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Post by jamie on Dec 9, 2008 13:34:29 GMT -4
note: The following events are true. None of the names have been changed to protect the innocent, because it really isn't that kind of story where someone is guilty and someone else is innocent. But if there was someone who was innocent it would be Jamie Madrox. And if there was someone guilty it would probably be Lorna Dane.
I'm just sayin'.
This event takes place backwards in time, when Jamie Madrox worked as a lab assistant type of guy for Moira MacTaggert. It was a wonderful opportunity, though in his rookie days he made many mistakes.
Well, why don't you just see for yourself.
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Jamie was what you call 'green'. Sure, he'd grown up in a laboratory (literally). His parents had been bonafide researchers in Los Alamos, and when baby sitters were scarce (always) he just tagged along with them to the lab.
The sounds and smells of the laboratory weren't exactly new to him, but being responsible for the things that happened within the lab setting certainly was. In fact, being responsible in general was something new and different for Mr. James Madrox.
Not more than nineteen years old, Jamie did his best to cope with trying to aid Moira in her research, laugh at all the lame jokes (scientists were not known for their ability to make funnies), and in general just try not to completely destroy everything.
There was one problem. While Jamie wasn't exactly a newcomer to his powers, they were out of control. His energy absorbing suit was kind of nice, but all too often he would pop out a multiple at an inopportune moment and either break something or make a total ass out of himself. Or both!
On this particular day however, Jamie had begrudgingly enlisted the help of a couple of his multiples. They all wore white lab jackets, and one of them had on yellow tinted goggles.
"Take those things off," Jamie said for the fourth time. "You look like a jackass."
Another multiple studied the one with goggles. "I dunno, I think he looks like you."
Jamie wasn't taking the bait, though now all the multiples were studying each other and comparing each other to Jamie, who was of course an exact replica...without goggles.
"Look," Jamie said with an exasperated tone, "we just have to measure out three pints of this green stuff without spilling a drop." He motioned to the nearest multiple. "You hold the tube, and I'll pour."
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Post by greenbean on Dec 10, 2008 0:43:03 GMT -4
It had barely been two weeks since Lorna had made the huge, massive, life-altering decision to leave her home, her family, her friends, her school, everything she'd ever known, to attend the Xavier Institute. She still wasn't entirely sure she'd done the right thing, but she was in it now, and she was determined to see it through, even if only to prove to herself that she could.
Stubborn? Her? Nooooooooo.
After spending some time with Professor Xavier, he decided it might be a good idea for her to meet his "friend" and colleague, Dr. MacTaggert. Lorna added the quotes around "friend" because while neither adult gave any indication they were anything other than just friends, she had her suspicions.
The two grown-ups in question were off talking somewhere about the results of some test Lorna had completed after their arrival that morning, and she was left to her own devices to explore. She hoped they'd come looking for her eventually, because she sure had no clue where she was. None. And she hadn't run into anyone, which was both annoying and vaguely creepy. She half expected Frankenstein's monster to come lumbering through one of the doors she passed, but so far, no creatures.
Letting out a noisy breath, she pushed her hands further into the pockets of her jeans and continued wandering the corridors aimlessly. Surely eventually she'd run into someone, right?
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Post by jamie on Dec 10, 2008 1:32:15 GMT -4
One multiple was holding the tube, albeit somewhat unsteadily, while Jamie carefully poured in the green sludgy stuff. That left two others to their own devices, and quite frankly that just never went well.
"Tell you what," one multiple said to the other. "How about we split up. You go make some brunch, I go try and round up some sort of entertainment...like a radio or something?" The one multiple patted the other on the back and it was clear that it was not really a question.
Not that there was any argument.
The two multiples split up and the one heading for the radio turned the corner and stopped just in time to keep from running into a stranger standing there looking kind of confused and lost. She had green hair, which immediately said 'city kid', but hey Jamie wasn't here to judge so why should his multiple?
He feigned left, feigned right and slipped immediately into doing a little cha cha. Grabbing her hands, Jamie tried to lead the dance. He used his most flamboyant voice to coach her. "Come on sister, you can give me more than that!"
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Post by greenbean on Dec 10, 2008 7:22:40 GMT -4
Finally, Lorna thought she heard signs of life. Faint, but there nonetheless. Definitely footsteps. And before she could go in search of them, they came to her.
A boy she'd guess to be her age or a little older suddenly appeared, wearing a white lab coat. He looked completely taken aback by her presence.
"Hey," she greeted tentatively as she moved to step out of his way. He moved in the same direction. She smiled apologetically and stepped to the left, only to have the boy do the same in his attempts to move around her.
Now she couldn't help but chuckle and roll her eyes. "Sorry," she said, attempting to get out of his way again.
But before she could move aside, the strange boy was moving again, taking her hands and... well, leading her in a dance. Bemused, Lorna didn't fight him, instead looking at him like he might be slightly unbalanced. Though in an amusing kind of way rather than a it-puts-the-lotion-on-its-skin kind of way.
