Thanks so much for all your guys' support on this series! I appreciate the reviews and follows! As usual, please leave a review below so I know you read this episode and you enjoyed it! If you want more details about the series, go check out my profile, and for round-the-clock updates, subscribe to my Twitter (link on profile)!
AN: I hope you all enjoy this episode because I have been working on it for over two weeks. This episode alone is (12,000) words long! It includes stories from all the plotlines so far this season as well as introducing a few. We're getting some new characters this week, and because this is the Halloween episode, there are tons of Easter Eggs! See how many you can find! There's a total of (20)! Other than the hard work and large content this episode brings, I was also writing this episode after having an operation done and then when I was very sick. Now enjoy the latest episode of X-Men: Standing Guard!
Kitty moved her head to the music blaring in her eardrums. She even started humming it before Amara had finally had enough and shoved her shoulder gently.
"What?" Kitty asked, opening her eyes. It was only then that she noticed Amara, Bobby, and Kurt staring at her.
"Was it that bad?"
Kurt held out his hand. Kitty reluctantly handed over her phone.
"I told you, only do that in your room. It disturbs me!" Kurt exclaimed, slipping the phone into his pocket.
"Oh come on, I'm not, like, that bad!" Kitty exclaimed, brushing her brown ponytail over her shoulder.
"Yes, you are!" All three of her audience members exclaimed a once.
"You guys, like, don't know what you're talking about!"
"Let's get off this hostile situation before someone does something stupid." Bobby said. "So who are you guys going as tonight at the Fright Night? And more importantly," A devilish grin spread across Bobby's face. "Who are you going with?"
"I don't know if I'm going or not." Amara said, twirling her fork on her plate. "I don't have a date, I just got here, and I've never done trick-or-treating before!"
Everyone stared at her.
"What?" she asked. "We don't do that type of thing in Nova Roma! We normally do Gladiator Night," Amara's eye lit up like fireworks. "Now that is fun!"
"Girl," Kitty said. "You are so, like, messed up, y'know? How could you have not done trick or treating? It's, like, the very definition of Halloween!"
"I dunno. Daddy wasn't big on American traditions..." Amara replied.
"Well what if you come with me?" Bobby asked. Kitty glared at him. "I mean...us!" he corrected. Kitty's glare intensified. Bobby glanced desperately a Kurt.
"Don't look at me, man!" Kurt exclaimed. "I've already got a date!"
"Who are you going with, Kurt?" Amara asked.
"Amanda Sefton." Kitty jumped dreamily, mockingly. "They've been going out for almost a year and a half now! They are so in love."
"Oh, shut up, Kitty!" Kurt exclaimed, throwing an apple slice at her. She phased and it landed on the floor.
"So what's Amanda going as, Kurt? Blue she-demon?" Kitty snickered.
"Wery funny, Kitty."
"Okay, cut it out you two!" Bobby exclaimed. "What are you going as, Kurt?"
"Amanda is going as a vitch, and she vanted to do couple's costumes, so I'm going as a vizard." Kurt replied sheepishly.
Kitty almost burst out laughing right there. She managed to subdue it, slightly, behind her hands.
"Vhats's so funny?" Kurt demanded.
Kitty couldn't stop laughing to reply. She managed to gasp out something, but no one understood her.
"I think that's cute, Kurt." Amara said sweetly.
"Vhat? Der couple's costumes?"
"No, the fact that you're doing it for Amanda."
Kurt blushed.
"What about you, Kitty?" Amara asked. "What are you going as?"
Kitty, who was still wiping tears from here eyes replied something about a cat costume.
"What about you, Bobby? Do you have a date tonight?"
"Not anymore he doesn't!" Kitty cut in front of him.
"What? Oh, come on, Kitty! I was just trying to be nice!"
"I'm not talking about it!" Kitty replied, turning to the side. "You'll just have to go with Amara!"
Amara, who was sitting, looking slightly amused, frowned. "But I don't have a costume!"
"Jean can help you find one!" Kurt exclaimed. He looked into the distance. "Did ve get a new teacher or someving?" he asked.
"God! Look at the size of that dude! He's got to be six, six!" Bobby exclaimed.
"I think he heard you!" Kurt exclaimed.
A shadow loomed over Kitty and she turned quickly, catching her breath.
Standing above her was a towering hunk of handsome. His chest, his arms, even his neck was muscular. His eyes were this bright blue that betrayed a sense of innocence within the man. His jet-black hair was messy, hanging around his face. Kitty caught her breath again, not out of fear, but out of...something else.
"Hello." she breathed.
"Are you..." the man squinted at his sheet. "Kitty Pryde?"
"Yes." Kitty replied dreamily.
"Yes" Bobby mimicked behind her. He and Kurt burst out laughing. Amara shot a beam of heat at each of their forks and they dropped the sizzling pieces of metal to the table, rubbing their hands.
"I'm Piotr Rasputin." He greeted in a thick russian accent. "I'm a new student here and you are my welcome buddy."
"Student?!" Bobby mouthed to Kurt.
"Ah, haha, yes I am!" Kitty replied, standing up. "It's nice to meet you..."
"Piotr," He replied. "You can call me Peter if that's easier."
"You don't mind?" she asked.
"Oh no, I'm quite fine with it!" Piotr replied.
"Okay. Umm...this way?" Kitty asked, wandering off to the other side of the cafeteria.
"A student? At that size?" Bobby demanded. "How many times did he fail Kindergarten?"
"Oh shut up you two. Why can't you leave Kitty alone?" Amara demanded.
Kurt and Bobby stared at her blankly.
Her heart beat like normal. Her breath rose and fell like normal. She looked as if she were asleep, but she wasn't. Emma Frost was in very real danger.
Charles sat by her side. The beautiful blonde was still in her limbo-like state. She felt no time pass and was completely unaware of what was going on around her. No one was quite sure what Shiro had done to her, only that the NYPD had found his body in the sewers one week after his defection. Charles knew what Magneto had done.
Jean stepped into the room.
"Anything?" she asked.
Charles shook his head regretfully.
"Cerebro picked up a new mutant in Scotland." Jean said. "Everyone's gathering in the Dark Room for a briefing. You coming?"
"No," Charles responded, gripping Emma's hand.
"Professor. We're just retracing footsteps here. The only way for us to get better, for you to get better, for her to get better, is for us to do some good. At least attend the briefing." Jean urged.
Charles sighed. "Very well."
The Professor wheeled himself from the infirmary down to the other end of the hallway where the Dark Room was. Storm, upon seeing him, went the direction he had just come from. The X-Men had made sure that someone was always near Emma in case she woke up or her condition worsened. Storm and Forge mainly took care of her. Jean was the only doctor around, so she was with Emma a lot too. There wasn't much that the red-head could do, a coma was a near-death state. There was no clue when or if she would wake up.
Forge, Scott, and Danielle Moonstar were all waiting within.
Danielle was a Native American in her early twenties. She had deep, sun-kissed skin, harrowing blue eyes, and straight brown-blonde hair that was occasionally braided. She normally worked on her own, but with the recent split of the X-Men, she had decided to stay on more permanently. She smiled at Jean as she entered.
"Where's Kitty?" she whispered.
Kitty was very much an adopted daughter to Danielle, who had been found by Kitty half-dead in an underground cavern. Danielle had stayed with the X-Men for a short time with Kitty until she felt her calling elsewhere. The two still wrote each other.
"She's at school." Jean replied.
"And how's Emmy?"
"Unfortunately, we don't really know. She's still in a coma."
Danielle looked down.
"She'll be fine." Jean reassured, putting a hand on Danielle's shoulder. "Thanks for coming back. Kitty will be thrilled to see you."
Danielle smiled.
Wolverine walked on screen and everyone turned.
"Alright, listen up! The file you sent over, Jean, we processed it. Kid's name is Rahne Sinclair. She's about fifteen, lives near Fife, Scotland. Red hair, blue eyes, though we don't know how much that's changed..."
"What?" Scott asked.
"There's been reports of a "were-wolf" around the town. Fury believes she's a lying something or other."
"Lycanthropic?" Jean asked.
