Summer 2014: Johnny and Curt

[tears~fall~like~glass]

Sue: "This place is huge..." Sue looked up and down the hall as they neared the kitchen, "It's a good thing I can use my powers now so I can invisible some walls away to get my bearings...."

Johnny: "Cheating," Johnny commented as he led the way into the kitchen.

Sue: "Well yeah... but you can't tell me you don't cheat with your powers sometimes." she countered, poking her head into another room to see what was there.

Johnny: "Pfffft..." he rolled his eyes, going about making them tea, "Me? Cheat? Never."

Sue: Sue laughed, "You're a terrible liar, Johnny." she sat down at the counter and looked around the kitchen the easy way, projecting her invisibility field at cupboard doors.

Johnny: "Okay... Only when I make tea... or cook... or to win..." Which he supposed was always because he always won.

Sue: "There you go then. I'm well within my rights to use mine not to get horribly lost." She smiled, looking out of the window, "What are the other students like?"

Johnny: "Still cheating." He'd had to find his own way around, so it just wasn't fair. "Which ones?"

Sue: "All of them?" she raised an eyebrow, "I'm not likely to know anyone by name yet to ask specifically am I?"

Johnny: Johnny set the mug down in front of her, pointing out, "Well, how was I supposed to know you meant in general? There's boys, girls... crazies..."

Sue: "Well then I would have said boys, girls or crazies wouldn't I?" she replied, "And are you going to answer the question or just carry on being stupid?"

Johnny: "Now that you're insulting me, I'm not sure I'm very motivated to answer any questions you may have or finish showing you around," he replied, taking a sip from his own mug.

Sue: "Well in that case I'll just wait til you're surrounded by people then make your clothes invisible."

Johnny: Johnny smirked, "I'm sure none of them nor myself will be particularly bothered."

Sue: "They might if you're in the middle of a mall..."

Johnny: "You'd be giving the fangirls exactly what they want."

Sue: She raised an eyebrow, "Fangirls?"

Johnny: "Oh, yeah... I totally have those," he grinned smugly.

Sue: "Because your ego needs anymore fuel..." she rolled her eyes, "How in the hell did you manage that?"

Johnny: "Besides being my generally fantastic self?" Johnny asked, eyebrow raised.

Sue: "You're not fantastic... a fantastic ass maybe but that's about it."

Johnny: He rolled his eyes, "I'm also the Human Torch, who's, like, an awesome superhero... which means I get fangirls."

Sue: "Until they realise what an ass you are... I'll be happy to educate them."

Johnny: "You would think you guys don't get the news at home," he muttered, taking another drink and eying her over the top of her glass. "You can try, but there's not much common sense available when it comes to being a fanatic."

Sue: "Mum and dad don't like watching the news, it's depressing and I've been busy at uni... and now I have to start all over again." she frowned. "Stupid mutant gene..."

Johnny: Johnny sighed, "Depressing except for the bit where I'm famous."

Sue: "Well how are you famous?" she sipped her tea.

Johnny: "I told you already. I'm a superhero. I go out and fight crime. Like, Batman... except my parents aren't dead, and I actually have super powers..." Okay, so Batman was a bad example. "Like... You know what... I'm just awesome. That's why."

Sue: "Good God, you're so full of yourself it's a wonder you can get your head through the door..."

Johnny: "If you think I'm bad, just wait until you meet JP..." he grinned, "He's pretty awesome too but not as cool as me. Same with Eddie."

Sue: "Right... I'll make a note to avoid them then..."

Johnny: "...You are just no fun. At all."

Sue: "Well I'm kind of here to learn.... and to keep an eye on you. I'm not supposed to be fun."

Johnny: "I don't need an eye kept on me. At least not yours."

Sue: "Well mum and dad disagree. So ner." she stuck her tongue out at him.

Johnny: "Mum and Dad don't even know what's going on because they don't watch the news, so that's not fair." Well, and because he was bad at calling, but that wasn't the point. He stuck his tongue out back.

Sue: "I think they'd have sent me last year if they'd known then... but they didn't and I was happy with them not knowing and now they do so you're stuck with me."

Johnny: "Well, glad they didn't. You would've just killed all my joy."

Sue: "You really don't think I'm any fun at all do you?"

Johnny: "Of course not. You never have been."

Johnny: "Liiiies..."

Sue: "It's not lies. You're just too dumb to notice your own fail."

Johnny: Johnny set his mug to the side and covered his ears, "I can't hear your blasphemy."

Sue: She laughed, "It's not blasphemy it's the truth. Do I need to bring up the duck?"

Johnny: "I can't hear you!" And he couldn't wait for the trip to Australia with Curt. Then, he wouldn't have to deal with his older sister.

Sue: "Quack."

Johnny: "Lalalalalala...!"

Sue: She giggled and happily sipped her tea. She had the upper hand again. All was right with the world.

[Edited on 10/4/2011 by tears~fall~like~glass]

[tears~fall~like~glass]

Curt: The jeep rattled and rocked back and forth on the dusty road in Mayborough, Queensland. "This road is a lot smoother than I remember..." Curt mentioned as he was nearly jostled out of his seat, despite the seatbelt.

Johnny: Johnny pressed down on the accelerator, half tempted to just floor it but he didn't really want to die in a car crash. He was making a conscious effort to hit every bump in the road for his own amusement. He briefly glanced over at Curt, "You mean this road was more awesome?"

Curt: "*hurk* No... not more awesome... More dangerous..." his last interaction with an out of control car was not far off this road, in fact. The very same car accident that caused him to lose his arm.

Curt: Curt rubbed the right stump uncomfortably and then realized what he was doing. Quickly he switched to adjusting his sunglasses. "We're almost there, by the way." He said, his voice vibrating with the road.

Johnny: "Just make sure you give me warning before we have to turn or something." Mainly because he was pretty sure turning jeeps on a dime was not possible. At least not without rolling it.

Curt: "That's it right there." Curt said, pointing to a long stretch of road that was (in actuality) a very long drive-way. "That dirt road with the mailbox and single tree beside it? That gum tree there." The turn was coming up fast, but not so fast that Johnny would miss it.

Curt: Well... if he didn't slow down he might. "Gum tree means eucalyptus by the by. There's more in the back yard, but our eucalyptus don't have koalas, unfortunately for you. We're gonna have to travel out quite a ways to see 'em. Gonna be stuck doin' the Aussie Salute in this season too..."

Johnny: He cringed a bit as he got jostled, seatbelt biting into his shoulder. That bump had been bigger than expected. And, slowing down time. Johnny switched to the break and looked for the landmarks Curt had given him to work with, carefully turning. "Sad... I've always wanted to pet a koala..."

Curt: "Don't worry mate, we got time. There's plenty to d-ON'T HIT THE 'ROO!"

Curt: *Thunk*

Johnny: Johnny's face twisted as they ran over the poor creature, and he gave Curt a horrified look, "What do I do now?!"

Curt: Curt rolled his eyes and reached into the back for the shotgun. He shoved it into Johnny's arms. "Go save it mate. Maybe we can sell it to some bludgers if it's a boomer. I didn't catch it in time. Did appear to be build like a brick-shit-house though."

Johnny: He'd put the jeep in park, off to the side of the road, before the shotgun was thrust into his hands, and then he blinked. Looking between the gun, Curt, and the twitching roadkill, Johnny finally focused on Curt, "You want me to what, so we can what...?"

Curt: "It's in misery, mate, can your powers heal?" he looked at Johnny as if waiting for the answer to 2+2. "No, didn't think so."

Curt: Behind them the poor animal moaned in pain.

Johnny: Johnny gave Curt a pained look, almost whining, "Why do I have to do it? Haven't I done it enough harm?"

Curt: "You kill in the Bush, you bring the Bush back with you. That's how you become a Bushie. ... or Bushranger, which is a bit like your American cowboys. Outlaws. Thieves. Poachers."

Johnny: He gave him a puzzled look, "...But I'm not American. You know what? ...Nevermind." Sighing, he unbuckled himself and hopped out of the jeep, making his way over to the kangaroo and realizing he had no idea how to use a gun.

