ACT 1: EAGLE CLAWS
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Abigail Strong glanced at her watch. It was almost passed half ten and the bar was completely packed. She took another sip of her cocktail, eyes searching for a familiar face. Expect Zack Rogers to arrive late. He was never one to be punctual anyway and she recalled this during their early university days.
"Hey are you alone?" a burly, bald man asked her.
Abby bit her bottom lip. She often attracted unwanted visitors towards her niche. After all, with her large doe-like eyes, semi tanned skin and lustrous, dark curly hair; men were enticed to her like bees are to nectar.
She shook her head, hair moving out of place, leaving the stocky man mesmerised. "No, I'm waiting for my boyfriend."
"B-but, I've seen you here for over an hour," the man stuttered, hoping to take the seat beside but Abby was adamant.
She ran her hands over her knee-length black dress and over. A studded belt accentuated her tiny waist. She flicked a delicate wrist at the stranger.
"He's never one to arrive on time," she said, her large eyes glimmering in the light.
The man blinked a few times before he skittered away, indisputably disappointed that she was already taken. Abby folded her arms, reaching for her purse and pulling out a mechanical, sphere device.
"Zack," she iterated into the sphere. The sphere glowed, its colour fuzzed before returning bleeding back to baby pink.
"Sorry, I'm busy! Call me back later." the robotic tone of Zack's sphere phone called back to her.
Abby gritted her teeth, angry and frustrated. She stuffed her sphere phone back into her purse. Zack promised her to meet him tonight. She was tired of living on days with just text messages and video mails. His prolonged absence and lack of responsive would eat away inside her like a parasite. Her stomach would twist like a curled paper set on fire.
Who in the world would guess that Abby's boyfriend was a member of the Eagle Claws while the Strong family were well known for their continuous support of the Triangle Organisation science sector? She feared for Zack, his life and their relationship. Losing him would be losing a part of her. A piece of her soul is imprinted in his. Sometimes, he never understood that with his boisterous and playful demeanour.
He would tease her for being overly sensitive but Abby has seen what the Triangle Organisation did to captured mutants. They were treated worse than animals at a slaughter house. At night, nightmares of Zack dying the worst possible ways bounced in her mind. She feared for him more than she feared for her own life, even though she was secretly an Evolutionist spy.
She never agreed with the genocide of mutants and meeting Zack bolstered her emotions. She went as far as joining the Evolutionists for him and aiding the Eagle Claws with invaluable information of what occurred behind the walls of the Triangle group's main headquarters.
She didn't understand the unending love and affection for a man she rarely saw but each time he touched her hand or ran long fingers through her hair or kissed her, her heart would thump against her chest like a drum. She was never fond of him back in the days, four years ago. He was too cheeky with a playboy smile that strengthened her ire. Later, she realised this was all a ruse to hide his true emotions.
Abby preferred to read books, sit in the library, hang out at the milk shake shop rather than the pizza hut where Zack Rogers sat among his group of buffalo hockey players and their Barbie doll girlfriends, who sucked on pink bubble gum more than they attended lectures. They also occupied her favourite spot in the library as their way of annoying the 'nerds'.
Abby sighed, frustrated when she arrived one day and found the hockey team at her favourite spot once again. Daphne's nostrils flared in anger and she pushed the frame of her glasses back against her face.
"Look at them, squealing like a bunch of pigs and the librarian to too afraid to ask them to leave," the girl complained, wiggling her nose.
"Why is Mr. Thomas afraid?" Abby asked, deeming it illogical that the library owner allowed such noise to impede the concentration of other students.
"Oh have you not heard?" Daphne said, a salient blush dance up her necks and to her cheeks, "One of them found an old porn magazine in the librarian's briefcase. They threatened to report it to Dean of the Faculty if Mr. Thomas didn't yield to their needs, such as letting them alone to their own business."
"Oh good Lord," Abby rolled her eyes before stomping towards the howling men; their girlfriends blew their pink bubblegum and did nothing but compliment their muscles.
All Abby wanted was some peace and quiet and she was determined to attain that at all costs. Another reason she hated their group was because they were regular supporters of anti-mutant groups though she kept this fact secret. Mutant well wishers were treated just like their mutant counterparts.
"Hey, aren't you Abigail Strong?" Zack turned his head towards her, giving her a wide, charismatic smile. He was a well known charmer.
Unfortunately, his attempt didn't move her. She clutched her large book against her chest and glared at him. If she was a mutant, she was sure she would have blown his head off, his teammates and the shallow cheerleaders would follow. The girls at the table whined at her darkening scowl like a group of strangled cats.
"This is where I usually study but since you and your…" Abby trailed off, thinking of a good noun to suit the team. Words like 'pigs', 'weasels' and 'jerks' flashed through her mind but she settled with something more appropriate, "You and your peers have taken this place. In case you haven't noticed, this place is a library not some drama theatre. I don't care that you lot are fall outs but the rest of us here wish to succeed in our studies."
