Summary : A shattered Kimble tries to adjust to his new home. Part 14 of my Kimble series.
Notes : Rated M for language, violence, and sexual situations.
AU but only because I chose to change a few things in my dear friends' histories for simplification, nothing drastic so please forgive. I've been working on this story for years so I do ask that you don't use any of my non-Marvel universe characters without my permission. I love my Siskans as I do my children.
Updated 10-16-13 to add (break)s as needed and to fix the usual crap.
(One)
Kimble woke to his first day as an official member of the Freedom Kings to find himself in a bit of a scramble. He had been told to report to classes and he just wasn't used to the idea of a schedule. He was late getting up and had to rush. Gail got him moving, teasing him at every step, and escorted him down to the classroom. He laughed, playful now with her, and making her smile. He was disappointed when she told him she wasn't joining him, this was a beginner's class. She saw his frown and promised to come get him after, happy to see he wanted to spend time with her. In spite of her seniority, she didn't have many friends. They would have lunch and talk some more.
Kimble nervously entered the classroom and found a seat. He was late in spite of rushing to get here and shuffled to the back of the room with his head low. He was uncomfortable because he didn't know anyone here. He was the only one without a uniform either, all the members of the Freedom Kings were supposed to dress the same here. It was designed to promote uniformity and do away with distinctions of class or ranking. Only the team leaders had distinguishing marks such as an arm band with a large golden crown stitched onto it.
The teacher waited until Kimble had found his seat and then introduced him to the class. Kimble smiled at the others shyly and they laughed at him, trying to put him at ease. He felt better in the beginning and not so awkward, but it wasn't long before he found his attention span waning and he began to daydream a little.
This was called a history class, but it soon became clear to Kimble that this was more political than factual. Almost immediately, the students were given stories of how the normal humans hated them and wanted them gone. Attacks were documented and examples of murders and horrific crimes were displayed. Graphic pictures of the Holocaust were shown as an example of that horror made as proof of a mutant's need to be on the alert. It made Kimble queasy and uncomfortable so all those pictures. First of all, he wasn't a mutant and none of this sort of thing had ever been directed at him. He didn't think it applied to him and so couldn't take it that seriously.
He found himself drifting off. He thought of his brief encounter at the Club in the Purple Room and shivered from a surge of renewed arousal. He smiled and fantasized about a nice warm pleasure room filled with eager clients. His mind embraced the dream eagerly and he was somewhere else.
You gots to pay attention! Zander complained to him. Sooner or later theys gonna gits around ta sayin' sumpthin' useful!
I doubt that, Kimble countered, speaking inside of himself.
I don' likes the pictures. They're scary, Lakotashay whined.
Kimble blocked out the lesson, wanting to hear no more terrible stories of murder and death.. His eyes drooped and he dozed lightly, dreaming once more of clients. He couldn't wait to get back to the Club and play. He never noticed as the teacher stopped speaking and walked over to him. He startled as he was roughly grabbed.
"Inattention!" the teacher snapped. "That is how the norms control us! They make us think it's safe and then BAM! Out come the guns and fences! We must be ready for them!"
Kimble startled loudly and then cowered in shame as he realized he had just been made an example of in front of the whole class. They were all looking at him in amusement and he was humiliated as the teacher glared at him and walked away.
"The danger is all around us. This is why we must train. This is why we must always be ready. They will never take us without a fight!"
Kimble was quiet and tried to pay attention as the class continued but it was just the same old bullshit over and over. He learned his lesson and tried to stay awake or at least make it look like he was interested. When the class was over, he couldn't get out fast enough. He tried to ignore the dirty look the teacher gave him on the way out. Out in the hall, Kimble took a deep breath and felt nothing but relief. He took out the paper Gail had given him that had his schedule on it. His next class was in the gym and was a class for telekinetics given by Kyle. At least this one should be interesting.
He made his way to the gym easily enough and found his class. Again he was late and had to sit in the back. Kyle gave him the same look as the last teacher had and Kimble kept his eyes down. Clearly being on time was a must around here and he would have to learn to deal with it. Kimble had been offered the school at Xavier's, he could only guess it would have been the same for him then, so he made a promise to himself to try harder.
This class was small, it had only ten students, and Kyle was teaching them about how to make telekinetic shields. He explained about all the different kinds and how they should be used. Kimble was fascinated as Kyle displayed his power. Kyle showed how the thickness of shields could be toyed with depending on their use and even displayed how a paper thin shield could be used as a protective barrier against injury from being scraped or cut from abrasive materials. It would be light and not cumbersome yet quite strong if the wielder had the strength to form it properly. This would only come over time and repeated practice. To prove his point, they were all invited to try and do this so they would understand just how difficult this was to do.
