Brotherhood Evolution: Buried Past
Summary: Avalanche and Shadow Cat are trapped in a cave-in. Do the math. This is going to be true Lancitty action folks. (Hmmm… that sounded kind of dirty…)
Dedication: This one goes to all those who are fans of the series and the couple. That's right, anyone reading this, this is for you. Anyone not reading this is a stupid poopy-head.
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Xavier's Institute for the Gifted Young
"Are you excited Kitten?" Storm asked Kitty, who was getting ready for her school trip.
"Like totally, I mean how often do I get to go to the Bayville gorge and study geology with my class?" Kitty asked simply as she loaded up her backpack. "And for once, I'm in a class where no one hates mutants!" Kitty exclaimed.
"Just take care Kitten." Storm said as Kitty skipped outside and into Jean's minivan. Soon she was off at school and loading her stuff onto the bus.
"Like, this is SO going to be a day to remember." Kitty thought as the bus took off to the gorge. She didn't realize how right she was.
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The Brotherhood of Bayville Boarding House
"Yo, Lance!" Todd said as he knocked on Lance's door. "You in there?"
"Yea. What's up Todd?" Lance said as he opened the door, Todd caught the smell of incense from the room.
"Yo, been meditating again?" Todd asked as he looked at Lance flatly.
"No. I've been smoking the Chronic." Lance said sarcastically.
"Man, ever since your powers evolved, you got the whole Fung Sway thing down pat."
"Toad, my powers are geologically based. I'm in tune with the earth at all times. Meditating is a nice and easy way for me to reassure that connection and keep my powers in focus." Lance stated.
"You were smoking a fat one, weren't you?" Toad asked again.
"You're an idiot." Lance stated. "What do you want?"
"There's something you should see on TV." Todd said as he led Lance downstairs into the pallor.
"This recent surge in Seismic activity has stumped scientists." Trish Tilby reported on the TV.
"What's going on?" Lance asked as he entered the pallor.
"Bayville Geological Society's a massive earthquake sometime today." X stated as she sat on the couch with Pietro.
"What?"
"Check it out. Ever since the whole "Mysterious earthquakes" that plagued Bayville a few months ago..." Blob said as he stared dryly at Lance. "…Bayville hired a team of Geologists to try and figure out why. "
"So far they've gotten zilch, especially after we left." Wanda stated.
"Because I wasn't causing earthquakes anymore." Lance said simply.
"Yep." Toad said. "But there's been some recent activity. Lots of it."
"Sigh…" Lance muttered as he shook his head. "Let me try something" Lance said as he held his head and looked around. "Something's not right." Lance said as he looked at the others. "They're right. There's going to be a massive earthquake at the gorge soon." Lance stated, his earth based senses kicking in.
"Wait, natural earthquakes don't happen in Bayville." Wanda stated.
"Yea, but all the earthquakes I've created here have fractured the mantel of the earth in this area, this one has been building up for a while. And it's going to be big." Lance said as he walked over to his coat.
"Where are you going?" Pietro asked as he watched Lance put on his coat, a brown duster.
"I'm going to try and stop it. This thing is going to be big, and will cause a lot of damage. It won't stop at the gorge. It will spread and continue to grow. The very mantel is out of synch with pure seismic energy."
"And if you don't, then we get blamed. Especially since you're powers have been well documented." X stated.
"Yep. Hopefully I'll be able to repair the mantel using my earth crafting abilities to seal the rift back up before it can become too bad, then I should be able to siphon the leftover seismic energy away from the rift and into myself." Lance said as he put his coat on. "That should keep it from happening again.
"You want some help." Wanda asked as she looked up.
"No offense Scarlet Witch, but I'm the only one here with powers that are earth based." Lance said with a smirk. "Yours are probability based, and still have a 20% chance of backfiring. You may do more harm than good." Lance said.
"You should still have someone go with you in case of trouble." Pietro said simply.
"I'll be fine. Worse case scenario, I die." Lance said with a smirk.
"You're insane." Blob said simply. Wanda coughed. "But not as insane as her." Blob recited in a monotone voice.
"Thank you." Wanda said simply.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Lance said as he left.
"I got a coke that says he doesn't come home.' Pietro said simply.
"I want in on that action." X said as she shook hands with Pietro.
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Bayville Gorge
"This is so awesome." Kitty said as she studied a rock sample, it was a brilliant purple color. "This day is going great." Kitty though before she was interrupted by a tremor in the ground. "And I spoke too soon again." Kitty thought as the ground stopped shaking. "If Lance wanted my attention, he sure got it." Kitty thought as she looked around for her boyfriend.
"Alright people." The science teacher stated. "This tremor looks to be the beginning of a major earthquake." The professor stated as he studied the seismic graphs of the machine before him. "So we'll have to vacate this area and return some other time." He was answered with a chorus of groans. "I know, I know…but safety first." The teacher said as the students filled on the bus.
