The Needs Of Many - sequel to SITN

Tergon · Post by **Tergon** » Thu Sep 18, 2003 2:35 am

Here it is - I promised you I'd put this up, so now I give you the sequel to Shadows In The Night. This fic hasn't been finished before, anywhere, although most of it once existed on the Nutboard. Now, I'm going to finish it here.
Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: I own a few CDs, some clothes, and a mouldy jar of mustard. That's about it. I take no credit for what I don't own. However, since I don't know who personally owns this stuff, there is a universal disclaimer I use: If you've seen it somewhere else, chances are that it isn't mine. If it is mine, be nice about it.
Okay?

The Needs Of Many

“…and with an atomic weight of approximately 16 grams, Oxygen is without doubt the most vital element in the world for our survival. Without it, we…”
Kurt willed his eyes to remain open. It wouldn’t do to fall asleep in the middle of class, no matter how tired he was. However, the science teacher was not helping; right now, Kurt was having difficulty inhaling oxygen while staying awake, let alone learning about its atomic weight.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t used to being an early riser. Before he came to the Institute, he’d been getting up at the crack of dawn, or earlier, in order to find food for the day. It was just that he was also used to keeping his own time; if he was hungry, he ate. If he was thirsty, he drank. If he was tired, he slept. It worked for him, always had. He just wasn’t used to keeping a schedule, that was all.
Well, that and Logan’s idea of early-morning training. He vaguely recalled how it had started; Logan had been impressed with Kurt’s fighting capabilities, and had decided to take the blue mutant under his wing. Whether Kurt liked it or not. Now, a 5:00am wakeup was a three-day per week thing. He’d joined the institute over six months ago, and it had been fine then; now that he’d begun going to Bayville High with the other students, it was getting harder.
Which, of course, led to his current problem. Professor Xavier had decided that Kurt would not be able to go to a public school until he’d learned to live amongst people who weren’t as open-minded as the population of Heirlegart, his onetime home that was now nothing but old rubble and graves. After his years in Genetex and his time as a hermit in the mountains, Kurt had forgotten how to live with other people at all, let alone these rather naïve Americans. It had taken almost four months before he’d been judged safe to go out in public, and that didn’t count the six weeks beforehand when he didn’t have the holowatch that Charles had given him. As a result, he’d been going to the new school for only a few weeks, and was considered strange by most of the student body. He couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.

“Mr. Wagner? Are you in there?”
Kurt snapped out of his reverie to see the entire class, including the teacher, watching him.
Ja, he thought. Mistakes just like that one. He grinned weakly.
“Er… what was the question, mein herr?”
The teacher put his hands on his (ample) hips. “I asked if you were awake.”
Kurt grimaced. “Sort of?”
The teacher held out a small note. “Well, maybe if you deliver this note to Principal Darkholme, you’ll be able to wake up properly, hmmm?”
Kurt cursed under his breath as he walked to the front of the class and retrieved the note. Nodding to his friends sitting around his now empty desk, he left the room and walked off toward the Principal’s office. Behind him, a steady drone started up again.
“Chlorine, with the chemical symbol Cl…”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Raven Darkholme looked at the note in her hand, then returned her attention to the young man sitting opposite her. “You fell asleep in class?” she asked.
Kurt shook his head. “Nein. I almost fell asleep in class. Herr Lees sent me here before I nodded off completely. He says that you are to help me to stay awake.” While Raven blinked at that instruction, Kurt concentrated on keeping a straight face. One of the good points of having English as a second language, he reflected, was that one could make statements like that to total strangers and get away with it.
Raven put the note on her desk. “That is not my responsibility, Mr. Wagner. I would suggest that if you cannot remain awake in school, you return home until you have had all the sleep you need.” She picked up the telephone on her desk. “Who are you staying with?”
“Herr Xavier,” replied Kurt absently. Since he had no reason to suspect Raven of even knowing Charles personally, he missed her flinch at the name. Raven recovered her composure.
“You are staying at the Xavier Institute?” she asked carefully.
“Jawohl.”
“Hmm.” Raven replaced the telephone’s receiver. “Well, have my secretary call one of your guardians to come and collect you.” Kurt rose to comply, but as he did so, Raven spoke again. “If you have any other problems, come and see me. For now, try and get some sleep.”
Kurt shrugged. “As you wish, Frau. May I be excused?” Raven nodded and Kurt left the room. After the door closed, Raven picked up the phone once more and pressed a button on the speed dial. It was answered on the second ring.
“Erik?” she asked.
“Yes?” came the deep voiced reply.
“You’re going to want to hear this…”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Kurt and Ororo walked into the room, the former giving off a jaw-cracking yawn as he entered. Logan and Hank looked up.
“Gettin’ tired, Elf?” Asked Logan. “Hell, if you can’t handle a little workout before school, all you gotta do is say so.”
Kurt waved one hand at him. “Give me a few hours sleep and meet me in the danger room. I’ll show you exactly how much trouble I have handling it, Herr Logan,” he retorted.
Hank grinned, but didn’t continue that line of conversation. “Is the school aware you’ve left for the day?”
“Jawohl,” confirmed Kurt. “Frau Darkholme sent me home during Chemistry since I couldn’t stay awake.”
Ororo broke in. “Then I would suggest that you get some sleep, don’t you think?” Kurt nodded tiredly and vanished in a small implosion of air. Ororo turned to glare at Logan. “Happy?”
Logan blinked. “Wha?”
“You’ve been running the poor boy off his feet. It’s no wonder he’s exhausted!”
Logan shook his head. “Elf’s never complained to me…”
Hank broke in. “If he’s so finely trained, then it does make sense, Ororo. Lord knows we’re having enough trouble with the Brotherhood at the moment, so if Kurt is capable of dealing with them, why shouldn’t we use his capabilities to his advantage? What’s the harm?”
“Far greater than you may think, Hank,” answered Charles. The others turned to look at him as he entered the room, still speaking. “Yes, the Brotherhood is causing us trouble. Yes, Kurt is most likely powerful enough to deal with them easily. Yes, if he’s on our side, then it makes sense that he could help with our current difficulty.” Charles stopped moving as he reached the table. “However, we are also trying to help Kurt. There are scars within his mind, Hank, scars we cannot see. What the scientists at Genetex did has damaged his mind more than you think.”
Hank was intrigued. “In what way?”
“He has a fear – a phobia, almost – of being used by another. Francis Baine saw the same potential in Kurt that we do; but he abused that potential, preferring to turn Kurt into a slave rather than an ally. What Baine did is exactly what we are fighting against, why this place exists. And I will not follow in his footsteps.” Charles pulled back from the table. “Besides, Ororo is right. If Kurt is so tired that he is unable to continue his studies, then we must give him more time to rest. As you pointed out, he needs no more training in combat; he’s already potentially lethal. His education is further behind, and so needs more attention. Therefore, we can sacrifice the training for the sake of his schooling.” With that, Charles left the room. Ororo smirked at Logan.
“So. Are you going to cancel those training sessions, now?” she asked. Logan’s reply was so mumbled that she couldn’t hear it. “Pardon?”
“Fine,” Logan grated out. “The sessions are gonna’ be cancelled. Happy now?”
“Very,” answered Ororo sweetly. She left the room, leaving Hank to raise an eyebrow at Logan. Logan picked up a roll off the table and threw it at his friend.
“Shaddup.”

Beboots · Post by **Beboots** » Thu Sep 18, 2003 2:52 am

Yay! It's up! *glomps Tergon* My only complaint is... Why didn't you get this up sooner?! And my only question is... When's the next bit coming up?!

JadeAurora · Post by **JadeAurora** » Thu Sep 18, 2003 3:19 am

Nice first chapter to the sequal,i like the sitn series too ^.^

Tergon · Post by **Tergon** » Thu Sep 18, 2003 11:45 pm

Beboots: I didn't get it up sooner because I'm doing SACs for year 12, and studying for upcoming exams which are in 5 weeks. The next bit is coming up now. I'm doing the best I can. So cut me some slack!

JadeAurora: Thank you, praise is good. But don't get ahead of yourself, it's not a series yet - only two stories exist.

