Honest Intentions
The morning glow of the sun cast a warm, welcomed light over the institute grounds. Healthy green trees waved softly in the gentle breeze and the clouds rolled across the sapphire sky like liquid.
Sub-zero lazily shuffled across the sitting room towards the kitchen, seeking food to quiet his rumbling stomach. His bleary eyes were dark and he looked as if he was suffering from insomnia.
"Heya Tom," chirped Jubilee, walking past him and smiling.
Tom mumbled a quick, "Hiya..," before returning to his zombified state. It was only when he felt her hand playfully slap his backside that his brain jolted awake. Turning around and fixing her with a questioning stare, all she did was giggle.
He nudged the kitchen door open to discover Shadow and Shadow-cat arguing over the last slice of bread. He stood framed in the doorway for ages, just watching them hurl insults until both of them completely forgot about the bread and began to squabble over anything they could think of.
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Twitching his fingers at the bread (Still clasped in Kitty's hand), he froze it solid and she dropped it in surprise. Stephen lunged at it and caught it, only to hurl it up as his fingers hit the cold material. Tom plucked it out of the air and jammed it in the toaster before either of the others could say a thing.
Silence fell over the room and, fuming, Shadow-cat sunk through the floor and vanished, raising her middle finger at both of them as she went.
"That was a cheap trick," Stephen complained as the toast popped out of the machine and landed on the plate that Tom and flipped out underneath it.
"It worked though," he grinned, taking a large bite out of it.
"Bastard..," mumbled the blue-furred mutant, leaning against the island in the centre of the kitchen and looking out of the window.
"Is Matt up yet?" asked Tom, between mouth-fulls of toast.
"He woke up hours ago. He came down here, his breakfast made itself, he ate it, then he went down to the sub-basement and hasn't come out of the med lab since," Steve explained, grabbing the milk carton and walking over to the fridge to jam it back in.
"I take it she hasn't woke up then?" Tom asked, stuffing the last piece in his mouth.
"Nope... and I don't think Entity's gonna leave her till she has," Steve replied, winking at Tom.
Tom rolled his eyes and searched the cupboards behind him for food.
"Do you ever stop eating?" Steve asked, as Tom pulled a jar of peanut butter out and began to unscrew the lid.
"I sleep, don't I?" he asked, smiling as he flipped the lid onto the island, "and there's also all the missions I go on... I can't eat during missions... it makes me sick. A bit of advice for you, never have a curry before a mission."
"Duly noted," he replied, sarcastically.
"I thought I might inform you that Jess awoke about an hour ago and is currently attempting an initiation exam," Entity's voice explained to them in their heads.
"I wasn't the only one to hear that, right?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No. They must've been pressed for time if she's already being recruited. That must be the shortest introduction ever," Tom said, talking to himself and Steve simultaneously.
"Let's get down there and watch. D'ya think she'll pass?" Steve asked, heading for the door.
"Yes and maybe," Tom replied, bounding ahead of him and whacking the elevator door button.
The doors slid open with a hiss and in no time they were down in the sub-basement. The white glow from the lights bounced off the metal tiles and Steve took a bit of time to admire their distorted reflections in them. The control booth doors opened and the pair walked through to discover Entity and Xavier monitoring the Danger Room closely.
Entity looked as emotionless as ever, but the bags under his eyes suggested that he'd not slept well and his grouchy tone reflected this.
"I doubt she's ready for this," Entity said, flicking the next simulation into life.
"Have faith. She's more skilled then she lets on." Xavier replied, peering through the observation window at the chamber below them.
"She has no combat expertise. She's being forced to rely on her powers and you tell us never to rely solely on mutant abilities," Entity snapped back, almost aggressively.
Xavier considered before answering, "Yes, it is not wise to rely on powers alone, but training must start somewhere and I believe that this, coupled with your next mission will be adequate."
Tom chose this area of conversation to interrupt, "Good morning to you too. What do you mean by 'next mission'?"
Xavier turned around and half smiled, "We have received a tip off from a friend of ours that the brotherhood is planning an infiltration of a research facility in Canada. You'll be heading there for your next assignment."
"Great! I feel like whupping some ass today," Steve quipped, raising his fists and performing a few quick jabs in mid air.
