psinex@yahoo.com Running with Devils Chapter 4 by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: Everyone here is Marvel's, except for Steven, who's mine, and the federal agents, who belong to Twentieth Century Fox. Please don't sue. WARNING: More of the same old sadism ... -------------------------------------------------------- Edinburgh City Morgue, Edinburgh, Scotland: 9/7/2003: 08:00 hrs local: -------------------------------------------------------- "I still dinnae ken why ye'd want t' check out a week-old corpse," Chief Coroner Eobard MacDaniels shrugged, letting the knockout redhead and her red-sunglasses-wearing companion into the back room. "We have reason to believe the body was that of an American mutant," the redhead - American by her accent, Eobard noted - said, an obvious strain visible at her eyes. #Looks like she's been cryin',# Eobard thought. He opened the drawer and flicked the sheet back from the top of the corpse, letting the Americans look over the charred remains. The brown-haired man let his breath out in a gasp, adjusting his red - #red crystal ?# Eobard thought - sunglasses. The redhead's reaction was far more shocking. Eobard found himself frozen in place, and the redhead touched his temple almost gently. "I'm sorry, coroner," her voice rang regretfully in his mind. Eobard's eyes rolled back in his head, and he slumped into the other man's arms before he could hit the floor. "You have an amazing touch," the man smirked, setting MacDaniels in a chair. "I've got to concentrate, Scott," Jean Summers sighed to her husband. She donned surgical gloves and touched her hands to the shriveled skull of Gambit and closed her eyes, focusing upon the remaining psionic energies within Remy's body. Scott felt Jean damp their psionic rapport, and sat beside the sleeping Eobard with a pang of fear. #Lord, please give us a sign,# Cyclops prayed. #That powerspike we registered outside of town was Steve's ... but there were Marauder biosignatures there ...# Then Jean gasped, letting go of Gambit's skull and stripping off her gloves. Her next words shook Scott to his core. "STEVE SAW GAMBIT DIE." "Oh God ..." Scott moaned, feeling and seeing Gambit's last few moments alive as Jean projected what she had picked up from the corpse. The Summers held each other, and Jean sobbed, "We've got to find him, Scott. He can't be a Marauder ... he CAN'T ..." -------------------------------------------------------- Somewhere in eastern America: 09/07/2003: 09:12 hrs EDT: -------------------------------------------------------- #YIKES !# Steve narrowly ducked another foot as Scalphunter spin-kicked at him. #This isn't getting easier,# the boy thought, trying to evade his teacher's attacks. #An' I'm not s'posed t' use my telepathy ...# "You're gonna bleed, runt," Scalphunter told the black skinsuit-clad boy. Steve's hair had been trimmed back to its' buzzed state after his week in regeneration, and did not rustle as Scalphunter's fist scraped the side of his head. #OW !# Steve thought, tackling Scalphunter's legs. Scalphunter toppled, feeling Steve climb atop him and try to pin his arms. "Kid, you got more guts than brains," Scalphunter sighed. He broke free, but before he could roll over, he saw a gun barrel being stuck in his face. "F-freeze," Steve stammered, trying to look serious. #Pleasestaydownpleasestaydown,# he thought. Scalphunter cackled and stood, winking, "No ammo. No hope. But you've got the general idea." Steve handed him the gun and sighed, "I'll never get good at fightin'. I ... I can't even -" A lithe hand covered his mouth, and Malice smiled, "Shush, Spite - I love that codename - you've got to get used to blood. Remember what the boss did after that last outing ?" Steve shuddered, nodding as he remembered what Sinister had done to Vertigo when she'd failed to stun two police officers who had been unlucky enough to come across the Marauders on a mission to assassinate a geneticist in Trenton. #Vee had a lot of scars,# Steve thought sadly. #But she was just scared - I was - and the master didn't hurt me ...