Truth be told, they were far from 'fall outs'. They were the type of guys that were gifted with charming physiognomy, skilled at sports and remarkable academic potential but lacked tact and manners.
Daphne rushed to her side. The cheerleaders send glares at the two girls that were dirtier than their boyfriends' socks. Zack ran a hand through his dark, messy hair. His eyebrows furrowed as he thought of a good comeback.
"Who are you to tell us off?" one of the cheerleaders hissed.
"Yeah, shouldn't you both be in the kitchen, making sandwiches?" a hockey player with an exceptionally long ears chuckled. He raised a fist in victory.
Daphne let out a shocked gasp while Abby clutched her book tighter, a nerve on her temple pumped in ire.
"Ed, that's not nice," Zack reprimanded, sensing the other girls' fury.
"You masochists!" Daphne yelled, always being the sensitive one in Abby's inner circle of friends.
"What does that mean?" Big-Ears raised a brow and looked to his team mates for explanations. He only received blank stares and awkward shrugs.
Daphne elbowed her way out of the library. The girl tripped over her own feet at the entrance, earning more laughter. Abby shook her head in pity, worried for her friend's mental stability. The girl was timid and not used to so much attention, let alone be the centre of all jokes.
"It means you're an asshole," Abby exclaimed, sending Big-Ears and his mob a death glare before following Daphne out.
The mousy girl was nowhere in sight but Abby knew that emotional girls who were on the brink of tears were generally attached to bathrooms. She didn't understand why girls would pour their heart out in toilets, very inconvenient of them to do so, but there must have something comforting about their privacy despite the rancid stink.
Daphne was indeed in the toilets, bawling her eyes out in front of the mirrors. It took Abby a while to pacify the sensitive girl but Daphne eventually calmed down. Daphne hadn't grown out of her teenage hormones so boys who made snide remarks (particularly attractive boys) hurt her to the very core.
Abby was surprised to find Zack waiting outside the toilets, leaning against the wall, one knee bent to press the sole of his foot on the wall. His hands were shuffled into the pockets of his trousers. When he saw them, he straightened his posture and approached them. Daphne adjusted her glasses and stared him with hatred.
"Hey, I just want to apologise about Ed," Zack told them.
Daphne and Abby exchanged a glance. When they didn't respond, Zack decided to continue.
"Look, I'm sorry about taking your spot at the library," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "It really wasn't my idea. I'll tell the boys to move over. You're right, Abby, it's unfair on those who do want to study."
"Are you finished?" Abby raised a brow, surprised that the hockey player was apologising. For all she knew, 'sorry' was at the bottom of their priorities.
"Umh…Yeah?"
"Good," she brushed past him without a second glance.
Zack kept to his word, his group of cronies soon took another seat in the library. She wished to ignore the feeling of unease but she caught Zack staring at her from across the room a few times as the weeks passed by. His choice of desk suddenly grew closer in proximity to hers and when she literally held her head in the books, she caught the gaze of his brilliant peridot eyes whenever she glanced up.
"I think he likes you," Daphne whispered beside her one day.
"You know he likes anything with curves. There's not a single cheerleader he hasn't dated in this university," Abby huffed angrily.
Of course, Zack Rogers was so handsome that it was a sin. His cheeky, playboy smile was enough to make passing girls swoon. Girls imagined a choir of angels singing in the background with holy music whenever Zack entered the room alongside his cronies. However, Abby was unassailable to each of his charms. Even so, she was regarded as a sweet and timid girl, the type that sport stars stayed away from as if they carried disease. Why was Zack showing interest in her?
One day, she studied in university till late. Rain fell in droplets before a violent storm ensued. Lightning lit up the heavens for milliseconds before its thunder roared, rolling form one end of the sky to another. Dogs howled in the distance. Abby clutched her flimsy umbrella, hugging the handle tightly as the heavy wind pushed against her small frame, threatening to knock her over.
The nearest teleporting station was a fifteen minute walk away. She refused her father for a car, deeming it useless if a teleporting station resided close by to the university. He couldn't argue with her. He loved her too much after her mother passed away many years ago.
A sudden gust of wind ripped the umbrella away from her. Abby cursed inwardly, her hand reaching for the handle but the umbrella was swept away into the air. Her curly hair flattened in the rain and her dress was soaked, leaving little to the imagination. Water sprinkled out of her flats after each step she took to the station.
"Hey!" a voice echoed behind her.
Abby shivered and crossed her arms over her chest. She glanced back at the source of the voice but strands of her hair wildly blew into her face.
"Abigail!" the voice called again, it's origin coming closer towards her until it took the form of a tall, well built figure with dark hair stuck to his face and green eyes that outshone the lightning.
"Zack? What are you doing here so late?" She was astonished that Zack was studying this late in college.
