Orientation day at Gotham University was a hectic one. Tucked into a corner of the landscape of Gotham's majestic, dark, black sky scrapers, the campus sprouted out of the city in a rich growth of trees, grassy slopes, and neo-Gothic architecture. There was even a small shiny glass lake in the center, that reflected the black graphite of the skyscrapers around.

For college Freshman Scott Summers, newly graduated from Xavier's School for the Gifted, the dark monochromatic city was a sight to behold, and the variety of students he saw swimming in and out of the dorms with boxes all seemed so different from the people he was used to. There were different types of urban kids everywhere and these kids took hip city-style to a next generation level.

Gotham University was an elite and intensely private school that only had room for the best of the class, unique, and serious scholar, which Scott was a perfect candidate for in his own way. In the more recent years, since it had begun modernizing, it became an eclectic mix of serious and grim students and the eccentric city-kids whose genius was apparent in their artsy and unique expressions. Settling into a magnificent cathedral-like gray-stoned building, Scott carried the last of his boxes from his prized cherry convertible into his dorm room, a moderately sized dorm with dark gray walls and white tile floors.

He had chosen to dress comfortably for the long drive and move, in a white t-shirt and jeans with sneakers, a black Gotham U baseball cap nestled snugly on his head.

A skinny kid with a black and neon yellow striped spiky Mohawk and large metal bar sticking through his mouth nodded at Scott, who grinned easily back, taking note of the guy's spiky studded choker, and the chain connected to a spike going through his ear and his mouth piercing.

A girl's voice brushed by his ear as he stood in the hallway, watching the kid go. "I wonder what it would take to convince someone who looks like you to take a fashion tip from that guy."

He chuckled, shyly looking at the speaker, a girl with a pretty face, and ash blonde hair. "I was thinking a nice piece of metal piercing my face would give me the edge I need to fit in. I doubt I have enough street cool like that guy to pull it off though."

The girl shrugged, "You know, you just might be able to pull something like that off."

Scott smiled broadly, but then caught himself, he mentioned, "Do you need help with those boxes?"

He took a few large boxes from her arms and helped her carry them to her dorm, which was right across from his.

The name plate on her door read, "Emma F."

Emma thanked him for his chivalry and asserted, "I'm a sophomore transfer from Empire State, and I was invited to this mixer tonight. Would you want to come with me?"

Scott quipped, "Sure.. Sounds fun."

His sort of girlfriend from Xavier's who had chosen to stay closer to home and enroll in Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning to attend medical school, had often told him he was unexpectedly shy and needed to get out of his shell more, especially for college.

Jean, the girl, was a friendly and popular member of the X-Men, a secret organization and group of gifted people at Xavier's, and was the one dragging him around to be social.

Scott had not expected or planned for his first night to be an eventful one meeting new friends, but he was glad he did not have to do the work as an introvert and that invitations came his way already from this seemingly friendly girl across the hall.

Gotham University was for the kids with something special to them, something like a dark secret, or unique skills, abilities viewpoints, or backgrounds. Scott had not added this in his applications, but he held a special secret. He was a mutant, a forbidden secret to the world, he was born with abilities that set him apart from others.

He was bringing to Gotham a new flavor, a drop to the bright glowing melting pot of Gotham's strange, futuristic, yet old-timey and almost mythical city.

With energy pouring constantly from his eyes in a scarlet explosion after a concussion in his youth, Scott had been taken in by Charles Xavier, a mutant with a vision to bridge the gap between humans and mutants, and with a school for mutants who needed a safe place to thrive and learn about themselves.

Everyone back home thought that Scott, Xavier's golden boy and the no nonsense leader would stay local for higher education, expanding for Xavier himself, but he had decided to travel a bit further, to find a new world for himself in the next 4 years. He knew it would be tough or difficult and especially for a shy guy like him, but he was not like Jean, Warren, or Bobby or the other kids he knew, he did not love high school or have that much fun and involve himself with everyone, so with nothing to lose, he wanted to find new experiences, new people and learn somewhere far away and so different.

The Professor and him had planned and made arrangements for what would be the best choice for him while he could also still work abroad as an X-Man.

There was a crime stopping vigilante in Gotham, the famed Batman, and Scott agreed that as long as he stayed low-key and less public, that he would do his duties to help out law enforcement on the streets. Although the University was sheltered and thriving, the surrounding city was a rumored dark and dangerous place with the worse crime-rates. However, his main focus was to be on his studies.

