Chapter 9
With the kids away to school and no desire on his part to attend the school-board meeting, that is to be held this evening, Logan had decided the best way to spend his day was to go for a bike ride and blow off some steam.
A lot of anger had built up within Logan during the summer. Losing Firefly when she ran off and not being able to track her down. Volcana had learned too well it seemed from him. Then they lost Jubilee and then Rahne with both being called home by their parents because they no longer felt the Institute was safe and in some ways Logan blamed himself for that perception because he was the one who walked into the trap Magneto and Sabretooth set up and ended up captured by Trask, where he then became the bait to lure the X-Men in so Magneto could expose them for the whole world to see on his terms and now as a result they had to deal with these 'Friends of Humanity' mutant hating garbage, a wary, close to hostile government and on top of that they still had to deal with Magneto. Preferably before he found these alien stones and gained the power to conquer the planet and this search could involve having to cross SHIELD.
In fact it was pretty certain they would have to cross SHIELD at some point if Fury was going to remain determined to get his hands on Clark. The Professor, himself and Clark had already had a discussion about that situation and how to handle it. If Fury tries anything...well first off considering Clark is invulnerable that might be amusing to watch and second off Logan will protect Clark. That's what Logan swore to do for all the students so they would never end up having to endure what he has in his life.
Fury. They use to be friends him and Fury but now he is pretty much just pissed off at the man. Logan is basically, even now, furious at the fact Fury let Lionel Luthor, the architect of so many of their problems, out of prison. Logan was furious but sadly not surprised. This is the kind of stuff Fury does. This is why he quit SHIELD. This is why they really have no friendship any more.
Then there is the other issue Logan needs to blow off steam about. He had not even begun to deal with what Chuck revealed to him over the summer about Domino and how she might have been created by Weapon X and the fact his DNA might have been used to help create her. Then there was how that could also relate to Rogue or more precisely how she might relate to him. Logan didn't even know where to begin with that one. He hadn't talked about it with Rogue. Saw no reason to because it was only speculation until Beast could do the proper tests. They were still waiting for the equipment to be delivered to be able to perform the tests. Still what if he is Rogue's...father?
Logan lost his memory due to Weapon X and in the process he essentially lost any family he had because even if he had any that was still alive, which he personally doubts, he can't remember them and has no idea where on Earth they are. He has no clue how to be anyone's father. He has no clue at all how to deal with any of it which leads back to the beginning as to why he needs to go blow off steam.
Logan accelerates and weaves his way through the morning traffic of Bayville, heading out of town and into the countryside where he can clear his head without distraction or interruption. It is then he hears the sound of another motorbike closing in rapidly upon him from behind. It draws up next to him on his left showing it to be a large man in bike leathers, with his face hidden behind a dark helmet, riding but Logan knows that scent. When the man raises his right hand and turns it to metal it confirms what Logan thought as to the identity of the rider.
Colossus.
Colossus then accelerates away and Logan knows a challenge when he sees it and he gives chase. As Colossus passes a van he slams his fist into the back right-side corner of it denting the metal and causing the van's back to step out. The van's tyres screech as the driver slams the brakes on and tries to stop losing control as Colossus accelerates past it and away. The van driver manages to bring it to a stop but it now sideways, across the road completely blocking it. Logan growls under his helmet, accelerates and uses a car that has also spun to a stop as a ramp as he leaps over the van and continues his pursuit of the large Russian boy.
The chase continues until they hit the farmland and Colossus vanishes into a barn. Logan takes the less subtle way in and drives his bike through the wall. Upon bursting through Colossus transforms into his metal form, completely shredding his bike leathers. He catches Logan's bike, and Logan, and throws it away. Logan leaps off and snarls angrily as he hears the metal of his beloved bike bend upon impact. He lands in a crouch and throws his helmet off. "You've got my attention," he says in a gravelly tone before he pops his claws. "Now lets talk!" he adds as he charges at Colossus.
Logan leaps and plants his feet directly into Colossus' chest with a lot more force than Colossus expected and Logan sends him sailing through the barn's timber wall until he collides with a tractor outside.
Logan strides out from the hole. "Alright bub. What is this about?" he demands to know since this is a lot of show so must be about something.
Colossus briefly rubs his head before he stands up and lifts the tractor above his head. "I am to deliver a message," he explains why he is here before he throws the tractor directly at Logan.
As the tractor sails towards him Logan sidesteps to his left and cuts the front right wheel off with his claws. While the tyre is still in the air he punches it sending it sailing into Colossus' knees knocking the big mutant down face first. "From who?" Logan asks having a feeling he knows who.
Colossus gets to his feet and slams his right fist into the tyre that knocked him down virtually destroying it. "Magneto!" he replies to Logan's question before he visibly forces himself to calm down and reverts to his human form dressed in his red and black costume with the red armoured chest plate, yellow armoured shoulder pads and red boots. "Magneto has heard of the vote to ban mutants from the school. He wishes it to be known to yourself, to the X-Men, to his old friend Charles, that when you tire of the persecution of mutants he is ready to forgive and accept you in joining him in the war that is to come," Colossus relays the message Magneto gave him to deliver. The reason he is here in Bayville.
