disclaimer* I do not own the rights to any of the characters in this story, and make no claims to the artistic visions of the marvel universe. I know nothing of the sexuality of any of the creators, actors, or characters involved in the Marvel universe. Similarly, this story contains graphic descriptions of gay male sex. If you don't like that, they you should probably avert your eyes.
This story takes place in an alternate X-Men universe from the one in which the 3rd movie took place. Certain events occurred after X2 which changed the timeline. Jean, Scott and Professor X are all still alive, and there was no cure. The specifics of the timeline changes may be made apparent as the story progresses.
Chapter 7 -- "God of the Mind"
**author's note: I am going to try writing this chapter from a 3rd person perspective, to see if it makes the story easier to tell. Please let me know if you love or hate it.
The day had finally come. It was time for Hydrogue and his friends to begin X-Men testing and training. They had been training together for weeks in their down time, trying to explore their powers, push their limits, and maximize control. Everyone had improved nicely, though naturally, Hydrogue had learned the most. As a Class 5 mutant, he had more directions to explore, as his power was limited only by his imagination and the strength of his mind.
The seven young men gathered in the locker room adjacent to the Danger Room, getting ready for the test. Since they were not official members yet, they did not have the nice leather X-Men uniforms that the others had. Instead they dressed in lightweight exercise clothing, which provided a small amount of padding while at the same time hugging the skin and not limiting movement. The result was a tight, sleeveless upper garment and close fitting knee length shorts which showed off the physiques of the young men. Demon looked the most impressive, with his tall and solid body encased in the maroon suit (which complimented his red skin and ruby eyes nicely) he had chosen. Psionic and Echo showed thin, lanky builds with a light layer of muscle over them. Psionic wore emerald green which matched his eyes, and Echo wore his black sunglasses and a purple suit which looked horrible on him, but since he could not see colors, nobody judged him for it. Ghost was of short stature, but had a strong, wide shouldered build, which was well shown in his dark gray suit, which also matched his eyes. Barrier showed off his lean jock build in a black suit, which matched his hair and brought attention to the pale blue of his eyes. Will's hypnotic seafoam green eyes could not be matched, and so he chose black as well, and his gymnast build practically exploded from within. Hydrogue, of course, wore sapphire blue, though the color paled in comparison to his eyes, though the suit complimented his swimmers body impressively.
"So how do you think they will test us?" Ghost asked, seeming a bit nervous. He was normally fairly quiet, but got more talkative when anxious.
"I don't know man," responded Barrier, in his cocky California accent. "It will probably be different for everyone, based on our powers." He was right.
Demon went first. He started off showing his super strength, lifting large rocks, cars, and anything else the Danger Room projected before him. After showing how his ultra dense muscle mass increased his strength by many times, he faced off against Colossus. The two fought hand to hand, displaying their great strength and ability to take a royal beating. The others watched from within a side room, amazed at what they saw. Demon, a normally cool headed and genuinely likeable guy, had a completely unexpected wrathful side. Colossus, an experienced X-Man, landed many hits on Demon, but there were enough loud clangs to be heard to know that Demon held his own. After some time, the Professor's voice came over the intercom, declaring an end to the duel.
"That will be enough, thank you Caleb. You have shown impressive strength and stamina, and some skills in fighting. You would be a very useful member of our team, should you chose to train further." Demon smiled broadly at the compliment, and bowed to Colossus, who returned the favor. Demon headed out of the Danger Room through a side door, holding his side lightly.