"That's weird." Kitty looked around depressed. The she saw Lance standing on the rim of the gorge, his hands outstretched toward the mountainside and he was deep in concentration. Soon the ground began to shake more violently as sweat beaded on Lance's forehead. Kitty was bout to get off of the bus before the ground started to quake more. "GO NOW!" Kitty shouted as she took off towards Lance. The bus full of students started to take off, just as a series of tremors started to shake the gorge violently.
"Kitty!" The teacher called out after her.
"Like get out of here! I'll be fine!" Kitty shouted. The bus started to take off again, but to her horror the bus full of students got stuck in a huge rift in the earth. The ground started to shake even more as Lance let out a scream, blood trickling from his nose. "What is he doing?" Kitty thought as she ran toward Lance. "Lance, stop it!!!" Kitty shouted as she ran next to him.
"Get... out... of... here..." Lance said through gritted teeth, the blood beginning to seep from his ears as well. "NOW!" Lance shouted as he focused. "Too… much… energy…"
"Oh my God!" Kitty shouted when she saw a group of boulders falling down the side of the gorge, toward the trapped students.
"Not... on my... watch..." Lance gritted as he turned his attention to the boulders and stretched his arm and fingers out on one hand. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Lance screamed as seismic energy erupted from his hand and shattered the boulders into dust in a series of concussive blasts. Meanwhile the bus had managed to free itself and was taking off, as the tremors grew more powerful. "Kitty… get out… of… here… NOW!" Lance shouted as he turned to face the large cracks in the earth that were forming. "RAHHHHHHH!!!" Lance screamed as he focused and the rifts began to close. Blood and sweat mingled on the face of Lance Alvers as he tried to close the rift in the earth's mantel before it could cause more damage, seismic energy radiating around his battered body. Kitty was frozen as she watched the ground under her open up.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH…" Kitty screamed as she fell into the hole.
"KITTY!" Lance screamed as he turned to the hole, which had closed up. Another opened up under him. As Lance fell he grabbed the edge of the hole and held on, but blood loss and exhaustion got the better of him and Lance fell into the hole, which soon closed up behind him. The tremors stopped and everything went back to normal.
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The Brotherhood of Bayville Boarding House
"The tremor's have stopped." Wanda said from under the table she and Toad were under. Toad wiping lipstick off of his face.
"Guess Lance took care of the crack." Pietro said as he got out from under the doorframe he was in. "What were doing with my sister…" Pietro then asked venomously as he stared at Toad's face.
"Nothing…" the two of them replied instantly.
"Hope Lance is okay." Toad said, changing the subject.
"Let's just wait and see what happens." Pietro said as he faced the Brotherhood.
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Underneath the earth
"Kitty!" Lance called out as he looked around. The cavern he was in was glowing due to rock sentiments that were charged with solar energy. "Are you around here?" Lance called out as he held his side, which was bleeding.
"I'm right here." Kitty said as she pushed some rocks off of her. She coughed out dust as Lance walked over to her and helped her up. "Great going Lance." Kitty said as she dusted herself off.
"Me? What the hell did I do?" Lance snapped.
"How about almost killing my class and burying me hundreds of feet under ground?" Kitty snapped back.
"First of all, I didn't cause that earthquake…well not directly anyway." Lance said as he held his side. "And secondly, your class would be mush if it wasn't for me, remember?" Lance grimaced.
"Well…I," Kitty began before she got flushed. "Oooohh!" Kitty fumed. Lance was getting amused at the scene in front of him.
"Are we done with our hissy fit Miss Katherine Pryde?" Lance quipped.
"Look, just blow us out of here so I can go home and shower." Kitty huffed.
"Sorry Kitty, but I can't." Lance said weakly as he leaned against the wall. He tore of a piece of his jacket and made a bandage for his chest.
"Why?" Kitty demanded.
"We're close to five miles below the mantel of the earth." Lance said as he closed his eyes in concentration. The dried blood on his face cracked as Lance opened his eyes again. "I managed to soften the earth for or impact, that's' why we're still alive. Oh and we're surrounded by molten Lava and an underground body of water." Lance said as he looked around. "If I use my powers in any major way, there's a chance I could rupture those pockets, killing us. The best bet for us to get out of here is to try and find a path out of this cavern in an upward direction." Lance said as he focused and held his hand out. Seismic pulses caused the wall behind Kitty melted away, revealing a slight incline. "And that looks to be the best bet." Lance said as he forged ahead.
"This is just great. Trapped underground with my boyfriend." Kitty muttered as she followed Lance through the passageway. "I knew your powers evolved but how can you tell about all of this?" Kitty asked as she matched Lance's pace.
