Ch 7
Warning: Mild Scott-bashing Ahead
Glen struggled to shake off the lights that swarmed around his body like bees. Despite his efforts, they continued to cover him. He could feel himself getting more and more exhausted as he struggled. At one point, he was completely covered in the lights from the neck down, and he felt himself going light-headed. He saw the sky around him start to change, real colors bleeding into the electric atmosphere. He also caught a glance of 3 shapes at the opening of the alley, but he was unable to make out any further details. He franticly shook the lights off again, and the colors faded away, the sky resuming its prior purple hue. The lights, defeated, began to circle above him, and he heard them giving off a low, faint humming noise. He collapsed to his knees, out of breath from struggling against the lights and still trying to figure out what was going on.
"Who are you," asked Jean.
"I'm Sam. I'm Glen's friend," Sam said. "Why are you looking for him?"
"He's, um," Scott stammered, unsure what to say. Jean picked up. "We saw him almost get by that truck, and we saw him run over here,"
"So he DID make it!" Sam yelled in joy. "But where is he now? I don't see him anywhere,"
At that moment, a car pulled up alongside the three. Sam saw the woman, a tall, dark-skinned woman with white hair, get out, and walk to the other side of the car and open the door. A man in a wheelchair rolled out from the vehicle. Scott and Jean ran up to him.
"Professor, at last!" said Scott. "This is as far as we've been able to follow him. He's vanished or something. Maybe that's his power, he can turn himself invisible,"
"I don't think that's the case, Scott. Cerebro described Glen's powers as temporal in nature,"
"Temporal? You mean time travel and stuff?" asked Scott.
"Essentially, but not quite as extensive as you make it out. Now Jean, you had mentioned another problem?"
"Yes Professor. We've been seen." Jean said, nodding towards Sam.
Glen saw 2 more figures join the 3 he had seen earlier. Still gasping for air, he tried to rise, to go towards them. The lights, which had been hovering idly above him, suddenly swarmed around him again, their humming increasing to a higher pitch. As they did, the figures Glen was seeing became more in focus for a split second. It was just long enough for him to recognize one face in the crowd.
"What should we do about him?" asked Scott.
"The safest thing might be to just ask him to go home," said Storm.
"He said he was Glen's friend, and he recognized me. Maybe we should let him stay. I think he and Glen are, well, close," said Jean.
"Agreed," said Xavier. "Right now our priority lies with rescuing Glen. We can decide what to do with this boy afterwards,"
Sam looked back towards the alley while the other 4 were talking. For a moment, he saw nothing. Then, as he looked closer, he saw a faint image of a person , a very familiar person. "Glen?" The figure looked up at him, as if he had heard him. Sam could just barely make out small objects flickering around Glen's body that looked almost like fireflies. "Glen!" Sam shouted. The others looked up from their huddle. "Look, it's him!" Sam shouted, pointing at the alley. He looked back, but Glen was gone again.
"I don't think I saw anything," Scott said.
"I did, for a split second," said Jean.
"Jean, we must reach out to him," said Xavier. "Focus your mind," They both closed their eyes and began concentrating. 'Glen, hear us,"
Glen heard 2 voices cutting through the whine of the lights, a man's and a girl's. "Glen, hear us," "I hear you!" he yelled back. "What's happening to me?"
"I heard him, Professor," said Jean.
"So did I, Jean. Keep focusing!" replied Xavier. "Glen, focus on the sound of our voices. Try and block everything else out,"
Glen tried to make himself relax, to focus on the voices he was hearing. As he did, the lights increased their attacks. "I can't! There's too many of them!"
"Glen, you MUST focus on us! Ignore the lights and listen to the sound of our voices!"
"I can't! These things are, nnghh, hurting me!" Glen groaned.
"We can't keep this up," said Xavier. "If this goes on much longer, we could lose him!"
Sam heard what they were saying, although he couldn't fully grasp the meaning of the words. But he understood the phrase, "lose him" fully enough. He felt another tear well up in his eyes. Could Glen have avoided death moments ago only to be lost to some unknown force? "Glen!" he screamed out, desperately.
Glen had backed himself to a corner, trying to get away from the lights. He didn't care about what the voices he had heard were saying, he just wanted to keep the lights off of him.
