Feral Bonds Chapter 7
Xavier's Institute for the Gifted
Kitty was dragged kicking and screaming back to consciousness by the incessant warble of her alarm. Groaning, she reached her hand out and phased it through the clock, reducing it to a sparking, smoking chunk of quiet plastic. Her huddled form was deathly still for a few more moments before she hurled her blanket across the room and vaulted to her feet. Growling at her roommates now empty bed, she took a quick shower and got dressed. She swore that Jubilee was going to regret trying to mess with her head.
Stalking down to the kitchen, she immediately noticed that most of the younger x-men were absent and she was getting a blank look from the Professor, Mr. Logan, and Ms. Munroe. Deciding that revenge would have to wait, at least until she ate, she filled her plate and started to eat. Feeling an almost scratchy feeling on the top of her head she looked up and noticed that not only was everyone not talking, they were all still looking at her. Knowing that they had probably found out about her reprogramming the security system to ignore her nighttime...ventures, she put on her most innocent face. "Like what's up with the silent treatment this morning?" Getting no response, she shrunk back in her chair and continued eating. Hearing the sound of feet thundering down the hallway, she glanced to the double doors. Her eyes widened when she saw Scott, Kurt, Evan, and Jubilee all suited up with dark looks on their faces.
Scott turned to her and stood stock still for a moment before striding over to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry Kitty, we'll have Alvers here in fifteen minutes tops. Then we can sit down and discuss this with the faculty."
Hearing Logan choke and start pounding his chest, she turned and saw the small smirk vanish like vapor. Turning back to Scott, she asked. "I totally have no idea what you are talking about Scott."
Scott was silent for a moment. "Jubilee told us this morning Kitty, it's nothing to be ashamed of. There will have to be some adjustments, but you are still an x-man."
Kitty snapped her eyes to the concerned face of Jubilee and narrowed. "What did you tell them Jubilee?"
Jubilee shifted her weight a few times before answering. "You know, about the thing we were talking about last night? I really didn't want to tell him, but we didn't know what to do and we figured that sitting you and Lance down would be the easiest way of working this out."
Kitty blinked. That sounded almost..logical. At least for something Jubilee said. Logical that is, if she had the faintest idea what the hell she was talking about. Deciding to just get this over with, she bluntly asked. "Jubilee, like what are you talking about?"
Scott took over from the 'yellow one'. "We all know about you and Alvers Kitty, it's not something that we could have seen happening, but we would have hoped that you would have used some sort of protection. As I said before, you are still an x-man, but we are going to have to take into account your pregnancy when we draw up team lists for missions. There will be changes, but we are all going to be here for you."
Kitty stared at Scott dumbly. Where the hell did they hear she was pregnant? And What did Lance have to do. Waving her arms in front of her face in denial, she phased through the chair and backed up. "WHAT? I am NOT pregnant. Like where the heck did you hear that Scott?"
Scoot turned to Jubilee, who opened her mouth to speak when the room was invaded by a most disturbing sound. Everyone looked at the source of the offending sound, their minds not believing what they saw.
Logan was laughing. Not chuckling, but a full blown, from the belly kind of laugh.
Even the Professor had a grin on his face. With what looked like a Herculean effort, his face regained the placidness that it's normal state. "Jubilation, Scott." Both teens snapped to attention. "I understand your actions and the rationale behind them, and I approve for the most part. You were honest trying to help Kitty through what would be a very trying event in her life. Unfortunately, you are both under a false impression. Kitty is not, and has never been pregnant. Jubilation, perhaps next time you overhear a portion of a conversation, you will put some thought into what you may not be hearing." He folded his hands under his nose and looked between the two mutants. "As you did this out of a sense of concern for Kitty's welfare, I will forgo extending your probation Jubilation." Looking over at Scott, "And as for you Scott, in circumstances that may crop up like this, make sure to come to me privately beforehand." Scott nodded. Xavier turned to Kitty, who was standing next to the wall with her eyes as wide as saucers. "Kitty, I will need to speak to you and Scott. Please come to my office after school."
Institute Isolation Chamber
Logan walked into the medlab. Taking a quick sniff, he headed for Beast. "Hey Blue. Anything new with the kid?"
Hank rolled his stool back from the centrifuge. Rubbing his eyes and dropping his glasses to the table, he twisted to face Logan. "Greetings Logan. Our slumbering guest seems to be at the pinnacle of health. Other than the adnamantium grafted to his skeletal structure, I would never suspect that any misfortune had befallen our guest." Grabbing a folder and flipping through it, he continued. "Although the method the deviants used to modify him was far different than yours."
Logan pulled out a cigar and started chewing on it. "Yea, like how?"
Hank snapped the x-rays into the reader and turned on the light. The films showed that the bones were not coated as Logan's were, but were wrapped like twine with thin strips of the metal. The close-up of the right wrist showed that the middle claw itself was missing, the rails and guides were there, but the blade itself wasn't. Wrapped around the neck and abdomen, what looked like a finely woven net was wrapped around the vital areas and anchored to bone.
Logan scowled. Pointing to the mesh, he asked. "Blue, what the hell is that? Is it adnamantium?"
Hank flipped through some more papers. "It certainly seems to be. It's actually quite ingenious. The mesh protects the vital areas from being punctured, similar to a chainmail hauberk. I would say that is why you returned with only minimal cleanup needed in the Blackbird."