Having been around the campus and seeing how other students dressed in uniform at the school, Scott went back to his dorm room for the night, dressing in a starched white shirt, buttoning it to the top and neatly tightening a black tie on. He put on a black felt blazer and checked his reflection. He had been given new, heavy and sleek, form-fitting ruby sunglasses with a titanium frame for graduation, that made his usually serious face even more solemn, masking his brows.

He fit in perfectly with the scowling, dark browed images of serious brooding young intellects of the traditional alma mater.

Running a comb back through his slicked back hair, Scott dialed on his silver cellphone.

He breathed in relief when Jean answered, "Scottie! How'd the move-in go? Meet any new friends yet?"

Her voice made him a little homesick, but he answered calmly, "Yeah actually, some girl across the hall invited me to a party, I'm just about to head out but I just wanted to talk to you real fast."

"Girl...who? Well that sounds fun, be a good boy tonight Scottie."

He mumbled, "I don't know, her door said Emma F. or something. She seemed nice enough."

Worry tugged at Jean's voice, "Emma F...Scott does she have any resemblance to Emma Frost? The White Queen, the mutant psycho girl who abducted Kitty back in high school?"
He heard a yelp in the background, "Who abducted me?!" Kitty was over at Jean's then.

Scott froze, and he recognized her. "Jinkies you're right! I thought she was familiar... I wonder if she's up to no good, she has no reason to do anything now, I'm not exactly active in the X-Men right now."

Jean laughed a little, "Did you just say jinkies?

He smiled, "I've been watching Scooby-Doo. It's just a little ridiculous if she's actually still a threat, I mean I think the cold cut good and bad guy routine is behind us now."

Jean cautioned, "If you say so. Just be careful okay sweetie? Don't take any drinks from her is all I'm saying."

He dead panned, "I think I'll be okay, I could probably take on a girl who weighs a lot less than me and wears heels."

"I'm serious! You might not think the whole good guy bad guy charade is literal, but you can't forget what she tried to do to us, a bad guy who tried to kill us is still a bad guy until proven innocent."

"Okay thanks Jean, I'll be careful. Goodnight, I-I love you."

She paused and replied warmly, "Love you too Slim."

As he hung up and put his phone in his pocket, he had to wonder if she meant she loved him as a friend. It was hard to tell with Jean.

Things had been left ambiguously between them, Scott could not bear to part with her, after both finally got around to telling each other how they felt, but he was also trying to be reasonable and realistic, about their relationship ending after high school.

She had not been so open to the idea, and surprised him in wanting to be exclusive with him. They both agreed that that was something they wanted, but Scott had left it open, and she couldn't make up her mind on if she wanted to end as friends or talk about it again the next time they met.

He already couldn't wait for her to visit.

A guy with black hair and a duffel bag on his shoulder walked in and threw his clothes into his closet before greeting Scott.

"Howdy roomie, Dick Grayson." He shook hands with Scott who muttered, "Summers, Scott." He had a red polo shirt on with green short sleeves, and a thin frame but with lean muscle, a little like Scott's own slim lankiness, but a little scrawnier. He was a little shorter in size, and looked to be the intelligent type who found the time to play lacrosse once in a while.

Dick had an air about him like Scott had seen in actors from 50's movies, he sort of talked and dressed like them, like he was from the 50's, but Scott had figured out that this sort of mannerism and culture was to be expected of Gotham's city slickers.

It would have been nerdy in New York but it blended in to this strange and alluring dark place.

Knocking on the door across the hall, Scott was greeted by a girl with large round spectacles on and in her pajamas, her brown hair in a ponytail. "Emma, he's here!" The girl called behind the door and Emma appeared, taking Scott's breath away in a white slip.

As they made their way into the party, Scott said, "You look ravishing. By the way you know who I am don't you? We fought once, you're the White Queen."

Emma looked sympathetically at him and murmured, "If you think I still care about whatever I was coming down from and taking out on you X-Men, you're mistaken. How juvenile would I be to hold a grudge and keep up that whole versus game? We're in college now, I've moved on a little from those days, I'm just here to have fun and learn and think about my career."

He uneasily laughed and poured her a drink at the punch table. She sipped it, "Just so you know in advance, there's no need to drug me tonight or get the coed too drunk, I can do that on my own and you already have my unconditional consent. I suppose that's the least I could offer after trying to murder you before."

"Umm, I'm not trying to drug you, I didn't spike the punch. This is actually good old-fashioned punch. But heh, that's exactly what she said about..."

