Disclaimer: I told you once, and I tell you again, they're not mine, they're Marvels! Whew, now that that's over....
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Professor Xavier waited impatiently in the hanger for the return of the X-men. Jean had sent him a detailed report via telepathy, but still, he was anxious. The vigilantes had retreated quickly when Storm, angered by their attempt to kill the children, had started a thunderstorm inside the orphanage, only to be stopped by a thick wall of ice, courtesy of Bobby Drake. Now these lunatics would be spending their dayse in a state prison.
The Blackbird pulled into the hanger. Xavier gripped his cane tightly. That girl...would she survive? She would probably be better off in a hospital, but Scott had felt that the safest option was to bring her to the mansion under Dr. McCoy's care, simply because she was an unknown mutant and she might be neglected by bigoted doctors elsewhere.
As soon as the craft landed, Charles nodded to Andrea and she rushed to the ramp. Hank pulled the gurney from inside and hurried it down the ramp with the grace and skill that only a doctor could achieve. Andrea and Hank quickly left the hanger and took the unconcious girl to the infirmary.
"She's lost a lot of blood," Beast began, "but the shot missed most of her vitals, so she whould be fine. We'll know for sure after tonight."
Xavier looked over at the girl. She looked every part the runaway. She was extremely thin, with ragged pitch black hair. The clothes she had arrived in were torn and dirty. She also had a various collection of scars all over her body including what appeared to be a burn accross her left shoulder. It looked very recent. She looked as though she might have once been a very lovely girl. Upon closer inspection, he realized that she was not a girl at all, but a young woman in her early twenties. They had merely assumed she was a child because she was in the shelter, and underneath all the dirt and grime, it was hard to tell.
"Do we have any idea who she is or where she came from?" Scott asked.
"I spoke with some ladies from the shelter," Jean ventured, "they've never seen her before and she's nowhere in their database."
"No, she's not from the shelter," the professor said. Everyone turned to look at him. "This young lady was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. What I'd really like to know is why." He shook his head, "I only hope that when she wakes up, she can give us some answers."
"Why don't you just lift them from her mind?" Thunderbird asked.
Charles shook his head again. "First of all Neal, that would be unethical. I don't have her permission. You should understand that by now. Second of all, I can't even get any surface thoughts from her. Her mind is completely blank. Can you get anything Jean?"
"Now that you mention it, professor...no. I hadn't noticed it until now. It's almost as if she's unconciously blocking us."
"Indeed," and with that, Xavier left the infirmary.
"PAPPA!" She bolted upright in bed and immediately felt a stabbing pain in her abdomen. She became lightheaded and sagged back against the pillows.
"Take it easy now," a voice said.
"Who's there?"
"A friend, now lie back."
"Where am I?"
"The Xavier Institute for Mutants."
"The what?"
"The Xavier...Oh never mind, take this."
She looked down at the hand offering her water and screamed. It was very large, blue and furry. She knocked the water away and lept from the bed seeking sanctuary in a dark corner. "What are you?" she demanded.
"I am a mutant, like you."
"A mutant? You mean like a genetic mistake?"
"Not exactly, more like an advancement."
She raised an eyebrow. She was shaking now and had the incredible urge to vomit. The blue man stepped forward and she grabbed a medical intrument from a nearby tray and wielded it like a knife.
"Stay back!"
He raised his enormous paw-like hands in an open gesture. "It's alright," he assured her, "no one's going to hurt you. Just put down the needle."
At this point, another figure ran in. She was wearing a dressing robe and fuzzy slipper. The noise must have woken her.
"Is everything alright? I 'eard a scream."
"Everything's fine, Andrea. Our guest is just jumpy. You may want to stay back, she doesn't take well to physical mutations."
The newcomer looked into the corner at the now very green patient. "She's gonna be sick, better get her a bucket."
The fuzzy man nodded. The urge to vomit had become stronger. The robbed woman barely made it to her on time before she retched what felt like to her every meal she had eaten in the past month. Though seeing as how she couldn't remember her name, much less the events of last month, she couldn't verify it. She noticed vaguely that the contents of the bucket were a funny shade of red. 'Well,' she thought, 'that would expain the pain in my stomach.' She would have to be more careful.
"Looks like you tore some stiches," the blue man said, "let's get you back in bed and fix them, shall we?" She nodded weakly. He reached out a hand to help her up and she pulled back. "I'm not going to hurt you, I'm a doctor." She nodded again and allowed him to help her up.
As he was helping her, a voice came out of nowhere, "Is everything alright, Hank? I'm sensing some commotion from the infirmary." It was a pleasant voice she thought, the sound of a kind, well-educated person.
