A.N: My first X-Men fic...I hope you like it. Kurt's my favorite character so its gonna be alot of the Fuzzy One.
Dissclaimer: I, the auther, do not own X-Men, or anything to do with X-Men in any way.
Something New.
1: A Mansion.
Welcome to Bayville, USA. Population: lots. A rather quiet town as far as they go, or rather it was once. Now it seems strange and scary things are going on, there are rumours of mutants about the town, in the city streets. Most people think they live in the sewers, down where the sunlight never shines. Naturally, no one would ever look to the large mansion outside of town, the Xavier Institute. No one ever suspected what roamed its halls.
The new arrival stood nervously in a shadowy corner of the room. He'd not said a word since he arrived. Professor Xavier was used to it; people always clammed up in new places, especially when they were…different.
"Please, sit down." Xavier invited, gesturing to the seat in front of his desk. The figure moved slowly and cautiously towards the chair. The Professor's voice was calming; it set the strangers mind at ease.
"What is your name?" The Professor asked.
"…Victor…Victor Crow, sir." The figure replied, quietly. He was hidden away under the hood of a large leather coat, his hands in gloves. He reminded Xavier of when Kurt first arrived.
"Okay…do you know why your parents sent you here?"
"Because…I'm a mutant…they said I'd be safe here. Or maybe they wanted rid of me…I wouldn't blame them." Victor's voice was little more than a whisper, a pained one.
"You're right about one thing." Professor Xavier said, smiling. "You are a mutant…and yes, they sent you here so you would be safe. Not because they wanted 'rid' of you. When your parents contacted me they made it quit clear that they wanted what was best for you."
Victor chuckled from within the shadow his hood afforded him.
"That's what they said…"
The sunlight was beaming through the large windows of the office; it made Victor uncomfortable, to be in so much light.
"So tell me, Victor. What gifts to you have?"
Victor barked out a laugh.
"Gifts? Hardly…" he spat, hiding away in his hood.
"They're only a curse if you let them be…" Xavier said, with a slight smile. Victor shrugged.
"Okay…I don't know exactly what…powers I have. There seems to be a few…none that I'm proud of."
"Well…start at the beginning."
"The beginning…okay then. I'd just started High School, and I got the short straw. I was bullied…name calling and after-school beatings, that sort of thing. One day I'm cornered after serving a detention for being late to school. I remember, it was winter, and it was getting dark. These guys beat me into a corner and I remember just wishing so hard I could disappear. One of them went to punch me and I stepped back. He broke his hand on the wall I'd been backing up against. I somehow backed up into the wall. I could see them but they were all freaking out saying I'd just walked through the wall. I freaked out and jus wanted to get home. I turned around and there I was, in my room. I turned around again and all I could se was my wall; that and the shadow of my blinds that covered my window. I passed out and woke up three days later in the hospital, an official medical mystery.
I went back to High School, the rumours of my disappearing act having been greatly exaggerated in my absence, and carried on as normal. Except it happened again, on a field-trip. I was cave-diving, and I fell into a crack in the rocks. I got stuck, and at the time I didn't have such a great handle on my claustrophobia. I freaked out, started screaming and trying to thrash around, and next thing I know I've fallen even further and I'm again in my room. My Mom had to call the school to call the teachers I was with to tell them I was at home, ever two hundred miles away from where I was supposed to be. No one could explain it, as hard as they tried. The thing is, all I remember was wishing I was at home, not stuck in a cold, dark hole.
From then on it just kept on happening, and my parents found out about my tattoo. I never remembered getting it, but somehow I'd gone and gotten a tattoo on my chest, and every time I fell into my room, it got bigger. Then I lost my hair colour. Then I got taller and taller and even taller still. Then I got stronger and stronger, even though I had no muscle bulk to speak of. Then, finally, I grew a set of fangs. My family and I sat watching the late night news and a story of these things called mutants popped up. Well…my parents just starred at me and I got the hint. Somehow I'd made the connection that my bedroom was the only place I could fall to but…I was wrong.
