Chapter 3: Killer Touch
The music played as the teens had a good time at the school. However, one lone goth girl stood outside on the deck watching the sky, preferring to observe instead of participate. She was dressed in a green long-sleeved blouse over a black halter top. She had combat boots and black leggings with her black skirt. Along with black gloves, she had auburn hair with a streak of white in it.
Though she was only hanging out, she was glad to be out of the house for once. Aunt Irene was very strict and seemed to not like the idea of her having a social life.
As she was admiring the scenery, two football players walked out. One of them seemed to be a bit nervous coming out, while the other was outright dragging him.
"Body snatcher." Ty, the one dragging his friend, said. "That's the only explanation, man." The two looked at the goth girl, who had her back to them.
"My good buddy Cody is now a pod person." Ty joked. "Gone in an evening from bad to sad, flame to lame. Nurse, he's coded. Personality paddles stat!"
"Oh, come on." Cody replied shyly. "I'm just, you know, picking my moment. Taking it slow."
"Cody, I've seen glaciers move faster." Ty replied, exasperated with his friends excuses. "There she is. The girl you've been staring at all week. Please tell me at least you know her name."
Cody merely shrugged.
Ty facepalmed. "You lame-o! This ends now. Come on." He pushed Cody closer as his friend tried to protest.
"Ty. I..." His words died as he saw the girl turn around to look at him.
"Can I help you?" She asked in a southern drawl.
"Uh." Cody stuttered before he managed to connect his brain to his mouth. "Dance. I mean, would you like to? With me, that is. Together?"
The girl didn't really feel like dancing, so she tried to let him off gently. "I'm really just hanging out here and..." She stopped at his disappointed look and decided to be nice. "Why not? After all, where's the harm in one dance?"
The two joined the crowd, with Cody giving Ty a high-five as he passed him.
Back at her home, Irene was sitting in her chair. She was a blind woman, so she had the blind glasses and the cane, but though she was blind, she could see something. See the future, that is, and she saw visions of the girl and Cody dancing when a particular image of Cody touching her wrist set her off in a panic.
"No! Don't touch him!" Irene cried. "Oh, my dear child."
At the school, Cody and the girl were dancing when Ty, who was dancing with another girl, glanced to see that Cody was at least three feet apart from the girl.
"Get closer." Ty urged. "Make your move." He pushed Cody closer, but the boy ended up falling on the girl.
"Hey, I'm sorry." Cody apologized as he touched her exposed wrist to help her up when he suddenly felt weak. As if something was sucking at his very energy.
The girl screamed as she pulled her arm away, and Cody collapsed on the floor, unconscious. As the girl tried to get up, her head flashed with visions. She was a young Cody climbing a tree. Then him in the present at school as he passed by her in the cafeteria. Finally, there was one of him playing on the football team.
"My head!" She moaned. "These images! What's happening to me?" She looked at her gloved hands. "What am I?" The memories continued, and they conflicted with her own, and as a result, she couldn't remember what her name was. "Who am I?"
Everyone stopped as they surrounded the girl and the unconscious Cody. Ty was looking over his friend as he tried to stir him awake. "Cody? Cody, what's wrong?" He glared at the girl. "What did you do to him?"
The auburn-haired teenager tried to flee, but Ty got in front of the exit to block her. Somehow, she managed to use a takedown move that Cody used in football to push him out of the way.
Ty was shocked by the move. "Whoa. I thought only Cody had moves like that."
At the girl's home, Irene was talking over the phone.
"That's not what I said." Irene said. "I see pathways, probabilities. I predicted what form her mutant powers would take, not when they'd manifest." She took a glance at a photo of her and the girl when she heard her friend ask another question.
"Yeah, I did take precautions." Irene answered. "The phony skin condition, the way she dressed. But she's a teenage girl. I couldn't keep her in isolation. Of course you're coming. I know. And the others, Xavier's team, they're coming too."
At the institute, Logan, dressed as a ninja, dropped down from the vent and landed in the attic.
"Impressive." Storm said, standing in the corner of the room. "You got past the automated defenses by using the air vents, but you won't get past me!" She raised a hand, and the wind surged through the air, blowing the windows open.
Logan climbed back up into the vents undeterred by Storm's attempt to flush him out.
"Testing me? Hmm. Alright, then." With a confident smile, she flew up to the ceiling. "It's time you remembered why they call me Storm!"
A massive cloud formed over the institute as water fell into the irrigation system and soon flooded the vents, flushing him out where he landed in the Danger Room.
"You look a little flushed, and the forecast isn't good." Storm said, amused, as she looked down at him from the observatory deck.
The ninja tried to attack her, but a blast of ice froze him to the wall.
"Now that was cold." Logan said.
"Then let's warm you up." Storm pressed a button as a turret appeared.
Logan dodged the shot, and leaped on top of the machine, and stabbed it with his claws. Though it took the machine out, he still got electrocuted in the process.
"Gotta connect first. Got any other party tricks?" The mutant with metal bones quipped.
A panel opened up as three beams extended and started turning to try and bash Logan, but the mutant maneuvered out of the way and stabbed that machine as well.
"Stop!" Xavier's voice sounded through the Danger Room. "It is, at the moment, as much as we can afford, Wolverine."
"Hey, when I give a demo, I give a demo." Logan said as he pulled off his mask as one of the beams fell off.
"Is that demo, as in demolish or demonstration?" Scott said as the rest of the students were up in the observatory deck with Xavier and Storm. "What was the point?"
"There's always a way in or out, no matter how tough it may seem." Danny said.
"Danny is right." Storm said. "The point was to teach you all about finding the weak points in sophisticated security systems."
"That's right." Wolverine agreed as he arrived through an elevator. "And I'd say ours needs a little work."
"That was tight." Kurt praised as he was hanging upside down by his tail while eating a bowl of popcorn. "I give it two thumbs up."
"The vents were pretty easily breached." Wolverine said as he saw footage of him dodging the infrared lasers in the vents. "We'll need to fix that. Maybe electrify them or install poison gas sprayers."
"Wolverine." Storm scolded.
"Alright. Alright." Wolverine relented. "Knockout gas, then."
Kitty shivered. "Is it just me, or is anyone else, like, seriously freaked by all this?"
Everyone just stared at her with blank looks.
Danny was the only one who answered. "You get used to it."
"Oh, right, it's just me. Great." She said sarcastically.
"Relax, Kitty. You'll be fine." Kurt assured her as he teleported next to her, freaking her out. She was still trying to get used to his unusual appearance.
"We're right beside you." He appeared on her other side and offered her the bowl of popcorn with his tail. "Popcorn?"
Kitty backed away, making Kurt realize he frightened her.
"Sorry." Kurt apologized. "I'll honk before I port."
"Whatever." Kitty said as she addressed everyone else. "Look, guys, it's late. If it's no biggie to you, I'm gonna, like, drop out." She did just that, phasing through the floor.
Kurt shook his head, disappointed that Kitty was still scared of him. "She's fully not into the fuzzy dude, not that I really blame her."
