Author's Note:
The following is a series of stories that chronicles the life of Matthew and Thomas Macarthur, two characters of the author's own creation. They are mutants living in the world of the X-Men.
This is the second of a series of volumes which are divided according to major events in the main characters' lives.
The universe in which this takes place is that of the movies X-Men, X2: X-Men United, and X3: The Last Stand. The story begins about 15 years prior to the movies and progresses up to and beyond the movies. The author has chosen to ignore movies made after X3 either because he was unwilling to modify the story as it already existed in his head or wanted to use characters from those movies in different ways.
This volume will contain more familiar X-Men characters then the previous volume, and more will come in following volumes.
Metal Twins
Volume 2: Into a Larger World
Heat (seven years prior to X:Men)
U.S. Marshall Richard Sten entered his apartment in Jacksonville, Florida. He had been living there for less than a month. He was working at the Marshall's regional headquarters there. Despite still getting use to the new setting, he had become adjusted enough to know when someone was in his apartment.
He took his gun out of his holster inside his jacket as though to put it away, but instead he kept it in his hand, as he entered his living room.
"Easy, there is no need for that."
"Just my way of expressing that this form of communication is beginning to annoy me." Sten sat down across from his uninvited guest, a man sitting in his favorite chair. I think I should booby-trap that chair. That would teach 'em. "It's my apartment. If I wish to sit with a gun in my lap, then I may. Why are you here?"
"To let you know, that there was a confirmed sighting of our targets in Miami."
"Interesting. I will need more than that to start an investigation. And if I magically come up with information of formerly unseen fugitives, even the Marshalls will get suspicious."
"No more information is necessary. The boss is already moving things on his end. But you ought to watch the reports from the Miami Dade Police Department. Take note of any mutant activity. You know what to look for."
"I will. I ought to say it was a pleasure having you over, but that would be a lie."
The man got up and began to leave. As he was about go through the door he turned around. "You know the importance that the boss puts on these two boys. There will be much reward for you if you aid him in this task."
"Good night to you too. Now leave before the night is no longer good." The man left, and Sten unloaded his gun. As he did so, he wondered what these two little boys from Chicago had done to merit all this attention.
Miami was growing on Thomas Macarthur. It had been ten months since they had left Detroit. Florida had been Thomas' idea. He choose it primarily for its distance from the Great Lakes region. He also desired warmer temperatures. They had come in the early spring which was pleasant, but the heat of summer was nearly unbearable. Now it was nearing winter and Thomas was quite happy with the change.
Thomas had just bought a load of groceries from a small market, and was heading back to the apartment. When he got to the apartment he coated his forehead with a thin layer of metal and gently pounded on the door with his head.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Matthew. Open up."
"I know you didn't lose your key."
"My arms are full."
The door opened, and a large 6'3" eighteen year-old man was standing in the doorway. Other than being a bit thicker in his muscular build this man looked almost exactly like Thomas. "Sorry, Alloy, I didn't realize that you needed a hand."
"No worries, Metalloy," Thomas said. The twin brothers only used their code names in private or in dangerous conditions.
"Thomas, you're back," said an excited blond woman. This was Lily, Matthew's girlfriend. She immediately came up to Thomas. "Did you find everything on the list?" She attempted to poke her head into the brown paper bags Thomas was holding, but he was too tall.
Thomas set the bags on the dining room table, and Lily dove in. "Yeah, I found everything. That was a long list. Do all those ingredients really help?" Thomas was only joking. The chief benefit that he got from Lily staying with them was her cooking. It was superb.
"Oh, yes."
One thing that wasn't on the list was herbs and small vegetables. Lily had a number of pots with soil where she grew many things. Lily was a mutant who was able to literally control plant life. She could instantly grow plants. She also could modify plants. Sometimes she would cook with an herb that she had engineered herself. Matthew and Thomas were her guinea pigs. They were willing to endure her occasional failures, because the vast majority of the time the food was excellent.
