X-Men Legacy 68
X-Men Legacy
Legend: Thoughts = <>
Stray thoughts = ()
Flashback **
Com links []
Ok, guys, all the disclaimers apply, that means all thanks goes to Marvel
For the X-Men, I'm just making the story. And I do read all the other
Stories and they're great, keep up the good work. They inspire me!
"Do we all know why we're here?" Fury asked the room filled with the Avengers, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four. They all nodded affirmatively, "A handful more murders have been committed."
"Is it him?" Professor Xavier asked.
"He's been sighted." Fury said, "A guy fitting his description murdered a woman in cold blood."
"We have a man following him." Xavier said.
"He's not helping." Fury said.
"He's only to follow, not to interfere." Xavier said.
"Well, you should have done something to stop him." Fury said, "Now we have to."
Chapter 68: Feelings
Scott stood in the center of one of the busiest streets in this little town in Oklahoma. He had made his way just behind The Hollow, who had arrived not too long ago. He'd been following the Hollow for some time now, watching as he killed without remorse. His mere presence was ominous. Scott had tracked him here, back to Pane's home town. The Hollow had already been to the school and now they stood at Auditorium. He stood at the entrance for a while, then moved through the doors. Scott followed him inside and watched as he stepped onstage and felt around, as if trying to get some deeper meaning from his surroundings. Scott watched as he moved along, not saying anything, just following.
-
"So, why'd you pick us to come with you?" Raiden asked as they walked through downtown Manhattan.
"Let's just say we're much closer in the future." Pane smiled.
"Really?" Connor asked, "We work together?"
"Yeah." Pane said, "Actually..."
"What?" Raiden asked.
"Major spoilers." Pane smirked, "Can't say."
"Can't or won't?" Connor asked.
"Both." Pane said, "We need to find the Hollow before it does something stupid."
"Like killing loads of people? I think that ship might have sailed." Raiden frowned.
"Things are going to get much worse." Pane said, "That's why it's up to us to stop him."
"But he's super-uber-mega strong." Connor said.
"I'm not so light myself." Pane smirked, "Besides, I didn't do all I did to get this far and fail."
"Do all you did?" Raiden asked.
"I took other mutant's powers, worked with villains." Pane said.
Connor grabbed Pane's elbow and whipped him around, "So, you're the bad guy?" he asked.
Pane shook his head, "No, I'm actually the only good guy left." He said.
"Huh?" Raiden asked.
"Let's just say that that Anti-mutant registration law gets passed and instead of the noble thing, I help round up the mutants." Pane said, avoiding their eyes.
"You helped the humans enslave us?" Raiden asked.
"I helped myself." Pane said, "I helped them, they cure me."
"Cure you?" Connor asked.
"That's enough of the future, I just wanted you to know why it's important that we change the world." Pane said, "We have to find him."
"Him?" Connor asked.
"It." Raiden corrected.
-
"Lemme hold the camera!" 12-year-old Pane demanded as the camera centered on him.
"No, you just get ready!" Pane's mom commanded playfully.
"Hi, I'm Pane and I'm about to go to All-state chorus try-outs! Hopefully I'll get in, then I'm coming back to play The Sims." Pane chuckled.
The movie clicked off, then back on and there was singing, Pane, a little older, was onstage with a group, the choir, singing.
"They sound a lot better than last year." Pane's mom commented.
"Yes, they do." Pane's aunt laughed.
"What is that? Who..." Pane's mom asked before the camera caught onto the figure moving beside the stage and a red beam hit the figure, causing it to fly across the stage and people began to scatter! This ended the movie. Scott watched the Hollow's reaction to the video. At first, there was no reaction, just watching, and then it happened! The Hollow's face stayed stone, but it leaked.
"Why do you follow me?" The Hollow asked, shocking Scott, "You cast me out only to follow me? Your logic is faulty."
"You're crying." Was all Scott could say.
"I do not wish to feel, it weakens me!" The Hollow said.
"Feeling doesn't weaken, it makes you stronger." Scott said.
"Ha! To be like you and your pathetic species? To proclaim myself human is ludicrous!" The Hollow roared, "There is nothing that makes me human!"
"You know what, maybe you should have thought about that before you hijacked Pane's body!" Scott shouted, "Did you even think of what could happen?"
The Hollow looked at him oddly, "I am becoming scum." It sneered.
"You're becoming what disgusts you." Scott said.
"I'm infected." The Hollow said to itself, "I must exterminate them."
"What?" Scott asked.
"It's the only way." The Hollow said, moving forward, then stopping, "Someone's there."
"Huh?" Scott asked.
The Hollow raised it's hand and caused Scott to go flying backwards, slamming into the wall, then the floor, "And I know just where to start." It said, leaving.
-
Pane, Connor, and Raiden made their way through Manhattan, not finding much of anything. Raiden and Connor were perplexed by what they had just heard Pane say, the confession of what he had done. Neither knew whether to trust him or to kill him. Neither was too pleasant a thought at the time. Pane, on the other hand, felt slightly at home. It was the first time in decades that he was able to be with his friends again, to not have to take a side in the Civil War or the Invasion of Earth, it was all simpler. Black and white with less gray areas of gray.
"So, you must be super-uber-mega strong, huh?" Connor asked.
"Strength was always more of your thing." Pane said, getting tired of searching.
"I just mean you must be pretty bad-ass, having all that time for your powers to mature." Connor said.
"I'm bad-ass." Pane said to himself, "This whole thing is about power. I have enough power to control large number of people, erase a lot of minds, and countless other things, but what has it gotten me but..."
"Alive, for decades." Raiden said.
"Centuries, even." Connor said.
"Power isn't all it's cracked up to be." Pane said, "My powers are what defined me, what still define me, and that's a bad thing." He said, looking pained.
"What's wrong?" Raiden asked.
"Evacuate this area." Pane said.
"What's going on?" Connor asked.
"Life." The Hollow said, causing them to look its direction, "Abundant, meaningless life."
"I'd almost forgotten what you sound like." Pane said.
"You've come all the way from the future to get your ass kicked?" The Hollow asked.
"I enjoy when you talk dirty to me." Pane smirked, "Guys, evac, now!"
Raiden and Connor made to run but stopped dead in their tracks as the Hollow raised his hand, "No, stay." The Hollow said quickly.
Pane gestured at The Hollow and it nudged him.
"Come on, you're the next step in evolution, the newest of the new. The oldest of the old!" The Hollow taunted, "Kick my ass."
"I have no problem with that." Pane said, throwing his hands into the air at the same time The Hollow did and creating a ripple through the air!
The Hollow moved closer, "Maybe we should settle this like humans." He said.
"Sounds like fun." Pane said.
Pane threw a punch, but the Hollow ducked it and grabbed his next punch, elbowing him in the nose! The bystanders had already begun fleeing as Raiden and Connor watched from a far. They watched as The Hollow calmly took Pane's punches and they grabbed each other, Pane bringing his foot over his head and kicking Hollow in the head! The Hollow didn't even stagger, it punched Pane, then blocked a kick! The next kick was a roundhouse that sent Pane flying! Pane got up and ran back at him, punching the Hollow, who seemed to be feeling things more now. The Hollow brought its leg forward and missed, stepping forward and Pane spun around, back-handing the Hollow to the ground! The Hollow sneered and grabbed him, throwing him into a building that was getting remodeled! The Hollow stopped when a small gadget stopped before him and exploded, knocking him to his feet!
"This is my town...most days." Darkness said.
To Be Continued
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Well, if you liked it please tell me so I can start work on the next one. I really need feedback, especially if you like it. If you don't, I need advice and suggestions, please.