The Protector Saga Part I:
A New Beginning
Secrets Revealed
They were all gathered in Professor Xavier's office. At the moment, he had the clipboard that Jean and Logan had found the night before. Flipping through the pages, his face was an inscrutable mask of concentration, seemingly taking in all the information at once. He turned to the page with his photo on it, and studied it longer than he had the others, reading it more than once. Finally, he passed the clipboard to the nearest person, Scott, who immediately turned to his own picture.
"As you will see as you look at these files, each one details a brief history of each of us," the Professor said. "These details even go so far as to determine our weaknesses and strengths, both as individuals, and as a group." He sighed, almost hiding his anxiety. "As such, we will have to schedule more sessions of the Danger Room for the entire team. We will have to remain on guard; though I do not know for how long. However, until it seems the danger has passed, when outside the school, we must travel in groups for our own safety." He nodded to Jake and Betsy, who, because of the odd turn of events, had been named their new leaders.
"The first thing we'd like to point out is that these things had the drop on both Logan and Jean," Betsy said. "That is nearly impossible. I don't think I need to point out that these creatures would be able to surprise the rest of us with devastating results." Though she had not said it, it was implied that devastating meant fatal.
"The other thing is that some of us rely almost exclusively on our abilities during fights," Jake said. "Generally, that's not a problem. But, I think we can all agree that we are entering into uncertain times. Because of that, and the fact that, as proven by last night's events, our mutations may not always be effective, we need to sharpen our hand-to-hand combat skills. And I don't mean that soft-core stuff, like those regular karate classes, but that hard-core ninja-kung-fu-military shit they're afraid to teach you." As if to prove his point, he took a fighting-crane stance, with a goofy grin on his face.
"Jake," Betsy admonished.
"Sorry."
"You're insane," Bobby said, trying not to laugh.
"Don't encourage him," Betsy said, exasperated. She was trying desperately not to crack a smile. "Though the Professor usually frowns upon such training, he acquiesced to this solely because of the plausibility of enemies that may be much more dangerous than many previous. Therefore, Logan and I will be working with each of you to develop a training regimen that will complement your particular abilities."
"Many of us have had some form of hand-to-hand training, I know," Jake explained. "But, because of the fact that two of us were captured, and almost killed without much difficulty, shows us that we need to be willing to go the extra step to be prepared."
"While you're talking about it, what did happen last night," Warren asked.
"We changed," Logan replied, tersely.
"But, how did you change," Kurt asked.
Like this, Elf, Logan projected. Warren was suddenly upside down on the ceiling, his arms cart wheeling, trying to get free. "Jean, put me down."
"It's not me," she admitted, smiling slyly. Warren turned as much as he could to get a look at Logan. He was surprised to see him concentrating, his jaw clenched as if taking on a large burden. Before he could say a thing, he was suddenly flipped, and brusquely placed back on the floor.
"But if Wolvie can do that, that means Jean can –" Jubilee trailed off.
"Yep." Jean extended a set of three claws from each of her hands, all gleaming in the morning light.
"Are they adamantium?"
"No," Hank said, entering the office. "The magnificent metal which is now so effectively married to their bones is not adamantium. Rather, it seems something more indomitable and durable. Though I have yet to finish analyses of the material, those that I have performed indicate this to be a new material, of which no human has knowledge."
"Is it similar to uru," the Professor asked.
"The metal of the Asgardians? I believe it similar, though I am still not entirely certain."
"Is there anything else you can tell us?"
"Yes, Charles, there is one other thing." He motioned for Peter to stand, and to armor up. "If I were to draw upon recent events as clues, they would preclude me to the belief that any of those that either have metal on their body, or are associated with metal, will have been affected in the same manner as Logan and Jean." He then took a sliver concealed in his lab coat, and drew it across the back of Peter's hand. "And I am vindicated. This sliver was pure adamantium. As you can see, nothing happened to Peter. And," he said, running his fingers across Peter's hand, "there is even adamantium dust."
Getting his notes together for class, Jake was trying to decide on which topic he wanted to continue after the Peloponnesian War. Looking up, he saw Betsy come out of the bathroom.
