Disclaimer: I do not own any x-men or marvel, character, story, or anything. I only own characters and stories that I create. All O C's are either my own, or I have received permission to use.

Hey all thanks for reading. I want to start off by again apologizing for my prolonged absence. I don't wish to state my reason for not being here on this chapter so PM me if you wish to know. My mojo is back, and I'm not going anywhere. I'm here to finish what I started. So let's get to some review responses shall we.

Kallista2: Daniella was a hard death to write, no doubt about it, so I appreciate your comment. I am still working on the typo's issue so please bear with me there. I have a lot of fun writing Vincent's self-battle scenes, so I'm glad they are what you wanted them to be. Yes, I realized the Sebastian CPR seemed cliché, though I had always planned for that to not be what actually happened.

TheGreatHoudini: I appreciate your comments on the death scene as it was hard to write. I hope you appreciate this chapter, as a reactionary chapter. Warren continues to be a character I enjoy using, so I'm glad you like the way he's been adapted.

Vulcanlover12: Your reaction is what I was looking for, so I guess I did my job well, maybe too well. I hope you enjoy the reactions I this chapter. As for what happens with Amber and Warren…wait and see.

Azure Blue Espeon: Suspense writing has become something I enjoy and will continue to use when applicable. I apologize for the name misspelling, I will try to catch that later on. The files were a choice I wasn't sure would go over well, so I'm glad you liked them. Thanks for your constant reviews, I look forward to them.

SmallLittleCagedBird: I hope you like my continued Nico/Natalina scenes. I had fun incorporating more of the marvel universe into this story. Thanks for the review.

After this story is complete and I'm working on the sequels I will be doing a side anthology story about the characters in this one. If there are specific characters whose back story you want to know more about in detail let me know. I will also be setting up a Forum for when this story ends and I begin the sequel, so that if you guys would like to communicate ideas with me you can. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy.

Memories of the fallen

Chapter 20. : Unfair is the world.

"Kail?"

Kail turned around and was met with green eyes and curly red locks of hair. Her porcelain face stared back at him and smiled as she stepped towards him. He reached out and gently touched her cheek with his fingers.

"Are you ok?" She asked with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah." He answered. "Never better. I just wanted to make sure that you were real."

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm real."

He stepped forward and grasped her sides, pulling her into his waiting arms.

"I was just so worried that I lost you."

"You could never lose me, dummy. I need to be here to save your butt when you get yourself hurt." She responded holding him tightly.

He looked into her eyes again and they sparkled with the brilliance of life. They stood holding each other in the middle of a large field of wildflowers. The suns radiating light glared down around them enriching everything with its luminescent glow. Kail felt so warm holding Daniella like this.

"I love you Daniella." Kail said as he look deeply into her bright green eyes.

"I love you too Kail."

He pulled her towards him and captured her lips with his own, kissing her like he would never again be able to. Bliss was all he felt in this moment. He was so happy, and he felt like nothing could take that away from him. He would always fight to keep this.

"I will never let anything happen to you." He said almost too quietly for her to hear.

Daniella pulled away from him smiling. She turned and ran off towards a small pond a little ways away.

"Come on lazy, you promised we'd go swimming."

Kail smiled and ran off after her. He felt like this day couldn't get any better. As he arrived at the pond he saw her standing in her swim wear walking into the water. He always knew how lucky he was to have such a beautiful creature fall in love with him.

"Well? Are you coming or not?"

"I'll be right there." Kail answered.

As he went to step forward Kail realized that his feet wouldn't move. He looked down and saw that they were fused with the dirt. He grew scared as he desperately tried to move his legs, but nothing was working.

"Kail?"

He looked up at the sound of Daniella's terrified voice. What he saw made his blood run cold. He stared into the black soulless eyes of a monster. Warren was standing behind Daniella, his hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong Kail? Why aren't you coming over here?" Warren asked as he pulled out a knife. "Didn't you promise her that nothing would ever happen to her?" He placed the edge of the blade next to her neck. "Why aren't you trying to stop me?"

