. I kinda agree with you on the whole 'goosebump' sensation though. The dude can control magma! Now that's some power, but he's nice, Kitty. He has excellent sense of ethics and he's everyone's big brother here."

Kiki shrieked as she tripped in her platform shoes. Kitty grabbed her arm before the maladroit girl could fall.

"Heheh, sorry about that, if I don't get my daily dose of sugar, I can't focus anything, not even bodily co-ordination," the girl chuckled, "But as I was saying, Vulcan is awesome – no, beyond awesome! He's like a mutant's pillar of sanity in this chaotic world, you know? He even abandoned his homeland to come here to America 'cause that's where the Triangle Organisation's main HQ resides. I mean, if I was him, I would have remained in Morocco. "

"He sacrificed so much for the Eagle Claws," she continued and for once, she looked at Kitty with intense maturity, "But Ace…Ace isn't like that. He fuels the Red Insurgents on hate and fear."

An image of Professor Xavier and Magneto appeared in the back of Kitty's mind before dissipating back into her subconscious. The mere mention of Ace send shivers down her spine, leaving a numbing sensation in her fingers and toes. The name itself on Kiki's tongue was foreboding, creating a sepulchral air above them.

"Why did Ace form the Red Insurgents? What were his motives behind the mob?" she asked her friend.

"Good question. To be honest no one really knows. Other than making innocent lives miserable, I doubt Ace had any other motives. Oh, oh! I'll introduce you to Nova. She's a former member of the Red Insurgents. The lass keeps to herself though. It's hard to make her trust you. Anyways, the whole point I'm trying to get across to you is that we are completely different than the Red Insurgents."

The girl paused before narrowing her eyes when they approached the cafeteria. Kitty saw over fifty mutants of all age, sizes and ethnicity roaming about the large hall, getting breakfast from trays at the corner and sitting with their peers. The place was live with laughter, conversations and friendship. The halcyon atmosphere left her heart light and content. The smell of eggs entered her nostrils, triggering her hunger.

"It's Bird-man," Kiki muttered through her teeth, pointing a finger at a table not too far away.

Kitty's eyes travelled to the location of Kiki's finger. There were a group of attractive young men, most in their twenties, laughing and eating a lot of food. She recognised Angelus as one of them, remembering his messy dark, almost black hair, and resplendent green eyes. The young man was lean with an athletic build, donned in a handsome checked shirt and beige cotton trousers.

"Like, if you don't mind me asking, what is it between you and him?" Kitty said with a smirk.

"I just hate birds and Bird-man over there hates cats. It's a natural rivalry," Kiki replied with a shrug, holding her head high with disdain.

"You know what they say? Two people who fight will so end up liking each other, maybe more."

Kitty's response and sly grin released a yell from Kiki who punched her arm. A shade of pink danced on her cheeks.

"Yuck! I will never like Bird-man. As a matter of fact, he already has a girlfriend!" she bellowed before hurrying towards Angelus' table.

Kitty recalled Ash's warning to avoid Angelus if she considered Kiki a friend. She reluctantly followed the punk-style girl.

"Yeah, we went to the cinema yesterday," she heard Angelus say to the other boys while ignoring a fuming Kiki before him, "Man, I get so jealous when other guys keep stealing glances at Abby. I wouldn't blame them though; she's gorgeous!"

The whole table erupted with laughter before Kiki cleared her throat. "Then why don't you just attend more private areas with your girlfriend? You know; a park or something?"

All faces turned towards her. Angelus curled his lips in irritation.

"Hey, who let the cat out of the bag?" a mocha skinned teen chuckled, the youngest boy at the table, earning raucous laughter from his friends.

He ran his fingers through his shoulder length cornrows and smirked deviously at Kiki and Kitty, winking at the latter. Kitty blushed, sure that her face radiated pink. The teen was good looking. His grin widened at the sight of her blush.

