Kids'WB wouldn't sue me, seeings as I'm a very fine gentleman who has absolutely nothing of any monetary value in the least. I don't own the X-Men....yet. Mwahahahaha!!!!*cough* Sorry.
Now, on with the fic...
Critical Mass
by Dark Matter
Chapter 2: Another Wasted Saturday
The alarm rang far too early the next morning.
A loud, blaring sound, cutting through the peaceful dreams of mankind like a knife through soft butter. It was irritating on any level, and today it should have spared the poor sleeper next to it its wrath, but thanks to a slight oversight on his part, it did not.
Of course, this was still not worthy cause for the sleeping mutant to incinerate it.
But it cannot be said to entirely be the young teen's fault either. Especially when things usually get incinerated just because you open your eyes.
As was the case at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. Scott Summers, muttering about where all alarm clocks could stick themselves and how he was not sorry in the least, groped about for his ruby-quartz sunglasses, so that the next the next thing he laid eyes upon did not share the clock's fate.
Finally finding them, he flipped them on deftly and pulled himself out of bed with a groan, shaking out the kinks accumulated in his frame as he stumbled to the shower.
That was when he saw the time....7:28.
School started at 7:40.
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Kurt Wagner yawned at the top of the tall staircase, blue tail twitching in a relaxed fashion. The morning sun's rays graced his back through the lare window behind him, and fell to glisten on the snow outside. He had already decided to go down and claim a spot on the couch after making himself some hot cocoa, then to watch cartoons till noon, no matter how much Logan complained.
The poor boy had no idea of what was about to happen...
all he knew was that something moved by him at a speed illegal for most vehicles and impossible for any human being not known as Pietro Maximoff, as far as he knew.
Vast is das? How did Qvickzilver get into ze manzion? wondered the blue-furred mutant from his place on the ceiling. Profezzor Xavier had ze manzion zecurity on full alert....and Zerebro iz ze other vay,.said Kurt to himself, trying to deduce why the speedy Brotherhood member would have been running away from the machine. Then he remembered one last detail about the figure...
And zince vhen doez Qvickzilver vear zhadez?
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Scott flew down the stairs like a bat out of hell, and was already eating his breakfast when Kurt came in by means of an eerie and a puff of acrid smoke. Jamie Madrox, the youngest of the students at the Institute, looked on in confusion. Kurt he'd expected, but Scott didn't usually get up till 1...at least not this day of the week. But what really puzzled young Madrox was the fact that Scott was putting a Pop-Tart on his foot and a shoe in his mouth.
Kurt took one look at Scott and doubled over in laughter...anything that the elfin boy might have had to say was forgotten at the sheer hilarity of the sight. Scott was indignant as he took the shoe out of his mouth. What's so funny? Wagner merely laughed harder, and even Jamie couldn't keep from smiling. Uhm...you kinda mixed up your shoe with your breakfast, there, giggled the seventh-grader. Cyclops turned as bright red as his eyebeams. Nightcrawler made a valiant effort to calm down, but only succeeded in laughing harder, tears running down his blue face.
Scott seemed not to care, as he finished up his breakfast high-speed, practically threw the dishes in the sink, and whipping his backpack on, headed for the door. Jamie suddenly remembered what he had wanted to ask Cyclops, and hurried after him.
Unfortunately, Jamie didn't notice a skateboard in his path. Scott came out the door to the sight of three Jamies dusting themselves off. Multiple and his duplicates looked up, grinned nervously, and finally asked, Uh, Scott....you do know it's Saturday, right?
Summers' only answer was a scream of rage and the frying of a nearby sapling. Guess not, said Jamie, deciding that staying out of Scott's range was a very, very good idea...
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Professor Charles Xavier sat in the huge, rounded room that held his Cerebro computer system, the click of the machinery and hum of electricity the only punctuations to his silent telepathic search, a vast sweep of the globe, searching for the new representatives of the Tomorrow People, Homo superior, the mutants, that had begun emerging around the world. The X-Gene, Xavier noted, had begun to spread faster than ever. Perhaps Erik was right, and humankind had reached the next step in evolution....
But his search found no new emergences, not at this moment in time. Charles sighed and was about to remove the helmet from his head...
when he felt a presence he had felt many a time before.
Erik? the professor thought in amazement. It was hard to believe...but as the machine brought the mutation's image to life, there was no mistaking those bushy brows, the widow's peak of silver hair, or the cold, hawkish blue eyes...
Erik Lensherr, called Magneto, had returned.
