Thanks to my reviewers! And to my readers who don't review. Yes, I appreciate you too. Although I would appreciate you more if you. . -cough- Reviewed? -cough- Please? -coughcough- Especially those readers who have favorited/alerted Touch.
So I was browsing the fan fiction database when I came up on a summary that looked, well, familiar. Turns out I'm not the only one with the genius idea to have a feeling mutant. –Sighs- Oh well. At least my story is completely different from this authors.
This chapter outlines Belial's plan. -Insert evil laughter here- And we get to see more of Shogun and his powers. Read with love and review with that same love. Quick Edit! I also have a picture of Jamie up on my account! Check it out!
It was the middle of the night when Ant woke up. There was an insistent tugging at her sheets and as she made to pull them back up to her nose they came away from her completely, exposing her legs and arms to the cold.
"Who?" Ant groggily muttered as she sat up, rubbing her eyes. Owen smiled down at her. Ant glanced at the clock.
"Owen."
"Yes?"
"It's one thirty in the morning."
"You observational skills are unmatched."
"Your lack of tact is also unmatched." Ant grumbled, her hair spreading out around her head like a mane. She made a grab for her sheets and Owen pulled them neatly off her bed.
"Alright." Ant sighed, swinging her legs over the bed and standing up, reaching for her CD player. "What do you want?"
"Remember earlier today-"
"Yesterday." Ant interrupted, her normally docile demeanor lost as she recovered from her unexpected awakening. "But go on."
"Yesterday, when I was telling you about something? Or was about to? Well," A pause "I need your help."
"Owen. It's one thirty."
Owen sighed and grabbed her hand, pulling her out into the hallways. Outside the room was Shogun, leaning against the wall, his extra large t shirt bearing the logo of some television show, the cryptic Japanese kanji sprawled over the design.
"You got her?"
"Your observational skills are as unparalleled as the bug's." Owen said, turning down the hallway, still dragging Ant. Shogun skipped ahead, his longish hair falling just below his earlobes.
"So you can feel things right?" The boy asked, looking up at the girl.
Ant nodded.
"Good, we'll need you to tell us if you can feel anything."
"Where are we going?" Ant asked in exasperation as she was yanked down the stairs, two at a time, Shogun nearly running to keep up.
"Shogun and I have been working on something." Owen said, keeping his voice down. "We think something's wrong. He's been having a few premonitions-"
Ant looked back at Shogun, who was still struggling to keep an even pace with the two teenagers.
"And I've been finding a lot of weird clues. It's driving me insane! Not knowing something!" Owen fumed, his hand tightening on Ant's.
"He's just frustrated because he can't find an answer." Shogun said, his wide brown eyes staring at Ant.
"Shut up!" The speed mutant barked, turning a sharp corner. He immediately quieted and then replied. "I just need a little help, I'll get it soon."
"Alright," Ant said, now way more than a little confused, "I think I've been pretty patient with all this but I want to know-" She stopped suddenly, yanking her hand out of Owens. She flinched and clenched her fists, fingernails digging into her palms.
"What the hell is going on?" Ant asked slowly.
Owen sighed in frustration and put his hands on Ants shoulders, easing the pressure of the sleeping feelings.
"Look. We don't know a lot-"
"We know shit."
Owen glared at Shogun, who shrugged. "It's true."
"Alright. We don't know jack. Shogun has found out that a few of his psychic friends outside the school are in trouble. It seems like there is a new, much more powerful and influential mutant out there. And he's a mess of trouble. You know how some mutants can control another persons actions?"
Ant nodded, eyes wide.
"Apparently this one can do that. But not with just one person. With hundreds, we suspect that he can control even thousands of people. Even psychic barriers can't stop this mutant. The power over people this mutant displays is totally unprecedented. But here's the thing."
Owen lowered his voice even more.
"He's not doing anything. He isn't hiding the fact that he can do this. He isn't flaunting it; he's smart enough not to wave it in the peoples face that he can control their actions." Owen paused, "But we have no idea what he's doing. Do you understand why this is so strange? Magneto had the Brotherhood. Xavier had this school. The government had the sentinels. They did something with that power. This man isn't doing anything."
"What does this have to do with me?" Ant asked, her voice quavering a little.
Shogun piped up. "I think that this is somehow connected to the school. For some reason, no one in this school is affected. The world knows the X-men as saviors after their protection of Alcatraz and for their mission work over the world after that, continuing today. But this man, an unknown adversary, can't possibly expect to gain that kind of renown."
"How do you know it's a he?" Ant interrupted.
"This is all speculation by the way." Owen added on, continuing right through Ant's question.
"This man needs a reputation. He can't just come out and tell everyone to trust him. The world doesn't work like that." Shogun said.
"We think that if he can gain control over the school."
"In a clean sweep."
"With the X-men and all the students here." Owen nodded.
