Déjà vu from the first story…the X-Men belong to Marvel Comics…not yours truly.
A/N: I've been O SO lazy and haven't been working on these stories much…lots and lots of thanks go to Joe, Laura, and Bryan.
The X- Tremes are a special band of mutants who have been brought together to learn, train, and grow into the next generation of superheroes. Professor Xavier hopes that he has learned from past mistakes, and the X-Tremes will thrive in a world that may one day accept them.
A month has passed since the mutant child, Darius, came to live at the Xavier mansion in Westchester, NY. Unrest between Xavier and Ziska grew exponentially and threatens everything that the X-Tremes and the original X-Men were built on.
For now, the X-Tremes; Ziska, A.J., Dinah, Liz, Jack, Pip, Rebecca, and Darius are enjoying a break from the world, and their lives as superheroes. At the end of the Xavier estate lays Breakstone Lake, where the teens cool off on a hot, summer day.
"CANNON BAAAAALL! YAAAAH HOOOOO! "
A scream and a splash, followed by a barrage of dynamite sticks and purple, explosive orbs.
"Awh, dang it, Jack. Now why'd you have to go and do somethin' like that?"
Rebecca's usually calm drawl now plainly expressed her irritation. She wiped the water out of her eyes and smoothed her hair back. Jack peeked his head out of the water. He didn't see what the big deal was in running down the lakeshore, swinging on a rope and flying into the water where his friends happened to be quietly enjoying the peace.
"C'mon 'Becca…loosen' up a little, girl," Jack smiled. Rebecca tried to glare at him, but his smile was just too sweet and innocent.
"You keep it up, and ah'll send you back to the swamp with the 'gators," Rebecca grinned.
Dinah rolled her eyes while her best friend mock-argued with Jack. She had to smile at the fact that Rebecca and Jack were getting close.
I was so worried for her that she would have trouble making friends…the prison was so terrible…no. Don't think about that now. Enjoy yourself, Dinah. You never know when you'll have another chance.
Dinah swam back to shore while crazed giggles and splashes carried on behind her. On shore, Liz and Pip sat on the grass watching Darius as he waded through the water. Dinah walked up the shore, and stopped as Darius tilted his head towards her.
"Hello, Darius. What are you up to?"
"Hi, Dinah. I'm trying to go fishing."
Dinah smiled. "Fishing? I thought you needed a fishing rod for that."
"Nope! Lizzy was telling me all about how she knows people who can catch fish in a river with their hands!" Darius held up his hands to emphasize the point.
"Wow…that sounds really cool. If you get the hang of it, can you show me?"
"I don't know…I'd have to ask Lizzy…" He gestured for Dinah to come closer, and he whispered in her ear. "It's an old Indian trick…very secret."
"Oh," Dinah whispered back. "Ok, we'll make sure it's ok first."
Dinah smiled and tussled Darius' hair while he continued to slowly wade through the water. Dinah turned towards Liz and Pip, and sat on the grass beside them.
"Old Indian trick, huh?" Dinah smiled. Liz glanced at her then laughed.
"You wouldn't believe how curious he is. He keeps asking me to tell him old stories from my tribe. I don't mind though…he's such a great kid."
"He's really grown close to you. It's good that you took him under your wing."
Liz nodded and smiled. Pip laughed and motioned towards Darius over his shoulder.
"Ye should 'ave seen him last night. The boy wouldnae go to sleep till Liz came in and told him a story about buffalo."
"Bison," Liz corrected.
"What?" Pip looked at her with a confused expression.
"They're called bison. Buffalo live in Africa."
"Oh…"
Liz couldn't help but laugh. Dinah smiled and shook her head. As she did so, she noticed Ziska and A.J. standing alone near the woods.
"Huh…that's weird." Dinah gazed towards the woods.
"What?" Liz asked, then followed Dinah's gaze towards the woods. "Oh…being distant again."
"They've been like that for a month…especially Ziska. I don't get it."
"What's to get?" Liz turned away and stared at the lake. "They went gallivanting off, got yelled at, and now they're pouting."
