This Savage Land - Part Five: Invasion

[x-juggernaut.livejournal.com]

In the middle of Manhattan, 2007 meets 200 million BC.


Julio and Scott wind up stuck in a traffic jam, and are the first of many to encounter Manhattan's newest tourists. The thirty-foot-tall carnivorous type. And to make matters more interesting, the Black King and Rook of the Hellfire Club put in an appearance.



"This is some serious irony," Scott said dryly, leaning forward and trying to see exactly what was holding up traffic. "We could have picked a better day to get the paperwork done for your driver's test, Julio." Strange part of town to have this kind of traffic problem, too. He had to wonder if there'd been an accident or something. It seemed like the most logical reason.

Julio looked up from where he had been playing tetris on his phone and squinted, looking at the rows of traffic. "Considering I am missing a field trip for it, anyway." A small part of him was glad to not be on the Field trip, because the last time he did anything school sponsored he wound up in a coma for 32 hours. He rolled down the car window and maneuvered himself out so he could see better.

"See anything?" Scott asked, leaning sideways to turn on the radio. "Something has to have happened. An accident or a fire or something like that, to have us at a standstill..." He didn't see any smoke, though, and hadn't heard any sirens.

"Mr. Summers?" Julio said, squinting now, even more confused. He would never admit it, but he was starting to suspect that he did need glasses. "It looks like people are running, towards us. And...that is not right." There were lizards? chasing them. Giant people-sized lizards that looked a hell of a lot like the dinosaurs in the books he used to be obsessed with as a child. He looked back at the headmaster to see if he was seeing the same thing.

"... what the fuck?" Scott murmured in bewilderment, spotting the... yes, lizards. No. Dinosaurs. "Julio," he said, realizing that the dinosaurs were not avoiding running on the cars, as he saw one land on the hood of an SUV not too far ahead of them, smashing the windshield. "Get out of the car and over to that alley, now." It was the closest available cover, and Scott was already opening his own door. He didn't fancy getting pinned down, even in the fairly sturdy Volvo he'd picked so that he and Julio could get in a driving lesson on the way back.

Julio heaved himself the rest of the way out of the car, and dropped to the ground. Unfortunately the dinosaurs were fast, and before Julio could get three steps toward the alley they were already on them. Even with all the practise Julio had had in the last year, control was still slippery in New York, the endless array of subway tunnels, sewage lines, power cables and various and other sundry things in the ground.

Fortunately, he'd also been taught how to dodge.

Scott fired off an optic blast at one of the creatures as it rushed them. The dinosaur - can't be a dinosaur, really can't - made a hair-raising noise, almost a shriek, and crashed to the ground. "Okay," he said a bit breathlessly, hand on Julio's shoulder as they reached the questionable safety of the alley - not safe at all, it just meant they were somewhat out of the way. "This is strange. I've seen strange, and this is damned strange. You okay?"

"Si," Julio said shakily. There were dinosaurs in New York. Was he dreaming? he pinched himself. Nope, not dreaming. "Now what to we do?" He flinched when there was another loud crash, followed by a dinosaur's almost human-sounding shriek.

"Two choices," Scott said, sounding almost conversational. "You stay right here and don't move, or you stay right behind me." He glanced down at Julio, giving him a quick crooked smile. "Believe it or not, I'd prefer the latter, but I'll understand if you opt for the former. I just can't sit here and let anyone get, uh, eaten." He was looking around, for some place he could potentially stash Julio that was a little more secure.

Julio stood up straighter and looked Scott in the eye. "I will follow behind. I can hold my own, no problem." Dinosaurs were definitely not the scariest things he'd ever been up against, the freaking weirdest yes, but not the scariest. "Where will we go?"

"In the direction that everyone's not running in," was Scott's reply. They needed to find out where these things were coming from, and help anyone who hadn't been able to run successfully. "Remember," he said, turning to head back out onto the street. "Behind me."

In another situation, the look Julio gave the back of Scott's head would have been condescending. However, dinosaurs.

The pair edged their way down the street, careful not to attract the attention of the dinosaurs, because Julio had said that they could track movement. Not that he knew that for sure, but he saw it in a movie once, and it really couldn't hurt.

Julio crouched down behind a Hummer, following the headmaster's lead. There were several tense seconds as they heard a dinosaur scrambling around the other side of the large vehicle. They tracked it's movements as it paced back and forth, and then skittered away. Julio let out a sigh of relief, only to cry out as the dinosaur reappeared on top of the car. The boy didn't even think, he stuck his hands out in front of him and flung him away, the waves of force he sent at the dinosaur smashing it into the building across the street.

"Julio," Scott said through gritted teeth - the dinosaur had come up on his blind side, costing him a precious few seconds, "unless the dinosaur is about to eat your head, please don't do that." He rose again, picking off another dinosaur which was on the roof of a car, trying to batter its way through the windshield to the screaming woman cowering behind the wheel. Scott moved rapidly to the driver's side door, pulling it open and instructing the woman to run. He paused, taking a look around at their surroundings to gauge the next threat.

Only then did it hit him that they were coming up on the block where the Hellfire Club was located.

As if on cue, Scott saw a dinosaur fly across the street - especially odd, since it wasn't a winged one. On the steps of the Hellfire Club's main entrance, Sebastian Shaw stood, fists clenched. Another dinosaur rushed for the steps, only to be met with a right cross to the temple that dropped it as if it had been shot with a cannon.

Behind Shaw, the portly Harry Leland sat on the steps, sipping from a snifter of brandy and occasionally gesturing at a passing dinosaur. At his merest wave, bones would snap and organs liquefy as the force of gravity itself smashed the trespassers into the pavement.

"I say, Sebastian," Leland chortled, "This reminds me of that safari we took in Kenya. You, myself, Miss Frost, and that charming young native guide. Splendid times, yes?"

Sebastian said nothing, locked in a grapple with a dinosaur that was attempting to make a meal of him. Grabbing the reptile by the jaws, he heaved, bending it backwards until its spine snapped. Rising, he caught sight of Scott and Julio and rolled his eyes. "Splendid, indeed. Summers, I assume you have some clue as to the cause of this... infestation?"

"So next time I wait until it takes off my head before I defend myself, I understand," Julio muttered at Scott as they approached the two men on the steps. He had no idea who they were, but there was obvious history there. He ducked as Shaw flung the corpse over their heads to take out another pair of dinosaurs that were trying to approach them from the left.

