Chapter 6 - A Little Bit of X: Chapter 6


                                                    A Little Bit of X
                                                        by Volpone

                                                         Chapter 6

          :: Quinn, the manifestations have stopped. I had them pin-pointed at the Hotel
Excelsior in Salem Center, third floor, rear of the building, what looks to be the corner
room. ::
          :: Outstanding, bella. That may be the break we need. Can you monitor any phone
calls from that location? ::
          :: Already on it. ::
          :: You're so good! Out. ::

          "Charles, we have some news."
          Quinn had found the Professor and several others in the War Room, waiting for
word on any of their inquiries.
          "Yes. Columbina just informed us. I would like to send Storm and a team to see if
we can capture them. We can at least turn them over to the proper authorities."
          "Charles, if Natalya is correct, at least part of the local police are on Foster's side.
Besides, what can they be charged with? 'Using unknown technology without a license'?
Technically, they didn't shoot or assault anyone. That was Foster. I'm afraid this is up to
us again."
          "So Emma has told us. Mr. 'Ski' was verbally abusive, but he was unable to conceal
anything from her. Unfortunately, it seems that Mr. Foster has a number of hideaways,
and was the only one who knows who is behind all this. He was also the only one who
dealt with the mutants helping in their operation. Other than that, Mr. 'Ski' was lacking in
information."
          With a resigned expression, he shook his head.
          "I am looking forward to the time when we can stop taking prisoners."
          "Fine by me. Prisoners are worse than puppies... hard to house-break, and they 
always seem to be underfoot."
          The Beast said, "That sounds a bit like you're describing Bobby."
          Quinn gave him a look. "You've been spending too much time with Columbina."
          "A delightful young lady, even if she isn't one."
          Storm stood. She was already in uniform.
          "It is best we go quickly."
          "Who do you wish as part of the team?"
          "We must move fast. They can fly, so we must be prepared for them. Rogue,
Banshee and Polaris would be the best, since Angel and Jean are unavailable."
          Professor X turned to the Irishman, who stood.
          "Aye. I'll change while you tell the others." He moved rapidly out the door, heading
for his temporary quarters in the mansion.
          "With Mr. Perotti no longer reporting our movements, perhaps we will have the
element of surprise." He looked at St. James, wondering if it might be wise to send him as
well, but Storm said, "Professor, as much as I would like to have Harlequin's help, he
would only slow us down. We must go quickly, before they can escape. They may already
have rejoined forces with Foster or others in their group."
          "Very well, but be careful. If they have another weapon like the one they used on
Jean..."
          "I will be sure to take precautions, Professor." And with that, she swept out of the
room to assemble her team.
          One of the monitors came to life.
          "Professor? Quinn?"
          They moved close. "Here, Collie."
          "I've been tapping the phone line at the location, and one of the individuals made a
local call. I have playback..."
          The conversation was between Foster and Fade, mostly recriminations over who
was at fault. It ended with a number of obscenities on both sides, until one or the other
finally hung up.
          "Collie, can you tell us where the other phone is located?"
          "It was a cellular phone, with its signal relayed several times to confuse tracking, but
he received the call from what appears to be the local police station."
          Quinn gave Charles a meaningful look.
          "Yes, it seems that Miss Shostakovitch was correct in her deduction."
          Only Quinn was irreverent enough to say, "Gee, Charles, ya think...?"

