Title: Emergence
Author: N'kala99
Rating: G, AU
Disclaimer: If they were mine, would I be publishing for free???
Summary: Second installment. Scott's powers appear, and more than one party are
interested in him.
Author's Notes: Again, this is my own version of X-Men: Evolution, so if you like
things the way they are, then don't read this. It would seriously help to read A New
Beginning first, but I guess you don't have to. Also- I seem to have made Scott's
birthday in June. I don't know if it is, but it is in my series. ? I'm trying to make
him 17 in 2003, so in the spring of '99, I figure him to be about 12-years-old.
Emergence
By: N'kala99
Bayville, New York
Spring, 1999
"Runt! Come back here!"
Twelve-year-old Scott Summers skidded down the hall as he
tried to turn a corner. He could hear Logan behind him, chasing
him. He knew he'd been tempting fate when he replaced Logan's
toothpaste with blue dye, but Logan deserved it after putting green
dye in his shampoo.
Scott slid down the banister with practiced ease and raced out
the door, laughing aloud. He glanced behind him to check and see
where Logan was when he ran into something hard and fell onto the
ground. Looking up, he found Logan glaring down at him, his arms
crossed. Scott's jaw dropped open in shock.
"B-But . . . you . . . how?" he stammered.
Logan grasped a handful of the front of Scott's shirt and lifted
the boy into the air. "Never underestimate me, Runt. Now, I'd like
to know exactly what you thought you were doing by putting that
dye in my toothpaste."
Scott knew he should be afraid, but the sight of Logan's blue
teeth had him shaking with poorly disguised laughter.
"Oh, you think this is funny, do ya?" Logan said. "Well, let's
see how funny you think it is when you have blue teeth."
Scott stopped laughing almost immediately. "Hey!" he cried
out in protest. "That's not fair! You died my hair green! You had it
coming!"
"I'll say one thing for ya, Runt," Logan replied, carrying Scott
back into the house. "You've got guts."
"Does that mean you won't dye my teeth blue?" Scott asked in
a small voice.
Logan snorted. "Fat chance. How long do I have to wait
before it wears off?"
"Um . . . about . . ." The rest of Scott's words trailed off into an
unintelligible mumble.
"What's that?" Logan growled.
"A, uh, week," Scott said, bracing himself for the explosion.
He wasn't disappointed. "A WEEK?" Logan bellowed. "That
does it, Runt. You just brought a plague of pestilence down on your
head. Sleep with one eye open tonight, kid."
"Logan? Could you put my son down for a moment and come
here? I need to talk to you."
Logan, who had made it to the entrance hall, looked up the
stairs at Charles. "But Charles-."
"No buts, Logan," Charles interrupted firmly. "I'm sure you
can find him later; after all, you know where he sleeps. I need you
now."
Logan huffed in frustration, eyes skittering around the large
room before settling on a coat rack. Carrying Scott's struggling
form, he hooked Scott's shirt onto one of the hooks, leaving him
hanging on the rack. "Stay put, Runt," he said. "I'll be right back."
"No fair!" Scott shouted. "Let me down!"
Logan ignored him and took the stairs two at a time to join
Charles. Scott watched him go, then swung his legs out. His
momentum and his weight caused the coat rack to tip over, freeing
him. Fixing the coat rack, Scott slipped back out the door and
climbed up his favorite tree next to the driveway.
Something large and dark caught his eye as it soared through
the air. Scott looked up, hoping to catch sight of it, but it had
disappeared behind the mansion.
Curious, Scott jumped out of his tree and ran around back. He
slowed down and crouched behind a bush, looking around for
something out of the ordinary. He was about to chalk it all up to an
overactive imagination when he saw Ororo appear from behind a
tree. She was wearing a strange bluish-purple uniform with a cape
and white boots. Scott watched as she raised her hands into the air.
At first, he thought she was going to do some kind of bizarre dance,
but a sudden wind began to whip around Ororo. He eyes began to
glow an eerie white. Scott looked on in astonishment as a black
rain cloud formed over Ororo's head and poured a quick torrent of
rain over the tree. The cloud then moved around to water the other
plants in the backyard, seemingly under the control of Ororo. When
Ororo started to head his way, Scott began to panic. For some
reason, he didn't want to be discovered, so he ran.
XXX
Logan followed Charles through the mansion and into the
lesser used parts of the old building. "So what's so important it
couldn't wait until after I pulverized that little runt?"
Charles chose to ignore the comment. Despite Logan's gruff
exterior, Charles knew that he saw Scott as a little brother. "I've
had my ear to the ground these past few weeks, Logan, and I think
there's been more appearances."
That pulled Logan up short. "You mean . . . more appearances
of others like us?"
"There have been so few in your generation and mine,"
Charles agreed. "But this new generation is starting to turn out
more and more. I've already begun to construct what, I hope, will be
a training facility. I intent to locate those like us and invite them
here to learn control. Like I did for you and Ororo."
"You think that's such a great idea, Charles?" Logan asked
skeptically. "You'll be drawing attention to yourself and the rest of
us."
"I've already anticipated that," Charles assured him. "It's
either that, Logan, or let him get his hands on them. I'd rather get
there first. Let me show you what I've started."
XXX
Scott ran through the trees surrounding the estate until he
collapsed against one, gasping for breath. He drew his knees to his
chest, trying to calm himself down and decipher what he'd just seen.
Was it possible? Or had he imagined the whole thing? No one
can control the weather, but Ororo looked like she wasn't having
any trouble doing that.
Scott rubbed his eyes, which felt as if they were burning. Did
Charles and Logan know about Ororo? And if so, why didn't they
tell him?
A red haze began to appear around the edges of Scott's vision,
and he rubbed his eyes again. Standing, he decided to return to the
mansion and confront Ororo. She had been a good friend to him
since he'd arrived at the mansion; he knew she wouldn't hurt him.
A sudden surge of energy shot out from Scott's eyes and struck
the tree in front of him. The force of the blast propelled the boy
backwards so fast that he struck his head hard against the tree
behind him and collapsed, unconscious, on the ground.
XXX
It was approaching dinnertime, and Scott had still not
reappeared. Charles frowned, concerned.
