You are waaaaay off if your think the X-Men belong to me...nope nope...they be property of the good men and women at Marvel Comics.
A/N: You'll show up eventually Joey! ^_^
Chapter 4: Trust
The rapid echoes of footsteps could be heard through the hallways of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. The five mutants who were making those footsteps couldn't help but laugh, even if they knew they were late. Rebecca and Liz glanced at each other and smirked. After a silent countdown they sprinted to the other end of the hallway to their classroom. Rebecca reached it first but Liz slid across the floor and knocked her out of the way, grabbing the door handle and swinging it open. She giggled but stopped when she saw Dr. Hank McCoy's stern look directed at her. She cleared her throat nervously and gave him an innocent smile. His looked softened and he smiled at her. Rebecca poked her head into the room, gave Liz a quick glare then smiled and shrugged her shoulders at Hank. He nodded to their seats and they quickly sat down. Some of the other students were stifling their laughter. Jack and Pip walked in a few seconds later and took their seats. Dinah smiled and waved to Hank, he waved back and she smiled at her friends as she turned and walked away.
"Well now. That was an adventure, wasn't it?" Hanks jovial tone made the four sigh with relief and any horrors they had about being reprimanded for being late vanished. Hank turned back to the blackboard and continued to write out chemical formulas and explaining the reactions that occur between Hydrogen and other elements. The class took notes and listened attentively. Jack was sure that Hank McCoy was the only person who could make chemistry interesting. Class ended soon enough anyway and the four were glad to get out of class and roam around the grounds for a while.
"Anybody know where Dinah went?" Jack asked as he munched on a candy bar he had grabbed when they passed the school's kitchen.
"I think she's on duty down in the communications room." Rebecca replied, drawling. Liz nodded; confirming what Rebecca said, and then glanced at her watch.
"Whoops! I gotta get down to the Danger Room!" she said, sounding surprised at how quickly the time had passed. Pip looked at his own watch and then gave Liz a confused look.
"Och, Lizzy! You don't need to be there for another thirty minutes! What 'er you doin' going down there so soon?" Liz just smiled as she picked up her duffle bag.
"You know me, Pip. I just have too much fun being a Jr. X-Man.!" She poked him playfully in the stomach and waved goodbye to the rest of her friends as she walked briskly down the hall way to the elevator. Rebecca, Jack, and Pip decided that they might as well go down to visit Dinah in the Communications Room.
**~~~~~~~~~**
The elevator door slid open and Liz smiled to herself at the change in scenery. The mansion upstairs was decorated in a rich Victorian style. In the lower levels however, the walls, floor, and ceiling were metal and the whole floor hummed with the sound of hi-tech equipment. She picked up her pace a little bit and was in the girls' locker room within a few minutes. She opened her locker and plopped her duffle bag onto the bench beside her. After a few more minutes she had her jeans off and was putting on her boots. She glanced at herself in the mirror to make sure everything was in order, and headed to the Danger Room.
Scott Summers was already inside the Danger Room when Liz walked in. He looked at his watch and smiled.
"You're early," he said casually. "That's good."
Liz smiled back and she looked around the room. She hadn't noticed Logan at the other end of the room. He was standing with his legs slightly apart and his arms across his chest. He was in uniform too, and he just nodded slightly at Liz and Scott. Liz briefly wondered he hadn't come over to say hello but she just shrugged it off. Scott turned to her and his smile faded to a more serious look. Liz straightened and looked right back at him. She was focused now and ready to begin.
"We're going to try something a little different today. You and Logan are going to have to battle one of the simulations here, and it won't be over until you morph to take out the opponent. Understand?" He glanced at Logan who nodded again and then back at Liz. She nodded her head too.
"Yessir."
Scott nodded and he exited the Danger Room. A few moments later he appeared in the control room high above them. He gave thumbs up to Liz who smiled and turned towards Logan. Up in the control room, Scott keyed a few codes in and typed out several commands on the computers. A low whirring sound could be heard, although it seemed much louder to Logan and Liz's sensitive ears. The steel walls around the pair disappeared and a rough rocky terrain replaced them. It was dark and the only light came from a full moon and billions of stars that flickered in the sky. Logan started to move forward and Liz followed him. She was totally focused in what she was doing now and listened to everything her senses told her. She darted her eyes around at the slightest noise she heard and sniffed the air to try and pick up some scents. Then it happened, quite suddenly and without warning. Logan had seemed to be walking on solid rock but he suddenly disappeared beneath the ground. Liz looked around frantically, trying to figure out where he went. A moment later a loud growling could be heard and Liz jumped back just in time as a huge monster rise out the rocks, tightly gripping a struggling Logan. The monster was about ten feet tall and grayish in color. There were spikes all over the creature and he had huge fangs that shone brightly in the moonlight. Running purely on instinct, Liz jumped at the monster, growling. She landed on its arm near Logan but it just swatted her away like a fly. Her body slammed into a pile of rocks and a loud crack could be heard. She let out a little yelp in pain as she looked at her shoulder. It was hanging lower than normal and she realized it dislocated it. Her side screamed in pain at her as she slowly stood up.