A loud boom stole their attention. They both turned and watched the monitor to the Isolation chamber. The boy had apparently woken and was attacking the walls. Hank rushed to the intercom. "There is no need for distress, you are safe." The boys eyes snapped to the speaker embedded in the ceiling. "You are at Xavier's Institute for the Gifted. We rescued you from the experimentation facility you were incarcerated." The boy snapped all five claws out and crouched down, slowly scanning the white room. "No one here is going to hurt.." With that, the boy leapt straight up, swinging a claw at the speaker. Missing it by a good 16 inches. Hank stared. Turning to Logan, he said. "That was remarkable. He weighs over four hundred pounds with the metal implanted in him and he is still able to leap almost seven feet off the ground from a standstill. He must be immensely strong."
Logan narrowed his eyes. "Yea Blue, and I don't remember this place being exactly confining. I would be out of that room in just a few seconds." Looking around the room quickly, he continued. "You still have that tranquilizer gun around here?"
Hank stuck a foot under the desk and brought out a silver air-gun. "Always be prepared and you will never suffer from the unexpected." He stuck the pistol back under the desk.
Logan nodded. "And no one expects the Spanish Inquisition." Frowning, he fully turned to Hank. "And I got a bad feeling about this kid. Chuck was talking about the kid here not having a mind. That might cause some problems, so be careful Blue."
They both looked back at the monitor and the stalking form of the boy prowling around the room. Hank reached out and toggled the intercom again. Before he could open his mouth to speak, the boy had sprinted at a wall, jumping and ramming his claws into the metal walls, he hung for a split second on the wall, looking like an enraged spider, before vaulting off his perch. Sailing through the air, he jammed his claws into the speaker and twisted. The speaker exploded in sparks and fell silent. The boy slammed feet first into the bed, splintering the fragile medical bed beneath his weight. The boy crouched stock still for a moment before looking cautiously around the room.
Hank blinked once and needlessly flipped the intercom switch back to off. "Well, that was. unforeseen."
Logan reached under the desk and grabbed the air-gun. Dropping it on the desk, he spoke. "Keep that handy Blue. I don't think it's going to be long before he realizes that the walls of that room aren't made of adnamantium."
Hank quickly glanced at the air-gun, memorizing it's new resting spot. Swallowing, he spoke. "Of course Logan, I will endeavor to be as vigilant as possible."
Logan nodded once. "You get the files we stole yet? Chuck said something about you going over them."
Hank picked up a vanilla folder and handed it to Logan. "That's the printout. I haven't had time to go through it in any extensive fashion, but everything you retrieved is there. I will be busy here for the next few days, but feel free to come and consult me if you need assistance."
Logan spun on his heels and walked out of the medlab, tossing a "Yea" over his shoulder.
Bayville High School
Kitty jammed her History textbook into her locker. Ripping the English book out from underneath a stack of papers, she stepped back and slammed the door closed. Glaring at the door, she sifted her weight in preparation to slam her foot into it. A hand descended onto her shoulder. Spinning around, he came eye to eye with Lance.
Grinning, he leaned against the wall. "So Kittycat, I got tickets to the Screaming Divers concert on Saturday. How about you come on by my place around six and we'll go from there."
Kitty was speechless. Lance had just 'assumed' that she would be falling over herself to go to a concert with him. She didn't even 'like' the Divers. The..incident at breakfast came back to her in a rush. Everyone assumed she was 'pregnant' of all things, and that 'Lance' had to have had something to do with it. A red mist starting to haze her vision, she started to step towards Lance when Scott stuck his arm between them, blocking her from inflicting bodily harm.
Scott tossed her a look that clearly said 'Calm Down' and he turned to the now frowning Lance. "Alvers, Kitty isn't going anywhere with you, much less a concert. So just back off."
Lance started scowling. "Listen Summers, she can make her own decisions without your overbearing self poking your nose in where no one wants it."
Scott opened his mouth to fire a comeback when they both heard the locker behind Scott boom. Both their heads snapping around, they stared as Kitty threw them both a black glance and stalked off down the hall.
Lance glanced down and noticed the deep dent she had put into the locker door. Looking at the staring form of Scott, he spoke. "She's been kinda... testy lately hasn't she."
Scott blinked and shrugged. "You have no idea Alvers." Before walking down the hall to his next class.
Xavier's Office
Logan walked into Xavier's office and with a nod, sat down. "What do you want Chuck? I'm trying to dig through the mumbo-jumbo in this file." He waved the vanilla folder.
Xavier leaned back in his wheelchair. "I'm sorry Logan, but I felt that this was more important." He rolled around his desk and stopped in front of Logan. "Do you have any memories from before you woke up in the snow in Canada? I know you don't like to talk about this, but it's vital."
Logan scowled and his eyes glazed over. "Nah Chuck. It's like someone flipped a switch, nothing, then standing naked in the wilderness."
Xavier sighed in apparent relief. "That's the best news that I have come across yet."
Logan's eyebrow arched. "And?"
Xavier rolled back to his desk. "I believe that with Jean's help, I may be able to 'implant' a human personality into the boy. Language, social mores, those kinds of things. The minimum to allow him to function in the world."
Logan stood. "So you're just going to muddle in his mind a bit more eh Chuck. Seems like that's the last thing the kid needs."
Xavier closed his eyes for a moment. "I know your feeling on the subject Logan, but without this procedure, I fear that there is nothing we can do for the boy. He would have to remain in a cage for the rest of his life. He's too violent and has no compunctions about killing or destroying anything in his path. As of right now Logan, he's an animal. A vicious animal."
Logan growled. "Not necessarily Chuck."
Xavier sighed. "No Logan, it is necessary. Unlike you, he has nothing to fall back on, nothing to possibly pull himself out of this feral state. He will 'never' wake up from it. Either I do this, or he will need to be put in a cage. For everyone's protection."
