The New Mutants
Written by Darkstorm5000
Disclaimer: The X-Men and related characters in their various incarnations are the property of Marvel Comics and Marvel Enterprises.
…………………………………………..
Story 4- Never Again (Flashback)
…………………………………………..
It would go down as perhaps the darkest day in school history. Almost forty-eight hours ago, Colonel William Stryker and his military forces had invaded Xavier's School for the Gifted in Westchester County, New York; which until this night had been regarded as a safe haven by the young mutants who resided there from a world that was increasingly making it clear that they weren't very welcome in it. Now, everyone at the school had at last begun to settle in for the evening, following the nightmarish chain of events that they had endured over the previous day and a half, a harrowing episode that had culminated in tragedy at Stryker's Alkali Lake base located in the Canadian Rockies.
Scott Summers had since gone up to his room this evening, so that could grieve in solitude over the loss of his soul-mate Dr. Jean Grey. It was the most devastating blow that he had been dealt in his life, save the day when his parents shoved him out of their burning and soon-to-crash aircraft, sacrificing their lives to in place of his and his brother's Alex. Meanwhile, Logan had disappeared to parts unknown on the estate to also deal with the pain and confusion that he was feeling, both over the death of Jean and from the startling revelations regarding his past that Colonel Stryker had provided to him.
Inside of the mansion, Kurt Wagner had gone with Dr. Ororo Munroe to the living room, joining most of the other kids in there, as they all prepared to watch a televised replay of the President's speech from earlier that morning. President McKenna soon came on and spoke to the American people and to the people around the world about the assassination attempt on his life, the global phenomenon that had nearly destroyed every sentient mind on the planet, what his ultimate response to both would be, and about the proposed legislation that, if passed, would nationally identify, register, and regulate mutants. The televised statement allowed everyone to get an idea of what the President intended to do with the new opportunity before him, which Professor Xavier had informed the Commander-In-Chief had been presented to both mutants and non-mutants alike in the moments right before McKenna was to make his historic speech.
All the while, Professor Xavier was left with perhaps the most difficult task of all, having to now call Professor John and Elaine Grey and break the news to them of their eldest daughter's untimely passing.
But, as the residents in the living room sat somewhat mesmerized by the televised re-broadcast, Bobby Drake and Rogue slowly got up from the one-person chair that they had been sharing together, with Rogue sitting on his lap. The couple silently gestured to both Peter Rasputin and to Jubilee to come join them. Per a prior agreement earlier in that day, the four students all quietly left the living room in a manner to try and remain as inconspicuous as possible, and not draw the attention of the others. They then disappeared around the corner of the living room's entrance and traveled down a corridor towards the library on the other side of the school, so that they would now be able to talk privately amongst themselves.
"I am SO sick!" Jubilee expressed, which through her congested voice oddly sounded like she was saying "I am THO thhhiick!", as she entered first through the library's huge double doors.
Jubilee was now dressed in a slate-blue sweatshirt and sweatpants, which both had the school's 'X' insignia on it. She was also still feeling the chill that she had encountered north of the border, and Jubilee had gone and wrapped herself up in another fairly heavy blanket that she had gotten after they returned to the school from Alkali Lake.
"I tell ya, if I never see snow again it'll be way too soon." Jubilee said, as she continued on into the library.
"If Ah never have to see Alkali Lake, that'll be just as fine with me too." Rogue responded, as she came into the library next with her gloved hand tightly grasped inside of Bobby's, both of them now wearing new, but still very casual outfits after changing out of the clothes that they had gotten at the Drake residence outside of Boston.
"This whole situation still does not feel real. It is as if our entire world has been turned upside down, all in just this brief amount of time. Until they broke down our front door, it was unthinkable to me that in this country children could be dragged from their beds by armed soldiers in the middle of the night." Peter now told them, as he was the last to come in to the library. He locked the door behind him, officially getting their secret get-together underway.
Peter stood close to the entrance dressed in a white, muscle-style undershirt, denim jeans, and a pair of black boots, which he had grabbed and put on when he and the other students were finally able to come back inside of the mansion. This was following the X-Men's return from Alkali Lake, for which they had stopped and stayed just long enough to bring the students hiding in the nearby forest back to the school, and to also drop off most of the other students on the Blackbird with them. The X-Men then took Kitty, Bobby, and Rogue with them, departing for what the Professor deemed as a very urgent mission in Washington D.C.
