Chapter 5 - Wounds
"Peter, perhaps now isn't the best time, but your thoughts seem at times to… scream, I guess it the best term for it. For someone like Jean, who is more telekinetic than telepathic, it isn't a problem, but…"
He sighed.
"You know then?"
The look in Peter's eyes was a haunted one, a man who is desperately looking for a way out.
"Unfortunately yes. I haven't probed your thoughts, but I do know what you were doing the night your Aunt was killed. But that isn't the point. The X-Men need to know how to fight these men, these… Sinister Six. And you have the necessary experience."
"I won't fight. Not anymore. He's dead. It stays that way."
"I wouldn't ask you to. You're not ready, mentally, in any case. No, I was wondering if you would be willing to give them some background on the people they're fighting. And possible strategies for overcoming them."
"I-I'm not sure…"
"I understand, but it is, unfortunately, rather necessary."
The lad in front of me closed his eyes.
"I-I'm not ready to talk about anything concerning… that."
"Peter…"
"But, I will open my mind to you. Take what you need in order to prepare them. Just as long as I don't have to be here for it."
"My dredging your thoughts will bring this to the forefront…"
His mouth shifted to a small, sad smile.
"I'll be thinking about it constantly from here on out anyways. It might as well go to a good cause."
"Peter…"
I stopped. A rebuke for his attitude was not what he needed right now.
"Thank you. This will be very helpful. Now, let's prepare for our arrivals, shall we?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh cr… ud."
The X-Jet had just touched down, and the wounded were just coming out. Logan came out carrying an unconscious Kitty, and Scott was carrying Jean. Evan was limping; a gash ran up his leg, while Storm had smaller cuts up and down her body. Rogue and Kurt had bruises everywhere, but otherwise were probably the best off besides Logan. Beast was breathing uneasily, with slight scorch marks on his fur. Bobby was the one who worried me though; he looked like he had been hit by a freight train.
Rhino…
The professor and a slightly woozy Beast started to work on Bobby immediately. I helped Storm with the limping Evan, and laid him down on a table. Further examination had shown that the wound looked worse than it really was, but brighter minds than my own would have to determine if it needed stitches or not. The professor took this opportunity to pick my brain.
*Peter…*
*Yes Professor? *
*Hank and I can handle Bobby, but I'm more worried about Kitty. Hank says that he went down from some type of gas bomb, but Kitty just fell. What's your opinion? *
I thought for a bit, then remembered something.
*Electro. *
*Electro can cause people to become unconscious? *
*By disrupting the electrical currents in a person's brain. He doesn't usually use it because he prefers to see his opponent barbequed, but if he gets frustrated enough… She should recover soon enough. But I'd check her out just in case. *
The professor closed off the link, and I was relieved he had done it silently. I glanced around the room. For obvious reasons, Logan was fine, Storm's cuts were mostly superficial, and it looked like Jean would recover from the pumpkin bomb that had been thrown at her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Scott wince at his own breathing.
"One-eye, get over here."
He looked at me.
"I'm fine."
I chuckled a bit.
"An X-ray will tell for sure, but your ribs are bruised if not cracked or broken. Sit on the table and take off your shirt."
"What?"
"Those ribs need to be taped up for now. Now hold still."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Getting my ribs taped up was an exercise in confusion. Peter made several false starts before finally stepping behind me and looking down over my shoulder to do it. The end result seemed sturdy, however, and the X-rays had shown he was right. Three cracked ribs.
Perfect.
Now we were all filing in to the library once more. The professor had information on the people we were fighting. He smiled as we sat down.
"I'm glad you all could make it. Your last fight was… a humbling experience, if nothing else. These men are known by individual names, but collectively, they are known as…"
"The Sinister Six."
I glanced down at Evan. So did the professor.
"I appreciate your input Evan, but please refrain from interrupting. I have more… complete… information than your own. As I was saying, these men are known as the Sinister Six.
"The most obvious member of the group is the Rhino. Incredibly strong and resistant, he can probably take a hit from a freight train before falling down. His speed is noteworthy, but still human, and his bulk increases his momentum while decreasing his agility. Combine that with his poor education, and it becomes easy to turn his strength against him.
"Another man is the one known as Doctor Octopus. A laboratory accident psionicly bonded him to his adamantium tentacles. It is, however, a mistake to believe that his additional appendages are the most dangerous part of him. He is a scientific genius in the fields of radiation and robotics. The other thing most people forget when fighting him is that while the tentacles are formidable and indestructible, the man behind them is anything but.
"Quinten Beck is Mysterio, master of illusions. As a former stunt man, he is in excellent condition, and his failed acting career makes him tend towards the melodramatic. His skill with special effects are par none, and he has extreme martial arts skills. While not the most dangerous of the six, he is not to be underestimated. He could confuse you in to attacking each other.
"Back when the Green Goblin was first thought dead, a criminal known as Jason Mackendale found one of the Green Goblin's weapons caches. A few color alterations to the costume, and the super-villain known as Hobgoblin was born. He has what is known as a 'bag of tricks' where he keeps his pumpkin bombs. These come in two varieties, explosive, and gaseous. The glider he flies is his most valuable tool. In addition to the machine guns and rockets it carries, the glider also launches sharp-winged homing projectiles known as razor bats. He is also certifiably insane.
