X-Men Round Robin Chapter 2
X-MEN ROUND ROBIN
Chapter 2 by faetan
Disclaimer: We still don't own any X-Men. :(
Plaster wasn't the only thing to split and crack when the man's head was crushed against the building wall. A smear of red and small greasy lumps bore testament to the location of his demise as the corpse was dropped carelessly onto the ground, and stepped over. There were three others just like it, similarly brained and cast aside with their knives and guns still clutched in frozen fingers. Two pairs of wide eyes grew wider yet as they beheld the tall 'person' now approaching where they stood, transfixed with shock. Was he a monster or a savior? They would discover the answer to that question soon enough.
The boy with the lacerations on his face narrowed his eyes. A comedic attempt at bravery, the 'man' thought, for he saw how his hands shook where he clutched the girl tightly to him. The girl seemed more relieved than afraid, huddled against the chest of her companion and holding together the torn shreds of her scrubs. A worker at the hospital, then. Judging the similarity of their faces, he believed they were probably siblings.
So which one was the mutant, and which the human? He would have to get them apart to tell.
He wore a smile, knowing the gesture to be a comforting one. The two did not seem all that comforted, but he could hardly fault them for that. "Are you harmed?" he asked in a mild voice, spreading his arms wide in what was meant to be a placating gesture. "Do not be afraid; you are safe."
"You crushed their skulls," the boy spat, and the girl flinched at his words. "What the hell are you?! What do you want?"
"Want?" He blinked, as though a reward was the furthest thing from his mind. "I heard the girl's cry. Is it unnatural to expect a response?"
The boy snorted, unconvinced. "You don't know this city very well, do you."
"Dan..."
He almost had to strain to hear the girl's voice. It was soft, but pleading, her attention fully fixed on the boy, 'Dan' as she'd called him. It seemed to soften the anxious crease in Dan's forehead, and his eyes fell away momentarily to regard the girl. His gaze snapped back just as quickly to their 'rescuer' and his frown deepened.
"You're not part of te police," he continued. "And you're not wearing a fancy superhero's costume. So what do you want?"
"Would you believe me if I said I was only interested in a meal?"
"No."
He shrugged. "Then I shall not try to convince you." He squatted onto his heels, his head tilted back to regard the two with a crooked smile while resting his wrists over his knees. Considering he was more than a head taller than the boy, this would make him seem less threatening. "You are angry."
Dan narrowed his eyes. "You would be too if four grown men tried to hurt your little sister. Leave us alone." The girl shifted uncomfortably, her dark eyes falling away in a guilty fashion. There was a silent apology reflected there. He took note of it, smirking inwardly at having his suspicions confirmed as to their relation. She was more trusting than her brother. He might be able to use that.
"You seek power."
"I said leave us alone!"
"Power that does not come from fists--"
"Shut up!"
"--or guns," he continued, still offering that goofy lopsided smile. He watched Dan carefully, studying the movement of his eyes. He was angry, and frustrated. Probably the human. If he were the mutant, he might have done something more to protect the girl. It was a gamble; he liked risks. "You wish you were a mutant, like your sister."
Color drained from the girl's face, and the boy's mouth tightened into a firm line. Bull's eye.
"How did...?"
"Call it a sixth sense," he said, shrugging his massive shoulders. "Why didn't you use your powers, girl?" His eyes moved once more to the female, and she shrank back. Her brother tightened his arms instinctively, shooting a warning look at Thalor.
"That's none of your business."
Thalor waited, ignoring Dan and continuing to rest his eyes on the girl. She shifted uncomfortably. Then she parted her lips, her voice timid. "...I can't."
"Becca..."
"I can't," she shook her head, small fingers knotting her brother's jacket. "They disappeared. A-and even if I could..."
"Becca, you don't have to tell him anything," Dan said firmly, his accusing glare resting squarely on the 'man'. But she was determined to spill her guts.
"Even if I could," she said again, stubbornly forcing the words, "what good would healing do against people like that?"
Now that was interesting. A healer! He maintained his smile and slowly rose to his feet. He took a step forward, then another. Dan glowered and shrank back, tugging his sister along with him. But if there were actually anywhere for him to go, he surely would have gone long before he stepped into the picture. "There there..." he uttered the words, holding up his hand. "There there..."
The boy lunged at him, releasing Becca in favor of swinging a punch. He caught Dan's wrist easily with one quick motion, his other hand settling on the girl's head. She flinched, but a moment of contact was all he needed. He could feel the 'broken pieces', the unnatural deviation of her body and mind that cut off her abilities. His eye twitched, the lid fluttering momentarily, and in seconds that bridge of shattered DNA had been rebuilt. Becca gasped sharply and staggered back, her small frame shuddering.