Ghost went next. Due to his non-combat oriented ability, he was tested differently. He was presented with an intricate maze, which required him to continuously utilize his spirit walking ability. He would step out of his body in spirit form, and walk through walls. Doing this, he was able to detect obstacles, traps, and dead ends, and successfully find his way out of the maze. One he stepped out of the maze, he encountered Bobby Drake. Bobby was a trained ground fighter, specializing in grappling and wrestling. They engaged in a grappling match, and it was a very good one. They wrestled back and forth for the top position, constantly slipping out of each other's locks. As they wrestled, they built up an incredible sweat, which increased the slipping around. Eventually, Ghost landed a pin, sitting on Iceman's chest, locking his arms, and holding him in place. Ghost looked down at Iceman, the soulful gray eyes meeting the deep ice blue ones. Both men panted heavily, and their light hair was drenched in sweat. Bobby nodded to Ghost, and conceded the match. They released each other, and lay panting on the ground on their backs next to each other. As they lay, their fingertips touched oh so slightly, but neither man flinched away from the contact. The Professor came over the intercom again, informing Ghost that he too would be useful to the team. With that, Ghost and Bobby helped each other up, and walked out through the same side room that Colossus and Demon had passed through.
Naturally, Psionic was tested by Jean. She had the room generate objects of various sizes and shapes, and he attempted to lift, spin, and manipulate them in whatever way she asked. Most of the time he succeeded, but occasionally he would falter. He did manage to hold 16 objects in the air, all spinning in different directions before he faltered, which was 2 more objects than during practice. The room was made into a complex array of walls and obstacles, and Psionic was told to teleport from place to place throughout, displaying his ability to travel to places he could not see. Jean seemed impressed by this.
"Not many teleporters have your skill. You can warp into small places that you cannot see, without fear of harming yourself." Psionic glowed from the compliment.
Psionic was not tested for his fighting abilities, as he was untrained. Instead, Jean tested his telepathic strength. To the others, it appeared as though they were staring intently at each other, but in reality they engaged in a titanic battle of minds. Jean was clearly the superior force, but she took it slow, testing his resistance to her probes, and feeling the strengths of his returning attacks. She admired the flexibility of his mind, how he attacked and retreated quickly, but had to admit that he lacked in the strength department. She informed the Professor of this, and ended the session.
"Michael, thank you for a fascinating testing session. Your diversified skills would make you an extremely valuable X-Man. Please come speak to me." Psionic breathed a sigh of relief, and left the Danger Room.
Barrier was tested by Storm, who drove bolts of lighting against his shields, testing their strength. For the most part, Barrier held his own, though he got singed once or twice. Barrier was tested in hand-to-hand combat by Cyclops, who was an expert in the field. Barrier had limited experience and no training in fighting, and was no match for Cyclops. He did have excellent defensive instincts, and was able to deflect and absorb a respectable amount of Cyclops' attacks. After a time, Cyclops had decided that he had knocked Barrier down enough times, and ended the session.
"You are untrained, but show some potential as a fighter." Cyclops seemed genuinely pleased. Both men were dismissed by the Professor, and departed.
Next up was Will. The Professor wheeled into the Danger Room himself. The Professor stopped facing Will across the Danger Room, and said "I honestly am unsure of how to test your powers Darryl. And so instead, I would like you to show me what you can do."
The air in the Danger Room shimmered, rippled, and then resolved into an exceptionally realistic representation of a forest. It was real down to the smallest detail, including the smell of pine on the wind, the warmth of the sunlight, and the gentle sound of a running stream. Birds chirped and flew by overhead in the treetops, and bugs crawled and scampered along the ground. Will looked around in awe at the incredible simulation. He even felt as though he were in a wide open forest.
"Hard-light holographic technology" the Professor explained. "Combined with an incredibly sophisticated sound and detail simulator, all attached to one of the most advanced computers in the world. It even has the ability to fool psychic and other extra-sensory abilities, making the environment as close to real as any simulation can be."
"Wow" was all Will had to say. The Professor smiled.
"And now, if you please..."
