CHAPTER ONE: THE RETURN
London International Airport, London, England, September 7, 2007
The mighty Big Ben clock tower rang out three o'clock over the fog-shrouded London as the passengers of Flight 353 – heading for New York – were boarding. Among them was a fairly tall woman in her late forties, with an average build, as well as fairly long brown hair and green eyes, wearing jeans, and a dark blue jacket, her carry-on over her shoulder. She walked onto the plane, showing her boarding pass, and took her seat, tucking her carry-on under her seat, plugged in the ear-phones provided by the flight attendant, and opted to listen to the radio.
"...reports indicate that there have been no new Superman sightings in the past few weeks, but that can likely be attributed to the fact that there haven't been any recent disasters; it's been fairly quiet across the globe, which means less work for the elusive Man of Steel! In other news, stock prices at LexCorp have tripled for the second time this month! The company's success has been following this pattern ever since the young Lex Luthor took the reins; the son of Lionel Luthor – "
"Um...excuse me?"
The woman took off her ear-phones to see another middle-aged lady, slightly overweight, with short, blond hair, green eyes, in a simple, pink, floral dress, smiling at her. "Hi...aren't you the manager of Alison Blaire?"
Bridget Blaire smiled; she'd been half-expecting someone to recognize her ever since she went on this trip to visit her Mum and Dad. Alison had encouraged her manager – and Aunt – to take a vacation, as she was currently between concerts and thus didn't need her manager at the moment. It had been a nice few days, and now she was going back to being manager of her sweet, incredibly talented niece. "Yes, I am." Bridget replied, her voice still holding its British accent, present since childhood. "Can I help you?"
The woman smiled, and held out a poster of Alison: a fairly tall, willowy young woman of 17, with long, shimmery strawberry-blond hair, reaching the middle of her back, sapphire-blue eyes, and perfect, creamy skin, clad in her favorite light-pink tank top, perfectly accentuating her ample curves, and her favorite slim blue jeans, tight against her long, slender legs, her perfectly rosy lips in a sweet smile, as she sat upon a chair in the poster.
Bridget's niece was currently the country's Number One pop singer; she was the most talented and the sweetest young woman anyone could ever meet, on or off stage.
"My daughter is Alison's biggest fan; she'd love it if Alison signed this poster for her!" the woman explained.
Bridget's smile widened. "Sure!" she agreed.
"Oh, thank you!" the woman said, handing Bridget the poster, as well as a scrap of paper. "Here's our mailing address; you can just mail it to us when Alison signs it. If she could make it out to my daughter, Megan, I'd be so glad! Thank you so much!"
"My pleasure." Bridget replied; she knew that Alison loved her fans as much as they adored and idolized her. Then, the woman sat down, as the flight attendants began their pre-flight safety demonstration. Before long, the plane was underway.
It had been about three hours after take-off, and Bridget was just reading her new novel...
...when it happened.
The entire plane suddenly dipped, as a loud bang – sounding terribly like an explosion – echoed outside the plane. The emergency air masks dropped down, as Bridget – along with everyone else – became terribly alarmed.
"Everyone, this is your Captain." the voice on the loudspeaker said. "We are experiencing some slight engine trouble and must make an emergency landing. Please put on your masks and prepare for landing. Stay calm; we're all going to be fine."
Bridget quickly put on her mask, her mind racing. Despite the Captain's words, Bridget was nervous.
Something was terribly wrong...
In the cockpit, both the Captain and the co-pilot had their own masks on, trying to guide their plane into a safe landing on the water.
"Mayday! Mayday!" the co-pilot cried into the radio. "This is Trans-Atlantic Flight 353; we have port engine blow-out and we are going down! Please, can anyone hear us?!"
No response.
"Forget it, son." the Captain said. "There's nothing anyone can do; we have to get this bird to land smoothly on the water if we're going to have a chance."
"Captain, we're coming in too fast!" the co-pilot cried, frightened; the Captain really couldn't blame him – it was his first co-pilot flight...and it looked to be his last. "We're all going to..!"
Suddenly, a blip appeared on their radar.
"W-What the..?!" the co-pilot cried. "Captain, where'd that plane come from?!"
The Captain looked at the screen. "That...that's not a plane..." he murmured, "...it's much too small..."
"Well, whatever it is, it's coming straight for us, fast!" the co-pilot cried. "It has to be moving at Mach Five, or more!"
"No plane is that fast." the Captain said. "And it's far too small for an aircraft...it looks like a..."
He stopped as his mind finished his statement: '...a man.'
The Captain and the co-pilot looked at each other. "Hey..." the co-pilot murmured, "...y-you don't think..!"
"No matter what, we keep this bird in the air." the Captain said firmly. The co-pilot nodded. The Captain didn't know how...
...but he knew that help was on its way.
Flight 353 was rapidly losing altitude, its port engine utterly burned out, and starting to catch on fire. In a matter of minutes, the plane would hit the freezing Atlantic Ocean at crushing speeds...
Suddenly, a blue-and-crimson streak shot out of the sky, zooming through the clouds at speeds well above Mach Five, a sonic boom echoing in its wake, flying towards the dying Flight 353. As it approached the plane, the streak slowed, matching its speed...revealing its true form: a tall, powerfully built young man of 20, with short, black hair, slicked back, a few spiky tufts down over his forehead, and piercing sky-blue eyes, clad in a blue bodysuit, skin-tight, accentuating his powerful arms and legs, as well as his chiseled abdominal muscles, with tight red shorts, red boots, a yellow belt about his waist, a long red cape...
...and a large, red stylized 'S' in the middle of his uniform's chest, surrounded by a yellow diamond outlined in red.
Instantly, Superman's lightning-fast mind assessed the situation; that engine-fire had to be dealt with first, before it spread.
Quickly, he flew ahead of the damaged wing, grasping its other side, before he deeply inhaled, and blew; a blast of absolute-zero air left his lungs, both blowing out the fire and coating the engine in frost, preventing future fires.
Superman then moved on to the main problem; he darted to the underside of the plane, grasped it, and lifted as he flew, supporting it.
Slowly, the plane leveled off, and began to climb, reaching cruising altitude.
He had to smile as his ultra-sensitive hearing overheard the pilots: "Captain, we're climbing! It was..!"
"Talk later, son; we've got a plane to land. Set course for Bayville Airport; it's the closest stop, now, and we can't take any chances. Hail them, and tell them to have emergency crews ready."
'Bayville; works for me.' Superman thought with a smile, as he supported the plane as it flew, all the way to the Westchester town of Bayville. It was mid-afternoon in Bayville when they arrived. Superman gently guided the plane down onto the air-strip, and then quickly flew away before anyone spotted him, flying back up into the upper atmosphere.
He smiled to himself as he closed his eyes, listening for any other incidents that he could help with. Here, watching over the people of the world, he felt truly at peace; he had never – and would never – regretted his decision to use his powers to help the people of this world.
His powers still astounded him, even after having mastered their use. His physiology allowed him to draw energy directly from Earth's yellow sun, giving him access to a wide range of abilities. He could lift well over 50 metric tons, and move at speeds that exceeded Mach Five. His body was utterly invulnerable to conventional weaponry; his skin was untearable, his bones unbreakable...the only thing that could actually hurt him was Kryptonite, which was quite rare...but he still had to be careful. His sight was telescopic, enabling him to see things from miles away, and he could see through many solid objects – an "X-Ray vision" – except objects made of lead. He could also see in infrared, and on a microscopic level. Furthermore, his eyes could generate deadly heat-rays, with enough sheer destructive force to level a building at the very least. His hearing was ultra-sharp, and could pick up signals of Ultra-High and Ultra-Low Frequency...like plane distress calls. He could exhale with the force of a hurricane, or unleash blasts of absolute-zero-degree air from his lungs, freezing anything in their wake. And finally – the ability he loved the most – he could fly.