Xavier removed the helmet and sighed, rubbing his temples with frustration. So his former best friend was alive, after the incident on Asteroid M. That incident had shocked Charles...he hadn't thought Magneto to be capable of that. Erik was a visionary, like himself, but that vision had not operated on the Asteroid. Nor had his famous charisma. It had been like looking at someone else.
Something else had been going on.
Charles, of course, had done what came naturally to a telepath of his stature, and sent a silent probe into Erik's mind. There, he found that indeed, something else was going on.
Asteroid M had been a fraud.
A complete setup, thought Xavier ruefully. But for what? That he had not had time to find out, as Magneto sealed him into stasis, to sleep.
Now, his friend had returned. Charles desparately hungered for answers. And so....
what better way to gain answers to his questions than from the man himself.
Hoping Magneto could hear him, Charles sent out the silent signal through the conduits of his massively powerful mind.
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Hank McCoy had been expecting to be able to exercise in the Danger Room, like he usually did. Instead, Beast had been greeted with the sight of the New Mutants and the X-Men generally beating the living shit out of one another. Wolverine stood to one side, sipping at a can of Heineken and looking amused.
Logan, what...what the hell is this?! exclaimed Beast as he dodged a flying Cannonball. The tall man shrugged. Well, shit, McCoy, you're always complainin' about how they fight amongst each other. So I gave them a reason to. It makes sense, if ya think about't. Shows them the weak points of their powers, forces em to improvise. He took another gulp of beer.
McCoy looked at him incredulously. But that's why we have training scenarios! And look at them! They're going to kill each other!
Wolverine glanced at the frantic Beast with an inscrutable calm. First off, good against holograms is one thing. Good against the living? That's something else. The holos we use here aren't equipped with real powers. They run off an A.I. They can't think, said Logan. Second, don't be so worried. It's like tag...ony here, they have to sustain four hits on the sensors, then they're out of the running. He pointed to an odd, laser-tag style vest each mutant was wearing.
McCoy watched the madness unfold. Cyclops was pitted against Iceman, the leader of the New Mutants in all but name. Drake had just sustained a hit from Scott's optics, and staggered. Summers grinned, and fired his optic lasers again, this time at Bobby's feet, causing the New Mutant to jump back as the beams carved a tiny ravine in the floor. Cyclops pressed his advantage, frustrating Bobby again and again by forcing him backwards towards the wall. Iceman was finally pressed back, and flung up his hands as Scott fired another blast, sending forth a blast of sub-zero cold...and freezing the beam, like a glowing control rod, in his hand. The young man grinned, and flung the projectile back at Cyclops for a hit.
Jean Grey was also doing well against one Jubilation Lee. The Asian girl's fireworks seemed never to touch her, thanks in part to a telekinetic shield. However, Jubilee, seeing she was unable to break Jean's shield, decided to give Jean a little bit of a surprise. She ran and jumped at Jean with a war-cry; the redhead smirked, and stopped Jubilee in her tracks with her TK....thus dropping the shield. Jean shook her head and gave a wry, singed grin as she picked herself up.
Nightcrawler was having far less luck against Sunspot...the solar-powered Brazilian seemed to expect his teleportation movements, and would charge at him, flaring with power, just as he arrived. He had already scored two hits on the blue-furred boy.
Kurt, seeing Bobby gain the upper hand once more against Scott via an ice bridge, one of Drake's fairly new powers, got a devilish idea...
There was a sudden and the smell of brimstone behind Iceman, who looked back in surprise to see Kurt riding his ice bridge. The blue-furred German boy grinned. Wazzup, mein freund? I'd vatch out if I vas you.... and suddenly teleported, leavin the flying Roberto to crash into Iceman, scoring what was now the third hit on Bobby.
Ay de mi! Drake, what the hell was that? moaned DaCosta. I was about to fry the Elf there.
I dizagree, came Kurt's voice, as he teleported in just above them, to kick both their sensors, and disappear. Iceman sighed as a smirking Logan made a you're out motion. I can't win for losing...
Jubilee's fourth hit against Jean would not have arrived had it not been for one Evan Daniels, who was faced with Ray Crisp and all the voltage he could cook up. The two were fairly deadlocked,
Spyke using his bones to pin Ray to the wall, and Ray delivering high-energy bolts right back. Evan had scored three hits, while Berzerker had two. But this quickly changed as Evan leaped back from a failed assault, only to recieve a lightning bolt in the kisser, sending Evan against the wall. Crisp pumped his fist in victory, and prepared to unleash a powerful shockwave of energy directly into Spyke. Thinking fast, the young boy extended a huge, singular spike of calcite into the wall, acting as a ground. The shockwave caught Jean, scoring a third hit. Evan then proceeded to extend as many bones as he possibly could...and flung them, rapid fire, at Berzerker. Ray was out. But the power of the flung bone-spikes sent Evan backwards into Jean, allowing Jubilee to take them both out of the running. Evan grinned sheepishly at a rather miffed Grey.
