[NOW: U.S. Outpost 31, South Pole...]
Snow driven wind piled high against the side of the small research station beneath a crystal clear sky. The sun wouldn't show itself for another few months, and then it would be here for six months without end. For now, the research station was abandoned and empty for the long winter.
Thus there were no witnesses to see the lone figure simply blink into existence, bundled against the cold, laden with a pack of equipment. Clothed in winter fatigues, his dark skin was the only thing standing out against the stark white arctic landscape, his white head of hair trimmed close to his scalp, his left arm made of a shiny metallic material. He activated the small scanner on his wrist, looking around quickly as the system booted up.
:SCANNING:
:CALCULATING PLANETARY ALIGNMENT:
:CHRONOLOCATION ESTABLISHED:
:JUNE 15, 2009:
Close, but not exact enough for him to have great faith in the system. Better too early than too late, though. He would have some time, maybe get to do some sightseeing before he saved the world. After all, it wasn't everyday you got to travel back in time. He trudged through the snow towards the garage. Wrenching the door open effortlessly, he surveyed the row of snowmobiles covered in their tarps. He found what he was looking for at the far end of the garage; a large snow cat, the reserve unit that the research scientists and military personnel leave behind when they retreat to warmer climes.
He opened the door of the vehicle and climbed in. The computers in the snow cat were far more primitive than those he was used to, but they should still be usable. He set his hand on the ignition switch, and his right eye, surrounded in a radial pattern by long, straight scars that stood out pale white against his ebon skin, began to glow. The engine of the snow cat purred to life.
"Still got it," Cable said, putting the snow cat into gear and driving out into the arctic night. Somewhere out there, history was soon to be made.
Snow driven wind piled high against the side of the small research station beneath a crystal clear sky. The sun wouldn't show itself for another few months, and then it would be here for six months without end. For now, the research station was abandoned and empty for the long winter.
Thus there were no witnesses to see the lone figure simply blink into existence, bundled against the cold, laden with a pack of equipment. Clothed in winter fatigues, his dark skin was the only thing standing out against the stark white arctic landscape, his white head of hair trimmed close to his scalp, his left arm made of a shiny metallic material. He activated the small scanner on his wrist, looking around quickly as the system booted up.
:SCANNING:
:CALCULATING PLANETARY ALIGNMENT:
:CHRONOLOCATION ESTABLISHED:
:JUNE 15, 2009:
Close, but not exact enough for him to have great faith in the system. Better too early than too late, though. He would have some time, maybe get to do some sightseeing before he saved the world. After all, it wasn't everyday you got to travel back in time. He trudged through the snow towards the garage. Wrenching the door open effortlessly, he surveyed the row of snowmobiles covered in their tarps. He found what he was looking for at the far end of the garage; a large snow cat, the reserve unit that the research scientists and military personnel leave behind when they retreat to warmer climes.
He opened the door of the vehicle and climbed in. The computers in the snow cat were far more primitive than those he was used to, but they should still be usable. He set his hand on the ignition switch, and his right eye, surrounded in a radial pattern by long, straight scars that stood out pale white against his ebon skin, began to glow. The engine of the snow cat purred to life.
"Still got it," Cable said, putting the snow cat into gear and driving out into the arctic night. Somewhere out there, history was soon to be made.
“ULTIMATE GENESIS – PART ONE”
[NOW: Vermicom Biotech, Munich...]
"I despise this," Kitty thought to herself, fighting against the fear that enrobed her. If she could sweat, she'd be drenched in it. She was alone, unable to move or even breathe, smothering in the dark as she drifted through the claustrophobic nightmare. She knew that in a moment, this fleeting Hell would be over, and she'd be free again, but her subconscious always whispered maliciously in her ear, suggesting that this time, she'd miscalculated, and she was headed through something too thick, something too solid, something that would trap her as a phantom until she suffered a slow horrific death by suffocation.
Her bosses at Weapon X called it Quantum Tunneling. The alteration of the probability, from unlikely to near certain, that solid matter would spontaneously pass through other solid matter. Theoretical particle physics that sounded more like something out of a Philip K. Dick novel than something someone would use to break into a biotech development lab. She'd close her eyes if it made a difference, but when she was tunneling her eyelids didn't stop much light anyway, and she was trained to keep them open so that when she went solid she could instantly assess her environment.
