Chapter Five
Professor Charles Xavier looked up from his computer screen at the loud pounding at his office door. He didn't even have to use his powers to determine the identity of his visitor.
"Come in, Logan," he called out, his expression drawn and serious as he reflected back on why he had called his X-Men together.
The door opened and the children filed into the room, followed closely by Logan and...
Xavier sat back in astonishment as his eyes fell on the tall, shadowy figure standing just inside the plush office. The dark man's golden eyes narrowed with concentration and his tail wrapped tightly around his leg as he struggled to shield his roiling emotions from the world's most powerful telepath. Xavier quickly raised his own mental shields, but kept them relatively weak. On principle, he was unwilling to peer into a mind so determined to retain its privacy, yet when the safety of his students could be at stake, he didn't want to miss any signs that this man was not who he so obviously and impossibly appeared to be.
"Charles," Logan said with a rough gesture towards the taller man standing beside him, "I'd like you to meet Kurt Wagner. Says he's from the future."
The Professor maneuvered his wheelchair around his desk and held out his hand to his visitor.
"The pleasure is mine, Herr Wagner," he said courteously, pronouncing the W as a V.
Kurt raised an eyebrow at the formal address, but favored him with a polite smile as he took the Professor's proffered hand.
"Danke," he said simply.
The Professor regarded him, loosening his shields still more.
"Tell me, Herr Wagner, how did you come here?"
Kurt grimaced, his expression one of total concentration as he worked to maintain his own shields.
"Sorry, Professor, but no can do...too dangerous. Although I am starting to wonder if it was not an accident." He surprised the Professor with a wink. "And you can stop that probing, mein Herr," he said with a small smile. "Aren't you always the one telling Jean it's rude to peek?"
Jean giggled behind her hand at the expression that crossed her mentor's face. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, though his eyes took on a defensive look.
"If you are indeed Kurt Wagner, as you claim, then surely you understand the need to-"
To everyone's surprise, it was Logan who cut him off.
"Look, Chuck, I think you'd better listen to the man," the gruff Canadian said. He tapped his nose. "I've already verified his identity or I wouldn't 'a brung him to see you. The Elf's tellin' the truth."
The door opened and Rogue, Evan, and Ororo stepped into the room. The tardy trio stopped short, excuses and apologies dying on their lips as they caught sight of the increasingly uncomfortable Kurt Wagner. In an attempt to ease the suddenly high tension level in the room, Kurt smiled and offered the newcomers a friendly wave.
"Hello," he said.
"What the heck is this?" Rogue asked bluntly. "Kurt, you been messin' with your holowatch again?"
Evan laughed.
"Yeah, man. 'Cause I mean, seriously, dude, this new look doesn't suit you."
Kurt straightened, his tail lashing behind him.
"I beg your pardon," he said, trying hard not to feel insulted by his young friend's assessment.
Ororo couldn't bring herself to stop staring, her blue eyes wide.
"Charles," she said, her deep voice weighty with cautious trepidation, "is this what you called us here to discuss?"
Charles sighed and wheeled back to his place behind his desk.
"Actually, no," he said. "This development came as much of a surprise to me as it did to all of you. However, I'm afraid the real reason for this meeting is even more disturbing. It seems that—"
"Wait a minute," Evan cut him off, his eyes darting nervously towards the suited figure standing by the desk.
"Evan!" his aunt scolded.
Evan was too agitated to pay her any attention.
"Are you trying to tell me that this," he pressed on, gesturing to Kurt, "is for real?" He attempted a laugh, but it fell rather flat. "No way, dude! This has got to be one of the blue man's pranks. I'm not gonna fall for it."
"It's no prank, Porcupine," Logan growled, causing Rogue, Evan, and Ororo to turn their stunned stares to him. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll keep your questions and comments to yourself. Let's all just listen to what Charlie's gotta say. Then we can discuss the Elf's problems."
