Welcome one and hall, to another chapter depicting the life of our favorite alien watch user. This time we cover the next session and a little building for later stuff.
Won't go too in detail here so I'll let you carry on here and thus I declare ON WITH THE CHAPTER!
XXXXX
Ben's eyes wandered over the group, those conscious managing just barely to reach their feet while the others remained completely oblivious to the goings on around them. Letting his arms drop to his sides with a sigh he looked up to the control center. "Call a break, these guys took this a lot worse than I was expecting."
"I have the medical center already prepared Mr. Tennyson," Charles' voice called back over the speakers. "Jean, Kitty, if you would be so kind as to help your teacher escort the injured to the designated facility I would be most grateful."
Growling to herself, the redheaded telepath managed to lift herself to her feet and help the curly-haired Kitty to do the same. "Yes professor," she mumbled, reaching out with her mind in order to lift the unconscious Scott from where he had lain after Rogue had accidentally drained him. Said southern girl had begun moving to lift Kurt from where Rath had left him after making him faint.
Before she could even touch him, however, a flat panel of blue energy shot past her close enough to ruffle her hair at its passing. Stunned, she could not help but watch as it snaked its way beneath the blue boy's body, lifting him like a cobalt stretcher. Said goth girl turned, gray eyes tracking along the construct's length back toward where it came from and locked onto the outstretched hand of Ben. His gaze turned to meet with hers, lips quirking into a smirk and he offered a brief wink before turning his attention back to the now-moving Kurt. If he saw the blush coloring her otherwise pale cheeks he made no sign of it as he stretched out his other hand toward Spyke.
Rogue watched as an orb of blue light rose from the palm of the outstretched hand, expanding until the reaching the size of a softball and its far end expanded outward. A wide beam much like the one extending from the opposite hand shot out, dropping low to the floor and scooping up the skateboarder. Once both boys hovered at the same level as his hands, the energy began to withdraw, shortening the ribbons until they were just in front of the brunette.
With a satisfied nod he looked to the gaping Kitty. "Could you lead the way please?" he requested, tone even as if nothing unexpected had happened. The valley girl blinked, clicked her mouth shut, and nodded before moving off all the while ignoring the chuckling man following behind.
"So, what was all that," a glance toward the voice showed Rogue had moved to walk at his side, eyeing the glowing energy as if expecting it to lash out. "Do you have more than one power?"
"I do," he turned back to smirk again. "A few hundred actually." His words, overheard by all and sundry, froze the others in place as they turned to gape at him once again. He decided to be extra mysterious and lowered his voice to an exaggerated whisper. "And I'll tell you something else…none of them are mutant abilities."
With that bombshell dropped on them, Ben stepped out into the hallway and found another door had opened on the opposite wall almost directly across from the danger room's double set. "Hmm, that's a smart place to put it."
"I'm glad you approve of the location," Charles drawled from where he had parked his chair. Directly to his left was a bed occupied by Scott who had yet to move. A casual wave to his right directed his attention to the empty pair of beds awaiting his cargo and a simple wave of glowing hands had the hovering teens gently placed upon them. The blue aura faded and once again Ben seemed the epitome of normal, an appearance that everyone was now firmly aware to be a complete farce.
Professor X, as the children had come to enjoy calling him, took this in stride. Bald head gleaming as it partially reflected the light above, he moved to each boy, utilizing his telepathic powers to determine their mental state. "I believe we will need to give them all at least two hours to recuperate," he finally said whilst looking up to Ben with a mild frown. "It seems holding back is not a methodology to which you subscribe Ben."
One brown eyebrow rose at the gentle rebuke and while the smirk he was presenting did not change, it seemed to gain just a slight edge to it. "Charles," the voice light hearted and yet carried a hint of chill. "Trust me, as Rath I could have easily killed every single one of them. I held back immensely and believe me when I say he is, by far, not the strongest in my arsenal." What little Charles could sense of the younger man's mind rang with truth. Rath was powerful for sure but he was limited to purely physical combat and among them he had one in particular far more skilled than the brute force bipedal tiger and several stronger ones.
Sky blue and emerald green locked for a time, before Charles looked away. Powerful a telepath as he was, he had been able to feel the strength of Ben's solid decision on how he treated these students, and that arguing would be pointless. So, he decided that instead he would try and alleviate a little of the strain.
"I understand," he said. "But still it will be a while until they can partake in the next course. If you have anything you'd like to do until then feel free."
"And that's my cue," Logan growled from the hallway. "I heard that doc sayin' you worked on the car he gave you. If you're a grease monkey you'll want to see where we keep the tools and such. I'll give ya a tour of the garage while we're waiting."
Ben nodded, turning to walk alongside his self-appointed guide but a voice calling out stopped them. "Ya' got a car?"
Looking back to see the curious gaze of the young Rogue, he nodded. "Sure do."
"What kind?" one hand rested on a cocked hip.
The next word had her eyes widen marginally. "Thunderbird." She blinked. "Wanna see?" She blinked again, and then nodded as black-painted lips turned in the slightest of smiles. So, she likes cars huh? He put it out of his mind for now, simply giving a little wave of invitation and the group of three outcasts walked up into the mansion proper and then out onto the path leading for the garage.
When the door open, the girl's gasp at what lay before their eyes caused a sense of pride to well up in the young man's chest. In the light of the morning the black metal gleamed, flawless as the day it rolled out of the dealership it had come from. Polished to a shine and ready to roar out onto the road once again.
