Before Evolution

Written by Darkstorm5000

Disclaimer: X-Men Evolution, the X-Men, and other related characters in their various incarnations are the property of Marvel Entertainment Group and Film Roman Productions, are used without permission and not for profit.

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Chapter 5- So Far Away (Part I)

Bayville, New York

The Xavier Institute-

Inside of the Danger Room, the underground training facility located a few dozen feet directly beneath the Institute, its residents' have spent countless hours training in these months since first coming to live here. The purpose of all of this hard work has been to help them learn to master their mutant powers and hone these exceptional abilities granted them as a result of their unique genetic structures, which set them far apart from the average human being.

Even though, the vast majority of the general populace has absolutely no idea that mutants even exist, and certainly not on the ever-growing scale that they now apparently do. This has been in large part due to those at the highest echelons of power around the world carefully ensuring that this fact has remained a highly classified secret, so as not to generate the perceived public panic that is thought would occur were this information to become common knowledge.

These X-Men, as Professor Xavier has affectionately dubbed this recently-formed team of his, are being groomed as the new standard bearers of this apparent evolutionary jump in mankind, preparing them to stand in defense of a world that is not yet ready to fully welcome or accept them, or their homo-superior brethren. Some of whom, unlike the X-Men, believe that this genetic deviation that they have been born with entitles them the right to lord the amazing power that they do possess over the rest of humanity.

And, as the X-Men are to soon find out first-hand in the very near future, many of whom already have plans afoot with the intentions of making such oppressive notions an actuality.

"Damn, Johnny! You keep this up, and you're gonna wind up flat as a pog!" Morph warned, as he was currently looking down upon his teammate John Proudstar in the aforementioned Danger Room, watching him train down in the monolithic dome-like structure from its control booth high above.

"I'm fine. Just give me some more." Thunderbird coolly replied and instructed Morph, as he stood in the center of a full-body strength press machine, his muscular arms fully extended overhead and the palms of his hands planted flatly against a huge steel-plate above him.

Reluctantly, Morph did as John requested and increased the device's weighted-resistance, which he had steadily been doing over the course of this strength endurance drill. Punching a command into the control booth's computer console, Morph proceeded to move the resistance-level from 8 tons up to 9 tons, and then halting this latest increase at an astonishing 10 tons.

The hydraulic press responded immediately to Morph's keyed commands, as the force being exerted now drove down even harder on John's massive 6'6" frame, and he noticeably struggled to maintain his stance in this seeming death-trap. But, John quickly regained his footing and posture, enough so that he was soon able to turn his attention back up to Morph.

"Gimme some more." Thunderbird once again repeated, grunting out this latest request to his teammate from underneath the equipment's hydraulic plate.

To which Morph couldn't believe his ears, as he watched his teammate labor from various camera angles on the monitors set up all around the control booth. Morph had noticed in the time that he had gotten to know John, that it seemed like there was some competitive urge that constantly drove his teammate from within, and seeing him down there today only served as further confirmation of those observations.

"Now I know you've lost it!" Morph emphatically replied, in an attempt to talk some sense into Thunderbird, "What're you trying to prove down there anyways, big man?"

But, this time John didn't reply, save for a serious and concentrated expression on his face, which he shot over into one of the cameras that he knew Morph was watching him through. Going against what he thought was his own better judgment, Morph acquiesced to John's request and cranked the training equipment up to an even higher, and more frightening level.

And frighten him it did indeed, as the strength press now rocketed past 15 tons and suddenly crashed down a couple of feet. In that instant, Morph felt a queasy sensation in his stomach, and he just knew that John had just been seriously injured. Slowly, Morph turned his head upwards to look at one of the monitors, hesitant of the horrific sight beneath the strength press that he was sure awaited him.

And, that's when he saw it.