Curt: Curt sighed. "You wouldn't know it with the bravado you show sometimes. Besides, this is good for you. You clearly don't know how to use a gun and have never seen any animal bigger than a large dog perhaps in your life. This is an important life lesson." Curt smirked.

Curt: "Take off your safety, point the gun at it's head, tell it you're sorry, and don't look away. You don't wanna shoot your foot. DON'T PRESS THE NOZZLE INTO IT'S SKULL, do you want brain matter all over your shins, mate?!"

Johnny: "But... Ugh..." He didn't want to apologize. It was its own dumb fault for running out in front of him. Though, he also didn't want to watch, and he definitely didn't want brain matter on his legs... So, he moved the gun a bit away, squeezing his eyes closed as he pulled the trigger.

Johnny: He let out a string of curses as the gun recoiled into his arm, far less worried about the dead animal now that he was in pain.

Curt: Curt frowned. "Well it's dead. I hope." The shot had gone into the head... mostly. Also some of the throat. "You're lucky that was a dumb boomer." Turning back around in his seat, he hopped out and picked up the back end of the kangaroo. "Little help?" He said, motioning to the trunk with his head.

Johnny: Johnny paused in nursing his arm, holding it a bit out from his side because it hurt otherwise, and made a completely disgusted face as he moved to pick up the animal, not quite believing he was doing this.

Curt: "Let me see your arm." Curt said, once the animal had been hoisted into the back. He took a look at it and then peered at his shoulder, pulling it a little and forcing Johnny's arm into tight movements. "It should be fine..." Curt replied.

Curt: "I can yank it and take the pain out of it for awhile, but it'll be numb for a bit."

Johnny: "Ow!" Johnny complained and nodded, realizing he should probably turn the safety back on and did so, "Just do it... I don't care as long as it doesn't hurt anymore..."

Curt: Curt sighed and took Johnny's arm firmly into his hand. He used his stump to push down on Johnny's shoulder blade. "Learned this in bovine studies...." He yanked the arm hard and fast.

Johnny: "Wait... Bovine? That's... cows? Are you sure you should be using those studies on me?" he asked, however it was too late for questions as his arm was already being forced in a direction. He held back a yelp, starting toward the vehicle, "...Moving on now."

Curt: Curt took his place back in the jeep and patted Johnny on the back. "All's well that ends well, right?" He said, trying to not address the fact that they were on the road towards his house. The last place he'd seen or heard from his parents. For all he knew, they were dead.

Johnny: He really couldn't feel his arm as he took his seat and was grateful, so he gave a nod as he started the jeep again, pausing in putting it in drive at the announcement that was playing.

Curt: "Reminder to all traveling through the TooWoomba region, please stay away from the following points. It seems a malicious mutant has taken the area as its territory. Queensborough police are still trying to resolve the situation and have been unable to find the mutant monster that terrorizes the region.

Curt: Reports are coming in that the Prime Minister is consulting with the U.N. as well as our Yankee Allies to seek out a solution beneficial to both parties, mutant and human. This being election year makes it very relevant that both the President and Prime Minister get this right."

Curt: Curt frowned as they began listing the points of the territory to avoid. "Johnny... we're in it. We're in the dead center. Everything they just listed is basically a circle surrounding this area..." He began to get shivers at the idea of a mutant, potentially worse than Lizard, terrorizing his home.

Curt: "Oh, man! What if it got my parents!" Curt flared. The house was finally in sight. "Drive faster, mate!"

Johnny: "We're in the center? That's..." Johnny took a look at their surroundings, not quite sure what to think of that. Though, he did floor it since he'd been wanting to anyway, and Curt had said faster... "...That wouldn't be good."

Curt: As they drove Curt realized the jeep was shaking more than usual. In fact, it didn't seem to be the jeep at all anymore. "Oy! What time! Johnny, I think this is an earthquake!" The ground began to vibrate beneath them and suddenly the dirt road before them started to crack and give out.

Curt: "Aaaah!" Curt covered his eyes, flashes of his car accident running through his mind.

Johnny: Johnny was undoing his seatbelt as there was no time they were stopping before they fell into that, and then he was reaching over to undo Curt's, diving over to grab him around the waist. He was extremely pleased he could fly at times, as it lessened the blow they took when they hit what he assumed was the side of the chasm or something. Whatever it was, it was far better than being crushed in the car.

Curt: "Gah!" Curt shrieked. "What the hellll!" The ground was gone, the sky was now disappearing below them as the darkness swallowed them and the car whole.

Curt: As they hit the bottom of the chasm, Curt coughed. "What in the bloody 'ell! Torch, Johnny! Torch!"

Johnny: "Ugh..." he groaned from his spot on the ground, "You made this out to be like a vacation!"

Curt: "Well... it was supposed to be..." Curt coughed. "What the hell did we land in?" He looked around blindly in the darkness, reaching out hopefully. He poked Johnny in the face. "Sorry."

Johnny: "That's my eye!" he said quickly, hand automatically going to his face as he blinked, "And, I'm guessing we landed underground..." However, he didn't want to move from his spot on his back to find out.

Curt: "Well, if you'd become a human torch for us or something, we might know where the hell we are!" In the silence after Curt's words, he heard a strange sound.

Curt: A skittering across rocks, a quick movement that instantly alerted Curt (and the Lizard within)'s attention.

Curt: "Whawasthat!?"

Johnny: Alarmed, Johnny automatically scooted into a sitting position and went up in flames at the sound, "FuckifIknow."

Curt: Curt peered into the darkness, now slightly aglow from Johnny's light, and stared in shock. "Uhh... Johnny... we got eggs."

[Edited on 10/4/2011 by tears~fall~like~glass]

[tears~fall~like~glass]

Connors: Curt stumbled behind Johnny as they tried to navigate their way through, what was quickly becoming more obviously, a nest of some kind.

Connors: "An underground nest... miles wide! Mate, this is unbelievable! Magazines, scientists, explorers, everyone will want to know about this! This is unfathomable! Insects do this, but not this far, not like this!"

Connors: "This is ... croikey, mate, this is alien." Curt bent down in front of an egg and took out his tweezers. He poked at it, it rattled, and he wished he had brought a lab kit to do samples with. "Bet m'parents are down here somewhere... or holed up in the house trying to hide from this. Whatever this is."

Johnny: "...This. This is gross," Johnny replied as he looked around at all the... eggs. So, so disgusting. He wanted out of here. He paused when he realized Curt wasn't following him any and turned to face him, "Ugh, dude! Do you have to poke at them?"

Connors: "Yes. Yes I do. In the name of science." Curt assured Johnny. He got to his feet and stepped towards him. "I'm slowly starting to figure out what this is... and I wasn't far off when I said it was insect-like in its appearance. Whatever 'mutant' did this... (and we are, for now, assuming the theory it is in fact a mutant)."

Connors: "Whatever did this, Johnny.... is very big. And very dangerous. And very territorial." He held up his tweezers to show they were disintegrating. "Acid. Strange, yes. Stranger that it only excretes it when prodded. It's a defense mechanism."

Johnny: "...Well, can you do this 'in the name of science thing' a bit faster?" he asked. "I mean... I can only stay in this form for so long, and then I'm naked. Neither of us wants that. Plus, I'd like to get out of here. It's fucking creepy. It's like... an alien horror movie, and the pretty one always dies first. Pretty one being me."

Connors: "Actually... this is much prettier." Curt pointed behind Johnny and in the cave just beyond them was a room filled with glowing, green, sparkly rocks.

Connors: "I have no idea what this is... but it's beautiful... and I'm pretty sure it might be what all of this is about."

Johnny: "Um, yeah... Nothing is better looking than I am," Johnny replied as he turned around to see what Curt was pointing at, "But I suppose that's close."

Connors: "There's a drop." Curt said, as he got to the edge. "And..." He looked up to see the bright blue sky. "The surface is just up there." Curt smirked at Johnny. "Isn't it always when hope is close they get attacked, in those movies you were talking about?"

Connors: Before Curt could even keep laughing, a large grey claw reached up and snapped tightly around his shin, pulling him over the ledge. He yelped in fear and pain.