The men left Rogue to admire the car for a moment as Logan showed Ben the working area. The last two sections of the long garage were equipped with lifts to allow for work under the vehicles, and rows of tools in all varieties were neatly organized, something the shorter and older of the two made sure Ben realized was a state that he would maintain or suffer consequences. Considering the statement had been emphasized by the drawing of indestructible claws and an expression of utter seriousness, Ben decided to agree.
Utterly unsubtle threats and promises done with, they returned to the area with Ben's car and Logan directed his attention toward what was parked a few spaces over. Logan let a hand caress the bike's tank as he knelt at its side, other hand already propping open the toolbox he had grabbed when showing the collection to the new teacher. He paused with the wrench in hand, turning so that he could look at the girl who was now looking through the Thunderbird's open window for a peek at the interior. "Hey skunk stripe," she turned to look at him. "You want a lesson in fixing up machines? Lord knows your team could use someone with a little mechanical knowhow when I'm not around."
As he expected, her answer was not quick nor made without thought. Her eyes searched his and the face they were a part of, tracing the contours in an effort to find any hint of deception or hidden motive. When none was found, she gave a slight nod and a shrug. "Why not?" she said while stepping over to join the older, even if she had absolutely no idea by how much, of the men and kneeling opposite the bike. "I haven't picked an elective for this year yet, so this could work."
"Alright then," the wrench was placed into her gloved hand as he began removing the seat. "We'll start with my bike and then move on to the van and Chuck's limo. This is a Titan V-Rod from Harley Davidson. It uses overhead cams and liquid cooling, something the company actually developed with Porsche if you can believe that." Ben left the moment of instruction, instead moving back toward the far end where one of the tables had been left bare for any who might need it.
A wave of his hand near the right thigh of his pants and unseen by any a small green light ignited in the palm of the glove he still wore. A green strip lit up in the fabric of the pants, a straight line trailing from the hip before splitting in two to from a circle and once rejoined continued down the leg. From that circle sprouted a thin, flexible black circle which stuck to his hand as if magnetized. This black material he lifted to hold over the table, and with a flick of the wrist it dropped and expanded with a whisper.
The circle split into four equal sections, a green screen of sorts expanding to create a long rectangle glowing a faint emerald light. Snapping to similar dimensions as a snowboard in the span of time one might blink, its downward momentum halted, leaving the new device hovering just a few inches above the table's surface. Frowning in concentration, the green-eyed man placed a hand on its top, pushing gently at different spots and making a series of mental notes on slight gives here and there. Nodding to himself, the hand lifted and dropped to the belt holding his pants in place, thumb pressing against what any other would have dismissed as a simple mark of some strange language.
The sigil glowed a brief green, before what looked like a coin with the mark in its center popped free to be gripped by thumb and forefinger. This 'coin' was allowed to rest on the table, pressing the symbol yet again. The small things seemed to melt into a strange puddle, spreading out much farther than anyone could have expected, before forming a large strip of black cloth marked with green lines akin to what is seen on a circuit board. Pockets were sewn into this cloth, each holding a tool that looked to be geared toward working on something mechanical.
Plucking one of these tools from its place, he bent over the hoverboard and pressed it to one of the small circular areas running along each edge and down the center. A click and hiss of air had the object coming free and Ben placed it onto the table. The tool was returned to its pocket while two more were taken to replace it. With these, he took the small puck apart and began working on the small circuitry held within.
Time is a concept both greatly studied, and just as impossible to understand. Minutes can feel like hours when one is miserable or impatient…and hours can flash past with nary a blink if one has their mind occupied either through some enjoyable experience or are just simply busy. It hadn't felt like much time at all had passed before Charles' voice was calling the scattered inhabitants of the institute back to the danger room. Returning his tools and hoverboard to their rightful places among his ensemble, the quarter-alien from another reality fell in step with the unapologetic Canadian and gothic southern girl on their way back from the garage.
They were met at the doors to the room by the rest of the team. Scott seemed to be glaring at the green-eyed man, set of his frown one of dislike but beyond that seemed willing to withhold any sort of comment for now. He doesn't take defeat well I see, Ben noted whilst returning the frown with a grin. Hands in pockets, he strolled without a care in the world and arched an eyebrow in challenge to his fellow brunette.
Charles saw this, frowning slightly but decided it was something he can address at a later time. Instead he chose to bring everyone's attention back to the matter at hand. "There are two more exercises left," he explained. The next stage was chosen by myself. You will be engaging each other on a ship, though its type and size I shall leave unspoken. Enter the room, take the positions you had previously, and the simulation begins as soon as the image solidifies."
The group nodded without speaking and entered the room whilst the staff moved back to the command room. A quick elevator ride later and they were staring down into the wide practice area. As his hands moved over the keyboard to prepare the room's holographic system Charles considered his new hire.
The mental control he exhibited through that impressive defense mechanism was maintained even at night which meant it was hard to get a read on the young man. Charles would admit a lot of his ability to read a person came from his telepathic powers despite his endeavoring to learn such based on what he saw as well as 'heard' in those he is examining. Stephen had mentioned Ben had experienced something tragic though what he did not know as it was the young man's business to share and he had not chosen to do so yet.
But what had the man worried at the moment, was that for just a brief moment Ben had slipped in his control. The black hole lost its gravity just after he had woken earlier and a whisper of his thoughts and emotions. Well, it was more of a scream, a scream that emanated a deep pain. There was also an image carried with this wave of emotion, a hulking figure clad in armor of red and black with tentacles sprouting from its bald head. Fear, pain, rage, and a burning hatred that reached an intensity he had only felt from one other person.
