The "Big Mutant On Campus" Series
By David D. Amaya
Part four "The BMOC"
Chapter 1
Disclaimer: As always; the first step of the journey.
Much thanks go out to Christy – Flare who has ended up accepting the position as Beta Reader 1st Class! So if you notice this series improving, that is all her effort!
Thanks!
"Howdy, this is the Lazy Q, the place for you."
"Good afternoon, Maverick. Let me speak to the boss, if you please."
"Yes, sir, Mr. Nichols, sir." Damn Yankee tenderfoot! "Boss," The young Texan called out on the intercom. "It's Mr. Nichols."
"Put him through, Maverick," Charlie Block, the owner-operator of the Lazy Q Dude Ranch picked up the telephone to speak with the best partner an ex-Secret Service Agent has known. "Welcome back, Lariat, or is that Special Agent Professor Nichols?"
"Good afternoon, Charlie. So what was so hectic you hung up on me this afternoon?"
"Well, first there were three flight delays that forced us to relocate some guests. Then we found out that they oversold the tickets to the UTEP basketball tournament, again, so that left us with 50 pissed-off Wichita State fans that got left out in the cold."
"I guess no one has told you retirement is supposed to be relaxing, Charlie."
"Tell that to the three bellhops that all caught the flu, Lariat. So what happened next?"
"Where did I leave off?"
"Something about four boxes of your vegetarian marshmallows."
"Oh, that! Well, Charlie, those kids found out the hard way we at the Secret Service do not get mad, we get even. You can bet your six-shooters their first reaction was blame Jubilee!
"Other than that class was fun, now it has been almost ten years since high school, but first day and I have already one-upped the class clown."
"Son, do you need to borrow the Caddy for the Prom?"
"Droll, Charlie. Very witty. You would fit in around here."
"Well, did you learn anything new or is Uncle Sam wasting the tuition money?"
"Well, if you ever had to meet the Juggernaut, you can attack him with mental telepathy once you pry his helmet off."
"That's good to know. Remind me to write that down. Is that all you learned?"
"No, I also learned that the Juggernaut is Charles Xavier's stepbrother, Cain."
"NO SHIT!"
"Yes, shit. It seems all this time, all the rampaging, destruction and fighting with the X-Men is just a long running grudge over who slept in the top bunk."
"Remember, Lariat, Cuba would be a different place if Castro had a better fastball when he tried out for the Washington Senators. Well what happened next?"
"Well my pony found its way to its new home."
"Kewalaka, what's that noise?"
"There's a Black Mustang at the gate, ma sœur."
"That will be for me, Mr. MacKenzie." Agent Nichols rose and left the room. "If you all will please excuse me."
As Agent Nichols exited the academy, a midnight black 1965 Ford Mustang pulled up along side him. The driver side door opened, and out of the classic muscle car exited the only pretty girl who picked him up while he was driving it.
"Well hello, Sugah," the Southern Belle said. "Goin' muh way?"
Rogue gave Kordel a hug, careful not to touch him with her bare skin before she tossed the keys to his car in the air for him to catch.
"I see you talked Scott out hiring of the transport company I recommended."
"Sugah, when ya'll gots a sweet automobile like this one, it deserves to be driven the way the good lord intended."
"Under the speed limit, obeying all traffic laws?"
"Heck no! Ya'll gots ta drive it like it's full'a moonshine an' ya'll runnin' from the law!"
"I am the law."
"Oh, yea, Ah forgot, yer a revenoor in yer spare time."
Just then, the students and both instructors made there way outside.
"Will you check that out, Yoink," Nuff remarked as they exited outside. "Classic styling, sleek design, smooth chassis and factory original rear end."
"And the voiture ain't half bad, mes ami!" He whispered back.
Kewalaka!
What? I'm not blind, ma sœur de feu.
Talk like that and it can be arranged!
"Hiya, Cyrus hon!" Rogue hugged the President's son, and then ruffled his hair.
"Hi ya, Rogue! I was wondering what happened to Lariat's ride. You had it all this time?"