Danny put his hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Hey, cheer up, Kurt. One day, you'll find that one girl who digs the fuzzy."
"You really think so?" Kurt asked.
"I know so." Danny answered.
Kurt grinned gratefully. "Thanks, Danny."
"X-Men, we have an emergency." Xavier stated as he came out of the elevator. "Scott, get the Blackbird prepared for launch. And since it's a weekend, assemble the full team."
"What's going on, professor?" Danny asked.
"Cerebro has detected a new mutant in Caldecott County, Mississippi." Xavier informed them. "My mental impressions from the scene indicate a highly disturbed individual."
"Disturbed? How?" Danny said curiously.
The girl was pushing people out of her way. She needed to get out of here and go home. Whichever home she lived at, that is, as she was still having trouble figuring out who she was. She was so distracted that she ran through the street and almost got run over. Luckily, the car swerved out of the way and crashed into a lamppost.
"Hey, what are you, nuts?" The angry driver scolded as the girl kept running. "Crazy kid!"
"Our mutant is a danger to herself and possibly others as well." Xavier told the team. "X-Men, we have a rogue."
The team got into the Blackbird and strapped in before it started to leave the hanger, which had a waterfall as its exit.
"Stealth mode stable." Kurt said as he was piloting the jet. "Leveling off at 10,000 feet."
"Steady." Scott told him, sitting right next to him. "Now hold it right there. And you've got it!" He gave Kurt a thumbs up. "Nice job, Kurt. You'll make a pilot yet."
"Thanks." Kurt said as he started to pilot with his feet.
Scott stared at the display. "Or maybe not." He turned to the professor. "I've logged our flight plan to Jackson with the FAA. Then we'll take the van."
"Good." Xavier praised. "You're picking up logistics quickly, Scott."
Scott smiled at the compliment.
"Scott seems so, like, together." Kitty said to Jean. "So cool, and he's kind of cute."
"Cute?" Jean repeated. "Stiff, maybe. Exactly, definitely. But..." She stopped as he admired Scott. "Hmm. You know, from a certain angle..."
"And Danny is cute as well." Kitty said as she looked at the white-haired boy. "He's so kind and understanding, but he has that edge of a bad boy. What kind of girl do you think he's into?"
Danny, who was sitting in front of them, turned around. "Kitty, I can hear you."
"Oh!" Kitty blushed. "Sorry!"
Kurt, hearing what Kitty said about Scott and Danny, decided to try a stunt to impress her. He teleported out of the pilot's seat and on top of the jet when the wind carried him off as he teleported back in, crashing into Kitty.
"Kurt!" Xavier scolded. "The Blackbird is not the place to be following around. You'll frighten Kitty."
"Sorry, Kitty." Kurt apologized as he got off of her.
"Just, like, stay away from me!" Kitty yelled as she got out of her seat to move away from him.
"Kids." Wolverine sighed.
"You should just stop trying so hard, Kurt." Danny advised. "Just let things play out naturally."
A private jet landed at an airport, and out came Mystique in her Darkholme disguise. Walking down the stairs, she was greeted with a limo and a chauffer who opened the door for her.
Getting in, she was greeted by Irene.
"You made good time, Raven." Irene said.
"Our organization's mysterious founder has certain resources, Irene." Mystique explained as she turned back to her true form. "What happened? I left the girl in what I thought was your safekeeping."
"At the school dance, her mutant powers manifested, and she accidentally made physical contact with a local boy." Irene explained.
"Absorbing his memories and physical abilities." Mystique finished. "Wonderful." She said sarcastically. "We hide her away in this backwater for the better part of five years. And in five minutes, it all falls apart. We cannot lose her. Especially to Xavier. She possesses the potential for limitless power. You can see the future, Irene. Where will she go?"
"I don't know." Irene confessed.
This caught Mystique off guard. "What do you mean you don't know?"
"I mean, I don't know!" Irene said, frustrated. "I can't see the future. Something is messing with my sight; my powers aren't working. I can't see any future or possibility."
Mystique felt unnerved. "How is that possible?"
Irene shook her head. "I have no idea."
The rogue found herself in front of Cody's home. His memories of this place brought her here. For a moment, she saw a flash of his father coming out to greet him, and the happiness of the memory overwhelmed her enough that she held her hands out to welcome him before realizing it wasn't real. Using Cody's knowledge, she took the key from the roof and opened the front door.
"This really necessary?" Wolverine asked as the X-Men sat in a van parked in front of a hospital.
"Yes, Logan." Xavier confirmed. "The boy, Cody, is the key to finding our rogue. But he's unconscious, and his mind is elusive. To isolate his memory patterns, I need someone on the inside."
Danny, meanwhile, was walking through the hospital halls when he phased through the door to Cody's room, which had Ty and Cody's parents visiting.
Slipping into Cody's body, the young man connected himself with Cody's mind. There, Danny found himself standing in front of the rogue and Cody as they danced.
Danny smiled at the girl, as she reminded him a bit of Sam, though she seemed much shyer than his old friend. He observed as Cody ended up falling on her and gripping her wrist before the memory ended.
'So that's how her powers work.' Danny deduced. 'By touching them.'
He phased out of Cody's body and met up with the others in the van.
"What did you find, Danny?" Xavier asked.
"Her powers work through skin contact." Danny explained. "When she touched that guy, she took his life energy."
"And from the mental impressions I received from Cerebro, she got his memories as well." Xavier realized.
"She must be scared and alone." Danny said compassionately. "We got to help her."
Mystique and Irene were riding through town, looking for any trace of the girl, when Mystique's eyes widened.
"Stop the car." Mystique said as the limo stopped right in front of Cody's house, where the two women saw the girl through the window.
"You won't hurt her, will you?" Irene asked Mystique worriedly. "After all, Raven, she's your..."
"I know, Irene." Mystique interrupted. "I know. Trust me. She will come to us willingly, given the right incentive." She transformed into Wolverine in his orange jumpsuit.
The girl was looking through a yearbook at the pictures of Cody.
"All this is me?" She asked herself. "Mine?" She closed the book and looked at herself in the mirror. "But which me am I?" Getting angry, she threw the trophies aside before hearing the door to the room burst open as Mystique, disguised as Wolverine, burst in.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" The rogue asked, totally freaked out by this guy.
"You, girlie." Mystique growled in Wolverine's voice as she extended her claws. "I want you!" She charged at the rogue, who got out of the way as the elder mutant crashed into the closet.
"Stand still, and I'll make it quick." Mystique threatened. "You're dealing with the X-Men now, and you ain't got a chance!"
The rogue grabbed a piece of wood from the destroyed closet to defend herself. "X-Men? I don't understand. I just want you to leave me alone!" She bashed the piece of wood over her attacker's head before fleeing the house.
"One more turn of the screw, and you will come running into my arms." Mystique said as she changed her form to that of Storm.
Meanwhile, Wolverine, Danny, Kitty, and Kurt were walking through an alley looking for any trace of the rogue.
