Chapter 7
From Rogue's perspective one moment she is in the lab room and the next thing she knows she is lying in the infirmary with Clark sitting next to her holding her hand. She got the summary of what Clark thinks has been going on with the key being used to plant suggestions into her subconscious. It made sense up to a point Rogue supposed. It would explain how she knew what that symbol burned into the grounds meant and the overwhelming sense that they were in danger. Although like Clark's thinking it didn't seem to make sense to Rogue either that Jor-El would save her.
Anyway Mr McCoy did his tests and found nothing physically wrong with her and the Professor couldn't find any evidence of any damage to her mind. Since there was no evidence of any long term damage that could be detected she was quickly released from the infirmary and back to living her life as normal...or as normal as it gets at the Institute.
That was all a couple of days ago now. Rogue had just finished the morning DR session with the X-Men and was looking for Clark who had been excused from DR sessions to allow him time to reacclimatise after missing the last 3 months of his life Storm had explained when Evan asked how Clark was getting out of it. It doesn't make much guess work for Rogue to figure out where Clark is. It is where he has basically been for the last 2 days. Lab room 3 translating everything he wrote on the boards and doing research into trying to find the locations of the other 2 stones.
Now Rogue may be being a little paranoid here but she thinks he has been using this as an excuse to avoid her because she hasn't seen much of him these last 48 hours. Oh she sees him. He keeps dropping off gifts for her as his way of showing his affection and making up for the 3 months he was gone. It was these really expensive chocolates this morning. She doesn't know where he got them from. He would then kiss her, say how much he loves her and then essentially vanish for the rest of the day...and night.
It is not like Rogue is overly sexed or anything but it's lonely without him sharing a bed with her.
Rogue reaches the door to the lab and pushes it open. She finds him at the far wall with his back to her writing a translation.
"How was training?" he asks her.
Rogue steps into the room no longer surprised by the fact he knows she is there without looking. "Tha same as always," she replies. "How long before ya start doin' them again?"
Rogue sees his broad shoulders shrug. "I'm busy," he says like it's an excuse. "And you don't really need me."
Rogue frowns. "Now where did ya get that idea from?"
"Did you or did you not successfully complete the session?"
"Well yeah we did."
"Then you don't need me," Clark explains what he thinks is obvious. If they managed to do it without him then they don't really need him.
Rogue scrutinises Clark intently and places her hands on her hips. "Alright Clark. What is going on?"
Clark turns round, a puzzled expression on his face. "Sorry?"
"What is going on?" she repeats her question.
"I'm sorry I'm still a little lost."
Rogue sighs. Why does he have to make this so difficult and yes she probably knows that's ironic coming from her. "You're avoiding meh," she accuses him.
"I'm sorry if you think that but really I'm just busy and seriously you of all people are going to question me about avoiding issues?" he asks her since she still refuses to talk about what happened with Wanda.
Ok that stung...probably because it had a ring of truth to it. Rogue however pushes through it. She is not someone to let stuff lie. "Is this guilt?"
"Guilt?"
"About what happened ta meh." As she says it the tell-tale signs of guilt creep into Clark's face. "It is isn't it?"
"I have work to do," he says and turns his back to her and resumes his translations.
"Oh no. Ya don't get away that easy," she tells him as she stalks up behind him.
Clark looks to the heavens. He couldn't fall in love with someone who would just accept he doesn't want to talk about it could he. No Clark had to go for the tough as nails one who always went for the straight truth. All too soon Rogue is by his side, her arms folded across her chest, her left foot tapping the floor impatiently. "You're not letting this go are you?" Clark realises.
"Nope."
"Would it make any difference if I actually mentioned the Wanda issue directly."
"This isn't about meh and ah'm not using that to avoid ya."
"No you just avoid Wanda which by the way doesn't create an easy situation for me or for anyone else."
"Ah know that," Rogue says in a quieter voice. "But ah ain't talkin' about it!" she says with some finality.
Clark shuts his eyes for a moment. He has a feeling this issue between Rogue and Wanda is going to drag on for awhile.
"Ah'm still waitin," she says.
"It's not what you think. Yes I do feel guilty. I should never have left that key here."
"Except if ya hadn't we could all quite probably beh dead."
"There is that," he concedes. Although it still makes no sense to Clark that Jor-El would save them. He hasn't decided what to do about it yet. A trip to Smallville and yet another showdown with what remains of his biological father is not particularly something Clark feels like doing at the minute. At least he has the relief that Rogue seems unharmed and that he has the key back in his possession where it can't harm anyone else.
"So what is actually bothering ya?" Rogue asks him, wanting to know.
Clark can see she isn't letting this go so he decides to confess. Truthfully he needs to tell someone. "3 months Rogue. 3 months imprisoned alone in the darkness as my mind was reconditioned and I can remember every single second of it and then..."
Rogue's face morphs into worry and sympathy. She takes one of his hands into hers and gently rubs the back of it with her thumb. "And then?"
"I know what it feels like to not be myself exactly. Red kryptonite does that but that feels good. Jor-El stripped me of everything I was until I was a blank sheet. I lost all sense of who I was and then he forced this arrogant, cold, uncaring personality onto me. Kal-El...you don't want to know just how low an opinion he had of the human race."
Rogue thinks she gets a better understanding of what is bothering him. Kal-El is the antithesis of everything Clark Kent is and now Clark has to live with what that felt like. "But ya beat him Clark and ya said Jor-El was wrong."
"Jor-El is wrong but what he made me do in that temple..." Clark shudders with revulsion at the memory.
Rogue thinks this may be the crux of the matter. "Clark ya didn't kill them," she says softly
"I could have. Under all that rubble they could well have received fatal injuries. Just because Fury survived doesn't mean anyone else did."
"Clark..." Rogue starts to say but he pulls away from her.
