Fred sat on the disclaimer that told you I don't own X-Men Evolution Characters. Sorry. Well I had another idea from "Mindgames". This takes place shortly after the fic, "Tea and No Sympathy." Warning: I am poking gentle fun at the Anti-Xavier stories that have been cropping all over the net. There's just been so darn many of them I couldn't resist! (And Xavier is not controlling my mind!)
The Red Menace
"You should have been here Freddy," Todd nodded his head relating Lance's latest mistake with Kitty. "He went ballistic!"
"Well you can hardly blame him," Tabitha folded her arms and sat back in her chair. "The nerve of that girl blaming us for kidnapping Jean! I mean who'd be stupid enough to want that stuck up red headed….Oh! Sorry Freddy! I forgot."
"Will nobody ever let me to put my one big stupid mistake in my past behind me?" Fred groaned.
"Well you shouldn't have kidnapped Jean," Tabitha told him.
"I know that now," Fred spat out. "What was I thinking? I mean Jean Grey? I had to develop a crush on her? I must have been out of my mind!"
"Duh," Pietro snickered. "Forget about it Fred! What's on the news!"
"Oh no!" Lance held onto the channel changer for dear life. "We are not letting you have the remote again! Not after last time!"
"It was shoddy workmanship that made it blow up not me pushing the buttons too fast!" Pietro huffed.
"Let's watch the news," Todd suggested. "Nothing else is on."
"Why not?" Lance sighed. "Nothing else is on. I'm already depressed."
"Well we're not," Pietro snapped. "We don't need another case of LAS around here!"
"LAS?" Lance asked.
"Lance Alvers Syndrome," Pietro smirked. "Where the victim becomes a whiny, lovesick lunatic constantly moping after airheads!"
"Well it's better than PMS!" Lance shouted. "Pietro Maximoff Syndrome, where the victim becomes an egotistical speed junkie who craves attention by pulling stupid stunts and wearing stupid costumes!"
"MY COSTUMES ARE NOT STUPID!" Pietro shouted.
"Yes they are!" Lance shouted back, standing up.
"No they're not!" Pietro stood up as well.
"Are too!"
"Are not!"
"Are too!"
"Are not!" Pietro tackled Lance and soon the two were kicking and punching each other.
"Well this is entertaining," Tabitha sighed.
"Hey guys you gotta see this!" Todd shouted waving at the TV. "KNOCK IT OFF! LISTEN!" He turned up the volume.
"The mysterious woman stole an antique ring from a private home in Boston," The newscaster spoke. "Some how she was able to overturn two police cars." It cut to a scene of two police cars overturned. One was in a fountain. "Police have called the suspect armed and dangerous. Although a positive identification could not be made, the suspect is identified as having long red hair, wearing black and green outfit. In other news…"
"Are they talking about who I think they are talking about?" Lance said getting of Pietro.
"That's Jean!" Tabitha gasped. "It's gotta be her!"
"I knew it!" Pietro nodded. "It's always the quiet ones."
"So that's where she went," Lance whistled. "I don't believe it! Miss Perfect a thief! You think the X-Geeks know?"
"Probably," Pietro said. "I wonder how much of a reward they're offering for her?"
They glared at him. "What?" Pietro asked. "It's not like they wouldn't think twice about putting any of us in jail!"
"I think we'd better keep it cool guys," Lance said. "First of all, If we turn Red in, we may have to do a bit of explaining, like how she turns over cars and stuff. And even if the cops believed us, it wouldn't be long before folks would be investigating the X-Geeks and us! And then we'll end up in jail!"
"He's right," Tabitha sighed. "As nice as that reward money would be, it's safer not to say anything for now."
