Piotr stood and carefully painted, his senses noting everything around him from the faint touch of perfume from when Jubilee had used the brushes, to the smell of roses... his brush flew across the canvas with a grace and style that often convinced him that another power guided his hand and that made his heart ache, for this was what he loved to do most of all. He had a passion and a dream of being a painter and artist. A dream that had never quite been able to be borne true. He hardly hated what he did for saving lives and doing his best to safeguard mutants rights and lives was something he felt he had a true calling to do. The only problem being that callings were never easy and they always required sacrifices.
He had sacrificed happiness and this dream in the pursuit of his calling. He had been caught off guard when Scott, Jean and The Professor had conspired to get him this chance. The chance to be what he dreamed of being-- for a short time at least. An art gallery with an openly-mutant partner on the board was doing a series of portfolios of heroes, both mutant and non. After being exposed to some of Piotr's work, they wanted his work for the show. So, now he was working on paintings of the entire active team. And today, after a routine mission of finding a lost child and mutant family, Cyclops was posing for him while the others took care of business. He smiled as he worked, and breathed in the warm summer air.
Piotr flicked the brush one last time finishing one last detail, and the painting was done. He lay it aside, carefully so that its quick dry paint could take effect(there were advantages to having several state of the art scientists in the group), and smiled at his model.
"You may move again, Scott, and thank you."
"It's my pleasure Piotr, Your skill is such that having you paint Me is a privelage indeed."
Piotr smiled again and judged the quick drying painting fit to go into the case he had brought with him. He quickly stowed the case under the seat of the car, noting the parking ticket they had gotten earlier while rescuin the child. Sighing he placed it in the glove compartment, and turned back to ask if perhaps Scott would like to get lunch somewhere nearby once the others returned... and it was then when the walls behind Scott exploded and out of them came two arms, huge arms, that reached out, grabbed Scott and threw him... head first, straight towards Piotr. Having shifted into Steel form Colossus attempted to catch Cyclops but could not as he was slammed sideways by a huge chunk of wall, and watched helplessly as Cyclops landed hard against a wall with a sickening crack, even as the now visible figure charged him. Colossus felt his rare rage smoldering as he met the Juggernaut headon.
The sound of their collision was titanic and it threw both of them apart. Juggernaut shook his head and grinned fiercely.
"Why do you attack us, Cain?"
"Sorry to do this runt, but money's money and the people involved in this one are too much to piss off."
"I do not under-"
Before he could finish, Juggernaut ripped off a large section of the remaining wall and hurled it at Piotr who caught it and let it fall harmlessly. Then he picked up Colossus's car and smashed it against his head. This staggerred Colossus, whose shock turned to flaming hot rage as he watched Juggernaut toss the remains of his car aside.
The car, inside which he had stored the carefully-worked-on-for-weeks portaits of the X-Men...inside Colossus, something snapped and with a howling sound he charged Juggernaut. Juggernaut had not expected that and quickly backpeddled, defending himself frantically against Colossus' blows. As Colossus rained incredible blows against him, the battle raged across the building, demolishing it, and rendign the earth itself apart in several places.
It was a battle of almost elemental forces, as, for the first time, Colossus truly let loose with the full might of his power and strength. Juggernaut found himself on the defenisive and starting to feel the blows, staggerring backwards away from his opponent. Suddenly he ran into the remaining standing piece of wall and before he could move it Colossus was on Him. Juggernaut turned to look Colossus in the eyes and...
Colossus looked down at his felled foe. One massive punch, delivered as fast and as hard as Colossus could deliver it, had finally taken down the massive criminal.
He heard a groaning behind him and suddenly remembered his injured teamate. He hurried to where Cyclops had fallen and cleared away the debris. he gently examined his teamate and was gratified to see that he wasnt hurt as bad as Colossus had at first thought. it was his helmet and shoulder pads that had absorbed the blow and cracked so allarmingly. Colossus smiled down at Cyclops and helped him up. Together they went over to Juggernaut and searching along the area around where he had entered found a bag holding some documents. Scanning them quickly, Cyclops seemed to go pale.
"We have to get to the others, Now!", he barked, his voice strained.