"Then he can somehow gain the power and trust of the rest of the mutants."
"Those that he hasn't convinced already."
"And could, feasibly-"
"Control the world." Shogun finished.
Ant looked from one boy to the other. Blinked, shook her head, then looked at them again.
"You're serious."
"Deadly." Shogun said, hands behind his back.
"Alright. Let's say this guy has the potential to control the world. Again. What can I do?"
"We want you to feel something." Shogun said, obviously trying to be patient with Ant.
"What?"
"Do you think you could tell my psychic power from another's?"
Ant stuttered. "I don't know. I've never tried."
Shogun sighed. "Brace yourself." He reached out and Owen let go of Ant. "This might be tricky. I've only done this with regular people." Shogun explained as he held Ant's hand. Ant didn't feel any different, then all of a sudden a rush of voices came flying at her. She closed her eyes to try to block out her sight, but a blast of images flew into her head as well.
"Hold on." Shogun said, his eyes also crunched shut. "It's so much easier to connect with you. . ."
The images and voices eased. Only a few showed up.
"I don't even know my husband anymore."
"The kids are acting strange."
"I don't know what's happening to them."
"They're addicted."
"It's so sudden!"
"They're all talking about mutants." Shogun muttered. Another second and there was only one voice left.
"Glad you're here, I don't know what to do. I'm so confused you know. We've been trading information for weeks and we still don't know what's happening."
What's happening? It was Shogun's voice, but he wasn't speaking.
"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. It just feels wrong."
What does it feel like?
Suddenly, across the psychic link came an explosion of energy. Ant gasped audibly and stepped back, falling into Owens arms. A few minutes later had Shogun slowly bringing her back into the realm of consiousness.
"What did he feel like?" Shogun asked impatiently. "Could you tell who he was? What was it like?"
Ant blinked.
"It tasted like honey." She said softly. "And he felt like the sun."
"Crap." Owen muttered. "Alright, get up then, we need to get to the office soon."
It was only a few more minutes walking when they got to the room. Ant recognized it as the Professors room Jamie had pointed out earlier in the week. Owen dug in his pockets and fished out a key. He quickly opened the door and shoved Ant and Shogun inside, shutting the door behind him.
"What did you do Owen?" Shogun asked, not really about to listen, running his hands over every object he could. "Whore yourself out?"
"Your mother Shogun." Owen growled.
In the middle of the room was a wheelchair. Shogun skipped around the object and went to the desk. Suddenly his eyes widened.
"Well." He muttered. Shogun glanced up at Ant. "Brace yourself." Owen quickly let go of the girl and in an instant she was overcome with emotions.
"Where is she?"
"Calm down."
"I want-"
"Calm down."
"Stop trying to-"
"Let me help you."
There seemed to be a constant reassuring presence around the energies that Shogun was projecting. It felt . . . warm. Peaceful and serene. It felt. . . like the sun.
Ant gasped again and instantly Shogun stopped transferring the forces that he picked up through the objects.
"What?" Owen asked, his voice rushed as he grabbed Ant's arm. "What was it?"
Ant shook her head, clearing her head of the thoughts she had just heard. She pushed back her stray hair and looked up at Owen. "They're related! The two emotions. They kinda feel the same. They're not supposed to; nothing's ever felt the same way twice."
"That's it!" Shogun cried.
"What is?" Owen whispered, annoyed that he couldn't find the answer.
"Xavier must have had a son. That son has similar mutant abilities to his father. What he needs is a reputation. He needs this school!"
"So what are we going to do?" Ant asked, looking at the two boys.
There was a long pause as Shogun and Owen thought of the implications of a mutant with almost unlimited control over people wanting to take over a small school for mutants. Who knew what kind of power this mutant wielded? Who was with him?
Who could stand against him?
"I guess. . .we wait." Owen said, shrugging.
"Agreed." Shogun nodded. "Telling everyone would either ensure a panic or ensure our lives as pariah's for the rest of our experience at this school."
"I'm already there." Ant muttered. "Look, we can't keep this to ourselves. Say we're wrong? Oh well, there's a couple future X-men trying to act the hero. What if we're right? Will we let this guy just take over our school? I've only been here a week, but I like this place more than anywhere else I've been." Ant said, practically a speech. "Let's tell someone! Ms Munroe, Logan, Warren, anyone! Some of the teachers are bound to believe us. Owen, what about Logan? He's the one who helped you get that key, he must think you're onto something!"
"Logan's just afraid that something's coming."
"Owen! Something is coming!"
"No Ant!" Owen said, becoming annoyed. "We think something's coming. Thinking and knowing are two vastly different things."
"There's a way we can know." Shogun muttered, eyes wide.
"How?"
"The professor didn't just have an office. I think that if Ant and I teamed up. We could, we might be able to. . " He took a deep breath. "We could find this guy."
"How?" Owen repeated.
"Cerebro."