‘I think I’m literally wading through shit.’ 

The Morlocks lived under NYC in the sewers. Ergo: the only way to confront them was to meet them on their turf. 

In the sewers.

‘I wonder if there’s a way to morph my lungs so I don’t need to breathe?’

“Look alive!” Wolverine shouted. “I hear something up ahead.”

As we waited, I slowly began to hear the sloshing of water that signaled something approaching. And it didn’t sound like just one of them either. 

“Welcome, X-Men, to the den of Morlocks,” someone said. 

I morphed my eyes to give myself an animal’s night vision. 

Up ahead, I saw three figures walking slowly towards us. 

“Three. One brute,” I said softly, noticing one of the figures being larger than all of us.

The other two were odd. One was wobbly and wearing a tarp that obscured their face. The last was a white alien-like person whose pronounced facial bones framed their face. 

When everyone else caught a glimpse they were further put on edge.

No one spoke until the three stopped walking, being close enough to talk but not so much as to be caught off-guard.

“Please, won’t you follow us to the throne room?” the alien guy asked.

Cyclops took the lead in a very Cyclops fashion, “Where is Angel? We know you have him.”

“All will be revealed in time,” the ‘alien’ said, cryptically. Then he walked back the way he came, along with the other two.

The adults telepathically had a conversation without involving any of us teens, but we could tell because they would change facial expressions and look towards who they were speaking(thinking?) with.

Soon, they made a decision and walked after them. Again, without informing us. 

‘I know we’re still learning, but they could at least inform us of the plan.’

Us teens followed.

‘Unless of course there is no plan?’

===

It actually took some time for us to reach ‘the throne room.’ Mostly on account of how many false walls there were that required verification from one of the three guys ahead.

The room itself was the size of a large gymnasium, which was currently full. A large group of mutants were scattered around the place. Even the ‘throne’ wasn’t left unbothered by the constrained individuals. But, there was a path up to the throne from the entrance. 

“Heads on a swivel,” Wolverine whispered.

Doing so, I was surprised to find all the mutants here had some sort of physical deformity. Appendages that were enlarged or reduced, different colors, or different textures. Additional appendages. Unusual hairstyles. 

There were a couple of people with mohawks. And even a green guy with a reverse mohawk (bald down the middle and sticking up on the sides). 

Flanking the steps before the throne were about a dozen brutes (big, burly men) of different appearances. The one big guy that led us here joined them. 

“Well, well. What have we here?” the woman on the throne said. She was wearing an eyepatch over her right eye and had a wild look about her.

Some of us couldn’t focus on her though. 

“Angel,” Storm whispered. 

That’s right. Angel was standing next to the throne, looking like he belonged. 

“Mind controlled,” Jean whispered. 

The mood shifted among our group. While we were on edge before, now it was more like we were prepared to pounce. 

‘They took our friend, mind wiped him, and think they can do it again? This ‘leader’ of theirs must be out of her mind.’

“Give us back Angel, and we’ll get out of your base,” Scott said.

“Hmm?” Their leader looks at us, pondering, then to Angel. 

Angel picks up on this and says to us, “My place is here. And soon so will it be yours.”

“Storm, watch the kids,” Scott said. 

She nods.

“Jean, work on Angel.”

She also nods.

“Wolverine, take the armored one.”

He growls (is that a yes?). 

“Everyone else, do your best.”

The leader smiles as she watches Scott speak, then when he finishes says, “Get them.”

===

‘Okay. Battle plan. Scott briefed us before we came so I just need to follow that.’

(Flashback-no-jutsu)

“Alright, kids, gather ‘round,” Scott said.

We were all geared up and waiting to go, but it seems we needed a pep talk or something.

“We don’t know how much time we have, so I’ll make this as short as possible.” 

He paused and observed our reactions. 

I nodded.

“The Professor noticed a lot of mutants down in the sewers. We’ve tried to contact them before, but could not find their base’s entrance. This means you all are gonna need to stick together and work together. No lone ranger stuff, that’s Logan’s job.”

Logan huffs.

“Mirage, use your fear illusions for CC. Nightcrawler, you’re teleporter Assassin, work on crippling foes. Rogue, depower others and knock them out. Shadowcat and Wolfsbane, you two work together to protect the group from those who get close. Jubilee, ranged attacker. Cannonball, go wild. And you…wait what’s your codename?” Scott points to me.

“Myriad,” I said. 

Logan growls softly.

“Right, Myriad, your job is to go invisible and rescue Angel. If, for some reason, you can’t, then you back up Kitty and Rahne.”

I nodded. 

“Wait, how can you go invisible?” Kitty asked.

I decide against telling her and turn my head away. “Don’t worry about it.”

Instead of moving on, Scott waits for everyone to find out.

“You’re not…naked, are you?” Kitty whispered.

“Can we just move on? Isn’t Angel in mortal peril?”

“Are you…always naked?” I hear the smile in her voice.

“No, I do it just for missions,” I said quickly. 

The girls huddle together and giggle and whisper.

“And don’t worry about us adults,” Scott said, “We have more experience and we’ll call out help from those we need.”

(End Flashback-no-jutsu)

Ignoring my embarrassment of being reminded that I’m naked, I focus on the enemy in front of me. 

‘Angel’s being controlled and Jean is taking care of it, so I’ll assist Shadowcat and Wolfsbane.’

Some guy with chicken wings runs up to me and flaps his wings in a ‘menacing’ way. 

Using my Metamorphic abilities, I enhance my strength, speed, agility, durability, reflexes, and senses.

Taking him out was an easy punch to the face.

But there were more. Lots more. 

Luckily I had comrades. 

Mirage used her illusions of scary clowns to chase enemies away. Nightcrawler would bamf and be seen stabbing someone in the legs or shoulders with his rapiers. Rogue just casually touched someone and they would scream then fall unconscious when she sucker punched them. Shadowcat phased through foes and attacked from behind. Wolfsbane transformed into a wolf that would claw and bite enemies. Jubilee shot off fireworks (yes, those hurt). Cannonball ping-ponged around our group to keep the bigger foes away.

Storm directed us, Cyclops fired lasers. Jean did psychic stuff. Wolverine stabbed the bigguns, while Colossus punched them. And Iceman froze body parts (we were nonlethal like that).

But, it still took time to finish. Especially so because they had a healer we only found out about after the fight. 

===

“It’s over!” Someone yelled, breaking up the fighting happening all around.

Making sure the Morlocks nearby wouldn’t attack, I turned around to see Cyclops and Jean with Angel above their leader. It would seem we’ve won. 

‘I may have accelerated healing and enhanced senses, but this wore me out. And it’s only been about ten minutes! How does Captain America do this?’

We left the lair of Morlocks like we’d just successfully won a bar fight, bruised but proud.

On the way back to the mansion I brought up my template.

[Template: 99%]

‘It seems this fight was enough to reach the end. Although I wonder what the last percent needs.’

[To obtain 100% and complete the template you must relive a memory from the template.]

‘Memory?’

[Memory: The Curious Case of Dr. Essex and Mr. Sinister. Do you wish to proceed?]

‘No. I’ll wait until I go to bed. I won’t be gone for long, will I?’

[No. The memory will occur .1 seconds in real time.]

‘Good. Well, until then, ttyl.’ 

[...]