"This isn't like him," he insisted. "I wonder what's happened
to him."
"He's nowhere in the house," Ororo reported, having just
returned from her search. "He must be on the grounds somewhere.
If he is, Logan will find him."
The words had barely left her mouth when the front door
burst open and Logan rushed in, cradling Scott in his arms. Scott
still had traces of leaves and dirt of his clothes. Charles and Ororo
approached him.
"Where was he?" Charles demanded.
"In the woods on the other side of the property," Logan
reported. "He seems okay. Got a big bump on the back of his head,
but I can't figure out how it got there."
As they were talking, Scott began to come around. He blinked
his eyes open and looked at the worried faces of the three adults.
"Wh-What's goin' on?"
"We were hoping you could tell us," Charles replied. "Why
were you so far from the mansion?"
"I-I don't remember," Scott answered, alarm starting to build.
"Easy, Scott," Ororo soothed. "Let's get you cleaned up and
looked at. If you feel up to it, you can come back down for dinner."
Logan gently set Scott onto his feet. Unsteady at first, Scott
accepted Ororo's help down the hall to the kitchen.
Once they had gone, Logan turned to Charles. "I also found a
tree branch on the ground a few feet away from where he was. It
looked like it had been blasted off, and fairly recently. It was still
smoking."
"Someone was shooting at him?" Charles concluded,
astonished. "But why?"
"I don't think that was it," Logan told him. "If they were
shooting at him, why fire only once and leave him there? No, it
doesn't make any sense. Besides; the alarms would've been tripped."
"Then what do you suppose happened?" Charles asked.
"I don't know," Logan admitted. "But I'd keep a close eye on
Scott, in case someone is after him."
XXX
A raven flew across the sky, landing on the branch beside
Scott's bedroom window. The dark night sky shielded it from sight
as it suddenly began to grow and change into the figure of a slender
blue woman with red hair, wearing white. She peered through the
window at the face of the sleeping child and frowned, doubtful.
"Are you sure about this?" she whispered.
A gust of wind swept around her. "I am certain. Charles
Xavier doesn't even know about it himself, but I suspected. I
witnessed it this afternoon. He will make a valuable member of our
little team."
The woman nodded. "Then I'll have to make this quick, or
we'll be caught before we make it off the property."
The deep voice answered her. "Then you had best not be
caught."
The woman gritted her teeth. Holding out her hand, she
shifted her hand into a glass cutter and carefully cut a large circle
in the window. Knocking the circle inside, she unlocked the
window and lifted it. Shifting back into a raven, she flew into the
room and settled onto the floor beside the bed, where she regained
her shape. Just as she began to lean over the boy, Scott's eyes flew
open.
Scott yelled upon seeing the strange woman in his room.
Unbidden, red lasers shot from his eyes, connecting with the woman
and sending her crashing through the window and to the ground.
Just as quickly, the light faded away, leaving Scott trembling with
fright.
Logan kicked the door to the bedroom open, strange silver
claws extending from his knuckles. He took one look at Scott, then
dashed to the open window and – to Scott's astonishment- leaped
right out after the intruder!
Ororo and Charles were only minutes behind him. Charles
hurried to Scott's bed, calling back, "Go! You can still catch up!"
Scott turned to Charles, his hazel eyes wide with terror.
Trembling furiously, he threw his arms around Charles' neck.
"It's all right, Scott," Charles soothed, hugging Scott tightly.
"They won't hurt you now. Logan and Ororo are going after them.
Can you tell me who it was?"
"A-A lady," Scott stammered. "Sh-She was blue . . . with red
hair."
Charles tensed up with the news. "Are you sure?"
"Y-Yeah," Scott replied.
Charles tugged on Scott's arm, coaxing him off the bed. "I'll
get someone to fix your window tomorrow, while you're at school,"
he stated. "For tonight, I want you to sleep in the guest room next
to mine. Come on."
Scott obediently followed Charles down the hall, hugging
himself tightly. He didn't know what was happening, and that
frightened him. Maybe he just imagined lasers shooting from his
eyes, or didn't really see Logan jump out of his third-story window
as if it was only a foot high.
Logan and Ororo returned as Charles was settling Scott into
bed. "Whoever it was, they got away," Logan told them, growling
with displeasure.
"Are you all right, Scott?" Ororo asked.
Scott nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Charles gently
brushed Scott's hair off of his forehead.
"Go ahead and get some more sleep," he told Scott. "You'll be
perfectly safe here."
Charles gestured to Logan and Ororo, and led them out into
the hall. He waited until Ororo had closed the door when he spoke.
"It was Mystique."
Ororo gasped, and Logan snarled. "Mystique?" Ororo echoed.
"How do you know?"
"Scott saw her," Charles said simply.
"What does she want with Scott?" Ororo wondered aloud.
"And why didn't she just grab Scott and run?" Logan added.
"I don't know the answers to that," Charles admitted.
"Hopefully, I'll know something tomorrow. I have a suspicion, but I
don't want to say anything until it's been confirmed."
XXX
"Do you really think you ought to let him go to school today,
Charles?" Ororo asked. "After all, if they can reach him here, he
won't be any safer at school."
"I know," Charles said. "That's why I called in a favor last
night. An old friend of mine, Hank McCoy, will be substituting for
Scott's teacher today. He promised to look after Scott until he made
it back to the mansion."
Ororo still didn't feel any better about letting Scott away from
the safety of their watchful eyes, but found little reason to argue
any further. She pushed her doubts to the back of her mind as Scott
entered the room, reaching for a piece of toast and his lunch sack.
"Is it okay if I meet Paul after school?" Scott asked. "We were
going to go to his house to play the latest Playstation game."
A protest arose in Ororo's throat, but she bit it back in
deference to Charles' authority.
"Scott, I know you want to see Paul, but I don't think that
would be a good idea after last night," Charles said gently. "I'd
rather you came straight home today. If you want to invite Paul
over here, though, that would be all right."
Scott considered this, then nodded. "Okay, cool. Thanks,
Charles."
"You're welcome," Charles replied. "Now get your things.
You're going to be late."
