Excalibur stood in the forest clearing with the two mutants they had saved, confused. Moments ago, Exodus had floated above them, and before they knew it, Exodus and the rest of the Acolytes were flying through the air and gone.
"Okay, you know the drill, people!" Pete shouted. "It’s time to split up! Rahne and Douglock, I want both of you with Kitty. Use Rahne’s powers to track them down. Colossus, Meggan, and Illyana, I want you to use your powers to find them, too, but head off in a different direction than the others. Finally, you two kids are comin with me." Grabbing the two mutants they had saved, Pete walked off.
Heading north in the forest, Pete searched all around it, looking for signs of life.
"Who are-" Andre asked, only to have Pete clamp his hand over his mouth, and then use it to put his finger in front of his own mouth.
"Shhh," Pete whispered, and pointed forward. Ahead, they could see a group of Acolytes, stunned, being dropped to the ground by Exodus.
"What happened?" the Acolyte called Unuscione asked.
"We were attacked/bombarded by the X/bad guys," the Kleinstock twins slurred.
"And now it’s time to take them down," Collate, the shapeshifter, said. "Now."
Pete nodded at Neophyte and Andre, and raised a hand. Pointing it at Collate, he shot a hot knife at him. His body forming to become harder and immune to heat, Collate snarled. "They’re here!"
Neophyte disappeared in the ground, only to appear behind Unuscione. Punching her, he attacked her savagely, hitting her neck and face. As it was, Neophyte did minimal damage and barely managed to knock her unconscious. "Leave us alone!" he shouted. "Leave ME alone!"
The Kleinstock twins flared up, ready to blast Neophyte with fire, when their flames were doused by a smiling Andre. "That’s right, boys!" Andre grinned. "He’s new and he’s got an attitude!" Andre blasted them again with water before he ran over to Neophyte.
Pete and Collate had taken to a fist-fight, but it was clear that Collate was winning. Slamming Pete into the ground with his thick-skinned arm, Collate grinned. Finally, things were going their way!
Neophyte’s hand clasped Collate’s ankle, and before Collate knew it, he was being thrown off a tree. He morphed a pair of wings and took to the air. Andre ran to Pete, checking him over, as the Kleinstock brothers stood over Andre. "No, he’s new and he’s/Bad and stupid/inexperienced!" the shouted, raising their large, massive arms above him. Before they could slam down on his unsuspecting back, Neophyte had grabbed both Pete and Andre and morphed them far away from their enemies.
"Good work, boys," Pete said before passing out.
***
"From my scrying pool, I can see that the big man is splitting them up, doing the same thing Pete did," Illyana said. "I guess he made a good decision. I think...."
"It is okay, snowflake," Peter said, putting an arm on her shoulder. "It is not for you to think of, yet. You needn’t worry about it, you are doing a good job. Can you teleport us to some of them?"
Smiling and nodding, she spoke, "Yeah. I can." Discs appeared, taking away their keep, and the three jumped out of the air and on top of three Acolytes. Scanner was huddled against a tree, probably sending out her astral form, and Frenzy stood in front of her, guarding her body.
Colossus took her out immediately in his metal form, and the others looked around. Meggan winced. "I can’t sense any other presences nearby," she informed.
"Great," Colossus said. "We’re doing well so far, then."
***
"Oh, elf, you’re so cute!" Amanda giggled.
"Do you mean me, or Brad Pitt?" Kurt asked.
"Mmm.......Brad," Amanda answered, picking at her food. Everyone else in the large restaurant was staring.
Kurt sighed. "Well, if this is the only way I can get your attention," Kurt said, mocking a frown. Glancing around, he realized everyone was staring at him. "But is it really necessary? I mean, everyone is staring at me......."
"Look, how else do you expect to suddenly be let into a famous restaurant like this without a reservation?" Amanda inquired. "Besides, YOU asked me to cast an illusion on you."
"Yes, fraulein, but Brad Pitt?" Kurt grinned. "I didn’t expect to be such an illustrious person. I would have been satisfied with your run-of-the-mill-Joe-Blow, y’know."
"Yeah, but this way I get my kicks." Amanda smirked, noticing the reporters in the back of her eye. She licked part of the chocolate frosting from her diner, and grinned mischievously. "Oh, look!" She pointed behind Kurt. "It’s, um, Sandra Bullock!"