He had slammed down on his defenses quickly, leaving only that brief glimpse more than enough to keep the professor from sleeping the rest of the night. He had also felt Jean's mind for a time and realized the young lady had seen at least some of it as well, especially after seeing the worried glance when they met up again in the Danger Room. He resolved to bring that up later with her before her natural curiosity took things too far. However, he further decided as he activated the sequence, that is for after Ben finishes his teaching session.
From their vantage point, Charles, Ororo and Logan watched as the floor panels began to lift while carrying the students and new teacher into the air. Reaching half the height of the rather large room, more panels were brought up to form what would become lower decks of the soon-to-be vessel. A tall tower began to form between the competitors, growing out into the command center of a cargo ship. The shifting ended, hard light projectors sparking to life to create the giant carrier.
Watching as this all began to take place, once again Charles marveled at this machinery. It had been arranged by Reed Richards himself when Charles had offered sponsoring him in one of his endeavors. He had never told the man who would become known as Mr. Fantastic to the public what exactly the room he designed would be for. He had explained that with growing tensions all around he had felt it important to build a personal security force, but he didn't want it public knowledge what kind of training they had.
Having long been associated before such, the fellow scientist had agreed. Charles had just expected a slightly advanced training room, but he had forgotten one very important aspect comprising the mentality and character of Dr. Reed Richards. When the man had found himself interested in a project he was unable to keep himself getting lost in how far he could take it.
One example was the holographic technology he was seeing come to life this very moment. Large the room may be, it was entirely too small to create a full-sized cargo chip, but the projectors were so detailed it looked like they were standing upon one. Reed had explained that the lifted panels would actually move to create a path and the illusion of movement while the holograms would make the distance between the points seem to extend.
An example of this very process was shown in the placement of Ben and the X-Men. Ben had been placed on the far side of the ship with the control tower between him and his foe which had been left among the aisles of shipping containers. He noticed through one of the cameras that the teens weren't moving and instead talking. Interested in what they were planning he flipped a switch turning on the microphones in that area.
"So, he's got a whole lot we don't know anything about on top of being an energy user and turning into that…thing?" Scott questioned Rogue who nodded with arms crossed.
"He said something like having a few hundred different things to throw at us," she continued her report. "But all I've seen are that tiger thing he turned into and that blue energy he used to move Kurt and Evan to the infirmary."
Charles frowned at the use of names in the field. He had been trying to get them to use the codenames when 'on mission' because it could cause issues if they were overheard. He felt a brief flash of irritation from Logan geared toward the same matter and made a note to have both he and Ben press harder on that issue. Speaking of Ben, Charles turned his attention away from the planning teens to check on his new hire only to find the space he had been occupying empty. A brief check of the nearby screens gave similar results. Curious, he briefly reached into the astral plane with his telepathic powers searching for his mind only to find those of his students alone in the room. Frowning, he pressed a button and the screen began reversing until he saw something that even made himself nervous.
Rising out of the steel deck of the vessel was what he could only describe as a ghost. Dressed in what looked to be a blanket with one green eye peeking from the center of its tall head and with the Omnitrix's face proudly fashioned against its chest he knew it could only be Mr. Tennyson. It phased up through the deck in the video's reversed play and was then enveloped in a flash of green before the man himself stood in its place. That was when the professor pressed the play button and watched the entire event happen in its original order, this time noticing the green chains and manacles around the alien's neck, wrists, biceps and where a waist on a human body would be. This creature had no legs to speak of, only the tail one could see on many ghosts in human folklore, Halloween decorations and cartoons for children.
When this new form of Ben's sunk once more out of sight he seemed to vanish entirely, no camera's able to pick him up. "Intangibility and invisibility," he mused aloud. "I wonder if he's going to resort to just stealth this time or perhaps switch to a shock attack like the last round."
"Care to make a wager on it?" Logan called from where he was standing in front of other screens, each showing vitals of the students. There was one that had been showing Ben's that now remained blank, it appeared this new creature was not technically 'alive' to begin with. The long-lived Canadian fished his wallet out and held up a pair of twenties. "Forty says he lets em get a false sense of security and then crushes em."
His fellow teachers looked at him for a long moment before Ororo spoke. "I say he only uses this phantom character to scare them into submission. A more psychological play."
A silence hung between them as they watched their students begin to move. Charles watched Jean raise her hands to her temples to better focus her telepathic abilities only to drop them a moment later and shake her head. She must have encountered the same issue as Charles, a lack of mind to latch onto. When she told Scott, he frowned as well but began to issue orders.
Once again Nightcrawler and Shadowcat moved out ahead, though remaining closer to each other than in the previous exercise. "Both," Ororo and Logan turned to look at their host as he folded his hands before his face and watched the monitors with rapt attention. "I believe Ben is going to further drive home the point that overconfidence can kill, and he will make sure the message is learned intellectually, physically and emotionally."
"So…in short he's gonna mindfuck and thrash em all in one is the bet you're placing?" A sharp glare was sent Wolverine's way for the language and once he looked away in obvious admittance of said reprisal Charles nodded.
"An oversimplification and far too vulgarly spoken for my comfort, but accurate nonetheless." His rebuke delivered and accepted he turned back to the screens, fingers rising to steeple before his lips and waiting for the chaos to come. 'They need this,' he told his conscience when it questioned against such things he suspected awaiting his students. For just a moment the image of a figure danced in his mind's eye, a hovering man dressed in armor of red with billowing cape and hand stretched out as if to grab something and his resolve tightened. 'If they are to survive and we are to accomplish our dreams then they need to be prepared. I only hope they can grow from this.'
