A/N: Sorry this took a bit longer to finish that I had hoped. However, here I introduce my last OC and another surprise member. I won't have another chapter up for at least a week and a half, due to exams. On another note, I'll be starting my main plot next chapter. I'm considering excepting OC Hellions for when I get to the Hellfire Club, so tell me if you think that's a good idea. Also, I know people are reading this, yet I only have two (amazing) reviewers. If you take the time to read the story, please leave a review, even it is short. Any spelling or grammar mistakes are a result of me being tired. Anyway, please enjoy! (Wow this was my longest Authors note ever)
Disclaimer: I do not own X-men Evolution or any of their characters. I own all OC's, except for Ava who belongs to Ember Ice.
Over the next weeks, Ben's day begin to develop a pattern. He would sleep as let as he felt like (normally to about 11 or so) then get up and dressed for the day. Around 12, who would go have lunch with whichever residents of the mansion were eating at the time. After, at 1:00 exactly he would meet with Lea and Ava for their Danger Room session. This session was monitored by either a member of the staff or one of the members of the "official" X-men team. They would then be given a review of their performance, told they were doing well, and then Ben and Lea would cover Ava's mouth as she attempted to once again ask why their session were not increasing in difficulty. The initial answers to this question had been (in the case of most of their supervisors) an explanation of how, since they did not have a full team, they could not due harder session. In the case of Rouge or Logan, the question was either completely ignored, or answered with a "don't complain Thundercat." After a week, Ben and Lea decides stopping the question from being asked was a better strategy. Not that Ava approved, but they outnumbered her and she couldn't attack them, at least not when others were present.
After the Danger Room was when they got free time. Ben usually spent this hanging with Ava and Lea. Sure, they were girls, but they were the people he knew best at the Institute. Other times he wandered the Institute's grounds, spent time on his laptop or listening to music. One day, he even served as Kitty's taste tester. It was an interesting experience. He hadn't had a chance before that to see the infirmary. Ben had finally to get comfortable with the way his days would run. Sure, in a few weeks he would have to start attending Bayville High, but for the moment he was content. He should have known it wouldn't last.
It had started as a regular morning. Ben was sleeping peacefully. That was, until, a heavy knocking came at his door. Hoping it would go away if he ignored it, he did just that. Sadly for him, said knocker was Kitty, also known as Shadowcat. Next thing he knew, he was being shook hard. "What?" he managed to groggily mutter.
"Important announcement by the Professor. And Logan. Get up, get dressed, and come downstairs." With that she left the way she had obviously entered, phasing through the door.
Ben would have been tempted to ignore this in favor of more sleep, but the addition of Logan (as Wolverine had told him to call him after he got tired of remembering to answer to Wolverine when not in battle) made him decide to do what she said. A few minutes later, he yawned as he descended the stairs. As the students and staff gathered in the main room, Ben noticed he wasn't the only one who looked like they had just been woken up. However, he only spared a few moments to look at the others. His eyes, like the rest in the room, were drawn to the girl standing in front of them, between Logan and the Professor.
"Everyone," the Professor began," I would like to introduce you to our newest student, Laura Kinney. She is also Logan's adopted daughter. I hope you will all make her feel welcome."
Everyone, Ben included, gaped in shock. Logan had an adopted daughter? The girl didn't look like much. She was green-eyed with long brown hair. She didn't seem shy at all. In fact, she was almost staring then down, a small smirk on her face. Like father like daughter, Ben thought ironically. Honestly, you would think they were actually blood related.
Deciding since he was already up and unlikely to go back to sleep, Ben figured he may as well eat breakfast. He wondered what was actually served for breakfast, since he had always preferred getting extra sleep over eating a meal early in the day. Apparently, most of the others had similar sentiments and headed, as a whole, to the kitchen. Ben noted, however, that neither, the professor, Logan, nor Laura followed. Probably going to help get her settled in, Ben rationalized. However, since they were not present, the kitchen soon erupted in speculation about Logan and his "daughter." Ben ignored it, mainly because too many people were talking at once, and he couldn't make out where one person's ideas began and another's opinion ended.
