Disclaimer: I do not own X Men Evolution.
Italics are telepathic speech
'' are character thoughts
A/N: Still looking for OC's I how many I need is on my profile. You have until Monday December 11th 11:59 PM PST (Pacific Standard Time) to submit your OC's.
Thanks again to my friend the great AceofSpades95 for reviewing and checking for my mistakes.
Q&A Time: Title PM (Student's Name Class Schedule Ex- Ava Madison Class Schedule.
Students: What does your ideal class schedule look like? All students will take basics like Math, English, Science, History and one elective or Language class German French, or Japanese. Electives - Auto Mechanics, Home Ec. Art, Photography 101, Self Defense (it's NOT a mandatory class).
First Period
Second Period
Break - 15 Minutes
Third Period
Fourth Period
Lunch
Fifth Period
Sixth Period - Physical Education - with Mr. Haler
Seventh Period - Students' Power Development/Control Class
Read. Review. Enjoy.
Chapter 6 Calm Before the Storm
End of Week 2 - Friday 18 Aug 2017. Xavier Institute – Subbasement Level 1 - Infirmary
"Come on Doc you gotta let me out now. I'm all healed up. Good as new." Damian was trying to convince Hank to let him out the infirmary early. "Two days is not going to do me any harm." 'But laying here doing nothing will is agony.' Damian thought.
Okay that wasn't entirely true he'd been stretching his powers and getting them back in rhythm. He was doing little things like calling up the CCTV on his HUD to go over the security tapes. To see if he could find where exactly Boldrei had gone. As what he had taken if anything. Also on a mundane note, he'd been streaming TV from around the mansion straight onto his holo-screen. Though there was only so much reality TV a guy could watch. Even his usual spy movies that he loved to critique weren't fun right now.
What Damian really wanted to do besides get out of here was check out the danger room that was a floor below the infirmary. See if it was really all that Logan had hyped it up to be.
"You may be able to be up and about, but you still have to take it easy your injuries were quite severe." Hank informed Damian.
Damian didn't even bat an eye at the retelling of his wounds he received. "With respect Doc I've been hurt worse, but okay I'll take it easy for a couple of days."
"See to it that you do. I don't want to have to stitch you up again. No strenuous activity for the next three days. Or you'll pull and tear your stitches."
"So, I guess that means no danger room or riding my bike huh?" Damian questioned Hank who was in a simple yellow t-shirt and brown pants. Glasses perched on his furry forehead.
"Absolutely. I'd also refrain from using your electrokinetic powers in an offensive way."
"Okay I can do that. Now can I get dressed and get out of here please?" Damian asked.
"I don't see why not and you know how to change your dressings?" Damian nodded as he sat up slowly in bed. "Well then I'll leave you to get changed and you can be on your way." Damian actually smiled at Hank in appreciation.
Thanks to you too Sierra. Damian sent a telepathic message to his friend knowing she'd hear it.
Damian was now just tying his right shoe when he got a response from Sierra. No need for thanks D. But if you don't do as Hank suggested I'll come find you. You won't like what I do when I find you.
Don't I know it. Drew's told me all the horror stories.
Hey I gotta go there's a meeting I have to get to. We'll catch up in a few days kay.
Yeah sure I'd like that. Damian felt his mind go quiet as Sierra left his head. Now dressed in a simple black dry fit t-shirt and green cargo pants and sneakers Damian headed up to the main floors of the institute in search of food. After a quick stop, back at his suite to grab his essentials like his wallet and trusty Ka-bar knife. Why he needed that in an institute full of children, he didn't really. If there was one thing his dad had taught him it was too be prepared and that the Ka-bar was a Marine's best friend.
Xavier Institute - Kitchen
Damian walked into the kitchen intent on getting coffee into his system, having been deprived of the life-giving elixir for two weeks. He made a beeline for the coffee maker that Logan was standing by. He preceded to grab himself a mug and filled it, straight black just how he liked it. He raised the cup to his lips and drank half it in one go. Eyes never leaving the students and faculty around the room. Gauging their reactions, from surprise to relief mostly surprise.
Damian carefully put the mug down to his right on the counter. "What is something on my face? Do I stink? I took a shower earlier." Damian asked a smile curling up on the corner of his lips, knowing exactly what he looked like. As well as how he smelled, like Axe body spray thank you very much. He had a healing black eye, with facial bruising. Not his greatest look.
"Just surprised to see you up and about is all Marine. Glad though." Logan patted his right shoulder and went back to reading his newspaper.
"We're glad to see you're okay Mr. Haler sir." Ava said getting up from her seat at the table with Naima and Kyoto. "Can I hug you?" she asked.
"Course you can just be careful of the ribs okay, still a bit tender." Ava carefully wrapped her arms around her teachers' mid-section. Damian looked over at the two other students he was with that day. "Come over here you two I know you want to." Damian waved both Kyoto and Naima over to him.
Naima walked over dressed in her denim shorts, a fitted black tank top with a red and blue flannel over it. Her white sneakers squeaking on the floor. She too joined the embrace. Kyoto was a bit more hesitant, but did so as well after Ava had released him first.
Kyoto pulled back from her teacher slowly and looked up into his icy blue eyes. She saw something in his eyes that she saw often in herself, worry. "I'm so happy you're okay Mr. Haler."
"I'm glad you three are all okay. So," Damian picked up his coffee mug again and took a long sip. "What's been happening since I've been playing captive down in the infirmary." Damian asked in a joking way.
Scott, Logan and Remy were puzzled by Damian's sudden change in behavior. None more so than Logan. Though he didn't physically show it like the other two younger men. He sensed that Damian even smelled different slightly less stressed and keyed up.
