Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2001 17:04:39 -0800 (PST) From: Author James Subject: Tales of a Real Dark Knight Chapter 26 Disclaimer: This story, though maybe not in this chapter but in subsequent chapters, will have celebrities in it. I have no knowledge of their sexuality and this is not intended to imply their sexuality. This is all from my own mind. Scary!! People actually get a glimpse into my mind!!! Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel and all related characters created by Joss Whedon. Copyright 20th Century Fox. Batman, and all related characters created by Bob Kane. Copyright DC Comics and Warner Bros. X-MEN, and all related characters created by Stan Lee. Copyright Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox. Star Trek and all related characters created by Gene Roddenberry. Copyright Paramount Studios. I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in case, I have myself covered. In this story, which has been floating around in my head most of my life, you will find many universes merging, as the above copyrights reveal. I hope you all enjoy this. I appreciate any feedback that you may want to give. This story doesn't deal so much with sex, sex, sex, but more of my feelings that I struggled with and am starting to come to terms with. Part of his background is mine. I do hope that you enjoy it!!! jmsotc@yahoo.com Chapter 26 This Is A Test I awoke the following morning but I had not rested well. I kept thinking about the fact that I'm a mutant. Not only do I have the stress and pressure that comes from society towards me as a gay man, but also now I have to deal with the added pressure of being a mutant. Either they are going to realize that I'm just like them or they are going to be so terrified of me no one will want to make me mad. I could use that as an advantage but it would be wrong. Professor Xavier gave me directions to where I was to go to be tested. I got up and dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a sleeveless shirt. I had the feeling it was going to be a workout today. When I arrived at the directions, Professor Xavier and a redhead greeted me. I assumed the redhead was the one who called herself Phoenix. "Hello, Eric," Professor Xavier greeted. "I'm glad to see you didn't change your mind. This is Dr. Jean Grey." "Hello," Dr. Grey said shaking my hand. "Let me guess...you're Phoenix." "Good guess." Professor Xavier smiled. "Let's step inside." "What are these tests going to comprise of?" The uncertainty in my voice must have been evident. "They won't be painful if that's what you are wondering. We are going to the lab to take a little bit of blood work to verify that it is a mutant gene." "Why wouldn't it be a mutant gene?" "Eric, we've met people who would do anything to have power. Some have gone to the ancient past and used mystical magic and other supernatural forces to gain it. Others have looked to the future with technology to create their desired power. We just want to verify that no one has done this to you." "Or that I did this to myself," I completed. "The thought has crossed my mind but with the type of work you've done so far as your alternate persona I find it hard to believe. You seem on the up-and-up with this gift." After walking down two corridors, Professor Xavier said, "Ah, here we are. Come in." The three of us entered a room that looked like a hospital, a futuristic hospital. It was amazing! All kinds of equipment spanned the room. A table had smaller machines and test tubes. Some were filled with strange colored liquids. Some of the equipment was hooked up to exercise equipment: a treadmill, a leg press, and a stair simulator. "They are for gauging strength and stamina," Professor Xavier said after reading my mind. "It's to see exactly how mutations affects each individual." "Please, lay down," Dr. Grey asked me motioning to a table. I lay down and took some deep breath. I've never had to go through a physical exam, never had to stay in the hospital for any length of time or had any major kind of surgery. The worst thing I had was my wisdom teeth taken out. So you can imagine my inhibitions at laying down on a medical table with two complete strangers preparing to take blood from me and test with God knows what. Dr. Grey walked over to me and stuck a needle in my arm. I watched as she took blood and then went over to a table. She dispensed the blood into several vials and I watched as she put different liquids into each one. Taking a small amount she placed under a microscope and studied it. I watched as the blood in the vials changed colors with the chemicals that were mixed with it. "Professor, come take a look at this." The Professor walked over to her. "What is it?" "Look at the blood sample." As the Professor looked, Dr. Grey explained what was going on. "He