Theoretically, she should be reappearing instantly on the other side, with no sensation of movement at all. That theory had been blown out of the water the first time she tunneled and spend the better part of an hour weeping after she thought she would die trapped in a wall. Apparently sub-atomic particles passing through matter behaved far differently from those of a seventeen-year-old girl scared out of her mind.
She emerged from the wall of the lab and dropped to a knee outside in the secluded alcove that marked her insertion point. She made a quick check of her pack, making sure the document copies were secured, and broke into a run towards the fence.
[SIX MONTHS AGO: Deerfield, Illinois...]
"So this is the infamous Shadow Cat," the man in the white shirt and black tie smiled. "You've created quite a stir, young lady."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kitty recited, knowing how canned the pre-rehearsed line was, but knowing just as well that anything else she said would only compound the problem.
"Oh, I'm pretty sure you do, Katherine. We have substantial evidence of multiple incursions into several secure databases by a hacker going by the name ‘Shad0kat.’ We also have substantial proof that this ‘Shad0kat’ operates out of your attic. Each of these counts, as outlined by the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, carries a sentence of ten years. And given your I.Q., we can push to get you prosecuted as an adult. Now, that means you're going to live your entire adult life with your hand in the back pocket of some woman named Cinnamon."
"You're disgusting," Kitty said, turning in revulsion. "You talk to children like that?"
"Only the ones committing felonies."
"So what's the deal? Normally, when you try to intimidate someone into confessing, there's a deal."
"If you're not guilty, why do you want to know about a deal?"
"Well, Agent... Duncan," she said, leaning forward to look at his name badge, "let's call it a hypothetical. If I were this ‘Shadowcat’, which I'm not, and I decided to cooperate, what would you be offering me?"
"A job," he smiled.
Kitty was taken aback, and she had to close her jaw quickly to hide her confusion.
"It turns out that you have a very unique genetic profile, young lady. One that allows you to do things that many people cannot. Your skill with electronics may be a result of that. Or maybe you're just a genius. But either way, we'd like for you to join our team."
Kitty sat back and smiled a phony smile. "I've seen this movie," she said, "the Earth's core has stopped spinning, and you need someone to hack into the planet, and help save the world, right?"
"Actually," Fred Duncan said, turning towards the door and opening it for a tall man with no hair, "it's a lot like that."
[NOW: Munich...]
"Good work, Kitty," Scott said, looking over the scans. "We need you to stay in Munich until Sean gets the hard copies delivered to us. I really wish you'd reconsider staying at the Weapon X safe house."
"I'll be fine," Kitty assured him, getting changed in the sparse room of the youth hostel she was staying at. "I've traveled abroad by myself before."
"Yes, but never in Munich."
"I'm not exactly your average ordinary seventeen year old Jewish girl," she reassured him, stepping back in front of the screen.
"Okay, we estimate Sean should be arriving here tomorrow night. Until then, have fun." Scott's stern visage disappeared from her videophone, and Kitty sighed.
She strolled along Dachauer Street until she reached a small café inside the Hotel Europa. Ordering an eiskaffe, she sat at a table in the corner and opened up her laptop. There was still a lot of work to be done, but she was making significant strides on her quantum mechanics dissertation, and she knew she was only steps away from proving Heim’s Theory.
"That looks painful," a deep voice said from behind her. She turned and saw a very tall dark haired man smiling, standing at a polite distance from her table. "You must be very brilliant. Walter Dröscher just gives me a headache."
Kitty looked up and instinctively closed the laptop, causing the stranger's smile to falter. "I apologize," he said, "I did not mean to intrude."
"No," Kitty smiled, "it's okay. I just didn't expect anyone to recognize Dröscher's work. I went to a lecture of his at Cambridge once, and I was the only one there below the age of forty."
He smiled, and Kitty felt her face grow a little warmer. "I will admit that, while my brother's interest in science has influenced me greatly, in this case, I only knew the name from the book you are carrying."
Kitty looked down at the book and grinned again. "So Quantum Mechanics aren't your thing, eh?"
"I know more about tractor mechanics than Quantum Mechanics."
"Ah, the proletariat farmer," Kitty said, nodding knowingly. "Care to sit while you drink your coffee?"
"Cocoa," he replied, "and yes, I would, thank you." He moved far more gracefully that his size would suggest, and offered a tremendous hand to her. "My name is Piotr."