Maybe that new nurse they got Felix had worked his magic on him. Who knows what was up with him. Maybe this was another mask.
"Nothzing much Herr Haler." Axel replied. Damian looked at the sixteen-year-old wearing a pair of aviator sunglasses with mirrored frames. He was dressed in a black sleeveless hoodie over a gray short sleeved shirt with a yellow and black caution emblem across his chest. He also wore dark green green cargo shorts much like his own along with gray low top sneakers with black trim. A black flat billed cap was sitting on the table in front of him. He had a pair of black fingerless gloves on his hands.
"Ava." Alastair pointed at Ava dressed in Army fatigue colored shorts and tank top. "Was out of bed past curfew last night." He informed the Phys Ed teacher.
Scott and Remy both look at the brunette-haired girl unimpressed. "Ugh I knew I couldn't trust you." Ava exclaimed. "Tattletale." She muttered.
"Ava is dis true petite?" Remy questioned the girl.
"Yes, Mr. LeBeau sir. But I just couldn't sleep. I was just in the student lounge. I wasn't disturbing anyone or being loud."
"Then how did Mr. Geneva know you were out of bed." Scott asked now turning his attention to the fifteen year with pure white hair that reminded Scott of Pietro's hair. Though Alastair's was messier with a wavy electrocuted look. It looked like he'd gone a few rounds with Kyoto or Damian. Damian watched curiously to see what either of the two would say, if anything.
"I have insomnia Mr. Summers. I don't sleep much, but I was trying. So, I went for a walk down the hall. I saw her watching TV the volume was low."
"You were watching me?" Ava asked.
"I was not I merely saw you there and knew no of us were to be out of our rooms at that hour."
"Didn't mean you had to snitch on me." Ava grumbled.
"Enough both of you. It seems this was all harmless and nothing happened or was broken. So, I'm letting you both off with a warning."
"Both of us." Alastair and Ava asked incredulously.
"You really shouldn't tattle on your school mates homme. Dey not like it when you do." Remy spoke up.
"You know the rules Ms. Madison a curfew is a curfew." Scott informed the girl.
"Fine." Ava grumbled.
"Hey Axel you can teleport, right?" Damian asked the tan skinned boy.
"Ja, vhy do you ask Herr Haler?"
"Because I need to go somewhere fast, and I can't drive myself in my current state."
Axel rubbed the back of neck awkwardly. He wanted to help his new teacher, but he couldn't. "I can't teleport like Herr Vagner does sir."
Damian had a look of surprise on his face for a minute, but then it disappeared. He hadn't meant many teleporters besides Ms. Hadad, Wagner and a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent he knew from a while back who could verbally teleport.
Scott saw this as an opportunity to talk with Damian. So, he offered him a ride to wherever it was he needed to go. "You know I'm free this morning for a couple more hours. I can drive you wherever you need to go."
"Thanks, but uh OpSec prevents me from revealing the location of S.H.I.E.L.D. installations." A little white lie. But he didn't want to make a grand big deal about where he was really going. Throwing S.H.I.E.L.D. bureaucracy at Summers was sure to halt any questioning.
"You were going to have Mr. Wolfe teleport you a teenager to government building. I'm sure that's not protocol." Summers reasoned.
"Okay, okay." Damian sagged his shoulders some. "You can drive me, but I get to pick the music station." Just before Scott could reply there was loud noise heard out out of the open kitchen bay window. It sounded like Frost the Snowman, but through a car horn. 'Christmas music in August a little early wasn't it.' Scott thought himself.
"I hear it too. Who he-heck is making all that racket." Logan grunted curbing his language in front of the students.
The students all but ran to the windows to see if they could see who was outside. "Well looks like I'm saved by the bell er car horn. I'll find my own way into the city. Thanks, though Summers." Damian walked off past Scott through the kitchen door and down the hall to the foyer.
Xavier institute - Main Foyer
Charden was using his powers in foyer again. Making little blood like men, and making them walk about all over the place. Something he wasn't supposed to do outside of a designated training area. Damian was walking through the foyer when he saw Charden using his powers. They were quite impressive if not a bit on the grotesque side. He'd already told the kid once not the use his power like this.
"Mr. Duvall." Damian called out to the nineteen-year-old. Charden was startled out of what he was doing. Because of the noise outside or his teacher calling him he didn't know. "Need I remind you where powers are supposed to be used."
"Let him live a little Haler the kids' bored." Bobby exclaimed as he walked up to the pair.
" Logan's told me all about what you used to get up to when you were bored Drake. Don't you think we should stop them before they do something reckless."
"Coming from a guy who has a pension for being reckless. That's rich. I read your personality profile man."
"Bobby stop harassing the man. He just got out of the infirmary. It's nice to see up and about." Came an eloquent voice of one Amara Aquilla. Drake's girlfriend perfect.
"Amara I was just…"
"Don't you I was just." It seemed both Damian and Charden got their chance to sneak away from the bickering couple. Charden went to one of the windows where Kyoto and Kitty Pryde were gathered. Noses pressed up against the windows' pristine glass.
Damian got away out of the side door in the now empty kitchen. Once outside he could breathe in fresh summer air. He pressed the earwig in his ear. "Davis open up a portal on my location to Stark Tower."
"On it Bossman." Came the reply. A minute later a clear open portal with a view of the tall tower in the distance appeared. Damian stepped through the portal and he was gone.
Stark Tower - Manhattan, New York. New York City.
Damian always loved New York in summer time. It was always so busy and crowded easy to blend into a crowd. Even if he did just step out of portal. See that the thing about New York or rather New Yorkers, those that lived there were pretty oblivious or at least used to weird stuff going down. Especially in Manhattan. With the Avengers about and the likes of Doctor Stephen Strange on their doorstep. Not many batted an eye at a man stepping out of a portal.