For the rest of the day into the next not much was spoken on the subject. On the third day as they were watching the news…
"In Washington DC last night the Museum of Eastern Antiquities was robbed. The four suspects were described as teenagers in strange costumes," The newscaster spoke. "A positive I'd was not made but sources claim that one of them may have committed a previous similar theft in Boston a few days ago. The only photograph of the suspects was taken from a security camera before it mysteriously exploded. It is too blurred for even digital technology to diagnostic. If anyone has any information…" The picture showed a blurred outline of four figures. One in black and had red hair. One in blue and black. One brown and black and one figure with a black outfit and a brown hair.
"KITTY!" Lance jumped up. "That's Kitty! I'd know her anywhere!"
"How can you tell?" Todd asked.
"I just do that's all!" Lance went on his knees in front of the TV set. "Oh Kitty…Kitty…What has Jean done to you? My poor Kitty! I've got to save her!"
"Oh yeah Lance," Todd rolled his eyes. "Jump on your big white magical flying horse and go fly off to rescue Kitty! Next time we see them we'll get some answers okay?"
The next day Lance paced all over the school looking for Kitty. He found her at her locker. "Kitty!" He ran over and hugged her. "Kitty are you okay? What happened? What did Red do to you?"
"Lance," Kitty gasped for breath. She pulled away. "What are you talking about?"
"I saw what happened on the news," Lance whispered. "The thefts! At the Museum in Washington!"
"How did you?" She whispered with fear in her eyes.
"We saw the picture on the news. It wasn't very good but we put two and two together!"
"Lance you can't tell anyone about this!" Kitty said.
"What do you think I am an idiot?" Lance asked. "Don't answer that! What happened?"
"Meet me at lunch I'll tell you everything," Kitty left. "I have to go to class now. I'll explain later."
At lunch Lance found Kitty sitting with the others. "Okay now what happened?" Lance came over. "What did you do to make Kitty steal that ring?" He glared at Jean. "I know for a fact Kitty would never even think of stealing so someone must have put that idea in her head!"
"How did he…?" Scott asked.
"He heard it on the news," Kitty said. "Lance we were brainwashed."
"Well that I figured," Lance shot Jean a look.
"It wasn't me!" Jean said hotly. "We were victims of a mutant who wanted us to steal for him!"
"Don't tell him anything Jean!" Evan snapped. "It would be just like him and that gang of riff-raff to blackmail us!"
"Oh that is typical," Lance scoffed. "When we steal money and stuff to survive we're criminals! But when you go out and steal artifacts…."
"Lance she's telling the truth!" Kitty said. "This Mesmero guy brainwashed us!"
"Kitty you don't have to hide the truth from me," Lance held her in his arms. "I know that Red's forcing you to do stuff you don't want to do! I'll protect you from the Red Menace!"
"Oh for crying out loud," Scott held his head in his hands.
"Lance listen to me," Kitty said. "Jean is not controlling me. Okay?"
"Well if she isn't…" Lance blinked. "Oh no! Oh Kitty I had no idea how bad things were! Don't worry Kitty I'll figure out a way to save you!" Lance took off.
"Why do I have the feeling this is not just gonna go away?" Kitty moaned.
Later at the Brotherhood House Lance had called an emergency meeting.
"I know the real reason Kitty stole that ring!" Lance told them. "Her mind was being controlled!"
"We know that Lance," Todd rolled his eyes. "Some mutant named Messy-muro or something."
"Please!" Lance shook his head. "There's only one guy on earth with the brain big enough to do that! Xavier!"
"Here we go," Fred sighed.
"Think about it," Lance said. "How else can he afford a fancy mansion like that and all that cool stuff? It's the only explanation!"
"Other than his parents were wealthier than the Rockefellers," Pietro sighed. "And seeing he's psychic he probably has a good idea about what's hot in the stock market."
"It's gotta be Xavier!" Lance paced back and forth. "Oh no! I just thought of something! He could be preparing to control our minds at any moment!"
"Well in that case Lance you have nothing to worry about," Tabitha sighed. "Seeing as you have no mind of your own! Will you people take a minute to think about this logically? Now if Xavier really wanted to use his kids for committing crimes why would he make such a big deal about me doing it?"