Cannonball had his work cut out for him against Kitty Pryde. Shadowcat dodged his every attack except for one, when he caught her from behind with a zigzagging pattern. But she had a two-hit lead on the big Kentucky boy, and as he flew, corkscrewing, to attack, she easily phased through and tapped the sensor with a giggle. Sam sighed as he went to the sidelines.
Roberto and Scott faced off next, Sunspot with several points in advantage. But Cyclops proved stronger and more experienced, bringing Roberto to three easily. The pissed Sunspot charged Scott just as he was firing his next laser...and Summers and DaCosta were both out.
Finally, it had come down to Jubilee and Magma, who took out Kitty, vs. Kurt and Rogue. Jubilee scored some easy hits on Rogue, who was unable to avoid the pyrotechnics as well as most of the other X-Men. Nightcrawler, however, was proving the most versatile of the group. Every time either girl aimed a projectile at him, he had already scored a hit from behind them. Rogue had 3..Nightcrawler 2, Magma 2, and Jubilee 3. Kurt and Marie looked at each other. With a nod, they grapsed each others' hands and teleported directly behind the two girls. Jubilee felt only a prickle of cold as Rogue absorbed her powers, taking her down.
Magma flung a burst of fire at Rogue, only to have Kurt absorb the hit, then appear behind her. With a grin she flung a final ball of fire, taking Wagner out...and allowing Rogue to fire a line of fireworks directly into Amara. The southerner pumped her fist in victory as the princess of Nova Roma stomped off. Badum-tch! Ah ahm tha greatest! Rogue proclaimed with a grin.
Excellent job, Rogue. And you, Nightcrawler, said the professor as he wheeled almost silently in. Everyone in the room came to subconscious attention. Although Xavier never cared to exercise influence, he was afforded a great deal of respect by his students. Kurt smirked. Ja, vell, at leazt zomeone appreziatez my hard vork, he said with a grin to Rogue. The goth rolled her eyes. Ahll rahght, so Kurt did a little. The blue-furred boy shook his head with a smile. Nobody lovez za fuzzy dude. It'z zuch a cruel vorld ve live in! he proclaimed with a mock sob. Rogue whapped him lightly with her glove. Quit wit' thah pitah-partay, elf-boy. The Prof. has som'n tah say.
No, that's quite all right, Rogue, Xavier said with a mellow smile. I came to congratulate you ,then speak with Logan and Hank. Let me first say this...Cannonball, Evan, you will be benched next round, as you were taken out in the least amounts of time. Wolfsbane and Multiple will take your place. Spyke scowled, while Cannonball only gave a defeated Aw, shucks.
Next, obviously, congratulations to Kurt and Rogue. The rest of you should watch the way they work...their teamweork is impressive. You are excused from training for the rest of the day...Logan, Beast, and I need to talk. Privately.
The studens filed out, chatting excitedly, and Charles wheeled toward Wolverine and Beast.
The Canadian looked skeptically at the telepath. What's this about, Wheels?
Charles, to Logan's surprise, didn't even notice the remark. It's Erik...I was on Cerebro, and I hadn't found anything....then I picked up his signal, right out of the blue. Wolverine bristled. Mags's alive, then...
Hank looked confused. Who's Erik?
Xavier sighed. A very old and very powerful friend of mine...well, he was a friend. It was he who helped me build the Institute, and design Cerebro. However, we had very different points of view, as it turned out... he believed that mutants were the next step in human evolution. That humans would see this, see us as a threat. And he believed that we would be slaughtered. I tried to win him to my point of view, but he drifted further and further away, becoming angry and vengeful.
He became a mutant terrorist, calling himself Magneto, thanks to his power over magnetic fields, which gave him the ability to control metal. The X-Men faced him once, not too long ago, on Asteroid M. At the time I thought we had crippled his organization. The professor sighed deeply.
Now I'm not so sure.
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It was unfortunate that the Professor had left Cerebro when he did.
Had he stayed just a moment longer, he could have seen the emergence of the mutant as it occurred.
But the Professor's brain had not been focused on the home of one Judas Worthington in far-off Washington...it might be that he would not have seen it anyway.
The young man was sitting down to an extremely late dinner with his grandmother and grandfather, whom he lived with at his father's request. His father, the vice president of Cyphercom Technologies, Inc., couldn't be bothered with such things as his eldest son, thought Judas bitterly. No, ever was he to be the bastard, born of a wife his father had had before he became so important. It was Warren who was special now, damn Warren and his handsome long blond hair and chiseled features, with his normal vision, and his father's name. Judas, in contrast, was stocky, quite overweight actually, with hair that sculpted to most of his head, but flew up in a high bang to his left. He was very nearsighted, and wore a pair of thick glasses.