Johnny: Johnny had been about to confirm Curt's assessment of horror films when he went over the edge, quickly changing forms and diving for Curt's hand. Gah... Cave floor is coooold... He flinched as he was dragged. ...And bumpy.

Connors: They were both dragged down, the scuttling against the walls of the cave nearly deafening. Whatever it was pulling them down, it was large.

Connors: "Hrrsssss EAT TRESPASSERS!" Curt looked beyond startled. "I didn't do that, I swear!" He hiccuped in fear and a large tail sprouted and smacked his assailant in the face. "That I did though..." They were suddenly free, and as Curt's transformation into the Lizard continued, the mutant moved from the shadows and into the light.

Lizard: "Hssssss... It'sss a giant Sssscorpion!" Lizard exclaimed, his jaws snapping furiously at it.

Johnny: "Argh! Watch the claws!" Johnny exclaimed as Curt's hand shifted, flinching as he hit the ground and releasing his hold on Curt. Ow. That had hurt. A lot. Staring up, he took a deep breath, body igniting as he let it out. No more being cold and naked. Pushing himself up, he got to his feet and just stared at the thing, "You've got to be kidding me..."

Lizard: Lizard hissed and scrambled up the walls as the large Scorpion chased after him. "Knock him down!" Lizard screeched. "We need to get to the ssssurface!"

Johnny: He rolled his eyes. Well, he would've if Curt could see his actual eyes. Seriously, duh. Johnny hurled a ball of flame toward the giant scorpion thing, trying to aim it away from Curt since the Lizard was not a fan of fire.

Lizard: "Skreeee!" The Scorpion scuttled back further into the shadows. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a large tail shot forward from the darkness and from its tip, foaming, green, acid, squirted in Johnny's direction.

Johnny: "Bloody fucking hell," Johnny cursed under his breath, rolling to avoid the acid attack and throwing another ball of fire into the darkness.

Lizard: "Skreee!" It skittered away into the darkness as Lizard climbed over the ledge. A gun quickly was pointed into his face. "We found 'it! The monster thaz' been causin' us problems!"

Lizard: Another gun came from behind Lizard and struck him in the back of the head. Lizard fell to the ground, stars in his eyes. "Hurrrrrrrr...."

Johnny: At the sound of distant yelling and the apparent disappearance of the monster, Johnny took off into the air and blinked at the scene in front of him, grinding out, "Back off."

Lizard: The men pointed their guns at Johnny. "Looks like we got two of 'em harassin' our little project. Kron shoulda been able to handle 'em..." "Kron also is as smart as a shoe, mate." Another one responded.

Lizard: They frowned at Johnny. "We got a bit of a financial project 'ere, boyo. So why don't you just backaway, eh?" They snickered to eachother and kept Lizard in their eyesights.

Johnny: He scowled from his position in the air, "...I'd really hate to be the start of a bushfire, so I'd suggest you all walk away."

Lizard: "Lissen, 'ere, son. This project is going a little somethin' meant to give innocent, Australian farmers their money in a troubled economy. We're makin' diamonds, and we are doin' it legally. We don't want no trou-"

Lizard: The Lizard pounced and landed on one of the men with a gun, knocking the rifle into the cave. "You call using a mutants ability for personal gain, legal? How about ethical?" Lizard snapped its jaws at the man's face.

Lizard: "I sssshould eatssss you...."

Johnny: As Lizard jumped the one guy, Johnny moved to take care of the other, grabbing the end of the gun and promptly melting it. He also threw in, "Yeah, no eating. It's kinda gross... and cannibalism..."

Lizard: Lizard sighed and picked the man up with his jaws and tossed him into the dusty road. "Hssss.... to the Monkeyssss houssse..." Lizard began to sprint towards the Connors household.

Johnny: "Ugh..." He hated chasing the Lizard. Sighing, he shoved the guy away by the barrel of the gun and flew off in the direction of the house.

[tears~fall~like~glass]

Johnny: "Curt!" Johnny called as he followed him toward the house, which was quickly coming up.

Lizard: "Lizssssard!" He called back.

Johnny: He rolled his eyes, "Ugh, whatever!"

Lizard: Lizard rushed to the door and bashed it open, leaping in. "Find some meatsss people!"

Johnny: "Are you not capable of manners? The least you could do is say please," Johnny commented as he landed, following Curt in through the damaged doorway and gesturing to the door, "Sorry... for that..."

Lizard: Two shots from a rifle went off towards Curt's head and then the sound of a woman's voice could be heard shouting "Oh my LORD, what is that now?! The danged scorpion was more than enough!"

Johnny: Johnny flinched at the gunshots, shouting at him, "Cur- Lizard! Knock it off!"

Lizard: "Lucy, for the love of Gahd, when I say hammer those planks of wood over the door, you hammer them in." Lizard looked to the voices and smiled. "Monkeyssss parentssss!" He exclaimed.

Lizard: An old man kicked the door to the pink kitchen wide open and began taking shots at Lizard again. "Blimey, there's a Man on FIRE now too!" He lifted his gun towards Johnny. The woman could be seen running back and forth in the living room, grabbing picture frames and precious china dinner sets.

Johnny: He quickly held his hands up, "Don't shoot me! You guys... You're the, uh... Connors, right? I'm just," Johnny gestured toward Curt, "Returning your son..."

Lizard: Lizard looked at Johnny and stuck his forked tongue out at him. "Lizssssard not yoursssss... He LIESSSS!"

Lizard: The guns went back and forth from the two intruding mutants. "Now you see here, boyo!" Jeb said to Johnny. "We lost our boy to that Scorpion beast out there! And then that diamond corporation tried to buy our land! We're 'bout fed up with liars, thieves, and monsters!"

Lizard: "So don't test my patience, y'got it?!"

Johnny: He nodded, "I got it."

Lizard: "... Now who're ya?!" Lucy looked over Jeb's shoulder. "They're from the company, Jeb! They're gonna try to scare us out of our farm!"

Lizard: Lizard sighed. "It'ssss not like that!" Gritting his teeth, Lizard began to transform back to Curt.

Lizard: "You think we're dill boy-o!?" Jeb hollarded, backing up as the monster transformed. "Y-... ye' got us madder 'dan a frog in a sock, mate! Watchout!" He was terrified. He had forgotten how to shoot a gun.

Johnny: "I'm, uh... Johnny Storm..." he started, eying Curt as he changed back to normal and deciding to just let that speak for itself.

Curt: Curt smiled at his parents. "Are my glasses still in my room?" He barely had time to finish before the rifle hit the ground and both of his parents ran towards him, embracing him tightly. "Oh CURTIS! Ohhhhh my lord!" His mother cried.

Curt: They held him and nearly squeezed the life out of him. "What's wrong with you!? Did that thing bite you?" "How long have you been like this?" "Did the company do this to you? What else have they been doing?" "Why is that poor boy on fire?" Curt was so caught up in hugs, kisses, and questions, he didn't have time to point out he was now naked.

Curt: "Uhh... Ma, Pop? We're both sorta... Clothesless… can we please fix this before we explain anything? Not that I'm ungrateful or anything, I'm really glad to see you but-" Before he could finish, his Mother was throwing a shirt over his head and asking Johnny what his size was.

Johnny: Johnny gladly gave Curt's mother his sizes, grinning widely now that he was getting clothing and wasn't about to be shot.

Curt: Over the next twenty minutes, Curt's parents explained the whole fiasco. About a month after Curt had gone missing, Andromeda Diamonds had begun buying up all the land in the area. Some property owners refused but slowly, over time, all of them had been scared off by the Mutant that had suddenly appeared."

Curt: "It was out of nowhere, son!" Jeb exclaimed. "'Bout the day or two before you went missin', sheep started showin' up flayed and split in half, spread out all over the fields! No one knew what to think of it! Then it was quiet, until the company tried to buy us out. Suddenly there were more and more sightings of this monster, and they were all the same consistent report."

Curt: "So honey, we thought the monster had killed you!" His mother's lip wibbled and Curt patted her hand. "It hadn't. I uh... fended it off... when I had transformed."

Curt: "So you are a mutant?" Curt sighed. He explained the last few months, leaving out details of danger and mayhem, and the part where it was actually him who ate the initial sheep, but during his Lizard transformation.

