X-Men Fan Fiction ❯ Return Of An Old Friend ❯ Return of an Old Friend ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution, the characters and settings thereof, or anything else except my own character of Tommy “Turbo” Magnus.

 

Note: Don't worry, I know the ages and characters present are out of whack, that's because this is an AU, so just sit back, relax, and leave the logic at the door. If you start to get confused, go read “What If Avalanche Joined The X-Men?”, also by me, since this actually takes place after that story. I'm not sure how far I'll actually GO with this, so if you like it, PLEASE review.

 

-One dash- designates telepathy, --two dashes-- are a… well, that would possibly spoil future stories.

 

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“Return of an Old Friend”

By J.T. Magnus, “Turbo”

 

----

 

The figure looked up at the gates of the mansion.

 

“Like six months instead of six years…” He thought aloud to himself.

 

`I wonder if the others have changed as much as I have,' he added quietly.

 

---

 

In the garage of the Xavier Institute for the Gifted, the man known only as Logan sniffed the air without turning away from working on his bike.

 

“Unwashed shirt, cheap spray deodorant and… Apricot face scrub. Only one person has a smell that annoying. Make yourself useful, kid, and hand me a wrench,” Logan said with the faintest trace of a smile.

 

“Should've just drove in, shouldn't I have, old man?” The younger male countered, passing the Canadian the tool.

 

“Yeah, you should have, but at least you got this far before I noticed, you haven't forgot anything,” Logan said, standing and turning to face him, “What are you doing back?”

 

“Let's just say… Home isn't home right now…”

 

“Come on, we'd better let Chuck know you're back.”

 

“AFTER I bring my car inside the gates, Logan… And he already knows, I'm sure. I think as loud as I talk, remember?”

 

-Yes, you do. Students, please report to the main living room.-

 

The newcomer narrowed his eyes, “I just remembered how annoying Captain Picard in there is with that… And I don't care if he picked up on that…”

 

---

 

“Oh, no, Turbo's back,” Jean Grey said, smiling to show that she wasn't serious.

 

“Gee,” the stranger said, dropping a duffel bag down by his feet, “I'm hurt, Marvel-Girl.”

 

Jean glared back at him, “Not funny, Tommy.”

 

Lance Alvers, also known as the Avalanche, blinked, “`Marvel-Girl', `Tommy'? I take it you two know each other?”

 

Tommy smirked and snorted, “You could say that, I was a student here for four years with Jean and…” Tommy paused and looked around, “Hey, Grey, where's Scott at?”

 

The looks on the faces of his old friend, old teachers, and the new students he had yet to meet told him he wasn't gonna like what he was about to hear…

 

---

 

Later that day, Tom Magnus sat on the roof of the Institute, taking in all that he had heard: a second group of mutants, criminal mutants, and one of his old classmates had joined and was leading them; more X-Men; plans for even more students to attend the Institute; a new leader for the X-Men.

 

“Kuso,” the dark-haired teen sighed out.

 

--I always preferred Spanish myself.--

 

“I know you do. That's why I swear in Japanese,” Tommy replied aloud.

 

--I remember. You know, you really should actually learn to hold conversations in some of those languages you know bits and pieces of.--

 

“Blame French and German classes for turning me off on actually learning that skill.”

 

--I know, I know, I've heard the stories.--

 

“There's another story I like better, if you recall. It's about this boy who was born different…”

 

--Last time I checked, that one was still being written, Tommy.--

 

“Maybe so, but I already know how it ends.”

 

There was a silent pause for a few moments after that.

 

--Is this place always this confusing?--

 

“You should have seen it a few years ago; Ororo and Hank were in their last years of college, Logan was as grouchy as ever, and Me and Scott were at each other's throats most of the time with Jean trying to play mediator and failing…”

 

Tommy sighed again, “Man, I miss those days.”

 

--We all have days we miss… Personally, I prefer how things are now. They could be better though.--

 

“They will be better,” he promised in a quiet voice.

 

“Do you always talk to yourself?” Lance asked, pulling himself up onto the roof and gulping slightly at the height from the ground.

 

“That's my business,” Tommy said coldly in a complete mood reversal.

 

Lance put up his hands defensively, “Hey, man, don't take it the wrong way, I was just asking, trying to get to know my newest teammate.”

 

“Okay, for starters, my room is private, my mind more so,” Tommy said, his voice still cold.

 

Lance looked at him for a moment, this guy could give Rogue a run for her money in the hostility department, it seemed.

 

“Uh, how about `Turbo'? Where did that come from?”

 

In another complete reversal, Tommy laughed, “`Turbo' is a term for a burst of speed, right? That's what I do. I can speed up my body and mind, the only limits are what I think and physics… For example, I can run at super-speed, but I'm not able to increase my lung capacity or anything, so I only have the same amount of breath and energy as I would moving at a normal speed, so I tire quickly when I do, make sense?”

 

“So far, yeah,” Lance lied.

 

“Luckily, smaller things, like working with my hands I can do for longer periods, and I can keep my mind speeded up almost constantly, the problem is organizing the information I can process in that state. As a bonus, because of the way that my mutation affects my metabolism, I heal fast and I've actually lost weight since my X-Gene became active despite needing to increase my food intake to compensate.”

