The Strays

File One: Recruitment

"I hate to say it guys, but I think mutant registration has made it," Kitty Pryde said as she sat in front of the computer terminal.

"What do you mean," Scott Summers, Headmaster for Xavier's School for the Gifted. "The United States still hasn't passed that law."

"True darling," Emma Frost, Headmistress and CEO of Frost Enterprises, said. "But unfortunately the information revolution means that the government doesn't have to."

Emma gestured to Kitty. Kitty, with a look of disgust at the idea of Emma telling her what to do, pulled up an internet page. It was titled "The International On-Line Mutant Registry". Beneath it were the options "Search for a name", "Add Name", and "Report Name for Investigation". "It can be accessed in five different languages," Kitty said with distaste dripping from her mouth. "You can search by a number of different terms including location, power, alphabet, social status, and reporter."

"Reporter?" asked Scott.

"Whether or not the named mutant reported themselves or someone else reported them," Kitty explained. "Though most of them are reported by others, many mutants have reported themselves."

"Not all of them are mutants though," Emma added. All attention shifted to her. She expounded, "I checked on some of them names, random sampling really, and found one of them is not a mutant." She typed a name in for a search. "Mr. Steven Nyguen is not a mutant. I did a review of his mental history. He has become a street vagrant in Portland, Oregon. His old family will have nothing to do with him as they are all Mutant-phobics, as are most of the others in the area he lives in."

"What's your point," Scott asked apathetically.

"We are in a unique situation," Emma supplied. "He is a young man, out on his own because no one will believe that he is not what he is not."

"Serves a human right," Bobby Drake, one of the X-Men and a teacher at Xavier's School, commented.

"Nein," challenged another X-Man, Kurt Wagner. "He is facing the same challenges as one of us. "He needs some help."

"Why don't we bring him here," Kitty suggested.

All eyes in the room turned on her. "What? Like Kurt said, he faces the same challenges as we do, even though he isn't. Why shouldn't he receive the same opportunities as we do?"

"I'm against this," Scott said firmly.

"I think it would be interesting," Emma said in a bored tone.

"I see no ozzer vay of it," Kurt said.

"I think it's a lousy idea to bring a human here," Bobby said in an arrogant tone.

"AHEM!" came a loud grunt from the back of the group. Bobby and the rest turned back and saw the grunter, Alex Summers, Scott's younger brother, and Cain Marko, Xavier's step-brother. Alex was seeing a human woman that was also the school nurse, and technically Cain was human. Bobby dropped his head and looked the other way.

"Well I think that settles that," Emma said, as if they had just finished their argument. "Now the question becomes, 'whose squad will he be on?'"

A lone hand in the back raised. It was black and gloved. When they saw who was volunteering, all were at a loss for words. Remy LeBeau smiled his cocky smile. "Dere a student he'e already I been t'inkin' be good for a squad, an' Emma foun' me fo' mo'."

"Should we be worried about the type of squad you would put together?" Scott asked sarcastically.

Remy answered with only a grin.

The X-Jet landed in Jacksonville Florida, just outside an apparently abandoned warehouse. Remy strode down the ramp, waving for the others to stay on the jet. He flicked away a cigarette. Under his coat, something formed a large lump. He walked into the warehouse.

"E'enin' ya'll." He called out.

"Stop right where you are," commanded a woman's voice. "You aren't welcome here!"

He heard another voice whispering, and then the woman growled back, "I don't care!"

Then came a man's voice. "Who are you, and what do you want?"

"Name's Remy LeBeau, Ah'm from de Xavier School," Remy called back. The owners of the voices were shrouded in the shadows. The strange part was that the voices came from opposite directions; opposite ends of the ware house.

"Why are you here," demanded the woman's voice. It was harsh.

"Ah'm here t' ahffah ya'll a place in de school."

There was a pause. "Its too dangerous," yelled the woman's voice.

"Remy t'aught ya'll maht say that," he said pulling the item he held beneath his coat. It was a yellow collar. It was a mutant control collar. "Where de one wit' de control problem?"

"All around you," called the man's voice with a harsh laugh.

"Remy Unna'stan', which one got de dangerous pa'ah?"

The pause came again. Remy knew they had a telepath so he figured the telepath was relaying their communications. "Is that a control collar?" demanded the woman's voice. Remy nodded. "Throw it this way," yelled the man's voice.

Remy threw it to the edge of the shadows. A hand reached out and pulled it in quickly. He heard it click on a neck. "I guess we're lucky these things are really easy to operate," quipped the man's voice, though this time it sounded younger. The light, that proved the collar was working blinked in the darkness. He heard steps from both sides come walking towards him.

From the gloom came four figures. The smallest had red hair and looked roughly ten. He was holding the hand of the owner of the woman's voice. The woman was in actuality a girl no older than sixteen. Her hair was dirty blond and cut short and uneven. Her face was scowling and cold. She didn't trust this Cajun stranger, and her expression showed it. The tallest by far was a boy, probably the owner of the man's voice. He also had dirty blond hair, cut just as raggedly as the girls', but shorter. His expression questioned, but did not show any anger. The last of the four was hunched over. He was the one that wore the collar. He hid himself as best he could behind the tallest boy. He seemed to fear his own shadow. The two groups diverged a little way's out. The youngest boy and the collared one regarded each other with embarrassed smiles, but friendly ones. The collared one jumped behind the girl, and the taller boy took charge of the youngest. The girl walked in the lead. "What's the catch?" she demanded.

