I don't own the X men.
The Power of Touch
Chapter Two – Unexpected Friends
Marcy huddled on the bench – waiting for the train to start moving. She didn't want anyone from the school to know where she had gone. She kept looking over her shoulder – watching for any familiar faces.
"This seat taken?"
"No." She looked up at a blonde kid – probably not much older than she was.
"Cool – name's John."
"Marcy."
"Where're ya heading?"
"New York – you?"
"Same – have something I have to do there."
"Just getting away – here."
"Yeah – I know that feeling – I ran away from there too." He pointed to the circle with the X emblem on the bag she was carrying.
"Really?"
"Yeah – they were holding me back – keeping me from using my powers. So I left."
"Wow. They just don't want me to have a baby."
"SHIT! You're pregnant?"
"That's what I said."
"So what do you do?"
"Nothing – I am sixteen and going to be a mother – can't do much."
"I mean your mutation?"
"Oh – Professor Xavier said I was a 'low level telepath with empathic qualities' whatever all that means – I touch people and know what they are thinking and feeling."
"Cool – so you have a name yet – or just Marcy?"
"Just Marcy."
"We'll have to come up with something. Touch huh…how about Fingers." She just pursed her lips and glared at him. "Ok – how about…"
"Kid – there you are." It was Mr. Logan.
"I'm not staying."
"Wolverine."
"Pyro – don't you have something to burn down?"
"Not at the moment. Leave the kid alone."
He sat down on the bench opposite them. "Shut the fuck up – firebug. Kid – I ain't tellin ya you have ta go back." He handed her a small bag. "You are goin ta need cash ta get by until you can figure out what you are goin ta do. I don't agree with Chuck on this – we have more than enough facilities to handle this – and it ain't any kinda black eye for mutants – proves we are like everyone else." She heard John snort next to her.
"Really – like everyone else. How quaint. I could blow up this train – you could carve it up with your claws – and Marcy – PattyCake here could know what anyone was thinking. Yeah – just like everyone else. Fucking moron."
"Shut UP!" He glared at John – and then looked at her. "Chuck will come around kid – and if he doesn't – well I ain't above provin a point at the ends of my claws – just remember, you have at least one person on your side." He got up to leave. "Pyro – you make sure she gets someplace safe – and I mean SAFE!" He growled.
"It's why you called me – right?" John glared at his former teacher.
"Kid don't deserve this – either of 'em." He grumbled as he walked down the aisle.
"He called you?"
"Yeah – he saw you leaving and knew you were going to need someone to look out for you. I kinda owe them after Alcatraz – they let me get away, and I didn't do any jail time."
"Oh."
"Listen – I have a couple friends in New York – we have an apartment – it isn't fancy but you can stay – almost rent free. If you can put up with a little rough housing every now and then when Sabertooth and Toad go at it that is."
"What do you mean – almost rent free?"
"Kid – we aren't goin ta hurt you or anything, just I know your cash is tight and with a baby on the way – well we wouldn't mind a woman's touch around the place – you know clean up every now and then – cook a meal that kind of stuff. Frankly I am sick of rabbit stew and squab." He grimaced and she laughed. The train jerked and started moving.
"I guess I can cook a couple days a week – and clean up – as long as everyone isn't total slobs."
"Don't agree to anything until you see the place – trust me." He laughed.
"And don't call me PattyCake."
"Ok – but we are going to have to think of something – or Mystique will." He laughed.
She was quiet the rest of the way into the city. Logan had called this guy to take care of her – why? She was just some mutant kid – carrying a mutant kid, why would anyone care what happened to her?
She thought about what she had picked up the few times she had touched anyone. Professor Xavier was angry at her, wanted her to make it go away so that it wouldn't tarnish his image of his school – his dream. Ms. Monroe wanted her to make it go away because she thought she was too young – too inexperienced to handle being a mother. Well she would show them both. She thought back – and realized that she hadn't picked up anything from Logan, she had touched him – but somehow she hadn't picked up anything – or maybe he just said what he thought so she heard and picked it up at the same time.
