Writing X-Men: The Act of Chaos (Chapter 2- PG-13 VL)

[Guest Garelock]

[B][SIZE=2][CENTER]X-Men: The Act of Chaos (Chapter 2: The New Conflict)[/CENTER][/SIZE][/B]


?Careful with that turn Sam; avoid crashing us will ya?? Overcast asked.

The new Blackbird version 2 was the new method of transportation for the small X-men Strike Force which consisted of nothing more than Blake Stiles aka Battalion, Sam which he was called Alchemist, Ben or Overcast and the final member was of course, one of the most experienced X-Men of them all; Alycia whom was better known as the famous Receptor. Their mission was obvious; stop Ainsley and her goon squad before they caused some trouble. However, this mission, regardless to how successful the new X-Men were in the past, would come with some serious surprises; Ainsley didn?t play by the same ?don?t add the students into this? rule.

?We?re approaching Worchester. Brace for landing?? Sam suggested. The Blackbird or at least this version of it was by far the biggest that the X-Men had ever seen and ever will see for a while. It was almost the size of an average Delta Airlines airplane; almost twice as thick as the old Blackbird. Its design had changed and instead of taking the same, sleek and aerodynamic design it looked to be more of a bigger version of the average Airforce Stingray as it crushed through the skies mostly in a stealth mode. This time, it came with bigger and more devastating weapons such as the Stinger which was a laser beam compacted into a missile and upon contact with its target, it?ll explode into a cloud of energy that consumes its target with laser energy instead of just exploding altogether. Then there?s the mother of all weapons when it comes to the Blackbird?s arsenal; the nasty Cluster bombs. These bombs, once fired, separated into 40 to 50 different mini-missiles and will fire at their target all at once; it?s almost a sure kill.

The only thing that the Blackbird was missing could?ve been the com-link system and that?s because since Tatianna didn?t normally go on any missions, she could communicate with the team via telepathy most of the time. Plus, this time around, everyone has ear pieces and not just SOME of the team. However, since the com-link feature wasn?t there something had to make up for that. And there?s the onboard Cerebro autosearch. This feature allows Tatianna to link up with the Blackbird in case anything goes wrong; that?s something the last X-Men couldn?t do even if they WERE on board. All these features could be pretty impressive to even the most skeptical of people with aircraft but the most impressive thing about this mad machine is the price tag; a whooping 2 billion dollars and 28 cents went into this thing.

Upon arriving in Worchester, the team got themselves ready for combat. Overcast, with the same gear from the danger room simulation, seemed to be the team member who was ready for this confrontation more than anyone else. Sam, well, he sure liked tradition; the same old tight, black jumpsuit with a white X in the middle, black boots, black gloves, and black elbow and knee pads. Alycia, on the other hand, was the one who accessorized with her pink jumpsuit and a red X in the middle, a pair of black boots with red Xs on each side of them, white and pink pinstripe styled gloves, red elbow, shoulder and knee pads and a black belt around her waist. Blake picked a gray colored jumpsuit, a pair of black, UFC ultimate fighter styled gloves, a pair of black boots, black elbow, knee and elbow pads and a black helmet with an ear piece inside of it. Also, strapped to him were gun jackets that each held a Desert Eagle inside and the jacket had magazines with extra ammunition outlining it.

Sam tried his best to pilot the Blackbird but its a little tough flying through a crowded city without being spotted even IF the aircraft is in stealth mode and can?t be seen by sight; weird wind patterns can suggest something is up. He landed it near the old General Cinemas movie theaters. And near a high hill where the old drive in theaters are located. The team got ready and were all psyched up; this would be fun at the most since the X-Men always seemed to win and outsmart Ainsley. Overcast was the first off the jet and the moment his feet touched the ground, he flared up and took to the skies. Alycia casually walked down the landing hatch along with Sam and Blake.

Blake pressed his finger against his helmet and sighed. ?Overcast, you DO realize that we have to find Alycia first right? Tatianna wasn?t able to pinpoint her location because the cat girl is using some kind of telekinetical mind blocking thingamajigger; the only way she even found out the feline?s here is because of a police radio. I suggest you get out of the sky before you?re spotted and blamed for the mutant incidents?? Blake instructed. Overcast made a U-Turn in the skies and made a quick dash back to the team; he was just too enthusiastic about fighting people. He landed and switched off his plasma shell.

?So, how do you suppose we find her? And is she alone?? Ben asked.

?Of course not; she knows better. We?ve been kicking her butt for months now and she knows not to bring her scrawny tail around here without some back-up?that?s just the problem, each time we fight her, she always has something new for us. I wonder what she has up her sleeve now,? Alycia responded.