"Oh, yes of course." Will began his display of his abilities. He turned to the babbling brook nearby, stared at it intensely, and shouted "FREEZE!" A long expanse of the river, at least a hundred feet in either direction, froze instantly and totally, cracking the rocks around and under it. He glanced in the Professor's direction, with a slightly cocky look in his eye. He turned in another direction and shouted "SPLIT!" A nearby tree, easily sixty feet tall, split down the center, and fell to the earth in either direction. The crashing sound muffled the gasps from his friends in the adjoining observation rooms. A rush of birds flew away form the racket, and he shouted "STOP!" An entire flight of birds stopped in mid-flight. He faced the Professor again, and said "RISE!" A boulder that was embedded into the ground pulled itself free from the earth and rose into the air, hovering above their heads. And with a final bellowing of "SHATTER" the rock blew apart, raining sharp gravel in all directions at high speed. Then with a simple STOP' then FALL', the shards of rock fell to the ground harmlessly. Will smiled with inflated pride, his seafoam colored eyes flashing beautifully.
Will's combat trial was somewhat unorthodox. Wolverine emerged from a side room, dressed in his X-Men uniform. They faced off against each other, Will taking the standard two-fists up stance, and Wolverine with his massive hands by his sides, but entire body bulging with tensed muscle.
"Don't worry kid, no claws, and I'll take it easy on ya" Wolverine assured him.
"Show me what you've got old man" Will responded, grinning broadly. Wolverine came at him quick like a cat, closing the distance in only a fraction of a second. He moved to strike Will with one of his massive fists when Will shouted "SLEEP!" Wolverine stopped in his tracks, his eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed to the ground with a clang of metal bones. Will looked up at the Professor smiling, though looked slightly as though he were afraid he'd gone too far.
"I am very impressed Darryl, truly. You have a very unusual ability, one I have not encountered before. You are incredibly versatile, and very powerful." Will nodded his appreciation for the compliment, and together they proceeded out the door, along with Colossus, who came to carry away Wolverine's sleeping body.
Echo exited the viewing room, leaving Hydrogue to watch alone. As Echo stepped into the Danger Room, the air shimmered again, and the tranquil forest was replaced by a large, warehouse filled with piles of boxes of all sizes. The warehouse was dimly lit from above, and had a silent, echoing quality to it. Echo took a few bewildered steps around, trying to get his bearings and figure out what his task was. He was walking towards the center of the warehouse when he froze and cocked his head, as if he had heard something. To the others, this seemed odd, as they could hear nothing, but Echo had vastly superior ears. Around a pile of boxes came a pair of twin robots, red optical sensors flashing ominously. The robots had a spherical core, with many strange arms with various tools coming out the sides, and a spherical head on top which contained a variety of detection gear. The whole contraption hovered about 5 feet in the air above the floor, and gave the look of a pair of floating metal spiders. For just a moment, the robots and Echo looked across the distance at each other, not moving. The moment was broken when one of the robots projected an arm equipped with a cutting laser, and fired at Echo. Echo leaped aside, tucked into a roll, and ran around the corner of another box pile. The laser missed its target and blew a handful of boxes apart, raining the warehouse with burning cardboard. The twin robots split up and searched among the boxes for Echo. Each time one spotted him, it launched and attack with its laser, the red beam cutting the darkness and starting more fires. Echo waited for one robot to turn a corner, and thrust his right hand forward. A low trum noise sounded, and the air rippled with powerful sonic waves. The sonic blast struck the robot hard, knocking it back. Before the machine could recover, Echo sent out a blast form each hand, the twin waves smashing the robot sidelong, driving it into a support beam. The robot exploded in a shower of flame and shrapnel, momentarily blinding everyone in the observation rooms.
When the flash subsided, there was only 1 robot left to hunt Echo. Echo could hear it coming, and waited for it to rise over a box pile. As soon as he saw the robot, he blasted it like he had its partner. But this robot had adapted. Before the sonic blasts could hit the machine, they struck an energy shield which surrounded it. Echo rained blast after blast at the machine, but the shield would not falter. In return, the robot launched a small rocket at Echo, who just barely dodged. The resulting explosion flung Echo 20 meters, and spread fires throughout the warehouse. The machine began to follow Echo, but then stopped. It swiveled its sensor-filled head back and forth, as if it could no longer find its target. Those in the control room already knew, and Echo was soon to realize why. The machine had been tracking him with heat-vision sensors. The fires spreading through the room had blinded Echo's heat signature, and the robot could no longer see him. It quickly adapted. A ping noise emitted from the robot, and it swerved suddenly to face Echo, whom it could now see using radar. The machine chased Echo sending out pings, launching attack after attack, which Echo always managed to dodge or deflect using a sonic blast. Even by hiding behind piles of boxes or support beams, the robot could find him using its radar.
