Aftershock
Summary/Disclaimer: See any preceding chapter
Author's Notes: This chapter sucks, I admit it. It's one of those 'moving forward' Chapters... I hope you guys like it anyway. Chapter five will be awesome, I promise, and then, Chapter Six, I'll be jumping head first into the movie action.
Another note, There is some information on the physiology of certain mutants, which I pulled from the movie novelization. So, it's not just made up.
Also, near the end, there is a short section of telepathic talking. Since my retarded computer won't let my FFN contributions put any text in italics, I use ~ in place of " for telepathy. Just to let you know.
Reviewer Shout outs:
Loony: Yeah that was one of my fave parts too.
Ryan: Thanks, I will!
Fireball: Oh, just you wait...
Tigereyes: To be more exact, the femur (upper leg bone for those not in the know) is bent slightly to the LEFT (not right, as previously stated). So, just above her knee there is a slight bend to the left, towards her, well, left leg.
Dolly: Glad you like.
Saturniia: Good luck with the finals, here is Chapter Four!
Kryptonite: Thanks!
Rei.K: I think so too.
Dark Angel: I'm glad you find her unique! Keep reading to see her in action.
Kumiko Eharu: I get the feeling you'll like this chapter.
Chapter Four:
Jake did as she was told, perching herself on one of the chairs surrounding his desk.
She crossed her legs awkwardly at the angle, as anything else was one-step past impossible.
"I'm quite glad to see you walking, Jake. You being mobile is quite a relief. We were getting worried about you."
"No real problem. I bounce back."
"Obviously, but Jean has told me that, while you continue to excel at physical challenges, your psyche seems to be scarred worse than..."
"Than my face?" She interrupted with a self-depreciating smile.
"If that is how you see it, than, yes. You seem to have one of the most acute cases of amnesia I have ever seen. You can tell your name, where you came from, what has happened to you. Jean has said you remember as fare back as when you were four."
"Yes sir."
"But you can't seem to find a reason for why you were so far away from your home the night of the crash?"
"No sir." He nodded slowly, then, realizing the look on her face was less than calm, and He smiled.
"Can you tell me what's wrong?"
He sighed.
"Perhaps."
"Perhaps?"
"Jake, has Jean told you what I do?"
"She... She said you read minds."
"That is correct. What I want to do is read your mind, and hopefully help you figure out how you ended up here." She nodded slowly.
"A Question?" He asked.
"Uh... Well, from what Jean told me of your abilities, you could have done this white I was unconscious." He smiled at this.
"I find it rude to enter people's minds without permission." She nodded again, more briskly.
"Well, if you think you can help me, then feel free."
"Very good. In that case, just relax." She nodded and allowed herself to calm, letting the tension in her body reduce, and her eyes slowly closed.
After a few moments of waiting, the Professor's breaths quickened, and she opened her eyes to see what was wrong.
His eyes were traveling restlessly over her face.
"What? What did I do wrong?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all. I just forgot a few things..." He smiled slightly to reassure her. "You know, Jake, the first time I tried to read Storm, or should I say, Ororo's mind, I came away with a devil of a headache and none the wiser about her. Do you know why?"
She shook her head.
"The average person's mind is filled with static. It stems from the electric impulses in the brain. Even a mediocre telepath can over come this static. However, Ororo's ability, I believe you know, is control over the weather. One aspect of these powers, her control over lightning, makes this background static thicker; more like a snowy television set over a slightly fuzzy, but otherwise clear channel. This much static casts a relative shield around her brain, making it close to impossible for a telepath to painlessly read her mind.
"Your abilities are much the same, albeit more focused on one aspect, and more broad in that aspect. But the static stands, in your mind as thick as in hers."
"I'm sorry."
"Oh, no, not your fault, not at all. I should have realized..." He trailed off, then picked back up in a different direction.
"Well, no matter. We'll try again another time?"
"Sure."
"Now, we need to discuss what you are going to do. This IS a school, you know. We have dorms, and classes. I would consider it an honor if you would choose to attend the school as a student. For a little while, at least. We have average classes, and also classes purposely designed for young mutants. Teaching them how to control their powers and the like." He paused, and she nodded. "What do you think?"
