Chapter 3
The man next to him just looked angry, as the kid pushed himself off the ground.
"Xavier, meet our new guest. Guess you'd better come in here and chat with him, kid."
He walked into the office, and looked around. It looked almost cosy, with a roaring fireplace, a very big couch and leather one-seater. The room was decorated like the interior of a log cabin, but a lot more plush, and aromatic, with a lot of room.
He felt the voices pushing back in slightly, but he was able to hold them back himself. The older man talking distracted him.
"Hello, My name is Professor Xavier. I'm the headmaster and owner of this institute, a school for children with certain.abilities. This here," and he indicated the large, blue-haired gentlemen with the scowl on his face behind him, "is Logan. He is a teacher here at the institute."
He winced, and held a hand to his forehead. Logan picked up 2 cups of coffee from the table nearby, and handed one to Xavier, the other he took himself. His eyes locked on the kid sitting on the couch, never taking his eyes off him as he sipped his coffee.
"What did you do?" the kid asked. Xavier frowned slightly, and looked at him.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"In my head? I know it was you, because it's just quietened down again, after you rubbed your head. What did you do?"
Logan sighed, and looked at Xavier. "Up to you, chuck," he said, shrugging.
Xavier looked at the kid, as he sat there in his jeans, leather jacket, red cap and muffler, covering his face. He decided to tell the truth.
"This school is more than just a school, Mr?" his eyebrows raised in question.
"Brad. Brad Dolan." Brad sat a little longer, quiet. Xavier sighed again.
"This school is a school for mutants. Mutants are humans who are slightly. more advanced than normal people. They have certain abilities. For instance, Wolverine here has advanced healing abilities and a skeleton made of adamantium." Sharp lances shot up through Logan's skin, between the knuckles, then slid slowly back in. "There are others here who have abilities which are a lot harder to control, which is what this school is here for. We teach any mutants that we can find to control their abilities, and use their abilities for what is right, not what is easy."
"I know about mutants, it's why I came out here, to find you and this school." Brad fidgeted on the couch, and looked over his shoulder.
"Why did you do that, Mr Dolan?" Xavier asked, while steepling his fingers in front of his face.
"Well, a part of it is what you've been repressing for the last few minutes."
"The voices? But that is merely psychic abilities. Cerebro - the machine we use to detect new mutants - told me that you were slightly more advanced than other mutants." Xavier looked at Logan, surprised.
"No, not just the voices. I only heard the voices when you approached me. As much as I can gather, I have two abilities. One, I am faster, stronger, and basically better than normal humans. Two, I absorb energy from my surroundings. Whether it be heat, cold or mutant energy, I absorb it. Clothing helps slightly, which is why I was wearing all that clothing."
"Yes, we noticed," Xavier said, deep in thought. "This might pose a problem. Your first ability is mild compared to, say, Scott Summers condition. But your second power might pose a problem to the other students. Some of them have well, more powerful abilities, which need control. It is a good thing you have arrived here at the weekend, as we can have you settled in as soon as possible." He turned to Logan. "Logan, find a place for the lad to sleep for tonight." He turned back to Brad. "Do you know your range?" he inquired.
"Pardon?" Brad asked, puzzled.
"How far your draining can affect you?"
"Um, no, I never checked."
"Well, then, we had better place you in a room which is single, such as the E block which has-"
Wolverine coughed.
"Sorry, chuck, out of bounds. Remember, the E block is down for at least the next few weeks due to building repairs. There was that scuffle."
"Ah, yes. Is there anywhere you can think of?"
Wolverine scratched his chin. "You know, he could bunk in Rogues room for the time being. I'm sure she wouldn't mind - as long as she has the right persuasion." He grinned.
Xavier smiled slightly, and nodded. "Brad, follow Logan to your room for tonight. I'll have more permanent lodgings for you as soon as possible. And I would like to meet you here again tomorrow afternoon. Have a long lie in, and I'll try my best to figure out a way of you to meet the other students without blowing them up."
Brad paled, but nodded. As he left the room, he asked Wolverine, "What scuffle? Is this place dangerous?"
Xavier heard Wolverine chuckle, and say, "Not if you know how to duck."
***
Brad was led through the mansion. As they walked, he admired the expensive decorum. Xavier must have hundreds of dollars to keep a place like this, he thought. He walked through a room with a table, big enough to seat 30 people comfortably. They then passed through double doors to the lounge, which had a TV, snooker table, and bar. Through a right hand door, and into the kitchen. Through the other side of the kitchen and into the entrance hall.
