I don't own Wolverine and the X-men or any associated characters.
Chapter 9: Time Bomb
I grunted and heaved my body in the air. My arms trembled with the effort to lift my body up in the air in a handstand push up. My abs were killing me trying to keep my balance without falling over. Wolverine was right; this was a killer work out.
"31…32…" I huffed and blinked sweat out of my eyes. "Just…a few…more…"
"Hey Taylor!"
I shrieked, startled by the interruption and feel to the ground with a loud thud. I swore loudly and rubbed my now throbbing butt. Slowly I turned to look at the door and glared at a sheepish looking Bobby. If looks could kill…
"Um…sorry about that," he muttered. "Phone's for you!" Quickly he shoved the cordless white phone into my hands and hurried away, probably hoping I would be distracted long enough not to extract revenge. No such luck. I caught the phone with one hand and blew a heavy gust of wind at his retreating back with the other. He flew out the door and with a resounding bang hit the wall before the metal doors of the gym slid close with a hiss. I smirked when the sound of his moans reached my ears then lifted the phone to my face.
"Hello?"
"Hey Taylor, it's Ryan."
Ah, it was about time grocery boy called me. We hadn't hung out since the week before. "Hey Ryan, what's up?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to hang with me and some of my other friends today."
I frowned in consideration and wiped some of the sweat off my forehead absentmindedly. "What were you guys thinking of doing?"
"Just hanging somewhere. Maybe the mall or the skate park. Maybe my house, I dunno. Whatever we feel like doing. We don't have any set plans."
"Sure, as long as Fang can come. He's getting bored in here."
He laughed. "Yeah sure, the more the merrier. Do you need a ride?"
"Yeah, probably. I can't take Logan's bike if I'm taking Fang too, and I think Hank wants the van to stay here."
"Ok then, I'll meet you at your gates in 15 minutes?"
I shook my head. "No, better make that half an hour at least. I need to have a shower."
"It's nearly one in the afternoon! What were you doing all morning?"
I laughed and got to my feet, my legs wobbling unsteadily under me as I stumbled to the door. "I made breakfast, cleaned the kitchen, helped Forge build a computer, and worked out."
He whistled. "Wow, you're a busy person. Anyways, half and hour then. See you."
"Bye."
I hung up and hobbled as fast as I could down the hall. My muscles had begun to stiffen up because I hadn't stretched, and I was beginning to regret that, but I didn't have any time to spare. Quickly I showered and dressed in a casual pair of jeans and a white wife-beater. My leather jacket went over top with my black sneakers on my feet as I hurried down the hall to the front door.
"Fang? Fang come here!" I called. Pounding feet came from behind me and then a soft black head was under my fingers. I scratched his ears obediently, but continued walking down the hall. "I'm going out with Ryan, want to come?"
He barked happily and wagged his tail, trotting along by my side. I smiled at his puppy-like behaviour and poked my head into the kitchen, hoping to find someone there. I was in luck, Logan was in the room making a large ham sandwich, his adamantium claws slicing through the meat deftly.
"Hey Logan?"
He turned and arched a bushy, black eyebrow at me. "Yeah, kid?"
I wrinkled my nose at the name, but decided to let it slide this once. "I'm going out. I have my cell. I'm bringing Fang with me." I turned to walk away, hoping he wouldn't ask questions, but his voice stopped me, mid step.
"Hold on, come back here." I huffed and stomped back to the kitchen, scowling at him. "Who are you going with?"
"I'm going to hang out with Ryan and some of his friends."
He frowned. "Is he that kid you met at the grocery store a few weeks ago? The one Forge said had a huge crush on you?"
I rolled my eyes. "We're friends. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm not going to do anything stupid."
Logan snorted. "Just being friends with him is kind of stupid. He's a human, Taylor. Chances are, he's not going to react well if he finds out you're a mutant. Besides, Gambit struck me as the jealous sort. You might want to be careful."
I huffed and crossed my arms. "Remy isn't my keeper, he can't control who I'm friends with. Besides, he left, at the moment he has no claim over me. And as for the mutant thing, Ryan doesn't need to know."
He shook his head. "You're playing with fire kid."
Bad pun. He's worse than Bobby. "So you tell the pyrokinetic," I sneered.
He rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. "Since you'd just sneak out anyways, go ahead. Just be careful."
I smiled. "Of course. See you, Logan."
I didn't hear his answer as I raced down the hall and out the door, Fang loping beside me. I was already a few minutes late, so I ran as fast as I could out the door and down the driveway. Logan had thoughtfully opened the gates for me, so I was able to race out to the street and to Ryan's blue old, second-hand care without any problems.
"Hey, Taylor, what's up?" Ryan grinned at me from behind the wheel, his blue eyes dancing cheerfully and brown hair falling into his eyes.
I smiled and opened the door so Fang could climb in before doing so myself. "Not much. Just glad to get away for a while. Bobby's driving me nuts in there."
He laughed. "What did he do this time?"
I rolled my eyes and watched the buildings flash by as we drive a little too fast through town. "Oh, just being his usually annoying self. He made me lose my concentration during my workout and…well, it hurt."
Ryan chuckled. "You work out way too much. You should trying being lazy like a normal teenager. It's lots of fun."
I snorted. "And then I would get fat, what with all the food I eat."
"You? Fat? Never."
I chuckled. "So what's the plan?"
"We're meeting everyone at my house and decide what we want to do from there."
"Ok. Who's all coming?"
"Jason, Brett, Joel and Tiffany."
I looked at him blankly for a second, not knowing a single person, then shrugged. "Ok then." Ryan burst out laughing and ruffled my hair with his free hand. I tensed at his touch, but let it slide. "Anything I should know in advance?"
He considered it thoughtfully, keeping his eyes on the road. "Brett and Tiff are dating, and they tend to greatly enjoy PDA." We grimaced in unison. "Most of the time they're pretty decent, but sometimes they need a reminder they're not the only people in the world. Joel is our bad boy/fighter of the group. I don't mean he starts fights, but he's very protective and doesn't hesitate to get physical if the situation requires it, and he's good at what he does. So don't embarrass him too much if you two get in a fight." He smirked evilly and I chuckled.
"I'll try to keep that in mind."
"Sweet. Now as for Jason…well…he's a bit of an idiot, to be honest. He doesn't think much about his actions, he just goes ahead and jumps. He tends to piss at least one of us off everyday, so try not to get overly offended by his crudeness. Deep down he's a nice guy."
"Hm."
Ryan glanced at me worriedly. "Aw, come on, don't be like that. I've got your back. You'll be fine, I promise."
I smiled. He was such a sweet guy. "I know. So, how much further until your house?"
"It's right here."
He pulled his car onto the driveway of a cheerful, blue bungalow. It was a lot smaller than the mansion that I was used to, and a lot less high-tech; but it was cozy and looked like a home. The yard full of flowers looked gorgeous and made the place looked loved. I couldn't help but stare at it, hardly noticing Fang slipping out the door behind me and closing the door only out of habit.
"It's not nearly as nice as your place, but it's home."
I turned as saw Ryan standing next to me and rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. I grinned at him. "Are you kidding, I love it. I love the flowers."
"My mom's work. She does gardening as a hobby."
"Cool."
We stared at the house for a moment longer, before Ryan broke the silence. "So, you ready?"
I shook my thoughts away and smiled. "Yeah, let's start this shindig." Fang barked happily in agreement.
Ryan arched an eyebrow at me. "Shindig?"
I rolled my eyes. "I have an odd vocabulary, get used to it."
"Yes ma'am." He saluted me smartly then led the way into the house. It was a very tidy place, and smelled and freshly baked bread. Fang's nose worked overtime to take all the new scents, and I absorbed all the new sights. It was a little bit crowded, but large windows made the rooms look bigger and let in lots of sunlight. I liked it a lot.
"Hello, Ryan. Who's your friend?"
I turned quickly at the new voice and spotted a middle-aged woman with bread dough on her hands standing in the doorway to the kitchen. Her brown hair, the exact shade of Ryan's, was pulled back in a messy ponytail and she dressed comfortably in a pair of worn jeans and a T-shirt.
"Hey Mom," Ryan greeted her with a grin. "This is Taylor and her dog, Fang."
I nodded in a friendly manner. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Geoffrey."
She grinned. "You too. And please, call me Sarah. Mrs. Geoffrey is my mother-in-law."
