The Uncanny R-Man: Well Jean and Scott did spend two weeks separated not knowing if they would see the other so I think they would enjoy every moment they could. You'll get more Kurt/Wanda and Logan/Ororo stuff. Trust me, there's plenty of story to tell.
Silver Warrior: That was David Gemmell look him up you'll like him he inspired some of the style I use in my stories. You'll have to thank Slickboy for that line Slayer did. That was his scene and I agree with you on that point.
Sparky Genocide: Of course Rogue will fall for Gambit, and yeah that was funny how Jean got Sara to shut about that.
Mark C: Don't worry all those couples will eventually get together and it is nice the Jean's family have accepted Scott. Glad you liked her talk with her sister too.
Simba317: I totally agree with you on how to deal with Romy relationships. I don't mind the rants and stuff go nuts. I like seeing relationships build up. It just makes it more satisfying when they do get together. I'm glad how you like how we're doing Jean in this we try and keep the characters complex it just makes them more real, and Slayer really did shine in that last chapter didn't he?
Kemious the kitsugriff: I thought we did earlier with Kurt and Wanda, but I guess we could do that later and we can only do so much in a chapter. We'll try and do that though.
GothikStrawberry: Well badness is coming but not the full force of it, and it was about time everyone got to know Slayer better.
Aaron: I actually addressed that with Slickboy the night we posted the last chapter and we're going to try and put more New Mutants in this. Anyways glad you're enjoying the rest of this fic and that you liked the little sister moment with Jean and Sara, and any other questions will be answered shortly, trust me.
jade: I'd figure you'd like the Romy bit and yeah Slayer did seem more human in that.
Thanks to: X00001, Chica De Los Ojos Café, Wen1, jenskott,
Hellfire and BrimstoneCHAPTER 27: UNIFORMS, DANGER ROOM AND RELATIONSHIPS OH MY
-Xavier Institute-
The following morning, Betsy and Warren arrived at the institute with all their necessary stuff in a small moving truck. The Professor had been quite surprised, yet glad that Warren had chosen to join the institute. After having fought with him against Magneto, Apocalypse, and the Hellfire Club there was little doubt in his mind that he was true X-men material. And in wake of everything that had happened after the whole ordeal with the Inner Circle, Xavier knew he could use all he help he could get in keeping the institute running as smoothly as any school with super powered teens could be.
Betsy, who had also chosen to join with Warren, had little experience and no previous encounters with the X-men up until the Hellfire Club incident, but from what Warren told her, she wasn't too worried…Just a little anxious due to her lack of experience in handling mutant kids. She may have had the fighting skills to be an X-man, but it would remain too be seen whether or not she had the teaching skills as well.
"Boy…This place sure is big," said Betsy as she took in the full view of their new home, "Although I've seen bigger."
"Yeah, I'm sure you have," said Warren with a laugh as he wrapped her arms around her waist from behind, "But I've been here before and it's a really friendly place. Although I have to warn you, not all the students here are perfect little angels."
"Bad pun luv," said Betsy with a grin.
"Yeah…I know," admitted Warren, knowing he was no comedian, "But don't get too overconfident Betsy. I know you and these aren't some shadowy ninjas, these are teenage boys and girls packing mutant powers."
"Now there's a mix for trouble if I ever heard one," said Betsy, wondering just how challenging it would be once they got situated, "But I think I'm up to it."
"So do I…At least I hope so," said Warren, not one to get too overconfident before they even started off at this place.
As Betsy and Warren entered the doors of the institute, they saw some of the other students up and about. The interior of the mansion was just as impressive as the exterior and at the foot of the stairs, Professor Xavier was there to greet them and had no doubt sensed them coming.
"Warren, Elizabeth…It's good to see the both of you again," said Xavier as they both walked over and shook his hand, "And on behalf of the institute, I'd like to welcome you here as new additions to our team."
"Thanks Professor," said Warren, "I'm glad you gave us this opportunity. I owe you as much for helping me against the Hellfire Club."
"Think nothing of it my boy," said Xavier with a welcoming smile, "Around here, we could always use more help."
"I can only imagine…" said Betsy with a smirk as she saw a bunch of Jamie clones walking across the hall upstairs carrying what looked to be handfuls of candy bars.
