Chapter 2: A Typical Day
Bayville, The present...
It was a typical day at the X-Mansion.
Well, as typical as it ever was.
Jean was trying to keep Tabby and Ray from killing each other, with dubious success. Scott was trying to keep the New Mutants from getting killed in a punitive Danger Room session. And Logan was forcing himself not to slice through the door to the Professor's study and kill the adults who had taken liquid refuge within.
"Open up, Chuck!" he pounded on the door.
He could hear Hank chuckling drunkenly through the door. "Heh, heh... 'up, Chuck'... I get it. Pass me that malt."
Logan sniffed suspiciously. His eyes widened. He began pounding on the door with renewed vigor, shouting, "Is that Shipwreck in there with you!"
"Of course," Xavier's voice floated through the door. "Why else would I be dro-, dram-, oh, inebriated?" This was accompanied with a chorus of drunken giggles from Hank, Shipwreck, and... was that?...
"'Ro! What are you doing in there?"
"Getting plastered, of course," the weather witch replied calmly.
"I give up," moaned Logan. "All we need is another visit from the Misfits."
As if on cue, Jamie ran past him, screaming at the top of his lungs. Behind him chased the Triplets, Daria, Quinn, and Brittany. They were shouting, "Come to mama, Sweet Cheeks!", "Time to get some lovin'!", and "Get back here, ya Hunk'a Burnin' Love!", respectively.
Logan rolled his eyes, and said a few choice bad words. He said a few more as he felt the ground rumble under his feet.
Outside, Lance Alvers and Piotr Rasputin were at it again. Lance had grabbed Kitty Pryde as soon as he'd arrived. Unfortunately, Piotr'd chosen that moment to appear with flowers for Kitty. The two had gotten into another shouting match. Althea Delgado, Todd Tolensky, Fred Dukes, and Kurt Wagner were all watching with interest. Kurt and Toad were betting on which of the two would win, and if someone would stop the fight before there was a clear winner. Kitty was standing off to the side, tired of stopping the old routine.
"Ten bucks on Avalanche," Todd said. "No way, mein Freund," Kurt replied. "Colossus is really angry today. Fifteen on him." "I don't know," Todd told him. "Lance is working through a lot of rage. He heard Kitty went on a date with Metal-Head yesterday." Kurt considered. "I'd call it even," he decided.
Scott chose that moment to appear. "Just what we need," he groaned. "Alvers making another mess."
"Hey," Fred told him, "Piotr ain't exactly just standing there."
"But Alvers is the one who started it," Scott replied. "He's always the one who does."
"Hey," Althea said, "The Russian is the one that threw the first punch."
Scott decided to switch tactics. "Why do you feel the need to come over here, anyway?" he groaned. "Can't you go bother someone else for a change?"
"What's the fun of that, yo!" laughed Todd. "It's so much more fun to bother you!"
On cue, enraged screams could be heard inside the mansion. "Pietro, I'm not telling you again! Stay out of my underwear drawer! And that goes for the girls', too!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!" Pietro could be heard shouting, as the sounds of Forge trying to blast him could be heard. "Can't catch me! Can't catch me!"
"BA's coffee?" Kurt asked Todd.
"Three cups," confirmed Todd.
"Ouch," winced Kurt.
The sound of explosions could be heard, accompanied by Tabby screaming at Ray, Ray screaming at Tabby, and Jean screaming in general frustration. Scott ran back inside to try to help her separate the two, leaving the Misfits to their own devices.
As Rogue flew up to the group watching Lance and Piotr, who were now wrestling on the ground, Fred asked, "Would you like to accompany me to the pantry, madame?"
Rogue looked around at the chaos. Fred raised an arm in invitation. She shrugged, and accepted it. "Why not," she said. "At least that usually provides some variety in the entertainment." The two left for the kitchen, leaving Kurt, Todd, and Althea. "This is getting boring," Althea commented.
Then, an evil grin appeared on her face. "Let's see what we can do to liven it up a little."
She concentrated. The nearby swimming pool emptied itself into the air at her command, the water gliding stealthily over to the two combatants. It crept under them, and began to raise them into the air. Neither noticed. Lance was too busy trying to strangle the metal-skinned Piotr, why the large Russian was trying to land a solid punch in the close quarters. Kurt and Todd, however, began to laugh.
They laughed even harder as an unsuspecting, weary-looking Jean stepped out of the mansion and directly underneath the raised water. It was an opportunity too good to miss.
Althea let the water fall, drenching Jean, Lance, and Piotr, as well as dropping the two boys almost five meters to the ground.
Jean yelled, "Wavedancer!"
Althea grinned cheekily and waved, as the redhead got to her feet and stormed back inside the mansion to dry off and change.
Yes, it was just a typical day at the X-Mansion.
Until a blinding flash of light surrounded and blinded the kids outside.
Todd blinked, trying to clear the afterimage from his retinas. Slowly, the world came back into focus. Standing where there had been nothing the moment before were three figures. They were vaguely familiar, but his mind was still registering that as he instantly dropped into an offensive crouch. Beside him, Althea and Kurt had done the same. Mutants poured out of the mansion to face whatever threat had just come.
The three men just stood there, looking around with bewilderment. They wore strange looking helmets, and were dressed in combat fatigues, old and worn.
Todd was just about to attack when Xi, emerging from the mansion, yelled, "Don't!"
He approached one of the strange figures, and reached out his hand. He touched the other's arm for a long moment.
He blinked, confused, and repeated the process with the other two. Finally, he stepped back, and turned to Althea.
"They are us," he said simply.
Next time: The Misfits and the X-Men meet the travelers, and learn some of what lays in store for them. Will they be able to cheat Fate? Tune in again, for chapter three of Misfits In Time!