Chapter 17
Magneto's base(one of them)...
Magneto and the Acolytes enter the room where Mesmero is restrained in a metal chair as the two Lady Masterminds systematically probe his mind to learn his secrets.
"My dear Lady Masterminds, what have you learned?" Magneto wants to know.
"The spider stone has a 2nd half," Regan reports.
"It resides in London at the British Museum," Martinique continues the report.
"Together they form a key," the two powerful telepaths say in sync.
"A key to what?" Magneto demands the answer to.
"We have yet to ascertain that," Regan answers.
"His mental powers are formidable," Martinique has to concede because even her and her sister combined are having a hard time getting to the deeper layers.
"We need more time," the sisters say together.
Magneto almost growls in frustration. He spins the chair holding Mesmero around several times until the man is facing the group of Acolytes. "Time's up," he declares, his patience at its end. "Rogue," he commands.
"Shoulda just asked meh ta start with," Rogue remarks as she steps forward. In her opinion they could have gotten this ages ago if she had just been allowed to absorb him.
"No," Magneto contradicts her. "As powerful as he is he could have hidden thoughts even from you. I needed his mental shields to be weakened first by two powerful, talented telepaths."
Rogue's eyebrows rise slightly. Smart thinking she would have to concede. She pulls her fingerless black gloves off to maximise the skin to skin contact as she cups Mesmero's face in her hands. The powers...but more importantly the memories flow in as Mesmero's weakened mental shields seem to collapse in front of Rogue's power.
And she sees it. Sees him putting together the first key with those rings and opening some sort of door in the wall of a cave...and what is behind that door...no 3 doors...
Rogue jerks back, breathing heavily and falls to one knee, her hand to her head.
Gambit rushes to her side. "Cher?" he queries worriedly.
"Ah'm fahne," she insists. "Just give meh a minute."
Magneto bends down in front of her. "What did you see?"
"Tha relic...it's a key. One of 3. It will help unleash tha most powerful mutant this world has evah seen. En Sabah Nur. Ya will know him as Apocalypse."
Magneto takes a moment to let that sink in.
Rogue swallows hard. She's never seen anything like that in any mind she has ever absorbed. Seen the utter darkness that lies ahead. "Ya have ta stop him. If he evah gets free he will destroy everything we have been working for. Ya must destroy that key," she says, her voice trembling slightly.
Magneto can see real fear in Rogue's green eyes at how she completely believes that. He looks back at Mesmero. "Regan. Martinique. Get every last drop of information out of him," he commands the two Lady Masterminds. "I want to know exactly what we're up against."
"Yes, Magneto," the two chime together in reply. They had actually been getting along much better recently. They still fought but it was closer to just how normal sisters argue instead of the outright hostility and attempts to murder each other they indulged in previously.
Magneto's reaction to Rogue's words is simply a greater determination that he will not let anyone ruin his hard work. Not when he is on the cusp of getting his mutant nation off the ground. No. No-one will be allowed to interfere. Not even a fellow mutant. This...Apocalypse will be stopped. Magneto swears it.
At the Institute...
Where had Clark vanished off to? To change into his costume. If he's meeting Warren and it's urgent, which it seems it is, he had to be Superman.
Once Emma and the Hellions are seen off Warren quickly relays his story which soon pricks everyone's interest when he describes someone that sounds like Mesmero.
On a side note Warren only remembers meeting Superman that Christmas, not Clark Kent, thanks to the spell Wanda/Madeline cast they discovered quickly.
They move down to the computer room. Warren, the Professor, Beast, Superman, Scott and Jean. While Beast brings up all the information they have on Mesmero Warren asks a question. "I saw Rogue with Magneto?" he queries, since he met her before that Christmas before last and was obviously therefore confused to have seen her with the Master of Magnetism when she helped fight him and save Warren that previous time.
"That's...complicated," Scott answers.
"How?"
"She absorbed an aberrant rebellious personality which magnified her own rebellious nature to the point she decided joining Magneto was more fun than sticking around here," Superman explains it.
Warren blinks. "Ah...ookkaayy," he draws it out. "Does that stuff happen often around here?" he asks considering how easily Superman rattled that off.
"Someone getting their mind altered, messed with or taken over?"
"Along those lines, yes."
