Chap 4
When the other two mutants arrived back at the boarding house later that night they found Lance curled on the couch reading yet another new book. He seemed to go through them like wildfire, every time you turned around it seemed as though he was reading a new one, many of which were classics.
At the boarding house Lance's mask of ignorance and immaturity disappeared, and he gave a sense of innate intelligence and maturity; both self-taught, and something he had been forced to learn at the end of his remarkably short childhood.
Lance had lived on his own since he was 13 so he had become rather a good cook; therefore he often got drafted into cooking dinner for the others. A little later the three settled down to some spaghetti and Lance told them the safe version of what had happened that day; saying that Magneto had stopped in and told him about the mission.
"So, fath...Magneto wants us to go on a mission with the Acolytes, and Mystique? I wonder what he could be thinking, this is really unusual, even for him. I mean either we go by ourselves or with Mystique, but never with the Acolytes." Pietro paced back and forth across the living room as he considered the information he had just received from Lance about the next day.
Todd shrugged his shoulders apathetically as he considered the new information, "Pietro, yo when have we ever been able to figure out what was running through his head, I mean we never know what the hell he is thinking."
Lance stood up from the couch and put a hand on Pietro's shoulder looking more like a father them a teenager of nearly the same age, "Calm down, I am sure we will get some sort of explanation tomorrow, even if it is merely enough of one to satisfy our curiosity." Pietro nodded his head as he examined the earth mover from beneath his hair.
Pietro noticed that Lance was looking particularly pale when they had arrived home, and the paleness had yet to fade. Also, Pietro couldn't remember a time when Lance had looked less like a grunge teenager then as he stood in front of him right now.
He was wearing a black turtleneck that hugged his shoulders and abs, which seemed to have recently appeared, gray casual slacks that emphasized his slim waist, smooth black leather gloves, and black boots. His hair was even more tame, brushed back and to the side; this was definitely not the guy they had known a month ago. He decided this was the perfect time to bring it up, "Hey, Lance what's up with the new look?"
The two brotherhood members were the only ones who knew a bit of the real story behind the breakup with Kitty; they knew he had been ordered to break up with her but not that he had been punished for it significantly.
Pietro and Todd watched, shocked when Lance paled even further as he shook his head, "Uhhh, nope, sorry guys your own pathetic love lives will have to be enough, there aren't even any possibilities on my horizon."
Todd pushed a little following Pietro's lead, "Yo, are you sure, you can tell us ya'know."
Lance gave a nervous laugh as he again shook his head, "There really is nobody, and I think we should probably all get to bed since we have to be out of here so freakin' early in the morning." With this Lance turned and headed up the stairs to his bedroom.
Todd and Pietro looked at each other shrugging there shoulders, they'd have to wait until another day before they tried to again find out what had changed their friend. They both headed to bed as well, not hearing the nearly silent noises of sobbing coming from Lance's room.
The Next Morning
When Todd and Pietro woke up they found Lance downstairs showered, dressed, and ready to go. He hadn't been sleeping much lately and his eyes were red and puffy from what they thought was missed sleep.
He turned to look at them and snapped out an order, "Hurry up, the Acolytes will be here in an hour, and I refuse to be unprepared when they get here." The two younger mutants looked taken aback by his harsh tone but quickly went to get ready.
Lance sighed as he sat at the breakfast table alone, he really didn't mean to snap at the other two, but he was already on edge about the events of the day. He had had a nightmare the night before and woke up sobbing, something which he thought he had long trained himself to stop doing.
Ever since he had become Lord Magneto's "pet" his uniform had changed, become more mature in many aspects. It was now much the way Gambit dressed. He wore dark brown chocolate pants underneath a black shirt and a long leather duster in deep brown.
He also wore a pair of black gloves, and black boots; his tacky glass helmet had been replaced by black wraparound sunglasses. All in all, a impressive transformation, one which he hated and despised.
A little later just as the other two mutants were coming down the stairs, dressed and ready as well, there was a knock at the back door. Lance rose, taking his coffee with him as he opened it.
A very surprised Mystique stood on the other side of the door slowly taking in Lance's new look, definitely a different one then she had seen him in previously. She was again shocked by the cool, calm manner he greeted her in, "Ah, no Pyro, no real shock there. Good morning Mystique, would you care to come in and explain the mission, or would you like to wait for the others?"
Mystique shook off her surprise in this young collected mutant, glancing at the other two as they shrugged their shoulders, also having no idea how he had appeared either.
She took a seat glancing boy, no now a man, in front of her, a emotionless gaze holding her own over a coffee cup. She spoke to shake the feeling something was very wrong here, "The others are coming, it would be best to wait before all is explained. Exactly how much have you been told?"
Lance leaned back in the chair, "Not much, Lo.... I mean Magneto simply dropped by and told me to expect Pyro this morning, that was all." Lance mentally scolded himself as he had nearly said Lord Magneto, luckily besides an odd glance no one had noticed his screw up, he would have to be more careful around the Acolytes, especially Sabertooth.
Mystique looked at the rock mover in front of her suspiciously, it sounded as though he had been about to say something else. Some how she got the feeling that she didn't want to know the background about what he had nearly said.
They continued to look at each other and Lance was the first to speak, "Would you care for some coffee Mystique? It seems as though the Acolytes are not ones to be on time." Mystique nodded her head in agreement, "Yes coffee would be appreciated, black and strong."
Lance smirked as he rose, "Of course, I wouldn't make it any other way." As he was setting the cup in front of Mystique another knock, heavier then before was at the back door.
