CHAPTER SIX : CODE NAMES
"We should think of code names." Raven exclaimed, cutting through the small talking going on. "We're government agents now, we should have secret code names."
It actually didn't take long for Charles and Erik to assemble their mutant army. The CIA placed them in their own lounge room, a pinball table in the corner and a nice pair of sofas to match. It had been filled up pretty quickly which resulted in Evie, Alex and Sean grabbing chairs.
Even though the other mutants didn't realise it, Evie did. They were placed in a prison. Even though it didn't look like your stereotypical prison, the armed guards at the doors and reinforced glass as well as the bolted door definitely made them trapped. To say Evie was a little pissed was an understatement however she wasn't going to bring attention to it because she didn't want to ruin the good vibes.
"Not all government agents have code names, Raven." Evie replied as she slouched in her chair, her badge and gun on the table behind her.
Everyone had told each other their stories and they were all shocked to find out Evie was a CIA agent but they immediately gushed over it after it set it. It was nice, Evie finally felt like she belonged somewhere, like she didn't have to hide anymore.
"I want to be called Mystique." Raven announced as she sat up straight. The blonde had sat next to Hank who looked even more flustered then before. It amused Evie slightly.
"Damn!" Sean groaned in disappointment as he rested his elbows on his knees, leaning forward slightly. "I wanted to be called Mystique."
" Well, tough. I called it." Raven stated as she uncrossed her legs. Like feathers rolling, her skin shifted in colour. Suddenly Sean sat on the sofa instead of Raven. "And I'm way more mysterious than you." She said in his voice.
Everyone who hadn't seen her power jumped in shock, not expecting it. However, Evie simply laughed in astonishment. "Woah!" Alex exclaimed, his eyes wide as he lent back slightly.
Raven shifted back to her human form and looked to her new friend who was sat on the other sofa. "Darwin, what about you?"
"Well, Darwin's already a nickname, and, you know, sort of fits. Adapt to survive and all." Darwin chuckled lightly. He noticed all of their blank stares and rubbed his legs nervously. "Check this out." He stood up and walked over to the fish tank. Without hesitation, he placed his head under the water. After a few seconds, fins appeared on the side of his head.
Everyone's jaws dropped, all impressed with his mutation. They all began to clap and cheer for him which made him smile. "Thank you. Thank you. What about you?" He motioned to Sean as he walked past.
"I'm going to be..." Sean paused for a moment, thinking about what he wanted to be called. "Banshee."
"What do you want to be named after a wailing spirit?" Hank asked him in confusion.
Sean chuckled as he stood up. "You might want to cover your ears." Evie lowered the sound button on her hearing aids in preparation. Even though it was on the lowest setting, Sean's screech still sounded like it was on full volume. The glass in front of them shattered which caused them all to cheer. "Your turn."
"My stage name is Angel." Angel told them as she stood up. The brunette watched closely as she started to fix her hearing aids. With a small wiggle, the tattoos on Angel's arms came to life and started fluttering. "Well, it kind of fits." She giggled as she was lifted off the ground slightly.
"YOU CAN FLY?" Evie screamed in shock, her mouth hanging open. Once she realsied her outburst, she slapped her hand over her mouth, slightly embarrassed. Everyone laughed though which made her feel slightly better.
"Oh and -" Out of her mouth came a fireball which lit a fire on top of a statue outside. Angel smiled in victory as she turned to Evie. "What about you?" She asked her kindly.
"I had a nickname in high school." Evie exclaimed clueless. She had never thought of a code name, she'd never really considered herself to need one. "Detonation."
Alex furrowed his brows in puzzlement as he tried to think about it. "Why?" He asked her, his arms crossed over his chest.
"I kind of blew up the school lab." The brunette told them, wincing at the memory. Sympathetic and amused laughed echoed throughout the room. "Yeah, it wasn't my finest moment." Evie's gaze fell to the fish tank and an idea struck her. "Give me a second."
Immediately, she stood up and placed her hand in the fish tank. She gathered some of the colourful rocks at the bottom and pulled them out. She dried them in her shirt as she walked back to the group. Once they were relatively dry, she placed them in her hands, closing her eyes to focus. When she peeled them open, she opened her hands to reveal the rocks to be glowing orange.
Without hesitation, she threw them out of the shattered window. It took them a few seconds to fully explode but when it did, it looked like a chain reaction or bulbs breaking on a fairy light. Everyone's eyes widened, their jaws dropping at the beautiful destruction of what had happened.
"How did the CIA let you become an agent with that?" Sean asked her in confusion, pointing to the explosions as she set down.
"Well, they didn't know about it." Evie answered shyly, scratching her neck. Her eyes drifted to the young man with the glasses sat awkwardly. "Your turn Hank."
