Night=s Howl

Part 2

Kurt teleported into the boarded-up room, looking for any signs of life. Apart from cockroaches and rats, he found nothing regarding the new mutant, Tobias. He teleported back outside where Kitty and Evan were waiting.

ANothing in dis room, either. Vhere could he be?@ Kurt scratched his head with a blue-furred hand. His tail swept back and forth in front of the door. Kitty kept her arms close to her body and shuddered.

AI don=t know, but can we get outta here? This place is so creepy!@ She jumped when a rat came close to her foot and Evan started laughing. AShut up! It=s not funny. Those are gross!@ Evan just continued laughing.

ACome on, Kitty, they=re not dangerous.@ Just as he spoke a large black rat fell out of the rotted ceiling and onto his shoulder. He screamed and jumped, spikes jutting out from all over his body. The rat screeched and ran off, having narrowly missed being impaled.

AOh yeah, Evan, you=re so brave. Won=t you protect helpless little me?@ Her puppy-dog stare made him annoyed. He gave a half-hearted sarcastic smile.

AVery funny,@ he said. His spikes disappeared into his body and he touched Kurt on the arm. ALet=s get out of this place, man.@ Kitty held on to Kurt with both her hands.

ANo problem, ve=re gone.@ The trio disappeared in a flash of light and a puff of smoke. They reappeared to find Scott, Jean, and Logan shuffling about the X-Jet. Logan shifted his gaze to the new arrivals and then onto Jean.

AAre you sure you can=t get anything from him? Where could this little kid be?@ He began to pace impatiently. AAnd where is Rogue? I thought she was with you three.@

Jean answered him first. AI told you, Logan, his mutant power is gone. I had it a little while ago but it just disappeared. Rogue=s went off a few minutes ago and I couldn=t trace it. Maybe she=s found him and they=re resting or something before coming here.@ Logan was impatient and began his pacing faster. His claws popped out and he sliced a small tree into pieces. His voice growled with frustration.

AThis isn=t like Rogue to go up missing. Something must have happened to her, and I don=t like it one bit. Now keep trying and don=t give up until you find them!@ He stormed back into the X-Jet. Kitty was puzzled and sat down on a mossy log.

AHe=s right, this isn=t like Rogue. Sure, she likes to be alone but she wouldn=t ditch us. This is so weird. And that Tobias kid, you think he would have given some indication he was . . . here . . . @ Kitty=s voice trailed off as she spotted the mob through the trees lining the clearing. ALook! What=re all those people doing?@ The rest of the team turned to look and Logan came pacing out of the jet=s cargo ramp.

AI don=t know,@ he said, Abut it doesn=t look pretty. Let=s check it out.@ The X-Men left the jet hidden amongst the trees and headed toward the mob in the city streets. As they neared they could distinguish what the mob was chanting.

AKill all mutants! Drive them outta town! They almost killed my boy!@ The mob rampaged through the city streets and came upon a sheriff=s car. The sheriff got out of his car and began speaking on his megaphone.

APeople! People! Listen up! There are mutants in this fine city, and they must be stopped from hurting our children!@ He stopped for a moment to listen to his car=s radio. AWe have had a sighting! Two mutants have been spotted near the old aqueducts and have escaped into the desert. Break up into search parties and find them, bring them back alive!@ The mob roared in acknowledgment and turned to the aqueducts. Some of them carried rifles and still more began getting all the armaments they could from pawn shops and gun stores. Now armed to the teeth, they swarmed the sighting area.

In the underbrush Kitty gasped in horror. The others shook their heads in disbelief and stood up.

APoor Rogue, that mob=ll kill her! We=ve got to move and get to her!@ Kurt and Evan nodded. Jean and Scott stood up and began to follow the mob. Logan trailed behind and spoke to Kitty.

AHang tight, girlie, Rogue=ll be all right. She can handle herself. We just need to get her and get of here as soon as possible.@ He started to follow Jean and Scott across the street.

ACome on, Kitty. Rogue needs our help.@ Kurt helped her up and the X-Men cautiously tailed the mob through the city streets.

Rogue awakened suddenly with a start. She reached behind her head and winced in pain as she felt the long bloody gash. She pulled her hand back to her face and saw it slick with blood.

