Expect the Unexpected

Posted on Tue May 13th, 2025 @ 10:20pm by Bobby Drake & Shinobi Shaw & Hayden Davis & Kennedy Kelly

5,777 words; about a 29 minute read

Mission: Episode 6: X-Fernus Agenda
Location: X-Mansion Grounds
Timeline: December 25th, 1990

The limousine rolled to a smooth stop near the front gate of the X-Mansion, its warmth contrasting with the biting chill beyond the tinted windows. Shinobi sat in the back, his helmet on his head as he had no intentions of alerting the Professor to his arrival. This visit wasn't about making an entrance. He wanted some time with Kennedy, just the two of them. He lost her some time ago and wouldn't be able to get her back, even if he wanted to at this point. But he still thought about her occasionally as memories surfaced, unbidden yet persistent. And this was one of those times.

Beside him on the seat lay a wrapped box, slightly bigger than a shoebox and wider. A Christmas present. Something they had once talked about, something she had thought was no longer possible...if memory served him correctly. He had wanted to do it for her...with her. But that ship had sailed. All he could do now was let her know that, despite everything, she still crossed his mind.

With a quiet exhale, Shinobi ordered the driver to wait for his return and shifted his density. He picked up the Christmas present and slipped seamlessly through the door as he stepped out into the cold air, remaining partially phased.

He was dressed for both the season and the occasion; a tailored charcoal wool overcoat with a high military-style collar, sleek yet functional. Beneath it, a burgundy cashmere turtleneck hugged his frame, layered over a fitted long-sleeved shirt. His black, slim-cut wool trousers were practical, pairing effortlessly with polished black leather Chelsea boots. A dark silk-lined scarf and warm leather gloves completed the look. A black knit beanie was tucked into his coat pocket in case the temperature dropped further.

Snow crunched softly under his boots as he moved toward the gate. Without hesitation, he phased through the gate and onto the property. Shinobi paused and looked up at the quiet winter sky. It was grey, though not dark. Somewhere behind the clouds of the overcast sky, the sun was still shining. But the dreariness of the long, dark, cold winter was set. Shinobi smirked; in some cases, forever set.

He shook it off and continued on his mission. He knew a few places Kennedy liked to retreat to on the grounds, and he would start there. He had no desire to be in the mansion unless necessary.

Christmas morning had been a whirlwind of red and green as the students of Xavier’s opened their presents. Kennedy thought she knew children’s excitement thanks to her siblings but a whole roomful of kids ripping and pawing at presents was a degree of joyful chaos she had never experienced. High on gifts and the sugary breakfast, the mansion was practically vibrating with holiday cheer. It was a happy but overwhelming environment that Kennedy found herself needing a break from.

Donning her red pashmina scarf and her slate grey peacoat, Kennedy made her way out towards the old barn on the edge of the manicured lawn of the mansion. It had once held carriage horses, but was now downgraded to a storage room and seasonal haunted house. It was far enough from the mansion to offer some serenity. Finding a slowly crumbling bale of hay from the Halloween party, she sat down and opened up her book. She wouldn’t last long outside, but she would read until her toes and fingers grew cold. At least the warm disorder inside the mansion would be welcomed at that point.

Shinobi found Kennedy curled up with her knees close to her chest as she read some ancient leather bound book. The red of her scarf was a sharp contrast to the winter woods behind her, like a cardinal in the snow she was eye catching despite her mundane activity.

She heard him before she saw him, the silence of the grounds made it hard to sneak up on most people. But Kennedy didn’t bother to look up, instead she assumed she knew who was bothering her.

“Bobby, don’t you dare!” The blonde threatened while still staring at her page. “This scarf is dry clean only and you’ll have to cover its cleaning bill if you ruin it.”

"I would never dare," said Shinobi. "It's a beautiful scarf. You could've had a closet full at one point. But I assure you, I have significantly better taste than to resort to Drake's juvenile snowball antics," Shinobi said with a hint of condescension. "Though I'm somewhat wounded you'd mistake me for him."

Kennedy gasped and dropped her book at the sound of Shinobi’s voice, to say that she was surprised to see him was an understatement. She would never have expected him to come back here on his own accord, not after everything that had happened between him and the X-Men. The ripped jeans and band shirts that Jace once wore were long gone, instead a sleek and refined version of Shinobi Shaw stood before her and for the first time Kennedy saw him more as a man than a teenage sweetheart.

