Not Until We Are Lost

Johnny had been bounced around from world to world quickly, like the little silver ball in a pinball machine. He'd hardly get to know what was going on in a place before they threw him somewhere else, and he was always alone. He didn't know if it was some kind of punishment or if they were trying to meet him up with the others and just kept missing. He just knew that he was really fucking sick of it. And he missed people. Mary most of all, but there were others, too.

When he woke up this time, he was wearing a flannel pajama set, and the house he was in was more like a little cottage than anything. Looking out the window, Johnny could see snow and Christmas decorations. It was eerily normal. Right up until the reindeer trotted by wearing bells on it's antlers. It was almost a relief to see, since the worlds that had been mostly normal had been some of the worst ones they'd encountered. Sighting the absurd immediately felt like it might bode well for his time here.

He rifled through the dresser and found some warm clothes, then headed outside. Johnny realized as he moved through the little building that it wasn't a cottage at all, but a little cabin. This was confirmed as he walked out the door entirely and saw the outside of the structure.

He was also now aware of all the fucking Christmas lights all over the whole thing.

Johnny shook his head and shoved his hands into his pockets. He was determined to explore this world before they kicked him to another one. If his past few weeks were any indication, he would have until he went to bed to see what was going on, and then he'd be gone again.

Jack stretched out and sat straight up when her feet hit something soft and squishy. It was disorienting to feel so very warm and cozy when she'd gotten used to the dry, hard ground that was pretty damn cold at night. There was a scent of...something familiar. This was not a shifter preserve.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Jack mumbled to herself as she crawled almost reluctantly out of bed. The thing begged for her to stay; the soft knit pjs weren't helping. With a soft sigh, she started looking through the small cabin. There were times she really wanted to wake up without needing to go through a new living situation. The aliens could leave her things in a bag at least.

"Nothing can be...ooooh." She paused as she saw what was waiting for her behind door number two - her closet. "Jackpot. Okay, I will forgive you for now." Her Army surplus jacket was right there. So were other things, but the jacket really was all that mattered for the moment. And the boots. Jacket and boots and jeans. Only thing that would have made it all better was a certain Hunter and weapons.

Jack took a quick shower even though she felt rather clean. Maybe because she felt clean - she didn't want to know who had gotten her to her particular state of cleanliness and attire. No. A quick shower, some quick dressing, with a little bit of snacking from the fridge - if they weren't supposed to eat it, they should have been warned dammit - Jack was ready to go.

She got as far as opening the front door to step out. There was what looked like fresh snowfall on the walk, and there were little people walking around. Actually they were dancing around, all singing the same song. They seemed to be winding down; it certainly had that end of a musical number feel to it.

"Well, shit."

Ray knew that he should be more unhappy about the change of scenery. Truthfully, he'd miss the university life. But it was hard to do anything but grin when he woke up in a winter wonderland and encountered actual elves. This whole place was apparently built around merry-making. And he knew that it was possibly concealing something dangerous and he would be ever watchful, but that didn't stop him from enjoying something while he could.

He kept an eye out for Felicity, or any of the others of their group, as he explored the little town. There were shops and restaurants and decorations everywhere he looked. Trees adorned with ornaments and lights lined the walkways. He had to smile as he passed the choir in the town square. It would appear that Christmas carols were the same in this place, wherever it was. If he didn't know better, he might have believed that they'd all ended up in Santa's village. But... Santa couldn't be real, could he?

Then again, if aliens were real, he supposed anything could be. And Santa could be easily explained with advanced nanotech and possibly even time travel devices. There were a lot of scientific explanations for Santa, when one imagined the possible as well as the technology currently available. Not that Ray had spent all that much time musing on the science of Santa. Maybe only a research project and paper in college. Maybe.

He didn't find anyone right away, but he wasn't going to panic just yet. So far, the aliens had kept himself and Felicity together. He had to hold out hope that they'd continue the pattern, even if Laurel had gone missing for their time on the pirate ship. For now, he was getting hungry, so he thought that it might be a good time to check out one of the restaurants. And there was that whole saying about staying in one place if you got separated from your group, because they may just be looking for you too and two moving people had less chance of finding each other than one person staying in one place.

Besides, he mused as he entered what looked like an old fashioned Waffle House, this was a very likely place to find Felicity. He waited to be seated at a little table for two, and made sure to choose the seat facing the door. He kept an eye on the people (and elves) coming in as he ordered a plate of waffles. Now it was just a matter of eating and hoping that she turned up.

