Kitty had expected the school year to get messy right about now. She loved getting to feel like a regular person for a bit, and the peaceful two weeks of homework, shopping and routine training exercises had been nice. And the first trouble of the school year wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. The mall didn't blow up! That meant when they got the call, Kitty wasn't even mad.

"Alright, suits on!" Kitty said, pulling the others through storefronts into a ladies' bathroom. "This shopping trip has been mega-okay so far, so let's keep it that way. If there's a fight, we protect the mall, got it?"

Rahne and Jubilee chorused an agreement, and the three of them were sprinting toward Scott's location in no time.

"Kitty!" her communicator blipped.

Kitty answered. "Heading your way, Scott. Is Amara okay?"

"No sign of her. Rogue and Nightcrawler spotted an explosion by the old steel mill, and one person, long coat, running away after the explosion."

"One person, long coat?" Kitty scoffed. "Like, Sabertooth long coat, or Gambit long coat? Or like a cape kind of long coat? We fight so many people in capes and coats!"

"No other details. I'll be outside in a minute to pick you up."

Kitty put away the communicator. "None of you guys heard from Amara?"

"Nothing," Rahne answered.

"I've been texting her since we got out of school," Jubilee said. "I told her hanging out with a new kid was a bad idea!"

They burst out of a disused side door in the mall, and thirty seconds later the roar of a familiar engine was bearing down on them. Scott pulled up, and Kitty took the front passenger seat while the other two hopped in the back.

"Cyclops to Nightcrawler," Scott barked into his communicator. "Location?"

"Half-mile east from the steel mill," Nightcrawler answered. "I don't see anything."

"Cyclops to Rogue, where are you?"

Silence.

"Cyclops to Rogue, give me something."

Silence.

"Rogue? Come in?"

"I know her direction," Nightcrawler chimed in. "I'll head to her."

Kitty rolled her eyes. "And after she made such a stink about Amara, too."

"Lectures later," Scott said. "Nightcrawler, if she hasn't seen anything, pick her up and head back to the steel mill. Logan should meet us there, and we'll see if he can sniff out a cause for the explosion."

"Understood. Nightcrawler out."

Scott put the gas pedal to the floor, revving the car into high gear. The steel mill arose in front of them, a giant, ugly block towering over slightly less ugly houses.

A motorcycle revved behind them, and Kitty looked over to spot Logan in full uniform pulling up and passing them. Scott and Logan nodded at each other, then raced the final stretch to the broken chain-link fence surrounding a yard full of rusty metal parts.

The two vehicles halted, and the X-Men gathered at the edge of the fence.

"Nightcrawler," Scott said into his communicator. "Update."

"Still looking for Rogue," Nightcrawler answered. "No sign of the runner."

Logan frowned, sniffing the air. "Something blew up. I can smell dust and concrete, but no gasoline."

"Any other chemicals?" Scott asked.

"None." Logan narrowed his eyes. The claws came unsheathed, and in two swipes he opened a convenient hole in the fence. "I smell people, though."

"In the area?" Scott asked.

"Can't tell yet."

"Okay." Scott turned to Kitty, Rahne and Jubilee. "Move with caution. Stay in sight of each other. Let's clear the area quick and fast."

Logan, of course, took his own path with his nose in the air. He wove through ancient equipment left to rust, while Kitty followed Cyclops in a straight line toward the factory.

"There were two people here," Logan called out. "They had weapons on 'em. A lot of weapons. But they were moving quiet-like, and trying to hide as they worked toward the factory."

Kitty frowned. "Trying to hide, like, in the factory? Getting away from something outside, maybe?"

"Nah." Logan shook his head. "Not the way these two moved. They weren't running from something. They were hunting something."

Scott slowed. "You said they had weapons?"

"And gun oil," Logan agreed. "Real expensive, smells like."

Cyclops nodded. "Okay. Let's keep our―"

"Nightcrawler to Cyclops, I'm seeing something!"

"Listening," Scott responded. "Rogue?"

"No," Kurt said. "Whoever's running around down there is way too big. No sign of Rogue anywhere."

Scott growled. "Rogue, come in!"

Silence.

"Nightcrawler," Scott said. "Come back to the steel mill and grab two for recon. Kitty, you're leading team two. Rahne, you're the tracker."

