"One minute!" Dennis the talk show host announced. "And then we'll be switching to the channel twelve news feed. They'll be doing a live news broadcast – which we're told contains several pre-taped interviews with key people. But right now we're going to the phones. Hello, caller, are you there?"
"Yes. Yes I am Dennis Good day to you."
"And to you Professor. Now, for those of us in the audience – we're speaking to Professor Charles Francis Xavier of the U.S. Now, Professor. You know Kurt Wagner personally. In fact we're reading reports here that your property in Bayville has mistakenly been identified as belonging to Mister Wagner."
"Well, yes it was Dennis, granted Kurt did stay here for a time, but I can assure you that much of what the press has said up until now has been erroneous."
"So what is the truth Professor?"
"Kurt is a mutant. His natural appearance is blue skinned with matching hair. He was a circus acrobat for much of his early life until mutant tensions forced him to adopt a much more secluded lifestyle. And then, after hearing about his seclusion, I opened my home to him."
"As you have with many young mutants." Dennis prodded.
"Yes. And among people who had similar difficulties he found acceptance. At which point he did adopt the disguise you've seen in the newspapers" Which I was not aware of until tonight. "And I must say, that to anyone who knows Kurt, these charges against him are not just wrong but truly laughable. He's known harassment for most of his life in one form or another. And he has too much respect for himself to ever treat anyone else in that manner."
"Wow. Okay. And… I did want to clarify that, you told our producer that he adopted the disguise because…"
"Oh, because he was to attend public school." Xavier hastily added. "And it was simply too dangerous for an obvious mutant like Kurt to attend public school here in the states. Anti-Mutant tensions have caused outbreaks of violence in many places, and so it seemed that the responsible thing to do, for the safety of all concerned, would be to disguise him."
"For the safety of all concerned?" Dennis prodded.
Xavier sighed. "Unfortunately, many of the incidents where public anti-mutant violence has occurred – result in serious injury not just to the attackers or the attacked but to many bystanders as well."
Dennis looked grim. "That's tragic." He sighed. "Now, you also said you knew Kathy Pryde? The woman seen with Mr. Wagner in several of the papers."
"Katherine, yes. She has been a long time friend of Kurt's and she felt she could make a real difference by standing by his side and being a part of the future he's set out to create."
"But are they involved romantically, I mean, she is pictured here with their arms linked, leaving the reception…"
"No, as far as I know they were never romantically connected. But you're talking about a very independent young woman, who is a good friend to Kurt, and it's no surprise to me at all that she would take his arm, hold her head up high and walk away from a scene like the one described … ahh… in the papers."
Dennis nodded. "And I believe that… Someone mentioned that she was... and correct me if I'm wrong… a runner up, so to speak, for the position… of Mutant Advisor?"
"Oh, yes. She was in fact considered the next best candidate for the position. And so it really did follow that she would be really well suited to just about any position within his organization."
"I see." Dennis smiled. "Thank you for your time Professor, but we're getting ready to switch our feed shortly, se we'll have to say good-bye now."
"Thank you for having me Dennis. It was a pleasure."
"The pleasure was ours Professor Xavier." Dennis nodded to the audience. "Let's give a round of applause for Charles Xavier folks, Mutant Rights Activist from the United States."
And the crowd roared appreciatively.
A small little old woman in the front row leaned over to her small little old husband. "It's a good show today." She nodded. "None of this was mentioned on the ticket."
Xavier hung up the phone. I hope that helps…
Thirty seconds? Emma frowned. How can there still be thirty seconds left?
I swear, it's almost like God – or someone – is just teasing me. This is taking forever!
She looked at the clock. It ticked off only one second.
And she freaked out from the suspense and began violently kicking the walls of her apartment.
She paused and looked back at the clock. It hadn't moved.
"Ahhhhrrrgggg!" She screamed and kicked the wall some more.
Lance scowled as he walked in to the room. He held a videotape in his hand and murderous rage in his eyes.
"Todd! Fred!" He screamed. "What the hell happened to the TV?"
And as he walked away, the TV sat there – a broken and smoking pile of rubble that couldn't stand the stress and strain of being their TV.
"I was gonna use that!" He stormed away, slamming the front door behind him.
Todd and Fred exchanged worried glances as they hid in the upstairs bathroom.
"Wait until he finds out what we did to his stereo." Todd swallowed.
Fred nodded in worried agreement.
"Here Forge." Kitty handed him the little robot as she came up the stairs. "One of your robots fell in the water. I hope it's not ruined or anything."
Forge took it from her with great interest. "That's not one of mine." He took it. "But I have seen it before."
She arched an eyebrow. "You've seen strange robots around and didn't mention it?"
"I've been busy." He said it as though it were obvious yet not boastful, in his own understated yet definite way.
"Oh." She rolled her eyes and walked away.
Forge eyed the little 'bot. Aww… Ish shomeone shick? He thought with a chuckle.
The robot sported an open access panel.
I know that panel! Forge realized. I pulled it out of Alistaire's engine… But I saw this bot… before that happened…
He peered inside the robot. Nice design. Advanced too. He shook his head. But that memory chip is in backwards…
He reached out and plucked the chip out and maneuvered it in to the right position then pushed it in to place.
"Widget!" The little bot announced as it jumped up in to the air.
Forge fell back, startled.
The little bot began to spin in place, faster and faster, emitting a high pitched whine.
"KUUUUUURRRRRRTTTTTT!" Forge called in a rather nonchalant panic.
Kurt appeared in a cloud, holding his ears. "Vhats going on?" He asked.
"Reason number one-hundred-and-seventeen why you shouldn't fix strange robots." He shrugged at Kurt. "Kitty found it. I thought I was helping."
Kurt ported Forge and himself out to where Illyana and Kitty were chatting.
"Excuse me!" He dropped Forge, grabbed Illyana and 'ported her back to the robot.
"Can you make a portal thingy and we'll knock it out of the lighthouse?"
"Sure." She began to make the portal form and the little robot took off with a vengeance.
It punched through the walls and floors like a possessed super-ball.
It tore through the crowd of heroes, sending them scattering – except Brian and Lucy who took up positions defending Betsy.
"WIDGET!" The little ball screamed as it shot itself through the windows, raining glass in the lighthouse.
"WIDGET! WIDGET! WIDGET!" It screamed as it tore holes through everything in its way.
"FHOOOM!" It blew right through the television.
"Aww…man!" Lucy stomped her foot in disappointment.
"Widget!" It took off on a run for Betsy and Brian jumped in front of it.
The little robot slammed in to his chest and stopped.
For a second, nothing happened.
"…wid…get…" It said.
"Ow." Brian looked down at the little robot and it fell off him, and halfway to the ground it paused, rotated, flew with a slight stagger and then put on a quick bust of speed through the last good window on the common room, smashing it to pieces.
Kurt bound out of the room with Illyana in tow.
"Vhat's it doing?" he asked.
Brian swallowed hard as he looked at out the windows. "Nothing good." He said calmly as the sky suddenly crackled and flashed with energy. A huge white flare of energy obscured the sky and clouds – and there in the middle was Widget – streaming orange and purple flares of energy out in to the ever-expanding white field of energy.