"Quite. Due to the need for stealth on this mission, you'll be taking Jessica with you. She seems eager to join and I believe this to be the perfect task for one with her abilities," Xavier explained, avoiding the glare he was getting form Entity (the computer monitors flickered slightly).
"Sequence complete,"stated the computer as the scenario in the Danger Room ended.
Xavier leant forward and spoke into the microphone, "Excellent work Jessica. Please make your way up to the control room and we'll discuss your performance."
"On my way, sir," a female voice replied over the communication system.
"Woah. She certainly sounds like she can take orders," Tom commented, nudging Stephen with his elbow and winking.
He turned to see Entity's reaction and wasn't surprised to see a relatively blank face glaring back. With a slight fizzle and a quiet 'pop', a computer de-activated and began sparking. Obviously, Tom's comment was not taken lightly.
It was then that the doors opened again and in walked the girl they had saved on the previous mission. The only difference being that now, she was dressed in a black t-shirt and dark shorts. The belt around her waist (with a small red 'X' in the centre buckle) was evidence enough to tell them that she wanted to join up.
"Hi," she greeted, nervously, glancing around at them.
"Hey Jess," Tom replied.
"Hey there," Steve said, still examining her outfit.
Xavier moved over to her and indicated towards Tom and Stephen, introducing them.
"These are the two other gentlemen that aided in your rescue. Thomas Jenkinson and Stephen Blanchard," he sais, smiling warmly.
She waved timidly, smiling awkwardly at the attention she was getting.
Entity cut in, "You passed the initiation. Your results were fairly good and you have the right attitude," he told her before striding towards the door, "I'll start the jet."
"What's with psycho, Prof?" asked Tom, following Entity's departure with concerned eyes.
"Apparently he had a disturbed night. If you'd like to make your way to the hangar, I'll explain your mission whilst you travel," Xavier informed, heading for the door.
(Ten minutes later)
Sub-zero sat in the jet's co-pilot seat, staring patiently out of the window as the clouds broke in front of them. Entity sat silently next to him, concentrating fully on piloting the vehicle and behind them, Shadow and the newly named and initiated 'Phantom' sat discussing the mission.
"So you guys have been doing this, how long?" she asked, glancing at the two mutants in the front seats.
"I've only been here for about a day, but the others have been at it for a while," Shadow explained, his tail whipping from side to side as he spoke.
"Cool... how come I've never seen you on the news? The Fantastic Four are always on T.V. but I've not seen you guys...," she asked, frowning.
"Guess," Entity stated, dryly.
"Because were mutants and we're considered criminals," Sub-zero told her, not looking back, but deep in thought.
Phantom didn't reply. Her brow remained creased with contemplation and her beautiful green eyes were directed at the floor.
"Lets get the mission details from the Professor, then," Sub-zero suggested and reached forwards to bring the com system online.
"Professor, we're about five minutes away from Canada now. Can you fill us in on just what the heck were supposed to be doing?" he asked as the man appeared on screen.
"Listen closely," Xavier began, "The Brotherhood have arrived at the facility and are attempting to retrieve files that contain information about 'Venom', a symbiotic being from the depths of space which arrived on planet Earth years ago."
"Shouldn't we be contacting Spider-man for assistance?" Sub-zero joked, half serious.
"There is no need. You will not be encountering Venom, but you need to try to find out why they are attempting to steal these files. The Brotherhood rarely collects information for no reason," Xavier explained to them, bringing up images of both the facility and various members of the Brotherhood.
"I think it would be best if we retrieved the files before they did. For safety's sake," Entity suggested, not taking his attention off the task of flying the jet.
"Professor, are there any of the Brotherhood members there that we ought to be concerned about? Juggernaut? Toad? Magneto?" Sub-zero asked, raising his eyebrows as he ran through the list of possible threats.
"The only member of the Brotherhood that may pose a threat to you there is the newest member. He calls himself 'Honesty' but thus far that is all we know," Xavier told them, a hint of regret in his voice.
"I'm lowering the landing gear. We've arrived," Entity informed the Professor before switching off the screen.
"I was watching that!" complained Shadow, grinning profoundly.
Entity ignored him and lowered the ramp, practically sprinting out into the harsh and bitter cold of the Canadian mountains. Snow flurried past them in almost blinding amounts and the ground crunched dully beneath them.