Logan's eyes narrow. "So I can be a lackey like you? I don't think so!" he dismisses it out of hand.
"I am not a lackey!" Colossus snaps back angrily, rejecting utterly that description of himself before he lowers his head and takes a breath. "I..." he looks away and closes his eyes almost in shame. "I have no choice," he says sadly.
"What does Magneto have on you?" Logan asks, truly seeing for the first time what Clark did that day when they destroyed the Rebirth device, as he retracts his claws.
"Enough," is all Colossus says as he starts to walk away, his shoulders hunched, carrying the burden he must to protect his sister.
"Whatever it is there's a way out," Logan tells him from personal experience. "Let us help you," he pleads with Colossus.
Colossus pauses in walking away. "You sound like the boy whose skin is like steel," he says referring to Clark.
"Listen to him. Listen to me. Join the X-Men. We can help."
"I cannot," Colossus says with some finality turning down Logan's offer because they cannot tell him where Magneto holds his sister and could not rescue her before she suffers should he disobey or defect.
Logan watches Colossus walk away feeling a tad sad for the kid and he really is nothing more than a kid. Can't be more than 19 or 20 at most if that. What in blazes does Magneto have on him that he thinks there is no way out?
Bayville High...
Lunchtime and Rogue is just putting her things away in her locker before she goes to get lunch. To say her morning had been trying would be the understatement of the year. Rogue had always been an outsider. In fact she preferred it but today had, for once, made her wish she could fit in. Her teachers would look at her like she was a bomb waiting to go off and the other students spent most of the morning gawking at her like she was some zoo specimen or something. That is when they weren't busy whispering derogatory terms behind her back like she couldn't hear them when she damn well could. Rogue can't wait to get to the cafeteria and meet up with the others. God she needs Clark's support right now.
"Well. Well. Well. Look what trailer trash they let back here," a peppy voice says, a voice that to Rogue is worse than nails on a chalk board.
Rogue closes her eyes, takes a breath and promises herself not to drain them dry and turns to face her tormentors. The damn cloners. The 3 blond bimbos. The 3 near identical girls who were unable to form a thought that hadn't been forced fed to them from the television or magazines. The 'It' girls of Bayville High; Tempest, Tyler and Carly. "What do y'all want?" Rogue growls unable to stop herself sounding annoyed.
Tempest, the self-imposed leader of the trio asks, "So I hear that that boyfriend of yours is not a mutant. That true?"
"Yeah," Rogue says wary about where this conversation is headed but that is the truth she spoke. Clark is not a mutant.
Tempest looks Rogue over from top to bottom. "Nope. I still don't see it."
"See what?"
"What it is that Clark sees in you."
"How about someone who can think for themselves!" Rogue snaps.
Tyler shakes her head. "Nope. That's not it. The only explanation is that it must be your freaky powers," she has concluded.
Carly nods in agreement. "Must be. Is that your power? Some way to control men? Poor Clark," she mourns with sympathy for what he must have been enduring.
"I feel like we need to hug him and never let go," Tempest says with a deliberate smirk.
Tyler smirks like her friend. "It'll certainly be more warmth than he is use to from a cold fish," she says nastily, fixing an evil look at Rogue.
Rogue's hands clench into fists and she grinds her teeth. If they insinuate one more damn thing about her relationship with Clark she won't be held responsible for her actions.
"God will you 3 like get a clue!" a furious sounding voice tells them off.
All 4 girls look to find Kitty, of all people, glaring at the 3 blond girls with a stern expression.
"Bug off Pryde!" Carly snaps trying to wave Kitty away.
"Yeah. This is nothing to do with you," Tyler says backing up her friend.
Kitty is silent for a moment before she blinks. "I'm sorry what? I didn't catch that. You see your mouths were moving but all I like heard was 'Baaaaa, Baaaaa'. I forgot for a minute there that I was talking to mindless sheep."
All 4 girls, especially Rogue, look at Kitty opened mouthed in complete shock at what they are hearing from the usually sweet, well-natured, girl.
Kitty then looks Tempest up and down. "Gee Tempy how many poor kids in sweat shops had to die for that tacky outfit?"
"Tacky!" Tempest screeches. "I'll have you know this the latest line recommended by..."
"Some lame manufactured run of the mill pop star or tv star or movie star or fashion star or whatever, who, probably, is as incapable of forming an independent thought as you are and is getting paid by some stupid conglomerate who spends their days thinking up how they can exploit the poor so why don't you do us all a favour, stop listening to their propaganda, use the few braincells that god gifted you with and come up with an opinion of your own...and oh stop hassling my friends or you'll wake up one day and find all your clothes replaced with stuff I picked up at the local charity shop."
"Y-you're bluffing," Tempest stutters out.
Kitty shrugs. "Maybe. Maybe not but the point is how would you know? I can walk through walls right into your closest. You wouldn't know until it was too late."
