A/N: Been seeing more traffic on the companion fics and the original story! Appreciate the love! Keep reading and reviewing! Kyle Denton is an idea originally conceived by Kaestal as a request to include the character in one of my stories. I love suggestions people!

-Four Freedoms Plaza, level 83, 11am-

"Seriously… this… is… boring!" Vanessa, having dropped her Sue Richards guise sits on the floor agitated. "When you told me your plan, I was all ready for some cloak and dagger… this has been way too much cloak and not enough daggers!"

"Believe it or not, on an operation like this; boring is good…" After searching level 81 and 82 they finally found a terminal that they could access on the 83rd level. So now it was just a matter of getting out with the information they came for.

For Aaron this has been going better than he could have hoped.

Infiltration into the plaza had been smooth and thanks to Tony Stark's patented decryption storage device, the files they needed would soon be theirs. But when cracking a security system as tightly wound as this you needed time, which made boring, very good.

"We've got some time to kill…" Aaron sits across from his team mate, sliding his backpack from his shoulders. "Hungry?" The decryption device was still only a fourth of the way through the security firewalls. Aaron had wanted to bring Shadowcat along on this mission; her computer skills would have been invaluable. But both Summers and Logan shot him down. They didn't believe that the X-Force was ready for public consumption.

Vanessa grabs his pack and opens it. She tears into the wrapping of a turkey sandwich and begins eating. "This is not what I expected when I joined X-Force…"

The situation made him think of his mother; most of the time the role of impatient soldier was played by him while she attempted to teach him the value of boredom. He wished it hadn't taken him this long to get what his mother was trying to teach him all those years.

"Let's not forget, Copycat, I recruited you, you didn't join. And this is the world of covert ops; some times there are going to be missions where every second you're fighting for your life. But other times…?"

"A lovely picnic on the floor?" Vanessa snorts, before biting into a melon wedge.

Aaron just smirks before biting into his own sandwich. It was strange how comfortable he was getting with the girl, considering how their relationship began. "Cheer up girl, there will be plenty of other opportunities for you to get your action fix…"

"Promises, promises…" She groans. After all the training he put her and the team through she expected more, but deep down she wasn't sure if she was ready. The Sentinel attack on the Institute had been the most horrifying thing she'd ever been a part of. It left her a wreck of nerves for days after.

Despite that, she wanted to prove him and to the others, she belonged here. She wanted to prove that she was willing to fight for their ideals; ideals, which over the last few months have become very important to her.

She looks up to offer another bit of wit to the conversation, but Aaron has a strange look on his face. "What is it?" She asks warily.

Aaron sighs and stands up quickly, tossing the remains of their makeshift meal back into his bag. "You may be about to get what you asked for…" Before Vanessa can ask, she hears the telltale ding of the elevator and two voices. One is unmistakably familiar.

"… This is where the magic happens, sweetheart!"

"I thought that took place a few levels down...?" The woman giggles, and Vanessa's eyes roll up into her skull.

"You're up." Aaron whispers, disappearing from view, which is easy given the multiple places to hide in this area. Reed apparently never threw anything away. There were huge machines with unknown purposes all over the place.

"True. But there are all kinds of- Sis?"

"Johnny Storm, how many times has Reed begged you not to come to his research levels?" Vanessa puts the proper disapproving sister tones in her voice. "Especially not to impress some runway model! He has very sensitive equipment up here!"

"We weren't gonna touch anything, sis, I promise- wait… what happened to Costa Rica?" Johnny takes a step in front of his date, a move Vanessa recognizes immediately.

He may look like a vapid pretty boy, but he's been at this hero thing long enough to recognize a potential threat.

If she doesn't say the right thing, her cover is completely blown.

"Reed needed me to come back and deactivate one of his experiments that he left run- nuh uh Mr.! No way! You don't get to ask me questions! Just take your little friend on back to your place!"

"You don't remember me, Mrs. Richards?" Johnny's date asks, obviously hurt.

"I can't be expected to remember all of my brothers… associates… dear. So I'm sorry if I don't remember you!" She'd seen the girl on a couple gossip rags and trash TV, but she vaguely paid attention to that sort of thing. Still, what she did remember about Johnny Storm was that he was a well known womanizer. She hopes to embarrass him from the room.

Johnny pushes the girl back into the elevator. "Go down to level 74 and get Ben!"

