*We're going back to the Institute after we blew up their kitchen?* Skeptic
asked incredulously.
*Safe there.* Child replied.
*We're not safe anywhere.* Psycho said.
*That's my line!* Skeptic yelled. *Stop taking my damn lines!*
*Someone's a bit touchy.*
*Well, you don't hear me shouting I want to kill everyone like a lunatic, do you?*
*That's psycho to you buster!*
*SHUT UP ALL OF YOU!!!!!* Normal finally roared, visibly having to struggle. *You're givin' me a fuckin' headache and I'm tired of it!*
"There you are! I was worried you had gotten lost."
Brody looked up into the tree beside him and jumped slightly to see Kurt grinning down at him, white fangs practically glowing in the dark. He smiled slightly in return and stepped back as Kurt dropped to the ground beside him.
"Not lost. I found a few old friends, made some new friends too, I think." Brody replied. "I did have time to think about what I wanted to do."
"And?"
"I think I would like to stay at the Institute. I need to learn control of my powers...and...other things."
"Ausgezeichnet." Kurt said excitedly.
"Ja. Gehen Sie ins Heim?"
Kurt looked at the smaller mutant in surprise. "You speak German?"
"Yeah, that's the one thing they did for us mutants. Gave us books to read. I taught myself German." Brody explained. Then a smirk crossed his face. "So when I called the guards Scheissekerl or Arschloch they had no clue I was calling the shitheads and assholes."
Kurt and Brody talked the whole way back to the Institute, going on and on in German. Kurt was finally happy to have someone who could understand more than just the basic German. He was also enjoying the flight as he was holding onto Brody's shoulders as the mutant flew them both back to the Institute.
"I'm still hungry." Brody said, speaking English for the first time in ten minutes.
"The leftovers are still waiting. They might be a little cold now but--."
"It's better than anything I ever had, that's for sure."
"You've really had it bad, huh?"
"Worse than you'll ever know."
When they got back to the Institute Kurt led Brody back to kitchen that had already been cleaned up, except for the charred ceiling. No one else was in there and a bowl of macaroni and cheese was sitting on the table waiting for someone to eat it. Without a second thought Brody leapt into one of the chairs and grabbed the waiting fork. His brow creased and he looked at Kurt.
"What's this for?" Brody questioned.
*Looks like it would make a great weapon.* Psycho spoke up.
"It's a fork." Kurt said, giving Brody a weird look. "Y'know, for eating."
Brody gave the metal piece of silverware an unimpressed look and placed it on the table. He then resorted to the more familiar ways of eating. He dug his claws into the bowl and ate whatever had been speared on there. This is the way he continued to eat the entire bowl, which he did in record speed. When he was done he looked up at Kurt and instantly felt embarrassed at the rather shocked and somewhat disgusted look on the other mutant's face.
"We're going to have to teach you how to use silverware." Kurt said with bit of a frown. He quickly shook his head and gave Brody a grin. "Come on I'll show you the rest of the mansion."
The next hour was spent showing Brody around the mansion as Kurt tried to get the black furred mutant to open up more. These efforts were undermined by the reactions of several of the New Mutants they came across. Ray had nearly zapped Brody, which would not have done much more than piss off the other electric mutant. Fortunately that crisis had been averted by a rather excited Jamie approaching Brody.
"Wow, can you fly?" Jamie had asked with wide eyes.
"Yes." Brody had confirmed with a small grin. He could read the young mutant's expression easily. "Maybe I'll take you for a flight sometime."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really."
They had then left an overly excited Jamie as they continued the tour. Finally they arrived in front of Professor Xavier's office. Kurt knocked and then opened the door. Inside they found Scott, Jean, Kitty, Rogue, and a dark skinned boy Brody hadn't met yet. All heads turned to look at Brody and Kurt as the two mutants entered the room.
"Welcome back Brody. We hoped you would return to us." Xavier said calmly.
Brody smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about the um....whatever that was I blew up. I've lived a sheltered life and I'm jumpy."
"It's quite alright. The microwave can be replace." The Professor said in return. "I was more concerned with something happening to you."
*Oh gag me. We've fallen in with a bunch of softhearted losers.* Psycho sneered.
*If I could gag you I would have done that years ago.* Normal snapped in reply.
"Now, have you met everyone?" Xavier questioned.
"He hasn't met me Professor." The dark skinned kid spoke up. He stood up and walked over to Brody and held out his hand. "I'm Evan."
Brody hesitated before taking Evan's hand and shaking it a few times. "I'm Brody, nice to meet you."
"You too."
"Well, now that you have met everyone and looked around would you like to talk, alone?" Xavier asked.
*Time to spill the beans and see how fast we can get kicked out of here.* Skeptic commented.
"No Professor, I...I have some things I think you all should know before you invite me to stay here." Brody said, his voice shaking just a little.
"We're listening." Scott encouraged.