“What are you doing here?” She got up and faced him as she spoke, her long legs unfolding with that effortless grace she always seemed to possess. Kennedy was surprised and defensive but she wasn’t scared of Shinobi, their past and the shared promise to never hurt one another remained. Even though she had found a slight loophole in their agreement the last time they had met, her lack of fear told Shinobi everything that he needed to know.

Kennedy glanced at the gift in his hand and it created an obvious ripple of confusion through her body. She brow knitted as she frowned a little, unable to process what he was holding. “What is that?”

Her eyes betrayed no fear, nor did her defensive stance as she faced Shinobi. While he had likely surprised her with his appearance, he was relieved she hadn't attacked. This wasn't about combat or confrontation, he simply wanted to talk and deliver a gift.

"I'm not here to fight, I'm here to see you...to see how you've been," he said. "I know everything will always be different from now, but it's Christmas. And this is a Christmas present. If the First World War can have a Christmas truce, then we should be able to as well." He placed the box on a stack of crates, both he and the gift still partially phased. Shinobi doubted she would accept anything directly from his hand, even if he were at his normal density.

Glancing around, he spotted an old horse blanket neatly folded on a shelf. He pulled a stool from amid scattered horseshoes and positioned it nearby. With care, he unfolded the blanket to avoid shaking dirt onto his clothes, then refolded it clean-side-out before draping it over the stool, ready to sit down.

"Go ahead," he gestured to the fallen hay bale she'd been lounging on, "sit back down, relax. Stay warm in the hay." Though he suspected she wouldn't fully let her guard down, which was understandable. "And please, open your gift."

She wanted to ask him why but Kennedy already knew the answer to that question. So much lingered between them and in moments of calm that connection remained. It was hard to ignore when the tension filled the space between them, making it easy to forget all the terrible things Shinobi had done.

Kennedy had a look of contempt on her face as she returned to her seat on the bale of hay. A sour look of compliance as she internally fought with herself and the conflicting emotions Shinobi created inside of her. It made her heart-shaped lips full and slightly pouted in an almost irresistible manner.

“I didn’t get you anything.” A barbed joke as she began to open the box. Well manicured and deft fingers opened the box as her gaze remained fixed on Shinobi. Only once the box was opened did she look down at its contents.

First class plane tickets to Paris. A hotel room with a view of the Eiffel Tower. Tickets to the Louvre and an invitation to Dior’s, along with a post-dated check for an obscene amount of money. Everything was arranged for a summer in France, exactly as Kennedy had dreamed of.

He watched as her hard facade crumbled and Kennedy lowered her head as a wave of emotions overcame her. In that moment he saw the young woman who had fallen for him in the Savage Land, someone who was so broken and desperate to be loved, to be cherished.

“Why?” She hiccupped the word as tears ran down her face. “You were free of me after I rejected you, why?”

Shinobi smiled; there she was, the girl he'd come to visit. The one he remembered. He allowed the question to hang in the air for a few seconds as he looked at her, tears running down her cheeks. He removed an embroidered handkerchief, S.S., from his inside coat pocket and tossed it into the box.

"Free of you? I doubt I'll ever be completely free of you," he said. "You were my first love and then you were stolen away. A guy rarely forgets that. So despite moving on, memories of you occasionally run, unbidden, through my mind." He gestured to the box. "Look again and you'll find directions to the famous Café de Flore in Paris where you can buy all the Café au Lait that you want."

"As to the why, do you remember me telling you that you still might end up in Paris someday drinking coffee? Well, I do." He paused. "I said that, believing in you. Now, believe in me...just a little...and allow me to make at least one of your dreams come true. You can still reject me and I, you, but at least understand that I believe in you."

“I… you…” Kennedy seemed at a total loss for words, all of this was so grand and unexpected. His gesture was sharp, clean and to the point in a way that left her heart wounded and Kennedy found herself gasping for air from the emotional strife he had created. But then again that seemed to be Shinobi’s newfound style, everything was executed with impeccable precision.

She took his offered handkerchief and dotted her eyes while she attempted to still and calm the emotions that left her swimming in her own mind. Paris had come to represent so much more than just a summer vacation to Kennedy, it was the place where she found the love and happiness she so desperately longed for. She examined the items in the box for a moment longer before she spoke again. “There are reservations for two. Is it bold of me to assume that you would be my plus one?”

"It would be bold and pretty surprising," he said. "If I were your plus one, there wouldn't be first class airline tickets. But a date and time when a limo would pick you up and drive you to the airport to board my private jet. But, you haven't gotten the attention of another guy that you'd want to take? That surprises me because you are most beautiful, Kennedy." It was the truth, no matter if Shinobi was the one saying it.

