Sorry for the wait, but I got caught up with school then with work. I find it ironic that I finished the chapter right before school starts for me though. Anyway, I do not own anything.
"I can't believe we're going to New York City! I thought for sure that we were going to another boring location." Ben Tennyson said as his grandpa drove the RV down the highway.
"We're not going to New York City, Doofus. We're going to Bayville which happens to be near New York City. Besides, we already went to New York City if you remember the Kevin incident." Gwen reminded her cousin as she looked at the pictures on the website. "Which makes me wonder…Grandpa, what did you say we were doing in Bayville again?" She asked looking at her grandpa.
"We're seeing an old friend of mine." Max Tennyson answered his granddaughter. "He called me a couple days ago to catch up and to check out his new school for gifted youngsters."
"Ugh," Ben smacked his head on the table, "why do we need to go to school? It's the middle of summer."
"Relax Ben. The Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters is a school for children with special qualities to them."
"What kind of special qualities, grandpa?" Gwen asked curiously. "I am very smart for my age."
"It goes far beyond that Gwen. This institute is for those with special gifts, and they're trained to use those gifts to help the world become a better place."
"Wait, are you saying these people have powers?!" Ben exclaimed with a big grin on his face. "So cool!"
"How did you gather all of that up from what Grandpa Max just said?" Gwen asked raising an eyebrow at her cousin as she closed her laptop.
Ben turned to his cousin and shrugged, "I don't know. He just made it sound like they do."
Max sighed, "Unfortunately, he's right."
"I am!/He is!" The two cousins yell in surprise.
"Yes, but there is one thing I will say about this." Max said seriously making both grand-kids stare at him. "Their secret is way more important than our secret is, and whatever you do, do not mention this secret to anyone including other alien life forms."
"Why is their secret more important than keeping the Omnitrix a secret?" Ben asked curiously. "I think that it's cool that there are people who have powers like me and Gwen."
Gwen rolled her eyes and asked, "Do you ever use your brain when it is important?"
"Hey, it's a fair question." Ben countered looking back at his cousin with an innocent look.
"It means that the public would accept aliens living on our planet more than they would accept humans with powers on our own planet. People fear what they don't understand." Gwen reminded her cousin.
Ben's eyes widen a bit at the small explanation. "Ok, so people will have a hard time accepting them more than us. I can understand that, but why are we even going there? I thought you wanted to keep stuff like this a secret from us grandpa." Ben and Gwen turn their attention back to their grandfather who just stared out the window.
"Normally I would, but the call happened suddenly, and I can't leave you guys alone in New York City without something going wrong." Max told them making them cringe a bit. "The good news is that you guys should always have something to do as long as you don't you the Omnitrix."
"I swear that I'll try not to use it." Ben admitted with a sheepish smile.
"Yeah, the possibility of you not doing that is really low, doofus." Gwen said giving him a smirk.
"Who asked you dweeb? Besides, this is important for grandpa, and the possibility of us getting attacked by an alien or one of our enemies will be pretty low." Ben said with a smirk of his own.
"You don't mean…"
"Yep, I'm going to meet one of the heroes and get an autograph."
"There won't be any time for that Ben." Max told his grandson. "While we are at the Institute you and Gwen are not allowed to leave the area, and you are not allowed to touch anything without permission."
"Yeah doofus, you cannot touch anything." Gwen said with a smirk.
Ben turned his head to her and stuck his tongue out at her. "Whatever dweeb…"
"I'm serious you two. Do not touch anything." Max told them looking through the rear-view mirror.
"Yes grandpa." The two grand-kids said knowing how serious their grandpa was being.
Rachel put up a barrier in front of her and watched as a laser hit the barrier. She jumped to her left then ducked to avoid the saw that went by where her head would have been. She brought up another barrier to her left blocking the lasers that were fired at her. She moved forward and jumped over the giant ball that came her way. She put a barrier around her blocking three lasers that were fired at her.
"She's good." Wolverine said as he, Danny, Scott, Xavier, and Aelita watched the girl go through the course.
"She's making the course look easy to accomplish." Scott said with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, she can create barriers." Danny reminded his friend.
"True, but no one is this good on their first try doing this course." Aelita reminded him. "She must have gotten training somewhere before coming here."
"You could possibly be right, but it isn't something for us to worry about now." Charles said putting the conversation away for now. "The good news is that she is starting to understand her powers, but there is still so much for her to learn."
Aelita turned her head to the controls then glanced at Danny who was looking back at her. "She's been here two weeks, and she's been training every day." Danny said making everyone look at him with confused looks on their faces.
"Why are you bringing that up?" Scott asked with a raised eyebrow.