"Not all this time, Sugah," She then spotted Jubilee and the four newcomers. "Awe heck, Ah'll explain latter, Well, are ya'll gonna introduce me to ya new friends?"
"Oh, yea, hey guys," Cyrus called out to the new students, "This is Rogue, yet another of the X-Men I have to thank for saving my bacon that day. Rogue, I'd like you to meet Alea," He said pointing to the Hawaiian. "That's her boyfriend Jason. Over there, that's Nathan, Everyone calls him Nuff, and next to him is his cousin Stewart, they call him Yoink.
She gently shook each of their hand noting the Alaskan and his Canadian cousin softly kissed her gloved hand, which reminded her of the Swamp Rat, the second one speaking French, just like, Gumbo.
"Pleased to meet y'all, now where did Ah hear your names before?"
"The hockey game, Rogue."
"Oh, thanks, Jubilee," Then she remembered the bruise on Scott's eye. "Ah oughtta thank y'all then for helping us out last Halloween!"
"What do you mean, Ms. Rogue?" Paige asked.
"Well, hon. We were in the Nile River Valley to Square Dance with the Juggernaut, When Marco saw the bruise on the Fearless Leader, he said something nasty about it, then started laughing so hard he didn't see me sneak up and pop off his brain bucket!
"That's when Jeanie started to make him act like a big 'ol fat ballerina!" Everyone including Agent Nichols broke out in laughter. "Can you picture it, a 900-pound red monster doing Swan Lake in front of the Sphinx?"
"I guess I see what you mean, Lariat. But why did she have your Black Pony?"
"Even though I have the armored Suburban the Director left here, Miss. Guthrie, I convinced him my Mustang is a better, nondescript, choice for this assignment."
"After a few improvements, huh, G-Man," Rogue said as he softly punched him in his arm.
"Like what," Jason asked.
"See fo' yourself," Rogue popped open the hood to revel a brand new engine. Alea, who's father owns a similar Year One Mustang, noted instantly that it was not the factory original V8 motor.
"An Saleen S7 engine?"
"Correct, Miss. Kaulalona," Agent Nichols replied. "This is a competition- package variant on the Saleen S7 twin turbo engine. It is among the fastest street legal automobile engines in the country. The modified package offers a 33% increase in power, producing approximately 1000 horsepower reaching sixty miles-per-hour in two-point-eight seconds and can achieve a top speed of two hundred forty miles-per-hour." Several students whistled low at the announcement of its specks. "It is also equipped with the same armaments as the Executive Limousine; solid-core tires, bullet-resistant glass and heavy-duty suspension modifications."
"Come on, Lariat. We both know she wouldn't drive it from the shop in Virginia, and I know you didn't have it delivered to Xavier's. What else does she got under the hood?"
"A Shi'ar over-shield, a Kree inertia-dampening array and a Stark Solutions repulsor ray-based restraint system."
"What's that mean, and in English this time, son."
"An external alien energy shield generator strong enough to stand up against the Hulk, a braking system that can go from a speed of one hundred miles-per-hour to a dead stop in less than twenty feet and the original prototype next-generation laser beam safety harness from the Easter Egg, that can protect the passengers from terminal deceleration."
"Does SHIELD-"
"No SHIELD does not. The Director said in no uncertain terms, Horsepowerdoes not have to explain how we protect the First Family to Fury. SHIELD likes to be conspicuous. We prefer to be subtle. Besides there is a reason we do not use confiscated technology on Stagecoach."
"Be honest, Lariat. You had this done to your car instead of the transport because-"
"I know what you are about to say, and you would only be half right, Charlie."
"Well, what's the story you used on your students, 'cause it's smaller than a transport, an' faster than fast, it's more maneuverable?"
"…since the Mustang is half the weight of the Suburban and the Saleen engine puts out over three times the horsepower, Mr. Starsmore, it is more maneuverable."
"Have you ever raced in a sled with this many horses under the hood, homes?"
"All Secret Service Agents are trained in precision driving in high-performance sports cars, Mr. Espinosa, before they learn to do the J-Turn in a Suburban or the Executive Limousine."
