Having a new member on the team was odd. Alex had spent so long fighting alongside Hank and Sean that he found he knew what they'd do before they did it. He'd only fought Lorna once, in the dark, if that could be counted. So so much of what she did was a surprise, and he didn't just mean as a fighting style.
For one thing she was graceful. Gymnastics and dance had taught her balance and agility. However, getting that into a coherent fighting style left many of them puzzled. Where they would kick she would jump or spin. Obviously her body size was something of a disadvantage but she had stamina. She could go toe-to-toe with them for a while despite her status as a rookie. As a fighter Alex found her remarkable. As a teenager he found her sexy.
Lorna hadn't won against them again but she was willing to work on her fighting style and her powers. Her determination obviously impressed Charles. Alex wondered if she impressed him just as much as it scared him. He had to admit that it was creepy when he saw Charles explaining her powers to her like he'd explained them to Erik. Sometimes when they fought and metal moved he almost thought Erik was in the room with them. The others picked up on it too, but no one had breathed a word to Lorna.
When he looked at her though, all of the similarities disappeared. Unlike Erik her face never seemed to bear any suspicion. Her stance was never tense except in a fight. There was something open about her. And Erik's eyes had held such rage. With Lorna he saw only determination.
They had told her about the Brotherhood. It had been a quick overview. None of them felt like going into too much detail about their betrayal at the hands of their friends. He was sure that they'd tell her more about it later. For now she knew all she needed to know; they fought for coexistence while the Brotherhood fought for takeover.
Which brought things to their first mission with her. They'd gotten intelligence that the Brotherhood had captured a CIA armory a few hours ago. The weapons storage were being transferred within hours to be used for who knew what. All of the SWAT teams that had tried to get in had been blocked by high winds and a barrage of mutant guards.
A few weeks ago Hank had measured Lorna for a jumpsuit, with Alex paying attention to her measurements. Now she sat across from him in the Blackbird, wearing it and looking out of the front window excitedly. Only while watching her did he remember that they'd forgotten the most important thing.
"What's your codename?" he asked.
She blinked.
"Sorry, what?"
"Oh God," moaned Hank from the pilot seat, "You're not going to continue that dumb tradition, are you?"
"What tradition?" demanded Lorna.
"When we first met we gave each other codenames," Sean said, "We thought it was James Bond-y."
He smiled at her apologetically.
"Hank's right. It's kind of stupid-"
"It's awesome!" insisted Alex, shocked, "Go on, tell her your codename. Go on."
Sean sighed.
"My codename's Banshee," he said, "Because, you know. Obvious."
"Yeah, I get it. Suits you," said Lorna, amused, "And what's yours Hank?"
Hank snorted and looked over his shoulder.
"Beast, again for obvious reasons."
"Holy shit do you guys know how to pick codenames. If I heard someone calling for someone codenamed Beast on a radio I'd wet my pants," Lorna said, starting to smile.
From his position Hank snorted again, but it wasn't as hostile as the first time.
"And you Alex?" she asked.
He straightened in his seat.
"Havok," he said.
She tilted her head.
"Not…bad I guess. Explains a lot really."
Sean stifled laughter. Alex felt like smacking him.
"So what's yours going to be?" he asked.
She tilted her head and thought for a moment. Her smile became softer.
"How about Polaris?" Lorna asked.
"Like the north star Polaris?" Sean said.
"Exactly," she said, "Used to guide sailors. And it's also the magnetic north."
"Nice one," said Alex.
He grinned at her. From the front Hank started the descent. They weren't experiencing any turbulence since they hadn't been noticed. He had to hand it to Hank for his stealth cloaking.
"Get ready to drop in five," he said, "You all know your target points right?"
"The north compound," said Sean, "You'll rendezvous with me in ten after I secure the area. And then we'll go to the center."
"Lorna and I'll drop in the south compound and secure it. Then we rendezvous with you guys in fifteen. The plane'll be on the roof," said Alex, "By then the SWAT teams which have been trying to get in all day will be there and we'll need to get the hell out."
