The Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters was, to the outside world, a private and exclusive...well the public didn't really know what it was. To them, and the small town of Bayville New York, it was the property of one Charles Xavier, a private man who'd inherited a small fortune from his mother. He invited several people, generally ranging from their teens to adulthood to join him there, but it wasn't know what they did.
To those who knew the truth, it was in fact a safe haven for a small percentage of humans with powerful abilities, called Homo Superior, or mutants. These abilities ranged from mental, such as telekinesis and telepathy, to physical, including super strength, speed, or in rare cases, physical changes. Professor Xavier himself was a unparalleled Telepath, who used his abilities to find other mutants and invite them to his Institue so they could learn to control their abilities and live peacefully around humans. He didn't, however, do this on his own.
His helpers included three adult mutants, Ororo Munroe or Storm, a African American woman with the power to control the weather, Hank McCoy or Beast, a former high school science teacher whose mutation caused him to be covered in blue fur with animalistic features and instincts as well as enhanced strength speed and agility, and finally, Logan or Wolverine, a Canadian citizen with enhanced senses and a healing factor that allowed him to recover from anything while keeping him young. His age was unknown due to the fact he's somehow lost his memories, and at some point had the indestructible metal adamantium grafted to his skeleton, giving him three extendable claws to fight with.
The trio, along with Xavier himself, made up the adult instructors, teaching the students how to control their powers and work as a team while they attend the local high school for regular classes. Xavier also taught them how to live and help humans with their powers, but in secret. He rightly felt that humanity wasn't ready to accept mutants into society, so he and the others worked behind the scenes to do their work and training until that day finally came. But to prevent anyone from snooping around, the grounds of the mansion was private property and had a state of the art security system that could stop anything, an army or a powerful mutant being the only exceptions.
Until tonight.
The front gates were made of wrought iron, only openable by fingerprint or if someone let you in. Surrounding the property was a ten foot wall on two sides, a cliff and the ocean protecting the rest. A dirt road led up to the mansion, between which was a large open area of grass. The dew on them was reflecting the light from the moon as it rose in the sky, occasionally blotted out by wisps of clouds as the wind blew gently. The only sound was it and crickets chirping, until the wind suddenly picked up slightly and a sound filled the air.
VRRRROOOOOPPPPPP! VRRRROOOOOPPPPPP! VRRRROOOOOPPPPPP!
A blue 1960's police box suddenly flickered into existence, the double doors parallel to the gates before it solidified with a groan that was felt than heard. The doors suddenly opened and Tobias stormed out, clothes looking dirty and slightly burned while his face was streaked with black, yelling, "NEVER...EVER...AGAIN!"
"Ok, listen," Dante ran out of the doors behind him, in the same state but his skin hid the streaks better. "In my defense, I did try to get you out of the prison."
"OUT!? You tried to seduce the wife of an 18th century English warden so you could somehow steal a spare key while I was awaiting trial for practicing 'witchcraft' so I could save a kid, only for the warden to walk in on you and throw you in the cell next to mine!"
"How was I supposed to know he got done early?"
"We could just break the walls and walk away, but noooooo. We had to keep history intact and wait until we're tied up to two stakes in the courtyard and about to be burned alive! I still smell like smoke!"
"I thought girls liked the smokey smell on guys."
"And then, finally, you wait until the flames are almost licking our feet before breaking your ropes, cutting mine, and we both are then running through a maze of streets with an angry mob running after us! Armed with torches, rocks, and the occasionally cross bow!"
"We got away though."
"You...They...It-GAAAAAAHHHHH!" Tobias yelled his frustration at the sky. "I hate you! And where the hell are we!?"
"Uh, let's see. Unless I'm mistaken, we are..." Dante looked up the road and then the sign on the wall. "Ohhhhh, we are at the home of the X-Men."
"Terrific." Tobias said flatly. "You can go visit them while I'm going home to shower, sleep, and swear once again to never to go on a trip with you." The teen uncovered his right wrist, showing his vortex manipulator and was about to start punching in coordinates.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on a minute!" Dante covered the pad with his hand. "You're not even the least bit curious or interested in meeting other people with powers?!"
"Dante, the last time I took a trip with you, we ended up in Republic City and fought a communist, an evil spirit that nearly destroyed the world, a secret society intent on toppling any and all governments, and a tyrant that turned out to be an insecure woman at heart." Tobias ticked off all these points on his fingers. "I have no intention of getting involved here right now when we just finished running for our lives back in our universe, thank you very much."
