Wake Up To Reality
It was a few days later when it happened. It was a Sunday morning. Most of the X-Men were just finishing breakfast. It was raining and so Evan couldn't use his skateboard. So he decided to watch what was on television. He hoped for cartoons. What he found was reality TV.
At first he thought he was watching some kind of movie. Then he started flipping through the channels. But it was the same thing on every station. "Oh man…" Realization started to hit him. He got up and screamed. "PROFESSOR! EVERYBODY! COME QUICK! YOU GOTTA GET DOWN HERE!"
"Evan we could hear you all over the mansion," Scott and several others came in. "What's going on?"
"This!" Evan turned up the volume of the television.
"Again this was taken just yesterday afternoon," The newscaster intoned. It looked like an amateur video of a group of friends at the park. A few kids goofing around. Then one of the kids started to groan in agony. Then his hands caught on fire.
Everyone watched in horror as the boy stood there in shock watching his limbs covered with fire, yet not burning. The boy stumbled backward accidentally setting a nearby tree on fire. Several people ran away screaming as the boy tried to get his hands under control.
"A juvenile mutant set the park ablaze during an outburst of his powers," The announcer commented over the scene. "This caused over several thousand dollars worth of damage and created a panic downtown."
The scene of destruction shocked them. But they were even more shocked at what happened next. As the boy tried to put his hands out several police officers appeared, guns drawn. They were shouting at the boy to surrender. The boy tried to back away. But could not escape. The sounds of gunfire rang through the room, bringing a chill down every mutant's spine.
"Oh god…" Kitty gasped. "They…they…just shot him!"
"Police responded immediately," The newscaster stated. "Fatally wounding the suspect. The incident is now been officially declared a mutant related crime."
"CRIME?" Rogue shouted slamming her fist against a nearby table. "It was an accident! Any idiot looking at that tape can see it! They didn't have to kill him!"
"My god…" Jean was shaking along with several others. "I can't believe they showed that on national TV!"
"That was horrible," Amara sobbed. "How could they do that? How could they do that?"
"He was just a kid!" Ray shouted. "They didn't have to shoot him!"
Everyone in the room watched in stunned silence. Several kept crying silently.
"This didn't happen," Bobby said shaking. "This is a joke…right?"
"It did," Logan said grimly.
"But shouldn't Cerebro have detected him or something?" Scott asked.
"A fat lot of good that would have done him," Evan growled.
Back on the television the newscaster was talking to an 'expert' on mutations, Dr. Venter. "Dr. Venter was this an accident waiting to happen? Were there any signs of mutation in this individual's case?"
"I'm afraid not Natalie," Dr. Venter shook his head. "In fact, contrary to what most people believe, most of the time you cannot tell if a person is a mutant just by looking at him. Oh of course there are always the obvious exaggerated individuals, if they have fur or tails or wings. But those only make up a small 10 percent of the mutant population. The rest only discover that they are mutants at puberty. In fact, without testing it is nearly impossible to find out who is a mutant by simply looking at them."
"Interesting, so you're saying that this incident could not have been avoided?"
"Not at this time no. This is not exactly an isolated incident. When mutants first receive their powers they are unable to control them. Tragedies such as this are happening more and more frequently. For example a few months ago in Australia for example another boy set fire to his school building."
"Are you telling me that these mutants are starting to pop up all over the world?" The newscaster asked. "That this could happen anywhere at anytime?"
"I'm afraid so," Dr. Venter nodded. "And they are happening more often than in previous years. According to government studies, which I was a part of the research project, mutations such as this usually occurred in one among every 2.4 million people for the past fifty years. Now it has been estimated that one in a two thousand will be a mutant within a matter of five years. And the numbers are growing. "
The students simply watched in shock, unable to move or think. Logan frowned as he watched the terrified students trying to comfort each other. Then he realized Xavier was not in the room. He knew where he was. He went to Cerebro where he found Xavier at the controls. "Did Cerebro pick it up?" He asked.
"It barely registered as a blip on Cerebro" Xavier grew pale. "There…there were five more mutant power emergences all over the world at nearly the exact same time! Maybe more!"
"But how did it go so undetected?" Logan asked. "There was supposed to be an alarm! I thought Cerebro had an overhaul just last week?"
"It did!" Xavier slammed his fist on the table. "But it wasn't enough! Mutants are gaining their powers faster than Cerebro can detect all of them! Even Cerebro can't detect them all! The technology just isn't there yet!"
"Even if we did detect the kid," Logan said grimly. "There wasn't enough time to go and get him, Chuck. There was nothing we could have done."
"There should have been," Xavier shouted. He put his head in his hands. "That's another mutant's blood on my hands…" He said softly.
************************************************************************
At the Brotherhood house the other group of mutants watched the event. "I don't believe it," Lance said over and over. "I don't believe it…"
"I told you," Pietro sat there his face stone cold. "Magneto's right about one thing, humans will kill us as soon as they catch us. They'll never accept us."
On the screen were the victim's parents. The father stood there in front of the reporters. "I can't believe this happened," He said. "I just hope that people don't hold us responsible for our son's…for that mutant's actions. I swear we had no idea what was going on in our home. I'm just grateful God gave us a normal child in his older brother. And that Johnny can never hurt anyone ever again."
"Man that is just cold," John snapped.
"He won't even get a funeral," Mystique spat. "His parents have practically disowned him on national television. His friends have turned against him. And his body's now headed for study in some government lab somewhere!"
"Then he's better off dead," Wanda said. "Believe me, I know."
"But why did they shoot him?" Fred asked. "I thought police were trained not to do things like that?"
"Oh please!" Pietro snapped. "Cops have itchy trigger fingers cause some people are a different color! You really think being a mutant is any better?"
"Not all of them are like that!" Peter snapped. "Maybe just these cops panicked or something!"
"Whose side are you on?" Wanda snapped at him.
"I was just saying…" Peter started. Mystique slapped him.
"Idiot! This is why you can never trust normals," Mystique said. "They will kill you the minute your back is turned. Remember this day."
"I don't think any of us can forget this," Lance said.
"Just let 'em try to come after me," John growled. "They were just lucky that time. Next time they won't be! They start coming after me, they are gonna get a surprise!"
"You're awfully quiet," Mystique looked at Remy.
"There's not much to say is there?" He looked at her with stone cold eyes.
Mystique's cell phone started to ring. "I have to get this," She walked into the kitchen.
"You think the boss saw?" Lance asked Pietro.
"Without a doubt," Pietro nodded.
"Well I hope we get some payback for that mutant," John made a fist and slammed it into his open palm. "No stinking humans are gonna push us around!"
Mystique answered her cell phone. "Yes I saw," She said. "We all did. Everyone's in shock. What are your orders?"
Back in his lab Magneto spoke to her. "Nothing for the moment. But they will pay for this," Magneto told her. "Mark my words. We will have vengeance."