AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! I already have a few chapters pre-written for all of my new stories, and I plan to update this one every Sunday/Monday.
Agent Romanov was not lying. They did not take it easy on her. Lorna was given normal training clothes; a black long- sleeved, form fitted shirt with some black work out leggings and some black tennis shoes. She was ordered not to use her powers and had to rely solely on her combat skills.
Up against super spies, it turns out she doesn't have any combat skills. Lorna got her ass handed to her for ten hours. Her muscles ached just thinking about training the next day. Turns out, that fear was justified. The entire week was spent wiping Lorna's face in the mats.
Thankfully, she was getting better. She still couldn't beat Widow and Hawkeye in a fair fight, but by the second week, she had taken down three other agents. Using her thighs as a weapon never occurred to her until Romanov had attempted to strangle her a few dozen times. It came in handy.
The third week she was taught weaponry; specifically, knives. Lorna had plenty of experience with knives, but the ones she was training with were ceramic and not metal. The object felt so foreign in her hands and she learned pretty quickly the pinpoint accuracy she had was only due to her powers. "Wow, you suck," Barton commented when Lorna missed for the third time.
"Would you shut up?" She snapped, a bit of green mist danced around her fingers and the large metal table with all of the weapons strewn about shook and groaned.
"Would you throw the damn knife?" Barton quipped back. Lorna's jaw snapped shut and whirled around, throwing the knife at the target. She didn't hit the center, but she managed to hit the target itself. "Not bad. As cool as your powers are, you rely on them too much. You also rely on your anger too much, as well. Calm yourself, take a breath, and try again."
Lorna realized at that moment that Barton was a much better teacher than Romanov. He didn't seem to have the same icy demeanor to mutants as the redhead did. They practiced for a couple more hours and, as difficult as it was for her to admit, Lorna appreciates it getting trained by an expert marksman.
"So," she started, drawing out the vowel. "Why does Romanov hate me so much?"
"She doesn't hate you," Barton denied quickly. Lorna raised an eyebrow. "Okay, she totally hates you."
"Is it because I'm a mutant?" He shrugged.
"That's not my story to tell, Kid."
"I'm an adult, Agent Barton. Don't call me kid."
The rest of her time at SHIELD HQ passed by quickly. Lorna and Barton had developed a somewhat friendship and she and Romanov had a mutual respect for each other, but still mostly disliked each other.
Next stop; Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. An unmarked black SUV dropped her off in front of the large gates keeping the outside world away from the school. Thankfully they let her stop and get some clothes. Since it was on SHIELDS' dime, though, they weren't anything special. "Good luck," Coulson said, motioning for Lorna to get out.
"Thanks for the ride," she said, giving him a sloppy two fingered salute before shutting the door behind her, adjusting the bag's strap on her shoulder. As she stepped up to the gage, it opened, and she made her way to up to the big mansion at the top of a hill. On the porch was a man, probably in his thirties or forties, sitting in a wheelchair. He had a pleasant smile on his face as he greeted her.
"Hello, you must be miss Lorna Dane. I'm professor Charles Xavier."
"Nice to meet you," she responded.
"Please, follow me, and I will take you to your room for the duration of your time here." Lorna nodded and followed him to an elevator where they went up to the third floor and down a long hallway. "This is your room," Professor Xavier said, motioning to the third door on the right. "Bathroom is down the hall, first door on your right. Please settle in and dinner will be ready in two hours." Lorna watched him wheel away and then faced the bedroom.
It was the opposite of the SHIELD room she was staying in. Where that one felt cold and chrome, this one was warm and earthy. The king-sized bed was placed against the middle of the far wall of the room with rich mahogany dressers and an armoire. How much clothing did he think Lorna would bring with her?
She opened her bag and started putting her sparse clothing away and shed her leather jacket, leaving her in a black V-neck tee-shirt with some dark green pants and her signature black steel-toed boots. Lorna sat down on the bed, playing with one of the clunky long-chained necklaces around her neck, wondering how this had become her life.
A little over two months ago, she had still been the co-leader of the Mutant Underground with, who she thought, was the love of her life, Marcos Diaz. Marcos decided to go back to his roots and help the Guerra Cartel with his previous girlfriend, Carmen Guerra. Lorna wasn't even sure if Marcos still considered them dating or if he even knew she was out of prison. Did he even care? Probably not if Carmen got her claws back into him.
