Feral Bonds Chapter 15
Quick response to a couple of e-mails I got. I figure there are people out there that are wondering the same thing, but don't ask.
First. Bobby being ooc in the kitchen scene, Well, he never struck me as the most..stalwart kid. The night before was a massive shock, he's scared and his anger is his coping mechanism. Mark just happens to be the most available target.
Second. Xavier being ooc: Again, the previous night was a shock. He's lived his entire life with the security of his powers. No one screws with the Prof. Yet that night, he was suddenly useless while those that he has a responsibility for are being hurt and one killed, something that he knows he could have stopped. Basically, he's scared. And fear motivates people to do the strangest things, even Xavier.
I guess this is just a long-winded way of saying. Yes, they are ooc, but hell, they have a good reason to be. If they weren't ooc after that, that really would be ooc.
And another thing, this chapter pushes this story over the 100-page mark in Word. Kinda funny considering I originally thought it would be absolute max of 15 pages or so. Either way, this fic is getting damn hard to write, so updates are gonna be further between.
Inuyasha0001: Thanks. I looked around for someone for that scene and Bobby jumped out at me screaming "I can be an asshole! Put me in the fic!"
Hex6: Glad you're liking it.
Hallway near medlab
Sam and Kitty both grunted as they tried to manhandle Mark's body down the hall. Kitty took a deep breath and heaved. And lifted his legs a whole inch off the floor. Finally just dropping them, she stood up. "How can he like run. Heck, like how can he even stand? He weighs a ton."
Sam, feeling his testosterone kick in, decided to do the manly thing and carry Mark himself. Setting his feet wide, he took a deep breath and pulled. And pulled some more. The body twitched...a little. He continued to grunt and moan for a few more moments before dropping Mark's shoulders back to the floor. "I give up."
He sat down in the corner and crossed his arms over his knees. He was silent for a few minutes. Finally, he cleared his throat. "Hey, Kitty."
Kitty was dragged out of her thoughts. She looked at Sam. "Yea?"
Sam was quiet for a few seconds, trying to find a way to say exactly what he meant. "You know, Bobby may have been an asshole about it, but he might be right." He saw Kitty's face flush red and he could tell she was about to pop. He hurried to finish. "I mean, those people are after him and everything. We obviously aren't a match for whoever they are. And you are the only person here that he won't attack at the drop of a pin."
Kitty's face if anything, got even redder and her face twisted in anger. She opened her mouth to speak, but Sam knew that if he didn't finish, he never would. "You saw him up there Kitty, he was about to really really hurt Bobby. He had his claws out and everything."
Kitty's face drained and she spoke in a low voice. "Yea, I know."
Sam continued in a gentle voice. "I know it sucks Kitty, but we really can't afford to keep him here. You just have to look at Amara or Val to see that."
Kitty sniffed and wiped a tear from her eyes. "I have. But where would he actually like go? He can barely speak! It's not like the Professor could like put him with a foster family or anything."
Sam mulled that over. "True. There has to be someplace he can go though."
Kitty let out a frustrated snort before leaning her head back against the wall and rubbing her eyes with her hands. "If I'm not there, the only other place that could like hold him would be a mental institution, and that would totally make us just as bad as those soldiers."
Sam nodded. "I don't know where. I just know that we can't have him around to slice any of us when he gets pissy. Heck, even X23 just gave us a whack on the head and let us be."
Kitty's head jerked forward and she stared at Sam with wide eyes. Sam was about to ask her what was up when she spoke. "That's like totally perfect Sam!" She jumped to her feet and phased through the wall before Sam had a chance to respond.
Sam stared after her for a moment before speaking into thin air. "What's perfect?" His eyes drifted to Mark's now twitching body. "And don't leave me alone with this guy!...........Kitty?........KITTY!"
Foyer
Xavier sat patiently next to the front doors, waiting for Logan to come by on his way out. His thoughts drifted to what he was going to do with Mark. Obviously he was dangerous to keep at the mansion, but it wasn't his fault that he was so. Xavier's eyes narrowed in frustration. It was the fault of whoever made him what he was. His fist slammed down on the armrest. If only he could find them. Whatever they were using to block telepathy was maddeningly efficient. Hearing heavy footsteps from across the room, he abandoned his line of thought for the moment. Now as the time to mollify Logan.
Logan came striding across the foyer, looking for all the world like a man on a mission. Xavier arched an eyebrow and shot him an inquisitive look. Logan just shot him a glare and kept walking. Xavier sighed. "Logan, we do need to talk about this."