"Oh no don't tell me I'm drinking straight punch. What's the point. She who?"

"Jean...my sort of...the girl psychic you-."

"Oh heavens, don't tell me you're still with her. I forgot about how infatuated with the redhead you were."

Scott sipped his nonalcoholic punch noncommittally, as Emma watched him with a giddy beam. She went off to find alcohol, which a bunch of sorority girls were handing out.

Other Gotham students in similar black and white suits or dresses poured champagne into beer mugs they had stolen from a local pub.

The guy with the mohawk from earlier was standing in a group of similar kids, a girl with a half shaved head and multiple piercings and eyeliner wearing a black and white suit like Scott's, and a kid with tattoos covering his skin and wearing dress shoes nodded at Scott upon catching his eye.

Going up to the rooftop, Scott gazed around the almost shiny, pitch black marble structures reflected passively in his cold ruby lenses.

He glimpsed a spotlight dimly shining through the silvery fog and clouds, a black bat shadow in a yellow circle.

A girl stepped out of the shadows, "Impressed with the sight? That tacky yellow spotlight is like a tourist attraction for Gotham. That's what that bozo Batman is now, a good for nothing tourist sell out."

Scott stared down at a girl with dark golden blonde hair tied back in high bouncy pigtails and red lipstick on and big glasses on overly-large clear blue eyes with an almost vacant quality. She spoke in a feminine girlish pitch, a Brooklyn Accent just beginning to merge with her words, "I couldn't stand being down there with all them phonies and future sell-outs! All them boys and goirls downstairs, they'ze all just going ta go to become corporate sellouts, the un-eh-ver-city's jus' breedin' em to become the rats that rule Gotham. My ex-boyfriend's the only one with a halfway decent brain that's out to stop em, and stop Batboy. He can't now though, where he's at. How's about chyou? You one of em conformist wall street types?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets, taken aback by the ranting girl, who had started out talking normally and with a professional formal manner, but as she spoke her Brooklyn accent began to spew out loudly as her voice got higher and babyish.

He placated, "No, I'm not, I'm a Math and Quantum physics major, but equally as boring!"

The girl jumped forward, "Brainiac ovah heah! I knew you weren't like them others, you're too pretty for selling out and for maths. You ain't from around heah are ya? You don't seem like a Gotham citizen, you from outta town?"

Scott stepped back slightly from the girl, startled by her sudden movements and perpetually perturbed eyes. "I'm from New York, I got a lot to learn about living here, maybe you can help me."
Pigtails bouncing, the girl hugged him enthusiastically. "If you ever need anythin' newbie, come to me, Harleen Quinzel! I'm your freshman OT, I offer counseling and peer therapy for anybody!"

Scott courteously replied, "I'm Scott, it's a pleasure to meet you Harleen. That's a pretty name."

She giggled madly, "You're a cutie patootie ain'tcha? My ex boyfriend would be so mad if he saws the likes of you talkin' to the likes of meee. It's too bad that ole honey's gone now!"

Making small talk, in his effort to meet new friends, Scott asked, "Where is he now?"

Harleen cried out, "Jail! The poah' bast-ahd's in jay-il! He was what some of them sell outs call cuckoo, but he's all mine and I won't hear none of that! I'm a psychologist intern and I'm writin' my thesis about him, an' boy my man's got so many issues my tell all's gonna make me famous!"

A group of guys in preppy sweaters yelled at Harleen, "CRAZY HARLEY! Get outta here! Quit freaking out the freshmen!"

Harleen pouted indignantly, "Everybody here thinks I'm bananas! It's hard makin' pals at a new school when people think you're nuts."

Scott kindly stated, "I don't think you're nuts. You're quirky, and you sound really smart, maybe they're just not used to how you talk." That's when he noticed the plastic hospital bracelet on Harleen's wrist.

Coming up through the ladder leading to the rooftop, Emma found her date for the party and relieved, "There you are. I thought I lost you to the sorority girls looking for fresh meat."

He asked uneasily, "They do that?"

Emma muttered to him quietly, "Come on let's go, you don't want to be stuck talking to Harleen. She's a little off. Sociopathic ex boyfriend from what I gather, and loads of baggage. We're in the same psychology field, we're both interested in criminal psychology and abnormal behavioral science. She just get let off from mental rehab, after promising good behavior."

Frowning, Scott went with her but retorted, "By standard you're not known as being the most mentally stable person either. I shouldn't even be talking to you."