I chuckled. "Will do."
"Good." She turned to Ryan. "The rest of the kids are downstairs."
Ryan nodded. "Ok, thanks. Come on Taylor."
I followed him down the stairs to the basement. Fang followed right on my heels and nearly bowled me over in his eagerness to get to the food that we could both smell. Sour cream and onion chips, yum.
The basement was just like the rest of the house; small but tidy and comfortable. Four teenagers sprawled out around the room in front of a decently sized TV, two of which were furiously pressing the buttons of the X-box controls in an effort to blow each other up. The other two weren't so occupied and glanced up as Ryan and I entered and smiled.
The two that acknowledged our presence, Brett and Tiffany I assumed, were cuddled together on a love seat. They were both lean and I assumed fairly tall, while Tiffany had orange hair and hazel eyes while Brett had sandy brown hair and chocolate eyes. The other two who still hadn't noticed us, were an interesting pair. One was pale with white blond hair and dressed like a typical prep school kid. The other had midnight black hair, tanned skin, muscular arms and dressed more like a typical bad boy. That had to be Joel and the pale kid, Jason.
"Hey, guys. Been waiting long?" Ryan asked casually as he collapsed on the sofa behind were Jason and Joel were sitting on the floor.
"About ten minutes," Tiffany said with a fond smile. "And who's this?"
Ryan glanced up at me, and his eyes widened. "Oh, right. Almost forgot." Quickly he jumped to his feet and pressed the power button on the TV, making the screen go blank.
"Hey!" Jason jumped to his feet angrily and glared at Ryan while Joel stared at him calmly. Obviously he realized Ryan had something to say.
"Cut it out, man," Ryan said with a frown. "I brought a guest." He nodded in my direction. "Guys, this is Taylor and her dog, Fang. Taylor, this is Brett and Tiff." He gestured towards the couple who waved at me amiably. "The dark haired one is Joel and the idiot over here is Jason."
I gave them all a general wave and a tentative smile. "Hey."
"What the hell happened to your face?" Jason demanded rudely, squinting at me as though trying to find a message in my scars. Ryan slapped a hand to his forehead in mortification and Tiffany opened her mouth in protest, but my mouth was already moving.
"Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing," I said icily. Jason blinked in surprise then scowled as Ryan broke into a hacking fit to disguise his laughter and the couple sniggered. Joel nodded approvingly and smiled at me for the first time before turning to Ryan.
"I like her. Can we keep her?"
Ryan grinned and sat down the couch, motioning me to do the same. I took the invitation and curled up on one end while Fang—after sniffing everyone thoroughly—settled next to me.
"I love your hair, Taylor," Tiffany commented brightly. "Where to you get it done?"
"Um…a roommate of mine actually. I have no clue how she managed it." I fibbed quickly.
"Cool, you have to introduce me sometime. Maybe she can do mine!"
I tried to smile as naturally as possible. "Maybe. She's kind of shy around strangers though." As though sensing my discomfort, Ryan quickly changed the subject.
"So, what's the plan for today, people?"
"Mall," Tiffany said immediately. "There's a sale at Lululemon and—" She was cut off by loud, protesting groans from every male in the room. Even Fang moaned a bit.
"Please, anything but that!" Ryan proclaimed dramatically. "We'll never survive!"
She glared at him. "Oh come on, it's not that bad. Don't you want to g Taylor?" She turned her large eyes to me, pleading with me to side with her. I fidgeted in my place, feeling very awkward put in the spotlight.
"I'd rather not," I said apologetically.
"Damn straight," Jason muttered. "I'm not going within a mile of the mall with you. Not again."
Tiffany huffed and crossed her arms. "You guys are no fun."
"On the contrary," Joel said smoothly. "We are plenty of fun, which is precisely why we are not going to the mall."
"Hear, hear," Brett muttered, only to get elbowed in the stomach by his girlfriend.
"Fine, where do you guys want to go?" she demanded.
"Skate park," Joel grunted. The other guys nodded in agreement and Tiffany groaned.
"Taylor?" she asked pleadingly.
"Sorry, Tiffany. Sounds like fun. Besides, Fang can run around there."
She groaned but nodded. "Fine, let's go."