"So does this, like, bite, or what?" Kitty
"The prof says the girl's mind is confused and difficult to pinpoint, so keep looking." Wolverine told the group as he looked in a dumpster.
"I doubt she's hiding in there." Danny deadpanned.
"Shut it, ghost boy." Wolverine shot back before he got a scent.
"What? Got a scent?" Kurt asked.
"Yeah." Wolverine confirmed. "I smell fear."
"You sure it's not the dumpster?" Danny quipped.
The rogue was currently running from Mystique, disguised as Storm. She managed to climb over a fence as Mystique pulled out a bomb.
"One well-placed lighting bolt, one ex-mutant." She said as she threw it near the rogue, causing the explosion to knock her over the fence where Irene stood.
"Honey, it's me, Irene. Try and remember."
"Who?" The rogue asked before she remembered who she was and who Irene was. "Wait, Irene. Yes, but I'm so confused. Strange thoughts in my head. People chasing me."
"Easy, easy, honey." Irene comforted her. "The police are coming. The X-Men will not risk a confrontation."
"The X-Men?" The rogue asked.
"Yes. Mutant hunters." Irene told her as she held out her hand. "Now hurry. I have a friend who can help you. I'll take you to her."
She took Irene's hand. "I don't know. All this is happening so fast. I don't..." She then saw the X-Men coming towards them as she recognized Wolverine.
"It's him!" She cried in fear. "The one who attacked me! Run, Irene! Run!"
The rogue then fled again, accidentally leaving one of her gloves in Irene's hands.
"That's gotta be her!" Wolverine said as the X-Men passed by her, not giving Irene a second glance.
"Run, honey, run!" Irene shouted at Rogue.
Irene turned to leave when she heard a voice.
"You know, it's strange." Danny said, being the only one who stayed behind, as he found Irene's actions suspicious.
"What is?" Irene said as she tried to back away from the X-Man.
"You seemed to not be afraid of us, even though the girl is." Danny observed. "And the girl seemed to trust you. So you must be her mom or some other guardian."
"I'm her aunt." Irene admitted, staying on guard. "What's your point?"
"I just find it weird that you didn't put up much of a fight to protect her. Sure, you may be blind, but you heard them walking past you and didn't try to stop them, almost as if you knew they wouldn't hurt her. Also, your warning to her sounded really fake."
"Leave me alone, or I'll call the police." Irene threatened.
"What did you do to the girl?" Danny demanded as he grabbed her by the shoulders, knowing that this lady wasn't as innocent as she appeared.
"Get off me!" Irene shouted.
"Fine, if you won't tell me, then I'll just have to take a peek in your mind." Danny then overshadowed Irene as the woman fell to the ground, trying to fight him off.
"No! Get out!" Irene cried, but Danny was too strong. As he entered her mind, he searched through her memories before finding himself sitting in front of Irene and Mystique.
"You won't hurt her, will you?" Irene asked Mystique worriedly. "After all, Raven, she's your..."
"I know, Irene." Mystique interrupted. "I know. Trust me. She will come to us willingly, given the right incentive." She transformed into Wolverine in his orange jumpsuit.
"Looks like they went to the Plasmius school of manipulation." Danny said. "Well, too bad for them; I'm experienced with this kind of stuff."
He left Irene's body as she started to take several deep breaths.
"Wow, you take the cake, Irene." Danny said, having learned her name from her memories. "You allow that blue bitch to scare and traumatize the girl you've been raising all these years just so that lady could get her hands into her. Parent of the Year."
"We're trying to help her!" Irene argued, angered at this boy's judgement.
"By chasing her, disguised as my friends?" Danny pointed out. "Manipulating her? That's really fucked up."
"We just want what's best for her!" Irene shouted.
"Best for her? Or best for you?" Danny challenged.
"I..." Irene couldn't come up with anything for a defense. The boy was right. They manipulated her for their own selfish purposes.
Danny glared at her. "You made a mess of things, and now it's time to fix it." He took her cell phone.
"What?" Irene tried to reach for her phone. "Give that back!"
"I will; I just need to make a quick call first." Danny said as he typed in Mystique's number. Something he also learned from being inside Irene's head.
"No!" Irene tried to smack him with her cane, but Danny caught it with one hand.
The hybrid gave Irene a "really?" look. "It's gonna take more than that to stop me." He then waited for Mystique to answer.
"Irene, this isn't the right time to be calling-" Mystique said before Danny cut her off.
"I have Irene." Danny informed her as he heard the shapeshifter gasp over the phone. "You want her; meet me at the coffee shop."
Mystique felt rage at someone trying to threaten someone she cared about. "You lay a hand on her, and I'll..."
"What?" Danny contested. "Threaten me over the phone? Newsflash, not really intimidating."
"I will make you pay when I get my hands on you."
"Yeah, yeah, and I'll rue the day that I crossed you and all that other shit." Danny said in an annoyed voice. "I've heard it all before." He hung up the phone.
Mystique let out several curses at this as she decided to comply with Danny's demands. She transformed into the form of a blonde woman and found the local coffee shop where Irene was sitting, looking worried.
"Irene!" Mystique said as she made her way over to her, relieved that she wasn't harmed.
"Raven, it's a trap!" Irene tried to warn her, but it was too late, as Danny turned visible and hit Mystique in the back of the head. He then grabbed Mystique before turning to Irene.
"Thanks, for the help." Danny joked before he phased himself and Mystique through the roof.
"He's got guts; I'll give him that." Irene said as she left the coffee shop.
Meanwhile, the X-Men were still chasing the rogue when Kurt teleported in front of Wolverine, stopping the mutant in his tracks. "Wolverine, wait! She seems to be terrified of you. Let me try."
Wolverine sighed. "Ok, kid. Just don't mess up. Capisce?"
Kurt saluted. "Yes, sir!"
"I'll go find the prof. And, squirt, put on your best face. No sense freaking the poor kid out any more than she already is." Kurt smiled and gave two thumbs up before activating his watch, activating his human disguise.
"And keep an eye on the half-pint here." Wolverine said as Kitty ran past him.
"Hey!" Kitty protested.
Wolverine then looked around and noticed Danny was missing. "Where the hell is Phantom?"
The rogue was currently running through a yard to escape her pursuers when Kurt teleported in on a tree swing. "Guten Tag, Fraulein. Please don't be frightened." He then teleported in front of the girl.
"What do you want?" The rogue said, backing up a bit.
"To help you." Kurt told her. "We are the good guys. Especially me."
As Kurt tried to reach the rogue, Kitty phased through the fence, going unnoticed by the other two mutants.
"Half-pint." Kitty muttered, still displeased by Wolverine's remark. "I'll show him."
"I was like you once." Kurt confessed to the rogue. "Alone, unsure of what I was. Afraid to show my face." He then brushed his hair with his hand. "Can you believe it?"
"She doesn't look so tough to me." Kitty said as she approached the two before tackling the rogue to the ground.
"Kitty, no!" Kurt cried.
Remembering a wrestling move that Cody did, the rogue used that to push Kitty off of her as Kurt grabbed her by the shoulders.
