The Color of Coffee

"Are we always going to be awakened by Little Richard?" Adam questioned as he joined the others at breakfast.

It was his and Carly's first day at the Pit, having arrived there the previous night. General Hawk had introduced himself to them when they had arrived and had asked them to go see him in the morning.

"Not always," Todd answered. "Sometimes they play other songs."

"Do we always have to get up so early?" Carly asked as she, too, walked into the room. "Because if so I'm going to have to get an alarm clock. I don't want to be startled into falling off the bed again."

"That thump was you?" Pietro laughed.

"Yes it was. And I am not proud. And it wasn't that loud."

"Sweetie, it really was." Adam concurred.

"Whatever. Why does the General want to see us?" she moved onto the next question, refusing to get into the usual 'was not, was too' fight.

"I'm sure he wants to welcome you to the base, inform you of the rules, have you choose your primary responsibility caretaker, the usual," Shipwreck answered.

"Primary responsibility caretaker?" the two new recruits questioned in unison.

"Yeah. The adult in the group that is considered most responsible for us," Todd answered.

"And is also punished when you do something wrong," Althea added. "Consider that extra incentive not to get into trouble."

"I think we made a mistake," Carly moaned. She turned to the adults. "Why do you get punished for what we do?"

"Because we're responsible for you."

"And we have to choose?"

"Or have one chosen for you."

"This is just wrong on so many levels. There is only so much you can do for kids. You can't control their every move, their every decision. You can only teach them right from wrong and hope they make you proud. To be held responsible for their decisions is just wrong. Just so very wrong."

"I think she's trying to say that it's wrong," Adam smirked.

"It is wrong."

"That's just the way things are here, get used to it," Low Light ordered.

A short time later the Misfits took Adam and Carly to General Hawk's office leaving the adults alone.

"I think we made a mistake," Low Light repeated Carly's earlier words. "She's nuts."

"And the rest of our kids aren't?" Shipwreck countered.

"That kind of makes you wonder who's more insane. Them or the ones who willingly take care of them."

In Hawk's office, the General had just finished explaining the rules to the two new kids. "Are there any questions?"

"Actually, I do have one," Carly answered after a moment of thought. "Is there a suggestion box for the reveille thing? Like, where we can put in requests? Waking up to Sinatra would be nice. Or Aerosmith."

"Or…"

"Finish your thought and get smacked," the dark-haired girl threatened. "No one wants to wake up to Ethel Merman."

"We can take that into consideration," Hawk conceded. "Anything else?"

"What's this about punishing the adults for the kids mistakes? I don't like that."

"However, that's the way things work on this base."

"That doesn't mean I can't complain about it," Carly grinned.

"I thought that the adults all raised the kids together…with the obvious exception of Shipwreck's biological kids," Adam commented.

"We find it's beneficial for you all to have one-on-one role models," Hawk explained. "It helps cut down on mishaps."

"And we get to decide who our 'primary responsibility caretaker' will be?"

"'Primary responsibility caretaker'?" He shook his head then continued. "Yes, I guess you do."

"Do we have to choose right away? Can we think about this?" Carly asked.

"As long as you don't do more of those interviews, yes. I don't think that anyone can handle more of those."

"We won't interview, we promise," Adam agreed. "I don't think we can handle another session so soon either. Though I can say, as long as it's not one of the adults from the X-Men, I'm happy with anyone you guys choose."

"Good."

"I'm not. I'm not that easy," Carly grumbled. "Besides, I don't really think it's a good idea to pair him with Shipwreck, who I know he'll pick. Think of it, Shipwreck, Pietro, and Adam all in one little 'family.' That's enough to give you nightmares."

"Very funny," Adam griped.

"I think so."

An hour and a half later, the tour of the base was nearing its conclusion. After their meeting, Hawk had asked the other Misfits to give the new recruits a tour of their new home and they had happily agreed.

"And we once again end in the kitchen," Althea stated as they entered the strangely empty kitchen.

"You know, this is too good of an opportunity to waste," Todd commented with a smile as he headed toward the pantry.