"Dankeschön, mein Freund," Kurt thanked him as, slowly, attention turned from him to the Professor.
Xavier cleared his throat.
"For the past several weeks now," he said, "the National Weather Bureau, along with several other scientific groups and agencies, has been detecting a number of unexplainable, intermittent disruptions to the earth's magnetic fields. The only explanation I can come up with is that this has something to do with our old friend, Magneto."
Xavier waited patiently for the startled reactions his words had prompted to die down before he continued.
"Using Cerebro to track the Brotherhood's movements, and with a little detective work by Logan, I was able to discover the location of Magneto's new base of operations."
He turned his flat-screen computer monitor so the others could see it.
"These are the blueprints for a machine that appears to be an equivalent to Cerebro. However, rather than amplifying psi-waves, this machine is designed to locate new mutants by detecting the unique electro-magnetic signature given off at the moment their powers manifest."
"Meaning that Magneto will be able to trick other frightened kids into joining his twisted cause like he tried to do with Alex," Scott said with a scowl, remembering how Magneto had once manipulated his younger brother and himself into attacking their friends.
"It gets worse," Xavier said darkly.
Kitty couldn't repress a shiver. Kurt noticed, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. For some reason, the friendly gesture seemed to make her even more uncomfortable. Kurt removed his hand and stepped away from the group, half-vanishing into the shadows of the corner as the Professor went on.
"The machine is not yet fully operational," he said. "Although it is very close. Once it is completed, its activation will temporarily change the earth's electro-magnetic signature."
"But, the effects on the weather patterns..." Ororo started, too disturbed to complete the thought.
"Precisely," the Professor said. "Not to mention satellites and navigation systems and all manner of electronic equipment... We could be looking at a world-wide crisis."
"But, like, why would Magneto want to do something like that?" Kitty asked. "I mean, it's like, this seems kind of drastic just to get a few new recruits, you know what I mean?"
"Not if you're lookin' to start a war, Half-Pint," Logan growled.
"That doesn't sound like Magneto's style," Jean protested. "I mean, the guy's ideology is a little skewed, for sure, but he's about mutant superiority, not war." She turned to the Professor, her green eyes wide with trepidation. "Am I right?"
The Professor sighed.
"The day is rapidly approaching when we mutants will no longer be able to hide from the outside world," he said. "All my life I have worked to ease that introduction, to prepare us all to meet the inevitable fear with compassion and knowledge rather than violence. Although Erik understood my ideals, he never believed humanity would live up to them. He's readying himself to meet their violent bigotry with his own, to fight eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth, firmly believing himself to be in the right. I don't believe he is willing to start a war against normal humans, but he is more than ready to fight one."
Kurt furrowed his brow, deep in thought, absently rubbing at his left shoulder. His golden eyes were fixed on his holowatch. It was one of the hardest things the Professor had ever done to keep from picking up on his raging emotions. Jean, however, winced and quickly squeezed her hands to her temples.
Scott was instantly by her side.
"Jean, are you all right?" he asked anxiously, trying to catch her eyes.
Jean tossed her long, red hair and straightened, looking slightly sheepish.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Scott. But, I'm not so sure about him."
All eyes turned to Kurt, the sudden attention startling him out of his disturbing thoughts.
"I can't help you," he blurted out, his yellow eyes haunted. "I can't risk changing things. I can't risk losing...everything."
His voice trailed off until the last word was little more than an anguished whisper.
"What are you talking about?" Scott demanded. "Are you saying you know what Magneto's up to?"
Kurt narrowed his eyes at the boy's tone.
"There are some lessons that can only be learned through experience," he stated, his voice firm. "I'm sorry, Scott."
"Oh, that's great, Kurt. That's just great! Why don't you just—"
"Scott," the Professor warned before the angry boy could say anything more.
"But, Professor, with this guy here instead of our Kurt we're one short. How are we supposed to—"
"Scott," the Professor said again, his voice sharp.