Now this is more like it! Zander crowed, happy now. He was overjoyed to finally be doing some real work for a change. Kimble relaxed and zoned out a little, letting Zander take over without really thinking about it. Kimble was only dimly aware of what he was doing, it just happened. One minute he was out on the floor, the next, he felt a kind of strange duality as Zander controlled his hands and guided his power with relative skill considering it was new to them both. It should have frightened Kimble, this sense of losing control, but instead it was very comfortable. It felt right. Zander was interested in this and Kimble just let his spirit flow.
Kyle came over, impressed with what Zander had done, Zander learned as quickly as Kimble did and was making rapid progress just from observing Kyle and the others here. Kyle nodded with approval and praised, "Very nice. You've done this before?"
"Not really. We jus' takes on real fast," Zander answered out loud, startling Kyle with his gruff, gravely voice. Now that Kimble had let go a little, Zander had been emboldened to push his position and was rewarded with a moment of complete control. He was pleased to see that he now had more freedom than he had before Kimble had been melted. It seemed as though Kimble wasn't the only one effected by the changes the plasma overload had wrought, and Zander wondered now just how much control he could take. He was patient and learned fast so he was determined to find out his limits. Maybe Kimble wanted to wuss out on learning his powers, but Zander wouldn't be satisfied until he consumed everything Kyle had to teach him.
Kyle paused, taken off guard by what just happened. He'd had a long talk with Cameron last night and wasn't happy about what he had been told. Somehow Joshua knew all about Kimble's fractured psyche and he and Cameron were all over it. They told him not to be afraid if Kimble spoke in voices. He was to just stand by and train Kimble, just accept this without question. When he protested, he was told he would understand the longer he spent time with his new charge. It was like a game or something. Kyle was not amused. His complaints were ignored.
"Kimble?" Kyle asked now, nervous. He wasn't quite sure who he was talking to and it was very unnerving.
"What?" the Lover responded, a little dreamy. It was like he had just woken up. He didn't realize Zander had just stolen a moment from him. Zander's possession left him a little out of sorts, Kimble thought Zander had spoken from inside and that only he had heard it.
"You okay?"
Kimble created a small shield and broke it into pieces, showing off a little. "Shure."
Kyle crouched down next to him, blocking Kimble's trick from view, and used his power to meld the shards back into place. He was startled to see the spikes, he hadn't seen Kimble do this during the fight outside the bar. Funny, that would have been his first form of defense. Apparently it wasn't Kimble's or perhaps it was just a sign of Kimble's lack of training. Either way, Kyle was still impressed. This was a skill only the elite of the telekinetics possessed, it had taken him years to learn it himself. "Don't show this to the others," he whispered. "They can't do this. They'll be jealous."
"How else we gonna learn?" Zander asked.
This time Kimble was a little puzzled himself at Zander's voice. He didn't know where it had come from. It must have come from inside, not out of his own mouth. Yes, that's what it was. "How else am I gonna learn?" he repeated, believing now he must have imagined Zander's voice.
Kyle wasn't so easily fooled. He didn't like it, but he answered, "I'll set up something private for you and me."
The Lover smiled up at him with his dreamy, wistful eyes, happy for the offer of company. "Kin ya teach me ta fly? I liked it when we wuz up in the sky. It wuz fun, you an' me."
Kyle smiled awkwardly. The way Kimble had spoken, it was as if he'd been invited to have sex. He tried to ignore it, dismissing it as a sign he was tired or something. "Yes, I'll teach you to fly. But you have to pay attention and do as you are told. You could be injured."
"All right. When we gonna practice?"
"I don't know. I'll get back to you after lunch. Until then, I want you just to work on those things I give the class. Nothing else, okay?"
"All right."
Kimble had lunch with Gail and enjoyed her company once more. He noticed how no one else sat with them and sometimes the others would whisper mean things about ugly Gail behind her back. They thought she was hideous looking and unfeminine. The Freedom Kings were a tight bunch, but since their focus was not on equality between races, they did not receive the same amount of compassion training as the X-men did. She pretended not to notice, but he could see from her shine she was angry and it made him sad. He promised himself he would spend as much time with her as he could, he didn't want her to think no one cared.