As he listened for trouble, Superman reflected on the past year, the year he'd spent being Superman...which was a full-time job. He'd also completed his first year of Journalism at Bayville University...
...as well as becoming an X-Man.
Superman smiled to himself. He could still remember the day that Professor Charles Xavier – Headmaster of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Children – with Ororo and Logan, as well as his good friends, Scott and Jean, had found him. He'd spent four years before that learning who he was and what he could do.
He was an alien...the sole survivor of the Kryptonian race; the Last Son of Krypton. It had come as a surprise when the 15-year-old Clark Kent had learned this after entering the crystalline sanctuary he'd inadvertently built in the North Pole, from the nano-crystal he'd found in the ship that had brought him to Earth. Now, he had come to terms with his identity, and his place in the world. He'd spent four years in that sanctuary – his Fortress of Solitude – training in the use of his powers, learning from its Knowledge Chamber, taking in all the knowledge, culture, and philosophy of Krypton and the worlds it had been in contact with before its destruction...as well as learning of the world he now lived upon.
And he'd found a home.
The X-Men had become his family, accepting him for all that he was – they accepted him as both Clark Kent and Kal-El. He felt welcome there, just as he had with his Ma, Martha Kent, back in his childhood home of Smallville, Kansas.
Chuckling to himself, he recalled that he actually had more in common with them than he ever had with anyone else. His friends at the Institute were mutants; they possessed the genetic mutation known as the "X-Gene," which imparted special abilities to those who held it; each one was unique. Professor Xavier's dream was of a world where humans and mutants could peacefully co-exist. Currently, the existence of mutants was a secret from the general public.
And that was why Superman tried his very best to stay under the radar when he helped people; if the public had concrete proof that he existed, then they would begin to inquire about other beings with unique abilities.
Like mutants.
His recollection complete, Superman became aware of a sound: his belt-buckle was beeping.
Smiling, Superman unclipped the buckle from the rest of his belt, opening it into a palm-top computer and communicator, activating the call-masking option that kept its signal masked from satellites; he'd developed the unit to stay in contact with the Fortress' computer to keep him appraised of events that his hearing might miss...but it worked equally well as a communicator to stay in touch with his family. "Superman, here." he said.
"Superman, it's Professor Xavier." came the reply. "I trust everything is okay with you?"
Superman smiled. "Oh...nothing I'm not used to." he replied. Laughing, he added, "But it's amazing what people can get used to!"
The Professor chuckled. "Yes, I've just heard the news; a plane landed 'miraculously' at Bayville Airport." he replied. "You do good work, my young Kryptonian friend."
Superman just shrugged. "Hey, we've all got to do our part!"
"I hope there are no other situations that require your attention at the moment," the Professor continued, "because I would like you – as well as the other students – to meet back here as soon as possible."
Superman listened carefully. "Well, I don't hear anything else." he said. "What's the emergency, Professor?"
"Oh, it's not an emergency; I just wanted everyone to meet our new students. They've arrived just a few hours ago."
Superman smiled; the Professor had been planning to enroll a number of new students in the Institute, which had recently been remodeled to accommodate the increased numbers. "I'll be right there." he promised. Chuckling, he added, "You haven't told them about me, yet, have you?"
The Professor chuckled. "I think you're something that they have to see to believe, Clark." he said. "I hope their reactions don't put you off."
Superman laughed. "Professor, I've chased meteors through re-entry; what could be scarier than that?" he joked. "Don't worry; I'm not going to fly off if they freak out."
"Promise?" the Professor joked.
Superman smiled. "Professor, I never lie!" he said. "I'll be there, soon. Superman out." With that, he closed the communicator and clipped it back on his belt, before he flew off towards the Institute, his hands in front of him as he flew, his body torpedo-straight, a sonic boom echoing in his wake.
Bayville High School Soccer Field, Bayville, New York
The crowd cheered as Bayville High's Girls Soccer Team recovered the ball, only seconds left on the clock, the score tied, in the last soccer game before the start of the school year. As the other team tried to mount a defense, the girls passed the ball from one teammate to the next in a lightning-quick series of passes, ending with the team captain, right in front of the goal...who kicked the ball just so, causing it to arc just past the goalie's reach, into the net...just as the timer buzzed.
Bayville 6; Gardendale 5.
From the bleachers, 17-year-old Scott "Cyclops" Summers cheered his best friend's goal. Scott was tall, and fairly well-built, with short brown hair, clad in light-brown khaki pants, with a navy-blue sweater, and red ruby-quartz shades covering his blue eyes...due to the fact that his mutant power caused uncontrollable optic-blasts of terrible force to shoot from his eyes.
In the seats next to him were the rest of his friends from the Xavier Institute; Kurt "Nightcrawler" Wagner, Kitty "Shadowcat" Pryde, Rogue, and Evan "Spyke" Daniels. Kurt, 16, was a bit shorter than Scott, and of athletic frame, with mid-length blue-black hair, blue eyes, clad in light brown khaki pants and a beige sweater. Kitty, also 16, was a bit short, and of delicate build, her long, chestnut hair in a ponytail, her eyes a baby-blue, clad in her usual white t-shirt under her pink hooded sweater and her blue capri pants. Rogue was also 16, of average height, and slender frame, her mid-length auburn hair with white streaks at the front, matching her Goth complexion, her eyes dark green, wearing her usual black tank-top under her green semi-transparent blouse, with her black mini-skirt and black leggings, and black gloves on her hands. And Evan was a 16-year-old African-American youth, fairly tall and of athletic frame, his short hair bleached blond, contrasting his complexion, his eyes dark brown, clad in a white sleeveless t-shirt and light brown pants, his skateboard and helmet under his arm.
They were mutants, too; Kurt had the power to teleport, but his mutation was the most obvious – his skin was naturally blue and fuzzy, with yellow eyes, tridactyl hands and feet, and a long, prehensile spaded tail. The only way he could attend high school was through the image-inducer that Professor Xavier had given him, which cast the illusion of normality over his fuzzy self. Kitty had the power of corporeal intangibility, enabling her to pass through solid matter. Rogue's ability allowed her to drain the energy and memories of anyone who touched her skin...as well as copy the powers of any mutant who touched her; it was why she often covered herself up. And Evan's mutation caused excess bone-growth on command, enabling him to generate bony weapons and armor.
They had all come to support their friend and teammate, Jean Grey...even Rogue. From the bleachers, Scott could see her; Jean was tall, and elegantly built, with long, red hair, currently in a ponytail, and emerald-green eyes, wearing the yellow-and-green jersey and shorts that the rest of her team wore. Jean, like them, was a mutant, capable of telepathy and telekinesis.
Scott left his seat, and hurried down to the field, to congratulate her. He was almost there...
"Going somewhere, Summers?"
Scott groaned as the form of Duncan Matthews blocked his path. Duncan, like Scott, was 17, around his height, and around the same build, with short, blond hair and green eyes, clad in light khaki pants and a green sweater under his letterman jacket. Duncan was the quarterback of the school football team, as well as the school's Big Man on Campus, despite only being a junior, like Scott...
