9. Revelations
Eventually spring came. Where he used to be among the only ones in the mansion without a class or a school to go to, he was now finding himself sitting in a large room sharply at eight in the morning, desperately trying to keep himself awake while waiting for the first class to start. He was one of the only college ranked students in the mansion along with Megan, Marie, Kurt, and Kitty who sat side by side at long tables with their laptops out. Ororo, Hank McCoy, or Charles Xavier himself lectured for one to two hours a day, four days a week, on various subjects such as mathematics, proper etiquette in speech, science, the English language, and American history. This became the norm along with the agreed upon sessions and Danger Room exercise s Miguel was involved in.
His disappearances from the mansion were becoming less frequent and his mood continued to mellow. Instead of ducking out four times a week, he was now going to his fight club once or twice to release any pent up anger he felt. He still kept it a secret from the rest of the mutants and almost missed a chance at going to one when Scott got suspicious and drained the gas from his bike in an effort to discover where he was going. It was a sound plan to him as Miguel would have to ask someone to drive him where he needed to go but hadn't counted on said mutant catching him in the act. Miguel fixed that problem and stole his convertible, tossing the Low Jack device in front of the kitchen door as he drove by. Where Scott complained to the Professor about being car jacked, Remy, Marie, Kitty, and Tabitha only laughed. Logan even had to admit it was a good burn on the field leader and hid his amusement until he was back in his room where he let out a hearty laugh. Miguel's punishment for committing the crime was filling the car up with gas, completely different from the two extra training hours Scott thought Logan would enforce on him.
On a Tuesday, during one of his pit fight nights, Miguel almost bit off more than he could chew as he was matched with another mutant known as Hellion. The two abandoned strategic fighting and instead went to straight up street style. Submission moves were abandoned and it quickly became a fight of who wanted the win more.
Hellion stood his ground and delivered several hits before moving away, leaving his foe against the concrete wall while grabbing his midsection. Miguel could feel his ribs taking a beating, finding it hard to breathe and move after the assault. The Mohawk haired Hellion didn't stop as he landed a heel kick to his opponent's shoulder, knocking it out of socket and being granted a grunt of pain.
"Whoo Hoo! It looks like Apex is facing his first defeat here tonight," the mic man shouted to the crowd. "He better had saved his winnings, he may need them to pay his hospital bills after this."
Getting mad, Miguel ducked a right cross coming his way and landed a kick to his foe's knee. The resulting attack made Hellion limp back and fall to his back, giving Miguel time to tend to his arm. Leaning against a wall, he positioned his limb's Humorous ball over his Scapula's socket then exhaled a few times before ramming his shoulder into the concrete barrier. A painful yell escaped him as he felt his arm go back in its socket when he was grabbed by the hair and had his head pulled back. A knifed edged hand impacted his throat, cracking his larynx before his head was rammed into the barrier.
"Dayum, this dude can take a beating. Just give it up man. Give it up and fight another day."
Miguel was down on one knee from the attack while Hellion pandered to the crowd. His arms were outstretched as he soaked up the cheers and jeers circling the fight pit. Those on his side shouted for him to finish the injured mutant as Miguel popped his larynx back into place. Spitting up a glob of blood, he felt his temper rise and calmed himself down just as Hellion wound up to deliver a kick to his chest. Miguel caught the incoming limb then landed a hard elbow to his attacker's crotch.
Letting out a yell, the newly struck mutant fell to the floor with his hands on his nether regions. He was then kicked in the face, sending a stream a blood flying across the sand. Miguel quickly mounted his torso and began to land hard rights to the face of the defenseless mutant. Blood covered his fist as he crushed what was once considered Hellion's nose until an electrical shock forced him to a stop.
Everything was a garbled mess around him as his vision was blurry and hearing was muffled. Several men picked him up with one of them lifting his right arm above his head so signify him as the winner. His vision and hearing came into enough focus to tell the crowd was cheering for him. Hellion was being helped out of the fight pit with a towel over his face, leaving Miguel to be helped back to locker room on his side.
It took a few minutes for him to regain his composure enough to walk on his own and undress to clean himself of the blood and sweat covering his body. His injuries were healing up nicely with the hot water cascading down his form. As he finished up in the shower and began dressing to head back to the mansion, Sebastian Shaw approached him again. Every time he came to fight, Shaw would make it a point to visit him and as always, White Queen was beside him.
"Spectacular showing, as always," Shaw commented as he stood behind Miguel. "You are clearly the top fighter here. I see I was right in giving you the name, Apex."
"Now Ah know where that came from." Miguel finished tying his boots then moved to slipping his belt in place. "If you've come to ask meh about joining your little club, the answer is still, no."