At this late hour in the evening, Peter still hadn't bothered to change out of his hastily assembled outfit, since he, Scott, Logan, Kurt, and some of the other students had immediately pitched in with helping to board up the broken windows and doors at the school. They had been damaged during the fighting, shooting, and screaming(courtesy of Siryn) when the soldiers' attacked the school. They used lumber from the school's wood shop, along with their various skills, strengths, and mutant abilities to quickly accomplish the task of patching up the damage, which was a temporary fix at least until they had the chance to properly replace everything.
"I used to think that this place was completely safe, like we could live here without being afraid of all of the anti-mutant crap going on outside. But, that was just living in a fantasy world." Bobby said, as he and Rogue ventured further into the very large library full of both aged and modern books.
Bobby decided to go over and take a seat up on a long wooden countertop, which was where the library books were turned in to be restocked on the shelves. And since they were still holding hands, Rogue was pulled in tow behind Bobby over to the counter area. Rogue then went and stood in front of Bobby, leaning back as he sat up on the counter and he put his arms caressingly around her waist in a snug, romantic embrace.
"You know, everything feels so completely screwed up now. What got into John to make him ditch us like he did, just so he could run off with Magneto of all people?" Rogue commented the group, just as Jubilee suddenly sneezed very loudly.
"I don't understand it either." Bobby added, as he sat on the countertop with his face resting on Rogue's right shoulder, making sure to keep a safe distance from the area around her neck where skin was exposed, "And, then there's Dr. Grey."
"Ah can't begin to imagine what Mr. Summers is goin' through right now. Ah mean, havin' to deal with losing a loved one all of a sudden like that." Rogue remarked, as she turned back slightly to look at Bobby directly behind her.
"Well, I can imagine. Definitely. And it sucks majorly, trust me." Jubilee responded, as she had taken a seat behind a close-by table, wrapped up completely in her new comforter, "I mean, it's just like the day when I found out my parents died. I remember it just like it was yesterday, 'cause I'd been hangin' with my friends and goofin' off all that day. When I finally came home, there were like all these police cars out front. One of the officers came up to me, and he started telling me there had been an accident.
And, then you wanna talk about things not feeling real.
It felt like my whole world was spinnin' around. They kept talkin' about how my Dad was like drivin', like a hundred miles an hour, and how he lost control of our car. Which I knew was TOTAL bullshit. The guy like never sped on the highway, or drove fast, or anything. That's how come we were always getting 'the bird' shot at us by old ladies passin' us over in the slow lane. But you know, the worst part was the fact that I didn't get to see 'em one last time, to you know, say goodbye. All I got was to touch two black caskets at the cemeta…"
But Jubilee paused, as something totally unexpected came over her and her emotional state seemingly shot right into overload. It most likely had to do with the fact that she had undergone such an extreme and traumatic experience within the last forty-eight hours, from the terrifying experience of being drugged and kidnapped from her own bed, to being held prisoner with other students deep down in a dungeon cell at Alkali Lake, then having to run for her life with the others as a wall of water threatened to engulf them all. Then to top it off, all of the students at the school had for most of the day been quietly talking amongst themselves about what had happened to Dr. Grey at Alkali Lake.
The topic of death and people dying was something that Jubilee generally tried to avoid, especially when it came to her parents, and this day she did her best to try and tune out the conversations going on around her regarding it. But, she had watched with her own two eyes, as Dr. Grey disappeared from sight when those forty-foot high waves came crashing down upon her from the ruptured dam at Alkali Lake, and swallowed their teacher in the blink of an eye. This, coupled with the lingering sense of anguish that Jubilee still very much felt over the death of her parents forced her to finally face both the uneasy subject and the pain that she been avoiding dealing with for far too long.
"I mean, God, all I wanted them to know was how much I really loved them…and how much…I…really misse…" Jubilee tried in vain to continue, before it finally happened.
