New X-Men (Marvel Omega)

New X-Men #9 - "Thralls of the Tyrant", Part 2

XAVIER INSTITUTE

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NEW YORK

Cannonball stood frozen. His mouth ajar as the body of Sophia Frost was thrown from the balcony, dispersing into a cloud of dust that washed over several students upon impact with the tiled floor of the foyer. Even worse, and more incomprehensible to his mind, was the brazen way in which Kevin began to descend the staircase as screaming students rushed from his reach. However, even at a distance, the light of the foyer caught the gleaming streams of tears that ran across his flushed cheeks. There was something unwilling about his walk, the vacancy in his eyes almost hypnotic, but Cannonball knew he had to act. He'd taken a step when the sweeping, gravelly fists of Rockslide pummelled into his chest and sent him skidding into the common room. He crashed through the sofa and collided with the television which fell atop of him and smashed.

In the distance, Cannonball watched as his sister, Husk, weaved beneath the fists of the walking mountain and rushed towards Kevin. She tore her skin as she ran, shimmering into a metallic form, but as she neared the murderous youth, Rockslide caught a hold of her and slammed into the ground, tiles shattering beneath her durable but not impervious form. Standing, Cannonball was forced to ignore her groans as he allowed his lower body to explode with thermochemical energy that propelled him into Rockslide's chest and sent them both across the foyer and through another wall. The blond Kentuckian roused himself as Rockslide grumbled, regaining consciousness after a momentary lapse.

As he turned, Cannonball watched Husk approaching Kevin with a tenderness he hadn't witnessed in her since the disappearance of their brother.

"Hey," she said softly but clearly. Her eyes trying to offer comfort to the rotund student who was cowering, frozen in his fear, at the foot of the stairs, he'd fallen and Kevin now stood above him menacingly. "It's Kevin, right?" She took another step forward, slowly. She couldn't help but think she'd never received enough training to be a hostage negotiator. "I'm Paige. I don't know what's happening here, or what started all of this, but I promise you, Kevin, I'm here to help." She exaggerated the last word, hoping it would resonate with him.

"Kevin," said Cannonball authoritatively as he walked across the foyer. "Buddy, step away from the kid. We can fix this. We'll get to the bottom of it."

Kevin took a step backward, fighting against the possession in his mind, but Garrison remained too strong, and in control. A faint golden glow echoed in his eyes. His momentary retreat was met with a jolting movement as his hand caught the cowering Jeffrey Garrett. It was instantaneous. The moment contact was made, Jeffrey activated his own mutant ability to teleport and the two students disappeared before their eyes. Cannonball yelled out but they were gone.

"We have to find him?" said Paige as she looked across the hallway. "And we need to get the students out of . . . Look out!"

Her warning came too late as Cannonball once again found himself skidding across the foyer. He recollected himself quicker this time. His body was becoming accustomed to the low-rank wrestling style of Rockslide. It hadn't been several hours ago that he'd watched the rocky student display them all in his first training simulation. It was clear that there was something happening here, something dire, that was transforming the students into weapons. One, possibly two, students were already dead and Cannonball was responsible for them. As he readied to propel himself into Rockslide, the student caught a hold of him and flipped him backwards through the window and across the lawn.

Husk was about to react when she suddenly found herself distracted.

"Megan?" queried Victor, the reptilian mutant reaching out for his fairy-winged friend but she shrugged him off and moved forward until she stood directly in front of Husk.