Johnny: "So, this monster is a scorpion thing, right?" Johnny finally cut in, feeling slightly out of place.

Curt: "Oh, yeah! That thing is terrifying! The only reason we ain't moved yet is we don't give in to threats! Not me, not my father! Not my father's father!" Curt rolled his eyes. "Pop, let's skip the legacy talk. We have reason to believe the company is working with him too. And if you can believe it, I think they're using his acid's corrosion method to create a new type of mineral from the rare rocks under our property."

Johnny: "Yeah... It's pretty freaky down there..." he raked a hand through his hair, "And, that thing is creepy... though, apparently it didn't like fire..."

Curt: Lucy looked about ready to faint. "Unfortunately," Curt continued, "it seems they didn't anticipate the style of his mutant abilities, or perhaps they genetically altered him and made something worse out of his mutant gene. Either way, he lays eggs now. I'm not sure they know about that."

Johnny: "If I thought they were still out there, I'd offer to go throw them down there for a look..."

Curt: "But what do we do now, then?" Jeb practically demanded of Curt and Johnny.

Curt: "Johnny, I think it's up to us to either sedate him and bring him back, or put him down. This company is benefitting off terrorizing my family and neighbors. I can't have that. And I think we should burn the eggs too..." Curt said as an after thought.

Johnny: He gave a sigh and resisted groaning, "I was afraid you were going to suggest something like that." And, here he thought vacations were supposed to be relaxing...

Curt: Curt patted Johnny's back. "We're X-Men, right?" He had to think about that for a second. Am I actually on the team? He got up to get his sedatives for the sheep. "We're gonna need alotta tranqs, mate. A lot. I don't want to kill him, but I certainly don't want to underdose him."

Johnny: "Oh, yeah... X-men..." Johnny grumbled and moved to get up, following Curt and raising an eyebrow, "And, what about overdosing him?"

Curt: "Well, judging by his sheer size and strength, I think we aren't going to have to worry about it. I'll keep track of his pulse... if I can find it."

Curt: ===THE TIME WARP ALL THE WAY TO THE HOLE IN THE GROUND WHERE THE COMPANY MEN ARE NO WHERE TO BE SEEN.... 'CAUSE HUMAN TORCH IS FUCKIN SCARY!!===

Johnny: Johnny had taken his fire form once more because there was no way he was going back into the caves without it. As they made their way back down into the tunnels, he felt the need to comment, "...I hate it down here. I'm sure I told you earlier, but in case you needed a reminder..."

Lizard: Curt laughed. "I'll save the Lizard for when I need it." He held up the lunch bin his mother had given him. "Maybe this will entice him..." He threw it into the cave, hoping it would make noise as it hit the walls on the way down.

Lizard: It did. A lot of noise. He waited patiently but the silence was almost as deadly as The Scorpion. "Okay... I'm scared. I'm Lizarding up." In moments he finished the transformation.

Lizard: "Thisssss sssshould be good..." He began to crawl into the cave, clinging to the walls. "Ssssyringe isss in ssssack..." Lizard noted, pointing to the pack that was on his back, strung over his right shoulder. "Burrrn him, then sssstab him!" He hissed out in a whisper.

Johnny: Johnny sighed as he slowly descended as Curt slid down the wall. Great. More Lizard. Always difficult to deal with. He shuddered a bit at the whispering, "Can you not say it like that? It's totally creepy."

Lizard: Lizard froze and looked over to Johnny with enormous eyes of warning.

Johnny: He caught the look and sighed, mentally preparing himself. Here it came...

Lizard: Kron Stone, A.k.a. the Scorpion, burst through the green wall of sheer diamond and wrapped his large claws/arms around Johnny, slamming him into the Lizard and both into the wall. "Hruaaaaaaarrrghhh!"

Lizard: "New plan!" Lizard yelped, hearing the viles of tranqs shatter into the opposite wall of the cave.

Johnny: "We need a new plan, or you have a new plan?" Johnny coughed out, not able to turn up the heat with Curt right next to him.

Lizard: "New plan in action!" Lizard used his tail to smack Scorpion on the side of the head. It worked, and Kron fell down into the tunnels, unfortunately while still clinging to Johnny. Lizard leapt after them and they all plunged into the darkness.

Lizard: Hitting the ground hard, Curt rolled and shook off the dizziness. Suddenly he realized where they were. "Johnny! This is it! The sssscenter of the nessst! Burn them all!"

Lizard: Kron didn't like that. His claw reached out to Lizard and his tail zipped out and whipped around Johnny's legs. Lizard felt the full strength of the clawed arm grab him by the shoulder and slam him into the crystalized wall.

Johnny: Johnny was slightly worried about Curt as he let loose a massive blast of flames, heating the general area to slightly dangerous temperatures... and flailing because that thing was trying to tentacle rape him or something...

Lizard: Lizard wanted to scream in terror at the flames and run into the shadows where it was cold and safe, but the Curt-side of their brain reassured him Johnny would never intentionally hurt them. Do what you came here to do! Put Kron down as safely as possible! No one else can get hurt, y'big Dragon!

Lizard: Lizard nod-nodded to the voice in his head and turned around to bite Kron on the shoulder. "Geerraaarrgh!" The Scorpion roared in pain.

Lizard: He saw his eggs being burned and his eyes were wide with fear. "My offspring! My children! Daddy won't let them get away with this!"

Johnny: ...So, so creepy. That was mostly what he was focusing on. Well, and now that he was distracted, Johnny scrambled to his feet and went to directly burn eggs.

Lizard: "Nooooo!" Kron roared as Lizard bit harder and struggled to pull him to the ground. The jaws of the Lizard were no match for Scorpion's claws however, and Kron quickly reached behind, latched onto Lizard, and threw him into a wall. Lizard's vision got blurry as he tried to get his barrings. His head was now ringing from the blow but he could make out Scorpion coming up behind Johnny, his tail in a striking position.

Lizard: "Johnny!" Lizard called out as the tail snapped forward, quicker than a bullet from a gun.

Johnny: At the sound of Curt yelling his name, he turned and had enough time to blink as the tail struck him. He just stared, completely shocked that the thing was sticking out of him.

Lizard: Lizard leapt forward and jumped atop of Kron, shoving him into the ground. With great force, he rammed his head into the rock and clawed at the back of it. When it seemed like Kron was out, long enough to get Johnny, Lizard did just that. Slinking away to his friend, Lizard looked at the puncture wound and frowned.

Johnny: Johnny was gasping and had gone from his flaming form to his normal self, hands out in front of him as he stared wide-eyed at his stomach. He looked from the wound to Curt, completely unsure of what to do.

Lizard: "Thisssss isss not good." Lizard picked up Johnny and roughly threw him over his shoulders. "Off we go!" He began to scurry back up the cave but it was only moments until he could hear Scorpion raging behind him.

Lizard: "I will avenge my children!" Kron roared. His anger was evident, not only in his voice but his physical actions. His claws were practically tearing into the crystal walls of the cave as he rushed his way up to Lizard. "Dieeee!"

Lizard: Lizard didn't know what to do, he couldn't afford letting go of Johnny. Rockslide Curt told him, internally. Cave-in. He's tearing the place up enough, find a weak-spot.

Johnny: He managed a groan as he was picked up, wheezing as he blinked. He couldn't see… Well, he could barely see. It was just under the burning pain in his stomach and that fact that it was getting difficult to breathe on his list of concerns.

Lizard: Lizard pounded into the rock wall. "Johnny, whatever you have left, melt the rock under ussss. It's going to ssssave us, I promissse!"

Johnny: Johnny could barely work out what Curt was saying through the pain, but he did manage to get melt. He wanted him to melt them? ...That... didn't make sense. He managed to focus on melting whatever was in the general area, pushing out as much heat as he could manage as his eyes started to roll back.

Lizard: "Good!" Lizard said, fighting back all the urges to run from the flames. He began to use his hind legs to chug out rocks and as Scorpion came up the wall, the rocks and melted crystal became a magmatic mess of pain, spilling all over him. "Nooorrarrrrhhh!" He roared. Lizard scrambled to the top and through Johnny out of the cave. Then with one final glance to Curt's house, Lizard leapt back into the cave.