Ryan, Brett and Jason whooped while Joel smirked then all four of them were racing up the stairs before Tiffany and I even stood up. We looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"Are they always that enthusiastic?" I asked as I stood.
She nodded. "You have no idea. Even Joel, the most serious of the bunch, is just a little kid at heart. But they are great friends."
"They seem like it. Even if Jason is an idiot."
She grimaced. "Yeah, sorry about that."
I shrugged. "No big deal. I'm used to idiots." I rolled my eyes. "Lord knows, there's enough of them at the Institute."
"Yeah, Ryan said you went to school there. What's it like?" Her eyes took on a dreamy quality. "I bet there are tons of hot guys there."
I shrugged. "There aren't that many students to choose from." Only Bobby in fact…
"That doesn't mean the teachers can't be good eye candy." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively as we walked up the stairs.
I mentally imagined all the boys at the mansion. The only ones I could imagine being attractive were Scott, Bobby, Logan and maybe Forge, but Bobby was the only one even remotely close to my age. I finally shrugged. "There are a few."
"Just a few. Hmm, sounds like you've got your eye on someone already." She grinned wickedly.
"No!" I protested quickly, too quickly.
Tiffany opened her mouth to call me on my lie, but Brett poked his head down the stairs at us.
"You guys coming or not?"
She sent me a significant look as if to say 'I'll talk to you later' and grinned at her boyfriend. "Of course. Hold your horses."
It turned out that there were too many of us to cram into one car, especially with Fang tagging along, so we took two cars. Whose cars we were going to take became the next question though that wasn't solved as peacefully. But finally, with few exchanged insults and only a small tussle, Tiffany and I managed to get everyone to the park in one piece. And naturally once we were there, the boys forgot their fight and skated together like nothing happened while Tiffany and I relaxed under the shade of an oak tree. Fang divided his time between lying with us and chasing the boys. It was really cute actually.
"I love your dog," Tiffany declared as she watched him run around with a goofy smile on her face.
I smiled too. "He's great, but way too smart for his own good. He can get into whatever his heart desires whether it's the fridge or my underwear drawer."
She laughed. "Oh no, I can hear a story here."
"It was terrible. Bobby wouldn't stop teasing me for days." I scowled heavily. "Then he had the gall to ask where I kept my sexy lingerie because he hadn't seen any before."
Tiffany winced in sympathy. "Ouch. What did you do?"
"I punched him and threatened to tell Logan that Bobby wanted a match."
She frowned. "Who?"
"Logan is…um…like the dean of the school and out gym teacher. Bobby once challenged him to a small match during our defense training course." I smirked. "Bobby couldn't do anything without flinching for almost an entire week afterward."
"Ah, I see. Is he good eye candy?"
"Logan or Bobby?"
"Both."
I shrugged. "Depends what you're into. Logan has the 'tough man' thing going, while Bobby is more like a 'good guy', prep-school guy."
She grinned slyly at me. "And what are you into?"
Remy's image flashed before my eyes. "Bad boy," I blurted without thinking.
"Oh, and who fills this role?"
I blushed furiously and started to admire the lush, green grass at my feet. "No one."
"Aw, come on. You can tell me. I probably don't know him anyways."
"I don't really either."
"That doesn't mean you can't be attracted to them," she said with a grin. "Now out with it."
"I'm not even sure I like the guy!" I protested.
"Then it doesn't really matter then, does it?"
I scowled at her. "Fine, his name is Remy LeBeau," I grumbled.
"Tell me more," she demanded.
"There's not much to tell," I said with a heavy sigh. "I met him at a park and he flirted with me outrageously before…um…" I quickly tried to think of a story that was plausible. "Before he stole my diary."
She gasped and her eyes widened dramatically. "Jerk, did he actually read it?"
"Some. The worst part was I had a lot of photos in there that were really special to me, plus some emergency cash. But he gave everything back a few hours later. Walked straight up to the mansion's front doors to deliver it personally with an apology on his lips." Well, the general idea of the story was true anyways.
"That's so cute!" she gushed. "Do you see him anymore?"
I shook my head. "No, we went out of town for some business, but he said he'd be back. I'm not completely certain it's a good thing."
"Of course it is! He sounds like fairly decent guy, and sweet too."
