X-men: Bast Ch. 05

Legal issues: Kia Jaeger(codename Bast) is an original character and belongs to me. All other characters and core X-men concepts are copyright Marvel, Stan Lee, and other creators. I do not own any of them, nor do I profit from them in any way.

Author Note: This story is based upon the story and setup in the comics and takes place at no particular point in them, but is instead treated as it's own events separate from many of the large happenings in the comics. Also, I am not fully aware of every significant event that has happened in the X-men's long history, so the information presented in this story and the information in the comics may not always 100% add up. Some characters who might even be dead as of the current X-men issues may be alive in this story.

***

Kia woke just after 2 A.M. several nights later. Her eyes fluttered about for a moment before she realized the noise that had woken her was the Mansion alarm. She sat up quickly, swinging her legs over the edge of her bed. Her heart pounded anxiously. She hoped the alarm was simply due to a very foolish burglar, but something in her gut told her that wasn't the case.

As in response to her thought, Charles voice abruptly filled her head.

Attention all students and staff. Please proceed to the nearest safety zone as quickly as possible. Those of you who are Seniors and experienced, lead your younger friends and associates to safety. X-men, assemble at the basement's main elevator. We have intruders in the Mansion. Everyone be careful, and do not attempt to confront any intruders on your own.

Kia paused for a moment, considering where she fit in this mess. Well, either way she would have to put some clothes on, that was obvious. She pulled on a pair of underwear and a well-supporting bra, then the pants and blue t-shirt she'd worn that day. By the time she finished dressing, her mind was made up.

Kia opened the door and stepped into the halls. The alarm was louder here, screeching out its warning. The hall lights overhead blinked on and off in time to the alarm's wailing. Several teachers went rushing past, paying her little mind as they attempted to shepherd several of the younger students in front of them. Down the hall, Rogue exited her room and glanced around, dressed in the same hasty manner as she was. The X-woman spotted her and jogged quickly to her.

"Ya oughta get to safety," Rogue stated.

"I'm coming with you," Kia stated. "I could be useful."

"Ah ain't gonna argue with ya, but don't go blamin' me if the Professor ain't happy," Rogue nodded.

The two women ran down the halls, stopping for a moment to direct a group of students toward the hidden compartments leading to shelters below the Mansion. The only sounds were the alarm buzzing incessantly and the occasional scrambling student coming down the hall. There was no sign of the intruders, no sounds of violence or struggle. Kia felt her palms growing sweaty as she became more and more tense.

They found most of the team assembled at the main elevator with the exception of Hank, Betsy, Bobby and Peter. Everyone was in various states of dress, having thrown on clothes as quickly as possible.

Scott didn't notice Kia as he began to brief them on the situation, which suited her just fine "The Professor just notified me that the intruders have somehow advanced into the sub-levels. We aren't sure how that happened yet, but they're advancing in the direction of Hank's labs. They're tearing stuff up along the way, so we can definitely bet on them having hostile intentions."

"Hank's labs? No!" Ororo cried.

"We'll help Hank fix his stuff up later, Sugah," Rogue assured her.

"No!" Ororo said firmly. "Hank found some old science journals that he was interested in browsing through today. Last I heard from him, he was still reading them down there!"

Scott cursed under his breath and shook his head. "Dammit. Fine then. Kurt, 'port Logan into the sublevel and get to Hank. Rogue, you fly on ahead and get down there as soon as possible."

The team rushed to follow his instructions, Rogue quickly descending as Kurt teleported away with Logan in a puff of smoke and muffled 'bamf'.

"Ororo, you, Jean, and..."

Scott finally seemed to notice Kia as his eyes fell on her. "You'renot a member of the team. Got to a shelter, now."

"You already know I'm not going to listen to you," Kia pointed out. "So you may as well let me do something useful."

"Look, I don't care what kind of attitude you've got, Kia. I swear to god if you don't..."

"Scott, we don't have time for this!" Jean pointed out. "Hank could be hurt down there, or worse!"

Scott glared coldly at Kia, making it clear just what he thought of her notions of helping. "Stay with Jean. Stay out of the fighting, both of you, and let us handle this!"

Kia shook her head, completely disgusted with the man. Even though she and Jean didn't really know each other well, even she knew that Jean was one of the most powerful and able members of the Team. That Scott was telling her to stay out of the fray was a practically a direct insult.