"Yeah but this time it's different. At least-"
Beep beep
"Hold on." Checking his Ultramatrix, Dante twisted the dial multiple times until a holo projection of the earth appeared from it.
"Well...this is interesting."
"What is it this time?"
"This isn't the same Earth I went to when I first met them." He fiddled with the device more. "So what kind of-?" The numbers 11052 appeared. "Oh. That explains it."
"If you say anything along the lines of 'bad', I'm killing you right now and then dumping your body in the TARDIS."
"No, not bad per say. It's just that we're in an alternate version of the universe I was in long ago."
"Do I want to know how long?"
"Probably not." Dante tapped the screen to make the number disappear before looking back up the drive. "Anyways, what do you say..." He looked to the side to see Tobias was gone. "Tobias?"
"Not happening!" His voice issued from inside the phone box. Dante rolled his eyes before going back in. "Dante, I am not...wait, what are you doing...don't you dare touch that dial...oh, you son of a bitch!"
What followed was ten minutes of what sounded like fighting intermingled with roaring wind, crashing metal, electrical zaps, laser zaps, muffled whoops, and a few others that didn't have any apparent equal. Twenty seconds after silence fell, the both stepped back out, Tobias looking at Dante with murderous eyes and clothes that looked worse than they had before while Dante was humming a tune and in much better shape.
"I hate you so much right now."
"No you don't." Dante said as he closed and locked up the TARDIS. "And this all could've been avoided if you had just went with it."
"And I told you, I am not spending time, with you, in another universe, after the disaster we just got through! I don't care if this universe is made of rainbows, sunshine, and freaking unicorns! I want to go home and fall asleep in bed with the women I love while forgetting I'm the step brother to a raving, overpowered and egotistical MANIAC!" The teen breathed heavily after finishing.
"You done now?"
"I'm better, but don't expect me to not be angry at you for the next six hours."
"Fair enough. I did hit you in the chest with a lightning bolt."
Tobias sighed and rubbed his eyes. "So, who owns this place, how many people, anything noteworthy, and how are we going to introduce ourselves?"
"Charles Xavier, good guy, paralyzed from the waist down, minor millionaire. Don't know how many at this point but probably at least fifteen or so people. All of them are mutants, so they have one, and in rare cases two, abilities. Charles, for instance, is one of, if not the, most powerful telepath in the world. He founded this place so mutants would have a safe place to learn how to use their abilities."
"Any others that might be here?"
"I can think of a few, but I'll leave them for later. Keep you on your toes, because..." Dante drew out the word with a evil smile.
"...You are really pushing up the hate meter tonight. You want us to break in and introduce ourselves with a fight?"
"Need I remind you that you introduced yourself with a fight to the Argo II crew, Buffy, and Faith who would later go on to be the love of your daughter's life while Buffy's sister turned out to be your son's?"
"All of those cases were where I was attacked first!"
"Oh really?" Dante smiled smugly. "What about Korra?"
"That..." Tobias stopped in mid yell as he registered the full sentence. He huffed and looked away, slightly embarrassed. "Was different. She's essentially my predecessor, and I wanted to see how I did against her."
"Ah, but you still introduced yourself by fighting, therefore you have no moral footing to stand on about us saying hello with a fight. Lawyered, HA!"
"I can still go home you know. It's just ten buttons away."
"And I am a very annoying teen with too much time on my hands and powers that can annoy you into submission. I'm particularly fond of teleporting."
Tobias narrowed his eyes. "You're bluffing."
"Am I?" The two teens got into a stare down that went on for two minutes before Tobias growled and looked away.
"Fine. But if we're going to do this, you're calling River and explaining why we're not coming straight back home."
The cocky look on his face draining away, Dante said, "Uh...well, I'd like too..."
"You call River, or I'll tell both the girls you got me thrown in prison and leave you in a locked room with them for a few hours."
Dante hung his head. That was a damned if he did damned if he didn't choice. He might as well bite the bullet. "Fine, after we settle in, I'll call River you sadistic bastard."
"Takes one to know one." Tobias clapped his shoulder before rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck. "So, how we doing this? Jump the fence or are we going in hard and fast?"