"Not in the slightest," Scott said - to Shaw, not to Julio, although it worked either way. He blasted another dinosaur as it leapt at Shaw, then half-turned to get a better look at the street. "I'll take the question to mean that you don't, either." Higher ground was good. You could see the things coming.

"While I have an appreciation for expensive antiques," Shaw grunted as he let a dinosaur smash into him, only to have the impact double his strength as he kicked its legs out from under it. "-these beasts are definitely not my interpretation of admirable history." He paused long enough to reach down and snap the dinosaur's neck between his hands, then glanced down the street to see a massive spike-tailed dinosaur bearing down on them, smashing cars in its fury. With a look of consternation in his eyes, Shaw looked at Scott and shrugged. "Not to mention quite disruptive to business. Harold?"

Leland stood, wavering slightly, and extended both hands towards the charging beast. Instead of trampling towards them, its next steps sank into the asphalt as its already-massive weight doubled, then quadrupled under Leland's power.

Julio stumbled as he felt the ground quiver and shake as the dinosaur struggled to break free. "When did this all start?" he said, gripping a railing for balance and then ducking as a flying dinosaur came out of nowhere at them. When it tried for a second pass he smashed it into the building across the street.

"Shortly after... we arrived from... Sebastian?" Leland staggered, his hold on the massive beast failing. Shaw turned to see his friend collapse, face red with exertion, one hand clutching his chest. In an eyeblink, the Black King of the Hellfire Club was there to catch his Rook as he fell.

Down the street, the massive dinosaur pulled itself free of the pavement and began to charge.

"Hell." Scott took in Leland's collapse and Shaw's distraction in an instant, before his head whipped around towards the charging dinosaur, his expression tightening.

The optic blast that slammed into the creature wasn't quite the strongest Scott could produce, but it was close. He'd aimed right at its head, and the blast smashed its skull, killing it instantly. The dinosaur collapsed, sheer momentum taking it almost to the foot of the steps before it stopped, still twitching.

Julio fought the urge to kick the large dinosaur to see if it was dead, before turning back. The larger man was purple and sweating profusely, clutching at his chest. Julio had seen his great uncle Emilio do that, right before he died of a heart attack. "He needs a doctor," Julio said, almost rhetorically.

"Do you train all your students in stating the obvious, Summers?" Shaw spat out, feeling around Leland's massive neck for a pulse. "He's having a heart attack, and there's no way an ambulance can respond through this mess fast enough. I will have to..."

He looked past Scott and Julio to where Scott's car was untouched, engine still running. "Summers. Can you help me? He needs immediate medical attention, and Saint Luke's Hospital is ten blocks from here. If you can take him, I... I will ensure that your student is kept safe. You have my word, but please, be quick."

Scott hesitated, looking from Shaw to Julio, then to Leland. He couldn't protect Julio properly if his attention was split between him and Leland. And they owed Leland, owed him a very specific debt. "You gave me your word once and kept it," he said, stepping forward to help Shaw get Leland up off the ground. He locked eyes with the older man, just for a moment. "This is one of my students," he said. "One of Charles's students."

"And this is my Rook," Sebastian said, just as solemnly, "and... my friend." He helped Scott move Leland down to the car, easing him into the passenger seat. "Summers will get you to help, Harold. You can... trust him."

Shaw looked over the roof of the Volvo at Scott, almost pleadingly. "I am in your debt, Summers."

There was a loud shriek and bang as the ferocious-looking dinosaur that had been about to jump them from behind crashed headlong into the SUV parked across the street. Julio lowered his outstretched hands. "Stop having a moment and just go, I shall be fine!" He yelled.

Scott just nodded to Shaw. "Julio! Behave!" he yelled in the boy's direction as he got into the car and started it. Thankfully, the sidewalk at least was clear.

Shaw looked across the carved marble steps, now cracked and stained with dinosaur blood and other unidentifiable masses. His own Saville Row suit was ruined beyond repair, which worried him almost as much as the state of Leland's health.

Nevertheless, he did have an obligation to fulfill. "You, boy," he called over to Julio. "Given the circumstances, I think it would be wise to return you to Xavier's. If you'd like to come inside, I'm sure Walter can provide a... soda pop or something while we wait for the roads to clear."

"I..uh, sure," Julio said, taking a look over his shoulder. He wiped his sweaty forehead and followed the man inside. "So, you and Mr. Summers, what is the deal?"

Shaw glared after the departing Solstice, apparently not hearing Julio's words. "I am sure they teach you well at that school," he finally said, "Although if you ever happen to study military history, learn well the concept of detente. Although if a man can be known by the quality of his enemies, Scott Summers certainly reflects well upon me."

Finally deigning to notice Julio, Sebastian shuddered as the power he had absorbed from the repeated blows from the dinosaurs faded, and his muscles and tendons resumed a normal human form. "Come, young man. For the next few hours or so, I can at the least offer you the hospitality of the Hellfire Club before returning you to your... school."

The boy merely shrugged. If the Hellfire Club was anything like he'd experienced back home, he'd have no problems. "Wait until the others hear about my day," he muttered. "Gracias, Mr. Shaw."




Some people you just do not mess with before their morning coffee. No matter how many sharp teeth you have.




"Coffee, please. Large."

"Cappucino, Latte-"

"Shut up. I asked for a large coffee. That means an ordinary coffee, as close to fucking pint as your little cardboard cups will hold. No frothy bits, no flavoured fucking syrup, no whipped cream. Just a fucking coffee."

"Yes sir, but-"

"Look, for the last week, I have been working a minimum of a sixteen hour day every day, and I am probably going to have to do the same thing again today. So, if I'm going to face the huge pile of shit that I just know is waiting for me in the office the morning, I need to get an enormous fucking coffee down me neck before I get there. Now, before I am forced to do something you'll regret..."

Pete Wisdom paused, took in the terrified look on the barrista's face, and sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry, I'm just-"

The kid raised a trembling hand, and Pete turned to see what he was pointing at.

The door of the coffee shop banged closed behind a six-foot tall bipedal lizard with a mouth full of impressively sharp teeth. The lizard looked around the shop once, taking in a few customers rapidly scrambling away from it, before gaving a bellow, and charging toward the counter.

There was a brief red flash of energy, and the dinosaur stumbled and fell, knocking over a few chairs as the corpse slid to a halt after only a few feet, it's face and head a charred mess.

