Chapter 37
At the Institute...
On a beautiful, sunny, hot August day there was only one place to be.
The pool.
Either in it or lying beside it soaking in the rays.
That latter one is where you find Domino, dressed in a black two-piece, sunglasses over her eyes, determined to get a decent tan this year. Plus just a chance to relax for a few hours is nice.
Even Mystique agreed with that sentiment. Though that may have more to do with the fact she's still recovering from her bullet wound and all she can do is take it easy...which is frustrating her no end. She wants Henry to tell her she can get back to training, keeping in shape. Without her powers she realises she'll have to work harder than ever to keep her edge.
But at least, she supposes, she can't complain at spending some time with her children, doing normal parent/children things.
Kurt was in the pool with that girlfriend of his...and Mystique was keeping to her word to him to treat that human girl he is dating with as much respect as she can muster. Though at the back of her head she is still wondering why he couldn't find a nice mutant girl.
Rogue was sitting next to Domino, her nose stuck in a book, studying for her catch-up exams. Mystique was proud in her for working so hard. You're almost surprised Rogue is capable of possessing such a studious nature.
Alicia was...still being difficult. Oh she was out here, sitting with them but she was clearly in a huff...again. Nothing about this was to Alicia's liking. She agreed with Magneto's vision, not Xavier's. She missed Gambit and her mother wouldn't allow her to go find him. Nothing about Alicia's life was the way she wanted it to be so when you say all that you can see why she isn't in a particularly good mood a lot of the time.
Mystique didn't know what to do with her...except perhaps considering what Storm had said to her about Alicia joining in the training as a focus for her energies. Plus it would never do to let her daughter's skills get rusty. You never know when the next attempt to kill them all would come along.
As Mystique watches all the students, including that Pryde girl canoodlling with her boyfriend, she fears she may be being gotten to in this sense. To watch them play and frolic and be happy, to act normal, has her thinking perhaps Charles isn't so foolish after all.
The Institute was slowly starting to repopulate as the students returned from visiting their families. Paige and Sam were back from Kentucky.
Yeah, that's right. Sam gets back, eager to see Tabby and where is she? Off on some cruise with Amara.
He swears she does this on purpose.
And Paige was catching up with Jamie, her boyfriend. Her sisters had had a whale of a time teasing her over that because Paige was the tomboy of the family and yet she's got herself a boyfriend.
Also back was Jubilee and similar to Kitty and Paige she too was catching up with her own boyfriend. It was kinda sweet to see how smitten Bart was with her and in return she was with him.
Roberto was also back from visiting his home in Brazil, happily and arrogantly boasting about his luck with many, many girls...or at least that is how he tells the story.
Also out by the pool Wanda and Lorna who had been getting on great...as long as you avoid them talking about their father too much.
"Wanna go for a swim?" Lorna asks her sister.
Wanda wrinkles her nose distastefully. "Not much of a swimmer," she says, declining. "But if you want to, go ahead," she tells her sister not to worry about it.
Lorna raises one bare leg, she was in a green top/shorts combo on top of a green bathing suit. Hey she happens to like the colour green. Sue her. She rests her chin on her knee. "Wanda can I ask your opinion on something?"
Wanda eyes her sister carefully. "I guess," she says reluctantly, not sure she's the best person to ask advice on anything.
"Would I be betraying our father if I joined in on the training sessions?"
Wanda's brow furrows. "You want to join in?"
Lorna's face becomes deeply contemplative. "It's not that I buy into this X-Men philosophy but I'm kinda bored," she admits it.
Wanda takes a moment. "You know perfectly well I don't think you should let our father dictate a single choice we make but first off what about your education? Weren't you suppose to be thinking on that?" she asks her sister...and it's important to Wanda as someone who is still trying to catch up on her own lost years locked away in the place.
"I have been," Lorna insists.
"And?" Wanda presses. "Didn't you say you wanted to be a geologist or something?"
"I...yeah, I did," Lorna confirms that was true...before her father came, before her mother was injured. "It probably sound stupid," she thinks. Look at her. She's 15 and what's her career choice? Geologist.
"No. Not if that is what you want to be," Wanda dismisses any notion it's stupid.
"Honestly I'm not sure any more," Lorna confesses she's now kinda clueless as to where she wants to take her life.
"Don't rush it," Wanda advises. "I'm not," she confesses that essentially she doesn't know what she wants to do with her life either. Studying to control her mystical abilities, training as an X-Man, normal everyday study for her education takes up so much of her time she barely has time to think what she'll do beyond it. Clark joked she should just take up a magic act and go to Vegas. Did she get around to hexing him for that or not? She can't remember.
