A/N: This is going to be the chapter where Jack & June finally tell each other the truth. I just haven't worked out all the details yet. It's one of those things where you don't know what's going to happen, till after you've started writing. And whoever it is that discussed a possible collaboration in one of my most recent private messages, I accidentally deleted that message before responding. So if you can send another one, I promise I'll respond this time. Because I have so many questions.
Just a reminder; Jack won't meet the X-Men until sometime after "Metal Attraction", in an original chapter. Then during the episode "Stolen Lives", his mom will tell him the rest of the truth, regarding his family dynamics. Also including the fact that she's working for Magneto, which will cause a rift between them, to be mended in the future.
This chapter will also include Calvin Rankin, as will the chapters to come, where Jack meets the X-Men. Also; the chapter after "Metal Attraction" is where Jack and Calvin are finally going to get their code names and wardrobes. Furthermore; I'd just like to remind everyone about what I said in my previous chapter. You know, the part about Mystique and Wolverine getting back together, at some point. After they take some time and do some serious soul searching, of course.
LET'S ZOOM THE COSMOS!
Somewhere in a forest
Silas and his MECH agents were searching for something with their weapons at the ready, with laser pointers attached. "Suppression fire only. We take this one alive." He ordered. They continued searching; until they saw something moving around above them, in the trees. They started shooting, only for it to dodge there every shot. When it dodged their next shot, they approached a crater below. Silas investigated the site with his goggles. "Tight formation." He instructed them as they jumped down into the crater.
There seemed to be some unusually large spider webbing along the crater walls. Soon enough; his men were snared in the spider web one by one. They're assailant was revealed to be Airachnid, releasing a hiss while watching from above. Silas resumed his gaze upon his still snared men, when he suddenly felt small pebbles falling on him. He looked up to see Airachnid releasing a hiss, causing him to fire upon her, only for him to miss every shot. She then stuck him to a wall with her webbing.
Airachnid came face level with him, beginning her speech. "Don't tell me MECH never considered that an open-channel distress signal from an injured Decepticon might be a trap."
"I'll bear that in mind next time." He responded.
Airachnid gave a small laugh, before speaking. "Next time? Decepticon radio chatter is all abuzz about the work you did on poor Breakdown. As an ex-con myself, I really should eviscerate you for that. But an old acquaintance and her nasty, little human destroyed my ship and skinned my knee. I mean to pay them back in kind - Both of them. You see, I make it in and out of places most Decepticons can't, but I'm still learning to navigate this planet."
"What's in it for MECH?" Silas asked.
"I'll let you live. And, since you came to collect - A transformer, was it? - I'll throw in whatever's left of Arcee after I've broken her." Airachnid proclaimed.
Darby Residence
It was the middle of the night, and Jack was in the middle of walking Arcee's motorcycle form to his garage, with Calvin walking right beside him. "Thanks for walking me home, Jack. You're a real gentleman." Arcee humorously spoke, as they stopped just short of the garage door.
"I don't want you revved up before bedtime." Jack replied, walking to the door and starting to lift it up.
"Yeah, we wouldn't want that, now would we?" Calvin said with slight sarcasm.
Jack then continued to speak. "Mom's a light sleeper, and I don't think she'd understand about..." Jack didn't get a chance to finish, on account of being interrupted by his mom on the other side of the door, freaking him out in the process. Calvin's mom, Nasya, was standing right next to her.
"Understand what, Jack?" June asked with her arms crossed and an angry look on her face. "You breaking curfew for the third time this month?"
"Or that you're also involving Calvin in whatever it is you've been doing?" Nasya commented with an equal amount of disappointment, causing Calvin to give her a nervous look in response.
"Mom." Jack responded with a nervous voice.
"Or why your boss called about you missing another shift at work? Or maybe the email I received from your art history teacher, who's concerned that you've been falling asleep in class." June finished, approaching her son.
"Well, two words, mom - "Art" and "history." Jack responded with nervousness.
"Tell me the rumors aren't true, Jack. Tell me you're not racing that motorcycle." Said June.
"No, no. Wait, wait. Where did you hear that?" Jack responded, trying to defuse The situation.
"Small town. People talk. I work at an emergency room, Jack. I've seen what can happen. So, please tell me you haven't fallen in with a bad crowd?" June replied.
"And please, tell me you haven't fallen in with one too, Calvin? And that's the reason you've been missing so much school too?" Nasya said to her son.
"What? N-No. No, no, no. Our friends are the good crowd. Seriously good." Said Jack.
"Yeah, mom, what he said. I'm not rolling with a bad crew, or anything. I swear. The people I hang with now, can be a lot. But I promise, they're not bad people." Calvin said to his mom in a nervous tone.
"I let you have that bike because you convinced me you were mature enough to handle it. But I think you may need a gentle reminder." June said to Jack with an annoyed look on her face.
"Message received, Mom. Loud and clear. I'm - I'm glad we had this talk." Jack said as he started rolling his motorcycle into the garage.
"Yeah. Real good talk, ladies. We should have it again sometime, under less awkward circumstances." Calvin said in a nervous manner, following Jack in the garage.
"I meant, let's see if a few weeks without the distraction of your motorcycle will do the trick." June finished, while starting to head back inside.
"And the same goes for you, Calvin." Nasya said to her own son.
"But..." Both boys said at the same time.
"No buts." June started, then turned back, facing her son to finish. "You're grounded from everything but school and work. And if you want to take a bike to either, you'll pedal." She then pointed to his 10-speed in the corner.
"Ditto." Nasya said, pointing to her son while referring to what June said. "You're grounded from everything except school too, Calvin. And you're just lucky that unlike Jack, you don't have a job to report to. But you are not to hang out with this crew you two have been seeing. And you are not to go anywhere near that motorcycle either, or do anything that will disprove you can be responsible."
"Aww, mom!" Calvin said with a mix of annoyance and embarrassment.
