So it went, Mystique returned from Boston to learn of the true reasons behind John's previous behavior, and shared a laugh with them about it.
She and Eric 'celebrated' their victory over Alec Green.
John's tension evaporated completely within days, and he became part of the team. He enjoyed staying with them. Despite their fearsome appearances, Magneto and Mystique were pretty easy to deal with.
With his fear gone, John was able to flourish under Magneto and Mystique's patient tutelage. Magneto and John shared the ability to control energy outside of their bodies; so naturally, Magneto aided John as best he could, while Mystique decided to help John learn hand-to-hand combat.
Time had passed, and Pyro found his adventures.
Magneto was still an escaped felon, and more easily recognized than John, who was no one but a young man passed on the street.
As he was today.
John had been given an assignment from Magneto. This one involved next to no danger and barely any fun, but John was obliged to do whatever Magneto asked him.
Today's assignment was to go down to the train station and get something out of a locker.
Could be a bag of diamonds, could be a bag of peanuts, John had no idea.
But, in its own way, it was an adventure. At least he was out of the house, and he had a goal.
As he walked towards the lockers, he brought out the key. "Number 138." He muttered to himself.
Looking down the endless rows of lockers, he found it.
Checking to make sure the coast was clear, he looked on either side of him. "Ah-ha! Gotcha." He said aloud as he reached inside the locker and removed the parcel.
It was a small box, perhaps only two pounds, and wrapped in brown paper. "Weird." He said as he turned it over in his hands.
Shrugging, he slipped it into his pocket. 'Magneto's so paranoid.' He thought. 'Why would he have it delivered here instead of the penthouse?'
John quickly left the train station, walking back towards his new home.
"Hey, John!" he heard from the street.
A pretty girl about his age pulled up next to him in a flashy red sports car.
"You going uptown?" she asked.
John looked back at her. "Do I know you?" he asked.
As John watched, her eyes changed color with a quick blink. From light green, to full chrome yellow.
"Mystique." He stated.
"You were expecting Jubilee?" she asked, winking at him and changing her eyes back.
"Well, I- Hey!" he grunted at someone shoved past him.
"Get out of the car, bitch!"
John looked back to find that three guys had come out of nowhere and were jacking their car! One of the guys, with a shaved head and a big tattoo on his arm had just hustled Mystique out of the driver's seat and shoved her into the street.
John hurried over to her side. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She said, "But the car's gone."
John felt anger building up in his head, and knew the perfect way to vent. "They're not getting away with it." He growled as he brought out his lighter.
He ignited a flame and instantly, he created three large fireballs. He looked back at the car, which was now about fifty feet away.
The fireballs lifted to the air and quickly followed it. 'The tires!' he commanded them with his mind.
Obediently, the fireballs connected with the rubber, melting them into the street.
Still unsatisfied, John produced blowtorch streamers, which flew towards the car.
The thugs inside weren't oblivious to what was happening, and leapt out of the car just as they engulfed the vehicle.
"Nice going Pyro, you couldn't have waited for NBC?" Mystique asked beside him in irritation as a frightened crowd gathered to watch them from the sidewalks.
John, however, was scoffing, "Oh please, those thugs got what they deserved."
Mystique rolled her eyes, "Yeah, but now we have to walk home."
Her point was punctuated by the car's fuel tank catching fire and in effect, the car exploded.
"Sorry." He muttered.
Mystique rolled her eyes and sighed, "Don't worry about it, it's not like I paid for it or anything."
"You mean you-?"
"Stole it? Of course. Now come on, we'll have to explain this to Eric before he sees it on the news tonight."
*^*^*^*^*^
Xavier reared back from the Cerebro station before him.
"John." He whispered.
They hadn't seen or heard from him in months, and just now Charles had felt the boy's presence.
'Eric did not flee the country, or even relocate to another state. To think, he's been in the city all this time.' Charles thought in bemusement.
After the unpleasant incidents at the lake, Charles had not bothered to search for Eric. He knew that it would be pointless, even without his helmet, Eric could block out Cerebro with his own powerful- if somewhat limited- psychic abilities.
However, that did not go for his associates.
Charles and the rest of the entire school knew that Mystique had been impersonating the late Senator Kelly, which was dishonest; however, the only reason that the X-men were not sent to stop her was the sad truth: there was no one else speaking in the defense of mutants to the government.
Xavier had to admit that she was doing a good job, especially with her recent triumph over Alec Green.
But John was different.
Charles had seen many students come and go through his school. Some went off to college, some moved out to join the rest of the world, and some even started families. None had ever been stolen.
Stolen.
Yes, that is what Eric had done. Once they returned to the mansion to try to rebuild what had been damaged, he asked Rogue and Bobby about it. They said that John had been talking to Magneto while they were all aboard the jet, that Magneto seemed to be tempting John in some odd way. John had then left them inside the jet to go into the forest alone; much later, Jean told them whom he was with.
'Blast you, Eric.' He thought somewhat bitterly.
If John had to use his power, Charles could only hope that it wasn't because he needed to protect himself from Eric.
Well, it wouldn't do, would it, to let this go on for longer than it should? Charles knew what he had to do, fulfill the promise that he made to every student that enrolled: that he would shelter and protect them.
Yet it had been many weeks since John was taken, and Eric can be very convincing. Surely by now he's promised John the world, in return for the abuse of his powers.
Knowing Eric, it will take some convincing to get John to return.' Charles thought.
Charles wheeled out of the Cerebro chamber, and cast a mental net over the inhabitants of the school. Yes, everyone was where they should be.
Concentrating just a fraction harder, Charles called out to someone.
The very someone who may be the only person who could bring John home.
