The Politics of Mutancy
Chapter Four - Clarification
The problem with teleportation was that you were never 100% certain of where'd you wind up. Oh, if you knew what you were doing then there was something like a 99% chance you'd wind up where you wanted to go, but there was always that niggling 1% that was testament to the fact that you could be aiming for Milan and wind up in Butthole, Nebraska. It was this 1%, to Clarice Ferguson, that always made teleportation somewhat disorienting.
One second she'd been moving on body-memory, beating what she saw as a potential threat to Jonothon's personage. The next a demon appeared in a cloud of smoke, said hello, and grabbed her.
Now she was standing by a large black plane of some kind, and the demon was jumping away, grinning a little. He had very pointy teeth.
"Clarice."
Whatever she'd been planning to do (kick to the head, 'port back to Jono) fled her mind as soon as she heard that voice. It was the same voice as in her dream.
"Xavier?" she asked, tentatively.
There was a man in a wheelchair beside the plane. A blanket covered his legs, although Clarice didn't think he could feel the early morning chill in them. His eyes were kind.
"Yes. You called, I came."
Clarice felt like crying. "It's too late," she said. "Jono, he…"
Xavier shook his head. "Senator Hull and his wife are perfectly fine," he said. He indicated the demon standing next to him, who was staring at Clarice and still smiling. "Kurt here teleported them to safety before the blast."
"Thank you," Clarice said to Kurt. His tail whipsawed back and forth.
"Ja, is nothing," he muttered.
"Clarice," Xavier said. "I want to offer you the chance to escape all this. Come with us. I can give you save haven and you won't ever have to do anything you don't wish."
Clarice shifted uncomfortably. "But, Erik…"
"Erik is not a bad person," Xavier said softly. "But he is consumed with anger, and it will ultimately destroy him and those who associate with him. One day, God willing, he will understand." He sighed. "But for now, I ask that you think of yourself."
Clarice bit her lower lip. "I would come with you," she whispered. "But… I just can't right now. I'm so sorry. But there's Jonothon. If I leave he won't have anybody, and I'm afraid of what he'll do."
Xavier nodded slowly. "I understand. Very well. He took a simple white card from the inside of his jacket and held it out to her. "This is the number for my Institute. If you ever change you mind… just call. We can protect you."
Clarice nodded.
In the distance, unnatural light flared. The Professor winced a little.
*We're leaving. Now.* The telepathic voice was
The Professor's widened and sought Clarice's. "Your friend," he said. "That energy, it's building…"
Clarice's mouth fell open. "Oh no," she whispered. "Thank you Professor." She vanished.
"Kurt!" The Professor said. "That boy doesn't know his own strength. It's a very great possibility his mutant powers will spiral out of control, killing himself and all of us…"
Kurt bamfed.
* * *
It all happened quickly. Sequentially, it went like this:
Clarice teleported to the Senator's bedroom, where Pyro was just regaining consciousness.
At the same time, Kurt appeared beside Rogue. Rogue ran for the Scarlet Witch, gloves off.
Clarice teleported Pyro back to their escape pods then returned to the Senator's lawn.
Rogue attacked, rendering Chamber's mutant powers null and void.
Clarice didn't know what was happening, but she saw that Remy and Pitor were both absent so she assumed they were safe. Then Jonothon pitched forward, blank and hollow. The psionic fire of his chest had been doused, and Clarice knew exactly what that meant.
She screamed and teleported both him and herself away as fast as she could.
Rogue turned, her mind a blur of angry images. She raised her hands, ready to attack anyone who moved. At that moment, Jean reached out telepathically and knocked the other girl unconscious.
Sirens wailed, and the X-Men fled.
* * *
The X-Jet.
"You didn't erase tonight from his memory?" Scott asked incredulously.
The Professor shook his head. "No. It is my hope that Hull will not focus on his attack tonight, but rather his rescue. I explained to him that not all mutants wish humans harm, and that we wish only to co-exist peacefully." Xavier sighed. "I cannot go around mind-wiping every person who might hurt us, Scott. Much as I'd like to, some days."
Scott nodded, tight-lipped and focusing on piloting the plane. "The girl?" he asked at last.
"She feels she can't abandon her friends. Especially the one referred to as 'Chamber.'"
"What WAS that?" Scott asked. "Jean said he gave her a headache."
"I'm not sure, Scott. But it would seem the boy is a psi of great potential." He shook his head. "And he's sided with Magneto."
In the back of the plane, Kurt Wagner was hovering near his 'sister'. The Scarlet Witch was awake, and she glanced over a few times before speaking.
"She touched me?"
"Ja."
"Oh." Wanda looked thoughtful. "Does that mean… does she have my memories?"
"Yeah," Rogue said groggily, her hand going to her head. Kurt smiled widely.
"Rogue! You're okay!"
"That's your opinion," she muttered. Wanda looked at her.
"I'm sorry. Nobody should have those memories inside them."
Rogue smiled a little. "It's okay. Ah knew what I was doing."
Wanda just looked at her silently.
* * *
"Sweet leaping Jesus," Pyro whispered.
Clarice had appeared at the same moment Remy and Piotr had come running up to the escape pods. She was hysterical, and half-supporting a very dead looking Englishman. It took St. John a moment to figure out what looked so different about the limey: he wasn't on fire anymore. Oh. In fact, you could just see the hollowed-out, scorched remains of his interior…
Jonothon Starsmore's curse was also the only thing keeping him alive. Not having a heart or lungs, the only thing that kept him from falling over and rotting was the psionic energy that was housed in his upper torso. The nullification of his mutant powers had caused the energy field to shut down, which was the exact equivalent of turning off someone's life-support.
However, upon leaving the influence of the Scarlet Witch's powers, it kicked back in again.
Jonothon came alive again with a jerk, a sudden burst of psionic flames, and a mental howl that sent shivers up St. John's spine. Pietro, who'd been standing closest, zipped out of the way in time to avoid being incinerated. Clarice gasped and dropped Jonothon so he thudded to the ground in an undignified mess of black leather.
"Jono?" she asked frantically. "Say something!"
*Bloody fuck,* he managed. Pain telepathically oozed out from around the words.
Remy grinned thinly. "He's fine enough to travel, chere," he told Clarice. "We have to move. Those sirens getting' closer." Clarice nodded and helped Jonothon into one of the metal spheres Magneto had left for their escape.
Xavier, Clarice thought in the stifling darkness of her sphere.
The Acolytes fled.
* * *
Elsewhere, where the only light was a flickering television set, a man picked up a ringing phone.
"Hello?
"Yes, yes I saw the news. Tried to kill Hull."
The television was muted. The air smelt faintly of obsession.
"A rally? Good idea. Uh-huh. Right. Okay."
The man smiled into the receiver.
"Yes, Mr. Creed. Goodnight."
* * *
End the Politics of Mutancy
Coming Soon... The Fallout. You thought things were bad BEFORE?