Scott's mouth snapped shut and his shoulders straightened.
Xavier sighed.
"I have never been much of a believer in predestination," he said, speaking to everyone but looking at Kurt. "I'm sorry, Kurt, but as far as I'm concerned, your past is my future. And from where I'm sitting, that future hasn't been written yet.* Although I respect your decision to try not to interfere, you must have seen by now that that is impossible. Your very presence here is affecting each of us. Besides that, we are one short, and your powers and experience would certainly aid us greatly should you choose to help us. I'll leave it up to you."
Kurt stood straight and tall as he stepped forward, imposing in his black suit.
"Charles," he said, slipping out of his deferential shell and addressing the Professor as an equal. "I know what will happen if I agree to help you in this. I can see the consequences stretching out before me like so many dominoes."
He leaned forward with his hands pressed flat on the desk, looking the Professor straight in the eye.
"Charles, I have the benefit of hindsight, a power I am finding more terrifying than you can know. Even if you don't believe in predestination, you must acknowledge the danger in that."
The Professor leaned back in his chair, his brow furrowed as he considered Kurt's impassioned words. There was so much hiding behind them, so much begging to be read between the lines, so much the Professor longed to know. This dangerous knowledge was a temptation he could not resist. He still had one card left to play.
"Very well," he said. "But, if you can remember going through all this as a teenager, learning of Magneto's plan and facing him with the rest of the team, can you tell us where that teenaged Kurt is now? Apparently, he vanished when you appeared."
Kurt turned away, his hands shoved deep in his pockets and his tail wrapped around his ankle.
"That has been disturbing me more than anything else," he admitted. "I can't remember sitting at this meeting before. I can't remember confronting Magneto over this machine. And I know I can't recall anyone ever mentioning a visit by an older version of myself. I fear the domino effect has started already. If it continues, everything we have worked for, everything we achieved—" he cut himself off, his head snapping up abruptly as a sudden thought occurred to him.
"Just when did your Kurt vanish?" he asked. "Was he teleporting at the time?"
Jean and Kitty turned to Scott. Scott turned red.
"Well...um...the last time any of us saw him he was teleporting, yes. It was during lunch. I noticed something strange about it-it was kind of brighter than usual. But, I just put that down to anger." He shrugged, looking rather sheepish. "He was sort of upset at the time."
Kurt nodded.
"I was attempting a teleport when I found myself yanked here. I lost consciousness upon my arrival. I had only just awoken when Kitty found me."
Kurt furrowed his brow, his swaying tail curling and uncurling as he paced across the room.
"I have been trying to figure this out," he said distractedly, apparently talking to himself, "and until now it just didn't make sense. Tesseract isn't nearly powerful enough to enact a time-warp like this...something had to have weakened the space-time continuum enough for her to— ...And perhaps with the trans-dimensional aspect from the teleport..."
The young X-Men looked at each other in bewilderment, wondering just what this strange, adult version of their friend was babbling on about. They jumped in surprise when Kurt suddenly spun on them, his golden eyes bright and intense.
"Charles," he asked, "when was the most recent of these electro-magnetic disturbances you were talking about?"
Xavier tapped at his keyboard, then used his mouse to scroll down the screen.
"12:36 this afternoon," he said, his own eyes brightening as he caught on to what Kurt was suggesting.
Kurt nodded, his lips tight.
"If it was Magneto's machine that caused your Kurt and me to switch places in time - for I assume that is what has happened - then in order to fix this situation I'm afraid I must change my previous decision."
"You mean you're going to help us stop Magneto?" Evan asked, starting to get excited.
Kurt nodded with a deep sigh, his thick fingers running over the large, golden band on the second finger of his left hand.
"I have to."
The next time he lifted his head, his golden eyes were twinkling with a familiar glint of mischief.
"But don't even think about asking me what happens in the future. Especially you, Charles. Because I won't tell."
The Professor blinked.
Kurt smiled knowingly.