Wanda returns to her sister. "As for your question, if you want to train with your powers with the New Mutants or whatever than do so. Honestly, at the very least I'll feel better knowing you know how to defend yourself," she admits to Lorna.
"You worry about me?" Lorna queries, a touch surprised considering.
"Of course I do. You're my sister," Wanda says as if it should be glaring obvious.
Lorna's lips curl upward into a face splitting smile before she leans over and hugs Wanda.
Which is mighty awkward for Wanda. "Uh, ok, I don't know if I've ever mentioned this before but I'm not a hugging sort of person," she tries to tell her sister.
"Yeah. I don't think you get a say on the matter," Lorna decides, secretly enjoying making her sister feel awkward. Does that make her a bad person?
"I...whatever you say," Wanda just gives in and returns the hug. It's just so nice to have one member of her family she can do this with.
Elsewhere in the Institute's grounds other people don't get to quite enjoy the luxury of relaxing. There was a farm to run which Jonathan was doing with helpers. Today's being Piotr and Doug.
It's considered a good day to get Doug doing something other than sit around playing video games. Yes, there has been progress helping him move on from the tragedies in his life, namely his father and Lionel's betrayals of him but they were still some distance away from getting Doug in the place he was really ready to rejoin the world permanently. At the moment he only visits it occasionally. Perhaps once school starts(he's going) that'll help get him out of his shell and interacting with people again. One can only hope.
Piotr was still painfully in grief over his sister. They were no closer to finding her than they had been when they began. Trying to locate this dimension she was abducted into was proving to be near impossible and it was reaching the stage now where Piotr was starting to consider the unthinkable. That his little snowflake truly is gone. That's why he worked on the farm. It was his distraction. That and his drawings and paintings. With no sister, no cause, he had a lot of free time to indulge his love of art.
In time, when he is not so grief stricken, he might consider becoming an artist full time.
But for right now he needs time to come to terms with what appears to be the loss of sister.
Inside the mansion Martha was taking an opportunity to get 5 minutes more or less to herself.
More or less because she's, in fact, not alone as she sips on some tea in the kitchen. Dust and Penance are with her but they are no trouble.
In fact right now Sooraya is reading to Penance and the red-skinned mutant is sitting enraptured as if she is understanding every word and imagining the world described.
Well, she could very well be because no-one knows how clever Penance really is. It varies day to day. Sometimes she seems so simple and innocent and other days you can swear you can see the spark of deep intelligence in her blue eyes.
It's just one of those tragedies Martha has found they encounter being here at this Institute. She's referring to the fact Penance is Monet...or was Monet...you know Martha's not sure she's really quite gotten her head around what exactly has happened to the girl. Only that it was a terrible crime.
As for Sooraya...possibly one the sweetest, most good-natured people she has ever met. Not to mention she has possibly the strongest belief and faith in her religion of Islam Martha has ever seen. Perhaps only Kurt's Catholic faith comes close.
You know what else, Martha has never actually seen Sooraya's face under that veil. Oh Martha respects Sooraya's choice to wear it but one can't help but be curious as to what she looks like under it.
At that moment they are joined by Martha's daughter, Claire along with Marie, holding hands. Marie was finally back from visiting her parents in France and Claire was very happy about that.
From their rather bedraggled but at the same time glowing looks Martha can guess they've been 'making up' for lost time.
Teenagers. Mutant or human they never change.
Island of San Sebastian...
The yacht had anchored off shore and many of, but not all, the students had come ashore and were mingling in the midst of a market in the main town.
Now Emma usually goes high-end but she's not above getting quaint little knick-knacks when an interesting one catches her eye.
Of course the main reason they're here is Amara.
"How are you feeling now, Amara?" Emma asks, her concern genuine.
Amara takes a deep soothing breath. Being in contact with the Earth again...well it's hard to describe the feeling. "Better," she answers. Not completely well yet but so much better.
Tabby is perusing a tourist brochure she picked up. "Hey, how about we try the healing powers of these hot springs?" she suggests, turning the brochure round and pointing at the relevant article.
Emma takes the brochure and takes a quick read. Hmm, now that does sound nice. "Very well," she agrees. "What do you say, Scott? Care to join us?" she asks him.
Scott runs the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uh...s-sure," he agrees.
Emma's lips curl up into a huge smile. "Excellent," she declares, thinking of the opportunities this could present her to break down his final pieces of resistance. "Anyone else?" she queries of her students.
Alex and Jen decides to come along too but that's actually it. The rest want to just wander and explore.
Emma agrees...on condition. "Best behaviour," she warns them. "We're just tourists, visiting. I don't want any trouble," she declares because trouble means a mess she would have to clear up which eats into her time with Scott. "That goes double for you Julian," she warns Hellion pointedly.
