Dear new and old readers,

FYI: This story has a heavily OCed cast. For background information or about the general events that took place in the past please skim over or read X-Men: Restoration. This story is the sequel to that one. I believe it is possible for this story to be fairly easy to be read on its own though you may not have the full background on some of the events discussed. I just wanted to let you guys know. Happy reading!

This story takes place five years after Noah Beech returns to a paradise of a future which means overall eight years for the others.

X-Men: Retaliation

Chapter One: The Mutant Academy

"This is a Channel 56 News, bringing you the best and up to date news from around the world. I am Sherry Stine, reporting to you from our studio. In today's news, this day marks the eighth anniversary since mutant rebellion and The Institution conspiracy plot. Now, we live in the years of prospering with mutants. We have mutant integration advocate, Ms. Hope Winters to tell us about The Mutant Academy, the school for all mutants to learn about controlling their unique abilities and using it for good."

"Thank you, Ms. Stine. After the Sentinel attack on the school, there was a lot of remodeling done. It was bigger because Professor Xavier wanted to expand the student body by making the school publically known. He also wanted a new image to go along with the newly remodeled school. He renamed Xavier's School of Gifted Youngsters, The Mutant Academy because he thought the title was friendly and simple. He believes both mutants and nonmutants are gifted and wouldn't want to cause tension or even discrimination between the two. We want mutants and nonmutants to accept each other as equals.

The unique quality about The Mutant Academy is that you are forever a student because it does take a lifetime to control one's abilities. Some mutations are more difficult to control than others so it requires more learning. We have classes tailored to every mutant's needs. The school is open to all mutants…this year we have a mutant studies program for nonmutants and mutants who want to major in that area in higher learning."

Hope Dawson clicked off the television, getting up off of the couch. She grabbed her backpack and waited for her sister to get ready to drop her off. Hope was just entering high school while her sister graduated last year. Olivia came rushing down the hallway, tying up her hair as she slipped into her sneakers. She mumbled something but Hope could barely hear it because there were bobby pins in her mouth. She stuck them in her unruly hair trying to flatten down her curls. Olivia pinned her nametag to her waitress uniform. She let out a long sigh. Hope tossed her her keys and out the door they went. Olivia dropped off Hope at Bayville High and drove off to Kathy's Diner to work.

"Hey, Olive!" She heard her as she locked her old car. She glanced up seeing Chase, a guy she worked with that was in the same graduating class as her. From what she remembered he was fairly bright in academics but she had gotten to know the social side of him working with him throughout school. She smiled and waved.

"Hiya, Chase. Ready for this morning's shift?" Olivia replied, walking over to him. They walked in together and got the dinner prepped for the 8 o'clock morning rush. She was happy to see more mutants walking around freely and the diner was a regular place to meet and hangout spot for them.

"Whoever came up with Maple Mondays is a crazy person." He laughed, after wiping the last table down. They saw a cluster of people filter in. Olivia smirked and walked up to her first table which had a regular.

"Hello, Fred. How are you?" She said, handing him his menu. He nodded in acknowledgement giving her his signature wry smile and concentrated on ordering. She sighed knowing he was more intellectual than social. She had gotten use to his ways and was unphased by it.

"You know I do this for fun, right?" He said peering over the menu with a face set in his sarcastic ways. Olivia raised an eyebrow as he shouted off an order of flapjacks. She rolled her eyes…regulars…

-At Bayville High-

Hope slammed her locker shut. She just couldn't stand her sister any more. Olivia and she were supposed to go to The Mutant Academy once they harnessed their mutations. It had been five years since then. But she guessed everything changed after the accident. Their parent's final wish was to have them go to The Mutant Academy. Olivia didn't want that for some reason. Hope didn't know why Olivia was so against it but she was tired of waiting. She sat all day at school daydreaming of what it was like to be a student at The Mutant Academy. There were mutants at Bayville High but they were more juvenile delinquents than what the students at The Mutant Academy were. However, there were a few good souls at Bayville to represent the mutants who stood up against them. They however don't really like the boarding school situation and would rather stay normal teenagers. Hope liked the thought of boarding school and she reveled in the thought of meeting lifelong friends there.

She was old enough to decide and she was going. She heard the last bell ring to her last day of school at Bayville High…ever. Hope was going to do it. She was going to go to The Mutant Academy by herself and never look back. She quickly wrote a letter and stuffed it into an envelope as she made her way to the diner. Her sister was busy getting orders so she slipped to the back and laid the envelope on top of wallet in her purse. She stopped on her way out and glanced at Olivia and sighed. This isn't what their parents wanted, them splitting up, but she had to go to The Mutant Academy. Just because Olivia's heart changed doesn't mean she had to follow. She rushed out the doors before her sister could notice that she was there.

-At The Mutant Academy-

"Marina, you're so heartless!" April gasped as she ducked from debris flying across the danger room. She dove underneath a barrier. "Rex, I see the package!" she screamed above the clatter of the metal debris falling everywhere. The emergency medical kit was in the middle of the tornado. She watched the metal tornado rip through the danger room. The danger room set up was simple this time with metal barriers protruding from the ground. Richard was in his dinosaur form running away from the tornado, protecting two people in his dinosaur hands. Allie gravitated to where April was but couldn't seem to find her. April grew her hair long and shot it around Allie's waist, pulling her to safety before a piece of metal hit her.

