Chapter 2
Transition
Alberta, Canada
Dean laid on his bed and stared at the object in his hand.
It was a silver cross, given to him by his fath…by Eli. It reminded Dean of him, all the time he spent with him in the past.
Dean's mind was on his parents as of late. He'd never admit it but deep down he missed them. Even though they lied, they were still good parents to him.
Maybe they lied because they were getting old. His mother had him much later in her life, and Eli was older than Agalia to begin with. Even though Eli was a tough soldier last year he had a heart attack and almost didn't make it. Since then he's had to walk with a cane.
Considering he was an only child, and their age, perhaps they didn't want to create a rift between them that would endanger their relationship with Dean.
Despite all that Dean's pride wouldn't allow him to feel bad. He put the cross back underneath his shirt and went to sleep. He didn't know it but he had a big day tomorrow.
At the Xavier Institute for the Gifted
A man sat regally behind a beautiful mahogany desk. It was being ignored by its owner, who chose instead to face away from the desk and out the window.
The desk could not be envious. Although much care that went into crafting the desk, it knew it could not compete with the beauty of nature and vast grounds of the Xavier Institute.
If only it wasn't an inanimate object, it would have had the capacity to observe that its owner was looking out at the view, but too distracted to take any of it in.
Charles Xavier sat staring at nothing, deep in thought. His elbows were resting on the arm rests of his wheelchair, his fingers laced in one another, and leaning slightly forward, brow furrowed.
His thoughts were occupied by his half-brother Cain Marko, otherwise known as the unstoppable Juggernaut. Recently Mystique had helped him escape from a maximum security facility and was only able to stop him with the combined effort of both the X-men and the Brotherhood.
If he were to be released again, without the help of the Brotherhood such a foe would be too great to overcome. It might be time to start searching for new recruits to increase their numbers. That is if Cerebro is still operational.
There was a knock on his door.
"Come in Logan" Charles said sensing him telepathically.
Logan entered. A short hairy man with dark scruffy hair clad in his trademark worn jeans, boots and wife-beater, "You know it's creepy when you do that right?" he reminded him.
Charles turned around to face him, "Is it really?" he queried.
"Yeah" Logan said.
"I'm sure it's not that bad" Charles said sarcastically.
Logan put a cigar in his mouth and lit it with his zippo lighter.
Charles made a weird face as he smelled the Cuban tobacco, "Have I ever told you how detestable that habit of yours is?"
Logan grinned, "Is it really?" he replied cheekily.
Charles simply shook his head, "Our habits aside, I wanted to speak to you"
Logan let out a thick cloud of smoke, "That's why I'm here bub" he stated the obvious.
Charles ignored his attitude as he always did, "After recent events it's become clear that we are severely outgunned. We need to recruit more mutants"
"You sound like you wanna build an army Chuck" Logan said.
"Not necessarily an army but a large taskforce strong enough to face threats like Juggernaut or…" Charles paused.
"Magneto" Logan said his mutant adopted name. He'd never met the man but has heard a lot about the master of magnetism, "I agree with what you're doing, and why, but shouldn't the kids know what they might be getting into in the future?"
Charles sighed, "I've asked myself that same question a few times as of late. If I were to reveal the real mastermind behind the Brotherhood it would just bring more questions to the table, and I'd rather not have them worrying about Magneto all the time. They are teenagers after all, they have enough to deal with already"
"If that's what you think is right" Logan said.
"Now was Forge successful in repairing Cerebro?" Charles asked.
"He said it should be good to go before he left yesterday" Logan said.
"Excellent, I'll test it later to make sure" Charles said.
"By the way I'm gonna be leaving later today" Logan said blowing out another thick cloud of smoke.
"Going on another one of your trips?" Charles asked.
"Lord knows I need to get away from this mad house Chuck, too full of cocky teenagers high on sugar and hormones" Logan said.