"Every other week," the Professor, Beast, Scott, Jean and Superman answer at the same time.
"You guys live weird lives," Warren can't help saying.
"Tell us about it," the 5 say, again in perfect sync.
Beast brings up an image of Mesmero.
"That's him," Warren confirms.
Scott automatically takes Jean's hand and squeezes it reassuringly. He knows how violated she had felt after what Mesmero did to her.
"Are you sure that is the man you saw?" the Professor just wants to be certain.
"It's not a face you forget, Professor," Warren points out.
Outside the room, peering in through the door are Betsy and Rahne, both unable to stop themselves ogling Warren. Though Rahne's interest comes through the fact she is actually quite a religious person and Warren's angelic appearance. She just doesn't advertise her faith as clearly as say Kurt does.
"Hey girls," Bobby greets them as he walks up behind. "Checking out the new guy?"
Betsy rolls her eyes. Now she'll get no peace so she and Rahne leave now that Bobby has ruined the moment.
Bobby sneaks into the room. If he's going to be an X-Man, which he does want to be, then he should be in on this he thinks. He hides himself behind a few crates and listens in.
"You were right to come to us Warren. We have had dealings with Mesmero before," the Professor says.
"He used his telepathic powers to take control of myself, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat and Spyke to obtain 3 rings for him," Jean relays what happened during that previous encounter.
"From the sound of it he was using Gambit in the same way and then got caught by Magneto. I doubt they're working together," Scott guesses from Warren's story.
"But why use someone else?" Warren asks.
"Because that seems to be how he does things," Superman says, anger lacing his tone because he hates people like that. Lionel was a person like that and look where that ended.
Beast pulls up the images of the 3 rings. "Unfortunately, even though it's been over a year since we last encountered Mesmero, we still know very little about his goals. We were able to ascertain, thanks to Superman largely, that the rings were a set of 3." Beast types and shows how the 3 rings fitted together on a small sceptre. They had found that out.
"Tell us Warren, what does that look like to you?" Superman asks about the image.
"It looks like a key," Warren correctly guesses.
"It is," Beast confirms.
"A key to what?"
"We don't know," the Professor just has to admit their failure in discovering the purpose to this key.
Beast brings up the image of the spider stone along with its other half which then fit together to produce the intact spider statute. "Warren's stolen spider stone is only half of the complete object. The other half is in London in the British Museum," he relays the information he has discovered to the group. Wasn't hard. Simple search did it since it is on public display.
"And if Mesmero is involved it's possible that spider statue might do the same as the 3 rings," the Professor speculates.
"That it's a key," Warren follows. "We still don't know to what."
"I think Superman might be able to help," Beast proposes as he zooms in on the image he has of the spider statue and what it shows up along the base of the stone is writing. Writing in a very strange and unique language Clark knows well.
"Is that...?" Jean half-asks, pointing at the screen, recognising the language.
"Kryptonian," Superman rumbles. The writing is Kryptonian.
"No-one's been able to ever give that language a name, let alone read it," Warren argues.
"Well it's in fact my native language," Superman informs Warren. "However this is gibberish...most of it," he can read...or not read as the case may be. The symbols are Kryptonian. The dialect is...Clark isn't sure. It's not quite correct. It's almost like a different language...or an off-shoot language...or the version of the language Clark knows is an offshoot of this one depending how old this statue is. It's like...he thinks possibly like the difference between Old English and the modern version. The intervening centuries have created almost 2 different languages but the modern one retains some words and phrases that have survived into the modern day. It's like that...he thinks...or he's speculating. He'll have to speak to Jor-El when he gets a chance.
"What can you make sense of?" the Professor asks.
Superman points at a few bits as the spider statue rotates on screen and reads out what he can make sense of. "First One...Guardian...eternally imprisoned."
"First One?" Charles queries, stiffening in his chair.
"Professor?" Scott inquires at seeing the reaction of his mentor.
The Professor places his hands under his chin and rests his head on them, his expression one of deep, wise contemplation. "This morning Tarot came to see me. She had had a vision in the night about the dark force she has previously mentioned. One of the things she yelled in her sleep was 'First One'."
All look at the Professor in shock.
