There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here
Chapter 2
Author's Notes: The stuff in italics are thoughts. Oh, and thanks to all who left reviews. It's you who keep me (and others) writing. I love you guys.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the X-Men characters or any of that stuff, except John.
Edited: September 4, 2003 - fixed grammar and spelling errors. Added more to read. Better than the original version.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Jashback lay back on his bed, idly holding his left arm in his right, waving it around in the air. It only seemed right to christen his new home by doing the thing that brought him there.
He let his rogue limb fall onto the comforter he lay on and felt at his left shoulder where it up-until-recently had been attached.
Why me? Huh? Why me, God? Couldn't I just have been normal? And if you're going to do something like this to me, couldn't I have a cool power, like spitting fire or being a babe magnet or something?
Beneath all the cynicism, though, John knew he was blessed. He could only imagine how many amputees would kill for the gift he had been given.
He sighed and rubbed his empty shoulder again. It was a clean tear - it always was. John clenched his eyes and jaw shut in preparation for what was to happen. Convulsing slightly and with a soundless explosion, a new arm burst forth from the shoulder, exactly like the previous one, covered in a slick, grimy film. Beads of sweat sprouted on the young mutant's forehead, and he wiped them off with his good arm.
"Ugh. I better wash this thing off," he said to no one in particular, careful to not let his new arm touch the bed.
He stood up and walked over to the door, but remembered the old arm still on the bed.
Heh, wouldn't want anyone to walk in here and find nothing but an arm, now would I?
John's face split into a devilish grin at the though of it, but went back and tucked his arm…well, underneath his arm and left the room.
Ok...Scott said the bathroom was two doors down...uh...which way?
His room was in the middle of the hallway, with plenty of doors to the left and the right.
John turn his head back and forth frantically and randomly walked down two doors to a room, and opened up the door. It turned out not to be the bathroom, but another bedroom identical to his. This one was obviously taken. A small stuffed bear and clothes were strewn on or around one bed, and the wall next to the other bed sported blackened scorch marks, but still showed signs of habitation.
John turned around and closed the door, heading to the room two doors from his on the other side. Sure enough, it was the bathroom. He walked over to the sink and set down his arm, while rolling up the sleeve on his left side, before lowering it down into the sink and turning on the water. John was always amazed at how the new arm seemed normal - he retained all feeling in it, and all of his joints still worked. It only had the ability to detach itself from his body. He shook his head in wonder and shut off the water, and reached over for a towel. He could hear faint voices outside the door, signaling the other students returning home from school.
Guess I had better go introduce myself.
Again, he noticed his extra arm sitting on the counter.
Aw man. What am I gonna do about that thing?
But he never had the chance.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't like, know anyone was in here," said a cheerful voice.
John turned around to see a cute girl a couple years younger than he half sticking out of the door.
His jaw dropped. "Oh my God, you're sticking through the—WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?!" he screamed.
"Oh, oops, sorry." the girl replied and walked all the way through. "You must be the new guy."
"Y…yeah. I'm John Jashback," he said, carefully extending his hand.
"My name's Kitty. It's nice to meet you John."
"Likewise." I think.
And then her eyes fell to the arm on the counter. John winced when she screamed and couldn't help but feel bad for her. But then her eyes rolled up in the back of her head and she collapsed like a pile of bricks. Her scream must have alerted others, because no sooner had she fainted that Scott burst into the bathroom.
Seeing Kitty laying on the ground and John standing away, trying to back himself out of the room through the wall, he shouted, "What happened here?"
"Oh uh…she uh...saw my power," John said softly.
"What are you talking about?"
John cautiously revealed the hand of the arm he held behind his back.
"Oh. Whoa. Oh!" Scott finally said when recognition finally hit him. "I get it. She saw your power..." He stood up and went over to the sink and filled a cupped hand with some water, and sprinkled it in Kitty's face. She slowly began to stir and her eyes finally opened to see Scott's smiling face looking down at her.
"You ok?" he asked.
Kitty rubbed her forehead and asked, "What happened? I came in to the bathroom and someone was in here..." Her voice trailed off as she looked up and saw John. "AAAAAHHH! THAT'S HIM! HE KILLED SOMEONE! HE LIKE, HAD AN ARM LAYING ON THE COUNTER!!" She jumped up and ran at the door, but her panic made her forget her powers, and she ran smack dab into the door. Her body collapsed onto the floor, and she was out cold once again.
Scott bent down and picked up Kitty in his arms. "C'mon John. Let's go see the Professor, and he'll straighten this out."
"O..Ok...I'm real sorry. I didn't mean to do that to her..."
"Don't worry about it. She's kind of melodramatic that way. She had much of the same reaction when she met Kurt." Scott's grin helped put John at ease. "Oh, and wrap your...arm...in a towel. We don't want this happening to anyone else."
John nodded and wrapped his loose appendage up and followed Scott out of the room.
"I uh...hope no one else sees us."