                                        ************

          "Banshee, you will need to delay your arrival until the rest of us are in position. You
tend to announce your coming."
          Rogue grinned. "Ah think she means ya'll got a big mouth."
          "I might make a comment..." he said, intimating that he wasn't the only one.
Polaris joined then at that moment. She had been drying her hair after showering
when the call to arms came.
          "Ready to go?"
          Turning to Sean, Storm said, "Give us two minutes, then follow."
          In a moment, the three women were all airborne.
          It took them just a minute to arrive at the hotel. They landed on the roof to
coordinate their attack.
          "Columbina said that they are in the corner room of the third floor. That means there
are probably two windows to cover."
          Polaris asked, "What about the door? And who's Columbina?"
          Rather than get into long explanations, Storm said, "She is a friend of Harlequin's,
and has been tracking these two for us. As for the door, that will be your job. Freeze the
lock so that they cannot escape into the rest of the building, and Rogue and I can
concentrate on the windows. Beware of anything which might be a weapon. If one of us is
hit, it will put us at a great disadvantage. One of them can disappear, and the other can
fly. We do not know if they have any other abilities or not."
          "Well, Banshee will be on his way any moment. We better get in position."
          "Yes," agreed Storm. "If they react to Banshee's scream, we must move in
immediately."
          The three dropped down, and Polaris spotted a window leading onto the hall outside
the room where their quarry were hold up. Signaling Storm, she used her power to open
the lock from the outside, then landed in the hallway, moving to what had to be their door.
          Just as Rogue and Storm were in position, they could hear Sean's hyper-sonic
scream as he flew after them.
          Looking through the window, they could see both men. One was throwing a few
items into a battered suitcase, looking as if her were about to leave. The other was
arguing with him, obviously trying to make him change his mind. Fortunately, she didn't
see any sign of a weapon.
          The one packing stopped and turned to his cohort.
          Fade said, "Don't you understand? We lost the projector! The Arab said that was
the one thing we couldn't afford to do. Do you get it now? We lose the projector, and they
make us disappear. Foster probably has his own orders, and they probably include killing
us when we're no longer useful."
          "If we run, we're gonna die anyway. The Virus is gonna get us before long, so why
not stick with it and try to talk them into giving us another chance."
          "Another chance? We lost a weapon worth about fifty million, and you think their
gonna say, 'That's okay. Here's another one'?"
          They were arguing so loudly that Banshee was almost there before they heard him.
          "Shut up!" said Fade. "That's another one of Xavier's pals. Move it!"
          They both dashed for the door, only to find it stuck tight.
          "It's stuck!" Fade pulled at it, straining against the unyielding metal of the knob.
          Thinking fast, Skyhook ran for the window. Unfortunately, he picked the one
guarded by Rogue.
          As he threw open the window, readying himself to fly with or without his former
partner, the woman hovering outside the window said, "Ain't polite to leave without payin'
the bill." A straight right cross sent him flying back into the room to land unmoving
between the two beds in the room.
          Realizing he was trapped, Fade did the only thing he could think of to avoid
immediate capture. He vanished.
          "Storm!" Rogue yelled. "Other one's disappeared!"
          "He cannot escape so long as we have the door locked and the fire escape
blocked." She summoned a sub-arctic gust of wind which coated the window leading out
onto the fire escape she guarded, sealing it under several inches of ice.
          Sean landed on the next fire escape over and called, "Where are they?"
          "Trapped inside. One is unconscious, but the other has gone invisible."
          "Any suggestions?"
          "I am unsure. I anticipated a fight, not hide-and-seek."
          Rogue spoke up from around the corner.
          "Well, we better do somethin' quick, 'cuz we're gonna start causin' some talk soon."
          Storm thought furiously. She was the team leader. This was her job, to think her
way out of a spot. They couldn't just blindly grope around, hoping to find him. Even in a
small room like this one, he could elude several of them for long enough for help to arrive.
          It was like trying to catch the Invisible Man.
          Thinking back to the old black-and-white movie, Storm suddenly knew what to do. It
would take some fine control, but...
          Fade was crouching down near the wall between the windows, trying to figure out
how to get out of a room with one frozen window, one locked door, and one open window
guarded by a crazy woman who liked to hit really hard. He was still considering when he
felt something cold touch the back of his hand, and then another. He looked up to find that
it was somehow snowing inside the room.
          "What the hell?"
          Suddenly, the door which had been so uncooperative earlier opened without a
protest, and in it stood two women: one light-skinned with green hair, and one darkskinned
with pure white hair. From the descriptions, they must be Polaris and Storm, from
the Xavier mansion.
          The dark-skinned one said, "You can come with us now, Mr. Fade. You cannot hide
where snow settles on you and shows your tracks if you move."
          He held still for a minute, thinking as hard as he could for some way out.
          "Mr. Fade... we will undoubtedly treat you better than your former employers. And I
do not think you want Rogue settling the issue as she did for your unconscious friend."
          She walked into the room and over to his huddled form.
          "Come. We need to speak with you."
          With a sigh, Fade became visible again, standing and shaking the snow from his
hair and shoulders.
          "Damn. I should've asked for more money."

                                        ************

          Back at the mansion, Storm gave a concise account of what happened.
          When she told how she solved the problem of Fade's invisibility, Harlequin began to
applaud her ingenuity.
          "Brava! That was an inspired bit of strategy."
          "Indeed, Storm," said the Professor, "your reasoning was most excellent."
          Storm was pleased by the compliments, but said, "I am always unsure when I
attempt to control weather in small spaces, but it seems luck was with me this occasion."
          "Let us simply hope that your brilliance was not in vain and our guests can answer
some of our pressing questions."

                                        ************

          The news of the robbery of the Banco Santa Marita made the world newspapers, but
few were concerned over what happened in a minor South American nation noted mainly for
its mosquitos and emerald mines.
          It became much more important to public opinion when the same gang successfully
robbed the British Diamond Exchange of over fifty million pounds sterling in fine, white
diamonds using the same methods as before. No one was killed this time, but six were
hospitalized, and one might not ever walk again. And again, the locked vault was the last
place where the robbers were seen before the authorities later opened the vault to find it
quite empty.
          Suddenly, the previous robbery became of much more interest, because it showed a
pattern. Someone also noted the similarity in uniform to a known outlaw group of mutants
in America.
          Experts suggested that there were likely more to come.
          They were right.

                                        ************

          News of the troubles in Salem Center were slow in reaching the Middle East.
          In the capital of Irafan, General Daoud alMasid was quite pleased with how things
were going. Two assassinations (one successful, the other not but still very likely to further
his aims), two robberies which brought even more pressure on the mutant population of
the West, and his little coup was already being forgotten as just another unimportant power
shift in a regularly turbulent region. At this rate, he would be able to mobilize his troops in
a couple of weeks, and by the start of the next month, he should be in control of two oilrich
emirates. By that time, troubles in the West should be such that they would not bother
to intervene, other than to lodge a protest in the UN. He would be well ahead of his timetable
that way. The thought pleased him greatly.
          He strolled through the spacious vault the previous Emir had installed. It was
actually more of a top-security gallery than simple vault. Though nearly impregnable, it
was well lit to show off its contents, which was several king's ransoms in gems and jewels.
          Childhood tales of the Arabian Nights flitted through the general's mind as he looked
over contents of his treasury. He paused at the next pedestal. The platinum and gold
necklace supported a magnificent sherry-colored gem, rather triangular in outline and
incredibly beautiful. He looked at the small plaque below, which bore the Arabic
inscription:


                                        Diamond

                                              "The Great Faith"

                                        203.62 cts.