definitely has the X-gene. Look at the way his DNA is set up. There is definitely something in there." "Can we compare this with other DNA on file to determine exactly what his mutation is?" "I can put it in the search parameters and see what it comes up with." "Please do so. Then we will get on with the Danger Room test while the hard drive is being searched." The Professor walked over to me and smiled. "Things are looking better. We have determined that you do have the X-gene. You are a natural mutant." "I feel better already." The Professor just smiled at me. "The next test will be much more difficult. We are going to test your mutation in the Danger Room." "That name doesn't sound very safe." "Oh, it will be safe. We have safeties that will keep it from harming you. It will be dangerous, though. We have to place you in a situation where your mutation will become active. We have already deduced that it lies dormant until your emotions are heightened, which is natural. We have learned to control our gifts; however, we don't know if you will be able to control yours. That's why we are testing you. If you can learn to control it when you are angry, you stand a chance of being able to control it any time." "That would be good. I don't want to feel like a time bomb ready to explode the moment I get upset." "That's perfectly understandable." I followed the Professor and Dr. Grey to the Danger Room, a vast metallic room with a circular saucer attached to one side of the wall. They disappeared behind a door and moments later appeared at the windows in the saucer. "Just relax, Eric. We're going to program some simple offenses against you. When you are ready let us know." I took a few deep breaths and offered a prayer up to God. "If I'm going to die, make it quick, Lord." I looked up to the occupants behind the glass. "I'm ready." The made a few movements programming the last codes into the computer and the room came to life. I jumped as a gun popped up from the floor and began shooting at me. I rolled and ran to a wall that popped up from the floor. They must have been trying to help me get used to this program they have. The gun stopped and I peaked my head around the corner. I saw the last of it enter the floor. That wasn't that bad. Suddenly another wall began moving towards me. It was going to squish me! I ran and jumped out of the way as the walls met. The second time I almost died. I looked up at the control room and started talking not knowing if they were able to hear me. "If you want me to get worked up, you're going to do a lot better than this." Professor Xavier moved his hands. He must have heard me and programmed the computer for more because the gun that came up earlier came up again and began firing at me. I ran around the room dodging bullets when a new device opened from the opposite wall. It had five holes in it. What were the holes for? I wondered. Unfortunately I got my answer. A small missile launched from the top hole and headed straight for me. "What in the world are these guys training for? World War 3?" I jumped to the side as the missile zoomed passed me. Thinking I was out of the water, I didn't pay attention that no sound of an explosion rang forth. Then I heard the swooshing noise of the missile and looked back at the last minute as it bore down on me. The only thing I could do was drop to the ground as it zoomed over my head. "Wonderful." I watched as the missile made it's way to the other end of the room and turn back toward me. I took off running trying to figure out what to do. Then the floor gun popped up a third time. "They must want me dead!" The only thing that came to mind was to try and get the missile away from me. Then I had an idea. I jumped up and ran to the pop-up gun and jumped up on it. It could not find me but the program for it allowed it to continue running. I stood as the missile made its turn and headed straight towards me. I put my hand up and, like what happened in the warehouse with Turic, I felt my hands extend beyond my flesh. I could feel the missile in my grasp, like my touch became energy. I turned the missile ever so slightly so it was heading down. Then, as it came too close to turn, I jumped and it hit the gun exploding on impact. I landed on the ground and rolled a bit forgetting to breath until I was sure I was safe. When I looked up, Professor Xavier was smiling, as was Dr. Jean Grey. She turned and muttered something to him. He replied something and pressed a few more buttons. The temperature in the room dropped by ten degrees. Then another ten. And another. My body began to chill, and then get uncomfortably cold. In just a few minutes, I was lying on the floor shivering. I was going to freeze to death. I looked up at the control room and saw only Professor Xavier. Then, he turned and walked away. I was going to die. They