"Reed doesn't want Ben up here anymore than he wants you, Johnny!" She realizes he's on to her, or at least knows something isn't quite right here. Still, she hopes she can confuse him long enough to keep him from attacking.

"One thing about my sister, she never forgets a face…" Johnny announces, his body heating up quickly. "Especially not when she had dinner with them just last night! Flame on!" Instantly Johnny is engulfed in flames.

Vanessa laughs and raises her hands up. "Guess the jig is up, huh, hot stuff?" Vanessa drops her disguise, assuming her normal form.

"Whoa…" Torch eyes the woman before him appreciatively.

"Thanks, Torch. A woman likes to be appreciated for her looks…"

"I hate to break this up…" Aaron appears from the shadows. "But the young lady and I are on a bit of a deadline… so if you don't mind…" Vanessa looks back surprised to see Aaron wearing a mask that covers his whole face. It made sense, when she thought about it, no one could know that the X-men or anyone affiliated with them were involved.

"I do mind buddy…" Torch, startled by the Aaron's sudden appearance, regains his composure. "And unless you're in the mood for barbeque, you'll stay right where I can see you…"

Aaron nods towards Vanessa and she dives behind a console, while Aaron runs towards Human Torch. He hoped it wouldn't come to this, but they couldn't afford to be caught.

"Hey!" Torch fires a couple of warning blasts which Aaron easily evades. Realizing that his attacker is almost right on top of him he fires a blast square into the chest of Aaron. The force of the blast sends Aaron flying backwards. "I warned you!" Johnny, out of concern, heads over to where the young man fell, dropping his flame form.

"Shoulda kept those flames up matchstick!" Aaron drives both his feet into the Torch's stomach, forcing him backwards. In a second he's on his feet, while Torch is doubled over trying to collect his breath. As Aaron swings to finish him off, Torch re-ignites his flames pushing Aaron back with the sudden rush of superheated air.

Once on his feet, Torch stares as the damage he's done. Although Aaron's clothes are in tatters the burns he inflicted heal in rapid succession. "What the heck are you?"

Aaron doesn't answer; he just resumes his attack with a series of combinations, punching Torch faster than he can defend himself. It proves to be somewhat of a stalemate.

In this form, Torch's cellular structure is much denser than a normal human, helping him take more punishment. Aaron, although an extremely fast healer, hurts himself with every connected punch. The flesh of his knuckles may heal as soon as it burns off, but there is a cumulative effect that will begin to take its toll if he continues.

Driving Torch back with a hard left, he hopes it's enough to put him out.

It's not.

"Credit where credit is due," Aaron states taking a step back to recover. "You're a lot tougher than I would have given you credit for." Aaron knew that if he used his claws this fight would come to an abrupt end, but he promised he would never kill again. Especially not someone considered to be a hero, whose only fault in this is being at the right place at the wrong time.

"Well I'm through being your punching bag!" Torch fires a blast that Aaron manages to just dodge by ducking behind a terminal. The metal heats up to the touch and Aaron runs behind another set of machines.

"Status!" Aaron calls out to Vanessa, still evading Torch's attacks while leading him away from Vanessa. If Torch sees Vanessa as a genuine threat he doesn't act like it. He's only interested in the masked attacker.

"83%!" Vanessa answers from her hiding spot.

Aaron sighs. "Curse Reed Richards and his triple encrypted security files… if I see him again, I may kill him just on GP…" The device hadn't cracked Richards' security yet, which made Aaron wonder just how brilliant Mr. Fantastic is.

It was fortunate that once they were in, they were only looking for files containing certain key words, otherwise who knows how long this could take.

Aaron evades another blast from the Torch, who appears to be acting with a bit more restraint. He doesn't know where Aaron is hiding and he has to be careful not to destroy any of the equipment. And the fact that the place is a maze of machinery doesn't help his cause.

Deciding that a direct assault wouldn't work, Aaron stealthily draws Torch further into the lab. Torch gets turned around looking for him and ends up giving Aaron the opportunity he hoped for. With the chance to come up behind Torch undetected, Aaron knows he has to be precise. He'll have to slip him in a choke hold and hope his healing factor can hold up to the heat of the Torch. However, before Aaron can deliver the coup de grace, the elevator digs again.

"Johnny? Where are ya kid?"

-Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, grounds-

"Out for a stroll, Wind-rider?" It was still too cool for most people, but here was Ororo Monroe walking barefoot through the damp grass of the school grounds.