"Bastard, what did you do!" Dan snarled, twisting unsuccessfully against his iron grip.
"Do?" he blinked innocently. "Why, I fixed her. After all, her abilities are very similar to my own." He turned to the girl, who was staring at him like some kind of avenging angel. She was stunned, but the silent awe and respect was reflected so clearly in her face. "You are not a healer. You are a shaper. You chose only to restore that which was lost when, in reality, you could change someone to be anything you wish. You could even imbue others with that ability, if you so chose."
Becca said nothing. She looked at him incredulously for a long, silent moment. Then abruptly she covered the short distance between herself and Dan, clapping a slim hand to his face. The cuts he bore melted away, as did his visible anger. Dan smiled.
So did he.
Dan moved to embrace his sister, cradling her head to his shoulder as he released a shuddering sigh. Finally his suspicion had relaxed. "Becca..."
She peeked past his arm at the man who had so obligingly restored her powers. "How can we ever thank you? We don't even know your name!"
"Names matter little," he said, still bearing that disarming smile. "But, if you wish, you may call me Marduk." Suddenly both hands shot out, clutching the two by the throat and ripping them away from one another. The girl squeaked in alarm, clawing at his hand with her nails while the boy flailed and snarled. "Now now...I told you before that I was only interested in a meal." And as his illusory disguise began to melt away, revealing the mouth full of dagger-like teeth, their faces distorted in horror. "Perhaps now you are convinced?"
Their screams were silenced in a very literal heartbeat.
***********
So once upon a time, jim_smith had this pretty neat idea to get people involved in a Round Robin sort of story, had a poll to determine what we would write about, and then listed everyone interested in the order they were to present one chapter of approximately 1000 words apiece. The poll results came up with X-Men, which made me happy because I was a big rabid fangirl of the animated series when I was in 9th grade. Of course...that didn't help me much as I wasn't up to date on current events with the M-Day saga and all, so...I just decided to add a dark chapter, put in another villain which may or may not be in league with Jim's (I'll leave it up to future writers to see what hooks they want to add), and leave it sort of open.
I'm a bit nervous! I haven't done something like this since high school creative writing, but I had a lot of fun back then. Hopefully this isn't terrible. If it is, uh...sorry? Critique away, let me know what I should fix! I still enjoyed writing on the fly like this!
Chapter 2 by faetan
Disclaimer: We still don't own any X-Men. :(
Plaster wasn't the only thing to split and crack when the man's head was crushed against the building wall. A smear of red and small greasy lumps bore testament to the location of his demise as the corpse was dropped carelessly onto the ground, and stepped over. There were three others just like it, similarly brained and cast aside with their knives and guns still clutched in frozen fingers. Two pairs of wide eyes grew wider yet as they beheld the tall 'person' now approaching where they stood, transfixed with shock. Was he a monster or a savior? They would discover the answer to that question soon enough.
The boy with the lacerations on his face narrowed his eyes. A comedic attempt at bravery, the 'man' thought, for he saw how his hands shook where he clutched the girl tightly to him. The girl seemed more relieved than afraid, huddled against the chest of her companion and holding together the torn shreds of her scrubs. A worker at the hospital, then. Judging the similarity of their faces, he believed they were probably siblings.
So which one was the mutant, and which the human? He would have to get them apart to tell.
He wore a smile, knowing the gesture to be a comforting one. The two did not seem all that comforted, but he could hardly fault them for that. "Are you harmed?" he asked in a mild voice, spreading his arms wide in what was meant to be a placating gesture. "Do not be afraid; you are safe."
"You crushed their skulls," the boy spat, and the girl flinched at his words. "What the hell are you?! What do you want?"
"Want?" He blinked, as though a reward was the furthest thing from his mind. "I heard the girl's cry. Is it unnatural to expect a response?"
The boy snorted, unconvinced. "You don't know this city very well, do you."
"Dan..."
He almost had to strain to hear the girl's voice. It was soft, but pleading, her attention fully fixed on the boy, 'Dan' as she'd called him. It seemed to soften the anxious crease in Dan's forehead, and his eyes fell away momentarily to regard the girl. His gaze snapped back just as quickly to their 'rescuer' and his frown deepened.
"You're not part of te police," he continued. "And you're not wearing a fancy superhero's costume. So what do you want?"
"Would you believe me if I said I was only interested in a meal?"
"No."
He shrugged. "Then I shall not try to convince you." He squatted onto his heels, his head tilted back to regard the two with a crooked smile while resting his wrists over his knees. Considering he was more than a head taller than the boy, this would make him seem less threatening. "You are angry."