'Bobby, could you come to my office please?'
She and Eric 'celebrated' their victory over Alec Green.
John's tension evaporated completely within days, and he became part of the team. He enjoyed staying with them. Despite their fearsome appearances, Magneto and Mystique were pretty easy to deal with.
With his fear gone, John was able to flourish under Magneto and Mystique's patient tutelage. Magneto and John shared the ability to control energy outside of their bodies; so naturally, Magneto aided John as best he could, while Mystique decided to help John learn hand-to-hand combat.
Time had passed, and Pyro found his adventures.
Magneto was still an escaped felon, and more easily recognized than John, who was no one but a young man passed on the street.
As he was today.
John had been given an assignment from Magneto. This one involved next to no danger and barely any fun, but John was obliged to do whatever Magneto asked him.
Today's assignment was to go down to the train station and get something out of a locker.
Could be a bag of diamonds, could be a bag of peanuts, John had no idea.
But, in its own way, it was an adventure. At least he was out of the house, and he had a goal.
As he walked towards the lockers, he brought out the key. "Number 138." He muttered to himself.
Looking down the endless rows of lockers, he found it.
Checking to make sure the coast was clear, he looked on either side of him. "Ah-ha! Gotcha." He said aloud as he reached inside the locker and removed the parcel.
It was a small box, perhaps only two pounds, and wrapped in brown paper. "Weird." He said as he turned it over in his hands.
Shrugging, he slipped it into his pocket. 'Magneto's so paranoid.' He thought. 'Why would he have it delivered here instead of the penthouse?'
John quickly left the train station, walking back towards his new home.
"Hey, John!" he heard from the street.
A pretty girl about his age pulled up next to him in a flashy red sports car.
"You going uptown?" she asked.
John looked back at her. "Do I know you?" he asked.
As John watched, her eyes changed color with a quick blink. From light green, to full chrome yellow.
"Mystique." He stated.
"You were expecting Jubilee?" she asked, winking at him and changing her eyes back.
"Well, I- Hey!" he grunted at someone shoved past him.
"Get out of the car, bitch!"
John looked back to find that three guys had come out of nowhere and were jacking their car! One of the guys, with a shaved head and a big tattoo on his arm had just hustled Mystique out of the driver's seat and shoved her into the street.
John hurried over to her side. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She said, "But the car's gone."
John felt anger building up in his head, and knew the perfect way to vent. "They're not getting away with it." He growled as he brought out his lighter.
He ignited a flame and instantly, he created three large fireballs. He looked back at the car, which was now about fifty feet away.
The fireballs lifted to the air and quickly followed it. 'The tires!' he commanded them with his mind.
Obediently, the fireballs connected with the rubber, melting them into the street.
Still unsatisfied, John produced blowtorch streamers, which flew towards the car.
The thugs inside weren't oblivious to what was happening, and leapt out of the car just as they engulfed the vehicle.
"Nice going Pyro, you couldn't have waited for NBC?" Mystique asked beside him in irritation as a frightened crowd gathered to watch them from the sidewalks.
John, however, was scoffing, "Oh please, those thugs got what they deserved."
Mystique rolled her eyes, "Yeah, but now we have to walk home."
Her point was punctuated by the car's fuel tank catching fire and in effect, the car exploded.
"Sorry." He muttered.
Mystique rolled her eyes and sighed, "Don't worry about it, it's not like I paid for it or anything."
"You mean you-?"
"Stole it? Of course. Now come on, we'll have to explain this to Eric before he sees it on the news tonight."
*^*^*^*^*^
Xavier reared back from the Cerebro station before him.
"John." He whispered.
They hadn't seen or heard from him in months, and just now Charles had felt the boy's presence.
'Eric did not flee the country, or even relocate to another state. To think, he's been in the city all this time.' Charles thought in bemusement.
After the unpleasant incidents at the lake, Charles had not bothered to search for Eric. He knew that it would be pointless, even without his helmet, Eric could block out Cerebro with his own powerful- if somewhat limited- psychic abilities.
However, that did not go for his associates.
Charles and the rest of the entire school knew that Mystique had been impersonating the late Senator Kelly, which was dishonest; however, the only reason that the X-men were not sent to stop her was the sad truth: there was no one else speaking in the defense of mutants to the government.
Xavier had to admit that she was doing a good job, especially with her recent triumph over Alec Green.
But John was different.
Charles had seen many students come and go through his school. Some went off to college, some moved out to join the rest of the world, and some even started families. None had ever been stolen.
Stolen.
Yes, that is what Eric had done. Once they returned to the mansion to try to rebuild what had been damaged, he asked Rogue and Bobby about it. They said that John had been talking to Magneto while they were all aboard the jet, that Magneto seemed to be tempting John in some odd way. John had then left them inside the jet to go into the forest alone; much later, Jean told them whom he was with.
'Blast you, Eric.' He thought somewhat bitterly.
If John had to use his power, Charles could only hope that it wasn't because he needed to protect himself from Eric.
Well, it wouldn't do, would it, to let this go on for longer than it should? Charles knew what he had to do, fulfill the promise that he made to every student that enrolled: that he would shelter and protect them.
Yet it had been many weeks since John was taken, and Eric can be very convincing. Surely by now he's promised John the world, in return for the abuse of his powers.
Knowing Eric, it will take some convincing to get John to return.' Charles thought.
Charles wheeled out of the Cerebro chamber, and cast a mental net over the inhabitants of the school. Yes, everyone was where they should be.
Concentrating just a fraction harder, Charles called out to someone.
The very someone who may be the only person who could bring John home.
'Bobby, could you come to my office please?'