Take the Long Way Home
Here we go folks! The big two-oh! I'll make this brief and get right to the review replies and then straight to the action! But first…
My friends, I have come upon a gross injustice during my sojourns through FF.net. An author with a HUGE amount of talent has been sorely neglected. His name is Post, and he has a two story series that has been passed over once too many times, "Between the Walls", and "The Chronicles of Ecto", both of which star an unprecedented OC by the name of Shion. I implore you to read both stories, as he has currently begun to give up hope on them. If we flood his Inbox with reviews, that should get him motivated again, eh? ^_^
Anon.: Thanks, I'm probably going to write more stories later on, but I'd like to finish this one first.
MCM: Thanks, I seem to be better with OC's than with the original cast! I think you're on to something there; I'll look into it at a later date.
Descendant: You wonder what?
Animeluvr- Thanks for the pointers, I'll try and keep him more IC. Firecrackers down the pants hmm? *I thumb my chin in thought*
marie lebeau- Yes, the Triad manual will make a few more appearances.
Padawan: Thanks man, always glad to have new readers. And if you ever want to use Hack, Shawn, or any of the other characters I've created, feel free. But if you want to use Rick, you'll have to ask Animeluvr1, she asked that I include him in here.
SickmindedSucker: Yes, Duncan torture is fun. Don't let Bahumut and Smaug hear you, they're staring to get egos.
AAA-telepathy
AAA-self debate, or conversation with feral side in Shawn and Rahne's case
Chapter 20-Danger Room, Training and DEMONS?!
Freddy Dukes was hurt. Not physically hurt mind you, his mutation made that a near impossibility. No it was his feelings that were hurt.
He had come home last night from yet another grocery run, to find that his friends had made a huge decision without his input. They had allowed a human to join the Brotherhood. True, this human had accomplished an impossible feat and had offered to train the entire 'Hood in martial arts, as well as help Lance and Wanda achieve better control over their powers through some sort of meditation. But damn it, it was the principle of the thing! Freddy got up out of his bed and went downstairs; throwing a glare at the form that was asleep on the old couch, mumbling about cheeselogs. When he was angry, a snack always helped.
In the kitchen, Freddy got out a half finished sub sandwich out of the fridge and sat at the kitchen table by the light of the small bulb over the oven. He blinked as the lights suddenly flicked on. "There any more of that?" a voice asked from the entrance. Fred scowled. It was that Coyote guy. He grunted sourly and shifted so that he was facing away from the man. Coyote sighed and drew up a chair.
"Listen kid, I know you're upset that your friends didn't ask for your input before they made this decision. You probably think that I've got some cock-and-bull plan to take over the world, using you guys as tools." Freddy turned and shot him a poisonous glare.
"Don't you?" he asked venomously. Coyote sighed again.
"Listen Freddy, as far as I'm concerned the rest of the world can go to hell in a hand-basket. The only reason that I'm doing this is because I saw some kids with the potential to be much more than what everybody said they could ever be. I'm not gonna say that I'm gonna make every little bad thing go away, but I've seen enough people throw their lives away, just because people refused to accept that they could be more, to let you guys give up on yourselves. And by thunder, if anyone tries to block your path to achievement just because you're different, I'll hit em so fast and so hard that they'll think it was an act of God!" Coyote banged his fist on the table for emphasis, leaving a sizable dent in the wood. Freddy eyed him skeptically.
"Why didn't you offer to train me though?" he asked in a quite voice, surprising both Coyote and himself. The man looked uneasy for a moment, then gave a sheepish grin.
"To be honest, none of the fighting styles I know would suit you. Besides," he continued, "You don't really strike me as a fighter." Blob began to object angrily, but Coyote steamrolled over him. "True you're a force to be reckoned with, but so are many shamans if properly angered."
"Shamans?"
"Wise men. Most of them were storytellers, but they were also great warriors and healers. You know, they also served as a sort of counselor for their tribes, helping them with problems that the head warriors or the chief weren't equipped to handle. Maybe I can teach you a bit about counseling if you like. I'm somewhat experienced with it, and you strike me as the type of person who could put it to good use." He shot a piercing glance at Fred. "If you're interested, I could also teach you some meditation techniques, and a few katas designed for developing your speed as well." Fred began to look interested and less wary. Coyote stuck out his hand in the exact same way that he had done for Lance earlier that day. "If you're willing to give a human a chance to teach ya that is," he added, grinning. Fred gave him a small grin in return as his hand enveloped the older man's.
"What's with all the racket yo? Some people are tryin' to get some sleep." Toad stood in the kitchen doorway, rubbing at his large eyes.