 

Lance groaned, “Did you swallow a dictionary or an encyclopedia or something?”

 

“I can think and act fast, and heal fast. The downside is that I need to eat more than most people to support it because my body uses up more carbohydrates, proteins, and such.”

 

“Sounds a little like one of the Brotherhood, Pietro.”

 

“Good, I need a challenge,” the tone of Tommy's voice was somewhere between the lighter one he had used to describe his powers and the cold one that had given the warning.

 

“Believe me, with the Brotherhood you'll get all you can handle… I know he was a friend of yours, but even since Scott became their leader and that girl Wanda joined them… We've had a hard time with them.”

 

Tommy scoffed.

 

“What?”

 

“Scott and I were NEVER `friends'. He was always by-the-book, Xavier is always right, talk it out… Me? I ignored the book, I respect the Professor, but I also think that he's made a few mistakes, and I know… firsthand… that there are some people who all they'll listen to is force, so I made sure it's a language I speak fluently.”

 

“Nice, sounds like something out of an action movie.”

 

“If they make a movie about us, we've got problem,” Tommy remarked.

 

“I'll say… They'd probably hook my character up with Jean or something,” Lance replied.

 

“Better you than me, Elvis.”

 

“Elvis?”

 

“Yeah,” Tommy said, standing up, “the `King of Rock'.”

 

As the other teen made his way off the roof, Lance groaned and began to laugh. This was definitely no Scott Summers…

 

---

 

“So, Jean, like, who is he, anyway?” Kitty asked as the other members of the X-Men gathered in the living room while Tommy set up his room.

 

“Well, it's… a long story. Back when the Professor started the Institute, Ororo, Mr. Logan and one other were chosen as instructors and there were only three students; Me, Scott, and Tommy Magnus. By codenames we were Marvel-Girl, Cyclops and Turbo… It's not funny, Rogue.”

 

“Oh, yeah, it is. Ah can't see ya as a `Marvel-Girl,'” The Goth mutant replied.

 

Jean raised an eyebrow, “Why do you think none of you have ever heard me called that before?”

 

“You're agreeing with me? Somebody call the papers, the world's about to end,” Rogue smirked.

 

“As I was saying… Turbo's power is that he can do things at super-speed for small periods of time. Unlike Scott and I, he only attended the Institute for about four years before he returned home…”

 

“I wonder what brought him back,” Jean asked herself.

 

---

 

“Computer, load Danger Room scenario… Turbo X-One, level three… If it's still programmed.”

 

“Working… You may enter the Danger Room when ready, Turbo,” the Danger Room computer informed him in its automated voice.

 

Tommy walked out of the control room and into the Danger Room itself, “Run program.”

 

Obstacles began to appear and Turbo launched into a high speed run, first dodging flame jets, then dropping and sliding under a crusher before reaching a giant fan. Accelerating his mind, he got the timing of the fan and made it through when the floor dropped out beneath him.

 

`Always changes,' he thought, shifting his weight and using it and his speed to ricochet off the walls of the drop like one of his old classmates.

 

“Hank would be proud,” Turbo muttered as he landed back on the floor, “Wonder what the randomizer'll throw at me next… Oh, great… The rocket.”

 

Much like the fan, the rocket was more of a mental test than a physical one, even thinking as fast as he could, it took Turbo several long minutes before he figured out its flight pattern, long minutes that seemed even longer with the speed he was working at. Suddenly, he dropped and spun, catching it as it flew by low and fast and pressing the deactivation button. Then, a beanbag came out him out of nowhere and caught him in the back of the head.

 

Dropping to the floor, Turbo rolled and faced the Control Room, “Computer, I said level THREE, not four!”

 

“I said four, Sugar-rush” Logan's voice answered, “Let's see just how much you really remember.”

 

Turbo spent the next few minutes dodging and blocking various sized bean-bags at different speeds, taking a few blows when they came from a direction he wasn't paying attention to.

 

“Not bad,” The older mutant said, “But not as good as you used to be - you'll be back in here for a couple hours tomorrow, you know.”

 

“Yeah,” Turbo groaned as he replied, “I know… Just remember, I heal fast, but not as fast as you do, Maple-Leaf.”

 

Logan chuckled, he actually liked Turbo since even when he was young and at the Institute the first time, he had no problems with speaking his mind.

 

“Get some sleep, kid, you'll need it,” Logan said before he left the room.

 

Turbo looked around, “Computer, one more bean-bag, largest size.”

 

“Affirmative.”

 

As the barrel-sized bean-bag came flying at him, Turbo drew back a fist and curled his ring finger in tighter…

 

“ERRRAGH!”

 

Impact force is defined as the weight of an object times the speed it's going, Turbo was putting over two-hundred pounds of force into a punch at super-speed…

 

Where he hit it, the bean-bag almost disintegrated, then was completely destroyed as he used both hands to tear the burlap apart.

 

Growling lowly, Turbo adjusted his glasses, turned and left the Danger Room.