"Yes well, that comes along in dealing with any type of teenagers," said Xavier, making a mental note to talk to Jamie later on about sneaking around and hiding candy in a house full of telepaths, "You'll get to know them all eventually. But first, let's get the two of you situated in a room. Ororo and Sage have already prepared one up at the far end of the hall where the rest of the instructors are."
"Sounds good Professor," said Betsy, "Now…Are you sure it's okay for me and Warren to share a room?"
"Don't worry Ms Braddock, it's alright," assured Xavier, "I already have two of my students, Scott and Jean, sharing a room and since you both lived together back in Manhattan, I can see no reason why I shouldn't allow it."
"Thanks Professor, and please…Call me Betsy," she replied, wanting to do a way with formalities at this place as long as she was going to be living here.
"Very well then," said the Professor as he turned down towards the hall leading to the elevators, "Now, if you need any help with your unpacking, I'm sure a few of the students can help you out."
"Sounds like a plan Professor," said Warren as he and Betsy turned back towards the door and prepared to unload the truck while Xavier went down to the lower levels to oversee the danger room session scheduled for today.
With the help of a few of the students, it didn't take long to get the boxes up to their new room, which was already set up for them. So far they got help from Jubilee, a girl from Chinese decent although she was born and raised in California and a born mall rat who loved yellow, especially the yellow coat she always wore. Her boyfriend Bobby was also helping, after Jubilee had gotten back a few months after Apocalypse they had started dating. And at the moment, Bobby was helping to move a rather heavy trunk. "Man what do you have in here?"
"I don't know. Betsy packed it so it could be anything. Hell, it could even be the kitchen sink by the weight of it," Warren said to the brown haired boy.
'I heard that,' Warren heard in his head and swore silently.
Bobby saw the look and grinned, "Girl friend heard that huh? Damn I'm glad my girlfriend isn't telepathic. There are some things I'd rather not let her know."
Warren grinned at that, "What man would? But I still love her."
In the room which was much like Scott and Jean's room, the layout was dominated by a large, queen sized bed in the center with a nice oversized window, perfect for Warren when he felt the urge to go on a late night flight. While the room was very nice, Betsy already had a few ideas to make it unique and a room that was truly theirs. However, she would get around to that a little later. For now, they just had to unpack and try to negotiate how they were going to get all their stuff organized. A few of the boxes were being put away with Betsy. Amara was looking through one and saw a statue in it.
"Oh, can you place that Greek statue over there?" said Betsy as she went through organizing some of her casual clothes.
Amara looked at the small statue for a moment studying it, "It's Roman…Not Greek."
"What?" Betsy took it and studied it and then looked at the younger tan skinned girl. Betsy could also see that she too seemed to have led a high class life. Her posture and facial expressions were a dead give away. "I was assured it was Greek."
Amara shook her head, "Its Roman…Believe me, I would know. I come from a place called Nova Roma and it was settled by the Roman Empire. Trust me, we still have the same art to this day."
"Bloody hell," Betsy muttered, making a mental that next time she met the man who sold her this, she was going to have a few choice words with him, "Well thank you anyway luv." Amara smiled and nodded.
"Whoa mama!" Tabitha, the blond trouble maker, said with a smile on her face and from one box pulled out a very naughty and skimpy teddy undergarment, "Damn girl! Where do you shop and where can I get me one of these?"
Betsy blushed and snatched it away and stuffed it back into the box quickly, "You really shouldn't see stuff like that."
"Pfft, Come off it. I'm seventeen and I've seen much worse stuff then that," Tabitha said waving it off. "So…Where's Sammy, you didn't let him carry anything breakable did you?"
Betsy got a bit worried at that, "Why?" She was dreading the answer to that.
"Well Sammy is a really nice guy and he may also be cute…But he's kind of a klutz." Then, there was a thump and someone with a southern accent muttering something. "See what I mean?" Betsy sighed and went to see what that was and had hoped that nothing had been broken.
When she was gone, Tabitha looked thorough the box with the sexy underwear and held one up for Amara. "Hey Mara, what do you think? Is it me?"