The others on the team weren't as lucky. Zane and Vanessa had been hit and were lying underneath another barrier that Richard had put them under. He, however, got hit and went to his human form. He fell unconscious as the piece of metal collapsed on top of him. The only ones left in the game was April and Allie. They heaved heavy breaths underneath the barrier.

"I can slow down the tornado but only for several seconds, you grab the med kit. This is our last chance. Logan will kill us if we fail this." Allie said as she ran out. She lifted her arms trying to make the gravitons on the objects heavier. The tornado spun slightly slower. April extended a lock of hair and wrapped it around the med kit. The tornado resumed its speedy rate and April screamed in pain as she pulled the med kit out of its force. The kit went flying out but was still attached to her hair. She contracted her lock of hair and she grabbed the kit. She felt that she was getting pulled into the tornado but she felt weighted down. She thanked Allie and slowly but surely made her way to the green button on the wall. She had to be aware of her surroundings since metal was flying everywhere. She gripped tightly to the med kit and pressed the button. The simulated tornado stopped. She let out a sigh of relief.

She ran towards Zane, Vanessa and Richard. Allie joined her and they both doctored the wounds the best they could. They were breathing heavily as both of their hands shook. Richard came to first. There was no rest.

"Watch out!" He shouted, instantly transforming into his dinosaur form and attacking the Sentinel that came out of thin air. He wrestled with the Sentinel. Allie got up and weighted the Sentinel and it fell backward as Richard battered it. April was left wiping away blood from scars that covered Zane's arms. She heard the alarm go off and the danger room simulation disappeared. She breathed out a sigh of relief. Marina entered the room with Logan behind her.

"Okay, you did alright but let's see your doctoring." Logan grunted coming forward to see the two of the unconscious students. "Good job, overall. A little sketchy on the bandaging." Zane and Vanessa were sent to the med wing while April, Allie, and Richard had to go to classes.

They left the danger room still sweating and on edge. They acknowledged the other students who were waiting outside. Allie waved to them, snickering. Vince soberly smiled back. They walked towards the lobby together, stopping to see the Professor before their 'Relaxation' class.

"Rina, is so relentless. Look at this bruise on my arm. Hope is going to kill me, if I get beat anymore. She says it isn't good publicity if your boyfriend looks rough around the edges. She says it takes away from my charisma." Rex said pointing to a huge bruise on his arm.

"Whoah, it is still uncanny that you guys are still together. You guys are always arguing. I'm surprised she still compliments you." April chuckled. Their conversation was interrupted when the daylight filtered in from outside, they all peered through the light to see who had opened the door. They saw a young teenage girl come through the door, her book bag still on her back. She glanced around the lobby in awe and then she met their eyes. She closed the door behind her quickly. They noticed her hands were shaking.

"Hi, are you okay?" Allie spoke. The girl nodded quickly.

"I'm fine. My name is Hope Dawson. I'd like to come here." She said. They all looked at each other and grinned.

-At Kathy's Diner-

Olivia turned tables and she went to her last table of the evening. The diner was only filled with stragglers. She breathed a sigh of relief as she approached the last customer of the day. The customer was a young teenage girl with a scarf around her face and sunglasses on. The girl glanced up at her through her sunglasses. Olivia met her eyes and she gasped. Olivia suddenly saw the girl attacking the diner, demanding money and her skin peeled back in layers and was twisting and spiraling around her. Olivia blinked and the vision disappeared.

"Hello?" the girl said in an in an irritated manner. She shook her head and took down the girl's order. She tried to convince herself it was just a harmless daydream. She walked around the counter and grabbed some extra straws for her waitress pocket. She pinned the order down to turn around to a glass sugar container flung at her. She glimpsed back at Rocco who was working the kitchen. He looked shocked. She ducked as flying cup came in contact with the wall and she realized her vision was coming true. Olivia dove to the floor. The girl was robbing them and throwing a fit while doing it. She glanced over at Chase who was frozen in place. The other customers turned to see what it was that had just broken.

The girl was now standing on top of her table, disrobing to reveal her long strips of skin that covered her. They detached from her form and lashed out like whips. The customers screamed and dove under the tables. They threw out their wallets and purses.

"I'm robbing this joint so give me all the cash and valuables you have or you will have my whips to answer to." She shouted. Olivia's eyes widened as Chase and she shared a glance of terror. At least she assumed Hope had gone home early since it was what she usually did on school nights. Her heart started to beat faster. She looked at Wendy, a kind, old woman who was running the cash register and nodded to her. Olivia crawled on the floor trying to get to Wendy's cellphone in her purse as Wendy was clacking away at the cash register. Olivia found it in the nick of time.

"Here, please…don't hurt anyone." Wendy said passing her money. The girl saw Olivia when she took the money.

"Girlie, get up. All of the money." The girl said. The girl looked so gruesome and terrifying. Olivia slowly got up and pulled out her tips and her wallet. The girl's striated red skinned hands nabbed the money. "I don't like you. Holding money from a robber isn't wise." Suddenly Olivia saw a skin whip hit her face, the force making her fly backwards and hit the wall. She felt searing pain spark through her back and her cheek.

"Olive!" she vaguely heard Chase scream, coming in and out of consciousness. She gripped the cellphone in her hand and dialed #1 on speed dial before she went unconscious.

I loved writing this chapter. Hopefully, you loved reading it. Give me feedback if you liked it enough, especially about the new format.

Sincerely. Anonymous