          He moved on. There were crowns of Persian kings, bejeweled swords and bucklers,
trays of loose gems (several of which were new additions, loot from a pair of recent jewel
robberies), all punctuated by incredible single stones: a magnificent red star ruby called
"The Star of Kandy", one-hundred-seventy-four carats; the "Shah Jafir" dagger with its
handle carved from a single exquisite emerald; the pink-orange sapphire called "The Lotus
Dancer", an eleven-centimeter tall carving in the form of a beautiful Indian maiden; the
"Sirius" star sapphire, four-hundred-forty-three carats; the "Maharani Crown" with it's
flawless "Peacock Sapphire", two-hundred-one carats of utter blue perfection; the
"Hyderabad Diamond", a canary yellow gem of one-hundred-seventeen carats... the list
went on and on. Any gemologist would have sacrificed much to have a chance to
inventory and record the entire contents of the vault. Jewels from the shah's of Persia and
maharajas of India with a history of centuries were shown next to the most modern
creations of the top-named diamond houses and jewelry studios of the new millennium.
          The number of items which had been acquired through the most famous auction houses in
the world were truly astonishing with no less that seven items which had set record prices
in their respective catagories.
          And no one knew that they were even here.
          The general enjoyed taking his nightly stroll through his cavern of riches. It gave him
dreams of being one of the caliphs of legend, with boundless wealth and limitless power.
          It also put him in the mood for his nightly visit to the hareem.
          "Come." He swept out of the room, his guards falling in behind. They knew his
habits, and were glad to follow. When their commander was pleased with the day's
events, they were often included in his generosity.
          They opened the doors into the seraglio and stood at attention as he strode in.
          Tonight, the ladies' reaction to his arrival was different than usual. Several smiled
broadly as they skipped up to him, kissing him on the cheek and hugging him. He was
unsure what had inspired the display of excess devotion when Rosa almost threw herself
at him, exclaiming, "It got here today! Thank you!"
          It was only then that he noticed that the computer he had promised them was set up
on a table by one wall. Silly women... such a fuss.
          Still, he needed to see to it that they didn't have contact with sites that would allow
them to talk freely with those outside. Revealing the existence of this particular harem
would be highly embarrassing with his Middle Eastern connections. He needed the
fanatics to ignore him, not to decide he was part of the Western decadence they
denounced.
          But he was quickly distracted by the amorous attentions of his houris, not realizing
that in his own Arabian Nights, the djinni was out of the bottle.
          Looking over the women gathered around him and smiling, clearly each more than
willing to reward him for his generosity, he tried to decide who fit his taste for the evening.
Rosa was always a joy, but he had taken her each of the last two nights, and was in the
mood for something different. Snowdrop... the tall blonde had a definite function in his
hareem, but her submissiveness was not to his taste at the moment. Jasmine... Lotus...
Indigo... hmm... Indigo was a possibility, with her incredible oral talents. The fiery-haired
Primrose... Tulip... ahh! Yes, the curvacious little Hollander, with her brown hair and
uninhibited ways. She would do just fine.
          Beckoning to her, the Dutch treat gave a knowing smile as she closed the slight
distance between them.
          Whether the women admitted it to themselves or not, there was always a bit of pride
in being chosen over the others. Their new employer was not the best lover, or the
handsomest, and certainly not the most generously endowed. But most still hoped they
would be chosen above the rest.
          Now he was to decide if he felt magnanimous, and allow some of his guards to
share in his bounty. Only four were present this evening, as two were accompanying the
Colonel, his attache, on a small errand. In the end, he put the ever watchful Hamal and
Yassir on duty, releasing Khaled and Fasadi to enjoy the evening. With only two guards
partaking of his largesse, they knew that tonight was not to be an orgy like the last, but that
the General wanted more privacy. Khaled immediately went to Rosa, leading her into
another room, while Fasadi took several minutes before choosing Lotus as his companion.
          The other women, being unneeded for the moment, wandered off into other areas of the
apartments. As much as she wanted to, Indigo resisted the temptation to sit down at the
computer and went off to amuse herself some other way.
          "Are you pleased with my little gift, Tulip?"
          "Yes, sir." Unlike some of the others, she was a woman of few words.
          "How much does it please you, little one?" He settled back onto a low couch,
looking much like an ancient sheik about to be entertained. "Will you dance for me?"
          "Yes, sir."
          Tulip had no modesty in this regard, having plenty of experience from her former job
in Amsterdam dancing for an audience. She had begun her career in front of crowds this
way, and she liked to think she did it well. She went to the music system and selected
something appropriate, then as the heavy beat began to play, moved back to the waiting
man on his divan, slowing settling into a rhythmic step as she did. Unlike how Americans
performed with a pole, she had learned to move without any such aid, which also allowed
her to play much closer to her audience. By the time she was right in front of him, she was
already moving sensuously in time to the beat. She stopped walking right in front of him
and her hips began moving in the familiar figure-eight that started almost any dance of this
type. Her arms came up, and after just dancing for several moments, she began to
remove the clothes that covered her in time to the music.
          al Masid smiled slightly at the movements of the Dutch dancer. How different from
the traditional dances of his native region, and yet its purpose was the same... to entertain,
and when they so chose, to arouse. Tulip did both with ease.
          Soon she was without clothes, dancing for the only member of her audience, and his
eyes never left her. He loved the wanton nature of her dance... how she would so easily
fondle herself as she moved without shame, teasing him with how she thought he wished
to touch her. Her hands would slide sensuously up from her swaying hips, across her ribs
until they cupped her wonderful breasts. She would hold them for a moment, enjoying the
feel of their weight in her hands, then her fingers would slide to the tips and tweak the dark
pink peaks crowning them, a look of pleasure on her face as she aroused herself, all the
while her hips and feet kept up their hypnotic sway. Then her hands would continue up, up
her throat, her arms rubbing across her breasts as they went, her fingers moving across
her face which showed a look of pure physical pleasure, and into her hair, which she ran
through her fingers and let fall like a cascade of the finest silk. Then her hands would