Logan paced around the room for a few minutes. He finally stopped and stuck his cigar in his mouth. "Fine Chuck. Just don't screw up." And with that, he stormed out of the room, leaving Xavier staring into space.
Institute Kitchen, after school
Evan pulled a carton of Milk out of the industrial sized fridge and dropped it on the table. Sitting down, he started draining it. Hearing footsteps from the hallway, he glanced over and saw Kitty walk in.
Kitty dropped her backpack on the table with a thud and snagged an apple out of a hanging basket. Sitting down, she tore into the fruit, seemingly lost in thought.
Evan kept his eyes locked on Kitty. He'd noticed how she had changed the past few weeks and with his participation in the incident this morning, was in no mood to draw her attention to himself. Standing quietly, he grabbed the milk carton and put it back in the fridge.
Kitty was knocked back into the present when she heard the fridge door shut. realizing she wasn't alone, she turned and saw Evan cringing. "Oh, like hi Evan. Didn't see you come in."
Even couldn't decide if he would be exposing himself to another tirade if he responded or a chewing out if he just ignored her and left. Finally deciding that being minorly polite was the least likely to get him in trouble, sat back down at the table across from Kitty. "I just got some milk. I was planning to grab my board and head out."
Kitty just nodded and took another bite of the apple.
Inwardly fidgeting, Evan finally decided to bring up what happened this morning. "You know Kitty, I'm really sorry for this morning. I was just trying to help you out. It seemed like a good idea at the time."
Kitty sighed and threw the apple across the room into the garbage can. "That's ok Evan. I've just like had a ton of stuff happening to me lately. And then this came up. I just totally didn't have the patience to deal with it after we came back from Colorado."
Evan, relieved that she didn't blame him, continued. "It just kinda threw us for a loop. I knew that you and Lance were close, but him getting you pregnant just didn't seem like something you would do. So we figured we'd grab him and have a nice long chat."
Kitty frowned. "Like why does everyone think Lance would 'ever' have anything to do with.that. I don't even like him. He tries to be nice, but he's just a creep."
Evan nodded and started to respond when Xavier's mental voice boomed throughout the mansion. -X-men, get to the isolation room immediately.-
They both looked at each other for a second before springing up and running out of the kitchen.
Isolation Ward
Hank placed the next slide under the clamps on the microscopes tray. Adjusting the focus, he took a closer look at the blood sample. He noted the shape of the biconvex red blood cells and the unclassified masses of what appeared to be protein that formed the majority of the otherwise fluid plasma. Jotting down his observations, he leaned back and started tapping the pen on the desk. Reaching to the cabinet over his desk, he pulled out a Twinkie and started chewing. He reached for another slide when he heard a tearing noise. Spinning around, he saw three metal blades poking out of the wall of the isolation room. Reaching out, he grabbed the air-gun and brought it to bear on the claws. Using his other hand to press the intercom, he spoke quickly. "Professor, it appears as though Logan's scenario was correct. The boy is endeavoring to escape."
The Professor's voice came back in a hiss of static. "Try to restrain him Hank, I'm sending the team down to assist you."
Hank spoke back. "I will do my utmost Professor."
He turned back to the holes in the isolation room. The claws had retracted from the hole and all was silent for a moment. The claws were thrust back into the wall and a muted roar was heard as the claws ripped through the steel walls like tissue paper. Two more rents in the metal were made and a section of the wall came crashing down. Hank pointed the air-gun at the opening, preparing to shoot the boy when he came through. His finger jerked and fired a dart when the boy came barreling out of the rent. The dart missed. Hank adjusted his aim and while the boy was sliding across the tile floor, let two more darts fly. The boy roared as the darts bit into his shoulder. Coming to a halt against the wall, he rolled into a crouch and shook for a second before reaching up and ripping the darts out of his skin. Hank blinked. The sedative in those darts was something he made himself. One dart was guaranteed to almost instantly subdue someone of his own size. A boy a that barely reached his shoulder shouldn't be able to shrug two off like they were mosquito bites.
The boy's eyes locked on Hanks hands. Growling, he started backing up slowly, eyes scanning the room for a way out. Hank took the opportunity to fire four more darts at the boy, all of them hit and they had much the same effect. The boy just shivered for a moment before tearing the darts out and continuing to back up. Hank grabbed a new clip of darts and was sliding it into the gun when the boy roared and sprung his claws. Spinning on his knee, he tore the legs off a fixed examination table and hit it with his shoulder, knocking it to the ground. Hank dropped the gun when the boy reached down, grabbed the table and with a roar, hurled the six hundred pound table across the room like a discuss.
Hank sprang to the side and barely avoided getting crushed as the table slammed into the desk he had been working on. Glass shards and wood splinters scattered from the crushed workstation. Hank rolled free and came to his feet. He dropped into a crouch when he saw the boy bounding across the room at him, snarling like a wolf. Hank reached out with his massive hands and caught the boys wrists before the claws had punched into his chest.
Falling onto his back from the impact, he rolled to the wall and shot his feet out, grabbing the boys ankles. Straining against the boy's apparently monumental strength, he grunted and held the boy suspended in the air. The boy thrashed around wildly, trying to break free.
Xavier rolled into the medlab at that point. Quickly assessing the danger, he reached out with his mind and tried to calm the child down. Straining, Xavier fought the boy's mind. Trying to force the rage down proved to be impossible, the boy's mind was unfocused and the rage was making it too slippery to hold. Not wanting to give the boy a psychic blast, he continued to battle for calm.
The boy continued to struggle against Hanks hold. Suddenly going completely still, Hank adjusted his grip. The boy sniffed the air a few times, a barely audible rumble starting in his chest. Realizing that the danger had passed and the Professor had been successful, he rolled to his side and let the boy's ankles go. The Professor's eyes snapped open and he shouted. "No Hank!"