"I forgot a towel," she said. He followed her half-nude form across the room, broadcasting his lecherous thoughts to her. Turning around, she raised an eyebrow, and smile lasciviously. "If you hurry, you can join me."
"Oh goody," he said, mischievously, bounding off the bed and taking his shirt off in a single motion. Just as he placed his hand on the doorknob, someone knocked on their door. Choosing to ignore the person, he turned to knob, only to hear the knock again, and Jubilee's voice announcing he had mail. Resigning himself to go to the door, his libido dropped as he heard the shower begin in the bathroom. It dropped even more as he opened the door, to see the young woman leaning against his doorframe.
"You've got mail," she said, handing him an envelope. "So who's Michael?"
Looking at her petulantly, he said, "He's my brother."
"Look anything like you?"
"Quite a bit like…" He got a far-off look in his eyes, looking over her head.
"Jake?" She waved her hand in front of his eyes. "Yoo-hoo, Jake, anybody home?"
Shaking his head to clear it, he said, "Somebody's at the front door. I don't know who it is."
"It's Nathan." Jean hurriedly walked by, a harried look on her face. She was followed by Scott, who looked so uptight that Jake was surprised there was no tree trunk hanging out his ass.
"That's Jean and Scott's son, isn't it," Jake whispered.
"Well … basically," Jubilee responded.
"He doesn't know what's happened between Logan, and Jean, and Scott, does he?"
"Don't think so." She looked up at him with a look that said, "I'm gettin' the hell outta Dodge." "I think Bobby wanted to take me to the mall. I think I'll go get him."
Watching her go, Jake sighed to himself. "This is gonna be interesting." As he was walking back into the room, he heard a loud shriek from the bathroom, and Betsy yelling his name. He slammed open the door, and ran in … slipping on the floor, hitting his head on the tile, and sliding into the wall. "Damn it," he said, rubbing his head, "that hurt." It wasn't until then that he noticed the floor was cold.
He turned over, and was surprised to see a thick sheet of ice on the floor. It covered the entire bathroom in an almost two inch sheet of solid ice. That was when he realized it was all coming from the shower. Looking up, he saw Betsy, half encased in ice. Somehow, the water from the shower had frozen, and had covered her front half, leaving her back to the cold air. "Ah, hell."
Jake, get me out of here.
What happened? He was able to get to his feet, but was still slipping without any traction.
I don't know. One moment the water was flowing, and hot, and the next, it was ice.
I'll see what I can do. He ever so cautiously made his way from the wall to the shower, carefully placing his feet beneath him. Just as he reached the tub, he slipped again, landing on his back, and hitting his head again. "Damn it," he muttered, rolling over again. "Fucking ice." As he got to his hands and knees, he could feel his temper at the back of his mind, threatening to boil to the top if he became more frustrated. Trying to compose himself, he started reigning in his temper, only to realize his hands were now in puddles of water. The puddles were boiling hot, but to his surprise, his hands weren't being scalded. In fact, they felt only a little warmer than usual, a pleasant warm sensation flowing over his fingers.
Slowly standing, he held his hands out in front of him, and concentrated on his temper. Faster than he could perceive, an aura of red-orange flame surrounded the entire lower half of his forearms and hands, the fire gently lapping at his skin. Reaching his hand out to Betsy's iced-over form, he imagined himself melting the ice with the fire. As soon as the thought occurred in his mind, a stream of red-hot fury bathed the ice, melting it quicker than he ever imagined. As most of the ice sloughed off, Betsy was left shivering, small packs of slush still on her body, taking little attention away from her cyanotic skin.
Picking her out of the shower, he murmured, "You're freezing."
"I'm s-s-so c-c-c-cold."
"Damn it," he said, realization dawning. "You're hypothermic." He immediately took off his shirt, and pulled her close to him, holding her as close as possible.
"Wha-What're y-y-you d-doing?"
"I'm trying to warm you up." And though he hated the thought, he relished the feeling of her nipples, hardened from the cold, against his bare chest.
"I-It w-w-w-won't w-work. Need a f-f-fire." Though neither noticed, her arms, wrapped around his back, began glowing as if they were embers of a dying fire.
