“What the hell is she doing here?” Jubilee asked as they prepared to board the small jet. Her eyes narrowed coldly as she turned her heated gaze on her leader. “I though it was team members only?”
“Agent Danvers is our informant, Jubilee, and her sister is part of this mess, too. She asked if she could tag along.” Logan could understand the young woman’s intolerance. She knew what had transpired between himself and Savannah. She never asked any questions, but she had figured it out during that first meeting afterward.
“Shouldn’t she wait here, then?” Jubilee asked, rolling her eyes. “I mean, you know, we have no clue about what we’re walking into. Won’t it be a little too dangerous for her?”
“She’s had the training, Jubilee. She knows what might happen when we get there. She wants to check on her sister.” Logan wasn’t sure why he felt the need to explain anything to the young woman who was supposed to follow his orders. It might have had something to do with the accusations in her eyes. “She’s not going to be any more of a liability than you are.”
“Actually, she will be,” Jubilee replied as she walked up the loading dock. “You’ve never fucked anyone else on this team.”
She walked away quickly, her back stiff as she ignored the deep growl that vibrated behind her. Pausing for a second next to Savannah’s seat at the back of the jet, she smiled sweetly at the older woman. “Funny, I could have sworn that Logan preferred redheads and brunettes.”
Jubilee didn’t wait for a reply as she made her way to the pilot’s seat.
“We’ve got rooms at the El Cortez in the downtown area,” Logan said swiftly as he buckled himself in and chose to ignore Jubilee’s last comment. He would have to deal with it when they returned. If she returned with them, that is. “We're lucky Storm was able to keep in touch with most of Xavier’s contacts; we've been given permission to land at Nellis Air Force Base. Remember, this is completely stealth. Rogue can't know we’re there. We just need to check to make sure that she's alive and well. She’ll come home when she’s ready.”
Jubilee looked at him over her shoulder, rolling her eyes, her voice still icy. “You couldn’t have, you know, sprung for something a little better? I mean, on the actual Strip or something.”
“Knock it off," Logan growled at the young woman as she snapped her gum. "I’m not even paying for this trip, Jubilee, and Ororo's being very generous with her funds, seeing as how she lent us the fucking Blackbird without asking any questions. I was just planning on bringing tents and camping out in the desert. But ‘Ro insisted.”
“Chill, Logan. I’m not asking for the Wynn. Maybe the MGM, but not the Wynn.” Jubilee rolled her eyes, turning around and focusing on the controls in front of her. “The Bellagio would have been nice.”
“Shut your trap, or we'll be spending the night in tents, Jubilee.”
“You should be resting,” she said with a small smile as she entered the living room, and found the man called Gambit flipping through TV channels. “We’re not going to be back until well after the sun comes up and I don’t need anyone falling asleep on me.”
Gambit raised his eyes to her, and she found herself taken aback by the strange coloring. It might not have been noticeable at a glance if just the iris of his eyes were red and the rest was normal. But that wasn’t the case. The entire sclera of his eye was just as black as the pupil itself, brightening the red even more and giving him the look of a devil trying to parade as a human.
“But, Cherie, Gambit not be needing the rest as bad as others, eh? See, Gambit… He be a thief like no other. He used to the late nights… But why not follow your own advice, petite? Why not go crawl into that comfortable bed and rest for awhile?” he asked with a wicked smile. Too bad his habit of talking in the third person seemed to leave her with a horrible case of indigestion. “Gambit be thinking that maybe this Cherie be looking for some company to keep her warm at night, non?”
“Non. Go get some sleep, Gambit. I won’t tell you again,” Rogue replied as she narrowed her eyes. “And if I find you trying to crawl into my bed under any circumstances, I will hurt you, thief.”
“This be because Gambit not all blond and blue-eyed? Because, we brunettes, we know what to do with a woman, too. Some even better than others.” Gambit smiled at her again, but she didn’t miss the spark behind his demon eyes. “Gambit bet one little kiss that the Chère might like what he know how to do better than those other two the petite seems to prefer hanging around with. If only given the chance.”
