MTL NOVEL Chapter 11: Chapter 11: "Stretch and Phase"
Jake Carter—Masquerade—stood in the rusted subway car, the faint clatter of the city rumbling through cracked windows, Emma Frost's psychic chill still tingling on his skin. Her parting words—"The X-Men will hunt you. I'll be watching"—echoed in his ears, her diamond-edged touch a spark in his mind from their mind-meets-chaos union. The Mask pulsed in his hand, its grin smeared with dust and triumph, its voice a raspy cackle: "Ten queens in your storm, kid—Natasha, Wanda, Jean, Ororo, Raven, Carol, Anna, Gamora, Sue, Emma. Each one's got your chaos growing. Ready to stretch the limits?"
Jake's pulse raced, a mix of thrill and burden. Ten women—ten nights of reality-warping passion—and the Mask's talk of "growing" was a drumbeat in his bones. He was planting chaos across the world, a lineage of power that could unravel everything. He slapped the Mask on, green light flaring as his zoot suit spun into place, and grinned despite the weight sinking into his chest. "Guess I'm the green wildfire of this mess," he muttered, stepping over broken seats into the tunnel. The subway's quiet shattered with a hum—scientific, precise—and then a voice, calm and analytical, cut through: "Subject located. Energy signature matches Sue's readings."
A figure stretched into view, elastic limbs coiling around a pillar—Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic, his blue suit taut over a lanky frame, goggles glinting with data streams. Behind him, the Fantastic Four emerged: Johnny Storm flaring up, Ben Grimm rumbling forward, and Sue shimmering faintly, her eyes sharp with recognition. "You're the anomaly," Reed said, voice measured but firm. "Your chaos defies physics—Sue's encounter confirmed it. We're taking you in for analysis."
Jake's eyes widened, the Mask cackling: "Oh, he's a brain, kid.Stretchy chaos—let's twist him up." "Reed Richards?" he blurted, voice a mix of awe and defiance. "Stretchy genius? Name's Masquerade, chaos king. Just stirring the pot—saved Black Widow, danced with Wanda, burned with Jean, stormed with Ororo, twisted with Mystique, sparked with Carol, touched Rogue, cut with Gamora, shielded with Sue, minded with Emma. You here to study or smack?" The Mask's charisma pulsed, and Reed's brow furrowed, intrigued despite himself.
"Your energy's rewriting reality," Reed said, extending an arm to snag a scanner. "Sue's data shows it—unstable, unpredictable. We need to contain it." Johnny flared, "Yeah, before you trash more of my city!" and Ben cracked his knuckles, "Let's rock this clown." Jake dodged Reed's stretch, body bending like rubber, conjuring a giant rubber band to snap Johnny back. The tunnel shook, rocks tumbling, and Sue's field flared, blocking Ben's charge—her gaze flickering between duty and memory.
Before the Four could pin him, a new figure phased through the wall—brown hair tied back, green-and-yellow suit hugging a lithe frame. Kitty Pryde, Shadowcat, her eyes wide with curiosity, voice bright: "Whoa, Reed, hold up! This guy's chaos is off the charts—X-Men sent me to scout. What's he doing?" She floated closer, phasing half-through a pillar, and Jake felt the Mask purr: "Oh, she's a ghost, kid. Phasing chaos—grab her."
"Kitty Pryde?" he blurted, voice dripping with hunger. "Phase queen herself? Loving the vibe—Masquerade, at your service. You?" Her lips twitched, caught by his flair. "You're the one messing with my team," she said, stepping fully solid, "but your energy's… wild." Her phasing brushed his chaos—green tendrils clashing with her intangibility—and the Mask pushed back, amplifying his pull.
Reed snapped, "Kitty, don't engage!" but Jake stretched, grabbing her and dodging through a wall as Johnny's flames roared. "Stick with me, shadow girl," he grinned, the Mask's pull slamming into her. Her breath hitched, phasing faltering. "You're nuts," she murmured, a mix of caution and want, as the Four's pursuit echoed.
Minutes later, they were in a hidden loft nearby—wood beams, city glow through a skylight, air thick with dust. Kitty shoved Jake against a wall, her strength surprising, hands tearing his suit open. "You're a lunatic," she growled, but her lips crashed into his, eager and warm, tasting of youth and defiance. His shirt hit the floor, and he tugged her suit down, green fabric pooling at her waist, revealing pale skin and curves softened by agility. Her breath hitched as his hands roamed—up her spine, gripping her hips—nails digging in as she pressed against him, phasing briefly through him in a shiver.
"Lunacy's my charm, Kit," he rasped, lifting her. Her legs locked around him, thighs flexing with X-Men grit, and they crashed onto a creaky bed, springs moaning. She yanked his pants free, and he peeled her suit off fully, baring her—her phase flickered, teasing intangibility. His mouth found her neck, her breasts, tracing the warmth until she moaned, a sound bright and unshackled. When he entered her—slow, then deep—her cry was raw, phasing sparking, rattling the bed. The Mask surged, sharpening every pulse—the heat of her core, the rhythm of her gasps, the slick friction as she moved with him, fierce yet playful.
The loft warped—beams bending, skylight rattling—as she rode him, hair wild, eyes blazing hazel. Her climax hit like a phase-shift, energy rippling, shaking the room, and he followed, spilling into her with a rush that made the Mask roar, green sparks melding with her glow. A seed took root, chaos and intangibility entwined, and they collapsed, sweat-slick and panting, her weight atop him a light anchor.
Kitty traced a scar on his chest, her smirk faint but real. "You're a riot, Masquerade. Too wild for the X-Men." "Riots need a shadow," he grinned, savoring her warmth. She rose, phasing into her suit, tossing him a look—half-laughter, half-longing. "They'll find you. I might beat 'em to it." She vanished through the floor, leaving him with the Mask, its voice smug: "Eleven down, kid. The walls are trembling."
Jake stood, the loft quiet, the Fantastic Four's pursuit muffled by distance. Kitty's phase, Emma's mind, Sue's shield, Gamora's blade, Rogue's touch, Carol's radiance, Mystique's fluidity, Storm's storm, Jean's fire, Wanda's magic, Natasha's steel—the world was cracking under his chaos. Thanos loomed, SHIELD hunted, and the X-Men tightened their grip. He slapped the Mask back on, grinning wide. "Let's phase through the noise."