Chapter Nine
"Am I really going to be on the news?" Edmund asked excitedly as he bounced out of the van and onto the verdant grounds of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. "Can I see it now? When does it come on?"
"Why do the reporters always interview the Wagners?" Nathan Summers scowled in annoyance. "It's not fair. I want to be on TV too!"
"They interviewed me," his older sister, Rachel announced proudly. "And Natasha, too. She said they'd wanted to know about when Uncle Pietro was with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and why he decided to switch sides and stuff."
"Uncle Pietro's not evil," Nathan cried. "He's nice!"
Rachel shook her head.
"No, stupid, it's the Brotherhood that was evil."
"Why?" Edmund asked, his tail twitching with curiosity.
Rachel shrugged.
"I don't know. Go ask Tasha! Uncle Pietro is her father!"
Eliza Braddock flew over to the group and landed lightly on her toes, her long, golden hair streaming out behind her in the warm, October breeze.
"Did you know?" she asked excitedly. "Samuel and I were interviewed by five reporters in a row as we left the church with Father. Do you think we'll make it to the evening news?"
"Why does everyone get to be on the news but me?" Nathan whined plaintively. "It's not fair!"
His lip trembled as his bright eyes filled with tears.
Kurt sighed deeply as he slid out of the front passenger seat, feeling tired and drained and in no mood for childish whining.
The reporters had been relentless in their pursuit all the way up to the very doors of the church. It had taken all his training as a performer to keep up an appropriately charming facade for the cameras. If he'd had his way, however, he would have willingly and creatively told the eager vultures exactly where they could stick their microphones. So what if it would have set mutant/human relations back by decades. It would have felt wonderful.
"Alice, Liebchen, could you handle this, please," he said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his elegant, black suit as more chattering, arguing children piled out of the van. "I've got to join Scott and Evan over by the..."
He choked on the word, gesturing towards the sleek, black hearse at the head of the driveway.
"Over there."
His wife nodded her understanding as she bent down to scoop up the wailing six-year-old.
"Of course, love," she said, and smiled gently. "Do you know when the President is arriving?"
Kurt shrugged. He truly liked President Davidson, he was just too depressed to show any enthusiasm for her arrival.
"She and her guard should be here in about twenty minutes," he said listlessly. "That is, if they can make it past those verdammlich reporters."
Feeling too low to teleport, Kurt trudged off, waving and nodding to the friends he passed on his way to the hearse.
Scott was standing stoic and tall, talking quietly with Rogue and Evan. The trio looked up as Kurt joined them.
"Hey, little bro'," Rogue greeted, stepping up to give him a careful hug. She'd grown her white-streaked auburn hair long, until it now hung down her back in gentle waves. It tickled his tail as he curled it around her waist.
"Thanks for keepin' those reporters off my back," she said, pulling away. "Ah honestly don't know what would 'a come outta my mouth if they'd asked me one more inane question about my powers."
"I was happy to do it, meine Schwester," he smiled. "You know how I love being the center of attention."
Rogue smiled.
"Ah saw your kids at the church," she said. "They're gettin' big. How old is Marti now, fifteen?"
"Fourteen," Kurt corrected, turning his gaze to where his daughter and Samuel were strolling past the crowds, focused entirely on their own little world.
Rogue took in his expression, a twinkle of mischief growing in her green eyes.
"Ah see the dudes dig the fuzzy chick," she said, her smile broadening into a grin as Kurt's jaw dropped. "She must take after her father."
"Did I really talk like that when I was younger?" he asked her, slightly embarrassed.
Rogue chuckled.
"And how! But, thankfully you grew out of it before your hokey slang drove us all to gang up and clobber you in your sleep."
Kurt smirked at her, then he turned to Evan, managing to summon up a genuine grin.
"I haven't seen you for ages, mein Freund," he said warmly. "How are things in Africa?"
"We're making some real progress," the spiked, bone-plated mutant said proudly. "Auntie O's still as active as ever, and we're getting new members every day. We're working to set up a peace-keeping X-chapter in each of the African nations."
Kurt raised his eyebrows.
"And I thought I was busy," he teased. "You are being received well?"
"Oh, yeah! We're getting all kinds of government support. Even the terrorists and guerrillas are helping out! After Doomsday, it seems the whole world's finally starting to get it's act together."
"It's about time, too," Kurt stated bluntly.
Evan looked down as something caught his eye.
"Hey, Kurt, isn't that one of your old hologram thingies?" he asked curiously.
Kurt looked down at his wrist.
"Oh, right, the holowatch. I'd forgotten I'd put it on."
He smiled.
"Edmund found it this morning, dangling from one of the boxes that arrived from the Professor's house. He was so adorably confused when I told him what it was for." A warm glow entered his golden eyes. "None of my children have ever known the need to hide their appearance behind a mask such as this. It was when I saw that look in my son's eyes that I truly appreciated all the Professor has done for us. He has taught the world tolerance in the aftermath of a burning hatred that would have destroyed us all. He was truly a saint among men."
Evan nodded, lowering his head as a wave of sadness and loss passed over them both.
"The President's arrived!" Hank McCoy's deep voice rang out, causing all eyes to turn to the furry, sixty-four year old mutant. "Pall-bearers, take your places! Where's Jean?"