AOh gawd, ah need a doctor.@ She rolled over and sat up against a tree. She held her head in her hands and whispered softly to herself. AGet a hold of yourself, Rogue. You=ve gotten yoreself outta scrapes bigger then this b=fore.@ She lifted her head to gaze at the stars when she heard a groan from beside her. Startled, she whirled at the sound before realizing she had forgotten about Toby. He rolled with his face directed at Rogue and moaned as his head fell on a rock. His eyes slowly opened and looked straight at Rogue.

AOh man, my head.@ He reached for his head and felt along where it had impacted the wall so many hours ago. Adding to that pain was a sensation that his mind had been ripped away. He slowly rose to his feet and stumbled into the tree Rogue was sitting against.

AOh, my head. It hurts so bad.@ He grunted in pain and looked down at Rogue. AWhat happened? Where are we?@ Rogue lifted her head to look at him, pushing aside her white bangs so she could see his face clearly.

AWhen you touched me . . . it knocked you out cold. Ah took yore powers and ran here. Then ah guess ah fell asleep.@ She stared at the ground and tears began to drop from her eyes. AThat=s mah power. If ah touch someone with mah skin ah can take their powers and knock >em cold. Ah tried to warn you but it was too late.@ Toby squatted next to Rogue and reached out to touch her face with his bare hand. Suddenly realizing his mistake, he pulled his hand back and extended his gloved hand. He pushed aside her hair gently.

AHey, it=s not your fault. It=s mine, I should have realized it by the way you decked Jake back in the alley.@ She turned her head and stared into his face. He couldn=t help but be lost in her steel gray eyes, moist with recent tears. ARogue, I-I . . . @ He fought back his desire to brush his lips with hers, knowing full well the consequences. She fought the impulse too, allowing another tear to fall. She yearned to touch, just once.

Toby suddenly turned his head away from her towards the town. Erratic light beams flashed amongst the trees and voices could be heard shouting to one another. Rogue looked up and saw the same. The two mutants looked at one another and quickly stood up. Toby took a few steps forward and looked back at Rogue.

AI=ll check it out, okay? You wait for me.@ He sank into a shadow and it moved across the light grass towards the lights. Rogue stood motionless for a few seconds and then realized what she had to do. She held her head in her hands and concentrated her power. Her eyes flared red and she let out a low moan. Red and black streaks reappeared in her hair for a brief second and then disappeared.

AWith luck,@ she said to herself, AJean will be able to see that.@

Jean Gray stopped suddenly in front of a mailbox. She steadied herself and held her hand to her forehand, her eyes closed in concentration. Scott stopped next her and put his hand on her shoulder.

AJean, what is it? Is it Rogue?@ He waited for an answer as Jean regained her composure and turned to him. Her eyes opened and she spoke.

AYeah, Scott, it=s her all right. She=s right in the path of the mob.@ Scott=s jaw dropped and he turned to Logan to see if he had heard. By the stern look on Logan=s face Scott knew that he had. Scott called to Kitty, Kurt, and Evan.

AHey, guys, we found her. She=s in the path of the mob and we need to move fast right now.@ Kitty ran up to him.

AOh no, how are we going to reach her? That mob=s right in the way! They=ll get to her any second!@ She turned to Kurt and Evan, their faces set seriously. Kitty glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw a shadow moving across a building behind the mob. She squinted and realized that no one was in front of it. ALook at that! There=s no one in front of that shadow!@ The X-Men turned to look and they were all equally surprised. The shadow stopped and stared straight at Kitty, then it suddenly sank down across the ground and moved quickly towards her. Scott raised his hand to his glasses and Logan started inching his claws out. When the shadow stopped, it spread upwards into the shape of a figure dressed in black. All of the X-Men recognized Tobias Maxwell from the control room=s screen. His hair was unkempt and dried blood covered the right side of his face. His left hand was missing a glove as he held it out to Kitty.

AAre you mutants? I saw you earlier talking about finding a new recruit around here. You guys must be the X-Men Rogue was talking about.@ His voice was full of concern and his eyes pleaded with Kitty.