"Just saw your umbrella flying into the air, Mary Poppins," he flashed her one of his infamous smiles and pulled his larger, sturdier umbrella over their heads, "I hope you don't mind if I walk you home?"
She hesitated but eventually complied and the held his arm. His jacket was saturated with rain that it couldn't hold any more liquid. They walked slowly, the blistering wind whipped at their clothes and their locks. Their breaths misted in the air and Abby refrained herself from snuggling closer to Zack's arm. His peridot eyes bore into her.
"I didn't expect such terrible weather," he started, hoping to roll a conversation.
"It is the middle of November," she responded blankly, "Any mediocre man can predict the weather in this month."
"Oh yeah…Hah, I've been so busy training for the league that I lost track of the months. Stupid, right?"
"Yes." She felt him twitch nervously and he let out a disappointed sigh.
He searched the area, possibly thinking of changing the subject of the conversation since it focused on his stupidity.
"So…You're dad is well known. I mean, he is the leading scientist of the Triangle Organisation. How do you feel about that?"
Butterflies swarmed in her tummy, not because she was nervous but perplexed. She was uneasy talking about her family's allegiance to the Triangle Organisation. Everyone knew what her father did behind the laboratory's closed doors, the inhumane experiments he conducted on captured mutants. The majority of them were unrecognisable before their remains were disposed of into a wasteland.
She swallowed a lump that formed in her throat. For some reason the walk to the station was taking longer than anticipated.
"My father is a good man. As for his role in the Triangle Organisation, that is my personal opinion I would rather keep to myself," she replied emphatically. He twitched again, clearly noticing her disapproval.
"S-sorry, I didn't mean it that way," he stammered but the damage was done when the station loomed around the corner.
"Thanks for your help Zack. I can walk the rest of the way on my own now." She let go of his arm, the cold numbing her suddenly, and stepped out in the pounding rain. His figure was blurry in the watery fog.
"Abigail wait!" he said, grabbing her arm but let it go when she threw him a hostile glare. "I was just wondering…If you could be my date for the Christmas Ball?"
She stood in the rain, shock flickering in her features before she wiped her strands away from her eyes. She wondered if Zack knew he was treading dangerous waters by asking her out. No sport stars settled for the shy bookworms. That was breaking the norm. Without further ado, Abby rushed for the station without looking back, grateful that the rain blurred Zack's face from her view. He didn't approach her after that and his visits to the library became less and less.
The days ended quicker than time in a sand glass. Once all the burnished leaves were swept from the floor, the trees were naked with dreamless sleep and the world was covered with a blanket of snow; the Christmas Ball arrived. Snowflakes flitted from the sky like diamond jewels. The streets were glittering with white and silver and it was as if mankind was sprayed with diamond dust, a gift from the heavens.
Abby did eventually go to the mall but her date was Daphne's mousy older brother, Adam, since she felt comfortable around him and trusted that he wouldn't make a move to molest her. The boy had specs the size of pears and his front upper teeth were too large, protruding slightly even with his mouth closed. His dirty blond hair settled neatly over his head in a burger style cut. Abby looked past his plain features to find a kind hearted person. They agreed to attend the Ball together as friends and nothing more, though she knew he secretly wished they were more.
Abby wore a beautiful white dress with crystals embellished in the front. The sleeves were elegant, growing longer after the elbows to create a bell like shape. The dress fell an inch or two below her knees and matching white heels with a bow at the toes completed her ethereal look. Her usual curly hair was tamed into a French twist with crystals lining the peak. All eyes were on her, including the green of Zack Rogers.
She avoided his attempts at trying to talk to her, unsure why she wanted to avoid him. His presence caused her heart to flutter like the wings of a bird in her chest. Not only that, he was dashing in his black suit and red bow at the collar.
The next few scenes that followed were usually a blur in her memory, like broken flashes of time and disconnected sensations. Everything happened too fast for her to recall in the present day. The front door was exploded. Corpses of students aligned the dance floor, their faces painted with agony. A stream of red washed the bodies. Screams rebounded against the walls, an opera tribute to the dead and dying. Abby's legs took her to the roof, her shoes were kicked aside. A blonde woman appeared behind her, her hand glowing with frost. Abby dodged the stakes of ice, losing her balance and toppling over the building. The wind gusted in her face as the ground greeted her below. She remembered wings, feathers and strong arms catching her.
She was then high in the air, blood dripping on her face and a screaming, shrill voice which she later found that the source was her. The blood wasn't hers, but spilled from one of the wings of her saviour, where the sharp pieces of ice had struck him. She saw dark hair and green eyes that were squinting in pain. His flight was losing co-ordination. His large wings circled around her and they tumbled from the heavens, crashing into dunes of snow. She was on top of him, feeling the rapid beat of his heart through his crisp white shirt. His blazer was missing.
The wings sprawled back, he breathed the oxygen greedily as blood continued to pour out from the wound of his sixth limb. His wings left an imprint in the snow. They spanned nearly four foot wide.