"Maybe, but—" I was cut off by the annoying ring of my cell. Quickly I dug it out with an apologetic look at Tiffany, and brought the phone up to my ear.
"Speak."
"Where are you?"
"Well, hello to you too."
He growled into the phone. "We don't have the time for this, Taylor. We have a mission. Where are you?"
I immediately smartened up. "Skate park; in the south end. On Kramer Drive."
"We'll be there to pick you up in five minutes." He hung up without saying goodbye.
"What's wrong?" Tiffany asked worriedly as I got to my feet.
"There's a bit of an emergency back at the Institute. Nothing major, but I'm needed back there to help sort it out."
"Do you need a ride?"
"No, they'll be here in a couple minutes. All I need is Fang." I put my fingers to my lips and whistled sharply. Fang stopped chasing Brett and turned his black head in my direction before racing over to my side. The boys all followed after a moment's hesitation.
"What's wrong?" Ryan asked quickly once he was within hearing distance.
"I'm needed back at the mansion. Logan's coming to pick me up, so I just wanted to say bye."
"Ok." Ryan gave me a brief hug and the others gave me a hi five or pounded my fist. "See you later?"
"Of course." A loud honk got our attention, and I rolled my eyes at a furiously waving Bobby. Despite what was sure to be a serious situation, I couldn't help but think how dorky Bobby looked right there. "See you guys later." Then I raced away with Fang loping beside me.
I threw myself into the van behind Fang and Logan got the van moving before I had completely settled in. I eyed the serious faces and accepted my suit from Kitty and all the guys in the van closed their eyes to give me some privacy as I changed. "What's the problem?"
"The Brotherhood stole a mutant from the MRD. We're going to rescue him and send him back."
I froze in the middle of stripping and glared at the back of Logan's head. "What?" I hissed.
"The mutant's dangerous, kid. He literally blows up, there's no controlling him."
"He probably doesn't have the training to properly control himself. Emma could help him, can't she?" I directed my question at her.
Logan shook his head. "No, she can't. Besides, she's the one directing us from Cerebro."
I scowled. "I'm not helping you deliver a mutant back into the MRD's hands! I can't believe you all agreed to this!" I glared accusingly at the others.
"We have to," Logan growled. "If we don't half the mutant population in the world will be wiped out. It's a mission from Charles."
Damn, it was hard to argue with that. Absentmindedly I fingered the long scar over my face. "I don't like it."
Hank's large, furry hand covered my own, and gently pushed it down from my face. "I know, and it's understandable; but it is our best option. And from what intell I've managed to gather, he wanted to be there. He turned himself in so he wouldn't hurt anyone. We're doing everyone a favour by turning him in. They won't hurt him, Taylor. They're too afraid of what he's capable of."
I shook my head. "I still don't like it, but I'll help," I grumbled reluctantly.
"Good," Logan said. "Now get ready."
It was dark by the time we reached the base where the mutant was supposed to be. Kitty phased out of the van before we completely stopped and Logan quickly gathered out to take a look. The rest of us waited patiently for them to come back with their surveillance.
"They're not here," Logan reported as he climbed back into the van and Kitty phased back into the car. "They're at an airport. Emma's picking us up there with the jet."
The switch was made quickly, despite the difficulties it took to convince Fang that he had to stay behind to watch the van, and I quickly fell asleep in one of the chairs. It seemed like I had only shut my eyes for an instant before Storm gently woke me up. Groggily I rubbed my eyes and looked at her questioningly.
"We caught up," she explained.
Sure enough, Bobby was already at work, freezing their engines as I stumbled up to the front. Logan coolly regarded the situation before barking orders.
"Kitty, get ready. You're going to phase down there and grab the mutant. We'll catch you on the other side."
"Got it." Kitty phased partially through the floor of the plant so only her hands were keeping her up, then disappeared. Logan quickly moved the jet below the Brotherhood's and Kitty and a guy with long white hair shook his head quickly, panting fro the free fall and looked at us warily.
"Who are you?" He demanded.
"Hey, calm down," I said soothingly. "I'm Aether and we're the X-men. We're here to help you."
"No one can help me!" He cried. "I need to go back."
Hearing that was like a slap to the face. I could hardly believe anyone would want to be in the hands of the MRD, but that didn't matter. I had a job to do.