"Don't "Aww, mom" me, Calvin. This is happening, whether you like it or not." Calvin's mom replied.
As Jack took a glance at his bicycle in the corner, his mom stepped in his line of sight, to prove her point. "Serious face, Jack. If I see that motorcycle out of the garage..." She left her sentence at that, letting it sink in. She then gave him a kiss on the forehead, before resuming her speech. "Now go wash up and get some sleep. I love you." She then went back into the house.
"Come on, Calvin. Say goodbye to Jack, and let's go home." His mom said, giving him a kiss on the forehead too. "By the way, I also love you." His mom said before walking to their house.
"I'll miss you guys while you're grounded." Arcee commented.
Jack started rolling her in the garage. "Don't worry, Arcee. I'll visit you here everyday." Said Jack.
"Umm, I think you mean, we'll visit her everyday." Spoke Calvin, while resting a hand on Jack's shoulder.
"Uh, guys? I won't be here. Sitting on my fat tires for two weeks is not an option." Arcee replied.
"No, no, no. You saw mom's serious face. Look, Arcee, I feel badly enough that I've had to lie to her all this time, but if you're not here, she's gonna think that I'm blowing her off." Jack spoke with concern.
"He's right, Arcee. If you thought Decepticons were bad, back on your planet. Then you haven't met angry mothers. And trust me, they're much worse." Calvin commented.
"Deep breaths, you too. Your moms work late nights. I'll try to be back in the garage before they get home. But no promises."
K.O. Drive-In, the next day
Jack & Calvin were getting ready to leave. Unlike Jack, Calvin may not work there. But he just likes hanging out with him. "You know what, Jack? I'm finally gonna do it. I'm finally gonna ask out Miko. What do you think?"
"Do whatever you want, Calvin. I'm not in a mood to discuss things right now. But just for the record, if you think you can tame a wild dragon like Miko, then you got another thing comin'. But I wish you luck, all the same." Jack replied.
"Y'know, it'd be nice if you showed just a little support, buddy. I mean, I know you're forbidden from using your motorcycle. But even my mom would acknowledge that's no excuse to always be a downer. But then again, it was a really sweet bike. So what do I know?" Replied Calvin.
Jack mounted his bicycle and took off the kickstand, preparing to leave, when he suddenly got a call on his phone after it started ringing. He then picked up his phone. "Hey, ma."
"Jack, hope you're not planning to eat takeout tonight. I took my break early so I could cook my grounded son a wholesome dinner. And Nasya's here with me. So tell Calvin he's invited too." June said on her end of the phone, as she and Nasya were getting in her car, preparing to leave the hospital.
"Organic tofu? Awesome. Hey, car beats 10-speed. I'll be home soon. Love you, bye." He hung up, then dialed another number. "Come on, pick up, pick up, pick up. Arcee? You wouldn't be in the garage right now?" asked Jack, with a nervous voice.
Arcee was with Bumblebee, currently in the middle of a battle. "Negative, Jack. Can we talk about this later?"
Both the boys were racing home, Calvin on his skateboard, and Jack on his bicycle. "No. Mom's on her way home. If you don't race back there right now, I will be grounded for life. And Mom will make me sell you for parts." Jack replied.
"And as for me, I'll be in military school by the weekend." Calvin said while riding next to Jack, with an equal amount of worry in his voice.
Back on Arcee's end: Bee, can you handle it?" He gave his beeps and response to that, meaning yes. She then made a break for the exit. "Ratchet, I need a Bridge." She spoke into her comm.
Meanwhile; Jack and Calvin continue to race their mothers back to Jack's home first. But try as they might, they got to the house first. June wanted to trust her son, but she just had a sixth sense about this. She looked in the garage, only to find no motorcycle. Jack and Calvin finally made it back to the house, huffing and puffing from the exhaustion. "JACK!"
"CALVIN!"
Both boys shrugged in fear, from hearing their mothers angry voices."Jack, I can't believe you disobeyed me. Where is the motorcycle?" June said while walking in front of them at the garage, with Nasya standing beside her.
"And Calvin, you better not be covering for him. If you have the motorcycle, then fess up." Nasya yelled at her son.
At that moment, both the boys saw a green glowing light emanating from inside the garage, behind them. "Uh, what do you mean? She's right where I left her." Jack said while using the clicker in his mom's car. June and Nasya looked behind themselves as the garage door opened, only to have surprised looks on their faces from seeing the motorcycle still there.
The shocked expression on their faces changed, as they looked back at their boys. "Did you guys get one of your crew to sneak it in, or did you just walk it up again, Jack?" June asked.
Jack released a sigh. "Okay, mom, you really want to know?" Arcee moved just a little bit forward, motioning for him not to say anything. "Fasten your seatbelt. My motorcycle is a sentient robotic organism from a distant planet, part of a team stationed here on Earth fighting a secret war, and we spend most of our time after school hanging with her crew." Jack said, then rolled his bike into the garage, with Calvin following behind.
But neither of their moms were buying it, one bit. "Jack." Said June.
"And the coolest thing - this isn't even her actual form. She's really a giant robot who can transform into a vehicle." Jack explained with excitement.
"Enough, Jack." June said with disappointment, thinking he was trying to weasel his way out of this with a tall tale.
"He's telling the truth, Mrs Darby." Calvin spoke.
"Calvin, you're in trouble too. So don't try and help him out, by playing along with this fantasy." Nasya spoke.
"I'm not making this up, mom. It really is the truth. And by the way, I have a confession to make too. Mom, believe it or not, I've got superpowers." Responded Calvin. That brought a surprise to even June's face.
"What, you mean like a Mutant?" Nasya asked. Even June thought that's what he could have been, if he was telling the truth, that is.
"No, but that's what I thought at first, too. Anyway, mom, you remember that time I told you I stumbled into dad's laboratory, and I accidentally knocked over a set of beakers, and inhaled some strange gas?" Calvin asked.