"I pray my fur doesn't go white when I get that old," Kurt whispered in Evan's bone-obscured ear. "Hank looks like the Abominable Snowman."
Evan snickered. The two men sobered at once, however, as Scott opened the back of the hearse and motioned for them to step forward.
Kurt found himself blinking back tears as he, Scott, Rogue, and Evan hefted the heavy coffin up onto their shoulders. It all still felt like a dream, like he would wake up to find he was still in bed at the manor and the Professor was still putting the finishing touches on his book in Hawaii. It was inconceivable that the Professor was really dead. The weight digging into his shoulder wasn't real. This had to be a dream.
The four pall-bearers came to a stop just beside a small, marble mausoleum that had been constructed on a hill overlooking Bayville spread out far below. Looking into the gaping blackness within, reality hit Kurt like a dive into freezing water.
This was no dream.
Together, they lowered the coffin onto a wheeled board and stepped back, watching as the President strode up the stairs to the special stage that had been constructed for the visiting dignitaries. The British Prime Minister and several other important political figures were already seated behind the podium. The President took her place before the microphones and activated her electonic notepad as the news cameras jostled each other for the best position.
Kurt left the other three pall-bearers and walked back to his family, wrapping his tail around Alice's waist as she put her arm around his shoulders. The children sat on the grass at their feet, still somewhat in awe at seeing the President and the Prime Minister in the flesh.
As the President began her speech, Suzie looked up at her parents.
"Do you know if the President signs autographs?" she asked them, keeping her voice to a whisper.
Marta shot her a look that begged the question, 'Are you mad?'.
"I doubt it, sweetie," Alice said, distractedly. "Pay attention now. This is important."
With a frustrated sigh, Suzie turned back to face the front. Alice leaned her head on her husband's shoulder as the President continued with her eulogy.
"...and for those who will always bear the hateful brands from Weapon X, that den of mad-scientists where experiments the likes of which have not been seen since Hitler's death camps were performed on innocent mutants..."
Alice winced as Kurt reached up to rub his shoulder, where he had been branded after being captured by Weapon X operatives when his holowatch failed on an undercover mission. The watch was later found to have been sabotaged at the source. It seemed a rabid mutant hater at Stark Industries, where the watches were made, had learned they were being used to hide physical mutants. Squeezing Kurt tighter to her, the two of them focused on the President's words.
"...It was when this troubled world had reached its nadir that the wisdom of Charles Xavier finally found an audience. It was his organization, the X-Men, that guided us away from the horrors of genocide and terrorism and showed the world that mutants and humans could work together in peace. Were it not for the vision of this man, and the dedication of those who believed in his Dream, the threat that Doomsday posed could have become a terrifying reality.
"In the fifteen years since the end of WWIII, it seems this weary world is finally beginning to learn the lessons it should have taken to heart after WWII. With the help of the rapidly growing International X-Men Organization, founded by Charles Xavier and led by the men and women he trained..."
"She's talking about you!" Edmund whispered loudly, beaming up at his parents.
Kurt smiled down at him with a quick nod.
"Yes, sweetling. Now, pay attention."
"...will ensure that evil men like Adolf Hitler, Graydon Creed, and William Stryker will never again come to power. Never again. We still have a long way to go before Xavier's Dream can truly be realized. Hate groups and anti-mutant terrorist organizations still run rampant throughout the world. However, with the help of the X-Men..."
Kurt jumped slightly at an unexpected nudge in his side. He turned to see Bobby Drake standing next to him, a confused look on his face.
"Hey, Kurt," Bobby whispered. "What's that kid doing over there?"
Kurt and Alice turned to where Bobby was pointing.
A young girl, one of the current students at the Xavier Institute, was walking towards the stage. She seemed dazed, as though she were in a trance.
"Who is she?" Alice asked, starting to get concerned.
"Tessa Mulvey," Kurt said. "She's new, just started last month. Scott was telling me about her, and I've been considering asking to have her transferred to Excalibur. She can bend space to cross large distances and can also move herself up to fifty-three seconds back in time. She calls herself Tesseract."
"She looks kind of sick," Suzie said, rising to her feet. "Do you think she'll vomit?"
"I don't think she's sick," Marti said, joining her sister on her feet, "but there's definitely something wrong with her. She's heading straight for the President. And I think there's something in her hand."
"Wait here," Kurt said, talking to everyone but looking specifically at Marta. "I'll get to the bottom of this."
With a BAMF of sulfurous smoke, Kurt was instantly at Tesseract's side.
"Tessa," he said firmly, taking her by the arm. "Stop. What are you doing?"
Tessa turned to him. There was something strange about her eyes. Her face was completely devoid of expression.
Kurt gasped. She was displaying all the signs of enforced mind-control. He had to get her out of there, quickly, before whoever was controlling her could cause an international incident.
Enfolding her securely in his arms, Kurt prepared to teleport them both away. But, the moment he enacted the teleport, Tessa was wrenched from his arms and Kurt found himself hurtling helplessly through a strange, soundless void. The next thing he knew, he had landed hard on a flat, grassy expanse. He barely had time to register the sight of a large, familiar building some twenty feet away before he lost consciousness...
To Be Continued...
