[Disclaimer: I still don't own X-men Evolution.]
A few days later, the Institute had settled down with the celebration of Paul's
victory over Kitty, and things got back to be a semblance of normal, or as normal as
things could be at the Institute, with everyone attempting to defeat Paul at pool. As the
record stands, only Logan's been able to beat him fair and square. (Jean came close, but
under suspicious circumstances) At this point of the day, everybody was gradually
returning from school, by means of the bus, walking, carpooling, or personal
transportation. The vehicles in the lead, predictably, were Scott's convertible and Paul's
motorcycle, which now were side by side at the stoplight right by the Institute. "Hey
Scott, those extra two wheels slowing you down?" Paul yelled over the noise of traffic.
"Nope, I'm just being nice to you, wouldn't want to leave you behind!" Scott yelled back.
Both of them grinned as they returned their gaze to the road, and the gate leading into the
Institute. Scott reached over and thumbed the button that remotely opened the gate as the
other lights turned yellow, then red. Scott's knuckles cracked as he gripped the steering
wheel tightly, causing Amara, Evan, and Jean, who were riding with him, to grip their
seats. Likewise, Paul was revving his motorcycle's engine lightly, causing Kitty to
tighten her death-grip that she already had around his waist. The light before them
flashed green, and both vehicles were off. At first, Paul was way ahead as they pulled
into the Institute Grounds, but Scott was able to successfully pull ahead just before they
entered the garage. "I win." Scott said simply as they headed inside. Upstairs, Paul passed
Evan, who was on his way to his own room. "Hey Paul, a bunch of us are going to go
into town in a little while, you wanna come?" Evan asked. "Sure, just let me drop off my
stuff." Paul said. He headed into his room, dropped his backpack on his bed, and was
about to leave when he noticed a black cell-phone sitting on his dresser. Confused, he
walked over to it and flipped it open. "Huh, a number's already inputted." Paul said aloud
as he hit the 'Send' button. It rang twice before somebody picked up. "Hello?" Paul
asked. "Hello indeed, Surge." Came a low, sinister, and all too familiar voice from the
other end of the connection. Paul's eyes narrowed dangerously, his free hand clenching to
become a fist. "What do you want." Paul asked bluntly. "For you to come back." The
man replied. "My answer stands, no." Paul said, and was about to end the call when he
heard a low chuckle. "How cute, thinking you have a choice." The man said. "We took
the liberty of kidnapping your sister as an added incentive. You don't do what we ask,
you can say goodbye." The man said. "Alright, Riker, you win. What do you want me to
do?" Paul said with a resigned tone in his voice. "Excellent. All you have to do is copy
Cerebro's files and come to the docks at midnight, tonight." Riker said. "Very well." Paul
said, before hanging up.
* * *
Later that night, Paul went downstairs to steal the Cerebro files, he was able to
make his way down the elevator and through the halls and doors without much difficulty,
but his plan fell apart when he saw Logan and Xavier in Cerebro's chamber, waiting for
him. "Hello Paul." Xavier said. "Uh, hi Professor, Logan." Paul said hesitantly. "I know
why you came down here Paul." Xavier said. "You.do?" He replied. "Yes. I was able to
read your thoughts and that's how I found out about the Shadow organization." Xavier
replied. "Shadow? What the hell is Shadow?" Logan asked. "Shadow. probably the
biggest mistake I ever made." Surge said. He leaned heavily against the wall, sighing
deeply. "It happened only a few years ago, back when my powers were only just starting
to emerge.."
~Start Flashback~ {}=Narration
{My powers first emerged when I got in a fight with a few thugs, I suddenly zapped
every one of them.}
Image- A Younger Paul fighting a trio of street thugs. He is getting badly beaten when
his plasma energy flares and zaps all three.
{After that they kept coming out in the oddest of situations, until I was afraid to go to
school because I was afraid I might seriously hurt somebody. That's when I met Riker.}
A younger Paul is sitting on the edge of a park bench. A muscular man clad in all-black
clothing (think Nick Fury, but minus the eye patch and with blond hair) walks over.
"Hello Paul." He said. Paul looked up at him, "You know my name?" He asked. "I sure
do, my name is Sam Riker. I also know that you have a gift, a gift you can't control. The
thing is, I want to help you control your gift, if you will come with me." Riker said,
holding out his hand. The image fades as Paul hesitantly takes it.
