Heroes and Rivals
Chapter Two: Welcome home Nathan
_____________________________________________
Dreaming, a state during REM sleep that allows the dreamer to reflect back on pas events or allows them dream of something more. For Nate Grey the dreams were always the same. In his dreams he could see the man's smile, red lips on a white face, eyes blood red. It was the type of dream that would make the most normal man wake up screaming in a cold sweat. But for Nate it wasn't just a dream, it was his own past. But the dreams always got better, when the man with one eye appeared, his savior.
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The tube shattered with one shot of a precisely located shot of a ruby red optic beam. The liquid flowed out of it as the figure inside the tube slowly dropped to the floor. Scoot also known as Cyclops lifted the boy up, removing the breathing apparatus from the boy's throat. There was a strange feeling deep in Scott's heart, like he knew this boy. The boy's hair was brown and wavy with a hint of white in his bangs. His eyes fluttered open for the fist time outside of the tube, his eyes were a different color. The left eye was blue while the right eye had a gold tint to it. Scott had seen these eyes before, a memory from long ago.
"Your fine now son"
"Who am I?"
Scott lifted up the chart on the computer; Sinister must have wiped the boys mind clear after he captured him. Scott's heart went out to the boy as his one eye read the chart.
"Says here that your name is Nathan, Nathan Grey"
Grey?? Scott knew that name, but from where?
Nate stood up from the ground. The floor was full of broken shards of glass and that liquid he was in, he started to shiver uncontrollably. When he looked at Scott and back to himself, he realized what he was missing-clothes. Scott smiled as he pulled a pair of pants out of his pack and tossing them over to Nate.
"Your fine now Nathan"
"Call me Nate"
"Well Nate we must hurry, soon Sinister will return. I have to get you out of the city"
He walked over to Nate, holding a hand out. Nate's head began to hurt terribly.
"Ahh the pain!!"
He sank to the floor holding his head; a faint trickle of blood ran down his nose
"What is it son??" Scott rushed over to his side
"NO, LEAVE ME ALONE!" Nate shrank away from Scott; the floor began to shake as Nate began to bright up with a yellow power. Scott stumbled back away from the boy, both amazed at what he was seeing and frightened of it at the same time. Suddenly a blast of energy erupted from Nate, blowing a hole in the wall. Nate rushed over to it and leaped out.
"NO, boy!!" Scott ran over to the hole and watched Nate fall. Nate craned his head up to look once again in the face of Scott; the look on Scott's face was envy.
"Nate wake up!!"
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Nate felt strong arms shake him as he awoke finally and looked up into the face of the half mechanical Forge. Forge had become almost like a father to Nate after finding him all those months ago. Forge had known that Nate was special; he had begun to train Nate on how to control his powers.
"Forge, I was having this dream. I was back in the tube again and then that man appeared and freed me. Then WHAM!! I let out this huge TK burst and..."
Forge clamped his metal hand over Nate's mouth.
"Look around you"
Nate looked around wild-eyed, he was sitting in a crater, the TK blast wasn't from his dream, it had happened for real. Nate pulled Forge's hand away from his mouth. The nineteen year old looked sheepishly at his feet.
"I'm sorry Forge," he whispered
"It is alright Nate, we all lose control from time to time"
Nate just stared at his feet. He knew that Forge was upset with him, Apocalypse had what he called a "brain trust" which held some of the most powerful telepathic minds, just the minds that is. The telepath's bodies were completely destroyed and their brains were removed all by the hands of the Dark Beast. It was a way of keeping track of all the mutants in the US, a first warning against attacks on the high lord. The "trust" was led by an extremely powerful telepath named the Shadow King. The Shadow King kept an eye out on the astral plane for jumps or quakes in it. What Nate had just done was create a tremble on the astral plane so large that every telepath was feeling effects from it. There was probably a strike force of Infinites on its way. Nate and Forge had been running from them for some time now, especially now that Forge was teaching Nate to use his powers to help him fight against Apocalypse's cullings. Nate looked up to see Forge smiling at him.