"But who says you have to take a guy," he continued. "Take your best friend and live it up. Though, you never know where I'll show up." He gestured widely with his arms, taking in the entire Xavier estate. "I go where I please, when I please."

“There is no guy or best friend.” Kennedy shook her head in disagreement with his statements. “It’s just me and my books most of the time… or stuffing envelopes. I’m making terrible time without your help.”

She felt a pang in her heart when she thought about that time with him. Things had been so easy between them. Kennedy had made an idiot out of herself with Kurt last night and that fresh wound had her questioning where she really belonged. What if she had made a mistake? What if Shinobi was who she deserved? He obviously wasn’t done with her, maybe she was wrong in thinking she was done with him.

“Can I ask you a question?” Kennedy’s body language relaxed a little as her memories of happier times still lingered in her mind. “Why did you send back my things? You didn’t have to.”

"Reminders," he said. "They were reminders of my worst day since coming off the streets." He looked over her shoulder for a moment as if he were staring into the past. "I lost everything that night, Kennedy. I didn't need, didn't want, any reminders of it." His gaze fell back to her. "It happened. It was time to let go and move forward. So I sent them back." He left out the anger and spite he felt in the moment he had made that decision.

“Yet, you’re here today.” Kennedy replied as she idly thumbed the papers in the gift box. She definitely played her part in his darkest day, but she still felt like a victim for what happened at the Hellfire Club. “Is this some sort of apology for everything that happened between us?

“If you want to take it as an apology, then by all means,” Shinobi said, easing back slightly, his hands resting on his knees. “Truth is, I still think about you sometimes…about the memories we share. This,” he gestured to the box, “is just a Christmas gift tied to one of those better memories. You can keep it, toss it, whatever suits you.”

He paused, his tone softening, then added, “And yeah…I’m here today. But just to talk. I'm not expecting anything nor do I want anything.”

He let the silence stretch for a beat before changing the subject. “You said it’s just you and your books now. No guy, no best friend around. But I know you, your life’s never been quiet. There’s always something going on. Some battle, some mission, something new stirring around the mansion.”

He tilted his head slightly. “So how are you doing in the middle of all that? Are you still getting out and spending time with Aurora or that blonde water girl…what was her name? Anyway, I imagine it’s been a while since you just got to breathe.”

Kennedy shook her head in disbelief, had he really come here just to chat? To check in on her? He had been her defender and protector at one point in time, so the idea of him caring about her wasn’t so absurd. But the fact that this consideration for her still lingered after all the horrible things that had happened, that he had done, it seemed surreal. Despite her gut telling her to run or scream, his relaxed cadence and casual manner made it easier for Kennedy to separate the man from the monster.

“I get by and manage to steal a breath or two when I can.” He had always been so easy to talk to and Kennedy found herself falling back into that old habit. “Aurora is gone, she snapped or something and turned psychotic… she tried to kill all of us.” Her eyes found his as a sharp reminder that he had done the same and that she hadn’t forgotten that despite this civil conversation. “Hayden is good, I think she’s sweet on Bobby or at least that’s the gossip that’s traveling through the mansion. They’ve been seeing a lot more of one another.”

Shinobi listened intently as Kennedy spoke, his expression unreadable but focused. He was glad to hear that she was taking time for herself, away from everyone. When her eyes lifted to meet his at the mention of Aurora, he caught it. The flicker behind them, the silence heavy with meaning. He didn’t press the issue. He didn’t need to. Some things were better left in the quiet.

“Right…Hayden,” he echoed, his tone easy, conversational. “And Bobby, still chasing after every girl with a smile, it sounds like. I guess some things never change. Not even rumors floating through the halls of the mansion."

He chuckled lightly, shaking his head as if amused by the familiarity of it all. Then, with a tilt of his head and a careful choice of words, he added, “Wait, wasn’t Aurora expecting? I think I remember hearing Scott and Jean got his child back before…well, before everything changed for her," he said, referencing her psychotic snap that Kennedy mentioned. "But then, I haven't been around for a while.”

Kennedy shook her head in disagreement, “They don’t know what happened to the baby. I think they all believe he’s dead but they’re too sad to admit it. So, he’s missing. Scott and Jean didn’t come to Christmas at the mansion, I think because they’re so torn up about it.” She furrowed her brow slightly as she considered his question. “Why do you care what happened to that baby? You didn’t care about Aurora when you lived here.”