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As Scott turned the engine off, the small group got out of the car and began to walk toward the garage exit. He glanced at Jean, who shook her head with a smile as she listened to the conversation between Evan, Rogue and Kitty.
“…and it’s like, so obvious, you know? She should like, just ask him and get it over with,” Kitty was saying. Rogue shook her head.
“Are you kidding? Boy’s so shy it’s amazing he doesn’t run away every time she looks at him,” she argued.
“Besides,” Evan added, “they’re not exactly a match made in heaven, you know? The dirty-peasant-cum-lab-rat and the high-and-mighty-princess? I can’t see it working…”
“Kind of like Kit and Lance,” observed Rogue.
“Like, yea – hey!” Kitty scowled. “Me and Lance are meant to be!”
“…sterilized,” finished Evan, who suddenly had to run ahead as Kitty assaulted him with her bag. Scott turned to Jean.
“What do you think?” he asked.
Jean shrugged. “Kurt has some issues, yeah. He definitely doesn’t know how to act around Amara – he’s almost scared of her. Amara’s got problems of her own – she can’t be seen with a humble peasant, now can she? Still,” she continued, “If it works, it works.”
Scott nodded at that and turned to watch as Logan drove the van into the garage, parking it next to Scott’s car. The students piled out and headed toward the mansion, Amara engaged in some conversation with Jubilee as they walked. Scott glanced at Rogue and Jean, recognised the speculative looks on their faces, and stepped in front of them.
“Don’t even think about it,” he warned them as he herded them toward the building despite their protests. “If it works, it’ll work, remember? So let it go and see if the damn thing works!” Eventually the girls gave in and the trio followed everyone into the mansion. As they walked in, the others were busily raiding the fridge.
Amara stepped back from the chaos and spoke to Ororo. “Where is Kurt?” she asked. “The others said he left school early today.”
Ororo nodded. “He’s asleep. He’s been run into the ground by someone -” here she gave Logan a black look “- and by my guess won’t be up until tomorrow morning.”
Amara looked disappointed. “Oh,” was all she said, and left the room. Kitty watched this and turned to smirk at the others.
“Oh yeah – she’s like, so totally not right for him, Evan.” Evan glared at her, but she just grinned. “Whatever. I’m going to call Lance.”
And with that she left the room.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next morning, students trudged downstairs, most of them still rubbing sleep from their eyes. Sitting at the dining room table were Logan, Kurt and Jamie, the latter two discussing who would win a fight between Batman and Spiderman. In the kitchen, waiting for the coffee to perk, were Hank and Ororo. All five looked up and gave various greetings as the others arranged themselves around the room. Kurt nearly choked on his bacon when Amara flopped into the seat next to him, accidentally crushing his tail as she did so.
“Amy!” he gasped, spraying toast crumbs into the air. “Bitte, liebeschen, watch where you’re sitting!”
Amara squeaked and shot up, retrieving the injured appendage as she did so. Handing Kurt his tail, she sat down more carefully this time. “Have you had enough sleep now, do you think?” she asked him.
Kurt nodded. “Ja. Herr Logan has decided that I no longer need training at five in the morning, so now I can sleep in to a decent hour.”
Logan grunted. “Ya were still up before 6:30, elf,” he growled.
Kurt nodded and waved his fork. “But you must admit that there is quite a difference between waking up at five o’ clock and working out for two hours, as opposed to an extra hour’s sleep.”
Kitty sat down opposite him and yawned. “You call this a decent hour?”
Kurt blinked. “What time do you call a decent hour, Kitty?” he asked, confused.
“How about sometime past 7:30 in the morning?” Rogue suggested, but Kurt gave a dismissive wave of his hand.
“In Heirlegart, we woke at dawn to do the work that was required of us. Nobody minded, because it was the norm. Before I came here, I woke at dawn when I slept in. Usually I was awake to greet the rising sun. When I first came here I actually thought that you were all rather lazing.”
“Lazy,” corrected Amara from his side. “You thought we were lazy, not lazing.”
Kurt smiled. “Danke, Amy.”
Everyone ignored Evan pretending to gag into his cereal and got on with breakfast. Not surprisingly, Kurt finished first and rose to his feet. “I’m off for the shower,” he announced to no-one in particular, made to leave. Before he did, Bobby called out from the opposite side of the room.
“Kurt, you got those physics notes? We got a test in third period today.”
Kurt nodded. “Ja, I know. I will give you the notes before class, as long as I don’t get sent to see Frau Darkholme again before then. I doubt she would app – appre -”
“Appreciate,” supplied Amara. Kurt nodded.
“Ja. I doubt she would appreciate seeing me again so soon.”
Rahne shivered. “Ah can’t stand Principal Darkholme,” she informed the others. “I dinnae know what, but she just smells… off. I dinnae ken why.”
Kurt grinned. “She gave me the day off school, Rahne. How bad could she be?”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When they arrived at school later that day, the object of their conversation watched them through the window. Behind her, Magneto put down the folder of information that he’d been looking at.
“Forged,” was his verdict. “Mr. Wagner’s files don’t contain one single gem of truth, except for his actually being from Germany.”
Raven turned to face him. “I also haven’t been able to work out what he’s capable of doing yet. Whatever his gift is, he hides it well.”
Magneto nodded. “I’ve had the same difficulty. He’s evidently well used to his abilities, so can easily go without using them.”
“So,” Raven surmised. “Charles pulls a new mutant out of thin air, one with no past and no sign of having even existed before he came here, and who is adept in the use of his powers. We, of course know nothing about this.”
Magneto nodded in agreement. “We need to find out information about young master Wagner. Have the other Brotherhood members follow him and find out what they can. Via any means necessary.”
Raven nodded in acknowledgement as Magneto left the room. She’d contact the boys after third period; there was a general free study class in that time slot, so they’d be able to do their job then.

When fourth period rolled around, Kurt would be in for quite a surprise.

Beboots · Post by **Beboots** » Thu Sep 18, 2003 11:52 pm

Yay! Update!

C'mon, get to the Brotherhood-Nightie fight scene!

I love that one, 'specially when-

*is tied up and gagged by spoiler-hating people*

Tergon · Post by **Tergon** » Fri Sep 19, 2003 12:20 am

_mock threatens Beboots_

Don't you dare! You hear me? Spoil my ficcy, and I will get my computer-technician cousin to hack into the government database in your country and make you a wanted criminal!

Just wait, and it'll come. K?

Beboots · Post by **Beboots** » Fri Sep 19, 2003 12:35 am

Originally posted by Tergon
_mock threatens Beboots_

Don't you dare! You hear me? Spoil my ficcy, and I will get my computer-technician cousin to hack into the government database in your country and make you a wanted criminal!

Just wait, and it'll come. K?

Eeep! *hides underneath computer desk*

...I live in India, I swear!

*tries to cover up the part in her location that says 'Canada'*

Tergon · Post by **Tergon** » Fri Sep 19, 2003 2:31 am

It's okay, Beboots. You can come out now. I won't do anything nasty...
_is holding a lump of cheese behind back_
I won't throw anything at you...

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Bobby was practically bouncing off the walls as the group walked away from the physics test. Slowing down next to Kurt, he clapped a friendly hand onto the German boy's back.
"Dude!" he exclaimed. "think I actually aced that test - those notes saved my ass..." Bobby shook his head. "How do you know that stuff?"
Kurt reached back and removed Bobby's hand from his shoulder before answering. "It's just part of being me,"he replied with a shrug. "I don't know how I know physics, I just know it. Part of my ability, I guess."
"Kurt!" hissed Scott. "Keep your voice down!"
Amara rolled her eyes. "Calm yourself. There's nobody to hear it." Indeed, the hall was almost totally deserted - unusual for a period when virtually no-one had classes. Turning a corner in the hallway, they came upon the reason.

In the middle of the hall, surrounded by a large group of students, there was a fight going on. Not really much or a fight, though - the odds were four on to one, and the one boy evidently wasn’t much of a fighter. Skinny, gangly limbed and bespectacled, he was one of Bayville's many social outcasts, not accepted by the others after being branded a geek. Mostly he was left alone and was fairly quiet, although he was at the top of all of his classes. Nobody ever spoke to him - few even knew his name.
His opposing quartet, however, were well-known to everyone. Scott's breath hissed out as he recognized Lance Alvers, Pietro Maximoff, Fred Dukes, and Todd Tolenski. The infamous Brotherhood Boys. They were currently taking it in turns to knock the defenceless boy to the ground and jeer at him as he tried to get up again. Kurt took one look at the scene before him and acted almost without thought. Breaking through the surrounding ring of people, he grabbed the boy's current tormentor - Lance - and hurled him against the opposite wall. Seizing Todd, the next in line, he slammed the foul-smelling boy against a wall of lockers and growled into his face.
"What are you doing, arschloch?" he snarled. Todd, unable to form words due to Kurt's fists at his throat, could only give a strangled croak in reply. Kurt just sneered at him, dropped Todd on the floor and stepped back. Pietro and Fred stepped menacingly toward him, but were stopped by the arrival of the other students from the Institute.
"Walk away, asshole," spat Scott at them, while Evan visibly restrained himself from attacking Pietro. Todd and Lance got to their feet and stood beside their friends, the latter giving a he-started-it-I'm-innocent look to Kitty. The surrounding crowd began to buzz at the possibility of a larger fight, but were silenced by the PA system crackling to life.
"Lance Alvers, Todd Tolenski, Pietro Maximoff and Fred Dukes report to principal Darkholme's office immediately," squawked the metallic voice. A general groan rose from the audience, which soon began to disperse. Lance continued to glare at Kurt.
"Got yourself a new boyfriend, Shades?" he smirked at Scott. "Gotta admit, the guy's got balls - but I bet you already knew that one, now didn't you?"
Amara stepped up to Lance. "He may have balls," she replied sweetly, " but if you don't want yours ground into paste, I suggest you move along."
Lance glared at Amara, before giving a parting shot to Kurt. "We're gonna finish this later, pal." With that, he left, the others trailing behind him.

Kurt dropped to his knees and helped the groggy-looking boy to his feet. He was bleeding from one corner of his mouth, but his glasses were somehow intact. Kurt held him up so he wouldn't fall.
"Are you alright?" he asked. The boy nodded.
"Just," he replied. "Thanks to you, anyway." He extended one hand. "Simon Kayle," he introduced himself.
Kurt held one hand up to show that he didn't shake hands, but returned the introduction. "Kurt Wagner," he answered.
Jean came up next to Simon and gently took his head in her hands. Inspecting it, she oohed in sympathy. "You're going to get a lump there..." she held one finger in front of Simon's face. "Follow it with your eyes."
Simon didn't even bother. "I don't have concussion," he answered. "Just a little wobbly, that's all..."
At this point, another girl ran up and grabbed Simon's arm. In spite of themselves, the boys all raised an eyebrow as she arrived; long blonde hair hung to her shoulders, framing a delicately formed face with enormous blue eyes. This delectable head was placed atop a very well-proportioned body, producing a remarkably attractive young woman. Oblivious to their stares, the girl began questioning Simon furiously.
"Simon! Are you alright? They didn't hurt you, did they? Did they steal anything?" she babbled,
Simon held up one hand, cutting her off. "I'm fine, these guys broke it up before anything bad happened." The others winced at the idea that what had happened wasn't bad by Simon's standards, but he didn't notice. He turned to the others and gestured. "My sister Vicki. Vick, these are the guys who just saved my ass."
Vicki turned to the others. "Thanks," she gushed. "Those jerks have been giving Simon heaps, lately, and he's not real good at standing up for himself, so..."
Kurt grinned. "It was nothing, frau. All in a day's work." As Simon nearly fell, Kurt caught him and steadied him again. "...which is evidently not over yet." He frowned at Simon. "You said you did not have a concussion," he accused the lankier boy. Simon shrugged and Vicki rolled her eyes.
"Come on, Simon, you're going home. You don't have any classes for the rest of the day, so it doesn't matter anyway," she ordered.
Scott looked unsure. "You think he can make it all the way?"
Vicki nodded. "We only live a few blocks away. I can help him go that far."
Kurt shook his head. "I have him now, I'll help you get him home. I have no classes now, either..." he caught Amara's scandalised glare. "What?"
Amara's look could have cracked stone. "Nothing. Kurt. Just fine," she grated. Scott stepped between them.
"Okay, get Simon back to his house," he told Kurt. "Then get back here, pronto, got it?"
Kurt nodded. "Jawohl," he agreed. With one final confused look at Amara, he walked off with Simon and Vicki.
Kitty nudged Rogue and Jean as they began to head off to study hall. "That boy needs a long, long talking to..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Not far away, the Brotherhood boys walked out of Principal Darkholme's office, deep in thought. Lance raised his head and grinned at the others.
"Brilliant! Absolutely fucking brilliant," he enthused. "This is just what I was talking about. That French kid is gonna get his..."
"He's German, yo," murmured Todd. The others looked at him strangely. "Well, he is."
Lance shrugged. "Whatever. Look, we need to interrogate this guy, and I know just how to do it..."
"What're you thinkin'?" Fred wanted to know.
Lance grinned. "You guys remember the abandoned Trask house just west of town...?"