"Hang on..." Dante put his right hand over the intercom. Sparks suddenly started flying from it before bolts of electricity started flowing into and up his arms as the energy left the system. In a few seconds, the mechanism was both drained and fried. "Ok, that would've started the alarm. The gate, good sir, is yours."
"Ok." The lighter skinned teen clenched his fist and pulled back. "Haven't said this for a while. Divine Punishment!" He punched forwards and a shockwave of air erupted, blasting the gates off their hinges as they went skidding until they stopped twenty feet away.
"Let's go. And be prepared, they've got robotic guns and weapons hidden in the grounds for extra security."
"Got it."
"Then let's go." Dante's arms started sparking again, forming into electricity that jumped and writhed around his arms as the pair charged into the grounds.
Inside the mansion, Xavier and the more senior members of the X-Men were gathered in the security room, having been woken up when an alarm had gone off to rouse them from sleep. Included in that group was Storm, Beast, and Wolverine, all changed from their night clothes into their uniforms.
"How many?" Logan asked gruffly as Charles was pulling up the feeds from the security cameras.
"There." He blew up one feed to take up the entire screen. The small group saw their security system was doing its job, arming their non lethal defenses like electrical discs that would paralyze the intruder or fire low level explosives that would stun more than hurt. The only problem with that was they needed to hit their targets to work, and the two intruders were doing an unbelievable job of dodging and counterattacking. As they watched, a black hair Caucasian teen was zig zagging across the field as their robotic turrets fired at him with speed and agility only a mutant could have. As he got close, he suddenly jumped up high, landed behind the gun, then smashed them into scrap metal before moving on.
"Physical enhancement," Beast noted as he adjusted his glasses. "Apparently giving him enhanced speed, strength, agility, and I suspect reflexes from how quickly he can respond."
"Whatever it is, kids got some experience." Logan said knowingly. You didn't get to be that good at navigating a battle field while under fire without having gone through a few. He should know, and was about to ask if that teen was the only one before the question answered itself.
The view changed to one at ground level, showing another teen, but this one was African American and was moving around quickly as electricity danced around his arms. Even time he pointed with his palm, a thick and powerful bolt was launched, causing anything it hit to be overloaded or explode. One of the electric discs was launched at him, but he caught it. As he did, the energy jumped on glowing streams from the disc to his arm, then was dropped to the ground drained of power.
"Electrical manipulation." Charles said, interested. "And apparently similar to those Berzerker possess, but he seems to have better control."
"What I want to know is where they came from," Logan growled. "You think Magneto is retaliating for Metroid M?"
"Impossible to tell without asking them." Charles said, pushing aside any emotions that hearing his old friend's name had brought to. "Regardless, they need to be stopped. Storm, Beast, Wolverine, do what you can. I'll see if I can gain access to their minds while you fight and send Jean and Cyclops for back up once the younger students are calmed down."
"RRRAAARRRRR!" Tobias yelled as he made a gun implode with an ax kick before another one popped up and fired a net at him. He dodged it and skidded back before stopping, Dante moving so they stood back to back as he fired bolt after bolt.
"No powers yet?"
"Don't need them yet." Tobias said. "Any signs of our welcoming party?"
Both stopped as the moonlight was suddenly blotted out by something, followed by the flash and boom of lightning. Looking up and to the left, they saw the previously clear sky was now thick of dark thunder clouds with Storm in the middle of them, her eyes a milky white as she bent the weather to her will.
"I'd say that's a yes." Dante said.
"Dibs."
"What?"
"I call dibs on fighting her."
"You're seriously calling dibs on someone who can control the weather?"
"Not the first I've fought, won't be the last. Also, we got two more coming from your right." Tobias didn't wait for an answer, but instead ran towards Storm before crouching and leaping towards her. Dante didn't pay him any more attention as he turned to look at Beast, running on all fours, charging at him with Wolverine right on his tail. Both had snarls on their faces and the latter suddenly had three metal, foot long blades producing from his hands, between his knuckles. Dante smiled evilly as he increased his power output, making the electricity jump more wildly and glow brighter. "Fun." He laughed before starting to fire.