The conversation about Ziska and A.J. ended there. Dinah didn't feel the need to press the issue any further. She knew how Liz felt about them, and she couldn't blame her for it either. She remembered back to the first time the team had gotten together. They were in the Rec room, socializing, getting to know one another.
"So…you morph into a dragon, huh?" Ziska's voice was cold, and had a mocking tone.
Liz never looked up. "That's right."
Ziska tilted her head. "So why don't you do it now." She smirked.
"No."
"And why not? A powerful creature like you is too afraid to show her true self?"
"I don't want to." Still, Liz had never looked up.
"Why don't you look me in the face and tell me that, Lizard-Breath."
"I don't have to."
"My father is the Professor. I'm going to be field leader, which means you're going to have to follow orders. Look me in the face."
"You don't deserve it."
"Oh…and a savage like you even deserves to be here? Where's your family? Off getting drunk somewhere in a casino?"
Liz continued to look away but the anger was rapidly growing inside her. She growled quietly. Ziska heard, and her smirk grew.
"C'mon…old Tonto isn't around to give you advice now. Just get your bow and arrows and pipe…unless you're too drunk…no…you're too much of a coward. Run away and stay on your reservations…cry and whine when the government treats you badly. Oh…big bad warrior Lizard-Breath, hurt the white man, bad medicine for you…how's that red skin. You gonna look at me now? Huh? I'm talking to you, savage! LOOK AT…"
Dinah cringed as she remembered that night. Liz had finally lost her temper. She leapt up and slammed Ziska into the wall. Her head had cracked the dry wall, but she was laughing all the same. Liz's eyes, which looked reptilian, had an even more animalistic look…a bloodthirsty hunger…Dinah looked at Liz now. Her fingers were loosely entwined in Pip's, and she watched Darius in the lake. Her eye's were softer than they were that night, but were still watchful, still had a hard edge. Dinah looked back towards the woods. Ziska and A.J. were gone. A cold feeling in the pit of Dinah's stomach grew. She didn't know exactly what, but something was troubling her.
A/N: I've been O SO lazy and haven't been working on these stories much…lots and lots of thanks go to Joe, Laura, and Bryan.
The X- Tremes are a special band of mutants who have been brought together to learn, train, and grow into the next generation of superheroes. Professor Xavier hopes that he has learned from past mistakes, and the X-Tremes will thrive in a world that may one day accept them.
A month has passed since the mutant child, Darius, came to live at the Xavier mansion in Westchester, NY. Unrest between Xavier and Ziska grew exponentially and threatens everything that the X-Tremes and the original X-Men were built on.
For now, the X-Tremes; Ziska, A.J., Dinah, Liz, Jack, Pip, Rebecca, and Darius are enjoying a break from the world, and their lives as superheroes. At the end of the Xavier estate lays Breakstone Lake, where the teens cool off on a hot, summer day.
"CANNON BAAAAALL! YAAAAH HOOOOO! "
A scream and a splash, followed by a barrage of dynamite sticks and purple, explosive orbs.
"Awh, dang it, Jack. Now why'd you have to go and do somethin' like that?"
Rebecca's usually calm drawl now plainly expressed her irritation. She wiped the water out of her eyes and smoothed her hair back. Jack peeked his head out of the water. He didn't see what the big deal was in running down the lakeshore, swinging on a rope and flying into the water where his friends happened to be quietly enjoying the peace.
"C'mon 'Becca…loosen' up a little, girl," Jack smiled. Rebecca tried to glare at him, but his smile was just too sweet and innocent.
"You keep it up, and ah'll send you back to the swamp with the 'gators," Rebecca grinned.
Dinah rolled her eyes while her best friend mock-argued with Jack. She had to smile at the fact that Rebecca and Jack were getting close.
I was so worried for her that she would have trouble making friends…the prison was so terrible…no. Don't think about that now. Enjoy yourself, Dinah. You never know when you'll have another chance.