"Nice tattoo," she replied, noticing ink designs scrawled down Piotr's left arm. Sliding her books into a neat pile and placing the laptop on top, she shook his hand. "I'm Kitty."
Piotr looked up, as if searching the horizon. “There were no other eyes like those in the world. There was only one creature in the world who could concentrate for him all the brightness and meaning of life. It was she. It was Kitty."
"A Russian quoting Tolstoy... I had high hopes for you, Piotr."
"I hate to disappoint. Perhaps you will let me try to impress you at dinner this evening?"
"I'd love to, but I still have some studying to do," Kitty said.
"All work and no play makes Kitty a dull girl," Piotr said.
"First Tolstoy, now Stephen King," Kitty said. "At least I know you're well read. Are you a librarian?"
"Nyet," he replied, "I am a corporate recruiter."
"You don't seem that type of guy."
"It is not that type of corporation."
"I see," she said.
"And you? What do you do when you're not dissecting the fabric of reality?"
"Acquisitions," Kitty replied, the corners of her mouth curling slightly.
"Sounds important," Piotr nodded solemnly.
"It's never boring."
"But you find entertainment in lectures on subatomic particles... I fear I must question your definition of excitement."
Kitty laughed. "Point taken. So what do you do for excitement?"
"I draw," he answered, "every chance I get. I always have a sketchbook and pencil with me."
"Even now?"
"Even now," he said, pulling his book out of his pack.
"May I see?" Kitty asked.
Piotr handed the book over and sat back, taking a long sip from his cocoa.
Kitty turned the page and was astonished. An image of a young ballerina, rendered perfectly in soft pencil strokes, held a perfect arabesque on the page. She was surrounded by glyphs and markings that were so intricate Kitty wondered how a pencil could stay so sharp. "Piotr... it's amazing."
"Spaceeba," he said. "That is my sister Illyana."
"What do the markings mean?"
"They are protection sigils. She has always been somewhat interested in the occult. Her friends even call her Magik."
"Big brother is a scientist, baby sister a sorceress... you fall somewhere in between?"
"Actually, I consider myself more of a spiritualist. But to a scientific mind like yours, I assume you would consider that as occult as well."
"Don't make too many assumptions, big guy. I go to synagogue."
"Ah, forgive me, please, I meant no offense. So what do you when you are not acquiring things?"
"Well, I am usually staring at the screen of this thing," she said, indicating her laptop. "I have a similar rig at home, and I spend a lot of time on my programming."
"The American Teenage Hacker meets Russian Proletariat Farmer," Piotr said, "I guess stereotypes of a feather flock together."
As Kitty drew in breath to answer him, she saw his eyes dart upward, and his entire body tensed slightly. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"Da," he replied, shaking his head. "I mean yes. Sorry, I am just a little distracted." He took out a small scrap of paper and began to scrawl some information on it when Kitty's watch began to beep. She looked down at it and her smile disappeared. She keyed the alarm and looked back at Piotr, who was still writing.
"Sorry, Piotr, something's come up. I'll have to take a rain check on dinner. I'm in Munich for a few days, maybe tomorrow?"
"Excellent," he said. "This is my cell number. Text me when you know if you're available. Do you know where Königshof is?"
"I'll find it," she said, gathering her books into her pack in a hurry. "Nice to meet you."
"Enchanted," Piotr said, watching as she walked away briskly.
As Kitty exited the cafe, she looked down at the screen on her watch. There had been a contact. Someone in the immediate area was born with a certain "X-factor" in their genetic make up that left them more susceptible to "the treatment."
Dinner would have to wait. There was a "mutant" loose in Munich.
[FOUR MONTHS AGO: Weapon X Training Center...]
"Well, hello, Beautiful," Bobby said, sliding next to Kitty as she sat in the processing center, "I didn't know we were recruiting super models."
"Oh my God, are you for real?"
"As real as they come, Sweetness," Bobby replied, a slick smile on his face. "Name's Bobby Drake, but everyone calls me 'Iceman.' You can call me any time. I happen to be free for dinner tonight."
"Sorry, Iceboy, I don't date the retarded. I find it ethically improper."
"Ooh, you've got a sense of humor! I like that!"
"Imagine my delight," Kitty smiled flatly.
"So does that mean I can buy you dinner tonight?"
