Aftermath Chapter 5 - Phone Calls By PhantomChajo



Since that first day when Dr. Henry McCoy started tutoring Johnnathan Essex, it had gone pretty much the same. Though the temper fit from the first day was not repeated again.

In the evenings when Dr. McCoy would return home to his apartment in the city, he would spend time on the phone speaking with Professor Charles Xavier. Discussing the days events and such. Whenever Scott Summers was in the room though, McCoy tended to be vague about details.

McCoy had admitted that he was someone surprised at Johnnathan's brilliance, Professor Xavier had not. The problem they faced was whether or not Johnnathan was of the same moral inclination as Nathaniel Essex.

"It seems Charles that his housemates shield the young man from many outside influences, but at the same time ensure that he knows the reality of the world. Quite fascinating."

"Indeed," Xavier replied with a smile as he sipped his tea. "I would like to meet the young man in person."

"That might prove to be difficult sir. The young men and women of that household are quite fierce when it comes to their privacy. It seems that I managed to slip through the cracks as it were, and young Johnnathan was, at the time he gave Professor Torrin permission, not completely in his right senses." McCoy explained.

"Oh?" Xavier inquired as he raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, the prescription painkillers he was taking at the time tended to cloud his judgment."

"Ah. That is understandable. Certain drugs works differently on mutants then they do on non-mutants."

"Truly." McCoy agreed.

After a moment of silence, the Professor spoke again. "Hank, why was he taking the painkillers?"

"Do you remember that funeral?"

"Yes."

"The young woman that was killed was a co-worker of Johnnathan's. She was also a new member of the FOH. From what I have been able to gather, he was the main target of the attack. She was an unfortunate victim of their bigotry." McCoy paused to take a drink. "Young Johnnathan is quite." he was at a loss for words, which was rare for him.

"Unique?" Xavier offered.

"Moody sir. I was warned after the first meeting with him turned unexpectedly sour. I must admit that I was partly at fault though. I seemed to have said something that rather upset him. He is a Beta level Empath, has some minor Telekinesis abilities as well as being a low level Telepath."

"Three? That is quite unheard of." Xavier commented.

"That is not all. He also had physical mutations of wings and a tail which he is able to hide by using a minor metamorphing gift." McCoy went on to explain.

"Five gifts. That is impossible." Xavier said, sitting back some as he thought it over. It wasn't impossible if the young man in question had been a victim of Mr. Sinister.

"Not if he has been the victim of genetic tampering sir." McCoy returned, voicing what the Professor was thinking. "So now you see the problem we face with this group. You yourself saw the young woman that picked him up from the Campus the day of our lecture?"

"Yes, I did see her." Xavier said as he rubbed his forehead. He looked up as Scott knocked on the door. "Just a moment Hank. Yes Scott?"

Over the phone McCoy could hear the conversation.

"Is there anything you need Professor?" Scott Summers asked when he entered.

"No, thank you. I'll be fine. I'll be retiring for the night when Hank and I finish speaking."

"Alright then. Good night Professor." Scott said as he left.

"Apologies for the interruption Hank."

"No need to fret Charles. Back to the subject at hand. Did you happen to get a good look at the group during the funeral? There is only one man that could do such as that. And he has. But it seems that these young people have somehow managed to either outwit or escape him for long enough to have gained something personal. Or else he is playing a game of cat and mouse, just waiting for the right moment to strike. I have the impression that the event in the park was a chance occurrence. While he knows where we are and how to get to us, it seems, again from my impression, that stumbling upon the group of youths was something unexpected, therefore becoming the primary concern."

"Yes indeed." Xavier said as he glanced at the clock. "I must apologize Hank, but it is late and I must be up early. I am taking a trip to Washington in the morning. I will most likely be there the rest of the week and possibly over the weekend. Scott and Jean are going with me."

"Aahh, the intrepid adventurers heading off into the untamed wilds called our country's capital. Good luck Charles and take care."

Xavier chuckled. "Good night Hank." He waited long enough for Hank to hang up before disconnecting the speaker phone, thus hanging up.