Disclaimer: The X-men are property of Twentieth Century Fox and the Marvel Entertainment Group. I am using their characters for my own un-profitable enjoyment. Anything that you do not recognise is my own.
Authors Note: R.I.P Popcorn, my lovely little guinea pig. Sobs. Anyway the story starts picking up here a bit. I have one more chapter left to write for this one, and I've decided that it'll be split into three different stories for the three different films. Happy reading!
Chapter 3: Girl on a leash
Charles waited until the rest of the spectators had gone before indicating to his students that they could stand up. "I have arranged to meet with the girl and her trainers in a few minutes. I want you all to behave appropriately and do not let on that you know she is a mutant. Just watch and observe." He said looking pointedly at some of the older mutants. "Ah here comes the trainer now."
The female trainer that had been talking was still dressed in the red swimsuit as she walked towards them. She surveyed the group before turning to Charles. "Is this everyone?"
Charles nodded.
"Good, now we will take you into the back of her living space and then she will be brought out for you to look at. If you will follow me."
The students looked round excitedly as they followed the trainer through a door into the area behind the tank. Once there they were told to sit down on some chairs that had been placed around whilst the girl was brought out.
Charles looked around and saw that the tank outside was linked to a smaller one inside where he presumed she spent her nights, a door at the bottom of the tank let her move between the two at her own will. There was a small platform so she could get out of the water. In the tank there was a large imitation clam shell and small rocks and seaweed which he presumed made it look authentic. A door closing to his right brought his attention back to the room.
The male trainer walked through the door and shut it pulling the girl through behind him. A dog's leash had been fixed to the collar around her neck to stop her running off. The Professor almost scowled in annoyance at her treatment, she was no animal. The trainer was followed by the girl as he walked to the front of the room. She seemed to be walking in a shuffling, duck footed gate as if she was not used to walking on land. As soon as they stopped she dropped to a squat and sat observing them occasionally cocking her head curiously.
"She's pretty." Siryn said. And nods of agreement went round the younger mutants.
Charles refrained from saying anything as he watched the girl smile at the complement. The male trainer did not say anything but looked at the Siryn and frowned, he obviously did not agree with her.
The young mutant tugged on the hand of the trainer and pointed to the mutants. Then strained against her collar as she tried to get closer to them. The trainers hand was firm and made her stay where she was. An evil grin lit her face as she looked at some of the older students. Cupping her hand slightly she shook it from side to side and then pointed up at the trainer.
The Professor refrained from laughing as he heard Jean splutter next to him. Unfortunately the older students had no qualms about laughing and were in fits at the 'wanker' sign the blue girl had given to her trainer.
"I'm very sorry; we do not know where she picked such rude behaviour up from. Probably from the crowd, yet do not worry we do not think she knows what she is doing." The trainer said giving the leash a sharp yank.
"I think she knows damn well what she's doing sir!" Jubilee said leaning on Kitty trying to stop laughing.
The trainer just glared.
'Hurry up sir; I'm getting board very quickly. Use your mutation and tell the twat to bugger off so we can talk properly.' Charles eyebrows rose, it was the only outward sign of his shock at the voice in his head and the language it had used. Nodding at her, he directed his mutation at the trainer who calmly dropped the leash and walked back out the door.
OOOOOO
'Thanks.' She said to the man in the wheel chair. Standing up properly she stretched and smiled as some of her vertebrate clicked. Reaching behind her neck she undid the clasp and let the leash fall to the floor. She stared at it disdainfully for a second, eyeing it in distaste. Looking up she ran her webbed fingers through her hair as best as possible and tucked it behind her ears before turning back to the mutants.
'So, what you come here to ask me?' She said taking a few steps back, no longer in the shuffling gait, and leant on the glass wall to her tank.
'Will you not talk properly?' The professor asked.
'Nah. Haven't been able to speak like this for ages. Feels good.' She said before standing up straight again and coming to look at the students properly.
'I am Professor Charles Xavier. Principle of a school in Westchester New York. It is a school for the gifted, a school for people like us.' He said watching the girl as she walked up to one of the younger mutants.
'Like us? You want to rephrase that? So far none of your students have gills.' She said as she moved on and stopped in front of Kitty. Smiling she placed a webbed hand on the girls chest and pushed. Her smile turned to a fanatical grin as her hand went right through her.
'A school for mutants. Where we can be safe.'
How did she know about Kitty's gift?
'Hmm, and you want me to come with you. Tell me, why have you been following me?' She said dropping to a squat in front of Pyro. She placed a hand in his pocket and pulled out a lighter. She watched his expression curiously, wondering what his mutation was. As soon as she flipped the lighter on, she understood as fire flared in his eyes. She gave the lighter back and walked around him slowly looking at him.
'You send out interesting brain patterns, similar to one of my staff. Professor Jean Grey here had the same mental patterns as you when she was young.' Charles said indicating to the red headed woman.
She flashed her eyes off Pyro and looked at the woman in front of him. Her red hair stirred something in her memory and it took a second to think what it was. A maniacal grin lit her face and her eyes shone as she took a closer look. 'How long have they been up Professor? They could do some damage!'
She smiled at the Professors slightly confused look and smiled even more as realisation crossed his mind. Her eyes flashed in mirth before she went round looking at the students again.