"What, at the mess hall? We're not supposed to leave the compound until our training is over."
"C'mon, Gorgeous, do you always do what you're told?"
"My name is Kitty. If you can get five sentences out of your face without using a sexist nickname, I will accompany you to dinner in the mess hall this evening."
"You're serious?"
"Dead."
"Five sentences?"
"Yes."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"Just five?"
"Just five."
"I can do that, no problem."
"Let's see."
"I'll see you at dinner, Sexy," he said, smiling as he sauntered away.
"What?" Kitty said, confused. She looked at the ceiling, mentally counting the exchange. "Those weren’t sentences,” she called out to him, but he had already disappeared around the corner.
“You have to watch out for that one,” Hank said. Kitty jumped. The gentle voice she heard behind her belonged to a creature that looked like a were-lion with deep indigo fur. “Sorry, young lady. I know my appearance can be startling. My name is Hank McCoy.”
“Nice to meet you, Hank,” Kitty replied, trying not to stare at the lush blue fur that hung loosely from his entire body. “My name is Kitty Pryde.”
“It can all be a little overwhelming, I know. You must feel a bit like Dorothy.”
“So if you’re the Cowardly Lion, then that makes Bobby the Scarecrow. So who’s the Tin Man?”
Hank smiled and chuckled. “He works for another agency. I have a feeling you’re going to fit in wonderfully here, Katherine. I’ve read your files. I have to say I am truly impressed. 168 IQ, demonstrating aptitudes in science, especially in physics and math… you remind me of me at your age.”
“I’m specifically into theoretical particle physics. I’m working on a proof for Heim’s Theory.”
“Ambitious. A heady subject indeed. You have, of course, explored Walter Dröscher’s theories?”
Kitty smiled. “Of course. But John Reed has shown that Dröscher’s predictions based on Heim Theory were illusory.”
“But he later retracted those objections when he realized Heim’s initial Matrix using implied ground states had been updated in 1989.”
“He did?” Kitty said, blushing slightly. “I hadn’t realized.”
“There is no shame in not knowing everything, Katherine. Only when you defend to the death something that has already been proven false should you demonstrate remorse for your stand,” Hank smiled. “Regrettably, I must terminate our fascinating exchange, as I have pressing matters back in my lab. But feel free to stop by any time. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about Martin Tajmar’s findings.”
Kitty smiled and held out her hand. “I’m pleased to meet you, Hank.”
“Enchanted,” Hank replied, shaking her hand and then flipping backwards with incredible agility.
Kitty watched in amazement as he bounded down the hallway. “I’m definitely not in Kansas anymore.”
[NOW: Munich...]
Kitty had tried to follow when Hank explained how the watches that Weapon X operatives carried could detect information carried in a target's genetics, but even she was lost. It had something to do with pheromones, and something to do with biological ultra-harmonics. Biology was not her forte. The streets were pretty crowded, and she wasn't optimistic about being able to pinpoint the target.
As Kitty passed a small internet cafe, her watch beeped again, indicating that she was now moving away from the contact. "Well, then," she thought to herself, and turned back into the cafe. It was nearly deserted. She saw a tall, frail looking young boy facing her, ignoring his laptop. His face was drawn, his eyes sunken and red. This boy didn't visit sleep much, Kitty guessed. He looked like he ate even less. As Kitty walked further into the cafe, she saw a man facing away from her, talking to the boy. Kitty froze. There was no chance of a mistake; the massive frame, the same soft voice with the thick accent. She was about to call to him when she heard his words rather than just his voice.
"The Brotherhood of Men seeks to enlighten gifted individuals such as you as to their true potential," he said, handing him a small card.
The young boy took the card and then caught a glimpse of Kitty. Piotr followed his gaze and smiled. "Kitty," he said, "what a pleasant surprise! I thought you were on your way to another engagement?"
"I was," she said, her eyes narrowed. "Corporate recruiter, eh?"
Piotr's eyes went to Kitty's watch and his smile faded. "Acquisitions," he said knowingly. "So does this mean we will not be having dinner tomorrow night?"
"Is this your girlfriend?" the young boy interrupted.
"No," Kitty smiled, "not my boyfriend. We work for... rival companies."
"Are you here to recruit me to a commune as well?" the young boy said.
"No," Kitty said, smiling a thin smile, "we're more of a think-tank. His boss, however..."