"Come on sister, you can give me more than that!" Laughing, she shook her head and tried feebly to take back her hands. "No, I really can't," she assured him. "I left my random-hallway-dancing-with-strange-guy shoes at home. Sorry."
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Post by jamie on Dec 10, 2008 8:36:14 GMT -4
"No, I really can't," she assured him. "I left my random-hallway-dancing-with-strange-guy shoes at home. Sorry."
The multiple let her hands go, but continued to dance a little. "Too bad," he teased while he ignored the whole strange guys comment. "You might have had some potential." Sidestepping her, he shook his booty to an unheard song while making his way down the hallway. He did a twirl, pulled up on his pant legs and went up on the points of his shoes with a "Woohoo" like Michael Jackson just before turning the corner.
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Post by greenbean on Dec 10, 2008 18:30:20 GMT -4
The guy didn't seem too upset by her reluctance to play.
"Too bad," he teased while he ignored the whole strange guys comment. "You might have had some potential."
Totally perplexed now, Lorna watched as he danced down the hall, then did a horrible Michael Jackson move before disappearing around a corner. She just stood there for a long moment, mouth slightly agape as she tried to process that incredibly strange encounter.
"Mad scientist," she muttered, shaking her head. "It's the only explanation." Even though he'd clearly been too young to be a real scientist (well, unless he was some weird child genius like Doogie Howser), she clung to that as the reason for the boy's strange behavior.
Shaking her head, Lorna turned and kept walking in the direction she'd been headed. Hopefully the next person she ran into wouldn't be so... random.
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Post by jamie on Dec 11, 2008 2:47:52 GMT -4
One multiple passed the other with not more than a nod in the hallway. It never occurred to him to ask why the other one was dancing around like a freaking loon. He simply sidestepped, nodded politely with baited breath, and waited for the freakjob to get out of the way.
Holding a tray with several sandwiches, the multiple had to stick to the course. Nothing could sway him from his mission of bringing these dainties to the hungry lab crew. Not even seeing an unfamiliar green haired visitor standing in the middle of the hallway.
"Excuse me," he muttered politely to the hottie as he made his way past with the tray. Then he stopped and looked at her quizzically.
"Are you lost?"
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Post by greenbean on Dec 11, 2008 7:16:08 GMT -4
Lorna was still shaking her head when the strange guy reappeared. But he'd stopped dancing and was now... carrying a tray of food? But how... When... What...
"Excuse me," he muttered politely as he made his way past with the tray. She blinked at him.
How the hell had he done that? Disappeared and reappeared seconds later with a whole tray of sandwiches??
Maybe be was a speedster. Or teleporter. Or... maybe the sandwiches had been in a nearby room and he'd just danced off to pick them up...? Or...
"Are you lost?"
Once again, Lorna blinked at him. Ooooookay, he also went from flamboyant ballroom dancer wannabe to your average, normal guy in the blink of an eye. So weird.
"Uh, not so much lost as exploring... and not knowing where I am," she offered with a lopsided smile and a shrug. "I'm Lorna, by the way. I'm here visiting with Professor Xavier."
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Post by jamie on Dec 15, 2008 8:19:39 GMT -4
The girl looked at him with the weirdest of looks before she answered.
"Uh, not so much lost as exploring... and not knowing where I am."
Okayyy. The multiple just nodded with mock empathy and tried his best to make it look like he understood what she meant by not being lost but not knowing where she was. It was a weird thing to suddenly find yourself on a remote island and not have done that on purpose. But then again, this was coming from a guy who was just a copy of another guy.
"I'm Lorna, by the way. I'm here visiting with Professor Xavier."
"Ohhhh," the multiple said with genuine understanding now. He balanced the tray and reached out with his free hand. "Jamie. Welcome to Muir Island. Hey, let me deliver these real quick and I'll be right back." He held up one hand, index finger raised. "One minute?"
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Post by greenbean on Dec 16, 2008 9:28:24 GMT -4
"Ohhhh," the guy said. Lorna watched with some apprehension as he precariously balanced the tray in one hand while reaching out to her with the other. She grasped it with a smile and shook it in greeting. "Jamie. Welcome to Muir Island. Hey, let me deliver these real quick and I'll be right back."
Shrugging, Lorna nodded. Why not? It seemed like she'd finally found someone more or less her own age to talk to. And it didn't hurt that he was kinda cute. Not drop-dead-gorgeous cute, but definitely boy-next-door-cute. And that never hurt in terms of guy friends.
"One minute?"
"Sure, no problem," she assured him with a lopsided smile, tucking her hair behind her ear - out of habit more than necessity. "I don't have anywhere I need to be."
Leaning against the wall to wait, Lorna stared up at the ceiling, looking at absolutely nothing, just letting her mind rest. It had been a whirlwind the past couple of weeks, and she hadn't yet had a chance to really take a moment to breathe.
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Post by jamie on Dec 17, 2008 14:40:21 GMT -4
"Not like there's a lot of places to be around here," the multiple said confidentially. Then held up his hand one last time to make sure that she knew she was supposed to wait, and hurried back to the lab. He had to tell Jamie about this one. It had been a while since they'd had any visitors at all, let alone someone his own age of the female persuasion.