"Yeah, something like that."
"A what?" Danielle asked.
"It means she is, quite literally, a werewolf." Jean replied.
"Ah!"
"Well it's Halloween, so I doubt any of the younger kids are coming with us." Scott said. Jean and I'll go with Danielle?"
The two girls nodded.
"What about you, Professor?"
"If it's alright with you, Scott. I'd rather sit this one out. I don't think I'd be of much use on this mission."
"Well we still need a fourth team member. It's standard protocol." Scott said.
"Well I've got some great news for you, kid." Wolverine said gruffly. "Fury ordered me to come with ya."
X-Men: Standing Guard
Season 1 Episode 4
"Thriller"
New York
October 31st, 15:56 EST
"Where's Kitty?" Bobby asked.
"She stayed behind to help Piotr with homework. Probably ask him out to Fright Night." Amara replied.
"I still don't like that guy. I'm going to ask Jean to look him up." Bobby said.
"Some-one is jeal-ous!" Amara sang.
"No!" Bobby exclaimed. "I'm just concerned!"
"You're jealous." Amara replied matter-of-factly.
A helicopter buzzed over the two heading towards the mansion.
"That was S.H.I.E.L.D." Bobby said. "I wonder what happened."
There was a pop behind them and Kurt appeared, a dreamy smile on his face. Bobby and Amara looked at him, both very amused.
"Vhat?" Kurt asked.
"You, um, you've got some—" Bobby gestured at his cheek.
"Oh!" Kurt blushed as he wiped the lipstick off.
"Well, now that everyone but Kitty's here, we need to go see what S.H.I.E.L.D. wants." Bobby said.
By the time the three mutants had made it inside the gates to the X-Mansion, the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicopter was sitting quietly on the front lawn. Kurt teleported Amara and Bobby inside to the Dark Room.
"Vhat's going on?" Kurt asked. "Vhy is S.H.I.E.L.D. here?"
Wolverine turned. "Good to see you too, elf."
"Wolverine!" Kurt exclaimed. "Vhat are you doing here?"
"Wolverine's going in the field with us." Jean replied. "And there's someone here for Kitty. Where is she?"
Amara snickered and Bobby fumed.
"Ah, she's at school helping a new student vith his homevork." Kurt replied uneasily.
"More like making out with him." Amara replied under her breath.
"Amara!" Jean and Bobby exclaimed.
"Kitty would never do that!" Jean said.
"Sure," Amara said. "I'm going to my room. By the way! I was told to ask you for a costume for tonight's Fright Night."
"Oh?" Jean asked. "Who are you going with?"
"Bobby volunteered." Amara said. "But I've never gone trick-or-treating."
"Uh-huh." Jean said, raising an eyebrow at Bobby. "Sure, I can help you. We've got about two hours before I have to go."
"Go?" Bobby asked.
"Yeah, Scott, Danielle, and I are going to Scotland with Wolverine. Cerebro picked up it's first mutant today!" Jean replied.
"Awesome! Who is it?" Bobby asked.
"She's a werewolf." Jean replied simply.
"Oh." Bobby shivered. "I hate dogs."
Unknown Location
October 31st, 16:00 EST
"Wanda!" Magneto called as the brunette passed his doorway. "Will you come here for a minute?"
"Yes, father?" Wanda asked, stepping into her father's office.
Iceberg M, as Magneto was calling it, had developed greatly since their arrival a month ago. There were now small rooms set up for each mutant. There was a storage silo and Magneto's offices. The mutants had accomplished much and would continue to do so.
"Another ship is coming in I presume?" Wanda asked. "And you want me to raid it?"
"No, my daughter. I have a much more important task for you."
Wanda raised an eyebrow.
"My sources tell me of a mutant hiding in New Jersey. He goes by the name Todd Tolanski. I would like you to recruit him to our cause before the humans or Xavier gets to him."
"Yes, father." Wanda replied, leaving the room.
Sentinel Project Main HQ
October 31st, 18:23 EST
Rogue tossed the guard a hundred and he picked up his coffee cup, leaving the guard station. The southern belle reached in and turned the cameras on a loop before proceeding into the prison bay.
Rogue always got homesick when she was talking to Gambit. It was that odd mixture of happiness and sadness that made her so in love with the Cajun. She passed the other cells, most of them empty, to Gambit's. He sat up suddenly when he saw her.
"Hello, Rogue!" he greeted.
"Cardshark." She returned.
He tucked away the explosive resistant cards in his jacket pocket. "What are you doing here?"
"Well it's a slow day, I figured I was bored enough t' drop by."
"I'm deeply wounded, Cherie." He exclaimed, clutching a hand to his chest. Rogue smirked.
"Well if I'm that much of a bother, I c'n just leave."
"Nah! That ain't what I meant." Gambit exclaimed. Rogue's smirk only increased.
"You got anything specific you wanna talk about?" Gambit asked.
"Not really, naw." Rogue replied. "I thought maybe a game of poker would suffice."
"Strip poker?" Gambit asked devilishly, his red eyes glinting in the artificial light.
"Ha! In yo'r dreams, swamp rat!" she exclaimed.
"Well what's the point of playin' if there ain't nothin' to win?" Gambit asked.
"Well, if I win, I'll think o' some'in' t' ask from ya." Rogue said.
"And if I win, cherie?" Gambit asked.
"Well you'll just have to find out, won't ya?" Rogue replied sexily.
Gambit smirked and shuffled his cards. "I deal."
Xavier Institute
October 31st, 17:34 EST
"Are you sure we can't convince you to come, Professor?" Bobby asked.
"I need to stay here with Emma." Charles replied. "But thank you for inquiring, Bobby."
"I think Bobby's just inquiring because he's scared of Kitty." Amara said, a smirk in her voice, as she descended the stairs.
The brazilian was drop-dead gorgeous. She seemed to glow with a heavenly light, making her appear as an angel that had descended to Earth. Amara seemed taller and more regal than the girl Bobby had been talking to this morning. She was wearing a white, sleeveless dress with gold embroidery and outline. The neckline curved just to the start of her chest, and the dress went all the way to her ankles. It was loose and didn't hinder her movements. A slit up her right leg, coincidentally facing Bobby, showed almost her whole leg and gave the innocent young girl an air of sexy that seemed almost inappropriate for her, but she definitely managed to pull it off.
The sandals on her feet were just as roman as her dress. She had on several large gold bracelets dangling from each wrist and three to five rings on each finger. Her brown hair was straight and long, beautifully pulled back and adorned with more gold. Silver earrings with gold highlights hung from her ears. Finally, a golden crown with red, green, blue, and clear jewels adorned her head, pushing her hair back.
Amara's skin seemed to be even smoother than normal. She had on gold eyeshadow and slight blushes on her cheeks, with lipstick that seemed to show off her luscious lips as the main attraction. Bobby wasn't sure of he was going to Fright Night or a roman-themed Prom.
"Ho-ly..." Bobby said, his jaw literally dropping.
Amara ran a finger through her hair nervously. "How do I look?"
Bobby couldn't tear his eyes away to respond. Amara waited nervously.
"You look beautiful, Amara." Charles said. He looked over at Bobby and gave him another five seconds before kicking him sharply.
"Ow! I mean-wow. Amara, you look..."
"Choose your words carefully, IceDork," Amara smirked. "Or you'll be attending Fright Night all alone."
"Is there a word to describe her?" Bobby asked, turning to Charles. The man replied "no" with a clever smile. Scott walked into the room and almost dropped the box of supplies he was carrying.
"Wow!" he exclaimed, then once again. "Wow!"
"Oh pick your jaw up, Summers." Danielle said as she passed him. "She's not the first girl you've seen." The native american turned and winked at Amara. "You look good, kid."
Jean levitated down next to Scott and looked at Amara. "I think I did a pretty good job." she said, placing her hands on her hips.
Amara moved gracefully towards Jean and hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much."
Jean laughed. "You're welcome." she replied.
Amara moved off next to Bobby. Scott turned to her.
"Tell me you made on of those for yourself."
