The Prophesied Mutant
Prologue: Introducing the Hero
Author's Note: AU in some respects. Also not a SI fic. Created this character a bit ago, for a Marvel RPG my friend was trying to create. He was a solo mutant then, but I was on my Nate Grey kick at the time, so.yeah. Now he's going to be swept up into the X-Men, but there's a problem: He could possibly be the mutant described in an ancient prophecy.and none know whether he will be the hero that STOPS the end of the world.or the man that BRINGS it. I guess we'll just have to wait and see, no? Evil grin Anyway, let's get on with it, shall we? As always, please read and review. And don't worry, all the X-Men on the team list below will get explored. Also, most of the X-Men are still teenagers. Here's the deal on team line-up and ages.
Logan: Eldest member of the team, 28 years old. Beast: Second eldest member of the team, 24 years old. Storm: 22 years old Jean: 17 Cyclops: 17 Rogue: 16 Nightcrawler: 15 Iceman: 15 Kitty: 14
Hex Mason was your typical, 16 year old high school kid. Well, ok, not TYPICAL, exactly. He was most definitely an introvert, a loner, and an all around quiet guy. His hair was a strange orangeish-red color, like fire, and his eyes were very. . .strange. They lacked pupils, and yet, he was not blind. Everyone thought he had twenty-twenty vision. And GREAT intuition.
What he didn't tell anybody was that he DIDN'T have great intuition. What he DID have was an ability, a MUTANT ability, an ability that let him see quite a bit. Behind him, in front, to the left, to the right. It had a pretty good radius too, about twenty feet. And that wasn't his ONLY ability, either.
He was also a pyrokinetic, able to create fire at a whim. What was different about him, even compared to other pyrokinetics, was that he could not only create fire, but also ABSORB it to make himself stronger. Which, of course, he never did, because every time he absorbed the flames, they became a part of him, and they made his own fire that much harder to control, his own blood boil all the more when he used that particular power.
So he relied on physicality, and to that end, he got by. He was lithe but muscular, had a heroic stockiness to his shoulders, and a face that apparently looked good enough for the movies. Well, excluding the eyes. He was about 5'8" tall, and wore his hair long, down to his shoulders.
This day, however, was a special day. It was the day he was to be enrolled at Xavier's School for the Gifted. His parents thought that was best, and after he accidentally set the toaster on fire for no apparent reason, he agreed with them. And the fact that he had been. . .ADMIRING some of the girls there only played a SLIGHT part in his decision. After all, he'd stopped when the Professor had made a joke to him in his own head about having raised the girls well and that, hopefully, he could be raised the same way.
And that guy Logan. He was cool. Not the most friendly sort around, but Hex had already picked out a role model, and he was it, followed at a close second by the one called Scott Summers. Hank McCoy seemed like a great teacher and an all around friendly guy, if a bit longwinded. Kurt Wagner was definitely the party animal of the school, and apparently had a crush on the girl called Kitty, judging by the way he tailed her (no pun intended) around the mansion. The woman called Storm was definitely a looker, but in all actuality, wasn't his type. She seemed too stiff to him, though he HAD just met her. She was with a red head named Jean, who seemed warm, if at times a BIT detached, like she had something else on her mind. And that left one person, and the one that had struck him the most.
The Professor had been giving the tour of the game room, which really made Hex smile, as he was an avid gamer, when he saw her. A girl with brown hair, a locke of white tucked behind her right ear, playing a PlayStation 2. That alone qualified her as a friend already, but then the Professor called out to her. Apparently her name, or codename, was Rogue, and she turned and stood, brushing herself off. She was wearing what looked like leather sleeves on her arms, which made Hex wonder. WHY was she wearing leather sleeves on her arms? Was she an S 'n M queen? Would the Professor let that kind of thing go on? 'Nah' Hex thought, shaking himself out of that fear tinged thought. 'This girl looks too innocent to be that kind of person. Innocent and. . .man, she looks like she's got a lot of worries about her.' And yet, she was so unequivocally beautiful. Her skin was smooth, her complexion just the right shade of pale. She was perhaps two inches shorter than he was. She had a narrow waist and a figure that would definitely drive most men wild. But the way she walked over is what caught his interest. She started out striding over casually, but then got sheepish as she came closer, her hands behind her back, glancing up from behind her hair at him. She seemed to be waiting for him to make the first move, and he did. He stuck out his hand. "Hi. I'm Hex Mason." She smiled in thanks and shook his hand.
"Ah'm Rogue," she replied, her voice soft and sweet, with a definite southern accent that only sweetened her voice even more.
"Rogue," the Professor interrupted, "why don't you take our new student on a little tour of the mansion?" She looked over at the Professor.
"He's a new student, Professor?"
"Indeed he is Rogue," he replied, his tone unreadable. She turned her face back to him and finally looked at him in the eyes, and the pain he saw in hers struck him. This girl was very lonely, and she hated it. She wanted to be with other people so much, and yet she couldn't, and that was slowly killing her.
'And' Hex vowed, 'there is no way in HELL I'm going to allow that.' She reached out and took his hand, leading him towards the large staircase nearby.