Natasha would never admit that she truly enjoyed holiday lights, and that she'd even started enjoying Christmas once Clint and Laura started insisting that she spend them at the farm with their family. It didn't always work out, but the two of them were usually able to finagle some leave at some point in December so the Bartons could have their Christmas and Natasha could take a break from being a spy and just be Auntie Nat for a bit.

When she woke up in the cabin, she almost thought that she was on the farm for a minute. At least, the Christmas decorations and general homey feeling seemed awfully familiar. It only took her a few minutes of looking around to get past the disorientation and realize that this was just another stop in the alien abduction tour. (tm)

She found her way out into the neighborhood and noticed the rest of the cabins. She figured it would be one cabin for each of them. It would make it easier to find than the 'wildlife preserve' that she'd found herself on first.

She had to find Bruce. With every location change, there was always a chance that he could lose it. And a part of her just felt better having him around. So she started to knock on doors. She had stories ready if those behind the doors weren't members of their group, but she figured taht this was the quickest way to find him.

Laurel woke up alone, and not next to a certain boyfriend. She didn't like the feeling, and she didn't think she would ever get used to waking up in a different place from where she fell asleep. She thought bitterly that the aliens must have just figured it was time. After all, she'd started to feel at home in the last place. The team had even started training and testing her abilities, and she'd started to like her job and her apartment. They'd even started doing patrols as needed. Not that there was a whole lot of crime in the small town, but it still felt good to suit up and get out there.

She went about exploring her new surroundings immediately. She'd woken up in a cozy little cabin with a fire crackling merrily in the fireplace, and Christmas decorations in every spare corner of the cabin. It would almost be cheery, if she weren't alone and disoriented by yet another change of locale.

She changed out of the flannel pajamas that she'd been wearing into a cozy sweater and a pair of jeans. A wool coat, gloves, hat, and scarf finished off the ensemble.

If she thought that the inside of the cabin looked like something out of a Christmas card, that was nothing compared to the small village outside. Everything was covered in a thick snowfall, and fairy lights twinkled out at her from every rooftop, lamppost, and tree that she saw. It was easy enough to navigate the place, and she eventually found herself in a town square. Under a giant tree in the square, there was a choir of what looked like children singing Carol of the Bells. As she got closer, she saw faces that looked too old and wizened to belong to children, and ears too pointed to be human. Elves? Was she really going to suspend her disbelief and accept that?

There had to be someone else here from the group of abductees. Someone who was human-sized. Her eyes scanned the street for any familiar faces.

Sam stripped out of the pants that Jack had offered him. He wasn't sure if this was the best idea, but he supposed letting the new wolf run with another...wolf wasn't such a bad thing. It might help the guy find his way in his new world.

"This might take a little bit. I haven't done this in a while." There were many explanations for it. One big one was the way wolves felt the need to create an order. With a slight stretch, he looked around pulling up the memory of being a wolf, being round wolves, knowing what it was like to be that particular animal.

"Would you like to turn first?" He looked around again, as if he half expected the women to come out from the trees. They had all agreed that a little run would be good, and while he felt bad for Betsy, an elephant running with the wolves just didn't seem ideal. Plus, he felt better knowing that the human of the bunch had a shifter along. Or maybe he liked the idea that Betsy had someone who looked like she could look after herself along.

"Or we could do this together." It was certainly not the strangest thing he'd asked in his life.

This was not, perhaps, the best day in Emma's life. Any ONE of the things would have been enough to put it in the bottom ten, but all of them combined? ( Shut. Up. )

Natasha had long since lost the two teens she'd found upon arrival. She found herself worrying just a little about them, but they'd chosen to wander off. Their fate was in their own hands at this point. Or so she told herself. She'd spent her time exploring and gathering supplies. She found a cave to hole up in. She'd even taken down one of the idiots prowling around with guns. From what she could tell, they were trying to 'poach' some of the superpowered people running around here. A little interrogation turned up information that this was some sort of reserve. She'd left the poacher alive, but too banged up to hurt anyone else. And she'd taken his weapon and bullets. Hunting was a lot easier after that. Natasha Romanoff was many things to many people, but survivor would always be first on the list.

She'd kept an eye out for any hint of green. If this place was a reserve for people with abilities, there was a good possibility that Bruce was in here somewhere. Or more likely, the Hulk. She just hoped that if he had Hulked out, she'd be able to talk him down when she found him.