Oh well. His grandparents loved him, and not because he was smart, either, hey really loved him. Unlike Warren, who had a head for numbers and not much else, Judas was a child prodigy, a genius, which was the only reason his father had ever tolerated him. He was also very proficient with the cello. Playing the bass instrument, Judas felt at peace, restful...
So how was school today? said his grandmother mildly, breaking his reverie. Judas managed a small smile. It was OK, Grandma...
And suddenly, the world swirled about him. His eyes focused in, and the young man discovered he could see through the floor. Moreover, everything was a strange color...
He was looking through to the basement, and watching...as the gas pipe overheated, rumbling through the whole house. Then it exploded, and there were flames, and death, and he shrieked in horror as they flared toward him....
And he returned to normality, though a great sense of urgent dread hung over him. His grandparents looked at him in confusion.
Grandma, we have to get out of the house, said the young man in a terrified voice, quickly standing up. His grandmother looked at him in surprise. What? Judas, are you all right?
No, Grandma, I'm not all right! C'mon! We have to go!!! he practically shrieked, tugging at her sleeve.His grandfather looked sternly at him. Jude, if this is a prank....
Judas' face turned ashen. No! Please, come on, we have to leave NOW!!!! NOW!!!!!
His grandma yanked he sleeve away. Judas, what's gotten into you?!
YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! Judas screamed, tears of panic and despair running from his eyes. Sobbing, he felt the ground rumble, and sprinted blindly for the front door. In his tears, he couldn't see the handle. Worse still, the door was locked. Judas fumbled about in terror. The rumbling deepened in rhythm. He heard his grandfather go down to investigate. Panic seized Worthington. He was going to die. He was going to die, and nothing he could do would stop it...
Finally, he found the lock. But the furnace was so close to exploding Judas could almost see himself being incinerated. He groped in desparation. He needed more time...more time...more...time...
As the crack of explosion came, the air around Judas rippled. Time slowed about him, and he was the only thing moving through it, like a runner through molasses...yet going faster than any man. The distortion propelled him forward as he finally clicked the lock, the door flying open slowly...and he ran forward as fast as he could, momentum building with each step...
He jumped, moving through the air, legs flailing...and time sped up. He flew forward onto the grass of the front lawn, a safe distance away, as the place he'd called home for ten years exploded in flames.
Falling to the ground, Judas wept openly, the tears flowing for the unfairness, for the cruelty of the world. For the horror and sadness he felt at his grandparents' death. And out of self-pity, for the normal life he had had. It was all gone. All of it. By some horrible coincidence of fate, his life had just died.
It wasn't fair.
Judas spoke bitterly. I'm alone now....
Not likely, kid, came a deep voice from behind him. Worthington whirled, the last of his tears flying into the night as he did so. A huge man stood there, hand on a Harley-Davidson with a cat-like silhoutte on the front. His long, golden hair flowed down like a mane over his shoulders. He wore an earthy muscle shirt, and long slacks, with a sleeveless brown trenchcoat over them. His fingers were long, tipped by...claws?
Who are you? Worthington whispered.
Most people call me Mr. Creed, or sometimes just Creed. Others know me as Sabretooth. He grinned ferally. You, kid? You can call me Victor.
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And you're sure no one survived but the boy? the deep voice queried.
The blond man grimaced as he stared at the shrouded chair before him. Mr. Nur would do a lot better if he wasn't so damn meticulous...
I await your answer, Warren.
Warren K. Worthington, Jr., nodded. Yes. As you suspected, this triggered the mutation to emerge. He is now with the Brotherhood.
The dark shape in the chair nodded. Excellent. What about your youngest?
Warren shrugged. I don't know. He's doing as well as you're training him to.
The shape of Nur shifted, and the voice became deathly cold. Then you should trust he is being well-taught. Shouldn't you, Warren?
Worthington gulped. Yes, Mr. Nur. I'm sorry, sir, it's the stress. Won't happen again.
Nur nodded, and his tone became pleasant again. See that it does not.
In the meantime, Warren, I have another assignment for you....
Author's Notes: And thus Farsight is born, and inducted into el Brotherhood. ^^;;;;; Sorry it took me so long to finish this chapter...I'll try and be quicker about the next one, where both sides return to school, the X-Men get more screen time, and Mags pays a visit to ol' Papa Cueball. Oh, and more of the mysterious Mr. Nur, in the next episode....I mean chapter.