All of the sorrow that Jubilee had been carrying around inside of her, continually burying it layer by layer beneath an external veneer of being the cool and consummate joker, now flowed out of her uncontrollably. Without warning she began to cry loudly, almost hysterically, as the tears that she had vowed to never shed again after the funeral forced their way out. Such melodrama was something that Jubilee had made a point to never, EVER put on display for anyone else to see, and at first it somewhat frightened Rogue, Bobby, and Peter by its sheer spontaneity and intensity.
"Oh Mom, Dad…" Jubilee shakily struggled to get out in a very low whisper, as she wrapped her comforter even more tightly around herself.
"Jube, it's gonna be okay. Ah promise, everything's gonna be okay." Rogue shushed in Jubilee's ear, after she had scrambled over from the counter area where she and Bobby had been standing together in their embrace, quickly coming over to put her arms around her friend.
Rogue knelt down beside Jubilee, supportively hugging her roommate in an attempt to try and console her. But, Jubilee just sat in her chair with her face in the palms of her hands and continued sobbing heavily into them, as the two girls slowly rocked back and forth together.
"Damn it, I should have never listened to Logan!" Peter now angrily declared, as he uncharacteristically slammed his fist in frustration against a wall in the library that he had been standing next to. The resulting shudder could be felt throughout the rest of the library, despite the fact that Peter was currently in his unarmored state.
"What're you talking about?" Bobby came over and asked him, while Rogue was so busy trying to calm Jubilee down that neither of the two girls even noticed Peter's outburst.
"I should have stayed and helped to defend the mansion, instead of escaping with the others as Logan had requested of me. Together, we could have stopped this Stryker person, and prevented him from leaving here with those parts from the Professor's Cerebro machine in the first place. Then Dr. Grey would still be here with us." Peter replied, expressing his feelings of failure after learning about what had happened at Alkali Lake, having heard the precise details from some of the students that were there to witness it first-hand.
"Man, you did the right thing by listening to Logan. You're the main reason a lot of those kids down in the living room are still alive and safe now." Bobby told him, as he came over and gave Peter a pat on his broad shoulder.
"Perhaps, but I feel that there was still more that could have been done. Something. Anything!" Peter articulated, as a fifth unexpected voice then spoke out to them from within the library.
"Bobby's right, you did do everything you could, and more." Kitty Pryde now added, having seemingly appeared out of nowhere on the far side of the library, revealing that their departure from the living room hadn't gone quite as unnoticed as they had thought. Kitty walked towards them wearing a long-sleeved top that was a light-plum color, darker colored pants, and a pair of white sneakers.
"I don't know what the rest of us kids would've done out there alone if you hadn't been there lookin' out for us, Peter." Kitty further expounded, referring to how the students that had managed to escape from the school through its underground tunnel system had benefited from Peter's knowledge of the outdoors.
It was knowledge that Peter had gained from a childhood spent growing up in the harsh wilderness of Siberia. He had been taught how to treat minor injuries with herbal remedies, how to build a makeshift shelter using tree limbs, branches, and other materials found in nature, and how to start a fire without the use of matches. While his survival skills knowledge managed to help the group hide far enough in the woods to evade the soldiers, it was Peter's ability to keep the other students around him calm during their ordeal that was perhaps his most notable and most valuable asset to them in their situation
"Hi, Kit-Cat." Jubilee now managed to say to Kitty, as she wiped her face with her hand, having finally pulled herself together and calmed down enough to greet her classmate, all while Rogue had gotten up to go find some tissue for Jubilee.
"Sitting in here and beating yourself up isn't going to help. We need to do something constructive, something that'll really make a difference." Bobby now told Peter.
"And what do you suggest then, Tovarisch?" Peter curiously inquired, not quite understanding what Bobby was getting at.
"That we go to the Professor, and we tell him that we want to train to become X-Men." Rogue said from inside of a nearby office in the library.
Rogue was referring to the discussion that she, Bobby, and John had been having while they were left alone on the Blackbird at Alkali Lake. It had been a point that the three of them were seemingly in agreement on, that is, before John's very abrupt and startling departure.
"It is a sentiment that I certainly second, Marie." Peter responded to her proposed idea.
"Yeah, it sounds great, but do you think the Prof 's gonna really let his students run around in tight, black leather and play super-hero for him." A teary-eyed Jubilee said, hardly convinced that their Headmaster would ever go for such an idea.