"Great. A dislocated shoulder and broken ribs. Swell." She thought out loud. She growled again as she advanced on the monster. It seemed to smile at her as it raised a boned, spiked fist and slammed it deep into Logan's abdomen. He howled in pain as the monster dropped his body onto the ground. Several spikes had remained sticking grotesquely out of Logan's stomach. Blood was running freely everywhere and Logan looked strangely still. Liz's eyes grew wide as she looked from Logan to the monster. She hesitated and the monster thrust another spike into Logan. She screamed "No!" at the monster and charged at it. With out realizing what she was doing her body began to change. Horns grew out of her head and her hands elongated into claws. A tail grew from her spine and wings ripped out of her back. By the time she reached the monster she was screaming. Whether it was out of anger, or pain or both she never knew. She was just as large as the beast as she tackled it. It's previously deadly spikes barely scraped the surface of her thick copper-colored hide. She dug her clawed feet deep into the creature to keep a hold on him, and she continually raked her claws across its chest and throat. Long after it was dead she still sliced at it. All she could see was red now and she was growling loudly. A noise behind her finally snapped her out of it. Logan was walking into the Danger Room. The walls had morphed back into steel and the creature beneath Liz slowly disappeared. She looked at the Logan that just walked into the Danger Room, wearing jeans and a T-Shirt and the looked at the dead Logan on the floor. It too, slowly began to disappear. She stood up slowly, unsure of what was going on.
"Lo...Logan?" Her voice cracked and there was still a deep growl to it.
Logan nodded and walked over to her. He couldn't reach her shoulder and he had to crane his neck to look up at her. He settled with just putting a caring hand on her wrist and spoke softly in his own gruff voice. "What happened, kid?"
Liz stared past him and her eyes glazed over slightly. The pain in her side and shoulder, and everywhere else for that matter became too much and she collapsed onto the floor. Logan crouched down to try to revive her, but pulled his hand back when her body glowed slightly and she shrunk back to her normal size, and the dragon melted away, leaving only Liz. Logan checked her pulse, as she lay unconscious on the floor. It was very fast and he was growing even more concerned. He turned and looked up at the control booth with anger flashing in his eyes, but Scott wasn't there. A minute later Scott appeared through the Danger Room door and jogged over to Logan and Liz.
"She did it!" he said finally. Logan growled and grabbed Scott by the shirt and slammed him into the wall.
"What the hell do you think yer doin' Summers!?" Logan was livid. Scott's eyes glowed red behind his ruby quartz glasses as he stared back at Logan. Logan continued to speak harshly.
"It's hard enough trying to get that girl to control her powers...yer gonna have her get herself killed in the process to do it?"
Scott continued to stare back at him and spoke through clenched teeth. "If that's what it takes." He paused as Logan's eyes flickered with hatred. "She got to learn how to morph or else she's not going to protect herself when a real battle comes along."
"Fuck that!" Logan snarled.
He shoved him hard against the wall again. They continued to speak roughly to each other, not noticing that Liz was beginning to stir. She lifted herself off the ground slowly and staggered a little bit as she stood up. Her ribs and shoulder were aching terribly but she walked over to the arguing men. Logan saw her and dropped Scott. He fell to the ground and rubbed at his neck. Logan walked over to her and his eyes fell on her shoulder, which was hanging limply at her side and noticeably lower than her other shoulder. She walked past Logan and as Scott stood up to look at her she drew back and punched him hard in the jaw. He staggered backwards into the wall, more surprised than anything else.
"How Idare/I you!" Liz was furious now and she didn't care how much she showed her anger. Scott had violated her trust and to her, that was the worst thing a friend could do. She was ready to draw back and punch him again when a hand grabbed her fist and held onto it tightly. She looked at Logan who shook his head and she dropped her hand to her side. Scott rubbed at his jaw, and straightened as she glared at him.
"I had to get you to morph. It worked didn't it?" He finally replied calmly.
"You made me think a friend had just...just died! You threw the trust I had with you out the window and as a leader...I would think you would want all the trust you could get." Liz turned on her heal and stalked out of the Danger Room. Logan glared at Scott and spoke one last time.
"She's right and you know it, Summers."
Logan growled as he followed Liz out of the Danger Room. Scott slammed his fist angrily into the wall and left the room in the opposite direction.