"Don't worry, John. You just...don't lose that."
**********
John knocked on the door to Professor Xavier's study.
"Come in," he heard from inside.
Opening the door, he walked in to see the Professor close a book and set it on his lap. "What can I do for you, John..."
Scott had walked in the door, an unconscious Kitty draped on his arms.
"What is the meaning of this?" Xavier asked.
"Well Professor, " Scott explained, "It seems that Kitty accidentally came upon John in the bathroom not long after he used his powers."
John unraveled the towel and waved the arm around.
"She didn't take it very well as you can see."
"Hrm, yes. I suppose that's understandable. She didn't exactly take her first encounters with Kurt very well if I remember correctly," the Professor said.
"Hey, who the heck is this Kurt guy? Do his arms fall off too?" John asked.
"Not exactly," Scott said. "It's more like..." His words were cut off by Kitty stirring in his arms.
"Oh Scott… Is he still here?" she mumbled.
"Is who still here?"
"That guy with, like, the arm…"
"See for yourself," Scott told her while setting her back on her feet.
"Um, hi," was all John could manage to get out.
Before Kitty could flip out all over again, the Professor wheeled himself in front of her and spoke in soothing tones. "Don't worry Kitty. This is John Jashback, a new student here at the Institute. And you had an unfortunate run in with him after he used his powers."
"Like, wait a minute. Arms laying around all over the place is his power?" she said sarcastically.
"Now calm down a moment, Kitty," Xavier said. "Although your attitude at this moment is understandable, you should let me explain. John's special ability is limb regeneration, and at this early stage in his evolution, it is limited to his left arm. A unique aspect of his abilities is that he can also physically remove the arm. Only time will tell if it will remain the same as he gets older."
"Oh. Well...sorry." Kitty said, hiding her face and blushing.
"No problem. I get that reaction a lot, so it's not big deal. Of course, I wasn't exactly thrilled to see someone sticking through the door when I was in the bathroom. What if I had been doing something else?" John said.
"Yeah, uh, I'm sorry about that. I guess, like, I just sometimes forget about stuff like that. It won't happen again."
John smiled slightly at her before saying the most idiotic thing anyone could have said at that moment: "Want to see my power at work?"
"UGH! LIKE NO WAY!" She stormed off angrily and phased right through the door.
Scott and the Professor laughed long and hard, and John only stared at the floor, trying to hide his beet-red face.
"Oh John, I haven't seen anything that funny in a long time," Scott said, clapping him on the back. "You've got a wonderful way with women."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 2
Author's Notes: The stuff in italics are thoughts. Oh, and thanks to all who left reviews. It's you who keep me (and others) writing. I love you guys.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the X-Men characters or any of that stuff, except John.
Edited: September 4, 2003 - fixed grammar and spelling errors. Added more to read. Better than the original version.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Jashback lay back on his bed, idly holding his left arm in his right, waving it around in the air. It only seemed right to christen his new home by doing the thing that brought him there.
He let his rogue limb fall onto the comforter he lay on and felt at his left shoulder where it up-until-recently had been attached.
Why me? Huh? Why me, God? Couldn't I just have been normal? And if you're going to do something like this to me, couldn't I have a cool power, like spitting fire or being a babe magnet or something?
Beneath all the cynicism, though, John knew he was blessed. He could only imagine how many amputees would kill for the gift he had been given.
He sighed and rubbed his empty shoulder again. It was a clean tear - it always was. John clenched his eyes and jaw shut in preparation for what was to happen. Convulsing slightly and with a soundless explosion, a new arm burst forth from the shoulder, exactly like the previous one, covered in a slick, grimy film. Beads of sweat sprouted on the young mutant's forehead, and he wiped them off with his good arm.
"Ugh. I better wash this thing off," he said to no one in particular, careful to not let his new arm touch the bed.
He stood up and walked over to the door, but remembered the old arm still on the bed.
Heh, wouldn't want anyone to walk in here and find nothing but an arm, now would I?
John's face split into a devilish grin at the though of it, but went back and tucked his arm…well, underneath his arm and left the room.
Ok...Scott said the bathroom was two doors down...uh...which way?
His room was in the middle of the hallway, with plenty of doors to the left and the right.
John turn his head back and forth frantically and randomly walked down two doors to a room, and opened up the door. It turned out not to be the bathroom, but another bedroom identical to his. This one was obviously taken. A small stuffed bear and clothes were strewn on or around one bed, and the wall next to the other bed sported blackened scorch marks, but still showed signs of habitation.
John turned around and closed the door, heading to the room two doors from his on the other side. Sure enough, it was the bathroom. He walked over to the sink and set down his arm, while rolling up the sleeve on his left side, before lowering it down into the sink and turning on the water. John was always amazed at how the new arm seemed normal - he retained all feeling in it, and all of his joints still worked. It only had the ability to detach itself from his body. He shook his head in wonder and shut off the water, and reached over for a towel. He could hear faint voices outside the door, signaling the other students returning home from school.