Amara blushed a bit at her closest and best friend Tabitha seeing her with that. "Uh…it-it's nice," Tabitha smirked and was wondering if she could get some for herself. She had her eye on a certain southern boy for some time now. She had to admit that Sam was the nicest guy she had ever met and over the last year, she had been flirting with him a bit, but it wasn't just physical attraction it was that she really did like the guy. Maybe if she asked Betsy nicely she would take to her where she could fine some of those…Or maybe Emma if what Kitty said about that woman was right.
After the kids had been sent out of the room Betsy looked around, "Ah our new love nest…" she said as she set one last box down and stretched her arms, "It's big…But not as luxurious as our place back in Manhattan."
"I know, but we'll just have to adapt," said Warren as he fell back on the bed and rested his body after moving so many boxes. Betsy quickly joined him and laid down on top of him with wide smile on her face.
"So when do you want to test out the bed springs?" she said with a seductive look on her face as she felt Warren's hands on her hips.
"Now, now Bets…We're in a school," said Warren with a grin, knowing now probably wasn't the best time for that sort of thing, "Privacy here isn't as…Guaranteed when you're dealing with curious teenagers."
"Then I guess we'll just have to try and keep it down from now on," she said as she felt him wrap his wings protectively around her like she so often enjoyed.
"Easier said than done…" said Warren with a laugh, earning him a playful swat from Betsy.
Neither of them knew what to expect at this point. There were many things they would have to adjust to now that they were a part of something so much grander. This was a big step and it would surely lead down roads neither of them had yet imagined.
"So do you think we're really ready for this luv?" she asked, as she rested her head comfortably on his chest.
"I think this is the best place for us to put our powers to good use," he answered, "Here…We don't have to hide what we are and we can just be ourselves without living in constant fear that someone will find out about us being mutants."
"Yeah, I know how you feel about that," said Betsy as she touched the light feathers of his wings.
For what seemed like a full ten minutes Betsy and Warren simply laid back in their new in silence, taking in this dramatic new step they were taking in their lives. Now they wouldn't be confined to a world of pampering and upper class privileges…Instead they were going to be living the life of teachers and role models to young up and coming mutants still trying to find their place in the world. Such a responsibility was a large one to bear, but for Betsy and Warren, they were definitely up for the challenge.
-Girls Changing Rooms, later that day-
It was the first Danger Room session for a few of the people there. Hank gave the OK for Vincent and Emma to join in and Logan wanted to see what they could do. He also managed to rope in Gambit and even Betsy wanted in. She had been dying for a way to train her skills. Ever since she was in that new body with all those ninja skills, she felt the need to train and from what she had heard this was the perfect place to do it.
Emma had been given one of the new recruit uniforms earlier that day, but it was just so…Bland and tasteless for her. She considered just going in, in some sweat shirt and pants, but then she had an idea. She spent that morning altering it. Thankfully she not only knew about fashion, but how to alter clothing. It was a skill her mother hadn't liked her learning, but Emma once thought about becoming her own clothing designer and learned anyway.
At the moment she saw many of the girls changing. The only ones not here were was Jean and Rogue. Rogue, even though physically fine, Xavier wanted her mind to get a bit better or else she wouldn't concentrate while in the Danger Room and might get injured. Jean was absent for the same reason and in addition, she was keeping Rogue company at the moment since the two of them had become a bit closer after their shared ordeal.
Emma was taking off her clothing and placed on a sports bra. One of the girls had said that was the best choice and also because sometimes the cold of the Danger Room would sometimes cause their nipples to show and then all the guys would keep staring at their chests. Sure it was kind of flattering, but it also got annoying too. But Emma didn't really mind. She wasn't ashamed of her body in the least and she grinned at the thought of Vincent trying not to look.
That was another thing she liked about him…He tried to respect her in every way. During that wonderful date she had purposely leaned forward, showing off her cleavage to him and testing him. He tried not to look, okay he glanced a few times, but he was very well behaved. That had been a wonderful night for her and that kiss had made her go to bed with a smile on her face. She truly did like him…She maybe even care for him too. She saw Betsy get into her own 'uniform' if it could be called that. It was a purple one-piece that looked like a bathing suit that also showed off her curves and her ass. She also wore these long leg boots.
She also wondered about something too. 'Betsy, mind if I ask you something?' Emma sent to her via telepathy. It was the only way she could without the others overhearing.