Emma tweaked his ear and grinned, "Let's work on putting the past behind us, shall we? You so can't help but like talking to me, which is why you're talking to me."

Harleen waved excitedly at Scott and bubbled out, "Bye-a Scotty! Bye bye! I'll catch ya latah!"

Rolling her eyes, Emma sighed, "Looks like you already found yourself a stage 5 stalker and admirer, Romeo!"

As they made their way back to the dorms, Scott said, "It's nice to know there's another mutant, maybe that's why I'm talking to you."

"Don't give me that. I met your roommate, can you believe his name is actually Dick and he is literally straight from 'Leave it to Beaver'? Of all the people you've met here so far, you like me best. Say it."

Tight-lipped, Scott commented, "I haven't met many people yet."

Assuring him, she remarked, "Trust me, it'll be the same way even when you do meet more students, the numbers won't make a difference. You need someone who understands you. To be close to you."

Coming down their hallway, Emma sidled up to him, "Say, you don't think Dick would mind or notice if I had a nice welcome sleep over in your bed do you? I promise to be extra silent. If I can help it. My roommate gives me the jeepers, she's obsessed with cats and snuck some into our room and keeps denying it, but my allergies are bad." She suggestively made eyes at him, to which his face remained blank.

He walked her to her door and nodded, "It's been a good night Emma, hope you sleep well."

She pulled his tie, bringing his face to her lips and pecked him on the cheek before releasing.

When she closed the door, he retreated across the hall to his room, cheeks burning and a goofy grin on his face.

His phone rang, causing Scott to jump back out into the hallway, and noticing the silence of it, seemed to amplify his ringtone in the sleeping dorm.

Strolling outside into the night, Scott answered his phone. Jean's tired voice came out on the other end, "Hi Scotty, am I bothering you?"

Gladly, Scott blurted, "No way! I was just getting in, I miss you."

He could hear Jean's smile through the phone, "I miss you too. This is harder than I thought. Did you have fun tonight? Did Emma Frost try to do anything?"

Thinking, he paused, "Nope. She was on her best behavior, it wasn't an eventful night at all..."

A couple walking a distance away screamed out as something flew at them from the darkness.

"Jean? I gotta go, I'll call you back." Scott snapped his phone shut, replying to the call for help.

He reached into his jacket pocket and flipped it inside out, a self automated mechanism wrapping a black stretchy material over his body, as he loosened his tie and tore his shirt off, his black steel wrist watch blinking a red light.

Tucking his sunglasses into a hidden pocket, Scott unfolded a black steel visor that hugged his sculpted face, slipped on gloves that stopped at his knuckles, and kicked his shoes off as the self automated mechanism spread snug-fitting boots over his legs.

He ran towards the college couple trekking across campus at the late hours of night.

His bicep flexed, exposed on his black short-sleeved turtleneck top, that had a large red glass orb strapped to his chest with thick black straps stretched across his back and torso, as he flung up, grabbing onto a tree branch and swinging acrobatically across the courtyard and to the figure attacking the couple. With feet planted forward, he kicked the assaulter down who rolled away with loud squeals.

She did a handspring off the ground, kicking Scott in the face, as he fell back.

Someone slender in a tight red and black acrobatic costume, white face paint, black mask, and a joker's jingling hat covering her head ripped through the pockets of the two kids on the ground.

She laughed manically, exposing all of her shining teeth. "Joka may be gonezo but Harlequinn is out and free tonight! Fellars better watch out, Batman's too busy for campus crimes!"

She kicked off into the night sky with a large leap, swinging a bag of goods she had stolen.

Cyclops ran after her, his hand wavering by his visor, not sure if she was worth hitting with a potentially damaging beam.

She swung herself from a lamp post to an area where a bunch of boys were playing spitting games and drinking from bottles.

Scott recognized some of them as the boys who had harassed the strange girl he had met on the roof top.

"Excuse me, boys! Where might I find a good chickenhead?! Yeah I'm talkin' to you chicken heads!"

She swung a rubber chicken at their heads, whacking them with a fierce strength.

They groaned aloud, knocking their heads together.

"Don'tcha kna-ow? Underage drink-in' is verry bad!" Okay...so maybe she was a good guy and just had a funny way about reinforcing rules, Scott thought.

She swung again, shoving a spiky metal mace ball into the rubber chicken. Scott shot a beam and knocked it out of her hand. "What tha-!" Glaring at Cyclops she laughed, "Whooo are you?!"

She cartwheeled to him, landing on her feet under his chin, and trailed a finger up his chest, "Strong chin, but not Batman! Who you tryin' ta be?"

