A/N: Ha! I'm back with a real story. ^_^ I haven't actually written that much of it yet, but I know where it's going, so I'm just going to be reckless and run with it. Keep your arms and legs inside the ride until your plot-bunny comes to a complete stop.
Disclaimer: I drain Marvel Comics Attorney-Man's powers with the legalish statement that I do not own any of these characters. X-Men: Evolution belongs to KidsWB and Marvel Comics Attorney-Man's employers.
*****
(Byur! Byur! Byur!)
Odd. That was the second time in as many days that Cerebro had gone off when no one was using it. Whatever Hank had done to it, it seemed to have taken on a life of its own. Xavier was fairly sure he had been the last to use it, and he *knew* he had turned it off.
Regardless, there was a display on the screen. Only a name and address, but it would have to do. The weekend was looking increasingly interesting.
*****
That Friday, there was a small convention taking place in the study.
"Cerebro has detected two new mutants," the Professor said to his assembled audience. "As you know, it is important that we recruit as many as possible to our cause. Logan, take Scott and Kitty in the X-Jet. Ororo, Jean, and Evan, I'm afraid you'll have to use public transportation."
He gave each group a piece of paper with a name and address. Slowly they drifted out of the room.
"What's going on in there?" Kurt demanded as soon as the door opened.
"Recruiting missions," Evan said shortly.
"I'm not invited?" Kurt frowned.
"Oh, yeah," Kitty said. "They want you to help, just like when you tried to recruit Rogue."
Kurt pulled a face at her.
"How *mature*," she rolled her eyes and walked away.
"You guys going now?" Rogue asked.
"Soon," Scott replied. "Tonight."
"All of you?"
"All except the Professor."
"So the three of us will have the mansion to ourselves," Rogue said thoughtfully.
"Uh, hello?" Jubilee, who had been watching silently, spoke up. "Are we invisible? Or do we just, like, not exist?"
"You're forgetting Dr. McCoy," Kurt said.
"Oh yeah," Rogue nodded. "Four then."
*****
"This is a team-building exercise," Hank said loudly. "It is important for - Bobby, are you paying attention? - important for all of you to understand each other as well as you understand yourselves. All includes you, Miss Aquila. We *are* going to have a discussion, and you *will* ask your teammates questions about themselves and their powers. Mr. Crisp, sit down! Demonstrations are encouraged, providing they are not overly destructive. Begin."
The New Mutants stared blankly at each other for a moment.
"Okay," Bobby volunteered. "Who likes having powers?"
Ray, Roberto, Jubilee, and Rahne raised their hands. Amara was undecided.
"Amara," Sam asked. "When you're in your fire form, do you burn whatever you're standing on?"
"If it's flammable," she replied.
"How many of us have alternate forms?" Jubilee said. "Rahne, Amara...Bobby..."
"And me," Roberto finished. "Four."
"Tell the truth, squirt," Ray looked at Jamie. "You *do* know what your clones are doing, don't you?"
"No!" the youngest mutant protested. "I only know how many there are. Not where they went, or what they're doing."
"But you know which is the real you?" Rahne asked.
"Yeah...almost always."
"So you know when the clones disappear?" Jubilee questioned.
"Right."
"But you only know what the alter-Jamies have done if someone tells you, or if you see them," Bobby thought out loud. "Hey, I want that. Zero responsibility."
"Yeah, right," Jamie scoffed. "You know everyone blames me anyway."
"That's just...weird," Jubilee's head was spinning. "You have *no* idea what they're doing?"
"If they disappear, no," Jamie answered. "If I merge back with them, I get their memories. And then I have multiple memories of one time. *That*'s weird."
Ray started laughing, and did a lawyer impersonation. "Mr. Madrox, where were you the night of January 16th?"
Roberto picked up Jamie's part. "Uh, one of me was doing homework. The other was pestering the big kids. Or do you mean the one who held up the Kwik-e-Mart?"
There was general laughing all around.
"Hold on," Sam said. "A Jamie-clone really could do something like that. Couldn't it?"
"My multiples have very bad judgment," Jamie sighed. "But they always follow direct orders from the original. As long as I can keep them busy, they stay out of trouble."
"So you can get them to do your homework?" Bobby's eyes lit up.
"Yes..."
"Can you get them to do *my* homework?"
"Um...I guess."