Tempest's lower lip starts to wobble in fear at the mere thought of ending up in...in hand me downs from a charity. A cold shiver runs up her spine.
Rogue jumps in at this point seeing Tempest's expression. "Gawd y'all are just little girls aren't ya. Only caring about looking good in what is tha opinion of tha so-called majority and that by tha way is why Clark will nevah show any interest in ya. None of y'all are woman enough ta handle a real man."
"And then there is what happens when you get old and the wrinkles set in," Kitty piles in. "I like can't imagine what you will do then since you have no personality whatsoever. I can see the Botox injections, immobile facial expressions and trout lips already."
"Yeah. It must beh sad ta know that y'all are already at tha peak of your lives and it is just downhill from here," Rogue adds, really, really enjoying this.
"No!" Tyler wails at the picture Rogue and Kitty are painting. "That won't happen! Right Tempest?" she asks her friend.
No reply.
"Tempest?" Carly asks needing her friend to tell her what to think.
Tempest blinks, her mind frozen.
Rogue leans forward. "Ah think that day has come already Kit." She points at Tempest's face. "Is that a wrinkle?"
Kitty leans in. "You know I like totally think it is. Well you know how bad for your skin those tanning saloons are," she says in reference to how Tempest has a virtual perma-tan no matter what time of year it is.
Rogue nods, grinning slyly. "Yep."
"Y-You're bluffing," Tempest manages to stutter out.
"Are we?" Rogue asks flatly making it sound like a dare to challenge what she and Kitty have said.
Tyler and Carly now lean in to peer closely at their friend.
"They're bluffing right?" Tempest asks her hangers-on.
Tyler gulps. "Well...uh..."
"Shut up!" Tempest snaps not getting the instant reassurance she wanted. "I am not getting old! I am not getting wrinkles! I have so much to look forward to!" she insists a few moments before she cracks. Her eyes mist over with fear. "To the spa! Quick! I need a facial!"
With that Tempest turns on her heels and vanishes at speed Clark would almost envy with her two friends desperately trying to keep up.
Rogue and Kitty burst into a fit of laughter. "Oh mah gawd. That was...Kitty ah don't have tha words," Rogue praises her friend.
Kitty tries to get her laughter under control. "It was the least I could do. After all us 'mutie freaks' have to stick together don't we." And after the morning she has had Kitty appreciates that more than ever about friends sticking together.
"Ah am surprised about ya criticising their clothing though considering," Rogue says referring to the time Kitty spends in the mall.
"Rogue have you ever seen me in anything like what those 3 wear?"
"Can't say ah have," Rogue must admit. "Although ya do crazy ovah every hot pop star and actor."
"Admiring how attractive someone is is not the same as mindlessly buying every product they sell. I won't deny I like to go shopping but if I ever become brainwashed sheep like those 3 please shoot me."
"Oh no worries about that Kit. Ah promise ah will," Rogue says sounding like she is taking that a little too seriously. The two start to head off to meet up with the others when Rogue asks, "So how about ya and meh go ta tha mall somethame?"
Kitty's eyebrows rise up so high they nearly leap off her face in shock. Rogue has never wanted to go shopping with her because of their drastically different tastes. It takes her a moment to get it but this is Rogue's way of thanking her for helping with the 3 girls. She smiles brightly. "Sure Rogue. I would love to."
'This school blows!' Evan thinks to himself as he heads to his locker before heading for lunch. Nothing but abuse or being gawked at or being looked at by his teachers with suspicion and fear like he is a dangerous weapon that could go off any second.
"Freak!"
That would be one of Evans classmates making a not so subtle statement. He stops and frowns.
"Hey I think it heard you," another one says with a smirk. "What's the matter? Don't like being called names...mutie?"
Evan closes his eyes and urges himself to stay calm and not knock these dumb-headed morons into next week.
"No he doesn't...and I don't like people calling my friends names either."
Evan opens his eyes to find Clark has appeared behind his two tormentors who turn to face the tall teen.
"You're that human guy whose family lives with the freaks aren't you?" one of them recognises Clark.
"That human guy? Wow. Real fine memory you have there," Clark mocks, with a sarcastic flare, the fact they can't even remember his name and Evan smiles slightly at it.
The other sneers. "You know that if you hang around them you'll become what they are."
Clark folds his arms across his chest and stops his usual slouching to stand at his full intimidating height. "Yeah I heard that but you know what I would rather be a mutant than a couple of racist, bigoted, close-minded jackasses like yourselves." Behind his glasses Clark's blue eyes narrow. "Now why don't you back off before I happily risk expulsion by kicking your xenophobic asses," Clark warns them, just having had enough of listening to his friends be insulted all morning...and he may have been hanging around Rogue too long.
The two boys glower at Clark but when Clark isn't hiding himself away he is actually tall, big and imposing and they think better of it. "This isn't over...mutie lover," the first one mutters before they both walk off.
"Thanks man," Evan says to Clark.
"No problem. You been getting that all morning?"
"Yep."
"Yeah. I've been getting that oh so imaginative label they muttered as well," Clark says with a sigh.