A/N: You'll show up eventually Joey! ^_^
Chapter 4: Trust
The rapid echoes of footsteps could be heard through the hallways of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. The five mutants who were making those footsteps couldn't help but laugh, even if they knew they were late. Rebecca and Liz glanced at each other and smirked. After a silent countdown they sprinted to the other end of the hallway to their classroom. Rebecca reached it first but Liz slid across the floor and knocked her out of the way, grabbing the door handle and swinging it open. She giggled but stopped when she saw Dr. Hank McCoy's stern look directed at her. She cleared her throat nervously and gave him an innocent smile. His looked softened and he smiled at her. Rebecca poked her head into the room, gave Liz a quick glare then smiled and shrugged her shoulders at Hank. He nodded to their seats and they quickly sat down. Some of the other students were stifling their laughter. Jack and Pip walked in a few seconds later and took their seats. Dinah smiled and waved to Hank, he waved back and she smiled at her friends as she turned and walked away.
"Well now. That was an adventure, wasn't it?" Hanks jovial tone made the four sigh with relief and any horrors they had about being reprimanded for being late vanished. Hank turned back to the blackboard and continued to write out chemical formulas and explaining the reactions that occur between Hydrogen and other elements. The class took notes and listened attentively. Jack was sure that Hank McCoy was the only person who could make chemistry interesting. Class ended soon enough anyway and the four were glad to get out of class and roam around the grounds for a while.
"Anybody know where Dinah went?" Jack asked as he munched on a candy bar he had grabbed when they passed the school's kitchen.
"I think she's on duty down in the communications room." Rebecca replied, drawling. Liz nodded; confirming what Rebecca said, and then glanced at her watch.
"Whoops! I gotta get down to the Danger Room!" she said, sounding surprised at how quickly the time had passed. Pip looked at his own watch and then gave Liz a confused look.
"Och, Lizzy! You don't need to be there for another thirty minutes! What 'er you doin' going down there so soon?" Liz just smiled as she picked up her duffle bag.
"You know me, Pip. I just have too much fun being a Jr. X-Man.!" She poked him playfully in the stomach and waved goodbye to the rest of her friends as she walked briskly down the hall way to the elevator. Rebecca, Jack, and Pip decided that they might as well go down to visit Dinah in the Communications Room.
**~~~~~~~~~**
The elevator door slid open and Liz smiled to herself at the change in scenery. The mansion upstairs was decorated in a rich Victorian style. In the lower levels however, the walls, floor, and ceiling were metal and the whole floor hummed with the sound of hi-tech equipment. She picked up her pace a little bit and was in the girls' locker room within a few minutes. She opened her locker and plopped her duffle bag onto the bench beside her. After a few more minutes she had her jeans off and was putting on her boots. She glanced at herself in the mirror to make sure everything was in order, and headed to the Danger Room.
Scott Summers was already inside the Danger Room when Liz walked in. He looked at his watch and smiled.
"You're early," he said casually. "That's good."
Liz smiled back and she looked around the room. She hadn't noticed Logan at the other end of the room. He was standing with his legs slightly apart and his arms across his chest. He was in uniform too, and he just nodded slightly at Liz and Scott. Liz briefly wondered he hadn't come over to say hello but she just shrugged it off. Scott turned to her and his smile faded to a more serious look. Liz straightened and looked right back at him. She was focused now and ready to begin.
"We're going to try something a little different today. You and Logan are going to have to battle one of the simulations here, and it won't be over until you morph to take out the opponent. Understand?" He glanced at Logan who nodded again and then back at Liz. She nodded her head too.
"Yessir."
Scott nodded and he exited the Danger Room. A few moments later he appeared in the control room high above them. He gave thumbs up to Liz who smiled and turned towards Logan. Up in the control room, Scott keyed a few codes in and typed out several commands on the computers. A low whirring sound could be heard, although it seemed much louder to Logan and Liz's sensitive ears. The steel walls around the pair disappeared and a rough rocky terrain replaced them. It was dark and the only light came from a full moon and billions of stars that flickered in the sky. Logan started to move forward and Liz followed him. She was totally focused in what she was doing now and listened to everything her senses told her. She darted her eyes around at the slightest noise she heard and sniffed the air to try and pick up some scents. Then it happened, quite suddenly and without warning. Logan had seemed to be walking on solid rock but he suddenly disappeared beneath the ground. Liz looked around frantically, trying to figure out where he went. A moment later a loud growling could be heard and Liz jumped back just in time as a huge monster rise out the rocks, tightly gripping a struggling Logan. The monster was about ten feet tall and grayish in color. There were spikes all over the creature and he had huge fangs that shone brightly in the moonlight. Running purely on instinct, Liz jumped at the monster, growling. She landed on its arm near Logan but it just swatted her away like a fly. Her body slammed into a pile of rocks and a loud crack could be heard. She let out a little yelp in pain as she looked at her shoulder. It was hanging lower than normal and she realized it dislocated it. Her side screamed in pain at her as she slowly stood up.