She was currently making her rounds to see if she could find Bruce or any of the others, and looking for supplies. She'd eaten recently, but her eyes were peeled for any animals or edible vegetation as well. She'd transitioned fairly easily to the life of hunting, gathering, and taking in whatever information she could. It wasn't the first time that she'd had to live like this, and it likely wouldn't be the last. Perhaps the aliens had taken her specifically because she could adapt to just about any environment they might throw her in.

Bruce wasn't particularly fond of the latest place they had been moved to. He didn't know if many of the other abductees were involved, if some rather than others were brought here or really what the situation was with the area. From the assessment he had done, Bruce had discovered that the area was vast, much like a game preserve, and it had many sections to it. His was the jungle, an area that was widespread and had its own unique foliage and animals within it. He doubted there was fencing, it seemed unrealistic to not allow the natural habitats to blend as they would normally, but then again the captives had surprised him before.

Was it still worth having shock value when so many things changed and shifted constantly? When you woke up one place one minute and somewhere else the next time you opened your eyes.

With all of that added stress, Bruce could be thankful that no outbreaks had occurred. Once, at the Hotel, but on the outside where the people hadn't been. And it was his fortune that Natasha had been there to lullaby. Bruce wasn't sure the red-head was even here, which was worrisome. There was a campsite here, a place he knew people to be but he didn't venture too close to it for fear of letting the monster loose.

That particular day, Bruce lingered on the cusp of the tree line where the flora met the security of the camp. Some came and went, he squinted as he watched them go from the shadows beyond the canopy, and every once in a while he would catch sight of a predator or two stalking easy prey drawn by the humans.

Staying back seemed best. Not that he could get too close to them anyway. He had a funny feeling that if he did try to settle in to the camp then something would happen. He had been put out here for a reason, separated for a reason. But he longed to be there with the others. He wanted to help, he wanted to know what was going on in the group. Being outcast wasn't new to him by any means but usually it was self-inflicted, not because someone else decided for him.

And there was still the matter of the girl that he and Destiny were supposed to be tracking down. The wrong one, the one that felt like complete darkness.

A step backward and Bruce ducked behind a tree, pressing a shoulder against the bark. He adjusted his makeshift leaf bottoms, securing the vine, and looked down at the ground to think.

Dreams had come easier since Simon had helped her find her way back. The Lands were always waiting for her, wanting her back, and while she wanted to spend most if not all her time there, she was getting better about not doing so. She had a job here. She had things she must do, and there were people to meet. The alien - literal alien if she understood - had sparked a curiosity which was a nice distraction from the comfort of dreams and Dreamland. The curiosity didn't keep her away for long though.

She raced down the stairs, not from fear though she still felt as if something were waiting, waiting to be free perhaps or just waiting to take her under. She wasn't sure if it was something she had created, her anxiety, or if it was something that was truly there. She'd ask Simon when she saw him next, or more when she saw him next and thought about it. The Dreamlands had a way of making her forget the troubles outside.

In a filmy dress that was more ancient Greek than anything, the librarian settled by the pond and stared out at the waters. It was almost idyllic. Almost. Now and then she'd look up and catch a glimpse of something she knew wasn't there, just hoped for it. She wished a wolf roamed the lands, or the man that belonged with the wolf. In the wolf? To the wolf? Her hand dashed at the water in small frustration.

"He wouldn't want you pining away, you stupid girl." With a huff she rolled to her back to stare up at the sky. "He wants a strong woman, not...whatever you are now. Right?" She rolled over to peek at her reflection in the water. The look on her reflected face told her she knew better.

"You did good in not licking that one." The reflection smiled as if they were sharing a joke. "He felt different, begged to be petted and snuggled against. Can you imagined Mikey with him?"

Her head lifted, feeling not at all alone.

It had been a few weeks since she started training with Diana and since Ray and Felicity had started their tests of her ability. And while she was still a little shaky on the whole control thing, she was making progress. She felt a lot more confident in her ability to control the scream than she had when it had first manifested. She still had an uneasy feeling about how it had come about and where she'd really been in the missing time between the resort and this university, but she tried to focus on the things she could change and accepting the things that she had no control over for the moment.

Between training, testing, and teaching classes, she hadn't had much time for rest in the last few weeks. But that wasn't much different from her normal life, and at least she had the chance to sleep next to Roy when they did get sleep.