...and he was Jean's boyfriend, which irked Scott to no end.
"Hey, Duncan." Scott greeted neutrally. "I just wanted to say congrats to Jean. That a crime?"
"Didn't she tell you?" Duncan asked, smirking. "I was going to take her out to celebrate. Got a problem with that?"
Scott arched an eyebrow. "She told me she was heading home after the game; I was going to give her a lift."
"Plans change, Summers. Later." Duncan said, before turning his back and walking to Jean, giving her a congratulatory hug.
Scott frowned, and then went back to the others. "Looks like it's just us heading to the Institute." he said.
Rogue arched an eyebrow. "Jean ain't comin'?" she asked, in her Southern accent.
"Nah. She's going off with Duncan." Scott reported, hoping his voice didn't sound as bitter as his thoughts.
"Ach, tough luck, mein friend!" Kurt said, in his friendly German accent.
"Yeah! I mean, what does she see in that guy?" Kitty exclaimed.
Scott smiled. "Thanks, guys." he said. "Anyway, we'd better get going."
"I'll se you guys back at the Institute; I'm going to 'board home." Evan said, donning his helmet and hopping on his board. "Later!" With that, he skated off, as the others headed for Scott's car, to head home.
After Jean accepted Duncan's hug, she looked around for Scott...but couldn't see him. "Duncan, have you seen Scott?" she inquired. "I was going to get a lift home with him and my friends."
Duncan smiled apologetically. "Sorry; he said that something came up – he had to take off early."
"Oh." Jean said; she'd been hoping to talk to him after the game.
"Besides, babe, I wanted to take the team captain out to celebrate." Duncan said.
Now it was her turn to smile apologetically. "Sorry, Duncan, but I really need to get back to the Institute; we're meeting new students." Jean said.
Duncan frowned. "Fine, fine." he muttered. "I'll go warm up the car." With that, he headed off, while Jean headed to the change room.
By the time Jean had changed into her usual light brown khaki pants and light-violet long-sleeved t-shirt, Duncan had his blue convertible ready. Jean walked out of the change room, along with her friend, Taryn Fujioka, a fairly tall, elegantly built 17-year-old Japanese-American girl, with fairly long dark brown hair, and dark eyes, clad in her usual short blue dress and light blue sweater; she was one of the "popular" crowd, like Jean and Duncan. Duncan had agreed to drive Taryn home, as well. The two girls hopped in the car, Jean in front, Taryn in the back, and then Duncan drove out of the parking lot.
As they drove, Jean thought she heard something. "Duncan, turn the radio up." she said, and Duncan did so.
"...reports are coming in of a 747 developing catastrophic engine failure over the Atlantic, and then miraculously landing at Bayville Airport!" the anchorwoman said. "We now take you to the pilot of that airplane."
"I thought we were pretty much done for; we were heading for the water too fast – we would've been torn to shreds." the pilot said. "All of a sudden, something – I don't know what – just pops up on our radar, coming right out of nowhere! It was too small to be a plane, and much too fast – this thing was moving at Mach Five, or more! Then, suddenly we get power back, like we were...oh, I don't know...being lifted, as if someone was carrying us! I can't explain it, but...I think someone saved us."
"I can't speak for anyone else," the anchorwoman said, "but it looks to me that Bayville just had its very first Superman sighting! Will we be seeing any more of the Man of Steel? Who knows? This is Leanne Mitchell, signing off!"
Jean chuckled to herself. 'Way to go, Clark!' she thought.
Duncan scowled. "What is it with everybody and this 'Superman' thing?" he muttered. "God, everybody's always saying 'Superman' this and 'Superman' that; the guy's not even real!"
Taryn giggled. "Jealous, Duncan?" she teased. To Jean, she added, "Oh my gosh, Jean, he was here! Do you think he could come back? Oh, I hope I get to see him!"
Jean managed to suppress her knowing smile; practically all the girls at Bayville High were talking about Superman. "I don't know." she said honestly; Superman only went where he was needed.
Duncan rolled his eyes, exasperated.
"Why do you think he never shows himself?" Taryn continued.
"Oh, I'm sure he has a reason." Jean said.
"But why not?" Taryn exclaimed.
Duncan smirked. "Maybe he's butt-ugly."
"Duncan!!" Taryn cried. "He is so not!!"
Jean didn't know how she managed to keep the smile off her face as Duncan drove on, towards the Institute.
Scott and the others were on the way home, in traffic, in Scott's prized red convertible, with Scott driving, Kitty up front, and Kurt and Rogue in the back, when they heard the news report.
Scott smiled. "Looks like Superman saves the day again." he said.
"Was there ever a doubt?" Kitty exclaimed, beaming.
Even Rogue smiled. "If Wonder-Boy can shoot down meteors fallin' from orbit, catchin' planes has ta be borin' for him."
"You know Superman; no job is too small, or too big!" Kurt exclaimed.
By then, they were under an overpass, and traffic had slowed to a crawl. Scott happened to look up...and saw a police car chasing another car. Suddenly, the car hit an empty school bus, before careening over to the other side, both vehicles hanging over the edge of the overpass.
Scott and the others watched in horror at what was about to happen. "Oh my gosh...w-what do we do?!" Kitty cried.
"Ve can't just let zhose people fall!" Kurt exclaimed.
Scott knew that no-one else could get to those people in time, except Superman, and there was no way he could do it without being seen.
It was up to them.
"Rogue," Scott instructed, pointing to a nearby warehouse, "take the wheel and meet us behind that warehouse. Kurt, you 'port the drivers of those vehicles to safety. Kitty, you phase us all out of sight when we're done."
"Jawohl!" Kurt agreed.
"Okay." Kitty said. Then, the three of them got out of the car, and darted out of sight, as Rogue took the wheel.
Quickly, Scott took aim, and fired his optic-blasts at the two vehicles, pushing them back onto the road. At once, Kurt vanished with a bamf! and appeared inside first the car, then the bus, grabbing each driver, and then 'porting them to the side of the road below, before anyone noticed. Kurt and Scott then met up with Kitty next to the warehouse, who took their hands, and phased through the walls of the warehouse, unnoticed, to sneak out through the back, where Rogue was waiting. They quickly piled into the car, as Scott took over driving, and headed off, taking a less direct route home.
Everyone kept quiet as they drove, but Scott actually felt pretty good.
They'd used their powers to help those people.
Scott allowed himself to smile. 'I guess this is how Clark feels.' he thought, as he kept driving.
Xavier Institute, Westchester, New York
In the stately mansion of the Xavier Institute, in its expansive back yard, near a cliff overlooking the sea, Professor Charles Francis Xavier was watching the Institute's newest students, smiling proudly.
Charles was in his early fifties, fairly tall, and of average build, though he was confined to a wheelchair. His head was bald, with light skin, and dark eyes, wearing black pants and a black long-sleeved shirt under his light brown sweater. He was a mutant – one of the most powerful telepaths in the world, and the Headmaster of the Institute.
Standing beside him were his two instructors, Ororo "Storm" Munroe, and Logan, or "Wolverine." Ororo was a tall, elegantly built African-American lady in her thirties, with long, cloud-white hair, a stunning contrast to her chocolate skin, and dark eyes, wearing a light purple, short-sleeved blouse, with a long, matching skirt. Her mutant power gave her mastery over the weather.
