Author's NOTE: i just noticed that i've been screwing up the title lately!
God, talk about a wierd mistake in a story, eh?!
Disclaimer: I didn’t make the assorted X-Peoples, nor any else in the Marvel
Universe. I merely took what they had and did it my way. The only people
that are mine are Andre, Hiatus, and Collate. Oh, and don’t sue me. Not
that you would. Just don’t.
Just Like The Old Times
Part 4: Savage Times
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
(
geocities.com/soho/studios) (
geocities.com/soho)