Beboots · Post by **Beboots** » Fri Sep 19, 2003 2:38 am

Oooh... Foreshadowing...

[spoiler]Not really much or a fight, though - the odds were four on to one, and the one boy evidently wasn't much of a fighter.[/spoiler]

See, Tergon? I'm not ruining it... comepletally...

Tergon · Post by **Tergon** » Fri Sep 19, 2003 4:14 am

Once they had reached the Kayle household, Vicki opened the front door and reached out, taking Simon from Kurt's shoulder and getting him to lean on her. She smiled at Kurt.
"Thanks, Kurt," she said. "You've been really helpful."
Kurt grinned and bowed. "Any time at all, frau," he acknowledged. As Simon waved a weary farewell, Kurt turned and walked down the path out the front gate. His thoughts turned to his friends in general and Amara in particular - he still didn't understand why she'd been so angry at his offer to help Simon. He'd have to ask her about that one when he got back to school...

Kurt was so engrossed in his thoughts that he never saw the silver blur streaking toward him. The wind was knocked out of him so badly that he barely registered being carried across town at an incredible speed; his fur, hidden under his hologram, was the only reason he didn't get blisters from the wind pushing against him. After less than a minute of this rapid motion, he was at his apparent destination; a decrepit old shack on the edge of town, abandoned for years and a half-mile from any neighbour's home. Kurt was carried in the front door and released; his momentum sent him flying into a nearby wall and rebounding onto the floor. Shaking his head, he got to his feet to see the one who had brought him here. Pietro Maximoff grinned nastily at him.
"You'reheavierthanyoulook, pal," he shot. Kurt, not quite as fluent in English as he'd like to be, had not the slightest idea what the speed demon had said.
"Vas?"
"He said you're in deep shit," called a familiar voice from across the room. One by one, Lance, Todd and Fred stepped up next to Pietro. "We got orders, pal, to find out who the fuck you are," continued Lance. "So we';re here to do just that." He gave a mirthless laugh. "I told you we'd finish that fight later. Well, guess what? It's later..."
Kurt looked at the four mutants, who glared back at him. His fighting instincts began to count up the odds against him.
Four on to one... all adept in use of abilities, all with fighting experience, opposing sides unaware of the other's capabilities... ambushed by opponents on territory they have chosen at a time of their choosing...
He gave a hungry little smile.
This was going to be interesting...

Kurt straightened to his full height and eyed off his adversaries. "So, I suppose we cannot simply come to a gentlemen's agreement?" he asked.
Todd grinned. ";You're out of your frikkin' mind, yo. We ain't goin' nowhere 'fore we get the answers we want, yo?"
"Ja? And what are the questions?"
"Who are ya, where'd ya come from, and what can ya do?" grunted Fred. "Those'll do for starters."
Kurt grinned and bowed mockingly. "Kurt Wagner, Germany..." his eyes narrowed. "Anything I want..."
"Ooooooh..." teased Pietro. "Toughtalkpal, butareyouastoughasyouact?"
Kurt looked at him blankly, then shifted his gaze to Lance. "What was that? Mein English is not so good that I can understand gibberish..."
Lance stepped forwards and smacked a fist into his other hand. "He said, are you as tough as you act?"
Kurt's hands were still behind his back from the little bow he'd given Fred. Now, unseen by the others, his hand reached for the buttons of his holowatch. "Oh, ja," he informed the others. "In fact, I would think that I am far more dangerous than you seem to give me credit for."
Todd sneered. "That a fact, yo?"
Abruptly, the mockingly smiling face of Kurt Wagner vanished, leaving a blue-furred demon in his place. As the Brotherhood members gasped in shock, Kurt grinned, displaying sharp-pointed fangs.
"Ja, Todd. It is a fact." Bringing his hands out in front of him, he cracked his knuckles loudly in the stunned silence as his tail whipped the air behind him. Lowering his hands to his sides, he waited for a response. Lance was first. Swallowing, he managed to croak out a single question.
"Wha... what the fuck are you?"
Kurt's grin grew wider. "Dangerous, herr Alvers. Want to play?"
And suddenly, as the mutants began to move, the small, decrepit building had become a battleground.

Todd made the opening attack; whipping out his tongue, he captured Kurt's arm and pulled him off balance. While Kurt's guard was down, Pietro zipped in and rabbit-punched Kurt in the side. Snarling, Kurt flipped sideways in mid-air and smashed a foot into Pietro's chest, knocking him into a pile of broken wooden beams. Twisting, Kurt landed catlike on his feet and flicked his wrist, causing Todd's tongue to whiplash into the smaller boy's face. With a grunt of pain, Todd let go of Kurt's arm and stumbled backwards holding one hand over his left eye. As he backed out, Fred and Lance took their turns.
Fred let out a deafening yell as he charged at Kurt with all the cunning and finesse of a herd of stampeding cows. Kurt waited until the last moment, then jumped high above Fred's head, grabbing one of the wooden roof beams with both hands, kicking the enormous mutant in the head as he passed. Fred barely stumbled; instead, he skidded to a halt and turned, reaching for Kurt's legs as he hung from the roof. Kurt scrambled onto the beam and balanced there, grinning, just out of Fred's grasp. The grin, however, did not last; suddenly there was a rumbling sound, courtesy of Lance, and the roof began to collapse. Kurt lost his balance and fell right into Fred's hands. Fred slapped one meaty hand across Kurt's skull and hurled the smaller mutant at a nearby wall. With a cloud of plaster dust and a loud crash, Kurt smashed right through the wall and into the room beyond. Pietro, having regained his feet, zipped over to the hole in the plaster and peered through, trying to see Kurt. The others crowded behind him, waiting for Kurt's next move.
Suddenly, Pietro was pulled from view, disappearing with a scream of fear, straight up toward the roof in the next room. Exchanging glances, the other three ran through the gap to see what had happened. As they entered, Pietro, now sporting several new bruises and cuts, sailed through the air and collided with Todd and Lance, knocking them to the floor. Fred, managing to keep his feet, looked around frantically for Kurt.
"Have at thee!" Kurt suddenly dropped from the roof, holding a wooden beam in each hand and swinging them like clubs. Delivering three blows to Fred's skull, he goaded the huge boy into a charge toward the opposite side of the room. Fred shouted with fury as he attacked once more, waiting for Kurt to leap over his head again. Instead, Kurt teleported, leaving Fred with a mouthful of brimstone, wondering what the hell had happened. With a *BAMF* sound, Kurt reappeared behind Fred and slammed his clubs into the back of Fred's knees and jumped high, kicking him in the back of the head. Fred stumbled, tripped, and fell to the floor with a resounding BOOM.
Before then, nobody had known that the house had a basement.
Fred smashed through the half-rotted floorboards and landed heavily, knocking his head on the cement floor. He was out cold instantly.

Across the room, the others were stunned at the sight of Fred's defeat, combined with the shock of seeing Kurt use his powers. Lance summed it up in five words:
"We are so seriously fucked."

Kurt spun at his words and advanced, his eyes glowing wildly in the dim light, clubs at the ready. Todd leaped to his feet and snapped out his tongue, catching one of Kurt's weapons and pulling it out of the blue mutant's grasp. Wielding it like a sword, he launched himself at Kurt. This was arguably the most idiotic thing Todd had ever done; of course, he had no way of knowing that Kurt was an expert swordfighter.
He found out the hard way.
Kurt swung his weapon almost faster than even Pietro could see it, far too fast for Todd to parry. In two blows, the length of wood was torn out of his hand; a split second later, Kurt's plank shattered into splinters over Todd's skull. His eyes rolled up in his head and he dropped into an ungraceful heap to the floor.

Kurt, now unarmed but dangerous nonetheless, bared his fangs at his two remaining opponents. "Then there were two..." he growled.
Pietro suddenly appeared next to him and threw a series of punches into Kurt's chest, knocking him back against a wall. Kurt growled again and suddenly crawled backwards up the wall as Pietro stared in shock. A moment later, Kurt's feet were level with Pietro's face; a devastating kick knocked the third member of the Brotherhood unconscious. Lance, the only one remaining, turned to run.

*BAMF*

Kurt's first punch landed in Lance's solar plexus; when he doubled over in pain, the second punch was an uppercut that snapped him upright once more. A roundhouse kick dropped him like a bag of potatoes.
Lance groaned, barely conscious, and watched Kurt approaching him again. The demonic-looking blue mutant dropped into a crouch next to Lance and spoke quietly.
"Did you get the answers you were looking for, herr Alvers?" Kurt asked.
Lance spat out a mouthful of blood and managed to speak. "Who... who are... you?"
Kurt paused for a moment, searching for inspiration. Then he grinned. "I am Nightcrawler, du scheissekopf. Don't forget it." With that, he slammed a palm into the back of Lance's head, knocking him unconscious with his companions. Then, he rose, looked around the room one last time, and vanished in a plume of smoke.

Beboots · Post by **Beboots** » Fri Sep 19, 2003 1:18 pm

Yes!

*sings* The BroOotherhoOod-fight-scene... KuUurt-kicks Aa-:secret

...Durn sensors...