"Me and Fred were comin' to terms kid, thas all." Suddenly, Coyote assumed a slightly wary expression. "You kids go up an get some shut-eye, you're gonna need it tomorrow. I'm gonna step outside and get a little air before I turn back in." The two boys nodded, not noticing his slight change in attitude, and returned to their rooms. Coyote got up, and went out through the kitchen door. He glared at a spot in the bushes in the backyard for a moment. "You might as well come out; I can feel your energy from here."
There was silence for a moment, before the bushes rustled and the man in red stepped out. "Impressive spirit, but I guess this is to be expected of the great Coyote." Coyote took in the man's weapons, giving special attention to the sword and gauntlets, before replying.
"What's your purpose here? I warn you, if you intend harm to any in the community; you'll have to face me," he paused and seemed to think something over. He grinned viciously. "Unless of course you're here to take out that Kelly guy; be my guest as far as he's concerned." The man shook his head, somehow managing to keep every single one of his long, snow white hairs in place.
"I've come here in order to receive help. I've merely been taking in 'the lay of the land' as you would say." Coyote nodded in satisfaction, hearing no trace of deceit in that cool, even voice. Amber eyes locked with sharp green ones, and the spirit gave a start of surprise.
"You're Sparta's boy, aren't you?" The stranger's only answer was a curt nod before he turned with a swirl of his blood red trench coat and left. "Don't hurt the instructors at the Institute to badly!" Coyote called after him, softly enough to not reach the open windows where his new students slept. The man nodded once, never stopping as he went.
Logan had just got back from carousing at his favorite bar, and was going over the security tapes before he turned in. Suddenly he froze and stopped one of the tapes while he set the other on a loop. One of them showed Rick and Tabby riding out of the Institute gate. On. His. Harley. MONGOOSE! His BABY! The other one had him seeing red for a few moments, for about the same reasons. It was Shawn landing on the balcony with Maria, and then…The Kiss.
He growled. *SNICKT!* There would be HELL to pay!
Shawn was treated to his favorite wake up call of all time, the "covering of your mouth and nose so that you can't breathe" trick. His eyes snapped open, to see a grim faced Logan hovering over him. "You an' Shaggy in the DR in three Scales, or so help me…" The grizzled feral left the threat hanging in the air as he uncovered Shawn's mouth. Shawn shot an inquisitive glance over to a semi-semi-alert Rick, who shrugged and mouthed an "I don't know". Logan left then, heading towards the girls wing of the mansion. The two boys dressed quickly and silently, before making their way to the DR, meeting up with an irate looking Tabby as they went. It was nearly five in the morning.
"Okay, I can see why you're here," Shawn said, pointing at Tabby and Rick, "But I can't understand how Logan figured out what I did." Rick sighed.
"Tell me something, do the words security cameras mean anything to you?" he asked sarcastically. Shawn thought a little, before…
"************************************************CENSORED **********************************************"
"I guess not," Tabby laughed as they arrived at the entrance to the DR. Shawn had been turning the air blue since the elevator. It had sounded like he had gone through his entire vocabulary of curses, twice, before he had started inventing new ones on the spot. Rick had pulled a pencil and small notepad from god knows where and had been taking notes at a furious pace.
The three of them entered the DR, to find…nobody. Rick looked around a little, scratching his head. "This…," he began, "does not bode well," he finished as the doors shut and barred themselves behind them. The speaker above them crackled for a moment, before Logan's voice came over it.
"Listen up kiddies. The three of you have earned a special treat; my extra special, extra early, extra intense Danger Room sessions; for the next, two, weeks!" As he spoke, several of the most dangerous obstacles in the DR began to activate. Shawn, Rick and Tabby shared a look.
"Awwww Fuck!" they chorused.
-Ten Minutes Later-
Rick and Tabby were back to back, keeping the different hazards from overwhelming each other. Rick's arms were beginning to ache, and Tabby was beginning to slow down as well. Shawn had been separated from them early on by a squad of mini-jets. "How do ya think he's doing?" Tabby panted.
"He's a ninja, right? He should be fine." As Rick said this, the ninja in question came into view. He had his arms over his head and was running like mad from the squad, which hadn't lost a single fighter. As he came closer, dodging laser fire the whole way, the other two heard him chanting something.
"Baddaybaddaybaddaybadday!" He raced past them, and was quickly lost to view as a large section of the wall came out and blocked him off from view, and help.
"Sounds like Shawn's trying out for Pietro impressions," Rick remarked as he blasted yet another obstacle. Tabby couldn't help but laugh.