John sat quietly next to her – she almost wanted to touch him, to find out what he was thinking – but she didn't want to be disappointed again. He glanced over at her, and put a hand on her arm.
It's going to be ok. Myst can be a pain in the ass – but she loves kids. Sabretooth is a jerk – but you will get used to him, and Toad is funny as hell. The X-Men may not want you – but we do. She could feel he meant it – every word, and she tried hard to keep the tears from slipping down her cheeks. He grabbed her bag when the train stopped and helped her. She clutched the smaller bag that Logan had given her as they walked through the crowded terminal.
"This way." John said as they climbed up to street level. They were in a run down neighborhood, full of dilapidated apartment buildings covered with graffiti and dirt. Outside one building stood and old beat up pickup truck with a huge man leaning over the open engine compartment.
"Truck down again, Vic?" John asked as he walked up.
"Yeah – damned carburetor."
"I didn't think they had those anymore – thought they were fuel injectors?" John laughed.
"Is that the crap they taught you at that fancy school - carburetor's last longer and work better – it's why I like older cars – who's that?" She was trying to blend into a shadow. He was HUGE! She craned her neck to look at him as he stood to his full height.
"This is Marcy – the one Wolverine called about." John said. She would swear the big man growled – and had fangs. He sniffed the air, and then nodded.
"Who's cub?"
"Wolvie didn't say – figure she will tell us when she is ready. Marcy – this is Victor Creed aka Sabretooth – one of your new roommates."
"Hi." She squeeked.
"I don't bite – less ya want me to." He grinned at her, which just made her want to go running back to Xavier's.
"Let me get her inside – then I can come help with the truck." John said.
"I want to fix it – not blow it up." John threw up his middle finger at the big guy causing him to laugh.
They went into the building, and up two flights of stairs. John pulled out a key and opened a door. It was a small apartment – living room, kitchen and two bedrooms.
"Myst has one room, you will be sharing with her, Mort and I have the other one and Creed sleeps in the living room. There is one bathroom – so we kinda have ta share." The place was cluttered but clean. At least they weren't total slobs.
"Is that you, Pyro?" a female voice said from the back of the apartment – a young woman with dark hair and piercing blue eyes came out of one of the doors in the hall. She was wearing a bra and skirt with no shoes.
"Myst – get dressed – would ya. Shit it was better when you were blue." John said.
"I WAS getting dressed – idiot. Is this her?"
"Yes."
"So what do you do?"
"She's a touch telepath with empathic abilities." John said.
"I asked HER!"
"Yeah – what he said." She smiled at the woman. She noticed a blue tinge to the woman's skin.
"I will be so glad when this crap wears off." She muttered as she stepped back into the room. John carried Marcy's bag over and dumped it outside the door.
"That's your room – Mort and I are across the hall – bathroom at the end." He went back to the living room as she picked up her bag and opened the door. The woman was dressed and slipping on a pair of shoes.
"I have to get to work – we can talk later. Did Pyro think up a name for you?"
"All he could come up with were Fingers and PattyCake."
"Oh GOD we will have to come up with something better than that. If anyone calls looking for Raven – that's me, hate it but that's what those 'rehab' idiots want me to use."
"Rehab?"
"Yeah – I was hit with the cure – so they want to rehabilitate me into human society – they haven't figured out it isn't permanent. When it wears off – well they won't be able to find me." She grinned.
"Why not?"
"I am a shape shifter – and I DON'T like humans."
"Yeah – well I'm not too fond of them right now – myself." Marcy said sitting on the second twin bed in the room.
"Are all of you in 'rehab'?"
"Yeah – not for the same reasons – Pyro and Creed refused the cure – Toad was in hiding, but ran out of money, so we all decided to work together. I am the only one officially in rehab, the rest are trying to at least blend in a bit. Creed is useful – so they gave him a pardon if he does wetwork for them when they need it."
"Wetwork?"
"Assassination – stuff like that."
"Eep."
"He's ok – as long as you leave his Twinkies alone." Myst laughed. "He's only here when he needs a place to crash between jobs."
"What about the others?"
