Anomaly
By CorvidaeCorvusCorax
Prologue
Getting chased down by humans is one thing; getting chased down by God only knows what is something completely different. After nearly dying not too long ago, this isn't exactly what Toad thought of as a "good day." He noticed the two of them following him, but they had no shape to them, they were like shadows, just under the dim yellow glow of the street lights. His instincts kicked in and after turning a corner, he made a run for it.
Now, running was usually a very easy thing for him to do. Nothing had been the same since Liberty Island, and it had been a while since he had actually done anything physical. He was fast, alright, just not up to his usual level. His brain had a tendency of going haywire every once in a while, too, which didn't help. He knew that he could run up a wall and jump across rooftops with ease, then why wasn't he doing it? His brain snapped back to normal and he ran into an alley, jumping high up toward a fire escape, then half running, half crawling across the brick wall and up onto the roof.
"He went this way!" One shadow called, from not too far away, still down on the street below.
Slowly, Toad caught his breath. His lungs felt as though they were about to burst, the burns across his body twinging with every movement, his legs feeling oddly rubbery. He looked over the ledge, just to see where those shadows may have gone.
The alley was shrouded in darkness, and his eyes would have usually been able to see clearly. Slapping his temple a little, he figured it was only a hallucination. He would just go back to that little hole in the wall place above the Chinese restaurant and get some sleep, God knew he needed it...
Turning around, however, his "hallucinations" proved to be more than just that. His eyes met that of a half darkened face, but not quickly enough to see what it was. He tried backing up, but it was too late.
The clicking of a Taser gun rattled the eerily quiet rooftop. The green man crumpled to the floor, twitching inhumanly. After a moment, it all stopped, and he lay there, semi conscious, breathing heavily. What he heard next was fuzzy, diluted, as though the pair of shadows were talking underwater...
"Good work," One voice said.
"We should get him back to the Facility," The other replied, "Before people start getting suspicious..."
With a barely audible groan, he slipped into unconsciousness.
* * * *
Charlotte Fournier's eyes snapped open. This wasn't good, not good at all. Placing her wire frame glasses on her face, she clicked the lamp beside her bed on and grabbed for the phone.
"What did you see?" Dr. Gideon Barnabas asked from the other end. She had woken him up, but she was the only other person that called him at three in the morning.
"Nothing good," Charlotte shook her head. The French accent she was born with had faded with age, but in desperate times it would suddenly reappear like a magic trick.
"Well, what was it?" He had a school to run, God damn it, and tomorrow was the beginning of a new semester. He had orientations to go through and student ID's to hand out, greet the new students, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
"It's about my daughter," She replied, "I'm scheduling an appointment to see you tomorrow, we can talk more about it there." Click, she hung up on him.
He sighed. Precognitives were hands down the worst conversationalists to walk the earth. He would be able to rest easy tonight, regardless of what tomorrow would bring, seventy years experience wouldn't allow him to lie awake at night. As for Charlotte Fournier, he knew it was a different story entirely.
* * * *
Monday mornings were generally well for Victoria Ward, especially when the semester started. Her roommate, Mildred Clarke had woken her up fifteen minutes earlier than usual to announce the new class schedule, then they headed down to the Student Cafeteria for breakfast.
"I finally got switched out of Mr. Langdon's Algebra II, and now I'm in Professor Durand's Advanced Literature class!" Mildred was excited and Victoria was happy for her. Mildred wasn't a math or science kind of person, but rather a creative one, "How about you?"
"Same classes, same times as last semester," Victoria shrugged, biting into a Granny Smith apple. Just as she did, a girl she never met before came up to the table, standing directly behind Mildred. She was young, short, wearing the school uniform, her long, curly blond hair frizzing out in every direction, carrying a food tray and a very heavy looking messenger bag. Mildred caught Victoria, who was looking behind her, and turned around.
"Uh, hi," The young girl smiled, "I'm kind of new to this building and there aren't any tables left, can I sit here?" She must've been in Building B, maybe around Year Seven at most. If she had been in any other building than A or B she would've been at her own cafeteria.
"Year Twelve's only," Mildred stated coldly, then turned back to Victoria. The young girl paused, shooting a dirty look at the back of Mildred's head, glanced back at Victoria, then stalked off, "Stupid newbies, right?"
Victoria, who had been entranced by the young girl shook herself back to reality, "Uh, yeah. Totally." She came up with some excuse to leave and headed up to her first class.
It went by slowly, for some odd reason. The new students were standing in front of the class, awaiting their ID's, then they all (including the veteran students) had to say a few details about themselves. The new students were modest, as usual, but it wouldn't be too long until they either turned into a Mildred or a shy geek. A week, tops, and they would be segregated into cliques. The oldest was Victoria's age, eighteen, and the youngest was about fifteen. Advanced Physics was a difficult class to get into, so Victoria secretly congratulated these "stupid newbies."