Leon came by as they were eating and tossed Kimble a tiny ball of plasma. He was in a rush and didn't have time to stay and talk. It was a small dose, just enough for Kimble to get buzzed, but not to pass out. Kimble had learned quickly that the plasma had its advantages. It made him high which he was growing to like, but it also lasted longer than the Ristle had. He didn't need to charge as often.
While Kimble and Gail finished their lunch, a group of kids passed them by, walking slowly by and staring at Kimble. They were talking about him softly and at first Kimble was flattered, but then he heard one of them say ShaRain with reverence and smile at him. It creeped him out, he liked attention as much any Siskan, but not like that. He had no wish to be worshiped unless it was inside a pleasure room.
After lunch, Kimble went to another class. This one was given by Michael. Michael was tall and sturdy, a jock with an affinity for guns and blowing things up. His mutant ability was not only a natural invulnerability, but also the power to phase through solid objects. Unlike Kimble, he could also phase whatever he carried with him, giving him the advantage of stealth. This class was not about phasing, it was about the use of guns. Michael stood proudly in front of a rack of guns any NRA guy would drool over, explaining what each one was and what it was best used for. The students were taught how to assemble and clean the weapons and their care. All types of guns were discussed, including rocket launchers and Tasers.
Again Kimble was turned off by all the talk of violence. These weapons had only one purpose – deadly mayhem - and he wanted no part of it. He had no need for guns. Zander was curious, but he wasn't really into it. He was more concerned about their own power and weapons, not these. Kimble drifted off again in his seat, not paying attention and was happy that it ended quickly.
After the weapons class, Kimble was supposed to go to yet another training session, but instead he snuck off. He didn't want to listen to any more stupid crap about hate and fear. He found a quiet alcove with an open window and sat there, just breathing in the smells of the outside world. It wasn't as nice as the fresh Mansion air, it was city air and he found himself missing Remy. He hadn't been given a chance to call home as promised. This was a big place but there weren't any phones anywhere. Never having been away from the Mansion before like this, he didn't realize just how significant that was. He was essentially trapped and cut off from the outside world.
Eventually, Gail came and found him. She stood behind him, her hands on her hips and smiling at him impatiently. "What are you doing over here by yourself? We were all worried about you." Her face was irritated, but her eyes merry. It just wasn't possible for her to be angry with him and he knew it.
He smiled up at her, happy he now had some company. "Don' like yer classes much. Alls they talks about is hatin' an' people dyin'. It makes me sad an' I jus' don' wants ta hear about it no more."
Gail came closer and sat down in front of him at the window. "What they say is true though. The norms do hate us."
"Fallen says that not alla them feels that way. The Professor says we kin all helps each other."
"No one was helping me," she replied. "When my parents saw what I was, they kicked me out of the house. I had nowhere to go. I had to scrounge for food on the street. No one would help me, people chased me down and beat me up if I wasn't fast enough to get away. Kyle found me and brought me here. He taught me how to fight and protect myself. This is the only place where I can walk around being me. Out there I have to hide."
"Cain't ya make yerself look different? The Professor had a machine that kin hide what ya look like," Kimble said, thinking of the image inducers he had seen in Henry's lab.
"I don't want to look different. This is how and who I am. Why should I hide?"
"Sorry," Kimble apologized when he heard the sharpness of her voice. "I likes ya jus' fine, baby doll. I didn' mean nuthin' by that."
He felt sorry that he might have hurt her feelings so he tried to touch her face, but she blocked him with a raised hand. "You can't touch me. My scales will hurt you."
"I don' care," he protested, meaning it. All he wanted was for her to feel better.
"I do. Why don't you come have some supper with me. We'll go back to our room after and watch some TV. Just relax, okay?"
"All right."
She took his hand and led him away to the cafeteria. She made him eat a little, showing him the best things to try. He was warmed by her friendship and desire to be near him and he was soon laughing and his old self again. They joked around at the table and made a mess with a little food fight, having a grand time. She taught him fun things like blowing bubbles in your milk carton with a straw and other essentials like mashed potatoe sculptures. He was soon dizzy from laughing so hard and she was pleased. He was no longer sad or lost here.
She cleaned up after them and brought him back to their room where she gave him a quick education on the wonders of television. He had seen none of this at the Mansion, most of the folks there were simply too busy to watch for pleasure. Gail turned on some cartoons and he was enraptured by what he saw, squealing with laughter and soon forgot his troubles.
Gail just sat back with a smile, their roles reversed with her happy now she had made him feel better. The more time she spent with Kimble, the better he made her feel as well. She was growing quite fond of her roommate and hoped he stayed with her.