He didn't have time to react as the boy curled his legs up to his chest and slammed his feet into his chest, blowing his grip off his wrists. The boy's powerful kick launched him back across the medlab. Rolling on the tile, he jammed his claws into the floor to stop himself and scrambled to his feet.
Xavier had just finished mentally checking Hank, making sure he was still conscious. Turning back, he saw the boy sprinting across the room, claws extended and roaring at the top of his lungs. He quickly gathered the energy necessary for a blast powerful enough to render the boy unconscious. Reaching out and making contact with the boy's mind, he was about to release the blast when Kitty phased through the wall and screamed, "NO! STOP!"
Both Xavier and Kitty were both surprised when the boy did just that, he stopped. The boy came to a halt and stared at Kitty for a moment, his nose flaring wide as he smelled the room. Suddenly, his claws retracted and he sat down on the floor with an innocent expression.
Xavier blinked. He mentally ran over the past few seconds and was astonished when it hit him. The boy had caught Kitty's scent and the rage and aggressiveness had vanished like morning mist. The boys mind had also snapped into a subservient mindset and had unthinkingly and instantly obeyed her order to stop. Probing the boys mind again, he was still astonished at the utter lack of anger present.
Kitty was absolutely stunned. The boy was looking into her eyes with an almost expectant look. She tried to break eye contact, but the boy's brown eyes froze her. She was too stunned to speak. The boy seemed to be waiting for something. After a few seconds, the boy blinked and broke the spell. Kitty took a deep breath and croaked out a "huh?"
The boy got to his feet and took a wide-eyed glance around the room. He sniffed the air again before turning and walking calmly to the shattered desk. Stepping over the glass shards, he opened the cabinet and pulled out Hanks stash of Twinkies. Holding the box in his hands, he walked past a flabbergasted Hank and returned to the exact spot he had been sitting at a few moments earlier.
Flopping down onto the ground, the boy sniffed the box a few times. Rolling it over in his hands, he bit down on a corner. Frowning and spitting out the hunk of cardboard, he sniffed in the hole. His eyes lit up and he tore the box in half, dropping the plastic wrapped snacks all over the floor. Picking one up, he sniffed it once before cramming it, plastic and all, into his mouth.
Scott, Evan, and Rogue all came running into the room. Scott's hands flew to his sunglasses and spikes snapped into existence on Evan's arms.
Xavier's voice cut into the silence. "Stop. Scott, Evan, stand down."
Scott reluctantly dropped his hand from his shades. Taking in the devastation, he was unwilling to drop his guard. Even if the boy was just sitting calmly eating Twinkies.
Turning back to the Professor, he spoke. "What happened Professor? It looks like that thing went berserk in here."
Xavier glanced at Kitty for a moment before answering. "He apparently found out that the walls could not stop him and he tried to escape. The damage you see was a scuffle between Hank and him. Kitty entered the room and stopped the altercation."
Scott glanced at Kitty's still shocked face. "Kitty? how did she stop him?"
Xavier smiled. Now he understood. A quick glance at the files they recovered would confirm it. "She told him to stop."
Everyone's mouths dropped open. Scott was the first to recover. "She 'told' him to stop? How would that stop him?"
Xavier smiled. "Kitty?" Kitty shook herself and looked at the Professor. "Kitty, I want you to stand very still. Don't worry, nothing is going to happen and everyone is perfectly safe." Kitty swallowed and nodded.
Briefly glancing back at the boy, he made sure he was still eating. He then spoke. "Scott, I want you to very slowly walk towards Kitty. Do not make any sudden movements."
Scott glanced between Xavier and Kitty. Finally shrugging his shoulders, he took two steps towards Kitty when a menacing growl erupted to his left. He stopped and turned his head. The boy had dropped a half-eaten Twinkie and was crouched down growling, looking ready to spring across the room. Scott felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He was motionless. The boy's growl grew louder as he unfolded from the floor and twitched forward. Scott stared at the intense anger the boy had on his face. The Professor's mental voice sounded in his head. -That's enough Scott, back up slowly.-- Scott retreated back to the door and the boy stopped growling as loudly.
The boy looked at the snacks and glanced back at Scott, frowning. Sniffing the air, he snapped his eyes to Kitty. He bent down and grabbed the still full half of the torn box in a hand before stalking towards Kitty.
The tension in the room skyrocketed with each step the boy took. Kitty was about to bolt when Xavier spoke to her. -You are perfectly safe Kitty. Just don't move, this should be very interesting for you.-
Kitty forced herself to calm down, but refused to as much as blink incase the boy went nuts and she had to phase. The boy stalked over to her and sat down on the ground between her and Scott. Kitty blinked, utterly dumbfounded. The boy's eyes never left Scott's face as he reached down and picked up a Twinkie. Scott had to fight a flinch when a claw snapped out and sliced one in half. Scott swallowed and took another step backwards.
Hank and regained his feet and a clipboard. "Interesting. He seems to see Kitty as a pack member of sorts. Classic lupine pack behavior. I don't understand why though Professor."
Xavier gazed at the boy as he sat on the floor eating. Finally looking up, he spoke. "Hank, I believe I know, but I need to verify this. Kitty?" Kitty jerked and looked to the Professor. The boy dropped his food and flowed into a combat stance while scanning the room. Xavier smiled. "Kitty, I'm going to need you to stay down here. Don't worry, you are in absolutely no danger. In fact, you are currently in the safest place you can be." And with that, he rolled out of the room.
Kitty looked at the boy crouched next to her. "Safe? You have totally got to be kidding."