"Great. A dislocated shoulder and broken ribs. Swell." She thought out loud. She growled again as she advanced on the monster. It seemed to smile at her as it raised a boned, spiked fist and slammed it deep into Logan's abdomen. He howled in pain as the monster dropped his body onto the ground. Several spikes had remained sticking grotesquely out of Logan's stomach. Blood was running freely everywhere and Logan looked strangely still. Liz's eyes grew wide as she looked from Logan to the monster. She hesitated and the monster thrust another spike into Logan. She screamed "No!" at the monster and charged at it. With out realizing what she was doing her body began to change. Horns grew out of her head and her hands elongated into claws. A tail grew from her spine and wings ripped out of her back. By the time she reached the monster she was screaming. Whether it was out of anger, or pain or both she never knew. She was just as large as the beast as she tackled it. It's previously deadly spikes barely scraped the surface of her thick copper-colored hide. She dug her clawed feet deep into the creature to keep a hold on him, and she continually raked her claws across its chest and throat. Long after it was dead she still sliced at it. All she could see was red now and she was growling loudly. A noise behind her finally snapped her out of it. Logan was walking into the Danger Room. The walls had morphed back into steel and the creature beneath Liz slowly disappeared. She looked at the Logan that just walked into the Danger Room, wearing jeans and a T-Shirt and the looked at the dead Logan on the floor. It too, slowly began to disappear. She stood up slowly, unsure of what was going on.
"Lo...Logan?" Her voice cracked and there was still a deep growl to it.
Logan nodded and walked over to her. He couldn't reach her shoulder and he had to crane his neck to look up at her. He settled with just putting a caring hand on her wrist and spoke softly in his own gruff voice. "What happened, kid?"
Liz stared past him and her eyes glazed over slightly. The pain in her side and shoulder, and everywhere else for that matter became too much and she collapsed onto the floor. Logan crouched down to try to revive her, but pulled his hand back when her body glowed slightly and she shrunk back to her normal size, and the dragon melted away, leaving only Liz. Logan checked her pulse, as she lay unconscious on the floor. It was very fast and he was growing even more concerned. He turned and looked up at the control booth with anger flashing in his eyes, but Scott wasn't there. A minute later Scott appeared through the Danger Room door and jogged over to Logan and Liz.
"She did it!" he said finally. Logan growled and grabbed Scott by the shirt and slammed him into the wall.
"What the hell do you think yer doin' Summers!?" Logan was livid. Scott's eyes glowed red behind his ruby quartz glasses as he stared back at Logan. Logan continued to speak harshly.
"It's hard enough trying to get that girl to control her powers...yer gonna have her get herself killed in the process to do it?"
Scott continued to stare back at him and spoke through clenched teeth. "If that's what it takes." He paused as Logan's eyes flickered with hatred. "She got to learn how to morph or else she's not going to protect herself when a real battle comes along."
"Fuck that!" Logan snarled.
He shoved him hard against the wall again. They continued to speak roughly to each other, not noticing that Liz was beginning to stir. She lifted herself off the ground slowly and staggered a little bit as she stood up. Her ribs and shoulder were aching terribly but she walked over to the arguing men. Logan saw her and dropped Scott. He fell to the ground and rubbed at his neck. Logan walked over to her and his eyes fell on her shoulder, which was hanging limply at her side and noticeably lower than her other shoulder. She walked past Logan and as Scott stood up to look at her she drew back and punched him hard in the jaw. He staggered backwards into the wall, more surprised than anything else.
"How Idare/I you!" Liz was furious now and she didn't care how much she showed her anger. Scott had violated her trust and to her, that was the worst thing a friend could do. She was ready to draw back and punch him again when a hand grabbed her fist and held onto it tightly. She looked at Logan who shook his head and she dropped her hand to her side. Scott rubbed at his jaw, and straightened as she glared at him.
"I had to get you to morph. It worked didn't it?" He finally replied calmly.
"You made me think a friend had just...just died! You threw the trust I had with you out the window and as a leader...I would think you would want all the trust you could get." Liz turned on her heal and stalked out of the Danger Room. Logan glared at Scott and spoke one last time.
"She's right and you know it, Summers."
Logan growled as he followed Liz out of the Danger Room. Scott slammed his fist angrily into the wall and left the room in the opposite direction.