Brody swallowed and momentarily considered how and what to tell them. He didn't really want to tell them about his multiple personalities or the hellhole he'd escaped from. However, if Kyran said those terrible people were coming then they would all need to be prepared and that meant telling them everything.
"First I need to explain that...that I have multiple personalities. My mutation causes these personalities to be more like separate people. I don't really know how to explain it. At first I had one, but now I have four other than the one I was born with. I'm not really sure how many I'll end up with. Could be one for every emotion I have." Brody explained nervously.
"That would explain why I feel more than one presence in your mind." Xavier said calmly. "However, I feel there's more you need to tell us."
Brody quickly looked around at the other kids in the room and was relieved to find no one looked disgusted or scared. He felt more relaxed to know the hard part was over. Explaining about the "hellhole" would be a lot easier.
"When I was a baby my parents...my parents were afraid of me. They sent me to a place I've come to call The Hellhole. It was...it was like some kind of...prison and testing facility for mutants. I was experimented on, treated like an animal, and forced to fight other mutants in some kind of tournament to find the strongest of us." Brody explained, his voice cracking at some points. "About a month ago one of the other mutants decided to escape and when she did so did the rest of us. I was with my two friends Kyran and Cody along with some others are we ran, but I got separated and I've been on my own for the past month."
There were a few moments of silence before Evan broke the silence. "That's messed up. I can't believe there's a place like that. Doesn't anyone know about it?"
"If they did would anyone object to someone imprisoning mutants?" Brody returned. "Anyway, the point of me telling you this is that Kyran says they're coming after us."
"How do you know you can trust Kyran. He is with the Brotherhood after all." Scott asked.
Brody shot him a fierce glare. "Kyran is like a brother to me. Are you insinuating he would lie to me?"
"No, well, it's just...he's been our enemy for the past month. It just makes his word hard to trust."
Xavier spoke up before Brody could reply. "I believe Kyran would have no reason to lie about this and if this is the truth then we should prepare for whatever is coming."
"I should leave." Brody said. "I've led them right here."
"No, if they already know you are here then they must have figured out we're all mutants by now. If you leave they'll still probably come here." Scott reasoned. "Your best bet is just to stay here and help us fight them when they come."
*Sentimental bullshit. If we run now we might be able to throw them off our trail.* Skeptic said.
*Run away?! From a fight? Bullshit, we can take whoever come after us.* Psycho argued.
*Besides, where would you have us run to?* Normal question. *I can't believe I just agreed with Psycho.*
*You're getting smarter.*
*That's not the way I see it.*
"You're right I guess." Brody consented.
"There's strength in numbers." Scott said.
"Let's hope."
*Safe there.* Child replied.
*We're not safe anywhere.* Psycho said.
*That's my line!* Skeptic yelled. *Stop taking my damn lines!*
*Someone's a bit touchy.*
*Well, you don't hear me shouting I want to kill everyone like a lunatic, do you?*
*That's psycho to you buster!*
*SHUT UP ALL OF YOU!!!!!* Normal finally roared, visibly having to struggle. *You're givin' me a fuckin' headache and I'm tired of it!*
"There you are! I was worried you had gotten lost."
Brody looked up into the tree beside him and jumped slightly to see Kurt grinning down at him, white fangs practically glowing in the dark. He smiled slightly in return and stepped back as Kurt dropped to the ground beside him.
"Not lost. I found a few old friends, made some new friends too, I think." Brody replied. "I did have time to think about what I wanted to do."
"And?"
"I think I would like to stay at the Institute. I need to learn control of my powers...and...other things."
"Ausgezeichnet." Kurt said excitedly.
"Ja. Gehen Sie ins Heim?"
Kurt looked at the smaller mutant in surprise. "You speak German?"
"Yeah, that's the one thing they did for us mutants. Gave us books to read. I taught myself German." Brody explained. Then a smirk crossed his face. "So when I called the guards Scheissekerl or Arschloch they had no clue I was calling the shitheads and assholes."
Kurt and Brody talked the whole way back to the Institute, going on and on in German. Kurt was finally happy to have someone who could understand more than just the basic German. He was also enjoying the flight as he was holding onto Brody's shoulders as the mutant flew them both back to the Institute.
"I'm still hungry." Brody said, speaking English for the first time in ten minutes.
"The leftovers are still waiting. They might be a little cold now but--."
"It's better than anything I ever had, that's for sure."
"You've really had it bad, huh?"
"Worse than you'll ever know."
When they got back to the Institute Kurt led Brody back to kitchen that had already been cleaned up, except for the charred ceiling. No one else was in there and a bowl of macaroni and cheese was sitting on the table waiting for someone to eat it. Without a second thought Brody leapt into one of the chairs and grabbed the waiting fork. His brow creased and he looked at Kurt.
"What's this for?" Brody questioned.
*Looks like it would make a great weapon.* Psycho spoke up.
"It's a fork." Kurt said, giving Brody a weird look. "Y'know, for eating."