"Yeah, so?" She replied.
"Well, that's what gave me powers." He said.
"Well, if that's so, then what can you do?" Nasya replied.
"I'm a mimic." He said with excitement."
"A mimic?" His mom replied.
"Yeah, I can copy the talents, knowledge, and abilities of anyone I'm standing next to. Even if said abilities, are superpowers. But the only problem is, it only lasts for as long as I'm standing next to them. After I go half a mile away from them, it only lasts for a short amount of time, before I return to normal. And that's how I was always good at everything at my last school." Calvin elaborated. If what he was saying was true, that made June extremely worried. What if he mimicked her power, and risked exposing her. They then brought their attention back to the motorcycle topic.
"It's okay, Arcee. Show yourself." Jack said to his motorcycle. Things got awkward when nothing still happened. "She's - She's shy. Arcee? Really. No more hiding. No more lies." Still, nothing happened. "Oh, come on, roll out already." Jack said with annoyance, delivering a gentle kick to Arcee's side.
"So, um... The bad crowd you've been hanging out with is a science-fiction club?" June asked. Jack said nothing in response to that. "I have to get back to work. We will continue this when I get home." She finished, as she got back in her car, with Nasya joining her, since she does some volunteer work at the hospital now.
After they left, Jack started addressing Arcee. "Thanks for the support, partner." He said with sarcasm.
"Don't blame me. Remember -" Arcee replied, only to be interrupted halfway through, by Jack.
"I know, I know. You don't exist." Spoke Jack. "Y'know, guys? Maybe I really should tell my mom I'm a Mutant?"
"Uh, duh, you think so? I still can't believe my mom didn't believe me either, when I told her I had powers. But then again, I probably wouldn't believe me either." Calvin said with a mix of sarcasm and seriousness.
"Jack, if you want to tell your mom the truth, then make sure it's what you want to do. And I understand why you'd be afraid. People tend to fear what they don't understand. But if your mom loves you as much as it seems she does, then it won't matter to her whether you're human or Mutant, Jack. When you're ready, take a chance." Arcee spoke.
Jack released a sigh. "Thanks, Arcee."
Unknown Location
Silas was going over the footage on the black box of Airachnid's ship. They saw images of Jack, especially when he used his power to shapeshift into that blue figure. "Your ship's Black box sustained serious damage in the explosion. But our software was able to reconstruct a few frames from the security feed." Silas announced.
"That's him. My Jack." Airachnid proclaimed. "But the one thing that still puzzles me, is how he was able to change like that. I thought that you humans were supposed to be normal?" Airachnid said as a follow-up, in the form of a question.
This gained the attention of another MECH agent. This one was a man dressed in black like the rest of them. Except; he wore orange goggles over his mask, and wore a black lab-coat-like jacket. He was both the technical engineer, and the surgeon of the group. "I believe he's a Mutant, sir." He said to Silas.
"A Mutant? You want to share with the rest of the class?" Airachnid said. Silas then went into further detail, by explaining the origin of Homo-Superior, otherwise known as Mutants. He told her about how they had superpowers because of an abnormality in their D.N.A., called the X-Gene. He also told her that it's sometimes rare for the children of Mutants to inherit powers similar to, or different from their parents. There were even some humans that could have Mutant children, and some Mutants who could have human children. No one really knows who will be a Mutant at birth. "Hmm, a Mutant, huh? Well then, I guess that will be quite a trophy, after all." Airachnid said.
"And how is it you know so much, to just be able to spot a Mutant like that, and determine that's what it is, with all the super-powered individuals in the world?" Silas asked the Surgeon.
"It's a long story, sir. One that can wait till after this ordeal is over." The Surgeon responded.
They then got back to the topic at hand. "Our facial-recognition algorithm will send Jack's image across the web." Said Silas. He then took a look at Airachnid, deciding to clarify. "Another kind of web." They then got a beep on the computer. "Ah, the mother lode." He said was satisfaction.
"Government database?" Airachnid guessed.
Silas corrected her again "social networking page. Everything worth knowing about Jack Darby is right here. Age, 16. Jasper, Nevada. Mother - June Darby, a nurse." He said while viewing his social media page.
Elsewhere; late at night, June and Nasya were walking to June's car, getting ready to leave the hospital. "Maybe I'm being too hard on Jack, but he lied." Said June.
"June, he's a teenager. They're not going to tell us everything going on in their lives. And no one ever says it gets easier. If that were the case, there'd be a how-to-guide on that subject. Kind of like a cheat code for a video game. I should know, Calvin plays a lot of them back at the house. But the point is, June, you have to give Jack just a little bit of space. That's how I got this far with Cal, even though it makes me sound like a hypocrite, since I feel the same way as you sometimes. Things will work out in the end. Trust me." She then rested a reassuring hand on June's shoulder.
June then looked at her own hand; and discreetly morphed it back into its blue appearance, thinking, should she tell Jack the truth? She's just worried that he'll hate her for lying to him, or think he's a freak because of his heritage. She then morphed her hand back, choosing that moment to speak. "Thanks, Nasya. You're not just a good neighbor, you're a good friend. But still, he lied, and the only way he's gonna learn is if I stick to my..." She didn't get a chance to finish that sentence, because at that moment, a black van drove up to them, revealing MECH agents on the inside, once the doors opened.
They pointed guns in their faces, scaring them both. They stunned them until they fell unconscious. Then June reverted to her true form, that of the Mutant Mystique. They threw them both in the van, and drove off. The Surgeon was also taking a look at them, on the way back. After seeing that the boy was a Mutant, that got him curious, so he wanted to see for himself.
The moment he laid eyes on Mystique; memories came flooding back to the forefront of his mind. "You!" He said, remembering her from a previous line of work. This was going to be interesting, indeed.