Kail frantically tried to force himself to move but nothing would work. He couldn't use his magnetic powers to take the knife either. He felt powerless. Warren pulled the knife away from her neck and held it still pointing towards her body.

"You promised." Kail heard Daniella whisper as a tear fell down her cheek.

Warren plunged the knife into her chest as Kail yelled out at him. Kail could do nothing but watch the pain stricken face of Daniella contort as she cried out in agony. Blood rushed out of the wound and down her skin. Kail was forced to watch the once bright eyes fade until he could see nothing in the darkened green orbs. Warren let go of Daniella and she fell to the ground, lifeless, In front of Kail.

"Nooo!"

…

"NO!"

Kail sat up in his bed, sweating profusely from the nightmare. His eyes finally began to correct themselves and his blurred vision returned to normal. He realized that he had been asleep in his bedroom. HE looked around and saw his blood soaked clothes in the corner of his room. Her blood.

"She's really….no….no...no…no." He said softly as he buried his face in his hands.

It was real, he had come home the previous night to find Daniella's lifeless body covered in blood in her bed. A disk had been found next to her with a message written on it saying "She was only the first".

Kail sat there for what seemed like hours just trying to come to terms with everything. If was all so unreal. After a bit he slowly got out of bed and took a shower. He carefully put on a set of clean clothes. He walked over to his door, but he wasn't sure what he should do at this point. How was he going to act around every else. Taking a deep breath he grasped the door knob and turned it.

The hallways were quiet. He couldn't hear anyone moving around. The place was like a ghost house. Kail walked down the stairs and found Chris, Vincent, Blair, and Natalina all sitting in the living room silently. Natalina's eyes were red and puffy, as she had been crying. Once he noticed Kail's presence, Chris stood up and stared into his eyes. There was a silent understanding between them. There was no need for words as Chris walked over and put his hand on Kail's shoulder. To say he was surprised by Chris's actions would be an understatement, but Kail wasn't going to say anything.

Chris went back to sitting down and Kail followed suit. No one seemed to know what to say. Kail figured maybe he should begin.

"Has anyone seen Amber?"

"I think that she is in the Danger room." Chris answered.

"How long?"

"All night, she said she couldn't sleep. To be honest I don't know how I was able too."

Silence returned to the room.

"What's going to happen now?" Blair asked, her pale face turning red out of embarrassment for asking the question.

"Sebastian has called the police, to inform them of the murder. And her parents were informed." Vincent responded.

"As if they cared." Chris scoffed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well Blair, let's put it this way. The day Daniella's parents dropped her off here, they skipped away singing Kumbaya. So I'm pretty sure that being called up and told, "I'm very sorry to inform you of dis, but your daughter vas stabbed several times and her neck vas snapped by a deranged psychopathic lunatic" was just the icing on a four star cake for them." Chris spat out in anger.

"Chris stop." Kail said with a little bit of force. "She didn't know."

Chris looked over at Blair and saw the hurt in her eyes. She was trying everything to not cry over their loss. He knew that what he said had gone too far.

"I'm….I'm sorry Blair."

"It's ok Chris. I understand."

"So…..will there be a….a…" Natalina was having a hard time holding herself together.

"Sebastian has already set up the funeral. It will be in two days' time" Vincent answered.

"So soon?" She asked.

"It is better this way." He answered.

Kail also felt that things had moved fast after finding her body. But he knew it had to be done. He stood up to leave the room.

"Where are you going?"

"To help,"

….

S.O.U.L. Headquarters,

Warren sat in a meditative pose, his eyes closed recollecting the past few days. His mission was a success. He stopped the young doctor from destroying everything his Father had been working towards. He should be ecstatic. But all he is feeling is anger. Anger at his own weakness. Even now the stray tear falls from his eyes, and he didn't know why.

"She means nothing to me. She means nothing to me. She means nothi…"

"What are you doing? Are those tears in your eyes?" Nayami's voice broke his silence.

"Why are you here Nayami?"

Nayami walked over to where the hydrokinetic mutant was sitting, her hips swaying as she moved. She sat down in his lap and threw her arms around his neck.

"I was concerned about you, I thought that you might need me. I'm always here for you."