-Three Hours Later-
Kurt ported down to breakfast, a cheery smile on his face, to find Rick, Tabby and Shawn, who had all collapsed on the kitchen floor while Logan sipped at a hot mug of coffee. "Guten-ACK!" His cheery greeting was cut short as Shawn's arm suddenly shot up, grabbed him by the throat, and dragged him down to eye, and floor, level.
"Kurt," he whispered in a dangerous voice, "I have yet to have my coffee; I have been subjected to pure hell for the past three HOURS; and I am currently feeling extremely homicidal. Do you think that a happy person is the kind of thing that, maybe, might just possibly push me over the edge into murder?" Kurt nodded mutely. Shawn released him and slumped back down to the floor. A second later he began to snore in time to Rick and Tabby's breathing. Kurt massaged his throat and looked incredulously at the three teens. All of them were out cold.
"Zey must not be morning people," he gulped. Kitty and Maria descended from the stairs at that moment.
"What like, happened to them?" Kitty gasped. Kurt gave her his best "I don't know" look, while Logan whistled innocently. The professor made his appearance, to find Hack and Kurt supporting Shawn between them, while Bobby and a few Jamies held Rick up. Maria and Kitty were helping Tabby up. He shot a look at Wolverine.
"Logan, I know I've told you this before, sp please don't make me repeat myself again. Talk to me BEFORE you punish the students!" Hack walked in at that moment, and took quick stock of the situation. He went over to Shawn's coffee machine, grabbed the fresh pot, and dumped three cups of sugar into it. He stirred the mix rapidly, then poured it in three equal measures into three mugs. He walked up, carrying all three mugs carefully.
"Open their mouths please." Kurt and Kitty looked a little dubious, but Bobby was only too happy to comply. Hack poured a mug of the brew down each of their throats, making sure that they swallowed, and backed away. "You may want to get out of the line of fire," he remarked. "Three, two, one…" The kids holding their friends backed off as three pairs of eyes shot open.
"EAAHH-HA-HA-HAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The backwash the three of them kicked up had Kitty's hair coming out of its ponytail. Hack looked at the open patio doors the three had just, in Shawn's case literally, flew through.
"Maybe I should have made it only two cups of sugar," Hack said in a dry voice. The twenty or so Jamies that had been created by the backwash looked at him.
"YA THINK?!?!?!" They chorused.
Eventually they had found Rick in the weight room, beating the living tar out of a punching bag at a speed that would have made Pietro jealous, Tabby stealing several pairs of the boy's underwear (Mostly Rick's boxers), and Shawn doing rapid-fire pull-ups with his tail in the woods. During the search, Hack and Decoy had made themselves scarce. Hack because Kitty, Scott and Jean wouldn't stop bugging him about staying at the Institute; and Decoy because he had made a whoopsie in Storm's flower beds.
-At the 'Hood House-
"Alright kids, rise n' shine!" Coyote called up the stairs. An assortment of groans and four letter words came down in reply. Coyote grinned impishly. "First one down gets seconds for breakfast!" He stood back from the stairs as a pounding sound began, building until it sounded like distant thunder. A silver blur rushed by, followed by Lance, Fred, Wanda, and Todd, who had his shirt half on, half off. Toad was so preoccupied, he didn't notice the others stop short at the entrance to the kitchen and ran right into Wanda. Coyote was pleased to note that his recovery time was extremely fast, fast enough that he caught the girl halfway through her fall. The boy grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry yo, but I couldn't see and…" he trailed off as he saw the mountain of flapjacks that were piled on a large plate, alongside a plate heaped with bacon and another of sausages. There was even a pitcher of orange juice. Lance looked at Coyote.
"How did you manage to make all of this?!" Coyote grinned.
"Very, very quietly. You kids obviously haven't had much in the way if good breakfasts if you couldn't recognize the smell of flapjacks and bacon cooking."
Lance grimaced. "I thought it was another dream," he said.
Coyote smiled. "Eat up, you guys are gonna need plenty of energy if you expect your first day of training to do you any good." Todd looked a little nervous now at the mention of training.
"What are we gonna have to do yo? Somethin' painful?" Coyote grimaced.
"No kid, I'm not some kind of torturer. You will be sore by the end of the day though." He smiled again. "Now are ya just gonna stand there and look at it like its some kinda picture, or are you gonna dig in?" The response was a rousing cheer from the Hood members as they attacked the meal. As soon as they were through the meal, Coyote got up and stretched.
"Alright, before we get started, Todd, we need to get you some special training equipment." So saying, he produced what looked like thick blue wristbands. Toad scratched his head.