"I've never been to Canada before," Phantom exclaimed, with a hint of both excitement and anxiousness.
"If you'd have spoken to Wolverine about this place, you wouldn't want to be here," Sub-zero told her, having to raise his voice to be heard in the weather.
Ahead of them, not so far in the distance, the dull shape of the facility could just be made out. Dim lights flickered out and there seemed to be little security about.
"Stay together and lets find those files before they do," Entity ordered through the commotion.
The team approached the door and it became instantly apparent that they had been beaten here by the Brotherhood. The large steel doors were locked down, but scorched and heavily damaged.
"Phantom! Get us in?" called Entity, pointing at the door.
"Okay!" she replied, grabbing Sub-zero's hand, who then grabbed Shadow by the tail. She then wrapped her fingers around Entity's hands and squeezed gently. The snow around Entity melted and the ground began to burn with small flames. Regardless, the team moved on.
Phantom walked to the door and pushed herself through it, pulling the others in with her. It was a curious sensation, being pulled through a solid steel door. It was like your body was made of water and a large metal object had just sunk through you leaving your insides feeling cold.
Once they were all through, Entity slipped his hand free of Phantom's grasp and began to scout ahead.
"Sub, get up here and freeze this door. I'll blast it off," he ordered.
Sub-zero complied and directed his hands at the smaller metal door. With a hiss and the sound of groaning metal, the door was off it's hinges and floating away from the intruders.
"Time to die, X-men!" came a voice from the other side. It was a Brotherhood thug, dressed in heavy metal armour and wielding some sort of energy weapon.
Sub-zero sent a shard of ice rocketing forwards and stabbing the guy in the leg. Once he was down, Phantom blasted him with a faint white energy that forced him to slump back, unconscious.
"Shadow seemed at a loss for something to do, so rushed ahead and kicked the next door open. They entered into a small hexagonal room, lined with copper tiles.
"This is odd," he commented, jumping as the walls began to move.
"They're gonna crush us! Quick, prop them apart with something!" Shadow yelled, pressing himself up against the rotating walls.
"Steve, it's just an elevator...," Sub-zero explained, grimacing at his teammate's behaviour.
As the elevator came to a stop (and Shadow stopped blushing), the doors slid open to reveal to them another large rectangular chamber with a large door at the end of the hall.
"Reinforcements are on the way," Entity informed, glancing back at the elevator that was slowly closing behind them, "If I hold them back, can you guys find the files okay?"
"Sure. I'll transfer them to your X-computer once I have them," Sub-zero assured, nodding towards his ally.
"Good luck and please be careful," Entity bid them farewell and walked back into the elevator to begin the descent back down.
"Okay, lets get through those doors and find those files," Sub-zero commanded, enjoying his new level of command over the current situation.
The door was metallic and impossible to break through, but that didn't stop them getting through it.
"Phantom-," Sub-zero began, but was cut off.
"On it!" she yelled, grabbing them both and practically diving through the door. They reached the other side and shook themselves off. Sub-zero and Shadow were still getting used to the effects of phasing through objects.
Looking around, they found themselves in a large room that contained a number of computers, screens and other technological devices.
"Does one of these computers contain the files?" Shadow asked, having to spin around in order to view the full room with wide, impressed eyes.
"No. The files are on the computer behind these doors, but I'm afraid I can't let you get to them," a voice called, echoing ever so slightly off the back wall.
The team fixed their attention on the source of the voice. A strange-looking boy, no older then fifteen, stood in front of the next room. It was unusual that they hadn't spotted him before, but never the less, he was there. His raven-black hair fell to his shoulders and his cold grey eyes were fixed on them. The strange, and somewhat familiar thing about his eyes were the fact that, like Entity's, they seemed aged... wise beyond their years as if they'd witnessed things that would turn any normal human insane.
"You can't stop us," Sub-zero stated, folding his arms and smirking. By his stance, you could tell his over-confidence had taken over.
His attitude spread to the others and soon they had all dropped their guard, confidence over flowing from them.
"I don't intend to stop you. I simply mean to keep you entertained!" laughed the boy, fixing them with a curious stare.
