Logan: I gotta hand it to ya, Wolf, you made Zero out to be a total badass in that last chapter.
Wolf: Thanks, Logan! That's the nicest thing you've said all day!
Logan: shrugs his shoulders and walks off
Wolf: Oo0 what's his deal today?
Bobby: I froze his motorcycle.
Wolf: Man, Bobby, you really shouldn't mess with Logan. He's stronger than you are and could use your head as target practice if you're not too careful there, buddy.
Bobby: glares evilly at Wolf Let's see if I can't use YOUR head as target practice...
Kurt: poofs in between us Hold on zere, Bobby! We need her ALIVE so she can finish our story and work on zat other one about ze X-Men!
Wolf: Thanks for the save, Kurt!
Wolf: Getting serious now. I'd like to take this time thank all my readers for reviewing my story. And that includes the positive feedback I've been getting from my fellow sidekick and co writer... Carlie! I also had to re – do the song a few times, but I think I get it right this time. Thanks a bunch! Turns to Bobby Hey, ice cube! It's your turn to do it! Get on that before I give your comics to the dogs!
Bobby: yelps and turns to the readers The Paper Wolf doesn't own Wolverine and the X-Men or any of the other Marvel comic characters. She just owns Zero and anyone or thing that might be in this story that isn't related to the marvel universe. She's just doing this story as a challenge and to the idiot who wanted her to make a BobbyxKitty fic, forget it. She thinks there's enough stories in that category as it is, and wants to add a KurtxOc story to the slim collection.
Wolf: smiles and gives Bobby back is comics That's much better than Emma's or Logan's disclaimer! Nicely done! Now, anyone who has anymore ideas or song requests for this story is free to contribute as long as they drop me a PM. And always... smile until you stop.
Bobby: Happy readings!
Chapter Four: The Fight
I knew this was going to happen...
You've met your match...
Don't mess with me!
Your best bet is to stay away...
Don't count me off yet!
I'm the underdog,
and I'll take your best shot!
Here we go...
December 15th
After a few weeks of getting used to staying at the institute, Zero was starting to feel more relaxed safe there. She was especially growing fond of Kurt, she could tell that he was feeling the same things whenever they talked or spent time together. She did have empathetic powers after all. She'd never reveal to the others that she couldn't control her empathy, but she was managing well with her other power. Emma and Kurt were helping her with her paper manipulation. She never dreamed she would find so many nice people like the ones that took her in when she needed help the most. It was like seeing bits and pieces of her beloved brother in each of them.
She walked down the hall with a set of earphones attached to her MP3 player. It was one of a few items she took from her house before she was forced out. She no longer had to use crutches because she had fully recovered since she first arrived at the institute.
Zero has been getting along with nearly all of the X-Men. She and Kitty would often trade clothes and go on shopping trips together with Emma and Ororo. Emma had been working closely with Zero to help her further develop her powers. As far as she knows, Emma is the only one who actually knows about her lack of control over her empathetic powers, but is mastering her paper powers. Bobby and Kitty would sometimes sneak her out of the mansion to grab a bite to eat. Zero's even found a good chess partner in Beast. She'd always end up losing to a genius of his standards, but she always gave him a run for his money. Logan would show her a few fighting styles he's picked up; teaching her how to fight like the rest of the younger teens at the institute. He was extremely proud of her accomplishments since she had recovered from her attackers. (Her mother, the MRD, and the rest of the people in the town she used to live in). She however, didn't spend too much time around Scott though. She could pick up dark feelings from him, and would avoid him at any costs, even at the expense of leaving Kurt and going into her room. There was something about those feelings that made her feel slightly scared of the man. She couldn't figure out what those feelings were, but she was positive that nothing good could come out of them going through her like everyone else's feelings were.
Right now, she was on her way towards the library. She was supposed to meet Kurt down there She was only at the school for a short amount of time, and she had already knew her way around the grounds. She had promised to play a game of chess with him the last time she played against Beast after she had been looked over for the last time by the doctor. She picked up a slight jealous pang go through her heart and taking in consideration of the only two who actually been down in the hospital wing. She knew Beast was happy to play with her, so that only left Kurt with those jealous feelings. Without hinting at her empathetic powers letting her know what he was feelings, she promised to play against him as long as he told her when and where. Even though she enjoyed her time playing against Beast, she had once promised to play against Kurt. She was happy to spend time with the blue elf; she always thought highly of him, and grew very close to him during the short time they had together.
She wasn't paying any attention to where she was going, and ran into a tall, dark body when she rounded the corner that was near her destination.
"I'm sorry..." She said in a quiet tone; looking up to find Scott standing there in front of her. "I shouldn't be so careless."
Scott gave Zero a small smile, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "That's alright, Z. Just make sure you watch where you're going next time." He answered in a hollow tone; making his way back to his room.
Zero looked down at her feet, and grabbed her shirt above her heart. She felt those dark feelings again. She knew that they were coming from the man she just encountered and turned around to face him. "Are you going back to your room, sir?" She called out; making him stop in his tracks.
"What does it matter to you?" He called back; not turning around to look at Zero.
Zero looked down at the floor once again. "I know how you're feeling, sir. I've felt those feelings when my brother died... It drove me to the brink of insanity because I missed Ray so much..."