Logan had had a long standing tradition of needing to get away from the Institute. The peace he feels here could never compare to the feeling of belonging he got from the open road. Still, it was easy to get claustrophobic in a place like this and, with heightened senses, near impossible to endure full time. Logan needed to feel free, but for all that Chuck had done for him in the past, he usually timed his wanderings so as not to leave them short-staffed. For reasons unknown, Alberta was his place of choice to wander.
"Very well then. Now unless I'm mistaken I believe you have a training session to attend" Charles said.
Logan looked at the time, "Yes it is, I'll see you later Chuck" he exited his study.
Alberta, Canada
Dean entered the locker room and saw that the schedule for the fights were posted. He walked over to where a couple of the others were looking at the schedule, curious as to when they were fighting.
Dean searched for his name and found it at the top of the list, for the main event. He had to fight Brick.
"Looks like you got what you wanted" Jack said from behind him.
"Yeah, I finally get to put him in his place" Dean said.
"Let's just hope you don't lose your head in the process" Jack said.
Little did Jack know that Dean was actually holding back his true strength from everyone. Mostly out of fear that he might severely hurt someone.
At the Institute
The X-men were in the middle of a training session. Usually training would be harsh and painful but every once in a while there would be a fun one. Today was a fun day.
Mutant tag. Kurt's favorite game.
Rogue ran as fast as she could through the forest near the Institute. She stopped when she spotted a large tree and hid behind it to catch her breath.
"Psst" she heard a whisper.
Rogue looked to her left and saw Kitty hiding behind a tree as well.
"Do you see him?" Kitty asked.
"No" Rogue said.
"Do you think anyone else was caught?" Kitty asked looking back trying to spot him.
BAMF!
The sound startled the girls. A cloud of smoke appeared behind Rogue and a blue three fingered hand grabbed her and left in another cloud of smoke.
Kitty ran for her life, 'Yes! I am not the weakest link!' she mentally cheered.
BAMF!
"Ah!" Kitty yelped and phased through the ground.
Evan heard Kitty from not too far away.
"Uh oh" Evan rushed to find a place to hide. He spotted a tree big enough to hide in. He started climbing the branches.
"Hey go find your own tree" Scott said already in it.
"No way man, if I go back out there he's going to find me for sure" Evan said.
"This tree isn't big enough for the both of us" Scott said a little too loudly.
BAMF!
The cloud of smoke took them both.
Jean was close by but was smart enough not to give away her presence. She tried to sense her pursuer but his movement was too erratic, he was one place then he was somewhere else.
Kitty suddenly ran by phasing through anything in her way, she spotted the red head.
"Jean! Oh thank god I thought I was alone" Kitty exhaled deeply.
"Kitty be quiet" Jean whispered.
"No its ok I lost him" Kitty said.
Right as she said that BAMF! The cloud of smoke took Jean.
Kitty screamed and ran as fast as she could phasing through tree's to try and cover her escape. She could hear the smoke getting closer by the second. Bamf. BAmf. BAMf. BAMF.
Kitty phased through a tree only to trip over its roots and fall down.
BAMF!
It took her. She was transported to the edge of the forest where the other X-men waited patiently along with Logan and their pursuer, Kurt.
"Guten Tag Fräulein" Kurt said in his native language.
"Damn my time was terrible" Scott said, as the team leader he took training seriously.
"You could have just kept quiet, but nooooo" Evan said.
"Find your own hiding spot next time" Scott said.
"He's right porcupine, you need to stop relying on others. And work on not giving away their position, and speaking of which" Logan shook his head in disappointment towards Kitty, "You messed it up again half-pint"
Kitty got on her feet, "Hey I lasted the longest this time" she protested.
"It doesn't matter, you still made the same mistake" Logan said.
"What?" Kitty asked not knowing what it was.
"You talk too much" Logan said as if it were obvious.
"No wonder she can't get a date" Kurt joked.
"Shut up you Elf!" Kitty shouted.
Kurt stuck his tongue out at her.
"That's all for today, I better get going" Logan said.
"Hey Logan" Rogue said.
Logan looked back, "What is it stripes?"