She sighed, pushing those thoughts from her mind and it took her a moment to realize that she had activated her powers and she was lazily twirling a knife between her fingers, hand incased in the green mist. Lorna quickly grabbed the knife and with a dismissive wave of her hand, the mist evaporated. She looked at the time and saw about thirty minutes had gone by.
She fell back into the bed and set an alarm on her phone for an hour. She closed her eyes.
She needed a nap.
Once her hour was up, Lorna exited the room and walked down the hall to the staircase. She saw a blonde around her age, maybe a bit older, talking to a teenager with the same shade of blonde hair and red sunglasses covering his eyes. "I didn't mean to set the fire!" The younger spat, ripping his arm out of the grasp the older had on his upper arm.
"I know you didn't mean to, Scott, but you know you can't take those glasses off," the older protested.
"It was an accident," the younger, Scott, stressed. "I wouldn't do something like that on purpose, Alex."
"I know, buddy, but you're still new to this. You got your gift a month ago. Just be more careful," Alex soothed, playfully ruffling Scott's hair. Definitely brothers, Lorna mused.
She walked closer, making some noise so she didn't startle them. The brothers looked over at the same time, and Alex smiled. "So, you're the new mutant we've taken in. I'm Alex Summers," he introduced, reaching forward to shake her hand.
"Lorna Dane."
"I'm Scott Summers; Cyclops," Scott added proudly. "Alex goes by Havok." Lorna raised an eyebrow.
"Polaris. There must be some interesting stories behind names like those," she commented.
"Just wait until you see us in action," Alex tossed back with a smirk.
"Can't wait." The two stared at each other for a few moments, broken out of their dazes by Scott.
"I'm starving. Is dinner ready?" Alex looked at his phone and nodded.
"Yep, let's go," he said, ushering his brother down the hall first and then playfully bowing in Lorna's direction. "My lady."
"Kind sir," she joked in kind with him, allowing him to lead her to a large dinning room.
"What's for dinner, Professor?" Alex questioned as soon as he stepped into the room. Professor Xavier looked at the blonde a bit sheepishly.
"Well, it was supposed to be turkey, but I foolishly allowed Raven to try and cook," he started, shooting a blue woman a dark look. The woman shrugged, yellow eyes gleaming humorously at the wheelchair bound older man.
"It's your own fault, Charles, you know I can't cook," she defeated with a wicked grin. Professor Xavier sighed, rubbing a hand over his dark hair. He glanced behind Alex and locked eyes with Lorna and smiled pleasantly again.
"Ah, I see you've met our guest!" He motioned for her to step forward. "Miss Dane, it looks like you've already met Alex and Scott. This is my sister, Raven," he introduced, motioning to the blue woman with red hair.
"Mystique,"she corrected.
"Behind you is Doctor Hank McCoy-"
"We call him Beast," Alex grinned. Lorna turned and her eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Can't see why," she joked lowly so only Alex could hear her. He snorted and Lorna shook hands with another blue being. This one, however, was very furry with green eyes hidden behind thick rimmed glasses.
"Nice to meet you, Lorna," Hank said, sounding distracted as he looked over some paperwork in his hands. Two teenagers walked in after him, one with red hair and the other with white.
"Ororo Munroe," the girl with white hair said, shaking Lorna's hand excitedly. She had dark, friendly eyes, and her white hair almost flowed against her mocha skin. She was very pretty.
"Lorna Dane." The other girl stepped up after Ororo walked past Lorna to the table. As the redhead got closer, Lorna stiffened. After rescuing as many mutants as she had during her time as leader of the Mutant Underground, she could tell when there was a lot of power in someone. And this girl? Power was simmering dangerously under her skin. All of Lorna's instincts were telling her to get out of her way.
"Hi," the redhead murmured, almost shyly. "I'm Jean Grey. It's nice to meet you, Lorna." When they shook hands, Jean's head tilted curiously.
"Telepath?" Lorna questioned, pulling away. Jean blinked and took a step back.
"Sorry," she apologized. "I'm working on it, but yes, low level telepath. And telekinetic."