“I suggest you get the hell out of my sight before I decide to demonstrate exactly why I’m so untouchable,” she snapped and let out a growl that reminded her too much of the ones Logan used to use on Jubilee. For a second, she felt the familiar feeling of loneliness grip her heart, but she pushed it aside, focusing on the problem at hand. “And if I hear one more remark about my personal life from you, I will make sure you're never able to satisfy another woman again, Swamp Rat.”
“Do we know who it will be yet?” she asked as she picked up the antique silver shell brush from the vanity top, using it to brush through the older woman’s hair. “Do we know whose life she will take?”
“No,” the older woman replied, shaking her head slightly in spite of her lover's tender brushing. “Most of this vision is out of my reach. But I do see a body, and no blood. Also, there will be others there that night. Those not invited. Rogue must not know that they are there. She must not find out until the right moment. Whoever is to die tonight must be killed. It will give Rogue the strength she needs to be the leader she will become. And she will stop your son, my love. There is no doubt of that.”
“But,” Mystique whispered slowly as she lowered the brush, “what about those others?”
“They are her friends, although she may not realize it,” Destiny replied with a slight smile. “She will have to choose which team she will want to stay with. The two groups are too similar to be forced together for long.”
“Too similar to be forced together, Destiny?” Mystique asked slowly as she knelt by the other woman’s chair. “What does that mean?”
They had already stopped three muggings and one hate crime against a mutant while they explored the city. Rogue led her team swiftly, keeping a close eye on every member, but especially on Ms. Marvel. It seemed that the blond idiot thought this was the perfect time to cozy up to Sabertooth. Rogue couldn’t believe the woman thought that the deep rumble emitting from his throat was an invitation. It seemed as if everyone else in the group took it for what it truly was, a quiet threat. Everyone did their best to keep their distance from the feral mutant in case he lost his control. Rogue just wasn’t sure if she had the willpower to stop him from tearing the woman apart.
“Rogue?” Sabretooth growled slowly. “Did you catch that scent?”
She hadn’t been paying much attention to her sense of smell. The area they were now in festered with the odor of feces and broken sewer drains. They were in the heart of the mutant ghetto on the north end of town, where most of the hate crimes seemed to happen. Even though this was just a simple run, she still wanted to see what her team could do when unexpectedly confronted with even the most minor situation.
She tuned into her nose and caught what Sabretooth had mentioned just as the feral mutant stalked to the front of the team, forcefully pushing Ms. Marvel away. She turned in horror, not ready to be confronted by the pain she had endured because of the people stalking them now. All she saw was a dark blur as Sabretooth was pushed to the ground from the side.
He had only just caught her scent when he realized the danger she was really in. Turning the corner from the alley he was crouched in, he saw the other feral stalking closer to her, his shoulders hunched and the scent of anger and trepidation practically dripping from his pores. He watched as she turned, clearly seeing the look of horror shadowing her face. He wasn’t going to wait to see what happened next.
Jumping as hard as he could, and unleashing the claws embedded in the backs of his hands, he threw his entire body into the tackle, feeling Sabretooth’s body topple beneath him, cushioning the fall. He almost missed the shout from the girl he was trying to protect.
Claws unleashed as the two alpha males attacked each other, neither holding back, each just out for the blood of the other. Both were bent on murder.
Logan could feel doubt gripping his soul as he buried his claws into Sabretooth’s belly even as the other man dug his own claws into Logan’s back. Sabretooth was a psychopath, but he wasn’t dumb enough to attack someone out in the open with so many people around. Not unless he was being paid. And from what Logan knew, Sabretooth had dropped out of sight long ago.
He retracted his claws, throwing a punch straight into the other man’s face and feeling a cheek bone crunch under his adamantium-laced fist. He would ask questions later, once he knew Rogue was safe and this animal was down.
Victor relished the feel of fighting a matched opponent as he returned each punch and attack. It had been too long since he had last been part of a really good fight against someone who actually stood a chance against him, and he felt familiar muscles reawaken with each movement, enjoying the sensation.
He knew he could stop this at any time. All it would take would be to stop fighting back and let the runt win, but Victor Creed had never been one to just give up. Fighting was his world.