"I think it sounds great."
"Good. Very good. We'll get you a dorm, although you'll be alone for a while, and talk about the classes you'd like to take." She nodded, and he smiled warmly.
"Let's go find you a dorm."
~~~~
Two days later, Jake was sitting in her writing class. It was 'free reading' time, which translated into 'talk inanely', and the students took the advantage. Jake had quickly become a member of a regular 'group', that is, a sect of a certain age group that had several classes together. The group consisted of Bobby, John, Marie, Kitty, Jubilation, better known as Jubilee, a boy named Jamie Madrox, and another boy named Pitor Rasputin.
The discussion of the day was an oldie, but a goodie, to everyone but Jake, who had not yet experienced one of these discussions.
The topic was 'who could beat who with their powers', and the arguments were all fierce, and all aimed completely at one another.
"No way. Fire could burn you to a crisp, and melt your dorky ice to water while it's at it."
"But fire's no good if the person wielding it is totally freezer burned."
"Well, neither can do much against pure steel," Pitor chimed in, his thick Russian accent making his mock menace sound even more menacing.
"If you can just walk through a person, what's the point?"
"No one can do much of anything if they can't see." Jubilee pointed out.
"With a hundred of me to every one of you, none of you stand a chance."
"Well, with one pinkie I could bring you all to your knees." Marie said in a very uncharacteristic moment of spite, wiggling her fingers in a pretend threat.
With that, they all paused, and turned to look at Jake, waiting for her contribution. She obliged spectacularly.
"Well, how well could any of you function against an unseen enemy calling an instantaneous lightning storm on your heads? A dome of over one hundred volts, and I'm standing a hundred yards away. You're all fried and I'm laughing." They all paused for a moment.
"Can you really do that? From that far away?" Jamie asked quietly.
"Yep. Jean, that is, Doctor Grey, told me I have a radius of four hundred feet."
"Nice." Bobby said appreciatively.
"Very impressive." Pitor added.
"Thanks." She said, basking in the temporary glory her abilities offered her.
John ruined it all.
"But fire is still the best in close range combat." And the argument started anew.
Jake shook her head and turned her attention towards the electric devices in the room.
Opening her hand slowly, she allowed the charge to race into her, more for fun than anything else.
Then it happened.
Just like the night of the crash, one of the few things she remembered about that night, her eyes hazed over, and the same sketchy black and white picture filled her head.
She saw John, standing up from the table, dressed as he was today. He turned to walk away from the table, and one of the lamps hanging from the ceiling fell on him for no visible reason. It hit his head, and he collapsed forward, a dark spot stretching through his hair. With another flash, she was in the classroom in full color as John pushed himself from the table.
Before he could take a step, she lunged at him.
"Look out," She said as she tackled him, taking him three feet across the floor.
Bobby leapt to his feet in time to feel the light fixture brush past his nose and shatter on the flagged stone floor, right where John had been standing a split second before.
"What in the-" John yelled, pushing Jake off of him.
"What's happened?" Ororo asked, standing to be heard over the din rising in the room.
"Are you okay?" Kitty asked of them both worriedly.
"I'm fine." Jake said as she slowly pushed herself upright.
She limped slowly the three feet or so to where she had started, and sat down heavily, trying to force away the dual pains of severe headache and shooting pains in her bad leg.
John was still sitting in the floor, staring at the remains of the light fixture. Bobby was looking up at the ceiling at where the lamp had fallen.
Everyone else in the room was looking back and forth between John and Jake.
Eventually, Pitor's eyes rested on Jake, slowly contemplating.
"Did you know that was going to happen?" He asked her quietly.
"Yes." Was her reply.
"How?"
"I don't really know. It's only happened once before..." She looked at John. "I didn't really think or consider, I just acted." She thoughtfully fingered the scars running down her face, remembering the first time she had seen the future, when she hadn't done anything about it.
The next thing she knew, Ororo was standing in front of her.
"Jake, I think we need to see the professor."
"Why?"
"Just trust me."
Jake stood slowly and followed Ororo.
"Class dismissed." Ororo called over her shoulder as they left, and there was a sound of upheaval as everyone moved to gather their things and leave.
