X-Men Legacy 78
X-Men Legacy
Legend: Thoughts = <>
Stray thoughts = ()
Flashback **
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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!
"What would you like?" Trix said into the guy's window. Trix was a prostitute. She was African American, twenty four and an ex-finance expert for a major business in New York. Her long blue hair was just a wig that complimented her black and blue skintight suit. She had been on the streets for a while, but it never ceased to amaze her that guys, no matter what age, color, or marital status, loved taking a ride on her ho train. She negotiated her price with the guy, a measly fifty dollars, and hopped in the car, but was immediately pulled out by her pimp, a pretty hot piece of work. Despite him being a total tool, he was a pretty hot Latin man with very metrosexual tendencies. He slapped her across the face, causing the man to drive away.
"You think you can go without paying?" The Pimp, Orlando, said angrily.
"I'm sorry daddy," that's what she had to call him, "Things've just been a little slow."
"You think that matters? Get your ass out there and make my money!" Orlando said, raising his hand again.
This time, I caught it, "You know, domestic abuse is illegal." I frowned.
He pushed me, "Get off me," he said, "You think I'd marry this piece? I got so many girls, why would I marry this ho?"
I ignored him and helped her up, "Come on," I said.
Orlando pulled out a gun, "Where do you think you're going?" he asked.
I kicked the gun away from us and shoved my palm into his face, "Jackass." I said as we left.
Chapter 78: Human
"You picked up a hooker?" Connor groaned, resting on his desk.
"Not picked up...saved." I said.
"Well, does she at least want to be saved?" Connor asked.
"She's grateful." I said, "We just need..."
"Can I go? Fuck, if I knew I'd be a prisoner I'd never have followed this freak." Trix sneered.
"Grateful, you say?" Connor asked.
"Trix." I said, "Trix, we just want to help you."
"Help me? You helped me already? What, do you want me to fu..."
"Stop, don't even finish that sentence." Connor groaned.
"Hey, who's the cutie." Trix said, "My rates are fair."
"He's not looking to rent." Raiden frowned.
"Oh, I'm sorry, is he yours?" Trix asked.
"Mine? Him? What? No!" Raiden shook her head.
"Do you have any family we could call...any relatives or..." I began.
"No." Trix said, "My parents died a long time ago and I'm not on good terms with my skank of a sister."
"You're calling your sister a skank?" Connor asked.
I looked at him angrily.
"Sorry." Connor said.
Trix frowned, "Bitch stole my husband." She said.
"You had a husband?" Raiden asked.
"I wasn't always a ho." Trix said.
"You're not a ho...I mean, you are but...it's your profession." I said nervously, "How about you help yourself to whatever's in the back and we'll try and figure something out."
"Why not." Trix said, walking past us.
"Why are we being nice to her again?" Connor asked, "Is this because of John?"
Raiden, who had been standing between us, was shocked and had now moved from between us.
"What?" I asked.
"Is this because you couldn't save John?" Connor asked.
I was taken back, "No. This is about a human being in there." I said.
"A human, right, aren't these the ones who are trying to use us and hunt us down?" Connor asked.
"Not all humans feel that way." I said, "Just like how not all mutants want to kill humans."
"I just think you feel bad about John and your new boyfriend and..."
"He's not my boyfriend and John...I thought I got through to him, but this is totally different." I said.
"How?" Connor asked.
"Because we agreed to help those who needed help...she needs our help." I said.
"When did we agree to that? Since when did we agree to help do that? I thought we were stopping rogue mutants!" Connor argued.
"Well we're not!" I shouted.
Raiden and Connor looked shocked.
"We need to help this woman. There are thousands of people out there like her, thousands struggling and failing. So, you two can do whatever, but I'm going to help her because it's the right thing to do." I said, walking to the back.
"What's his deal?" Connor asked, "Why's this girl so important?"
"Have you not noticed we're black?" Raiden asked.
"I...well...does this end with a point?" Connor asked.
"To you she's just another black hooker..."
"It's not about..." Connor interjected.
"Well, another hooker...to Pane she's a black woman down on her luck. He's just trying to help." Raiden frowned.
Connor took a solemn minute, and then nodded, "I should apologize." He said.
"Yeah, you should." Raiden said.
"Now?" Connor asked.
"No, now wouldn't be a good time." Raiden said, "But later, def later."