"You know this is my favorite time of year, Maker." Storm answers with a smile, allowing him to join her.

Whatever hate she bore towards Forge for his past misdeeds have been erased by the love of Logan. Besides that, during his time here, Forge has proven invaluable to the students. Not only had he helped Vanessa's brother Jeremy, but he finally managed to cobble together an inhibitor for Rogue.

"Yes, I do remember that…" If he were to be honest being here has been the rarest form of torture. The work he'd been doing was rewarding, he made much more of an impact here for the positive then he ever did in DC, but he still felt incomplete. And he knew the reason why.

There used to be a time, not long ago, when his successes were shared with the ebony skinned goddess along side him; normally between the sheets of her bed. Now he was her colleague and nothing more. A fact that everyone constantly reminded him of.

"How much longer to you plan to stay with us, Maker?" Storm asks, breaking the silence. It was a question he was often asked but coming from her it was especially painful. In the question lay the fact that she didn't want him to stay.

"Am I being shown the door already?" Forge asks genuinely hurt. He went from being one of the most beloved teachers here to a pariah, all because of an ill-fated romance. He wouldn't take back their time together, but it was clear few here were willing to forgive, let alone forget.

Storm shakes her head and laughs. "I just assumed that eventually the United States Government may wish to have their top weapons developer back. With Stark out of the game, you are the only name in warfare now."

Forge sighs heavily. He had enjoyed the perks of being a military contractor, but being here reminded him of how much he missed teaching. "Perhaps I am looking for a new lease on life…"

Storm stops walking and turns to face her one time lover. "I doubt if you will be allowed to abandon your responsibilities in Washington so easily…" Storm remembers the difficulty that Hank had in leaving his own position within the U.S. Government.

"I guess…" Storm studies his face and notes with interest a look she'd never seen on it before; indecision.

"Do you not enjoy working in the Capitol?" She asks softly. She had seen how much he was enjoying being back and many of the newer students liked him as well, but she never considered he would return for good.

"I do…" Forge admits, wistfully. "But being back here has made me realize that I like the work I do here more… I like being back with you more…"

"Forge…"

"Don't worry, Ororo, I know the time for anything… romantic between you and I is… over… that doesn't change the facts… here is where I belong…" Maybe if she could see that he had changed, that he valued her now, perhaps there would be a chance for more. But he couldn't do that from several states away.

Storm doesn't hide her apprehension. She is quiet for a moment, considering. Forge watches her with interest until she speaks again. "You will need to discuss that with Scott and Logan…"

Forge grimaces. "Why?" This was not the response he expected or hoped for.

"Because they are running the school together now and whatever they decide the rest of us will back." She wasn't sure about Scott, but she was confident Logan would not extend a permanent position to Forge.

"There you are girl!"

Both look up the hill to see Allison Blaire, walking over to them. "Why were you looking for me Allison?" Ororo is secretly grateful for the interruption; Forge was behaving uniquely human; which made her very uncomfortable.

Allison gives Forge a curt nod of acknowledgement before turning back to her friend. "Scott wants you and Jean to drive over to the airport and pick up two of the new students. The rest should be on their way here already Gambit and Psylocke left to get them an hour ago."

"It was pleasant walking with you, Forge." Ororo announces politely before allowing herself to be dragged away by Allison. Forge watches her go and feels the twinge in his heart he has come to associate with Ororo.

Longing.

-Four Freedoms Plaza, level 83-

"That… was not fun…" Aaron pulls himself free of the large computer console he was just thrown into. Since Thing had joined the fight, the tide shifted considerably.

Torch kept them at bay with blasts of fire and when they got close enough, Thing swatted them away like flies. The two worked well together, better than Aaron would have assumed.

"Quit laying around, Alpha!" Copycat yells before shifting into Sunspot's form and resuming her battle with Thing. In their grappling, Thing manages to get a hold of Copycat in a bear hug.

This had quickly become one of those good news, bad news situations.

The good news being that the download was complete; in their possession they had all the data they came for. The bad news being that they cannot return with it while the Human Torch and Thing stand in their way. And the longer this battle continues the more likely there will be interference from other interested parties.

Stopping to shift a few broken ribs back in place, Aaron unsheathes his claws. He realizes there is only one way to end this.

"Remix!" Aaron yells before he unleashes a bestial roar that comes from deep within him. He then charges straight for Ben Grimm.

