TITLE: finding laura: the danger zone
STARRING: Hellion/X-23
UNIVERSE: 616, post-WatXM #1 and pre-X-23 #17
RATING: Teen...ish?
SUMMARY: My version of what happens next in Laura's self exploratory journey.
chapter I. choice
Staring at the ceiling, Laura wonders if she's made the right choice.
She's lying on her mattress, arms folded beneath her head, eyes fixed firmly on the bumpy texture of the plaster above. In a room surprisingly similar to one she had inhabited almost two years ago; even in the same location.
Westchester. Xavier's school for the Gifted; except now it has a new name: the Jean Grey school for Higher Learning.
What am I doing here?
Laura blinks. She knows the outline for her activities; she is a student again. She will attend classes with the others, to obtain a 'normal' education, like her human counterparts of a similar age. These classes are technically a higher level; now she will be earning something called 'credits'. Credit for what, she isn't quite certain.
She thinks of her experiences over the course of the last year, being on her own. The things she had learned about herself and the world. The idea of self she'd begun to define, finally; the thought of being a machine slowly fading as she starts to have her own ideas and opinions.
And feelings, yes. Laura not only understands what emotions are now; but she acknowledges that she has them. Perhaps more muted than others, yes, but there nonetheless; and enough so that they sometimes affect her actions. She has learned the concepts of mercy, of kindness, of self-control.
Logan had spent over three hours convincing her that this was the next step in her personal quest to find her identity. He'd called her up one day—after she had woken up from her week-long coma following the Captain Universe business—and had demanded that they meet in New York for sundaes. Sitting in an ice cream parlor, her former mentor and adopted father regarded her over the table and had told her that she had grown. Not in size, or weight, but inside. He told her that she now needed to apply that growth in a real-life setting, with other children her own age.
Instantly, Laura had protested. She didn't want to be with the other students again. They thought her nothing more than a killer, a creepy death machine. She had been on X-force, and now she'll never be one of them.
Logan had told her—gruffly—that this was exactly why she needed to come back. Showing the others her transformation will be the final step, the completion, the erasure of all the damage the Facility had rendered to her over the years. Then he had paused, and told her that there were a couple of students that missed her "somethin' powerful".
Laura could hazard a guess as to whom he was speaking of.
She had taken her time to decide; two weeks, in fact, to respond to Logan's offer. And then finally, one night as she sat on a rooftop, she suddenly decided that she would take a chance. Nothing would bind her to this new school; she knows now that she can make her own way in life. She is independent. It will be different than before.
Now, lying on her new bed, Laura thinks of the day of classes coming up. She'd arrived late last night, by way of the Harley she'd purchased for the purpose. The only person she'd really spoken to so far is Logan, who had greeted her last night with a look of immense relief, and a big hug.
He has changed. Now he wears a suit every day, and grooms his hair; he seems very concerned about the welfare of the school, and enthusiastic about its programs. This is a much different Logan from the one that had led her on the bloody pursuits of X-force only a year ago. She thinks the change might be for the better, as he seems happier.
And then she marvels that she can understand what 'happier' means, and that she can define what has caused this state of emotion.
Her eyes drift over to the other bed, which is now empty, but a few minutes ago was occupied by her roommate, Cessily. The girl had been quite happy to see her friend has returned, making loud exclamations and jumping up and down. Whereas before this might have startled and confused Laura, now she simply smiled and returned the girl's embrace, feeling the same positive emotion: happiness at seeing an old friend.
She hears the shower stop, and sits up in bed. In an hour, she needs to be in her first class, and it's time to start preparing.
XXX
Laura pulls at the contraption around her neck, making a face at the uncomfortable feeling against her throat. Earlier, Cessily had helped her tie it.
"Are these really necessary?" she asks, for the third time.
"Mr. Logan wants us to be a real school," Cessily explains patiently. "He thinks the uniforms will give us a more…well…uniform…appearance. A sense of spirit." She pauses. "I kinda like them. And he was so…well…enthusiastic about them. I've never seen him so interested in us kids, so…"
Laura thinks about this. She considers the notion: people will do unpleasant things to make others happy. Has she done this herself? She thinks of some of her own personal sacrifices, and decides that she has.