"I promised myself Rogue. After what happened with mom and the baby...I promised myself I would never let my actions cause suffering like that again. It was part of why I came here so I could learn to use my powers for the better but I broke that promise."
"No ya didn't."
"How can you say that?"
"Look ah know ya probably don't lahke ta think about this but tell meh truthfully if ya had really wanted ta kill them in a more direct manner could ya have."
"Too easily," he says with disgust. Clark hates to think about, how with his power, just how easily he could kill someone.
"Then why didn't ya?" she asks. "Ya brought tha roof down but there were more direct ways ta do it so why didn't ya?"
Clark's brow drops as he tries to remember back. Why didn't Kal-El just kill them outright? "I don't know," he says unable to find any reason why Kal-El chose to simply bring the roof down. In fact even when he shot the jets down he did it in a fashion that made sure the pilots could eject to safety but again Clark doesn't know why.
"Ya want ta hear mah theory?"
Clark looks at her wondering what she is thinking.
Rogue continues. "Kal-El didn't kill because Clark Kent was in there stopping him."
"I'm not sure about that. Rogue I was buried deep."
"But ya were there. If ya weren't there would have been nothin' for Mrs Kent and meh ta save. It's about what ya choose ta believe and ah choose ta believe ya were strong enough ta influence Kal-El. After all what's tha other explanation?"
"I really don't have one."
"Ah rest mah case."
Clark laughs at her expression, takes a step forward and pulls her into his arms. "Thank you."
Rogue wraps her arms around his broad back. "Feelin better?"
"A bit. I never really thought about it the way you said but you're right. I don't know why that never occurred to me. It's funny."
"What is?"
"I know you like to come off as the dark brooding one but you're the one who often cheers me up."
"Payback for all tha tahmes ya cheer meh up. Besides ah'm your girlfriend. Cheering ya up comes in tha job description."
"You're very good at your job," he assures her.
"Naturally," she says with her inherent sass which elicits another chuckle from deep in his chest. He pulls back from the hug, lowers his head and seals her lips with a kiss. Rogue reciprocates the kiss with a pleasured moan. The kiss ends and Rogue gently strokes his cheek. "Will ya beh alright?"
Clark sighs. "I will be in time but I just hate having feelings and memories that aren't mine but at the same time they are mine...I'm not sure you know what I mean."
"Ah do. Remember ah have tha memories of tha people ah absorb. Sometahmes what ah feel are their thoughts and emotions."
"Oh." Clark mentally kicks himself for forgetting that...not that he really forgets anything but he can be distracted just like anyone else and things slip from the surface. "How do you cope?" he asks her honestly.
"Ah just learned ta deal with it...and tha Professor helps. Ya know we talk and he taught meh some methods on how ta control and contain it all. Sometahmes talking helps."
Clark arches an eyebrow at that statement considering her refusal to discuss the Wanda issue.
"Ah said sometahmes," she says defensively with a scowl threatening her features.
Clark decides to let that go for today since he has enough to deal with with his own feelings. However it is nice to know that Rogue understands how he feels. For so long he felt so alone and that no-one could really understand him but here at the institute he found people that could and a place where he felt he could belong. He turns back to the boards.
"So do ya remember everything now?" Rogue asks of him.
"More or less."
"Including how did ya know mah surnahme?" she asks really wanting to know how he knew it.
"Ask Jor-El. There was a part during my confinement where he was using you and everyone else as an example of why emotional ties are a weakness and when he talked about you he used your full name. How he knew it I don't know."
Rogue frowns and almost scowls. She seriously wishes to give Jor-El a piece of her mind. She forces her temper to calm. Not going to get a proper answer she decides to ask how Clark is getting on with what he has been doing these last couple of days with what he wrote on these boards.
"I've translated most of it. Some of the terms don't have a proper equivalent in English so that makes it hard. A lot of it is technical. Descriptions of what the stones are composed of, the basics of the technology within." Clark points over at the board with the image of his spaceship upon it which along with the Kryptonian script has translations in English including mathematical formulae. "That for example is the basics of Trans-Warp theory."
"Which is?"
"A method of faster-than-light propulsion. You should have seen Mr McCoy's face when I told him that," Clark says with a laugh.
Rogue smiles. "Ah can imagine," she says knowing what Mr McCoy is like.
"I've translated the other 2 puzzles."
"What do they say?"
Clark points at one. "The Crystal of air. In a land to the east it rests. That which allows life to breath, whose turbulence gives us the wind, lies buried at the root of the branch of the river that is not a river."
"Vague much," Rogue says doing a Kitty impression.
"I know and the last one for the crystal of water isn't any better. In the shadow of a lost empire lies that which transfers the spirit of life from the sky to the ocean. Surrounded by the depths and buried in fire you shall find a truth long hidden."
"Ya have any idea what any of that means?"
"A land to the east I believe is using human references so I'm thinking the Far East which really doesn't narrow it down much and the other one refers to an island I'm guessing."
"How did Jor-El expect ya ta find these based on that?" Rogue asks unable to see how it was possible.
"My people have been visiting Earth for a long time and there are many myths about the stones. It doesn't take more than a simple online search to find references to them. The trick will be sorting out what are truths from what are just stories. It's not going to be something I'm going to be able to do tomorrow or the next day. Even at the speed I read at this is going to take weeks of research."
"So really. Ya are going ta find them?"
"I have to. Not because of Jor-El," he contradicts what he assumes Rogue means. "But for what I said. Imagine if Magneto got his hands on them with the power they could give him."
Rogue does. It is not a pretty picture.
"And also...there are all I have left of my home," he says with a pained tone because for as much as he is not particular endeared to Jor-El at the minute it doesn't change the fact he is an orphan of a world part of him wonders was like and these stones could give him those answers.
Rogue slips her hands into his and squeezes it reassuringly. "But if ya have one then surely old Bucket-head can't get his hands on tha information inside?" she queries.