Scott turned his head to look at Zero from over his shoulder. He was quiet for a minute, and turned his head back to the front. "Don't worry about me, Zero." He said in a cold tone, as he continued on his way. "You need to worry more about yourself and less about others."
Zero let out a tiny growl from the back of her throat, as she watched the man walking away from her. "I'm sorry I ever bothered you..."
And with that, Kurt teleported to her side, and grabbed her hand; catching her by surprise. Zero screamed and fell flat on her rear.
"Are you alright, Z?" Kurt asked in a worried tone; looking down at the girl on the floor.
Zero growled angrily at the mutant in front of her. "I told you not to do that again, Kurt! You nearly scared the crap outta me!" She said in a mad tone; giving him a firm glare.
"I'm sorry, Z. I vas vondering vhy you haven't come to ze library yet, so I vent to find you." He replied in an apologetic tone; holding his hand out for her to take.
Zero narrowed her eyes at the blue elf, and felt how sorry he was. She knew she couldn't stay mad at him, and took his hand; bringing herself back up on her feet. Kurt had pulled a little too hard, and pulled her right against his chest; causing them both to blush in embarrassment. They pulled apart shortly afterwards and Kurt led her downstairs towards the library.
While the two were playing the game together, Zero felt an excited emotion coming from Kurt when he took her rook. She smirked playfully at him, and took his pawn; earning a groan of protest. It was a constant war with the two. If one takes a piece, the other would take another one.
Meanwhile, Emma, Hank, Logan, Scott and Ororo were in the battle room; talking about what they should do about Zero. They weren't going to turn her away or anything like that. They were talking about weather or not they should make her a junior member of the X-Men. They were all for the idea, but there was a few who didn't see it as a good idea.
"Are you kidding me?" Emma said in a snotty tone; folding her arms over her chest. "She may be old enough to decide for her own, but I think we should wait until I've evaluated her before we make that decision." She advised strongly; knowing fully well about her lack of control. She promised Zero that she wouldn't tell anyone about not being able to control her powers, but she was seriously thinking about telling them if they keep insisting that she join now. She was just figuring out why Zero was having trouble controlling that power, and she didn't want Zero to join if she couldn't control it on her own.
"I'd have to agree with Emma on this one." Scott scuffed as he folded his arms over his chest; giving Logan a determined glare from behind his visors. "She's practically a ticking time bomb with her powers."
Logan growled in annoyance at the two disagreeing X-Men standing at the table. "We could use her talents to reduce damage." He argued, "It'd crazy if we didn't let her in."
"Who knows?" Hank said with a simple shrug of his shoulders. "She might work even harder to better control her powers. And she's recovered enough to train with Bobby and Kitty."
"I could even make her trust us more." Ororo pointed out in a logical tone; standing her ground against the two concerned X-Men standing across the table from them.
Emma thought about the points the others made. Be as it may, she still wanted to make sure Zero had full control over her powers before letting her join the team.
Logan slammed his hand on the table in front of him with a cocky smirk. "That settles it." He said in a smug tone; smirking at the two across the table. "Our "No's" top your "Yes's". Zero is an honorary junior X-Man."
"I still don't think it's a good idea, but if you insist on letting her join the team," Scott stated in a surrendering tone; throwing his hands into the air as he marched towards the door. He looked back at Logan just before he leaves, "I want you to remember this day when you loses control of her powers and destroys our house."
And with that, he left the War Room. Everyone had looked down at their feet as his words sunk into their minds.
"If I remember correctly," Beast said in a logical tone; looking to Emma with knowing eyes, "you were the one that said you've been working with Zero to help her develop her powers."
Emma huffed and turned away from the others; crossing her arms over her chest. "I was helping her learn more about her powers." She stated as a matter of fact. "I also said she was making progress."
"So she can pretty much control her powers?" Logan asked in a serious tone.
"She's still learning about her powers. She does show progress and can control her powers depending on how much she uses them and for how long." Emma said in a formal tone; walking towards the door; not wanting to listen to their foolishness. "Don't let her over do things, and you should be alright... Should being the operative word here."
And with that being said and done; Emma made her leave. She made it back to her office; stopping just short as she saw Kurt and Zero playing chess in the library. They seemed to be having so much fun together, she didn't want to interrupt the two, and quietly making her way past the room and down the wall.
"That's not fair, Kurt!" Zero cried out in protest; getting up from her seat and pointing accusingly at the blue demon in front of her, "You cheated! There's no way you could've pulled that move!"
Kurt chuckled and leaned back in his seat. "You are just mad zat I defeated you." He said in a smugly tone; crossing his strong arms over his chest.
Zero pouted and sat back down in her seat; glaring at Kurt in annoyance. "I still think you cheated." She mumbled in a damaged tone.
Kurt laughed at the look she was giving him and began putting the pieces back into place. "Von more game zen? Best zu outta zree?"
Zero didn't give it anymore thought, and began picking up the pieces; helping Kurt set the board for who knows how many times for that day. She didn't care how many times she won or lost against him or Beast, she was just happy having someone to help her not think about things that would only bring her down. She always had to not let anything bother her, and she did very well. But even though she suffered greatly, she always had to get back up and keep going. No matter how much she wanted to just break down and cry.
But since she was with the X-Men, she didn't feel all the hurt and sorrow she was forced to burden for all that time. Why didn't she go to them sooner? Why did it have to come to her getting thrown out of her house and town to have met them? She didn't feel like crying whenever they were around. It was like she had her family back.