In the belly of the 'ship,' the team was moving through a hallway in a formation Logan had come up with. Nightcrawler would teleport with Shadowcat to just before the next corner where the girl would phase through the wall to peek around the corner. Whenever she saw no apparent threat she would wave the next forward which alternated between Spyke and Cyclops. This time it was the basketball star who moved midway down the hall, fingers splayed and ready to fire his signature spines in case of ambush.
Rogue came up next with Jean not far behind and Cyclops covered the rear, constantly checking behind himself should anything jump them from behind. Unfortunately, when an enemy possesses the abilities of invisibility and phasing through solid matter among his repertoire, he had no warning for what came next. Something shoved into the young man's lower back and sent him stumbling with a slight yelp, bringing the others spinning on a dime to check on him. They found their leader searching his immediate area, hand to the side of his visor poised to unleash the blast of concussive force just waiting behind his eyeballs but finding no target. Finally, he let his hand drop.
"Something pushed me," he said. "Jean, you said you couldn't find a mind earlier. Maybe whatever form he's taken lets him turn invisible mentally and physically." He raised a hand to his chin while his lips, the only visible sign they had on his mental state, dropped into a deeper frown than before. "Nightcrawler, you've got better hearing than any of us, focus on it and try to find any sounds of movement. Spyke will keep an eye out too, there's a chance it's not complete invisibility and we'll at least see an outline. You see anything that looks suspicious you fire first ask questions later, got it?"
The team nodded and with a quick wave he gave the order to continue moving. He paused in his own advance however, looking back for a moment longer before turning and continuing to follow the group. Up in the observation deck, Logan's eyes narrowed. His upper body leaned forward as those blue orbs tracked some detail he seemed to catch before suddenly widening.
Sensing the shock emanating from his colleague, Charles turned to look at the wild man. "Is there something wrong Logan? I thought you would be a little bit placated after they finally switched to using the codenames again."
The unofficial handyman of the mansion shook his head and schooled his features. "Just making mental notes for my own training sessions. Though props should be given for getting the tactical mindset. Though we should hammer in the fact once they head out on mission it's codenames only."
"Agreed, and I might have some insight to share on that," Ororo commented from where she was lounging in one of the observation deck's chairs. "What subject are you considering at the moment?"
"Situational awareness for one," he grunted without hesitation. "Subterfuge and the counter to it for another." Neither the professor nor the weather mistress doubted his capabilities in such areas for even a moment. Gruff, straightforward and violent Logan may often act, the man had proven himself time and again to be a gifted infiltrator and combatant. When he spoke on such topics, many would do well to listen.
"Perhaps after supper tonight we faculty should meet and begin devising a more thorough training schedule," Charles said whilst reaching to press a button on the console before him. Next to each of the teachers a light blinked, and a light hiss of air sounded as screens unfolded from the formerly smooth areas, revealing keyboards conveniently rising to fill the gap they left behind. "Please put any notes you have down while observing and we will go over them at that time." The two nodded and moved to do so but kept one eye constantly on the display showing the team's progress through the course.
By now they had reached a large cargo hold almost completely devoid of any cargo. Stained walls and chains clinking as they swayed with the ship's simulated movement. A few empty metal boxes lying on their sides and chains that looked to once be wrapped around them seemed to be the only evidence of cargo ever having been in this area.
"This'll be a good defensible position," Scott decided. He pointed to scattered debris that littered the area. "Marvel Girl gather what you can of that and bring it to that wall." The pointing finger moved to indicate the one farthest from their current position where a staircase led up and formed a platform along it before moving farther up into some unseen area in the deck above. "Kurt and I will take position up there to watch for wherever Ben comes from. Spyke, use your quills to help Marvel Girl turn that stuff into a wall we can use for cover. Give Rogue a spear while you're at it just in case she needs to defend herself. Shadowcat, you'll be staying with the group, if you see anything coming for one of them you ghost with them and keep them out of harm's way."
The team nodded at the strategy and moved to follow through. In a matter of minutes, the team had a rough fortress built and were awaiting provocation. On the platform above Scott leaned against the railing, head turning now and then as he scanned the room. Jean had taken up a middle position below, Rogue watching through a gap in the right side while Evan had a spike in each hand, ready to throw at a moment's notice.
"This is a good setup," Scott turned to glance at Kurt, the comment's origin, where he had been crouched on the railing.
The brunette nodded. "Yeah…too bad though." He looked back to the floor with a frown. "It's got one heck of a flaw."
The teleporter looked to his friend and leader, head tilted in confusion. "What would that be?"
"From above it's gonna be like shooting fish in a barrel." Scott's hand shot up to his visor and with twist of the dial at its side a powerful blast of red light shot out to slam into Jean's back. The redhead was only able to barely cry out as the force knocked her to the ground, scorching her suit and leaving her dazed. He immediately turned the blast onto Kurt, the energy's force lifting the startled blue devil from his perch and carrying him across the room to slam into the far wall. He fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Nightcrawler and Marvel Girl have been eliminated"
"What the hell Scott?!" Evan bellowed his confusion, reflexes honed dodging around players on the basketball court allowing him to roll away just before another lance of energy could impact his position. The visor-clad teen seemed to ignore the statement, turning instead to unleash his mutation onto Rogue only to find his head jerked backward by impact and said visor suddenly pulled from his vision. He had enough time to realize it had been hit by one of his previous target's quills before a torrent of crimson light blasted out, suddenly free to wreak havoc.