"Ah read in a computer file around here one time that when the Professor put his first group of X-Men together, that Storm and Dr. Grey and Cyclops were around the same age as us. Ah even think back then that they got to take on Magneto all by themselves too." Rogue informed the group, as she now came back from the office in the library with a box of Kleenex for Jubilee.
"Then, I say it's unanimous. When do you think we should go tell the Professor?" Kitty now said to the others in the library.
"We? Um, no offense Kitty, but we're gonna have a hard enough time convincing the Professor that we're old enough, and that we have enough control over our powers to do it. He'll probably think that you're still way too young." Bobby remarked to Kitty.
"Hey, wait just-one-minute!I'm just a year or two younger than you guys. Besides, I was old enough and good enough with my powers to sneak into Stryker's headquarters for the Professor and print out those files for him, AND I was good enough to sneak in here without any of you guys noticing me too. So there!" Kitty loudly shot back at the four older students, as she then stuck her tongue out directly at Bobby.
"She does have point. And, with the way that she can so effectively argue her position, we may need her to do so with the Professor on all of our behalf. I vote that we include Kitty." Peter interceded, as he leaned up against a wall close to the library's entrance and smiled, giving Kitty his complete and total support in joining them, which very much surprised and impressed the younger girl from Deerfield.
"Well, with an endorsement like that and considering who it's comin' from, Ah guess we'd better not say no." Rogue now humorously replied and agreed to Peter's request, as Bobby and Jubilee nodded their heads in agreement as well.
"Well, now that's all settled, as soon as the school is back to normal I say we go to the Professor and ask him." Bobby told the group.
"Okay, but we gotta make sure to keep this to ourselves until then. We don't say anything to the other students about what we're plannin' to do." Rogue now instructed them.
"You got it, 'boss-lady'." Jubilee playfully replied, as a smile at last returned to her tear-stained face, which she had been wiping with one of the tissues from the box that Rogue had handed to her.
"If we are finished, I imagine that I should now go and board up the hole that I left in the wall of yours and Theresa's room, before it gets too late." Peter now said, as he stood over in front of Kitty and looked down into the face of the much shorter girl, speaking to her through his still moderately-heavy Russian accent, although he had gotten much better at concealing it most of the time.
"Nah, I say leave it, big guy. Gives me a lot more leverage in getting the Professor to give me my own room down the hall now." Kitty sprightly replied, as Peter saw her look up and flash a smile at him, one that beamed so brightly that he thought it could very well light up the stars in the heavens above.
With that, Colossus, Rogue, Iceman, Shadowcat, and Jubilee all then started back towards the double doors of the library to exit it, having now set themselves on a path that they hoped would one day allow them to really become X-Men. And perhaps, in their own way, these young people would end up honoring a teacher's memory and her sacrifice through their efforts.
The Beginning…
…………………………………………..
Story 5- Hot For Teacher
…………………………………………..
On an average day late in the spring semester at Xavier's School for the Gifted, time was drawing towards its conclusion for Mr. Summers' Industrial Tech class. It was a class in which he taught the students various vocational skills, such as wood shop and learning how to use CAD software for graphics model design and to draft architectural floor plans. Mr. Summers also taught other varied specialized subjects to those students that showed an interest in learning them, such as sheet-metal welding, small and large engine design, which included their function and how to repair them, and an assortment of other trade skills that could be of benefit to students after they had graduated.
"All right everybody, I want you to finish up reading chapter 17 before next class. Class dismissed." Mr. Summers said to his students, as he stood in front of a projector screen that he had been using to go over a design schematic with them, after he had looked up at the clock on one of the walls in the shop building and noticed that the time had reached mid-day.
Having been adjourned, the students began to gather their things and leave. Theresa Cassidy, Rahne Sinclair, and Danielle Moonstar were the first to exit, heading for the school's cafeteria for lunch. Meanwhile, Peter and Rogue were the next to exit the classroom and go out into the hallway, leaving behind just Jamie Madrox, Roberto Da Costa, J.E. Richter, James Proudstar, and Mr. Summers within.
But, not for very long.
"Hi, guys." Alison Blaire, former pop megastar and now recent addition to the school's teaching staff said to the four boys, as she walked past them into the shop area, just as they were on their way out.
