Shout Outs

Shout Outs...

X00001: He escaped because it was in the script. Ask Deadpool, he'll tell you himself, fourth wall be damned.

The Notorious SMP: Like a... Gross...

Red One: Thanks man.

Proud to be an X-Nerd: Ending? Nope. Deadpool wants at least another cameo.

0--0

"Get the mutant!" The cry came from the man in paramilitary garb as he pointed at the Asian-American girl who fired sparkler like blasts from her hands. "Do as you will, but leave her alive for the assembly!" He added as the girl swept her hands, knocking two men away with her powers before a third managed to slam a fist into the back of her skull, sending her to the ground and out of consciousness.

"Is she alive?" Another asked as the man who struck her kneeled down, fires licking the house in front of them.

"Yeah." The man said after checking her pulse. "Not that'll matter in a couple of days." He said, picking the girl up. "What about those who spawned her?"

"Leave them." The leader said. "We can deal with them another day." He said as the mob collected itself and left.

Two sets of eyes warily crawled out from under the porch, only the fires lighting the night sky.

0--0

"Hey, Logan..." James said in a seat on the Blackbird. "Why am I on this little recruitment mission? I mean if you want your best foot forwards shouldn't you bring Jean or Scott. Me, Ray and Rogue do not set the most... academically inclined appearances."

"Speak fer yerself." Rogue huffed in her own seat, Ray and Rahne in the seats behind them.

"It ain't a new student." Logan let out. "Her name's Jubilee. Parent's pulled her out 'cause they thought she'd be in danger at the mansion after mutants were exposed. Problem is Los Angeles is home to the FOH's west coast branch and they've been stirring up trouble like no tomorrow so now she's heading back our way."

"I for one cannot wait for her ta get back." Rahne added, leaning back in her seat. "She'd always find the most amusin' things in the mall."

"Yeah, but then why take all of us along." James added, gesturing to the inside of the plane. "Heck of a lot of people just for a milk run."

"The Professor thinks it would be a good way for the lot of you to practice first impressions." Logan added. "Besides, she'll probably want to visit some of those malls for one last time, so you can get some sight seeing or something. We got a rental waiting for us, a van. And it's a rental, so NO POWERS inside of it. Wanna get back in one piece."

0--0

"Okay, we should be coming on it now." Logan said as he turned the corner.

"Coming up on something..." James muttered in the front passenger seat as his eyes widened.

A house lay in ruin, still smouldering from intense heat. Police cars and fire trucks lined the street as they pulled up.

"Please..." Rahne said as she leaned forwards to look. "Tell me it ain't--"

"'Fraid so Furtop." Logan said as he parked the van. "Rogue, James, come with me. Rest of you wait here." He said as the three exited the van. Logan walked ahead of the teenagers, each one eyeing the ruined house.

"If the FOH didn't do this then I'm the Queen of England." James muttered.

"No takers here." Rogue replied. "Gawd, this stinks. I nevah really liked Jubilee, but Ah don't wanna see her hurt."

"You... You're from Xaviers!" They heard as a man and a woman, husband and wife by the looks of it, ran over to them, blankets over their shoulder.

"Yeah." Logan said. "I'm Logan. What the hell happened here?"

"We... We should have sent her back sooner..." The man said, turning his head away. "They... The Friends of Humanity came... Our neighbours ousted our little girl... Our Jubilation... We thought she'd be safe here... We were wrong..."

"Figures..." Logan growled out. "Are the cops on it?"

"Yes, but..." The woman began. "Well... I've heard they've been turning a blind eye to mutants. They took our statements but... I think... Nothing will..."

"But why take her?" James mused aloud, as the gather people turned to face him. "I mean I can see them killing her, but why take her? What's the point?"

"Jubilee tried to fight them off." The woman said, eyes tearing up. "We... we had no powers or weapons so all we could do was hide... Hide as they stole her..."

"They mentioned a gathering, no an assembly..." The man said. "We told the police, but..."

"Don't worry..." Logan said, reaching out to grip his shoulder. "We'll get her back."

"Yeah, but how?" James asked. "We don't even know where to start."

"Sure we do ya knucklehead." Rogue replied, elbowing him roughly hard enough that a normal person would have been hurt. He simply shrugged it off. "If the FOH is havin' a lil pow wow they're gonna advertise it."

"And they might be holding her there." Logan finished. "Good a bet as any." He sighed. They had no idea when this 'assembly' would take place, so the rescue had to be immediate. He needed the X-Men.

