Origin of Intangible

Light. This was the first thing Jane Speckler saw as her mind rustled into consciousness. The next thing she saw was a young man sitting over her as if he had just pinned her down, but his face more worried than anything. As he turned to his side and said something, she realized that she couldn't really hear. It wasn't until he began to prop her up that her hearing began returning to her.

“She's okay.” He said to the man and woman, both completely frantic looking. Jane looked to her side, her eyes meeting the grill of the car just beside her. The young man looked back to her. “Are you alright? Can you move?” Jane cracked her neck loudly. “Yeah, I'm okay. Just a kink.”

“Just a kink?” He asked enthusiastically worried. “You just almost got hit by a car!” The memory slammed into her, like all of a sudden remembering a dream. She was just crossing her street to get home. “That's right. Did you save me?”

The guy kind of smiled. “I wish I could say I did. Some kind of miracle happened. Just as it was about to squash you flat, the car slammed into something, like if there was a brick wall between it and you.” Jane looked back at the car. The whole hood looked like if it had crashed into a giant metal ball. “Must have an angel watching over you.”

Jane smiled and stood up, the boy lifting her by the arms, steadying her. “I'm Dmitri.” He smiled, introducing himself. “Oh,” Jane said. “I'm--” As she was about to say her name, a brash, angry voice interrupted. “JANEY!” The man's voice yelled. “You fuckin' idiot!” Her father shouted. “How many times've I told you to stay off the fuckin' streets?”

Jane felt a wave of tension and anxiety as her father's presence shattered the light energy of meeting someone new. “Dad, please..” She begged. He wasn't having it. He grabbed her by the wrist, yanking her closer. “Now I gotta go and spend my hard earned money on takin' you to the E-Room. You think that's fair?”

“Hey, sir, she's fine.” Dmitri said, interjecting. Jane shot a begging look at him, wishing she could take his words back for him. Mr. Speckler looked at Dmitri hard in the eye. “You some kind of doctor? I don't think so, you punk.” Speckler turned around, swinging Jane around with him.

“Hey!” Dmitri said, calling him back. “I don't think you should speak to me or her like that.” Speckler couldn't believe it. He turned around, shocked this young man would talk back to him. He looked to his daughter. “Is this kid your friend, Janey?” He asked.

“Daddy..” She begged him to stop. “Please, let's just go.” Speckler was obviously fuming mad. He turned to Dmitri. “Stay the fuck out of her life.” He warned him, dragging Jane back to their apartment.

The next day, Jane woke up feeling exactly as she had upon being struck by the car. Her ears rang, her eyes were sensitive to the light, not that there was much, and her body felt weak. She sat up in her tiny bed with the sheets she used since she was little, then stood up and dressed herself for school.

Jane looked around her room for her school purse, but to no avail. Reluctantly she accepted that she probably left it at the accident scene, which was just outside her complex although it was most probably gone by now. She chose a different bag and put paper and a few pens inside before slipping out the door, opting out of a disgusting breakfast.

She went through her school day as normal, being ignored, quiet and studying hard. She strived to get the best grades she could as to get a full scholarship as far away as possible from her father. She didn't really have any friends in school, besides Florence Épicé. They had French and ate lunch together. She was the kind of strong girl who wasn't going to take shit from people, but more like in a bitchy way. She had a lot of popular friends, so Jane wondered why Florence chose to sit with her of all people during lunch.

Florence and Jane were extremely different though. Jane was generally just quiet and passive, Florence talked to a lot of people, but in a cold way. Jane had a really hard life outside of school, Florence was more than well off and her parents were still married. Sometimes she envied her friend's life.

It wasn't until the last period that Jane's day changed from the way it usually goes. Jane was called down to the office during math class. As she walked down, she wondered what they could have possibly wanted from her as she never did anything really wrong.

On her way to the office, she saw Dmitri's cut arms holding her bag. She couldn't help but smile, although her father's words rang in her ears. “Where did you get this?” She asked thankfully, taking her bag from him. “You left it on the street.” He said, looking down at her as he towered over by at least five inches.

“Were you the one calling me to the office?” Jane asked. Dmitri smiled. “Yeah. I came, not only to give you that back, but I wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday. I didn't expect your dad to be so psycho. I'm sorry for anything he might have said or done once you got home. Oh, I also got those-folks-who-hit-you's insurance info if you're hurt or anything. They demanded I give it to you. You should have seen their faces when your dad left. They feel really bad.”

“Oh, thank you Dmitri. You're very.. sweet.” She said, a bit nervous. “Well.. I guess I'll see you around. I have to get back to class.” Dmitri looked kind of disappointed. “Oh, right. I'll make sure we meet again.” Jane turned around and started to walk back to class when Dmitri called her name.

“Do you want to just.. get out of here?” Dmitri asked, almost like a dare. “What do you mean? Just leave?” She asked. “My bag is in my class. My teacher will notice I left.” “Oh come on, it's Friday, school's almost over. Come on, just let me buy you a burger and give you a ride home.”

Jane looked at him, unsure, then really looked at him. She looked at his chiseled jawline, tan skin, thick hair, perfect mouth, nose, everything. How could he be interested in her, she wondered. “Okay.” Jane said, not believing what she was hearing herself say. “Okay.” She said a second time, this time smiling a bit.

Dmitri smiled as she came closer toward him and he put her arm around her, both leaving the school and walking to his car. Once he started up the car and they were a few blocks away, Jane couldn't help but wear a huge grin. The music on the radio supported her wave of carefree energy.

After a few minutes of driving, Dmitri turned the radio down and looked at Jane. “Hey, do you think it's alright if we drive by my house for a second?” Jane rolled up her window as he turned down a small residential street, obviously nearing his house. “No, sure.” She said.

