Issue #12

(Ranking!!!!!!!!)

Jack woke up in his bed with all the clothes he wore yesterday on and a massive headache the next day. Christian insisted on drinking a bunch of the wine in Emma's cellar and had dragged Jack along to drink with him. Being his first time having alcohol, Jack quickly got drunk before blacking out. The teen could not even remember how he got back to his bed. He slept in a different building after all.

Figuring that Emma was still sleeping and Christian was still blacked out, Jack went down to the training room and started sparing with the bots down there.

These robots that Emma had provided were more advanced than anything Jack had seen before. Each of them could mimic a certain fighting style to different degrees from Novice to Apprentice to Adept to Expert to Master.

Jack could take on the Novice Rank by only using his passive powers to take it down. By using his various powers, he could take on several robots of the Adept rank or a single Expert rank. The only rank he was unable to beat, even with his full skills was the Master rank.

Jack spent an hour knocking robots all over the room before he got done with his morning exercise. After taking a shower and eating breakfast, Jack went over to Emma's place. When he arrived, he was surprised to see that Christian had already left.

"Our father wanted to see him about something so he left first thing this morning. So it is just me and you today. After our usual training, you won't be able to rest. I have another task for you to complete."

Jack nodded and didn't think too much about it. He figured it would just be a practical lesson or something similar. He already had to go to a ballroom dancing class two days prior and get the approval of several dancers and the teachers.

The focus of their psychic training that morning was on leadership and combat tactics. The days of the team approaching were getting closer and closer so Emma had to make sure Jack was ready to lead the team properly.

After the lesson was over, Emma brought Jack into one of the guest rooms. On the bed was an African-American woman lying asleep. It seemed that their entrance had not disturbed her sleep.

"This person..." Emma said gesturing to the woman on the bed "is Astrid Bloom. She was the first mutant I met, the first telepath I met, my first friend in college, my roommate, and my first teacher in how to use my powers to their fullest degree. She is also in a coma because of me."

Jack was shocked by this explanation but knew Emma would not just show him a victim of hers just to brag. There had to be a reason behind it.

"This girl had a few... mental issues. Some would call her evil. Some would call her a sociopath. I would call her what happens when one lets their power control them.

When she was 14 years old, she psychically controlled her 5-year-old sister to murder their parents while the two were sleeping. This caused the young girl to be institutionalized.

She also tried to break up my boyfriend and me and isolate me from all my friends and family so I would be dependent on her before trapping me in her subconscious until I forcefully broke out but let's say the first reason is why she is this way. The whole framing sister for killing parents thing."

"Wh... why did she kill her parents?"

"She wanted to be the only child. Even though they showered her with the same amount of love as before and her younger sister loved her dearly, she could not bear to share her parents."

The way Jack looked at Astrid changed dramatically. Although he had heard of villains and even seen Magneto in person, everyone he had heard of had grand goals. He had also never heard of any of them ruining the lives of innocent children.

'It's always been them against the police or government or heroes. Who could just hurt others... just because?'

Emma let Jack take it all in before she spoke again.

"I have already punished her. But I don't think any punishment is capable of making up for what she did to that child. So I am letting you decide. Will she remain this way, will I wake her up, or do you wish to kill her and make her powers yours?"

Jack would have felt reluctant if it was anyone else. But when he heard about the crimes that she had done, he found it unforgivable. Jack could never forgive anyone that harmed children or caused them to be orphans.

"I'll kill her."

Emma nodded and took a step back

"You've made your decision. Stand by it and don't regret it."

Jack walked toward the bed and lifted his right hand. His nails turned black and sharpened into true claws. Jack looked at Astrid with even less remorse and care than he did the wolves he had killed before.

With a single swipe, Jack's claws tore through Astrid's throat. Jack watched as the blood began to flow and stain the sheets beneath her neck. The blood slowly spread as the life left Astrid's body. The entire time, the woman did not open her eyes once.

Jack was soon in his world of black once again. There were the familiar white orbs floating around but there was also a single purple orb with an 'X' on it. Jack could already tell what it was. He ignored the other orbs and reached out for this one.

[(X-Gene) Telepathy (Level 3): This is the ability of a mutant gene. Allows for a high degree of telepathy that surpasses most users with the exception of the most powerful of alpha level telepaths and all omega level telepaths.]

After taking in the orb, Jack returned to his previous position and returned to the world of the living. Jack let his new psychic powers go a bit wild after he came out to test their full potential. He was not worried about hurting Emma.

Emma had beaten Astrid's power when she was younger and more inexperienced than Astrid. Now that he was the younger and inexperienced one, Jack was sure that nothing he could do could stand against Emma's powers.

Emma stood off to the side and nodded as she felt the psychic energy Jack was releasing.

'I'll have to thank you once again, Astrid. You taught me how to use my powers and even gave my student his first taste of true power.'

After this, the training that Jack had to undergo would be much more intense but he was prepared for it. Knowing that people like Astrid and Lilith existed fueled his determination to get stronger so that no one could take advantage of him.