'Of course luv, what is it?'Emma slowly put on her uniform and was a bit unsure about how to go about this, but her face remained uncertain even though she wasn't facing the other woman. 'I know you're a telepath too and I was wondering…Jean has this physic bond with Scott and I was wondering if you had the same thing. I mean…Is it just her that has it or does this happen with all telepaths in relationships?'
Betsy thought about that and considered it. She asked Emma to clarify it and Emma told her all about what Jean had said and that got Betsy thinking, 'You know…I think so…I mean I can always sense Warren one way or another lately, I mean I don't have to concentrate as hard as I do with others. And when we're…Intimate, I can feel what he feels and vice-versa. Plus, I think we did share a few dreams. I mean…When we're both in each others arms it just seems the outside world just vanishes and we're in our own little world.'
Betsy wondered just how far a bond like that can go and then a thought struck her and she grinned. 'Why are you asking luv? You fancy someone? It's that Canadian boy isn't it?'
'That's…None of your business.' Emma said and finished dressing and left, but this only made Betsy grin even more at seeing that.
On the other side of the changing rooms, Wanda was finishing putting on her Scarlet Witch uniform. She hadn't changed it much since coming to the X-Men, with the exception of a black belt with a red X on it. She closed her locker and found Kitty standing behind it already ready, but she looked a bit nervous.
"Wanda…Can we like, talk for a minute?" Wanda sighed and nodded. She had a pretty good idea what this was about and sat down on one of the benches as Kitty sat next to her. "How's Kurt doing?" That surprised Wanda a bit, "I mean lately he's a bit…Down to say the least."
"I honestly don't know. I mean…He's hurting," she told her, but not about him scratching himself until he bled that one night.
Kitty looked at her seriously, "Wanda…Do you like him, and I mean as in more then just a friend. Please be honest with me, I mean I see you two together and you both seem happier around each other. I think that you're both, like, good for each other and Kurt's my best friend. I so want him to be happy and I need to know…Are you two just friends?"
Wanda looked at Kitty, but the serious expression she had on her face and in her eyes was something she had never seen before. She thought about it…But it was all so confusing for her since she had never felt this close to someone before and to be fair, she wasn't completely sure…But she did have strong feelings for him. "I…I think I do like him. I'm not sure but…I think I do."
Kitty smiled and squealed a bit and Wanda winched at the sound. "I, like, so totally knew it! Hey…I have an idea…That is if you don't mind?" Wanda gave her a curious look and wondered what she was up to. "Well you see…I, kind of like Piotr and I want to ask him out…But…I'm a little afraid to go alone…You think maybe you could ask Kurt out and we could double? I mean, you two could just go out as just friends. It might help him out and you could see if your feelings for him are more then just friendship."
Wanda was about to tell her off, but then she actually thought about Kitty asked. Those last two parts really struck a cord with her. Kurt did need to go out and have at least a good time for just a little while and it would give her an idea on her feelings for Kurt, "I'll…think about it."
That was good enough for Kitty who nodded and ran off not wanting to be late.
-Danger Room-
Logan was waiting for the last members to show up. So far everyone was here then the last few came in, Sunspot, Kitty, then…Emma. His eyes went to her as did all the other males as soon as she and Betsy entered. Okay Betsy had said she had her own thing to wear…Although a bit revealing, and a bit much at that, but Emma had modified her uniform it seemed.
"Frost, what the hell happened to that?" Logan demanded. She had lowered the waist, cut off the bottom so her abdomen was shown as well as her arms, and a V-neck line was also added that her cleavage clearly showed.
Emma struck a bit of a pose with her hands on her hips with a grin on her face, "Fashion and style darling. If I have to wear this then I'm going to make it look good. Besides, I'm not the kind of person who likes to blend into the crowd. I like to stand out."
Logan palmed his face. She 'stood out' all right, both her and Betsy.
Emma smiled seeing him like that and then looked at Vincent. He looked shocked, but in a pleasant way. He was also wearing on of those gaudy uniforms although the skin tight material did show off his body very well. When he turned around to talk to someone who asked him a question, she got a look at his backside and had to admit…He had a nice ass too.
She saw a couple of the girls steal a look and a few giggled at something else, but they were no real threat. Besides, she wanted him and what she wanted she always got no matter what. She also noticed a few of the boys looking at her and Betsy too, so predictable. She noticed Jubilee asking Bobby a question, but he was too busy staring at Betsy's ass…That is until Jubilee stomped on his foot. That got a bit of a smile to Emma's face.
