I.
Michael Mjnari watched curiously as Hank and Forge discussed technical aspects of the Danger Room that were way over his head. After their discussion, they would either disappear under the console for another twenty minutes, or they would stare at the screen as their hands moved rapidly over the keyboards, switches, and buttons.
By the time they finished, it was well past dinner time, and Michael definitely felt pangs of hunger eating away at his stomach. "Are you guys finally done? If you had told me it would've taken this long, I would have sat around in my godmother's office. At least she would have gotten something to eat."
Forge chuckled and shook his head. "My apologies. Hank called me about the Danger Room while I was in the airport waiting for your flight. The problem took a little longer to solve than we originally intended."
"What happened?" Michael asked.
"Ahh, my young friend, though we were able to discern the problem, the exact cause continues to elude us." Hank scratched his chin and looked skyward, as if searching the heavens for the answer. "I can only surmise that Nori's overload and subsequent release of her electric energies somehow adversely affected the hardware."
Michael smiled, amazed every time he heard Hank speak. For a muscular, grizzly looking beast, Hank seemed as gentle as a child, blessed with the intellect and vocabulary of a genius.
Though Michael was taken by surprise when he first saw Hank, he didn't let it show. Ororo had described Hank to him many times, along with some of the other not-so-normal looking residents of Xavier's. But actually seeing one of them in person was completely different from listening to stories over the phone or reading it over e-mail.
"Well, since that's all figured out, let's get some food," Michael replied, obviously hinting at his own hunger. "And if Ororo isn't busy, I'd like to see her."
"This is your lucky day. I think I can help you with both of those," Forge grinned as he wiped off his hands. Hank, you coming?"
"I dare not refuse an invitation to partake of some exquisite cuisine," Hank stood, and in an amazing display of agility and finesse, leaped into the air with a front flip, twisted so he could repel off the wall, flipped again, and landed next to the door. "After you," he smiled as he opened the door.
As the three of them strolled through the hallways of the school, Michael noticed curious glances from people that looked to be about his age. He could only presume they were students here, and probably though he was a new student at the school.
Michael had tinkered with the idea and was even thinking about asking Ororo if he could enroll. True, he was interested in the adventurous lives they seemed to lead, but the academic rigor of Xavier's was well known and respected. If he could make it through there, he had a good shot at whatever college he wanted to attend.
"So you were telling me in the car about some talents you've developed," Forge said, snapping Michael out of his thoughts.
"Oh, right. Well, I'm not really sure when it started, but my friends are the ones that noticed it. I'm able to run much faster than anyone else. Like super fast. And even dodging things and catching things, I can move so fast. It seems natural to me, and maybe that's why I didn't notice it at first."
Hank rubbed his chin in a thoughtful manner. "Accelerated reflexes and agility, as well as enhanced speed. Your body is probably altered to withstand high speeds. You probably have other heightened attributes directed tied to your athleticism. Astounding."
"So this is normal?" Michael asked as he sat down at the oversized dining room table.
"Some would say yes, others would have quite a different opinion," Ororo answered as she rounded the corner. Her radiant white hair trailed behind her, complimented by her loose, pale green blouse and khaki pants. Her leather boots tapped delicately on the hardwood floor.
"Ororo!" Michael stood and he hugged her.
She pulled back and looked him up and down. "The last time I saw you, you were three years old. Now look at you. You're nearly grown up now."
Michael smiled brightly in return. "I'm just glad I could take some time off from school and visit."
"I'm surprised your mother and father allowed you to come all this way during the school year."
"Don't think for a second there wasn't a lot of pleading and bargaining going on. I think I promised the rest of my life away."
Ororo laughed. She could only imagine Michael pleading with James and Kayla. But in the end, they knew that he would be in good hands. Ororo and Kayla were like sisters, and Ororo knew that she trusted her as such.
"Well, the only reason Hank and Forge would set foot outside of the laboratory is to eat, am I correct?"
Forge smiled. "You know us too well."
"I think Tom's whipping up something in there already for dinner. Let's see if we can put in a quick order."
Ororo gave Michael a hug as they made their way to the kitchen. She was thankful that he was finally able to come out and visit, but a nagging feeling kept telling her that the timing was bad. Very bad.
II.
"Help me."
Julian Keller flinched once then sat straight up in bed, drenched in a cold sweat. His breath came in short and ragged gasps, and his eyes darted around nervously. But Julian knew that he wouldn't find anyone in his room. The voice was inside his head, and she needed help. His help.
Julian didn't know when exactly the voice started calling to him. But he was sure that what had started out as the faintest of whispers had turned into a deafening plea. Lately, he hadn't been able to concentrate in class and was distracted in the Danger Room. When he went to see Dr. McCoy, he told Julian that he had a fever and to get some bed rest. But Julian knew he wasn't sick. It was her.