"Geological telepathy." Lance said simply tapping his forehead. "I commune with the earth, basically I can read what is going on in my surrounding geological environment's." Lance said simply as he stared at the wall behind her. "Hold on for a second." Lance said as he put his hand on the wall. A small hole appeared and water jetted from the hole and hit the other side of the wall with quite some force. Soon the water had stopped into a simple trickle that Lance put his hands in the water and washed himself off, trying to stop the bleeding from his side. "Best to drink up now Katherine." Lance said as he took a long drink of the springing water. "No telling how long it will be before we can find more water and we've still got a long way to go." Lance said as he pulled out a small bottle and filled it up with water.
"Fine." Kitty said as she drank the water. She then wiped her mouth off as she looked around. "So where do we go next?"
"Best bet is up. Lance said as he looked around.
"Duh." Kitty said simply.
"Look up." Lance quipped as Kitty looked up. She couldn't see the ceiling.
"This chasm goes up an easy four hundred feet." Lance said as he walked close to Kitty. "Now keep your arms and hands inside the ride at all times." Lance said simply as he focused and the ground below them rose up on a giant pillar of earth.
"Wow." Kitty said as she stared at the departing form of the floor.
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"Like, we've been walking for hours." Kitty whined as Lance held his side in pain. They had found an outcrop where Lance had willed the earthen pillar to drop them off. They had been walking in an upward direction for the last four to five hours.
"Look, Kitty. You seriously need to loosen up. It could be worse." Lance said as he stopped and faced the brunette in front of him.
"Really, how?" Kitty asked as she faced Lance.
"The quake could have punctured the lava tube I mentioned earlier. Or that water body could have been steam, thus boiling us alive." Lance said as he faced Kitty.
"Oh." Kitty said in shock.
"Yea. Oh." Lance stated cockily as he turned to continue. He stopped suddenly though, and clutched his side
"Lance? What's wrong?" Kitty asked as she ran over to the fallen mutant.
"Think that fall might have done more damage than I thought." Lance said as he took his hand off his side, revealing his wound. The muscle was torn and his ribs were slightly exposed.
"Oh my God." Kitty said as she ran over to help him from falling.
"Kitty…" Lance weakly before he passed out.
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Xavier Institute for the Gifted Young
"Where is Keety?" Kurt asked as he walked into the pallor.
X-MEN ASSEMBLE! Came Xavier mental shout throughout the mansion
"What are we, the Avengers?" Alex asked as he ran down the hallway with his Brother.
"I stopped trying to figure that out long ago." Scott said as the X-Men assembled in the War-Room.
"What's up Chuck?" Logan asked as he sat down.
"Kitty was involved in an incident earlier today." Xavier began before Kurt interrupted him.
"Is she okay?" Kurt asked, panic evident in his voice.
"She is fine." Xavier said as he faced the furry boy. "She's trapped underground with Avalanche." Xavier said as Kurt and Scott slapped their faces.
"And she's okay…how?" Scott asked.
"I can read their thoughts, and I believe Kitty will be fine. However, Avalanche is wounded. The best course of action to take is to try and find out where they are and try to get to them." Xavier said as he brought up a 3-D chart of Bayville and began going over it with his students.
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Underground
"Lance?" Kitty asked as Lance slowly came to consciousness
"I'm…Okay…" Lance said through rasps as he supported himself against the wall, Kitty was sitting next to him. He struggled to get up but slumped back down. "Okay…maybe not." Lance said with a weak smile.
"What can I do?" Kitty asked as she knelt down next to him.
"Wa…water…" Lance said as he held his hand out weakly. Seismic energy rippled from his hand and into the wall.
"Lance what are you...?" Kitty began as the pulses hit the wall and opened up another hole. Another jet of water emerged, though this one not as powerful as the last. Water streamed out and into a small conclave in the ground. "Lance, you shouldn't have used your powers…" Kitty began before she noticed that Lance had already passed out again. "He always was stubborn." Kitty said as she checked his pulse. It was normal, although his breathing was slightly labored. Kitty sighed as she ripped off a part of Lance's duster and soaked it in the small pool that was now overflowing with mineral water. She then began to tend to the fallen Brotherhood leader.
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Hours Later
"Wha…What happened." Lance said as he woke up. He was resting against the wall. Kitty was kneeling over him, a look of concern on her face. His chest was wrapped in a tight Bandage.
"Welcome back." Kitty said as she removed the wet cloth from his forehead. "Feeling better?"
"Not really." Lance said as he tried to get up and look around, Kitty holding him down. "How long was I out?"
"An hour or so." Kitty said as she smiled at him.
"And you took care of me?" Lance asked with a smile.
"Yea." Kitty said with a smile, then her face became hard. "Lance? Can I ask you a question?"
"I believe you just did." Lance said with a smile.