"I dunno, Scott." Jean replied, still looking at Amara. "I thought you said you liked me better without a dress." the red-head moved seductively off, putting just enough of a swing in her hips.
Scott's raised his eyebrows and no one was quite sure what his eyes were doing behind those glasses.
"What the hell's taking so long?" Wolverine demanded, standing in the doorway.
"I'm coming!" Scott huffed, picking up the box and lugging towards the door. Wolverine let him pass, turned to Amara and winked with a smile before following Summers outside. Danielle and Jean were already outside at the helicopter which was humming, ready for take-off.
"How long will you be gone?" Amara asked as the present students walked onto the front yard.
"Shouldn't be more than a day or two. We've got to fly over, find her, then recruit her, fly back. Piece of cake!" Jean said.
"Good luck!" Charles said, waving his hand at the helicopter. Bobby and Amara yelled good-bye until the helicopter was out of range.
Redacted Location
October 31st, 17:45 EST
Piotr had agreed to walk Kitty to the gates of the Xavier Institute. The duo, who had coincidentally had the exact same classes, hadn't stopped talking much since they met. Kitty had invited him to fright night and the two were discussing costumes.
"What about a soldier, or Captain America!" Kitty turned and eyed him over. "Yeah! I think Captain America would be good for you. Fit, handsome, tall and strong..."
Kitty realized what she had just said and blushed sharply. The helicopter that had just left the mansion buzzed overhead.
"S.H.I.E.L.D..." Kitty muttered, following the helicopter.
"What?" Poitr asked.
"Um, nothing! I need to hurry and get back to the Institute. I'll see you tonight?" she asked, running off.
"Kitty!" he called.
"I'm really sorry! I have to go!"
"No! Kitty! Watch out!" Piotr yelled again. Kitty turned and banged her head into a metal pole and fell to the ground, dazed. The pole was attached to some scaffolding, and when Kitty hit it, she shook it just enough for the whole scaffolding to start to fall down.
"Ah!" she exclaimed, holding up her arm to brace the impact and phased.
Nothing fell on her though. She looked up to see Piotr...but not Piotr. The thing standing above her still looked like Piotr, same size, same build, but his skin had changed to a silvery metal, as if someone had painted him with steel. He was holding up the scaffolding. Kitty darted from underneath it and Piotr moved, dropping it onto the ground. He turned around, the metal on his skin disappearing under his skin the way Kitty phased into the floor. She looked at him in awe, and he her in shyness.
"I am sorry." He started, looking away. "I did not want to tell you that I was a mutant. I was afraid you would resent me for it."
"Resent you?" Kitty exclaimed. "That's amazing Peter!"
"You are not...scared?"
"No! I mean, it shocked me a bit, but...look here!" Kitty ran at the wall, doing a somersault-
-and came out on the other side, waving to Piotr from within.
"You're a mutant too?" he asked.
"Yeah!" Kitty exclaimed. "This is, like, so cool!" she exclaimed. Her phone beeped and she looked at it. "Oh my gosh! I totally have to go, like, right now! I promise we'll talk about it more tonight!"
Piotr watched Kitty run off with a distant smile on his face.
Kitty turned the corner and got halfway to the Institute when she slowed, finally stopping a hundred yards from the front gate.
What should she do about Peter? If she told Professor X and the others, they would want to bring him in to the Institute and train him. But now was a bad time at the Institute, what with everyone gone, Emma who could very well die any day, Charles in his depressed state...
Kitty simply wanted someone she could share her life with who wasn't part of it. She wanted to be acknowledged and accepted as a mutant by someone like Piotr, but she didn't necessarily want him to be an X-Man and start being a member of the team, otherwise it was a bigger Bobby all over again.
Kitty decided that, for now, until things got better, she would keep Peter a secret.
Sentinel Project HQ
October 31st, 18:45 EST
"Full house, cherie." Gambit smirked, laying his cards on the table. "Hard to beat."
Rogue sucked in her breath sharply and looked at her hand nervously for a few seconds.
"Hard to beat..."
Rogue laid a straight flush on the table, watching with pleasure as Gambit's smile disappeared.
"...but not impossible."
"Wha-what...but..." Gambit stared a the cards. "You cheated!" he exclaimed. "Gambit can't be beaten!"
"Gambit has been beaten." Rogue replied with a devilish smirk.
Gambit continued to stare at the table, then at the empty space after Rogue had moved it back inside his cell.
"Wanna know what I won?" Rogue asked.
"Well it can't be that bad," Gambit replied. "I ain't got nothin' t' give ya, Rogue."
"Oh, you got something t' give meh alright." Rogue replied, standing up and stretching. Gambit looked slightly confused and eyed her carefully. Rogue slid open the prison door just enough to squeeze in. She walked towards Gambit. He stood up.
"Hey!" he exclaimed. "What're ya doin'?"
Rogue grabbed the back of his head and pushed it towards her, pressing her lips to his. Gambit's eyes widened in shock. It took him slightly longer than two seconds to wrap his arms around Rogue's waist and kiss her back, strongly, passionately.
Rogue smirked as she felt his hands slipping beneath her waist to cup her butt. What she didn't feel was his hand slip into her back pocket and pull her wallet out. He slid it up his sleeve and finished the kiss.
"Now see?" Rogue asked, putting a single finger on his chest and twirling it about. "That wasn't so bad!"
Gambit nodded and tried to lean in for another one, but Rogue shook her head. "Not tonight, Cajun Boy." She replied, backing out of the cell. "You lost, remember?"
"If that's what I get when I lose," Gambit said. "What do I get when I win."
"Play a better game and you might find out!" Rogue smirked, walking—almost skipping—down the hall.
Gambit sighed and leaned back in his chair. "G'night, Cherie." He whispered. "And Good-Bye" he added, eyeing the wallet.
New Jersey
October 31st, 19:04 EST
Wanda sighed. She was loyal to her father, devoted, willing to do anything, but she was pretty sure this broke some sort of rule.
The brunette was in her mid-twenties, yet here she was, dressed up for Halloween looking for a mutant. Her costume, elaborately chosen by Lorna, was that of a sexy vampire. A low cut, blood red top that showed, in Wanda's opinion, too much of her body, dark, skin-tight, ripped jeans that the witch absolutely loathed, combat boots, a trench coat of the same black and blood red material and so much Gothic jewelry, Wanda thought it would screw up even her magic.
She sighed and waved a hand at one of the gaping boys, causing him to fall down and land in a puddle of spilled sewage. She continued down the street.
Todd Tolanski was going to be hard to find; a fact due to, not only all the crazy costumes, the nature of criminal Tolanski was. He was a pick-pocket, and by a look at his record, a damn good one.
Tolanski had been caught dozens of times, but he had claimed hundreds of wallets for himself over six months. Wanda had to admit she was impressed. She looked around, the streets were more crowded here. Wanda closed her eyes and scanned using her magic. There were several mutants here, none of them important. She continued searching. On the corner there was a hopping signature, moving in between others.
"There you are Tolanski." she whispered.
Scotland
November 1st, 06:04 GDT
The village Rahne had grown up in was, in one word, quaint. It was small, only a few dozen houses, a mill, and other various businesses spotted the muddy streets dotted with old, worn, mossy stones. These houses looked older, poorer, yet somehow still cozy and inviting. There was a market set up on the flat part of town, large and wide-open. Half the village sloped up one of the surrounding mountains.
The whole place reminded Danielle of her old village, except this area was much wetter and greener while hers was dry and sandy, settled on the top of a mesa plateau. The houses here were made of wood and stone, those of her old village were made from dried clay.
Danielle grabbed Logan's arm, hooking hers in his. He looked down in surprise, then at her. "Danielle..."
"Oh, relax, will you?" she asked, smiling. "It looks better if we're a couple."
"As long as appearances are all it is." Wolverine said gruffly.
Danielle frowned and flinched away, looking hurt. She dropped his arm and continued to walk behind him.
Logan sighed. "I'm sorry, Danielle." he whispered. "It's just... we've already-"
"I know..." Danielle sighed. "I guess I came on a little strong." The native-american sighed and looked into the Wolverine's blue eyes. "I miss you, Logan." she whispered.