"I know. That's what we're going to do."
He looked up at me hopefully. "Really?"
I nodded and swallowed. "Yeah."
He sighed, and relaxed a bit. "Thank you." Suddenly the ship lurched and we all feel to the ground as we started losing altitude fast.
"What happened?" I asked Logan over the whine of the engines, helping Nitro into one of the chairs.
"We got hit. Iceman, Aether, we need a landing strip now."
"On it," we snapped in unison, and hurried towards the front of the jet. With a grunt of effort, we flung our hands out and made the ocean before us freeze into a massive sheet of ice that would support the jet's weight. Sweat poured down my forehead and into my eyes with the effort it took, but we landed mostly uninjured. Bobby and I fell to the ground, gasping for breath and Hank patted our shoulders.
"Very impressive you two. I've never seen you do that before," Hank said approvingly.
"I've been near so much water before," Bobby said with a goofy grin. I chuckled.
"What a rush," I breathed.
Hank laughed then looked towards the back in concern. "I do believe our new friend is a little bit worse for wear, however."
Quickly I snapped my head to the back where the mutant was stumbling out towards the ice with Kitty following a few feet behind.
"Wait!" she called. "Where are you going?"
"I…have to…get away," he mumbled, just barely loud enough for me to hear. We hurried out to his side when he collapsed, electricity crackling over his skin.
"He's in bad shape," Kitty stated.
"Thank you Captain Obvious," I muttered sourly. I was tired and cranky after expending so much energy in such a short amount of time. She glared at me.
"Cut it out you two," Logan ordered. "I'll get him back on board."
"We'll take care of the Brotherhood," Scott volunteered. We all turned to face the approaching plane and rushed towards it just as they jumped out of the plane. The pale man with the beard raised his hands and the ice beneath our feet began to shudder.
"Oh no you don't," I muttered. Quickly I gathered some water from the ocean and with a whipping motion of my hands, smacked him off his feet and into a pile of snow. The other started attacking, but I paid no attention to them as I concentrated on the Tin Man, as I dubbed him. His outfit was made of metal, what can I say?
The Tin Man grunted and rose shakily to his feet and raised his hands to attack, but I was one step ahead of him. Quickly I made a large wave of water wrap around him like a cocoon and froze it. I waited a couple minutes to make sure he would remain immobile then turned as the sound of Rogue's cries for help. The mutant was curled up in a ball, more electricity crackling all over his body and screaming bloody murder.
"Storm, Aether!" Logan shouted.
The weather Witch and I nodded to each other and raised our arms. The wind picked up unnaturally, wrapping around the mutant and lifting him high into the air. I gritted my teeth with effort and urged with wind to go higher, blower harder. It screamed in response and rose to meet my will. I could see the glow surrounding the mutant. He was going to blow soon.
I was right. The explosion nearly blinded me with its brightness, but I stubbornly hung n to my concentration so the mutant wouldn't plummet to his death. When it was over Storm and I slowly lowered the mutant to the ground and Rogue rushed to his side immediately.
"Nitro! Nitro!"
Hmm, so his name was Nitro. Interesting.
He groaned and cracked his eyes open slowly. "Is everyone—"
"They're fine," Rogue said soothingly. "Everyone's fine."
"Ok, now that was close," Quicksilver said with a shiver.
"Yeah, no thanks to you," I shot back with a glare.
"You would have been at Genosha by now and wiped out more than half the island!" Logan continued for me. "We're taking it from here. Got a problem with that?"
Quicksilver looked like he wanted to protest and stared straight into Logan's eyes before looking away. "No," he muttered petulantly.
I watched carefully as Bobby and Hank took Nitro back to the jet and followed them in, everyone on my heels. We settled a semi-unconscious Nitro into a chair and with a few quick repairs to the engine we were on our way. Back that the airport Emma dropped us off then took the jet back to the mansion while the rest of us picked up Fang and drove Nitro back to MRD headquarters. I watched bitterly as Nitro stumbled through the gates and had to look away before I did something really stupid.
"We did what we had to do," Hank said quietly.
"That doesn't make it any better," I snapped. "In a way, it almost makes it worse."
Logan sighed and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. By the look of his face, I knew he agreed with me. "Come on, kid. Let's go home."