"That ain't your business, Jonathan Jones," Kiki berated, stabbing her finger into the teen's red t-shirt. The word 'laugh' was imprinted on the tee, suiting the teen's wide, charismatic smile.

"What do you want, Kieko?" Angelus sighed, rolling his eyes, his scowl growing darker by the passing minute, "Is it not enough that my room reeks of your cat's toilet?"

"Hah! Daisuke did well!" the girl jeered, clapping her hands.

"Who's your cute friend?" Jonathan waved a hand to draw attention back to him, watching Kitty inquisitively.

"Her name's Kitty and she's gonna be a new member soon."

"Another cat? Seriously, it's like your whole life revolves around cats, Kieko," the teen said with a joyful laugh.

"It's not very nice calling somebody an animal, you know," Kitty interrupted, glowering at the dark skinned boy.

"My bad, forgive me," Jonathan blurted, standing up with a hand placed over his heart in a mock imitation of a wounded hero, winning more sniggers from his friends.

"Kieko, you and your friend scurry away like good felines and stop insulting us with your very presence," Angelus told them with a sardonic smile, "I assure you there's no cat nip here."

His friends howled and slammed their fists continuously on the table. Kitty thought they resembled a pack of buffalos, their handsome features suddenly seeming ugly to her. In the place of their noses, she imagined a bull's snout, complete with a nose ring and devil horns.

"You birdy poop!" Kiki cried, rolling her sleeves up her arms and getting ready to pounce on the dark haired mutant but Kitty quickly grabbed her around the waist and dragged her away from the hollering crowd.

Jonathan blew her a kiss as she left. Kiki fell to the floor, laughing really hard and slipping from Kitty's grips. The cafeteria watched her wriggle on the floor.

"Jones! Stop using your powers, you freak!" Kiki hiccupped through giggles while clutching her ribs.

Kitty saw Jonathan's eyes squinted at the punk girl, a sweat of concentration trickled down his dark eyebrow. He was clearly tickling her using his senses. His piggy friends cheered him while Angelus patted his back in triumph. Jonathan broke his gaze and Kiki scrambled to her feet, breathless from laughter. She stormed off towards the other side of the hall, glaring at the boys with each heavy step.

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Kitty mixed the milk into her cereal. She watched Kiki in concern as the girl started her third double decker ice-cream. She squirted caramel and chocolate sauce on the ice cream before licking her tongue fatly over the creamy goodness. They were sitting beside Nova, a pallid girl who looked as if her mind was elsewhere the whole time Kiki imprecated Angelus and his group of cronies.

Nova traced her black, swirling patterns on her arms. The tattoos were visible all over her body expect for her face. She was a tall girl, almost six foot in height and preferred to wear biker jackets and leather pants. Her cheekbones were high and sunk into her face, giving her an older appearance than she usually was. Her thick lustrous, black hair was tied back into a braid.

"Oh, Bird-man will pay for that one. Just wait till Daisuke can leave the infirmary!" Kiki reprimanded, taking a large bite of her chocolate filled croissant and resumed talking with her mouth full, "And I won't leave Jonathan Jones out of this either!"

"Easy on the sugar," Kitty said, trying to take away the chocolate that Kiki reached for but the other girl slapped her hand away.

Kitty glanced at Nova with a nervous smile. Nova was staring ahead of them, fully unaware of the conversation. Sorrow reflected in her dark eyes. Her lips were perpetually straight, her face apathetic and unresponsive.

"I always plead Ash to help me burn up their undees with her electricity but don't know why that boh-ring girl refuses all the time," Kiki continued. She violently bit the chocolate through the wrapper and chewed with equal vehemence.

"How about we forget what happened and like, decide where to go for shopping?" Kitty suggested, hoping to alter the conversation. After all, Kiki's growing uneasiness was evident at the rate she ate her food.

Kiki's eyes widened and her usual alacrity returned. "Ofcourse! I doubt Ash is awake yet. Nova, come join us."

