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!
Chapter 39: Grown Up
Warren sat besided Psylocke, waiting for her to awake. Warren hadn't left her side and he didn't plan to. I didn't really notice. I had been in the Danger Room since we had returned, trying to find a way to build up my mental efficiency.
"No matter how much you practice, you're going to lose without me." The Hollow said. It had materialized in the form of me.
"Don't tell me you're going to try this again." I frowned.
"Straining to levitate a piece of ceiling?" Hollow smirked, " How fast the good ones fall."
"It's not all about us, you know. Mutants around the world are dying and the only threat is them is humans. People with no powers." I said angrily.
"So you think by being a 'team', you can accomplish this?" he asked.
"It's more like being part of the team." I sighed.
"We could wipe humans off the face of the Earth...To make them bleed." he said, taking in all the pain and liking it.
I thought about it, " Not all of them are bad. I'm an adult now, I know this." I said confidently.
"Have you noticed that your boyfriend is busy with his girlfriend? Or haven't you noticed? I mean, with plenty other guys here, Warren is left in the shadows." The Hollow smiled.
I looked down.
"Sorry, it's the truth. You could never love him...and the only reason he's with you is because Psylocke broke his heart." The Hollow said.
"I know." I said sadly.
"No matter how grown up you feel, you'll know when you're finally grown up. Nothing will ever look or feel the same. Ever." The Hollow smiled, " Sorry, kid, but this is where I get off." he said, disappearing.
I sat in the middle of a war-torn city street. Cars and Debris lying everywhere and I sat with my legs against my chest and my hands around my legs. I had to make a choice, let the Hollow out and become something worse than...or, not let the Hollow out and take a chance at not saving the world. It was a terrible choice.
"Pane?" Bobby's voice called through the city, " Pane, are you there?!"
I looked backwards, drying my eyes and stood, trying not to let anyone see me like this, but I failed.
"Are you okay?" Bobby asked.
"Yeah." I smiled, " I'll be better when this is all over."
"I'm sorry about your mother." Bobby said quickly.
"I figure they'll try to attack.."
"Pane." Bobby said.
"I didn't get to say bye." I said quietly, " I never get to say goodbye."
"I'm sorry." Bobby said.
"Why are you sorry?" I asked.
"I should have been there..." Bobby said quietly.
"When could you have? When I was trying to kill gran...Professor Xavier? When I was trying to kill you guys?" I said, " It's been an odd few months."
"It's been longer than that." Bobby smirked.
"For you." I chuckled, " Remember, I was put into the long sleep."
"You remember when high school was simple?" Bobby asked.
"No." I said honestly.
"Right." Bobby laughed, " So much has changed."
"I wish I could take it back. Take it all back...but, I figure if I can't change the past, I might as well change the future." I said quickly, " It just feels like everything is about to change again."
"It is, but no one said that it had to change for theh worse." Bobby said quickly, " Besides, if you die, you won't die for long, you never do."
"Thanks." I smirked, " I better keep running scenarios."
Just then, Cessily Kincaid ran into the Danger Room, " They have arrived!" she shouted.
Bobby and I turned to her, " That's our cue." Bobby smiled.
I smiled and followed them out of the room and upstairs. We were almost there when I saw some older kids bullying a younger one. I had gotten to know the student body a lot more lately and I knew that the bullies weren't bad kids, they were just jealous ones. The little boy, Devon, was a rich kid. He could probably buy and sell all three of the kids alone. I also knew what it felt like to be picked on. I walked over to the kids, who all stopped at the sight of me.
"Hey, Pane, what's up?" the oldest boy, Ian, said.
"What are you doin Ian?" I asked, " You okay, Devon?"
"I think I hear Ms. Munroe calling us, come on Artie, Neville." he said, running in the opposite direction.
I looked down at Devon, " Hey Devon. You okay?" I asked.
"Nobody likes me." Devon said quietly.
"I like you. So, there goes your whole theory." I smiled, " Why do you think that?"
"Everybody keeps taking my stuff and..."
"Everybody goes through that. I did." I smiled, " I'm still getting bullied."
Devon chuckled and hugged me. For a minute, I didn't know what to do or say, but after a minute or so, I placed my hands around him and hugged him back.
"Now go to class." I smirked, watching him run off. He was the future. We all were and this is where we were going to begin.
"Are you coming?" Bobby shouted down the hall.
