Disclaimer: I own the story, Marc and The Gang…I don't own the X-Men damnit!
A.p.R. - Today is my one year birthday on ! Woohoo! I may have been getting a little slow with updates but I am here to say that Coming of Age is SO not over. These last few weeks have been tough plus the next two weeks I have finals but CoA is not gonna stop! You have my word! Enjoy the next chapter, kids!
------------------For my next miracle, I will turn water…into FUNK-----------------
::Earlier That Night::
Bobby was distraught. His best friend, Marc, had been pulverized. He looked so weak and lifeless; silence was not something that would usually describe Marc but it's different now.
"Marc, can you hear me…?" he asked, placing his hand on the rail of Marc's bed in the infirmary. Just then, Jubes walked in and rested her hand atop Bobby's tense shoulder.
"Hank said he'd be fine…don't worry." she said, comfortingly. "He just needs his rest…and maybe the lack of that hole in his side."
Bobby guffawed. "Yeah and-"
"…and maybe some morphine…" interrupted Marc with a groan.
"Marc!" said Jubes, surprised. "I'll tell Hank-"
"No," he interrupted once more. "Come back…"
She complied and sat down in a chair next to Bobby.
"I don't have long so listen up and don't forget anything…" Marc explained in a shadowy voice; Jubes pulled a napkin out of a nearby drawer and Bobby handed her a pen since his hand writing was illegible.
The injured mutant coughed and pressed his palm over his wound and began explaining the situation. He proceeded to tell them what he knew: weaknesses, strengths, powers and a few other minor details. However, he left out many of the more personal details. "Okay, Bobby…I need you to lead The New Recruits on this one…don't tell anyone else…please?"
The pain and the weakness of his damaged frame caused him to pass out. Bobby looked at Jubes, who had stood up and turned her back to them. "Hold onto that napkin and help me round up the rest of recruits and we'll meet outside."
"Hey, are you sure we should be doing this? I mean, they did this to Marc…who's to say that we won't get worse done to us?" she said, somewhat panicking.
"You heard what he said…they'll try to kill us all anyway. I agree with him, we should bring the fight to them." he said, standing and walking up behind her.
She bit her lip in hesitance. "I don't know…shouldn't we at least tell-"
"No…no one." Bobby said, sternly. "Besides, this is the perfect chance to show Scott that I can be an X-Man."
Jubes passed Logan, who was securing the perimeter, and the two watched each other out of the corner of their eyes, suspiciously, as they passed.
Jubes had a feeling that he'd be trying to sneak around and see what she was doing. Marc climbed out the window of the infirmary and tried making a run for it but out of nowhere Jubes came running over and stood in his way. "And where do you think you're going?" she said with a wink, signaling to him that Logan was present.
::Present::
Marc kept a cold glare focused upon them. "I'm here…now remember our deal…you don't hurt my friends…"
"Yeah and I plan to follow through with that-" Benny started but his sentence was broken up as part of the side wall blew out and The New Recruits along with Bobby stepped through the opening.
Tabby smirked. "Guess who?"
Benny glared at Marc. "Remember what I told you about coming alone?"
"Yeah."
"Then how do you explain that?"
"Hey, I came alone…they came together."
Bobby looked around. "Follow the plan, team!" he shouted and they all dispersed.
Jubilee headed straight for Legna with a black duffel bag slung over her shoulder while Iceman iced up before him and Cannonball advanced on Benny.
Wolvesbane, Boom Boom, and Magma went after Marcia.
Marc quickly gave Adelaide a sidekick to the chest, sending them both back a few steps. Marc grunted as he felt his wound tear open a bit and a blotch of blood seeped through his shirt.
Jubilation hit the vampire across his face with the bag and that blow distracted him long enough for Jubes to open up the bag and pulled out a water bottle and a baggy filled with garlic.
"What're going to do, girly?" Legna taunted, visibly licking his fangs in anticipation of sinking his teeth into the Asian girl before him.
Jubes smirked, twisted the cap off the bottle, and splashed the 'holy' water out at the him. Legna backed away and rubbed his eyes from the water in them. "Why'd you do that?!" he barked.
Jubes snapped her fingers. "I told Jamie that just because you pray for the water the water it doesn't make it holy." she said to herself. "So that didn't work…"
By this time the vampire had recovered, looking fiercely at her. "I'm going to kill you so slowly for that." he said, snarling at her in annoyance.
Boom Boom shifted her interest for Marcia to Legna and threw a little Boom-ball near him. It exploded, fazing him a little so that Jubilee could toss the herb at him.
He inhaled deeply, a surprised look on his face. After a short pause he let out a monstrous sneeze. "What the hell was that about?" he whined with a sneezey-face.
"Wait…isn't this stuff supposed to kill you undead guys?" she asked, calmly and confused.
Legna shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "No-no-no, it just gives us mild indigestion."
Jubes nodded, sighed then shrugged. "Learn something new everyday, I guess."
The vampire nodded. "Yeah, it's true, you know? My mom taught me that…"
"Hmm…"
"Mmhmm…"
They stood in silence for a moment until Legna broke the silence. "So…you gonna run away screaming now?"
"It's probably for the best…" Jubes said and took off running with him close behind.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the warehouse, Iceman lunged at Benny but was too strong and he effortlessly swatted him away. Bobby landed with a smack on the smooth concrete floor. "Sam, now!" he demanded, weakly.
