Tensions Rising

"You mean Evan's still a suspect after they found out Spears was poisoned?" Bobby yelled. Later that morning the X-Men were in the library talking about it.

"No way!" Kitty protested.

"Told you he was framed!" Kurt said.

"Figures!" Scott snapped.

"That does look like the case," Xavier frowned. "But we must try and find him and get him to turn himself in."

"Are you crazy? The media's already tried and convicted him!" Jesse said. "How could he get a fair trial?"

"I hate to say it but the kid's right," Logan said to Xavier. "Have you tried Cerebro yet?"

"Yes and I can't locate him," Xavier sighed. "Unless he's using his powers I can't locate him."

"Or he's so deep underground that it can't locate him," Logan grunted. "Even Cerebro isn't perfect Charles."

"The media is really capitalizing on this incident," Xavier sighed. "And I'm afraid things are going to get worse before they get better."

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Creed walked into FOH headquarters. "So what did you tell them?" Jake asked. He and Duncan were in Creed's office waiting.

"How it was a shame that a fine upstanding citizen like Spears was murdered by mutants," Creed told them.

"But what if they find out about…" Jake looked at Duncan and stopped.

"They don't know anything about that," Creed said sharply. "It seems however that some papers were missing from Spears' office as well, but they don't know what."

"So there's no way they can think you had anything to do with it right?" Duncan asked. "As far as they know the mutie did it."

Creed frowned. "I'm afraid it isn't that simple. Questions came up."

"What kind of questions?" Duncan asked.

"Questions of a personal nature which you don't need to know about," Jake told him.

"They think you have a motive don't they?" Duncan looked at him. "But you didn't do anything! I'll tell them you were with…"

"NO!" Creed snapped. "You are not going to say anything about what happened last night! Is that clear?"

"But if it will clear your name…" Duncan began.

"It won't only clear my name or have you forgotten?" Creed snarled. "Of all the rotten luck! If I didn't know better I would have thought that freak planned it like that! No our best bet is to say nothing. Let the cops focus on hunting the freak. Whip the public into such a frenzy they'll gun him down on sight!"

"But what if they get Spyke alive and he talks?" Duncan asked.

"There is a chance they might believe him," Jake warned.

"Well then we'll just have to make sure they don't find him alive won't we?" Creed snarled. "Call out the men. We got a mutie to hunt."

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Jean made her way across campus to her afternoon class, trying to ignore the looks people were giving her. Then she saw a familiar figure waving to her.

"Jean," Dr. Sterisin waved. He was a kindly looking man in his sixties with white hair and a suit. "I'm glad I caught you before class. Dean Andrews wants to have a word with you."

"What about?" Jean asked.

"I don't know," Dr. Sterisin said. "But as your advisor he wanted me on hand as well. Come on. We'd better not keep him waiting." They went across campus to the Dean's office. "Here she is Andrews. What's this all about?"

"Miss Grey I'm afraid that it's my sad duty to inform you that due to the circumstances I am going to have to suspend you from campus temporarily," Dean Andrews told her.

"This is a joke right?" Dr. Sterisin frowned. "You're joking?"

"I wish I was," The dean sighed.

"Why?" Jean asked. "I haven't done anything!"

"You're an associate of Evan Daniels aren't you?" Dean Andrews asked.

"He's my friend but…" Jean trailed off. Her eyes narrowed. "It's also because I'm a mutant as well right?"

"That is discrimination pure and simple!" Dr. Sterisin shouted. "Miss Grey is a fine student."

"That may be but you have to admit that her presence is disrupting the campus!" He pointed out the window, showing several media trucks as well as a group of protestors were forming.

"That's hardly her fault!" Dr. Sterisin protested. "Jean you can't take this lying down!"

"This isn't an expulsion," Dean Andrews told them.

"But it will be if I don't go won't it?" Jean said, fighting the anger inside her. "Then there's nothing more to say is there?" She stood up. "Don't bother showing me the door. I know my way out."

"Jean I'm sorry it has to be this way," Dean Andrews said.

"I'm sorry too," Jean told him as she walked out.

"Oh I'll bet you're sorry!" Dr. Sterisin snapped as he walked out with her. "What a close minded…"

Jean didn't bother to hear the rest, she just kept walking. Dr. Sterisin followed her. "Jean! Jean! Wait! We can fight this! We can get a hearing and…"

"No," Jean held up her hand. "No I don't want to go through that right now. Things are crazy enough as it is. Maybe I should just withdraw from college and…"

"Don't even think of doing that! Jean someone as brilliant and as talented as you can't give up on her dreams," Dr. Sterisin told her. "There are ways around this. Maybe we can work something out. I can give you lessons via the Internet and tutor you if I have to."

"Thank you Doctor," Jean sighed. "You have no idea how much your support means to me. I just wish more people were like you."

"Well I have to admit I like to think of myself as one of a kind," Dr. Sterisin grinned. "However you cannot allow people like that to stop you. You have so much to offer. It would be a shame to waste your talents."

"Thank you," Jean sighed. Then she heard shouting. "Oh no…"

"You'd better get out of here," Dr. Sterisin told her. "I don't think those people want to talk."

"You're right," Jean decided to leave and walked away. However the protestors had different ideas.

"There she is!" One woman screamed.

"Mutant go home!" A man shouted. Several people were running up to her.

