Chapter one
Logan watched on as the boy he tried to talk his way out of a fight. The gang had found him sleeping rough on their territory and they weren't very happy about it. He was out numbered and about to get a good kicking in by them. Logan decided it was time for him to intervene.
"Leave him alone" Logan appeared out of the shadows and walked towards them.
"Who's this FREAK? Your lover or another freak?" A skinny lad, draped in brand names and gold directed the question at the boy in front of him. He was equally bemused.
"Wrong and wrong again. I'm your worst nightmare, kid." Logan spat out the last word and allowed his adamantium claws to reveal themselves to the gang. The gang, waited for the skinny lad to make his decision. Nothing happened. Taking a quick and surprising agile side step Wolverine slashed through the metal of a trashcan a few feet from them. Anxious whispers arose from the gang and they strode past the boy and Wolverine, glancing at both in turn.
"You watch your back freak. We'll get you when you can't be saved by the bionic man" Was their passing comment. Once they had vacated the alley Logan turned to the boy, who was now packing up his tatty sleeping bag and small sports bag.
" I just saved your skin. Shouldn't you be thanking me." Logan addressed his back. He waited for him to turn around and face him.
"I was doing okay. I was managing. I don't need anyone's help, don't you know that I'm a mutant. Lock up your children! Close the shutters! The mutant's out!" The boy spat the words at him, his back still turned and his voice layered with hate and pain.
"Look, kid. I'm the same. A mutant. Let me help you." Logan reasoned like he had been told to.
"Why? " he finally turned around and looked at Logan "So you can jeer at me and laugh with your friends. No way." He started to leave the ally.
"Kid. I've been told to come and help you. I don't know why but I have. My boss can give you food and somewhere to sleep so you'll just have to trust me."
"Trust no one." He left the alleyway.
"Fine then." Logan spoke to him, but he knew he wasn't listening. He went towards his truck. Just as he was about to put the key in the lock a voice stopped him.
" The catch, what is it? There has to be one." The boy was behind him.
" From what I've been told all you've got to do is come with me."
"So your saying that if I come with you and meet your boss then you'll give me a bed and a meal" The boy replied.
"That's about it." Logan opened the door "Are you coming kid?" The 'kid' walked round and slung his sleeping bag in the back and took the small sports bag in the front with him.
"So kid, what ya called?" Logan started up the engine of his pick-up.
"Solar." The pick-up rolled down the street.
"Wolverine."
Chapter two
Solar woke up, the sun filtering through the gap in the curtains. Throwing the cover back he got up and headed for the bathroom. Flipping on the light he went over to the shower and turned it on. He tested the water and stepped in. As the hot water pounded on his skin, his thoughts wandered to last night. True to his word, Wolverine had given him a bed for the night and a decent meal plus the 411 on the situation, but he was unsure about meeting his boss, Xavier. This Xavier could be some sort of hormone driven killer for all he knew, but he had no intensions of finding out. Stepping out he grabbed a towel and went back into the bedroom. Drying himself he pulled on a pair of torn jeans, a dirty t-shirt and his one and only pair of trainers. He went to grab his bag, when he caught a glimpse of himself in a full-length mirror. It had been a long time since he had last had the chance to look at himself in the mirror.
The reflection that looked back at him was much older than his years. At only 16 he had lived on the street for two years now and was hardened to the world. His dark brown eyes let no emotions through and his skin was now a tanned colour from being exposed to the outside all day. His black hair was short and rough and stubble lay on his face. He was strangely handsome, but no one on the streets gave a damn about a homeless mutant.
Solar grabbed his bag and hooked it over his shoulder. Heading towards the door he grabbed the handle and twisted it. Opening the door he was faced by Jean.
"Going somewhere Solar? " She looked at him. She was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen and even though she was in her late twenties/early thirties- way older than him- he still felt attracted to her. Her hair was thick and silky and her lips perfectly formed. He felt his whole body tingle and an overwhelming urge to let his defences down and give into her but life on the streets had taught him better than to trust a pretty face. He felt the pain from before.
"No." His voice was clear and unemotional, but inside his head his mind was acting quickly. He held back his emotions. Not daring to speak any more than possible. He considered all the options.
"So what where you doing then?" Jean still questioned him, blocking the doorway while doing so. Her words filled his head like milk to the jug, yet still he held back. He felt there was something not quite right about her.
