"Pyro! Where ya been hidin'? Ya had me worried sick homme!"
St. John Allerdyce, known to his fellow Acolytes as Pyro, strode into the spacious room with a maniacal grin on his face that he was accustomed to. He pushed his hands into the loose pockets of his cargos. He grinned at the boy.
"Really, now, mate?"
"Ya kiddin' me? Hell be freezin' ove' b'fo I eva miss ya sorry ass."
Pyro laughed at this. "Well nice ta see you too, Gambit."
Gambit, who preferred his real name, Remy LeBeau, scowled at this, and turned around. The tall Russian that also stayed with the Acolytes, Piotr Rasputin, otherwise known as Colossus, was heard slamming things around behind the Australian. Pyro turned to see Piotr walking past him, carrying a heavy box.
"Wha's that mate?"
Piotr stared at him, putting the box down. "I don' know."
"Right then. Guess I'll be unpacking."
Pyro headed to the back of the warehouse where their current base was. He entered his makeshift room and threw his bag onto his cot. A slip of paper fell out. He picked it up, reading it.
"Natalie Wayne, 389-2175."
He grinned and put the paper into his pocket. "Another one for the record. But she was kinda pretty. . ."
* * *
"Pyro! Pyro! Come heah, homme! Ya gon' miss de show!"
"I'm coming, mate!"
Pyro ran into the large room where Remy and Piotr sat in front of the huge television screen. Pyro jumped over the back of the couch, landing in between the two older boys. They fixed their eyes on the screen.
"And now it's time for the Andy Griffith Show! Starring. . . Andy Griffith!"
"I love this show!" Colossus beamed.
"You're serious, mate?" Pyro asked him.
"Da, is best show I ever see."
"Right den mes amis, le's watch de show, non?"
"Acolytes!"
The three jumped to attention. Magneto glared at them.
Twitch. Twitch.
"What have I told you about watching that cursed show?"
"Is not real?" Colossus offered.
"Yeah, that's not how America really is, Mr. Rasputin."
"Oui, de American femmes be wild." Remy grinned.
"That's only at Mardi Gras, mate."
"Dat's not true!"
"Acolytes!"
They silenced themselves. Magneto looked them over skeptically. Pyro could have sworn that below where that helmet he wore revealed his face, he could see a vein throbbing in the old man's forehead. Maybe if they kept it up, old Mags would have a stroke.
"Americans are cruel, like the rest of the world. Not just to their own kind, but to mutants, also. It's time you stop learning about the American dream from the television, and to go out and live it."
"Why botha? Not like we're gonna go make friends with them or something." Pyro looked at Magneto questioningly.
Magneto shot forward and grabbed the young red-headed boy around his throat, lifting him up off of the ground, and against the cool metal wall. Pyro gasped and wriggled in the old man's firm grasp.
"Young Mr. Allerdyce, we don't want human eyes on us all the time. You need to learn to blend in. You all do", he said, motioning his hand around him. Pyro still was held stiffened against the wall.
"Especially you, Russian. You can't even speak proper English." Piotr just stared at his feet.
"Magneto, could ya, you know. . ."
Pyro looked at the old man expectantly. Magneto sighed and dropped him. Pyro landed with a thud on his backside, and he rubbed his lower back tenderly.
"You all will be starting school, tomorrow." Magneto looked around, smiling, to add more drama to the situation. "In Bayville."
"Wha? Ya can' make us go to de-"
"Actually, Gambit, I can. Your way or mine. And besides, what's the point of you imbeciles going to school if you can't keep an eye on my least favorite mutants?"
Remy grinned while Pyro stood behind him questioningly, and Piotr stared at the wall behind Magneto.
"Dat sounds like a plan ta me, homme."
"Damn right you morons. Get out of my sight!"
The Acolytes rushed to their makeshift rooms to pack for their short trip. Magneto rubbed his temples and sighed.
"Colossus, destroy this warehouse before we leave, also. No evidence is to be left behind."
Silence.
"Acolytes, meet my out front in thirty minutes."
* * *
"So Natalie, how was your first day?"
Professor Charles Xavier folded his hands in his lap and beamed at the young rainbow-eyed girl in front of him. She smiled back a little.
"It was okay. But um, I had visions. Again. I can't make them stop, Professor."
"Yes Natalie, I sensed you've been having them."
He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Perhaps I can help you to regulate them a bit?"
She glanced around nervously, taking in the features of the British man's office. The guy must have had a million books in there. And he was super- smart. Go figure.
"I'm willing to try."
"Very good then. I want to show you something. Please come with me."
He motioned her to follow, and so she did. Her eyes turned a deep purple hue, and she raised her eyebrows in question. They came upon a large room. The Professor looked into what Natalie assumed was some type of retinal scanner. A huge computerized voice bellowed from somewhere behind her.