Charles continues. "Wanda also had a vision last night. It was similar but she saw Magneto involved in it. Both girls did mention one commonality. That spiders were involved."
The X-Men look back at the screen. Spiders. Spider statue. The 2 girls saw this...in a way but they have come to understand from simply having Tarot around that visions can be very cryptic and hard to interpret.
"So...this spider statue might be the key to freeing this dark force we've heard about," Scott reckons. That, in fact, he can now see it's all the same thing and Mesmero, who they know is working for someone else, is trying to free that very dark force. That the dark force is Mesmero's Master. "If we stop it here then we might stop it altogether," Scott proposes.
"That's speculation," Beast cautions. True keys are used to open things but it's still making a leap without facts to back it up.
"Excuse me?" Warren asks, raising his right hand. "Visions?" he has to ask.
"Two of the students have the ability to foresee the future," the Professor calmly informs Warren as if this is an everyday thing. "However lately the future has been near impossible to see, blocked by some great unnamed and unseen force. All we do know from what can be seen is that a great darkness is coming to rise and cast its shadow over the Earth."
Warren can feel a headache building. This is too much to take all in one go.
"What's that statue made of?" Superman asks, gazing at it.
"Why?" Beast asks.
"A green material with Kryptonian writing on it?" Superman asks rhetorically.
"Oh," Beast says getting it. "You think it's..." he leaves it unsaid. Kryptonite.
"Unless you can tell me differently."
"I can't actually," Beast has to say. "There's no analysis I can find of what the statue's composition is."
"Lets assume the worst," Scott says because that's usually a safe bet.
Warren is very lost.
"In any case I think it better that no-one has the two halves of the statue," the Professor decides. "We need to get to London before Magneto tries to obtain the other half."
"You think he will?" Warren asks.
"He has Mesmero and Magneto has powerful means of obtaining information. Whatever Mesmero reveals Magneto will know enough to realise the statue is an object of power and he will try to obtain that," the Professor lays down because Magneto would not resist the possibility of gaining new power for his cause. "We need to prevent that."
"Absolutely!" Bobby says in agreement, revealing himself as he strides into the centre of the room. "Lets gear up and take care of business. X-Men style!"
Everyone looks at the brown haired boy with blank expressions.
"Sorry hotshot," Beast gives an apologetic refusal as he rises from his chair and walks over to Bobby. He places an apologetic hand on the teen's shoulder. "There's no room on the team for this mission for someone who doesn't follow rules," he tells him as they all start to filter out of the room. It was too important for them to have to deal with Bobby's rebellious nature as well.
"When don't I follow rules?" Bobby asks, as if he as no idea.
"You want the list," Scott proposes because there is hardly a day that goes by where Bobby doesn't break some sort of rule around here. It's why he's been reluctant, to say the least, to consider Bobby's attempts to join the X-Men. He just doesn't follow orders and Scott won't have that on his team.
"I..I was only goofing off now and again. Ask Sam. I totally keep it in check for a full on mission. Really!" Bobby shouts after them, insisting he can be part of the X-Men.
"That's not how Sam tells it!" Scott argues, shouting back over his shoulder.
"Just give me one chance?! Please!"
If the mission wasn't so vital Scott just might, possibly, consider it but this was. Magneto and Mesmero are two of their most powerful adversaries. He can't risk it. "Can anyone tell me why he's so determined to be an X-Man all of a sudden?" he asks the group as they walk down the hallway. "Because if it's just to bolster his ego and show off the words never and not a snowball's chance in hell come to mind."
"Where Robert is concerned it is always partly to do with showing off," the Professor has to criticise Iceman because it partly is Bobby's ego, wanting to be part of the primary team. The celebrity and fame that it brings...or at least what it brings in Bobby's mind. "However when it counts I have no hesitation in saying he can be relied on," Charles states with confidence in that much.
Well Scott wouldn't so easily say that but chooses to defer to the Professor's judgement and says nothing on that topic. "I know we've been putting off choosing a replacement for Spyke but this is not the time to discuss this," Scott decides.
"I agree," Charles says. "But we really must choose soon," he decides that they've been avoiding sorting it out for too long.
"Do we bring Wanda along this time?" Jean wonders...because she saw something of this and it is Wanda's father involved.
