**A/N: Well, I STARTED this chapter shortly after posting the last one. I was maybe 1/2 way through by my husband and my anniversary at the beginning of October, but then we had a Stay-cation to celebrate. Then I felt like crap. Then my mother visited. Next thing I knew October had gone by and I hadn't written ANYTHING!
So here it is, November (and NaNo). So I'm going to try to get back in to writing. Wish me luck.
Legal Stuff:
X-Men, Sentinels, Dr. Reyes, the Danger Room, and the Xavier Institute are all the property of Marvel Comics. The OCs (Chayse, Nix, Lia, Annika, Lucas Kinney, Filipe, Penumbra, and Lookout) are all the intellectual property of the players that created them for our game.**
Lia walked out on to the grounds of the Xavier Institute proudly wearing her custom X-Uniform. It had a semi-high-school-cheerleader look to it: the top was a red midriff with yellow and orange stripes that made it look like a flame, the red skirt was short with slits up the sides for easier maneuverability, and she had orange wrestler-tights on underneath that were covered by padded red knee-high boots. She also had on a pair of elbow-length red gloves that had a matching orange and yellow pattern to it for the flame look. Across her hips she wore a yellow belt with a communication-link in the circular X buckle.
While most of the other students still had the plain recruitment uniforms of blue spandex with a yellow accent trim, Lia had one uniquely designed for her to showcase her power. Along with the custom design, it was also specially made using the same material that the Fantastic Four's Human Torch had for his uniform. That way it could withstand the extreme temperatures of her transforming in to her obsidian form as well as manipulating lava.
She was determined to prove that she deserved the time and effort put in to her uniform. She was going to show everyone that she could become an X-Men just like her parents did. Chayse and Nix may have been disappointed in themselves because their parents were also X-Men, and the boys were raised to take up the mantle for the next generation. However, Lia had something to prove as well. Having her mother's exact powers she had to show that she could be just as good as Magma; if not better.
Lia was beyond useless in the Capture the Flag session the night before. In fact, she felt like she was a hindrance; needing Nix to separate from the group in order to find her in the maze, and then forcing him to struggle to keep up his protective ice shield while Lia's powers instinctively warmed their haven so she wouldn't be cold. She just pushed everyone else to work harder instead of helping relieve some of the load. All because she hadn't trained hard enough yet.
Lia was going to change all that. She was going to be helpful – maybe even crucial – in the next session. She walked over to the obstacle course that was built in a corner of the grounds. There was a towel, cover shirt, and a water bottle still resting by the timer button. She looked at the course to see who was running it, but she saw no one. The score board had professor Lucas Kinney listed as just running the course five minutes before. She wondered if the collection of left-behind things were his, and then pondered why they would still be here without him.
The course didn't seem terribly too tough, that is until the last obstacle of climbing up a fifteen-foot wall by only using a metal rod woven through a track up the center. Lia hadn't thought to train her upper body that much and feared she'd only get about five feet up before losing strength and falling back down. She stood for a minute debating if she should give the obstacle course a go anyway, and decided against it.
She looked around to try to find some other way to train, and then spotted the lake towards the center of the estate grounds. It was a decent size, maybe about one hundred fifty acres; large enough to boat in but not so large as to take up even a fraction of the two-thousand acreage estate. She walked over to the lake's edge and took a few deep soothing breaths.
After reminding herself that water extinguishes fire and quickly cools lava – therefore being the perfect environment for her uncontrolled powers – Lia took a few more calming breaths before energizing up. Her skin turned black as it slowly formed in to obsidian. Her joints broke through the tough stone so she'd still be able to move, resulting in cracks of flowing lava. A ripple of flame sparked at her scalp and quickly traveled down her long locks, leaving behind a fluttering mane of fire. With a blink her eyes were overtaken by two orbs of magma.
Cracking her knuckles, Lia formed a softball-sized fire ball in each hand and concentrated on containing the flames in their circular form. In turn, she threw each of the fireballs, skipping them across the lake; again concentrating to hold on to the flame even as it was licked by the water. Each ball got about half way across before her powers couldn't hold them any longer. They burst harmlessly, creating a steam signal of how far they reached.