"I'll rather not," the other girl said in a hoarse voice. She avoided staring them in the eye.

"Oh come on. It'll be fun. Besides, you and Kitty might end up being roommates soon so might as well get to know each other now, right?" the feline girl smirked, waving her chocolate filled spoon at Nova.

The latter merely shrugged, her face sill lacking any emotion. "Is Ashlen McCloud coming also?"

"I just said before that she'd rather sleep than come shopping," Kiki licked the back of her spoon and then sucked the chocolate off her fingers.

"Good, I'll wait at the High Court mall." Nova pushed her chair back and walked out of the cafeteria before Kiki could protest.

"She has something against Ash?" Kitty raised a brow, glancing at Kiki. Her friend was equally intrigued.

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The mall was bustling with life; people flitted about their business as if there was never an anti-mutant war in the first place. Some passed by the three female mutants in their floating motorcycles without a second glance.

Kitty stared at the glass ceiling of the shopping mall. They were at the top floor, the fifth in total. Golden stars and miniature planets hung from the glass, sparkling like diamonds. The staircases around the shops were embellished with ormolu Celtic filigree and garlands of all types.

Kitty temporarily forgot her woes, thanks to the mettlesome Kiki as they entered many shops. Kiki suggested punk style garments but Kitty politely refused and stuck with tops, jeans and trousers. Nova lingered in the background, not willing to fit in with their conversations. She followed them like a stealthy shadow. Kiki attempted to bring up the subject of her altered allegiance but Nova responded with a threatening tone. She warned both Kiki and Kitty to stop digging into her past. She had already let the graveyard of her past to rest in peace.

The girls took heed of her warning, avoided speaking with Nova again, although Kitty pitied her, knowing what it was like to feel alone. She recalled the day how her powers surfaced and she stumbled out of the locker her bullies had trapped her in. She was never one to cling to the past but since the death of her beloved friend, she couldn't help replaying memories of him over and over again in her mind.

"Let's take a break here," Kitty implored as she dropped her tired body onto a round circular bench. In the middle was the fountain of a mermaid, water dripping from her oval shaped mouth. Her stony eyes were laughing with insubstantial glee.

Kitty clutched her many shopping bags and stared at the floor, regaining awareness that the world she currently dwelt in was not her own. She didn't belong here. As much as she enjoyed the Eagle Claws company, she was an X-Man. Whether the X-Men were alive or not, she couldn't meddle with the affairs of another era.

However, a tiny yet resilient voice inside of her urged her to help the Eagle Claws win their battle. Her sixth sense, although not as corporeal as Jean's, whispered that Pietro Maximoff was still alive.

Kiki sat beside her and complained how her feet were tired and how much she missed Daisuke, who was still recovering from his previous battle against a group of Red Insurgents, only sharing early morning moments as they trained together. She swung her platform shoes as if she paddling water and pulled out a compact to reapply her deep red lipstick.

Nova approached with haste, her dark eyes revealed fear.

"We have to go," she urged, grabbing Kitty's shopping bags.

"Whoa, wait!" Kitty held the girl's arms, realising how the colour was drained from her face.

"Yeah, what's the hurry?" Kiki asked, raising a brow as she stood up and waved her arms.

"That doesn't matter, we just need to go!"

"Look, if there is danger lurking around the corner, I think we have the right to know!" Kiki cried, folding her arms and held Nova's fierce with her own.

The other girl stared at them, eyes furrowed in confusion before she gave in.

"Someone I know from the Red Insurgent is here."

"That's it? You know the three of us can take down one Red Insurgent ass, right?" Kiki snorted, with a hand over her mouth but Kitty could empathise with the terror that was surging in Nova's body.

"He's not any 'ass', he's one of Ace's closest henchman," Nova said through gritted teeth, "And he's one of the reasons I joined the Eagle Claws."

Kiki's facial features tightened as if someone had thrown rocks at her. She took the rest of Kitty's bags and stormed ahead, Nova and Kitty following her trail.