"What opportunity?" Carly asked, sensing trouble.

"To have the best coffee you'll ever taste," Althea grinned.

"Is it Decaf?"

"No."

"This is a bad idea," Carly mumbled, warning bells going off in her head. Her suspicions were confirmed only a short time later after she noticed what she had termed 'caffeine overload eyes.' "I'm not getting involved," she announced, leaving the kitchen. "I'm just so glad I don't drink coffee."

A short time later she came across a crabby Beach Head (and, really, is there any other kind?) near the obstacle course. Upon seeing her he rolled his yes. "Now why are you running around free?" he grumbled.

"The tour was over," she answered with a grin. "I'm Carly…and you would be?"

"Someone who doesn't you here," he replied as he walked away. Unfortunately for him, she chose to follow him.

"Dude, you're gonna have to narrow that down a bit. I know a lot of people who feel that way."

"Why are you following me?"

"Why are you leaving? I'm only trying to hold a friendly conversation."

"Look…Carly, I don't think that you or the others should be here. This is a military base for crying out loud!"

"I know that. I find it highly irregular as well, but that doesn't change the fact that we're here and you have to deal with us. Just suck it up and get used to it. It'll make your life a whole lot easier."

"I'll be sure to take that under advisement," was the sarcastic reply.

"Will you be my daddy?" Carly asked him.

"Excuse me?"

"We, Adam and I, are apparently supposed to choose someone to act as a primary parent and I haven't decided yet. I kind of like you, so I thought I'd ask."

"It's never going to happen," he answered. "Why am I even talking to you?"

"You have nothing better to do."

"Carly, there you are! Have you seen the others?" Roadblock called out as he rushed up to them.

"What'd they do now?" Beach Head groaned.

"Last time I saw them they were drinking coffee in the kitchen," Carly answered.

"You didn't have any?" Roadblock questioned.

"Nope. I don't like coffee. Pepsi on the other hand, I'll drink. But that's a different story. Why, what are they doing?"

"That is B.A.'s special coffee. More caffeine than Jolt Cola," Beach Head grudgingly explained. "And it has a worse effect on mutants. They get more than just a little wired."

"The others are missing. We've been able to round up a few of them, Xi, Todd, Althea, and Fred. They stayed in the Mess Hall, but the others disappeared."

"Is it just me or is everything getting a lot brighter?" Beach Head asked, looking around where everything was, indeed, getting brighter in color.

"FYI, this is what I warned you about yesterday," Carly commented. "Bad things happen when everything gets brighter."

"What bad things?"

"That," the girl pointed behind him.

The two Joes turned around and saw a naked Adam skipping through the base singing Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."

"That is Adam when he's had caffeine. He has a tendency to be come a nudist. And sing. The singing is worse than the nudity."

"We've really got to stop B.A. from making that coffee," Beach Head groaned. "I'm starting to think he's worse than the kids."

"Okay, maybe I was wrong," Cover Girl said later that night. "Carly is the one we don't have to worry about. At least she won't drink the coffee."

"And she's keeping the others amused throughout their meltdown so this may actually work out," Low Light grinned.

"What are they doing, anyway?" Shipwreck asked.

"I'm not really sure, but they're all quiet. Just count your blessings."

"All right, they're all zonked," Carly said entering the kitchen. "They shouldn't be giving anyone trouble until tomorrow."

"What'd you do to them?" Shipwreck asked her.

"I don't want to say because you might not approve."

"They're not wrecking anything so we're pretty much happy," Roadblock pointed out.

"Sleeping pills are wonderful things," she explained sheepishly.

"How come we never thought of doing that?" Shipwreck questioned rhetorically.

"They'll be out for the night," Carly observed. "I say we should take this opportunity to find the coffee and destroy it. Who agrees?"

The next few hours were spent trying to get rid of the coffee.

Okay, not one of my better ones, but a different plot bunny hit me half way through writing this one and made me forget most of what I had planned for this one…so the next one should, I hope, be better.