"Can I come with ya?" Rogue asked.
"Sorry kid, I ride alone" Logan said leaving.
This had nothing to do with getting along with Rogue or not. In fact, despite being the oddest individuals of the Xavier Institute, they were actually one of the best pairings.
Plus, they seemed to be the only two in the Mansion that could appreciate companionable silence. Even the telepaths didn't understand that. Having little control over multiple personalities hiding out in your head or possessing heightened senses that you can't turn off can be taxing.
Alberta, Canada
After riding for a couple of days Logan finally reached Alberta. He parked his bike and went to see the town's main attraction, the cage.
He entered the building and looked around. The place looked remodeled since he was last here. Looked bigger, more put together.
"Logan!" Morty said approaching him, "Haven't seen you in a while"
"Yeah I've been busy" Logan said before he looked over to the cage where two guys were currently fighting, "Any good ones?"
"Most aren't nothing to brag about, except for two. They're actually having a match pretty soon" Morty said.
"Maybe I'll take a look" Logan said.
Dean was in the locker room preparing for his match. He was in his black sweat pants with no shirt and earphones in his ears. Listening to music as he shadowboxed in front of a mirror. I Stand Alone, by Godsmack.
{I've told you this once before, can't control me
If you try to take me down you're gonna break
I feel you're every nothing that you're doing for me
I'm thinking, you oughta make your own way}
Dean threw a left punch, right punch, he ducked then came up with a hook.
{You're always hiding behind your so called goddess
So what? You don't think that we can see your face?
Resurrected back before the final falling
I'll never rest until I can make my own way, I'm not afraid of fading}
Dean threw a left punch, right punch, left hook, and ended his combination with a right uppercut.
{I stand alone
Feeling your sting down inside me
I'm not dying for it
I stand alone
Everything that I believe is fading
I stand alone
And now it's my time}
Dean jabbed twice with his left and jumped for a tornado kick.
{Make me believe that this place isn't plagued by the poison in me
And help me decide if my fire will burn out before you can breathe
Breathe into me}
Dean jumped for a tornado kick then when he landed he did a low sweep and finished with an upward knee.
{I stand alone inside
Feeling your sting down inside me
I'm not dying for it
I stand alone
Everything that I believe is fading
I stand alone}
Dean took off his earphones. That was a good enough warm up.
He looked at the TV and saw that the fight had just ended which meant he was up next.
"Now, the moment you've all been waiting for. Fighters enter the cage!" The announcer said.
Both Dean and Brick entered the cage.
"He's a big one" Logan said chugging his beer.
"Yeah, he's the king of the cage. No one's been able to take him down" Morty said.
Logan chuckled, 'That's cause he hasn't tried taking on the Wolverine' he looked at Dean, "Who's that?"
Morty smirked, "Wait and see"
"On the left, a giant who needs no introduction. The wall that can't be taken down, the King of the cage, Brick!" The announcer said.
Brick raised his arms and roared as the crowd cheered for him.
"On the right, a sight that never seizes to amaze. The undefeated teen that brings the mean. The one and only boy wonder!" The announcer said.
The crowd seemed to cheer louder for the boy.
"Is he really a teenager?" Logan asked.
"He's the toughest 15 year old I've ever seen" Morty said.
"Let's see how tough" Logan said.
"Now let's get ready to rumble!" The announcer said.
The bell rang and the two fighters closed in on each other.
Brick threw a heavy punch.
Dean backed away avoiding the fist which was the size of a sledgehammer.
Dean threw a fast kick that hit Brick's midsection. The attack barely affected him.
Pulling punches might not be an option this time, but Dean wouldn't risk hurting anyone too much. So he'll have to hold back.
Dean charged and hit Brick with a right hook.
Brick, who brushed off the attack, swung wildly trying to hit the boy.
Dean ducked and swiftly attacked Brick from behind landing several hits.
Brick struck the boy with an elbow to the gut knocking the wind out of him. He then grabbed the boy's head and flipped him over.