Lastly, this happened two years ago, I got attacked by the same guy who broke his hand trying to hit me. He laid into me pretty bad, and I got so angry…I cut loose, and I don't remember much, but I do remember the blood. Afterward I ran away; I called an ambulance with his cell and ran. I slept in parks and alleyways, until I wound up at my best friends house. I told her everything…and she was disgusted by me. She called me a vampire of all things. Anyway, I was wanted by the police, and I couldn't stay at home. An old…friend, shall we say…offered to put me up. He's a good guy, but he'd had issues with the law, so he knew a thing or two about hiding out. I stayed there for eighteen months, and while I was there, I focussed on getting a handle on these weird things I could do. He helped me out so much; the night I got there he asked me where my tattoo had gone, and he was right. It was like it'd never been there. Six months ago the charges were dropped, and my parents told me they'd find some place for me to be safe. So…here I am."
Professor Xavier listened intently to the boy's story. He had heard so many like them…mutants usually only realised their powers in times of heightened stress or fear. Victor was a classic example.
"It would appear you have some sort of natural teleportation." The Professor said, opening the medical file on his desk.
"Sort of…after a while I found I could only pass through a wall that was in shadow…like, a brick wall on a sunny day was a no go, but park a truck in front of it and I can pass through the truck's shadow, if it's dark enough. The lighter the shadow is, the harder it is to get trough. I have to know where I want to end up as well, and pray there's a shadow to come out of."
"Okay…" Xavier said thoughtfully, looking over the report. Victor had been medically examined and the report came back clean.
"Over time I figured I could do more than walk through them, it felt like I wasn't using a part of my body…like I was purposely not using one arm, but the more I do, the more it affects that." Victor said, noticing his picture in the file. He was naked from the waist up, and the large black shape on his chest had obviously caught the Professors attention.
"What is it?" Xavier asked.
"Every time I jump through shadows or…do something related to that, something I've figured out myself…a little piece of the shadow comes with me. It's like the darkness is infecting my body, bit by bit."
"Well…we'll deal with that in time. It says here you were very…hesitant about coming here. Why is that?"
Victor smiled, though it went unseen.
"It's a long way from Leeds to the USA. That and…well, there's something you won't find in that file. I don't think it's something you'll agree with. I still doubt I'll be accepted…even here."
"A lot of the students here say that." Professor Xavier said, smiling his calming smile. "But we've never turned anyone away. So what is this dreadful thing that's so unacceptable?"
Victor pushed away his hood. His eyes were a bright emerald green, with irises like a cat's. His skin was as pale as moonlight with an almost silver tinge to it.
"My powers, if that what you want to call them, come at a price. Using them…has adverse affects on me. That guy I faught…when I lost controll I juts saw red. I couldn't stop it…I bit him. Everything went away, the pain, the sadness. And the shadows in my body seeped out, the black shapes on my skin faded."
Xavier pushed through the papers to the dental section.
"Oh, my…"
"Yeah…you see? That's why I'm hesitant. I'm like a bad horror movie…the shadows infect me like a cancer, and to keep it in check…It's how I got my nickname, Vamp."
------
School was out for the day. The students of the Institute made their way home, another day done with. Time to relax, chill out, have a little fun. Scott and Jean knew otherwise. They both knew about the new arrival to the Institute. Both were looking forward to meeting him.
"Scott, Jean, Kurt…please, come to the library." The Professors voice floated through their minds. Their wait was over. They smiled at each other and took the fasted rout possible.
Kurt was already there, having teleported right in. He was looking happy about something.
"Is everything okay Professor?" Scott asked, glancing around. No sign of anyone else in the room.
"Yes…Scott, Jean, Kurt, I'd like you to meet someone. He's come all the way from Leeds, England. I'm sure you'll make him feel welcome. Victor, this is Scott Summers and Jean Grey, my senior students." Professor Xavier introduced the two older teens to thin air.
"There's no one there Professor." Jean said, frowning slightly. Professor Xavier looked around before smiling slightly.
"Ah, Victor was just demonstrating his unique abilities for me." The Professor explained to his baffled students. "No need to be shy Victor."
A figure appeared in the room. Jaws dropped slightly as a head and shoulders appeared from above the window, where the wall met the ceiling and the light of the sun didn't reach. The figure took a quick look before darting back in.
