A/N: I have arisen! I must be the Phoenix! Haha. Seriously I am so terribly sorry for my horrible updating. It always happens to me, no matter what I do. Graduate school doesn't lend for lots of free time and I'm in year 3 of 5 or 6. Anywho, I have been putting some serious work into a few of my stories on here so I'll work at updating those soon.
A/N 2: This chapter takes place one year after chapter 4. I lost interest in the story so I decided to change pace a little and it has sparked my interest again. Any comments would be great!
Chapter 5: The more things change, the more they stay the same…
One year later…
"Concentrate, Lotus!" Cyclops commanded, using a flash from his visor to get his point across. "You have two minutes left!"
"Yes, sir!" The young woman replied, although it was more to herself.
Kohana Munroe-Logan, codename Lotus, was dressed in a uniform that Jubilee had once gagged over many years before. Kohana couldn't agree more with her aunt – the blue and gold uniform was hideous. Yet it served its purpose, as Forge had intended it. It protected her body and, more importantly, protected those around her from her powers. The slick sheen of what looked like sweat was in fact poisonous oils collecting on her rich green skin. Wiping her brow on her sleeve, the oils soaked in and disappeared from the outer layer of fabric as she turned her attention to the room again.
Lotus stood in the Danger Room, surrounded by nothing but machines and humanoid robots. Large projectiles, small balls and disappearing floors stood in her way. The objective of this particular exercise was to fight her way across the room and touch the panel on the far wall. It was a common exercise that the students from Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters had all endured, back when the school had been filled with young students. While the school's doors had closed years ago after Moira McTaggart had opened a branch of the Xavier Institute on Muir Island, Scott Summers was not a man to let traditions die that easily.
To say Lotus was doing poorly would be an understatement, Cyclops mused. When Ororo and Logan returned with their children three months ago, it had been clear that Kohana was doing much better. Better, but still not great. The young woman had come to rely on her powers too heavily in her naïveté, much like her mother had when she had first joined the team years ago. He was certain it had been Ororo's doing, although he was as equally certain that the weather goddess had never meant for it to happen.
Logan had reluctantly agreed to give his daughter over to Scott's tutelage for the beginning of her first real physical training. It had been Ororo's idea, stating that Kohana should benefit from the tutelage of all the X-Men, not just her parents. It was a sound suggestion so Logan found himself asking Scott for his assistance – something which had annoyed Logan to no end and Scott, though would never admit it, had enjoyed it immensely.
As the timer rang out, Kohana dropped her head in shame. She was barely half way across the room.
"Again." Scott ordered.
"I have tried three times!" Kohana protested. "I can't do it!"
"Every mutant who has come through this school has crossed this room." Cyclops responded from the control room. "You will not break that record, even if it takes you one hundred attempts."
"Yeah, but the others got to use their powers!"
"Feel free to use yours." Scott said, his tone stern. "I am not stopping you."
"Yeah, but there isn't any plant life! My powers are useless without them!"
"As of now, that would be a fair estimate."
"But that isn't fair, Uncle Scott!"
"Excuse me, but who ever said the Danger Room was fair?" Scott countered. "And you will refer to me as Cyclops in our training sessions. Enough argument. You agreed to our training sessions, Lotus. As such, you will continue until I am satisfied with your progress for the day."
The hard edge in his tone was enough to stop her from arguing further. With a slight pout, Kohana returned to the far side of the room and waited while Scott programmed yet another series of obstacles for her to conquer.
"Meet me here again at seven o'clock tomorrow morning and you will continue until you touch the panel." Cyclops said as Lotus failed her sixth attempt to cross the room. "Go shower and report to the Medical Lab for class. Hank has some extra time today and will be waiting for you."
Angrily, Lotus turned and stormed from the Danger Room, determined to get as much space between herself and that man as humanly (or mutantly) possible. Muttering to herself, Kohana trudged down the hall towards the locker room. While Kohana no longer sweat in the traditional sense, she could feel the poisonous oil excreting from her skin at a higher rate. The material of her uniform absorbed the oil almost instantly, but she still felt disgusting.
"That is no way to treat your superior, Lotus."
