Chapter Twenty-Three: Six Bullets

A/N: A huge THANK YOU to those wonderful people who have got me up to 600 reviews!

I thought now would be a good time to divulge my plans to readers both new and old. After I finish the revised edition of Checkmate, I plan to wait until the next X-Men movie comes out before I start on Stalemate. I really need to know what's happening there before I can make any decisions as to where Tobi will fit in with everything. I know that's next year and it's a wait for me, probably you as well. I have some plans in store for Tobi and Alex, but I need to know where things are going with Days of Futures Past before I make anything solid.

BUT if you guys had any ideas for one-shots you might want to see until then, I'd be more than happy to take you up on them! Just make suggestions in your review, or PM me.

Six bullets. That was all Tobi needed to make her escape. A gun, six bullets, and the keys to Charles's prized Harley Davidson. She was certain that Magneto would not consent to help her friends…so she would go to the Brotherhood herself and give him a piece of her mind. She wouldn't use the gun to negotiate, of course. That was a stupid idea. In reality, Tobi didn't really have a plan. She had been scrabbling through her drawers in the desperate hope of finding another stick of eyeliner when she'd recovered the keys to the Harley Davidson.

She'd taken it for a spin a few weeks back, she and Alex. The memory conjured a smile, even if it was a grim one. Tobi slid the keys in her pocket and the gun into the waistband of her jeans. She felt so nervous that she just might throw up. It could be suicidal, what she was doing. Defying Bishop was never a clever idea – but if it worked, Tobi could save her friends. She could get rid of Bishop once and for all. Licking her dry lips, she hammered on the door.

"Oi! I need something to eat! What are you trying to do, starve me?"

The door opened and Tobi found herself confronted by the Scottish man whose name she didn't know. He glowered at her and she glowered right back, planting her hands on her hips.

"Do you reckon you could be any louder?" the Scot demanded, folding his arms across his chest, "I've got other things to do rather than listen to your screeching all day long."

"Oh, yeah?" Tobi's green eyes narrowed. "Like what?"

The Scot didn't answer. He gave Tobi a shove in the back, which prompted her to smirk, noting that he clearly didn't have other things to do.

"Get moving, then!"

Tobi walked slowly towards the kitchen. Good thing the garage was located just next to it. However, she could still feel the sick terror in her stomach. Shit, she was going to throw up…forcing back bile, trying not to think what might happen to her friends if she failed, Tobi violently shoved the Scottish man so hard that his head rebounded off the wall.

She ran as fast as she could, throwing herself against the garage door and forcing it open. Tobi's fingers fumbled with the lock, knowing it would buy her more time – with Ghost around, it wasn't like any mutant could blast it off its hinges. Her hands were shaking as she jammed the keys into the ignition of the Harley Davidson and yanked the helmet over her head.

"Bitch!" The door crashed open and the Scot was there with his hands balled into angry fists. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

He noticed that Tobi was astride the motorbike and he charged towards her like an enraged bull. Tobi panicked, ripping the gun from her jeans and firing a shot as the motorbike roared to life. The bullet pierced the Scottish man through the head and he crumpled into a sad pile on the garage floor.

Tobi tried to ignore the fact that she had just killed someone as she revved the motorbike, stowing the gun back into her waistband and then kicking off the brake, taking off at a speed great enough to rival any potential drag racer.

Five bullets now. Tobi cursed under her breath, trying to think of anything but the Scottish mutant she'd shot. Only five bullets left. She turned around a corner, attempting to manoeuvre the motorbike to the best of her ability. She'd driven a car before – but she'd never attempted to ride a motorbike.

The roar of another vehicle made Tobi whip around to see a filthy Mustang tearing along the gravel towards her. This must belong to some of the other mutants. Several of them were crammed inside the car, with an infuriated Ghost behind the wheel.

"You're dead, girl!"

Tobi gritted her teeth and pulled up the handles, forcing the motorbike into a jump off the gravel driveway and onto the main road. She landed heavily, jerking forwards in her seat…yet still the Mustang pursued her. Becoming desperate, Tobi turned dangerously and yanked the gun out, pointing it at Ghost, trying to get a clear shot. Her finger inched towards the trigger.

The deafening horn of an oncoming truck made Tobi wheel around. She bared her teeth and pulled the motorbike into a hard left turn to avoid a collision, yet even she did, the motorbike began to skid out of control, spinning in circles and throwing Tobi violently from it.

Bishop was, needless to say, incensed. He wanted to give Tobi a beating she would never forget…but there was something else he could do, something more damaging. He arranged for Ghost and the others to round up the pathetic little mutants at Charles's Academy, including Charles himself.

"You have two days left," Bishop announced to the resolute-faced teenagers, "Two days…how does that feel? Because, you know, if your friends don't return with the file – or if they return without it – you're the ones who are going to be paying the price."

Sean scowled from where he stood. If Bishop was trying to turn them against Alex, Danni and Hank and push the blame onto them, he was doing a pretty sad job of it. Glancing around, Sean noticed that Tobi wasn't present. This sent shivers down his spine. Had Bishop killed her already?

"For every day they defy me," Bishop continued slowly, pacing back and forth, "One of you will die. I will kill one of you for every day the file remains missing from my grasp. You think that you would have learned by now – defiance only brings pain. Your friend Alex Summers learned that the hard way…and so did Tobi Sutherland."

