Magneto's name is Erik. At least, thats what he usually goes by. His actual name is far more complicated. And no, this guy is not a twin.Mirage_GSM wrote:Oh right, Magneto's name is Magnus, not Maxwell, isn't it?
Seems I focussed to much on the surname.
Given what I know about Magneto's background, I think the possibility of an evil - okay, good - twin is slim... Guess, I'll let myself be surprised...
Regarding the backstory: I don't know much more about the characters than I did before. Just that they travelled realities and did some - a lot of - unbelievable stuff... Most of it went right over my head, and you mentioned a lot of characters that have no relevance to yor story whatsoever (yet?).
'm not even sure what their powers are at this point...
And Yes, I admit the backstory is complicated. Marvel comics has this annoying continuity snarl where the continutity is so complicated, its hard to explain to anyone who doesn't read it regularly. So I'm sorry if I'm confusing you. Hopefully it'll get easier later on, where there's less exposition.
The powers:
Hisao: Telepathy
Lilly: Molecular sense
Shizune: Flight and energy blasts
Misha: Indestructibility
Hanako: force fields
Rin: Teleportation
Emi: To be revealed later.
Anyway, here is chapter 5 The next chapter is very long, just so you know:
Chapter 5: Relationships.
Shizune woke to Misha shaking her shoulders vigorously. As she regained her bearings, she looked at her girlfriend. Misha was grinning widely, but had bags under her eyes as if she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep.
[Misha] Shizune signed crossly [Its four in the morning! Class isn't for hours!]
her pink haired friend responded [But I just couldn't wait! I've found my ability! Took all night, but I got it!]
[All night... You've been trying out superpowers since I got back home from flying at eleven last night?!]
[Before actually, I started right after you left. At first I couldn't figure out what I was given. I tried everything. Linguistic fields, magnetic control, ice creation, plant communication, flame manipulation, eccrtera.]
[Flame manipulation... you started a fire in out apartment?!]
[Small one. Put it out as soon as I confirmed it was not the case.]
[Misha, that was reckless and irresponsible! If it had gotten out of control...]
[Don't worry, I was careful.]
[You're never careful!]
[Anyway] Misha continued to sign, ignoring Shizune's clear irritation [I finally got it! Watch] Misha then grabbed a knife she had left on the bedside table, and held it dramatically.
[What the hell are you-] Shizune began but Misha then slammed the blade into her gut. Shizune's mouth dropped open, but Misha then pulled the knife out, to reveal she didn't have a scratch on her. Instead, the blade was now bent backwards.
[Ta-da!] Misha signed, grinning like a fool [I'm invincible! What do you think?]
Shizune paused for a long time [Please tell me that wasn't how you tested it to begin with.]
[Of course not! I'm not stupid. No, I just made a small cut, or tried to. It didn't take. So I tried harder and harder, and nothing happened. So then I jumped off our balcony and came out none the worse for wear! Made a big dent in the pavement though.]
Shizune wanted to groan [Misha, I love you, but that was a terrible idea! What if the invincibility only worked for lesser injuries? Or if it didn't work on blunt force? You could've been killed! I'm not about to lose you again-]
Misha winced [Ok, maybe that was a bit stupid. But it came out for the better! Now you can fly me around and not have to worry if you drop me! Lets go flying!]
Shizune did a facepalm but resigned herself to Misha's impulsiveness [Very well] she signed. The two of them went down to the dark street.
[Ok. I think I know how we can communicate while flying. From I heard, it's called 'armpitting you.'.] Shizune signed
[Armpit me? What do you-] Misha didn't finish her thought as Shizune slid her long arms under Misha's armpits.
[Geeze Misha, you're heavy.] Shizune signed in front of Misha's face. She then concentrated on her feet, and her soles ignited. Soon the two of them were blasting off across the cityscape.
“You're breaking up with me?” Emi shouted into the phone “Couldn't you have done this in person at the very least? What? Not intimate enough for you? Well goodbye to you, buster!” She reached out to slam the phone on the hook, then remembered the call had come on her mobile. Not wanting to damage the device, she groaned and put it in her pocket. Then she let out a scream of frustration.