"Pyro is in training with the New York City Fire Department – his rehab is to use his power to 'help' people. He is actually enjoying it, which doesn't surprise me – he likes to play with fire. Toad – well he's such a geek – he's working in a comic book store. Welcome to the Brotherhood."
"The Brotherhood?"
"Yeah – if Magneto ever gets back – and our powers get straightened out, well as I said – they won't be able to find me and we can get back to carving a place for mutants at the top of the food chain."
"John…"
"Pyro – we don't use human slave names – well except Creed cuz he likes his."
"Oh – Pyro said I just had to help out around the house – I can't work, I just turned sixteen and with the baby…finding a job will be hard."
"Honey – we don't expect you to work. I just can't believe old Egg Head was such a jerk. Wanting you to give it up because it would give mutants a bad name – it's jerks like him that give mutants a bad name – pansy ass. Anyway I am going to be late." She hurried out the door.
Marcy unpacked her few belongings and looked around the room. There wasn't a whole lot there – just two beds a dresser and the closet. She stood up and started to leave when she noticed the small bag. She opened it and looked at the wads of cash. She sat quietly and counted – there was nearly fifty thousand dollars there – and a cell phone. She picked it up and looked at the numbers programmed into it – Logan was the only one that she recognized. She dialed it.
"Hey – kid, you okay?"
"Yeah – thanks."
"What the hell do I need the money for – won it in a cage fight tournament last month. You and the baby need it more than I do."
"I meant thanks for finding me someplace to stay. These people are really nice."
"Kid – it was a last resort – and NICE – you must have lived with some real winners if you think THEY are nice. Kid – those are the bad guys."
"What?"
"Never mind – you concentrate on having a nice healthy baby and then decide what you want to do. This place ain't for you – not now. I don't trust any of those goons you are with as far as I can throw them – but for a mutant kid who needs help they were the best I could think of. Listen I need to go – I won't tell Chuck where you are – but keep in touch. I'm worried about ya kid."
"Thanks again, Logan." She hardly knew him – but he had been the one to offer her real help.
She heard voices in the living room and slipped the bag with the money under the bed.
"What do you mean – they wanted her to abort it?" A loud male voice said from the living room.
"Wolverine said Charles had a bad reaction to finding out she was pregnant – something about working to present a positive image of mutants and having a teenage mother at the school would tarnish that or something – and you know Storm – miss women's rights. She wanted her to abort because she felt it was wrong for her to have a baby this young."
"Dear God – I knew Charles could be closed minded – but this is ridiculous. She's a child for God's sake, a child who needs help." She walked into the room. An older man had joined John – no Pyro – in the living room.
"Here she is."
"My Dear – you are always welcome with us – you and your child. My old friend is getting far less tolerant in his old age – maybe there is hope for him yet."
"This is Erik Lensherr – Magneto. He's not supposed to be here – but we let him hide out every now and then – when it won't get us in trouble." Pyro said.
"Yes – well not much longer and we won't be hiding out. My powers are almost back to normal. Mystique should be recovering as well. We need to come up with a name for you – Pyro tells me you are a touch telepath – and empath."
"Yes." She was nervous. This kind old man was a known terrorist.
He took her hand and she was surprised by the feeling of warmth and acceptance from him. My Dear, you have nothing to fear from me – you and your child will be safe with my generals. They will ensure your safety in the coming war. You are the future – you and your child, and should be treasured and protected.
Marcy smiled at him.
"Yes – I think that is ideal – Treasure. You will be Treasure from now on."
"But…"
"No argument – Treasure it is." Pyro grinned at her.
"Hey – what's for dinner?" The large man said from the door. "Hey – boss."
"I ordered pizza, Treasure should rest tonight. She can take over cooking tomorrow, and I will be so glad to get something other than your rabbit stew." Pyro said. Creed growled at him.
"What's wrong with my stew?"
"Nothing – the first one hundred times, variety might be nice." Even Magneto laughed at the snort Creed gave all of them before heading to the bathroom. She heard the loud noise of the hot water banging in the pipes. It wasn't a mansion – but it felt like a home.