"You're Honesty?" Phantom asked, placing her hands on her hips and leaning forwards slightly.
"Correct. But I think that is the only introduction that will be needed here today," He smiled before continuing, "You are Sub-zero, better know as Thomas Jenkinson. You are seventeen years old and you have the ability to manipulate and generate ice. You can also manipulate your skeletal structure but that's one ability that won't be around for much longer," he grinned oddly, his teeth glinting in the light, "Your family split up many years ago and since then you feel you have been ignored and mistreated. You feel lost in a world that doesn't understand you and you silently hope that one day your family will mend," he continued, enjoying the expression he received.
Sub-zero stared at Honesty, unable to say anything and only able to give him a confused expression.
"You are under the belief that you are a mutant when actually you're only half right," Honesty carried on, despite Sub-zero's apparent daze, "Your abilities are actually inherent... 'passed down' so to speak. You don't realise how powerful you are and you have no idea how powerful you'll become..."
Sub-zero's look of confusion changed to a look of contemplation as the words sank in.
"You're the one they call 'Shadow', better known as Stephen Blanchard. You're sixteen years old and once again have more power then you realise... but you will find it some day, but at what cost, I wonder?" Honesty kept going, telling them about themselves, things they knew and didn't know.
"You're called Phantom but everyone still thinks of you as Jessica Percival," he stated, turning his attention to the female, "You're seventeen years old and have a range of supernatural abilities and one day soon will have another that will set you apart from every other person on this planet besides one... which brings me onto the final topic of conversation... Entity," he finished, bowing slightly and raising his arms in a fancy posture as if he were on stage.
"Ooooh, now, there's a guy with a really interesting past," Honesty said, staring up at the ceiling, "So much evil, so much pain and so much war, you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but what if he were to tell you? What if he told you the truth? Who he really is? Do me a favour will you Tom?" asked Honesty, walking forwards and tilting his head, almost apologetically, to the left.
Sub-zero glared at him, "You're stalling for time... you can't fight us so you're just trying to buy yourself more time," he accused, bringing his fists up into a ready position.
"One point for the guy with the ice!" Honesty yelled, pointing at Sub-zero with a finger as if he'd just won a bidding contest, "But before we fight, promise me you'll ask Entity his age? His real age?"
Sub-zero lurched forwards and sent a cone of ice-energy in Honesty's direction. From where they were, it looked as if the strike had hit it's target, but when the cold mist dispersed, there was no one there.
"Behind you," called Honesty, now stood directly behind the team.
He brought his hands up and sent two fists slamming into Shadow and Phantom's chests. They were sent flying backwards and landed heavily on the floor. Sub-zero attempted to freeze him, but in a flurry of motion that was impossible for eyes to follow, Honesty leapt into the air and slammed the guy in the head with a kick.
Sub-zero spun twice before hitting the ground with a painful thump. All three were grounded, but not for long. They picked themselves up and ran at him. Sub-zero hurled shards of ice whilst Phantom fired a beam of ghostly energy at Honesty but they both missed. Honesty ducked and rolled, jumping into another flying kick that impacted with a thud into the side of Sub-zero's face.
He continued into a flip and sent both his feet into Phantom's gut, sending her into a wall. Shadow teleported and took a swipe at Honesty's head, but in another motion, Shadow found himself flying through the air at the door.
"Entity, we have a problem," Sub-zero spluttered over the communicator.
"I know. Get to the computer. Those files are our highest priority at the moment," Entity replied, sounding exhausted.
Sub-zero clicked the communicator off and picked himself up. The side of his face was throbbing with pain and felt oddly numb in some places. He made his way quickly over to the doors and forced one open with his hands. The hinges were broken and so the metal slid easily.
He felt a tug on his neck and the next thing he knew was that he was lying on his back, staring up at Honesty, who then proceeded to kick him in the ribs and send him sliding down the room. Phantom, by this time, had recovered and watched the whole thing. As Shadow attacked Honesty once more, she bolted for the computer behind the door and clicked her X computer in place to begin downloading.
"Okay-okay... Forge said to leave this thing in and it'd do the rest... at least, I hope that was what he said," she thought as the device began to hum.
"Step away from the computer, little girl," asked a gentle, but eerie voice.
