Chapter One

The New Recruits

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Note from the author: I do not own X-Men Evolution because it is so obviously the property of Marvel Comics and Kids WB. However, friends of mine created many of the characters in this story. With that said…

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At eighteen years old, Khadrim had grown up and was ready to leave the Los Angeles orphanage he had called home for the past eight years. He had white jaw-length hair that was wildly tossed about in the L.A. weather, and dark red eyes that dared anyone to approach him. He was used to that kind of reaction, as he had been since he was a child.

The memories of his past haunted him as he journeyed across the country that was meant to be his homeland. He had American blood coursing through his veins, but he had been raised in a Chinese village. He fought hard to forget the angering images of children teasing him in his childhood, but to no avail. It was impossible when he knew he had killed his own parents when he changed into… into something else.

He didn't remember his name after that night. People called him Demon or Monster, but the one name that followed him everywhere was Dragon… Khadrim. He didn't know why his anger had been unleashed in the form of a dragon. He was determined to find out.

Through his travels he had heard of one Professor Charles Xavier, a man in New York who had founded a school for "gifted" children. It was said that he used to teach at various universities across the nation about the issue of enhanced or advanced genetics and human evolution. Khadrim somehow forced himself to believe this man may be able to help him.

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Amera Walker answered the ringing of the doorbell and opened the door. She was a sixteen-year-old with oddly mint-blue hair that had grown out a bit blonde. She was met with two teenagers she didn't now from school; a boy with short brown hair and wore a pair of red sunglasses, and a girl with brown hair, strangely white bangs, and wore Goth-looking clothing. "Yeah?" she asked of them.

"Hi. I'm Scott Summers, and this is Rogue," the boy said. "We'd like to talk to you and your family."

Amera turned and called into the adjacent room. "Mom!" Her mother, about the age of 35 and had beach blonde hair, and her sister, a girl with dirty blonde hair about the same as Amera's was growing out to, appeared. Amera turned back to the two at the door. "So, what's with the shades? It's night-time." Amera asked rudely.

"Amera Jade!" her mother scolded. She then turned to the teenagers at the door. "Come in, won't you?" As they became situated and comfortable in the living room, she introduced herself as Leah Walker, and her two twin daughters as Danel and Amera. "Thank you both for coming all the way to Phoenix from New York."

"It was nothin'," Rogue replied. "Professor Xavier sent us to talk to you about his school for… gifted students."

Danel, hearing enough, got off the couch and headed for the stairs. "Gifted? Yeah right."

"Danel, sit down," her mother said, motioning to her. Danel refused. "They want to help you with your powers…"

"Oh, great, Mom, just great. Now they know Amera and I are freaks!" She began running up the stairs.

Leah stood. "Danel, sit down."

Danel froze halfway up the stairs and glared back at her mother. She then came back downstairs and sat in the chair closest to the stairway.

Scott turned and faced the flustered teenager. "Danel, the school is for mutants. People like you and me. You're not the only ones."

"Yeah, so what are your powers, Shades?"

"Danel!" Leah scolded.

"I shoot optic force beams from my eyes. That's why I have to wear these shades wherever I go."

Danel felt slightly embarrassed. "Oh."

"When mutants are open with their powers, we go out and try to find and help them," Rogue explained. "If they don't use their powers, Professor Xavier won't be able to detect them."

"So… how do you know about us?" Amera asked.

Danel got upset again. "Yeah, we don't use our powers at all… unless it's an accident…"

Leah responded. "I told the Professor."

Danel glanced at her mother. "How did you know about the professor?"

Leah grew quiet. "I should have told you girls about this sooner, when you were younger and could understand these things. I… I am a mutant as well, and the gene that enhances humans into mutants, the X-gene, is hereditary." She paused. "I couldn't control my powers, and that's how the Professor found me. He helped my control my powers, and I want him to help you girls too."

The twins stared at their mother. "Fine," Amera said shortly. She then turned to Rogue. "Any hot guys at this school?"

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Danel's black kitten, Stormy, sat on the rug in the middle of the large room that was used as Professor Charles Xavier's office and a meeting hall at the large mansion known as the Xavier Institute. "Danel, I want you to try and stretch your powers, try to control them. Take off your glove and touch the cat. Try not to enter the cat." Xavier watched the girl from across the way in his electric wheelchair. She went to take off the glove she wore, but hesitated.

"I can't do it, Professor."

"Please Danel. Let me try to help you. That's why you're here."

Danel looked pleadingly at the professor as she took off her left glove and leaned forward to touch the cat as it began to scratch it's ear. She touched Stormy's nose and almost instantly she was looking through the eyes of the kitten. She stood and pounced up to the seat where she had been sitting. *Thank you, Danel,* the professor said telepathically. *You can go and get situated in your room now.* Danel let out a small meow as she pranced to her room. Amera soon entered the office.