Lizard: Lizard began to knock out the supports and beams that were holding the opening of the cave up. "Ssssssucka!"

Johnny: He was vaguely aware of the ground under him as he struggled to stay conscious, still gasping for breath as he realized that he couldn't even move now.

Lizard: The Scorpion reached up, out of the crumbling darkness of the cave, and for a brief moment, Lizard sympathized. Unfortunately he wasn't a monster of his own creation, and he was being used. If he didn't get destroyed by the cave-in, hopefully he would find his own reason to live afterwards.

Lizard: Lizard watched the rocks crumble atop the mutated Kron Stone and sighed as he slithered out from the disappearing opening. He picked up Johnny and began to dash towards Curt's house.

Johnny: Johnny didn't even know what was going on anymore as he was scooped up again, the world around him going completely dark.

[Svartfreja]

Sue: Sue sat on the rec room sofa, curled up with some tea and biscuits and watching the tv. Or well... looking like she was watching it anyway. Really she was just staring off into space and her tea was long since cold.

Johnny: Johnny slipped into the rec room and spotted Sue. Then, he saw the cup of what he assumed was tea and biscuits. He went to take a sip of the tea and about spat it back out, "...It's cold."

Sue: Sue yelped and looked up, "Johnny! You're back!" she hugged him around the middle.

Johnny: He gave a yelp of his own as she squeezed him.

Sue: Sue blinked and let go of him, "Are you okay?"

Johnny: Wheezing a bit, Johnny nodded and moved to sit, grabbing himself some biscuits to make him feel better, voice a bit strained as he answered, "Yep."

Sue: "Are you sure?" she looked him over, "You don't sound okay... Did you have fun in Australia?"

Johnny: "Yeah, it was pretty cool," he nodded, avoiding the first question. If by cool, it meant being sucked into a cave and getting stabbed.

Sue: She gave him a smile but frowned a little, "And what about not sounding okay? Are you sick?"

Johnny: "Caught something while I was there," Johnny easily lied, "Just getting over it."

Sue: "Oh... you're not still contagious are you?" Ew she just hugged him too!

Johnny: He shook his head, "Nope, shouldn't be."

Sue: "Okay... good..." she hugged him again.

Johnny: Johnny flinched again but returned this hug.

Sue: Sue frowned, "I'm not going to bite you, what's with the cringing?"

Johnny: "Well, I mean... You know..." he gave a grin, "You're touching me."

Sue: "Pfft." she ruffled his hair, "I can't miss my baby brother?"

Johnny: Johnny raised an eyebrow, "Oh, you actually missed me?"

Sue: "Of course I did! ... There's no one else to mock."

Johnny: "Incapable of being fun enough to make friends?" he smirked.

Sue: She jabbed him in the ribs with her finger, "I am but I've been keeping to myself... trying to get to know the place so I don't get lost..."

Johnny: Johnny swatted at her hand, seeing as being prodded wasn't exactly comfortable either as it made him squirm. "Excuses."

Sue: "It's not an excuse... plus a lot of people seem to be away for the summer... it's pretty empty around here."

Johnny: "Well, I suppose there's that too..."

Sue: "You're determined to see me as boring, aren't you?"

Johnny: "Not really. I just know you are." Johnny ate a biscuit, "Australia was... interesting though. Curt let me drive."

Sue: "... Does he have a death wish?"

Johnny: "Hey! I'm not that bad!" he exclaimed, grinning. "I mean... I only hit one kangaroo..."

Sue: "You hit a kangaroo?! Oh my god! Did you kill it?!"

Johnny: "Uh, Curt made me shoot it..."

Sue: "You shot it?!" Sue couldn't belive what she was hearing. There were just so many things wrong with that!

Johnny: "It was suffering! ...And so did I! Recoil hurts..."

Sue: "Well it serves you right for hitting it in the first place."

Johnny: "I didn't mean to!"

Sue: "Well then you should look where you're going properly. Honestly."

Johnny: "I was. It's not my fault it hopped out in front of me..."

Sue: "That's what brakes are for, dumbass."

Johnny: Johnny rolled his eyes, "They aren't helpful when you're going as fast as I was."

Sue: "There are speed limits for a reason, Johnny...."

Johnny: "They make things boring."

Sue: "And stop you from hitting kangaroos."

Johnny: "That was uneventul compared to the part where we drove into a chasm..." Johnny paused when he realized what he'd said, quickly adding, "I mean... it would be if that happened."

Sue: "You drove into a chasm?! Oh my God, Johnny!"

Johnny: "To be fair, the chasm opened under us, so technically no..."

Sue: "And you're okay?"

Johnny: "Well, I'm sitting here aren't I?"

Sue: "You know what I mean!"

Johnny: Johnny stared. "No, I don't!"

Sue: "Yeah you do. I mean are you hurt?"

Johnny: "Of course not," he denied.

Sue: Sue eyed him critiqually then made his shirt invisible. "Johnny!"

Johnny: "Cheating!"

Sue: "If you were honest I wouldn't have to!"

Johnny: "Okay, so I got a little stabbed..." Johnny rolled his eyes, "It's not a big deal. I'm still alive."

Sue: "A little stabbed?!" Sue smacked his shoulder, "No more scary trips for you!"

Johnny: "Ow!" he rubbed his shoulder.

Sue: "How did that even happen?!" she stared at him, clearly worried.

Johnny: "Well, y'know... a guy stabbed me because I kinda pissed him off..."

Sue: "While that's hardly surprising, I'm gong to have to ask what the hell did you do?"

Johnny: "I burned his eggs."

Sue: ".... Come again?"

Johnny: "I burned his eggs," Johnny repeated.

Sue: "Right..... what?"

Johnny: "Well, he was... like, totally a giant scorpion man, and I burned his eggs, and he got all pissed and stabbed me..." he realized how crazy that sounded and frowned a bit, "And, I don't really remember much after that."

Sue: "... Were you smoking something? Because... generally... males don't lay eggs...."

Johnny: "No, I was completely sober," Johnny shook his head, "Don't believe me? Ask Curt."

Sue: "But... but..." Biology said no. "I think I need to be drunk for this to make any sense..."

Johnny: "We can go do that..."

Sue: Sue weighed up the options, ".... yeah okay."

Johnny: "Hm, maybe you are capable of fun," Johnny shot her a grin as he got up and nodded to the doorway, "To my room!"

Sue: "I keep telling you I know how to be fun. You weren't at freshers week at Uni."

Johnny: "Mmhm, we'll see about that," he called back, already out the door and heading down the hall.

[tears~fall~like~glass]

Nils: Styger let the automatic pilot continue it's landing process as he clung tightly to his the arm rests in his chair. "Aaaand... we are now landing children! Huzzah! We made it!" (And I didn't puke once! Hank would be so proud!)

Johnny: Johnny wasn't quite sure he was cut out for this as the plane landed. But, really? Recruiting? How hard could it be?

Sue: Sue didn't unbuckle herself until she was sure they were completely under ground. "I wish I could fly..."

Johnny: "Meh..." he shrugged, "It's overrated."

Sue: "You would say that... Quack."

Johnny: Johnny cringed, giving her a glare, "I hate you."

Sue: "No you don't... not yet." she grinned.

Johnny: He shook his head, "No, I'm pretty sure we're beyond yet."

Sue: "Aww you don't mean it, I'm your big sister." she reached and ruffled his hair.

Hope: After the police had been no use, Hope had taken to hiding in her apartment after work, hoping Jonathan didn't decide to show up... again.

Johnny: Johnny swatted at her hand and reached to fix his hair as he waited for the professor to open the door.

Nils: Nearly shaking, Styger used his finger to seek out the button that would open the bay doors. "Ah, there it is!" He pushed button that said "OPEN BAY DOORS".

Sue: Sue got to her feet, stretched a little and headed for the door.

Nils: "Remember what Professor Xavier said, students. This mutant signal is very strong, but it's different from others that he's seen. Expect the unexpected, but diplomacy first. Always."

Sue: "Right... so Johnny should stay on the plane."

Johnny: Johnny had been about to flash a grin and say he had this, but he glared at Sue instead. "Hate."