In the center of the hydraulic strength press was Thunderbird, smiling and apparently unharmed. John was now crouched down in a squat-position, with the full weight of this strength press resting across his arms and shoulders. Then, with a vocal exhalation that could only be described as something of a warcry, John sprang back up to a fully erect posture and drove the strength press back up with him.

"Holy Crap!" Morph exclaimed, as that was the only thought that immediately came to mind following what he had just witnessed.

"Now THAT'S what I call a workout!" Thunderbird exclaimed even louder, as he stood with his massively bulging arms fully extended overhead, and finished this complete body press.

"Alright, I'm shutting it down now." Morph told John, right before he proceeded to terminate the strength test exercise from the Danger Room's control booth console.

Morph then went to exit the Danger Room's control booth through an auxiliary trapdoor built into its floor, which so far had only been used by their more airborne teammates' Storm and Sunfire. Using his own mutant powers to reform his arms into mini-glider wings, Morph smoothly sailed from high above down to the Danger Room's steel-tiled floor and landed right beside John.

"You didn't have to do that! I told you I know what I'm doing." John said to Morph just as he arrived to join him down there, upset that the training sequence had been abruptly terminated. The both of them now stood there together, decked out in their similarly-styled black and khaki team uniforms.

"It wasn't because of that." Morph replied, as his arms reshaped back to normal from the glider wings and he looked over at John, "I stopped it because you reached the machine's max, and I didn't want to risk another burnout. She can'na take anymore, Captain!"

"Well, in that case, I guess it's good you stopped things when you did, 'Scotty'. Else, the Professor'd probably be ready to beam me outta here for wrecking the Danger Room again, right after the two of you finally got it back working." John replied to Morph's bold impersonation, as the strength press apparatus he was standing beneath rapidly faded and then disappeared completely from sight. Revealing it to have been nothing more than an elaborate hologram, with a few smaller and well-placed steel rods and panels within to give it a more realistic effect.

"Nice job, by the way." John now added, as the last of these complex mechanical and holographic components vanished from sight within the Danger Room, "I know you said you were some kind of computer whiz, but I didn't think you had all this in you."

"I can't really take that much credit. I mean, I did help with integrating this new holo-deck system into the Danger Room's software programming, but I have absolutely no idea where the Professor managed to get his hands on all this space-age tech." Morph replied, as he pulled out a remote control and began punching in button commands on it, "And as you can see, we've still got some fine-tuning to do with it."

In that moment, the interior of the Danger Room began to take on a whole new appearance, simulating the outdoor environment that surrounded the Institute complete with tree leaves rustling in an artificial breeze and birds chirping all around them. It was a replication that looked more like a 3-D video projection extending itself all around them, lacking the clarity and substance of a truly realistic representation of a fully virtual environment, but was still leaps and bounds beyond anything Morph and John had ever seen before. This new holographic matrix also had another very noticeable flaw, with the sky and clouds above them appearing to be colored in a weird red and magenta scheme, for some unknown reason.

Just then, Morph and John's conversation was interrupted by a third voice. One, which had the ability to speak directly into their minds.

"X-Men! X-Men! Report to my study at once…"

And with this short and urgent order delivered to them from Professor Xavier, Morph used the remote in his hand to completely shut down the Danger Room, returning it to it's dimmed metallic-state as he and John now briskly walked over towards the exit.

"You know, speaking of impressive, that was pretty tight what you pulled off back there." Morph said, as he and John walked along one another side-by-side, "Reminds me a whole lot of that big Russian guy."

"What, big Russian guy?" John now stopped in his tracks and raised an eyebrow to ask.

"The one from those Rocky movies. Duh!" Morph also stopped to quickly retort, as the top of his usually bald-head briefly took on a spiked-blonde hairdo, and he shook his head while also rolling his eyes in disappointment that John hadn't caught on to his cinematic reference.

Morph's hair, or lack thereof, then quickly reverted back to normal and he continued on with John following a mere few steps behind him. The Danger Room's huge steel blast-doors slid open up before them and they both headed for the elevator down at the end of the corridor, which would swiftly shuttle them back up to the Institute's ground level.