had something else to attend to and left me here alone. Suddenly, my body began to warm from the inside. I felt the cold on the outside, but it wasn't effecting me. Perhaps this was death by hypothermia. I closed my eyes waiting for death to take me. Slowly the room returned to the normal temperature and I looked around. Standing up, I was joined by Professor Xavier. "How...uh, how did I do?" "Very well." "Have you and the good doctor figured out what my gift is?" "Please, come with me." I followed the Professor out of the Danger Room and down the hall. There he and I entered a room that had a conference table. "Take a seat." I sat down and he sat down across from me. "We checked your DNA against other mutants DNA and we have discovered something remarkable." "Wouldn't my DNA be completely different from another mutants?" "Yes, it would; however, the X-gene is similar in mutants who have the same gift. Dr. Grey and myself have been busy mapping X-genes. She and I are both telepathic so the X-gene for telepathy is present in both of us." "And you compared my DNA to other mutants to discover what my gift is...what did you find?" "It appears that you are a unique mutant. I've never seen anything like this before. According to our scans of your cellular structure during your test in the Danger Room, we've come to the conclusion that your mutant ability is simple. You can manipulate atoms when you are in danger or emotions are heightened." "So my gift is I can control atoms. That isn't so great." "On the contrary, it is quite extraordinary. Just by the little test in the Danger Room we've discovered two major abilities that come with this gift. You were able to control the trajectory of the missile like telekinesis. With the intense cold, your body was able to adapt and generate it's own heat. The temperature went to twenty degrees below zero. I surmise that's what happened with you in the sewers. The possibilities are probably endless with what you can do in terms of feats with your mutant abilities." "I wonder..." "Wonder what?" "I wonder if this is God's answer to my prayer." "Excuse me?" "A few months ago when I was asked to help the members of NSYNC fight a vampire, I prayed that God would give me strength to do it. At times I've been able to have intense strength while fighting a demon." "It's possible, if that's what you believe." "What does that mean?" "It means that many have their own beliefs. If you believe that God answered your prayer by making you a mutant, so be it. Not everyone believes in God and certainly not everyone believes being a mutant is an answer to prayer. "Please, don't think I'm trying to dissuade your beliefs. I'm not. As I've heard before, God works in mysterious ways." The Professor smiled at me. He had a kind, fatherly smile. It was good to see a genuine smile of friendship. "Are you hungry? We can get something to eat." "I guess so." The Professor got up from his chair and left the room with me close behind. I followed him down the hall. We entered a room where a young girl was sitting eating a sandwich and watching a music video. It was NSYNC. She heard us come in and turned around to us. "Hello, Professor." "Hello, Kitty." Then he turned to me. "Have a seat. I will be back shortly with something for you." "Thanks," I said as the Professor disappeared behind yet another door. I sat down on the arm of the couch and watched the video. It was good to see Justin...though it still hurt a little. But I had to move on and had been doing fairly well. I smiled at him hoping he was doing well. "I wonder if anyone told him," I thought. "Do you like NSYNC?" Kitty asked me. "Sure do." "What's your favorite song?" "That's a tough one. I loved their first album. 'No Strings Attached' had a few good ones, too." "I think Lance is soooo cute!" Kitty decided to inform me. "I don't know if he's dating anyone." "Hopefully, he is," I thought. My mind wandered back to the time he and I talked in the stairwell. I encouraged him to tell the person he was in love with how he felt. Not too long after that, I had a showdown with Turic. I'm sure the manifestation of my power scared them. I had yet to hear from them. I hope all was well. "I know Justin is back with Britney. I think they are engaged again. It's about time. No one could figure out why he broke off the engagement. Then he seemed to keep to himself after that. It was probably some two-bit girl who only wanted him for his looks and money and didn't love him." "Probably," I said trying to hide the pain from her words. The video switched off abruptly. "Hey! What happened to the TV?" A news reporter appeared on the screen. "Good afternoon, everybody. Sorry to interrupt your regular broadcast but there is a major disturbance downtown L.A. happening as we speak. Reporter Alexis Weatherly is standing by on the