A Change of Fortune (15 years prior to X-Men)

The first couple weeks of homelessness were the toughest. Having only the clothes on their backs and no money or food, the brothers were at the lowest poverty.

At first they tried to beg for food or money. But then the police tried to take them to social services. Knowing that they would be identified at the police station, they escaped from police car while it was parked.

Then they began dumpster diving for food. They had figured out which restaurants threw out the most food, but the workers would often chase them away. Many days they would go hungry. Neither of them ever forgot what it was like to feel their stomachs empty; to be at the point of starving.

Tiring of garbage food as well as fearing illness, they began to steal food. They soon became pros at breaking locks. They discovered that the metal their bodies produced could not only be used to coat their skin, but also could be used as tools. So they fashioned knives to break locks. Eventually Thomas learned how to make and use lock picks, which he then taught to Matthew. They could break into cars, grocery stores, restaurants. Occasionally they stole other necessities such as clothing.

A couple days after they ran away from home, they found a discarded newspaper. In it was their story. The headline read, "Wanted: Matthew and Thomas Macarthur; 12 year old identical twin males…for the murder of their father…believed to be mutants and extremely dangerous." This squashed any thoughts that the brothers had of turning themselves in. Further in the article they saw more details. Their father had been taken by ambulance to the hospital where he was declared dead. Their mother had been taken into protective custody, saying that she feared for her life.

Seeing their names publicized the brothers decided they need code names. It was Thomas' idea to pick the names based on their mutant ability. So they came up with matching names appropriate for metal wielding twins. Matthew chose Metalloy, and Thomas chose Alloy.

One day about two months after they had run away from home their fortunes changed. They had scouted a store that had no security cameras which had become a problem for them. It was small, but it had plenty of food in its walk-in-refrigerator. The man who ran the place lived in an apartment above the store, but the brothers were confident they could get in and out without waking him.

So they broke into the store as they had dozens of stores before. Matthew picked the front door lock with ease. Thomas went right to the walk in refrigerator. The refrigerator was locked. An unexpected delay, but nothing Thomas couldn't handle. Matthew kept watched the front door and the door that lead to the apartment above. He never did hear the back storage room door open, nor did he hear the man approaching. But he did hear the sound of the shotgun's pump action.

"What do you hoodlums think you are doing in my store?"

Matthew froze in fear. Could his metal block a shotgun blast? It was probably best to try and talk his way out of this one. Thomas had already given up on the lock. If Matthew didn't do something soon his brother would, and that would probably get them shot.

"We're, umm… We're trying to steal food. We're sorry to steal from your store, sir, but if we don't steal our food, we don't eat." Matthew put every bit of sadness and pitifulness he could into the words.

The man stood there for a long while. Then he spoke, "You're Matthew and Thomas Macarthur."

The brothers glanced at each other in surprise and fear. Do they admit it? Will he turn them over to the cops? "No, sir, we are just hungry boys. We will leave. We can get food from other stores. We will never come to your store again."

"Don't lie to me, boy. I recognize you from the wanted posters. I had imagined being the one to find you, but I never thought it would actually happen. I wanted to see the boys who killed that backstabber."

Matthew opened his mouth to speak, and then the old man's last words sank in. "You knew our father."

"Metalloy!" Thomas' warning was too late. Matthew had just admitted their identities.

"Yes, I knew your father. We used to work together until he stabbed me in the back and left me with nothing. You boys said you wanted food?"

Matthew and Thomas look at each other. Matthew answered cautiously, "Yes."

"I was just eating dinner when you boys tripped my alarm. Come upstairs and I'll fix you something warm."

Matthew looked at Thomas. Should they go? Thomas shrugged his shoulders. "If you put that shotgun away."

The old man laughed. "And they are smart too. Alright, boys, I'll put the shotgun away if you promise not to cause me any trouble. Okay? Good. Now come along. I'm guessing you boys haven't had a hot meal since you left home."

The old man went back to the storage room where Matthew watched him shut a trap door in the ceiling. "So that's how you snuck up on us."

"Yeah, I put that in a while ago."

"Along with a door alarm?" Thomas asked.

"You never know who will drop by after hours."

They went up the stairs into the apartment and into the kitchen area. "There is some chicken on the counter, and I can heat up some leftover steak from last night."