"Wanda's calmer...but she still has much anger for her father and considering the growth in her abilities and their link to her emotions I would advise not on this occasion," Beast adds his worth.
"This is, hopefully, just a retrieval mission. Grab the stone before Magneto. A small team is better for swiftness," the Professor chooses. "The 6 of us here should suffice," he decides not to include the other X-Men in this instance.
Scott agrees. And if they do encounter Magneto the 6 of them is powerful enough to hold him off while they make a swift getaway. It's not an engagement mission. Get the half of the spider statue and leave. "If Warren is willing to help?" he feels he should ask.
"I want answers as much as you," Warren agrees to come along. He has a whole bunch of questions but considering what they told him about this Mesmero guy how can he do anything less than help them. This man sounds like scum frankly and Warren still has some chivalry left in his soul.
"We'll take the Velocity," the Professor decides just in case they run into Magneto. The new Velocity, Mark II after the last one got trashed during the battle with Magneto over the power inhibition technology.
Clark is stoically silent. He knows literally nothing about this...or does he? Didn't Jor-El say something about a 'First One' rising? Damn his father and his cryptic bullshit. When Clark gets a chance they are having severe words. For now all he can do is once again try and stop Magneto getting his hands on what seems likely to be some sort of Kryptonian artefact who does who knows what and possesses who knows what sort of power.
Oh yeah. Going to be one of those days. Clark can just tell.
Magneto's base...
"How could this happen?!" Magneto virtually roars in anger at the two sheepish looking female telepaths as he storms through his base, the two young women following him.
"We don't know!" Regan pleads for clemency.
"One minute he was there, the next he was bloody gone," Martinique explains what happened.
Magneto enters the room where Mesmero is...only he isn't there. He's gone. The chair's empty and the two girls can't tell you what happened. He just...poofed! Vanished into thin air. As soon as it happened they rushed to get Magneto and here they are.
"Along with the artefact," Regan is the one forced to tell Magneto the spider statue is gone with Mesmero.
"From what we learned if he joins the two halves together and forms the 2nd key..." Martinique leaves it hanging.
"That is not going to happen!" Magneto snaps. "Summon the Acolytes. We're going to London," he commands.
London...
The Velocity flies low following the Thames through the heart of the city, past the Houses of Parliament under the dark night sky.
Charles looks out with a frown. "Marie mentioned the spider crossing a river in a city in her vision," he murmurs quietly...half to himself. It was spookily accurate in its way.
Once they reach their destination they circle overhead the museum giving it a once over before landing on top of a nearby multi-storey parking lot.
"The museum looked pretty quiet," Beast remarks. "Superman?"
"To me as well...but that doesn't mean much. Magneto can teleport in in an instant," Superman reminds them of the increasingly vast resources Magneto seems to command these days.
"Yes. We better hurry," the Professor says. He turns his head to look back from the co-pilot seat. "Cyclops...will you inform our stowaway we've arrived," he requests.
Scott is just unbuckling himself and rising to his feet. "Stowaway?" he queries, puzzled by that.
"3rd supply closet back on the port side," Superman fills in where to look.
Scott just looks between the two of them before heading back and yanking the door open to find Bobby, in his white and blue uniform, munching on a bag of chips. Unbelievable! "Got something to say for yourself?" he asks.
Bobby is shocked and spills his chips. He rubs the crick in his neck. This closest was cramped. "Yeah. That's the last time I fly no thrills."
"Uh huh?" Scott offers his hand. Well he's here now. "Come on. Lets go."
Bobby takes the hand and Scott helps him up.
"Care to explain yourself Drake?" Scott wants to know because of all the stupid irresponsible, wilfully disobedient things Bobby has done, this is in the top 5.
"I'm helping!" Bobby insists. He knows what this is. Scott doesn't think he has enough experience despite everything Generation X has been through but Bobby knows he can prove him wrong and this is how he's going to do it so he chose to sneak along and here he is.
Scott looks to the Professor and Clark. "Why did you let him come?" he wonders since both clearly knew Bobby was there.
"Everyone deserves a chance," the Professor and Clark say together.
Scott looks to Jean who smiles and shrugs.