"All I'm saying is that she hasn't left the Institute once since she got here. I feel like we're overworking her." Danny said pointing at Rachel through the window. "None of us went two weeks of training without seeing the city, and school starts in just a four weeks."
"Danny's right." Charles said turning his attention back to Rachel. "Rachel needs to leave the Institute for a bit, and I'm guessing you want to show her around, Daniel."
Danny shrugged, "I don't see any problem with that, but it would have to be pretty soon since it's my turn to buy dinner for everyone."
"Oh right, tonight is pizza night." Logan said smirking while rubbing his hands together. "Don't forget my usual."
"I still don't understand how you can eat all of that." Scott said shaking his head.
"Then don't try to figure it out, Cyclops." Logan retorted before leaving the control room.
Charles pressed the button on the intercom as Aelita turned the Danger Room's system off. "That's enough for today Rachel. You can go ahead and do whatever you want." Charles told her unaware of what would happen later.
Rachel left the Danger Room and put her uniform away. Once she was changed into her normal clothes, she closed her locker and turned around to find Aelita standing at the door leaning against the wall with a smile on her face. "Hey Aelita, is there something you need?" Rachel asked as she walked over to the pink haired teen.
"I was wondering if you want to join Danny and me to get dinner." Aelita said as she got off the frame of the door.
"Is it just going to be the three of us eating?" Rachel asked as the two left the locker room with Aelita closing the door behind them.
"Oh no, it's pizza night here at the Institute, and Danny is picking the pizza up. We figured you would want to go out and see the city since you haven't left the Institute once you got here." Aelita explained.
Rachel cringed slightly, "Sorry, but I figured that I needed to learn how to control my powers before I go back into the city."
"Well, you can still come with us to get the pizzas. Besides you need to get out. I bet it feels a bit cramped staying here for two weeks not doing anything except training." Aelita said putting her hands together behind her back.
"I'm still not sure about it Aelita." Rachel said rubbing her left arm. "I still hardly know you guys…"
"Then come with us." Aelita interrupted with a small smile. "Trust me when I say that you need it."
They walked out into the front lobby as Rachel sighed, "Fine, I'll go with you guys."
Aelita nodded, "Good, we'll see you at Danny's truck in a few minutes."
Rachel watched as Aelita activated her wings and flew off to her room. "I thought I told you no flying in the house!" Logan yelled at the pink haired teen.
Rachel chuckled and shook her head. 'I better go get ready then.' She thought heading towards her room.
Janet pulled her car up to the airport and parked it in the parking lot before getting out with a sigh. She walked into the building and looked around as people were coming in her direction. She stopped her eyes on a red head that was coming down the escalator holding one suitcase and a garment bag. Jan walked over towards the red head and smiled as the teen reached the bottom of the escalator. "Well, I was hoping I made it on time." Jan said loud enough for her cousin to hear her.
The red head put her stuff down and hugged Jan who hugged back. "It's so good to see you again, Jan." The red head said with a smile.
"It's good to see you too Jazz, but I have to ask. Why did you decide to accept an internship here in New York?" Jan asked as the two separated from the hug.
"I needed to get away from home especially after…" Jazz trailed off not wanting to talk about her brother.
Jan sighed, "Yeah, it is pretty bad." She grabbed the garment bag as Jazz grabbed the handle of the suit case.
The two start walking towards Jan's car as Jazz says, "I miss my little brother Jan. I just wish he didn't…"
"Jazz, you don't have to talk about it." Jan interrupted her cousin. "I know you miss him, but did you believe your parents when they said he was dead."
"Why would they lie about that?" Jazz asked not meaning for her cousin to answer.
"Well…" Jan stopped speaking as her phone started to ring. She reached into her pocket and pulled her phone out to see 'Danny' on the screen. She put the phone up to her ear and said, "Hey man, what's up?"
"It is pizza night, and I was wondering if you still couldn't make it?" Danny asked as he leaned up against the truck.
"Sorry, I'm picking up my cousin, Jazz, from the airport." Jan told him knowing that telling him was the right thing.
"Oh, I see. I guess we'll talk again later." Danny said hanging up before Jan could say anything more. "Jazz…" He lowered his head with a sigh.
Jan put the phone back in her pocket and sighed, "Well, I hope you're doing alright too." She unlocked her car and put Jazz's bag in the back while Jazz just stared at her in confusion. She turned towards Jazz and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Was that Hank on the phone?" Jazz asked curiously.
Jan sighed, "No, Hank is too busy right now to call me."
"Then who was it?" Jazz asked as Jan took the suitcase from her and put it in the back of the car.
"Let's just say it was someone important." Jan said avoiding the question.