"C'mon, Ah'll show ya 'round." He smiled and nodded, waiting to get out of earshot before he decided to speak his thoughts. Once he saw the Professor and his parents disappear around a corner, he looked down at her and smiled.
"So, Rogue isn't really your name, is it? That's a codename or something, right?"
"Well, yeah," she replied.
"So what's your real name?" She blinked at him in surprise.
"Why d'ya wanna know mah real name?"
"I noticed you playing the PS2, which means we're going to be friends, and I like to know my friend's real names." She laughed, yet another sweet sound, and replied.
"Marie. Mah name's Marie."
'A pretty name' Hex thought.
"What," she asked, surprised. Hex blinked. Had he spoken that thought OUT LOUD? Judging by the heat that was rapidly gathering in his cheeks, he figured he had.
"Uh. . .sorry, just sort of thinking out loud there," he replied, while thinking something completely different. 'Please don't think I'm a freak please don't think I'm a freak please don't think I'm a freak.' She laughed again and he realized he'd thought out loud AGAIN.
"Trust me, Ah'm not one ta talk about people bein' freaks." Now it was Hex's turn to blink in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"Awww, nothin'. Don't worry 'bout it."
"No, go ahead, tell me."
"See, it's just. . .mah power, it's, uh. . .if Ah make skin contact with somebody else, Ah absorb 'em." She took a deep breath, then continued. "Like. . .sorta like their life force, or somethin'. If the somebody's a mutant, Ah also get their powers fer a short time." She was still forced to blink back tears when she thought about not being able to touch anyone again.
Hex noticed the tears, and turned, taking her free hand in his. "Hey, I'm sorry. If it's any consolation, look at me. My eyes don't have pupils, I can see things all around me for about a twenty mile radius, my hair is the color of fire, I can create fire, and I can absorb it. If that doesn't make me a freak, I don't know what does."
"Yeah, but Ah cain't touch people." Hex smiled.
"You're touching me right now."
"Ahh, that's with these damned leather gloves on. Ah'm not really touchin' you."
"Yes, you are," he said, giving her hands a gentle squeeze. She smiled up at him.
"Thanks. Y'know, Hex, Ah like you. Ah don't normally bond real well with people, 'specially NEW people, but Ah like you." Hex smiled.
"Same here, on both counts," he replied. "So, what say you show me the rest of this HUUUUUGE place, huh?" ....................................
The tour came and went, and Hex confidently lead the way back to where Rogue assured him his parents would be. Apparently, however, he walked in on something he shouldn't have, because the Professor's head suddenly snapped up, and his parents' faces were worn and stressed. The Professor nodded, and Hex's father got up and walked over to him. He placed a hand on his shoulder, which Hex knew WASN'T good. Rogue gave his hand a squeeze as the Professor wheeled out of the room, calling for her to join him. Hex shook his head. "No, she can stay," he replied. "If that's ok with you, that is, Professor." Professor Xavier paused a moment and then nodded.
"I don't see why not, as long as you don't mind, Rogue?" Rogue smiled and shook her head.
"Ah'm good here Professor, thanks." He smiled and nodded, and then continued to wheel himself down the corridor.
"Son, I have something I need to tell you."
"Well, I figured. You don't look so good. Bad news?"
"We need to leave you here today." Hex shrugged.
"Alright. Can't say I won't miss you guys or saying good-bye to the few friends I have in school, but I'll live. So what's up? Why do you guys look so bad?"
"That's another story for another day, son. You'll find out eventually, I think." ....................................
"Welllll," Hex said with a sigh, "THAT was cryptic."
"Ah bet he was just tryin' ta protect ya," Rogue replied, walking next to him.
"No, seriously. The only other time he's been that cryptic with me is. . .ah, shit."
"Somethin' wrong?"
"I really, really hope this doesn't have anything to do with my brother."
"Brother?"
"Yeah," Hex replied, suddenly sounding haggard. "Twin brother, to be exact. Not identical. Well, in appearance. In power, well. . .we're both pyrokinetics, but other than that, we're not the same. He doesn't have the special sight ability."
"Ah've been meanin' ta ask ya. . .what's THAT like, bein' able ta see all around ya?"
"Oh," he replied with a laugh. "I don't normally use it. I can sort of switch views, know what I mean?"
"Ah get it. Ya can switch between yoah 'bird's eye view' and normal sight?"
"Exactly." He wanted to put his arm around her, but knew that the skin contact wouldn't allow it, so instead he just took her hand in his. "So, what do we do here, exactly?"
"Well, this place is a school, and we train too."
"What kinds of classes are there?"
"Advanced ones, that's fo' sure. Ah don't even think people in COLLEGE go through these classes." Hex paled.
"Oh, great. And do we get to choose what we take, or are we assigned classes?"
"We get ta choose electives, but othah than that, the Professor assigns 'em. Chemistry, Physics, stuff like that. And a whole heckuva lotta math."
"Goody. The bane of my existence." He paused, and his face darkened for a second. "Second bane, anyway.
"What's the first?" Hex shook his head.
"So, were do we eat around here? I'm starved." Rogue noted the quick change of subject but let it go.
"Since it's a weekend, we can go out and eat if we want. Ah don't really get out much, so Ah usually eat here."
"Well, that's GOT to change. Say, why don't we go see a movie?"