The group wouldn?t have to wonder anymore because Ainsley, instead of having to come find her, she?d come to find them and man oh man, did she have some serious back up. Out from the parking lot area of the back alley came four shadowy figures; strange because it was the daytime.

?I think you?re looking for me Ms. Reynolds? If you are, look no futher,? a young and sly sounding voice said. Finally, stepping into the main stream fight scene came Ainsley and 3 of her newest trainees of human destruction.

This time, there was a party of four, two guys and one girl. The strangest one was the smaller of the two guys; he carried a cage full of dead rats for crying out loud. Ainsley herself wore nothing that would suggest that she?d get involved in this battle; a red, Salsa dancer styled dress, red pumps, a diamond necklace and diamond ear rings. She wasn?t in her feral mode yet so she looked like an extremely sexy human woman; it?s her feline characteristics that make her ferocious. The kid to the left went by the name Void. She looked to be a bit on the strange side with her eyes that were haunting; she looked to be more formidable than what most of the trainees could?ve possibly looked. She wore a pair of tight fitting blue jeans, a pair of laced up black boots, a black, shear vinly tank top with matching black Batwing styled ear rings, black make up and mean look to top it all off. The young man to the right, Ciaran, got the name Sunsinger from the X-Men; yes, the X-Men. The X-Men Strike Force gasped upon seeing him around; they were searching her and coming to find out, she had joined the Brotherhood of Morlocks in a direct betrayal to the people she claimed to be her friends. Ciaran sported a similar version of her X-Men costume just to mock the institution. It was an all yellow jumpsuit with an orange X in the middle, a pair of orange boots, white gloves, a golden tiera and orange shoulder pads. The last but certainly not the least of the Brotherhood?s current weaponry went by the codename Lazarus and for reasons that the Strike Force would be soon to find out. He wore a fully black jumpsuit with a light gray skull and crossbones symbol in the chest area of it, a pair of heavy, leather gloves, a cape that was connected to both his black shoulder pads, elbow and knee pads and of course, his cage of dead rats; his pets as he called them.

?No hair Ainsley? Come on, let?s see your TRUE side. And you look like you actually got some flea powder. Fleas, they?re bothersome little creatures aren?t that? All that scratching to get rid of them; I couldn?t imagine the torture you went through. At least your breathe is better; normally, I could?ve smelled it from way over here,? Alycia insulted as she folded her arms.

?Oh that?s it! Ciaran, Void, attack! Make her pay for her silly comment!? Ainsley commanded her flunkies as they both went into an attack position.

Void, the much more eager fighting, went to engage Alycia with Ciaran following. However, the Strike Force wasn?t about to allow a double team in any shape, form or fashion. With that, Overcast stepped out in front of Alycia and pointed at Ciaran.

?Whoa, whoa there sparky. Me?you?up in the air?think you can handle it? Come on, I know I taught you well. To be honest, you were always the dumbest students. Even Amalia has some brains over you,? he said, throwing an insult to get Ciaran angry, knowing fully well that insulting him was one of his weaknesses; as Ciaran is pride-filled and won?t take much abuse from anyone.

Ciaran absorbed the light energy around himself and used it to float upwardly. With a sudden jump in energy output, he pushed himself higher into the skies. Overcast followed suit as he flared up and took the skies as well. Void eyed Alycia, finally, she?d get a chance to beat an X-Man and become famous by doing it.

She pointed at Alycia. ?You?prepare to meet your doom!? she yelled as she changed into her vapor form and attempted to launch an energy charge at Alycia.

Receptor or Alycia for short, dodged out of the way and rolled to her left, messing up her costume of the wet grass; it recently rained here. ?My threads! Oh, you?re going to pay for that! Here, try on some pain!? she hollered as she pointed her right hand out at the vapor ball that was once Void. However, her powers couldn?t work on vapor or anything made of gas; she could only affect things that were solid like animals and human beings so gases were out of the question. ?What the?ooooooh. I get ya! That?s how you wanna play? Fine, you can?t stay in that form for too long,? Alycia commented as she knew what type of mutant she was dealing with; she had done her research.

?What are you waiting for Lazarus? Get in there?send your little pets into the fray,? Ainsley commanded.

?Fine, fine?yes ma?am. Hey, metal boy?s mine. Alrighty, you wanna conjure things? I?ve heard about you Mr. Alchemist; you?re pretty good at killing things. But can you kill what?s already dead?? the creepy guy asked. He looked more like a more lively version of the Crypt Keeper; the old dead guy who tells paranormal stories. Unfortunately, Sam was the one called out; Blake took after Ainsley.

?Then I guess it?s just you and me cat. Let?s say we settle the score eh?? Blake asked as he reached for his gun jacket and drew his Eagles. He aimed directly at her face.

?You see, I don?t have time for you. However, I think Lazarus? pets would be more than happy to ablidge your offer,? Ainsley suggested.