"Whoa, check out Alison!" Jamie said in a loud whisper to the other guys, referring to their teacher as she continued on into the classroom.
While the cornsilk-colored blouse that buttoned up the front and had short tapered sleeves, black skirt that was cut to a knee-high length, and conservative black pumps that Alison had on looked like an ensemble that one might see just about any other grade school teacher attired in, what caught the boys attention was what had accessorized the outfit.
Pure and unadulterated attitude.
As a world-famous performer, the first thing that Alison had learned was how to make an entrance. Having to do so for a constant barrage of press appearances, premieres, and having to night in and night out go out on stage while on tour had helped Alison to master the art of the grand entrance, and she did so now without even having to think about it. And, while just about anything in a skirt could grab and keep the undivided attention of a teenage boy, Alison's strides into the classroom had definitely made Scott look up and take notice as well.
"I knew that your class was about to end, and I thought you might like some lunch-time company." Alison said, as she came over and took a seat next to Scott up on the backside of his desk, facing him directly with her palms firmly planted on the desktop right next to her hips.
"Actually, I was planning on going down to the Danger Room, and working out for a couple of hours." Scott replied, as he sat in his chair and looked up at her through his ruby-quartz glasses.
"Okay, but only after lunch." Alison smiled and replied.
"Sure, okay." Scott finally agreed.
"I would offer to join you in your workout, but after watching Ororo and some of the other X-Men down there, I doubt even this ex-aerobics instructor could keep up with you guys." Alison playfully commented.
"Hold on, do you mean aerobics instructor, as in jumping up and down in a tight leotard in front of a room full of sweaty people? " Scott curiously asked her, as he leaned back in his chair a little.
"Yep, spandex and the whole nine yards." Alison confirmed.
"I guess I can picture that." Scott responded.
"Oh, really? And how do me and my tight leotard look in that risqué mind of yours?" Alison grinned, and teasingly inquired of him.
"Well, um, that's not exactly what I was referring to. I just meant that, um, since you had to stay in shape as a performe--" Scott said, as he sat up and stumbled a little, trying to explain what it was that he had meant.
"It's alright, I know what you meant, 'leader-man'. But, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to make you actually squirm a little, especially after you left yourself so wide-open." Alison said, letting Scott off of the hook and calling him by her special nickname for him.
"I suppose I should make sure not to do that again. Leaving myself wide-open, that is." Scott replied.
"Or, maybe you should." Alison giggled, as she sat on his desk with her beautifully-shaped legs crossed over one another, seductively rubbing them slowly up and down just a few feet in front of Scott, while they talked.
"Oh, come on! 'Leaving myself wide-open, that is', Summers ain't that funny." Jamie commented, as he, Roberto, James, and Rictor had been silently observing their teachers' from around the corner out in the hallway.
"It was hilarious, if you're the one trying to get with him, that is." Roberto pointed out.
"Summers and Miss Blaire? No way. She's this huge superstar, and she could get any guy she wanted." Rictor told them.
"Look at how she's sitting on his desk, Alison's definitely got the 'hots' for Summers." Jamie expounded, as the brown-haired boy and the rest of the small group continued spying from out in the hallway, "I'm tellin' you, he's gotta be blind if he can't see it."
"With those glasses he has to wear, I wouldn't doubt it." James remarked, referring to Mr. Summers' special red-lensed eyewear that shielded the optic energy that uncontrollably blasted from his eyes, "But, at least Miss Blaire sittin' up there is doin' something for you, Multiple."
"Well Ric, you'd better watch out because it looks like Mr. Summers is about to take your woman." Roberto tauntingly said to Rictor.
"Shut up, idiota. Miss Blaire's my music tutor, not my woman. And besides, she's a little too old for me, don't cha think." Rictor said in response.
"She's not that old. And in my book, age doesn't really matter anyways. I know how to treat all of the ladies." Roberto boasted, as he prided himself on being the ultimate Casanova, constantly working on a plethora of romantic pick-up lines, and keeping abreast of the latest fashion trends, such as the off-white, collarless Sean John shirt that he was wearing this day, complete with matching pants and accessorizing shoes that rounded out his ensemble.
