A bit like the Ultimate X-Men, this is my revisionist view
of Marvel's band of mighty mutants. All characters are the sole property of
Marvel Comics and this piece of work is an homage to the many great stories
these characters have inspired. Why bother writing it? Well, when you've got an
itch to scratch....
Part 2
The Circus
Binhaggen, Germany 8.00 pm (Town outskirts)
The little girl wandered into the crowd, losing the grip of
her mothers' hand. She was overwhelmed by a forest of legs. Trying to take in
everything around her, the bewildering array of sights and sounds was almost
too much. Starting to tire of the bustling masses, she skipped down a side
alley between two caravans. There was little noise or distraction here. Just
the raw sound of generators and the increasingly distant sound of fairground
rides and people.
She knew she was close. To her left she could see the first
carriage. The cloth had been pulled across the bars, but the gap was wide open
allowing her to peep through. Inside, the lioness had fallen into a deep sleep,
exhausted from the days performance. She was excited now and wanted to see
more, further along was a paddock with a giant cage around it. Partially
covered, it housed the elephant. Again, the girl was ecstatic by the sight of
these incredible creatures at such close quarters.
She had made two fantastic discoveries, but she still hadn't
seen the clowns. Perhaps they were kept somewhere? Despite looking everywhere,
they were nowhere to be found. The door of one of the motor homes swung open.
The girl ducked beneath a carriage out of view. Peeping out from behind the
wheel she could see a clown. He was wiping the makeup from his face.
"Nah, you must have imagined it. There's no one
out here"*(translated from the German)
He shut the door. All was quiet again.
She crept out from under the carriage and continued on her
way. Her mother must be panicking now and she considered running back, but her
curiosity got the better of her and she pressed on. The rest of the clowns must
be hiding somewhere?
She reached the end of the path. All the vehicles at this
end of the site had been formed into what looked like a large arc. It almost
seemed like a barrier against the outside. Centred in front of her was a large
tent that was in total darkness. The flaps at the entrance were tightly shut.
This must be where they were hiding! She crept slowly up to the ties on tiptoe,
so as not to make a sound for fear of waking whatever was inside. She undid
each tie in turn until the tent flaps fell loosely open. Inside, it was pitch
black, and instinct told her to run. But the thought of finding the clowns
curled up asleep was too exciting for her. She slowly made her way inside. The
sounds of the fairground became muted and her nerves were beginning to get the
better of her. Moving slowly forward, she reached her hands out into the
darkness. There was nothing but air.
Then, she hit something long and metallic. It was a bar. She
soon realised there was another bar next to it, and another still. It was
another cage, but they wouldn't keep the clowns in a cage would they? The
potential gravity of her situation hit her and she froze. She held her breath.
Somewhere in the darkness, something was breathing. It slowly came closer. She
became more fearful. Then, she saw a faint glow. It was dim at first, then
became clearer. No, not one glow, but two. Closer it came, and she realised
these were eyes peering back at her. She was about to scream...
"Shhhhhh....." came the voice.
"Do not fear little one, I will not hurt
you."
"Hello" said the girl.
"Hello" was the reply.
"Is this your home?" asked the
little girl.
"Why, yes. Yes it is." said the
voice.
"Are you one of the clowns?"
"Yes, you could say I am one of the
clowns"
"Why are you kept in here?"
"Because people do not like the way I look. It
is safer for me to be kept here."
"Shouldn't you be with your
parents?" asked the voice.
"I lost my Mommie" said the girl.
"I think you should leave here now, and go look
for her. She will be worried sick."
"OK" said the
girl."Will you still be here if I come back?" she
asked.
"Yes, I'll still be here" said the
voice.
"Promise?"
"Promise.
The girl turned to leave, but as she did, a torch shone
brightly into the tent. At the entrance was the girl's mother and a policeman.
The policeman's face turned from surprise to horror. The woman's expression
turned from relief at finding her daughter to one of shock at the sight of the
figure stood next to her. A shrill scream echoed upwards throug the chill night
air.