"It was oh so imaginative wasn't it?"
Both Clark and Evan frown at the new feminine voice and turn to find a girl, say about Jean's age, with shoulder length blond hair, dressed stylishly in a pink shirt and short black skirt that hugs her figure and shows off her curves without being too blatant about it. Her eyes are taking the two boys in with an amused curiosity. "You new here?" Evan asks her having never seen her before.
"Indeed I am," she confirms. She holds her hand out. "Catherine Grant but please call me Cat," she introduces herself with a silky smooth voice.
Evan takes her hand first. "Evan Daniels."
Clark then shakes her hand. "Clark Kent."
The girl arches an eyebrow. "My, you have a strong grip don't you," she compliments Clark.
Clark rubs the back of his neck. "Uh...grew up on a farm. Lots of manual labor," he tries to explain that away.
"It shows," she says in a light flirty tone as she gazes at his physique and when Clark's cheeks redden slightly Cat laughs softly. "Now don't be so shy. I'm teasing."
"You aren't freaked out," Evan observes.
"Why? Because you're a big bad mutant?" Cat waves that off. "Please do I look like I share anything in common with those two Neanderthals that just left? Can't become a journalist without the ability to form your own opinions."
"You want to be a journalist?" Clark inquires with an intrigued expression.
"Oh indeed so. In fact I already talked the Principal over the summer into letting me join the school paper."
"We have a school paper?" Evan queries, scratching his head. He never knew that.
"Yes Evan. We do," Clark confirms.
Cat's gaze assesses Clark. "So you're the human that braves to live at the Xavier Institute?"
"Yes," Clark replies simply and politely because unlike the two idiots who he scared off Cat is asking with simple curiosity without any animosity.
Cat's finger goes to her lower, coated in pink lipstick, lip as she thinks. "You know what people around here need is a perspective on what goes on at that Institute. A human perspective...and well I would not be adverse to a partner," she suggests being very forward.
"Me?" Clark asks since her gaze is focussed on him.
"Didn't you use to write for the school paper back in Smallville?" Evan remembers.
"Excellent!" Cat says excitedly at hearing this. "You already have some experience. Come now Clark...I can call you Clark can't I?" she asks him. He nods. She continues. "Think about what I'm proposing. Isn't it what people around here need?"
"Well maybe," Clark might concede. "But it's a lot duller than you might think. Mutants are just people," he says not really sure if he wants to do what she is suggesting.
"Precisely! That's what everyone needs to see. You could write a weekly article relaying your experiences and demonstrating the normalcy of mutants."
Clark cannot believe he is thinking this but she has a point. "I...I would need to ask Professor Xavier first...for permission," he says, cautioning her about being too optimistic on the chances of getting what she is proposing.
"Of course," Cat says like he just said the obvious. She then fishes out a card from a purse she is carrying and slips it into the top pocket of the plaid shirt Clark has on today. She gives it a pat and in the process takes a moment to feel the solidity underneath her fingers. "That's my cell number," she explains what the card is. "If you or Professor Xavier have any questions don't hesitate to call me. I'm always available," she tells Clark. "Well I should go. Let you go get your lunch. Nice meeting you," she says to both boys. "Clark call me soon," she requests of him with a soft open expression.
"Uh sure. As soon as I can. It was a...um...pleasure to meet you...Cat," Clark says as a farewell as he pushes his glasses up his nose.
A soft smile comes to Cat's lips. "The pleasure was all mine," she says with a soft purr before she turns neatly around to depart. "Ciao darlings!" she says her final farewells to the the two boys as she walks off with a wave back at them.
"Dude what the hell is your secret?" Evan asks Clark as soon as she is gone.
"Huh?"
"She was so coming on to you."
"Huh?" Clark repeats, still utterly clueless.
Evan rolls his eyes. "I mean seriously Clark how do you attract all these hotties? Her. The 3 barbies..."
"Who are selfish airheads," Clark expresses his opinion on who he knows Evan means. Tempest, Tyler and Carly. For the way they treat Rogue alone even Clark's nice guy attitude doesn't stretch to liking them.
"Ok yeah," Evan concedes Clark's assessment of the 3 girls. "But it's not just them. There was Haze."
"I try not to remember that," Clark points out as many of his actions under red kryptonite were ill-advised and hurtful to those he cared about.
"Live Wire," Evan adds because she spent the few days she was at the mansion practically throwing herself at Clark.
Clark makes a face of deep displeasure at that suggestion. "Please Evan," he almost begs his friend to not put that idea anywhere near him. "That woman was...is the most irritating one on the planet...still...despite Magneto's brainwashing."
"Ok true," Evan accepts, "but dude you even dated a cheerleader," he continues his argument about Clark's amazing luck with women.
"Which ended so badly she was still kinda angry at me months later," Clark argues in relation to his failed relationship with Lana. In fact for all Clark knows Lana could still be angry at him since he hasn't seen her in months to know any different. Last he heard, when he was catching up with Chloe over the phone, was that Lana was now in Paris attending a fashion design school.
