Chapter Three “Gutentag,” Nightcrawler said amiably. “Hey,” Luna said, grinning. “Any news on that weirdo jewel thief and what made him do it?” Logan raised an eyebrow at Scott, who shrugged. “Maybe,” Scott said. “Maybe?” Oriana repeated. “The Prof is still looking,” Logan said. “Whatever that presence was, he can’t find it again. It’s cloaking itself, I guess.” “Feels like a load of crap to me,” Luna said. “What’s the use in sitting around here waiting for brainiac to find a trace of something that may or may not even exist?” “You’d question the professor?” Scott asked challengingly. “Listen, I know you’re the boy scout leader here,” Luna said, sighing, “but you ain’t the boss of me. I don’t know your professor from Adam’s cat, and I’d rather not put all my trust in him just yet.” Logan smirked, then wiped the expression away. But not before Luna had caught the look. She winked at him and waited for Scott’s rebuttal. “He had the decency to bring you in off the street,” Scott said angrily. “And you don’t even respect him!” “I didn’t say that,” Luna said, pointing a finger in his face. “And the last time someone put words in my mouth, they were mauled.” "Whoa, let’s stop this right here and now," Oriana said, putting her arm on Luna who was glaring at Scott as though she might bite his head off. Scott opened his mouth, but Oriana shot him a glare and he shut it again. "I see I'm going to have to keep an eye on you when your around him..." Oriana hissed in Luna's ear. Luna gave her a smile that told Oriana she was right. Luna glanced at Logan, who was desperately hiding the wicked grin on his face. Just as the silence seemed to spread out for too long, the Professor rolled up to them. “What’s all this?” he asked, glancing from one person to the next. “Nothing,” Scott said. “I thought you were in Cerebro, Charles,” Logan said. “I was,” he replied. “I think I’ve located the disturbance.” “Disturbance?” Luna asked. “Yes, some force that’s radiating from somewhere in Eygpt of all places.” “It managed to reach as far a Dennis Thorbes?” Scott asked with disbelief. “Apparently it targeted him,” Xavier said. “But it seems to be more than just a psychic transmission. It’s almost a calling.” “You don’t mean like a spiritual calling?” Nightcrawler asked, furrowing his brow. “I do,” Xavier said, nodding solemnly. "Scott," he said, looking towards him. "I want you to gather the rest of us and bring them to my office." Scott nodded and left and the professor looked towards Logan. "Take Luna and Oriana and show them their suits." Logan nodded and Oriana raised an eyebrow at Luna as the two followed Logan. He lead them down to a room lined with leather outfits. He took two of them out and handed them to Oriana and Luna. Oriana looked at hers raising an eyebrow. "You expect me to wear this?" "Yes," Logan said. "Okay." Luna studied hers a moment. Oddly enough, the piping along the black leather was pink, like the streaks in her hair. Could Xavier have anticipated that she would join them? She shook her head at this thought and walked into a changing room off, slipping into her suit. She finished zipping it as she walked back out. Logan’s eyes were unabashedly taking her in from head to toe. “Here’s the boots,” he said, his voice low as he handed her a pair of thigh high boots. She nodded to him and put these on. Oriana came out of her dressing room wearing a suit with silver and gold piping on opposite sides. “Not a bad fit,” she said, running her hands along her hips. She caught Scott staring as he entered the room. Were it not for the sunglasses, she could have sworn that he was overtaken by the sight before him. “All right,” Nightcrawler said, peeking in at them. “The others are in the office.”
He teleported out of sight while the four of them took the elevator. They entered the office and saw Storm, Kurt, and Rogue waiting there for them.
“Handle yourselves accordingly,” Xavier said with a nod.
They nodded and exited, heading toward the X-Jet. The group climbed into aboard, and Scott and Storm moved up to the pilot’s seats. Oriana and Luna sat down behind Scott and buckled in.
"You do know how to fly this thing, right?" Oriana asked Scott.
He laughed. "I do hope so."
Oriana's eyes went wide, and he laughed again. "Don't worry. I do, and so does Strom."
Oriana sighed and leaned back in her seat. She looked at Luna and saw her friends eyes straying back to Logan.
"You should go talk to him."
"Why?" Luna asked, looking at her.
"Because, it’s obvious you like him."
"I do not," Luna said defiantly.
"Oh please... and I don't have gold hair."
Luna set her jaw. “I don’t work that way,” she said. “I don’t just… talk to people.”