Matthew walked up to Lily. "Can I help you tonight?"
"Of course."
Matthew and Lily exchanged a kiss. Thomas looked away. He had long accepted and even encouraged Matthew having a girlfriend, but it was still awkward being around it. Even though Lily got her own room while he and Matthew shared the other one, the two love birds could be at times very affectionate.
"I will be in my room," said Thomas. Matthew and Lily acknowledged his departure and then began working on supper.
Thomas entered his small room and flopped on the bed. The twin bed was the only one they had, so the brothers took turns sleeping on the floor, switching every week. Thomas turned on the small TV in their room and desperately searched for something to watch.
Supper came and evening followed, and eventually all went to bed. Thomas was laying on the floor and about to fall asleep when he noticed that Matthew hadn't moved. He always moves in his sleep. What's on his mind?
"Metalloy, you asleep?"
"No."
"Something in the food keeping you up?"
"No."
"Come on, buddy, I know when something is bothering my brother."
Matthew sighed. "It this fair to her?"
"Is what fair?"
"You know what I mean, Alloy." And Thomas knew exactly what he meant. "Is it fair for me to drag Lily along with us? If the cops find us again, then we will have to run again."
"Lily knows that. She is coming with us on her own will. She comes because she wants to be with you. She is not a fugitive like us. She could leave any time she wants."
"Exactly, she can leave whenever. I can't help but feel that it might be wrong of me to ask her to stay permanently."
Thomas suddenly realized what was on his brother's mind. He paused for a while. And then he finally spoke. "That decision lies with her. If you want my advice, wait for a while longer, and then ask."
"Thanks, Alloy."
The next day none of the three were scheduled to work, so they went out together to a street market in one of the Cuban neighborhoods. Matthew was feeling better after his talk with Thomas the night before. Who would have thought Alloy had such good advice.
But as they were walking Matthew noticed a change in the people. A mother grabbed her child. Other people were slowly entering stores. Some were moving behind objects. Something is going on. A glance at Lily told Matthew that she was oblivious to the change, but another glance told him that Thomas was fully tuned into the developments.
"Honey, I think I forgot my wallet. Let's go back and get it."
"But I saw you…" Matthew squeezed Lily's hand, and he felt her tense up as she realized what he was really saying.
They turned around to leave the neighborhood only to find that Thomas was already staring down a group of men that had come up behind them. Another group of men came to cut them off from the other side. Over all there were at least twenty men. Some had guns in their waist bands, but all were carrying a variety of hand weapons. That's a lot of guys! Matthew wasn't concerned about himself or for Thomas, but for Lily.
The leader spoke threateningly in Spanish. Matthew faced him and merely responded, "Hablar Inglés, por favor."
"You have money, no?"
"Very little. And this is a lot of people for a robbery."
"These are my friends, they go wherever I do."
"I have thirty dollars and some change. If I give you that will you let us be?"
"That's barely a dollar apiece. What do you think, boys?" There was a general grumbling from the crowd along with a few shouts in Spanish. "Well, if we can't get more, then I guess we will just have to beat it out of you." The gang began to close it.
"Lily, stay between us. Alloy, stay close to home."
"Got it."
Matthew put up his hands in a fighting position. The leader suddenly charged with a crowbar raised over his head. He brought the crowbar on to Matthew, but Matthew raised his arm to block it. The crowbar hit his arm with a metal on metal clang. The gang leader's eyes widen as he looked upon Matthew's metal coated arm.
"Now you know there is a little more to us than meets the eye. Leave now, and we can all forget that this happened."
The gang leader was in doubt. But he must have still been confident in his numbers. "Bring down the mutants!"
Matthew didn't wait for the gang to come. He grabbed the crowbar and pulled. The leader foolishly hung on to it and allowed himself to be pulled in. At the same time Matthew gave him a fist to the face.
