Ask A Mutant II
Disclaimer: All canon characters belong to Marvel Comics.
Bayville Library
The red 1960s Mustang's engine growled as the classic car raced down the street, heading towards the library. The driver had a big smile on his face. He was a slim teenage boy, with neatly-cut brown hair. He wore a blue polo-shirt with a yellow stripe across it, and blue jeans. His eyes were covered by a pair of stylish glasses that unusually had red lenses.
Cyclops. Real Name: Scott Summers. Affiliation: X-Men. Birthplace: Anchorage, Alaska. Physiology: Mutant Human. Powers: Can fire concussive energy beams from his eyes. Requires glasses with ruby quartz lenses, as the beams constantly emit from his eyes.
Scott was in a great mood. He was heading towards the Bayville Library. His reason for going there? His stand. Recently, inspired by an article he read in a magazine, Scott decided to form a stand called "Ask a Mutant", where he would invite people to ask him about mutants. The stand was a surprising success, attracting quite a lot of curious people. It got to the point that Scott had to get other X-Men to help him with manning the stand every so often. It was also a bonus that Professor Xavier was very thrilled with the success of the stand.
Scott's smile widened when he saw what was sitting in the passenger seat next to him: A pile of boxes of donuts buckled in. In the back seat were a trio of fresh coffee dispensers and a cardboard box. They must be running a little low on coffee right about now. Scott thought. Since it's getting cooler, I will have to start providing hot chocolate soon. He glanced at the donuts. And they probably are running low on donuts, too. Cyclops to the rescue! The car parked into the Bayville Library parking lot. He got out and looked over the site of the stand. It was currently being manned by a tall skinny boy with a messy mop of blond hair on his head.
Cannonball. Real Name: Samuel "Sam" Guthrie. Birthplace: Cumberland, Kentucky. Physiology: Mutant Human. Powers: Can generate thermo-chemical energy from his body, mostly in the form of thrust, allowing him to fly like a rocket. Can also generate an indestructible "blast shield".
Sam was fielding questions from the people at the stand.
"So, you're essentially a human rocket?" A man asked.
"Pretty much, yeah." Sam nodded.
"Does anyone else in your family do anything like that?"
Sam shook his head. "Nah, just me. Mah little sister can change her skin into various things. She has to tear it off first." The man winced in response to that.
"That sounds hella painful."
Sam scrunched his face in thought. "Nah. I don't think it does hurt her or anything. You'd have to ask her, really." A woman grinned.
"Hey, is it true that the Superstars' own Lila Cheney has eyes for you? She did sing a song for you when the Superstars performed in Frankfort last week." Sam blushed and bowed his head.
"She..." Sam thought about his response. "Well, she's nice, but she is rather...forward." The woman chuckled.
"Aww, look! He's blushing! That's adorable!" The woman giggled, grabbing her phone and taking a picture. Oh, man... Sam mentally groaned. He eyed Scott unloading the car.
"Hey, Sam! Get over here and give me a hand!" The optic blaster waved.
Thank the Lord. Sam sighed in relief. He smiled at the crowd. "Sorry, folks! Mah shift's up! But I got Cyclops to take over!" He walked over to the leader of the X-Men
"How's it been?" Scott asked the human rocket.
"Pretty good, actually." Sam answered. "Did get a couple smart alecs, and some hecklers from cars as they passed by, but people in general have been well-behaved."
"That's good." Scott nodded approvingly. "Glad things went well for you."
"Yeah, it's been fun actually. It's been a while since we talked to people like that."
"Something we should've been doing from the beginning." Scott agreed. "Gimme a hand with this stuff."
"More coffee and donuts?" Sam deduced, grabbing the boxes.
"And other stuff." Scott hefted the cardboard box. "Figured I'd get some more supplies for my time. One of the visitors of the stand was the owner of the local bakery. He provided the donuts for this."
"Good thing, I'm almost out of donuts." Sam chuckled. Scott opened the cardboard box, revealing that it contained more cups, stirrers, and sweeteners. The two started to resupply the stand when they noticed a van drive up with a satellite dish on it.
"What on Earth?" The Kentuckian blinked in confusion. Scott noticed the markings on the side.
"News van." He realized. "Hey, the news wants to talk to us."
"This little ol' stand must've created quite a stir." Sam guessed.