Kitty searched for the exit when a familiar face came into her view. Her heart skipped a beat. She saw the trench-coat, a sick, lean figure and a black hood pulled over the head with a skull imprinted where the face was. She remembered how thin his arms beat Pietro to the ground with incredulous force. Duce Jager Craen was searching the mall three junior assistant, clad in blue army uniform. He was strutting right towards them.

"Stop!" Kitty said, holding Kiki and Nova's arms as she pushed herself in the middle of them.

"What now? We can't be seen by the Red Insurgent noodle or else he'll recognise Nova," Kiki breathed frantically.

"Duce Craen is coming!" Kitty hissed, earning a horrified gasp from Kiki.

Nova's fingers trembled as she tightened her biker jacket close to her body. The three watched the tall, insalubrious figure of Duce looming closer until he passed by them, his junior assistants holding up the Triangle Organisation badge in their hands. Kitty followed their movements.

He was the man that imprisoned Pietro. If she had the courage, she would have demanded to know whether Pietro was alive or not but she stood frozen to her spot. Duce had the skill of a true hunter, a skill he was renowned for. Vulcan warned her that Duce will search for her because hunting for mutants was the only way to quench his thirst for blood.

"I am Duce Craen, a member of the Triangle Organisation," Duce iterated the familiar words while holding up the badge, his voice was oddly sonorous, "There has been a sighting of a mutant here in the High Court mall. I advise everyone to be calm as my team searches the premises-"

Before Duce could finish his speech, a group of teenagers screamed and attempted to run away. Duce nodded at his team who held up their guns and fired balls of lasers at the teenagers. They were blasted to ash, blood and organs. The assistants blew the smoke from their guns with no remorse.

"If anyone attempts such drama again, they will endure the same fate," the hellish man threatened.

People were glued to their spot, too frightened to move away as Duce and his pack scoured the area. Kitty swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. Her heart was hammering against her ribs, sweat broke on her forehead. Kiki held her left arm, trembling and losing her usual boisterous confidence. Nova watched intently as the Triangle Organisation team searched through everyone's pockets. Her eyes then focused elsewhere.

Kitty followed her gaze. She saw a young man by the fountain, light brown hair soft and messy and fell in all directions. He was lean and possibly just reaching his twenties. She examined his face. His features were androgynous, complete with large, dull gray eyes that shone with fragility, a straight narrow Roman nose and small, full pink lips; not an average face at all, being blessed with all of nature's attributes. He was wearing a thin black coat and a scarf, despite the raging heat. The young man was scrutinising Duce before standing up and casually walking away from the crowd, long fingers throwing the tail of his scarf over his shoulder.

Kitty sensed the power right there. The man was a mutant; she felt his presence in the air. It was almost similar whenever she was around Jean Grey. His entity lingered in the air, the hairs on the back of their necks. The heavy presence was not friendly like Jean's, it was sepulchral and revolting.

Nova's fingers twitched beside her, the girl's apathetic features hardened to fury and fear.

"There's a telepath here," Kiki whispered to them. "I can sense it."

Kitty couldn't remember blinking when the attack occurred. Everything happened too fast and she was caught in slow motion. A heavy force knocked the mermaid fountain to the side. The statue lifted to the air and was flung against Duce. The lanky man tumbled out of the way in time but the people around him were soon victims of the attack.

Duce reached for large knives inside his black, gothic trench coat. He surveyed the area for the mutant but found only frightened faces. Kiki's grip on Kitty's arm tightened when his face gazed at them for a second a longer than others.

"Look out!"

The mermaid fountain was once again stirring in the air. Duce's three assistants shot their laser beams at the floating statue. Smoke spread from the debris and rained upon the shoppers. Kitty held Nova's hand with her free one and focused her energy on phasing. The debris sifted through them, leaving them unharmed.

