Yo! So this is my first X-men fanfiction. Um... Please enjoy and review! I love reviews!
P.S. the set-out of this story is just to make it easier on the eyes.
Chapter 1: Road Trip
Burger? The thought popped into my head before I could stop it. My stomach had that emptiness of not being full. I like having a full stomach. I think it's comforting. Burger definitely wasn't my favourite food but, looking at the third-rate bar in front of me, I had a feeling it was the only food I would be getting.
I fingered the change in my pocket. It wasn't a lot, not enough for the rest of my travels, however long that would be. I climbed out of my Jeep (so not my first choice of a car) and shut the door behind me, slightly harder than was necessary.
Glancing around the car park, I took in the sight of an absolutely glorious motorbike. Well, it wasn't glorious, but, if you like bikes, it was a very nice one. With my minimal knowledge of vehicles, I still preferred porches.
I shook my head slightly. Stop thinking cars! I strode across the car park. Pushing open the bar's door, I stepped in. Cigarette smoke and the stink of alcohol greeted me. I coughed and a couple of heads turned in my direction.
I made my way to the counter, sat down and ordered a soda and a cheese burger. Unfortunately the burger turned out to be one of those cheap-as-hell, warm-it-up-in-the-microwave ones and the soda was most definitely house brand.
I quickly got rid of my look of disappointment though as the bartender cracked his knuckles. I scoffed down my burger quickly. Realising I would have to go as soon as I finished my meal, I sipped my drink (raspberry-flavoured I think) slowly.
A stool scraped along the floor on my left side and I turned. A well-dressed man was now sitting beside me. I eyed the expensive watch and the shirt that fitted perfectly. He was one of those pudgy people that the majority of the population avoid.
He sidled closer. I raised an eyebrow, only to realise it was hidden in the shadow cast by my hood. I took off my coat, giving him a good knock in the nose in the process. Now most guys would take that as a rejection, but this bright spark just seemed to get more excited.
He barely even flinched from the pain. Examining the sweating body and red face, I would have to guess the guy was either high or stocked up on a ton of testosterone. I noted the bartender watching doggedly, waiting to see what I would do.
The man crowded even nearer. I was rapidly becoming the focus of the bar's occupants. I scanned the room. My attention was drawn to a guy sitting further along the counter. He wore a black leather jacket. As I watched, he exhaled smoke from his cigar.
He had that look about him. I knew, as I often did, that he was a mutant. It wasn't telepath-type knowledge, just instinct. I met his eyes and without hesitation, he stood up and walked out of the bar. Suddenly a cool finger touched my arm.
I turned back to see the testosterone-guy touching me. "How 'bout we go somewhere quiet?" he murmured huskily. I took a deep breath and narrowed my eyes to slits. He tugged on my arm again. I made a fist and slugged him in the stomach, hard.
He should have toppled over. He should have, but he didn't. Something was wrong with this guy, seriously wrong. He grabbed my other wrist with his spare hand and pulled me against him. Panic flooded through me and I did the only thing I could: I pulled.
I pulled out his life-force in a steady stream. The guy slowly began to droop and his grip on my arms loosened. He finally collapsed and I stopped draining him. I could feel my heart beat thundering in my temples.
I massaged the bridge of my nose, a gesture that would normally calm me. It didn't work. The majority of the people around me were suddenly looking a lot more menacing. Some were scared, huddling in corners, but, as I said, a great deal more were about to go into angry mob mode.
I closed my eyes and felt the energy around me. I mentally gripped as much as I could, and yanked it from its owners. It came to me so easily. Power raced through my veins, fizzling beautifully. I let go and sank into the shimmering energy inside of me.
Pain suddenly pierced me and I opened my eyes. The energy faded, until it was all but gone. My head was killing me. I brought up my hands and felt the metal collar around my neck. For the first time I was thankful for it.
It kept my powers under control, stopping me submitting myself to the pulsing energy that lay dormant in my core. I looked around me. The people, all of them, were lying flat, hopefully just unconscious. I shuddered and tears welled up in my eyes.
I blinked them away. I rapidly searched testosterone-man's jacket and found a wallet, fat with money. I grabbed a wad of notes and stuffed them in my pocket. "Sorry," I mumbled before walking out the door.
The first thing I saw was that nice motorbike floating in mid-air. I stopped short in surprise. Even with mutants around, a flying motorbike is not a normal sight. Taking a good look around, I noticed the man with the leather jacket standing in the middle of the car park.