"Must have." Scott guessed, continuing the resupplying. "It's a local news van."
"With people havin' so many of those fancy phones, maybe it got all over the 'Net."
"Likely so." Scott nodded in agreement, watching the news crew getting ready to do a segment. He then noticed the reporter emerging, and fixing her hair. The reporter was a black woman, wearing a blue blazer and slacks, with a green blouse. She was talking with a cameraman, a portly Caucasian man who was dressed like the stereotypical cameraman: black t-shirt and blue workshirt over it, khaki shorts, and a backwards red baseball cap. He was checking over the camera he was holding, making sure everything was working.
"Bill, is the camera ready?" She asked. Bill the cameraman nodded.
"Ready to rock, Lisa." He grinned, patting the camera on his shoulder. "Quite a story, huh?"
"Yeah, it is." Lisa the reporter nodded with a smile. "Never thought I'd get to actually interview one of the X-Men."
"You ask me, they should've been doing something like this a long time ago." Bill remarked. "It's almost time!" The crewman announced.
"You want to do this?" Sam asked Scott. "It's your stand."
Scott nodded. "Yup." He quickly fussed with his hair. "How's my hair?"
"Fantastic." Sam snarked. He then got a look at the reporter. "Holy cow, that's Lisa Reston!"
"So it is." Scott smiled. "She's a famous reporter around here."
"We're ready, Lisa!" Bill announced. "Three...two..." Lisa immediately started speaking into the microphone.
"I'm here in front of the Bayville Library where a new addition has caused quite a stir here in this little burg. It's known as the 'Ask a Mutant' stand. Started by one of the X-Men, you can basically come up to the stand and ask one of the X-Men about mutants." She eyed the boys. "And it just so happens that the creator of the stand is right here with us today, one Scott Summers, aka Cyclops." Scott smiled and waved at the camera.
"Hey, guys." Scott quipped, making Lisa chuckle.
"Anyway Mr. Summers, tell us, what inspired this stand?"
"Well, I have to admit, I got the idea from an article I read in People." Scott explained. "You see, I read this article about a Muslim woman in Massachusetts. Sadly, I forgot her name. She got harassed by some morons because of her faith, so she decided to start a stand like this to educate people about her faith. I read this and I thought, 'Hey, why not do something like that for mutants?' And this version came about."
"Were you surprised by the response to it?"
"Honestly, yes and no." Scott answered. "Yes, in the way I didn't expect to get so many people here, and no in the fact that I think more people are really curious and confused about mutants than are outright bigoted against them. So, this is my small way to help clear the air and educate people."
"Your stand has gotten some criticism. Some have called it a nuisance, some have accused you are riding on the coattails of the Superstars, and some have even claimed this is an attempt to brainwash humanity."
"As for the whole brainwashing thing, some people will believe anything on the Internet." Scott chuckled. "And as for the whole coattails thing, well, I had come to a bit of a realization after reading that article. The X-Men were supposed to be doing stuff like this. We should have been reaching out to people, winning over hearts and minds."
"I see."
"And also, when it comes to riding coattails, I don't see it like that." Scott explained. "The Superstars and Misfits may have been doing it first, but they can't do it all. There's only so much they can do. There's still a lot of people to talk to. So, I'm trying to do my part. It's not much, but it's more than we X-Men used to do. Sure, we X-Men have helped save the world, but we never took advantage of it to educate and help people understand that we mutants are human, too. To be honest, since I started this stand, I think maybe if we had done things like this earlier...maybe the Sentinel attack could've caused us to be seen as heroes, and not as these fearsome monsters."
"Makes sense." Lisa nodded. "How long do you intend to keep this stand up?"
"As long as I can. No plans to stop in the forseeable future." Scott smiled.
"The stand has even become such a hit that I had to get other X-Men to help me out with it, like Cannonball here." Scott motioned to Sam, who smiled and waved at the camera.
"Hi!" Sam waved.
"How have the X-Men taken to this stand?" Lisa asked.
"Pretty well, actually." Scott answered. "I didn't have much trouble convincing others to help out. In fact, they wondered why we didn't do this sooner, heh heh."
"Sounds like this stand has been fun for you."
"Oh yeah, it has, actually." Scott nodded. "I've gotten to get to know more people in this little burg, and people have gotten to get to know me a bit, and it's helped build some bridges."