"What! Kitty, you never told me you could do that!" Kiki said in a low voice while Nova wrenched her hand from Kitty's.

"Duck low," Shadowcat said; the two girls complied and then bent on their knees with the rest of the crowd.

"He's there," Nova narrowed her eyes at a flying figure above Duce and the Triangle Organisation squad, "Samir Aryaan..."

People were shrieking and pointing at the floating mutant with the light brown hair. He lifted an arm towards Duce, fingers curling. Duce's legs struggled for balance as he was lifted into the air and rotated upside down. The mutant used his other hand to push the three squad members into a large crowd of people.

"I can't watch," Kiki sobbed, closing her eyes shut, "We need to get out of here, fast."

Kitty agreed but how could they escape without giving way to suspicions? Nova wasn't listening to them. She watched her former comrade, her features once again emotionless.

"Any last words?" Samir smirked wryly with a soft accent while Duce dangled hopelessly in the air. The hunter howled in laughter like a demon.

"Can't die yet," he chuckled before pulling a wrapper out of his pocket and tossing it at Samir.

More smoke obscured the area. Duce landed on his feet. Samir was now on the ground, his body trapped in invisible thread. His arms were stuck to his sides, reminding Kitty how Pietro was humiliated when Duce had caught him with the same, organic weapon. Duce knelt on one knee, grabbing Samir by his hair.

"Looks like the tides have changed. I have to say, you earned my respect," Duce said cheerily, "It's not often you rogues can harm a hair on me."

Samir stopped struggling. His lips curved into a wide, crooked smile. He broke free from the silk net using his powers. The force sent Duce sprawling back.

"You underestimate me," the mutant said with a note of contempt in his voice. People screamed, bending lower, Kiki, Kitty and Nova joining them to blend in.

Samir's feet lifted from the ground and he held his hands to the air. Duce threw knives at the mutant's direction but they halted in mid-air with a flick of Samir's wrist. He directed the knives at innocent bystanders and Duce. Blood seeped through the floor, congealing around the gaps. That was the final call as the remaining crowd ran amuck, searching for the exit.

"Let's scram from here. The guy's a freaking psycho!" Kiki panted as bodies slammed into her.

"Look!" Kitty pointed her finger at a well-built woman wearing an armoured uniform pushing through the crowd, her dead brown locks flailing behind her

The woman's muscles were well toned, even through the thick armour. The lower half of her face was hidden through a metal mask, only her fiery almond grey eyes were visible and the deep tan of her face. She pressed a few buttons on her wrist before speeding towards Samir and punching the mutant in the stomach and face with incredible speed.

"Kimbra, stop!" Duce yelled, scrambling to his feet and removing the knife that was stuck in his arm, "That mutant is my kill!"

The woman, Kimbra, kicked Samir to the ground, ramming her foot against his ribs a few times. She stood back, screaming psychotically before speeding towards Duce and whacking her fist across his head, knocking the man unconscious. Duce's assistants, now under the command of Kimbra, assembled towards Samir, chaining his hands together. Kimbra returned to the mutant, grabbing his hair, her grey eyes burned with restless belligerence.

"Samir Aryaan, age: nineteen, family: unknown. You are under arrest!" Kimbra shrieked, her voice doubled and mechanical due to the mask she wore on the lower half of her pointy face.

"Let's go!" Kiki implored, clearly frightened by Kimbra's presence.

Kitty and Nova followed her. Kitty glanced over her shoulder, staring Samir in pity. The boy's harmonious features were now shrouded in thick blood. She saw him smirk at his captivator and spit into Kimbra's face before she left the premises, disappearing into the fleeing crowd.

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Featured OCs:

Kieko Matstunami (Felidae) and Duce Jager Craen by S Ruru

Nova Black (Black Star) by He4artBreaker101

Jonathan Jones (Nerves) by sco23

Zack Rogers (Angelus) and Samir Aryaan (Somnus) by me

Kimbra Carter by TheWritingGirl23