Pete turned back to the register.

"For the sake of my sanity, I am going to pretend that that didn't just happen, and that my life is not yet so completely fucking absurd that I'm having to kill Spielberg's leftover special effects just to get some fucking breakfast."

The barrista began to rise from his crouch behind the counter.

"Now, can I please have a very fucking large coffee..."




Not everything coming from the distant past is reptilian. Some are large, hooved, and sport some powerful horns. Luckily, someone's willing to play cowboy.




The meeting hadn't gone on too long, and it was still a nice bright morning when Angelo emerged from the building, stretching.

...a nice bright morning. So what was with the... thunder...? A slow look round gave the answer, with the sight of a herd of very, very, large cattle stampeding down the street towards him.

"...oh, shit."

The aurochsen were Not Happy At All. Apart from suddenly being called into existence millions of years and thousands of miles from where they belonged, there was a distinct lack of grazing, far too many strange smells and sounds, and a lot of those smells tended to belong to predatory-types, giant lizards that appeared just as confused as they were. Fleeing from another attack, the lead bull tossed his head slightly at the sight of the small, grey-ish creature in their path. Too small to do any harm - lowering his head with a bellow, the bull charged, leading his herd towards the distant smell of greenery on the wind.

The top of Angelo's head was right about level with the bull's shoulder. There was no time to get out of the way, with as close as they'd been and the speed the leader was running, so there was really only one thing to do. Two strands of skin shot from his hastily clenched and raised fists, to wrap around the bull's horns and let Angelo yank himself up onto its back.

The bull bellowed again, and tossed his head irritably. The small grey creature was on his back! There wasn't a lot of space, but what there was he used, trying to buck the creature off.

Angelo clung on grimly, determined not to be thrown. He had a pretty good guess at what would make the creatures happy, so he was just waiting for a turning to steer them where they'd been going anyway. To Central Park.

Bucking wasn't working... Veering violently, the bull tried to scrape the creature off along one of the strange cliff-like things lining the path.

One way to deal with that. Angelo just shifted over, closer to the centre of its mass and away from the walls, and held on for dear life. The herd was about to enter the tourist district - maybe that would take its attention off him?

The bellow was becoming more irritated, and the sudden appearance of a thicket of strange flimsy constructions with more of the ape-like creatures didn't improve the bull's temper. Lowering his head and increasing his speed, he led the herd through the street market, scattering stalls and vendors and customers in their wake.

Angelo did what little he could to limit the damage, mostly by using his "reins" around the bull's horns to jerk them out of the way and stop them hitting things - or people. Other than that, he could only shout slightly redundant warnings.

"Hey buddy!" The call came from one of the vendors up ahead, whose stall was festooned with hats of all types, featherboas, sunglasses... The young black man threw a cowboy hat at Angelo as he looked up, grinning hugely. "Gotta look the part, yeah?"

At the sight of the thing flying towards him, the bull swerved again, tossing his head.

Angelo didn't dare release either of the horns, not with the bull as agitated as it was, but that didn't stop him shooting a strand of skin from one knuckle to snag the hat from the air, laughing. "Thanks!" he shouted back as the herd raced on past the stall, towards the park.

The hat, of course, went firmly on his head.




In millennia past, there was no fury greater than that of a dinosaur deprived of its prey. In 2007, it's a woman deprived of her shopping. Now make that multiple women...




Under the sounds of a hellish New York--more on the hellish and less on the regular New York sounds--running could be heard through an alley. Two different types of running, one human and moving quickly and the other...not quite so human. And moving just as quickly. Then the sound of something abruptly falling was followed by a roar of pain just as Wanda skidded out from the entrance to the short alley.

She gasped, dragging in a deep breath as her previously abused muscles screamed in protest and then bolted across the street, long legs eating up the ground. There'd been a dinosaur on her tail until she managed to knock a fire escape on it but she wasn't looking behind to her make sure it stayed put.

Across the street, abandoned, she spotted a small Mini-Cooper, complete with vanity license plate and stripe down the middle, obviously someone's pride and joy. And, she realized, reaching it, the keys still in the ignition. Wanda hesitated. Driving a car was something she didn't do unless it was a last resort...

When the pissed off roar sounded closer to her than before, she decided it was a last resort and slid behind the wheel.

Dinosaurs. There were dinosaurs in New York City. And Ororo's car was nowhere nearby. Of all the days to park uptown...

So far the silver-haired woman had seen only small dinosaurs - small, but unmistakably strange and not of this era. Her iced coffee had been peremptorily forgotten upon sighting the first creature skittering down the sidewalk, and she was on her feet a moment later, intending to find out exactly what kind of prank this was. Of course, further investigation had proven that if this was a prank, it was the most well-funded and elaborate scheme to ever hit the city. There were dinosaurs everywhere, and simply because Ororo hadn't seen any of the carnivorous types, she wasn't about to assume they weren't there as well.

Doing the exact opposite of any sane person, Ororo headed down the street towards the strange noises that echoed off the buildings in an eerie manner. Not surprisingly, this action led her straight towards a large group of bipedal dinosaurs which, while not meat-eaters, didn't look altogether happy to see her. One of them swiped over a mailbox with a mere flick of its tail as it shyed away from her, and Ororo had to admit that for once, she was entirely out of her league. Dear goddess, what do I do?

The animals hissed and growled, uncomfortable and skittish. They looked ready to break at a seconds notice and with Ororo's arrival, they were focused on her and if they broke into a run, they'd run straight into her. One of the creatures tensed, the sound of the mailbox crunching solidly under it's talons as it shifted. And then as one, their heads swerved to look to the side as something else caught their attention. A car, with the horn pressed solidly like any other good New Yorker, and coming straight for the clump of dinosaurs and they did scatter but away from Ororo, scrambling to get out of the headlights and away from the noise.

The weatherworker had to admit they had a good idea; she too dove for the sidewalk to get out of the way of the wildly-careening car. However, she glimpsed a flash of the driver's face as she moved, and dug her heels in mid-step as she realized who exactly it was behind the wheel. "Wanda?"

The car screeched to a halt, nearly spinning, and a trash can went flying through the air. Wanda winced. The paint job on this car was being sorely taxed. She stuck her head through the window and grinned wildly at Ororo. "Funny meeting you out in the wilds of New York like this," she called. "Fancy a lift? Figured it might be a bit safer than walking right now."