“Boyfriend trouble?” Maxwell asked.
Emi sighed and nodded “Yeah. Fifth guy to break up with me in four years. All for the same reason.”
“What might that be?”
Emi shrugged “That I have 'intimacy issues' and don't 'want to let people close to me'. Even if that's true, I'm dating you because I like you, not to be psychoanalyzed. So get off my case, jerkface!”
Maxwell thought for a moment. “Is there any truth to that?”
“Little bit” Emi admitted “But only a little.”
“Well, far be it from me to tell you how to run a relationship, but in my experience being with someone means being with someone completely. To laugh with their joys, sympathies with their sorrows, share in their tears...”
“First of all, that's cheesy. Really cheesy. Second, I don't want a lecture. And third, I disagree. Some things, you keep to yourself.” She looked around the room “I need to get to class, it starts in an hour. What are your plans?”
“Thought I might take a look around town, see if anything sparks my memory. That sound good?”
“Yeah sure. If you need me, I got a schedule of classes over on the fridge there. If I'm not in class, I'm almost certainly at the track.”
“You're on the track?”
“Yep. One of the best at it too. Emi Ibarazaki, fastest thing on no legs. That’s me.”
Max nodded and smiled “Actually, I think I'll come watch.”
Hanako arrived early, over an hour before her first class, and began to work on the computer. The latest app the club was developing was the digital equivalent of a board game a different club had produced called “Invincible Alignment.” Programming it was hard. The mechanics alone were tough to code, but the AI was worse. It was always difficult to program artificial intelligence, especially for games of strategy. Fortunately, this time they had help. About a year ago, Yuuki Suzuki had arrived to the campus, and he was a beast at programming. Light years ahead of the rest of the group in fact. Oddly, nobody seemed to know much about him, as he rarely discussed his past or family. Occasionally he would hint a great tragedy in his background and one time he referred to him as “The Fitz” but nobody was sure where that nickname had come from. Even more odd, his voice was tinged with a strange accent that did not fit any region the club could guess. But he was a nice guy, and coded better than anybody else, so the rest of the club left him to his mystery. Except Hanako. Hanako was extremely curious, as Yuuki was sort of the opposite side of her coin. He too was unusual and reluctant to discuss his past, but on the other hand, he was quite extroverted and reluctant to read books.
“Project going well?” A voice spoke, disrupting Hanako's thoughts.
“I was just thinking about you,” Hanako said to Yuuki “And its going ok. Having a bit of trouble with the armor rules. How about your part?”
“Almost finished.”
“Seriously? You programmed an entire AI in just one and a half months?”
“Yeah, You could say I have a knack.”
“I'll say, we've tripled the number of programs created thanks to your abilities.”
Yuuki chuckled. Hanako looked him over, his roguish good looks and bright green hair were quite attractive.
“Well,” he said “I have had practice.”
“Where did you practice?”
“Oh, here and there.”
“You know, I'd really like to know more about you.” Hanako stated flat out. “You never seem to let anyone get to know you, and I'm curious. I mean, where'd you learn to program to such a degree? Why did you say you 'can't see your family anymore?' Why do you call yourself “The fitz?”Why do you always wear that emerald necklace around you? For someone so outgoing, you're really enigmatic. And I know enigmatic.”
Yuuki laughed “It's part of my charm, isn't it?”
“Well, I guess. But some things you've mentioned have indicated you're hiding from someone. You refused any sort of credit in the seven apps we've created, despite doing more work than any other three people put together, you never let anyone have your email address, you don't even have a phone even though thats what our programs are developed on. I'm not even sure if Yuuki is really your name. At first I thought it was, but the way you sometimes delay your reaction when your name is called, its almost like it's an alias. So yes, I do think you're in hiding, but from what?.”
