Chapter 5: Kidnapping & the Truth
The next morning Ham awoke to find himself still on the couch. Ryder was asleep in the chair next to him. They weren't alone; Will and Scout were playing chess behind him. He looked down at his body; somehow it was still there.
'Maybe it was all a very weird dream.' Ham thought. But then he saw his legs begin to blend into the couch. He sat up.
"Look he's up." Scout said.
"Hey, guys. What time is it?"
"Eight twenty." Will said as he glanced down at his watch.
"Why aren't you in class?"
"Finn cancelled." Will replied.
"Oh, have either of you seen Jake?"
They both shook their heads.
Ryder moaned and yawned.
"Uh-oh. The beast stirs." Scout smiled.
"Run." Will whispered with a smile.
They started laughing.
"I'll see you guys later." Ham said as he stood up, and walked out.
"What's his problem?" Will asked.
"Got me. Check mate."
"Huh, hey, you," Will groaned. "Cheater."
Ryder stood up and turned toward them
"Sleeping Beauty awakes." Will said.
Ryder glared at them and then left the room.
Jake is sitting in a tree in the woods between the school and the town. After she woke up that morning to find Ham not there and first class cancelled; she wandered over to the woods hoping to be alone. It was only after sitting up there for a 1/2 hour did she realize exactly what scared her about Hamilton's mutation. She didn't care that he had become a mutant. When she had turned around last night and not see Hamilton had horrified her. She thought for a split second that she would never see him again. That one day he would just disappear entirely and she would never see him again. She wouldn't be able to handle that. Suddenly she heard a rustling noise behind her. Thinking it was a squirrel she ignored it. She started to climb down, when suddenly something wet and slimy wrapped around her wrist. She was yanked off the tree and thrown into the arms of a large man. Jake tried to scream, but the man's large claw-like hand covered her mouth. In his hand was a rag drenched with chloryphorm. Jake struggled, but the man was too strong. After a few minutes Jake lost consciencness. Her last memory was feeling her body being slung over the man's shoulder.
Ham reached their room to find it empty. He stood in the middle of the room with the door open; he groaned.
"Hamilton?"
Ham turned to see Finn standing in the doorway behind him.
"Finn? Have you seen Jake?"
"Um, yes, around eight thirty he was headed for the woods toward New Rawley. Can I speak to you?"
"In a minute, I have to find Jake." Ham turned to leave, but Finn stepped in front of him.
"That's actually why I'm here. Are you hiding something?"
"Finn, I don't have time, I have to find Jake."
"What are you two hiding?"
"What are you?" Ham pushed Finn into the doorframe and ran out toward the woods. Finn ran after him.
"Hamilton!"
"No." Ham answered as he headed into the woods. Finn kept after him. Ham was only two yards in when he tripped and fell over something. Finn caught up to him, to find Ham clutching Jake's motorcycle key.
"Hamilton, what is it?"
"Jake, those, they have Jake." Ham looked at Finn as a tear trickled down his right cheek. "They have Jack and it's all my fault."
((Standing a few feet away from them a blue skinned woman was watching from behind a tree.))
Ham clutched the keys tighter as he stood up and ran toward the dorms.
"Finn, where is he?" Ham asked, knowing that Finn was still following him.
"I think Xavier is in your father's office."
Ham changed direction.
"Hamilton!"
Ham kept running and ignored Finn. He burst into the back door of his father's secretary's office.
"Hamilton, what's wrong?" The tall middle-aged woman behind the desk asked.
"Is dad in?"
"Yes, but he's with someone."
Ham ignored her and burst in. "Dad!"
Finn followed him. "Hamilton, wait!"
In the dean's office was Ryder, his parents, Xavier, Dean and Mrs. Fleming, and a strong built man.
"Hamilton, it's a good thing you're here." His father spoke.
What's going on?" Ham breathed.
"Professor Xavier was just explaining yours and Ryder's situation."
"Situation?"
The strange man spoke, "you might want to sit down, kid."
"No, thanks." Ham leaned on his father's desk next to where Ryder was sitting.
"Hamilton, I was just explaining to yours and Ryder's parent who I am."
I'm confused what all of this has to do with Ryder?" Ryder's father asked.
"I have a school for adolescences who are gifted with the mutation. There they are safe from the prejudices of the outside world. I can teach them the develop and control their gifts, while giving them an excellent education."
Both parents seemed confused as to what Xavier was saying. Ham noticed Finn was talking to Xavier's strange friend. "My son is not a freak." Ryder's mother burst out.
Ham saw the pain in Ryder's eyes.
"Mum, stop."
"No, Ryder, no one calls my son a freak."
"Mum, he can help me."
Ryder's parents froze, their eyes widened. Ryder looked to Dean Fleming and then to Xavier. "I want to go to his school, I think he can help me."
The room became silent. Ham heard what he thought was an animal sniffing.
"Logan, what is it?" Xavier asked.
All eyes turned to the man next to Finn. "That smell, it smells…(he sniffed again) familiar."
The door opened and Dean Fleming's secretary walked in. Before the woman could open her mouth, Logan grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall.
"Why are you here?" He demanded.
"What are you doing, that's my secretary." Dean Fleming started to walk toward Logan.
"No, it's not." Finn said, who was standing at the door. He pushed the door open to reveal the real secretary unconscious on the floor. Xavier was now a few feet from Logan and the imposter.
"Why are you here?" He asked.
The woman only smiled. They watched as two metal blades pierced out of Logan's fist, they stopped on either side of her throat. "Who are you?"
"We want them." She spoke looking directly at Ham and Ryder.
"Where's Jake?" Ham asked.
"Your boyfriend is safe. For now." She suddenly kicked Logan in the stomach. As he pulled back in pain, she rushed for the door, but Ryder was quicker. He slammed the door closed and planted himself in front of it. "You're not leaving."
The woman's appearance started to change her skin became blue and scaly and her hair shortened and turned red.
"Mystique." Finn said as he let his body crystallize.
"Iceman." She replied. "We though you were dead."
"Hardly." Finn said as Ham tackled her.
He sat on top of her and held her wrists down. "Where's Jake?"
"Come with me and you can see him." She kneed him in the crotch. Ham fell back in pain, but the pain wasn't just in his crotch now it was spreading all across his body. Ham cried out.
Mystique took advantage of the situation to push Ryder out of the way and to crash out the doors into a crowd of Rawley boys.
