X-Men Evolution: Rogue Evolution

Sanctum 2.5

Bayville was the greatest study of paradoxes Anna had ever experienced. Sat in the passenger seat of the supped-up jeep, she looked out the rolled-down window as large swathes of rolling green hills and colossal squares of yellow farmland whizzed by. Spotting all the silos and mud-caked tractors made her wonder more than once if she actually did end up leaving home. Then they reached the town limit and the dented old trucks and trailers gave way to zippy-looking motorcycles and luxurious sports cars with brands she's never even heard of. The farms were replaced with cleverly named fro-yo joints and yoga studios. She spotted a group of teens sitting in wicker patio furniture just outside some sort of fancy coffee shop with a bright neon sign screaming something about a 'nitro cold brew' special. As they entered a roundabout, in its center she saw a tall red-brick clock tower reading the time on its sun-bleached face. Sat atop the clock's head were long black shingles that looked as if someone gave the tower a bad hair part at the center of its head, and around its neck was a great big yellow bell that reminded her of a bolo-tie a kid wore at school once.

"Enjoying the sights?" Anna looked over at Ororo who sat in the driver's seat. The thick black headband she wore did little to keep her savage mane of white hair from whipping every which way in the breeze. Her heavily tinted aviator sunglasses reflected the sun and she had one hand on the steering wheel while the other was hanging out the open window without a care in the world.

"It's like this place can't make up its mind," Anna shouted over the wind, brushing her hair out of her face. She watched as a heavy-set man in a bright pink shirt and trucker cap carried a tiny dog in his arm down the sidewalk. "It's like, weirdly booshie yet, it's still in the middle of nowhere."

"Bayville is funny like that," Ororo said as they passed a stout government-looking building on their left. It looked like a transplant from Anna's hometown, all brick with tall windows lined with peeling white paint. "This place was just a sleepy little town till about ten years ago. Then some land developers got interested in it and it turned into the bustling little suburb you see now."

They pulled into the parking lot of the biggest mall Anna had seen to date. Looking near two football fields in length, the great peach monstrosity sat approximately four stories high and had a massively tall window at its front. Long banners along its broadside screamed with new store openings and upcoming attractions. By the time they found a spot in the packed parking lot, Anna's head was already spinning.

"You ok?" Anna found Ororo was already at her flank when she stood out of the Jeep. The other woman wore a huge white purse slung over her shoulder and a cockeyed smile on her face.

"I mean, yeah. It's just, hell you could probably fit five of my hometown's strip malls into that thing."

"Just wait till you see inside." Ororo took Anna by the crook of her arm and lead her across the parking lot and into the mouth of the beast. Through heavy glass doors, a welcome wall of air-conditioning cooled Anna's forehead, and the sunlight from the colossal window warmed her back. Before her, the world seemed to open up into a wonderland of Capitalism. Stores with blinking signs glistened above the many roving heads of shoppers, and above them, Anna could see the three additional floors of the mall like the rings of a tree. The sound of people talking and shouting was all around them, along with the chime of games being played and the savory smell of food being made somewhere close nearby. Ororo had to tug on Anna's arm to get her to move again. "It's quite a lot, isn't it?"

"To say the least." Anna stared wide-eyed at passing blinking displays. "How does anyone find anything in this freaking maze?"

"The directory usually helps." Ororo patted her arm. "Don't worry, dear. You're here with a seasoned veteran."