"If you bring two of the stones together it activates the 3rd and the two you have will lead you right to it. They will only be safe once I have two of them," Clark explains.
"Ok ah see," Rogue says in understanding. Her eyes drift over the boards but unlike the other day she can't read any of it which she is going to go with as a good thing. "So ah was meaning ta ask. If mah job is to cheer ya up what's yours in this relationship?" she wonders.
"To always love and support you."
"Good answer."
"Thanks. Well that and a certain other duty."
"What other duty?"
Clark leans down and whisper in her ear in a husky tone, "The one that involves me coming over to your room tonight."
Rogue warms up at that thought. "Oh that one. Yeah that...you're really good at that."
"So are you."
Rogue only wishes it was night-time now but she's going to have wait hours. Dang it!
Smallville...
In his office at the Luthor mansion Lex Luthor was trying to come to terms with what he was being told by his doctors after his last examination. He had left his father in SHIELD's care for the moment and returned to his life. He does have a company to run and more than that he only wanted to be examined by his doctors. He didn't want SHIELD to know of his condition, the one caused by his father's attempt to poison him.
Except there was no condition. The toxin was gone and not a single one of his doctors could give any explanation.
Lex sits behind his desk and tries to make sense of it. How could he suddenly be cured of a poison when for months his doctors couldn't do anything. Whatever his father had poisoned him with was beyond recognition. Lex's best guess was that it was something developed by the biological weapon department of Luthorcorp. However it was gone. He was completely healthy again. Some people would just take it as a miracle and move on but not Lex Luthor. Too many strange events have occurred around him for him to accept that. There had to be an answer.
He was definitely sick before he left on this mission with SHIELD so whatever happened it was during that time period...except nothing happened beyond the nearly dying. The only unusual part was...
The stone.
Lex handled it...it glowed. He thought it his imagination or a trick of the light but what if it wasn't. What if somehow that stone cured him.
If that is the case then the stories relating to the stones really did have just basis which made it all the more urgent to find them.
Lex's phone rings. The caller id is withheld. He decides to answer it anyway because he has a feeling he knows who it is. "Colonel Fury. I suppose I could ask how you got this number."
"I could ask how how you knew it was me," Fury retorts.
"What can I do for you Colonel?" Lex asks getting straight to business.
"We still have an arrangement," Fury reminds Lex of a deal they made when Lex came to him asking for his help.
"Which I will adhere to Colonel. I always uphold my deals but I also have a company to run and my father is going to be in your infirmary for several days. You can also expect him to try and drag this out for as long as possible in an attempt to preserve his leverage. Don't trust him and don't take your eye off of him," Lex warns Fury about his father.
"We can handle Lionel Luthor."
Lex holds back a derisive snort. That is the kind of attitude that will let his father manage to do something. What, Lex does not know...yet but Lex knows his father. If he is given even an inch this will blow up in their faces. "When my father decides to reveal more information call me and I'll have it looked into. In the meantime I will oversee the other part of our arrangement. Good day Colonel," Lex ends the call.
Lex takes a calming breath. The toxin in his body may be gone but dealing with his father is always bad for his blood pressure. However now that he is well again he can go back to his more normal life. For example he doesn't have to be as distant as it relates to Lana. He had hidden his illness from her so as not to worry her. Maybe he could fly to Paris and surprise her. In fact that really is not a bad idea. In fact that is precisely what Lex decides he will do.
SHIELD Hellicarrier...
Fury ends his phone call with Lex Luthor with an ominous feeling that he is going to regret making a deal with the Luthors. He has too many issues to deal with that don't involve the domestic that is the father/son dynamic of Lex and Lionel Luthor. Lionel alone has given him enough headaches to last several lifetimes after what transpired with the Sentinels and what they discovered when they seized Luthorcorp and the many illegal aspects Lionel was involved in...and this is the man he had to scrounge up a pardon for because they needed him to stop Magneto.
Some days Fury thinks he needs another job.
His lamenting of his life is interrupted by a knock on his door. It opens and walking in comes a man of average height, lanky, in his late twenties, with short brown hair and blue eyes framed by glasses, clad in a white shirt and blue jeans under his white lab coat. He is holding a file with pieces of papers sticking out of it at every angle and he seems quietly agitated about something. "C-Colonel Fury...s-sir, the man stammers through a lack of self-confidence and in the presence of such a man as Fury.
"This better be important," Fury says already sounding annoyed because this guy bothers him with trivialities far too often. If he wasn't a genius and if he didn't need to be watched due to his condition Fury would not tolerate him.
"Y-yes sir it is. It's about something we seized from Luthorcorp. Y-you asked me to study it." The man searches through the file in his hand and half the papers fall to the floor.
Fury starts rubbing his head as a knot of pain begins to form. "Get to the point!" Fury snaps impatiently.
"I'm trying," the man pleads in utter frustration as he struggles to against his groggy mind. "I-it's hard to think straight with all these sedatives you inject me with," he complains.
"Banner," Fury addresses the man plainly. "Do we really need to relive what happened last time you were off the sedatives?"
Dr Bruce Banner's face visible pales at the memory of what happened last time. "N-No sir."
Fury nods once. "You were saying," he prompts Banner to start again.
Banner starts again a little more focussed. "It was the platelets of unknown origin. Lionel Luthor was trying to use them to cure his liver disease."
That strikes a chord in Fury's memory. "They produce cellular regeneration but it was never permanent and the platelets can't be synthesised to produce an endless supply."
"That's right. I was rereading the research of the Luthorcorp scientists when it suddenly struck me. The platelets can't seem to permanently repair the damage in a normal human subject due to the incompatibility of the genetic codes between humans and whatever these platelets were taken from. However he is a rather unique case and when combined with the residue of the formula in his cellular structure I believe the very nature of the serum will mean that once the platelets have repaired the damage it will be permanent. Originally the flaw was caused at the very moment he was placed in the machine. This will repair the flaw and he will be what he was suppose to be in the first place."