"Nothing wrong, Professor," the man now identified as Hank stated. "Our mystery guest has woken up and she is now adjusting to her new environment." Hank looked down at her and grinned. It was a grin full of very sharp, pointy teeth. At first, this frightened her, but she looked into his eyes and saw only gentleness and intelligence. She knew now that she would come to no harm under this man's care. She eased back onto the bed and fell inot a peaceful sleep.
When she awoke again, she panicked. She couldn't remember where she was, but when she saw the furry blue doctor, she relaxed.
"Well rested I see."
She nodded and smiled meakly.
"Good, think you're up to having a visitor?"
"A visitor? I suppose, but I don't think I know anyone here."
"Probably not, but he has taken an interest in your well-being."
"Hello," a voice said. It was that same kind voice from earlier. "I am Professor Charles Xavier, and I would like to help you."
She followed the sound of the voice and saw a tall, bald man with a cane. He looked sincere enough. She would listen to what he had to say at least.
"Well, let's hear it. If I don't like what you say, I'm outta here as soon as Fuzzy gives me the green light."
The Professor chuckled. "Very well. First I would like ot know what you were doing at the shelter."
"Shelter? I was at a shelter? What kind?"
"You don't remember?"
"Wait, those kids right? Are they okay?"
He nodded.
"That's a relief, they looked mighty scared when I saw 'em."
Xavier judged her speech patterns to be of a southern origin, but she had no accent, so he could not place them.
"Oh, and that lady with the funny hair...the one who caught me, I'd like to thank her."
"In due time, my dear girl. Do you remember anything else, like how you got there?"
She shook her head. " I remember the kids and before that..." she stopped, and then it hit her. "I can't remember anything!"
"Oh dear."
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Okay, I know I'm posting a day early, but I'm not going to have regular access to a computer for a few days so I thought I'd go ahead and put this up before the next week. I don't know if I'll be posting on Wednesday. But I'll be back on Saturday. Anyways, go review, I command it! Muahahahaaa. Thanks to everyone who's responded so far. I appreciate the input. That should be all the intro stuff, now we'll start getting into the real meat, conflict and all that. As I said before, I'll try and keep updating twice a week, but finals are coming up soon, so it may be a bit hindered. Also, Christmas vacation is approaching and I don't know how often I'll be able to update then, but be assured that when I get back, there'll be more.
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Professor Xavier waited impatiently in the hanger for the return of the X-men. Jean had sent him a detailed report via telepathy, but still, he was anxious. The vigilantes had retreated quickly when Storm, angered by their attempt to kill the children, had started a thunderstorm inside the orphanage, only to be stopped by a thick wall of ice, courtesy of Bobby Drake. Now these lunatics would be spending their dayse in a state prison.
The Blackbird pulled into the hanger. Xavier gripped his cane tightly. That girl...would she survive? She would probably be better off in a hospital, but Scott had felt that the safest option was to bring her to the mansion under Dr. McCoy's care, simply because she was an unknown mutant and she might be neglected by bigoted doctors elsewhere.
As soon as the craft landed, Charles nodded to Andrea and she rushed to the ramp. Hank pulled the gurney from inside and hurried it down the ramp with the grace and skill that only a doctor could achieve. Andrea and Hank quickly left the hanger and took the unconcious girl to the infirmary.
"She's lost a lot of blood," Beast began, "but the shot missed most of her vitals, so she whould be fine. We'll know for sure after tonight."
Xavier looked over at the girl. She looked every part the runaway. She was extremely thin, with ragged pitch black hair. The clothes she had arrived in were torn and dirty. She also had a various collection of scars all over her body including what appeared to be a burn accross her left shoulder. It looked very recent. She looked as though she might have once been a very lovely girl. Upon closer inspection, he realized that she was not a girl at all, but a young woman in her early twenties. They had merely assumed she was a child because she was in the shelter, and underneath all the dirt and grime, it was hard to tell.
"Do we have any idea who she is or where she came from?" Scott asked.
"I spoke with some ladies from the shelter," Jean ventured, "they've never seen her before and she's nowhere in their database."
"No, she's not from the shelter," the professor said. Everyone turned to look at him. "This young lady was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. What I'd really like to know is why." He shook his head, "I only hope that when she wakes up, she can give us some answers."
"Why don't you just lift them from her mind?" Thunderbird asked.
Charles shook his head again. "First of all Neal, that would be unethical. I don't have her permission. You should understand that by now. Second of all, I can't even get any surface thoughts from her. Her mind is completely blank. Can you get anything Jean?"