**************************************************************
The Black Forest, Germany, 10.00 pm
Xavier stepped from Stealth 1. He engaged the cloaking
mechanism. The landing spot was in a small clearing in the thick of the Black
Forest. He'd chosen the site because it was miles from the nearest settlement
and there was little chance that anyone should come across the craft. Even if
they did, they would find their way blocked by an impenetrable invisible
forcefield. The anti-gravity array engaged and the hoverchair elevated Xavier
to several feet above the tree canopy. He set a course for a small town some 15
miles away.
Binhaggen, Germany 10.30 pm.
The town was small and clean, nestled in rolling hillside at
the periphery of the forest. It was a little piece of heaven. Xaviers
hoverchair descended to the roadside. It transformed into terrestrial mode and
became a motorised wheelchair.
He reached a local tavern and entered. The ceilings were low
and there was a glow from the fire burning in the corner. It was almost like
stepping back several hundred years into the past, when European life was
mostly agricultural. Large steins sat on tables between even larger, red-faced
bearded German men. There was laughter and noise aplenty. Xavier rolled up to
the bar and, in stilted German, ordered himself a drink.
The tavern closed around 11.30 and Xavier made his way to
the outskirts of the town. On the control panel of his chair was a scanner that
had a flashing blip near its center. As Xavier had been making his way around
the town, he'd been gradually closing in on the blip. It had started on the
periphery of the screen but as Xavier had closed in on its source, the blip had
moved closer to the middle of the screen. He knew he was almost within range.
In the distance, just off from the roadside, were some
lights. What looked like a settlement of some kind, just outside the town
proper. It was immediately apparent that Xavier's goal lay within this
settlement. As he moved closer, Xavier realised it was not houses, but an array
of tents, vehicles and caravans. Further up the road, and slightly removed from
the camp, were several police vehicles. A couple with their lights flashing.
Xavier removed his binoculars from their housing. He
switched them on. Looking through the night sight he could see what appeared to
be several police officers gathered around a woman who was holding a young girl.
The woman was sobbing uncontrollably. A female police officer was comforting
her while a male officer was trying to take a statement. Using a highly
sensitive filament housed in the binoculars, Xavier attempted to pick up traces
of their conversation.
Xavier was not fluent in German, but understood a few words.
Mention was made, of losing the child, how the mother was worried sick and
something about the girl almost being attacked by a creature. Looking over to
the fairground site, Xavier could see there was further activity. He decided to
investigate, and hovered over the field, taking care to be far enough away from
the police cars to be noticed.
He pulled up a little way from the encampment. Most of the
caravans and motor homes were in darkness, but a few had their lights on. There
were noises coming from the Big Top. Xavier drew closer to hear if he could
detect anything. Looking at his scanner, it was apparent that the mutant
signature was emanating from inside the tent. Closer still, he could hear raised
voices, shouting, and then a bloodcurdling scream. It was a cry unlike anything
Xavier had heard before. It chilled him to the very core of his being. This did
not look good. he would have to intervene.
He pulled up to one of the entrances and peered inside.
Around the centre of the circus ring stood several men. Most of them had the
swarthy, gypsy looks of travelling folk and were obviously members of the
circus. The remainder were made up of what looked like locals and 3 police
officers. In the center of the ring, and tied to a large stake in the ground
was a man unlike anything Xavier had seen before.
The man was dressed in rags, and he was colored from head to
foot a very dark shade of blue. Xavier looked closer, fascinated by this
bizarre creature. He noticed the man (if thats what he was), had only 3 finger
on each hand, these were overdeveloped and noticeable. The feet only had 3
appendages. What looked like 2 oversized toes at the front, and one behind for
balance. The creature looked upward, its mouth wide open, and it howled another
ear-piercing cry. With that several of the men picked up stones and pelted the
creature. Xavier winced in horror. How could they do this?
The blue man slumped to the floor, exhausted. It was
obviously not the first time he'd been victimised tonight. The men roared with
laughter at the pain and suffering they'd inflicted. The blue man's head shot
up and stared at them, Xavier could see its hatred and pain. It struck him that
his eyes glowed bright white. There was no detectable iris or pupil. Xavier
also noticed that the creature had a sophisticated mechanical device around its
neck that severly restricted its movements. There were lights and a small LCD.
