A/N: Holy shit, I updated! Yeah yeah yeah... I've been depressed lately, and as we all know, the only way for me to beat that is to write. For those of you who care, I was in a production of Blood Brothers, and I fell for the guy who played my older brother, Sammy. For those of you who don't, suffice it to say I feel write-y now. It's almost midnight. Do you know where YOUR author is? This story has been in the fridge for ... more than two years. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things.

Second Chapter: Insertion

Ark awoke to the thrum of engines. Disoriented, he struggled to remember what had happened, but all his mind could conjure was the image of a cat. No... That was wrong. Not a cat. A mutant? Shit! His house... He struggled to sit up, but gloved hands pulled him back down, and a voice whispered soothingly to him. Shhh... Everything is fine. Go back to sleep. It wasn't until just before he slipped back into the darkness that he realized the voice was in his own head.

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"Kid, we're here." The words pierced the shroud of darkness that had surrounded Ark for what seemed like hours. The voice was somewhat gruff, and definitely impatient. Not someone Ark wanted to face, even if his head didn't feel like it was splitting open.

Memory came flooding back. He'd been attacked... By a cat-man. Or something. And he'd fainted. Some brave hero.

If I just don't open my eyes... I can imagine I'm still in my bed, I'm still back in L.A. and there was no cat-person... No voices in my head... Not to mention the fact that if he opened his eyes, his saviors might not be too keen on keeping him safe. His eyes would give him away.

"Hey, kid. Wake up." Rough hands grasped his shoulders, but were quickly removed.

"Careful... Xavier said not to touch him." That voice... THAT voice Ark recognized. It was the voice Ark had heard before, in his head. The voice telling him it would all be okay. But that's not possible... Right?

He almost opened his eyes before he caught himself. Maybe if he pretended to be asleep, they would take him home and forget about him. Home? What home? That damn fur-ball destroyed my house!

"Look, kid. We don't have time for your games. We're here, we need to get back, and you need to get up. Cerebro picked up another potential student in your hometown, and while he's not quite as ... unique... as you are, we want to get to him before Sabretooth does."

Grudgingly, Ark opened his eyes. His surroundings took him by complete surprise. He was sitting in what looked like the cockpit of a jet, sitting next to a very disgruntled looking guy who was in desperate need of a shave. On the other side was a girl.. no, a woman... with long red hair. Ark recognized her from the news. She'd actively opposed the Anti-mutant legislation, including the Mutant Registration Act. Joan Graham or something. Ark hadn't really paid attention.

But what caught his attention even more than the company was that outside it was snowing. "Where the hell am I?" He wished he didn't sound so panicked, but it couldn't be helped. Joan- No, Jean, that was it. Jean Grey- turned to him and smiled, rather apologetically.

"We don't usually take students without asking permission first, but you're a special case, I'm afraid. We're in New York. At a special school. For people like us." She paused for a second, and a look of surprise crossed her face. She glanced across Ark at the other man, shrugged meaningfully. "We're all mutants here. Logan here was the one who saved you. It's a good thing he found you when he did." She paused meaningfully, obviously waiting for Ark to offer gratitude. So he didn't. With a rueful shake of her head, she went on. "No one at your school seemed to know where you were."

"Enough with the welcome wagon, Red. We have another pick up to make, and I'd rather do it before ole One-Eye notices we're both gone." He winked at her suggestively, and she flushed. "The Professor can fill the boy in."

"Alright, alright... Follow me, Ark." She stood and marched purposefully down a ramp that had opened in the rear of the plane. The only other option being conversation with Logan, Ark hurriedly followed suit.

When he finally caught up, Ms. Grey was talking to a boy of age with Ark. "...touch him, okay?" The other boy nodded, met Ark's eyes, and grinned. Ark couldn't help but grin back, feeling warm despite the cold. It was the first time in a long time someone had met his eyes without wincing.

"Ark, this is Bobby. Bobby will show you to your dorm, okay?" And she was gone.

"There's a big fuss about you, you know." Bobby smiled, in a failed attempt to lighten what he'd said. "They say you're something special. But they won't tell us what you do."

"Do?" Ark laughed. "I don't do anything. Just my eyes. And I guess I have better-than-average night vision." Bobby just looked at him incredulously. "What do YOU do, then?"

"They call me Iceman." He shrugged. "Not much use this time of year, I suppose. We'd better get in. I'm half frozen." He grinned roguishly, even as he turned to make his way back to the big building in the distance. "No pun intended."