scene. Alexis." "Thanks, John," the female reporter said as the scene switched to that of an outside view of downtown. "We are at the Porter Incorporated building where the employees have been shaken up literally by an earthquake. They have been experience tremors for the past twenty minutes. At first they thought it was an earthquake the entire city was going through. But when they did not hear sirens or any type of warning coming across the airwaves they became concerned. Seismologists have been unable to determine the cause of the quakes as no faults have been charted as shifting." "Alexis, have the seismologists come up with some theories concerning the tremors?" "Right now, John, they aren't sure. They have been working painstakingly trying to eliminate possibilities but have yet to determine the cause." "How are some of the occupants of the neighboring buildings? How strong are the tremors in those areas?" "John, that is the surprising part. No one has felt the tremors in the surrounding areas. At first authorities believed it to be a prankster playing games until they received calls from several of the business's employees." "Thank you, Alexis. We will check in with Alexis as events unfold. On hand is Channel 4's own geologist, Margot Pride. Margot, what can you make of this?" I couldn't sit here and do nothing. Something was going on and I had to find out what. I left the room as Professor Xavier came out of the kitchen. I heard him ask Kitty where I went to and that was all. I rushed home as quickly as I could. "I knew I should have brought my suit with me." I got in and changed quickly. Going out the window I headed towards downtown, the Porter Incorporated building. When I arrived by way of rooftop, I found the whole block in a state of uproar. I could feel the tremors on the roof of a neighboring building. They were getting stronger. Someone or something may have been controlling them if they went on for twenty minutes or so and the only building affected was Porter Inc. I had to get inside the building. I went down through the building whose roof I was on and got down to ground level. That took me around ten minutes because I had to avoid the occupants of the building. When I got to the back alley, I made my way around to the front. "How am I going to get passed this mob?" The street was flooded with all kinds of emergency workers and scientists trying to make heads or tails of this quake. I couldn't waste any more time. I had to be brave and quick. It didn't matter if I was seen. I had to get inside and find out what was going on. I ran as fast as I could across the street. I remember hearing someone yell out "Who's that?" and someone answer "Batman!" I ran inside the front door and felt the ground shaking immediately. It was like experiencing vertigo abruptly. Everything in the lobby was shaking. "Well, well," a voice said. Someone was feeling rather laid back about this situation and it sure wasn't me. I looked up to see a man with long brown hair, black t-shirt, brown vest and blue jeans with brown hiking boots standing on the upper level. "How nice of you to drop in, especially in the middle of the day." "Thanks," I replied. "Who are you?" "Me? No one special, just an average Joe trying to make an honest buck. Unfortunately the owners of this business don't see it that way." "How do they see it?" "They see me as a number, someone to be tossed away when they don't have use for me. It's unfair. I put in as much time and effort as everyone else and they fired me!" He quickly lost control and his temper exploded and rolled like an avalanche. But he brought himself under control quickly. "I tried to talk with them. I tried to figure out why they were firing me. Maybe even find another job within the company. But, no! They had to take it as insubordination and fire me! They humiliated me in front of all my co-workers! They would not reason with me! So I figured I would shake some sense into them." He lifted his hand and the ground shook more violently than it was shaking earlier, but just for a moment. Then he calmed it down. He was controlling the tremors. He was a mutant. The question was could I convince him to stop? "What do you think of my plan, Batman? Shake some sense into them!" The mutant laughed maniacally and I knew there was no reasoning with him. To him, all the trouble he stirred was justified simply because he lost his job...for whatever reasoning they had to terminate his employment. My trouble was, how do I stop a walking avalanche? To Be Continued... Now Eric's mutant power is revealed. Some of you said telekinesis. It was a very good guess. What do you think of Eric's power? Is it too hokey? Do you think it makes him too powerful? What do you think? Questions, comments are always welcome. I enjoy hearing from those reading my story, whether you like it or hate it.