He felt the smaller man impale him through his belly with metal claws even as Victor dug his own claws into his back. He wondered briefly if the man would survive if Victor clawed open the back of his neck, but he pushed the thought aside. This fight wouldn’t end in death; the frail meant too much to him to hurt her that way. He wondered briefly if he really was getting soft.
Both men slowly stopped as they heard the girl screaming at them, cursing the situation. Victor knew what she wanted, but Logan continued to fight, using his claws to slice deeply into the bigger man’s left arm. Victor concentrated hard to control himself while Logan wondered about what was truly going on here. Neither was fast enough to prevent what happened next.
“No, Logan!” she shouted as she pushed Havok out of her way. She ran to the jumble of limbs and claws rolling around on the ground as the two alpha males began to rip into each other. Within seconds, there was blood everywhere. “Damn it!”
She was too busy trying to tear the two ferals apart to notice the threat coming from behind her. Suddenly she felt herself being lifted far into the air, away from the others. Her body was tossed, caught in midair, and swiftly turned, before strong legs wound around her waist. Her arms were pinned to her sides even as gloved hands encircled her neck and her would-be killer began to squeeze the life out of her.
Rogue struggled as hard as she could, the screams of the team below her barely reaching her ears over the growls and roars of the two feral mutants lost in their own battle, oblivious to everything around them.
Her eyes met those of the woman who was trying to kill her. There was no denying the insanity or purpose they held. Carol was going to murder her.
She could feel the heat coming from the various mutants below them. Her team. They were trying to help her. To save her. There was the heat from Pyro’s flames and Havok’s blasts. Sparks coming from Gambit’s kinetically charged cards. She was positive that even Quicksilver was trying to think of something to help her.
Rogue struggled with her arms, even as her sight began to grow fuzzy and she became disoriented. She knew of only one way out of this, one way to survive this attack. Twisting her body, she managed to pull her right arm out of the hold, her hand coming free of its glove. Without hesitation, Rogue slammed her bare flesh into Carol Danvers' face, holding on with everything she had.
The shouts and threats from the men around them alerted the two feral mutants to the events taking place high in the sky and they watched the struggle from below.
Logan cursed himself for splitting up the group. Angel would have been able to help, but he was currently miles away, and there was no way for him to reach this location in time. As far as Logan knew, it *was* too late.
Victor felt something he couldn’t remember ever having experienced before. Guilt and fear for the girl high above the city she had been asked to protect as she was helplessly murdered by a psychopath who was supposed to follow her orders. There was no way to save her, no way to reach that high. All anyone could do was watch.
With a scream, they fell from the sky. Rogue closed her eyes tightly, hoping that Carol’s abilities would kick in before they met the ground. She had no idea how to use them; even as they fell back to the city, Rogue wondered if either of them would survive. She could feel a scream pounding in her ears, hearing it even after Carol seemed to lose consciousness. They were almost to the ground now, almost to the end. She braced herself for the inevitable.
He soared through the sky, forgetting to dodge lights and crowded areas. He had seen what was taking place even from five miles away, and instinctively knew who was plunging to the ground. He didn’t know about the other woman, but this was the one he had come here for. This was the one he had to protect.
Diving low in their direction, he prayed to a God he had stopped believing in when he was just a boy who was intent on locking himself in the bathroom and sawing off the budding wings that always just grew back.
Their gashes were already healing, even as they scrambled to help the falling girl. No one knew what to do. No one had the power needed to save her.
She opened her eyes quickly even as she felt her body and that of her killer’s being plucked from the sky. She found herself staring into a pair of blue eyes, paler than any she had ever seen before. She felt herself become hypnotized, even as he slowly lowered them to the ground, hoping against hope that this wasn’t heaven and she had missed her own death.
She turned her gaze, looking around as she finally let go of the cold flesh that was once Carol Danvers, a woman more twisted than anyone could ever have guessed. She was alive, and everyone was focused on her, but she only met the gaze of one man. She found herself dropping the body of the woman who tried to kill her, ignoring the others around her as it landed with a thud on the cold asphalt.