Ororo didn't need to be told twice. Sprinting forward, she wrenched open the door of the Mini and climbed in, pulling the door shut with a resounding slam behind her. Then, quite methodically, she locked the door and buckled her seatbelt, making sure it was secure before turning to face Wanda. "Do you know exactly what is going on and why there are dinosaurs roaming the streets? Is this some sort of mass hallucination? I knew I should not have drunk from that water fountain..."

Wanda shook her head. "It certainly feels real enough," she said, nodding down at her left leg. The first run in she'd had, it had been a surprised on both her end and the dinosaur. It had just managed to graze her leg, mainly ripping her jeans before she'd gotten away. "I was out in the city, meeting a colleague from the college and then...dinosaur in my chicken salad. Which is a shame, it had been a good sal...aaaah!"

The dinosaur suddenly in front of the small car screamed as well, though it was a far deeper bellow than Wanda's schreech. And then the gas was being pressed and they swerved around the creature and nearly got smashed by it's tail for their troubles.

Ororo's hands went to grip the door of the car, her knuckles growing white as she wound them as tightly as she could around the handle. Thankfully the street in front of them was dinosaur-free, and the car straightened out, though Wanda was still driving a bit too fast for comfort. It was better than being dinosaur food, though.

"If it is not a hallucination, and those things are real... how many of them are there? Where did they come from? How did they get loose?" Babbling questions wasn't exactly helping, but if they could figure out the answer to just one of them, maybe they'd have a chance at understanding the madness that had broken loose.

"I am not sure." If Wanda's words were clipped, it wasn't because of Ororo. Her knuckles were white against the steering wheel and her eyes a little wide. "I have only seen a handful myself but you can hear them. I feel like we are in the middle of the Jurassic Park movies." She paused. "The third one, the really awful one and not the really good one with the cute lead. Though I think he was in the awful one as well..." She shook herself and then glanced over at her friend in horror. "Everything else has been normal..."

Pursing her lips, Ororo gave Wanda a helpless look, at a loss to suggest any sort of explanation for the odd phenomenon around them. And then... "Do you feel that?" Even though the car was in motion, they could feel the sensation of vibrations, shaking the ground as if something very, very large was heading right... their... way.

"If I say say no, can we go back to your hope that it's a hallucination?"

*****

With most of the kids off to the nature reserve or botanical garden or whatever the fuck it was, there hadn't been a lot of point in taking the bus run today, so Amanda had taken the opportunity to collapse and try to recover from the clusterfuck that had been the African mission. The combination of exhaustion, dehydration and the truly spectacular sunburn had an end result of it being much later than usual when Amanda had begun stirring, and almost noon by the time she had begun a rather zombie-like stagger down to the corner store with only two things on her mind: cigarettes and Red Ambulance. Otherwise known as Coke. She vaguely remembered waving Angelo away when he'd tried to get her up, saying he had a meeting to go to, but until she got nicotine and caffiene in her system, she wasn't functioning more than on a very basic level.

So, down the stairs, wave vaguely at the desk guy (who wasn't actually there, but Amanda didn't register that), out the door and down the street. Walk around the knocked-over trash can without taking in there was a knocked-over trash can, or that there was a suspiciously large footpring in the middle of it. Past the dented car and the pile of fragrant dinosaur poop. Amanda reached the store, pulled the door open with the usual jingle of the bell above it, and headed straight for the fridge at the back. Only after she'd grabbed a bottle of Coke and drank half of it did some brain function begin to return, and she wandered back up to the register, where the cigarettes were.

"Packet of Marlboro, Ranjit," she said, setting the bottle down and groping in the pocket of her jeans for money. Her attention was caught by the pile of newspapers, slightly askew on the counter. "Huh. More on mutant registration. Apparently it works in Canada - who knew?"

There was a noise, a sort of hissing exhalation, and she frowned, glancing up. "You're sounding like you've got a bit of a sinus problem there, Ranjit..." she began, before realising that instead of a small middle-aged Pakistani man, she was in fact talking to a meter-tall lizard with a sort of frill around its neck and an awful lot of sharp pointy teeth. "The fuck?" Amanda said, and then the creature's body jerked as it spat a glob of something disgusting straight at her.

Dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge. Wanda's lessons had stuck, even if she hadn't resorted to using wrenches. Amanda jerked her head sideways away from the glob and it smacked into the wall behind her, covering the Twinkie display in goo. The dinosaur - since that was what it had to be - swung its head around to try again, and Amanda reacted instinctively. Her fist flashed out, catching the animal on the end of its pointy nose, and it jerked back with a shrill whistling nose. The witch didn't waste time, making a dash for the front door, even as she heard it leap onto the counter, claws scrabbling for purchase, and then onto the floor in hot pursuit. Wrenching the door open, Amanda flung herself through it and slammed it behind her, leaning back on the reinforced security glass as the dinosaur ploughed into it. The impact rocked her forward, but she pushed back for all she was worth and got the door latched whilst it was recovering from the impact.

"Take that, you gobby little bastard!" she called over her shoulder, watching as the dinosaur flailed ineffectually at the handle. A pity she hadn't been able to get any smokes, though, she thought, relaxing and turning her mind to just what to do now she had it trapped. Call the zoo, she supposed... Then she realised that where there should have been bright early spring sunshine, she was cast in shadow, and in front of her, looking down at her with a most disturbingly considering expression, was a T. Rex.

"Oh, bloody, buggering hell," Amanda said.

*****

"It's okay, babies. Mummy still loves you, even if you are traitorous bastards that don't come in an eight and a half." Monet waggled her foot experimentally, thinking about the logistics of removing her little toes. No, it just wasn't worth it, not when it'd ruin the line of her sandals. She kicked the shoes off and pouted, considering finding coffee or lunch at some point soon.

Jean couldn't help but grin. It had been suggested that, of Monet's powers instructors, she was the best qualified to take the girl into the city to do some extensive shielding practice and so far she was rather enjoying the situation. There was something so very... extravagant about the way Monet shopped that put all but the worst of their staff shopping trips to shame. She nodded at the sales girl who collected the discarded shoes with the air of one equal parts ecstatic and terrified by the quantity of money she might be able to make for the shop. "How are you doing?" she asked. "Shields holding?"

