And now, the finale of Bounty Hunter! ************************************************************************************* EPILOGUE - BOUNTY HUNTER - By steshu (steshu87@home.com) After securing Sabretooth, Kitty rushed over to her fallen teammate, Wolverine. "Wolvie, Wolvie," she exclaimed in a nervous voice. "Speak to me!" "Way to kick ass, doll," he croaked, wincing at the pain he was feeling. "You're hurt bad," she stated, lightly touching the area where Sabretooth had impaled him. "I'll be fine. Healing factor is kicking in. Check on the others," he mumbled, waving a hand in the direction of Psylocke and Radar. "We're fine," Psylocke stated, as the two approached them. "Mystique is down for the count." "We did it, team. Way to go," Kitty replied, rising to her feet. "Radar, how are you doing," she asked, giving a hug to her now rescued teammate. "Other than being a little bloody and dirty," she joked, brushing a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, "I'll be fine." "That's good to hear. I'm going to try to contact Dana up top to advise her of the situation," Kitty stated, reaching for the headset on her utility belt. "We're going to need a cleanup crew to transport these two to jail. Wolverine's going to need a stretcher too, I believe." "Naw, I walked in here," he demanded, trying to push himself up from the floor, "and I'm going to walk outta here." ************** "I think it is finally starting to let up, Major," Special Agent Dana Scully announced to her colleague in the vehicle, Major Lawrence Deal. "Thank goodness," he replied. "I don't think we could have taken much more of it." "I hate to see how much damage there is to the paint job of this vehicle." "Don't worry - the government will pay for it." Their conversation was then interrupted by a crackling noise over Dana's handset. "Shadowcat to Dana, over. Shadowcat to Dana, over." "Cat, that you," Dana said excitedly into the headset. "Sure is, Dana. Mission accomplished. I hope everything is okay up there." "Got a little rough up here, but we survived." "Good to here. Hey, Dana, call in the cavalry. We are going to need transport to take the prisoners home in." "Got it, Cat." "Oh, and Dana, please make sure it's secure. Shadowcat out." "Oh, yes," Dana replied back laughing, "we'll make sure it is definitely secure. Dana out." ************** Two weeks have passed by. A small private ceremony is being held on the grounds of the White House in a secluded area near the Rose Garden. In attendance are Shadowcat, Radar, Wolverine, Psylocke, Agents Scully and Mulder, their superiors, and members of the military branches. All are awaiting the arrival of the President. "Ladies and gentlemen," the chief of staff announces, "the President of the United States." All in attendance rise as the President, dressed in his normal workday business suit, arrives and approaches a podium in front of the assembled audience. "Please, please, be seated. Good afternoon. We are here today to honor some outstanding people who served their countries with pride and with heroism. I am truly honored to meet these heroes." Each person involved in the mission was called up individually to meet the President, and to be presented with an award for their service. General Ford and Major Deal were acknowledged for services rendered in the situation. Agent Scully was presented with a distinguished award for service above her call of duty. As she returned to her seat, she was asked a question by her partner, Agent Mulder. "What did you get," he asked, leaning over to speak to her. "A two grade pay level increase and a bonus week of vacation," she stated factually. "Damn," Mulder said dejectedly. "I knew I shouldn't have gone out there on that search." "Cheer up, partner," Scully smiled as she put her arm around him. "Who else has a partner that has received an award from the President? That makes you even more unique." "Yeah," he said, brightening up. "I guess I am unique, aren't I?" "Finally," the President spoke, "I would like to make my final presentations to the main foursome who operated in this mission. First, I would like to call up Ben Logan. Mister Logan?" Logan walked up to the President, wearing a crisp dress suit, drawing a whisper from Kitty to Kristina. "That is the most clean shaven I have ever seen him, Kris," she whispered. "Makes him more attractive, doesn't it?" "Yes, it does," Kristina smiled, blushing slightly. "Mister Logan," the President continued, "The United States government thanks you for your services to this country. I am proud to present to you the Distinguished Medal Of Service." The President placed the oversized golden medal around Logan's neck, and then shook his hand. "Much obliged, sir," Logan replied. "Next, I would like to call up Miss Betsy Braddock." Betsy walked up to the President, dressed in a dark blue business suit, her long hair done up in a bun on the back of her head. She gave a wink to Logan as they passed each other. "Miss Braddock, the United States government also thanks you for your service to this country. I am proud to present to you the Distinguished Medal Of Service." The President placed the medal around her neck and shook her hand, giving her a warm smile. "Next, will Miss Kristina Abernathy come up here please?" Kristina rose from her chair, buttoning the cream colored blazer she wore over her blouse and mid-length skirt. Kitty flashed her a thumbs-up sign as she passed, smiling admiringly at her teammate. "Miss Abernathy, it has come to my attention that you have been a loyal employee of the United States government for several years," the President stated, "serving as a translator for the Defense Department, and then as the representative between my staff and Miss Pryde. Your acceptance of this mission into the field was indeed an outstanding service to your country and your fellow citizens. It is a great honor to present to you today the Medal Of Honor, one of our country's highest medals. Miss Abernathy, for the country in whole, thank you very much." The President placed the medal around Kristina's neck, and gave her a hug before shaking her hand. Kristina walked off the