"Ah dunno, that doesn't seem like a good-" But Hex was already dragging her towards the door.
"I just got my license a couple weeks ago, so I can drive. We'll go see whatever you want, but you've really gotta get out."
"Hex, Ah was sayin' I don't think this is the best idea."
"Oh, forget about that. Consider this a kidnapping, you've got no choice in the matter."
"What if Ah-"
"Bump into somebody? You won't, don't worry, and even if you do, you'll have the sleeves on your arms to protect you there."
"And if mah face touches somebody?"
"I don't think that'll happen."
"What if Ah accidentally touch YA?" Hex laughed.
"I'll thank you."
"Ah'll drain your life, put ya in a coma!"
"And I'll be the happiest coma patient around. It'll be worth it, don't worry."
"Not ta me."
"Look, the two of us won't make skin contact. And besides, skin contact is different then touching." The pair were in the parking lot now, and to Hex's surprise, he found his car there, with a note from his father saying that he'd dropped it off. The keys were taped to the note. He unlocked the car, pushed her into the passenger seat, closed the door, and locked it again so she couldn't bolt out. He walked around to the driver's side, unlocked the car, slid in, pulled Rogue back in as she tried to get out, closed her door, closed his, and then locked the car again. "Now, what movie are we gonna see?" ....................................
"Y'know, Ah'm really gonna get ya fo' this."
"Yeah yeah, sure you will. Was it my fault you tripped and fell right into the love seat thing?"
"Yeah, it was. Ya are the one that tripped me, 'member?"
". . .Ok, so maybe it was. But hey, we couldn't move after that, could we?"
"Sure we could."
". . .Y'know, you're really no fun." Rogue laughed, a devilish smile playing across her face.
"What makes ya think Ah'm not just playin' with ya right now? Ah mean, how d'ya even know Ah didn't trick ya into takin' me out, huh?"
"Can't be tricked into what you already wanted to do," Hex replied matter- of-factly. He realized he'd been thinking out loud again. "I REALLLLY need to stop doing that," he said with an exhausted sigh.
"Y'know, Ah think Ah might be able ta get through this after all," she said with a smile. ....................................
"Y'know, I really don't think this is a good idea," Bobby Drake mumbled from the back of the movie theater.
"Well, we have to make sure this guy's trustworthy," Scott Summers retorted.
"It's just that. . .this makes it seem like we don't trust Rogue."
"No, we don't trust HEX," Scott corrected. "We're making sure he doesn't hurt her, or try to make any moves, or anything."
"And if we get caught," Bobby asked. Scott paused, cocked his head, considering it for a second.
"Then we run like hell and make sure the Professor knows we won't be back for the weekend." Bobby shook his head.
"No can do Scott. If we tell the Professor about this, it'll be like telling him we don't trust him, either. After all, he read this guy when they first met, remember?" Bobby couldn't tell behind Scott's ruby glasses, but Scott actually blinked in surprise.
"You're right. I didn't think of that." He sighed. "Well, I guess we just don't explain where we are."
"Ohhhh no, Scott Summers. If we get caught, I'm fessing up to Rogue and telling the truth." Scott shrugged, as if to say that it was Bobby's tail in the fryer and not his. "About BOTH of us."
"You wouldn't." Bobby smiled deviously.
"Well, I told you I'd get back at you for the last prank you pulled. This happens to be it."
"I hate you."
"Yeah, I know you do. Now shut up, the movie's starting."
And it started with a very loud BOOM. ....................................
Hex spun as debris from the back of the theater flew past him. "Oh, great," he growled, looking at the large hole in the wall leading out into the parking lot, and the figures that stood in it. They were your typical skinhead mutant haters, armed to the teeth. Those two were quickly dealt with by the sudden appearance of Bobby Drake and Scott Summers. It was the giant, robotic, red foot that he could see behind them. "Sentinel," he roared to the two X-Men in the back of the theater. They spun and saw the giant foot and noticeably paled. Hex, meanwhile, was flying (literally) toward the hole in the wall, a trail of fire being left behind him. He zoomed out and soared up, forming a fireball and launching it at one of the Sentinels.
Nothing happened.
"Oh shit," Hex snapped. "Alright, that doesn't work. Let's try something bigger." He saw Scott ready to fire a blast, but shouted down to the man. "No! These things, don't ask me how, but they have some kinda weird reflective metal! Any blast you fire would just bounce back at you!" Scott cursed, while Bobby took to the air on his ice.
"Well, we can still hurt them," Bobby shouted.
"You got that right. And I have an idea." He shouted down to Scott. "Take care of Rogue!" He looked to Bobby. "Fire and ice, on three!" Bobby nodded. "THREEEEE!" The pair of them flew in opposite directions around the Sentinel and then fired their respective powers. Half of the Sentinel's head was frozen, while the other half was melting and on fire. The other one managed to fire a concussion blast at Bobby, and the boy began to fall. Hex soared down and caught him, lowering him quickly to Scott. "Get him and Rogue back to the mansion," he said.
"What about you?"
"It's only one Sentinel. I can handle myself until you come back with reinforcements."
"Ah'm not leavin' you here!"
"Not your choice Rogue, not your choice," Hex replied.