Kurt’s face lit up, and he turned around immediately. "Sandra Bullock?!" Quickly, Amanda stood up, grabbing the plate of cake, and stepping up to Kurt. She threw it in his face placed perfectly so half of his face could still be seen. Grabbing his head and grinning, she smiled for the cameras.
"I thought you said you didn’t have a thing for Sandra Bullock," she whispered in his ear.
"Look, Amanda, I’m not the one casting a Brad Pitt illusion on her boyfriend, now am I?"
"Hey, buddy, whatever gets my goat." Needless to say, newspapers across the world asked who the mysterious person was, and why she was throwing cake in Brad Pitt’s face.
Brad Pitt had no comment.
***
"Ach! I cannae find 'em, Kitty! I smell all sorts of things in different directions," Rahne complained.
"Sensors indicate differently," Douglock said. "Perhaps self is being confused?"
"Look, you two go that way and I’ll head this way, okay?" Kitty ordered.
"Kitty, I do nae think we should be splitting up so easily. I do nae want ye to get hurt," Rahne said.
"Look, Rahne, just bug off! I’ll be phased the whole time anyways!" Kitty phased and walked away, while Rahne turned with a hurt look on her face .
Kitty walked along, and turned tangible to breathe. Out of nowhere, mists surrounded her, and before she knew it, she was teleported far away. Hiatus and Voght stood behind her, and Hiatus was holding onto Voght’s hand. Voght’s eyes were glazed over.
Rahne, turning on her heels after sensing danger, ran up behind Kitty and jumped at the person who attacked her. The black haired girl lost her grip on Voght, whose eyes turned to normal and head shook fiercely. The black-haired girl fell into the mists as the mists disappeared, and Amanda Voght was left alone, gripping her head and frowning.
"You!" Rahne shouted. "Where did ye send them!? Tell me or I’ll gut you!" Rahne gripped her claws under Voght’s chin.
"I don’t know!" Amanda shouted. "It wasn’t me! It was her!"
"What?" Douglock asked.
"Look, she’s a telepath of some sort, and she thought I was being too wimpy on you X-Men, and then when she touched me she- well, I don’t KNOW what she did! I don’t know what happened. She must’ve used my powers......" Voght explained.
"That means....." Rahne said, in awe.
"That they could be anywhere, friend," Douglock said. "Anywhere."
"What do we do now?!" Rahne said, growing frantic. "Kitty’s in no shape to take care of herself!"
"Look, kid, I don’t know what to do," Voght said, "but I know you need to calm down. Can you find any of your friends?"
"Aye, I can," Rahne said.
"Good, then take me to them," Voght ordered.
"How do I know you won’t-"
"You don’t! But that doesn’t matter! None of this matters, don’t you understand? Exodus is crazy, and he’s hurt my friends, and now he’ll get you!" Voght stormed off, and Rahne and Douglock followed.
By the time they found Meggan, Colossus, and Illyana, they had been totally silent for about ten minutes.
"What happened?" Meggan asked, seeing and sensing their frustrations.
"Where’s Kitty?" Illyana worried.
"She’s gone, but she’ll be fine," Voght said. "We have to take care of this guy, and we have to take care of him now."
"Indeed, it seems that way, doesn’t it?" Exodus said, suddenly appearing behind them.
"What is it with you and sudden appearances?!" Pete Wisdom asked, rising from the ground with Neophyte and Lars at his side.
"So, now you are all here," Exodus began. "And you have all defeated my team, but that does not matter. You will not get by me."
"Yeah, that’s what you think, jerk!" Andre lifted his hand and blasted him with a hot water blast, only to have it fall to the ground and to feel his body lifted in the air. Neophyte, shouting, jumped up and grabbed him, and was sucked along for the rest of the ride.
"No!" Andre shouted. "Leave us alone!"
Voght teleported the two to the floor, and stared Exodus in the face. "This isn’t about them, Exodus, it’s about you," Voght said. "It’s time of you and your madness to end!"
"Is it, now?" Exodus asked. "Well, then, let it begin!"
And with that, Excalibur attacked.
To Be Continued
NOTE: I gave you guys ONE hint to where Kitty is, but now I won’t be dealing with it until this story is done. So, wait patiently (if you care)! And, as always, all forms of words being put together as sentences are beyond the realms of welcome at PhaserBob@Aol.com