Jean Grey held up the needle, smiling faintly. "The tracker's inside. Microscopic, practically invisible. Once it's in the bloodstream, no one will ever notice… unless they can detect radio waves."
"Good enough. Stick her with it."
Jean nodded, pressed the injector to Mystique's arm, and—click—it was done. After syncing the software onto my phone and giving me a quick tutorial, she excused herself, leaving me with my prize.
I slung Mystique over my shoulder, carried her outside the campus, and dumped her in the tall grass. She'd wake up, crawl back to Magneto, and lead us straight to his front door.
Half an hour later, she stirred. Groggy, confused, then furious. She didn't know why she'd blacked out, but she knew one thing—she had to report me to Magneto. A shapeshifter like her, but with speed rivaling Quicksilver, strength like Iron Man, and chakra tricks no mutant had ever seen? If Magneto could reel me in, the Brotherhood would skyrocket.
Too bad for her, I was already three steps ahead.
Meanwhile, I was deep in the woods, testing my new chakra circuits.
[Ninjutsu · Shadow Clone!]
A copy of me flickered into existence. My right hand twisted into a claw-like grip.
[Ninjutsu · Rasengan!]
Chakra spiraled, compressing in my palm like a miniature typhoon. I'd expected to need my clone's help, but—hah—turns out I didn't. Dismissing him, I focused harder, forcing the rotation tighter and tighter until the ball screamed with raw power.
"Rasengan!!!"
The sphere slammed into a tree. BOOM! The trunk exploded, sawdust scattering like snow.
I wasn't done. Dropping to one knee, I pressed the still-spinning Rasengan into a boulder. The rock screeched, sparks flying, until a perfect twenty-centimeter-deep hole was carved into its surface. The walls were glassy smooth, still radiating heat. I whistled low. That spin speed had to be ten times a chainsaw.
And my chakra reserves? Still full. Jackpot.
Of course, with that much juice left, I had to test the… less respectable techniques.
[Sexy Jutsu!]
Poof! Poof!
Two curvy, unclothed beauties materialized, entwined and glaring at me.
Before I could even smirk, a soft laugh drifted from above.
"Interesting trick."
I dispelled them instantly, head snapping upward. Leaves rustled. Someone had been watching me this whole time.
I launched myself upward—[Leaf Hurricane!]—aiming a kick into the treetop.
The figure tumbled back, flipped midair, and landed in a crouch as smooth as a cat. Red hair, black bodysuit, smirk that could kill a man twice over.
She stood, dusted herself off. "Your hospitality at Axville is… lively. You nearly kicked me out of the tree."
Her lips curled. "Natasha Romanoff. Though you might prefer 'Black Widow.'"
I dropped lightly to the ground. "Spying on me, huh? Why are you here?"
"I came for Professor X." Her eyes sharpened. "But you… you're suspicious. A stranger slipping into Xavier's school, pulling off abilities I've never seen before. Clones, spinning spheres of light, transformations. That's not mutation. That's something else. Care to explain?"
I grinned. "Beat me first."
Her stance shifted, graceful but lethal. "One-on-one. No clones."
"Fine." I folded my arms behind my back, cocky grin widening. "First meeting's on the house—I'll even give you two hands' handicap."
Her eyes narrowed. "Don't underestimate me. Plenty of men have, and they all regretted it."
Then she struck. Lightning-fast, a blur of red hair and black leather.
But speed? That's my department.
A gust of cold wind flared as I slipped behind her, whispering at her exposed back—
"You shouldn't show me your spine. Fatal mistake."