Rahne gasped. "Yes!"

A puff of brimstone heralded Kurt's arrival. He was still in civilian clothes, fur damp with sweat and a concerned furrow to his brow. "We've got to hurry, that person was really moving."

Kitty grabbed one of Kurt's arms, Rahne grabbed the other, and in another second the steel mill yard vanished into a puff of brimstone.

Rooftop. Rooftop rooftop they were on a rooftop, and Kitty's stomach was plummeting and she really really wished she hadn't eaten two huge pretzels twenty minutes ago—

"Kitty?" Rahne asked.

Right. Team leader and Rogue was missing and they were all so so so high off the ground, but it was okay!

Kitty knelt, putting one hand on the rooftop like she was a superhero about to take off running instead of about to throw up. Narrowing her eyes as awesomely as possible, Kitty swallowed down bile and said, "What kind of person are we looking for?"

"Very large," Kurt answered.

Kitty blinked. "Kurt. That doesn't narrow things down, like, at all. Which way?"

"Down that alley."

Alley. Perfect. Alleys were on the ground. "Take us there. Rahne, as soon as we're on dirt, put your fur on."

Kurt teleported them to the ground, and Rahne leaped into wolf form and put her nose in the air. She barked, looked over her shoulder and began to run. Kitty felt so much better following something on the ground.

Rahne barked.

"Does that mean she found something?" Kurt asked.

"I'm going to say yes," Kitty panted. "Man, Scott really needs to take the New Mutants out more, we need to know the answer before we're running down an alley with no telepath to translate. Hold up—woah, easy!"

Rahne skidded to a halt, leaving Kurt and Kitty tripping over her.

"What gives?" Kitty coughed, waving dust out of her face.

The wolf became a girl again. "Up that street there, I smell 'im!"

"Him?" Kitty asked. "Who?"

"I dinnae," she answered. "Just smells like a man what rolled around in metal."

"In metal?" Kitty gasped, stomach dropping. "You don't think—"

"No way," Kurt interrupted. "The person I saw was way too large for Magneto. And Magneto usually flies, ja? I've never seen him just running somewhere by himself."

"Um. Okay. Yeah. But still." Kitty straightened, pulling on her best Scott impression. "Proceed with caution. Rahne, show us the way."

Rahne nodded, taking the lead in human form.

Kurt leaned just close enough to Kitty to whisper, "You're doing great!" and give a momentary thumbs-up before they were running again.

A year ago, it might have annoyed her. But now, honestly? Kurt might actually be right. No, Kurt was right, Kitty told herself. If Kurt believed she was doing a good job, she could too.

"Gambit!" A deep, Russian voice rumbled through the air.

Kitty grabbed Rahne and Kurt on instinct, yanking all three of them to a halt.

"Gambit!" Some annoyed Russian words. "Is poor time for jokes!"

Kurt's jaw dropped. "Is that…?"

"Colossus." Kitty's stomach twisted.

Rahne pressed against Kitty's side. "But isn't he one of Magneto's guys? What if―?"

"Gambit!"

Even in normal form, Colossus's footsteps were heavy enough to feel through the ground. Ahead of them, the alley opened into a disused street. A tall, hulking shadow passed across the alley entrance, hands to mouth as he called out, "We have phone! Communicate!"

"Kitty―" Kurt grabbed Kitty's arm, but she shoved him off.

"He might know something," Kitty said. "Teleport us in front of him. Well, teleport me. Rahne, stay here and out of sight. Kurt, if anything happens, teleport us back to the others."

Kurt hesitated. "Are you sure?"

Kitty nodded. "Port me."

Kurt swallowed, grabbed her arm, and teleported.

The two of them materialized on the open street, a dozen yards ahead of Colossus. A very large, tall, high Russian and gosh it was way easier to ignore what a mountain he was if he was attacking them. Which Kitty wouldn't let him do, because she was the leader of this team and therefore the one in charge of the situation.

"Hey!" Kitty shouted. "You, um―you stop right there, Acolyte!"

Colossus stopped. He looked at Kitty. Kitty looked at him. Colossus pointed a finger.

"Where is Gambit?" Colossus demanded at the same moment Kitty shouted, "Where's Rogue?"