Her voice held a sickening tune in it as she attempted to persuade him. Warren's body reacted accordingly. He pushed her off of him with a great show of force.

"Nayami, you will stay away from me. I shall never be yours. You disgust me."

The girl had a sly smile on her face.

"The tears are gone. See I'm the only one who can fix you. Maybe you should remember that in the future."

"If by help me, you mean make me feel like I'm going to vomit then yes, you are correct in your opinion."

Nayami's smile never faltered as she turned on her heels to leave the room. As she passed through the door way she turned around and narrowed her eyes at Warren.

"I just hope for your sake that Father never learns about your little cry session. He'd be so disappointed in his favorite pet."

Warren knew a threat when he heard one.

"I'd be careful if I were you Nayami. You'd be an easy kill."

…

The sounds of metal crashing into the ground filled the danger room. Metal tore through metal, claws ripped through robotic exo-skeletons as Amber released all of her rage on the training bots. She was so consumed in her battle that she didn't notice the door open. Kail walked in to find the hours of robotic carnage.

"Amber, I think that you should stop this."

The girl, being in a feral state, ignored Kail and continued her assault. Kail sighed as she watched the wild way the leader of this team fought in the danger room. He understood her rage. Her pain. Her suffering. HE was going through the same thing, though Amber clearly knew Daniella longer, and deeper than he did. She was his girlfriend, but she was Amber's sister.

"Amber please, let's talk about this."

"No talking. I'm busy bub."

Kail knew that this is not hoe Daniella would want her sister to behave, though he couldn't find fault in her reactions. He knew that Amber needed thins. She needed something to take her punches. Something to take her anger, her sadness. He knew what had to be done. Focusing, his skin became metal and he stepped up to the mutant.

"You want something to fight, right? Those training bots aren't enough though, are they?" Amber's feral eyes fixed on his form as she let out a slight growl. "Fight me. I'm the one who took your sister away from you. You think it too, don't you? If I never showed up here, she'd never have been in the position she was in. It's my fault. You blame me don't y…"

Kail was almost unprepared for Amber's attacks as she lashed out at him. The older mutant slashed at his metal skin again, and again, not leaving a scratch. Sparks flew from his skin as Amber screamed out in frustration.

Kail stood still letting Amber take everything out on him. She wouldn't break him. She couldn't. He could take everything she had right now. He knew it was what he deserved. He deserved this and worse, for what he allowed to happen to the one purest soul in this institution.

Amber felt tears falling down her face, burning her eyes as they continued to break free from their ducts. She wasn't strong enough to even damage him. Her adamantium claws did nothing. Why couldn't she just hurt him!

"I'm going to destroy you…you…you jack ass. This is all on you. Why weren't you here for her? You were supposed to protect her you bastard! She was counting on you. She wasn't strong enough to defend herself. Why weren't you here!? Why her…why her!? Why wasn't I…?"

Amber's eyes widened as her hands froze in the air. All this time she had blamed Kail. But it wasn't him, was it. No, no, the person responsible was…

"My…my fault…" Tears blinded her, burning her eyes as she fell to the ground. "It's…it's all my fault. She was my sister. I was supposed to protect her. She was here to say Warren…for me. I pushed her to put herself in danger, just so…just so I could be hap…No…no…please…please no!"

Kail disengaged his metal skin and knelt down next to the sobbing Amber. He pulled her into his chest, holding her close. Taking on all of her pain.

"This isn't on you Amber. Daniella…Daniella made her choice. She wanted so desperately to save her brother that…that she would do anything to make that wish come through. And you know what? She wouldn't want to see us like this."

Amber looked into Kail's eyes, he also had tears running down his face.

"If she was here…she'd smack us for crying over her. She'd call us stupid and say…that there were more important things to do. She'd be wrong of course."

Kail couldn't help but laugh at the end. The two of them stayed in this position for what seemed like hours. They cried together, remembering their lost one. After a little while the tears stopped. Silence was profound in the danger room.

"Kail, thank you. I'm…I'm sorry for attacking you."