Kitty reminded her of a sister she always wanted, and Bobby and Kurt reminded her of herself and her brother when they were together. Logan was like a father figure in certain ways. Emma was like a mother Zero remembered her mother used to be before her family was torn apart. Even Hank and Ororo were like an aunt and uncle to her. She had a sense that they wanted her there. It was like they were all family, and they had adopted Zero.
She was about to pick up her king when Scott entered the room, and walked towards the two with a firm look in his face. Zero felt those feelings coming from Scott returning through her heart, and caused her to put her hands down under the table and onto her lap.
"Oh, Scott." Kurt said in a slightly surprised tone; looking up at the man coming towards them. "Fancy meet you here."
Scott ignored the blue demon, and kept his eyes on Zero; stopping just in front of her; making her grip her knees in a vain attempt to make his emotions go away. "We've come to a decision, Zero, and you're now a junior member of the X-Men." He said in a hollow tone; keeping his arms close to his sides. "You're training begins immediately."
"Really?" Kurt asked in an excited tone; looking to Zero with the same excitement in his eyes.
Zero narrowed her eyes at Scott for a moment, and tucked her bangs behind her ears. "But Miss Emma says I still need work on controlling my powers." She said in an unsure tone; not taking her eyes off of Scott; making sure he wouldn't try to pull anything. (TPW: Not in any sexual way, get your minds out of the gutter!)
Scott ignored her warning, and grabbed her upper arm; keeping her in place. "Like it or not, Zero, but we've got a long way to go."
Zero had a hint of doubt in her eyes as her grip tightened even more against her knees; drawing blood from her flesh. Zero could help having those annoyed feelings others had whenever they were to help her learn more about her powers, and she couldn't help but want those feelings to leave their hearts so she wouldn't feel so bad. After everything she went through, she should be allowed to be at least a little bit selfish.
She looked up at Scott with defiance in her eyes. Before she could say or do anything, Scott had grabbed her arm firmly to keep her in place, and gave her an important look on his face. She looked over at Kurt with an apologetic look.
"I'll see you later for a rematch." She said in challenging tone; getting up from her seat; following the older man across the room.
They had made it down the hall and down towards the hidden elevator; leading down those their base. They had been silent the whole time with Scott walking directly at her side the whole time to make sure she wouldn't try to run away. He kept his eyes trained directly ahead, while Zero had her head tilted He guided her in towards the changing rooms where her training outfit was. He stood right outside the door; making sure she didn't run out on him.
She came out in a standard training uniform shortly afterwards. It was styled similar to Kitty's outfit, but was mostly gray. She wore gray boots that ended up to her shins with tight leather pants and a sash hung loosely at her hips; the tails the were knotted on her right hip. The top half of her outfit was cut to show off her arm; keeping them free to move more easier. And she had gray leather bracers that started out at her hands and ended to her elbow. (TPW: Think of the Elektra outfit without the goofy looking bandana and gray instead of red.)
Her hair was done up in a high bun with bangs sliding over the scar on the side of her face. She had her glasses taken off and stored away so she wouldn't break them; revealing her demonic red eyes more clearly.
Scott nodded to Zero and guided her towards the Danger Room where she normally went in with either Emma and Ororo or with the trio. But this time, it was with Scott. The one who was always by himself, who was never wanting to accept help from others and would lash out at Logan whenever he had the chance.
Zero made it into the room, and made her way towards the center of the room with Scott not too far behind. They stood about ten feet away from each other, and Zero looked around the room, and wondered what the man standing in front of her had in mind for their training session today.
"So what am I going to be doing today, sir?" Zero asked in a defensive tone; getting ready for whatever the Danger Room had in store for her.
"You'll be fighting me." Scott replied in a court tone; standing ready for a fight. "There's no real risk when you're fighting make believe enemies."
Zero gasped and took a step back. She quickly steadied her legs and stood her ground against him.
"If you know somewhere in the back of your mind that you won't get hurt; then you'll never give it your best." Scott continued in a monotone; not taking his eyes off of the girl before him. "I'm your enemy in here and I don't expect you to hold back... because I won't be."
Zero shrank away from Scott, and felt zero to none emotion coming from the man; telling her that he was serious. "Why do I have a feeling I'm not going to like this?" She asked in a slight joking tone; keeping her eyes fixed on the older man.
"Here we go." Scott said in a final tone, as the lights began to go bright.
You get up.
Somebody tells you where to go to...
When you get there,
Everybody's telling you what to do...
The scene changed where Scott and Zero were a type of battle arena. They were in a steel cage that gave them lots didn't really give them much room. At least that statement were true on Scott's behalf, Kurt had taught Zero a few acrobatic tactics, so she could jump out of the way and keep from reach towards the top of the cage.
Zero held her head down low, and took in her surroundings. Even though she had her eyes elsewhere, Scott knew that she was on full alert; keeping him in her peripheral vision.
"Let's see what you've got, Zero." Scott said in a serious tone as he aimed his optics directly at Zero; preparing to fire off a few warning shots at her.
Zero jumped away from the blast in time to cling onto the back wall; giving Scott her full attention now. "What are you doing?" She said in a slightly louder voice; giving Scott an angry glare. "I wasn't ready yet!"