Scott rubbed his eyes and went to fetch his backpack. The red
haze had returned to his eyes and refused to leave. He didn't want
to tell anyone about it, believing it to be nothing. He only hoped it
would clear up soon. It was getting a little annoying.
The ride to school was silent, save for the usual comments
exchanged at the school entrance. Scott met up with Paul by the
door, and the two boys walked in together. Charles scanned the
crowd and found a short, stocky man with glasses watching him.
They nodded to one another, and Ororo drove off.
XXX
Scott rubbed his eyes for what seemed like the millionth time.
The red haze in front of his eyes had not gone away; if anything, it
was getting thicker. Scott was worried; he didn't know what it was,
and didn't know how to cure it. Maybe if he splashed water on his
eyes?
Raising his hand, Scott got permission to go to the restroom.
He walked as fast as he could down the hall and disappeared into
the bathroom, locking the door behind him. Looking in the mirror,
he was startled to see that a shimmering red glow had appeared in
front of each eye. Try as he might, no amount of water or rubbing
dispersed the mysterious glow.
Scott began to gasp for breath, feeling his heart start to race.
His eyes were starting to tingle, and something told him that that
wasn't a good sign. Backing up into the wall, Scott sank to the
ground and hugged his knees tightly to his chest. Closing his eyes,
Scott buried his face in his knees and tried to figure out what to do
next.
Suddenly, the metal fixtures in the bathroom began to rattle
ominously. Scott lifted his head and looked around for the source
of the disturbance. A shadowy figure appeared on the other side of
the window in the bathroom; it looked like a man in a helmet and
cape, hovering in the air.
"Do not be afraid, Scott," a deep voice said. "I'm here to help
you."
"Wh-Who are you?" Scott asked. "How do you know my
name?"
"I've been watching you, Scott," the man replied. "I'm very
impressed with your abilities, and I've come to make you an offer."
"Abilities?" Scott repeated. "What are you talking about?
What offer?"
A sudden pounding on the door to the bathroom made Scott
jump. "Scott? Are you in there? Open the door."
It was Mr. McCoy. "Scott, unlock the door and let me in."
"Don't listen to him, Scott," the strange man ordered. "Come
with me, and I'll give you all the answers you need."
The pounding on the door was becoming more furious. Scott
felt panic start to well up in the pit of his stomach. Before he could
do anything else, two powerful beams, one from each eye, shot out
and sliced through the wall like it didn't exist. Unlike before, they
didn't go away. Scott turned his head, and the beams followed his
line of sight, destroying everything in their path.
The door suddenly broke off of its hinges, and Hank McCoy
ran into the room. "Scott, close your eyes!"
Scott did as he was told, but it was too late. The bathroom
ceiling, unable to be supported by the damaged walls, started to
collapse. Hank swept down on Scott and gathered him up, then ran
for the doorway. Just as they left the bathroom, large chunks of
concrete landed where Scott had been sitting.
The boy was unusually silent in his arms. Hank set him down,
then knelt before him and gripped his arms. "Scott, I know you're
scared and confused right now, but you're going to be okay. Just
keep your eyes closed."
Scott didn't answer. Hank could feel him trembling beneath
his grip. He knew he needed to get Scott out of the building, which
was already being evacuated due to the sudden destruction of the
bathroom.
Hank guided Scott through the crowd with a firm hand,
dodging the jumble of confused questions. Keeping a careful eye
out for anymore unwanted visitors, Hank bundled Scott up into his
car and hurried to drive him home.
Logan, Ororo, and Charles were waiting for him just outside
the front door. They didn't speak a word; just herded Scott into the
mansion and down the same unused corridor that Charles and
Logan had walked just the day before. Charles led the way into a
newly furnished clinic and directed Hank to lay Scott onto a bed on
the far side of the room.
"Scott's got the advanced X-gene," Charles explained to
everyone present. "My latest invention, Cerebro, detected it when
Scott's powers emerged at school. That must be why Mystique
wanted him."
He leaned over Scott and worked his hand into Scott's tightly
squeezed fists. "Scott, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand."
It was barely noticeable, but it was there.
"Scott, I know you're very confused, and scared at the
moment," Charles continued. "I will explain everything to you, I
promise. Right now, I'm going to place a bandage over your eyes to
help you keep them shut. It won't be permanent; just until I can
find something to shield your optic lasers from everyone."
Scott didn't respond. It seemed that the sudden shock and
terror he had experienced had driven him right back into his head,
shut off from everyone around him. Charles hoped that this sudden
and overwhelming change wouldn't cause a major setback in the
progress Scott had made in the last four years.
"There's something else," Hank spoke up. "He was there."
The adults turned to him, alarmed. "At the school?" Ororo
asked.
Hank nodded. "I had just excused Scott to go to the restroom
when everything metal in the classroom began to rattle. I think he
was trying to get to Scott."
Charles tightly gripped Scott's hand, soaking in the new
information. "We'll deal with this one step at a time. First things
first; I need to get to work to help Scott with his powers. Logan, see
what you can find out at the school. We need to be prepared if he
decides to pay us another visit. Ororo, go with him."
The two adults turned sharply and hastened from the room.
Charles looked at Hank and led him to the other side of the room.
"Hank, thank you," Charles said gratefully. "I'm glad you
were there watching over him today. I'd hate to think what
would've happened if no one was there when his powers appeared."
"I owed you several favors," Hank replied. "Whatever I can do
to pay them back, just let me know."
"Come by and visit us some time, my friend," Charles told him.
Hank smiled and, shaking hands with Charles, left the room.
XXX
By the time the sun had set, Logan and Ororo had returned
from Scott's school with nothing to report to Charles. The most that
anyone knew was that, for no apparent reason, the ceiling in the
boy's restroom had collapsed. Fortunately, no one had been injured.
And Scott's mysterious visitor had vanished without a trace, but
there was no doubt in anyone's mind as to who he was.
Charles had brought Scott into his study and had gently
settled him into an overstuffed chair. Logan and Ororo were also
gathered in the room, knowing that they had to be there for the
discussion that had to happen.
"I owe you an apology, Scott," Charles began. "We've been
keeping a secret from you- not because we don't trust you. We just
wanted to be sure you were ready to hear it."