Logan stopped and turned his head to look at him. "No we don't Xavier." The Professor inwardly winced, Logan only used his last name when he was 'really' pissed. "You've already made up your mind about it. Just toss him out to the wolves." Logan started to say something else before closing his mouth and starting towards the door again.
Xavier spoke up. "I am not throwing him to the metaphorical wolves Logan. I'm trying to find a place that can provide the care he needs."
Logan didn't stop walking. "Like where Xavier? If he's not safe here, where would he be? And I've gotta sinking feeling that you're not all that worried about his health."
Xavier sighed. "Logan, I am responsible for everyone in this house. I have to make decisions that affect everyone. As for where, Stonybrook Mental institution has a long track record of dealing with mentally unstable mutants. They can give him the help he needs."
Logan stopped dead in his tracks. Standing still for a moment, he slowly turned to the Professor, looking like a predator about to strike. His voice was low and gravely. "So your decision is to throw him back in a cage?"
Xavier closed his eyes. "It's not a cage Logan, it's a managed care facility."
Logan started breathing heavily, but was silent for a moment before exploding. "Fuck you Chuck. It's a goddamed cage and you fucking know it. You can't deal with the shit that went down last night, so you are going to toss him out and stick your head in the fucking sand, hoping they take the bait and leave you the hell alone." And with that, Logan spun back to the door and slamming it open, stalked out.
Xavier was silent until the sounds of a motorcycle engine faded into the distance. "He's angry Ororo."
Ororo walked out of an office and rested a hand on his shoulder. "I could tell Charles. He sees himself in Mark, and he feels the possibility of him being removed from here as a rejection of himself."
Xavier sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I just wish that he would listen to reason. This situation is just too dangerous as it is."
Kitty stumbled through the wall and almost ran into Ororo. She caught herself and blurted out. "Have either of you like seen Logan? I totally need to talk to him."
Xavier nodded. "He left a short time ago. He will most probably not return until late tonight. What did you need to speak to him about Kitty?"
Kitty blinked, just realizing that Xavier could help. "It's about Mark." Xavier leaned forward, obviously interested. Kitty continued. "Sam and I talked. Maybe moving Mark somewhere else would be like a good idea. But we can't send him to like a head house, that would be just as bad as what those soldiers were going to do to him."
Xavier slightly flinched at the unknown accusation and he felt Ororo's hand give a gentle squeeze. "Well Kitty, what do you think can be done?"
Kitty continued. "Well, he's not like the only person in the world like that. I was figuring Logan could get X23 to come do something. She's totally on the run from people with guns, so she could help. And she could totally handle him. She like, beat us all when she came here, one person shouldn't like pose much of a problem."
Xavier blinked a few times in astonishment. Granted, it wasn't anything near an optimal solution, and it had it's problems, but it just might work. Glancing at Ororo, he saw her nod slightly. He turned back to Kitty. "I'll take that under consideration Kitty, and I'll be sure to let Logan know when he returns."
Kitty nodded. "Thanks Professor. Let me know what happens. Please?"
Xavier smiled, the pressure of finding the least bad solution now gone. "Of course Kitty. I believe that Evan had brought your missed assignments home from school. Why don't you get working on those."
Kitty sighed. She had forgotten about those. "Ok Professor." She then turned and walked off.
Ororo waited until Kitty had disappeared before speaking. "Charles, are you sure that handing him over to X23 would be the wisest decision? She is not precisely stable herself."
Xavier folded his hands under his nose. "That is true Ororo, but she shares a 'unique' perspective with him. They are both engineered people, they both are extremely...focused, they both have been altered by those they see as captors, and they both have a tendency to listen to their instincts first and listen later."
Ororo lifted an eyebrow. "And those reasons are exactly why I don't think it would be a good idea to join them together and let them loose without supervision."
Xavier continued. "I think it would be quite beneficial to them both. Having a firsthand example of how others view them would go quite far in moderating both of their more...extreme behaviors." Xavier fell silent for a moment before continuing. "I am going to Cerebro to attempt to locate her. Jean can be continue to act as liaison to any more officials or reporters that arrive. I'll see you at dinner." He then turned and rolled to his office, quietly closing the door behind him.
Ororo watched him leave. She had never seen him take such an..unconventional approach. She only hoped that he was acting out of the boy's best interests, his behavior since the previous night had been inexplicably erratic for him. She sighed to herself. Things would work out how they would work out.