"How are these gonna help me train yo?" Coyote handed one of them to the young mutant and grinned a bit at the look of astonishment he got. Toad was straining to hold it up with one arm.
"They're weighted, about ten pounds each actually. You're gonna wear three on each ankle, and two on each wrist." Lance looked at him sharply.
"That's a hundred pounds! There's no way he can handle that much weight!" Coyote cast an appraising look at Todd, and nodded.
"I suppose you're right." Toad sighed in relief. "So you only have to wear one on each wrist and two on each ankle. For now." Toad's eyes bugged.
"For now?!" Coyote nodded.
"Eventually you'll get to the point where you won't even realize that the weights are there. At that point, if I'm still here, we'll increase the weight. Besides," he continued, gesturing at the armbands that they hadn't noticed before, "I'm training right now." Todd, Lance and Fred all gaped in astonishment. Coyote had what appeared to be four wristbands stacked on one another on each arm! He lifted the leg of his leggings to reveal the same number of bands around each ankle. Pietro let loose a long, low whistle; even he was impressed.
"That's a hundred and sixty pounds," Fred whispered in awe. Coyote just grinned and rubbed his hands together, seemingly unaware of the weights.
"Let's get to it, shall we?"
After outfitting Toad with his new accessories, he led the way outside, and faced the gathered teens. Pietro just lounged on the porch. "Okay, first off, we're gonna begin with the basics of martial arts. I'll take you through the forms a few times, and then I'll let you try for yourselves. After you've got the basic patterns down, Lance, you, Wanda and Fred are gonna learn some meditation techniques." Pietro laughed from the porch.
"HAH! If you try to teach Freddy to meditate the big lug'll just fall asleep!" Fred opened his mouth to retort, but Coyote beat him to it.
"And what pray tell makes you think that he'll fail? He has as much potential as the rest of you do," he paused, "except for you. You're to proud to ever progress beyond where you are now." Pietro stared at him, slack-jawed. 'Did he just say that I'll never amount to anything more than what I am right now?' he thought. Coyote shot him a look that said, "You heard right bubba-boy!"
Coyote clapped his hands together. "Well, now that we've cleared up everything, let's get started! After a little while we'll take a break, eat lunch, then stop around four for the day."
-A random Bayville street-
Hack led Decoy around as the two of them took in the sights of Bayville. Suddenly, they heard a small commotion. Going to investigate, the two saw a blond beefy guy in a school jacket cornering a younger, pretty looking girl. The boy was leering unpleasantly, while two other guys, jocks like their leader, appeared to be acting as bodyguards, making sure that their boss' "funtime" went uninterrupted. Hack bristled as Decoy growled. The girl most definitely did not want to have anything to do with this guy. As the hacker and the program got closer, they could hear some of the conversation.
"C'mon babe, the guys and I won't hurt you. We just wanna have a little fun." The girl scowled and tried to brush past him.
"I know what type of "fun" you and your cronies are into, and I'm not that type of girl." As she attempted to pass him, Duncan grabbed her arm roughly. Hack's eyes flashed behind his sunglasses.
"That tears it!" he muttered. His mind went over a few possible plans Slash had come up with for situations like this, before settling on the one that promised the most fun. Hack gave a grim smile as he whistled to Decoy. Three short notes followed by one longer, deeper one. Decoy nodded in understanding as he shrank down slightly, becoming less menacing and assuming the dopey look of a dog that doesn't quite realize he's stupid. Hack looked at the three jocks, and said quite clearly, "Hey! Wanna see what my dog can do?"
Four heads whipped around to look at him in astonishment. "What?" the blonde asked.
"I said, 'wanna see what my dog can do?'" Without waiting for an answer, Hack looked at Decoy. "Decoy, sit!" Decoy sat. One of the blonde's enforcers laughed.
"Any dog knows how to do that! Right Duncan?" The blonde, Duncan, nodded in easy agreement, still keeping a firm grip on the girls arm. Hack looked at the jocks.
"One more. Decoy, speak!" Decoy gave two short barks. The jocks were beginning to look annoyed.
"Why don't you beat it scrawny? We got "business"." The look Duncan directed at the girl told her that she wouldn't like this business at all. Hack merely cocked an eyebrow.
"Last one; promise." He sent a reassuring look to the girl before he shot a look towards Decoy. "Decoy…" he pointed at Duncan and grinned maliciously. "Kill!"