Monet would have looked down her nose at Jean if she hadn't been seated. As it was, she sniffed. "Of course they are. They're absolutely perfect." New York seemed a lot noisier than it had only weeks ago when she'd been living there. She stood and handed her credit card over to the shop assistant. "I want those three but not the blue ones. Thank you, darling!" She turned back to Jean. "Now, how about lunch."

Jean rolled her eyes as Monet turned to the girl to talk shoes. She wasn't sure why she bothered asking, since the answer was always 'they're perfect'. Which meant the real trick was to judge that 'perfect' to how much she was leaking at any given moment. She was clearly under more strain than she usually was during their sessions at the school, but it was to be expected and Jean thought it would be ok. "Lunch is doable. Have somewhere ritzy in mind or can we get out of the upper east side and head somewhere rather more bohemian?"

Monet shrugged. "I kind of like the idea of someplace semi-bohemian. Not too much, though, or they start doing things like taking away the chairs... They tend to do better coffee." She gathered up her shoes, taking a moment to stroke one of the boxes (Oh, they were so pretty and a lovely shade of red with little strappy ...straps and such nice heels...), expressing her love for them. She hailed a cab, ignoring the elderly couple who were showing an inordinate amount of interest in her taxi. "There's this little place that does Thai-German fusion food and Italian coffee. It's just off the corner of 5th Avenue and 110th street. Take us there!"

"Only you, my dear, would consider 5th and anything any form of bohemian, but Thai-German fusion sounds too good to argue. At least it's not another of those ever-present boba-tea places." Jean shut the door to the cab and the cabbie shoved out into traffic, immediately running a red light with the blatant disregard for traffic laws that only cabbies could pull off.

Monet looked shocked. "It's not?"

"It's fifth avenue, Monet; if you don't have two major credit cards they won't let you in the..." Jean trailed off as she caught a flicker of motion outside the window as they went past an intersection. Large, was the only impression she got when she turned her head, and they were past too quickly for her to see more but somehow she didn't think it had been a truck. "What was that?" she asked the cabbie, who glanced at her in the rear view mirror and shrugged.

Monet shrugged. Whatever it was couldn't have been very important or someone would have made sure she knew about it. They hadn't, ergo, it didn't concern her or her lunch. A moment later, a pterodactyl (it couldn't be, could it?) swooped down, flying just above the power lines along Fifth Avenue toward them. People screamed and cars swerved to avoid it. "Fuck me dead and bury me pregnant. That's a fucking dinosaur..." She stared, stunned and it too effort to regain her composure. "Watch where you're going, will you? I don't want to miss lunch just because you can't bloody drive."

*****

If Wanda's foot could have been pressed through the floor of the car, it would have been. As it was, they were going as fast as they could with the road littered with debris and the vibrations from the stegosaurus that was on their tail. Being an herbivore, it wasn't going to eat them but considering the fast rate of speed, it certainly was doing its best to squish them.

Straight lines were good, it meant they could go faster and..."'Ro?" Wanda's voice was deceptively calm. "Is that a Tyrannosaurus Rex straight ahead of us?"

"Yes, Wanda, I think it is..." For some reason, even with this revelation the car didn't swerve from its path; not that there was really any place else to go, as the dinosaur in front of them took up most of the street. Still, it was slightly alarming to be driving straight at it, and 'Ro vaguely considered the odds of surviving if she were to open the door and bail out of the car right now. They ended up being just about as good as the odds if she stayed in the car, with slightly more gravel-burn, and so she stayed inside, nevertheless turning to face Wanda with a horrified expression on her face.

"I assume you have some sort of plan?"

"Plan?" Wanda grinned and shifted in her seat, felt the not-yet-fading bruises protest. "Of course I do." And with that, the car managed to reach an even higher velocity, never wavering in the straight line. "...and let us pray that we are very, very lucky." They were heading straight under the giant legs with the stegosaurus hot on their trail.

It must have realized what was standing ahead of it in the street because it attempted to come to a stop, thick legs digging in with an attempt to stop momentum. But it was large and had been very frightened so it had been going very fast. And it was hard to slow down, even as the car the two women were in unbelievably zoomed directly through the T. Rex's legs, causing that animal to bend down, trying to see what had just happened. It would be like a car wreck, only with prehistoric creatures...one for the record books.

Amanda had been considering the altogether too-girly option of screaming her lungs out at the sight of that enormous mouth full of teeth opening slightly in preparation for Snacky Time. But the sudden appearance of a Mini derailed that thought, and all others, and it was all she could do to fling herself out of the way as the car barrelled through the dinosaur's massive legs, barely avoiding smashing into the front of the shop with a screech of tyres and the smell of burning rubber. The T. Rex was altogether distracted by the sudden appearance of the stegosaurus that ploughed into it in a tangle of limbs and tails and armoured scales and teeth, but all Amanda could register was one thought:

Only one person drives like that.

"WANDA!" she shrieked, taking off at a sprint after the wildly careering Mini, waving her arms frantically. "For fuck's sake, STOP!"

"Amanda?" Clutching the steering wheel, she slammed on the brakes again and this the time the car spun in a circle. There wasn't any time to curse or tell Ororo to hold on, just time to attempt not to crash the car into a wall, the tangled mess of moving dinosaurs or, potentially, her assistant. Eventually they came to a full stop, the car idling unhappily and Wanda eyed the shop wall that loomed only inches from the Mini. "Well, that was close." She glanced at Ororo as she felt for the door locks. "You alright?"

Ororo had never been more grateful for the invention of seatbelts than she had right at that very moment. "If we survive this, I am buying you classes with the top driving school in the city," she replied, wheezing a bit since most of the air had been knocked out of her in the spin. Fumbling for the seatbelt clasp, she clicked it open, already twisting to slide into the tiny backseat of the Mini as Amanda ran towards the car.

The witch flung the door open and herself inside, slamming it shut behind her. "Nice car. Who'd you nick it from?" she panted, before she grabbed at the front dash, eyes widening at the sight of the T. Rex flailing to right itself and in the process, rolling almost on top of them. "Go, now, very fast, very backwards!" she squeaked, instinctively pushing herself back into the seat and away from the mountain of dinosaur about to crush them.

A torrent of curse words in various languages were spat out as Wanda slammed the car into reverse, the tires screeching in protest. She forced herself to look away from the dinosaurs about to crush them to death and watched behind her, grimacing as her back twisted. "Stupid bloody small cars," she snapped, wincing as the car refused to stay in a straight line. At least they were going away now, backwards like Amanda had asked.