Logan, seemingly in his forties, was also tall, and strongly built, with short, dark black hair, and cold blue eyes, wearing blue jeans and a black t-shirt. His mutant power gave him heightened senses and a healing factor for near-instantaneous recovery from any injury...but he also had an adamantium-infused skeleton, with retractable razor-sharp claws. The both of them were observing their latest additions to the Institute: the New Mutants.
Standing by the fountain was 14-year-old Robert Drake, or "Bobby," as he preferred, fairly tall and of average build, with short, light-brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a light blue t-shirt and brown pants, gifted with the ability to generate sub-zero temperatures. He reached his hand into the water, using his powers to chill the water a little bit...before lightly splashing the girl leaning by the fountain.
The girl, 14-year-old Jubilation Lee, or "Jubilee," shrieked in surprise, before laughing and splashing Bobby back. Jubilee was a slender Chinese-American girl of average height, with long black hair and dark eyes, wearing a light violet t-shirt under a yellow sweater, and violet slacks. Her mutant ability allowed her to generate firework-like flashes of light from her hands.
"CANNONBALL!!"
14-year-old Sam Guthrie yelled out a warning as he shot through the air, his power turning him into a living ballistic missile, also rendering him – thank goodness – impervious to harm in that state. Sam landed flat on his face; he was a tall, well-built young man from Kentucky, with short blond hair, and blue eyes, wearing blue jeans, a blue vest, and a black t-shirt underneath. Sitting up, Sam started to laugh good-naturedly at his own foolishness.
A few feet away, 11-year-old Jamie Madrox, a fairly short boy with brown hair and hazel eyes, in a red sweater and brown pants, was playing frisbee with Rahne Sinclair, a 14-year-old Scottish lass, with mid-length red hair in two short pigtails, as well as blue eyes, wearing a green tank-top and beige khaki pants. As Jamie threw the frisbee, Rahne used her mutant ability, changing into a red-furred half-wolf being, before morphing into a real wolf, which easily caught the disc, and threw it back, becoming human again. The frisbee knocked Jamie over, the impact activating his ability; where there was once one Jamie, now there were six.
Further away, three of the new students were just idly chatting: Ray Crisp, Amara Aquila, and Roberto DeCosta. Ray, 14, was of average height and build, with short blond hair, streaked with orange and spiked in the front, and blue eyes, clad in blue jeans, a light blue t-shirt, and a darker blue flannel shirt under that. His ability enabled him to generate electricity on command.
Amara, also 14, was a bit shorter, of slender build, with long, dark chestnut hair, lightly tanned skin, and brown eyes, wearing magenta slacks, a light-violet t-shirt, and a white jacket over that. She was native to the hidden island of Nova Roma, a place where the days of the old Roman Empire hadn't left, where modern technology hadn't reached at all; the Institute was completely new to her, and it had taken time for the Professor to teach her enough about the modern world to attend the Institute, as well as high school. Her mutant power enabled her to control flame, as well as assume a fiery, lava-like state, in which her powers strengthened.
Roberto was a tall, well-built Brazilian youth of 14, with light-tanned skin, short brown hair, and brown eyes. He was wearing light brown khaki pants, and a dark red t-shirt. His power enabled him to draw energy from the sun –he had to have direct sunlight to use it – causing him to assume a jet-black, flame-outlined "powered-up" state, where he had super-strength, limited invulnerability, limited flight, and the ability to generate flame-blasts.
From a few feet away, 16-year-old Tabitha Smith peered out from behind a corner, spying the three students – her next victims. Tabitha was fairly tall, her frame fairly curvy, with short, blond hair, and mischievous green eyes, wearing a light rose-colored blouse, and blue jeans. She snapped her fingers, using her ability, generating a tiny, glowing sphere; a tiny explosive charge – a cherry bomb.
With the accuracy of a professional, she flicked the tiny charge behind the three young mutants; seconds later, it detonated in a tiny pop, startling the three of them. Tabitha burst out laughing at her little prank...
...until she saw the three of them glaring at her, Ray's hands sparking with electricity, Amara holding a flame-orb on her fingertip, and Roberto having powered-up, glowing with energy.
Tabitha smiled sheepishly. "Um...oops?"
Ororo could only smile as the three of them watched the little scene, particularly the half-hearted chase following Tabitha's prank. "Quite the spirited bunch." she commented pleasantly.
Logan half-smiled. "That's one way to put it." he said.
Charles smiled. "I'm glad we put in those extra rooms; we'll certainly need them."
Logan chuckled. "That ain't all we'll need, Chuck." he said. "Maybe I ought to call in a few favors with Steve; see if he can get Fury to lend us a couple of tanks." He grinned. "You haven't told 'em about Flyboy, yet, have ya, Chuck?"
Charles smiled. "No, not yet." he admitted.
Ororo smiled. "Clark should make quite the impression." she said.
Charles nodded. "Yes, Clark does tend to have that effect." he agreed. When he'd first asked Clark to join, he knew that, even though he was an alien, Clark would be a shining example for mutants everywhere; both to inspire young mutants, and to show the human race that mutants were no threat to them.
His nickname was well-deserved.
Just then, he sensed the rest of the Institute students returning home. "Everyone," he called to the New Mutants, "come meet the rest of the Institute family!" With that, he rolled back into the Institute, heading for the front door, and the front yard, with Ororo and Logan following, with the New Mutants close behind.
When Scott and the others arrived at the Institute, Evan was just pulling up on his skateboard, and Jean was just arriving, Duncan driving off with Taryn after Jean got out. "Hey!" Jean called, smiling as she walked up to him.
"Hey." Scott greeted, smiling, hopping out of his car. "Congratulations!"
"Thanks!" Jean replied, smiling as Scott gave her a friendly hug. Then, lightly frowning, she added, "But what happened? I thought we were going to drive home."
'Huh?' Scott thought. "Duncan told me that he was taking you out to celebrate; that you were going with him..."
"He told me that you said that something came up..." Jean replied.
They both had the same realization.
Jean's cherry eyebrows narrowed in annoyance. "Duncan lied." she said angrily. "Ooh, boy am I going to let him have it! If he has a problem with me spending time with my best friend, he's just going to have to lump it!!" She looked at Scott apologetically. "Oh, Slim, I'm so sorry."
"Don't worry about it, Jean." Scott assured her, smiling. At that, Jean smiled at him; it was the smile that could all-too-easily make his heart do back-flips...
Suddenly, a dark green jeep pulled up, and one of the newer members of the X-Men family hopped out. "Hey, guys." 17-year-old Lance "Avalanche" Alvers said, smiling. Lance was around the same height and build as Scott, with fairly short, brown hair, and brown eyes, wearing blue jeans, and a black t-shirt under a brown vest. His power was that of geological manipulation, enabling him to create earthquakes. He had once been a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants, their rivals, until Superman had convinced him to join their team during the events of Asteroid M.
"Hey, Lance!" Kitty greeted happily. "How come you didn't come to the game?"
Lance smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Kit, but I've never been a big fan of soccer." he said. To Jean, he added, "No offence, Jean."
Jean smiled. "None taken."
"You're coming to the assembly tomorrow, right?" Kitty asked him.
Lance grinned. "If you're going, then I wouldn't miss it!" he said, causing Kitty to blush lightly.
Just then, the sound of a motorcycle cut the air, causing Rogue to groan. "Oh, Gawd..."