Yuuki pulled out the necklace with the bright green gemstone that he always kept tucked into his shirt and stared at it.”Well, I did finally break down and buy a phone” he said frankly. “The rest is a mystery. Anyway, would you like to go out to eat tonight?” he asked
Hanako did a double take “Are you asking me out?” she said, surprised. She brushed the hair that covered her facial scars self-consciously
“Yes, actually I am. I've actually been trying to work up the courage to ask you for a few weeks now. I mean, you're intelligent. And funny. And very attractive.”
Hanako blushed “You think I'm attractive?”
“Well, of course.”
Hanako stared at the scars on her hand “But...my...” she stammered out.
“Trust me, when I look at you, the scars are the last thing I see. I see a beautiful girl with great body and powerful intellect. And I find it impressive you still ask me about myself despite my dodging the question every time. So what do you think?”
Hanako looked at Yuuki for a long time. He was quite attractive, and its not like she got a lot of date offers. “Allright,” she said “But I want you to tell me about yourself. Its hard to make conversion with someone if they never let you know anything about themselves.”
Yuuki considered this for a long moment, twirling the pendant in his hand. “Very well” he finally said “I will tell you...I'll tell you everything. I suppose I've kept it in for long enough. But swear to me you will keep it a secret.”
“I swear.”
Yuuki nodded. “I'll meet you at the East cafe at seven tonight.”
As Max watched the track team from his seat on the bleachers, he couldn't keep his eyes off Emi. She was beautiful, with her cute pigtails, her perky attitude, her sheer determination. Quite possibly the most attractive person he had ever met. And she was fast. So fast he half wondered he she had a minor superspeed abilities. Probably not, but she was at the very peak of speed for a norm. After the final race, he got up and walked down to meet her.
“That was impressive.” He stated as he walked up to her
“Oh hey Max,” Emi commented “Glad you liked it.”
“I loved it. I was wondering, would you like to grab a movie? I'd love to get to know you better.”
“Heh, well, I got my next class in a few minutes. Maybe after?”
“Sure thing.”
“Any luck navigating?” Hisao asked Lilly as they traversed the crowded hallways.
“Its easier than normal,” Lilly replied “The images you are projecting aren't doing much on their own, but being able to sense the molecular structure of everything around me is a great aid, and together I think I can make a decent guess as to whats around me.”
“Great! I'm glad its working so well.”
“Well, its easier than normal, but its far from perfect. Its a lot to take in. I mean, with all the people around us, I'm analyzing every part of their body, every piece of clothing they wear, every book in their backpack...It's a bit overwhelming.”
“Well, you seem to be doing excellently in spite of that. So when you talk to the molecules can you... I don't know, persuade them, I guess?”
“You mean get them to do things?
“Yeah.”
“Not sure. I haven't really tried.” The two ducked into a side passage that was mostly barren. Lilly walked up to a potted plant and began to focus on it.
“Move,” she whispered to the plant “Move. Move.” she shook her head “It doesn't seem to be working. Maybe I'm limited to getting information.”
“Hmm” Hisao said “Maybe if we-”
“Talking to plants are we?” a familiar voice piped up. “You shouldn't do that. It's the first sign of insanity you know. You talk to plants, then you start seeing portals everywhere, then you start eating weird stuff. Like sauerkraut. Nobody in their right mind would eat sauerkraut. Plus its a really bad idea in any case. One of out every ten plants have microphone recorders in them.”
“Kenji.” Hisao groaned.
“Yeah, good to see you guys again.” Kenji continued “Sorry I had to rush out of the room when I last met you. I had to iron my pillowcases.”
“Iron your pillowcases?” Lilly asked, her polite voice sounding slightly strained.
“Yeah, of course. You have to have ironed pillowcases. Otherwise the feminists can walk into your dreams and steal your thoughts. Ironed pillowcases form a barrier around your brain to prevent that.”
“I thought you said you should never sleep?” Hisao asked.
“Of course you shouldn't sleep. But dreaming is okay. Dreaming is very important. I dream for at least two hours every night, sometimes more.”
“But how do you dream if you don't sleep?”
“Trade secret. Anyway, I was wondering what superpowers you've gained.”
“What makes you think we have superpowers?”
