C115 Rampage

C115 Rampage

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Minutes earlier, In a shared dorm room at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, Scott Summers found himself staring at his friend and roommate, Pyro, who was hastily packing his things into a big suitcase.

"Hey, Pyro!" Scott exclaimed as he barged into the room, relief washing over him. "Man, it's good to see you up and moving. We were all so worried about you."

Pyro glanced up briefly, his expression tense and guarded. “Yeah, well here I am...” He gave a curt nod and went back to packing. Scott noticed the urgency in his friend’s actions and frowned.

"What’s going on? Why are you packing?" Scott asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"I’m leaving," Pyro replied, his tone flat and determined.

Scott’s heart sank. "Leaving? Why? You just got out of the infirmary. You need to rest."

Pyro didn’t respond, his silence heavy with meaning. Scott’s mind raced, trying to piece together the reason for his friend’s abrupt departure. Then it hit him—Rogue. She had accused Pyro of sexually assaulting her, and Scott had called her a liar. But now, seeing Pyro ready to flee as if his life depended on it, the truth began to come into focus.

"You... You didn’t really try to assault Rogue, right?" Scott asked, his voice trembling, as if trying to convince himself otherwise.

Pyro froze, his hands hovering over his suitcase. He didn’t look up, didn’t meet Scott’s eyes. After a moment, he resumed packing, replying only with a simple, “No, I didn’t.”

Scott’s heart pounded in his chest as he watched his friend. The realization dawned on him, guilt and disgust washing over him. "You did it, didn’t you? You touched her."UppTodated from nô/v/e/lb(i)n.c(o)/m

Pyro’s face twisted with anger as he slammed his suitcase shut. "Rogue’s a lying b*tch," he snapped. "I didn’t do anything to her."

Scott shook his head, his disbelief turning into rage. "Don’t lie to me! I... I can’t believe I defended you..."

Scott stomped forward, knocking over Pyro’s suitcase, clothes, and belongings scattering across the floor. "You’re not going anywhere. The teachers need to handle this."

Pyro’s eyes blazed with fury, flames beginning to dance along his body. "And who’s gonna stop me?"

Scott, not one to back down, touched his glasses, moving them forward ever so slightly to reveal the bright, powerful light underneath. "I will."

The air in the room crackled with tension as the two mutants prepared to face off. But, just as the situation seemed ready to blow, a loud explosion rocked the school. The entire building shook, causing both Pyro and Scott to look around in alarm, momentarily forgetting their conflict.

"What the hell was that?" Scott muttered, his eyes darting around the room.

Pyro’s flames flickered and dimmed as he looked around before shrugging. "I don’t know, and I don’t care."

Scott stood there, torn between rushing to whatever was happening and stopping Pyro from leaving. The screams of frightened students and the occasional explosion echoed from downstairs, pulling at his sense of duty.

Seeing his indecision, Pyro smirked and picked up his suitcase. "Go on, Summers. They need you out there. The school's under attack, and you’re the golden boy, right? Gotta save everyone."

Scott glanced between Pyro, who began packing again, and the door where the sounds of chaos continued. His mind raced with conflicting thoughts. He didn’t want to let Pyro get away, but his instincts screamed at him to help his fellow students and teachers.

Pyro’s smirk widened as he saw Scott wavering. "You know it’s the right thing to do, Scott. Are you just going leave all of our friends to die?"

Scott clenched his fists, the conflict clear on his face. He knew Pyro was manipulating him, but the sounds of the school in danger were impossible to ignore. “F*ck!” With a frustrated curse, he turned and sprinted out of the room, knowing Pyro would be long gone after this.

Pyro watched him go, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. He calmly finished packing, then walked to the window. Opening it up, he glanced down at the ground far below. With practiced ease, he jumped out, using his fire powers like thrusters to soften his fall before rushing off, not even bothering to turn and look back.