"It will be alright, it is fine to cut loose from time to time" he laid a hand down on Nate's shoulder "But lets have a warning before you do that again"
Nate looked up and grinned at Forge. Nate stood and brushed his pants off. He was wearing a black coat and black pants, with a gray shirt. Forge had found that jacket in an old clothing store; it had a big red X stitched on the back. It was Nate's prize possession, even in battles the coat as walked away without a scratch. The infinites began to call Nate the "X-Man". Nate walked over and climbed into the back of the horse cart that he and Forge had been traveling around for months now. Forge climbed on and took the horse reigns.
"YAA" he cried as the horse made their gallop away from the crater. Forge glanced over to Nate as he drove away; he had to smile at him. Nate was still just a child but he was attempting so hard to be more adult. Erik was right; Nate was that mutant that would save them all. Forge remembered finding Nate outside of old New York; he nursed him back to health and discovered Nate's powers. Magneto had Forge under frequent reports, letting Erik know wherever they were and what they were doing. One day he brought the subject up of Nate.
"Erik I think I have found that mutant you said would save us all"
Erik smiled as he put his helmet down on the table.
"Forge I have no doubt in my mind, that the Nate is the one that Charles spoke of"
Forge smiled at Erik, it was a great honor to hear him speak of Xaiver, the man that could have been the mutant's savior.
"I will train him Erik and then bring him back to you"
Erik stood and nodded as his son Pietro or Quicksilver ran into the room and whispered something in his ear
"I'm sorry Forge but something has just come up with a traveler we found named Bishop"
"Do you need help?"
"That won't be necessary Forge, train the boy right"
Erik turned and walked out the room, his cape flowing in the window. Erik was the leader of what he called the "X-Men", it was a team of rogue mutants that were against Apocalypse's rule and attempted to over throw Apocalypse's rule. Just to get Erik to speak to Forge took many days.
With the memory passing he glanced back over to Nate who was staring at something down the road. He looked down the road and saw finally what Nate was seeing. It was a man dressed in a long dark coat with a hood. Nate began to power up just in case this guy meant trouble; Forge snapped at Nate and shook his head.
That's not how you make friends Nathan Forge said over their telepathic link. Along with Nate's ability of telekinesis Nate was also a telepath who could read the minds of others. No matter where Forge was, Nate could keep up with him.
The man made it to the cart and brought his hood down allowing them to see his face, the man had a long black ponytail and a red diamond affixed in his forehead.
"Hello stranger my name is Forge and my companion's name is Nathan"
"Call me Nate"
The man smiled brightly allowing his white teeth to show. It was almost a blinding light to Nate as he attempted to read Essex's mind, but there was like a barrier in place that he couldn't get through.
"You may call me Essex
Back on Apocalypse Island, Scott Summers climbed the stairs in the head of Apocalypse's statue.
"Sinister are you there??" he called up the stairs-no answer
Scott was beginning to get worried, Sinister had not been seen in weeks now and Apocalypse was beginning to become impatient, and when he became impatient whole species were killed. Scott reached the front door and banged on it loudly, still no answer was heard from inside. Scott reached down and jiggled the doorknob, it turned easily. Scott let himself, the room was still in shambles from Nathan's escape, books and files were scattered all over the floor. A bookcase was pulled down in what appeared in one of Sinister's rages. Scott glanced at some of the files; most of them were on the horsemen and the prelates. He walked over to the computer and lifted up a file, his file that is. Suddenly if on cue the computers suddenly flashed on, its message was simple: Good-bye my children. A five second timer appeared and began to wind down.
"Oh shit" Scott made a break for the door and made it just as the first explosion rocked the statue. Then another went off, and another, the statue head was suddenly blown off, the force of the blast threw Scott down the stairs. When the dust cleared, Scott stood back up, a cut on his forehead trickled blood down his face. He looked down to see that he was still clutching his file in his hand. What the hell is going on??
Next Up
Nate makes a startling revelation about his powers, and is forced to say good-bye to a friend.