"Let see how you like this…" Sam cannonballed towards the large man and slammed into his gut, sending him stumbling back. Cannonball fell down from the impact then, regaining his bearings, looked up to see an arm clobbering down at him, connecting with his face and knocking him out for the moment.
Deeply, Benny chuckled. "It was okay." he said, jauntily.
"Sam…" Seeing this, Rahne rushed to his aid, leaving Magma and Boom Boom to take Marcia.
Tabitha threw a few more boomers, this time they were towards Marcia. Marcia, cleverly jumped out of the way and smirked. "Okay, so you're fast...but this'll get ya." Tabitha picked up a 2x4 from the ground and swung it at Marcia; she ducked out of harms way.
Marcia performed a quick handstand with a good kick to Tabby's chest at midpoint before going back to a standing position. Boom Boom tripped into Magma's arms just before falling. "I gotcha…"
Amara then received a punch in the face for her interference but this caused Amara to change into her Magma form. Marcia took a few steps back at this sight.
Marc and Adelaide were scrapping it out near a mini-crane machine that was suspending a crate. "You know wanna know what was best about kissing Kitty?" Adelaide taunted, evading a blow from Marc.
Fyreside replied with a sweeping-sidekick that Adelaide bent his upper body away from.
"She gave me some tongue…but I'm sure she's done that with you before, right?" he asked, haughtily chuckling.
"Ouch, that really hurt…" Marc said, throwing a punch.
"This'll be worse." Adelaide said, catching his arm between his bicep and chest then yanked up, tugging at the socket of the fire mutant's elbow. "I could have gotten her even without my powers…it's a wonder that a girl like that could even be seen with a bastard like you!"
"Ah!" Marc yelped in pain from the hyperextension. He took a deep breath. "Wanna play the insult game, do ya?" Fyreside then twisted around, tripping Adelaide down to a knee.
Marc smirked. "You're an idiot," he said, booting him in the temple then shifting and kicking him and nailed Adelaide in the rear of his head. "…okay, so I'm not that good with the insults." he said, wiping the sweat from his brow, as the bad guy fell face first to the floor.
"Addy!" Marcia cried, taking her eyes off the action and was the victim of a punch to the jaw by Amara.
Legna had Jubilee trapped between a bunch of crates and him. Terrified by this creature, she quickly ran to the left but was stopped and then shot off to the right but to no avail. She was cornered. "C'mon, darlin', look at the bright side. At least you'd die at the hands of such a handsome vamp."
Bobby, who had been trying to think up a way of hurting Benny, dashed to his girlfriend; a furrowed brow was evident even in ice form.
He ran forward, jumping over crates and hurdling over some over turned traffic cones. His arms raised and he clenched his fists, creating a mass of diamond hard ice over them.
Once in striking distance, he jumped up and thrust his clobbering ice-fist down, across his body and struck the side of Legna's pale jaw. "Ya know, for a guy who can't see his own reflection, you are very vain."
Caught by cold, Legna flew five feet into the cool metal wall. "Jubes, you okay?" he asked, thawing down and taking her by the hands.
"Yeah…yeah, I think so…you?" she replied, breathing heavily.
"I'm fine as long as you are…-" he was abruptly cut off as Sam, who had been deflected by Benny, came out of nowhere and crashed into him.
Rahne morphed into her wolf form and was prepared to pounce at Benny. She was foaming at the mouth as her lips quivered with every growl that escaped her throat.
She rested her weight on the balls of her hind paws and then shot forward, pouncing at him. Benny had little time to react, she was going straight for his throat. Sealing his eyes in concentration he dampened her power, reducing her to her normal form.
Benny stepped aside lackadaisically, letting Rahne land on her hands and knees. The pain from that landing ran through her body as if it was her own blood. Her knees, sore, her outstretched palms and elbows, swollen and cut. She was completely defenseless in this position.
Benny looked down at her. "Bad dog." he said, going to stomp on her. She slid through his legs and, with a rush of strength, gave him a swift uppercut to the groin.
Benny gasped, falling to his knees. "You bitch…"
"Aye." Proud of herself, Rahne used whatever she had left to get to a safer area of the vicinity.
Benny got to his feet and stormed towards Marc. Marc bent down and he and Sam pulled Bobby out from underneath Legna. "Bobby - you need to lay off the burgers…" Marc said. Suddenly, Sam went flying backwards. Marc looked behind him, seeing Benny and took a swing. Benny caught his cousin's fist, put his arm on his left shoulder, and snapped his shoulder.
Marc cried out, agonizingly. Benny grinned, tossing him into a half gainer at Tabby and Magma, bashing into them.
Benny, Legna, Adelaide, and Marcia all stood up as they recovered and looked around. They had taken them all out.
"Well…this was fun…" Marcia said, holding her head from that punch. Amara may not look it, but she has a hell of a left.
"What should we do with them?" Adelaide asked, scratching the back of his head. "Beat them s'more?"
Benny cackled. "Burn the place to the ground…then we'll take it to X-Men."
"They say they're strong…"
"…and I say…let's dance." Legna grinned. Snikt. His head rolled off his shoulders and he turned to dust. As the cloud of ash hit the floor…
Logan smirked. "Can I cut in…?"
DUN-DUN-DUN! Review please.