Day Two: Revelations

[Drake 53]

"Should I be afraid of your sudden turn against women?" Marcus asked with a grin. "I wouldn't want you to jump me when I'm coming out of the shower." He looked over at the girls and shrugged. "He talks a lot. Usually about people I've never heard of. I try to filter most of it out."

Marcus first showed them the living room, where Danny was watching TV. "You know Danny, right?" He asked them. "I guess he's living here too."

"Yup," came the British boy's reply.

"Alright then. On to the kitchen."

He led them back down the hall and into the kitchen where Neil had resumed listening to his music.

[Rogue 4]

Neil slid the CD cover into his jacket pocket. He didn't want any of them to look at it and realize that he was listening to a book-on-tape. It wasn't exactly good for his image.

"Alright," He said, turning the player off and stuffing it into a pocket a moment later. "You girls are boring. I'm going to go grab some eats." He pointed to Marcus. "Don't shed on the couch, kitten."

He walked outside, mounted his motorcycle, and took off towards the mall for some fast food, with a side dish of fun and excitement.

[Drake 53]

Next Marcus showed them the bedrooms. He let them into his and a couple empty ones as examples. He briefly let them look around upstairs. "The fancy door at the end of the hall is our benefactor's room. Mystique. No one's allowed in there on pain of death or something."

When they were back downstairs, Marcus led them to the door which exited to the backyard. "I havn't actually been out here yet so this will be a tour for all of us."

Outside, they found a fairly large deck with a barbeque and patio table with chairs. There was a concrete area up against the wall of the house with a backetball net rigged up. Beyond the deck was a fairly large lawn.

"Not bad," said Marcus. When he turned around to go back inside, he spotted another door over on the other side of the deck. He didn't remember there being another door leading outside. "Interesting." Marcus walked over to check it out.

***

Hailey put the phone to her ear. "Hello?" she asked.

"Hi!" came the cheerful voice. "This is Hailey right?"

"Yes, who's this?" Hailey took a guess. "Amanda?"

"Yeah!"

Amanda was Kurt's girlfriend from back in New York. Hailey didn't quite understand why he had offered to come down to California while she had remained. Hailey was certain that Amanda would have come along too. However, Kurt had mentioned how the girl's parents weren't quite as understanding of who Kurt really was as she was.

"I wouldn't have thought Kurt would even mention me!" the other girl said.

Hailey shook her head, not that it made a difference, and replied, "Are you kidding? He doesn't shut up about you!" That was mostly true. He never shut up about food, mostly. However, Kurt woulf often talk about Amanda. "He talks about how much he misses you."

"Awwwww!" Hailey had to hold the phone back for that one but she grinned. "I miss him too!"

"Well then you come down here and visit some time soon. I'd like to meet you!"

"Yeah! I'd like to meet you guys too!" said Amanda.

Kurt teleported back, looking much relieved. "What did I miss?" he asked.

"Wash your hands," Hailey said, matter-of-factly.

The boy sighed and disappeared. When he was gone, both girls burst into a giggle fit.

***

Sam walked out of the music store after having bought a couple new CDs. When his stomach growled, he realized that he hadn't eaten dinner yet. Sam weaved his way through mall congestion and soon found himself in the food court.

Edited May 30, 2008 by Drake

[Andy 60]

Danny wandered outside to see what Marcus and co. were up to. "Hey guys. My TV programme finished, so I thought I'd come see what you lot were up to."

[Rogue 4]

Neil was waiting in line for a good five minutes at the Taco Bell in the food court, waiting for the old woman in front of him to finish ordering enough food for a third world country. And ordering it so slowly he thought death might come before she finished.

Finally fed up, he pushed past the woman to the counter. "Look, I've had it. If you don't ring me up for a Gordita crunch and some Cheesy Fiesta potatoes right now---"

[Drake 53]

"How about you apologize to the woman and wait for your turn like a good boy, Mr. Travis."

Sam smiled at the younger man from the back of the line.