Both Human Torch and Thing turn in disbelief at the charging mutant allowing Copycat to spring free of Thing's grip. "Scuse me handsome, you're being a little rough with the merchandise!" Remix is the call sign for a maneuver that they'd practiced together in the Danger Room. It involved switching combatants to gain the upper hand, although Vanessa didn't see how Aaron versus Thing gave him any advantage.

She flips away from Thing with ease and goes after Torch in the form of Colossus. It's her last "strong guy" option, since turning into the Hulk was far too taxing for her abilities.

Human Torch is aggravated by the fact that these two have given them so much trouble. "Lady, metal can melt just as easy as anything else!"

She realizes that, but she also realizes that even with half of Piotr's strength if she can land at least one blow it should be enough to take him out.

Out of the corner of her eye she sees Aaron evade the wild swings of Thing and wonders if he'll actually do it. They'd talked before about certain scenarios and in this one, things end badly for the orange brute. She had nothing against either of these men, but the bottom line was they needed to get out of here with what they came for.

"Yeaarrrghh!"

The yell is so desperate that both Copycat and Torch turn, but Vanessa recovers faster and takes advantage of the distraction to send Torch flying. He hits the wall hard and is slumped up against it motionless.

Ignoring the painful cries of Ben Grimm she runs over to Johnny to check his pulse.

Good. He's out cold but his pulse is still strong. Hopefully nothing's broken…

She wasn't sure exactly how much to pull her punch, but she figures since he's still breathing she guessed right. Aaron on the other hand took a different approach.

Knowing they'd never be able to match Thing's strength or durability, Aaron went for the only real vulnerable part of him; his eyes.

"Jeez!" Vanessa was unprepared for the painful and angry screams of Thing or the copper colored fluid draining from his eyes. Turning from the image with difficulty, she grabs Aaron's backpack and removes the drive from the only undamaged console in the room. The download had been complete for a while, but they had been too occupied to try and get it.

"It's temporary…" Aaron assures, sheathing his claws and grabbing the pack. Thing is still swinging wildly hoping to connect with one of the intruders. "He'll recover his sight."

"Couldn't we have just-?"

A look from Aaron kills her question instantly. If there was another way, they would have done it that way instead, is what he would have told her. And she knew it was true.

"So… do we just walk out the front door or…?"

-High above New York-

"Dey don' say too much, non?"

"I'm sure this is all very new for them, Gambit. We should give them time to adjust…" Betsy looks back at the four passengers sitting in silence behind them and wonders if they will adjust.

Cessily Kincaid had been living on the streets of Oregon for a few months before they found out about her.

Her parents, obviously upset over her transformation from normal teenage girl to silver skinned mutant, did their best to cope, but were ill-prepared. They tried to keep her safe by keeping her hidden, but they began to run out of excuses for the absence of the once vibrant girl. Cessily, not wanting to be a burden to her parents ran away from home.

Her parents however were undaunted and they search for her. After finding her living behind a twenty-four hour convenience store they contact Worthington Labs to see if there is any more of the so-called "cure" left. Thankfully, Beast still had connections within the government and was able to intercept the Kincaid's plea for help. He offered them an alternative.

Cessily was still trying to deal with her transformation and had not been doing well so far. Her entire body was completely composed of a substance comparable to mercury. It made her form malleable able to take any shape she could imagine. The drawback being that nearly all of her sense of touch was gone. Simple things like sitting made her situation all the more real. The feel of her skin was foreign to her now and it made her uncomfortable,

Joshua Foley is uncomfortable for a whole other reason.

His parents raised him to be hateful and distrustful of mutants, they championed the cause of human rights to an extreme degree. So when they discovered he was one they immediately attempted to cure him, trying several dangerous methods. Once that failed, his parents decided it would be better to put him out his misery rather than have him continue living as an abomination. He was able to flee, but with his golden skin, there was nowhere he could hide.

He couldn't turn to mutants for help, since he still held onto the beliefs of his parents, yet he couldn't turn to humans either. Especially not those within his home town. When reports began to surface about a homeless golden skinned boy wandering the streets, Logan suggested that they investigate.

After several attempts, Betsy was able to convince him to join their school under the condition that they attempt to find a way to "cure" him. This made his ability to heal virtually anything except his own mutation, the definition of irony.

Although she didn't understand why anyone would want to be cured of such an amazing gift, she gave her word.