Lotus stopped short and found herself face to chest with Bishop. The mountain of a man was normally in New York City, working with the police. She barely new him as a result and was generally uncomfortable around him.
"I don't recall asking." She spat back, stepping to walk around him.
"Young lady, you will apologize this instant."
Cringing, Kohana turned to face her mother. Ororo was sweeping towards her, an angry scowl on her face.
"Yes, Mother." Kohana replied instantly. "I'm sorry, Uncle Bishop."
"I don't believe I am the one in need of an apology." Bishop replied as he walked away, leaving Ororo to deal with her unruly daughter.
"I have just spoken with Cyclops." Ororo said, looking serious. "You will show him the respect he deserves as one of your teachers and uncles."
When her daughter rolled her eyes, Ororo narrowed her own.
"Kohana, you agreed to these sessions and we explained they would be difficult. Because they are proving to be difficult is no reason to get upset. If I hear of your impertinence again, I shall not be pleased."
"Yes, Mother."
"The first reason I came down here was to inform you that your Uncle Henry has just been called away on a medical emergency to Muir Island."
"Sweet!" Kohana pumped her fist, pleased to get out of a boring lecture.
"However, you shall not have the afternoon off. Shower, find a clean uniform and then return to the Danger Room."
"I was just in there for four hours with Cyclops!"
"A few more hours never killed anyone in this house."
Kohana let out a puff of breath in annoyance.
"And you will also lose your attitude before you step back in that room. Your new instructor will not be pleased to find you so difficult." A small smile graced Ororo's features as she watched her daughter process the information.
"No more Cyclops?"
"Not today."
"Who, then?" She asked excitedly.
"A surprise. Now go shower and put on a new uniform. I highly doubt you want to continue in the soiled clothes you are wearing."
"About that, Mother, when can I design my own uniform?" Kohana asked.
"I'll make a deal with you, Kohana. When you get across that room, you may select a new uniform style." Ororo replied.
"That'll be in ten years at this rate." Her daughter replied sulkily.
"That may be, but I have faith that the goddess will help you achieve your goals."
Kohana knew better than to argue about the goddess with her mother, so she kept her tongue.
"I believe your new teacher will be a great help in achieving that goal as well. Now get going, young lady. It's rude to keep your teachers waiting."
With a determined look and a sharp nod, Kohana took off for the locker room at top speed.
Lotus walked into the Danger Room and was shocked to find the room already transformed. A large classic gymnasium, complete with uneven bars and pommel horse, greeted her as she stepped through the metal doors.
"What the…" And she trailed off. Her eyes finally fell on the figure flipping off of the balance beam. "AUNTIE JUBIE!"
"The one and only, kiddo." Jubilation Lee greeted happily as Kohana rushed towards her.
Jubilee's body had finally matured (or "filled out", as Jubilee preferred to say) when she was eighteen. Her mentality, however, still remained that of a spoiled So Cal Valley Girl most of the time. It fit her youthful appearance and helped her maintain the identity of a twenty-three year old woman.
Thanks to one of the X-Men's more interesting missions involving Roma and the Shi'ar when she was twenty-one, Jubilee's age had come to almost a stand still. She continued to age but at an incredibly slow pace. Hank had estimated her age to be around twenty-three now, meaning her body had aged only two years while in reality nine years had passed by. It still unnerved some of the other X-Men, but it never seemed to bother Jubilation. Nor, it seemed, did it bother her favorite, and currently only, niece.
Jubilee pulled Kohana into a bear hug, carefully keeping her face away from Kohana's skin. The old blue-and-yellow uniform Jubilation wore protected the rest of her body and was only wearing it for the protection. Otherwise, she wouldn't be caught dead in those threads. They were far too old school for her liking.
"You're gonna be my teacher?" Kohana asked excitedly, stepping back.
"Oh geez, a teacher? Me? Pah-leeze, little chica." Jubilee replied. "Think of me as a gymnastics coach or something, if you must," she said dramatically, "but never, ever as a teacher. That's just, like, gross."
"Gymnastics? Cool!"
"I should think so! As if I would be here for anything less than 'cool'." Jube said, with a dramatic roll of her eyes.
"I'm gonna do flips and tumbles and stuff?"