"Nothing."
"I believe that you have still to meet Dr. Xavier." She smiled at him.
"Well, that was the deal, but I'm hungry. Could I have something to eat." He thought about forcing out a please out, he decided against for reasons even unknown to himself.
"Sure. I'm Jean by the way." She smiled again and led him down to the mess hall. Solar happy to follow clutched his bag tighter and followed her like a puppy.
Chapter three
Solar wolfed down a breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, waffles and a bagel. He put he plate on the stack and turned to Jean. The hall was about a quarter full, the cafeteria had only just opened when they arrived, an influx was expected anytime soon.
"So what we gonna do now Miss.? He waited for her to fill in the blank.
"Gray."
"So, what are we going to now Miss Gray" He emphasised heavaliy on her surname.
" I was planning on taking you to see Dr. Xavier. If that's okay with you." Jean played his own sarcasm back at him and started to walk towards the exit. He followed her down a long corridor. It was filled with luxurious ornaments and chairs, thick carpets and rich coloured wall paper. They finally reached the end of the hallway. Two concealed doors slide away in front of them. Jean strolled into the office and Solar reluctantly followed her lead. Even though the Jean was leading the way he didn't want to see Xavier
The oval office was already filled with four people, one of them being Wolverine. Beside him sat a guy with a red visor covering his eyes and woman with white hair. The three obviously knew each other and talked amongst themselves. At the desk sat a bald man in his late 40's, he was smartly dressed and in wheelchair. When Solar entered he wheeled himself round, and the room fell silent. All the eye's where on him.
"Ah, you must be Solar," Xavier spoke first, breaking the spell of silence that had befallen on the group. " I am Dr. Charles Xavier, and this is my school for the gifted, mutants." Solar interrupted his speech.
"Ya, point mister, cos I could be doin' other things. You, know I have a life." Solar fidgeted and fiddled with the strap on his bag in impatience. He could feel the other's tension, they wanted to be here just as much as he did.
" I am under good faith that you are mutant of incredible power, but before I continue may I introduce you to my friends and colleges. This is Logan, but I believe you know him a Wolverine, to his left is Scott Summers or Cyclopes. Next to Scott is Ororo Munroe or Storm. Jean Gray you also know. " Xavier explained to him before continuing " I would ask you to show me you powers."
"What's in it for me? " Solar had been on the streets too long to know that you don't do anything for free and he didn't like this Xavier.
Wolverine stepped in " Look kid, we've held up to everything we said we would, and we ain't done nothing we said we wouldn't. " Solar paused to think about it, he had a point.
"Okay then." He looked around "But I can, and will leave whenever I want." Xavier nodded in agreement. "Right then there's a couple but I can't really control all of them. Firstly, I can draw power from light. It's like food, ya know. I sap it. It can heal me. All sorts of weird stuff, but hey, that's another story." He paused, still unsure whether to go on or not. "But I can't control that and I have to eat normal food as well. It just sorta kicks in when I need it. It's like my 6th sense. That's probably the most powerful. I ain't called Solar for nuthin'. Then I got this cool thing I can do with my eyes." He stopped talking again, trying to gauge their reactions.
"Could you show us? If it's not to much trouble." Xavier asked. His politeness annoyed Solar beyond no end.
"I was getting to that bit." Was the hasty reply Solar gave. He's cocky though Xavier, still not knowing after all these years whether that was a curse or gift. He tried to read the vibes coming off him, but he had a mental block up and all he could read was that he was suspicious of everyone in here and the establishment. He returned his attention to Solar's physical form, homing in on his eyes. Solar seemed to focus himself and stared at the vase in the window, just past Storm's head. All of a sudden the lilies in the vase caught fire, and then stopped again, slightly singed and smoking. All of the X-men including Xavier seemed in awe.
"I've never seen anything like it." Jean was the first to speak. " Do you have any other powers Solar? " her head buzzed with what see had just seen. She only knew one other person who could do anything remotely similar to that, and that was Scott, yet it was totally different to his power. She was slightly confused yet was anticipating trying to solve the puzzle of Solar once the meeting had finished.