"Yeah but you still dated her," Evan argues, "and then there's Chloe who you took to a school dance so again I ask dude what is your secret?"
"There's no secret Evan. I don't try to attract girls," he says and in fact if you look at his record before coming to the Institute he was kinda hopeless around the opposite sex. He continues, "Hell when I came here the last thing I wanted was another relationship but I never anticipated Rogue."
"And then there's Rogue who under all that dark make-up I'm thinking is probably pretty hot," Evan says, thinking Clark's mention of her just adds weight to the argument he is making.
"I'm not sure whether to be offended at that or not so I'll leave it up to Rogue."
Evan's face pales. "Dude do not tell I said that," he pleads. "She'll kill me!"
"No she won't. She'll only humiliate you in front of everyone," Clark says with a positively evil grin. He then walks off with Evan following on behind pleading and begging Clark not to tell Rogue what he said.
After his last class of the morning Scott is heading to join the others, trying his best to ignore the whispered comments as he walks by. The morning had been tough as it most probably had been for the others as well. He was looking forward to meeting up with them and especially Jean. He walks out the main doors intending to meet them at the table outside they normally sit at when he is suddenly blind-sided. He is tackled by two goons and slammed into the wall hard knocking the air out of his lungs. His two attackers then stand back and allow the ringleader to step forward.
"Hey Summers," Duncan greets him with a sneer. He then smiles cruelly as he contemplates what he is about to do.
Scott should have known Duncan would be behind this. "Duncan as much as I can't believe I'm saying this I don't want to fight you."
Duncan laughs mockingly. "Well I want to fight you. I'm going to make sure you use your powers and then it's bye-bye Bayville High for you...and the rest of your freak friends. So come on mutie," he goads Scott. "Throw something at me."
Scott's hand rises to his glasses tempted to do what he has been for years and blast Duncan Matthews' head off but he resists. "As much as I would love to you're not worth it," he dismisses Duncan out of hand with a wave of his hand. He then starts to walk away.
Duncan's eyes narrow in fury. He runs up behind Scott and throws his arms around him making sure he can't go anywhere. "You don't get it do you Summers. This is about sending a message since you didn't seem to get it last night that no-one wants your kind around here."
Duncan throws Scott, in a spin, into his two pals who each grab an arm and hold Scott still.
"You know Matthews I should have figured you were behind that," Scott mutters, through narrowed eyes, knowing Duncan is referring to the graffiti that was daubed on the walls last night after Clark, Kurt, Kitty and Rogue told them all what had happened.
Duncan chuckles as he reaches forward and plucks Scott's glasses off his face, forcing the leader of the X-Men to close his eyes or risk levelling the school building. Duncan pops the glasses on his face and proceeds to mock Scott. "Hey look at me," he says pointing at himself with his thumb. "Aren't I cool?"
The two boys holding Scott laugh. Scott manages to break free from their grip using that moment of distraction, grabs the boy on his right and throws him into Duncan causing the two to fall down in a heap. The other boy runs but out of pure instinct Scott swings his leg round and sweeps the boy's legs out from under him and he crashes down face first. Scott remains on one knee, his hands raised, his eyes closed, listening to his surroundings.
"You've had it Summers!" Duncan threatens now furious and full of hate.
Scott stands up. "Bring it on Matthews!" he challenges, with his brow furrowed in pure determination. "I don't need any powers to handle punks like you!"
Snarling, Duncan and co close in...
"Leave him alone!" a voice says with steady determination.
Curious, Duncan pauses as he looks to see Kurt Wagner has appeared on the scene. "Buzz off shrimp if you know what's good for you," Duncan warns him.
Kurt doesn't move and takes a deep breath. When he saw Scott in trouble he was conflicted for a second about whether to help but deep down he knew he couldn't bail on his friend again. How could he explain that to the Lord and then live with himself. Answer is he couldn't. "He didn't do anyzhing to you. Now please leave him alone," Kurt asks of them.
Duncan laughs in response. "Why would I do that and why do you care...unless...are you a mutie too?"
"Vhat if I am," Kurt says evenly. "Doesn't make vhat you are doing right."
"Hey Dunc I think he is a mutie," one of Dunc's pals says. "Doesn't he live at that Institute of weirdos and freaks too?"
Duncan muses on it for a second. He had seen Kurt at that place back when he was dating Jean. "Well, well two freaks for the price of one," he laughs.
"You really can't count can you," Kitty says as she walks to in front of Scott.
"Yeah try 4 freaks," Rogue says as she joins Kitty in protecting Scott. She places one hand on her hip. She continues, "And droppin' ya losers just might beh worth gettin' expelled."
"That's just what I was saying to a couple of other jackasses who were hassling Evan," Clark says as he and Evan approach from the right. "And you know to be consistent I should apply that to you three."
Evan sneers at Duncan and pals. "Yeah and there ain't a bigger jackass on this planet than Duncan Matthews."
"You got that right." That icy voice makes a unpleasant shiver run up Duncan's spine as he turns to find Jean standing right behind him and a few feet behind her are Taryn and Paul.
