Disclaimer: "Liking is probably the best form of ownership, and ownership the worst form of liking."
― José Saramago
Summary: The Acolytes have a new recruit: Anima. Only there's a problem: One teenage girl doesn't go with half a dozen male super villains. Can she adjust to the crazy life of the Acolytes? Chaos, fighting and more! Sorta parallel to my other story, "Time Bomb."
I have no idea what to say here :P
Chapter 8: The Courting of Magma
"This is gonna be great!" John exclaimed again.
"It'll be better if you shut up," Remy told him. John closed his mouth and leaned over Remy's shoulder to look at the plans.
"Wow," the pyromaniac breathed in awe. Remy took in a deep breath and counted to five.
"John" he said through clenched teeth. "Either breath somewhere else or don't breath at all!"
"Don't tell me you guys are actually going to do this?" Ariel said, entering Remy's room.
"Of course, love!" John exclaimed. "The Pyro never backs down!"
"And Remy would never miss a chance to see the Rogue," Piotr put in as he joined the others.
"You do realize that there is a Rec Room for entertainment purposes?" Remy said through clenched teeth. "My room is a temple. Not the meeting place for gossipers."
"But this is so much more fun!" Ariel complained. Remy put his head in his hands.
"Fine. But you have to help."
"How?" Ariel asked. Remy told her.
"I can't do that!" she said.
"Oh, but you can," Remy replied holding up a metal headset.
"What's that?"
Three hours earlier
Erik let out a rare smile as he put the finishing touches on his device.
"At last, my power amplifier is finished." He turned to the door of his lab. "Now to celebrate with a bottle of champagne." As soon as he left, Remy snuck into the lab and grabbed the headset. Placing it delicately on his head, he activated it and waited for something to happen.
"Maybe you have to use your powers," he muttered to himself. He tried charging up a playing card that he pulled from a pocket, but instead his flesh and blood hand began glowing with the telltale magenta.
"Crap!" he hissed and drew the energy back. "Better take this for later." The headset was stashed in a pocket and he disappeared, leaving no sign he was ever there.
Back to present
"Try it," the group urged as Ariel studied the headset. She set it on her head then looked to Remy.
"Now use your powers on something," he told her. "Something normally beyond your limits."
"Okay," Ariel said. She walked out the door, followed by the others. Soon they came upon the hangar.
"Since when do we have a jet?" John scratched his head. "Looks better than those cramped, giant, metal marbles." He was, naturally, ignored. Ariel stretched out her hands to the jet and concentrated. With a creak and a groan, it shifted itself into a more humanoid form and turned to the Acolytes.
"Wow," they said in unison.
"So it works." Ariel removed the headset. "We better lay low for now. Plan our attack. Then use it."
"Of course," Remy said, snapping out of his trance. "Let's go."
Amara sat down in her chair, next to Tabitha (who had rejoined) and across from Jubilee (who was by Bobby and Jason). All of a sudden, the Professor shouted,
"AMARA! LOOK OUT!" and the floor opened up and she fell. Down, down, down. Into a closed off area of the sewers. Into the middle of a small group of people she recognized. In a bad way.
"LET ME OUT!" she shouted at the Acolytes.
"Next on the list: to the movies!" John exclaimed. He was followed by a glaring Amara (who couldn't run or use her powers) and farther back came the rest of the Acolytes.
"This is low," Ariel stated. Piotr nodded.
"Well," Remy drawled. "It's not my date, but I must agree, this is almost more desperate than Blob."
"What?" Ariel asked.
"Never mind."
"Oooh, Revenge of the Lighter is showing!" John said. He rushed off and the others followed dutifully.
"Never thought I'd play sixth wheel on Pyro's date," Remy grumbled. He reluctantly forked over the money for the over-priced popcorn.
"Well, technically, we're only on guard duty," Ariel told him.
"Still…" Remy said.
"Rogue might help search for her," Piotr added helpfully. A strange look fell over Remy's face.
"Well…I suppose it can't be THAT bad."
Remy sighed mournfully as Ariel read off the menu at the Cold Stone Creamery.
"Hey look, ice cream cones are only fifty bucks!" Ariel said cheerfully. Remy sighed again. "Never coming on one of Pyro's dates again."
"Hey, this is fun!" Ariel said. "Just wouldn't be as a date."
"Whatever," groused Remy. He looked at the bill. "HALF A FREAKING GRAND!?" The majority of the restaurant turned to stare at him.
"It's a half a freaking grand!" he hissed. Ariel yawned.
"Good thing you make a living off other people, right?" Remy just snorted and grabbed a nearby worker…no, lackey. This was robbery.
"Why the heck is the ice cream for three people half a grand?" he snarled.
"Well, that's the price the company charges, sir," he stuttered.
"Why don't you just point a gun at me while you're at it?!" Remy snapped back. "Wait…I recognize you. Carol, right?"
"Carlos, sir."
"Oh. Yeah. The Burger Bomb guy."
"Yeah."
"It's good to see you again, Carlos, buddy, mon ami."
"You still have to pay."
"Crap."
Ahead, John and Amara strolled through the park. Actually, John strolled, Amara was pulled reluctantly.
"Don't look now," Piotr said, "but I see X-Men." Sure enough, Wolverine, Shadowcat and Nightcrawler were at the edge of a crowd, lookin' tough and stuff.
"Let's move," Ariel said.
"But I don't see Rogue," Remy whined.
"Look later!"
"But she might be coming! I sh—" He stopped abruptly as Piotr knocked him over the head and slung him over his shoulder.
"It was the fastest way," he said simply.
"I'm not complaining," Ariel replied. "Time to go, Pyro!" They dashed to a van that they had hidden and drove off, leaving a bewildered Amara and an enraged Wolverine.
Erik sighed. He really wished he had aspirin. First his power amplifier disappeared, now this. He pressed his answering machine again.
"Erik, I don't know what you've done with Amara…" (Charles)
"Metal control or not, I'm gonna …" (Logan)
"Moo For You! Moo for Me! Moo for Everybody! Moo For Me Milk!" (Don't ask)
"I lost them, but saw the X-Men…" (Sabretooth)
"Those idiots are very, very, very dead!" he shouted.
"You steal my power amplifier," Magneto fumed. "Kidnap one of the X-Men again, take her on a date and act like I won't notice!?" he continued ranting and raving unintelligibly for a few minutes.
"I think he needs help," Remy commented.
"Perhaps Pyro should not have burned that aspirin," Piotr added. Remy opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it.
Next chapter: the return of Avalanche's Antidepressants!