"I've got one more." Solar closed his eyes and his body relaxed. For about 30 seconds he stayed like that, standing up, relaxed and limp, all eyes on him. His body, suddenly shimmered and another figure appeared to the left of him. The second figure was transparent and flickering in the light, the X-men could see the original Dali behind him. The image was identical to the loose body of Solar and the ghost like person opened his mouth to speak
-Hey, how ya doin- the person, spoke and then flickered. He flickered again and then disappeared. As if on cue, Solar slumped to floor unconscious, still unsure why he had showed them this. As he hit the floor, Xavier barked out two quick commands.
"Med. Now." Everyone reacted to Xavier and within minutes Solar was in the med bay with Jean taking his vitals.
Chapter Four
"So what happened to him?" Logan spoke to Jean, running his eyes over the unconscious Solar
"I don't know to be honest. From what I understand, when he astro- projected, if that's what it was, the strain of it knocked him out. I'll understand more when he wakes up and I can talk to him." It had been little under 10 minutes since Solar's 'performance' and Xavier, Scott and Ororo had left, deciding that they were no longer needed. Logan had stayed, he didn't know why but he felt responsible for him even though he knew he could cope with out him.
"So this astro-thingie. Is he serious?"
"As serious as you or me." Jean hadn't given a second thought about his quality as a mutant. She had a feeling this was only the tip of the iceberg called Solar. She knew the Professor was expecting great things from him but she had the feeling that his new prodigy was a wild fire and that they could all get burnt. She looked at him, in some way hoping that her looks could rouse him from his unconscious state.
"So, what you gonna say to him when he wakes up? 'Hey loved your little party trick, want to tell me all about it?' " Logan didn't doubt her ability, but he couldn't see how she was going to approach this one.
"I've not figured that bit out yet, but I'm sure I'll find a way. Hopefully, he'll wake up soon."
"Ain't you got a wake-me-up-quick jag you can give 'im. I mean you sure do like injecting shit into me." Logan commented, cheekily glancing between Jean and Solar.
"I don't think I should. I don't know if he's allergic to certain drugs. And some 'safe' drugs can be lethal for mutants. It would be too risky" The doctor started to make notes on the file she was beginning to compose for Solar, the same file she had composed for every other person, including the Professor, in the school. "Anyway, haven't you got anything better you could be doing with your time?" he was a distraction, a nice distraction, but a distraction none the less.
Logan watched on as the boy he tried to talk his way out of a fight. The gang had found him sleeping rough on their territory and they weren't very happy about it. He was out numbered and about to get a good kicking in by them. Logan decided it was time for him to intervene.
"Leave him alone" Logan appeared out of the shadows and walked towards them.
"Who's this FREAK? Your lover or another freak?" A skinny lad, draped in brand names and gold directed the question at the boy in front of him. He was equally bemused.
"Wrong and wrong again. I'm your worst nightmare, kid." Logan spat out the last word and allowed his adamantium claws to reveal themselves to the gang. The gang, waited for the skinny lad to make his decision. Nothing happened. Taking a quick and surprising agile side step Wolverine slashed through the metal of a trashcan a few feet from them. Anxious whispers arose from the gang and they strode past the boy and Wolverine, glancing at both in turn.
"You watch your back freak. We'll get you when you can't be saved by the bionic man" Was their passing comment. Once they had vacated the alley Logan turned to the boy, who was now packing up his tatty sleeping bag and small sports bag.
" I just saved your skin. Shouldn't you be thanking me." Logan addressed his back. He waited for him to turn around and face him.
"I was doing okay. I was managing. I don't need anyone's help, don't you know that I'm a mutant. Lock up your children! Close the shutters! The mutant's out!" The boy spat the words at him, his back still turned and his voice layered with hate and pain.
"Look, kid. I'm the same. A mutant. Let me help you." Logan reasoned like he had been told to.
"Why? " he finally turned around and looked at Logan "So you can jeer at me and laugh with your friends. No way." He started to leave the ally.
"Kid. I've been told to come and help you. I don't know why but I have. My boss can give you food and somewhere to sleep so you'll just have to trust me."
"Trust no one." He left the alleyway.
"Fine then." Logan spoke to him, but he knew he wasn't listening. He went towards his truck. Just as he was about to put the key in the lock a voice stopped him.
" The catch, what is it? There has to be one." The boy was behind him.
" From what I've been told all you've got to do is come with me."
"So your saying that if I come with you and meet your boss then you'll give me a bed and a meal" The boy replied.