Quick response to a couple of e-mails I got. I figure there are people out there that are wondering the same thing, but don't ask.
First. Bobby being ooc in the kitchen scene, Well, he never struck me as the most..stalwart kid. The night before was a massive shock, he's scared and his anger is his coping mechanism. Mark just happens to be the most available target.
Second. Xavier being ooc: Again, the previous night was a shock. He's lived his entire life with the security of his powers. No one screws with the Prof. Yet that night, he was suddenly useless while those that he has a responsibility for are being hurt and one killed, something that he knows he could have stopped. Basically, he's scared. And fear motivates people to do the strangest things, even Xavier.
I guess this is just a long-winded way of saying. Yes, they are ooc, but hell, they have a good reason to be. If they weren't ooc after that, that really would be ooc.
And another thing, this chapter pushes this story over the 100-page mark in Word. Kinda funny considering I originally thought it would be absolute max of 15 pages or so. Either way, this fic is getting damn hard to write, so updates are gonna be further between.
Inuyasha0001: Thanks. I looked around for someone for that scene and Bobby jumped out at me screaming "I can be an asshole! Put me in the fic!"
Hex6: Glad you're liking it.
Hallway near medlab
Sam and Kitty both grunted as they tried to manhandle Mark's body down the hall. Kitty took a deep breath and heaved. And lifted his legs a whole inch off the floor. Finally just dropping them, she stood up. "How can he like run. Heck, like how can he even stand? He weighs a ton."
Sam, feeling his testosterone kick in, decided to do the manly thing and carry Mark himself. Setting his feet wide, he took a deep breath and pulled. And pulled some more. The body twitched...a little. He continued to grunt and moan for a few more moments before dropping Mark's shoulders back to the floor. "I give up."
He sat down in the corner and crossed his arms over his knees. He was silent for a few minutes. Finally, he cleared his throat. "Hey, Kitty."
Kitty was dragged out of her thoughts. She looked at Sam. "Yea?"
Sam was quiet for a few seconds, trying to find a way to say exactly what he meant. "You know, Bobby may have been an asshole about it, but he might be right." He saw Kitty's face flush red and he could tell she was about to pop. He hurried to finish. "I mean, those people are after him and everything. We obviously aren't a match for whoever they are. And you are the only person here that he won't attack at the drop of a pin."
Kitty's face if anything, got even redder and her face twisted in anger. She opened her mouth to speak, but Sam knew that if he didn't finish, he never would. "You saw him up there Kitty, he was about to really really hurt Bobby. He had his claws out and everything."
Kitty's face drained and she spoke in a low voice. "Yea, I know."
Sam continued in a gentle voice. "I know it sucks Kitty, but we really can't afford to keep him here. You just have to look at Amara or Val to see that."
Kitty sniffed and wiped a tear from her eyes. "I have. But where would he actually like go? He can barely speak! It's not like the Professor could like put him with a foster family or anything."
Sam mulled that over. "True. There has to be someplace he can go though."
Kitty let out a frustrated snort before leaning her head back against the wall and rubbing her eyes with her hands. "If I'm not there, the only other place that could like hold him would be a mental institution, and that would totally make us just as bad as those soldiers."
Sam nodded. "I don't know where. I just know that we can't have him around to slice any of us when he gets pissy. Heck, even X23 just gave us a whack on the head and let us be."
Kitty's head jerked forward and she stared at Sam with wide eyes. Sam was about to ask her what was up when she spoke. "That's like totally perfect Sam!" She jumped to her feet and phased through the wall before Sam had a chance to respond.
Sam stared after her for a moment before speaking into thin air. "What's perfect?" His eyes drifted to Mark's now twitching body. "And don't leave me alone with this guy!...........Kitty?........KITTY!"
Foyer
Xavier sat patiently next to the front doors, waiting for Logan to come by on his way out. His thoughts drifted to what he was going to do with Mark. Obviously he was dangerous to keep at the mansion, but it wasn't his fault that he was so. Xavier's eyes narrowed in frustration. It was the fault of whoever made him what he was. His fist slammed down on the armrest. If only he could find them. Whatever they were using to block telepathy was maddeningly efficient. Hearing heavy footsteps from across the room, he abandoned his line of thought for the moment. Now as the time to mollify Logan.
Logan came striding across the foyer, looking for all the world like a man on a mission. Xavier arched an eyebrow and shot him an inquisitive look. Logan just shot him a glare and kept walking. Xavier sighed. "Logan, we do need to talk about this."