platform, her face a bright, but proud, red. "Finally, I would like the leader of this team to come forward. Miss Katherine Pryde, please come forward." Kitty rose from her seat, proudly stepping forward to the podium dressed in a light blue turtleneck and dark pants, her chestnut hair cascading down her back. "Kitty, having known you for several years now, I'm not surprised at how this mission turned out," the President stated, smiling at her. "You are a woman of integrity, honesty, and of distinction. I, for one, am thankful to have you as a friend. For serving your country, I also present to you the Medal Of Honor. The country thanks you, I thank you." The President put the medal around her neck, hugging her after doing so. The President then said a few words to her, with Kitty nodding in agreement. "I wonder what they are talking about," Kristina said, leaning over to Psylocke next to her. "Ladies and gentlemen," the President spoke, "before we end the ceremony today, I have an announcement to make. Earlier today, Miss Pryde and I talked in private. I have asked her to undertake a position that would benefit not only citizens of this country, but citizens throughout the world. Miss Pryde," he said, turning to her, "if you would please." "Thank you, Mister President," she stated, taking the podium. "As some of you already know, I have been serving the government on an as-needed basis. The President has requested that with the state of affairs in the world today, that my services are now needed on a daily basis. Therefore, we have instituted a new section in the Defense Department to be known as S.M.A.R.T., or Superior Mutant Advanced Response Team. This will be a department that will respond to any crisis where assistance is needed, be it mutant or non-mutant related, in the world. I will lead this department on their missions. I have advised the President that I will be needing a second in command to assist me in this position. Therefore, will Kristina please come back up here." Kristina looked up in shock at her friend. "Me?" she mouthed, as she approached Kitty at the podium. "Kristina, I believe that you proved yourself on this past mission to be a solid model for this position. Therefore, I am offering this position to you. The details of the position will be explained at a later time, but I feel you are the one for it. Will you accept it?" Kristina glanced into the audience at Psylocke and Wolverine, who both nodded their heads in agreement. "Go for it, Kris," Logan shouted. She looked back over at Kitty, a smile breaking out across her face. "Yes, I gladly accept the position," she stated, trying her best to contain her excitement. "Thank you, Kris," Kitty smiled at her, giving her a hug. "The two of us will make an excellent team." "Good luck to you two," the President stated, shaking hands with both of them. "Your service and dedication to this country is greatly admired. It makes me proud to be an American. Thank you very much for attending everyone." **************** Meanwhile, over a thousand miles away in an old missile base in Kansas, two of the world's most dangerous mutants sat jailed in separate containment cells a few hundred feet below the Kansas farmland. Each cell was encased in six feet of solid steel, and the occupant of each cell were isolated from any physical human contact. On this day, the prisoners quietly awaited their only meal of the day. "Lunch call," came a rough voice over the intercom in Sabretooth's cell. His hands were encased in solid steel gloves, preventing the usage of his claws on anything. He could hear the door open on the shelf outside his cell, where his food would be placed. After the door closed, it was moved by a conveyor belt to a door on his side. Pulling the door open, he looked at what food was being served to him on that day. "Hamburger and fries today, huh," he grumbled, looking at the burnt meat on the slightly moldy bun. "Same damn meal every day. Hey, what's this," he questioned, taking notice of a little brown object stuck in between two of the fries on the plate. He pulled the object out, revealing a small piece of paper with some writing on it. After a short pause, he started to chuckle, then let out a deep laugh as he put the paper into his mouth, chewing it up and swallowing it down. A few hundred feet away, the same type of meal was being delivered to the occupant in that cell, Mystique. "This crap again," she scoffed, pushing the tray of food off to the side with her good hand, her other hand and arm wrapped in a cast. However, something unusual caught her eye. She dragged the tray of food back towards her, her restraint bracelet dragging on the table. Reaching into the plate of fries, she pulled out an object similar to what Sabretooth received. Unfolding it, she mouthed the words to herself. "Your freedom will come soon. Trust me. Sinister." She cackled at the thought, disposing of the note with a handful of fries at the same time. Strolling back to the elevator that would carry him back to the top of the base, the person who had delivered their food pushed the button to go up. As the doors opened, he stepped in, pushing the cart he had brought the food down with in also. Turning around, and with the doors closing, the glare from his eyes intensified in redness from the joyfulness he had brought to the people below. One thought went through his mind. "Sinister, isn't it?" THE END ... FOR NOW. *********************************************************************** This concludes the Bounty Hunter fan fiction story. I would like to thank you, the viewing audience for taking the time to read my first effort at a fan fiction story. I also like to thank Luba Kmetyk for all of her time and effort in operating this web site. With encouragement from Luba and people like you, you help shape how we view our world of imagination. Stay tuned for further adventures starring the team of Katherine "Kitty" Pryde, aka Shadowcat, and Kristina Abernathy, aka Radar, in future stories to come. If you wish to share any comments, or have any questions, please feel free to contact me at steshu87@home.com. Thanks again! Steshu.