As they walked up a deck of stairs in the main hall, Brad thought, Wow, this place is huge! And not even a hint of a door to the basement. That must have been where I was before.
"This is the floor which you will be the most familiar with, I reckon," Logan next to him growled. "And here are your quarters for tonight. Remember, a lie in tomorrow, and in the afternoon you'll meet Xavier. If he and I have figured out your problem by then, you might be able to join a game of tag out in the grounds. Now, go on, and go to sleep. You must be tired." He snorted, as if he disapproved of sleep, and walked back the way they came.
Brad looked at the door nervously, wondering what might manifest in him in the room. He picked up his courage, opened the door, and stepped inside, closing the door after him.
The room was dark, but he could see clearly. There were 2 beds, and 2 had people in them. Before he could see them, he quickly went to a chest of drawers, pulled out a thick, knobbly sweater and pulled on as many layers of clothes as he could. He may look and feel like a stuffed hamster, but at least he was safe from any effects. He hoped.
Luckily, he didn't have to look far to find some blankets. There were blankets in the drawer underneath the first one, and he pulled a few out and lay down on the floor in a corner of the room unoccupied by anything. He felt roasted, but he lay underneath the blanket anyway, for more protection. He had found a blow-up airbed, which he wouldn't blow up due to the fact he might wake up his new roommates. He lay on top of it, and felt the hard, cold floor seep up into his bones. He sighed. Compared to the last few nights he'd been living, this was at least someplace warm, instead of continuous journeying.
He pushed his head back, and felt a slight cushioning. Silently, the airbed was blowing itself up! He must have released a mechanism when he lay down on it. In a few moments, the airbed was sufficiently inflated to lie upon comfortably. He lay down upon it again, and looked at the ceiling. He hadn't had the heart to tell Xavier or the Wolverine guy that he didn't need sleep, due to all the energy he absorbed, not after all the help that they'd given him. They'd agreed to take him in; they'd agreed to help him. He didn't even have any money to pay Xavier for his help. The best thing was, his father would never, ever find him here. He didn't even need to unpack. He sighed again, and looked out the huge windows of his new home, wondering how long it was till morning, where his father was, and what it felt like to be able to dream.
The man next to him just looked angry, as the kid pushed himself off the ground.
"Xavier, meet our new guest. Guess you'd better come in here and chat with him, kid."
He walked into the office, and looked around. It looked almost cosy, with a roaring fireplace, a very big couch and leather one-seater. The room was decorated like the interior of a log cabin, but a lot more plush, and aromatic, with a lot of room.
He felt the voices pushing back in slightly, but he was able to hold them back himself. The older man talking distracted him.
"Hello, My name is Professor Xavier. I'm the headmaster and owner of this institute, a school for children with certain.abilities. This here," and he indicated the large, blue-haired gentlemen with the scowl on his face behind him, "is Logan. He is a teacher here at the institute."
He winced, and held a hand to his forehead. Logan picked up 2 cups of coffee from the table nearby, and handed one to Xavier, the other he took himself. His eyes locked on the kid sitting on the couch, never taking his eyes off him as he sipped his coffee.
"What did you do?" the kid asked. Xavier frowned slightly, and looked at him.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"In my head? I know it was you, because it's just quietened down again, after you rubbed your head. What did you do?"
Logan sighed, and looked at Xavier. "Up to you, chuck," he said, shrugging.
Xavier looked at the kid, as he sat there in his jeans, leather jacket, red cap and muffler, covering his face. He decided to tell the truth.
"This school is more than just a school, Mr?" his eyebrows raised in question.
"Brad. Brad Dolan." Brad sat a little longer, quiet. Xavier sighed again.
"This school is a school for mutants. Mutants are humans who are slightly. more advanced than normal people. They have certain abilities. For instance, Wolverine here has advanced healing abilities and a skeleton made of adamantium." Sharp lances shot up through Logan's skin, between the knuckles, then slid slowly back in. "There are others here who have abilities which are a lot harder to control, which is what this school is here for. We teach any mutants that we can find to control their abilities, and use their abilities for what is right, not what is easy."
"I know about mutants, it's why I came out here, to find you and this school." Brad fidgeted on the couch, and looked over his shoulder.
"Why did you do that, Mr Dolan?" Xavier asked, while steepling his fingers in front of his face.
"Well, a part of it is what you've been repressing for the last few minutes."