Storm watched out of the corner of her eye as Logan and Beast started to engage the black skinned boy, dodging the long range bolts and steadily moving closer before she focused on her own foe. She wasn't sure how he planned to fight though. His strength was apparently high enough to jump high enough to reach her sixty feet in the air, but it was simple to change the air currents holding her up and move out of the way. He reached his maximum height and started to fall, before he suddenly stopped, crouched in mid air. Storm only had time to blink in shock before he looked at her. She saw his eyes, a silver color, change to white around his pupils while his smile turned predatory.
"Nice try."
She gasped as a fist was slammed into her lower stomach and sent her tumbling head over heels until she managed to stop herself. Even then, it felt like a cinder block had hit her instead of a flesh and blood fist. Pushing aside her pain, Storm looked back towards where she came, only to see nothing.
She stiffened as the words "Peek a boo, I see you," were said right into her left ear. This was followed by another blow to her back, but this one felt lighter and only shoot her forwards a few feet before she could stop and turn. The teen was floating easily in one spot, apparently amused if his smile was anything to go by.
"You're really slow, you know that? I had time to think up five different ways of taking you down just now, and one of them involved that cape around your neck. Which, by the way, is a really good way for someone to grab and yank to choke you, break your neck, or use as leverage to slam you into the ground, so you might want to lose it."
"I'll take that under advisement." Storm replied dryly, trying to figure out how he was flying at the moment. She didn't feel any currents supporting him like she was, she didn't see the tell tale signs of using some form of heat, and she didn't feel any kind of barrier under his feet like some telekinetic's used. All together, she was stumped on how he was doing this.
"But this," she was shook from her thoughts as he waved around them. "Is pretty impressive."
"Thank you." She said cautiously. At the very least he didn't seem like he worked for Magneto. His underlings were the kind who shouted his name out or just tried to pummel you into the ground. And if he wasn't one, odds are the other wasn't either. "Can I ask why you and your friend are attacking us?"
The teen sighed. "Blame Dante," he waved at the other fight. "Honestly, I didn't want to even be here, but he's annoying when he doesn't get something he really wants, so here I am. As for the intro, it's more just getting your attention, not attacking."
"I fail to see the difference in this instance."
"Well, before was getting your attention. This..." Storm suddenly felt the air around her be ripped from her control, causing her to drop a foot before she compensated the change as wind started rushing towards the teen, twisting and turning and bending around him as he held his hands out to his sides. Even the storm clouds started swirling in the sudden gale, but she still had control of them. "... Is attacking."
Storm tensed and prepared for what she felt was going to be her most intense fight yet as the teen flew at her.
Down below, as Storm and Tobias chatted, Dante was keeping up his sniper fire, but Beast and Wolverine were dodging his attacks easily, not that he really tried to hit them. He had to give his bolts when Beast finally got close enough to jump over a shot and flip forwards in the air, yelling as he clasped both hands and brought them down. Dante jumped away as the downward blow caused a small crater two feet wide to form, lobbing small balls of electricity. Trusting his instincts, Beast jumped away as the balls suddenly split into several smaller ones that exploded seconds after touching the ground with force of grenades. Now five feet of the ground was cratered and charred.
'Berzerker most certainly can not do that.' Beast thought to himself.
Landing on his feet, the teen heard the zing of metal cutting air and ducked forward, going into a front flip and throwing another cluster grenade at Wolverine. Due to his position, he could only avoid it enough so two smaller grenades clung to his arm before they exploded. Logan grunted but easily pushed through the pain as he kept up his flurry of slashes and kicks while his burnt skin started healing. The only problem was he couldn't hit the twerp! He'd seen so many fighting styles he'd lost track, but this kid was mixing jujitsu, tae kwon do, (insert fighting style here), and something he'd never seen, almost like this kid was moving on nothing but the smallest cues before Logan even started moving.
Dante started parrying Logan's attacks, turning them aside with minimal effort while focusing energy into his hands so every touch sent a jolt into his body. His healing factor would take care of the damage, but in the meantime it would numb his muscles and make them less responsive, gradually making him grow sloppy and slow despite his experience. Finally Dante had his chance and took it, pressing his hands to the temples.
"Right, I'm not gonna lie, this is going to hurt like hell." That said, he channeled large amounts of electricity into Logan's skull, his metal skeleton conducting it easily and letting it reach his brain to turn it into charcoal as he screamed his pain to high heaven before kneeling over, smoke escaping his mouth and tear ducts in his bloodshot eyes.