Scott shakes his head and takes a moment before addressing the team, Bobby too since they don't have time to take him home. "Ok, so lets face facts. What we're about to do is not strictly legal," he lays out the truth. They're about to steal something from a museum. "But it has to be done," he states and they all grudgingly accept that to be so. "We don't have time to do this the proper way. Not when we know Magneto is, more likely than not, on his way here. We get in, harm no-one, get the statue and get out. Clear?"
Everyone agrees...even Clark. Normally he could do this himself and faster but if the statue really is kryptonite, a chunk that size, even with with the protection of his costume, would render him a squirming mass in seconds.
"Clear, Iceman?" Scott asks twice for Bobby's sake.
"Got it," Bobby assures him.
"I'll monitor from here," Charles says. Not just them telepathically but the police channels as well.
The X-Men are soon approaching the front of the museum on foot. Bobby transforms himself into his ice form. "Oh yeah. Definitely the cool team!" he proclaims.
They all pause when they find the front doors smashed in. "Superman?" Cyclops queries.
"It's them. They're here," he confirms gravely that Magneto and his Acolytes have arrived. They must have done so in the time it took to get down from the helicopter to here. "They're rounding up the guards and Magneto's chasing Mesmero round one of the upper floors along with Polaris," he relays what he can see.
"How do you know that?" Warren has to ask.
"X-ray vision," Superman replies.
Warren arches an eyebrow. Oookkaayyy...that's, uh, something.
Scott rubs his face. He was hoping to avoid this. "Who else?" he wants to know who they are up against.
"Pyro, Sabretooth, Colossus, Gambit, Quicksilver...and Rogue. I can't see where Ms Voght got to assuming she brought them here."
"We'll have to take care of them first," Scott realises. Take away the support structure, then deal with Magneto, Polaris and Mesmero. "Superman you're not going near that statue. We can't risk it," he orders.
"Understood," he accepts.
"Why?" Warren asks.
"The statue, if it's made of what we think, is poisonous to me," Superman answers. "And something that size...could kill me in minutes...possibly."
Ok, Warren didn't expect that answer but it's awful odd, it seems to him, for someone so powerful to be scared, essentially, of a rock.
"Hey don't fret anything big guy. I have your back," Iceman assures Clark.
"You don't have his back. You don't have a clue," Beast points out. "You will stick with me, got it?" he says in no uncertain terms to Bobby.
Scott works up a plan of attack. Hey it's his job after all and it's what they train for...even Bobby. "Alright, here's how we're doing this..." he starts to explain it to them.
Sabretooth is walking along, double checking they had secured the museum as instructed. He is passing by some of the large windows, long tapestries hang from poles in between. Suddenly to his left he spots a silhouetted figure floating by outside.
The figure gestures with her hands, the window bursts open and the tapestry next to Sabretooth wraps itself around him tightly and he is lifted into the air...courtesy of Jean Grey. At that point Angel flies in through the smashed front doors while from above an icy column is blasted through the glass dome over the main entrance forum, down which slide Beast and Iceman.
Sabretooth, with a roar of rage, rips himself free and falls...only to be caught one-handed by a suddenly appeared and smirking Superman. "Hi there Vic! Still going with the savage bigfoot look I see," he quips.
Sabretooth grasps at the impossibly powerful arm holding him and growls and snarls.
"Aw did you hear that? It was a growl of love. You missed me didn't ya great big hairy..." Superman sniffs and wrinkles his nose, "awful smelly, geez when did you last take a bath?...guy." He then throws Sabretooth through the air. "Hey Cyclops! Target practice!" he yells.
Cyclops has now entered the lobby and with a pinpoint blast smacks Sabretooth into another direction...and directly into Colossus' large, imposing frame.
"Hello?" Pyro says in his Australian accent. "We've got X-Men."
He, Gambit, Quicksilver and Rogue rush to their colleagues' sides.
"Ya guys shouldn't beh here," Rogue tells them off.
Pietro snorts. "Now you know how it feels from this side," he grumbles at how the X-Men always irritatingly show up.
"We've got this," Rogue continues, hinting strongly that her former friends should butt out of this.
"If Beast will forgive me for paraphrasing his words to Iceman," Superman says politely. "You don't got this, Rogue. You don't have a clue." Well of course neither do they have much of one but unlike Magneto the X-Men have the sense not to try and put the spider statue back together.