"You rock, squirt." Bobby gave Jamie a high-five. "Despite the fact that you have the weirdest, and the most flat-out *useless* power in the history of mutantdom."
Disclaimer: I drain Marvel Comics Attorney-Man's powers with the legalish statement that I do not own any of these characters. X-Men: Evolution belongs to KidsWB and Marvel Comics Attorney-Man's employers.
*****
(Byur! Byur! Byur!)
Odd. That was the second time in as many days that Cerebro had gone off when no one was using it. Whatever Hank had done to it, it seemed to have taken on a life of its own. Xavier was fairly sure he had been the last to use it, and he *knew* he had turned it off.
Regardless, there was a display on the screen. Only a name and address, but it would have to do. The weekend was looking increasingly interesting.
*****
That Friday, there was a small convention taking place in the study.
"Cerebro has detected two new mutants," the Professor said to his assembled audience. "As you know, it is important that we recruit as many as possible to our cause. Logan, take Scott and Kitty in the X-Jet. Ororo, Jean, and Evan, I'm afraid you'll have to use public transportation."
He gave each group a piece of paper with a name and address. Slowly they drifted out of the room.
"What's going on in there?" Kurt demanded as soon as the door opened.
"Recruiting missions," Evan said shortly.
"I'm not invited?" Kurt frowned.
"Oh, yeah," Kitty said. "They want you to help, just like when you tried to recruit Rogue."
Kurt pulled a face at her.
"How *mature*," she rolled her eyes and walked away.
"You guys going now?" Rogue asked.
"Soon," Scott replied. "Tonight."
"All of you?"
"All except the Professor."
"So the three of us will have the mansion to ourselves," Rogue said thoughtfully.
"Uh, hello?" Jubilee, who had been watching silently, spoke up. "Are we invisible? Or do we just, like, not exist?"
"You're forgetting Dr. McCoy," Kurt said.
"Oh yeah," Rogue nodded. "Four then."
*****
"This is a team-building exercise," Hank said loudly. "It is important for - Bobby, are you paying attention? - important for all of you to understand each other as well as you understand yourselves. All includes you, Miss Aquila. We *are* going to have a discussion, and you *will* ask your teammates questions about themselves and their powers. Mr. Crisp, sit down! Demonstrations are encouraged, providing they are not overly destructive. Begin."
The New Mutants stared blankly at each other for a moment.
"Okay," Bobby volunteered. "Who likes having powers?"
Ray, Roberto, Jubilee, and Rahne raised their hands. Amara was undecided.
"Amara," Sam asked. "When you're in your fire form, do you burn whatever you're standing on?"
"If it's flammable," she replied.
"How many of us have alternate forms?" Jubilee said. "Rahne, Amara...Bobby..."
"And me," Roberto finished. "Four."
"Tell the truth, squirt," Ray looked at Jamie. "You *do* know what your clones are doing, don't you?"
"No!" the youngest mutant protested. "I only know how many there are. Not where they went, or what they're doing."
"But you know which is the real you?" Rahne asked.
"Yeah...almost always."
"So you know when the clones disappear?" Jubilee questioned.
"Right."
"But you only know what the alter-Jamies have done if someone tells you, or if you see them," Bobby thought out loud. "Hey, I want that. Zero responsibility."
"Yeah, right," Jamie scoffed. "You know everyone blames me anyway."
"That's just...weird," Jubilee's head was spinning. "You have *no* idea what they're doing?"
"If they disappear, no," Jamie answered. "If I merge back with them, I get their memories. And then I have multiple memories of one time. *That*'s weird."
Ray started laughing, and did a lawyer impersonation. "Mr. Madrox, where were you the night of January 16th?"
Roberto picked up Jamie's part. "Uh, one of me was doing homework. The other was pestering the big kids. Or do you mean the one who held up the Kwik-e-Mart?"
There was general laughing all around.
"Hold on," Sam said. "A Jamie-clone really could do something like that. Couldn't it?"
"My multiples have very bad judgment," Jamie sighed. "But they always follow direct orders from the original. As long as I can keep them busy, they stay out of trouble."
"So you can get them to do your homework?" Bobby's eyes lit up.
"Yes..."
"Can you get them to do *my* homework?"
"Um...I guess."
"You rock, squirt." Bobby gave Jamie a high-five. "Despite the fact that you have the weirdest, and the most flat-out *useless* power in the history of mutantdom."