Opening Night
By David D. Amaya
Chapter 1
Disclaimer
The X-Men and all related characters are the property of Marvel Comics Group.
Alea, Adm. Kaulolana, Jason, Nuff, and Yoink are my original characters.
Elements of this story were formed from the fan fiction story arc "A Friend in Need" By Somogyi, and are used with her permission. (Thanks again Somogyi :)
All facilities and landmark images are property of their respective owners.
It was just another beautiful day, as far as Stewart MacKenzie was concerned.
Looking out the east-facing window of the modest home he shares with his seule famille in a Fairfield County, Connecticut suburb. It was a bone-numbing cold morning, even for New England in October, but the young Canadian loved the cold. Born about 300 Km. from the Arctic Circle would do that to someone.
Looking at the thermometer on the wall it was showing a temperature of 51 degrees Fahrenheit at 5:58 A.M.
"I have always loved hot mornings," the Yukon native mused with a smirk, and began to get dressed, topping his wardrobe choice with his favorite sweater, his father's old Quebec Rafales jersey. "Well, time to get everyone up this great morning," then bounded from his Attic room.
Opening the door to his cousin's room. He tried to get the sleeping 16-year-old up to face the world.
"Wakie-wakie, Nuff," Stewart said to the large lump under the bed covers. "Rise and Shine!"
"One of these days you are going to learn the importance of sleep," moaned his half-asleep cousin.
"Why do you want to sleep this de toute beauté day away?" Stewart asked as he opened the window, letting in the better part of a Connecticut breeze.
"SHUT THAT DAMN WINDOW!!" shouted the now-freezing Nathan McPherson. "I'm up already!" he grunted storming out towards the hallway. "And take that SILLY GRIN OFF YOUR GRILL, YOINK! Just because YOU love the cold doesn't mean WE all have to suffer!"
"Don't give me that, Nuff. You're from Alaska," reminded his older kin with a toothpaste smile.
"You boys are gonna wake the rest of the neighborhood with your shouting," said an angelic voice from the staircase. "It's 6 AM guys! People are still asleep!"
With the grace of a dancer, she floated over to both her good friends. "Aloha, kakahiaka, Nakana, Kewalaka!" she gave them each a good morning-hug with a smile that reached clear to her heart.
"Morning," came the Alaskan's reply as he went to take his shower, for if he was anything, a morning person he was NOT.
"Bonjour, Alea,"
Loving the morning like Stewart loves the cold, Alea Kaulalona was up before the crack of dawn, as the Hawaiian-born princess is every day.
This morning she dressed in a rainbow knit sweater that matched her personality, colorful and beautiful.
"Since I never have to force you out of bed, help me get Jay up," Alea asked the Canadian. "After all, it is his day," She said opening the door to her boyfriend's room.
As always the Los Angeles-raised Jason Delano was sprawled out on his bed, covered in no-less than three blankets and two comforters, looking dead to the world.
"Wake up, Sleeping Ugly," Alea sang, shaking Jay's shoulder. "Wake Up."
He groaned as he turned over, oblivious to his girlfriend's attempts to get him to join the living.
"Well! See how you like this!" she replied. Standing in the middle of the room, she raised her arms closed her eyes and started to emit pure heat out of her body into the small room. The temperature reading in the digital clock went from 59F to 60F then to 70F, 80F, 90F and in a matter of seconds the temperature was 107F. But the sleeping form, accustomed to Southern California heat waves did not seem to notice.
"Hey, who fixed the furnace," he muttered.
"OH!!" Grunted the Hawaiian, as she reduced the temperature to normal. "You're so dead! Kewalaka,C'est à toi?"
"Ce n'est pas grave, ma sœur "
Reaching under the covers, he exposed Jay's left foot, pointed his hand at it then started to emit pure cold as frost started to form of his best friend's sock.
"YEOW!" Shouted the now fully-awaken Jason. "That's COLD!"
"That's the idea. Now GET UP!" Alea said as she left her boyfriend's room. "Breakfast will be ready soon."
Looking at the reason for his now frozen feet, Jay grabbed his friend's collar, twisted it tight as he pulled his smiling face to his scowling look and dryly said, "How many times a day do I gotta threaten your life."
Shoving the Canadian out of his room, He started to shake the sleep from his eyes, looking to a framed picture on the bedside table reminded him of the importance of the day. He realized that today was October 4 and he was going continue a family tradition. And this year he was taking his new family with him.
Despite never having seen snow until his 15th birthday, Jason was a big hockey fan, remembering his very first game and how it affected his young life so far and so much.
Now he was 16, living on the East Coast now, and in a few scant hours he will return to where his life truly began, to the first place he ever truly felt happy.