"I suppose," she says.
"Do you have the class schedule, Laura? I totally messed up and left it in the room."
Dutifully, Laura pulls a sheet of cardstock out of her binder. "We have Psychology 101 first, taught by Rachel Grey. In room 15B." She pauses. "I remember Rachel."
"You know her?" Cessily asks, surprised.
"Yes. She used to be my roommate."
"Wow, easy grade for you then!" The other girl pats her shoulder, and Laura stiffens. Cessily frowns and is about to comment, but just then, someone calls her name, over the general chatter around them.
"Cess!"
"Oh-oh," she says automatically, glancing with wide eyes at Laura, and then at the boy approaching them. She grimaces.
"What's wrong?" Julian asks, then his gaze falls on her companion. He stops in his tracks, his expression hardening.
"Hey," Cessily says, still wincing. She'd forgotten that this would be coming.
"Why's she back?" he asks, his voice cold.
Laura remembers the circumstances under which she'd left Utopia, and realizes that the he is probably scared and angry at her; something Logan had conveniently forgotten to mention. She opens her mouth, uncertain of what to say to make the situation better.
"Look, I don't want to talk to you," he says. "Cess, do you want to sit together for this class?"
"What—your taking psych too?"
"Yeah, of course. It's a general requirement."
"Awesome! We can all sit together then."
"Forget it. I'm not sitting with her." He shoots a glare at the other girl. "I don't sit with attempted murderers, you see."
"Way to not be a hypocrite. God, Julian…" Cessily rubs her temples. "His logic gives me a headache sometimes."
Laura returns his vicious look with raised eyebrows. She wants to ask him why Mercury would say this, but it is obvious he does not want any contact with her.
"Just stay the hell away from me, clone!" he snaps.
"My name is Laura." The words come out before she realizes she is speaking, and all three pause in amazement. She's never argued against the names other students have called her before. Before, she'd agree with their general attitude toward her, and assume that whatever they called her was an accurate description. Now, however…she knows this is wrong.
"Whatever," Julian decides. "See you around, Cess. Come find me when you stop being an accomplice to a criminal."
"Holy double standards!" Cessily fumes, then takes Laura by the arm and leads her down the hallway, mumbling under her breath. "I'm sorry, Laura. He's been such a genuine douchebaglately…I don't know what's wrong with him. I mean, yeah it sucked when he got hurt…but he's acting like a five year old! He started hanging out with that Glob Hermann guy—he's so lame—and spends his afternoons picking on the other kids here…he beat up a fourteen-year-old last week…and we haven't even been open that long yet!"
Laura frowns slightly, but says nothing. She wonders if his anger toward her has anything to do with what seems to his general state of bitterness.
"There's us!" Cessily says, interrupting her thoughts.
XXX
At the end of the class, Laura pauses. "Just a moment," she tells Cessily, then heads toward the podium at which their teacher is putting away her notes.
"Rachel," she says.
The woman—not too much older than herself—looks up, surprised at hearing her first name from a student. Then her eyes widen. "X!"
"It has been a while," Laura says, smiling.
"So it has." Rachel pauses. "How have you been?"
"…" Laura takes a moment, trying to think of a way to summarize her adventures; the other woman senses this, and grins. "It's okay…I know exactly what that's like. I can't even start describing to you how crazy the past few years have been. Luckily, I'm used to crazy."
"As am I." The girl tilts her head. "Is Kitty also here at the school?"
"She's the headmistress!" Rachel says.
Laura raises her eyebrows in surprise. "I did not expect that."
"Me neither. I was expecting Wolverine to get someone like Storm or something….man, I still can't believe she stayed. This is where it's at." She smiles, then her eyes catch the clock on the wall. "Crap…I have to go, kid. I have a Danger Room session to supervise. But we should catch up sometime."
"Perhaps when I finish your course," Laura suggests.
"Well yeah, there's that too."
The two smile, and then the girl heads over to where Cessily is waiting. "I am ready to go now," she says.
