New York, Salem Center- Westchester County:

            Donovan Milady and Erin Doherty sit in Professor Charles Xavier's study early the next morning, waiting for the headmaster of Xavier's School for Gifted Children to arrive.  Erin is looking around, amazed at how down to earth the leader of a super heroic mutant team seemed to be.

            Charles Xavier enters the room, letting Ororo Munroe, a tall dark woman with flowing white hair, push his wheelchair for him.  Charles smiles amiably ay Donovan.  "A pleasure to see you, as usual, Miss Milady.  And you must be Miss Doherty.  Donovan briefed me of your reasons for being her earlier."

            Erin leans forward to shake the professor's hand, glancing at Donovan.  What did she tell him? she wonders.

            Nothing that I can discern as untrue from your thoughts, Miss Doherty, Xavier's words enter Erin's mind.  Erin's eyes widen.  She's never had anyone actually contact her telepathically without the aid of her powers.  Charles chuckles.  "Do not be alarmed.  I am a very powerful psychic and just wanted to put you at ease.  You have a friend you believe to be under Magneto's influence in the Brotherhood, from what I understand."

            "Well, we're not sure," Erin says hesitantly.  "Her being part of the Brotherhood just seems… unlikely.  You've probably heard what happened a few years ago."

            Charles nods.  "Three years ago, at a construction site in Boston, you and four other mutant teens… a band, if I remember correctly, were attacked by a group of very powerful mutants, acting on the behalf of an unknown employer bent on eradicating the weakest mutants in existence…"

            Erin takes a deep breath.  The memory is still difficult.  She remembers the "gig" they'd been offered at a pub near that construction site.  Once they arrived, they'd found that the building had been abandoned for quite some time.  It was then that the considerably vicious mutants had sprung their trap, nearly killing them in the collapsing building.  They'd crawled out of the rubble, weakened but determined to escape.

            Those mutants must have had background information because the first thing Blockbuster had done was crush Dave's right hand, the one he used to draw what he wanted to manipulate and use.  Erin had tried to hold back the villains but Arclight had smashed her head against the ground, knocking her unconscious and splitting her head open.

            Ian, Liz, and Kristi had tried to run for help.  Ian had tried to coax their enemies into sleeping but to no avail.  He had been captured and dragged through the rocks and broken glass to join Dave and Erin.

            Kristi and Liz had been surrounded by Scalphunter, Vertigo, Harpoon, and Riptide.  Liz tried to change shape to become Sabretooth but was unable to fool them when the real Sabretooth arrived.  He threw Liz to the side easily and grabbed Kristi.  Slowly, he dragged his claws into her neck and slide up to her ear, practically shaving her fur away.

            To save Kristi, Liz used her ability to mimic voices by disguising her voice as Sabretooth's while the others were distracted to shout that the cat had escaped.  Then, she morphed into Kristi and began to run.  Scalphunter caught her and started to try to slice the cat ears off when she had to change back, unable to concentrate through the pain.  Scalphunter just laughed and threw her aside.

            The sirens were what scared the mutant savages away finally and the teens were rushed to the hospital.  It was shortly after that when Kristi had left, having apparently been traumatized by the ordeal, though she hadn't spoken of it since.

            Erin blinks and fights back tears.  She still wakes up screaming from nightmares about it.  Donovan and Xavier are waiting patiently to compose herself.  She takes a deep breath.  "Well, after that, she kind of blamed us… we wanted to be in the public eye and she obviously is very… noticeable in a crowd.  She thinks they were drawn by her and it was our fault for making her that kind of bait…"

            "So, perhaps she joined the Brotherhood of her own accord?" Xavier asks.  He shakes her head.  "We don't provide rescues for those who do not wish to be rescued, Miss Doherty."

            Donovan stands up.  "How can you call that willing?  She obviously wasn't in her right mind when approached by Magneto's goons, sir!"

            "And what do you get out of this, Miss Milady?" Xavier asks.

            Donovan hesitates but figures keeping secrets from a psychic isn't exactly useful.  "Rogue's there again.  I have to get her back."

            "So you use these children to infiltrate the Brotherhood of Mutants so that you can retrieve the girl who left you?" Ororo finally says, crossing her arms.  "What happens if they get killed?  Who takes the blame?  The X-Men for letting you try such a ridiculous caper."

            "No, no, no," Donovan says.  "That's why I cam to you.  If you'll help me, we can totally shake up the Brotherhood's next plan before it even starts!  They kidnapped Dr. Agee, the guy who can cure mutations.  Why?  We can find out together, killing three birds with one stone!"

            Ororo shakes her head.  "You're as fanatical as Boost…"

            Donovan curls her lip.  "Its not fanatical to want to be with the girl I love, is it?  Is it wrong for them to want to be reunited with their friend?  Is it wrong to want to stop Magneto from attacking humanity again?"

            "It's wrong if you have ulterior motives," Ororo snaps.

            Donovan throws her hands in the air in frustration.  "Look, I don't mean to be like this but this is really important!  You KNOW the Brotherhood is planning something and I want to be a part of stopping it.  It just so happens that I can get Rogue and they can get their friend, too."

            "Hold on, you're using us to go after your ex-girlfriend who left you to be part of the Brotherhood?" Erin asks in disbelief.  She gets up.  "Sorry to be wasting your time, Professor.  My friends and I'll be going now."