AWhere is Rogue? Where is she? We need to get out of this place with that mob storming around here.@ Scott lowered his hand as he spoke to the strange new mutant. Toby turned to look at him and answered him slowly.

AFollow me. I can get us there with my power. Just hold on to me somehow.@ Each of the X-Men placed a hand on Toby=s back as he sank into the mixture of shadows on the ground. The mass of darkness moved silently across the town, flowing through the woods with ease and bypassing the mob. It twisted and turned through groves of trees before coming to rest near a large dead tree. Rogue lifted her head from her knees to welcome the shadow. Spread across the tree in front of her, it morphed into Toby=s form and blew a kiss to her. She stood up and smiled as it dissipated into the form of Toby. Behind him came the rest of the X-Men, each stepping gingerly onto solid ground from the shadow on the tree. Kurt was bursting with excitement when he saw Rogue.

ARogue! You=re all right! Ve almost dhought that you had been hurt. Ve vere zo vorried about you!@ She smiled at him and winced as her hand touched the back of her head.

AWell, ah didn=t exactly get away scot-free. Some little punk smacked the back a= mah head and it=s been bleeding pretty bad.@ She pulled her hand away, showing the slick red smear of blood on her hand. Logan=s face twisted into an angry scowl.

AWho did this to you? You tell me now and I might not kill him.@ His clenched fists sprouted curved metal blades and he turned to where the mob was coming into the dry bush. Rogue put her black gloved hand on his shoulder, the warm breeze making ripples flow through her sheer green blouse.

ADon=t worry about it, Logan. Ah=m okay. Let=s just get outta here. Ah think ah=ve had enough of Arizona for one day.@ She threw a smile at Toby and he returned it. A crunch in the dead grass shifted everyone=s attention. Jake and his gang stood and stared at the mutants across the beams from their flashlights.

AIf it isn=t a mutant convention. Where=s that damn kid? I got something for him.@ Jake moved his beam across the X-Men until he rested it on Toby=s face. Toby=s eyes were blinded immediately and the skin on his face began to burn a bright red. White smoke rose through the night along with Toby=s screams. He collapsed onto the ground, holding his face in agony.

AToby!@ Rogue ran to him and held him as his face burned from the light. He opened his eyes and saw only darkness. Scott raised his glasses an inch and blasted Jake=s flashlight. Jake yelped in pain and dropped the useless, melted heap of plastic. Evan shot his trademarks out of his hands into each of the flashlights held by the rest of Jake=s gang. Logan sprung forward and punched Jake square in the chest, his claws fortunately retracted. Jake flew back a few feet and skid to rest in the dirt, clutching his chest. Kurt and Evan jumped the rest of the gang, knocking them each in turn to the dusty ground. Jake stumbled to his feet and reached into his jacket, pulling out a large, silver handgun. He pointed it Kitty who stood in front of a dead tree. She gasped and fell through the tree=s trunk just as Jake squeezed off a bullet where her head had been a second before. The dead wood exploded into tiny shards that hit the dirt and created a miniature dust storm. Kitty rolled over the ground and screamed when a piece of wood pierced her leg. Logan=s claws shot from his fists as fast as his war cry. His claws slashed the gun into pieces of gleaming metal and he knocked Jake to the ground. His claws were an inch from the boy=s face when he stopped. He looked back at the rest of team and retracted his blades, letting Jake cover his face in terror.

AYou better leave right now, bub, before I change my mind and slice you into ground beef.@ Logan stared straight into Jake=s eyes as the boy struggled to his feet and ran off with the rest of his gang. Toby stood up, supported by Rogue, and tried to clear his vision. All he could see were dark smears and occasional small flashes of light. His face was streaked with burn marks and smoke still curled above his head. He struggled to stay on his feet and groped in the darkness. He felt Rogue=s hands on his arm and wheeled to her. He could see two faint white streaks in the darkness and reached out to touch them with his gloved hand.

ARogue? I ca-can=t see anything. My face feels like it=s on fire an-an-and I can=t see you.@ His hands felt the air and then came in contact with Rogue=s face. She held his hand and gently kissed it. Toby felt his hand rubbing against Rogue=s soft face and her arms guiding him away. He stumbled along with her guiding him by the arm. His head was pounding with pain and his face still burned, so he could hardly make out what the others were saying as they traveled through the darkness. Logan=s voice was the most audible.