return to underneath her breasts, cupping them as if she offered them to him, only to
continue downwards across her stomach and hips, and as she turned her back on him,
backwards until they caressed her delightfully rounded derriere, sliding her palms up and
down with obvious pleasure. She continued to caress herself this way for several more
moments, then slid her hands back up her ribs as she again turned, only to move them
back down again, this time sliding her hands to the junction of her thighs. As she
continued to move to the music, her hands began to explore the treasure between her legs
more blatantly, rubbing more strongly as her face smiled in open invitation, clearly
mirroring the joy she felt from her actions. Her hands grew bolder still, finding their way
between her smooth thighs and blatantly rubbing at the lips of her vagina. Then, with one
hand squeezing her breast strongly, the fingers of her other hand began to explore within
her moist slit, moving more blatantly and suggestively, clearly enjoying herself as she
danced and masturbated for the man before her.
          Her timing seemed perfect. Just as the music began to approach its end, her dance
grew more erratic, her fingers more insistent, and then she gasped and shook violently,
either truly enjoying a fine orgasm, or performing an extremely convincing act. Knowing
her as he did and judging by the manner in which her nipples were crinkled up tight, he
assumed that she had no need to fake her enjoyment at all.
          The music came to an end, and breathing deeply, Tulip moved to the edge of his
divan and knelt. She knew his tastes fairly well by now. Regardless of what came before
or after, the General always preferred fellatio as the first contact with any of his odalisques.
He seldom needed to even indicate what he expected until later... if there was to be a later.
Sometimes he wanted more, others he was content to have them finish the job they
started with. He would let them know when the moment arrived.
          Deftly opening the fly of his uniform trousers, Tulip gently brought out the erection
she knew she would find there. One thing they could count on with their employer... he
had yet to suffer from impotence. Careful to pull his pants down enough to get the zipper
well away from his sensitive skin, the pretty Hollander began by taking him in one hand,
and then she slowly kissed at the base of his hard-on just above the scrotum, then drew
her lower lip up the front until her lip hung up for a second on the flaring ridge of the head,
then sprung up as it lost its hold. She did this several times, the soft flesh inside her lip
creating an incredible sensation as it moved up the length of him. When she reached the
head the fourth time, she surprised him by suddenly changing tactics and she drove him
full length into her eager mouth, her cheeks hollowing in as she applied as much suction
as she could manage. It was the sudden contrast which made it so remarkable. One
moment she was giving the gentlest of sensations, the next she was feverishly sucking at
his cock as if she were in the midst of an orgasm herself.
          It was then that al Masid realized that that was exactly what had happened. As she
had been gently sliding her lip up him, she had also been using her free hand on herself,
and she had used the timing to create such an exquisite contrast for him as well. Such a
creative, sensuous creature...
          Tulip continued to pull strongly at the hard cock in her lips, sliding up and down with
a strong, insistent motion as she swallowed around him and slid her mouth down to the
base, then back up to the tip, returning again and again with a steady motion, all the while
pleasing herself by fingering her perfect pink clit in a small circular pattern.
It was especially exciting to the General when she moaned out loud, telling him
clearly that she was climaxing yet again. That she was enjoying herself was of little
importance, but that it made her seem even more lascivious in her actions made it more
enjoyable for him.
          She sucked more rapidly, moaning out in time to the motions of her lips and hand,
and he could feel the stirrings of a climax beginning. Before she could bring him close, he
pulled her up, and she released her lip-lock on his rod, only to moan even more loudly
without the obstruction in the way, and she trembled and shook against him as she came
yet again.
          When she had calmed down enough to move, he pulled her up unto his lap. Letting
him position herself (she was still unsure of what he was in the mood for), he settled her
down facing away from him, and slowly pulled her hips down so that his upright penis could
enter her very wet, tight cunt.
          Tulip gave yet another pleasured moan as she began moving her pelvis, rocking
back and forth, undulating on the hard cock inside her. The General lay back and allowed
his houri to please him, giving her control to set the pace and control the penetration. It
was more work for Tulip, but the muscles she used were in excellent condition, especially
those lining her talented pussy. As she rocked atop him, she began to fondle and squeeze
her breasts again, digging her nails into her distended nipples as she reveled in the act of
fucking. She was able to stroke him inside her at just the right angle so that he would rub
strongly across both her clit and g-spot, giving her tiny flashes of ecstasy on each
downward stroke.
          For the General's part, he was continually amazed at the carnal talents of these
beauties he had "inherited". The sensation of her warm, slippery sex squeezing and
holding his erection was nothing short of incredible. She used every trick she could to
bring him greater pleasure, and was pleased in return.
          It wasn't long before she began to bounce harder and harder on him, fucking herself
more roughly, until she gasped and trembled with another climax. He was certain that they
must have heard her clearly in the next room, and to judge from the way her pussy
clenched at his tool, it must have been a wonderful orgasm.
          The General sat up without disturbing the wonderful motions of his concubine, and
ran his hands up her sides until she took them and guided them to her full tits, placing her
hands over his and demonstrating how she liked them to be squeezed. Tulip continued to
assist him as his fingers pressed into the soft flesh of her chest, and after just a few
moments of this, she began to thrash more strongly and cry out, announcing to all yet
another orgasm for her.
          This was finally too much for the General. He could feel the climax rising in his loins,
rushing upwards, but before it could arrive, he moved her off his erection and turned her
back around, placing a hand behind her head.
          Immediately, the pretty Dutch woman knew what he wished and gladly dropped
down to resume greedily sucking his cock. This time, she knew he wouldn't be stopping
her. She began jacking him with one hand as her lips clung to him and sucked for all she
was worth. He gave an involuntary gasp as she felt him swell just a tiny bit more, and then
he was coming, gladly filling her mouth with his salty, sticky semen. He thrust himself
several times into her waiting mouth, and he felt her as she swallowed around his cock,
clearing her mouth of his seed...

