X-men:Bast Ch.2

As it was, she had the rest of the day off to do whatever she wanted. Things had been quiet at the Mansion of late; the X-men, the special team of Mutants whose goal was to defend both humans and mutants from harm and to preserve the interests of human-Mutant relations, had been able to relax over the last month or so. For at least that long there had been no major disasters, no threat to Mutant kind, no human lives in peril, no evil madmen trying to take over the world, and no aliens secretly invading the planet. Hank had jokingly said they were in ‘off season’. The quiet was a welcome change from the sometimes frantic and tense atmosphere around the mansion when something major was happening. Even with the brief time period she had lived here, Kia had found that some rather bizarre and complicated situations faced the mansion’s inhabitants.

Kia wasn’t on the team. She hadn’t been with Xavier and his Mutant followers and students long enough to be fully cleared for field duty, and Xavier was hesitant to allow her out into the open with only seven months of training, despite the fact that she had taken to the training quite well. Part of Kia wished she could be out there; in the past seven months she had made several close friends on the X-team, and she wanted to be able to help them. Another part of her, however, was just happy she had finally found a place to belong. Kia had moved several times in the past few years alone, mostly due to not fitting in anywhere and having her Mutant heritage looked down upon. Now, she finally had friends; friends who truly understood the kind of hardships and sense of displacement one felt simply being a Mutant.

She sensed a presence ahead. Subconsciously her Mutant sense scanned the individual more fully, feeling a touch of impatience mingled with amusement. Kia glanced up to see Elizabeth Braddock walking down the hall toward her, smirking softly.

Elizabeth, or ‘Betsy’ as her friends called her, was a sight. She had the long, straight hair that most women of her Asian heritage tended to have, but instead of dark brunet or black, the sleek locks were dyed a deep purple. Her skin was a rich golden color, smooth and soft and tight over her flesh. Her limbs were graceful and long, slender and lean with a soft but athletic muscle tone. Unusually tall for an Asian woman, Betsy stood two inches taller than Kia at 5’11”. Though she was lean and slender, with a tight, toned middle and long, muscled legs, Betsy possessed curves most women would kill for, with rounded hips and a more than generous bustline that only Kia’s own curves topped. Her face was quite lovely with full, naturally pursed lips and stunning slanted purple eyes. An unusual bright red tattoo was set over her left eye, extended from her brow to just above her angular cheek, a reminder of a long ago brush with death. Typically not a casual dresser, today Betsy wore her team uniform. It was a skin-tight blue suit that resembled a swim suit more than anything. It hugged to her curves while leaving her arms bare. Matching blue thigh-high boots hugged the firm, slender musculature of her long legs.

“You’re late,” Betsy commented.

“Sorry, I was counseling some students,” Kia replied. “I’ll be quick about getting ready.”

“If we wait too long Logan is going to destroy the Danger Room before we even get there. He’s in a mood,” Betsy replied.

Kia’s brow furrowed. “Logan?”

Psylocke gave her a strange look for a moment before realization crossed her face. “Oh, that’s right, you haven’t met Logan. He’s a team member. Codenamed Wolverine. He’s been gone awhile. He does that. Leaves, I mean. He’s been gone about eight months and just got back yesterday.”

“Logan, Logan…” Kia muttered, how brows drawn up thoughtfully. “Oh yeah, I think I’ve heard people talk about him. That’s the guy Scott hates, right?”

Betsy rolled her eyes and nodded. “Yeah. Logan’s…something of a wild one. And you know how anal Scott is. Can’t stand things not being just so. The feeling’s mutual though; Logan hates him just as bad, if not worse. He cut the top half of Scott’s car away once and claimed he’d gotten him a convertible.”

“Oh my God!” Kia laughed, a soft, musical sound that followed her as she and Betsy entered her room. “That’s great! I never would have thought of that! I think I’m going to like this guy.”

“He’s gruff. Real gruff. But he’s a good guy under it all. The only people who don’t like him are people like Scott who can’t see the real him because their head is wedged up their ass.”