Lazarus? mutant power became clear and the rat cage filled with other 40 dead rats, pilled up and with maggots eating out their flesh also became very clear; they were the main soldiers in this battle. Lazarus sat the cage down on the ground and opened the entrance hatch. He closed his eyes and focused directly on the dead rats. Then, a sight that made Sam and Blake jump, and believe that doesn?t happen often, beheld them; the rats started moving. Their bodies twitched for a few moments as Lazarus hadn?t used them in a month; it makes his reanimation effect trickier to use. But they did come back to life and while he didn?t control them because it?d take too much of his energy to do so, they already had their targets since no one else was in the vacant parking lot area. Ainsley, well, she turned and made a beeline for a dash out of the fight scene. Blake was going to go after her but from atop of the Bank of America building came a helicopter, a Blackhawk even and that was Ainsley?s escape; Blake already figured this out so he didn?t even bother with chasing her.

Blake should?ve been more concerned with the situation at hand, especially, now that the rats were all alive and filing into a strategic formation. Lazarus didn?t have to control these creatures since, at one time, they were his pets. He trained them all to attack people on command and he one day, he just got tired of them being alive so he fed them rat poison and killed them all. They, as the saying goes, were much more useful to him as dead things; at least then they couldn?t die and he could keep bringing them back plus he didn?t have to train them because he already did that.

?Alright my pets?SICK THEM!? Lazarus yelled, pointing at the two X-Men who were a nuisance to him now.

?Okay, dude, I?ll be honest; that?s the weirdest crap I?ve ever seen in my life. We can?t kill the freaks; you can?t kill what?s already dead,? Sam said as he looked to be terrified out his life; like most people who saw a zombie for the first time.

?No?but we can kill him,? Blake said as he pointed one of his eagles at Lazarus.

With a sudden display of some impressive speed, the rats charged at Blake and Sam and the majority of them took the advantage of pouncing of their victims. Blake?s body seemed to evaporate; his mutant power to blame. Blake?s body changed into a gaseous version of itself and rats continued to try to gnaw at him although that was impossible. Samuel, on the other hand, took an advantage that he learned from Blake; since the former CIA agent taught him some old style X-Men tactics and this one came from a mutant known as Spyke though he?s dead now. Sam conjured up spikes that shot out from all over his costume, impaling each of the rodents one by one and getting them off of him. Sam stood up, with each rat still on the stakes of the metal spikes and then, he released his stab of the dead freaks and they dropped to the asphalt, one by one.

Blake backed up, floating now and reformed as his human self and fired rapidly at the rats, blasting them like there was no tomorrow; this wasn?t strategically correct as it was more of Blake freaking out because he had dead rats all over him. ?DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! YOU FREAKS! DIE!? Blake yelled out as he managed to put a bullet into each of the maggot infested animals. Their stench was all over his body; there?s almost nothing worse than the smell of a dead body once it started decomposing.

?Is that all you got creepazoid? Come on, Ainsley acts like you?re a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the way she brags about you. I?m not impressed,? Alchemist commented; that?d be Sam?s codename.

?Oh?wait?hold on, I was sleeping because your powers bore me. You want to see something special do you? Why don?t you take a closer look at my pets? I think you?ll find something special then,? Lazarus said as he started laughing. He sounded almost similar to a certain fantasy character from the movie in title, ?The Lord of the Rings?; that?d be Golum of course.

?Whatever, you?re one silly bugger. We just killed your things and?the hell?!? Sam blurted out as he felt something biting on his ankle. It was those rats again!

They were under attack again as the rats regenerated the holes from the wounds that the two mutants had given them and they seemed to be more alive than ever. Sam kicked at the attacking rat that was gnawing on him and send it flying towards a trash can. He quickly formed a large sledgehammer made of his mysterious metal. This fight turned into a life sized game of ?Whack-A-Mole? as Sam smashed the rats one by one with the hammer that left cracks in the ground with each strike because of its remarkable resilience. Blake, well, let?s just say he wasn?t having much luck; he busy trying to get away from those things instead of taking them on again.

Meanwhile, in the skies, Ciaran and Overcast had their grudge match; student versus teacher. This would be a tough one for Ben because everything Ciaran knows he taught him. This turned into a bash fest with the Sunsinger already forming a large broad sword that glowed with the brilliance of a diamond and almost as hard as one.

?Come on Overcast, you?re disappointing me; I expected more. If this is all you can give then I?m honestly ashamed of you. Look at you, fighting to help humans and these are the same humans who would have your head because you?re a mutant. You sicken me; I should spit upon your own naïve ways and treat you like the fool you are. If you only learned to treat your kind the same way you treat that money shark Starbuck then you?d be much better off. The ONLY reason why you follow his barked orders is because you, like most of the staff there, only want his money. Just think, if he didn?t give you a 90 thousand dollar a year job then would you be there? No, you wouldn?t and I know you wouldn?t; I know you. You?d be a better person if you learned to serve yourself and others; not the money,? Ciaran lectured as he hovered high in the skies with his teacher.