She repeated the exercise a few times before attempting to throw the fire balls straight up to see how high she could force them to go. After a few more minutes of messing with that she glanced down at the edge of the lake. Cautiously, she held out her hand and envisioned a dock jettisoning from where she stood. The land quaked before a small rift opened up right at her feet. Lava bubbled up and out of the two-foot crack before it flowed out on to the water following Lia's direction. Both the chilled lake water and Lia's concentration cooled the lava almost instantly as it stretched out, creating a rock pier that she strolled upon. Once ten feet out from the shore she closed her fist, cutting off the lava flow. She tapped her foot on her pier to test how sturdy it was; she proudly grinned.
Now almost entirely surrounded by water, and with no one else around, she tried really pushing her powers. She created a fire ball in her right hand and focused on enlarging it. Slowly it grew to about the size of a basketball. She raised her arm above her head and gripped the fire ball with both hands. Slowly pulling her hands away from each other she attempted to increase the ball's size even more, curious as to how large she could make it.
Once the fire ball reached about eighteen inches in diameter Lia started to bring it forward. She felt weak sustaining such a large flame orb, but she wanted to try out her limits. With a few deep breaths to ready herself for the strain, she attempted to grow the ball even more. As it neared two feet wide Lia heard something like faint tiny wind chimes. An instant later she was holding a fifteen-pound solid ball of ice. The sudden weight threw her off balance and she stumbled forward, chucking the ice in to the lake. Although Lia managed to catch herself from falling in to the water as well, it didn't stop the wave that splashed her once the dense ball hit the surface. Steam billowed off of Lia's still warm body even though she was startled back in to her normal flesh-and-blood form.
Lia, drenched head to toe, whipped around to spot Nix waving and smiling as he tried to stifle his laughter. Chuckling, Nix called out, "Hey, Lia, it seems a bit damp out this evening, huh?"
Glaring at him, she increased her body temperature in order to burn off the rest of the water as she stomped over to the older teen. "Oh yeah, super mature." Completely dry again by the time she reached Nix, she playfully punched him in the shoulder.
He cried out a bit indignantly and then gestured to the picnic basket and blanket he was holding. He tried to play it off as some chauvinistic attempt to woo one of the co-eds, but with some prodding from Lia he finally confessed that it was for a date he was supposed to have with Annika. He then awkwardly explained that setting up the basket was what kept him from answering the door when Lia knocked earlier.
Lia softened at the thought of Annika finally on a date. She also enjoyed seeing this self-doubting version of Nix. It was refreshing in comparison to his overly cocky persona. She teased him a little about it, making him more uncomfortable.
Finally in a good mood for the first time since Capture the Flag, Lia sheepishly asked Nix if he knew where Chayse was. He shrugged and told her that Chayse was running a solo Danger Room session. He confessed that he was a bit concerned, but Chayse swore he had it under control and so Nix decided to just go ahead with his prior commitment with Annika. He then asked Lia how her own solo training was coming along.
Lia blew some lose strands of hair out of her face and glared over her shoulder to where the iced fire ball had sunk in to the lake. She sarcastically responded with "Well, I guess it's going, uh, swimmingly?"
Nix laughed and congratulated her on the pun. He began to ask how things were going between her and Chayse; if they sorted out the issue from the previous night. He quickly cut himself off as he overheard Penumbra and Lookout gossiping about Chayse's session as they walked by. Dropping the carefully prepared basket, he sprinted to Penumbra and grabbed her shoulders in order to stop her. Not realizing that he was yelling, he demanded that the girls tell him exactly what they heard about Chayse's Danger Room run.
Penumbra cocked her head to the side and knitted her eyebrows, "You didn't hear? Just as he was about to finish he got wrecked by two sentinels." She then told him that thankfully Filipe was still in the observation deck and was able to get to him pretty quickly.