"The Vulture is quite obviously an elderly man, soured by his years. His wings are, as some of you discovered, razor-edged, and the suit enhances his strength. He flies by his use of magnetism. The auto-gyros and other mechanisms in the suit make it ably to switch polarities instantly, so reversing the magnetic field wouldn't help, not even were he pitted against Magneto. He holds the same problem as Doctor Octavious. Once through his defenses, the man is weak. It should also be noted that the suit takes a large amount of power to run, and a disruption of it could cripple his capabilities.
"Electro. Pardon the expression Storm, but Electro is a force of nature. He has enough power contained within him to vaporize a city block. Electro is, however, easily distracted and tricked. The only real way to neutralize him is to short circuit him."
"What about water professor?"
The professor just shook his head sadly.
"Only if you are very lucky, Scott, most water evaporates before it even gets near him."
Professor Xavier was silent for a moment, then spoke again.
"All said a battle with the Sinister Six is not a battle of strength, but a battle of endurance."
He paused again, staring off into space.
"It is also a battle of wits."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I knocked on Kitty's open door, and waited. After a moment, her head came up and she grinned at me.
"Hey! Come to check up on the head case?"
She was smiling, like nothing was wrong in the world.
Why can't I recover that fast?
"How are you feeling Kitty?"
"Pretty good, why?"
"Just… curious."
"Oh. The professor said that I'm going to be just fine, but I should watch out for dizzy spells for the next few days."
"Ah."
I miss that innocence. Did I ever have that?
Before Uncle Ben died maybe.
Kitty's smile faded, and it was replaced with a concerned frown.
"What's up with you Pete? Usually you'd be all smiles and trying to cheer me up. What happened this time?"
I smiled a little sadly.
"Nothing."
She stood up and walked over to me, one arm folded across her chest, and the other prodding mine.
"I don't believe that for a second. What's up?"
Great.
"I'm honestly not sure. Feeling a little old I guess. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I've seen too many people not walk away from this kind of thing. I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to lose another person I care for."
Kitty was a little quiet now.
"Someone you… care for?"
I blushed.
"S-Sure, you, Scott, Jean, the others… W-We're kind of a family, you know?"
"R-right."
"Look, I should really let you get some rest. I'll catch up with you tomorrow."
"Right."
I walked down the hall, noting that my hands were shaking a little.
Why did I do that?
"Peter, perhaps now isn't the best time, but your thoughts seem at times to… scream, I guess it the best term for it. For someone like Jean, who is more telekinetic than telepathic, it isn't a problem, but…"
He sighed.
"You know then?"
The look in Peter's eyes was a haunted one, a man who is desperately looking for a way out.
"Unfortunately yes. I haven't probed your thoughts, but I do know what you were doing the night your Aunt was killed. But that isn't the point. The X-Men need to know how to fight these men, these… Sinister Six. And you have the necessary experience."
"I won't fight. Not anymore. He's dead. It stays that way."
"I wouldn't ask you to. You're not ready, mentally, in any case. No, I was wondering if you would be willing to give them some background on the people they're fighting. And possible strategies for overcoming them."
"I-I'm not sure…"
"I understand, but it is, unfortunately, rather necessary."
The lad in front of me closed his eyes.
"I-I'm not ready to talk about anything concerning… that."
"Peter…"
"But, I will open my mind to you. Take what you need in order to prepare them. Just as long as I don't have to be here for it."
"My dredging your thoughts will bring this to the forefront…"
His mouth shifted to a small, sad smile.
"I'll be thinking about it constantly from here on out anyways. It might as well go to a good cause."
"Peter…"
I stopped. A rebuke for his attitude was not what he needed right now.
"Thank you. This will be very helpful. Now, let's prepare for our arrivals, shall we?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh cr… ud."
The X-Jet had just touched down, and the wounded were just coming out. Logan came out carrying an unconscious Kitty, and Scott was carrying Jean. Evan was limping; a gash ran up his leg, while Storm had smaller cuts up and down her body. Rogue and Kurt had bruises everywhere, but otherwise were probably the best off besides Logan. Beast was breathing uneasily, with slight scorch marks on his fur. Bobby was the one who worried me though; he looked like he had been hit by a freight train.
Rhino…
The professor and a slightly woozy Beast started to work on Bobby immediately. I helped Storm with the limping Evan, and laid him down on a table. Further examination had shown that the wound looked worse than it really was, but brighter minds than my own would have to determine if it needed stitches or not. The professor took this opportunity to pick my brain.
*Peter…*
*Yes Professor? *
*Hank and I can handle Bobby, but I'm more worried about Kitty. Hank says that he went down from some type of gas bomb, but Kitty just fell. What's your opinion? *
I thought for a bit, then remembered something.
