Chapter 5: X-What? (4/7)
"I don't wanna sound cliché or anything but..." Nero, who was leaning on the backseat, asked. "How much longer before we get there?"
"Just a few more turns." Ororo, who was driving ,assured him.
Nero genuinely doesn't know how many hours have passed since they left the gas station. But it didn't actually matter as the ride was peaceful and that helped him relax, something that was necessary for him to put his thoughts in check. He made the decision to put the situation regarding Vesta Carnby behind him for now and just focus on what was ahead of him.
Jean was sitting besides him, with her head resting on his shoulders and their hands were locked together.
His head could only move to the left in order for him to look at the window, with the boredom getting to him, he accidentally did something that he didn't really want to do.
A painfully slow walk was the best that he could do. As a part of him was reluctant to reach his destination. With his right hand inside his jacket's pockets and his other hand holding a bouquet of amaryllis . The boy with white hair slowly walks around the St. Michael's Cemetery. Sighing as being there was quite difficult for him, but necessary.
You know, this isn't a scenario that I ever saw myself in, like... ever... Nero thought while looking at the ground. But I've been avoiding this for too long and I need to do this before it's time to leave. He assured himself of it since he wouldn't forgive himself if he left without doing this.
Looking around, he could see a few people there. An old lady cleaning up a grave. A boy a few years older than him, sitting in front of one, talking to it. A woman on her knees, crying in front of it. A man and a little girl putting flowers on one. They were all quite depressing sights, but Nero's reason for being there was also quite depressing.
It only took him about thirty more steps for him to finally reach his destination.
A grave.
CASTLE
MARIA ELIZABETH CASTLE
LISA BARBARA CASTLE
FRANK DAVID CASTLE JR
Nero didn't actually show up for the burial, nor did he come to visit a single time since it happened. He tried several times, but he always chicken out at the last second. But today, he forced himself to finally do it. Because he was going to leave tomorrow and that might be his last chance to do it for a while.
"I don't even know what the point of this is..." Nero wasn't speaking to himself. "I mean... I'm pretty sure that none of you can actually hear me, but maybe I'm wrong..." He hoped that he was wrong. "If so... I'm sorry for not coming earlier but... the truth is, I really ,really fucking hate cemetaries." That was true, but it wasn't the only reason.
He set the bouquet of amaryllis down in front of the grave, he always saw them around the house, so he imagined that maybe Mrs. Castle liked them or something.
Taking another deep breath, he continued to speak. "In a nutshell... It turns out that I'm a mutant, or something like that... I was born with a gene that gives me superpowers and that might be the explanation for my odd appearance, but I really don't think that is the case." A pointless and unnecessary explanation. "And... Mr... Castle... He..." Is in some kind of coma due to receiving a fatal shot to the head and if he wakes up, he might be a vegetable for the rest of his life. "Survived..." That was the kindest way of saying it.
...
...
...
...
"Fuck this shit..." Nero cursed himself for being so incapable of speaking. "Okay... Fuck, fuck and fuck..." Something was pissing him off and he didn't know how to express it. "The guy that was in the park, when you and I were looking for the ball." He was speaking directly with FJ. "I saw him on Tv the other day, he was arrested for some completely unrelated shit and got to walk away scott free." Nero took off his hoodie. "Nearly everyone completely forgot about what happened, the police, the news and even some of your damn neighbors." That infuriated him beyond belief. "I guess this is it... You're all get murdered like a bunch of fucking animals by some cocksucking mobsters and that's it..." That was unacceptable on every possible level. "Jimmy Cavella, that was his fucking name, an basically an Italian mafioso or some shit like that..." Basically, he was the younger brother of the head of a crime family or something like that, or at least that is what the rumors say. By the looks of it, what was happening in the central park was nothing more than an execution that they bumped into by pure accident, which makes the whole thing even more infuriating for Nero.
"Why the fuck did this had to happen, dammit..." His indignation was at it's highest peak at that moment. "What the fuck am I doing...?" He was supposed to be paying his respects for his dying friend and his family, not rant about the unfairness of the situation. "You were... My first real friend..." Despite being close to Matt Murdock, their age difference made him more of a big brother than anything. "Everybody else saw me as a freak because of the way I looked, but not you, I don't know why and I personally don't care, it was nice." Thankfully, he still had Jean or else he would be far worse off. "I wish... I could do something, anything, to make the bastard that did this pay." But there was nothing that he could do. "But I can't..." He looked down in shame. "Not right now at least." But he plans on doing something. "Once I actually get the hang of my powers, I'm going after the bastard." That was a promise. "I don't know how long that will take, and I don't care but one day... I will fucking avenge the three of you..."
Taking one last deep breath, Nero put his hoodie back on his head and turned his back at the grave. Even if it's the last thing I do, I will be your avenger.
"Nero?" Suddenly, the sound of Jean's voice snapped him out of the memory of what he did the day before. "We're here." Jean was standing in front of the car door that she opened for him.
"Finally..." Nero commented, despite the fact that the ride wasn't that long.
Stepping out of the car and closing it behind him, Nero was able to take a good look at his new home. Holy fucking shit... It was a three story Neoclassical mansion with large open fields, surrounding woods, and a beach.
"It's so..." Jean was trying to find the right words.
"Huge." With Nero finishing for her.
"Believe it or not, it's actually bigger on the inside." Ororo revealed to them as she opened the truck of the car to grab their luggage.
Nero only had a duffel bag and a backpack while Jean had a large and old looking suitcase.
Nero moved to grab his bags, placing one on his back and the other on his front. Before grabbing Jean's luggage.
"Hey, you don't have to carry mine as well." Jean was quick to tell him.
"Nope, but I want to." Nero was quick to rebuff as he closed the trunk. "Besides, what the hell did you pack on this?" Because it was considerably heavy.
"Clothes, some things from my room, etc." Jean explained to him. "That was the only case available, so I had to fill up completely."