What followed next would terrify the others when they recalled it later. Instead of reaching for the visor that kept his otherwise uncontrollable power at bay, Scott's whole body seemed to slump onto itself, eyes closing, and he fell backward as a strange form burst out of his chest, a limb of smoky wisps reached out to snag the flying visor. The hand that held the familiar device solidified first, showing four claw-like fingers gripping its yellow band, a gray arm grew from this hand's wrist, a bright green manacle faintly glowing where it rested there. As more of the arm grew, the teens still watching were able to see black lines marking the limb, and the torso that grew out next. From this torso grew a second arm, as well as a tail where the legs should have been. They saw more of those green chains, one acting as a belt at the waist, one on each wrist and bicep, and a final one around the neck. The head, the final piece to solidify, was almost completely featureless, save for those same black lines extending up, where a single green eye watched them all. "Hello kiddies," this phantom entity called down with a cheerful wave. "I'm guessing you weren't expecting this?"
Ben wasted no time letting them think of a reply as he leaped into action once again. Spyke instinctively caught the visor thrown at him, leaving his guard slightly off kilter allowing for their teacher to swoop toward Kitty unhindered. The poor girl tried to phase her way to safety, only to feel her heart skip a beat when the body slammed into her own as if it were its ordinarily solid state. Caught off kilter once again, she had no chance to fight back as a hand clasped onto the back of her head, one claw of the other tapping against her throat. "Do not move," the creature's voice, a hiss that dripped with sinister intent, whispered out into the cargo hold. "Make a move and your friend is dead."
So convincing was the threat that the last two remaining conscious members were unable to move, and the voice of Logan called out in the heavy silence afterward. "And that's two for Ben. Simulation terminated."
The sea-born vessel faded away, allowing the original room to take its place. Floor plates repositioned themselves, returning to the solid plane they had formed before activation, leaving the team lying around the ghost creature who had just released his hostage and floated back to give her some space. The were forced to blink and turn away when his body erupted with bright green light, and left Ben standing in its place, expression apologetic as he looked to the brunette.
"Sorry for the scare little kitten," he said, though still kept his distance in case the girl was still troubled. "Ghostfreak is one of my more…" he paused, fumbling for the best words to describe it, "intense forms I guess is a good way to put it."
"How bout damn terrifying!?" Rogue screamed at their new teacher from where she'd yet to move. She stared at Kitty's throat for a moment longer, ensuring there wasn't any damage, before turning to glare at the elder man. "What the hell are you!?"
"Technically I'm human," Ben shrugged. "For now at least, but that's not important. Let's get our newest batch of patients to the infirmary, shall we?" Without pausing to give them time for thinking up a reply, he held up one hand calling up that same orb of cobalt energy he had used after the last simulation. Three tendrils burst from it this time, each moving to lift one of the unconscious students. Once all were off the ground the tendrils withdrew to his position, merging into one large pan holding all three comfortably. He then moved them to the wide doors and into the facilities meant to offer tender care and first aid where Charles was just moving to enter, once more looking slightly perturbed by the methods used to educate his wards. Logan and Ororo were right behind him, the shorter of the two looking mighty satisfied with himself for some reason.
Ben directed his construct to split again, depositing each of his burdens onto a bed before letting his power fade once again. "Don't worry bout Scott Charles," he said as the professor was moving toward the bed holding the teen in question. "He just needs some smelling salts or something else that'll wake him up and he'll be fine. My overshadowing does nothing to the mind or body except push their consciousness into the passenger seat."
Instead of slapping the teen, which he knew would have amused at least Logan if not his teammates, Charles let his brow furrow and reached out in a mental nudge. In an instant Scott's conscious mind leaped awake, followed by him sitting bolt upright and gasping. Confused he looked around, not understanding what had happened. The professor left Ben to explain as he moved to Jean's bedside, where the redhead had been placed face down with said face resting in the opening made specifically for such occasions.
The back of her uniform had been ripped open by the beam's impact, and slightly blistered skin had been left in its wake. Fortunately, the hole was only at the point where the beam had struck, a space slightly larger than his open hands placed next to each other between her shoulder blades and the burn was only minor. He knew it would still require a cream to ease the healing but only for a few days and she'd be good as new. What truly surprised the man was that Ben had shown such control of Scott's power, opening only just enough of the visor that she was knocked out, but nothing broken.
"It's part of the overshadowing ability," Ben explained when the professor questioned him. "The longer I spend in someone's head, I can access more of their memories to better imitate them. Makes Ghostfreak the perfect form for infiltration if I have a few hours to get comfortable in my new skin."
"That's completely unfair!" Scott suddenly barked from where he had managed to stand, one hand still braced against the bed he previously laid on for support. "You show no sense of rule or fair play, how are we supposed to learn anything if all you do is sneak around and jump us like a coward!?"
The silence that followed that brief tantrum hung like an actual weight on the shoulders of all there to witness it. It seemed as if the world had paused and was just waiting for what came next. Slowly, Ben turned from where he had been looking at Charles to meet the visored gaze of the team's leader. The green of his eyes had become like chips of emerald, cold, unfeeling and reflecting a sharp light. His lips curled downward from the easy smirk they previously sported to settle into a thin line. Every muscle seemed tense, like a snake preparing to strike.
Logan sighed, one hand rising to pinch his nose. 'He's done it now.'
The thought proved prophetic as in the span of time between a breath and the next Ben had stepped forward directly into Scott's personal space. "Fair?" the words slipped between grit teeth in a hiss that sent chills down the spines of all who heard it. "Do you really think anyone you fight in your little campaign are going to give a flying fuck about being fair Summers?" A finger jammed into the brunette's sternum. "Fair isn't in the vocabulary of a soldier, which some people you face will be. Fair means nothing to a fanatic, which I bet what's left of my future on you coming up against if things go the way they are."