"So that's why you hot-wired a 'Vette at the zoo!" Jubilee remarked. "And I thought it was because it was cool little convertible!"
The look the Secret Service agent used now struck a resemblance to Jean Grey, Jubilee just tapped her watch with her index finger. "Forgot ten minutes are up, Secret Agent Dude?"
"Ya'll better keep an eye on that little firecracker, she's got moxie, Lariat!"
"Both eyes, when I can Charlie. Besides she would have called it something else."
"So how'd the Writin' Class go?"
"Good Afternoon again, students. Please take your seats. This class will cover various aspects of creative writing and the story writing process." After he had finished writing this on the chalkboard, he turned to note that most of the students were still standing, and the few that were seated did not open their desks.
"Now I will start this class with some overhead projected notes." Nichols reached for the projector screen on the top of the chalkboard when he heard some giggling. Looking over his shoulder, he noted some Cheshire cat-like grins on some of the students. Kordel then took a step back drew his Asp Baton, extending it it's full 32-inch length, then hooked it to the handle allowing its weight to open the screen, in a 'safer' manor.
"Don't trust us, Secret Agent, Dude?"
"Not one inch more than I can possibly throw you, Jubes."
"Well I am kinda aero dynamical," she replied leading to another round of snickering.
"Students, though there is no reason for alarm, I shall propose a truce. No more practical jokes. Do you all agree?"
"Okie-dokie, truce," Jubilee spoke up. "No more pranks, for the next few hours at least."
"Thank you, duly nominated representative of Local 739."
"So Writing Class went rather smoothly. They all know how to put the basics on paper, but it became obvious that most of the students never learned to unlock their creativity.
"You remember your school years, Charlie. Trying to memorize facts, figures and spelling. Only Monet, Paige, Alea and Stewart seemed remotely following along, it seems that none of them ever attempted to put their feelings on paper. This was going to be a bigger challenge than Economics."
"So as the novelist Phyllis Whitney said, 'Writing is the one skill that cannot be taught.' nonetheless I am going to give it a try. Miss. Guthrie, the lights if you may.
"Students, for your first assignment, I want you to tell me about you."
Several students groaned.
"What?" Kordel looked up, slightly alarmed at their response. "You have heard the phrase 'Write what you know?' You should know enough about yourself to introduce yourself. I am just asking for slightly more." he stood and went back to the front and raised the projector screen."Now for the ground rules;
"Rule one. The use of poor grammar, lax spelling and even worse, slang and profanity, will NOT adversely affect your overall grade on this project." He wrote this on the board.
"Mr. Delano will not describe himself using a German accent, and Miss. Guthrie will not turn in the assignment written in Swahili. That is because they do not communicate normally in those ways, so I will not force unused grammatical rules on you, just yet. I want you to tell me about you, in your way.
"Now that does not mean profanity for profanity's sake. I understand teenagers like to use slang, and pepper their speech, so long as you are telling me the truth, which brings me to Rule 2…
"NO BS," He underlined the line three times for emphasis. "I want you to lay it straight for me. Remember students, I am Secret Service, I am trained to spot lies, and I will see through it as if they were transparent.
"Rule 3. You may ask for help from any one. You may even do the assignment in a group setting, but each student must do his or her own work. Your friends have the advantage to help point out things about yourselves that you may overlook or neglect. However, you cannot do each other's assignments. I want to get to know the real you."
"What should we include, Agent Nichols?"
"Well, Miss. Guthrie, that is up to you. You are telling me, about you. Is your affection for unicorns important for me to know about you? Should I even know about it? Is the fact your idea of classic American cinema is 'The Breakfast Club' important enough that I need to know that about you, then add that as well."
"Are you going to do this assignment as well, Lariat?"
"Very well, Mr. Parkman. I will also do the assignment."
Who's going to grade your project, mate?
"I thought about what Jonothon asked thoroughly, Charlie. I could have easily asked Monet or Paige to grade my assignment, but I need them to trust me as a team, so I asked myself 'of the students here who would have trusted me the least.'"