Darby Residence
Jack & Cal were riding back to Jack's house; Cal on his skateboard, and Jack on his 10-speed. The garage door opened as they rode inside. Arcee was already waiting for them inside. "Arcee, is Mom home yet? I didn't see her car." Jack questioned.
"Don't know. I just Bridged from base to beat her here. Oh, and there's a package for you, Jack." She said as Jack and Calvin put there bicycle and skateboard away, respectively.
Jack grabbed the package on the workbench with his name on it, and tore it open, with a communicator falling on to the desk. "Hello, Jack." Silas's voice said on the other end.
Arcee transformed after hearing that voice. "Silas." She spoke with spite.
"Who?" Cal said, since he's never met him before.
"What is it? W-What's going on?" Jack asked.
"MECH." She responded with spite again.
"They know where I live?" Questioned Jack.
"We know things about your family that even you don't know. For example, do you know where your mother is?" Silas asked over the radio.
That brought a look of concern to Jack's face. "What did you -" Jack was then interrupted by Silas.
"Understand, Jack, we have no intention of hurting her. In fact, we'd like to reunite the two of you as soon as possible. I just need you and Arcee to follow the G.P.S. coordinates programmed into this communicator. They'll lead you to the temporary facility I've set up."
Arcee tried contacting Base at that moment. "Ratchet?" She then started feeling a terrible pain in her head, causing her to release a yell.
Jack & Cal ran to her side when she started gripping her head in pain. "Arcee?" Jack spoke with concern.
"Did I not mention our communicator scrambles the signal and your brains? Any break in communication or attempt to reach the other Autobots and Miss Darby - Well, I wouldn't want to feel responsible for the outcome. And keep in mind, Jack. It's not just your mother's life at stake tonight, but Miss Ehrlich too." Silas announced.
This brought shock to Cal's face. "Wait, what'd you just say? You psycho! If you hurt my mom, I swear I'll..." Calvin said while grabbing the communicator with hostility, only to be interrupted by Silas.
"Calm yourself, boy. We have no intention of hurting your mother, ether. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But her fate rests in your hands." Silas then directed his voice back to Jack. "Oh, by the way, Jack. Remember when I said we know things about your family that not even you know? Well, we also know you're a Mutant..." That shocked Jack. But not as much as Silas's next sentence did. "And we also know that your mother is a Mutant too."
Jack's eyes were wide with surprise. "What? It can't be. You're lying."
"Afraid not, Jack. She's just as Mutant as you are. Don't believe me, come see for yourself. And we will allow you to bring the Rankin boy with you, but only him. No one else." Silas demanded.
Jack was riding Arcee with Calvin sitting behind him. Jack was following the coordinates on the communicator. "If anything happens to them because of our connection to all this..." Jack started before getting cut off by Arcee.
"Jack, MECH is only interested in me. Once they get what they want, they'll let both your moms go." But what Arcee didn't know, was that Silas was listening in on their whole conversation, smiling as a result.
"That's not exactly reassuring. You're family, too." Jack said to her. "And if what they're saying is true, still can't believe my mom didn't tell me she was a Mutant this whole time."
"Yeah, that was pretty cold. She could have been your mentor, and showed you the ropes on how to be a Mutant. But you didn't exactly tell her, either." Calvin commented.
"Not helping, Cal." Jack & Arcee said at the same time. They drove to the location, which was some warehouse district, with Jack putting away the communicator, and being faced with agents carrying weapons with laser pointers pointing right at them. "So what's the plan?" Jack asked.
"The usual." Arcee replied. They saw Silas at the entrance. Then they accelerated, with the agents shooting at them, missing every shot, till they made it inside.
Jack and Calvin took off their helmets. "Mom?!" Jack called.
"Mom?!" Calvin yelled for his own mother.
A crawling metal sound could be heard. "Looking for June and Nasya? They're hanging around here somewhere" They looked up to see Airachnid crawling on the ceiling.
Arcee transformed. "Airachnid." She said with anger.
Airachnid shot her webbing at Arcee, binding her arms. "What's she doing here?" Spoke Jack.
"Who is she?" Calvin questioned.
Arcee came to her knees, as Silas approached her. "Help them, please. They're human, like you. You can't let Airachnid -" Arcee pleaded, only to be cut off by Silas.
"A few human lives are a small price to pay for a miracle of science like yourself. Besides, not all of them are human." Silas proclaimed, then ordered one of his goons to stun Arcee, knocking her down on her side unconscious.
"Arcee!" Jack said with concern. He and Cal then ran by her side, with Jack resting his hand on her head, seeing if she was okay.
"You and I will have a private session later. Promise." Airachnid reference to the down Arcee.
"Gentlemen." Silas said to his men, and pointed with his finger, giving them their orders. The agents approached Calvin and Jack. But before either of them got even close to laying a hand on them, they both used their powers, sprouting bone claws and acquiring blue skin and red hair. They both released feral roars, swatting at the agents with their claws, every time they tried getting close.
"Huh, so I guess your little friends a Mutant too?" Airachnid said with curiosity.
"Not so much, lady. I'm a mimic, not a Mutant." Calvin corrected with aggression.
"Are you, now? Well, no matter." Spoke Silas. He then motioned for his men to proceed with his finger. They raised their guns at them, causing the boys to release a sigh of defeat, then revert back to their normal forms. Silas's men then took both their phones, and the communicator they gave Jack.
"I'm still learning about humankind, but one thing is clear to me, Jack - You people care deeply about family. Therefore, the sweetest revenge I could possibly devise would be to make you watch as I take your family apart. And your friend here, wasn't part of this. But he is now. So the more the merrier." Airachnid said.
"If you hurt them - Jack was then interrupted by her.
"You remember how much I enjoy sport, don't you, Jack? So I'll give you both the opportunity to save your mothers. I've stashed them close by." She said. Jack and Calvin then directed their attention to a digital clock counting from 11:52 P.M. "if you can rescue them before the stroke of 12:00, I will let all of you go unharmed. Deal?"