Jazz crossed her arms and narrowed her eyebrows at her cousin. "Why are you trying to avoid the question, Jan? This doesn't sound like you one bit. You're always the cheery one in the family, even if the family doesn't completely accept your father's decision." Jazz finished with a mutter.
"It's complicated Jazz, and it is something you don't need to be worried about." Jan said making her point to drop the subject.
Jazz lowered her head and sighed in defeat. "Fine, you win this one, but I will make you tell me what's going on."
'That's something Danny should tell you not me.' Jan thought sadly as they got into the car.
Rachel looked out the window of the passenger seat as Danny drove the truck down the street. Aelita glanced back at Rachel and asked, "What do you think of the city?"
"It's interesting to look at." Rachel answered trying not to show how bored she is.
"I don't blame you for being bored." Danny said which made Aelita glare at his blunt answer while Rachel looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What? I'm being honest. While being in the city seems nice, I prefer being out doing something."
"We're supposed to show her around while we're waiting for the pizza to be made." Aelita reminded him with a small sigh. 'Even if I do agree with you.' She added in her mind.
"I know that, but there is so much to do around here, and we can't do any of it because we have to pick the pizza up." Danny countered.
"We could still do something."
"You remember what Kurt did last time he went out to help get the pizzas."
Aelita looked out the window and sighed, "Sorry, I forgot about that." She turned her head back at Danny to see the sadness in his eyes. "Is there something else wrong?"
Danny stopped the truck at the red light and muttered, "My sister is here."
Rachel blinked at Danny's sadness when he mentioned his sister and noticed how sad Aelita looked. "Danny, I didn't know." She muttered sadly. "Is she staying with Jan?"
"Yeah, but I don't know if I want to go there to see Jazz." He told her as the light turned green.
"I'm feeling a bit lost here." Rachel said getting their attention. "Do you mind telling me what's going on?"
Aelita glanced at Rachel then back at Danny who sighed and nodded at the silent question. Aelita looked forward and said, "Danny unlocked his x-gene by accident from a portal his parents built, but instead of dying his x-gene activated to save his life and altered his powers to be more ghost-like."
"Whoa." Rachel muttered in surprise.
"Yeah, but I decided to tell my parents a couple weeks after it happened. At the time I thought I was a human that could turn into a ghost with ghost powers. I thought my parents would accept me for what I have become, but they didn't." Danny said as he gripped the steering wheel a bit harder. "They pointed guns at me and said I wasn't their son. I left soon after unable to say 'goodbye' to my friends."
'This is probably going to get worse.' Rachel thought sadly.
"It didn't end there though. After I joined the Institute, I decided to visit my cousin who lives in the area. We reconnected, but she told me that my parents said that I was dead. Jan didn't believe them, but I don't know about the rest of the family." Danny finished explaining with a sigh. "I still can't find myself hating them though."
"Because they were acting out in fear?" Rachel asked cautiously.
"No, because they are ghost hunters, and I told them I was a ghost." He answered bluntly. "I want to talk to them again, but approaching them will not be easy."
Rachel leaned back on her seat and asked, "What are you going to do since your sister is in town?"
"I have no idea." Danny answered as he pulled into the parking lot in front of the pizza place. "All I know is that I need to see my sister and my parents before something bad happens to them. I don't want my last memory of them to be me leaving them because of a misunderstanding."
"We'll be there to help." Aelita told him.
"I know, but we should talk about something else." Danny said wanting to change the subject.
Suddenly an explosion went off a couple blocks down catching the group's attention. They watched as a white haired man with a weird helmet on his head came out of the building on a giant toad and blinked as the man on the toad came in their direction. "Are we seeing a man on a giant mutated toad?" Rachel asked curiously.
"I say we are, but this is just weird and wrong in so many ways." Danny admitted with a dull look.
"Well, we do need to start our superhero career somewhere." Aelita admitted with a shrug which got Rachel to look at them in surprise.
"Wait, I thought we were supposed to keep ourselves hidden from the public." Rachel said making them turn their attention to her.
"Normally you're right about that. It will be better if we kept our powers hidden for the time being, but…" Danny sighed, "I've been questioning the Professor's motives for the past few weeks."
"We both have." Aelita admitted with a small sigh. "It isn't that we don't trust him or that he isn't a great person, we just feel like we want to do more than just train and stay in hiding."
"Then why haven't you guys done anything before?" Rachel asked feeling curious with this sudden knowledge. "I mean if you guys have been feeling like this; then you guys would have done something earlier right?"
"We would have if it weren't for some complicated situations." Danny admitted rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
"Well, then what are you guys waiting for then? Let's go take care of that man and that giant mutated frog." Rachel said punching her right hand into her left palm.