Fury lets a breath at that rambling speech. "Banner. Could you phrase that in some way I can understand? Who and what are you talking about?"
Banner looks at Fury puzzled. He thought he had been perfectly clear. "Captain America. I believe these platelets can revive him."
Fury had assigned Banner to solve the problems of recreating the Super-Soldier Serum and overcoming the inherent flaw that eventually all but killed Captain America. In the process of doing this Fury had hoped that Banner would find a cure for Captain America's condition. After seizing Luthorcorp and finding the huge breadth of genetic experiments Fury had assigned Banner to look over many of Luthor's biological experiments since the majority of them involved forms of radiation from the meteor rocks and their mutating effects. Banner's speciality was Gamma Rays induced mutation but radiation in general he was also expert in. "You are certain of this?" Fury asks Banner to confirm what he just said.
Banner looks around before he pulls out a piece of paper from his file and hands it to Fury. "In the simulations I ran it worked."
Fury skims over the paper. "A simulation is one thing Banner. Captain America can only be revived once. If it doesn't succeed the first time..."
"He dies. I know and in fact there are only enough platelets to attempt it once...but there are also just enough platelets to try it on a few small tissues samples beforehand."
Fury knows he is taking a risk but if his Avengers Project is to succeed he needs Captain America to lead it and if there is any chance of reviving the man in the near future then he has to take it. "I'll have some tissue samples brought to you. Run your tests," Fury permits.
A smile comes to Banner's face. "Thank you." He turns to leave but stops at the door. "Colonel Fury sir. I was wondering...have you had any word from Dr Ross?"
Great. Relationship issues. Fury does not need this. "Directly no. Last I heard she was taking a break from hard research and spending a semester teaching in San Francisco."
A sad smile comes to Banner's face. Sad she is far away and a smile at the image of her teaching. She'll be great at that he has no doubt. He knows why Betty left him. He doesn't blame her. Who wants to be around a man who turns into a monster but one day he swears he'll get the beast inside him under control and then he'll get Betty back.
At the Institute...
After lunch Clark had been requested down to the infirmary by Mr McCoy to do...surprise surprise more tests.
Clark can see Mr McCoy's brow furrow as he reads over some results. "Something wrong?"
"Not wrong. Just different from the results I got when I tested you after you returned from Smallville," Hank reports. "Primarily the aura your body generates is weaker indicating your powers are diminished."
"Oh that," Clark says with sudden understanding. "I can explain that."
Hank looks at Clark with mild surprise quickly followed by interest in what the teen has to say.
"In the caves Jor-El explained a few things about my powers. He said there was a difference between what I am capable of doing and what my body is ready to handle. Due to the fact he had to release me early he augmented my powers by prematurely bringing them to my physical peak. Without his influence my guess would be they have reverted to what they should be at my age."
Hank supposes it makes sense that as Clark matures his body grows and adapts to handle his powers better and bring him closer to whatever his full potential is. "So I assume you won't be flying away at Mach 7 for the moment."
"I was going faster than that. It only took me minutes to reach that temple in the Sahara."
Hank looks at Clark with astonishment. "Clark to travel that distance in..."
"Uh go with about 10 minutes."
Hank does the maths in his head. "Clark you have to be travelling at 40 times the speed of sound minimum."
"I know and honestly I don't think I was anywhere near my maximum...or what could be my maximum one day. However it's all moot for the moment. I certainly can't travel anywhere near that speed without Jor-El's influence and I most assuredly can't fly."
"You said you remember what happened," Hank reminds Clark.
"I do...mostly," Clark slightly corrects what he said previously. "However the exact mechanics of how I fly are still a little hazy. Basically I don't know how Kal-El did it," he admits.
"Well something to work on," Hank remarks. "I would like to do the same basic measurements of your varying visual and auditory abilities along with your strength strength and speed as we have done before to see where precisely you stand at this juncture," he requests.
Clark supposes this was inevitable so he simply nods in agreement. "Before we go do that can I ask you something Mr McCoy?"
"Of course Clark," Hank permits.
"It's about Rogue."
"Clark that is covered by patient/doctor confidentiality," Hank cautions Clark from asking something he can't answer.
"It's nothing personal. I would never do that behind her back," Clark swears.
Since Clark is a good honest person Hank can trust in that. "Please. Ask your question."
"When we came back after rescuing everyone from Stryker we retrieved these power inhibiting collars."
Hank can guess what the question is. "Therefore why doesn't Rogue have a device to control her powers?"
Clark nods.
Hank removes the small round glasses off his face and sighs sadly. "After the mansion was destroyed we couldn't find them. Even if they hadn't been lost or more likely destroyed as you know the mansion had been picked clean and the collars are obviously a complex and advanced piece of engineering. We wouldn't have been able to analyse them properly for weeks. Even now I'm still waiting for some equipment to be delivered. Also to be honest even the basic physics of how the devices work is not something I currently grasp."
"Excuse me for one moment," Clark says and vanishes in a gust of wind. He returns a moment later holding a piece of paper. He hands it over to Mr McCoy.
"What's this?"
"When I removed the device from Rogue I x-rayed it beforehand to make sure it was only the lock I fried with my heat vision. That is everything I saw. Now my powers were weakening and I'm not sure I saw everything but it should be a basis to start from right?"
Hank looks over what is the drawing Clark has made of what he must have seen within the collar. He can recognise some if not most of the components Clark has drawn. "It could be a beginning but still I wouldn't raise your expectations too high," Hank cautions. "I may not be able to recreate them any time in the near future."
"I know. I'm not expecting the impossible Mr McCoy but if Stryker can do it then it is possible. I know it may take you some time but with Forge's help I'm sure we can do it. Besides Stryker is still out there. The least we can do is try and come up with a way to counter their effect for next time."
