IN My Chest There Beats a Human Heart
Conundrum is it worse to be born looking different and never lead a normal existence or to look human and then change into a radically different form. I don't know the answer and I very much doubt that anyone does. Still as long as I remember that in my heart beats a human chest I'll be alright. No matter how bestial my countenance I'm still the same man I've always been and I don't think that will ever change. I'm human in my heart and I find that is enough for me. At least that's what I tell myself.
Apartment somewhere in Los Angeles
All in all it had been a good thing that Hank had been able to limp along on his own. If he'd been unconscious there would have been no way that Remy could have carried him. As it was his shoulder was aching quite badly from Hank leaning on him. Still barring a few stumbles along the way Remy had soon brought him to the comfort and safety of his apartment. There had been one frightening moment when Hank collapsed to his knees in the doorway but after a minute he'd managed to struggle to his feet. Remy had guided him towards an armchair and Hank had sunk down on it with a heavy sigh. The chair had creaked ominously but managed to hold under his weight. After bidding Hank to remove his shirt so he could examine the wounds Remy went to get the first aid kit.
"I'd like to thank you again Remy for coming to my aid. It wasn't your fight and against a man like that well monster few would have been brave or skilled enough to face him. Most people would have fled at the sight of me. By the way my name's Henry Philip McCoy but you can call me Hank."
"Dere is no need to thank me mon ami. Remy has old scores to settle with Sabretooth and any enemy of dat scum is a friend to me. 'Sides, not like dat you needed much help, managed to beat up Creed pretty well on your own non?"
Remy cast his glance over the wounds and found once they'd been cleansed that they weren't as bad as they looked. The gash in Hank's side fortunately had missed any vital organs and while nasty the wound in his arm would heal. In fact Remy could swear that some of the scratches were already starting to heal.
"Dat strange mon ami, do you have a healing factor?"
"No not as such but I heal quicker than most, a week or two and I'll be back at full strength. That's one of the more fortunate aspects of my mutation, an enhancement of my physical capabilities, strength, speed, agility, resilience, manual dexterity and my olfactory, visual and auditory senses. Just out of curiosity and forgive me for asking but what abilities do you possess?"
"Non mon ami, Remy don't mind dat you ask. De best way for me would be to show you, see dis card mon ami? Now watch dis carefully."
Hank watched in fascination as Remy held up the playing card. A curious low-pitched hum and an aura of energy seemed to flow from Remy's hand into the card. A flick of the wrist sent the card into the air where it burst with a loud explosion.
"See dat is Remy's gift mon ami, converting de potential energy of an object into kinetic energy. Makes a big bang oui? Remy has other gifts as well, de ladies dey take one look in the eyes of le diable blanc and dey cannot resist him." Remy flashed Hank a broad smile.
"Hmm empathy but somehow I sense you're a genuine friend. Do you know if there's anywhere I could sleep Remy, I just feel rather tired? The floor will do if there's nowhere else."
Remy smiled and taking hold of Hank's arm led him to the sofa. Hank lay down on it with a grateful sigh, curled up like a cat and within minutes he was deeply asleep. Remy stood watching Hank for a few minutes and curiosity drew him closer. He'd never seen a mutant who differed so radically from other humans before. Now Hank was asleep he could get a better look at him.
The wounds seemed to be definitely improving now; some of the minor scratches would have healed entirely in a few hours. Up close he could see that the fur really was blue although there seemed to be a finer undercoat of black fur. The face definitely seemed more feline than simian, especially the shape of his jaw, his nose and those elongated pointed ears. Also catlike were sharp canine teeth which protruded even when his mouth was closed and those sharp claws on his fingers. It was fortunate indeed that Hank seemed so gentle and peaceful, Remy didn't rate his chances too highly if it came to a fight between them. He might match Hank in speed and agility but one blow from those fists could probably kill a man. Still Hank didn't seem the type to kill.
"Wonder what dat is he's got in his hand. Whatever it is, he sure seems to be holding onto it tight. Still one little look will do no harm n'est ce pas."
Remy reached out intending to gently pry Hank's fingers apart so he could take a look at what he was holding onto. He wasn't going to steal it, just satisfy his curiosity. As soon as his fingers brushed against the fur he realized his mistake. He'd missed the twitching of the ears and even with his reflexes he had no chance to react before Hank. Remy yelped as an oversized hand grabbed hold of his wrist and squeezed painfully. Hank blinked awake and mercifully relaxed his grip just before he would have crushed the twenty eight delicate bones in Remy's hand to powder.