Scott folded his hands onto his lap. "Does this have
something to do with the lasers that came out of my eyes?" he asked,
his voice soft.
Charles nodded, though Scott couldn't see him through the
bandages still covering his eyes. "That's right," he answered,
silently relieved that Scott was speaking again. "You see, you, me,
Ororo, and Logan all have something in common. It makes us all
special, because it gives us certain . . . abilities that not a lot of other
people have."
"What is it?" Scott whispered.
"It's called an advanced X-gene," Charles answered him. "The
cells in our bodies have DNA; you know this from school. Well,
there's quite a lot we still don't know about our genes; most of them
lie dormant. Do you know what that means?"
Scott fidgeted, frowning as he thought. "They're asleep?"
"Right," Charles said, injecting praise into his tone. "They're
asleep. Well, for some reason, when some people reach a certain
age, one of their genes wakes up. It's called the advanced X-gene.
It's also considered to be a mutation."
"I'm a mutant?" Scott asked with dismay.
"We all are," Ororo assured him. "It's not a bad thing at all,
Scott. They've come in handy for us a few times."
"Then how come you guys aren't shooting lasers out of your
eyes?" Scott demanded, his tone accusing.
"The mutations are different for everyone," Charles explained.
"Some people may have similar mutations; they're usually found as
family members. For the most part, however, everyone does
something different. I, for example, am telepathic. I have the ability
to read your thoughts, and can project my own thoughts into your
head."
Scott was stunned. "You can?"
Charles' voice echoed inside Scott's head. *Yes, I can. I may
contact you this way more often, now that you know. But I never
read anyone's thoughts without their express permission.*
"Whoa!" Scott exclaimed.
Ororo chuckled. Scott's face turned in her direction. "What
about you, Ororo? What can you do?"
"I can control the weather," Ororo sated simply. "Nothing
quite as drastic as changing world weather patterns, but I can
control the environment around me."
Scott tried to turn his head to Logan, but couldn't hear him in
the room. "Logan? Are you there?"
Logan stepped closer. "Yeah, Runt, and I know what you're
gonna say. I'm able to heal faster than anyone else."
Scott frowned. "But what about those metal claws I saw?"
"When did you see that?" Logan shot back.
Scott shrank back in his chair. "Last night, when you ran into
my room. Right before you jumped out of my window."
"Not exactly subtle, were you?" Ororo teased Logan.
Logan snorted. "As if there was time for subtlety."
"Logan has advanced regenerative powers, which means that,
when injured, he can heal completely in a fraction of the time as
you or me," Charles clarified for Scott. "Unfortunately, there are
people out in the world who will exploit our abilities for their own
purposes. That was what happened to Logan. Someone took him
and replaced his skeleton with one made entirely of adamantium,
the one substance said to be indestructible. Those claws you saw
are an extension of that."
Scott sat silently; to silently for the adults' liking.
"It seems like an awful lot now," Ororo pointed out, moving to
kneel beside Scott. "We know exactly what you're going through
right now, and we'll help you."
"That's right," Charles agreed. "I helped Ororo and Logan to
adapt comfortably to their powers; I most certainly will do the same
for you. In fact, I'm opening the mansion up as a school for other
mutants, like us. They will also need guidance and training in the
use of their new powers. Given time, you will be able to function
just as well as if you didn't have powers at all."
"But ya gotta keep a lid on it, Runt," Logan warned him.
"This is our secret, and the rest of the world isn't gonna be able to
handle us just yet. Deal?"
Scott slowly nodded. Something still appeared to be
bothering him, and Charles tilted his head to the side. "Scott? Go
ahead and ask. It's all right."
Scott sighed. "Will I ever be able to open my eyes normally
again?" he asked, fear creeping into his voice.
Charles exchanged glances with Logan and Ororo. "Not at
first, Scott," he told the boy truthfully. "I need to run some tests
and see what can withstand the power of your lasers. I imagine, as
you grow older, they're going to become even stronger. I promise
you, though, that one day, I will make it so you can open your eyes
again."
Scott nodded again. It wasn't the answer he was looking for,
but he knew that it was the best answer he was going to get.
"C'mon, Runt, it's time for bed," Logan said, changing the
subject. "Your room's all ready for ya. I'll take ya there."
Scott bid Charles and Ororo good night, then let out a gasp as
Logan swung him up onto his back and carried him, piggyback-
style, down the hall to his room.
Logan dropped Scott unceremoniously into his bed, then
threw a pair of pajamas at Scott, striking him square on the face.
"Good night, kid," he said, turning to leave.
"Logan?"
The quiet, uncertain call pulled Logan up short. He looked at
Scott, eyebrow raised. "Yeah?"
Scott pushed his pajamas aside and tipped his head down.
"Isn't it kinda scary?"
Logan closed the door to Scott's room and sat beside the boy
on the bed. "What, havin' powers?"
Scott nodded.
Logan sighed, considering his answer. "Yeah, at first, it was
kinda scary. Strange things goin' on, and nobody to tell me why or
how. I thought I was gonna go crazy until Charles showed up and
explained everything to me. Now, it's all right. I don't know how I'd
live without them, now."
Scott began to pick at his blanket. "Aren't you afraid . . . of
hurting somebody?"
Logan sensed that this was the real question Scott had been
trying to ask him. "Of course. These things aren't to be taken
lightly. With our powers comes a lot of responsibility to do the
right thing, especially if we don't want to. You'll feel a lot better
when you've had some training to control those blasters of yours.
But you can't ever use them unless you're in real danger, or unless
Charles, Ororo, or I tell you to. Got it?"
Scott smiled faintly. "Sir, yes sir."
Logan ruffled Scott's hair and stood. "Wise guy. Now get to
bed before I tie you up in your blanket."
Scott laughed slightly and stood, scrambling to change his
clothes. He heard Logan leave and quickly changed into his
pajamas, then crawled into bed. His thoughts swirled around in his
brain, chasing one after the other. So much had happened in so
little time.
He was a mutant.
He lived with other mutants.
But he couldn't tell anyone, not even Paul.
Scott sighed tiredly as he felt sleep descend upon him. Life
certainly got more and more interesting with Charles as his father.