“You broke a Godstone. Obviously. Anyone without powers who is near a broken Godstone gains powers. People who already have powers are unaffected, otherwise it would be redundant. Like a screen door on a screen door. So, can you teleport?”
“No”
“Summon animals?”
“No”
“Read minds?”
“Ye-No.”
“Ah ha! You're a telepath! Read my mind!”
Hisao groaned, and against his better judgment reached out and touched Kenji's mind. He immediately recoiled as a cacophony of very loud thoughts assaulted him. How did Kenji think with that racket in his head?
“See? I'm brilliant, aren't I?” Kenji said triumphantly and turned to Lilly. “How about you?”
“I can read objects molecular structures” she said plainly
“Psychometrey huh? You know, three fourths of people who gain that later develop molecular manipulation powers. You could really powerful if you practiced it. Wait a minute.” Kenji scrunched up his brow “You look familiar, whats your name?
“Lilly Satou”
A look of utter horror spread across Kenji's face. “GAH!” he nearly screamed “I KNOW you. You were in my class in Yamaku! You're the one in the Mafia! And now you have molecular warping powers?” he spun around and faced Hisao “You! Go call the Avengers! Or the X-men! Or the Fantastic Four! Or the Defenders! Or-”
“Kenji” Hisao said angrily “She's not in the Mafia!”
“Yes she is! I still remember that day she was walking down the street and that man in the pinstripe suit came out and talked with her! Third scariest moment of my like! After that bird pooping on my head and learning my girlfriend was stealing my life energy!”
“You have got to be-” Lilly began but Hisao interrupted.
“Kenji, you have this all wrong.” he said calmly
Kenji stopped talking and stared at him. Hisao had originally planned to tell Kenji exactly how screwed up his mind was, but now he had a better idea.
“Kenji,” Hisao started “Can you keep a secret?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Promise? Its very important.”
Kenji pushed his glasses up his nose “I promise.”
“Lilly may appear to be in the Mafia, but she's not. She's actually going undercover at the behest of the police to take the mob down.”
Kenji visibly relaxed “Oh. OH. That actually makes sense. You're a smart man, aren't you?”
“Yeah, I guess. By the way, I wanted to thank you for the computer. It was a very nice gift.”
“Oh, no problem bud. I have ten others at home.” Seeing Hisao's look of shock, Kenji let out a laugh.
“Let me guess, you want to know how I afford all this equipment?”
“It did cross my mind” Hisao admitted
“I cracked the lottery.”
“What.”
“Yeah, took me a few years, but I came up with computer algorithms that allow me to win prizes in the lotteries whenever I want. Unique number lotteries, selected number lotteries, I can even locate the best scratchcards. It provides a great source of income for the upcoming war.”
“If you win the lottery so often, why haven't you been in the paper?”
“Do I look like a nutjob? I don't win the top prizes, I only go for the smaller ones. I need to avoid any kind of publicity but still make a good income, so I typically win a few hundred thousand yen at a pop. I can make enough to share though.” Kenji then pulled out his wallet and pulled out a couple ten-thousand yen notes and handed them to Hisao. He then took a couple more out and gave them to Lilly.
“Thank you Kenji” Lilly said
“Yes. Thank you.” Hisao said, a bit dumbstruck.
“No problem. Always good to help out a fellow ally against the feminist conspiracy. By the way, do you know what powers the other five got?”
“My other friends? No idea.”
“Ah well. We could form a team later. Strike at the very heart of the feminists. Now I’ve got to get some books from the library, I'll see you two later. Good luck with your infiltration Lilly, glad to hear you're on our side.” Kenji turned and scampered off.
After a long silence Lilly turned to Hisao “That was a brilliant move on your part. I take it you understand how he thinks?”
“Not at all, I doubt even Kenji knows how Kenji thinks. But I figured explaining things in his own terms would have a better chance of working than blowing up in his face. I looked in his head and nearly went nuts myself. It was like listening to ten rock concerts simultaneously, only all the concerts deal with conspiracies.”
“Do you really think he wins the lottery at will?”