"Your enemy isn't going to wait for you to get ready." Scott said in a hollow tone; as he pointed his eyes at Zero once again; this time firing off a real shot to her.
Thank you.
It's been another bloody Monday.
And no one,
is asking what you wanted anyway...
Scott fired a shot at Zero's head; missing it and striking her shoulder. She let go of the bars, and fell to the floor with a heavy thud; landing on her side.
Zero growled and looked up at Scott with a hated glare; baring her fangs at him. "I'm just getting started, old man." She responded in a wicked tone; her eyes glowing an angry red.
And with that, she started to go on the offensive. She threw in a few kicks and punches here and there, but Scott dodged them with ease. It looked like he wasn't even trying to get out of the way. She was so sloppy with throwing her attacks at him.
He gained the upper hand, and gave her a quick punch to the stomach; sending her flying across the cage and slamming her back against the steel bars.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!
By this time, Kurt had teleported into the observation room that was built above the Danger Room. Once he was in there, he saw Emma and the others standing there watching Scott use Zero as target practice. He saw Zero dodge and run around the cage; avoiding getting hit by Scott's blasts.
"Vat is going on?" He demanded in an outraged tone; looking to the others in the room for an explanation. "I zought zis vas a training session, not an execution!"
Emma sighed and turned her attention back towards the blue elf with a tired sigh. "She's learning how to control her powers, Kurt." She said in a serious tone; looking Kurt straight in the eyes. "As long as she knows she won't get hurt while training with whatever program we run for her, she'll never give it her all."
"But since we're here," Beast spoke up in a firm tone; making Kurt calm down slightly. "if things get out of hand, we'll step in and stop them from killing each other."
Kurt relaxed his body only just slightly and walked over towards the window. He watched Zero jump and duck each blow that was sent her way; smirking to himself when he saw the moves he showed her only a few times, and she was able to pull them off as if she were doing them since she was a child. It was shocking how much she's learned in such a short amount of time she was staying with them. Emma once told Nightcrawler that she has the ability to learn things just by watching them shown to her.
"When are you going to use your powers, Zero?" Scott ordered in a solid tone; firing away at Zero; trying to hit her with full force.
"I'm not stuck here with you..." Zero said shortly; jumping towards the bars across from her. "... you're stuck in here with me..."
She saw an opening and jumped down in front of Scott; giving him a round house kick to the shoulder with such a force that it sent him crashing into the wall behind him.
She stood upright, and faced the experienced fighter with a determined look in her eye. He got to his feet like it was nothing, and faced Zero once again.
"I'll hand it to you, Zero." He said in a robotic tone; keeping his eyes on the girl in front of him. "You're pretty good for a figure skater."
Zero smirked and got back into a fighting stance. "Just because I was skating since I was two does mean I can't fight back." She said in a witty tone; giving Scott and deadly glare. "I just have a better strategy than you do."
Scott placed his hand back to the side of his visor. "Oh? " he asked in mock curiosity. "And what strategy is that? Running away? That's just like you...Allyce. You always run from conflict and do your absolute best to avoid fighting against people." He stated in an empty tone; firing off a shot at Zero; making her yelp in surprise and jump away in time. It was clear she was a quick study. She reminded Scott of his early years.
Zero growled angrily at the man before her. She had always loved her name, but ever since that day her mother tried to kill her, and told her that her daughter was dead, she soon hated her name to a point where it triggers her anger. And she knew Scott knew it.
'That's right, Zero.' Scott thought to himself, as he danced his way around the girl; dodging her sloppy punches and kicks. 'Lose control of your powers. Prove to the others that you're not ready to be an X-Man... You'll be safer that way... at least for a while.' He landed a blunt kick to her stomach and sent her flying across the cage; hitting her back once again against the bars; and crashing down to the floor.
'Scream!
Until you feel it.
Scream!
Until you believe it.
Scream!
And when it hurts you,
scream it out loud!
"If that's the best you can do, then I think you're in way over your head, Zero." Scott said in a soulless tone; walking over towards Zero with an unforgiving stare. "You're not cut out to be an X-Man."
Zero coughed up some blood, and slowly got back up on her feet; surprising everyone watching her recover from an attack from Scott. She didn't care that she had no control over her empathy, and she could feel those dreaded feelings coming from Scott. He just pretty much degraded her for not having total control over her powers. She didn't even care that she might wind up back in the hospital wing with a pair of worried blue mutants hovering over her for the next few days... She was just plain pissed. Plain and simple.
"You won't last a week with the X-Men if you let your powers control you." Scott told her in a nasty tone; stopping just a few feet from her; staring her down.
"Don't ever..." She said in a struggled tone; looking up at the man while wiping blood from the corner of her lower lip. "Don't you ever..." She growled out in a deadly tone; getting into a different fighting stance.
Her knees were positioned apart and her right hand was placed by her hip and the other was in front of her. It was a different fighting style; not so much like her defensive ones when she clung to the walls. It was more aggressive and wild looking. Unlike any anyone has ever seen her in during her previous training sessions.
"Don't you ever... underestimate me!" And with that, Zero's eyes began to glow an evil red color and her cards began to fly out of her sash; circling around her like when her mother first tried to come at her with the kitchen knife. Zero thrust her arm beside her hip forward; bringing her other hand back and sending her cards flying towards Scott. Her empathy was getting so strong that her audience could see black lightning snapping from head to toe around her body; giving her an electrified appearance.
