Rebirth of a Pyromaniac
Chapter 2: Recovery and Catching Up
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"Uhnnnn..." John opened his eyes. He slowly focused and found he was staring up at a white ceiling, and a familiar face. "Ugh...Paul?"
"Hey, John." Paul smiled. "How are you, man?"
"I feel like a shrimp just out of the barbie." John moaned. Pyro tried to sit up. He moaned in pain.
"Hang on, let me help you out." Paul helped John sit up.
"Thanks, mate. Where am I?" Pyro looked around.
"Ahh, I see our guest has finally awoke." Paul and John saw a man clad in a red uniform and helmet with green-tinted glasses and short black hair.
"Hey Lifeline." Paul grinned.
"Lifeline...Hey wait a bloody minute!" Pyro realized. "You're a Joe! I remember you! You beat Sabertooth with a massage! Paul, are you nuts?!?!" Pyro snapped at his friend. "Man, I thought I was crazy! They're soldiers, Paul!! Who knows what they'll do!!!"
"John, I had to bring you here! A hospital might not treat you!" Paul tried to explain.
"No way, mate! I'm outta here! I'm not gonna be some guinea pig for some experiment!" John tried to leap out of the bed. "AAAAGHH!!!!"
"You got a couple ribs broken. Who did this to you?" Lifeline asked gently.
"I ain't sayin' nothin' to a bloody human!" Pyro snapped. "You'll have to kill me first! That's what soldiers do! Kill mutants!"
"John, knock it off!" Paul snapped. "Lifeline here only wants to help. Get back on that bed."
"What'd they do to you, Paul?" John looked around in an insane panic. "Oh God, they brainwashed you!"
"No one's been brainwashed." Lifeline said. "Paul's our friend. We'd never do anything to harm him or any other mutant. We believe that humans and mutants can co-exist."
"Yeah, right." John snorted. "A human believing that. And a dinosaur just walked by." Pyro pointed out the window. A roar was heard, and the three saw a baby velociraptor race by, Airtight after it. "Aw, man."
"Get back here, Speedy!" Airtight ran after it.
"John, they only want to help you." Paul said.
"I'm sorry mate, but I don't believe you." John responded.
"Johnny, I've never lied to you in my life. Why would I now? Think, John." Paul explained. "Think, man. We've been friends for a long time. You know how much I dislike lying. You know I could never tell a good lie to save my life." John thought over the statement.
"That's true." Pyro laughed. "Are you sure he's friendly? Are you sure these Joes are friendly towards mutants?"
"You kidding? I know a couple Joes who happen to be mutants themselves. They're known as Bulldog and Lionheart. I'll introduce you to them."
"Weird names." Pyro raised a reddish-blond eyebrow.
"They're codenames. For security reasons." Paul shrugged.
"Would it be alright if I take a look at your ribs?" Lifeline asked. John looked at Paul.
"He won't hurt you." Paul nodded. Pyro nodded at Lifeline. The medic put his hands on John's ribs, and the hands started glowing. John could feel his ribs repairing themselves.
"Wha-?" John looked at Paul.
"Lifeline has healing powers. He isn't a mutant, though. No one knows where his powers came from." Paul explained. Lifeline finished his healing.
"What do you plan to do with me?" Pyro asked with a little apprehension.
"What do you mean?" Lifeline asked.
"After I'm all healed up. You guys gonna keep me here? As a prisoner?"
"It's up to you, John." Lifeline replied.
"Huh?"
"If you want to stay here in the Pit, that's fine. Your choice. If you want to leave, we won't stop you." Lifeline smiled.
"Y'know, for some reason, I don't think you're really so bad, mate." Pyro pointed at Lifeline.
"I had some help in pulling you out of that warehouse." Paul added. "You know a man named Barbecue?"
"Yeah. From that 'mutants v. humans' tournament. He was my opponent." John remembered. "He beat me easily. Why would he help me?"
"Because no one deserved what happened to you." Barbecue walked in. "And Paul found this." Barbecue held out a lighter.
"My lighter!" Pyro took it back eagerly. He kissed the little flame source. "I missed you, baby." He looked up at Barbecue. "Thanks, I guess."
"You two probably have a lot of catching up to do." Lifeline said. "We'll leave you be." The two Joes left the room, allowing the two old friends to do a lot of catching up.