Guess I had better go introduce myself.
Again, he noticed his extra arm sitting on the counter.
Aw man. What am I gonna do about that thing?
But he never had the chance.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't like, know anyone was in here," said a cheerful voice.
John turned around to see a cute girl a couple years younger than he half sticking out of the door.
His jaw dropped. "Oh my God, you're sticking through the—WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?!" he screamed.
"Oh, oops, sorry." the girl replied and walked all the way through. "You must be the new guy."
"Y…yeah. I'm John Jashback," he said, carefully extending his hand.
"My name's Kitty. It's nice to meet you John."
"Likewise." I think.
And then her eyes fell to the arm on the counter. John winced when she screamed and couldn't help but feel bad for her. But then her eyes rolled up in the back of her head and she collapsed like a pile of bricks. Her scream must have alerted others, because no sooner had she fainted that Scott burst into the bathroom.
Seeing Kitty laying on the ground and John standing away, trying to back himself out of the room through the wall, he shouted, "What happened here?"
"Oh uh…she uh...saw my power," John said softly.
"What are you talking about?"
John cautiously revealed the hand of the arm he held behind his back.
"Oh. Whoa. Oh!" Scott finally said when recognition finally hit him. "I get it. She saw your power..." He stood up and went over to the sink and filled a cupped hand with some water, and sprinkled it in Kitty's face. She slowly began to stir and her eyes finally opened to see Scott's smiling face looking down at her.
"You ok?" he asked.
Kitty rubbed her forehead and asked, "What happened? I came in to the bathroom and someone was in here..." Her voice trailed off as she looked up and saw John. "AAAAAHHH! THAT'S HIM! HE KILLED SOMEONE! HE LIKE, HAD AN ARM LAYING ON THE COUNTER!!" She jumped up and ran at the door, but her panic made her forget her powers, and she ran smack dab into the door. Her body collapsed onto the floor, and she was out cold once again.
Scott bent down and picked up Kitty in his arms. "C'mon John. Let's go see the Professor, and he'll straighten this out."
"O..Ok...I'm real sorry. I didn't mean to do that to her..."
"Don't worry about it. She's kind of melodramatic that way. She had much of the same reaction when she met Kurt." Scott's grin helped put John at ease. "Oh, and wrap your...arm...in a towel. We don't want this happening to anyone else."
John nodded and wrapped his loose appendage up and followed Scott out of the room.
"I uh...hope no one else sees us."
"Don't worry, John. You just...don't lose that."
**********
John knocked on the door to Professor Xavier's study.
"Come in," he heard from inside.
Opening the door, he walked in to see the Professor close a book and set it on his lap. "What can I do for you, John..."
Scott had walked in the door, an unconscious Kitty draped on his arms.
"What is the meaning of this?" Xavier asked.
"Well Professor, " Scott explained, "It seems that Kitty accidentally came upon John in the bathroom not long after he used his powers."
John unraveled the towel and waved the arm around.
"She didn't take it very well as you can see."
"Hrm, yes. I suppose that's understandable. She didn't exactly take her first encounters with Kurt very well if I remember correctly," the Professor said.
"Hey, who the heck is this Kurt guy? Do his arms fall off too?" John asked.
"Not exactly," Scott said. "It's more like..." His words were cut off by Kitty stirring in his arms.
"Oh Scott… Is he still here?" she mumbled.
"Is who still here?"
"That guy with, like, the arm…"
"See for yourself," Scott told her while setting her back on her feet.
"Um, hi," was all John could manage to get out.
Before Kitty could flip out all over again, the Professor wheeled himself in front of her and spoke in soothing tones. "Don't worry Kitty. This is John Jashback, a new student here at the Institute. And you had an unfortunate run in with him after he used his powers."
"Like, wait a minute. Arms laying around all over the place is his power?" she said sarcastically.
"Now calm down a moment, Kitty," Xavier said. "Although your attitude at this moment is understandable, you should let me explain. John's special ability is limb regeneration, and at this early stage in his evolution, it is limited to his left arm. A unique aspect of his abilities is that he can also physically remove the arm. Only time will tell if it will remain the same as he gets older."
"Oh. Well...sorry." Kitty said, hiding her face and blushing.
"No problem. I get that reaction a lot, so it's not big deal. Of course, I wasn't exactly thrilled to see someone sticking through the door when I was in the bathroom. What if I had been doing something else?" John said.
"Yeah, uh, I'm sorry about that. I guess, like, I just sometimes forget about stuff like that. It won't happen again."
John smiled slightly at her before saying the most idiotic thing anyone could have said at that moment: "Want to see my power at work?"
"UGH! LIKE NO WAY!" She stormed off angrily and phased right through the door.
Scott and the Professor laughed long and hard, and John only stared at the floor, trying to hide his beet-red face.
"Oh John, I haven't seen anything that funny in a long time," Scott said, clapping him on the back. "You've got a wonderful way with women."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------