                                        ************

          In the next chamber, Fasadi was sharing in the delights which Lotus had to offer.
          This was the first time he had chosen the beautiful Southeast Asian woman as a partner,
and he was curious to find out how she differed from the others of the hareem.
          At the moment, he must have been checking her flavor since he had her laying back
as he explored her slick cleft with his tongue.
          He had grown more adventurous since first partaking of the hareem. The first time
or two he had simply chosen one and played stud as he lay atop them and drove away
until he came. But as he watched how the women reacted to the other guards and each
other, he quickly saw how they behaved differently under different circumstances. They
were much more anxious to please those who were willing to please them, and observing
what the women did to please each other, he quickly concluded that he might be wise to
practice what he saw. Though still a novice, he was learning quickly, as was demonstrated
by the way Lotus caressed his face and ran her hands through his hair, purring when he
did something especially pleasing. Without letting it be obvious, he allowed her to guide
him to certain spots which gave her greater stimulation, and she showed him how to gently
pull back the lips of her pussy so that he could more easily tongue her perfect pink clit. He
continued to flick his tongue back and forth across her button, and just as he was sure his
tongue was going to become one giant permanent cramp, the lovely Lotus arched her back
up and cried out, her fingers clutching at his short dark hair as she pulled his face tight
between her silky thighs. She hunched her pelvis against his mouth, whimpering with each
spasm that surged through her delectable body.
          Fasadi was greatly pleased at his achievement, but also relieved to give his tongue a
rest.
          Lotus, on the other hand, was quite pleased to find that he was willing to be tutored,
and intended to reward him immediately. Sliding down his body, her wonderful breasts
pressed against him as she went, she returned the favor she had received by taking him in
one hand and swirling her warm pink tongue around the head of his cock. She wanted him
very ready, so she wrapped her lips around his cock and began to slide them up and
down, her tongue sliding sensuously against him inside her mouth. In just moments, she
had him stiff and swollen to the maximum.
          Releasing him from her wonderful mouth, she lay back and took him by the hand,
towing him forward as she folded herself double, raising her legs high, and using her other
hand, she positioned him at the entrance of her slippery vagina.
          Surprised at how quickly she was ready to proceed but more than willing to accept
her offer, he gratefully slid into her with a single smooth flex of his hips.
          Again, the position was somewhat new for him, and at first he didn't care for how her
legs raised up between them like this prevented him from pressing against her breasts as
he thrust into her. It was different from what he was familiar with, but he grudgingly
accepted what she wished, figuring this might have some hidden advantage he wasn't yet
aware of. He had to admit that it let him penetrate her more deeply than usual, and that
was good.
          Moments after he began his coital motion, Fasadi discovered why Lotus had chosen
this variation to teach him. She smiled up at him from between her raised legs, and as he
watched, she closed her eyes and bit her lower lip, an expression of intense pleasure on
her face. As she did, he felt her marvelous cunt grasp him and begin to milk his manhood
in a fabulous manner. The sensation was incredible, prompting a profound Arabic
blasphemy to slip out before he could suppress it. Though she didn't understand the word,
Lotus smiled again, knowing what had prompted his exclamation, and proceeded to try to
make him repeat it.
          The assault on his senses ignited Fasadi's lust more than he could ever recall. He
began to thrust faster and more forcefully, as if driven beyond control by her phenomenal
performance. She gave an answering chuckle which transformed into a gasp as she too
became swept up in the ecstasy of the moment. She continued coaxing him ever closer as
the muscles lining her talented vagina contracted around his cock. He was helpless to
resist as his body gave a great shudder and with a cry, he was filling her sweet slit with his
sperm. Lotus felt him as he squirted his come within her, and it was all she needed to join
him. Joyfully giving herself up to her own pleasure, she shook and rocketed to a fabulous
orgasm of her own, panting out deeply and then whimpering as each fresh spasm of joy
raced though her...