"Put emphasis on the "completely" then." Nero joked as he struggled to lift the heavy bag up.
"You want me to take it?" Ororo offered.
"Nah, I got it." Despite the struggle, he was able to lift it up and hold it with both hands.
"If you say so." Ororo decided to just let him struggle. "Come along, it's time to see your new home." Before signalling them to follow her.
Jean followed her without question.
Fuck... Nero, on the other hand, moved considerably slower due to the amount of weight that he was carrying.
The three of them walked all the way towards the entrance. With Nero breathing the fresh air and watching the peaceful looking surroundings, feeling a little out of place since he was so used to New York City's polluted air and cramped up surroundings that it was kind of odd for him to be in a place like that.
Jean on the other looked around with a big smile on her face, clearly adoring the change of scenery. Something that made Nero happy since it might be good for her.
A few labored steps and Nero was in front of the front door of that big mansion with Jean standing besides him. Ororo touched the door and took a good look at the two of them before opening. "I'm gonna be completely honest with you two." The older woman told them. "I may not know the two of you very well, but I can tell that it will be very nice to have you here."
Both smiled at her in response to what she said.
"Welcome to the Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters" She announced as she opened the door for the two of them.
"Woah..." It turns out that Ororo wasn't exaggerating, the mansion does look bigger on the inside. The central congregation and entryway for the mansion, located as a bridge between wings. Contains the central staircase. The whole place was really well cleaned and partially decorated in a manner that you would somewhat expect a place like that to look.
After taking a good look around, Nero and Jean slowly stepped inside. The air inside was different, not any less pleasant than the fresh air outside, simply a little more artificial. Stepping inside with the heavy luggage, Nero was still having trouble believing that this was his new home.
"Well, it is." Suddenly, Nero heard the Professor's voice inside of his head. "Could the two of you kindly make your way to the Lounge, there are some people that I would like to introduce to the two of you." The man instructed the trio.
"I assume that you heard it too." Ororo asked the two and they nodded in response. "You can put the bags down now, I'll make sure they get in your new rooms."
Nero responded by carefully putting Jean's suitcase down before unceremoniously dropping both of his bags on the floor.
"The lounge is that way, the Professor is awaiting the two of you." Ororo pointed towards the direction that they are supposed to go with her index finger.
Hearing that, Nero and Jean slowly made their way to the Mansion's lounge in order to encounter Professor Xavier. It only took a few steps for the two of them to reach the door frame, where they saw a bar in a dark blend of chestnut and black walnut accented by the core of oak that runs 25 feet through the lounge, set with brass rails and taps behind the bar. Behind it in a custom mirrored set of cases are a dazzling array of bottles, although many of them long empty and largely ornamental. The walls are dark inlaid wood and the stools and deep leather couches are clearly handmade. Upon entrance, they were greeted by the sight of Charles Xavier, wearing a fine looking dark suit. As they approached him, they realized that there were two other people standing besides him.
One was a tall, slim boy, with fair skin, dark brown hair in a side parted hairstyle. He was wearing a Clean-cut and serious outfit, like a typical preppy guy. A dark red collared button-up shirt, form-fitting brown-grayish pants, and brown running shoes. But what really stood out about his appearance were the strange looking shades that he was wearing, strange looking ruby-colored glasses.
The other one was a slightly short and skinny boy, with short and messy light brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a light blue, short-sleeved shirt with dark blue sleeves, green cargo shorts and grey trainers.
"I'm glad the two of you have arrived safely." The Professor told the two of them as they stood a few steps away from them.
"Not... So safely..." Nero scratched his head a bit as the events that transpired before they made their way to the Mansion reappeared in his head.
"Yes, words cannot describe how sorry I am that you had to endure such a thing." The Professor offered his sympathies since he was clearly aware of what happened.
"You paid her hospital bills and that honestly was better than any words of condolences." Nero declared while looking down, still a bit shaken due to the memory of the awful state that she was in.
Jean gently touched his shoulder in response.
"Still... You have my condolences." The older man said it anyway. "And I assure you that any medical care that your mother requires will be taken care of."
"Thanks..." Normally, this will be the moment where someone will act prideful and make a comment about how they don't need charity or some shit like that. But I ain't stupid enough to refuse free healthcare for a loved one.... Loved one? Is Vesta Carnby even that? I mean... Suddenly, his head became filled with doubts in regards to that.
Suddenly, Jean gave him a look, indicating that they probably read his mind right now. "Ummm..." Which prompted her to say something. "You two must be the other students?" She asked the two boys that were awkwardly standing there.
"Yes." Professor Xavier confirmed and decided to introduce the two of them. " This is Scott Summers." He signaled towards the boy wearing shades.
"H-hey..." Scott awkwardly waved at Jean.
"Sup." Nero greeted him.
"Hello." Jean waved back at him, which seemed to have caused him to scratch his head awkwardly in response.
"And this is Bobby Drake." Xavier then introduced the other boy to them.
"Hey, it's really nice to have new people here." Bobby declared.
"Good to know." Nero replied with a thumbs up.
"Bobby, Scott, these are the two new students that I have been telling you two about." Then the Professor introduced the two of them. "Jean Grey and Nero Carnby."
"So, you guys have powers too?" Nero bluntly asked the two of them in curiosity.
" That's kind of mandatory to study there." Bobby answered for him.
"Yeah." Scott added with a nod.
"Wait, didn't you say there were three other students?" Jean asked the Professor.
Now that he thought about it, she was right, the professor did mention that there were three other students but he only saw two.
"Yes, matter of fact, where exactly is Warren?" The Professor asked the two of them.
"He's on the beach right now." Scott responded . "I tried to call him like you asked but he just told me to leave him alone.
"I don't really know what exactly he is doing there but I didn't really want to bother him either." Bobby added.