"Perhaps you and I should discuss this in private," Piotr interrupted. "Mayhap our dinner can be a business-" Piotr froze, his eyes snapping up again a split instant before all Hell broke loose.
The walls of the internet cafe shuddered, the large picture window crashed inward and the power dropped out as there was a large explosion outside.
Kitty instinctively tunneled, moving slightly forward as the shards of broken glass passed through her immaterial form, and looked through the hole where the window used to be. She saw a large figure walking down the center of the street. His skin was a colorless stony hue, cracked and flaked. He wore a dark navy blue robe that was covered in symbols appearing to have been drawn out in blood.
"Rabble!" the mysterious figure decreed, "I seek Japheth Munroe!"
The young boy Piotr had been talking to turned paler. “What does he want with me?”
“Do not worry,” Piotr said. “I will stop him. Kitty,” he said, “can you turn him immaterial as well and take him to safety?”
"And what are you going to do, farm boy," Kitty said, "plant crops?"
Piotr looked out through the window and whispered an inaudible word. His eyes glowed a deep crimson for a moment, and suddenly his skin seemed to lose its color, growing shiny. Thin creases began to emerge in the skin, like brushed steel. Within a couple of seconds, Piotr had transformed into a golem of solid metal, a true Colossus.
"Something like that," he said, his voice lilted with a metallic hum, as he strode out into the street into battle.
Piotr strode towards the stranger purposefully. "Cease this mindless destruction," he said, standing in the stranger's path.
With barely an afterthought, the stony man swatted Piotr with the back of his hand, sending the armored Russian flying into the nearest building.
"Fool! Your day of judgment is at hand! You will fall before the might of Wormwood!"
[NEXT: Secret Love!]
"I despise this," Kitty thought to herself, fighting against the fear that enrobed her. If she could sweat, she'd be drenched in it. She was alone, unable to move or even breathe, smothering in the dark as she drifted through the claustrophobic nightmare. She knew that in a moment, this fleeting Hell would be over, and she'd be free again, but her subconscious always whispered maliciously in her ear, suggesting that this time, she'd miscalculated, and she was headed through something too thick, something too solid, something that would trap her as a phantom until she suffered a slow horrific death by suffocation.
Her bosses at Weapon X called it Quantum Tunneling. The alteration of the probability, from unlikely to near certain, that solid matter would spontaneously pass through other solid matter. Theoretical particle physics that sounded more like something out of a Philip K. Dick novel than something someone would use to break into a biotech development lab. She'd close her eyes if it made a difference, but when she was tunneling her eyelids didn't stop much light anyway, and she was trained to keep them open so that when she went solid she could instantly assess her environment.
Theoretically, she should be reappearing instantly on the other side, with no sensation of movement at all. That theory had been blown out of the water the first time she tunneled and spend the better part of an hour weeping after she thought she would die trapped in a wall. Apparently sub-atomic particles passing through matter behaved far differently from those of a seventeen-year-old girl scared out of her mind.
She emerged from the wall of the lab and dropped to a knee outside in the secluded alcove that marked her insertion point. She made a quick check of her pack, making sure the document copies were secured, and broke into a run towards the fence.
[SIX MONTHS AGO: Deerfield, Illinois...]
"So this is the infamous Shadow Cat," the man in the white shirt and black tie smiled. "You've created quite a stir, young lady."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kitty recited, knowing how canned the pre-rehearsed line was, but knowing just as well that anything else she said would only compound the problem.
"Oh, I'm pretty sure you do, Katherine. We have substantial evidence of multiple incursions into several secure databases by a hacker going by the name ‘Shad0kat.’ We also have substantial proof that this ‘Shad0kat’ operates out of your attic. Each of these counts, as outlined by the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, carries a sentence of ten years. And given your I.Q., we can push to get you prosecuted as an adult. Now, that means you're going to live your entire adult life with your hand in the back pocket of some woman named Cinnamon."
"You're disgusting," Kitty said, turning in revulsion. "You talk to children like that?"
"Only the ones committing felonies."
"So what's the deal? Normally, when you try to intimidate someone into confessing, there's a deal."
"If you're not guilty, why do you want to know about a deal?"
"Well, Agent... Duncan," she said, leaning forward to look at his name badge, "let's call it a hypothetical. If I were this ‘Shadowcat’, which I'm not, and I decided to cooperate, what would you be offering me?"