A sweet-looking Harley motorcycle pulled up; its driver was tall and of athletic build, wearing a brown trenchcoat, with a black bodysuit underneath it. He removed his helmet, revealing a young man of 17, with short, dark reddish-brown hair...and utterly black eyes, with red irises. He was Remy "Gambit" LeBeau, an incredibly talented thief and a former member of the New Orleans Thieves Guild, who'd left the Guild – to escape a marriage to, as Remy had put it, "the bitchiest woman on the face of the planet" – and decided to join up after Asteroid M. His mutant ability allowed him to charge any object with kinetic energy, changing it into a deadly explosive.
Remy smiled at Rogue, hopping off his bike. "Bonjour, cherie." he greeted, in his Cajun accent. "Remy can' tell y' 'ow much 'e missed y'."
Rogue's eyes narrowed. "Gawd, Swamp-Rat, when are ya goin' to take a hint?!" she snapped.
Remy smiled. "Dat brutal 'onesty...dat sharp tongue...music t' Remy's ears!" he said.
Lance whistled as he saw the bike. "Nice wheels, LeBeau!"
"Merci." Remy replied. Grinning, he added, "Remy lifted dis bike from Julien, de leader o' de Rippers, some time ago – ol' Jules ain' nev'r forgiven Remy for it."
"So, where were you?" Scott inquired.
"Oh, jus' 'ad t' pick up some o' Remy's stuff back in N'awlins." Remy replied, tapping the side-bags on his bike. "Remy's pere was still 'angin' onto 'em, but Remy jus' took 'em off o' 'is 'ands."
Jean chuckled. "In other words, you stole them."
Remy feigned looking insulted. "Dat's an awful word, chere! Remy nev'r stole anyt'ing!" he protested. "Remy pref'r t' say dat 'e... 'creativ'ly repossessed' 'em."
They all got a good laugh at that. "So, I guess CK isn't here, yet." Evan said. "Must still be out doing his hero thing!"
"Ah, oui, le Derniere Fils de Krypton..."(1) Remy said, chuckling. "If y' 'ad told Remy 'bout 'im a year ago, Remy would 'ave nev'r believed y'!"
Just then, Professor Xavier rolled out of the Institute, followed by Miss Munroe and Logan, and then by nine more students – the New Mutants, Scott figured. "Welcome home." the Professor greeted. To the New Mutants, he said, "These are our first students, the X-Men." To the X-Men, he added, "And these are our new students."
Introductions were quickly made and pleasantries exchanged. "Now," the Professor said, "there's one more member of the X-Men that you have to meet."
"Well, who is it?" Bobby inquired.
Scott smiled. "You kinda...have to see him to believe him, Bobby." he said. At that, a sonic boom echoed above their heads, startling the New Mutants.
Ororo smiled. "Ah, he's here!" she said.
Rahne blinked, looking around. "Who??" she asked, in her Scottish accent. "I dinnae see 'nary a soul, save all of us!"
"Professor, suh, who are ya all talkin' about?" Sam asked, in his Southern accent. "Ah don't see anyone else!"
Remy chuckled. "Dat's 'cause y' ain' lookin' in de right direction, mon ami."
Smiling, Kurt looked up, cupped his hands, and shouted, "Hey, Big Blue! Zhe New Mutants vant to meet you!"
Amara looked confused. "Um...why is he shouting at the sky?" she asked.
Smiling, Jean said, "Amara, he's shouting at the person in the sky."
Jamie's eyes widened. "You...you mean..." he murmured. At that, the New Mutants all looked up...
In seconds, Superman descended at lightning speeds, stopping perfectly on the ground without so much as making a sound. "You didn't have to shout, Little Blue." he said, smiling. To the X-Men, he added, "Hey, guys. Anything new?"
Scott shrugged. "Oh, not much."
Superman turned to the Professor. "I'm sorry I'm late, Professor; I had to help a cat get down from a tree."
Smiling, the Professor replied, "Oh, that's quite alright, Superman."
Superman then turned to the New Mutants, who were all looking at him in shock. "I'm guessing you're the new students." he said, smiling. "Welcome to the Institute!"
No response.
Superman looked concerned. "Is...something wrong?"
"Mah Good Lord...he's real..." Sam murmured.
Bobby opened his mouth...and promptly closed it.
Rahne didn't move.
Ray just stared.
Amara gasped, her hands covering her mouth.
Jamie gazed up at Superman with awe.
Roberto rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things.
Tabitha looked Superman over. "Damn..." she said, smiling, "...about time we had something good to look at around here!"
"I'm...sorry if I startled you..." Superman began.
"OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!!!" Jubilee squealed. "You're REAL!! You're really, really REAL!!!" Then, she gasped. "Oh, my God...I just made a total fool of myself!" she lamented. "In front of Superman!!"
Kitty laughed. "Don't worry, Jubilee! That was my reaction, too!" she assured the younger girl.
Smiling, the Professor said, "I think we should all head inside. X-Men, please meet in my office; we need to discuss a few things." Everyone nodded, and they all headed inside, the X-Men heading for the Professor's office, with Superman just heading to his room, to change, before meeting them later.
After returning to his room and putting on his street clothes – blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black jacket – over his uniform, Clark headed to the Professor's office, where the X-Men had already assembled. "Ah, Clark," the Professor greeted, as Clark walked in, closing the door, "we were just discussing the room arrangements. There will have to be a few changes, due to our increased numbers. Lance, you will have to share a room with Evan."
Lance shrugged. "Okay."
"No problem." Evan said.
"Very well." the Professor said. "Tabitha and Amara will share a room; Bobby and Sam will share a room; Ray and Roberto will share a room; Jubilee and Rahne will be sharing a room; Jamie will have one room; and, Clark, you and Remy will have to share a room."
Rogue chuckled. "Careful, Wonder-Boy; you'd better make sure that Swamp-Rat doesn't swipe any of yer stuff."
Remy grinned. "Chere, y' wound Remy!" he said. "Remy got 'nough sense t' know not t' steal from someone who could – lit'rally – turn Remy inside-out!"
Clark chuckled. "Hopefully, it won't come to that."
Rogue glared at Remy. "Get this through yer head, Cajun – Ah ain't yer chere!!"
Chuckling, the Professor continued, "Next, there's the issue of the new students' training. They're going to need someone to supervise their training, someone who has mastered their powers. Naturally, Wolverine will still be overseeing all Danger Room sessions, but they should have someone that they can relate to more; someone closer to their age – a field-leader."
Kitty smiled. "I think I know who that should be." All the others nodded, smiling in agreement.
Clark blinked. "Who?" he asked. One-by-one, their gazes all fell to him.
It hit him harder than a punch from Juggernaut.
"W-What??" he exclaimed. "Me? Guys, come on! That's ridiculous!"
"I think it's a good idea, Clark!" Ororo said, smiling.
Clark looked to his friends. "You can't be serious! I'd be the worst choice; I mean, with my 'job,' I could never commit to a schedule – I'd be setting a terrible example!"
"I think they'd understand, Clark." Jean said. "I think you'd make a good leader for them!"
Clark looked to Logan. "Logan, tell them what a bone-headed idea this is!"
Logan just grinned. "Hope yer powers include super-patience, Flyboy!"
"Now, we should get the New Mutants' input." the Professor said. "This is about them; they deserve a say in this."
