Outside the windows, the snow fell in heavy clumps. Winter had finally set
in again and Xavier shivered. He was the first to admit that winter wasn't
his favourite month; the cold wind made his bones ache, but he had to
admit, the grounds of the institute did gleam in its new, magnificent coat
of ivory. The children enjoyed it of course, they always did and much to
Xavier's surprise, someone else was enjoying it too.
Glancing out of his office window, Xavier could see Logan traipsing around the gardens thoughtfully, occasionally brushing snow from his coat and looking, in a bemused manner, at his footprints. The Professor knew that often Logan missed weather like this; after all, the northern country was a prominent feature in Logan's scant memory. As far as he knew, he had always lived in the snow.
Turning back to his empty, warm yet silent room, Xavier sighed and wheeled to his desk. He wished he could help Logan more, he felt almost like a father to him, even if there was a good chance that Logan was older than he was himself. But he had to take things slowly; too much information in too short a time, especially as disturbing as Xavier knew it would be, could seriously harm Logan, and that was the furthest thing from the Professor's mind.
***********************
"Hey Logan, when you're finished playing snowmen, I could do with a little help here!" Scott called as he watched Wolverine approach.
"Help with what?" Logan growled, angry at the interruption of his peaceful musings.
"I need to repair some of the damage on the ramp of the X-Jet, it's a two man job."
Logan sighed and nodded as he walked through the door that Scott held open for him. 'No rest for the wicked', he thought as they took the elevator to the lower floor. He could have done without having to help Scott; they didn't co-operate with each other at the best of times, but lurking in the back of his mind, he knew he should be thankful for the help and hospitality that Xavier had given him, and in return, he should at least help out a little.
Scott sighed and wiped his brow, looking across at Wolverine, who was still grasping the ramp, using all his strength to stop it dropping to the ground.
"It's no good," Cyclops mumbled, exhausted from their three hours' work, "The bolts won't re-align, we're going to have to take them all out and replace with new."
Logan snarled and lowered the ramp, fully fed up. Looking down at himself he saw he was covered in grease and dirt, not to mention a little blood from where the edge of the ramp had sliced his arm. The wound was gone, but the dried up blood had stained his shirt. He was just about to complain out loud when he picked up a noise. He cocked his head instinctively and listened.
"What is it?" Scott asked.
"Shhhhh!" Logan hissed and went back to concentrating on the sound.
Before Wolverine could distinguish what the sound was, both he and Scott received a mental message from Xavier.
"Would you boys please come to the medical lab, I think there's something you should see."
*******************
It had been a long time since Xavier had seen anything like this, and even now, he was finding it difficult to believe. He had been passing down the hall when the stranger had knocked savagely at the front door. Storm opened it cautiously and before she could react, the stranger had pushed their way inside, shaking visibly from the cold. The professor watched the new arrival intensely, knowing immediately that despite their erratic behaviour, the stranger was not a threat.
Standing before them, dripping from the melting ice, was a young woman. She was very pale, yet she had ebony hair and the most piercingly blue eyes Xavier had seen. She was petite and seemed to be drowned in her clothes that seemed outrageously too big for her, finished off with a large hat that occasionally slipped down and blocked her vision.
"I had to come," She gasped, noticeably shivering, "I had to bring a message, I had to come."
"It's ok," Xavier spoke calmly, "Take your time, we won't hurt you."
"I had to come, it's important, it's so important."
And before she could say anymore, she fainted into Storm's arms.
Now, looking down at her as she lay unconscious in the medical lab, Xavier knew that so many questions were going to arise from her appearance, and as soon as Logan arrived, the professor's notion was confirmed.
"What the.?" Logan murmured, taking in the sight before him.
He looked at Xavier and only received a grave nod.
"She just arrived at the door saying she had an important message for us." The professor explained, but he knew Logan wasn't really listening.
The girl lay stretched out on the bed and now that Dr Grey had removed her large coat and hat, they could all see that they were dealing with a very unusual mutant.
She was half woman, half wolf and Xavier had no doubt that her wolf-like abilities went beyond her physical mutations. She had a tail that shone silver under the florescent lights, as well as two silver pointed ears that poked through her ebony mane. The rest of her body could be seen as human, although Xavier had an idea that she had one final physical mutation that they had not yet discovered.