Dante did not feel the least bit bad, knowing Logan's healing factor would fix him right up, but he'd have one hell of a headache when it did and it would take a while to repair the fried brain tissue. This was simply a very effective way of putting him out of the fight, and speaking of putting out of the fight...
Beast saw his friend fall, but pushed aside his grief response, knowing Logan would be ok. He did, however, take this chance to run as quick as he could to attack. The distance only took him one second to traverse, but the teen was already spinning around, the lightning around his right arm thicker and more powerful before a thick beam grazed his left shoulder. The voltage was powerful despite the light contact and sent him tumbling back and hitting the ground, his fur badly singed and the wound black. His pain addled mind noticed in a detached way that the center of the burn didn't hurt, most likely from totally destroyed nerves, but the surrounding edges felt like fire was embedded in his skin, blood oozing from the cracked skin. His other hand pressing into the wound felt the circumference was around three inches, and he felt his entire body was tingling and slow to respond.
Now Dante felt a little guilty, thinking maybe he should've tuned down the voltage on that attack. McCoy was going to need some serious healing to repair that kind of damage. He'd have to take care of it later.
A loud BOOM from above had him looking up just in time to see Storm flying at the ground before she hit it back first, skipping a few times before she skidded to a stop on her feet, panting and looking worse for wear while Tobias landed gently next to him, looking fresh and bored.
"I thought you said she was a weather manipulator."
"She is."
"Well she's doing a crap job. All I've been doing is basic attacks, but she keeps trying to use wind against me and refuses to use anything else against me. I had more fun fighting vampires in Sunnydale than I am fighting her."
"Ouch. That hurts."
"It's accurate. She has power but she's not using it to its fullest. Therefore, I'm not impressed."
Before Dante could respond, both of them felt something touch their minds.
Back in the mansion, Charles watched the battle, worried as his friends were being played with. That was the best description for what was happening. Logan and McCoy were doing the best they could, but their opponent was apparently as well trained in his using his body as well as his powers, while Storm seemed to be having trouble fighting her own. Every time she tried to retreat for room, he pursued with relentless ferocity, ignoring the powerful gales she'd send at him to physically attack her. That was something that she'd only partially trained for in case she had an opponent that could fly, but one that could ignore her powers as well had never been anticipated. She couldn't use her lightning either, not as such close range with a chance of her being struck.
He'd sent out Scott and Jean, mentally contacting them both and filling them in before they said they'd be outside in a few seconds
In those few seconds, the trio were all defeated, incapacitated, or given a minor break as the two teens stood next to each other, apparently talking. Charles saw his opportunity and took it. Reaching out, he connected to Storm and McCoy's minds.
Scott and Jean will be there in five seconds.
That done, he fired his considerable might at the two intruders, touching their minds and beginning to invade them both. As he did, he felt what their minds were like. The one wielding the lightning was complicated and chaotic yet organized. Doors upon doors of information, knowledge and memory all around. Before he could start looking, Xavier heard a booming voice. "Get out of my mind Charles!" He then felt his probe be pushed out and a wall of solid iron surround the mind, leaving it impossible to breach in a short time.
The other teens was different. It was free flowing, changing, adaptable, but rigid and unyielding in places. Emotions flared and died as he pushed forwards, concentrating his efforts on this one. He got the slightest glimpse of what looked like a sky filled with clouds before something grabbed his probe, causing him to freeze at what he was suddenly feeling. This sensation was cold and menacing, dark as night, just as terrifying, but with a twisted sense of glee and anger coming from it. "This is my territory, old man. But since I don't get too play often, I'll make it quick for relieving my boredom." This time his mind probe wasn't forced out, it was ripped to shreds like an animal tearing into his mind. He grabbed his head as the psychic backlash caused colors to pulse behind his clenched eyelids, feeling like nails were driven into the soft tissue of his brain.
Tobias cracked his neck. "Bad move on his part."
"I doubt he expected that much resistance. He is a powerful telepath and he thought we had our guard down."
"Still, he's," Tobias tapped his head. "Actually happy, and we both know that means Charles is in extraordinary pain right now."
"True, but- DUCK!" The shout came half a second too late as a red beam hit Tobias in the chest, sending him soaring back to skid for another twenty feet before he stopped. Dante felt another mind probing at his defenses, but was more concerned by the force that suddenly gripped his body and threw him back. Firing lightning bolts to use the recoil to righten himself, Dante landed feet first while Tobias got to his feet, looking...irked.