He turned to look at everyone now. "Mark my words kids, you're not just being trained to control your powers. This little X club of yours, you're all being taught to fight. Something you've all started doing if what I've heard about this little brotherhood you've clashed with now and then is anything to go on. If there's one thing I know then by any gods out there who actually give a damn about us little people I swear you need to understand what I am about to say: People. Are. Stupid. They are greedy, fearful, and easily lead by someone with a half decent speech and a little passion."
He turned back to look at Charles. "Fear, this whole mutant issue you hear about whispered but nobody wants to bring out just yet that's all fear. And eventually, inevitably, that fear is going to turn into hate. A person may be able to reason and talk, but people. People become a mob faster than you can blink and the masses are SHEEP! They will hold you up on a pedestal one second and cast you into the gutter the next. Just like the people in my world did to me at times."
He paused there, remembering how easily the media, government and people in general could turn on him. When Kevin first appeared with the mixed alien forms all the good he had done was dropped instantly, the government put together a new team specifically meant to hunt the aliens down. Then there was a rich businessman hoping to use his campaign against them to sell his robot to the military. There were more cases of course, all giving him the absolute certainty that public opinion was fickle at best.
"I agreed to come here because I think Charles is right. We need to find a way to make coexistence happen, because if we don't then this whole planet will rip itself apart when war breaks out. But I'll bet there's something about all this—" he waved a hand to indicate the area they were in "—that you still haven't thought of. There are going to be people looking to enslave mutants, use them in military, or dissect them to see what makes them so special. And on the other side, there will be mutants who think their powers give them the right to crush 'regular' people and rule over them like some warlord or gang boss. You're training, that's going to help you stop them."
"So, I'm going to train you. I'm going to beat you to your knees and challenge you to get up, I'll come at you sidewise, I'll pack so much experience into your heads it'll pour out your ears and make you take it all in again just to make sure you survive. The people you face aren't going to give a damn about fair play, so I'll make sure you not only know what to expect, you'll be able to beat them at their own game."
He turned back to Scott, and for just a moment he let drop his control, and the teen saw the terrible guilt and suffering in the slightly elder man's eyes. "That way there's a better chance you won't make the same mistakes I did before I eventually wised up." With that he spun and began moving for the door. "Cancel the last run Charles, let them recuperate and do whatever you want with their schedule for now. I need to make some plans."
The professor nodded and turned back to his patient. He did not see Rogue moving to follow the new teacher, or that Logan had given Scott a stern look before doing the same. For his part, the visor blaster seemed put off by the sudden rush of Ben's words, looking down and thinking them over before shaking himself and moving to do what he could for the teammates still unconscious. Ororo had gone to Kurt's side, his chest would sport one heck of a bruise from taking Scott's eye beam at close range as would his back from slamming into the wall, but once again the fact he hadn't been crushed was a testament to the information Ben had gotten through the abilities of his form.
XXXXX
Ben walked into the kitchen, stopping as if wondering what he was even going to be doing in here. Luckily for him it seemed someone already had an idea, proven when a hand dropped onto his shoulder and he turned back to see the wolverine standing there.
"You're not doing any good letting the steam gather in your head kid," he growled in that rough voice of his. "You need a project and I could use an extra pair of hands in the garage." Here he smiled. "And I've got beer."
Ten minutes later the men plus Rogue were in the garage gathered around the open hood of the X-Van. The southern girl was given a sarsaparilla, even Logan wasn't crazy enough to let someone underage drink with Charles and Ororo anywhere close enough to find out. The longer he went without being convinced he was a little girl or used to test his ability as a lightning rod the better in his opinion.
"So, you're needing to make this thing more fuel efficient?" Ben questioned.
Logan grunted an affirmative as he began unscrewing a valve. "Yeah, not really very useful if we have to keep stopping for gas. The jet costs a lot to keep running and if we use it too often without a cover story anyone looking into our financials will probably catch on to our activities. The van is an alternative for if we need to avoid being too conspicuous."
Ben hummed to himself, eyes tracking to his car. "I might have something for that." He waved for the curious duo to follow him while moving to the car, removing the glove from his right hand to place against the hood just in front of the hood's bonnet. They saw a brief flash of green light outlining the appendage before he pulled the hand away, letting the hood rise and reveal its inner workings. What Logan and Rogue saw was something both knew that even without ever looking at an engine they would have recognized as not being normal.
In the direct center of the engine block was a column of gray metal, somewhat resembling steel but gleaming in a way the experienced Logan didn't recognize. This column had a round plate embedded in its top like a lid with a grip with which one could be expected to turn to unlock whatever it was covering. From this central structure extended several tubes, some made of the same metal and others of a clear substance resembling glass in appearance but flexible like rubber. Through these transparent tubes, an energy colored bright green flowed almost like liquid to different parts of the engine block.
Ben made no move to explain, instead reaching out to twist the lid on the column. There was a click followed by the hiss of air pressure released and the energy coursing through the engine cut off, extinguishing the light it had been giving off. With a smirk of a showman about to reveal the grand secret of his act, Ben pulled the container from its frame to reveal a long cylinder of clear material from which a beacon of green energy shone, further illuminating the garage with its emerald gleam.
"This…is an energy source I helped create back in my reality," he explained. "It's based on an energy source we called Sub-Energy. Do give a frame of reference, you know those nuclear reactors that give off huge amounts of energy? Sub-Energy has an output that makes them seem like the first car engines being compared to the sun." He let that sink in, suppressing a chuckle with difficulty at their expressions. "But a power like that is a bit unstable to say the least, and we wanted something less likely of being used as a bomb to annihilate a continent so myself and a couple of other scientists of other races worked on creating a middle ground. We call it Viridescent Plasma. Unlike its predecessor, this little beauty only puts out as much energy as a nuclear reactor."
