psinex@yahoo.com Academia Book 1: Starting Block Chapter 8 by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: They're all Marvel's, except for Soraya, who's mine. No money is being made off of this. Please don't sue. ------------------------------------------------------ 10/7/00: X-Mansion: Men's Locker Room: 07:55 hrs EDT: ------------------------------------------------------ "Ooh, give it to me ! Yes, oh yes, my bald stallion !" "Oh, THERE'S an image I need," Frank snorted, rolling his eyes at Bill's off-color joke. "Lilandra and the Professor ... you know, a little respect is due someone who can fry your brain." "You'd do someone who could fry your brain in an instant," Bill chuckled, getting changed for their regular Danger Room session. "Ray is a hottie, pal. Gotta tip the hat." "Ray and I are waiting until we're married," Frank replied, nodding as Nate and Joe entered the room. "And yes, Luna's jokes aside, Ray and I are serious." "Kewl," Nate smiled for a moment. He started to remove his shirt, but looked around at the other boys and froze. #I'm so ... little,# he realized, a lump forming in his throat. #Everyone else's bigger an' tougher than me, and my power control stinks, and ...# "Nate ? Dude, Earth to Natester," Joe said, shaking his cousin back to awareness. "Freak-out city there, bud. You OK ?" Nate sighed, shaking his head as he continued to undress. "No," he whispered. "I don't wanna talk 'bout it here, though, OK ?" "What, the hairless wonder's afraid of a little mature discussion ?" Bill taunted. Nate blushed, looking for his training uniform, and tried to ignore him. "Back off, Bill," Tom said warningly. "Nate's only 11. He's -" "A baby," Bill sneered. "Powers and a few wet dreams don't make a teenaged guy. The little twerp's still a sixth grader, for Christ's sake. We'll hafta lay off his ass in cross-training, assuming we ever GET that far, 'cause his powers're still at baby level. He's an early-popper, but he ain't one of US." "Shut up, Shade !" Joe yelled, glaring at the hyperstrong boy. "You're a dickhead, you know that !?" "Better a dickhead than a little one," Bill sneered again. "Hiding behind your big cousin, Natey ? You don't even need a cup and a jock, you little twerp - might as well go run to big sister and the girls." #Ignore him,# Nate tried to tell himself, strapping on his boots through hot tears. #He's just a jerk, just a big, dumb, JERK -# "Run, you little turd !" Bill yelled as Nate retreatd, almost running. He heard the other older boys yelling at Bill, but just leaned against the Ready Room wall with a sniffle. #I'm the son of Scott and Jean Summers,# Nate reminded himself, grabbing a handful of tissues and blowing his nose. #I'm not a baby anymore. Just 'cause I don't have a hairy chest or big muscles or a lotta hair ... there ... doesn't mean I'm not a New Mutant.# "What the HELL is your malfunction, Bill !?" Chuck demanded, entering the room just behind his nephew. "A human, I could see ragging on, but Nate !? He's Alpha-class, pure-blood ! You're being so - HUMAN - about this age thing, and out of the blue !" Bill turned on his heel and shot Chuck a wrathful glare. "Listen to me , O Master of Muttering," the red-brown-haired boy spat. "It ain't blood. It ain't power. It ain't your mommy and daddy. It's balls. It's endurance. It's GUTS. And this little puke's got zippo. He's been whining since we enrolled here, and I'm damn SICK of it. 'I'm so little.' 'I'm so wussy.'" He met Nate's gaze and snarled, "Put up or shut up, Summers. You don't want your skull blown open by some super-bastard, then get with it. Or do we hafta change your diapers every time Dr. Doom walks - what's ... what's with your eye ... ?" ------------------------------------------------------ The girls saw a red and yellow shape come bursting out of the Ready Room, driven by a blazing gold fireball, a metal door at the shape's back. "CRAM IT, YOU JERKWEED !!!" "Nate ... !?" Ray gasped, watching her little brother go flying out of the Ready Room amidst a huge golden glow. Bill tried to stand, but was hammered back to the floor by another telekinetic fist. "YOU WANT MACHO !? I'LL SHOW YOU MACHO, YOU ASSBITE !!" Nate shouted, hammering at Bill. "You think you're SO tough, you Superman ripoff ! But the girls think you're a loser ! The rest of the guys think you're a DICK ! AND YOU ARE !" "Sweet Agon," Luna whispered, watching Bill try to stand his ground. Slowly, he was driven into the floor, not even trying to resist. Nate finally landed hard, panting, on his knees as the telekinetic firestorm died down. The other male New Mutants raced into the room, and Frank took Ray's hand as she looked fearfully at Nate. A hand pulled itself slowly out of the hole Bill had been slammed into, and he stood, his uniform torn, his face sooty from telekinetically-superheated metal smoke. He ran a hand through his red-brown curls. And laughed. "You got balls after all," Bill chuckled at Nate. "But you're still not the toughest on the block - tough, sure, I gotta grant ya that. But you're still not top dog." "Oh, for CHRIST'S SAKE, Bill !?" Artie yelled. "Will you give it a rest !? Why the hell should Nate have to prove himself to anyone !? He's more of a real guy than you'll ever be !" "Ex-CUSE me ?" Bill asked incredulously. "OK, he's a guy. But I'm solar-powered, super-charged -" He screamed, a high-pitched thing that died with horrible abruptness, and fell over backwards with a bloody nose. The other kids looked at Nate, who shivered and stood, stumbling before Ray ran and caught him. "I - I - did I -?" he asked tearfully. "He'll live," Nga said, examining Bill with her healing power. "But this looks like psionic shock, not physical damage." Ray's eyes widened, and she hugged Nate. "You mind-shocked that dope !" she laughed. "I mean, you shouldn't've mind-shocked a teammate, even if he IS a doof, but you've got even better tepe control than I do ! I can't mindshock people yet !" "B-but - I - I didn't wanna - I mean, I was MAD, but - I -" Nate stammered. "You had to vent," Xavier called, entering the Danger Room with Hank and Cecilia. "Rest assured, Nathan, you are not turning evil. Your ... display, while damaging, is nothing the self-repair systems cannot fix. William will be reprimanded once he recovers." "I think he might've learned his lesson, sir," Tom said. Xavier glanced at him, then at where Bill moaned, and smiled curiously. "Being defeated by a supposedly-inferior teammate would be an object lesson William desperately needs," Xavier said. "And you, Nathan ? Are you ... ?" "I ... don't want t'hurt anyone like that again, sir," Nate asked, leaning on Ray. "But ... I kinda feel better, somehow. I'll talk t'people more instead of fighting, I promise." Xavier chuckled and said, "Airing your problems is the first step to solving them. Next time, try not to redecorate the Danger Room, though." ------------------------------------------------------ NEXT: At LAST - SPIDER-GIRL ! ------------------------------------------------------ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send instant messages with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com/ ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics