Chapter Six:
"Ew," Rebecca said with an expression of disgust as her friend pinned the skin of a dissected worm in place.
Sarah grinned broadly as she stared up over her glasses at her one-woman audience, sensing the other girl's revulsion acutely.
"You know," she said ironically, "If you're gonna be a doctor, you're gonna have to get used to this kind of stuff."
Rebecca grimaced and nodded, "I know but...are our studies worth the lives of all these innocent animals?"
She gestured at the rest of the room, which was lined with insects and frogs and other creatures who had been turned inside out for the sake of knowledge.
The lab was located on the tenth floor of the building dedicated to the physical sciences, and was easily one of the largest on campus. Geological and earth studies were housed in the lower levels (because rocks were heavy), while physics and theory classrooms were near the top of the building (because they studied gravity and stuff). Anything regarding biological and medical studies was sandwiched right in the middle...for no other reason except it was where they were.
"Innocent?" Sarah replied, eyeing her current dissection warily, "I'll have you know that when these animals were alive, all their thoughts were focused on plotting your death."
"Oh, were they in that club too?" Rebecca laughed and then folded her arms and grinned, "Ya know, you're pretty unsympathetic for an empath."
"I only feel for my fellow human and mutant beings," Sarah replied, holding up the worm tray and examining it carefully, "Not that I don't love animals...I just love them in a 'let me look at your spleen' type of way."
"Do worms have spleens?" Rebecca asked.
Sarah considered that point and frowned, "I guess I'll have to keep looking...it could be this long thingy here..."
"Ew," Rebecca repeated and walked around the desk, "I wish I could help you out with your search...but I've got friends waiting for me downstairs in my car and I told them I would just be a minute. Can you make sure Dr. Suelen gets my transcripts?"
"No problem," Sarah replied, and then tilted her head as she looked at her classmate, "How's the shoulder, by the way? I still sense a little achy twinge from you every now and then."
Rebecca rolled her shoulder and sighed, entirely bored with people asking her how she was.
"It's fine...though I'm dreading tank top season since I got this new scar to deal with," she said.
Sarah nodded and then tilted her head again, a sign of quiet concentration as she used her empathic gifts.
"So, who are your friends downstairs?" she asked and then smirked in amusement, "Cause the guy seems to have a little bit of an ego...but also a few secrets..."
"Knock it off," Rebecca said with a grin, "That's like eaves dropping or something. They're just a couple of mutants from a secret organization who've come to warn me and my brother that we're in danger. No big thing really."
"Danger?" Sarah asked with one eyebrow raised curiously, "Am I to suspect there's more to you than your mild mannered mutant med student self?"
"Of course not," Rebecca replied, aghast but grinning.
Sarah suddenly frowned and tilted her head again.
"How many people did you say are waiting for you?" she asked.
"I didn't," Rebecca answered, "There's two in the car..."
"And someone else in here," Sarah finished, in a hushed voice. Rebecca blinked in surprise and glanced around the crowded room. Between file cabinets and preserved experiments, there were many places for someone to hide.
"You're not sensing any Bee Gees vibes from them, are you?" Rebecca asked.
Sarah stared at her in blank confusion and shook her head, "Um...no. But he seems a little nervous around the dissections..."
Rebecca glanced at her friend with confusion, until Sarah shouted aloud to the new presence in the room.
"Hello!" she called, keeping her voice stern, "We know you're there! Just come on out! My formaldehyde friends won't bite!"
Rebecca watched the unknown person come forward warily, but grinned when she recognized the English mutant.
"Toad!" she said with surprise, "You guys finally made it. I guess you stopped by the house first..."
Toad nodded, then glanced distrustfully at the other young woman he did not know. Sarah once again raised an eyebrow, and regarded the new mutant curiously. The emotions she sensed in him were strange, disorganized; though it was obvious what he was mainly feeling now was irritation bordering on anger toward mild mannered med student Rebecca.
"Remy's in the car," she continued amicably, "He wanted to say hi and..."
"'Ur brother told us," he said curtly, "We've gotta get back to 'ur house...now."
Rebecca noticed Sarah recoil slightly on Toad's last word.
"Whoa," the young woman muttered uneasily, and Toad glared at her.
"Bloody telepaths..." he said and grabbed Rebecca's arm to drag her away from the other girl.
"What's the problem?" Rebecca asked him angrily but keeping her voice low, "You guys didn't like the little joke, I guess..."
"Yeah...joke...bloody brilliant..." Toad hissed, dragging her behind around one corner.
Rebecca shook her arm out of his grasp, and he paused with a heavy sigh.
"You're suppos' to be training the kid not takin' him to parties with the X-Men..." Toad spat viciously.
Rebecca threw up her hands and began to walk away from him, "Oh, Jesus, I swear I hate that bullshit."
"Magneto explained to you..." Toad began to follow her, until she cut him off.
"Mr. Lensherr..." Rebecca annunciated as she turned around, "...asked me to help Pyro learn what I know about controlling fire. And I think he's been doing pretty well. Social outings are a bonus..."