The problem was he didn't have them, just himself and Rogue with Berserker, Wolfsbane and Dual rounding out the team.

Ray, alias Berserker, and his electrical powers would be the only ranged ability in their pool until Jubilee was rescued, and perhaps after that depending on her condition. He wasn't too bad up close, but favoured brawling and street fighting over any disciplined style.

James, also known as Dual, was much the opposite of him. In his powerful male form or his swift female form he needed to be up close and personal to do damage, but with a black belt in both kickboxing and capoeria mixed in with his break dance moves he would do damage in spades.

Rahne, codename Wolfsbane, could turn into a wolf or a humanoid human-wolf hybrid that looked like something from a werewolf film. Her speed, reflexes, strength and senses were all improved in her hybrid state and she gained a healing factor, although compared to his it was nothing.

Rogue, no other known name, could absorb the thoughts and powers of those she touched, an uncontrollable power and a devastating power, if only limited to close contact and the fact she could never turn it off. That wasn't to say her powers were all she had, her skill in combat was somewhere around James' level.

As for Logan himself, the Wolverine, he had a healing factor that worked miracles, enhanced abilities, enhanced senses, years upon years of experience, training and conditioning, metal claws and an expert in several forms of combat.

Best line up they weren't, but he could work with it.

0--0

"Stinkin' mutie!" A man cried out as he slapped the bound mutant in her face. Jubilee was tied to a chair, her forearms bound together and her legs to the chair. Steel caps were locked over her hands preventing her from using her powers. Her mouth had a ball gag in it as well, making her scream past the plastic.

"Ease up." Another said. "We need her in good condition until tomorrow night." He added, stepping over. "Which is too bad..." He added, reaching down between her legs as the mutant's eye opened wide. "I wanted to teach her where she belonged in my own unique way."

"Don't." The first said as his friend pulled his hand away. "You might catch something."

0--0

"So, that's their headquarters here?" Ray asked as the van was parked across the street from a two story building with 'Friends of Humanity: West Coast Headquarters' on the banner.

"Looks that way, boyo." Rahne said softly.

"So, we're here." Rogue added. "Now what? Ah mean it's not like we can jus' waltz on in there and ask for where they're keeping Jubilee."

"And me and Rogue can't go in anyways." Logan let out. "Too much TV time when mutants were exposed."

"Why can't we just bust on in and--"

"Come on Ray, think." James replied. "A pack of mutants violently attacking the FOH is going to be a good headline. Nah, I think I got this covered." He said opening the door.

"What are you doing?" Logan out as the gender changing mutant stepped out of the van.

"Just wait and see." James said as he closed the door, walking across the street with his hands in his pockets.

"Hope he don't do nothin' stupid in there, the jock." Rogue muttered.

James, meanwhile had walked into the front door of the office. 'Okay James, play it cool.' Looking about he noted the freshly painted white walls, red FOH posters lining them. A poster held photos of five children asking the reader 'which one is the mutant'. He approached the desk.

"Can I help you?" The woman with the glasses said as she looked up from her computer.

"Yeah, I'm kinda new in town I wanted to get some information." James said slightly nervously.

"Is that so?" The woman said. "Well then, let me get you a flier and information video." She said, turning to look through a file cabinet, pulling a folder out. Looking through it she took out a small DVD and flier. "Here we go."

"A new member?" A man said as he walked over. James turned to look at him, noting his neatly trimmed blonde beard and the fact he stood a head taller than himself.

"Oh, no. Not yet anyway." James said, waving a hand. "Just getting some info first, ya know look into something first."

"Oh, of course, of course." He said, laughing slightly. "Oh, dear me. I forgot to introduce myself. Adam Pillion, director of our offices here on the west coast and second in command of the FOH. And you are?" He asked extending his hand.

"Ja... Jay. Jay Dual." James said, he said taking the hand and shaking it.

"Ah, you seem to be a fine young lad." Adam said as James picked up the flier and DVD. "I hope you'll be at the assembly tomorrow night."

"Assembly?" James parroted questioningly.

"Oh, of course you wouldn't know!" The man bellowed out with laughter. "It's at the Cornwall Place at the corner eighty-third and Rockswell! Used to be a hotel, but it went out of business around five years ago. We're remodelling it into an apartment complex for our members who need housing, are over to visit and for assemblies. We have a number of people living there right now as a matter of fact."