"You know what I mean." Kitty said.
"Shoot." Lance asked as he stretched out.
"Where did the scars on your back come from?" Kitty asked as Lance 's face dropped.
"How did you find out about those?" Lance asked sternly.
"I had to take your shirt off when I cleaned the blood off of you and dressed your wound." Kitty said meekly.
"Look, you don't have to worry about those." Lance said, his voice quivering.
"Lance, what happened?" Kitty asked as she put her hand on his shoulder. "Talk to me."
"While you were off with your teeny bopper friends, going to concerts or sleep over parties, I was on the receiving end of a belt." Lance said sullenly as he faced her.
"Lance…" Kitty said as she knelt down next to him.
"It's a lot worse than that." Lance said as he put his hand on his forehead and continued. "It started when I was born. I was found abandoned in front of a liquor store. Or more correctly in the trashcan of said store." Lance said as he held back a few tears. "I never knew my parents, probably some knocked up teenage mom or something like that. I spent the better part of my youth in orphanages around the country. They kept moving me around, hell I guess they didn't even want me." Lance said as he pulled out the bottle of water he had. He took a long swallow before he continued. "Finally I was placed in Foster care up in Chicago. That's when the beatings started. At first it was just spankings, like every kid received at some point in life. But then they started to use belts on my back. Even when I didn't do anything. It just depended on how drunk they were." Lance said as he took another swallow of water. "You get used to it after awhile. That's what makes me sick. The fact that I got used to it. I didn't even do a damn thing to stop it either." Lance said as he winced when Kitty took a sharp breath. "But then one day I told them to stop. I screamed it. And the ground screamed with me. That's when my powers emerged. They never touched me again, ever. I swore that day, that I would never be a victim again. And I never have. I became the bully, the troublemaker, and the bad kid. Until I met you." Lance said as he looked into Kitty's eyes. "You made me want to change all of that."
"And I did, didn't I?" Kitty asked as she wrapped her arms around Lance and hugged him.
"Yea. You did. You gave me something to believe in. You showed me that I could be loved." Lance said as a tear slipped down his eye. "I will always love you Kitty. Your the first person who ever gave a damn about me, and I will always be their if you need me." Lance said as he embraced Shadow Cat. "Nothing on this earth would stop me from being with you." Lance said as he hugged her. She then began kissing him. "What are you doing?" Lance asked between kisses.
"Falling even more in love with you silly." Kitty said as she kissed him harder. The two stayed like that for quite some time, not moving for fear of spoiling the moment.
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Above Ground
"I found them." Xavier said as he signaled the Brotherhood and X-Men, who were at the gorge, searching for a way to find Lance and Kitty. "He's under us right now with Kitty."
"Three guesses at what they're doing." Todd quipped.
"Well, um…yes." Xavier said dryly as the Brotherhood all hi-fived each other.
"Petey you owe me a coke." X stated.
"Damn." Pietro muttered as he handed the soda to X-23.
"HA HA!" X-23 shouted. "VICTORY IS MINE!"
"I'm gonna kill Alvers." Logan stated simply.
"Get in line." Cyclops stated simply.
"So any chance of us getting at Lance?" Toad asked as he paced back and forth.
"Perhaps we should give them a few more moments alone?" Blob said simply. He was answered with several dirty looks from the X-men. "Just a suggestion."
"I'm so gonna kill Alvers." Logan stated again. Just before the ground shook, knocking Wolverine over. "That's it! He's dead!"
"RAAAAAAHHHH!!!" Lance screamed as the ground opened up and he and Kitty emerged from the hole.
"We made it!" Kitty exclaimed excitedly.
"Told you we were close enough to the surface to make a break for it." Lance said as he wiped the dust off of him.
"Yea." Kitty said as she smiled at him.
"Hi guys." Lance said as he saw the Brotherhood. And the X-men. And an irate Wolverine.
"Have fun?" Pietro snickered.
"Yep." Kitty said with a smile.
"Half-Pint?" Logan asked in shock.
"Oh grow up Mr. Logan. I love him and he loves me." Kitty said as Logan got a look of absolute horror on his face.
"I'm gonna kill you…" Logan said as he popped his claws and moved towards Lance. Beast and Blob holding him back. "LEMME AT HIM!!! I'LL MAKE IT QUICK! I PROMISE!"
"Maybe you two should go back to the mansion so Storm can treat your wounds." Beast advised. "Post Haste!"
"Good idea." Lance said as he and Kitty got into the jeep and drove off.
"That's it! From now on Jubilee's the one who I play protective father for." Logan stated.
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Next Time on Brotherhood Evolution: So you wanna date my Sister? Toad and Wanda try to go on a normal Date. But Pietro isn't really helping.