Clark suddenly heard something; he looked to the closed door, and used his X-Ray vision, his eyes flashing electric-blue...
He half-smiled, and walked to the door. "Why not ask them now?" he suggested, and he opened the door.
All the New Mutants toppled into the office, from having been listening at the door. "How did you know??" Bobby asked.
Clark smiled, and tapped his ears. "When you have ultra-sensitive hearing and X-Ray vision, it gets a little difficult for people to pull a fast one on you." he said. "I assume you heard that last bit."
"Oh, please say yes, Superman!" Jubilee pleaded.
"It'd be so cool to have you as our leader!" Jamie exclaimed.
"Really, guys – you wouldn't want me for the job!" Clark said. "I mean, I'd be half-way through a training session with you when my hearing picks up a train wreck in Texas and I'd have to bolt! I'd be the worst candidate!"
The Professor smiled. "The best choice for any leader would be the one who wants it least; I truly think that you could inspire them, Superman."
Clark sighed; the Professor certainly knew how to work the guilt-angle. He looked to the New Mutants. "Are you sure you want me to do this?"
"Yes!" Jubilee exclaimed.
"Sure!" Bobby agreed.
"Okay." Ray said.
"I'm game." Tabitha agreed.
"No problem!" Sam said, smiling.
Roberto shrugged. "Fine."
"'Tis fine with me." Rahne said.
"Okay." Amara agreed.
Clark half-smiled. "Fine, fine; I'll do it." he relented.
"Oh, thank you, Superman!" Jubilee exclaimed. Then, she gasped. "Oh my gosh! W-We don't even know your real name!!"
Clark chuckled. "My birth-name is Kal-El," he said, "but my friends call me Clark Kent."
Bobby blinked. "'Kal-El'??" he repeated.
"What kinda name is that??" Roberto asked, incredulous.
"This is so cool!!" Jamie exclaimed. "We're gonna be led by Superman, Defender of Truth, Justice, and the American Way!!"
Clark inwardly groaned. 'Who comes up with this stuff?' he thought. "Jamie, you make it sound like I'm part of a comic book..." But his voice trailed off, as his hearing picked something up. "Uh-oh."
The X-Men and the instructors all knew that sound. "Uh-oh."
The New Mutants didn't. "'Uh-oh'??"
"Australia." Clark said, his eyes closed, listening. "Ferry taking on water. Rescue crews are too far away."
Kitty chuckled. "Well, looks like another job for Superman!"
"Are you gonna go save those people?" Jamie whispered.
Clark had to smile. 'He's a sweet kid.' he thought. He reached down and affectionately ruffled Jamie's hair. "That's the plan, champ." he said.
And with that, he darted out of the office, zipping into his room and leaving his clothes there, now back in his uniform, darting towards a nearby window, opening it and flying out at top speeds, heading towards Australia, a sonic boom echoing in his wake.
Scott had to smile at the New Mutants' reaction to Superman flying off to save the day once again. "Okay, that is definitely cool." Bobby said.
"Ja, zat kinda...never stops being cool." Kurt agreed.
"Well, that covers everything." Professor Xavier said. "That will be all." With that, everyone turned to go.
"Scott, may I speak with you?"
Scott stopped, and headed back in. "Is...something wrong?" he asked.
The Professor looked stern. "Scott, before you came back here...you used your powers in public."
Scott inwardly grimaced; he'd figured that the Professor might ask him about that. "Yes." he admitted. "Someone was going to get hurt; I didn't know what else to do."
The Professor sighed. "Scott, morally, I agree with you; using your powers for good is admirable." he said. "But this is exactly the kind of thing I have cautioned Clark about; your beam was caught on the news. Fortunately, the beam was the only thing caught."
Scott nodded. "I understand." he said. "But the more I think about it, the more I think that we should be using our powers for good! We should be helping people! Then everyone will know we're not a threat!"
"Scott, I understand how you feel; I've been there." the Professor said. "But the truth is that people simply aren't ready to know about us."
Scott sighed. "Yes, sir."
The Professor smiled. "I am proud of you for helping those people, Scott." he said. "I'm only asking you to try to keep your powers a secret if you ever need to do so again."
Scott nodded. "I will."
"Good. That will be all." the Professor said. With that, Scott left the office.
Bayville High School, September 8, 2007
The first day back to school was pretty lax, Scott had always found. Currently, he was sitting in the bleachers in the gymnasium; the school now had a new principal, who was going to give a speech.
"Hey."
Looking up, Scott smiled as Jean sat down next to him. "Hey." he greeted. "I thought you'd be sitting with Duncan."
"So did he." Jean replied. "I told him that I wanted to sit with my best friend, and that he would have to deal with it."
Scott's smile grew. "Thanks." he replied. "So, any word on the new principal?"
"I think his name is Edward Kelly." Jean said. "But I don't know anything else."
Just then, the new principal – Edward Kelly – walked onto the podium at the front. He was of average height and frame, in his mid-forties, with short, thinning brown hair, and brown eyes framed by glasses, in a casual brown suit, a neck-tie around his neck. He smiled as he stood behind the microphone. "Good morning, everyone; I'm Edward Kelly, and I'll be your principal for this year." he said. "Now I'm sure a lot of you are thinking that you're not any different from the person next to you; that there's absolutely nothing special about you."
"Well, you'd be wrong."
"Everyone has things that set them apart; everyone has their own special talents." Mr. Kelly continued. "All I ask is that you all think about how best to use your special gifts to make this a great school year, not just for yourselves, but for everyone!" Grinning, he added, "I also ask you to come out tonight to support the Girls' Soccer Team before they go on to the State Championships!"
A cheer went up from the students assembled. Scott chuckled. "Mr. Kelly has no idea how ironic that speech was." he joked.
"I know!" Jean giggled. Then, as the students all began to head back to class, Scott and Jean got up, and headed for their classes.
Before too long, classes had ended, and Lance and Kitty were just heading for Lance's jeep; Lance was giving Kitty a ride home. "Oh, my God, how ironic was Mr. Kelly's speech?" Kitty exclaimed.
Lance laughed. "Yeah, I nearly busted a gut after he was finished!" he said.
"And did you see who's teaching us Chemistry?" Kitty exclaimed. "It's Mr. McCoy!"
"Who?" Lance asked, confused.
"He's someone who helped us run a few tests on..." Kitty began, but paused as someone passed by, before whispering, "...on You-Know-Who!"
"Oh." Lance said. "Cool."
"So, this is why you ditched us."
Lance sighed, as he turned to face his old teammates, the three remaining members of the Brotherhood of Mutants: Pietro "Quicksilver" Maximoff, Fred "Blob" Dukes, and Todd "Toad" Tolansky. Pietro, 16, was of average height, and of a lean, light frame, with short, silver hair, and light blue eyes, wearing jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt. His mutant power gave him super-speed...but he wasn't nearly as fast as Superman, which bugged Pietro to no end.
Fred, also 16, was Pietro's opposite; he was very tall, and immensely fat, with blond hair in a mohawk, and brown eyes, wearing a green t-shirt with jean-overalls. Fred's mutant power – coupled with his weight – gave him considerable strength, as well as a uni-directional gravity field, making him borderline immovable.
Todd, 16 as well, was around Pietro's height, and gangly, with messy, sandy-blond hair, and green eyes coated by a murky film, wearing blue jeans and a black t-shirt. His mutant power gave him an uncanny jumping ability, the power to spit sticky globs of slime, and a long, frog-like tongue...which he used to catch flies.