"I wish you would reconsider. Only the most powerful and influential mutants can join our ranks. You my dear sir, can be both instead of only one."
"And what makes you think Ah'm so powerful?" Grabbing his shirt with a large open mouthed snake skull on the front, Miguel slipped it on and threw his fight gear back in his bag.
"The collar you wear of course. They not only negate your powers but they also tell us what your mutant power setting is. And in this case, stop you from going too far after the match is over." Shaw moved around the dressing mutant and smiled evilly. "Hellion was ranked more powerful than you."
"Then recruit him. If he's awake."
"And there lies the problem. Mutant powers differ as much as flakes of snow in the winter time. You showed to be physical in your power set; he is mental, mind over matter as the saying goes. But the true potential one has is shown only when they are without what they are so used to. You, you showed you may be second best when it comes to the power sets around here, but you clearly hold the top spot when it comes to sheer will and spirit."
"Let me guess, that's why you like meh so much, isn't it?"
"Precisely. You may not want to join our club, but will you at least grant us the pleasure of your company tonight? Should you not like what you see, you are free to go. At least give us a chance, Miguel."
"If Ah give you a chance, if Ah decide not to join, you won't ask meh again?"
"You have my word as a gentleman."
Miguel looked Shaw over then White Queen, who gave him a come hither look, and rolled his eyes. "Fine. You have one hour of mah time."
"Splendid." Sebastian Shaw gave a sly grin and clapped his hands together. "First thing we'll do is see our guest looks like a real fighter."
Back at the mansion, Marie, Jean, Kitty, Tabitha, and Megan sat in the living room with Marie and Kitty sharing a couch and the other girls sharing the other one. They had been busy talking since the guys were having a night out or were on a mission. Only Jaime and Kurt were in the mansion and they were busy playing foosball in the game room. The fireplace was lit and all three were dressed in their sleep clothes as they had a girls night in. Jean and Marie's relationship had cooled but still irritated the latter girl as the redhead still had to be perfect in everything she did. Just not as much.
What started out as a conversation about what to do since the guys were out of the mansion soon turned to the basic concept of near all girls' conversations, relationships. Jean described the plans her and Scott had been making and setting a date for their wedding day. Kitty was practically begging to be a maid of honor with Marie and Tabitha shying away. The idea of the color scheme Jean picked didn't exactly match their particular styles or color choices.
Tabitha, much to Marie's pleasure, broke up the conversation by bringing up a concert coming up soon. Although the rock band Trapt wasn't on Kitty's list of choice music, it would be nice if they could get away from the mansion for a girls night out. That plan was scrapped when Jean brought up Scott liking the band and would love to go. Now it looked like one big group date instead.
"If we do go out as a group, we need to bring more than one guy along," Tabitha pointed out. "At least then Jean won't be the only one getting the attention from an X-Boy."
"I can bring Lance!" Kitty piped up excitedly.
"We know you'll bring Lance, Kit." Marie said. "Remy will come, no doubt."
"I could probably bribe someone here." Tabitha reached for her drink on the floor and finished it off. "Wonder if Piotr's busy."
"What about you, Megan?" Jean inquired.
"Oh, I don't think I'll go." The pink and blue haired girl looked down in hopes her friends wouldn't push her response.
"Why not? You could ask someone here."
"I just don't really like Trapt. Their music's okay but not what I usually listen to."
"Oh, come on," Kitty whined. "You could, like, ask Miguel. See if he wants to go. He listens to rock music all the time."
"Kitty, we're barely friends and he-"
"She won't ask him," Jean broke in. "He's not her type. She doesn't like them scruffy looking."
"What's wrong with scruffy lookin'?" Marie asked. "Remy's scruffy."
"We all know you like that look, Marie." Kitty nudged her gently and gave her a wink.
"It just feels so nahce when his stubble tickles mah-"
"Keep it PG, Rogue," Jean quickly told her. "At least until we know we're really alone."
"So, like, tell us Megan, what's there about Miguel you don't like? Hmmm?" Kitty gave her a silly little grin as she looked over at her.
"I'll tell you what she doesn't like," Jean said. "And I quote, 'I don't like a guy with long hair. I don't like a guy who has facial hair. I really don't like tattoos and he needs to have a good sense of fashion.' I think that just about counts everyone in the mansion out as a potential date."
"It's not only that," Megan spoke, slightly embarrassed as she pictured Miguel. "He's also got that temper of his. He still gets mad over the littlest of things sometimes. It makes it hard to be his friend."
"But?" Kitty asked in an upward voice.
"But…"
"Ha! I knew it!" Kitty shouted.