Trying to get out of his grip, she hit his wrist, causing his watch to turn off, showing his true appearance, which frightened her. In her haste to get away, she pushed his face with her bare hand as Kurt fell to the ground while the rogue teleported away.
"Nightcrawler?" Kitty tried to wake him up. "Nightcrawler! Kurt! Kurt!"
"Say something, Kurt, please!" The young mutant begged. "Tease me, scare me, anything! Oh, please, don't be dead." She then tried to pull herself together in order to help Kurt. "Come on, Kitty. Okay. What would Wolverine do? I mean, besides dice up half the landscape." She then got an idea. "Wait, the professor can read minds, right?"
'Maybe he can hear my thoughts.' She thought as she tried to make her thoughts as loud as possible to contact him.
As she was doing this, Xavier was with the X-Men, trying to find a trace of the rogue.
"Odd." Xavier said. "The trail seems to have gone suddenly cold. I can no longer read Cody's brain-wave patterns."
This confused Jean. "But if he's gone, then..."
"It may simply mean the effect of the transference is temporary." Xavier realized. "Our problem now is how to find the girl."
"Try about ten yards due west." Wolverine said as he met up with them. "Kurt's trying to keep her from bolting."
"Then we must..." Xavier stopped as he heard Kitty's voice in his head.
"Professor! Professor!" She shouted.
"Kitty? Kitty! Not so loud." Xavier replied. "Slowly please. Order your thoughts."
"It's Kurt." Kitty explained. "She hurt him. She did something to him."
"Stay where you are, Kitty." Xavier ordered. "Help is on the way." He then addressed Logan. "Wolverine, it's Nightcrawler. The rogue has his mind and his abilities."
Wolverine growled in frustration. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have left the little squirrel in charge."
"Professor!" Danny's voice appeared in his head.
"Danny, where are you?" Xavier questioned.
"I'm flying overhead." Danny answered. "Do you have any idea where the girl is?"
"She has Kurt's memories. So if I can scan for his mental signature, then..." He stopped as he got a lock on her location. "She's in the cemetery."
"I'm near that area." Danny responded.
"We'll meet you there, momentarily." Xavier informed him.
"Wait!" Danny cried. "Professor, I know what's going on. There's this mutant shapeshifter who's been using our forms to attack the girl to keep her away from us. I got a plan to make her see the truth, but I need you guys to back off. You might scare her before I can get through to her."
Xavier nodded. "Alright, Danny. We'll do it your way."
"You think Phantom will be able to reach her?" Wolverine asked.
"I have faith he'll be able to show her the truth." Xavier said confidently.
The rogue found herself in a cemetery as she looked around in shock that she had just teleported. "What just happened? Where am I?" She then spoke another phrase in German, much to her amazement, as she had never learned that language at all and yet she knew it. "I can speak German?"
She started to concentrate as she realized that it came from the blue-furred boy. "The fuzzy one, Kurt. I'm him. Like I was Cody." She looked at her hands. "I think I'm catching on now." She then looked around at all the tombstones. "But how did I?"
In an instant, she found herself standing on top of one of the crypts before teleporting again. And again. And again. She kept teleporting around, giggling as she was having fun for the first time since she touched Cody, before she teleported on top of an unstable bench that collapsed under her weight.
"When is all this gonna end?" She said.
"Sadly, I don't think it ever will. Not in this lifetime at least."
The rogue gasped at the sight of this newcomer. He didn't look anything like the other mutants she had encountered so far. "What are you?" She asked in awe.
Danny simply smiled as he said, "Me? I'm just your regular supernatural mutant."
"Supernatural?" She said in awe as she took in his appearance. He had white hair and a black and white jumpsuit with an interesting symbol on the chest. She was drawn in by the white aura that he gave off, giving credence to his claim that he was a ghost.
"Yeah, like a ghost." Danny said as he gave off a comforting smile. "You didn't expect to wind up in a cemetery and not meet any ghosts, did you?"
"I..." She stopped as she stared into his bright green eyes, which captivated her. "Who are you?"
"I'm Danny. And like you, I have powers too." He transformed into his human form, making Rogue gasp a bit. He was now flesh and blood, wearing normal civilian clothes. The hair was black, and though the eyes were now blue, they still drew her in with the emotions they gave off.
Staring into them, she felt safe for once. Somehow, she knew that this person wouldn't hurt her.
Danny offered his hand to her, making the girl back away.
"You don't want to touch me; trust me."
The boy gave a smirk in response. "Try me."
Against her better judgment, she grabbed his hand slowly, and her jaw dropped at him, still conscious. "How? How can I touch you?"
"I told you, supernatural." Danny reminded her. "That always throws the rules out."
"Why are you here?" She asked, as she kept wondering why people seemed to be following her all night.
"I know you've been chased around by the X-Men." Danny admitted. "What happened?"
"I don't know; I was just minding my own business when this man in an orange suit tried to attack me." She confessed.
"Did he give you any reason why?" Danny asked, pretending that he didn't know what was going on. He looked in the corner of his eye behind a tombstone, where he stashed the unconscious Mystique. The plan was to get her to trust him, and after explaining everything, he would have her touch Mystique and absorb her memories so she could see the truth.
"I don't know, but my Aunt Irene told me that they're mutant hunters." The girl said as fear gripped her heart at the thought of them coming back. She grabbed Danny's shoulders. "We've got to get out of here; they'll kill us both."
"Well, I'm already a ghost, so I don't have to worry about that." Danny joked. "But don't worry; I will protect you. I won't let anything hurt you. Now what's your name?"
The girl looked down at her feet before she said quietly, "Anna Marie."
"Anna Marie?" Danny liked it. "That's a pretty name."
Anna blushed at the compliment. "Thank you."
"Now, Anna, I need you to help me." Danny saw that the tree was ruffling. No doubt Mystique was waking up and was gonna try and throw a wrench into his plan, but Danny had other ideas.
"What is it?" Anna asked worriedly.
"That guy who attacked you, he's behind that tombstone over there." Danny whispered as he felt her body tense. She was about to scream when Danny placed her hand over her mouth.
"Quiet." He said softly. "Now he's going to attack. Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to grab him, and I need you to use your power on him. It's the only way to stop him. Can you do that?"
Anna thought over the plan and slowly nodded.
Danny smiled as he saw Mystique, in Wolverine's form, try to attack, claws extended, but he managed to grab her by the throat as Mystique tried to stab him, but the claws only passed through him. He then threw her into a crypt, dazing her for a moment.
"Now, Anna!" Danny cried.
Anna immediately placed her bare hand on Mystique's face, causing Mystique's eyes to roll back as she transformed back into her real form.
Anna gasped as she backed up over to where Danny was.
"No!" Mystique cried as she realized she was in her true form in front of Anna.
"What? You..." Anna stopped as memories bombarded her.
"You won't hurt her, will you?" Irene asked Mystique worriedly. "After all, Raven, she's your..."