"Easy, easy," he said, holding up his hands. "I was just trying to make conversation. Awkward silences are, well, awkward." He sighed deeply. "It was always easy to talk to you, Kennedy. You were the only one who ever listened, who ever saw me. But if you wish, I'll leave you to your holiday and book." Shinobi made ready to stand.

“Since when have there been awkward silences between us?” Kennedy asked as she collected her book and the box that Shinobi had gifted her, but she paused as a pang of emotion passed through. “I never wanted you to leave me, I just wanted you to love me.”

She looked up at him with doe-eyed sadness and a longing for the past. “It’s never too late to come home. You could come inside with me right now, we could figure out what to do next. If we did it together, it would turn out alright, right?”

"I did love you," he said. "I was going to tell you that night at the Gala. I had planned this big thing all around that point. And then it was all ruined. I never wanted you to leave that night, but they took you from me. I cherished you so much, Kennedy. You meant the world to me."

A slight smile crept on his face as he dropped his head and shook it. Then it disappeared just as suddenly. "No, I'm afraid it wouldn't turn out all right, even if we did it together. It's too late for me to come back. Xavier made that perfectly clear when he invaded my mind, my inner sanctum, and then the minds of my Hellfire Knights. He gave up on me weeks ago."

Shinobi grunted. "He's never given up on his lifelong friend Magneto. But he throws away a student that no longer follows him or his philosophy. You and I may always differ in philosophy and action, Kennedy, but don't you give up on me as your teacher so readily does. Hold out hope for me when no one else will."

“I won’t stop.” Despite all the awful things that Shinobi had done, a part of her heart hurt for him. He had been abandoned, not just once but twice. Kennedy’s sympathy for him caused her to stand up suddenly and move towards him.

She didn’t dare touch him, not after she tore his helmet off during their battle at the sentinel factory. Instead, Kennedy leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder in an attempt to hug him without embracing him. The warmth of her body and the sweet fragrance of her hair filled his senses in a familiar manner as she nuzzled into his neck. “I won’t give up on you.”

Shinobi's muscles tensed, ready to spring him into action, as Kennedy closed the space between them. He was even prepared to go full density decrease in seconds. But what happened next was nothing like what he expected. Everything about her being so close and nuzzling into his neck was familiar to him. He inhaled sharply and held it for a moment before slowly releasing it. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Kennedy slowly lifted her arms and wrapped them around his waist. She embraced him and clung to the warmth of his body. The clothes he wore were different but the feel of his lean frame was the same. Kennedy closed her eyes and held onto him for a long time, there he was… the person who she still missed. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t want anything like this to happen to you… to us. I love you, Jace.”

He didn’t know what hit him in that moment; her arms around him, her hands holding him, the things she'd just said. The closeness made something stir deep inside. He drew in a breath, slow and tense, holding it as if that might steady him. When he let it out, his hands found her arms. Then she said something else. Something that lit a different kind of spark deep inside.

“What did you just call me?” His voice cut the air, sharp and cold. His hands still on her arms, he pushed her back. Not harshly at first, but just enough to see her face. “My name is Shinobi,” he said, louder now. “It’s always been Shinobi. Even when those hateful adopted parents called me Jace, my name was still Shinobi!"

His grip tightened as the words poured out, voice rising with each one. “When that mind-invading telepath put it on his roll, it was still Shinobi!” He stared at her, jaw clenched.

“I am Shinobi Shaw.”

Then, as if the name itself burned through him, he shoved her back into the hay.

He saw the fear in her eyes as his temper flared and the true Shinobi finally appeared. An accidental slip of the tongue became an egregious mistake to the Lord Imperial of the Hellfire Club. Kennedy stumbled as he shoved her, caught off guard by the force of his action, she tripped on some old, half-rotten farm equipment in the barn which caused her to fall. Her head made contact with a support beam behind her and with a sickening CRACK, Kennedy lost consciousness and went limp. Like a ragdoll, she landed in the hay, her book and gift scattered by her feet.

Shinobi heard the sound and winced. He stood there a moment, staring. Not checking for a pulse, not seeing if she was breathing, or even looking for blood...just staring. "And I didn't want this to happen to you or us. But just look, look at what Xavier has done to you. You were once so strong, but now..." He shook his head and picked up the horse blanket.