"I miss you too, shaman." He whispered back, throwing an arm over her shoulder. She sighed and leaned into it. The two walked a short distance before Danielle noticed a fruit stall. She walked over to it and picked up a few pieces of fruit, looking at them.
The stall owner said something in such a heavy accent that neither Danielle nor Logan understood her. Danielle asked her what she said. The woman repeated something, pointing at the fruit and then Logan.
"Take one?" Logan said. "Awfully kind of you." Logan extended his claws and grabbed a piece of fruit. Danielle's eyes widened and she quickly turned to the woman, her eyes glowing a supernatural grey. The woman smiled, turned around, and placed nothing in her cash box. Danielle ran off after Logan.
"Logan!" she hissed.
"What?" he asked, munching on the apple.
Danielle made a fisting motion and Logan realized his claws were extended.
"Oops," he said, sheathing the blades and catching his apple as it fell.
"You have got to be more careful!" Danielle exclaimed.
"Sorry!" Logan replied gruffly.
Fright Night
October 31st, 21:32 EST
The Fright Night was set up in the back parking lot of the large, extensive high-school the mutants attended. The event itself looked like a country fair with booths set up in crowded, undefined pathways featuring various games and large, colorful prizes. There was a large, make-shift food court with cafeteria tables and a rough ring of stalls selling cotton candy, popcorn, and other carnival-style foods.
Some other, more community-oriented features, had been set up at the back of the parking lot and curving around the left. These included the hall of mirrors, a hay-ride, another ride through the forest where Friday the 13th, the Headless Horseman, and Jack the Ripper laid in wait, and a few bounce houses for any younger siblings forced upon the teens.
The attendees themselves were colorful. Over five hundred students were crowded in to the Fright Night, all dressed in costumes varying from Darth Vader and zombies to Vampires, and a few had even had the guts to take on the costumes of mutants or other superheroes.
Naturally, some drew more eyes than others and Amara drew the most. Her beautiful white and gold dress, with her gorgeous figure and perfect features, seemed to attract the eyes of ever girl and guy nearby, and left them talking even after she was gone. Amara seemed to be enjoying herself, though the same couldn't be said for her date: Bobby Drake.
The Iceman was dressed as Captain Kirk, though he didn't feel much like the fearless space cowboy. Bobby was still depressed from his row earlier with Kitty. The two hadn't talked all afternoon (though Kitty had only been at the Mansion for three minutes), and tensions were mounting.
Amara bought a cotton candy and sat down at a table with Bobby. She took a large bite out of her cotton candy and extended it to Bobby.
"Want some?" she asked.
"Naw, I'm good. Thanks, though." Bobby said, glancing in the direction of the feline-dressed Kitty and her giant, robotic boyfriend.
"Will you get over it?" Amara asked rather rudely and suddenly, taking a large bite from the treat in her hand.
"What?" Bobby asked, startled.
"Get over it! It's not like you two were ever for real! In the month you had been "dating"," Here the young girl used air quotes. "You broke up five times and argued the rest! I don't think you two kissed!"
"That's not true!" Bobby interrupted. "We did kiss!"
"And I bet it was bitter, too!" Amara humphed.
"Why are you so interested in my love life?" Bobby demanded rather angrily.
"Because you're acting like a dick!" Amara hissed. Bobby sat up straight. Amara didn't seem like the type to use that language.
"What?" he asked, startled for the second time in as many minutes.
"You invite me to Fright Night, which was actually a pretty nice thing to do in the first place, but then you want to sulk around all night! If you want to sulk or be angry, go do it to Kitty! I certainly haven't done anything to deserve it!"
"Yeah," Bobby replied, looking back at Kitty. "Go do that with the overgrown tin-can watching her and I might as well ask you to just fry me."
"You don't stop pouting," Amara said, pointing a smoking finger at him. "And that might just be what happens!"
Bobby looked rather alarmed. The situation was prevented from developing any further by the sudden poof of smoke and appearance of Kurt and Amanda.
"Did you just 'port?" Bobby demanded.
Amanda giggled, holding on tightly to Kurt. "What a rush!" she whispered, pushing her head into his chest.
Amanda Sefton was a year younger than Kurt, seventeen, and quite beautiful. She was biracial, half African-American, half Indian. She had long, brown hair with black beads braided into it that went slightly past her elbow. Her eyes were a beautiful, creamy chocolate brown with black pupils that seemed to glow with a firework-like excitement. She was almost as tall as Kurt himself (who was rather short, hovering just below six feet).
Amanda, though clearly dressed as a witch, had modified the costume to look more like something out of an online video-game than the classic halloween costume. She had on a silver, skin-tight body-suit that went from her shoulders and ankles to her neck. Over that she was wearing a ratty brown tunic and skirt that looked as though it had been worn by an actual witch who had been burned at the stake. She had a black, gothic belt that tightened the tunic to show off her soft curves. She was wearing knee-high combat boots and elbow length gloves of the same brown-black color of her top. Where her costume became interesting was the silvery knee-pads and thigh armor, highlighted with red, and the arm guards, starting with shoulder-plates, forearm and upper arm guards, elbow pads, and fingerless black gloves that went over the brown ones. She had on a traditional witch hat and a lot of gothic jewelry.
"Oh! Hallo, guys!" Kurt said, waving at Amara and Bobby. Amara quickly extinguished her finger as Amanda sat up, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "How's it going for you? Amanda and I are having such fun!"
"I think you booby-trapped that hall..." Amanda giggled. Amara raised an eyebrow before responding.
"Well, things are pretty gloomy with Captain Depress-éd here." Amara said, jerking a thumb at Bobby.
"What happened?" Amanda asked.
"He and Kitty broke up...again." Kurt whispered.
"Wow, really?" Amanda asked.
Bobby had hidden his face in his hands and gestured towards Kitty and Piotr.
"Oh my God!" Amanda exclaimed. "Who is that?!"
"Piotr Rasputin." Amara replied back in a near-whisper. "And he is-"
"-hot!" Amanda whispered.
Kurt frowned, looking at the gentle giant and Kitty tossing baseballs at one of the stalls. The teleporter coughed loudly. "Vhat do you think of your first Halloveen, Amara?" he asked.
"First Halloween?!" Amanda exclaimed, turning to Amara in shock.
"Yeah," Amara replied sheepishly. "Where I'm from, we don't do Halloween."
Amanda stared at her in shock. "Have you been to the Hall of Mirrors yet?"
"No," Amara replied. "Mostly just a few mini-games and some food."
"Oh my Gosh!" Amanda said, grabbing her hand. "You've got to do it! Without the booby-trap boy." she added giggling, glancing at Kurt before running off with Amara.
Kurt and Bobby turned, watching the girls run off.
"That Pear-face Russian or what ever his name is is causing problems." Bobby said, purposely mispronouncing Piotr's name out of spite.
"Oh, I trust Amanda," Kurt said. "But Kitty?" he shook his head with a sly grin and let out a low whistle.
"Whats's that supposed to mean?!" Bobby demanded, turning to him.
"So what's the point of this?" Amara asked.
"To scare the living daylights out of you." Amanda giggled. Amara was beginning to wonder if Kurt had given his girlfriend something stronger to drink than lemonade. "Come on!"
Amara and Amanda ventured inside, cautiously.
"So what's it like, being a human and dating a mutant?" Amara asked.
Amanda looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh! I didn't mean it like racist, it's just-is it weird?"
Amanda continued forward. "Sometimes," she admitted. "It freaks me out when he teleports into my room without warning." She continued walking in silence for a second. "Though when he takes me with him, it's like riding a high-speed roller-coaster in a wind tunnel. Have you ever done it?"
"No," Amara said.
"It's so much fun!" Amanda replied. "Seize the opportunity if you get it."
"I will." Amara said.
A moment of silence passed, nothing to be heard but the girls' footsteps and the faint noise of the crowds outside.
"Do you want to know one of the most frustrating things about dating Kurt?" Amanda asked.
"What?" Amara asked curiously.