Now, though as Joshua sits between the silver girl with red hair and a black man covered in silver tattoos fighting his feelings of contempt.

The boy with the tattoos introduced himself as Nezhno Abidemi and hasn't spoken since. All that Betsy and Gambit know about him is that Storm specifically had them seek him out. Bringing him all the way from Wakanda to the United States, he was their first stop of the day. Thankfully the new Blackbird made trip from the warrior nation of Wakanda to Oregon quick.

The last member, sitting in the seat behind the three, is the most normal looking of the bunch, Kyle Denton. The only significant feature about him is his shockingly orange hair.

You would never know it from looking at him, but he could potentially be the most dangerous mutant aboard the Blackbird.

Unlike the others, he didn't come here to learn how to use his powers. And he knows that no matter how much wants to be rid of them all together, that such a thing isn't possible. All he wants is a chance to be normal again.

-One year ago, San Francisco, California-

"I… don't want to…"

"It's necessary…"

"No it isn't!" Kyle Denton loves his father but the man squatting next to him, is not the same man who taught him how to throw a curve ball. That man would not be asking him to do something so distasteful. "It's wrong!"

"You're being ridiculous!" Stephen Denton, formerly Kyle Malone, has been through a lot in his forty-two years. When he was just twelve he was abducted right outside of Kensington Middle School. All because a man named Miles Warren took an interest in him.

Or more accurately; his genetic make-up.

Apparently something within his own genetic code made him the perfect guinea pig for Warren's experiment. Stephen never learned how Miles' had determined this or what specifically made him special. All he learned about his being "chosen" came from the Doctor's words to him during his stay at the secret facility.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Miles Warren believed in enhancing the human race, instead of weaponizing the already dangerous mutant population. Stephen was to be a weapon against the threat of mutants; a deterrent against them. It was the reason Miles had often called him savior when the other scientists weren't around.

After enduring years of experimentation the then fifteen year old managed his escape, using the abilities he had been given. He knew he couldn't return home if he wanted his family to be safe, so he left his home in Connecticut and fled all the way to California. There under the assumed identity of Stephen Denton he attempted to live a normal life. Even though he never returned, he kept tabs on his former family, happy that they managed to move on.

So did he.

In time he forgot about his powers, buried the pain of his past and found a woman to love who bore him a son. Who, out of nostalgia he named Kyle.

Even when mutants began to show up in greater numbers, fighting in the streets, he didn't feel compelled to get involved on either side. Despite the fact that with his abilities he was perfectly suited to bring balance to the conflict, he stayed neutral. Believing it wasn't up to him to decide the guilt or innocence of others.

When he lost his wife in a car accident, an accident caused by Magneto, something within him broke. Stephen decided it was up to him to do something about it; just as Miles Warren had intended.

He began his quest in secret. Absorbing the abilities of the homeless he found wandering the streets. He was surprised to find many of the people he consumed had abilities of their own. Every day he was stronger and faster and every day his hunger grew more powerful.

When he first started he took one a month; now he was up to one a week.

"I don't like doing this dad…" Kyle was a normal kid up until two years ago and his father was a normal dad. Things had been tough when his mother died, but as far he could tell his father hadn't changed much.

He was wrong.

When he nearly caused the death of an opposing player during an exhibition soccer match, Kyle knew he wasn't normal. What he didn't know is that his father had been expecting, hoping, for him not to be.

The incident was explained away as exhaustion and the boy recovered, but Stephen explained to his son just what his gift would allow him to do.

To become.

"This will make you stronger… and strength is what matters." Stephen whispers to his son. "Strength will let you protect the ones you love…" When his son manifested the same abilities as him he briefly considered keeping him away from his mission. It didn't last long. What father doesn't want his son to join in the family business?

-LaGuardia Airport, United Airlines pick up lane-

"You've been quiet the whole ride over…"

"Hmmm…? Oh yes, well I guess I'm a little distracted…"

Jean Grey nods with understanding. "I am too…" She didn't know all the details, but she knew that a visit from Nick Fury could not be good. And an impromptu late night Danger Room session was even worse. Still, she trusts Scott and the others to have their best interests at heart, so if there was something they need to know, they'd know. But there was a part of her that was very close to telepathically pulling the information out by force. "But we better put on our welcome faces for the kids…"

"Ugh… are we so old now that we refer to all new students as kids…?" Ororo sighs looking into the passenger side vanity mirror.

