X-men The Return

Chapter One This wasn't the slums, or the war-torn streets of some distant city, or a savage and distant land. This was Manhattan, Park Avenue to be precise, somewhere in the upper seventies. Kitty Pryde knew it as one of the swankiest neighborhoods in the city, perhaps even the world, but on this moonless night, the streets strangely empty of vehicles and pedestrians alike, the shadows pooling under every awning and around every door, she felt an inescapable sense of menace. For the moment, it seemed that the world consisted of nothing but Kitty and the buildings towering on either side. But she knew that was too good to last. As if in response to her thoughts, a pair of street thugs emerged from the shadows. They looked like rejects fromThe Warriorsor aStreet Fighterarcade game, one of them done up like a B-movie Indian with Mohawk, face paint, and feathers, the other in a battered top hat and tattered tails. The Mohawk carried a hunting knife, whose blade glinted dully in the low light, while the top hat swung a Louisville Slugger like a batter approaching the plate. "How do, Chicken Little?" said the Mohawk in a rasping voice. "Ready to have some fun?" "What's the matter?" Kitty asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "You guys get lost on the way to a Village People tribute?" "You hear that, Robbo?" the Mohawk said to the top hat. "Chicken Little thinks she's a comedian." Robbo, the top hat, snickered like a dutiful sidekick, but said nothing. Kitty sighed, and shook her head. "That doesn't even make any sense, you know. Chicken Little? Since when have I worried about the sky falling?" "Oh," the Mohawk said, dramatically, "it's gonna fall." Kitty rolled her eyes. "You need to work on the script a bit. If this is the best you can do, well, it's just embarrassing." She motioned to the two street thugs. "Come on, let's get this over with." As the pair advanced, menacingly, Kitty sized up her options.Ninjitsu'she wondered.No,she thought with a smile.Krav maga. The Mohawk attacked first, swinging the hunting knife down in a wide arm, the blade toward the ground. Kitty responded instantly with a simultaneous block and strike, punching the Mohawk in the throat with the heel of her palm, grabbing hold of his wrist with her other hand. As the Mohawk pulled away, Kitty kept her hold on the knife. A brief tug-of-war ensued, ended quickly with a knee to the Mohawk's groin. As he staggered backward, moaning, Kitty sent the knife flying off into the darkness, end over end, finally landing with a clatter some yards away, well out of reach. The top hat came next, swinging the bat like a club. Kitty ducked under the swing, knocking his arm aside with her left elbow, then went in close with a shovel hook with her right, fist held palm up, elbow tucked down by her ribs, the force of motion coming from her hips. The short-range punch caught the top hat in the soft tissue just beneath the ribcage on his left side, knocking the wind from him. Then, as the top hat reeled, she swung around and followed the body shot with a head shot that caught the top hat in the side of the face. Kitty kicked the bat away as the top hat dropped to the pavement, just as the Mohawk regained his composure. She set her feet, arms held lightly to either side, and smiled sweetly at him. "Ready for another go?" The Mohawk looked at his friend, moaning semiconscious on the sidewalk, and without another word turned and ran. Kitty shrugged, and started to head up the avenue in the opposite direction. Logan would have been proud. She hadn't even had to use her phasing powers. "This is too easy," she said to the empty air. "I was expecting something a bit tougher." Just then, a hulking metal figure rounded the corner of 71st Street, blocking her path. It was roughly man-shaped, but towered over her, taller thaRoberson, Chris is the author of 'X-men The Return', published 2007 under ISBN 9781416510758 and ISBN 1416510753.