As Shinobi was about to throw it back where he got it, he noticed an old kerosene lantern with some fuel still in it. He grunted, an idea forming. It'd be a decent enough burial. He found some old matches near the lantern and took them, along with the lantern, two stalls over. Starting the fire over there would give him enough time to phase, say his farewell, and leave.

The Lord Imperial soaked the old blanket with what was left of the kerosene and spread it out over the pile of hay in the second stall. He struck several matches before he got one to light. Then he lit the entire matchbook and through the whole thing on the kerosene soaked blanket, watching it burst into flames. A satisfying smile crept across his face as the dancing flames cast shadows around him.

Shinobi went back to where the unconscious Kennedy was laying and shifted his density to completely phase himself. He looked at her and said, "You could have been so much more than a foot soldier in another man's army. I bid you adieu, Miss Kelly."

The true Shinobi Shaw walked out of the barn into the cold air of the mansion's grounds. He turned up the collar of his overcoat and buttoned it as a chill wind blew.

---

A short distance away was Bobby and Hayden, out for a stroll.

Hayden liked her time away from the festivities with Bobby. The conversations they'd had and the silent moments when they simply enjoyed being together on their walk was nice. Bobby was the first boy that had shown the slightest interest in her. And that made her feel good.

It was during one of those quiet moments that an orange glow near the edge of the lawn caught Hayden's eye. "Um, that doesn't look right, Bobby," she said, pointing in the direction of the old barn. Then she gasped, "Fire! It's a fire!"

Bobby's head snapped in the direction Hayden was pointing, his eyes narrowing as he took in the unnatural flicker rising from the barn.

"That's no a bonfire," he said, already shifting into motion. "Come on!"

He didn't wait for her to respond before launching into ice form, frost already crackling at his fingertips. Snow crunched beneath their feet as they took to Bobby's ice slide which raced across the grounds. The orange glow intensified with every step, licking against the inside of the barn like a living hunger.

By the time they reached the barn, smoke was pouring from the seams of the warped wooden planks, and the unmistakable smell of burning hay and old timber filled the air.

Bobby extended one arm and formed a thick patch of ice over the barn doors, reinforcing them before they could give way to the fire inside. "I'll contain the spread!" he shouted to Hayden. "Let's check if anyone's inside!"

The seriousness in his tone left no room for debate. The playful banter between them vanished, replaced by heroic focus.

Inside the barn Kennedy lay limp, barely visible through the smoke curling out of the cracks in the walls. The fire hadn't yet reached her, as she was in the wrong stall, but time was short. The fire was spreading quickly, doubling its size every 30 seconds.

"I'm on it!" Hayden called back as she headed into the barn. She stopped short of the first stall and put an arm out behind her towards the snow. She pulled the water molecules into a mist around her. From there, she focused it into water blasts like from a firefighters hose. Hayden soaked the hay and surrounding wood as she moved forward to the flames in the far stalls. She was still a couple of stalls away, dousing the fire, when she looked off to her right.

"Bobby!" she yelled. But the sudden intake of air to scream, she also brought in smoke. Hayden began to cough and scream for Bobby. "I found a body! Bobby!" She coughed some more until she realized she might be able to use the water as a temporary protective bubble from the smoke. And maybe, just maybe, it would absorb some smoke particles and toxic gases, keeping her and whoever that was safe for a few seconds.

Bobby heard Hayden's cry and immediately turned from the doors, sliding across a fresh layer of ice he cast beneath his feet. His hands moved instinctively, creating a series of layered walls behind him—ice baffles to slow the fire's spread and reduce heat pressure.

"Hang on, I'm coming!" he shouted, plunging into the barn behind her.

The heat was staggering. Smoke coiled in the rafters like a living serpent, and tongues of fire licked hungrily at the walls of the far stall. Bobby reached Hayden just as she formed a shimmering sphere of water around herself, a dampened bubble designed to filter the worst of the smoke and flame. The sight of it snapped him back to focus.

"Good thinking!" he coughed. "I'll freeze the air around you, give the water a fighting chance."

He thrust both hands forward, and frost exploded outward in a wave of glittering crystals. The air inside the barn dropped by several degrees as steam hissed where ice met flame. The fire snarled in protest, shrinking back just enough for them to act.

They could see her now. Kennedy lay limp in the hay, a dark bruise blooming across her temple. "We've got to get her out!" Bobby said, eyes wide.

Together they moved fast. Bobby iced a clear path as Hayden blasted away the remaining flames. He grabbed Kennedy under the arms while Hayden supported her legs, the two of them hauling her back through the barn and into the open air just as the support beam above them gave a groaning crack and collapsed behind them in a shower of sparks.