Pause.

"X-Men!" Colossus rumbled. "No games! There will be no fight if Gambit is returned, but I will not be frightened by numbers. If fight is what you wish, fight is what I shall give."

"Fight? No, wait, hold on!" Kitty exclaimed. "I'm pretty sure it's no coincidence that Rogue disappears the same time Acolytes show up. Where is she?"

Colossus frowned. "Tell me where is Gambit."

"How should I know?" Kitty scoffed. "He's your guy. Now tell us where Rogue is or you'll really see a fight!"

"Rogue." Colossus hesitated. "Which of you is 'Rogue?'"

"Uh, the one that's missing? The one you've probably got locked up somewhere?" Kitty crossed her arms. "The one with the hair, y'know?"

"The hair." Colossus spent a moment pondering. "The hair with stripes. White stripes like so?" He mimed bangs on each side of his face.

"So you do know which one she is," Kitty said. "What did you do with her?"

"I have seen none of Rogue since Apocalypse." Colossus pointed an accusing finger at them. "But Gambit spoke of two strangers chasing him in this place. He said X-Men would not be far behind."

"Two strangers?" Kitty asked. Rogue and Kurt had been chasing someone in a long coat, and Gambit wore a long coat, but Logan had mentioned two people sneaking around the steel mill. And the steel mill was where the explosion had happened, so… "Kurt? Were you and Rogue chasing Gambit?"

Kurt shrugged. "It's possible. But we've fought plenty of people in long coats, and we were too far away to tell who it was. I didn't see anything after we split up, but if Rogue ran into him…"

"Well, Gambit's one of yours," Kitty said. "Was he trying to kidnap Rogue again?"

Colossus blinked. "Again? Has he done this before?"

"Yeah, the Louisian trip." Kitty spread her hands. "Mardi Gras? Explosions in a swamp? You probably know more than us. Rogue barely said a word about it."

Colossus shook his head. "Gambit speaks nothing of this. That was no order of Magneto, and neither is this moment today. Gambit was meant to return to base yesterday, alone."

"Then…" Kitty tilted her head. "Why did he blow up the steel mill?"

Colossus raised an eyebrow. "Because you X-Men were chasing him."

"No, no," Kurt said. "Rogue and I came because of the explosion, to see what it was about."

"Gambit was unclear on the phone," Colossus said. "But he called short time ago to say that he was being chased, and the rest of the X-Men would soon arrive, and he would set off an explosion to distract them. And that I should come assist him."

Kitty blinked. "... Well, someone's lying here. Either you or Gambit, and I choose Gambit."

"I would not trust…" The Russian spent a moment looking between Kurt and Kitty. "Actually, yes. I think Gambit is most likely liar between the four of us, but his fear sounded real. There was a gunshot over the phone."

"Gunshot?" Kitty asked, looking at Kurt. "Well, we don't use guns. I don't think we have any powers that sound like guns."

"This… is also true." Colossus scratched his head. "And Gambit is now missing, and your Rogue is also missing?"

"Something doesn't add up," Kitty said.

"I am in agreement." Colossus opened his mouth, then hesitated. "I… acknowledge that we are meant to meet as enemies. You are… the cat, yes? Cat of the X-Men?"

Kurt snorted. Kitty elbowed him.

"I'm Kitty," she corrected. "Kitty Pryde, or, um… wait I probably shouldn't be using real names, so I'm Shadowcat, I guess."

"Kitty," Kurt chuckled, "I'm pretty sure Scott is the only one who has ever used your 'professional' name."

"You mean Cyclops?" Kitty snapped.

Kurt held up his hands innocently. "Fine, fine. You're the leader, Shadowcat."

"My name is Piotr," said Colossus, dipping his head politely. "Though Americans might struggle, and I will not mind to be called 'Peter.' Your Rogue began to chase Gambit after the explosion? In which way?"

Kitty looked over her shoulder. "Kurt?"

"Em, from the steel mill to here…" Kurt frowned, then pointed. "She was heading that way. She must have passed this way."

"Hmm. Rahne!" Kitty called out. "Um, I mean, Wolfsbane! Come on, I think it's okay!"

Rahne crept out of the alley, giving Colossus an uneasy look. "Em, you're sure…?