"A job," he smiled.
Kitty was taken aback, and she had to close her jaw quickly to hide her confusion.
"It turns out that you have a very unique genetic profile, young lady. One that allows you to do things that many people cannot. Your skill with electronics may be a result of that. Or maybe you're just a genius. But either way, we'd like for you to join our team."
Kitty sat back and smiled a phony smile. "I've seen this movie," she said, "the Earth's core has stopped spinning, and you need someone to hack into the planet, and help save the world, right?"
"Actually," Fred Duncan said, turning towards the door and opening it for a tall man with no hair, "it's a lot like that."
[NOW: Munich...]
"Good work, Kitty," Scott said, looking over the scans. "We need you to stay in Munich until Sean gets the hard copies delivered to us. I really wish you'd reconsider staying at the Weapon X safe house."
"I'll be fine," Kitty assured him, getting changed in the sparse room of the youth hostel she was staying at. "I've traveled abroad by myself before."
"Yes, but never in Munich."
"I'm not exactly your average ordinary seventeen year old Jewish girl," she reassured him, stepping back in front of the screen.
"Okay, we estimate Sean should be arriving here tomorrow night. Until then, have fun." Scott's stern visage disappeared from her videophone, and Kitty sighed.
She strolled along Dachauer Street until she reached a small café inside the Hotel Europa. Ordering an eiskaffe, she sat at a table in the corner and opened up her laptop. There was still a lot of work to be done, but she was making significant strides on her quantum mechanics dissertation, and she knew she was only steps away from proving Heim’s Theory.
"That looks painful," a deep voice said from behind her. She turned and saw a very tall dark haired man smiling, standing at a polite distance from her table. "You must be very brilliant. Walter Dröscher just gives me a headache."
Kitty looked up and instinctively closed the laptop, causing the stranger's smile to falter. "I apologize," he said, "I did not mean to intrude."
"No," Kitty smiled, "it's okay. I just didn't expect anyone to recognize Dröscher's work. I went to a lecture of his at Cambridge once, and I was the only one there below the age of forty."
He smiled, and Kitty felt her face grow a little warmer. "I will admit that, while my brother's interest in science has influenced me greatly, in this case, I only knew the name from the book you are carrying."
Kitty looked down at the book and grinned again. "So Quantum Mechanics aren't your thing, eh?"
"I know more about tractor mechanics than Quantum Mechanics."
"Ah, the proletariat farmer," Kitty said, nodding knowingly. "Care to sit while you drink your coffee?"
"Cocoa," he replied, "and yes, I would, thank you." He moved far more gracefully that his size would suggest, and offered a tremendous hand to her. "My name is Piotr."
"Nice tattoo," she replied, noticing ink designs scrawled down Piotr's left arm. Sliding her books into a neat pile and placing the laptop on top, she shook his hand. "I'm Kitty."
Piotr looked up, as if searching the horizon. “There were no other eyes like those in the world. There was only one creature in the world who could concentrate for him all the brightness and meaning of life. It was she. It was Kitty."
"A Russian quoting Tolstoy... I had high hopes for you, Piotr."
"I hate to disappoint. Perhaps you will let me try to impress you at dinner this evening?"
"I'd love to, but I still have some studying to do," Kitty said.
"All work and no play makes Kitty a dull girl," Piotr said.
"First Tolstoy, now Stephen King," Kitty said. "At least I know you're well read. Are you a librarian?"
"Nyet," he replied, "I am a corporate recruiter."
"You don't seem that type of guy."
"It is not that type of corporation."
"I see," she said.
"And you? What do you do when you're not dissecting the fabric of reality?"
"Acquisitions," Kitty replied, the corners of her mouth curling slightly.
"Sounds important," Piotr nodded solemnly.
"It's never boring."
"But you find entertainment in lectures on subatomic particles... I fear I must question your definition of excitement."
Kitty laughed. "Point taken. So what do you do for excitement?"
"I draw," he answered, "every chance I get. I always have a sketchbook and pencil with me."
"Even now?"
"Even now," he said, pulling his book out of his pack.
"May I see?" Kitty asked.
Piotr handed the book over and sat back, taking a long sip from his cocoa.
Kitty turned the page and was astonished. An image of a young ballerina, rendered perfectly in soft pencil strokes, held a perfect arabesque on the page. She was surrounded by glyphs and markings that were so intricate Kitty wondered how a pencil could stay so sharp. "Piotr... it's amazing."