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Inside Professor Xavier's study, the rest of the team had already gathered there by the time that John and Morph arrived. And for Morph, it meant that he had an audience for another one of his attention-grabbing entrances.

"Hey Ladies!" Morph whimsically called out to announce his presence to all within earshot, as the door to the study flung open and he came in now wearing a flamboyant yellow, bell-bottomed suit with a matching superfly hat, and a white leopard-printed shirt underneath that had a huge butterfly-collar fully opened, "Oh, and you guys too."

But, as John came in behind him to round out this assemblage, Morph wasn't met with the warm and jovial reception that he had been expecting from the others already in there. While the more serious-natured glances that Professor Xavier, Logan, and even Ororo, all shot over in his direction weren't totally unexpected, Morph was still a bit surprised that he wasn't able to draw any kind of discernible reaction from Mariko.

Who, happened to be standing with the others around the Professor's desk, and who usually cracked up hysterically at his antics. Morph had been noticing that things as of late had been different between him and Mariko, that she seemed more and more distant over the last few weeks and he wasn't quite sure as to the reason why? Which, was something that he had become increasingly concerned over as well.

"Uh, okay." Morph now said in a more withdrawn tone, as he continued on into the study with John, his own demeanor far less animated as he morphed back into his prior appearance wearing his black and khaki team uniform.

"So Chuck, what's this big important announcement that you called us in here for?" Logan turned back, and somewhat impatiently asked the Professor from across his desk.

Logan's current temperament helped make it all the more obvious that he had been otherwise occupied when the Professor had contacted all of them. The first clue to this being that both he and Mariko were each standing there still attired in their white martial-arts gis, since they had rushed to the study straight from their training session upon receiving the Professor's rather succinct telepathic message.

Following the fairly serious injury that she had received a few months ago while aiding him in his fight against fellow Canadian and former comrade Weapon Alpha, Logan had jokingly remarked to Mariko shortly afterwards that,

"Next time you decide to come runnin' to my defense, I'm gonna make sure that you're more than up to the task."

Logan then went and took it upon himself to begin instructing Morph, John, Ororo, and most especially Mariko, each on the finer points of successful hand-to-hand combat, doing so in one-on-one sparring sessions.

Meanwhile, Professor Xavier pulled out one of the drawers from his desk and reached in to it, keying in a special combination on a small automated-keypad located within. Immediately, the large wooden-panels of the wall opened up behind him, displaying a hidden computer console located inside that was large enough to take up the entire length of the wall.

For most of those now gathered around the Professor's large oak desk, it was their first time at getting an up close and personal look at his Cerebro machine, which they had mostly only heard so much about.

"Roughly one hour ago, international and regional monitoring agencies recorded a tremendous seismological event that occurred along the Asian Pacific Rim's underlying fault-lines." Professor Xavier gravely began, as he turned around to face the computer console behind him.

Using a remote control in his hand to turn on the oversized monitor-screen that had been incorporated into his Cerebro device, a videotaped U.S. news-broadcast started to playback to help further illustrate what the Professor was talking about.

"…latest in several recent tremors that have epi-centered near Japan's mainland. As these seismic-shocks appear to have steadily increased in their intensity over the last few weeks, experts are scrambling to determine the sudden cause of such concentrated and localized activity.

Concern is also growing as to whether this is a grim precursor to an event of unimaginable destructive potential still to come, rivaling or even managing to surpass the Luzon and World Series earthquakes' of recent memory? If this were to happen, it would be a seismic-magnitude not seen on a global scale since the 1960's, when a South American earthquake and its resultant tsunamis were estimated to have killed and injured thousands in its aftermath…"

As this portion of the broadcast came to an end, the monitor then went dark with everyone's attention now turning back towards the Professor with moods to match.