Tergon · Post by **Tergon** » Sat Sep 20, 2003 8:37 am

Once again, the other students arrived back at the mansion to find Kurt already there, eating what appeared to be his thirtieth plate of food as Ororo fussed over him, waving an ice pack. Evan took one look and began ranting.
“K-Man! Where the hell did you go? You were gonna come right back after you took Simon home, so why didn’t you, huh? We were worried abou -” Evan cut himself off as he got a closer look at the bandages on Kurt’s ribs and the swelling from his bruises. “Holy crap,” he whispered, earning a glare from Ororo. He winced. “Sorry, but – dude, what happened to you?”
Kurt swallowed his current mouthful. “I was… busy… with the Brotherhood,” he explained. “They jumped me after I delivered the Kayle siblings to their home.” Swiftly, he outlined the brawl in the abandoned building, ending with, “mein watch stopped working after herr Dukes put me through the wall, so I was forced to return here. Frau Ororo has been caring for me since then, although -” he gently but firmly pushed Ororo’s hands away again “- she does not seem to understand that ice packs have little effect when they are working through fur.”
Scott, meanwhile, was trying not to laugh. “Nightcrawler?’
Kurt grinned proudly. “Ja. I was stuck for something to say, and then I remembered that you all get code-names, so…”
Scott began to chuckle. “But… you called yourself Nightcrawler?”
Kurt’s pleased expression gave way to one of confusion. “Ja. What? It’s threatening, it’s impressive, it’s cool…”
Kitty bit her lip. “It’s, like, a worm.”
Kurt blinked. “Vas?”
Rahne sat down opposite Kurt. “A Nightcrawler is a worm, Kurt. A big, ugly, worm.”
Kurt looked at Amara. “Mein English must be failing again, Amy. What are they saying…?”
“Der nightcrawler ist ein wurm,” Amara informed Kurt. Kurt slowly digested this and, when he’d taken in the full brunt of what it meant, swore. Continuously. Amara, the only one who could understand him fully, went red; Jean, who was able to pick up a general idea of it via telepathy, was fairly impressed as well. Jamie, oblivious to what Kurt was actually saying, spoke up.
“Why can’t you just change it?” he suggested. Evan shook his head.
“It was the last thing K-man said to Alvers before he knocked him out,” he explained to Jamie. “You can’t take something like that back, it’d spoil a dramatic moment. He’s Nightcrawler now, like it or not.”
Rogue jabbed Evan in the ribs. “Shut it, bone-boy,” she said. “Ah think he’s right; Nightcrawler does sound pretty cool.” Jubilee and Bobby nodded in agreement with what Rogue said.
Meanwhile Ororo, frustrated in her efforts to put Kurt on ice, left the room with a semi-melted ice pack in her hand. Entering the kitchen, she saw Hank and Logan preparing various snacks from the fridge. Striding up to the pair, she slapped each one in turn.
Hank blinked. “Um… hello?”
“I hope you’re pleased with yourselves!” she snapped at them.
Logan held up one hand. “‘Ro, what in God’s name are you talkin’ about?”
Ororo tapped one foot impatiently. “Kurt. You two, fighting with one another all the time, trying to make him fight with everyone else… now look what’s happened!”
Hank looked irritated. “He was ambushed, Ororo. We did nothing to cause this, so I find it rather unfair that you blame us for any misfortune that has befallen Kurt.”
Logan nodded in agreement. “And if the elf weren’t as good a fighter as he is, he’d be a lot worse off at the moment.”
Ororo glared pure venom at the two of them, and suddenly hurled the ice pack into Logan’s face. Then she slapped Hank again. Then she stalked out of the room.
Hank rubbed his face and looked at Logan. “Methinks that Ms. Monroe is being unduly harsh to the two of us…”
Logan agreed. “We oughta do something to calm ‘er down.”
Hank shook his head. “You know that’s out of the question, Logan. Charles was most explicit about that. We are forbidden from any little games like that, ever since the – er – noodle incident... remember?”
Logan shuddered from the memory, but his resolve did not falter. “Desperate times call for desperate measures, Poindexter. Besides, Chuck said no pranks on each other. I say we call a truce between ourselves and focus on gettin’ ‘Ro to lighten up.”
Hank considered this offer. Things were getting rather out of hand where Ororo’s strictness was concerned… he sighed. “Alright. United we stand, my friend?”
Logan grinned. “Against a common foe,” he finished. Hank, knowing exactly how far he’d get in asking where Logan had heard that quotation, simply picked up his plate. The two mutants walked over to the kitchen table, sat, and began to eat.
“So…” Logan said slowly. “How are we going to do this?”
“Good question,” agreed Hank. “We’d best put our heads together on this one…”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

School the next day was an interesting affair. Kurt’s hologram hid any injuries that were still visible; the same could not be said of the Brotherhood. All of them sported bumps, bruises and scabs from their run-in with Kurt, injuries they couldn’t hide and were forced to display to the general public. Naturally, they refused to explain to anyone exactly how they’d been beaten up. However, Kurt’s efforts to break up the fight yesterday had not gone unnoticed by the student body, and rumours were flying around unchecked. By lunch, Kurt had been interrogated more times than he cared to remember, and his mood had ensured that while his friends grouped around him at the lunch table, no-one except Amara was actually willing to sit next to him for fear of being sniped at.
Almost no-one.
“Uhhh… is anyone sitting here?” Kurt looked up, surprised, as Simon gestured to the empty seat on Kurt’s left. Kurt shook his head, surprised – Simon rarely ate in the cafeteria at all, let alone choose to sit in the midst of a large group of people. Carefully, Simon sat his tray of food on the table and took a seat. However, he did not begin to eat. He gave Kurt a searching look, his gave not leaving Kurt’s face, until the German boy finally said something.
“Vas?” Kurt wiped his mouth. “Do I have something on mein face?”
Simon shook his head. “No. Not a scratch.”
Kurt looked wary. “Why should I be scratched?” he asked carefully.
Simon snorted. “Don’t give me that,” he said. “Just tell me, is it true? Did you really beat those jerks up?”
Scott broke in. “Where did you hear that?” he demanded. Simon shrugged.
“Everywhere. It’s all over the school today. Yesterday Kurt sticks up for me and Alvers threatens him, and now Alvers has had the crap kicked out of him along with his buddies. People talk, and I was just wondering…”
Evan snorted. “Get outta here, you can’t just-”
“Evan!” Kurt cut him off sharply. He looked keenly at Simon. “Why do you think I would beat herr Alvers?” he asked.
Simon did not blink. “Because nobody has ever stood up for me before. You did. I saw your face when you hit Alvers, too. You know what it’s like to be considered a freak. So when he challenged you, and when you looked capable of handling him, I decided that it was possible – just barely possible – that you’d done it.”
For a long while, Kurt did not reply. Finally, he spoke. “I’m not going to answer you now. Do you have a class during 5th period?”
“No.”
“We will talk then.”
Simon nodded, then picked his untouched tray up and left with an absent farewell to the others. As soon as he was gone, Scott pounced on Kurt.
“Are you out of your goddamn mind?” he hissed furiously. “You can’t tell him anything! What if he finds out how you were able to beat those guys, huh? Did you think of that?”
Kurt met Scott’s eyes. “Ja, mein freund, I did. And I also know that Simon will not discover anything unless I actually tell him so, which I am certainly not going to.”
Rogue looked confused. “Then why are you going to talk to him?” she asked.
“Because I owe him that.”
Scott cut in again. “You don’t owe him anything!” he all but exploded.
Kurt’s gaze was ice. “Wrong, Scott. I owe him an explanation, from one freak to another. You, with your little army of female admirers and your large group of friends in this school, cannot understand that. So don’t try.” Kurt picked up his fork once more. “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” was all he said for the remainder of lunch.

Beboots · Post by **Beboots** » Sat Sep 20, 2003 2:12 pm

I love the, 'Judge not, lest ye be judge' line.

Thanks for updating so quickly! I can't wait 'till the rest is up... *elbows Tergon* Hint, hint....

Tergon · Post by **Tergon** » Sun Sep 21, 2003 12:17 am

The members of the Brotherhood sat in the principal’s office. Magneto stood in the room, holding a dossier of information in one hand. He looked at the four battered-looking boys and shook his head.
“Avalanche, Toad, Quicksilver and Blob,” he began, “I do not do this very often, so I would advise you to listen closely.” The others exchanged glances, unsure of what was coming next. “I apologise,” Magneto said gravely.
Todd blinked. “Huh?”
“For sending you to deal with this… Nightcrawler, as you called him. I was unaware of his potential, and as such made a mistake by pitting you against him. However, I believe I have found some quite fascinating information…” He opened the dossier and extracted a single sheet of paper, covered with closely-written text.
“You’ve all heard of the Weapon X organisations in this country. In Europe, there is a similar, privately-owned organisation known as Genetex. I should say was; the company was disbanded just over six months ago.”
Raven raised an eyebrow. “What is the significance of this?” she asked.
“A subject from their laboratories,” answered Magneto. “Roughly seven years ago, a young mutant was captured in rural Germany. He was taken for testing, and pre-manifestation training. This training included reconnaissance, infiltration, espionage, sabotage, extraction and assassination, among various other skills.”
Tabitha blinked. “What does that mean?”
Wanda, more familiar with this kind of jargon, answered her. “It means they captured some mutant kid, ran tests on him, and trained him to be like James Bond on steroids before his powers even came out.”
“Quite,” agreed Magneto. “This particular subject was known only as number 01500-4127. He was ten years old upon capture; however, his training was never completed. Three years after his original capture, 4127 escaped the Genetex facility. A single attempt to recapture him was made, and almost succeeded. However, 4127 evaded the Genetex agents and was not heard from again… until last winter.” He waved the sheet of paper. “This document details a mission led by Dr. Francis Baine, head scientist and private owner of the Genetex corporation. Subject 4127 was detected in this very area – in the mountains near the X-Men’s headquarters, in fact. A strike force came here via Baine’s private jet. And that was the last time that Baine or his soldiers were seen alive.”
“Unusually heavy snowstorms were blamed for their disappearance, but no effort was made to recover them – suggesting that those who wrote these reports knew better. It is virtually certain that they were able to locate 4127, but were unable to capture him. And they never left the area alive.”
Lance stirred uneasily. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” he asked.
Magneto nodded. “These files contain a detailed description of 4127. Both in physical form and the nature of his abilities, he is… unique. The information you gave me regarding Nightcrawler matches that description exactly.”
Todd blinked. “So this guy… this Nightcrawler guy… he’s this 4127 dude, yo?” Magneto nodded, and Todd continued. “And he’s trained to take out anyone he picks a fight with, right? Sorta like he ain’t gonna lose a fight, ever, right?”
“That’s correct, Toad…”
Todd shot up in his seat, knocking the chair backwards. “AND YOU TOLD US TO PICK A GODDAMN FIGHT WITH THIS ASSHOLE? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKIN’ MIND, YO?” he screamed.
“Sit down, Toad!” barked Magneto. When the lanky youth sat again, a dark scowl on his face, Magneto continued. “Yes, I unwittingly sent you to deal with Nightcrawler. Which was why I apologized,” he added pointedly. “Now, I’m giving you new instructions regarding how we will deal with him.”
Pietro looked uneasy. “What?” he asked. “Iamnotgoingtogoanywherenearthatfreakshow, sodon’ttrytomakeme.”
“I’m not,” Magneto replied. “None of you are.”
The others looked blankly at each other. “Huh?” Fred asked.
“Nightcrawler is not only far too formidable for you to combat, but is a delicate case besides.” He dropped the folder onto Raven’s desk. “Nightcrawler is many things, but above all is a survivor. He will ally himself where best he can improve his situation. And that is a weakness we can exploit.”
Raven stirred. “How can we do that?” she asked. “Xavier has evidently won Nightcrawler’s trust. The X-Men are in no immediate danger, and with Nightcrawler on their side are more powerful than ever. So I fail to see how we can convince him that joining the Brotherhood would aid his survival.”
Magneto smiled. “You need not worry about that, Mystique. Action is already being taken to deal with this… difficulty.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Kurt walked into the otherwise empty room, holding the door open for Simon as he did so. Sitting on one of the empty desks, he looked at the bespectacled boy.
“So?” he asked.
Simon sat opposite Kurt. “You know what my questions are, Kurt. Are you going to answer them?”
Kurt sighed. “Ja. I did it. As you say, I can understand what you are feeling when called a freak. And, also, herr Alvers did challenge me, so it was within my interests to defend myself when he and his friends attacked me.”
Simon blinked. “You know, some people would have just said they were sticking up for me without claiming it was self-defence…”
Kurt smiled wistfully. “Ja, but I am a terrible liar.”
Simon snorted with laughter and got up. “Okay, then. Thank you, Kurt. It means a bunch to me.”
Kurt looked surprised. “That’s it? You are leaving?” he asked.
Simon nodded. “I have somewhere to be,” he explained. “And… this was also kind of a setup. I was told to get you here alone, so…”
Kurt looked wary. “Who told you that?” he said carefully.
Simon grinned and opened the door. “He’s all yours,” he said as he walked out. Moments later, an embarrassed-looking Vicki walked into the room.
Kurt blinked. “Um… guten tag?” he offered.
Vicki went red. “Uh, hi, Kurt,” she said with a little grin. “How are you?”
Kurt shrugged. “Fein, I guess. And you?”
“Oh, I’m good,” she replied. Sitting on the desk next to Kurt, she looked at the floor. “Um, listen… about yesterday… I thought it was really nice of you to stick up for Simon like that.”
He grinned. “Ach, it was nothing. I’d have done the same for anyone.”
Vicki just smiled. “I’m sure you would have. But… see, I wanted to thank you for the effort, and… well, would you like to go see a movie or something, sort of to say ‘thank you’?” God, he’s cute, she thought.
Kurt thought for a moment. He’d not been to the cinema often, so it was a rare treat – made all the rarer by the fact that Scott would not be there to tell him off at every available chance. Hmm… Amara has not been happy with me lately, he thought. Perhaps she might care to join us… the films always are able to cheer me up… “Ja,” Kurt agreed. “That would be good.”
The two smiled at one another in complete misunderstanding as they made their separate plans – Vicki glad that a nice boy had accepted her offer, Kurt glad to be making a new friend. As they went their separate ways, wrapped in their thoughts, neither of them noticed the security camera in the hall, tracking their movements.
In Raven’s office, Magneto was very aware of what was going on in the hallway as he watched through the security monitors. And was very interested in what he saw.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

