Chapter Nine:

Trip to the Museum

"The early race of man known as Neanderthal was thought to have died out and been replaced with the more advanced Cro-Magnon man," Storm's voice carried to the very back of her group. "It was later believed that the two humanoids interbred to generate modern humans."

A boy in the very back wasn't paying much thought to Ororo. He looked to a little girl who was more intent on finishing her ice cream than paying attention to the exhibits. He smiled; she stuck her tongue out at him. He did the same to her, only his tongue was black and forked.

"Artie," Ororo snapped. "Not here."

"Why not," Artie asked. "Why should we have to hide? Why are we a threat to them?"

"Because we're different," Ororo explained.

"That's not a good reason," the boy said.

"It never is," Ororo said. "Were the Japanese a real danger after the bombing on Pearl Harbor? The Irish were hated for allegedly lowering labor conditions. Am I a threat because I'm black?"

Ruby Marx smacked her friend Carmen Turner lightly on the arm and jerked her head in a way that said: 'Let's ditch these kiddies and go find some action.' Carmen complied and slipped off with her friend as Ororo summed up her speech.

Jean's group was gathered around a fossilized skeleton labeled: Saber- toothed Tiger.

They were all talking about an incident a few months prior concerning a malevolent mutant called Sabretooth.

Jean could feel the tension growing. She began hearing the voices of the people around her inside her head. Her hand went to her temple to massage away the beginnings of a migraine.

Scott's set of students was not too far away watching a documentary on something along the lines of a naked mole rat.

His troublesome twosome, Fallon Vassar and Cameron Elva, were discussing how silly it was that they had come to the Smithsonian to learn something they could have by just turning on the Discovery Channel. That was when the picture went fuzzy.

The girls looked to Scott. Scott looked to Jean and walked to his fiancée.

He laid a hand on her shoulder. "Jean." She looked to him. He looked concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she assured. "My telepathy has been off lately."

"It's not just your telepathy," Scott said. He paused. "A month ago you had to concentrate to send a book across the room. Now when you have a nightmare the whole room shakes."

"My nightmares are getting worse Scott," she explained. "I feel like something terrible is going to happen."

Scott wrapped Jean in a tight embrace.

"I would never let anything happed to you," he assured her.

"Oh. . . isn't that just too sweet," chorused Ruby. What a way to spoil a moment. Scott cast her and her friends a harmless glare sort-of saying: 'Oh grow up.' Ruby smiled and shrugged as Scott began to look around.

"Where are Bobby, Marie, and John," he asked.

"Something's going on in the food court," Jean said thoughtfully.

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"Freezing to death is way worse than burning to death," Bobby said glaring at John who was flicking his lighter at regular intervals. Open, shut, open, shut.

"Have you ever burned to death man," he retorted.

"No," Bobby said. "But I know what happens when you freeze to death. First you start to shiver a little, your body is trying to stay warm."

"Come on guys," Rogue said. This was so not the point of escaping to the food court.

"Then the moisture in your lungs starts to freeze," Bobby continued. "So even breathing starts to hurt. By then you really start to shiver and your blood starts to crystallize."

"Stop," Marie demanded. "This is painful." That's when she noticed the two boys at the next table looking at her. One of them smiled at her, she smiled back, and he got up. Uh oh. . . so she smiled at a guy, that wasn't an invitation to come over.

"Hey," the boy said to her. "What's your name?"

"None of your business," said Bobby.

"I wasn't talking to you," he said.

"Yea he wasn't talking to you," repeated his friend.

Marie raised her eyebrows. "Rogue," she replied.

"Well," said the young man. "I'm Blade, and he's Slash."

"He man," Slash asked John. "Can I have a light?" John glared at him flicking his lighter. Open, close, open, close.

"Sorry, can't help you," he said.

"Stop showing off," snapped Bobby.

"Hey it's not my fault your girlfriend is getting excited," said John. Slash grabbed the lighter out of John's hand. John stood up, but Blade got in his way.

Slash lit his cigarette and blew the smoke in John's face. John almost laughed at his advantage.

The flame expanded and the young man's sleeve caught fire. He thrashed about in a panic, only managing to fuel the flames, before Bobby leapt up and sent a frost to his arm killing the flame. That's when everything went still.

"What did you do, Bobby," Marie asked in wonderment.

"I didn't do this," Bobby assured her.

"I did," replied a female voice. The three mutants turned to see Cameron, Carmen, Fallon, Katherine, Opal, and Ruby.

"Now come on," Ruby pressed. "Let's get out of here, before someone catches us."

"Too late," came the reply from the door. They all turned again: Professor X., Scott, Jean, and a group of students.

"Oh, hi Mr. Summers," Cameron said with a smile.

"You missed something," he said and jerked his thumb in the direction of the T.V.

Cameron smacked her forehead. "Dammit."

"Hey, for once, this had nothing to do with me," Ruby said. "Hey. Go figure."

"Next time you feel like showing off," said Professor Xavier. "Don't."

"The assassination attempt on the president was verified to be made by a mutant," said the newscaster on the unfrozen television screen. "More on this story at five."

"I think we'd better get out of here," Scott said nervously.

"I think you're right," said the professor. They all started to depart; as Carmen walked by Scott she gave him a light smack on the butt. He spun around, but she was already invisible.

"I swear-" He began under his breath.