I looked around the roof of the abandoned warehouse, searching for an entrance to the building. I know I saw one earlier, where did it go? Ignoring the smell of brimstone and sulfur, I glanced around. Hmm…oh, well. One well placed bamf and I’ll be inside anyways…..
***
Shifting into full wolf form, I ran around the side of the building. I could sense others here, but I couldn’t track their new scents, yet. They were too far, I guess. Running around to corner, I found a door and kicked my way in.
***
Personal Query, why are there other presences on my scanner, but they are only at the edge of my senses, almost like ghosts that do not exist? Perhaps someone is trying to mask their presence. Perhaps.
Walking calmly around the building, I perused the building for a suitable option of entry. Ah. Placing my palm on the wooden door, I absorbed it and entered the warehouse.With a thought my skin turned metal and I rammed my way through the front door.
Glancing around, I realized I was walking into a strange clearing in the middle of the warehouse. Soon, the smell of sulfur joined me, and directly after so did my furry blue comrade, Nightcrawler. "Nightcrawler! We seem to be an abandoned warehouse, my friend, and nothing else!" I yelled at him. Rahne kicked her way into a side entrance, and Douglock slowly walked in.
"Query?" Douglock inquired, after glancing around and taking what seemed to be a lot of scanning of the area. "Is this what is known as a setup?"
"Why, Douglock?" Rahne wondered.
Lights flashed on in the middle of the area, metal doors slammed down on all the exits, and we all glanced up to the army of men who appeared to us on the second floor with the sound not unlike cloaking devices clicking off.
"To answer your question, Mutie," one of the men yelled.
"This is a fuckin setup!" another finished.
"Da," I agreed. "It is."
***
"Radio it in already, and we can take these two flatscans to base and get outta here!" one of the men whined.
"Moira," I whispered, edging closer to her. "Be prepared to run towards the right wall."
Moira nodded.
"Look, buddy, we followed the stinkin muties home from the bar, we waited, and we came in. We got what we wanted, some easy hostages, so calm down! The job is done, man!" one of his friends soothed him.
"He’s right, Dan," another enthused. "Chill out, man!"
"They’re bloody American, alright," I grumbled as Moira stifled a laugh.
I began a coughin fit, and as one man approached me, nervously, telling me to stop or he’d shoot, I lifted a hand to him. Making it look like I was asking for help, I quickly shot as many hotknives at him and his friends as I could. Turning my right hand to the right wall, I blasted through it and with my left collapsed the floor the men were standing on. Grabbing Moira’s hand, we ran out of there.
I can’t bloody believe this. Here I am, stalked by anti-mutant psychos after gettin soddin shit in me ribs with by one of 'em, and to top it all of, I’m holdin hands with Mactaggert!!!!
***
"It’s not like Kitty to be late…." Meggan worried.
"No, Meggan, you’re right," Brian agreed. "It’s really not. It’s been over an hour since she was due here."
"Well," Meggan was continuously getting more and more frantic. "Do you think we should do anything?"
"How’s this sound?" Brian offered. "We wait ten more minutes, pay the check, and go find her? Do you know where she went?"
"Yeah, actually, I do," Meggan answered. "We looked the place up together and I think I can remember the address. I know if I get near a phone book I can find it in a jiff."
"All right, so we get you a to a phone book, and then we can find Kitty," Brian soothed. "How’s that sound?"
"Okay," Meggan said. "But, well, I’m just worried."
And with good reason.
***
Teleporting into Kurt’s room on Muir Island, I glanced around. Any vacancy? Nope. Guess he must be somewhere else. Pressing the intercom on the wall, I heard some sounds of battle. Oh, great. Running out in the hallway, I saw a large group of men attacking a lab. Well, they won’t be doing that for long. Reaching my hands up, I blasted them with an energy spell. Didn’t last long, though, since the floor under them collapsed and they fell through it. Turning my heals, figuring someone in the room must have done it, I ran to the source of crashing walls.
Who was that making all that noise? It sounded familiar, like the sound of….hotknives! It’s Pete!
"Pete!" I shouted. "Pete! I’m here to help!" Running past room after room, finally ducking into one he blasted through, I followed the trail of blasted walls and crushed floors he left behind him. "Pete!" I didn’t want to yell in the middle of a battle, but I had a feeling the idiots who attacked where nowhere near us.
Finally, I saw him, and cast a binding spell to hold him in place so I could catch up to him. "Pete! Hold on a second!" Running up to him, I grinned. "Hi!" I let go of the spell, and Pete gave me a hug.
"Boy, am I glad to see you!" Pete exclaimed. Moira was with him. I smiled at her, grabbing her hand.
"Let’s get out of here and get into the hangar," I offered.
"Nae! We can nae leave until we know we are rid of those men!" Moira demanded.