"I know, Irene." Mystique interrupted. "I know. Trust me. She will come to us willingly, given the right incentive." She transformed into Wolverine in his orange jumpsuit.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" The rogue asked, totally freaked out by this guy.
"You, girlie." Mystique growled in Wolverine's voice as she extended her claws. "I want you!" She charged at the rogue, who got out of the way as the elder mutant crashed into the closet.
"Stand still, and I'll make it quick." Mystique threatened. "You're dealing with the X-Men now, and you ain't got a chance!"
The memories then stopped as Anna glared at Mystique. "You! You lied! Irene lied! You were the one chasing me, and Irene was in on it!" She had tears pour down her face at the betrayal. "She lied to me! And you! You tried to trick me, you bitch!"
"Anna, wait!" Mystique tried to explain, but Anna wouldn't have it.
"Don't call me that!" She snarled. "I'm not Anna. Not anymore."
"Please, I only wanted to help you!" Mystique explained.
"Well, honestly really goes a long way." Anna bit out in sarcasm. "I'll never be with you! Never!"
Mystique had a look of heartbreak on her face before she glared with eyes of fire at Danny.
"You! You ruined everything! You bastard!"
"Hey, I'm not the bitch who tried to manipulate her." Danny said, not intimidated at all. "You really need to work on your people skills."
"I'll kill you!" Mystique tried to charge at him, but Danny sent an ecto-blast at her, knocking her out.
"Yeah, right." Danny replied before turning to Anna, who was still saddened over what she learned. "I'm sorry about what they did to you."
Anna sobbed at the fact that Irene allowed that woman to chase her. Danny sat beside her and held her as she started to cry. For the next couple of minutes, Danny merely stayed beside her as she let it all out.
Once Danny felt it was okay, he started to wipe her tears. "I know it seems bad, but I promise you everything is going to be okay. I won't let anyone hurt you."
"Where will I go?" Anna asked as she realized that she couldn't go back to Irene, not after what she just learned. "I can't go back home. I have no other family or friends. I'm all alone now."
Danny disagreed with that. "You're never alone. I know a place that I think you'll like." He transformed into his ghost form and held out his hand to her. "If you'll trust me."
Anna looked uncertain, but she glanced back at the unconscious Mystique. Anything was better than being with her. And besides, this guy did save her, so he couldn't be all that bad, and he was also pretty cute if she did say so. Slowly she took his hand as Danny grabbed her bridal style before taking off into the sky.
"You can fly?" She asked in amazement as she soared through the night sky.
Danny chuckled. "I can do lots of things."
"This is amazing!" Anna said in excitement at being able to fly. Her feeling of betrayal was briefly forgotten as she experienced this amazing moment. "I wish I could fly."
"Maybe someday." Danny said before he landed in the streets where the other X-Men were.
Danny set Anna back down on her feet. "So now that you know who's really the bad guy, I'd like to introduce you to the X-Men, my friends."
Xavier rolled forward to greet her making her back up a bit as she grabbed Danny's arm for security. "Hello, Miss. I am Charles Xavier, and I am the headmaster of a school for gifted youth like yourself."
"Gift?" Anna said bitterly as she looked at her hands. "More like a curse."
"Only if you choose to let it." Xavier said wisely. "My school is to help mutants like you control their powers."
Anna looked at Xavier with hope in her eyes. "You think you could help me touch people?"
Xavier had a conflicted look on his face. "I can try, but I must admit I can't make any promises."
Anna sighed as she figured that it was just her luck. "Well, at least there's one person I can touch." She grabbed Danny's hand and squeezed it before looking over the X-Men. Even though they weren't the ones who attacked her, she still felt a bit timid in their presence. "If I say no, you won't hurt me, right?"
"No." The professor shook his head. "If you don't want to come with us, then that is your choice, and we will respect it."
As she contemplated her decision, she noticed Kitty and remembered her tackling her. "I guess it wasn't you that tackled me either."
Kitty chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry."
"Kitty can be stupid at times." Danny explained.
"Hey!" Kitty yelled.
"So, Anna, do you want to come with us?" Danny asked.
Anna thought it over. She was a bit unsure about going off with these complete strangers, but looking into Danny's green eyes, she never felt any safer in all her life. Perhaps this was where she belongs. At least these guys didn't try to trick her and were more upfront. And hanging with Danny didn't seem like such a bad thing.
With her decision made, she gave Danny a small smile. "Yeah, I think I do. But call me Rogue, sugar. It feels right. A new name for a new life."
Danny chuckled. "Sure thing, Rogue."
The X-Men then got on the Blackbird with their new member before taking off into the sky.
Meanwhile, Mystique and Irene were in their limo, with Mystique raging at Danny for foiling her plans.
"That son of a bitch!" She shouted. "He ruined everything! I swear when I get a hold of him!"
Irene held her head in pain. "My powers! I can see something."
"What?" Mystique stopped her rant. "What do you see, Irene?"
"I see her. Anna." Irene clarified. "She's smiling brightly. I've never seen her that happy before. And she's wearing a wedding dress."
"Wedding dress?" Mystique said in disbelief.
"Yes, and her groom; it's a man with black hair and blue eyes." Irene said as she was describing the visions. "They're flying off in the sunset now. He now has white hair and green eyes."
Mystique's jaw dropped as she realized that Danny Fenton, the disrespectful student she had to put up with at Bayville High and the one who thwarted her plan to bring Anna to her side, was going to become her son-in-law.
Her screams of outrage sounded through the night.
Chapter 4: The Blob
The crowd roared in excitement as a monster truck crushed several cars under its massive wheels at the Texas State Fair.
"Alright." An announcer said. "Let's hear a big cheer for the lady of monster trucks, Charlie Ray!" The truck stopped as the window went down and a feminine hand popped out to wave at the crowd before taking off. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, the main attraction of the evening. Let's give it up for the strongest teenager, Fred "The Blob" Dukes!"
Standing in between two monster trucks was a very obese teenage boy with a blonde mohawk. The boy, Fred, took off his cape and tossed it aside before grabbing a chain in each hand that was connected to the monster truck.
"Alright, Fred. Let's show them what you got." The announcer encouraged as the trucks began to start up.
In the crowd was Mystique, in her Darkholme form, watching Fred through a pair of binoculars.
The people in the audience watched in interest as the trucks began moving, but they soon stopped as Fred held his grip on them. The trucks couldn't move an inch as they kept trying to pry free, before Fred pulled both vehicles towards him as he jumped in the air, preventing himself from being crushed as they collided with each other. Blob then landed on the two, causing his weight to make their tires deflate as the crowd cheered.
Fred was basking in the praise before he stumbled and fell to the ground. This mishap turned the cheers into laughs as they pointed at the boy, who glared at them.
The laughter. He hated it. It had been with him all his life. From the children who picked on him in elementary school and to the people in the crowds today. To Fred, it was a reminder that he was different. And in life, different was met with scorn, hatred, and ridicule.
The only people not laughing were Mystique, who was observing him with interest, Logan, and Danny, who were in the crowd.
"I don't know why they're laughing so hard." Danny said to Logan about the audience's amusement. "He fell down. It's not that funny."