Decoy lunged forward, seeming to explode into immensity, a ragged snarl working its way from his throat. Duncan screamed like the little girl that he was, and took off around the corner, his flunkies scattering to either side. Decoy followed Duncan around the corner. The girl just stood there, seemingly frozen to the spot.
Hack, grinning like a maniac, looked around for a moment, found the spot he was looking for, and stood there. As he did so, a siren-like scream could be heard coming closer. "And a one, and a two, and a…" As Duncan rounded the corner, Hack threw his arm straight into the jocks path, cloths-lining him. Decoy stopped and gave a delighted "woof". Hack looked at the girl with a twinkle in his eye. "I call that one my Kung-Pow Chicken," he laughed. He and Decoy sauntered off, leaving the jock out cold and the girl frozen. A short "OOF!" had Hack looking over his shoulder, and laughed.
Apparently the girl had just kicked Duncan in the ribs before she went on her way. Decoy was grinning as well, in his own way. He had scored the seat of a hundred and fifty dollar pair of jeans.
-The Institute-
Logan was in a bad mood. Of course, this is usually the case, but right now he was in an even worse mood than usual, having received an earful from both Charles and Storm. He was lounging at the kitchen table, reading a racing form, and giving his patented "Glare o' Death" to anyone who came in and made more noise then simply breathing. It was a little after one, and most of the kids had gone outside to enjoy the weather. He glanced up in annoyance at a knock from the front door. "Somebody go get that!" he yelled. Of course, no one was there to get the door. There was another knock.
Grumbling about something about kids only being around when they weren't wanted, Logan got up and made his way to the front door. As he got to the door, he tensed, catching a strangely familiar scent, one that he couldn't quite place. He cautiously opened the door, and suddenly remembered that Murphy's Law really, really hated him. The man from Cleveland was standing on the other side of the door, waiting patiently. "Logan-san," he said coolly. Logan quite suddenly found himself in a situation he had rarely found himself in; complete and utter shock and surprise. After a moment he managed to pull himself back together, but it was long enough to have the man in red lifting an eyebrow.
"Dante," Logan finally croaked. The man, Dante, nodded. His expression was bland, but Logan knew that he was laughing at him! Logan bristled then. "What the hell do you want here?!"
"I came here for help," Dante said simply. Logan looked taken aback by the answer, but recovered quickly. He opened his mouth to give a retort, tensing to slam the door, when Tabby and Shawn, both apparently recovered from the mornings sugar rush and laughing at some joke the klepto had told, came from one direction, and Xavier came wheeling from the other direction. Tabby, catching sight of the man Logan was talking to, stopped.
"Whoa! Hot stuff!" she gave an appreciative whistle, while Shawn just looked at her, before palming his face.
"You'll have to excuse Tabby," he said to Dante, "but she's lost her mind and we haven't found it yet." Tabby quite calmly rolled her thumb and forefinger together, producing a small cherry-bomb, which she tossed to Shawn. Shawn caught it out of reflex, making a pained expression as he realized his mistake. The small orb exploded as he raised his hand to throw it away from him, singeing his eyebrows. The professor ignored the two, zeroing in on the man next to Logan. He advanced, offering his hand.
"Hello, I'm…" Dante interrupted him.
"Professor Charles Xavier; thought to be one of, if not the, most powerful psychic in the world. I know who you are. I am known as Dante. Dante Night. I've come here for your help." He didn't take the offered hand, so the Charles let it drop.
"You certainly don't beat around the bush, do you Mr. Night?"
"When you're as old as I am, you tend to cut to the chase." The professor raised an eyebrow at this one. "And before you ask how old I am, I need to tell you that I am not entirely human. I'm half demon, and more than four centuries old."
Shawn stuck his pinkie in his ear, and wiggled it around for a moment. "Whobody-heybody-whatnow?" he said in astonishment. (AN: My new favorite phrase!) Tabby's jaw dropped.
"He looks good for his age," she cracked weakly.
Logan seemed to take it in stride, as if this was old news to him, but the professor seemed genuinely shocked. "Logan is he…" Wolverine shook his head in an affirmative.
"A long while ago I went to Japan, as you know Chuck. While I was there, I did a little exploring among some of the smaller islands. Turns out it was an island I had heard about from some of the locals. It was said to be the home of a demon, known as The Demon of the Lost Island." Logan jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards a bored looking Dante. "This guy was the only other person on the entire island."
---To Be Continued---
Well, there ya go. Next time, Hack leaves, but not before leaving a little information, and a cute (kinda) but troublesome gift for a lonely Jamie. Also, what's up with Jean after a special training session with the Professor? And what does Dante need help with? Find out all that and more, next time. But until then, Read & Review!