"Like hell it ain't mah choice! Ah'm stayin' put for as long as ya are!"
"You know you're stubborn as hell, right?"
"So she's been told," Scott cut in. "But he's right this time! Somebody needs to stay here and hold off the Sentinel, and I can't use my powers, Bobby's out, so that leaves him!"
"Ah'm not LEAVIN'! Ah already SAID that!" Hex shoved Scott towards the parking lot.
"Just go, she's not changing her mind and we're wasting time! But move FAST, damnit!" Scott looked towards him and nodded.
"I'll be back as soon as I can!" With that Scott threw Bobby over his shoulder, spun on his heel, and took off in the direction of his car. ....................................
Scott burst in as Logan was running towards the huge double doors at the mansion's entrance. "We already know! Me an' the elf should be enough to help out, right?"
"After the way Hex handled the first Sentinel, I'd say so! Just hurry, because with the first one, he didn't have to concentrate on looking after Rogue at the same time as fighting!" ....................................
Logan was amazed at the scene in front of him when he and Nightcrawler arrived at the movie theater. Hex was standing in front of a Sentinel, it's head and upper body on fire, one of its legs broken in several places, and an arm completely severed. Rogue was standing next to Hex, her jaw hanging open and a dumb look on her face. She recovered quickly and pointed to the two new arrivals, while shaking Hex out of whatever trance he'd been in. The two of them walked over and silently lead the way to Hex's car. Finally, halfway back to the mansion, Logan broke the silence. "What happened back there?"
"It made me angry," Hex replied, his voice sounding dark and moody.
"Remind me," Nightcrawler stated, "to never get on your bad side." Hex sighed at that and shook his head.
"Not bad side, Kurt. Not bad side." He didn't say another word the rest of the trip, and as soon as they were parked, he and Rogue immediately headed off in a separate direction. ....................................
"You know," Jean Grey said, sitting across from the new student, Hex Mason, one leg draped over the arm of the chair he sat in, "I can read your mind if you really decide to be too stubborn to talk." He opened his mouth to spit out some angry retort, but closed it with a snap before any words came out. "I'm serious. Whatever you want to say, at any point during this little chat, say it." He looked as if he was going to say one thing, then switched to another as his mouth opened.
"So what the fuck is this supposed to be, a session with a shrink?" She was surprised at how much of that sentence came out in a growl. It reminded her of Logan, only Logan's growls were never this. . .well, intense, or perhaps as beastial, she couldn't decide.
"No," she replied slowly, "just a little peer chatting."
"Do I have to be here," he asked through gritted teeth.
"Would it matter if you did?" Hex began to get up.
"Shit, forget this, I'm getting the fuck outta here," he said, another growl.
"Yes," Jean stated firmly, "you have to be here." Hex slumped back into the position he'd been in moments before. "So, are you going to talk?" He gave her a sarcastic, angry chuckle.
"'bout what?"
"Anything." She sighed when she saw that he wasn't going to initiate the conversation. "How are you adjusting to the school?"
"School? Fine."
"Ok, how are you adjusting to living at the mansion?"
"I'm ok." That was it. Jean blew up on him.
"DAMNIT, you have to say more than TWO WORDS!" Hex was up in a flash, gestures angry and eyes blazing with rage.
"You want more than two words little miss priss, you got it! I damn well dismantled that Sentinel, and do you want to know why? Because it was leveling a blast at Rogue! And it sure as hell wasn't a fucking concussion blast, I can tell you that much! So I dismantled the motherfucker! I didn't care who the FUCK got hurt, I didn't care whether I DIED or not, just so-fucking-long as I saved her! Nothing else mattered, and I lost CONTROL! You want to know that closely guarded little fucking secret that all you goddamn telepaths can't fucking get to in my head?! I can bloody fucking ABSORB flames as well as I can fucking CREATE them! You want to know something ELSE?! Do you?! Well guess the fuck what, every time I ABSORB flames my own damn self suffers! I lose more and fucking more self control each time I do it! It's like my damn SOUL is the fire, and every time I absorb flames, I add to the torrent! And each damn time, more control DISAPPEARS, and I'm TERRIFIED of what'll be left after I absorb TOO MUCH and absolutely PETRIFIED of what I'll BECOME!" The explosion seemed to have drained him, and his face fell, looking tired and haggard. He flopped back down into the chair and added, tiredly, "And Sentinel's have pretty powerful flame throwers." The wave of understanding hit Jean instantly.
"The Sentinel tried to blast Rogue with a flamethrower, and you took the blast, absorbed the flames, and ended up losing control."
"Yeah," Hex said, his voice sounding as if he hadn't slept for three days and wanted to be anywhere else but in the room he was in, talking to the person he was talking to.
"It's ok, you didn't hurt anybody."
"I could have."
"But you didn't."
"That's not the point," he replied. "The point is that I could have, and that next time, or the time after that, I might.
"You don't know that. We can help you with control-"
"Yeah, right. Look, Jean, I know you mean well, and I know you want to help me, but please, don't patronize me." He stood up, brushed himself off, and strode out of the room, intending to go to his room and sleep for a good, long time. Jean, meanwhile, concentrated on sending her thoughts to the Professor.