"Warren enjoys his solitude, it's to just leave him be." The Professor told them. "He can introduce himself later, if he wishes." The man then turned his wheelchair around to look at Scott and Bobby. "Forgive me for requesting this but there is something that I wish to discuss with Ororo, could the two of you give them a tour around the Mansion?" He requested the two boys.
"Yes, of course." Scott was quick to accept.
"No problem." With Bobby also agreeing.
"Thank you." Xavier then turned to look at Nero and Jean. "Once again, I am very happy to welcome the two of you to my home."
"Thank you for having us, Professor Xavier." Jean gave him a respectful bow in response that made Nero chuckle a bit because it looked silly. With her giving him an annoyed look in response.
"And thank you one more time for... You know..." Then Nero had to thank him again for that. With Jean's annoyed look turning into an upset one as she knew exactly what he meant.
"If there is anything else that I can do for you, you only have to ask." The Professor stated to the boy.
"There were... two men... In the apartment with her... Could see if they are..." Nero had to ask that using telepathy so no one else will head. "I was so furious that I-"
"I will look into it and I won't pass any judgement on you because that kind of situation was incredibly overwhelming." The Professor was quick to respond. "But you must understand that despite the circumstances, you might have killed those men and you will have to live with that."
"I am aware of that." Nero spoke that one out loud while looking down on shame.
"I am glad to hear it." Xavier seemed satisfied with Nero's answer.
"Hey." Jean gently held his hand.
Nero smiled at her, before moving his head a the duo that was standing there, completely clueless about what they were talking about. "So, are we going to start that tour?" He asked them. "Because this mansion is huge and it might take a while."
"Got that part right." Bobby confirmed what he said. "I think we should start with the first floor."
"Lead the way." Nero said afterwards.
Nero was very right about the whole "might take a while" because it took them almost two hours for them to get a full tour of the place.
The Mansion has one and two-bedroom suites, as well as a few well-appointed guest rooms. Both bedroom layouts have a kitchenette and living space, although the ones in the singles are slightly smaller. Guest rooms are functionally a very nice hotel room, equipped with a bathroom, microwave, induction burner, and mini-fridge. The main entrances to the suites are secured by a combination key/electronic lock that can either be opened by a physical key, or electronically opened in the case of staff needing access or in emergency situations. Individual rooms are secured solely with physical keys.
The mansion has three incredibly well-stocked kitchens. The main kitchen is an expansive room with a twelve top stove, a flat top grill and six ovens with two walk-in pantries and enough cooking space to prepare regular meals for as many as 75 people at once. There are three industrial refrigerators for residents to use to prepare individual meals, while the larger refrigeration units that hold the food for the larger meals are located in the pantries. There is also a supply closet which holds a wide array of kitchen appliances. The second kitchen is a smaller kitchen in the East Wing which was originally used for mansion servant meals. Only a third of the size of the main kitchen, it is still well equipped. There is a third small kitchenette on the second floor, primarily used for morning and late night meals. There had been an industrial kitchen on the main floor when the school was functioning, designed to turn out three meals a day for 150+ people, but was mothballed and recently dismantled.
The mansion has a large and ample library, situated in the main building. While retaining much of the original old-fashioned decor, it has also been fitted with a modern cataloging system and a number of large tables and individual desks for the purposes of study. There are also a number of 'private study rooms' off one side, originally intended for use by senior students or those with special needs in terms of storage space and private study time. The library has been maintained for residents who are involved in continuing studies, research or simply enjoyment.
The first floor has a large rec room with a large-screen tv, video game consoles, and an extensive digital library. There are numerous couches, beanbags, and overstuffed chairs for the students' use. There are smaller TV rooms on the second floor and on the third floor, which includes the same entertainment options, a large screen television and sofas for group events.
In the East wing, the mansion has a medium-sized ballroom, used for entertaining guests before the mansion became a school, and since has been used for hosting parties, large numbers of guests, and graduation ceremonies. It is also used from time to time to host events in which all the residents are attending, typically for general announcements or for holiday events.
The school has a small gymnasium area in the west wing that can be used for basketball, volleyball, squash, or other indoor activities. One end of the gymnasium opens to the indoor/outdoor pool and various locker rooms. The other end contains a fully-stocked weight room as well as storage for athletic equipment. The pool area contains an Olympic-size indoor pool, with a connecting swim way to the outdoor pool area, which is drained and covered in winter.
Outside, near the pool, there is also a basketball court, a sand volleyball pit, and a number of horseshoe stakes. The basketball court is unique, in that it has a habit of sliding away to reveal the Blackbird's exit from the subterranean hangar.
The garage at the school is used both for the storage of individual- and school-owned vehicles, as well as containing a full auto maintenance bay, used by the Auto Shop class. There is also a fully-stocked machine shop accessible from the garage.
The infirmary complex is located in the basement of the mansion. It contains a full surgical operating theater, as well as a separate series of rooms for specialized treatment dealing with severe medical cases or those related to mutations. There are a number of private recovery rooms, as well as offices for the medical personnel on staff. There is a general examination room/waiting room that is accessible by all mansion residents, with the remainder of the medical complex generally restricted to staff or those students assisting the doctors.
Also located in the basement are a number of labs designed for scientific research and experimentation. There are labs set up for mechanical, chemical, and electrical engineering, as well as specialized areas set up to test mutant powers under controlled conditions. Labs are connected to advanced sensor suites and can replicate virtually any experimental conditions necessary. Labs are assigned based on need first and then a simple sign-out schedule as needed by residents who are conducting their own research.
The "front yard" of the mansion, with large grassy lawns divided by a semicircular driveway and fountain, bordered by the front gates to the mansion.
The "backyard". There are large patios on each wing, accessible from Professor Xavier's Study or the Sun room, as well as the back exits to the mansion. The back porch off the kitchen is a popular spot for the mansion's smokers, having a variety of seats as well as fire buckets for cigarette butts. A brick walkway extends to a large fountain, with benches surrounding it where students may converse, study, draw, or pass the time. Further back on the North Lawn there are stables to the northwest, a woodshed/tool shed off to the northeast and a six foot tall half-pipe skate ramp directly north of the mansion. A small grove of trees to the north conceals a cobblestone path leading off to the lake, to the north.