"We know, you bloody jock, we were just gettin to it, weren’t we, Amanda?" Pete nodded at her.
"Sure!" I said, not knowing at all what he meant by that. Oh, well. The constant bickering between these two got confusing all the time anyways.
I teleported us to a computer room where we could stalk the men down and get rid of them. Moira ran to it, typing like a madman. "They’re leaving, right now, actually," Moira informed us. "Thank the gods!"
"Well, what can I say, I gave 'em quite a beatin!" Pete bragged, smirking.
"Anyways, let’s get going!" I offered, eager to see Kurt.
"Nae, ye can nae go runnin off like that!" Moira scowled. "We should check up on the others, see if’n they’re where they should be! We have no way of tellin if they were nae attacked like us." Typing again, Moira paused. "Well, the Kurt and the others are were they’re supposed to be, but I can nae tell what he’s doin…..Meggan and Brian are in a café….uh-oh."
"What is it?! Is it Kitty?!" Pete shouted.
"Um," Moira retorted. "Uh, well, yes. These reports say she’s in an abandoned warehouse. The same one Kurt is in. This means either she’s kidnapped or the others are saving her, or…."
"What do you mean? Couldn’t she be just helping them out?" I wondered.
"No," Pete exasperated. "She was planning on shoppin with Brian and Meggan all day, but first she had to go to the dentists! She had no plans on even going anywhere near that abandoned warehouse. The others were supposed to check it out, and we expected a dead end! Shit! Bloody shit!"
"Hey, Pete, we’ve got the address, I can get us there!" I comforted. "Let’s go!"
Grabbing Moira and Pete again, we shifted from Muir Isle to the outside of an old looking warehouse.
"Ready?" Pete asked, glancing at us.
"Stay with me, Moira," I said, grabbing her hand. "I can keep you more than safe."
"Let’s go!" Pete ushered, waving us onward. "Come on!"
***
"So, this is where it’s supposed to be….I don’t see a dentist’s. Do you see a dentist’s?" Brian looked around.
"There it is!" Meggan shouted, pointing across the street.
"You know, she could’ve just had to wait awhile for her appointment. It’s not like they’re always on time or anything," Brian offered.
"Well, than we can wait with her," Meggan ordered. "Let’s go!" Crossing the street in-between cars, the two lovers made their way to the dentist’s office. Walking in, Meggan went to the receptionist. "Hi," she smiled brightly. "I’m trying to see if my friend is still here? We were supposed to meet her somewhere and she’s very late. Her name is Katherine Pryde?" The receptionist nodded and shuffled through some papers.
"Okay, mhm, yeah, here she is," the receptionist answered. "She was here, but she must be long gone. Her appointment was actually done early, and must have left awhile ago."
"Did you see her leave?" Brian voiced.
"Oh, I just got on duty," the receptionist explained. "But it says here she was more than on time, and trust me, no one spends that much time in there. Sorry."
"I’m beginning to get suspicious," Brian worried.
"Welcome to the club, darling," Meggan frowned, deeply worried about her friend.
A dentist walked by, noticing the two. He grinned, guessing they were probably friends of Katherine’s. Well, you won’t be seeing her in awhile. At least not in one piece.
***
Darkness, everywhere. I shifted my eyes, searching for any vague vestige of light. But I couldn’t see a thing. Trying to phase, I couldn’t. Then, feeling the weight around my neck, I guessed that they had an inhibitor collar on me. Damn! Well, I’m sure it’s only just a matter of waiting. Pete won’t be able to last that long without me. I grinned.
Or would he?
Light creaked from under the door, and I rose in happiness. Finally, somebody’s here! Took them long enough! I wonder how long I’ve been out……
A man walked through the door, with a mustache and slightly familiar features. The lights flicker on in my room, and I winced in pain. Staring at the man when my eyesight came back, fully, I realized I recognized him. But who was he? Who was he?
"Ah, very clever!" the man boasted. "You remember me! And to think, I never even met you personally! I’m flattered that my infamy has preceded me here, even if to such a pretty girl like you." The man grinned evily. "Ah, but I won’t play any games here, not without you. Or at least not yet….."
"Who are you?" I asked. I was suprised I could talk. Why didn’t they gag me or something?
"Wondering why we didn’t gag you?" he inquired. "It’s so I can hear you scream, mutie!"
Another flicker of recognition flashed through my eyes and mind. I knew this man! I did!
"Ah," he laughed. "Now you remember me."
"Yes," I whispered. He looked different, but nothing a mustache and some surgery, and hair dye couldn’t do. "It’s you…you’re….you’re Graydon Creed!"
To Be Continued in Part 5: The Death of a Flower
WARNING: The next part will contain some graphic violence. Not for those of who don’t like reading that kind of stuff. Just thought I’d warn ya.