“A week ago I would say he was just being even more nuts than usual. But I'm beginning to think he might actually be the super-hacker he's claiming to be. I mean, he figured out we would develop powers long before anyone else. If he really did hack the Fantastic Four's files...I heard in a magazine Reed Richards has encryption fifty years ahead of the rest of the world, compared to that, developing a win the lottery program sounds comparable.”
“Maybe he was just making stuff up.”
“I don't know. While we were at the mall, Sunfire told me Kenji knew secrets few other people did. That bit about Spider-man was known to almost nobody, in particular. I think he may be nuts, but also a hacker on par with Tony Stark.”
“And he had a girlfriend? That stretches credibility.”
Hisao chuckled “Actually, yes he did. Yuuko, if you can believe it.”
“The librarian back at Yamaku?”
“Yeah. Shame about what happened to her... Anyway, He mentioned having a girl at one point, and over that summer I did some digging. Took a while, but I found a picture on a previous student's facebook where the two of them were making out. I think if Kenji ever saw that, he'd freak. More than usual. You know, if he wasn't so wrapped up in this “feminist conspiracy” I think he'd be a really nice guy.” Hisao looked at his watch “We'd better hurry, our next class starts in five.” He grasped Lilly's arm, and quickly began leading her to their next class.
“So, I was trying to form a picture of a cat” Rin's friend Riko was explaining “But I couldn't get it right. I tried paint, sketches, graphite, inks, and other forms, but the cat just wouldn't get on the paper. You ever have that problem?'
Rin nodded “Yes.”
“Really? The way you only paint abstraction, I would have thought you just go with the flow.”
“No. I see things. I cannot get them painted correctly.”
“Wait, you see the things you paint?”
“Yes.”
“Geeze. That's impressive. I can't even understand much of what you create. I really wish I had your talent. Even with my own gifts, I can only be a fraction as good as you.”
Rin shrugged. “You have a lot of talent yourself”
Riko smiled “True, but not as much as you. You want to grab scones? I'll race you to the coffee shop.”
“No need to race. I can take us.” There was a sharp “pop” and Rin and Riko disappeared and reappeared outside of the local Starbucks. Riko did a double take
“How did you do that?” She asked, shocked
“I can teleport.” Rin said “It's nothing special.”
“Nothing special? You've got honest to god superpowers, Rin! I'm so freaking envious! All my genes got me was art talent, but you can teleport too? AND be ten times the artist I am?”
Rin shrugged again.
“So, are you a mutant?” Riko asked
“No.” Rin said “I broke a stone a couple days ago.”
Riko seemed slightly disappointed, but nodded, “Ok then. Here, I'll treat you. Celebrate your gifts. Have you considering being a superhero?”
Rin shrugged yet again “I can't be a superhero. My brain isn't spelled right.”
“What do you mean?”
“Articulating my thoughts is very hard. Appearing normal is impossible.”
“Oh. I guess that makes sense. What with your odd patterns of speech and body language and stuff. But you could probably be a superhero anyway. They got all sorts of weird ones now.”
Rin shook her head “No.” She said flatly.
Riko thought about pressing the point, but decided against it.
As Hanako entered the East Cafe, she noticed Yuuki sitting in a corner booth. He waved her over and she happily obliged.
“Good to see you,” Hanako said “I thought you'd change your mind.”
Yuuki shook his head “I've hidden myself for long enough, I need someone to confide in. It's been..” he thought for a moment “about four years since anyone knew who I am.”
“How many of my guesses were right?”
“Almost all of them. I am hiding from someone, and Yuuki is not my real name. Not in witness protection though, but close. Before I continue, let me ask a question. What would you do if you met yourself from the future and you turned out to be one of the worst supervillains to have ever existed?”
Hanako was taken aback by the question. “Is this hypothetical?”
“Unfortunately not. What would your actions be?”
“I really don't know.”
Yuuki nodded “Neither did I. My name isn't Yuuki. Its actually Trevor. Trevor Fitzroy. What you need to know is that first, I'm from the future, second, I'm from a parallel universe, and third, I'm on the run from an older version of myself who is soulless. Both literally and figuratively.”
