Eclipse
Jericho confidently walked down the hall towards the training room. She had clearly won James Buchanan Barnes over with her charm and savvy ways and she could tell Steve felt left out. Basking in her newly acquired discovery, it became Jericho's new goal to win over each Avengers, not including Steve or Natasha. She knew they didn't really like her very much. Besides, Jericho liked the annoyed look Steve made whenever he saw Bucky and Jericho bonding.
"This thing is too tight. I feel like I'm suffocating," Jericho complained as she tugged on her new X-Men suit that apparently Hank had made the day they began to pester her about joining the team.
"It's the same as everyone else. We're representing, Jiji, remember that," Bobby whispered. Jericho frowned but didn't say a thing as she continued to pull at the yellow and dark blue suit.
They entered the training room and Steve stood tall with another man. As the mutants neared, they came to a clear stop.
"X-Men, this is Scott Lang. He will be your leader on overseas missions."
Jericho looked to the man standing next to the captain. He gave a childish wave and smiled.
"Each of you will start off in the simulator to determine your strength and skill," Steve said as he gestured to the machine behind them. It was similar to the one the mutants trained in back home.
"X-Men, step inside," Steve said. Kitty grinned and grabbed onto Jiji's hand before dragging her to the simulator. Everyone else followed and they stood together waiting patiently. Soon, the globe like thing dimmed and they couldn't see anyone outside the simulator.
"One by one, state your alias," Steve's voice rang over the microphone.
"Iceman."
"Pyro."
"Rogue."
"Shadowcat."
"No name."
Everyone turned to Jericho and she shrugged.
"I never got a name because I'm not technically an X-Men."
Steve sighed.
"Just come up with one."
Jericho groaned and frowned. She was never good at coming up with anything on the spot. Things like this needed thorough thinking, a black coffee, and three notepads.
"Eclipse! Her name is now Eclipse!" Kitty said and Jericho glared at her.
"What kind of bloody name is that-"
"Perfect, Jericho you are now Eclipse," Steve said, not really caring. Jericho crossed her arms and huffed.
"Great. I'm named after a stupid Twilight book now."
"Okay, X-Men, let's begin."
They waited as the machine came to life. The simulator began. It showed a battlefield in a field against a herd of strange-looking robots. The mutants looked around with curious eyes until they landed on their enemy. Bobby was the first to respond.
"Holy shit!" Bobby roared and immediately, the mutants scrambled in fear. Jericho and John were suddenly cornered between scraps of metal and a mechanical robot that seemed very keen on killing them. In a state of panic, Jericho grabbed John and they both disappeared into a shadow.
Steve watched as the two reappeared again out of Bobby's shadow.
"That is cool," Sam Wilson whispered from beside Steve. The captain flinched, he didn't expect anyone next to him. But when he turned back, he saw all of the Avengers had joined him to see the mutants evaluation. He rolled his eyes when he saw Tony offering Clint some popcorn.
"John, for crying out loud, torch the fuckers!" Jericho screamed at him.
"I can't! I dropped my fucking lighter!"
Jericho groaned and began to search for John's lighter. Meanwhile, Kitty distracted the robots. She ran around, sprinting through the metal as they chased her. Rogue tried to fight off what she could but was smacked down with one hit, Bobby checking to see if she was okay.
Jericho laughed in relief when she found John's silver lighter.
"Johnny Boy, I found it! Catch!" She hurled it towards John... Only for it to hit his face. John was knocked back and Jericho groaned.
"Are you fucking kidding me?! John, get the hell up!"
Suddenly, John conjured the biggest fire he could muster and began to fight off the enemies chasing Kitty. Jericho grabbed Kitty, Rogue, and Bobby before disappearing into a shadow, so they wouldn't burn.
Reappearing next to John, Bobby joined his friend. His entire body turned to ice as he began to freeze what he could of the robots.
Jericho slumped to the floor, out of breath and energy. Their enemies had been defeated. Jericho thought back to the times when she was offered to train with Storm, Logan, and Jean but she had denied every time.