Jake followed her teacher sullenly, afraid she as in some sort of trouble.
Professor Xavier's office was located centrally in the school, so it didn't take long to arrive at the rather imposing door. Ororo knocked on it briskly.
"Yes?" Came the voice.
"May we come in?"
"Of course." Ororo opened the door and ushered Jake inside.
"Ororo. Jake. Is something wrong? Please, take a seat." Jake obliged, but Ororo stood.
"I prefer to remain standing, thank you. And no, nothing wrong, but something happened in class I thought you should know about."
"Oh really. What is that."
"A few moments ago, one of the lights in my classroom fell from the ceiling, almost hitting John Allerdyce in the head."
"Is he alright?"
"He's just fine, just a little shaken up, thanks to Ms. Smith."
"Oh really? How is that?" He asked, turning his eyes on Jake.
"I... I saw it before it happened." This caught his attention.
"Oh did you?"
"Yes sir."
"Has this happened before?"
This was a question she hadn't wanted to answer. But she felt he trusted her. She wanted to keep that trust.
"Yes."
"When?" Another tough question.
"Before the crash." He nodded slowly.
"What did you see?"
She paused. He seemed to be leading her, but she couldn't be sure.
He watched her carefully, taking in the series of emotions crossing her face. Fear, Doubt, consideration, and acceptance.
"I saw the crash happen." She expected him to make something of this, about how she knew what was going to happen, and hadn't done anything about it.
Instead, he nodded.
"This was the only other time it has happened?"
"Yes sir."
"I see. Thank you. You're free to go."
"Thank you, professor." She stood and made her way slowly out of the office, relatively pleased with herself. She had maintained his trust, and his trust meant the world to her.
As soon as she was out of the room, Charles called psychically out to Jean.
~Jean?~
~Yes Professor?~ She responded.
~We need to talk.~
~What about?~
~It seems that our newest student is borderline clairvoyant.~
~~~~
Jake wasn't sure where to go now. She didn't want to go to her empty dorm, and her classes were over for the day.
She turned towards the kitchens.
Sitting at a table alone was Jamie Madrox. He was picking his way systematically around a bowl of ice cream.
"Hey." She said quietly. He looked up and smiled.
"Hi. Take a seat." He offered, pointing his spoon at the chair across from him. She obligated, and watched him put his spoon back in the bowl.
"Are you okay?" He asked after a quiet moment of settling.
"Oh yeah. I'm fine."
"You didn't look fine when Ms. Munroe took you out of the room."
"I was just shook up."
He nodded.
"You want some ice cream? Or something?"
"No, I'm okay." He shrugged and continued to nurse his snack.
"Thanks though."
"No problem..." There was a rather uncomfortable silence, which Jake took it upon herself to break.
"What do you do?"
He swallowed his most recent bite, and smiled.
"I can duplicate myself by physical force subjected to by body." She blinked.
"What?" He inquired.
"How does it work?"
"I don't really know. It just does..." He paused. "I don't really have much control over my powers. A sneeze can trigger a duplication, and then there's five or ten of me running around."
She laughed quietly.
"What? Is that funny?"
"Not really." He shrugged, and poked his spoon at the melting dessert.
"What about you? How does... It happen?"
She knew what he was talking about, but she didn't know how to answer.
"I don't know either. IT just happens sometimes. There's no real warning, just a vision."
"Hmm." Was his only reply, and they sat there in silence again. The rhythmic clicking of the lid of a Zippo lighter soon interrupted the silence.
Jake turned to acknowledge John standing in the doorway.
"I just wanted to say thanks." He said, still nervously flipping his lighter.
"You're quite welcome." They watched each other for a moment, their eyes exchanging subconscious words they could and would never consciously say. Their quiet moment was interrupted by a powerful sneeze, the sound of Jamie's chair tipping over backwards and hitting against the floor, and there were instantly twenty Jamie Madroxes sitting around the kitchen, looking at each other blankly.
Pages: 9
Words: 2462
Characters (with out spaces): 11339
Characters (with spaces): 13713
Paragraphs: 171
Lines: 482
Authors Notes: R&R guys!