"Cause you got caught?" Todd blinked.
"Hello!" Tabitha groaned. "If he wanted mutants to steal he would have grabbed you and Pietro as well!"
"This is true," Pietro nodded. "I mean let's face it. Toad and I are the best sneaks in town! There's nothing we can't steal!"
"What about that grand piano you wanted?" Todd said. "We didn't have any luck with that!"
"That was an exception," Pietro told him. "I didn't really want it anyway!"
"What?" Lance looked at them.
"Don't ask," Todd grumbled. "But Tabby does have a point."
"Please Xavier is not the type of guy who wants to use mutants to steal stuff to get power," Tabitha told them.
"Listen to Tabitha she's making sense," Fred said.
"Anyone with half a brain can figure out that it's really Jean who's running the show!" Tabitha snapped.
"And the madness just continues," Fred groaned.
"Jean?" Pietro looked at her.
"Think about it," Tabitha said. "It's the perfect cover! Nice polite perfect teenager hiding her evil dark side! Ever see that movie "The Omen" or "The Bad Seed?" Or "The Village of the Gosh Darned?" The kids were running the whole show! The adults were nothing but pawns! Maybe Xavier's not the most powerful mutant telepath we think he is! Remember how Jean trashed the mansion! And she's telekinetic too! She's gotta be in charge! Xavier's just a puppet!"
"Oh for crying out loud," Todd said. "Who would believe something as stupid as that?"
"You know Tabby that does make a lot of sense," Pietro
Fred looked at Todd. "And they say we're the dumb guys of the group?"
"Frightening isn't it?" Todd shook his head.
"Wait!" Pietro stood up. "They're both in cahoots! Both are twisted minds who want to rule the world! What if Jean Grey is really his daughter?"
"Pietro that doesn't make any sense," Fred groaned. "They don't even have the same last name!"
"That makes no difference," Pietro said.
"Pietro what kind of evil genius who wants to rule the world would want to bring his own kid into the act?" Lance sighed.
Pietro made a face and shuffled his feet. "It could happen."
"Xavier is in control!" Lance snapped.
"Jean is!" Tabitha shouted.
"They both are!" Pietro shouted.
"You know what I think?" Fred said. "I think we ought to eat."
"Aren't you guys the least bit worried Xavier is controlling the X-Geeks?" Lance asked.
"Jean is controlling the X-Geeks!" Tabitha shouted.
"You really wanna know what we think?" Todd snapped. "We think for once the X-Geeks are telling the truth. They ain't as skilled as making stuff up like the rest of us!"
"Yeah and even if they were being controlled by whoever's controlling them," Fred added. "What does that have to do with us? I mean Magneto was kinda in favor of mutants ruling the world. So what difference does it matter who does it first? As long as we get something out of it, who cares? And they ain't gonna try to brainwash us like that. Believe me your minds are way too disturbed for anyone to handle!"
"What about Kitty?" Lance yelped as Todd and Fred went to the kitchen.
"What about Kitty?" Tabitha snapped. "For all we know she could be in on this too."
"Could not!" Lance snapped.
"Could too!" Tabitha shouted.
"Could not!" Lance shouted.
Both Fred and Todd rolled their eyes. "Oh it's gonna be another wonderful evening filled with philosophical debate," Todd groaned.
"I say we eat out tonight," Fred sighed as all three of the remaining Brotherhood members were now pushing and shoving each other.
"Chicken or Burgers?" Todd asked as Pietro shoved Lance and Tabitha to the ground.
"Both," Fred said as they started to leave, just as Lance and Tabitha started pummeling Pietro with pillows.
"I'm right!" Pietro shouted.
"I'm right!" Tabitha shouted.
"I'm right infinity!" Lance shouted.
"Something tells me we should also stop someplace for dessert," Todd sighed.