Not more than a ten seconds after he disappeared around the corner, the dancing multiple reappeared at the opposite far end of the hall, did a sweet little move, and moon walked out of sight again.
A second later, Jamie was standing there. "Well hello there," he said with a grin.
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Post by greenbean on Dec 17, 2008 18:19:14 GMT -4
"Not like there's a lot of places to be around here," [Jamie] said confidentially.
Lorna grinned at him and watched him head off with his tray of sandwiches, nodding confirmation that she'd stay where she was. He seemed nice enough, despite the weird dancing earlier.
And speaking of dancing...
Blinking stupidly, she turned and watched as Jamie reappeared - at the other end of the hall. Her brow wrinkled as she watched him do a little dance, then disappear.
"How -" she started to call after him, but was interrupted by a voice behind her.
"Well hello there," [Jamie] said with a grin.
Lorna looked from the boy in front of her to the hallway she could have sworn she'd just seen him dance off into, and then back again. "But you..." She shook her head in confusion, eyeing Jamie warily. Right, he had to be a mutant. It was the only answer.
"Okay, what's your trick, Twinkletoes? Speedster? Teleporter?"
Because she knew she wasn't imagining seeing him in two very different places almost at the same time. There had to be some logical explanation.
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Post by jamie on Dec 19, 2008 12:55:22 GMT -4
Jamie hadn't really given thought to the fact that this girl didn't know about his mutation, or to the fact that she might actually be confused by what she was seeing until he saw her blinking and looking at him with great confusion. Then she kind of narrowed her eyes and cut to the chase. "Okay, what's your trick, Twinkletoes? Speedster? Teleporter?"
He was stuck on number one. "Twinkletoes?" What the heck was she trying to say? He shook his head. "I promise you," he said, "I'm not light in the loafers." He liked girls. "I just get cooped up in the lab too long, and...well..." He looked around. "Moira is all right and all, but she isn't really all that hooked into our generation, if you know what I'm saying."
Jamie shrugged. "Anyhoo...so you're visiting with Professor Xavier, eh? How's that whole thing working out? I hear there are a lot of...well, there's other kids who can..." He wasn't sure if Lorna was a mutant, but now he was staring at her hair. "Other kids with colored hair and stuff."
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Post by greenbean on Dec 19, 2008 13:57:11 GMT -4
"Twinkletoes?"
Lorna arched an eyebrow at him as if to say, well, duh. Show off dance moves like that, and you got yourself a nickname. Only seemed fair, in her books.
"I promise you," he said, "I'm not light in the loafers."
She wasn't convinced, but whatever. Didn't matter. He was messing with her, and she wasn't impressed that he didn't seem to want to come clean with her.
"I just get cooped up in the lab too long, and...well..."
Looking at him expectantly, Lorna crossed her arms, cocking her head slightly to one side.
"Moira is all right and all, but she isn't really all that hooked into our generation, if you know what I'm saying."
Well... no, she supposed Dr. McTaggert wouldn't be particularly... hooked in. She'd seemed very nice, though.
"Anyhoo...so you're visiting with Professor Xavier, eh? How's that whole thing working out? I hear there are a lot of...well, there's other kids who can..."
Again, the eyebrow arched at him, but this time in amusement. Her lips quirked, fighting a smirk as she watched his gaze land on her hair. Huh. It had taken him more time than most to focus on her obvious Freak Sign. Even people who just thought it was a dye job gave her weird looks for it. Maybe Jamie was all right...
"Other kids with colored hair and stuff."
Snorting out a soft laugh through her nose, Lorna let the smile she'd been fighting break through, and she shook her head. "Smooth," she said dryly, unable to resist the urge to tease him. "And oh-so-subtle. Nice work."
Lorna rolled her eyes in amusement and shook her head slightly. "But yeah, the Professor's got a bit of a school going now, for kids with colored hair and stuff. I'm just the newest freak in his side show."
She cocked her head at him again. "You didn't answer my question, though," Lorna pointed out. "What's your trick? Obviously you've got one, because no 'normal'," she added finger quotes around the word, "person can move from one spot to another that fast."
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Post by jamie on Dec 28, 2008 23:15:11 GMT -4
"But yeah, the Professor's got a bit of a school going now, for kids with colored hair and stuff. I'm just the newest freak in his side show."
Jamie nodded. He'd met the Professor a couple of times. Pretty cool guy, but it was freaky weird to talk to someone who could read your mail. Yeah sure, he said he didn't do that kind of thing without your permission. But how would anyone know?
And there was some stuff that went on upstairs that Jamie didn't really want anyone to find out about.
"You didn't answer my question, though," Lorna pointed out, interrupting his thoughts. "What's your trick? Obviously you've got one, because no 'normal'," she added finger quotes around the word, "person can move from one spot to another that fast."
Sure he could have answered her. It was only fair after all, she told him that she had green hair. Wait a minute...he found that out all by himself! "Secret...passageways?" His voice tipped high at the end. "You know how the Scots are with their secret passageways."
So what was a little fun?
"Okay, guess," he said after a brief pause.
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