Lia gasped, and without saying a word she sprinted towards the infirmary. Nix followed suit, abandoning his picnic as he raced after Lia. A few minutes later they both burst through the infirmary doors; Nix calling out for any information on Chayse. Originally startled by the outburst, Dr. Reyes quickly recovered her composure. She somberly informed both Nix and Lia that she wasn't quite sure how Chayse was doing, but he was being taken care of as they spoke.
Nervous about how severe Chayse's condition could be, Lia instinctively grabbed Nix's hand and squeezed it tightly. Guilt smacked her as she realized that not only did she never tell Chayse that she forgave him, but she also angrily burnt his apology note; as simplistic as it was. As she tightened her grip on Nix's hand she prayed that the Cajun boy would be alright.
Feeling a twinge of pain as Lia clenched her fist around his; Nix pulled his hand away from her and instead wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He knew he couldn't show fear for his friend's safety while beside the young girl; it would panic her more. He instead pulled her in to a brotherly hug and reassured her that Chayse was going to pull through.
Comforted, Lia tried to hide her nervous stuttering as she asked Dr. Reyes if they could see Chayse. When the teens were told that they could once Chayse was moved out of the ICU Lia collapsed in to Nix's arms; clueless that his injuries were severe enough to have him in critical condition. Nix escorted Lia to one of the chairs, and the duo quietly waited for any updates.
A few minutes later Filipe exited from one of the back rooms. He informed Dr. Reyes that the electrical wounds that had littered Chayse's body seemed to have been completely healed. Reyes thanked the boy for his help, and then added that Filipe's control over his healing powers was astonishing.
Ears perked, Lia flinched as she heard mention of Chayse being covered in burns. Even though she tried to focus on the fact that Filipe had healed the wounds, just the thought of Chayse being so beaten up in the first place was chilling. Nix was just as concerned, but he also hated himself for leaving the observation deck before seeing the conclusion of the session. He wasn't sure what he could have done to have prevented Chayse from getting hit, but he still felt like he had abandoned his friend to the sentinels.
After a quick discussion between Reyes and Filipe, the boy offered to escort Nix and Lia to Chayse's recovery room. As soon as she spotted him, Lia broke from Nix's side and sprinted for Chayse's bed. The groggy teen groaned as he attempted to sit up, asking how well he did in the Danger Room.
Filipe chuckled, "Pretty good until you took a point-blank blast to your chest."
Before he had a chance to respond, Chayse was tackled by Lia as she hugged him tight. He let out another groan as she pressed against the center of his wounds. She quickly apologized for being so rough before biting her lower lip and playing with the orange streaks she had dyed in the under layer of her hair. Chayse rubbed his chest and laughed before telling her that it was worth it. He then asked if her hug meant she had forgiven him.
Lia was interrupted by Nix screaming from the doorway, "You're an asshole! What's wrong with you, man? I don't have nearly enough shit to fill our dorm all on my own, and I sure as hell don't want to sit around staring at my dead best friend's stuff for who knows how long."
Calmed after his outburst, Nix bashfully looked away and rubbed he back of his neck as he finally entered the room. "I kinda need you around, man. I don't want you to die. Besides, you said something about a new trick you wanted to show me?"
Chayse gave another chuckle, "Yeah, sorry about all that, bro. I'll be sure to show ya the new trick later."
Nix walked up to the side of the bed and held out his fist while reminding Chayse that the Danger Room session was a really dumb move. Chayse bumped Nix's fist with his own before agreeing; stating that he was in the infirmary because he was way too sloppy and allowed himself to drop his concentration. Under his breath he muttered that he was determined to win the next time he ran that program.
"Next time?" Lia yelled before gently punching Chayse in the shoulder, "You're such a huge jerk! Making me worry. How could you leave me a simple note like that, not be around for me to talk to you, and then nearly kill yourself in the D.R.?" She melodramatically turned her back towards Chayse and crossed her arms before calling him a "Stupid Swamp Brain."
Nix pursed his lips before telling Chayse that the stupid part wasn't so much the lack of concentration as it was him attempting such a high level in the first place. Heaving an exasperated sigh, Nix relented and switched gears, asking how the session felt while inside the hologram.