Scream!
Until you feel it.
Scream.
Until you believe it.
Scream!
And when it hurts you,
scream it out loud.
Scott easily fired at the cards flying towards him. He didn't know that they were simply a distraction for Zero to charge in and give him a left hook to the face; knocking him down on the ground.
Logan smirked and folded his arms over his chest; and looked over at Kurt. "She learned that from me." He said in a proud tone; looking back at Zero with a proud father appearance about him that made the others roll their eyes at him.
"I still don't zink zis is such a good idea. She's still learning to control her powers." Kurt mumbled to himself, as he watched the two below exchange blow after blow. "Scott could very kill her if he keeps up like zis."
Emma turned to Kurt with a smug smile on her face. "Don't worry about that, Kurt," she assured in a reasoning tone; looking back to the two fighting as well, "if it comes to that, then we'll simply have to stop them, won't we?"
Beast placed a friendly hand on Kurt's shoulder, and gave him a gentle smile. "They have been at it for about ten minutes and she had only till now to unleash her powers. Let's give them a few minutes to see if we were right about making her a part of our family."
Kurt huffed and turned away from Beast to look back at Zero; whom was now blindly throwing harsh punches at Scott's face; aiming to knock him out in fear. "I still don't like it."
Scream... scream it out loud...
Scott was finally able to get Zero away from him long enough for him to reach up and and turn on his visors; shooting rapid blasts off towards her while keeping her away from him. He was taking control over the fight once again.
"If you keep going at this rate," he called out to her before he blasted her off the bars; making her run around in circles again, "you'll always just be another victim... Like the first time you encountered the MRD in your hometown."
Zero paused for a moment and looked at Scott with frightened eyes; images of that day flashing quickly through her mind. Her mother telling her her family was dead when she found out she was mutant. Going into the kitchen to find her mother holding a knife towards her. Her active powers manifesting for the first time; protecting her from her mother's assault. Her powers failing to protect her the second time and the townspeople forcing her from her home.
"I don't want that..." She said to Scott through her teary eyes.
"Then use what you were born with!" Scott snapped in a harsh tone; preparing to fire at Zero once again. "And see if you can stop me..."
This time; instead of running away or dodging the blast, Zero used her powers to block Scott's optic beams; her cards holding up a barrier much like when her mother first came after her with the hated knife. The barrier held fine against Scott's blasts, and all her energy was flying to the surface of her tiny body. She charged for Scott; throwing punches and kicks as he made his way around her; mocking her to further anger her.
"You're forcing it," Scott warned in a firm tone; giving Zero a side kick to the ribs and sent her to the ground. "Don't force it."
Zero spat up some blood, and got back to her feet. "Don't write me off just yet, Cyclaud!" She screamed now; connecting her fist to his jaw.
Scott straightened his body and walked back over towards the girl unrelenting. "I feel sorry for you, Zero." He said in a hollowed tone, getting ready to fire at Zero once again. "I'll take you out in one shot okay? It'll safe you the humiliation later."
Zero laughed wildly at the man in front of her, and got within point blank range before she launched herself on Scott's shoulders. She hurled her upper body upwards, and punched him once with both hands before she thrusts her upper body backwards; sending them both to the ground with an unforgiving thump.
"And I say you're even dumber than you look if you think you can take me down!" Zero said in a dark tone; getting up from the floor to face Scott, whom was already getting back up on his feet; getting into a fighting stance of his own.
Watch out!
Stay awake
they're lurking...
Obsess you...
They are always working.
"Scott is going vay too far!" Kurt cried out in an outrage; taking a step towards the controls to stop the fight.
Emma held her hand out in front of Kurt; not taking her eyes from the two down below them. "Not yet," she said in a knowing tone. "She's starting to forget about her doubts and fears. I think this is a good sign. Let's just wait a little while longer and see what happens next."
Kurt gasped and rolled his three large fingers into tight fists. "But vat if ve are too late?" He challenged in a serious tone; making his point by pointed a finger towards the glass where the two were out fighting with everything they've got. "Vat vill happen then?"
"We'll stop them if it gets too out of hand... if..." Logan said in a fatherly tone; watching Zero duck and dodge blows and use her powers in combination with her fighting skills. If she was going to go down today; then she might as well not go down without a fight.
She was still mad at Scott for using her real name and degraded her harshly when he knew as well as anyone else that she was really doing her best to gain control over her powers.
Zero had finally gotten a lucky hit to her enemy's stomach when she leaned backwards to avoid a direct hit from him; and spring boarded into his stomach; sending him back to the ground.
He managed to wipe off a little spot of blood from the corner of his mouth, and gave Zero a heartless glare through his visors. "Alright, Zero. That was pretty good. But now I'm getting serious!" He declared as he lifted his hand up to his visor again and prepared to shoot at her again.
Zero gave Scott a blunt stare for a moment. "Oh, good. I was hoping you would." She stated in a blunt tone before she gave him a cocky smirk; finally getting into the fight. It was like she was into her figure skating competition again. She brought her hand in front of her face, and clenched it into a fight fist. "Because I'm seriously going to knock you out!"