"Help me."
He swung his legs over the side of his bed, untangled the covers, and stood slowly. He crossed his room to the window, opened it fully, and took a deep breath of night air. Closing his eyes, he tried to push the voice from his mind, but there it was again, right at the edges of consciousness, traversing time and space to reach him. But why?
It was a question that he had pondered over for weeks. If someone was truly in danger, why would they come to him? This was his first semester at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and he had just begun to control his telekinesis. If this woman could contact him then surely she could contact the teachers—the X-Men—that could help her. Or maybe there was a reason why she didn't want to contact them. Maybe he was a pawn in some bigger scheme and would be disposed of as soon as he lent this woman the help she needed.
Julian wasn't the type to back down from a challenge. But there was something strange about this whole situation, and he couldn't help but to think there was more to this than just simply helping an old lady across the street.
He hadn't told anyone about the voice. Who would believe that some mysterious woman was asking him for help? Julian figured that he could handle it on his own, but as time wore on, he found his sanity slowly deteriorating.
"Help me."
"What do you want from me?!?" Julian screamed out of the window, his voice echoing out into the night.
"Help me. The lake."
The lake? Alkali Lake. They were told to stay away from that area, which was about an hour away. Julian glanced at his watch. Five minutes after twelve. He could slip out and get to the lake by one, find out what was doing on, and be back by two or two-thirty. He could slip in and out without anyone knowing, of course relying on a few telekinetic tricks.
Julian didn't care about the consequences. He just wanted the voice to stop. And if the only way to do that was to go to Alkali Lake, then so be it. He would deal with the rest later. He threw on jeans, a t-shirt, tennis shoes, and a jacket, then slipped out his door.
"Help me."
It was a Friday night, but Julian didn't expect anyone to be awake. He could slip through the living room, into the long hallway, and into the garage. He would have to take one of the cars—maybe the RX-8—which could do 120 mph easily. If he got pulled over for speeding, he would deal with it. He had his checkbook, and everyone had their price.
He had a plan and everything was going accordingly, until he ran into Sam Guthrie and Kitty Pryde.
"Geez, Keller. Watch where you're going," Kitty snapped. She didn't care for Julian that much and she never hesitated to let a tone of disdain slip out when she spoke to him. She looked him up and down and saw that he was fully clothed and obviously jittery. "Where are you going?"
"None of your business, Pryde," Julian coldly answered as he breezed by them toward the garage door. He figured that if people have already seen him, he might as well stop sneaking around. Besides, no one was going to stop him. He was going to find out who was calling out to him and why. And if anyone stood in his way, they would regret it.
Kitty and Sam looked at each other. Sam shrugged and gave a look of "leave it alone" to Kitty. But she wasn't so easily deterred.
"Well, I'm making it my business."
"What's next? Are you going to ask me for my hall pass?" he snidely asked. "Just because you're the X-Hero of the Day doesn't mean you impress me."
"You're not important enough to me to even want to impress," Kitty retaliated.
"What's going on?" Bobby and Rogue appeared from the top of the stairs and slowly made their way down. They too were clothed in jeans and t-shirts.
"Dammit. Doesn't anybody sleep?" Julian groaned. His plan was slowly disintegrating and there was nothing he could do about it.
Kitty offered an explanation, "Ol' Keller here is trying to sneak off the grounds. Sam and I caught him in the act."
Sam added, "Well actually, we just happened to mosey around the corner—"
"Not now," Kitty interrupted. She turned her attention back to Julian and continued to interrogate him. "So where are you going? Did you get permission? And why are you going by yourself?"
Julian rolled his eyes. "Well, Nancy Drew, I'm going to Alkali Lake. And no one is going to stop me," he met Kitty's gaze with his own in an effort to back her down. But Kitty wasn't so easily scared. She stepped forward, challenging him to make a move.
Bobby felt his stomach drop at the mere mention of Alkali Lake. It was where they had lost Dr. Grey after narrowly escaping William Stryker's clutches. It was probably for that reason why Ororo had deemed it off-limits to all the students.
"So what are you going to do if we try to stop you? Fight us?" Kitty asked, her eyes locked with Julian's.
Julian smiled wickedly. "Care to test me, Pryde?"
Kitty took another challenging step toward Julian, leaving her only inches from his face. "I'll kick your—"
"What's out at the lake?" Sam asked, hoping to change the tone of the conversation. He really didn't want to see Kitty and Julian fight. But at the rate they were going, they would be in an all out brawl in less than two minutes.
"Help me."
Julian looked away, pushing the voice out of his head. "Don't worry about it."