He opened his mouth to answer. She threw her hands up, a large bag appearing in them. A thick cloud of white powder flew in his face.

Scott coughed, his nose and mouth stuffed and shooting with eye-watering pain.

It was dusty...it was flour.

Harlequinn danced away and Scott charged forward, coughing out white dust clouds.

He grabbed her, throwing her over his shoulder, but she expertly stretched and twisted herself around him, climbing up between his legs and then facing him, she grabbed his cheeks, squishing them together and planted a big smooch on his lips, "MMMMUWAH!"

Then, she squirted something in his face, "Bye bye handsome!"

Scott felt tickled, all his reflexes letting go and and a ticklish sensation in his stomach and head.

"HHAHAAAAAAAAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHA!" He could not control himself, he could barely feel his extremities, and he could not stop laughing.

Harlequinn grabbed the back of his shirt and then jumped over his head, pulling his shirt over his head, and tucking it into the front of his pants.

She gave him a kick on his naked back, with his head caught stretched between the shirt and his pants.

"Someone needed a good laugh! HA HA FOR NOW!" She saluted and flung herself away.

Forcing his wobbly legs to run, he blindly ran back up to his dorm, pounding on the door opposite from his.

Being let in, he collapsed on the floor, laughing out loud, his eyes watering and body convulsing violently.

He managed to gasp between laughter, "HHHAAHHH-Help-HAHHAAAHA-EMMAHAHHAHA!"

Knowing what to do, Emma being telepathic, she knelt down and touched his head, closing her eyes. She found the trigger in his brain making him laugh affected by laughing gas, and turned it off.

Gasping and gulping for air, Scott slowly got up, body still shaking.

"Th-Thank you. I owe you one."

Emma smiled gently and lowered his shirt with her hands.

He caught his breath and told her, "There was some jokester in a clown costume going around mugging students and harassing them, I didn't think much of it but she got me in the face with laughing gas. Effective defense mechanism for sure. I'm not sure whether it's the gas still or what but it actually makes me want to laugh. She used a rubber chicken too, as a weapon."

Her disgruntled roommate who's magnified eyes bulged in her spectacles was sleeping in a bed of snoring cats, she had a large shirt on with a picture of a cat playing with yarn on the front, and peeked out irritably from her bed. Emma told her, "He's drunk."

Arching her brow, the former villain took Scott out in the hallway to talk, "I was wondering when you'd come running back to my room, but I didn't know it'd be like this."

Scott scoffed, "I admit I judged you for kidnapping Kitty and trying to harm us all in the past, but I really owe you for helping me out tonight, I didn't know who to turn to."

Emma laughed, "Now, about this mugger. Sounds kind of like the Joker, I did some research upon coming here, but one of Gotham's most notorious villains and pain in the ass for the Batman, is the Joker, a sociopath who plays the most disturbing terrorist games. His methods and attacks or weapons don't always make much sense either. Could it be the imprisoned felon has an outside source?"

Emma sneezed suddenly, her nose pink and shiny and her eyes watery.

Scott offered up his army handkerchief from his combat pockets, wiping her nose gently.

She gratefully looked at him. "You do owe me a favor. How about getting me away from those damn cats for a night or two? I promise I'll be quiet."

Scott's shoulders sagged, he did just thank her and promise her a favor.

He ushered her into his dark room, noticing Dick's empty bed.

He let her have his own bed of dark blue sheets and commented, "That's weird, Dick's not here yet."

Spreading extra blankets onto the floor, Scott got in to sleep and Emma shook her head, "We can share your bed you know, as just friends. Oh well, I'll give you time to warm up to me, but mark my words, you will, Scott."

He shivered.


When Scott snuck Emma out across the hall the next morning, he saw that Dick had come in at some point and fallen asleep in his bed, but it would have been late, since Scott had not even heard his stealthy roommate.

Dick was up and packing his backpack when Scott came back.

The black haired boy was talking to another guy with red hair and the two looked scrutinizingly at Scott. The redheaded boy said appreciatively, "Already got a reputation this early! You're gonna be the talk of the semester for scoring that blonde across the hall on your first day here!"

Scott stuttered, "I didn't! We didn't do anything, I kind of have someone back home, that girl and I weren't even in the same bed, she just has cat allergies..."

Cyclops groaned, at the wide and shiny respectful eyes of the two guys.

Over the next couple weeks, Scott had become known as the Man, a title he withdrew from.