Like it was just an everyday thing. Then again with the likes of Strange in the city it very well could be. Who knows how often that guy sets off S.H.I.E.L.D.s magical and or paranormal radar. Anyway, Damian easily walked down the street toward the all imposing and great Stark Tower.
Upon entering the building, he saw it was as busy as it usually was. People hustling and bustling about the place no one paying him any mind. Except for the eagle eye security guard to his right. "There something I can help you with sir." The portly guard asked. Damian had to realize that his appearance didn't exactly help his case. He was in cargo shorts and a t-shirt he could be anybody off the street. Plus, surrounded by all these suits and ties and pencil skirts uniformity he stuck out like a sore thumb.
"Yes, sir actually there is. You see I'm here to see Mr. Stark." Damian told the guard.
"I'm sorry sir, but Mr. Stark is in appointments all day to today." 'On a Friday I doubt it. More like tinkering in his lab and ignoring work.' "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave sir."
Damian then fished around in his back pocket and pulled out his S.H.I.E.L.D. badge and I.D. out of his pocket. He flashed it the guard in the quick flip like fashion. It could be totally bogus and he wouldn't even know it. But it wasn't the badge and I.D. were real. "I'm here on official S.H.I.E.L.D. business." The man looked Damian up and down again. "Look man it's my day off today that's why I'm not exactly dressed professionally. If I don't see Mr. Stark right away my boss'll have my head." Damian ran a hand through his hair nervous looking around the lobby.
"Okay name?" The guard asked.
"I just showed you my I.D. man."
"Name sir? Or you don't go up to the top."
"Shawn Connors." Damian replied. The guard spoke into advanced looking walkie talkie.
"Sir there's a man by the name of Shawn Connors here to see you. An Agent. Okay yes sir right away sir sorry sir." The guard turned to "Shawn" looking flustered. "Uh sorry for the wait Agent Connors you can go up use the private elevator on your left."
"Thank you, kindly Officer Porter." Damian swaggered easily through the throng of people in the lobby and made his way to the elevator bank on his left.
Once inside the elevator he scanned his I.D. and was greeted by Jarvis. "Good morning Agent Haler how are you this fine Friday?"
"Doing pretty a-okay Jarvis all things considering. Where ever Tony is please?"
Jarvis started up the elevator and it started to ascend many floors. The elevator finally stopped on the 82nd floor. The Avengers communal floor. The elevator dinged and Damian walked out to the yelling of two people, and cursing.
"You're going down old man." Pietro exclaimed from his spot on the couch in front of the large 60" inch TV screen. It was split to show two characters racing Mario and Bowser.
"Ah Bowser no." Clint exclaimed in anguish as he saw his character get run off the track and and Mario, Pietro's character cross the finish line. Clint turned to face the young man with a grin. "Best three outta five."
"Nice to see this is how you spend your free time Quicksilver." Damian announced as he walked into the common room and stood by the end of the couch.
"Arc!" Pietro exclaimed at seeing the black haired electrokinetic technopath. "Haven't seen you around in a while. My sister and I were cleared of all charges, we were exonerated we had nothing to do with what happened last year." Pietro told the older man throwing down his controller and speeding over to him.
"Hey, hey chill Maximoff. I know that, but uh shouldn't you be watching a certain relative of yours?" Damian crossed his arms loosely over his chest
"Relax, my fathers' not going anywhere anytime soon. He hasn't once tried to escape. Plus Wanda's taking my shift anyway."
"Somehow that doesn't make me feel a whole lot better." Damian told the white haired younger man. He knew the young woman's history with her father. What he had done to her as a child. Left her in that asylum.
"I assure you my father is safe in that plastic prison of his, with no hopes of ever getting out." Looks like Damian would be making a trip to the Triskelion detention center in near future.
"Where's Tony? He in his workshop like usual? I thought he'd be up here when I got here."
"Yep he's down there has been all morning." Clint informed his friend. "No idea what he's working on this time."
"Right then I should go drag him out then yeah." Damian said but the two other males had already gone back to their videogames. Damian walked over to the kitchen grabbed a bottle of Tony's best scotch and headed down to said engineers' workshop.
Stark Tower - Tony's Workshop. Manhattan, New York, New York City.
Damian reached the bottom of the stairs leading to Tony's lab and couldn't see through the normally translucent glass windows. They were blacked out. 'What are you doing in there Tony?'
"Jarvis override code DRH7."
"Override code accepted." Damian heard the tale tale click of the lock mechanism.
Damian walked through the threshold and saw immediately the form of Tony Stark hunched over a metal table working on something. AC/DC music blasting at what should be deafening decibels. Damian looked over to his right and saw why the music was so loud. Doctor Banner an elite gamma radiation scientist was also down here. It was actually calming to the Hulk. It was weird.
As long as the big green guy wasn't going to make an appearance Damian was happy. "Hey Tony." Damian sighed as he stood a few feet away from the table that Tony was working at. Damian swiped up and holo-screen appeared. He pressed a circular button on the screen taking a picture of himself. Damian swiped the screen in front of Tony's face.
Tony's head jerked up from what he's doing at seeing the hologram in front of his face of his friends' face. Tony turned around slowly on his stool and looked up at his taller friend. "Damian good to see you. I was wondering when you'd come by."
"Yeah. I just got released from medical today. Had a little dust up in the streets." Damian subconsciously held his left hand around his ribs. He wasn't wearing his bracelets but the pain was still there and would be for a while. "Hope you don't mind I raided your stash I could use a glass or two."
"I've got the new gauntlets if you want to try them out." Tony offered. "Just brought them back from fabrication if you want to take'em for a spin." Damian could see the hope in the other mans' eyes. That was Tony in a nutshell he wasn't so good with words, but he showed his appreciation and gratitude to those he cared about by giving them things.