Hanako gave him an odd look. “Seriously?” She asked
“Serious as a heart attack.” Fitzroy noticed Hanako flinch at the statement, but continued.”I've been running for four years and lived on over a dozen worlds.” He pulled the green gemstone he wore from beneath his shirt. “I had this created to tell me when my other self is in the same universe I am. If he arrives, I have to leave.”
“How would you leave a universe?”
“My mutant power is to drain lifeforce and use it to open trans-temporal portals. I only use it on animals for the most part. And no, I can't use it on my other self, as he's clad in armor similar to Iron Man's.” He shook his head sadly.
“Whats the future like?”
“Well, mine was a blasted hellhole. Most of the world had been nuked out of existence and the rest was under the rule of giant robots for the better part of a century. But not every planet winds up like that, some actually wind up being really nice. I like this one in particular. Nice people, great food, very few giant robots...”
Hanako stared at him for a long time. This wasn't what she had expected at all out of her friend. But as ridiculous as the story was, it actually explained a lot.
“So you've been hiding too...” She said softly.
Trevor nodded. “It's a heck of a life. Don't tell anyone okay?”
“Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me”
The food arrived and the two began to eat.
“Thanks for this” Hanako said “I haven't been on a date in...ever, really.”
“I'm sad to hear that. You're such a wonderful person...”
“Yeah well, most people can't get past my appearance..” Hanako sighed “On any of the worlds you visited, were there ways to treat my scars?”
Trevor shook his head. “I'm not sure. Healing burns at the level you have is a rather tall order. A cosmic cube could do it. Or an infinity gauntlet. Or an omega level healer. Or certain supervillains, like Doctor Doom or Apocalypse. But I can't think of someone off the top of my head. Sorry.”
“No, it's alright. I just... I just want to be pretty.”
“You are pretty Hanako. You are one of the most beautiful people I know. You kindness matters more than anything else.”
“I know, but its hard to believe when people freak out at the sight of me.”
Trevor nodded “I'm not going to lie and say that your burns won't put people off, but I want you to know that there are people who will love you. Scars and all.”
As Misha pulled her car up to the office of X-Corp Tokyo, she grinned at Shizune
[So, superheroes huh?] Misha signed
[Yes. I believe training with a team would be beneficial. Many heroes share my drive and ambition, which is sorely lacking at school. Hopefully working with like-minded people will make my social life easier.]
[Going to drop your plans for founding a charity?]
[Of course not. I have plenty of time to attend school, do homework, and spend my nights and weekends throwing energy blasts at aliens from outer space. Anyway...] Shizune got out of the car and marched inside. Misha followed close behind.
The office was fairly spacious. At the counter there was a teenage girl filing paperwork. At the two girls entrance, she immediately looked up.
“Welcome to X-corp Toyko,” She stated “My name is Armor, how may I be of assistance?” As Misha signed to Shizune, Armor's eyebrows arched.
“Hi there!” Misha spoke up “This is Shizune, or Shicchan, as I call her. My name's Misha. We're here to see you have part-time positions available.”
“Ah,” Armor said “And you are making hand gesture's because...?”
“Shicchan is deaf and mute. I'm her interpreter. And her girlfriend!”
“Understood. This is rather unusual, I'm going to have to get my boss. Can you hold on?”
Shizune nodded and Armor went up some nearby stairs. After a few minutes, she returned with a
short, clearly foreign, man with a distinctive hairstyle dressed in an X-men uniform with yellow highlights and a cowboy hat.
Misha gave a puzzled look at Shizune, who didn't seem phased in the least.
[Who is this?] Misha signed
[Misha, have you looked at a TV lately? Out of all the X-men he gets the most press coverage by far.]
[But he's clearly American, why is he running X-corp Toyko?]
[Canadian, mind you. Name's Wolverine.] The man glared at Misha, clearly annoyed at the gaffe. [And yes, I know sign language, so don't think I don't know what you're saying. Armor says you're looking for positions.]
“That we are.” Misha responded, “Shiccan's got flight and energy blasts. I'm invulnerable.”