-The One and Only Trey
Summary/Disclaimer: See any preceding chapter
Author's Notes: This chapter sucks, I admit it. It's one of those 'moving forward' Chapters... I hope you guys like it anyway. Chapter five will be awesome, I promise, and then, Chapter Six, I'll be jumping head first into the movie action.
Another note, There is some information on the physiology of certain mutants, which I pulled from the movie novelization. So, it's not just made up.
Also, near the end, there is a short section of telepathic talking. Since my retarded computer won't let my FFN contributions put any text in italics, I use ~ in place of " for telepathy. Just to let you know.
Reviewer Shout outs:
Loony: Yeah that was one of my fave parts too.
Ryan: Thanks, I will!
Fireball: Oh, just you wait...
Tigereyes: To be more exact, the femur (upper leg bone for those not in the know) is bent slightly to the LEFT (not right, as previously stated). So, just above her knee there is a slight bend to the left, towards her, well, left leg.
Dolly: Glad you like.
Saturniia: Good luck with the finals, here is Chapter Four!
Kryptonite: Thanks!
Rei.K: I think so too.
Dark Angel: I'm glad you find her unique! Keep reading to see her in action.
Kumiko Eharu: I get the feeling you'll like this chapter.
Chapter Four:
Jake did as she was told, perching herself on one of the chairs surrounding his desk.
She crossed her legs awkwardly at the angle, as anything else was one-step past impossible.
"I'm quite glad to see you walking, Jake. You being mobile is quite a relief. We were getting worried about you."
"No real problem. I bounce back."
"Obviously, but Jean has told me that, while you continue to excel at physical challenges, your psyche seems to be scarred worse than..."
"Than my face?" She interrupted with a self-depreciating smile.
"If that is how you see it, than, yes. You seem to have one of the most acute cases of amnesia I have ever seen. You can tell your name, where you came from, what has happened to you. Jean has said you remember as fare back as when you were four."
"Yes sir."
"But you can't seem to find a reason for why you were so far away from your home the night of the crash?"
"No sir." He nodded slowly, then, realizing the look on her face was less than calm, and He smiled.
"Can you tell me what's wrong?"
He sighed.
"Perhaps."
"Perhaps?"
"Jake, has Jean told you what I do?"
"She... She said you read minds."
"That is correct. What I want to do is read your mind, and hopefully help you figure out how you ended up here." She nodded slowly.
"A Question?" He asked.
"Uh... Well, from what Jean told me of your abilities, you could have done this white I was unconscious." He smiled at this.
"I find it rude to enter people's minds without permission." She nodded again, more briskly.
"Well, if you think you can help me, then feel free."
"Very good. In that case, just relax." She nodded and allowed herself to calm, letting the tension in her body reduce, and her eyes slowly closed.
After a few moments of waiting, the Professor's breaths quickened, and she opened her eyes to see what was wrong.
His eyes were traveling restlessly over her face.
"What? What did I do wrong?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all. I just forgot a few things..." He smiled slightly to reassure her. "You know, Jake, the first time I tried to read Storm, or should I say, Ororo's mind, I came away with a devil of a headache and none the wiser about her. Do you know why?"
She shook her head.
"The average person's mind is filled with static. It stems from the electric impulses in the brain. Even a mediocre telepath can over come this static. However, Ororo's ability, I believe you know, is control over the weather. One aspect of these powers, her control over lightning, makes this background static thicker; more like a snowy television set over a slightly fuzzy, but otherwise clear channel. This much static casts a relative shield around her brain, making it close to impossible for a telepath to painlessly read her mind.
"Your abilities are much the same, albeit more focused on one aspect, and more broad in that aspect. But the static stands, in your mind as thick as in hers."
"I'm sorry."
"Oh, no, not your fault, not at all. I should have realized..." He trailed off, then picked back up in a different direction.
"Well, no matter. We'll try again another time?"
"Sure."
"Now, we need to discuss what you are going to do. This IS a school, you know. We have dorms, and classes. I would consider it an honor if you would choose to attend the school as a student. For a little while, at least. We have average classes, and also classes purposely designed for young mutants. Teaching them how to control their powers and the like." He paused, and she nodded. "What do you think?"