"It doesn't. People just want an excuse to laugh at someone who's different." Logan said. "Make them feel better about themselves."
Danny looked down before looking to his left, where a person was still howling with laughter, which made him grimace in disgust at how someone can laugh at someone for being different.
Once it was all over, Fred was in his room, tearing it apart. A locker was thrown to the side as Fred was currently punching holes in the walls, imagining that he was punching the laughing faces of those people.
As his rage was starting to subside, the door opened, letting light into the dark room as Fred turned around to see Mystique standing in the doorway.
"Something wrong?" She asked with a predatory smile.
"Yeah. These small-town hicks." Fred grunted. "They've laughed at me for the last time. I'm getting out of here for good."
"That could be arranged." Mystique said as she stepped closer to him. "In fact, I know somewhere where your talents would truly be appreciated." She placed a finger on his chest.
"Listen, lady." Fred smacked her hand away. "If you're from the circus, you can forget it."
"Oh, no, no, no, no." Mystique replied. "I have something far more interesting in mind. Care to hear more?"
"Yeah, sure. Why not?" Fred went to the door to close it as Danny and Logan were walking down the halls to talk to him. Logan got up to the door as it closed, allowing him a glance at Mystique, who smirked at him, before being cut off.
Logan grunted in annoyance. Looks like she beat them to this one. "Let's go." He said to Danny as he started to walk away.
"What? We came all this way here just to be stopped by a door?" Danny asked.
"They got to him first." Logan simply replied. "We'll only make it worse if we try to intervene."
Danny merely rolled his eyes. "Fine."
"This will be your schedule for the semester." Mystique said as they sat in her office at Bayville High. "Any questions, Mr. Dukes?"
"I don't know if I can do school again." Fred said hesitantly, thinking back to his childhood and all the bullying that came with it. "I didn't fit in the other ones."
"You won't have that trouble here." Mystique assured him. "As the principal, I can make sure of it."
Fred then left the office as he looked over the paper, trying to make sense of it. He didn't know why there had to be so many classrooms and teachers. Why couldn't they simply reduce it all to just one?
"First period." He mumbled. "Man, this is complicated." He noticed a student walk past him, and he grabbed him. "Hey! Hey, you!" He shoved the paper in front of the guy's face. "Where am I supposed to be?"
The student he grabbed happened to be Duncan Matthews, who couldn't resist making a crack at Fred's size. "I don't know. How about a sideshow?" He started laughing, which made Fred's face go red with rage.
He threw Duncan to the floor and ripped some lockers off the wall as he lifted them over his head. "Don't you make fun of me!"
Danny was walking down the hall, minding his own business, when he saw Fred about to smash Duncan with the lockers.
The hybrid went up to Fred and placed a hand on his arm. "Dude, you're putting in too much effort."
Fred looked at the guy in confusion as Danny made his way over to Duncan. "Think simply like this." Danny grabbed the jock's arm and placed it behind his back, making Duncan grunt in pain.
"Hey! Let go!" Duncan protested.
"What, so you can bully him some more?" Danny asked. "I don't think so." He increased the pressure, making Duncan let out a cry of pain.
"You gonna leave him alone?" Danny said to the bully.
"Yes!" Duncan yelled, wanting the pain to stop.
Danny let him go. "Good. Now beat it, loser." Duncan didn't argue as he got to his feet and made a mad dash for his next class.
The X-Man shook his head at the blonde's behavior. "Still have no clue what Jean sees in him." He then turned his attention to Fred. "Oh, hey, man." He held out his hand. "I'm Danny. Nice to meet you."
Fred placed the lockers down and took the offered hand. "Fred. Fred Dukes. I'm new here."
"I've figured, since you're the first person here to ever rip off those lockers." Danny replied, pointing with his thumb at the lockers. "Sorry about Duncan. He's the school's dipshit. If he tries to give you any more trouble, let me know and I'll sort it out."
"Thanks." Fred said gratefully, happy to have met someone who didn't laugh at him. He looked down at his schedule and remembered his original question. He held it out to Danny. "Uh, can you help me? I don't know where I'm supposed to be."
"Oh, your first class is over there." Danny pointed to the right.
"Thanks." Fred replied.
"Don't mention it." Danny told him as he started to walk away. "The first day's always the roughest. It'll get better. See you around."
"Yeah." Fred said as he walked to class.
Class was nearly over as Danny was doodling in his notebook. He was in drama, which he had with Scott and Rogue.
"Alright, for this drama exercise, you'll each be doing a scene with a partner." The teacher said as he started to pass out scripts to the students. "Since a few of you haven't chosen partners, I'll be pairing you up myself." He passed a script to a dark-haired girl. "Taryn, you and Danny will do Laura and Jim from The Glass Menagerie."
Danny nodded as he took the script.
The teacher then gave the last two to Scott and Rogue. "And that leaves you and you."
"Ok." Scott said as he looked at the script.
"You two will be doing Shakespeare's Henry V." The teacher told them. "I've marked it. Henry and Katherine, daughter of the French King."
"Lots of luck, Scott." Scott's friend, Paul, said. "I don't think Miss Small, Dark, and Sullen has ever said two words. You'll have to play both parts yourself."
"Shut up, Paul." Danny said.
"Alright, class." The teacher continued. "I want you to get together with your scene partner and rehearse. You perform on Tuesday."
Scott turned around to talk to Rogue. "You okay with this?"
"Yeah, sure." Rogue mumbled. Although she had been with the X-Men for some time, she was still getting used to them. The only person she felt comfortable with was Danny. She would sit next to him during meals and would be seen hanging out with him.
Knowing that Rogue's shyness with him would cause problems, he came up with an idea.
"Mr. Arad. Is it okay that Danny and I switch scenes?" Scott asked.
Mr. Arad shrugged. "Sure."
Danny and Scott switched scripts before the class left.
Scott was talking to Danny as the boy was going through his locker.
"She seems more comfortable around you than the rest of us." Scott said to him. "I don't know why."
Danny looked over at Rogue, who was at her locker. "Her life has changed so fast. I'm sure she's just trying to process it all." Danny placed a hand on his shoulder. "She'll come around, Scott. She just needs some time."
The two then made their way to the cafeteria as they sat at a table with the other X-Men. The group was talking when Kitty spotted Fred walking into the cafeteria with a smile on his face.
"Is that humongous guy the one you and Logan, like, went to see Saturday night?" Kitty asked Danny.
"Yeah, Fred." Danny answered. "He's pretty cool. He tried to smash Duncan with some lockers earlier today, so he's okay in my book."
"He's the one who did that?" Kitty asked in a shocked voice. "Freaky."
"Wait, what?" Jean said when she heard Danny mention Duncan.
"Yeah, your boyfriend was being a dick like usual, and this time someone decided to fight back." Danny replied. "Honestly, Jean, why do you even date that guy? Everyone knows he's an asshole except you." He turned to Scott. "Back me up here, Scott."
"Uh." Scott didn't know what to say, as he agreed with Danny, but he didn't want to upset Jean.
