The Torn One
Chapter One
'Yeah, it's a sad state of affairs, what with all this hate for mutants. But I say that there's a thing common to both mutants and humans.'
'And what's that?' asked the rugged Canadian.
'There are the good, the bad, and the ugly. Now, how about another round?'
'That would be nice,' said the man with red glasses.
'I'll just be outside,' said the young woman with a white streak in her hair as she rose from her stool and walked from the café. She breathed in the fresh Sydney air, and thanked Xavier for having the inspiration to send some of the X-men around the world.
Rogue, Logan, Scott, and Jean were the final group to have their 'vacation'. They were designated to search for mutants in Australia, and tonight was their last night in Australia. So far they had found nobody with the mutation in their body.
So it had been a holiday.
Rogue needed this. Her training had been intensive at the institute, and Xavier believed she deserved the break.
So did Rogue. She watched a teenage boy and his mother at an ATM across the street. They seemed to be happy about something. She thought they were discussing a movie. Rogue wished she could figure out who her parents were. She just had too many memories in her head to be able to figure them out.
Then she saw the group of men walking down the street. Maybe ten men. They all laughed loudly, almost cackling. The mother turned her head ever so slightly towards the group, but she continued to work at the ATM.
Rogue saw a glint of silver and she felt a feeling of dread in her stomach. She turned and jogged into the café. 'Uh, guys. We have a situation.'
'I'll check it out,' Logan growled.
Logan sculled the rest of his beer and cracked his knuckles. He stood and followed Rogue out to look on the scene. The boy stood defiantly beside his mother, who spoke calmly and peacefully to the group.
Logan thrust his hands in his pockets and strode across the empty road to the group of men.
'Is there a problem here?' he said non-chalantly.
'No problem at all,' said one of the men. Logan turned to the young man and his mother.
'Please don't get involved, sir,' said the woman. 'They only want my money.'
'I won't let them have it,' said Logan. 'Now, please go away,' he said, turning to the men.'
'Or what?' said one.
Logan chuckled. 'Or I'll make you.'
One of the men grabbed the mother roughly and held a knife to her throat.
'Let her go!' shouted the boy.
'Or what? You'll make me?'
'No, but if you hurt her I'll make the rest of your life a living hell.'
'I'd like to see that,' said the man.
And he stabbed the mother in the back. The boy's eyes widened in horror. He fell to his knees at his dying mother, and he held a hand to her wound.
'I'm sorry, mom. I'll see you in a couple of years,' he whispered through tears. A soft red light appeared between the wound and his hand.
The boy stood and faced the smiling murderer.
'You'll be sorry.'
Logan threw himself away from the boy as he thrust out his hands. A bright raging inferno erupted from his hands, and bathed the gang in flame. The fire dispersed, and the gang rolled around in agony, trying to put out the flames that burnt their skin and melted their clothes.
Logan looked up at the boy, who started intently at the flames. Scott, Jean and Rogue were beside Logan, Rogue helping him to his feet.
After what seemed like ages, the boy raised his hands to the screaming mob and the flames died out immediately.
'Now pigs, remember what your evil has done to you. And remember that I'll always be there to make sure you never do anything like this again.'
The boy knelt and picked up the body of his mother. He walked with her body to a nearby beach, the group of four in tow. He set her body down on the sand and took her money and keys from her. He then checked for a pulse on her body, hoping that she would still be alive. But no. She was dead.
Rogue walked up to him and put a gloved hand on his shoulder. He ignored the hand and waded into the water with his mother's body. He pushed the body out to sea, and set the body alight.
'Goodbye mother,' he said with a lump in his throat. He turned and walked back onto the beach.
'What will you do now?' Scott asked him.
'What do you care?'
'I care, believe me. What will you do?'
The boy shrugged. 'I don't know. I'll go to the outback, maybe work on a farm. I don't know.'
'We have a proposal to make, Joel,' said Jean, reading the boy's mind for his name. 'In New York there is an institute, where you can learn to control your powers.'
'And how do you propose we get to New York?' Joel snarled.
'We have a plane nearby.'
'Alright, I may as well. But I have to do one thing first.'
The five drove to his home in silence, except for the directions Joel gave. He unlocked the door to his house and stepped inside. He found a pen and pad, and began to write a note to his father. He placed the note on his father's pillow. Then he took a necklace his mother gave him for his birthday, putting it around his neck. He then walked from the house.
He turned and looked at it one more time, and he realized he would never see it again.
They drove to the blackbird and began the flight back to the institute.
Joel sat in a corner of the jet, and gazed at the necklace. He knew he should've worn it today. It had always seemed to protect him, and he thought that maybe his mother would still be alive if he'd worn it.
But he knew that joining the X - Men was the only thing he could do. He was a mutant. And in his community mutants were hated.
He knew that joining this group was the best thing he could do.
It would probably be a bit of fun too.
'So, how long have you had these powers?' He heard the voice and he snapped out of his daydream.
'Huh?'
'The powers. How long have you had them?' asked Rogue.
'Maybe ten years, I don't know.'
Rogue raised an eyebrow. 'And…how old are you?'
'Two days off fifteen.'
'Interesting…' Jean said, who was standing in the aisle, listening in.
'And why is that?' asked Joel.
'Well, the powers have only been known to manifest at puberty, and if you've had them for ten years, well, you would've been five years old only.'
'Yeah, well, my dad was a mutant so that probably explains it. He was one of the first.'
'Really? What powers did he have?'
'He was a psychic. He could foretell the future. But what I want to know is why I got these powers while he was a seer.'
'Well, the X-Factor is completely random. It would be possible that you might never have had the X-Factor. The ability the mutation gives you is anything imaginable.'
Joel nodded in understanding. There was an awkward silence, which was broken by Jean.
'Well, I'll just go and contact the professor. We'll be coming into land at the institute soon.'
Joel again nodded silently. He put the necklace around his neck and buried his face in his hands. Rogue, not knowing what to do, just replaced her gloved hand on his shoulder.
The blackbird slowly came to a halt above the institute. When it landed, Joel followed Rogue from the craft and into the mansion. Xavier was there to meet the five.
'Hello Mr. Hothe,' said Xavier.
Joel looked at Xavier suspiciously.
'Well, yes Joel, I do know you. The last time I saw you, you couldn't even stand on your own two feet!'
'How…' Joel stammered.
Xavier smiled. 'I used to work with your father. We were very good friends, and the last I heard of him he was in Sydney. My condolences for your loss. She was a wonderful woman.'
'Yeah, well, right now I just want to go to sleep, sorry for my rudeness.'
'No need to apologize. I have a room ready for you. I'll take you there myself.'
'Goodnight Joel,' said Rogue.
'Yeah, goodnight guys,' said Joel.
Joel and Xavier began to move off in the direction of Joel's room.
'Hey kid,' Logan shouted after him.
'Yeah?'
'…Sorry I got in the way.'
'Hey, don't lose any sleep over it,' Joel said without faltering in his step.
'Xavier?' Joel asked when he was out of Rogue's earshot.
'Hmm?'
'Why does Rogue wear those really long gloves? Is it the new American fashion?'
'She has the power to absorb another mutant's power's for a short time, as well as absorb their life energy. As of yet she can't control her power, so she wears the gloves to keep the others around her safe. She's a danger to all around her otherwise.'
'How tragic…'
'Well, here's your room. Toiletries etc. should be in there already. You can choose your subjects tomorrow if you want. I bid you goodnight.'
'Goodnight mate,' Joel said as he stepped into his room.