Lance went to answer it, as he opened it he came face to face with the one creature he had hoped never to see again, Sabertooth. Sabertooth grinned, his fangs flashing, "Hello Rocky"
When the other two mutants arrived back at the boarding house later that night they found Lance curled on the couch reading yet another new book. He seemed to go through them like wildfire, every time you turned around it seemed as though he was reading a new one, many of which were classics.
At the boarding house Lance's mask of ignorance and immaturity disappeared, and he gave a sense of innate intelligence and maturity; both self-taught, and something he had been forced to learn at the end of his remarkably short childhood.
Lance had lived on his own since he was 13 so he had become rather a good cook; therefore he often got drafted into cooking dinner for the others. A little later the three settled down to some spaghetti and Lance told them the safe version of what had happened that day; saying that Magneto had stopped in and told him about the mission.
"So, fath...Magneto wants us to go on a mission with the Acolytes, and Mystique? I wonder what he could be thinking, this is really unusual, even for him. I mean either we go by ourselves or with Mystique, but never with the Acolytes." Pietro paced back and forth across the living room as he considered the information he had just received from Lance about the next day.
Todd shrugged his shoulders apathetically as he considered the new information, "Pietro, yo when have we ever been able to figure out what was running through his head, I mean we never know what the hell he is thinking."
Lance stood up from the couch and put a hand on Pietro's shoulder looking more like a father them a teenager of nearly the same age, "Calm down, I am sure we will get some sort of explanation tomorrow, even if it is merely enough of one to satisfy our curiosity." Pietro nodded his head as he examined the earth mover from beneath his hair.
Pietro noticed that Lance was looking particularly pale when they had arrived home, and the paleness had yet to fade. Also, Pietro couldn't remember a time when Lance had looked less like a grunge teenager then as he stood in front of him right now.
He was wearing a black turtleneck that hugged his shoulders and abs, which seemed to have recently appeared, gray casual slacks that emphasized his slim waist, smooth black leather gloves, and black boots. His hair was even more tame, brushed back and to the side; this was definitely not the guy they had known a month ago. He decided this was the perfect time to bring it up, "Hey, Lance what's up with the new look?"
The two brotherhood members were the only ones who knew a bit of the real story behind the breakup with Kitty; they knew he had been ordered to break up with her but not that he had been punished for it significantly.
Pietro and Todd watched, shocked when Lance paled even further as he shook his head, "Uhhh, nope, sorry guys your own pathetic love lives will have to be enough, there aren't even any possibilities on my horizon."
Todd pushed a little following Pietro's lead, "Yo, are you sure, you can tell us ya'know."
Lance gave a nervous laugh as he again shook his head, "There really is nobody, and I think we should probably all get to bed since we have to be out of here so freakin' early in the morning." With this Lance turned and headed up the stairs to his bedroom.
Todd and Pietro looked at each other shrugging there shoulders, they'd have to wait until another day before they tried to again find out what had changed their friend. They both headed to bed as well, not hearing the nearly silent noises of sobbing coming from Lance's room.
The Next Morning
When Todd and Pietro woke up they found Lance downstairs showered, dressed, and ready to go. He hadn't been sleeping much lately and his eyes were red and puffy from what they thought was missed sleep.
He turned to look at them and snapped out an order, "Hurry up, the Acolytes will be here in an hour, and I refuse to be unprepared when they get here." The two younger mutants looked taken aback by his harsh tone but quickly went to get ready.
Lance sighed as he sat at the breakfast table alone, he really didn't mean to snap at the other two, but he was already on edge about the events of the day. He had had a nightmare the night before and woke up sobbing, something which he thought he had long trained himself to stop doing.
Ever since he had become Lord Magneto's "pet" his uniform had changed, become more mature in many aspects. It was now much the way Gambit dressed. He wore dark brown chocolate pants underneath a black shirt and a long leather duster in deep brown.
He also wore a pair of black gloves, and black boots; his tacky glass helmet had been replaced by black wraparound sunglasses. All in all, a impressive transformation, one which he hated and despised.
A little later just as the other two mutants were coming down the stairs, dressed and ready as well, there was a knock at the back door. Lance rose, taking his coffee with him as he opened it.
A very surprised Mystique stood on the other side of the door slowly taking in Lance's new look, definitely a different one then she had seen him in previously. She was again shocked by the cool, calm manner he greeted her in, "Ah, no Pyro, no real shock there. Good morning Mystique, would you care to come in and explain the mission, or would you like to wait for the others?"
Mystique shook off her surprise in this young collected mutant, glancing at the other two as they shrugged their shoulders, also having no idea how he had appeared either.
She took a seat glancing boy, no now a man, in front of her, a emotionless gaze holding her own over a coffee cup. She spoke to shake the feeling something was very wrong here, "The others are coming, it would be best to wait before all is explained. Exactly how much have you been told?"
Lance leaned back in the chair, "Not much, Lo.... I mean Magneto simply dropped by and told me to expect Pyro this morning, that was all." Lance mentally scolded himself as he had nearly said Lord Magneto, luckily besides an odd glance no one had noticed his screw up, he would have to be more careful around the Acolytes, especially Sabertooth.
Mystique looked at the rock mover in front of her suspiciously, it sounded as though he had been about to say something else. Some how she got the feeling that she didn't want to know the background about what he had nearly said.
They continued to look at each other and Lance was the first to speak, "Would you care for some coffee Mystique? It seems as though the Acolytes are not ones to be on time." Mystique nodded her head in agreement, "Yes coffee would be appreciated, black and strong."
Lance smirked as he rose, "Of course, I wouldn't make it any other way." As he was setting the cup in front of Mystique another knock, heavier then before was at the back door.
Lance went to answer it, as he opened it he came face to face with the one creature he had hoped never to see again, Sabertooth. Sabertooth grinned, his fangs flashing, "Hello Rocky"