"Well, Remy Lahk it if ya'll come t' de Xavier School, but if not, s'good."

They looked at each other. "So we keep the collar if we don't come?" asked the girl suspiciously.

"Qui," said Gambit with a smile.

"What do we have to do if we come with you?" she questioned further.

"Go t' classes, eat t'ree hot squah's a day, learn t' defend' y'selves, learn t' control y' pa'ahs." Remy shrugged.

The three boys' faces lit up, and turned to the girl when Remy rattled off the last part. She looked at each of them. She nodded, and looked at Remy. "We'll come," she said.

Two mornings later, six teenagers, including the four from the warehouse, and the human boy, along with another girl, were standing in front of the assembled school. "Good morning students," Cyclops greeted. "I have called you all together to announce the formation of a brand-new squad. I turn things over now to Mr. LeBeau, the squad's advisor."

"T'is mo'nin' I present t' ya'll a de newest squad;

"De squad leader, Edith Sloan, Codename; Take." Edith was the girl from the warehouse. Her hair was trimmed even now, and the hair came to just past her ears. Her power was to teleport inanimate objects. She couldn't teleport living beings, they were left behind if they were inside what she teleported. She was 5' 9", and had a lean build. She didn't smile. She had the kind of face that, while pretty, you weren't quite sure if it knew how to smile. She was 15. She had almost an aura about her, one that caused people to look to her when there was trouble. She was one of those that was just a born leader.

"Charlie Dusk, codename; Tender." Charlie was a kind faced boy from the warehouse. He was 17. Looking at him you knew you could trust him. He was 6' even, now with his hair closely buzzed. He smiled at the mention of his codename, one he had picked out. He had a lean build like the girl, but still had some muscle on him. Tender's power was to cause either great pain or great pleasure. It was a manipulation of the pain/pleasure receptor in the brain, it worked on a separate function than the rest of the tactile sensation. In short, he could make you scream out in pleasure, bawl in pain. The problem was that this was tied directly to his emotions. Should he feel extremely happy or angry or sad or elated, his power rippled out and caused the corresponding physical sensation in those surrounding him. It even happens when he dreams.

"Evan Conrad, codename; Eavesdrop." Evan was the young boy from the warehouse. He was 11 and still had red hair that he wore long, draped in front of his eyes. He wore on his head a metal helmet. You see Evan had a perverse power. He had telepathy. But the sick and twisted part was what his telepathy was designed to do. His telepathy was on the level of Charles Xavier, because of how it was genetically designed. You see, Evan's telepathy was designed to automatically cut through any mental blocks, telepathic barriers and whatnot. It was designed to seek out what the victims least wanted someone else to know. Evan had, since he was nine, been privy to every secret of those who came near him. Ever secret desire, every perverse fantasy they suppressed, every lie, every buried guilt they carried, was, in effect, screamed right into Evan's head. Now a day, he spoke only to the boy and girl who had cared for him in the warehouse. They had had secrets, but they didn't care that he knew them.

"Elizabeth Smyth, codename; X-Wire." Elizabeth was the girl that had already been here at the institute when Gambit made plans for his squad. She was 5'7" and had long brunette hair. She was from Whales originally, and still carried her accent with her. She herself had two powers; X-ray vision, and long thin metal wires the came from the base of her wrists, three in each arm. These wires she could use as whips, as tentacles, ropes, and even computer interface, although that hurt. She was an opinionated girl, who didn't really get along with others all that well. Mostly because she was one of the last remaining few that looked completely human. She had a light build, and a curious expression.

"Argos Thomas, codename; Common." Argos was perhaps the most pitiable there. He was the timid boy from the warehouse. He had black hair that was messy and disheveled, as if he hadn't bothered to do anything with it after showering, which was indeed the case. Argos was down right scrawny and standing at 5'3" was the second shortest of the group, right after Evan. Argos even now seemed to be trying to hide behind himself. He fidgeted and twitched. He looked over with a begging expression at Edith, who only made a gesture for him to calm down. Argos' power was strange. There had been some like it, and yet none like it. Argos had the power to sense the X-factor signature given off by the X-gene in a mutant, and broadcast it to all hominids around him. In example; if he was surrounded by seven humans and telepathic mutant, all nine of them would have telepathy. The problem was that he could not control it. His power was always on. And since he broadcast any and all mutation, especially those that didn't have to do with physical deformities, confusion and panic were very common when he entered an area. This was why he wore the collar. He touched it reassuringly. As if to make sure it was still there. It was nice to be able to be around people again. But why did they have to be around him so much?

"And finally, Kevin Nyguen, codename; Norm." Kevin was 5'4" and looked around with a wry smile. He hadn't believed that they would actually bring him here, to the mutant school. At the mention of his name, he stepped forward and took a sweeping bow. There was applause, especially from the girls, until a whisper worked its way through the crowd. They silenced so fast, one would think Kevin had hit them with a dead fish. Kevin was human. Kevin was a third generation Vietnamese-American. Kevin was an actor. One thing Kevin was not though, was a mutant. When Gambit asked him what codename he wanted, it had taken him a while to answer. After several times asking "do I really need one?" he finally answered "Norm," because he was different from the rest.

"Dis'" continued Remy "Be mah team, De Strays."