Dean landed hard on the ground and saw an incoming fist.
The teen moved his head avoiding the crushing fist that landed centimeters from his face.
Dean kicked Brick with both of his legs making him stagger back a few steps.
The boy then kipped up and faced his opponent once more.
The bigger man was heavy, strong, but also slow. His lack of movement speed was the only weakness Dean could find. He'd rather beat Brick without using his full strength.
"C'mon diapers don't tell me you soiled yourself already" Brick laughed.
Dean remained silent. Whenever he took a fight seriously he had no words to give his opponents.
The boy hit the giant with a quick tornado kick catching him off guard.
The kick opened up a gash by his cheek.
Dean flashed his opponent a sly smirk, his expression bared more meaning than any words he could have used.
Brick threw a kick aimed for the boy's head.
Dean lazily ducked under the slow kick and swept Brick's feet from under him.
In Dean's opinion a slow fighter should never kick, it only makes it easier for them to fall.
Brick fell on his back and the boy pummeled his body.
Brick grabbed Dean's hand, brought him close, and clocked him.
Dean was knocked back from the force of the blow. He landed on the edge of the cage, his nose broken and bleeding.
Brick caught his opponent off guard by splitting open his head with a knee.
"Kid's good but not good enough" Logan said not feeling impressed.
"It's not over until it's over" Morty said having faith in the boy.
Brick stomped Dean while he was down attempting to crush the teen under his heel.
Dean pushed off the cage wall and rolled to his feet.
Brick was upon him once again swinging in wide arcs attempting to end the match with a haymaker.
Dean moved swiftly and struck his larger opponent in the ribcage.
Brick then stood there, dumbfounded, "Ha! Is that it?!" He back handed the boy making him spew out blood.
Logan shook his head, this didn't look good.
"Get ready for a world of pain!" Brick began beating him senseless.
Even the crowd seemed displeased with such a spectacle of violence, yet the giant did not stop.
Logan couldn't bear to watch any longer, "Someone has to stop this" he stepped towards the ring.
Brick stopped to look at the boy who was brutally beaten.
Dean's body seemed lifeless, unmoving, but still breathing.
"You know I thought you might actually be tough. I guess you were nothing but a little bitch" Brick pulled back his fist for the final blow and proceeded to strike.
Logan was about to enter the ring when he stopped.
Dean's hand caught his fist and held it firmly regardless of Brick attempting to push it forward.
Dean's gaze rose to meet his opponent's. He glared at the brute with hatred, "No" he whispered and golden lightning sparked in his eyes.
Brick looked as equally surprised as he was afraid.
"I. AM. A WARRIOR!" Dean punched Brick in the face so hard that his head turned around 180 degrees killing him instantly.
The boy snapped out of his rage as Brick's body let go of Dean. He backed away and stared in horror at what he had done.
He killed, no, murdered. Dean never took a life before, he knew not of its consequences.
The announcer finally found his tongue, "And the winner is...the boy wonder" he said weakly.
Dean left the cage in a hurry.
A certain man in the crowd watched his movements.
Dean was in the showers running the burning hot water over his body, holding himself.
The images of Brick's head snapping played over and over in his head.
Something must have awakened inside of him. A deep power from within that could not be controlled. Unfortunately for his opponent.
Dean stared at his hands, the blood long since washed away, but not in his mind. In his mind he tried to somehow justify what he did.
Brick wasn't exactly an innocent victim. Far from it, he was an oversized scum who killed several times in the cage. But did that excuse what he did? Did it make it right simply because Brick was a bad person? Dean wasn't completely sure.
When he finished he went to his locker where Jack was waiting for him.
"Hey" Jack said awkwardly.
Dean emptied his locker in silence.
"It's not your fault, he pushed you too far" Jack said.
Dean closed his locker and stared at the key to it, "It is my fault. I killed him...with my bare hands...because I wanted to" he put the key down.
Jack never went through something like this, therefore he had no words of comfort to give.