WELCOME PROFESSOR.
And the metallic doors slid open. The Professor wheeled himself inside, and Natalie followed.
The door shut behind them quietly, and Natalie grew even more nervous. "Professa, what is this place?"
"This is the Cerebro Room. It's an enhanced computer that I can use to amplify my powers to find and keep track of other mutants."
"Oh."
The Professor smiled knowingly at her.
"It seems that you could have a small form of telepathy, and I would like to see if you can use Cerebro to find people."
"But so far, they've all been lost kids."
"Ah yes, but you're young, and your powers are still developing. Though she may not admit it, Jean's mental powers were not always as strong as they are now. Yours can grow with time, also."
Natalie swallowed, feeling a dry taste in her mouth. Her eyes slowly flickered green.
"Ah feel like I got cotton in my mouth."
"Don't worry, you'll do fine. Just concentrate."
She reluctantly shut her eyes, and he placed a helmet on her. She suddenly felt the world sliding beneath her feet. It was all she could do to keep standing.
"Professa? Professa!"
No answer. She sighed and looked around to see children. So many.
She looked closer. They were screaming. Crying. Reaching out, trying to grab her. She backed away. There were all kinds of children, Asian kids, Spanish kids, African children, the numbers were endless. And they all were crying out to her, wanting to be heard. Pleading. She couldn't hear them speak, but she saw the pain in their eyes. And then she saw nothing as darkness overswept her.
* * *
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Natalie stirred and opened her eyes. Where was she? It looked like a hospital. She turned her head and saw some type of large blue creature staring at something on a clipboard.
"I must be dreaming."
"I'm afraid not. You gave us quite a scare Miss Wayne. I'm Dr. McCoy." He smiled at her.
"So you're the beast Kitty was telling me about."
". . .Yeah. And now, back to business. You should be fine, we'll let you go back to school tomorrow. But now we know why you have your visions so frequently. You can't hold them. You're not stable enough. You passed out after fifteen seconds on the Cerebro machine."
"Wow. But those kids, they were. . . crying out to me. Pleading. It's like. . . like I was at a library, only I can't pick what book I want. It just gets thrown at me."
She mentally kicked herself for using such lame terminology. Apparently the Professor's extravagant library had left an impression on her.
"I see. Perhaps there are so many of these 'pleas' that your mind can't sort them out, or hang onto them for a long time, thus explaining also why they fade out."
"I'd believe that one in a heartbeat." She glanced around. "No pun intended."
He smiled at her. "You're free to go, but please be careful."
"Yessir." She walked out to find her room. Sleep never sounded so good to her,
* * *
"Hey Pietro, did you see that new X-geek today?"
Lance Alvers sauntered into the Brotherhood Boarding House. Toad hadn't made it home yet, and Blob was in the kitchen, where he happened to spend much of his free time. Wanda had just shut herself up in her room.
"Yeah I saw her. What about it, Shakedown, you like her or something?"
"No, she's weird."
"Why do you say that?"
"I think she's obsessed with my mullet."
Pietro just stared at him. "Um. . . right. So she's weird because she likes your hair? Doesn't that make you really weird since it's your hair?"
Lance sighed in frustration. "That's not the point!"
"So what is your point?"
"She's weird."
"Yeah, that's been emphasized more than once today. Anything else? I gotta jet, got people to see. I actually have a social life."
The room began to shake as Lance balled his fists. It quickly settled down.
"That's about it."
"Alright then."
"Wait, do you like her?"
Pietro just looked at him, then smirked. "Maybe. And what if I do?"
"Just asking Maximoff, just asking."
"Good, 'cause I was just gonna say, if you got a problem with it, you can deal with it or take it up with my father, either way is fine by me."
Pietro ran out the door, not noticing Lance's middle finger stuck up in the air behind him.
* * *
Hola mes amis! Piotr's girl here. I decided to do my random rants last this time, because I can. Mwahaha
Yeah, sharing time. . .
* * *
Eternity's Voice asks: What's with the mullet obsession?
Piotr's Girl answers: This is random insanity. There's no point to it. Heh. . . if you were me, you'd understand. In my hometown, people obsess over mullets. They are such ridiculous haircuts that we just respect anyone who happens to get a mullet. (Besides, down here, if you have a mullet, you're automatically labeled as a hick. We like hicks here. ;)
Kerrigan- Yeah, I'm the grand master of the Universe! Just kidding. But yeah, thanks for yet another joyous compliment. That makes my day.
Eternity's Voice- heh, yeah. . . I noticed the nickname thing too. And yeah, I'm purposely doing a slow start on this, so I can set up a plot and get Natalie a spot and reputation with the X-kids. But don't worry, I'll everntually move on to bigger things. But I'm starting from scratch here ;)
Damien455- Behold, for I dedicate this chapter to you! Enjoy my lackeys! *waves fingers around magically* cookies for all! Kudos!