"She can heal herself Logan, just like you." Xavier began without taking his gaze from the girl, "And I have an inkling that she also has keener senses too. I'm sure we will find out more when she comes round."
Logan, too, had not taken his eyes off the new arrival. Images were running through his head with connotations he didn't like. There weren't many mutants he knew with such feral abilities. Granted he didn't know many mutants, but he could only count himself and Sabretooth with those sorts of mutations. Now there was another, but this one noticeably stranger, almost manufactured.
**********************
Irony awoke only to be blinded by the piercing white light of florescent bulbs. For a moment every muscle in her body tensed up as she realised she had no idea where she was. Her ears twitched as she listened intently for sounds, hoping they would give some clue. Slowly she relaxed her mind, sensing no immediate danger, and tried to figure out what had happened.
Snow. She remembered that. She had travelled hundreds of miles and there had been a lot of snow. There was urgency.and fear. Why had she been running? She couldn't quite remember, but gradually she began piecing things together. Xavier, she had come to see Xavier.he would help, she knew almost certainly.
Sitting up, Irony looked around anxiously. Had she been caught? Or did she reach Xavier? Did she give him the message?
"You gave us quite a shock."
Irony spun round and came face to face with an older man in a wheelchair.
"But you needn't worry, we won't hurt you." Xavier smiled in a soothing manner as he moved from the shadows.
"Are you Professor Xavier?" Irony whispered, unsure if there was anyone else lurking in the darkness nearby.
"Yes, and you are at my school just outside New York. I have a feeling you've travelled many miles to see me."
"You're correct. Hundreds of miles. I couldn't risk trains or planes, so I came mainly by foot."
Xavier immediately recognised her crisp British accent, almost as polished as his own, and for once in a long time, he felt confusion about this mutant's business. Reading her thoughts were difficult, they were scrambled and muddled, reminding him distinctly of when he had tried to read Logan's mind. Her thoughts seemed to rush through her head so fast that he was unsure if even she understood half of them.
"You must be hungry." Xavier offered good-naturedly and beaconed for Irony to follow him to the elevator where they travelled to the higher floor.
"How long have I been here?" Irony murmured, confusion knitting into her brow.
"Only about twelve hours," Xavier answered helpfully, sensing her concerns, "Don't worry, you're quite safe."
The look Irony gave him was one of great doubt, but he didn't query it as he led her into the kitchen. The girl stopped in the doorway as she realised they were no longer alone. Jean, Scott and Logan were already seated around the table, almost as if they anticipated her arrival (little did Irony know that Jean's telepathy had in fact alerted them of her awakening).
Timidly, Irony took a seat opposite the gathered mutants, and looked nervously down at her hands. She felt almost embarrassed about her animal- like appearance, it was rare for her to venture out without her hat and coat, and she did not know how the others would react.
Suddenly Jean rose, answering a mental message from the professor and set about making Irony some food.
"So," Logan began, hating the nervous silence more than anyone, "You said you had an important message."
Irony looked up and stared right into Logan's eyes, boring into them with her intense sapphire gaze.
"Yes. I don't quite know where to begin."
"Try the beginning." Logan interrupted roughly.
Irony answered him with an angered, yet dignified look and then continued as if he hadn't spoken.
"All I know is that there is a great deal of negotiation occurring between a human General of the US army, and a very powerful mutant group. The General has realised that with the aid of these mutants, he can defeat any army that stands in his way and in return, he promises equality for the mutants, if not all mutants."
"That doesn't sound so bad." Scott interjected.
"Not on its own, no." Irony replied, "But the loyalty and honesty of the General should be greatly questioned, not to mention the morality of the mutants in question."
"And in plain English?" Logan sighed.
"I have reason to believe the General is planning on experimenting on these mutants, and others, so that he can try to harness their powers and use them himself. With this power, he would be unstoppable, and with a man like that around, no mutant is safe."
"So, what are the names of these people?" Xavier queried quietly, trying the traditional method of asking, knowing that even his powerful telepathy was having difficulty deciphering Irony's thought patterns.