“You talk to me.”
“That’s different.”
“How so?”
“He’s… just different. That’s all. You and I were thrust into this situation together. I feel like we’re on the same page. He and everyone else on this jet are different.”
“No, they aren’t,” Oriana said. “They’re like us. And I don’t know if you noticed, but you and Logan are a lot alike. Plus, you just click.”
“Yeah right,” Luna said with a nervous laugh. Secretly, she perked up inside knowing that Oriana thought she and Logan might work together.
The jet lifted shakily out of the open basketball court, hovering a moment as they twirled the craft toward the direction of the ocean. Once this was done and the coordinates set, they sped through the air toward their destination.
Through the few hours of travel, Luna’s glance had strayed toward Logan several times. He seemed extremely nervous whenever there was even a hint of turbulence. He was obviously not a flyer. She smirked at him, wondering if it would help him to hold her hand. She pushed this thought away and concentrated on their trip instead.
Oriana noted Scott’s confidence behind the controls of the jet, and it eased her mind to see how effortlessly he handle the machine. It set off heat in her when she considered what else he might be skilled at.
“What are you blushing about?” Luna asked with concern.
“Nothing,” Oriana said innocently, fidgeting and pointing out the front window. “Looks like we’re here.”
Luna snorted at Oriana's abrupt change of subject.
The X-Jet flew over the land, and Scott guided it towards a thick, forested area. He managed to find a opening and lowered the jet down inside of it. Once they landed, the ramp was lowered, and the group made their way out and into the woods. Oriana stretched, then grinned at Luna as Logan looked towards her and caused her to blush.
"Alright, everyone. Let’s head out," Scott said, and the group made their way through the woods.
They walked for several minutes, the exotic plants encasing them in and making the air stifling. Their leather suits didn’t ease the heat much, either.
“How much farther?” Luna finally asked.
“We’re here,” Scott said, stopping. “These are the coordinates.”
“I don’t see anything special,” Luna said with disappointment.
“I do,” she heard Rogue put in.
They turned to her and saw her staring between two trees. An enormous pyramid-esque temple towered beyond the foliage. They stared at it for a minute before Scott snapped them to attention.
“Let’s go,” he said, waving for them to follow him as he headed toward it.
“He’s nuts,” Luna murmured. “Xavier’s sweet and all, but I got a terrible feeling about this. And I am not risking my life.”
“You wouldn’t risk your life to save the world?” Rogue asked.
“That’s a little presumptuous,” Luna said. “You actually think the safety of the world revolves around you?”
“I think that if it does, I should be ready to do what’s right.”
With that, she tramped ahead of Luna and left her grimacing and stomping after the rest of the team.
The group soon made it to the edge of the woods, and the pyramid towered before them. Oriana frowned up at it. She had never seen one before.
"Okay, everyone, move carefully and keep your eyes open," Scott said, and the group nodded and moved forward.
Oriana fell back beside Luna, and the two glanced at one another before looking around them for any signs of other life. They sensed nothing as they neared the closed entrance to the pyramid.
“How’re we supposed to get in?” Rogue asked.
“I got the key right here,” Logan said, snarling and popping his claws out.
“No, Logan,” Scott said. “We don’t want to destroy it. We just want to get inside.”
Logan snarled again and pulled his claws back into his fist.
“Open saysame?” Kurt said with a grin.
“Hey, yeah!” Luna said. “Can’t you just bamf in there?”
“Not if I can’t see where I’m going,” he said. “I could wind up in a wall. That would help no one.”
“Then what are we supposed to do?” Luna asked.
She huffed, then closed her eyes. She heard a couple of gasps from those who had yet to see her powers. With a growl, she launched herself at the door and roared as it caved in. Her head hung as she changed from a black and pink lion into a human again.
Scott marched over and grabbed her arm, jerking her up.
“If you do something like that again—” he started.
“You’ll what?” Logan asked him, taking Luna’s other arm suddenly.
“She could have killed one of us,” Scott protested.
“You do this to any new team member you happen to disagree with,” Logan said, his voice low. “You did it to me. Don’t think I’ve forgotten, bub. You’d best not do it to her, too.”
“All right, that’s enough,” Luna said. “Both of you get your hands off me.”
Wolverine released her and lifted his hands in surrender. “Only trying to help, darlin’.”
Scott was already ignoring them as he moved into the catacombs.