Jean's green eyes narrow in cold anger as her eyes drift to her boyfriend's glasses on her ex-boyfriend's face. "Did I not warn you what would happen when we broke up if you picked on my friends Duncan?" she asks him to remember.
Duncan gulps. Jean threatened to hurt his two best friends and he doesn't mean the two boys standing next to him. He means the ones between his legs.
"God!" Jean exclaims. "You are such a...a...a...lughead!"
Duncan looks at the odds and can see they aren't good and not in his favour. He takes the glasses off his face and tosses them to Jean. "Fine. Take them. I was done having fun anyway...but this isn't over Jean," he warns her. "I won't forget or forgive the way you humiliated me. You mutie freaks won't last the week!" he snarls.
Rogue pretends to yawn. "Ya done? Ah do have better places ta beh ya know."
Duncan wears an impressive scowl as he and his two pals stomp off. One of them shouts, "We're going to run you all right out of this town!"
Jean's cherry eyebrows come together in a frown as she glares at those 3 leave. That done she turns round, jogs over to Scott and gently replaces his glasses on his face, taking a moment to gently caress the face of the boy she loves. "Did he hurt you?" she asks with loving concern.
"Nah," Scott dismisses that, not wishing to worry her. "It was nothing beyond his usual antics...just with a new racist twist. Actually it was better than I expected," he jokes.
Jean smiles. "I'm sorry," she feels she needs to apologise. "Ugh," she makes a face as she rubs her face with her hand. "I can't believe I dated him," she bemoans that decision.
"Wasn't your brightest move ever," Taryn has to agree.
With his vision restored Scott turns his attention to Kurt. "Thanks for coming to the rescue."
"No problem," Kurt replies before his expression falls and he looks a little sad. "I'm sorry for bailing on you guys zhis morning," he apologises. "I got a little freaked."
"Can't say I blame you," Scott says wryly.
"There's no need to apologise Kurt," Jean says. "We understand."
"Definitely," Clark says in agreement. "After all I'm pretty certain you were probably just afraid of the same thing I have been since I was 3." i.e. that people would find out he is an alien and he would be called an inhuman monster etc etc.
Kurt wants to slap himself. Of course they would understand.
Scott looks to his friends. "So how's your morning been?" he asks them.
"Don't ask."
"Awful."
"Hellish."
"So need a vacation."
"This school blows."
"I should have stayed brainwashed."
Scott looks to Jean in response to those replies. Jeans shrugs, "You asked."
He did. Next time he'll just keep his mouth shut.
Looking out of his office window, witnessing that entire confrontation, is Principal Robert Kelly who had spent all summer becoming more and more concerned with the situation as regards to mutants and the threat they pose to the normal population. If he had been listened to that incident right there could have been avoided because those dangerous mutants would never have been allowed back but it wasn't solely his decision. He had to answer to the school-board whose decision it was.
Something had to be done though to protect the normal students. That is what Kelly saw as his job and to do that he had to make sure that the school-board voted in favour of the mutant ban and the ironic part is that what he just witnessed has given him an idea on what he must do. He turns and walks to his open door. "Dorothy," he addresses his secretary. "Have Duncan Matthews report to my office," he instructs her.
"So like what's your power? Are you going to read my mind?" one male student, stupid enough to come up to Rogue, asks.
Rogue scoffs. "As if ah could find it," she retorts.
The glare she gives him soon has him scurrying off and she lets out an annoyed huff. A hand comes to rest on her shoulder and gently rubs some of the tension away. Rogue smiles as she turns her head to find Clark giving him a warm supportive smile. At least she has him.
The X-Men and friends were sitting outside, having their lunch, and around them there was mostly empty space as everyone else gave them a wide berth or just stood far away and gawked.
"Wonderful reception you guys are getting," Amanda, sitting next to Kurt, snorts. She shakes her head. "You know we went through the whole Civil Rights struggle and just when you think we're getting to the promised land the second a new race of humans pops up it's like some people regress to the pre-Civil War era! Dr King must be rolling in his grave."
Kurt chuckles lightly. "Zhat's just vhat Domino said zhe ozher day."
Amanda smiles. She had met Domino when she had gone to visit Kurt over the summer and despite Domino's predisposition to offer an opinion on everything Amanda did find that she liked her. "Well as the saying goes great minds think alike."
Kitty giggles in response to that. "Don't like say that she has a great mind around Mr Logan. He really doesn't get on with Domino."
"Why not?" Amanda asks.
Rogue smirks as she answers. "She keeps stealing his beer from his secret stash and no matter how hard he tries to hide it she always finds it."
Amanda covers her mouth with her hand and snorts with laughter. In fact most of them have a quiet chuckle because it is funny the way Domino can wind Logan up like no-one else can say perhaps Rogue.
Most of them laugh except Clark who Rogue spots has a rather faraway expression. "Ya alright Clark?"
"Sure. I'm just keeping an eye on Pietro," Clark answers.
"Why in the world would you want to keep an eye on him?" Evan asks distastefully. He tries not to think about Pietro as much as possible.