# ~Because you weren't supposed to be in the line of fire at that point anyhow,~ Malice sent, rubbing his head. "Now, back to work ..." -------------------------------------------------------- Trenton, NJ: noon: -------------------------------------------------------- "More of those power signatures," the redhead frowned, flashing her FBI badge to the police on the scene. She and her male partner, a tall brown-haired man, examined the corpses of the two police, while the man ran a handheld scanner around the area. "10 specific power signatures," the man nodded. "Two telepaths, two energy projectors, and six undefined biosigs - all mutant." He frowned and added, "There's a new one here ... weaker than the others. Let me - oh crap." "Mulder ?" Dana Scully asked, standing. She peered at the scanner, her eyes opening wide as Fox Mulder compared the neogenetic scan against the records the FBI had. "Omega-class. And pubescent," Mulder muttered. "This is very bad, Scully. If these assassins've recruited a telepath of this power and age ..." "This may be a kidnapping case, Mulder. Let me uplink with the Avengers' files - they have some mutants on file," Scully said. She took the scanner and punched in a code sequence, arching an eyebrow as a photo came up quickly. "11 years old ..." Scully groaned. "This poor kid needs help, Mulder." "Then let's get going," Mulder said, a faint smile rising on his lips. "Not them," Scully sighed, unlocking their car doors. "Who else ?" Mulder offered, getting in and dialing an unlisted number on his cel phone. "The Lone Gunmen," Scully pouted, pulling out and heading south. "Here we go again ..." -------------------------------------------------------- 9/9/2003: 18:00 hrs: Atlanta: -------------------------------------------------------- "B-but why ME ?" Steve gulped as he and Scalphunter appeared in a flash of light before a skyscraper. "Because Scrambler's useless as a tracker if the quarry's human," Scalphunter frowned. "And you've got to grow some balls eventually. Now come on - where's that doctor ?" ~Up there,~ Steve sent, pointing at the fifth floor. #God, please ... why do I hafta do this ?# he cried inside, watching as Scalphunter unlocked the skyscraper and led them to the elevator. "FREEZE !" a voice cried. Steve whirled around, his eyes bulging, as a terrified security guard tried to draw a gun on them. #Ohno he's just a kid like me please Scalp don't do IT -~ BLAM. "SHIT !" Scalphunter roared, shoving Steve to the floor and spraying the air with bullets. "He's TOAST !" The young guard screamed when Scalphunter shot from the hip, piercing the youth's stomach. Steve cried silently as the guard fell to the floor, twitching. ~I'm sorry ...~ he sent to the guard. The youth's mind began to wink out, and Steve slammed his mindshield up before the deathshock reached him. #Just another day,# part of him - a tired, cold part - thought. #NO ! He didn't hafta DIE !?# Steve raged. #But ...# Scalphunter shook him out of his reverie, and Steve scanned the building. "He's in the stairwell," the boy mumbled. The weaponeer nodded, shooting open the fire doors and leading them upstairs. "Wait here," Scalphunter ordered, leaving Steve on the fourth floor landing. He walked upstairs, eyes narrowing, and took careful aim as the scientist ran into the gun barrel. "Evening, Dr. Michaels," Scalphunter smirked. Steve covered his ears as another shot rang out, and he tried not to "hear" Michaels' deathscream. #God, what'm I doin' .. ?# he thought, sobbing inwardly. He swallowed his tears, remembering what Sinister had done to Vertigo after Scalphunter had tattled on her. "Good job," Scalphunter called, descending from the floor above covered in blood and other fluids. "I gotta learn to shoot from longer range, but sometimes it can't be helped." They teleported, but Steve's mind was already far away. #This is WRONG ...# -------------------------------------------------------- Sinister's HQ: 23:12 hrs EDT: -------------------------------------------------------- "Mmmmm ..." "Oh, ya're ALWAYS hard," Ripoff - formerly Rogue - cackled as Prism caressed her. "Hey, baby, it's crystal," Prism grinned. "You're not bad yourself." "Ah got control ovah mah powers now with that Ms. Marvel bitch outta mah skull," Ripoff smiled. Her skin had taken on a crystalline sheen, and she descended on Prism with more kisses ... -------------------------------------------------------- Across the hall, Steve shivered naked beneath his sheets. #It was so AWFUL,# he thought, reliving the sounds of the night's slaughter in his mind. #An' I just let it happen ... I'm bad ...# He rose, turning on a small lamp on the dresser beside his bed, and examined himself in a full-length mirror. His lingering baby fat had been diminished by his training, giving way to the muscle of early pubesence. #I'm still a monster,# Steve thought, wiping his eyes and turning off the light. He climbed back into bed, ignoring the small flame of desire at the base of his skull and slipping off to nightmares without even a single touch to his genitals. -------------------------------------------------------- NEXT: The dark internship "series" begins ... and Arclight's out to teach some NASTY lessons ... -------------------------------------------------------- end _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com