Then other gang members were on him. One swung a metal baseball bat. Matthew caught it in a metal coated hand and then kicked the man in the face. The next man tried to stab him in the back, but Matthew's secondary mutant ability alerted him to his danger. He twisted away from stab and grabbed the man by each arm so he couldn't defend himself. Lily swung her heavy purse right on top of his head.
Then two men jumped Matthew at the same time and pulled him down. He out wrestled them, breaking one man's arm and giving the other a bloody nose. There's too many of them. Time to upgrade.
Matthew formed a solid metal tube in his closed hand and then kept adding metal to center extending the tube until it was a full length quarter staff. Producing a weapon in an almost magical fashion surprised his opponents, but they nonetheless charged. But Matthew had practiced quite a bit with this weapon in marital arts classes in which he had earned a black belt. He used the full advantage of the staff's long reach to keep the gang members from tackling him again and to keep them away from Lily. If Matthew's opponent hand a short weapon, like a switch blade, or broken glass bottle, Matthew would ignore the weapon and aim for their face. If they had a longer weapon, like a crowbar or baseball bat, he would block and redirect their blow then attack.
Matthew knew it wouldn't take long for them to give up and use their guns. I have to get Lily out of here before the bullets fly. Just as he thought about this he saw the gang leader pull his gun out of his waist band.
Then the ground broke apart, and various plants grew out of the cracks. Some of these plants reached and grabbed the legs of the gang member, who screamed in Spanish and tried to cut the plants. The gang leader fired shots at Matthew who blocked them with his metal arms. But the leader's legs were already covered in vines. He started screaming at his men.
"I think it is time to go," said Lily.
"I think so too. Alloy can you lead us out of here?"
"Sure thing, Metalloy."
The three moved like a slow unit. Thomas lead in front, Matthew walked in the rear, watching the gang the whole time. Lily was between the two brothers. Matthew got a good view of the market as he left. It was overgrown with plants. Finally he could see no more gang members. "Okay, go."
The turned and ran down a couple of streets until they were blocks away. Then they calmly boarded a bus. Just as the bus was leaving, cops flew by with their sirens on.
Matthew took a deep breath and then turned to Lily. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
"That was some display back there. I didn't know you could do all that."
"Neither did I."
When they got back to their apartment Matthew and Lily collapsed on the couch, and Thomas sat in one of the other chairs. All three of them sat in silence for a while until Lily finally spoke up. "What happened?"
"That certainly was no robbery," said Thomas. "They clearly targeted us."
"Why?" asked Lily, looking first at Thomas. When he gave no answered she turned to Matthew.
"I have no idea," was all that Matthew could say. Then there was another long silence. This time it was Thomas that broke the silence.
"We are going to have to leave here."
"Leave?" Lily felt her gut drop. She had grown to like it here.
"Leave," said Matthew. "We drew far too much attention to ourselves today by displaying our mutant abilities. The police will be searching for us."
"They don't know who we are," Lily said, begging for a chance to stay.
"They don't need to know," answered Thomas. "All they need to know is that there are dangerous mutants in Miami. They will hunt us."
Lily bowed her head. "I don't suppose there is a chance we could remain here and not be noticed."
"There is a chance, but not a chance I am willing to take," said Matthew.
A chance he's not willing to take? He's talking about me. Lily looked at Matthew and saw a sadness in his face. He's sad to leave too. No, he's sad that I have to leave. Then suddenly Lily realized what she had to do. She stood up, "Okay, then. We pack up what we can, and we leave." Then she began to pack. This is what I signed up for, and I am not going to bail out at the first inconvenience.
Thomas went to pack of his things, but Matthew came up to Lily. "Are you sure you are alright with this?"
"I am not happy about it. But I am still sure that I want to run with you, just like I said back in Detroit." She turned and kissed him on the check. Matthew looked her in the eye, and Lily could see in the smile came to his face his appreciation. These boys do so much for me. At least I can bear their trials with them.