And with that, she charged for Scott once again. This time, she landed a successful blow to the left of his head, and a harsh kick to his side. With the force of her strength during her training as a figure skater, she was able to send Scott flying against the bars of the cage. The training she endured as a figure skater made her tough enough to the stand up after she fell down, and she could take a lot of beatings. But after a while, she would wear down and be left wide open. She needed to end this fight, and she needed to do it now. But with an opponent like Scott or Wolverine, how can she make someone like them stay down? She was pretty strong on her own with the help of the trio and putting what she picked up off them and her own previous training as a figure skater, it was only a matter of time before her body would give out.
Promising,
everything you never asked for.
And one day,
it'll be too late,
and you'll beg for more.
Zero has finally gotten the upper hand in this fight. It turns out that her lack of control over her empathy was turning out to be a good thing. She was using that flaw against Scott. Without so many words, Zero could tell he was getting angry with her for playing with him like the way she was doing now.
She would duck and dodge his attacks, and go after him; striking him and going back to avoid any assaults he might try to land on her. It was like cat and mouse. Scott hadn't learned that she was trying to wear him out yet; giving her the advantage for the time being.
So far, she reminded him of Kurt during their previous spars. It was a little unnerving how much alike the two were. But that didn't stop Scott from wanting to win this match and prove his point that Zero shouldn't be allowed to join the team so early into her training for control. He will give her credit and say that she is improving more than most students her age had, but she hasn't learned the full extent of her powers yet. If she doesn't know what she's capable of, then who knows what could happen should she not be able to control her powers should they grow out of control.
Zero felt the worried feelings coming from the man attacking her, it was like he let his guard down, and forgotten that she was an empath. She felt worry each time he landed a blow to her. It was agonizing to feel all those emotions, and all she wanted was to make it stop. She was even having the same worried feelings from the ones who were watching the fight take place. It was beginning to be too much for her to a point where she could hardly tell whose feelings belonged to who and which ones were her own.
Kurt growled furiously at Scott for hurting Zero, and leaned on the glass. "Make him stop!" He roared in a hateful tone; banging on the glass in hopes of getting the attention of the two fighting below.
Logan huffed and folded his arms over his chest. "She looks like she can hold her own." He said in a final tone.
"And she's already showing that she has more control over her powers than she did when she first started training." Emma reasoned in a thoughtful tone; watching Zero struggle against Scott's attacks while executing her own. "Maybe I was wrong about her."
Kurt growled in frustration, and turned his back to see Zero fighting with Scott. She did look like she was holding her own like those around him, but he believed that no woman should fight against a man larger and stronger than she is.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!
Kurt gasped when he saw her flip backwards, and kick Scott to the chin; sending him backwards. He knew she was aiming to send him to the ground, but Scott stayed on his feet; walking back towards Zero once again. Scott landed a successful optic blast that pushed Zero's paper dome backwards against the wall. Her eyes were glowing a slightly blinded red light now; telling him that she was putting more into keeping her dome in place so she wouldn't get hurt.
But soon, he noticed that she was using her powers to create some kind of armor from the paper she was using to shield herself from Scott's attack. The paper itself had formed perfectly against Zero's body, and looked as though it were actually her original clothes.
Zero had her eyes closed the whole time, and had been screaming in fear for getting hurt. She had no idea her powers were shielding her in that manner, but she found out first hand what her powers were doing when she opened her eyes.
Her shield was completely gone now, and she was getting full-on blasts from Scott's optics. She thought she was unprotected, but a closer look from the less damage from the blasts told her somewhere in her that she wasn't getting hurt and her powers are still active.
In an outraged cry, Zero launched herself in front of Scott, and was throwing punch after punch, and kick after kick. From the way she was fighting, Kurt could tell that she wasn't holding anything back anymore. Her punches and kicks were no longer hers, they were more demonic and agile than before.
Scream!
Until you feel it.
Scream!
Until you believe it.
Scream!
And when it hurts you,
scream it out loud...
Scott was hit by a nasty kick to the side. He grabbed the bars behind him to keep himself from hitting the ground next; panting in a vain attempt to catch his breath. He looked over at Zero, and saw her hunched over to the point where her head was tucked tightly between her legs; grabbing the sides of her head in pain.
"It's happening again!" Zero said in a frightened tone; sealing her eyes shut against the pain in her head. "Make it stop! Please, someone help me!" She screamed out in panic; her tiny body shaking with each scream that passed her lips.
Scott pushed himself away from the wall and began walking towards Zero; carefully avoiding getting hit by an out of control card that flew by. "You have to learn how to control it!" He shouted at her; trying to get close to her.
A card flew past Scott's head and zoomed past his left cheek. The force of it was so powerful that just the wind cut his cheek. He squatted down to keep from getting hit by the cards flying around, and kept trying to get close to her.
"I don't know how to control it! It's too much!" Zero screamed as the cards seems to hurt her now; striking her limbs. One card actually hit the side of her neck, and caused blood to leek out from the wound. "The emotions! They're too much! I can't block them out!"
"You can do this, Zero! Focus! You're the only one who can control your power! Don't let it control you!" Scott shouted out in a commanding tone; keeping his position below her.
Kurt growled again and tightened his fists against the glass. He looked to the others who all too shocked to do anything.
"I figured as much." Beast said in a thoughtful tone; keeping his eyes on the girl's actions.
Kurt looked over at Beast with a vengeful glare. "Vat is it, Hank?" He asked in a low growl; not taking his yellow eyes from the beast next to him.