"Do you have anything to even disguise yourself with?" Danny asked making the blond blink in surprise at the question. "We still don't want the public to find out about mutants."
Rachel smiled sheepishly, "That might have escaped my mind."
"I might have an idea." Aelita said making the other two look at her.
"Finally, after so long I finally obtained the power source I need to finish my mutated army." Dr. Animo said as he rode the toad straight to the ocean. The toad stopped right at the ocean for Dr. Animo to get off.
"I don't know whether to say you were stupid enough to steal something that belongs to me or that is one weird way to travel, but I'm just going to go with the stealing part since it's my stuff." Tony Stark said as he landed in his armor a few yards in front of Dr. Animo and the giant mutated toad.
"Tony Stark or better known as Ironman has actually come to stop me." Dr. Animo said with an amused smile. "I actually feel a bit touched by this."
"Yeah, that didn't sound weird at all…"
"Dr. Animo."
"Right, but I'll be honest. You stole something that belongs to me, and I want it back." Tony told the man simply.
Dr. Animo smirked, "Sorry Ironman, but I have an evil mutated army to create." He pointed at Ironman and yelled, "Take care of him!"
The giant toad shot its tongue out and wrapped it around Ironman. "Yeah, this might actually hurt." Tony muttered as the toad threw Ironman across the street. Tony flew across the street hitting the road multiple times before using his repulsors on his hands and feet to balance himself to stop. He flew straight back at the toad as it shot its tongue out at him again. He dodged the tongue and fired his repulsors only to see them bounce off the toad.
Dr. Animo chuckled evilly then walked over to the dock. "That fool wouldn't understand what he is up against." He muttered as he got on a speed boat. He opened a secret compartment and slid the case inside the compartment. He closed the secret door and sat down on the driver's seat. He started the boat up and pressed the button on his helmet. "To me my loyal subject, we got what we came for."
Tony crashed into the street again and groaned as the giant toad hopped away. "Just great, I just got beaten up by a giant mutant toad. How can something like that take hits from my repulsors without taking any damage?" He wondered as he got up. He shot up into the air and narrowed his eyebrows as the giant toad jumped into the water. "Jarvis, track down Dr. Animo. The man still has something that belongs to me."
"Already on it sir." Jarvis replied pulling up the tracking field in the armor. "He's leaving the docks as we speak sir."
"Well, we better change his plans." Tony remarked flying up a bit then out to the water.
Dr. Animo drove the speed boat down the ocean and turned his head a bit to see Ironman coming after him. "Tony Stark is starting to be more of an annoyance than anything else." He muttered in distaste.
Tony fired his right repulsor and blew the engine up making the boat come to a stop. Dr. Animo opened the secret compartment and pulled the case out of the compartment as Ironman hovers at the front of the boat with his arms crossed. "I believe that case belongs to me."
Dr. Animo growled feeling frustrated with the situation. "Well that's too bad Stark, because I got plans in using this energy source, and you will not stop me!" A giant tongue shot out of the water and wrapped around Ironman catching the man off guard. "Have fun getting out of the water." Dr. Animo laughed evilly as Tony was taken into the water.
"We need to help him." Ben said as his grandpa drove the Rustbucket down the street.
"I know Ben, but the attack is too far for us to get there and help him take down Dr. Animo." Max explained to his grandson. "Besides, it seems he's already getting some back up as we speak." Ben and Gwen turned their attention back to the small television at the front of the RV.
"Wait, who are those two?" Gwen asked curiously.
"I don't know who they are, but the guy with white hair looks cool." Ben said with a big grin forming on his face.
"I think the pink hair girl looks cool. I really love the way her wings look."
Ben snorted, "Yeah right, the white haired dude looks way cooler. The girl just looks weird with all that pink. I mean seriously, who dyes their hair pink?"
"It looks perfectly nice, doofus!"
"That's what you think, dweeb." Ben muttered.
Gwen gritted her teeth and said, "Believe what you want Doofus, but she can pull off wearing pink better than you could wearing anything."
Ben shrugged, "She might pull it off, but pink is still a bad color."
'This is going to be a long trip.' Max thought sadly with a sigh. "Alright you two, watch the television, or I'll shut it off and have you guys clean thee Rustbucket when we get to our destination."
"Yes grandpa./Sorry grandpa." The cousins said together turning their attention to the television.
Dr. Animo looked up and smiled when he saw a group of giant mutated birds coming his way. "Ah, there's my ride now." He said with an evil grin.
"That's your get away ride?" Dr. Animo turned around to see two teens standing at the back of the boat.
Dr. Animo looked at the white haired teen and the pink haired teen carefully and asked, "Who are you two? I never seen teenage heroes before, and I doubt you two would be able to stop me from achieving my goal."