"Okay, I think we have a free period, and then we have English. Then it's Calculus…ugh. I hate math."
"I like it." Laura shrugs slightly. "Math is easy to understand."
"That's where you and me differ," Cessily says. She grins and takes Laura's arm; the pair head toward the cafeteria, talking about what each has been doing in their time apart.
XXX
"…stop, please!"
Laura frowns, and pauses in her tracks. She's heading down a relatively deserted corridor, toward her room, after a quick meeting with Logan confirming her class choices. She turns around, cocking her ear and listening; after a few moments, she is certain that the sounds are coming from another passage, approximately three hallways away.
She begins to move toward the source of the noise. The person doing the pleading is male, although his voice is high pitched. There is a loud thud,followed by sounds of a struggle. She can hear two other people moving around, from their footsteps, and breathing.
"We should totally take him to the washroom," a deep, distorted voice says. "Show him what you do with a turd, right?"
"We did that last week." Julian's voice. "And he's stillhere! Have to teach him a more lasting lesson. I say hanging him off the school's lightning rod should make the message a little clearer."
"Oho!"
Laura rounds the corner, and sees that the two are leaning over someone half their size, a small mutant that resembles an alien. Julian's accomplice is, indeed, Glob Hermann; a big, pink, see-through boy made of organic paraffin wax.
"Stop it!" She shouts, as Julian's eyes glow green, to back up his threat. He does just that, his head jerking to the side, surprise evident in his expression.
"Uh—" he says.
Laura's eyes narrow. "Your attempts to be the dominant males at this school would be more impressive if your target was larger," she says, in a scathing manner.
"You sayin' you'd be a better target?" Glob Hermann demands.
"No." Julian holds up his hand. "She's off-limits."
"What? Ain't no body off limits!" The other boy turns his floating eyes toward his companion. "Oooh, wait…is this the Wolverine clone you keep talkin' about?"
"Shut up." Julian folds his arms. "You're not welcome here, clone. This school isn't a place for murderers. It's a place for regular kids, like us. And not you. I know just because Wolverine's running the show you think that you can get away with anything,but that isn't true. I'm going to be keeping my eye on you, got it?"
"I am not the one causing disturbances in the hallway."
For a moment, he reddens, and she sees uncertainty in his expression. The same kind of uncertain, hesitant way that he'd regarded her with in times past.
"Yeah, well…I'm still going to be monitoring you. Don't think I've forgotten how dangerous you can be."
"We are all 'dangerous', so this would be a waste of time on your part." Laura turns to the boy that the others had been hurting. "You should go."
"Thank you," he says calmly.
"What the—I didn't say he's free!" Julian protests.
She glares at him, and says nothing; he also falls silent, not feeling like pressing the matter. Glob Hermann looks between the two of them.
"Should I go?" he asks.
"No." Julian says, at the same time as Laura replies with "Yes".
"Later man."
"I said—" the remaining boy protests, as Glob Hermann turns the corner of the hallway, leaving him alone with the girl. He looks at her again, his anger evident. "Stop interfering with my life! I hate you!" he explodes.
"No, you do not." Laura pauses. "You are angry that you cannot control the events in your past, so you try to establish yourself as being in control of someone else. I have seen this before." She is thinking of Kimura. "The target is always smaller and weaker, so that there is no chance of reciprocal."
"Don't try to analyze me." Julian's lips curl downward. "Last time I saw you, I got stabbed…and then you just left."
He has just confirmed her suspicions. "Yes. I am sorry. I needed to—"
"Oh, 'find yourself'? Everyone kept telling me that. What a load of complete and utter bullshit,Laura. You don't just leave your friends like that. Especially not after—"
"Your hands." She pauses, and then makes a connection. "You have hands again," she comments, realizing there are metal fingers poking out of the sleeves of his uniform.
"If you'd have been here, you'd know all about that. But you weren't." He makes fists with his hands. "I've never understood how people could be so disloyal. It makes me not even want to bother making friends anymore."
"You are wrong," she says. "It is always worth the effort." Her voice is firm, and surprisingly he doesn't argue. His eyes flicker downward.