Echo had run out of options. He could not hide from the machine, nor could he find a way to break its shields down. So he decided that he would do neither. After hiding behind another support beam, he waited for the robot to send out another radar ping. When it did, Echo reacted by doing what only he can do. The sound wave went out, but he held it from doing back. The principle of radar works when the emitted sound bounces off solid objects and travels back to the sender. Echo turned this off. All sound ceased to be, and the Danger Room fell into a complete and total silence. The sound of the pings, the crackle of the fires, even the soft rasping of Echo's breathing all stopped. The ears of all those watching strained to pick up any sound, and they failed. The eerie silence held firm, and the robot could not find its target. It sent out louder and louder pings, but no sound could be heard. It turned up its detection microphones to their maximum levels, and still nothing. A secondary explosion went off elsewhere in the warehouse, but it did so without even a whisper. The machine passed by Echo's position, straining to detect his presence. Silently, he slipped behind it, and opened his mouth and screamed. The sound which came from his throat was a high-pitched and unholy sound. It reverberated with power and struck the ears of all nearby. The watchers in the control room, Hydrogue in the waiting room, and even students in the school several floors up covered their ears as they exploded with pain. Windows cracked, glasses shattered, and the air itself seemed to vibrate. The robot, with its sound detection equipment turned to maximum sensitivity, did not survive. The massive signal overloaded the computer's ability to process, and the circuits fried. Sparks began to fly from the machine's head, and soon small bolts of electricity flashed from it, striking the ground, the metal poles, and even arching back to hit the robot. With one final flash of flame from its head, the robot crashed to the ground like so much useless metal. Hydrogue nearly clapped with excitement for his friend's victory.
The air shimmered and the warehouse vanished as the Danger Room returned to normal. Echo whirled about to face the Control Room, which was visible through a large Plexiglas view screen set in the wall about 20 feet above the floor.
"What the hell was that?!" Echo yelled, surprising everyone. He was normally fairly quiet and always calm. "I could have been killed during that ridiculous test!"
The Professor responded "you were never in any real danger Kyle." Echo blinked in surprise. "The Danger Room would have deactivated if you had lost the match. Any killing blow would have instantly stopped, and the session terminated. The Danger Room can hurt you, and it can injure you, but not kill you."
Echo breathed deeply, looking relieved. He looked a bit worse for the wear, with his black hair in a complete mess, soot on his face, and a tear across the sleeveless shirt which showed the smooth pale skin of Echo's upper body.
"Your display of your powers was very impressive Kyle. I have never seen powers like yours before, and your control is remarkable for someone of your age. Please come inside and get cleaned up, we will talk further." Echo nodded, and departed.
The time had come for Hydrogue to test his mettle. As he stepped into the Danger Room, the air shimmered and changed. The environment became a beautiful tropical island, with hot white sand underfoot, sparse trees, a warm sun, blue sky, and turquoise ocean as far at the eye could see. He closed his eyes and breathed in the air, and was surprised by how accurate the simulation duplicated the smell of sea air. He stood there for a moment, feeling the heat of the sun on the exposed skin of his face, arms, and lower legs. He basked in the warmth, momentarily forgetting the trial ahead.
"Are you ready Alexander?" Hydrogue opened his eyes and turned around, seeing the Professor on the beach, along with Storm, Cyclops, Wolverine, Iceman, Rogue, Angel, Colossus, and Jean Gray. They stood arrayed by the tree line, watching and waiting.
"I am" Hydrogue responded. "How will you test me?"