"We'll see about that, and I'm a Phantom." Phantom said turning invisible making the scientist take a couple steps back in surprise.
"A phantom, huh? I guess turning invisible makes your name a bit suitable for the name, but parlor tricks can only work so much." Dr. Animo watched as the tongue of another mutated toad shot out and wrapped around the boy only for the tongue to get covered in ice. "What?!"
"Yeah, I'm not as gullible as Tony Stark." Phantom said becoming visible in front of the frozen tongue.
"You have no idea who you are messing with Phantom. I'm certain you can see my giant birds coming this way, and even I know you can't take on all of them. My army cannot be defeated by you and that girl."
"Now who said that we were going to take them on alone?" The pink haired girl asked.
Dr. Animo heard a splash behind him and turned around to see Ironman hovering there. "I have to admit. Your toads are pretty tough, but you can't seriously believe that you will get out of this." Tony said narrowing his eyebrows even though no one could see it.
Dr. Animo looked at his surroundings then at the flock of mutated birds coming their way. "Don't count me out just yet." Dr. Animo replied jumping off the boat with the case in his hand. He landed in the water then came out of the water standing on top of a giant toad. "I doubt you can catch me and defeat my army at the same time."
The three turn their heads to the flock of mutated birds allowing Dr. Animo to start fleeing the area without being noticed. Phantom made his hands glow blue along with his eye and said, "Tony, you go ahead and take care of this man. Pink Angel and I will take of this."
"Pink Angel?" Tony asked skeptically.
"It's a work in progress." Pink Angel admitted with a shrug.
"Whatever you say kid." Tony remarked before taking off after Dr. Animo.
"How about Digital Angel?" Phantom asked curiously.
"Let's just focus on the mutated birds." Pink Angel grumbled sadly. "My name is the least of my worries."
Danny fired the ice at the first two birds completely covering them in ice. "All I'm saying is that you need something that rolls off the tongue." Phantom admitted as Pink Angel flew through the birds smashed an energy field into two birds she was closest to in the field.
"Pink Angel rolls off the tongue though." Aelita reminded her teammate as two katanas materialized in her hands. "I wnt something that would reflect off of what I am Phantom."
"Well, how about Digital Matrix?" Phantom suggested shooting his ecto-blasts at every bird coming at him.
"Well, that does feel like me a bit more like me, but do you even know what matrix means?" Pink Angel countered slicing two of the birds making them fall down into the water.
"Ok, you have a point, but it still sounds cool." Danny grabbed a bird's beak and threw it up over his shoulder into another giant bird. "Besides, you need something that could work as a nickname, and calling you Pink is not something I want to do."
"Why did we need to change my name from Angelic Code?" Pink Angel asked as she stabbed another bird.
Danny froze the last mutated bird and flew up to her. "It's too close to Lyoko, but if you need a real superhero name, why not go with Digital Girl?"
"Are you kidding?" Aelita asked with a raised eyebrow. "That sounds as stupid as Jean Grey's x-men name Wonder Girl."
"Well, there is always Digital Guardian." Danny suggested lamely.
"Are you guys done yet?" Ironman asked as he flew up to the two teens with Dr. Animo being held by the back of his shirt with his hands tied together behind his back.
"Sorry, but Pink Angel can't come up with a good superhero name." Phantom explained rubbing the back of his neck. "It's a lot harder than we thought."
"I bet, but could this be talked about later? I have a villain to drop off to jail." Ironman asked them trying to get his point across.
"We aren't stopping you." Both teens said at the same time surprising both adults.
"Well, okay then." Tony took off towards the closest holding facility.
The teens watch Tony fly off then look back at the city. They glanced at each other then back at the dead mutant birds floating on the ocean. "Do you have an idea on how to clean this up?" Danny asked Aelita.
"We'll worry about it later. Besides, Nick Fury probably would take care of it for us." Aelita pointed out getting Danny to nod in agreement.
"Well, we better go pick up the pizzas and figure out where Rachel went." Danny said pointing back at the city.
Rachel stood on top of the building and smiled when she saw her teammates destroy the giant mutated bird army. She looked down at the streets below then sighed, "Wish I could have helped."
"You still can for the future." Someone said getting Rachel to turn around and narrow her eyebrows at the man standing there. "I am Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D., and I know everything about you Rachel McKenzie."
"How…" Rachel trailed off then widened her eyes in realization.
"Your mind thinks quickly for someone so young, and that's impressive. I guess the Kid's Next Door does have its use." Fury admitted with a straight face.
"Why are you here?" Rachel asked staying on guard.
"You want to go back on the field, and while we can make that happen, you have a better chance with Danny and Aelita."