He tossed the documents to Colossus as he led his teammate off at a run. Colossus scanned the papers and groaned as he saw the evidence before his eyes that teh day was going to get much more aggrivating. There in black and white were instructions to attack Cyclops and Colossus, neutralizing them so they would be useless to help their friends when they were attacked by the combined forces of the Brotherhood and the Masters of Evil. and.. and Colossus closed his eyes for a moment, not wanting to believe... the forces would be led by Magneto!!! Who would also have at his control, a collarred Holocaust. Things were about to get ugly.
He had sacrificed happiness and this dream in the pursuit of his calling. He had been caught off guard when Scott, Jean and The Professor had conspired to get him this chance. The chance to be what he dreamed of being-- for a short time at least. An art gallery with an openly-mutant partner on the board was doing a series of portfolios of heroes, both mutant and non. After being exposed to some of Piotr's work, they wanted his work for the show. So, now he was working on paintings of the entire active team. And today, after a routine mission of finding a lost child and mutant family, Cyclops was posing for him while the others took care of business. He smiled as he worked, and breathed in the warm summer air.
Piotr flicked the brush one last time finishing one last detail, and the painting was done. He lay it aside, carefully so that its quick dry paint could take effect(there were advantages to having several state of the art scientists in the group), and smiled at his model.
"You may move again, Scott, and thank you."
"It's my pleasure Piotr, Your skill is such that having you paint Me is a privelage indeed."
Piotr smiled again and judged the quick drying painting fit to go into the case he had brought with him. He quickly stowed the case under the seat of the car, noting the parking ticket they had gotten earlier while rescuin the child. Sighing he placed it in the glove compartment, and turned back to ask if perhaps Scott would like to get lunch somewhere nearby once the others returned... and it was then when the walls behind Scott exploded and out of them came two arms, huge arms, that reached out, grabbed Scott and threw him... head first, straight towards Piotr. Having shifted into Steel form Colossus attempted to catch Cyclops but could not as he was slammed sideways by a huge chunk of wall, and watched helplessly as Cyclops landed hard against a wall with a sickening crack, even as the now visible figure charged him. Colossus felt his rare rage smoldering as he met the Juggernaut headon.
The sound of their collision was titanic and it threw both of them apart. Juggernaut shook his head and grinned fiercely.
"Why do you attack us, Cain?"
"Sorry to do this runt, but money's money and the people involved in this one are too much to piss off."
"I do not under-"
Before he could finish, Juggernaut ripped off a large section of the remaining wall and hurled it at Piotr who caught it and let it fall harmlessly. Then he picked up Colossus's car and smashed it against his head. This staggerred Colossus, whose shock turned to flaming hot rage as he watched Juggernaut toss the remains of his car aside.
The car, inside which he had stored the carefully-worked-on-for-weeks portaits of the X-Men...inside Colossus, something snapped and with a howling sound he charged Juggernaut. Juggernaut had not expected that and quickly backpeddled, defending himself frantically against Colossus' blows. As Colossus rained incredible blows against him, the battle raged across the building, demolishing it, and rendign the earth itself apart in several places.
It was a battle of almost elemental forces, as, for the first time, Colossus truly let loose with the full might of his power and strength. Juggernaut found himself on the defenisive and starting to feel the blows, staggerring backwards away from his opponent. Suddenly he ran into the remaining standing piece of wall and before he could move it Colossus was on Him. Juggernaut turned to look Colossus in the eyes and...
Colossus looked down at his felled foe. One massive punch, delivered as fast and as hard as Colossus could deliver it, had finally taken down the massive criminal.
He heard a groaning behind him and suddenly remembered his injured teamate. He hurried to where Cyclops had fallen and cleared away the debris. he gently examined his teamate and was gratified to see that he wasnt hurt as bad as Colossus had at first thought. it was his helmet and shoulder pads that had absorbed the blow and cracked so allarmingly. Colossus smiled down at Cyclops and helped him up. Together they went over to Juggernaut and searching along the area around where he had entered found a bag holding some documents. Scanning them quickly, Cyclops seemed to go pale.
"We have to get to the others, Now!", he barked, his voice strained.
He tossed the documents to Colossus as he led his teammate off at a run. Colossus scanned the papers and groaned as he saw the evidence before his eyes that teh day was going to get much more aggrivating. There in black and white were instructions to attack Cyclops and Colossus, neutralizing them so they would be useless to help their friends when they were attacked by the combined forces of the Brotherhood and the Masters of Evil. and.. and Colossus closed his eyes for a moment, not wanting to believe... the forces would be led by Magneto!!! Who would also have at his control, a collarred Holocaust. Things were about to get ugly.