She'd made a point to tell Diana about her team and to tell Ray, Felicity, and Roy about Diana. She finally thought it was time that everyone meet up. So she'd invited them all over for dinner. She even promised not to cook because those who knew her well enough knew better than to accept anything she'd made herself. Eventually, she settled for just ordering enough pizza for everyone. It wasn't a fancy dinner party, but the dinner wasn't really the focus of this gathering anyway.

After the haunted insane asylum, Mary came to in a city. A little time spent walking around confirmed that it was New York City. And from what she could tell by the fashion, cars and technology, she was sometime around the 2010s. She rifled through her pockets and turned up a little bit of money, but not enough to actually get by. Which sort of pissed her off. If the aliens insisted on dropping them off at random places, they could at least provide room and board.

She also didn't like that it had just been herself and the Doctor in the last place. And here, she seemed to be alone. It would be hard to find the others in a place as big as New York City, assuming they were even here. She had to think of Rob, whom she hadn't seen since the pirate ship. Her dad and Johnny, who she hadn't seen since the resort. And her mom had been missing since before that. None of that set her mind at ease. She didn't know if she'd find any of them in this place, or if the aliens had decided to separate them again. Her heart ached a little at the idea of losing the people she loved over and over again.

But she knew that musing over that wouldn't help her much. So she wandered and eventually found her way into a bar that had a TV set to the news. She ordered a drink and paid attention to the reporters, as well as idly listening in on any nearby conversations.

It didn't take long before the news report gave way to the celebrity gossip segment. But what caught her attention was a very familiar face featured in the gossip. Jack's, to be exact. There was some mention of her being one of the most famous 'hunters' in the US that had Mary sitting up straight and staring at the TV in a mixture of surprise and horror. The idea of hunters being famous went against the very nature of the family business. And when the gossip reporter went on to discuss Jack's latest ghost hunt, it left little question that they were talking about Mary's brand of hunting.

She took a long drink from her beer bottle, trying to ease her nerves a bit. This place apparently had a lot that she needed to wrap her mind around.

The tips of her fingers tingled.

It was an unfamiliar feeling though she knew it just the same as she had always known it. There was something amiss, something awry in the atmosphere and despite it worrying her greatly, Ororo was curious by it as well. She wondered at the signs there, the unseen clues and markers. She wondered if anyone else felt them like she did and she doubted that thought instantly. But she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

She glanced around at her surroundings. There were young people talking and laughing. Some were curled over books, or in small groups studying in the grass. The environment was welcoming and familiar but not one she knew. This reminded her of Xavier Institute, and perhaps this was some different version of it. These youths could be mutants, she could be surrounded by people that knew the struggles. But she was nothing if not cautious. It wouldn't be wise to just approach them and begin asking such loaded questions. What if these people had never heard of mutants before? What if they hated mutants? Wanted to hurt them...or her...no it was much safer to assess the situation first.

Ororo had woken up in a dorm room. There had been a vacant, empty bed across from hers. It seemed that she had not been assigned a room mate as of yet, which was alright with her. The campus itself was large, vast and filled to the brim with life. Her blue eyes did another sweep of the quad, searching for anyone she might recognize. She knew she probably stuck out, her white hair, dark skin and blue eyes were all significant factors of her makeup and they tended to be more recognizable because of their uniqueness.

The modern clothes she wore had been provided to her. But she was without her lock picking kit, which was unsettling. She could get by without it, but it was like a security blanket of sorts. She felt incomplete without it nestled close to her body, concealed from sight.

"Oh my god, I love that shade! Who does your hair?" A girl nearby inquired. Ororo forced herself to smile, and lifted her fingers to the long white strands. "Oh, um, I don't have anyone that tends to it." She replied, hoping that was a sufficient enough answer. "So that's your natural color? Wicked!" The girl breathed, grinning. "Catch you later!" Then the girl was gone, leaving Ororo looking confused. She wasn't a stranger to teenagers and odd lingo, but this whole thing was just weird.

Her hand slipped from her hair and in to a pocket of her tight-fitting crimson colored skinny pants, and she withdrew what looked like a class schedule. Was she a student here?

Making her feet move, the cork wedges she wore made light pattering noises as she moved down the sidewalk towards the front of the institution. She needed to get to the bottom of this. She needed more information and the Faculity office seemed like a good place to start.

Bruce had forgotten all about Destiny since he had arrived.