"Really?" James said, scratching at his ear. "I'd didn't think the FOH was quite so... large as to need all that."

"Oh we're not that big yet." Adam said dismissively. "The FOH has about four and a half thousand members spread across North America and England, although our British friends haven't been able to establish an office yet. And we only have around three hundred members in town. But that doesn't matter; we are a growing organization boy! We need to plan ahead and get what we need before we need it! But I've kept you long enough, you young people must have a lot of things to do! Watch the DVD, and if you spot a mutant let us know so we can ensure the safely of good clean human beings."

"Oh yeah." James said, rubbing his neck. "Sure."

0--0

"I wanna take a shower..." James groaned as Logan drove down the road, Rogue looking at a map in the seat behind him.

"Should." She said. "Ya smell more like a jackass than before after bein' there."

"Thank you Little Miss Goth." James replied.

"Cut it out you guys." Ray groaned in the backseat.

"Just cause the two of ya don't like each other don't mean ye got to keep aggravating us along with ya." Rahne added. "And besides, we need ta rescue Jubilee."

"She could be at Cornwall." James said, turning his head to look at the others. "At the very least it sounds like they don't have much else in the way of real-estate."

"I'll sniff around when we get there." Logan let out as he made a turn. "Then we'll make a plan."

"Why not have 'Jay' sneak inta the place during the assembly?" Rogue replied. "Ah mean he's already got his foot in the door."

"We can't wait." Logan spat back. "We don't know how many people are there now but we know how many could be there later."

"Five on three hundred." James winced. "Powers or no powers I don't like those odds."

"And they'd hurt the Firecracker before we could get to her." Logan added. "No. We do this tonight."

"And hope they left the pitchforks at home." Ray groaned.

0--0

"She's here." Logan hissed out as he and the other mansion residents gathered around the corner of the block. "Now we need a plan."

"We could go in the front door, but that'd look weird." Ray began.

"And she's probably bein' kept up on the top floors anyhow." Rogue added. "They'd get to her 'fore we did."

"Could start at the top and work our way down." James replied. "We stay quiet enough we could do it."

"Well I dunno about all that." Rahne replied before looking at Logan. "What d'ye think Mr. Logan?"

"Working our way down sounds about right." Logan said gruffly. "But I scouted about; no fire exits. Getting to the roof won't be easy."

"Sure it will. For me anyway." James said, patting his chest. "Leave it to me."

"...Okay Hotshot, you can take a crack at it." Logan began. "You and Rogue go up top and work yer way down. Rest of us will wait for a minute and cause a ruckus down stairs."

"Now hang on a minute!" Rogue spat out. "Why do I have to go with Gender-Bender here?"

"Gender-Bender!?" James shouted back.

"Knock it off, both of ya!" Logan roared out. "This ain't up for debate! You two can kill each other later, but for now just stow it and get the job done!"

"Yeah, yeah..." James sighed.

0--0

"Okay, so we're here." Rogue said after she and James had snuck about to the side of the building before pointing up to the roof. "How d'we get up there?"

"Simple. You hang on." James said before scooping Rogue up into his arms.

"Hey! You put me--" She began before James bunched his legs before leaping upwards "DOOOOWWWWNNN!!" She let out as they soared up and above the building, the super-strong mutant landing on the edge of the roof before setting her down.

"Oh ye of little faith." James grinned as he walked over to the stairway door.

"Aw, shad up!" Rogue let out as James tested the door.

"Huh, locked." He muttered before twisting it quickly, a loud snap being heard. Pulling the door open he looked inside before slowly walking downwards, Rogue behind him. Seeing him make a quick gesture Rogue darted past him into the hall, looking about before beckoning James over. Rushing over to look over her frame frowned. "I don't see anyone, but there are a lot of doors..."

"Could be in any one o' them." Rogue groaned. "Ah'll go left, you go right, we search door by door for anything."

"But what does Jubilee look like?" James replied. "Never met her, remember?"

"Jus' look for the pretty Asian girl with long hair." Rogue sighed. "Not that hard."

0--0

"What the?" A man down at the reception deck let out as three odd people walked in, a punk like blonde youth with orange bangs, a pig-tailed redhead and a gruff man with black hair and facial stubble. "Um, can we help you?"

"Yeah, we're mutants looking for someone." Logan drawled out. "Chinese-American girl. I got these senses that tell me she's in here. Where is she?"

"This is so not subtle." Ray sighed.

"Suppose it wasn't meant ta be." Rahne replied.