"When he has to teleport away and go save the day. I mean, I totally understand and it's really cool dating a super-hero, but...the X-Men's timing sucks."
"Yup." Amara replied. She giggled. "Super-hero?"
"Well yeah!" Amanda responded. "You guys have powers, secret identities, you save people. That's all the qualifications for being a super-hero!"
Amara thought on it as the two girls rounded a corner. Amanda started to giggle fitfully.
"What?" Amara demanded.
Something dropped down into Amara's hair and she shivered as it slid down her neck.
"Amanda?" she called quietly. The girl didn't stop. "Amanda!" she tried once again, louder.
Amanda rounded the next corner and Amara shivered as whatever it was began to slide down her dress. She turned around and grabbed it, ready to incinerate it...
...but it was only a toy spider. Amara sighed in relief. A huge burst of laughter burst out behind her. Amara turned sharply to see Amanda bawling with laughter, hands clutched over her stomach.
"Oh!" Amara called. "Oh I see!" she responded.
"You should've seen-the look-on your face!" Amanda gasped out.
"Yeah, yeah, hilarious." Amara huffed, putting her hands on her hips.
Amanda's laughing reduced itself to a point where the two girls could continue.
"Serves you right, anyway." Amanda said.
"For what?" Amara demanded.
"For talking to Bobby that way!" Amanda responded.
"You were listening?!" Amara demanded.
"We couldn't help it!" Amanda said. "But seriously, Bobby-"
Before Amanda could continue, something came clanking down the dark hallways.
"Is that another scary thing?" Amara asked.
"No, it's probably just Kurt messing with us again."
The clanking got heavier and closer.
"Wow, so scary." Amara huffed, hands on her hips.
"Come on, Kurt!" Amanda exclaimed, laughing. "We know it's you!"
A robot, about two feet tall, marched around the corner. It was metallic, black and purple with a dome shaped body and head. It raised a small gun and pointed it at the girls before opening fire.
"Water?" Amanda asked. "Well this sucks."
Amara yelped in pain and stumbled back. She lit up, her entire body turning into flames, a molten orange. Her hair stood up straight and danced like flames on a matchstick. Her eyes remained very human, black pupils, white irises. Jean had specially made Amara's dress out of fireproof material, so it didn't burn up. Amara clapped her hands and fired a beam of fire at the robot.
"Whoah!" Amanda said as Amara powered down. "That was a little...overzealous. It was just water."
"No, it was something else." Amara replied. "It felt like acid."
"Maybe it was just water and it hurt you because of your whole "Magma" thing."
"No, I can get in water." Amara replied. "This must have been meant for mutants only or something...like that soft drink last summer."
"But why would someone-"
Three more robots rounded the corner and opened fire. Amara burst into flames again and sprayed the robots with fire.
"Something isn't right." Amara said. "Go get Kurt and Bobby, tell them what's going on!"
Amanda nodded fearfully and ran off.
Scotland
November 1st, 6:23 GDT
The sun was rising higher in the sky, and Logan could feel the heat of it's rays on his skin despite the cold, wet temperatures of the mountain climate. He and Danielle had been patrolling the town for half an hour now with little luck of finding a location on Rahne. Logan hadn't been helping matters either, as he kept slipping up and mentioning mutants, using his claws, or something else. He could tell Danielle was getting frustrated.
"I'm sorry, Danielle." he said.
"Logan, I know you don't get out undercover much, but..."
"But?" Logan asked.
Danielle sighed. Before she could reply, their communication devices buzzed.
"Guys, we found Rahne's father. He's a priest and lives a few miles outside of the town. We're heading there now."
"We're on our way!" Logan replied. He jogged down the street, Danielle watching with a look of exasperatedness on her face.
"Why do I torture myself so?" she asked before jogging off after Logan.
"I figured someone would be here soon 'nough..." Rahne's father greeted them at the door. "Come in."
The man was tall and well-built. Logan guessed he was around his late fifties, grey hair creeping into his beard. He was wearing a grey, long-sleeved dress shirt with a few buttons undone on the top, grey hairs sticking out. He looked like a lumberjack, but with thinning hair and the worries of the world on his shoulders.
"Doesn't look much like a priest." Logan whispered.
"Logan!" Danielle scolded quietly.
"No, I don't." Rahne's father agreed. "I'm not a typical priest. I don't wear the robes and I don't run orphanages. I am here for those who need me, howe'er."
"Mr. Sinclair," Jean started. "We're here about your daughter, Rahne?"
"It's pronounced "rain", and I fig'red." Mr. Sinclair agreed. "Rahne disappeared a week ago, I haven't seen her since. I would 've gone into the mountains to search for her, but I was told not to go."
"By who?" Jean asked.
Mr. Sinclair looked at the cross on the mantle.
"Shortly after that, we started hearing rumors of a were-wolf in the hills, one that turned into a girl. I figured Rahne was cursed with a spirit."
"We believe she's breaking out." Scott said. "Err...her X-gene is forming and she's becoming a mutant."
"That could explain it too." Sinclair nodded, more to himself.
"Mr. Sinclair, do you know where your daughter might be staying?" Jean asked.
"I'm pretty sure." Sinclair responded. "We used to have a cabin up in the woods. We'd go there ne'r e'ery summer when she was a child. That's where she'd go."
"Thank you." Jean said, standing up. She shook Sinclair's hand and walked out the door with the rest of the X-Men. Sinclair stood at the open door, watching them leave with a concerned look on his face.
Sentinel Project Main HQ
October 31st, 21:53 EST
Gambit glanced at the small green piece of plastic in his hand. He twisted it in and out of his fingers, balancing it on his thumb before holding it in his hand and looking at it with his red-on-black eyes.
One card was a very small amount of ammunition, and to break out of the Sentinel Project was a suicide mission in itself. Was it really worth his life to show off for one girl?
Then he remembered Rogue's smile, her sassy attitude, her body under his...
Gambit slid the card up the sleeves of his prison garment. He'd made plans to escape before. He knew where things were. As loudly as possible, he knocked over his table, pulled sheets off of his bed, and fell to the floor with an unh! He groaned as loud as possible, clutching his head.
The sole guard at the entrance ran down the hallway.
"What the hell's going on back here?" he demanded, pulling out his baton.
Gambit muttered nonsense, clutching his head before screaming in pain.
"What the hell?" the guard asked. "Roll over, Gambit! Now!"
Gambit pushed his nose just hard enough to make it bleed before rolling over, continuing to moan in agony.
"Oh man, oh man!" the guard whispered. He pulled out his walky-talky as he entered the cell.
"DC-52, we have a sick patient in prison bay. Requires immediate medical attent-unh!"
Gambit grabbed him by the throat, standing up with an evil grin, flames seeming to spark from his red eyes.
"Ain't you never heard of playing coon, boy?" Gambit asked before throwing the guard across the room into a wall. The guard hit the wall so hard he put a dent in the metal before falling to the floor. Gambit punched him once for good measure before swiping his radio, gun, baton, and ID badge.
"Let's get the hell outta this here dump, shall we?" he asked himself quietly before walking out of the cells. He looked around. "Now where did I leave my trench coat and staff?"
Fright Night
October 31st, 21:55 EST
"I don't know man, maybe we should go confront him; give him a little mutant action, show him not to mess with us..." Bobby said.
Kurt sighed and put his head in his hands. At that moment Amanda ran up.
"Guys! Amara's in trouble!" she exclaimed, her hair still swishing behind her.
Kurt and Bobby looked up in mild surprise.
"Those robots you win at the bean-bag stand? They're attacking her!"
Kurt glanced at Bobby before both of them burst out laughing, attracting the attention of Kitty. She told Piotr to wait a minute before jogging over to the mutants.
"Seriously guys!" Amanda exclaimed.
"At least my prank vas believable!" Kurt exclaimed.
"Kurt! I'm being serious!"
Kurt looked at her, cocking his head to one side.
"Oh, come on, man!" Bobby laughed. "You can't tell me you believe that!"
"Believe what?" Kitty demanded.
Bobby yelped and turned around, staring at her.
