Confessions in a Kitchen

It wasn't until three in the morning until the police finally left the Xavier Institute. And still few of the occupants, students and instructors alike could sleep. At six in the morning Hank trudged down to the kitchen wearing his bathrobe, yawning. He saw Logan still dressed drinking some coffee. "Did you sleep in those clothes?"

"I haven't gone to bed yet," Logan confessed. "I just can't sleep. Been thinking."

"I admit I too have spent most of the evening pondering our predicament," Hank sighed as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"It ain't getting any better is it, Hank?" Logan sighed. "As much as I like Charles and his dream and all…I can't help but think we're fighting a losing battle sometimes."

"It does seem to be that we are in a perpetual quagmire," Hank sat down. "For every inch of ground we gain in relations between humans and mutants, we lose two feet."

"More like two miles," Logan grunted. He sniffed the air. "Better come on out Fluffy. I know you're there."

"Don't call me Fluffy," Thornn grumbled as she walked in, arms folded around her.

"I take it you've been staying up all night as well," Hank gave her a sympathetic look.

"Me and everyone else in the mansion. I really messed everything up didn't I?" Thornn asked as she sat down.

"Well you gotta admit it didn't help things when you let the Porcupine run off," Logan grunted.

"I guess I should have told somebody about our history long ago," Thornn sighed. "Despite what happened I still have feelings for him."

"Are you sure you don't want to talk to Storm about something like this?" Logan asked. "Or maybe Jean or…"

"No," Thornn sighed. "I feel more…comfortable talking to the two of you."

"Why?" Logan asked. "Hank's a doc I get that. But why me?"

"Please Logan," Thornn pleaded. "This isn't easy for me as it is. You're just…Out of everyone here you probably would understand what life was like in the tunnels the most. It was hard. Every time you left the Alley you took your life in your own hands. Don't get me wrong, the Morlocks were like a family to me. No matter how hard things were Callisto made sure we all knew that every mutant was accepted and welcomed. But for some mutants that wasn't enough. They wanted more…"

She took a breath. "For years Callisto's only true rival was the one called Masque. She had the power to change anyone's looks, to twist their faces to take any shape she wished. She could literally mold your looks to make you look like whomever, or whatever she wanted. Ironically she could do nothing to change her own looks, and the effects would only last for twenty-four hours. Many Morlocks feared her."

"Feared her?" Logan snorted. "Because she could change the way you looked? How could that affect a Morlock? Thought you didn't go for the whole beauty thing?"

"Let me ask you something," Thornn glared at him. "How long can you breathe without a nose or a mouth? Or see without eyes? Or…"

"We get the picture," Hank interrupted. "Go on…"

Thornn continued. "Masque could not defeat Callisto directly, she was too powerful and too good a fighter to challenge. So she secretly gathered a small following to be her army. And like a fool I was one of them. I guess I followed her because I was afraid of her. Or that I fooled myself into believing she could lead us better. I don't know. It's pretty funny looking back on it now, because for once my sister was in the right. She always supported Callisto."

"So what changed your mind?" Logan asked.

"Spyke," Thornn told him. "Not long after he joined us it was clear that he was also a threat to Masque. I was supposed to…take care of him, but I'd grown feelings for him."

"Let me take a wild guess," Hank casually sipped his coffee. "You chose love over loyalty to Masque?"

"That's about it," Thornn sighed. "Spyke convinced me to tell Callisto and the others everything. When Callisto confronted Masque she did something unthinkable. She harmed a Morlock child in order to try to gain power. Fortunately Spyke made her retract the damage in time, but she had done the unforgivable. In Morlock society, we may do many things, even kill if we have to, but to harm a child…" She shook her head. "Needless to say her own followers turned on her for that and we all saw her for the monster she was. She was driven out of the Alley into the deeper tunnels, never to return."

"Well that explains why Evan's now considered such a big hero down there," Logan snorted. "But I still don't get…"

"There's more," Thornn interrupted. "Not long after that, we became an item. But Evan wanted more than what I wanted to give. But he soon found plenty of other girls to give it to him if you get my drift. That's why we broke up."

"Wait a minute are you saying that the porcupine's…" Logan did a double take.

"No wonder you didn't want to talk to Storm," Hank blinked.

"We never did it!" Thornn protested. "I never did…with anyone. Kind of rare among Morlocks my age. Sex is sort of…casual, but even by Morlock standards Spyke pushed it."

"Okay…" Hank gulped. "I don't think I wanna know any more."

"But I do!" Logan grunted. "If only to know how deep that idiot kid's got himself in! He's only fifteen for crying out loud!"

"Sixteen," Hank corrected. "He had a birthday down there recently."

"Yeah well he celebrated with a bang," Thornn snorted. "Then he found himself his latest girlfriend. True she's lasted longer than the others…"

"By 'others' how many?" Logan raised an eyebrow.

"Uh Logan I don't think…" Hank gulped.

"Shut it Beast," Logan snapped at him. "Spill it girl."

"I take it you want to know the ones he's…" Thornn made a gesture with her hand.

"Yeah that's the idea," Logan folded his arms. "How many are we talking about? Three? Four?" Thornn hesitated. "Five? More? What? Are we into double digits here?" Thornn nodded. "You gotta be kidding me!"

"Okay I definitely don't wanna hear any more!" Hank held up his hands and got up from the table. Then he looked at Thornn. "Have you told anybody else about this?"

"If I had do you think we'd be having this talk?" Thornn looked at him. "For crying out loud you know what gossips Kitty and Jamie are! And as much as I like Jubes she could easily tie for runner up in the gossip spreading department!"

"She has a valid point," Hank sighed.

"You're not gonna tell anyone about this are you?" Thornn asked nervously. "Not even Xavier?"

"Thornn I…" Hank stumbled.

"No," Logan said decisively. "We won't. About Spyke's dating habits anyway. That stays private. Nobody's business anyway, not even his aunt's."

"Especially his aunt's," Hank groaned. "I am not going to be the one to tell her! I am way too fond of my skin."

"Hey guys!" Bobby ran in panting. He was wearing his pajamas. "They're talking about us on the news!"

"They're always talking about us on the news," Hank gave him an amused look.

"Seriously! They just did an autopsy on Spears," Bobby told them. "Evan couldn't have killed him. He was already dead when he got stabbed."

"What?" Hank shot up. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Bobby said. "Get this, Spears was poisoned!"

"Poisoned!" Thornn gasped.

"Well this makes things more interesting," Hank thought.

"The Porcupine was framed," Logan growled.

"But who would do something like that?" Thornn asked.

"I got a couple of ideas," Logan growled.

Real mystery ain't it folks? Next: Tensions rise as anti-mutant hostility soars! Evan's a fugitive! Creed schemes! Jean gets dealt a blow! And because some people begged for it…a little bit of Stormwreck! Keep reading to find out!