"This situation appears to have you greatly concerned as well?" Ororo surmised and was the first to say so out loud, as the X-Men's squad leader stood close by dressed in a red and blue, African-print long-sleeved blouse and skirt set, accessorized with a matching scarf and garnet beaded-necklace and earrings.

"Indeed." Professor Xavier concisely confirmed, "I have good reason to believe that this phenomenon is not natural in its origin."

"What are you saying?" John, now standing next to Ororo with arms folded over in front of him, curiously asked.

"At almost precisely the same moment as this most recent earthquake, Cerebro detected an extremely powerful mutant-energy signature emanating due south of Japan's main coastline. Someone, either unintentionally or perhaps deliberately, has been the source of these abnormal disturbances." Professor Xavier expounded, "At any rate, we must reach this individual before a catastrophe of unspeakable proportions occurs."

"So, that means before something bad happens, right?" Morph facetiously remarked in his humored attempt to decipher the Professor's last intricately-worded statement, wanting at the same time to try and lighten the heavy mood that had fallen over the room, and do so in his own trademarked style.

But, as is occasionally the case, words can sometimes be interpreted differently from the way that they may have been originally intended.

"Of course, he means before something bad happens! Like, lots and lots of people dying, Morph!" Mariko, who had been silent up until this point, chastisingly replied and once again managed to catch Morph completely off-guard.

And while she hadn't really raised her voice all that much, Mariko's tone still relayed a strong tinge of enmity with it, as she appeared to have been very visibly shaken by the news that they had just received regarding her native homeland.

"I want all of you to go pack your things." Professor Xavier now instructed all of his students, "There will be a plane ready and waiting for us to depart within the hour."

With that said, everyone in the study with the exception of Logan prepared to disperse, so that they could hurriedly go and make all of their necessary preparations for this impromptu trip. And none left faster than Mariko, who rushed past Ororo, Morph and John and headed towards the study's exit, now with an expression on her face that seemed as if she were about to start crying. Immediately, Ororo also hurried out behind Mariko to try to catch up to her, and just in that same moment Morph realized why she had reacted in the manner that she had to his comment.

If it were his hometown of Pittsburgh, instead of Tokyo, that was in imminent danger of being wiped-off of the map entirely, Morph knew that he would probably react in much the same way as Mariko just had. As he contemplated this sudden awareness, while being the last to leave the Professor's study, Morph was kicking himself and couldn't believe that he had been such a bonehead to make light of something so obviously personal for her.

It also got him to wondering if maybe he had unknowingly made some other stupid or insensitive-remark around Mariko recently, and whether that had become a contributing factor in her acting so noticeably aloof whenever she was around him now?

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Roughly an hour and some-odd minutes later, a teal-colored Rolls Royce arrived at Bayville's modestly-sized private airfield and drove undeterred through the large entrance gates towards its flight-line. Pulling up alongside a mid-size private airplane, which Professor Xavier evidently kept on standby and prepared to fly at a moment's notice, the X-Men soon exited the luxury automobile so that they could board this awaiting jet.

While Logan and an airport attendant escorted Professor Xavier over to the special-access lift for his wheelchair, the rest of the team went back to go get their things from the car's already opened-trunk. Mariko and Morph each quickly retrieved their bags and made their way over to board the plane, leaving John and Ororo behind to bring up the rear.

"Here, let me get those for you." John politely offered, reaching over with a helping hand just as Ororo was bending down to pick up one of her upright traveling-bags from the trunk.

"That is quite alright. I believe that I can handle them." Ororo cordially smiled and replied, as she looked over and up at John, while grabbing the olive-colored wheeled suitcase.

"Yeah, I know." John nodded, with a reciprocating grin.

Without waiting for any further debate on the subject, John reached over with his own oversized arm and chivalrously plucked the bag right out of Ororo's grasp. And with just as much ease, he also managed to pick up the rest of the remaining belongings from the trunk in one single-handed swoop. Turning with these numerous suitcases and other carry-ons' all slung over his right-shoulder, John then proceeded to audaciously lead the way over to the plane.

