A Run In With An Old Friend

Kurt looked at the tall figure covered with bone plating. His head was crowned by horns and spikes making him resemble something like a stegosaurus. "Evan?"

"Hey Fuzzy," Evan grinned. "What? Don't like the new look? I'd give you a hug but uh…" He indicated the spikes on his chest.

"Man where have you been?" Kurt grasped his hand.

"Oh around," Evan shook it. "It's good to see you."

"Yeah but why…?" Kurt began.

"Kurt? Kurt?" Amanda ran in. "Kurt are you okay? Kurt! Oh!" She gasped when she saw Evan.

"Hey Amanda," Evan grinned. "Still hanging with the Fuzzy Dude huh?"

"Evan? Is that you? What happened to you?" Amanda asked.

"My mutation?" Evan gave her a wry look.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that," Amanda apologized.

"Don't worry," Evan waved. "It's not exactly the worst I've heard."

"Yeah but fire?" Kurt blinked at the glowing spear. "That's a new twist."

"Tell me about it," Evan grinned. "But on the bright side the tunnels have become a lot warmer since I've learned that trick. Not to mention safer."

The small child made a frightened whimper. "It's okay Torpid," Evan soothed the child. "She won't hurt you." He looked at Amanda. "She's afraid of humans."

"Afraid of me? Why?" Amanda asked.

"They did something bad to her," Evan explained as he gently tussled Torpid's hair. "We don't what. She never talks. But we know it was bad."

"Oh…" Amanda said.

"How have you been Evan?" Kurt asked. "Your Aunt worries about you all the time."

"I'm fine considering," Evan shrugged. "But you two shouldn't be out here. Especially with all the attacks in this neighborhood."

"Attacks?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah lately a lot of jerks' favorite pastime is to go hunting and bashing mutants. Especially Morlocks," Evan grunted.

"I haven't heard anything," Kurt remarked.

"Of course you haven't," Evan said. "Like the cops would ever help a mutant in need. Fortunately none of my people have been seriously hurt so far. I've made sure of that. But the two of you should be more careful."

"And I thought things were crazy enough back with the Misfits at the Mansion," Amanda sighed.

"The who?" Evan gave her a puzzled look.

"Oh that's right you wouldn't know," Kurt said. "Most of the Brotherhood is now working under GI Joe. You remember Wavedancer?"

"Vividly," Evan nodded.

"Well she's leading them now. They call themselves the Misfits, an appropriate name if there was one," Kurt explained. "Roadblock is in charge of training them."

"Wow, I would have never figured the Brotherhood of all people to become pets," Evan shook his head.

"Pets?" Amanda asked.

"Our word for a mutant that works for humans," Evan shrugged. "Or dates one…Sorry man, I didn't mean…"

"I take it most Morlocks would not encourage a human dating a mutant?" Kurt sighed.

"No," Evan sighed. "Some of them even would go as far as considering that an act of treason. I don't believe that myself, it's just some of the Morlocks had it really hard before coming to the Alley. I mean really bad."

"It's okay," Amanda told him. "I understand."

"No you don't," Evan said quietly. "Not really. Look Kurt could you do me a favor? Don't tell my aunt you saw me okay?"

"But she's been worried sick about you!" Amanda said.

"Well then tell her I'm okay but don't tell her about…well, the extra spikes and the fire all right?"

"But why?" Kurt asked.

"I don't want her freaking out that's all," Evan explained. "Simple as that."

"Evan we don't care what you look like!" Kurt told him. "I mean look at me."

"It's a bit more complicated than that Kurt," Evan told him. "I don't think you'd understand."

"Try me," Kurt stared at him.

"Do you know the real reason why I left?" Evan asked. "It wasn't just because of the way I looked. It was because I realized something. I didn't belong there anymore."

"Of course you do Evan!" Kurt said.

"No I don't," Evan frowned. "Because I don't believe in Xavier or my aunt anymore."

"What?" Kurt gasped. "You're joking right? Please tell me that was a joke!"

"I knew you wouldn't get it. This little skirmish is nothing compared to some of the fights I've been in since I became a Morlock," Evan huffed. "Humans will turn on us sooner or later, I'm just not going to hang around and become a target for them. Or help them so that they can take more shots at us. At least with the Morlocks I'm doing something. I'm protecting those who need help the most. It may not be fancy, but I know I'm making a difference. Which is more than what I can say for the Professor."

"That's not true!" Kurt defended. "He is working to make things better!"

"How? Making a few speeches? Donating some money to certain people so he can continue to run the school so a few select mutants can join his private little army?" Evan snapped. "That's as good as nothing and you know it!"

"How can you say something like that?" Kurt said. "You're an X-Man too!"

"I was an X-Man Kurt," Evan said. "Past tense. My eyes have been opened to a lot of stuff since I left. Do you have any idea how many mutants there are on the streets? Hundreds! And that's not even counting the Morlocks that live here! There are Morlock communities in dozens of cities now! All over the world! A lot of them have different names and stuff, but they're Morlocks nonetheless in spirit. I've seen things, heard stories that would make your fur crawl. Mutants forced to hide into the shadows and live in the sewers for no other reason than to escape abuse. All at the hands of humans. And he expects us to get along with them?"

"Not all of us are like that," Amanda said.

"I know Amanda," Evan said. "But for every one of you there are at least fifty of them who want nothing more than to see us dead. Only mutants can help themselves. We can't rely on normal humans to help us. Mutants have to fight for our place in the world. By any means necessary."

"Now you're starting to sound like Magneto," Kurt frowned.

"Well on this issue he's right," Evan said. "I ain't saying we should wipe out all the humans so we can rule the planet. That's crazy talk. I'm talking about survival. We're not going to start any fights but we sure as hell will finish them!"

"We?" Kurt asked.

"There's quite a few Morlocks that feel the same way I do," Evan nodded. "I've been training them on how to fight. How to think in battle. How to use the environment to their advantage. Just how Storm and the others taught me."

"She never intended you to use that training for this!" Kurt gasped.

"You mean she never intended for me to think for myself," Evan glared at him. "And for the first time in a long while that's what I've been doing. Somebody's got to take care of mutants who can't take care of themselves."

"And you are that somebody?" Kurt asked.

"Yes," Evan told him. "Then he softened. "Look man, I didn't mean to go all preacher on you. I'm just…trying to help those who need it the most. I've seen a different world than Xavier's that's all. The real one. You'd understand too if you didn't hide behind that inducer all the time."

"I didn't always have this inducer Evan," Kurt told him.

"No but you've grown dependent on it," Evan said. "Just like you and the others have grown dependent on the Professor telling you what to do and taking care of you. Yeah you're all good fighters, but it's made you soft up here." He indicated his forehead. "Admit it, if something happened to him, you'd be lost."

"We'd survive," Kurt stiffened.

"We'll see…" Evan sighed. "Look it was good to see you again Kurt. Amanda. But I have to take Torpid home. Our food is getting cold."

"Evan if there's anything you need, anything at all…" Amanda said.

"Morlocks ain't that much into charity Amanda," Evan told her. "But…I'll keep you in mind. It's nice to know there's at least one human out there that's willing to help us if we need it. Kurt, please remember not to tell my aunt, okay? I don't want her to worry any more than she has to."

"All right," Kurt nodded sadly. "I promise. Goodbye my friend. Take care."

They disappeared into the shadows. "Kurt what happened to him?" Amanda asked. "He's not the Evan I remember!"

"No, he's not. He's changed Amanda," Kurt said softly. "And not just on the outside. And for some reason…I'm frightened by what he has become."