Jubilee looked at Kohana for a moment before replying.
"Nope."
"No?" Disappointment was smothering her query.
"Nope. Not yet, anyways. Not for a while." Jubilee said, changing gears from fun aunt to gymnastics coach. "No, my young padawan learner, you will be learning how to walk."
"Padawan?"
Sigh. "Nevermind."
"So. I get to learn how to walk." Kohana stated, dumbfounded.
"Yes, walk." And Jubilee pointed to the balance beam. "On that. You will walk up and down that balance beam without falling or even faltering before I even think about letting you do a cartwheel. That includes pivoting at the end and walking back. You don't get to hop down and back up to turn around."
"How is this going to help me get across that room?" Kohana asked, doubtful.
"You'd be surprised how much gymnastics can help once you learn a few things." Jubilee replied cryptically. "Now, get your green butt on that beam! Once you master walking, then we'll work on somersaulting."
"I'll be somersaulting in two minutes then!" Kohana said happily.
"Glad to see you have confidence in yourself." Jubilee remarked dryly. "Go on, then. I'll be right over there practicing some moves. Come get me when you're ready to show me you strutting your stuff across that beam."
And Jubilation walked towards the uneven bars, leaving Kohana standing, somewhat shocked, by the balance beam. Did Auntie Jubie honestly believe that she, Kohana, daughter of a would-be goddess, couldn't walk across a stupid balance beam?
Two hours later, Kohana was limping out of the Danger Room, leaning on Jubilation's arm. Her twisted ankle was slightly swollen, but luckily it hadn't been sprained.
"Not so easy to walk on that beam, now is it?"
"No." Kohana grunted under her breath.
"You'll get it, not to worry." Jubilee assured her. "Let's get your ankle iced up and wrapped. Maybe next time you won't be so quick to jump up and down in annoyance, hmm? Or would you call that more of a temper tantrum?"
"Yeah yeah yeah." The younger woman grumbled again. "Oh wait! This means I won't have to meet with Cyclops in the morning now!"
Jubilee smirked. Kohana still had a lot to learn about Cyclops and how things ran around here when you were a student.
"I'm glad you still showed up, albeit a little late." Cyclops began. They were standing in the Control Room of the Danger Room.
"Sorry, Unc – I mean, Cyclops. I didn't realize how long it would take me to hobble down here." Lotus admitted. He nodded, accepting the apology.
"Well, now that you know, I expect you to be on time tomorrow. Due to your injury, we'll forego any physical Danger Room training for the next few days. I don't want to risk injuring your ankle any further." Cyclops stated, with a slight frown. "Instead, we'll use this time to get you up to speed on our history by beginning some tactics lessons."
"Tactics?" Kohana almost groaned.
"Yes, I'll present some scenarios the team has faced in the past and we'll see how you can handle them in terms of forming a proper team roster from the X-Men available and then directing that team in the field to, hopefully, a positive outcome."
"Oh!" She said, eyes lighting up. "That sounds really fun!"
Cyclops smirked. Kohana's smile disappeared instantly and she cringed. It was never good when the boss-man smirked like that.
"You're not allowed to reference any of the team's records on these scenarios nor are you allowed to ask anyone for help." He added. "Are we clear on the rules?"
"Yes, sir."
"Excellent. Let's get started, then." Scott said, all business. He punched a few buttons and a busy city scene popped into existence. "In your first scenario, an extremely large dragon is attacking Tokyo and - "
Kohana burst into laughter, cutting him off.
"A dragon?" She said, wiping tears from her eyes. "You've gotta be kidding!"
"For the sake of argument, let's pretend I'm not." Scott found it hard to hide his amusement. An enormous green dragon with blood red eyes appeared over the cityscape. The scene was frozen, a blast of fire erupting from its mouth. "The dragon is causing extreme damage to the buildings in downtown Tokyo during the middle of the day. Casualties are rising and the X-Men are the first to respond. Here's the list of available X-Men. You're allowed a team of five."
Realizing this wasn't a joke, Kohana turned her eyes to the list before her and started to choose her team.
Any reviews/thoughts/criticisms would be greatly appreciated! I'm almost done with chapter 6 so I'll be posting that soon.
Jubes