"I've got work to do…I'm going to go now." He pauses. "Don't bother following me, clone. I have absolutely zero interest in you."
Julian heads down the corridor, leaving her to ponder what has just occurred.
XXX
"I need your help already!" Cessily bursts, abandoning a sheet of paper and bounding out her chair when Laura re-enters their shared room. Then she sees her friend's troubled expression. "What happened?"
"I found Julian and his friend in the act of bullying a student." Laura sits down on the edge of her bed. "When I interfered, he was angry. He accused me of being a bad friend."
"Oh." Cessily pauses. "You know he's just hurt, right?"
"Why is he hurt?"
Her friend sighs. "Julian probably feels left out. I think he would have gone with you, if you would have asked him to."
Laura blinks. "His life would have been in danger," she says. "I needed to find out some things, and the information was not easy to get."
Cessily hesitates. "For X-force, you mean?" She looks slightly nervous.
"No. I am not a part of X-force anymore." Laura gives the girl a firm look. "My goal was to discover more about past missions the Facility had sent me on, amongst other parts of my past. I needed to find out more about the people who made me."
"Oh. I get it." The other girl nods. She knows a little bit about the facility, having been held captive there herself, once. "Did you tell Julian that?"
"No. He would not understand." Laura looks down, feeling frustration. "He is very…stubborn. When he takes a viewpoint, he refuses to abandon it."
"You're stubborn, too," Cessily comments. "But more often than not, you're smart about what you choose to use that on. Julian's just bad at picking causes."
"Perhaps." Laura hesitates. "Do you think that he…missed me?"
"I dunno." The other girl grins. "That information depends on whether you're finally going to admit that you like him."
"I have always said that I like him." Laura brushes hair behind her ear.
"I'm pretty sure you know what I mean." Cessily's eyes narrow. "You don't seem confused about any other couples. I caught you smiling the other day when you saw Dr. McCoy hugging Agent Brand."
"I—fine." Laura flushes slightly. "Yes, I am…interested…in him. I do not understand why, or think that I should do anything about it."
"Why not?" Cessily demands. "You two are a perfect match. Why do you think he's being such a jerk right now?"
"Because he is frightened by the lack of control in his life."
"No, because he isn't getting any!" The other girl grins. "I know him…and he's been mooning after you for a long while now. It's high time you two get together."
"But he told me that he has no interest in me." Laura leans back. "Even if he was not telling the truth, I do not think he wants to act on it. And I am not certain I want to, either." She pauses. "Julian is impatient, and rash. He is often unnecessarily rude, and causes discomfort to others in social situations. He also—"
"Has a heart of gold, and he'll kill himself sticking up for you." Cessily smiles. "Kind of like someone who happens to be talking to me. Don't fight it, trust me. Just let it happen."
Laura hesitates. "I don't know how to do that," she admits.
"I'll help you," Cessily offers. "I know plenty about dating. I used to do it lots, before I, well, y'know, turned into a puddle of metal. Now, not so much…but I can certainly help you. And it's going to be super easy too. You've had Julian hanging on for so long that he's like an overripe fruit. You just need to reach out and pluck him."
Both girls pause, and Laura raises her eyebrows.
"What kind of fruit?" she asks.
"I would have classified him as an apple before…a red delicious apple," Cessily says. Her nose wrinkles. "I'd call him more of a grapefruit now, though. I hope you like sour."
"I enjoy spicy, strong-tasting foods," Laura says. "After years of eating nutritional paste at the facility, I like variety."
"Well, he's certainly not boring," the other girl comments. "He has more moodswings than a girl with PMS."
"PMS?"
"You know, that horrible week before the curse."
Laura raises her eyebrows. "Do you mean menses?"
"I think so…" Cessily pauses. "Yup."
"I occasionally experience mild irritation," the dark-haired girl imparts. "The biggest change is in my sense of smell. It becomes even sharper."
"I'm so jealous," her friend says. "I have horrible PMS. I get so bitchy…and I don't even bleed anymore, I just get all the bad symptoms!"
Laura gives her a sympathetic smile.
The two girls continue talking through the afternoon, Cessily's homework forgotten.