The brothers start digging into the chicken like they have never eaten before. "Boy, you two are hungry! I will have to make a little more tomorrow."

Matthew stopped. "Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I figured you boys could use a place to stay the night. Wake up to some breakfast in the morning."

"Why would you do that?" asked Thomas.

"It's like I said. Your father was a good for nothing backstabber. I had to work with him; you had to live with him. I figure you boys deserve some good things to come your way. My name is Victor O'Malley. You boys are welcome to stay here the night and the next night. I won't send you on your way until I feel you boys can handle yourselves."

"We greatly appreciate it, Mr. O'Malley"

"Please, No! Call me Victor. And which one are you, Matthew or Thomas?"

"Matthew"

"Good. And you're Thomas."

"I guess that's all that's left."

"Huh, a clever one! I suppose you don't trust me yet. Well, that's smart."


Bad News (13 years prior to X-Men)

A simple overnight turned into two years. The boys soon got use to their new home. Victor had taught them many things about how to stay hidden. He seemed to have a lot of knowledge in that area. They learn how to make false ID's, how to avoid interaction with police, and how to maintain a low profile. He even got them into a middle school. He claimed that education was important even to fugitives. The fourteen year-old boys had just completed eight grade.

Victor always had them read the paper to see if there were any public service announcements concerning them. One day Thomas picked up the paper in front of the store. He brought it up and set it on the table. Victor as always grabbed the front page. Matthew had recently taken interest in White Socks baseball which was just beginning the season, so he took the sports page.

Thomas grabbed the local news section. He spotted an article, "Grieving widow and mother commits suicide after two years." Fearful he read the article as it gave a description of the woman's suicide. Matthew and Victor were reading their sections when Thomas spoke up.

"Mom's dead."

The other two slowly lowered their papers.

"What did you say, Thomas?"

"Mom's dead, Matthew. She committed suicide. It's right here in the paper." He handed Matthew the paper. Matthew read the article slowly.

Matthew slammed the paper down, and put his hands to his eyes trying to hold back the tears. Thomas was also welling up. Despite his best effort Thomas put his head on the table and cried a little.

Victor put his arm around Matthew, while he read the article. The article told briefly the story of their father's death and their run from the law. Their mother died leaving no note, but with a family portrait in her arms. She had shot herself.

Matthew speaks first. "We failed, Alloy. She's dead because of us."

Victor didn't miss a beat "Don't you talk that way, son. You know that your father is responsible for this. He beat her, he left her, and now his memory has finally killed her. There never was anything you could have done."

Thomas then spoke, "But why kill herself? He's gone. She drove us out of the house. She didn't want us anymore."

"Well, Thomas, maybe that's just it. Maybe it was the guilt. Maybe she blamed herself for his death, and maybe she felt guilty for driving you two away. You two always told me how she blamed herself whenever he got mad."

"Yeah that's true." said Thomas.

"But where did she get the gun?" Matthew asked.

"Your father must have kept a gun in the house."

"Yeah, a shotgun in his closet. But this article says she killed herself with a pistol."

"There was no pistol in the house?"

"No"

Victor suddenly becomes uneasy. "Well, however this happened, one thing is for sure. This will renew the search for you two. We have to be extra careful now. A low profile. Matthew, no more sneaking into Sox's games."

"What?!"

"If you get caught they will recognize you. And Thomas, no more street fights."

"I'll try."

"And we will have to see what to do about your schooling next fall. It might be too dangerous."


Midnight Break-In

Victor had become more unsettled in the past few days. He forbade the boys from even leaving the upstairs apartment on some days. He began to leave at night mysteriously.

One night when he was home a window was broken in the store. Victor grabbed his shotgun and slipped down the trap door, instructing Matthew and Thomas to stay upstairs. They hid at the top of the trap door to listen.

"Stop right there, you hoodlums!"

"Don't shoot, old man. There are more of us than of you."

"Who are you?"

"Oh, just some kids looking for trouble."

"You don't look like kids to me. Those are some nice pieces you got there. Mind telling me who sent you here."

"Huh, the boss said he'd still be sharp."

"The boss, you say. Who would that be?"

"If you don't know then you are not as sharp as he thinks."

"I am giving you one last chance. Leave now and you all can return home in one piece. I got you boys covered, and I could get everyone of you before you could even point those guns at me."