They pulled in and Dmitri got out, looking at Jane. “Come on, you too.” Jane got out of the car and shut the door. “Won't your parents know that we're skipping school?” Dmitri laughed, unlocking the door, allowing Jane to walk in ahead of him. “I'm twenty three.”

Jane was shocked. She didn't realize the actual danger in the current situation. She, a highschool sophomore, skipped school and is now alone with and in the house of someone old enough to have already graduated college. “Oh.” She said, simply trusting him not to try anything fishy.

“Pretty house.” Jane said honestly, looking around at all the indoor foliage noting that none of it was fake. “Oh, thanks.” He said, throwing his keys on the table and landing on the converging corner of two legs of the L-shaped couch, spreading his arms out as if he had his arms around one person on each side. “Come on, sit down.”

Jane sat down on the couch, but not really close to him, getting a bit nervous. “Oh, don't be shy.” He said, inviting her closer. Jane decided just to plunge, so she sat close up against him and he wrapped his arms around him. “Have you had a lot of boyfriends? I bet a pretty girl like you has had a ton.” Jane blushed and looked away. “No.” She said modestly.

“How about a kiss?” Dmitri asked. “You been kissed ever?” Jane smiled nervously and looked at him. “No.” He leaned in and gave her a long, closed-mouthed kiss on her soft, virgin lips. When he pulled away, Jane smiled, filled with a sense of confidence and security. “You think I'm pretty?” She asked happily.

“No, I think you're beautiful.” He said kissing her again. She smiled, warm on the inside. “You like me?” She asked again. He kissed her again. “I really like you.” He worked his fingers through her long, soft hair. “I like you too.” She said between his kisses. “My dad is going to kill you though.”

“I haven't done anything wrong.” Dmitri said, pulling her in tighter. “Well you convinced me to skip school, and now we're in your house..” Jane said. Dmitri smiled, pecking her on the cheek. “Shut up.”

For the next few days, Jane spent all her time writing letters to Dmitri, brushing her hair and picking clothes to wear, and creating lies to her father to go to Dmitri's house.

In the next month, she started buying makeup, wearing clothes with more leg, and getting looks from other boys. She pretty much altogether had lost Florence, who had landed an internship at the Mutant Research Center, and made friends with a group of girls in school. Jane really started to spend all of her free time at Dmitri's house, though.

She planned to sleep over his house the upcoming weekend and the two arranged everything via text message. Jane created an elaborate story of going to Florence's house and told it to her father, who seemed to be getting more and more drunk with each passing day.

After getting Dmitri's address and riding the bus to his house, Jane knocked on his door, a grin appearing on each of their faces as they met eyes. “Come in.” Dmitri invited, taking her bag and tossing it lightly to the couch. “Hope you didn't have too much trouble getting over here. I know it's kind of late.”

“Not really.” Jane said, bringing her hair to one side. “It's only just getting dark anyways.” She said, judging the light barely peeking out of the blinds. Dmitri smiled. “That reminds me..” He said, swooping her up into his arms.

He carried her to his room, which she had only seen a few times, briefly, but never like this; adorned with tens of tea light candles, but otherwise completely dark. He tossed her on the bed and then got on top of her. They smiled and then passionately locked lips. As Dmitri's hand found its way into Jane's shirt, she didn't protest. Within the next few minutes she even took her shirt off for him, and he the same.

From there it simply progressed, and progressed, and progressed. They made love for Jane's first time, although it wasn't nearly Dmitri's. Their climax was so intense though that they fell asleep naked, completely draped over each other.

The next morning, what awoke Jane was not any lullaby, or beautiful birdsong, or the sunlight peeking through the blinds. Rather, it was a horrible, aggressive slamming. When she sat up, pushing her hair out of her face, she saw Dmitri slipping on a pair of sweatpants.

“Who is it?” Jane asked, her voice denoting that she had barely just woken up. “I don't know. You can stay here, baby, I'll get the door.” He said, opening the bedroom door, shutting it behind him and opening the front door.

At that moment, Jane heard such an awful voice, so horribly familiar, like a recurring nightmare. The voice was so devastating that her heart completely sunk and she could barely feel her arms or her legs as she hastily dressed herself.

She walked out of Dmitri's bedroom to see her father. He looked as if he was so angry that he'd probably have been grabbing Dmitri by the shirt and socking him in the jaw repeatedly if he was even wearing a shirt, which contributed to her father's anger.

His fury was so palpable it almost knocked her over when she looked at him. “You some kind of slut now!?” Speckler roared. She tried to respond, but she was being choked too harshly by tears. “Daddy!” She begged him with a single word. “You want me to ice this guy, or what?” He asked, pulling out a pistol.

She didn't think it was possible, but her heart felt as if it sunk deeper. Her tears immediately stopped and were replaced with gooseflesh. “Stop it, daddy! Now!” Jane stood between them. Speckler ready to shoot, Dmitri ready to swing. Over Speckler's shoulder, Dmitri could see concerned neighbors already calling the police.

“Get out of my way Janey.” Her father commanded almost calmly. “You gotta stop seeing this guy, and I'm going to make you.” In an instance, Jane put both of her hands toward her father as he pulled the trigger. The bullet bounced off of an invisible wall between them, spinning through a window beside Speckler. The wall bent into a spherical shape, projecting toward her father and the door at a rapid pace.

Jane stood silently watching the aftermath of something completely unknown to her. Her father lay on the walkway in front of the door, the gun beside him. He slowly sat up. Dmitri stood in total bewilderment and both of the men stared at Jane, simultaneously questioning. “What the fuck are you?”

That was good.

Thanks. It will obviously get more action once the basic story is set.

Okay, doesn't need to have too much action for the story to be good, but awesome. Any familiar faces gonna be making appearences or is this gonna be a whole new uni for Janey?

Well, incase you haven't realized, Florence is Frostbite, could be some X-Men or Avengers. There will probably be some others, but you can count on a Spidey-fling, just saying.