"That's about it." Logan opened the door "Are you coming kid?" The 'kid' walked round and slung his sleeping bag in the back and took the small sports bag in the front with him.
"So kid, what ya called?" Logan started up the engine of his pick-up.
"Solar." The pick-up rolled down the street.
"Wolverine."
Chapter two
Solar woke up, the sun filtering through the gap in the curtains. Throwing the cover back he got up and headed for the bathroom. Flipping on the light he went over to the shower and turned it on. He tested the water and stepped in. As the hot water pounded on his skin, his thoughts wandered to last night. True to his word, Wolverine had given him a bed for the night and a decent meal plus the 411 on the situation, but he was unsure about meeting his boss, Xavier. This Xavier could be some sort of hormone driven killer for all he knew, but he had no intensions of finding out. Stepping out he grabbed a towel and went back into the bedroom. Drying himself he pulled on a pair of torn jeans, a dirty t-shirt and his one and only pair of trainers. He went to grab his bag, when he caught a glimpse of himself in a full-length mirror. It had been a long time since he had last had the chance to look at himself in the mirror.
The reflection that looked back at him was much older than his years. At only 16 he had lived on the street for two years now and was hardened to the world. His dark brown eyes let no emotions through and his skin was now a tanned colour from being exposed to the outside all day. His black hair was short and rough and stubble lay on his face. He was strangely handsome, but no one on the streets gave a damn about a homeless mutant.
Solar grabbed his bag and hooked it over his shoulder. Heading towards the door he grabbed the handle and twisted it. Opening the door he was faced by Jean.
"Going somewhere Solar? " She looked at him. She was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen and even though she was in her late twenties/early thirties- way older than him- he still felt attracted to her. Her hair was thick and silky and her lips perfectly formed. He felt his whole body tingle and an overwhelming urge to let his defences down and give into her but life on the streets had taught him better than to trust a pretty face. He felt the pain from before.
"No." His voice was clear and unemotional, but inside his head his mind was acting quickly. He held back his emotions. Not daring to speak any more than possible. He considered all the options.
"So what where you doing then?" Jean still questioned him, blocking the doorway while doing so. Her words filled his head like milk to the jug, yet still he held back. He felt there was something not quite right about her.
"Nothing."
"I believe that you have still to meet Dr. Xavier." She smiled at him.
"Well, that was the deal, but I'm hungry. Could I have something to eat." He thought about forcing out a please out, he decided against for reasons even unknown to himself.
"Sure. I'm Jean by the way." She smiled again and led him down to the mess hall. Solar happy to follow clutched his bag tighter and followed her like a puppy.
Chapter three
Solar wolfed down a breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, waffles and a bagel. He put he plate on the stack and turned to Jean. The hall was about a quarter full, the cafeteria had only just opened when they arrived, an influx was expected anytime soon.
"So what we gonna do now Miss.? He waited for her to fill in the blank.
"Gray."
"So, what are we going to now Miss Gray" He emphasised heavaliy on her surname.
" I was planning on taking you to see Dr. Xavier. If that's okay with you." Jean played his own sarcasm back at him and started to walk towards the exit. He followed her down a long corridor. It was filled with luxurious ornaments and chairs, thick carpets and rich coloured wall paper. They finally reached the end of the hallway. Two concealed doors slide away in front of them. Jean strolled into the office and Solar reluctantly followed her lead. Even though the Jean was leading the way he didn't want to see Xavier
The oval office was already filled with four people, one of them being Wolverine. Beside him sat a guy with a red visor covering his eyes and woman with white hair. The three obviously knew each other and talked amongst themselves. At the desk sat a bald man in his late 40's, he was smartly dressed and in wheelchair. When Solar entered he wheeled himself round, and the room fell silent. All the eye's where on him.
"Ah, you must be Solar," Xavier spoke first, breaking the spell of silence that had befallen on the group. " I am Dr. Charles Xavier, and this is my school for the gifted, mutants." Solar interrupted his speech.
"Ya, point mister, cos I could be doin' other things. You, know I have a life." Solar fidgeted and fiddled with the strap on his bag in impatience. He could feel the other's tension, they wanted to be here just as much as he did.
" I am under good faith that you are mutant of incredible power, but before I continue may I introduce you to my friends and colleges. This is Logan, but I believe you know him a Wolverine, to his left is Scott Summers or Cyclopes. Next to Scott is Ororo Munroe or Storm. Jean Gray you also know. " Xavier explained to him before continuing " I would ask you to show me you powers."