"Drinks first though." Damian told Tony holding out the bottle of scotch.
"It's five o'clock somewhere right."
"Now you're talking."
The pair had migrated to the old black leather couch that Tony kept in his workshop for those late nights in the shop. Tony was in middle of retelling one of the Avengers latest call outs. Against a giant squid monster. "So then I blast the thing. And it squirts everywhere. Nobody was happy with me for that one."
"No we weren't at all. I believe Natasha said she was getting ink out of her catsuit three days after the attack." Bruce said announcing his arrival.
"Doc you're looking good these days."
"Not being on the run helps with that a lot." Bruce sat down on the right of Tony and the left of Damian.
"Tony, you said you have my gauntlets, I've got an itch I want to scratch." Tony goes off to retrieve the gauntlets. Bruce looked over at the taller black haired man, and saw the way he was standing favoring his left side. He could also clearly see the bruising under his right eye."
"Agent Haler in your condition I don't think it's wise to be using your powers." Bruce said.
"I'm good really. I'll be fine. Thanks Tony." Tony handed the other man the blue and blue coated gauntlets. "I'll be sure to give you the full report." Damian put one gauntlet on at a time and flexed his hands. "Nice fit now let's see what these babies can do."
An hour later Jarvis made an announcement that Bruce's assistance was needed in the training gym. "We're on our way Jarvis."
Stark Tower - Training Gym
Damian was on the mats holding his abdomen. The gauntlet on his left hand was across the room. He could hear footsteps behind him and voices. "Bruce really I'm…" Damian grit his teeth. "fine honestly."
"You've ripped your stitches open."
"And totally destroyed my new training dummies." Tony complained. "Guess I'll have to make them withstand the likes of your powers now." Tony was already talking about making more improvements to the training dummies as Bruce got down on Damian's level and stitched him up again.
"Sorry guess I got a little carried away."
"Tony help me get him up?" Bruce asked. Tony was still pacing around the training room waving his hands about working with holo screens. Each man stood on either side of Damian hoisted him up. They started to walk out of the room and back to the communal area.
"I'm still keeping those gauntlets Tony. They work like a charm, the power I can channel with them is well unlike anything I can do without them."
"That's why I made them, just try and not break the first chance you get huh. It costs money to make those."
Stark Tower - Communal Living Area
It was great seeing you again Tony Bruce, but I really have to be getting back. Summers'll be wondering where I've run off to."
"I could give you a ride." Tony offered. As tempting as that was Damian had to decline.
"Can't security reasons." Tony nodded his head in understanding.
"I can run you back if you want." Pietro offered Damian. "I'll be there and back before anyone even knows I'm there."
Damian considered the fact. The Brotherhood weren't bad anymore, Pietro and Wanda were Avengers now. What could it possibly hurt.
"Okay, but you drop me off and that's it. I don't want to be explaining things to Summers. You can do that if you get caught."
"Yeah, yeah let's go already." Damian made sure he had his gauntlets secured and in a blur of speed he and Pietro were gone out the tower.
Salem Center, New York
"We are so lost."
Nile glanced at his disgruntled wife next to him and chuckled.
"No we're not, we just...taking the scenic route." He gestured at the spectacularly normal road in front of him; to be perfectly honest, the view wasn't so bad. Happy little trees waved at them as they whisked past and Nile was extremely grateful that the weather was in a good mood today, Lord knows how difficult driving in bad weather can be. He stepped on the brake as the traffic light turned red and quickly re-did the ponytail his wavy dirt-blond hair was falling out of. With both hands occupied, Nile gestured to their surroundings with his chin. "Aren't those trees over there beautiful?"
"They were for the first 2 hours." griped Blair, crossing her arms against her tank top clad chest. "It's supposed to take 4 hours to get to Xavier's from Allentown, Pennsylvania but we've been driving for a whole day now!" She groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Why did I marry you?"
"For my good looks and charm, obviously." he quipped back, reaching over to ruffle her long, auburn hair affectionately.
"Don't kid yourself mister, I married you for your cooking skills." she replied while fending off his hand at the same time.
Nile withdrew his hand only to honk at a blue BMW that tried to cut them off, drivers these days think they own the roads they drive on. Especially the little old ladies, they're the worst.
"Only for my cooking skills? You wound me Blair, I thought I swept you off your feet!" He really did sweep her off her feet that one time; she swooned and kept muttering about "concussion", "idiot", and "hospital".
She slapped his arm muttering a half-hearted "Shut it" before slouching down in her seat; Nile didn't need to look to know that her naturally fair face was beet red.
"Aww, don't be embarrassed, I still love you Blair-Bear."
"Shut up Nile-Crocodile. Anyways," she quickly changed the subject, "Is that our destination up ahead?" He peered at the general direction she was pointing at, he saw a really nice maple tree, but that was about it. It was starting to change colors even though it was only the beginning of August, dang that global warming.
"Really? I don't see anything."
"No, no, you just have really bad eyesight."
"Blair, honey, I really don't-"
The gates of The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning came into view. "Oh...we're actually here." She looked just as surprised as he was. They slowly rolled up to the gates before stopping in front of them. "Hmm, the gates are closed, I wonder if someone will open it for us." mused Nile.
"Well, we'll just have to wait and see." Blair reached over to turn the car off, the engine sighed before it turned silent. Not even a minute passed before Nile had a brilliant idea and started honking "Jingle Bells". It would've been beautiful if the car horn had different pitches, but it didn't. Instead, the rendition of the Christmas carol was reduced to the obnoxious and monotonous beep beep beeeeeeeep, beep beep beeeeeeeep, beep beep beep beep beeeeeeeep.