Then, about halfway through class, Mrs. Fournier, the occasional substitute teacher and former French teacher, knocked on the door, "Victoria Ward, the Headmaster would like to see you," she announced. Victoria sat in confusion at first, wondering what could possibly be wrong.
"Well, Victoria?" Mr. Thompson held his arm out toward the door, as though he wanted her to hurry up, "Feel free to ask classmates for any missing assignments." Victoria smiled, grabbed her bag, and hurried out the door after Mrs. Fournier.
"So, what exactly did I do?" She asked the older woman, slinging her bag over her shoulders and running a hand through her reddish brown hair.
"Oh, nothing," Mrs. Fournier smiled, "Just a secret assignment we'd like you to help us with."
We? Since when did the teachers ever refer to themselves collectively? Every teacher worked alone, and hardly sought other peoples' opinions. They reached the headmaster's office, and Mrs. Fournier grabbed Victoria's sleeve as she went to knock on the door.
"I would advise that your friend...Mildred be nicer to the new students," Mrs. Fournier warned in an ominous tone.
"Oh, that," Victoria always warned Mildred to watch her mouth, but...
"Precisely," Mrs. Fournier nodded.
She got me in trouble, that lousy... Before she could say anything more, the door swung open of it's own accord and she was somewhat pulled in by an unseen force, Mrs. Fournier right behind her.
"Good morning, Miss Ward," Dr. Gideon Barnabas, the man who made the school possible, sat at his large desk, white hair littering the top of his head in tufts. He may have looked old and gray, but the man had the spirit of a seventeen year old on an energy drink binge, giving her a very large smile as he spoke, and then turned his attention to Mrs. Fournier for a moment, "And hello, Mrs. Fournier. Thank you so much for gathering Miss Ward for me. I would have preferred sending a note to her teacher and having him dismiss her, but I guess having a precognitive at the school comes in handy when looking for students."
Oh, jeez, what did Mildred get me into? Victoria thought, but certainly didn't have the courage to say.
"Anyway, I bet you're wondering why you are here?" Dr. Barnabas asked, making Victoria jump. She nodded, "I know that you will be graduating this year, correct?" Another nod, "And you have not had experience using your abilities out in the field?" She shook her head no, "And you have had perfect attendance since your schooling here began?" She nodded, "Then it's settled, Victoria is the girl for the job."
"She does look similar, but I don't know if it's her," Mrs. Fournier frowned, looking Victoria over, "A little taller, too soft spoken, you know?"
What the Hell is that supposed to mean? Victoria just stood there, stock still like a mannequin in a department store as Fournier looked her over.
"But," Dr. Barnabas interjected, "She is also highly intelligent, very logical, can think on her feet..."
"She will have to do," Mrs. Fournier nodded, waving her hand as if to say 'whatever.'
"What exactly am I supposed to be doing?" Victoria finally asked, tired of the elders acting as though she wasn't in the room.
"I want you to go to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in New York," Dr. Barnabas stated, "We need information."
"What information?" She asked.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you," The old man shook his head, "Accompanying you will be Mrs. Fournier's daughter, who I am told you have already met."
"Have I?" Victoria shook her head. Sure, it was possible, but there were almost fifty new students she had introduced herself to.
The door to the office opened, making Victoria turn.
"Am I early?" Standing in the doorway was a girl, wearing the uniform, her long, curly blond hair frizzing out in every direction.
"Hello, Lucy," Mrs. Fournier smiled.
"Uh, hi, mom," Lucy waved. She entered the office, stepping past Victoria, and plopping down on one of the seats in front of the desk. Victoria glanced at Mrs. Fournier, then at "Lucy."
"This is Victoria Ward, a Year Twelve," Dr. Barnabas pointed at her, "Was this the girl you saw in your vision?"
Both precogs, too? Damn, Victoria sighed inwardly.
Lucy looked back at Victoria, then shrugged, "I don't really know. I couldn't see too clearly."
"Is that all the proof you need?" Dr. Barnabas asked Fournier, but Victoria thought maybe there was a chance that he was talking to her, too.
"Lucy, you and Miss Ward will go to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, and gain access to information pertaining to a fellow mutant," Dr. Barnabas said, then turned to Victoria, "You will leave in an hour. Pack your things and meet Dr. Hedgewick in the foyer. He'll give you the rest of the information."
"And maybe," Fournier added, "While you are preparing, you can reintroduce yourselves, try to get familiar with each other?"
Lucy, who turned back to Victoria, was beaming. Today was a good day, indeed.