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Well there you all go. Hope you weren't disappointed. You know the drill folks, read and review! Peace out,
Descendent
Summary: Avalanche and Shadow Cat are trapped in a cave-in. Do the math. This is going to be true Lancitty action folks. (Hmmm… that sounded kind of dirty…)
Dedication: This one goes to all those who are fans of the series and the couple. That's right, anyone reading this, this is for you. Anyone not reading this is a stupid poopy-head.
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Xavier's Institute for the Gifted Young
"Are you excited Kitten?" Storm asked Kitty, who was getting ready for her school trip.
"Like totally, I mean how often do I get to go to the Bayville gorge and study geology with my class?" Kitty asked simply as she loaded up her backpack. "And for once, I'm in a class where no one hates mutants!" Kitty exclaimed.
"Just take care Kitten." Storm said as Kitty skipped outside and into Jean's minivan. Soon she was off at school and loading her stuff onto the bus.
"Like, this is SO going to be a day to remember." Kitty thought as the bus took off to the gorge. She didn't realize how right she was.
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The Brotherhood of Bayville Boarding House
"Yo, Lance!" Todd said as he knocked on Lance's door. "You in there?"
"Yea. What's up Todd?" Lance said as he opened the door, Todd caught the smell of incense from the room.
"Yo, been meditating again?" Todd asked as he looked at Lance flatly.
"No. I've been smoking the Chronic." Lance said sarcastically.
"Man, ever since your powers evolved, you got the whole Fung Sway thing down pat."
"Toad, my powers are geologically based. I'm in tune with the earth at all times. Meditating is a nice and easy way for me to reassure that connection and keep my powers in focus." Lance stated.
"You were smoking a fat one, weren't you?" Toad asked again.
"You're an idiot." Lance stated. "What do you want?"
"There's something you should see on TV." Todd said as he led Lance downstairs into the pallor.
"This recent surge in Seismic activity has stumped scientists." Trish Tilby reported on the TV.
"What's going on?" Lance asked as he entered the pallor.
"Bayville Geological Society's a massive earthquake sometime today." X stated as she sat on the couch with Pietro.
"What?"
"Check it out. Ever since the whole "Mysterious earthquakes" that plagued Bayville a few months ago..." Blob said as he stared dryly at Lance. "…Bayville hired a team of Geologists to try and figure out why. "
"So far they've gotten zilch, especially after we left." Wanda stated.
"Because I wasn't causing earthquakes anymore." Lance said simply.
"Yep." Toad said. "But there's been some recent activity. Lots of it."
"Sigh…" Lance muttered as he shook his head. "Let me try something" Lance said as he held his head and looked around. "Something's not right." Lance said as he looked at the others. "They're right. There's going to be a massive earthquake at the gorge soon." Lance stated, his earth based senses kicking in.
"Wait, natural earthquakes don't happen in Bayville." Wanda stated.
"Yea, but all the earthquakes I've created here have fractured the mantel of the earth in this area, this one has been building up for a while. And it's going to be big." Lance said as he walked over to his coat.
"Where are you going?" Pietro asked as he watched Lance put on his coat, a brown duster.
"I'm going to try and stop it. This thing is going to be big, and will cause a lot of damage. It won't stop at the gorge. It will spread and continue to grow. The very mantel is out of synch with pure seismic energy."
"And if you don't, then we get blamed. Especially since you're powers have been well documented." X stated.
"Yep. Hopefully I'll be able to repair the mantel using my earth crafting abilities to seal the rift back up before it can become too bad, then I should be able to siphon the leftover seismic energy away from the rift and into myself." Lance said as he put his coat on. "That should keep it from happening again.
"You want some help." Wanda asked as she looked up.
"No offense Scarlet Witch, but I'm the only one here with powers that are earth based." Lance said with a smirk. "Yours are probability based, and still have a 20% chance of backfiring. You may do more harm than good." Lance said.
"You should still have someone go with you in case of trouble." Pietro said simply.
"I'll be fine. Worse case scenario, I die." Lance said with a smirk.
"You're insane." Blob said simply. Wanda coughed. "But not as insane as her." Blob recited in a monotone voice.
"Thank you." Wanda said simply.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Lance said as he left.
"I got a coke that says he doesn't come home.' Pietro said simply.
"I want in on that action." X said as she shook hands with Pietro.
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Bayville Gorge
"This is so awesome." Kitty said as she studied a rock sample, it was a brilliant purple color. "This day is going great." Kitty though before she was interrupted by a tremor in the ground. "And I spoke too soon again." Kitty thought as the ground stopped shaking. "If Lance wanted my attention, he sure got it." Kitty thought as she looked around for her boyfriend.
"Alright people." The science teacher stated. "This tremor looks to be the beginning of a major earthquake." The professor stated as he studied the seismic graphs of the machine before him. "So we'll have to vacate this area and return some other time." He was answered with a chorus of groans. "I know, I know…but safety first." The teacher said as the students filled on the bus.
