Chapter 20: Boom-Boom
After a week of settling in, Cassie was ready to start exercises with the other New Mutants. In the morning they simulated a rescue mission, with Kurt as the injured victim. Cassie was teamed up with Tabitha, whom she did not get along with. She reminded Cassie of Rachel, only with a more psychopathic side.
During the exercise Cassie had to find the victim and guide Tabitha down with the stretcher. Cassie flew down the side of the cliff by the institute, and found Kurt with some rocks covering his legs. She landed on the cliff side with her claws digging into the rock. Cassie easily removed the rocks on Kurt with her talons and then signaled Tabitha to bring the stretcher down.
However Tabitha didn't hear Cassie. She was too busy listening to her music, which prompted Logan to make her move. With the other New Mutants lowering the stretcher Tabitha came down on it. She wasn't taking the exercise seriously and shook it around. When Tabitha reached Kurt's level she casually pushed him into the stretcher with her foot.
"Okay, get the 'victim' topside" Cassie said.
As the stretcher was pulled up Cassie climbed up the cliff. While moving up Kurt rolled out of the stretcher and then teleported back into it, docking ten points from Tabitha's score. Then Tabitha started to play around, tossing bombs randomly onto the cliff.
"Hey some people are trying to climb here" Cassie yelled. Then a bomb hit the rocks between Cassie's hands, breaking them apart. She lost her grip and had to fly off the cliff.
Then the stretcher hit the cliff, and Kurt's head hit the rocks. He was out cold and fell off the stretcher. Kurt almost hit the water when Cassie dove down and caught him in the air. Cassie turned around and flew back to the cliff and grabbed the rock. With a disaster averted Logan climbed down and brought Kurt back to the institute.
When all of the New Mutants were back inside Xavier lectured Tabitha about following the rules. He grounded her for two weeks as a punishment. She was also forbidden from using her powers, and had to do various chores around the institute. After that Xavier dismissed everyone and sent them to school.
While at school Tabitha ignored the punishment, using her powers to blow open a random locker. Then she took one of Kurt's textbooks and ran towards her next class. In the hallway she ran into someone she never wanted to see again, her dad.
"Dad, what are you doing here?" Tabitha asked.
"It's taken me two long months, but I've finally found you" Mr. Smith said.
"Leave me alone" Tabitha demanded.
"I just want to talk" he said.
"I've heard it before" Tabitha said.
"I mean it this time" he said. "I've gotten help, I've changed. We can be a family again."
"Prove it" Tabitha demanded.
"I joined this organization" he said. "They helped me with my creditor issues, and I'm grateful for it."
"Yea, right" Tabitha said.
"I understand if you don't trust me" he said. "Just hear me out. The Sharing is sponsoring the school carnival tonight. Check it out, and we can go from there."
Tabitha looked into her dad's eyes, and he almost appeared sincere. But for a moment his left eyebrow twitched, as if it were trying to tell her something. "Fine, I'll go" she said.
After school Tabitha talked with Xavier about her dad. While he didn't trust Mr. Smith he realized that his intentions could be genuine. He allowed Tabitha to go, provided she stayed with someone else from the institute. So Tabitha convinced Kurt to go with her.
At the carnival Tabitha and Kurt met Mr. Smith at the front gate. He introduced them to several people from The Sharing, including Vice-Principal Chapman. These people seemed nice, and wanted Tabitha to join. But something seemed off to Kurt, as if these people were merely putting on a show.
What I wouldn't give to be a telepath right now Kurt thought. "So what's next?" he asked.
"Let's see…" Mr. Smith said. "There's someone you might know." He pointed to a large teenager eating a large hotdog.
"Blob?" Kurt questioned. "He's in The Sharing?"
"Hey Fred, how've you been?" Mr. Smith asked.
"Great" Fred said. "I'm really excited for tomorrow."
"What's going on tomorrow?" Tabitha asked.
"Fred is being given the honor of entering the inner circle of The Sharing" Mr. Smith explained.
"I can't wait" Fred said. Then he left to hang out with Lance.
Mr. Smith took Tabitha and Kurt on a few rides, and then bumped into Tobias and Cassie. Mr. Smith needed to check on something and left the two teens with their friends. Kurt discreetly followed Mr. Smith, who walked into the school. Kurt found it suspicious that Mr. Smith had a key to the building, which was supposed to be closed for the evening.
Inside the school Kurt followed Mr. Smith to a janitor's closet. He saw Mr. Smith enter the closet and not come out after ten minutes of waiting. Growing more suspicious Kurt opened the closet door, and found it empty. I wish Kitty were here Kurt thought as he wondered what to do next. There had to be a secret door, and a passage behind it. But without knowing how much space was behind it teleporting to the other side could get him killed.
To get around that problem Kurt grabbed the back wall of the closet and then teleported into the school hallway. His teleporting took the back wall of the closet with him, which fell to the floor. Kurt walked back into the closet, and found a stairway leading down. This better not be what I think it is Kurt thought as he walked down the stairs.
Kurt heard the sounds of construction equipment coming from the bottom, and faint screams as well. At the bottom he found a small cavern, about the size of the school property. It was being enlarged by machinery, slowly carving away the rock. At the other end was a small pool, with a narrow barrier between it and a larger depression being carved into the floor to enlarge the pool later. There were rows of cages being set up near the pool, with a handful of them occupied by people trying to get out.
When he saw a reptilian creature walk by Kurt realized this had to be a Yeerk facility. And since Mr. Smith had come down here he must be a Controller. From there it didn't take a genius to realize that The Sharing had to be a front for the Yeerks, used to recruit willing hosts. Kurt ran back up the stairs, teleporting every few feet for a faster pace.
Back in the school Kurt teleported outside it and ran back to the carnival. He found Tabitha, Tobias, and Cassie and convinced them to head back to the institute. When they arrived Kurt found Xavier and described what he had found under the school. Realizing the severity of the situation Xavier informed the X-Men, and then forbade the New Mutants from joining The Sharing.
Tabitha didn't understand Xavier's decision. When he refused to explain it Tabitha left the institute, fed up with all the arbitrary rules. The institute had never felt right for her anyway, and left despite Kurt asking her to stay. But instead of going to The Sharing like her dad wanted, she went to the Brotherhood instead. That place had no rules at all, as long as they didn't destroy the house.