The End
___________________________
email: nkala99@hotmail.com
Author: N'kala99
Rating: G, AU
Disclaimer: If they were mine, would I be publishing for free???
Summary: Second installment. Scott's powers appear, and more than one party are
interested in him.
Author's Notes: Again, this is my own version of X-Men: Evolution, so if you like
things the way they are, then don't read this. It would seriously help to read A New
Beginning first, but I guess you don't have to. Also- I seem to have made Scott's
birthday in June. I don't know if it is, but it is in my series. ? I'm trying to make
him 17 in 2003, so in the spring of '99, I figure him to be about 12-years-old.
Emergence
By: N'kala99
Bayville, New York
Spring, 1999
"Runt! Come back here!"
Twelve-year-old Scott Summers skidded down the hall as he
tried to turn a corner. He could hear Logan behind him, chasing
him. He knew he'd been tempting fate when he replaced Logan's
toothpaste with blue dye, but Logan deserved it after putting green
dye in his shampoo.
Scott slid down the banister with practiced ease and raced out
the door, laughing aloud. He glanced behind him to check and see
where Logan was when he ran into something hard and fell onto the
ground. Looking up, he found Logan glaring down at him, his arms
crossed. Scott's jaw dropped open in shock.
"B-But . . . you . . . how?" he stammered.
Logan grasped a handful of the front of Scott's shirt and lifted
the boy into the air. "Never underestimate me, Runt. Now, I'd like
to know exactly what you thought you were doing by putting that
dye in my toothpaste."
Scott knew he should be afraid, but the sight of Logan's blue
teeth had him shaking with poorly disguised laughter.
"Oh, you think this is funny, do ya?" Logan said. "Well, let's
see how funny you think it is when you have blue teeth."
Scott stopped laughing almost immediately. "Hey!" he cried
out in protest. "That's not fair! You died my hair green! You had it
coming!"
"I'll say one thing for ya, Runt," Logan replied, carrying Scott
back into the house. "You've got guts."
"Does that mean you won't dye my teeth blue?" Scott asked in
a small voice.
Logan snorted. "Fat chance. How long do I have to wait
before it wears off?"
"Um . . . about . . ." The rest of Scott's words trailed off into an
unintelligible mumble.
"What's that?" Logan growled.
"A, uh, week," Scott said, bracing himself for the explosion.
He wasn't disappointed. "A WEEK?" Logan bellowed. "That
does it, Runt. You just brought a plague of pestilence down on your
head. Sleep with one eye open tonight, kid."
"Logan? Could you put my son down for a moment and come
here? I need to talk to you."
Logan, who had made it to the entrance hall, looked up the
stairs at Charles. "But Charles-."
"No buts, Logan," Charles interrupted firmly. "I'm sure you
can find him later; after all, you know where he sleeps. I need you
now."
Logan huffed in frustration, eyes skittering around the large
room before settling on a coat rack. Carrying Scott's struggling
form, he hooked Scott's shirt onto one of the hooks, leaving him
hanging on the rack. "Stay put, Runt," he said. "I'll be right back."
"No fair!" Scott shouted. "Let me down!"
Logan ignored him and took the stairs two at a time to join
Charles. Scott watched him go, then swung his legs out. His
momentum and his weight caused the coat rack to tip over, freeing
him. Fixing the coat rack, Scott slipped back out the door and
climbed up his favorite tree next to the driveway.
Something large and dark caught his eye as it soared through
the air. Scott looked up, hoping to catch sight of it, but it had
disappeared behind the mansion.
Curious, Scott jumped out of his tree and ran around back. He
slowed down and crouched behind a bush, looking around for
something out of the ordinary. He was about to chalk it all up to an
overactive imagination when he saw Ororo appear from behind a
tree. She was wearing a strange bluish-purple uniform with a cape
and white boots. Scott watched as she raised her hands into the air.
At first, he thought she was going to do some kind of bizarre dance,
but a sudden wind began to whip around Ororo. He eyes began to
glow an eerie white. Scott looked on in astonishment as a black
rain cloud formed over Ororo's head and poured a quick torrent of
rain over the tree. The cloud then moved around to water the other
plants in the backyard, seemingly under the control of Ororo. When
Ororo started to head his way, Scott began to panic. For some
reason, he didn't want to be discovered, so he ran.
XXX
Logan followed Charles through the mansion and into the
lesser used parts of the old building. "So what's so important it
couldn't wait until after I pulverized that little runt?"
Charles chose to ignore the comment. Despite Logan's gruff
exterior, Charles knew that he saw Scott as a little brother. "I've
had my ear to the ground these past few weeks, Logan, and I think
there's been more appearances."
That pulled Logan up short. "You mean . . . more appearances
of others like us?"
"There have been so few in your generation and mine,"
Charles agreed. "But this new generation is starting to turn out
more and more. I've already begun to construct what, I hope, will be
a training facility. I intent to locate those like us and invite them
here to learn control. Like I did for you and Ororo."
"You think that's such a great idea, Charles?" Logan asked
skeptically. "You'll be drawing attention to yourself and the rest of
us."
"I've already anticipated that," Charles assured him. "It's
either that, Logan, or let him get his hands on them. I'd rather get
there first. Let me show you what I've started."
XXX
Scott ran through the trees surrounding the estate until he
collapsed against one, gasping for breath. He drew his knees to his
chest, trying to calm himself down and decipher what he'd just seen.
Was it possible? Or had he imagined the whole thing? No one
can control the weather, but Ororo looked like she wasn't having
any trouble doing that.
Scott rubbed his eyes, which felt as if they were burning. Did
Charles and Logan know about Ororo? And if so, why didn't they
tell him?
A red haze began to appear around the edges of Scott's vision,
and he rubbed his eyes again. Standing, he decided to return to the
mansion and confront Ororo. She had been a good friend to him
since he'd arrived at the mansion; he knew she wouldn't hurt him.
A sudden surge of energy shot out from Scott's eyes and struck
the tree in front of him. The force of the blast propelled the boy
backwards so fast that he struck his head hard against the tree
behind him and collapsed, unconscious, on the ground.
XXX
It was approaching dinnertime, and Scott had still not
reappeared. Charles frowned, concerned.