Logan stopped and turned his head to look at him. "No we don't Xavier." The Professor inwardly winced, Logan only used his last name when he was 'really' pissed. "You've already made up your mind about it. Just toss him out to the wolves." Logan started to say something else before closing his mouth and starting towards the door again.
Xavier spoke up. "I am not throwing him to the metaphorical wolves Logan. I'm trying to find a place that can provide the care he needs."
Logan didn't stop walking. "Like where Xavier? If he's not safe here, where would he be? And I've gotta sinking feeling that you're not all that worried about his health."
Xavier sighed. "Logan, I am responsible for everyone in this house. I have to make decisions that affect everyone. As for where, Stonybrook Mental institution has a long track record of dealing with mentally unstable mutants. They can give him the help he needs."
Logan stopped dead in his tracks. Standing still for a moment, he slowly turned to the Professor, looking like a predator about to strike. His voice was low and gravely. "So your decision is to throw him back in a cage?"
Xavier closed his eyes. "It's not a cage Logan, it's a managed care facility."
Logan started breathing heavily, but was silent for a moment before exploding. "Fuck you Chuck. It's a goddamed cage and you fucking know it. You can't deal with the shit that went down last night, so you are going to toss him out and stick your head in the fucking sand, hoping they take the bait and leave you the hell alone." And with that, Logan spun back to the door and slamming it open, stalked out.
Xavier was silent until the sounds of a motorcycle engine faded into the distance. "He's angry Ororo."
Ororo walked out of an office and rested a hand on his shoulder. "I could tell Charles. He sees himself in Mark, and he feels the possibility of him being removed from here as a rejection of himself."
Xavier sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I just wish that he would listen to reason. This situation is just too dangerous as it is."
Kitty stumbled through the wall and almost ran into Ororo. She caught herself and blurted out. "Have either of you like seen Logan? I totally need to talk to him."
Xavier nodded. "He left a short time ago. He will most probably not return until late tonight. What did you need to speak to him about Kitty?"
Kitty blinked, just realizing that Xavier could help. "It's about Mark." Xavier leaned forward, obviously interested. Kitty continued. "Sam and I talked. Maybe moving Mark somewhere else would be like a good idea. But we can't send him to like a head house, that would be just as bad as what those soldiers were going to do to him."
Xavier slightly flinched at the unknown accusation and he felt Ororo's hand give a gentle squeeze. "Well Kitty, what do you think can be done?"
Kitty continued. "Well, he's not like the only person in the world like that. I was figuring Logan could get X23 to come do something. She's totally on the run from people with guns, so she could help. And she could totally handle him. She like, beat us all when she came here, one person shouldn't like pose much of a problem."
Xavier blinked a few times in astonishment. Granted, it wasn't anything near an optimal solution, and it had it's problems, but it just might work. Glancing at Ororo, he saw her nod slightly. He turned back to Kitty. "I'll take that under consideration Kitty, and I'll be sure to let Logan know when he returns."
Kitty nodded. "Thanks Professor. Let me know what happens. Please?"
Xavier smiled, the pressure of finding the least bad solution now gone. "Of course Kitty. I believe that Evan had brought your missed assignments home from school. Why don't you get working on those."
Kitty sighed. She had forgotten about those. "Ok Professor." She then turned and walked off.
Ororo waited until Kitty had disappeared before speaking. "Charles, are you sure that handing him over to X23 would be the wisest decision? She is not precisely stable herself."
Xavier folded his hands under his nose. "That is true Ororo, but she shares a 'unique' perspective with him. They are both engineered people, they both are extremely...focused, they both have been altered by those they see as captors, and they both have a tendency to listen to their instincts first and listen later."
Ororo lifted an eyebrow. "And those reasons are exactly why I don't think it would be a good idea to join them together and let them loose without supervision."
Xavier continued. "I think it would be quite beneficial to them both. Having a firsthand example of how others view them would go quite far in moderating both of their more...extreme behaviors." Xavier fell silent for a moment before continuing. "I am going to Cerebro to attempt to locate her. Jean can be continue to act as liaison to any more officials or reporters that arrive. I'll see you at dinner." He then turned and rolled to his office, quietly closing the door behind him.
Ororo watched him leave. She had never seen him take such an..unconventional approach. She only hoped that he was acting out of the boy's best interests, his behavior since the previous night had been inexplicably erratic for him. She sighed to herself. Things would work out how they would work out.