Sadly Hank must concede Clark is probably correct in his assessment that there will be a next time they meet Colonel Stryker. Hank puts the drawing aside in a safe place for the moment. He can begin work on that later. For now he wants to test Clark's powers.
First things first are tests of Clark's visual and auditory powers. The range of both having increased significantly not just due to the fact Clark's powers grow as time passes but that a legacy of Jor-El's brainwashing is Clark having a better understanding of how his powers work. He can see and hear things that are literally many miles away. Clark came up with nickname of Telescopic vision for his ability to see over long distances and appropriately Microscopic vision for his ability to magnify extremely small things, down to the cellular level as it turned out, into crystal clarity. Now some cells are larger and easier to see than others and Clark still has limits. Hank put it at somewhere between 30 and 40 times magnification.
Once that was over it is a trip to the Danger Room to measure Clark's strength that comes next. Clark stands in the appropriate place as the section of the roof drops onto him as he rests it on his shoulders to start with with his hands places flat against the bottom as he waits to begin. Up in the observation booth or more accurately crammed into the observation booth is everyone. They are all here because it is always vital for a team to work successfully to know what each member of that team is capable of.
The hydraulic pumps are activated and Hank supposes they'll see who has a higher limit. The pumps after their latest upgrade or Clark. Last time they measured Clark's strength 5 months ago it was about 2200 tons.
He surpasses that figure in under a minute and the first signs of strain don't appear on his face until the pressure is past 4000 tons. It isn't until 4625 tons that Clark drops to one knee.
"You know for once I'm lost for words," Domino comments never having seen before how strong Clark actually is.
"Miracles never cease," Logan dead-pans.
"No they don't. After all look at me," Domino says gesturing at herself with mock arrogance.
"Every day," Bobby murmurs because seriously Domino was just spectacular to look at.
"That's more than double the measurement from last time," Hank comments as he records it as a chart of Clark's progress. All the students have similar records as it helps Hank and the Professor monitor them and help them adjust to their abilities as they grow and evolve.
"How strong was he when he first arrived?" Dom wonders.
"He could lift just under 900 tons," Jean answers.
"Clark's powers roughly increase by a margin over 50% every 3 months," Hank informs Domino. "Next month he will have been here a year so doing the maths it seems this is where his abilities would be expected to be."
"Amazingly I'm still lost for words," is Dom's reply.
"But not enough to not talk," Logan gripes.
Domino rolls her eyes at him. Logan is still just grumpy about her drinking his beer.
That test done they all move onto the next one. The Danger Room activates and a simulation of what looks like a wind tunnel appears.
"Ok so vhat is zhis?" Kurt asks.
"When Clark regained his memory he also gained the knowledge of a power he was previously unaware of but that Jor-El taught him to use," the Professor explains.
"More abilities?" Jamie asks sounding amazed.
"He really does live up to that Superboy name doesn't he," Tabby remarks with a whistle.
"When you are ready Clark," Hank speaks over the PA.
Clark takes a deep breath and recalling what it is he did as Kal-El unleashes the full force of his lungs. While not as powerful as what Kal-El could do Clark still manages to unleash a wind of substantial force. More than enough to easily blow any normal person off their feet.
Scott can see the potential uses for that when confronted by a close together group of opponents. Clark could literally blow them off their feet and put them at a disadvantage. Storm can do something similar when she summons up the wind. Combining the two of them could be extremely effective at disabling opponents.
Domino leans over to Rogue. "Piece of advice. Don't allow him to eat garlic just before he does that."
"Hey!" Tabby complains. "That was my line," she says with a pout.
Domino smirks. "You snooze you lose Tabs but you're welcome to try and beat me."
"Oh I will be," Tabby promises in what is a friendly little rivalry that has been started up over the summer between the two.
"Lets move on shall we," Hank proposes having gotten enough data for now for him to study from the sensors he strapped on Clark before they started.
"So why are we doing this outside?" Ray asks as the students hang around on the grounds as Mr McCoy fits a few different sensors onto Clark.
"Because you don't want me inside when I pass through the sound barrier," Clark answers the question and he is certain he will pass that barrier. He did so when he ran to Smallville to confront Jor-El.
Kitty nods in understanding. "Yeah sonic booms can be hazardous."
"Done," Hank says as he finishes attaching one last sensor.
Clark adjusts his X-Men uniform. He hasn't worn this in 3 months but it was still the same blue suit with long red coat atop with the golden X inside a circle on the back and red boots. Clark briefly wonders if he can keep wearing this with Fury after him. He can't help but think that putting some distance between his public persona of the Bayville Blur and the X-Men might protect them better but he can think on that more later.
"In your own time Clark," Hank says.
Clark nods. They had agreed on a circular course he is to run several miles long. In a blur of motion and a gust of wind he is gone while everyone's attention shifts to the device that is relaying the signal from one of the sensors strapped around Clark's arm showing the speed he is running at.
Although when the muffled sound of a sonic boom reaches them shortly after he left that is a give away too. Soon the numbers level out.
"What's the verdict?" Evan asks since he is standing in a position where he can't get a clear view.
"1078 miles per hour which is not far off Mach 1.5," Hank reports the reading.
"Did you not say he was flying substantially faster than that when he left the mansion?" Ororo inquires.
"And when he was flying back to Smallville he was going Mach 3," Scott recalls.
"Clark explained that was due to Jor-El artificially augmenting his powers to make him better able to complete the task Jor-El was sending him on in relation to the 3 stones Clark told us about. This is what Clark is capable of at his current age," Hank responds to the points Ororo and Scott are making.
"What does that mean 'at his current age'?" Jean asks.
"That what Jor-El did was prematurely bring Clark's powers to his physical peak. What he did is what he will be capable of one day but not right now."
