A/N: Umm… while I dodge all the veggies thrown at me I have to say that I am so, so, so sorry that this update is so late. The reasons are that I had musical to get through and that was a real pain in the ass; add on to that exhaustion to the millionth degree and a lot of homework and you have a late update… again I apologize so now enjoy!
Disclaimer: I'm not even going to attempt to gain control over X-Men this time; I'm way too exhausted… so leave me alone you stupid lawyers!
"…"- conversation
'…'- thoughts
(…)- extra facts/actions (some)
((…))- author's/my own thoughts
'blah…' -telepathy/what people say mentally
Chapter 27: New Uniforms and the Blackbird
Kitty and Lance went through the door, which opened to allow them access, and Lance recognized it as the area where the X-Men would suit up for battles and training sessions.
As he looked around, he saw that every mutant that lived at the Institute had their own area where their uniform and sports equipment were kept. He also noticed that all the uniforms except Kitty's and some extra new recruit's uniforms were missing.
"Okay, now what?" asked Lance as he watched Kitty head towards her uniform and on taking it started to walk towards a changing stall.
"Well, you could either take one of the extra uniforms or just run back to the Boarding House and grab your uniform. It's up to you," replied Kitty from the stall where she was changing.
"Okay, I'll be right back," said Lance as he sped out of the room in a flash of brown and black and returned a minute later with a duffel bag that had his uniform in it.
"Man, now I know why Pietro likes his power so much; I could get used to this," said Lance as he grinned at how quickly the task had been accomplished.
As Lance took out his uniform Kitty came out from changing in her uniform. It was basically the same as the original except that she had altered it so that her wings were able to protrude from her back and her tail was able to as well. She had also gotten rid of the boots, as they no longer fit her; she and Lance now had gargoyle feet, which were raised up so they only walked on the front of them, 4 talons now replacing the toes on each foot. She took a look at Lance's uniform, which at the moment had tears in it from the last battle and was still covered in blood stains from wounds that had since healed.
"Lance, why is your uniform all torn up? I mean, usually it looks almost brand-new," asked Kitty as she came up behind Lance and looked over his shoulder at the torn and still-blood-stained uniform.
Lance jumped a little, surprised that Kitty had snuck up on him and after a minute, his heartbeat returned to normal. He then turned to look at her. He then said sheepishly, "Well, I haven't really had a chance to patch up and wash my uniform since the last battle, because I've been busy at my garage and earning enough money to support the Brotherhood and Acolytes."
"Okay, sounds logical," said Kitty, who then added, "but that uniform isn't really fit for a battle against Apocalypse, or anyone else for that matter. It just doesn't give you enough protection from attacks. Maybe…" finished Kitty as she took Lance's uniform from him and examined it. She then snapped her fingers and grabbed a few of the extra black new recruits uniforms, some excess adamantium and some lightweight steel that she quickly took from the Danger Room, and got out a sewing kit that she kept in her area of the room.
She then began to fix Lance's uniform as quickly as she could, with the process going faster than it normally would have because of her newfound ability of super-speed. After a few minutes, with Lance blinking rapidly to keep up with her, she stopped her work and showed Lance his new uniform.
Lance's uniform was altered considerably, but still had its trademark stripes, except they were now burgundy, black, and silver with small X-Men patches on both shoulders in silver with a black "X" on each of them. His helmet was now replaced with a much sturdier one, as the former helmet had at least a dozen cracks in them from previous years. This one was made of a mixture of strong adamantium and lightweight steel, which when combined gave it the strength of a material that was almost impenetrable. The helmet came down in back to protect his head and had a visor in front to protect his eyes from the ground that could be thrown up when he used his powers.
He still had his black trench coat and brown gloves, and now had no boots, as his feet were exactly like Kitty's, except for the fact of color and that they were bigger. He also had a brown belt with a silver "X" emblazoned on it in the middle surrounded by black. His uniform was also altered to allow his wings to come out and not be squished beneath it, and his tail was also allowed to protrude from his body.
"Well, what do you think?" asked Kitty excitedly as she watched Lance take his uniform and look it over.
"It's amazing. I didn't know my uniform could be made to encompass both my past as a member of the Brotherhood and my future as an X-Man. Not to mention the fact that it looks brand new. Thank you so much Kitty; I now feel like a real X-Man," said Lance as he looked at Kitty with gratitude shining in his eyes.
"Well, put it on silly," said Kitty as she giggled a bit in response to Lance's reaction. She watched as Lance went into a changing area, waited, and watched as a few minutes later came out in his uniform.
"Lance you look like you really do belong to the X-Men now," whispered Kitty as she looked at Lance in his new uniform.
"Well Pretty-Kitty, I truly feel like I'm a real X-Man now," replied Lance in response to Kitty's words.
"Alright where's the Blackbird?" asked Lance as he completed his uniform by putting on his helmet.
"Right, this way," said Kitty as she led Lance through another door on the opposite side of the door they had come through. As the door opened to allow them access, Lance could only gape at the size of the Blackbird, which had obviously grown in size compared to the last time he had seen it, also taking notice of the other aircraft present in the gigantic hanger
"Uh, Kitty, you didn't happen to expand the Blackbird and its capabilities since the last time I rode in it, did you?" asked Lance nervously as he looked at the huge plane up close.
"Yeah, we did, because with more and more mutants coming to the Institute, we needed to expand the size of all of our vehicles to accommodate them. As for the upgrades in its systems, let's just say that Logan and Hank felt the Blackbird needed a tune-up," responded Kitty as she went over to the plane and typed in a code in the control panel next to it.
Lance watched as a keyhole appeared in the door to the plane and Kitty put in a small key-which on inspection looked more like a small black playing card than a regular key- and watched as the door opened.
"You coming?" asked Kitty jokingly as she turned from the door to look at Lance, who was still staring in amazement at the sheer size of the plane. He snapped out of his trance at Kitty's words and nodded. He then proceeded to follow Kitty onto the plane and took the co-pilot's seat, making sure to buckle himself in tightly. Kitty meanwhile took the pilot's seat and began adjusting all of the controls.
After a few minutes, Kitty flashed a reassuring grin, closed the door to the plane and made final adjustments to the plane's controls. The door, hidden behind a waterfall, opened and as the plane took off Lance could feel himself start to become a little nauseous.