Blair groaned and slid down her seat in embarrassment again. "Why did I marry you?"
Nile stopped honking to reply, "For my good looks and charm, obviously" before resuming the next big hit of "Jingle Bells".
Blair felt the wind pick up around her, she saw a white haired young man and a black-haired man appear out of nowhere, and go over the gates. The white haired young man was the only one to come back over the gate, and he zipped off to who knows where. Looks like they'd be no help, they'd just have to wait and see if someone opened the gates for them.
Damian on the other side of the brick wall hit his earwig and dialed into the schools' landline. "Ororo. Yeah it's me Damian there's a couple in a car waiting outside for you."
"Thank you Damian I'll let them in."
Xavier Institute - Front Gates
Seven and fifteen.
Blair counted fifteen faces peeking out the pristine windows and seven people already came out to investigate the ruckus. She swore she saw several of them take out their fancy I-Phones and Androids so they could record the scene.
Blair groaned and slide down her seat, she could already imagine the titles of the video: "Crazy Driver Honks Up a Storm" or better yet "Wife Dies of Embarrassment". Oh the horror.
"Why do you do this to me Lord?" she moaned. Her child of a husband just laughed at her agony. "Don't worry hun," he said while honking to the tune of "Frosty the Snowman" (she wasn't sure if she should be grateful that he switched songs midway), "I'll stop once someone opens the gates."
"Promise?"
"Pinky swear." he held out his little finger. Blair glared at the offending appendage before twining hers around it. Nile's golden wedding ring winked in the sunlight, reminding her just who she pledged to live her life with. "You better otherwise I'm breaking that finger of yours." She threateningly tightens her grip before releasing her victim.
"Ha ha...please don't, I kind of need it."
Before she could fire back a witty response, the musical creaking of the gates made her pause in relief as they were granted access. Nile lifted his hand as if to press the horn again...and was promptly smacked for his insolence. "Don't you dare!" He sheepishly removed his slightly reddened hand and Blair quickly started the car.
"Start driving before I throw you out."
"Yes ma'am."
Nile drove up the long circular drive and on his way, there he passed a man with short black hair and black and blue accented gauntlets on his hands. The man saluted him with a smirk and pushed off the ground with a blast of what could only be electricity and rocketed up and toward the school. Damian landed on the roof, with the grace that years of practice brought.
'Better get inside before I get roped into playing tour guide to Romeo and Juliet.' Damian thought to himself.
Meanwhile Nile and Blair are both now inside the schools walls being greeted by an elegant regal woman with snow white hair.
"This way please, Scott has been expecting you." The couple followed Ororo as the older woman guided them to Scott's office. To say the interior of the Institute was beautiful would be an insult, it was breathtaking. From the strategically placed decorations along the newly painted walls down to the glossy wood, the place it looked like it was taken out from a dream house magazine.
Blair self-consciously picked at the worn edges of the white button up shirt she carelessly threw over her turquoise tank top before stepping foot into the building. She quickly glanced over at Nile, giving his outfit a once over; he looked pretty comfortable in his teal and white tank and cargo shorts, but... Maybe they should've worn something nicer…
Deep, hearty chuckles snapped her out of her brooding and she quickly tuned into the conversation that was apparently going on.
"That was quite a ruckus you caused Mr. Argall." commented Ororo, a smile evident in her voice. "I'm pretty sure everyone in the academy could hear you."
Nile laughed in response. "Well, you know, a car horn is used alert someone, I was just using what it was designed to do. Oh, and call me Nile, I'm too young have 'Mr.' tagged to my last name."
Blair snorted and rolled her sky-blue eyes at that. "You're almost 30."
"*Gasp*, we don't ever mention the 'A' word!"
"Huh? Oh, you mean 'age'?" She flashed him a wolf-like grin when he sent her a withering look.
Soft laughter reached Blair's ears and she turned to see Storm gazing at them in amusement . "Ah, young love. It's obvious you two have a very tight bond, it kind of reminds me of Scott and Emma." She stopped in front of a wooden door with the name 'Scott Summers' inscribed in gold and knocked before turning the brass knob.
"Scott? I brought the teachers you've been waiting for." She ushered them into the office, murmured a "It was nice to meet you two" and closed the door. Scott glanced at the couple from behind all the books and papers stacked high on his mahogany desk and set down his pen. "Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Argall-"
"Please, just address us by our first names," cut in Blair. "We're too young to have 'Mr.' and 'Mrs.' tagged on to our last name." She heard Nile chuckle next to her and she couldn't help but smile a little. Even though the headmaster's eyes were hidden, she could tell he was glancing between them. "Alright. Anyways, I expected you two to arrive yesterday afternoon, but it's fine that you arrived this morning."
If he had allowed her to drive, they wouldn't be a day late but no, he insisted he wouldn't get lost. The urge to strangle Nile was extremely tempting right now.
"I'm grateful that both of you accepted the job offers, but I would like to discuss about your living arrangements here." Blair raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem?" Scott glanced up from the pile of papers he was gathering. "No, not exactly. It's just that all of our staff have their own room, but you guys requested that you share one." He handed them a piece of paper before handing them another one, this one required their signature. "The first one is just a set of general rules that you can read on your own time, but this one," He tapped the second piece of paper, "I need your signatures."
Blair picked that up and glanced over it, she felt Nile peer over her shoulder and she moved it so they both could read it. Scott shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Just, uh, just keep private activities...private."
"Private activities huh?" Nile tapped his chin as if in deep thought. Blair knew what he was going to do from the way his sea green eyes glinted. "Ohhhh! You mean movie nights! Okay! We'll make sure to keep our weekly viewing of The Notebook private!" Oh my God, Nile. Scott flushed red and tried to sputter out a response.