Jean chuckles softly at her friend. "If they still have "teen" at the end of their age then… there they are!"

Ororo turns to see the two boys exit and remarks at the stark contrast between them.

The dark-haired boy, Kevin Ford was sullen and distant, keeping his hands in his pockets avoiding any eye contact. Given the nature of his abilities that was to be expected, his powers would always keep people apart from him. With a touch, organic mater of any kind was rendered to dust and much like Rogue, he had no control over it.

His powers manifesting in the death of his father only add to his tragic back story. So it's understandable that Kevin has little to be smiling about.

The blonde, Douglas Ramsey is the opposite full of energy and happiness, smiling as an Asian couple next to them spoke to each other in their native language.

One had a gift that drew him closer to people, the other one that would always push people away.

"Douglas? Kevin?"

The two boys look up in unison and make their way over to the car. Neither is carrying much in the way of luggage.

"Traveling pretty light…" Jean remarks, as she pops the trunk to allow them to toss their luggage inside.

"Not much need for too many things, Professor Grey," Douglas answers grabbing Kevin's luggage as well as his own. "I figure once we settle in we'll be pretty busy right Kev?"

Kevin only nods and takes a seat in the back, but Douglas is undaunted. "Yeah, I know I can't wait to take a look at the type of systems you have running up there!"

When he learned that his mutant ability of linguistics extended beyond just spoken language but also included zeros and ones he became obsessed with learning more. He exhausted all of the resources available to him and had been considering government work before he received a phone call.

Tony Stark had seen some of his work with programming code and wanted to meet him. Once Stark learned that his abilities were due to his mutation and not inherited genius, he put a call in to the Institute. Douglas didn't hesitate.

"How was the flight, Kevin?" Ororo asks, trying to draw the young man out.

Kevin shrugs. "Fine I guess…" Knowing his history, Jean doesn't push it further. She knew from experience that Kevin wouldn't be healed in a few polite conversations.

Jean pulls away from the airport and Ororo turns in her seat to fully face the two boys. "Your first time in New York, isn't it?"

"Seen one city, seen them all, right?" Kevin answers nonchalantly. The fact was he had spent his entire childhood in a small town in Ohio, dreaming of seeing a big city. That was before his touch destroyed his family and ruined his life.

"No city is like New York though…" Douglas adds staring out the window as the scenery passes by. "Opportunity is practically around every corner…"

-Latveria, Von Doom Industries-

"All of the major components have been completed, sir."

"Excellent." Trask claps the young engineer on the back. Since this project began nearly a decade ago he had a long term vision in mind. The incident at the Institute only reinforced his resolve and with the data that was recovered from that night he vision was closer to fruition.

"I imagine you will be bringing in your data at some point soon?" Doom's voice bellowed behind him and he fought the urge to jump. Trask would never admit it to the man, but the good doctor intimidated him.

"Not yet," He answers keeping his voice as level as possible. "We'll need to confirm Richards' device actually works and then we'll need to find a way to miniaturize it… my files should be the last thing added…" He didn't want to reveal too much of his hand too soon. Trask was well aware of what Doom did to people who lost their usefulness.

"Ah… of course…" Doom nods, turning to the machine they built. "I will need time to make sure all the calibrations are correct and make adjustments where these fools may have bungled things…" Doom ran his across the metal surface of the machine almost greedily. Doom, like many scientists hated the fact that Tony Stark had managed to develop a perpetual energy source as powerful as the Arc Reactor without sharing it. Even Doctor Otto Octavius, one of the few men Doom respected, had failed in that endeavor.

"How long do you see that taking?" Trask asks eagerly. Since his release from S.H.I.E.L.D. custody he had tracked down all of his partners in the Mastermold Initiative; none of them had any memory of the work they'd done on the project. When he also discovered that they had destroyed all files pertaining to it as well, he knew that his time was short. Their situation had the work of mutants written all over it and if they found out that he retained him memory and his files, he was cooked.

"Patience, Trask." Doom counters with a calm reassuring voice. He knew the concerns that Trask had. "The psychic dampeners within this facility will protect you from any… unwanted intrusions, just as it does me. We want to get this right, do we not?"

Trask nodded. "Of course…" He did want this to be right. With a portable renewable energy source powering his designs, coupled with all the data on the mutants he had uncovered over the years, if executed correctly, his plan was unstoppable. He was sure people would protest at first, but after San Francisco those protests would not carry as much weight.