"Impressive," Lorna commented and the two walked fully into the dinning room to take their seats. Lorna sat herself next to Alex with an empty spot on her left, while Jean sat next to Scott and Ororo. "I figured there'd more people, this being a school and all," Lorna said, leaning back in her chair.
"It's not fully a school yet," a deep voice commented behind her. She turned a bit to see a few people walk in, each carrying about five pizzas. "I'm glad you told me Raven was cooking, Charles, or we'd be starving." The man had reddish brown hair and blue eyes. Lorna recognized him easily. Erik Lensherr; Magneto. The only person who could understand her mutation.
"I'm very grateful for your forward thinking, my friend," Professor replied warmly.
"Does no one trust my cooking?" Raven questioned, affronted.
"No," Professor Xavier answered. She stared muttering under her breath and Lorna snorted quietly when she caught 'asshole brothers and their stupid boyfriends.'
One of the people with Lensherr looked like the devil. Literally. Red skin and a pointed tail that was flicking back and forth. There was another man with them; he seemed quiet and drawn. Definitely a watcher. He had shoulder length dark hair and dark eyes.
Finally, there was a woman with them, probably around Lorna's age. She had skin a bit lighter than Ororo's and almond shaped dark eyes. She was thin and short, and her mouth seemed to be permanently in a frown.
"Lorna, allow me to introduce Azazel," the devil looking guy. "Janos Quested,"the man with brown hair, "and Angel Salvadore," the bitchy looking one. "The man with them is Erik Lensherr. Everyone, this Lorna Dane."
"What's your power, new girl?" Angel questioned, plopping down in the seat across from Lorna. The green-haired girl raised a dark eyebrow at the tone Angel was using. Lorna raised her right hand, the green mist circling through her fingers and a spoon from the kitchen flew into her waiting palm.
"Telekinesis?" Jean questioned, looking excited at having someone else like her with them.
"Not quite; ElectroMagnetokinesis," Lorna corrected. Erik looked surprised.
"You're a metal manipulator?" She nodded.
"It's the main reason I wasn't too upset being sent here; who better to learn more about metal manipulation than from the best?"
"I'm glad someone acknowledges I'm the best," Erik preened, giving Professor Xavier a look. The brunette sighed and Lorna knew they'd had a similar discussion many times. Erik's eyebrows furrowed suddenly, and he looked over at her. "You said your last name is Dane?" She nodded slowly.
"Yeah?" He opened his mouth to ask more questions, but sensing the direction was heading, Professor Xavier cut him off.
"I believe it's time for food! I'm sure you agree, Lorna. I doubt they fed you well at SHIELD," he added, and she took no time to reach for a slice of cheese pizza.
"You got that right."
Monday morning, Lorna was sitting cross-legged in front of Professor Xavier's wheelchair as he coached her through finding her 'inner peace'. What does that even mean? "Clear your mind, Lorna," he ordered gently as she took a deep breath. "I've grazed the surface of your mind and you are exceedingly close to Erik in terms of anger and resentment."
"Life's not fair," she spat, eyes still closed, while the turbulent thoughts of the riots and protests against mutants, against her, raged in her head.
"I need you to think about the happiest moment of your life," Xavier gently pushed, voice as soft as a lullaby. "Think about the moment in your life where you had true peace."
Lorna thought back; at first, thoughts of Marcos popped into her head. The first time they had sex, the first 'I love you'. None of them seemed right, though. They made her happy, sure, but they were always hiding. Always fighting for their kind that she never felt truly at peace with him.
So, she thought back further.
She started remembering her childhood; before her abilities manifested. Before her stepfather accidentally killed himself and her mother in a plane crash.
The perfect memory came to her like a gentle sea breeze. She and her mother, Suzanna, were lying on the grass in their backyard. Suzanna was pointing at the different constellations, naming them for Lorna. "See that one, baby? That constellation is Aries, and that one is Pisces."
"That's me!" Lorna had cried in delight. "I'm a Pisces!"
"That's right, baby." Suzanna's green eyes looked at her with so much love that Lorna thought her heart would burst.
Her eyes opened up, a few tears spilling down her cheeks. "There you go," Xavier murmured lowly. "Keep a hold of that memory; that's your peace."