"But…" Megan continued, "he's okay, I guess. In the Han Solo kinda way."
"Han Solo's hot," exclaimed Tabitha. "But I see him more of a half Han, half-"
"Chewbacca?" Jean snickered.
"No." Tabitha tried to stifle a giggle but couldn't keep it all in. "You're nuts. No, Half Han Solo, half…Boba Fett."
"Desperado," Marie said. "He and Remy are like Banderas in Desperado. Long hair, scruffy lookin'. Only mah Swamp Rat's got the style."
"And Miguel's got the temper of Charlie Sheen," Jean interjected.
"Only Charlie's not Mexican," Kitty said.
"Uh, yes he is," Jean said with a 'What do you mean?' tone "He and his brother."
"Charlie Sheen doesn't have a brother. You're thinking of Martin Sheen and he's his father."
"No, he does have a brother," Marie said. "Emilio Estevez? The guy from those duck movies and the one about the trucks?"
"Uh, I hate that movie," Kitty groaned. "Aliens hitch hiking on a comet and controlling Mac trucks. So lame. At least Dean Crichton gets called an a$$hole. That was funny."
"Kitty!" Marie nearly jumped from her seat at what her friend was saying. "Again, it's not Dean Crichton; it's Dean Koontz and Michael Crichton. And it was Stephen King who got called an a$$hole because he wrote the damn thing!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
"Oh, ok. My bad."
Marie could feel her eye twitch as Kitty sat there with a blank look on her face. "Kitty, read a book. Not a magazine but a…you know what? Ah, Ah have a headache."
"That can't be why you won't ask him," Jean said as she and the girls laughed at Marie's remark. "Don't make me read your mind."
"It's none of your business," Megan told her.
"Come on, Megs," Tabitha pushed. "Why won't you ask him out, or any of the other guys for that matter?"
"It's just…guys don't really like my eyes. Or…you know. The whole back slits and wings."
"So you've never had a boyfriend?" Kitty asked.
"I did have one." Megan's voice sounded a little saddened.
"What happened to him?"
"At first, he said he didn't mind my eyes. He even said my pointed ears and hair were cute. But, when we were out on a date, he leaned in and kissed me."
"So? You didn't want to be kissed?" asked Jean.
"No, I did, it's just…I kinda got excited and that's when my back felt tingly and my wings popped out. He said he didn't mind my eyes and ears, but he couldn't be seen with me if I had bug wings. He told me he didn't want to see me after that. He didn't want me."
The girls were silent from Megan's explanation. Unlike her, they could pass for an ordinary human but she couldn't unless she wore a disguise. Her hair was naturally pink and blue, meaning she would have to wear a wig if she went any place sophisticated to fit in. Sunglasses would cover her eyes and her long hair hid her ears. But if someone touched her back they would feel the slits near her shoulder blades and question them.
"Well," Marie gently said. "At least you didn't put your first crush in a coma like Ah did."
"Thanks, Marie." Megan gave a half smile at the attempt to cheer her up a little when the front door burst open and Remy came stomping in. He had a look on his face that screamed emergency.
"Remy? Hey, Remy!" Marie yelled as she chased after him while the other girls turned to see what was going on. "Remy, what is it?"
"The professor, Ah need tuh see the Professor."
"What happened?"
"It's Monsieur Cortez, he's in trouble."
"What?" Megan released her wings from her back and flew over towards him with the other girls following her.
Remy quickly made his way down the hall and found Xavier in his room. He had just situated himself in bed to read when Remy burst through his doors. "Professor, Ah need you to come with me quick. Miguel's in trouble."
"What happened to him?" Xavier tossed his book aside and moved to the edge of his bed. The girls from the living room appeared in his doorway, eager to hear what the emergency was about.
"He was at a warehouse and leaving with a couple. A large man with mutton chops and a blonde woman in a white cat suit and mink coat. Ah don't know where they took off to but I heard something about the Hellfire Club."
"The Hellfire Club? Are you sure?"
"Oui."
"Jean, summon Logan to meet us at the warehouse Remy's talking about. Have him trace you in the X-Van. Take Tabitha with you. As for the rest, be ready as backup."
"Wait, what's the Hellfire Club?" Kitty asked.
"They are an extremely powerful band of aristocratic mutants. No one knows where their base of operations is but if they have Miguel, it can only mean they seek to add him to their ranks. I'll explain more when you're on the way."
"I'm going in the van too," Megan told him.
"Very well, now go. You need to hurry."
"We can get there in half an hour if we run the stop lights and go over the limit," Remy told them as they left the Professor's room. "Looks like we're gonna paint the town red after all."