"Alright listen up, we'll be doing the gauntlet maze," Wolverine barked out, "To you new comers, it just as it sounds only you're teamed up and every team has to get through it and beat the other teams record. There are a few ground rules, no flying and no messing up the other team with any powers. So Bobby, you leaving behind ice slides and Boom-Boom, no leaving behind any delayed time bombs either."
Both Tabitha and Bobby had slightly guilty looks on their faces at that. Logan got to the monitoring room so he can get a better look at the teams. It was pretty simple and so far as he paired into teams of two.
He was watching as Betsy and Gambit were making their way through the maze. Both were very athletic and agile. Gambit would fire his cards while Betsy used some kind of energy knife or something. Gambit jumped over hazards and grunted when he hit the floor and placed a hand at his side. He really wished that damn injury would heal up already, but at least the stitches were finally out.
"You alright Gambit?" Betsy asked him seeing him.
He just flashed her a grin. "Just fine chere, now let's get out of this maze." Betsy smiled and nodded as they continued on until they reached the end. Logan checked their time and found it was pretty good for their first run. Then he saw it was Emma and Vince. He picked those two mainly because they seemed to be comfortable with each other the most then others.
He wanted to see how they fought together, but he just wished they would stop eyeing each other. Did they really think no one was noticing?
Vince was at the starting point when Emma got a grin on her face. "Vince let me in will you?" He was confused for a second until he knew what she meant and nodded as he opened his mind to her. 'Good, now he said we can use out powers anyway we can think of right?' She sent to him telepathically.
'Yeah…What do you have planned?'
'I looked in Logan's mind at the layout of the maze, but I can't remember it all, if I send the images to you can you keep it?'
'Yeah, but why not just keep looking?'
'I'm going into my diamond form and I can't use my telepathy in that.'
'Oh, well…He didn't say it was against the rules.'
Emma grinned at him, 'That's the way darling. It's not cheating if it's not against the rules.' She turned into her diamond form and Logan gave the signal. Vincent now had the layout in his mind and took point leading the way. Emma was all too glad to take up the rear. Sure her diamond form made her virtually indestructible and her punches were hard, but she didn't have the fighting skill Vincent had.
She watched him move with a speed and grace she didn't know that people were capable of. He blocked several attacks from razor blades and giant metal tentacles that he easily snapped. Emma didn't notice a blade behind her until it hit her at her back, cutting up her uniform. "Damn it! I just got this perfected you stupid machine!" She yelled out form all those hours of work down the drain. She easily smashed it with her fists.
Up in the monitoring room however Logan was both impressed and wondering how the hell they were navigating it perfectly. The boy seemed to know exactly where to go and they made it out in record time. He was going to have to ask about that later but now he had had to see the other teams go through and then go through a few of the other simulations later.
Logan had them go for another hour in a few other simulations until he called it a day.
-A bit Later, Danger Room-
After the rather eventful session, most everybody vacated the area to rest and recuperate. But for Beast, his job was just beginning as he quickly went to work on the always difficult task of repairing the danger room for use again…Only to be trashed later on.
At the moment, Beast was enjoying the relative silence of the uninhabited danger room as he worked on upgrading the main holographic projectors. The students had done quite a number this time around, but he was use to dealing with such things by now. And every time the danger room was destroyed, it gave Beast the opportunity to make certain tweaks and adjustments to make it each session unique in its own right. Being the scientific man that he was, it was always an interesting way to fine tune his mechanical skills while at the same time allowing him to explore new things with this wonderful technology.
As he worked, Hank found himself humming a little Motown to pass the time. Replacing old parts to make the holographic projectors functional again was the easy part and didn't require a great deal of genius, but it was modifying them to enhance their effectiveness that challenged his wits. It was almost like a brain teaser or a crossword puzzle in some ways, but with electronics and Beast found it an easy task to lose himself in.
As he continued working and humming, he didn't notice the main door open or Sage as she made her way over to him, suppressing a laugh as she watching him engrossed in his work while also humming.
"You're quite the musical one aren't you Hank?" said Sage, causing Hank to shoot up in surprise from the sudden sound of her voice, bumping his head in the process.