"It would appear to me that Zero is having trouble controlling her empathetic powers." He stated in a logical tone. "She and Emma have been at it for quite some time now, and even though the training and sessions they did she still has trouble controlling it."
Emma tightened her hands into fists, and looked down at the floor in shame. "It's true. Even though she has control over her active power," she said in a shameful tone; not looking anyone in the eyes, "it's because of the accident that took her brother's life that she is permanently unable to control her passive powers. She can't turn it on and off like anyone of us can."
"And Vhy haven't you vaited until now to tell us zis bit of information?" Kurt demanded in an unforgiving tone as he stared Emma down.
Emma turned her eyes towards Kurt. "Because Zero begged me not to." She said in a snotty tone. "She didn't want anyone to know that she can never control her empathy. I've also realized that her strength comes from the emotions she feels. The stronger the emotion, the stronger she becomes scared like she is now." She said in a teaching tone; pointing to the girl fighting for control down in the room. "She can focus too well and her powers get out of control; causing her become even more scared. If she's calm or happy then she has total control over her powers."
Kurt said nothing against Emma after that. He just looked back out the window, and prayed that Zero won't get hurt.
Scream!
Until you feel it.
Scream!
Until you believe it.
Scream!
And when it hurts you,
scream it out loud!
Scott got up on his feet when he noticed that Zero's cards had been passing by him less and less. He started walking towards again, but this time, he was trying his best to keep his worry to the front of the rest of his mind and heart; hoping Zero would pick up on it and motivate her into getting control of her powers before she wrecks the whole place she now calls home.
"No... stay away from me!" Zero cried out in a startled tone; taking a step back from Scott.
"Don't give into your powers, Zero!" Scott pleaded desperately, trying to get through to her as best he could.
Kurt couldn't take it anymore, and teleported down into the Danger Room. He appeared next to Scott and stood his ground against the cards that flew past him.
"You're stronger than you think!" He shouted urgently; dodging a card that was about to hit his stomach.
Zero screamed and held her head more tightly in her hands; drawing blood from the sides. "I can't! It hurts... Make it stop!" She screamed as she backed away blindly; hitting her back against the wall behind her; causing her to yelp and her powers to go wild once again.
"Clear your mind, Zero!" Emma called out through her mind. "Focus everything you have on your powers! You can do it!"
"She sure has a lot of power for a girl her size, doesn't she?" Ororo said in a worried tone; looking to Logan with a doubtful gaze. "Maybe she isn't ready enough to be an X-Man."
Logan huffed and glared at Storm for a second, and looked back to see Zero trying harder than she ever could to gain the control she needs. "I'd say we made the right choice in making her a member of the team." He said in a firm tone; not taking his eyes off of Zero's tiny body struggling down below them. "Just look at her go. She's learned more within the time she's been here with us than any one of us have in a year. I'd say she's ready."
Back to Zero!
Your time's about to come!
Let them know,
you're not just anyone!
Zero didn't know what to do. She knew she had to get control over her powers, and she had to do them now. She managed to open her eyes to see Kurt and Scott struggling to get away from the paper flying at them. She then felt the paper that was covering her was actually making her go after Scott. She screamed and tried her best to hold back her kicks and punches, but her powers just aren't able to be controlled. It was like they had a mind of their own!
"You have to control zis, Zero!" Kurt called out in a firm tone; grabbing Scott's shoulder, and teleporting them both to the other side of the cage and away from major danger. "You are stronger zan you zink! I believe in you!"
And with that, Kurt teleported back into the cage, and stood in front of Zero; holding his ground to prove his point. He held his arms out wide and stared straight at Zero; not taking his eyes off of her for a moment.
Zero's body began to dash forward, and threw a few sucker punches to Kurt's slender frame. "Kurt!" She cried out as she tried to pull her punches; only to make her power grow even more. "Get out of here before it's too late!"
You're time's about to come...
"Not vithout you!" Kurt called out in a firm tone; fighting to keep his body upright. "I know you won't hurt me on purpose! I believe in you!"
Zero was about to strike Kurt in the face again, but she actually managed to stop herself this time. Her body was still shaking, and she knew she couldn't keep her powers in control for long. It was only a matter of time before they took control over her again, and who knows what would happen to Kurt if she couldn't control her powers.
Kurt seemed to have known this, and took a slight step forward in an effort to touch her arm. "Please fight it, Zero. I've seen you do so much vith your power. You're too strong to allow it to take you over."
Zero screamed and fell to her knees, and just like that, all the pain, all the cards everything seemed to have fallen lifelessly on the ground around them. She stared straight at Kurt and was panting in pure exhaustion. She smiled weakly when she saw Kurt kneel down before her.
Scream!
Until you feel it.
Scream!
Until you believe it.
Scream!
And when it hurts you,
scream it out loud.
Scott looked around the room, and noticed all the things that were digitized from the start were starting to fade away; leaving the room empty once again. He got up from his seat, and walked over towards the two with a faint smile.
"Nicely done, Zero." He said in a simple tone; looking down at Zero as she tried to catch her breath. "You've come a long way."
Zero looked up at Scott with a serious look on her face. She coughed a few times; hanging her head with each cough until they died down.
"There was nothing nice... about it..." She struggled to say as she slowly got up from her feet. She held her head down low and all her powers were slowly fading away. "You had no right... doing that... do me..."