"Well, I'd like to say that I hope your stand continues to be a great success." Lisa smiled.
"He keeps providing free coffee and donuts, and he'll be in business for years!" A man in the crowd joked, making everyone laugh.
"They love the coffee and donuts." Scott chuckled. "Well, I just may have to come here myself, because I'd love to ask you some questions." Lisa chuckled.
"I'll save you some coffee and a donut." Scott smiled. Lisa chuckled.
Later that night
A slim Native American girl was flipping through the channels on the television. She was also idly playing with one of her braids in boredom.
Mirage. Real Name: Danielle "Dani" Moonstar. Affiliation: X-Men. Birthplace: Boulder, CO, USA. Physiology: Mutant Human. Powers: Can telepathically detect a person's fears and project illusions of them into a person's mind.
"Hey, Dani." The girl looked up, and saw Sam walking up to the couch. The Cheyenne girl smiled.
"Hey, Sam."
"Anything good on?" Sam asked as he took a seat next to Dani. Dani shrugged.
"Nothing, really." The illusionist admitted. She then flipped to a news report. "Hey...they're talking about Scott's stand."
"Awright! Turn it up!" Sam grinned excitedly. Dani did so.
"Ha ha, that sounded like a fun time." The anchor stated. "And our own Lisa Reston has gotten a scoop on the story that has caught the fascination of Bayville. One of the X-Men has started a stand in front of the Bayville Library." The camera cut to Lisa's report and interview with Scott.
"Wow." Dani was clearly amazed. "The stand made the news."
"Yup. There I am!" Sam grinned widely, pointing at himself waving at the camera.
"That's so cool, man!" Dani grinned.
"Yeah, it is! We got a good crowd there, too." Sam nodded. Scott walked up to the couch.
"Liking it, guys?" Scott grinned. Sam and Dani nodded.
"Yup!" They answered in unison.
"The stand has caused quite a stir with people all over Bayville, and our street team went out to collect opinions." The anchor stated. Scott watched the segment intently.
"I have to admit, I am curious." A woman stated.
"Is it safe?" A man asked in concern. "I mean, a mutant running a stand like this? What if another one comes by to pick a fight?"
"I think it's really neat." A teenager answered. "We never get to actually see one of the X-Men up close and personal like this, so I'd love to ask him about that jet they have."
"This boils mah britches!" A heavyset man roared. "We should be lockin' the freak up, not lettin' him be a public nuisance! Why aren't our damn police puttin' the freaks in jail?! Or even better, put them in the damn ground?! What the hell are we paying them for?!" Danielle winced at the last comment.
"Ooh, that's harsh." She looked up at Scott. "Sorry, man."
"It's alright." Scott reassured Danielle with a wave. "I knew some would get up in arms about it."
"I honestly don't get what some people are getting so angry about." Another person remarked. "It's just a stand. And it's offering free coffee and donuts."
"It's got people talking, alright." Dani remarked. "Not all of it good, though."
"But not all of it bad, either." Scott countered. "It's got people curious. And hopefully, word of mouth will spread as well."
Scott, will you come to my office, please? The optic blaster heard Professor Xavier call in his head.
"Gotta go, guys. The Professor is calling." Scott walked away and headed towards Professor Xavier's office. The young mutant walked in.
"Yes, Professor?" The bald telepath turned off the television and turned to Scott.
"I saw the interview." Xavier smiled. "You conducted yourself very well."
"Thanks, Professor." Scott smiled proudly.
"You got people talking about your stand." Xavier explained. "That's good."
"Yeah, I'm hoping it will get more people coming up. More to talk to and win over." Scott said. "Thanks for letting me do this, Professor."
"Of course." Xavier smiled. "As I said, I wish this had been thought up of sooner. Perhaps things would have been different."
"Yeah..." Scott nodded. "Ah, well. What's done is done."
"Indeed." Xavier nodded. "But we have finally learned from our mistake. That's good."
"Yeah, but I'm hoping it's not too late." Scott explained.
"So do I." Xavier agreed with a nod. "Just be careful, Scott." The bald professor warned the young mutant. "There are people out there that will...let's just say, try to make your efforts quite difficult."
"I'll keep that in mind, Professor." Scott nodded. "I'm going to need someone to man the stand tomorrow."
"I'm sure I can convince someone to help with that." Xavier smiled.
Thanks for reading!