"Mutants..." The receptionist cried out before, pulling something from under his desk. "MUTANT SCUM!" He cried out, pulling out a gun as Logan took a lazy swipe at the weapon, claws drawn mid move to slice the gun.

"Bub." Logan drawled out. "Don't make this hard on yerself."

"I'm thinkin' things are gonna be a wee bit hard on ourselves..." Rahne drawled out as several men armed with bats, clubs and broken bottles rushed out of the nearby bar.

"Mutants!"

"Kill them!"

"Evil scum!"

"Don't kill them." Logan said as he pulled his claws back into his arm. "Even if it would make the world a better place." He added as Rahne shifted into her hybrid state, a were-wolf like beast with sharp claws, Ray holding up a palm that was crackling with lightning. "Hurtin' is plenty good though."

0--0

"Guards." Rogue whispered as she and James looked around the corner of the hallway. They had descended two floors with no sighs of Jubilee. Each floor thus far had three halls and two staircases, one going up the other down. They had spotted two men in paramilitary wardrobe by the door near the descending staircase, one with a bat in his hand and the other a chain.

"Two of them." James added softly. "Either of us could take them out easy enough, but if Jubilee is in that room and someone is with her..."

"Point." Rogue replied as she took her gloves off and setting them in her pocket. "Now it's mah turn to play double o seven." She said rounding the corner. "Pardon me boys..." She drawled out as she walked over to them with a sultry swagger, getting their attention as she grinned. "Ah was told a couple o' good boys needed some sorta entertainment. Would you be them?"

"Err... No-ow!" The first said as the chain bearer elbowed him.

"Shut up man." He hissed out. "Look at that sexy thing." He added before speaking to Rogue. "Yeah, that'd be us miss. But I warn you, we expect some very... intimate entertainment." He said with a grin, speaking to her chest.

"Really now?" She said, moving in front of them, extending her hand. "Ah can do that..." She said as the two guards shared a look before each grabbing a hand.

Both let out shallow moans before dropping to the ground. "Little too intimate... Now I got idiots in mah head..." She sighed, putting her gloves back on as James wandered over.

"Was it good for you?" He said with a grin.

"Oh shad up." Rogue groaned out. "No one's inside, come on." She added, using the knowledge from the guards she gained from her powers. "Jubes?" She said, opening the door as they stepped in.

"Anybody... Oh god..." He said as he looked at the girl tied to the chair, a knocked over table in front of them. Her hair was unkempt and one of her eyes was swollen shut from a bruise, another purple lump on her jaw. A ball gag kept her from speaking as she looked up at them with her one open eye before letting out a muffled cry of joy.

"Hold on girl, we're getting you outta here." Rogue added as she knelt down to untie the girl's legs, James moving behind her to undo her arms and a moment later tear the steel restraints from her hands. Using her newly freed hands Jubilee pulled the gag from her mouth.

"You came!" She cried out, tears leaking from her eyes. "You guys really came!"

"Don't go thankin' us yet." Rogue said as Jubilee stood up. "We ain't outta here yet. You good to fight if ya need to?"

"Yeah." She said as James wandered over to the door, peering outside of it. "I just need a moment to stretch."

"Get your acrobatics done quick." James said, looking down at the staircase. "Company's a coming!" He said, anti-mutant taunts in the air as men rushed to the staircase. Grabbing the door he tore it from it's hinges before throwing it at the mob, knocking them down.

"Guess Logan's distraction didn't work as well as we had hoped..." Rogue sighed as she and Jubilee walked out of the room, the latter firing her bright projectiles at more men rushing towards the stairs.

"No guns." Jubilee grinned as she knocked another man down. "Like fish in a barrel." She said as a man threw a round and green object at them, James' eyes widening.

"GRENADE!" He cried out, grabbing both girls by the shirts and throwing them back into the room and over the table as the weapon landed behind as he began to enter the room himself him before the explosive went off with an ear splitting bang. "GAAHHH!!"

"NOOO!" Jubilee screamed as James staggered forwards before collapsing. "BASTARDS!" She screamed out before rushing out the door, firing blindly at the FOH members.

"My god..." Rogue gasped, kneeling down next to him. "They killed him..."

"...n...not yet..." James coughed out to her surprise as he moved his arms to help push himself up. "...but it hurts like a mother... ughh..." Taking a closer look her normally pale skinned turned a new shade paler.