As Scott was trying to form a response, Fred was at the line for lunch when he pushed the student in front of him out of the way. The lunch lady's eyes widened as she looked at Fred, who held out his tray.
"Fill her up." Fred said.
The lunch lady was about to get a plate when Fred stopped her. "Hey, hey. Who said anything about a plate?" He pointed at his tray. "Now load it up. Heavy."
The lady did just that as she placed an enormous amount of food, consisting of burgers, sandwiches, fries, grapes, and even a donut.
Once it was over, Fred waved in thanks as he left, and the lady let out a sigh of relief.
Back with the X-Men, Scott couldn't form an answer, making Danny roll his eyes. "Well, since you don't want to rip on Duncan for some reason, how about you talk about the fact that you're in a scene with Taryn?"
"Oh, you're rehearsing with Taryn?" Jean asked Scott.
Scott nodded. "Yeah, she seems excited."
Danny snorted. He saw the way Taryn's eyes lit up when she realized she would be rehearsing with Scott. "More like excited to be with you."
"Shut up, Danny." Scott murmured.
This didn't deter Danny, who smirked at his friend. "Sorry, I forgot she's not your type. You're into redheads."
Scott blushed heavily at the implication and tried to elbow Danny, but it only went through him.
"So who are you rehearsing with, Danny?" Jean asked.
"Me." Rogue said, making the others look at her.
"We're doing a romantic scene." Danny elaborated.
"Oh." Kurt gave a mischievous look at Rogue. "That sounds like fun. Eh, Rogue?" He saw the way that the goth girl would glance at Danny.
Rogue blushed before glaring at Kurt. "Don't make me drain you, Fuzzy."
As the X-Men continued to talk, Fred walked past them and found an empty table with some dirty dishes on it. As he sat down, the chair broke, causing him to drop the tray on the table, which made the table launch the dirty dishes and the uneaten food at another table where Duncan and his friends were sitting.
Duncan snarled as he looked at Fred, realizing he was the one who humiliated him. "Bad move, Blob Boy." He went over to teach him a lesson.
Knowing that Fred needed his help, Danny got up from his seat. "If you excuse me, Jean, I have to save your boyfriend from his own stupidity."
Fred was about to move when he slipped on some spilled juice, making the entire cafeteria (except for the X-Men) laugh.
"Don't laugh at me!" Fred yelled, his face red again. He grabbed some food and threw it at Duncan and his two friends. Duncan threw some food back at Fred, making him retaliate.
"Food fight!" One student cried as everyone started to throw their lunch.
Scott, Kurt, and Rogue dived under the table as Jean formed a telekinetic shield to protect her, while Kitty was hit in the face by a burger.
"Excuse me, I'm skipping dessert." She phased through the ground.
Fred was currently enraged as he was swinging a table around. He spotted Duncan and was about to beat the jock with it when Danny got in front of him.
"Fred!" Danny cried. "Fred, calm down. As much as it pains me to say this, you can't hurt Duncan."
"You little..." Duncan was about to insult Fred again when Jean grabbed him by the ear.
"Duncan!" Jean scolded.
"Uh, hey, Jean." Duncan greeted fearfully, knowing he was in trouble.
"You're coming with me, mister." She dragged him out of the cafeteria. "We're gonna have a chat about your behavior."
"It's okay, Fred." Danny reassured him. "Jean's gonna rip him a new one. It's over."
Fred threw the table to the ground. "They shouldn't have laughed at me!"
"You're right." Danny agreed. "They shouldn't. But you need to calm down. No one's gonna laugh at you. I promise."
The rest of the X-Men were watching from a distance.
"Wow, he really looks out for others." Rogue said.
"Yeah, Danny is a good guy." Scott said. "When he's not constantly getting under my skin, that is. Besides, it's not just him who does it. We all look out for each other. That's what the X-Men do."
Rogue smiled at Scott's words before Principal Darkholme burst through the doors.
"What the hell happened?" She yelled at seeing the cafeteria in a mess.
Danny pointed to one of Duncan's friends. "It was this guy, I swear."
The other X-Men and Fred nodded their heads, making Mystique sigh that she couldn't get Danny in trouble. She decided to take her anger out on the student Danny pointed to. "My office, now!"
The student nodded fearfully as he made his way to the office, but not before giving Danny a glare.
"Sorry about that." Fred apologized. "It's just when they laugh at me, I kind of explode inside, you know?"
"I understand, Fred." Danny said understandingly. "It's a perfect, normal human reaction to get angry when in the presence of Duncan Matthews. But you gotta learn to control yourself. You can't let your anger make every decision for you. But we can help you with training."
"Yeah, right." Fred scoffed. "Where?"
"The school I got to, the Xavier Institute, is where I learned to control my gifts."
"Gifts?" Fred asked curiously. "You mean, you have powers too."
"Yep." Danny smirked. "Watch." He aimed his hand at a chair, and an ecto-blast destroyed it.
Fred was impressed. "Wow! You can really pound people with that."
"You bet! But it's not just about pounding people." Danny replied. "It's about taking control of your powers and using them for the right reasons. I can take you to the institute some time. The professor would like to meet you."
Fred considered it. "I'll think about it."
"Cool. Well, I got to get to class; see ya." Danny bid him goodbye as he left the cafeteria, where Rogue was waiting.
"That was really cool what you did." Rogue said to him. "Helping that guy."
Danny blushed. "Well, I know what it's like to be bullied. I can't stand by and let someone else suffer."
"What's going on here?" Principal Darkholme appeared behind the two as she glared at Danny.
"We were just talking, Principal Darkholme." Danny said flatly, not intimidated by the principal at all. Usually Danny would feel nervous around authority figures, but after his experience with the monster with the head made of flames, he realized that these teachers were just full of shit and not worth being afraid of. Darkholme could yell all she wanted, but she was nothing compared to the thing that haunted Danny's nightmares. "It's this thing people use to communicate by moving their lips and tongue to form syllables that make words."
"I mean, why aren't you in class?" Darkholme yelled, gritting her teeth in anger at Danny's attitude.
"We were just heading there when you stopped us." Danny said smartly. "As a principal, you should know better than to impede a student's education."
"Just get out of here!" Darkholme cried.
"Gladly." Danny said as he walked down the hall, with a giggling Rogue next to him.
"I hate that boy so much." Darkholme said to herself.
"The principal seems to hate you." Rogue said as they were walking to class.
Danny snorted. "Nothing new. School faculty seems to just have it out for me. I've never come across a teacher who hasn't seen me as some punk with no future."
"I don't think you're a punk." Rogue told him. "I think you're really sweet."
The ghost rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks, Rogue."
It was after school, and Fred was walking out when Duncan appeared in his path. "You, Fat Boy! I'm in the doghouse now because of you!" He held up his fists. "We're settling this. I'll send you back to the circus in a body bag."
Fred tried to throw a punch, but tripped and fell down the stairs in front of the entrance to the school, causing everyone, including Duncan, to laugh at Fred.