?You know something kid; you got a point about something. I don?t treat everyone like I treat Matt because Matt, unlike you, realizes that rather you?re a human or a mutant, people are the same. No, I shouldn?t treat my kind better than I treat humans because human beings have been nicer to me than what most mutants are so I?m not biased against anyone. If you learned how to get out of your stupid, snobby and arrogant world YOU WOULD be a much better person. Until then, you?ll have to settle for being Ainsley?s shoe shiner,? Ben insulted.

?That?s funny to you isn?t it? It?s not funny to me!? Ciaran yelled just before took a forward thrust at Overcast.

The Marine dodged and charged up his right hand and then, blasting Ciaran out of the sky with a quick plasma discharge. ?Your mouth moves so fast but the rest of your body is so slow; tough luck kid,? he commented as his student continued falling to the ground.

However, Ciaran?s body halted in the air and stopped just in time before he hit the ground. ?And for a military man, you sure hit like a girl; toughen up wimp!? Ciaran hollered as he charged back into the high skies, this time, taking a much more interesting approach in the matter. Ciaran, like some of the other Morlock trainees, was an avid cartoon fan and he learned this next technique from a certain Japanese cartoon involving super strong people with abilities far beyond the average human, aliens, androids, demons, dragons, wishes and so on and so forth. His body glowed brightly as a blinding flash of light coursed through the sky and only in a circle radius; no one else outside of the circle could be affected. Overcast shielded eyes too little, too late and he was blinded for the time being. His pupils were so red they looked like they were on the verge of bleeding out of their sockets.

?AHHHH! I?m gonna kill you! I?m gonna kill you! Where the hell are you?! Where are you?! You?re dead! You?re SO DEAD!? Overcast yelled. What he didn?t realize was that he blinding effect had a limit; it didn?t last for very long.

?You know?that?s the problem with big, strong guys like you; you don?t know your limits. Now I?m not the type of person that likes to babble on and on about how superior I am?wait?I am superior to you. I can fly better than you, my powers are more useful and I look better than you. Just think, in what way are you an equal to me? You?re not Overcast; you?re a dead cause,? Ciaran insulted. This wasn?t a fight; it was an insult match that normally led to a fight to the death. However, Ciaran backed his words up as he formed another weapon out of his skin; a large, executioner styled axe. He ran his finger over the edge to check for sharpness; it was perfect.

Alycia wasn?t having much luck with Void either; so far, the young mutant was making a fool out of her much more experienced counterpart. However, with Alycia already making up her mind that things just couldn?t go this way, she took a glance up and realized that Overcast was about to be slaughtered. With that, she ignored the fact that Void could kill her with any ignorance to the battle at hand and held her hands up to the sky; directly at Sunsinger. Alycia closed her eyes and clenched them tightly as she focused; the farther Ciaran was away the tougher this technique would be to pull off. However, in seconds, her special power took effect and Ciaran wasn?t doing so well.

?Ahhhhh! I can?t breathe! I can?t breathe!? Ciaran hollered as he felt his lungs being squeezed or at least that?s what he thought. Alycia had the power to make anyone feel violent feelings or good feelings and make them feel pain with any body part; but it won?t kill a person. However, Ciaran felt like his lungs was on fire and his light powers were rendered useless. With that, he went pummeling to the ground and landed on top of the Bank of America building; knocked out cold.

?Ben! Now! Down! Shoot down!? Alycia commanded as Void prepared to make her strike on her with an electrical jolt.

Overcast, not even able to see, honed in on the direction that Alycia?s voice came from and fired a huge plasma ball down onto the ground. Alycia swayed backwardly as Void?s vapors were mixed in with natural vapors; making her powers about as useful as a shoe with no sole. Void changed back to her human form as she scrambled to get away from plasma that was eating away at the asphalt and luckily, only her vapor form was affected by its heat. However, it was payback time via the pain Receptor known as Alycia.

?Hello Void?it?s been a while since I saw your face?let?s see. You blast me with electricity, insult me and made me feel helpless. Oh sweety, this is gonna hurt you WAY more than it?s gonna hurt me,? she commnented as Void was about to run away but Alycia pointed her hand out towards her and put her in her mind?s grasp. She sent pain vibrations all through Void?s body and making it seem like her whole body was being eaten alive by ants; or at least that?s how the pain felt. The Brotherhood leader fell to the ground, shaking uncontrollably in pain. Overcast lowered slowly to the ground as Alycia used her powers to make his eyes feel a little better; though he was still blinded for the time being.