"I think it sounds great."
"Good. Very good. We'll get you a dorm, although you'll be alone for a while, and talk about the classes you'd like to take." She nodded, and he smiled warmly.
"Let's go find you a dorm."
~~~~
Two days later, Jake was sitting in her writing class. It was 'free reading' time, which translated into 'talk inanely', and the students took the advantage. Jake had quickly become a member of a regular 'group', that is, a sect of a certain age group that had several classes together. The group consisted of Bobby, John, Marie, Kitty, Jubilation, better known as Jubilee, a boy named Jamie Madrox, and another boy named Pitor Rasputin.
The discussion of the day was an oldie, but a goodie, to everyone but Jake, who had not yet experienced one of these discussions.
The topic was 'who could beat who with their powers', and the arguments were all fierce, and all aimed completely at one another.
"No way. Fire could burn you to a crisp, and melt your dorky ice to water while it's at it."
"But fire's no good if the person wielding it is totally freezer burned."
"Well, neither can do much against pure steel," Pitor chimed in, his thick Russian accent making his mock menace sound even more menacing.
"If you can just walk through a person, what's the point?"
"No one can do much of anything if they can't see." Jubilee pointed out.
"With a hundred of me to every one of you, none of you stand a chance."
"Well, with one pinkie I could bring you all to your knees." Marie said in a very uncharacteristic moment of spite, wiggling her fingers in a pretend threat.
With that, they all paused, and turned to look at Jake, waiting for her contribution. She obliged spectacularly.
"Well, how well could any of you function against an unseen enemy calling an instantaneous lightning storm on your heads? A dome of over one hundred volts, and I'm standing a hundred yards away. You're all fried and I'm laughing." They all paused for a moment.
"Can you really do that? From that far away?" Jamie asked quietly.
"Yep. Jean, that is, Doctor Grey, told me I have a radius of four hundred feet."
"Nice." Bobby said appreciatively.
"Very impressive." Pitor added.
"Thanks." She said, basking in the temporary glory her abilities offered her.
John ruined it all.
"But fire is still the best in close range combat." And the argument started anew.
Jake shook her head and turned her attention towards the electric devices in the room.
Opening her hand slowly, she allowed the charge to race into her, more for fun than anything else.
Then it happened.
Just like the night of the crash, one of the few things she remembered about that night, her eyes hazed over, and the same sketchy black and white picture filled her head.
She saw John, standing up from the table, dressed as he was today. He turned to walk away from the table, and one of the lamps hanging from the ceiling fell on him for no visible reason. It hit his head, and he collapsed forward, a dark spot stretching through his hair. With another flash, she was in the classroom in full color as John pushed himself from the table.
Before he could take a step, she lunged at him.
"Look out," She said as she tackled him, taking him three feet across the floor.
Bobby leapt to his feet in time to feel the light fixture brush past his nose and shatter on the flagged stone floor, right where John had been standing a split second before.
"What in the-" John yelled, pushing Jake off of him.
"What's happened?" Ororo asked, standing to be heard over the din rising in the room.
"Are you okay?" Kitty asked of them both worriedly.
"I'm fine." Jake said as she slowly pushed herself upright.
She limped slowly the three feet or so to where she had started, and sat down heavily, trying to force away the dual pains of severe headache and shooting pains in her bad leg.
John was still sitting in the floor, staring at the remains of the light fixture. Bobby was looking up at the ceiling at where the lamp had fallen.
Everyone else in the room was looking back and forth between John and Jake.
Eventually, Pitor's eyes rested on Jake, slowly contemplating.
"Did you know that was going to happen?" He asked her quietly.
"Yes." Was her reply.
"How?"
"I don't really know. It's only happened once before..." She looked at John. "I didn't really think or consider, I just acted." She thoughtfully fingered the scars running down her face, remembering the first time she had seen the future, when she hadn't done anything about it.
The next thing she knew, Ororo was standing in front of her.
"Jake, I think we need to see the professor."
"Why?"
"Just trust me."
Jake stood slowly and followed Ororo.
"Class dismissed." Ororo called over her shoulder as they left, and there was a sound of upheaval as everyone moved to gather their things and leave.