The Lake Area, located North of the mansion is a large kidney-shaped lake, fed by a stream from the northwest, and draining via numerous streams and tributaries to the west. Along the southeast corner of the lake is the boathouse. A dock extends onto the lake from the boathouse, and a small shed contains two rowboats and a half-dozen canoes.
Along the western boundary of the property, an access road leads up to an abandoned quarry, approximately three hundred meters across, and easily as deep, filled with rubble and crumbling granite and sandstone. Beyond this area to the north is extensive woodland.
The area around the mansion is bordered to the east, west, and north by mixed evergreen and deciduous forests. Small creeks and drainage tributaries form small gorges and ditches in the western woods, while the eastern woods are peppered with small glades and meadows. A packed-dirt jogging path traverses the outer borders of the property, winding through the woods before circling the lake.
Located near the quarry so as to be out of the way, the shooting range is comprised of several indoor lanes as well an outdoor area for skeet shooting
The archery range is located near the school's volleyball court - far enough away from the rest of the school to keep missed shots from being dangerous while still being close enough to be easily monitored.
Once the long tour was over, they all made their way to the kitchen because Jean wanted some water.
"Let me get this straight, this place is absolutely huge but we are the only people here?" Nero asked in a bit of confusion as he opened the fridge to see if there was something he could drink.
"For now, at least." Scott pointed out as he leaned on the Kitchen counter. "The Professor has been searching for people like us to join the school, we just happened to be the first ones that he found."
"Who was the first one?" Jean asked in curiosity as she drank her cup of water.
"I was." Scott revealed to them. "I began to live here a few months ago."
"I came here around three months after Scott and the other guy, Warren, began living here a couple weeks ago." Bobby added the explanation as he sat down on one of the kitchen chairs. "Ummm... What exactly are your powers anyway?"
Nero found a box of orange juice inside of the fridge and picked it up. "Jean is a telepath like the professor." Nero revealed to them.
"Whoa, seriously?" Bobby seemed surprised with that.
Jean nodded in response. "Professor Xavier also suspects that I might be a Telekinetic as well."
Nero knew that Jean could do that, but he never actually saw it, or at least he doesn't remember actually seeing it. But she did tell him a story of how she accidentally launched a lamp into the wall without touching it.
"That's amazing." Scott spoke in response. Despite the fact that he was wearing shades, he noticed several times that he had been eyeing Jean quite a lot, though he doubts that it was in a perverted fashion.
"What about you?" Bobby asked Nero.
"No idea," He opened one of the cabinets and took a glass. "My powers keep showing up at random."
Both boys seemed surprised by the answer.
"What do you mean?" Scott asked him.
"Nero's powers seem to only activate under specific circumstances. " Jean explained despite the fact that there's probably more to it.
"Such as?" Bobby seemed to be curious now.
"When there is a storm, I can make a lightning bolt descend from the sky and strike whatever is in front of me simply by hammerfisting the ground." Nero decided to use the most obvious one as an example.
"Seriously?!" Bobby seemed surprised by that power.
"He can read minds too, but he gets horrible migraines if he does for too long." Jean added, surprising the two boys even more.
"And by the looks of it, I can also spit fire if I hold smoke inside of my mouth for a few seconds." That one still needed some testing, but if he takes the train incident and the alley, that was the only similarity between the two times that Nero actually spit fire.
"Can you show us?" Bobby asked clearly, wanting to see if it was true.
"I rather not, the last time I accidentally set a train on fire." Memories of that event were still quite unpleasant for him. Then he realized that there was something that both him and Jean wished to know. "What about you guys?" Since they were mostly talking about him.
"Well..." Bobby watched as Nero poured the orange juice into the glass. However, once he did, Bobby extended his hand and touched the glass with his index finger.
Nero widened his eyes when he realized that the juice became completely frozen in a matter of seconds. With him flipping the cup upside down and even touching it with his tongue, "Holy shit..." He said with a smile as that was impressive.
"I can generate, manipulate, and control ice, snow, and cold temperatures." Bobby revealed what his power was to them.
"Now that's an awesome power!" Nero was very impressed by that.
"It would be, if I didn't have a tendency of freezing things without wanting to." However, Bobby immediately revealed the drawback of it.
"Such as?" Jean decided to ask as she genuinely didn't like his tone of voice.
Bobby sighed and said. "My aunt..." The amount of shame in his voice was painfully evident.
"Oh... Shit... I'm so sorry..." Nero apologized because his previous commentary was pretty inappropriate now.
"Umm... She's okay, but... She could have died of hypothermia..." Bobby was quick to clarify that part.
"It's okay, we get it." Jean assured him since he was clearly assuming that he accidently killed his aunt or something like that. "What about you?" Then she moved her eyes to look at Scott.
"Oh?" Scott scratched his head awkwardly after receiving the question from the beautiful redhead. "I..."
"You're the guy that shoots lasers out of your eyes." Nero actually remembered that Jean mentioned that the Professor told her that one of the students there could do that.
"Oh... I remember now." Jean made a sad expression on her face. "The professor mentioned that you have to wear those glasses at all times or else you would just keep shooting lasers non-stop."
Scott sighed in response. "It's true." Before he confirmed. "But... I don't actually shoot lasers, they are concussive blasts actually."
"Concussive blasts?" Nero asked him as he kept licking the frozen orange juice from the glass.
"Well, a laser beam would actually melt whatever it hits, while what I shoot out of my eyes pretty much just pushes things away as if they are being shoveled or punched very hard." Scott explained to them.
"So... Basically, instead of melting things, it just hits you super hard?" Jean simplified his explanation.
"To put it bluntly, yes." Scott confirmed that it was basically that.
"But, is it powerful or..." Nero was actually curious about the potency of his power.
