In a world that hates and fears mutants, Professor Charles Xavier owns X-Corporation with the prodigal son of Howard and Maria Stark, a company that hopes to secure the futures of mutants across America. Having recruited his two legal wards, Jean Grey and Scott Summers, Xavier finds the mutant signature of fourteen-year-old Bobby Drake, a closeted, ice-controlling teenager from Boston.

As all of this happens, Bobby, Jean and Scott find that they are in training sessions with Professor Xavier's contacts from Alpha Flight, Logan Howlett and Carol Danvers, two tortured souls who suffer from amnesia due to their shady pasts of being living weapons.


Issue 7: Gaining Control

Stark Tower – Tony's Office

For Tony Stark, he'd had a long morning at Stark Industries, and was looking forward to getting to X-Corporation Tower to meet the newest recruit, Bobby Drake.

Tony sat there at his desk, knowing that the important thing for his company to do was to build more of the Jericho missiles so that they could get them into the hands of the U.S military as soon as possible. Any little thing to help supply the Army of the United States was worth doing. He additionally was working on supplying weapons to the members of Alpha Flight, even though Logan Howlett and Carol Danvers insisted that the only weapons that were needed on the Alpha Flight team were super powers, but, Tony was thinking of the human members of Alpha Flight who didn't have super powers.

As Tony continued to do his paperwork, he drank his fifth cup of coffee that he'd had that day. If he wasn't allowed to have booze, he could at least have caffeine. If he didn't have an alcoholic beverage in his hands, he was seen with coffee or Red Bull. Red Bull tasted like shit, but, he didn't care. He needed something to get himself through the work day which consisted of long hours, considering that he was running two different companies. On top of that, he was dealing with Stane Enterprises and Trask Industries coming up with plans to build Sentinels under the suggestion of Norman Osborn, so that meant it was crucial that both Stark Industries and X-Corporation succeeded.

As Tony finished off his coffee, Pepper walked into the room. "Mr. Stark, I have your itinerary for next week. As you know, you have that event that you need to attend in Las Vegas in about two weeks, which is around the time that the missiles get into the hands of the military, officially. Let's hope that this time around Magneto won't trash that event."

"Miss Potts, you know whenever we say that we're speaking too soon," Tony said with a roll of his eyes. "Besides, we need to get to X-Corp . . . I heard Xavier managed to get another recruit. He's a bit green, but, Xavier thinks that there's potential there with him."

"Of course," Pepper said. "I'll have Happy get the car ready."

"Thanks. Okay, Friday, it's time for me to get to X-Corp now. Tell the workers to continue working on the missiles and to make sure that they're ready for shipment next week. Also, make sure that those R5 RPGs get shipped to Alberta so that the members of Alpha Flight get them in time for tomorrow," Tony said.

"Very well, sir," Friday replied back to him.

Tony got up from his desk and met Pepper and Happy in the private car that was going to be taking them to the X-Corporation Tower, which was at least twenty blocks away from Stark Tower. When they got to X-Corp Tower, Tony immediately went up to the medical quarters, that being the first place that he was going to look. When he arrived, he could see Hank McCoy was running some tests on Bobby, who was on the exam table.

"Hey, Beast," said Tony. "How're things looking?"

"Well, from what I can tell Bobby, aside from your body temperature being lower than most regular humans, your health is exceptional. I was expecting that your body temperature would be lower than normal. It seems to stem from that fact that you can project extreme cold from your body and you can manipulate water on the molecular level. That can possibly explain the fact that you can form your body into organic ice. It's remarkable," Hank said, turning to the youngest inhabitant of X-Corporation Tower.

"So, I'm pretty much a walking ice cube?" Bobby asked.

"You could say that," Tony said with a grin. "Tony Stark," he said, shaking Bobby's hand.

Bobby managed a grin back in Tony's direction. Already, he found himself finding it easy with fitting in. Scott and Jean were awesome. Hank was a genius in himself and had the same passion for mathematics Bobby had and pretty much spoke his language. It made him feel more comfortable than he'd ever felt in quite a while, which was a relief.

"Well, I know for a fact that the professor would like to start training you, Scott and Jean on your abilities as soon as possible, but, I would like to see just how far your mutation can go, Bobby. Because my charts are showing that if you are around enough water, let's say the ocean, you have the potential to freeze the entire continent in ice. It's a scale unlike anything I've ever seen before . . . you might be the first class five mutant I've ever come across, well, if you don't count Professor Xavier's son David," said Beast.

"What do you mean by class five?" Bobby asked.

"Basically, class five mutants are omega level mutants. You have the potential to control ice and water around you on a rather God-like scale, Bobby. It truly is something spectacular, especially for a fourteen-year-old boy," Beast explained with a smile on his face at this discovery.

Bobby grinned at Beast's explanation. Just the mere thought of having the powers of a God amazed him. It just made Bobby desire to test his powers further and see what more he could do with them.

"Bobby, why don't you go to the weight room and join Scott, Jean, Logan and Carol in some weight training until Warren gets back?" asked Hank.