- - - -
A week after their bathroom fiasco, Jake and Betsy asked Professor Xavier to sit in the observation room to the Danger Room in their session. In only the space of a week, they had learned all of their abilities. They still hadn't told anyone what they could do. They now stood on the floor of the Danger Room, looking towards the observation room. They were surprised to see not only Professor Xavier and Dr. Strange, but the rest of the X-Men as well.
"Jake, Betsy, are you ready," asked the Professor.
"Yeah, Prof, we're ready," came Jake's reply.
Hank began pressing buttons, and uploading a program. In the Danger Room, a round arena in the middle of a dojo suddenly appeared. Betsy and Jake stood facing each other on the platform.
"Whenever you are ready," Hank said.
Jake and Betsy each took a fighting stance. They began circling each other, each sizing the other up. After nearly a minute, Jake struck. . .with a sword that had not been in his hand before. He had reached for an imaginary blade, and it appeared as he began unsheathing it. Where he had pulled it from was now a scabbard attached to his waist. Betsy blocked his sword with her own, which had also appeared out of a sheath that had not been there moments before.
"I expected as much," murmured Strange to himself.
They began to fight faster and faster, each matching the other in speed and ability. It seemed as if they knew beforehand what the other was going to do. It was not practiced though, that much was for certain. They would not be able to choreograph this; it was just too fast. Strike for strike they were equal; neither one could get the upper hand over the other. And they kept on fighting faster and faster, sparks erupting from each blow that was blocked. The sounds of the clashes were coming so closely after each other that they now seemed to be a single sound.
Now, it was impossible to see their blades, or their hands, they were moving so fast. Suddenly, everything stopped. They were at a stalemate. Each had their respective blades at the other's throat. As if on cue, they both leaped away from each other, easily covering twenty feet. They threw their blades into the mat, keeping them upright in case they would be needed again. They now approached each other slowly, warily. Neither put their guard down. Suddenly, Betsy lashed out with a powerful sweep, trying to take Jake off his feet. He saw it coming, and easily jumped over her leg. In the air, he kicked out with his right leg, trying to hit Betsy in the head. She dodged while still on the ground, and kicked him with her left foot, hoping to knock him down.
The kick hit him in his left leg, causing him to lose control of his descent. He landed on his hands, turned it into a handspring, and landed on his feet several feet away from her. This kept on going for a long time, and was slowly picking up pace. They were moving fast now, almost as fast as they had been with the swords. Their agility, strength, and speed were incredible. It was like watching a kung fu movie in fast forward.
"I suggest that we test their abilities against other opponents besides themselves," Strange said to Professor Xavier.
"I agree. Henry, would you please tell them that we are going to upload another program?"
"If I may suggest even further," Strange said, "it might be a good idea to not let them know that the program is about to change." He looked down at the Professor as he said this. "You might want to place the Danger Room on its highest setting as well."
"Professor, sir," Hank asked, clearly worried.
"Go ahead, Henry. I believe they will be all right." Hank quickly complied, though he still had his misgivings.
Betsy and Jake were now in the heat of another power struggle when the scenery changed. Instead of the dojo with the round mat, they were now standing in an open field surrounded by trees on all sides. Above them, the night sky was clear, allowing the stars to shine down on them. They held their hands out, seemingly calling for something. Their swords flew into their hands almost immediately. They both sheathed their blades, both of them disappearing once inside their respective scabbards.
From a low bush near to them, they heard a light growling noise. Out of the bush leapt Sabertooth, his claws intent on cutting Betsy again. As he swept his claws at her, she ducked and grabbed his arm. From her hands, a red glow came, followed by the smell of burnt flesh. As he got away, her hands were covered in an aura of fire. Jake, not wanting Betsy to get all of the action, held out his own hand, and a stream of fire barreled towards Sabertooth. It hit him directly in the chest, and consumed him almost immediately.
They defeated several other mutants using the other three elements: earth, air, and water. They were now facing Magneto, and were, at the moment, losing. They had been transported from the field to the center of a junkyard, with a bunch of scrap metal all around them. He had been using these pieces of metal as all kinds of weapons, and had begun to win. Finally, after a barrage of spear like projectiles, both Jake and Betsy got fed up. Suddenly from his left hand and her right, there stretched an arc of lightning. At the apex of the arc was Magneto, taking the combined voltage of the electricity being produced. After defeating him, they found themselves in the field, once again.