"First," began Cyclops, "we will test your fighting skills." He stepped forward towards Hydrogue, and they squared off on a flat area of beach. The Danger Room produced a table covered in weapons of many types, including swords, daggers, spears, war hammers, battle axes, and several other designs. Cyclops confidently chose his weapon, a lightweight metallic bo staff. He took his place at one end of the cleared area as Hydrogue walked to the table. Hydrogue was unsure of which weapon to choose, as he had little experience in this area. In the end he chose a classic straight-bladed sword of Japanese design.
The two mutants stood opposite each other, about 20 feet apart, weapons at their sides. Scott was calm, and appeared to meditate for a moment before taking up a fighting stance with his left foot forward, his staff in both hands held vertically. Hydrogue did not appear to be nervous, although his friends knew he was, and the psychics in the room could feel the anxiety on his mind. But that anxiety was only on the surface, for underneath his emotions were calm and focused on the task at hand. He stood with his feet at shoulder width, left slightly forward, and the straight double edged sword in his right hand pointed down, parallel to his right leg. There was a tense moment as neither combatant made a move.
Cyclops burst into motion, gripping the staff by one end and spinning, whirling it over his head in a circular motion at its full length. The suddenly extended reach caught Hydrogue off guard, but he managed to get his sword up, causing the blow to glance off and continue its circle. Cyclops' powerful attack now left him wide open, as his weapon was on the wrong side of his body. Hydrogue jumped in for the attack, striking out with his sword in a straight jab into Cyclops' ribs. The Danger Room program of course did not allow the sword to puncture the skin, but the pain of being hit hard on the ribs was enough to send Cyclops spinning away in pain. Hydrogue held back from pursuing the attack for Cyclops to recover. Cyclops took a ready position and nodded to Hydrogue, signaling that he was ready to continue.
Cyclops did not underestimate his opponent again. He closed in while whirling his staff in an elaborate series of spins and circles, so fast that the eye could not keep track. Hydrogue danced back from the assault deflecting and parrying the strikes whenever he could not dodge them. Despite his lack of training, Hydrogue's skill was unquestionable. He moved gracefully, with fluidic movements which could only be duplicated by the greatest kung fu masters. He danced away, never losing his footing and never making a wrong decision. On one parry Cyclops changed directions suddenly, jabbing Hydrogue in the ribs. When Hydrogue was struck, his focus shifted from his weapon hand to his bruised side for only a moment, but it was long enough. Coming upwards from the jab, Cyclops smacked the wrist which Hydrogue held his sword in. The sword flew from his grip, and Cyclops whacked it out of reach. Hydrogue tucked and rolled out of the way of the next spinning strike, trying to get back to his weapon, but Cyclops kept him away. Even without a weapon, Hydrogue continued to dance and duck, dodge and roll, never getting hit.
Finally, Hydrogue stood his ground. After dodging yet another attack, he stood still and the next strike went straight at him. In the split second before the weapon hit him, he turned instantly to his water form, and the staff passed straight through him. He re-solidified as soon as the weapon had passed through and smiled. Cyclops's unexpectedly un-checked momentum caused him to stumble to the side. He looked up at Hydrogue, who was looking back and smiling. A white fog formed around Hydrogue's hands, and then formed into solid ice. The ice thickened and strengthened, and then extended outward, forming a solid straight structure. In only a few moments, he held twin swords in his hands forged from the ice at his command. The swords were straight and solid, made of such strong ice as to be able to cross against metal.