"Look I don't know what you're going through right now but if anything that creep deserved what he got" Jack said.
"Did he?" Dean asked as he walked away.
"Where you going?" Jack asked.
"I've stayed for long enough, it's time to keep moving" Dean said.
Logan sat with Morty by the bar.
He wondered how the boy managed to turn the tide of battle, yet alone crush his opponent. Literally.
"You're not gonna say anything?" Logan asked not enjoying the awkward silence.
Morty downed another beer, "I've never seen him like that" he finally broke his silence.
"C'mon Morty he's just another brawler" Logan said.
"No he's not, he's special. Like you" Morty said.
Logan stopped drinking and stared at the man, "The hell are you talking about bub?"
"When you came here 15 years ago you were a maniac. Everyone thought you were a psychopath but I could tell there was more to you" Morty downed another beer.
Logan felt amused, "Really? How?"
Morty pointed at his face, "I could see it in your eyes, you've got that spark of greatness and so does that kid"
Logan chuckled, "Greatness? I think you've had one too many beers Morty"
Morty downed another beer, "Maybe I have, but that doesn't make me wrong"
Logan shook his head, 'There's only one thing I'm great at, and it ain't very nice'
Dean gathered the rest of his things at the inn and left.
As he walked down the road, attempting to hitchhike, a car stopped.
Dean looked at the driver in the car and saw Jack, "What do you want?"
Jack gave him a duffle bag, "Take it"
Dean raised an eyebrow, "What is it?" He looked inside and found it full of money.
"It's Brick's, whatever he had in his locker" Jack said.
Dean closed the bag, "Why're you doing this?"
"Cause you're my friend, and Brick won't need it where he's going. Now hop in, I'll give you a ride to the next town" Jack said.
"That won't be necessary" Dean said as he continued walking.
"C'mon kid just let me help you" Jack shouted.
"You helped enough, thank you" Dean said.
He walked a little further and saw the headlights of a car shine upon him.
"Jack I told you I don't need any—" Dean turned around and saw an unfamiliar vehicle, "Help?"
The vehicle was an armored hummer, most likely military. It was olive green apart from a black symbol on the broadside of it.
It was a circle, a skull inside of it with tentacles coming out of the bottom.
"Hello there young man, do you need a ride?" The man asked. The same one that stared at him while he was in the cage.
Dean had nothing to be afraid of, "Sure" he sat in the passenger seat.
"Where are you heading?" The man asked.
"Anywhere, away from here" Dean said looking sad.
The man recognized that look, "You regret what you did to that man?"
"What?" Dean asked.
"I was watching your fight earlier. Do you regret what you did?" The man asked.
"I—I don't know" Dean said foolishly speaking his mind.
"You've never killed before?" The man asked.
Dean shook his head, "No"
"They say the first life a man claims determines his fate" The man said.
Dean focused his thoughts and realized he was opening up to a complete stranger, "Who are you?"
He smiled, "Just a man in search of fighting men"
"That I know, what they do when you find them I don't know" Dean said.
"They serve a higher purpose, one that pays more" he said.
"I heard you work for Hydra" Dean said.
The man kept his calm attitude, "What do you know about Hydra?"
"Nothing, never heard of it before" Dean said.
The man smirked, "Hydra is a secret organization based on..." He looked at Dean with certainty, "Justice"
"Justice for what?" Dean asked.
"For those who would doom the earth to destruction" The man said.
"What kind of people do that?" Dean asked.
"Corrupt politicians, mad scientists, terrorist organizations, uncontrollable enhanced beings" He said.
Dean grew curious towards this matter.
"That's all I know. I'm just a recruiter. But a fighter like you would be put to good use" The man said.
"And you said people get paid for this?" Dean asked.
"Yes, if you accept the transport is only a few hours away" The man said.
Dean had no goal or destination he was looking forward to, why not, "Take me, I've got nothing else better to do"
Author's note: A bit of a dark turnout to bring some realism. And now Hydra comes into the mix, I wonder how that will turn out.