Having had enough with Duncan and all the laughter, Fred grabbed him by the arm and threw him over at least four feet.
Duncan groaned in pain as he tried to pick himself off the ground when he saw Fred making his way to him. Getting frightened, Duncan held out his hands in surrender. "No, wait, man, it's cool. I didn't mean it!"
Fred didn't care, as he was done with this boy. He threw a punch at the jock, who managed to roll out of the way as he started running away. Pulling out his phone, Duncan dialed the number for Jean, hoping that she could help him out of this.
Jean was in her room when her phone rang.
She answered it. "Hello."
"Jean!" Duncan's voice cried over the phone. "That blob boy is gonna kill me! I need your help!"
Outside, Scott, Xavier, and Logan were watching as Kitty and Kurt were doing an exercise. It consisted of a game of keep-away, with the two using their powers to keep a ball away from the other. Currently, Kitty had the ball as she was trying to avoid Kurt.
"That's it, half-pint." Logan encouraged. "Keep the ball away from the elf. You gotta concentrate or..."
Kitty ended up running into a tree, making her let go of the ball and allowing Kurt to catch it.
"Ha! It's mine now, Kitty."
"Give me that!" Kitty tried to take it back when Kurt teleported on top of a tree branch.
"Watch where you're porting." Logan warned as the branch fell, with Kitty jumping up as she phased through Kurt, snatched the ball, and gave his tail a squeeze as he fell to the ground.
Logan put a hand over his head. "What kind of move is that?"
"Innovation. Adaptation." Xavier said. "It's what they're here to learn."
"Professor!" Jean came up to him.
"Jean, what is it?" Xavier asked.
"It's Fred, professor!" Jean told him. "He's attacking Duncan; we gotta stop him before he goes too far."
Logan pointed at Kurt. "You, elf, get Phantom and Rogue. I gotta ride."
He went to change into his uniform before getting on his motorcycle and riding out in search of Fred and Duncan.
"Do you like me, Kate?" Danny asked as he and Rogue were in the park rehearsing their scene.
"Pardonnez-moi?" Rogue said in a French accent. "I cannot tell what is like me."
"An angel is like you, Kate." Danny replied, making Rogue smile.
"You're a real charmer, you know that?"
Danny chuckled. "You settling in all right, Rogue?"
"Yeah, everyone's been really nice." Rogue said as she looked at her gloved hands. "It's just sometimes I wish..."
"Yeah." Danny prompted. "Wish what?"
"I wish I could get close to somebody." Rogue admitted. "But you know what happens when I do."
Danny took off one of her gloves and squeezed her bare hand. "Well, if you need someone to talk to or just vent, I'm here. I'll always be here. You don't have to be alone."
Rogue couldn't help but let out a genuine smile as she and Danny locked eyes. She leaned closer to him and closed her eyes when Kurt teleported on top of the table.
"Tender moment here?" Kurt asked awkwardly. "Sorry to interrupt."
Rogue crossed her arms in irritation. "I swear he's like an annoying little brother."
"What's the problem, Kurt?" Danny asked.
"Fred is fighting Duncan." Kurt informed him. "We gotta stop him before he kills the poor guy."
"Oh, no, Fred." Danny said in worry. He and Rogue then grabbed Kurt's arms. "Beam us up, Kurt."
"Please don't hurt me!" Duncan pleaded as he ran into the abandoned ironworks before tripping on his feet.
Fred picked up a cabinet and lifted it over his head. "You'll never laugh at me again."
Wolverine burst through the door and tackled Fred, making him drop the cabinet. Duncan backed up in a corner as he watched the two fight.
The orange X-Man wrestled with the Blob before he was thrown aside, as Fred picked up a piece of machinery and threw it at Wolverine, who jumped out of the way, only for Fred to dive at him.
"Can't breath." Wolverine said as he was being crushed by Fred's girth.
"You can't stop me!" Fred boasted before the rest of the X-Men came in, with Scott blasting Fred off with his optic blast.
Duncan's eyes widened as he saw the display as Jean and Scott went to his side. "Jean, what the hell is going on?"
Before Jean could come up with a response, Scott threw a punch at the jock, knocking him out.
"Scott!" Jean scolded.
"What? He can't see us use our powers." Scott reasoned as they went to help the others.
Fred growled as the X-Men stood in front of him when Danny came in with Kurt and Rogue behind him.
"Fred, stop!" Danny cried as he got in front of the large boy. "You can't hurt him!"
"Why not?" Fred asked. "I have the power too."
"Just because you can doesn't mean you should." Danny told him.
"Get out of my way!" Fred ordered, but Danny stood his ground.
"No!" Danny refused. "Fred, you got to stop this. You can't maim people. It's not right. Please, let me help you."
He held out his hand to the mutant, whom he thought he had befriended, when Fred threw him aside, knocking the guy out. "Nobody respects me!" Fred got closer to the unconscious Danny. "And you're the worst! You pretended to be my friend!"
Rogue got in between Fred and Danny as she glared at the big mutant. "Leave him alone, you yahoo!"
"What are you gonna do to me?" Fred taunted. "Make me wear bad makeup?"
Rogue smirked. "You wanna know what my power is?"
"No." Fred said. "I don't care."
Her smirk widened as her eyes glowed red. She had snagged Scott's powers when she came in. "My power is your power. And I can take more than one." She blasted him across the room with her optic blast.
Fred got up as he glared at the goth. "I got too much power, even for you! You can't hurt me! I'm the Blob!"
"No, you're just garbage who tried to hurt the only person who had your back." Rogue insulted. "Now, tell you what. I'm taking you out!"
Fred made a dive at Rogue, who fired her optic blast, sending him through the ceiling, where he fell into a junkyard.
The Blob grunted as he got up and heard the seagulls making their chirping noises, which sounded like laughter. "Stop laughing at me!" He threw a tire at them, but tripped in the process as he gained a defeated look on his face.
Back at the ironworks, Rogue was lifting Danny to his feet. "You all right?"
Danny smiled at her. "Yeah, I'm all right. Thanks to you. You really are an angel, Kate."
Rogue blushed as she looked away. "Well, we X-Men stick together."
Xavier rolled up to Duncan as he entered the jock's mind. "I modified Duncan's memories. He shouldn't remember anything that occurred in the last few hours."
"Great." Danny said. "Now there's one thing left to do." He threw the jock over his shoulder and marched out of the building. The X-Men followed him and saw him put the jock in a dumpster.
"Danny!" Jean said at how he treated her boyfriend.
"What?" Danny responded angrily. "Trash like him belongs in the dumpster. Besides, he's the one who started this." He walked off as he sat down to look at the sunset.
Rogue went up to him and sat down next to him. "You okay?"
"I just feel bad about Fred." Danny said, feeling guilty that he couldn't help him. "I promised that I would help him."
"You tried your best, Danny." Rogue said. "But his choices were his own; you shouldn't blame yourself."
Danny sighed as he walked away. "I just can't seem to keep my promises."
Rogue could only watch as Danny walked into the sunset with a conflicted expression on his face.