They then directed their attention to her. "And if we can't?" Jack queried.
"What do you think?" She responded.
Jack then ran up to Silas, pounding his hands on his chest, pleading with him. "Please don't let her do this. You can let us go. We - We won't tell anyone."
Silas pushed him to the ground. "Enough." He said. Calvin helped him to his feet after that.
"Yes, Jack. Man up already. Six minutes." Airachnid said.
The boys exited the warehouse, yelling for their moms as they searched for them. Meanwhile; back inside. "Now I know we promised the spider bot that she would have first crack at you, but something tells me she plans to turn our mutual crisscross into a "double cross." Silas said, referring to the still unconscious Arcee.
"Silas, we don't have the means of transporting it right now." The Surgeon informed him.
"We'll have to cut and run. Open her up." Silas ordered. His men then started up the power saw.
Calvin and Jack continued to look for their mothers, they then saw Airachnid perched on one of the buildings. She pointed in a certain direction, revealing their moms, webbed up beside each other and hanging from one of the towers. They both yelled for them, running towards them. Their moms started to wake up, with June still reverted back to her true form. "Jack?!" She said to him with surprise. Nasya called Calvin's name in surprise too.
Nasya looked at June beside her. It surprised her, seeing June looking like that. "June, is that you?"
June looked down at herself, even though she was covered in webs, she was still able to see the color of her true skin. She asked Nasya not to look at her. The boys climbed up the ladder of the tower. "Huh?" Airachnid said to herself, deciding to approach them.
"Jack, Calvin, what are you doing here? Who are these people? How did we get in this... Stuff?"
"Don't worry, mom, we're gonna get you guys out." Jack said to her. But the moment he laid eyes on her true form, with her blue skin, yellow eyes and red hair, it shocked him. "Mom, is that really you?"
"No, Jack. Don't look at me." She turned her head away from him, in fear. She then morphed her appearance back to June Darby.
"So you really are a Mutant? Well I guess that makes a lot of sense." Jack replied. At that point; Airachnid approach them on the tower, causing June & Nasya to gasp.
"Jack, the robots are real?" Said June, in a panic.
"We beat your deadline." Jack exclaimed to Airachnid.
"Yeah, so back off!" Calvin followed with.
"Afraid not, boys. The task wasn't for you to find your mothers by midnight. You had to rescue them." Airachnid corrected. This brought shock to their faces. The clock then reached midnight. "And time's up. Now..." Airachnid started, webbing them to the floor, Jack by his hand, Calvin by his foot. "Take a seat. Sit back and enjoy the horror show." She finished.
"Make haste, gentleman. And don't worry about making a mess." Silas ordered from inside, witnessing the events from the monitor.
Outside, Jack and Calvin were continuing to struggle, trying to get free. "You know, boys, they're both your moms. Why should I have all the fun? So, you two get to choose - agonizing or excruciating?" Airachnid said while crawling on the side of the wall, with acid dripping from her lips and landing on the floor right next to them.
"No. No." June said out of fear. Jack then yanked a half melted metal rod out of the platform floor right next to him.
Meanwhile; back inside, Silas's men were finishing getting the webs off of Arcee's chest with a chainsaw. "Jack, Calvin, your mothers want to know. Don't leave them dangling." Airachnid mocked, which Silas heard over the monitor. Arcee opened one of her eyes at that second.
"You monster! Stop this!" June said to Airachnid.
"Let us go!" Nasya demanded.
Arcee closed her eye again, playing possum until absolutely necessary. The agents finished getting the web off of her. "We only have time to take one part. Go straight for the heart." Silas ordered. The Surgeon activated a drill, bringing it closer to Arcee's chest. She then opened her eyes, fighting off the agents. They fired their guns at her, she took the hits like a champ, then transformed and drove away, proceeding to rescue her friends. The agents still fired, until Silas raised his hand, telling them to stop. "Let her go. No matter the outcome, the spoils will be ours."
Jack was using the metal rod, trying to pry the web off his hand. "Well, Jack, if you won't decide... I guess it's lady's choice." Airachnid said while approaching their mothers.
Jack was grunting, still trying to get the webbing off. He even shapeshifted into his mutant form, releasing aggressive feral growls. He stopped for a second. "Mom, I'm sorry." He said to June.
His mom gasped in fear, as Airachnid brought her hand closer to her. "No!" Said June. The Rev of an engine could be heard, as Arcee drove up a construction slide, transformed and kicked Airachnid away from them, taking the fight elsewhere. Jack finished prying his hand out of the webbing, then helped Calvin get out of his. They then ran to their mothers. "Jack, your motorcycle?" June said with surprise.
"I can explain, Mom." Jack said, as he and Calvin began helping them up. Realization then dawned on him, at that second. "Wait, I already did."
June looked up at Jack, seeing his new appearance. This surprised her. "Wait a minute. Jack, are you...?
"A Mutant? Yeah I am, mom. And apparently, so are you." Said Jack. What surprised June next, was that Jack shapeshifted back to his regular form. "Yeah, I guess the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree. We'll have a lot to talk about later. Right now, let's just get you two to safety." June was blown away with this new information that her son was a Mutant like her. He showed no signs of mutation. Yet here he stood before her, with the exact same mutation as herself. She then began wondering to herself, "Why didn't he tell her sooner?"
As Cal was helping his own mother up, she noticed that he was blue, and now had the same hair color and eyes as Jack's Mutant form. "Calvin, you really do have powers?"
"Yeah. I told you, ma. But the ones you see me with now, aren't my powers. I told you, I'm a mimic." Calvin said. He then released his own set of bone claws, trying to cut away at the webs restraining his mom, as he continued trying to pull her up.
June took notice of this. "Wait, those claws?" June said to herself, remembering where she's seen them before.