"Why am I always getting singled out?!" Julian complains, sounding kinda whiny.
Emma rolls her eyes. As if she needs to explain. "Just do what I say," she tells hum bluntly.
"Fine, fine, whatever," Julian huffs.
"We'll watch him, Ms Frost," the Five-in-One vows simultaneously, evil grins slipping on their faces aimed at Julian who gulps nervously. Seriously those 5 are just unbelievably creepy.
"I know I can always count on you girls," Emma says with pride and confidence in them.
"Of course, Ms Frost," the five chime in reply, looking now as innocent as freshly fallen snow.
It's not too long a walk to the springs and the look on Scott's face as Emma strips down to her swimsuit is worth any walk.
She strides elegantly into the pool of steaming water and sinks down up to her neck, making a sigh of bliss as the hot water works its magic.
Jen and Alex dive in, giggling and kissing with each other.
Tabby and Amara slip in as well followed lastly by Scott...who must admit this does feel nice. It feels even nicer when Emma slides in next to...right next him, her body pressed up against his, her arms lazily traipsing over his shoulder.
"Now this is how to relax, wouldn't you say so Scott?" Emma asks, the impish glint in her eye quite clear as her hands gently massage Scott's shoulders.
"Y-yeah," he stutters his reply, put-off by the completely impossible to ignore effect of what Emma's body feels like next to his.
"This feels wonderful," Amara declares with a slight groan of pleasure as she sinks in. All her aches, sickness and pains are just fading away.
Tabby wades over to her friend and places her hands on Amara's shoulders. "See," she says triumphantly that her idea worked. "Do I know what my girl needs or what?"
Amara smiles. "Thanks Tabitha," she says gratefully, not just for this but for all of Tabby's support these last few days. "You're still my girl too," she says in return, showing that despite the split in teams the two girls' friendship has survived.
Amara takes a breath and dives down into the water, all the way down to the crack where the hot water bubbles up from. It feels so good...and unable to help herself Amara transforms into her fire form, boiling the water around her. Gods, that feels even better. Luckily this was her special swimsuit, made out of the same material her uniforms are made of, that don't combust when she transforms.
Beneath her there is a sudden surge of heated water from the crack...as if someone had turned up the thermostat.
Up above it doesn't go unnoticed. "Hey, is this water getting warmer?" Jen asks.
"Well you usually do have that effect," Alex replies, trying to be charming.
Jen would normally appreciate that no, really. This water is getting hotter.
"No, she's right," Tabby says in agreement. "I'm starting to feel part-boiled."
Emma can feel it too. "Everyone out!" she orders, cursing her bad luck once again at being interrupted in her attempts to woo Scott.
Scott, Tabby, Jen and Alex follow Emma out of the water.
"Wait, where's Mara?!" Tabby asks with growing worry over not seeing her friend.
"She must still be down there," Scott says with growing alarm as well. "Amara!" he calls into the water.
"Amara! Girl!" Tabby shouts at the top of her voice.
Emma peers down. She may seem cold at times but never question that she cares for her students so while her face doesn't show it she is worried. It's during this that she notices that the ground is shaking. Oh, that can't be good.
Amara pops up, out of the water.
"Mara!" Tabby cheers in relief.
"We have to get out of here!" Amara declares...because she feels it...she just knows something very bad is about to happen.
The group race down the slope back into the town where the ground shaking is causing all sorts of chaos.
At this point training kicks in, instinct kicks in as Emma and Scott start dishing out orders to the Hellions and to Tabby and Alex to aid people.
When the shaking causes an avalanche Scott and Alex blast the larger pieces while Julian uses his telekinesis to push them out of the way.
A balcony collapse is stopped by the superstrong Beef, saving a young woman under it.
An older woman with dark skin has become trapped when her stall collapsed on top of her. The M-Twins demonstrate a new evolution of their powers. Before they could open portals into other dimensions but that's just one aspect of their 'gestalt' nature as Emma had come to call it. When they touch each other they become one entity in a certain regard and they can determine what power that entity has. In this case it's a simulation of a phasing ability as they hold hands before reaching in, phasing through the debris and pulling the woman out with their spare hands.
Emma swears one day those two might be able to literally merge into a new single being. A true gestalt. That'll be fascinating won't it.
5 levels up in a multi-story hotel another balcony gives way with two people on it. They fall through the air until Firestar swoops in and grabs them, depositing them safely on the ground.
Tabby and Amara run over to where a van has landed on its side after going over a fallen telegraph pole. Tabby creates one of her little time bombs to blow the back doors off. That done she and Amara help the two guys inside out.