His heart raced as he walked through the jungle. It wasn't the first time in his life that he had been in a jungle setting, he had concealed himself deep within an area similar to this a few times. Running. Always running. Though SHIELD never did let him get too far out of sight. Perhaps there was comfort in living off of the grid, to him it brought some consolation. At least here he couldn't hurt anything except for a few trees. But even though it was familiar to him, that didn't mean it wasn't unsettling.

He could survive out here. He knew the plants and the animals. Bruce was a survivor, he had to be to exist in a world that would never understand him. His intellect far surpassed most that he knew which offered him insight to things others might miss, but what he had in brains he lacked in other places. Social skills, mostly. They were alright, he supposed. They could be better.

And they never would excel being stuck here with nothing to talk to other than the trees, a few predators, some monkies...

The sign etched in Latin had been curious. Bruce felt like he was on display like a glass figurine in a Curio cabinet rather than a human being. Or, part of a human being. At his core he knew what he was, what he had become. But this? This felt like a bad joke even though he knew it wasn't.

A while back amidst the wandering, Bruce had managed to fasten together a wrap consisting of large fronds of a fern and some vine. Interweaving the mechanism together, he was able to use it to encircle his waist. That was embarrassing enough being awkward, but being naked too? There was no way.

All the moving he was doing, the searching to find someone, anyone (particularly Natasha), was making him exhausted. He was beginning to get hungry, and his body ached from the constant motion. He felt like it had been hours since he had seen anyone.

"Hello?" He called, knowing it was probably futile. Did he want to be found? Natasha was better of without him, both of them knew it. Maybe it was better to not find her. Maybe.

This.

This was much better than the place she had been before. The University was too loud, there were too many people for her liking in too close of quarters. Being an RA was not something particularly high on her list of things she wanted to do or be. It disgusted her. She was worth more than being in charge of brats, better than solving problems for youngsters that wandered lost like a scattered herd of sheep.

She hadn't had the chance to kill anyone. It was a compromise she hadn't been willing to make and the opportunity had escaped her. But it was no matter. She would claim someone else in time. Killing was one thing she was good at. In Gotham it had been her pride, her honor. She had been powerful, a force to be reckoned with and Batman's greatest enemy. She was not his equal. She had no equal. She was unique.

The darkness of the cave overtook her instantly and despite the draft and the faint, maddening constant drip of water far behind her, Inque found that she could deal with all of that because of the peace.

The wonderful peace.

Had she been aware that there were others, she would still have taken the moment to bask. She did not awaken unclothed as the rest of them because no matter how many layers they took from her she always regained. She always had the advantage over the others.

Next to her was a swarm of velvet. A group of bats nestled on the rocky ceilings, cuddled together to keep themselves safe. Inque decided she was alright with these rodents for the time being. She had always liked bats...there was just one in particular she wanted to rid the world of. He was an annoyance. These creatures were actually quite pleasant.

Outside the crisp sunlight poured in through the entrance to the cave. Down below, if one peered out of the mouth, one might find themself overlooking the jungle. A wide canopy spread below, concealing the Earth beneath it.

She could get used to the view. As long as it remained peaceful, that was.

He woke up naked.

Again.

Evan very carefully assessed his surroundings before he decided to move. There didn't seem to be anyone nearby, and there was no overwhelming smell of blood indicating that he'd slaughtered poor, innocent petting zoo creatures again. He slowly sat up and had a look. His nose filled with the scents of others. Other animals that were just animals, but other animals who were more along the lines of himself. A quick glance informed the new wolf that he'd been left with absolutely nothing.

Slowly, he stood. Slowly, he brushed himself off. He was waiting for some kind of trap to be sprung, if he was completely honest with himself. Or for somebody to come out of the foliage, laughing and holding a video camera. Allowing his senses to do their thing, he eventually realized that he was alone in the immediate vicinity.

The only thing to do, then, was walk. And walk he did. He passed a strange sign in Latin that gave him some information that made him more than a little uneasy. It rolled through his head again and again. Why would anybody do that? What was the point? Was he a zoo animal now? He hoped they got fed regularly.

A breeze lifted up and two peculiar scents. They were mixed up in with human things. Evan guessed that they had to be like him somehow. They were close by. Evan, quite boldly, stepped into the path so that they could see him.

Piotr stood in the admissions office of a university. Just being on the campus had begun to rise unpleasant memories in his mind. Its hallways looked an awful lot like the hallways of Malden. Whether they actually did, or it was just him imposing his ill feelings upon them was up for debate.

He was in a very bad mood. A piece of paper in his hand. He was leaning on the counter that a nonplussed woman sat behind on a stool. She looked like she had explained something to him once already, and was waiting for him to run out of steam so she could explain it again.