Kitty was dressed in a full body catsuit with leopard skin, a white chest, even a tail! She had on a mask that left her face exposed and included ears and whiskers. She looked very angry.
"Uhh...uhh..." Bobby stammered.
"I think she's telling the truth." Kurt said.
"About what?" Kitty demanded.
Before anyone could answer, three of the robots rounded the corner of a nearby stall and set their eyes on them.
"Uh-oh." Bobby said.
"Anyone else getting a bad feeling about this?" Kitty asked.
"Yah!" Kurt said. "Let's get out ov here!"
The four darted down the cluttered, meandering paths. Bobby glanced back and saw the three robots running faster and faster, almost unnoticed by the humans. Bobby glanced around before stopping and blowing out of his hand. He ran to catch up to the others as the robots slipped on the frozen puddle, crashing into people nearby raising exclamations of surprise and disgust.
"In here!" Amanda exclaimed, darting down a side path into the hall of mirrors. Kurt was slightly reluctant, but entered anyway when he saw two more robots.
Amanda ran down the empty, reflective hallways expertly to where Amara was standing, breathing heavily and in full flame mode.
"Ahh!" Bobby exclaimed, backing away.
"Whoah!" Kitty breathed.
Amara was gasping, her fists clenched in the air, flames crackling off of them. At least seven robots were lying in various pieces up and down the hallways. She turned to the four new arrivals and directed a burst of flame at them. Amanda yelped as Kurt teleported her out of the way. The flame melted a circle in the mirror directly behind where Amanda had been standing.
"What the hell?!" she half-screamed, her hands up by her face, clenched, as if to protect her.
"Her powers are acting up!" Kurt warned Bobby and Kitty.
"Yeah! No shit, Sherlock!" Bobby exclaimed, clutching his blistering arm.
"Watch your mouth!" Kitty exclaimed, slapping his burnt arm. Bobby cursed.
"Guys!" Amanda exclaimed, pointing at the four robots rounding the corner. The machines brought their weapons to bear and opened fire. The mutants screamed in agony as they felt the acid biting into their skin.
"Bobby! Ice up!" Kitty exclaimed.
The space cowboy nodded, his body transforming into a figure of ice, similar to an ancient roman statue. He shot a beam of ice out of each hand and formed a wall of ice between the mutants and the robots.
"Phew!" Kurt breathed.
"Guys!" Amanda called again. Amara had rounded the corner and was getting ready to fire a burst of flame a them.
"We've got two options: the rock or the hot place!" Bobby exclaimed.
"Ice her, Bobby!" Kitty yelled.
"Are you insane?!"
"Now!"
Bobby stood up and fired a quick burst of ice at Amara's shoulder. It was enough to knock her out of her magma form and drop her to the ground. She stood up, shaking her head.
"Sorry, guys." she apologized.
"It's fine, Amara." Kurt said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "But ve need to go!"
"No! Wait!" Amara said, pushing Kurt to the side. The robots were banging against the ice wall. She turned with a wide smile on her face. "Don't you see? This is just like the Wizard of Oz!"
"What?" Bobby asked.
"And you think I'm out of touch with society...These robots are being controlled by someone, right?"
"Of course..." Amanda replied.
"So they have to be pretty close to control the robots, right?" Amara asked again.
"The man behind the curtain!" Amanda exclaimed.
Bobby looked lost.
"You and I are having a nice, long talk when we get back." Amara said. "But for now, we need to find who's controlling the robots and why."
New York City
October 31st, 22:07 EST
Wanda followed the continuing hopping signature of Tolanski. She had been following the mutant for two blocks already and was getting very tired. The hopping stopped.
"About time..." Wanda sighed, rounding the corner towards the stand-still signature. Someone tried to approach her, probably to ask her out, but she shoved him away and he narrowly missed falling in the pathway of a passing Bishop Publishing truck. He did, however, get completely soaked with muddy water.
Wanda pulled off the ridiculous charms and tossed them into a drain, wanting nothing to interfere with the possible battle she may have. She walked around another corner into an, actually rather well lit, alleyway.
The alleyway itself was rather wide, probably fifteen feet or so, and was lit by a light at the end and three others from the backdoors to chinese restaurants, barber shops, and the like. There were two dumpsters at the back of the alley, both ripe for picking up. The pavement had blood stains, dried vomit, holes and cracks and was covered with a sparse topping of old newspapers.
Tolanski was surrounded by about five gang-bangers, and they didn't look like his beneficiaries. They looked more like the wallet in his hand belonged to them. They glanced up as Wanda walked into the alleyway and stopped.
"Go away, lady." One said. He was tall and dark with long dreadlocks wearing baggy pants and a shirt to match.
"I'm here for Tolanski." Wanda stated.
"Well, when we're through with 'im,you can have what's left."
Tolanski swallowed hard.
"I'm going to give you one more chance." Wanda warned in a low voice. "Give me Tolanski."
The gang bangers laughed. "You crazy, lady!"
Wanda sighed and cracked her knuckles.
Scotland
November 1st, 06:47 GDT
The woods of Scotland were very green, luscious, and moist. They were very different from those of New York or anywhere else Danielle had been. These were soft and squashy, the ground sinking beneath your feet. The moss that seemed to replace the tree bark practically dripped with water, the leaves provided cool shade and a sense of aloneness in the vast world. This feeling of aloneness wasn't the depressing kind, it was the peaceful kind. Danielle breathed deeply, able to taste that sweet forest air and the decaying leaves.
The forest was quiet, almost completely silent, yet also loud and buzzing at the same time. On one hand there were no human sounds to be heard aside from Danielle's companions, only the cool, damp breeze to be felt on the face. On the other hand, the forests were filled with various creatures. Birds chirped in the high branches of the trees, singing various tunes. Crickets sang beneath the grass. Woodpeckers could be heard knocking on the wood, and frogs were croaking in a nearby pond. Rabbits were hopping, causing leaves to crunch and Danielle even saw a deer poke it's head out at them through a blueberry bush.
"Isn't this beautiful, Logan?" Danielle asked.
"It's muddy..." Logan replied, picking up his boot and looking at it.
Danielle sighed. 'Any sign of Rahne yet, Jean?" she asked telepathically.
'Not yet,' Jean replied. 'This is a massive forest and Rahne doesn't want to be found. We may not be able to find her. What about you and Logan?'
'We checked the cabin; she was there recently. Paw prints and human footprints as well as some food. We set up a perimeter alarm and we're looking around nearby.'
Danielle heard a tree branch crack nearby and she froze.
"Logan!" she hissed.
"What?" he asked.
"Shh!"
Logan stopped moving and sniffed. "I smell 'er."
Danielle's eyes glowed and Wolverine saw a campsite with food and drinks appear in front of him. Danielle held the illusion and a moment later a small red fox crept carefully out of the woods. She snuck over to the picnic and began sniffing the food. At that exact moment, Danielle dropped the illusion and Rahne yelped, jumping around, digging in the dirt looking for the vanished food.
"Rahne!" Danielle called gently. The fox yelped again and faced her, growling.
"Rahne, it's okay..." Danielle said, moving forward slowly, her hands extended. "Your father sent us to help you."
Rahne stood her ground, fangs bared at Danielle.
"This isn't working." Logan stated.
"Call Jean," Danielle replied, digging around in her jacket. "Let me try something else."
Danielle pulled out a pack of beer jerky and tossed a piece right in front of Rahne where she didn't have to move. Rahne grabbed the meat and gobbled it down.
"Are you ready to talk?" Danielle asked with a smile. "I've got more." she added, gesturing to the bag.
Rahne surveyed her, but after another piece of jerky, she padded over and sat down in front of Danielle, eating the jerky and allowing Danielle to pet her, scratching between her ears.
"Yeah, we found her Jean." Logan said he glanced at Danielle. "She's got her eating right out of her hand. Literally."
Wolverine hung up the phone and was about to head over to Danielle when he stopped. Something-someone was walking towards them. Logan sniffed. Humans and gunpowder.
"Danielle!" he whispered. "Hunters!"
Danielle nodded and stood up. "Rahne, I need you to switch to your human form now!"
The fox tilted it's head.