On the other side of the battlefield, it was pretty much over already. Sam got tired of fighting the freaks so he simply conjured up a large cage and contained them all into the mutant device. He held the cage up and tauntingly waved it around just to annoy Lazarus.

?These your friends Lazarus?? he asked, mockingly.

?Oh, you?re going to pay for this! I have more pets and they?ll be bigger and stronger the next time!? Lazarus yelled in anger.

?Who told you there?d be a next time? We?re going to kill you now so you don?t cause us anymore trouble?? Sam said as he formed a large spear in his hand and prepared to hurl it at the strange mutant.

However, the escape wagon came out of nowhere; the Blackhawk. The wind power of the large flight machine forced Sam and Blake back. A ladder folded down from the copter and Lazarus grabbed it and started climbing up as the helicopter moved on low to the ground. Ciaran got up and grabbed onto the ladder along with Lazarus and Void, she changed back into her vapor form and floated up into the hawk. The Brotherhood of Morlocks always managed to escape the X-Men?s grasp; it seemed to be the way of combat for them for the moment.

?We can get them! I know they?re no match for us!? Sam yelled as he prepared to form a containment cage to trap the helicopter. Blake placed his hand on Sam?s shoulder.

?Let them go Samuel. I know you want to take them down but it?s better to fight another day; we barely beat them. Let?s just go home?besides, isn?t victory sweeter when you can always fight another day? If they were losers today then they?ll always be losers as far as I?m concerned,? Blake said.

?You?re right. There?s something about Ainsley that I just don?t get?why put a kid like Ciaran against us? What an amateur,? Sam said jokingly.

?I guess we only have ourselves to blame then because we taught him,? Blake responded, laughing a little.

Alycia started up the Blackbird II since Sam had the long and difficult flight the first time. All the team boarded and immediately, medic kits were taken out and Overcast was the center of attention for the majority of the flight.

?Damn kid?got me in the eyes,? Ben said, pouting as his eyes water like crazy.

?If you sit still then it won?t hurt; now hush up. Sit back, I?m putting something on your eyes that should take care of the pain and clear that up,? Blake remarked. Overcast and himself were sitting in dolley chairs with a medical kit sitting in Blake?s lap. He held up a cotton swab with an ointment called Ombreeze; it?s only meant for pain. He gently applied it under Ben?s eyelids and waited for a few seconds before applying more from the little white bottom the petroleum liquid came in.

?Alycia, did we get a position I.D. on those new ones? Ciaran we don?t need of course but those other two didn?t seem like they were the average types; they actually stood a chance against us. Think Tatianna would have something filed already?? Sam inquired.

?I don?t know if Tatianna was surveying us or not; you?d have to ask her. However, I know her and I know she must?ve made a mind sweep once we encountered them. One of them we know for sure while the other two are relatively unknown. How can they have mutant powers so rare and powerful and yet Cerebro didn?t pin point them before?? Alycia wondered.

?Cerebro was built as a mutant search operation; not a mutant type excavation. While it can find just about any mutant on Earth and possibly not from Earth, it cannot find the exact mutant type. The only person who knows how to do that is Tatianna and it?d take days, weeks, even MONTHS to figure out what type of mutant that we?d have to deal with,? Blake explained.

The Blackbird made its way to the large garage doors to the Starbuck Institution where it got a grand reception via the garage opening up like an entry hatch for a direct landing. The grounds in the back of the garage seemed to be nothing more than an open field. However, the ground opened up into an underground landing pad along with the garage doors which served only the purpose to be a temporary holding ground for the jet in case it had to make a crash landing; it?s smart to land a smashed aircraft in a garage where it can be quickly repaired. Alycia wasn?t as good of a pilot as Sam was because he seemed to be in tune with everything that was metal; it had rusted, he could pilot or drive it. Her lack in flying skills become painstakingly clear as she halted the jet in mid air with the new version of the air brakes and lowered it with the downward fall thrusters so quickly that everyone who wasn?t wearing a seatbelt and that?d be everyone onboard except for Alycia, fell out of their chairs.

?What are you doing?! I told you not to let a woman drive Sam! She?s even more blind than me!? Overcast exclaimed as he felt around for his chair, still not being able to see.

?Chill okay? I?m sorry, I screwed up. You guys know I have a hard time with this thing?? Alycia growled.

The landing was almost as bumpy as the dissension and finally, the jet touched the hard, metal landing gear located on the ground; instead of it being on the jet itself, the landing pad was on the ground just as a security feature in case there was a chase and a quick escape was needed. Blake and Sam both let out a sigh of relief; they were glad that ride was over because Alycia surely couldn?t pilot too well. She turned her head back from the pilot seat and glared at the two of them and stood up, folded her arms quickly and stormed out of the craft with the landing hatch lowering automatically.