"Get out of here freak!" A woman threw a rock at her. "We don't want your kind around here!"

Jean easily deflected the rock and put up a force field protecting her from other things people threw at her. Terrified Jean flew into the air. That didn't stop their jeers. She flew as fast as she could to her SUV only to find it was on fire.

"BURN MUTIE BURN!" A man wearing an FOH button shouted brandishing a lighter. Several others of his friends were cheering. He saw her. "Come on mutie witch! Burn in Hell!"

For a moment Jean forgot herself. She couldn't take all the anger and rage directed at her. The thoughts of the crowd overwhelmed her. With a wave of her hand she knocked back the FOH members telekinetically across the ground. The things people threw at her, she sent back at them even harder. People screamed in panic as they ran away.

"SHE'S A MONSTER!" Someone screamed. "A MONSTER!"

Those words brought Jean back to herself. She couldn't believe she lost her temper. Tears flowed from Jean's eyes as she flew away from the crowd, trying desperately to ignore their jeers and screams. She thought of the one person who could comfort her. Scott! Scott!

"Jean! JEAN!" Scott shouted at the Institute. "She's in trouble! Professor…"

"I know," Xavier said. "I sense it too."

"Look on the TV…" Kitty pointed what was on the screen. It showed people throwing things at Jean and Jean fighting back. "Oh god…"

"Man they even burned her car!" Bobby whistled.

"Forget the car!" Kurt pointed as the TV showed Jean throwing the protestors away from her. "Look at what she's doing!"

"Hey it's self defense!" Ray snapped.

"That's not how they're showing it," Kurt sighed.

On television one of the FOH men was already speaking. "This is an example of what happens when we allow these mutants to walk around free! We can't allow them to murder us and terrorize us as they please! The time has come for action!"

"Something has to be done!" Another man shouted. "And if the cops can't do it we will!"

"The FOH will do whatever it takes to see that no mutant harms another human ever again!" A woman shouted. A rousing chorus of cheers went up.

"This is awful," Amara said.

"And it's going to get worse," Xavier sighed. "She's near!"

"Jean?" Scott asked. He looked out the window and saw her flying towards them. "Jean!" He ran outside and caught her in his arms as she floated down.

"Oh Scott…" Jean sobbed as he held her. "It was horrible…horrible. They kicked me out of school and there were these protestors and…and…"

"I know," Scott patted her hair. "They just had it on TV. It's okay. It's okay. You're safe now."

"I can't believe I lost control like that," Jean sobbed. "But after everything that happened the other day and the school putting me on suspension and then the protestors…They burned my SUV Scott. They just…"

"Jean it doesn't matter," Scott told her. "We'll get you a new one. As long as you're safe that's all that matters."

Xavier watched the two through the window. He shook his head. "I can't believe what those jerks did to her," Logan snarled.

"And I'm afraid the worst is yet to come," Xavier frowned.

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"We came as soon as we heard," Shipwreck entered the study where Ororo was. "Is Jean all right?"

"She's upset and shaken but otherwise fine," Ororo sighed.

"I can't believe those bigots!" Shipwreck pounded his fist into his open palm. "Give me five minutes with those jerks so I can discuss their admissions policy. Just five minutes! That and two sets of chopsticks, a rubber band…and a small amount of Limburger cheese. Extra smelly."

"Shipwreck that will not solve anything," Ororo sighed.

"No but it will make me feel a hell of a lot better!" Shipwreck told her. He looked out the window. "Oh look at all the protestors on the lawn."

"The front gate is hardly a lawn," Ororo sighed. She looked like she was going to cry.

"Hey take it easy," Shipwreck put his hand on her shoulder. "We'll find him."

"I just spent an hour of my sister screaming at me on the phone," Ororo sighed. "She's threatening a lawsuit against Institute."

"Well just put it on the pile with all the other ones," Shipwreck told her.

"Shipwreck if she makes a case of negligence she could get them to close the school down!" Ororo shouted. "And what's worse is that she's right. If only I had somehow made Evan stay here…"

"How? By locking him in the basement?" Shipwreck asked. "He wasn't gonna stay and you know it."

"What did I do wrong Shipwreck?" Ororo asked. "Where did I fail? This is all my fault!"

"No it isn't," Shipwreck held her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "And you know it. Things happen. You did everything you could. He had to go out into the world to find his place. Someone had to help the Morlocks."

"Yeah help them become better armed," Ororo sighed.

"You have always made everyone you met feel warm and welcome," Shipwreck told her. "You have given more than a hundred percent of yourself to all the kids here, not just Evan. There is no way you are to blame for any of this. Got it?"

"I…" Ororo sighed.

"You know what I'm saying is true," Shipwreck said. "Look we all know the kid was framed. I promise you that I will do whatever it takes to find out who really killed Spears and clear Evan's name. Okay? So don't worry. It'll all turn out fine. You'll see."

"Thanks Shipwreck," Ororo sighed. "I needed that."

"Yeah well," He hugged her. "What are friends for?"

Todd ran in. "Geeze Shipwreck you don't lay off the chicks for even a minute don't you?" He asked.

"Toad what do you want?" Shipwreck groaned as they pulled away.

"The cops just got into a firefight with the Morlocks!" Todd shouted.

"Oh great! When it rains it pours!" Shipwreck and Ororo followed him.