Xavier's Institute for the Gifted
Kitty was dragged kicking and screaming back to consciousness by the incessant warble of her alarm. Groaning, she reached her hand out and phased it through the clock, reducing it to a sparking, smoking chunk of quiet plastic. Her huddled form was deathly still for a few more moments before she hurled her blanket across the room and vaulted to her feet. Growling at her roommates now empty bed, she took a quick shower and got dressed. She swore that Jubilee was going to regret trying to mess with her head.
Stalking down to the kitchen, she immediately noticed that most of the younger x-men were absent and she was getting a blank look from the Professor, Mr. Logan, and Ms. Munroe. Deciding that revenge would have to wait, at least until she ate, she filled her plate and started to eat. Feeling an almost scratchy feeling on the top of her head she looked up and noticed that not only was everyone not talking, they were all still looking at her. Knowing that they had probably found out about her reprogramming the security system to ignore her nighttime...ventures, she put on her most innocent face. "Like what's up with the silent treatment this morning?" Getting no response, she shrunk back in her chair and continued eating. Hearing the sound of feet thundering down the hallway, she glanced to the double doors. Her eyes widened when she saw Scott, Kurt, Evan, and Jubilee all suited up with dark looks on their faces.
Scott turned to her and stood stock still for a moment before striding over to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry Kitty, we'll have Alvers here in fifteen minutes tops. Then we can sit down and discuss this with the faculty."
Hearing Logan choke and start pounding his chest, she turned and saw the small smirk vanish like vapor. Turning back to Scott, she asked. "I totally have no idea what you are talking about Scott."
Scott was silent for a moment. "Jubilee told us this morning Kitty, it's nothing to be ashamed of. There will have to be some adjustments, but you are still an x-man."
Kitty snapped her eyes to the concerned face of Jubilee and narrowed. "What did you tell them Jubilee?"
Jubilee shifted her weight a few times before answering. "You know, about the thing we were talking about last night? I really didn't want to tell him, but we didn't know what to do and we figured that sitting you and Lance down would be the easiest way of working this out."
Kitty blinked. That sounded almost..logical. At least for something Jubilee said. Logical that is, if she had the faintest idea what the hell she was talking about. Deciding to just get this over with, she bluntly asked. "Jubilee, like what are you talking about?"
Scott took over from the 'yellow one'. "We all know about you and Alvers Kitty, it's not something that we could have seen happening, but we would have hoped that you would have used some sort of protection. As I said before, you are still an x-man, but we are going to have to take into account your pregnancy when we draw up team lists for missions. There will be changes, but we are all going to be here for you."
Kitty stared at Scott dumbly. Where the hell did they hear she was pregnant? And What did Lance have to do. Waving her arms in front of her face in denial, she phased through the chair and backed up. "WHAT? I am NOT pregnant. Like where the heck did you hear that Scott?"
Scoot turned to Jubilee, who opened her mouth to speak when the room was invaded by a most disturbing sound. Everyone looked at the source of the offending sound, their minds not believing what they saw.
Logan was laughing. Not chuckling, but a full blown, from the belly kind of laugh.
Even the Professor had a grin on his face. With what looked like a Herculean effort, his face regained the placidness that it's normal state. "Jubilation, Scott." Both teens snapped to attention. "I understand your actions and the rationale behind them, and I approve for the most part. You were honest trying to help Kitty through what would be a very trying event in her life. Unfortunately, you are both under a false impression. Kitty is not, and has never been pregnant. Jubilation, perhaps next time you overhear a portion of a conversation, you will put some thought into what you may not be hearing." He folded his hands under his nose and looked between the two mutants. "As you did this out of a sense of concern for Kitty's welfare, I will forgo extending your probation Jubilation." Looking over at Scott, "And as for you Scott, in circumstances that may crop up like this, make sure to come to me privately beforehand." Scott nodded. Xavier turned to Kitty, who was standing next to the wall with her eyes as wide as saucers. "Kitty, I will need to speak to you and Scott. Please come to my office after school."
Institute Isolation Chamber
Logan walked into the medlab. Taking a quick sniff, he headed for Beast. "Hey Blue. Anything new with the kid?"
Hank rolled his stool back from the centrifuge. Rubbing his eyes and dropping his glasses to the table, he twisted to face Logan. "Greetings Logan. Our slumbering guest seems to be at the pinnacle of health. Other than the adnamantium grafted to his skeletal structure, I would never suspect that any misfortune had befallen our guest." Grabbing a folder and flipping through it, he continued. "Although the method the deviants used to modify him was far different than yours."
Logan pulled out a cigar and started chewing on it. "Yea, like how?"
Hank snapped the x-rays into the reader and turned on the light. The films showed that the bones were not coated as Logan's were, but were wrapped like twine with thin strips of the metal. The close-up of the right wrist showed that the middle claw itself was missing, the rails and guides were there, but the blade itself wasn't. Wrapped around the neck and abdomen, what looked like a finely woven net was wrapped around the vital areas and anchored to bone.
Logan scowled. Pointing to the mesh, he asked. "Blue, what the hell is that? Is it adnamantium?"
Hank flipped through some more papers. "It certainly seems to be. It's actually quite ingenious. The mesh protects the vital areas from being punctured, similar to a chainmail hauberk. I would say that is why you returned with only minimal cleanup needed in the Blackbird."