"Then we will."

Both men turn to face the beautiful brunette walking over to them. Underneath the iron mask, Victor smiles.

His mother believed in luck, in forces outside of her control governing her life, but Victor never bought into that. He believed one's life could be shaped by pure force of will and determination. But every once and a while, when something truly fortuitous came along, he had to acknowledge the possibility. If not the reality.

Standing before him now, was something of pure providence.

"I hope we all prove worthy of your confidence, my dear…" Trask reaches out to kiss her hand. The woman manages to keep from rolling her eyes at Trask's obvious ogling. Since she came to join this cause he had made in clear what he wanted from her and it wasn't her expertise in the field.

"Restrain yourself, Trask…" Doom warns in a low tone, which the woman hears despite all the noise in the lab. Doom was a man of power and presence, something she has always been attracted to.

"It is alright Doctor," she counters with a warm smile. "He is harmless." That simple statement causes Trask to turn beet red and excuse himself awkwardly.

"I do believe you have embarrassed the man…" Doom notes with a chuckle. He has to admit, he liked her almost right away. Susan Storm, or Richards as she was now called, was a lioness, content with being a kitten. This woman would never be anything less than she was. Nor would she allow anyone to think so.

"It was bound to happen at some point…" She remarks moving in close to the Doctor. "Better I embarrass him now, then you kill him later…"

"I'll likely still kill him…"

"But not as painfully…" She smiles nastily, teasing her fingers around the face plate of his armor. She'd never seen him outside his armor, but she knew of his feelings for her. Despite her initial intentions she was beginning to feel similar.

"Were you able to secure the cooperation of our friend?"

"Of course," She answers confidently, leaning against the machine. "You can expect him in three days time…"

"I never would have imagined he would help you…"

"You of all people should know how persuasive I can be…"

-Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, evening-

"You can't be serious!"

"Do I look serious?"

"Scott trusts me enough to run the X-Force the way I see fit; so why do you always question everything I do?"

By the time Aaron and Vanessa returned from the headquarters of the Fantastic Four, most of the adults were busy helping the six new students acclimated to things. Because of that, Aaron had been able to sneak back in unnoticed and was relaxing in his room when there was a knock on his door.

He knew who it was immediately, hard to hide from his enhanced senses. Wolverine, co-leader of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning and leader of the X-men Black Squad, has now assumed a role completely foreign to him; concerned parent.

Logan wanted Aaron to settle into the school and try being a normal teenager for once in his life, but Scott couldn't see past his son's skills. Logan grudgingly accepted Scott giving him the assignment, but planned on watching him every step of the way.

Tonight was an example of that.

After Aaron detailed to Logan the mission he and Vanessa completed, Logan let his displeasure be known.

"Deadly force is something we don't use lightly! And we definitely don't use them against allies!" Logan didn't approve of Aaron's solution to the Ben Grimm problem.

Aaron snorts. "What makes them our allies?" Aaron shouts bitterly. "Besides, Grimm's eyes will heal no problem!" Aaron didn't consider the Fantastic Four to be enemies, but he certainly didn't see them as allies. They made it very clear that not only were they not mutants, but they also took a Switzerland like approach to the whole issue.

"Not the point kid-"

"Then what is the point?" Aaron asks folding his arms over his chest. He was not going to be intimidated. "I made a decision based on the available options, I weighed the consequences and I did what I had to do. Grimm wasn't exercising restraint when he nearly crushed Vanessa or when he was throwing me into two ton metal consoles!"

Logan is undaunted. "What if you slipped and those claws went into his brain? Did you consider that?"

"I. Don't. Slip." Aaron announces calmly. "I may not be as experienced as you are in using my claws, but good enough to avoid lobotomizing a man!"

"That's what worries me right there..." Logan drops his hands to his sides and approaches Aaron. "You're cocky. You think you can handle every situation with no problem. And you're skilled kid, don't get me wrong. Given time, you'll leave all of us in the dust. If- if you ever decide we have anything worthwhile to teach you. If you decide to listen to anyone else's voice besides your own..."

"That's unfair…" Aaron whispers, he is genuinely upset now. "I listened to Vanessa when she told me she had no idea about my mother, I listened to you when you told me not to kill Welling, I've been doing nothing but listening since I got here! But you're the one refusing to listen to me! So hear me on this; either remove me from team leader of the X-Force, or let me run the team my way!"