Scott didn't seemed too upset with that. He knew he had done a terrible thing to her by calling her by her true name. A name that he knew she hated more than anything because it reminded her of the life she was forced to leave behind. He wished it didn't have to come to that, but it had to be done if Zero was going to be an X-Man.
"I'm sorry, Zero. I was just trying to help you learn how to control your powers." He said in a weak defense; looking down at the ground. "But on the bright side, it looks like you have more control of your powers now. That's an accomplishment that took years for any one of the X-Men that came before you. That's something to be proud of."
Scream!
Until you feel it.
Scream.
Until you believe it.
Scream!
And when it hurts you,
scream it out loud.
Zero's head snapped up and she turned her eyes towards Scott; not even bothering to hide the tears that were now pouring out of her eyes.
"You think that I should be proud of this?" She asked in a serious tone; not taking her eyes off of Scott. "You have no idea what it was like growing up for me! Having these powers were a true curse for me true to form!" She said in a low growl. "Always training, always alone! My own mother tried to kill me! And that does something to someone!"
Scott didn't reply to that comment, and looked down at his feet. He looked back at Zero with an emotionless look on his face. "I'm sorry, Zero, but learning the extent of your powers should've been square 1. That's the way I learned my powers as well as everyone else here. And you're no different."
Zero's tears kept falling from her eyes. "You think that's the best way I should go about learning to control my powers?" She argued in a hollow tone. "You're even dumber than you look. Learning about your powers and how to control them should the first thing to teach someone like me! It's easy for you because you've always had someone behind you to keep pushing you and telling you you could go all the way. What did I have? Huh? Tell me because I would really like to know!"
Scott was going to say something, but decided that it was best to leave it at that. He didn't want to hurt Zero or make her upset, but he did what he thought needed to be done. He couldn't deny that he was proud of her for not hurting Kurt at the last moment, but she still needed to learn how to control her powers. She could still hurt someone or herself if she wasn't careful. Everyone knew it, but still...
He decided that they were done for the day, and began to walk out of the room. He knew Zero was pretty upset with him, and didn't want to bother her anymore. She was already beaten up and probably needed to get checked out by Hank. He gave her one last look before he made his way out of the Danger Room.
Zero waited until the door closed before she grabbed her hip in pain. She gasped, and looked down at her side to see blood dampening the suit that was damaged in the fight. She sighed and looked at Kurt with a tired look on her face.
"I guess this is the part where I go and apologize to Scott," she said in a childish tone; looking over at the door, "isn't it?"
Kurt shook his head and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder; taking a step to her side in case she needed help. "You vere right to defend yourself." He spoke in a logical tone as he gave her a soft smile. "He had no right to do vat he did. I say he got vat his deserves."
"Couldn't have said it better myself, elf." Logan called out through the speaker; causing the duo to look up. "You did good today, patch. Hit the showers and have Hank take a look at you. Kurt will help you."
Zero looked down at her hand, and flexed it a few times. "That's alright," she said in a hollow tone, "I can make it on my own."
She then slowly made her way towards the exit, but stopped just short of leaving the room. She looked over her shoulder and gave Kurt a lazy smile. "Don't worry about me, Kurt. I look worse than I feel."
Kurt gasped and teleported by Zero's side and placed a worried grip on the girl's arm; holding her back. "Please be reasonable, Zero! You're hurt. Let me help you."
Zero gasped and closed her eyes against the sharp pain in her head. She moaned and slightly struggled against Kurt's loose grip. "This is why I didn't want you to help, blue." She mumbled in a sharp hiss; placing her hand in front of herself. "I promise I got this. I'll be done and I'll see you for dinner, okay?"
And with that, Zero made her way out of the Danger Room; leaving Kurt and the others to watch her make her way down the hall.
Emma sighed and folded her arms over her chest, as she stared down at the teleporter inside the room below. "It looks like I have to start all over again with that one." She said in a disappointed tone; making a deep frown fall upon her beautiful face. "Thanks a lot, Scott."
"I've worked with Zero, as well, Miss Frost." Hank said in as a matter of fact. "Despite what you think about her now. She's not normally this resilient and often was so mean when she spoke about herself whenever I spoke of figure skating. I suggest that her mother was verbally abusing to the point where she believed what her mother."
Logan looked down at Kurt, and noticed that he had teleported out of the Danger Room. "I still think she should join the team." He said in a final tone as he made his way out of the room; leaving the others to talk amongst themselves...
TBC...
TPW: Well, there it is, ladies and gentlemen! Another well wrote chapter posted! Sorry it took so long posting it up. I had other stories to start. And was having a little bit of writer's block.
Bobby: Just admit it: You have AAD and everybody will be fine again.
Logan: That's about right.
Scott: I don't like how you made me out to be a bad guy in this chapter. I'm not that evil, am I?
TPW: Well, no, but I just wanted to make a fight scene at least once in the story, and I happened to want to use you and Zero.
Bobby: I gotta admit though. She sure knocked Cyclops down a few pegs.
Logan: It was shameful. A man getting beaten up by a little girl half his size.
TPW: Alright, already! Leave the man alone or I'll turn Zero on you two next!
TPW: I'd like to thank my faithful sidekick for the help in this chapter. I know we agreed on one song, but I heard that song at work, and thought it would be better for this chapter. You had some good songs, and I might actually use them in my future chapters. And thanks to all the other readers who reviewed. They mean a lot to me!
Peace out!