After seeing this somewhat extraordinary feat, at least it would be for most other individuals anyways, Ororo decided to resign her mild protests by acquiescing to John's courteous sentiment and she now walked over to the plane alongside him. Ororo's hands were now firmly in the pockets of her cream-colored overcoat, since thanks to her teammate's good-natured insistence and this superfluous display of strength, it had become evident to her that she didn't have much else to use them for at the moment.

As soon as everyone was onboard and buckled in, their privately-chartered flight didn't waste any time in taxying down the runway and getting airborne for the lengthy trip ahead. And upon reaching its optimal flight-level thousands of feet above the earth below, the pilot relayed through the in-flight PA system that it was now safe for his passengers to move about within the cabin.

Which Morph didn't need to be told twice, as it was difficult enough for him to remain subdued and in one place for any significant amount of time, and instantly got back up so that he could further inspect their interior surroundings. While Logan and John had managed to mysteriously break out a deck of cards from somewhere and were already heavily involved in a hand of 'something' in the plane's rear, Professor Xavier and Ororo were in their seats a few rows up ahead, each of them silently occupying their time by reading a book.

Although Ororo, for some reason, seemed to be far less interested in the novel that was sitting in her lap, as she was mostly staring off into space with an unusually pensive expression on her face.

Meanwhile Mariko, who was also seated on the same row as Ororo but was over on the opposite side of the aisle, had her cassette walkman out and headphones on. She was passing the time by merely looking out of the plane's window, observing the clear-blue sky outside and the rapidly changing scenery down below.

"So, what'cha listening to?" Morph curiously asked, as he came over and sat down, taking a seat right next to Mariko.

"Oh, it's Madonna. It's a tape I made with all of my favorite songs of hers on it." Mariko replied, promptly snapping herself back from out of her slightly meditative-state, as she repositioned the headphones around her ears. Which, let Morph briefly hear Live to Tell playing through them, before Mariko hit the stop-button on her walkman.

"I didn't realize you were such a big fan?" Morph remarked as they continued their conversation, happy to see that she wasn't still upset about what had happened earlier back at the Institute, and he was now a bit intrigued at learning this new fact about Mariko.

"I'm, like, probably one of her biggest fans! I even saw her perform live the last couple of times she came through Tokyo on her world tour. Although, I had to sneak out just so I could go." Mariko excitedly revealed to Morph, which raised yet another question with him.

"Hmmph, why'd you have to sneak out? I don't really see you as they type to go and do something to get yourself grounded the night before the big concert." Morph playfully commented, referring to Mariko's generally complaisant demeanor.

Which, since she had come to the Institute, occasionally even had an influencing effect on Morph. Enough so, that she managed to dissuade him from pulling some of his more outlandish practical jokes, which would have most likely landed Morph in serious hot-water with the Professor.

"My parents…they're really strict, I mean REALLY strict. Especially, when it comes to school and grades and stuff. They would've SO not understood me wanting to go see Madonna, and would've totally disapproved. Just, like they disapprove of most of the things that I like." Mariko further told Morph, "Unless there's classical music being performed, they think that concerts are nothing but a waste of valuable time. Which, as they told me, 'a proper young lady could better use studying', or something."

Mariko then paused and took in a sighing breath before continuing.

"I mean, don't get me wrong. I love my parents, I really do, and it was one of the first times that I ever really disobeyed their wishes. But, I don't regret going, not for a second!"

With such an adamant statement made, Morph unexpectedly proceeded to shape-shift his physical attributes before Mariko's very eyes. He was now far more feminine in his appearance and sported platinum blonde, shoulder-length hair while wearing a pointy black corset-bustier, all in obvious homage to Mariko's number-one singer and entertainer.

"Well, since Johnny and Logan are busy back there playing five-card stud, and I personally suck at cards, how's about a round or two of truth or dare?" Morph humorously suggested to Mariko, his voice also becoming more 'Material Girl-esque' as he sank back into his seat and crossed one leg over the other, "Although, I think I better warn you that I have been known to strike a pose with the best of them."