"Astounding," Charles has to remark. "I think you can call him back now Hank," he decides that that is enough for Clark running around. The reading has not gone above 1078 so that must be Clark's maximum for today.
Hank activates the communicator he gave Clark and a few moments later Clark appears with his usual gust of wind kicking up some dust.
"Dude ease up," Roberto complains as he coughs on the dust.
"Sorry," Clark apologises.
"So like what's next?" Kitty asks.
"Flying," the Professor answers.
In response Clark groans. He had really hoped to come up with an excuse to avoid trying this. He has an ominous feeling this won't go well because one major difference between himself and Kal-El is that Clark has a fear of heights and flying tends to make him queasy. "It might be best if you stand back," Clark advises unsure what exactly will happen when he attempts this but not wanting anyone too close to him because if he lands on someone with his mass and density it is liable to really hurt them.
Everyone clears a space around Clark while he closes his eyes and tries to remember what he did as Kal-El. He bends his knees and pushes off the ground. Upward he soars until he reaches the top of his arc and the bounds of gravity he has not broken as its relentless pull drags him back down. He impacts the ground, kicking up more dust as his landing creates a small impact crater.
Clark takes a moment and tries again with the same result.
"Maybe ya can try a running take off," Sam, who can fly although it is like a missile and his control still needs work, suggests from his personal experience.
"An excellent idea Samuel," the Professor praises the young man's thinking.
"Alright," Clark agrees as he blurs off some distance away. He slides to a stop, takes a breath and starts running back. He leaps and only rises a short way before landing. He keeps running and leaps again higher and further before landing. He keeps running and puts all his muscle into pushing off the ground and he soars upward and upward, over the others, over the mansion even and heading in the direction of the woods that border the mansion grounds.
With the exhilarating feeling of the wind in his face and himself in the sky for a brief moment Clark can feel what he did when he was Kal-El and his body accelerates under its own power but it is only for a moment before he loses the feeling and he starts to fall uncontrolled right at the mass of trees. "Oh on," he says as he closes his eyes and braces himself for the impact.
At the loud crash sound that follows the students and teachers of the Xavier Institute come running around the mansion, out the front gate and into the woods. They soon find a long trench carved out of the ground with dozens of trees knocked aside and broken like kindling. They follow the trench to its end where upon finding Clark not a single one of them can stop the fit of giggles they break into. Even the adults join in including Martha and Jonathan.
"We shouldn't you know," Martha says to her husband in between her fits of laughter feeling a tad guilty about laughing at her son's misfortune.
In his head Jonathan is mentally agreeing with his wife but it's just too funny the sight in front of him to stop himself from laughing. From what he is seeing he can guess Clark must have hit the ground head first and his head and shoulders were now buried under the pile of earth he had carved out, his coat was flopped over upward and his rear was sticking up in the air. It was too comical for words.
Kitty, between her giggles, pulls out her phone and snaps a picture and prepares to send it to everyone at the Institute to make sure this moment is saved for all prosperity.
"Oh hey now," Kurt says spotting what Kitty is up to. "Zhat's not very nice. He is our friend."
"Is that so?" Kitty asks with a grin. "In that case why are you laughing?"
Kurt looks at his prone friend and can't help himself as he laughs once again but on the inside he really feels bad about it...honestly.
Clark starts to stir. His arms move and he pushes himself up. The dirt falls away easily from him and he ends up sitting on the ground looking at the assembled group who burst into a new fit of giggles at the sight of his dirt encrusted face and hair.
"Smile Clark!" Kitty shouts as she snaps another picture.
Clark just sits there looking completely nonplussed.
"Just wait till I like stick this on my Facebook page," Kitty announces in eager anticipation of the response she could get.
In an instant Clark is off the ground and Kitty's phone is snatched from her hand and into his.
"Too late," Kitty announces as she has already sent it, not to her Facebook page(that was a joke), but to everyone's phone just like the first picture as she snatches her phone back.
Clark's face falls. Oh dear God. He's doomed. He then spots Rogue clutching at her sides laughing her head off. "Hey," he complains making a frowny face. "You're suppose to support me," he reminds her.
"A-Ah am," Rogue promises before spluttering into another laughing fit at the sight of Clark who pouts in response.
The Professor clears his throat and the laughing subsides. "I take it your flying lacks some...refinement," he assumes at what transpired with barely repressed amusement of his own in his tone. Charles knows he above all shouldn't laugh but perhaps with the hard summer they all have had maybe this is just a release they all need and he cannot deny the humour of Clark's appearance.
Clark makes some effort to dust himself off. It doesn't make his appearance any better. "Lacking refinement is an understatement," Clark replies. "But for a moment there I was flying under my own power. I felt it...and then I lost it in more ways than one," he says wryly.
"That's a beginning," the Professor takes the positive. "Now all you have to do is to capture that feeling and hold onto it."
"I guess," Clark agrees with not very much enthusiasm to try again.
The Professor picks that up in Clark's tone. "But perhaps not today. Why don't you get cleaned up and we'll do a proper review of the data we've gathered," Charles suggests.
Clark nods and everyone starts to drift off back towards the mansion many of them still chuckling. Clark sighs. "I'm never living this down," he mutters.
A gloved hand brushes that errant, currently dirt encrusted, lock of hair off his forehead and Clark looks to find Rogue smiling at him with an amused expression. He should be mad but never can be when a smile adorns Rogue's face and any smile always looks so beautiful upon her face.
His parents come up to him with their own amused expressions. "Not you too," Clark whines at them. They're his parents. They're suppose to support him.
"Sorry honey," Martha apologises before she chuckles once again. "But it was funny," she says in her defence.
"Wasn't it," Rogue says laughing.
Jonathan places a hand on his son's shoulder as an apology but he too is barely holding back another fit of laughter.