"I don't think so, old man."

"Well maybe not, but I guarantee you I will not sell myself without a few of you with me. Do you want to risk being one of them?"

Matthew begins to get nervous. People had broken into his place before, but nobody had ever challenged Victor before. These people seemed to know him, and they had guns. It was like they came here to kill him.

"What? No tour of the home. What kind of a host are you?"

"One that blows holes in unwelcome guests."

"Ha ha. Now, nobody wants that. We just want a look around."

"Look, there's the exit. Tour's over."

"Just put the shotgun down, old man. Don't make us kill you."

"That's not going to happen, boy."

"Last chance, old man."

"Let's see what you got, boy."

Then suddenly a gun fired, followed by the shotgun's blast. More guns fired, but the shotgun kept up its blasts. A man screamed. Matthew couldn't hold back anymore. He jumped down the trap door. After he landed he felt another thump beside him and felt Thomas' hands on his back. The gunshots began to taper off. Another blast came from the shotgun, follow by a series of pistol shots.

Matthew ran into the room. Three men were lying dead with shotgun wounds. Victor was lying behind a counter, the shotgun beside him and bullet wounds in his chest.

The last gunman was coming around the counter. As he spoke Matthew recognized the voice as the man threatening Victor. "The boss had hoped you would die." He raised his gun to shoot Victor.

"No!" Matthew shouted. The man saw him and immediately changed his aim. Matthew saw the bullets coming even before the man had fired them. Three of them were coming toward him and were going to hit him in the body and the head. Matthew put his arms up to shield his face. He heard the gun shots and felt the bullets bounce off the metal coating his arms and stomach.

Matthew peaked between his arms. The gunman looked frighten and he frantically was trying to reload he pistol. Matthew felt Thomas run by him. Matthew followed his brother's charge. Thomas hit the man in a football style tackle. The gunman was knocked back but stayed on his feet. The clip for his pistol fell out of his hand.

Matthew then went for the tackle. Being stronger than his brother Matthew succeeded in knocking the man over. The man then struck at Matthew with him gun. But Matthew again saw it coming and the gun butt only succeeded in hitting the metal that Matthew had formed under his hair.

"I'll kill you mutant freaks, just like I killed him!"

He grabbed Matthew and threw him off of him. He then put a new clip in his gun and pulled back on the slide.

Thomas charged again, but this time he had a knife in his hand, which he had formed out of metal. He stabbed the man in the gut. The man curled in on his gut and was in pain. Matthew got on his feet. He formed a metal knife of his own on his forearm, which dropped into his hand. Thomas pulled his knife back out and overhand stabbed it into the man's chest. Matthew at the same time stabbed the man in the back.

The man stumbled forward. Thomas got out of the way as the man fell.

The brothers immediately ran behind the counter to Victor who was laying on his back and struggling to breathe. "Victor!"

"Boys," he said managed to say. He swallowed, coughed out blood, took a breath, and said, "Leave town."

"What?" said Matthew.

"Leave town. It is not safe here. You must go."

"But what will we do? We won't make it without you." Thomas sounded like he was pleading.

"Yes you will. I taught you all you need to know. But before you go there is something you need to know."

"What? What is it?"

Victor coughed. More blood came out. He coughed again. "I can't…"

"No, no, Victor no."

"Go!" He coughed twice more, and then he stopped. He stopped coughing; he stopped talking; he stopped breathing. He was still.

The brothers didn't move. They just stayed there. Sirens sounded, followed by flashing lights.

"Thomas, we have to go."

Neither moved.

"Alloy…"

"Let's get out of here."

And so the brothers left all they ever knew again. They were able to grab their getaway bags that Victor had made for them which included clothes and lots of money. They ran straight for the buses.

When they got there a homeless man saw them. "Do you have a bit of change for a poor man?"

"No."

"Metalloy!"

"What?"

Thomas scanned the bus schedule, and then turned to the homeless man. "Do you want to go to Detroit?"

"Detroit sounds nice."

"Okay, we'll give you the money for the tickets plus a little extra if you pretend to be our dad."

"Okay."

So the boys rode with a homeless man to Detroit. There they would be able to start fresh. With the things Victor taught them they would be fine. But it seemed that their one shot as a normal life ended with Victor's death.