After school had finished, the students made their way to the vehicles to head back to the Institute. Jean had cheerleading practice, so wouldn’t be heading back for a while, and so there was an empty seat in Scott’s car. Kurt took it. Since the sky was clouded over with rain threatening, the roof on the car was up and the trip began in relative silence.
Eventually Kurt glanced at Scott. “Er… Scott…”
Scott looked at his friend, then back at the road. “Yeah?”
“I… I’m sorry I snapped at you during lunch,” Kurt mumbled. “I was… annoyed at everyone then, questioning me all day and watching my every move, and… well, I vented mein frustrations on you. And I am sorry for doing so.”
Scott blinked – he’d been about to apologise for annoying Kurt, so was a little taken aback by the apology. “Uh… that’s okay…”
In the back seat, Kitty leaned forward to look at Kurt, who was riding shotgun in Jean’s usual seat. “You’re apologising? You, like, must be in a good mood or something. Like, what gives?”
“Yeah, spill it, blue boy,” ordered Rogue.
Kurt shrugged. “I suppose I am. I have been making new friends today.”
Evan laughed. “Who with? Simon the uber-geek?”
Kurt shot him a dirty look. “He’s not, but nein. With his schwester, Vicki.”
Scott’s jaw dropped. “Vicki Kayle? You’ve been making friends with her?”
Kurt looked confused. “Ja. What is wrong?”
Evan clapped a hand on Kurt’s shoulder. “Nothing at all, man. Just that you picked a date with one of the hottest girls in school…”
“Es ist not a date, Evan. She wanted to thank me for helping Simon, is all.”
Rogue snorted. “Sure. And how did she want to ‘thank you’?”
Kurt didn’t get the sarcasm. “She invited me to accompany her to a film. Why?”
Rogue and Evan looked at each other and burst out laughing. “Your English lessons covered the word ‘naïve’ yet, Kurt?” hooted Evan.
“Vas?”
Rogue wiped tears of mirth from her eyes. “That’s a date, boyo. You need it spelled out for ya?”
As Kurt blinked, stunned, Kitty just frowned. “What about Amara?” she asked.
“Oh,” said Kurt absently. “Thought I’d invite her, too. Might not be in gut taste, if this truly is a date, as you say…”
The laughter trailed off. Finally, Scott spoke. “You seriously didn’t know?”
Kurt smiled wistfully. “I grew up in a village where everyone knew everyone else. Mit my appearance, I was never a popular choice for the ladies, and besides that I was taken away when I was ten years old. I then spent three years in the laboratories of Genetex, and when I escaped, the village was destroyed with everyone in it. Having nowhere else to turn, I ran from there, eventually coming to this country and living alone in the mountains for two years. Since then, you have seen everything that has happened in my life.”
Kitty blinked. “Um… yeah?”
Kurt let out an exasperated sigh. “So, from that story, perhaps you can tell me: at exactly what point am I supposed to have had any experience whatsoever mit girls?”
No-one spoke for some time.
Finally Evan broke the silence. “Okaaaay then…”
“Yeah…” agreed Scott.
Kitty looked at Rogue. “Are you, like, thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Ah hope not,” muttered Rogue, who was thinking about using a stapler to seal Kitty’s mouth shut. Kitty took no notice of her tone.
“We so totally have to coach Kurt on dating…”
Kurt, in spite of his apprehension, managed a sickly grin as Scott ever-so-slightly increased his speed. The trip was still going to take another twenty minutes.
Oh, joy…

Fuzzy_Jr. · Post by **Fuzzy_Jr.** » Sun Sep 21, 2003 1:11 am

Mee hee hee.... Can't wait to see hoe -this- turns out!

Great so far! Love the 'confused Kurt'!!:D

Beboots · Post by **Beboots** » Sun Sep 21, 2003 2:30 pm

Man, you have good lines everywhere! I especially loved the, " "So, from that story, perhaps you can tell me: at exactly what point am I supposed to have had any experience whatsoever mit girls?” "

Priceless!

Tergon · Post by **Tergon** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 1:30 am

As they walked into the kitchen, Kurt was still blinking at what he’d been told. Logan was sitting at the table, reading the newspaper. Ororo was making a cup of coffee and greeted them as they walked in. Kurt began to head for the fridge; however, at that moment, the door swung open behind them and the other students walked in, Amara at their head. Kurt let out a strangled squeak and teleported out of the room.
Hank, bringing up the rear, raised an eyebrow. “And what has startled our teutonic friend?” he asked.
“Don’t ask,” Scott replied as he removed a can of soda from the fridge and took a drink. “He got a little lecture on the way home, and is just a little bit freaked out right now…”
Evan snickered, glanced at the confused-looking Amara, snickered again, and left the room with most of the others in tow. Bobby had the misfortune of staying behind as Ororo took a sip of her coffee – and promptly spat it back into the cup.
“Bobby!” she snapped. “Salt in the sugar bowl? Again?” She glared at the startled youth.
“But I didn’t -” he tried, but Ororo just turned away to sit at the table opposite Logan.

*PRRRRRRBBBBBPTHTHTHTHTHTH*

As the whoopee cushion went flat and stopped its noise, Bobby let out a terrified whimper. Ororo slammed her hand down on the table and stood up. She strode over to Bobby, seized him by one ear, and was already lecturing him as she left the room.
Hank winced and turned to Logan. “I told you not to do it…” he singsonged.
Logan glared at him. “It was worth a try, Poindexter. We gotta start somewhere.”
Hank removed the whoopee cushion from the chair and sat. “However, it’s preferable that when one begins a project, he makes the situation better, not worse.”
Logan snorted. “And do we see you making the situation better, Poindexter?”
“Yes,” Hank replied mildly.
Logan blinked in surprise. “What did you do?”
“Replaced all her coffee with decaf.”
“…good idea…”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Kurt paused outside the door to the rec room, took a deep breath, and entered. In one corner of the couch, Amara sat reading a book by the light of a single lamp, the only light source in the otherwise darkened room. Slowly, he walked over to where she sat.
“Amy?” he asked softly.
Amara sat up and blinked. “Who…?”
Kurt mentally smacked himself in the forehead and stepped into the light, becoming visible as he left the shadows of the room. “Just me,” he answered sheepishly.
“Oh, hello Kurt,” she smiled. She closed her book. “How can I help you?”
Kurt forced a nervous tremor out of his voice. “I must go into town for a short time. I have an… errand to run, and then I shall be returning early.” The ‘errand’ was to turn down the charms of Vicki Kayle, but Kurt saw no reason to tell Amara this.
Amara made as if to rise. “Would you like some company?” she asked nonchalantly. Kurt waved one hand frantically.
“No! Eh… no thank you, Amy. As I say, I will soon be returning. I was just wondering…” Kurt swallowed as his mouth had suddenly become very dry. “…if when I returned, you would perhaps accompany me in a return to town? There is a film at the cinema I would like to see, and if you would like to come…?”
Amara shrugged. “Very well. What time shall you be returning?”
“Um… at around seven?”
“Good.” Amara nodded. “I will wait for you then.”
Kurt grinned and tried not to squeak with nervousness. “Sehr gut. I will be leaving, then.”
Amara nodded. “Goodbye, then.”
Kurt walked two steps and vanished in an explosion of smoke. Amara waited a decent interval, then shot to her feet and ran for the stairs. She needed a shower, and some advice from the other girls if they were willing.
Seven o’ clock only gave her a few hours to get ready…