Chapter Two: Welcome home Nathan
_____________________________________________
Dreaming, a state during REM sleep that allows the dreamer to reflect back on pas events or allows them dream of something more. For Nate Grey the dreams were always the same. In his dreams he could see the man's smile, red lips on a white face, eyes blood red. It was the type of dream that would make the most normal man wake up screaming in a cold sweat. But for Nate it wasn't just a dream, it was his own past. But the dreams always got better, when the man with one eye appeared, his savior.
_________________________________________________
The tube shattered with one shot of a precisely located shot of a ruby red optic beam. The liquid flowed out of it as the figure inside the tube slowly dropped to the floor. Scoot also known as Cyclops lifted the boy up, removing the breathing apparatus from the boy's throat. There was a strange feeling deep in Scott's heart, like he knew this boy. The boy's hair was brown and wavy with a hint of white in his bangs. His eyes fluttered open for the fist time outside of the tube, his eyes were a different color. The left eye was blue while the right eye had a gold tint to it. Scott had seen these eyes before, a memory from long ago.
"Your fine now son"
"Who am I?"
Scott lifted up the chart on the computer; Sinister must have wiped the boys mind clear after he captured him. Scott's heart went out to the boy as his one eye read the chart.
"Says here that your name is Nathan, Nathan Grey"
Grey?? Scott knew that name, but from where?
Nate stood up from the ground. The floor was full of broken shards of glass and that liquid he was in, he started to shiver uncontrollably. When he looked at Scott and back to himself, he realized what he was missing-clothes. Scott smiled as he pulled a pair of pants out of his pack and tossing them over to Nate.
"Your fine now Nathan"
"Call me Nate"
"Well Nate we must hurry, soon Sinister will return. I have to get you out of the city"
He walked over to Nate, holding a hand out. Nate's head began to hurt terribly.
"Ahh the pain!!"
He sank to the floor holding his head; a faint trickle of blood ran down his nose
"What is it son??" Scott rushed over to his side
"NO, LEAVE ME ALONE!" Nate shrank away from Scott; the floor began to shake as Nate began to bright up with a yellow power. Scott stumbled back away from the boy, both amazed at what he was seeing and frightened of it at the same time. Suddenly a blast of energy erupted from Nate, blowing a hole in the wall. Nate rushed over to it and leaped out.
"NO, boy!!" Scott ran over to the hole and watched Nate fall. Nate craned his head up to look once again in the face of Scott; the look on Scott's face was envy.
"Nate wake up!!"
_____________________________________________________________
Nate felt strong arms shake him as he awoke finally and looked up into the face of the half mechanical Forge. Forge had become almost like a father to Nate after finding him all those months ago. Forge had known that Nate was special; he had begun to train Nate on how to control his powers.
"Forge, I was having this dream. I was back in the tube again and then that man appeared and freed me. Then WHAM!! I let out this huge TK burst and..."
Forge clamped his metal hand over Nate's mouth.
"Look around you"
Nate looked around wild-eyed, he was sitting in a crater, the TK blast wasn't from his dream, it had happened for real. Nate pulled Forge's hand away from his mouth. The nineteen year old looked sheepishly at his feet.
"I'm sorry Forge," he whispered
"It is alright Nate, we all lose control from time to time"
Nate just stared at his feet. He knew that Forge was upset with him, Apocalypse had what he called a "brain trust" which held some of the most powerful telepathic minds, just the minds that is. The telepath's bodies were completely destroyed and their brains were removed all by the hands of the Dark Beast. It was a way of keeping track of all the mutants in the US, a first warning against attacks on the high lord. The "trust" was led by an extremely powerful telepath named the Shadow King. The Shadow King kept an eye out on the astral plane for jumps or quakes in it. What Nate had just done was create a tremble on the astral plane so large that every telepath was feeling effects from it. There was probably a strike force of Infinites on its way. Nate and Forge had been running from them for some time now, especially now that Forge was teaching Nate to use his powers to help him fight against Apocalypse's cullings. Nate looked up to see Forge smiling at him.