Jean looked equally as unhappy, but her attention was more focused on what was going on below. "Fine, we'll watch your backs. But we need tomove!"

By the time Kia, Cyclops, Jean, and Storm arrived in the sublevels, they could already hear the sounds of fierce battle raging in the direction of Hank's lab. A firearm went off, and then went off again, followed a moment later by the sound of crushing and ripping metal. The corridor shook violently and Kia almost stumbled into Ororo.

They raced toward the fighting. Turning into the corridor leading to Hank's lab revealed that the corridor had been badly damaged, with deep gashes in the wall and burn marks. The thick steel door securing the way into Hank's lab rooms had been ripped away and flung to the floor.

As they stepped past the ruined door, Kurt puffed into view. He flipped to the side as a massive shock-wave came ripping toward him from around the corner on the right. The wave slammed against a wall and a fine tracery of cracks and tears spread out like webwork in the solid steel wall.

"Marauders!" Kurt shouted to them over his shoulder, then teleported away again.

"Shit," Scott swore, then leapt forward, followed closely by his team mates.

Hank's lab was a mess. Papers were spread out everywhere, several ripped and shredded. His research desk was overturned and cracked. One of his lab tables was adorned with a scattering of glass from broken beakers and vials, and there were puddles of liquid solutions here and there that could have been any number of hazardous substances. Several expensive looking technical devices lay scattered and broken along the ground.

The battle was most intense here, and the close-quarters made the fighting difficult. Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Rogue were engaging the enemy, along with Beast. Hank had a slight gash over his right brow, but he seemed to be ignoring it in favor of leaping out of the way of a wide hail of gunfire.

The Marauders were a dangerous group of Mutant assassins, working in the service of one of the X-men's most feared enemies, Mr. Sinister. They were clones, all of them, his personal strike force that had been re-cloned so many times they had lost almost all sense of identity and individuality.

The X-men had faced off with them numerous times. Only five of them were present for the battle, however. Arclight, a woman with enormous strength and the ability to focus seismic energy through her hands to generate shock waves and tremors. Blockbuster possessed even more superhuman strength, than Arclight, surpassing her with unnatural endurance and durability.

Harpoon was a burly man with the power to channel various forms of energy and power into metal substances, typically being that of the weapons that served as his namesake, the large harpoons he kept in a pack strapped to his back.

Scalphunter was the source of the gunfire, as his power of 'technoforming' allowed him to manipulate mechanical devices into deadly weapons of firepower. Along with his ability to rapidly regenerate various wounds and injuries, he was deadly indeed. Finally, the hauntingly beautiful and deadly Vertigo completed the team of assassins, with her ability to disorient and unbalance those she turned her powers upon.

Rogue was airborn, dodging one of Harpoon's projectiles before lunging through the air and slamming into Blockbuster. The Marauder cried out as the force of Rogue's violent tackle sent him back into a wall. She pursued him, swinging wildly. The sound of her fists slamming into his body and head echoed in the confines of the room, but the Mutant took each blow with minimal effect.

Wolverine growled loudly as he slashed at Arclight then rolled away from the shockwave she sent his way. He leapt to his feet and slashed at her, cutting a shallow gash across her shoulder. She bit off a scream and kicked him in the chest, sending him bouncing back. Logan shook his head and snarled as he popped up to his feet again. He lunged forward and slashed, following it with a leaping kick that drove into her belly. Arclight struck out, her fist smacking against his skull with a solid metallic thud. Logan stumbled but kept his feet under him. The second blow sent him to his knees, his brain rattled in the confines of a metal cage. He dropped low as she struck again and stabbed his claws into the woman's foot. Arclight howled with the pain, then slammed Logan with a shockwave that sent him hurtling across the room.

Hank's agility kept him on the move, bounding and looping around the lab and away from Harpoon's throwing arm. He couldn't get close enough to press an attack, however, as every time he tried to, the dangerously unstable Harpoon charged up one of his throwing weapons, threatening to unleash a dangerous flow of energy upon both of them. For the moment he contented himself with not being killed. He was getting more and more angry at his labs destruction by the moment, but he was pointedly ignoring that in favor of biding his time for a favorable opportunity.