'What is your mutation?' He asked looking curiously at the girl. For her telepathic ability did not seem to match her physical mutation.
'In all respects I have gills and webbed hands, what do you think my mutation is? I have a few other talents, but all in good time Professor.' She said, finally finished looking round the students. She walked back to where she placed the leash, once again she glared at it before reaching down to pick it up between two fingers and holding it in front of her nose. She looked round it and at the Professor.
'What we do for freedom.' She said shaking her head. Attaching it back to her collar, she dropped to her squat and rested the palms of her hands on the floor. 'I think I will come to your school, although I have business to finish up here, although I think you know about that.'
As she said this she looked at the door and watched it open, the trainer ran back in and grabbed her leash. She smiled as she stood up slightly and shuffled duck footedly to the door. When she got there she turned around and looked at the Professor. 'Meet me at Liberty Island in a month's time. Your school better have a swimming pool.'
OOOOOO
As the door shut behind the mutant the Professor looked around slightly stunned. He watched as she appeared in the inside tank and started swimming around, occasionally pressing her face against the glass again. She did this weird sort of underwater dance that made Siryn turn around in horror and cover her eyes. The Professor saw this and looked at some of the younger male mutants who had started staring at the glass in awe. He shook his head and clapped his hands snapping them out of it before leading them silently to the door.
Once outside they heard the noise of another show going on and walked away from that arena. The students were all talking excitedly about the girl and looked at the Professor knowing that they had been conversing mentally.
"She is joining us in one month's time." He said looking around at the students.
"What's her name?" A young boy asked.
Charles frowned for a second. "She never told me."
OOOOOO
Later that night, when all the students had been sent to their rooms in the hotel, the teachers sat in the bar talking quietly. They sat furthest away from the door on a table pushed into the corner so that they could not be over heard. Silence descended broken only by Scott's Budweiser being slurped through his curly straw.
"What is she like Professor?" Storm asked stirring her cocktail with a straw.
"She seems happy, and was quite content to talk mentally. This is unusual as I do not think she is a telepath." He said.
"Perhaps she knew one once and is used to speaking in that way. I did feel something probe my mind as she was looking at me." Jean said trying to ignore the slurping man at her side.
"She went into your thoughts?" Charles said.
She can't have known!
"No, she just pushed as if she wasn't entirely sure what she was doing. But it didn't feel like a usual telepath probe, almost as if she was actually in my mind. It was very weird and the feeling stopped as soon as it started." She responded, taking the paper umbrella out of her drink and placing it in Scott's beer.
"She seemed a bit rude to me." Scott said. He frowned at the pink umbrella in his drink before picking it out and placing it in Storms.
"I don't want your beer corrupting my cocktail!" She said taking the offending umbrella out and placing it in the ash tray.
"She did not talk to us, made rude gestures at the trainer. And went round poking and prodding all the students as if they were the ones on display. She even made a few use there mutations, she pushed her hand right through Kitty, and almost made Pyro use his." Scott said.
"Well in her defence, the trainer wasn't all that nice; he did stick a leash on her after all." Storm responded pointing a finger at the man.
"It was if she knew what all their mutations were." Jean said.
"I think she has an ability to see a person for who they are and because we are mutants this meant she was able to see our mutations. I do not think this is part of her mutation however. I also do not think she was intentionally being rude, just testing her boundaries. Still we will find out more about her when she arrives in a months time. Until then we need to build a larger swimming pool, I do not think ours is going to be adequate." He said smiling.
"What was that weird dance she did at the end?" Scott said. "The one that sent some of the younger boys drool and made Siryn shy away?"
"I don't know, we'll have to ask Siryn about that one. Still I am looking forward to finding out more about her." Charles said draining the rest of his drink.
The X-men all nodded before retiring for the night.
OOOOOO
Kitty and Jubilee were awake in their room. Jubilee had her arms crossed behind her head and was staring at the ceiling. Small globules of light hung around the room to give it some light without indicating to the professors that they were still awake.
"So what you think she's going to be like?" Jubilee asked.
"I don't know. The way she knew my mutation and pushed her hand through my chest was weird." The brown haired girl said following the patterns made by her friend's lights.
"Yeah and she just looked at me and smirked at Oris." The small Asian girl said.
"Suppose we'll find out more about her when she comes to the mansion. She'll be with us probably, she looks our age. Do you think that means we'll get a bigger room? Hang on; Oris?"
"My whale. Oris the orca." Jubilee rolled to her side and giggled as a pillow came her way.
Throwing one back it turned into a full blown pillow fight, with Oris the orca sat on the table looking on.
OOOOOO
Pyro rolled over trying to get comfortable in the hotel bed. He could hear Piotr's loud snores coming from one side of him. Bobby's breath was coming out in clouds that hung in the air; he had made the mistake of trying to wake him up by shaking him once. Apparently the air temperature around him dropped whilst he was sleeping, he had spent the next couple of minutes trying to get the feeling back in his fingers. Now he just yelled at him to get him up.
When he fell asleep he dreamt someone was laughing whilst engulfed in fire. The fire doused and turned to ocean and he saw orca's that leapt from the water. The orca's then turned into huge serpents which carried a hazy figure on their backs. One serpent arose from the water and created a massive wave that turned to fire as it crashed down upon him.
He did not remember anything the next morning.