When the facts, realizations, and bits of info were put together, a conclusion was finally reached. This whole process, of course, was helped by Kitty's ability to speak louder than everyone else, and thus get them to listen to her. Apparently, Laura was Logan's clone, created by some organization called Hydra. She had attacked the mansion at once time, since she blamed Logan for what had happened to her. No one was exactly sure how that had ended, but since no one had been harmed in the end, it was forgotten. With Logan now her father (which made much more sense now) no one wanted to accuse her. After all, the professor would not have let her in if she had intended any harm. That being decided, everyone devoted themselves to their food.
After breakfast was concluded, Ben ended up watching T.V. in the wreck room with Ava and some of the New Mutants team. He then went and surfed online for a while, until it was time for lunch. As he entered the kitchen, he noticed that, while most of the students and staff were there, the Professor and storm were conspicuously absent. This was stranger for Storm than the Professor, since he was often attending to the work that came along with running the Institute. Strom, however, was almost always there; often it was she who cooked the meal. Others seemed to have come to a similar solution, as the refrigerator was being raided for leftovers.
Grabbing a bowl of leftover stew, Ben sat down beside Lea and Ava, both of whom were eating pasta. Surprisingly, whether due to lack of sleep or pure luck, all three finished eating without the girls getting into a single argument. As the three of them got up and were about to get changed into their uniforms for a danger room session, the Professor's voice broke into Ben's thoughts. Everyone, a new student has arrived, earlier than planned, and I would like you all to come meet him. Judging by the looks on the other's faces, they had received the same message. Ben internally grimaced as the entire student body, once again, headed to the main room. Nothing for weeks and then two new people in one day, he thought with a sigh. Great job on easing me in gradually.
When Ben entered the room, he saw Storm helping bring it what was likely the last piece of the boy's luggage. The new student looked to be about Ben's age, a year older at the most. He was tall and reasonably muscular. What was most surprising about him was that his hair was completely green. His eyes were a lighter shade of light green, and he was wearing a green shirt with his blue jeans. "Hi," he said, smiling at the assembled crowd. I'm Merric, but you can call me Rick. Before you ask, no, I didn't dye my hair. The coloring is a side effect of my mutation."
"Welcome," the Professor said to him, than scanned the crowd of students. "Ah... Ava, could you please show Rick to his room."
"No problem Professor," Ava smiled. "Follow me hot stuff."
Ben rolled his eyes at Ava's flirting, but to his surprise Rick didn't seem to be embarrassed. He smiled back at Ava, and grabbed one of his bags. "I'd follow you to the end of the world beautiful."
Ben smirked at the surprised look on Ava's face. Obviously, she hadn't met anyone who had flirted back at her. Ben turned to see if Lea had noticed this development, but found himself facing Logan.
"Kid, tell your friends that your session will be an hour later," he said, leaving before Ben could ask for an explanation. Shrugging, Ben went to tell the others.
As Ben, Lea and Ava got out of the elevator, an hour later to the dot, they were surprised to see both Rick and Laura talking with Logan. Facing them Logan stated bluntly," Rick and Laura will be joining your team." He then ushered them into the Danger Room.
"So... "Ben began, recovering from Logan's announcement, "what are your powers?" Laura didn't answer, but popped out a pair of claws that looked almost identical to Logan's, except there were only two. Ben decided not to press her farther.
"I can manipulate plants," Rick replied, and gestured to his hair. "However, a side effect is that I have some chlorophyll in my body. I can gain energy from the sun, like plants, but my hair is green as a result."
"Oh," was Ben's only response.
"Now that you have a full team," Logan's voice boomed over the loudspeaker, "We'll be making it a bit more challenging. As the room began to shirt again, in addition to the lasers, disk throwers, and tentacles Ben was used to, some floor panels flipped over to reveal small robot looking things that began to shot lasers,. A few wall panels opened to expose more of the same.
Well, Ben thought sarcastically, this should be fun.