She regretted it now.
Bobby and John both fell to the floor, drained as well. Kitty and Rogue tried to regain their breath but struggled to even stand. The scenery around them disappeared, and soon they were able to see the other side.
Steve walked in with Natasha.
"Could've done better, but not bad for the first time," he commented. Jericho glared at him.
"We weren't exactly expecting to almost be squashed today," John huffed.
"Well, this will be good practice for you then. Its good to be trained for the unexpected."
The mutants stepped out of the simulator to see a lot more people they didn't know. Jericho scowled.
"I didn't know we would have an audience," she hissed.
"You will now each be partnered with a senior Avenger. You will shadow them and we'll go from there," Natasha announced and she pulled out a tablet where each pairing was written. She began to read.
"Bobby, you're going with Steve. John with Sam Wilson. Clint, you'll be joined by Wanda and Rogue. Kitty, you're with me. Jericho, you and Peter Parker will be going with Tony Stark."
Jericho glanced to the billionaire who was now out of his expensive suit and in regular clothes.
"Your relocations, if you are being relocated, are in the folder I'm handing you. You have an hour to pack."
Jericho frowned as she flipped opened her folder.
Relocation: Midtown Manhattan, New York City
"No, absolutely not, I am not going to Manhattan. Fury said nothing about being separated," she snapped as she slammed her papers down. Steve signed.
"You aren't going alone, you will be with Peter-"
"I am not leaving Rogue and Kitty's side."
Steve rubbed his hand over his face. He had never met such a difficult person before Jericho and he was beginning to lose patience.
"She's right. I'm not leaving their sides either," Bobby continued. Steve huffed but didn't say anything as he turned around and walked away.
"You have an hour to gather your things. Do not be late," he called out one last time, ignoring their protests. Jericho stared holes into the back of his head.
"I'm calling Logan to come pick me up," she said and pulled out her phone, already speed dialing Logan's number.
Before the first ring, Kitty slammed away her phone.
"No! You can't leave us! What about M.U.D. and the churros they promised you?"
"I'd rather get hit by a bus," Jericho muttered as she grabbed her phone away, only to have Rogue snatch it from her.
"Please don't, Jiji. If you leave, then Logan's gonna make me leave to."
"Oh for fuck's sake..."
"Just, stay. Go to Manhattan for one day and if you don't like it, then call Logan. But please give the program a chance," Rogue pleaded. Jericho groaned but gave in when Rogue gave her the puppy eyes.
"Fine. But I'm demanding my churros now," Jericho snapped before walking away, determined to find Steve and demand her food.
~
Bobby refused to let go of Jericho so easily when it was time for her to leave. It seemed that out of her group, she was the only one heading to Manhatten. Kitty and Rogue were being relocated to a top-secret facility known as the Playground and John and Bobby were to stay put in the Avengers compound.
"Logan will kill me if something happens to you," Bobby mumbled as he hugged Jericho. She hummed in response.
"There's a better chance of you getting hurt than I would," she said with a soft chuckle.
Saying her final goodbyes, she climbed into the black car that was to take her and Tony Stark to Manhattan. When she shut the door behind her, Tony was already waiting inside. He gave her a slight smile but didn't say anything as they took off.
The driver glanced back to her and cleared his throat, causing Jericho to meet his eyes.
"Jericho, this is my chauffeur and bodyguard, Happy Hogan," Mr. Stark introduced. Jericho nodded towards the driver before peering towards Tony.
"Who's Peter Parker? I heard he's my partner for M.U.D.?"
"Peter Parker is a boy I recruited a while back. You ever hear of Spiderman?"
Jericho shook her head.
"That sounds like a stupid name."
"I'll be sure to tell him that, Eclipse," Tony replied, emphasizing her codename and Jericho hissed at the mention of the stupid nickname.
"I was robbed today."
"Of what?"
"My dignity."
*unedited*