"This isn't like him," he insisted. "I wonder what's happened
to him."
"He's nowhere in the house," Ororo reported, having just
returned from her search. "He must be on the grounds somewhere.
If he is, Logan will find him."
The words had barely left her mouth when the front door
burst open and Logan rushed in, cradling Scott in his arms. Scott
still had traces of leaves and dirt of his clothes. Charles and Ororo
approached him.
"Where was he?" Charles demanded.
"In the woods on the other side of the property," Logan
reported. "He seems okay. Got a big bump on the back of his head,
but I can't figure out how it got there."
As they were talking, Scott began to come around. He blinked
his eyes open and looked at the worried faces of the three adults.
"Wh-What's goin' on?"
"We were hoping you could tell us," Charles replied. "Why
were you so far from the mansion?"
"I-I don't remember," Scott answered, alarm starting to build.
"Easy, Scott," Ororo soothed. "Let's get you cleaned up and
looked at. If you feel up to it, you can come back down for dinner."
Logan gently set Scott onto his feet. Unsteady at first, Scott
accepted Ororo's help down the hall to the kitchen.
Once they had gone, Logan turned to Charles. "I also found a
tree branch on the ground a few feet away from where he was. It
looked like it had been blasted off, and fairly recently. It was still
smoking."
"Someone was shooting at him?" Charles concluded,
astonished. "But why?"
"I don't think that was it," Logan told him. "If they were
shooting at him, why fire only once and leave him there? No, it
doesn't make any sense. Besides; the alarms would've been tripped."
"Then what do you suppose happened?" Charles asked.
"I don't know," Logan admitted. "But I'd keep a close eye on
Scott, in case someone is after him."
XXX
A raven flew across the sky, landing on the branch beside
Scott's bedroom window. The dark night sky shielded it from sight
as it suddenly began to grow and change into the figure of a slender
blue woman with red hair, wearing white. She peered through the
window at the face of the sleeping child and frowned, doubtful.
"Are you sure about this?" she whispered.
A gust of wind swept around her. "I am certain. Charles
Xavier doesn't even know about it himself, but I suspected. I
witnessed it this afternoon. He will make a valuable member of our
little team."
The woman nodded. "Then I'll have to make this quick, or
we'll be caught before we make it off the property."
The deep voice answered her. "Then you had best not be
caught."
The woman gritted her teeth. Holding out her hand, she
shifted her hand into a glass cutter and carefully cut a large circle
in the window. Knocking the circle inside, she unlocked the
window and lifted it. Shifting back into a raven, she flew into the
room and settled onto the floor beside the bed, where she regained
her shape. Just as she began to lean over the boy, Scott's eyes flew
open.
Scott yelled upon seeing the strange woman in his room.
Unbidden, red lasers shot from his eyes, connecting with the woman
and sending her crashing through the window and to the ground.
Just as quickly, the light faded away, leaving Scott trembling with
fright.
Logan kicked the door to the bedroom open, strange silver
claws extending from his knuckles. He took one look at Scott, then
dashed to the open window and – to Scott's astonishment- leaped
right out after the intruder!
Ororo and Charles were only minutes behind him. Charles
hurried to Scott's bed, calling back, "Go! You can still catch up!"
Scott turned to Charles, his hazel eyes wide with terror.
Trembling furiously, he threw his arms around Charles' neck.
"It's all right, Scott," Charles soothed, hugging Scott tightly.
"They won't hurt you now. Logan and Ororo are going after them.
Can you tell me who it was?"
"A-A lady," Scott stammered. "Sh-She was blue . . . with red
hair."
Charles tensed up with the news. "Are you sure?"
"Y-Yeah," Scott replied.
Charles tugged on Scott's arm, coaxing him off the bed. "I'll
get someone to fix your window tomorrow, while you're at school,"
he stated. "For tonight, I want you to sleep in the guest room next
to mine. Come on."
Scott obediently followed Charles down the hall, hugging
himself tightly. He didn't know what was happening, and that
frightened him. Maybe he just imagined lasers shooting from his
eyes, or didn't really see Logan jump out of his third-story window
as if it was only a foot high.
Logan and Ororo returned as Charles was settling Scott into
bed. "Whoever it was, they got away," Logan told them, growling
with displeasure.
"Are you all right, Scott?" Ororo asked.
Scott nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Charles gently
brushed Scott's hair off of his forehead.
"Go ahead and get some more sleep," he told Scott. "You'll be
perfectly safe here."
Charles gestured to Logan and Ororo, and led them out into
the hall. He waited until Ororo had closed the door when he spoke.
"It was Mystique."
Ororo gasped, and Logan snarled. "Mystique?" Ororo echoed.
"How do you know?"
"Scott saw her," Charles said simply.
"What does she want with Scott?" Ororo wondered aloud.
"And why didn't she just grab Scott and run?" Logan added.
"I don't know the answers to that," Charles admitted.
"Hopefully, I'll know something tomorrow. I have a suspicion, but I
don't want to say anything until it's been confirmed."
XXX
"Do you really think you ought to let him go to school today,
Charles?" Ororo asked. "After all, if they can reach him here, he
won't be any safer at school."
"I know," Charles said. "That's why I called in a favor last
night. An old friend of mine, Hank McCoy, will be substituting for
Scott's teacher today. He promised to look after Scott until he made
it back to the mansion."
Ororo still didn't feel any better about letting Scott away from
the safety of their watchful eyes, but found little reason to argue
any further. She pushed her doubts to the back of her mind as Scott
entered the room, reaching for a piece of toast and his lunch sack.
"Is it okay if I meet Paul after school?" Scott asked. "We were
going to go to his house to play the latest Playstation game."
A protest arose in Ororo's throat, but she bit it back in
deference to Charles' authority.
"Scott, I know you want to see Paul, but I don't think that
would be a good idea after last night," Charles said gently. "I'd
rather you came straight home today. If you want to invite Paul
over here, though, that would be all right."
Scott considered this, then nodded. "Okay, cool. Thanks,
Charles."
"You're welcome," Charles replied. "Now get your things.
You're going to be late."