"He's nervous." Jean said. She could feel it in his mind.
"Please…stay out of my head." Came a voice from the room. The figure appeared, waking along the ceiling before falling to the floor, landing with apparent ease. He was shrouded in his hood and coat.
"Scott, Jean, Kurt, I'd like you to meet Victor Crow. He'll be staying with us for the foreseeable future."
"Nice to meet you." Scott said, offering his hand. Victor took it slowly, unsure.
"Kurt, if you wouldn't mind, could you please deactivate your image inducer." Professor Xavier said with a knowing smile. Kurt reached for the device on his wrist and pushed a button. The seemingly normal image of a teen boy flickered and faded, revealing the blue fuzz-ball that was Nightcrawler.
"As you can see, Victor, Kurt has an appearance most people will not accept. However, we here have accepted his unique nature and he himself has embraced it. Kurt, I'd like you to show Victor around, stick with him for a while, until he finds his feet. Is that okay with you Victor?"
Victor shrugged back his hood, revealing his gleaming eyes, his long silvery hair, and a boyish smile. The first time he had smiled in near weeks.
"Yes…thank you. I really appreciate it." Victor said, still smiling. He noticed the three teens were staring at him, and he suddenly figured why. He clamped a hand over his mouth, looking shocked.
"I'm sure Victor will explain those in his own time." Professor Xavier said, looking lightly amused.
"Victor, you know where your room is?" Professor Xavier asked, looking up at the tall, shrouded teen.
"I'll find my way…" Victor replied and, with a nod to Scott and Jean, walked towards the wall. With a flick of his wrist the wall darkened and a black, foggy darkness appeared. Victor walked right into it and it closed behind him.
"Professor…is it just me or does Victor seem a little…"
"Yes Scott, I'm afraid to say he does. Victor Crow comes from a background we rarely see here. His mutant powers do not seem to follow the usual course of evolution. That is why I called you, Kurt. Your powers, as we know, allow access to another dimension, even if for the shortest of moments. I believe Victor may also posses such powers. The way he describes passing through shadows…it may be possible he has breached some level of existence never seen before. However…his powers and his childhood have made him somewhat unstable. He may be suffering from some sort of bipolar disorder. The saddest part is, when he uses his powers, they slowly take adverse affects on his body…I can't explain it fully, but over time, with prolonged use, his powers may kill him."
------
"I believe it's socially acceptable to knock before entering a possibly occupied room." Victor said as Kurt 'ported into the room. The smell of sulphur lingered in the room.
"Sorry, old habits die hard, ja?" Kurt apologised, looking somewhat sheepish.
"Forget it. You're German?"
"Ja, I never knew vhere I vas born, but for the longest time I vas with the Munich Circus…it vas there I got my name, Nightcrawler."
"I guess the circus is a good place to be when you look…different." Victor said. His hood was up again.
"You are conscious about za vay you look? It can hardly be vorse than me." Kurt said, grinning.
"Personally, I think it's kind of cool, the blue thing. It's on your mind, isn't it?"
"Vat is?" Kurt looked confused.
"My teeth. I saw your reaction in the library. You're thinking about it."
Kurt looked shocked. Not because Victor was right, but because Kurt didn't know he'd been thinking about it. It was in the back of his mind, but there.
"How did you know?" Kurt asked.
"I don't know. I'm sure as hell not psychic but…I can read people pretty well."
"Well, ok zen. Ja, I was vondering…but I vasn't going to say anything. It's your business."
Victor nodded, smiling under his hood. He lowered it and unzipped his coat. His upper body was clad in a skin-tight t-shirt, black with a white dragon pattern. The shirt was tucked into a pair of dark jeans, covered in leather biker chaps, fastened with silver buckles and clasps. What skin was visible was like his face, pale as the moon and shining with that silvery tinge that made it almost inhuman. Well, he wasn't really a bog standard human. His hair fell down his back, pulled back into a simple ribbon hair tie.
"This is your room, right?" Victor asked, crossing his thin arms. Like the rest of him, his muscle structure was very light, but what was there was most certainly there.
"Ja…I think the Professor put us together." Kurt replied.