"Amera. Can you show me what you can do with your powers of water?" Xavier asked, rolling forward a few feet.

"I guess I can…" She sat in the same seat her sister had as she sat a glass of water on a nearby end table. She began to concentrate, and soon became nothing but a transparent person made of water. She returned to her normal state in a matter of seconds. The professor was intrigued that she was able to keep her shape, even though water cannot be molded.

"Can you attempt something for me?" Xavier asked the girl. "Can you try to create a form from a body of water, such as a glass of water?"

"Like… Something that I don't have direct control of?" Amera seemed afraid of trying something new.

"Yes. Try to make a simple sphere of water for me… or make the glass of water move." Charles looked over at the water glass she had brought in with her.

"Okay…" Amera looked at the glass and held her hand toward it. She concentrated solely on the cup. Seconds later, it shook then fell over. "Oops!"

"It's alright, Amera. We now know that you can manipulate outside water as well. We will train to further this skill. Are you up for that?" Xavier smiled at the embarrassed teenager. "It's a step forward."

Amera grinned as she ran from the room. Seconds later, her head popped back into the doorway. "Can you get this blue elf to quit following me? It's kind of creepy!"

She left again as Kurt Wagner entered. Just as Amera had described, he was covered in blue fur, had pointed ears like an elf, three fingers and two toes on each hand or foot, and a prehensile demon-like tail. "Kurt," the professor said, noting his entrance. "Why aren't you at school with the others?"

"Sorry Professor," Kurt said with a German accent. He held out a red watch that had sparks flying from it. "My image inducer fell of in the toi…"

"I don't need to know where it's been." He took the inducer with two fingers in disgust and put it in his jacket pocket. "I will repair it, Kurt, don't worry. Why don't you show the two new recruits, Amera and Danel Walker around the institute?"

"Alright! Don't vorry Professor, I von't botch this!" Kurt sounded thrilled at the mention of two new girls and teleported away in an instant. (Note: from now on, I will call Kurt's teleporting "bamf" or "port" or something to that effect.)

Danel fell on to her bed, frightened when she heard a *bamf* behind her. She turned and saw Kurt, a startling image. She began to slink backward to the wall. "Guten Tag, Fraulein," he grinned and extended a three fingered hand. "I'm Kurt Wagner!" He then noticed she was afraid of him and put his hand down. "Don't be afraid. I'm a mutant and a student here, like you." He bamfed next to her, trying to be friendly. "Let me show you around the institute."

Danel made a realization that he was just another normal teenage mutant and began to warm up to him. "Alright. My sister Amera's room is next door."

Unlike her sister, Amera had heavy metal blaring in her room and she already had pictures of Marylin Manson and Korn on her wall. Danel walked over to the stereo and hit the power button.

"Yo, that was way uncool," Amera said, then saw the blue elf that had been following her to the Professor's office earlier. She supposed he wasn't so creepy after all, and besides, he was kind of cute. "What's up? I'm Amera."

"Hello, Amera. I'm Kurt Wagner. Can I show you two lovely ladies around the institute?"

Amera responded with a giggle as acceptance and Kurt took the two girls' arms in his own. He began to port around the institute. "This is the hall way connecting all the dorms, and this *bamf* is the kitchen, and *bamf* this is the…" Kurt stopped mid-sentence as a pale teenage boy strode through the foyer door. The girls backed away as Kurt approached the stranger. "Vhat do you want?"

The boy stayed silent for several moments. "I am seeking Professor Charles Xavier. Is this where I might find him?"

"Ja, he's upstairs, but vhy do you look for him?" Once again the boy was silent and he went upstairs to the professor's office, leaving the trio downstairs. They shrugged and exchanged glances, then continued their tour. "This is the foyer vhere creepy guys come in and look for the professor." Kurt joked, then ported away.

Upstairs in the professor's office, the strange boy was more open. "I don't know if you can even help me. I can't control it."

"Of course you can, Khadrim. You do have somewhat of a control on your zoanthropy already," Xavier said, trying to uplift the boy's spirits. He rolled towards him. "The question is if you have the X-Gene. I don't know why Cerebro didn't pick you up if you do, but it could be a minor mistake. Come with me and I will run a few tests."

Khadrim went through tests and blood samples and as it turned out, he was definitely enhanced with the X-Gene. "You could stay here if you like. I can help you to learn to control your gifts."

"I'd be too much of a danger."

"You haven't been for the past year. You're learning control. Don't doubt yourself because of your past experiences."

Khadrim sat silent on the couch a few moments. "Alright, I'll stay."

"Good. I'll enroll you at the local high school and you'll start with Amera and Danel tomorrow."