And also very fast.


*****

"So, dinosaurs in New York. How'd I sleep through that?" Amanda asked, her tone conversational despite the white-knuckled grip she had on the door handle and the dashboard. They weren't actively fleeing anything, but Wanda still couldn't drive that well, and Amanda was exchanging certain wild-eyed looks with Ororo through the rear vision mirror. "Um, Wanda, you might want to change gear. That high-pitched revving? Means you're burning out the gearbox."

"I think that is the least of this car's worries," Ororo muttered under her breath. She had managed to plant one leg against the door on the opposite side of the car, and by wedging her shoulder into the space between the seat and the door had secured herself a relatively stable seat, but it still wasn't doing much for her nerves. The angle at which she was sitting gave her a good view out the window, and so she could see that the dinosaurs had not just been an isolated incident. They were all over - scattered in the streets and looking thoroughly bemused. She had to laugh as she saw one medium-sized dinosaur with a mottled color pattern on its back root through a garbage can and pull out a McDonald's bag, scattering french fries everywhere. That certainly wasn't something you saw twice in your life.

"And this is why I own a motorcycle. A very well-loved motorcyle." She stretched her neck, feeling spine pop and crack as the tension started to ebb out. Not a whole lot of ebbing but better than it had been. Wanda glanced back at Amanda and grinned. "And, I for one, am very impressed with the fact that you managed to sleep through all of this. That takes an act..." She blinked as something hit the ground in front of them with a giant splat and then wrinkled her nose. "Okay, that was just disgusting. And we probably do not want to look up, do we?"

"Well, that's what happens when I spend a day being chased through Uganda by a load of angry government types. Not to mention being in a plane crash..." Amanda began, before peering cautiously up through the windscreen. "Um, Wanda? Don't open the sunroof, yeah? We've got..." She wrinkled her brow. "What're the big flying ones called again?"

"Pterodactyls, I believe?" Ororo offered, leaning back to peer up at the sky herself. As Amanda had indicated, there were things flying around in the sky, dipping between the buildings and then spreading their large, leathery wings to soar higher. The strangest thing - as if this wasn't strange enough - was that among the larger figures of the dinosaurs there seemed to be one or two smaller beings who were certainly flying, but who didn't seem to have wings or any other means of flight. "What are those?"

The car slowed and nearly stopped as Wanda squinted, trying to make out the smaller ones. And then they swooped down as they chased a pterodactyl away from a roof and she felt her mouth drop slightly. "Officially, nothing will surprise me from now on," she breathed and then pointed. "I do not recognize the other one but isn't that Jean?"

"Yes. Yes it is. And if my eyesight does not deceive me, 'the other one' would be Monet... which would just leave the question of what they are doing, but that seems rather self-evident." They were fighting dinosaurs. But of course.

"Wow. Who would have thought Miss Perfect would have such a nasty right hook?" Amanda chimed in, watching the battle above.

*****

Jean's eyebrows were making a solid play to become a part of her hair line, although it would be tough to say if it was in reaction to Monet's imagery or to the pterodactyl. Tapping on the glass between her and the driver, though, and waving him urgently to pull over was definitely about the dinosaurs or, more particularly, to the sight of one of them with what looked suspiciously like a lap dog clutched in it's beak. "Stay under cover," she told the man, throwing a couple bills through the front window as she slid out of the car. "You coming, Monet? I've got to find out what's going on."

"But we're doing lunch." Monet sighed and climbed out of the cab, bags gathered in one hand, sunglasses in the other. There were a lot of them, wheeling and screaming overhead and ... things roaring in the distance. Three of them folded their wings, diving out of the sky toward an old lady with a pram. Monet took off, flying to intercept them and crash tackled one at full speed. It went one way and she went the other, spinning head over heels for a long moment.

Well, yes, that was one way of getting involved. Didn't do much for figuring out what was going on but that suddenly seemed less of a priority as she realized just how many people were still out on the streets, in the way of these things. "Get under cover!" Jean yelled as she took off after Monet. There was a very persistent one chasing a girl down the road toward them, so Jean telekinetically grabbed hold of its tail as she went blasting past it, yanking it back away from the girl and seemingly breaking one of its wings on a parked car.

Monet came down hard, feet first onto the back of another one and heard something crack as she landed. She twisted and got the third of the three going for the old lady with a solid right hook. She hovered, catching her breath, upside down relative to the city. "Jean! Look out! Look out! There's one above you!" She screamed and sent it telepathically, adrenaline boosting her range enough to reach Jean.

There were so many of them. Another closed on Monet and she slid out and down, with claws scraping along her back, ripping her shirt to shreds and tangling in her hair before she pulled free, shooting twenty feet straight up. There were so many of them.

The warning came just in time, and Jean flinched down away from the swooping creature the reached out and snapped it's neck telekinetically as it went flying past. She wanted to make sure the carcass landed safely but there just wasn't time as several more came spiraling in towards her. Apparently, by being on their level, she and Monet were either easier targets or bigger threats, because most of the creatures had left off attacking the people on the ground. Jean wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not.

Monet ducked under yet another pterodactyl and twisted, kicking its stomach she as did and managing to wedge her shoe inside its stomach. Ew. Ew. Ew ew ew ew. I liked those shoes. She kicked it off and slid out to one side, watching the pterodactyl fall, screaming even as wiped gobbets of something icky off her foot. Oh god. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she dropped sixty feet to land with a sickening thud, still hunched over with her hands on her left foot. "Bloody hell!" Amanda watched Monet fall out of the sky, locked in the same position, wincing as she hit the ground. The car was already stopping - with a cautious glance around for any more large scaly critters - Amanda jerked open her door and dashed over to the fallen girl. Weirdly enough, she was still bent over her foot. "What the fuck?"

"Is she alright?" Wanda called, shutting the car off and sliding the keys out of the ignition. It wouldn't do to have some other smart individual run by and attempt to hijack the car. Though the very thought of someone trying to steal something from the three women nearest the car was an amusing thought. She was half-way to Monet and Amanda before he glanced over her shoulder. "Ororo?" she called, pointing up questioningly.

Jean definitely looked like she could use the help. With Monet out of the sky, she was now being chased around by most of the pterodactyls out there, which meant she didn't have the attention to spare for the ones who had given up the chase and were going back to dive bombing the people on the street.