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hank poked his head out of his room the instant he heard the door to the girl’s rooms close. They’d been running around all night, giggling about something he’d decided he didn’t want to know about. Just as he had something he’d rather they didn’t know about. Jerking his head back and forth, he assured himself that the coast was clear, and bolted from the sanctuary of his room toward another door, some ten metres down the hall, clutching at his little surprise. Bursting into Logan’s room, he slammed the door behind him.
“Poindexter! What the hell are you…” Logan trailed off as he saw what Hank was holding. “Scratch that last one. What the HELL is that?”
“Keep your voice down!” hissed Hank furiously. “Do you want the others to hear you?” Knuckling at a more controlled pace to the table against one wall, he placed the object down, then sat in the chair and looked at Logan. “You wanted me to take a more active role in our little project, so…”
Logan rubbed one hand over his eyes. “A more active role, Poindexter, would’ve been cracking jokes to get a rise out of her. THAT,” he gestured, “ain’t helping. Where’d ya get it, anyway?”
“I’m a doctor, Logan,” replied Hank mildly. “I can obtain things like this legally.”
“Are you gonna use it legally?”
“That’s what I brought it here to discuss… you wanted to ‘mellow her out’, as I recall. That’s what this is for. Now, how are we going to use it?”
The pair stared speculatively at the small green cannabis plant sitting on the table. Thinking.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Kurt knocked on the Kayle’s door and waited. He didn’t have to wait long. Vicki opened the door and hit him with a thousand-watt grin.
“Kurt!” she squealed. “You’re early!”
“Ja,” Kurt agreed. “Can… can I talk to you, bitte?”
Looking confused, Vicki stepped aside to let him in. “Daddy and Simon aren’t here, so I was going to lock up after you arrived…” she led him into the lounge and sat on the couch, patting the seat next to her for Kurt to sit. With a polite smile, he sat on the chair near to her. It was going to be easier if she wasn’t snuggling up against him.
“So, what’s wrong?” she prompted him. “I’m assuming there is something wrong…”
Kurt nodded sadly. “Ja. There is.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Vicki, why did you ask me here tonight?”
She looked at the carpet with an embarrassed look on her face. “I told you, it was to thank you for sticking up for Simon…”
“And was that all?” Kurt asked.
“Well… it’s just that…”
“Ja?”
Vicki sighed. “Not many guys at school would be willing to be seen with me. Since they avoid Simon like the plague, being seen with me is almost as bad as being seen with him. When you arrived… you’re polite to everyone, and you stuck up for Simon, and… well, you’re pretty cute, too…” she looked up again. “So, I asked Simon to get you alone so I could see if you were interested, and you came here, so…”
At this point, Kurt held up a hand to restrain her. “Vicki, I came because I misunderstood. I thought that what you were offering to me was friendship, nothing more. I… I cannot go along with you as you had planned. I have… somebody else… to think of.”
Vicki’s mouth opened slightly and her eyes widened. “Really?” she asked softly.
Kurt nodded mournfully. “Ja. Vicki, I am so very sorry for what I have done, but customs in this country are so very different, and I did not understand at first what you meant, and…” he trailed off when he noticed Vicki was looking at him strangely. “Vas?”
Vicki stood up. “Well,” she said. “May as well drop the act, then…”
Kurt blinked in confusion. “Vicki, I don’t…”
Suddenly, ‘Vicki’ changed. Becoming a tall, blue-skinned woman. Who looked very, very angry with Kurt. She smirked at him.
“You’re pathetic,” snarled Mystique, and kicked the stunned Kurt in the side of his head, sending him flying across the room. He was already twisting in the air, landing catlike on all fours, when he heard a strange ‘phoot’ sound. A moment later, he felt a stinging pain as a dart suddenly appeared in his shoulder.
Tranquilliser, he thought. Dummkopf, letting your guard down…
As the world swam before his eyes, he focused his attention on Mystique, dart gun still in her hand. “You… you…” he croaked, before collapsing on the floor.

Mystique snorted and tossed the empty gun onto the sofa. She glanced up at Sabretooth, descending the stairs, glaring at the unconscious Kurt slumped on the carpet.
“I had thought,” Mystique commented, “that Nightcrawler was formidiable.”
Sabretooth grinned. “Little bastard’s thinkin’ with his dick, not his head. Woulda done anything without thinkin’ if ya’d asked him.”
Mystique shrugged. “You’re most likely right. Are the humans out of the equation?”
He nodded. “They ain’t gonna squeal to nobody,” he growled. Reaching Kurt, he slung the boy’s limp form over one shoulder. “Let’s get outta here. Boss wants the little bastard back at base quick as possible.”
Mystique nodded and followed Sabretooth to the door. Pausing at the entrance, she reached into a coat cupboard and removed a can of gasoline, which she used to soak the carpet and walls near the door. As she left, she tossed a burning cigarette lighter onto the sodden carpet, which caught alight with a ‘whoomph’ sound. They left.
Soon, black smoke began to billow over the city of Bayville as the Kayle house burned slowly to the ground. By the time the fire fighters arrived, there was no way they could stop the blaze. By morning, the house would be nothing but ashes.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Back at the Institute, no-one was aware of this – least of all Amara.
She spent almost two hours getting ready to go out. Seeking the assistance of every female in the mansion, she showered, cleaned her hair, carefully selected an outfit, put her hair up just right, and spent over thirty minutes on her makeup. Then, finally ready, she sat down to wait at a quarter to seven.
She waited for a long time.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited…
When she finally went to bed at eleven o’ clock, her tears had ruined her carefully applied mascara.
Kurt had not returned.

Beboots · Post by **Beboots** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 1:44 am

Eee...It's gettin' good...

Keep it up, Tergon! Update! Update! ?

...

...I have nothing more intelligent to say, okay?

Update!

Yma · Post by **Yma** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 10:30 am

Hi Tergon, it's nice to see that you're still working on this. I am here, I do like your fic, but I've read this much already. When new stuff starts being posted I'll add some comments. OK?

Fuzzy_Jr. · Post by **Fuzzy_Jr.** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 9:11 pm

Whell then it -is- getting good!

B-b-ut what's gonna happen to Kurt?

Can't wait to find out!!

Hmm... and I'm also wondering about Logan & Hanks eeevil plan!

Tergon · Post by **Tergon** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 10:33 pm

Kurt groaned as he slowly came to his senses. He was still a little groggy, but that would wear off soon enough. Opening his eyes, he looked around him. He was sprawled on the bed in a ‘room’ with three walls of solid metal and a fourth made of glass. Decorating the cell were the bed, hanging off one wall, and a tray of food near the door. At the sight of food, his stomach promptly began trying to leave his body and make its way over to the tray; what he saw next effectively quelled his hunger.
There were people outside the glass. Watching him. One of them the blue lady he’d seen at the Kayle house. The others, he didn’t recognise. One, dressed in red and purple clothing, smiled at him as he noticed Kurt waking up.
“Greetings, Mr. Wagner,” came a metallic voice through the speaker set above the door. “Or do you prefer Nightcrawler?”
Kurt glared at him and didn’t answer. Mentally he thanked God that his holowatch was still active. Eventually, the silver-haired man spoke again. “I am Magneto, and this place is my humble home. You are, for now, a guest here. You may as well speak to us… we don’t want to alienate you, and if you won’t give us a chance…”
Kurt sat on the bed and crossed his legs. “Where am I?” he asked softly.
“Asteroid M,” beamed Magneto, pleased that Kurt was speaking to him. “The heart of the Brotherhood of Mutants.”
Kurt was unimpressed. “And is there a reason you have brought me here, mein herr? Or did you simply want a new pet and did not think you could adequately care for a hamster?”
Magneto scowled at him. “You’re insolent, Nightcrawler. I don’t like that.”
“I’m in a cage. I hate that.”
“Why?”
Kurt looked at him coolly. “Would you like it?”
Magneto shrugged. “Then perhaps you’d like to find a way out of there? Because I can easily open the door…”
Kurt didn’t even move. “At what price?”
Mystique spoke up. “A fair price, Nightcrawler. Alliance from you and reason to believe that you can be trusted.”
Kurt sighed and lay down on the bed. “Then I am not likely to get out of here any time soon,” he replied mildly. “Ambushing me, shooting me, and putting me in a cage… these are not particularly effective ways of earning my allegiance.”
“And if we had not, would you have even considered our offer?” countered Magneto.
“Perhaps.” Kurt rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “So… if you are so eager to gain my trust, you must have a special interest in me… why?”
“You know the answer to that,” Magneto answered.
“Remind me.”
Magneto bit back an exasperated sigh. “Your… talents… are extremely useful to you. And, by proxy, anyone with whom you lend those talents. Therefore, you are an extremely useful individual to your allies – and potentially lethal to your enemies.”
“I don’t kill people.”
Mystique blinked. “But what about the agents from -” she said without thinking.
“Mystique!” Magneto cut her off furiously. “That is enough!”
“Too late,” called Kurt from inside the cell. “Now, mein herr, how do you plan to earn my trust after taking me prisoner and letting slip that you have connections within Genetex?”
“We have no such connections,” corrected Magneto. “Those files were stolen. What was in them, however, was interesting information… for example, I was not aware that you had a shapeshifting ability…”
Kurt frowned. “Vas?”
“Your files, and the information provided by the other members of the Brotherhood, have you listed as looking markedly different from how you do at the moment. Care to explain?”
Kurt raised an eyebrow. “I wear a mask, mein herr. That is something you cannot offer me, and yet another reason for not joining mit your goals.”
Magneto narrowed his eyes. “Take the mask off,” he ordered.
“Nein.”
“Do it, or Sabretooth will remove it for you,” he grated.
Kurt glanced at Sabretooth and shrugged. “Well now… at least your threats are not empty…” removing his watch, he stood to allow his tail to wriggle free behind him. “… but you are still not making me a friend.”
Magneto waved a dismissive hand. “That will come later. For now, I would like you to meet someone – someone who can not only identify with you, but perhaps give you a reason to join us after all…” he turned to Mystique. “Fetch Megabyte,” he ordered.
Mystique didn’t move. She was staring transfixed at Kurt, unblinking.
“MYSTIQUE!”
She started, then looked at Magneto. “Yes… ah, Megabyte. Yes, of course.” She left, and Magneto shook his head in confusion. He turned to Sabretooth.
“What was that about?”
In his cell, Kurt echoed those same sentiments inside his own head.
What had been so startling for her?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next morning at the Institute, by chance a Saturday, began unlike many others, in that Kurt was not up immediately after dawn and irritating those he came into contact with. No-one thought anything of it, however; the males of the Institute were simply glad of a sleep-in, and Kurt was so deep into disgrace with the women that they weren’t surprised in the least that he seemed to be avoiding them. This state of no-one caring where Kurt had gotten to lasted well into morning.
At around eleven, Logan finally gave up.
“Alright, where’d the elf go?” he asked the general assembly of mutants crowding the living room. “Usually he’s up at dawn, and this is just gettin’ ridiculous…”
Kitty snorted. “If that little blue moron shows his stupid little face around here for the next week, I promise you’re, like, gonna know about it from his screaming…”
Scott winced. “I’m guessing he did something wrong?”
Amara sniffed. “I don’t want to talk about it…”
Jamie piped up from the sofa. “He was gonna take Amara to see a movie at seven last night, but when he wasn’t back by eleven she went to bed. Now the girls are gonna kill him if they see him again.” Everyone stared at him, silent. “What? It’s not my fault if people forget I’m in the room when they talk…”
Hank shook his head. “Actually, Jamie, I was startled by your claim that Kurt had not returned by eleven o’ clock last night. The operative question being raised that if he did not return by then, when did he return?”
Ororo spoke up. “In fact, has anyone seen Kurt at all since yesterday?”
When no-one answered, Charles gave an uneasy frown. “Bobby, would you check his room please?” As Bobby left, he spoke to the others. “Now, since I have been unable to locate him via telepathy, and it’s rather out of character for him to stay hidden totally… is anyone willing to tell me what’s going on?”
Rogue and Kitty looked embarrassed. “Well, like…” Kitty began.
Rogue cut in. “It’s… kinda private, Professor. Kurt ain’t exactly eager for people to know where he was last night…”
Logan grunted. “We ain’t lookin’ for excuses. Where’s the elf?”
Evan sighed. “Okay… he went out with a girl from school. Vicki Kayle.”
Over the table, Amara made a choking sound. Jean was about to ask if she was okay when the Nova Roman ran from the room. Jean sighed.
“I’d better see if she’s okay,” she decided aloud and rose from her seat and left the room, and the conversation, behind her. She was walking down the corridor when the phone rang nearby. Stopping, she answered.
“Hello? Jean Gray speaking…”
The voice on the other end was shaky. “I don’t have much time, so listen.”
Jean blinked. “Who is this?”
“Shut up. All you need to know is that Kurt has been taken by Magneto. The Kayle family is dead, and Kurt is a hostage on Asteroid M. When you arrive, I’ll be gone. You have to help him.”
Jean was stunned. “Hey, hang on, who are -” the caller hung up. Jean looked at the phone for a moment, then replaced the receiver. Then she sprinted for the living room to tell the others.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