Kia’s room was decorated modestly, much as her home before moving to the Mansion had been. The difference here was that, regardless of how humble or simple her tastes may be, there was no way around the room being a cut above the norm in quality. The walls themselves were rich wood with elegant and tasteful trim at the floor and ceiling. The doorway was decoratively worked and the carpet was a plush and soft green, expensive looking without being too extravagant or over-the-top. A large desk full of papers sat along one wall, a bed and a tall dresser along another.

Kia glanced over her shoulder as she grabbed her ‘uniform’ off the bed. “He cut Scott’s car in half and called it a ‘convertible’. I don’t see how I can not like him.”

Because she wasn’t fully trained or approved for field missions, Kia didn’t actually have a real uniform. It was more like…well, a hand-me-down. It was one of Rogue’s old uniforms, altered to properly fit Kia’s curvier proportions. It had seen better days; the elbows and knees were quite worn, and the rest of it wasn’t entirely in better shape. The collar was ripped and stretched pretty badly and the material around the right cuff was starting to thin out. But Kia didn’t have much use for a uniform of her own, not yet at least, and she wasn’t too picky about what she wore in the meantime as long as it got her by. It still somewhat amused her, however, that with all the riches and resources Xavier had at his disposal, he had yet to buy her her own outfit. Maybe it was some kind of hazing ritual or something.

Kia set her papers on her big desk, next to a stack with a sticky note on top that read ‘Grade Now!’. Without even glancing back at Betsy, Kia stripped quickly out of her neat class-wear and wiggled into the Uniform. She still wasn’t really used to the feel of these uniforms, but the close fitting outfit generally allowed a greater range of movement and freedom than most clothes. Betsy nodded and helped Kia zip it along the side and secure the zipper in place. Kia pulled on the uniforms clunky boots, then the two women headed into the Mansions lower levels.

While all the Mansions schooling and housing facilities were on the two stories above ground. The Mansion was a massive building, with a multitude of rooms, some for housing, some for learning, and various facilities dedicated for eating, cleaning, maintaining, entertainment, and leisure time with friends and colleagues. Both the students and the faculty were housed on these two floors.

The basements revealed a whole new side to the Mansion. Created with all the funding of Xavier’s vast fortune to back it and in more recent years augmented and supplemented with highly advanced Shi’ar technology, the two lower levels housed the operation centers of the X-men. The lower levels served a number of functions; the war-room, an operations and information gathering center. The Danger Room was a holographic simulator that allowed the X-men to train their martial and Mutant abilities in various combat and hazardous situations. The Hanger, where the teams various transportations were stored, most notable of which was the Blackbird, the massive aircraft that had flight capabilities far beyond any modern jet, so much so that it could even make short excursions into the upper most atmosphere. Cerebro was also located in the sub-levels, the amazing machine that amplified Charles Xavier’s mental powers to allow him to search for and contact Mutants over the entire world.

The pair entered the Danger Room to find Kurt and Peter waiting for them, along with a man that Kia wasn’t familiar with.

Kurt was one of Kia’s closest friends in the Mansion. He was one of the most inhuman appearing Mutants, as well, which didn’t bother Kia in the least. He stood at about her own height, though he often seemed shorter because of the way he tended to slink and crouch about. He was a slender and thin man, toned and tight of body like all the team tended to be. Though he had surprising strength for his size and was quite a fighter, he was physically unimposing. He had a pronounced physical mutation which unlike many Mutants, whose physical appearance changed at puberty, had been evident since birth. His body was covered in short, dark blue fir. He had pointed, almost elvish ears and three unusually shaped toes. His hands too had only three digits, two thick fingers and a thumb. A long, prehensile tail extended from the small of his back which was strong enough to support his full weight and agile enough to grip various objects. Unlike many Mutants who find themselves heavily persecuted for their unusual appearance, Kurt had always seen the bright side of things, speaking optimistically about any situation and finding a light to guide himself through life no matter what the situation.

Piotr Rasputin, called Peter or Pete by his friends, was an enormous man, towering at 6’6” and sporting an impressive, broad build. He had the body of a weight lifter and the strength to match, with a barrel shaped chest bulging with muscle and biceps thicker than Kia’s thigh. His hair was short and neat, and his face clean and handsome. Dark blue eyes and pale skin gave him a calm look that reflected his easy going nature.