Lance sighed. "Hey, guys." he greeted.
"Don't 'Hey, guys,' us, traitor." Pietro spat. "You ditched us...just so you could have a chance to get your little Kitty caught in a tree."
Lance's eyes narrowed. "I left, Pietro, because your old man was nuts." he said. To Fred and Todd, he added, "And you two should've come with me."
"We stick by our friends." Fred said.
"We ain't workin' for Bucket-Head no more, yo." Todd said. "We're just doin' our own thing."
"So you just tell your X-Geeks and Super-Dork to stay out of our way." Pietro snarled.
Lance chuckled; so Pietro still had his hate for Superman. "Pietro, he's probably already heard you, by now."
Kitty giggled. "A voice as annoying as yours is hard to miss..." she said, "...and that's if you don't have super-hearing!" Scowling, Pietro headed off, the rest of the Brotherhood following, and Lance and Kitty left the school.
Brotherhood of Bayville Boarding House
After school, Pietro and the Brotherhood had returned to their hangout...which was little more than a run-down – bordering on condemned – building that hadn't seen a fresh coat of paint in decades. Fred and Todd were just watching TV while Pietro rapidly paced in the hall outside the living room.
It had been a few months since his father's plan had been wrecked...by Super-Dork and the X-Geeks, he added, scowling to himself. He hadn't heard from Magneto ever since...or from his father's associate, the shape-shifting Mystique.
So, why the hell were they just sitting around, playing nice like Xavier's cronies?!
Pietro smiled to himself, as he got an idea. "Hey, guys," he said, "aren't you tired of staying in the shadows, while Super-Dork gets all the glory? Isn't it high time we let everyone know that he isn't the only guy with powers, around here?"
Todd and Fred looked up from the TV. "Wait, you mean..?" Todd asked.
"Yeah." Pietro said. "There's a rally, tonight, isn't there? Well, I say we make it a night to remember!"
"Yeah!" Fred exclaimed.
Pietro smiled as his pals agreed. 'And after we make our entrance,' he thought, 'I'm gonna tell the world about that alien freak...and then we'll see if anyone talks about Super-Dork!'
As night fell, a crowd had gathered in the school soccer field, as the pep rally was in full swing, complete with TV cameras. Scott and the rest of the X-Men were in the bleachers, except Jean – who was with her teammates on the field – as well as the Institute instructors. "Professor," Kitty inquired, "did Clark say he was going to drop by?"
Professor Xavier nodded. "He said he was just going to finish his 'job' for tonight before dropping by."
Looking around, Scott noticed that Rogue was missing. "Hey, has anyone seen Rogue?"
"I zhink she vanted to sit next to her new friend, Risty." Kurt reported. "She said zhat zhey met at zhe assembly, today."
By then, Principal Kelly had finished introducing the Girls' Soccer Team. "And now," he spoke into the microphone, gesturing to the large, firework-laden bronze hawk behind him, "let me introduce our new mascot, the Bayville Hawk – "
But he was cut off, as a silver streak snatched the microphone out of his hands, darting away.
'Oh, no...' Scott thought, '...Quicksilver...'
Quicksilver, in his uniform – a sleek, streamlined aqua-green bodysuit with silver chest armor and boots – darted to the top of the bleachers, joined by Blob and Toad, also in uniform; Blob wore dark green pants and a matching vest, under a white t-shirt, and Toad had donned a green bodysuit with cream-colored, hunch-backed chest-armor.
"Good evening, Bayville High!" Quicksilver said into the microphone. "You probably know the three of us – the 'school rejects,' but you probably don't know us that well. You see, everyone...we're mutants."
Scott and the X-Men froze in horror, as the color drained out of Professor Xavier's face. "No..." he whispered.
"Oh, you don't know what a mutant is?" Quicksilver continued. "Do I have to spell it out for you? We've got special powers that you human chumps don't! Take me, for example; like you've probably guessed, I've got super-speed! Fred here's got super-strength, and Todd can jump higher than the whole basketball team put together!"
At that, Blob jumped down from the bleachers...and started to push on them, making them start to collapse, sending the crowd into a panic...which was worsened by Toad hopping between the crowd, firing his slime-globs.
He smiled wickedly. "And don't even get me started on the Institute students! You know, like Scott Summers and Jean Grey? They're mutants, too!"
"Professor..." Scott began.
"I know what you're going to say, Scott." the Professor said. "Do it."
"And if you thought that was freaky, you all ain't seen nothing, yet!" Quicksilver sneered. "Boy, have I got a surprise for you..!"
He was cut off as Scott fired his optic-blasts, sending Quicksilver flying, stopping whatever he had been about to say. "Kitty, get to those TV cameras and short them out." Scott instructed. "Everyone else, try and contain the Brotherhood." At that, the X-Men team darted out of the bleachers, heading onto the field.
Recovering, Quicksilver scowled...and then smiled wickedly, as he darted towards the school mascot, grabbing a lighter...and lighting every single firework he could find. In seconds, the fireworks went off, flying haphazardly across the field, going every which way, as the mascot began to dangerously tip, driving the crowd into an even bigger panic.
Scott and the X-Men tried to close in on the Brotherhood, but the panicking crowd kept getting in their way. Then, Scott's eyes widened in horror, as the new mascot began to fall...heading right for Principal Kelly, who was frozen in terror. There was no way Scott could blast it; he couldn't get a clear shot...
Suddenly, a familiar sonic boom echoed overhead, and Scott smiled.
Backup had arrived.
Superman had been flying back to Bayville when he'd heard Quicksilver's announcement. 'Oh, no.' he thought, horrified, as he doubled his speed. When he'd arrived, he saw the soccer field in chaos, people panicking, fireworks flying everywhere...
Then, he saw a large, bronze hawk – the mascot, he guessed – about to fall over on a middle-aged man – the Principal.
He knew that if he went down there, he would be seen; he would no longer be a myth. But Pietro had already exposed mutants...
Superman's eyes narrowed. If he didn't act, people would get hurt; he could sort things out later.
Superman dove out of the sky, heading towards the falling mascot, and landed in front of it, pushing it back, causing it to roll back harmlessly. The threat averted, Superman turned to the almost-victim. "Are you alright, sir?"
The Principal looked at him with frightened eyes. "D-Dear Lord..!"
"Please, sir, get to safety." Superman instructed. "It's too dangerous to be in the open; find cover and you'll be safe."
"All...all right." the Principal murmured, still shocked. Then, he quickly hurried off.
Then, Superman spied a girl in a soccer uniform – Taryn, one of Jean's friends, he believed – running away from numerous fireworks. In less than a second, Superman darted between her and the fireworks, before inhaling and blowing his freezing-breath, freezing the fireworks solid, causing them to crash to the ground harmlessly. "Are you okay, miss?"
Taryn, who'd been hunched over in fearful anticipation, stood up and turned to her rescuer. "Oh my God...OH MY GOD!!!" she squealed. "You're HERE!!"
"I'll assume that means 'yes'." Superman said. Then, he spied a number of bleachers wobbling dangerously...with people still trapped on them...
Like lightning, Superman darted over to the bleachers, taking firm hold of the metal struts damaged by Blob. His eyes glowed red, as he fired a surgically-precise red heat-ray at the damaged metal, welding it solid, again. He darted to the next damaged strut, and then the next, welding them back together, until the stands were stable.