For a long time, both men are silent. Aaron is waiting for Logan to say something, Logan trying to figure out how to get his point across.

"My concern…" Logan takes a breath and begins. "Is that the more you have to make the kind of decisions you made today, the closer you come to crossing a line that we don't cross here. And if you do, then I would have to consider what that means for your status here at the school… I don't want to be in that position, because you won't be my son then, you'll be someone who's a danger to this school… to the kids here…"

Aaron lets out a disappointed sigh. The two of them had gotten close over the past few months, but there was still a long way to go to make up for eighteen years. If Logan knew him the way his mother did, he would know that he never did anything haphazardly. He would know that if Aaron did cross a line, it would be because he fully understood the implications involved and he saw no other alternative. But it didn't matter how many times he explained that to the man, Logan would only understand it, if he saw it himself.

So far, all Logan saw was a highly trained, highly volatile mutant with a chip the size of the Appalachians on his shoulder. That may have been who Aaron was when he first came here, but he hoped his father would see it was not who he was now.

"Consider me fully warned and aware." Aaron states coolly, trying to keep his voice even. "I'll provide you and Cyclops with a detailed brief of the mission tomorrow…"

"Aaron…"

"I get it, Wolverine." Aaron moves past his newly found father. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to check and see if there is anything left to eat downstairs…"

- Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, Media room-

"So this is our media room…"

The new students were broken up into groups of two and assigned to a peer to show them around after dinner. Tabitha drew the short straw in her opinion, although she had to admit; pickings were slim.

Rogue got the two Golden boys; one with golden hair, the other with golden skin. Piotr, got the other two, quiet and quieter; A.K.A. Kevin and Nezhno.

This crop was nothing like the group she came in with. Tabitha, Bobby, Theresa and Danielle had more than enough personality to make up for Rahne and Amara's lack of it. Still those two were party girls compared to the two Tabitha was showing around.

She had to show around the two most depressing kids she'd ever met. They didn't talk much, didn't ask questions, and looked like they might start crying at any moment. Tabitha wonders how they managed to get through orientation and dinner without slitting their wrists.

She didn't know what the big deal was.

The girl, Cessily, had the coolest looking mutation she'd ever seen. The other guys obviously approved by the looks they kept throwing her, but the girl was completely oblivious to it. Tabitha had no idea how she was going to get around the school by herself, considering throughout the tour Cessily never looked up from her shoes.

The boy, Kyle, was equally morose, for no good reason as far as she could tell.

Sure the kid had some strange hair, but he wasn't monstrous looking. In fact, with his piercing green eyes and the freckles across the bridge of his nose, some might call him attractive.

"Cool…" Cessily mutters, looking up briefly.

"She speaks!" Tabitha exclaims laughing. "For a moment I thought silence was your mutant power!" Cessily cracks a brief smile. "And she smiles too! Next thing you know you'll be completing full sentences in no time!"

This time, to her delight both Kyle and Cessily laugh.

Tabitha, I do believe this is progress…

-Muir Island, rehabilitation room-

"You know, you could call them…" Moira stands in the water watching her patient finish up his second lap. He's continuing to make great progress.

"Moira…" He stops at the edge of the pool where Moira is waiting for him. He's known many people in his life, but few he considers as much of a friend as her.

"Stranger things have happened than you coming back from the "dead" in another man's body!"

Charles Francis Xavier couldn't disagree with her. He himself had been witness to things that would drive most mad. But he was more than apprehensive about any sort of homecoming situation.

One of the last times he taught his students, he spoke to them about the morality of taking the body of a man who was in an incurable vegetative state. Many of his students argued that life, in whatever form, was still precious. Some felt that the quality of life should come into play when making such a decision. At the time, he didn't share his opinion with the class.

What he couldn't tell them or Moira, was that before Jean Grey, he would've fell into the former group, not the latter.

Desperation, fear, his own mortality, all led him into this body he now inhabited. His guilt over the decision is what held his progress back up until now.

He decided that he had already taken over this man's life, if he wasted it in the same bed that would be an even greater sin.

"We've discussed this; some things need to be revealed in person…" Charles pants between breaths of air, resuming his swim. "So help me get back home, doctor…"

A/N: Hope Kaestal enjoyed the intro I gave for your character idea! Kyle Denton will have a role within the series that you may not expect! Next up things get interesting as the "brunette" reveals who she really is (many may have an idea already!) and Logan and Storm go on a double date?