An odd expression passed over Colossus' face. He tilted his head at Rahne, brow knitting in a way that seemed almost… sad. In a deliberately soft voice, as if Rahne might be startled into running away, he said, "There is no fight here, if none of us lie. And you have a good leader." He looked to Kitty. "If we must fight for unforeseen reasons, it will not be of my choice. And I will announce it, if necessary, so that none are taken by surprise."

"Um. Okay. Alright then." Kitty ran a hand over her hair. Hey, if an Acolyte thought she was a good leader, she really was doing a good job. "I mean, that's nice of you. And totally! No need for a fight if we're both just looking for our lost guys. We can figure this out, no problem. As long as Sabertooth isn't going to, like, jump down on us from the rooftops. He's not here, is he? Or the crazy guy with the fire?"

Colossus shook his head. "I was sent alone to recover Gambit. I make less trouble than the others."

"Oh, yeah, you're definitely the nicest Acolyte we've met so far." Kitty laughed. "Not that we've really met any of you, I guess, except Rogue and Gambit, but you're way way way nicer than Magneto, definitely, and oh man, I'm really talking a lot, aren't I?" Kitty's laugh turned nervous. Was her stomach churning? She felt like she was on the rooftop again. "Anyway, haha, let's focus! You said Gambit called you? What time exactly? And Kurt, when did you call in the explosion?"

Colossus checked his phone. Kurt raised an eyebrow at Kitty that she really didn't like, but luckily he kept his mouth shut as he checked his communicator.

"Gambit called at fifteen forty-seven," Colossus informed them.

"We saw the explosion and then called it in at four-o-seven," Kurt added.

Kitty frowned. Fifteen equalled three o'clock in military time, so… "Gambit called you twenty minutes before the explosion, being chased by two people that definitely weren't X-Men. Wolverine smelled two people at the steel mill with lots of guns and expensive weapon oil, who may or may not still be there. Rogue and Kurt investigated, then saw one person in a long coat running away from the steel mill that may or may not have been Gambit. They split up to cover more ground, and now both Rogue and Gambit are out of touch. But Gambit was supposed to meet you alone, and it doesn't sound like he was trying to get Rogue alone on purpose. Unless he noticed her following him, and… I dunno, kidnapped her again for a different reason? Maybe?"

"I do not speak much with the others," Colossus said, "but Gambit has never mentioned kidnapping before."

"Well, he's definitely done it before." Kitty turned. "Hey Rah… uh, Wolfsbane, can you pick up Rogue's scent from here?"

Rahne shapeshifted, lifting her nose into the air. Several moments passed as the wolf inhaled, eventually letting out a soft, non-committal yip before walking north.

"Does that mean yes?" Colossus asked.

Kitty shrugged. "We'll find out if we follow her. Probably."

They followed. It felt weird, falling into step beside Colossus. Or Peter… Piotr? Kitty had walked beside enemies before, but the dude was so much larger than she was used to. And young, somehow, like almost too young to make sense. He looked like he should be in school, not running errands for a psycho like Magneto.

"So, uh… Pe… Pe-yo-ter?" The syllables felt odd on Kitty's tongue. "Is that how you say it?"

"It is close," Colossus… Piotr replied. "But not necessary. Say how you are comfortable."

"I mean, this whole situation is kinda uncomfortable." Kitty focused on the road as she felt words bubbling out of her. "But, like, we're working together right now, yeah? And you're way nicer than you look on the outside, so like, I wanna be nice too. I wanna say it how it's supposed to be said, y'know?"

"Nicer than I look?" The Russian frowned down at his hands. "Do I look un-nice on the outside? How you say… unkind?"

"No, no way, I didn't mean it like that." Kitty giggled nervously. "You look great from the outside! Or maybe… maybe that sounded weird, but you don't look mean. You're way less crazy than the fire guy, and way less sleazy than Gambit, and you're way cuter than Sabertooth, and… and that probably definitely sounded weird, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just. Um. Rahne, got anything?"

Rahne looked over her shoulder, somehow managing to raise an eyebrow in wolf form. Kurt started walking extra close behind Kitty, and she was pretty sure he was staring holes into her back. She's said that out loud. She'd said that whole thing out loud, and man, she almost wanted to be back on a rooftop if it meant being away from here.