"I didn't even know I still had that," she sniffed, rubbing the mascara she was sure was staining her cheeks off with the sleeve of the SHIELD issued training outfit.
"We always find the memories we've buried so deeply are the ones we need the most." Her pale green eyes shot up to him.
"Thank you, Professor," she said gratefully. He smiled at her.
"Of course. Now, I believe it's time for lunch, and then Erik will most likely sink his claws into you for some more training." Lorna grinned. She couldn't wait.
During lunch, Alex sat next to her and the two flirted; constantly. Scott had grumbled something about the two just fucking and getting it over with. "Soon, I'm sure," was Lorna's answer as she gave Alex a wink and sauntered off to find the other metal manipulator.
She found him a few minutes later in the weight room, staring out of the large window. She knocked on the doorframe softly, letting him know she was there. He turned and motioned for her to join him. "I assume Charles did his 'find your inner peace' lecture?" He questioned.
"That he did," she confirmed.
"How much do you know about your parents?" Lorna frowned, tilting her head in contemplation.
"Well, my mother's name was Suzanna, my father was named Arnold, and when he and my mother died, his sister and brother-in-law, the Danes, took me in," she summarized. "They kicked me out when my mutation came online when I was about ten, or so."
"Suzanna," he muttered, a bit distractedly. "What year were you born?"
"Eighty-eight." His eyebrows furrowed again, and he paled. "You're doing the math, huh?" Lorna mused, backing away from him and sitting down on the weight bench. His blue eyes snapped to her.
"What? You know?"
"That you're most likely my father? Yeah, I'm actually pretty intelligent and know that two plus two equals four," she snarked.
"Is that the real reason you came here? To meet me?" He questioned.
"I'm twenty-five years old, Erik. I stopped needing a dad a long time ago. You're the only other person with ElectroMagnetokinesis. Who else could I learn from?" Erik's eye twitched, but Lorna had no sympathy. Maybe if he'd stuck around, she would've had a decent childhood. He seemed like he wanted to ask more questions, and Lorna didn't want to answer them. "Look, can we get to some training? Or do we have to bookmark it while you get emotional?" Erik's eyes hardened and he nodded.
"Training. Can you stop a bullet?" Lorna smirked.
"I've stopped many bullets; you ever been chased by Sentinel Services? They love shooting at mutants," she replied, growing bored.
"Alright, move that," he ordered, pointing out of the window they were just staring at. She peeked at what he was pointing to.
"A giant satellite dish? Three to four miles away?" She looked at him in surprise.
"Yes. move it," he ordered again.
"I can't. It's too big, too far away." Erik held out a hand silently and turned his head towards the satellite dish. Lorna followed his gaze and watched in awe as the dish moved towards them fluidly.
It seemed to have taken zero effort.
"You've been practicing for eighty years, of course you can do it," she scoffed, crossing her thin arms over her chest.
"I'm forty-five," he admonished, looking a bit insulted. "You'll get there. With practice and control. We'll pick this up tomorrow. You still look exhausted from the mental scrubbing with Charles," he dismissed, turning on his heel and walking out the door.
Lorna's mouth twisted in displeasure. He didn't teach her a damn thing. What was she even doing here if no one was going to teach her how to strengthen her gift? The only thing she learned is that she had found a fond memory of her mother buried deep, deep inside of herself that could still make her cry.
Letting out a frustrated yell, Lorna stalked over to the punching bag and began to punch. Repeatedly. One of things Barton and Romanov taught her was letting her emotions fester would lead to her loosing control. She didn't want or need the headache that would inevitably follow that type of blow out.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed, her knuckles red and raw, before a voice shocked her out of her angry mindset. "You need to wrap your hands." She flinched at the sudden intrusion and looked up. Alex was leaning against the doorframe, a small smirk adorning his handsome face.
"Just wanted a quick workout," she explained, swiping a piece of dark green shoulder length hair off of her sweaty forehead.
"I can think of other ways to work up a sweat," he flirted.
"Wanna show me?" She shot back, sauntering towards him. He grinned and the next thing she knew, Lorna's back was pressed against a soft mattress that definitely wasn't hers, and Alex's mouth crashed down on hers as his weight settled on top of her.
Maybe this place wasn't too bad.