Okay - this is the chapter where everyone comes back from the museum, Rob accidentally dips into his true powers, and this is also the chapter before chapter 11, which is when the soldiers come. I've been wondering if Rob, Adrian, Brit and Kelly (and Scoot) should escape or should get captured - any suggestions would so rock!
Thanx to everyone who have been reviewing this, for all the advice and everything. Seriously, it helps me out a lot! cheers!
Chapter 10
**************
Adrian collapsed as soon as he reached the school. He had ported himself and Rob all the way back to their haven, back to the school, and they both fell to the ground with exhaustion on the cool grass outside. Rob closed his eyes tightly at the surging nausea that had engulfed him, and reaffirmed his hatred of teleporting.
Adrian felt his nerves smoothing out now that they were alone in relative quietness. He hated that situation - everyone screaming. Even times when he was in a crowded room with everyone talking would bother him, but that he had learned to deal with. This was much worse. But now, there were lesser noises - the grass bending in the wind, birds singing far away, Rob catching his breath close by. There was a ringing in Adrian's ears, but little harm beyond that.
Neither of them said anything for a while, both of them regaining their breath and both of them reflecting on what they had seen on the news. This could only mean trouble for them and their kind. Hostile reactions were sure to be only a scratch on the surface of what was to come.
" Come on," Rob said, at last getting up to his feet. Neither of them had to say anything about what they had seen or what they felt. It was a mutual understanding between them.
Rob couldn't stand 'porting back into the school, so he walked to the front door and let himself in. Adrian was already waiting for him inside. They exchanged glances.
" Shit," Rob said, just then thinking of something, " I hope the others are okay."
Adrian had forgotten about them - how were they dealing with the news at the museum? Of course, the Professor had gone with them. He would not let a situation get out of hand. Rob hoped that he was correct, and that everyone else was all right.
They got their answers soon enough.
Within an hour, the bus returned from the museum. As soon as the students began to pour into the school, they were asking questions.
" Did you see the news?," Rob asked into the crowd.
" Yeah!," came an answer. It was Kelly, and she was pushing herself through the mass towards the two boys who had stayed behind. Brit came with her.
" Are you okay?," Rob asked Kelly when she finally reached him.
" We left when the report came on, so nobody had a chance to react to us being there after seeing the news," Kelly explained.
" Yeah," Brit added , " Well, Bobby and John got into it."
" They did? Again?," Rob replied.
" Well, that was surely the time and place for it," Adrian said, rolling his eyes, " What did they do?"
" Someone asked John to use his lighter -," Kelly began to explain.
" Again," Adrian interrupted.
" - so, John decides to catch the kid's arm on fire - ," Kelly continued.
" Well, of course, that's common sense," Adrian interrupted again.
" - and Bobby blasts the kid with a whole bunch of ice - ," Kelly continued again.
" That would probably be why they call him Iceman," Adrian returned.
" Can you just shut up for a minute?," Kelly asked, obviously annoyed. Adrian only smiled in response.
" So Professor Xavier freezes the whole room," Kelly said, and then paused, looking at Adrian. He only smiled at her. " Well," she said expectedly.
" Go on," Adrian said. Kelly rolled her eyes.
" Everyone who wasn't a mutant just stopped," Brit picked up where Kelly left off, " And that's when the news came on. We got out of there before Professor Xavier let everyone go."
" So no one had a chance to react to the news while we were there - ," Kelly started.
" Ah, reaction time is always so much slower in a museum," Adrian interrupted again.
" Oh, grow up," Kelly said before she stormed off to her room.
*************
A few minutes passed, and the lobby of the school was clearing of students. Some of them were still milling around, but most of them had already moved on to their own rooms. Rob, Adrian, and Brit left the lobby and retreated to one of the lounges - which was also the most popular one since it was connected to the kitchen.
Today, it was sort of crowded - it was obvious that some of the students were desperate to hear what was going on in the news as there was a group of about 7 kids all gathered around the television.
" Has he been caught yet?," Rob asked the group when they entered the lounge.
" No," a younger girl that Rob didn't know by name answered.
Before Rob could say anything else, three other students entered the lounge - Bobby, Rogue, and John. It was clear that Bobby and John were having some sort of an argument.