"When I used it for the first time, I destroyed an entire building with it, so yeah." Both Nero and Jean sighed after hearing that, because they already half-expected that an accident would be involved.
"Is everyone going to be having these kinds of accidents when their powers appear ?" Bobby asked despite the fact that it was a considerably dumb question due to the fact that the answer was pretty obvious.
"It mostly depends on the kind of power." Nero answered as he placed the cup of frozen orange juice down. Then he remembered the third guy. "What about -"
Before Nero could actually ask what was the power of the third guy. The group heard the sound of steps approaching the kitchen. So they all moved their heads to see who it was.
"Hey Warren." Bobby greeted the person that just entered the kitchen.
The person that just entered the kitchen was clearly the third student. It was a tall, fair-skinned and handsome boy with broad shoulders, medium length light blond hair that was parted in the middle and dark blue eyes. He was wearing a white T-shirt that was tucked into dark gray chinos and black sneakers. He also had a watch on his left wrist.
"What were you doing at the beach?" Scott asked him, and Nero couldn't help but note that there was a bit of apprehension in his voice.
"None of your business, Scott." Warren replied, visibly annoyed by the question. Then he moved his blue eyes to look at both Nero and Jean. "Sorry, Warren Worthington." Before he introduced himself to them and extended his hand.
"Nero Carnby." Nero returned the favor and shaked his hand respectfully.
"Jean Grey." Jean followed suit and did the same.
"Pleasant to meet you both, it is nice to see new faces around here." Warren revealed as he continued to shake Jean's hand. "Especially one as lovely as yours, Jean." Then he basically flirted with her.
"Oh..." Jean blushed a bit, surprised by the bold comment. "Thank you."
Nero did not like what he just saw, but he wasn't really worried or anything because he could tell that Jean would never be interested in a guy like that. Just by looking at him, Nero could tell that he was some kind of rich kid or something like that due to the fact that he was wearing a Rolex watch and he could see the designer's logo in his pants.
Scott, who was standing on the other side of the table, visibly frowned when he saw his attempt at flirting with Jean.
Bobby just rolled his eyes in response, indicating that this is something that Warren does often.
"So, what is your power?" Nero decided to ask since that was the subject that they were talking about before Warren showed up. "If you don't mind me asking?"
Warren's face changed from a somewhat charming smile to a somewhat gloomy face. However, he sighed and took a few steps back. With both Nero and Jean looking at him, a bit confused, even more so after he took off his T-shirt in front of them. "Not really a power per say." Once his shirt was off, it revealed that he was wearing some kind of restraint underneath it, it was a very strange looking vest that almost resembled a straight jacket. "But..." He slowly removed the vest.
Jean widened her eyes in surprise.
"Holy shit..." Nero was even more surprised when he saw it.
Because the moment that Warren removed that restraint from his torso, a pair of beautiful angel-like wings spread on his back. Warren then turned around and showed that the wings were indeed connected to his back
"Are they..." Jean was about to ask as she looked closer. "Can you actually fly with them?"
"More or less, but not on high altitudes." Warren explained as he turned around once again.
Nero was about to ask if it was because of a lack of training or because there was something wrong with the wings. However, before the words could come out of his lips.
"Forgive me for interrupting this amicable gathering, but there is something that I must discuss with you, Nero." Professor Xavier spoke to him through telepathy.
"Me?" Nero asked in confusion.
"Yes, and it's rather important." Despite his voice being inside his head, he could hear that his tone of voice was quite concerning. "Scott, would you kindly guide Nero into the Lab." Before he requested the other boy to take him to him.
"Right away." Scott spoke out loud.
Nero looked at everyone and realized that they were all listening.
"What do you think he wants with you?" Jean asked, she seemed a bit worried.
Nero lifted his shoulders to signify his cluelessness. "Better not keep him waiting." He signalled Scott to get moving. But as the boy wearing shades moved towards the exit of the kitchen, Nero looked at Bobby and Warren. "It was cool to meet you two and I'm actually looking forward to whatever the hell we will be learning here.
"Likewise." Bobby smiled and gave him a thumbs up.
"I just hope we get more people soon, this mansion is nice but it looks like a ghost house with only a few people living here." Warren commented while he began to restrain his wings once again.
"No kidding." Bobby agreed with what he said.
"Excuse me, the Professor is waiting." Suddenly, Scott went back to the kitchen and called out to Nero.
"He's going in a second, Scott." Warren responded for him. "Little warning, Scott has a way of getting into people's nerves." He warned Nero in a not so suddle voice.
"I heard that." Scott declared.
"You were supposed to hear that." With Warren sarcastically remarking.
Nero chuckled a bit before giving Warren a thumbs up and walking past him.
"So... Jean..." As Nero left the kitchen, he could actually hear Warren's attempt to hit on Jean.
Both Scott Summers and Nero Carnby moved through the mansion in order to see what exactly Professor Xavier wanted with him. Overall... I'm pretty sure I'm going to love this place.
Q AND A:
I'm thoroughly enjoying all your stories, with this one in particular always being my number 1. I'm curious what kind of dynamic would Nero have with Magneto? I know Nero won't fully agree with the professor so I'm questioning where his ideals will lead to.
Nero own ideology in regards to mutants is a middle ground in between the Professor X and Magneto. He agrees with a lot of Magneto's points but he just doesn't support his methods most of the time and he will at times side with him due to believing that it's for the best which will cause a rift between him and the X-men.
Like the idea of Scarlet Witch bonding with this worlds Carnage. Also like the idea that when they hit their twenties something happens to Gwen that reverts her to being a teenager again like she's 17 or 18 again.
It's a possibility. What?
Awesome story looking forward to reading
Thanks.
I didn't even know this story was updated. Great chapter as always. I don't suppose you have a concrete harem list of girls so far? If not, that's okay.
Unfortunately not, some are entering and some are being removed as the story progresses.