"No, Amber. You don't apologize to me. This is on me, so I'll take the brunt of your anger. I deserve it."

"No…no you don't."

Silence followed for a few more minutes, until the intercoms went off with Nicholas's voice.

"Amber, you're going to want to get up here.

…

Nicholas and Chris sat in the living room flipping through channels on the T.V. trying to keep their minds off of Dani. It made Nicholas feel guilty, but he didn't know what else to do. The school just seemed so empty. Chris threw the remote across the room with a grunt of anger. The remote broke on impact with the wall, denting the painted drywall.

"You broke the remote and the wall you know." Nicholas said haphazardly. Chris just ignored him.

"Sebastian, and Professor Lisa aren't gonna be happy about that." Chris rolled high eyes in annoyance.

"You're gonna want to fix that." Chris began to shake in anger at Nicholas who seemed to not notice.

"Well, looks like we won't be watching anything, any time soon, huh grumpy?"

That was the last straw, Chris stood up and punched Nicholas across the face knocking the telepath, and the chair he was sitting in over. Nicholas could feel the blood from the split lip he now had. He leapt to his feet, fists balled, ready to attack Chris back.

"Are you kidding me you jerk? You just split my lip, and Dani isn't even here to heal me!"

As he finished the sentence, Nicholas's eyes went wide and his fists uncurled as the fell to his sides. Chris noticed the pained look of shock on Nicholas's face and his anger disappeared. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a small a washcloth and filled it with ice. He brought the ice to Nicholas, who was now sitting down with a blank expression on his face.

"I'm sorry."

Nicholas snapped out of his trance and took the ice. He gave a weak smile waved his friend off. Chris knew the apology was accepted.

"What are we gonna do Chris?"

"I don't know."

The doorbell rang causing the two too jump in surprise. The two just stared in the direction of the door.

"Well, let's go see who it is."

Nicholas got up to follow Chris to the door. When they opened the door their eyes went wide. In front of them stood a familiar girl with long black hair that was dyed purple at the bottom to match her purple eyes. Her tan skin seemed to glow in the sunlight.

"Hey you too, can I come on in?"

"It's you!" Nicholas answered smiling.

…

Natalina laid in her bed her mind running through thoughts about her lost friend. She had lost friends before, but for some reason this just hurt more. She couldn't explain in. She needed help, but she didn't know what to do.

"Frowns aren't good for your face. They take away your warmth. I miss it."

Natalina sat up at the familiar voice, and a small smile caressed her face.

"What a surprise, Nico's here."

"You know you missed me." He answered with a smirk. Natalina could tell he was just putting on the façade though.

"How are Will and Dan doing?"

"They'll be fine. Soon though, we need to get their souls back."

Natalina couldn't help rolling her eyes.

"And let me guess, you want my team to risk our lives to help you right?"

"Nat…"

"No, Nico. We can't help right now. We're burying our friend in two days. I…I don't even know what to think right now." Natalina couldn't help the tears that came to her eyes. She felt hollow. She was cold, and couldn't get warm.

"I'm sorry Lina."

Nico sat next to her and wrapped his arm around the crying girl. He held her for a while, letting her ease through her emotions. Natalina didn't know what to think. But one thing was for certain. She felt warm. It was him. He warmed her, and she didn't know why.

"Nico, maybe you should leave."

"No, you need me Lina. I need you as well."

"What are you talking about?"

Nico couldn't help but Laugh for a moment.

"Natalina, we do need your help, but it can wait. I'm going on a recon trip to get some data. I really just wanted to see you first."

"You're going to spy on S.O.U.L. aren't you?" Her eyes grew wide in realization.

"Yes, it is vital."

"No, you can't! I just lost Dani, I don't want to lose you as well?"

"Why Natalina, it sounded there like you had some kind of feelings for me."

"No...I just…I can't lose anyone else…I can't handle th…mmphf?"

Nico leaned in and pressed his lips against Natalina's. She didn't know what to think, but her face began to tingle and her heart beat grew faster. It ended quickly as he backed away. A devilish smile on his face.

"Sorry Nat, but just in case something does happen…I…I needed to know what that would feel like. It was nice."