" - what makes you think that?," John was nearly shouting, his question directed at Bobby.
" Come on, John," Rogue said, her beautiful southern accent obvious with every word she spoke, " Don't you have respect for anyone's who not a mutant?"
John thought about it for a second, and smiled when he replied, " No, why should I?"
Rob, Adrian, and Brit were watching them all the while. Rob felt a pang of anger towards John when he replied to Rogue's question, and knowing what had happened at the museum only reaffirmed Rob's belief that John cared nothing for people.
Bobby was turning to say something back to John, but Rob stopped him.
" Hey, Pyro," Rob started, smiling broadly, " Did you drop this?"
In his hand, he held the distinctive lighter that John ALWAYS carried with him.
John was extremely surprised to see that Rob had his lighter - he must have dropped it somehow - he ran a hand over his pockets just to make sure.
" Give that back!," John demanded.
Rob only smiled in reply, playing with the lighter for a few moments and finally catching a flame - it was most definitely a threat, " Why should I?"
Well, to anyone else in the room, that was painfully obvious. Nobody would dare take John's lighter, refuse to give it back, and THEN light a flame with it. Perhaps Rob wanted to feel a greater empathy towards the boy who had his arm caught on fire in the museum.
John only smirked at the threat. With one quick snap of his arm, he reached out towards that flame - hoping to stretch out and feel a connection with it, which would lead him to be able to manipulate it. But he felt nothing. Absolute emptiness.
John's face dropped. For a brief moment, he was gripped with a deafening fear - that somehow he had LOST his powers. But then, there was laughter.
Rob was laughing beyond control, and he broke away from his powers. John had his lighter the whole time. It was all an illusion. And after that became obvious to everyone else in the lounge, they all began laughing too. John had been had, and he hid his own embarrassment with anger.
" Just like you," John said, each uttered word writhed in anger, " Fine, if you don't want to play fair..."
" You don't even DESERVE to have powers," Rob shouted back.
That did it. John flipped open the lid to his Zippo, lit a flame, and was just about to catch the fire in his hand to turn Rob into a pile of charcoal when he suddenly yelped in pain and surprise. Instead of catching the flame, the fire merely burned his hand. Some kids in the lounge laughed, until silence gripped them all. It wasn't an illusion this time.
Pyro really did burn himself.
As soon as John had shouted in pain, Rob had become disconnected with the focus that he had. He shook his head as if clearing his mind - he never remembered gripping a feeling with his powers like that before. John, in the meantime, looked up at Rob, as if trying to make sure that this wasn't an illusion.
" What did you do?!," John shouted at him, and his eyes darted over to where Kelly was standing. Scoot was sitting comfortably on her shoulder. Everyone knew that someone Rob had somehow altered Kelly's ability to bring Scoot back into herself. Panic gripped John as he lit his lighter again. This time, he caught the flame just perfectly.
His attention was brought back to Rob. Anger coursed through every fiber of his being for being humiliated in front of the school, but the fear that Rob had momentarily taken away his power was much more powerful an emotion.
" Forget this," John offered as an explanation as he turned and left the lounge. All attention shifted to Rob.
" He's a jerk anyway," Rob muttered and he stormed off towards his room. Once he was alone - Rob was able to explore his own thoughts. What HAD he done to John? He thought back to that moment. He had been so angry at Pyro - how could anyone think so lowly of non-mutants? Rob had been lost in thought, and somehow, he felt an overwhelming emotion sweep over him, and he had been helpless to fight it.
During that time, though, he had done something to John, or John's powers to be more specific. He remembered how he felt - that John shouldn't even HAVE powers - and then suddenly, John didn't.
Rob shivered for a second. What if that was a power that he had? The ability to alter mutations? After all, isn't that what had happened with Kelly?
Rob almost screamed out when he realized that. He was responsible for what had happened to Kelly and Scoot, and he nearly did the same thing to John. And now his own question came back to haunt him.
Could HE be trusted with his powers?
****************
Yeah! Next chapter, the soldiers descend upon the school! Oh, excitement she wrote!