I nodded and ran to join him. As we walked in, I couldn't help feel that I'm always late for these types of things. I walked in to see Magneto and a new group of mutants standing before me. The X-Men were scattered around the room and I expectantly looked around for Warren, but noticed that he was absent.
"Pane..." Magneto said slowly.
I ignored him, " Anything new happen?" I asked.
"No." Scott answered.
"Then, what's the plan?" I asked.
Professor Xavier looked nervously from Magneto to me, " We have deciphered that all of the chaos occurs deeper than we thought. The Morlocks...the other X-Men teams...The other mutant superhero groups..." he said, " All targets."
"So, anybody know what their next target is?" I asked.
"No. No rumblings, nothing." Mystique said impatiently.
"This is all stuff we've heard before, we need something new." Logan growled.
"I agree." Mystique smirked, causing Logan to sneer at her.
"I think we need to kill them before they kill us. I think that we should take the fight to them!" Magneto blurted.
"I'm ready for some slashin." Logan smirked, extending his claws.
"Not all of us have claws." I said, glancing around, " It's not a smart move."
"Aren't ya tired of thinkin smart? Every time we think smart, one of ya dies." Logan growled.
"But we win." I said quickly, " I know that's a horrible thing to say, but we're facing extinction. If we die, then there's no one to protect the other mutants who don't have the power we do."
"Oh, you mean they'll have to protect themselves." John said, talking for the first time, " Poor mutants nobodies without the power of the Phoenix."
I growled angrily, " You don't know what you're saying." I said.
"So you're not a powerful mutant?" Mystique asked.
"Not anymore." I said quickly.
"What do you mean, child?" Magneto asked.
I looked at Professor Xavier, " We put her away." I said.
"You...Charles, you didn't." Magneto shouted, " This is a travesty."
"It's what I needed." I said.
"She's what we need! The extinction of mutantkind could be your fault!" Magneto shouted.
"If one person has to save us all, then we're not worth saving." Scott said, standing between me and Magneto, " Now back off!"
"The is ludicrious!" Magneto said, bolder than ever.
"I think we should just calm ourselves." Ororo said, trying to play mediator.
There was a loud BOOM and we all looked around at each other, " What was that?" I asked.
"That was the sound of war." Magneto said.
I looked at him, then to Professor Xavier, " The kids!" he said, rolling out.
"Nightcrawler, get me up there, now!" I commanded.
"No." Scott said, " We all go."
I nodded, " Let's go then!" I said, closing my eyes. When I opened them, I was in the living room and the kids were evacuating and I guided them to the elevators, and most of the kids were underground while the X-Men had gone out to fight. The Juniors hurried to get the kids out, but there was still a group of kids that we had missed, who came bustling down the hallway.
"When the elevator comes back up, get in it!" I commanded, running outside with the rest of the Juniors. Once outside, I felt an intense feeling that signified that I should have stayed in the Mansion. There were tanks everywhere! I felt a push before a bullet when went right past my head and as I looked up, I saw Julian wink at me. I smiled and got to my feet, ready for what came next.
Matthew Jr
Pane <Matt?>
Matthew Jr <This will all be over soon and you will perish, leaving only what is meant to be here.>
Pane <You're a mutant? You can't destroy this team. There are others...>
Matthew Jr <It's not the team you should be worried about.>
I looked around, trying to figure out his misguided riddle, " The school I said to myself." I ran back into the school and saw the kids still frantically trying to get into the elevator. I felt something strange...something was keeping the elevators down and I tried to punch the button.
"Pane." Devon said, causing me to turn around, " What's that?!"
I saw the missle coming at us I tried to wave it away, but nothing happen and as the missle hit the school, I felt everything crumble around me, then there was nothing.
The Hollow
Pane <How? I can't move.>
The Hollow < Let me out.>
Pane <Where is the Phoenix?>
The Hollow
Pane <Another?>
I felt myself let go and the debris that crushed my body flew into the sky! I rolled over, seeing Devon and the rest of the kids. They were covered in debris and stiff. I crawled to him and took his head in my hands. I had failed to notice that it was night time and that made everything worse. I tried to stand, but I couldn't.
"Help me." I said to myself, " Somebody help me!" I shouted into the darkness. As I shouted, I felt my hands ignite in black flames. I shook my hands to extinguish them, but they continued to consume me. As the flame spread all over my body, I found myself in my new costume, only a darker version. I rose to my feet, still wobbly and began to run through the darkness to find anyone.
Well, if you liked it please tell me so I can start work on the next one.