"Spaceeba," he said. "That is my sister Illyana."
"What do the markings mean?"
"They are protection sigils. She has always been somewhat interested in the occult. Her friends even call her Magik."
"Big brother is a scientist, baby sister a sorceress... you fall somewhere in between?"
"Actually, I consider myself more of a spiritualist. But to a scientific mind like yours, I assume you would consider that as occult as well."
"Don't make too many assumptions, big guy. I go to synagogue."
"Ah, forgive me, please, I meant no offense. So what do you when you are not acquiring things?"
"Well, I am usually staring at the screen of this thing," she said, indicating her laptop. "I have a similar rig at home, and I spend a lot of time on my programming."
"The American Teenage Hacker meets Russian Proletariat Farmer," Piotr said, "I guess stereotypes of a feather flock together."
As Kitty drew in breath to answer him, she saw his eyes dart upward, and his entire body tensed slightly. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"Da," he replied, shaking his head. "I mean yes. Sorry, I am just a little distracted." He took out a small scrap of paper and began to scrawl some information on it when Kitty's watch began to beep. She looked down at it and her smile disappeared. She keyed the alarm and looked back at Piotr, who was still writing.
"Sorry, Piotr, something's come up. I'll have to take a rain check on dinner. I'm in Munich for a few days, maybe tomorrow?"
"Excellent," he said. "This is my cell number. Text me when you know if you're available. Do you know where Königshof is?"
"I'll find it," she said, gathering her books into her pack in a hurry. "Nice to meet you."
"Enchanted," Piotr said, watching as she walked away briskly.
As Kitty exited the cafe, she looked down at the screen on her watch. There had been a contact. Someone in the immediate area was born with a certain "X-factor" in their genetic make up that left them more susceptible to "the treatment."
Dinner would have to wait. There was a "mutant" loose in Munich.
[FOUR MONTHS AGO: Weapon X Training Center...]
"Well, hello, Beautiful," Bobby said, sliding next to Kitty as she sat in the processing center, "I didn't know we were recruiting super models."
"Oh my God, are you for real?"
"As real as they come, Sweetness," Bobby replied, a slick smile on his face. "Name's Bobby Drake, but everyone calls me 'Iceman.' You can call me any time. I happen to be free for dinner tonight."
"Sorry, Iceboy, I don't date the retarded. I find it ethically improper."
"Ooh, you've got a sense of humor! I like that!"
"Imagine my delight," Kitty smiled flatly.
"So does that mean I can buy you dinner tonight?"
"What, at the mess hall? We're not supposed to leave the compound until our training is over."
"C'mon, Gorgeous, do you always do what you're told?"
"My name is Kitty. If you can get five sentences out of your face without using a sexist nickname, I will accompany you to dinner in the mess hall this evening."
"You're serious?"
"Dead."
"Five sentences?"
"Yes."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"Just five?"
"Just five."
"I can do that, no problem."
"Let's see."
"I'll see you at dinner, Sexy," he said, smiling as he sauntered away.
"What?" Kitty said, confused. She looked at the ceiling, mentally counting the exchange. "Those weren’t sentences,” she called out to him, but he had already disappeared around the corner.
“You have to watch out for that one,” Hank said. Kitty jumped. The gentle voice she heard behind her belonged to a creature that looked like a were-lion with deep indigo fur. “Sorry, young lady. I know my appearance can be startling. My name is Hank McCoy.”
“Nice to meet you, Hank,” Kitty replied, trying not to stare at the lush blue fur that hung loosely from his entire body. “My name is Kitty Pryde.”
“It can all be a little overwhelming, I know. You must feel a bit like Dorothy.”
“So if you’re the Cowardly Lion, then that makes Bobby the Scarecrow. So who’s the Tin Man?”
Hank smiled and chuckled. “He works for another agency. I have a feeling you’re going to fit in wonderfully here, Katherine. I’ve read your files. I have to say I am truly impressed. 168 IQ, demonstrating aptitudes in science, especially in physics and math… you remind me of me at your age.”
“I’m specifically into theoretical particle physics. I’m working on a proof for Heim’s Theory.”
“Ambitious. A heady subject indeed. You have, of course, explored Walter Dröscher’s theories?”