Scott rubbed his eyes and went to fetch his backpack. The red
haze had returned to his eyes and refused to leave. He didn't want
to tell anyone about it, believing it to be nothing. He only hoped it
would clear up soon. It was getting a little annoying.
The ride to school was silent, save for the usual comments
exchanged at the school entrance. Scott met up with Paul by the
door, and the two boys walked in together. Charles scanned the
crowd and found a short, stocky man with glasses watching him.
They nodded to one another, and Ororo drove off.
XXX
Scott rubbed his eyes for what seemed like the millionth time.
The red haze in front of his eyes had not gone away; if anything, it
was getting thicker. Scott was worried; he didn't know what it was,
and didn't know how to cure it. Maybe if he splashed water on his
eyes?
Raising his hand, Scott got permission to go to the restroom.
He walked as fast as he could down the hall and disappeared into
the bathroom, locking the door behind him. Looking in the mirror,
he was startled to see that a shimmering red glow had appeared in
front of each eye. Try as he might, no amount of water or rubbing
dispersed the mysterious glow.
Scott began to gasp for breath, feeling his heart start to race.
His eyes were starting to tingle, and something told him that that
wasn't a good sign. Backing up into the wall, Scott sank to the
ground and hugged his knees tightly to his chest. Closing his eyes,
Scott buried his face in his knees and tried to figure out what to do
next.
Suddenly, the metal fixtures in the bathroom began to rattle
ominously. Scott lifted his head and looked around for the source
of the disturbance. A shadowy figure appeared on the other side of
the window in the bathroom; it looked like a man in a helmet and
cape, hovering in the air.
"Do not be afraid, Scott," a deep voice said. "I'm here to help
you."
"Wh-Who are you?" Scott asked. "How do you know my
name?"
"I've been watching you, Scott," the man replied. "I'm very
impressed with your abilities, and I've come to make you an offer."
"Abilities?" Scott repeated. "What are you talking about?
What offer?"
A sudden pounding on the door to the bathroom made Scott
jump. "Scott? Are you in there? Open the door."
It was Mr. McCoy. "Scott, unlock the door and let me in."
"Don't listen to him, Scott," the strange man ordered. "Come
with me, and I'll give you all the answers you need."
The pounding on the door was becoming more furious. Scott
felt panic start to well up in the pit of his stomach. Before he could
do anything else, two powerful beams, one from each eye, shot out
and sliced through the wall like it didn't exist. Unlike before, they
didn't go away. Scott turned his head, and the beams followed his
line of sight, destroying everything in their path.
The door suddenly broke off of its hinges, and Hank McCoy
ran into the room. "Scott, close your eyes!"
Scott did as he was told, but it was too late. The bathroom
ceiling, unable to be supported by the damaged walls, started to
collapse. Hank swept down on Scott and gathered him up, then ran
for the doorway. Just as they left the bathroom, large chunks of
concrete landed where Scott had been sitting.
The boy was unusually silent in his arms. Hank set him down,
then knelt before him and gripped his arms. "Scott, I know you're
scared and confused right now, but you're going to be okay. Just
keep your eyes closed."
Scott didn't answer. Hank could feel him trembling beneath
his grip. He knew he needed to get Scott out of the building, which
was already being evacuated due to the sudden destruction of the
bathroom.
Hank guided Scott through the crowd with a firm hand,
dodging the jumble of confused questions. Keeping a careful eye
out for anymore unwanted visitors, Hank bundled Scott up into his
car and hurried to drive him home.
Logan, Ororo, and Charles were waiting for him just outside
the front door. They didn't speak a word; just herded Scott into the
mansion and down the same unused corridor that Charles and
Logan had walked just the day before. Charles led the way into a
newly furnished clinic and directed Hank to lay Scott onto a bed on
the far side of the room.
"Scott's got the advanced X-gene," Charles explained to
everyone present. "My latest invention, Cerebro, detected it when
Scott's powers emerged at school. That must be why Mystique
wanted him."
He leaned over Scott and worked his hand into Scott's tightly
squeezed fists. "Scott, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand."
It was barely noticeable, but it was there.
"Scott, I know you're very confused, and scared at the
moment," Charles continued. "I will explain everything to you, I
promise. Right now, I'm going to place a bandage over your eyes to
help you keep them shut. It won't be permanent; just until I can
find something to shield your optic lasers from everyone."
Scott didn't respond. It seemed that the sudden shock and
terror he had experienced had driven him right back into his head,
shut off from everyone around him. Charles hoped that this sudden
and overwhelming change wouldn't cause a major setback in the
progress Scott had made in the last four years.
"There's something else," Hank spoke up. "He was there."
The adults turned to him, alarmed. "At the school?" Ororo
asked.
Hank nodded. "I had just excused Scott to go to the restroom
when everything metal in the classroom began to rattle. I think he
was trying to get to Scott."
Charles tightly gripped Scott's hand, soaking in the new
information. "We'll deal with this one step at a time. First things
first; I need to get to work to help Scott with his powers. Logan, see
what you can find out at the school. We need to be prepared if he
decides to pay us another visit. Ororo, go with him."
The two adults turned sharply and hastened from the room.
Charles looked at Hank and led him to the other side of the room.
"Hank, thank you," Charles said gratefully. "I'm glad you
were there watching over him today. I'd hate to think what
would've happened if no one was there when his powers appeared."
"I owed you several favors," Hank replied. "Whatever I can do
to pay them back, just let me know."
"Come by and visit us some time, my friend," Charles told him.
Hank smiled and, shaking hands with Charles, left the room.
XXX
By the time the sun had set, Logan and Ororo had returned
from Scott's school with nothing to report to Charles. The most that
anyone knew was that, for no apparent reason, the ceiling in the
boy's restroom had collapsed. Fortunately, no one had been injured.
And Scott's mysterious visitor had vanished without a trace, but
there was no doubt in anyone's mind as to who he was.
Charles had brought Scott into his study and had gently
settled him into an overstuffed chair. Logan and Ororo were also
gathered in the room, knowing that they had to be there for the
discussion that had to happen.
"I owe you an apology, Scott," Charles began. "We've been
keeping a secret from you- not because we don't trust you. We just
wanted to be sure you were ready to hear it."