"Don't worry about it?" Rogue repeated with a tone of disbelief. "Julian, you don't understand." She thought about telling him how there had been nothing but loss at that lake. But a touch on the shoulder from Bobby calmed her.
"There's something I have to do," Julian replied, turning from Kitty and the others. "And none of you are going to stop me."
"If I can't stop you, then I'm going with you," Bobby replied, stopping Julian in his tracks.
Julian gave Bobby a withering glance. "I don't need you looming over me, team leader. Next thing I know, you'll want to hold my hand in the bathroom."
Julian turned again to leave, but heard Bobby step behind him. "I'm going. And trust me, you don't want to get into a fight in the hallway. You won't make it out of that door, and we'll all be grounded."
Julian weighed the options. His telekinesis was strong enough to toss them about, giving him enough time to leave and be on the road before they caught up. But they knew where he was going and the teachers would be alerted. The Blackbird would be there in no time and there was no way he would be able to find out the mystery behind the plea for help. Or he could simply let them go with him.
"Suit yourself," Julian replied over his shoulder as he walked away.
"Bobby, I'm going with you," Rogue said. Whatever Julian and Bobby were going to do at that lake, Rogue wouldn't be able to just sit back at the mansion and wait for them to return. Aside from being worried sick, she figured that if anything happened, she would be able to help.
She was glad when Bobby took her gloved hand and gave her a nod of approval.
"We're involved now. Don't think I'm just going to let you off the hook so easily, Keller." Kitty replied. "Sam and I are going too."
"Y' know, I could just mosey on back to my room, and—"
"You're going, Kentucky," Kitty overrode his trepidation.
The five teens walked into the garage, and Julian grabbed the keys for one of the several vehicles parked in the garage.
"I'm driving," Bobby announced as Julian telekinetically floated the keys over to him, not wanting to have another argument.
"Just don't crash," Julian said. "You know where the lake is?"
"Yeah," Bobby replied, remembering the last time he was there. "I do."
They clambered into the black X-plorer, as they had dubbed it, which was really a modified Ford Explorer. Much of the panel had been modified with the same technology that was aboard the Blackbird. A cloaking device, extensive GPS, and a mini-Cerebro had all been installed by Forge and Kurt.
Bobby pushed a hidden button right below the steering wheel, which activated a tracking device. He wasn't sure why, but he had a bad feeling about this whole situation. He figured that Dr. McCoy or Mr. Cassidy would check the computers and see the alarm, and quickly dispatch a team before something terrible happened.
Bobby hoped that nothing would come of this trip and that everything would be calm. But someone from the X-Men's past had a different fate intended for them.
III.
"Hey, anybody know where Sam and Kitty went? She told me to wait until they got back to start this movie," Jubilee asked. Several other students sat around on the couches, eagerly awaiting the next film.
It was Friday night, and since the staff didn't usually let them go out on Friday nights, Jubilee officially dubbed Fridays as movie night. Usually, Jubilee, Jono Starsmore, and Angelo Espinoza would go into Snow Valley to Dan's Videos and get a variety of movie requests. Nine times out of ten, they would get some kind of horror movie, which totally creeped Jubilee out.
This time, they had gotten all horror movies, and Jubilee wished she could just sink into the couch. Though she loved the exhalation after the plot was resolved, the path to getting there was way too full of suspense, blood, and screams for her taste. Still, Jubilee was right there on the couch as soon as the movie started, though she would regret it every time.
"Maybe they went to the bathroom," Noriko Ashida suggested.
"Or maybe an axe-wielding, mangled, flesh-eating, inbred killer got them," Angelo joked, wrapping his skin around his face while reaching out for Jubilee.
"Back up, Angelo, or taste fireworks," Jubilee made a small firework go off close to her hand with a soft paf.
"Ay, chica. No need to get all violent," Angelo grinned.
When the doorbell chimed deeply, Jubilee nearly jumped out of her skin.
Hoots of laughter followed from all except Jubilee, who continued to tell them there was nothing funny up until the time she opened the door. Then she was startled again.
A tall, black man stood before her, obviously well-built underneath his suit, wearing sunglasses, though it was clearly dark outside.
"Sorry for disrupting your evening. I need to speak to Ororo Munroe."
His deep, commanding voice set Jubilee on edge, but she pretended like she wasn't jumpy. "And who are you?" she tried to sound tough, but her voice faltered, eliciting a smile from the man.
"I'm Detective Lucas Bishop, N.Y.P.D."
"Hold on a sec," Jubilee replied.
Bishop expected her to close the door to personally run upstairs to find Ororo, but instead the girl left the door ajar and screamed for Ms. Munroe. Bishop shook his head and smiled as Jubilee returned to the door.