Sue: "Quack."

Nils: "Actually, Susan, being you are a new student and Johnny is mostly-trained on these affairs, I would prefer you let him take some lead. Unless you see an opportunity to jump in." He smiled widely and adjusted his thick-framed glasses.

Sue: "... Sure... your funeral."

Johnny: "...Can we, like, trade?" Johnny looked to Styger, "Bring the new person back and leave Sue in their place?"

Sue: Sue smacked Johnny over the back of his head.

Nils: "I would prefer not." Styger said with a smirk as Susan hit him. "Sibling rivalry is fun and all, but let's keep it to a minimal when we approach the source of the energy that Professor Xavier picked up on."

Johnny: "Ow," he muttered as he stepped off the plane, deciding he'd stay normal looking for the time being.

Sue: "It's only rivalry if they're closely matched. Johnny's useless and pathetic."

Johnny: Johnny rolled his eyes, "...That's why I'm the hero and you're not."

Hope: Hope silently slid the cartridge into her gun and set it on the coffee table, trying to flip through a magazine. This couldn't be happening.

Sue: "You're not a hero, you're a moron."

Johnny: "You're just jealous," he shot back as he led the way.

Sue: "Sure I am, feather brain."

Nils: "Okay, okay." He said firmly this time. "Don't make me 'port one of you to Nebraska until we're done." He turned around to the woods and threw his scarf around his neck quite heroically.

Johnny: Johnny gave Sue a shove toward the teacher, "Go, now!"

Sue: Sue made Johnny's hair invisible and smiled sweetly at him as she followed Nils.

Nils: He ignored Johnny sternly. "Fairbanks probably doesn't have much a mutant population, forget regular population, so try to keep it toned down." He realized 'All The Single Ladies' was playing in a radio somewhere. "I know that song!" He said excitedly.

Johnny: "Sue! Fix it!" he glared and then blinked at Styger, "Who doesn't?"

Sue: "I'll fix it if you stop being an ass."

Johnny: Johnny sighed, "Fine, deal."

Nils: "I don't get out very often, Mr. Storm, this is a big deal for me." He said proudly. "The last big song I learned was 'Edge o Seventeen' by Stevie Nicks."

Johnny: He just stared at his teacher blankly, not sure what to say to that.

Sue: Sue smiled and made Johnny's hair visible again. "There. Knew you had it in you somewhere."

Hope: Hope tapped her foot impatiently. He might not show up right? He might be sensible? She glanced at the clock.

Nils: "I believe the mutant signature was just through this patch of woods." He turned sharply to the two of them. "No nonsense, correct?" He spun on his heels before he could even get an answer, and frumped through the snow.

Johnny: He just glanced over at Sue and rolled his eyes. So far this was going better than most missions he'd been on had...

Nils: He pushed the bushes and tree limbs aside and tried to hold some of both for the students behind him. He stepped through and found himself in the side-yard of some cabin.

Sue: Sue brushed some snow from her coat before it melted and sank in then looked around.

Johnny: "So... This is where we're supposed to be?" Johnny asked as he looked around, keeping the snow away by keeping his body temperature relatively high and the area around him heated.

Nils: Styger shrugged. "Seems right." He looked to his iPad and smiled. "Yes, this is it." Looking up to the windows he tried to peek in. "I don't see anything, ... perhaps we should knock?"

Johnny: "That'd be far less creepy than peeking in the windows," Johnny replied as he made his way around to the door.

Sue: "Knocking's usually considered polite..."

Hope: Hope, however, did see the movement at the window. She set the magazine down and grabbed the gun, turning the safety off. She moved to a better spot to watch the door, going for the phone to call 911.

Nils: Nils was proud that his students were picking up already on their instincts. He was also a little embarrassed that he tried to be a snoop before he acted like a retrieval expert. He reached into his 'abyss' (his basement, in actuality) and grabbed his cell phone.

Nils: He texted the Professor they had found the source of the mutant signature and were hoping to make contact soon. He had his eyes off the students while he did this.

Johnny: He reached up to knock on the front door and waited for an answer.

Sue: Sue was working on staying visible because she figured talking air would not be received well.

Hope: Hope steadied her nerves and tapped into the local telekinetic to open the door, staying where she was.

Johnny: "...Um, that's totally creepy too," Johnny commented and stepped aside for Sue to go first.

Nils: Nils looked up. "What was creepy?" He asked.

Hope: Hope was baffled by multiple voices. Had he brought friends?! This would end poorly.

Sue: Sue looked at Johnny like he'd grown a second head for a moment then rolled her eyes and shook her head, stepping up to the door, "Hello....?"

Nils: He began to feel a surge of energy. "Someone is very scared suddenly. Students, be aware." Nils jogged over to the door and politely pushed the other two behind him, opening his chest to reveal the void.

Johnny: "Door opened by itself," Johnny answered, not completely opposed to having a shield in front of him if that was the case.

Sue: "Maybe the afraid is us...?" Sue suggested quietly.

Johnny: "As long as the ground doesn't swallow us, I'm good..." he commented, unconsciously wrapping an arm around his stomach.

Hope: What the hell was that?! Hope screamed and fired at the creepy man.

Nils: Nils held his arms up to completely shield the children as the rifle shot went through his abyss. For the sake of making a point, he let the portal open up to directly beside the shooter, pointed to the floor of course.

Nils: The sound of the bullet and the bullet itself continue its path into the floor beside Hope.

Sue: Sue shrieked and rendered herself and Johnny invisible out of instinct.

Johnny: After having had guns pointed at him for the majority of his vacation, Johnny was fairly unfazed, though he did startle a bit at the scream.

Hope: Hope screamed again... then stopped. They... were't Jonathan. She lowered her gun, flipping her hair out of her face with a toss of her head. "Who are you?"

Johnny: Johnny glanced around Nils at the sound of a girl, eyed her, and flashed a grin, "Johnny Storm."

Nils: "I'm Professor Nils Styger. These are my students, the Storm Siblings. We're here because we know you're a mutant and we want to take you somewhere where you can be safe. And learn how to use your powers safely. And without needing a gun."

Sue: Sue decided not to point out that Johnny was still invisible (as was she) because she was paranoid there'd be more shooting.

Johnny: "Ugh, Sue, knock it off," Johnny complained.

Hope: Hope flicked the safety on and looked out the window. "We can go soon, yes?"

Nils: That was rather fast... "Of course, as soon as you would like. Are you in immediate danger, now?" He asked, cautiously.

Sue: Sue slowly made them visible again, peering out from behind the professor.

Johnny: Johnny slipped around the teacher to approach the girl, giving her a proper grin now that she would be able to see him as he offered his hand.

Nils: "Your abilities, have you become aware of them yet? I'm assuming the door was you..." He pointed to the door and saw Susan was now visible. He flashed her a smile.

Hope: Hope glanced back, noting that Johnny was cute. She smiled and took Johnny's hand. "I'm Hope. I uh... maybe? If a crazy auburn headed guy shows up just shoot him. I'll pack."

Johnny: "I'll take care of him," Johnny offered.

Sue: "If you want I can just make us all invisible so he thinks you're not here....?" she rolled her eyes at Johnny.

Nils: "We don't shoot." He said firmly. "Johnny, no burning either. If he becomes out of control, I'll put him in detention."

Nils: Nils snapped and pointed to Susan. "Like it. Much better."

Sue: "This is why I'm the smart one." She told the teacher.

Hope: Hope grinned at that. "Such a gentleman!" She hurried off to pack. "Yes I uh, have had my powers for a little while."

Johnny: "Thanks." Johnny just held up his hands as he turned to looked between the two, "No fun. I never said there'd be burning, and maybe she wants me to beat him up a little..."

Nils: "Great! So you're aware of them. Trust me, that saves us a lot of trouble. Are you registered? We're going to be flying in a rather... not-completely-legal-fashion, so it's best to have all bases covered."

Sue: "No one wants you to beat anything up because then we'd have to explain to mum and dad how you got arrested..."

Nils: "Violence is a last resort, Mr. Storm, you know this. I believe your endeavors in Australia that Mr. Connors told me about can prove just that. How's your chest by the by?"