*Electro. *
*Electro can cause people to become unconscious? *
*By disrupting the electrical currents in a person's brain. He doesn't usually use it because he prefers to see his opponent barbequed, but if he gets frustrated enough… She should recover soon enough. But I'd check her out just in case. *
The professor closed off the link, and I was relieved he had done it silently. I glanced around the room. For obvious reasons, Logan was fine, Storm's cuts were mostly superficial, and it looked like Jean would recover from the pumpkin bomb that had been thrown at her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Scott wince at his own breathing.
"One-eye, get over here."
He looked at me.
"I'm fine."
I chuckled a bit.
"An X-ray will tell for sure, but your ribs are bruised if not cracked or broken. Sit on the table and take off your shirt."
"What?"
"Those ribs need to be taped up for now. Now hold still."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Getting my ribs taped up was an exercise in confusion. Peter made several false starts before finally stepping behind me and looking down over my shoulder to do it. The end result seemed sturdy, however, and the X-rays had shown he was right. Three cracked ribs.
Perfect.
Now we were all filing in to the library once more. The professor had information on the people we were fighting. He smiled as we sat down.
"I'm glad you all could make it. Your last fight was… a humbling experience, if nothing else. These men are known by individual names, but collectively, they are known as…"
"The Sinister Six."
I glanced down at Evan. So did the professor.
"I appreciate your input Evan, but please refrain from interrupting. I have more… complete… information than your own. As I was saying, these men are known as the Sinister Six.
"The most obvious member of the group is the Rhino. Incredibly strong and resistant, he can probably take a hit from a freight train before falling down. His speed is noteworthy, but still human, and his bulk increases his momentum while decreasing his agility. Combine that with his poor education, and it becomes easy to turn his strength against him.
"Another man is the one known as Doctor Octopus. A laboratory accident psionicly bonded him to his adamantium tentacles. It is, however, a mistake to believe that his additional appendages are the most dangerous part of him. He is a scientific genius in the fields of radiation and robotics. The other thing most people forget when fighting him is that while the tentacles are formidable and indestructible, the man behind them is anything but.
"Quinten Beck is Mysterio, master of illusions. As a former stunt man, he is in excellent condition, and his failed acting career makes him tend towards the melodramatic. His skill with special effects are par none, and he has extreme martial arts skills. While not the most dangerous of the six, he is not to be underestimated. He could confuse you in to attacking each other.
"Back when the Green Goblin was first thought dead, a criminal known as Jason Mackendale found one of the Green Goblin's weapons caches. A few color alterations to the costume, and the super-villain known as Hobgoblin was born. He has what is known as a 'bag of tricks' where he keeps his pumpkin bombs. These come in two varieties, explosive, and gaseous. The glider he flies is his most valuable tool. In addition to the machine guns and rockets it carries, the glider also launches sharp-winged homing projectiles known as razor bats. He is also certifiably insane.
"The Vulture is quite obviously an elderly man, soured by his years. His wings are, as some of you discovered, razor-edged, and the suit enhances his strength. He flies by his use of magnetism. The auto-gyros and other mechanisms in the suit make it ably to switch polarities instantly, so reversing the magnetic field wouldn't help, not even were he pitted against Magneto. He holds the same problem as Doctor Octavious. Once through his defenses, the man is weak. It should also be noted that the suit takes a large amount of power to run, and a disruption of it could cripple his capabilities.
"Electro. Pardon the expression Storm, but Electro is a force of nature. He has enough power contained within him to vaporize a city block. Electro is, however, easily distracted and tricked. The only real way to neutralize him is to short circuit him."
"What about water professor?"
The professor just shook his head sadly.
"Only if you are very lucky, Scott, most water evaporates before it even gets near him."
Professor Xavier was silent for a moment, then spoke again.
"All said a battle with the Sinister Six is not a battle of strength, but a battle of endurance."
He paused again, staring off into space.
"It is also a battle of wits."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I knocked on Kitty's open door, and waited. After a moment, her head came up and she grinned at me.
"Hey! Come to check up on the head case?"
She was smiling, like nothing was wrong in the world.
Why can't I recover that fast?
"How are you feeling Kitty?"
"Pretty good, why?"
"Just… curious."
"Oh. The professor said that I'm going to be just fine, but I should watch out for dizzy spells for the next few days."
"Ah."
I miss that innocence. Did I ever have that?
Before Uncle Ben died maybe.
Kitty's smile faded, and it was replaced with a concerned frown.
"What's up with you Pete? Usually you'd be all smiles and trying to cheer me up. What happened this time?"
I smiled a little sadly.
"Nothing."
She stood up and walked over to me, one arm folded across her chest, and the other prodding mine.
"I don't believe that for a second. What's up?"
Great.
"I'm honestly not sure. Feeling a little old I guess. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I've seen too many people not walk away from this kind of thing. I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to lose another person I care for."
Kitty was a little quiet now.
"Someone you… care for?"
I blushed.
"S-Sure, you, Scott, Jean, the others… W-We're kind of a family, you know?"
"R-right."
"Look, I should really let you get some rest. I'll catch up with you tomorrow."
"Right."
I walked down the hall, noting that my hands were shaking a little.
Why did I do that?