If I didn't realize she was Frostbite, I'd need to wear a helmet haha, was just asking if you trying to do a retelling of the old RPG with Aquavenger, Reptile, New Venom, and all them.

Oh yeah, I was going to put James as a high school sweetheart when she was in the junior year, since she's just a sophomore right now (and a brunette). Reptile would definentely fit in and Aqua might replace Spider-Man, now that you mention it... Oh or actually maybe Rift will.

Awesome, sounds like this will shape up to be an epic fan fic.

As the police came and arrested her father, Jane just sat on the couch hugging her knees. The police asked her a lot of questions. They asked her if she could come by the station and she said yes. They asked if she could find somewhere to stay the night and she said yes. She just wanted them out of her face.

While this conversation between the officers and Jane went on, Dmitri was on the porch explaining the scene to a different officer, every now and then glancing over his shoulder at Jane.

After a few minutes, the police left, leaving Dmitri and Jane alone. He stood in front of her, simply looking down at her. She looked up at him, both silent. He briefly walked into his room, then came back in, tossing Jane's bag into her lap.

“What does this mean?” Jane asked.

“What do you think it means?” Dmitri asked, kind of passively. “You tricked me, Jane.” Jane's eyes started welling up and she began to repeat the word no. “You tricked me into sleeping with a mutant. That's sick.” He said, seeming as if he was about to spit on her.

“No, no, no.” Jane said, starting to cry. “I have nowhere to stay.” She said. “Please let me stay here.” She begged. Dmitri pounded his fist on the wall, not looking at her. “Look what you did to my whole wall. Get out.”

Jane stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder. “Do you know what you did to me?” She asked. He pointed at the door. “Out.” He said. “You took my virginity!” She pounded on his chest, which was so well protected by muscle he barely felt it. “You're seven years older than me, you pervert! You took my virginity!” She cried.

“I'm a pervert!?” He shouted, grabbing her by the sides of her shoulder and shaking her angrily. “You made me sleep with a mutant! You're the pervert, Jane. You're despicable.” He shook his head, letting go of her.

Jane wiped her eyes walking toward the door. “You're just going to let me go like that?” She asked. Dmitri silently just pointed in the general direction of out the door. She sniffed and wiped her eyes before walking outside and saying “Fuck you.”

Sitting on the bus stop a block away from Dmitri's house, Jane thought about what just changed in her life in the past month. She was completely corrupt. She felt defiled. She was failing three classes, dressing like a skank, wearing makeup, even having sex. She cried waiting for the bus.

She didn't want to go home for fear of when her father would be released. Instead, she decided just to go Florence's house without even asking. After a longer-than-usual bus ride, she was on Florence's stop, from which she still had to walk two or three blocks.

Florece was outside, planting a few things with her dad, when Jane arrived, her heavy bag slung over her shoulder. Jane called her name and Florence ran over.

“Hey, you should have called me. I haven't seen you in forever.” Florence smiled, then realized the look on Jane's face. “What's wrong?” She asked before Jane burst into tears, hugging her friend. Florence hugged her back, taking her inside and excusing herself from the garden.

Jane sat on Florence's bed and cried, telling her about everything that happened; the sleep over, the sex, her dad, even the powers. Jane was so ashamed about being mutant, but Florence shushed her and rubbed her back.

“Jane, being a mutant is totally normal.” Florence said. “I'm a mutant too.” Jane wiped her nose and her eyes looking up at her friend who she respected so much all of a sudden. “Really? You are?” Florence pushed a piece of hair behind Jane's ear. “Yes. I'm hyper-fertile. If I ever got pregnant, I'd end up having at least twins or triplets.”

Jane put her head in her lap. “It's not the same, though. You're not a freak.” Florence brushed Jane's hair back, looking down at her. “Get some sleep. I have to finish helping my dad and shower, then I have to go to the MRC. You're coming with me.”

Florence slipped her lap out from under Jane's head and Jane took Florence's advice, drifting into a light sleep, encouraged by the head ache she got from crying so much.

After a few hours, Jane woke up, seeing Florence with her back to her, wearing a towel around her breast and one wrapped on her head. “Good morning sleepyhead.” She said without even turning around.

Jane sat up and stretched as Florence dropped her towel in front of her. Jane looked at her. She was so skinny. Her body was completely hairless except for the shoulder-length dirty blonde hair she usually wore in a bun. She was stick thin, except she had a perfect butt and beautiful breasts. How Jane envied her friend all of a sudden. At that moment, Jane swore to herself that she would be beautiful like her friend. She would do all she could to be as beautiful as her friend.

Florence clipped on a bra and slid on panties before facing her friend. “You might want to borrow some clothes for the Mutant Research Center.” Florence said, walking around, checking piles of clothes for a combination of garments to wear. “Here.” She threw a skirt and shirt at Jane.

Jane looked down at them and wondered if she should change in front of her friend or in the bathroom. Would Florence think she was insecure if she didn't change in front of her? At that thought, Jane started to take her clothes off and sheepishly put the next outfit on.

Within the hour, Jane was taking a tour around the MRC. She saw all the other mutants, most with physical abnormalities. She learned a lot from the scientists. One of the doctors explained something called a power-chart gene.

Inside the X-gene, there are a series of switches, from two to eight. These switches each denote a power, however, usually only one genetic switch is active. This explains secondary and tetriary. Naturally, it's almost impossible to have more than three switches active.

Jane only had one of the power-chart switches on, which granted her the creation and manipulation of an unknown invisible energy, which, with enough practice, she would eventually learn to control well.

After Jane's field trip, the two were walking back to Florence;s house when she offered for Jane to stay for a week or two if she needed to, having already called and asked her parents. Jane kindly accepted, forgetting how worried she was to find somewhere to sleep.