Hope: "No... I uh... liked my secret. Didn't think anyone would find out."

Johnny: "I wouldn't be arrested," he rolled his eyes and let out a sigh, "And still a bit sore, but I'm not dead so no complaints."

Nils: "This is a very unlikely scenario, so don't take offense. The headmaster of our school has some talents he uses to help us find mutants in distress. Also, good for you. Registering is a bad idea, for now."

Nils: Nils patted Johnny on the back, hard. "Good. Now, do me a favor, please be a gentleman and put her bags in her room at the school." His chest swirled open to a perfect circle to reveal an empty bunk at XU.

Hope: "It's a bad idea ever. It all starts with registration."

Johnny: Johnny gave another grin and moved to collect her bags, shooting her a glance just to make sure he was allowed to touch them, "You don't mind, right?"

Nils: "Let's save the full-politics for debate class. You'll be able to take courses you feel are relevant to you when you arrive to the school. I promise, there's plenty of people to talk to you about this at the campus." He winked at her knowingly.

Hope: Hope grinned again. "Not at all. Thanks for the help."

Johnny: "No problem," he shook his head and grabbed the bags, moving to shove them into Styger's chest and therefore placing them in her room.

Sue: "That is so weird...."

Hope: "...agreed..." Hope kept Johnny between her and the void.

Nils: Curt popped his head through he void. "Hey Johnny! Got the egg in freeze! Don't worry, we won't hatch it 'til Winter's over!"

Sue: "..... Egg?" Sue looked between the head and Johnny.

Nils: He saw the new girl and waved. "Oh hi! I'm Curt, I'll see ya later!" He smile to Johnny. "Pretty sheila, there, Mate!"

Nils: Nils rolled his eyes and closed the portal once Johnny was done.

Hope: "Do I want to know?"

Johnny: "...Egg... He kept an..." Johnny took a deep breath and tried to hide his disgust, quickly shaking his head as he turned back to Hope, "No."

Sue: Sue reached to pat Johnny on the shoulder.

Nils: "Studying the specimen should be especially fun, Johnny." Nils commented. "I'll be sure to be there when he thaws the egg. That said, are we all set?"

Johnny: He just shuddered and nodded, managing a smile, "I can show you to your room once we back, if you'd like."

Sue: "Yeah and I'll accompany you..." Sue added.

Hope: Hope grinned at Johnny again. "I'd like that."

Johnny: Johnny shot his older sister a flat look before moving to usher Hope to the door.

Nils: Nils wanted to point out that the room mate might make more sense, but he knew hormones wouldn't let him get a word in.

Sue: "Quack..." Sue called after Johnny with a grin.

Hope: Hope was about to say something to that when she tripped on the ramp to the jet.

Johnny: Pausing in his response to Sue, he reached to grab her.

Hope: Hope blushed a bit. "Thanks..."

Nils: "Oh my!" Nils started, "I'm sorry, we should have warned you about the lip there!"

Johnny: He smiled at the blush, "You're welcome."

Hope: "No... if it wasn't the ramp it would be my own feet." Hope admitted. She really shouldn't carry a gun ever either.

Sue: "Ugh..." Sue rolled her eyes again, "I'm gonna go throw up."

Nils: "Please, I don't think my stomach can take that and the next flight." Nils said to Susan.

Sue: "Well then you make him stop because he's not listening to me." she made Johnny's hair invisible again.

Johnny: Johnny was fairly focused on helping Hope with the buckles to the seatbelt, so he was completely oblivious to the fact that his hair had disappeared.

Hope: Hope was focused on watching Johnny's hands and didn't notice it for a moment. She wondered how hard it would be to use Sue's power... "So um... thanks for the help, Johnny." She smiled at him. "And uh, Sue right? So you make stuff invisible... cool."

Nils: Nils shook his head as he fired up the engines. "Everyone is in their seats, correct?"

Sue: Sue nodded, "Yeah... invisibility field... it's fun." she sat down and buckled herself in.

Hope: Hope tapped into her powers and made Sue's hair disappear.

Johnny: He took the seat next to Hope, still grinning widely as he buckled himself, "Really, it's no problem." He spared Sue a glance and snickered, "Fail."

Sue: Sue scowled and made her hair visible again. "Yeah? Check a mirror."

Johnny: "We had a deal!"

Sue: "You started being an ass again. You forfeited."

Hope: Hope smiled and attempted to make Johnny's hair visible again, though she could already feel the headache setting in.

Johnny: "How am I being an ass? All I've done is be nice to a new student," Johnny rolled his eyes and reached up to rake his fingers through his hair.

Sue: "Pfft. 'Nice'. So that's what they call it these days..." she muttered.

Hope: "I appreciate you being so helpful." Hope emphasized.

Nils: "Why don't one of you tell our new friend about the school instead of bickering." Never taking both of them out again...

Johnny: "Thank you," he smiled, "I'm glad someone does."

Sue: "That's all Johnny since I'm also a new student." Sue pointed out.

Hope: "Hey so I'm not the only one!" Hope smiled at Sue.

Nils: "Well then you and Hope should be able to connect very well!" He said, as the jet began to take off.

Sue: Sue shook her head, "I used to go to Uni in England but I had a power mishap in front of my parents and they got all paranoid so I'm here now..."

Hope: "Oh... that kind of... sucks."

Johnny: "I got tired of living with Sue, so I decided to come to school... But obviously that didn't work out," Johnny smirked to show he was kidding.

Sue: Sue made Johnny's head invisible. "No what actually happened was a lot more hilarious."

Hope: This was going to get tiresome. Hope invisibled Sue's head.

Johnny: "But, no, seriously... The school is pretty awesome."

Sue: Sue saw her hair was invisible again and frowned a little. What the hell? ".... Do you use other people's powers or something?"

Hope: Hope just grinned. "Yep."

Sue: "Right..." She made her head visible again.

Johnny: "That's so cool..."

Hope: "I can also tell what other people can do, which is handy considering I would need to know what I'm using. Otherwise... can you imagine?"

Sue: "That could be horrifying."

Nils: "That is very cool." Nils said, instantly curious. He pulled his chair up alongside Hope and began to stare into her eyes. "Yes... you have the correct corneas for it... Strange though... most empaths are brunettes of some varying kind. Your hair seems natural."

Nils: His glasses slowly sunk to the near-tip of his nose and he began to enter doctor mode.

Hope: "It really was at first too. Now I kind of know what I'm doing.... and my hair IS natural thank you."

Johnny: Johnny grinned, deciding to ignore the weirdness that was his professor, "So you could totally use my powers too?"

Nils: He looked sternly over to Johnny. "Not a power she should be trying without practice, especially on a plane, Jonathan."

Sue: "Oh God yeah... all that fuel... Seriously Johnny...."

Hope: "Yep. Well, I mean, I CAN use your powers... just... probably isn't very safe to. It would be like you using them for the first time. Very little control. I have to practice with each one... and if I do too much...." Hope shuddered at the name, stopping mid sentence.

Johnny: Johnny also shuddered at the use of his full name.

Hope: "I'll just uh, stick to calling you Johnny... ok?"

Johnny: He nodded, "I'd prefer it, actually."

Nils: "Hope, this is an incredible ability but it is understandably going to be burdensome now that you're going to be surrounded by so many other heavily-powered students. Your best bet is to work on control with some of the other more experienced students and faculty members."

Sue: "We only use his full name when he does something stupid.... so all the time." Sue grinned.

Johnny: Johnny frowned.

Sue: "Love you!" Sue laughed.

Hope: "Yeah uh, not many mutants in Fairbanks." Hope laughed a bit.

Johnny: "Anyway..." Johnny decided it was time to ignore Sue, "I can help you if you want to learn how to use my powers."

Hope: "I'd really appreciate that too.... so wait. Where are we going? What is this school for?"

Sue: "With mine I'd suggest practising with yourself first - it's a lot easier for me to make myself invisible than to project it onto other things."

Nils: Nils began to inspect Hope's finger tips. "Amazing..." He said under his breath.

Hope: "Ummm what is amazing?" Hope was slightly creeped out by the touching.

Johnny: "New York," he answered, "And it's pretty much for being awesome. Sue's the exception."