[Rogue 4]

"Why don't you mind your own fecking buisness, buddy, and not make a spectacle out of this." Turning back to the cashier he demanded, "Food, now!"

After a second he came to a realization and spun halfway around, pointing at him. "How the hell do you know who I am?"

Edited May 30, 2008 by Rogue

[Drake 53]

"Really, I insist." Sam nudged Neil with his powers, forcing him a couple steps away from the counter, allowing the old woman to finish ordering. "And I know a lot of things, Mr. Travis. I know who you're working for and what you've done in the past."

[Rogue 4]

"I bet you fecking have." Neil said, looking him up and down. "What are you SHIELD or something? You've got that whole lack of personality thing wrapped around you. It's the suit isn't it? Dressing like an arse every day must be what slowly takes that away."

"And if you know who I work for, then you know you really don't want to toy with me right now."

[Drake 53]

"Am I a shield?" Sam asked, in mock confusion. "Last I checked, I was a person. And this?" He looked down at his 'suit'. It wasn't really since he was wearing his utility jacket instead of the usual dress coat. "Well, I get my share of the ladies."

"I also know that you're a little subpar on performance if you don't get something to eat. So, if you know who I work for...then you know that I really don't care." Sam pointed behind Neil to where the woman behind the counter was waiting and nudged the younger man around. "Your turn now, pumpkin."

[Rogue 4]

Neil had had it with this guy. The energy he'd absorbed today was itching to get out, and he had half a mind to release it, here in front of everyone. Instead he grabbed his food and gestured to Sam. "He's paying," He said, turning to walk away.

If Lehnsherr hadn't insisted that he lay low for a while he would have fried that cocky, overgrown government freak right here and now.

[Vergere 1]

Kelly smiled faintly over at Danny. "Marcus is just showing us around, really..."

[Mara 29]

Finally turning onto a street she recognized, August sped up and relaxed more as she drove farther on. She was beginning to think that she should always keep her phone off when she drove, but then it rang again. Tired and frustrated now, she still had the foresight to pull off the road into a gas station before answering.

"What is it, Bridget?" a little exasperated.

"No, I told you that--

"The mall? I--" August glanced around herself. She must have drove more than she thought. Just wanting to get home, she had completely missed the turn and ended up a dozen blocks from the mall.

"It's late, Bridget. It's--" She looked at her console. "It's almost 8:00."

A long pause as her friend rambled on about something involving her new boyfriend and that all the girls were meeting up there.

Bridget wasn't the best of friends, but she was still her friend, and August knew she couldn't just blow her off again. Afraid of losing the few friends she had, she agreed to meet them at the mall.

"Only for a while, but then I really need to get home." August hung up and turned off her cell before replacing it in her purse. She pulled out of the service station and made it the last couple minutes into the mall parking lot.

A few minutes later she was sitting in the food court at the mall surrounded by her friends and a boy, Bridget's, who looked almost as uncomfortable as herself. She really tried to listen as Bridget went on and on about George and smiled whenever she spoke.

* * * * * *

Sean got his things ready for the next school day, setting them neatly by the door or by his bed, depending on the item and went to ready himself for bed.

[Drake 53]

Marcus tried to turn the handle to the mysterious door but it failed to open. "Yeah, I'm just trying to see what's behind this door." Just then, he remembered one of Danny's abilities. "Do you want to give it a shot?"

[Andy 60]

Danny shrugged, "I'll give it a go." Danny stepped over to the door, and gave a tug on the handle. It didn't open, so he gave it a sharper twist and something snapped inside the lock. "I think that might have done it," he said.

[Drake 53]

"Thanks," said Marcus as he stepped back to the door. He tried the handle again. This time it turned. He had to jiggle it a bit but finally the door budged open, revealing a set of concrete stairs that led down into darkness. "Maybe this is where Mytique keeps the bodies of her victims." He laughed at the look the girls gave one another. "Just kidding." But, to be honest, he wasn't sure himself. The Brotherhood leader was creepy and frightening.