"The General is called Vincent Horstead." Irony answered thoughtfully, "The mutants are a group lead by a man called Erik Lensherr, otherwise known as."
"Magneto." Logan growled.
Glancing out of his office window, Xavier could see Logan traipsing around the gardens thoughtfully, occasionally brushing snow from his coat and looking, in a bemused manner, at his footprints. The Professor knew that often Logan missed weather like this; after all, the northern country was a prominent feature in Logan's scant memory. As far as he knew, he had always lived in the snow.
Turning back to his empty, warm yet silent room, Xavier sighed and wheeled to his desk. He wished he could help Logan more, he felt almost like a father to him, even if there was a good chance that Logan was older than he was himself. But he had to take things slowly; too much information in too short a time, especially as disturbing as Xavier knew it would be, could seriously harm Logan, and that was the furthest thing from the Professor's mind.
***********************
"Hey Logan, when you're finished playing snowmen, I could do with a little help here!" Scott called as he watched Wolverine approach.
"Help with what?" Logan growled, angry at the interruption of his peaceful musings.
"I need to repair some of the damage on the ramp of the X-Jet, it's a two man job."
Logan sighed and nodded as he walked through the door that Scott held open for him. 'No rest for the wicked', he thought as they took the elevator to the lower floor. He could have done without having to help Scott; they didn't co-operate with each other at the best of times, but lurking in the back of his mind, he knew he should be thankful for the help and hospitality that Xavier had given him, and in return, he should at least help out a little.
Scott sighed and wiped his brow, looking across at Wolverine, who was still grasping the ramp, using all his strength to stop it dropping to the ground.
"It's no good," Cyclops mumbled, exhausted from their three hours' work, "The bolts won't re-align, we're going to have to take them all out and replace with new."
Logan snarled and lowered the ramp, fully fed up. Looking down at himself he saw he was covered in grease and dirt, not to mention a little blood from where the edge of the ramp had sliced his arm. The wound was gone, but the dried up blood had stained his shirt. He was just about to complain out loud when he picked up a noise. He cocked his head instinctively and listened.
"What is it?" Scott asked.
"Shhhhh!" Logan hissed and went back to concentrating on the sound.
Before Wolverine could distinguish what the sound was, both he and Scott received a mental message from Xavier.
"Would you boys please come to the medical lab, I think there's something you should see."
*******************
It had been a long time since Xavier had seen anything like this, and even now, he was finding it difficult to believe. He had been passing down the hall when the stranger had knocked savagely at the front door. Storm opened it cautiously and before she could react, the stranger had pushed their way inside, shaking visibly from the cold. The professor watched the new arrival intensely, knowing immediately that despite their erratic behaviour, the stranger was not a threat.
Standing before them, dripping from the melting ice, was a young woman. She was very pale, yet she had ebony hair and the most piercingly blue eyes Xavier had seen. She was petite and seemed to be drowned in her clothes that seemed outrageously too big for her, finished off with a large hat that occasionally slipped down and blocked her vision.
"I had to come," She gasped, noticeably shivering, "I had to bring a message, I had to come."
"It's ok," Xavier spoke calmly, "Take your time, we won't hurt you."
"I had to come, it's important, it's so important."
And before she could say anymore, she fainted into Storm's arms.
Now, looking down at her as she lay unconscious in the medical lab, Xavier knew that so many questions were going to arise from her appearance, and as soon as Logan arrived, the professor's notion was confirmed.
"What the.?" Logan murmured, taking in the sight before him.
He looked at Xavier and only received a grave nod.
"She just arrived at the door saying she had an important message for us." The professor explained, but he knew Logan wasn't really listening.
The girl lay stretched out on the bed and now that Dr Grey had removed her large coat and hat, they could all see that they were dealing with a very unusual mutant.
She was half woman, half wolf and Xavier had no doubt that her wolf-like abilities went beyond her physical mutations. She had a tail that shone silver under the florescent lights, as well as two silver pointed ears that poked through her ebony mane. The rest of her body could be seen as human, although Xavier had an idea that she had one final physical mutation that they had not yet discovered.