Peter’s Mutant power was already in use; through force of will, he could encase his body in an impervious metal shell that acted as an indestructible second skin, allowing Peter to withstand nearly any attack without so much as budging. His transformed state also gave him incredible strength and destructive power. When transformed, Peter was able to lift weights nearing the 100 ton mark. His body also grew when transformed, becoming wider and thicker and more muscular. In that state, he reached the awesome height of 7’5”.

Kia’s eyes, however, lingered upon the stranger. Peter dwarfed him, and Kia guessed even she was taller than him by a number of inches. Despite his lack of height he was still quite imposing. He was wide, with a broad chest and shoulders. His body was thick with muscle, bulging from his arms and chest and shoulders. His middle was thick as well, but Jenna could tell it was a muscular thickness, as if his entire body was one mass of compacted muscle. Hair covered his exposed arms, thick and coarse tufts of black that gave him a slightly wild look. His face was stern, severe even, but attractive in its own right, with a strong jaw and wide, pronounced brow. His hair was thick, black, and somewhat unkempt, rising up and back as if coming to two devilish points. Thick, wild sideburns raced down his face, framing his solid jaw line. His chin was relatively clean, though shadowed with stubble. She had some trouble placing his age. His face was slightly worn and lined, but it looked more like the wearing of difficult experiences than age. Even with the lines, however, he looked vibrant and healthy, if not youthful. Piercing blue eyes darted about every few moments, restless and scanning about constantly. They reminded her somewhat of the eyes of an animal.

Kia tensed as the man’s emotions washed over her. She could never fully cut off her connection to people; any time she was remotely near someone, their surface emotions would be at the very edge of her perception. But where most people’s feelings were like a soft brushing on the very surface of her consciousness, this man’s emotions nearly made her light-headed with their intensity.

His emotions were as knotted and endless as a ball of yarn wound tight upon itself. Never had Kia felt such a wild rush of feelings, each so different from the last. Anger. Burning, consuming. Rage, yes, that was it. Though it was one of the deepest impressions of anger Kia had ever felt, somehow, she was not afraid of this man. The anger was held down and tightly secure. The barest instant later and the rage was gone, replaced by confusion, then bitterness, then affection, then such soul stirring loneliness that Kia felt sure her heart would break. They were such a rich blend of feelings and states of being that Kia found them almost intoxicating.

Kia let out the breath she had been holding for half a second and put a barrier of sorts up, blocking off the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. Only the briefest moment had passed, but she felt as if she had delved far too deeply. She didn’t like to immerse herself into a persons feelings in such a manor without good reason. Much like Xavier, she felt such a delving was an invasion of privacy, in some ways far more personal than one’s thoughts, even. She would have to closely guard her Mutant sense whenever she was around this person, she was certain of that.

The man glanced up as the two women walked in and scowled. “ ‘Bout time,” he said, his voice as rough edged as the rest of him. It suited him well.

“Ah, Kia, Betsy! You’re late!” Kurt grinned as he and Peter took note of their entrance. He teleported onto a small ledge overhead, protruding from the as yet featureless Danger Room wall. He balanced skillfully upon the very edge, making it look as casual and effortless as if he were standing like the rest of them.

“I know, I know…I’m just glad to see the one eyed dork-wad isn’t here to bark out his orders,” Kia replied. Everyone around the Mansion was well aware that Scott and Kia did not get along well in the least.

Peter cleared his throat and spoke, his voice deep and rich and heavily accented from growing up in the countryside of Russia. “Logan, this is Kia Jaeger. She is in training to become a new member of the team. Kia, this is our old comrade, Logan.”

“Hi,” Kia said, feeling somewhat nervous.

“ ‘Lo,” Logan nodded to her. “Welcome to the fam’ly. Now can we get this show started or what?”

Kia glanced at Betsy and arched a brow.

“You heard the man. He wants a good welcome home,” Betsy agreed dryly.

“Well then, let us make this a bit interesting,” Peter grinned. He walked to the consol set in the far wall and touched the screen. He went through a few command menus before nodding to himself.

The simulation that Colossus had chosen kicked into action. The simple and featureless room suddenly shifted and swayed for a moment as the advanced Shi’ar holograms activated.