"When are we going, Professor?" Scott asked.
Jean and Kitty suddenly looked very nervous, their eyes shifting to the clock over the Professor's desk and their thoughts shifting to the up-coming dance.
"Tomorrow afternoon," Xavier answered, to the audible relief of both girls. "Magneto's new base is located in Montana under an iron-rich mountain in the foothills of the Rockies. You will all need to become familiar with the layout before you leave. That means tomorrow morning will be spent in the Danger Room."
"And tonight will be spent at the dance!" Evan crowed. "Time to shake that tail, right Ku—"
He broke off, suddenly remembering that his friend wasn't there. At least, not the version he knew.
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence.
"Oh, Kitty," Jean said suddenly, her green eyes widening with a sudden realization, "I'm so sorry!"
"Why are you sorry for her?" Evan asked. "It's Kurt that's missing, off in the future somewhere."
A muscle in Kurt's jaw twitched as he went back to twisting his ring, melancholy homesickness leaking from his lash-shadowed eyes.
"With Kurt gone, Kitty doesn't have a date, Spyke," Rogue explained, rolling her eyes at having to spell out the obvious.
"Oh," said Evan. "Bummer." Then he shrugged. "Well, I guess you could come with me," he offered. "It's not like it would be a date or anything, but if it would make you feel better..."
Kitty was looking decidedly uncomfortable under the weight of the collective concern of her friends.
"Um...that's, like, real nice and everything, Spyke, but, like, um..." She scrunched up her shoulders, then let it all out in a rapid-fire stream. "I don't, like, actually need a date because I'm, like, going to the dance with Pete and that's, like, what I needed to tell Kurt in the first place which is why I was, like, looking for him for, like, hours after school and everything!"
Her friends were taken aback by this news, particularly Rogue.
"Kitty, how could you do that?" she asked. "How could you make a date with that crass jerk and leave Kurt in the lurch? Did you even consider Kurt's feelings? Ah've never seen him so happy as he was this mornin'. Ah mean, he brought you breakfast in bed! If a boy did that for me, ah wouldn't just turn around and make a date with someone else!"
Kurt blinked from his spot in the corner, then he tilted his head with a slightly amused smile. He remembered that. He chuckled softly to think how positively elated he had been when Kitty had said yes. He strained his memory, trying to recall the dance itself, but to his concerned annoyance it was all a blank. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the conversation raging before him.
"It's not like that!" Kitty was protesting angrily. "The only reason I even, like, said yes to Kurt in the first place was because Pete, like, already said he'd go with another girl. I mean, it was, like, the day before the dance and everything and if Kurt hadn't asked me I would have been, like, totally dateless!"
Rogue shot her a look of pure disgust and turned away. Jean shook her head. Kitty's face crumpled, her large eyes filling with tears.
"I so totally didn't mean for this to happen," she cried. "It all happened so suddenly! It was like, Pete came over to me at lunch and said that other girl couldn't go. She was, like, grounded or something. And then he asked me and I was like, I don't even know and before I knew what was happening I'd said OK. I didn't even remember Kurt until Pete had gone back to his table, but as soon as I did I started searching for him."
Her shoulders trembled as tears trickled down her flushed cheeks.
"And now, I, like, don't even want to go with Pete anymore!"
Kurt couldn't allow this to go on, not on his account. Moving forward, he crouched down to her height and tucked a thick finger under her chin, lifting her eyes to his gentle smile.
"Please, don't be so upset, Kätzchen," he said to her, his voice soft. "I'm certain your Kurt would understand. Trust me," he assured her, his smile broadening. "I know him better than anyone else here."
Kitty sniffled, jerking her head away from his hand.
"No, he'd, like, hate me," she mumbled miserably.
"Never," Kurt protested. "Believe me, the only thing Kurt would want would be to see you have a wonderful time at the dance. So, dry your eyes, stop feeling so guilty, and go have fun with your friend, Pete."