On Asteroid M, Mystique rose from the chair she’d been sitting in whilst she spoke to Jean. She was still in shock from seeing Kurt – her son was supposed to be dead. She’d seen him get washed over the waterfall, she’d searched the area for him but hadn’t found him… this was impossible.
Yet it had happened.
Mystique rose to unsteady feet and headed for one of the exits from Asteroid M. She’d done all she could do.
Now she had to get out before Magneto discovered what she’d done.

Beboots · Post by **Beboots** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 10:51 pm

This is getting good!

Good ol' Mystique, with her traitorous, motherly instincts... ;)Good for her!

Tergon · Post by **Tergon** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 2:11 am

The Blackbird shot out of the hangar perhaps half an hour later. Once the others had convinced Amara to come out of her room and explained the situation, plans had been set in motion. By general consensus of the adults, it had been agreed that Mystique was the one who’d made the phone call, for some reason alerting the X-Men of their friend’s plight…

“Why would she tell us?” Scott had argued. “It’s gotta be a trap of some sort…”
“Almost certainly,” Charles had agreed. “If the Brotherhood has taken Kurt, and he is still alive, then they are most likely using him as bait to capture the rest of us. However, we can’t very well leave him there.”
“How do we even know he’s there?” Logan wanted to know.
“We only just found out Kurt’s missing. That means that Mystique knew before we did. And therefore, had to have something to do with it. Satisfied?”
The answer, of course, had been a resounding NO. However, Evan had fortunately chosen that exact moment to turn on the radio.
“…and in other news, a house fire in central Bayville has left one building gutted by flames and an entire block with smoke damage. The house, belonging to one Mr. Andrew Kayle, and his children Simon and Vicki, was not able to be saved by firefighters, and the family was apparently unable to escape the blaze in time. Police refused to comment on suspected arson, but our reports show…”
Evan had switched the radio off with one shaky hand. Scott stood.
“Suit up. We’re going.”

Now, as the jet soared away toward the midday sun, the occupants were more than a little tense. Despite all arguments, the new mutants had been instructed to remain at the Institute, so as not to leave the building completely unguarded. Charles and Ororo also remained, keeping watch over the others. Scott, Evan, Kitty, Rogue, Jean, Logan and Hank were on board the Blackbird, headed for Asteroid M.
Or, so the planning had gone.
Now, Logan unbuckled his seatbelt and rose, sniffing the air. Hank glanced up.
“What is it?”
“Somethin’ ain’t right,” Logan growled, stalking slowly toward the back of the plane.
Hank shook his head and resumed his brooding with a muttered, “Here we go…”
Logan ignored him and continued down the aisle, eventually reaching a large storage cabinet. He stopped and cursed.
“For Christ’s sake, we told ‘em…”
He yanked the door open. Inside the cabinet, Jamie and Amara blinked at him like startled owls. Jamie offered a crooked smile.
“Um… hi?”
Logan stepped back. “Out. Now.”
As the younger students trooped out of the cabinet and sat, Scott glanced back from the controls of the jet and did a double take.
“What in the hell are they doing here?”
Amara sniffed. “We are going to assist you in helping Kurt,” she announced.
Rogue tried not to laugh at Scott’s expression. “Really?”
Jamie shrugged. “Why not? We want to help, and we’ve gotta be worth something…”
Hank was doing his best to sound stern while Logan stared, speechless, at the two students. “And you are so eager to help because…?”
Jamie frowned. “He’s cool. He’s Kurt. I want to help you help him.” He blinked. “Umm… help you with helping… wait, help you…”
Evan shook his head. “Jamie. Shut. Up. We get it.”
Kitty looked at Amara. “And do we, like, even need to ask why you want to help?”
Amara raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I’m certain you’re all more than capable of rescuing Kurt by yourselves. It’s simply that this… Magneto character… he irritates me.”
“Irritates,” Jean said flatly.
“I had plans for last night. Magneto disrupted them. No-one disrupts the plans of a Nova Roman of royal blood and gets away with it.”
Logan blinked for the first time since letting the pair out of the cabinet, then walked back to his seat and sat down. For the first time in his life, he felt a pang of sympathy for one Erik Lensherr, aka Magneto.
He’d pissed off the wrong princess…

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Magneto and Sabretooth watched the console with marked interest. Although the Blackbird was invisible to radar, it was metallic, and therefore could be sensed by Magneto’s power. By use of a few handy satellites, he was easily able to track their progress. Next to him, Sabretooth frowned.
“You sure this is gonna work?” he asked gruffly.
Magneto nodded, his eyes not leaving the screen. “Have I told you of Megabyte’s capabilities yet, Sabretooth?” The larger man shook his head, and Magneto continued. “Megabyte is to electricity and electrical energy what I am to magnetism. He is capable of generating incredible amounts of electrical energy, and also capable of controlling any system activated by electrical energy.”
Sabretooth was unimpressed. “What does that mean?”
Magneto smiled faintly. “It means that he can control anything electrical. He can distort radio waves, he can turn appliances on and off by merely thinking about it, and he can overwhelm any computer system in existence by focusing his attention on it. He’s capable of extending his awareness over huge areas – anywhere in this country, in fact – and if faced by an opponent in face-to-face combat, he can charge them with up to eighty thousand volts of energy without even trying.”
Sabretooth grunted. “Okay. So what’s he gonna do here?”
Magneto merely smiled. “Watch and see…”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As the Blackbird neared Asteroid M, the X-Men were preparing to enter Magneto’s stronghold. Scott switched on the radio and spoke into it.
“Professor? We’re nearly there. No signs of life so far.”
“Very well, Scott,” came the professor’s voice in reply. “Just keep your guard up. Good luck.”
Scott nodded and switched the radio off, banking the jet slowly toward the Asteroid.
Then the radio turned on again. Scott frowned and turned it off.
And it turned back on again.
Scott thumped the console. “Damn radio’s broken,” he informed Logan. “We’d better watch it, I don’t know if we can contact the professor now.” Logan nodded and was about to reply when the radio broke out in a harsh burst of static. Slowly, the static cleared, being replaced with an eerie silence.
Which was suddenly broken.
“Satan salve, moritorium es!” boomed a metallic voice over the radio.
Evan blinked. “What?”
Amara sat up higher in her seat. “It’s Latin,” she said, confused. “It means, ‘the adversary greets you, you who are about to die’.” She looked at the others. “Who would…”
All of a sudden, their stomachs lurched as the jet swung violently to the right.
“Scooter!” yelled Logan. “What the hell are you doing?”
“It’s not me!” Scott shouted. “Look!”
Lights were flickering on the console as various switches turned on and off. Moving of its own accord, the control stick turned the plane rapidly to the right.
The jet was not under their control.
Scott was dimly aware of Kitty screaming as the Blackbird went into a dizzying spin.