Kurt dodged and twisted to the side as Scalphunter let loose with his firearm in his direction. The blue Mutant teleported behind his enemy and leapt up to strike him in the back of the head. Before he'd raised his hands to strike, however, his head began to swim and his vision blurred. The graceful acrobat stumbled, his equilibrium thrown off severely as things swayed around him sickeningly.

"Get off him!" Scott shouted as he loosed an optic blast at Vertigo, the obvious source for Kurt's problems. Unfortunately, his cry alerted Vertigo to their appearance just in time and she flung herself to the side and out of Cyclops's line of sight. Her powers turned on them, sweeping over all four of the new arrival. Their senses fell into confusion.

Kurt's head cleared just in time for Scalphunter to kick him in the belly and send him sprawling back. Nightcrawler teleported away as several rounds ripped into the spot he'd just been standing. Scalphunter was on edge now, and his gun followed Kurt from spot to spot as the X-man teleported in and out. They were at a stalemate at the moment, neither of them able to make any kind of advance on the other. Kurt knew, though, that eventually Scalphunter's gun was going to overheat, and in the end he would have his chance to return the offensive.

Rogue pounded her fist into Blockbuster's chest, and stoically received the return strike without flinching. The two super powered Mutants exchanged blows back and forth. They tested each others mettle, each betting their own would win out. Blockbuster was the first to give after a particularly devastating blow from Rogue. He reached down and grabbed a chunk of metal that had been ripped from the wall, and swung it at her like a massive rock. Rogue quickly dodged to the side, still floating a few feet off the ground, and exploded forward. She drove her fist into Blockbuster's side and allowed her body to continue forward. She smirked with grim satisfaction as she whipped her head into the Marauder's face. Blockbuster stumbled back, then crumbled as Rogue grabbed a handful of his hair and smashed his face into the wall, making a sizable dent.

Hank sprang off the ground as Harpoon launched one of his harpoon's at the blue Mutant's feet. He flipped in the air, his spring carrying him suddenly forward. Harpoon fumbled for another of his projectiles, but Hank was already on him. He thudded into the man, bearing the assassin to the ground under his nearly 400 pound bulk. He sprang up and twisted and began grabbling with the man on the ground, snarling and baring his teeth to display the fearsome visage from which his name was derived.

Harpoon managed to get a hand on one of his weapons. He sneered darkly at Hank as the shaft of the harpoon began to glow. Beast flipped away, kicking off the man and flipping as far away from him as he could.

"Look out!" Hank cried a warning.

Rogue was still pounding on Blockbuster, his face bloodied and swollen as he attempted to gather himself for a counter. She ducked the looping punch he sent her way and yanked him forward. She hurled the cloned Mutant away, using his momentum and her own considerable strength to send him sprawling to the ground. He skidded several feet and landed with his body against Harpoon, his head flopping against his comrade's glowing weapon. Rogue's eyes widened as they fell upon the energized Harpoon in Harpoon's hand. She tried to dive for the two men, but it was too late.

The sharp explosion deafened the room, sending a shower of sparks and smoke and metal shrapnel in every direction. Hank cursed at the destruction to his lab even as he coughed and choked on smoke. Rogue went flying back into the wall with a cry, her hair singed and clothes tattered from the explosion, but she had been lucky enough to be too far away to take the brunt of the blast, and thus survived. If not for her super-human constitution, she wouldn't have been even that lucky.

Vertigo was distracted for the barest moment by the rocking of the explosion and the death of her comrades. It was just enough for Kia to reach out with her powers. She broke down the cells in the woman's lungs, stopping the flow of oxygen into her body. Vertigo began to panick as she started to choke. Kia was only able to keep her hold for a moment, but that moment was long enough for Jean to strike. Jean pushed Vertigo back with enough telekinetic force to drive the woman into the wall. Vertigo cried out as her head bounced off the metal surface. Jean pulled her limp body off the wall with her telekinesis, raising her into the air.

Vertigo's eyes twitched open and she turned her power once more onto Jean. Jean swayed where she stood and her hold gave way. Before Vertigo's body could crumple to the ground it suddenly jerked violently back, slamming into the wall again as Cyclops unleashed a massive beam of optic energy into the woman. Her badly burned form sagged to the ground and lay still and unmoving.