The impact from the detonation and the heat from the explosion seemed to have done little damage, possibly due to his distance from the explosive, his own durability or both. The shrapnel was another story; jagged pieces of metal stuck out of his flesh like small and jagged daggers from the base of his skull, along his back, buttocks and legs and even his heels and the back of his arms. Blood oozed from each wound, staining his torn shirt and pants as he forced himself up to a knee.

"Can ya walk?" Rogue said softly as he forced himself up to both feet, a hand on the wall to steady himself.

"...more like limp..." He muttered, a groan of pain escaping his lips.

"Then we gotta make you hustle." Rogue replied, looking about before rushing over to pick up a tablecloth, draping it about her neck to cover her skin before returning, setting herself under his arm, grabbing him by the back of his belt. "Lean on me. The cloth should keep us from touchin' each other."

"...thought ya didn't care much for me." James let out.

"Still don't." Rogue replied as she helped ease him to the door. "But ya saved Jubliee and mahself, so I dislike ya less now."

"...yay." James let out before coughing.

"Finish'em up Jubes." Rogue called out as the girl panted as she knocked the last of their foes away with her blasts. "We gotta move." She added as the former New Mutant turned to look at them.

"He's not dead?" She muttered in shock.

"Nah, jus wishin' he was." Rogue drawled out as Jubilee moves under his other arm. "Grab him by his belt; his back's got more shrapnel in it than Carter has pills."

"R-right..."

0--0

"Don't you guys know when to quit!?" Ray cried out as he sent a blast of electricity at a man who drew a pistol, the metal attracting the attack and shocking the man holding it. "I mean come on!" He added, the pistol-man dropping as Rahne threw three men off of her, Logan backhanding another away.

"If they were gonna quit, boyo, they'd need to be able to have an IQ higher than three." Rahne growled out in her hybrid form before stepping back from a bat swing, slashing the offending weapon into pieces following up with a fist to the owner's jaw.

"Not that it matters." Logan added elbowing another as Ray's blast zapped another two. "That seems to be it."

"So, now what?" Ray asked as he wiped his hands.

"Guess we... Wait, more coming." Rahne said as she crouched to attack again.

"Wait Furtop." Logan added as he listened. "I think one o' them is limpin'." He added before Rogue, James and Jubilee rounded the corner.

"What in the...?" Ray let out.

"Oh my Lord, what happened?" Rahne asked as she and Logan rushed over to them.

"One of them... They had a grenade..." Jubilee panted out as Rahne gently took the wounded mutant from them, easing him onto her shoulder. "He tossed us away, but..."

"Took the whole blast on his backside." Rogue continued as Jubilee began to sob lightly. "Too tough for it ta kill'em, but he's hurt. Real bad."

"Shit." Logan growled out. "Get him face down in the back of the van. Rahne, stay with him and keep him awake. Don't pull anything out; it'll keep him from bleeding. We gotta get him back to the mansion, and we gotta get him there now!"

0--0

"I'm sorry we couldn't have more time to say goodbye." Jubilee sighed, an icepack held to her face as she and her parents waited outside the Blackbird as Logan prepped James for the flight inside the aircraft. "I just..."

"It's not your fault." Her mother said soothingly as both parents pulled her into a hug. "If it's anyone's it's ours for taking you away. We thought you'd be safer here... I wish we could keep you here, but..."

"But we can't protect you." Her father sighed. "Not like Xavier can. Just... remember... We're so proud of you..."

"Hate to break this up." Ray called out from the plane's door as the teary eyed family turned to face him. "But we gotta get moving here!"

"R-right." Jubilee said, tightening her hug briefly before stepping away. "Call me... When you get settled in."

"Of course." Her mother said as Jubilee turned to run to the plane, boarding it.

"Stay safe." Her father let out as the plane closed up.

0--0

"How is he?" Jubilee asked near the back of the plane as Rogue sat near James, strapped face down on a gurney, an IV in his arm.

"Almost needed ta hammer than little needle inta his skin." Rogue muttered. It wasn't quite that hard, but his unusual toughness had meant a lot more force was needed to puncture his skin. "He's asleep right now, but not in shock, thank God. Must be part o' bein' so durable." She mused as Logan turned in his seat.

"Okay Firecracker, get strapped in, we're leaving." He said as the girl nodded once, moving to a nearby seat and buckling herself in. "We're off!" He added the engines powering up and lifting the plane from the ground.