Looking to the wall that had six picture frames, the most important possessions in his life, the memories of that fateful day and the aftermath that led him to this moment in time began to overwhelm him. Suppressing tears, he began to get dressed, and join his familia.
Meanwhile, just across the New York state line in Westchester, others were enjoying the fresh, cold autumn morning.
Ororo Monroe, the mutant called Storm creates a small gust to open the windows to the attic loft, letting in the cool sunshine.
Soaking in the beautiful morning, Storm quickly dressed and bounded down to the mansion's kitchen for her morning meal.
"Mornin', Ro."
"Good morning, Ororo."
"Mornin', Stormy."
"Good morning, Logan, Jean, Remy," she returned her friends greetings with a warm smile.
"A good morning, all my dear friends," A big blue furry man with glasses entered the kitchen. "A pristine day indeed, if I may say. Is this your doing, Ororo?"
"No, alas I cannot take the credit for such a beautiful day." Storm enjoyed when her friends gave her credit for good weather like today.
Storm, Jean, please come to my office at once, Professor X telepathically called.
In the office of their mentor, Charles Xavier, Jean and Storm were listening to the account of Cerebro's monitoring from this morning.
"You see the local temperature in South Western Connecticut is 59F, but just a few moments ago a localized temperature cell rose to over 100F then fell sharply to almost freezing at 36F in a matter of seconds. From the data Cerebro collected it is from alpha mutant abilities."
"Where is this cell originating from, Charles?" Storm inquired.
"From a home in the West Norwalk area, Storm," He replied. "I taped into the local databases and gathered information on those living at that address."
Handing Storm and Jean a dossier, they quickly scanned the documents information.
"Professor these are teenagers." replied Jean.
"Yes I know. It would appear that all four of these young persons each have demonstrated a large control of their mutant abilities, but it appears they remain unfocussed. I would like for you to meet with them to see if they are interested in attending the Academy so we may help them with their gifts."
"We will go at once, Charles" Storm rose. "Do you have the address?"
"Yes, but if the information I gathered is correct, they will be departing for California in a few hours to attend a sporting event. I would like Jubilee to accompany you, Jean and Scott to meet with them at their hotel this evening."
"I understand, professor," Jean gathered. "Showing them that they will have a teammate their own age will help in the recruitment process. I'll tell Jubilee, I know she'll love returning home."
"I have arranged transportation via a commercial airline and have made accommodations at the hotel they will be staying at, as well as securing tickets for the event they will be attending," Charles handed. "They will be waiting for you at the front desk when you arrive."
"Hey cool! It's been some time since I'd soaked some LA rays," Jubilee hopped to her dresser and began tossing warm California clothes onto the bed looking for an outfit to wear on the west coast. "Should I pack my rollerblades, Moms?"
"I doubt we'll have the time, Jubilee," Jean smiled at her youthful exuberance. "We're supposed to meet with them at their hotel and if not we are to meet them at the game they will be in town to attend."
"Like, what game? Lakers at Staples? Dodgers at the Ravine?"
"A hockey game?" Scott read the four tickets the desk clerk handed him.
"Yes sir," the clerk replied with a professional smile. "It's the Ice Dogs home opener they are playing the Detroit Vipers. The arena is just a short walk from here, sir. The game will start at 7 PM."
"Why would someone fly cross-country just to see a game of Puck?" asked Jubilee. "I mean, like, don't they have like three teams in New York and one in Jersey?"
"Has a Jason Delano and his party checked in yet?" Jean inquired.
"No ma'am."
"Would you please leave a message with them to contact our room when they arrive," Ororo asked him. "We must speak with them on an urgent matter."
"Of course, ma'am," the clerk replied. "Please enjoy your stay at the Hyatt Regency."
"We might as well settle in," Scott led them towards the elevators.
"It's a few hours until the game starts, why don't we do a bit of sight-seeing first."
"Why don't we, like, do a bit of shopping, too?" Added Jubilee.
"The Queen Mary is not far from here, let us begin there," Ororo suggested.
As the four X-Men boarded the elevator to their rooms, four teens walked up to the front desk to check in. When the clerk handing them the keys to their rooms. "One more thing, some guests just left requesting you contact them."
A concerned look covered their faces, as only one other person was aware of their being on the West Coast.
"What guests?" Nathan asked him.
"It's probably Admiral Lewis and Captain Barnes," Alea replied "Makuakane said they were in town for the conference, we'll probably see them at the game tonight, boys."
Relief replaced the concern as they left the hotel for the short walk to the arena's box office to purchase another ticket for Alea's makuakane (Hawaiian for father,) Rear Admiral Thom Kaulalona.