"She's fine, I think. One of those.... things of hers. Zone outs she used to call them at the school." Amanda looked up as Wanda joined her. "We need to get her out of here, tho'. I could probably sit here and shield her, but fuck knows when she'll come out of it."

"No, I think waiting until she woke up would be the worst case scenario." Wanda eyed Monet, frozen like a statue. "The whole not-unbending bit is a tad odd, though. But we'll have to get her in the car somehow. I can carry her--unless this zoning out causes her to become heavier--if you can open the doors or windows to the Mini. Though..." She glanced back over her shoulder and then back to the two girls. "She'll be a bit awkward to fit in this position."

Amanda followed Wanda's gaze, even as above them, a crack of lightning and a screech signalled Ororo was getting enthused about the whole scaring off pterodactyls thing. "You know, that sunroof's pretty big..." the witch hazarded.

"Sunroof...brilliant." Grinning, she tossed the younger woman the keys so she could go open it before turning back to Monet. "Excuse the hands, this is a fantastic way to say hello." It took some manuvering on her part but she managed to slip through the open spaces in the girls arms so that when she lifted, she'd managed to get her into a fireman's carry. A very odd looking firemans carry but, she thought grunting as she staggered a bit, it was working. Now to shove her through the sunroof. Today was turning out to be very odd.

Obviously the space in the Mini was needed for other reasons, and even with the lightning the pterodactyls weren't backing off as much as Ororo would've liked. Stepping away from the tiny car, Ororo called the winds to her and lifted off, wondering about the physics of pterodactyl flight. If they were gliders, which it seemed like they were, a few missing air currents could go a long way towards driving them away from the rooftops and buildings. Perhaps it was time to test that theory.

*****

"Jean!" Somehow Ororo's voice carried over the wind and the screeching of the flying creatures around them; she had worked a long time to perfect that trick. Dodging the pterodactyls wasn't easy, as they were much larger close-up than they had appeared from the ground. She could see the jagged teeth that lined their beaks as one of them dove at her, and only a cleverly-placed gust of wind kept it from snatching her out of the air.

Jean glanced back and saw Ororo where Monet had been. There was a second of concern, immediately swallowed up in dealing with a pterodactyl that had gotten too close. A swift, tk-enhanced kick to the head knocked the creature out of the air, and she let herself drop suddenly out of the way of a second dinosaur. "Ororo!" #Is Monet ok?#

#Wanda and Amanda have her - she will be fine,# came the response. #Though that does not seem the case of the innocent bystanders due to these... things. We need to herd them away from the city.#

#Flying sheepdog?# It was less a question and more the first, very random response which popped into Jean's head. #Sorry. You're right, of course. Get them out over the Atlantic.#

She was not supposed to be laughing, at all, but the whole situation really was absurd when you looked at it from afar. The mental image of the flying sheepdog was almost too much for her to handle and 'Ro had to struggle to keep from dissolving into laughter. #I will take the right side,# she sent to Jean in a very amused manner. #And no more jokes until this is over.#

There was a distinct lack of contrition in Jean's mental tone as she confirmed and turned in midair, looping out towards the far edge of the cloud of flying dinosaurs. #Sheepdogs nip at heels. You've got lightning. Basically the same thing. Whoops!# She flipped up into the air, arcing over a pterodactyl that was going after her feet (presumably because she had nice shoes. Or because it was hungry) and planting a kick squarely on it's spine before continuing forward.

#Someday you are going to have to tell me how you know quite so much about sheepherding.# Ororo's eyes misted over to a blank white as dark clouds congregated overhead; the pterodactyls didn't seem to mind much until jagged streaks of lightning burst forth. Then with indignant squawks they looped and circled 'round, eventually wheeling in the direction of the ocean.

An opportunistic dinosaur that was making a dive for an unwise observer standing on their penthouse balcony was knocked out of the way with a telekinetic shove. #The things you pick up while killing time when you don't want to study for an advanced bio-chem final.#

#Ah, good. I was worried it might be something else.# The brief mental image of Jean in a Bo-Peep outfit flashed through Ororo's mind as she tried to concentrate on driving the majority of the pterodactyls towards the water.

#And that's one I should share with Scott, is it?# Jean shot back. "Go to the water," she yelled at the dinosaurs. "There are fish. Eat them. Not me!"

#Not unless there is a sheep costume for him.# The pterodactyls seemed to be anticipating the lightning now, perhaps sensing the charge in the air whenever they flew too close to the buildings, and Ororo decided to up the ante a little. The dark clouds above soon began to disgorge a cold rain of sleet that pelted their leathery wings.

#You're a strange, strange woman.# The wind was blowing them out towards the harbor, but Jean spotted several of the lower flying dinosaurs diving down, presumably hoping to nest somewhere out of the rain rather than trying to fly out of it. The problem with simply creating a tk wall beneath them was that, while it would stop them, it wouldn't leave her a lot of free brain power, particularly not once they crashed into it. Instead, she tugged free an awning that was flapping lose in the high wind, reminding herself to put it back when she was done, and snapped it through the air at the stragglers.

This proved to be a very effective strategy, as it drove the remaining pterodactyls into a frenzied flight away from the buildings and out over the water. The air began to grow colder around them as they reached the waves, creating an icy chill that seemed to slow them somewhat, if not entirely. #What shall we do with them now?# Ororo inquired, hovering over the churning water with her arms outstretched.

#This is about as far as my plan went,# Jean admitted. #If I remember right, they're supposed to have been cliff dwellers and fishers, but there's not that many fish in Manhattan harbor anymore, and certainly no cliffs. I was mainly thinking about getting them away from the people.#

But, if Jean and Ororo didn't know what to do with them, they, at least, seemed to know what to do with an ocean in front of them. Already, several were angling down to skim over the water, looking for fish. A few even rose with some sad specimens clutched in their beaks.

#It seems as if perhaps they will occupy themselves out here, and there is no lack for other menaces in the streets. Let us return there and hope these... creatures will not follow us.#

Jean nodded. #Yes, let's. Lead on, 'Ro.#

*****

"You wouldn't think someone this 'perfect' would be so bloody heavy," Amanda grunted as she tried to help Wanda manoever the frozen Monet through the sunroof. Due to the girl's position, it was easier said than done, and there were rumbling noises approaching that made Amanda distinctly nervous. Somehow, though, they managed to angle Monet's bottom half into the back of the Mini, leaving her head sticking out of the sunroof. Good timing too - the rumble resolved into a herd of Triceratops, fleeing some rather predatory-looking dinosaurs that looked like the meaner, sleeker version of T. Rex. "Um, time to go?"