"It was," Chayse tried to figure out the best way to describe it, "like it was real. I mean, after level four it always seems real, but it was like it was real-real. Like it had actually happened. It must have been real hard for our parents, and I have no clue how Kinney could have lived in a place like that. I just hope we never have to fight one of those things for real in the field; we are certainly not ready."
He then turned his attention back to Lia, who was still angrily sitting at the side of his bed. He smiled as he saw her shift, clearly trying to hide that she was listening in on his conversation with Nix. "About all that stuff, Lia," Chayse gently touched her shoulder to coax her to face him again, "my bad. How about I make it up to you with some dinner?"
"My bad?" Lia shuffled her shoulders and straightened her back, making a full display that she was still mad. She kept her back towards Chayse, but did turn enough to look over her shoulder at him. "Few minutes after being stabilized from critical condition and getting both of us so worked up, and all you have is 'My bad' and a dinner offer? Really?" She pivoted her head to look back at the door before muttering "idiot."
The three of them sat quietly for a brief moment before Lia slowly turned towards Chayse. Her eyes were larger than normal and her forehead was scrunched up as she softly asked what it was that Chayse had battled. He simply replied with "Giant Robots of Death." Another poignant pause before Chayse attempted to break the tension by reminding Lia that she never answered his dinner request.
Lia was too focused on what Chayse was fighting to truly hear him break the silence. She just kept muttering "Giant robots of death." As the shock of what that phrase implied, she asked Chayse what the sentinels were like, as well as if it were true that all their parents used to battle them. She abruptly cut herself off as she realized that Chayse was still waiting for her to answer his question about having dinner together. With a twinge of anger she responded, "Wait, you never answered my question! What the hell were you thinking? Running off to the D.R. to get yourself killed like that!"
Chayse winked and told her that she'd have to answer his question first; if he liked her answer maybe he'd answer hers. She huffed back that she wasn't sure about the dinner date since she didn't date idiots.
As the banter between the couple continued, both Filipe and Nix used it as their cue to leave. The young couple briefly broke their conversation to say goodbye to the boys and then deeply thanked Filipe for quite possibly saving Chayse's life. Before he left, Lia asked Nix if he was going to be alright; noting how uneasy he looked. He assured her that he'd be fine, but that he wanted to talk to his mother about something. The best friends gave each other one last fist bump before Nix went in search for Emma Frost.
Once they were alone again Chayse pouted and asked Lia how he was an idiot.
"Are you kidding me? How about all the hot-dogging you've been doing in the Danger Room over the past two days?"
"Hot-dogging?" Chayse was both deeply hurt and agitated by the accusation. "You really think that I'm so self-centered that I would purposely endanger the lives of my teammates for the sake of showing off? I checked with Annika before blowing the wall – and that's after holding the charge for probably way too long in order to make sure everyone was clear - and she was the one that told me it was alright. I was trying to remove the obstacle of the maze so we could find the flag, and I screwed up. I should have made sure every person was safe myself." He collapsed back in to the bed, "Everything that happened is on my conscience. I was trying to be a leader, but you know what? I wasn't good enough. I'm never good enough. As for today, I'll admit that I went a little overboard setting it to level nine instead of my recommended level seven. I thought I could handle it, but once again just when I was about to succeed I made a critical mistake and I failed. Why do I always seem to fail?"
Lia choked back a few tears. She didn't realize how hard he was on himself; how demanding he was with his own training. She saw him just like Nix, a powerful teenage prankster who was sometimes a bit too cocky for his own good. Seeing both Nix and Chayse so vulnerable on the same day was greatly humbling. They had problems and self-doubt as well, and perhaps theirs were more detrimental than hers.
It kept a moment for her to wade through her thoughts and truly hear what he said. "Wait, did you say level nine? As in the highest setting for the D.R.?"
Chayse sheepishly nodded and looked at his folded hands on his lap. Lia stormed up to his side like a scolding mother. She took a long, angered breath through her nostrils before she punched him in the shoulder.
"Hey! What the hell?" Chayse rubbed his shoulder.