Clark relays the entire incident this morning when he ran into Pietro and the Brotherhood and Pietro's threat to 'out' him.
"He's still blaming you for Wanda?" Kitty exclaims in total disbelief. "That was like months ago! And he was going to go along with Magneto brainwashing her!"
"Y'all are forgetting this is Pietro we're talking about. Tha alternative would beh that he actually takes some responsibility for his actions," Rogue points out with her usual sarcasm.
"Hell will freeze over first," Evan offers his opinion on that.
"That is what ah was implying," Rogue says with a roll of her eyes.
"You know one of these days you guys are going to have to let us in on him," Paul speaks up for him and Taryn, pointing at Clark, because he and Taryn are sort of out of the loop on Clark. They know he does have powers of some kind without knowing the details yet all summer it has been covered up and Clark portrayed to be a normal human like them.
Jean shares a look with Scott who both look at Clark. Clark sighs and rubs his head. That was a bit of a slip up but this has been coming from the moment Paul and Taryn were let in on the mutant secret. "You're right Paul," Clark concedes the point. "But can we save it for later," he requests. "This is definitely not the place for that talk."
"Ok sure. I guess," Taryn accepts the request with a small frown of puzzlement about just what exactly it is they are missing in regards to Clark.
Paul shrugs. "Fine by me," he accepts.
"Thanks," Clark says gratefully.
Scott gets back onto Pietro. "Do you really think he meant what he said about outing you?" he asks using the phrasing Clark had used.
"Pietro's full of hot air," Evan dismisses the silver-haired teen.
"Usually I would agree with you Evan but there was just something in his tone. I think he means it this time...and also I'll mention that the tall guy with the blond hair I found out his name is Neutron and he's strong...not as strong as Fred but definitely in the super strong category," Clark feels he should share with his friends about what he learned.
Scott makes a mental note of that. Since they had seen next to nothing of the Brotherhood over the summer they knew very little about the new members and their abilities and capabilities. "Did you learn anything else?"
"Not much except the girl with the red hair is called Bette Sans Souci and she is French-Canadian, most likely from Quebec."
"How do you know that?" Jean asks.
"Well she speaks French and on the folder she was carrying was the flag of Quebec and she had the same flag as a pin stuck to her top. She was polite enough to introduce herself...and you know I swear her surname sounds familiar."
Kitty nods. "Yeah I've heard that name somewhere too."
Clark thinks. He does have a perfect memory but since he only has some vague recognition of the name he thinks he must have just overheard it in passing once without picking up the context it was being spoken in. They would have to look it up to find out more. He continues, "Anyway I think they must have orders not to draw attention to themselves because Alicia was warning Pietro off during our little chat."
"That's what the Professor thinks too," Scott says when they had tried to figure out why the Brotherhood have been so inactive as of late. "What's Pietro doing now?" Scott asks.
Clark cocks his head slightly as he focusses in. "Uh...he and Neutron are beating up some freshmen for their lunch money." And as much as Clark would like to stop that he can't just go rushing off. They were under orders not to cause trouble.
"Typical," Evan mutters.
Scott's expression becomes deeply disapproving. They really will have to do something about that one of these days but not today as they have that school-board vote tonight. Best behaviour at all times today. "You'll keep an eye on him and let us know if he ends up trying something in regards to you?" Scott asks Clark to continue doing what he has been doing all morning because if Pietro tries something as Clark's friends they will endeavour to prevent it.
"As much as it pains me to do so I will," Clark confirms.
"I feel your pain," Evan says in sympathy because he would hate to have to watch Pietro all day.
"You guys live complicated lives," Taryn comments at all that having been completely lost during at least half of it.
Jean chuckles sadly at that truth. "You have no idea."
"Y-you asked to see me Principal Kelly?" Duncan asks with an uncharacteristic nervous stutter. On the way here he had desperately tried to think what it is he could be in trouble for. His father will kill him if he gets into trouble on the first day back.
Principal Kelly has returned to looking out his window with his hands behind his back. He doesn't actually look at Duncan. "Yes Duncan," he confirms. "Come in," he beckons the boy. As Duncan draws near, Kelly turns to his right to look at the boy. "Lets get to the point. I am aware of the little tussle you had with Scott Summers out in the quad."
Duncan's eyes widen and he tries to play that off as he waves his hands in front of himself. "No big deal. We were just goofing off," he describes it as since he can't know how Kelly will react if he explained what it was really about.
"Hmm hmm," Kelly replies sceptically, showing how he knows that that wasn't what it was about. He turns back to look out his window. "Well I'd be more careful about goofing off with a mutant if I was you."
"What?" Duncan queries a little confused by that. "I'm not afraid of him," he insists.
"You ought to be," Kelly murmurs darkly. "Look what I'm saying is that you can't have a beef with just one of them cause they stick together." Kelly moves and places a hand on Duncan's shoulder. "I'm just concerned for your safety. I'm concerned for all the normal students' safety. I mean what if that incident had been tonight during the school-board meeting and they saw the truth of the danger mutants pose hmm?" he queries with a quirk of his eyebrow.