"Z-Zack? Y-you're…You're a mutant?" Abby gasped, leaning away from him, eyes the size of saucers.
"Abigail…" he whispered, a hand reaching towards her, his eyes brimming with tears of agony.
She grabbed his hand as he slid his fingers up her jaw and held her there. A small smile flickered on his lips. So many questions bounced through her mind. He saved her life but why? Why didn't she see it before? Zack always wore jackets and hoodies; even in sports he wore shirts thrice his size feigning that they were more comfortable. All this time he had coveted his most beautiful features.
"Is this the end?" he said, "Will you give me in to the Triangle Organisation?"
She inhaled a sharp breath as images of Zack Rogers in the laboratory took over her mind. She imagined his voice shrieking as needles, scalpels and other devices were pierced into his angelic wings.
"No," she croaked, a hand running through his hair, "You're secret is safe with me."
"Angelus!" a voice called from afar. Abby jumped involuntarily, ready to leave but Zack caught her wrist.
"Stay," he pleaded.
She listened, kneeling at his side underneath the snowflakes until a sturdy, curly haired man with a scratchy beard approached them.
Abigail was snapped back to reality when she finally noticed Zack entering the bar. He had on a long trench coat to hide his wings. He grinned widely at her, taking her petite body into his arms and kissing her forehead.
"Sorry I'm late. Had a mission in the sky," he explained but she punched his arm, angry that he would mention 'missions' in a public place.
"What? No one knows what I'm talking about!" he protested with a childish pout.
Abigail found herself falling in love with him all over again.
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Dallas flapped his wings, speeding to catch up with Von and Belias. The demonic mutant was faster. Von glanced over his shoulder now and then at the eagle figure behind, his face a mixture of confusion and doubt.
Dallas reflected on their moments together. They were brothers, Von being the younger one despite being almost four years older than the blond boy. Dallas was the only person Von confided with and trusted. The first day he met Von, the little doctor was reading a porn magazine but Dallas soon became accustomed to his friend's perverted behaviour. Behind the awkwardness and random behaviour, he knew Von was a good person…Or was he?
There were times when the doctor would mutter about taking over the world or darker ambitions but Dallas brushed those conversations aside. The doctor was seemingly harmless and indisputably loyal to the Eagle Claws. Why did he change his mind all of a sudden?
He spun to dodge a few fireballs from Belias. They were smaller flames. The red mutant was weak, being on hunger strike for two days. Belias focused his energy on soaring higher, Von's dirty, white trench coat flailing behind him. Dallas followed their trail, letting out a piercing bird like scream. The world appeared smaller underneath his eagle claws.
They glided over the sea and into the city atmosphere. The chilly night wind blew against them.
Dallas stretched his claws wide open, aiming for Von. It didn't matter that Belias was escaping.
Why Von? Why did you betray us?, he thought inwardly. He trusted this man more than anyone else in the Eagle Claws.
"Leave now, Dallas!" Von warned, pointing a finger at his former comrade. His usually slick white hair was flowing in all directions.
"I don't want you to get hurt. I felt a connection with the Red Insurgents a long time ago. I was meant for greatness!" the little cried balefully.
Dallas' reply was an eagle scream although he wanted to say how impractical and idealistic Von's views of the Red Insurgents were. Ace was a madman and the people that followed him were no different than psychiatric patients. Von, on the other hand, was an educated doctor.
I thought you would know between right and wrong by now. What would Ace give you that Vulcan didn't? What would a war supporting psycho give you?
Belias coughed out larger fireballs at the eagle. Dallas swivelled to the side, rolling in the air and letting out a shrill scream. The fire singed the feathers on his right wing. He flapped his wings violently, ignoring the incinerating pain that followed and the smoke that evaporated from his feathers.
He was slowing down. Belias' figure was now a black dot in his blurry vision. Dallas found himself spinning towards the ground. He heard Von scream his name from afar.
Von, he called out in his mind, colours mingling into each other before his vision faded to black.
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Kitty's heart was broken so many times. She was advised by Kiki to take a nap but whenever she closed her eyes, the face of Samir Aryaan crept in the corners of her mind and the screams of the innocent people he killed. She was sick to her stomach, thinking her food and whatever was left in there would eventually rise to her throat. Her hands were still trembling with fear.
She wanted to go back home. She wanted to hear Mr. Logan give out to everyone. She wanted to be in Jean's comforting arms. She wanted to have her girly night talks with Rogue or else pay attention to in science class.
She wanted to escape from this hell.
"Kitty, you're not changed yet? Come on, cheer up! The Red Insurgents carry out their murderous crap nearly every day," Kiki said upon leaving the toilet. Daisuke ran up to her and circled around her feet.