Just then, a familiar silver blur began to run around him, circling him. "Oh, you just had to wreck our fun, didn't you, Mr. 'Save-the-Day'!!" Quicksilver sneered. "Well, not this time!!"
His eyes narrowing, Superman watched Pietro's path...and unleashed his gale-breath at the exact moment, just as Pietro ran into its path, blowing the speedster back over fifty feet. "This time, and every time, Pietro." Superman replied.
By then, most of the crowd had cleared the field, and Superman could clearly see the X-Men. Scott grinned at him. "What took you so long, big guy?"
Superman chuckled. "You know how air-traffic is, these days!"
Just then, Blob rushed at him, roaring angrily, swinging at him. Superman blocked Blob's punch, and then trapped his arm, locking Blob's elbow, immobilizing his arm, and followed with a punch to Blob's gut, sending Blob flying back thirty feet, his punch echoing like a thunderclap. As Blob tried to recover, Jean rushed over and used her telekinesis to levitate him, enhancing the impact of Scott's optic-blasts as he blasted Blob, sending him flying.
As Quicksilver recovered, enraged, he ran at Superman. Evan saw him, and fired a bone-spike from his forearm, which stuck into the ground...right in Pietro's path, causing him to trip...and fall into Rogue's outstretched bare hand; Quicksilver instantly fell unconscious as Rogue drained him enough to keep him out.
Toad hopped toward Lance, readying a slime-glob; Lance focused, shaking the earth...and causing a stone pillar to shoot up, striking Toad and knocking him off-balance, where he was promptly booted in mid-air by Kurt, who'd 'ported in to intercept him, sending Toad flying off to the side, landing on the ground. He tried to get up...but couldn't; his feet were stuck in the ground...as Kitty phased up from the earth. Toad's eyes narrowed in anger...
...and then, numerous glowing playing-cards formed a circle around him, thrown by an expert hand. Toad's eyes widened. "Aw, not again!!"
Remy smiled as he put his deck away. "Feelin' lucky, mon ami?"
The cards detonated, sending Toad flying, to land hard, bruised but otherwise fine.
"Guess not."
As the Brotherhood slowly recovered, Quicksilver glared at Superman and the X-Men. "This ain't over, losers!" he snarled, and he ran off, followed by his teammates.
As the Brotherhood left, Superman looked about the wreckage of the field, as he now had time to think.
He'd been seen; they all had.
Then, as the crowd slowly began to walk back into the field, regarding them all warily, he couldn't help but feel worried.
Charles felt ill as he looked at what had just occurred. He was proud of the X-Men for helping to contain the Brotherhood...
...but the damage was done. Mutants were exposed; he had to move fast. "Ororo, put out the fires." he instructed. Ororo nodded, and summoned a rain cloud, extinguishing any remaining flames.
Charles then began to gather his mental strength; for what he hoped to do, he'd need every ounce of energy he had.
On the ruined field, Scott looked wistfully at his schoolmates, who were now regarding him with suspicion and, in some cases, disgust. The Professor had been right.
Even though he – and the others – had tried to do good, people weren't ready.
Then, he saw Jean turning away, her arms folding about herself, saddened...from the expression on Duncan's face, akin to revulsion. Scott moved closer to her, looping a comforting arm around her shoulders...although he wanted to pound Matthews for making her feel bad.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Duncan turn...to look at Superman, his expression becoming utterly hateful. Then, other people started to look at Superman, it only just dawning on them who he was.
"Dear Lord...the guy's real..."
"He...actually exists..."
"He's even dreamier than I thought..." That had come from Taryn.
Then, the students began to look at Scott and his friends differently, with more confusion than anything else. "Hey...they saved us, too..." one student said. Similar murmurs began to rise from other students.
By then, Professor Xavier had rolled over to them. "Professor, what do we do, now?" Scott asked.
"Don't worry, Scott." the Professor said. "By this time, tomorrow, everyone will just think that a gas line had leaked." Then, he closed his eyes, focusing.
Scott could feel the immense psychic force of his mentor ripple through the air, as the Professor used his powers to erase the memories of everyone in the field. Slowly, one-by-one, the students and teachers fell asleep, until only Principal Kelly remained...
By then, Scott had noticed that the Professor was sweating; this was too much for even him...
With a gasp, the Professor passed out just as the Principal succumbed. Ororo checked his pulse. "He's fine; he's just unconscious." she reported. "We'd bet get back to the Institute, before everyone wakes up." With that, the X-Men and their unconscious mentor headed for the X-Van, their modified minivan, to head home, as Superman took to the sky.
After leaving the field, Superman did a quick sweep of Bayville, staying out of sight, listening both for trouble and for any indication that the Professor had missed anyone with his powers.
He hadn't heard anything...but his vision picked up some electromagnetic interference over the Bayville area...too much to be from natural causes.
Superman's eyes narrowed, as he scanned the horizon for a familiar helmet-clad, cape-wearing silhouette...but found nothing.
After heading back to the Institute and donning his street clothes, Clark met Scott and the others just outside the Professor's room. "How is he?" Clark asked.
"Tired." Scott reported. "He thinks he got everyone, but he wasn't sure if he finished everything in Principal Kelly's mind."
Clark's eyes widened. "Could that be a problem?"
Jean looked worried. "If so, we'll know soon enough, won't we?"
"Also, none of the video-footage went out." Lance said. "There was strange 'electromagnetic interference'."
Clark's eyes narrowed. "We all know what that means."
Magneto, born Erik Magnus Lensherr, formerly the Professor's colleague and friend, who now sought to start a war between mutants and humans...with mutants as the victor. The last time they'd seen Magneto, he'd been spouting something about how Clark was part of some 'prophecy' and was destined to lead 'Homo superior'. He'd been intent on making mutants' existence known.
Had he changed his mind?
"I'll be keeping an eye out for our bucket-headed friend." Clark promised.
Jean sighed. "The Professor was right; people aren't ready to know about us."
"Maybe, but they were starting to come around at the end," Scott said, smiling, "once they got a look at Superman!"
Clark smiled. "Hey, it's nice to know I'm good for something!" he joked, causing his friends to laugh. "Don't worry, guys; no matter what, I'll be backing you guys up every step of the way."
Kitty smiled, and gave him a friendly hug. "Thanks, Clark!"
Clark smiled at Kitty, who he'd come to regard as his unofficial 'baby sister.' "No problem, Kit." he replied. Grinning, he added, "Anyone up for some 'Third Rock from the Sun'?" His teammates laughed, as they all headed for the living room.
In his office, Edward Kelly was just finishing up some paperwork. 'First day on the job, and I lose the soccer field to a gas-line break.' he thought glumly.
But somehow, that just didn't seem to fit. He kept getting images of a fight in the field, of people with...powers...
...and of the new mascot – now ruined – about to fall on him...before someone pushed it back, saving him.
'What does all this mean?' Edward pondered. He got up, walking over to the window, looking up at the moon.
It had all been a dream...hadn't it?
(1) translation: "...yes, the Last Son of Krypton." Just in case you don't speak French.
Coming soon:
You've all seen Dr. Doom...
You've seen his terrible power...
You've seen his sinister intellect...
But you haven't seen his daughter.
Anita LeRoux. Siryn.
A will-melting, magic-wielding enchantress...
...the apple of her Papa's eye.
See her schemes begin, in "Siryn's Song," coming to your computer soon...