The Admiral's tight schedule as the commanding officer at Pearl Harbor naval station on Oahu made it tough to visit his daughter in Connecticut, but as fate would have it, he was in town for a navel conference at Naval Weapons Station, Seal Beach this weekend, so he was able to go with his daughter and there 'ohana holo'oko'a, (Hawaiian for extended family,) to the game and would meet them at the hotel at 6 PM.
A few hours later, as the sun was beginning to dip into the Pacific, Scott, Jean, Ororo, and Jubilee re-entered the hotel caring a few mementos from Long Beach's most famous landmarks.
As they returned to their rooms, Scott called the number the new clerk at the front desk had given them, but no one answered.
Scott put down the receiver. "Looks like they are not in their room,"
"Wait a minute," said Jean. A telepathic scan revealed that room 583 was indeed occupied, but with the telephone shut off. "They are in their room, playing a board game, they just are not answering the phone."
"Why don't go and introduce ourselves," Ororo suggested.
Meanwhile the occupants of room 583 were killing the last hour before game-time playing their favorite pastime, a large four-player version of chess with motley of pieces engaged in battle.
Although a portable stereo was loudly playing heavy metal music, the players found it hard to concentrate with the phone interrupting them and played with the ringer in the off position, Besides Alea's dad always calls her cell phone anyway.
Alea, who is soundly beating her three male opponents, is playing with intricate, hand-carved jade pieces her father purchased for her for her eighth birthday while ashore in Japan.
To her port side Nathan was playing with a set that was made of black marble.
Stewart, to her starboard, was using a set fashioned after the Flintstones.
While sitting across from her, her boyfriend, fighting a losing battle, was doing so with a set made to resemble Star Wars figures.
As Dino the Dinosaur was capturing Han Solo, there was a knock on the door.
"Check mon frère!" said Yoink.
"Just get the door!" Fumed Jay.
"No, I'll get it," Alea rose to her feet. "It's probably Makuakane, and you have enough to worry about, Iakona."
As Stewart and Nathan chuckled at their friend's dilemma, Alea opened the door to find a man in red glasses standing were she thought her father would be.
"Alea Kuala hona," asked Scott reading from a piece of paper.
"That's Kaulalona," the proud Hawaiian corrected.
"We are sorry for mispronouncing your name, Alea," the exotic woman with the white hair spoke up. "We were wondering if we may come in and have a talk with you and your friends."
"Who is it 'Lea?" Jason went to the door with Stewart and Stewart in tow once they realized there were no naval officers at the door.
"Can we help you?" asked the young Alaskan.
"Actually, we're here to help you," said the redheaded woman. "My name is Jean Summers, this is my husband Scott and these are our friends Ororo Monroe and Jubilee Lee."
"I'm Stewart but everyone calls me Yoink, this is my cousin …"
"Wait a minute," interrupted Jason. "Who are you and how do you know us?" he asked suspiciously. He didn't like surprises and the street survival instincts he honed in juvy were kicking in to high gear.
"Like, we're from the Massachusetts Academy for Gifted Youngsters in Snow Valley," replied the girl in the yellow coat.
"I'm sorry, but we gave at the office," came Jay's smart-alecky reply.
Alea began to utilize her mental telepathy, the three of them discussing the situation silently.
Who the fuck are these assholes? And what are they doing here? No one knows we're even here!
I sense they are who they say they are, but it's a little far to go just for a recruiting trip! Who are these Po'e, kanaka anyway?
I got my silver dollar, how about you guys?
Je sues prêt à faire tomber la neige!
I'm ready to get down!
Please, there is no need for violence! an unspoken voice implored the four young mutants. "We knew you were coming out here for the season opener or else we would have met you in back in Connecticut." he voice continued aloud.
"You're all mutants, I take it," Stewart addressed them aloud. "Et alors? Il se fait proche de temps de jeu!"
"You can trust us, Stewart," Scott informed them. "Besides it is only 6:15 and the game doesn't start until 7 o'clock. Like we said we have lot to discuss,"
"Talk about what?" A figure dressed in navy blue walked up to the room.
"Perfect timing, Makuakane!" Alea addressed her father as he removed his hat.
"Good Evening, Mr. Kaulalona," Jean extended her hand to the Naval Officer, making sure to pronounce the Hawaiian name correctly.
"That's 'Admiral,' to you!" Jason corrected her.
The Hawaiian turned to his daughter. " Lei aloha, who are these people?"
"If we may step inside, we shall discuss it, Admiral." Ororo implored.
"Come on, let us in!" Jubilee press them. "Be original, guys! Everyone else says 'no!' We don't bite… Well, not that hard… Not in places that show, anyway."
All seven of the assembled just looked to Jubilee, who gave them a sheepish grin.
End of Part 1
© David D. Amaya 2001