Nils: "Your fingernails,..." He said simply.

Hope: "Should I not get them done? Or er... what?"

Sue: "..." Sue decided to resort to drastic measures and invisible Johnny's trousers.

Johnny: Johnny just sat back in his seat, grinning smugly.

Hope: "Well um hey there. Typically I expect a man to buy me dinner first..." She was glad for the distraction from creepy professor.

Sue: Sue face-palmed.

Nils: "I'm not sure that helps matters, frankly." Nils said to Susan, his eyes never leaving Hope's hands. "It seems you are going to be an amazing mutant. Well... you are... but when you are able to control your capabilities..." He looked up to her with a smile and backed off.

Nils: "You're going to be incredible, Ms. Hope. Astonishing."

Hope: "Um... you know all this from my fingernails?" She certainly didn't feel incredible or astonishing.

Johnny: "I can buy you dinner after I show you your room," Johnny replied.

Sue: Sue decided just to make herself invisible so she could glare at Johnny in peace.

Nils: "No, I knew that from your corneas. But your fingernails just confirmed to me you're a very competent and organized young woman."

Hope: Hope scratched the back of her head a bit. She wasn't used to all this attention and praise. "Er, thanks Professor... and dinner would be great, Johnny."

Nils: Nils turned to Susan "Sue, ... Sue?" He looked around expectantly. "Are you still with us?"

Johnny: He glanced to where he knew Sue was sitting and added, "You aren't coming."

Sue: "Oh please stop hitting on my brother while I'm here..."

Hope: "To be fair... I think he's doing all the work."

Johnny: Johnny just nodded, grinning, "I am good at doing all the work."

Sue: "Don't get her hopes up."

Nils: "It would be a first I've seen you do more than 20% of the work." Dr. Styger pointed out.

Nils: "Is Curt still writing most of your papers?"

Sue: Sue snorted.

Johnny: Johnny just looked between the two. Well, between his teacher and where his sister should be. He put on an innocent expression, "Noooo..."

Nils: "Then tell Mr. Connors to stop trying so hard, I know where his true talents are, and they're not in papers. He can't get an A+ from me in his own papers, he's not about to impress me with one that's supposed to be from you either."

Hope: Hope placed a hand on Johnny's arm. "It's ok. I find that 50-50 works better."

Johnny: "I'll be sure to mention it to him..." Johnny muttered and gave Hope a smile, "I think I could work with that."

Sue: "Ugh... please... stop it..."

Hope: Hope just giggled and smiled at Johnny.

Johnny: "So... how much longer until we get back, professor?" he asked now that he had something to look forward to.

Sue: Any answer that wasn't 'we're there already' was too long in her oppinion.

Nils: He looked to the panel and smiled brightly. "We're just about there. Also, I have a text from Professor Xavier, it appears he enjoys the use of what you kids call, 'EMO-TICONS'. His only response to me was a colon and a parenthesis."

Hope: "Well now he just sounds like a cool guy."

Johnny: "Considering he owns the school and lets us all live there for free, he is pretty cool," Johnny nodded.

Hope: "Guess I forgot to ask how I was going to pay for school. Glad he's so generous!"

Nils: "He only asks for tolerance and the promise to try to control your mutant abilities." Nils added.

Sue: "Mmm..." Sue curled up in her seat and picked at a thread on her jeans, glad that she was still invisible.

Hope: "I think I have that covered." Hope smiled.

[tears~fall~like~glass]

Johnny: Johnny made sure to stick close to her as he led the way down the street so she didn't get lost or anything, quickly moving to open the door to the cafe for her. It was a nice spot that he was fairly fond of as they had decent tea, and he figured it wouldn't be a bad place for dinner.

Hope: Hope smiled at him as she stepped inside the cafe. "Why thank you." She waited for him so they could go further in together.

Johnny: "You're welcome," he replied as he slipped inside after her and gave a smile in return.

Hope: Once they were seated, Hope was glad for the excuse to look at the menu and not stare at him. He was cute! "So... what's good here?"

Johnny: "Just about everything," Johnny answered as he picked up his own menu for a glance over, shaking his head, "You can't really make a wrong choice."

Hope: "Well that's good to know." She smiled over the menu at him, then looked again for something that sounded good.

Johnny: He was hardly looking at his own menu while she was busy studying hers, making sure he glanced back down when he thought she was about to catch him staring. As he looked over the text, he decided he probably should chose something to eat before he did any more staring.

Hope: After deciding, Hope stole glances at him too, pretending to still be looking.

Johnny: As the waiter showed up to take their orders, he shot her a glance to make sure she was ready before ordering his food and a cup of tea.

Hope: Hope ordered her food and some tea to go with it before handing over her menu.

Johnny: Once he handed his off, he gave her a grin, "So, what do you think of the school so far?"

Hope: "It's nice. Your sister is um... interesting?"

Johnny: "Well, I guess that's one word for her."

Hope: Hope laughed and relaxed, glad that talking was an excuse to oogle. "Well, what do you do for fun besides harass her?"

Johnny: "Well, I like saving people, so I patrol the city sometimes and try to help out. Um... Oh. I like video games... and hanging out and stuff..." Johnny answered, tacking on, "What about you?"

Hope: "Patrol for what?" Hope took a sip of her water.

Johnny: "Just, like, trouble in general. Stopping muggings, putting out fires, helping old women across the street."

Hope: Hope snickered at that. "You are for sure the most handsome one to help them."

Johnny: Johnny just grinned, giving a small shrug, "Yeah... I mean, thanks."

Hope: She laughed again. "And so modest too."

Johnny: "I try..." he commented and added, "Sometimes."

Hope: "I don't believe that at all." She flashed him a grin. "It's alright though."

Johnny: "Aww... I'm hurt," Johnny placed a hand over his heart as he pouted.

Hope: "You're kind of cute when you pretend to pout."

Johnny: He raised an eyebrow, "Only kind of? And, who said anything about pretending?"

Hope: Hope just smiled at him.

Johnny: Johnny leaned back in his chair to eye her as they placed his tea in front of him.

Hope: Hope thanked the waitress for her own tea and took a sip. "Ok you can be very cute."

Johnny: "That's what I thought," he nodded and added as an afterthought, "And, thanks."

Hope: Hope laughed at him and touched his foot just barely under the table.

Johnny: Johnny just raised an eyebrow at her as he took a sip from his mug.

Hope: "So how long have you been here?"

Johnny: "Almost a year," he answered after setting his mug back down, sliding his foot a bit closer to her. It was slightly hard to believe all the crap he'd had to put up with in that year, but overall it'd been fairly awesome.

Hope: "Wow, so how old are you?"

Johnny: "Nineteen. You?"

Hope: "Eighteen." Hope smiled. She let her foot rub just barely against his.

Johnny: Johnny flashed a grin in return and shifted his foot slightly, "So, you're from Alaska?"

Hope: "Yeah, born in Cooperstown. Lived with 14 different foster families all over the state, so I got to see a lot."

Johnny: "Ah," he nodded, not exactly sure what to say to that. "England. ...In case the accent didn't give it away."

Hope: "Yeah, plus Sue told me. Little town that floods all the time."

Johnny: "Always spoiling everything for me," Johnny muttered and made a slight face at the mention of flooding but nodded, "Yep."

Hope: "What did she spoil now?" Hope rubbed his foot again, a little more boldly.

Johnny: "Oh, you know..." he let out a dramatic sigh, sliding his foot against hers, "Life."

Hope: "Well maybe I can distract her from you now so she can stop doing that?"

Johnny: Johnny grinned, "It would be much appreciated."

Hope: Hope smiled and took his hand from across the table. "Guess that's why they call me Hope... wow that was a bad joke!"

Johnny: He laughed and gave her hand a small squeeze, "It was pretty awful."

Hope: "At least it is over and we can laugh about it now."

Johnny: "Definitely," Johnny nodded, "I think we need an agreement about no more puns because they could get pretty bad. ...Plus, I've heard just about every one involving fire and being hot."

Hope: "Fair enough. No puns.... unless they are awesome."

Johnny: He considered that, giving her hand another squeeze, "Deal."