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're
not
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 to
move
!"
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.