"Are you sure you're not feeding some random fox?" Logan asked.
"Rahne!" Danielle exclaimed.
New voices entered the conversation.
"There boys!"
Rifle shots rang through the air. Danielle ducked and Logan ran at the hunters, swatting away their guns with his claws. Rahne, however, was frightened by the shots and fled, yelping, into the forest.
"Rahne! Wait!" Danielle yelled. "Damn it!"
Sentinel Project Main HQ
October 31st, 22:32 EST
"Is there something I can help you with?" X asked from her bed, peeking above the book entitled Lacerations, Incapacitations, and Executions: A Guide to Physically Disabling an Enemy.
Rogue replied something from under the desk that X didn't quite get. Rogue wiggled around a little more before coming out from under the desk and sitting on the messy floor, blowing a strand of white hair out of her eyes.
X looked at her. The southern belle had been digging around in the girls' shared room for almost half an hour now looking for something. X wasn't quite sure what it was Rogue was looking for, and she hadn't felt the need to bother her until now. Now Rogue was beginning to annoy her.
"You got a bit of paper in your…" X gestured at Rogue's hair. Rogue looked upwards and pulled it out.
"Where could it be?" she asked.
"Where could what be?" X-23 asked calmly and cooly.
"My wallet!" Rogue exclaimed. "I can't find it anywhere! I had it this mornin', I'm pretty sure I got it out of the showers…" Rogue paused. A fire lit in her eyes and she muttered "Did he…" before dismissing the idea with a "Naw".
"Who is he?" X asked, not looking up from her book.
"Gambit." Rogue replied, half-way paying attention to what she was telling X.
"You saw him again?" X asked, actually looking (disapprovingly) at Rogue from over the top of her book.
"Yeah, course I did!" Rogue replied.
"Why do you think he stole your wallet?" X narrowed her eyes. "Why would he even have access to steal your wallet?"
"We were playing poker…" Rogue started. She stopped at the look on X's face. "Oh shut up! We're perfectly legal! And it wasn't that type of poker!"
"Whatever you say…" X replied in a taunting voice.
"For a robot you are an awfully cold and devious little—"
Alarms rang throughout the building.
"Alert! Alert! Prisoner UXM-266 is escaping! All units respond! Repeat: Prisoner UXM-266…"
"That is Gambit! That little swamp-rat, no good, flea-ridden, cotton pickin' bastard stole my wallet!" Rogue exclaimed.
"Damn," X said in awe. She had never heard that type of language come out of Rogue's mouth.
"One little kiss…" she fumed as she ran, partially stomped, out the door and down the hallway.
X sighed and followed.
It wasn't hard to find Gambit. After leaving the prison bay he had gone to storage where he had retrieved, and re-dressed in, his outfit as well as acquiring his weapons and knocking out two more guards. From there he had been making a break for the North Wall, the one facing the city.
Rogue rounded the corner and came to a screeching halt. X nearly ran into her. Upon seeing Gambit she growled and unsheathed her claws. She would have leapt at the Cajun and probably cut out his throat had Rogue not put a strong and commanding arm in front of her.
"Remy!" Rogue yelled. "What the hell do you think yo're doin'?" she demanded.
"One card, chere." He replied, flashing a business card at her. He tossed her wallet to her and she caught it. Rogue released her arm from in front of X, and like an unchained attack dog, she leapt at him. At the same time he tossed the wallet, Gambit threw the card into the wall and it exploded, blasting a hole big enough for him to escape through and throwing X-23 backwards into a wall.
"Au revoir!" Gambit called through the smoke. "Maybe soon, chere."
X groaned and rubbed her head as soldiers rounded the corner.
"Through the wall!" Rogue yelled. "But don't hurt 'im!" She leaned down next to X. "You okay?"
"Probably just a Grade Two concussion." X replied.
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Come on, to the medical wing."
"What about Gambit?" X asked as Rogue helped her up, throwing one of X's arms over her shoulders. "They'll never catch him."
Rogue glanced back at the hole in the wall. "I know," she replied. "I know,"
Fright Night
October 31st, 22:39 EST
"I still can't believe you brought your equipment with you." Amara said.
"I've learned to always be prepared." Kitty replied.
Kitty glanced at the screen. "The signal is coming from…inside the school." She turned to her fellow mutants (and Amanda). "Specifically the computer lab.
"That's not right." Bobby said. "No one should be allowed inside the school after hours. Especially not tonight."
"Who else thinks this is our mysterious attacker? The man behind the curtain?" Kitty asked.
Everyone seemed in agreement.
"Let's go get him!"
"One question:" Amanda said, raising her hand. "How do we get in the school? It's locked."
Kitty smirked.
Amanda shivered as Kitty brought the rest of the mutants through the wall.
"That felt…weird. I'll stick to teleporting, no offense."
Kitty smirked again and continued forward, the rest following her. They navigated the dark hallways until they reached the computer labs.
"Hold on!" Bobby hissed. "What are we doing?"
"Confronting him!" Kitty replied.
"But he'll recognize us and let everyone know we're mutants!"
Everyone paused.
"No one recognizes me without the holo-watch." Kurt said, turning to his blue form.
Amara lit her body on fire.
Taking a que from her, Bobby iced over his body and added an extra layer of ice to act as a domino mask.
"I can just stay in the floor." Kitty said.
"And me?" Amanda asked.
Everyone looked at her.
"It's probably better if you wait out here, Amanda." Kurt said. "Zis could get ugly quick."
Amanda nodded.
"Ready?" Kitty asked. "Three, two, one…"
The mutants burst through the door, their powers active, searching the room for a kill squad, but no one was in there.
"He has to be here." Kitty whispered.
Something went thud! In the hallway and the four mutants ran out. Amanda had a small, nerdy, red-headed kid lying on the floor, his hands pinned to his back.
"OwOwOw!" he exclaimed. "That hurts! Leggo!"
"Vow!" Kurt exclaimed. "You got him!"
"Of course I did!" Amanda said breathlessly.
"Now to see who's really behind these attacks…" Bobby said, bending down. He turned the boy's face…
"Who's that?" Kitty asked.
"You may call me Arcade." The boy responded.
Everyone just stood in silence.
"Hey! Vait a minute! I know him!" Kurt exclaimed.
"You do?" everyone asked.
"He's the nerdy computer kid in science class always correcting Herr Teacher!"
"Oh, come on!" Arcade exclaimed. "No fair!"
Kitty sighed. "So now what? We can't, like, turn him over to the cops. We can't just let him go…"
"Ve can give him a varning." Kurt said with a clever smile. He bent down next to Arcade. "If you do this again, I'm going to teleport you to ze top of ze flagpole and hang you by your undervear!"
"Okay! Okay!" Arcade exclaimed. "I'm sorry! I won't do it again! I promise!"
"Somehow I don't feel as satisfied…" Bobby said.
"Well what do you suggest we do with him?" Kitty demanded.
Bobby's eyes lit up like fireworks.
Scotland
November 1st, 06:54 GDT
Rahne darted through the woods expertly, weaving in and out of trees, over logs, darting through shallow creeks. Danielle was having a hard time keeping up with her, Logan an even harder time.
Rahne reached the edge of a hill and kept on going without stopping. Danielle slid to a stop. The slope was steep and she could see the rocks at the bottom. If she tripped she was as good as dead.
Rahne was almost all the way down the hill though when suddenly Jean leapt out in front of her. Rahne's paws skidded on the orange leaves as she tried to come to a stop. Jean caught her and helped her back to her feet. Rahne backed away carefully.
"It's okay!" Jean exclaimed. "I'm a friend! The girl who gave you the jerky? She's my friend."
Rahne stopped and tilted her head.
A shot rang through the air.
Rahne yelped and fell to the ground, morphing into her human form and clutching her leg.
"Danielle! The hunters!" Jean exclaimed.
Danielle turned, but Logan had already dealt with them. His claws were extended and the gun barrels had been sliced clean off.
"You just shot a kid!" he exclaimed, pointing at the red-head on the hill. The hunters looked down in surprise.
"But—but it was just a wolf!" they exclaimed.