“So,” Florence asked, “is there anything in specific you want to do?” Jane looked at a beauty supply shop over Florence's shoulder and smirked to herself. “I got an idea.” She said, crossing the street with her friend.

When the pair got home, they giddily ran to Florence's bathroom. They tore open five packets of hair bleach that they bought into a big bowl, mixing the powder with a cream that they bought, then both slipping on latex gloves and lathering the pungent solution into their hair.

After around fifteen minutes, they washed their hair, each simply dipping their heads in the shower. The girls dried their hair and spent the next five minutes staring at their reflections in silence. “We look good.” Florence said, breaking the silence with a smile.

The hair that stretched to Jane's waist didn't look trashy anymore. What used to look like someone who couldn't afford a hair cut was now an angelical hairstyle. Her hair glowed beautifully and hardly artificially. Florence too looked beautiful, but the jump from blonde to bleach blonde wasn't too grave.

Florence spent the night brushing, braiding and tying Jane's hair. The braid she made so meticulously resembled a fish's spine, but not quite in a morbid way. At the end, she tied a white ribbon which almost blended in with the hair color.

The next day at school, Jane was oblivious to all the looks she was getting until a group of boys started to talk to her in French class, boys who had never even looked at her before. Jane had blossomed into a full woman. Besides the unusual attention, school was going pretty normally. This was until the announcement on the PA system, denoting a Code Red situation, in which all teachers must lock the doors and shut the lights off.

Jane and her peers wondered who could be inside the school who could cause a code red. Hearing heavy footsteps outside the door, her heart began to thump out of her chest. All at once it seemed as if she was the only one in the room. Through the translucent sheet of glass on the classroom door, there was a defined figure of a man's head. In an instance, the figure flashed away, literally in a puff of smoke and before she knew it, there was a masked man on top of her, accompanied by a trail of smoke.

Most of the class screamed and scattered away, but the teacher grabbed a fire extinguisher and brought it up over his shoulder to slam the masked man in the head. The man appeared behind Jane's professor and elbowed him in the back of the neck, knocking him out, then appeared on top of Jane, smoke rolling off of his back. “Put your arm around me.” He commanded, his voice clear that he did not want to be fucked around with.

Jane put her arms around him and felt, not only her heart, but all of her organs jump and she found herself gasping for air as her surroundings changed from her classroom to a dark room. “Who are you?” She asked, almost admiringly. With the extremely limited amount of light, Jane could see the man taking his mask off, although it was all too dark to make out any features.

“Rift.” He said, his voice much less raspy without his voice. “Jane Speckler?” He asked. Jane gulped, trying to swallow her nerves. “That's me. What do you want?” Rift looked at her, reaching up and clicking a light on. At first, she had to look away, but then Jane was able to examine him and pick up that he was extremely attractive, and couldn't be any older than Dmitri.

“I'm here to protect you.” He said, sitting down on his bed, which was in an extremely tasteful, yet stale smelling room, almost like a doctor's office. “Well,” Jane said, “where are we?” Rift disarmed himself of his swords and pistols.

“Surprised you don't recognize it. This is the MRC boarding building. Safe place for mutants. You really shouldn't have gotten mixed up with that guy Dmitri. Don't tell me you didn't recognize his last name.” Rift said.

“No..” Jane said, reciting his name in her head; Dmitri Ignatova, Dmitri Ignatova, Dmitri Ignatova. “Filipp Ignatov.” Jane said, now realizing the connection. “I get it. Dmitri's dad is in the Anti-Mutant Revolt. So what?”

“So what, he outed you as a mutant. He put out a lot of hate for you in just one day.” Rift said. “Well, you did ruin his house.” He chuckled. “Bastard deserved it.” He said, running his finger over a deep scar on his cheek down to his neck.

“I didn't ruin his house. I knocked a few things out of place!” Jane lied. “Anyways, how long am I supposed to stay here?” Rift shrugged. “A week or two. Don't worry, the lab will excuse you from any school you miss.”

“Oh, I get it.” Jane said. “Well thanks for looking out for me then.” She said, walking for the door. “Wait, if the lab would have excused it, why wouldn't you just talk to the people in the main office to pick me up instead of scare the school to the point of Code Red?”

Rift smiled standing up. “It's always fun to mess with 'em, right? The humans.”

Jane laughed. “I like you. You're a hardcore kind of kid. What's your name?”

Rift flashed a million dollar smile and ruffled his hair. “Matt Teague. Pleased to meet you, Jane.”

Well Jane just can't away from the hot men can she? Haha that was a good addition.

This time she won't be so naive though. Live and learn!

Haha well that's good!

In the next chapter introducing Reptile, Aqua and maybe a surprise

Mikey? Haha

Too bad he won't exist for another four or so years.

Yeah, depending on how you'd have him born, James and Jane or James and some other woman haha.

Jane sat on a doctor's chair, just as any normal doctor as Dr. Oritz took blood from her arm, just as any normal doctor. “Good, Jane.” He encouraged her. “Very nice, Ms. Speckler, just keep still.” Jane glanced over at the syringe filling with blood, then quickly looked away, instantly feeling queasy.

“Just one more.” Dr. Oritz said, removing the needle and stabbing in another one as Jane winced. “Just sit still, Jane.” He started again. She simply closed her eyes and accepted the fact that Dr. Oritz needed samples of her DNA to see Jane's other power-chart switches and see the affects of activating them.

Although it would be extremely helpful in some cases, there has not been anything conclusive in the field of deactivating genetic switches, or else people like Jake Mason, who Jane met in the MRC boarding building as well, wouldn't resemble human-sized Godzillas. Jake was a big sweetie though.

The pre-exposure testing is important in case the inactive switches contain undesired abilities, for instance, involuntary growth of thick scales or rocky flesh, or anything like that. Jane lay back on the doctor's chair as Oritz withdrew the needle. “All done.” He said, setting it on a metal tray with the other sample.