She was dressed in a black corset shirt with a matching miniskirt and net tights. She still wore her favourite platform heels. Her bangs and spiky ponytail were not tamed but she wore a deeper red lipstick. Her dark almond eyes were accentuated with sparkling black eyeliner. She reached down to gather Daisuke in her arms. Her cat licked her bare shoulder.
Ash was also ready, as she sat on Kiki's bed, with blue, luminous headphones. Her platinum blonde hair fell up to her shoulder blades, choppy bangs still falling into her electric blue eyes, which were coated with mascara to make them appear even larger than they are. She was clad in white backless tee with spangles embroidered on the front, and tight denim jeans over. She chose a pair of comfortable flats instead of heels. Her cute button nose contained a small flower shaped piercing on the right side. She bit the snake lip piercing on her bottom lip.
"Ash, come on! Help me here," Kiki uttered, turning to the bored girl and gave her a dramatic hand gesture.
Ash glanced at her and then at Kitty. "Kitty, do whatever you want."
Kiki refrained from a smacking a palm to her head.
Kitty squirmed in her bed. "You girls can go ahead without me."
"Oh, don't play the 'I'm-so-miserable' game with me, missy!" Kiki stomped to Kitty's side of the room and snatched the duvet off her. Daisuke scurried to his cat litter tray.
Kitty sighed and apologised. She changed into the sunny yellow dress that Pietro stole for her and her new silver heels that she bought in the mall earlier. She followed the girls out of the room. Through the corridor, the faces of those innocent people haunted her. She saw their gloomy eyes, their features contorted with terror on the walls. Kitty hugged her arms to her chest, shutting her eyes from their faces but they appeared in the darkness, drifting into ghostly smoke and shifting closer to her.
A hand on her shoulder pulled her back to reality. Ash was watching her intently. Kiki was at her other side with pity in her eyes.
"It's okay Kitty," Ash whispered, a kindness that was unlike her.
Kiki nodded with a soft smile, rubbing her hand up and down Kitty's back. "We're here for you."
The river of emotions mingled inside here, threatening to explode. Part of her wished to yield to the sadness that never faded. Her knees were wobbly. She would have slipped to the ground without Ash's firm grip. She swallowed the poignant sorrow, the faces dissipated one by one in the corners of her subconscious. Kiki and Ash were used to the murders and torture that occurred in their world but Kitty was not, despite serving the X-Men for four years, despite the hearings of mutants getting hunted down, despite the terror that rogue mutants unleashed on innocent humans.
"I'm fine," she told her friends but Kiki was unconvinced.
"You sure? I can be your counsellor or such if you want, you know?"
"No, like, really really, I'm fine."
They walked to the teleporting machine at the end of the corner. It was a glass tube with a small computer outside. Kitty was not sure how to use it. She asked the girls.
"Our favourite destinations are listed in the 'specials' section," Kiki explained before Ash could open her mouth, "But if ya want to go to a place not saved in the 'specials', then use this 'navigator' here and tell it where you wanna go."
Kitty was intrigued by the teleporting machine. It obviously saved a lot of time. She was too afraid to ask about the physics of it in case they were suspicious of her. She still kept her time travelling secret to herself, missing Pietro dearly whenever she thought about it.
They stepped into the teleporter after Kiki spoke their destination into the computer. Kitty felt her body temperature rise and her vision elongate before a new field appeared. They were outside in the busy streets of the city. Ahead of them was a night club, neon flashes of pink and blue escaped from the windows. Music pounded from within, threatening their eardrums to explode.
"Let's get there and start drinking!" Kiki exclaimed, grabbing Kitty and Ash's hand and storming inside.
The youth swayed to the techno music while the girls took empty sofas in the corner, a small table in between them. Kiki left to get the drinks, Kitty and Ash pleading her not to bring alcoholic drinks for them. The music was louder inside and Kitty couldn't bear it. It wasn't enough to drown out the screams from her mind.
"You don't drink either?" Kitty asked Ash.
Ash shook her brilliant hair. "I'm barely five feet in height. Even the scent of alcoholic will get me drunk and trust me," she narrowed her eyes, "No one likes me when I'm drunk."
Kiki returned, handing fancy glasses of fresh juice while gulping down her bottle of beer. She belched loudly, earning a few stares while Kitty blushed and Ash rolled her eyes.
"I don't understand how you manage the alcohol," Ash huffed, "You're my height."
"Oh well, it must be my genes," Kiki gave a rigid shrug as if her answer was the most obvious, "Pity you ain't got them, huh?"
"Yes, such a pity," Ash murmured sardonically.
"Ya know, Vulcan would have such awesome good looking kids. Too bad he's older than me. I would have nabbed him!" Kiki chuckled before taking another swig of her bottle. Her cheeks were glowing pink.
"I never thought of Vulcan that way," Kitty admitted, "He seems like such a daddy to me."
"I would say he's more like an older brother," Ash sunk into her sofa until it almost swallowed her. Her bright blue eyes were visible in the darkness which was only disturbed by psychedelic flashes.