A loud boom stole their attention. They both turned and watched the monitor to the Isolation chamber. The boy had apparently woken and was attacking the walls. Hank rushed to the intercom. "There is no need for distress, you are safe." The boys eyes snapped to the speaker embedded in the ceiling. "You are at Xavier's Institute for the Gifted. We rescued you from the experimentation facility you were incarcerated." The boy snapped all five claws out and crouched down, slowly scanning the white room. "No one here is going to hurt.." With that, the boy leapt straight up, swinging a claw at the speaker. Missing it by a good 16 inches. Hank stared. Turning to Logan, he said. "That was remarkable. He weighs over four hundred pounds with the metal implanted in him and he is still able to leap almost seven feet off the ground from a standstill. He must be immensely strong."
Logan narrowed his eyes. "Yea Blue, and I don't remember this place being exactly confining. I would be out of that room in just a few seconds." Looking around the room quickly, he continued. "You still have that tranquilizer gun around here?"
Hank stuck a foot under the desk and brought out a silver air-gun. "Always be prepared and you will never suffer from the unexpected." He stuck the pistol back under the desk.
Logan nodded. "And no one expects the Spanish Inquisition." Frowning, he fully turned to Hank. "And I got a bad feeling about this kid. Chuck was talking about the kid here not having a mind. That might cause some problems, so be careful Blue."
They both looked back at the monitor and the stalking form of the boy prowling around the room. Hank reached out and toggled the intercom again. Before he could open his mouth to speak, the boy had sprinted at a wall, jumping and ramming his claws into the metal walls, he hung for a split second on the wall, looking like an enraged spider, before vaulting off his perch. Sailing through the air, he jammed his claws into the speaker and twisted. The speaker exploded in sparks and fell silent. The boy slammed feet first into the bed, splintering the fragile medical bed beneath his weight. The boy crouched stock still for a moment before looking cautiously around the room.
Hank blinked once and needlessly flipped the intercom switch back to off. "Well, that was. unforeseen."
Logan reached under the desk and grabbed the air-gun. Dropping it on the desk, he spoke. "Keep that handy Blue. I don't think it's going to be long before he realizes that the walls of that room aren't made of adnamantium."
Hank quickly glanced at the air-gun, memorizing it's new resting spot. Swallowing, he spoke. "Of course Logan, I will endeavor to be as vigilant as possible."
Logan nodded once. "You get the files we stole yet? Chuck said something about you going over them."
Hank picked up a vanilla folder and handed it to Logan. "That's the printout. I haven't had time to go through it in any extensive fashion, but everything you retrieved is there. I will be busy here for the next few days, but feel free to come and consult me if you need assistance."
Logan spun on his heels and walked out of the medlab, tossing a "Yea" over his shoulder.
Bayville High School
Kitty jammed her History textbook into her locker. Ripping the English book out from underneath a stack of papers, she stepped back and slammed the door closed. Glaring at the door, she sifted her weight in preparation to slam her foot into it. A hand descended onto her shoulder. Spinning around, he came eye to eye with Lance.
Grinning, he leaned against the wall. "So Kittycat, I got tickets to the Screaming Divers concert on Saturday. How about you come on by my place around six and we'll go from there."
Kitty was speechless. Lance had just 'assumed' that she would be falling over herself to go to a concert with him. She didn't even 'like' the Divers. The..incident at breakfast came back to her in a rush. Everyone assumed she was 'pregnant' of all things, and that 'Lance' had to have had something to do with it. A red mist starting to haze her vision, she started to step towards Lance when Scott stuck his arm between them, blocking her from inflicting bodily harm.
Scott tossed her a look that clearly said 'Calm Down' and he turned to the now frowning Lance. "Alvers, Kitty isn't going anywhere with you, much less a concert. So just back off."
Lance started scowling. "Listen Summers, she can make her own decisions without your overbearing self poking your nose in where no one wants it."
Scott opened his mouth to fire a comeback when they both heard the locker behind Scott boom. Both their heads snapping around, they stared as Kitty threw them both a black glance and stalked off down the hall.
Lance glanced down and noticed the deep dent she had put into the locker door. Looking at the staring form of Scott, he spoke. "She's been kinda... testy lately hasn't she."
Scott blinked and shrugged. "You have no idea Alvers." Before walking down the hall to his next class.
Xavier's Office
Logan walked into Xavier's office and with a nod, sat down. "What do you want Chuck? I'm trying to dig through the mumbo-jumbo in this file." He waved the vanilla folder.
Xavier leaned back in his wheelchair. "I'm sorry Logan, but I felt that this was more important." He rolled around his desk and stopped in front of Logan. "Do you have any memories from before you woke up in the snow in Canada? I know you don't like to talk about this, but it's vital."
Logan scowled and his eyes glazed over. "Nah Chuck. It's like someone flipped a switch, nothing, then standing naked in the wilderness."
Xavier sighed in apparent relief. "That's the best news that I have come across yet."
Logan's eyebrow arched. "And?"
Xavier rolled back to his desk. "I believe that with Jean's help, I may be able to 'implant' a human personality into the boy. Language, social mores, those kinds of things. The minimum to allow him to function in the world."
Logan stood. "So you're just going to muddle in his mind a bit more eh Chuck. Seems like that's the last thing the kid needs."
Xavier closed his eyes for a moment. "I know your feeling on the subject Logan, but without this procedure, I fear that there is nothing we can do for the boy. He would have to remain in a cage for the rest of his life. He's too violent and has no compunctions about killing or destroying anything in his path. As of right now Logan, he's an animal. A vicious animal."
Logan growled. "Not necessarily Chuck."
Xavier sighed. "No Logan, it is necessary. Unlike you, he has nothing to fall back on, nothing to possibly pull himself out of this feral state. He will 'never' wake up from it. Either I do this, or he will need to be put in a cage. For everyone's protection."