{I soon learned that great things like Riker's aid come with price tags. I had to pull
various jobs in order for him to continue to help me, but it was when he ordered me to kill a man that I ran for it, that was a few months ago.}
~End Flashback~
"How he found me now, and more importantly, how he got in here to deliver the
cell phone to me is a mystery." Paul said. "Well, we can't let you go to the meet with
Riker tonight." Logan said. "But I have to, he has my sister and he's holding her hostage.
If I don't come, he'll kill her for certain." Paul protested. Logan seemed thoughtful for a
moment, before nodding slightly. "Ok," He said, "but we're going to do it my way."
* * *
(11:59 p.m.)
Paul wandered around on the fog-enshrouded docks, looking for any sign of
Shadow soldiers or Riker. His watch beeped, signaling that it was midnight. At almost
the same time, a foghorn blew, long and low. Paul sprinted over to the tanker ship that it
was coming from, going onto the helipad that was surrounded by dozens of cargo
containers. "Riker! Where are you? Come out!" Paul yelled. Suddenly, floodlights
mounted on the catwalks overlooking the deck snapped on, bathing Paul in its harsh
white light. "Hello Paul, so kind of you to join us." Riker said, appearing on the catwalk
that was outside of the bridge. "Where's my sister you bastard!" Paul yelled. "She's here.
Now just give yourself up." Riker suggested, snapping his fingers. Instantly, the sound of
running footsteps was heard as Paul saw black shapes darting through the fog atop the
cargo containers and along the catwalks. More spotlights snapped on, revealing the
shapes to be Shadow soldiers. They trained their weapons on him, lining up their laser
sights and making Paul's body like a pincushion for the tiny pricks of red light. "Your
men are impressive Riker, but I want to see my sister." Paul said, raising his hands to
shoulder level. "Fine. Bring out the girl." Riker ordered. A searchlight mounted atop the
bridge snapped on and the beam swiveled, focusing on a pair of commandos that stood at
the other end of the helipad. Between them was an unconscious 15-year-old girl with
long blonde hair and wearing a black tank top, fatigue pants, and combat boots.
"Michelle!" Paul shouted, but his sister didn't stir. "She's been sedated, she kept trying to
flash-fry my soldiers, so we had to tranq her." Riker said with a smirk. "Damn you!" Paul
took a step towards his sister, but a gunshot rang out, the bullet striking the helipad inches
from Paul's foot. "Not another step in her direction, or my friends here will cut you down
without a second thought." Riker ordered. "Sorry Riker, but I too brought some friends
tonight." Paul said, then he stuck two fingers in his mouth and let out a shrill whistle.
Almost immediately, several black helicopters swooped in on the ship, their rotors eerily
silent. They flared above the cargo containers, disgorging S.H.I.E.L.D. commandos from
their holds, in seconds Riker's men were outnumbered at least three to one. "Interesting,
but I'll leave you kids to fight it out amongst yourselves. Kill them all." Riker ordered.
Instantly both sides started shooting, but Paul ignored all gunfire as he raced towards his
sister and her two captors. One saw him coming and started firing madly at him, but the
other took out his gun and held it to Michelle's head. "Another step, and your sister is
dead." He threatened. Paul stopped, watching the soldiers laugh wildly as they
congratulated themselves on besting him, right up until Cyclops dropped both of them
with a powerful plasma beam, heralding the arrival of the X-men as they dropped to the
jet. "Paul, ze others can protect your sister, lets get that bastard." Kurt said, holding out
his hand. Paul smiled and grabbed it as they disappeared.
* * *
On the rear deck, Riker's helicopter was starting up its rotors as he hastily
strapped himself in. The helicopter started to rise, but it had barely risen a few feet before
a large plasma blast enveloped the helicopter, crashing it forcefully against the deck.
Riker crawled out of the wreckage, sprawling facedown, when suddenly Paul's boots
appeared right next to his head. With a cry of anger, Paul kicked him in the face before
grabbing him by the neck and lifting him. With Riker gagging and struggling, Paul
walked to the edge of the deck and lifted him out over the water. "How does it feel to be
at someone else's mercy, huh? How does it feel to have to beg for your life?" Paul asked
crudely as he slowly loosened his grip. "Paul no!" Came his sisters cry as she ran towards
him and grabbed onto his other arm. "Two wrongs don't make a right, they never do."
Michelle whispered. "Yeah, I guess so." Paul said. He threw the sobbing Riker back onto
the deck before enveloping his sister in a tight hug. "I'm sorry." He whispered.