"Before I hit it big, there were a ton of odd jobs that I worked just to make ends meet." Alison was saying, as she and Scott had continued on with their conversation, unaware that they were being watched, "To be honest, the only reason I took the job as an aerobics instructor was because all of the instructors there got a free gym membership. The monthly dues at an upscale place like that is more than most people spend on rent and utilities, and there's no way I could've afforded them on my own. So, I would go in and teach three aerobics classes during the day, and in exchange I got to workout whenever I wanted and I got a paycheck on top of that, so I think I made out pretty good. Then, after my last class of the day, I'd come home and grab as much sleep as I could, before heading down to a local place I performed at regularly called the Spearmint Club, sometimes playing grueling sets with the house band until two in the morning. Then, I'd come home, go to bed, and get up the next morning and start all over again."
"With all of that energy, I guess aerobics instructor was a good backup career option for you." Scott remarked to her.
"Yeah, it certainly prepared me for my next career change into the field of education. Am I versatile or what?" Alison mocked herself in response, as she ran her right-hand back through her now shoulder-length reddish-blonde hair, which she had cut from its much longer length just a few weeks ago.
"I guess we'll just have to make 'versatile' your new code-name around here?" Scott joked to Alison, as he stood up from his seat and she slipped down from off of his desk, and the two of them then started towards the door.
"Why not, it can't be any worse than those horrible names people on the outside have been calling me, ever since the rest of the world found out I was a mutant." Alison commented, as she walked alongside Scott, "And maybe it'll get the students' to stop calling me by their current nickname for me around here too."
"And what, exactly, have the students been calling you?" Scott stopped and seriously wanted to know, as he turned to face her.
"Don't worry, I guess it's silly more than anything. Secretly, the kids around here call me Dazzler, even though they think I don't know about it." Alison revealed, with a slight smile.
"Dazzler? Where'd they come up with a name like that?" Scott asked her, as he put his hands in the pockets of his khaki trousers, which he was wearing with his light-blue dress shirt that had the sleeves rolled up on them.
"It's something from my past, and it'd take waaayy too long to explain right now. I'll just save it for when we have another one of our pre-lunch conversations." Alison smiled and told Scott, as the pair continued on out of the door, now coming into a hallway that had quickly become empty of any of its students long before the two teachers entered into it.
…………………………………………..
Story 6- Alternative School Part 7, Rough Boys
…………………………………………..
Standing out on the rear balcony patio on campus at the Massachusetts Academy, John Allerdyce felt a sense of peace and tranquility come over him. He stood there staring out onto the enchanting and majestic Berkshire Mountains that surrounded the school, entranced by its impressive view and watching as the sun made its evening descent into the background of the mountains, whose peaks were still covered at their very tops with the last of winter's snow.
But, it was a solitary quietude not to last much longer, as John soon felt a presence approaching him, coming from the entrance of the adjoining campus building out onto the spacious, marble-tiled patio area. But, even with his back turned to him, John knew full well who had come and sought him out.
"I figured you'd find me sooner or later. You out here for round two to finish what we started earlier, or what?" John inquired, still facing forward out towards the mountain range and the lush, green common areas that was located down below in front of where the terrace stood.
"You're goddamn right! I'm out here to settle this shit once and for all." Lance Alvers replied, as he slowly approached John, and had a bookbag now slung over his shoulder.
As he continued stalking forward, Lance unzipped the bag and reached inside searching for something, something very much in particular.
"Well, let's get this over with. I've been thinking--" John said, as he had turned around to face Lance, and this time hopefully avert another potentially violent confrontation.
Then, John saw Lance suddenly pull out a shiny, metallic object from the bookbag in his hand.
"What're you doing with that out here?" John now asked him.
"You mean to tell me you walk around like such a badass, and I gotta explain it to you? Guess I'll just have to show you then." Lance said, as his index finger then quickly and irrevocably reacted. Then there was a very audible…
POP!
…that rang out on the balcony, followed by almost total silence. Then, John spoke out in almost utter disbelief.
"I don't believe you, man." John told him.
"Believe what?" Lance replied with a huge smile.
"You know, Fred ain't an idiot. Sooner or later, he's gonna figure out you're the one rippin' off all his beers." John said, as Lance took the now empty beer can, which he had just popped the top on and downed in a matter of seconds and shoved it back into the bookbag, only to replace it in his hand with another can from inside of the backpack.