Tergon · Post by **Tergon** » Wed Sep 24, 2003 12:59 am

As the plane began to turn toward Asteroid M, Scott grabbed the controls and fought with them, trying to regain control over the jet. However, he’d not been struggling long before the loudspeaker crackled again.
“Behave yourself, Mr. Summers.”
A sudden fork of static electricity arced out from the console and struck Scott in the chest, stunning him and knocking him back from the controls. Behind him, the others watched open-mouthed as their invisible adversary set the Blackbird on a collision course with the hard, stony ground of Asteroid M.
Everyone else, that is, except for Hank.
Electricity, he thought. Whoever this is, he affects electricity… therefore he can control the jet… but if it were shorted out…
He shot to his feet and, fighting the effects of gravity that threatened to throw him off balance, made his way over to the screaming Kitty. He pulled her out of her seat and carried her bodily toward the console.
“Katherine!” he shouted. “Phase! You must short out the controls!” Kitty stared uncomprehendingly at him. Hank pushed her forwards. “Whoever’s doing this is using the Blackbird’s computer to control it! You have to deactivate it!”
As Kitty’s brain kicked into gear, she spun around and stepped into the console. Instantly, the Blackbird’s lights went out as the computers stopped working. Seizing the controls, Logan began to fight the Blackbird’s descent.
“Jeannie!” he yelled. “Ya got anything ya think can help, now’s a good time!”
Whilst the on-board computer was deactivated, the control stick was still able to move the rudders on the Blackbird’s wings. As Jean lended her powers to Logan’s efforts, the plane slowly straightened out and turned towards an empty area that would – just – serve as a landing strip. Another push from Jean opened up the landing gear seconds before the plane reached ground level.
Hank grabbed Kitty under one arm and braced himself against the seats. “Hold on to something!” he shouted to the others. “This is going to become rough!”
This was a firm contender for the understatement of the year. When the wheels of the Blackbird hit the ground, there was a deafening screech of metal and the sparks flew up on either side. While the mutants inside clutched at whatever they could hold onto and tried desperately not to scream, loose items flew around inside – medical kits, body armour, radios, all of the useless little items that you find on any plane that’s used regularly – and crashed into them. Jean screamed aloud from the effort of keeping the Jet from smashing into any buildings or rocks, but managed it; although it seemed like an eternity, it was only a few short minutes after the Blackbird had spun out of control that it came to a stop. Slowly, the X-Men looked out from under protective arms and rose to shaky feet. Jamie, who hadn’t fastened his seatbelt, groaned from one corner of the Jet. That is, roughly a dozen of him groaned.
“Are we there yet?” asked one.
“I think so,” answered another.
With a groan of relief, the all stopped moving, and suddenly vanished, leaving one Jamie sitting on the floor rubbing his head. “Let’s not do that again,” he suggested.
Rogue walked over and helped him to his feet. “Ya got a deal, squirt,” she agreed.
Grouping together, the X-Men slowly disembarked the Blackbird and made their way toward the facilities. Whilst they didn’t yet know who had attacked them during their approach, they knew one thing; until that individual had been dealt with, there was no way they could leave Asteroid M.
Now, it was all or nothing.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Inside the facility, Sabretooth’s face contorted with renewed fury. “They’re still alive,” he snarled. “First, ya send me an’ Mystique on some bullshit job to catch a rat. Then Mystique pisses off to Christ knows where. Then you put everything down to this Meggie-Bite bastard – and he screws it up.” He glared venomously at Magneto. “What the hell’re ya doin’?”
Magneto frowned. “Contain yourself, Sabretooth. Admittedly, Mystique’s disappearance is both unexpected and concerning. However, the rest of your statements need correction: you were sent to capture Nightcrawler in order to use him as bait to catch the rest of the X-Men, and through their defeat to gain ourselves a powerful ally. And secondly, Megabyte did not fail. The X-Men are demoralised, fearful, and being extremely cautious of their actions – making an ambush simple enough…” he turned to the rest of the assembled Brotherhood. “You know what to do. If you do it right, then the X-Men will not stand a chance…”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Kurt was lying on the bed, counting the cracks in the ceiling of his cell. He’d finished eating the contents of his food tray, and none of his captors were guarding him. Not that he needed guarding; he’d spent a good couple of hours exhausting all potential escape routes, and he was very well contained. It was just that without guards he was unable to engage in banter with anyone.
He was bored. Being a prisoner was far less interesting than he remembered.
Funny, the way your memory plays tricks on you… he thought.
An electronic whirring signified the door opening, and he glanced over to see who was coming into his little prison. His eyes widened, and he didn’t say anything for a while after the door had eventually whirred shut.
Finally Scott spoke. “Well? Aren’t you going to say hi?”
Kurt leaped to his feet and leaned against the glass wall. “I’ll say hello once I’m out of here,” he retorted.
“Like, no problem,” Kitty announced, and phased through the glass, grabbed Kurt, and headed back the way she’d come.

*THUD*

Kurt raised an eyebrow as Kitty rubbed her sore forehead. “You’re a smart one, aren’t you?” he asked her. Kitty glowered as Logan chuckled at them.
“Half-pint, the elf’s a teleporter. If ya could use powers in that cell o’ his, d’ ya think he’d still be there?”
Rogue and Evan looked at each other and shook their heads. “Unbelievable,” was Evan’s comment. The others just grinned at the sight. Eventually, Kurt looked back out his window at the others.
“As funny as this is…” he said, “…would it be alright if we tried to get out of here now? Herr Magneto has a new pet, and I do not wish to be caught off-guard once more…”
Logan grunted. “Hold on a sec,” he answered as he unsheathed his claws and moved toward the glass wall. “So, who’s Maggie’s new pet?” he asked.
“He calls himself Megabyte,” Kurt replied nervously, “but we already know him, and he’s not going to be happy to see any of you.”
Jean raised an eyebrow. “So who is he?” she asked.
Kurt opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a familiar whirring sound. “Sheisse!” he screamed. “Hurry up! He’s here!”
Those who remained outside the cell, which Logan had not yet penetrated, spun to see the new arrivals. At the door, the entire Brotherhood (sans Mystique) stared back at them. At their head, next to Magneto himself, stood the mysterious Megabyte.
“Salve, Moritorium es!” he called to the astonished crowd.
Amara’s eyes widened as she took a step back. “That… that’s impossible,” she gasped at Megabyte.
Alive and well, Simon Kayle grinned back at her.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Kurt glared at Simon from inside his cell. “Salve, and osci assinus meum, Simon,” he spat.
Simon stopped for a moment, blinked, then burst out laughing. “Oh, very clever, Kurt,” he congratulated. “Except that assinus refers to ass, as in a beast of burden, not a bodily part.” He smiled benignly at Kurt. “You just told me to kiss your donkey.”
Scott cut in. “Um… don’t take this the wrong way or anything… but aren’t you supposed to be dead?”
Simon shook his head, finishing up his laughter. “Nope. Oh, sure the house burned down… sadly, Vicki and Dad didn’t make it out… but I’m fine.”
Jean’s jaw dropped. “You know they’re dead?”
“Sure I do. Been looking forward to it for a while, now. They’ve had it coming to them.”
Rogue shook her head in disbelief. “You’re fucking nuts.”
“Ja,” agreed Kurt. “That’s what I said.”
Simon’s face contorted with fury. He ignored Kurt and screamed at Rogue. “Nuts? Nuts was when I put up with all that shit from people who aren’t worth the dirt I walk on! Nuts was letting those assholes at school beat up on me when I could have killed them all with a thought!” His breathing was ragged as he paused in his tirade. “I’m not nuts anymore. For the first time, I’m thinking straight. I’m not going to let anyone push me around ever again.”
Evan shook his head. “And once again… you, pal, are fucking nuts.”
“Ja, that’s what I said.”
Simon smirked. “Wanna know what I said?” he asked. He didn’t wait for an answer, just raised one hand. A steady stream of static energy shot from his raised palm and struck Evan in the chest. Evan screamed in agony as the blast threw him against one wall, and dropped into a heap when the stream stopped, smoke rising from his burned chest.
Kitty swallowed her nausea. “You’re a murderer,” she snapped at Simon. “You killed your family, even though they, like, cared about you; now you’re trying to kill us, too? You are crazy.”
Simon lowered his hand. “They didn’t care about me,” he retorted. “Vick was nice enough to me in public, but… well, if you weren’t an only child, you’d understand. She could be a bitch when she wanted. And Dad… well, he hasn’t cared about me since Mom died. I was just… there. He never even noticed me.” He smirked. “Guess he noticed when Sabie passed on a message from me…”
Behind him, Sabretooth grinned, though he never dropped his gaze from Logan’s face. Magneto stepped forwards. “Enough,” he announced. “My dear X-Men, although I would simply love to kill you all now, I don’t have the time. Therefore, we’ll put you on storage until we have time to deal with you.” At a gesture from him, the metal door of the cell slid open. Magneto's voice lost its mockery of politeness and became harsh. “Get in. Now.”
The X-Men glared pure venom at him, but faced with no choice entered the cell, Hank half-carrying Evan on one arm. Magneto smiled coldly. “Good,” was all he said. Turning, he walked through the assembled Brotherhood out of the room. Todd looked nervous.
“So we just leave ‘em here, yo?”
“That is correct, Toad,” Magneto called over his shoulder. “They won’t be getting out anytime soon. Now, come; I need all of you to witness this…”
They left the room, and the newly arrived prisoners looked around. Kurt walked back to the bed and sat.
“So…” he said to the others. “…come here often?”
Hank deposited the still-groggy Evan next to him. “Only to find you,” he retorted.
“Oh, so this was a rescue attempt, Ja?”
Scott raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, so?”
“No offence? But you kind of suck at rescuing people…” Kurt waved one hand, taking in their surroundings and current situation. “And now, who will rescue you?”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As the Brotherhood took positions around the room, Magneto turned toward them.
“Congratulations,” he said gravely. “We have just captured the majority of the X-Men without a single one of us being harmed – and the others will be easy prey for us without their friends…” activating a nearby computer console, an image of the Xavier Institute flickered into view on a large screen. Magneto glanced at Simon. “You know what to do.” With a grin, Simon rose to his feet and left the room.
After he’d left, Tabitha shuddered. “That guy creeps me out,” she commented. “He might be on our side and everything, but Blue-boy and his pals were right. He’s out of his fucking gourd.”
Magneto smiled mirthlessly. “Perhaps. But his power is not to be underestimated. Without his influence, it’s unlikely that we’d have succeeded thus far. And if Nightcrawler were to escape the cell, Megabyte is probably the only one here, excluding myself, who would stand a chance against him. And this next part… that’s all dependent on Megabyte’s capabilities…”
Lance and Fred looked at each other and shrugged. “What’s the next part, then?” Fred asked. Magneto simply pointed to the screen, which suddenly changed to a view inside the Institute itself, taken from the Institute’s security cameras. “Watch…”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

At the mansion, none of the remaining X-Men were aware of their friend’s plight. Currently, Charles and Rahne watched from the observation deck as Ororo led Bobby and Jubilee through a training simulation in the Danger Room. They were nearing the end of the sim, and therefore running low on steam. Ororo glanced up at the observation deck and gave a tired wave, which was answered by Rahne. Charles merely smiled.
Then every light in the room went out. The sudden darkness startled them all, and for a moment silence prevailed. When the lights came back on, it took Charles a moment to work out what had changed. Then he saw it.
The training sim had reset.
Not only that, it had reset itself onto another program; one that was faster, tougher, and infinitely more dangerous than the previous one. However, it wasn’t yet active.
“Rahne!” Charles barked. “Shut off the console! Do it now!”
Rahne nodded and ran over to the controls, flicking switches and pressing buttons as she tried to shut the program down.
And, seconds later, was hurled across the room by a powerful blast of electricity that arced out of the console itself. Charles, too shocked and stunned to speak, simply watched in mute horror.
This silence was broken by a burst of static from the Danger Room’s loudspeaker system, and a voice none of them had heard before.
“Satan salve, moritorium es!”
As the computer generated opponents on the floor below began to move, Charles suddenly felt himself lurch forwards as his chair, no longer under his control, began to move toward the elevator.

Beboots · Post by **Beboots** » Wed Sep 24, 2003 1:38 am

Very nice... I love how Kurt still acts/seems in control the whole time, you know? Knowing that Kitty wouldn't be able to phase back through the cell...making conversation...

[quote]“So…” he said to the others. “…come here often?”
Hank deposited the still-groggy Evan next to him. “Only to find you,” he retorted.
“Oh, so this was a rescue attempt, Ja?”
Scott raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, so?”
“No offence? But you kind of suck at rescuing people…” Kurt waved one hand, taking in their surroundings and current situation. “And now, who will rescue you?” [/quote]

Very nicely done, Tergon!