x X-Men Legacy 77
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!
"So, there's this guy..."
"Is he cute?" Josh asked, making the bed.
"I don't know. Yeah, gorgeous, but..."
"No buts, Pane. I've been gone too long for you to feel guilty." Josh said as we sat on my bed, his arm around my shoulder.
"I'm sorry...for..."
Josh laughed, "Every time you dream of me, you apologize." He said, "I think we've established that you're sorry for something you didn't do."
"It was my fault." I said.
"Doesn't matter now, babe, I'm dead." Josh smirked, "And I'm okay. Every once in a while, I get to live out our wildest dreams. I get to see you."
"You could move on." I said.
"Not ready." Josh said.
"Me?" I asked.
"Me. Maybe it's me that isn't ready." Josh said quickly, "What do I do if I can't hold on?"
"Just let go." I said near tears, "Let go."
Josh chuckled through tears and kissed my forehead, "You really are one of a kind." He laughed, looking out the window to something I couldn't see, "It's light out."
"It's dark." I said.
"Oh, that must be for me." He said, reaching out.
Before he could reach it, the light overtook both of us and I sat up in my bed, feeling around. He wasn't there. He never had been. I still had the tears in my eyes, but I laid back in the bed, softly retreating back to my comfy place between the pillows.
Chapter 77: Date Night.
"Oh, come on! Pablo is a perfectly normal guy!" Connor said, pleading with Raiden to go on a double date with Diega and himself. Raiden had all but condemned the idea! Neither of them knew what this guy even looked like! I mean, what kind of set-up did he think he's pulling? Raiden knew this was about one thing and she was really in the mood to help Connor get some. Screw him...They're friends, sure, but he's not the one that could get stuck with sucky blind date!
"No. You don't even know Pablo! I deal with mutants and on occasion, some truly freaky people, not really looking to incorporate them into my love life." Raiden said, filing cases.
"Please. I'm begging here!" Connor said.
"Look, if I do this, you owe me!" Raiden sighed.
"Whatever you like." Connor said.
"Quoting T.I. is not going to work." Raiden said, "I'll do it, but if this guy is in any way creepy, I'm going to turn invisible and slink away, then wait until you're sleep and drown you!"
"K..." I said, walking into the room.
"Oh, we're talking about dating." Raiden smiled.
I nodded, "Pretty much how I remember it." I said, "Any new cases?"
"Missing kids, adults...pets...This guy," Connor began, but noticed Raiden looking at him, "Or woman, is seriously bad."
"I don't know..." Raiden said.
"What?" Connor asked.
"I mean, he is wiping the streets clean." Raiden said, "Aside from the missing, there isn't much mutant crime."
"Tell me you didn't just say that." Connor said.
"I mean, maybe she," Raiden began.
"Or he." Connor smirked.
"Or he, thinks he's doing the right thing." Raiden said, "Doesn't mean he actually is, but maybe she thinks so."
"We are still talking about one person, right?" I asked.
"Doesn't matter, it has to be stopped!" Connor frowned, "And we don't have much time."
"What, did you have a vision?" I asked.
Connor looked up from the newspaper, "I'm not sure." He frowned, "It was a different type of dream."
"It wasn't the wet kind, was it? Because there is no time..." Raiden started.
"No, more like all-out war." Connor said, "War-torn U.S., anger and pain...it's all very real."
"So, how do we find this guy...and/or gal?" I asked.
"I say we think like him, or her." Connor said, "What's his next move?"
"If we knew that, then we'd know...idiot." Raiden muttered.
We both looked at her.
"Sorry, I'm a little bloated right now." Raiden sighed.
"Say no more...literally." Connor said.
-
"So you wanted to meet me here, what's the deal?" John asked, sitting on a bench in the park. He had been waiting for quite some time, no doubt giving Connor another reason to bad mouth him. John didn't care though, he was okay with Pane and getting there with Raiden, not to mention on a high since he saved that kid. That kid's mom even called him a hero. Him! It was definitely a high that he liked, but even though it was all good, what difference were they making? What were their decisions and hard work doing to change the world? There was only one person that could answer that.