?Was it something we said?? Sam asked.

?Women?can?t live with ?em, can?t live withouot ?em. Wait, we could always live without them couldn?t we? I have to admit that?d be a boring world though,? Blake joked.

Blake and Sam assisted Overcast out of the Blackbird and into the main garage area where Alycia met up with the repairman on duty and good friend; Enzo. It just wasn?t a good idea to insult this woman and expect her not to go around and complaining about it. Her and Enzo were currently in a relationship so naturally he?d be the first one she?d come running to when she felt bad about something. Blake, Sam and Ben walked in right in the middle of her whine session with her boyfriend.

??and they said that I couldn?t fly. They made some other blatant remarks about me too. See, there they are; the jerks. I had to do all the work with Ainsley?s new guys too. They didn?t help any,? Alycia lied. Nobody expected her to be truthful because the least help she put into any mission was her reason to believe that the whole cause wouldn?t be successful without her; the whole world always revolved around her.

Sam approached Enzo and patted him on the shoulder and whispered, ?I feel your pain man?? before he chuckled a little.

?What was that Samuel?! You pickin? on me again?!? Alycia loudly questioned as she gave him a cutting stare.

?Okay Alycia, chill out. There?s no reason for this to get out of hand. Sam, don?t talk about her behind her back. Alycia, please, everyone helped out with that mission. Everyone, it?s almost time for dinner. Some of us probably ordered out for pizza or Chinese already but Jacob and Jamima constantly put their hard work to good use when making us meals so it?d be nice to show your appreciation by eating what they cook,? Blake said. It?s easy to tell that everyone saw him as the leader of the team because he always spoke like a leader; he even criticizes teammates when criticism is needed. He?s always the one to stop arguments and normally, he has a word or two that ends arguments as in this case.

Alycia turned and stomped off to her room. Enzo followed her from behind, shaking his head and he knew that he was going to be in for hearing her complaints for the rest of the night; most didn?t understand how he could take it. Ben, finally getting back some of his vision although it was blurry, headed towards his room. Sam started cleaning up the shop whereas soon afterwards he?d get ready for dinner; Jacob would never forgive him if he missed a meal. As for Blake, the hardship of the leader for this side of the battle road was giving the report and the findings even though Tatianna outlined the whole battle by telepathic relay. He took the garage?s elevator to the 4th floor; there are 6 elevators in the mansion in total.

He waited patiently for the elevator to hurry up and get to the 4th floor; the heavy metal was to blame once again. However, this time around, the elevator stopped at the 3rd floor. The doors crept open and someone who Blake knew to hate got onto the elevator with him; Helena Troyer who is better known as Aphrodesia. These two never quite got along because they were two combustible elements and once combined together there would be some serious Hell in the mansion. Blake never liked Helena because she was mean to everyone, acted like a snobby, stuck-up person who believed she was better than everyone else and because she believed, for whatever reason, that women were superior to men in every way imaginable. However, the hates that Helena found with Blake were very different. She didn?t like him because she had and still has a major crush on him and no matter what she does she can?t seem to get him to like her. Not to mention the fact that he openly called her a ?snob.? Also, another reason why she doesn?t like him is because he?s always fighting someone; he can?t seem to stay off the battlefield.

She walked into the elevator and didn?t even look at Blake. One would believe that with the way she acted towards him would?ve automatically meant that she hated Blake; it was the exact opposite and she desired him more than any man on Earth. It?s just the fact that there?s a guy in the world that she can?t get her hands on that?s making Helena a very angry woman nowadays.

?Mr. Stilles?? was her entrance words. She had an old time bar room singer type of voice, something similar to Madonna when she plays in old time pictures that range from the 1930s to 1970s.

?Helena?how was your day?? he asked, praying in his mind that she?d just answer the question and not get hostile like usual.

?How was my day? Oh, dealing with those snot nosed brats, telling them to sit down, don?t fight each other, don?t make me come over there, read the books, turn in their homework, classwork, and projects and so on and so forth? Oh, it?s been great, peachy, wonderful; not stressful at all. How was your day? Oh wait, I know how it was; you do the same thing everyday. You wake up 6:20 every morning and you have the same cup of coffee with two teaspoons of sugar, a little cream and lots of coffee beans. You go for a 2 mile jog before you come in and go to the shooting range and waste a good amount of the school?s money on some sand bags you call targets; we could?ve brought text books instead of those damn bullets. Oh, but the finale; you go out and have fun with Ainsley. Really, you chase her around so much?what has she got that I don?t Blake? Tell me, I really want to know,? Helena said, still chastising Blake. From the sound of her voice and the words she said one could easily tell that she?s not only a frustrated woman but she?s also crying inside because she really wants to love Blake and yet no matter what she does she just can?t have him; one can?t force someone to love them back.