Arcee and Airachnid continue to fight, while standing on a construction slide. Airachnid tried slashing her. But Arcee avoided it with a few backflips, before taking up a fighting stance after she stopped. "MECH lost Breakdown - What were the odds that they could hold on to you?" Airachnid said. Then they resumed the fighting. They fought for a bit longer on the adjacent tower, till they took it to the ground. Arcee started climbing up another tower, with Airachnid giving chase.
Arcee delivered some kicks while they were climbing the tower. Once she made it halfway up, Airachnid shot lasers at her, which also hit the platform Arcee's friends were on, causing it to give way, with Jack and Calvin running to the other side, holding on to the top as it gave way. This caused both their mothers to gasp, calling their sons names out of fear.
"Oh, this really sucks." Calvin exclaimed.
"MOM!" Jack exclaimed, seeing her dangle below him.
They released another gasp. "JACK!" June said with panic, as Airachnid approached her. Arcee punched Airachnid, getting her attention. Airachnid swatted her away, they then started fighting on a different part of the tower. Jack pulled himself to the top of the tower, when he accidentally moved a lever on a control console next to him. A noise alerted him to a power slide pushing cement on the tower behind him. He then saw it fall below, pouring into a cement truck.
The fight continued on, until Arcee kicked Airachnid off the tower, and into a vat, with Arcee landing on a nozzle. This gave Jack an idea, as he began looking around their surroundings. Arcee gave him a nod. He then pulled the lever on the console. Arcee turned the nozzle she was perched on, at Airachnid, pouring the cement onto her, with her grunting in agony, as it hardened around her. Soon, she was unable to move, altogether.
Arcee was looking at the now turned to stone Airachnid, until she was alerted to the screams of June, up above. She looked back down at Airachnid, and noticed the cement on her body was starting to crack, indicating she didn't have much time. "Hang on, June." Arcee said, as she started climbing the tower. Only for her to be snared to the ground by webbs, showing that Airachnid clearly got her mobility back, even while covered in cement. Airachnid started laughing. Then all of them were alerted to the sound of military choppers that just showed up.
"Aim for the creepy crawly." Agent Fowler said, sitting in one of the choppers. The chopper shot at Airachnid.
"How did they find us?" Silas said, watching the events unfold from the monitor. A look of surprise formed on his face, he checked the right side of his belt, noticing something was missing. He drew his mind back to the moment Jack was begging him to let them go, and realized he swiped his radio. This made him develop an annoyed look.
"Thanks for coming, Agent Fowler." Jack said through his newly acquired radio.
"If I'd known cons were involved, I would have called in Prime." Fowler responded.
"That might have been too much for Mom to handle in one night." Jack replied.
"No kidding." Cal commented with sarcasm.
The choppers continued shooting Airachnid. When they finally stopped; the cement covering her body was completely gone. She then released green scanning lasers from her optics, scanning the helicopter Agent Fowler was in. "Ah, not again!" Said Fowler. Silas and his men witnessed this happening from the monitors. An image of a helicopter appeared on Airachnid's optics, as she transformed into the vehicle she scanned and took flight, getting away.
"No!" Arcee exclaimed, watching her get away while still covered in webs.
After Silas saw her get away, he turned off his monitor before speaking. "So that's how it's done. Genius." He smiled, as he now understood how a Cybertronians took a vehicle form. He snapped his fingers, and the lights went out.
A little while later; Jack and Calvin were sitting next to their moms, with two sets of blue blankets wrapped around the ladder, to help cope with today's events. At that moment; Agent Fowler approached them. "Mrs Darby, Ms Ehrlich, I'm Special Agent William Fowler. It's time you both knew the truth. For the past several months, Jack and Calvin have been interning for me at the agency." He gave as an excuse.
Both their moms grew annoyed looks on their faces. "Agent Fowler, mom's not gonna buy it." Spoke Jack.
"And neither will mine." Said Calvin.
"He's got that right." June commented.
"Ditto." Nasya followed.
Then one of Agent Fowler's subordinates approached him, getting his attention by calling his name. "Let me guess - Without a trace." Agent Fowler said, referring to the whereabouts of MECH. His subordinate nodded yes. Fowler released and annoyed grunt and walked away.
Now that the others had a moment to themselves; June decided to address the elephant in the room. "Jack, how could you not tell me you're a Mutant? I'm your mother, and that's something you clearly tell your mother."
"Well, I didn't know how you would react. I thought you would hate me. I watch the news, and I read the tabloids. I've seen most parents disown their children when they find out they're Mutants. I was afraid you'd see me as a freak. I wanted to tell you, mom. And I thought about doing it today, but that's when all this happened at once. And besides; you're not exactly "not on the hook" yourself. How could you not tell me you're a Mutant? I mean, I didn't tell you the truth about my motorcycle for the longest time, because at least mutation is actually possible.
But aliens, who would believe that? I mean, it's not that hard. Just walk right up to me and say, "Hey Jack, guess what. I'm a Mutant. And it turns out I've been lying to you your whole life." Now I don't hate my powers, mom. But you have no idea what it's been like, going through this alone. Even if I had my friends to help me through this, it would have been nice if I had someone who actually knew what it was like, to help me."
After hearing this; June change to her true form, giving her two cents on the matter. "Okay, I get it. I'm in the dog house too. But I was trying to protect you, Jack. If I had told you the truth, you could have seen me as a freak too. I was just as scared and nervous as you were. Besides; I'm not exactly popular in the places I've been around. I've made a lot of enemies. The last thing I wanted was for any of them to know about you. I didn't want you to get hurt. And if the authorities ever found out, they would lock me up just for being a Mutant, and they would ostracize you just for being related to me. But still, if I knew sooner that you were a Mutant too, I could have trained you. I could have helped you prepare."