They didn't stop until they were a good fifty feet from the smoldering barn, setting Kennedy gently on the snowy grass near a stone bench. Between Bobby and Hayden's combined efforts, they put the barn beneath a blanket of snow that snuffed out the fire before it could do any more damage.

Bobby dropped to his knees beside both girls, wheezing like a chain smoker. "She's breathing," he managed between coughs.

"That's great," said Hayden, trying to catch her breath. "It looks like...." But she was cut off before she could finish.

A completely phased and helmeted Shinobi Shaw walked through the snow. Literally. He had almost left when he saw two figures running towards the barn. Curiosity had taken the best of him and he waited to see whether there would be three firey deaths on the news or none. It looked like the latter.

"Well, well, if it isn't Bobby Drake, the infamous Iceman. And who's this?" he said turning to Hayden. "You're newest fling? I think I remember you from the Gala you crashed. The one you came to uninvited, ruined, and then destroyed my house? You remember, I'm sure. Unless it's true what they say about dumb blondes." He noticed Kennedy on the ground and faced Bobby again. "You have a type," he said smirking.

Bobby's breath frosted in the air as his fists clenched, the air around him dropping several degrees in an instant. The snow under his knees crackled as a sheet of frost crept out from his body. He stood slowly, blue spreading up his arms like a tide as he shifted into full iceform, his eyes now gleaming white.

"I forget," he said coldly, stepping forward until only a few feet separated them. "Didn't I give you a fat lip the last time we did this?" The frosty corner of his mouth curled into a sharp, challenging grin. "Or were you too busy running and hiding in Sentinel factories to remember?"

Shinobi grinned as he watched Bobby start to change. He kept in mind that new ability that came out at the Gala and began slowly powering it up. But back then it was high density. This was low density while he was completely phased. Should be interesting to see the effects on those around him.

"I remember," he said. "I remember lots of things that happened after that. Lots of tremendously wonderful things," he added with a smirk. "But, just stopped by to say Merry Christmas and drop off a gift. And to think, I almost had her once again. Her arms were wrapped around me. She was treating me with kindness, despite everything that has happened. What was it she said? Oh right, 'I love you.' She still holds out hope."

"Uh huh," Bobby quipped, his voice full of sarcasm. "The way I heard it told, you tried to date rape her back then and from the looks of it you tried doing it again. I'm sure she's got lots of love for a special kind of sicko like you." The air began blue-shifting around him in a growing cold snap that turned the entire vicinity into biting cold. "Why don't you get the hell out of here before..."

The snow around them began to float, as if carried on a breeze that moved at glacial speeds. Even the air itself felt too thin. Standing upright became a chore with equilibrium now a tenuous dance. Bobby saw Hayden and Kennedy weren't looking so good.

"... I don't know what you're trying to pull," Bobby said, recovering his tenacity after trailing off. His iceform seemed to grant him an immunity of sorts but there was no telling how far that might extend."Nobody wants you here. You made sure of that yourself. Now, for crying out loud, just... fuck off! You can't take everyone by yourself, not even with your little magic tricks!"

Shinobi grinned, a look of satisfaction on his face. "I assure you it was consensual. But you'll believe anything. At any rate, I must be going." He nodded towards Kennedy, "I'm sure you'll take care of her. Nowhere near was well I could have, but I'm sure you'll try your best." He nonchalantly put his hands in his pockets, as if Bobby's powering up was of no consequence to him. "Until we meet again." With that, Shinobi phased into the ground and reappeared outside the gate a moment later, getting into his limo.

A wheezy cough caused Kennedy to shudder and shake from her position next to the bench, with each raspy breath she eventually stirred and regained consciousness. She lifted a slow, heavy hand to the back of her head as the pain continued to rouse her. “Oww…” Was Kennedy's rather inarticulate response, she seemed groggy and disoriented. “Jace, I hit my head.”

"Jace is gone," Bobby said, dropping out of iceform, then added under his breath, "straight to hell if we're lucky." He stooped lower to check her eyes and vitals with what bare minimum first aid he had picked up over the years. "Yeah, I think you'll be okay. Come on, let's get you inside." He glanced at Hayden, "Take her other arm. We'll slow walk it."

In the end, Kennedy turned out to be fine with little more than a goose egg. Professor Xavier took note but said little besides congratulating the trio on their decisive action. The greater ramifications of the encounter remained to be seen.

 

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