?Helena, please, I don?t want to have this conversation right now. You know how I feel about you and it just wouldn?t work between us,? Blake said, trying to reason with her. He turned to look at her again and showed an expression of, ?What the hell am I saying??

Why did Blake lust for Helena so much and yet he couldn?t bring himself to feel any affection towards her? It?s simply because she?d get in the way of his ultimate purpose; to prove to humanity that mutants are nicer people than they are presented to be. It was hard to deny her and not give into her with her wearing such a tight fitting and revealing outfit. Her skirt was designed with a very tight fitting, yellow pedal flower design in with a pink that surrounded the flowers, a tight, pink halter top with yellow embroidery around it, brown stockings, a black hair broach and pink, high heeled shoes. That sort of clothing combined with her body that was a sight for any man to see made her one hell of a sexy woman. But even the most appealing women can?t always have their way with the guys they actually want to keep around.

?Not until you tell me what you see in her. Oh, you think no one knows your true feelings, you think no one knows why you keep doing what you do each and everyday; it?s because you know that you?ll get to see her everyday. You think I can?t sense emotions? Just why do you think I?m saying all this? The first time you saw her I was with you on the same mission and I sensed a feeling of lust?do you know how much that hurts Blake? I?ve tried so hard to do what she does with just one glance. You don?t think I spend night after night wondering what I did wrong to make you be so cold. Most times, you don?t even speak to me. I know I can be a little nagging but a decent hello couldn?t kill you. Oh Blake, if you only knew how I really felt about you, you?d stop this charade and give in to your real desires,? she coaxed on. She put on a performance that would be convincing to most people; she?s a drama queen and has the acting skills to match. She even covered her face and pretended like she was crying; oh yeah, she was good. However, she just wasn?t good enough to fool a man that was trained by the CIA to pinpoint liars and their techniques of deception.

Blake turned to her and eyed her with a serious look, one so hard that it could kill; that isn?t meant literally of course. ?Look, I?m about sick and tired of you and your feelings Helena. Get it through your head; I?m not interesting. It?s plain and simple. You?re beautiful, dear God, you?re dead smacking gorgeous but looks aren?t everything. We?re not made for each other?remember when I DID give you a chance and we went out? That ended up being a disaster after you THOUGHT the waitress was hitting on me. You remember what you did to her? You abused your powers and made her boss get angry and since her boss already didn?t like her, she got fired on her first day of work. Ever wondered what happened to that girl Helena? She?s at the homeless shelter on 5th and Broad Street in the downtown area. You should visit her sometime; I?m sure you two would have a great conversation. Don?t you see? You?re mean, rude, jealous, and so lustful that it?s disgusting not to mention how you try to control my life all the time?what I told you would just be an EXAMPLE of what you do on an everyday basis. You keep trying to make me love you and I simply don?t love you because I?m a grown man and I can make my own choices. If you don?t like that then that?s tough; I?m not changing for you or anybody. Do you understand?? Blake questioned. This was a rare sight of the Strike Force leader; he was normally nice to everyone. Although, with some people, being nice to them can be considered a weakness so he had to lay the law down for her in a harsh way.

This whole conversation took place and could only prove how slow the elevator was; they said all these things and they were only traveling up one flight and yet the elevator hadn?t reached its destination yet. Finally, just after Blake got finished with telling Helena off, the elevator doors parted for them.

Helena didn?t take his words so well and she really started crying. ?I can?t believe you?d talk to me like that?I thought you cared about me?YOU JERK!? She yelled just before she ran out of the elevator and down the hall; towards her room.

?Helena wait! I didn?t mean that! Come on, don?t be that way!? Blake said, trying to take his words back.

He got off the elevator and let out a heavy sigh; he just couldn?t win for losing with her. He turned and started walking towards the meeting room where Tatianna worked for most of the time when she wasn?t teaching math. He walked up to the metal doors with the X-Men logo implanted in the middle of it. Unlike the last door, this one had a control pad that was similar to a voice intercom system. However, it was actually a voice recognition pad. Blake gave in his code to open the door.

?Battalion.?

His voice pattern and the sound waves made by his voice box vibrated through the machine as it analyzed the sound and made the determination rather the person standing in front of it was really Blake Stilles or not. The entrance was approved as the door lifted up from the ceiling. Blake walked into the command center and the hatch immediately closed behind him without a second to spare; a new security feature that would take some getting used to.