His silence was clear and obvious. He didn't know what to say nor did he have any ideas. Raven shared a look with Evie who shrugged in response, she didn't exactly understand Hank. At some point the silence became overbearing and Alex decided to open his big mouth.
"How about Bigfoot?" He suggested arrogantly, a smirk on his lips. Evie slapped his bicep, silent scolding him.
"Well, you know what they say about guys with big feet." Raven defend Hank immediately which made Evie smile. "And yours are kind of small."
Evie smirked in response, amusement flashing in her eyes. "Damn!" She whistled as Darwin jokingly told them to settle down.
"Alex, what is your gift?" Darwin questioned the blond. Evie noticed his words. Gift. He called their powers a gift. Evie wanted to scoff at it, her mutation was anything but a gift. It was probably a curse. "What can you do?"
"Uh, it's not ... I just can't do it." Alex stuttered, motioning to the room and surroundings. He looked slightly scared, the same way Evie did when she used her mutation. "I can't do it in here." He told them firmly.
"Can you do it out there?" Darwin pointed to the shattered window that led outside. It was obvious he wanted to Alex's powers.
"Why don't you just do it out there?" Raven suggested as she pointed with Darwin.
"Alex! Alex! Alex!" They all began to chant slowly (except Evie), speeding up with every word. It was obvious Alex was getting peer pressured into doing it but they all showed theirs so why shouldn't he show his. Evie shrugged when Alex looked her way for help.
Alex sighed in defeat, standing up and walking outside, the sound of glass crack under his foot. "Get down when I tell you." He instructed as everyone huddled at the window frame. Alex shook his upper body, getting ready to use his mutation. He glance to the side to see his new friends watching him. "Get back."
They all took a step away from the window. After a second of nothing happening, the group lent forward again. Alex immediately noticed and shouted, "Get back!" When they didn't move, he rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
A ring of red energy surrounded his body, the circles firing off in different directions. There was no controlling them which is why one flew straight into the statue, cutting it in half. Alex let out a sigh of relief when his demonstration was over, everyone cheering and clapping. Yet only Hank and Evie stared at the statue in disbelief.
"He just destroyed the statue." She muttered blankly. "We are so in trouble."
With a turn of a button, a party was in full swing. Everyone's mutations were out for the world to see and none of them cared. Raven had cracked out the wine and most people had a swig of it - Evie didn't like drinking alcohol so she passed. While they were all dancing or playing pinball, Evie scanned the books on the shelves.
It was interesting to see the range of books that were there. Murder mystery all the way to romance. It was strange yet Evie like it. She picked up a few, read the blurb and the first chapter. If she didn't like she, she would put it back. However she found one book that she really liked and sat down to read it.
She got six chapters in before someone disturbed her. What made her hairs stand on end was the sound of Moira screaming. Her eyes snapped to the shattered window, seeing Erik, Moira and Charles standing there. Evie stood slowly, placing the book on the desk and joined the mutants watching.
"Who destroyed the statue?" She demanded to know, her body language showing she was extremely angry.
"It was Alex." Hank pointed to Alex, not wanting to be blamed for it.
"No. Havok. We have to call him Havok. That's his name now." Raven corrected the scientist as she step forward, slightly tipsy from the drinking. "And we were thinking, you should be Professor X, and you should be Magneto." She told Erik and Charles.
Moira scoffed, clearly not impressed by what had happened and left the scene. Erik muttered something under his breath and followed her. Suddenly Charles was left, his eyes only on his sister. "I expect more from you."
Evie blinked, trying to process what had happened. After a second, she chased after them. "Moira!" She called out as she entered the hall way the trio was in. They all stopped and looked back. "Where are you going? Have you got a lead on Shaw?" She asked them, walking to catch up.
"It can't tell you, it's classified." Moira stated immediately. The words made Evie stop half way down the corridor. Erik walked away first, not wanting to see what was about to happen.
"What?" Evie's was so quiet that Charles almost missed it, her eyes filling with confusion, slowly glossing over with tears. "Moira, I'm your partner."
"Not anymore." Moira informed her in an emotionless tone. "I've put you on temporary leave so that your secret didn't get out."
Evie furrowed her brows in sadness, her emotions shifting to betrayal instead of confusion. "But you didn't even ask me." The brunette exclaimed quietly.
"It's for the best." Was all Moira said before leaving to walk after Erik.
It was now Charles and Evie left in the corridor. Evie was still trying to process what was going on while Charles gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry Evie." He spoke up.
"No you're not." Evie snapped angrily. She glared at him for a moment before walking back to the group of mutants. In a way, they were the only ones who understood her because at this point, Evie wasn't even sure if she knew herself.
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