"That's weird." Kitty looked around depressed. The she saw Lance standing on the rim of the gorge, his hands outstretched toward the mountainside and he was deep in concentration. Soon the ground began to shake more violently as sweat beaded on Lance's forehead. Kitty was bout to get off of the bus before the ground started to quake more. "GO NOW!" Kitty shouted as she took off towards Lance. The bus full of students started to take off, just as a series of tremors started to shake the gorge violently.
"Kitty!" The teacher called out after her.
"Like get out of here! I'll be fine!" Kitty shouted. The bus started to take off again, but to her horror the bus full of students got stuck in a huge rift in the earth. The ground started to shake even more as Lance let out a scream, blood trickling from his nose. "What is he doing?" Kitty thought as she ran toward Lance. "Lance, stop it!!!" Kitty shouted as she ran next to him.
"Get... out... of... here..." Lance said through gritted teeth, the blood beginning to seep from his ears as well. "NOW!" Lance shouted as he focused. "Too… much… energy…"
"Oh my God!" Kitty shouted when she saw a group of boulders falling down the side of the gorge, toward the trapped students.
"Not... on my... watch..." Lance gritted as he turned his attention to the boulders and stretched his arm and fingers out on one hand. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Lance screamed as seismic energy erupted from his hand and shattered the boulders into dust in a series of concussive blasts. Meanwhile the bus had managed to free itself and was taking off, as the tremors grew more powerful. "Kitty… get out… of… here… NOW!" Lance shouted as he turned to face the large cracks in the earth that were forming. "RAHHHHHHH!!!" Lance screamed as he focused and the rifts began to close. Blood and sweat mingled on the face of Lance Alvers as he tried to close the rift in the earth's mantel before it could cause more damage, seismic energy radiating around his battered body. Kitty was frozen as she watched the ground under her open up.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH…" Kitty screamed as she fell into the hole.
"KITTY!" Lance screamed as he turned to the hole, which had closed up. Another opened up under him. As Lance fell he grabbed the edge of the hole and held on, but blood loss and exhaustion got the better of him and Lance fell into the hole, which soon closed up behind him. The tremors stopped and everything went back to normal.
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The Brotherhood of Bayville Boarding House
"The tremor's have stopped." Wanda said from under the table she and Toad were under. Toad wiping lipstick off of his face.
"Guess Lance took care of the crack." Pietro said as he got out from under the doorframe he was in. "What were doing with my sister…" Pietro then asked venomously as he stared at Toad's face.
"Nothing…" the two of them replied instantly.
"Hope Lance is okay." Toad said, changing the subject.
"Let's just wait and see what happens." Pietro said as he faced the Brotherhood.
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Underneath the earth
"Kitty!" Lance called out as he looked around. The cavern he was in was glowing due to rock sentiments that were charged with solar energy. "Are you around here?" Lance called out as he held his side, which was bleeding.
"I'm right here." Kitty said as she pushed some rocks off of her. She coughed out dust as Lance walked over to her and helped her up. "Great going Lance." Kitty said as she dusted herself off.
"Me? What the hell did I do?" Lance snapped.
"How about almost killing my class and burying me hundreds of feet under ground?" Kitty snapped back.
"First of all, I didn't cause that earthquake…well not directly anyway." Lance said as he held his side. "And secondly, your class would be mush if it wasn't for me, remember?" Lance grimaced.
"Well…I," Kitty began before she got flushed. "Oooohh!" Kitty fumed. Lance was getting amused at the scene in front of him.
"Are we done with our hissy fit Miss Katherine Pryde?" Lance quipped.
"Look, just blow us out of here so I can go home and shower." Kitty huffed.
"Sorry Kitty, but I can't." Lance said weakly as he leaned against the wall. He tore of a piece of his jacket and made a bandage for his chest.
"Why?" Kitty demanded.
"We're close to five miles below the mantel of the earth." Lance said as he closed his eyes in concentration. The dried blood on his face cracked as Lance opened his eyes again. "I managed to soften the earth for or impact, that's' why we're still alive. Oh and we're surrounded by molten Lava and an underground body of water." Lance said as he looked around. "If I use my powers in any major way, there's a chance I could rupture those pockets, killing us. The best bet for us to get out of here is to try and find a path out of this cavern in an upward direction." Lance said as he focused and held his hand out. Seismic pulses caused the wall behind Kitty melted away, revealing a slight incline. "And that looks to be the best bet." Lance said as he forged ahead.
"This is just great. Trapped underground with my boyfriend." Kitty muttered as she followed Lance through the passageway. "I knew your powers evolved but how can you tell about all of this?" Kitty asked as she matched Lance's pace.