"What's in it for me? " Solar had been on the streets too long to know that you don't do anything for free and he didn't like this Xavier.
Wolverine stepped in " Look kid, we've held up to everything we said we would, and we ain't done nothing we said we wouldn't. " Solar paused to think about it, he had a point.
"Okay then." He looked around "But I can, and will leave whenever I want." Xavier nodded in agreement. "Right then there's a couple but I can't really control all of them. Firstly, I can draw power from light. It's like food, ya know. I sap it. It can heal me. All sorts of weird stuff, but hey, that's another story." He paused, still unsure whether to go on or not. "But I can't control that and I have to eat normal food as well. It just sorta kicks in when I need it. It's like my 6th sense. That's probably the most powerful. I ain't called Solar for nuthin'. Then I got this cool thing I can do with my eyes." He stopped talking again, trying to gauge their reactions.
"Could you show us? If it's not to much trouble." Xavier asked. His politeness annoyed Solar beyond no end.
"I was getting to that bit." Was the hasty reply Solar gave. He's cocky though Xavier, still not knowing after all these years whether that was a curse or gift. He tried to read the vibes coming off him, but he had a mental block up and all he could read was that he was suspicious of everyone in here and the establishment. He returned his attention to Solar's physical form, homing in on his eyes. Solar seemed to focus himself and stared at the vase in the window, just past Storm's head. All of a sudden the lilies in the vase caught fire, and then stopped again, slightly singed and smoking. All of the X-men including Xavier seemed in awe.
"I've never seen anything like it." Jean was the first to speak. " Do you have any other powers Solar? " her head buzzed with what see had just seen. She only knew one other person who could do anything remotely similar to that, and that was Scott, yet it was totally different to his power. She was slightly confused yet was anticipating trying to solve the puzzle of Solar once the meeting had finished.
"I've got one more." Solar closed his eyes and his body relaxed. For about 30 seconds he stayed like that, standing up, relaxed and limp, all eyes on him. His body, suddenly shimmered and another figure appeared to the left of him. The second figure was transparent and flickering in the light, the X-men could see the original Dali behind him. The image was identical to the loose body of Solar and the ghost like person opened his mouth to speak
-Hey, how ya doin- the person, spoke and then flickered. He flickered again and then disappeared. As if on cue, Solar slumped to floor unconscious, still unsure why he had showed them this. As he hit the floor, Xavier barked out two quick commands.
"Med. Now." Everyone reacted to Xavier and within minutes Solar was in the med bay with Jean taking his vitals.
Chapter Four
"So what happened to him?" Logan spoke to Jean, running his eyes over the unconscious Solar
"I don't know to be honest. From what I understand, when he astro- projected, if that's what it was, the strain of it knocked him out. I'll understand more when he wakes up and I can talk to him." It had been little under 10 minutes since Solar's 'performance' and Xavier, Scott and Ororo had left, deciding that they were no longer needed. Logan had stayed, he didn't know why but he felt responsible for him even though he knew he could cope with out him.
"So this astro-thingie. Is he serious?"
"As serious as you or me." Jean hadn't given a second thought about his quality as a mutant. She had a feeling this was only the tip of the iceberg called Solar. She knew the Professor was expecting great things from him but she had the feeling that his new prodigy was a wild fire and that they could all get burnt. She looked at him, in some way hoping that her looks could rouse him from his unconscious state.
"So, what you gonna say to him when he wakes up? 'Hey loved your little party trick, want to tell me all about it?' " Logan didn't doubt her ability, but he couldn't see how she was going to approach this one.
"I've not figured that bit out yet, but I'm sure I'll find a way. Hopefully, he'll wake up soon."
"Ain't you got a wake-me-up-quick jag you can give 'im. I mean you sure do like injecting shit into me." Logan commented, cheekily glancing between Jean and Solar.
"I don't think I should. I don't know if he's allergic to certain drugs. And some 'safe' drugs can be lethal for mutants. It would be too risky" The doctor started to make notes on the file she was beginning to compose for Solar, the same file she had composed for every other person, including the Professor, in the school. "Anyway, haven't you got anything better you could be doing with your time?" he was a distraction, a nice distraction, but a distraction none the less.