She turned to find Honesty standing right behind her. After a second of staring into his disturbed eyes, she sent her fist up into his jaw. He stumbled backwards a little but recovered, but Phantom didn't stop. She lunged at him and sent two more fists into his face and a knee up into his chest. She aimed a kick at his ribs but he blocked with a fore arm. She threw a punch at his gut but he blocked again.
"Bad move, little one," he said, bringing a fist back and hurling in at her like a bullet.
'THUD'
It hit her fore arm, which had instinctively been raised in a block. As he stood there wondering what had just happened, she whacked him across the cheek with her energy-charged hand and sent him hurtling into the wall where she had been moments before.
She turned and ran back to the computer, yelling for Sub-zero to get up. The screen displayed a small message,
"DOWNLOAD COMPLETE."
She yanked the X computer out of the socket and selected the 'send information' button that had appeared on her computer's screen.
"Send to?" the computer asked. Flipping through a range of names, she picked Entity1914 from the selection screen and the transfer began.
A sudden piercing sensation in her leg forced her to drop the computer. It fell to the floor with a small metallic clink and was followed by small spatters of blood. She looked down to see a thin blade of metal protruding from her shin. Honesty had stabbed her from behind, but not tried to kill her. Despite the stab not being fatal, she was losing a tremendous amount of blood. The liquid poured out in rivers down her leg and spread over the ground.
"It must've pierced an artery?" was her final thought before her vision failed and her body collapsed to the floor.
—
Sub-zero's sight returned slowly. At first, only blurred shapes could be made out. It seemed as though he were under neath a big silver blanked with strange lights blinking on and off. As his vision became more defined, he realised that he was in act on the inside of the X-jet, staring up at the blinking lights of the co-pilot controls.
"Whua?" he mumbled, glancing lazily to his right, where Entity sat piloting the vehicle.
"It's about bloody time you woke up," he said, flicking a few switches before unbuckling and moving to the back of the jet.
Sub-zero jolted up and grabbed the steering controls.
"What's up? You seem pissed," he said, shaking his head free of the dazed effect and trying to focus on driving.
"Jess is suffering from major blood-loss. You need to fly us back while I give her some of my blood," Entity explained, grabbing a medical kit from a storage rack above the side door.
"What happened?" Tom asked, glancing back at Entity for a moment before returning his attention to flying.
"You'll have to tell me. I found you all unconscious and had to drag you out using telekinesis. We have the files and the Brotherhood left in a hurry, suggesting that they're need of the files was limited," Entity informed, jabbing a needle into his arm.
The needle connected to a pipe and on the other end of the pipe was another needle, which was connected to Jessica, who lay unconscious on the medical bed.
"You okay back there?" asked Tom, flicking a few switches as the jet sped up.
"I'm fine. My telekinesis can assist the transfusion but It's highly likely that I'll pass out so listen closely. Once we land, get me and Jessica to the Infirmary. Beast can take care of us. Stephen's fine, so get him to his dormitory and let him rest. Get the files on the X computer to my dormitory and I can study them when I get up," Entity instructed carefully, slowing down once he reached the end of his instructions.
"Good job on the mission, anyway... you did... you did a good job... good job...," Entity began to mumble as he slumped back against the bed, his eyes struggling to stay open.
"Hey! Stay with me, Matt! Don't leave me with no one to talk to!" Tom called. He wasn't really lonely in the jet, but having someone to talk to made the journey easier.
Trouble was, they had run out of fuel for the main engines and so now they were running on backup, which wasn't as fast as normal engines.
Approximately half an hour later
The jet touched down in the hangar and Tom lowered the ramp as fast as he could. Sensing something wasn't right, Beast ran to aid Tom in carrying the unconscious bodies of Jessica and Matthew to the medical bay. He proceeded to carry out the other tasks he had been set, carrying Stephen to his dorm and then the symbiote files to Matt's room.
Upon his return to the infirmary, he filled Xavier in on the mission details as they both watched over Phantom and Entity. Xavier asked questions about Honesty, but hardly any answers could be drawn from the encountered, other then the fact that he was a skilled fighter and knew quite a few things about people that sometimes they themselves didn't know.
After little conversation ensued, Tom left for his room, hoping that tomorrow would bring him some answers, even if he had to fight to get them...