A-ever see that creep again I swear I won=t hold back. No one takes shots at my team and gets away clean. I should=a gutted him good.@ Toby faintly heard Rogue=s voice speak up beside him.

A-know we can=t do that . . . ah never could use my powers to kill someone . . . did deserve it, ah=ll say that. My gawd, Kitty . . . you okay?@ The pain in Toby=s head became intense and he groaned. All he could feel was searing heat all over his head. Where the light had hit his dried blood it was seared and black, cooked into his flesh. He hardly heard the gunshots coming from behind him, and he could barely feel his legs running faster as Rogue dragged him along.

Rogue glanced back just in time for a bullet to strike a tree to her side. She ducked and dragged Toby with all her strength to try and keep up with the X-Men. Intermittently Scott would fire blasts back at their attackers and Jean would pull up some obstacles, but nothing could stop this mob. Nothing but . . . darkness?

Rogue dropped herself and Toby to the ground. She breathed quietly in his ear.

AToby? Can you hear me? I need to borrow yore powers here. Ah promise ah won=t keep >em long.@ Toby, clinging onto consciousness, groggily nodded his head. Rogue swept her hair back and kissed him deep on the lips, pulling him close to her in her arms. The warm breeze swept her hair over Toby=s face and he returned her touch with a strong embrace and a stronger kiss. The last thing he felt before losing consciousness was a single tear sliding from Rogue=s cheek onto his. It was the warmest thing he had ever felt.

Rogue=s eyes glowed red and her hair flashed with black and red streaks. She held Toby in the crook of her arm as she stood to face the nearing mob. Focusing her mind, she found the source of Toby=s power and channeled it through her body to her fingertips. Waves of darkness erupted from her gloved hand and swarmed around the mob, encasing them in a sphere of obscurity. The wall of shadow cut off the moon and busted the bulbs of all the flashlights the mob carried. Inside the sphere it was pitch black and the people stumbled, trying to find their own feet in the darkness. Rogue held Toby against her body as she sunk into her shadow and darted through the night.

Rogue rubbed the gauze bandage across the back of her head. The healing process itched like crazy and she was tempted to take the bandage off and rub her head against some sandpaper. She sat in the cramped desk staring at the clock on the wall as each tick went by. Her head itched uncontrollably and she fidgeted in the chair trying to relieve some tension. The teacher was about to ask her to stop when the bell rang. Students jumped out to get out the door amidst the teacher=s warning of an upcoming test.

AYou had better know cell structure by Monday, the test is not easy. Make sure you understand the function of cytoplasm and mitochondria, and be able to diagram the phospholipid bi-layer. Study, study, study, class!@ His voice trailed off amidst the swarm of students leaving the room. Rogue walked through the halls with one hand scratching her bandage and the other trying to juggle a biology book and a pair of pencils. She opened her locker and crammed her book in between the same old bag lunch and the same old stacks of torn books. Turning to close the locker door and leave, she stopped and looked back in her locker. Taking the bag lunch and the torn books, she closed the locker door and dropped her arms= contents into the nearest trash bin. Kurt and Kitty left her behind as they traveled for the end of the hall and the exit. Rogue stepped along in the opposite direction and headed outside to the school=s courtyard. By a secluded bench she waited. She glanced up at the wall of the school and saw her shadow and the shadow of a boy meet and kiss one another. The girl=s foot lifted off the ground as Rogue smiled and laughed. The shadows melted into a single form and Toby stepped out from the wall. Rogue rushed forward and put her arms around his neck. His face was streaked with red burns and his head was protected from the sun by a black boonie hat. He smiled back and their faces came close. She pressed a gloved finger to his lips to hold him back. He smiled and nodded his head toward the school wall. Rogue looked and saw their shadows interlocked in a passionate kiss, suspended in each other=s arms for what seemed like eternity. A cool breeze began to blow Rogue=s hair across Toby=s face. He held her tight and pulled her with him down into his shadow. On the wall their shadows met again and began another deep kiss.