+Professor+ she mind-spoke, +I think there's a problem we need to discuss.+
Author's Note: AU in some respects. Also not a SI fic. Created this character a bit ago, for a Marvel RPG my friend was trying to create. He was a solo mutant then, but I was on my Nate Grey kick at the time, so.yeah. Now he's going to be swept up into the X-Men, but there's a problem: He could possibly be the mutant described in an ancient prophecy.and none know whether he will be the hero that STOPS the end of the world.or the man that BRINGS it. I guess we'll just have to wait and see, no? Evil grin Anyway, let's get on with it, shall we? As always, please read and review. And don't worry, all the X-Men on the team list below will get explored. Also, most of the X-Men are still teenagers. Here's the deal on team line-up and ages.
Logan: Eldest member of the team, 28 years old. Beast: Second eldest member of the team, 24 years old. Storm: 22 years old Jean: 17 Cyclops: 17 Rogue: 16 Nightcrawler: 15 Iceman: 15 Kitty: 14
Hex Mason was your typical, 16 year old high school kid. Well, ok, not TYPICAL, exactly. He was most definitely an introvert, a loner, and an all around quiet guy. His hair was a strange orangeish-red color, like fire, and his eyes were very. . .strange. They lacked pupils, and yet, he was not blind. Everyone thought he had twenty-twenty vision. And GREAT intuition.
What he didn't tell anybody was that he DIDN'T have great intuition. What he DID have was an ability, a MUTANT ability, an ability that let him see quite a bit. Behind him, in front, to the left, to the right. It had a pretty good radius too, about twenty feet. And that wasn't his ONLY ability, either.
He was also a pyrokinetic, able to create fire at a whim. What was different about him, even compared to other pyrokinetics, was that he could not only create fire, but also ABSORB it to make himself stronger. Which, of course, he never did, because every time he absorbed the flames, they became a part of him, and they made his own fire that much harder to control, his own blood boil all the more when he used that particular power.
So he relied on physicality, and to that end, he got by. He was lithe but muscular, had a heroic stockiness to his shoulders, and a face that apparently looked good enough for the movies. Well, excluding the eyes. He was about 5'8" tall, and wore his hair long, down to his shoulders.
This day, however, was a special day. It was the day he was to be enrolled at Xavier's School for the Gifted. His parents thought that was best, and after he accidentally set the toaster on fire for no apparent reason, he agreed with them. And the fact that he had been. . .ADMIRING some of the girls there only played a SLIGHT part in his decision. After all, he'd stopped when the Professor had made a joke to him in his own head about having raised the girls well and that, hopefully, he could be raised the same way.
And that guy Logan. He was cool. Not the most friendly sort around, but Hex had already picked out a role model, and he was it, followed at a close second by the one called Scott Summers. Hank McCoy seemed like a great teacher and an all around friendly guy, if a bit longwinded. Kurt Wagner was definitely the party animal of the school, and apparently had a crush on the girl called Kitty, judging by the way he tailed her (no pun intended) around the mansion. The woman called Storm was definitely a looker, but in all actuality, wasn't his type. She seemed too stiff to him, though he HAD just met her. She was with a red head named Jean, who seemed warm, if at times a BIT detached, like she had something else on her mind. And that left one person, and the one that had struck him the most.
The Professor had been giving the tour of the game room, which really made Hex smile, as he was an avid gamer, when he saw her. A girl with brown hair, a locke of white tucked behind her right ear, playing a PlayStation 2. That alone qualified her as a friend already, but then the Professor called out to her. Apparently her name, or codename, was Rogue, and she turned and stood, brushing herself off. She was wearing what looked like leather sleeves on her arms, which made Hex wonder. WHY was she wearing leather sleeves on her arms? Was she an S 'n M queen? Would the Professor let that kind of thing go on? 'Nah' Hex thought, shaking himself out of that fear tinged thought. 'This girl looks too innocent to be that kind of person. Innocent and. . .man, she looks like she's got a lot of worries about her.' And yet, she was so unequivocally beautiful. Her skin was smooth, her complexion just the right shade of pale. She was perhaps two inches shorter than he was. She had a narrow waist and a figure that would definitely drive most men wild. But the way she walked over is what caught his interest. She started out striding over casually, but then got sheepish as she came closer, her hands behind her back, glancing up from behind her hair at him. She seemed to be waiting for him to make the first move, and he did. He stuck out his hand. "Hi. I'm Hex Mason." She smiled in thanks and shook his hand.
"Ah'm Rogue," she replied, her voice soft and sweet, with a definite southern accent that only sweetened her voice even more.
"Rogue," the Professor interrupted, "why don't you take our new student on a little tour of the mansion?" She looked over at the Professor.
"He's a new student, Professor?"
"Indeed he is Rogue," he replied, his tone unreadable. She turned her face back to him and finally looked at him in the eyes, and the pain he saw in hers struck him. This girl was very lonely, and she hated it. She wanted to be with other people so much, and yet she couldn't, and that was slowly killing her.
'And' Hex vowed, 'there is no way in HELL I'm going to allow that.' She reached out and took his hand, leading him towards the large staircase nearby.
"C'mon, Ah'll show ya 'round." He smiled and nodded, waiting to get out of earshot before he decided to speak his thoughts. Once he saw the Professor and his parents disappear around a corner, he looked down at her and smiled.