[End]
A few days later, the Institute had settled down with the celebration of Paul's
victory over Kitty, and things got back to be a semblance of normal, or as normal as
things could be at the Institute, with everyone attempting to defeat Paul at pool. As the
record stands, only Logan's been able to beat him fair and square. (Jean came close, but
under suspicious circumstances) At this point of the day, everybody was gradually
returning from school, by means of the bus, walking, carpooling, or personal
transportation. The vehicles in the lead, predictably, were Scott's convertible and Paul's
motorcycle, which now were side by side at the stoplight right by the Institute. "Hey
Scott, those extra two wheels slowing you down?" Paul yelled over the noise of traffic.
"Nope, I'm just being nice to you, wouldn't want to leave you behind!" Scott yelled back.
Both of them grinned as they returned their gaze to the road, and the gate leading into the
Institute. Scott reached over and thumbed the button that remotely opened the gate as the
other lights turned yellow, then red. Scott's knuckles cracked as he gripped the steering
wheel tightly, causing Amara, Evan, and Jean, who were riding with him, to grip their
seats. Likewise, Paul was revving his motorcycle's engine lightly, causing Kitty to
tighten her death-grip that she already had around his waist. The light before them
flashed green, and both vehicles were off. At first, Paul was way ahead as they pulled
into the Institute Grounds, but Scott was able to successfully pull ahead just before they
entered the garage. "I win." Scott said simply as they headed inside. Upstairs, Paul passed
Evan, who was on his way to his own room. "Hey Paul, a bunch of us are going to go
into town in a little while, you wanna come?" Evan asked. "Sure, just let me drop off my
stuff." Paul said. He headed into his room, dropped his backpack on his bed, and was
about to leave when he noticed a black cell-phone sitting on his dresser. Confused, he
walked over to it and flipped it open. "Huh, a number's already inputted." Paul said aloud
as he hit the 'Send' button. It rang twice before somebody picked up. "Hello?" Paul
asked. "Hello indeed, Surge." Came a low, sinister, and all too familiar voice from the
other end of the connection. Paul's eyes narrowed dangerously, his free hand clenching to
become a fist. "What do you want." Paul asked bluntly. "For you to come back." The
man replied. "My answer stands, no." Paul said, and was about to end the call when he
heard a low chuckle. "How cute, thinking you have a choice." The man said. "We took
the liberty of kidnapping your sister as an added incentive. You don't do what we ask,
you can say goodbye." The man said. "Alright, Riker, you win. What do you want me to
do?" Paul said with a resigned tone in his voice. "Excellent. All you have to do is copy
Cerebro's files and come to the docks at midnight, tonight." Riker said. "Very well." Paul
said, before hanging up.
* * *
Later that night, Paul went downstairs to steal the Cerebro files, he was able to
make his way down the elevator and through the halls and doors without much difficulty,
but his plan fell apart when he saw Logan and Xavier in Cerebro's chamber, waiting for
him. "Hello Paul." Xavier said. "Uh, hi Professor, Logan." Paul said hesitantly. "I know
why you came down here Paul." Xavier said. "You.do?" He replied. "Yes. I was able to
read your thoughts and that's how I found out about the Shadow organization." Xavier
replied. "Shadow? What the hell is Shadow?" Logan asked. "Shadow. probably the
biggest mistake I ever made." Surge said. He leaned heavily against the wall, sighing
deeply. "It happened only a few years ago, back when my powers were only just starting
to emerge.."
~Start Flashback~ {}=Narration
{My powers first emerged when I got in a fight with a few thugs, I suddenly zapped
every one of them.}
Image- A Younger Paul fighting a trio of street thugs. He is getting badly beaten when
his plasma energy flares and zaps all three.
{After that they kept coming out in the oddest of situations, until I was afraid to go to
school because I was afraid I might seriously hurt somebody. That's when I met Riker.}
A younger Paul is sitting on the edge of a park bench. A muscular man clad in all-black
clothing (think Nick Fury, but minus the eye patch and with blond hair) walks over.
"Hello Paul." He said. Paul looked up at him, "You know my name?" He asked. "I sure
do, my name is Sam Riker. I also know that you have a gift, a gift you can't control. The
thing is, I want to help you control your gift, if you will come with me." Riker said,
holding out his hand. The image fades as Paul hesitantly takes it.