Hydrogue switched onto the attack, spinning his swords around, striking in straight jabs, arching cuts, and keeping his sword inside Cyclops' defenses at all times. His ability to move like the water he controlled made him a fast, artful fighter, and he was glorious to watch. Cyclops retreated over and over, but still he suffered blows to his sides, legs, and arms. In an attempt to stop Hydrogue's momentum, Cyclops swung his staff in an overhand attack, aimed to come down on his opponent's head. Hydrogue caught the attack on his crossed blades, and swiftly sliced the metal weapon in half with his ice swords. He smacked the remaining half of the staff out of Scott's hand, and landed a solid kick to his chest, sending him stumbling backward. Having disarmed his opponent, Hydrogue threw his swords down, embedding them in the sand, and faced Cyclops. In his panic, Cyclops sent out a searing bolt of crimson energy from his visor, straight at Hydrogue. At the last moment before the bolt struck him, Hydrogue pulled a layer of water molecules firmly together, forming a shield bubble around him. The optic blast struck the shield, driving Hydrogue and his bubble backwards several feet, digging a great trench in the sand. Hydrogue channeled his power and forced the optic blast back, sending a wave of crimson energy back towards its source. Cyclops was struck hard, stumbling back and stopping his attack. Hydrogue took the advantage by running towards Cyclops on the attack. Dodging another blast, he tucked down into a roll, and upon coming back to his feet, leaped high into the air. Another optic blast passed beneath his feet as his momentum carried him over the attack. As the blast swept past, Hydrogue passed over Cyclops' defense, and landed a solid kick in his face. As Cyclops stumbled back, he stayed in Hydrogue's path. Hydrogue finished the fight by using his downward momentum to carry a devastating ice-coated fist into Cyclops' temple. He went down into the sand like a stone. Hydrogue stood over his opponent in surprised confidence, breathing heavily as the sweat poured down his body. He was broken from his reverie by the sound of clapping.
"Nice job kid, way to go" said Wolverine, who was the source of the slow claps.
"And you say you have never received any training in martial arts or any other fighting form" asked Storm, as Jean levitated Cyclops and took him towards the Infirmary.
"No, I never have. I wanted to when I was younger, but my parents didn't like the idea" Hydrogue answered.
"Well you show an incredible amount of natural talent then" commended Iceman. The Professor agreed.
"Very well done Alexander, I am impressed." Alex nodded his thanks as he unzipped his sweat covered vest and tossed it aside. He loved the feel of the sun on his bare skin, and the cooling breeze on his sweat covered torso was glorious. His toned swimmers body shone with sweat, which enhanced the sight of the small but solidly muscled pecks, the solid and just barely defined stomach, and the swollen mounds of the biceps. He looked unbelievably sexy standing there in his knee-length shorts in the tropical sun.
"So, are you going to test my powers now?" he asked.
"Yes, and we shall begin simply. You claim to be able to alter your body into pure water. I wish to see this." Hydrogue did not speak, but simply did as requested. His skin rippled, and turned clear. His entire body, including what clothes he still wore, was now water. As if to test the validity of the change, Wolverine threw a decent sized rock at Hydrogue, who let it hit. The rock make a splashing noise as it entered his chest, traveled through the body, and then exited out the back, falling damp to the ground behind the young man.
"Impressive kid" said Wolverine. "Not many can change their entire body structure."
"Thank you" Hydrogue replied. His voice now took on a strange deep, echoing quality due to his liquid vocal cords. He was slightly embarrassed to be talking to Wolverine after their encounter in the hallway previously, but in this liquid form it was difficult for others to see it. He looked over at Angel, who smiled sweetly at him with his glittering blue eyes. Hydrogue manipulated the water of his body, and slowly large, liquid wings formed on his back, mimicking Angel's white feathered ones. This showed Hydrogue's control, as well as giving everyone a chuckle.
"Can you change your forms to the other phases of water?" Iceman asked. Hydrogue nodded in response, and with a faint crackling sound, the water of his body froze solid. Despite being entirely composed of solid ice, Hydrogue could still move freely, if a bit slower than usual. He drew additional water into his ice form, and grew in size until he was over 7 feet tall. He made his chest and limbs thicker and more solid, and large icy spikes grew forth from his shoulders and arms, creating a monstrous ice golem.
"How about this?" he asked, his voice now low, icy, and chilling to hear. "I can control all forms of water." With that, he extended his hand forward and a blast of cold energy flew from each palm, striking trees by the tree line. The trees froze solid, crackled, and shattered under the cold onslaught. The X-Men nodded, impressed.