"Mr. Delano, do you believe you can be a fair and impartial judge?"
"ME? Grade your paper?"
Iakona, he's asking you to be honest, not to drag up a personal beef. If you can't, say NO!
"Mr. Delano, all that I ask is for you to hand out an honest assessment of this assignment."
See, he beggin' for it! "You got a deal, One-Time, on one condition, you go last."
Iakona!
"Very well Mr. Delano, I will go last."
"You're begin' for it, Lariat. I can see the wild-eye looks over the phone. Do you know what you are doing?"
"Yes I do, Charlie. They are not going to trust me, if I cannot trust them. I have seen this kid's jacket. His test scores are off the chart, he is a natural leader, but the hardships he has had to face has left him hardened and cynical for someone so young.
"He will not trust me because, to him, I am just another cop that will turn up dirty. If I am going to get these kids to trust me I will to have to earn it the hard way."
"I know she's gonna get you back for the marshmallows, but Jubilee trusts you, don't she?"
"I have Jubilee's trust because she has seen me in combat, the others do not believe any of the stories they have heard. Ororo once told me that the only indicator the kids have that Jubilee's stories are true, is how hard they are to believe.
"Remember, they know the X-Men, they cannot fathom a flatscan with a badge to hold a candle to a group of mutants with such powers."
A knock at the door interrupted the federal officer's reflection.
"Just one moment, Charlie. There is someone at the door. Please come in!"
Paige Guthrie opened the door. "Agent Nichols, Mr. Cassidy would like to remind you we will be having a workout session in the Biosphere in 30 minutes."
"Thank you, Miss. Guthrie."
"He would also like to know if you have a workout suit."
"I will be wearing my firing range fatigues, thank you, Miss. Guthrie."
"'Workout suit?'"
"Yes, Monet, left a spandex aerobics suit on my desk, that I would not wear to win a bet. I am just going to wear my tactical coveralls."
"Well I'll catch up to you later, Kordel. Have fun."
"Sean, did every student receive a new workout suit?"
"Yes Emma, I had Monet distribute them to everyone including Agent Nichols. He will be joining us in this afternoon's exercise."
"Why?"
"Well, Emma, he will be defending the students, he should become accustomed to their mutant gifts and fighting styles in combat, and the students should get used to the experience and tactics Agent Nichols had been trained in. Remember, he's had the finest training the government has to offer. Even the President's own bodyguard is not as well trained as Kordel is."
"I WILL NOT allow any of my students to be harmed in any way! Is that CLEAR, Sean? The students are arriving."
The biosphere doors opened and in walk nine students, all laughing and joking as they approach the same group of rocks as before in Sean's morning class. They all had on the same workout suit, Jono had on his black leather jacket. Jubilee with her yellow coat, and Cyrus had on his lucky Mariners jacket, the only standout features among them.
"Where are Mr. Delano and Agent Nichols?"
As if on cue, Special Agent Kordel Nichols arrived at the group of rocks dressed in an all-black tactical uniform, carrying a large gear bag, strapped to his left thigh was a gun holster.
"I apologize for being tardy, students," he said as he put the bag on the ground. "I forgot where I unpacked my boots."
"That's okay, Secret Agent dude," Jubilee remarked. "You don't look that tardy from here." Leading to a round of snickers from the students.
"Kordel, may I ask what you brought with you?"
"A striped-down room entry package, Sean. The Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun, equipped with the beta-C magazine and four back-up clips. My side arm, the SIG Sauer P226 semi-automatic pistol with six extra magazines, a tactical knife, an ASP baton, four distraction canisters, two pairs of handcuffs, and a CAT-issue emergency field medical kit."
"Do you think you will need all that equipment, lad?"
"There is a saying in the Secret Service; 'If you are expecting a gunfight, pack a rifle.' Besides this is not close to half the standard counter-assault gear."
"I WILL NOT ALLOW ANY OF MY STUDENTS TO BE HARMED. IS THAT CLEAR!"
"Relax, Emma," He replied. "All the firearms and distraction canisters are loaded with training-grade rubber pellets. Only the medical kit is field authentic."
