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A short while later, back at Scott's car....
Still trying to cool down from the fight, Rogue was holding a cell phone up to her head. "...No, Professah, things didn't go so good. She didn't want ta listen... Not even ta me. When I talked ta her in school, she basically told me ta bug off. I tried ta talk ta her again, after school, but things went even worse that time."
"How so?" Prompted Xavier.
"She and one of her friends picked a fight with us. Not a big one, but Erin used her powers in it." Rogue rubbed her temples in memory of how Erin's powers affected her.
Xavier's voice remained calm, but did carry a note of concern with it. "A fight? Did anyone notice? More importantly, did anybody get hurt?"
Rogue shook her head. "No. We were in a vacant lot, and Scott scarred her off before anyone really got hurt."
"Ah, good." Xavier's relief was evident. "Can you put Scott on?"
Rogue elbowed Scott and tossed him the phone. "Yaur turn."
Scott deftly caught the phone and put it to his ear. "What's up, Professor?"
"I hear you stopped a little altercation between Rogue and our new mutant. Care to elaborate?"
Scott scowled. "It wasn't much of a fight, really. After a bit of shoving, Erin activated her powers, and tried to immobilize us. I fired an optic blast into the ground, and she ran off."
"Ya make that sound like it wasn't a big deal," commented Rogue.
Missing Rogue's comment, Xavier continued his conversation with Scott. "Hmm. Is there any chance of talking to Erin again? Preferably without any confrontation."
"Actually Professor..." For a brief moment, Scott's voice held an optimistic note in it. "...There is. Erin ran off after the fight, but one of her friends didn't. He said he'd talk to Erin, and convince her to listen to us. He said he could get Erin to meet us tomorrow during lunch."
"Excellent. That should work out nicely."
"One other thing, Professor." At this point, the optimism left his voice, and Scott almost slipped into his 'combat' tone. "During the fight, Erin was very comfortable using her powers. She seemed to know exactly what she was capable of. Her friends also knew she was mutant. From the looks of things, I'd say Erin has known about, and been using her powers for a long time now..."
Xavier was unconcerned by this information. "Don't be so sure Scott. First appearances can often be deceiving. Erin and her friends may just adapt quickly to new situations. Besides, if she had used her powers earlier, Cerebro would have detected it. I wouldn't worry about it."
"All right," replied Scott, wearily. "In that case, Rogue and I will head back to the mansion now. Keep a light on for us."
"Actually, Scott," interrupted Xavier. "Considering how long your drive took this morning, that might not be a good idea."
"What would you suggest?" Asked a confused Scott. "That we spend the night in Newark?"
"Precisely," quipped Xavier.
Scott stared blankly at his steering wheel for a moment. "Uh, sir, we didn't exactly come here prepared to spend the night. I may be able to afford it, but I don't think Rogue and I would make a good impression if we wear the same clothes two days in a row..."
Xavier chuckled. "Not to worry, Scott. Before you left, I had Ororo pack a couple suitcases in your trunk. It should have enough to get you through the night. Both in terms of clothes, and cash. Meanwhile, I'll arrange to have a hotel room reserved for the two of you."
Scott's expression remained rather blank. "Oh... Okay then..."
"Good. I'll call the school and arrange for you and Rogue to be excused for another day." After a slight pause Xavier continued in a softer tone. "Scott, you and Rogue have had a busy day. Take some time off. Enjoy the evening. Just don't be too extravagant. Xavier out." With that, Xavier cut off the connection.
Rogue watched Scott anxiously as he put down the phone. "So, what'd he say?" Scott didn't immediately respond. "C'mon, Scott, are we heading home or what?"
"Not exactly," Scott answered slowly.
"What's that supposed ta mean?"
Scott paused another moment. Abruptly, he looked up at Rogue. "Know of any good movies we can see?"
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Elsewhere in Newark...
Alec scowled as he walked down the hallway towards his apartment. It had not been a good day. Not only had the two people from the Xavier Institute shown up, but Erin had made matters even worse by picking a fight with them. But what really irked Alec was that he had warned Erin not to antagonize them, yet she did it anyway. And now it was Alec's job to report the incident.
Alec unlocked the door to his apartment, and despite himself, a smile formed on his face. Coming home to his apartment never failed to cheer Alec up. After all, Alec was only fifteen, but the apartment was HIS. No parents, no roommates, absolutely no one. The apartment was his to do whatever he wished with.
However, the feeling was fleeting, and the gravity of his situation soon dampened Alec's attitude. Throwing his trenchcoat over the nearest chair, Alec hurried to his living room. On his desk was a very elaborate computer, complete with a webcam, headset, and a multitude of other features. Alec put on the headset, and activated the console.
A moment later, a picture of a laboratory appeared on his screen. A well built man with short, black hair and a pale complexion walked into view. He was reading something on a clipboard, completely oblivious to everything around him. Alec typed a few things on his keyboard and adjusted his headset. "Hey. G'day, Nate."
Nathan, the figure on the screen, looked up, chuckling. His gaze quickly fell upon the webcam mounted on the lab's main computer. "Ah, hello Ruckus." Nathan's voice had a hollow, metallic ring to it. "I wasn't expecting a call from you tonight. Is something on your mind?"
"Yeah. Yeah, there is." Alec's tone was deathly serious. "We've got problems, Nate. Earlier today, two kids from the Xavier Institute showed up at school."
Nathan's face suddenly contorted with rage. "WHAT?!"