Blair elbowed Nile in the ribs and a satisfying "Oomph!" whooshed out of his mouth. "I'm so sorry about that Mr. Summers, we'll just take these and we'll be sure to return that paper with our signatures." She pushed her laughing husband out of the office and waved goodbye to the stunned headmaster.
Blaire and Nile both spot the man from outside The man with the black hair and gauntlets. "Excuse me." Blaire called out to the man. Damian turned around slowly at being called. He still hadn't taken the gauntlets off. Blair can see his has piercing icy blue eyes.
"Something I can help you lovebirds with?" Damian asked. "Blair, was it? Such a pretty name." Blair was shocked for a moment. 'How did he know my name?' She wondered.
"Hey man she's married." Nile interrupted putting his arm around his wife.
"Easy there bucko. I didn't mean anything by it. I'm taken too." Damian pulled his dog tags out from his shirt and Nile could see a gold wedding ring attached to it.
"Nile, I can handle myself thank you very much." Blair told her husband. "We just wanted to know where room 302 was?"
Damian groaned inwardly. That was right next to his room on the left side. He knew all too well what couples did at night. Institute didn't have very thick walls. Made his insomnia even worse. Even when he did try and sleep he couldn't because of certain people.
"Yeah take the elevator to your right here up to the third floor second door on your right should be marked 302 with your names on it."
"Thank you…"
"Damian. Damian Haler. I'll be teaching Phys. Ed and a power control class. Now if you'll excuse me I have some business I need to attend to." Damian waved to the young couple and headed off in the opposite direction, in the direction of the library.
Xavier Institute - Library - Study Tables
Tali sat at the corner of the library. Observing the students. She's in a new country and culture. To say she wasn't scared was a lie. She's by herself alone. Tali doesn't know anyone here. It is like moving to Italy for the first time. Memories flash in her mind with people gawking at her because of her albinism. In a family with dark features, she sticks out like a sore thumb. Like before she went into her shell.
One thing she hated was when people ask or accuse her of not being a true albino. They think all albinos have red eyes which weren't completely true or false. Only a handful of human albinos have red eyes. Fewer have violet eyes or so she heard. Her eyes do show red when a light is shown in them which cause her pain in her eyes. Tali didn't want that to happen. So she's avoiding everyone until she knows who will be a complete dick or not.
To keep them off she read through music sheets of Camille Saint-Saëns' Danse Macabre, Gloria and La Follia from Vivaldi and Johannes Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5. This soothes her for some reason. She always enjoys reading music. That's if she could find good music sheets. If not than books would keep the idiots away. But as of now, she must divide her attention to the music sheets and what's going on. Pretending to be a mute or a mute deaf does have its advantages despite it being annoying at times.
Tali was not only watching the other students, but the adults that passed through as well. She saw a tall dark haired man with black and blue accented gauntlets walk up to the circulation desk a ways away. He was talking to a brown haired man in a black polo shirt. 'I wonder what his power is?' Tali wondered to herself. She also wondered when her cousin Hamid would be arriving. She didn't like the fact that she had arrived here first alone and not knowing anyone.
Xavier Institute - Front Gates
Hamid climbed out from the taxi. He paid the man with a great tip. Part of him cursed himself for drinking too much at the airport and on the plane here from Italy. He already kicked himself by not being with Tali on her way here. It was after all her first year at Xavier's and she is his favorite cousin after all. The only girl much like his mother and aunt. And he was sure she isn't going after any boys. He smiled while his buzz went away. Oh, they will have fun. Such as pretending to be kissing cousins and all. Hamid rang the intercom and was shortly let in through the gates, with his belongings.
Xavier Institute - Headmistress Frost's Office
When Emma Frost returned to her office to prepare for the upcoming one-on-one meeting with a prospective teacher, she wasn't expecting him to already be there. But he wasn't waiting patiently in front of her desk like a normal person. Oh no, he was sitting on her plush armchair with both his feet on her desk. To add insult to injury, the half-Iraqi half-Liechtensteiner man hadn't bothered to remove his well-worn and filthy tennis shoes. That much was evident as she watched a generous clump of mud dripped from the tip of his shoe to her desk.
"Emma Frost," he said with a patronizing smirk, "you kept me waiting for 2 minutes, 37 seconds, and 874 milliseconds. Got an excuse?"
A quick glance at the clock on the wall told her it was 4:23PM and he was 7 minutes early. Not to mention the laidback, careless way of sitting, the deliberate muddying of her desk, the raised eyebrow, and the knowing smirk. It was a power play; he had the upper hand and he knew it.
The man before her was Cyric Leira Boldrei, easily the most controversial teacher she had suggested. He looked like one of those scrawny loser nerds who still lives in mom's basement, even the blue streaks in his hair made it seem like he's trying too hard to be edgy. The shirt was the worst; it was blue with the words "I cry because people are stupid and that makes me sad" and a giant mocking sad face in bright yellow. He was not controversial because he was unqualified no, he was controversial because his penchant for manipulating, lying, and all around untrustworthiness is a well-known fact. He was also one of the most intelligent people in the world. Emma wouldn't be surprised if Cyric knew why she wanted him. She'd be less surprised if he had predicted he was going to be summoned to the Institute a few months ago.
"Our meeting was scheduled to be at 4:30PM Mr. Boldrei, I wasn't expecting you to be early. Did anyone open the gates for you?"
"Expect the unexpected as I always say. When you can't do something as simple as that, that's when something like your beloved Professor's death happens." He paused to scrape some plaque buildup from his teeth and had the audacity to wipe his finger clean on her armchair. "And no, the gates were closed when I arrived so I found another way in. It involved finding a few weak spots in the wall and the best hiding places once inside. Seriously though, it's stupid easy to find a path where no one can look out the window, or look through a security camera, or use a drone and the like to see me walk inside. It's almost like you guys aren't even trying to keep your students safe."