"Now what," Jake exclaimed. Before he could finish his sentence, they were ambushed by none other than Apocalypse. The warlord hit Betsy in the small of the back, sending her flying. Jake was by her side in an instant, her head being comforted by his hand. She was dazed, but not hurt. Still, Jake was angry. The more he knelt next to Betsy, the angrier he became. Finally, he kissed her cheek and said, "I'll be right back."
As he stood, his eyes flashed a brilliant green before glowing with an eerie golden light. He walked slowly towards the ancient mutant who had been standing, as per the computer's orders, only about twenty feet away. A smile stretched across the big man's face as if his attack would only be as a mosquito to a grizzly bear. Warlock, too, was smiling. But, his was not one of confidence. It was one borne of anger; his smile could have frozen anything.
Up in the observation room, Hank was looking at Jake's heart monitor. What he saw couldn't be happening, could it? He looked to Kitty, and asked her to make sure the machine was working correctly. It only took a few moments to find that it was. But that still did not explain what was happening.
"Professor, sir? I believe that you should have a look at this," he said.
"Yes, Henry," Professor Xavier said before he saw the monitor. "Is this information accurate, Henry?"
"Yes, Professor. Despite Jake being alive and about to combat Apocalypse, his heart rate is only nine beats per minute."
"How can that be, Henry?"
"I haven't the faintest idea, Professor."
Meanwhile, Warlock was now less than three feet away from the mountain of a man. His golden eyes shone, and his smile was cold. The warlord's face only showed that he believed himself to be unbeatable.
"You will only succeed in annoying me, gnat," he said, smiling. Suddenly, he launched himself forward with a devastating punch to Warlock's midsection.
To Apocalypse's surprise, he didn't move at all. Instead, he threw up his arm and blocked his punch. It didn't even make him flinch.
"Did you just see what I thought I just saw," Bobby asked.
"What," asked Rogue.
"Jake just blocked a punch from Apocalypse."
"You serious, sugah?"
"Yeah. Check it out."
Back in the Danger Room, Warlock had just grabbed Apocalypse's wrist. The ancient mutant swung with his other arm, hoping to free himself, but to no avail. Warlock ducked under the punch, and gave him a powerful uppercut to the abdomen. The antediluvian warlord doubled over in pain, seemingly wanting to vomit. He tried to charge again, but received a perfect scissors-action kick straight to his face, sending him stumbling back nearly ten feet.
He stalked forward, this time with murder in his eyes. Warlock only stood his ground, never moving an inch. Apocalypse began growing in size, stomping ever more loudly towards his opponent. At the very last moment, when it seemed as if he was going to let himself be run over, Warlock roundhouse kicked. But, it was no ordinary kick. As the kick reached its apex, a glob of … lava left his foot and hit the warlord in the chest, sending him crashing into the trees on the other side of the clearing.
Jake's body now began to glow with a white iridescence, almost as if it were lightning. Then, he jumped nearly one hundred feet in the air, and flew straight at Apocalypse's neck. But, no one else saw him as Jake. Everyone else saw him as a bolt of lightning. All the others knew was that he had hit Apocalypse, but they did not know what happened.
Betsy sat up, and saw Jake on the other side of the clearing, standing over Apocalypse. Out of nowhere, a large laser shot hit him in the back. Looking over her shoulder, Betsy saw five of the older types of sentinels. Each was lumbering towards them, discharging round after round of devastating laser fire. But Betsy didn't care about that. Performing one of the incredible jumps that Jake already had, she was at his side in only a moment. Unlike her, he had been hurt. His back was burned, but other than that, he was all right. Still, Betsy was pissed off. She was really pissed off.
She stood; her eyes not the color Jake's had been earlier, but rather a bright green. She stood on the opposite side of the clearing that the sentinels were standing on.
The head sentinel said, "Mutant gene located. Surrender mutant."