"They were looking for Erin," Alec replied hastily. "They know she's a mutant, and they're trying to recruit 'er. They were persistent 'bout it, too. Tried to talk to 'er after school as well." On Alec's screen, Nate threw down his clipboard in frustration. Alec continued in an earnest tone. "That ain't the worst of it, though. After school, Erin and George picked a fight with the kids. And Erin used 'er powers on 'em."
"How did it end?" Growled Nathan.
"One of the Institute kids fired some blast at Erin, and she and George ran off." Alec leaned closer to his webcam. "Look, I talked to the Institute kids afterwards and tried to smooth things out. I think I bought us some time, but not much. We have 'til tomorrow to deal with this!"
Nathan slammed his fist onto his desk and tried to calm himself. "One day... It will have to suffice." Nathan paused for a moment, thinking. Abruptly, he looked up at the webcam. "The two kids from the Institute, who where they?"
Sensing that Nathan didn't blame him for the incident, Alec relaxed a little. "The first kid called 'erself Marie. She was kind short... Black skirt, see-through top, and had brown hair with a white stripe in the front."
Nathan nodded. "Yes, yes, the rogue. Who was the second?"
"He called 'imself Scott Summers. Tall, reddish hair, wears sunglasses, and can shoot some kind a' red blast from 'is eyes." On the screen, Nathan's jaw was hanging open, and he was staring past the webcam with a stunned look on his face. "He's the one, ain't he?" Said Alec, slowly. "The one you tried so hard to get. The guy I was supposed to replace."
"Yes..." Nathan's voice was barely above a whisper. "Summers is here... And those were the only two you saw?"
"I think so, Nate. I'd ask the others just to make sure, but they were only ones I saw."
"I never thought I'd get this close again..." At this point, Nathan was so lost in thought that he didn't even look at the webcam. "You said that you bought us time. That we'd have until tomorrow to deal with them. How?"
"I told them that I'd talk to Erin. That'd I tell her consider their offer. They're gunna talk to 'er at lunch tomorrow." Alec looked at the screen earnestly. "What do we do?"
Nathan took a long time to consider his response. "You will talk with them. Erin will apologize for her earlier behavior, and listen to what they have to say. She will decide that she should go to the Institute. Then she will invite Summers over to her house after school, so that he can convince Erin's mother of the same thing."
Alec looked at Nathan apprehensibly. "But, Nate, Erin doesn't live with 'er mother. She lives alone. Just like we all do..."
"Yes, Ruckus, I know. But it is imperative that Summers not suspect anything until it is too late."
"Why?" Asked Alec. "What are we going to do with him?"
"We must get Summers alone. We must even separate him from the rogue. And when he's alone, Ruckus," Nathan looked deeply into the webcam. "You will attempt to recruit him to our team."
Alec gulped. "Me... I don't know if I can do that, Nate. He really doesn't seem like the type of guy who's easily swayed..."
"He isn't," assured Nathan. "Nonetheless, the attempt must be made. We cannot simply ignore an opportunity like this..."
"Alright," replied Alec. "I'll give it a shot. But if I can't do it..."
"If he does not join voluntarily, coerce him. Should that fail..." Nathan's expression hardened. "Then he is expendable. I found you. If nobody else controls Summers, then you shall be sufficient."
Alec nodded slowly. "Alright. What about the girl?"
"The rogue... I have watched the struggle over her. She is not worth the effort it would take to tame her. She too is expendable."
"Okay." Nathan and Alec were silent for a moment, both lost in their own thoughts. At length, Alec spoke up again. "Nate... How could they have found out about Erin, but not the rest of us?"
"I shall check my equipment," Nathan replied thoughtfully. "Perhaps there was a momentary glitch in the system... But at the moment, that is not important. You've done well, Ruckus. Far better than I could have expected. I shall speak to the others now. Nathan out."
Alec's screen went black as Nathan broke the connection. "I hope you know what you're doing, Nate," he said to the blank screen. "Cause I have a feeling this isn't going to go smoothly..."
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Late that night, in a hotel room in Newark...
Scott, now dressed in boxers and a nightshirt, surveyed the room. "Y'know, Rogue, all things considered, this is a nice room Xavier set us up with. It's quiet, the A/C works, it even has free HBO! Really, what more could we ask for?"
"How 'bout separate rooms?" Slightly muffled by the bathroom door, Rogue's voice sounded even more irritated than normal.
"Well, if you wanna get picky about things..." Scott closed up his suitcase and stowed it next to his bed. True to his word, Xavier had packed Scott and Rouge a spare set of clothes, as well as some extra cash for the night. Scott noted that, as always, their uniforms were also packed. "Besides, it's not like the two of us are strangers or anything. We both trust each other. Right?" No reply. "Right..."
Rouge walked out of the bathroom in her full combat costume. Ignoring Scott, she walked straight to her suitcase and stuffed her old clothes in it.
'Or maybe not,' thought Scott. Out loud he asked "Uh, is that what you usually wear at night?"
"No." Rogue cast Scott a sideways glance. "Why? Ya disappointed, or somethin'?"
"Well, sort of," replied Scott, casually. "The professor has been know to play matchmaker on occasion, and I was kinda hoping that this whole mission was just some excuse to get us alone together." Scott finished his statement with a good natured grin.
Rogue stared at Scott with a scowl on her face. "Ya're nuts."
"I'm joking." Scott's expression soured. "And now you know why I don't try it much."
"Oh. Sorry..."
"Eh, don't worry about it." Scott walked over to the light switch and turned them off. "See you in the morning, Rogue..."
"Sure... 'Night Scott..."
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