"Oh, God, he would be like that, wouldn't he," Kitty sobbed. "I don't even, like, deserve a friend like him!"
"Nonsense," Kurt started, but Kitty startled him by falling forward into his arms, leaning her head against his shoulder as she cried. Kurt stroked her long, brown ponytail in a fatherly fashion, unexpectedly finding himself struggling against tears of his own as he wondered if he would ever again hold his own children like this.
After a few moments, Kitty pulled away, looking up at Kurt with reddened eyes.
"I, like, know you're not, like...well...exactly the Kurt I know and everything," she said hesitantly, "but, I was wondering if, like, you might want to, maybe, go to the dance with me anyway?"
The room seemed to freeze in time as everyone waited to hear how Kurt would respond.
Kurt blinked a few times, deeply touched but highly aware of the awkwardness of the situation. He sighed.
"Kätzchen, Liebling," he said gently, "I thank you for your kind offer, but I am afraid that the age difference between us would make it inappropriate for me to take you to the dance as a date." Before she could protest, he held up a staying hand. "However," he continued, "I will agree to go as your personal chaperone."
Kitty tilted her head, wiping her tears from her eyes with her sleeve. A personal chaperone sounded kind of romantic.
"That way you can still enjoy yourself with your friend Pete, but since I will be there as well we can share as many dances as you like," Kurt explained. "How does that sound to you?"
Kitty pretended to consider his offer, then broke into a huge grin.
"Sounds great, Fuzzy Elf!" She beamed, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist as he rose to his feet. "Thank you so much!"
Kurt smiled affectionately down at her, stroking her back with the spade of his tail, then using it to gently pry her away.
"When does this dance of yours begin?" he asked.
"Six," she answered promptly.
Jean glanced at the clock, then gasped.
"Oh, my God!" she exclaimed. "I've got less than half an hour before Duncan gets here! Gotta go!"
With that, the tall red-head dashed from the room, followed closely by Scott's bitter gaze.
"Well," the Professor said, amused, "it seems this meeting is adjourned. Have a wonderful time, everyone, and remember - be safe!"
"We will, Professor!" the remaining teens exclaimed as they filed out the door, laughing and chattering with Logan and Storm trailing behind. Kurt remained, suddenly seeming very uncomfortable.
"You handled that delicate situation very well, Kurt," the Professor commented as he wheeled out from behind his desk.
Kurt shrugged.
"I've had some experience with kids," he said simply. He cleared his throat. "Erm, I was wondering, Herr Professor, if there might be some clothes I could borrow for the dance? They don't have to be fancy or anything - I can use an image inducer to hide them - I just don't feel comfortable going in this suit."
"It's a very handsome suit, Kurt," the Professor said, somewhat confused.
Kurt looked slightly bemused.
"Thank you, Professor," he said, his tail twitching, "but honestly, I don't feel right attending a dance in it."
The Professor looked thoughtful, forcibly restraining himself from peering into Kurt's mind. It was getting more difficult by the minute.
"Scott is slightly taller than you are," he said at last, "but still, I believe his clothes would come closest to fitting you. I'll ask him, shall I?"
Kurt nodded.
"Please." Then he noticed a light flashing dimly on his holowatch and groaned softly. "Ach, verdammt piece of outdated refuse..."
"What is it?" the Professor asked.
"This holowatch is very low on batteries. Do you think I could borrow one of the spares from my old room?"
"Of course, Kurt. They are yours, after all."
Kurt nodded as he turned to leave.
"Thank you, Professor. Have a pleasant evening."
"I will, Kurt. Enjoy yourself at the dance."
Kurt grinned, his golden eyes twinkling. For that moment, the Professor could clearly see the mischievous teenager he knew shining through the man before him.
"If nothing else," Kurt said, "it'll be certain to bring back memories!"
To Be Continued...
*TNG reference: Captain Picard said something like that in the Season 5 episode 'A Matter of Time.' :)