Sage let out an amused laugh as Hank rubbed his head sheepishly, definitely not scoring any confidence points with himself after that.
"Yes well…In addition to the classics, a little Motown also does well to relax the mind," said Hank as he quickly regained his composure.
"You must need it for a job like this," she said as she looked around at some of the trashed components of the danger room, "So you're the unlucky guy who has to repair this thing after every time it's trashed?"
"Well, most of the time I am," said Hank, "But I do get help from the others at times. And besides…It gives me the opportunity to make a few upgrades."
"Upgrades?" asked Sage, curious as to how one would do that to something as big as the danger room.
"Yes, the danger room is a living entity my dear," he said as she took a step closer to see what he was working on, "Every time it's destroyed or damaged, it brings a new opportunity to add a little something more to it and make it different with each session. And given the ever tumultuous lives of the X-men, we need all the help we can get in preparing for the unforeseeable."
"Looks pretty high tech," said Sage as she knelt down and looked at the advanced holographic projector array, "I'm guessing a sort of advanced photonic projection resonator specially attuned to varying wavelengths, supplemented with a mix analog/binary interface from the main computer programs up top."
"Why yes…" said Beast, sounding very surprised at the young woman's technical know-how which only made her grin in response, "You're exactly right."
Sage let out a slight chuckle at Beast's obvious intrigue, but she wasn't done quite yet.
"Well you know…If you just sheath off some of the digital wiring and add a few bridging mechanisms between the analog/digital controls, it would allow for faster, more fluid image production."
"Hmm…" said Beast as he looked at what she was staring at in the main projector, "That's a great idea! It would help make the holo-laser array upgrades that I'm installing function easier."
"Ah…So that's what the new fiber optics were for," she said as the overall component layout became more clear.
"Indeed fair Sage," he said with a smile, "But tell me…How do you know so much about electronics? One wouldn't be so quick to assume that undercover SHIELD agents would be so proficient in such a field."
"Hank darling…In the life of an agent, dealing with electronics is almost as vital as infiltration," said Sage in a playful tone, "Besides, when you have a mind that works like a computer, you tend think in terms of electronics, gadgets, and everything else that lights up the world."
"A computerized mind?" said Beast in a tone of great intrigue, "Sounds like quite a gift. Sometimes I think I could use a mind as organized as that."
"Oh don't sell yourself short Hank," said Sage as she playfully grabbed some of the fur on his face and twisted it around her finger, "You're mind sounds perfect just the way it is."
"Why thank you," said Hank, trying very hard not to blush at the feeling of her hands touching his fur.
A brief silence fell over them and Sage couldn't help but find his company refreshing. She had come down here looking for Ororo, but she had been so caught up in other things lately that she hadn't had much time to talk to her. And whenever they did, Ororo always seemed to be thinking about something else…Although she guarded it well. While Sage didn't want to intrude, she had the sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with Logan since he seemed to be acting strangely as well.
But finding Hank here gave her a unique opportunity to get to know the man behind the fur. He seemed like such a paradox being that he looked like an animal on the outside, yet had one of the keenest, most refined minds she had come across on the inside. She had to admit, she found it quite enticing, for it was so unique and strangely alluring.
"So…Need a little help?" she asked as she looked back at what he was working on, thinking she could definitely aid in his task.
"Why certainly. Any help on a job like this is always welcome," said Hank, feeling somewhat eager to get a chance to talk to someone who seemed to have the same kind of mindset he did.
As they both returned to fixing the hologram projectors, they both continued to partake casual conversation with one another. They both used it as an opportunity to learn more about each other and what made them tick. It wasn't long before they soon lost themselves in each other's words, continuing to talk, laugh, and enjoy each other's company even after the job was finished. And if Hank's keen mind wasn't deceiving him…He could have sworn that she had been flirting with him at one point. While this was a most unexpected development, given his appearance had pretty much made it impossible to meet women outside the institute…He actually found himself flirting back. And in doing this he couldn't help but wonder…What exactly was going on between him and this beautiful young woman?
-Gym-
Logan was walking the halls, so far the new additions were doing okay. Gumbo had the moves, Vince was a hell of a fighter, as was Betsy. Emma wasn't as skilled at the others, but she showed no fear at all and kept a level head. He was thinking of a few martial art lessons for her. He was still walking when he heard sounds coming from the gym on this level. He was wondering who could still be down here and went to look.