The Russian had no idea how long he'd been talking, but he was sure he was talking in circles.

"I am not a student." He said again. "I have not been a student for a very long time. If anything, I am faculty. I have taught Russian, physical education, and ethics. If you need one of those, I will do this. But I am NOT a student!"

"Mr Rasputin, you have your class schedule. I know that it can be difficult coming from another place as an exchange student, but these kinds of shenanigans are frowned upon at..."

"I AM NOT A STUDENT! Exchange or otherwise! I have been a teacher since the time that I was nineteen! I worked at Malden, in England! I will not attend a college!"

"If you do not attend your classes, Mr Rasputin, that is up to you. We can't force you to do it, obviously. This is college, it's optional. But it's too late in the semester to get your money back."

Piotr stared at her, dumbfounded.

Cavan liked and had adjusted well to the university. He'd been enrolled in classes which he went to gleefully. This was his kind of place. It was filled with new knowledge and people who also wanted to absorb it. Of course, he didn't really bond with any of them, or talk to them beyond discussing homework, but it was the idea of it all.

Better yet, Cavan hadn't seen anybody from the group at all. This began to spark ideas in his head. There were certain activities that he hadn't been able to take part in since this weird journey had started. All because of the people he was travelling with. They couldn't be allowed to know what he really was, because he was going to have to see them again. They'd never be happy about him being in the group, they might even - some of them - decide he shouldn't be alive.

He'd stayed his hand and squished his desires down.

But now?

Now there was a whole university of people for the taking, and not one familiar face among them. The itch returned quickly. Cavan thought of his trinkets and knew he needed to add to them.

He'd have to choose somebody first. His eyes always scanned all the faces around him for the perfect opportunity. Cavan wanted somebody who excited his mind, somebody who gave him goosebumps. It had been such a long time, this needed to be special. And perfect.

Cavan sat in the quad, book open in his lap, but leaning back into the grass. His eyes were on passing students.

The canopy was alight with the sun and it filtered down through the leaves and branches overhead, washing the land with trickles of warm rays. Beneath, on the ground and in the trees alike, the fauna rustled. The Earth was rich with its creatures, the jungle swelled with them and everything remained in perfect balance.

At least, until one strange things showed up that knocked the harmony off kilter.

Awash in the twinkling rays of sun offered by the branches and leaves of the canopy above, Bruce felt warm. The light danced over his bare skin as he lay fast asleep curled in the dirt. A large tree cast its shadow over him as well, a blanket of peace and security. Above, monkies swung from one branch to another, using their long, limber arms and prehensile tails to make mischief and play.

A couple of large Python waited cautiously in the underbrush for any prey naive enough to approach.

Macaws called out to the sky, and to each other. The roar of a tiger could be heard over the soft rustle of a bush, an animal able to blend in with its surroundings like a true predator.

Stirring, Bruce sighed softly. His closed eyes winced at the invasion of sunlight and the warmth of his skin also was bathed by a cool, capricious breeze. He lifted a hand to his face and rubbed his eyes with the tips of his fingers, massaging the sockets of sleep. Strange sounds met his ears. He figured he was probably still dreaming and he realized that shaking the sounds away would come soon enough. But they didn't disappear like he had hoped. In fact, they seemed to grow louder.

Moving his hand away from his eyes, Bruce forced the optics open and was granted a stunning view of the canopy above. "Oh no," he groaned. A monkey peered down at him, screeched loudly and proceeded to throw a half-consumed piece of fruit down in his direction. Narrowly avoiding the assault due to rolling away just in time, the scientist sighed. He pushed himself up in to a sitting position and took in the rest of his surroundings. He had no idea where he was. Or why he was here. Or if he was the only one who made it. He recalled closing his eyes in the bed of the apartment back on that campus and waking up here in the jungle.

A glance down at himself and Bruce noticed he was completely without clothing of any type. Not a first for him. Instantly he thought of the Other Guy. Had he outbroken at the school? He hoped not. Trying not to panic, Bruce got to his feet, ignored the chattering monkeys overhead and began his search for other, more intelligent life.

Emma Frost ran through the landscape of her own mind, scrambling over fuzzy memories with jagged edges - there was the time she'd first learned her mom was an alcoholic, and that was the moment when she'd first touched another person's mind - in a mad, desperate race to stay one step ahead of the burning monster.

( And to think the day had started off tolerably well... )