But, it was Mariko who managed to surprise Morph, with her response and reaction to his current antics.

"That's...great Morph. But, um, maybe some other time." Mariko smiled and said, although her cheerful expression now seemed a bit more forced, and her overall demeanor was significantly less upbeat than it had been just a few seconds ago.

As she stood up from her seat and slipped by in front of Morph, Mariko then went over and curled up in another seat on the plane a couple of rows behind him. Mariko placed her headphones back on and turned her walkman all the way back up, as she positioned herself perfectly for a comfortable slumber.

And, after hearing this rare elaboration on the kind of relationship that she had with her parents, Morph began to get an inkling as to why Mariko had been so moody over the last few weeks, and why she had reacted in the way that she had this morning. Even though they may not have been on the best of terms when she ran away from home, which Mariko had only briefly mentioned to Morph once when they were alone, they were still her family and she obviously still cared about and missed them.

With Mariko not having spoken to them in months now, and had also just spent her first Christmas and New Year's away from both her family and her friends back home, Morph came to the conclusion that she must've been feeling home-sick. It seemed to have been a timely coincidence, even under these foreboding circumstances, that they were making this trip to Japan. Morph knew that it was up to him to find a way to convince Mariko to go see her Mom and Dad again while they were there, to at least try and patch up whatever differences that must've sprung up when they found out about her being a mutant.

But, while he was thinking all of this through, Morph happened to glance over at Ororo and noticed something very peculiar. On her face she now wore an expression of pure panic, which for Morph, had been a previously unseen sight in the short time that he had known his teammate and team-leader.

"Zoinks! Like, what's the matter?" Morph turned and humorously asked Ororo from across the aisle, doing so in his most relaxed and recognizably laid-back tone.

"This is only the second time that I have flown, and much like my first experience, I fear that it is not agreeing with me very well." Ororo replied, closing her eyes as she struggled to take in deep breaths, and almost seemed to be on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Um, I don't see why you're buggin' out? You're always flying around back home." Morph pointed out and tried to remind her.

"Flying around, outside and in the open, is one thing. But, having to do so in this cramped and suffocating contraption is quite another!" Ororo explained, her voice wavering to the point that it seemed as though she were about to lose it emotionally, "And right now, a part of me would like nothing more than to rejoin the unrestrained atmosphere out there."

Upon hearing that, Morph knew that things were getting serious with his teammate. And, realizing just how bad of an idea it would be for Ororo to use her powers in an attempt to get a breath of fresh air, by opening the cabin's pressure-sealed exterior door at this altitude, he also knew that someone had better do something quick.

"Say Ororo, have you ever played charades?" Morph now asked, in hopes of getting a positive response from her.

"No, I cannot say that I have." Ororo replied, opening her eyes again and looking over at Morph, her facial expression still relaying the intense anxiety that she was feeling.

"Well, it's easy. All you have to do is guess the person, place, or thing I'm imitating." Morph started to explain to Ororo.

Wanting to keep her focused on the game and not lose interest, Morph decided to fudge a little on the rules with his first clue by using his mutant powers to assist him.

"Okay, who am I?" Morph asked, as he shape-shifted his physical form into that of a popular celebrity, with a cocky smile to boot.

Ororo looked at him for a second, then immediately recognized whom Morph was imitating and offered an answer.

"Tom Cruise!" Ororo enthusiastically guessed.

"Good! Okay, here's another one." Morph said, as his physical features once again morphed to imitate yet another famous figure, this time with his tongue hanging out.

"Michael Jordan." Ororo once again told Morph, confidently doing so within just a matter of a few seconds.

"Right again! Alright, now that you've gotten the hang of it, next one's going to be harder. You'll have to guess who I'm imitating, without the extra visual aid." Morph said to Ororo, seeing that he had been able to fully draw in her interest. He now began to give his hints to her in a more traditional manner, reminiscent of how charades were usually played, with silent body gestures and movements.