"Geological telepathy." Lance said simply tapping his forehead. "I commune with the earth, basically I can read what is going on in my surrounding geological environment's." Lance said simply as he stared at the wall behind her. "Hold on for a second." Lance said as he put his hand on the wall. A small hole appeared and water jetted from the hole and hit the other side of the wall with quite some force. Soon the water had stopped into a simple trickle that Lance put his hands in the water and washed himself off, trying to stop the bleeding from his side. "Best to drink up now Katherine." Lance said as he took a long drink of the springing water. "No telling how long it will be before we can find more water and we've still got a long way to go." Lance said as he pulled out a small bottle and filled it up with water.
"Fine." Kitty said as she drank the water. She then wiped her mouth off as she looked around. "So where do we go next?"
"Best bet is up. Lance said as he looked around.
"Duh." Kitty said simply.
"Look up." Lance quipped as Kitty looked up. She couldn't see the ceiling.
"This chasm goes up an easy four hundred feet." Lance said as he walked close to Kitty. "Now keep your arms and hands inside the ride at all times." Lance said simply as he focused and the ground below them rose up on a giant pillar of earth.
"Wow." Kitty said as she stared at the departing form of the floor.
--------------------
"Like, we've been walking for hours." Kitty whined as Lance held his side in pain. They had found an outcrop where Lance had willed the earthen pillar to drop them off. They had been walking in an upward direction for the last four to five hours.
"Look, Kitty. You seriously need to loosen up. It could be worse." Lance said as he stopped and faced the brunette in front of him.
"Really, how?" Kitty asked as she faced Lance.
"The quake could have punctured the lava tube I mentioned earlier. Or that water body could have been steam, thus boiling us alive." Lance said as he faced Kitty.
"Oh." Kitty said in shock.
"Yea. Oh." Lance stated cockily as he turned to continue. He stopped suddenly though, and clutched his side
"Lance? What's wrong?" Kitty asked as she ran over to the fallen mutant.
"Think that fall might have done more damage than I thought." Lance said as he took his hand off his side, revealing his wound. The muscle was torn and his ribs were slightly exposed.
"Oh my God." Kitty said as she ran over to help him from falling.
"Kitty…" Lance weakly before he passed out.
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Xavier Institute for the Gifted Young
"Where is Keety?" Kurt asked as he walked into the pallor.
X-MEN ASSEMBLE! Came Xavier mental shout throughout the mansion
"What are we, the Avengers?" Alex asked as he ran down the hallway with his Brother.
"I stopped trying to figure that out long ago." Scott said as the X-Men assembled in the War-Room.
"What's up Chuck?" Logan asked as he sat down.
"Kitty was involved in an incident earlier today." Xavier began before Kurt interrupted him.
"Is she okay?" Kurt asked, panic evident in his voice.
"She is fine." Xavier said as he faced the furry boy. "She's trapped underground with Avalanche." Xavier said as Kurt and Scott slapped their faces.
"And she's okay…how?" Scott asked.
"I can read their thoughts, and I believe Kitty will be fine. However, Avalanche is wounded. The best course of action to take is to try and find out where they are and try to get to them." Xavier said as he brought up a 3-D chart of Bayville and began going over it with his students.
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Underground
"Lance?" Kitty asked as Lance slowly came to consciousness
"I'm…Okay…" Lance said through rasps as he supported himself against the wall, Kitty was sitting next to him. He struggled to get up but slumped back down. "Okay…maybe not." Lance said with a weak smile.
"What can I do?" Kitty asked as she knelt down next to him.
"Wa…water…" Lance said as he held his hand out weakly. Seismic energy rippled from his hand and into the wall.
"Lance what are you...?" Kitty began as the pulses hit the wall and opened up another hole. Another jet of water emerged, though this one not as powerful as the last. Water streamed out and into a small conclave in the ground. "Lance, you shouldn't have used your powers…" Kitty began before she noticed that Lance had already passed out again. "He always was stubborn." Kitty said as she checked his pulse. It was normal, although his breathing was slightly labored. Kitty sighed as she ripped off a part of Lance's duster and soaked it in the small pool that was now overflowing with mineral water. She then began to tend to the fallen Brotherhood leader.
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Hours Later
"Wha…What happened." Lance said as he woke up. He was resting against the wall. Kitty was kneeling over him, a look of concern on her face. His chest was wrapped in a tight Bandage.
"Welcome back." Kitty said as she removed the wet cloth from his forehead. "Feeling better?"
"Not really." Lance said as he tried to get up and look around, Kitty holding him down. "How long was I out?"
"An hour or so." Kitty said as she smiled at him.
"And you took care of me?" Lance asked with a smile.
"Yea." Kitty said with a smile, then her face became hard. "Lance? Can I ask you a question?"
"I believe you just did." Lance said with a smile.
"You know what I mean." Kitty said.