Bobby nodded and exited the medical labs, unable to keep the stupid smile off his face. Tony grinned at the sight. The fact that Bobby wasn't the least bit damaged by the traumatic experience he'd been through of his mutation manifesting in his high school spoke louder than words could ever describe. Tony in a way wished he could have Bobby's brain for a day, because the boy was so carefree and relaxed.

"I wish I can have that kid's mind for just an hour of my day; he's so carefree," Tony said with a smile.

"Indeed, Tony. With Bobby, he's actually got quite the wit. You never know what's going to come out of that kid's mouth. He's spent the past twenty minutes or so questioning me about my mutation and telling me so many stories about himself. The fact that he's interested in math is quite refreshing, I might say. But, getting him to take things seriously might pose as a challenge. But with him, I see a good kid," Beast explained with a fond smile.

"Absolutely . . . you know Hank those four kids; they have the potential to be able to change the world for something good; they truly do. Scott has so much potential to have a career in a military-like position. Jean has such a willingness to learn about medicine she can very well be a doctor. Warren is smart in the business aspect of things. They truly are remarkable . . . they're special," Tony said.


X-Corporation Tower – Weight Room

Carol and Logan found themselves continuing with training Scott and Jean, Bobby shortly joining them in the session. Logan and Carol knew that Scott and Jean were especially thankful, considering they've spent so many years feeling weak, that gaining physical strength back was a blessing for the two of them. It truly was something showed Logan that there were others like him, some even less fortunate than he was. Currently, Logan found himself spotting Scott while the kid was on the bench press, lifting weights.

"C'mon, Slim. Do it again, bub!" Logan insisted, despite Scott having done it twenty times already.

"Logan, he's done it twenty times already. How many times do you want him to do it?" Carol asked him.

"Oh fer Chrissake Carol, like I've ever known ya to be easy on anybody! Please don't tell me yer goin' soft! Ya were experimented on by the Skrulls fer the love a God," Logan shouted with a roll of his eyes.

"Ease up, or I'm going to kick your ass later. Now, lighten up, or else, no sex for the rest of the week," Carol said to her lover in a tone that he knew not to fight with. "Because you know I'm probably the only woman that can kick your ass; that's why we started dating, because you're turned on by a woman who is your equal."

"Ms. Danvers, its fine. I can do it again," Scott grunted as he lifted the weight off of his chest. He was already starting to get drenched with sweat. Logan continued to watch him.

"Okay, Scott. But I should warn you; Logan tends to be even more of a hard-ass than me. But that doesn't mean you have to take his shit," Carol said.

"Carol . . ." Logan said in a warning tone.

"It's the truth," said Carol as she watched Scott continue with the bench press. "Just because his father was a military pilot doesn't mean that he's a soldier, Logan."

"He's got the discipline of one," Logan retorted back.

"Watch your tongue with me, you wise-ass son of a bitch," Carol snipped back. It was almost hard for Scott and Jean to believe that Logan and Carol were lovers, because one minute, they were showing affections for each other, and the next minute, they were bantering and snipping with one another. But, it sure as hell was amusing.

"Carol, I can take Logan's shit. I grew up with a military test pilot for a dad, he made me and my brother practice CQC, I can keep up just fine," Scott groaned.

"I'm beginning to like this kid, Carol." Logan grinned slightly. He watched as Scott did a few more reps.

"You like him because he follows orders and obeys authority," Carol replied back.

"It doesn't mean I kiss his ass," Scott groaned out.

"That's why I respect ya, kid," Logan told him. He proceeded to have Scott do the bench press five more times, which would equal it up to at least twenty-seven times. "Tomorrow, we'll see if you can do this fifty times."

Scott grunted as he finally lifted the weight off his chest, setting it aside as he sat up. He looked across the room to see Jean being taught boxing by Carol. Tony's bodyguard, Happy, was currently training Bobby on how to box as well.

"Alright, Scott. That's it for ya for today," Logan told him, rubbing his shoulders and ruffling his sweaty hair slightly as a form of silent affection. "We'll do more of this tomorrow, bub."

"Thank you," Scott said sincerely.

"It's no problem at all. Carol, darlin', once you're done with Jeannie we should get on the first flight back to Canada. I'm pretty sure that Proudstar and that brother of his would want our help with transporting some of the prisoners. After what happened with Toad being broken out a month ago I don't want any more of those prisoners outta my sight again," Logan said.

"Of course," Carol said once she was finished training Jean. "Alright, Jean, you're good for today. We can continue this tomorrow."

"So we're done with our workout?" Jean asked, pushing her hair out of her face. She couldn't remember the last time she'd worked out like that. Growing up she'd played club soccer with her twin sister all the time, so when she'd stopped due to the deaths of her parents, she'd hoped and prayed every day that she could one day go back to that again.

"Yeah," Scott said as Logan and Carol walked out of the weight room, bidding goodbye to them. Bobby was soon enough finished with his own training, drenched in sweat as he took his boxing gloves off his hands.