"You'd think a mind reader would have picked up on that one, wouldn't ya One-Time?"
Turning around he saw Jason Delano, who like the Secret Service Agent, chose not to wear the Gen-X Issued workout suit, but unlike Kordel, he was dressed in motorcycle boots, black faded jeans, and a hooded sweatshirt that he wore under his Ice Dogs hockey jersey. Black martial arts sparring gloves and a Dodgers cap completed his ensemble.
"Mr. Delano, why are you not in a proper workout uniform?"
"The last time I had to throw hurt bombs, I wasn't wearing some fancy asskicking suit, you never know when a beat down's gonna go down. Besides, red spandex with gold trim? YOU HAVE TO BE OUTTA YOUR DAMNED MIND!"
"I'm wearing the same thing, lad."
"Yea, and you look just as ridiculous in it as Yoink and Nuff do!" Leading to a round of snickers.
"Very well, Lad," Sean relented, "but it will be your responsibility when you snag your clothes on a thorn. Emma why don't we begin."
"For the new students and Agent Nichols. We will start with a simple game of Capture The Flag.
"Sean has placed your flags at points exactly 50 yards from each other. Your mission will be to capture the other team's flag while defending your own. Once captured you will attempt to return it to this position, and place it on one of the designated platforms, it will light up when your flag is inserted.
"If your team's flag is captured, you are to attempt to recover it. You are expected to use your mutant abilities to your advantage, but only to impede your opponents and to recover your flags. IS THAT CLEAR!"
"Okay," Nathan responded. "But how are we doing this, the Good Guys vs. the Home Team, or are we picking teams via the E M-cubed method?"
"The 'E M-cubed method', Nathan?"
"Eeny, meeny, miny moe, Monet." Alea explained as she pointed to four of the students.
"We will have the original student face off against the new students as it will be dividing the group five-on-five."
"Guess you'll be on our side, 'Watt," Alea told the President's son as she ruffled his hair.
"Welcome to the neither regions of the soul!"
"JAY!"
"Hey, Frosty whatabout Secret Agent Dude?" Jubilee asked. "Tell you what, we'll trade Artie an' Leech for him. Heck, I'll even throw in M!"
"Agent Nichols' task will be to attempt to recover both teams' flags, Jubilation."
Emma, do you think that's wise?
As you said he is well trained, let us see how well trained he is. "The team that does not win will clean the Recreation Room this evening. But, if Agent Nichols defeats both teams, you all will also clean the kitchen, once more."
"And if do not attain total victory, Emma?"
"Then you will assist whichever team that is defeated."
"And when we outright beat him, Frost?"
"Then he will assist in both chores, Mr. Delano."
Another round of snickers came from both teams.
"Very well, but if I am victorious, I will determine when the chores are completed to my satisfaction."
"Agreed. Now, we shall begin. Sean will lead the new students to the Green Flag. I shall lead the rest of the students to the White Flag. Agent Nichols, you shall begin from this position. When we return we shall give the signal to begin. That will provide more than ample time to devise a stratagem of attack and defense. May the best team win."
"We will!" Jay and Jubilee called out almost in unison.
As he watched both groups head into the Biosphere, Agent Nichols finished preparing for the session. Double-checking his weapons and gear, tugging his Kevlar gloves over his hands and donning his yellow shooting goggles. He places a bulletproof tactical helmet on when out of thin air a skull and crossbones appears.
Turning around he sees Artie and Leech.
"Artie say 'you look scary.' Leech thinks you look very scary, too."
"Thank you, the both of you. You see I am a federal officer," He then showed the pair his badge. "We prefer to scare the bad guys into giving up first."
Artie then projected a checkered flag.
"Artie says 'they're playing capture the flag. Are you playing?"
"Yes, I am."
"Artie and Leech know here Sean hid flags."
"Really?"
Artie projected a large smiley face that nodded.
"Well, boys, how would you like to help me get both flags?"
Both boys and the smiley face nodded.
End of Chapter One
©David D. Amaya 2010