At this, Betsy spoke, her voice unnaturally loud and noble, in a different tongue. "Thanén malíte thai, Psylocke, ce Tana Arnasa, ce Ana ter ce Kerancen, Nomer ter ce Spirasen ter Avalon, i Saíneth ter ce Tas ter Ra'näíth. Thanén saníte dasúk hai, Warlock, ce Tanúk Ennasíl, ce Anúk ter ce Kerancen, Nomer ter ce Spirasen ter Avalon, i Saíneth ter ce Tas ter Ra'näíth!."
"That's not good," said Doctor Strange, listening to what Jake had said. He was still listening, though, because Jake wasn't done.
"Fener kis, varí tai!"
"That definitely is not good."
"Professor, sir, perhaps you should have a look at this," Hank said. "There is a great deal of energy radiating from Betsy. It appears that she is emitting every wavelength of electromagnetic radiation in addition to immeasurable quantities of heat. And if I am correct, this energy is only building, sir."
"But, she can only hold so much, Henry," replied Xavier.
"Yes, quite right. I believe she is going to release the energy in an explosive outburst."
In the Danger Room, Betsy had her hands spread wide in front of her. Between them was now a dancing beam of white light with small pixels of color. Exactly half-way between her hands, a ball of the light energy began to materialize. It began to grow, slowly, in waves. It was now the size of a soft ball. The sentinels began to walk across the field, getting into closer range to use their lasers. The ball of energy was still growing, and was now the size of a bowling ball. Still the sentinels came forward.
In the observation room, Dr. Strange was feeling extremely apprehensive. Some of what Betsy said sounded familiar. It seemed similar to an ancient language, now only used amongst wizards and sorcerers. Even then, very few people still knew it. He was watching Betsy and her expanding ball. He knew that neither Jake or Betsy could use the full extent of their powers yet; they'd only to use all their powers when the Evil was at its worst. It was a measure by Archon to prevent any one person from having too much power. But, still, the sheer magnitude of their abilities so far was incredible. And he thought that he knew what Betsy was doing.
He believed it was an amalgamation of his mutant and magical powers. Betsy and Jake could both control the elements: earth, fire, wind, and water. They could also control lightning. He believed that this was the combining of those powers with magic that Betsy was doing right now. But, as he looked, he saw that the ball between Betsy's hands was now nearly the size of a monster truck tire. And, suddenly, he realized that he would have to get the X-Men out of there.
A quiet moment passed as the beam from one of the sentinels' hands hit Betsy square in the chest. To the astonishment of the other X-Men, it didn't even faze her. In fact, it only seemed to make her angrier. Dr. Strange saw all of this. Betsy seemed about ready to fire the energy projectile she was creating. Betsy's arms pulled back to release the energy she had been building up. In an instant, Strange transported all of the X-Men and himself to a safer spot, away from the Danger Room.
"Why the hell did ya have ta go an' do that," Rogue asked, clearly agitated at not being able to see what happened. "Ah wanted to see what was gonna happen ta those damn ro-."
A loud explosion from the Danger Room cut her off, sending an incredible shockwave through the entire school. As it hit, all of the X-Men were knocked off of their feet, the sound nearly crushing their very skulls. A cloud of dust and debris erupted from the direction of the Danger Room. It burst into the hallway they were in, destroying the doors, forcing them to duck, and covering them in a thick layer of gray.
Bobby was the first to stand up, and look at the damage. It looked to him that no one was hurt, except they were all covered in the dust. Everyone looked like a giant dust bunny.
"Everybody all right," Logan asked.
"Yeah, we're all right," grumbled Bishop, looking at his gun. During the chaos, the gun had gotten dust down its barrel; it was going to take him forever to get it all out.
"How about Jake and Betsy, though," Jean asked, worried.
Not wanting an answer, they made their way to the observation room as fast as they could. When they got there, they were overwhelmed by the destruction they saw. The computers, amalgamations of human and Shi'ar technologies, were all destroyed. The only things left of them were piles of metal, plastic, and wire. The windows to the Danger Room had been shattered, sending glass fragments into the floor and into the walls, causing Hank to be extremely cautious as to where he placed his bare feet. But despite all this, what held their attention was the opposite side of the Danger Room. Almost all of that wall and most of the ceiling around it had been blasted away, creating a very large skylight.
"Professor," began Celeste, "what was the maximum force the Danger Room could withstand?"
"Quite a bit."
"How much is quite a bit," Joey asked.