"We're here for the statue, Rogue," Cyclops states. "And we're taking it one way or the other," he warns her.
Rogue raises a hand to her head and shakes it slowly. "Ya don't understand," she almost pleads. She does. She's seen inside Mesmero's mind.
"Ah don't think d'ey're in a mood to listen Chere," Gambit says. He pulls out two cards and charges them up. "Gambit d'inks d'ey're only in a mood to play!" he shouts and throws the two cards at the X-Men.
Superman catches them, one in each hand and crushes them in his fists even as they explode, unable to harm him but it is the signal for the fight to begin.
Up one level Magneto and Polaris are hunting down Mesmero, behind them they drag an elevator they ripped out of its shaft, father and daughter working in perfect unison. It makes Magneto very proud of her. They come across Mesmero, carrying the half spider-stone he took from Magneto's base when he escaped, at a junction in the hallway.
"Goin' somewhere Baldy?" Polaris queries, her green coated lips quirked up in amusement.
Mesmero gasps at seeing them and tries to make a run for it.
Magneto sends the elevator after him, the cables reaching for him while the doors open and shut like a snapping mouth...ok so that last one is actually Lorna but it is just hilarious!
Back downstairs the battle is on as Gambit tries to hit Angel who soars elegantly out of the way until he uses his wings to blow the charged cards back at his thief forcing Gambit to roll out of the way. The cards impact a stone column which begins to topple over.
Rogue slides in underneath and catches it. "Need ta borrow this. Ta Sugah!" she sassily thanks Angel as she uses it like a club...against her ex-boyfriend who is battling Colossus. A fight Rogue knows the Russian cannot hope to win. Trust her she knows better than anyone how powerful Clark is.
The column shatters on impact but she does manage to catch Clark unawares and send him flying off...though she doesn't think for an instant he's actually hurt.
Just then Beast lands on her shoulders and pushes off making her stumble. "Hey!" she yells.
"Apologises Rogue!" Beast shouts back as he grabs the ledge of the open 2nd floor.
Pyro takes aim at Beast. The blue-furred mutant swings one hand over the next along the floor edge as Pyro tries and misses to hit the man with flame blasts.
As Beast lands on a glass display cabinet Sabretooth picks up a circular information kiosk and throws it. Moment before it impacts an icy barrier appears and the kiosk shatters on it.
Beast looks to up to find Iceman on the ledge of the stone banister above. He gives a salute. "Like I said Iceman's got your back," Bobby says with grin.
Beast gives the boy a small salute in return. "Give me a slide!" he requests, seeing Sabretooth going for a piece of that broken column next.
Iceman duly delivers one slide. Beast leaps up and slides down right at Sabretooth, smashing feet first into the feral mutant's chest.
Cyclops is getting the displeasure of having to deal with Quicksilver who dodges blast after blast.
"You know Summers I thought you might have gotten better aim by now," Pietro mocks, even going as far as to lean against a glass display cabinet and yawn to show how boring this is. "I think you need to upgrade that prescription visor!"
"Tell me Pietro," Cyclops says, shooting and missing, "where's your old friends in the Brotherhood? Finally saw sense and dumped you did they?"
Quicksilver snorts. "No," he denies that. "I've finally be given my rightful place," he declares what he truly feels. His rightful place is by his father's side as the heir apparent to take over one day when his father's time comes to its natural end.
"By your father? Some people might call that cronyism. Well actually the correct term is nepotism. Favouring someone just because they're related. You don't actually think it's a reflection of your skill do you?"
Pietro's face snarls up in anger and in a silver streak he knocks Cyclops on his butt and then stands over him, his hands clenched into fists. "Who's laughing now, goggle-boy?!" he snarls.
"Probably the sexy telekinetic behind you who you've given an opening to by standing still," Cyclops dead-pans.
Pietro's eyes widen as he realises Cyclops tricked him into losing his temper but it's too late as he is yanked into the air, spun round and comes face to face with an evil smiling Jean Grey.
"Hi Pietro. It's not nearly been long enough," Jean gives her true feelings that she could have gone a hell of lot longer without seeing him again. With a spinning motion of her hand Jean sends Pietro round and round and round, faster and faster and faster before, with an almost lazy wave of her hand, she sends the silver-haired teen careening through the air where Cyclops blasts him.