Brody gave the metal piece of silverware an unimpressed look and placed it on the table. He then resorted to the more familiar ways of eating. He dug his claws into the bowl and ate whatever had been speared on there. This is the way he continued to eat the entire bowl, which he did in record speed. When he was done he looked up at Kurt and instantly felt embarrassed at the rather shocked and somewhat disgusted look on the other mutant's face.
"We're going to have to teach you how to use silverware." Kurt said with bit of a frown. He quickly shook his head and gave Brody a grin. "Come on I'll show you the rest of the mansion."
The next hour was spent showing Brody around the mansion as Kurt tried to get the black furred mutant to open up more. These efforts were undermined by the reactions of several of the New Mutants they came across. Ray had nearly zapped Brody, which would not have done much more than piss off the other electric mutant. Fortunately that crisis had been averted by a rather excited Jamie approaching Brody.
"Wow, can you fly?" Jamie had asked with wide eyes.
"Yes." Brody had confirmed with a small grin. He could read the young mutant's expression easily. "Maybe I'll take you for a flight sometime."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really."
They had then left an overly excited Jamie as they continued the tour. Finally they arrived in front of Professor Xavier's office. Kurt knocked and then opened the door. Inside they found Scott, Jean, Kitty, Rogue, and a dark skinned boy Brody hadn't met yet. All heads turned to look at Brody and Kurt as the two mutants entered the room.
"Welcome back Brody. We hoped you would return to us." Xavier said calmly.
Brody smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about the um....whatever that was I blew up. I've lived a sheltered life and I'm jumpy."
"It's quite alright. The microwave can be replace." The Professor said in return. "I was more concerned with something happening to you."
*Oh gag me. We've fallen in with a bunch of softhearted losers.* Psycho sneered.
*If I could gag you I would have done that years ago.* Normal snapped in reply.
"Now, have you met everyone?" Xavier questioned.
"He hasn't met me Professor." The dark skinned kid spoke up. He stood up and walked over to Brody and held out his hand. "I'm Evan."
Brody hesitated before taking Evan's hand and shaking it a few times. "I'm Brody, nice to meet you."
"You too."
"Well, now that you have met everyone and looked around would you like to talk, alone?" Xavier asked.
*Time to spill the beans and see how fast we can get kicked out of here.* Skeptic commented.
"No Professor, I...I have some things I think you all should know before you invite me to stay here." Brody said, his voice shaking just a little.
"We're listening." Scott encouraged.
Brody swallowed and momentarily considered how and what to tell them. He didn't really want to tell them about his multiple personalities or the hellhole he'd escaped from. However, if Kyran said those terrible people were coming then they would all need to be prepared and that meant telling them everything.
"First I need to explain that...that I have multiple personalities. My mutation causes these personalities to be more like separate people. I don't really know how to explain it. At first I had one, but now I have four other than the one I was born with. I'm not really sure how many I'll end up with. Could be one for every emotion I have." Brody explained nervously.
"That would explain why I feel more than one presence in your mind." Xavier said calmly. "However, I feel there's more you need to tell us."
Brody quickly looked around at the other kids in the room and was relieved to find no one looked disgusted or scared. He felt more relaxed to know the hard part was over. Explaining about the "hellhole" would be a lot easier.
"When I was a baby my parents...my parents were afraid of me. They sent me to a place I've come to call The Hellhole. It was...it was like some kind of...prison and testing facility for mutants. I was experimented on, treated like an animal, and forced to fight other mutants in some kind of tournament to find the strongest of us." Brody explained, his voice cracking at some points. "About a month ago one of the other mutants decided to escape and when she did so did the rest of us. I was with my two friends Kyran and Cody along with some others are we ran, but I got separated and I've been on my own for the past month."
There were a few moments of silence before Evan broke the silence. "That's messed up. I can't believe there's a place like that. Doesn't anyone know about it?"
"If they did would anyone object to someone imprisoning mutants?" Brody returned. "Anyway, the point of me telling you this is that Kyran says they're coming after us."
"How do you know you can trust Kyran. He is with the Brotherhood after all." Scott asked.
Brody shot him a fierce glare. "Kyran is like a brother to me. Are you insinuating he would lie to me?"
"No, well, it's just...he's been our enemy for the past month. It just makes his word hard to trust."
Xavier spoke up before Brody could reply. "I believe Kyran would have no reason to lie about this and if this is the truth then we should prepare for whatever is coming."
"I should leave." Brody said. "I've led them right here."
"No, if they already know you are here then they must have figured out we're all mutants by now. If you leave they'll still probably come here." Scott reasoned. "Your best bet is just to stay here and help us fight them when they come."
*Sentimental bullshit. If we run now we might be able to throw them off our trail.* Skeptic said.
*Run away?! From a fight? Bullshit, we can take whoever come after us.* Psycho argued.
*Besides, where would you have us run to?* Normal question. *I can't believe I just agreed with Psycho.*
*You're getting smarter.*
*That's not the way I see it.*
"You're right I guess." Brody consented.
"There's strength in numbers." Scott said.
"Let's hope."