Jane sat up, immediately feeling woozy. “Oh god.” She said, putting her feet on the ground. Dr. Oritz smiled. “You may feel a bit dizzy.” He helped Jane up and she walked toward the boarding building. Jane didn't quite know everyone who shared the building, but she knew of Matthew Teague, who was nineteen, Jake Mason, who was only fourteen, and Willow Alloway, who was a year older than Jane and slept in the room beside Jane's.

In total there were something of fifteen mutants in the boarding building, including Jane. Some were clearly mutant, those like Jake, and then there were those like Willow who just seemed so human. Willow's powers were striking to Jane.

Willow had wonderful prophetic powers, being able to see the past, present and future of anyone but herself. As well as being an oracle, Willow was blessed with a secondary mutation; she had the ability to communicate psychically, which was extraordinary. There was talk that Charles Xavier used to come to the boarding building, in Queens, from his institute in Westchester.

Willow was so beautiful, but not in the same way as Florence, who was beautiful in a light, delicate way. Willow didn't look like she had been starving herself. She had pronounced and intense cheekbones, but soft facial features. Her eyes were light and looking in them you could tell she had real power. Her lips were plump and sexually enticing and her skin was lightly sun-kissed. She was a tropical beauty.

Jane walked to the lounge room where she spotted her two friends sitting on a couch, facing a television. “Look, Jane! They put Matt on TV.” Jake said, laughing. Although he was only fourteen, his powers altered his voice, making it deep and a bit scary. The scales that grew through his skin was calloused and a dirty green. He looked as if he could be a hundred years old.

Jane smiled and sat between Jake and Matt as the news anchor interviewed one of Jane's classmates. She laughed, seeing Florence in the background, floating around like usual. Toward the end of the broadcast, the anchor confirmed that the MRC sent out a squad and retrieved Jane immediately and she was now safe in their custody.

“So does that mean that everybody knows I'm a mutant..?” Jane asked, a bit sadly. Jake smiled a bit, flashing his pointed, toxin-coated teeth. “That's what I asked when I started growing scales.” He said, trying to lighten her up. “No big deal, now you don't have to go through the trouble of telling everyone.”

“Don't worry, Jane.” Willow said sympathetically. “We're all beautiful creatures of God, even if you don't know it. I think you're beautiful.” Matt smiled and coolly put his arm around Jane. “Me too.” Jake smiled again. “Me three.” “And we're not just saying that.” Willow said.

“Really?” Jane asked happily looking at the three of them. You could tell by Willow's face that she was up to no good when she said “Guys, let's show her the spot.” Jane followed the trio to Jake's room. “This is the spot?” Jane asked, looking around.

The three smiled and Jake pushed his bed to the side, revealing a conspicuous rug which he pulled out of the way, revealing a gaping hole in the floor. “Down the hatch.” Jake said invitingly.

Willow was the first one down. Jane tried to listen when her feet landed to guess how steep the drop was. Jane gulped as Jake went down next, hardly fitting, then landing loudly. “You're next.” Matt said, moving the bed back into place just in case anybody else would come to check on them.

Jane first sat on the edge of the hole, like a little girl nervous to get in the pool, then let herself drop, landing on a pile of mattresses twelve or thirteen feet below. “How did you get those mattresses through that hole?” She asked, rubbing her butt as she stood up. Willow and Jake laughed as up above Matt put the rug back in place and teleported just beside Jane.

“Let's start walking.” He said, walking ahead of Jane and next to Willow through complete pitch darkness. They seemed to know their way well enough to not need any light. The cave was much longer than she expected.

Jane could barely see ahead of her hand, but she could tell by their chatter that Willow, Jake and Matt were all walking a few feet above them, laughing about experiences they'd had together, leaving Jane a bit excluded.

Jane noticed that a bit more light made its way into the tunnel and also that the floor began to get steeper and the roof a bit closer. Jane could actually see as Jake broke through a wall of moss above them, then gave Willow a boost, where she climbed up to somewhere. Jake waved Jane over, then gave her a boost too.

Jane stood up there with Willow in the Queens Botanical Garden. “It's so beautiful.” Jane said, looking around, then at Willow's soft skin shining under the moonglow. “Isn't it really?” She agreed, putting her cold hands inside the midsection pockets of her sleeveless hoodie.

Jake climbed up behind them and Matt flashed in front of them, a puff of trailing off of him. “Did you guys build that tunnel?” Jane asked, looking at the hole in the ground. “Nope,” Jake said, covering it back up with moss. “some guy who lived in that room before me made it. When I was moving in he told me about it and said I could use it if I want.”

Matt reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out something that looked like a rolled cigarette. Willow smiled flocking to him. “You sparking me up tonight?” She asked expectantly. Matt surprised her and took a second joint out of his pocket and gave it to her, then a third, giving it to Jake, and a fourth to Jane.

Jane looked at it hesitantly. Once she took it between two fingers she smelled it and made a sound of disgust. Matt looked at her and smiled. “Never smelled weed before?” Jane looked back at the rolled up joint, then Matt. “No, and I don't regret it.”

Matt lit his joint and inhaled, passing the lighter to Willow. “Just try it.” He said, holding his breath in then exhaling thick, pungent smoke. Willow gave Jane the lighter and she held the joint to her mouth, lighting it and inhaling deeply. Instantly she began to hack and cough on the bad tasting smoke.

Once she settled down, she handed the lighter to Jake. “Look, just inhale it like air,” He said, taking a long hit. “and hold it for a bit.” He said, trying to hold his breath while speaking. Jane took another hit from her joint which still was a bit lit and held it in her lungs. Expelling it, she still coughed, but much less. Deciding it was enough, she handed it back to Matt, who ended up smoking his and hers whole.