And if you have any suggestions on what should happen to our mutant crew - Rob, Adrian, Kelly & Scoot, and Brit - whether they should get captured or not - don't be afraid to add that to yer review!
hugs, and next chappie should be up in a few days!
deke
Thanx to everyone who have been reviewing this, for all the advice and everything. Seriously, it helps me out a lot! cheers!
Chapter 10
**************
Adrian collapsed as soon as he reached the school. He had ported himself and Rob all the way back to their haven, back to the school, and they both fell to the ground with exhaustion on the cool grass outside. Rob closed his eyes tightly at the surging nausea that had engulfed him, and reaffirmed his hatred of teleporting.
Adrian felt his nerves smoothing out now that they were alone in relative quietness. He hated that situation - everyone screaming. Even times when he was in a crowded room with everyone talking would bother him, but that he had learned to deal with. This was much worse. But now, there were lesser noises - the grass bending in the wind, birds singing far away, Rob catching his breath close by. There was a ringing in Adrian's ears, but little harm beyond that.
Neither of them said anything for a while, both of them regaining their breath and both of them reflecting on what they had seen on the news. This could only mean trouble for them and their kind. Hostile reactions were sure to be only a scratch on the surface of what was to come.
" Come on," Rob said, at last getting up to his feet. Neither of them had to say anything about what they had seen or what they felt. It was a mutual understanding between them.
Rob couldn't stand 'porting back into the school, so he walked to the front door and let himself in. Adrian was already waiting for him inside. They exchanged glances.
" Shit," Rob said, just then thinking of something, " I hope the others are okay."
Adrian had forgotten about them - how were they dealing with the news at the museum? Of course, the Professor had gone with them. He would not let a situation get out of hand. Rob hoped that he was correct, and that everyone else was all right.
They got their answers soon enough.
Within an hour, the bus returned from the museum. As soon as the students began to pour into the school, they were asking questions.
" Did you see the news?," Rob asked into the crowd.
" Yeah!," came an answer. It was Kelly, and she was pushing herself through the mass towards the two boys who had stayed behind. Brit came with her.
" Are you okay?," Rob asked Kelly when she finally reached him.
" We left when the report came on, so nobody had a chance to react to us being there after seeing the news," Kelly explained.
" Yeah," Brit added , " Well, Bobby and John got into it."
" They did? Again?," Rob replied.
" Well, that was surely the time and place for it," Adrian said, rolling his eyes, " What did they do?"
" Someone asked John to use his lighter -," Kelly began to explain.
" Again," Adrian interrupted.
" - so, John decides to catch the kid's arm on fire - ," Kelly continued.
" Well, of course, that's common sense," Adrian interrupted again.
" - and Bobby blasts the kid with a whole bunch of ice - ," Kelly continued again.
" That would probably be why they call him Iceman," Adrian returned.
" Can you just shut up for a minute?," Kelly asked, obviously annoyed. Adrian only smiled in response.
" So Professor Xavier freezes the whole room," Kelly said, and then paused, looking at Adrian. He only smiled at her. " Well," she said expectedly.
" Go on," Adrian said. Kelly rolled her eyes.
" Everyone who wasn't a mutant just stopped," Brit picked up where Kelly left off, " And that's when the news came on. We got out of there before Professor Xavier let everyone go."
" So no one had a chance to react to the news while we were there - ," Kelly started.
" Ah, reaction time is always so much slower in a museum," Adrian interrupted again.
" Oh, grow up," Kelly said before she stormed off to her room.
*************
A few minutes passed, and the lobby of the school was clearing of students. Some of them were still milling around, but most of them had already moved on to their own rooms. Rob, Adrian, and Brit left the lobby and retreated to one of the lounges - which was also the most popular one since it was connected to the kitchen.
Today, it was sort of crowded - it was obvious that some of the students were desperate to hear what was going on in the news as there was a group of about 7 kids all gathered around the television.
" Has he been caught yet?," Rob asked the group when they entered the lounge.
" No," a younger girl that Rob didn't know by name answered.
Before Rob could say anything else, three other students entered the lounge - Bobby, Rogue, and John. It was clear that Bobby and John were having some sort of an argument.
" - what makes you think that?," John was nearly shouting, his question directed at Bobby.
