"Sarah, what are you doing?" the healer asked.
Cyclops raised a hand to his visor. Suddenly, he felt a blade at his throat. It was attached to a tentacle, no less. He looked toward where the tentacle had come from. She stepped past the curtain; the tentacles that had replaced her arms moved, one pair at her hips and one at her side. Scott carefully lowered his hand, slowly turning to face her. She didn't look much older than twenty-one . Her dark hair was cropped short, her bangs slightly tilted to one side. She was slim but athletic, her flat chest hidden by a white shirt and a torn leather jacket.
— Callisto , stop this now, —Healer said .
Scott shuddered and one of the woman's tentacles ran down his cheek.
"Caliban told me what this one did for Sunder , but you know what we have to do to the human," he said, staring at Maria.
Looking from side to side, Scott took a deep breath and then moved.
Gary Stewart felt great. He felt better than ever. Not just physically, but also emotionally. That serum had increased his speed, his endurance, his stamina, and even his determination. As he trained with his four friends, he sensed what their next moves would be. He countered every blow, dodged every throw. His muscles were harder than ever, and he was fighting better than ever. By the end of the match, his friends were on the floor, panting. He accepted the applause of the other members of the gym, untying the bandages on his knuckles.
"You've never hit like that before, what happened?" Martin asked him.
"New diet and exercise plan, I'll introduce you to my trainer," Gary said.
Everyone asked him if he'd do it for them too. Gary smiled, but inside he doubted himself and everyone else. But not the amazing girl in the floral dress; she had changed his life. As he wiped the sweat from his chest, he noticed a girl staring at him. She was wearing tight workout clothes that flattered her Kardashian figure. She also had a flirty smile on her face, one he couldn't help but reciprocate.
"Gary, can I talk to you for a moment?" Fayth asked .
"Of course," he put on his shirt and walked to the registration desk.
"I saw the fight," Fayth said , looking at Gary as he signed.
"How could I not?" he said, smiling as he had been since the girl in the flower dress helped him.
Fayth calmed down when the girl Gary saw leave. She made an effort to brush up against Gary. He smelled her hair, something Fayth had never done with the girls he liked. The fact that he was looking at another woman besides Elizabeth was also unusual. As Gary watched the girl leave, Fayth met his eyes; they weren't watered down, but there was something very different about them.
"What are you doing?" he asked her, once the door closed.
"Excuse me!"
Gary's smile had faded and was replaced by an indignant look.
"You were up against four guys, Martin has always been better at grappling, Tim is twice your size and you've never reacted that fast," Faith explained .
"I get it, you're threatened, you're afraid I'll take your position as club leader, well, don't worry, I'm aiming for higher things," Gary snorted as he headed for the door.
"Doping detection techniques have improved a lot, Gary. If you try it, you'll be forever embarrassed!"
Gary ignored the girl, walked through the door, and shouldered his backpack. He stopped when the dark-haired girl from earlier approached him.
"I hope we meet at the dance tonight," he said.
"Me too, Tanya, right?"
—Tanya, Gary?
"Gary."
They shook hands, and the scene wasn't missed by a couple Gary didn't recognize. They certainly weren't students. As Tanya walked away, they approached him.
"Gary Stewart's? Hank McCoy, this is Bobby Drake, we're students at Xavier Academy in Westchester," said the shorter, but more robust one.
"Xavier Academy, what kind of aca ..." Gary paused, feeling his phone vibrate.
He looked at it and saw: "Flower girl : It's MRD, don't trust it." Knowing it was from her guardian angel, she put the phone in her pocket with a panicked expression on her face.
"Sorry, a family emergency came up," he said quickly before the two boys could speak again.
Hank and Bobby watched him leave, frustrated by the lack of progress on their mission. They just hoped that tonight's dance would give them more answers. Before they could do anything, Hank's phone rang.
"I'm Hank," he said.
"Hank McCoy?"
"That's right, who is it?" Hank asked.
"I'm Emma, the professor can't come to the phone right now, but he needs your help, or rather, Angel needs your help!"