"Now that you mention it, professor...no. I hadn't noticed it until now. It's almost as if she's unconciously blocking us."
"Indeed," and with that, Xavier left the infirmary.
"PAPPA!" She bolted upright in bed and immediately felt a stabbing pain in her abdomen. She became lightheaded and sagged back against the pillows.
"Take it easy now," a voice said.
"Who's there?"
"A friend, now lie back."
"Where am I?"
"The Xavier Institute for Mutants."
"The what?"
"The Xavier...Oh never mind, take this."
She looked down at the hand offering her water and screamed. It was very large, blue and furry. She knocked the water away and lept from the bed seeking sanctuary in a dark corner. "What are you?" she demanded.
"I am a mutant, like you."
"A mutant? You mean like a genetic mistake?"
"Not exactly, more like an advancement."
She raised an eyebrow. She was shaking now and had the incredible urge to vomit. The blue man stepped forward and she grabbed a medical intrument from a nearby tray and wielded it like a knife.
"Stay back!"
He raised his enormous paw-like hands in an open gesture. "It's alright," he assured her, "no one's going to hurt you. Just put down the needle."
At this point, another figure ran in. She was wearing a dressing robe and fuzzy slipper. The noise must have woken her.
"Is everything alright? I 'eard a scream."
"Everything's fine, Andrea. Our guest is just jumpy. You may want to stay back, she doesn't take well to physical mutations."
The newcomer looked into the corner at the now very green patient. "She's gonna be sick, better get her a bucket."
The fuzzy man nodded. The urge to vomit had become stronger. The robbed woman barely made it to her on time before she retched what felt like to her every meal she had eaten in the past month. Though seeing as how she couldn't remember her name, much less the events of last month, she couldn't verify it. She noticed vaguely that the contents of the bucket were a funny shade of red. 'Well,' she thought, 'that would expain the pain in my stomach.' She would have to be more careful.
"Looks like you tore some stiches," the blue man said, "let's get you back in bed and fix them, shall we?" She nodded weakly. He reached out a hand to help her up and she pulled back. "I'm not going to hurt you, I'm a doctor." She nodded again and allowed him to help her up.
As he was helping her, a voice came out of nowhere, "Is everything alright, Hank? I'm sensing some commotion from the infirmary." It was a pleasant voice she thought, the sound of a kind, well-educated person.
"Nothing wrong, Professor," the man now identified as Hank stated. "Our mystery guest has woken up and she is now adjusting to her new environment." Hank looked down at her and grinned. It was a grin full of very sharp, pointy teeth. At first, this frightened her, but she looked into his eyes and saw only gentleness and intelligence. She knew now that she would come to no harm under this man's care. She eased back onto the bed and fell inot a peaceful sleep.
When she awoke again, she panicked. She couldn't remember where she was, but when she saw the furry blue doctor, she relaxed.
"Well rested I see."
She nodded and smiled meakly.
"Good, think you're up to having a visitor?"
"A visitor? I suppose, but I don't think I know anyone here."
"Probably not, but he has taken an interest in your well-being."
"Hello," a voice said. It was that same kind voice from earlier. "I am Professor Charles Xavier, and I would like to help you."
She followed the sound of the voice and saw a tall, bald man with a cane. He looked sincere enough. She would listen to what he had to say at least.
"Well, let's hear it. If I don't like what you say, I'm outta here as soon as Fuzzy gives me the green light."
The Professor chuckled. "Very well. First I would like ot know what you were doing at the shelter."
"Shelter? I was at a shelter? What kind?"
"You don't remember?"
"Wait, those kids right? Are they okay?"
He nodded.
"That's a relief, they looked mighty scared when I saw 'em."
Xavier judged her speech patterns to be of a southern origin, but she had no accent, so he could not place them.
"Oh, and that lady with the funny hair...the one who caught me, I'd like to thank her."
"In due time, my dear girl. Do you remember anything else, like how you got there?"
She shook her head. " I remember the kids and before that..." she stopped, and then it hit her. "I can't remember anything!"
"Oh dear."
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Okay, I know I'm posting a day early, but I'm not going to have regular access to a computer for a few days so I thought I'd go ahead and put this up before the next week. I don't know if I'll be posting on Wednesday. But I'll be back on Saturday. Anyways, go review, I command it! Muahahahaaa. Thanks to everyone who's responded so far. I appreciate the input. That should be all the intro stuff, now we'll start getting into the real meat, conflict and all that. As I said before, I'll try and keep updating twice a week, but finals are coming up soon, so it may be a bit hindered. Also, Christmas vacation is approaching and I don't know how often I'll be able to update then, but be assured that when I get back, there'll be more.