Clark sighs in resigned defeat. He guesses he'll just have to accept it and he guesses one day he will look back on this and laugh about it but that day isn't today. He takes Rogue's hand into his own which she doesn't resist and the 4 of them start to walk back towards the mansion.
"Clark," his mother says his name.
"Yeah?"
"When you're cleaned up and finished with the Professor, Ororo and I will be having a word with you...and Rogue."
"Meh? About what?" Rogue asks, utterly confused what Mrs Kent is on about.
"About what two got up to in the woods and on that first night back here," Martha adds knowing that Clark and Rogue slept together from the happy glowy feel she got off both the next morning.
"Huh?" Rogue says still lost.
"Two words," Jonathan says with a little relish at what he is about to follow that up with because he feels the two teens need a cooling off. "Sex. Ed."
That is when it hits Clark and Rogue. After they were caught in the woods they were promised a sex education refresher that never happened because of Jor-El and the fake cousin Kara and Clark leaving and then vanishing.
"Now before you protest," Martha pre-empts. "Scott and Jean did not get to avoid it and you two won't either so don't as much as utter a word," she says sternly.
Clark and Rogue both know that voice and don't even try because it is pointless. Martha's mind was made-up. They both blush profusely at the thought of what will happen. Clark looks to the heavens. "I should have stayed brainwashed," he repeats his mantra of the last few days whenever a revelation is dropped on him.
That night Tabby falls on her bed laughing at the images of Clark on her mobile. This is never going to get old and neither is the teasing she and well everyone has been inflicting upon him since this afternoon. Even Wanda was laughing at it albeit she was standing a long way apart from Rogue as she did so.
That situation between Wanda and Rogue was getting even on Tabby's nerves and believe her she has tried to get to the bottom of it but Wanda wasn't budging about being tight-lipped on the incident.
Tabby's good humour falls slightly when Amara enters their room looking quite sullen. She can guess what this is about. "Mara. Can I ask you a question?"
Amara looks at Tabby surprised she is asking that. Tabby usually just goes ahead and asks. "Sure...I guess."
"Did you like Claire?"
Amara's eyes widen for a moment before she schools her features like a good princess does. "Of course I did. She was my friend," she says evenly.
"Mara. I meant like like and you know I won't judge you on that girl but you have been kinda a mood killer this summer and I just want to know if there is anything I can do."
Amara debates whether to say anything.
"Come on Mara. Talk to me," Tabby pleads.
Amara sighs and sits on her bed opposite Tabby. "Does it matter? She's gone."
"Your feelings haven't and that matters," Tabby says seriously because what she has learned from her hated experience with the Brotherhood and the attempt to mess up her mind by old Bucket-head is that there is a time to be serious and a time for her more usual goofing around. This is a time to be serious because it involves the real feelings of her arguably best friend.
"It won't make sense. I mean I know she was moody and short-tempered...although watching her many attempts at trying to fry Bobby was funny," Amara says with a smile at the memories.
Tabby has to admit that in the short time she was back with Claire it had been funny the way the fiery tempered redhead and Bobby interacted. Fire and Ice definitely applied as the way to describe it. "I don't think feelings ever had anything to do with logic or sense. I mean look at me."
Amara snickers as she applies that thinking to Tabby. Yeah logic and sense don't apply to the blond bottle of trouble that is her friend.
Tabby smiles at the fact she cheered Amara up.
Amara continues. "She was the first person I ever really felt an affinity to...you know power wise. I know Roberto has vaguely similar powers but..."
"He's an egotistical pain in the butt," Tabby fills in.
"There's that."
"But still damn he's good looking," Tabby has to complement Roberto.
"That too," Amara agrees. "Claire...you didn't see it but there is a fun outgoing side to her. She rarely let it out."
"Very rarely," Tabby comments because she had never seen it.
"I think maybe I was the only person who saw it because Claire felt the same way about the affinity bit and I was the only one she was comfortable enough around to show it."
"You really did like her," Tabby has to says from Amara's expression and from Amara's words perhaps that was not unreciprocated...just maybe.
"I did," Amara confesses and then her face falls. "But it doesn't matter now does it. She made her choice. No-one can find her. Not Logan and not the Professor."
"Because Cerebro isn't fully repaired yet. I'm sure the Prof will find her no probs once the old hamster ball is up and running again."
"But it doesn't change anything!" Amara insists in a raised voice that causes Tabby's eyebrows to rise slightly in surprise at the passion. "She chose to leave the Institute!"
Tabby can hear the unsaid angry 'She chose to leave me!' in Amara's words. She gets up off her bed and sits next to her friend and places an arm around her. "Gee you have it bad don't cha."
Amara sniffles a little as long buried feelings threaten to overwhelm her. She gathers herself. She's a princess damn it! She is suppose to be more controlled than this. "It doesn't change anything," she repeats with a more regal air of aloofness and indifference albeit a forced one. "And I do not wish to discuss this further," she declares.
Tabby sighs sadly. She knows that tone. It is the reminder of her friend's royal upbringing that she does her best to break through. "Alright but if you change your mind you know I'm here right?"
"Of course," Amara replies hiding that she feels a little bad at biting Tabby's head off but she doesn't want to talk about this any more. That just makes her feel sad. Although she does wonder where Claire is right now.
Boston, Massachusetts...
In a run down area of the city the homeless and dispossessed gather in what is their last refuge. This is where they end up when they hit rock bottom. People of all ages and backgrounds whose lives have taken a turn for the worse. It is not always the safest place to live as one frightened woman is finding out as she runs away from two men chasing her.
She turns a corner into a dark alley meaning she doesn't see the refuge littering it until she has already tripped over it and fallen to the ground. She lands hard into a filthy puddle and accidentally swallows some water. She coughs and tries to catch her breath. She needs to get moving but it is too late as she is yanked hard to her feet and slammed into the alley wall with enough force to make her call out in pain. She breathes hard as two pairs of cold eyes lock onto her. "Please," she starts to beg but is cut off when she is slapped across her face,
"Did we say you could talk bitch," the man on her left says with venom.