"Man Lifeline, this Pyro. He's one powerful mutant. Why would he be under the rubble of a warehouse?" Barbecue wondered.
"I saw a memory of his when I was healing him. It was the Acolytes." Lifeline answered, some anger in his voice. "His own team-mates beat him and left him to die. Called him a liability."
"My God, no one deserved that. Even someone as crazy as Allerdyce." Barbecue looked in the window. He saw John and Paul talking, laughing. "Thank God he at least he has a friend like Paul."
"We gotta talk to Hawk." Lifeline said.
"I'm worried about how the other Misfits will react to seeing John again." Barbecue responded. He opened the door a peek. "You two alright in there?"
"Yeah." Paul replied. A smiling Barbecue closed the door. He and Lifeline went to Hawk's office. John and Paul continued their conversation. Paul had told John about his adopted parents' murder, his reuniting with Craig, and his short time in the Misfits.
"So let me get this straight..." Pyro reasoned. "You joined a group of mutants that fight alongside humans willingly?"
"Yeah." Paul smiled. "You don't have to stay here in the Pit if you want."
"I could leave? No catch? Man, these humans are nuts."
"Not really nuts, just enlightened." Paul said. {Man, I got a bad feeling about the others. I hope they don't get mad about Pyro being here.}
"They even have mutant Joes. What next? One of the Joes is from another planet?" John laughed in his trademark insane cackle.
"No, but we do have several Cobra defectors. You'd miss out on some crazy stuff. We have worked with the X-Men from time to time, although the others don't like the X-Men." Paul grinned.
"Let me guess." Pyro cackled. "All the girls in the group have crushes on you, right?"
"Yeah, they do." Paul laughed. "I love 'em. Man, you'd love the Pit. The people here are great. Crazy, but great. There's this guy Airtight, he has a lot of hobbies, and loves to invent. He has this creature created from a muffin. I'd really like it if you stayed."
"Yeah." John lowered his head. "I can't believe they did that to me."
"Who? What?"
"You wanna know how I ended up in that warehouse? Easy. Me, Shiva, Bolt, Ramrod, and Ramfist...The others probably told you about them."
"Yeah."
"Anyway, we were busting up an FOH meeting there. The man who was in charge of the FOH in all of California was there. We scared them off and torched the place as a message. The others attacked me, beat me up, and threw me into that warehouse. The last thing I remember was it crashing down on top of me." John looked up at Paul, tears in his eyes. "Why, man? Why? I was loyal. I did everything Magneto told me. I believed he would help mutants. I had a couple accidents on missions here and there, but I did my best. Not my fault my powers needed outside flames." Pyro started crying. "Why, Paul? I thought they were my friends." Paul hugged John.
"Looks can be deceiving, old friend." Paul patted John's back. "Looks can be deceiving."
"I was loyal. Okay, so I wasn't a boot-licker like Cortez, but at least I was loyal. Why?"
"Who knows why Magneto does anything anymore?" Paul groaned. "Remember when you told me about him as a kid?" John nodded.
"Yeah. He came to LA. My powers were emerging. You never had any." John remembered. "I took you to see him at a meeting. Give him a shot."
"I saw his eyes, John. Those eyes, man. Those eyes seemed to have no soul." Paul remembered. "God, those eyes freaked me out. You didn't see it, but I did. And by the way..." Paul threw a scalpel in the air. He fired a purple laser out of his right eye at the scalpel, vaporizing it. "I got powers as well. I can also hypnotize people by looking at them." Paul grinned. John's jaw dropped.
"How'd you..."
"Another aspect of my mutation. Craig has the same powers I do. Emerged a couple years after yours." Paul explained.
"It wasn't a Joe experiment?" John asked.
"Nope. Emerged before I even met the Joes."
"Man, are you sure these Joes won't experiment on me?"
"They might send you to their shrink Psyche-Out. Don't worry, he's as nutty as the rest of 'em."
"I guess I don't have a whole lot to worry about." Pyro smirked.
{I hope the others don't get too mad at the sight of Pyro.} Paul worried.
Looks like Paul has gotten through to John. Will Pyro get his revenge on the Acolytes? Will the Misfits accept the insane pyromaniac? Find out in the next chapter!