Quicksilver slides across the floor, out like a light.
Elsewhere in the fight Angel dive bombs his thief. Gambit reaches into his coat and pulls out his bow staff swinging but missing as Angel misses him.
Pyro comes to his teammate's aid, creating a sort of demonic looking fire version of Angel which chases the winged mutant, while Pyro cackles madly.
Iceman upon seeing this, backs up a few steps before sprinting forward and leaping over the banister. He forms an ice-slide as he slides all the way down to the perfect position to ice up Pyro flame throwers, cutting off the source of fire and Angel's flame foe dissolves away into smoke.
Iceman slides up to where Angel had been cornered, gives him a smile and a 'bang bang' gesture with his hands.
Below them Colossus and Rogue are teaming up to try and slow Superman down...not an easy task considering their foe is someone who can move at supersonic speeds.
Superman deflects the blows from both and slams a burst of heat vision into Colossus chest sending the huge metal man onto his back momentarily. It allows him to focus solely on Rogue for several seconds.
"So what's with the tattoos?" he asks in reference to the numerous ones down her left arm, since he never really got around to asking her about them in Smallville. "I mean isn't it a bit clichéd? I thought you of all people could be more individual in how they rebel."
Rogue's green eyes narrow as she pushes her attack. "It's not goin ta work. Ah know all your games," she dismisses his efforts to distract her with his babble.
"Not all of them, my dear former sweetums," he sing-songs with a waggle of his eyebrows. He catches her wrist, pulls her tight into his body before sending her away in a spin, almost a dancing move, where he chooses the right moment to gently push her with his foot on her ass. Course gently for Clark is a relative term. He sends her at least a dozen feet through the air.
He takes a moment to smirk...which admittedly isn't his best idea because his internal gloating allows Colossus to slam into him hard and carrying him smashing into the wall.
Rogue blows her bangs out of her eyes. "Dang arrogant jackass," she mutters about her ex...along with a few other choice words. She finds herself landed next to Pietro and an idea strikes her. She needs to match Clark closer than she is. She reaches over and touches Pietro's cheek, opens up her powers and absorbs his speed.
She springs to her feet and charges, a biker chick blur.
Superman finds himself embedded in the wall with Colossus trying to overpower him. He rolls his eyes. Overpower him? Really? He lifts his foot up and shoves Colossus back before slamming an uppercut into the metal man, sending him flying all the way up to the 2nd floor. His hearing then picks up the whoosh of superspeed. Well he would do wouldn't he with Bart as his roommate. He has gotten a lot of experience of that sound now.
His eyes easily see Rogue...and to him she doesn't look like she is moving at superspeed at all. He sees her pulling her glove off.
Oh she's going to try and absorb him.
Superman blurs straight at her. Both leap into the air. Rogue reaching with her bare hand...making the assumption her evolved powers will allow her to do this though they never tested that. Hey, sometimes you have to gamble.
What Rogue is forgetting is that Clark flies now. While she is subject to gravity's whims Clark simply can easily slide out of the way, in complete control. He lets her flyby before slamming an elbow into her back, sending her careening down to the floor, smashing into it and carving out a Rogue shaped hole.
Before Rogue can get herself up she finds her world blurring and herself pinned to the wall by her wrists...which Clark has wrapped in some of that torn tapestry Sabretooth ruined. He isn't daft.
Rogue finds herself face to face with Clark, his inhuman blue eyes boring into her
Rogue lifts her legs and wraps them around his waist, a sultry grin on her lips as she grinds her hips into his in deeply sexy motions. "Bringing back memories, sugah?" she asks because she can think of several occasions they have been in this position. Very, very good and satisfying memories. Dang it's been awhile now she thinks on it.
Clark arches a single eyebrow. Before he can say anything in response the whole building shakes.
"What was that?" Rogue asks.
Superman's eyes turn upward and flash electric blue. "We're too late," he whispers in horror at what only he can see.
Author's Note: Re-watching this episode I picked up on an interesting piece of trivia. It is the one episode in evo where you see the 5 original X-Men(Cyclops, Jean, Iceman, Angel and Beast) from the comics as a team. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Under Lock and Key part 4(aka Assignment: Stop the Spider!)