The command center is a lot different now; it?s a whole new institution after all. Monitor after monitor is the only thing that can be seen around the room with its circular shape and its rather large size; it was bigger than most rooms in the whole mansion. The monitors were Gateway monitors and they were the FPD1950 19" LCD Flat Panel Display models. In the middle of the room, a large circular table similar to King Arthur the Knights of the Round sort of theme with an array of roller chairs around it and a large computer monitor in the very middle of the table. A hard panel display glared brightly in the back of the room as it was a 50 inch screen. The ceiling had special speakers installed into them so in case there was an emergency of any type the campus? computer defense system would warn the staff about the incoming danger or internal concerns. The many air vents were there to shoot out toxic gases that would either subdue or kill intruders; although they also doubled as air condition and heating vents.

?Had a talk with Ms. Troyer I see?is she still after you?? a female voice with a thick, Russian accent bellowed from the back corner of the room.

?You always could see all and know all Tatianna. I just can?t get her to understand that while I want her that I only want her body; that just isn?t love. I want someone I can be with for the beauty in their person not because their curves make my mouth water. Know what I mean?? Blake asked.

Rolling out on a rolling chair came a slender pale skinned woman and possibly the most well known of all the X-Men; Nervi or Tatianna as everyone called her. She took the usual black type of clothing. She sported a pair of faded out black jeans, a black, short sleeved shirt with the words ?Bite Me? on the front of it in bold, white letters and black Air Jordan III shoes. She always had a smile on her face despite her reluctance to really associate herself with anyone; she didn?t trust anyone and especially not people with these sorts of powers. However, Tatianna loved all people and especially children so that?s the reason why she?s the most favored teacher in the school.

?Of course I know what you mean Blake. I think Ms. Troyer just has some personal demons that she has to get rid of and for the majority of her life she has become used to having other people get rid of those demons for her. She hasn?t had the best in terms of a past life Blake. No, she isn?t like most people who?ve complained about a harsh life; she hasn?t been betrayed, shot at, raped or much of anything else. She has lived a normal life and that?s the worst life in my opinion; or at least as normal as it gets when you?re a mutant. Do you know what it?s like to live a life where nothing interesting happens? I?m sure you?d hate that Blake; I know you?re the Indiana Jones around here. Give her some mercy and give the woman a chance. So what if she?s not perfect? If I check your memories correctly, you haven?t lived what I?d call a perfect life either,? Tatianna instructed.

Blake nodded and didn?t even give her a sharp response. The reason being is because everyone came to her when it was time for advice. Tatianna was sort of the counselor of the school more so than a teacher or an X-Man. She was a personal guidance counselor to the Strike Force and all of the X-Men because the team can often seem to be non-compatible with each other; the incident concerning Ben, Blake, Sam and Alycia would be a good example although Tatianna didn?t interfere because she felt the situation could be handled without her presence or telepathy.

?Alright?but if she gets another waitress fired all deals are off,? Blake said as he laughed about it.

?I said she had a tough life; I didn?t say she wasn?t crazy. Be careful Blake because really, you don?t want to know what goes through that woman?s mind; she?s really into?intercourse?more than you?ll ever know,? Tatianna warned.

?Yeah, I do realize that?about the mission though. We ran into two new mutants. One they called Lazarus and the other one, Viva or Void or something?I don?t know and I don?t really care about their names; I just want to know how to directly stop them the next time,? Blake reported.

?You don?t. Void can be stopped with a negative charge of energy, something that only one of our students possesses; that?d be Jeremy of course. However, there is one more way to do it and Overcast showed you how. Other vapors mixing in with her own gas form doesn?t make a very good combination because the chemicals just don?t mix so instead of just combining into a much more compatible element she?ll just revert back to her old, human state. Unlike her, Lazarus is a different case; he?s what you call a necromancer or so to speak. He can make dead things perform actions that could be contrary to their will from the beginning; in other words, once those things are reanimated, they become violent just as he wants them to be. He can bring back anything, humans, tigers, bears, elephants, and bugs and rats; of course. All one would have to do is attack him or just trap and contain whatever he reanimated. Ciaran?well, to be honest, I?m glad he left us because he was a pain for a student; he couldn?t sing all that well anyways,? Tatianna said, shaking her head with the thought of Sunsinger leaving the institution.

?Yeah, he was a bit of an arrogant one?you?ve got mind powers, tell me, what did Jacob make for dinner? I?m starving,? Blake asked.

?I will not use my powers just so you can get a menu. If you want to know what is being prepared for dinner than I suggest you take your lazy butt downstairs and find out,? Tatianna said. Her voice, though the accent was as thick as a night fog, sounded so sweet and kind to the point where any insult from her could be seen as constructive criticism to just about anyone; or she?d just use her powers to make them think it?s constructive.

Blake smiled and turned as the doors automatically opened for him. ?Later..? he said as he came out of the doors with them closing behind him.


[B][CENTER]The End[/CENTER][/B]