Joining The Family

"Beast, do you think I should join the school?" asked Steve, tapping his blue-furred fingers lightly on the metallic surface of the desk.

"Of course. I believe it would be wise for you to undergo an education here at the Xavier Institute simply because it would allow you an education that you wouldn't receive elsewhere," Beast answered, tapping some figures into a nearby computer. If the boy could see the scientist's face, he would have seen an expectant expression slowly spreading...

Stephen was careful with the next question, for it had been nagging at his mind ever since he had woken, "Dr Mccoy, how would I go about joining the X-men?"

Beast turned to him and grinned a knowing smile, "I was wondering when you were going to ask, ever since Entity had suggested it. That's why I've been creating an initiation exam for you in the Danger Room."

Stephen was surprised, but he knew he shouldn't be, "You knew I would join?"

"Well... no, but there was always a possibility, therefore there was need to be prepared for that eventual outcome," he explained, walking over to the door and indicating for Stephen to follow.

"I see... So I have to take an exam?" he asked, curiously, unable to retain his look of excitement.

"Yes. A physical examination in the Danger Room will give us your power level and determine wether you're ready to be one of the team," Beast went on, opening the Danger Room doors to reveal Professor Xavier sitting in his wheelchair, busily loading a program into the computer. Upon Stephen's arrival, he turned around and smiled.

"I had hoped you would choose to stay with us Stephen, but it is entirely up to you. Right now, you have two choices. You can walk back out through that door and wait in your dormitory for the day to end, after which you will be sent back to stay with your parents and live your life. Your second choice is to stay with us, here, at the Institute and learn to use your abilities and harness them for responsible causes. It is up to you," Xavier told him, leaning forwards in his chair and pressing his fingers together, fixing Stephen with a searching gaze, "This decision is yours to make. Be sure it is your wish to do what you choose."

So much had changed in Stephen's life now. Since he turned ten years old he had thought life was going to be bleak and normal. He thought that he would just lead a simple, ordinary life but now that a new route had been opened for him (especially one so rare) his choice was easy to make.

"Professor, I'd like to stay at the Xavier Institute. I'd like you to teach me and I would very much like to become a part of the X-men," Stephen concluded, smiling at Xavier's pleased reaction.

"Excellent choice, my child. I am grateful that you seek an education from us and I will try not to disappoint you," Xavier said to him, quite obviously happy that Stephen had chosen to stay, "As for joining the X-men, we have created a short exercise for you to complete so that we are able to determine your capabilities."

"I understand, Professor," Steve said, nodding slightly.

"The door outside and to the immediate left is the door to the Danger Room. If you'd like to step inside, the examination can begin. Good luck, and be on your guard," Xavier told him, turning back to the console with another grin as Beast led Stephen out.

— A few minutes later ---

The gigantic silver doors slid shut behind him with a hiss. Stephen stood alone in the middle of what had now become a small arena. The only evidence of the world he'd just stepped out of was the spectator's window that hung in mid air in the distance, not too far away.

"Three... Two... One... You may Begin," A computerised voice spoke out of nowhere. The arena suddenly flickered to life. A fairly large green robotic opponent appeared out of mid-air and attempted to kick Stephen in the head. Thinking quickly, he back flipped out of the way with agility he didn't even know he had and then leapt at the robot, landing a foot in it's chest and sending it skidding to a halt some three metres away.

"Generating Opponent," The voice said again, and two more robots appeared our of thin air. They charged up a form of glowing orange energy between their palms and hurled it at the boy. He swerved to the left and planted his palm into the ground, propelling him into the air in a stunning cartwheel. As soon as he hit the floor, he ran at the first robot and grabbed it around the neck, using it as a shield against the other sentry unit.

After a beam of energy tore through it's circuits, Steve dropped it's body and lunged at the attacking robot with a flying kick. It wasn't too successful and the robot quickly regained balance, attempting to slice Steve apart with a blade that had appeared on it's wrist. Steve ducked and swept his foot at the robots feet, bringing it to the ground in one huge crash.