"Get out of here before I slice off more than just your gun barrel." Logan growled. The hunters nodded, dropping their weapons and running off. He turned around and slid down the hill with Danielle, coming to a stop where Rahne was lying.
"Ow!" she whispered. "It hurts!"
Rahne had been shot just below her knee-cap. There was a lot of blood, but Jean could tell she hadn't severed an artery.
"Logan, go grab the medical kit and hurry!" Jean ordered. Logan nodded and ran off. Jean turned to Rahne. "Just keep pressure on that. You're doing good."
Rahne bit back her pain and looked at Jean through teary eyes. "Why are you he'ping me? Who are you?"
"My name is Jean. I'm from the Xavier Institute."
"The what?" the girl asked, finding the name difficult to pronounce.
"It's a school for gifted students. Students like us."
Rahne seemed hesitant to ask her next question. "Like mutants?"
"Exactly." Jean replied. Logan darted back with the medical pack. Among his enhanced abilities was speed. Scott was right behind him.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Rahne has been shot. It's nothing major, we're patching her up now. Call the Professor and tell him we're coming home."
Xavier Institute
October 31st, 23:03 EST
"I hope you all enjoyed yourselves." Xavier greeted his students as they walked into the mansion.
"There were a few rough spots, but it was fun." Bobby said.
Xavier turned on a television behind him to show Arcade hanging from a tree by his shoelaces. The X-Men swallowed hard and all smiled.
"May I ask why this unfortunate soul is in this predicament?" Xavier asked.
"'cause he's a douche." Amara replied while everyone else was quiet.
"So because you didn't like him, you hung him in a tree?" Xavier asked, concerned.
"No, we hung him in a tree because he attacked us." Amara replied.
"Oh?"
"He hacked into some of the robot prizes and had them attack mutant signatures."
"Did he discover—"
"No, he doesn't know who we are." Amara replied.
Charles thought in silence for a minute. The X-Men anxiously awaited their punishment.
"One extra round in the Danger Room tomorrow, and next time you feel like showing off…" at this he glanced at Bobby. "Don't."
"Yes, Professor." Bobby replied meekly.
"Now then! Scott just called. He and the rest are on their way home and they're bringing a new student. So get some sleep and wash up. We have a whole new day starting tomorrow."
The X-Men nodded and trudged upstairs.
Sentinel Project Main HQ
October 31st, 23:23 EST
Trask watched the footage of Amara bursting into flames and destroying the robots while her human counterpart laughed.
"Miss Oyama," he said, stopping the feed. "Have Doctor Lang produce more of the serum, and add Amara Aquilla to the X-Men file."
"Yes, sir," the asian woman responded.
"Also, have Arcade released from prison. Deliver his fee and then silence him."
"Yes, sir," Oyama responded again, jotting the information down on the clipboard. She glanced at another page.
"You asked me to keep you updated on Agent Rogue, sir? There's been a development. This footage-" Oyama turned on a clip and Trask watched it. "Occurred roughly two hours before Prisoner UXM-266's escape."
Trask watched silently and sighed. "You know what to do, Miss Oyama."
"Yes, sir."
Rogue bent over and picked up the papers that were scattered across the floor. There were slips for mutants, mission briefings. She sighed and tossed them all in the trash. Rogue was still pretty rattled from Gambit's escape and wasn't quite sure what to think of the Cajun.
She looked around the room and sighed, hands on her hips. This place was still a mess. Maybe she should finish it tomorrow.
Or maybe X would kill her if she tried to put it off.
Rogue sighed and sat down on the floor cross-legged, picking up a playing card, queen of hearts, and looking at it longingly.
"Damnit." She whispered softly, almost inaudibly, tears welling up in her eyes.
A sharp knock came at her door. Rogue took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. She stood up and opened the door. "X, yo're supposed to stay in the infirmary fer the—"
X-23 wasn't at the door. A taller, Asian woman stood in her place. She was only slightly shorter than Rogue, maybe 5'7", and weighed so little Rogue was wondered if she was a model or something. She had long, straight, jet-black hair and startling blue eyes. She was wearing a grey business suit and stood perfectly straight. She reminded Rogue so much of X…
"Can I help you?" Rogue asked, only slightly rudely, leaning against the doorframe, one hand on her hip.
"I'd like to come in and discuss prisoner UXM-266's escape from earlier this night with you, Agent Rogue." The woman replied. The look in her eyes scared Rogue, but she allowed her in anyway, taking off her gloves and tossing them onto her desk, a sign she was willing to put this woman out if needed.
"What can I help ya with?" Rogue asked.
The woman closed the door. "My name is Ms. Yuriko Oyama. I am Secretary of Defense Bolivar Trask's lieutenant. I would like to discuss something with you."
"I have the feelin' that even if I told ya no, you'd just go ahead anyway, right?"
Oyama smiled and sat down on X's neat bed. "We are aware of your relationship with Prisoner UXM-266." Oyama said calmly, cooly, almost robotically. "Or as you call him, Cardshark."
Rogue's eyes widened slightly.
"What relationship?" she demanded.
Oyama pulled a laptop out of the briefcase she was carrying and opened it, turning the screen to Rogue. The southern belle watched in horror as a security feed showed her kissing Gambit, his hand reaching for her wallet.
"How—?" she asked quietly.
"We became aware that our security footage was being looped every so often about a month ago.**." Oyama replied. "We investigated and discovered this." She closed the laptop. "We were going to institute disciplinary measures, but after these events it is clear you were being used by Gambit."
Rogue looked at her in horror.
"We are willing to drop this if you help us find Gambit. Your relationship with him was…how long?"
"Just a few months…" Rogue said, still shell-shocked.
"Did he disclose any information about his past life, anywhere he'd go if he ever escaped?"
"A few places. He gave most of it away through context clues."
"Good." Oyama said, putting the laptop back in the briefcase, closing it with a snap, and standing up. "Then you know where to start looking."
"What?" Rogue asked.
"Agent Rogue, you have been assigned a mission by Bolivar Trask to track down and detain or kill Gambit. If you fail to complete this mission…"
Oyama looked at Rogue coldly. "Well, I'll let you think on that."
Oyama opened the door and walked out.
"Good night, Agent Rogue!"
Rogue stared in shock at the wall. Had Gambit really used her? Had it all been fake?
She sat down on X's bed and burst into tears.
Glacier M
October 1st, 23:57 EST
Magneto looked up from his desk as Wanda walked in.
"Ah, daughter!" he greeted. "How did the recruiting mission go?"
"Well enough." Wanda said, closing the door behind her. "Let me be perfectly clear about something though:"
Magneto raised an eyebrow.
"One: There is no way in hell I am ever dressing up like that again."
Magneto nodded.
"Two: This guy is practically useless!" Wanda exclaimed.
"Would you prefer Xavier got him?" Magneto asked.
Silence.
Wanda sighed. "Whatever, good night."
Xavier Institute
November 1st, 13:00 EST
Bobby stumbled out of the Danger Room and fell flat on his face. Xavier smiled cleverly.
"Are you enjoying yourself, Bobby?" he asked.
Bobby muttered something into the floor that sounded like "Go away, old man."
Xavier smiled and rolled into the observation room. The other mutants were inside running around trying not to get hit with lasers, saws, tazers. Kurt was teleporting all over the room, switching off turrets. By the time he turned off one, however, another had come back online. It was a fruitless effort and Xavier informed him of it.
"Try working with Kitty!" Xavier suggested.
Kurt teleported next to the suggested mutant and said something to her before teleporting again. Kitty ran and slid beneath a turret, reaching inside and switching it off using her phasing ability.
Amara was in full on magma mode, the yellow flames licking her body. She directed a burst of heat at a nearby turret and it sizzled before dying.
Xavier smiled. A hand reached in front of him and turned off the Danger Room.
"Storm? What are you doing?" Xavier asked.
"Professor, it's a miracle!"
"What is, Storm?" Xavier asked as the confused students looked around.
"She's awake. Emma is awake!"
Charles smiled. It did indeed look like things were turning for the better.
**Specifically during the events of Episode One!