Someone was...floating (I really hate all this floating) in front of him. The mystery man had a billowing red cape on. Its constant fluttering kept distracting me. Almost hidden by the cape, the man's arms rose. With a groan, the cars around me lifted into the air.
My stomach tightened. Magneto. Why was he there? Had he come looking for me? My collar seemed to tighten. He must have come for me. There was no other reason for him to be there. The cars were encircling the other two mutants.
Sweat tickled down my face. I knew what he was going to do. I started running, my feet pounding on the tar. I vaulted over the bonnet of a Ford and I was in the clear. Nothing was between me and the guy in the jacket.
Magneto finally heard my footsteps and turned. I sprinted under his flying form. Unfortunately for me, he had fast reflexes. Magneto's arms swung and the cars came crashing towards me. I skidded to a stop facing the man.
Metal came into view over his shoulder. I stretched out my arms and focused. As if by magic, a shimmering ball of light enclosed us. I could just see the cars hitting the shield and disappearing. Sometimes I love my power.
My collar suddenly throbbed and a bolt of energy crackled out of it and into me. I screamed, a long wailing scream that wouldn't stop. I could feel the hostile energy searing through me. Needless to say, it was terrible, like being stabbed inside-out.
My shield faltered and I fell to my knees. My breath tore at my throat. I looked at the guy's (the one with the jacket) jeans. I just couldn't summon the strength to look any higher. I gathered energy into the palm of my hand.
I couldn't give up. I dragged myself around to face Magneto. I raised an arm to throw some of it at him. It was too much. My strength deserted me and I collapsed into the deep hole of unconsciousness.
I awoke to the smooth motion of a driving vehicle. Opening my eyes slightly, I peered through my eyelashes. I was in the back seat of my Jeep. I quietly sat up and peered into the rear-view mirror. Tilting my head at an angle, I managed to see the driver's face.
It was that guy, the mutant with the nice jacket. I caught sight of an empty beer can. "Are you seriously driving drunk?" I asked indignantly. "Do you want to die?" He glanced back, using the rear-view mirror just as I had.
"I can handle my alcohol." He thought for a moment. "What's your name, kid?"
"I'm not a kid!" There was a brief silence while he waited for a name.
"What's your name?" he asked again. I was pleased with the lack of a demoting noun at the end of the sentence. "Skye. And yours?"
"Logan." There was another stretch of silence. Then, "You okay?"
"Yeah." I remembered my earlier screaming. "Sorry." Logan looked sharply at me.
"Don't say you're sorry. You tried to help," he said gruffly.
"Um...I'll take that as a thank you," I decided. Then his words penetrated my brain. "Tried? I freakin' saved your life!"
"Hey, I was doing fine before you showed up," he retorted icily.
"Yeah. If doing fine means about to be crushed by tons of cars!" I shot back. Guilt crept into my heart. After all, Logan had been good enough to not abandon me in that stupid car park. "Sorry. You probably had a handle on things," I apologized.
He nodded and his expression barely changed but I could detect a whisper of smugness that had been absent a moment ago. Now if I normally ran into this type of guy, I'd slap that expression right off his face. But this was different.
He was a mutant and...something about him, his confidence or something, made me feel more secure than I had for a long time. "So d'you have a bone to pick with Magneto? I mean, he only gives the car treatment when he's especially threatened," I asked. Logan looked at me over his shoulder.
"You could say that." This guy was about as talkative as a chair (aside from the occasional sound of someone sitting on it, it never makes a noise). "And the bone is..." I prompted.
"I was on Alcatraz," he said. I gaped. Alcatraz was famous. It was the day it went mutant vs mutant, a complete massacre. He frowned slightly. "The cure doesn't stick," he muttered.
"Yeah. It suppresses the mutation for a while, but slowly it wears off," I told him. Logan suddenly stared at me suspiciously. "How do you know that? And what is a Class 4 mutant doing wandering around?" he questioned. I looked out the window. He slammed on the brakes and the Jeep screeched to a halt. "Start talking." I took a deep breath.
"I...I...I'm a laboratory experiment," I mumbled. My eyes misted and my throat stung. "I was with some mutants that they tried to cure. It didn't work. It even strengthened some of their powers." I looked miserably at Logan.
Now was the big finish. Mutants never trusted mutants touched by humans, openly shunning them. He was rigid, face turned away. "I... I managed to escape after the compound got taken over by the mutants." I opened the car door. There wasn't any point waiting to be cast out. I may as well just leave. I glanced back. Logan was still spaced out. "Thanks for the ride," I said and hopped out, shutting the door softly.