Continuity Note: I began this "series", continuity wise, after Excalibur #111. This would leave the X-Men locked up somewhere by Bastion. For later story purposes, I’m changing that. Hey, it’s my world. Instead, I’m having the X-Men attacked by Bastion right now in this part of the story, so Operation Zero Tolerance can happen when I want it to.
Rahne sat in the plane hangar, feeling at home again.
Douglock looked around. It was strange, he had data stored of this place, and it all looked very familiar, but he himself had never really been here before. He soaked it all up. Just like he did when he was talking to Rahne.
Slowly, they both got out of the plane, savoring it all, like a sweet chocolate.
"Danger, Will Robinson!" Douglock exclaimed.
"We should never have let ye watch TV," Rahne muttered.
"No, really," Douglock said, pointing. He was right. A cloaked, metal figure was running to the hangar entrance, and he didn’t look like any X-Man Rahne knew.
"HEY!" Rahne shouted, transforming into a wolf.
"Oh, great," the X-Cutioner mumbled and ran away.
"Query: Why is these ‘vacations’ always end up being something else? Is this what Kurt and Amanda mean they were going to do when they said they were going on a little vacation?" Douglock asked.
"No," Rahne said. "It’s just that being an X-Man is sometimes a 24-four hour job."
"A job?" Douglock exclaimed. "Are you getting paid money for this? I am not."
"Douglock, we’ll talk about it later," Rahne shouted. "We have to catch this guy, first!"
Rahne followed the man’s scent, and quickly gained on him. He was trying to hide from her, but it was of no use. She knew where he was.
She jumped on his back, clawing metal, trying to find a vulnerable spot. He grunted and flailed, trying to throw her off. She growled and continued clawing at him. Finally, he managed to throw her off. She got right up again, and froze at the gun he had in her face.
"Very good, Rahne Sinclair. You do have some logic after all," the X-Cutioner said. "Now, let me find the X-Man you know as Gambit, and you can go free."
"What do ye want with him?" Rahne inquired.
"What do I want with him?" the X-Cutioner laughed. "What crime HASN’T that man committed?!"
"Ye can’t prove that. Legally, he’s clean!" Rahne argued.
"I’m above the law, young lady. Or wolf, or whatever you are!" he blabbered. "Look, I’m just gonna shoot you unconscious and get on with this."
"I don’t think so," a voice behind him said before a loud, bright plasma shot burst through the air. "Hasta Lavista, baby."
The X-Cutioner fell to the ground, and Rahne saw a gun pointed at his back, and saw Douglock holding it. "That was appropriately witty, right?" Douglock grinned.
"That was just great, Douglock!" Rahne jumped and hugged him.
"I, er, found the, uh, gun, in the, uh, the-" Douglock stammered.
"Yeah," Rahne agreed, looking up at him.
"Mhm," he said. "So, is the X-Mansion always this empty?"
"What?" Rahne asked.
"Is the X-Mansion always this empty? The only people here are a bunch of police cars waiting outside that just pulled up the driveway," Douglock explained.*
"Oh, nae!" Rahne said. "What should we do?"
"Here, I’ll show you." Douglock walked over to a computer terminal and showed her the outside of the mansion ground, where cop cars where parked in front of the mansion. Suddenly, many planes and ominous looking men dropped on the lawn, and a strange, threatening looking man walked near the door.
"This can’t be good," Rahne complained.
"Perhaps, it’d be best if we left?" Douglock suggested.
"I guess ye’re right," Rahne agreed. "Whatever it is, we can’t fight it alone. And if no one’s here, no one will get hurt."
Douglock and Rahne quickly got in the plane and took off to Muir Island as fast as possible.
"Ye’re saying there was lots of police cars, and suspicious looking, armed men?" Moira asked over plane’s video phone.
"Aye, Lady Moira," Rahne said. "That’s what we saw."
"But no one was there?" Moira inquired.
"It was completely empty," Douglock affirmed.
"This is highly unusual. It’s too bad you could nae stay, but I’m glad ye left. It was a wise decision, I ken," Moira said. "It’s good that you can come home, too. Andre, Lars, Pete, and Illyana arrived back with Kitty, and Kurt and Amanda are home from their ‘vacation.’ It seems that they wound up being kidnapped by Arcade."
"You see!" Douglock exclaimed. "I told you!"
Rahne smiled. "Lady Moira, our ETS is twenty-five minutes. See you then, aye?"
"Yes, Rahne, me dear," Moira grinned. "See you then, lass."
To Be Continued
Next: The Epilogue! Our heroes have dealt with a lot lately; Kitty’s rape, Peter’s death. It’s time for some mourning, and for some foreshadowing as to what the next story will be about! Yay!
As always, now and forever, e-mail is beyond the realms of welcome at BobFolds5@Aol.com I’ll love you forever if you write me!