Lucie couldn't restrain her horrified gasp as Ghost stalked into the room, half-dragging Tobi with him. The girl was bruised and battered, her forehead caked with blood. Max placed a protective arm around his younger sister's shoulders, drawing her close to him as if trying to shield her from the sight.

Bishop smirked as Ghost threw Tobi unceremoniously at his feet. She glowered at up him, those bright green eyes full of loathing and hatred as she clambered unsteadily to her knees. Lucky for her that she'd been wearing a helmet when she'd lost control of the motorbike, or else she would be dead.

"She," Bishop jabbed an accusing finger down at Tobi, "Tried to abandon you. She took Charles's motorbike and tried to escape. How does that feel now, hmm? Did you think that you were all loving, caring friends who would die for each other?"

This revelation caused a tense silence. The young mutants stared across at Tobi, trying to make sense of what was happening. Was Bishop speaking the truth? What had really happened to get Tobi so messed up if he was lying?

"She obviously didn't get very far," Bishop sneered condescendingly, "She crashed the motorbike. She's lucky that she's still alive, but she's paid the price for her cowardice. So what exactly does that make you feel like now? Are you still hopeful that perhaps someone's going to save you? I'll tell you all something that has to be learned the hard way: you can't trust anyone."

"Alex."

The whisper shocked him from sleep, because he recognized that voice. He bolted upright in the rickety bed, remembering suddenly that he wasn't at Charles's mansion but at the old run-down church where the Brotherhood resided. He rubbed at his eyes fervently…yet there was no denying the girl that stood before him.

Tobi smiled. "Hey, Alex."

"Tobi?" Alex was astonished and he folded his arms across his bare chest. "What…what are you doing here?"

Tobi glanced around, as if fearful that she might be discovered at any moment.

"I managed to escape." She reached a hand towards him, her smile warm and inviting. "We can run far away from here, just you and me. We don't have to think about anything else. It's not about the rest of the world. It's about us."

Alex frowned. "What are you saying? Just leave the others to suffer Bishop's wrath?"

This didn't sound right. Something was amiss here. Alex continued to look suspicious. The girl sighed and rolled her eyes, before pulling her shirt over her head and tossing it carelessly aside. Alex's eyes widened as Tobi stood there, planting her hands on her hips. She seemed to be completely at ease with the fact that she was only wearing jeans and a bra.

"Come on, Alex…" She whispered. Tobi crossed the room and sat down on his bed, her green eyes glimmering. She was tempting, hell, how she tempted him… "You know you want me…"

She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Alex's neck and crashing her lips into his own. Alex groaned, surrendering completely as he knew he would. His arms slithered into place around Tobi's waist, pulling her closer as she gasped and wrapped her legs around his waist, moving to sit on his lap as their tongues fought a fierce battle.

Tobi pressed insistent kisses on Alex's face, before her teeth nibbled at his ear. It seemed a little odd to him, and then she bit down hard enough to make him grimace and draw back, wondering what the hell she was playing out.

"Ow…"

Only Tobi's mocking smile was disappearing and Mystique's yellow eyes and blue skin took her place. Alex pushed himself away from her, disgusted at what he'd done as he inspected the girl who had once been his friend.

"Tricked you," Mystique laughed, raking back her crimson hair and examining the horrified Alex.

"What the…why the hell did you do that?" Alex demanded angrily, his hands clenching into fists. It was so very wrong now, knowing that the girl he had thought to be Tobi was actually just Mystique in disguise, a façade.

"I knew Tobi could seduce you into doing whatever she wanted," Mystique replied, crossing her legs and examining Alex with her head tilted to the side. "I was testing you. Would you really choose being with Tobi over the rest of your friends, even if you knew they were going to die?"

"That's not a fair question," Alex snapped, glowering at Mystique, "That was a really sneaky trick."

Mystique shrugged as if she couldn't care less. "Whatever. That's not my point. My point is, would you choose Tobi over the others? You still haven't answered the question. You're really good at avoiding questions, aren't you?"

"What's it to you?" Alex demanded. He was so stupid to have fallen for Mystique's ploy. How the hell would Tobi have escaped anyway? Besides, Tobi would never have asked Alex to leave the others just to be with her. She wasn't that selfish.

"You would burn for her," Mystique murmured, her yellow eyes alight, "You'd hurt for her…you'd die for her, wouldn't you?"

Alex wasn't so sure. How was he supposed to know the sort of lengths he'd go to for Tobi? He hadn't been tortured by Bishop for Tobi's sake. What would he do for Tobi? He hated how Mystique made him question himself.

"I…I don't know."

Mystique laughed. "Liar. You and I both know that you would. You love her, don't you?"

Did he? What exactly classified as love? Alex knew that he felt very strongly about Tobi, that he cared very much for her…but was it strong enough to be love? He simply shrugged his shoulders, incredibly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking. He wanted to sleep, not debate his feelings for Tobi with Mystique.

"You can only lie to yourself for so long," Mystique clambered off the bed, crossing the room and picking her shirt up off the floor. "At some stage, you're going to need to accept the truth."

Alex frowned as he watched her retreating back. Once she reached the door, Mystique turned to face him once again.

"Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you…Magneto's made his decision. He's not going to give you the file."

Alex's shoulders slumped and he felt infuriated at Magneto. So the man was really that far gone that he'd allow his former friends to die because of so petty a thing. Mystique smiled tolerantly at the anger on Alex's face.

"He doesn't have to, because he's going to help you fight Bishop."