                                        ************

          At the same time, Rosa and Khaled were far from inactive.
          She had begun by treating him to a sensuous, slow and very pleasant hand-job as
he feasted on her magnificent breasts. Then she had made him lay back as she slid her
breasts up and down over his entire body. By the time she was done, he was fantastically
hard, and her nipples were two upright points of ruby-hard flesh. She had then proceeded
to kiss and caress his balls, stroking his shaft all the while.
          Then things had gotten serious.
          They had been fucking steadily for at least five minutes, Khaled kneeling behind the
exquisite Italian's upturned backside as she put her head to the carpet and took him on all
fours. As he continued to stroke steadily into her incomparable pussy, she clawed at the
rug beneath her hands and came, her juices soaking him and making herself just that
much wetter.
          When she again had control of her voice, she put a hand back on his hip, saying,
          "Wait."
          Puzzled, he paused to see what was the matter.
          She leaned forward, removing him from her drenched cunt. Then, taking him in
hand, she adjusted his angle, placing the slick head of his cock against her small puckered
anus.
          "Here... please," she asked in her broken Arabic.
          Khaled gave a predatory smile, and without her having to ask again, he was easing
forward. Rosa gasped slightly when he did, but she put her head down and pressed back
as she relaxed the muscles of her sphincter, and then he was in. Waiting a moment for
her to adjust to the new sensation, he then began to slowly thrust again, slower this time,
but just as insistent as before. The Milanese porn star showed no sign of discomfort
because she felt nothing but intense pleasure, and pushed back to meet his thrusts
eagerly. She brought one hand up between her thighs and began to rapidly massage her
now unoccupied pussy with her feminine fingers, using a circular motion as she rubbed the
lips of her vagina, adding greatly to the stimulation.
          From the other room, they heard the sound of Tulip gasping out in climax. Both
laughed softly at the sound, but didn't let it distract them for more than a second. Then
they were again concentrating on their own pleasure, which seemed for Rosa to be quite
intense. Between her hand giving her manual pleasure as it drew circles on her very wet
sex, and Khaled's cock up her ass, she was enjoying herself immensely, as she
demonstrated as she gave a small cry and began to come yet again. Trembling all over,
the secret ero-path felt her pleasure swell greater until it burst over her, causing her to
buck involuntarily, and her fingers were drenched with her own come.
          Khaled laughed low in his throat at how easily she enjoyed being used this way. For
the most part, he was unconcerned with how the women felt, or how much they enjoyed
themselves, but subconsciously it made him feel like more of a man when they climaxed
like that, as if they couldn't help but enjoy what he was doing to them.
          In this case, it was closer to the truth than he realized.
          As she came, he felt the tight ring of her rectum clench at him in time to her
contractions, adding to his pleasure even more. The slut really was amazing... even when
she did not intend it, she gave sexual pleasure to a man.
          He was enjoying himself far too much to be rushed, so he slowed down his thrusts,
letting his rising orgasm subside until he could again begin to drive into her ass more
forcefully. He loved the sensation of being deep within her ass this way, the way it felt
different from her other hole, just as her mouth felt yet another way... all equally exciting
and pleasurable but in slightly different ways.
          As he slowed, Rosa gave a slight whimper, as if she wanted him to continue as he
was, but it seemed to make no difference to her pleasure. In less than a minute, she gave
another cry of triumph and began to thrash as another orgasm took her, shaking her to her
core.
          This time it was more than Khaled's body could ignore. The rhythmic tightening of
her asshole around his shaft was just too incredible a feeling, and his own climax came
rushing up and burst from him. With a look of intense strain on his face, he spewed jet
after jet of his slick, gooey semen into her fabulous behind. He rammed into her again and
again, as if by sheer force he could shoot his sticky load deeper within her. His violence
was rewarded by the way Rosa quaked and her orgasm soared even higher, riding the
crest of his lust as she ecstatically reveled in each pounding second...