Chapter 2: Recovery and Catching Up
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"Uhnnnn..." John opened his eyes. He slowly focused and found he was staring up at a white ceiling, and a familiar face. "Ugh...Paul?"
"Hey, John." Paul smiled. "How are you, man?"
"I feel like a shrimp just out of the barbie." John moaned. Pyro tried to sit up. He moaned in pain.
"Hang on, let me help you out." Paul helped John sit up.
"Thanks, mate. Where am I?" Pyro looked around.
"Ahh, I see our guest has finally awoke." Paul and John saw a man clad in a red uniform and helmet with green-tinted glasses and short black hair.
"Hey Lifeline." Paul grinned.
"Lifeline...Hey wait a bloody minute!" Pyro realized. "You're a Joe! I remember you! You beat Sabertooth with a massage! Paul, are you nuts?!?!" Pyro snapped at his friend. "Man, I thought I was crazy! They're soldiers, Paul!! Who knows what they'll do!!!"
"John, I had to bring you here! A hospital might not treat you!" Paul tried to explain.
"No way, mate! I'm outta here! I'm not gonna be some guinea pig for some experiment!" John tried to leap out of the bed. "AAAAGHH!!!!"
"You got a couple ribs broken. Who did this to you?" Lifeline asked gently.
"I ain't sayin' nothin' to a bloody human!" Pyro snapped. "You'll have to kill me first! That's what soldiers do! Kill mutants!"
"John, knock it off!" Paul snapped. "Lifeline here only wants to help. Get back on that bed."
"What'd they do to you, Paul?" John looked around in an insane panic. "Oh God, they brainwashed you!"
"No one's been brainwashed." Lifeline said. "Paul's our friend. We'd never do anything to harm him or any other mutant. We believe that humans and mutants can co-exist."
"Yeah, right." John snorted. "A human believing that. And a dinosaur just walked by." Pyro pointed out the window. A roar was heard, and the three saw a baby velociraptor race by, Airtight after it. "Aw, man."
"Get back here, Speedy!" Airtight ran after it.
"John, they only want to help you." Paul said.
"I'm sorry mate, but I don't believe you." John responded.
"Johnny, I've never lied to you in my life. Why would I now? Think, John." Paul explained. "Think, man. We've been friends for a long time. You know how much I dislike lying. You know I could never tell a good lie to save my life." John thought over the statement.
"That's true." Pyro laughed. "Are you sure he's friendly? Are you sure these Joes are friendly towards mutants?"
"You kidding? I know a couple Joes who happen to be mutants themselves. They're known as Bulldog and Lionheart. I'll introduce you to them."
"Weird names." Pyro raised a reddish-blond eyebrow.
"They're codenames. For security reasons." Paul shrugged.
"Would it be alright if I take a look at your ribs?" Lifeline asked. John looked at Paul.
"He won't hurt you." Paul nodded. Pyro nodded at Lifeline. The medic put his hands on John's ribs, and the hands started glowing. John could feel his ribs repairing themselves.
"Wha-?" John looked at Paul.
"Lifeline has healing powers. He isn't a mutant, though. No one knows where his powers came from." Paul explained. Lifeline finished his healing.
"What do you plan to do with me?" Pyro asked with a little apprehension.
"What do you mean?" Lifeline asked.
"After I'm all healed up. You guys gonna keep me here? As a prisoner?"
"It's up to you, John." Lifeline replied.
"Huh?"
"If you want to stay here in the Pit, that's fine. Your choice. If you want to leave, we won't stop you." Lifeline smiled.
"Y'know, for some reason, I don't think you're really so bad, mate." Pyro pointed at Lifeline.
"I had some help in pulling you out of that warehouse." Paul added. "You know a man named Barbecue?"
"Yeah. From that 'mutants v. humans' tournament. He was my opponent." John remembered. "He beat me easily. Why would he help me?"
"Because no one deserved what happened to you." Barbecue walked in. "And Paul found this." Barbecue held out a lighter.
"My lighter!" Pyro took it back eagerly. He kissed the little flame source. "I missed you, baby." He looked up at Barbecue. "Thanks, I guess."
"You two probably have a lot of catching up to do." Lifeline said. "We'll leave you be." The two Joes left the room, allowing the two old friends to do a lot of catching up.