Dan narrowed his eyes. "You would be too if four grown men tried to hurt your little sister. Leave us alone." The girl shifted uncomfortably, her dark eyes falling away in a guilty fashion. There was a silent apology reflected there. He took note of it, smirking inwardly at having his suspicions confirmed as to their relation. She was more trusting than her brother. He might be able to use that.
"You seek power."
"I said leave us alone!"
"Power that does not come from fists--"
"Shut up!"
"--or guns," he continued, still offering that goofy lopsided smile. He watched Dan carefully, studying the movement of his eyes. He was angry, and frustrated. Probably the human. If he were the mutant, he might have done something more to protect the girl. It was a gamble; he liked risks. "You wish you were a mutant, like your sister."
Color drained from the girl's face, and the boy's mouth tightened into a firm line. Bull's eye.
"How did...?"
"Call it a sixth sense," he said, shrugging his massive shoulders. "Why didn't you use your powers, girl?" His eyes moved once more to the female, and she shrank back. Her brother tightened his arms instinctively, shooting a warning look at Thalor.
"That's none of your business."
Thalor waited, ignoring Dan and continuing to rest his eyes on the girl. She shifted uncomfortably. Then she parted her lips, her voice timid. "...I can't."
"Becca..."
"I can't," she shook her head, small fingers knotting her brother's jacket. "They disappeared. A-and even if I could..."
"Becca, you don't have to tell him anything," Dan said firmly, his accusing glare resting squarely on the 'man'. But she was determined to spill her guts.
"Even if I could," she said again, stubbornly forcing the words, "what good would healing do against people like that?"
Now that was interesting. A healer! He maintained his smile and slowly rose to his feet. He took a step forward, then another. Dan glowered and shrank back, tugging his sister along with him. But if there were actually anywhere for him to go, he surely would have gone long before he stepped into the picture. "There there..." he uttered the words, holding up his hand. "There there..."
The boy lunged at him, releasing Becca in favor of swinging a punch. He caught Dan's wrist easily with one quick motion, his other hand settling on the girl's head. She flinched, but a moment of contact was all he needed. He could feel the 'broken pieces', the unnatural deviation of her body and mind that cut off her abilities. His eye twitched, the lid fluttering momentarily, and in seconds that bridge of shattered DNA had been rebuilt. Becca gasped sharply and staggered back, her small frame shuddering.
"Bastard, what did you do!" Dan snarled, twisting unsuccessfully against his iron grip.
"Do?" he blinked innocently. "Why, I fixed her. After all, her abilities are very similar to my own." He turned to the girl, who was staring at him like some kind of avenging angel. She was stunned, but the silent awe and respect was reflected so clearly in her face. "You are not a healer. You are a shaper. You chose only to restore that which was lost when, in reality, you could change someone to be anything you wish. You could even imbue others with that ability, if you so chose."
Becca said nothing. She looked at him incredulously for a long, silent moment. Then abruptly she covered the short distance between herself and Dan, clapping a slim hand to his face. The cuts he bore melted away, as did his visible anger. Dan smiled.
So did he.
Dan moved to embrace his sister, cradling her head to his shoulder as he released a shuddering sigh. Finally his suspicion had relaxed. "Becca..."
She peeked past his arm at the man who had so obligingly restored her powers. "How can we ever thank you? We don't even know your name!"
"Names matter little," he said, still bearing that disarming smile. "But, if you wish, you may call me Marduk." Suddenly both hands shot out, clutching the two by the throat and ripping them away from one another. The girl squeaked in alarm, clawing at his hand with her nails while the boy flailed and snarled. "Now now...I told you before that I was only interested in a meal." And as his illusory disguise began to melt away, revealing the mouth full of dagger-like teeth, their faces distorted in horror. "Perhaps now you are convinced?"
Their screams were silenced in a very literal heartbeat.
***********
So once upon a time, jim_smith had this pretty neat idea to get people involved in a Round Robin sort of story, had a poll to determine what we would write about, and then listed everyone interested in the order they were to present one chapter of approximately 1000 words apiece. The poll results came up with X-Men, which made me happy because I was a big rabid fangirl of the animated series when I was in 9th grade. Of course...that didn't help me much as I wasn't up to date on current events with the M-Day saga and all, so...I just decided to add a dark chapter, put in another villain which may or may not be in league with Jim's (I'll leave it up to future writers to see what hooks they want to add), and leave it sort of open.
I'm a bit nervous! I haven't done something like this since high school creative writing, but I had a lot of fun back then. Hopefully this isn't terrible. If it is, uh...sorry? Critique away, let me know what I should fix! I still enjoyed writing on the fly like this!