"Puh-lease! Everyone knows Vulcan is hot," Kiki stated incongruously, "But since you babies are too shy talking about his hotness, let's change the subject to someone else."
"Like who?" Kitty raised a brow, not enjoying the tangy taste of her lemonade.
"Angelus maybe?" Ash answered with a coy smile.
Kiki's lips curved to a grimace and she slammed her bottle onto the table that separated their sofas. "What's so hot about Birdman?"
"Where ever did I say he was hot? Oh- wait, you think Zack is hot?" Ash's grin widened uncharacteristically.
"Nu-uh!" the punk style girl whinged, backing into her sofa in a maladroit manner. It was clear that she was already tipsy.
"Well, now it's getting interesting," Kitty smirked, waving a finger up and down, "I knew it! You do like Angelus!"
"Hey, stop being such bitches. I hate Birdman with a passion!" Kiki objected.
Kitty exchanged a glance with Ash, the latter was grinning with her. Their feline friend was squirming with unease.
"Change the subject again!" Kiki ordered, raising a fist.
"Okay fine, so like, what other guys live in the E.C. Institute?" Kitty asked, recalling Johnathan Jones and his charismatic smile.
"There's over thirty! Hey, Dallas is sorta cute!" Kiki rubbed her chin in thought, "And he has such a nice body, not too thin or too muscular."
"D-Dallas?" Ash stammered, Kitty caught the nervousness in her voice but Kiki was too tipsy to notice.
"I can't believe that dude can morph with his clothes. Imagine if he accidentally forgot to morph his clothes with him," Kiki suggested deviously, opening up a second beer bottle, "Oh yes, babe, that would be hot!"
Kitty laughed at Kiki's silly behaviour. She momentarily forgot her grief and the horror she faced earlier today. She turned to share another look with Ash but the other girl's blush wasn't hard to miss , that even Kiki saw it.
"Oh no…Ash, don't tell me you have a thing for Dallas!?" Kiki's eyes widened with shock.
When Ash didn't reply, the feline girl scampered off her sofa and ran for the toilets. Her departure was so sudden that Kitty decided to follow her, in case the girl was sick. The toilets were reeking with the scent of urine. Kiki watched her reflection in a long mirror along the side.
"Kiki, are you okay?"
"No."
Kitty was surprised with her answer. "Umh…Care to share?"
The other girl sighed, walking over to the ultramarine sink counter and sitting on it, swinging her legs to the side. She muttered incoherently to herself and stated that the cat-god in the tower was meowing again before drifting to a dead silence. Kitty sat beside her, aware that the counter was wet.
"Kitty," Kiki answered, grateful for the silence, "Is it possible to have a crush on two people?"
"What do you mean?"
"Like, can someone have a crush on a guy and a girl at the same time?"
Kitty thought to herself until she realisation hit her like a bright yellow bus. "You like Angelus and Ash?"
"Well…I…" Kiki was at loss for words, folding and unfolding a piece of tissue that was left at the side, "You know at first it was just friendship but Ash…I don't know, it's just sudden."
"I suppose it's okay, right? But Dallas…"
"Kitty, if Ash likes Dallas then I would want her to be happy but have you met Dallas?"
When Kitty shook her head, Kiki continued, "I don't know who Dallas likes. The only other person I know who likes him is Nova, but seriously, the guy is probably in love with the training room!"
"Wait, Nova is that quiet girl who went shopping with us? She likes Dallas? Do you think that could be why she avoided Ash earlier?"
"What!?" Kiki hopped off, ran around the toilet in circles and waved her hands up and down, "That is just so-so-so-so-so-so so complicated! I like Birdman and Ash, the guy has a girlfriend and Ash likes Dallas but Nova also likes and Dallas…He's probably asexual!"
Kitty refrained from giggling. She suggested they return to Ash and tell her but Kiki forced her to make an oath and never reveal anything to Ash. When they returned to the platinum blonde, she was standing up, looking around. She told them there was an loud noise from outside, just a few seconds ago. They ran out, a large crowd surrounded an eagle that had fallen from the side.
Ash's lips were taut when her eyes recognised the necklace with a wolf's canine around the eagle's neck. She ran to the injured animal, asking Kiki and Kitty to help her move it around the corner. Kitty did not know why the usually collected girl had a note of fear in her voice. The crowd around the eagle were certain they were taking it to a vetinery . They soon scattered.
"It's Dallas, he's hurt," Ash whispered, when they were safe from eavesdroppers, her throat straining form the effort of remaining calm.
Kitty stared at the unconscious golden eagle. Its right wing was black with soot. Kiki trembled beside her, grabbing her arm until she was sure the circulation ceased to flow there.
"It's okay," a familiar deep voice said behind them, "I'll take him back to the infirmary."