"My apologies Remy, I reacted instinctively and I didn't mean to hurt you. I just tend to get edgy when people sneak up on me. When your hand touched me, for a moment I thought it was Creed comes back and I acted without thinking. Please forgive me," Hank's blue eyes glinted with contrition.
"Dat's alright mon ami, no harm done. Didn't mean any harm, just curious about what dat is in your hand. Remy sorry dat he sneaks up on you and rest assured mon ami, it won't happen again."
Hank opened his hand revealing a crumpled photograph. He glanced at if for a minute and then handed it to Remy.
"Oh this is just a little reminder I have of the way I used to be. The man in the picture is me. That picture was taken oh five years ago now. Of course I've changed a lot since then," Hank gave a mirthless chuckle.
Remy looked at the photograph and had to agree with Hank, he certainly had changed a lot. At first Remy couldn't believe the man in the photograph could be the same person as the furry creature in the room with him. Looking more closely he could see the similarities; the eyes were the same though they seemed less weary. The hairstyle hadn't really changed although it may have been a little neater. This was a fully human Hank, his hands may have been a little large and he was certainly exceptionally muscular but you could pass him in the street without a second glance.
Remy gave Hank a long hard stare and nodded.
"Oui mon ami, you have de gift of understatement. So forgiving Remy's curiosities once again, are you going to tell your story?"
Hank shrugged his furry shoulders.
"I might as well I suppose."
He stood up from the sofa, stretched flexing his muscles and then jumped, somersaulting in midair. His claws dug in the ceiling as he hung upside down, arms folded across his furry chest. Remy quirked an eyebrow quizzically but gestured for Hank to begin.
"Well I always looked a little different, my hands and feet were abnormally large and I had a well rather Neanderthal look. I had a happy childhood though, parents who loved me, I was popular despite my strange appearance. My strength, agility and dexterity were uncanny even then and I was a superb athlete, I earned the nom de guerre Beast on the football fields. Curious how it turned out to be so prophetic eh? Still my mind has always been my greatest asset. I've been told I could well be one of the most intelligent people on the planet, up there with the likes of Reed Richards, Hank Pym and Bruce Banner. I excelled in all my academic studies but I was always fascinated by chemistry, biology and most of all genetics. I got my degree and qualified with flying colors as a bio-chemist. I set my major goal as studying the effects of mutation; I was one of the first to discover the X-Factor gene responsible for our powers. My fame quickly grew and just five years ago at the age of twenty six I was offered a job with the Brand Corporation. It was an offer I should never have accepted since here all my troubles began. You see it all started when I met a fellow scientist one Dr Nathaniel Essex."
Hank paused as Remy suddenly gasped.
"Please continue mon ami,"
Hank did just that.
Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters
Scott Summers stood attentively, eyes wide with concern behind his ruby quartz sunglasses. He straightened his slightly rumpled shirt before turning to frown at Logan. As always Scott was perfectly presentable, smart shirt and slacks, hair neatly brushed and he was clean-shaven. He was standing bolt upright, shoulders back and looking as though he had a pole up his posterior. At least that was how Logan put it. Scott continued to glare at Logan while the latter studiously ignored him.
"I'm very sorry to bother you Logan but could you put out that cigarette? Or at least could you try not to flick ash onto the carpet? That's if it's not too much trouble for you," Scott's voice contained the faintest trace of sarcasm.
"Ain't happening bub," growled Logan, blowing a cloud of smoke in Scott's direction.
Logan presented a stark contrast to Scott. He was unshaven and his muttonchops and hair could have done with a little grooming. He was handsome in a feral, werewolf dragged through a hedge backwards kind of way but the words pretty boy couldn't apply to him. He was wearing one of his tight black T-shirts, shabby denim jeans and no boots. Still much to Scott's disgust the students especially the female ones adored him and so did his own wife.
As Scott let out an exasperated sigh Logan simply grinned revealing a flash of incisor.
"Logan mein freund, would it be too much to ask that you try not to exasperate Cyclops?"
"Sorry elf, ya know it's hard ta resist when it's so easy ta get a rise out of him."
Kurt's tail was twitching, lashing from side to side with his agitation. They were all riled, on edge after the announcement that Sabretooth had resurfaced. Xavier was trying to track him down on Cerebro and now they were all waiting anxiously for the results. Storm repressed a shudder; she still had a slight scar on her neck. The words 'scream for me' still came to her late at night in her darkest dreams.
"Try to ignore them Kurt, sadly Logan finds it hard to control his testosterone at times and Scott can be a little too staid. We should just be thankful they haven't come to blows, not yet anyway,"
Ororo rolled her eyes; if her hair wasn't already white she was sure it would have turned that way by now. Kurt's yellow eyes glinted briefly and he patted her shoulder with a three fingered hand silently thanking her for her support.