Inside he saw that Vincent kid working a punching bag in a karate gi with a black belt and headband. There was a Japanese symbol on the headband and on the back of the gi. Logan watched him as the boy was in deep concentration every punch seemed to be for maximum effect. In fact, Logan realized that he was sharpening his skills making sure all his punches were flawless. Besides if he was exercising that would be hard since he could easily send his fist through it.
"Not bad kid," Logan said and Vincent stopped, "What cha doing down here anyway?"
"Just training…I wasn't prepared the first time," Vincent said referring to when he was taken, "People got hurt and died…I'm not going to let myself be unprepared again…Especially if there's something coming."
"Guess ya mean that stuff that guy at the mall said." Logan wasn't sure how to handle that, some stranger says that something bad is coming and how were they going to take that? He decided to change the subject, "I'm amazed you can still concentrate like that. I thought you would have been too occupied since you were a bit captivated in the Danger Room by a certain someone."
"Oh…You mean Emma, right?" said Vincent as he found himself scratching the back of his neck.
"I didn't see any other blonde chicks that you couldn't take your eyes off of," replied Logan, finding it somewhat humorous at how Vincent, who looked so determined and focused in the danger room, stutter like this.
"Well to be fair…The other boys were checking her out too," argued Vincent, "I mean…Given the 'modifications' she made to her uniform."
"Don't think I didn't notice that," mumbled Logan, remembering how goofy some of the younger boys looked when they stared at Emma like a pothead at a lava lamp, "Only the difference with you was that you seemed to be distracting her just as much as she was distracting you."
Vincent looked at Logan curiously, not knowing what he meant by that, but Logan went on thinking he knew full well even though he had no idea just how insecure and uncertain a guy Vincent was.
"Look…I don't know what's going on between you two and after all the relationships I've had to handle with the other runts, I honestly don't wanna know," he said, "But in training and in combat, you'll have to learn to put your personal feelings aside, otherwise you'll get too distracted and that could cost you big time. I've told the same thing to Scott and Jeannie and I'll probably tell it to anybody else on the team who grow close. Just remember its okay to keep your heart beating, but don't let it flood your brain. Got it?" Logan also felt a bit hypocritical while saying this with what was or wasn't going on with him and Ororo.
"Wait…You think…I," he stammered, unsure of how to respond to this, for he had just implied that he and Emma were already 'involved' when he wasn't sure himself just what it was they had or what he was feeling for her.
"I told you kid…I don't wanna know," said Logan, cutting him off, "But take it from me…Personal feelings have no place in a mission or during training." Although that image of him kissing Ororo came back, he was right in that on missions and in training, emotions like that didn't belong, but damn it…Then why had it felt so good and so right at that time?
Vincent was left speechless by what Logan had just said and wasn't sure how to respond. Emma may have been on his mind a lot lately, but was it really that obvious? In addition, what Logan said was somewhat contrary to some of the teachings his sensei had taught him growing up. He was always told that any emotion a warrior carried into battle that helped push him beyond his limits was one of the most valuable things any fighter could have as long as he controlled it and didn't let him be controlled by it.
"Look…I don't know how I feel about Emma…I mean I'm not exactly from the same class she came from you know what I mean?"
Logan knew all to well. That was one of the things about his thing with Ororo, she was this beautiful lady, a true lady who was a goddess made flesh. What was he? A raging animal at times, a lost warrior with no past and who smoked, swore, drank heavily and swore more foully then sailors at times. They were just so different and he wasn't sure if he was worthy of Ororo.
"Look I ain't the type to give out relationship advice. All I can say is don't let your lower brain override the one up top while in the Danger Room and missions," Logan told him and grinned at the embarrassed look on the young man's face and left him there.
Once again he was alone and forced to process all the problems that kept his mind reeling in uncertainty and confusion. The incident at the mall and Logan's comments on his relationship with Emma left plenty of anxiety for the troubled young man to deal with. After surviving the Hellfire Club, he had wanted to find time to rest his weary mind…But now it seemed clear that for both him and Logan, the end of one conflict had just brought on another.
NEXT UP CHAPTER 28: RISING EMOTIONS AND COMING DARKNESS