"Alright, Bobby, good job," Happy told him. "Hit the showers, kids. Xavier wants to start training you all with your powers in an hour."


X-Corporation Tower – Professor Xavier's Office

Within the next hour or so, Scott, Jean and Bobby found themselves being trained on their powers individually by the professor, being taught simple control. Scott had some control over his mutation thanks to his ruby-quartz lenses, but, Bobby and Jean were going to be a challenge. The professor wanted to start with Jean first, knowing that he needed to help her with her mental shields as well as control her telekinesis.

For the past hour, the professor had been tutoring Jean on mental shielding and blocking people's thoughts out. The process was long and exhausting, but, it was necessary to help Jean gain some control over her telepathy. After finishing her telepathic training, the professor allowed Jean to rest her mind for a little before training her on her telekinesis. Part of Jean's telekinetic training was practicing lifting heavy metal balls and moving them around. However, Jean was finding it hard to focus her mind in effort to lift the balls off of the table. Jean closed her eyes, trying to gather her mind to focus on where the metal spheres were located so that she could lift them using her telekinesis, but, every time she tried to lift the balls, they shook violently before crashing loudly down to the floor.

"I'm sorry, Professor," Jean groaned as she rubbed her aching temples, collapsing on the couch. "I'm just not cut out for this."

"Jean, you will get it eventually. Don't get frustrated. It's just that your powers are simply growing and your mind is trying to play catch up with it all," said the professor.

Jean let out a sigh as she opened her eyes. "You keep saying that, but, I just do not think that it's my day today," she said.

"Give it some time, my dear. I promise you, we will work every day until you get some control over it. How about I work with Bobby for a little while and you go to your room and relax until dinner?" Professor Xavier offered her.

Jean let out a deep sigh again. "I really am sorry, Professor. It's just . . . I've spent so many years being out of control, that now, I finally have the opportunity to be in control and I'm not, it's frustrating."

"I can understand that. It'll just take some time, Jean," the professor said.

"How much time, though?" asked Jean as they heard knocking at the door to the professor's office. The door opened to see Scott, Warren and Candy coming into the room.

"Hey, professor, what happened in here? I come home from school and I hear something break," said Warren.

"Training," Jean groaned out. "It's just . . . I finally have a shot at being in control over my powers for once and it's just . . ."

"Jean, it'll take you time to get a hang of it," Warren said.

"Easy for you to say. Shortly after you got your powers you took a chance with your wings and did a test flight . . . you said that it was so smooth that first time. Why can't I have that?" Jean asked.

"Because psychic powers are different than having wings, Jean," said Warren. "You cannot compare yourself to me or to Scott."

Jean rubbed her temples. "I still want to try again," she insisted.

"Are you sure you want to attempt pushing yourself harder than you have to?" asked Candy wearily.

"Yeah," Jean insisted, the stubbornness evident in her as Scott went over to her, rubbing her shoulders. Scott being near her seemed to have a calming effect on her. It was no secret to anybody that Scott and Jean were already growing into having something special between each other despite having just met at least three days ago. They both came from unpleasant circumstances, yet, they didn't allow their situations of losing their families and being put through things unimaginable taint their spirit. It amazed Warren and Candy and the professor to no end. Jean rose up from the sofa to attempt raising the metal spheres again off the table. She wanted nothing more than to try again.

"Alright, Jean, let's start again," said the professor. However, this time, before Jean started, Scott kept a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently as Jean readied her telekinesis. Jean closed her eyes, and slowly, but surely, the metal balls rose off the table, shaky and unstable at first, but, she allowed her mind to relax as she took a deep breath.

"That's a good beginning, Jean. Now move them slowly to the right . . ."

'You've got this, Red,' Scott told her telepathically. 'It's okay; just breathe and relax.'

Jean slowly but surely moved the metal spheres to the right, and then to the left, and then rose them up slightly higher. Her head started to hurt again, causing the balls to tremble slightly, but, Scott's calming presence seemed to help her stay focused on the task at hand.

"Alright Jean, now try setting the spheres down, slowly," Xavier told her.

Jean swallowed as she focused her mind to lower to spheres down onto the table as slowly as possible. Concentrating as best she could, she allowed the metal balls to land onto the table gently before sitting herself down onto the couch again, rubbing her temples.

"How did I do?" Jean asked.

"You did perfect for your second time around," the professor told her with a smile, congratulating her. "But, you still have some ways to go with training. We will continue these sessions at least three times a week until you get the hang of it, Jean. I believe that you will be able to do this just fine."

Jean nodded, feeling glad that she accomplished something that day. Scott and Warren both hugged her firmly.

"Well done, Jeannie," Warren whispered, rubbing her shoulders proudly.

"Thanks, Professor," Jean said with a smile on her face before getting up to leave the room with Warren, Scott and Candy.


Up next: A Place for My Head

A/N: Happy Sunday, everyone! Hoping you all are liking this new update schedule for Peace in Our Time volume 1! Remember, if you like what you see, be sure to follow, favorite and review! Peace out and have a morphinominal Sunday! Excelsior!