"Glen!" A new voice cut through the noise, one he recognized instantly. Glen strained to focus on the voice, and it resounded again, louder this time. "GLEN!" Glen took a tentative step forward. "Sam!" he cried out. He took another step, ignoring the lights as they swarmed in again, screaming.
"There! I see him!" Sam shouted again. This time, the entire group could see Glen's faint image in the alley, the lights swarming around him. "Glen, please come back to us!" Sam cried out.
Glen heard Sam's plea, thinking back to the kiss they had shared earlier, how much joy he had felt in that one moment. He recalled the song that had been playing, the choir with the saxophone playing in the background. He could almost hear its haunting strains again. He longed to be able to experience that moment again, just one more time. A wave of determination rippled through his body. "I don't care what these lights do to me," he thought. "I'm going to see Sam one more time!" He steeled himself, and then took off in a run. The lights took off after him, and this time they swarmed over every inch of his body. Glen shouted, feeling them closing in on him, seeing the world go very bright one more time. And then he was through.
"Look, here he comes!" cried Sam. They watched as Glen ran towards them, his image growing fuller and brighter with each stride he took. There was another flash of light, and suddenly Glen was there in front of them. He staggered forward and collapsed onto the sidewalk, a few wisps of light and color emanating from his body.
Sam ran up to his friend's side, throwing his arms around his body. "Glen, please get up!" The others joined him. "Please, move back and let us examine him," said Xavier. Sam grudgingly moved aside but stayed where he could see Glen. "Is he ok?" "He is still alive, and unhurt except for a few bruises," said Xavier.
"What was happening to him?" asked Sam.
"Yeah, what WAS happening to me in there?" They turned to see that Glen was sitting up now.
"First, allow me to introduce myself," said Xavier. "I am Professor Charles Xavier, and this is my associate, Ororo Munroe," he said, indicating the woman with the white hair. "I believe you already know Scott and Jean. As for what has just happened, I think it would be better if you come with us to my Institute. I can better explain it there,"
"What about me?" said Sam. "Can I come too?"
Xavier and the others exchanged awkward glances. "That may not be the best idea,"
"No, let him come along, please," said Glen. "He's my friend. Whatever you have to say to me, you can say it to the both of us,"
"Very well," said Xavier after a pause. "First, we're going to get you some medical attention. You look like you've seen quite a bit of trouble,"
"You don't know the half of it," muttered Glen. He took Sam's hand and rose to his feet, and the 6 of them walked back to the car. Sam and Glen walked hand in hand the whole way.
As they rode back, Xavier glanced back at Glen and Sam, who were sitting in the back of the car. They held each other in a firm embrace, their foreheads touching. Glen had reassured Sam that he was all right, despite the beating he had received from his stepfather and the subsequent ordeal he had just endured. They held each other in silence as the car drove on.
"What are we going to do about the other boy?" asked Scott. "Should we risk telling him?"
"We may not have a choice in the matter," replied Xavier. "Their friendship could make them inseparable,"
"They're more than friends, Professor," said Scott, not wanting to say the word "gay".
"Yes, Scott, I can see that, whether you wish to say it out loud or not. They're obviously very close," he said, throwing another glance at the two boys sitting in the back of the car. "In the end, I think we can trust the both of them. Now, what about you?"
"What about me, Professor?" Scott said, taken aback.
"You clearly have some hesitance towards Glen," said Xavier. "Did something happen between you in the past?"
"Well, I found out something," Scott said, beginning to blush. "I found out that he had a crush on me last year,"
"I see," said Xavier. "Well, I can understand your internalized homophobia, Scott. But you must realize that that episode is in the past, and that Glen needs our help, YOUR help, here and now. I know that Glen's homosexuality may make you uncomfortable, but it's something you're going to have to accept. I think that having him as one of us can help you work out your own feelings,"
"Maybe you're right," said Scott, looking at the two boys uncertainly. He felt Jean playfully elbow him in the ribs.
"And if nothing else, it should definitely help with your fashion sense. And your dancing," Jean said with a smirk on her face.
"WHAT?"
Jean swore that if Scott hadn't been wearing his red glasses at that moment, she would have been able to see his eyes pop out of his head.