Kitty smiled. “Of course. But John Reed has shown that Dröscher’s predictions based on Heim Theory were illusory.”
“But he later retracted those objections when he realized Heim’s initial Matrix using implied ground states had been updated in 1989.”
“He did?” Kitty said, blushing slightly. “I hadn’t realized.”
“There is no shame in not knowing everything, Katherine. Only when you defend to the death something that has already been proven false should you demonstrate remorse for your stand,” Hank smiled. “Regrettably, I must terminate our fascinating exchange, as I have pressing matters back in my lab. But feel free to stop by any time. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about Martin Tajmar’s findings.”
Kitty smiled and held out her hand. “I’m pleased to meet you, Hank.”
“Enchanted,” Hank replied, shaking her hand and then flipping backwards with incredible agility.
Kitty watched in amazement as he bounded down the hallway. “I’m definitely not in Kansas anymore.”
[NOW: Munich...]
Kitty had tried to follow when Hank explained how the watches that Weapon X operatives carried could detect information carried in a target's genetics, but even she was lost. It had something to do with pheromones, and something to do with biological ultra-harmonics. Biology was not her forte. The streets were pretty crowded, and she wasn't optimistic about being able to pinpoint the target.
As Kitty passed a small internet cafe, her watch beeped again, indicating that she was now moving away from the contact. "Well, then," she thought to herself, and turned back into the cafe. It was nearly deserted. She saw a tall, frail looking young boy facing her, ignoring his laptop. His face was drawn, his eyes sunken and red. This boy didn't visit sleep much, Kitty guessed. He looked like he ate even less. As Kitty walked further into the cafe, she saw a man facing away from her, talking to the boy. Kitty froze. There was no chance of a mistake; the massive frame, the same soft voice with the thick accent. She was about to call to him when she heard his words rather than just his voice.
"The Brotherhood of Men seeks to enlighten gifted individuals such as you as to their true potential," he said, handing him a small card.
The young boy took the card and then caught a glimpse of Kitty. Piotr followed his gaze and smiled. "Kitty," he said, "what a pleasant surprise! I thought you were on your way to another engagement?"
"I was," she said, her eyes narrowed. "Corporate recruiter, eh?"
Piotr's eyes went to Kitty's watch and his smile faded. "Acquisitions," he said knowingly. "So does this mean we will not be having dinner tomorrow night?"
"Is this your girlfriend?" the young boy interrupted.
"No," Kitty smiled, "not my boyfriend. We work for... rival companies."
"Are you here to recruit me to a commune as well?" the young boy said.
"No," Kitty said, smiling a thin smile, "we're more of a think-tank. His boss, however..."
"Perhaps you and I should discuss this in private," Piotr interrupted. "Mayhap our dinner can be a business-" Piotr froze, his eyes snapping up again a split instant before all Hell broke loose.
The walls of the internet cafe shuddered, the large picture window crashed inward and the power dropped out as there was a large explosion outside.
Kitty instinctively tunneled, moving slightly forward as the shards of broken glass passed through her immaterial form, and looked through the hole where the window used to be. She saw a large figure walking down the center of the street. His skin was a colorless stony hue, cracked and flaked. He wore a dark navy blue robe that was covered in symbols appearing to have been drawn out in blood.
"Rabble!" the mysterious figure decreed, "I seek Japheth Munroe!"
The young boy Piotr had been talking to turned paler. “What does he want with me?”
“Do not worry,” Piotr said. “I will stop him. Kitty,” he said, “can you turn him immaterial as well and take him to safety?”
"And what are you going to do, farm boy," Kitty said, "plant crops?"
Piotr looked out through the window and whispered an inaudible word. His eyes glowed a deep crimson for a moment, and suddenly his skin seemed to lose its color, growing shiny. Thin creases began to emerge in the skin, like brushed steel. Within a couple of seconds, Piotr had transformed into a golem of solid metal, a true Colossus.
"Something like that," he said, his voice lilted with a metallic hum, as he strode out into the street into battle.
Piotr strode towards the stranger purposefully. "Cease this mindless destruction," he said, standing in the stranger's path.
With barely an afterthought, the stony man swatted Piotr with the back of his hand, sending the armored Russian flying into the nearest building.
"Fool! Your day of judgment is at hand! You will fall before the might of Wormwood!"
[NEXT: Secret Love!]