"I'm listening." Rachel crossed her arms keeping her gaze on Fury.
"Danny and Aelita have potential. In fact they have too much potential to stay in hiding, and you are the same as them and the others at the Institute, but out of everyone you have worked out on the field to protect your fellow agents." Fury admitted with a nod.
"Why are you telling me this?" Rachel asked shocked that this man knew so much.
Fury gave her a small smile and pulled a mask out of his coat. He tossed the mask to her and watched as she caught it in confusion. "I'm just someone who wants a brighter future, and I hope you make the right decision."
Rachel looked at the black mask then back at Nick Fury only for him to be gone. 'He's good.' She thought before turning her head down at the street below her. 'Danny and Aelita chose to become heroes but have no idea how to do it, and I have no idea either.' She looked at the mask in her hands then stuffs it into her pocket. 'If I'm going to become a hero, then I'm going to need a costume to match with the mask and to train my powers to the point where I can control them completely. I might have been an agent of KND, but it's about time I join the big leagues and protect this planet.'
She walks away from the ledge and turns around to find Aelita and Danny standing there looking at her in confusion. "Did something happen while we were gone?" Danny asked curiously.
"I'll explain everything after we get the pizzas for dinner." Rachel answered getting them to nod at her answer.
Dawn stood on the balcony outside her room and stared out at the view in thought. 'Something happened out there.' A bird landed on her shoulder which she didn't take any notice of. 'What would be going on out there that would make me uneasy? I know animals get hurt all the time, but this feels worse somehow.' She hears some chirping next to her and listens to the bird chirping. Once the bird finished she looked up at the sky and muttered, "What has the world come to?"
Evan rides his skateboard down the sidewalk with a grin on his face. 'Pizza night, this is the only night where we get to eat as much as we want…until we're out of pizza.' He finished with a shrug. He stopped his skateboard when he noticed Danny's truck at the pizza parlor. 'Sweet, I'm not late.' He thought before skating over to the pizza parlor. He saw Danny, Aelita, and Rachel come out of the pizza parlor with ten boxes of pizza in Danny's hands and four smaller boxes in Rachel's hands. He skated over to them yelling, "Hey guys wait for me!"
The three turn their heads to see Evan coming up to them on his skateboard. "I thought Evan was as the institute." Rachel said with a raised eyebrow.
"He usually leaves to go skateboarding." Aelita replied back while opening the door for Danny to put the pizzas in the truck.
Evan came to a stop and kicked the skateboard up into his right hand. "Man, I never thought I would actually catch you guys." He said as he walked up to the truck.
"Well, we're glad you're here." Danny said as he set the pizza boxes down in the middle seat. "Now, Rachel doesn't need to use her abilities to keep the boxes from falling over." He joked getting Evan to grin.
"Whatever man, I just left the skate park a few minutes ago, and I worked up a pretty big appetite for tonight." Evan shrugged as the girls got in the truck.
Danny smacked Evan on the left shoulder with a chuckle. "Just get in the vehicle man."
On top of a roof Jake Long watched Evan get into the truck and leave with the group of people Jake did not recognize. "Is there a reason why I have to spy on my friend, Evan?" Jake asked turning around to face his grandpa.
"Your 'friend' is a part of an institute that trains the special gifted." Fu Dog answered as he walked up to his friend on all of his paws.
"What are you getting at Fu Dog? What's so special about these people that a guy like Evan would be with these people anyway?" Jake asked not seeing the picture.
"Jake, the road ahead of you is still long, but Evan is something you will start to understand as you grow up in the coming years." Jake's grandfather replied giving his grandson a stern look. "He will become a force of nature, but my main worry is what side he will choose when the time comes."
Jake scratched the side of his head and muttered, "I am completely lost."
"Well, you got time to figure out what he means later; besides we got bigger problems right now." Fu Dog said moving some of his skin to show a hidden watch. "It's getting close to dinner time, and you need to get home, kid!"
"Thanks for the warning Fu Dog!" Jake yelled as he ran past his grandfather and Fu Dog. "Dragon up!" Jake transformed into a red dragon and grinned before taking off into the skies leaving the animal and old man on the roof.
"Do you think it was wise to make the boy suspect his friend is a mutant?" Fu Dog asked turning his head at Lao Shi.
"Yes, everyone knows that there are those who are on the line between good and evil, and that boy is standing on it, but the institute is doing what they can to train him." Lao Shi admitted with a sigh.
"You're afraid they'll out about Jake, aren't you?"
Lao shook his head. "No, they're probably the right group of people to train Jake, but he's not ready for the bigger dangers of life just yet." He turned around and started to head to the door with Fu Dog following him. "We must not let Jake know about the mutants until the time is right. Do you understand?"