Wolverine chuckled [Do you really think superpowers are the only qualification for this kind of lifestyle? Being an X-man takes determination most people don't have. I've had good friends die in ways that would make your hair curl. Wild Child, burned alive in a vat of molten steel. Copycat, her insides torn out and left to bleed to death, Changling, dismembered by a HYDRA experiment. Maggot, eaten by his own digestive system. I have personally been burned, frozen, disemboweled, crucified, devoured, disintegrated, and had my skeleton ripped out of my body. Do you really think you can handle this lifestyle? I doubt it. ]
[I figured you'd try to dissuade us, so I spent most of last night doing research, and you know I found? For most of the X-men's existence, they recruited almost any mutant they could find, including ones that really weren't a good idea.] Shizune begin, [Let's take the Mimic for example, who was a bipolar egomaniac who nearly got the team killed. Or how about Legion, who had four personalities for most of his life and then proceeded to nearly destroy the planet when they were healed? Or that terrorist Marrow, whose first meeting of the X-men was when she tried to blow up a train filled with civilians. And then there was Cypher, who had no combat powers whatsoever, yet you recruited him anyway, with predictable results. Contrast those cases with the two us. We have no mental issues, a clean history, and most of all, we want to help. Death doesn't scare us. Failure does.]
Wolverine smirked at her, and Shizune continued,
[I've looked over the news reports of your team.] Shizune responded firmly, [This branch of X-corp has four members. There's you, there's that teenage girl who supposedly was cloned from your DNA, the telepath with the psionic blades, and Armor over there. Very limited power sets, especially since you and X-23 have the exact same powers. You don't anyone who can fly. That is a major liability in this day and age. I can fly, and while I may have no experience, I seriously think I could help this team with the proper training. While Misha may not have the most unique power set, she's stubborn as all get out and has the potential to kick some major ass.]
Wolverine chuckled, [You have confidence, I'll give you that much.] He leaned back against a desk, [Impress me.]
[Fine.] Shizune nodded, and let out a the largest blast of energy she could generate. It enveloped the southern end of the room, reducing the desk and most of the other furniture to rubble. A badly burned Wolverine hit the wall from the momentum of the blast.
Misha looked down at the scorched figure in front of her friend. [Shicchan, what did you do? You could have killed him!]
[He's got a healing factor, Misha.] Shizune explained, [You really need to do some research, for goodness sake...]
As wolverine got back to his feet, his burns healing before their eyes, he glared at Shizune [That was my favorite hat. Ten points for gumption, minus a hundred for collateral damage. However...] He shook his head. “Armor, take Shizune and give her the usual array of tests. Mental, physical, psychological... And dig through our armory and find those dictation glasses Forge made for Echo.”
“Dictation glasses?” Armor asked, clearly not phased in the least from the explosion.
“Yes, the ones that print nearby language spoken on the lenses. Much as I hate to say it, she's got potential.”
[Misha too.] Shizune stated as her friend translated.
[Shizune, your friend is an airhead. From what I've seen, she's as likely to be a hindrance than a help in a fight.] Wolverine signed.
[I'm sorry, but we work as a team. Either take both of us or neither of us.]
Wolverine pondered this for a moment.
[Fine. But I'm holding you responsible if she screws up.]
As Emi and Max left the theater, the night air was crisp and cool.
“That was fun.” Emi remarked.
“Yes” Max said “I haven't been on a date like this at all as far as I can remember.” The gloves of his armor retracted and he gently touched Emi's face “It's so nice to be able to touch people.” he said softly.
“Do you remember why you couldn't?”
“I think anyone I touched would die. Not sure on the details, but after I came back it stopped happening. My memory is slowly coming back however, so I think I will remember soon enough. Maybe it's just my living in the moment, but I feel a real kinship with you. It's like we are very similar deep down.”
Emi looked at Max, and planted a kiss on his cheek “Well, you're a cutie. And I love your hair. If you want to go on more dates, I'd be more than willing.”
Max laughed “Live fast and love hard huh? You certainly strike me as the type.”
The two hooked hands and strode back to Emi's apartment.