"The voices? But that is merely psychic abilities. Cerebro - the machine we use to detect new mutants - told me that you were slightly more advanced than other mutants." Xavier looked at Logan, surprised.
"No, not just the voices. I only heard the voices when you approached me. As much as I can gather, I have two abilities. One, I am faster, stronger, and basically better than normal humans. Two, I absorb energy from my surroundings. Whether it be heat, cold or mutant energy, I absorb it. Clothing helps slightly, which is why I was wearing all that clothing."
"Yes, we noticed," Xavier said, deep in thought. "This might pose a problem. Your first ability is mild compared to, say, Scott Summers condition. But your second power might pose a problem to the other students. Some of them have well, more powerful abilities, which need control. It is a good thing you have arrived here at the weekend, as we can have you settled in as soon as possible." He turned to Logan. "Logan, find a place for the lad to sleep for tonight." He turned back to Brad. "Do you know your range?" he inquired.
"Pardon?" Brad asked, puzzled.
"How far your draining can affect you?"
"Um, no, I never checked."
"Well, then, we had better place you in a room which is single, such as the E block which has-"
Wolverine coughed.
"Sorry, chuck, out of bounds. Remember, the E block is down for at least the next few weeks due to building repairs. There was that scuffle."
"Ah, yes. Is there anywhere you can think of?"
Wolverine scratched his chin. "You know, he could bunk in Rogues room for the time being. I'm sure she wouldn't mind - as long as she has the right persuasion." He grinned.
Xavier smiled slightly, and nodded. "Brad, follow Logan to your room for tonight. I'll have more permanent lodgings for you as soon as possible. And I would like to meet you here again tomorrow afternoon. Have a long lie in, and I'll try my best to figure out a way of you to meet the other students without blowing them up."
Brad paled, but nodded. As he left the room, he asked Wolverine, "What scuffle? Is this place dangerous?"
Xavier heard Wolverine chuckle, and say, "Not if you know how to duck."
***
Brad was led through the mansion. As they walked, he admired the expensive decorum. Xavier must have hundreds of dollars to keep a place like this, he thought. He walked through a room with a table, big enough to seat 30 people comfortably. They then passed through double doors to the lounge, which had a TV, snooker table, and bar. Through a right hand door, and into the kitchen. Through the other side of the kitchen and into the entrance hall.
As they walked up a deck of stairs in the main hall, Brad thought, Wow, this place is huge! And not even a hint of a door to the basement. That must have been where I was before.
"This is the floor which you will be the most familiar with, I reckon," Logan next to him growled. "And here are your quarters for tonight. Remember, a lie in tomorrow, and in the afternoon you'll meet Xavier. If he and I have figured out your problem by then, you might be able to join a game of tag out in the grounds. Now, go on, and go to sleep. You must be tired." He snorted, as if he disapproved of sleep, and walked back the way they came.
Brad looked at the door nervously, wondering what might manifest in him in the room. He picked up his courage, opened the door, and stepped inside, closing the door after him.
The room was dark, but he could see clearly. There were 2 beds, and 2 had people in them. Before he could see them, he quickly went to a chest of drawers, pulled out a thick, knobbly sweater and pulled on as many layers of clothes as he could. He may look and feel like a stuffed hamster, but at least he was safe from any effects. He hoped.
Luckily, he didn't have to look far to find some blankets. There were blankets in the drawer underneath the first one, and he pulled a few out and lay down on the floor in a corner of the room unoccupied by anything. He felt roasted, but he lay underneath the blanket anyway, for more protection. He had found a blow-up airbed, which he wouldn't blow up due to the fact he might wake up his new roommates. He lay on top of it, and felt the hard, cold floor seep up into his bones. He sighed. Compared to the last few nights he'd been living, this was at least someplace warm, instead of continuous journeying.
He pushed his head back, and felt a slight cushioning. Silently, the airbed was blowing itself up! He must have released a mechanism when he lay down on it. In a few moments, the airbed was sufficiently inflated to lie upon comfortably. He lay down upon it again, and looked at the ceiling. He hadn't had the heart to tell Xavier or the Wolverine guy that he didn't need sleep, due to all the energy he absorbed, not after all the help that they'd given him. They'd agreed to take him in; they'd agreed to help him. He didn't even have any money to pay Xavier for his help. The best thing was, his father would never, ever find him here. He didn't even need to unpack. He sighed again, and looked out the huge windows of his new home, wondering how long it was till morning, where his father was, and what it felt like to be able to dream.