"Crystal clear." Fu Dog said moving his right paw up to his head as a salute. 'Things are going to start changing soon Jake, and it seems you might get wrapped up in it, kid.'
Max Tennyson pulls up to the Xavier Institute and stops the R.V. at the front steps. He turns the engine off and smiles as his grandkids get out of the vehicle. He exits the vehicle and puts his hand on Gwen's left shoulder and Ben's right shoulder. "Well, what do you guys think of this place so far?"
"What's so important about some big building that is built for people to go to school?" Ben asked crossing his arms. "This place doesn't look all that impressive."
"That's where you're wrong young Benjamin." Xavier said as he came out the front door on his wheel chair with Ororo walking behind him. "It's good to see you again Max."
Max chuckled and walked past his grand-kids up to Charles. "It's nice that you called, but I am curious why you suddenly called me here to check the place out." Max said as the two shook hands smiling friendly at each other.
"Yes, well I'm certain you have questions, and I will answer them shortly." Charles turns his head slightly and sees Danny's truck pull into the driveway. "But first, we're about to have some dinner. Would you guys like to join us?"
"Sure, what are you guys planning to have?" Ben asked eagerly with Gwen looking at them in hope.
Charles chuckled, "It just happens to be pizza night."
"Yeah!" The two ten years cheered happily at having something good.
"Now we don't want to impose on your dinner tonight." Max said trying to sound reasonable.
"Relax Max, we're being good hosts here." Ororo said stopping Max from declining the invite. "Besides I doubt you want to make something to eat after your drive here."
Max rubbed the back of his neck then shrugged, "Ok then, we'll accept your offer to eat dinner with you guys."
"Good, Danny and the others just arrived with the food." Charles said as the truck pulled into the garage.
"Whoa! That truck looks so cool!" Ben said as he saw the vehicle park into the garage.
"Ben, wait!" Max yelled only to sigh as Ben ran towards the garage to look at the truck. "That boy…"
"Well, when he sees something he likes, he'll go off to see it." Gwen muttered in distaste crossing her arms and shaking her head at her cousin's idiocy.
Ben runs up to the garage and skids to a stop just in time to see the garage door close completely. "Ah man, now I have to go around the other way." He muttered with a groan. 'I would go Grey Matter, but grandpa said not to go alien. I don't really listen anyway, but for some reason this meeting seems really important for grandpa.' Ben glances at the Omnitrix on his wrist and sighs, "I'll stay human until we leave. Don't want to ruin everything for grandpa." He turns around with a grumpy face and his head lowered a bit.
Gwen watched her cousin with a smirk on her face. "Wow, I'm surprised at you for not breaking the garage door down." She told him as the three adults talked with each other.
"Don't get too full of yourself. This trip is for grandpa, and he seemed pretty serious to me when he said that I couldn't go alien." Ben countered with a shrug. "Besides I rather not destroy a place that's offering us food so we don't have to eat grandpa's cooking."
"Yuck!" The two cousins said with disgusting faces.
"I see your point." Gwen said crossing her arms. "I'm just surprised at how mature you're acting right now."
"Well don't get used to it. Once we leave this place, everything should be back to normal." Ben told her before walking up to the front door with Gwen following him.
"Yeah, if by normal you mean fighting aliens, then sure everything will be normal." Gwen muttered.
In the kitchen all the X-men except Ororo and Charles were gathering around the table. "Well guys, it is pizza night, and you know what that means." Scott said rubbing his hands together licking his lips in anticipation.
"That we have to wait for Charles and Ororo." Logan said making the teens stop from digging into the pizzas.
"Where are they anyway?" Kitty asked raising an eyebrow in confusion. "They should have seen Danny's truck come in."
"Our special guest arrived earlier than planned, and they should be here right about now." Aelita said as Charles, Ororo, and the 3 Tennysons came into the kitchen.
"How is she doing zat?" Kurt asked Scott quietly.
Scott shrugged, "I don't know."
"Well, this definitely looks like a fine group you have here Charles." Max said looking over the teens with a smile.
"Thank you Max." Charles said before turning his attention to the teens. "Everyone, I would like you to meet Maximilian Tennyson and his two grand-kids Gwen and Ben Tennyson."
Vlad Masters stood in his mansion staring out the window looking at the forest that surrounded the mansion. "Ah, it's about time you two got here." Vlad said turning around as Katherine and Johnny come into the room.
"Don't think you're off the hook Vlad. I'm only here to keep an eye on Johnny." Katherine growled at Vlad keeping her glare focused on him.