As they all smoked, excluding Jane, Jake's height seemed to be decreasing because before she knew it, he was shorter than Jane was. Jane glanced at him, then had to do a double take. Jake had become boyish and human looking.

“What happened to you?” Jane asked in bewilderment. Jake looked like he could have been Matt's kid brother, except that he was so scrawny and his hair was almost as blonde as Jane's while Matt's was dirty blonde.

He smiled, flashing his human teeth. “The weed has a weird affect on me.” He said, his voice a bit high pitched, like a normal fourteen year old boy who hasn't finished puberty. Jane touched his hair. “You are such a beautiful kid.” She smiled.

The weed started to get to Jane as it felt like her sobriety was gently blown out of her body, subtly swaying. “Wow.” Jane said. “This feels weird.” Everything she touched she felt about a second late and twice as intensely. “I like this.”

Matt flashed out of the botanical garden for less than a few seconds, reappearing before them with liquor. “Anyone?” He asked carrying two bottles. Jane shook her head, already feeling too under the influence. Willow also declined, leaving Matt and Jake to drink the liquor alone.

“I want to lay down.” Jane said, sitting on the floor then laying down. Willow laid next to her. “How do you like the MRC boarding place?” She asked. “You know, you could stay as long as you want as long as you let them take some blood every now and then. They get awesome funding.”

“Jake and I are gonna take a walk.” Matt interrupted, putting his arm around his younger-brother figure and walking down the path, drinking and taking out another joint later.

“I..” Jane tried to talk. “I can't think.” She laughed. Willow lightly ran her fingers over Jane's arm. “Can you.. feel?” She asked, also obviously high. “Yeah..” Jane said, looking at the stars, which seemed extremely visible for some reason. “How about taste?” Willow asked, leaning up and kissing Jane on the mouth. “Can you taste?”

After a few seconds, Jane registered what Willow did. The idea of it, so taboo and, for some reason, immoral made her heart race. She smiled instead of protesting. “Yeah, I can taste.” Jane said. “Can you do that again? It feels good.” She said, since her sense of touch was so intensified.

Willow leaned over Jane and kissed her again, this time with a bit more passion, then pulled away. She looked up and noticed that the flowers and leaves falling from the trees were suspended in midair above them. “There's a dome of energy above us.” Willow said, now sensing it. “Is that you?”

Jane looked up at the floating flowers, and all at once realized that this power was a gift. “Yeah.” Willow touched the flower, but it simply was like trying to touch a flower through glass. “That's beautiful.” She leaned down and kissed Jane again, this time psychically connecting. Jane could feel it, sense it in her mind that she was not alone.

“You're in my head.” Jane said, pulling her head away. “Yes, and it's very interesting.” Willow said, wiping her mouth and then Jane's. “It feels good.” Jane said, laying her head back on the ground.

“Looks like we got here at the right time.” Jake said, standing at their feet, now in reptilian form again. His presence surprised Jane and her forcefield dropped, leaving the flowers and leaves resting on it to drift down onto the girls.

“You ladies ready to go, or were you in the middle of something?” Matt asked, taking Jane's hand to help her up. “It's going to feel so good to lay in a bed.” Jane said simply, climbing down the mossy hole again. Getting back to the steep mattress pit felt like an eternity. Every step of the way felt more and more like a dream.

Matt teleported Willow and Jane both back up to the room while Jake climbed from below, using his sharp claws. Jane was surprised when she saw Florence in Jake's room, folding sheets for him. “What are you doing here?” Jane asked.

Florence looked at them suspiciously. “Were you guys just off the property?” All three of them completely denied it completely until Jake crawled out from the rug under the bed saying “We have to take Jane there more often.”

Florence looked at them. “You guys can get in some serious trouble. Rift, you're already in enough trouble for your stunt at my school.” She said to Matt. “I'm sorry, but I have to tell Dr. Oritz.” She said, turning around to leave.

“No, no!” Jane said grabbing Florence's shoulder. “Please don't tell. What's the matter? Do you want to come next time?” Florence shook her hand off. “Don't touch me right now. You wreak of weed.” She said, leaving the room.

“Oh, come on! Don't be such a cunt.” Jane said as her friend left. She shook her head and looked at her three fellow mutants. “I'm sorry about that, guys.”

Florence stepped into Dr. Oritz's lab, ready to tell him about the incident in Jake's room, but was startled to see him standing over a human with an open skull. “Dr. Oritz.. Is that man dead?” She asked in horror.

Oritz did not take his eyes off his work, using a magnifying glass and a pair of forceps. “Yes, it's being artificially stimulated. I'm very busy, you know.” He said, obviously occupied. He looked to Florence and took off his glasses. “I have made a revolutionary discovery.”

“There is a part of the brain that I have found,” Oritz continued, “that is able to transmit a command to every cell in the body to change immediately. Do you know what this means?” Florence walked in closer, taking a look at the brain. “I can't say I do.” She said sheepishly.

Dr. Oritz picked up a syringe, flicked it and injected something into a specific part of the brain. Immediately, the stimulated corpse's skin changed blue. “This could change everything! We are one step closer to a power suppressor, or to artificial mutants. Now if only I could find a live block to test this theory on.”

“I'll do it!” Florence said immediately, remembering how Jane acted when she was with her mutant friends. “I'll let you make me a mutant.” Dr. Oritz stared at her, half surprised, half overjoyed. “Well, I really would have to print up and have your parents sign a ton of release forms.”

“Doctor, let's just get this over with.” Florence said bluntly. Dr. Oritz looked at her. “I don't know how this will affect your brain.” He said, looking through the power-chart samples he had and attaching a long needle to a syringe with the sample inside. “Just take one breath in on my mark.” He warned. “Breath in,” He said, sticking the long needle through her skull at a precise point. “And out.” The doctor withdrew the needle.

