X-Men: Night of the Living Brain Dead
                               by
                           Ben Church bchurch@su.edu
	All major characters are the property of Marvel comics 
except Hotshot.
                            Chapter 12
	Monet brought Will to the infirmary and laid him gently 
on the examining table.
    
        Will fell, for how long he wasn't sure.  At last he 
landed with a splash in the water below.  He fought his way to 
the surface and gasped for breath.  When he'd calmed down he 
took stock of his situation. He was in the middle of a large 
ocean.  There was no sign of land anywhere.  He could not 
remember how he got here and the rest of his memory was fading 
fast.  He didn't know what to do, he could swim well, but there 
was no telling where land was, or even if there was any, and he 
couldn't tread water forever.  He heard a splash and looked to 
his left.  He saw a dorsal fin and panicked. Then he noticed 
that there was no tail fin visible behind it.  It was a dolphin, 
or a porpoise.  His favorite animals.
        "At least I remember that much." he thought.  Far off, 
he thought he heard a creaking.  Straining his eyes, he saw a 
speck on the horizon.  "That doesn't make any sense, if what I 
hear is that speck, then how can I hear it?  My hearing's not 
that good."  As he watched, the speck got bigger and bigger, 
until finally, he could see what it was. An old style sailing 
ship. "From the 15 or 16 hundreds." he thought.  As the vessel 
got closer, he saw people out on deck. When he thought they 
would be able to hear him, he began to shout for help.
        "Man overboard!" someone on the ship shouted.  The ship 
veered to the left, and someone let down a ladder.  As he 
climbed, he heard a woman say "Why he's only a boy!"
        "Aye," said someone else, "What do you suppose happened 
to his ship?"
        "Perhaps it was pirates," said the lady, "They've been 
seen in these waters before."
        Then a child spoke up "Why's he wearing such strange 
clothes, Mommy?"  Just then, Will reached the top of the ladder, 
and slumped onto the deck.  For some unknown reason, he was 
exhausted.  
    
        Sean Cassidy paced in the front room, trying to sort out 
everything that had happened lately.  First, Jubilee, Xi'an, and 
Illyanna vanish along with all the members of X-Factor.  Then a 
new student comes along, who just happens to be their best 
chance at finding them.  Then the X-Men are captured, and his 
new student falls into a coma for some unknown reason.
        Just then, the doorbell rang.  Sean went to answer it 
and found a blue skinned woman standing on the stoop.
        "Hello, I'm Rachel Argosy, is this Xavier's School for 
Gifted Youngsters?"
        "Rachel..." Sean was unsure for a moment, "Oh, yes, our 
new music teacher.  I apologize if I'm a bit slow this evening, 
but things are a bit hectic right now."
        Monet came in to see who was at the door.  "Oh!  It's 
you!"
        "What do you mean?" Sean asked.
        "This is the woman Will and I helped this evening."
        "You two go to this school?" Rachel asked.
        "You got a lot o' explainin' to do lady." said Wolverine 
who'd just entered.  "If you had anything to do with what 
happened to the kid, I wanna know what."
        "I beg your pardon?" Rachel asked.
        "Shortly after he rescued you, Will fell into a coma.  
We have reason to believe that your predicament was a trap set 
for him." Monet said.
        "I assure you, I was not a participating in any scam."
        Emma Frost entered the room.  "She's telling the truth 
Logan."
        "Oh well, now that we've had you confirm it, 
everything's all right.  I don't trust you any further than Leech 
can throw Sabertooth.  I don't trust him either."
        "You don't trust Leech?" Emma asked, arching her 
eyebrow.
        "Don't get smart with me bitch."
        "Well I believe her." said Monet stopping the 
confrontation.
        "Please, can I see him?" asked Rachel.
        "Of course lass." Sean said.  "Right this way."
    
        Will woke in a cabin below decks, feeling completely 
rested and refreshed.  He went on deck and was greeted by the 
captain.
        "Ah good, you're up.  I'd begun to think we might need 
to get a doctor."
        "I don't know how to thank you for picking me up 
captain. Or for letting me use one of your cabins."
        "Oh think nothing of it.  One of the passengers 
volunteered her cabin." he dropped his voice to a conspiratal 
whisper.  "I think she's taken to you quite strongly." He raised 
to a normal speaking voice then.  "Ah, here comes your 
benefactor now."
        A young blond woman came out on deck.  Will guessed her 
to be seventeen or eighteen.  She seemed strangely familiar, but 
Will could not think of where he'd seen her before.
        "Excuse me ma'am?" he said.
        She turned. "Oh hi!  I'm glad you're up, I'd been hoping 
to get to know you." she said, and winked at him.
        Will was taken aback.  The girl before him was dressed 
as the genteel ladies were dressed back in the 1500's but she 
had the forward manners of a girl from his high school...  That 
was it!  That's where he knew her from!  He'd known her in high 
school!  But what school?  Who was she?  And what was a 
"high school"?  He put aside those questions for the moment and 
concentrated on the conversation.
        The girl stuck out her hand.  "My name's Sarah.  What's 
yours?"
        Will took her hand and shook it.  She squeezed his hand 
tightly.  "Pleased to meet you ma'am.  I'm Will."
        "Oh please Will, call me Sarah.  'Ma'am' makes me feel 
old."
    
