Chapter 40: Preparations

After they escaped, Yumhee dispelled all her powers and relaxed her body. The agents and the young mutants all went outside and surveyed their surrounding. The once proud base was now reduced to ruins. The remaining agents started to collect the bodies of their dead colleagues while the young mutants gathered around Yumhee, sitting on the lawn.

Stephan sat beside her mother, looking at the ruined base. This was the first time he had encountered beings like him engaged in a battle. To see his mother at work and save even those people who have been hostile to them, he wanted to be just like her — a Hero. Although he's stuck in this young body now, it shouldn't prevent him to access his powers. His parents were created to become what they are, but he was born into it. It should be easier for him and more natural for him to be able to control his powers.

As much as Yumhee tried her best to stabilize her body, she wasn't able to suppress the pain. She bend over and vomited a lot of blood.

"Mother!" Stephan was beyond horrified, thinking that her mother might have been injured.

Raven rubbed Yumhee's back to soothe her pain even if it's just a tiny bit while Alex held her hair away from the blood. Hank checks her condition as he tells Armando to look in his office for a first aid kit or anything that might help while Sean searched for water. Stephan wiped the blood around her mother's mouth as much as he can using his small handkerchief.

Yumhee gently waved them off. "I'm fine —"

"You're definitely not fine." Alex interjected.

"No, really, this is normal —" Yumhee tried saying.

"Yumhee...throwing up blood isn't normal." Raven reprimanded.

"No, listen. Compared to when I first used my powers, this backlash is nothing." Yumhee leaned her body against Raven and Alex. "Although my powers have properly incorporated with me during my long slumber, my body isn't entirely healed yet so it put stress on it when I teleported numerous times while using my others abilities."

Yumhee caressed Stephan's right cheek. "I just need some rest." She smiled gently to reassure further her son.

THE NEXT DAY

Yumhee was still asleep when Charles, Erik and Moira returned from their mission. But their bickering awakened her.

"They killed a lot of people." She heard Alex say.

"All the more reason for you to leave. This is over." Charles replied.

"Shaw almost killed me if it wasn't for Yumhee." Armando countered.

"If you're not with us, then you're against us. That's what he said Charles. We're not safe, no one is." Silence enveloped them.

"Then we fight." Everyone looked at Erik.

Charles released a heavy sigh while walking towards him. "Erik a word please." Erik and Charles walk a few feet away from them, talking in hushed voices.

"They're just kids —" Charles started to say.

"No. They were kids." Erik interrupted him. "Shaw has his army, we need ours."

Charles turned around to look at the young mutants. Releasing another small sigh, he made his decision. "We have to train. All of us. Yes?" He asked the group which in turn answered in affirmation.

"We can't stay here. Even if they reopened the department, it's not safe." Hank explained. "We've got nowhere to go."

"Yes we do." Charles smirked at them.

After a few hours they arrived in front of a huge castle like mansion. The young mutants were surprised and excited.

"This is yours?" Sean asked while looking at the mansion.

"No." Charles paused then looked at the group. "It's ours." He smiled.

"Honestly Charles, I don't know how you survived, living in such hardship." Erik teased him.

"Well it was a hardship suffered by me." Raven walked in front towards Charles. "Come on. Time for the tour."

With just a week at most of training, Charles does his utmost to help everyone improve. Giving advice and support where it's needed. He also tasked Hank to create devices and clothes for the safety of the team. Although Howard wanted to help, he was also busy helping the military to prepare for the possible war.

Raven, Yumhee and Stephan do their basic physical training most of the time. Although Yumhee wanted to train as well, what she needed the most right now is to heal and rest. So instead of training rigorously, she concentrated in helping her son identify and control his own abilities and teach Raven some basic fighting skills.

"Though limited by your stature, you do have inborn super strength, speed, healing and all that comes with the super soldier serum injected to both me and your father." Yumhee looked at her son seriously. "Today...we're going to start discovering what more you are capable of. It won't be that easy and it won't certainly be painless." Yumhee gently rubbed Stephan's right cheek, an action turning to a habit. "As much as I want to treat you like the young adult that you are and push you harder, I can't." Yumhee looked him straight in the eyes. "Not because I don't trust you nor is it because of how you look...it's because I'm your mother. I might be the person who's most likely to understand what you need, but I'm not the best teacher...I don't have the capability to ignore your temporary pain even if it will make you stronger permanently."

Stephan nodded in understanding. "Then how about this...you create my training program with Charles while Erik implement it? With Charles' ability together with his education and your understanding of our powers, I believe I would be subjected to the least possible pain and suffering." Stephan explained. "And from what I have observed, Erik is the best candidate to be my instructor. With his personality, he wouldn't waver once he fully committed himself with something he believes."

Yumhee smiled genuinely, proud with her son's ability to analyze things and come up with brilliant ideas. 'We are really lucky to have my father and Howard in our lives.' Yumhee thought as she agreed with her son's proposal. She believes wholeheartedly that Stephan was able to grow to such an amazing person because of their efforts.

That night, she immediately looked for both men to enlist their participation. She was able to find Erik first.

"Good evening Erik. Sorry to disturb you like this in this hour." Yumhee greeted politely.

Erik gave her a genuine gentle smile. "Please, you need not apologize Yumhee." Out of all the people he have known, Yumhee is the only person who truly understood his feelings. In the past few days, they have become late night conversation companions. Talking all night about many different things, even arguing sometimes. But he does value her opinions and listens to her advices. This in turn made her a very important person in his life. She has become more than a friend to him. She has become a family, an older sister of some sort to him as she always uses her age and says she's a lot older than him — meaning she has more experience in certain areas so I should listen attentively to her lectures. Charles, on the other hand, might see his memories and feel his emotions but he will never understand the pain. He's a dear friend and he will always be grateful to him. But somewhere inside his heart and mind, he knows that they stand on different paths.

Before Yumhee could even explain everything, Erik immediately agreed to supervise her son's training.

"Thank you Erik. Really." Yumhee held his right hand and gave him a warm smile. After a few minutes of banter, she excused herself to let Erik rest. She then went to look for Charles next.