The snort from Logan after that little tidbit was the most flawless example of amused irritation. "Only he says," he grumbled, eyeing the cylinder cautiously. "Is it reliable?"
"You mean 'can it be used as a bomb' right?" Ben chuckled and returned the cell to its place. "If it wasn't in the containment unit we built for the thing then yes it could be. But the unit is equipped to instantly neutralize the energy in case of any damage."
"How?" Rogue moved up to better watch as the green energy once again moved to through the clear tubes.
"We found the energy can't sustain itself when it meets an element that can be found on the home planet of my Ghostfreak form. It just dissipates after a few seconds. So, one of my colleagues fabricated a similar material with the exact same effects as the element, and from that he forged a disc for each end of the cannister and should the plasma be triggered to expand it'll meet the discs and be dissipated."
He couldn't help but smile softly as he let a hand caress the engine. Those couple years working with Azmuth and Myaxx were some of the most fun he'd had outside of working with the Plumbers. Well, it was more like working 'for' them, the two were geniuses beyond any other but they had imparted a lot of information and experience, for which he was extremely grateful.
"I have some data on the process, so I should be able to make more VP generators for your vehicles."
"Our vehicles!" Rogue exclaimed, looking at her new teacher. "You could run entire cities with that thing! Hell, you could rival that Arc Reactor people talk about Stark Industries having if you build a bigger one!"
Ben frowned, looking back down to the engine in thought. He had some plans for making a company that could pull in funds for his future endeavors, but the thought of alternative energy hadn't really factored into his thoughts. Hover crafts, body armor, and alternative weapons for law enforcement were where his brain went to. He would need to talk with Azmuth about that. For now, he looked back to Rogue with a smile. "That's a good idea, I'll have to look into that." He looked to Logan who nodded. "For now, I'll see what I can do getting a setup in your van."
He excused himself after that and returned to the mansion and sought out the professor who had recently returned to the ground floor and moved into his office. "Excuse me professor," he looked up to where Ben had addressed him from the doorway. "Do you mind if I ask a few questions about your Danger Room?"
"I don't mind," he cordially waved to the chair in front of his desk. "Please, in fact I welcome any opportunity to put aside paperwork for a while longer so consider this as doing me a favor."
The two shared a grimace as Ben took the offered seat. Ever since being made an official officer of the Plumbers Ben had his own share of paperwork after missions. Reports were awful, more so when his commanding officer was very particular about them.
"So, tell me what it is you want to know?"
"I was wondering how in depth the hologram technology could be. Can it be used for putting together schematics of a device?"
Charles blinked. "I…am not really sure," he rubbed his chin while considering. "It most likely could, my colleague was quite thorough in his designs. What are you wishing to display exactly?"
Ben hesitated and for a moment Charles was tempted to reach out again with his mind and see if he could get some semblance of a clue as to what he was thinking before shaking it off. He couldn't let himself get so arrogant as to act in such a way without due cause, something he had often remind himself. His power came with something even harder to comprehend at times, a responsibility. Thus, he waited and allowed his new acquaintance to work through his personal thoughts.
Finally, the brunette nodded and leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees and resting the interlaced fingers of his hands against his chin. "As Strange and I told you, I've been looking into the history and current events of this reality. The people with money, just like in my origin, have all the power. There are threats all around us that need to be taken care of but from what I've found about the Fantastic Four's escapades into the hero business there are threats beyond our solar system as well and I don't like that."
He sighed. "I like your dream of peace Charles, I really do. I also like that instead of just preaching the good word you're training those kids to not only have control but to be able to intervene when necessary which means you can act to back up your words which makes you better than quite a few people I've met in the past. But I don't think it's going to be enough."
"So, what to you plan to do?"
"I plan to become one of those big movers. I'm going to get so powerful economically they can't help but pay attention, and then I'm going to do everything I can to take this world by its nose and drag it kicking and screaming into progress if I must. And I'm going to start…by creating my own company."
"No doubt using technology of your old home in order to gain attention," Charles mused and chuckled at the look given by the shapeshifter. "A logical assumption, and your plan is a good one. What do you need from me?"
"Access." An eyebrow curled upwards inviting him to continue. "Look I know you've got some backers, good as you are I can't imagine you being to pull all the funding of this stuff just out of your own pocket. Plus, you must be backed by someone in the government to steer suspicion away from you." If he noticed the look of unease on the professor's face at how easily he was taking apart his financial situation after only a day, he did not show it. "I don't know much about business, so I'll be looking for some who have that know-how, but I have knowledge of technology, the kind of technology people will flip and, much more importantly, open their wallets for."
Charles leaned back in his chair, intertwined hands dropping into his lap. "It seems you have the beginnings of a plan already. I can't say I support the idea of coercion, which is what you are beginning to sound like, but I have also been in war and I recognize the wisdom of having more than one strategy in how one seeks a goal."
"But you might not like the next part I'm going to have to say. I'm going to need ways to start without tying us together too closely."
"I presume you are meaning to say that if you become an outspoken voice for equal rights to mutants then it could put us under even closer observation."
"And thus, your students by default. You have them keeping a lid on things alright so far, but if things progress how I suspect they will then we know that won't last."
"What do you suggest then?"
"I'm not sure yet, I need to research and get some advice. For now, I would just like permission to use the Danger Room's hologram systems to begin creating schematics and testing out the ideas I have."