————

Seizing the moment, Colossus landed a powerful punch to Carol's side, but she barely flinched. And in return, she turned and hit him with an energy shrouded fist, launching him out of the front door.

As silence settled over the area, the echo of footsteps reverberated down the hallway. Storm emerged from the infirmary, clad in a hospital gown, her eyes crackling with electricity. "What's going on?" she demanded groggily, surveying the chaotic scene.

Beast, battered and bruised, managed to speak. "She's out of control. We need to stop her."

Storm nodded grimly, raising her hands to summon a gust of wind that swept through the hall, hurling Carol out the front door and onto the front lawn of the school.

There, Colossus stood ready to attack, but Carol enveloped herself in blue energy, landing gracefully away from him, her feet firmly planted on the ground.

Storm followed her outside, with Beast close behind. Clouds gathered in the darkening sky above as lightning crackled, striking down toward Carol, who didn’t even bother dodging.

Boom!* A deafening, blinding bolt of lightning struck Carol, but still, she remained unfazed, absorbing the electricity. Her eyes glowed even brighter as she redirected the energy back at Storm.

The lightning hit Storm square in the chest, sending her flying backward into the mansion, crashing through multiple walls before landing back in the infirmary. “Ugh...” She groaned in pain but quickly got back to her feet, determination in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Rogue began to stir in her hospital bed, her eyes fluttering open. She saw the destroyed infirmary and struggled to sit up. "What’s happening?"

Storm turned to her, wincing from the pain. "Rogue, go and evacuate with the other students."

Rogue attempted to protest, "But—"

Storm turned to her, eyes glowing with a dangerous intensity. "No buts. Go... NOW!"

Rogue hesitated, her mind wracked with confusion, but then nodded, still not fully understanding the gravity of the situation. But nonetheless, she ran out of the infirmary as she was told, away from the sounds of battle.

With Rogue gone, the teachers focused all their efforts on subduing Carol. Beast, Colossus, and Storm launched coordinated attacks, each using their unique abilities to try and overwhelm her. But Carol’s power was too great. She effortlessly deflected their assaults, her overwhelming power sending them reeling.

Meanwhile, inside her own mind, Carol was in shock. ‘How am I doing this? Who are these people? What’s happening?!’ Her thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion and fear. She had no idea she possessed such powers, nor did she understand why she was fighting these strangers.

...

As time passed and the fight progressed, the area was transformed into a battlefield of scorched earth and shattered debris, with remnants of their intense clash scattered everywhere.

Carol stood over the beaten bodies of the X-Men. Her eyes glowed with power, and her expression remained cold and emotionless. “...”

Storm, struggling to stand, was the first target for execution. Carol’s body moved with deadly precision, raising her hand to unleash a final, devastating blast. Inside, Carol’s trapped conscious mind screamed in terror, unable to stop what was about to happen.

But before the lethal energy could be released, the sound of helicopter blades cutting through the air caught everyone’s attention. “?”

Carol's body turned toward the source, momentarily distracted by a descending helicopter. Raising her hand, she prepared to shoot it down, but before she could, the side door opened.

Professor X, seated in his wheelchair, emerged and used his telekinesis to float slowly down, descending gracefully in front of Carol. His gaze swept over the damage to his school and its staff, relieved to see that no one appeared to be killed or gravely injured.

As he landed, his eyes locked onto Carol's, filled with a sense of knowing and compassion. "I see you in there," he revealed, shocking her, though her body remained still.

‘You can see me?’ she asked meekly as her body began to move, preparing to attack again.

"Yes," he replied softly, "but I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to sleep for now." His voice carried the weight of his psychic command. "You've caused enough damage already..."

‘That wasn’t... me...’ Carol’s body wobbled on its feet, the glow in her eyes dimming. The unseen force controlling her struggled against the command, but it was no match for Professor X’s telepathic power.

And seconds later, Carol collapsed onto the ground, sleeping soundly. “Zzzzz...”

A/N: 2421 words :)