"Sodding waste of time," Toad muttered, and then gestured to the back of the room, "Let's go..."
"There's no exit that way," she replied quickly, "Only windows...the elevators are..."
"They won't see us this way," he shot back.
"Who's they?" Rebecca asked loudly, "Despite popular opinion, not everyone is out to get me or you or every other mutant!"
Toad took a step toward her and spoke darkly.
"Y'don't think the gov'ment's looking for the mutant who destroyed Stryker's base?"
Rebecca's face fell suddenly, and sharp rage flashed in her eyes.
"The concern is appreciated," she said slowly, keeping her temper in check, "I know what I did...really, thanks for reminding me...and I know every time my power gets out of control, I put myself and my family at risk. But don't every think I need anyone else to protect me from who might be watching me today."
Toad ground his teeth and glanced away, "Magneto knows about the people who watch...it'll be his decision wh'ther or not we stop them from watchin'..."
"Excuse me, Mortimer Toynbee," Rebecca whispered back, ignoring his anger as she called him by his real name, "But it very much is my decision, and what happens in my own life is my own business, no matter what Erik Lensherr may think!"
"But Pyro is the Brotherhood's business," Toad argued back, "And while he's staying with you, if Magneto decides you all need to be looked after then you will bloody well be looked after!"
Rebecca shook her head in frustration, "Did you just threaten me with protection?"
Toad frowned, reflecting back a moment on what he just said. Rebecca made an exasperated noise before storming away. Toad followed her until they reached the area of the lab where Sarah was still sitting.
"Where'd'you think your going?" he shouted at Rebecca who was lifting a book bag onto her shoulders.
"Home," she replied, "Isn't that where you wanted to rush back to?"
"We're not just gonna walk out the front door..." he replied looking at her as if she was utterly daft about what it was to be a mutant.
"Yeah, that was my master plan," she replied, "That's why they put doors in this building, you know? For the entering and exiting, right, Sarah?"
The other young woman glanced at Toad nervously, "Uh...yeah, that is the campus rumor."
"Bloody stubborn woman," he hissed at Rebecca.
She grinned at him smugly, and then looked over at Sarah.
"See you later. I'd love to chat more...but I have guests..."
She hissed on her last word, imitating Toad's tone and then headed toward the lab's exit. Sarah heard the green mutant grumble, as he glanced between her and Rebecca skeptically.
"University students, eh?" he said, and then raised his voice, "More like bloody kindergarten!"
Rebecca paused and considered this.
She turned back to face him, stuck out her tongue and made a very rude noise, before continuing onto the door.
Oh, really... Toad thought. He opened his mouth and shot out his own tongue, hearing other student gasp sharply.
Rebecca barely had a moment to duck as Toad's extra appendage snapped over her head. Boxes nearby toppled down as he drew his tongue back, and she dodged them without much success. Sarah struggled not to laugh as she watched her friend get to her feet with livid outrage.
Rebecca gaped speechlessly at Toad, who folded his arms over his chest and looked properly contented at his success at shutting her up.
She glanced at the toppled boxes, and then back at Toad with surprised anger.
She glanced at the boxes a second time, then over at him again, but only with bewilderment.
She gave the debris one more look. Finally, a grin formed on her face and she held her hands up resignedly.
"Okay...okay...you win..." she accepted humbly. Sarah was close to hysterics, wiping tears of laughter from underneath her glasses.
Toad frowned, "What?"
The word came out more like 'wot' and that sent Sarah into another peal of giggles.
"Debate over, Toad," Rebecca replied, and then pointed toward the fallen boxes, "No one has ever had a good come back to the raspberry defense before."
"Raspberry defense..." Toad repeated, and then gave her an irritated scowl, "Right...whatever. Now, let's go..."
"There's a private stairway..." Rebecca said, having no interest in leaving by the tenth story windows, "It'll take us right to the parking lot. The guard there's usually watching T.V. He won't even notice us..."
Toad nodded and began heading to the exit. Rebecca sighed heavily and glanced at Sarah, who looked eternally grateful for the unexpected entertainment.
"See ya later, huh?" she said.
"Later," Sarah replied, but then added awkwardly, "Oh...and tell your friend I'm sorry about my...um, frog dissections...I think they made him nervous..."
--------------------------
The stairway proved to be as secure as Rebecca said. She even greeted the parking lot's security guard aloud, but the man barely paid the pair any attention.
Still, Toad had drawn the hood of his black coat over his face, and tucked his hands deeply in his pockets. They walked in silence towards a blue, expensive looking car that was a loner from the Sid collection.
Rebecca used a small remote to unlock the car doors, and she slid quickly into the driver's seat. Toad opened the back door directly behind her, and the two who had been waiting for Rebecca looked at him with surprise.
"Toad!" Remy LeBeau said cheerfully, "How are you, ami? I did not know you went to the university..."
Toad did not respond directly to the Cajun, but muttered uncomfortably as he got inside and pulled his door shut.
"Bloody 'ell..."