-
I watched as Trix lay on the couch, shivering. It had been a few days since she had her last fix and she looked to be in agony. Her pain was just tangent enough to see, but not to reach out and be touched. It was a whole new can of worms for me. I had never really been the social worker type, neither had I wanted to be, but this Earth was in pain and if no one else would heal it, someone would have to. As I stared at her pain, it made me think about the pain I had caused, as Hollow and as myself. I had taken to reading about a Force called the Hollow. The Hollow was hurt in a battle with some cosmic force, the text was very obscure, and its followers had laid him to rest so that he may be resurrected in the next life of its host. The host was supposed to be this powerful person, that even without the Hollow was unbeatable and different. Unique. I wondered how that could be me, how could I be unbeatable? How could I be so unbeatable, yet be so helpless in helping Trix. Her real name was Beatrix, that much I had gained from talking with her. She was cagy, had a major `tude, but it was all a mechanism. The story with Max was that he was a millionaire who moonlights as a superhero. I could relate to moonlighting, but he knew who I was for so long. Then there was John. I really thought I had changed him, that he was a better person. I guess I was wrong.
"Ugh." Trix said.
I looked over, to see if she was alright. She was dreaming, thrashing around in her dreams. I just watched her, trying to figure out our next move.
"She sleeping?" Connor asked, causing me to jump a little.
I nodded, "She's having a nightmare." I said.
"She's been through a lot." Connor said.
"Connor, you don't have to say it." I said.
Connor exhaled, "Thanks." He said, "But I do understand. It's just, with all the things going on, I just figured we needed to be concentrating on the mutant murderer."
"Maybe we should." I said, "Don't you think I want to be doing that...but she came to me."
"No, I didn't." Trix said, shifting so that her back was to us.
"We found each other." I said, "It's all overwhelming, but it's true."
"You think she'll be okay?" Connor asked.
"I do." I said.
"Are you okay? I mean after everything that's happened..." Connor asked, "Or is it a dumb question."
"John's a dick. I knew he was a dick, but..."
"You see the good in people." Connor said, "You see the bad, too, but you concentrate on the good. It's what makes you likable."
"I thought that was my sparkling personality." I smirked.
"That's a part of it." Connor said, "But it's like you can tell the future or something."
"I can...or could." I said.
"Without your powers." Connor said.
I smiled and as if it were happening right in front of me, I saw Connor's energy being drained through his chest by a large man! He was in the office and being killed right in front of me! I fell to the ground, holding my head.
"What's wrong?" Connor asked.
"Is he okay?" Trix asked.
"Something..." I breathed.
"Your nose is bleeding!" Connor said quickly.
"Oh shit, what's wrong with his nose?" Trix asked, standing up. I could see her in the light now, she was sweating and her wig looked disheveled.
As Connor was helping me up, my hand grazed his head and I saw visions! I saw images of Raiden and Diega and even some of newspaper articles.
"Ow!" Connor asked, stumbling back, "What's...what in the Hell is that?!"
"I think I just read your mind." I said quickly, "Please tell me you're not crushing on Raiden."
Connor looked stunned.
"You're crushing on Raiden." I said slowly, "Ho-ly-hell."
o
I walked down the usually busy where the prostitutes sold their bodies. I felt an overwhelming sense of pity for the women, most of them the product of some type of misfortune. I had been blessed with being raised in a small town with a good family. Most of these girls hadn't. Some were even younger than me and it shocked me. I looked around, making sure I wasn't being spotted by the police, not that they could really do anything to me unless I boned one of these girls. I walked further down the street, only stopping when I heard a blow being landed and a man's angry voice. I walked to the alley ahead of me, wondering why I always ended up in alleys lately. I watched as I found my target.
"Bitch, you been hiding money from me?" Orlando roared.
I watched as he raised his hand to the frightened woman. She was a relatively normal looking whore, if that was at all possible. She didn't wear anything flashy. She didn't have the same flair as Trix.
"I'm sorry." The poor woman said quickly, raising her hands in front of her face.
"You bitch!" Orlando said, striking her.
"Hey!" I said, causing him to turn. For the first time, I saw that his nose was bandaged up, "Stop that."
"You again?" Orlando asked, "What do you want?"
"I want you to stop doing this." I said.
"Okay, sure, why not." Orlando said, "Kid, do you know where you are?"
"I..."
"Look around. You want me to stop pimping these hoes? These hoes are doing what they do best, ya heard? They're doing the only thing they know how to do. You're ruining it for them." Orlando said, "If I stop, another pimp'll move right on in over me."
"You're doing something that's wrong." I said.