"Ouch."
"That's what happens when you don't dodge a concussive blast. Knocks you on your ass and rattles your bones."
"You could've warned me that someone here could do that. And the dick who did that is mine."
"Fair enough. Also you're not far off about him being a dick."
"Good, then I won't feel that bad about hitting him. MOVE!" The pair separated as another concussive blast hit the ground between them.
Standing at the double doors were the mutants who had attacked the pair. One was male, with wavy brown hair and a red visor covering both eyes, his right hand on the side of it. He was dressed up in a black and yellow suit, a yellow X connecting the armored shoulders to the opposite hips, with a belt around the waist. Yellow boots that looked made for heavy duty completed his outfit. The other was female, with flaming red hair that fell to her mid back, green eyes, and an athletic figure that was shown off since she was wearing a dark navy blue bodysuit with a cowl that covered her whole body except for her face, hair, and hands. The suit had a bright green V-shaped triangle on the front and the "X" logo on the side of each of her arms/shoulders. She also had a single bangle bracelet on each of her wrists.
"Names and powers." Tobias yelled.
"Scott Summers aka Cyclops. Concussive energy blasts that project from his eyes. Jean Grey: psychic and telekinetic powers." Dante yelled back as he scanned the battlefield. Scott was talking to Jean before she nodded and started running towards Logan, who had apparently healed since he was on all fours, and Beast while Scott went for Storm. "Who do you want?"
"Storm and Scott, you can take the others."
"Fair enough. Needed a challenge."
Both teens started charging.
Scott managed to get to Storm and quickly looked her over. She looked tired, shaking slightly, with bruises and small cuts covering her body but that seemed to be the worst of her injuries. He bent down and took one of her arms to help her up. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine." Her voice sounded steady enough as she stood. "But these two are extremely strong and skilled. We need to regroup and think of a plan."
Scott was about to agree with her before he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. The black haired teen was heading straight for them while the dark skinned one was going for the others, hurling lightning at them that Jean was blocking with a telekinetic shield. Lifting his hand to the dial, Scott pressed it and fired another blast at their opponent, expecting him to dodge or get hit. What he did not expect was for the blast to suddenly blossom around him, like water passing around a boulder as he kept getting closer. Before he could get over his shock, something knocked his hand away from the dial, cutting off the attack to show the teen jumping towards them with his right fist pulled back before hitting him in the head.
Ears ringing, Scott hit the ground, blinking away tears from the pain. Two feet landed in his view. "That's payback for the blast to the chest you dick." Looking up, he could see the teen looked satisfied with himself. "Also, names Tobias."
"Good to know." Scott tried to fire another blast, this one toned down so he wouldn't blow the now named Tobias's head off and kill him. That was one of the Professors rules/principles that he taught them. Never willingly take a life, regardless of if it was a enemy or not. Unfortunately, the beam split around him again.
"You need some new tricks. Once I figured out how to block it, that ability is useless."
"Than how about mine!?"
Tobias looked up. Scott lifted his gaze higher as the clouds above started thundering, flashes of lightning flickering in their murky depths. Storm was floating again and unlike before, she looked ready to really start fighting.
"Well...this will be fun."
Dante was thinking the same thing over at his fight as he bent back, letting Logan's claws get within half an inch of his nose before they zipped past. "You're reflexes are still shot." He noted.
"And you're still dead kid." Logan growled.
"Not the first time anyone's told me that. Also," Dante tossed up another grenade. "Catch." The explosion sent them backwards, Logan tumbling while the teen just skidded back. He did have electrical burns on his face from the suicidal maneuver, but they already seemed to be healing. He cracked his neck. "Next."
The request was answered by Jean thrusting out both hands, the grass bending and air rushing as she launched a telekinetic force at him. Dante dodged to the side, but the edge of it clipped him, causing him to spin off balance. He felt Jean try to take advantage and enter his mind, only for the probe to be stopped by his mental barriers. Grabbing and ripping it to shreds, he saw her instantly wince and grab her head. He was about to fire a weak lightning bolt at her when the sound of thunder boomed overhead, lightning flashed, and something crashed into the ground ten feet away. He glanced over to see Tobias climbing out of a crater, the left side of his face blackened while his arm spasmed uncontrollably, covered in second degree burns. Turning his gaze skyward, he saw Storm was summoning more lightning, if the flashes of light inside the clouds were anything to go by.