"She can heal herself Logan, just like you." Xavier began without taking his gaze from the girl, "And I have an inkling that she also has keener senses too. I'm sure we will find out more when she comes round."
Logan, too, had not taken his eyes off the new arrival. Images were running through his head with connotations he didn't like. There weren't many mutants he knew with such feral abilities. Granted he didn't know many mutants, but he could only count himself and Sabretooth with those sorts of mutations. Now there was another, but this one noticeably stranger, almost manufactured.
**********************
Irony awoke only to be blinded by the piercing white light of florescent bulbs. For a moment every muscle in her body tensed up as she realised she had no idea where she was. Her ears twitched as she listened intently for sounds, hoping they would give some clue. Slowly she relaxed her mind, sensing no immediate danger, and tried to figure out what had happened.
Snow. She remembered that. She had travelled hundreds of miles and there had been a lot of snow. There was urgency.and fear. Why had she been running? She couldn't quite remember, but gradually she began piecing things together. Xavier, she had come to see Xavier.he would help, she knew almost certainly.
Sitting up, Irony looked around anxiously. Had she been caught? Or did she reach Xavier? Did she give him the message?
"You gave us quite a shock."
Irony spun round and came face to face with an older man in a wheelchair.
"But you needn't worry, we won't hurt you." Xavier smiled in a soothing manner as he moved from the shadows.
"Are you Professor Xavier?" Irony whispered, unsure if there was anyone else lurking in the darkness nearby.
"Yes, and you are at my school just outside New York. I have a feeling you've travelled many miles to see me."
"You're correct. Hundreds of miles. I couldn't risk trains or planes, so I came mainly by foot."
Xavier immediately recognised her crisp British accent, almost as polished as his own, and for once in a long time, he felt confusion about this mutant's business. Reading her thoughts were difficult, they were scrambled and muddled, reminding him distinctly of when he had tried to read Logan's mind. Her thoughts seemed to rush through her head so fast that he was unsure if even she understood half of them.
"You must be hungry." Xavier offered good-naturedly and beaconed for Irony to follow him to the elevator where they travelled to the higher floor.
"How long have I been here?" Irony murmured, confusion knitting into her brow.
"Only about twelve hours," Xavier answered helpfully, sensing her concerns, "Don't worry, you're quite safe."
The look Irony gave him was one of great doubt, but he didn't query it as he led her into the kitchen. The girl stopped in the doorway as she realised they were no longer alone. Jean, Scott and Logan were already seated around the table, almost as if they anticipated her arrival (little did Irony know that Jean's telepathy had in fact alerted them of her awakening).
Timidly, Irony took a seat opposite the gathered mutants, and looked nervously down at her hands. She felt almost embarrassed about her animal- like appearance, it was rare for her to venture out without her hat and coat, and she did not know how the others would react.
Suddenly Jean rose, answering a mental message from the professor and set about making Irony some food.
"So," Logan began, hating the nervous silence more than anyone, "You said you had an important message."
Irony looked up and stared right into Logan's eyes, boring into them with her intense sapphire gaze.
"Yes. I don't quite know where to begin."
"Try the beginning." Logan interrupted roughly.
Irony answered him with an angered, yet dignified look and then continued as if he hadn't spoken.
"All I know is that there is a great deal of negotiation occurring between a human General of the US army, and a very powerful mutant group. The General has realised that with the aid of these mutants, he can defeat any army that stands in his way and in return, he promises equality for the mutants, if not all mutants."
"That doesn't sound so bad." Scott interjected.
"Not on its own, no." Irony replied, "But the loyalty and honesty of the General should be greatly questioned, not to mention the morality of the mutants in question."
"And in plain English?" Logan sighed.
"I have reason to believe the General is planning on experimenting on these mutants, and others, so that he can try to harness their powers and use them himself. With this power, he would be unstoppable, and with a man like that around, no mutant is safe."
"So, what are the names of these people?" Xavier queried quietly, trying the traditional method of asking, knowing that even his powerful telepathy was having difficulty deciphering Irony's thought patterns.
"The General is called Vincent Horstead." Irony answered thoughtfully, "The mutants are a group lead by a man called Erik Lensherr, otherwise known as."
"Magneto." Logan growled.