"I feel like I should put a hat on her," Wanda muttered as the car started up again. She glanced up into the sky but there wasn't much they could do to help Ororo and Jean--the only flyer in the group was currently in a catatonic state and very lucky that it was her head and not other end sticking up from the sunroof. "And away we go..." They had just been driving a bit aimlessly before, fleeing more than anything else. "Let's try to get to safe ground, yes? Especially with Monet the way she is."

"Maybe back to the brownstone?" Amanda suggested. "We should be able to--"

Monet woke to the feeling of wind on her face and the last thing she could remember was flying. She went up, feet and shoulders smacking into the roof of the mini. "… the fuck?" She stopped flying, her backside falling an inch or two onto the back seat and one foot hitting something. She pulled herself back inside, almost shouting as she said "who are you people, what the fuck is going on and left! Left! You're supposed to drive on the left you moron!"

"Wait, what? Left? What...oh hell..." The car swerved between the two lanes for a second before Wanda snapped at her passenger, "Settle down back there before I find a low hanging sign! American, it's right! The right side! Er...Amanda? It is the right side, yes?" "Yes!" Amanda was rubbing the back of her head and scowling. "Bloody fucking hell, St. Croix, you're still a right royal pain in the arse," she complained. "Some thanks that was." Being kicked in the head was bad enough, worse when the person was wearing pointy shoes, but when the person had superstrength? Ow.

She rolled her eyes, finally getting upright again. "You might have thought of that before you put my feet next to your head while I was out. I'm just saying. And oh, god, are we in a mini? We are, aren't we? We're fleeing dinosaurs in the stupidest-looking car ever invented." There was dinosaur goop on her foot. Monet picked up a jacket someone (probably male) had left on the seat and started wiping her foot off.

"I swear, I'm gunna toss her out for the next beastie we come across..." Amanda muttered, making a face as her hand encountered dinosaur guts. In her hair. "I thought you'd turned over a new leaf - a 'thanks for saving my comatose arse' wouldn't go astray."

"It's nice to see you're so much less maladjusted, too, dearie." Monet kicked her other shoe off - there was just no point to them if one was lodged in a dinosaur's midsection somewhere and clutched at the seat for dear life as they pulled up ...someplace in front of one of those iconic brownstone terraces.

"Home sweet home..." Amanda didn't waste any time getting out of the Mini - she figured she'd possibly test out Monet's invulnerability if she didn't get clear of the other girl in a minute. As they clattered up the front steps, she couldn't shake the sensation that something was watching them.

Wanda slowed on the steps, peering around them in concern. She could feel something watching them as well and whatever it was...well. If it turned out to be human, she was going to be very surprised. And pleased. A mugger would be preferable to creatures that should have been buried and gone. A noise caught her attention, like something scrabbling up walls. "We might want to back away," she started to say, one foot going behind her.

Monet turned warily, picking up on Amanda and Wanda's unease. "Shit!" Three, maybe four things sailed down from the brownstone's roof. If anything, they looked like the unholy spawn fruit bats and raptors - wings, four long clawed legs and teeth and maybe the size of a large cat. She was still groggy and actually tired and didn't even think to do more than put her arms up, shielding her face before one of them landed on her. It bit and clawed ineffectually against invulnerable skin, its jaws and hind feet raking across her vision.

"Bloody fucking hell!" Amanda, on the other hand, wasn't invulnerable, and the one that landed on her managed to shred her shirt sleeves and leave a series of long scratches on her arms. Somehow she managed to grope for the thing's neck, yanking it away like a particularly vicious kitten. "Bad bird-lizard! Bad!" she scolded, flinging it away and belatedly bringing up the shielding spell as another sprang to attack. it bounced off with an almost comical expression of surprise on its face. Now to see if she could extend the shield to cover the others without trapping one of the little bastards inside with them.

There was a shriek, both human and dinosaur, as one of the creatures bounded over the top of Amanda and straight towards Wanda. She barely managed to get an arm up before it smacked into her and the momentum sent her tumbling back a few steps. The flailing limbs got caught in the thick curls of her hair and she cursed loudly, wincing in pain from the hair pulling and claws close to the face. With some effort she managed to grab it by its center and yank downwards as she kicked up, sending it flying in the other direction. "That was my hair," she snapped, reaching up to pat her hair down a little bit.

Monet had managed to get hold of hers, trapping its hind feet in one hand and supporting its chest with her other. She held it out at arm's length and watched it snap at her. "It's really kind of cute. All... bitey and trying to eat me and acting like it's big enough to manage it." Amanda and Wanda seemed, well, actually, not fine but they weren't lying bleeding in pieces either so Monet shrugged. Whatever. "Can I keep it? I'll pat it and feed it and call it Kim and put it in a cage and poke it with sticks."

Amanda glowered at Monet through the glowing light of the shielding spell. She moved over to join Wanda and extend the range, watching as the three remaining enraged little dinosaurs tried to leap at them through it and bouncing off. "You're a perfect pair. Anyone got any ideas on how to deal with these little buggers?"

"You have a roommate, yes?" Wanda asked with a sigh, eyeing the creatures as they circled them. "It would eat your roommate so I think the answer is no. Besides, they smell." She glanced around, trying to come up with an idea to get rid of them without bringing anything important down around their ears. "Monet could always go bowling with her little friend there, see how the other three are standing close together? Probably getting ready to attack again..."

She sighed. "But I was going to get so much milage out of all the 'Look at moi, Kimmy, look at moi' jokes." Monet watched as they circled a little closer together, watching the three women, wating for an opening. She put Kim down, who promptly rejoined his fellows. She snaked out a hand and grabbed another (possibly Kim. It was so hard to tell them apart) and drop punted him sixty meters down the road. There was a crunching noise as it hit the roof of a building. "I'm sorry, Kimmy." Monet shooed the last three out of the way. "Run!"

"Now, there's something I can agree with," Amanda said, widening the shield to encompass Monet as all three of them made a break for the front door. "You know? Some days it doesn't pay to get out of bed."