"My dear boy," Mageto said, sitting beside him on the bench, "I have heard of your exploits with Legacy."
"So, you're calling him Legacy now?" John asked.
Magneto smirked, "But what has it gotten you besides the experience?" he asked.
John was silent, he was hoping that insight would come to him.
"Do you know why I am here?" Magneto asked.
John, again, was silent.
"I am here to offer you your position back." Magneto said. He waited before he started again, trying to let it sink in, "To offer you another chance to make a difference in the world."
John, for a third time, was silent.
"The war has never been so close." Magneto said, "This mutant murder was genetically engineered, by the humans."
"No, we got intel that it was Sinister's genetic brainchild." John said.
Magneto looked shocked only for a second before regaining his composure, "You have inside information, information that will be helpful. Think about my offer." He said, sweeping away, leaving John to stare off into space, thinking about the proposal.
-
"So, I was thinking..." Max said as he wiped the sweat from his brow with his towel, "Maybe we should do something."
I stopped, "What do you mean?" I asked.
"I kind of meant, I don't know. Do you fancy me?" He asked, staring at me.
I giggled, "Yeah." I said.
"I didn't mean to imply...it's just that..." Max frowned, "I'm growing very fond of you."
"Oh." I giggled again.
Max sighed, "This is bloody...bloody insane." He said.
"I really like you." I said quickly, "I'm fond of you, too."
Max smiled, then let the breath he had been holding out, "Ace." He smiled.
"Max, your hot." I chuckled, "I didn't really think..."
"There's something I must say, something about me that you must know." Max said urgently, "I..."
"Okay, well, we should go to Starbucks." I said.
Max smiled, "Why Starbucks?" he asked.
"I love Starbucks." I said, "You're paying."
"Why? Because I'm a millionaire?" Max asked.
"Well, yeah." I smirked.
-
The table was quiet as Diega, her brother Pablo, Connor and Raiden sat, waiting to order. Raiden couldn't help thinking that Pablo looked a lot like J.R. Ramirez. He was a total hottie and she was finally happy about something. It made Raiden feel like a regular girl. Connor felt oddly annoyed by Pablo's good looks. He'd automatically thought Pablo would be less of a hottie than he actually was. Raiden couldn't stop staring at him and he found himself wondering why he cared so much.
"When Diega said that her date had a beautiful friend for me, I did not think you would be so beautiful." Pablo said, "You are magnificent."
"Wow, thanks." Raiden said.
"Your skin looks so soft." Pablo said, "Good tone too."
"Well, my shade of brown is particularly cute." Raiden blushed.
"Wow..." Connor said, disgusted, "That's pretty decent."
"I was a little apprehensive about having us all on this date, but this is shaping up to be a pretty good thing." Diega smiled.
Connor smiled, but inside he was annoyed.
"I'll say." Raiden smiled.
"So, Pablo what do you do?" Connor asked.
Pablo smiled, "I'm in construction." He said.
"Where, exactly? I mean, are you the guy who makes cement or..."
"Connor." Diega hissed.
Pablo chuckled nervously, "I do a lot, mixing cement is one of my jobs. Without me, a lot of buildings would be just empty spaces." He smirked, "What about you, what do you do?"
"I'm a P.I." Connor said.
"Really? That's interesting...and you had to ask what I did?" Pablo asked.
Connor blushed.
"So, Raiden, do you like your job?" Diega asked, "It must be pretty cool to meet new people."
"Yeah!" Raiden said, "Yeah, it is...except for the crazy ones. But they are kind of interesting. Like this one time..."
Connor was staring at her.
"Battered woman. The man was following her and he was like a pedophile." Raiden said.
Pablo and Diega looked at her.
"Oh, well, he's in jail now." Raiden added.
"How old was this woman?" Diega asked.
"Six..."
"Thir..."