"Shoot." Lance asked as he stretched out.
"Where did the scars on your back come from?" Kitty asked as Lance 's face dropped.
"How did you find out about those?" Lance asked sternly.
"I had to take your shirt off when I cleaned the blood off of you and dressed your wound." Kitty said meekly.
"Look, you don't have to worry about those." Lance said, his voice quivering.
"Lance, what happened?" Kitty asked as she put her hand on his shoulder. "Talk to me."
"While you were off with your teeny bopper friends, going to concerts or sleep over parties, I was on the receiving end of a belt." Lance said sullenly as he faced her.
"Lance…" Kitty said as she knelt down next to him.
"It's a lot worse than that." Lance said as he put his hand on his forehead and continued. "It started when I was born. I was found abandoned in front of a liquor store. Or more correctly in the trashcan of said store." Lance said as he held back a few tears. "I never knew my parents, probably some knocked up teenage mom or something like that. I spent the better part of my youth in orphanages around the country. They kept moving me around, hell I guess they didn't even want me." Lance said as he pulled out the bottle of water he had. He took a long swallow before he continued. "Finally I was placed in Foster care up in Chicago. That's when the beatings started. At first it was just spankings, like every kid received at some point in life. But then they started to use belts on my back. Even when I didn't do anything. It just depended on how drunk they were." Lance said as he took another swallow of water. "You get used to it after awhile. That's what makes me sick. The fact that I got used to it. I didn't even do a damn thing to stop it either." Lance said as he winced when Kitty took a sharp breath. "But then one day I told them to stop. I screamed it. And the ground screamed with me. That's when my powers emerged. They never touched me again, ever. I swore that day, that I would never be a victim again. And I never have. I became the bully, the troublemaker, and the bad kid. Until I met you." Lance said as he looked into Kitty's eyes. "You made me want to change all of that."
"And I did, didn't I?" Kitty asked as she wrapped her arms around Lance and hugged him.
"Yea. You did. You gave me something to believe in. You showed me that I could be loved." Lance said as a tear slipped down his eye. "I will always love you Kitty. Your the first person who ever gave a damn about me, and I will always be their if you need me." Lance said as he embraced Shadow Cat. "Nothing on this earth would stop me from being with you." Lance said as he hugged her. She then began kissing him. "What are you doing?" Lance asked between kisses.
"Falling even more in love with you silly." Kitty said as she kissed him harder. The two stayed like that for quite some time, not moving for fear of spoiling the moment.
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Above Ground
"I found them." Xavier said as he signaled the Brotherhood and X-Men, who were at the gorge, searching for a way to find Lance and Kitty. "He's under us right now with Kitty."
"Three guesses at what they're doing." Todd quipped.
"Well, um…yes." Xavier said dryly as the Brotherhood all hi-fived each other.
"Petey you owe me a coke." X stated.
"Damn." Pietro muttered as he handed the soda to X-23.
"HA HA!" X-23 shouted. "VICTORY IS MINE!"
"I'm gonna kill Alvers." Logan stated simply.
"Get in line." Cyclops stated simply.
"So any chance of us getting at Lance?" Toad asked as he paced back and forth.
"Perhaps we should give them a few more moments alone?" Blob said simply. He was answered with several dirty looks from the X-men. "Just a suggestion."
"I'm so gonna kill Alvers." Logan stated again. Just before the ground shook, knocking Wolverine over. "That's it! He's dead!"
"RAAAAAAHHHH!!!" Lance screamed as the ground opened up and he and Kitty emerged from the hole.
"We made it!" Kitty exclaimed excitedly.
"Told you we were close enough to the surface to make a break for it." Lance said as he wiped the dust off of him.
"Yea." Kitty said as she smiled at him.
"Hi guys." Lance said as he saw the Brotherhood. And the X-men. And an irate Wolverine.
"Have fun?" Pietro snickered.
"Yep." Kitty said with a smile.
"Half-Pint?" Logan asked in shock.
"Oh grow up Mr. Logan. I love him and he loves me." Kitty said as Logan got a look of absolute horror on his face.
"I'm gonna kill you…" Logan said as he popped his claws and moved towards Lance. Beast and Blob holding him back. "LEMME AT HIM!!! I'LL MAKE IT QUICK! I PROMISE!"
"Maybe you two should go back to the mansion so Storm can treat your wounds." Beast advised. "Post Haste!"
"Good idea." Lance said as he and Kitty got into the jeep and drove off.
"That's it! From now on Jubilee's the one who I play protective father for." Logan stated.
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Next Time on Brotherhood Evolution: So you wanna date my Sister? Toad and Wanda try to go on a normal Date. But Pietro isn't really helping.
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Well there you all go. Hope you weren't disappointed. You know the drill folks, read and review! Peace out,
Descendent