"You really do have swamp moss in there, don't you?" She quickly tapped him on the forehead before quickly wrapping him in to a firm embrace. "I'm so glad you're alright, you moron."
With a blush she released and sat on the edge of his bed. He softly chuckled. "Yeah, well, I know if I had stayed focused I would have actually beaten it. Then I would have truly achieved something worthy of my parents." His voice trailed off as he broke eye contact.
"Is that what this is all about? Your parents? Christ, you just might be dumber than you look." Chayse's face scrunched up as he pivoted further from her. "So what if your parents are both really strong mutants? So what if they're both important members of the X-Men or of the Xavier Institute? Dude, you're like sixteen for crying out loud! You have time to prove yourself. You have time to be a leader and outshine your folks. Why are you putting so much pressure on yourself?"
Lia shrank and turned from Chayse; he wasn't looking at her anyway. They sat in silence for two heartbeats before Lia continued in a strained voice. "You want someone who's living in their parent's shadow? How about Magma two-point-oh? Or, should I say two-point-loser?" She looked down at her hands and felt her skin start to harden in to obsidian as she slowly lost control of her emotions. She quickly clenched her fists to try to stop her shaking and to force herself back in to flesh. Chayse slowly turned and struggled to decide if he should do anything to comfort her.
"I can't figure out how to control these stupid powers," Lia whimpered. "I'm no help on missions. In fact, I'm a hindrance if anything. I mean, for crying out loud, I was the only one who got themselves lost in that stupid maze last night." She wiped her nose on her x-uniform glove as her voice trailed off.
Chayse placed a hand on her shoulder to get her to look at him again. Both of their eyes were bloodshot and the sight got them to nervously laugh. "Look," Chayse grabbed for the hand she hadn't wiped her nose with, "You just haven't had the time to really train. You don't know how to work with other mutants yet or how to do any sort of combat yet. You'll learn. As for your powers, you'll figure that out soon too. I just know it. Once you do get the hang of everything you'll be amazing. As good as your mother; if not better." He gave Lia a soft smile which she reciprocated. "It's me that's pathetic. I've been training my whole life; being molded to be a leader and an example for the other students, and yet I still screw up."
Lia squeezed his hand, "Well, can't be much of a leader if you're dead, now can ya? So – oh, I dunno – how about you try being more careful from now on, huh?"
Chayse brought her hand up to his lips. "For you? Anything." He gave her hand a quick peck, "Now, how about that dinner?"
Lia cocked and eyebrow and smirked, "You think you could eat anything other than pudding after getting your butt handed to you in the D.R.?"
Chayse placed his free hand on his chest where the simulated Sentinel had shot him, "Yeah. I'm fine. Filipe does wonders."
"Well, then I'm sorry to have re-hurt ya." Lia bit her lower lip as she pointed to where she punched Chayse.
He laughed. "No worries about that. We'll have to work on putting some power behind your punches." He laughed again as Lia pouted. "Well, if you want that dinner than meet me at my room in about ten, alright?" Before Lia had a chance to respond Chayse phased out of bed and through the infirmary wall on his way back to his dorm.
Lia jumped after him and nearly slammed in to the wall. She shouted, "Don't you need to be checked out or something?" When she didn't get a response she pursed her lips. "Stupid Swamp Brain, I swear." With a shake of her head she went to search for Dr. Reyes to let her know that Chayse was both fine and checked himself out. The doctor seemed just as exasperated by Chayse's departure but told Lia not to worry.
As the teen made her way back to her room she realized that if she included time needed to change it would be closer to twenty minutes than the ten Chayse originally asked her to give him. "Oh well," she shrugged as she reached her dorm, "Serves the moron right to wait a little bit after the scare he gave us."
**A/N: Once I got back in to working on this chapter the hardest thing for me was to stop writing "he/she laughed" after every response (there was a LOT of nervous giggling between Chayse and Lia). Well, that and coming up with a friggen title for this chapter! I was ready to post at about 4pm November 2nd, and yet it's nearly midnight before I posted because of trying to think of a title more entertaining than "Lia Trains and Visits the Infirmary".
I really need to work on that...**