St. John Allerdyce, known to his fellow Acolytes as Pyro, strode into the spacious room with a maniacal grin on his face that he was accustomed to. He pushed his hands into the loose pockets of his cargos. He grinned at the boy.
"Really, now, mate?"
"Ya kiddin' me? Hell be freezin' ove' b'fo I eva miss ya sorry ass."
Pyro laughed at this. "Well nice ta see you too, Gambit."
Gambit, who preferred his real name, Remy LeBeau, scowled at this, and turned around. The tall Russian that also stayed with the Acolytes, Piotr Rasputin, otherwise known as Colossus, was heard slamming things around behind the Australian. Pyro turned to see Piotr walking past him, carrying a heavy box.
"Wha's that mate?"
Piotr stared at him, putting the box down. "I don' know."
"Right then. Guess I'll be unpacking."
Pyro headed to the back of the warehouse where their current base was. He entered his makeshift room and threw his bag onto his cot. A slip of paper fell out. He picked it up, reading it.
"Natalie Wayne, 389-2175."
He grinned and put the paper into his pocket. "Another one for the record. But she was kinda pretty. . ."
* * *
"Pyro! Pyro! Come heah, homme! Ya gon' miss de show!"
"I'm coming, mate!"
Pyro ran into the large room where Remy and Piotr sat in front of the huge television screen. Pyro jumped over the back of the couch, landing in between the two older boys. They fixed their eyes on the screen.
"And now it's time for the Andy Griffith Show! Starring. . . Andy Griffith!"
"I love this show!" Colossus beamed.
"You're serious, mate?" Pyro asked him.
"Da, is best show I ever see."
"Right den mes amis, le's watch de show, non?"
"Acolytes!"
The three jumped to attention. Magneto glared at them.
Twitch. Twitch.
"What have I told you about watching that cursed show?"
"Is not real?" Colossus offered.
"Yeah, that's not how America really is, Mr. Rasputin."
"Oui, de American femmes be wild." Remy grinned.
"That's only at Mardi Gras, mate."
"Dat's not true!"
"Acolytes!"
They silenced themselves. Magneto looked them over skeptically. Pyro could have sworn that below where that helmet he wore revealed his face, he could see a vein throbbing in the old man's forehead. Maybe if they kept it up, old Mags would have a stroke.
"Americans are cruel, like the rest of the world. Not just to their own kind, but to mutants, also. It's time you stop learning about the American dream from the television, and to go out and live it."
"Why botha? Not like we're gonna go make friends with them or something." Pyro looked at Magneto questioningly.
Magneto shot forward and grabbed the young red-headed boy around his throat, lifting him up off of the ground, and against the cool metal wall. Pyro gasped and wriggled in the old man's firm grasp.
"Young Mr. Allerdyce, we don't want human eyes on us all the time. You need to learn to blend in. You all do", he said, motioning his hand around him. Pyro still was held stiffened against the wall.
"Especially you, Russian. You can't even speak proper English." Piotr just stared at his feet.
"Magneto, could ya, you know. . ."
Pyro looked at the old man expectantly. Magneto sighed and dropped him. Pyro landed with a thud on his backside, and he rubbed his lower back tenderly.
"You all will be starting school, tomorrow." Magneto looked around, smiling, to add more drama to the situation. "In Bayville."
"Wha? Ya can' make us go to de-"
"Actually, Gambit, I can. Your way or mine. And besides, what's the point of you imbeciles going to school if you can't keep an eye on my least favorite mutants?"
Remy grinned while Pyro stood behind him questioningly, and Piotr stared at the wall behind Magneto.
"Dat sounds like a plan ta me, homme."
"Damn right you morons. Get out of my sight!"
The Acolytes rushed to their makeshift rooms to pack for their short trip. Magneto rubbed his temples and sighed.
"Colossus, destroy this warehouse before we leave, also. No evidence is to be left behind."
Silence.
"Acolytes, meet my out front in thirty minutes."
* * *
"So Natalie, how was your first day?"
Professor Charles Xavier folded his hands in his lap and beamed at the young rainbow-eyed girl in front of him. She smiled back a little.
"It was okay. But um, I had visions. Again. I can't make them stop, Professor."
"Yes Natalie, I sensed you've been having them."
He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Perhaps I can help you to regulate them a bit?"
She glanced around nervously, taking in the features of the British man's office. The guy must have had a million books in there. And he was super- smart. Go figure.
"I'm willing to try."
"Very good then. I want to show you something. Please come with me."
He motioned her to follow, and so she did. Her eyes turned a deep purple hue, and she raised her eyebrows in question. They came upon a large room. The Professor looked into what Natalie assumed was some type of retinal scanner. A huge computerized voice bellowed from somewhere behind her.
WELCOME PROFESSOR.