Before Natalina could say anything Nico disappeared into the shadows. Her fingers pressed against her lips.

"He…he actually kissed me…that jerk."

Even though she scowled, she felt a warming pulse in her chest. Then she heard the sound of footsteps down the hall, so she opened up her door to see Kail and Amber walk towards the stair case, Blair and Vincent followed closely behind. Natalina decided to follow suit.

…

Amber rounded the corner to get to the living room and she couldn't believe who she saw sitting across from Chris and Nicholas, the latter of which held a washcloth to his bloody lip. There sitting on the couch was a friend and member of the team she hadn't seen in almost three years. It was Rico Felix.

"Rico…what are you doing here?"

The black haired mutant stood up and walked over to give Amber a hug.

"Zara contacted me. She said it was urgent, and that you guys needed my help."

"Um, Amber, who is this?" Kail asked standing behind the two girls.

"Everyone, this is Rico Felix, and old member of our group from back when War…Warren was still with us. She is a mutant with the ability to control lightning, but she left to learn to control it better through solitary methods."

"What can I say, it worked." Rico said with a grin. Then the grin vanished and a soft expression fell over her face. "I'm also here to help bury our sister."

The room stayed quiet as the groups thoughts went back to Daniella.

"Sorry, I know it's a hard topic."

"No Rico, you don't need to apologize." Amber replied with a small smile. "I'm sure you're tired from your journey. Come meet the rest of the new team, then we'll take you to your room. Later you can see the professor."

"Thank you. And just so you know. I'm here to help put a stop to Warren." Her tone left no arguments to be made.

"Yes, and I agree, he needs to be stopped. No matter what." Amber replied coldly.

…

Two days later,

S.O.U.L. headquarters,

Warren sat in front of Father reading over a file. A smile adorned his face as he realized what was about to happen.

"This is your plan?"

"Yes, my son, it is. And you are the one who's going to finish it for me."

"So you want to poison the world of humans. Only the chosen will survive."

"Yes. Thanks to this cure the girl synthesized, I was able to isolate the correct sequence to activate the Omega gene sequence of everyone on the planet, turning them into my perfect family. I will lead this world into the future. A future where only the truly exceptional deserve to live."

"And I will be your sword, who strikes down the opposition."

"Yes my son, now you must be ready. Soon it will be up to you to put everything I have worked for into effect. You are the catalyst. Kill those fools and release your destiny."

"Yes Father."

In the shadows, wide eyes saw it all.

…

The funeral was long, or maybe it just seemed that way. Kail watched from his seat, as Daniella's coffin was lowered into the ground. Everyone was there for this. Even Nico, Will, and Dan showed to pay their respects. Kail thought again, no not everyone was there. Chris was right. Daniella's parents hadn't shown up for the funeral. When Sebastian called, they responded by saying that she wasn't their daughter and hung up. Kail couldn't believe the heartlessness of them.

After the funeral Kail went to her room to begin cleaning up her belongings. Everyone else offered to do it, but he turned them down. He felt like it was his job to do. He smiled as he boxed up some of her things, including pictures of them. She had taken them at the beach, and at their spot in the woods. He missed her. His heart ached at the thought of never again seeing her smile, her curly red hair, and her bright green eyes. He would miss the melody of her voice. She was his light, and now he felt like he was in the dark.

Moving passed these thoughts, his eyes were drawn to his jacket that he had left hanging on her closet door handle. He smiled and picked it up. The silence in the room was broken as he heard a clattering sound on the floor. Bending down he found a flash drive. It was Daniella's. He recognized it. Smiling he went to his room and plugged the device into his computer. There was only one file on the device and when he read it, tears came to his eyes.

"You did it, you actually did it Daniella. I'll keep your promise."

…

Thanks for reading guys. I have already begun work on the next chapter so expect it soon, probably next Monday at the latest. I am so happy to have the dedicated readers that I have, even though disappeared the way I did. Not going to happen again. Only two more chapters to go. I can't believe how close it is. Well see you guys later.

Special Thanks to S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phoenix for giving me permission to use Rico Felix.