"So, Rogue isn't really your name, is it? That's a codename or something, right?"
"Well, yeah," she replied.
"So what's your real name?" She blinked at him in surprise.
"Why d'ya wanna know mah real name?"
"I noticed you playing the PS2, which means we're going to be friends, and I like to know my friend's real names." She laughed, yet another sweet sound, and replied.
"Marie. Mah name's Marie."
'A pretty name' Hex thought.
"What," she asked, surprised. Hex blinked. Had he spoken that thought OUT LOUD? Judging by the heat that was rapidly gathering in his cheeks, he figured he had.
"Uh. . .sorry, just sort of thinking out loud there," he replied, while thinking something completely different. 'Please don't think I'm a freak please don't think I'm a freak please don't think I'm a freak.' She laughed again and he realized he'd thought out loud AGAIN.
"Trust me, Ah'm not one ta talk about people bein' freaks." Now it was Hex's turn to blink in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"Awww, nothin'. Don't worry 'bout it."
"No, go ahead, tell me."
"See, it's just. . .mah power, it's, uh. . .if Ah make skin contact with somebody else, Ah absorb 'em." She took a deep breath, then continued. "Like. . .sorta like their life force, or somethin'. If the somebody's a mutant, Ah also get their powers fer a short time." She was still forced to blink back tears when she thought about not being able to touch anyone again.
Hex noticed the tears, and turned, taking her free hand in his. "Hey, I'm sorry. If it's any consolation, look at me. My eyes don't have pupils, I can see things all around me for about a twenty mile radius, my hair is the color of fire, I can create fire, and I can absorb it. If that doesn't make me a freak, I don't know what does."
"Yeah, but Ah cain't touch people." Hex smiled.
"You're touching me right now."
"Ahh, that's with these damned leather gloves on. Ah'm not really touchin' you."
"Yes, you are," he said, giving her hands a gentle squeeze. She smiled up at him.
"Thanks. Y'know, Hex, Ah like you. Ah don't normally bond real well with people, 'specially NEW people, but Ah like you." Hex smiled.
"Same here, on both counts," he replied. "So, what say you show me the rest of this HUUUUUGE place, huh?" ....................................
The tour came and went, and Hex confidently lead the way back to where Rogue assured him his parents would be. Apparently, however, he walked in on something he shouldn't have, because the Professor's head suddenly snapped up, and his parents' faces were worn and stressed. The Professor nodded, and Hex's father got up and walked over to him. He placed a hand on his shoulder, which Hex knew WASN'T good. Rogue gave his hand a squeeze as the Professor wheeled out of the room, calling for her to join him. Hex shook his head. "No, she can stay," he replied. "If that's ok with you, that is, Professor." Professor Xavier paused a moment and then nodded.
"I don't see why not, as long as you don't mind, Rogue?" Rogue smiled and shook her head.
"Ah'm good here Professor, thanks." He smiled and nodded, and then continued to wheel himself down the corridor.
"Son, I have something I need to tell you."
"Well, I figured. You don't look so good. Bad news?"
"We need to leave you here today." Hex shrugged.
"Alright. Can't say I won't miss you guys or saying good-bye to the few friends I have in school, but I'll live. So what's up? Why do you guys look so bad?"
"That's another story for another day, son. You'll find out eventually, I think." ....................................
"Welllll," Hex said with a sigh, "THAT was cryptic."
"Ah bet he was just tryin' ta protect ya," Rogue replied, walking next to him.
"No, seriously. The only other time he's been that cryptic with me is. . .ah, shit."
"Somethin' wrong?"
"I really, really hope this doesn't have anything to do with my brother."
"Brother?"
"Yeah," Hex replied, suddenly sounding haggard. "Twin brother, to be exact. Not identical. Well, in appearance. In power, well. . .we're both pyrokinetics, but other than that, we're not the same. He doesn't have the special sight ability."
"Ah've been meanin' ta ask ya. . .what's THAT like, bein' able ta see all around ya?"
"Oh," he replied with a laugh. "I don't normally use it. I can sort of switch views, know what I mean?"
"Ah get it. Ya can switch between yoah 'bird's eye view' and normal sight?"
"Exactly." He wanted to put his arm around her, but knew that the skin contact wouldn't allow it, so instead he just took her hand in his. "So, what do we do here, exactly?"
"Well, this place is a school, and we train too."
"What kinds of classes are there?"
"Advanced ones, that's fo' sure. Ah don't even think people in COLLEGE go through these classes." Hex paled.
"Oh, great. And do we get to choose what we take, or are we assigned classes?"
"We get ta choose electives, but othah than that, the Professor assigns 'em. Chemistry, Physics, stuff like that. And a whole heckuva lotta math."
"Goody. The bane of my existence." He paused, and his face darkened for a second. "Second bane, anyway.
"What's the first?" Hex shook his head.
"So, were do we eat around here? I'm starved." Rogue noted the quick change of subject but let it go.
"Since it's a weekend, we can go out and eat if we want. Ah don't really get out much, so Ah usually eat here."
"Well, that's GOT to change. Say, why don't we go see a movie?"