Dante ran over to Tobias just as he managed to stand up. "How you holding up?"
"I got grazed by a lightning bolt. How do you think I'm holding up?" He coughed, a small puff of smoke escaping his lips.
"You're fine. That's good enough, I think we should wrap this up with a bang."
Tobias glanced at him. "What kind of bang are you thinking?"
"The kind you just got struck with only enhanced."
Tobias looked confused for a second before smirking. "I see. Thunderbolt them or you?"
"Me. Don't take too much pleasure from this."
"I make no such promise." He looked at his left arm, still unable to move it willingly as it twitched. "Do you mind healing this? I think she might've fried a few nerves when she hit me."
Dante's hand glowed and sparked with electricity as he placed it on the wound. After a second or two he moved his hand as the injury was now healed.
Tobias flexed his hand a few times before nodding. "Thanks. And the electrify gave me a jump start which is good, because it looks like they're getting impatient." He nodded across the lawn to see that the ground troops were gathered while Storm floated down to join them, thirty feet away. He smirked. "So, ready?"
Dante smirked back, turning up the voltage dancing around him while tiny bolts of white lightning started flickering in Tobias's eyes. "Ready."
"They're strong, I'll give them that." Wolverine growled. He might be impressed, but he was still trying to get rid of the headache from when his skull had been electrocuted and that shortened his already not very long temper. "Storm, can you hit them again with enough voltage to paralyze them?"
The woman didn't take her eyes of the pair as she responded. "Dante I doubt I can, if his mutation is electrical powers. Tobias I might be able to if I can hit him directly."
He grunted. "Jean, can you get in their heads?"
The redhead winced. "I tried and my probe was ripped to shreds. I'm not going to try that again any time soon."
Narrowing his eyes, Logan nodded as he came up with a plan. "All right. Scott, fire a shot and get them to separate. Jean, telekinesis to knock them off balance. Storm, hit Tobias while me and Beast get in close. Once we have him, we can either get Dante to retreat or surrender." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Let's get this done."
The plan started off as described. Scott fired a optic blast that caused them both to separate, and as they did, Jean used her telekinesis to push than both, making then stumble. Logan, already running by this point with Beast beside and slightly ahead of him, saw the flash overhead and saw the streak of pure elemental electricity speed to hit Tobias with no possible way to dodge it.
Than everything went wrong.
Without warning, the lightning bolt took a sharp turn and zipped across, away from its original target. Stopping, Logan followed the path and saw that the energy was being channeled into Dante, both hands raised as his body absorbed the power. Once he did, the electrify writhing around him seemed to have double in amount as he grinned.
"Thanks for the charge. Tobias, now!"
Looking back, Logan meet the other teens eyes just in time to see white lightning dancing wildly in them before his body started to vibrate rapidly. He suddenly disappeared in a blur, lightning in the same color trailing behind him as he started to run in a circle, making a wide circle that encompassed them all.
Logan considered himself a pretty adaptable guy, but even he was stunned at the turn of events. Dante being able to absorb Storm's lightning came at a shock, but Tobias was now exhibiting speed that seemed to be on par if not above Quicksilver's. His instincts were warning him that whatever they were planning, it wasn't good.
He was proven right when Tobias suddenly skidded to a stop, the white lightning crackling all around his body as he threw his right arm out. The energy condensed and flew off, striking Dante and being absorbed into him, white and blue intermingled with the other as they grew even brighter. Lifting both his arms, Dante clenched his fists and punched outward.
The last thing Logan saw was a shockwave of light erupting off the teen before his senses were overloaded with electrifying pain, causing him to fall to the ground, muscles clenching and flexing on their own as blackness covered his vision.
Tobias whistled lowly as he looked at the five unconscious X-men, a few random lightning bolts sparking around his body. "That was a big one."
"Eh not my finest work but it comes at a close twelfth."
"Still, natural lightning and Speed Force combined. They are going to be sore when they wake up. And extremely numb." He cracked his neck and groaned.
"That is expected when you're struck by lightning. Well let's bring them in and introduce ourselves."
"Fine. But afterwards I need to eat, that little trick burned through about a thousand calories alone. Take the rest of the fighting into account and I'm starved."