"And because of the winds watch out for-"
"Riptide," finished Alex, "We got it, okay?"
"Fine, whatever," sighed Hank, "You two are up."
They unbuckled and got up. This was the only part of the plan he was nervous about.
"You got this, right?" he asked.
"Don't sweat it," laughed Lorna, "Grab my hand."
Alex gripped her hand tightly. The bottom of the plane opened up and together they jumped out. For a minute he felt himself flying. Then he was being pulled through the air with an alarming speed. Soon he was jerked back upwards. He gazed up at Lorna who grinned down at him.
"I'm really glad we found out about that whole flying thing," he said.
"Yeah. The Professor just asked me to try it one day. Don't know why he thought it would work," she said, "He says I can manipulate the earth's magnetic field or something."
Inwardly he winced. He knew exactly why Professor had thought it would work.
"Good to have another X-man who flies," he said, "Sean's always screaming and I'm afraid he's going to burst my eardrums one day."
"Get some headphones."
"I don't need to now," he answered.
Lorna laughed and set him down on the roof. They walked over to the door that led downstairs. It was locked but Alex let out a blast from his chest plate. The door collapsed inwards and fell down the stairs. It clattered loudly and the two of them hurried down after it. All of the noise was going to draw attention and they needed to move.
Alex ran in front of her. He slid to a halt before they went into a corridor.
"See anyone?" Lorna asked.
"Nope," he said, pointing to the left, "Let's go."
They took off down the right. It was then that they came upon the first of the guards the Brotherhood set up. Alex blasted the first one with his chest plate. Another one took out a gun which Lorna whipped out of his hand. She jerked her hand and the gun crashed into the man's head, knocking him out.
A few more came around the corridor. With a large blast Alex managed to take out three of them. The others were unfortunately wearing metal clips. They slammed into the wall as they barreled on. Alex checked his watch. It looked like they were making really good time. He turned to make a comment about how good of a team they made when a side door opened.
A blast of cold air sent him into the wall. It felt like the flesh was being ripped from his bones. Lorna jumped forward but got pushed by the winds as well. She cried out as she hit the wall and Alex realized that this was her first time getting injured in battle. It only served him to make him angrier. The air kept him pinned though. He looked up to see Riptide grinning at them.
"The 'X-men' again?" he asked, looking at both of them, "You're gaining members."
He titled his head at Lorna.
"Is that what the kids are dying their hair these days?" he asked, "Looks hideous."
Lorna's eyes glowed a deep green. Suddenly Riptide's arm lifted up. Alex had barely any time to realize that Riptide was wearing a watch before he was hurtled to the floor. He watched incredulously as Riptide was dragged back and forth, crashing into the different walls. With a great deal of effort Lorna got to her feet.
"My hair is downright glorious," she snapped.
Her foot lashed out and kicked Riptide in the nose. He was sent spinning into the next room just as a new set of guards rushed in. Still in shock Alex got to his feet and sent out a blast. Lorna disarmed them and turned back to where Riptide had been. He was gone but they didn't have time to search for him. They needed to rendezvous with Hank and Sean.
"Come on," he said, "The others are waiting."
As they ran he looked at her casually. There was a sheen of sweat on her face and her hair flowed freely behind her. She looked beautiful.
"Your hair looks awesome you know," he said.
"I know, but thanks anyway," Lorna answered.
Alex paused.
"So, um, you got a date for Prom?"
She gave him an odd look.
"I just beat the shit out of that guy back there and that made you think of Prom?"
Briefly he reflected on how he probably could've chosen a more romantic moment.
"Yeah?" he ventured, "So, you haven't answered my question. Do you?"
They reached a door at the end of the hall. Lorna spread out her hand and the metal doors opened.
"If the right person asks," she said.
"I'm asking," said Alex, "Am I the right person?"
She grinned.
"I think you'll do nicely."