#joshbrolinisbae

     You were a mutant. Pretty much indestructible. You had to be because of your fire powers. It was an accident, you killing that man. But he deserved it, beating the shit out of a kid. Your rage took over you and it just….happened. Took out half of the apartment complex.

    It started out like any other evening. With you drumming your fingers against the counter impatiently. Your TV dinner cooking in the microwave. You blew a piece of your hair out of the way. It had been another long day at work. Of course it had to be rainy and windy today. The wind blew your orders out of your hands so many times, your boss had to open a whole new box of tater tots. Stupid wind. You sighed. You have got to find a better job, one that was indoors. You glanced around your little room. It wasn’t much, your bed tucked up into the corner and only two doors, one leading to the hallway and the other leading to your tiny bathroom, and a bookshelf which had one little teddy bear on it. That damn teddy bear went with you everywhere you moved. Your TV was showing the news channel, but you were too caught up in your thoughts to notice it. You ran your hands through your hair. It’s not much but the landlord gave you a good deal and it’s all you got. You open your fridge to find only a jug of milk and a few bottles of Powerade. You opened the jug and sniffed it, immediately putting it back, and grabbed a Powerade.

     ”Of course it’s expired. Just like everything else in this damn apartment.” 

     The microwave beeped and the aroma of processed meatloaf and potatoes filled your room. You grabbed the tray and went over to the window, opened it, and sat down.

    The wind had calmed down some but the rain was still falling at a steady drizzle. You ate your lukewarm dinner while listening to the sounds of cars and rain, thinking to yourself. ‘Gotta start looking for more jobs, not to mention some answers to my fire skills.’ A large crash startled you, causing you to drop the rest of your dinner down 5 stories. You stood up and cursed. 

     “Stupid damn beer bellied bum of a neighbor. Making me drop my damn stupid dinner.” 

     You decided to give him a piece of your mind. You stomped over to your neighbor’s door, your bad mood egging you on to do something about your dinner. You knocked loudly and hard and continued to do so until the door opened. You gave no time for introductions and went right into the room, your anger causing you to make rash decisions.

    “Would you mind keeping it down?! Jesus, it’s like you think you’re the only one in the whole damn complex! You made me drop my dinner! Therefore, you owe me a din….n…er”

    Your mind slowed down and backed up. Wait. That’s not your neighbor. Unless he got ripped, aged a few years, and added a few upgrades to his whole body. He was shirtless and you looked down, noticing where his skin blended into metal, and blushed. You wanted to touch it. He was actually quite handsome. He looked at you with wide eyes and you were surprised that you could read him pretty easily. Pain, sadness, confusion, and (what the hell?) it seemed like his eyes softened, and just like that, they hardened.

    “What the fuck?” 

     The man glared at you and you swore that one of his eyes was glowing.

    “Got a problem sweetheart?”

    You rub the back of your neck, yeah, you were indestructible but you’re not stupid enough to get into a fight with a damn robocop.

    “Uhhhh. Could you just keep it down? You startled me, causing me to ruin my dinner….”

    The Robo man grunted and started to gently push you out the door.  Still blushing, you looked over his shoulder and saw all sorts of gun parts on his bed, including an amp. You got an idea. Albeit a reckless one but still. You sidestepped him and went over to the bed, picking up the amp and took it apart, grabbing the knob. You walked over to him. He looked ready to murder you.

    “It might be better with the amp knob somehow attached to it. Ya know? So you can change the intensity of the shot?”

    He “hmphed” and you let him push you out the door.

    It was on the way back to your door that you heard a kid screaming and calling out for help and a noise that sounded like bones breaking coming from the apartment across from yours. You busted down the door and took in the scene. A little boy was laying on the floor, bloodied and bruised, and his dad was standing over him. If there was anything you hated with a passion, it was being abused.

    You began shaking with rage and barely heard your neighbor’s door open and the gravelly, “What the fuck,” behind you. Right before you exploded you saw the Robo man run over to the boy, scoop him up, and deploy what you thought looked like some sort of shield. You thought you saw him look at you and nod before you let loose your fire. A huge explosion burst from you. When all of the flames died down he stood up, still holding the boy, who was knocked out. He looked around the ruins, then at you. He smirked.

    “Well….that could have gone better.”

    You half sobbed, half laughed and walked up to him.

     “Well, I guess I should introduce myself. I’m Y/N. Nice to meet you.” 

     You held out your hand for him to shake. You could see that he was hesitating for some strange reason. You waved your hand in front of him and he finally took your hand and shook it gently.

    “I’m Nathan Summers. It’s been a pleasure kid. See ya around. Maybe I’ll even get ya dinner.”

    He handed you the child, picked up your teddy bear, and picked some debris off of it. He handed it to you, winked, and walked away, new gun on his back, and sirens in the distance. That’s how you were transported to the ICE box.