"It will be alright, it is fine to cut loose from time to time" he laid a hand down on Nate's shoulder "But lets have a warning before you do that again"
Nate looked up and grinned at Forge. Nate stood and brushed his pants off. He was wearing a black coat and black pants, with a gray shirt. Forge had found that jacket in an old clothing store; it had a big red X stitched on the back. It was Nate's prize possession, even in battles the coat as walked away without a scratch. The infinites began to call Nate the "X-Man". Nate walked over and climbed into the back of the horse cart that he and Forge had been traveling around for months now. Forge climbed on and took the horse reigns.
"YAA" he cried as the horse made their gallop away from the crater. Forge glanced over to Nate as he drove away; he had to smile at him. Nate was still just a child but he was attempting so hard to be more adult. Erik was right; Nate was that mutant that would save them all. Forge remembered finding Nate outside of old New York; he nursed him back to health and discovered Nate's powers. Magneto had Forge under frequent reports, letting Erik know wherever they were and what they were doing. One day he brought the subject up of Nate.
"Erik I think I have found that mutant you said would save us all"
Erik smiled as he put his helmet down on the table.
"Forge I have no doubt in my mind, that the Nate is the one that Charles spoke of"
Forge smiled at Erik, it was a great honor to hear him speak of Xaiver, the man that could have been the mutant's savior.
"I will train him Erik and then bring him back to you"
Erik stood and nodded as his son Pietro or Quicksilver ran into the room and whispered something in his ear
"I'm sorry Forge but something has just come up with a traveler we found named Bishop"
"Do you need help?"
"That won't be necessary Forge, train the boy right"
Erik turned and walked out the room, his cape flowing in the window. Erik was the leader of what he called the "X-Men", it was a team of rogue mutants that were against Apocalypse's rule and attempted to over throw Apocalypse's rule. Just to get Erik to speak to Forge took many days.
With the memory passing he glanced back over to Nate who was staring at something down the road. He looked down the road and saw finally what Nate was seeing. It was a man dressed in a long dark coat with a hood. Nate began to power up just in case this guy meant trouble; Forge snapped at Nate and shook his head.
That's not how you make friends Nathan Forge said over their telepathic link. Along with Nate's ability of telekinesis Nate was also a telepath who could read the minds of others. No matter where Forge was, Nate could keep up with him.
The man made it to the cart and brought his hood down allowing them to see his face, the man had a long black ponytail and a red diamond affixed in his forehead.
"Hello stranger my name is Forge and my companion's name is Nathan"
"Call me Nate"
The man smiled brightly allowing his white teeth to show. It was almost a blinding light to Nate as he attempted to read Essex's mind, but there was like a barrier in place that he couldn't get through.
"You may call me Essex
Back on Apocalypse Island, Scott Summers climbed the stairs in the head of Apocalypse's statue.
"Sinister are you there??" he called up the stairs-no answer
Scott was beginning to get worried, Sinister had not been seen in weeks now and Apocalypse was beginning to become impatient, and when he became impatient whole species were killed. Scott reached the front door and banged on it loudly, still no answer was heard from inside. Scott reached down and jiggled the doorknob, it turned easily. Scott let himself, the room was still in shambles from Nathan's escape, books and files were scattered all over the floor. A bookcase was pulled down in what appeared in one of Sinister's rages. Scott glanced at some of the files; most of them were on the horsemen and the prelates. He walked over to the computer and lifted up a file, his file that is. Suddenly if on cue the computers suddenly flashed on, its message was simple: Good-bye my children. A five second timer appeared and began to wind down.
"Oh shit" Scott made a break for the door and made it just as the first explosion rocked the statue. Then another went off, and another, the statue head was suddenly blown off, the force of the blast threw Scott down the stairs. When the dust cleared, Scott stood back up, a cut on his forehead trickled blood down his face. He looked down to see that he was still clutching his file in his hand. What the hell is going on??
Next Up
Nate makes a startling revelation about his powers, and is forced to say good-bye to a friend.