Any doubts that he was simply being rude flew out the window; Mr. Boldrei was very clearly baiting her and she had to stay calm for the sake of the Institute. This is a very powerful man she's talking to and losing her temper would not bode well. Emma still didn't like the fact that she was standing before him; it should be the other way around but she held her tongue. "Well since you're here, let's start. I assume you know why I gave you the job offer?"
"Sure do fraulein, my family's protectiveness and reputation precedes them in the mutant community. You want my family's protection for your school or at the very least, you want us to be your allies. However, you are aware that my family's batshit insane and dislikes outsiders so it makes a little bit difficult. So you call me, one of the more reasonable ones in my family, here with a job offer in hopes that I would take the bait and you would have a chance to build some connections."
Cyric was not known to be one of the sharpest and most analytical people alive for nothing, she was not at all surprised he knew. "Yes, I must apologize for manipulating you to accomplish my ulterior motives."
He just grinned like someone had told him a very funny joke. "Oh please, no need to be sorry; it's hardly a manipulation when you failed at pulling the wool over someone's eyes."
'Stay calm Emma, don't react to his taunting.'
"But I'm bored and I've never worked with mutants before." He suddenly sat up and snapped his fingers. Emma noted with relief that the action forced him to finally take his feet off her desk. "Oh that's right, you're also hiding the fact that this is a mutant school, right?"
"Yes."
"Hah! Like that's going to last. People will find out eventually and when they do, I'm so eager for the fallout that will come. Besides, it will be so fun playing around with you gullible schmucks so yes Emma, I accept your job offer."
Cyric finally stood up from her armchair and sauntered around the desk already holding the key and slip of paper Emma was supposed to give him. The dirty little bastard went through her stuff! Once again, she swallowed her anger for the sake of her school. "Do you need help finding your room?"
"Nope, I already know where it is and I already snuck my stuff in there yesterday. I'm not at all surprised none of you noticed considering you were too busy fussing over that injured teacher." He turned around and smirked. "He was a moron too; he could've used self-defense to protect those girls. If he did that instead, he wouldn't have been stabbed, shot, AND nothing would be able to pin him as a mutant."
With that, he swaggered away leaving Emma to wonder how he knew about Damian's injuries and in that much detail.
When Cyric entered his suite, the first thing he did was flop on his bed, take out his laptop containing the completed list of students and faculty of Xavier's Institute, and FaceTime his younger sister. A few rings later, she answered and the face of green-haired Vecna Boldrei appeared on his screen. Her lips were still coated with her favorite green lipstick so she's not planning to go to bed any time soon, good.
"/Veeeecnaaaa! How's my favorite lil sis?/" He greeted enthusiastically in Kurdish, the language that their mother all but forced them to learn. The arrogance and mocking behavior he displayed to Headmistress Frost vanishing immediately and replaced with genuine love and care. For all his faults, loyalty to family and community was the most important thing to him.
"/Cyric! It's been a week since we last talked, why didn't you call sooner?! Hold on, let me get Loviatar./" The screen went blurry as he waited while Vecna ran into his older twin sister's room. A few seconds, Loviatar appeared in the screen with Vecna wearing her usual maniacal, psychopathic grin.
"/Ah Cyric darling, how have you been?/" She purred. "/I've been so bored lately. Have you been having fun?/"
That's good, if Loviatar's bored this means the country's been doing well, crime rates are low, and she has been unable to kill anyone lately. "/Oh the most wondering thing happened to me./" He waited for his sisters to lean in before continuing dramatically. "/I just accepted a job offer at Xavier Institute for Higher Learning!/"
He laughed when they stared at him disbelievingly. "/The secret mutant school in America? Isn't that one of the hardest places to get into?/"
"/Are you lying to us again Cyric dear?/"
"/I'm telling the truth this time. The headmistress gave me the job offer because she's trying to get into our family's good graces. It was quite obvious from the start and she knows that I know./"
As he expected, Loviatar sneered but Vecna seemed thoughtful. "/Smart woman and I think it's a good idea. Our country's small with no army, no one to protect it except us. It would be a good alliance./"
"/Oh Vecna darling, the country needs no one but us to protect it./" As Loviatar was talking, Cyric began scribbling a few things down on a piece of paper. He didn't just FaceTime his sisters to chitchat although it was one of the reasons he did it. He needed some information from Vecna and would rather not risk anyone overhearing the conversation. "/The outsiders can keep their stupid American noses out of our country./"
"/Vecna has a point, Loviatar./" Cyric said as he showed them the paper with the words 'Vecna, I need you to give me all the personal information of these people' written on it. Both sisters immediately jumped to attention and Vecna immediately scribbled something down in reply. "/There will come a point when we'll need all the help we can get, especially now that Liechtenstein is known as a safe country for mutants./"
'I won't pry into the memories of anyone younger than 17, you know that Cyric', was Vecna's written reply. Verbally, she replied with "/Ha! Brother's on my side for once!/"
"/But mama and papa won't be so who's laughing now, Vecna darling?/" Loviatar taunted while Cyric held up his written response of 'oh fine, oh fine, here. I dunno why you're always so needlessly adamant about that; they're going to be adults soon' and showed her the completed list of students and faculty of Xavier Institute.
"/Shut up Lo./" She snapped half-heartedly, as she was already taking pictures of every single headshot that came up. One thing Cyric really loved about his sisters, besides the fact that they were closer than most siblings were, was how well they worked together.