                                        ************

          Half a world away, Professor X said, "Shall we go and interview our newest guest?"
He led the group down to the secure rooms in the depths of the mansion, followed
by Emma, Quinn, and Storm.
          Bishop was in the room, watching Fade, just as Polaris was next door, guarding
Skyhook. On Quinn's recommendation, they began with Fade.
          Keeping things civilized, the Professor introduced himself and the others in the
room. People who were going to torture information out of you seldom bothered with
formal introductions.
          "Who is it you are working for?"
          Fade began defensibly, "Who says I'm working for anyone?"
          Quinn replied, "Because you told Foster you didn't take orders from him, and
because you were in the process of running from someone you thought would be very
upset over your losing the projector. Who's the Arab?"
          "Why should I tell you?"
          "Because we can always tie you up, dump you someplace secluded, and then let
Foster know where to find you."
          That thought didn't settle at all well.
          "Okay. I'm not sure who the Arab is, but he paid for it all, provided contact numbers,
dossiers so we could tell the players, the goggles and the projector."
          "Speaking of the goggles, where are they?"
          "Foster uses them a lot more than we do. We usually had recognizable targets."
          "Very well," said the Professor. "What can you tell us about the Arab? How did he
dress?"
          "Looked like military khakis, but with no insignia. Behaved like military, too. Like he
was passing on orders, but expected them to be carried out, no questions asked."
          "What about his behavior? Was there anything else distinctive about him?"
          "Nah. Not really. Accent, but with good English. Sounded educated. Like he
thought he was better than who he was dealing with."
          "Is he the same one who is giving Foster his orders?"
          "Yeah. Foster's supposed to keep things stirred up here in Salem Center because
you folks are here."
          "Are you the one's paying the man watching our movements outside the grounds of
the institute?"
          That surprised him.
          "You know about him? Yeah, we thought a little advanced warning about your
comings and goings would be useful. Didn't turn out to be as much use as we thought."
          "Did you hire him, or did the Arab?"
          "Foster actually hired him, but he contacted me directly, since we were supposed to
keep you from interfering too much."
          "That is something which troubles me," observed Xavier. "Why would mutants like
yourself and your associate willingly help a known mutant hunter in his actions?"
          "Outside of money, he said they could probably help us... Skyhook and me."
          "Help you in what way?"
          "He said that the man who was providing the money had plenty for research, and he
was going to see that some science big-wigs he was funding were going to find a cure."
          "For the Legacy virus?"
          "Yeah. We both got it."
          "I am sorry to hear that, but what made you think that someone who would employ a
mutant hunter would spend money on finding a cure for a disease which targets mutants?
Given their actions, it would seem unlikely that they would wish to find a cure."
          "He said that they were going to keep the cure just for the mutants working for the
group." At the look that got from some in the group, he said defensively, "Hey, nobody
else was saying they were gonna cure us. When you're dying and somebody offers you a
chance to live, sometimes you make deals you're not too proud of."
          "Did the Arab ever say who was working on the cure, or where they were?"
          "Nah. Just said not to worry about that, and they'd take care of us when the job was
over."
          "The phrasing does not inspire confidence."
          "You noticed that, too, huh?" Fade didn't look pleased to have this pointed out.
          "And yet you still worked for them."
          "Hey, if you're drowning, you grab anything that looks like it might float."
          "Unfortunately, a sentiment which I can understand."
          Storm asked, "Do you have any idea what might be Foster's next target?"
          "I kept out of his business as much as possible. I had the feeling he didn't much like
me."
          "Then do you know who in the local police department might be assisting him?"
          He looked honestly surprised to hear this.
          "Is that why he was so damn cocky about not having any trouble with the cops? He
had people on the inside." Fade shook his head. "You can't trust anyone now-a-days."
          The interview yielded nothing of interest after that, even with Emma listening in to his
thoughts.
          The questioning of Skyhook was even less informative, as he had no contact with
anyone except Fade, so could add nothing at all to what they already knew.
          As they walked away from the room acting as Skyhook's cell, the Professor
commented, "I must admit that I wish we had discovered more useful information from our
guests."
          "Perhaps we can put what we do have to better use," Storm said hopefully.
          "And just maybe we can add to it," said Quinn. "Where are those contact phone
numbers?"
          Since they already knew that Foster was probably laying low in the police station,
they decided it would be useful to find out who on the local force might harbor anti-mutant
sentiments. Going to the War Room, the group settled in to see what Quinn could learn
from the numbers provided.
          "Columbina, dear, we need a neutral phone connection. Can you mask it for us, and
cut off when I signal?"
          The face on the monitor smiled. "Of course. What do you want? Local or long
distance?"
          "We're going to see if we can find a wolf in sheep's clothing in the Salem Center
police. Put me through to local dispatch."
          The folks in the room were quiet to see what Quinn had in mind.
          "Salem Center Police Department... what is the nature of your emergency?"
          "Well, it's not really an emergency." He tried to sound apologetic. "I'm hoping I
caught you guys before you send a squad car around."
          "What's your name, sir?"
          "Oh, I'm sorry. It's Spelvin... George Spelvin. My wife called up a little earlier to
report a prowler, but when I got home, turns out we just had one of the neighbor's cats
down in the basement. Did you take a call like that earlier?"
          "Not that I recall, but I've only been on the desk for about the last three-quarters of
an hour."
          "Oh? Well, who was on before that, because my wife said he was very helpful."
          "That would be Officer Andriesen."
          "Well, be sure to tell him my wife thanks him a lot. So, anyway, don't bother to send
a squad car by, because it was just a false alarm."
          Quinn gave Collie the cut signal.
          "Wait, sir, what was the addr...?"
          Click.
          Emma observed, "You seem to have a talent for story telling."
          "I hate lying, but sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do."
          "So, now we have the name of the policeman who prevented Miss Shostakovitch's
report from being acted upon."
          Quinn nodded. "If he's the only one. The next one is even trickier." He turned back
to the monitor.
          "Collie darlin'?"
          "Still here, handsome."
          "This one, we need every bit of information we can gather as quickly as we can.
We're trying both for a location and an identity, but we'll settle for anything you can give us,
so put your ears on."
          "I love a challenge. See how long you can give me for a vocal pattern."
          "Ready?"
          "Let's roll, Romeo."
          The phone rang several times before it was finally answered.
          "Yes?" came the curt reply from the other end of the phone.
          "You don't know me, but I just thought I'd give you the latest progress report on your
operation."
          There was just a momentary hesitation, then, "Who is this, and how did you get this
number?"
          "Ah, yes. Well, let's just say I'm not the Good Humor Man. I'm the one who has
your toy... the one that was in the possession of Mr. Fade."
          There was a pause. Quinn wished he knew if Foster had already reported in, or if he
had even been aware that they had the projector.
          "Very well. May I ask, is Mr. Fade, as you call him, still among us?"