She took a moment to collect her thoughts; then she released a breath of relief, and resumed speaking. "Okay, I think it's time you learned the truth. The first thing you need to know, is my name's not really June Darby. It's Raven Darkholme, but when I look like this, I go by the code name "Mystique." Raven then went into further detail, without revealing the entire truth. She left out the part about his father, he wasn't ready to hear that just yet. She also told him that she was a covert agent for Genosha, which was ruled by Magneto. She didn't tell him about all the things Magneto did or had her do, especially the bad bits. She sugar coated it by telling him that she was a freedom fighter for Mutant rights, and that she and a group of others were protecting Mutants from the persecutors, especially the M.R.D.
This was all a lot to take in. Jack argued with some of the things she said. But he understood her reasons for the other things. Lucky for her, deception was one of the first tricks she learned as a shapeshifter. She wasn't lying to him, necessarily. In her mind, she was just withholding certain details until he was ready to hear them. At that moment; Nasya decided to address her own son. "So, Calvin, you've had powers this whole time? And I take it, you knew about the aliens too? And also Jack's secret as a Mutant?"
Cal developed a nervous expression on his face, while also rubbing his hand on the back of his head, trying to relieve tension. "Um, yeah, pretty much." He responded.
"And you didn't tell me, because?" She asked him.
"I'm giving the same answer as Jack." Calvin replied.
Nasya then directed her attention to June, who by that time, reverted back to her human appearance. "June, I've been your neighbor for a few months now, and you didn't think to tell me you were a Mutant, either?"
"When people know my secret, it doesn't usually end well for either of us. So I understand if you want nothing to do with me now." June said, with a little bit of regret in her voice.
Nasya gave a smile, moved closer to June and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, before speaking. "June, did I really seem that shallow to you?" This caught June by surprise, causing her to look at her as she spoke. "I told you, we lived in New York before moving to Jasper. I've seen plenty of Mutants, and other super-powered individuals. And having those abilities don't make you a bad person. It's how you use them. I mean, yes, at first I was skeptical about Mutants. One could even argue, a bit hostile. But after getting to know you and your son, especially now that I know your secrets. I can say without a shadow of doubt, I don't hate either of you. You may not see it, but you're a good person, June. And you're my friend." After she completed her speech, June gave her a friendly hug.
Arcee started walking in their direction, causing them to direct their attention towards her. "And she would be your..." June said to Jack, not completing her sentence.
"Motorcycle, guardian, Autobot, friend." Jack explained, with Arcee kneeling down to their level.
"Call me Arcee." She said.
June & Nasya stood up, facing Arcee. "Thank you, Arcee." Spoke June.
"Nice to meet you." Nasya said. This caused Arcee to smile and give a nod.
"I think it's time for that ride you once made me promise." Jack said to June. Causing her to develop a slightly surprised look.
The next morning
Jack was riding Arcee through the entrance of the base, with his mom sitting behind him, wearing a spare helmet. Cal and his mom followed behind them, in their own car. When they drove in the center of the base, they were met by Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Raf, Miko, even Ratchet, who took time away from his console to acknowledge their presence. June turned her head, developing a look of amazement, at seeing the biggest Autobot to walk in the room, their leader, Optimus Prime. Even Nasya got out of her car, and stared at him with the same reaction. Jack and June took their helmets off, while Jack proceeded to speak. "Mom, meet my science-fiction club." He gestured to his friends.
"What he said." Calvin said to his own mother.
June and Nasya gave nervous smiles, followed by waves of their hands.
Sometime later; June was outside, on the roof of the base, thinking about the most recent events. Then her son walked up to her, and they struck up a conversation. "Jack, since Cal's a mimic, that means he was replicating your power, right?"
"Yeah, so?" He responded.
"So, what else can you do, besides everything I can?" She asked as a follow-up.
"Well... There's this." Jack said, releasing his bone claws right in front of her. This made June widen her eyes was shock. She walked closer to him, taking his hand in hers, examining the claws.
"Claws? I should have known. Especially when it comes to this particular kind." She said.
"Uh, what are you talking about, mom? Because you're kinda freaking me out." He replied.
A second later, June snapped back to reality, releasing his hand from her grip. "N-Nothing, Jack. It's just that... There's only one other Mutant I know, who has claws like that." Indeed; she knew all too well who had claws exactly like that, even if they were now coated in Adamantium. Her James, the once love of her life, and Jack's father.
"Really, who?" He asked, while putting his claws away.
"It doesn't matter. It was a long time ago. Anyway, is there anything else, Jack?" She asked him, wanting to know if he had any other powers. After hearing that, Jack reached into his pocket, pulling out his pocket knife. He opened the blade and cut his skin, letting the blood seep out. "Jack, no! Don't do that." She said, grabbing hold of his arm, getting ready to dress the wound. But to her amazement, it healed instantly.
"I'm also a really fast healer. And all my senses are heightened to eleven. I can track things by sent, my hearings twice as good as it used to be, and my sight's slightly above average too." Jack told her.
This all but confirmed it for her; he had a combination of both her, and his father's powers. He truly was a miracle child. An idea then sparked in her head, one she wanted to share with him. "Y'know, Jack, there's a certain group of Mutants I'm acquainted with, who can help you get a better handle on your powers. And if you're willing, you'd be doing a lot of good by helping them."
"What, like a group home for Mutants?" He asked.
"Kinda." She replied.
"Oh. Well y'know, ma, I'm still getting used to the idea of both of us being Mutants. So I think right now, I just want to try and take things slow." He replied.
"Oh... I see." She responded with slight disappointment.
He could see she was feeling bad, so he decided to try and rectify that. "Uh, but please, mom, don't misunderstand. I would totally love to meet these people you speak of, who can help me. But just not now. I'm not ready for that yet. But I'll let you know when I change my mind. Besides; I was thinking we could start small anyway. Y'know, maybe you could teach me the ropes, and start training me a little?"
"Oh, sure, Jack. We'll start first thing tomorrow. So get a good night's sleep, and make sure to eat a nutritious meal before we start." She responded.
"Got it. No worries, mom. I'm right on top of this." He said before taking his leave back into the base.