Marcus looked around at the top of the steps and found a lightswitch. Flicking it on, the hallway lit up. There were only a dozen steps with a room at the bottom. "Let's go check it out," he said before starting down the stairs.

***

Sam payed for his and Neil's meals then took his food and looked around for a seat. He quickly spotted the brash young man, whom he was talking to moments before, sitting at a table by himself and made his way through the eating area towards him.

"Mind if I sit here?" he asked. Before waiting for the 'yes' or 'beat it' or 'feck off' that was sure to follow, Sam sat down across from Neil anyway and started eating. "Thanks."

[Rogue 4]

Instead of responding, Neil continued eating his food, placing one hand down on the table. He glared across at the man as he transfered energy down into the table, and the connected chair that Sam was sitting in.

Edited May 31, 2008 by Rogue

[Andy 60]

"I have a bad feeling about this," Danny muttered as he followed them down the steps.

[Drake 53]

At the bottom of the stairs, Marcus found another switch and flicked it on. The lights came on, revealing a large room that was about the size around as a small gymnasium. It looked as though the room went from beneath the house and out under the back yard.

When the group started to look around, they discovered some equipment and even an assortment of weapons along the walls.

"I think this is some kind of training room," said Marcus, at last.

Edited May 31, 2008 by Drake

[Vergere 1]

Kelly shivered uneasily as they looked around, but kept her comments and thoughts to herself.

[Drake 53]

Sam slid casually out of the chair then used his powers to reverse the pull of gravity surrounding it. The chair shot up into the air, glowing and crackling with energy. It smashed through the glass skylight above. Sam caught the broken glass in his anti-gravity field as well, preventing it from raining down on the people around.

Finally, when it was safe enough away, the chair exploded into a large fireball. All of the surrounding mallgoers got up in a panic and started to leave.

"Now look what you went and made me do. Endangering public lives...now I could detain you for that one, Mr. Travis."

[Andy 60]

"Training for what?" Danny wondered out loud.

[Rogue 4]

Neil eyes met Sam's, glowing with energy. "Go ahead and try. I don't give a flying feck about these normies, and they don't care about me."

He reached out, grabbing a girl that was running past. She was blond, beautiful and clearly high class, and he was pretty sure she was in one of his classes. "The difference is that you care about them."

He looked to her and then back to Sam. "Hmmm I wonder how much energy it would take to shock her system?" He wondered in his thick Irish accent.

[Drake 53]

Without even twitching a muscle, Sam reached out with his powers and bent gravity to his will. If Sam had been as young as Neil was now, this probably would have ended badly but he was precise. The sudden change in physics caught both abductor and abductee off guard. Neil suddenly and instantly found his weight shift from holding him to the floor to pushing him toward a nearby cement support pillar with a few G's of force.

The girl, on the other hand, flew right into Sam's arms. He set her down and told her forcefully, "Go on, get out of here! Run!" He glanced around to anyone else that was still standing around to watch. "Everyone get out! This man has a bomb!"

That got everyone's attention and, within moments, the food court was cleared.

Sam walked slowly toward the pillar, where he kept Neil pinned, and drew his sidearm. "You may have been trained by Magneto...a man who has been bested time and again...but I've fought alongside damn heroes so I've picked up a few things about dealing with the likes of you."

***

Kurt teleported back into his room, holding up his blue, furry and slightly damp hands. "Happy now?"

Hailey nodded. "He's clean," she said to Amanda, over the phone. "I'll talk to you later!"

"Bye, Hailey!" came the reply before she handed off the phone to Kurt.

"So, were you two talking about me?" was the last part of the conversation that Hailey heard before she returned to her room with a grin.

[Rogue 4]

"The likes of me, heh? Now you've got me curious." Neil glared daggers at him from the pillar, trying to regain control. He set his jaw and converted the energy he had stored in his body into strength, using it to alleviate the pressure of the high gravity on his body. "Believe me though when I say, you don't want to start talking trash about Magneto."

Edited June 1, 2008 by Rogue