Finally the doors opened to the Cerebro room and Professor Xavier beckoned them towards the War Room. Silently the four X-Men fell in and followed him.
Several minutes later
"These are two new mutants I've detected who got involved in the altercation with Sabretooth. Both are Alpha class, powerful mutants and they could be useful recruits for our course. When you go to Los Angeles your primary mission will be to make contact with Gambit and Beast as I'm designating them. Find them and try to get them to join us. If they've made an enemy of Sabretooth they could be in a lot of danger. This is especially true if as I suspect Sabretooth is a member of the Marauders. We still know far too little about this group."
"We know all we need ta Chuck, they're a bunch of mutants who kill normal humans and claim ta serve a sinister cause. Just a meaner tougher Brotherhood, we can handle them." Logan exhaled another cloud of cigarette smoke.
"Could you show us what they look like Professor?"
"Certainly Scott, they have a rather distinctive appearance."
Holographic images formed in the air of Beast and Gambit. Logan raised his eyebrows as he took in Beast, certainly a formidable looking mutant. Kurt shook his head sympathetically, he could empathize with Beast, and he knew only too well what it was like to look different. Ororo meanwhile only had eyes for Remy.
"By the bright lady, he is a handsome man."
"Right people let's get moving to the Black Bird. Oh and Logan, no cigarettes,"
Near Duchess Tavern
Creed was growling deep in his throat as he slowly limped along. His wounds were almost healed but the shame and humiliation would take much longer. His mind was full of pleasant images of Hank lying torn to shreds at his feet and he grinned. Perhaps he'd stumble on a derelict or someone foolish enough to be out at this time of night. A good murder would be just what he needed to cheer him up. Lost in thought he almost didn't duck in time as a volley of spikes and shuriken whistled through the air. High cackling manic laughter echoed through the night as another rain of missiles flew towards him. Creed rolled and escaped with just a few lost strands of hair and a minor gash on his cheek.
"What the freaking hell is going on?"
Another manic giggle and then he saw what he took to be a small tornado. Blinking he realized it was a man spinning round and round at an insane speed, long white hair billowing out behind him. More spikes and shuriken whirled towards him and he leapt behind a wall for cover.
Immediately a crackling jet of plasma crackled through air towards him. Creed snarled in anger as his jacket ignited and tearing it off he stamped out the flames. Glancing round he saw a blonde haired, wild looking man sneering at him before firing off another plasma jet. The grin was quickly wiped from his face as Creed's fist smashed into his jaw.
"Alright bub, ya can tell me what's going on unless ya want me ta rip yer throat out,"
No more spikes or shuriken came but he heard a hiss and then something moist and sticky swept across his cheek. Creed growled and turned to see a familiar greenish face smirking at him.
"Toad, what are ya doing here ya amphibious freak? Are behind these two goons who just tried ta ice me?"
"Charmed to see you too old friend. As for Havok and Riptide they were a little test to see if you're good enough to hear my boss's little offer. Since you survived you get to hear him out. Here he is now." Toad leapt back into the cover of the branches.
Another figure stepped out of the shadows, nearly as tall as Creed and though lean, well-muscled. Creed glared at a face nearly as hairy as his own and snarled. Cold blue-gray eyes bored into his own and Creed found himself locked by the gaze. A grin slowly spread itself across the man's face.
"Greetings Creed, I heard all about your little run in with Beast and Gambit. I figure you'd want revenge on them and since we're here to kill them why don't you join us? Toad told me a great deal about you and frankly I'm impressed," the voice was rich and deep, beguiling.
"I'm interested bub; yeah I don't have anything better ta do. Count me in,"
"Excellent, by the way my name is Maximus Lobo. I'm really glad you decided to join our little group. People like you are just what we need for the Marauders. I'm sure Mister Sinister will be anxious to properly greet you."
"Yeah, yeah, so when do I get ta kill?" growled Creed.
"Oh the hunt begins right now my dear feral. Just excuse me while I change,"
Lobo grunted as he slowly shifted form, gaining height and weight as coarse black fur sprang up all over his body. Creed took an involuntary step backwards as the hulking form loomed over him. The mutant lycanthrope's red eyes glinted as he extended a clawed furry hand to Creed.
"Ready to hunt?" asked Lobo in a voice little more than a growl.
"Yeah," growled Creed.
Reaching out he shook the furry hand and gave Lobo a grin every bit as savage as his own.