The rest of the chat was spent talking about inane, everyday things while Vecna silently snapped a photograph of every single faculty and student ages 18 and above, ready to pry into their memories later. Using pen and paper again, she promised to give him a list of personal facts in three days. Living at the institute with some many other mutants sure would be interesting. Especially the older ones, Cyric was sure to have a fun time with them.
Xavier Institute - Seating Area by the Pool
The sun was just setting it was a nice night out. The muted oranges and purples that's what Emma said a sunset looked like, but all Scott saw was red. Always red all the time. He can't remember the last time he saw in color. There was a nice breeze in the air, Scott after his meeting with the Argalls decided to dress down. He was now wearing a pair of tan khaki shorts and button down shirt that Emma said matched his eyes. "Nobody can even see my eyes why does it matter." Scott said aloud to himself.
"You know Summers talking to one's self is the first sign that one is a few crayons short of the full box if you know what I mean. Now actually answering back that's whole other issue." Damian commented as he walked up behind the brown-haired man carrying a six pack. He set the six pack on the table and gingerly sat down in the nice cushioned deck chair.
"Damian!" Scott exclaimed trying not to sound startled at all. The man moved like a true agent without making a sound. Then Scott looked under the table and saw the other man was barefoot. 'Still even bare feet make sounds, right? Okay I've sincerely got to stop talking to myself.'
"You wanted to talk so I came. Didn't have much else to do. Finished my lesson plans already."
"I'm glad you agreed to talk. May I?" Scott asked gesturing to the bottles of beer. His favorite he noticed when he did decide to indulge.
"S'why I brought'em innit?" Damian replied as he reached for a bottle himself. He really shouldn't be drinking seeing as the amount he'd drunk this morning. It was already metabolized though no harm in it.
Scott took a long pull from his beer bottle. "So how are you feeling? Any better?" he asked.
"Little bit takes time though even with my accelerated rate of healing." Damian popped the top off of his bottle and took a sip. 'Not bad taste in beer after all'.
"So…is this going to be a thing between you and me. Late night beer drinking and titillating conversation."
Damian leaned back in his chair balancing on one leg. "I don't you tell me. You wanted to come out here."
"I did because I've been doing a lot thinking over the past few days and…"
"And you've realized your true feelings. Ah Summers. I'm a taken man already." Damian watched Scott's mouth move but no words came out at first.
"Wh-what no I'm being serious here Haler." Scott said as he put his bottle down and clasped his hands around it. Damian leaned forward and closer.
"I'm listening."
"I realized we're the same somewhat. We may go about it different ways, but we both want the same thing. The safety of the students we're in charge of."
Damian actually sat back and pondered what Scott said. It was true they did want the same thing. "Exactly. You obviously don't know this yet, but there's talk of a bill being passed in congress a mutant registration act. With the current commander in chief it's guaranteed to pass."
"Mutant registration. That's why Senator Kelly was trying to do in Bayville, but that never came to pass."
"I can assure you this one will. When it does what'll you do?"
"That's infringing on our rights. They can force us to do that." Scott exclaimed. "That's ludicrous."
"It may seem that way, but think about Summers. The Brotherhood are under S.H.I.E.L.D. protection their government employees. They'll be fine. Same with the Maximoff twins being Avengers they're public figures. But the school this team of mutant vigilantes it's days are numbered."
"Brotherhood under SHIELD protection?" Scott asked.
"It's more of an umbrella term as Agents who are X-gene positive, they can work and use their powers within reason and only when sanctioned to do so. The big wigs in Washington won't see them as problem. Now the X-Men on the other hand? Are wild cards figuratively speaking loose cannons."
Scott clenched his beer bottle a bit tighter. "Wild cards loose cannons?"
"Not my words Scott. Fury gave me this assignment with a two-pronged objective, enhance security and convince you to not do something stupid when the inevitable passing of the bill happens."
"We're not Magneto what do you think we're going to do attack the capitol building or the White House."
"I've seen desperate men do desperate things. Think about it Summers' what are you willing to do to protect your students."
"I'll do anything to protect them. They're just children. They can't be forced to do anything." And Damian had his answer already.
"That's where you're wrong the government won't see it that way. They see us mutants as threats. Threats that need to exterminated."
"I'll protect them, that's what the X-Men are for."
"Really I thought the X-Men for fighting for human and mutant equality. Not mutant supremacy that sounds awful lot like a certain helmet wearing mutant supremacist."
"I'm nothing like him!" Scott exclaimed.
"Okay chill you're not. I just needed to hear you say it. But remember I'm here to protect everyone I took an oath and I'll uphold that oath til my dying breath."
"You've given me a lot to think about Damian. Don't think I'll forget how we first met."
"I don't need you to necessarily like me Scott. I just want you to finally open your eyes Cyclops. It's a dangerous world out there."
"The X-Men will stand ready to fight whatever comes I can assure you that."
"Whatever awaits you terrible or wondrous, right? Glad, we had this talk Scott" Damian smiled and levered himself up from his seat hovered above the ground for a second before flying back off toward his suite.
Well that's the end of chapter 6. What are your thoughts. What will the fate of the X-Men be? How did the talk between the two go? Will Scott finally come to his senses about what's going on? Hit that review button down below leave a comment question, hypothesis.
OC's Introduced - Thank you all for you contribution. I know it's three more intros then I intended, but they fit well. To Deadly, Luciana will be introduced in the following chapter.
Cyric Leira Boldrei created by Deadly Animals Are Cute
Nile Argall created by BloodSentry
Blaire Cheyne Argall created by BloodSentry
Taliba Al-Mufti created by wisdom-jewel
Hamid Di Caprio created by wisdom-jewel
Until next time X-Fans.
Word Count if anyone's interested: 9,354 words
Page Count: 22