{I soon learned that great things like Riker's aid come with price tags. I had to pull
various jobs in order for him to continue to help me, but it was when he ordered me to kill a man that I ran for it, that was a few months ago.}
~End Flashback~
"How he found me now, and more importantly, how he got in here to deliver the
cell phone to me is a mystery." Paul said. "Well, we can't let you go to the meet with
Riker tonight." Logan said. "But I have to, he has my sister and he's holding her hostage.
If I don't come, he'll kill her for certain." Paul protested. Logan seemed thoughtful for a
moment, before nodding slightly. "Ok," He said, "but we're going to do it my way."
* * *
(11:59 p.m.)
Paul wandered around on the fog-enshrouded docks, looking for any sign of
Shadow soldiers or Riker. His watch beeped, signaling that it was midnight. At almost
the same time, a foghorn blew, long and low. Paul sprinted over to the tanker ship that it
was coming from, going onto the helipad that was surrounded by dozens of cargo
containers. "Riker! Where are you? Come out!" Paul yelled. Suddenly, floodlights
mounted on the catwalks overlooking the deck snapped on, bathing Paul in its harsh
white light. "Hello Paul, so kind of you to join us." Riker said, appearing on the catwalk
that was outside of the bridge. "Where's my sister you bastard!" Paul yelled. "She's here.
Now just give yourself up." Riker suggested, snapping his fingers. Instantly, the sound of
running footsteps was heard as Paul saw black shapes darting through the fog atop the
cargo containers and along the catwalks. More spotlights snapped on, revealing the
shapes to be Shadow soldiers. They trained their weapons on him, lining up their laser
sights and making Paul's body like a pincushion for the tiny pricks of red light. "Your
men are impressive Riker, but I want to see my sister." Paul said, raising his hands to
shoulder level. "Fine. Bring out the girl." Riker ordered. A searchlight mounted atop the
bridge snapped on and the beam swiveled, focusing on a pair of commandos that stood at
the other end of the helipad. Between them was an unconscious 15-year-old girl with
long blonde hair and wearing a black tank top, fatigue pants, and combat boots.
"Michelle!" Paul shouted, but his sister didn't stir. "She's been sedated, she kept trying to
flash-fry my soldiers, so we had to tranq her." Riker said with a smirk. "Damn you!" Paul
took a step towards his sister, but a gunshot rang out, the bullet striking the helipad inches
from Paul's foot. "Not another step in her direction, or my friends here will cut you down
without a second thought." Riker ordered. "Sorry Riker, but I too brought some friends
tonight." Paul said, then he stuck two fingers in his mouth and let out a shrill whistle.
Almost immediately, several black helicopters swooped in on the ship, their rotors eerily
silent. They flared above the cargo containers, disgorging S.H.I.E.L.D. commandos from
their holds, in seconds Riker's men were outnumbered at least three to one. "Interesting,
but I'll leave you kids to fight it out amongst yourselves. Kill them all." Riker ordered.
Instantly both sides started shooting, but Paul ignored all gunfire as he raced towards his
sister and her two captors. One saw him coming and started firing madly at him, but the
other took out his gun and held it to Michelle's head. "Another step, and your sister is
dead." He threatened. Paul stopped, watching the soldiers laugh wildly as they
congratulated themselves on besting him, right up until Cyclops dropped both of them
with a powerful plasma beam, heralding the arrival of the X-men as they dropped to the
jet. "Paul, ze others can protect your sister, lets get that bastard." Kurt said, holding out
his hand. Paul smiled and grabbed it as they disappeared.
* * *
On the rear deck, Riker's helicopter was starting up its rotors as he hastily
strapped himself in. The helicopter started to rise, but it had barely risen a few feet before
a large plasma blast enveloped the helicopter, crashing it forcefully against the deck.
Riker crawled out of the wreckage, sprawling facedown, when suddenly Paul's boots
appeared right next to his head. With a cry of anger, Paul kicked him in the face before
grabbing him by the neck and lifting him. With Riker gagging and struggling, Paul
walked to the edge of the deck and lifted him out over the water. "How does it feel to be
at someone else's mercy, huh? How does it feel to have to beg for your life?" Paul asked
crudely as he slowly loosened his grip. "Paul no!" Came his sisters cry as she ran towards
him and grabbed onto his other arm. "Two wrongs don't make a right, they never do."
Michelle whispered. "Yeah, I guess so." Paul said. He threw the sobbing Riker back onto
the deck before enveloping his sister in a tight hug. "I'm sorry." He whispered.
[End]