The Professor sighed, and spoke softly. "The Danger Room was made to withstand at least the force of an atomic bomb. The maximum it could withstand was approximately that of a hydrogen bomb."
Celeste whistled at hearing what Professor Xavier had said. She looked over the edge, and could not see Jake or Betsy. "Hey where'd Jake an' Betsy go?"
The Professor was concentrating. Finally looking up, he said, "I don't think we should bother them right now."
"Why not," Bobby asked.
"They are in their room," the Professor said. "It would be best if we let them have their privacy."
"Oh," Bobby replied.
Brotherhood of Mutants Headquarters, Unknown LocationMagneto was sitting in his office. He was disappointed at their newest recruits. The first of them was Serpent, a mutant that had scales all over his body, could inject poison into a person form his teeth, and was incredibly strong. The second was Sludge, who could create a mud-like substance with his hands. It was apparently toxic, and could be made into anything he wanted. The third was a female mutant by the name of Backdraft, who could create fire with her hands. She could also have fire erupt from both her eyes, and mouth. All three had great potential, but all three, were, unfortunately, idiots. None of them were capable of understanding his vision of mutant power. It took true visionaries, he thought, such as himself and Mystique. For what had to have been the hundredth time, he wondered where she was. He knew she must … be near ….
That was when he realized something was wrong with his office. The realization came slowly, ever so slowly. It finally occurred to him. It was something that was so plain to see, but yet was not, for some reason. The desk was not his. It was close, true, but his had only one drawer. This one, he realized had three on one side, and another large one on the other. The desk then slowly became what he knew it to be, the one from his memories. It was then he realized where he was. He was in his mind. And he was not alone.
"This is not Charles' work. Who are you? Show yourselves."
"I'm impressed. Most people would have taken a much longer time to realize they were in a mindscape," said a voice from behind him.
"Who are you," Magneto questioned, as a figure stepped out of the shadows. It was a man clad in some kind of armored suit. Where the eyes would have been was a red visor, and over his mouth was what appeared to be some sort of breathing apparatus. The armor itself was silver in color, and appeared extremely futuristic. Magneto at first tried to pick him up with his magnetism, but seeing that it was futile, he picked his desk up instead, and flung it at his would-be attacker.
"Nice try," the man said, catching the desk easily. "But next time, remember you have no control when a telepath is involved." He threw the desk into the air, disappearing as if it were nothing. Around them, what had been an office became a giant dome of rock, with the powerful mutant strapped to a vertical table attached to the wall.
"I'd like you to meet Maddie," the man said. Out stepped an attractive woman with dark skin, and black eyes. To Magneto's surprise, behind her came Mystique, a distant look in her eyes, and a circlet of metal on her head.
"Ah, the great Mystique," the man said stroking her hair. "She is a true asset." The man pulled the shape-shifter close, his hand wandering over her body. "You see, I've always had a weakness for the flesh." He looked up at Magneto. "With her around, I don't need any other … toys."
"Boss?" A red-skinned, bull-like man came up behind the armored leader.
"Yeah," he replied.
"We're gettin' ready for the next mission. We're gonna need your help."
"Okay," the armored man said. "Let me have a little fun with her first," he said, his hands exploring her backside. "And if you are able to get the preparations done early, Minos, I'll reward you by letting you do whatever you want to this little trollop here."
"Anything," Minos repeated dreamily. His disgusting mind was already wandering with what he'd like to do with Mystique.
"Oh, and another thing," the armored man said, looking up at Magneto's disgusted face. "You've got an inhibition crown on your head. Even if you could use your powers, it'd cause you a helluva lot of pain."
Westchester, New YorkThe X-Men were once again in the War Room. The only ones missing were Jake, Betsy, Logan, and Jean. An hour ago, Jake and Betsy had asked them all to meet in the War Room at this time. But, they were nowhere to be seen. Rogue was beginning to get angry when Jake, Betsy, and Jean entered the room. Logan, for some reason or another, was not present.
"We have some things to discuss," Jake said. "It's about Logan."
"What about Wolvie," Jubilee asked.
"They know Logan's past. That's where we have been for the last hour. They were jogging his memory. He wants me to tell you guys what they told us," Jean said.