That permission was granted without hesitation, the two men even shaking on it. He gave a brief instruction on activating and using the room's inbuilt voice command system and then the conversation was closed. But as Ben was leaving, the professor had one last thing to say and called out as he was about to open the door. "Ben, I know you don't want to talk about it, but I felt the nightmare you experienced last night…and so did Jean. She hasn't said anything nor have I, but she is worried, as are Ororo, Logan and myself." Ben didn't look back, simply hesitating at the door so Charles sighed. "I will not push, I just wanted you to know that there are options. Enjoy the rest of your day, and I'll take the time now to let you know I intend to have a meeting tomorrow to discuss the new schedule with the staff."
"Thanks for the heads-up professor," he gave a cheerful wave and slipped into the hallway, quietly shutting the door behind him and leaving the man to his paperwork. A quick trip to his room had him walking out moments later with the magical bag hanging from his belt, the fabric sack bouncing gently on his hip as he stepped into the elevator and pressing the button for the lower floors.
Once again in the large room of deceptively smooth surfaces, he cracked his knuckles to prepare for the next task. "Danger Room," he called out in a voice slightly louder than a conversational tone. "Prepare a podium for resting a laptop." At his command a panel opened near his position, a metal cylinder rising to match his sternum in height. Nodding to himself, he reached into the bag and from the zipper mouth drew a sleek metal contraption. A laptop that had been designed by Azmuth himself for Ben's use should he require it. It did all kinds of things, store thousands of songs, hack into the Plumber secure network more than a few times, even shot an energy blast though Ben hadn't really meant to do that. Gwen almost skinned him for the hole he put in her apartment after that little stunt.
A few tapped keys had the screen light up with the Omnitrix's symbol, a soft beep repeating itself to show his call was sent but not yet answered. A few seconds of waiting later and the screen changed again, the image of what could best be described as an octopus looking at him from the other side. "Ah there we go," a woman's voice called out from the black-lipped mouth of the alien before she waved to her caller. "Hello Ben."
"Myaxx," the wave was returned in kind. "How's the new universe treating you?"
"Azmuth is being his usual self so that's fun. You calling to get his input? Dumb frog needs to take a step back and get on a different subject anyway. He's desperate to get enough of his little collectors running out into the cosmos already."
"Well I think I have something to distract him for a little while at least but I want your input as well."
"Alright I'll go get him just wait a sec."
"You do that, I'll be finishing the setup here." Turning back to the room at large he called out a new set of instructions. "Danger Room create the image of a magnetic resonance imaging device, a hospital bed next to it and a circular frame on the ground ten meters in diameter. The holograms came to life at his call, creating the images as ordered. "Good, now place the bed into the frame, leave the bed lying flat."
He was about to step into the image to closer examine it for further changes when the voice of the ancient inventor called him back to reality. "Getting lost in the process after only just getting started Ben," Azmuth teased. "You're starting to act like me."
"Some might say that's a good thing given my penchant for jumping into things. Something learning to think?"
"They should try working with him a few decades, see how long that lasts."
"Ribbing later, I've got some work I want you guys' help on. This room I'm in has hologram technology, I think the laptop can link with it and let you guys move around the room with me. Up for it?" A minute or so later the human brunette was joined by the images of a tall green woman dressed in red armor and a beard of tentacles and an amphibious genius the size of a tree frog and standing on a hovering platform to gain a vantage of the imagery they were looking at. "So, how about I fill you in on what I'm planning, and we'll go from there?"
XXXXX—And Cut—XXXXX
And there you have it folks, another step towards changing the world. It's gonna be an uphill battle.
Now I'm going to put out a request, if anyone with business training could reach out and offer advice I would appreciate t. I want to make the details and decisions on this to make sense and unfortunately, I have a wild imagination but not much knowledge. I'd love to pick a knowledgeable brain.
To the reviewer Sombra-Solitaria, unfortunately I have very limited knowledge of languages outside the one I learned growing up. I used google translate to read it but I'm not going to use it to make a reply because I'm not sure if it gets everything right with the translator. I thank you for your review. I'm a fan of Four Arms and Humongosaur in their original appearances myself and plan to keep those just because I like them better.
Also, one of my reviewers, by the name of Megatronus Uchiha, had an interesting idea for a Danny Phantom crossover with Marvel. Unfortunately, I've got about a dozen other plot bunnies bouncing in my head at all times so I can't give it the attention it deserves so I'm sharing it here in the hopes someone will be interested in carrying it forward. I still plan to do some work on it just because it gain my brain pumping a little but it would be a while in the making.
A few years after the end of TUE Clockwork releases a remorseful Dan from the Thermos and starts to show him alternate realities. Chief among them being the MCU. He offers Dan a choice between going to the Marvel universe and becoming a Dark Hero or returning to the Phantom Future and living alone. Dam chooses to go to the marvel verse, ending up in Los Angeles, becoming the City of Angels protector. He stays there for a few years until the events of the Avengers.
Guidelines:
Danny Phantom/Avengers Crossover
Dark Hero Dan
No slash
Powerful, yet not godly yet.
His first appearance on the news must be him stopping a gang war pinning down cops.
Pairing: Dan/Wanda is preferred but I honestly don't mind
Everything else is up to you. If you want it
I asked what he thought of multi-pairing and he requested it be kept under ten if that route is taken just in case anyone was thinking of doing that by the way.
Hope you liked it, I'm having fun with it so that hopefully shows. Can't wait to hear what y'all think. Until next time this is Yurei King signing out and wishing you well.