Greeaat!
Gggg
0_0
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GOOOOOOD!
AAAAA
You know with the X men okay this shit requires Nero situation I couldn't help but think they might not always need to send Kurt to go collect Nero from wherever he is at the time given how close Nero will be to all the telepathic women on the team let's just use Jean in this example feel like due to his bond to them they'd have a direct link to his mind set up at all times really so if they do feel like the need his help Nero has Jean, Mandy, Emma, Betsy, the Stepford Cuckoos etc speak into his head being like hey mind lending a hand haha
As for getting there true Kurt could pop up to take him there but again if Jean for example got ahold of him Nero using his power to teleport ie the Spots power haha to open a portal directly to where he's needed can imagine every team has a way to get ahold of Nero to just that the X men have the luxury of having a dozen lovely ladies who have a direct link to Nero's mind
Now while I hope Nero makes his primary living spot on Krakoa and he has places in New York hope Nero has what he calls a holiday home in the savage land essentially Nero has a big ass cabin down there that the Dinosaurs and other suppose to be extinct animals know is off limits and when hosting guests at this holiday cabin Nero enforces a strict policy of wearing torn clothes, bikinis and furs only
Essentially just type in savage land Rogue, Storm, X men just those types of outfits and what Shanna the she devil wears haha
Oh yeah for the possible Symbiote hosts because I can't turn my brain off want to throw out a alternate suggestion for one of them
Carnage - Scarlet Witch ( either way Carnage gets itself a very powerful magic using host and with Wanda's red colour scheme she matches with Carnage already in that regard haha plus Madelyn would then keep her lovely 616 Goblin Queen outfit haha )
Since Gwen and Cindy could also have the boost from being Symbiote hosts figured so Peter gets a boost to say exposure to Nero caused a little butterfly effect with him where alongside his baseline Spider powers Peter also got the Spider powers that Miles would have gotten first ie the venom shock and camouflage so with that and the tech he uses let's him keep pace more with the Symbiote spiders haha
By the way when Jean does awaken the Phoenix in this again really hope we don't get a Dark Phoenix event Jean remains fully in control of herself and also hope Jean doesn't develop her habit of dying in this yes she has the power to come back all the time but still be nice if in this she doesn't become familiar with the sensation of dying
But I just imagine when she does get the Phoenix power Nero just looks at her and all the fire around her and the big flaming bird in just pure awe and from then on when having their meeting of the minds and psychic hook ups they are always surrounded by fire
Speaking of Jean and just the telepaths in general alongside Nero still coming and going as he pleases after his exile hope it's common knowledge that most nights when they are sleeping he's talking to the likes of Jean and Emma still
Plus with his exile not really being able to be enforced could see one of the first scenes after the first timeskip being Nero waking up with Jean and who knows how many other women at the mansion haha
Oh yeah and if you do go with Nero planning out what eventually will become the mutant nation of Krakoa hope it's not a case of it's something Nero just drops on everyone it's actually something a lot of people know is rattling around in his head and they are aware of him planning for it to be a place for all mutants
Thought of another possible reason for Nero to have been exiled from the X men and that's he dee powered and then killed Moria say Nero instincts lead him to get a glimpse into her mind and thus her past lives and that night he took the one serum capable of de powering a mutant injected it into her and killed her
While he did this all covertly with no one knowing Charles suspected Nero did this a little bit hence the exile but this suspicion is just a know reason compared to others
Oh yeah and with Nero's student X men think it be fun if for example with Dust we hear she single handily fought and beat Sandman in a fight and Noriko went and beat Electro could lead to Noriko for example running up to Nero when he nexts visits asking if he heard about her win and if she gets a prize for it haha
Since I also hope we see Nero with the Ebony Blade already in hand after the first timeskip hope it's referenced that he got the sword quite early into the skip and on one of the numerous adventures over the time skip Nero being the looter he is got his hands on the other Ebony items and like with the sword their curses don't effect Nero he has them in his arsenal storage to be used whenever he feels like using them he just keeps the sword on hand at all times due to it being the first of the lot he got and his favourite of the set
For a bit of fun to if you go with the Avengers having ID cards as mementos of them being on active Avenger teams on Nero's can Tony have put Avemger, X man, honorary member of the Fantastic Four and Guardians of the Galaxy
Yes hope one of Nero's numerous adventures during the skip had him meeting and befriending a few of the Guardians on one of the X men's space adventures maybe the time they find out Xavier has a kid that's going to the next Empress of one of the Galaxies big empires haha
The whole, Kurt goes to collect him will happen more on the early days to be honest.
Interesting idea.
No comment on that one.
Ha...
Now that you mentioned, it could actually work in one of the storylines involving her.
It's actually something else entirely.
Unfortunately not.
It's alittle more complicated.
Well...
Not quite but almost.
Probably, but it will probably be slightly different.
Yeah...
Pretty much.
It's the other way around actually.
Don't count on it.
That's apretty cool idea.
Nah, he will actually meet them during a storyline involving Star-Lord's father.
Obrigado pelo capítulo incrível, Autor-San!
De nada..
Any chance for a preview with Spider-Gwen?
Sure.