Jake followed her teacher sullenly, afraid she as in some sort of trouble.
Professor Xavier's office was located centrally in the school, so it didn't take long to arrive at the rather imposing door. Ororo knocked on it briskly.
"Yes?" Came the voice.
"May we come in?"
"Of course." Ororo opened the door and ushered Jake inside.
"Ororo. Jake. Is something wrong? Please, take a seat." Jake obliged, but Ororo stood.
"I prefer to remain standing, thank you. And no, nothing wrong, but something happened in class I thought you should know about."
"Oh really. What is that."
"A few moments ago, one of the lights in my classroom fell from the ceiling, almost hitting John Allerdyce in the head."
"Is he alright?"
"He's just fine, just a little shaken up, thanks to Ms. Smith."
"Oh really? How is that?" He asked, turning his eyes on Jake.
"I... I saw it before it happened." This caught his attention.
"Oh did you?"
"Yes sir."
"Has this happened before?"
This was a question she hadn't wanted to answer. But she felt he trusted her. She wanted to keep that trust.
"Yes."
"When?" Another tough question.
"Before the crash." He nodded slowly.
"What did you see?"
She paused. He seemed to be leading her, but she couldn't be sure.
He watched her carefully, taking in the series of emotions crossing her face. Fear, Doubt, consideration, and acceptance.
"I saw the crash happen." She expected him to make something of this, about how she knew what was going to happen, and hadn't done anything about it.
Instead, he nodded.
"This was the only other time it has happened?"
"Yes sir."
"I see. Thank you. You're free to go."
"Thank you, professor." She stood and made her way slowly out of the office, relatively pleased with herself. She had maintained his trust, and his trust meant the world to her.
As soon as she was out of the room, Charles called psychically out to Jean.
~Jean?~
~Yes Professor?~ She responded.
~We need to talk.~
~What about?~
~It seems that our newest student is borderline clairvoyant.~
~~~~
Jake wasn't sure where to go now. She didn't want to go to her empty dorm, and her classes were over for the day.
She turned towards the kitchens.
Sitting at a table alone was Jamie Madrox. He was picking his way systematically around a bowl of ice cream.
"Hey." She said quietly. He looked up and smiled.
"Hi. Take a seat." He offered, pointing his spoon at the chair across from him. She obligated, and watched him put his spoon back in the bowl.
"Are you okay?" He asked after a quiet moment of settling.
"Oh yeah. I'm fine."
"You didn't look fine when Ms. Munroe took you out of the room."
"I was just shook up."
He nodded.
"You want some ice cream? Or something?"
"No, I'm okay." He shrugged and continued to nurse his snack.
"Thanks though."
"No problem..." There was a rather uncomfortable silence, which Jake took it upon herself to break.
"What do you do?"
He swallowed his most recent bite, and smiled.
"I can duplicate myself by physical force subjected to by body." She blinked.
"What?" He inquired.
"How does it work?"
"I don't really know. It just does..." He paused. "I don't really have much control over my powers. A sneeze can trigger a duplication, and then there's five or ten of me running around."
She laughed quietly.
"What? Is that funny?"
"Not really." He shrugged, and poked his spoon at the melting dessert.
"What about you? How does... It happen?"
She knew what he was talking about, but she didn't know how to answer.
"I don't know either. IT just happens sometimes. There's no real warning, just a vision."
"Hmm." Was his only reply, and they sat there in silence again. The rhythmic clicking of the lid of a Zippo lighter soon interrupted the silence.
Jake turned to acknowledge John standing in the doorway.
"I just wanted to say thanks." He said, still nervously flipping his lighter.
"You're quite welcome." They watched each other for a moment, their eyes exchanging subconscious words they could and would never consciously say. Their quiet moment was interrupted by a powerful sneeze, the sound of Jamie's chair tipping over backwards and hitting against the floor, and there were instantly twenty Jamie Madroxes sitting around the kitchen, looking at each other blankly.
Pages: 9
Words: 2462
Characters (with out spaces): 11339
Characters (with spaces): 13713
Paragraphs: 171
Lines: 482
Authors Notes: R&R guys!
-The One and Only Trey