It struck Xavier as odd that such a mechanism should be used on the blue man.
He also noted that the blue man had a long, thin tail with a little spade shape
at the end.
He decided to act. Xavier entered the tent and immediately
unleashed a psi wave, targetted at the men. Their mocking laughter and
aggression suddenly turned to fear and panic. in their minds, the blue man was
changing. He'd broken free from his shackles and was growing and metamorphing
into something hideous. It looked like a cross between a giant squid and a
chicken, and it wanted the men for lunch. Understandably, they ran for their
lives.
In reality, the blue man was still curled like a foetus on
the floor. Xavier approached him.
The blue man moved his hand from across his face and opened
one eye. He could see a bald man staring down at him.
"Hello, do you speak English?" asked Xavier.
"Yes", came the reply.
"I've come here to help you."
"Really?"
"Yes. I know this sounds crazy right now but my name is
Professor Charles Xavier and I have an offer to make. One that I hope you won't
refuse."
"And what would that be?"
"Sorry, what is your name."
"Kurt. Kurt Wagner."
"Well then Kurt. You are a very special person, a very
different human being. Unique and quite unlike any other person alive in the
world today."
Kurt looked puzzled.
"I am also like you Kurt. Although my differences are
not physical, they are hidden from view, though no less potent when
exercised."
"What do you mean?" asked Kurt.
# I CAN READ PEOPLES MINDS #
Kurt winced as the man's voice seemed to be inside his head.
"They've put you through enough misery Kurt, haven't
they?"
"Yes" said Kurt.
"You must make your mind up quickly, those men will be
back soon, and with reinforcements. I propose you come with me, back to my home
in the States. I am establishing a facility where people like yourself can live
in peace, free from persecution, where we can grow and come to understand and
appreciate that which makes us different from others."So, what's it to be
Kurt? Are you with me or not?"
"Of course" said Kurt.
"Lets free you first." Xavier pulled a disruptor
hammer from his chair and smashed the electronic device.
A smile changed to a grin on Kurt's face. Freedom was now
within his grasp.
"Jump on the back of the chair" said Xavier.
"We've got quite a trip into the forest".
"We can get there quicker" said Kurt.
"How?" asked Xavier.
"Show me where we need to go, in my mind" asked
Kurt.
Xavier projected the location of Stealth 1.
"Hold on tight, Professor!"
Xavier looked confused and a little worried. There was a
sudden flash, and an implosion of purple smoke, with a whiff of sulphur and
brimstone. They'd vanished into thin air. Less than a second later, 15 miles to
the east, the same explosion occured, leaving the Professor and Kurt in the
clearing alongside Stealth 1. Xavier noted that Kurt's mutant ability was
teleportation, made distinctive by a BANNF sound. He also noted
that it left a sulphurous stench. As he retched and caught the taste of the
drink he'd had earlier in his throat, Xavier decided that he'd perhaps invest
in some nose clips. It would be fascinating to learn more about Kurt's amazing
abilities on their return. They ascended the steps of Stealth 1.
********************************************************
The jeep was darkened. The woman in the front passenger seat
was tearful. On the back seat, the little girl clutched her doll and stared out
the window. In her own way, she too was upset. She'd come so close to a land of
excitement and adventure, only to have it snatched away again by the stupid
adults. What had happened to her tonight was the stuff of fairytales. She
couldn't wait to tell her friends. Of how she'd gone to the circus and been on
the rides. She'd seen elephants and lions, monkeys and clowns, and most of all,
the funny little blue man with the tail. He could have been her new friend,
they could have had lots of fun together, but the stupid grown ups had ruined
all the fun.
She reached inside her smock and felt the little doll in her
pocket. She pulled it out and cuddled it. Opening her hands to look at the
doll, she smiled to herself and knew that tonight, she would dream the most
beautiful dreams. In her open palm lay the doll he had given her, a small blue
man with cute white eyes and a little blue tail. The jeep sped off in the
direction of the town....
NEXT; Kurt Wagner settles in at the Mansion as Xavier's first ever X-Man! But who will be the next recruit? Stay tuned for part 3, a story called... "Mayhem at the Mall".