"Lemme guess...rich guy, brought up in a rich house with rich parents and a silver spoon stuck in your ass? This is the real world, dawg." Orlando chuckled, "This is how we do."
"No. I was born around the same things. I've seen some really fucked up shit, but this is little more than slavery." I said, "And if it's one thing I hate, it's slavery!"
"Look, kid, do what ya want, but this is my life. This is how I live." Orlando said, turning to the woman, "Bitch, go get in the truck."
The hooker picked herself up off the floor and swept past both of us, not stopping to look back.
"You can't save the world." Orlando said, walking past me, a giant smirk on his face.
I frowned. I had let not only Trix, but myself down. I turned to walk away, but stopped at the sight of a man standing at the end of the alley. From what I could see, he had cracks in his face. He was barely there. His eyes were radiating a pure green at the end of the alley. From what I could see, he was unarmed. Suddenly, I was assaulted by a barrage of images, of murders and I suddenly knew who he was! I looked back, trying to figure out how I was going to get out of this. I looked up, trying to decide if I could levitate high enough to get out, but it didn't look good.
"Who are you?" I asked.
Images flashed in my head again.
"I know." I said, "You're a murderer."
More images, this time of Connor, Raiden, John, and I. He had been watching us! It went further back than that, back to the beginning. He was built, though he wasn't a machine. He was sentient, smart...could barely feel. Weapon...he was a weapon. Wolverine. Daken. They were in his memories!
"You steal powers." I said, putting the images together, "You can't have mine."
Before I could move, I was telekinetically shoved against the wall! I tried to move, but I couldn't and suddenly a trashcan whacked me in the head! I dropped from the wall only to feel a vise grip against my neck! I tried to wiggle, but he threw me to the side. I got to my feet and shoved my palm into his face and twirled to backhand him, but he grabbed my arm and bent it so that it cracked against the night's air. I screamed out in pain as he punched me, causing me to fall to the ground. He picked me up and punched me back down. I levitated over his head, attempting a kick, but it was like he stopped time and suddenly, he was behind me and pulling me to the ground, which I hit with a sickening thud! I coughed as he looked down at me. Suddenly, there was the rustle of a cape and I saw someone fighting the guy off. The figure hopped over him with ease, back kicking him and running over to me.
"Are you okay?" Darkness said, his eyes roaming over me, "Oh God, we've got to get you to a hospital."
"No, get me to the office." I said.
"But..."
"Max." I said.
"Fine." He said, hoisting me up and heading back to the office.
-
"Is he going to be okay?" Raiden asked, standing with a hot pad. She was worried about her friend. He had come back broken and he could self heal! It was off-putting and downright unsettling! She worried about losing him, for the second time in a short period of time, "Maybe I should go in...I did say I'd bring him a heating pad."
"I think he's going to be okay." Connor said, fiddling with papers.
Raiden put her hand on his shoulder, "It's alright to be worried. I'm worried. He's unbreakable and this guy broke him." She said, "He's the king of power and whatnot and he got his ass handed to him."
"Raid." Connor said, "He'll be okay."
"You missed the we." She said.
"We'll be okay." Connor said.
"What if we're not?" Raiden asked, "What if...what if..."
Suddenly, Connor kissed her.
"What was that?" Raiden asked, shocked.
"I've been wanting to do that for a while." Connor said, "I probably should have warned you."
"That would have been nice." Raiden said.
"So, you didn't like it?" Connor asked.
"Whoa, hold your horses, guy. I never said that." Raiden said, "Just would have been nice to be asked first."
"Can I..."
"Yes!" Raiden said, leaning in and kissing Connor again.
In the back room...
"Ow!" I said, "Ouch! I said ow!"
"What's that mean, stop?" Max asked me as he put alcohol on the burns I got when I was smashed into the ground.
"Yeah." I said, wincing, "Were you following me?"
Max dabbed and paused, "Yes." He said, "I feel protective of you."
"Don't." I said, "We're not a book."
"Dammit." He said, throwing the bloody towel into the hot water, "Since you realized who I was, you've ignored me."
"I haven't..."
"You haven't picked up my calls. You haven't been to the center." Max said, "I know what a brush-off is."
"It's not because you're a hero. It's because you knew who I was before I even knew who you were, even less when you factor in that you're a hero." I said, "I'm a mutant. What if you didn't like mutants?"
"I do." Max said, "I like you."
"We both have our secrets..." I said, "I'll start from the beginning."
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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.