"It would seem that way. Well, since we're roomies, I might as well let you know first. I know the Professor told you about my…condition. Even with my powers, I still have issues. I'll tell you what I know. When I dive through shadows, I dive through what shadows are. Darkness itself…it's like a living thing in itself. And when I pass through, some of it clings to me and invades my body."
Victor pulled his shirt up his body, revealing the mass of spiralling black on his skin.
"It looks like a tattoo…but it's not. I don't want to think what will happen when I'm covered in it, but the more of it there is, the more…unpredictable I become. The only way I've found to purge…well, sate is a better word, since I'm sure I'll never be rid of it, but the only way to deal with it, reduce it, is to drink the blood of other humans and mutants. My teeth are fangs. I'm vampiric, to an extent. That's why some people called me Vamp."
Kurt was shocked. Vampirism was a myth, a story, nothing more than a tale for teen movies and badly shot music videos. And some kick ass anime. But here was a mutant called Vamp, who apparently drank the blood of others in order to remain alive. Not every night, Kurt was sure, but just how often, he did not know. If it was so impossible, why did he find himself believing the thin teen so wholly? Probably because some would say a teleporting blue demon was impossible.
"You're shocked…but you believe me. Good…at least you understand. I wont bite you, don't worry."
Kurt's expression went from shocked to completely confusion.
"You're strange." Kurt said, flopping on his bed.
"I know. But wouldn't that be better than being a boring every day Joe?"
"I guess so. So vhat do you like to do in your spare time?" Kurt asked, playing with his tail.
"I read a lot…I try not to go out in the day…sunlight burns my skin."
"Really?"
Victor laughed.
"No, I'm not that much of a vampire. Just kidding. But sunlight does bother me a little…especially in the middle of summer. I guess normal stuff…go out, see a movie, hit the arcade…whatever. I like making things though…"
"Vat kind of things?" Kurt asked, making conversation as best he could; had to make the new kid feel welcome.
"Well, when I get an idea in my head it never goes away so…I make it." He said, reaching into his bag.
He pulled out a strange looking, bladed object. It was about arms length and had a handle and straps on it. Victor strapped the object to his forearms so the blades jutted out past his wrist. A handle fell into place just where his hand was, and on the grip was a trigger. At the rear of the blades was what appeared to be the hammer and break barrel section of a double-barrel shotgun.
"This is my latest contraption. It's called Raziel. It's primarily an arm mounted blade, the sides of each barrel are sharpened and diamond tipped. The back section is a reinforced breach block from a double barrel shotgun…the trigger is in the grip, which lies just in line with my palm, see? Obviously…using that hand is a little difficult when the grip is there, but it can swing away and latch under the barrels. The blades are hollow, obviously. When it needs reloading, I click a button on the grip, and the barrel assembly unlocks and moves forward slightly, flipping out to the right. The shells are sent away from the user, assuming its being used right-handed. It fires a variety of rounds…twelve gauge buckshot, slug rounds, rubber rounds…anything I can make really. The barrels are drilled with small holes so when I use the Firefly rounds, fire bursts out of the blades as it cuts…it cool to watch. The inscription on the barrel reads…"
Kurt leaned in and inspected the rolling, elegant inscription.
"Vergeben Sie mich…Forgive me? Vat dose zat mean?"
Victor ran his hands over the silver barrels/blades.
"If this weapon ever has to taste blood, the first thing I'd seek is forgiveness."
Kurt raised an eyebrow.
"Yet you invent a veapon?"
"You said it yourself. I'm strange. Besides…I don't really have many offensive abilities. I can't fight very well, unless I loose control. Then I don't know what happens, it's like I'm not there. The only thing I'm good at is using my powers and inventing. Sure…I'm a little stronger and faster than most…and I do that gravity defying thing…but I can't shoot eye lasers or throw things with my mind. And I know someday I will need to fight someone. I already have done after all…" Victor faded off, eyes dropping.
"Tender subject?" Kurt asked.
"You have no idea…" Victor replied.
"Vell, I know one thing. Time for dinner!" Kurt said with a smile. Victor smiled in return, pushing Raziel under his bed along with a smaller metal box.
"Lead the way".