“How do you feel?” He asked, putting the needle down. Florence inhaled audibly. “It's so cold.” She said and hugged her knees. “A success.” Oritz said, putting his arm around the girl, smiling grimly to himself.

As Dr. Oritz began to clean up, blue veins began rising on Florence's skin. Her eyes glazed over, and you could tell she was not all there. “Let's see it then.” The doctor said. “Go on, try to use your powers.”

She looked him in the eye and kissed her palm, blowing the kiss at him. As she blew the kiss, an icy wind frosted him over. He smiled, looking as if he had just walked out of a light snow. Frostbite stood up and walked closer to him, putting her hand over his face, freezing over the blood in his brain, effectively sending him into suspended animation. She froze him down into cryogenic levels, then pushed him over with two fingers.

The sound of his frozen-solid head heading the floor was something like a heavy rock landing on the pavement. She walked out of the room and looked at his notes, contemplating whether to tear them up, which of course she did.

Walking through the halls of the boarding building, Florence kept her hands out, freezing the walls, tiny tendril shaped ice crystals creeping up them at the same rate at which she walked. She disappeared from the building grounds.

From Dazed and Confused to Frostbite, nice.

Wanted to just show Jane's loss of innocence, in sexual and drug terms now.

Haha, well it's a good start to fic so far.

Yeah, now that there's an established villain it'll start to pick up.

Cool.

Jane, Willow, Jake and Matt and the other mutants sat in the lounge, watching the television as Dr. Oritz played the security tape of Florence gaining mutant powers, using them on himself and leaving the grounds. It played on loop as he spoke. He was melted out of his forced coma just a half hour after Frostbite froze him.

“I know, children, that this is my fault. I should not have given Florence the abilities without proper consent and testing.” He said. “But you must understand that this is my greatest accomplishment as a scientist. Florence is not herself. We cannot guess her next move as she has lost rationality.”

“We should look for her.” Matt suggested. “The cops will shoot her down if they find her.” A few other mutants agreed, bickering amongst themselves. “Now see here!” Dr. Oritz said, calling for order. “We are no X-Men. We do not function as a task force, this is a research institute.”

Matt gave a look Willow and Jake. The three stood up and walked to Jake's room. Knowing their motives, Jane followed. Nobody really noticed their absence as they were mostly sitting toward the back.

Jake was pushing his bed away when Jane came in the room. “You guys weren't going to invite me?” She asked. Matt sucked his teeth. “You can't come, Jane. You don't know how to use your powers.” Willow sighed. “She's going to come. You don't have to be psychic to know that she's going to end up coming. Come on, honey.” She said, jumping down the rabbit hole, into the pillow pit.

Jane smiled, passing Matt, who rolled his eyes, and followed in after Willow. Jake jumped last as Matt fixed the furniture back into place and teleported down with them. “Look,” Willow said, handing Jane a flashlight. “Try to practice your control by levitating this until we get to the garden. Should we have to fight her, you'll at least be warmed up.”

After the first few minutes of trying and failing, Jane was able to create a slate of levitating, invisible matter and place the flashlight on it. After this, they only progressed for a few minutes before reaching the Queens Botanical Garden.

Matt teleported the girls out, leaving Jake to crawl up and cover the hole. “Where should we start looking?” Jane asked. Willow brushed her hair out of her face. “I've already zeroed in on her location. She left a strong psychic signature in the lab where Dr. Oritz operated on her. There was a lot of anger.”

“She's not far, actually.” Willow said. “It's a ten minute walk. I think I know exactly where she is.” The pack continued behind the psychic out of the garden, past tens of beautiful flowers, trees and birds.

Walking through Queens this time of night was something one should definentely, if they could help it, not ever have to do, but these young mutants were trying to save Jane's friend, lest she be gunned down by the Anti-Mutant Revolt. So from the botanical garden, they walked down Cherry Avenue, up Saul Street, and down again Avery Avenue.

“She's definentely nearby.” Willow said, not particularly to anyone. Matt looked around. “Can't you zero in on where?” He asked, expectantly. She looked down, a bit ashamed. “I'm no Charles Xavier, you know.”

“It's okay.” Jane said. “I know exactly where she is!” She led the pack through the huge tennis courts before them, past a home depot and stood in front of a building for them to behold. “World Ice Arena.” She read. “She must need the cold.”

“Good work.” Matt said, patting her on the back and up to the front doors. He tried to see if they were open, but they appeared to have been forced open, as if kicked. “Open for business.” He said, allowing the others to walk in before him. “I wonder why the front door is open.” Jane said.

“Your friend must be stronger than she looks.” Jake said, chuckling to himself, imagining the petite girl forcing the door open. The entry room was completely dark, but you could already feel the cold of the rink creeping up.

“Rentals anyone?” Jake shot up, trying to make the others laugh, which Matt did. “No thanks, I brought my own.” He said, flashing a switchblade. Jane saw it twinkle in the limited light. “Matt, are you stupid? We came here for a reason; so that she doesn't get hurt.” She said as they came upon the rink, which still had some lights on it.

“Tell him that.” Jake said, referring to the man on the rink, wrestling Florence down. Jane gasped and ran out on the ice to him, wearing flats. As she approached them, she shouted “Stop!” and promptly knocked him in the jaw before sliding past him.

The punch in addition to her momentum from sliding must have been enough for Florence to get a break, as she kicked the man off and stood up. He grunted as he began to lift himself up and Florence gave him a kick in the chest, making him fall down again.

“Florence, don't run. We're here to help you.” Jane said, walking carefully, as not to slide, to her friend. She sneered at Jane. “Oh, I bet you are.” Florence held her hands out. At first, only the sound of ice cracking, like water being frozen, could be heard, but then a spray of solid ice hit Jane like giant hail balls, knocking her down.