Vlad shrugged, "Your loss, but the job is a simple one. Technus has started to work on his own, and he needs to be shown that we don't like that."
Johnny crossed his arms and sat down on one of the seats. "Nice try Vlad, but Technus was never a part of your group, and I am only a hired help. I know you want Technus taken out, but if you try to control him then he will go rogue. We know that." Johnny countered.
"True, but he's been stealing my information from my systems without us knowing about it." Vlad told him as he sat down on the chair behind his desk. "We only found out when Skulker did a thorough search through the data banks for my company."
Johnny chuckled, "Then you better find a new genius with machines, because Technus abandoned his old lab a couple days ago."
Vlad growled angrily, "You better be joking Johnny."
"Wish I was Plasmius. I visited his lab to get an upgrade for my phone, but the place was emptied out, and I mean there is nothing left." Johnny gave Vlad a smug grin and asked, "Do you want me to go find him for you, or are we done here?"
Vlad glances at Kat then at Johnny. "It would be a wasted effort to have you search for him. He'll reveal himself in time, but I guess this means that I'll have to give you the other job."
"It better not be anything dangerous." Katherine said hardening her glare on Vlad.
"Relax Katherine, all I'm asking is for Johnny to keep an eye on the supplies coming in a couple days. I'm certain he can make sure none of it gets stolen." Vlad assured them.
"I'll do it this time, but next time make the job more interesting, and I don't mean for me to get my butt whooped by other mutants." Johnny said getting up off the chair.
"Glad we're at an agreement then." Vlad said then watched as the pair left the room.
"Johnny's becoming more a liability then an asset these days." Spectra said as she entered the room a few seconds later. She closed the door and walked up to the desk. "How much longer do you plan on using him?"
"It will have to be a bit longer than planned since Technus has disappeared." Vlad told her.
Spectra crossed her arms and sat down with a smirk on her face. "We knew that was coming, but it happened too soon for your plans."
"I would agree with you, but I can always get a new tech wiz for the right price." Vlad got out of his seat and turned around to look out at the town. "Right now Technus is the main loose end, and he needs to be stopped before he leaks information about the business."
"Then I'll tell Skulker to hunt him down and finish him off for good." Spectra turned around and left the office.
Vlad stared out at the town and sighed, "Oh Maddie, if you could see me now, then you could have been happy and rich, and we would have children." He looked down at the busy street and smirked, "Good thing your daughter is in town for an interview to work for my company as a psychologists. From there I can finally kill Jack and show you how much I love you." He turned around as two black rings appeared around his midsection. "I've waited too long to reconnect to you Maddie, but there were too many obstacles blocking me from doing so." He said as the black ring surrounding his body transforming him into his alter-ego. "Now, it is only a matter of time."
Dr. Animo rode in the back of the transport of the police van. He stared down at the floor of the vehicle with a blank look on his face. He felt the car jerk and smirked when he heard the cops in the front muttering, "What the…Ah!" Dr. Animo turned his head to the front to see the cops get thrown out of the vehicle leaving him alone in the driving vehicle that kept going.
"I see you are being a bit easy on them." Animo said as the cuffs suddenly came off his wrists.
"Believe it or not, I'm stuck on the run now thanks to you getting captured." A voice said from the vehicle.
"It isn't my fault that Ironman got back up from a couple teenagers." Animo said as he rubbed his wrists.
"Nothing can be done now anyway. We got certain things to do anyway. Unfortunately, we need the arc reactor."
Animo frowned, "There has to be a better power source for us to use that doesn't involve running into any of those so called heroes."
"We'll worry about that later. Right now, you need to get back to base and rebuild your mutant army. I'll just have to come up with something that will ensure us to get what we want."
"You better come up with something good. I don't want your old boss coming after me as well." Animo said with a growl. "I don't work well with someone watching my every move."
"Relax for now. I'm keeping an eye on him and the rest of the team. If anything comes up I will let you know."
"Good. I'll see you at the base." Animo heard a click and felt the vehicle come to a stop. He rubbed his hands together and muttered, "Nicolai Technus, our partnership will bring many wonders to the world, and it only has just begun."
Ok, not the best way to end the chapter, but it will have to do. The Arc is not over, but I had a hard time figuring out how to end the chapter which is why it took so long. I also had someone who keeps PMing me about one of my other stories which bugs me a bit, but it isn't too much of a bother.
Someone suggested that I need to get a Beta recently, and I have one thing to say. I am writing for fun, and everything is for entertaining purposes only. I see no point in asking for a Beta, but if someone offers to be my Beta then I will think about it. I do plan on rewriting chapter 1 again, since I am starting to come up with better ideas on how it should go. It will take time though.
I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and I am hoping for the new year to go well for everyone.