Glad to have a new chapter
Happy to that Jean was there to help out Nero and I'm glad that what bothered him wasn't the killing he just carried out it was just that he unknowingly left his mom behind of course that's one thing that if Nero feels down about it again he unknowingly left her
Anyway nice that Nero got to travel with Jean and Ororo this chapter nice seeing him and Ororo get on more to of course
Nice of them to stop a robbery on the way to the mansion to haha
I'm sure Nero with Jeans help will have fun decorating his new room at the mansion I'm also sure Jean and Nero will demand to be neighbours haha
The preview with Jen was nice to haha also think by that post you think it be common knowledge in the hero community Nero does what he wants regardless if someone is enabling him as Murdock accused Jen of doing haha
Of course happy Nero was rightly enraptured by the sight of She Hulks curvy Jade ass haha little adjustment I would suggest when Nero gets up close and personal with her ass he's smiling a bit and he says "want to see if you can crush my head with your ass checks or thighs haha" and when She Hulk is placing her foot on him Nero is outright grinning and instead of the pause between yes and mama he just with a smile "yes mama" also think Nero could get away with calling Jen big sister haha
Well if you do go with Nero becoming Emperor of the Mutant Nation of Krakoa hope his costume is the altered version of the Captain Krakoa outfit and actually with the designs for his costumes even with them being Venom shaping itself differently for each one hope all of Nero's costume designs are worked on by him and Janet Van Dyne
Speaking with the Janet that appears in this don't suppose she could be heavily based off her Avenegers Earths mightiest heros self ie the objectively best version of the Wasp haha
So if you do go with Nero boosting Venom so much that it produces multiple offspring in one go well one I think it be funny to have be both excited and slightly panicked at the idea of spawning so many offspring at once and after getting a boost from Nero Venom frankly could produce its canon children in on go alongside the symbiotes that in canon are its grand spawn or some of its offsprings own clones and because it's fun to think of here's a revised suggestion list for who gets which Symbiote after their spawning
Carnage - Madelyn
Phage - X23 Laura
Riot - She Hulk
Lasher - Lorna
Agony - Psylocke
Scream - Elektra
Silence - Ghost Spider
Widow - Black Widow
Sleeper - Black Cat
Toxin - Sue Storm
Scorn - Shuri
Mania - Silk
Oh yeah Scorn would be like the others as a more traditional Symbiote not one that's part machine and they all like Venom would inherit the fire and sonic immunity and while still linked to the over all hive mind like Venom if Knull ever turned up they could ignore his influence could be described as they hear his call but they don't see why they should obey and yeah even with the boosts Venom would remain stronger than all it's offspring with Carnage being the next strongest after
Some of them could have different colour schemes to namely Toxin and Mania you could have Toxin be a Blue colour and Mania in this could be White
Ah so Magento and Wanda are involved Hm wonder if Lorna would be apart of it to haha still could have a almost sixth sense for which villains he can change and which he should just kill for example with Cassandra Nova and Juggernaut his instincts guided him in how to make nice with them for Cassandra it was literally just reaching into her mind and turning her empathy on while with Sebastian Nero's instincts scream kill the bastard haha
But yeah his instincts could also be what lead him to have conversations with Apocalypse rather than fighting him all the time hence how he could learn about Krakoa other half and Apocalypses wife and kids fighting the horde of demons with their mutant army not to say that means they'll arrive soon they shouldn't appear until Nero has set up his mutant nation like how they didn't appear until after the nation was founded in the comics
Do think it be funny though if it's mentioned off hand that Nero killed the likes of William Striker before he and his little hate group got rolling so it's like they are barely a foot note in this and still love the idea that Ultron in this took over the Sentinel program and what would have been Nimrod meaning one of the all time big nightmares for mutant kind in the comics become a tool in Nero's arsenal
For Shaw when he appears as someone Nero deals with could I suggest that it be a case where Nero has cost him a lot already the man has already lost his spot to Nero in the Hellfire club and Nero has cost him almost all his fortune already to say their conflict we see comes from Sebastian trying to attack Krakoa with a small army of mercy's he's hired with the last of his fortune and he's hired Taskmaster to lead them in a attempt to kick Nero off his private island of Krakoa and take it for himself to exploit similar to what he did in the fall of X
With Wilhelmina think it be fun to if at one point she off handily mentions to Nero some boys invited her to a club they where forming ie Kade Kilgore and the other two boys who formed the new Hellfire club in 616 except in this version Wilhelmina killed the other three in the first meeting when she learned it was to be a anti mutant group
Like to think that even with Nero hopefully preventing her father from doing what he did in 616 via killing him the night he was going to start doing that thus meaning Wilhelmina doesn't have to go as psychotic as she did in the comics there's still that side to her that emerges when someone talks about hurting her hero Nero
Could also be funny if one of the telepaths Nero knows say the Cuckoos who are Wilhelmina friends say to him she's debating weather she wants her future wedding with Nero to be a joint one with the Stepford sisters or back to back ones haha
With his students very much glad to hear Nero with Surge will be like cool gloves right ditch those immediately we are going to get you a handle on your power I also imagine him casually getting zapped and not being bothered by it while training her just giving encouragement then when she gets a handle on it giving her a big old hug
Could also see cases where after training he tells his students to all hit the showers and his female students drag him with them haha
Could be funny to seeing Nero tell them all right if you take from my farm without permission I will make your next training session even more of a nightmare causing the students to wonder if they barely survive his current training how will they manage an even worse version haha
Glad that you are glad.
Nero saw everything that they did to her when he read that guy's mind and that pretty much just made him go into "kill mode".
Nero will later become Ororo's favorite student.
Pure accident really.
You betcha.
Nero responds better to coddling and to a gentle touch rather than tough love and people pushing him into doing things that he doesn't want to do. Which is something that Jen knows and that's why she doesn't push him.
Haha! Good suggestions. Though, Nero will probably stick to Mama.
Not exact but almost.
That's actually my favorite version of hers and it might be the one that I will go for it. (Nero will absolutely adore her, which adds of why he hates Hank so much.
I'm still thinking about it, but the possibility is there.
More or less.
Nah, the color scheme will be slightly different.
Partially that, yeah.
His relationship with Apocalypse will be the most complicated one to be honest. (Hate mixed with Kinship.),
That's a cool idea.
You almost got everything right.
That would be pretty funny.
Not really.
That would be hilarious.
Kind of...
Hah...
Nah...
Preview for the Black Avenger:
{
"Are you awake?" Gwen asked him in a very low whisper.
Nero nodded in response.
"Was this a good idea?" Gwen asked him since this was her idea.
Nero shaked his head in response.
Gwen sighed. "You didn't had to stay, if you didn't want to."