"...Teen" they said simultaneously.
Diega and Pablo looked startled.
"Okay." Diega said slowly.
-
Max and I sat in Starbucks, looking at each other.
"Have you seen Twilight?" I asked, "Cause you remind me of that Edward Cullen guy..."
There was another silence. He seemed to be searching for words, but the words were not anywhere near ready to come. I was still in shock. He was a total hottie and totally rich and could have any guy he wanted and he fancies me?
"Are you secretly straight and hoping to bash me in a dark alley?" I asked nervously.
Max looked up at me and chuckled, "Spot on." He laughed, "Actually, I am fascinated with you."
"You barely know me." I said.
"I know who you really are." Max said, "I know you're a mutant."
"How?" I asked.
"I..." But before he could finish, I felt something off. I looked to the rooftop of the building directly opposite Starbucks and saw the barrel of a gun! I dove over the table and tackled Max to the ground just as the bullet shattered the glass! I looked down at him, then up to see that the sniper was gone.
-
John sat with his feet propped up on the front desk, reading the newspaper. Damn veg-heads and their meat-free meat. Meat-free meat, whoever heard of something so dumb! If he had a dime for every new craze, he'd be a rich pyrokinetic man. He mulled over what Magneto was saying, being here was fun, at times, but what did it do in the overall scheme of things? It wasn't like they were even the X-Men. This was like the Twilight of super groups, fun to look at, but totally watered down. He hated to say it but Pane had gone soft. He used to be this kick-ass omega mutant, but what was he now? A depowered good-doer? Not exactly a giant leap forward. And his friends seemed to know more and have experienced less. They were total newbies in a world that was anything but new. He was mulling when Pane walked in with a friend. Great, he thought, another guy Pane likes.
"We need database help." I said, "Did Raid upload the files Mystique sent us?"
"Not yet, why?" John asked, "What happened."
"This is my friend, Max Gordon..."
"The Max Gordon? Supplier to Stark Industries?" John asked, "They're supplying shield."
"...Yeah, well his brains were almost all over my latte." I said, "A sniper."
John nodded.
"And I got this static...I think the sniper might have been a telepath."
A dart flew out of nowhere and lunged into John's neck, "Ding, ding, ding." Tobias said, standing at the entrance, his gun held towards Max, "Don't get in my way."
"Toby?" I asked, "What the Hell?"
Tobias pulled the trigger with a great quickness and I dove in front of the bullet, taking it to the chest! Max kneeled beside me, trying to stop the bleeding.
"I'll call 911!" Max said.
"I'm sorry." Tobias said, hitting Max with the butt of the gun, "I'll call after we're gone."
"Toby..." I coughed, "What..."
"Sorry." Tobias said, "I was wrong...it's always about power." He said, leaving with Max
Later...
"Tobias was here?" Connor asked.
I frowned pinching my shirt and gestured to John, who was now icing his neck, "He, at the very least, wrote his name in my chest." I said.
"So, why not kill Max in front of you?" Raiden asked, "And by the way, we were on a really great date."
"It wasn't that great." Connor said, "And we have no idea where to start looking."
"Well, being a former telepath...the quieter the better." I said, "But now that he's an assassin, I would say he's taking him to the boss."
"Who wants him dead?" Raiden asked.
"Beside his rivals and probably his family...oh, and whoever wants his huge fortune." Connor said.
"There can't be too many places this guy could take him." John said, "The bullet, where'd you put it?"
"Here." I said, picking the bullet up from the desk, "It has something written on here...silver, made in...Holy crap. Is there a dojo in New York?" I asked.
"China town." Connor said, "In Tobias' files, it says that he grew up close to China town."
"And he had these really cool katanas from some place called Antique." Raiden said, "Wow, we're smart."
"John and Connor are heavy hitters, I'm sure there's going to be some major obstacles, but we're going to need Raiden to get in and get out." I said, gaining a stare from Connor, "But of course it's Connor's mission..."