Scott folded his hands onto his lap. "Does this have
something to do with the lasers that came out of my eyes?" he asked,
his voice soft.
Charles nodded, though Scott couldn't see him through the
bandages still covering his eyes. "That's right," he answered,
silently relieved that Scott was speaking again. "You see, you, me,
Ororo, and Logan all have something in common. It makes us all
special, because it gives us certain . . . abilities that not a lot of other
people have."
"What is it?" Scott whispered.
"It's called an advanced X-gene," Charles answered him. "The
cells in our bodies have DNA; you know this from school. Well,
there's quite a lot we still don't know about our genes; most of them
lie dormant. Do you know what that means?"
Scott fidgeted, frowning as he thought. "They're asleep?"
"Right," Charles said, injecting praise into his tone. "They're
asleep. Well, for some reason, when some people reach a certain
age, one of their genes wakes up. It's called the advanced X-gene.
It's also considered to be a mutation."
"I'm a mutant?" Scott asked with dismay.
"We all are," Ororo assured him. "It's not a bad thing at all,
Scott. They've come in handy for us a few times."
"Then how come you guys aren't shooting lasers out of your
eyes?" Scott demanded, his tone accusing.
"The mutations are different for everyone," Charles explained.
"Some people may have similar mutations; they're usually found as
family members. For the most part, however, everyone does
something different. I, for example, am telepathic. I have the ability
to read your thoughts, and can project my own thoughts into your
head."
Scott was stunned. "You can?"
Charles' voice echoed inside Scott's head. *Yes, I can. I may
contact you this way more often, now that you know. But I never
read anyone's thoughts without their express permission.*
"Whoa!" Scott exclaimed.
Ororo chuckled. Scott's face turned in her direction. "What
about you, Ororo? What can you do?"
"I can control the weather," Ororo sated simply. "Nothing
quite as drastic as changing world weather patterns, but I can
control the environment around me."
Scott tried to turn his head to Logan, but couldn't hear him in
the room. "Logan? Are you there?"
Logan stepped closer. "Yeah, Runt, and I know what you're
gonna say. I'm able to heal faster than anyone else."
Scott frowned. "But what about those metal claws I saw?"
"When did you see that?" Logan shot back.
Scott shrank back in his chair. "Last night, when you ran into
my room. Right before you jumped out of my window."
"Not exactly subtle, were you?" Ororo teased Logan.
Logan snorted. "As if there was time for subtlety."
"Logan has advanced regenerative powers, which means that,
when injured, he can heal completely in a fraction of the time as
you or me," Charles clarified for Scott. "Unfortunately, there are
people out in the world who will exploit our abilities for their own
purposes. That was what happened to Logan. Someone took him
and replaced his skeleton with one made entirely of adamantium,
the one substance said to be indestructible. Those claws you saw
are an extension of that."
Scott sat silently; to silently for the adults' liking.
"It seems like an awful lot now," Ororo pointed out, moving to
kneel beside Scott. "We know exactly what you're going through
right now, and we'll help you."
"That's right," Charles agreed. "I helped Ororo and Logan to
adapt comfortably to their powers; I most certainly will do the same
for you. In fact, I'm opening the mansion up as a school for other
mutants, like us. They will also need guidance and training in the
use of their new powers. Given time, you will be able to function
just as well as if you didn't have powers at all."
"But ya gotta keep a lid on it, Runt," Logan warned him.
"This is our secret, and the rest of the world isn't gonna be able to
handle us just yet. Deal?"
Scott slowly nodded. Something still appeared to be
bothering him, and Charles tilted his head to the side. "Scott? Go
ahead and ask. It's all right."
Scott sighed. "Will I ever be able to open my eyes normally
again?" he asked, fear creeping into his voice.
Charles exchanged glances with Logan and Ororo. "Not at
first, Scott," he told the boy truthfully. "I need to run some tests
and see what can withstand the power of your lasers. I imagine, as
you grow older, they're going to become even stronger. I promise
you, though, that one day, I will make it so you can open your eyes
again."
Scott nodded again. It wasn't the answer he was looking for,
but he knew that it was the best answer he was going to get.
"C'mon, Runt, it's time for bed," Logan said, changing the
subject. "Your room's all ready for ya. I'll take ya there."
Scott bid Charles and Ororo good night, then let out a gasp as
Logan swung him up onto his back and carried him, piggyback-
style, down the hall to his room.
Logan dropped Scott unceremoniously into his bed, then
threw a pair of pajamas at Scott, striking him square on the face.
"Good night, kid," he said, turning to leave.
"Logan?"
The quiet, uncertain call pulled Logan up short. He looked at
Scott, eyebrow raised. "Yeah?"
Scott pushed his pajamas aside and tipped his head down.
"Isn't it kinda scary?"
Logan closed the door to Scott's room and sat beside the boy
on the bed. "What, havin' powers?"
Scott nodded.
Logan sighed, considering his answer. "Yeah, at first, it was
kinda scary. Strange things goin' on, and nobody to tell me why or
how. I thought I was gonna go crazy until Charles showed up and
explained everything to me. Now, it's all right. I don't know how I'd
live without them, now."
Scott began to pick at his blanket. "Aren't you afraid . . . of
hurting somebody?"
Logan sensed that this was the real question Scott had been
trying to ask him. "Of course. These things aren't to be taken
lightly. With our powers comes a lot of responsibility to do the
right thing, especially if we don't want to. You'll feel a lot better
when you've had some training to control those blasters of yours.
But you can't ever use them unless you're in real danger, or unless
Charles, Ororo, or I tell you to. Got it?"
Scott smiled faintly. "Sir, yes sir."
Logan ruffled Scott's hair and stood. "Wise guy. Now get to
bed before I tie you up in your blanket."
Scott laughed slightly and stood, scrambling to change his
clothes. He heard Logan leave and quickly changed into his
pajamas, then crawled into bed. His thoughts swirled around in his
brain, chasing one after the other. So much had happened in so
little time.
He was a mutant.
He lived with other mutants.
But he couldn't tell anyone, not even Paul.
Scott sighed tiredly as he felt sleep descend upon him. Life
certainly got more and more interesting with Charles as his father.
The End
___________________________
email: nkala99@hotmail.com
