Issue 1 Downtime

Valdis was walking down a long corridor, not seeming to be heading anywhere in particular.

And midway down it, she'd find Cal, staring out one of the viewports, apparently lost in thought.

She stopped, standing next to him. "Cal, right?"

Cal looked away from the viewport, glancing over at her. "Yeah, that's me. Valis, right?"

"You can just call me Val. I'm told it sounds a lot less unusual to the ears of native English-speakers. What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "Can't sleep. At least the view's good here," he said, nodding toward the viewport. In truth, he'd barely slept since they'd gotten onto the Nova ship, but that was a minor detail. As far as he was concerned it was, at least.

"It is. I never thought I'd see anything this far from...well, home." She turned her head toward him. "I've been meaning to thank you, for what you did while we were adrift."

He cocked an eyebrow, then seemed to understand her. "It's no big deal," he said. "Only did what anyone would've done if they could. I was just the one who could."

"You sound like the others. They didn't sound very appreciative."

"Yeah, well, I'm used to that," he said. "So what, should I be saying more about how awesome I am?" he asked, smirking a little.

"Boasting isn't a bad thing if it's well-deserved," she said, smiling.

He shrugged. "Honestly I'd just as soon forget about it," he admitted. "It... wasn't exactly fun."

"Hard deeds overcome should be remembered in song instead of forgotten. But, maybe that's just me. Either way, I thought you could use hearing some appreciation. I can leave it at that."

"Thanks," Cal said, sounding sincere. "It's... just hard to explain, I guess."

She nodded, sensing that it was time to change the subject.

"So how long do you think it will be until everyone back on earth hears that we're alive?"

His answer was immediate and seemingly reflexive. "Eleven days, six hours, assuming no unusual travel con- DAMMIT!" he scowled, cutting himself off in midsentence, punching the viewport and immediately regretting it. "Ow..." he grumbled, rubbing his knuckles.

"Sounds like you're still locked in with that computer," she commented neutrally.

"It's... hard to break out of the habits," he said. "Ask Rachel... or hell, any psychic, they'll tell you that the longer you're in someone's head, the harder it is to tell them from you. Getting hooked up into a computer like I was is the same thing. I close my eyes and I start thinking I'm back in there again..." He trailed off, shaking his head, staring resolutely out the viewport.

"Gods, I would hate that. Next time I want an estimate on something from you, I'll ask for a rough one instead of something precise."

"Won't matter. It's just reflex. It'll get better, it's just... taking its time, I guess."

"I'll take your word for it. Ugh, my Dad's probably worried sick right now. Or mourning."

Cal sighed. "Well, hopefully doing some universe-saving will take their minds out of all the 'thought you were dead' that they went through," he mused. "Don't know how my folks are taking it. Or if they even got notified, really."

"That's a good point, I guess. I just assumed the school would send a condolence letter or something."

"Eh. I might have taken them off the list. I really can't remember, to be honest."

"Hm. Bad blood?"

"Dunno. Constant conflict and points of view that can't stand up to each other, more like. It's not like I've got anything against them, I just can't get along with my old man."

"That's a shame. I hope that one day you can reconcile. Once our more immediate problems are solved." She smirked.

"Heh. Maybe. I've kind of made myself stop worrying about it, really. Just... easier that way, y'know? Not good to spend too much time stressing over stuff you can't change."

"You're right. Did you join this team because you thought it would be your best chance to do something that would effect real change?"

"I joined this team because there are some things that I can't just sit around and let happen," he said. "Honestly... 'change'? I'll believe in that when I see it happening. I joined this team because that was the way that I could make sure that at the end of the day, my friends come home alive."

"That's still a way to change the outcome of what might happen otherwise."

"Yeah, but everyone else... you ask a lot of people, they'll say that they're doing this to prove that mutants are good, or to help mankind see us differently, stuff like that... lot of crap, if you ask me. Bigots will be bigots, and there will always be bigots. I really could care less what a bunch of assholes think, because you know what? I can shoot lightning out my ass and break a million in Vegas in one night. So the hell with them, let 'em hate me."

"...I guess as long as you do the right thing, it doesn't necessarily matter what line of reasoning gets you there. Personally, I think those of us who can do what we can do were called, but not many seem to agree with me on that point. I've accepted it."

"Kind of a bad history with that mindset. Saying that you're called tends to put people one step away from saying that they're infallible," Cal pointed out.

"Not me, though." She sounded very sure of this. "Do you think I'll be allowed into the X-Men when we get back?," she asked, suddenly.

"Um, you went into space to fight aliens. I think you've pretty much passed the prerequisites," Cal chuckled.

"Excellent. The X-Teams are what drew me to Xavier's in the first place."

"I think that's what most people are saying these days. Our PR must be killer," he mused. "Well, welcome to what being an X-Man gets you. Stuck in space after watching a bunch of your friends get blown up."

"There is no more honorable death than to die while fighting against a threat...especially if saving a friend is involved. At least by my reckoning. I know that doesn't help much."

"Honor's great," he said, "But I don't think that 'getting blown up by a bomb in space' is what most people would want. And 'honor' doesn't do a damn thing for the people that are left behind. You can tell yourself that someone died with honor, and that it was a great cause, and blah blah, it doesn't change the fact that they're dead. That there's a big hole in you where they're supposed to be, and that you know that anyone you care about could be next."