"Obstacle course activated," the computer informed, and the ground melted away. Stephen was left in a narrow corridor that had no floor other then the panel of metal he stood on. Along the corridor, every ten or so metres, were one or two poles jutting out from the wall. As he felt the panel under him begin to fall away, instinctively he reacted by running up the wall to his right.

He reached the first pole this way and grabbed it, looping round it a number of times before kicking off and grabbing the next pole. With both arms, he flipped around it and then spun off onto the next pole and after swinging on this one, jumped up into a backflip and landed expertly on top of the final pole of the section.

Very much in the same way a skilled diver would prepare for a skilful dive, Stephen began to jump off the pole slightly and land back on it, causing it to build momentum. A few more bounces later and he spring-boarded off of the metal and flew through the air, teleporting when he was about a centimetre away from the floorless chasm below him.

He reappeared at the top of another wall and began to run down it. He couldn't help thinking how impressive this must look from a distance, and as the feeling of pride welled up in him, he decided to pull of a series of wall to wall twirls and flips with incomprehensible expertise. In no time, he reached the end of the corridor and discovered he was in another small arena.

"Generating Opponents," The computer warned, and five more Danger Room drones were placed around him in a circle.

With no time to even think, Stephen grabbed one's arm and used his tail to wrap around another's leg. He jumped and tripped the one he had by his tail and threw the other one metres away. He grabbed the robot's severed arm and threw it at the third robot. As it hurtled through the air, a glowing red energy formed around it and it then hit the target with a small blast that created a shockwave so powerful, it sent the last two sentries flying.

"What was that?!" he yelled at himself, not really intending it to be answered.

"We just got a reading through... you managed to change the potential energy in that arm into kinetic energy which went into overdrive and exploded," Beast's voice explained, "Gambit would be jealous."

"Can I do it again?" asked Steve, smiling at his new found gift.

"Do try," replied Beast, with a slight hint of humour.

Stephen picked up more shrapnel from the robots he had beaten and began hurling them at the opponents that were appearing. Each time they hit, the target would be sent sprawling back and sometimes explode.

It was after about fifty enemies that he began to find himself beginning to get hurt. After taking down a group of three using a spectacular manoeuver consisting of his legs and tail, one of the robots lifted him by the neck and threw him along the floor.

"O... okay... enough now... please...?" Stephen muttered into the communicator, rubbing his back.

"You've done an exemplary job, Stephen. Come and see us in the booth and we can show you how you did," Xavier spoke over the intercom.

"On my way," he replied, running towards the large set of doors that had appeared behind him.

—Later that evening ---

"Stephen, I am very pleased to inform you that your performance was outstanding. I am delighted to extend you an invitation to the X-men, you'll be a valuable asset to the group should you accept," Xavier told him a few moments later in the control room. Both were smiling, but Stephen was overjoyed.

"Do... Do I get a cool codename?" he asked, grinning madly at his achievement.

Xavier chuckled before continuing, "Of course you do. Try to reflect your abilities through your name, though, as I hardly think it will be very effective if your codename bears no relevance to you."

"I have one in mind... How's 'Shadow'?" he asked, his tail wagging behind him.

"Shadow it is. Welcome to the X-men, Shadow," Xavier greeted, shaking Shadow's hand as if he were a new being altogether.

"I'm honoured, sir," Shadow told him, holding Xavier's hand in both of his and still shaking them. Xavier didn't seem to mind, finding Stephen's actions to be both amusing, and expected.

—

As the sun set behind the trees in the distance, Stephen sat on his bed, admiring his new battle suit.

The black material was slightly shiny and the gold 'X' on the belt gleamed in the dull glow of the bedside lamp. All he needed now was a trench coat and he'd look almost exactly the same as the others. He smiled, placing it in a case under his bed, Stephen layed back down and began to think things through once more. He was a super hero... A real-life super hero. If only his friends could see him now. So much had happened in one day... but there was so much more to come... and he couldn't wait to find out.