Logan paced around the room for a few minutes. He finally stopped and stuck his cigar in his mouth. "Fine Chuck. Just don't screw up." And with that, he stormed out of the room, leaving Xavier staring into space.
Institute Kitchen, after school
Evan pulled a carton of Milk out of the industrial sized fridge and dropped it on the table. Sitting down, he started draining it. Hearing footsteps from the hallway, he glanced over and saw Kitty walk in.
Kitty dropped her backpack on the table with a thud and snagged an apple out of a hanging basket. Sitting down, she tore into the fruit, seemingly lost in thought.
Evan kept his eyes locked on Kitty. He'd noticed how she had changed the past few weeks and with his participation in the incident this morning, was in no mood to draw her attention to himself. Standing quietly, he grabbed the milk carton and put it back in the fridge.
Kitty was knocked back into the present when she heard the fridge door shut. realizing she wasn't alone, she turned and saw Evan cringing. "Oh, like hi Evan. Didn't see you come in."
Even couldn't decide if he would be exposing himself to another tirade if he responded or a chewing out if he just ignored her and left. Finally deciding that being minorly polite was the least likely to get him in trouble, sat back down at the table across from Kitty. "I just got some milk. I was planning to grab my board and head out."
Kitty just nodded and took another bite of the apple.
Inwardly fidgeting, Evan finally decided to bring up what happened this morning. "You know Kitty, I'm really sorry for this morning. I was just trying to help you out. It seemed like a good idea at the time."
Kitty sighed and threw the apple across the room into the garbage can. "That's ok Evan. I've just like had a ton of stuff happening to me lately. And then this came up. I just totally didn't have the patience to deal with it after we came back from Colorado."
Evan, relieved that she didn't blame him, continued. "It just kinda threw us for a loop. I knew that you and Lance were close, but him getting you pregnant just didn't seem like something you would do. So we figured we'd grab him and have a nice long chat."
Kitty frowned. "Like why does everyone think Lance would 'ever' have anything to do with.that. I don't even like him. He tries to be nice, but he's just a creep."
Evan nodded and started to respond when Xavier's mental voice boomed throughout the mansion. -X-men, get to the isolation room immediately.-
They both looked at each other for a second before springing up and running out of the kitchen.
Isolation Ward
Hank placed the next slide under the clamps on the microscopes tray. Adjusting the focus, he took a closer look at the blood sample. He noted the shape of the biconvex red blood cells and the unclassified masses of what appeared to be protein that formed the majority of the otherwise fluid plasma. Jotting down his observations, he leaned back and started tapping the pen on the desk. Reaching to the cabinet over his desk, he pulled out a Twinkie and started chewing. He reached for another slide when he heard a tearing noise. Spinning around, he saw three metal blades poking out of the wall of the isolation room. Reaching out, he grabbed the air-gun and brought it to bear on the claws. Using his other hand to press the intercom, he spoke quickly. "Professor, it appears as though Logan's scenario was correct. The boy is endeavoring to escape."
The Professor's voice came back in a hiss of static. "Try to restrain him Hank, I'm sending the team down to assist you."
Hank spoke back. "I will do my utmost Professor."
He turned back to the holes in the isolation room. The claws had retracted from the hole and all was silent for a moment. The claws were thrust back into the wall and a muted roar was heard as the claws ripped through the steel walls like tissue paper. Two more rents in the metal were made and a section of the wall came crashing down. Hank pointed the air-gun at the opening, preparing to shoot the boy when he came through. His finger jerked and fired a dart when the boy came barreling out of the rent. The dart missed. Hank adjusted his aim and while the boy was sliding across the tile floor, let two more darts fly. The boy roared as the darts bit into his shoulder. Coming to a halt against the wall, he rolled into a crouch and shook for a second before reaching up and ripping the darts out of his skin. Hank blinked. The sedative in those darts was something he made himself. One dart was guaranteed to almost instantly subdue someone of his own size. A boy a that barely reached his shoulder shouldn't be able to shrug two off like they were mosquito bites.
The boy's eyes locked on Hanks hands. Growling, he started backing up slowly, eyes scanning the room for a way out. Hank took the opportunity to fire four more darts at the boy, all of them hit and they had much the same effect. The boy just shivered for a moment before tearing the darts out and continuing to back up. Hank grabbed a new clip of darts and was sliding it into the gun when the boy roared and sprung his claws. Spinning on his knee, he tore the legs off a fixed examination table and hit it with his shoulder, knocking it to the ground. Hank dropped the gun when the boy reached down, grabbed the table and with a roar, hurled the six hundred pound table across the room like a discuss.
Hank sprang to the side and barely avoided getting crushed as the table slammed into the desk he had been working on. Glass shards and wood splinters scattered from the crushed workstation. Hank rolled free and came to his feet. He dropped into a crouch when he saw the boy bounding across the room at him, snarling like a wolf. Hank reached out with his massive hands and caught the boys wrists before the claws had punched into his chest.
Falling onto his back from the impact, he rolled to the wall and shot his feet out, grabbing the boys ankles. Straining against the boy's apparently monumental strength, he grunted and held the boy suspended in the air. The boy thrashed around wildly, trying to break free.
Xavier rolled into the medlab at that point. Quickly assessing the danger, he reached out with his mind and tried to calm the child down. Straining, Xavier fought the boy's mind. Trying to force the rage down proved to be impossible, the boy's mind was unfocused and the rage was making it too slippery to hold. Not wanting to give the boy a psychic blast, he continued to battle for calm.
The boy continued to struggle against Hanks hold. Suddenly going completely still, Hank adjusted his grip. The boy sniffed the air a few times, a barely audible rumble starting in his chest. Realizing that the danger had passed and the Professor had been successful, he rolled to his side and let the boy's ankles go. The Professor's eyes snapped open and he shouted. "No Hank!"