Rogue walked to him as if nothing had happened. Her eyes were hard and her demeanor cold. She heard others join the group of mutants, catching and recognizing their scents, yet she continued to ignore their presence. Instead, she found herself wondering if the man in front of her realized what he had just destroyed.
She was unable to utter a word, though, for it was at that moment that she realized Carol Danvers was now trapped within her mind. The scream in her head reverberated loud enough that she found herself wondering why no one else heard it, even as she fell to the ground, clutching her head between her hands.
She became trapped in her own mind, not noticing the strong hands that scooped her up into safe arms, holding her frigid body against him. Even as her own screams filled the night air, she only wanted it to stop.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re taking her, Bub?” Logan demanded even as he unsheathed his claws, ready to strike.
Sabretooth ignored him as he and the other members of his team headed for the van, understanding the urgency of getting her home. He didn’t care if the others followed. All that mattered was that they returned to the house.
Logan let out a frustrated growl, knowing that he couldn’t just allow the other mutant to disappear. Rogue was going to need help, and he had promised to take care of her, damn it. He needed to keep his promise, even if he suddenly found that she meant more to him now than she had when he made the damn vow.
Psylocke slowly looked over her patient, doing her best to ignore the growls and snarls of the two feral men standing just outside the bedroom door. Making things worse was the presence of not only Mystique, who was currently ringing her hands like a worried mother hen, but also of the human whose sister had been dead before she hit the ground, Savannah Danvers.
But the woman also known as Betsy was not going to worry about that now. Savannah was quiet for the moment, her mind having been sedated. It wasn’t going to last forever, but they didn’t need another Danvers girl losing her mind tonight.
She looked down into the young mutant woman’s face, the calmness on the outside a complete contrast to the pain and turmoil her psychic abilities could feel going on within her head. She would have to do her best to help the girl, but Psylocke knew that she wouldn’t be able to do anything without the proper facilities. She would have to be moved.
“I’m taking her to Xavier’s institute,” Psylocke announced as she closed the door firmly behind her. “On top of everything else, I’m going to need the help of another psychic, and they have the facilities I will need. We’ll have to leave as soon as possible. I don’t know how much longer she’s going to be able to hold on without any assistance.”
“I can get you anything you need, Betsy,” Mystique interjected before anyone else had a chance to speak. “You can have it here.”
Psylocke shook her head slowly, her eyes meeting Mystique’s. Both Victor and Logan remained calm, and, for just a moment, she wondered how a mere girl could bring together even the most notorious of enemies. “I’ll need restraints, first off. And a real doctor. From what I hear, Henry McCoy has made his home at the mansion, at least part-time. It would save the effort of finding a mutant-friendly doctor we could trust. The institute is the best option.”
Mystique nodded once, understanding that there really was no other option. Psylocke looked once more between the two feral mutants. She knew that her other idea wasn’t going to go over very well, but there was no other choice. “I’ll need Victor, too.”
Logan straightened at that, his eyes darkening as his anger grew. “What the hell are you talking about? There is no fucking way we're letting him in the mansion. He’ll fucking kill everyone there.”
Psylocke shook her head, wishing that he wasn’t as thick-headed as he seemed to be. “She needs someone there she can trust, Logan. I’ll need him to coax her through this. The two have grown close since they were held in captivity together. She trusts him to take care of her.”
“She trusts me, too. I’ll take care of her,” Logan spat back, his shoulders hunching in defense.
“She hasn’t trusted you in a long time, Logan. Not from what I can read in her mind. She’s stuck in this coma. She’s reliving every horrible moment from the time her mutation began, and she is fighting against every personality she has absorbed, not just Danvers'. Right now, the only one she trusts is Victor. I need him there. And the rest of her team.” Psylocke stared him down, knowing that there would be no more arguments. Like Victor, it seemed Logan would give any sacrifice needed to save this girl.
“What about Savannah? We can’t just leave her like this,” Logan said, pointing out the obvious.
“We’re not. Mystique and Destiny will both be here to take care of her."
“When do we leave?” Victor said before any more objections could be made or arguments could erupt.
“How fast can you be ready?”
“Shit,” Logan muttered as he went to call Storm and explain the situation to her.