"Good ideas." Connor said, "Anybody foggy? Good, then this is a get in, get out type of mission."
"Save the millionaire, save the world." John sneered.
-
"Why are you doing this?" Max asked into the darkness. He sat in the middle of the room, underneath a bright light. This lunatic had brought him here and tied him up in the middle of the room. Max's mind wandered to Pane and had the EMTs gotten to Pane in time, "You should have...he could be dead!"
"He can't die. We both know that." Tobias said, "My employers don't want me to let you live."
"Who exactly are they?" Max asked.
"Can you stop with the thoughts? It's really hard to concentrate...I should have killed you back at their offices." Tobias said, "But his pain was so...deafening."
"You're a mutant? You can read minds?" Max asked.
"Anybody ever told you that you look a lot like Robert Pattinson?" Tobias asked.
"Who are your bosses?" Max asked.
"The ones I work for or the others?" Toby asked.
"What do you mean?" Max asked.
"The government recruited me. But the others recruited me, too. They know about all the seedy little things you do, about how you're funding the government's newest project." Toby frowned.
Max shook his head, "Not directly, I..." he said.
"Doesn't matter. I get the orders, I do." Tobias said, his gun pointed at Max, "Goodbye, Robert."
"Stop." I said out of the shadows, "I want to know more."
Fire coursed across the air, Toby was shocked by everything that was happening! Raiden took his gun but he held a knife to the air where she would be.
"Don't." I said.
"He's helping them track us down." Tobias said, "They're inches away from enacting this dumb witch hunt! I've chosen my side." Tobias said, "The government uses us and casts us out! I have a job to do."
"Wait!" I said, stopping him from slitting her throat, "Toby, don't do this...please."
There was a noise, like bending steel, and suddenly something huge and steel sailed across the sky, knocking Tobias to the ground! I ran over to Max and untied him as Raiden became visible. Connor stood before her, checking her neck. They were hovering closer and closer to each other, their lips almost meeting, but they snapped out of it when John walked towards them.
"You okay?" I asked Max.
"Yeah." Max panted, "I'm Darkness."
-
"I can't believe he's Darkness. He just seems so...normal." Raiden said as she sat on the desk in the front office. Connor was reading a case file and John was flicking his lighter.
"Normality is relative." Connor said, "Every guy has a different side."
"What side do you have?" Raiden asked, "Oh...never mind."
"He's all broody and Edward Culleny." John said, "What does he see in that guy? Is it the money? Cause banks are easy to rob."
"He's seriously dreamy." Raiden smiled, "If he was into me, I'd so be into him. And him being rich is just a plus."
"Regardless, the question is can we trust him? With all the info that Tobias gave us, how can we be sure?" Connor asked.
"Tobias is kind of warped." Raiden said.
"Doesn't mean he's wrong." John said.
"We should get some sleep." Raiden said.
She and Connor left John in the office. John held a piece of paper. On the paper it read...
An hour later...
"Raid, are you sure you left your phone? I don't remember you having it." Connor griped as they walked back through the office.
Raiden walked over to the desk and instantly noticed the piece of paper and picked it up, skimming through it.
"What's that?" Connor asked.
"John's gone." Raiden said slowly.
-
I sat opposite Max in his penthouse. There was so much silence, so much unspoken tension. I wasn't really sure what to say to him. We had both been living duplicitous lives and hiding some major secrets. The fact that he knew about me beforehand was...scary. He knew, he knew everything.
"I don't care, that you're a mutant." Max said.
"Thanks." I said sarcastically.
"I just mean, I know what kind of man you are and, you're scary at times, but you're...perfect." Max said.
"Max, what do you want from me?" I asked.
"When I'm around you, I'm happy. I need you." Max said, "As Darkness, I can help you. I can be around you."
"I don't know how to process this." I said standing, "I haven't been completely honest, but..."
Max looked let down.
"I think you should both start at the beginning." I finished. He smiled at me and I smiled back and sat down as he began to tell his story.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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.