Duncan gets it and grins. Kelly is on his side. "Well maybe myself and a few friends should attend to give our side of the argument."
"I think that would be an excellent idea," Kelly praises him seeing Duncan understands what needs to be done. "As long as for the rest of the day you stay out of trouble," he advises.
Duncan nods. Kelly means save it for tonight. "No problem sir. As I said we were just goofing."
"Well then I'm glad we had this chat. Enjoy the rest of your day Mr Matthews. You can go."
"Yes sir!" Duncan says with a smile. He turns and exits the office. He needs to go round up his friends and plan for tonight. He steps into the hallway.
"Interesting talk there you had."
Duncan's eyes come to rest on a certain silver haired teen leaning against the wall who is accompanied by this large blond new guy Duncan has never seen before. "What are you on about Maximoff?"
Pietro pushes himself off the wall. "I am going on about those dangerous freaks of nature they let back here and that maybe you could do with a few additional voices in giving your side of the argument."
"You want to help?"
"Sure do. Me and my buddy here would like nothing better than to see those filthy muties run out of here and I'm sure I can get a few others to join us. I mean the more of us there are the more certain it is that they'll have to use their powers. Think of all the destruction that will cause right in the middle of the meeting."
Duncan imagines it. That would surely get the muties banned. "Alright. Meet you outside the building just before it starts?"
"Sounds like a perfect plan to me!"
Duncan leaves with a wide grin on his face thinking how perfectly this will all go. Once he is out of earshot Neutron asks Pietro, in reference to Duncan, "Has he always been that stupid?"
"Actually that was one of his brighter moments," Pietro insults Duncan.
"So care to tell me what that was about?"
Pietro and Neutron had just been passing, after roughing up a freshman or two for their lunch money, when Pietro overheard Matthews and Kelly talking and an idea struck him about how to solve a couple of the issues that have been bothering him. Pietro explains to Neutron, "Two things. One; Kent. If we ambush him in his 'human' guise at the meeting he'll have no choice but to use his powers and thus exposing himself. Two; we show how Xavier's dream is nothing but a fantasy when we get mutants banned...and actually three things the look on Matthews' face when we use our powers and he finds out he was used by us filthy muties."
"And your father's orders?" Neutron asks after. You know the orders not to expose themselves as mutants.
"There is a difference between what my father says and what he desires. If we do this tonight this is what he desires. It will stoke up resentment and prove how right he is about humans and how they treat their superiors. Besides I know you hate it as much as I do the way we've had to pretend to be 'normal'."
Pietro is correct. Neutron hates it. He would love to just go out and show what he could do and have people fear him as they should. Therefore he agrees quite readily to go along with what Pietro is proposing.
"We'll have to be careful around mommy's precious little girl and Puzzler too. They won't go along with it," Pietro cautions.
Neutron agrees. If they get wind of it they'll tattle to Mystique. "We should try and get rid of them for the rest of the day," he suggests.
A grin comes to Pietro as another idea strikes him about how to do that and he whispers it in Neutron's ear who almost guffaws in response. Not only would that get rid of the two girls it would also be highly amusing.
Pietro starts to walk off down the hallway and signals for Neutron to come. "Come on lets go find Avalanche, Toad and Blob. I know I can talk them into helping with this," he tells Neutron with complete arrogant belief in his own powers of persuasion.
"What about Bette?" Neutron inquires after the one Pietro hasn't mentioned so far.
Oh Bette. Pietro has spent all summer trying to work his way into the hot redhead's affections but she has been playing hard to get but hey what's life without a little challenge. She'll come round in time Pietro is convinced. "I'll talk to her. I know she hates being cooped up and would love to just let loose some time," he says having gotten her to basically confess that over the summer.
In his head Pietro tries to picture tonight. He is certain this will go great and even if he is defying his father's orders he is pretty certain his father will be pleased with the result and therefore pleased with him. After all this is what his father wants in the end. Mutants and humans apart...and best of all as far as Pietro is concerned he gets a little way back at the payback Kent deserves. Only a little way mind you because there is no amount of payback that is sufficient as far as Pietro is concerned for Kent taking his twin sister away from him.
Back with the X-Men a worried expression comes to Clark's face having overheard everything. If Pietro carries out that plan not only will Clark be exposed, which is not his main concern, but it will all but certain get the mutant ban vote carried. "Scott. You know you said to keep an eye on Pietro," he says to the leader of the X-Men.
"Yeah?"
Clark looks Scott straight in the eye with a deadly serious expression. "We've got a big problem."
Author's Note: Felt like adding another character from Superman's world hence the addition of Cat Grant. Besides if Clark is going to become a journalist one day he was needing a catalyst to kick him in that direction. Cat's as good as anyone because she is actually a very good journalist. It gets overlooked a little. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. My poll for who gets possessed in my version of Spell remains open. Next up; It's the school-board meeting. Will Kelly succeed in getting mutants banned? Will Pietro succeed in outing Clark? Stay tuned to find out.