        Selene sat in a darkened room and slowed her breathing. 
Even for her, it would be an enormous effort to enter the mind 
of one so far away.  She smiled, now nothing would stop her, she 
would find out what he knew, and make him her slave.  Slowly, so 
no one would notice, she entered his mind.
    
        "Ship ahoy!" the lookout called.  Will and Sarah hurried 
to the rail and looked out over the waves to see the ship. Suddenly, Will 
felt uneasy.
        "There's something not right about that ship." he said. 
"Captain may I see your telescope?"
        "Of course." said the captain, and handed it to him.  
Will peered through the telescope at the other ship.  At first 
there was nothing unusual about it.  Then he saw the flag, and 
his blood ran cold.  Which for some reason he found ironic.  A 
skull and crossbones, pirates.
        "Oh shit." Will swore.  "Captain I suggest you get us 
out of here."
        "Why?" the captain asked suspiciously.  Suddenly, a 
column of water erupted next to the ship, as they heard the 
thunder of cannon fire.
        "That's why!" Will shouted.  "They're pirates!"
        "Red Alert!" shouted the captain.  "All hands to battle 
stations!"
         "Red Alert?" Will thought.  "Where've I heard that 
before?" He racked his brain but couldn't think of it.
        "Miss Sarah?" the captain said.  "I have to ask you to 
go back to your cabin.  Will, you to."
        "Is there anything I can do to help?" Will asked.
        "Yes, you can go back to your cabin!  Now go!"
    
         In the cabin, Will paced back and forth.
         "Will, must you be so restless?"  Sarah asked.  
"There's nothing you can do."  She patted a spot next to her on 
the bed. "Come sit by me.  At least let's make the most of these 
moments we have alone."  When he didn't move, she reached up, 
grasped his arm and gently but firmly pulled onto the bed.  She 
put her hands on his shoulders and began to massage them.  He 
finally began to relax, but he was still uneasy.
        "At a time like this, I don't understand-"  She cut him 
off by wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and kissing him 
hard on the mouth.  Giving in, he slipped his arms around her 
waist and kissed her back.  He suddenly remembered doing this 
with her before.  But when?  And where?  Dammit, why couldn't he 
remember?!  
	"Oh well," he thought, "Who cares?  I'm doing it here 
and now."  He did not know how long they stayed like that.  But 
suddenly they were brought out of it by the captain shouting.
        "All hands!  Repel boarders!"
        Will broke off the kiss, saying "That's it.  I'm going 
up there."
        "Will!"  Will turned ready to defend his decision.  But 
instead of trying to talk him out of it, Sarah gave him a quick, 
hard kiss on the mouth, and then pressed her lips against his 
ear.  "Be careful." she whispered.  He smiled and headed up the 
hall.
        When he got to the door leading to the deck, he heard a 
deep gravely voice, say, "I'll go get the passenger's 
valuables!"  Will listened to the man's footsteps as they 
approached the door.  When he judged the man was close enough, 
he slammed the door open.  He heard a crunch, then a thud.  He 
opened the door wider and saw the pirate lying on the deck with 
blood pouring from his nose.  Will picked up his sword and 
pistol and went off to defend the ship.
    
        Xavier landed the mini-jet in front of the school and 
headed for the front door.  It was opened from within by Victor.
        "Yer late Chuck." he said.  "The others got here an hour 
ago."
         "I had to stop at Muir Island before coming here 
Creed." Xavier said.  "I trust all is going well with your 
rehabilitation?"
         "Oh yeah it's goin' great.  But I am a little confused 
as to why you sent me up here.  Irish n' Frost ain't doin' 
nothin' that you couldn't do."
        "I sent you up here because you needed the interaction 
with other students to complete your rehabilitation.  The X-Men 
were too prejudiced against you.  These children, however, have 
not had the negative exposure to you that the X-Men had.  In 
fact, they are more kindly disposed to you because their first 
encounter with you, was you saving them from the Phalanx."
        Not long after Victor had come to the School, an entity 
called the Phalanx abducted the X-Men.  Victor had helped Sean 
rescue Emma and Jubilee, and escape.  Later he escaped from 
Sean, but followed him to where the Phalanx was keeping the 
other young mutants it had captured.  Victor risked his life to 
save them.
        Professor Xavier fell suddenly silent as Magnus entered 
the room.
        "Hello Eric." Xavier said softly.
        "Charles.  I'm glad you have come.  The situation has 
grown quite grave." Magnus said.
        "Yes I know.  How are you feeling?"
        "Fine.  I recently had an attack, but I have recovered. 
Each one is less and less severe."
        "I'm glad.  Was it the same cause?"
        "Yes.  I began to contemplate what wonderful fighters 
Creed and Will would be to my old cause, and the pain struck."  
A look of deep sorrow and remorse came to Xavier's face.  
"Charles you must stop blaming yourself.  The pain I experience 
is self inflicted.  You know that."
        "Is it?  Sometimes I'm not so sure."

To be conned...