After he left; June's facial expression changed to a somewhat neutral version. She changed into Mystique, pulled her communicator out, and contacted Magneto. "It's me. I have some new information."
"What is it?" Magneto asked.
"There's been a new development. I just found out my son's a Mutant, after all." She informed him.
This intrigued Magneto. "Hmm, very interesting." He said while putting his hand to his chin in curiosity. "Tell me, what can he do?"
"Apparently, the same as me... And his father." She said.
"Yes, very interesting, indeed. Then he must be tested. Set him up with the Brotherhood, on a trial basis." Responded Magneto.
"Hmm, I thought you might say that. That's why I was going to suggest the same thing, before he makes it into the big leagues. But now that we know he's a Mutant, I want to alter our deal." She said.
"You're in no position to be making demands, Mystique." Magneto sternly warned her.
"Oh, I think you've got that backwards. Because from where I'm standing, I'd say I am. There's some additional information I have to share, that could possibly tip the scale in our favor. But you aren't getting anything, until you give me what I want." She fought back with her own warning.
Magneto released a grunt of annoyance, before giving in. "All right, fine. What do you want?" He asked.
Raven developed a smile, at hearing that. "I want your word that when the time comes, Jack will be welcomed to Genosha with the rest of us. That's my price. Take it, or leave it." She said with pride.
"Very well. But only if he proves himself worthy, and not a moment before. Now what is it you have to report?" Magneto spoke.
Raven smiled, then directed her attention to the roof entrance of the base. "Let's just say, it involve some very special new playmates of Jack's." She said.
Unknown location
Silas and his agents were setting up shop at their new location. That's when the Surgeon decided to share something with their leader. "Sir, there's something you should know about the Mutants we encounter today."
"Ah, yes. And you still haven't explained how it was you who was able to identify the boy's mother as a Mutant so quickly, without even assuming she was just another superhuman mishap of science." Silas said to him, awaiting his answer.
"That's because I've seen her before, sir. I also know her name is not really June Darby. It's Raven Darkholme, or as she has been designated, Mystique." The Surgeon informed him.
"My curiosity has been peaked, soldier. So tell me, where have you seen her before, and how do you know so much about her?" Silas asked him.
"Before joining up with MECH, I was part of a different outfit, sir. One that specialized in the study and weaponization of Mutants. Code Name: Weapon X. And I believe I still have some contacts there, that can provide special equipment to aid in our endeavors." The Surgeon briefed him.
This made Silas smile. "Interesting. Get to it." He ordered. The Surgeon gave him a salute and did exactly as he said, walking up to their computer and accessing a certain database. "So what is this, exactly?" Asked Silas.
"Encrypted files and classified databases, of course." The Surgeon answered.
Soon enough; an image of a bald man wearing a lab coat and glasses appeared on their monitor. This was Professor Truett Hudson, or as he preferred to be called, "The Professor", one of the head researchers of Weapon X. "What's the meaning of this? Who are all of you?" The Professor asked on his side of the monitor.
"Professor, it's been a while." The Surgeon proclaimed.
"Who are you?" The Professor said, directing his attention to the Surgeon.
"Come now, Professor. I'm sure if you think real hard, you'll remember me. I was one of your top surgeons at Weapon X. Especially the research involving Raven Darkholme, remember?" The Surgeon answered.
It took a while for it to come back to the Professor, but soon enough, the metaphorical gears in his head clicked. "You! Yes, I do remember you, even if you choose to wear that ridiculous mask. You were one of the doctors working with us, until you all the sudden decided to leave, and steel precious research to take with you. Research that could have furthered our program years, if not decades into the future. Because of you, we had to start from scratch." The Professor exclaimed.
"Calm yourself, Professor. All of you did just fine without me. And as for why I stole that research when I left, well let's just say I found a new career opportunity with my current outfit. Most of the research I stole helped further MECH with our own achievements. The rest, I chose to keep for myself, for personal studies, of course." Stated the Surgeon.
"Be that as it may, what do you want?" Asked the Professor.
"Nothing much, really. Just a small amount of Adamantium, to help with our current projects." Answered the Surgeon.
The Professor released a small laugh. "And why would we help a traitor like you?" Queried the Professor.
"Because I know where Raven Darkholme is... And, her son." The Surgeon answered.
This brought a surprise to the Professor. "What did you say?" He asked the Surgeon.
"See for yourself." Said the Surgeon, as he sent him detailed files on her and her son. "And as you can see, Professor, we both know who the boys father is. And he apparently has both his parents powers. Which as you know, is a rarity, even when it comes to the union between two Mutant parents." This delivered more surprise to the Professor's face. He then smiled from satisfying results. "So, do we have a deal?"
The Professor still wore his smile, while responding. "The Adamantium is on its way. You should receive the delivery in a week or so." He replied to the Surgeon.
"Thank you, Professor. Your contribution to MECH, is much appreciated." Said the Surgeon.
A/N: This wasn't a cliffhanger, just so some of you who read this before it was finished know. I just wanted to say that I wrote this on Halloween, so I posted it before it was finished, that's all. I'm sorry for the confusion, but that's just what happened. Unfortunately, I've always been "Mr Last Minute." But I'll try to avoid that in future chapters. But let's face it, holidays are stressful. Everyone knows that. Moving on; I still have a lot of chapters of "Vampiric Attraction" I have to get to writing, since I just published them ahead of schedule, for the same reason.
It's gonna take me awhile to write off the plot of all those new chapters I just posted. Because "Originality" am I right?! But all jokes aside; I really enjoyed riding this chapter, and I'll edit out any sloppy details. You got my word on that.
But next time I post a chapter before it's finished, I'll just leave it with the author's note. That way I can avoid any negative reviews, I'm just saying. And in case any of you were wondering; like I said, after the "Metal Attraction" episode, I'll write an original chapter where Jack meets the X-Men.
This is Cloud Prince J'onzz, signing off.
STAY COSMIC!