Nero simply opened his gray eyes after hearing that. The room was still dark and if he had to guess, it was midnight already. Moving his head to the left, he saw Gwen laying on her stomach right besides him, looking at him with her blue eyes. "I wanted to stay, I just didn't think that it was a good idea." He responded in a very low voice.
Then he moved his gaze up to look at the bed where Mary Jane was sleeping peacefully under her covers. Staying the night in her room was kind of an abrupt decision on their part but it thankfully helped her relax. Though, the cushion which they were laying on top on was quite uncomfortable.
"Well..." Gwen moved her head to look back at Mary Jane. "I'm glad you stayed, it made things less awkward."
"Hmmm..." Nero decided to close his eyes again, because he wanted to at least try to fall asleep.
"You know -" But Gwen continued to speak. "Dumbass..." Suddenly, he felt a strange weight on top of him. Forcing him to open his eyes once again.
Where he saw that Gwen was actually on top of him.
"We still haven't talked about..." Gwen was trying to find the right words to use.
"The upside down kiss that you gave me?" Nero still thinks about it, because that seemed like something straight out of a movie. "I was waiting for you to say anything about it."
"Well... I... Was just wondering if..." Gwen was clearly embarrassed, not exactly knowing what to say despite the fact that she began that topic.
Nero simply sat up and wrapped his arms around her torso. "Just tell me what you are thinking, or else I might read your mind to know."
Gwen bit her lower lip in response. "I really, really, really want..." She was having trouble finishing what she wanted to say.
"So do I." So Nero finished for her.
Both stared at each other's eyes for a few seconds, before they both took initiative and pressed their lips together.
Despite it not being as stylish as their first kiss, it felt just a wonderful as the first. With Gwen tightly wrapping her arms around his shoulders and Nero's embrace becoming tighter.
However, it didn't just stayed on kissing. Without either of them realizing, Nero gently placed Gwen on her back and got on top of her. With him pressing kisses on her neck.
"Ummm..." Gwen moved her head to look at Mary Jane. "I don't think this is-" She attempted to argue against it, but stopped at soon as Nero's hand went inside her shirt.
"Too late..." He whispered on her ear before licking it while his hand gently caressed her torso.
"Armmmm..." Gwen's face was flustered, but she wasn't doing anything to stop him.
"You're so..." Nero's hand went all the way towards her right breast. "Soft..." Cupping it as soon as his hand was touching it.
"Nero..." She tried to say something, but Nero began to kiss her face. "We can't do this here." It's not that she was against it, but doing while on the company of their sleeping friend was clearly making her uncomfortable.
"We're not really doing anything." He whispered as his hand stopped touching her breast. "I'm just making you feel good." Then his hands descended down slowly. "Like..." Until it reached her hips. "This." And found it's way inside her panties.
"H-hey?!" Gwen nearly yelled as Nero's hand went inside her blue panties.
"Shhhh..." He shushed her before pressing his lips into her.
"Hm!" Gwen let out a grunt as he kissed her. "Mmm..." And began making noises after their tongues connected . "Mmmmmmm..." Followed by Nero gently caressing her lady parts with his hand. "Nero... Shit..." Once they separated, she had to cover her mouth to keep herself from making any noise.
Nero just laughed a bit of her reaction. "Mmmm..." Until he actually felt a hand touching his dick. "Hey..." Of course, that hand was Gwen's, who was grabbing his dick through his boxers.
She didn't say anything, she just stared at him while she continued to cover her mouth with her left hand, while simultaneously touching his dick with her right hand.
"Mmmm..." Her hand felt really nice and sincerely just made Nero want to kiss her even more. So he gave her very soft kisses on the face. "Mrmm..." Only for a grunt to escape his lips due to the fact that Gwen pulled his boxers down and grabbed his dick. And began to give him a handjob with her soft and warm hand. "Fuck..."
"Mmmmm!" Covering her mouth with her hand turned out to be the right idea, because she was able to muffle the loud scream that she let out by accident after Nero's index finger went inside of her.
Simultaneously, the Gray Avenger fingered her while the Ghost-Spider gave him a handjob.
"Hmm..." Nero let out a very soft grunt as Gwen gently stroke his dick. With her moving her blue eyes to look at him and removing her hand from her mouth.
Wordlessly, the began to kiss while continuing to pleasure each other with their hands. Their tongues enthralled as soon as they began to touch, and Gwen's grip tightened around his dick. Though, she wasn't just using her hand, he could also feel the warm of her thigh on his dick, with her hand gently stroking him while simultaneously rubbing it on her right thigh. Oh shit... It felt really, really good and if she keeps doing it like that.
"Guhh..." Gwen accidentally made a noise as Nero has insert another finger inside of her. Fingering her with his index and middle finger.
And Gwen responded by going even faster, too fast actually.
Oh shit! Causing Nero to accidentally, end up cumming. "Mmmm..." Covering Gwen's thighs with his cum. A lot of it.
Gwen widened her eyes after they pulled back from the kiss and immediately looked down to see it. Rubbing her thighs together when she felt his warm cum falling into the mattress. "Holy..." Seemingly impressed by how much of it there was.
"Fuck..." Nero cursed in embarrassment because it never happened this quickly. "I'm so sorry..."
Gwen didn't actually said anything. She just continued to look at her thighs which were covered with his cum. Then she moved her head to look at him and gave him a very goofy looking smile. "Are we done?" She asked him in amusement. "Because..." While moving her head down to look at his dick.
"Ummm..." Nero was still very hard and Gwen's hand was still wrapped around his dick. Coupled with the fact that Nero's hand was still inside her panties. "I'm not, and by the looks of it." He then pulled out his hand, which was pretty wet. "You're just getting started."
Gwen just bit her lower lip while giving Nero a very naughty look.
And that look, just made Nero smile and happily get on top of her right away. With both of them completely ignoring the fact that Mary Jane was sleeping right besides them.
}