"Man Lifeline, this Pyro. He's one powerful mutant. Why would he be under the rubble of a warehouse?" Barbecue wondered.
"I saw a memory of his when I was healing him. It was the Acolytes." Lifeline answered, some anger in his voice. "His own team-mates beat him and left him to die. Called him a liability."
"My God, no one deserved that. Even someone as crazy as Allerdyce." Barbecue looked in the window. He saw John and Paul talking, laughing. "Thank God he at least he has a friend like Paul."
"We gotta talk to Hawk." Lifeline said.
"I'm worried about how the other Misfits will react to seeing John again." Barbecue responded. He opened the door a peek. "You two alright in there?"
"Yeah." Paul replied. A smiling Barbecue closed the door. He and Lifeline went to Hawk's office. John and Paul continued their conversation. Paul had told John about his adopted parents' murder, his reuniting with Craig, and his short time in the Misfits.
"So let me get this straight..." Pyro reasoned. "You joined a group of mutants that fight alongside humans willingly?"
"Yeah." Paul smiled. "You don't have to stay here in the Pit if you want."
"I could leave? No catch? Man, these humans are nuts."
"Not really nuts, just enlightened." Paul said. {Man, I got a bad feeling about the others. I hope they don't get mad about Pyro being here.}
"They even have mutant Joes. What next? One of the Joes is from another planet?" John laughed in his trademark insane cackle.
"No, but we do have several Cobra defectors. You'd miss out on some crazy stuff. We have worked with the X-Men from time to time, although the others don't like the X-Men." Paul grinned.
"Let me guess." Pyro cackled. "All the girls in the group have crushes on you, right?"
"Yeah, they do." Paul laughed. "I love 'em. Man, you'd love the Pit. The people here are great. Crazy, but great. There's this guy Airtight, he has a lot of hobbies, and loves to invent. He has this creature created from a muffin. I'd really like it if you stayed."
"Yeah." John lowered his head. "I can't believe they did that to me."
"Who? What?"
"You wanna know how I ended up in that warehouse? Easy. Me, Shiva, Bolt, Ramrod, and Ramfist...The others probably told you about them."
"Yeah."
"Anyway, we were busting up an FOH meeting there. The man who was in charge of the FOH in all of California was there. We scared them off and torched the place as a message. The others attacked me, beat me up, and threw me into that warehouse. The last thing I remember was it crashing down on top of me." John looked up at Paul, tears in his eyes. "Why, man? Why? I was loyal. I did everything Magneto told me. I believed he would help mutants. I had a couple accidents on missions here and there, but I did my best. Not my fault my powers needed outside flames." Pyro started crying. "Why, Paul? I thought they were my friends." Paul hugged John.
"Looks can be deceiving, old friend." Paul patted John's back. "Looks can be deceiving."
"I was loyal. Okay, so I wasn't a boot-licker like Cortez, but at least I was loyal. Why?"
"Who knows why Magneto does anything anymore?" Paul groaned. "Remember when you told me about him as a kid?" John nodded.
"Yeah. He came to LA. My powers were emerging. You never had any." John remembered. "I took you to see him at a meeting. Give him a shot."
"I saw his eyes, John. Those eyes, man. Those eyes seemed to have no soul." Paul remembered. "God, those eyes freaked me out. You didn't see it, but I did. And by the way..." Paul threw a scalpel in the air. He fired a purple laser out of his right eye at the scalpel, vaporizing it. "I got powers as well. I can also hypnotize people by looking at them." Paul grinned. John's jaw dropped.
"How'd you..."
"Another aspect of my mutation. Craig has the same powers I do. Emerged a couple years after yours." Paul explained.
"It wasn't a Joe experiment?" John asked.
"Nope. Emerged before I even met the Joes."
"Man, are you sure these Joes won't experiment on me?"
"They might send you to their shrink Psyche-Out. Don't worry, he's as nutty as the rest of 'em."
"I guess I don't have a whole lot to worry about." Pyro smirked.
{I hope the others don't get too mad at the sight of Pyro.} Paul worried.
Looks like Paul has gotten through to John. Will Pyro get his revenge on the Acolytes? Will the Misfits accept the insane pyromaniac? Find out in the next chapter!
