Re-Evolution: Episode 2: In the Blood

Todd scrambled and hopped his way up the path to the institute, glad at least that his altered constitution meant that he wasn't winded, despite having had to run all the way from the bus stop at the bottom of the hill, more than a mile away. 

He was, unfortunately, running late, and muttering to himself as he hurried.

"Aw, man stupid bus yo," he grumbled. "I'm late an' I don't even got a slice of toast, yo."

Now Morgan's gonna think I ditched her.'

He was running pretty late by now, even with his impressive speed and stamina, and by the time he got close enough to the mansion he could see Greg's gaudy car parked outside the already closed gate. Beyond it, heading towards the mansion, he could see three figures. 

He was already running out of time.

You are totally bombing this, Toad, get in there!

He pulled on his energy reserves and stopped bothering to even try to run normally. After all, there wasn't anyone around to see him anyway. Instead, he allowed his long legs to carry him as far as they could in single jumps toward the Institute.

Using his long legs and leaping strides, he started gaining ground on the group ahead. There was just one problem.

The fence. It stood tall before him and he'd have to waste *who knows* how much time with the call box.

‘Problem? What problem? You got an invite.’

"No time for formalities!" he decided, and squatted down, before leaping high over the fence.

He sailed effortlessly over it, and touched down with a small plume of dust on the other side. Morgan and Greg weren't too far away now, only by the front door--but that thought was quickly interrupted by the sudden blare of an alarm behind him. 

From the bushes beside him came a sudden hiss and a whir.

"Hey, yo, wait I'm--" he stopped mid shout, when some sense picked up the sudden movement, and he threw himself out of the way with a yelp. He jumped just in time to miss the rapid fire blast of white hot light that seared the ground where he'd stood moments before. 

More whirring filled the air as more turrets erupted from behind bushes and inside the fence...and he felt a prickle on the back of his neck as a sharp thwip sound came from a nearby tree.

Toad screamed.

000

Greg looked up as they walked toward the manor. 

"Did you hear something?"

Morgan turned with a look of surprise. 

"That sounds like...I don't know, some kind of star wars so..."She froze as she heard a familiar voice scream, just in time to watch as a froggish figure leapt away from a trio of buzzsaws that erupted from the ground and sailed towards him, lasers blasting all around him. "What the-- oh NO!! Todd!!"

Alison spun, her eyes wide. 

"The security system???"  She ran forward, humming loudly under her breath as she gathered enough vibration to channel it through her hands. A sudden rainbow blast of light soared from her fingertips, pulsing every color of the rainbow as it cut a line through several of the turrets, blowing them up and stopping them from auto targeting back on the boy. 

"He could have used the intercom! Seriously!" She hit a button on the pad. "Scott, Jean. anyone" She called into it "disable security!"

Greg watched her go, not sure what the hell was going on. 

"Wait-- did you say Todd?" he demanded, but *most* of his attention was on Dazzler.

Meanwhile, they could see a lanky figure dodging around in an acrobatic panic.

Dazzler directed the laser beam with one hand as she booted up--yes, that seemed to be her hit CD, blasting out of a small pair of speakers that had been stylishly hooked to her belt. As she hummed along, the music somehow turned into a sea of dazzling lights around her. They flashed, flared, and slammed into various home defense weapons with concussive force, as she dipped down and grabbed the dodging figure in one arm, and used her other hand to deflect a series of electric barbs fired from behind the fountain. 

There was a yelp from the figure, who it now became obvious absolutely was Todd, as he was scooped up. 

"Whoa!"

Morgan stared for a moment, before she ran forward to try and help.

Greg merely watched in awe as she moved around the yard deftly. Okay, he had to go back in time and tell his younger self. Mom was right. Dazzler was cool.

Just as suddenly as the chaos began--and just as Morgan got to the scene--it ended. The guns that hadn't been decimated by Dazzler receded into the ground, the blades vanished,the shock probes returned to their slots...

And Dazzler set the boy down with a sigh. 

"Next time , young man, I want you to ring the doorbell. Understood?" 

Morgan stumbled, looking a little dizzy as she came to a stop "Todd, you okay??"

Todd in fact looked kind of ill, and he shook his head to get a hold of himself. 

"Never better," he gulped, eyes wide and bleary. "Who sent the navy after me, yo?"

"It's the defense system." Dazzler explained, running her hand through her hair. "But nothing we can do about it now--welcome to the tour of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, Todd Tolansky." 

Morgan leaned over to pat his shoulder, holding it for a moment in a way that used him as a crutch as her head spun. 

"You nearly lost your *head*, leapfrog."

Todd tried, unsuccessfully, to straighten his hair. A few locks at the bottom seem to have been signed. 

"Yeah, you know I kinda noticed, yo," he grimaced. "Hell of a security system, yo."

Greg finally jogged his way over, looking.... not pleased.

"Yeah, I'll say." Morgan murmured, finally letting go and straightening up. "like, kind of a bit much for a school, right?"

Dazzler twirled a lock of her hair with a weak smile. 

"...well, yes and no. We take great pride in the safety of our students."

"Yeah you got em locked up like fort Knox," Todd grumbled. "Uh... anyway like, sorry I'm late you." He eyed Greg nervously, who had yet to say anything.

Morgan grinned at Todd, ignoring her brother for now. 

"I'm really glad you made it, even if it nearly killed you." She offered him a highfive, which he returned with dizziness but enthusiasm. "Let's get a tour of Xavier's Murder Mansion!"

Alison laughed, clapping her hands together "wow! Don't call it that, please!"

Todd snickered. "Ya prefer the Homicide House?"

"Nope." Alison shook her head with a radiant grin, little flecks of light flashing around her "Not that either, please! Just call it the Institute, or the School for Gifted Youngsters, or heck. Xavie's Home for Rad Teens, even. Just not that!"

"Whatever you say, yo," he shrugged, still nervously eying Greg who was ominously silent.

"So... is this everyone then?" Greg asked finally, in a heavy tone.

Morgan glanced at Greg with a nervous smile, before looking back at Todd.

Alison bobbed her head in the affirmative. 

"That's everyone! I hope, I'm reeeally* hoping we don't have anyone else triggering the security system." She gave Toad a rather pointed smile.

Toad put his hands up. 

"Hey, yo, if I'd know ya'll were milspec up here I woulda rang the doorbell, lady."

"It's polite to do it anyway," Greg grumbled.

Morgan grinned, baring her fangs openly.

 "Well the important thing was nobody was hurt, so...who cares! We've got a tour to get to." 

Alison smiled more warmly, and clasped her hands together.

"Alright everyone, follow me!"

A holographic arrow appeared, and pointed towards the backyard

000

The security system being shut off hadn't been an expected outcome. But it was a useful one for the figure in the gasmask.

The figure-- perched atop the fence in the shadows of a grove of trees-- watched through a darkened glass visor for only the briefest of moments as flashes of laser fire and plumes of smoke erupted near the front courtyard of the Xavier Institute. Whatever triggered it, it was a welcome distraction. 

They leapt-- an androgynous sillouette clad in a sleek grey sneaking suit-- and landed within the walls of the Institute, slipping behind a tree to avoid one of the cameras not engaged with the fight up front. They flexed their fingers, and reached into a pouch for a trio of daggers wrapped in fine wire. They threw one, striking the camera and sending sparks down its chassis and through its wire, and around them, with a series of shatters and pops, its brethren on the same power-network went down.

With a soft and satisfied sound, the figure sunk low to the ground. With eyes trained on the mansion they slipped into the shadows of the school's grove.