"What about gas?" Storm interjected. It was then that Hydrogue realized that he had never turned his body into water vapor. It had never even occurred to him. He could manipulate water vapor, and had even had his mind travel along with the water molecules in the air, but his body had always remained consolidated. The more he thought about it, the more he was certain that it would pose no problem for him. And so he started.
The huge, spiked ice golem slowly began to dissolve into water vapor. In less than 10 seconds it disintegrated, and only a cloud of fog remained as Hydrogue's body. Slowly, he processed the sensation of have a vaporous body. He could no longer see in the normal sense, but his `water sense' gained a sharp clarity, providing so much detail that he knew what was going on in all directions around him. He could not hear, but could feel the vibrations of sound bouncing into and between the molecules of his body. He momentarily stayed in his dense fog form, and then spread out. The flood of information took him by surprise as he rapidly took up more and more space, spreading the gas molecules of his body further and further apart. Every detail of every leaf of the island trees was his to see. He could feel the bodies of the X-Men arrayed before him, the subtle differences in each body's water composition was more than enough to allow him to know which was which. He spent just a moment lingering over the shapes of the bodies beneath the uniforms of the attractive men on the team. Wolverine's buff and powerful build, Colossus' massive size, Iceman's small athletic tone, Cyclops' tall lean build, and Angel's perfectly sculpted graceful muscles. He then spread out, further and further in all directions. He found that his previous problem of going too far out was negated when he turned into water vapor, and he was no longer in danger of losing himself as he had before. He knew that at any moment he could condense himself at any point he desired. Carefully, gently, he made contact with the water of the ocean, and it touched him mind like a bomb going off. The sheer amount of information was staggering as he added this water to his body, every detail of the oceanic environment was his to know. The ocean WAS his body now.
Everyone watching looked on in shock as the ocean began to boil. The water churned and frothed, and began to spin. The spinning grew greater in force and speed, and in the center an eddy formed, and a whirlpool was born. The spinning grew faster, stronger, and wider until the whirling disk reached a quarter mile in diameter. The maelstrom writhed with power, and from the center burst forth something which no one had ever seen. Out of the liquid storm rose an enormous male torso made of pure, crystalline water. The first to break the surface was a great three pointed crown of glittering ice which rested on the head of the aquatic effigy. After the crown came the head, then shoulders, and then the muscled torso. As the figure reared to its full height, all could recognize it as a mammoth shirtless figure of Hydrogue. He rose out of the water up to his waist, and spread his arms wide. The 300 foot figure bore a perfect resemblance to Hydrogue, with his strong swimmers body, warm and bright smile, and brilliant sapphire blue eyes beneath his shining diamond-like ice crown.
The Poseidon-like form of Hydrogue reached into the depths of the ocean and pulled forth a great trident made of the purest and most solidly formed ice. The trident glittered in the sunlight, and he raised it above his head like a signal for battle. The clouds above suddenly swelled, fused together, and darkened. A great wind began to blow towards the island, bending trees and blowing sand. Thunder crackled in the background as the sun was blotted from the sky. Lighting crackled within the clouds waiting to be released. Hydrogue found that he could use chains of his charged water vapor molecules to control the direction of the lighting bolts. Electricity struck out from the clouds repeatedly, hitting the trident as thought it were a lighting rod. The trident crackled with the stored energy of the sky, thin lightning bolts arching across its surface. Clouds swirled, and down from the heavens descended two, three, and four massive water vapor-powered cyclones.
The great water giant spread his arms wide, weapon charged with inner power, and he spoke with a loud, thunderous voice, which echoed as though coming from the greatest depth of the ocean. "Behold, I am the water god."
Hydrogue's friends, who looked on from within the Control Room, stared with their mouths hanging open. Never had they seen such power before, and it was staggering to view. Their friend was so sweet and humble that the sight of him as a great deity came as quite a shock.