That's when the shaking begins to ease off.
"It's stopping, thank fuck," Ali says in her normal rather crude language.
"For now," Amara says with a tone of knowledgeable foreboding as if she senses something no-one else does.
The residents start to gather round the group of mutants, their eyes wide as they stare at them.
"Here it comes," Julian mutters in grim assumption of the reaction they'll get now the people know their mutants.
"One who is not a telepath shouldn't make assumptions, Julian," Celeste Cuckoo tells him.
"Especially rather dimwitted boys," Esme Cuckoo adds.
"Because girls know better," Sophie Cuckoo says.
"In fact girls are just better, full stop," Mindee Cuckoo says with a smirk her sister are soon sharing.
"You know that's true," Phoebe Cuckoo cheers.
Of course the point of this is they have seen in the peoples' minds that Julian's dead wrong and he is shown that when the people start whooping and cheering the mutants for their actions.
In the midst of all this what everyone seems to be missing is the ominous black smoke emanating from the previously dormant volcano.
Late in the day, when the sun is setting, is when Superman finally arrives over the Island of San Sebastian.
He knows what you're thinking.
You're thinking he should have been here hours ago and you would be correct sir or madam.
But in his defence it wasn't his fault. When you have hearing like his and people need immediate help he has to respond. Especially after last week when he didn't have his powers and wasn't around. He sorta feels like he has to make up for it.
So anyway that took much longer than he intended so yeah, he's late in getting here. Not that that will make any difference at all. Yes, if someone survived the sub this is the nearest chunk of land but really, in all reality, what are the odds that they not only struck out in this direction but actually made it here.
It's not Clark being defeatist. Just, for once, a bit of a realist.
He has to say, though, the smoking volcano doesn't inspire confidence. He thought it was dormant. Well it doesn't seem to be doing much at the moment so he'll focus on his search for Mr or Mrs Possible Survivor.
"Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work we go," Superman sings before whistling the rest of the tune as he scans the island.
"Well I'll be damned," he mutters as he spots a guy rambling through the jungle, a guy dressed in an overall identical to the ones that were worn on the sub. Honestly Clark didn't expect to find him. He means, like he was just thinking, what are the odds?
Superman flies down. First he'll get this guy any medical attention he might need and then try and get some answers about the Gene Bomb. He comes to a stop in a hover a few feet above the ground. "Excuse me, sir," he says calmly, trying to get the man's attention.
The dishelleved looking man stops and stares, his eyes narrowing as he tries to almost peer at the floating figure in front of him. "Are you him? You are aren't you! You're the one!" he starts yelling angrily.
Uh, ok, Clark doesn't know what he's done to anger this guy. They've never met as far as Clark knows and Clark has an eidetic memory so would definitely recall if he had met this gentleman previously.
The man seems to get more and more agitated, more and more angry. "How dare you?! She was my wife! And you took her from me!"
Superman's eyebrows rise substantially. This is new. He's never been accused of stealing anyone's wife before...mostly because he's never done that and as far as he believes in himself he never would. "Sir, I think you're a little confused. Calm down and lets talk about this," he tries to reach out to the guy because he recalls Beast saying that if this guy had been mutated his mind might be a little messed up, leaving him very confused...which seems to be the case.
"Don't play me for stupid! I saw you with her!" the man spits out in disgust.
"Sir, if you will just listen..."
Superman gets cut off.
"NO!" the man screams loudly and as he screams, as before, purple atomic energy erupts from his mouth.
Even for Clark, there isn't enough time to react as the beams slams into his form, sending him flying across the jungle, smashing trees as he goes before tumbling to a stop, gouging out the earth.
Superman gets to his hands and knees and shakes his head. In a word, "Ow," he says in shock at how much that hurt...and that's another jacket ruined as he spots the black scorch marks upon it. One of these days he's going to run out of jackets, he swears.
As Superman gets back to his feet it seems he's going to have to go with the knock the guy out and drag him back to Bayville plan. Not ever Clark's favourite plan because really he's not a violent person. That's his sister.
Superman zips back to the guy, fist drawn back. Really, he doesn't want to do this but c'est la vie. He throws the punch...which gets blocked to Clark's immense surprise, followed up by a retaliatory blow which sends him spinning into the air.
As he goes round and round into the darkening sky he can only think one thing.
It's going to be one of those days.
Author's Note: So I decided to do my own little spin on the M-Twins gestalt nature and then it occurred to me all I need now is to have them fist bump and chant 'Wonder Twin Powers Activate!'...and get them a pet monkey. Can't forget the monkey. Assume from here on out Clark's day won't be getting any better. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Cruise Control part 3...and to top everyone's day off this is where the volcano erupts.