            One moment, Miss Doherty, Xavier says telepathically.  "Miss Milady, I appreciate you coming to us before acting on your own, dragging innocent children into a potentially dangerous battle.  The Brotherhood and Magneto, however, are not to be trifled with.  I will allow you a small team to accompany you on your mission, though they are to return to me in a week's time, is that clear?"

            Donovan grins.  "That's more than enough time.  Thank you, Professor.  Thank you so much!"

            Donovan starts to leave.  Erin gets up to follow her but Xavier holds up a hand.  "If you'll remain here a few moments, Miss Doherty, I'd like to speak to you."

            Erin sits back down.  Ororo glances at the Professor, sighs, and walks out of the room.  Xavier pours himself a glance of water, using his telekinesis and offers Erin a glass.  Erin politely shakes her head and waits for him to be ready to speak.

            "Miss Donovan approached you yesterday with her proposal?" Xavier asks quietly.

            "Yes, sir," Erin replies.  "After recognizing Kristi on the security tape that was played on the news, she tracked us down to offer us a chance at getting her out of there."

            "You are very recognizable mutants, you are aware," Xavier says.  "You see, after your initial attack, you were in the media for weeks afterward.  Though you have stayed relatively low-key since then, the fact that anyone with a decent memory would be able to track you down easily remains."

            Erin looks down at her feet.  "Are you saying we're in danger?"

            Xavier nods.  "You have been fortunate that no anti-mutant bigot has attacked you yet, though I'd imagine part of that is Miss Milady's doing."

            "What's her deal, anyway?" Erin asks.  "She seems to know a lot about a lot of things…"

            "Her past is riddled with bad experiences.  Loved ones dying, being tortured for who she is, what she looks like.  She's made it her goal to make sure that it never happens to anyone else as long as she can help it.  She refused to join the X-Men several years ago, though, not believing in my dream of peaceful coexistence with homo sapiens.  She doesn't believe that humans or mutants are capable of giving the other species a break.  So she does what she can to defend both without our aid mostly," Xavier says,  sighing.  "She could easily infiltrate the Brotherhood and rescue Rogue and Miss Malone.  I agreed to help her because I want a close eye to be kept on her."

            Erin is confused.  "So, is she a good guy or a bad guy?"

            "She's 'her own guy' if there is any way to label her," Xavier answers.  "I fear that I cannot trust her motives, however, as she does not tie in to my team's goals."

            "So, why tell me this?" Erin asks.

            "You and your friends are quite formidable.  Your survival three years ago proves that, though you haven't had formal training with your powers, you have a good grasp of them already.  With the training I could provide you, you could be quite the X-Men."

            Erin's eyes widen.  "You'd… we could be X-Men?"

            "Let's see what happens after this mission and we'll discuss the matter further afterward," Xavier says.  He pulls open his door open with his mind.  "You might want to find your band mates and relay this information to them."

            Dave is sketching a picture of the X-Men's Playstation 2 when Erin walks in.  He sheepishly tries to hide the drawing behind his back but Erin lifts it away with her telekinesis.  She frowns at him disapprovingly.  "Copying a PS2 is almost as bad as stealing it, David."

            "Well, not really…" Dave starts but knows he can't win that argument.  He sighs and tears up the paper.  "How was the meeting?"

            "Interesting…" Erin says quietly.  "Where are Liz and Ian?"

            Dave shrugs.  "No idea.  I stopped paying attention when I saw the PS2…"

            Erin sighs.  "Great.  Let's go find them."

            "So, you can change into anyone you want?" Kitty Pryde, one of Xavier's brightest students, asks Liz eagerly.

            "Uh, yeah," Liz says shyly.  She's not used to anyone being awestruck by her power.  "Been doing it for a while, but… umm, I can't really control it."

            "Be me, be me, be me!" Kitty exclaims.

            Ian smiles and crosses his arms, leaning against the doorway to the X-Men's Rec- Room, where he, Liz, Kitty, Bobby Drake, and Remy LeBeau are hanging out.  He feels bad about leaving Dave alone but when the man starts to draw, there's no getting his attention.  He figures they can't get into too much trouble in a mansion surrounded by mutants that could beat the hell out of them if they stepped out of line.

            Liz changes shape, becoming the freckly faced, long brown haired young girl.  Kitty squeals excitedly.  "That's the coolest ever!  Be Gambit!  Be Gambit!"

            "That's my last trick of the day, sorry," Liz says, changing back.  "It still takes a bit out of me."

            "Awwww," Kitty whines.  She pouts and crosses her arms.

            Remy smiles warmly, his deep red eyes gazing at Liz approvingly.  "De femme don' wan' be me anyway, cherie," he says, his thick Cajun drawl hard to follow for the native Bostonians.  "I'm a bad seed, neh?"

            "Nah, just a filthy smoker," Bobby says, noticing the pack of cigarettes in Remy's duster pocket.

            Remy chuckles and picks the cigarettes out of his pocket and lights one up.  "Sure 'nough, homme.  You have no idea how filt'y," he winks at Liz.

            Ian raises an eyebrow.  "Uh, maybe we should go find Erin and Dave…"

            "Found you first, Ian," Dave says, smiling.  "Having a god time socializing with the super heroes?"

            "Psh, heroes," Bobby chuckles.  "Us?  Ask hundreds of humans everywhere and they'd link us with the Towers collapsing."

            "We need to talk, guys," Erin says.  Things are a bit weird around here.