The man stood up, now looking more empowered than before. He drew his hands up slowly, standing behind Florence, and as he did, water seemed to drip up from the ice. Slowly at first, by countable drops, then it flowed up quickly, like water breaking through a dam, and he threw his arms at her, whipping his wrists.

The water seized Florence, shoving her down to the ground. He twirled one hand and the water froze over her, encasing her. Jake, Matt and Willow stood silently amazed. “That was awesome!” Jake said.
The man walked toward them, smiling modestly. As he stepped into the light, it became more obvious that he was not a man, but probably around Matt's age.

Jane stood up and walked carefully to them. “So, you're a mutant?” Jake asked. He smiled. “Yeah, my mutant name is Aquavenger. How about you guys?”

Willow told him hers was Oracle, Matt said Rift and Jake was Reptile. They all looked at Jane, expecting her to chime in. “Oh, I don't really have one yet.” Matt looked a bit disappointed. “You have to have at least been thinking of one by now, haven't you?”

It was clear that Jane was about to deny it until Willow interrupted. “She has. It's Moxie.” She said. “And I like it.” The three other mutants nodded in agreement. Jane smiled, not quite bothered by Willow, or she now knew as Oracle, invading her thoughts.

All of a sudden, there was a loud cracking sound, then a smash. As they all looked over, Florence was crawling out of the icy womb. “Oh, what a beautiful moment for you all.”

“Florence, stop. You're not yourself. Your mind is-” Jane was interrupted by a beam of ice, which knocked her down. “You're right.” Florence said. “I'm not myself. From now on, I will be known as Frostbite.” She announced her mutant name.

“Not bad.” Reptile admitted, then attempted to pounce on her. Frostbite did something of a twirl, bringing her hands to the side harshly, a thick pillar of ice emerging from the rink, stabbing him in midair, knocking him too to the ground.

Rift teleported directly behind Frostbite, trying to catch her off guard, and maybe flash her into the boarding building, but instead she turned around and encased him in ice. Single-handedly she already put down three mutants. “Fools, you're on my territory.” She laughed.

“Wrong, you're on mine.” Aquavenger said, using his control over water to turn the ice under his feet to a sleety solution, skating toward her, drawing up water from the ice as he went, then slamming it into her, like a thick leather belt.

Barely in time, Frostbite created a thick wall of ice between her and the water whipping toward her. It wasn't much of a wall, just barely covering her if she crouched, but it protected her. Just as suddenly as Frostbite just earlier broke free from her shell, she fell down.

Oracle let out a heavy breath, dropping down to her knees on the thick ice. “She won't stay down for long.” She warned him, trying to regulate her breathing after psychically going into Frostbite's brain and pinching the sleep part.. As she said so, Jake woke up. He stood, using his sharp claws to steady himself, then walked to Frostbite, who stirred a bit, waking up. He hocked a heavy loogie in her mouth brashly, his saliva laced with paralysis-inducing toxins.

“Very refined.” Aquavenger said sarcastically, putting his hands on Rift's icy body, unfreezing him. Aquavenger slid effortlessly over to Jane, helping her up. “You alright, doll?” He asked smoothly. Rift rolled his eyes, while Jane was enchanted. “Thank you.”

“So what, he can splash around. I can teleport anywhere I want to.” Matt said to Jake, coming off a bit jealous. “Anywhere you've been, you mean.” Jake corrected him. “Anywhere I've seen.” Matt said, correcting that correction.

“What does it matter? He saved you.” Willow reminded him, walking to Florence. She kneeled down and put her hand on the icy girl's forehead. Willow's facial expression twisted in agony and pain as she entered her mind, then seemed to have been forced out.

She took a harsh breath, then opened her eyes. “There is so much unrest and blockage in that mind. Something just pushed me out of her.” With that, Willow heard the whirring sound of a machine, then a mature voice. “Not something. Someone.” Charles Xavier said, holding the stick on his mechanical wheelchair forward, taking him to the corner of the rink.

“Oh, Professor!” Willow shouted, running to hug him. He smiled as she hugged him, patting her on the back. “I felt this poor girl's distress from Cerebro. I sent my X-Men to get her, but then I found your intent to save her first.” He explained. “I simply had to see you.”

“Oh, Professor, these are my friends-” She almost began introducing them individually when he began to recite their names respectively as if they were old friends. “Good to meet you all. I am Charles Xavier and these are my X-Men.”

From behind him came Marvel Girl, Cyclops, Beast, Iceman, and Psylocke. Willow stepped off the rink and hugged Marvel Girl, who smiled upon seeing her. “So good to see you guys.” She said to all of them.

“You know you can visit us anytime.” Marvel Girl said, putting her arm around her friend. Willow looked at Jane, Matt and Jake. “Maybe we'll all visit you.” She thought to herself. “Would you have enough room for four more for a week or so?”

Xavier smiled. “My girl, you know I accept any mutant who is willing to come with good intentions for as long as he or she can. I'd be blessed to have you as a permanent addition, you know that. Your friends can all come.”

As they spoke, Beast walked onto the rink, his bare feet managing on the ice, and picked Florence up, holding her as delicately as he could. He and Cyclops, Iceman and Psylocke disappeared back to where they came from, loading the girl onto the Blackbird.

Eventually Xavier, Marvel Girl and Willow exchanged goodbyes and separated. Jane, Matt and Jake walked off the rink to Willow. “Hey, where did that other guy go?” She noted, talking about Aquavenger. They all looked around, shrugging it off. “At any rate, we really ought to visit those X-Men. Maybe when you're allowed to leave, Jane.”

“Oh, now I'm invited.” She joked. “Maybe they could teach me to better use my powers.” Jake put his arms around Willow and Jane. “Let's just focus on making it through Queens alive at 3 AM.”

Nice issue. Good to see good ol Chris.

don't be afraid to critique