Vulcan approached them, his face unreadable. His jaw clenched with potent tension. The muscle twitched now and again with restlessness. He advised the girls to go back to their rooms for the time being and refrain from going to public until the next day. His solemn words were like rocks over their heads.
The muscular man gathered the injured eagle into his arms and turned to leave. Kitty held his arm desperately, asking him for a moment.
"I am ready to join the Eagle Claws," she admitted, watching the doubt in his face, "I know it's only been three four days, but please let me join missions. I promise I will train while I'm working for you."
"Very well, Kitty."
XXXXXXXX
Pietro was pulled from his sleep when he heard footsteps in the room. He glanced around frantically but the only light in the room came from a flickering lamp on the ceiling. Samir hadn't budge since the time he was first dragged into the torture room. Pietro was eventually allowed to use the toilet before he was also knocked out.
He noticed a shadow creeping towards Samir. He sensed another presence in the room. There was a puddle beside Samir. There was something ominous about the puddle and the shadow.
"I know you're hiding!" Pietro cried out.
He watched astonished as a figure rose out of the shadows and puddle took the shape of a man. The shadow man was tall, with an average face, torn jeans and jacket over top. He wore tinted glasses. His face was slightly tanned, complimenting his dark brown hair. The puddle man was the same in height with contrasting pale skin, short black hair that spiked at the back and dark almond shaped eyes. He was dressed in a neat black suit. Both were young and in their early twenties.
"I have the keys," Puddle-man smirked, as he walked to Samir and unlocked the chains that were bound on the boy's wrists.
Samir fell before Shadow-man caught him and laid him on the floor. Puddle-man pulled out a small bottle with liquid inside, opening Samir's jaws and throwing the liquid into the boy's mouth. Samir's gray eyes shot open, he sat up instantly like a zombie back from the dead, coughing blood.
"Easy there kiddo," Puddle-man added with a note of contempt, greedily eyeing the wounds that ruined the Samir's harmonious features.
"Hey! Why am I always invisible?" Pietro called out to them, but none of them glanced in his direction.
"Lurker," Samir said turning to the Shadow-man, "Aquarius," Puddle-man smiled at the mention of his name, "There's no time to waste. I have watched this place while sleeping but it took too much energy. We must be swift. The weapons' room isn't too far from here."
"That is all so wonderful Somnus, but you could have at least thanked us for saving your ass," Aquarius snarled sarcastically.
Samir tried to stand up but he was too weak. He would have fallen had Lurker not caught him. Lurker draped one of Samir's arms over his shoulder.
"Who else with you two?" the telepath asked.
"Cut-throat is waiting outside."
"Bring her in."
"Hello!" Pietro shrieked but no one paid heed to him.
Aquarius called over the third mutant. A teenage girl walked down the stairs in the torture room. She had an emaciated figure. Her features were prominent in her pale face with dead black eyes and ebony hair that flowed in a pony tail almost tipping the floor. When she smirked, her canines were sharper than normal. She had on a black jumpsuit with yellow belt strapped around her waist. Her silver fingerless gloves were salient in the darkness. A long blade was held in one of her hands.
She eyed Samir's wounds, shaking her head in disappointed rather than pity. "They sure busted you up pretty good."
"How did you find me?" Samir said feebly.
"I smelt you out with Ryan and Marcus' help. Then we tracked the areas with fewer guards and took them down until we came to you. We are currently in Duce's base camp, not the main headquarters of the rotten Triangle Organsation. Marcus?"
Lurker glanced at her with a nod and help Samir walk up the stairs. Cut-throat turned to Aquarius, whose real name was Ryan, Pietro figured.
"Hey wait!" Pietro cried once again, "Let me join you please! I can't stay here any longer."
Aquarius was about to leave but Cut-throat glanced back at Pietro, her long hair swaying over her shoulder as she did. She walked swiftly towards him. Aquarius fidgeted uncomfortably before following her. They faced the sliver haired mutant, making him feel inferior and shrivelled.
"What are your powers?" Cut-throat demanded.
"If you get me out of these chains, I'll show you," Pietro winked at her, glad that a woman paid attention to him in the stay. Screw all the men!
He changed his mind instantly when she pulled a knife out of her belt and pressed it dangerously against his throat. "Don't waste out time. Tell us your powers now. If you honestly wish to join our cause then you must undergo the trials of Ace."
"I-I can as fast as the speed of light," Pietro choked, terror sinking into his weary bones.
Aquarius shrugged, clearly unsure of what to do, though it was obvious with his posture that he was the authoritative figure in this mission. Cut-throat pulled back before slashing Pietro's strait-jacket open, leaving him only in his underpants. Pietro hugged his bare chest when the chill kissed him. He blushed in front of the mutants, suddenly conscious that he was half-naked.
Pietro stood up on wobbly legs like they were two matchsticks ready to break. Before he could move any further, Aquarius grabbed his hair, twisting the locks to cause extra pain. Pietro gasped pleadingly, his eyes bearing into Aquarius' dark, passionate ones.