Warning: Mild Scott-bashing Ahead
Glen struggled to shake off the lights that swarmed around his body like bees. Despite his efforts, they continued to cover him. He could feel himself getting more and more exhausted as he struggled. At one point, he was completely covered in the lights from the neck down, and he felt himself going light-headed. He saw the sky around him start to change, real colors bleeding into the electric atmosphere. He also caught a glance of 3 shapes at the opening of the alley, but he was unable to make out any further details. He franticly shook the lights off again, and the colors faded away, the sky resuming its prior purple hue. The lights, defeated, began to circle above him, and he heard them giving off a low, faint humming noise. He collapsed to his knees, out of breath from struggling against the lights and still trying to figure out what was going on.
"Who are you," asked Jean.
"I'm Sam. I'm Glen's friend," Sam said. "Why are you looking for him?"
"He's, um," Scott stammered, unsure what to say. Jean picked up. "We saw him almost get by that truck, and we saw him run over here,"
"So he DID make it!" Sam yelled in joy. "But where is he now? I don't see him anywhere,"
At that moment, a car pulled up alongside the three. Sam saw the woman, a tall, dark-skinned woman with white hair, get out, and walk to the other side of the car and open the door. A man in a wheelchair rolled out from the vehicle. Scott and Jean ran up to him.
"Professor, at last!" said Scott. "This is as far as we've been able to follow him. He's vanished or something. Maybe that's his power, he can turn himself invisible,"
"I don't think that's the case, Scott. Cerebro described Glen's powers as temporal in nature,"
"Temporal? You mean time travel and stuff?" asked Scott.
"Essentially, but not quite as extensive as you make it out. Now Jean, you had mentioned another problem?"
"Yes Professor. We've been seen." Jean said, nodding towards Sam.
Glen saw 2 more figures join the 3 he had seen earlier. Still gasping for air, he tried to rise, to go towards them. The lights, which had been hovering idly above him, suddenly swarmed around him again, their humming increasing to a higher pitch. As they did, the figures Glen was seeing became more in focus for a split second. It was just long enough for him to recognize one face in the crowd.
"What should we do about him?" asked Scott.
"The safest thing might be to just ask him to go home," said Storm.
"He said he was Glen's friend, and he recognized me. Maybe we should let him stay. I think he and Glen are, well, close," said Jean.
"Agreed," said Xavier. "Right now our priority lies with rescuing Glen. We can decide what to do with this boy afterwards,"
Sam looked back towards the alley while the other 4 were talking. For a moment, he saw nothing. Then, as he looked closer, he saw a faint image of a person , a very familiar person. "Glen?" The figure looked up at him, as if he had heard him. Sam could just barely make out small objects flickering around Glen's body that looked almost like fireflies. "Glen!" Sam shouted. The others looked up from their huddle. "Look, it's him!" Sam shouted, pointing at the alley. He looked back, but Glen was gone again.
"I don't think I saw anything," Scott said.
"I did, for a split second," said Jean.
"Jean, we must reach out to him," said Xavier. "Focus your mind," They both closed their eyes and began concentrating. 'Glen, hear us,"
Glen heard 2 voices cutting through the whine of the lights, a man's and a girl's. "Glen, hear us," "I hear you!" he yelled back. "What's happening to me?"
"I heard him, Professor," said Jean.
"So did I, Jean. Keep focusing!" replied Xavier. "Glen, focus on the sound of our voices. Try and block everything else out,"
Glen tried to make himself relax, to focus on the voices he was hearing. As he did, the lights increased their attacks. "I can't! There's too many of them!"
"Glen, you MUST focus on us! Ignore the lights and listen to the sound of our voices!"
"I can't! These things are, nnghh, hurting me!" Glen groaned.
"We can't keep this up," said Xavier. "If this goes on much longer, we could lose him!"
Sam heard what they were saying, although he couldn't fully grasp the meaning of the words. But he understood the phrase, "lose him" fully enough. He felt another tear well up in his eyes. Could Glen have avoided death moments ago only to be lost to some unknown force? "Glen!" he screamed out, desperately.
Glen had backed himself to a corner, trying to get away from the lights. He didn't care about what the voices he had heard were saying, he just wanted to keep the lights off of him.