          "Oh... you mean have we disposed of him? Of course not. He's actually a free man.
Since he wasn't able to help us further, we let him go some time ago. Someone who
provided us with such an expensive little toy deserves better treatment than being
terminated." He really emphasized the word "expensive".
          "Ah! Now I believe I understand. And you wish to negotiate the return of the object
to us?"
          "Perhaps. Such an interesting device, with such interesting effects. I might choose
to sell it to, shall we simply say, a competitor."
          "I am sure we can manage to make an offer which would make that unnecessary.
Shall we say a million dollars?" He spoke as if he thought this would be more than enough
for most blackmailers.
          "Please, sir! I didn't call you to be insulted. I may have to give another party first
option."
          "Then perhaps five million is closer to what you felt was fair?"
          "Closer, but still short of what I'd think of as 'fair'."
          "Any more and we could simply acquire another unit from our original source."
          "Somehow I doubt that. Besides, even if I didn't sell it to another party, that would
still leave a unit in someone else's hands. I might choose to simply analyze it and either
duplicate it, or even see to the development of a counter-agent."
          "Sir, if you had the funds for such an endeavor, you would not be calling me in an
attempt to sell it back. Let's not make idle threats. Call me when you have decided on a
price."
          And with that, he hung up.
          "Well, he's not stupid. How'd we do, Bella girl?"
          "Medium grade. It's hard to differentiate individual signals when so signals are in
use in the same location, so I don't have either a precise location or identity. He 's in New
York City, using a non-cellular phone but the number doesn't exist according to any phone
record. That would take a good hacker, an insider at the phone company, or money to hire
it done, and we know they have plenty of that. I was able to trace it to an area of about six
city blocks, and I'm accessing city plans to narrow the field to the most likely. As for the
identity, I will have to listen in and try to get a better idea when he's not being guarded. I'll
need to monitor all outgoing calls from that area to see if I can find him again by voice
match, and that's over a thousand phone lines. It could be ten times that if it were in a
more crowded area."
          "Better thee than me, sweetheart. If it helps, Fade thought that he might be military."
          "No positive conclusion on that item. Military men from the Middle East aren't
exactly uncommon, but I'll add it to my data."
          "What about background sounds or other things you detected?"
          "Virtually no background noise. I'd judge that the construction of the building makes
it rather soundproof, or the room has been designed for privacy."
          "Well, I was hoping."
          "On the other hand, he was definitely more agitated than he let on. When you
mentioned the 'toy', his vocal stress levels went up, even though he tried to maintain. It
jumped again when you threatened to duplicate or neutralize it. Even if he didn't believe
you, he did not like the idea at all."
          "Not quite as cool as he wanted us to believe, huh? That leads me to think that he
answers to someone higher up and he is worried about bearing bad news."
          "High probability."
          "Good. I'd hate to think I hadn't ruffled his feathers any."
          "On another subject, I ran a check with the Salem Center Police computer and found
no mention of either an attack on Miss Villa-Lobos or Miss Shostakovitch. Either expunged
or more likely never entered."
          "Thanks, Bella. At least that confirms what we already suspected."
          "Anything else I can do for you?"
          "I think listening in on over a thousand phone lines at once should keep you out of
trouble for a bit."
          "Oh, ye of little faith. I can minimize the effort by just doing a quick sampling every
time a line is used, then quickly drop them if the voice pattern doesn't come close. I'll be
able to keep up all current inquiries at the same time without significant loss of data."
          "I'll trust your abilities on this one, Collie. You're the only one who I'd trust to even
try."
          They were sitting, discussing possibilities when Collie called back about five minutes
later.
          "News, Quinn."
          "Have you found our mystery man?"
          "No. I mean to check out the news. Here, I've been recording, so I'll play back from
the beginning."
          It was an account of the robbery of the British Diamond Exchange, which the
reporter called "one of the most audacious crimes to strike England since the Great Train
Robbery". The reporter also speculated that they were the same who had committed the
Banco Santa Marita theft. This time, however, it seemed they had better descriptions of
the perpetrators.
          As they listened, the group in the War Room recognized descriptions of Sabretooth
and Pyro, and speculated as to the identity of the others.
          "I would have to assume that they escaped the locked vault by teleportation. This
leads me to believe that the young, dark-skinned woman they described to be Locus."
          "An' th' description o' th' uniforms they were wearin' does no bode well for us,
Charles," observed Sean.
          "I think that might be the intention, Sean," observed Emma dryly.
          The Professor noted, "This could not come at a worse time, considering public
sentiment."
          "Which means that it's aimed at putting focus on the X-Men and off themselves."
          "A nice bit of misdirection on their part." Quinn didn't sound pleased, but he wasn't
overly upset either. "We should have expected something of the type, with all the scrutiny
the mansion's been under."
          Hank put in, "It may also be because of our recent inquiries into the plot to place the
blame for the attempt on Bishop M'Bui upon Renegade."
          Harlequin sounded doubtful.
          "Hank, I'm willing to bet that if Columbina was her usual discrete self, no one is even
aware we're looking, let alone that we've found anything."
          "I might normally agree, Quentin, but yours are not the only investigations
proceeding at this time. Two teams are currently out in the field trying to track Anthony's
movements, and it is entirely possible to tie each team back to the mansion."
          "Now, that," agreed Quinn, "is more likely."
          Before he could continue, Forge entered carrying the projector.
          "I know how it works, but I'm still working on some way of neutralizing it. It seems to
operate by suppressing a particular band of neural impulses."
          "And to advance to the lightning round, would anyone care to guess which type of
impulses?" asked Henry, tongue firmly in cheek.
          "The neural impulses associated with mutant ability," stated Storm.
          Quinn made sounds like a game-show bell going off.
          "Give the lovely lady what's behind door number two!"
          "It's completely selective. A normal human in contact with a mutant could take a
direct hit and not feel a thing, but the mutant would likely lose all mutant ability for most of
an hour, even though he wasn't shot himself. The thing is that it doesn't have to be
precise. Even a near miss can disrupt a mutant's abilities for a time."
          "Any idea how long the effect may last?" asked Professor X.
          "It is temporary, and it seems the stronger the ability, the quicker the recovery. I'd
estimate that Jean should be back to normal by tomorrow, even if she took a full blast."
          "At least that is good news. We should tell Scott and Jean immediately."
          "I will go," said Storm, rising. "They will wish to know what we have found out from
Fade as also."
          As she left, Quinn and Forge couldn't help but watch her retreating back... or slightly
lower.
          When she was out of sight, Quinn returned to a previous subject.
          "One item I find interesting... does anyone find a similarity with how this thing works
and what Anthony Jacobson was working on?"
          The Beast agreed. "It does seem to bear a remarkable resemblance to his
research."
          Quinn reached took the projector from Forge and hefting it as if somehow judging it,
said, "I'm afraid we may know where our Arab friend may have gotten his little toy."
          It was one of the few times that Quinn was dead wrong.