"She'll be here in like a sec," Jubilee replied, still regarding Bishop with a suspicious glare. Two seconds later, she was replaced by one of the most beautiful women Bishop had ever seen. Her captivating blue eyes told of strength and stability, while her posture was nothing short of graceful. But her movements also told of a hidden warrior, able to take down any foe, regardless of size. Her skin was flawless and smooth, her lips full.
"Good evening, Detective. What brings you to our school at this time of night?"
Bishop scanned her over quickly, then whipped out his badge. Once Ororo had gotten a full look at his identification, he slipped it back into his coat pocket and said, "Sorry for disturbing you so late at night. But something's happened."
He glanced toward the living room, where the teens were clearly staring and listening. When they caught Bishop's glance, they pretended as if they were intrigued by the ceiling.
Ororo caught the hint. She stepped outside, closing the door. She began to walk away from the mansion with Bishop at a leisurely pace, hoping that the news he brought with him wasn't as bad as she was anticipating.
"I wanted to come to you first before you saw it on the news," Bishop began. "There's no delicate way to put this. There was a massacre. A mutant massacre. The mutants known as the Morlocks, were brutally torn apart at the Sea Breeze."
"I...I don't understand. Who would have done such a thing?"
"That's where we need your help. It's undeniable that this was done by another mutant. And from eye witness accounts, mainly some pedestrians walking by, there were four assailants. Mutants." Bishop pulled a digital camera from his coat pocket. He pressed a few buttons, which resounded with a barely audible beep, then handed it to Ororo. "There was a message left."
Ororo felt her stomach drop and churn at the picture before her. "By the bright lady," she murmured. Pictures of mangled and torn bodies strewn all over what she presumed to be the Sea Breeze. The last picture was going to be hard to erase from her memory. Scrawled in blood across the wall was the message: Only the strong.
"Our forces don't have the connections you do, Ms. Munroe. We need the X-Men's help."
"Understood. I appreciate you bringing this information to me tonight. Can you send me a copy of these pictures for analysis. With your permission, we would also like to investigate the crime scene."
"No problem. Your involvement in this investigation is greatly appreciated. You've done a lot for the city already."
"It's no problem, Detective."
Ororo stayed strong until Bishop had left the premises, but as soon as his taillights disappeared behind the gate, her head fell and she closed her eyes, having to catch her breath. She couldn't believe that something so terrible had happened. And there were so many questions. She already knew there was more to the situation than met the eye. She only hoped that they weren't already in over their heads.
IV.
As Ororo made her way back to the mansion, Remy melted back into the shadows as the natural instinct of a thief took over. He crouched low and sat silently, his breathing shallow and soundless. His muscles were relaxed, but ready to move at the slightest provocation, in the event that he was somehow discovered.
Though he heard Ororo's footsteps pause for a moment, she didn't spot him. She continued on into the mansion, shutting the door behind her. Remy sprung from his spot in the shrubs and dashed around the side of the mansion. From inside his shirt, he pulled out a collapsed staff, which at the flick of the wrist, extended into a full length staff. Remy effortlessly vaulted into a tree, leaped from one branch to another, then dove into his window, rolling into a standing position.
With another flick, his staff collapsed into a six inch long stick, which Remy tossed on his bed.
A mutant massacre. That's what the police were calling it. And that's what it would be called in the papers tomorrow.
There was no mistake—Sinister was somehow involved. His gut told him that somehow, the enigmatic man had enlisted the aid of wayward, powerful mutants to do his dirty work. But what would he possibly achieve from killing the Morlocks?
The Morlocks, from what Remy knew, were nothing more than self-proclaimed outcasts. Some with mutations that were physically disfiguring. Others with social anxieties or other issues coupled with exotic mutations. Regardless, aside from the usual rabble-rousing of mutant groups, they were harmless. Unless they were rallied by a madman like Magneto.
Yet, all of them had been mercilessly killed. And there was no apparent reason that Remy could think of. But then again, when did lunacy require a reason? Though Remy dismissed the notion at first, he finally came to the conclusion that Sinister wasn't what he seemed. And any promises he had made to Remy were more than likely null and void.
He knew he had to confront Sinister and somehow absolve himself of what he had done. He led Sinister right to the Morlocks, just because of Sinister's promises to help him. But that was before he met Xavier. Still, Remy couldn't afford for anyone at the school to find out.
He would wait until the time was right to make his move. And when he did, Remy would make sure Sinister answered for this.
Notes:
Michael Mjnari is based on the X-Men cartoon character Mjnari, who was Ororo's godson. He was possessed by the Shadow King, but in the end, Ororo, with the help of Rogue, was able to save him.
Nancy Drew is a detective heroine, created by Carolyn Keene. She has been paired with the Hardy Boys throughout the years.