0--0

"I am rather disturbed by these events Logan." Xavier admitted to the Canadian mutant in his office. "The Friends of Humanity are more aggressive than I had anticipated. And better armed."

"Yeah, I'm sure Hotshot will testify to that." Logan let out. "So, how's he doing?"

"Remarkably well." Xavier began. "As you know his mutant abilities has granted him a much higher resistance to damage than a normal human, greater than I would have guessed. Between reinforced skin and firmer, denser muscle tissue he was able to survive, although badly wounded. Hank, however, assures me he will make a full recovery in a few days. The operation was a complete success and he claims his new treatments will not leave scarring on his body. Jubilee may take longer to recover."

"What'dya mean?" Logan asked as Xavier back his chair up before turning it to look out the window.

"She had suddenly and violently been ripped from her parents by men full of hate." He began, looking at the girl as she sat on the grass outside, looking forlorn even as Rahne spoke softly next to her. "Tied and locked away for who knows what evil awaiting her only to have one of her rescuers injured in a most brutal fashion. The scars of the mind take longer to heal Logan, as you well know."

"Yeah."

0--0

"We're back!" Jean said as she, Abigail and Laura walked into the mansion, each of the girls carrying a bag full of makeup and perfumes."

"How much of this stuff do normal girls go through?" Laura asked, looking inside her back. "And why make yourself smell weird?"

"I'll tell you sometime." Jean replied as Ray waved as he walked down the stairs at them. "Hey Ray, how'd the trip to get Jubilee go?"

"It blew." Ray sighed.

"Something happened?" Abigail asked, tilting her head.

"Something doesn't begin to describe it." Ray groaned. "Jubes got kidnapped by the FOH so we had to go save her." He began.

"What?" Jean gasped, brining her hand to her mouth, Abigail gulping as Laura frowned slightly. "Is she alright?"

"Few bruises... But..." Ray began, rubbing at his neck.

"What happened?" Jean began, moving to set a hand on his shoulder.

"James... James got hurt. Real bad." Ray let out.

"WHAT!?" Laura let out dropping her bag. "What the hell happened?"

"From what Rogue told me he shoved her and Jubes away from a grenade..." Ray said backing away from the clone as her arms began to shake. "He... didn't get clear in time... If he wasn't so damned tough he'd... well, he's hurt but he'll make it..." He began before Laura brushed past him, briskly walking away. "What the...?"

"Why is she...?" Jean began, trying to come up with a word to describe the clone's emotions.

"Upset?" Abigail supplied. "Well I wouldn't say she's real friendly, but she and James kinda connect somehow. Maybe 'cause he treats her like anyone the rest of us. Or something." She sighed. "Or maybe it's because me and the other's are her first friends and she's just being protective. I dunno."

0--0

"Ah, modern medicine works wonders, does it not?" Henry McCoy, AKA the Beast, mused as he finished bandaging up James' back. "The gel I used should speed your recovery, but you will need a few days."

"Thanks Doc." James let out, bandages littering his back as he lay down on the bed, only a pair of boxers and a white sheet on him.

"I would recommend that you don't shift until you've recovered but you rarely shift to begin with." Henry continued. "Beyond that try to lay face down and avoid aggravating your condition for a while with some bed rest." He added as Laura walked in hesitantly.

She did not like the medical bay. Hell she didn't like hospitals in general, the sterile smells and feelings reminded her too much of Hydra's labs. She knew there was nothing to worry about here, but the feeling never went away, even Logan had attested as much.

Then again why she had stomped off down here was still beyond her. She had felt angry, that was a feeling she was quite familiar with, but the other she couldn't recognize right away. A friend, something she had gained only recently in her life, had been injured. A person who had shown genuine concern for each blow she received during their fight with Deadpool, worried for her. That's when it struck the clone.

She was worried for him now.

"Ah, Laura." Beast said with a slight smile as he saw the girl. "Well I'm done here. You two keep each other company then." He said, moving to walk out, passing the clone as she was felt alone with James.

"Uh, hey." She let out.

"Hey." James replied before groaning softly.

"Are you... in pain?" She asked before moving to sit down in the chair next to him.

"Manageable." James replied. "At least it doesn't feel like Amara in her lava form doing a tap dance on my back anymore."

"...Uh... I get the impression I should say something, but I don't know what." Laura admitted. "I'm not used to... this."

"I'd rather not get used to it." James chuckled. "Just hang around for a bit. Could use the company."

"Even if I have nothing to say?"

"Even then."

"...Okay."