"No I don't think we did," the one on the right says.
Fear and terror light up the woman's eyes.
"Now then I think it is about time you paid up. Don't you," the man on her left says.
"I..."
He slaps her again. "I wasn't done!" he yells. "You owe us. We had a perfectly good business arrangement. We provide the good stuff to keep your little brain in a state of bliss and you pay us our fucking money!" he says in a raised voice.
The man on the right speaks. "Yep. That was a good deal. We even gave you an advance when you were a little short and now it's time you pay...with interest of course. Now are you going to pay?"
The man on the left pulls a gun out. "Or do we just call time on our losses?"
"I-I just need more time," the woman pleads.
The two men roll their eyes. "Time?" the man on the left sneers. "Your time is up whore," he informs her and aims the gun right between her eyes. She closes them and awaits her death.
"Excuse me?"
Both men and the woman turn to face where that came from and walking down the alley comes a young woman with long red fiery hair, dressed in skin-tight clothes covered in a red fiery motif. There is a vest-top, pants and boots which are a lighter colour of red.
"Who are you?"
"Me?" the girl asks as she wanders up to them adding a sway to her hips. "I'm sort of the...what's the right term...I'm a girl looking for a good time and you guys certainly look like you are able to supply my needs," she says with a seductive suggestive tone.
"We are a little busy," the man on the left says although he isn't saying no as he gives her a once over. Yes she is young looking but he isn't that picky.
The young woman saddles up to him and playfully drags her finger along his pistol. "Come now. Why waste time with this...person," she says with distaste as her gaze takes the woman in. "Big strong men like yourself need someone with much more energy and I can guarantee to heat things up."
The second man smirks. He was liking her.
The young woman leans in to the man with the gun's ear. "Oh one thing. Men with guns in my experience are always compensating for something they lack," she says teasingly.
The man frowns and then cries out in pain as his gun heats up incredibly hot in his hand. He looks down to see fire from the woman's finger turning the weapon red hot. He drops it and his distraction allows her to slam her knee between his legs and then drive him head first into the wall knocking him out cold.
The second man steps back and pulls out a knife. "You," he points at her. "You're one of those mutant freaks!" he accuses with disgust present in his tone.
The woman smiles dangerously. "Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me," she sing-songs mockingly. "Fire on the other hand," she says as she summons it around both hands. "Fire burns men with tiny genitalia to ash. Want some advice? Basically run."
The man looks down at his knife and then at the woman who can summon fire. Making the smart choice he turns and bolts for it. The woman throws a ball of fire at him and strikes him directly on his ass making him scream like a girl. "If you ever come here again!" she yells after him. "You will answer to me!" she promises as a threat.
Claire Selton aka Volcana smiles as she listens as the man's screams and cries fade away as he gets further away. Since coming to this city she had made it her business to be this area's guardian. Why?
She grew up in places like this always in fear because no-one was around to protect her. After seeing the desperation and fear in the people here's eyes she found she couldn't turn her back on them. May not be exactly what she was planning to do when she left her friends on her journey of self-discovery but it was what she felt she needed to do right here and right now.
As for how she is dressed and how she acted...what can she say? Logan always taught to use every advantage you had and men tend to let their guard down if they think there is a chance of getting some. Zero chance of getting that from her. Only Amara...
Claire shakes her head and stops that thought before it goes any further. Amara is far away and wouldn't want to have anything to do with a murderer like herself even if it was in self-defence when the MRD attacked their home.
Claire turns her attention to the victim. "You going to freak out cause I'm a mutant or will you let me help you?" she asks before even attempting to do anything.
The woman breaths hard struggling to grasp everything she just witnessed. "I...can't go home," is all her brain allows her to say.
"Join the club," Claire says wistfully and a little sadly as she briefly loses her thoughts in how much she actually misses the Institute without quite realising she is thinking of it as home. "I'm Volcana," she introduces herself as. "I know a place where you can stay. It's not much but you'll be safe. Coming?" she asks as she holds her hand out.
The woman hesitates but slowly raises her hand and places it in Claire's who starts to lead them off walking over the still unconscious body of the man she knocked out. "So really I have to ask. You were in hock to those two jack-offs?" Claire inquires because she has been here long enough to know of those two sorry excuses for drug dealers.
"It's a long story," the woman says and it was. It didn't happen over night that she found herself in this position.
"Aren't they always," Claire says with some humour, more than she use to possess but look around at where she ended up. In a place this depressing you need a sense of humour to stay sane. She almost wishes Drake was here to lighten it up. Note she said almost.
Watching the two from a rooftop across the street stand two young men dressed in dark clothing so as not to be easily seen in the dark who have been following orders on carrying out a mission. One a massive, hulking figure, over seven feet tall, and all muscle, with short blond hair and green eyes. The other is a tall large African American man with a bald head. He pulls out a phone from his pocket and dials. It is picked up and he relays what is the success of their mission to their leader. "Miss Frost. We've found her."
Author's Note: It was never explicitly said on the show but it can be assumed that the stone somehow cured Lex's condition because after handling it in Crusade his sickness is gone and never mentioned again. We won't be as cynical as to call it a plot hole that got forgotten. Clark won't be figuring out how to fly for a little while yet but it is coming and no freeze-breath was a deliberate omission I'll explain next chapter. I'm still limiting Clark's powers and allowing them to grow slowly over time as in for example his microscopic vision which if you read the comics allows him to see down to the subatomic level and not just the cellular level I'm limiting him to for the moment. Yes that is two of the Hellions after Claire. That can't be good. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Please remember to go to my profile page and vote in my poll if you haven't already. Next up; The X-Men return to school...assuming they're allowed.