"Cuter." Colossus tilted his head. "I do not know this English word. It sounds like the 'more' version of… cute? Is 'cute' an English word?"

Kurt let out that special wheeze which mean he was holding back laughter. Kitty turned, glaring daggers at the teleporter before he could say anything.

"Um, yeah." Kitty swallowed, swallowed, and swallowed a third time, hoping it would stop her stomach from trying to drop into her shoes. "Yeah, 'cute' means… like, uh, smart. Respectable? Level-headed. Like, you saw us and decided to ask questions instead of immediately fighting. That's definitely what 'cute' means."

"Ah." Colossus nodded. "I have not been in this country long, and much of my English comes from Magneto's orders. I know words to attack, to communicate, to establish defenses and move equipment, but casual words are not spoken in his base. Thank you for this word. I find you to be cute, as well."

Kurt wheezed again, and Kitty would have elbowed him if she wasn't trying so hard to act normal.

Rahne barked, and her walk turned into a run. Relief washed over Kitty as they all sped up to follow, turning corners and slipping through alleys. Running was great! Running made Kitty's lungs ache too much for her mouth to call random Acolytes 'cute.' She'd be happy to run forever, actually, and just never talk again, but the life of Kitty Pryde was not that lucky.

Rahne skidded to a halt, and they all halted with her.

"Rogue was here," Rahne said after shapeshifting back to human form. "And someone else who smells like… like leather and cigarettes, and burnt out wires."

"Burnt out wires," Colossus repeated. "Gambit's power smells like this. He wears leather also. Are those cards on the ground?"

Kitty followed his gaze, spotting a single playing card near the alley wall. She'd almost missed it―a whole boot had ground it into the dirt. "Looks like Gambit was here, alright. But look at all these scuff marks, like someone fell down. Was there a fight, Rahne?"

Rahne blinked. "What does a fight smell like?"

"Uh, nevermind." Kitty looked around. "Where did they go next? Did they leave together?"

"They, erm…" Rahne sniffed. After a moment, she shapeshifted into a wolf and sniffed again. Then back into a human. "It's… it's weird. I can't tell. Every time Rogue touches someone, she smells like that person for a little while. It smells like Gambit went north, but I don't know where Rogue's scent goes. It arrives here and then just disappears."

"She must have touched him, then." Kitty put a hand on her hip. "They must have fought, from all the scuff marks. But if she touched him, that would have knocked him out. And neither of them are here, so they clearly went somewhere. Unless he really did kidnap her again…"

"Not just them," Rahne cut in. "You remember what Mr. Logan said, about two people with guns and weapon oil? That scent is here, too. Really fresh. Might have been just a few minutes ahead of us."

"I don't like the sound of that." Kitty reached for her communicator. "Guns and X-Men don't mix well."

The sound of metal emerging from flesh was really weird, kind of soft and clanky at the same time. Sun began to glint in the alleyway as Colossus shifted to his metallic form, somehow growing even taller.

"Guns also do not mix with men of metal," Colossus said, looking Kitty in the eye. "If there are guns, stand behind me."

Kitty swallowed, because her stomach was tying those knots even tighter. "That's… that's really nice, I appreciate it, but also. Um. The rest of the X-Men. I should call them."

Colossus hesitated. "Are they as cute as you?"

"Um. I. Well." Kitty was blushing and she was going to turn beet red in a second and she had no idea what she was going to say―

At a much higher pitch than normal, Kurt wheezed, "If we explain…" He struggled to get ahold of himself. "Scott will… understand."

"Yeah right sure." Kitty swallowed, taking out her communicator. "Sure sure sure. Yeah he's good. He's cool. He's―"

She dropped her communicator.

Kurt let out one single breath of laughter before clamping hands over his mouth.

Kitty picked up her communicator, turning away so Piotr couldn't see how red her face was. "Hey, Scott? Um, I mean, Shadowcat to Cyclops?"

"Cyclops here. Did you find something?"

"Um, yeah. You could say that." Kitty swallowed one more time, forcing her voice to remain steady. "Sending you our location. We found Rogue's scent. We found cards. And we found…" She glanced over her shoulder. "We found someone who could help."