"Ah dunno, that doesn't seem like a good-" But Hex was already dragging her towards the door.
"I just got my license a couple weeks ago, so I can drive. We'll go see whatever you want, but you've really gotta get out."
"Hex, Ah was sayin' I don't think this is the best idea."
"Oh, forget about that. Consider this a kidnapping, you've got no choice in the matter."
"What if Ah-"
"Bump into somebody? You won't, don't worry, and even if you do, you'll have the sleeves on your arms to protect you there."
"And if mah face touches somebody?"
"I don't think that'll happen."
"What if Ah accidentally touch YA?" Hex laughed.
"I'll thank you."
"Ah'll drain your life, put ya in a coma!"
"And I'll be the happiest coma patient around. It'll be worth it, don't worry."
"Not ta me."
"Look, the two of us won't make skin contact. And besides, skin contact is different then touching." The pair were in the parking lot now, and to Hex's surprise, he found his car there, with a note from his father saying that he'd dropped it off. The keys were taped to the note. He unlocked the car, pushed her into the passenger seat, closed the door, and locked it again so she couldn't bolt out. He walked around to the driver's side, unlocked the car, slid in, pulled Rogue back in as she tried to get out, closed her door, closed his, and then locked the car again. "Now, what movie are we gonna see?" ....................................
"Y'know, Ah'm really gonna get ya fo' this."
"Yeah yeah, sure you will. Was it my fault you tripped and fell right into the love seat thing?"
"Yeah, it was. Ya are the one that tripped me, 'member?"
". . .Ok, so maybe it was. But hey, we couldn't move after that, could we?"
"Sure we could."
". . .Y'know, you're really no fun." Rogue laughed, a devilish smile playing across her face.
"What makes ya think Ah'm not just playin' with ya right now? Ah mean, how d'ya even know Ah didn't trick ya into takin' me out, huh?"
"Can't be tricked into what you already wanted to do," Hex replied matter- of-factly. He realized he'd been thinking out loud again. "I REALLLLY need to stop doing that," he said with an exhausted sigh.
"Y'know, Ah think Ah might be able ta get through this after all," she said with a smile. ....................................
"Y'know, I really don't think this is a good idea," Bobby Drake mumbled from the back of the movie theater.
"Well, we have to make sure this guy's trustworthy," Scott Summers retorted.
"It's just that. . .this makes it seem like we don't trust Rogue."
"No, we don't trust HEX," Scott corrected. "We're making sure he doesn't hurt her, or try to make any moves, or anything."
"And if we get caught," Bobby asked. Scott paused, cocked his head, considering it for a second.
"Then we run like hell and make sure the Professor knows we won't be back for the weekend." Bobby shook his head.
"No can do Scott. If we tell the Professor about this, it'll be like telling him we don't trust him, either. After all, he read this guy when they first met, remember?" Bobby couldn't tell behind Scott's ruby glasses, but Scott actually blinked in surprise.
"You're right. I didn't think of that." He sighed. "Well, I guess we just don't explain where we are."
"Ohhhh no, Scott Summers. If we get caught, I'm fessing up to Rogue and telling the truth." Scott shrugged, as if to say that it was Bobby's tail in the fryer and not his. "About BOTH of us."
"You wouldn't." Bobby smiled deviously.
"Well, I told you I'd get back at you for the last prank you pulled. This happens to be it."
"I hate you."
"Yeah, I know you do. Now shut up, the movie's starting."
And it started with a very loud BOOM. ....................................
Hex spun as debris from the back of the theater flew past him. "Oh, great," he growled, looking at the large hole in the wall leading out into the parking lot, and the figures that stood in it. They were your typical skinhead mutant haters, armed to the teeth. Those two were quickly dealt with by the sudden appearance of Bobby Drake and Scott Summers. It was the giant, robotic, red foot that he could see behind them. "Sentinel," he roared to the two X-Men in the back of the theater. They spun and saw the giant foot and noticeably paled. Hex, meanwhile, was flying (literally) toward the hole in the wall, a trail of fire being left behind him. He zoomed out and soared up, forming a fireball and launching it at one of the Sentinels.
Nothing happened.
"Oh shit," Hex snapped. "Alright, that doesn't work. Let's try something bigger." He saw Scott ready to fire a blast, but shouted down to the man. "No! These things, don't ask me how, but they have some kinda weird reflective metal! Any blast you fire would just bounce back at you!" Scott cursed, while Bobby took to the air on his ice.
"Well, we can still hurt them," Bobby shouted.
"You got that right. And I have an idea." He shouted down to Scott. "Take care of Rogue!" He looked to Bobby. "Fire and ice, on three!" Bobby nodded. "THREEEEE!" The pair of them flew in opposite directions around the Sentinel and then fired their respective powers. Half of the Sentinel's head was frozen, while the other half was melting and on fire. The other one managed to fire a concussion blast at Bobby, and the boy began to fall. Hex soared down and caught him, lowering him quickly to Scott. "Get him and Rogue back to the mansion," he said.
"What about you?"
"It's only one Sentinel. I can handle myself until you come back with reinforcements."
"Ah'm not leavin' you here!"
"Not your choice Rogue, not your choice," Hex replied.
"Like hell it ain't mah choice! Ah'm stayin' put for as long as ya are!"