And the metallic doors slid open. The Professor wheeled himself inside, and Natalie followed.
The door shut behind them quietly, and Natalie grew even more nervous. "Professa, what is this place?"
"This is the Cerebro Room. It's an enhanced computer that I can use to amplify my powers to find and keep track of other mutants."
"Oh."
The Professor smiled knowingly at her.
"It seems that you could have a small form of telepathy, and I would like to see if you can use Cerebro to find people."
"But so far, they've all been lost kids."
"Ah yes, but you're young, and your powers are still developing. Though she may not admit it, Jean's mental powers were not always as strong as they are now. Yours can grow with time, also."
Natalie swallowed, feeling a dry taste in her mouth. Her eyes slowly flickered green.
"Ah feel like I got cotton in my mouth."
"Don't worry, you'll do fine. Just concentrate."
She reluctantly shut her eyes, and he placed a helmet on her. She suddenly felt the world sliding beneath her feet. It was all she could do to keep standing.
"Professa? Professa!"
No answer. She sighed and looked around to see children. So many.
She looked closer. They were screaming. Crying. Reaching out, trying to grab her. She backed away. There were all kinds of children, Asian kids, Spanish kids, African children, the numbers were endless. And they all were crying out to her, wanting to be heard. Pleading. She couldn't hear them speak, but she saw the pain in their eyes. And then she saw nothing as darkness overswept her.
* * *
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Natalie stirred and opened her eyes. Where was she? It looked like a hospital. She turned her head and saw some type of large blue creature staring at something on a clipboard.
"I must be dreaming."
"I'm afraid not. You gave us quite a scare Miss Wayne. I'm Dr. McCoy." He smiled at her.
"So you're the beast Kitty was telling me about."
". . .Yeah. And now, back to business. You should be fine, we'll let you go back to school tomorrow. But now we know why you have your visions so frequently. You can't hold them. You're not stable enough. You passed out after fifteen seconds on the Cerebro machine."
"Wow. But those kids, they were. . . crying out to me. Pleading. It's like. . . like I was at a library, only I can't pick what book I want. It just gets thrown at me."
She mentally kicked herself for using such lame terminology. Apparently the Professor's extravagant library had left an impression on her.
"I see. Perhaps there are so many of these 'pleas' that your mind can't sort them out, or hang onto them for a long time, thus explaining also why they fade out."
"I'd believe that one in a heartbeat." She glanced around. "No pun intended."
He smiled at her. "You're free to go, but please be careful."
"Yessir." She walked out to find her room. Sleep never sounded so good to her,
* * *
"Hey Pietro, did you see that new X-geek today?"
Lance Alvers sauntered into the Brotherhood Boarding House. Toad hadn't made it home yet, and Blob was in the kitchen, where he happened to spend much of his free time. Wanda had just shut herself up in her room.
"Yeah I saw her. What about it, Shakedown, you like her or something?"
"No, she's weird."
"Why do you say that?"
"I think she's obsessed with my mullet."
Pietro just stared at him. "Um. . . right. So she's weird because she likes your hair? Doesn't that make you really weird since it's your hair?"
Lance sighed in frustration. "That's not the point!"
"So what is your point?"
"She's weird."
"Yeah, that's been emphasized more than once today. Anything else? I gotta jet, got people to see. I actually have a social life."
The room began to shake as Lance balled his fists. It quickly settled down.
"That's about it."
"Alright then."
"Wait, do you like her?"
Pietro just looked at him, then smirked. "Maybe. And what if I do?"
"Just asking Maximoff, just asking."
"Good, 'cause I was just gonna say, if you got a problem with it, you can deal with it or take it up with my father, either way is fine by me."
Pietro ran out the door, not noticing Lance's middle finger stuck up in the air behind him.
* * *
Hola mes amis! Piotr's girl here. I decided to do my random rants last this time, because I can. Mwahaha
Yeah, sharing time. . .
* * *
Eternity's Voice asks: What's with the mullet obsession?
Piotr's Girl answers: This is random insanity. There's no point to it. Heh. . . if you were me, you'd understand. In my hometown, people obsess over mullets. They are such ridiculous haircuts that we just respect anyone who happens to get a mullet. (Besides, down here, if you have a mullet, you're automatically labeled as a hick. We like hicks here. ;)
Kerrigan- Yeah, I'm the grand master of the Universe! Just kidding. But yeah, thanks for yet another joyous compliment. That makes my day.
Eternity's Voice- heh, yeah. . . I noticed the nickname thing too. And yeah, I'm purposely doing a slow start on this, so I can set up a plot and get Natalie a spot and reputation with the X-kids. But don't worry, I'll everntually move on to bigger things. But I'm starting from scratch here ;)
Damien455- Behold, for I dedicate this chapter to you! Enjoy my lackeys! *waves fingers around magically* cookies for all! Kudos!