As they continued on with their game Professor Xavier, who had been able to hear Morph and Ororo's conversation from their seats a few rows behind him, and who had already been closely monitoring Ororo's deteriorating emotional state before Morph intervened, now turned his full attention back to the books and research journals that he had been reading through.

Even without his empathic abilities, Professor Xavier could sense that Morph's quick-thinking had its desired effect, by getting Ororo's mind off of the anxiety-attack that she had been experiencing from being in a closed and confined space for such an extended period of time. Which he was thankful for, as Professor Xavier was just about to use his own mutant powers to telepathically calm Ororo before Morph stepped in, just as he had done for her during their first flight from her home in Africa to Bayville. And, it was something that Professor Xavier was not eager to repeat again if at all necessary, as he wanted Ororo to learn on her own to confront, and eventually conquer, this innate fear she harbored within that stemmed from the traumatizing events of her childhood.

This situation also further served to exemplify one of the main reasons that had helped the Professor in his decision to recruit Morph in the first place. That, beneath this jesting veneer that was generally displayed, Professor Xavier sensed in this young man a strong and very genuine level of compassion and concern for those around him.

For the next few hours, Morph and Ororo managed to keep themselves occupied with round after hysterical round of charades. And at one point, when Ororo shouted out "Logan!" as her guess to the individual that Morph was imitating at that moment, it caused the man himself to look up at the pair from his seat at the rear of the plane, only to see Morph doing a spot-on impression of him. Morph immediately stopped his mimicry and smiled at Logan upon getting caught, waving at him from the front of the cabin with one hand, while at the same time hastily retracting the faux metal-claws that were presently extended on the other.

Logan simply responded with a short and barely audible grunt, before going back to deal another hand from the deck of cards that were sitting on a small, makeshift table positioned between him and John. All the while, John's attention remained unevenly divided between the game that he and Logan were engaged in, with more of his focus becoming slowly fixated on what was going on up front.

And, on what was causing Ororo to laugh so uncharacteristically loud? Which Logan quickly took notice of, as he could see that John's full concentration was elsewhere, and on someone else more specifically, as he repeatedly beat his younger teammate in hand after non-wagered hand.

Before too long, everyone on the plane felt the sensation of the craft starting to descend, which even managed to reawaken Mariko from her short nap. The pilot then informed them over the intercom system that there would be short pause in their flight, a necessary landing so that they could refuel the jet. Once they had touched down at Kona International Airport on the main island of Hawaii, there was a sense of elation from those onboard at the chance to get out of the plane and move around for awhile.

But, none more so than from Ororo, who upon stepping foot back on solid ground after disembarking from the plane first, showed her appreciation in a way that only she could. To have arrived in a place that so closely resembled the tropical environment where she had spent a good portion of her formative years, Ororo responded by interrupting the showers that occurred on a near daily basis here to allow for a small opening of sunlight to break through, basking the entire airport and outlying foliage in its rays.

This caused Mariko to remark to herself on the coincidence of witnessing her teammate's weather manipulation, which only added to the already breathtaking beauty of their surroundings, while La Isla Bonita now played through her walkman as she got off of the plane next. But, Logan's reaction was possibly the most subdued of the group's, as he responded only by putting his brown Stetson cowboy-hat back on to shade his face from the sunlight. A hat, which had been given as a gift to Logan over the holidays from Mariko, John, Morph, and Ororo, but had originally been Mariko's idea to give to him as a replacement for his worn and faded black one.

After a short stay that included a quick trip to the airport's gift shop, as well as a few brief conversations with other travelers and a few of the locals in the terminal area, the gang was back onboard their corporate jet and preparing for yet another take-off. Once airborne, they wouldn't be stopping again until they had reached their final destination. Next stop,

The Land of the Rising Sun…