"You know you're stubborn as hell, right?"
"So she's been told," Scott cut in. "But he's right this time! Somebody needs to stay here and hold off the Sentinel, and I can't use my powers, Bobby's out, so that leaves him!"
"Ah'm not LEAVIN'! Ah already SAID that!" Hex shoved Scott towards the parking lot.
"Just go, she's not changing her mind and we're wasting time! But move FAST, damnit!" Scott looked towards him and nodded.
"I'll be back as soon as I can!" With that Scott threw Bobby over his shoulder, spun on his heel, and took off in the direction of his car. ....................................
Scott burst in as Logan was running towards the huge double doors at the mansion's entrance. "We already know! Me an' the elf should be enough to help out, right?"
"After the way Hex handled the first Sentinel, I'd say so! Just hurry, because with the first one, he didn't have to concentrate on looking after Rogue at the same time as fighting!" ....................................
Logan was amazed at the scene in front of him when he and Nightcrawler arrived at the movie theater. Hex was standing in front of a Sentinel, it's head and upper body on fire, one of its legs broken in several places, and an arm completely severed. Rogue was standing next to Hex, her jaw hanging open and a dumb look on her face. She recovered quickly and pointed to the two new arrivals, while shaking Hex out of whatever trance he'd been in. The two of them walked over and silently lead the way to Hex's car. Finally, halfway back to the mansion, Logan broke the silence. "What happened back there?"
"It made me angry," Hex replied, his voice sounding dark and moody.
"Remind me," Nightcrawler stated, "to never get on your bad side." Hex sighed at that and shook his head.
"Not bad side, Kurt. Not bad side." He didn't say another word the rest of the trip, and as soon as they were parked, he and Rogue immediately headed off in a separate direction. ....................................
"You know," Jean Grey said, sitting across from the new student, Hex Mason, one leg draped over the arm of the chair he sat in, "I can read your mind if you really decide to be too stubborn to talk." He opened his mouth to spit out some angry retort, but closed it with a snap before any words came out. "I'm serious. Whatever you want to say, at any point during this little chat, say it." He looked as if he was going to say one thing, then switched to another as his mouth opened.
"So what the fuck is this supposed to be, a session with a shrink?" She was surprised at how much of that sentence came out in a growl. It reminded her of Logan, only Logan's growls were never this. . .well, intense, or perhaps as beastial, she couldn't decide.
"No," she replied slowly, "just a little peer chatting."
"Do I have to be here," he asked through gritted teeth.
"Would it matter if you did?" Hex began to get up.
"Shit, forget this, I'm getting the fuck outta here," he said, another growl.
"Yes," Jean stated firmly, "you have to be here." Hex slumped back into the position he'd been in moments before. "So, are you going to talk?" He gave her a sarcastic, angry chuckle.
"'bout what?"
"Anything." She sighed when she saw that he wasn't going to initiate the conversation. "How are you adjusting to the school?"
"School? Fine."
"Ok, how are you adjusting to living at the mansion?"
"I'm ok." That was it. Jean blew up on him.
"DAMNIT, you have to say more than TWO WORDS!" Hex was up in a flash, gestures angry and eyes blazing with rage.
"You want more than two words little miss priss, you got it! I damn well dismantled that Sentinel, and do you want to know why? Because it was leveling a blast at Rogue! And it sure as hell wasn't a fucking concussion blast, I can tell you that much! So I dismantled the motherfucker! I didn't care who the FUCK got hurt, I didn't care whether I DIED or not, just so-fucking-long as I saved her! Nothing else mattered, and I lost CONTROL! You want to know that closely guarded little fucking secret that all you goddamn telepaths can't fucking get to in my head?! I can bloody fucking ABSORB flames as well as I can fucking CREATE them! You want to know something ELSE?! Do you?! Well guess the fuck what, every time I ABSORB flames my own damn self suffers! I lose more and fucking more self control each time I do it! It's like my damn SOUL is the fire, and every time I absorb flames, I add to the torrent! And each damn time, more control DISAPPEARS, and I'm TERRIFIED of what'll be left after I absorb TOO MUCH and absolutely PETRIFIED of what I'll BECOME!" The explosion seemed to have drained him, and his face fell, looking tired and haggard. He flopped back down into the chair and added, tiredly, "And Sentinel's have pretty powerful flame throwers." The wave of understanding hit Jean instantly.
"The Sentinel tried to blast Rogue with a flamethrower, and you took the blast, absorbed the flames, and ended up losing control."
"Yeah," Hex said, his voice sounding as if he hadn't slept for three days and wanted to be anywhere else but in the room he was in, talking to the person he was talking to.
"It's ok, you didn't hurt anybody."
"I could have."
"But you didn't."
"That's not the point," he replied. "The point is that I could have, and that next time, or the time after that, I might.
"You don't know that. We can help you with control-"
"Yeah, right. Look, Jean, I know you mean well, and I know you want to help me, but please, don't patronize me." He stood up, brushed himself off, and strode out of the room, intending to go to his room and sleep for a good, long time. Jean, meanwhile, concentrated on sending her thoughts to the Professor.
+Professor+ she mind-spoke, +I think there's a problem we need to discuss.+