Oriana sniggered at Luna and gave her a wink as she passed by her and went to Scott’s side. She looked around the large insides of the pyramid, looking down the different halls.
"Uh, question," Oriana said. Scott looked at her. "How do we know which one to go down?"
"We could split up," Luna suggested, and Oriana nodded her agreement. "Just be careful; I've heard these things are filled with all kinds of booby-traps."
"Alright. Logan, Luna, your coming with Oriana and I. Storm, Kurt, Rogue, you’re together. Everybody meet back here in two hours," Scott said.
Storm nodded and led Kurt and Rogue down a passage opposite the one Scott was staring down. Oriana followed right behind Scott. She was very close to him. Luna nudged her and cocked an eyebrow.
“It’s dark,” Oriana said. “I don’t want to get separated from him.”
“Sure,” Luna said.
She edged toward the back where Logan lurked. He strode carefully, his sharp eyes taking in all around him. Every few seconds his nose wrinkled as he sniffed the air.
“You smell something, boy?” Luna teased.
Logan narrowed his eyes at her. “No. But this place is old and full of bad mojo. I’m keeping my eyes, ears, and nose on alert.”
“Not a bad idea,” she said. “Just be sure to warn us should you pick up on—”
“Shhh!” he said suddenly. “I hear something.”
Luna froze and looked toward Scott and Oriana. Scott had halted and was watching Logan with interest.
“It sounds like a door opening,” Logan said. “I can smell the dust kicking up.”
“Where?” Scott asked.
“Up ahead,” Logan said. “We’re pretty close.” The group took a few more steps forward when Logan grunted and sniffed the air again. "They're movin," he muttered and pointed away from them.
The group rounded a corner and found a door to their left.
"I wish there was more light in here..." Scott muttered as he tried to examine the door.
"Okay," Oriana said, extending her hand and producing a small fire ball in her palm.
Scott grinned then looked at the door. "Yeah, someone came out of this door. Look." He pointed to the ground where there was a mark from the door being swung open and a few smudges in the dust on the floor.
“Look at those footprints,” Luna said in awe. “What kind of… thing came out of there?”
They each stared at the footprints and felt taken over by dread. They were too big to be that of a normal sized man.
“And where did it go?” Oriana added.
Logan sniffed and grumbled at the dusty, static smell. But underneath was a living scent. Some kind of flesh and metal combined. Luna heard a foot fall and turned with a gasp as she saw a hulking shape disappear around the corner.
“Hey!” she called, motioning that way and running after it. As she raced, her form molded and changed into a loping, black and pink wolf. She skittered to a stop, whimpering before the massive humanoid she nearly ran into.
He chuckled and bent down toward her, his evil eyes boring into hers. She snarled weakly and backed up a step.
“Luna!” Logan shouted as he rounded the corner. He stopped in his tracks, seeming fearful for only a moment, then growling angrily. “What the hell are you supposed to be?”
“Your worst nightmare,” was the deep reply as its already intimidating bulk grew.
“How is it doing that?” Oriana squeaked.
Cyclops shook his head in disbelief but didn’t stay still for long. His hand snapped to the side of his visor, and a red bolt shot out, colliding with the evil thing before them. As the light crashed over it and shoved it a step backward, their enemy was revealed to them even more. He was heavily muscled and covered mostly by mechanical, metal armor. Where man began and metal ended was indiscernible. And Scott’s optic blast wasn’t stopping it from approaching.
The group started to back up to get away from the giant thing. "Well, if heat won’t stop him, how about cold...." Oriana said, stepping in front of everyone and raising her left hand as a stream of ice shot out of it.
It hit the man square in the chest and quickly spread over his entire body, freezing him in place.
"I really doubt that will keep him for long. Shall we get the others?" she asked as Luna formed into a human again and nodded.
They twisted when they heard the ice cracking but didn’t wait to see him emerge. They sprinted back the way they come, finding themselves back at the entrance.
“We have to get the others!” Scott said.
“I got this,” Logan said, turning down the passage Storm, Rogue, and Nightcrawler had gone down when the groups had diverged.
“Wait up!” Luna called, chasing after him.
“You go back!” he said, pointing back at her. “Go with Cyke and Ori to safety!”
“No!” she said.
“Listen!” he said, turning. They stopped their argument when they heard footsteps distant through the tunnels.
“Where do you think he’ll go?” Luna whispered. “After us, or outside with Scott and Ori?”
“Either way, we better haul ass,” he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her along after him.
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