The Brigade

The Bellagio

Hello readers at last our favorite mutants have arrived in Las Vegas. What will happen? Keep reading!

I had seen pictures of Las Vegas before but they were nothing compared to the real thing. The lights blinded me. People were staggering around drunk. There were glitzy, gaudy garments everywhere. People were dressed up in costume but they didn't even get odd looks. It was so different than anything I'd ever experienced. I was taking in the scenery. I saw the MGM Grand hotel, and New York New York. That got me thinking. I didn't even know where we were going. I caught up to agent Bond.

"So, where are we going?" I asked.

"The Bellagio" he said evenly.

"Oh, I see," I said snidely. "We'll just crash there for the night. Did you make reservations?"

"you don't understand," he said. "the other base is underneath the Bellagio."

"Right," I said. "And Bruce is a six year old girl."

"I'm serious. Dr. Miller owns the Bellagio," He responded still not looking at me.

"your not joking?" I asked.

"Nope," he said popping the p.

"That's crazy," I said.

"Agreed," Agent Bond said.

"how do we even get down there?" I asked.

"You'll see," he said with a smile.

"who are these other mutants?" I asked.

"They didn't tell me," Agent Bond said scanning the crowd. Suddenly a thought crossed my mind. There were so many places an assassin could hide. So many things that could happen. So many weak spots. Anybody could be an assassin.

"Stop it Daniel," I thought. "You're getting paranoid." But wasn't it my job to be paranoid. This was my family. I was supposed to be the leader. I was supposed to know what to do, who to trust. Right now it seemed like everybody but me knew what to do. I looked up at the rooftops scanning for snipers. None. Good. I felt vulnerable, almost cold. Like when your all warm under your sheets and suddenly Ty rips the sheets off of you. A rush of cold air hits you. It makes you feel exposed. We passed lots of famous hotels that I had only heard of. The MGM Grand, New York New York, The Mirage, and The Stratosphere. We walked down the side walk. It seemed like an entirely different world than the desert surrounding Las Vegas.

I dropped back to talk to Vanessa. I hadn't talked to her lately. I usually enjoyed speaking with her, except when she went on a sarcastic streak, or when she is having a bad hair day. She's got a temper, and is a notorious cake stealer for those of you who don't know. 

"You okay?" I asked. 

"Yeah," she blurted out unconvincingly. I raised my eyebrows.

"Alright," she sighed.

"You want to talk about it?" I asked putting an arm around her shoulder. It wasn't like I would to a girlfriend namely Alice, but to a sister namely Vanessa.

"Just wondering about these other mutants. I mean besides Lance I didn't even know there were other mutants in the world," she said while studying her Nikes. 

"It's a lot to process," I agreed.

"I feel cut off," she said, brushing her hair out of her eyes with her gloved hand.

"Same," I said. "They expect us to save the world without telling us how."

"Daniel, I swear we're telepathic," she said beaming. I always like to see my family smile. I looked back at the rest of my family. Ty, Alice, and Bruce were all chatting, and pointing at different buildings. The base would have a hospital, where Alice could get stitched up. She had been a real trooper. Her leg was all bandaged up, she couldn't walk. Knowing Alice she absolutely hates to be at a disadvantage in anything. Even Monopoly. Just a little tip, don't ever play games with Alice. She's way to competitive. At last we reached the Bellagio. I was so tired I could hardly stand up. The fountains out font were amazing. Who knew water could be so aritistic? The air conditioning hit me like a gale force wind. My sweat cooled. The receptionist, and bellhops gave us funny looks. The place was massive. Hallways in all different directions. Blown glass ornaments hung from the ceiling, like pyschadelic flowers.

"Hello my name is Erin. May I help you?" The receptionist, Erin said. 

Agent Bond stepped up, and cleared his throat. "We're here on buisness on behalf of Dr. Miller.

Erin's eyes widened. "Oh yes sir," she handed Agent Bond a card. "enjoy your stay," She said.

"What's the card for?" Ty asked. 

"It's our key to the lab. 20 stories under ground," He said. We approached  the elevator.

"Ooh! Let me push the button!" Bruce said. Agent Bond stepped aside, and Bruce carefully pushed the button so he wouldn't break it. The elevator dinged, and we stepped in. Agent Bond had obviously been here before because immediately pressed the 30th button, the 4th button, and the 12th button. It was like a locker combo. A small key slot popped out of the side of the elevator. Agent Bond slid the key card in and out of the hole, and the elevator shot downwards.

"Whoa," Alice breathed. Whoa was right. The elevator dinged again and the doors open. We had arrived at the Vegas base,