Dinah swam back to shore while crazed giggles and splashes carried on behind her. On shore, Liz and Pip sat on the grass watching Darius as he waded through the water. Dinah walked up the shore, and stopped as Darius tilted his head towards her.
"Hello, Darius. What are you up to?"
"Hi, Dinah. I'm trying to go fishing."
Dinah smiled. "Fishing? I thought you needed a fishing rod for that."
"Nope! Lizzy was telling me all about how she knows people who can catch fish in a river with their hands!" Darius held up his hands to emphasize the point.
"Wow…that sounds really cool. If you get the hang of it, can you show me?"
"I don't know…I'd have to ask Lizzy…" He gestured for Dinah to come closer, and he whispered in her ear. "It's an old Indian trick…very secret."
"Oh," Dinah whispered back. "Ok, we'll make sure it's ok first."
Dinah smiled and tussled Darius' hair while he continued to slowly wade through the water. Dinah turned towards Liz and Pip, and sat on the grass beside them.
"Old Indian trick, huh?" Dinah smiled. Liz glanced at her then laughed.
"You wouldn't believe how curious he is. He keeps asking me to tell him old stories from my tribe. I don't mind though…he's such a great kid."
"He's really grown close to you. It's good that you took him under your wing."
Liz nodded and smiled. Pip laughed and motioned towards Darius over his shoulder.
"Ye should 'ave seen him last night. The boy wouldnae go to sleep till Liz came in and told him a story about buffalo."
"Bison," Liz corrected.
"What?" Pip looked at her with a confused expression.
"They're called bison. Buffalo live in Africa."
"Oh…"
Liz couldn't help but laugh. Dinah smiled and shook her head. As she did so, she noticed Ziska and A.J. standing alone near the woods.
"Huh…that's weird." Dinah gazed towards the woods.
"What?" Liz asked, then followed Dinah's gaze towards the woods. "Oh…being distant again."
"They've been like that for a month…especially Ziska. I don't get it."
"What's to get?" Liz turned away and stared at the lake. "They went gallivanting off, got yelled at, and now they're pouting."
The conversation about Ziska and A.J. ended there. Dinah didn't feel the need to press the issue any further. She knew how Liz felt about them, and she couldn't blame her for it either. She remembered back to the first time the team had gotten together. They were in the Rec room, socializing, getting to know one another.
"So…you morph into a dragon, huh?" Ziska's voice was cold, and had a mocking tone.
Liz never looked up. "That's right."
Ziska tilted her head. "So why don't you do it now." She smirked.
"No."
"And why not? A powerful creature like you is too afraid to show her true self?"
"I don't want to." Still, Liz had never looked up.
"Why don't you look me in the face and tell me that, Lizard-Breath."
"I don't have to."
"My father is the Professor. I'm going to be field leader, which means you're going to have to follow orders. Look me in the face."
"You don't deserve it."
"Oh…and a savage like you even deserves to be here? Where's your family? Off getting drunk somewhere in a casino?"
Liz continued to look away but the anger was rapidly growing inside her. She growled quietly. Ziska heard, and her smirk grew.
"C'mon…old Tonto isn't around to give you advice now. Just get your bow and arrows and pipe…unless you're too drunk…no…you're too much of a coward. Run away and stay on your reservations…cry and whine when the government treats you badly. Oh…big bad warrior Lizard-Breath, hurt the white man, bad medicine for you…how's that red skin. You gonna look at me now? Huh? I'm talking to you, savage! LOOK AT…"
Dinah cringed as she remembered that night. Liz had finally lost her temper. She leapt up and slammed Ziska into the wall. Her head had cracked the dry wall, but she was laughing all the same. Liz's eyes, which looked reptilian, had an even more animalistic look…a bloodthirsty hunger…Dinah looked at Liz now. Her fingers were loosely entwined in Pip's, and she watched Darius in the lake. Her eye's were softer than they were that night, but were still watchful, still had a hard edge. Dinah looked back towards the woods. Ziska and A.J. were gone. A cold feeling in the pit of Dinah's stomach grew. She didn't know exactly what, but something was troubling her.