"Listen, to earn out trust, you must help us in our mission. We are going to bomb the armoury, killing any guards on the way. You hear me? Killing! K-I-L-L-I-N-G! Are you able to aid us?" he spat vehemently, flicks of his saliva fell on Pietro's frightened face.
"Y-yes…"Pietro croake and Aquarius let go of his hair.
Pietro balanced himself on his legs, the pressure threatening to topple him over. He didn't run fast in a long while. An urge inside gave his legs the worst case of pins and needles but his gut told him that if he even attempted to run away from his new comrades, he wouldn't live to see the light of day. He skittered after Aquarius and Cut-throat as they reunited with Samir and Lurker at the stairs.
"So, we never really introduced ourselves properly. I'm Pietro by the way, Pietro Maximoff," Pietro said, rubbing a sweaty palm on his underpants and holding it out to his new comrades.
Samir's features contorted with disgust. Lurker was indifferent, his glasses masking away the emotions of his eyes. Cut-throat raised a brow, crossing her arms against her chest to avoid shaking hands with Pietro. Aquarius snarled again, complaining how a half-naked man wished to introduce himself while they were on a mission.
The frigid, deathly air of the torture room made Pietro's limbs quiver, his cheeks were a pink hue upon realising that he was almost completely nude.
"Right Peetree, I am Ryan Veronnes, the superior of this mission," Aquarius cut in, hoping to alleviate the tension somewhat so that they may resume with their mission, "Lurker over there, his real name is Marcus Brewer. Somnus here, he's Samir Aryaan and Cut-throat…"
Ryan's voice trailed away when a dark scowl possessed Cut-throat's face. She slowly nodded at Ryan, before speaking in a low voice that freaked the wits out of Pietro,"My name is Precious Daye Knight but I hate it with a raw passion. My allies know me as Cut-throat. Let's keep it that way."
I'm sandwiched between psychos! Where's Pryde when you need her?
Pietro blinked, it had been a while since Kitty entered his thoughts. For some reason, the resentment he felt towards her wasn't as precise as the day Duce Craen jabbed him in the stomach.
"Right no time to waste," Ryan said, his arms morphed into watery tentacles, "Here is the mission. Somnus knows the way to the armoury. Lurker, you protect him while he tells us the way through. Cut-throat and Pietro—We need to come up with an alias for you—You two should guard ahead of Somnus and I shall watch from behind. Any slips and Ace has given me the permission to rip you from your skeletons!"
Pietro swallowed, eyes grew to the shape of saucers. He didn't know why Cut-throat, Marcus and Samir were calm without any hints of fear. They moved outside quickly, Marcus acting as a pillar of support for the battered Samir with Pietro and Cut-throat ahead of them and Ryan behind them. Pietro stifled a shriek when his vision was littered with dead bodies of guards that aligned the corridor, their blood still fresh and sticky on the metal floor.
"If you don't mind me asking," Pietro started, jumping over a dead body with vehement disgust, "Don't you think Duce would know you are here?"
"What an insolent fool," Ryan said through gritted teeth, his amorphous arms tangled beside him like jelly.
"Aquarius, he has the right to know. After all, he is a new addition to our team," Samir told the older man with a crooked, mirthless smile.
"Bah, I hate time wasters," Ryan muttered before continuing, "Lurker can travel through shadows. He found the security room and tampered with their CCTV and sensors. Cut-throat was able to track the scent of guards for ambushes. Duce is currently away on a mutant hunt. End of story, now let's go!"
"Welcome to the team," Cut-throat smirked, noticing the fear spreading in Pietro's features.
END OF ACT 1
A/N: Phew, that took me a while to write down, almost 20 pages on a word document believe me! But it was worth it cause I gave more screen time to characters and introduced more brilliant OCs. Just want to apologise to anyone who submitted Red Insurgent OCs. Don't worry, they'll all be popping up in the next few chapters. Patience is the key. Many thanks to everyone who reviews, I appreciate all your support!
As for my analysis of the story, I am such a romantic so romance in stories is important to me. If you would like your OC to be paired with anyone just leave me message an let me know their type of person. As for the Abby/Angelus couple, that was preplanned since my first Great War story
Featured OCs:.
Abigail Strong by TheWritingGirl23
Zack Rogers (Angelus) and Samir Aryaan (Somnus) by me
Dallas Pointe (Skinwalker) by silverstarsofquebec
Von Richtor (Doctor Bunny) by the Big Bad Bunny
Kiki Matstunami (Felidae) by S Ruru
Ashlen McCloud (Shockwave) by Ninja Kat is Stalking You
Marcus Brewer (Lurker) by Labyrinth-Designer
Precious Daye Knight (Cut-throat) by Blue-Kitsune-13
Ryan Veronnes (Aquarius) by Love2Read4321