" Come on, John," Rogue said, her beautiful southern accent obvious with every word she spoke, " Don't you have respect for anyone's who not a mutant?"
John thought about it for a second, and smiled when he replied, " No, why should I?"
Rob, Adrian, and Brit were watching them all the while. Rob felt a pang of anger towards John when he replied to Rogue's question, and knowing what had happened at the museum only reaffirmed Rob's belief that John cared nothing for people.
Bobby was turning to say something back to John, but Rob stopped him.
" Hey, Pyro," Rob started, smiling broadly, " Did you drop this?"
In his hand, he held the distinctive lighter that John ALWAYS carried with him.
John was extremely surprised to see that Rob had his lighter - he must have dropped it somehow - he ran a hand over his pockets just to make sure.
" Give that back!," John demanded.
Rob only smiled in reply, playing with the lighter for a few moments and finally catching a flame - it was most definitely a threat, " Why should I?"
Well, to anyone else in the room, that was painfully obvious. Nobody would dare take John's lighter, refuse to give it back, and THEN light a flame with it. Perhaps Rob wanted to feel a greater empathy towards the boy who had his arm caught on fire in the museum.
John only smirked at the threat. With one quick snap of his arm, he reached out towards that flame - hoping to stretch out and feel a connection with it, which would lead him to be able to manipulate it. But he felt nothing. Absolute emptiness.
John's face dropped. For a brief moment, he was gripped with a deafening fear - that somehow he had LOST his powers. But then, there was laughter.
Rob was laughing beyond control, and he broke away from his powers. John had his lighter the whole time. It was all an illusion. And after that became obvious to everyone else in the lounge, they all began laughing too. John had been had, and he hid his own embarrassment with anger.
" Just like you," John said, each uttered word writhed in anger, " Fine, if you don't want to play fair..."
" You don't even DESERVE to have powers," Rob shouted back.
That did it. John flipped open the lid to his Zippo, lit a flame, and was just about to catch the fire in his hand to turn Rob into a pile of charcoal when he suddenly yelped in pain and surprise. Instead of catching the flame, the fire merely burned his hand. Some kids in the lounge laughed, until silence gripped them all. It wasn't an illusion this time.
Pyro really did burn himself.
As soon as John had shouted in pain, Rob had become disconnected with the focus that he had. He shook his head as if clearing his mind - he never remembered gripping a feeling with his powers like that before. John, in the meantime, looked up at Rob, as if trying to make sure that this wasn't an illusion.
" What did you do?!," John shouted at him, and his eyes darted over to where Kelly was standing. Scoot was sitting comfortably on her shoulder. Everyone knew that someone Rob had somehow altered Kelly's ability to bring Scoot back into herself. Panic gripped John as he lit his lighter again. This time, he caught the flame just perfectly.
His attention was brought back to Rob. Anger coursed through every fiber of his being for being humiliated in front of the school, but the fear that Rob had momentarily taken away his power was much more powerful an emotion.
" Forget this," John offered as an explanation as he turned and left the lounge. All attention shifted to Rob.
" He's a jerk anyway," Rob muttered and he stormed off towards his room. Once he was alone - Rob was able to explore his own thoughts. What HAD he done to John? He thought back to that moment. He had been so angry at Pyro - how could anyone think so lowly of non-mutants? Rob had been lost in thought, and somehow, he felt an overwhelming emotion sweep over him, and he had been helpless to fight it.
During that time, though, he had done something to John, or John's powers to be more specific. He remembered how he felt - that John shouldn't even HAVE powers - and then suddenly, John didn't.
Rob shivered for a second. What if that was a power that he had? The ability to alter mutations? After all, isn't that what had happened with Kelly?
Rob almost screamed out when he realized that. He was responsible for what had happened to Kelly and Scoot, and he nearly did the same thing to John. And now his own question came back to haunt him.
Could HE be trusted with his powers?
****************
Yeah! Next chapter, the soldiers descend upon the school! Oh, excitement she wrote!
And if you have any suggestions on what should happen to our mutant crew - Rob, Adrian, Kelly & Scoot, and Brit - whether they should get captured or not - don't be afraid to add that to yer review!
hugs, and next chappie should be up in a few days!
deke
