Disclaimer: Everybody but Cole-Alexander, Jon and Amanda belong to Marvel. The plots i don't conceive are theirs...yada yada yada. Sue me and i'll sick rabid 2yr olds on you.

                    The Dream Malfunctions: Revenge Pt 1

                                by Brutal

     Jonothon Caleb Devue rubbed his eyes wearily. He yawned,  stretching out in the uncomfortably chair before returning to his slouched position in front of the computer terminal. He began his nightly ritual, scanning, scrolling, inputting information and  piecing together what he could. He had a few facts that might lead  him where he wanted to go...and he was patient.

     A cool hand ran across the back of his neck and Jon smiled  weakly up at his wife, Amanda. Something about her face...he pulled her neatly into his lap and buried his head in her light blond hair. His arms hugged her tightly.

     "Any luck?" she asked softly and he shook his head. "You'll find them, Jon."

     "Yeah," he sighed. "Patience is a virtue right?" A harsh laugh came out, sounding more bitter than anything she'd ever heard. Amanda stroked his long brown-blond hair.

     "Jon...you WILL find them. I know how goddamn stubborn you are." She reached down and lifted his chin until his heartbroken blue eyes were level with hers. "What I'm worried about is what'll happen when you do. I love you, Jon. More than anything else on earth, but I also know you. How far will you go to get revenge? I  don't want to lose you to an obsession anymore than I already have."

    He turned his face back to the computer screen, angry now, but not at her. "Amanda, they fucking KILLED Cole-Alexander! Kill him!! They broke him apart...and I wasn't there to help him." He looked back at his wife, his eyes fierce. "I wasn't there, Amanda! Do you have any fucking clue what that does to me? Knowing that my brother died and I wasn't there to save him?" He pushed her roughly off his lap and stood up. Amanda stared up at him sadly. "Besides, I've got the name of someone who might be able to help me." 

    "I'm not going to try and stop you, Jon. I know what it means to you, but..." she trailed off, knowing that nothing she could say would make any difference. "Just come home when you're done, Jon."

    Jon looked down at his kneeling wife for a minute, wanting so badly just to take her in his arms and forget this whole idea of bloodshed, but he had a duty. The people or person who killed his twin HAD to die. He couldn't let Cole-Alexander down, not again. He briefly put his hand on her head, then walked out.

     "I love you," Amanda said, but she was talking to a tightly shut door. Only this one, it seemed, had no way to open.

     Jon shivered in the New York chill and check his watch again. The man he was to talk to, the supposed witness, was going to meet him at four. He'd waited five years for a lead, another few minutes couldn't hurt. That didn't stop him from pacing in front of the dark warehouse. Seconds dragged by like hours and Jon couldn't help but picture his brother in the last way he's seen him. Sprawled in an alley, covered in blood with bone sticking through his skin. He'd gotten his first and only clue so far, besides the obvious explosion that caused the whole mess, there. A single long blue hair.

     "Jon Devue?" a guttural voice addressed him. He turned, cursing himself for not paying attention...and looked up.

     The speaker towered over the 6'3" Jon and was covered in thick tan-ish fur. His face was bestial and long, curved claws tipped his fingers, promising brutality and pain. Jon's body tightened defensively.

     The man-beast barked out a laugh. "I'm not here to hurt ya, boy. Just to tell ya what I was told to."

    "Who killed my brother. That's what the guy on the phone said." Jon's fists clenched and unclenched as new rages swept through him. The tall mutant seemed to approve, for he grinned with huge teeth.

     "Yep. Course, there's a price fer everythin'."

     "Name it."

     "Nothin big, just my boss does ya a favor now, ya do him one later. No questions asked."

    Jon nodded and the monster proceeded to enlighten him. The rage inside the remaining twin finally had a target.

    The X-Men.