"Glen!" A new voice cut through the noise, one he recognized instantly. Glen strained to focus on the voice, and it resounded again, louder this time. "GLEN!" Glen took a tentative step forward. "Sam!" he cried out. He took another step, ignoring the lights as they swarmed in again, screaming.
"There! I see him!" Sam shouted again. This time, the entire group could see Glen's faint image in the alley, the lights swarming around him. "Glen, please come back to us!" Sam cried out.
Glen heard Sam's plea, thinking back to the kiss they had shared earlier, how much joy he had felt in that one moment. He recalled the song that had been playing, the choir with the saxophone playing in the background. He could almost hear its haunting strains again. He longed to be able to experience that moment again, just one more time. A wave of determination rippled through his body. "I don't care what these lights do to me," he thought. "I'm going to see Sam one more time!" He steeled himself, and then took off in a run. The lights took off after him, and this time they swarmed over every inch of his body. Glen shouted, feeling them closing in on him, seeing the world go very bright one more time. And then he was through.
"Look, here he comes!" cried Sam. They watched as Glen ran towards them, his image growing fuller and brighter with each stride he took. There was another flash of light, and suddenly Glen was there in front of them. He staggered forward and collapsed onto the sidewalk, a few wisps of light and color emanating from his body.
Sam ran up to his friend's side, throwing his arms around his body. "Glen, please get up!" The others joined him. "Please, move back and let us examine him," said Xavier. Sam grudgingly moved aside but stayed where he could see Glen. "Is he ok?" "He is still alive, and unhurt except for a few bruises," said Xavier.
"What was happening to him?" asked Sam.
"Yeah, what WAS happening to me in there?" They turned to see that Glen was sitting up now.
"First, allow me to introduce myself," said Xavier. "I am Professor Charles Xavier, and this is my associate, Ororo Munroe," he said, indicating the woman with the white hair. "I believe you already know Scott and Jean. As for what has just happened, I think it would be better if you come with us to my Institute. I can better explain it there,"
"What about me?" said Sam. "Can I come too?"
Xavier and the others exchanged awkward glances. "That may not be the best idea,"
"No, let him come along, please," said Glen. "He's my friend. Whatever you have to say to me, you can say it to the both of us,"
"Very well," said Xavier after a pause. "First, we're going to get you some medical attention. You look like you've seen quite a bit of trouble,"
"You don't know the half of it," muttered Glen. He took Sam's hand and rose to his feet, and the 6 of them walked back to the car. Sam and Glen walked hand in hand the whole way.
As they rode back, Xavier glanced back at Glen and Sam, who were sitting in the back of the car. They held each other in a firm embrace, their foreheads touching. Glen had reassured Sam that he was all right, despite the beating he had received from his stepfather and the subsequent ordeal he had just endured. They held each other in silence as the car drove on.
"What are we going to do about the other boy?" asked Scott. "Should we risk telling him?"
"We may not have a choice in the matter," replied Xavier. "Their friendship could make them inseparable,"
"They're more than friends, Professor," said Scott, not wanting to say the word "gay".
"Yes, Scott, I can see that, whether you wish to say it out loud or not. They're obviously very close," he said, throwing another glance at the two boys sitting in the back of the car. "In the end, I think we can trust the both of them. Now, what about you?"
"What about me, Professor?" Scott said, taken aback.
"You clearly have some hesitance towards Glen," said Xavier. "Did something happen between you in the past?"
"Well, I found out something," Scott said, beginning to blush. "I found out that he had a crush on me last year,"
"I see," said Xavier. "Well, I can understand your internalized homophobia, Scott. But you must realize that that episode is in the past, and that Glen needs our help, YOUR help, here and now. I know that Glen's homosexuality may make you uncomfortable, but it's something you're going to have to accept. I think that having him as one of us can help you work out your own feelings,"
"Maybe you're right," said Scott, looking at the two boys uncertainly. He felt Jean playfully elbow him in the ribs.
"And if nothing else, it should definitely help with your fashion sense. And your dancing," Jean said with a smirk on her face.
"WHAT?"
Jean swore that if Scott hadn't been wearing his red glasses at that moment, she would have been able to see his eyes pop out of his head.