"Hell, I doubt it. Besides, isn't the whole point of us bein' in the Brotherhood that we get to make our own rules now? And, I say rule number one is that any beer found in Brotherhood house is community property." Lance replied, referring to the fact that the school's senior squad, which included himself, John, Tabitha, Manuel, Jennifer, and Joanna, were all in fact undercover members of the Brotherhood. They had even gone so far as to dub the senior dormitory building on campus as 'The Brotherhood House', although it was only referred to that just amongst themselves, of course.
"You talk big now, but I'd like to see if you're still that tough when Blob's got you pinned on the ground, sitting his big ass on top of you." John remarked, with a slight smirk.
"Look, you gonna drink one with me, or you gonna sit out here bitchin' and lecturing me all night?" Lance asked, as he pulled another beer from the bag and waved it around for John.
"Actually, I'm surprised you're offering. I had assumed that I'd be the last person you'd want to be around right now." John responded, as he walked across the terrace towards Lance, "Look, I'm sorry about goin' off on you earlier. Tab already came out here and worked me over pretty good for overreacting the way that I--"
"Squash that shit. Just down one of these with me, and I'll know thing're cool between us. That is, unless you're afraid of your old-lady findin' out about you drinkin' with the school's resident bad-boy?" Lance mockingly told him.
"Bad-boy? You're getting' pretty full of yourself, aren't you? Just go ahead and toss one of those cans over here already, dumbass." John smiled, as Lance tossed him one of the beers from his bag and then opened another one for himself, as the two boys went and sat down on one of the exquisitely carved marble benches outside.
"So, what're you doin' out here anyways?" Lance asked, as he took a seat next to John and took a swig of his beer.
"Just out here thinking and watching the sun set." John answered, "Why?"
"Nothin', just wondering, that's all." Lance told him.
"Say, but I really am sorry about earlier." John now tried to apologize again, as he turned towards Lance next to him and also took a drink from the beer in his hand.
"Dude, I told you before screw it, don't worry about it." Lance replied, emphatically stating that the matter was over and done with in his mind, "But, next time you decide to go and pull that psycho-crap, I'm gonna take a bag of full beer cans like this and slap you upside your fat head with it. Got it?"
"Yeah, I got it." John lightly chuckled in response, as he then turned back towards the mountain-view.
John and Lance sat out there together for a while longer, both of them finishing the contents inside of the bag that Lance had brought with him, and watching as another day slowly came to an end.
……………………………………….
Next Chapter: The origins of the mutant known as Magma…
……………………………………….
A/N: Special thanks to everyone that reviewed the last chapter-
Episodic- Glad you liked the chapter, and that you can find character similarities in your own life. As far as a lack of focus on villains, I noticed the same thing too and that's the main reason why I decided to try and include a bit of how the other side lives, beyond just when they're being the bad guys fighting the good guys. As far as Tabitha, her comic version is more or less the same as her Evo counterpart(At least when she first appeared in her younger days), and the version in this story is kind of a mix of those, plus a little original characterization. So, here's to good writers and to bad writers, we all need some love.
Independent Fire- Glad you've gotten hooked on the Alternative School stories, and I hope you liked the latest installment in this chapter, because there's still more to come.
TheDreamerLady- Glad you liked last chapter, and that you enjoyed the John/Tab background story, because I have another MAJOR one coming up featuring them. Oh, and the big words say they're hurt by your sentiments. Very, very hurt.
Chrisflib- Glad you liked things so far, it's always nice to hear from a new reviewer. As far as Lila, who's to say where she'll end up, maybe she'll surprise you and not join anybody's side, except maybe her own?
El Varon- Glad you liked the different interactions. I think it's pretty interesting too, especially since some of these characters have never met under these circumstances, and some just plain have never met at all.
I also want to thank you for your review of A Force to be Reckoned With, and I'm glad you liked the Daredevil cameo, because I've got some other Marvel ones down the line I think you'll enjoy too.
Doza- Wow, thanks for the wonderful review and for taking the time to read the stories that I've written so far. I appreciate the compliments, and I hope that you continue to enjoy.
LucreziaNoin86- I'm glad to see you're reading some of my other stuff.