"Hydrogue" the Professor yelled, "that is enough!!" The great wind and lightning storm continued for a moment before Hydrogue came to his senses. As quickly as they came, the clouds dispersed and the sun shone again. The wind died, and the ocean calmed. With an almost violent suddenness, the great god-like form of Hydrogue dissolved to nothing, the ice crown and trident vanishing like shattered diamonds. A liquid form of Hydrogue appeared on the beach as quickly as if he were a teleporter, and then resolved itself into his normal flesh and blood form. His facial expression was like that of a child who had just eaten too much sugar, though his elation was somewhat curbed by the solemn expressions of the X-Men and the Professor.
"What did I do wrong?"
"Nothing Alexander," responded Professor X, "we are just surprised at how quickly your powers are progressing. You are incredibly powerful, and we are just concerned by the thought of what you can do."
"You wanted me to show you what I can do, how much control I have. You already knew that I was a Class 5, I don't see why this is surprising."
"I am only concerned about your level of control. You have come a long way very quickly, and I just don't want to have happen to you what has happened to others in your position."
"I think I just showed you that I can control my powers very well." Hydrogue was annoyed. He had only done what they had asked, and submitted to being tested. It was not his fault that they had not thought about what he might be able to do.
"Yes you did, but how much further would you have gone had the Professor not intervened?" Storm looked concerned, her dark eyes soft with empathy. She knew what it was like to have tremendous global-reaching powers, and she knew how easy it was to feel that you were in control of them. And she knew what to fear from a powerful mutant who was a slave to their abilities. She had been there on the day that the Phoenix took full control of Jean's body, and had looked into the eyes of evil. She saw the ruin that the Phoenix had made of Alkali Lake and the surrounding forest. The terrible destruction that day is what prompted the movement in Washington for the Mutant Registration Act and similar mutant-control laws. Storm had seen what Hydrogue had done, and while awed, she was also shaken.
Hydrogue did not know how to respond. He had firmly believed himself to be fully in control of his powers, but now he was not so sure. Why had he been so compelled to go further and further? Why had he taken such primal joy in reaching out with his powers? He did not know what to think.
"Nonetheless, you have performed incredibly well today" said the Professor, ending the conversation. "You will all continue training, and may take positions as X-Men in time, if you so desire. Hydrogue, you will train primarily with Storm as your teacher, though I will have Cyclops and Wolverine train you further in the arts of combat."
Having been dismissed, Hydrogue headed through the side door towards the locker room. He felt slightly sore in his muscles from the fight, but not at all tired from his huge display of power. He still found the concept of limitless power to be difficult to grasp. As he entered the locker room, he found his friends there waiting for him in various states of undress. They stood and applauded mockingly as he entered, which caused him to blush a bright shade of scarlet.
Demon shouted "three cheers for the water god!"
"Hip hip, Hooray! Hip hip, Hooray! Hip hip, Hooray!" They all yelled and laughed good naturedly.
"Thanks guys" said Hydrogue, who remained red in the cheeks.
"Hey man, you asked for it" chimed Barrier.
"Yea, I got a little caught up in the moment I guess." Nobody said anything about the potential danger that could have resulted. They all knew, and were not there to make him feel bad, but to support him.
"Let's hit the showers guys" suggested Will, who was heading in that direction already, holding his towel. Hydrogue couldn't help but admire how his broad shoulders tapered down to a thin waist just above a solidly muscled ass.
The seven young men filed into the large group shower to clean up after their trials. There was quite a bit of horsing around among the friends, with teasing, shouting, and grab-ass going back and forth. They congratulated each other on particularly good performances during the tests, and poked fun at each other for the slip ups. And even though most pretended not to, they all took in the views of each others young sexy bodies. They came in different sizes, each with its own particular charm, but all and all, they were just a group of sexy mutant guys in the shower together.
Ok guys, that was it. I hope you enjoyed reading it, because I enjoyed writing it. Again, PLEASE let me know how you like the 3rd person perspective, as it will affect how the story is told from now on.
As usual, any questions, suggestions, or comments in general, send em to Phoenixfire543@yahoo.com
-Matt