Logan yanked his claws out of Arclight's chest and ignored the stunned expression on her face. He shoved her aside callously and advanced aggressively on Scalphunter.

The Marauder leapt back as he noticed the berserker X-man coming at him. He sprayed Logan with shots from his firearm, but Logan advanced, heedless of the energy blasts ripping into his body. His wounds closed up before Scalphunters eyes. Wolverine let out a roar of rage as he drew closer.

Kurt puffed into sight just behind Scalphunter and drove his elbow sharply into the back of the man's head. Scalphunter began to crumble, though he stubbornly tried to cling to consciousness. His gun swept around the room, firing wildly and sending several of the X-men diving for cover.

Logan snarled in satisfaction as he drove his claws into Scalphunters sternum until his knuckles touched the man's chest. He ripped them out and then slid them away into his forearms.

"Dammit, Logan!" Scott shouted. "He was down. You didn't have to kill him!"

"Oh yeah, 'cause ya didsuch a bang up job keepin' yerself restrained, one-eye," Logan snarled. He spat at Scalphunter's body and stalked away from it. "Good fuckin' riddance."

"We could've used used one of these people alive so we could figure out what they were here for. Great job, team," Cyclops quipped.

"It ain't like they're never gonna be around to harass us again," Rogue sighed, wiping sweat from her forehead. "We killed these people how many times now?"

"That's not the point," Scott scowled.

"No, it's not," Jean spoke up firmly. "The point is, Hank is okay and so are the rest of us. Let's just be thankful for that."

Cyclops glared for a moment longer before finally nodding. "Let's just get someone in here to clean up this mess. The Professor isn't going to be..."

Before he could finish the statement, Scalphunter suddenly sprung up, bringing his firearm around to bear.

Ororo gave a cry and extended a hand. Ice suddenly began to form around Scalphunter's hand, freezing over his weapon and rapidly advancing its chilling way up his arm. He screamed as the ice encompassed the lower part of his limb, then reached down with his free hand and pressed a small button on his belt buckle. His body shimmered for a moment, then suddenly vanished from all view.

"Fuckin' hell!" Logan growled, "Forgot all about his damn regeneratin'. Coulda sworn I killed him!"

"Great," Kia muttered. "So he's not dead, but he's not around for us to question, either. Wonderful."

"Quiet," Scott glared at her. "You shouldn't evenbe here."

"Oh, thanks," Kia rolled her eyes. "I help us deal with the chick who's making all of us feel like we're having the worlds biggest hangover, and you tell me I shouldn't be here. See, Scott, that's why I love you."

"Ahem," Beast cleared his throat. The others fell silent and turned to him with suddenly worried expressions. "I hate to interrupt this cute little family moment, but I do believe I'm about to start bawling."

"Are you okay?" Ororo asked as she stepped across the wrecked room and gripped his arm.

"Yes," Hank sighed. He wiped a trickle of blood from his forehead. "I guess I need to start making preparations for the burial. Only you can't really burry a lab, so I'll have to settle for an urn with beaker shards on my desk."

"We can rebuild it," Jean pointed out.

"Yes," Beast agreed. "It won't be too bad...most of the damage is cosmetic...though I certainly lost quite a bit of paperwork I was planning on filing soon. And I believe my computer might be beyond salvageable," he added with a glance to his shattered and shredded computer off in the corner.

"What did they want?" Scott asked.

"I don't know," Hank shrugged. "I'd stepped out of the lab to get some caffeine from the kitchen, since my own supply down here has run out, and when I returned they were attempting to access my computer. My poor, poor computer..."

It was hard to tell if Hank was being serious or not. Ororo squeezed his arm anyway.

"What're we gonna do 'bout this?" Logan asked.

Scott shook his head. "First, we need to get some of this mess cleaned up. Then we need to go find the Professor and report what happened to him. We'll see if maybe he can come up with something. Hank, when do you think you can know if anything important was accessed or stolen?"

Hank shrugged. "Give me a few days," was all he said.

"Make it quick," Scott ordered. "Logan, Kurt, you're with me checking the Mansion grounds to see if there are more trouble makers around here. The rest of you, clean up here and find the Professor and give a report. And try to figure out how they got right under our noses before we even knew they were here."