He didn't have time to react as the boy curled his legs up to his chest and slammed his feet into his chest, blowing his grip off his wrists. The boy's powerful kick launched him back across the medlab. Rolling on the tile, he jammed his claws into the floor to stop himself and scrambled to his feet.
Xavier had just finished mentally checking Hank, making sure he was still conscious. Turning back, he saw the boy sprinting across the room, claws extended and roaring at the top of his lungs. He quickly gathered the energy necessary for a blast powerful enough to render the boy unconscious. Reaching out and making contact with the boy's mind, he was about to release the blast when Kitty phased through the wall and screamed, "NO! STOP!"
Both Xavier and Kitty were both surprised when the boy did just that, he stopped. The boy came to a halt and stared at Kitty for a moment, his nose flaring wide as he smelled the room. Suddenly, his claws retracted and he sat down on the floor with an innocent expression.
Xavier blinked. He mentally ran over the past few seconds and was astonished when it hit him. The boy had caught Kitty's scent and the rage and aggressiveness had vanished like morning mist. The boys mind had also snapped into a subservient mindset and had unthinkingly and instantly obeyed her order to stop. Probing the boys mind again, he was still astonished at the utter lack of anger present.
Kitty was absolutely stunned. The boy was looking into her eyes with an almost expectant look. She tried to break eye contact, but the boy's brown eyes froze her. She was too stunned to speak. The boy seemed to be waiting for something. After a few seconds, the boy blinked and broke the spell. Kitty took a deep breath and croaked out a "huh?"
The boy got to his feet and took a wide-eyed glance around the room. He sniffed the air again before turning and walking calmly to the shattered desk. Stepping over the glass shards, he opened the cabinet and pulled out Hanks stash of Twinkies. Holding the box in his hands, he walked past a flabbergasted Hank and returned to the exact spot he had been sitting at a few moments earlier.
Flopping down onto the ground, the boy sniffed the box a few times. Rolling it over in his hands, he bit down on a corner. Frowning and spitting out the hunk of cardboard, he sniffed in the hole. His eyes lit up and he tore the box in half, dropping the plastic wrapped snacks all over the floor. Picking one up, he sniffed it once before cramming it, plastic and all, into his mouth.
Scott, Evan, and Rogue all came running into the room. Scott's hands flew to his sunglasses and spikes snapped into existence on Evan's arms.
Xavier's voice cut into the silence. "Stop. Scott, Evan, stand down."
Scott reluctantly dropped his hand from his shades. Taking in the devastation, he was unwilling to drop his guard. Even if the boy was just sitting calmly eating Twinkies.
Turning back to the Professor, he spoke. "What happened Professor? It looks like that thing went berserk in here."
Xavier glanced at Kitty for a moment before answering. "He apparently found out that the walls could not stop him and he tried to escape. The damage you see was a scuffle between Hank and him. Kitty entered the room and stopped the altercation."
Scott glanced at Kitty's still shocked face. "Kitty? how did she stop him?"
Xavier smiled. Now he understood. A quick glance at the files they recovered would confirm it. "She told him to stop."
Everyone's mouths dropped open. Scott was the first to recover. "She 'told' him to stop? How would that stop him?"
Xavier smiled. "Kitty?" Kitty shook herself and looked at the Professor. "Kitty, I want you to stand very still. Don't worry, nothing is going to happen and everyone is perfectly safe." Kitty swallowed and nodded.
Briefly glancing back at the boy, he made sure he was still eating. He then spoke. "Scott, I want you to very slowly walk towards Kitty. Do not make any sudden movements."
Scott glanced between Xavier and Kitty. Finally shrugging his shoulders, he took two steps towards Kitty when a menacing growl erupted to his left. He stopped and turned his head. The boy had dropped a half-eaten Twinkie and was crouched down growling, looking ready to spring across the room. Scott felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He was motionless. The boy's growl grew louder as he unfolded from the floor and twitched forward. Scott stared at the intense anger the boy had on his face. The Professor's mental voice sounded in his head. -That's enough Scott, back up slowly.-- Scott retreated back to the door and the boy stopped growling as loudly.
The boy looked at the snacks and glanced back at Scott, frowning. Sniffing the air, he snapped his eyes to Kitty. He bent down and grabbed the still full half of the torn box in a hand before stalking towards Kitty.
The tension in the room skyrocketed with each step the boy took. Kitty was about to bolt when Xavier spoke to her. -You are perfectly safe Kitty. Just don't move, this should be very interesting for you.-
Kitty forced herself to calm down, but refused to as much as blink incase the boy went nuts and she had to phase. The boy stalked over to her and sat down on the ground between her and Scott. Kitty blinked, utterly dumbfounded. The boy's eyes never left Scott's face as he reached down and picked up a Twinkie. Scott had to fight a flinch when a claw snapped out and sliced one in half. Scott swallowed and took another step backwards.
Hank and regained his feet and a clipboard. "Interesting. He seems to see Kitty as a pack member of sorts. Classic lupine pack behavior. I don't understand why though Professor."
Xavier gazed at the boy as he sat on the floor eating. Finally looking up, he spoke. "Hank, I believe I know, but I need to verify this. Kitty?" Kitty jerked and looked to the Professor. The boy dropped his food and flowed into a combat stance while scanning the room. Xavier smiled. "Kitty, I'm going to need you to stay down here. Don't worry, you are in absolutely no danger. In fact, you are currently in the safest place you can be." And with that, he rolled out of the room.
Kitty looked at the boy crouched next to her. "Safe? You have totally got to be kidding."